#the commandments of a wayne au

[nuvolisa]

The Commandments of a Wayne

Chapter III - Embarrassment

Masterlist, AO3

[setokaibapetty]

5 + 1 Fic Friday Roundup: Surprise Relative

Some fics where a surpise blood relation pops up. Like, sometimes the guy who raised you was lying about being your dad, sometimes a Pit gives you a baby, etc.

Imprint (AO3) - "He screwed his eyes shut, held his breath, desperately wished that he was back in his safehouse, alone and blissfully unaware. But the weight in his hands remained, and when he opened his eyes, it was to the bean-shaped 'fuck you' the Lazarus Pit had kindly bestowed upon him, arms and legs folded up against his front beneath off-white muslin while tiny lips smacked softly.'

Red Blood, Blue Blood (AO3) - "Jason Todd was living a very ordinary life in Crime Alley before his mother gets sick. Then, suddenly, Jason and Catherine have to grapple with the secret everyone has known since Jason was born with black hair and blue eyes—Willis Todd wasn't his biological father. Bruce Wayne is, and not only is he the richest man in Gotham, he has three other children who may not be glad to have an interloper in their midst."

Going Off-Book (AO3) - "Dick winces. “Tim, meet Damian Wayne. Apparently, his mom told him who his dad was when he turned eighteen and the first thing he did after finding out was enroll in the nearest police academy. He served for a couple of years and just arranged a transfer here from Metropolis.” He directs a pleading gaze at Tim. “Like I said, Bruce had to go out of town for a while, but he asked me to show Damian the ropes. Tim, I’m sorry, but—"

when the dead tree flowers (AO3) - "It wasn't solely Jango Fett's DNA that went into making Domino Squad. Palpatine had other plans for them. Thankfully, so does their second genetic donor, and he has just as few qualms about murder as a Sith Lord."

Open Arms (AO3) - "The story starts when Quinlan get's a call from the hospital; an old girlfriend has given birth and named him the father, leaving the baby at the hospital. This triggers a series of events that bring Fox back into contact with his bio family, who he is not as distant from as he might like to think."

Bonus: welcome all your bastard actions home (AO3) - "Daenerys had arrived at Winterfell three days past, a great host of dragons and roses and suns and krakens, clearly expecting Jon -- the King in the North, as uneasy that title rests on his shoulders -- to bend the knee. Instead, he takes her to the crypts to speak of ancient history."

[bitterrobin]

We're in a The Culling by Chelsea Wolfe is a Damian song kinda mood tonite. The dichotomy of taxonomy!Damian's rage and guilt over being the figurehead of cult child soldiers while still not seeing himself as a child, in addition to his (flawed) perception of Tim and Colin as sheltered people who got to stay alive. I think its far more interesting to explore Damian's contempt for people outside of things like his own insecurity and need for recognition - because while very important, isn't it fun to see Damian get mad that Tim is just a struggling teen and Colin gets to have children he cares for be safe?

(Something something Damian is a failure of a leader and a failure of a child something something the expectations placed on him made him worse not better and he projects just as hard onto other people as others do onto him)

[fantasticgothicpeachsludge]

For the last time. It is not a genderbend au!

IF YOU ONLY BENT ONE GENDER!!!!!

[lazyjellyfishcreation]

batman AU where everything is the same, exept that the Al Ghuls are the official royal family of the soverain city state of Nanda Parbat.

Like, its a very small country, but a powerful one and absolutely fuckall is known about their royal family, or the nation itself bc it's impossible to send spies inside without never hearing from them again. Nobody, exept for immidiate family even realizes that Damian is an actual crown prince of an actual country.

Like, just, him, on twitter. and then someone makes a joke about him and the way he is so overly formal in public. And Damian is like, 'yeah, I'm representing my whole country here, I'm the crown prince of my nation', and the person on twitter is like...

'Wat?'

And then Dick comes in the comments like. 'Look up the royal liniage of Nanda Parbat before you embarras yourself, I am begging you.' que a small twitter freakout bc holy shit, the youngest Wayne kid is actual fucking royalty, also, apparently Brucie Wayne fucked a princess, what's up with that?

the consequences this would have. Imagine this. They're at a gala, and IDK Black Mask shows up to rob/kidnap/kill them. The hired security never stood a chance. Bruce is there and is already making plans to slip out, and appear as batman.

interestingly enough, Damian is not making similar plans.

Damian just waits.

No more then two seconds later, at least 12 shadows crash trough the roof and absolutely massacre everyone there. No mercy, just murder, before making a protective ring around Damian, who is still completely cool and composed.

The cops try and make a stink about the 2 dozen dead henchmen and the dead Black Mask, but Crown Prince Damian just calmly walks over and tells commissioner Gordon that these were his body guards, and are therefore allowed to do these things if they judge it to be in favor of the crown prince's safety.

Nobody can really argue with that.

Two days later, at school, there are some upperclassmen who are being bitches, and are like. 'Where are your bodyguards now?'

'Just because you can't see them, doesn't mean they're not here.'

And a red dot appears on the boys forehead.

I just think it would be really funny if Damian Al Ghul was a genuine prince, in an official, international way. PS.

Even better if the Al Ghul's adopt Jason along the way, and Jason just, straight up also becomes a prince. He's not blood related tho, so he's still in line behind Damian, even though he is the oldest.

That would be insanity. After the Black mask fiasco, Jason just orders the shadows around like. 'okay, after we're done here, escort the crown prince to the secure location.' or whatever.

Someone films it. It goes viral.

People are like; 'what the fuck, why can you order them around like that.'

And Jason is like; 'I am the second prince, therefore, by tradition, the General. The Nanda Parbat fighting forces are under my command.'

and all of twitter is like; ????????

Do you see my vision here???

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 31

DC Wing Au/Prompt

 Humans are born with wings that start out similar to a baby chick’s in shape, and usually start out matching their natural hair color. These wings of course change and grow as they do, and usually end up mimicking birds from earth once they’re adults. The end shape can be influenced by a multiple of things, including their surroundings, genetics, and even the people they surround themselves with. 

 Some non-humans even have themselves wings too- like Wonder Woman’s wings seemingly made of shimmering bronze and gold, or Aquaman’s wings that shimmer and flicker like the waves he commands. Or Superman with wings large enough to block out the sun glowing like the sunrise, or the Batman’s shimmering shadows that seem to twist and bristle.

 Of course these are quite different than say the wings of Diana Prince, with her eagle-like wings decorated with strings of beads or that reporter Clark Kent’s hawk-esque wings, which are large sure, but that’s not exactly uncommon for someone who grew up in the countryside where there’s open sky everywhere. 

 Quite different from someone like Bruce Wayne, with wings akin to a black swan, or his sons’ equally dark feathers, formed from the same gothic city. And quite different from the the forensic scientist Barry Allen’s hummingbird-esque wings, which is quite ironic seeing as he’s known for being late more often than not. 

Bonus DP crossover: 

 Danny started with what looked like they were going to be large songbird wings like his father. After the accident though? They regrew into the form of a sparrow’s, shimmering with stars and the swirls of the very portal that tore the flesh and feathers from bone. 

"Some ancient traditions state that sparrows carry the souls of the dead, so it is deemed to be bad luck to kill a sparrow... Some sources say that sailors would get tattoos of sparrows so they could carry their souls if they died in the middle of the ocean"

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

Steddie Upside-Down AU Part 74

Part 1 Part 73

It’s cold. Eddie’s breath is gusting out in front of him, visible in the air. Somehow, remarkably, Will and Steve are both asleep, cuddled up together in Eddie’s bed. Eddie’s not sure he’ll ever sleep again.

Will’s in one of Steve’s crew-neck sweaters, the yellow one that Eddie steals to sleep in sometimes. His head’s pillowed on Steve’s cold shoulder, cushioned by Steve’s teddy bear to keep a barrier between their drastically different skin temperatures.

Will has three blankets stacked atop him, making him look childlike and smaller than he usually is.

Fuck, they’re all just kids.

In contrast, Steve’s got a t-shirt on, some boxers, no blankets. He’s breathing deeply, air puffing invisibly into the room. Like his lungs are already too cold for the air to tell the difference.

Eddie wants to cry. They’re fucking kids, curled up and small in Eddie’s bed. He wants to barricade the door and never let anyone else see them ever again. But Mama Byers is probably freaking out right about now, and Eddie has the horrible feeling that the monster’s already in here with them.

He leaves the bedroom, closing the door gently with a near-silent click as he pads, sock-footed out of the room.

Eddie’s stuck at the threshold, staring into the darkening interior of the trailer. He feels like he’s been stuck at the threshold for weeks, and everything keeps trying to push him through.

The monster, the lab, Chief fucking Hopper. They’re all pushing at his back, trying to shove him somewhere he’s not sure he wants to be. And now’s he through, and he doesn’t know what to do. They’re kids. They’re all just fucking kids. Even him. Even Steve. And god, Will’s still so small.

He’s past the theshould, straight through, and there’s no more time to stall. So, Eddie does what he always does when he wants to run – he picks up the phone.

It’s not Uncle Wayne that answers, just a faceless, nameless peon down at the plant. But they patch him through. Eddie’s bottom lip tremors, so he bites down on it, caging all his mixed up emotions in his throat until Uncle Wayne can pick up his call and tell him what to do.

“Ed?” he asks, sharp and demanding the way he always gets when he’s worried and trying not to show it. “What’s wrong?”

“It–” Eddie’s throat chooses that moment to clog up. He chokes on his words, trying to claw them out. “It’s Steve he–”

He hiccups pathetically. “Breathe, boy.”

Eddie doesn’t, but he starts talking, words slurring over each other as they fight their way out past his clogged throat and lame tongue. “There was all this smoke, Uncle Wayne, and it’s in him.” He says it all in one breath, barely intelligible as they make a mad dash to escape his vocal chords before he loses the ability to speak altogether.

“Breath.”

Eddie does, just once, sharp and quick, before continuing, “You don’t get it. He was suffocating! Dying! But then he wasn’t, but this is wrong.” he says, hissing into the receiver and staring at the closed bedroom door, waiting for it to open. “There’s something wrong with him.”

The last whisper rings over the static of the line. Eddie can hear Uncle Wayne breathing, slow and steady enough that he can regulate his own lungs to it without the command. As if he knows this, because he always knows, he lets the silence settle in. Eddie’s breaths deepen, finally making his lungs fully expand, before Uncle Wayne speaks.

“I’m coming home.”

Uncle Wayne hasn’t come home early since that time in grade school when he’d called him at work, delirious as his brain cooked itself.

Uncle Wayne had come home with cold medicine and canned chicken noodle soup clacking together in a shitty plastic bag from the gas station. Eddie had been curled up on the couch, nearly delirious as his Uncle spooned medicine down his throat before going to heat up the soup on the stove.

He’d only been living with Uncle Wayne for a few months at that point, walking on eggshells as he waited to be kicked to the curb. It was Wayne’s quiet care even in the face of Eddie’s inconvenience that had convinced him that maybe this situation was for keeps.

He hadn’t realized until the next week that the missed work and cost of supplies would mean two double shifts to keep the electricity on. Wayne never mentioned it, but Eddie noticed things, and the break in routine stuck out. He decided to never call Wayne home early from work again. And, he’d stuck to his guns, muddling through any situation until his Uncle got home.

Now, those same cost analyses are running through his head. A day at home today, means overtime tomorrow, means they get to keep the electricity on. “But–”

“No buts, Ed,” Wayne cuts in gruffly. “I’ll see you in ten.”

The dial tone is the most comforting sound Eddie’s ever heard. He stands there, cradling the dead line until it starts beeping, then goes silent. He’s stuck again, at another threshold.

He doesn’t move when he hears tires on gravel coming up the drive, doesn’t move when the front door opens, when his Uncle’s work-rough hands brush over his shoulders and squeeze, when he walks further into the trailer, away from Eddie.

But then he hears the bedroom door click open. He drops the phone, just lets it dangle unhooked on the line, and follows his Uncle into the unknown.

Will’s still curled into a small ball, but now he’s blinking up at where Wayne is hovering above the bed, the back of his hand pressed to Steve’s head with a frown of concentration.

He reaches out to shake Steve’s shoulder. “Don’t–” Eddie starts, but it’s too late: Steve’s awake.

He blinks up at Wayne, gaze vacant and uncomprehending before it clears. “What?” he asks, voice full of sleep’s gravel as he rubs his eyes.

“We gotta go, Harrington.”

Steve blinks uncomprehendingly up at Wayne. He doesn’t react. Not to the last name that Wayne had never called him. Not to the way Wayne’s frowning down at him like he’s trying to vivisect him with just his gaze. He just gets up and walks purposefully out of the room in nothing but his boxers to stand by the door.

Will sits up, looking after Steve with a worried frown Eddie swears he can feel beating within his own chest. He wrings his hands in the loose fabric of the too-long sleeves of Steve’s sweater as he stands. “Where are we going?” he asks, leaving no wiggle room to be left behind.

Wayne turns away, rifling through Eddie’s drawers to grab a T-shirt and basketball shorts for Steve, who’s still standing eerily still by the front door.

“Eddie?” Will asks, but Eddie just shrugs because he doesn’t know, can’t seem to think past the clawing dread festering within him.

Uncle Wayne huffs, “your Ma’s house,” without looking at either of them as he strides out of the room and toward Steve.

Seeing as Eddie’s own Mom is six feet in the ground, he’s going to assume Wayne means Mama Byers. He looks over to Will who’s still standing there, fidgeting with Steve’s sweater with a wide-eyed look Eddie can’t quite read.

“I’m late,” Will murmurs, staring up at Eddie like he can fix this. “She’s going to be mad.”

Eddie strides over to slap his arm companionably over Will’s shoulders as he drags him out of the room. “Nah, just worried, baby Byers.”

Will huffs. “That’s worse,” he murmurs. And yeah, it is. Ms. Byers has spent enough time with that grieving, panicked look in her eyes, that Eddie’d rather never see it again, to be honest. But it’s a little late for that.

Wayne’s pulling Steve’s shorts up, tying the string around his waist. He’s already got a shirt on, arms dangling loosely as he makes no move to help. It would be a sweet moment if Steve’s eyes weren’t still staring vacantly at the front door.

Wayne pushes Steve forward, shuffling him into the flip flops Eddie left abandoned at the front door. Steve flexes his toes around them, and finally shows signs of life. “Thank you,” he murmurs, reaching out to open the front door, and step surely down the steps as they all scramble to follow.

All four of them pile into Wayne’s truck, Wayne in the driver’s seat, and Eddie in the back with Will, Steve sandwiched in between them. No one mentions the empty passenger seat.

Without prompting, Will digs his walkie talkie out of his deep jean pocket, and depresses the talk button. “Party meeting at my house,” Will says, “Over.”

He lets go of the button, and stares down at the thing, like he’s willing his friend’s voices to trickle out. Wayne watches him through the rearview mirror, before flicking his eyes back to the road.

Eddie jumps when voices start speaking over each other, chaotic and loud, until Dustin’s voice rings over them all. “Code red?” he demands.

Will shifts his eyes over to Steve before meeting Eddie’s own. Eddie shrugs because honestly, who could say what the fuck is going on at this point?

“Uh, code yellow?” Will replies questioningly.

“That’s not a thing!” Dustin says.

There’s the sound of a scuffle, then silence, before it’s Mike’s voice ringing out over the tinny speaker. “Is it about whatever the hell happened with Steve?”

Steve doesn’t look up at the sound of his name. A stone’s dropping in Eddie’s stomach. He’s not sure where it lands, but he can feel the impact shake him. Something’s very very wrong.

Will responds, “yeah,” on a quiet exhale. He takes a deep breath before continuing. “Be quick.”

Will shuts the thing off and stuffs it back into his pocket. The silence immediately suffocates, clouding Eddie’s mind. There’s a careful three inches between his thigh and Steve’s that leaves him buzzing.

There haven’t been any spaces between them, not since that first night in the Upside-Down, huddled down in Harrington’s closet, waiting for a dawn that’ll never come. The space aches now, like a missing limb, like a string pulling them together, rope burning Eddie’s skin as he resists.

It’s a relief to pull up to the Byers’ house. Even when Mama Byers storms out, the rain cloud of anger across her face barely masking the banked terror beneath it. Jonathan trails out after her, eyes shining with the worry he hasn’t been able to shake in almost a year. Will crawls out of the backseat, and stands hesitantly beside the open door, looking down at his shoes as his Mom approaches. She scoops Will into her arms with a curse, scolding him fiercely even as Will burrows into her embrace.

Jonathan hovers, palms resting gently onto both their shoulders, like it physically pains him not to be involved, but he doesn’t have the heart to push in between them.

Eddie watches the scene for a moment, letting the ache settle into him before he’s sliding out of the car to stand by Wayne’s side.

When Steve doesn’t immediately get out, Eddie calls, “Stevie?” until he’s crawling out to stand beside Eddie. The contrast between their outfits is startling in the cold, November air. Eddie’s got goosebumps. Steve’s got nothing at all.

“Aren’t you cold, honey?” Eddie looks up from the bare skin of Steve’s arm to watch Mama Byers round the front of the truck, hands outstretched, as if to pull him into his own hug.

“Wait, don’t—” Eddie says, but her hands are already clasped around Steve’s forearms.

Steve hisses, taking a step back and yanking his arms out of her hands. Mama Byers looks up at him, mouth open, eyes wide. No one speaks.

There’s silence. Then, the loud tires of three kid’s shitty bikes eating up the pavement as fast as possible. They skid into view, abandoning bikes to crowd around Will like he’s an injured deer they're trying to protect.

Wayne sighs. “Guess we better go in,” he says. His voice is monotone, but when Eddie looks over at him, his eyes are sad as he gazes at Steve. “We got a lot to talk about.

Part 75

Taglist: @deany-baby @estrellami-1 @altocumulustranslucidus @evillittleguy @carlprocastinator1000 @1-8oo-wtfbro @hallucinatedjosten @goodolefashionedloverboi @newtstabber @lunabyrd @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @manda-panda-monium @disrespectedgoatman @finntheehumaneater @ive-been-bamboozled @harringrieve @grimmfitzz @is-emily-real @dontstealmycake @angeldreamsoffanfic @a-couchpotato @5ammi90 @mac-attack19 @genderless-spoon @kas-eddie-munson @louismeds @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @pansexuality-activated @ellietheasexylibrarian @nebulainajar @mightbeasleep @neonfruitbowl @beth--b @silenzioperso @best-selling-show @v3lv3tf0x @bookworm0690 @paintsplatteredandimperfect @wonderland-girl143-blog @nerdsconquerall @sharingisntkaren

[bruciemilf]

Okay besties, I have an idea for you;

AU where the justice league was rooted in a small town; everyone knows everybody and no one knows anyone. Not really. But them? Oh, they know eachother.

They knew Clark and Bruce would tie the knot right after graduation.

They knew Diana would take new York museums by storm. They knew Hal would grow into his dad's aviator jacket. They knew Barry would wear gold around his neck in the Olympics. They simply knew.

Except for the fact that Clark had no idea Bruce would go on to divorce him just to marry an old sparring buddy, -- Khoa something; he doesn't know to this day, and he refuses to learn, -- for reasons he wouldn't divulge.

And bruce didn't anticipate his ex husband being the one who would investigate his husband's murder.

Funny how death brings people together.

Not until Dick, their boy, his boy, too, - He's Jon and Kon's brother just as much as he's Jason's, Tim's, and Damian's, and no piece of shit paper could take that from him, - told him, a bone white paleness to his cheeks the day of his weekend.

Their home is chaos; Not a chaos he knows, a chaos he loves, but a disservice on their once home.

Four different cars parked in front of Bruce's manor, dark enough to blend in the depth of night, give Clark a pretty good idea of what he'll find.

" This is bad. This is really bad, right? Oh god, is he moving? He just looked at me, I SWEAR he just looked at me,--"

'' Who gave Barry coffee?" Clark doesn't want them to be shocked when he enters, because really, he's not supposed to be here. The spark of twisted pleasure when they see him Is small, but it's there. " Who died?"

Hal skips over the corpse currently occupying the living room carpet, a frenzy in his eyes, " We do NOT have time for your shit, Kent. It's bad enough Wayne dragged us along to his little graveyard shift,--"

Clark doesn't particularly want to know who's that Oliver tosses Russian words with over the phone, but he takes a pause, only to point sharply at the pilot, " As if you have anything better to do you plane crushing fuck--"

" One time! One time!"

" Quiet down! You're upsetting Bruce," Command and order came to Diana as naturally as flight does to birds; Out of them all, -- jaded and secretive and wore out by life like a pair of shoes, -- she holds the crown of stability for sure.

Clark envies her. Maybe because she's her, or because she has an arm around Bruce.

He's tired; And scared. Clark's pretty little ghost.

Blanket over his lean, strong shoulders, knees nestled to his chest, shivering under Diana's arms. His eyes haven't left the living room.

Not until Clark walked up to the bottom of the stairs, where he could catch a better view of purple and blue rendering Bruce's sharp cheek.

There's something undeniably demure about Bruce Wayne; Youngest of them, softest of them. Clark adored it; He's always been a beast of a man, -- granted, raised with Martha Kent's southern loving ways, but you can't make a puppy from a wolf.

Bruce very much disagreed, and told Clark as such. That they compliment eachother.

Clark can't help but be sad at Bruce's softness now; But he's not stupid enough to think Bruce weak, and God help you if you're that man. Maybe Khoa was that man.

Bruce's eyelashes flutter like a butterfly's wings, " ...Clark." You came.

" Hi, baby." You called.

He closes his eyes, silently letting embarassment take him. Hal facepalms behind him.

" Not to interrupt your weird Eye Make Out slash Emotional Hug contact, but seriously, we need to call the police!"

" No!" Bruce raises to his feet, fingers twisting and fiddling, a nervous habit. Clark wants to capture him in his arms and never let him move, " No. No police."

Diana's voice is gentle, " Why not?"

" Because he did it!" Hal says, " I mean, it's pretty obvious!"

" Oh shut the fuck up-"

" That's absurb--"

" Hal, you're scared I get it, but Bruce would never,--"

" I did," Bruce declares, sentencing them to silence. " I did it. "

A tension filled cloud slowly drips over them. Hal begins pacing even more. Barry joins him. Oliver's yelling gets louder, and the Bruce's fingers shake worse.

Clark, wordlessly, pulls him upstairs, hands gentle on his smaller wrists, ignoring the call back from downstairs, where death still lingers.

Bruce won't look at him when he asks, " Did you do it? Really?"

" He was going to hit me."

" He was already hitting you," Clark spits the hateful truth, acid hissing over his tongue like a well-sharpened knife, " He was already hitting you. And you didn't kill him then. "

A shiver, a tremble, Bruce turning his back as if to protect himself. Clark's heart hurts. He's never been someone Bruce needed protection from, " Please, --"

" So you were either going to stop him from hitting you... Or from hitting someone else," Bruce's frame moves from him, departs again, and Clark follows, because he let Bruce walk away one time and it got them here, " ...Or someone was gonna stop him from hitting you."

Bruce freezes, gaze wide. Only he's not looking at Clark. He's looking at what's behind him.

Clark follows the line of sight.

There's Jason, their youngest, their tallest, terrified, and teary, and blood soiling his hands.

[nuvolisa]

The Commandments of a Wayne

Chapter 1 - The birthday

Masterlist, AO3

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Phantom Grin

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam

Summary: Bruce Wayne visits his son's grave on the night of his resurrection. Will it change Jason's fate, or is it all simply inevitable?

Chapters: 1/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain

Relationship(s): Jason Todd/Original Character

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Jason Todd Has Chronic Pain, Jason Todd is Disabled, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Resurrected Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne Get Along

Chapter One: Moonlight Promise

It'd been nearly ten months since the night Jason dug himself out of his own grave. Bruce sat by Jason's bedside, reading to him. Most days, Bruce read to him. When some of Jason's broken bones healed up, Bruce would hold his hand. He tried not to think too hard about the night it happened. The thought of Jason's broken body reaching out to him from the grave made his stomach turn. "I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way," Bruce read in a soft voice. Bruce listened carefully to the rhythm of the machines, making sure Jason's vitals were in order. Jason's heart rate often slowed depending on what Bruce read to him. He could tell that Jason loved poetry, or at least he thought Jason did.

Bruce squeezed Jason's hand gently. "Jason, I have to go earlier today," Bruce whispered, "But we'll finish The Highwayman when I come back. And I'll tell you about Clark's visit... Maybe when I come back, you can—." Bruce's phone rang, and he sighed. "Jason, I promise I'll make things up to you." He stood up and rested a gentle hand on Jason's forehead.

His phone continued to ring, and Jason opened his eyes. Bruce froze. "Jason?" he asked. Jason kept his eyes open for a few breaths before closing them once more. Bruce sat back down and brushed a knuckle against Jason's cheek. "Attaboy," Bruce whispered gently.

Bruce's phone rang again. "I'm not going anywhere... I'm just gonna answer this," Bruce whispered.

He answered the phone, and Dick immediately started apologizing. "I know you asked me not to call—."

"He opened his eyes... Just for a second," Bruce interrupted.

Dick didn't reply immediately. Instead, he made a soft noise. "Do you-. Did it seem like—?" Dick couldn't find the words.

Bruce sat with the phone between his ear and his shoulder. He squeezed Jason's hand. "He's never done it before. He opened his eyes and—. It was like he was trying to wake up," Bruce whispered, "Do you want to speak to him?"

Dick took a deep breath. "Put me on speaker," Dick whispered.

"Jason, I'm putting Dick on speaker," Bruce whispered. He let go of Jason's hand and set the phone on Jason's bedside.

"Good morning, Jason," Dick whispered, "I'm gonna come and see you pretty soon. I might get you something new to listen to. I know your birthday's coming up in August." Jason lay there, his eyes closed, and Bruce moved Jason's bangs out of his face. He didn't want to cut Jason's hair, not yet. In the months since Jason's resurrection, his height and hair were the only things that changed. It was the only way he could cope with the thought of Jason's condition.

Bruce stayed for an hour more and left in time for sundown. He'd be back later that night, but not as Bruce Wayne. Bruce always came at night in the middle of his patrol to make sure Jason didn't suddenly awaken in the night. He even hid motion sensors around Jason's hospital bed so that he'd know the comings and goings of the nurses. Leaving Jason was always hard. In the days following the incident where Jason first opened his eyes, Bruce started to see more and more movement in Jason. Sometimes Jason would open his eyes, other times, Jason would involuntarily grin when Bruce would touch his face. By the end of the year, Jason started responding to simple commands.

One afternoon, Bruce sat in the manor, eating dinner and talking to Dick. "He's gonna wake up any day now," Bruce whispered.

"And what are you gonna do about Tim?" Dick asked.

"Tim can have whatever he wants. He can be whatever he wants... Once Jason's able to come home," Bruce paused for a moment, "Jason'll need my full attention." He picked over his dinner.

Dick looked at him and furrowed his brows. "Gotham needs Batman—."

"And Jason needs me," Bruce raised his voice, "Had I been Bruce more often with Jason, maybe he wouldn't have died in the first place. I need to be there for him. I need to take care of—."

"And I'm not saying you're wrong, but from what I'm hearing in your voice, it sounds like you're calling it quits," Dick interrupted.

"Not permanently. I'm just prioritizing Jason for once," Bruce whispered, "Don't you think he deserves to be put first for once?"

Dick froze. He knew Bruce loved Jason, but he never thought that Bruce would ever set aside his priorities for anything or anyone. "I'm not judging you. I know you love Jason. I love Jason too... I just-. You don't have to do this alone. We're a family, and we're all willing to help in whatever way we can," Dick reassured him, "Maybe it's time you stop thinking you can do all this alone. Don't you think?"

"I can't let him down this time. I can't," Bruce whispered as he took a sip of water. "I should go check on him again soon."

"How many hours would you say you spend at the hospital?" Dick asked.

"Well, since he's gone from comatose to being in a vegetative state... Three hours in the daytime, on and off for two hours at night," Bruce replied. Dick tapped his fingertips on the table. "Yes, I'm thinking about going right now. You should think about coming with me."

Dick nodded. "I'll come along tomorrow before I leave," Dick replied, "No use in asking if you're staying for dessert, huh?" Bruce got up and took his plate to the kitchen.

Bruce's phone beeped, and he checked his phone. "I gotta go to the hospital—."

"What's wrong?" Dick asked.

"He's awake," Bruce replied as he rushed past Dick to the car. Dick followed closely behind.

"Is he okay?" Dick asked. Bruce handed Dick his phone, and when Dick saw what was going on, he pushed his hair back in distress. "Okay, I'm sorry for saying you were crazy for installing the motion sensor cameras."

[ravers8fantasy]

Songs that remind me of punch out characters!!! (*´ ˘ `*)

(this will be focusing on boxers from punch out!! 2009 wii if im feeling cheeky I might do one for older characters in the future)

Little mac: the man - aloe blacc, , my way - frank sinatra, survivor - destinys child

(honourable mention: the black parade - my chemical romance)

Doc: lets get ready to rumble PJ and Duncan AKA, it takes two - rob base and DJ E-Z rock, I aint mad at cha - 2pac

Referee: the 10 duel commandment's from the hamilton soundtrack (guys this ones jokes)

☆Minor circuit ☆

Glass joe: Denis - blondie, carpe diem - joker out, the winner takes it all - ABBA

(honourable mention : the French national anthem 'La Marseillaise' and Hymne à l'amour - Édith Piaf)

Von kaiser: hey jude - the beatles, ich brech aus - tokio hotel, geboren um zu leben - unheilig

(honourable mentions: 99 luftballons - Nena and please please please by either the smiths or the deftones ver I couldnt decide)

Disco kid: hot stuff - Donna summer, voulez vous ABBA, I wanna dance with somebody - whitney Houston

(honourable mention: star ships - nicki minaj)

King hippo: te hiva - te vaka, please dont touch my papaya - kavaholics, Lugahiva - te vaka.

☆☆ Major circuit. ☆☆

Piston Honda hondo: iroha uta - wagakki band, catch me if you can - baby metal, tokyo drift - teriyaki boyz

(Honourable mentions: the sailor moon opening 'moonlight Densetsu' and 'kaen by ziyoou vachi')

bear hugger: let it grow - lorax soundtrack (ALLOW IT), amber - 311, animals - nickelback

Great tiger: dilliwali girlfriend - Arijit Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan from 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani', I am the best - 2NE1, down - jay sean and lil wayne (yeah idk he just reminds me of down for some reason)

Don flamenco: fernando - ABBA, smooth operator - sade, imatadora - romeo santos

(honourable mentions: vivir mi vida- mark anthony, wake me up - evanescence for when he goes emo after mac proper thundercunts his toupee)

☆☆☆World circuit☆☆☆

Aran ryan: capital - amyl and the sniffers, salvation - the cranberries, without me - eminem

(honourable mentions: scotty doesnt know - Lustra and CHA CHA CHA by Käärijä plus TRAFIK by Käärijä and joost klein)

Soda popinski: alcohol is free - Koza Mostra its time to roll - s3rl, alchohol free - twice

(Honourable mention: when I first saw him he reminded me of nash gimm by hard bass school but idk bros kinda crazy)

Bald bull: custer - slipknot, strawberry rush - chuu (sorry bald bull lovers, thats all I really got from him💔)

Super macho man: party like a millionare - the millionares, sorry for party rocking - LMFAO, take your shirt off - the millionares

(honourable mention - spring breakers anthem - the lonely island... HES SO LIKE YKNOW)

mr sandman: enter sandman - metallica, gansta's paradise - coolio, clair de lune - claude de bussy

Shoutout to @vampirtulpereblogs for the unheilig song for kaiser! As you said, it is a very beautiful song and reminds me of his battle theme thank you!!!

[002yb]

Cats and trapped for the wip please?

A recluse has no right to be this damn smug about anything, yet here he is:  needle and thread in hand, snickering to himself as he hand stitches the last seam on a project he’s been working and reworking for an embarrassing amount of time.  As far as hobbies go, he’s aware that this one is downright shameful; an actual embarrassment.  It’s only fitting for the black sheep of the family though.  It’s self-conscious coping at its finest, but Jason jokes with himself about leaning into the fucked up social leper rumor that’s been circulating about him for some time now.  It is what it is, right?  All of Gotham has their theories about the prodigal Wayne son.  Little do they know that the truth is so much worse. The family cat lays across his desk, lazily pawing at a needle cushion until the sun slanting in through the window beside them draws them into a doze.  They purr contentedly as Jason works, comfortable with what’s become a routine of peaceful calm because most days this is all there is. This is it. Because Jason hasn’t left the safety of the manor in over a year.  Because there are some days where Jason can’t even step past the threshold of his own room.  Because sometimes it’s all he can do to get out of his fucking bed without slipping into a catatonic episode of derealization from lingering trauma. (Sometimes Jason is still in that basement, the laughter of a mad man echoing off cold walls; the drag of metal on concrete scraping closer, closer).

Cat!Tailor AU (no capes). Where Jason becomes a recluse as a result of Joker induced trauma. He passes the time with a secret hobby of tailoring clothes for the house cat - Alfred.

Trapped under cut!

“Enough.” It’s an alpha’s command, but Jason fights the compulsion to obey.  It prickles painfully at the base of his skull, smothering him as he lashes out at the League's assassins with vicious kicks and a snapping maw.  Jason keeps Damian held close to his chest, thrown into a frenzy when the pup goes lax in his hold.  It’s a dangerous game to bare his teeth at any alpha, let alone the Demon’s Head, but Jason’s upper lip lifts as he snarls, knees knocking beneath the strain of ignoring a command and growling a pitiful thing with his strained throat. Ra’s al Ghul is not threatened by anyone though, least of all an omega of Jason’s pedigree.  There’s scorn in the cold glint of his eye and he commands again, “Kneel.” Everyone kneels. Jason forces himself to stand.  Even when his weaker leg gives out, Jason pushes himself back up and meets Ra’s al Ghul’s gaze directly.  An alpha’s purpose might be to conquer and provide, but omegas are not lesser or weaker.  Omegas protect and damn anyone who tries to challenge them. “Kneel.” Ra’s commands once more and this time even the obedient shadows choke on the force of the compulsion. Something primal and inhuman tears from Jason’s throat, his legs buckling and bringing him to his knees.  He pitches forward to prostrate himself, body curled protectively over Damian’s. There is no sound when Ra’s approaches him, but Jason can feel the man’s staggering and stifling presence.  It bears down on him and although Jason tries to protest the forced subjugation, he can’t.  It’s all he can do to hold onto Damian as the League assassins pull Jason upright, as they try to steal the pup from his arms.  An angry and territorial rumble sounds from deep in his chest that has Ra’s lifting his chin with contempt at the challenge to his authority. The disobedience has his heart palpitating uncomfortably in his chest.  Ra’s takes Jason’s chin roughly in his hand, his grip harsh enough that Jason has to bite back a yip as the man’s nails dig into the supple skin of Jason’s cheeks.  The alpha tilts Jason’s head so that their eyes can meet and Jason does so with a glare. “Omega.” Ra’s says, contradictorily impressed and disparaging. Jason breathes harshly through his nose, jaw clenched.  The alpha’s eyes flick down–an appraisal, a condemning judgment–before they return to hold Jason’s gaze.

AU where Jason tries to kidnap Damian from the League, but doesn't make it far at all before Ra's tracks him down. Very dead dove, very whump hahaha. Basically Jason gets thrown in a pit of the non-Lazarus variety and endures some trauma until he goes a bit feral and massacres his way out of the League.

It gets him in the same situation as before w/ Ra's & Talia tracking him down, only this time -- Jason (w/ little Damian), make it into the nearest city where they run into Renegade!Dick <- a development that happened soon after Jason's 'death'. And yes, pack dynamics ft Slade, Dick, Jason + Damian. //3//

[fandom-friday]

PART 1 OF 2 (FICS ONLY)

Thank you so much to everyone that submitted recommendations this week! There was SO MUCH content, I have to split this week's summary into two parts! A comprehensive list of this week’s fic submissions can be found under the cut! Recommendations are organized by show/media, and any main pairings will be listed after the title.

✨ = 18+ content 🪐 = contains spoilers of a currently running show

Fics:

The Clone Wars: ✨ Rooftop Reunion (Commander Fox x f!Reader) by @wings-and-beskar ✨ Sweet True Lies (Commander Fox x OC Keeda Ionza) by @sleepingsun501 I Fits I Sits (Captain Rex x OC Mira) by @kimiheartblade Cyare (Clone Trooper Sister x f!Reader) by @imarvelatthestars It Happened Quiet by @mercurydancer An Unexpected Chance by @mercurydancer For This Republic I Will Bleed by @captora

The Bad Batch: ✨Stars Beyond Number (Echo x Riyo Chuchi, Gregor x OC Cerra Kilian) by @dystopicjumpsuit ✨ Exigency (Captain Howzer x f!Reader) by @the-rain-on-kamino 🪐 (TBB S3) She Walks in Starlight (Clone Trooper Sister x f!Reader) by @imarvelatthestars A Dead Traitor is a Good Traitor by @hellowkatey 🪐 (TBB S3) Revelation by RheaShay (AO3)

The Book of Boba Fett: ✨ Golden (Garsa Fwip x Fennec Shand) by @btwxsixesandsevens

Star Wars Prequel Trilogy: Shattered Sunrise (Mace Windu x OC Danica Morrow) by @pickleprickle Sahuldeem by @inonibird Agwe by @jedi-valjean

Batman: Home Is Where the Heart Is by LittleLadybugs (AO3) The Lone Ranger Never Had To Deal With Bruce Wayne by @theskeptileptic Your Hands Are To Loud by BatFamily_shenanigans (AO3) Have We Met Before? by @lulurythmea Soft Robin, Sleepy Robin, Little Ball of Trauma by @iselsis Surprise by Racoonwriter (AO3) Patty Cake, Patty Cake, My Brother Ran Away by That_Hippie_Chick (AO3) Play it Again by @jazz020 The Cold (My Burning Promise) by BlueKappa (AO3) Brotherly Wisdom by @olivia-anderson-fanfic Late by breathingsentences (AO3) Not Him by @animemangasoul

Hetalia: Axis Powers: A Matter of Time by @cultureandseptember A Matter of Course by @cultureandseptember TELL ME A PIECE OF YOUR HISTORY by @cultureandseptember

Crossover AUs: Tanjiro & Kagome: A Taishō-Heisei Friendship (Demon Slayer X InuYasha Crossover) by Splashpointparabox (AO3) Life Anew (Batman X Detroit: Become Human Crossover) by BrickSheep (AO3) Steer Yourself (Any Direction You Choose) (The Clone Wars X The Murderbot Diaries Crossover) by antonomasia09 (AO3) The Five Tenets That Mandalorians Must Follow (and the One Thing Worth Breaking Them For) (The Mandalorian X The Murderbot Diaries Crossover) by @urisarang

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

DC

Persistence Is A Sin by PlotlessWanderer

Part 1 of Persistence Verse

He stared Bruce Wayne in his dead blank eyes with the full force of his conditional training behind him and told Batman exactly what he was doing wrong. Clenching shaking hands, praying he wouldn't vomit, Tim faced the demon his hero had become and refused to be moved.

Persistence won out over apathy in the end. Tim wore Batman down through sheer stubbornness and blunt honesty. He wasn't looking to replace what Bruce had lost, wasn't trying to be the stand in for a dead boy. Sometimes he wasn't quite sure what he was doing, exactly, but he always knew that whatever it was, it was necessary.

(Tim won't let his heroes fade away without a fight. Even if he has to bring it right to their doorstep and insist they fight too)

Slipping by incogneat_oh

'There is a small plaster on his arm where Bruce had taken a blood sample. It itches. And the computer runs tests.

They don’t believe him when he says he’s fine.

“It was Ivy,” Dick says, tossing Tim a ball.

Tim just shrugs, says, “I feel fine.” '

(Tim is not fine.)

Catch and Release by snackbaskets

There's a tradition among the family: when in danger, you grab the smallest Robin and hang on tight. But like all traditions, this one had to start somewhere, right?

Alternately: three times Dick bodily attacks his father (with love)

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

Local Gods by EsteriaSilversmith

Saiki may have been able to keep anyone from finding out about his psychic abilities, but enough wierd things have happened around PK Academy that the students had to come up with /some/ kind of explanation.

(Aka Saiki's love of sweets comes back to haunt him in the strangest of ways)

Shades of abnormality by TimesBeingWhatTheyAre

Some days Saiki didn’t feel comfortable in his skin.

Canon-compliant AU in which Saiki is genderfluid

The Sandman

The Cat of the Endless by Salmaka

Hob sighs, content to see the cat there and closes his eyes, ready to fall asleep again. He is not quite willing to wake up fully just yet.

But then it hits him.

He doesn’t have a cat.

Clone Wars

The Trouble with Tookas by thosenearandfarwars

Never trust somebody a tooka dislikes.

despite all (despite everything) by never_going_home

Cody is a mess. Obi-Wan is also a mess. They should probably kiss about it at some point.

Featuring: awful horrible terrible siblings, multiple people being So Fucking Done with codywan's pining, an all-inclusive couples' resort, and shenanigans to the extreme.

//

Sometimes, Cody lies awake in the ship’s night-cycle and thinks about the holo Waxer had found in some forgotten article in the depths of a ‘net archive. It had been grainy and out of focus and half-corrupted, but still clearly the general, comforting some wounded child, twenty years younger, hair long and matted, chin bare of beard, cheeks hollow with hunger and grief. His eyes, though, haunted and full of flinty resolve—his eyes had been the same, the only recognisable part of that child-stranger’s face.

(Nobody could fault Obi-Wan Kenobi for his leadership. The problem, then, lies with Cody.)

hear the silence in your head by firelord_zutara

Despite how wrong wrong wrong his Commander feels in the Force, it’s still a relief when Obi-Wan rounds the corner and sees Cody running towards him, there and whole and alive. That is, until Obi-Wan’s entire universe crumbles in an instant when Cody starts shooting at him.

Or: Instead of Tup being the one with the malfunctioning inhibitor chip, it's Cody.

[bonefall]

BB!Morningstar

[ID: Morningstar from warrior cats for the Better Bones AU. He has hornlike, curved ears, sharp cheek fluffs, and a beard. His chest fur is heart-shaped, and the fur is 'bleeding' at the bottom.]

I loooooove Code of the Clans and also Morningstar, but this time around, his story has a very different ending.

Clinging to pacifism at all costs, Morningstar's parable is a cautionary tale to the cats of the modern clans. An ancient leader of ThunderClan, Morningstar refused to allow his cats to fight. His mate was killed, he lost his deputy, and eventually refused to challenge WindClan for herbs that would help his Clan in a Color Cough outbreak.

Eventually, ThunderClan couldn't take it anymore. The Cleric, Pearnose, rallied the warriors and rebelled against Morningstar. As he lay dying, the cat who would become Pearstar leapt onto the highrock and announced a new addition to the Code,

"Never again will a cowardly leader deny us our birthright as Clan cats! Let StarClan shine upon this commandment; that all fully trained Warriors have the Right to Challenge, and this shall not be infringed upon without reason!"

The last thing he saw as the light left his eyes was ThunderClan streaming out of camp, Pearstar leading her first raid as Cleric-turned-leader.

Alignment: Dark Forest, ex-ThunderClan.

Time Period: Code Era

Relations: Songbird (mate), Pearstar (cleric), Ryewhisker and Cloudberry (DF friends)

His Land Mar is ThunderClan's Camp, with a permanent, hazy fog settled about it. It's gloomy, but not so bad when you get a fire going.

Design-wise I wanted him to look like a devil, but also I really loooove the old Wayne design for him. I may revise this one a couple times until I strike a better balance.

His chest is literally a bleeding heart because I think that is very funny

In the Dark Forest, funny enough, he is one of the most hated spirits.

75% of the other demons hate his guts or think he's a total coward.

It's annoying to him that they think he's a pushover. He has actually had to fight to avoid getting mauled by certain cats.

Morningstar surprises people with how strong he can be, when he is forced to fight.

He tends to hang out with Ryewhisker and Cloudberry, who have been there even longer than him. They're super chill with company.

One of the few cats who doesn't help Tigerstar, though Hawkfrost did try to goad him into, "finally standing up for himself"

It didn't work.

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

Steddie Upside-Down AU Part 115

Part 1 Part 114

Will could tell they were coming well before his bedroom door opened, both their presences shining like a beacon, brighter and brighter the closer they came.

It’s still a surprise to see their faces. Eddie looks excited enough to be verging on manic, the same way he does when there’s a particularly juicy twist in a campaign he’s been planning out. In contrast, Steve looks almost grave. Not worried, but something serious in the slant of his mouth as Eddie tugs him inside and shuts the door.

“What’s going on?” Will asks, looking between the pair for clues, and finding none.

“Nothing serious,” Steve replies. He commandeers Will’s desk chair while Eddie flops into the bed beside Will, wriggling around until he’s stollen all the covers and wrapped them around himself like a human burrito.

“We’ve just got something to tell ya,” Eddie continues, beaming up at Will.

Neither of them continues, so Will looks back and forth between them. Eddie’s eyes are downright twinkling, while Steve stares at the side of Eddie’s head, glaring.

“Fine,” Steve grumbles, finally turning to meet Will’s eyes. “Eddie and I are dating.”

Will nods, maintaining eye contact as he waits for Steve to keep talking. He doesn’t. “That’s it?”

Eddie squawks,  slithering up in bed, still so swaddled in blankets that he looks formless. “What do you mean, that’s it?” he demands, elbowing Will in the ribs, but it’s through all the blankets so Will barely feels it.

“Weren’t you guys already dating?”

Eddie’s mouth is hanging open, formless consonants leaking out of him. Steve steeples his fingers and leans forward, elbows on knees.

“It’s just, Eddie said—”

Eddie wriggles his arm free just in time to slap it over Will’s mouth with an awkward laugh. “Shut, up, Baby Byers,” he hisses, a faux smile on his face.

Steve leans back in the chair, lets his hands land loosely on the armrests. He’s smirking like there’s a canary in his mouth, and for the first time, Will can almost see the cool guy everyone acts like Steve is.

Not the real kind of cool that Steve actually is, but the kind who’d throw parties, and sit on a high school throne he hadn’t even built himself.

“What did you say, Eddie?” he asks, still smirking, and oh, is this flirting?

Will contorts his body until he’s free of Eddie’s silencing hand. “He said he was in love with you,” Will says.

Eddie sags into himself with a groan, burying his face into the blanket he’s still wrapped in. He looks like a pill bug, the only flesh visible a little bit of one of his ankles. Will pokes it and Eddie jerks, raising his head just enough to pout at Will.

“Is that so,” Steve says, but it’s not phrased like a question. Will answers it anyway.

“He said you looked like an angel in the Upside-Down, when we saw all those lights at my house for the first time?” Will feels his own face blushing as he remembers the way the lights had shone down on Steve, painted him in gold like it was his birthright.

Steve’s not smirking anymore, he’s gone all weird and gooey in the face. It only gets worse when Eddie makes a whining noise.

“Is that where the nickname came from?” he mutters quietly enough that it barely carries to Will’s ears. When Steve starts speaking again, it’s at his normal volume. “Wait, where was I for this?”

Eddie sits up at that, uncocooning himself enough to free his arms but keeping it over his head like an extremely unfashionable cloak.

“Uh…” he starts, shifting forward to stare into Steve’s eyes. “You were possessed?”

Steve grimaces, and all Kingly posturing falls away as he slumps back into the chair, crossing his arms in a way that looks more like a hug. Eddie must think so, too, because he latches onto Steve’s pantleg with grabby fingers and pulls until Steve settles onto Will’s bed with them.

“Were there any witnesses to this little declaration?” Steve asks, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

“Just Mom and Uncle Wayne,” Will replies.

Steve nods, slow as he meets Will’s gaze. “…and your Mom was.”

“She doesn’t care,” Will cuts in. Steve lets out a relieved breath that Will feels in his bones. He’d felt that worry when she’d let out a shocked gasp at Eddie’s declaration, had felt it wither away when he’d seen her hopeful face. “She just wanted you back.”

“We all did,” Eddie cuts in, throwing his stolen blanket over Steve’s shoulders, Will nestled between them both. “And we thought maybe trying to reach you in there would work?”

Steve laughs, but it’s all wet and choked up in itself. “And you said you were in love with me?” Steve asks. He reaches around Will to smooth down Eddie’s mussed bangs, the one cheek Will can see from his angle turning a light pink. “That’s so embarrassing for you.”

Eddie grumbles but leans into Steve’s touch all the time. “Well, it worked, didn’t it?” he asks. “We could feel you in there. You must’ve heard us.”

Will cranes himself away to look at Steve’s face, compromising the integrity of their ramshackle blanket fort enough that he tears it off Eddie and Steve entirely.

Steve doesn’t seem to have even noticed. His eyes are distant, glazed over like he’s looking at something else entirely.

Will never wants to see that distance on Steve Harrington’s face ever again, not after black smoke and a Steve that isn’t, so he tugs on their connection, and he comes back alive.

“I think I heard some of it?” he says, holding the palm of his hand to his ear like he’s listening to the ocean. He goes distant again, but Will’s pretty sure he’s just trying to remember, so he resists the temptation to pull him free. “What did everyone else say?”

Eddie reaches out and links his pinkie with Steve’s. “Oh, the same sappy shit we’ve all said to your face,” Eddie replies, but he’s smiling. “Baby Byers acted like it was his job to save you, and fawned over you like you’re some goddamn action hero.”

“Hey!” Will cries, but Steve’s laughing, so he doesn’t mind, especially not when Steve tugs on him this time, beaming at him like he’s a revelation.

“Uncle Wayne, the cantankerous old man that he is, said you were like a son to him.”

“Mom just asked you to come home,” Will cuts in. Steve’s eyes are shining.

“And I declared my undying love to you in front of all and sundry,” Eddie finishes, rearranging their linked pinkies so he can tangle the rest of their fingers together as well.

“You’re all so embarrassing,” Steve says, but he reaches out and bully’s Will into his arms. Eddie, never one to turn down a hug, worms his way into the situation immediately and applies enough pressure to make both their ribs creak.

They stay like that for a long time, until Mom calls, “boys, breakfast!” from somewhere in the house.

Eddie’s the first to let go with a contented sigh, scrabbling up off Will’s. He’s skipped halfway out the door before either of them has even stood up.  

“Has Mama Byers learned to cook since the last time we were here?” Eddie asks, leaning back in to grin cheekily at Will. “I don’t know if I’m in the mood for eggs that are somehow rubbery and watery at the same time.”

Part 116