#silly rusty boi

[charlottessecretartstash]

Are you fan favorite battlebot rusty? Take this quiz and I'll tell ya!

[nanaarchy]

can we agree how absolutely DERANGED season 1 gerry keay 🔑🔑🔑 was for getting half burned to death and just walking around totally fine, for emptying out an entire hospital wing just to kill an old burning guy. AND THEN HE TURNS TO THE DOCTOR AT THE SCENE AND GOES "YEAH, FOR YOU, BETTER BEHOLDER THAN LIGHTLESS FLAME"

We had NO idea what that meant back then. that is Season ONE. my boi literally at the beginning of the podcast decided to kin-assign the Eye to a random ass dude who was just trying to do his job. good for him tbh

[corrodedcoughin]

little story about little Eddie and his 2 new friends | word count approx 2.5k | general audience rating | steve and eddie are kids and Wayne is a pushover

Wayne sometimes thinks it was a mistake, not taking in the boy. God no, he would never think of Eddie as anything other than an important and intrinsic part of his life, couldn't be without him, wouldn't want to be. 

No, what Wayne worries about is how his readiness to help Eddie feel loved might contribute to the boy's difficulty in making friends.

It was an innocent enough request, Eddie asked for a pet as all young children do. He was so small and so wide eyed, just a scrap of an 8 year old with more feelings than he knew what to do with. Wayne knew he'd never hold up against any request Eddie made but he liked to pretend to himself that he could. And while technically he never pandered to the boy, yes Eddie usually got what he wanted but in a way that suited their means. Or so Wayne tells himself. 

8 year old Eddie asked for a pet and a pet is what he got.

-

Eddie barrelled into the trailer door, backpack swinging off his arm and ready to be thrown into the corner. Planning to shoot off back out the door to do his usual; lift up rocks and inspect whatever bugs he could find, to grab sticks and imagine them as wizard staffs, to let his imagination finally run wild after hours of sitting still at a desk under too bright lights and too busy class rooms. In truth he wasn't really paying attention to the insides of the trailer, expecting it to be the same as always. It took a very pointed cough for Eddie to register that Wayne was unusually home from work, far earlier than normal, and a further loud clearing of the throat for Eddie to pay attention to what Wayne had placed on the kitchen table. 

Right in the middle of the table, sitting in a beam of sunlight, was a cage and in that cage was what would soon become, Eddie's very reason for being. He crept up close, almost as if scared that any sudden movements would prove the whole thing to be a cruel illusion. He was brought out of his reverie by a pink nose wiggling at the bars, whiskers attached and twitching as the rest of the rat appeared.

'is he-? is he for real?' Eddie said with a gasp, hands inching towards the door of the cage. 

Wayne had to suppress a laugh, trust this boy to be bowled over in wonder at a rat as if it were a puppy. He opened the contraption of the enclosure door and dipped his hand inside, allowing the rat to climb onto his palm. The guy from work assured him that this one was the most tame he had, inquisitive to a fault and oddly enough, desperate to be handled. Quite honestly, the perfect match for his well meaning but excitable nephew-near-enough-son. 

'Yeah, yeah kid it's for real. And he's a she.' Wayne lets the rat sniff at Eddie's hands, little pink hands finding a platform on Eddie's palms, clearly holding himself a still as possible but if Wayne knew this boy, and he did, he knows that Eddie is so close to vibrating out of his skin, that containing that much excitement must be killing him. 

'I don't care. Wayne, I don't! Can she sleep in my room? Does she know tricks? Can I teach her? What does she like? Can I take her to school? Please! Wayne!' He's started now, words pouring out of his mouth, tripping over himself to try and release every thought entering his brain at lightning speed.

'Woah, there' Wayne says pulling the rat up, cradling it in two hands, 'We got to be kind to her alright? She's only small. Doesn't know what loud noises are good and which are bad, okay?' He watches as Eddie nods vigorously, eyes never leaving the creature. 'Now you promised me you'd look after a pet so that's what's going to happen. She is your responsibility. That means cleaning, feeding and loving, got it?' Eddie nods again, tentatively reaching his hands up, the image of Oliver Twist springs to Wayne's mind. 

Wayne comes around the kitchen table, crouches down to Eddie on creaky knees and hands the rat over, filling Eddie's small hands with a heartbeat and fur. Eddie giggles, watching as the rat surveils the new patch of skin its found itself on. 

'Tickles, Wayne' and its said with such love and devotion Wayne almost feels his heart break 

'Yeah son. She does, doesn't she?' 

-

 Of course it takes less than a week and Eddie and Sam are inseparable. As soon as Eddie gets home he's itching for his furry friend, delighting in the way she scampers around the room, over his arms and anywhere she can get. No matter what though, she always comes back to him. She can be digging in to a particularly interesting crevice behind the couch but she'll always come running back when she hears Eddie make a noise.  

The thing is, Eddie is a pretty lonely kid. Not for lack of trying, don't get it wrong. Eddie tries to socialise he tries to talk to the other kids in his class, get them involved in his imaginary games and play pretend but being the new kid doesn't really do him any favours. Being the new kid that lives in the trailer park and a penchant for biting to show affection does him even less. 

To Eddie, its him and Sam against the world. He can come home and know that his best friend will listen to all his problems, will stay close and won't run away even when he's extra loud or being 'a lot' as his teacher like to tell him. He's so tired of being told to use his 'quiet hands', his 'inside voice' and every other subdued phrase they try to press on him. 

This particular day was a hard one, Sally Winters had said that Eddie was 'bad luck' and the word quickly spread around by recess. Eddie had thought he was making some progress with a couple of kids from the class, was thinking today might be the day that he finally got asked to play but that hope quickly got squashed. He had hopped up to the potential friends with a stick in his hand and a notion of being a pirate when they both looked at him like he was a monster, they couldn't get away fast enough. And Eddie couldn't find a place to hide quick enough before the fat and heavy tears fell from his eyes. 

It was a long day and home time was his only saving grace. 

Wayne knows somethings up, can tell in the way that Eddie isn't even really talking to Sam, hardly looking at the Tv despite the fact that Wayne very purposefully had put the cartoon Lord of the Rings movie on. The sure fire fall back he liked to keep in his back pocket. The trump card to get his kid happy. This time though? No luck. Looking at the kid makes a chasm open up in his gut, deep and full of overwhelming sadness that he just wants to stop, wants to find the solution to make this boy smile like the sun again. They don't talk much for the rest of the night but Wayne makes sure to stay close, stay awake in case he's needed. Eddie spends the time between dinner and bed sitting on the floor, side pressed up against Wayne's leg and playing fetch with bits of Wayne's whittling with Sam, not a word said. 

-

Eddie wakes up the next morning with a plan and a devil may care attitude. Oh so carefully he maintains his usual routine; says good morning to Sam, carts her around the trailer as he washes his face and wanders into the kitchen, placing her in her secondary cage so she can eat breakfast with Eddie and Wayne - Eddie was adamant that they couldn't have meals without her, 'she's part of the family!' and soft hearted fool Wayne Munson agreed and an additional cage was sourced. 

When breakfast is finished Eddie begins his usual rigmarole of dragging his feet to get out of his pjs and into his clothes, reluctant to grab his bag and go out the door. Same old protests as Wayne watches him walk out towards the school bus. 

What is a new addition to the routine though, is Sam Munson hiding up the sleeve of a school boy and about to go on a secret and very dangerous mission. A mission to survive the school day. 

Surprisingly, Eddie manages to keep Sam secret, keep her safe, the whole morning. He came prepared with snacks to make sure she was entertained and happy, he couldn't stand the thought of her being sad, her eyes get so big and her tail droops as well as her ears, it makes the whole of Eddie ache. But no, she's happy, or happy enough at least. 

So the morning goes without a hitch, Eddie making noises to cover up any squeaks and keeping a hand in his pocket to reassure Sam, stowed in the pocket of his hoodie. He knows he's seen as 'weird' so what's a few extra noises? They are let out for recess and Eddie breathes a sigh of relief, thinking this is his time to let Sam out, knowing she's desperate for some fresh air. Sure, she's peed in his hoodie pocket, but he can't really tell with it's dark colour and the layer of t-shirt between the wet material and his tummy. 

He runs off to his usual corner, stuck between a bush and a tree and gently tips Sam out of his pocket, she scampers around his feet and gratefully accepts a broken off bit of cracker between her hands.

'Thanks for coming with me Sam. Everyone is so mean, its so stupid. I don't care. You are a better friend than any of those losers' He crouches down, hoping to find a twig to play fetch with. A game that he delights in, is immeasurably proud of her for learning it so quickly. 'Gonna find you the best stick Sam. Promise. Best stick for the best friend' 

He continues muttering to himself and doesn't notice that he's getting progressively louder after finding a twig and beginning the game. Doesn't register that he's drawn unwanted attention with his happy shouts and encouragement until a body is crashing through the shrub he's hidden himself behind. 

Sam doesn't notice either until the unexpected form is right in front of her and she bolts, running as fast as her legs will carry her and Eddie is right behind her, muttering under his breath as he trips over his own feet in an attempt to catch her 'oh shit oh no oh no oh no' He's pushing himself as hard as he can but it doesn't count for much, he never was the fastest. He keeps trying though but then a faster body is accelrating past him, in a evident bee line for Sam. 

Without thinking, Eddie lets out a painful 'NO!' terrified of what might happen.

He knows people think rats are dirty, thinks they don't deserve love and don't deserve life. He doesn't want to imagine what this person's intent might be. Sam reaches a dead end up against the wall of the school and the body, the boy, stops infront of her. Scoops her up? Cradles her into his chest? Eddie...Eddie doesn't know what to think, he's prepared to fight this kid but then the boy is looking up at him with curious hazel eyes. Stroking Sam's head gently and with intent.

He holds Sam out, careful with his motions, trying to blow his brown floppy hair out of his face without disturbing the animal in his hands 'is she okay? is she yours? did I hurt her? she looks okay, is she?' Eddie gingerly steps forward and plucks Sam out of the boys hands, gives hera thorough inspection as the other boy continues 

'I didn't mean to scare her I swear! I didn't even know you had her! I won't tell, I swear I wont! You know...you shouldn't really have a rat in school. If I promise not to tell can I play with you? I'm Steve' 

Holding her close, Eddie squints at the boy, at Steve, and thinks. Thinks about how he looks nice, about how soft his hair looks and how he asked Eddie, Eddie!, to play, that he didn't give him a wide bearth and that he held Sam with such care. It isn't even a hard decision.

They spend the rest of recess together. Eddie shows Steve just how smart Sam. That she can play fetch, that she can run across one arm to the next, over your shoulders without losing balance. That she can twitch her whiskers and it seems like she's laughing at the joke Eddie tells her. That she laughs at the joke Steve tells her! Steve learns that she's named after somebody called Samwise and it doesn't matter that he's a boy because Sam is brave just like Samwise and smart and cares just as much. That Sam is Sam and Eddie is Frodo and together they can take on the world. 

Steve asks if he can have a name too and Eddie calls him Legolas, doesn't tell him why. Doesn't say that Steve reminds him of the pretty elves described in the books Wayne reads out loud to Eddie. It doesn't matter, not really. 

Recess ends and they shuffle back to the school doors, both of them lagging behind the others.

Eddie steels himself, knows he has to bring his misfortune up so that he can own in, so that his new friend doesn't find out from someone else. 'I'm bad luck you know. Sally...she said it. now everyone wont talk to me. I wont be mad if you don't either. I've got Sam. We'll be oaky! So you can just go, I don't care!' He knows he's getting wound up, he can't stop himself. He just wants the bandaid ripped off so he can start feeling sad quicker, get it over with sooner.

Before he can register is, Steve is wrapped around Eddie in a flash of a hug, careful to keep his tummy away from squashing Sam. 

'Not bad luck to me. See you tomorrow Frodo' Steve whispers next to Eddie's ear and shuffles through the school door. 

Eddie is in a daze of joy and happiness, thoughts rumbling through his head but none of them sticking as he journey back into his class room. Pure happiness radiating out of his body, he takes Sam out of his pocket and holds her up to his face 'Sam you made my bad luck go away!' kissing her on the forehead as he hears his teacher scream 

'EDWARD MUNSON IS THAT A RAT?!'

-

So Wayne thought the already unpopular kid having a rat would make things worse. Turns out, he was wrong. Very, very wrong. He might have to start pocket inspections before school though.

--------------------------------------

also on ao3 if that's the preferred reading format for you

[callmegaith]

Lost faith in your God, David??

Based on the theory that whatever David is up to it has to do with him defying the Lake, getting turned into the tree that symbolizes hell at the end of Birthday as punishment

so sexy of him to defy the deity he knows to be real, and rebel, breaking free from the cultist beliefs of his family.... if true.

[mooniebatz]

Drew Dalek Rusty :33

[beetroot-merchant]

W E ' V E B E E N T R Y I N G T O C O N T A C T Y O U A B O U T Y O U R C A R ' S E X T E N D E D W A R R A N T Y

[blueberryspyder]

Me: starts listening to The Magnus Archives

TMA: comes back with The Magnus Protocol

Me, shaking as I start listening to Rusty Quil Gaming: please come back please come back please come ba—

[star-shaped-bug]

Bugtober Day 1 - Aphid

They definitely didn't smuggle this little aphid from the aphid farm! (yes. yes they absolutely did.)

[nyabeilles]

boyfriend said i should draw rusty vs firestar and this is what i came up with ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[botseeksbot]

the person who gave birth to you loves you very much and family isnt blood its who you choose and its more valuable if its more complicated and hes one of the best superscientists in the nation and your brother loves you and

[gotyx]

Merry Christmas y’all!!

[sillygoofyqueer]

Silly fic idea for you:

SVSSS AU where Shen Yuan transmigrates as a half-human half-crow-demon Phantom thief character.

He doesn’t want to steal from Bing-ge, but his System makes him, and naturally Bing-ge ends up obsessed. Bing-ge keeps luring him into traps with shiny things he just can’t help but want!!! Stupid crow impulses. (That he kinda wants to see Binghe again is irrelevant, obviously).

This is SUPER silly. Anon, this is so funny, I feel like I simply have to write this now oh my god. The idea that Bing-ge is confused at first, and he then sees this super handsome half bird-half human-demon thing and is like "man I need to get me more shiny things, I want to keep this fucker". ALSO, (I've heard that) crows are quite intelligent and start leaving presents as a response to getting fed or being given shiny things, so it could also be something where Shen Yuan starts having the urge to give Bing-ge things back after receiving all these shiny things (better if he doesn't recognise most of the traps as traps, mistaking Bing-ge for being a generous demon who doesn't need all of the shiny stuff he takes) and starts giving him shit like rocks and plants and the cool parts of beasts he fights... It also can be silly no matter when in the timeline this happens - it could be during the QJ peak arc where Shen Yuan sneaks around because he wants to see the awesome protagonist up close! The first time he steals something from Bing-ge, it's something super dumb like a particularly shiny rock or a coin that the boy left lying around, and Bing-ge's quickly like "??? The fuck just happened?" so he sets up a trap with the axe he uses for chopping wood (kind of rusty but still useable and particularly shiny). After that, it's chaos of trying to keep Shen Yuan the demon hidden while also stopping him from stealing other shiny things (cultivator's swords and such). Liu Qingge finds Shen Yuan trying to steal one of the swords he was gifted after saving a village and is also like "??? Kill?" It can also be after the Endless Abyss, when Bing-ge is like a demon lord and just has shiny stuff lying around. He throws it out occasionally and one day, while doing this, he notices a certain person swooping in and grabbing one of the shiny things. More antics ensue but I don't want to crash my laptop lmao (Which one would you rather me do, anon? Before the Endless Abyss, or after? Or both??) {part one! Part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven!} [This gorgeous fanart from @slurmdog that's making me go insane here] [More awe inducing fanart from @moonlightobsessions that has made me pass out here]

[sweetnans]

I set myself on fire to keep you warm.

Pairing: f. reader/Bakugo Katsuki.

tw: mention of break up, mention of violence but not described because bakugo isn't a bad boy, soft and persistent bakugo. SMUT +18 minors don't interact. (Soft sex)

a/c: the end of this trilogy, I hope you liked it 💕

Part 1

Part 2

After the party, you didn't see him for a while. At least two weeks. A group of villains attacked his quadrant for a week straight unfolding in pairs each day. Even Shoto, your new partner, had to change teams and do a backup job.

The truth was that you were dying to know about him, and that felt wrong.

Friday came quickly, and so your day off. You were parking outside of your house, bringing the grocery bag with you and some little things you found that could work with your new home decoration. You even bought flowers for your new vessel.

Quickly, you turned the tv on, not expecting to see Bakugo in action, defeating a giant villain on the screen. The scenery was already controlled by the pros, Deku, Chargerbolt, and Cellophane were there, working as a team.

You changed the channel looking for a reality show, something that didn't remind you of your ex and everything that occupied your mind since the last time you saw him, like calling him, for example.

Silly girl knows better, right? But, what if he was hurt?

You shook your head and poured a glass of wine in a cup. That glass of wine turned in two, and when you noticed what was happening the bottle was already empty.

You scrolled through your socials, the guys were headline in almost every page, even the group chat of endeavor agency made a special shout out to them, filling your phone with photos of him in high definition.

You: I think I'm going to do something I might regret.

You waited for the response from Mina but nothing happened. You could blame her later for what was about to happen.

His contact was opened on your screen, the green button functioning as a magnet to your fingers. What was the harm in calling him? You could just ask about the fight, professionally purpose only, to gather techniques. After all, you were a little rusty in battle combat.

You were just making excuses not to feel like a shitty person. You needed to get your head clear but right now you were about to cry. Damn, you missed the bastard.

That was the hint you needed to press the button.

It ringed, one, two, three times.

"Hello?" He asked, agitated.

You felt nostalgic. After every big fight, he liked to steam some stamina off. To cool it down, like he used to say.

"If this a fucking prank you'll hear from me, I'll blast your shitty ass to-

"Hey," your voice sounded light.

You could hear how he dropped the weight he was lifting.

"Is that you?" He murmured, not believing. Maybe it was a prank from one of his friends. No, they would never do that to him. They feared him enough.

"Mmhm," you nodded even if he couldn't see you.

Silence flowed in the line. It was awkward, but not in the bad way. It was awkward for Bakugo, at least, because he never expected to be you when to phone rang. He knew that he had to be the one trying, but right now, after the party, after the fight, he was just taking his time to think about his next step.

"Are you drunk?" He asked straightforwardly.

"What? No!" You tried to defend yourself, but the uncommon pitch in your tone gave you away.

"You sound like it." You could feel his smug smile appearing on his face.

"I'm not gonna lie. I had this bottle of wine, and it just poofed itself out of existence, " you sighed. You were tipsy, but you knew exactly what you were doing.

He barked a laugh. A real one. The kind of laugh that made you feel it inside your bones. The kind of laugh that you missed for an entire year.

"It seems to me that you just chugged the bottle all by yourself." The tone in his voice was playful and his mind started to get those memories where you used to call him everytime you went out with your friends, finding a way to leave your friends alone and sneak to the bathroom or some place quiet just to hear his voice and tell him to pick you up earlier.

"How do you know that I'm by myself?"

The question made him shake his head.

"If you were with Mina or with somebody else, you wouldn't have called." He was probably right, you thought to yourself, Mina would've melted your phone down with acid before you even thought of calling your ex.

He liked the way that conversation flowed. With you, the talking about everything, the expressing, the feeling, everything was so easy for him. He felt nostalgic and eager to win you back. He needed this in his life, and he needed you.

"For the record, I warned Mina that I was going to do something stupid"

"Do you think this is stupid?" He pried for your answer. The moments you were taking to answer something so simple got him on the edge of the gym bench. "No bullshit, okay? Because I don't think this is stupid at all"

You closed your eyes for an instant, trying to think aside from the alcohol boost. You needed to get your mind clear because you had this idea in your mind, but once the idea left your mind, it was over for you and for him. In a good way.

"Why don't you pick up your stuff and come home already?"

...

To say that it took him ten minutes to arrive at your house is just an exaggeration. He made it in seven when most people took at least twenty. You were waiting for him in the front porch, the same porch that he paced over and over the first time he saw you in a year. You were standing there, with your arms crossed in front of your chest because the night was cold, but, you wanted to be there to see him, to wait for him, and to feel the excitement that was seeing him after a long day or in this case, week.

He saw your figure from his car. The tinted glass did him a favor. He was sweating. He couldn't stop rubbing his hands in his pants to ease the feeling of wetness and couldn't stop looking at you while doing it. Bakugo realized that he was taking much time regulating himself so he turned off the car and breathed three times to try to calm his heartbeat. It didn't work. He never had been that pented up about something, not an interview, not even a fight, but now his heart was about to explode.

You waved your hand at the sight of him. He didn't reciprocated but instead, he stomped to your front yard, opening the small gate that led to your garden. He climbed one step and the other so his face would be at the same level from your face.

"Hi," you said again, smiling fondly. God, you've missed him.

"Hey princess," he used the same petname that he has called you since he met you.

"Do you want to come in? Or should I go for myself so you can stay and find my spare key and use it? " You asked jokingly. He rolled his eyes but smiled a bit. "I swear that it's in a better spot, I hid it so well this time, you'll never going to find it"

"I bet you bought those fake ass rocks online and put it underneath it"

He knew you like the palm of his hand. You looked shocked, but he was just smug about it. Bakugo found it cute how you could be so naive with your antics and how he could easily read you even in the most idiotic things.

"Fuck, it's always so hard with you. Not my fault that you have such a big brain. " You flicked his forehead, and he was quickly to take your hand in his.

"Not my fault you don't even try"

That was sort of a deja vù. You used to fight on and on when you were in UA. Aizawa sensei loved putting you and him in spare combat that mostly ended up in the both of you yelling at each other. That line was one that you two used the most when he got you pinned down to the floor mat.

You laced your fingers with his fingers and led him inside your house. The TV was on, replaying one of your favorite episodes from your comfort series. He could recite the complete episode without missing a word because he was there every time you put it on his tv.

"You are watching this crap again?" He said mockingly.

"It's a classic, and I needed to do all the things I usually do when I have a bad idea in mind in order to keep it out, but right now, the bad idea is standing right in front of me" you stuck your tongue out and he pinched your nose a little giving you a peak of his soft side.

The vibe was thrilling. It felt like static vibrating his and your heart. You could feel his presence in your skin, aching for his touch, and he could feel your delicacy and love, always wearing your heart upon your sleeve.

"I'm going to make you some food so you can worn the booze off," he walked like he owned the place and moved around your kitchen gracefully, knowing exactly where you placed all the pots and ingredients.

The mere fact that he was there, like old times, made you feel butterflies in your stomach. The domestic treat of him taking care of you never got old in your senses. You had your moment, running away after the argument and the bad mental time that you were having because of lack of reasoning, then you completely ghosted him, trying to put in the past six years like he was nothing. And there he was, acting like nothing ever happened.

"These are very rare. Where did you get them?" He asked, lifting one of the ingredients and taking you out of your dissociation.

"Mhm, I don't remember," you told him, sparing a glance to the object. You walked towards him until you were by his side.

"What?" He said, contemplating your gaze.

You softened your face, and tears pricked at the corner of your eyes. Alcohol made you emotional.

"I'm so sorry," you told him.

His body was stiff, like a rock, but his emotions were blossoming in his face. He turned off the stove and passed his right arm behind your neck, pulling you to his broad chest. He took the chance that you weren't seeing him to give himaself out, exposing every feeling and every thought he had been running in his mind for the past year.

"I'm sorry too, baby," he murmured in your head. "I was supposed to be by your side, and I failed, I was a bad excuse of a boyfriend"

"I should've never abandoned you," you cried.

"I wasn't the one you deserved," he explained. "Right now, I know I am, fuck, I would even set myself on fire to keep you warm, to keep you by my side, to make you happy"

Your tears stained his shirt, leaving marks all over his pecs. He placed gentle kisses in your hair, soothing every regret and remorse out of your system.

You pulled yourself out of his embrace to look at him in the eyes.

"I never stopped loving you," you whispered.

He looked at you like you were his dreams come true. His eyes were glossy, wandering every inch of your face, looking for maybe a mistake, for you backing out of what you just said, but he didn't find a trace of guilt. You were genuine.

He couldn't keep it anymore.

His lips graced yours carefully, waiting for you to flinch or for a reaction so he could stop, but once again, you were eager too, you wanted him in every possible way.

Your lips smashed together, tearing apart all your armors. His lips graced yours, and his tongue made his way to your lips, tracing patterns until you opened for free access. He was desperate to taste you. You grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulled him closely, and then moved your hand to his neck, tugging the baby hairs of the nape of his neck.

"I like your new hairstyle" you mentioned in between sloppy kisses.

"Yeah?" He asked lost in you.

"It's different, shorter in the sides, you look pretty hot," you giggled when his smug smile crashed in your lips. "Don't let that compliment get over your head please"

"Oh, it's already there," he said, grabbing your thighs with one hand and tapping your lower back for you to jump.

You jumped, and he catched you without any effort, putting you on the kitchen table. Even with that boost of inches, you were just the same height as him, looking him straight in the eyes. His mouth was swollen and red, and your lipstick smuged in his lips. Before you could wipe it off, his lips found your neck, and he started kissing and nipping.

"Oh my, Katsuki," you moaned, he grunted at the sense that you were not able to control yourself anymore.

"Damn baby, I don't how I lived without you like this"

You locked your legs on his lower back, leaving him against your core, making you feel the heartbeat of your two members pulsing against each other.

His dick was already twitching in his pants and you were wet just for a few kisses. The time apart made its job. You weren't sure if you could take much time without feeling him completely inside of you.

"Baby" you panted. "I need you, like right now"

He always liked you when you mouthed your desires. It wasn't so common of you, so when it happened, it pented him up even more.

Beneath all the anger and sadness that he felt because of you leaving him, it was this Katsuki, the one who was like a kid with you, the one that could forgive you for everything you do knowing that you wouldn't do anything to hurt him. If you were right here with him, that was enough for him to put all his trust with you again.

You wouldn't leave him either.

Katsuki could feel you writhing against his body. After your plead, he detached his lips out of your neck and moved his hands to undone his pants first, taking all the breath of your lungs because the sight of his cock.

"Shit," you murmured to yourself, but his side smile made you notice that he heard that too.

Without any words, he grabbed your waist to pull you more to the edge of the kitchen table, positioning you to make you two more comfortable. After that, he decided that it was better for the two of you to take you on the kitchen stool, so he grabbed your ass and, without even thinking of it, nor even warning you, he took you and left you sitting in front of him.

"Are you sure?" His voice low ringed in your ears. You didn't want anyone but him. You nodded, allowing him to take off your pajamas shorts. "Open your legs," he demanded, and you obeyed.

In mere seconds, you were exposed to him. Glistening eyes wandered your body like it was sculptured by gods.

God damned him if he loses you again.

Putting his forehead against yours, he aligned himself in your entrance. He showered your nose with little pecks, trying to dissipate the growing but pleasant pain inside you.

"Fuck" you moaned against his lips and he swallowed all your pants like it was an elixir.

"You feel so good, baby," he muttered, buckling his hips into you.

He made it slow at first, but then, you could feel his balls slapping, putting the perfect amount of friction that you needed to be close to cloud nine. You were aching for him, following his pace to make it more delectable. He bit your shoulder to release some stamina and last a little longer, but he couldn't fool no one. His balls were tightened, trying to suppress the instinct to free his load inside you.

"I wont last long" he assured. "It's been a year"

His faint breath against your shoulder made you shiver.

"What? You didn't-"

"No. I tried, " He answered before you could even ask.

"Did you?"

You were curious. You couldn't blame yourself for wanting to know what did Katsuki in your year outside.

"I mean, I tried to date but never made it to the date part. Deku tried to set me up once, but I never showed"

That was kinda sad for the other person, waiting for him and getting nothing but an empty seat.

"I went out a few times, but I always ended up talking about you" you added in between pumps. "Even from a distance you cockblocked me"

He grunted low, almost devilish, like it was everything he ever wanted.

"That's what I needed to hear, that this little pussy is just f'me" he said in the shell of your ear giving you full of his length, filling you nicely and touching with the head of his dick your g-spot repeatedly.

"Shit, fuck, Katsuki-" you were out of breath. He was riding you nice and slowly. "Keep going, keep going, shit"

"Fucking, fuck god"

His seeds sprouted inside yourself, painting your walls with white stripes. Your core squeezing his cock in a way that got him almost gripping to the kitchen table.

You couldn't keep your thoughts in your mind while your orgasm crashed with his together in an instant. He grabbed you by the hair, pulling it back to leave you exposed to him. Panting against your neck, he closed the distance, giving you little kisses in your throat while caressing your thighs with his other hand, your legs trembling on each side of his body.

"A year is too much," you said, touching the locks oh his hair. He let go of your hair just to look at your eyes. You looked exactly how you looked when he fucked your brains out.

"From now on, you're not leaving my side if you want to go and find yourself, we'll find you together"

He was dead serious, but the look on his face made you extremely happy so you couldn't hide your smile.

"I don't need to find me anymore, I know exactly who I am and what I want," you said, trying to give him all sense of security back. He never doubted your words.

That night was his dream came true. You, half naked, against his chest in his big ass bed that he once thought it was too big for him alone, your legs intertwined with his, soft pants leaving your lips. You wouldn't go anywhere.

He knew that, eventually, you would be like this with him. He knew that he needed to be better for him and for you first. He knew that time would patch everything up and make you come back. He knew that this time, he would do everything in his hands to make you happy.

What he didn't know is that you were counting the days to make your way back to him.

He was absorbed in his thoughts while you sleep soundly in his arms. Thinking about the future, to be better, thinking about the past, to not making the same mistakes. He couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with you, and also, he couldn't wait to rub the news to Deku and to make him feel like a loser for setting him up with a poor girl who never stood a single chance.

Do not edit or reupload my works elsewhere! All rights reserved.

[millenniumscreampuff]

Getting into drawing again... I haven't drawn in months and I'm rusty 😅 So have a silly boi being silly!

[aphrogeneias]

kickstart my heart — one-shot

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

summary: the first time eddie sees your bare chest isn't the way he imagined it would be, and he'd imagined plenty of times.

word count: 1.6k

warnings: smut (+18), dirty thoughts, suggestive dialogue, for the purpose of this story, eddie is a boobs man (but we all know he enjoys the whole package), allusions to sex but no graphic descriptions. jeff is implied to be gay because in my heart all of cc are somewhere in the alphabet mafia.

author's note: elaborating on this. i want to remind you that this is a silly piece and i hope you take It as such <3 also i am incredibly rusty when it comes to writing, i'm sorry if this isn't great.

There were thousands of people around him, including the band on the stage in front of them, but Eddie couldn't look anywhere else but at you, eyes wide with a weird mix of emotions.

As cold sweat made his previously hot skin shiver, all he could think was "this wasn't how I thought it would go". Believe him, he'd thought about it a million times. When he needed to stay awake in class, when you wore low cut tops and tight shirts, in the blessed days you decided to opt out of a bra, late at night with his hand gripping his hard length, leaking all over his mattress. He thought about it an embarrassing amount.

In his daydreams, though, the first time he saw them was very much different. He had visions of you sprawled out on his bed, him undressing you slowing, showing your bare chest little by little until it was revealed in the low light of his bedroom, or dragging you to the ever dirty man's bathroom at The Hideout and ripping your clothes off your body in a rush to worship it.

No matter how much he thought about it, nothing prepared him for the fact that the first time he saw your tits was at a Mötley Crüe concert, in the middle of a crowd of thousands of other people.

Eddie hadn't even wanted to go in the first place — he's not very fond of metal of the glam persuasion, but you and Gareth had convinced him and the other boys to go. Jeff and Grant never passed on an opportunity to watch a good concert, and Eddie just wanted to be near you, any excuse was good enough.

He had spent the night happy, hands tucked in the pockets of his leather jacket, enjoying the feeling of the music coursing through his body, running through his veins like an adrenaline high. The bass and drums beating in sync with his heartbeat, feeling it deep within his ribcage. It felt good, like it always had. It also felt good watching you in your element, hair a mess after headbanging all night, skin glowing from sweat and the glitter in your makeup, dancing without a care in the world. The way he thinks you always should be.

It was funny at first. When the band made a pause and the members started addressing the audience, he was about to turn to you when the drummer made some particular lewd comments about the "beautiful ladies" in the crowd, expecting you to laugh with him. The whole rockstar shtick doesn't work on you, he knew that much — whenever he tried pulling something like that you'd just roll your eyes, which only spurred him on because he loved watching your beautiful eyes roll up, though he'd like to do that in other ways. What he saw instead was you whispering in Jeff's ear, the pair of you cackling at each other, too conspiratorially for Eddie's taste. 

With his brows joined together in confusion, he watched you lift yourself on Jeff's shoulders, and after that everything happened in slow motion. The drummer had gone and asked to see some tits from the girls in the crowd, and as ridiculous as that sounded, a lot of girls obliged. You included, for his shock.

Gareth blushed and looked down, Grant closed his hands over his eyes, Jeff was laughing — the bastard was the only one unaffected when you lifted your top up to your head for no more than a second, but it was enough to torture him for the rest of the night. He watches you get down to stand on the ground once again, still laughing, and Eddie could tell you were a little flustered, but mostly you looked like you were having a good time.

He couldn't blame you, wouldn't blame you. He had no right to tell you what to do or not to show your body, you could do whatever you wanted. But, as the band proceeded with their setlist, and your eyes met with his, a playful look and a tentative smile on your face, Eddie couldn't reciprocate. He felt jealous, jealous of everyone who got to see you like that too, and frustrated for being able to look but probably never being able to touch the way he wants to, he felt protective over you, afraid that some other guy would feel entitled to look at you or touch you disrespectfully after that. His mind started reeling, and he could barely distinguish the music anymore.

In his brooding, his fists clenching where they still rested in his pockets, he missed the way you looked down, eyes turning sad, unsure about what your best friend's strange expression meant.

"Are you mad at me?"

Your question caught him by surprise, because you'd barely talked during the whole trip back home. The guys were rowdy as usual, sitting in the backseat of his van, talking about the highlights of their night, making fun of you for your little groupie moment, which had you brushing them off with a laugh and smile that didn't quite reach your eyes.

Eddie felt guilty. He didn't mean to make you feel like that, but he couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to that moment, and he couldn't stop the blood from flowing downwards, his pants uncomfortably tight at that point. If you noticed his erection, he was ready to throw himself out of the car in shame.

It didn't help that you were right there beside him, thighs looking delectable sitting in his passenger seat, his hand itching to take place on your knee like it always did whenever he drove you places. He could feel the faint smell of your perfume, and see the way you crossed your arms in front of your chest, not helping with his problem at all.

You had only approached him when he'd stopped the van in front of your house, after he had dropped all the others at theirs. 

"What? No, I'm not…"

You interrupted when he was about to start stammering. "Because if you are, I really don't understand why, and if it's about what I did earlier, you have no right to. You're not my dad, you're not my boyfriend…"

A bitter laugh escaped him before he could help it. "I'm well aware, sweetheart."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Still frustrated, he pinches his nose between his fingers. "I'm not mad at you, I'm not judging you", he looks at you then, pointing a ringed finger in your general direction, "I'll have you know I'm a feminist, 'kay?"

You snort. "Okay, Mr. Feminist. What is it, then?"

"I just…", he sighs, "It wasn't supposed to be like that."

Maybe it was the couple of joints you all shared on the way home that had his lips loose like that. Maybe he was tired of holding it all in, his feelings spilling out of him like a dam breaking. Either way, it was out there.

"What wasn't supposed to be like that?" You asked slowly, testing the waters after feeling a shift in the conversation.

"I wasn't supposed to see you like that, I thought the first time I'd see you naked would be different."

Eddie couldn't meet your eyes. He could tell you thought it was funny, with the way you looked like you were holding back a smile. He was never bashful around you, that was the first time you saw him like that.

A lot of firsts for one night, it seemed.

"You think about seeing me naked?" You raised your brow, spurring him on. 

"Yes." He says, simply. Swallowing loudly, the tension grows inside the van. "And I never planned to tell you that, but now is as good a time as ever, I guess."

You scoot a little closer, putting an arm on the back of his seat. "Can I tell you a secret too, just to make us even?"

Eddie just nods, unconsciously getting closer to you as well. You can feel the heat of each other's bodies, an electric current running between you. You draw your mouth near his ear, and whisper "I think about you too."

"Yeah?" Eddie feels his confidence slowly return, his dream coming true right before his eyes. His pretty best friend reciprocating what he thought was his most perverted secret? Couldn't be real — but it was. "We should do something about that, shouldn't we? Gotta give you something other than your imagination to work with."

He wasn't able to resist tucking a fallen piece of your hair back behind your ear. You shifted on your seat, rubbing your thighs together. Eddie took that as encouragement, drawing even closer, hand finally moving to touch the soft skin of your thigh.

"Gonna do you one better, Ed." Your voice lowered, filled with promise. "You can look, and you can touch. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like we've waited long enough."

Later that night, after you were done riding him in the backseat of his van and he'd fucked you on the floor of your bedroom as you desperately tried not to wake the other people in your house, after his hands and mouth explored your body and mapped every inch of your chest, leaving his mark all over it, you'd joked, with a soft giggle at the memory, that you would do the same thing you did that night at the next gig he'd have at local bar.

The only answer you had was an unnecessarily long drag of his cigarette as he laid beside you on the purple comforter of your bed. "If you want me to not last through the set without dragging you out of there early, go ahead."

You'd just kept laughing.

[baddiewiththebook]

Over the Years | e.m x reader | p. 6

-> The origin story of Eddie Munson, and how he fell in love with the worst person he possibly could - his best friend.

-> eddie munson x you (she/her)

-> friends to lovers, slow burn, angst

-> warnings - strong language, suggestive themes, smut [18+]

-> <-

September 1982 . . . again

Eddie doesn’t cry about his knuckles turning a blazing bright red right before his eyes. The bruise would fade in a week or two. When he sits back in his seat, he does think about just what got him here. How it felt good to crack his knuckles against Rod-pie’s face. The shock in his eyes when Eddie slammed him into a locker felt justified as soon as he heard the words ‘that chick?’ as if you were just any girl that he’s forgotten about.

It didn’t matter to him that he would be spending some time with the principal after he knocked Rusty into the hallway tile. Things began to change when he found you down the hall with your mouth agape, covered by your hand and terror stricken across your face. He’s never wanted you to be afraid of him.

Eddie didn’t get a chance to explain to you why he punched the boy who ditched you on Saturday night to party with some of the idiots from the basketball team. King Steve was hosting his infamous Saturday night kick backs, and Raphael just had to be there. He would have taken you, but by the way he had some blonde fluttering her lashes at him in the hallway - Eddie can only assume that he was less than interested in you.

So, he decked him.

Eddie isn’t a violent person by nature. This is the first time he’s ever sat outside of the principals office for something other than skipping class or smoking on the property. Smoking around school is such horse shit. Everyone does it. Eddie happens to be the special case that gets nagged at.

Day-in and day-out, someone always has a problem with Eddie. They hate the way his hair is grown out. They call it mangled. They hate the way he dresses. They call him dirty. They hate the way that he has an uncle to raise him and not a dad. They don’t really have a name for that, but they do like to ask where his dad is.

Most of them hear rumors from their preppy little parents. Eddie bets they treated his father just the same when he walked these halls. This town is so small that everything circulates into a huge impossible rumor mill.

It motivates Eddie to get out of this poisoned town. There’s nothing for him here. Well, nothing except Wayne . . . and you.

“Eddie,” the soft voice of the secretary brings him back to reality. She leans her head around the corner of the principals office. “He’s ready for you.”

Just as Eddie stands up to face the judge with his sentence already laid out in front of him, Uncle Wayne marches through the front office. Huffing and puffing like a mad man, Wayne beelines for his nephew. That gray uniform makes Eddie’s heart skip in his chest. Wayne has just come from a day of work. Now, Eddie begins to sweat.

Wayne was at work when his boss radioed him that there was an urgent call from Eddie’s school. It’s not as though Wayne is negligent. He knew Eddie hasn’t had the best time making friends or even getting along when he has school projects with another person in his class. Some people just don’t get along, and that’s fine. He’s met the few friends that Eddie has, and he imagines he spends most of his time with them.

Punching another student? Wayne isn’t about to let that behavior slide, and Eddie better have a good explanation as to what happened.

“Wayne-,”

Wayne’s nose flares as he holds a finger up to quiet Eddie, before he speaks.

“Sit,” Wayne points to the chair.

Eddie slumps back down like he’s a boy again. It’s going to have to sink in soon that he’ll be a man in the real world. All of this silliness in high school drama isn’t going to matter after he graduates.

The secretary shuts the door behind Wayne, which leaves him and Principal Higgins to have their conversation in private.

It’s peculiarly silent inside the office. A hum comes from the desk fan that Higgins has propped up against the stained oak. There’s two chairs sitting in front of the principal. Both are empty.

“You must be,” Principal Higgins hugs his spectacles when he reads Eddie’s name off of a piece of paper that’s atop of a neat stack of papers in an open envelope, “Wayne Munson - er - the uncle. . . not father?”

“I’m the rightful guardian of my boy,” Wayne puffs out his chest a bit.

“Right,” he speaks coolly, “we have much to discuss. Please, sit.”

Wayne chooses the chair to the right of the principal, so he doesn’t find himself hidden by all of the silly trinkets the man has organized across his desk. A plastic yellow bird diving for water catches Wayne’s eye. It’s the oddest item in the room. Stacks upon stacks of literature find a home on the bookshelves behind the principal. It’s behind Wayne that Higgins keeps all of the important files in cabinets that are locked tight.

Bitter coffee stinks up the air. It’s burnt. Wayne can almost taste it on his tongue.

“Your nephew, Eddie, finds himself in a lot of trouble,” Higgins comes off strong, and he doesn’t back down. “Do you know how far his grades are slipping?”

There’s times when Eddie struggles with a math problem or two, but surely that can’t affect his grades that much.

“Well-,”

“We’ve only just begun the year,” Higgins slides a piece of paper across the table that names Eddie’s grades. “He has F’s in all of his classes.”

Wayne swallows thickly. Boy, Eddie is in deep trouble at school. It isn’t just this year either. The sheet of paper also explicitly highlights all of the barely passing grades from the previous years, and he’s skipping classes?

“He has all year to pick them up, right?” Wayne crosses his fingers where the principal can’t see.

“It’s possible,” Higgins sits back again. “Can we talk seriously about Eddie’s violent outburst this morning?”

“Eddie has never been violent!” Wayne snaps.

Higgins raises one eyebrow, “I recall speaking to a student earlier, who says your boy attacked him.”

“Eddie wouldn’t hurt anybody without a reason, honestly.”

Higgins continues, “I hear a lot more than you would imagine, Mr. Munson. Maybe Eddie can enlighten you during his week long suspension why he feels he must act out his aggression.”

“A week?!”

“I would be grateful that the parents of the student were able to be reasoned out of calling the police,” Higgins returns to writing notes on a part of Eddie’s file. “You may go.”

Eddie tries to keep up with Wayne, as he zooms out of the office with great speed behind each stride. It’s surprising how angry Wayne has become. Eddie can’t recall his uncle being sour about a single thing. He wants to ask what happened inside the principals office, but he has a feeling that Wayne won’t talk until they’re in private.

Their shoes scuffling along the tile in the hallway keeps them from total silence. Classes are starting. Even with the door shut, Miss Smith’s shrieking tone carries through the classroom door. No one should be that passionate about mathematics.

Unbeknownst to him, you’re around the corner. You’ve skipped class just to wait for Eddie. Tears burn down your cheeks. As soon as you see that frizzy metal head pull around the corner, you’re a wrecking ball ready to hit your target.

“Eddie Munson!” You shout. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Eddie cringes at the harshness in your voice. Your face is beat red. Hot tears cloud your vision. It would be the perfect time for an explanation, if you would let him get a word in.

Wayne doesn’t budge. Out of the corner of Eddie’s eye, Wayne is just as shocked. You've never shouted like this before.

All Wayne knows is someone got hit, and now Wayne is catching a few hints about who that someone was.

“Oh, kid,” Wayne presses his temple with his fingers. “You didn’t.”

Wayne didn’t tell Eddie about Rodney, so that he could assault that boy. It looks a bit stupid now for him to have told Eddie anything about you being stood up. He didn’t know that it would escalate!

“Rodney got my address wrong,” that is a lie, but Eddie still doesn’t think this is the right time to add fuel to the fire. He chickens out and shrivels into himself, while you jab your finger into his chest. “He won’t even talk to me anymore and it’s your fault, Eddie!”

Wayne does try to step between you two when you begin to swing at his chest. You’re frustrated. It’s understandable. Frankly, Wayne is exhausted from work; and now, he has to deal with the thought of his nephew not graduating and Eddie’s suspended for punching some guy. The same guy, who has an interest in you.

Gareth tears through the school hearing all that noise from the men’s restroom, where he was enjoying a cigarette instead of listening to a boring lecture on the periodic table. When he heard the ruckus, he thought some poor sap was getting his head beat in again. It wouldn’t be the first time this morning, since Eddie knocked some guy on his ass.

Word travels fast around here.

After realizing the voice belongs to you, Gareth races to the rescue where he finds you screaming at Eddie for what he had done. Oh, boy.

Firstly, Gareth grabs hold of you from behind. He’s also terrified that in your angry rage, you might accidentally swing at Wayne.

“That’s enough!” Gareth wraps his hands around your wrists, before sinking you into a tight bear-like hold around your middle. “I’ve got her. You guys head out.”

Wayne nods his head to Gareth. It’s him that has become one of Wayne’s favorites of Eddie’s friends, aside from you - if he can call you Eddie’s friend anymore.

Eddie scrambles after Wayne again like a lost puppy when Wayne mutters something along the lines of;

“Does anyone actually go to class around here?”

Gareth is still holding onto you when they leave. You drive sharp breaths in and out of your lungs, while tears drip onto his shirt sleeve.

“Let’s go in here,” he helps you up, so he can bring you into an empty classroom where there wouldn't be as much of an audience.

It’s dimly lit.

Gareth snags tissues from the teacher’s desk. He rolls the chair around for you to sit down in. While you dry your eyes, Gareth leans his weight on the desk.

You’re boiling for answers. Rodney can be a nice guy. The way he dresses isn’t offensive. He lays his hair down with a comb he has nestled in his pocket at all times. There’s no loose threads on his clothing. He’s got a well-enough smile that’s glossy and wide.

“Rodney won’t talk to me,” you ball up a damp tissue between your fingers.

Gareth scoffs, “good. He’s a douche.”

“He is not,” you frown.

“He’s a bit too,” how could he say this? “Clean?”

“He’s too clean?” You roll your eyes at him. “Eddie punched Rodney because he’s too clean?”

“Eddie punched Rodney?” He hold his belly, while laughter flows from his mouth. “Oh, man! I would have loved to have seen that. Er-”

You’re stone cold. Tearing apart that Kleenex, Gareth takes this as a warning and he zips his mouth shut.

Neither of you want to mention it, but this is the first time you’re alone together; and, the first time that neither of you want to kill each other. You’ve never held malice against Gareth. It’s been the opposite. Gareth has his reserves about you. If they’re fair or unjust, he would never let you know that.

Gareth notices you’ve painted your nails with a pretty lilac color. It matches with the rings you have accessorized across your fingers. His heart sinks seeing how red he’s caused your wrists to go.

“Sorry,” it comes out of Gareth’s mouth without much thought.

You trace his eye-line back your wrists, “oh, I’m fine.”

“Does it hurt?” Gareth grows nearer, as he takes your hand to trace over the bruising skin. “Should I get you some ice or something?”

You’re taken aback by the way his curls drape over his forehead. His hair is so full like a wig. Freckles dance across his nose and underneath his eyes. His skin is still soft like a child, and he has hardly any of that bothersome acne scratching up his face.

Gareth doesn’t pay attention to you studying the way his smile line makes an indent into his cheeks, until he catches your eye quite close to his. Your puffy eyes stare back at him, as he searches you curiously for answers. An eyelash rests on your cheek bone, and Gareth boldly brushes it away with his thumb. Your skin is velvety under his touch.

“Uh-,” Gareth’s voice cracks, “do you want to go somewhere?”

You nod your head eagerly wanting nothing to do with this school today.

“Come on,” he says, “I know somewhere we can blow off a bit of that anger.”

-> <-

Eddie shuts the door after Wayne, waiting for the yelling to begin. It never comes. In fact, Wayne purposely takes a big show of calming himself down. Taking a few deep breathes at first, his uncle then cranks his head in one big circle.

“Sit,”

That would be thrice that someone has told Eddie to sit down today. Although he wants to make a joke, that would be most inappropriate. He does sit among the stack of bills that have grown tall enough to tip over and to spill over the couch.

“Eddie,” Wayne huffs, “please tell me what happened.”

Finally, a chance to tell his side of things. He was beginning to believe that everyone was against him here. Watching Wayne soften his posture, Eddie opens his mouth,

“Yeah, I hit him.”

Great job, Eddie. Everyone knows that. The words he wants to say fizzle out on his tongue like water to a flame. He could have said that he hit him because he wants to protect you like his little sibling. But, that word implies something he doesn’t want it too. He can’t figure you out. Especially, since you decided to date that slime ball.

Eddie knows better than to hit another person unless he has too. It just came out of him. The way that Robert dismisses you with the flick of his wrist sent him over the edge. You’re not just anyone - you’re someone.

“Why did you hit him?” Wayne wants to know.

Eddie wants to know too, and he licks his drying lips.

“Alright,” his uncle paces before him. “Whatever the reason, you’re suspended for a week-,”

“What?!”

“And, I want you to pick up around here,” Wayne gestures to the stack of mess surrounding them. Specifically, he wants Eddie’s bedroom clean. Even Wayne knows that can’t happen in a week. He just wants him busy, and he wants to keep his nephew’s head on planet earth. “Keep up with your school work. I mean it. Your principal is threatening to keep you another year if you don’t pick up those grades.”

That might not be exactly what Principal Higgins had said, but it sure sounded like that when he sat across that vile venomous viper of a man.

“Eddie, I’m very disappointed in you,” his uncle scolds. “Have I taught you nothing? You cannot use violence to solve your problems.”

“Wayne,” Eddie says sorrowfully, “I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“It better not,” he plants his hands on his hips, “I want you to apologize to your friend, and to that boy.”

Apologize-,” Wayne shoots Eddie a stern look. “Alright, Wayne.”

“Go to your room,” his uncle commands.

Eddie has never ever disappointed his uncle like this. There have been a number of times that Eddie can recall some close moments. He tried to take the van out for a spin when he was fourteen without a license, but it stalled. Wayne repeatedly told Eddie he could have been hurt, and he’s just glad that he’s alright. Or, the many times he snuck out past curfew just to look at the lake behind the trailer park in the moonlight. He loves the way the ripples move and dance when he wades through the water. Of course, Wayne snatched him by his collar a few years ago about midnight. He told Eddie that he could drown and that no one would know where he was. He also said that someone else could snatch him up by the back of his neck.

Who would want to kidnap Eddie? He’s a screwup just like his father. Eddie hadn’t been to prison yet, but he might as well fall in line. Maybe his daddy could be his cell mate.

Eddie had gone back to his room and stripped himself of his shoes and his jacket. Instead of tossing them aside, he folds it in half and in half again and then sets it atop of his dresser. His shoes would fit in the small space under his bed. Tidying up, he begins to form a pile for his dirty laundry to be in, rather than leaving his shirts and pants strewn across the floor.

Eddie’s real lucky. He does know this. If it weren’t for Wayne, he would be slumming it with people who would probably give him back to the agency in a week. That is if he wasn’t stuck in foster homes. No, Wayne’s treated him good. He even gave Eddie the large bedroom in the trailer.

“Boy’s got to have a bedroom,” he had said.

Wayne slept on a fold-out-bed in the living room. When he was too tired, Eddie would catch him curled over the couch.

Eddie decides then he has something to prove. If not for Wayne, then for himself. This whole town knows the story of Al Munson, the lowlife and drug addicted man, who just couldn’t get clean enough to take care of his son. But, they don’t know Eddie - the determined offspring. That sounded better in his head. The point is that Eddie Munson will graduate. He’s going to be a success, and, with the help of his buddies and their band, he’s also going to be a rockstar!

-> <-

Gareth has snuck off of the school grounds before. He knew all of the spots where teachers laid in wait to snag anyone, who was willing to punch out of school early. Lucky for you, Gareth also knew how to get around them.

He took you down a long windy route through a busy classroom that hardly noticed you’re there.

“Shop,” he told you, while flicking a piece of shavings from your shoulder.

From there, Gareth sneaks you out of the school with him. A rush kicks in that you’re doing something that you’re not supposed to be doing. Robin would miss you. She waits for you to come out of biology, so she can walk you to lunch.

Biology before lunch is no picnic, and you really wish that the school wouldn’t permit it. You might say the same for chemistry, or gym. Actually, a math class or an English class feel the safest to have before lunch. You don’t have to touch anything, but a book. And, you’re not grossly sweaty.

All this thinking, and you’re not watching where you’re going. Gareth is leading you across the street. The neon orange 'ARCADE' sign swings in circles high above your heads. Although it’s unlit, it’s not unnoticeable.

Palace Arcade is somewhere you pass by after school on your way home. You’ve never actually been inside.

All the noise hits your ears when Gareth opens the door for you. A surprising number of people crowd the arcade games. Does everyone come here when they skip class?

A droopy eyed employee ignores them to suck on a soda through a red straw. It doesn’t bother him that a bunch of teenagers show up in the middle of the day to play games.

“Trust me, he doesn’t care.”

You must have been staring a bit too hard at the man for Gareth to make a comment.

“Jeff!” Gareth catches his friend in front of the game Dig Dug. He eggs you to catch up.

Jeff is in the band with Eddie and Gareth. He plays guitar. Otherwise, you don’t know much about Jeff. Well, he certainly likes playing video games. After Gareth distracts him, you can read that the highest score belongs to Jeff.

“You’re good at this game,” you say.

Jeff jolts. Gareth usually comes alone, or with Eddie trailing behind him. It’s never occurred to him that you might come someday. You’re not one to skip class, or at least that’s what Eddie tells him.

“Hey, little miss,” his nicknames for you are sweet. “What are you doing around here? Where’s Eddie?”

Your smile falters.

“Let’s talk later,” Gareth warns Jeff, who catches the hint.

Jeff moves away from the game, “let’s see what you got.”

“Me?” You point to yourself.

Video games aren’t your thing. You’ve never even tried before. School work keeps you busy, and your mom has a strict ‘no fun’ policy around the house. It’s honestly been enough work just to keep track of her whereabouts lately that you don’t even have time for yourself outside of school.

“Come on,” Jeff taps your shoulder. “I’ll show you.”

Well, you’re not good at video games. You don’t even make the scoreboard when Jeff finishes teaching you how to move the little character left and right. Jeff and Gareth are standing on either side of you. They cheer you on as your character dies yet again.

“I suck,” you slouch.

Gareth clicks his teeth, “maybe you’ve got the wrong game. Let’s try something over there.”

Mrs. Pac-Man is open. You like the look of her little bow atop her head. The console is pink. That might be more your speed!

When you walk away, you expect the boys to follow behind you. You don’t notice when Jeff yanks Gareth to the side.

“What are you doing?” Jeff grills Gareth.

Gareth shakes his head, “I have no idea what you mean.”

“That’s Eddie’s girl,” he shouldn’t have to say out loud how untouchable you are. All the boys in the band know this. “You can’t go messing around with her, man.”

“She’s not a trophy,” Gareth already knows what Jeff is trying to imply. Aside from the falseness in his accusations, Gareth doesn’t very much like how you’re being spoken about like a prize - like an object. “She’s a person.”

Jeff cocks his head to Gareth’s simple little brain. Obviously, that is not what Jeff means. You’re attached to Eddie at the hip. Anywhere he goes, you go too. Your friendship isn’t a silly little thing that will fade out over time. Those two grew up together. There’s a bond between them that no one else will understand.

Gareth better not screw this up.

“Look,” Gareth says when you’re out of earshot. “Eddie sucker punched that kid, Rodney.”

“Rodney?!” Jeff knew the kid.

Gareth waves his hands like a wild man trying to get Jeff to lower his voice, then says, “she’s really upset right now.”

This is worse than he thought. Eddie knocks Rodney to the ground, but Gareth’s there to pick you back up? Jeff watches soap operas with his grandma, but man this is so much better. He chooses not to say anything more.

The chips will fall where they lay.

Rodney certainly did.

-> <-

[June 1983]

tags -> @leelei1980 @sheneedsrocknroll92 @jesuisbuginette @starrywhitenight @meetmeatyourworst