#you could either be eddie’s lawyer OR you could be eddie’s WIFE’S lawyer

[eddiesghxst]

thinking about ex-boyfriend!rockstar!eddie x lawyer!reader

you and eddie dated in high school, and after eddie’s second time failing his senior year you decided it was time to move on so he could focus on his own shit. you moved away for college and later on landed a job all the way in New York as a family attorney.

eddie finally graduated and then went on to chase his rockstar dreams in LA with the rest of Corroded Coffin. The year Corroded Coffin goes big, Eddie falls into the stereotypical rock and roll storyline and marries a woman he meets on a crazy night out. it takes about 6 months before the honeymoon phase dies out and they file for a divorce.

unbeknownst to Eddie, you’ve just moved to LA and started working for a new law firm. and what happens when you end up being eddie’s divorce attorney?👁️👁️

[elgascreamslikehell]

Something Something Sunday!

Should I apologise in advance? I mean I wasn't technically tagged by any means, it's just voices in my head

I'm in a bad place now if it could count as an excuse.

I like Chris

I like Buck but still he's an idiot sometimes

The character I came up with is a jerk but technically he has a point!

It's still buddie fic))

I'm still aiming to the happy ending

‘Hey. You're thinking too much again, what's wrong?’ They lying on the beach and waves are quietly rustling around ‘Chris does like lakes. He likes swimming…’, - Sam smiles: ‘Well, I'm not sure if you are aware of that, but there's an ocean in LA’ Buck slightly breathes out: ‘He… do you remember the tsunami several years ago? We were there. Chris was there. He's not a fan of the ocean, lakes are safer’ Pause ‘You were…. You mean you three?’,-’No. I mean yes but… Eddie was working. Chris and I just had a day together so we decided to spend it at the coast and… it was a disaster, I thought I lost him. You know, Chris has CP. So…’, - ‘No, wait a second. You two were at the coast when there was the tsunami, you and your co-worker's..’-’My best friend!’, - ‘Okay. You and your best friend’s son who has CP… and now you’re asking why he didn't go with us here. I'm positive his father is an idiot if he even thought it could possibly be a good idea. If it were my son - I would never let him go anywhere with y.. without me. And where's this boy's mother? I'm quite close to report him to social workers’ That's unexpected. Buck sits on the sand and turns to Sam ‘What do you… Eddie trusts me. And what do social workers have to do with that?!’ ‘Buck, listen. You know I'm a lawyer, right? Your ‘friend’ seems to be… okay. If he fails his son it's their problem of course but I don't think it's fair that you are so worried about it.  I mean… he obviously tries to transfer his parental responsibility to you. And as I understand his wife is not in the picture so most probably she wasn't a good parent either. Or…’, - Buck interrupts him a little rudely: ‘His wife died. On his hands to be exact, we were on that call. She might not have been a perfect mother but you can't just judge people’, - ‘I'm a lawyer. That's basically my job, to judge people. But ok, I'm sorry, maybe I stepped in too hard. Anyway, all I want to say is - stop thinking about it. It's not your son. It's not your problem. It's sweet you're so kind to this kid but… stop. You have your own life.’

Well, tagging.

If you don't want to be in that list and still are - raise a hand!

If you somehow want to be here and you're not - raise another hand!

@pirrusstuff @steadfastsaturnsrings @idealuk @duncley @angryangeldreamsalad @blackberry-l @aspecbuddie @teayourtea @springeden7 @charleyk @lilypads-and-dragonflies @virtualstudent16 @princehattric @dantesrebellion1776

[queerbuckleys]

IT'S ALL THE PROOF I NEED {1.4k | angst | comfort| open ended} [ao3] tw: slight alcoholism, implied dissociation.

a/n: title from i'm ready by adam melchor- which i highly recommend listening to. so in the days following the (correct) spec, i said buck says yes and is then denied because of his family history only for that to become like the idea in the following days (i am not at all salty). Anyway, i finally was able to crank out something along those lines so here ya go. i am apparently only capable of writing dialogue atm so there's a lot of it. just a forewarning, buck is a bit hot headed and prickly in this which is a heavy dose of projection but not 100% ooc imo- it's basically grocery store fight 2.0 where buck gets to poke the bear. also! there are several open ended strings including the ending- but I did it on purpose cause to me that feels more realistic for the messy emotions that are being presented in the moment, that would realistically be addressed later, probably in therapy, but i don't have any ideas on how to tie them up in an interesting way. anywho, i will get this on ao3 as well soon, enjoy it!

“So, did you make up your mind?” Hen asks as she sits on the couch, a mug in her hands but still in her civvies.

And she didn't need to clarify.

But it made Buck jumpy, nervous, because he hadn’t told anyone except her that there was even something to make his mind up about. Not Eddie, not Maddie- and if Chimney was around then he was telling her by extension. Hence no one else knowing.

“Yeah, yeah I did, I decided I was capable of that, I think.”

“You think?”

“Capable of what?” Eddie asked looking up from his book, brow furrowed, either by the parenting teenagers advice he had just read, but more likely just now being clued in that there was something for Buck to decide he was capable of.

“Really?” Hen asked.

“Yeah, I um, I kind of do it already in a way so, um, yeah. I wanted to give them their dream. And this doesn’t mean I'm giving up my own dreams for that, it’s just that-”

“Okay what are you talking about Buck?” Eddie says, the book now abandoned on the arm of the couch.

Hen’s eyebrows shoot to her hairline.

“No, I never said anything to him.” Buck half mumbles.

“Well now I think you have to.”

Buck shoots her a glare that has heat but isn’t malicious.

“I’m really sorry Buck, but I just assumed you would’ve said something by now!” Hen says placatingly, putting her hands up.

Buck only responds by trying to bury his face in the table.

“I agreed to be my old roommate and his wife’s sperm donor.” he says into the table, the words muffled and garbled slightly by the table.

“I’m sorry you what!?” Eddie replies, and it almost feels like he’s being scolded a little bit.

“I’m gonna be a sperm donor for my friends okay?” Buck says again, sitting up straight.

“I heard you the first time. That’s a really big, life changing decision, so I guess it took me by surprise is all. Eddie says.

“So this is how it’s gonna be? You get all passive aggressive about me making a decision about my life, that doesn't affect you in the slightest- yeah, that’s rich coming from you Eddie.”

“Buck-”

“You are one to talk when you didn’t tell me for a year, a year, about a decision you made that affects me without asking, without letting me know. What did you think was going to happen if you died that day Eddie- that I would hear it from a lawyer? That no one else knew and your parents would just swoop in because no one knew about your wishes. And you were right- I would fight for him if they did. But I deserved to hear it from you. And I know I did, but that was not a given Eddie.”

“Buck, hey, that is not how I meant that. At all. And you’re right I should have told you. But before, when you said-”

“I was talking about him, yeah. Every time I think about myself like that towards him- I wanna throw up cause it’s like I’m saying that I wish that you were- And I could never wish that in a million years Eddie, never. So I have to stop myself, and walk away. Because I never want to know what that’s like again. I don’t want to live in this world without you ever again. And you can’t promise that won’t happen, none of us can. But it has me praying to a God that I have never believed in.”

“I never said you had to walk away, Buck. And- I don’t want you to.”

“Okay, sorry I blew up- I just-”

“Needed to let off some steam. We never talked about it, sorry about that.”

Eddie squeezes his shoulder, and the tingling warmth radiating through his body. He knows they aren’t done talking but as he raises his gaze to the rest of the loft and sees the others holding delicate gazes in their direction he understands why they stopped. Everyone slowly finds their own task to keep themselves busy, Buck just wishes he could go home. But he can’t, so he gets up, shakes it off and joins Bobby in the kitchen silently.

He listens to the voicemail in the car before he leaves the station parking lot. The clinic left it four hours ago. Eddie had already taken off, the unspoken promise to see each other in less than an hour.

Your family medical history requires reporting to the donor recipients to proceed, our recommendation to them would be to move forward with another donor. Please call us back-

He shuts the recording off and grips the wheel as he feels himself drift away from his body. He really means to go to Eddie's, he really does. But he finds himself in the parking lot of the bar where he met Red. And he only sort of feels the persistent buzzing in his pocket that starts up an hour later, 3 whiskeys later because that’s how Buck was measuring time right now. He’s had a fourth by the time Eddie makes it to the bar.

“You weren’t picking up and I looked, I know we said only if you were with Chris- but I just wanted to make sure you at least got home cause then I would know that you were just still mad at me. But then you were here, and I just got the weird feeling so- I guess what I’m saying is that I’m sorry, and if you want me to go I’ll go,” Eddie’s voice catches a little, “I know I just broke your trust a little bit, but I-”

“You know I think my mom was right.” Buck slurs, “I am broken. I think there is something fundamentally wrong about me. I just wanted to help a friend ya know? But noo, just another thing Daniel ruined for me.”

Eddie has now taken a seat next to Buck, and silently ordered waters for the both of them.

“Buck, what happened?”

“The clinic called. They have to recommend that they use someone else's sperm because of my family history. And it’s perfectly reasonable, I get it I really do. Doesn’t mean I can’t be upset though. You know I always had this weird feeling that it wouldn’t work out. Because things never work out for me. I leave home but I leave my sister behind in the hands of someone I knew was a piece of shit. I take my best friend’s son for a fun day at the pier, and boom a fucking tsunami takes out Santa Monica. Save a kid from his own mother, and whaddya know my best friend gets shot in front of me. You want me to keep going, cause I can. Because after that I find out that the only way that I could have the one thing that I really want- it means losing half of what I wanted in the first place.”

“Buck-”

“I can’t keep going like this Eddie. I just- I have tried so hard to be at ease. Make that thing I’m looking for. But I can’t. I can’t because I already have it but I don’t know if who I have it with sees it the same way. Every time I walk away I lose a sliver of hope.” He says the last part quietly and staring into the depths of the empty whiskey glass, entranced by the way the warm light reflecting on the wood is warped by the glass.

Eddie squirms on the sticky stool, and Buck looks up at him studying his face gently, he’s sure the alcohol has dissolved the mask that he has when he’s sober, that Eddie can see everything he meant, but he doesn’t care anymore.

“You-” Eddie tilts his head, “You never have to walk away from Chris,” he bites his lip and drops his gaze briefly before meeting Buck’s eyes again, “you never have to walk away from me.”

“That obvious huh?” Buck asks as he finally takes a sip of water.

“Well it helped that we made it together. You don’t have to walk away, I’ll be here when you’re ready.” Eddie finally places a hand on his forearm, and it’s the first thing that’s made him feel grounded in what felt like hours, and it spreads through his body. “Until then, let’s get you home.”

[anisecandy]

Imagine an au where Eddie is a patient at a mental hospital,everything was just from his fantasy and venom is a persona he created to cope with his isolation and trauma that led him to mass murder his whole family and other people,thinking that he was doing something good to protect innocents.Peter either is his doctor or he’s another patient

You know, I feel like if this ask would reach me when I'm in the right mood, I would react to it with "Heck yeah! Messed up, edgy psychological horror romance!! Let's go!!!". But when I saw it today I just thought, man, doesn't it suck how often we have stories demonizing mentally ill people... Perhaps it's the inclusion of mental hospital and grounding it in reality.

So... let me change things up a little. Or maybe a lot.

Sure, let's make it more grounded. But let's also make it sad. Let's make it soft. Let's make it... to be about compassion.

Now... I'm not a perfect person to write about a mental health and treatment. While I have been in therapy for... 3 years now, I've never been to a mental hospital. But here are some ideas(not a full fic though. just ideas). I hope I was able to be adequatly tactful while talking about this.

(tw for mentions of abuse, medical malpractice and implied sexual abuse)

Peter is a new hire at a prestigious mental hospital. It's not one of those places that your average joe could find himself in, if the world got to him a little to much. Here, the patients pay the top dolar for the top doctors providing the best service. And Peter, well, Peter certainly is what you would describe as the best. He graduated at the top of his class and got recommendations from some of the most demanding intern supervisors. He's smart, good at what he's doing and wants to help people.

And if incidentally that means he'll get to earn some good money... well, if you have health insurance bills to pay for your surrogate mother, then you can't really afford being all that selfless in your mission to help, can you?

So Peter works with people in need. But mostly, he works with people who have a lot of money, and little heart. He works with a drug addict, who is only here because the family threatened to cut him off otherwise and not because he's ruining the life of his fiancee. He works with a film director, whose excellent lawyer managed to reduce his sentence from 9 to 3 years and a court ordered therapy. Said man cares a lot about numbers in his pocket. Not so much about those by the birth date of the actresses he helped to promote, for a price, of course.

Peter works hard and a lot, and he doesn't feel like he's making a difference.

He sees a lot of corruption among his colleagues, too. He learns that not every patient is treated the same. That some of them are placed here by powerful people, because nobody would believe abuse accusations from poor, broken madmen. And said "some" are not getting out. (Somehow, he manages to at least be assigned as an assistant to the dostor in charge of Harry Osborn's treatment. He wishes, desperately wishes he could do more.)

Also, he hears gossip.

Most patients here are nonviolent. There are only three rooms serving to hold the "troublemakers". Those are swept clean of anything that could be used as a weapon. Their walls are padded, and built to contain most sounds, as to not disturb the rest of the high paying clientele. Two of them stand empty. But the third one, as Peter learns one day, has a resident.

There are countless rumors about that one isolated patient. He's said to have murdered his wife. Some add, that they never found the body. The more imaginative clarify, that it's because he ate her. The least outrageous gossips suggest that he's one of those old money people, escaping jail thanks to insanity defense in the court. But not many repeat that version of the events. After all, everybody knows that this man is a bonafide, drolling, deranged lunatic. A lost cause if there ever was one, really. What everybody agrees on, is that he's unpredictable and dangerous. He has to be kept sedated at all times, so as to not harm the staff. And of course, every nurse and security guard knows somebody, who knows somebody, whom he attacked and maimed.

And maybe it's because he's surrounded by people so divorced from the reality thanks to their status and privilege, against whom he, poor Jewish man from the Queens stands out so much, but Peter starts to develop interest in this patient, that slowly changes to a strange feeling of kinship, as he seldom catches the glimpses of said patient.

He's not often let out of his room. But sometimes, Peter can see him being walked for one or another experimental treatment, in the assistance of two muscular caretakers, over whom he still towers. He doesn't seem "deranged", not in the pejorative way the staff is using this word anyway. Despite eyes muddied by the sedatives, he walks straight, with his head up and a dismissive grimace on his face, as if he was too proud to look anybody in the eyes. There's an arrogance there that fits right in with the lebel "old money". But then, there's something else too. There's the eagerness of every caretaker to be very generous with their usage of strength, with dragging and showing the man around. Once or twice, Peter sees him beng pinned to the ground and restrained. After he snapped at a nurse gossiping about his late wife too loudly, too close. After he doesn't leave his room as quickly as he's supposed to.

From his perspective of someone not quite on the inside, Peter can see a lot. And he doesn't like what he's seeing.

It takes a lot of persuading to let him at least meet the isolated patient. But eventually, he's allowed a session with him. There are no special requirements from the client handling the bills for that one. And no doctor really wants to work with him on their own either.

Leading to the session, Peter is nervous. It starts dawning on him that perhaps he's just developed an unhealthy obsession over a patient, that maybe he's just acting out of curiosity, treating this man as a novelty. A fun excerpt for his research paper. He starts getting scared too. He's heard the gossip. He's been paying close attention to them, more than anybody else in the whole hospital.

But when Edward Brock is brought in, he doesn't seem very eager to jump for his jugular or clawing out his eyes. He appears... tired. Still proud, oh yes, but mostly tired. He doesn't speak much, aside from asking to not be referred to by his full name. The sedatives make him slur words and lose the thread often, which visibly upsets him. Still, even in such a state, he appears to be a rather bright man, his only visible fault being perhaps a bit too dark sense of humor.

This causes Peter to develop certain guesses and he starts pushing for more opportunities to get to know Eddie better.

And he discovers that there most of what is said about the harm he did to the nurses and guards are made up. That there was in fact no wife's murder, that she just divorced him. And that Eddie was brought to the hospital after a failed suicide attempt.

He discovers that this isn't some Silence of the Lambs-esque thriller, but rather a story about a man, who didn't get the help he needed, because he appeared too threatening. Whose worsening mental health became an excuse for escalating the "precautions" around him, to objectifying him as this evil, grotesque monster, because he has one of the "bad" illnesses.

He discovers that Eddie has DID, developed over the childhood of neglect and emotional abuse. He meets Venom - a headmate, who's Eddie's protector, in the times when his trauma gets triggered or the harm caused him by the hospital staff gets too hard to bear. He learns that they both like old music, although Venom has rather severe sensory issues, making them only want to listen to it very quietly. He learns Eddie's favorite books. And how he looks when he smiles

All in all, from this point on, Peter does what he can to help Eddie, both in terms of healing, but also trying to change the things around the hospital. Some other Spider-man could be there as well, for example, villains and friends alike as doctors or patients (like mentioned before Harry). But, all in all, today I just really wanted this to be a more gentle story. Something with hope and kindness. And I think I quite like this idea. I could write it some day, or maybe somebody else could write it. I think there could be space here for an interesting plot and a nuanced take on mental health (maybe even some subtle romance, hah, but "subtle" being absolutely the key word here. given the ethics of it all), as well as social classes.

I know this isn't what you wanted from me, but I still hope this turned out to be an interesting little creative session.

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

Miami Vice S1E13: Milk Run

An almost perfect episode with an ending that guts like a fish knife.

Milk Run is the episode that Little Prince wanted to be, and it's super weird to me that they're back to back. It's better written, better paced, and commits much more strongly to its message, so it feels a bit like you watch the rough draft of an idea and then the final draft right in a row.

It's also significantly more fun than Little Prince, which both makes it more enjoyable to watch, and makes the tragedy that much more painful. The first half of the episode is played very light-- jokes and smiles and sunshine-- and then by the final quarter you're left with the cold, sinking feeling that something terrible is going to happen and it's going to fuck everyone up forever.

(it does)

The episode opens with Sonny creeping on a lady who bends over at the airport, and Rico walking (crotch first) into his line of view and giving him a serious Sitcom Wife look. It's hard to shake the sense that this is a "Rico shoots his shot and Sonny straight up doesn't notice" episode; the smile he gives Sonny when he tells Sloane they're partners is shy and flirty as all get out, he literally grabs Sonny and walks with him arm and arm as they cross the street, he brushes his fingers against Sonny's and pivots around him a centimeter away as they lean on the hotel counter. Sonny ever so slightly leans into him after that, like there's some recognition of their closeness, and then they see Eddie and Sonny spends the rest of the episode freaking out about Justice(TM).

This is the episode where Rico reveals he is a vegetarian, and Sonny kind of brushes it off like "that's simply impossible, no such thing."

Tubbs says a bunch of stuff about a Colombian god who originated in Nigeria and seems to be surprisingly knowledgeable about folk religion, and then in the next scene he and Sonny have a conversation about Santeria that's so far removed from anything anyone has ever known about Santeria that you begin to wonder if he just made this "Colombian god" up to sound smart.

While Crockett speaks to the "Santeria Priestess" (a teenage punk who works at a movie theater and is absolutely not a Santeria Priestess), a bald woman behind him sports what appears to be leather bondage gear

A young Eric Bogosian roughs up Tubbs; later in the episode he says that Pepe Moya is "a freak" who "gets off on weeeeiiiiaaaahhhhd stuff." Okay, Worcester boy. Sure. That's how everyone in Massachusetts Miami talks.

The transition from Rico leaping into the car to the boxing gym, overlaid with Hit Me With Your Best Shot is just an absolute joy, A+ fun, silly, wholesome sequence.

Castillo asks Crockett to put surveillance in place and Sonny says he's already put "Mann and Terranova" on it. While I believe wholeheartedly that Miami Vice and Wiseguy take place in the same universe, it's a but strange to get your creator to do surveillance for you.

Tubbs makes the obligatory S1 "you will be sexually assaulted in prison" threat this episode, which is highly out of character and, as far as I can recall, never happens again. Sonny just screams at the kid.

Eddie tells Sonny that he can't speak to the police because his lawyer told him "you're just gonna use me."

Well.

Considering the ending.

It's almost

Like you shouldn't

Speak to the police

Without your lawyer

I think it's important to point out that Eddie, who is tragically killed in a way Sonny does not expect and cannot really have prevented (but feels like it could have been preventable to him), doesn't just share his first name with Sonny's prior partner. His last name is also Rivers-- too close to Riviera to be a coincidence. One of the themes of Vice is the cyclical and repetitive nature of tragedy for anyone who is involved in either criminality or the justice system (Mann generally posits these two things as mirror images or inexorably linked halves of one whole; see Heat). Eddie Riviera was a cop, thematically framed as an innocent, and Sonny couldn't save him, and Eddie Rivers was a criminal, thematically framed as an innocent, and Sonny couldn't save him. The only people who make it out are ones like Caroline, who divest themselves completely from that world. Anyone on either side of the law is equally damned.

From the time we see Eddie's body rolled away to the credits rolling is two full minutes of a 48 minute runtime; Sonny is sitting on the floor, mostly facing the camera, for the entirety of that two minutes. The amount of time from when the other characters leave and Rico sits down next to him to is itself a full minute, and the last 40 seconds of that minute are wordless. I don't think it can be overstated how endless a minute of hollow-eyed silence is in a television show feels.

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buck and Bobby heading for breakdowns: The calm before the storm

During season 5 and early into season 6, Chimney, Athena, Maddie, Eddie and Hen all experienced their own emotional and/or mental breakdowns that had been building for several weeks or even months for some of them.  Bobby was there for Athena, Buck was there for Eddie, Chimney left and went to search for Maddie and Karen was there for Hen but while Buck and Bobby were there for others during their breakdowns, they have yet to experience breakdowns of their own.

It’s been speculated by some within the 9-1-1 fandom since season 5B that Buck and Bobby could experience simultaneous breakdowns during season 6 and if they keep bottling everything up, it’s certainly possible they could both have them before the end of the season.

There have been times when Bobby’s and Buck’s storylines either paralleled, coincided and/or collided with each other.  Not only do they look alike but their behaviors are very similar.  They both tend to carry guilt around with them like it’s another uniform even though it’s not theirs to carry because others are to blame for the things that happened, i.e., Bobby carried guilt after Jonah took Hen and Chimney in 5x17 “Hero Complex” and in 4x4 “9-1-1 What’s Your Grievance?” after Buck learned the reason for his birth, he started carrying the guilt from not being able to save Daniel.  Recently they’ve both been exhibiting signs that show they could be headed for emotional and/or mental breakdowns of their own and if they happen at the same time or one happens as the result of the other, it’s going to be difficult for everyone in their found family.  Bobby’s and Buck’s relationship is more than that of a fire captain and a firefighter because they act more like father and son.  Bobby lost his wife and his biological son and daughter during an apartment fire that he accidentally started in Minnesota before he moved to L.A.  Buck’s biological parents never cared enough about him to show him any love or affection since he was born as a savior baby for his brother Daniel who died anyway.

Bobby has relapsed before and it happened during a time when he was struggling with the guilt associated from the loss of his family, the loss of the other residents who were also inside of the apartment building fire he accidentally caused in Minnesota along with the lives of those that were lost during the plane crash in season 1.  Buck and Hen were there for him after he relapsed and they didn’t tell anyone about it until Buck told his lawyer Chase Mackey in 3x4 “Triggers”.  Bobby started showing subtle signs that could be associated with emotional trauma in 3x17 “Powerless” after Athena was attacked which happened almost two years before he hired Jonah in 5x11 “Outside Looking In” and his emotions have continued to escalate into season 6.  He almost relapsed and started drinking again in 5x18 “Starting Over” but he poured the whole bottle of alcohol he purchased down the drain after Eddie left following their conversation about Jonah but since Athena was at work, Bobby was in the house alone.  Afterwards, he clasped his hands together, put them underneath his chin and stared into oblivion.  Athena mentioned his sobriety to Hen in 6x1 “Let the Games Begin” since they were preparing to go on a cruise for their long-awaited honeymoon and there would have been several bars that would be serving alcohol on the ship.  Athena’s dad had an accident which caused them to cancel their trip and go to Florida instead.  While they were there, a 45-year-old mystery had to be solved since the remains of a child were found on Athena’s parents’ property in 6x3 “The Devil You Know”.  Bobby got into a fight while they were there and he returned to L.A. before Athena did because she was still helping her parents get settled after her father’s stroke.

In 6x4 “Animal Instincts” Bobby was at home and lonely because Athena was still in Florida and if he hadn’t commandeered Hoover the dog from that frat house the 118 had been dispatched to, he could have relapsed while he continued to wait for Athena’s return.

Buck started showing signs of an emotional or mental breakdown not long after he started working at the 118 but his emotions escalated during season 3 too after Eddie was trapped in The Well in 3x15 “Eddie Begins”.  The emotional signs associated with him having a breakdown have also been increasing for more than two years and with each additional trauma he experiences, more layers are being added to his emotional and mental stress.

Once he learned about the reason for his birth in 4x4 “9-1-1 What’s Your Grievance?” and 4x5 “Buck Begins” it caused him to almost give up while he was inside of the warehouse fire. That was followed by Eddie being shot in front of him in 4x13 “Suspicion”, Maddie leaving in 5x3 “Desperate Measures”, Chimney punching him in 5x4 “Home and Away”, him wanting to transfer to another firehouse in 5x5 “Peer Pressure”, Eddie’s breakdown in 5x13 “Fear-O-Phobia”, Jee-Yun spending the night in the hospital in 5x14 “Dumb Luck”, Bobby and May almost dying in 5x16 “May Day”, his girlfriend lying to him in 5x17 “Hero Complex” which caused Hen and Chimney to be taken and tortured by Jonah, Bobby’s guilt about hiring Jonah and Buck finally breaking up with his girlfriend after an exhausting year of him being entombed in his loft with her in 5x18 “Starting Over”. Those were just the incidents that happened during seasons 4 and 5 but his emotional and mental traumas continued into season 6.  Buck was overlooked for the interim captain spot in 6x1 “Let the Games Begin”, he lost a victim in 6x2 “Crash and Learn”, one of his former roommates asked him to be a sperm donor and Chimney was trapped inside of a car with a drunk driver in 6x4 “Animal Instincts”, in 6x5 “Home Invasion” Buck was trying to mentally prepare himself for Hen leaving the 118 after she passed her medical school exam and in 6x6 “Tomorrow” Buck thought Karen could experience complications since her spleen had to be removed after the explosion.

It appears they’re both smiling through their pain but the longer they continue to hide their feelings, it’s becoming easier to notice the changes in their behaviors.  Christopher mentioned Hoover could have been suffering from “separation anxiety” in 6x5 “Home Invasion” but his statement could also be attributed to both Buck and Bobby because they appear to struggle whenever they are left alone.  Both of their mental storms have been brewing for a while and just like when a person loses the ability to breathe while they are in the vortex of a tornado, if Bobby and Buck don’t seek help soon, it’s going to become more difficult for them to breathe too.  Currently it’s like they’re in the eye of a hurricane where everything seems calm but in actuality the storm continues to spin and destroy everything that’s surrounding them.  Will Buck and Bobby both experience breakdowns during season 6?  Only the writers, showrunners and producers know the answer to that question.

GIF 5x4 “Home and Away”

GIF 5x4 “Home and Away”

GIF 6x2 “Crash and Learn”

GIF 5x12 “Boston”

GIF 5x13 “Fear-O-Phobia”

GIF 5x17 “Hero Complex”

GIF 5x17 “Hero Complex”

GIF 5x18 “Starting Over”

GIF 5x18 “Starting Over”

GIF 4x2 “Alone Together”

GIF 4x13 “Suspicion”

GIF 4x5 “Buck Begins”

GIF 5x6 & 5x9 Combination

GIF 6x1 “Let the Games Begin”

GIF 6x2 “Crash and Learn”

GIF 6x2 “Crash and Learn”

GIF 6x4 “Animal Instincts”

GIF Season 1

GIF Season 1

GIF Seasons 1 & 2 Combination

GIF 6x4 “Animal Instincts”

GIF Seasons 1-5 Combination

GIF 4x5 “Buck Begins”

GIF 5x3 “Desperate Measures”

[thesimpsonsultimateshowdown]

This Nearly Crashed My Browser: Finding All 120+ Competitors

the current list

The Simpsons is known for it's utterly mind-boggling amount of episodes and characters, with its wiki having more than 5K entries in the character section. My job was to sift to through and pick out as many relevant characters as possible, while making some exclusions and exceptions. Here's how it went down:

The wiki's home page has a character tab with a dropdown with five category; Simpson Family, Krusty, At the SNPP, At Springfield Elementary, and Kids

Clicking on each tab will bring you to a page with all characters relevant to the category

-The Krusty tab is literally just Krusty, so I just found Channel 4 myself

In Simpson Family, I grabbed the core family, Snowball & SLH, Abe & Mona, Patty, Selma, and Ling

In Channel 4, I grabbed Krusty, Kent, Bumblebee Man, Sideshow Bob & Mel, Mr. Teeny, Itchy & Scratchy, and later I decided to expand it to celebrities, adding, Marvin Monroe, Troy McClure, Rainer Wolfcastle, Drederick Tatum, and just decided to stick Kang & Kodos here

In SNPP, I grabbed Mr. Burns, Smithers, Lenny & Carl, Blinky the Fish, Charlie, and the people's champion, "Just Stamp the Ticket" Man

In Springfield Elementary, I grabbed Skinner, Edna, Otto, Hoover, Largo, Willie, Chalmers, Krupt, and Doris

And in Kids, I grabbed Uter, Richard & Lewis, Database, Baby Gerald, Milhouse, Nelson, Wendell, Martin, Ralph, Rod & Todd, Sherri & Terri, Janey, and the Spuckler & Nahasapeemapetilon kids

I didn't find the bullies, Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney in Kids, so I made a throwaway category, "Townies". After these three and over the course of tracking other characters, I grabbed Barney, Sam & Larry, Hans Moleman, Snake, Bleeding Gums, Julio & Grady, Jebediah Springfield, Disco Stu, Squeaky Voiced Teen, Cletus & Brandine, and the City of Shelbyville.

Next, I decided to look for Senior characters, which eventually evolved into the aptly named "Olds" category. This was pretty broad, but here I grabbed Ned & Maude Flanders, Kirk & Luann Van Houten, Marge's Mother, Jasper, Mrs. Muntz, Old Jewish Man (which is his title, apparently), Ruth Powers, Mrs. Glick, Crazy Cat Lady, Sarah Wiggum, Agnes, Manjula, and Matt Groening.

Researching this category, characters such as Apu and Fat Tony came to mind, but were excluded since they do stuff. So then I made the final category, "Career", characters who are most defined by their career. This was the largest category, with me grabbing Apu, Reverend & Helen Lovejoy, Lionel Hutz, Moe, Dr Hibbert & Nick, Fat Tony, Legs & Louie, Johnny Tightlips, Frankie the Squealer, Judge Constance, The Salty Sea Captain & The Rich Texan, Mayor Quimby, Cookie Kwan, Blue-Haired Lawyer, Lindsey Naegle, Roger Meyers Jr, Gil, Comic Book Guy, Chief Wiggum, Officers Eddie & Lou, Herman, Italian Chef (not calling him f-ing Luigi Risotto), and Duffman.

Finally, the characters I forgot or couldn't originally fit, being Herbert, Allison, Rabbi Krustofsky, Artie Ziff, Shauna Chalmers, Kumiko Albertson, and Raphael the Wisecrack.

Exclusions and the Vaguest of Vague Rules

While constructing the list, at the start I avoided adding Allison, Herbert, and the Rabbi. In my mind, these were one-time guest stars, like Hank Scorpio and Frank Grimes, but I decided to include them as Allison became a Janey-like figure, Herbert got a follow-up episode in Season 3, and the Rabbi appeared on occasion with speaking roles. Characters I will never add would either be real-people, with the exception of Matt Groening, one-off guest stars, and set-dressing characters that don't impact main characters, such as Martin's parents, the other workers at the nuclear plant, and Sideshow Bob's wife and child.

Of course, I can bend the rules. If you think of a character that could be included, tell me in anyway you can and I'll decide on it or create a public poll. Why, just typing this up I thought of Flanders' parents, the Vegas wives, and Princess Kashmir, who could all be argued for or against!

Thanks for reading, and look forward to deciding polls and soon enough, a bracket! Asks always open!

[boxofteethrpg-blog]

To Have and to Hold Chapter 1

Estelle's paper-thin skin teased the pad of Barney's thumb as he stroked her skeletal forefinger. His mind dwelled not on the sandpapery feel to his wife's flesh, nor how supple it had been when life held nothing but wine and roses. He brooded on failure. It began with the failure of her cancer to stay in her liver. Surgeons failed at slicing tumors from her body. It continued when radiation burning away rouge growths failed. Eating right failed. Experimental drugs failed. Esoteric oriental techniques and bullshit holistic cures he didn't comprehend failed.

His pleading with God last night to take him instead failed.

His throat still burned with curses hurled at the Almighty which came as the evening rolled into late night. His knees ached from kneeling on the hard hospital chapel floor until dawn came. In that darkest hour, he declared he would give anything to not have to kill his wife. As with everything else in this cold universe, the Devil failed to appear with bloodied quill and contract for Barney's soul. The grief-stricken husband would have offered the pitiful shriveled thing up without hesitation.

What Barney succeeded in doing was singing Estelle's death warrant this morning. The doctors, his lawyer, the family, they'd all assured him it was the right thing to do. Her fragile hand squeezed his briefly and then relaxed. After forty-three years of marriage, he failed her. The minuscule, mechanical press came and went once more.

Barney filled his lungs with air both antiseptic and miserable. He stared at her hand for some time longer before daring to look the love of his life in the eye. Her once-bright gaze stared hollowly at the ceiling, almost lifeless save for the occasional blink. Logically he understood the only thing keeping her alive were the plastic tubes stuffed down her throat like a squirm of eager worms hoping to get a jump start on those waiting for his beloved below ground. Together they had done everything they could to stave off this day, but complications swiftly arose and brain death followed. The woman he cherished no longer haunted the vessel he held, no matter how alive she still felt. Estelle made her wishes explicit when she got to this state to pull the plug.

The chirping of birds swelled outside the window while a late afternoon drizzle pattered glass. Distant thunderheads of spring lingered at the horizon, with streams of light poking through. Estelle loved these sorts of days.

"Perfect for gardening, or sex on the grass." She'd say.

He pressed her decrepit hand to his age-sharpened cheek, trembling lips to her palm. No miracle was to come, no devil's deal either. Salty sorrow eased from his eye, and ran its course down to her wrist. The tear caught on her ID bracelet, eddied across the information of who she'd been. The doctors gave him one more day but come tonight away went the machines. In the morning, Estelle would die because he and everyone else had failed her.

The feeling of eyes on him drew Barney from self-loathing reverie into the gaze of a frightened child in the hallway. The tike couldn't be more than five. She grasped her mother's hand as the woman conversed with a pasty nurse. It wasn't fair, he felt, to bring the little girl here. The cancer ward wasn't a place of healing, but a place of dying. The relentless malignancy of the disease saturated everything and the child felt it, but couldn't understand it. She looked away from Barney's guilty visage as her mother sobbed. Like every visitor, the dirty-blonde mom and likewise moppet were here to harvest one last memory. At the girl's age, she'd probably not even do that.

"I'm sorry," Barney murmured to his victim as he turned away.

"Mr. Schell?" The sallow nurse said as she lingered in the doorway, adding, "you really should get something to eat. The cafeteria will be closing soon."

He focused on her mangle of a smile. A fresh jet of cooled air flowed from the vent above Estelle's bed. Pebbles rose across his neck, and for a brief moment, he hoped it was Death coming to collect the Schells at the same time. Instead of cursing at the pallid nurse, the old man grunted. With some effort, Barney stood, thanks to his grimy walker. Age hadn't been kind to him either.

Barney left his wife laid out on a padded altar. Come tomorrow she'd be sacrificed for nothing. The split tennis balls on the feet of his walker squeaked as he shuffled down the hall. With a shadowed grin, the nurse watched him and then slipped into the room to do whatever useless fucking things they did when people weren't watching. Barney averted his gaze from the suffering on display at each open door. The collection of living skeletons didn't bother him. They'd still be alive tomorrow, some of them anyway, and that ate at him.

[academyguide]

As fans of the Harry Potter series, my wife and I were excited about the release of the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. We made a date, bought our tickets, and were magically transported into the fantastic world of wizards, witches, and muggles for approximately 2 hours. It felt great! We loved it so much, the following day, we saw it again with my mother-in-law.For me, there is nothing quite like a well-crafted adventure/fantasy film that takes me away from reality for a much needed respite from the demands of the day. For those of you who have not seen it yet, I will not spoil it for you. Please read on.Of course, whenever there is a story of magic, chances are good that magic wands will be involved. During this film, the audience is provided with more detailed insight regarding magic wands, which I thought could serve as a perfect comparison to mediators. So, without further ado...Magic wands are described as being unique. Each is made from different ingredients. Some are more flexible than others. Some have characteristics such as "unyielding." In fact, it is implied that wands are sentient. In other words, magic wands have the ability to know and perceive; they have a consciousness.For example, one of the characters, Draco Malfoy, while pointing his wand directly at Harry Potter, explains to Harry that he has borrowed his mother's wand. Draco subsequently expresses that his mother's wand is powerful, but that it doesn't really understand him.So how does all this relate to mediators?Like magic wands, mediators are unique. Each mediator brings a different life experience to the mediation table and perceives the world through his/her unique life filters.For example, a mediator who had a childhood that was chaotic or out of control because of some family dysfunction may feel an intense need to exercise strict control over the mediation process. He/she may not be flexible enough to consider a creative alternative to the mediation process he/she has implemented. If your mediation would benefit from a mediation process that is different from the one the mediator chooses, you are likely out of luck with this mediator.NOTE: During my Master of Laws program at The Straus Institute, I had a fantastic course with Bill Eddy titled "Psychology of Conflict." Bill Eddy is a lawyer and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and he runs the High Conflict Institute. We studied groups of high conflict personality types and the associated behavioral traits relating to conflict. Naturally, some mediators exhibit high conflict behaviors, as in the example above.Like magic wands, some mediators are more flexible than others. For example, in cases where there is a history of domestic violence, a prudent mediator will strongly consider the possibility of keeping the parties separate throughout the mediation process to eliminate the possibility of intimidation and to provide the victim with a safe environment, where he/she feels comfortable to open up, be vulnerable, and communicate effectively.I have personally been involved with mediation where the parties had a history of domestic violence and the mediator either did not separate the parties or he/she encouraged the parties to come together in the same room. This approach is neither right nor wrong and will depend upon the circumstances of a case, and it demonstrates that mediators simply have different perspectives and approaches to mediation and domestic violence.Like magic wands, mediators have characteristics that can impact the success of your mediation. For example, some mediators are domineering or overbearing, while others can be more laid back and patient. Some mediators are very extroverted and might talk more than he/she listens, while others are more introverted and will likely listen more than he/she talks.Like Draco's mother's wand, your mediator may not understand you. Does he/she have knowledge or understanding of personality type theory? Can he/she use

that knowledge to facilitate communication between the parties? If you are an artist and you have a mediator who is an engineer, the probability is high that he/she may simply not understand you or your perspective on your dispute.Lastly, there are different mediation styles. Some mediators are evaluative. In other words, he/she will listen to your story and provide you with his/her best guess as to what might happen in court. Other mediators are more facilitative and would prefer to avoid any discussion about your legal rights and what might happen in court. If you choose to go to mediation without a lawyer, you might want an evaluative mediator. If you know your legal rights because you have sought the counsel of a great lawyer, you might prefer a more facilitative mediator.If you have the opportunity to choose your mediator, choose wisely. Do you want a lawyer/mediator, a former Judge/Mediator, a psychologist/mediator, an accountant/mediator, a real estate agent/mediator, a life insurance agent/mediator, or an engineer/mediator. Do you want someone who knows the law and your rights or someone who knows more about human psychology? Maybe you can find a mediator with a combination of these qualities!In summary, I have shown you how mediators are similar to magic wands. Some are more flexible than others. Each has unique characteristics. Some may understand you while others may have no idea where you are coming from.Like a wizard using the correct wand, it is absolutely imperative that you work with the appropriate mediator for your dispute. If there is one critical ingredient to the success of a mediation, it would be the mediator.Fortunately, for all of us, mediators are not like wands in one respect. Fans of Harry Potter know that the wand-maker, Ollivander, has told Harry several times, that magic wands choose the wizard. Thankfully, a mediator will generally not choose you. You make the choice. Source by Arthur J Grossman

[fruitydiaz-archived]

that's what i want for him

post-eddie begins | eddie meets with his attorney to change his will | a little feelings realization | a little pining | a little buckley-diaz family moment

4,097 words

AO3 link

The day that Eddie has his appointment with his attorney to alter his will, he’s sick with nerves.

He thought he had made peace with his own mortality a long time ago, when he enlisted and found himself pinned down, a world away from his family and bleeding out in the middle of a warzone — but something about the official stature of a will has always made him feel nervous.

He’s still young, and he has no plans to die anytime soon, but who really does? Shannon certainly hadn’t planned on it either. Dealing with grief is hard enough as is, especially when it’s the loss of a parent, and if Eddie can make that experience any more bearable for Chris, then that’s what he’s going to do.

Ever since Shannon died, he’s had his parents down as Christopher’s legal guardians should anything happen to him. It wasn’t a decision he ever felt comfortable with — but he didn’t have anyone else, and he didn’t really have a choice. He had to make sure that Christopher had someone in case things went wrong on a call.

But since the well came down — well, before that actually. Ever since the tsunami, ever since the lawsuit, ever since the skateboard accident — Eddie’s known that he needs to adjust his will, because in none of those situations were Eddie’s parents around to make sure Christopher was okay.

Buck was.

It wasn’t that they didn’t care. They certainly called Eddie after they heard the news about the tsunami. They asked if Christopher was okay (not him, Christopher), and made their usual comments about how Texas would be so much safer for him — they hadn’t had both an earthquake and a tsunami over the last year. They made sure they did their best to let Eddie know that he was making a mistake keeping Chris there, that he was making a mistake not relocating him after he lost his mom, that Chris was going to get seriously hurt one of these days and it would be his fault. They said all of the things he knew they would.

But they weren’t there.

The well was a close call — too close — and in that moment when the mud came down on top of him and the water started to fill his lungs — he realized he couldn’t leave Christopher with them. Not when there was someone else right there, someone who loved Christopher the way he did, someone who would do anything for him, someone who understood him.

He’s still reeling from the accident a bit, as he sits in the office, bouncing his leg up and down and trying hard to tamp down his nerves and failing, as you do after near-death experiences. He keeps having to remind himself that he’s not down there anymore, that there isn’t water all around him, that he can breathe perfectly fine, that he’s on solid ground now.

He has to remind himself that when he fell, Buck and Hen were there to grasp his hands and pull him back up. He’s okay.

“Mr. Diaz?” A voice calls to his left. He looks up to see his attorney in the doorway, standing with her hands clasped in front of her. She smiles at him politely.

She’s a tall, fairly nondescript woman, with soft, quiet features, and thick curly black hair that’s always pulled back into a bun. She always comes dressed in suits but leaves her suit jacket draped over the back of her chair, moving about her office and greeting clients in soft cashmere sweaters.

She always seems to be wearing a smile — but not in an unsettling way. When Shannon was still around, when Eddie was warming up to the idea of welcoming her back into his life, Eddie had made some comment about her having middle school teacher energy — the kind of middle school teacher that still enjoyed working with kids but also took them seriously and didn’t allow any room for bullshit — and Shannon had laughed at him for using the word energy. She said something about Buck rubbing off on him and he rolled his eyes.

It’s just that she reminds him of someone, someone from his past — but he just can’t ever place her. He’s always been bad with faces. But there’s something familiar and grounding about her, something that helped Eddie feel calm when he first met her. But today, she doesn’t calm his nerves.

He feels sick.

He hasn’t seen her since Shannon died.

He stands up and wipes his shaking hands against his jeans, following her into her office.

When Eddie imagined an attorney’s office, when he was a little younger and more naive, he imagined it being small, cramped, with overflowing filing cabinets against one wall and bookshelves filled with boxes of legal documents and binders and books filled with rules and statutes that he could never dream of understanding. He imagined it as something that would make him feel small and cramped — and that the lawyer on the other side of the desk would peer over their tiny wireframe glasses at him and scrutinize every decision he made.

But Stacy’s office is different — it’s calmer, more minimalist. Her walls are a cool white that contrasts against all of the black furniture. The boxes on her shelves are a uniform grey with white labels with little script that’s illegible to Eddie. She even has a little bonsai tree on her desk. It reminds him of a therapist’s office — one that Shannon tried to make him see earlier on in their marriage, between deployments. Sometimes he can appreciate the universe’s weird sense of humor. Today he doesn’t.

He hates having to be here, having to deal with all of the weird legal aspects of living and dying, but he’s doing this for Christopher, so he swallows his nerves.

“I understand you’re wanting to change your will?” Stacy begins, pulling Eddie’s file onto her desk and flipping it open. He nods.

“Yes, I just want to make an adjustment to the legal guardianship — for Christopher,” She nods for him to continue. “After last year, I changed it so my parents would be his legal guardians. I’d like to change it again.”

Stacy smiles softly at him again before pulling something up on her computer. She opens a drawer and retrieves some blank paperwork and sets it on her desk.

“And who will you be changing it to?”

“His name is Evan Buckley. He’s...my friend. Coworker, actually, but...he understands Chris better than they do. Or ever could, really.”

Stacy nods, writing Buck’s name down on the paper before setting the pen down, folding her hands together again, and studying Eddie.

“So, last year when we adjusted your will after your wife passed, I remember your parents being here with us,” She says, and it’s not unkind or pointed in any way, but her words still make Eddie shift in his chair, like he’s done something wrong.

“That’s right,” Eddie says, clearing his throat.

“And Mr. Buckley isn’t here with us today.”

“No,” Eddie says, picking at a loose strand in the hem of his jeans. “He’s working a shift today.”

“I see, are you sure you don’t want him to be present for this? It’s a big decision.”

Eddie blinks at her before shifting his eyes around the room.

“Does he need to be here?”

“No, not at all. We normally encourage both parties to be here, but I’m sure you’ve gotten his consent already, it’s just a formality, really,” Stacy smiles and turns back to her file, picking the pen up again, and opening her mouth to ask another question, when Eddie interrupts her.

“Do I need to have, um, written consent or something to do this? I don’t remember my parents having to sign anything.”

Stacy looks back up at Eddie. For a moment neither of them says anything. She slowly sets her pen back down.

“It’s not required, but it is recommended. This is a big decision, as I’m sure you’re aware. Trusting someone as your child’s legal guardian isn’t something to be taken lightly — especially when they’re not family.”

Eddie frowns — he’s not taking this lightly. It’s all he’s been able to think about for weeks. Every morning when he sits down with Christopher to have breakfast it’s a reminder that he almost lost this. Every time he comes home to Christopher after a long day of work there’s a sense of relief that he’s never felt before — he got to come home again. When he sees the drawings of Shannon that Christopher did that Eddie keeps locked in his nightstand — unable to throw them away, but definitely not keeping them anywhere where Chris could find them again — he remembers how close Chris came to losing another parent.

When he thinks about Chris being uprooted, ripped out of this life they built in California just to be dragged back to Texas, with parents like his who always think they know what’s best but never allow room for adjustments, with parents he knows will stifle him — it’s heartbreaking. He knows this is the right decision.

But Stacy doesn’t give him the opportunity to say all of that, and she continues to press, gently.

“You have had a conversation about this with him?” Eddie shrinks in his chair a bit.

“No, we haven’t — we haven’t talked about it. But, look, you don’t know Buck, okay? This isn’t,” He pauses, waving his hand while he tries to figure out what to say. “A couple of weeks ago, I was in an accident. It was pretty bad, and — I could’ve died. I was drowning and all I could think about was how I couldn’t leave Chris alone. And then, if I did die, how miserable he would be with my parents. I mean, you met them.”

Stacy doesn’t respond.

“Well, I was raised by them, so — I know what they’d be like, and I don’t want that for Christopher. Buck would do anything for Christopher. Already has. He’s...it’s him. I want him to be Christopher’s guardian, you know, if anything ever happens.”

Stacy nods and sits back in her chair.

“Eddie,” She starts, breaking formality. “Listen, I understand. This kind of thing happens more often than you’d think. There’s a kind of clarity that comes to people when they have a close encounter with death. I imagine it was especially clarifying for you, so soon after your wife’s death.”

She sits up again and studies Eddie carefully.

“I just want to make sure that you’re aware — if something happens and you haven’t told Mr. Buckley, he could refuse.”

Eddie shakes his head vehemently.

“No,” He says confidently. He looks at Stacy again, dead in the eye so that she knows he’s serious. “He wouldn’t do that. Believe me.”

“And if your family tries to fight it?” Eddie looks away then, and his eyes get a little distant. He smiles a small, private smile, before looking back at Stacy.

“They won’t ever fight as hard as him. Trust me.”

Stacy holds his gaze for a moment.

You learn a lot about people when you’re in her line of work — people come in all of the time and show her their hands, inadvertently pouring their hearts out, and revealing everything that’s most important to them as they sort out their estates. She’s seen plenty of people make weird, terrible, stupid, and callous decisions in the event of their death. She’s seen plenty of people come in after a close call and make hasty, half-baked decisions that she doesn’t have the power to counsel them against.

But, with her admittedly limited understanding of who Eddie Diaz is as a person, he’s not the kind of person who makes hasty, half-baked decisions, especially not when it comes to what he loves most — Christopher. They’ve only seen each other a few times: when Eddie first moved to LA and was altering his will, and when Shannon died. She’s seen him worn, tired, dragged down by grief. From what she sees, he’s a man who’s burdened by the need to do what's right for everyone else around him.

When he came in with his parents the year before, he had seemed small, and it had struck her. She remembered him from their first meeting as an army man with strong shoulders and a jaw set with stubborn determination — but then he just seemed like a child.

The man in front of her now is somewhere in between, softened by the home he’s clearly made for him and his son here. He’s still worn, a little shaken after his incident, still clearly grieving the loss of his wife, but the look in his eyes is strong and sure.

And as much as she would prefer that Mr. Buckley, or Buck, as Eddie keeps calling him, were here, she can clearly tell the difference in how Eddie feels about him versus his parents by the way he talks. He didn’t say much when his parents were in her office, just nodded along to what they said and made quiet, reserved comments to affirm their decisions. At the time, she wasn’t sure if it was the grief or their presence that was making him small — but she gets it now. Buck clearly understands Eddie in a way that few people have before.

She just hopes that Eddie talks to him about it soon — because the man does seem to be a kind of magnet for life-threatening situations, and she would really prefer not to have to break the news to a surprised, grief-stricken Evan Buckley herself. That’s her least favorite part of the job.

But she doesn’t press any further — Eddie’s made his case and Stacy’s certain she won’t be able to convince him to hold off any longer to at least talk to Buck, and they finish sorting out the paperwork.

Stacy sends Eddie off with the promise to get in touch with him when the changes to his will are finalized, and a gentle suggestion to talk with Buck soon.

He’s out the door feeling a dozen pounds lighter.

Eddie considers telling Buck after that, he really does. He understands that it’s probably something he should hear about sooner rather than later. But something holds him back, something makes him want to keep those cards close to his chest, and he’s not sure why.

He doesn’t tell anyone, not for a while. He really should tell his parents — and he will, eventually — but he’s not really looking forward to that particular conversation. He can already hear their arguments in his head, how Buck is in just as dangerous a profession as he is, how Buck is a stranger — not family, how he’s barely known this man for two years when they’ve known him his whole life — that one will make him laugh, he’s sure.

The first person he tells ends up being Carla.

It’s a few weeks later and he’s chatting with her on the phone, chopping up vegetables in the kitchen, helping prep dinner while Chris and Buck are playing games in the living room.

He’s been thinking about broaching the topic all night, now that he’s gotten a chance to be alone with Buck, but he feels a little anxious at the idea — even though he knows Buck won’t refuse. It just feels like a big thing that they probably won’t ever have to deal with — it’s not like he plans on dying.

But the idea is fresh in his mind, so it shouldn’t be that surprising when Carla asks him what’s new and he responds, “I changed my will.”

She doesn’t say anything for a second, and Eddie glances down at his phone to make sure the call didn’t get disconnected on accident.

“Oh?” Carla asks, clearly surprised. “What made you change it?”

“The well,” Eddie says, sliding some chopped carrots off the cutting board and into a bowl. He hears Carla hum in acknowledgment, then smiles as he hears Buck shout from the living room. Chris beat him, again. He’s alive, he’s okay.

“What exactly did you change?”

“Christopher’s legal guardianship...you know, if anything like that happens again and, uh, I don’t make it,” He tries to say this casually, but his throat starts to close up again at the end. He coughs.

“Who’d you change it to?” Carla asks, her voice soft. Eddie pauses, then steps away from the counter, peeking around the corner to check on Buck and Chris. The volume of their game is loud — too loud, really — but they’re engrossed in it, and Eddie’s comfortable with the thought that they can’t overhear his conversation. He walks back to his phone.

“Buck,” He admits quietly.

“Did you talk to him about this?” Carla asks, eventually, and it strikes Eddie how well she knows him. She doesn’t even sound surprised that he made Buck Christopher’s legal guardian.

When he doesn’t respond, he hears Carla sigh.

“Eddie, this is the kind of thing you should talk to him about. If something happens and he suddenly finds out from your lawyer—“

“He’s not gonna refuse,” Eddie says confidently.

“No, and I didn’t say that he would. It would just be fair to him to tell him before, God forbid, something happens to you and he has to hear it from a stranger instead of his best friend.”

“I’m not planning on dying any time soon, Carla,” Eddie says, and he wants to feel confident as he says it, wants it to come off light-hearted and joking, but he’s still terrified and his voice betrays him.

“I know you’re not, honey,” Carla says sympathetically. “But we both know that anything can happen to any one of us, any day. I know I don’t need to remind you of that.”

Eddie nods, even though Carla can’t see him, and continues chopping vegetables.

“It’s just,” Eddie pauses, working out his words. “I don’t — should I tell Christopher? Maybe he should know first.”

“How did you do it when you changed it with your parents last year?” Eddie shrugs.

“Wasn’t really my decision. They were here, they decided it should be them, they told Christopher, we went to my attorney and made it happen. This time...this time it was my choice. And I don’t really know what to do here.”

He lets out a shaky laugh and finds himself, surprisingly, wishing Shannon was here.

It’s one of those things that happens after you lose someone you love — you forget all of the bad parts of your relationship and start to miss the good. He wishes she was here right now, chopping vegetables, teasing him for being useless in the kitchen. He wishes he wasn’t having this conversation right now. He wishes he didn’t feel so old, so marked by death.

He hears Christopher’s victory shout from the living room again, and his heart races to latch onto it. As long as he has his kid, everything’s okay. He wouldn’t take anything back — not for this. Christopher’s happy now.

Then he hears Buck laughing good-naturedly, hears him lowering the volume, and then listens as Chris tries to wheedle another round out of him.

“Come on, buddy, it’s time for me to start dinner. I gotta make sure your dad doesn’t burn any of our dinner in there, or accidentally chop a finger off cutting vegetables. Let’s go get you washed up and then we can help him out, okay?”

Eddie doesn’t hear Christopher’s response, he imagines it was something like a groan and a not-so-subtle eye roll, but he registers the sound of the TV cutting off and Buck’s weight lifting up off the couch. A couple of seconds later and there’s the sound of running water in the bathroom down the hall, and Christopher giggling over the noise.

Everything’s okay.

“Look, Carla, I’m sorry to cut this short but — Buck’s here and he’s about to come help me out in the kitchen, so, I gotta—“

“Just breathe, Eddie. You’ll figure it out, okay? Just make sure you tell him soon.” Eddie hums, noncommittal, and he’s pretty sure he can hear the way Carla shakes her head fondly. “And give that boy a kiss for me, will you?”

“Christopher or Buck?” Eddie jokes before he can stop himself. He freezes, knife hovering mid chop. He hears the water in the bathroom shut off and starts to panic, for some reason he can’t explain. That’s a normal joke to make about your friend, right? Carla would totally kiss him if she was here.

“Whichever one you want,” Carla says after a while, quiet and knowing.

“Hey, is that Carla?” Buck asks as he enters the kitchen.

“Great, thanks Carla, bye,” Eddie rushes, flustered and scrambling to end the call. He turns back around to face Buck, who’s looking at him quizzically.

“I was just gonna say hi?” He says, tilting his head to the side. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Great,” Eddie says, unconvincingly. Buck raises an eyebrow. “Um, fine, just — not sure...how many...potatoes you need me to chop?”

Buck doesn’t take his eyes off Eddie. He studies him, eyes flicking over his face, mentally running through his memory to see if Eddie’s been off lately. And, well, he has — he almost died a couple of weeks ago.

Eddie’s caginess isn’t hard to read — but Buck’s gotten pretty good at knowing when’s the right time to push and when’s the right time to sit back and wait, let Eddie come to him. As much as he doesn’t like it, this is a sit back and wait kind of situation.

He regards Eddie one last time before stepping up to the counter next to him, his hand hovering behind Eddie’s back. Eddie really wants to know why that makes him nervous all of a sudden. They’re close to each other all the time, practically touching each other constantly, but right now proximity to Buck is making it hard to breathe. Buck’s only got a couple of inches on him but it feels like he’s towering over him. It’s making him a little dizzy.

“I’m pretty sure this is enough,” Buck says, sliding away from Eddie and pulling a tray out of the cabinet by the stove, blissfully unaware of the way Eddie’s heart is racing in his chest. “I told Christopher he could help so I figured he could season the vegetables? I’ll measure the spices out for him so we don’t end up eating pure salt like we did last time.”

He sends Eddie a wink as he says that and then turns around, pulling spices out of Eddie’s cabinets and grabbing these tiny bowls that Eddie didn’t even know he had. He’s stunned, watching Buck move around the kitchen with ease, like this isn’t the hundredth time Buck has been over to cook them dinner.

It feels a little like he stepped into some alternate reality, like everything is exactly as it should be but something’s just slightly off. Something’s shifted, but he’s not sure what.

When Christopher comes in moments later, Buck gets him set up at the table easily, letting him sit himself and setting his crutches to the side, placing the tray down in front of him with all of the spices in reach, and pointing out what each of them are and explaining how they flavor the food.

He drizzles the oil over the vegetables and then lets Chris go for it, dumping the bowls over the tray and then getting in there with him, using their hands to coat them all evenly. And that, of course, is Christopher’s favorite part. While Eddie’s still processing, the kitchen’s filled with the sounds of Christopher laughing and Buck laughing along with him, encouraging the way he tosses each vegetable around to cover it in spices.

Eddie stands at the counter, still stunned, but warm all over. This is the kind of thing that keeps him going, the kind of thing that keeps him fighting when things get hard. It’s the kind of thing that Eddie will tuck inside his heart as a precious memory that will come back to him in the future whenever things inevitably get dark again.

He doesn’t want to tell Buck about the guardianship yet. He’ll tell Christopher first, and then his parents, and then, whenever the moment’s right, then he’ll tell Buck.

He’s not in any kind of rush. Things are perfect right now, and he just wants to enjoy that for a little bit longer.

[wanderingwomanwondering]

Eddie is a guy who likes control, emotional and otherwise. He’s also the I Have To Keep It Together Because Other People Need Me dude. So pretty much every time he opens up to someone (usually Buck or Bobby) it’s a production. Either Buck or Bobby is the initiator, and the couple of times that Eddie himself initiated, it was still like pulling teeth only he was pulling his own teeth and it obviously sucked. Whatever it was had to come out but Eddie resisted. He also tends to cross his arms and/or avoid direct eye contact during his own emotional moments, especially if he’s crying.

Talking about other people’s feelings when it doesn’t directly concern him personally is a-okay. Not his own feelings tho. This is why he can be emotionally supportive of Buck all day long but when he’s asked about his own feelings or state of mind, he puts up blocks and walls.

We saw him like that in The Kitchen Scene with Buck, the Post-Fight Club Confrontation Scene with Bobby to a lesser degree, and the I’m Not Telling You About My Panic Attack Scene with Buck. Needing/wanting to express feelings but fighting it at every turn.

I repeat. He’s only like this with the personal emotional stuff that he wants to guard and hold close.

He did NOT plan to tell Buck that he made him Chris’s guardian if he dies. Sure he said he meant to tell him and Mr Control did NOT. Why??? Why procrastinate on something that huge and effing relevant give that he does death defying deeds daily??? Because, I would argue, having that conversation with Buck specifically has a ton of Emotional Stuff™️ connected to it. It’s more than just the standard oh no I could die and leave my kid without me. Nah. It’s about Buck and his feelings toward Buck specifically. He struggled to initiate that convo with Buck at the end of last season. He begged Buck to be quiet so he could get it all out. They weren’t seated face to face during that scene. They looked at each other but made eye contact sparingly. The viewer gets the distinct sense Eddie may NEVER have told Buck bc it had already been a freaking year!! And why not have the conversation openly and honestly before even going to the lawyer to change the will??? Who does that??? I think telling Buck specifically comes with heavy deep scary feelings that he isn’t ready to admit to himself or Buck fully so he avoided the convo like nobody’s business. This dude went to war and regularly dangles from cables multiple stories above the ground be avoided this conversation. It was too much!!!

Choosing Buck. Giving Buck his heart, his universe in the form of his child was about Eddie as much as it was about Chris and it was a Deeply Personal Emotional Heart Choice. Eddie doesn’t talk about stuff like that easily, if at all. I mean it is a big deal but if it’s a big platonic deal then why sit on that info for a a zillion years??? No. It’s more than Buck’s a cool dude and he loves my kid so let me talk to him about taking him if I die. Eddie’s heart is with Buck in a way that I don’t think he’s ready to fully articulate to himself let alone Buck after just getting shot in the line of duty.

Add in the Panic Attack from this season’s opener and we got some truly interesting emotional shit happening for Eddie this season. Panic attacks feel like heart attacks, and Eddie’s heart is metaphorically under attack this season. The threat of Ana as (wife? and) mother is what triggers it. Eddie said it himself. He doesn’t panic. He doesn’t have “heart attacks”. He’s the guy who is/has to be chill af, regardless of what his own heart wants or needs. We know from the panic attack that he doesn’t want or need Ana. His heart is feeling constricted, attacked with her. Why??? What/who does his own heart truly desire??? Who has he maybe already given his heart to before he even fully realized he’d done it? What feelings need room to be or they’ll crowd his heart again???

Feeling how he feels feels too much like losing control and Eddie don’t roll like that. But s5 is gonna change that. It has too. He’s been sitting on some serious and deep emotions for like 3 seasons now. Something has to give! He is WAY overdue for an emotional reckoning with himself and with (I pray to the queer gods) his 6’2 blonde blue-eyed baby daddy Buck.

Carla’s “Suspicion” about Eddie’s hidden heart is boss level $hit. Eddie has heart secrets y’all and it’s no coincidence that Buck is the one seeking out those heart secrets. Eddie’s heart secrets are so deep emotional and meaningful that he’s gonna keep panicking if he doesn’t acknowledge them and speak his truth.

[queerpanikkar]

Re: your lawsuit post, THANK YOU!!

Bobby for one should have apologized both to Buck for holding him back and for not even telling him it was his decision, and to Buck's whole medical équipe who signed on him being ready for work and whose professional opinion was summarily dismissed! Like, the man survived a tsunami only to save a shitton if other people too, how're you gonna tell him he's not ready for work???

Chim and Hen I feel were more sympathetic to him, but they still didn't exactly stick up for him either way, and I felt like they just didn't want to take sides. In the end, it wasn't really their business unless they decided to take a side, which brings me to:

Listen, I know Eddie had his problems, I understand the motivations and everything and I read tons of meta about his side of the whole thing and even agree-- but on the whole we saw Buck apologize to him twice (which, btw, I feel like Buck just wasn't used to being missed bc of his previous experiences and so it didn't even occur to him someone would be mad at him for not being able to talk for a short period), while nothing was ever said about Eddie's words during the grocery store. Which:

1, he's not "making Bobby the bad guy" when he's actually bringing up a trend that even the FD acknowledged, considering they wanted to settle the lawsuit with money (ie, there WAS a case). Furthermore, as stated before, this wasn't about him at all, and Eddie was the one who choose to side with Bobby (for pretty flimsy reasons and I guess out of mostly resentment), when he could have just taken offence at the no contact order (which, I guess, fair)

2, I agree the "you're exhausting" thing didn't really touch Buck as much bc Eddie after took care of always listening and being supportive to him (see: the entirety of s4), but in my opinion the part that really hurt him was the "you make everything about you" (don't remember the exact quote). That he did internalize, especially considering both the others keep compounding it (Eddie during the kitchen scene and Chim when talking about Red, that I remember), and we have a lot of examples of this (his conversation with Maddie about Red, and then during Buck begins when he says he doesn't want to make the Daniel situation about him even though his whole childhood was affected by it)

3, what personal information did he disclose to his lawyer, exactly???? Bobby is a recovering alcoholic: the FD knew. Chimney returned to work after 1 month of recovery: again, public record. Hen used to work for the blood thinners company: I feel like this info didn't even come from him, bc it sounds like such an useless detail that even if Hen had specified it was blood thinners she used to help sell, Buck probably wouldn't remember it, so it was probably more the lawyer sleuthing; and anyway, still not personal info. Eddie came back soon after his wife's death: public record!! Buck didn't say anything about the situation, their relationship or even how she died, only that he took a shorter mourning leave than the department mandated or something! That was what the whole case hinged on, the disparity in treatment, and even then he looked uncomfortable with how much the lawyer revealed (and btw, again, we don't know how much of this PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE he actually told the lawyer and how much the lawyer found out for himself when building the case).

4, I have no idea how long the process took, and I'm a buddie shipper so I've read the posts about how this is proof of how important Buck was to the Diazes and agree, but did HE know at the time? Again, not used to being missed. Furthermore, as far as we know he had no idea Chris was suffering from tsunami's nightmares, and I get that Eddie was mostly projecting his issues with Shannon on him, but to reiterate: Buck had no obligations to them, and yet still I have no doubt he would have told his lawyer to get fucked if Eddie had called him bc of Chris or when he was arrested (alright, this is speculation on my part but not even that much, really).

I also think we assume a lot about the situation, but the show never actually tells us what Bobby told all of them, how they found out in the first place, if they tried to contact Buck at all or just went "oh, ok, I won't talk to him, then", how much they were actually seeing him before (considering he was that desperate to come back, I'm gonna hazard a "not a lot"; see: the Red episode and him feeling alone while the others are busy with their families).

Was it an impulsive and out of scale reaction to the situation? Maybe, but from a story standpoint it needed to be something more dramatic than "he complained to the union and they resolved it quietly", and as it was pointed out it's useless to compare it to a real life situation, bc there's little that would have actually happened this way irl. Also, Bobby blocking his career for an unspecified and possibly long period of time against the specialists' opinion felt kind of big, too.

Sorry for the long rant but I'm passionate about this! Also, no bashing meant on any of the characters, and I definitely don't think anybody was absolutely right or wrong in this (as lawsuit era fics make it seem), but yeah, the lawsuit was between Bobby and Buck and the only unwitting "victim" was Christopher.

Thank you for unwillingly coming to my ted talk!

Ok, ok, ok, THANK YOU for this character analysis because I also have SO much to say about that arc.

Responding to your ask chronologically: Bobby. He absolutely should’ve attempted an apology, but I don’t think a simple ‘sorry’ would have been enough in his case. This, to me, goes deeper than medical responsibility or whatever bullshit Bobby came up with to keep Buck off the team.

I’m a HUGE fan of how much Bobby cares about Buck, and I truly believe Buck sees Bobby and Athena as the parents he never had, but in those few episodes, Bobby essentially said: I think of you as a child and unable to take care of yourself if the situation warrants it. But that’s not how it comes across. The first thing Buck says to the lawyer is, “They’re my family.” And Bobby goes and throws it in his face when he says, “I can’t put them (20 other firefighters) at risk.” OR: I do not trust you with our family.

And… what the fuck?? Even if it is a cover up, that’s such a shitty thing to say. Especially when Bobby knows how Buck regards him. Even Athena calls him out on it. Bobby’s so high and mighty during the lawsuit when it’s HIS emotions that cloud him – “They’re just idiot kids! They could’ve died!”. It becomes so obvious that Bobby’s relationship with Buck is skewing his logic. And Bobby. Never. Apologizes. Instead, he says, “The brass didn’t want the headache. They’re afraid of the bad press. My house, my rules.” Bobby’s afraid. He’s afraid, because he saw Buck vomiting up blood and he doesn’t want to see it happen at work, under Bobby’s watch, and he’s projecting – similarly to Eddie, but I’ll touch on that later.

Chim and Hen were definitely better. Then again, the lawsuit wasn’t as harsh on them. What’s that saying? “Grief's only ever as deep as the love it's replaced.” BUT, I will say that I wish, I wish, I wish they’d thrown Buck a Welcome Back Party. I know that’s absolutely not Chim/Hen’s fault because, as much as they march to the beat of their own drum, a party in that tense atmosphere would just be awkward for everyone involved, but it makes me sad. Especially when you consider the Hen/Chim scene in the 118 kitchen when Jee-Yun was born

And now Eddie. Ah, Eddie. The Grocery Scene. So many things to analyze.

It’s my firm belief that Eddie was projecting onto Buck for the majority of the season (Shannon’s death until the Train Scene. I don’t think Eddie truly understood Buck’s thought processes until he saw how self-sacrificial Buck was for Abby’s fiance). I feel like the Grocery Scene in itself had less to do with Buck and the lawsuit and everything to do with not feeling like he was enough. Basically, “you’re exhausting” is Eddie’s version of “love me anyway” projecting outwards. Not really “you’re exhausting”, but this situation is exhausting or I’m exhausted trying to stay mad at you.

Now, let’s talk about the parallels between the grocery scene and Lena’s ‘confrontation’ at the firehouse. I feel like everyone uses Lena’s “What’s the name of my cat?” to prove how much more attentive Eddie is to Buck than literally anyone else, but that’s not really what that scene is, is it?

No, it’s Eddie saying to Buck, “We all have our own problems, but you don't see us whining about it. Why can’t you?” vs. “Did you tell him? You sold me out, huh?” to Lena. Or when Buck asks “Why can’t you see my side of this?” and Eddie returns, “Because that’s all you see.” Isn’t that the exact same conversation he has with Lena’s “It's a one-way street with you, Diaz.”? Eddie’s words are literally just thrown back into his face and at this point maybe it’s out of character but maybe he was so stressed at the time that it’s not really. He’s not really all that blameless in this.

Re: point #4. Yes, yes, yes. Christopher Diaz is and always has been Buck’s number one priority, and if Eddie doesn’t see that, it’s clear that he didn’t know Buck as well as he thought he did in Season 3. But, maybe, it’s just Eddie projecting again? His BIGGEST desire is to be a better father than his own dad was and “Hey, my kid’s been having nightmares and I can’t get them to stop.” or “I wound up in jail because I got into a fight in a fucking parking lot.” just doesn’t seem like something he would admit.

Is it possible that at one small, miniscule, insignificant point Eddie was insecure of how much Chris loves Buck? Maybe. I don’t really want to say anything on that because I think Eddie’s personality transitioned from S3 to S4 flawlessly and I adore him. Also, I don’t want to start drama and I truly believe he’s a good guy. One of the best.

Anyway, I have no transition for this, but here’s why the kitchen scene sucks (yes, they’re flirting, but Eddie takes digs at Buck in the process; not teasing ones either). He literally says, and this is a quote,: “You’re gonna make it about you, again?” when Buck asks if Eddie wanted to punch him. Buck thought Eddie was so mad at him that he would’ve become violent had that car accident outside the store not happened, and Eddie just dismisses it completely: “Not that you didn't deserve it, but I wouldn't do that.” Prime spot for an apology, and yet, Eddie never gives one.

This turned into something like a hot take. To be clear, I love Bobby, I LOVE Eddie, and I’m a fierce Buddie shipper. I think S4 Eddie sees Buck in a way that no one ever has, but I don’t think you can make excuses for S3 Eddie. His wife died. That’s a big fucking deal. If he wasn’t acting like an asshole, I’d think there was something wrong with him. I just want an apology. Maybe Buck brings up the “you’re exhausting” scene again but this time they actually talk about it instead of flirting in the kitchen?

Everyone calls Buck rash, but I’ve always believed that he just thinks things through quicker and decides that he’s the most expendable out of the 118. Buck thinks of himself as a sacrificial lamb, never a hero, and I’m TIRED of everyone taking Buck at surface value in regards to his so-called recklessness (sorry, besides the point, but I had to speak on this too.) This was so long. I’m sorry but yeah, if anyone wants to analyze Buck (though this turned out to be more of an Eddie analysis), I’m always down.

[wackybuddiemewbs]

Buddie Moodboard - Erin Brockovich AU

AKA another AU absolutely no one asked (or should have asked) for. And yet, here we are, peeps. Ngl, I totally could have seen that the other way around as well (my head's a strange place, you should be aware by now). But I settled for this one. (*/ω＼*)

Eddie Diaz is out of his luck. First he gets into a car accident, then he loses the court case, even though his lawyer promised him they'd get that pompous ass who just ran him over, and then he loses his job. As a single parent to a child with a disability, that's living the dream, isn't it? Not that this is going to stop Eddie. He'll do whatever it takes to be there for Christopher.

So when he pressures his former lawyer Bobby Nash to take him on as a secretary, Eddie doesn't much care. He needs to do this for his son. Thankfully, after some discussion, Bobby relents, despite Eddie lacking a background in the legal field. While this may solve one problem, it still leaves a very long list, a list he does not have the money to pay for.

Because he broke with his family and left without a trace ever since his wife left him, Eddie has no security network and has to rely on people he'd normally not entrust the most important thing in his life to. But it's either that or losing the job, the house, and the money to pay for the kid's treatments.

If all of that wasn't bad enough, his new neighbor Buck proves to just the kind of self-absorbed wannabe-biker Eddie has absolutely no patience for. Even less so because Bobby allowed him to look into a case that sparked his interest.

Eddie is shocked when he comes home from a day investigating what he assumes to be a big case involving pumping hazardous water into a city's water supply: Christopher is gone. And so is the babysitter. He is that close to calling police when he finds Christopher chilling in his neighbor's backyard, making burgers.

When Eddie demands to know what the hell the man was thinking, just taking his son out for lunch, Buck informs him that the babysitter left without further notice and since he knew Eddie was out, he took care of the kid.

A quick apology and an admittedly rather decent barbecue later, Buck offers to babysit Christopher for Eddie. As a construction worker, he is currently not in for another job for at least another two months. While reluctant about it, Eddie eventually agrees. Buck can't be worse than the babysitter he had, right?

To gather more information, Eddie heads out to some official agencies to take a look at the archives. But it seems that those are friends of the company Eddie is preparing a case against. Disappointed, he tells Buck about the problems he's facing, very much surprised when Buck tells him that he'll handle it.

The next day, Eddie and Buck head to the agency in question together. Eddie is still irritated not to see Buck in his typical biker wear but in actual clothes, clean-shaven and all. Another twenty minutes later of waiting by Buck's bike, the guy almost waltzes out of the office, waving the papers Eddie couldn't get at his face.

Apparently, flirting with the guy seemingly did the trick. And for some reason, Eddie is beyond pissed about Buck is having fun, musing about going out for drinks with the guy.

The irritation fades somewhat when Buck reveals he found some more possibly incriminating evidence. Turns out Buck is a fine researcher, so long it is something that sparks his interest. Thus, Eddie enlists him to gather some more information and research whatever Buck finds interesting. And Buck happily agrees - under the condition that Eddie takes him out for a drink once this is dealt with.

Eddie finally feels like he's gaining some higher ground when it comes to the case, only to have a rough awakening when Bobby orders him to the office and tells him that he's fired. Eddie doesn't know what's going on. He told Bobby, but he seemingly misunderstood what he was doing and assumed Eddie slacked off his duties. He is all the more thankful for Buck offering to pay his former boss a visit to tell him how he bust his ass, working the case.

He is more than surprised to have Bobby knock on his door a couple of days later, coming with peace offerings, i.e. self-made food. The two sit down and Bobby genuinely apologizes for the misunderstanding and wants to rehire Eddie. Having taken some notes from Buck, Eddie agrees, under the condition that he is given a raise - and that Buck can come in for research or whatever else, no questions asked. Bobby agrees, and lets him know that he will set his whole team on it.

And so, the team digs their nails into this case, working it from all kinds of angles to figure out just what is going on with this company and the polluted water.

Though that is not the only change in Eddie's life. The biggest change proves to be having a partner in his life, sticking with him through all of it. Christopher absolutely adores Buck and loves spending time with him. And the truth is? Eddie loves spending time with Buck also. It's easy talking to him, even about the things that are not easy to talk about. Even more so because Buck doesn't shy away from sharing things with Eddie he knows must be hard to say out loud.

How Buck used to be a firefighter until an accident left him heavily injured and on blood thinners. How he sued the captain and the city to get his job back, after his captain tried to keep him from coming back. Because he found Buck a burden to the rest of the team. How he didn't take the millions he could have gotten, just to be a firefighter again. Only to be shunned by his colleagues, and then to nearly die on a job when he developed an embolism and no one seemed to care whether he made it out alive.

Buck quit the job after that, as much as it pained him, because he didn't want someone else to have to pay the prize for his condition. He started travelling again, with a motorcycle this time, and keeps afloat with some odd jobs at construction sites.

And now babysitting the best kid in the world, as he will insist.

It isn't much later that the two wind up in bed together. And for some time, it seems like the universe is finally on their side for a change.

Things continue to take bad turns, not just on the case but also in private. Tensions rise between Buck and Eddie as they wrestle with jobs, responsibilities, and their fear of being abandoned. Even though that exact fear may be the reason why they will soon find themselves alone, or will it?

Find more moodboards here.

[alecmagnuslwb]

Rent a Holidate

Read on AO3

Magnus is barely paying attention as his father blathers on about his annual Thanksgiving party. It’s the same as every year, food made by an overpaid chef, schmoosing clients and Magnus being expected to attend and behave.

They don’t even really celebrate Thanksgiving and it’s definitely not about family coming together to be thankful for the things they have and the love they share, it’s a way for his father to impress his clients with the size of his house and the happy little family picture that he, whoever his latest wife is and Magnus make. It’s a fake night, filled with fake rich people that Magnus loathes more and more every single year.

There’s a pause on his fathers end of the line and Magnus scrambles assuming he was asked some sort of question.

“Yes, of course,” he says hoping that’s the right answer. Evidently it’s neutral considering his father’s monotonous response.

“Fine then, I hope that he or she will be an acceptable date for the evening,” his father says. Oh shit, he thinks, did I just agree to bring a date to this thing?

For a moment he considers backtracking saying he won’t be bringing anyone, it’s not like he’s been on so much as a half decent date in over a year, but he knows his father, once you’ve said something you act on it, no turning back. So instead he grits his teeth and accepts he’ll be bullshitting his way through an emergency excuse to why his fake partner couldn’t attend the night of.

“He is very acceptable,” Magnus says faux cheery conjuring up a fake boyfriend in his head. Not that any partner of his could be deemed acceptable by his father, his father even finds his own career path teaching English at NYU to be an underperformance.

“It’s not Columbia,” he always says whenever Magnus talks about his work.

“Well, then I look forward to meeting him,” his father says not at all sounding like he’s looking forward to it. Which is good considering Magnus’ supposed boyfriend is a complete fabrication. “I’ll see you in a week.”

And just like that he hangs up, no goodbye, nothing.

Magnus sighs tossing his phone into the graded paper box on his desk and begins crafting a personality and profession for his fake boyfriend just in case he needs a more solid alibi.

***

Magnus laments his woes to Dot and Catarina later that night, it’s Thursday which means mimosas and movies.

“Part of me just wants to make up an excuse and be done with it, it’s not like he’ll even remember in a week’s time after the fact that I ever even had a supposed boyfriend,” Magnus says pausing to take a sip of his mimosa. “The other part of me just wants to bring the world’s worst date and embarrass him to no end.”

“You mean Camille wasn’t the world’s worst date?” Dot says curling up in the chair beside Cat with her own mimosa in hand.

“Camille was the world’s worst date, but she never was one to make a scene, she was quietly and privately terrible,” Magnus says moving quickly past the topic of his wicked ex. “I mean someone who’s not a bad person, just kind of a mess.”

“Why don’t you hire the guy Dot hired last year for her family reunion?” Cat says not even bothering to look up from her phone as she scrolls reading reviews for the movie they’re about to watch.

“Yeah he was great,” Dot says agreeing with Cat’s suggestion. “His names Alec. He can’t play straight to save his life which made it even better because my whole family was convinced I was not only dating a worthless degenerate, but a worthless degenerate gay man. Hilarious, honestly.”

She pulls up something on her phone and hands it to Magnus. It’s a Craigslist ad titled, Alone on Thanksgiving? Mad at your dad? Tired of your family’s absurd expectations?

He takes the phone reading the post entirely.

My name is Alec Lightwood, I’m a 28 year old almost felon who went to college for three weeks before dropping out. I have a Thunderbird that’s only a year younger than me painted like Eddie Van Halen’s red guitar. It’s hideous and embarrassing and I love it. I can play anywhere between the ages of 23 to 32 depending on if I shave. I’m a bartender and occasional bouncer when the need requires, I haven’t been seen not in a leather jacket with a tear in the back since high school, I’m gay and very bad at hiding it and I’ve even got an eyebrow scar that’s sure to raise a few eyebrows (get it, raise a few eyebrows).

If you’d like to have me as your strictly platonic date for a gathering of some sort, but have me pretend to be in a very serious relationship with you to torment your family, I’m game.

I can do these things at your request:

-        Openly hit on other guests while you act like you don’t notice (of any gender, I may be gay but I can embarrassingly hit on anyone even if it’s not convincing).

 -        Start instigative discussions about politics and/or religion (sports are off the table however unless your family are big into the Rangers or Islanders, then I can talk shit for days.)

 -        Propose to you in front of everyone and you tearily accept or you turn me down and I proceed to have a breakdown, but we resolve to work on our relationship much to your family’s chagrin.

 -        Pretend to be increasingly drunk as the evening goes on (sorry, I don’t actually drink anymore, but I used to. A lot. Too much in fact. I know the drill.)

 -        Start a screaming match with a family member, that could come to blows (but no one will be physically harmed, I promise) either inside or on the front lawn (if there is one) for all the neighbors to see.

I require no pay but the free food I will receive as a guest at any event!

We can meet prior to the event somewhere public and you can ask me any questions. And I mean any questions so that you feel safe.

-        Do NOT contact with unsolicited services or offers. Email me at: lightwoodarcher@gmail.com

“Um, he’s a felon?” Magnus says looking up from the phone when he’s done.

“Hey, don’t judge, you’re not exactly rap sheet free,” Dot says scolding him with a smile. Which okay, he does have a few arrests on his record, petty little things and pick-ups at a protest or two, but felonies are a bit above that. He says that aloud. “Also, as it says he’s technically an almost felon.”

“He’s not a murderer or anything, I had Raphael check out his history before I requested his services,” Dot continues on to explain, referring to their friend who’s a prosecutor. “He got picked up for aggravated assault after he caught the guy who got his sister hooked on drugs in her bed shooting her up, it was a bullshit charge from a snake of a man who deserved every hit he got. The charges were ultimately dropped and settled when the piece of shit he beat up got hit with about ten felonies himself. He’s a good guy, like a really good guy I promise.”

“Didn’t Raphael even stress that he never would have convicted Alec in a million years on the charges?” Cat says getting up from her seat and heading to the kitchen to refill her mimosa glass.

Dot nods taking a sip of her drink. “He did, he said any jury would have sided with him over the 30 year old drug pusher preying on an 18 year old girl. And even though we can’t tell him, because we don’t want him to smirk about it all the time and get a big head, we both know Raphael is the best judge of character and lawyer in America.”

It’s true, Raphael always knows what he’s talking about.

“Plus,” Dot continues on. “Alec’s very upfront about it, I didn’t even need to do the background check he told me exactly what went down when we met for coffee before the event, even brought his sister along to corroborate and make me feel comfortable.”

“Wow,” Magnus says genuinely surprised by the decency of a man on the internet.

“Also, he’s very cute,” Dot smirks over the rim of her glass waggling her eyebrows in Magnus’ direction.

Magnus rolls his eyes. “I don’t think it matters if my fake date is cute.”

“So you’re gonna do it?” Catarina says coming back in the room, a pitcher filled to the brim with mimosa mix in her hand.

Magnus bites his lip in thought as he looks down at the phone in his hand again. He does want to cause a ruckus, he’s tired of being the perfect little son when his father needs him to be. And Alec Lightwood might just be able to provide the exact ruckus he’s looking for.

“What the hell,” he mutters before tossing Dot’s phone to her. “Do I need to email him, or do you still have his number?”

Dot smiles in delight as she taps on her phone his own phone buzzing in his pocket a second later with Alec’s number.

***

Alec keeps his text exchanges simple, offering to meet Magnus the following afternoon after Magnus’ noon class for coffee. Alec lets Magnus choose everything, clearly dedicated to making the person contacting him as comfortable as possible. Luckily for Magnus Alec’s had no inquiries for this Thanksgiving, except for one that was definitely unsavory and he turned down immediately.

With such short notice Magnus thought for sure this might not work out.

He walks in scanning the shop looking for Alec and comes up empty based on Dot’s description of him. He gets in line and orders a drink finding a table off to the side where it’s not too crowded to sit and wait. He’s barely settled into his seat when the chime above the door rings and in walks a stunner with long legs and dark hair.

The man pauses scanning the room, then his eyes land on Magnus his lips tilt up just a bit and he walks over his way.

“Magnus Bane?” he says in question when he reaches the table. Magnus is speechless for a moment as the sun catches in the man’s hazel eyes and on the tiny silver hoops in his ears. He shakes himself from the trance he’s in, ignoring the way his eyes shine a little greener when he tilts his head and nods his own head in confirmation.

“Alec Lightwood?”

“That’s me,” the man says with a smile that crinkles at the edges just a bit, he reaches out a hand that Magnus takes shaking it instantly enjoying the contrast of Alec’s cold fingers to his warm ones. Magnus squeezes his hand once before letting go. “I’m just gonna go get a drink and then we can talk,” Alec says stepping back with a tentative, but dazzling smile.

Magnus watches him go enjoying the view of his long legs in motion. He spots the tear in the back of his leather jacket, just like mentioned in his ad, and smiles. Alec comes back moments later a mug of black coffee in hang.

“So you need a bad date for Thanksgiving,” he says tearing open an obscene amount of sugar packets and pouring them into his mug. “I’m guessing before we get into that though, you want to know about the almost felony?”

Magnus shakes his head and Alec looks at him quizzically for a moment, before the puzzle pieces in his mind clearly fall into place.

“Dot,” he says in understanding. “She must have told you everything.”

“She did,” Magnus confirms taking a sip of his drink. “And for the record it sounds like you were in the right.”

Alec smiles a small uncertain smile almost like he’s not sure that’s the truth, but takes the words as a compliment anyways.

“It wasn’t my finest moment, I guess I’m just overprotective when it comes to people I love,” he says running his fingers along the rim of his mug.

“Getting a drug predator away from your sister isn’t just being overprotective, it’s doing the right thing,” he says genuine. He remembers when they were in high school and Raphael had his run with a bad crowd, it never came to it, but he would have done the same thing Alec did if the situation had presented itself.

Alec just shrugs looking off to the side. Magnus sees the uncomfortable set in his shoulders and shifts the conversation.

“You come highly recommended, Dot says you put on one hell of a show at her family reunion,” he says with a bright smile.

Alec’s shoulders ease and he turns back to Magnus with a smile.

“Dot barely needed me, she put on a performance just as stunning, I’ve never seen a woman so small body tackle so many people during what’s supposed to be a friendly game of tag,” he says with a chuckle.

Magnus has heard all about Dot’s deadly game and seen the bruises she proudly displayed from her somewhat violent performance first hand.

“Believe me it’s not the first time she’s tackled down a full-grown man,” Magnus says with a laugh fondly remembering a frat party, an unsuspecting frat boy and a fateful game of beer pong from many years ago.

“Somehow that does not surprise me,” Alec says rubbing a hand across his dark beard. The conversation shifts from there, Magnus giving Alec the full rundown about his father, his current stepmother and the all too haughty evening they’ll be subjected to.

Conversation flows easy between them, Alec seeming to understand a lot of Magnus’ struggles with his family life and Magnus finds himself wondering if there’s more to why he does this bit of charity for people in need.

“So, why exactly is it you do this?” Magnus asks, clarifying quickly when Alec raises his eyebrow in question. They’ve covered the felony yes and it’s clear that Alec just simply cares, but that’s not a full reason why. “I mean I believe that you’re just a genuinely good person who wants to help people, but it’s deeper than that isn’t it?”

Alec pauses for a moment rubbing the back of his neck nervously, Magnus is about to tell him he doesn’t have to explain if it’s an uncomfortable topic just as Alec starts to talk.

“I’m gay,” he says and Magnus smirks, the obviously on the tip of his tongue. Alec picks up on it smiling back. “Obviously, but for a long time I couldn’t be, or at least not at home. My parents are kind of rich, they’d do these big to do holiday parties every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. When my siblings and I were little they were just big boring adult parties that we’d steal food from. Then we all got old enough to date and to have plans for the future.”

Magnus hums in understanding. That’s how his father’s parties had been, one day he was a kid just stealing cookies and hating the droll grown ups and the next he was a man expected to present himself in certain ways, ways that weren’t remotely who he was.

“By the time I was 21 I was still in the closet, and already on their shit list for dropping out of college, and I never dated and my parents were just determined to find me a wife. Every year it was so and so’s daughter is lovely and has such a strong education or so and so’s daughter is coming and I can’t wait for you to meet her,” he says twisting the coffee mug between his hands. “I’m pretty sure those holiday parties are how my drinking got so bad, forced heterosexuality and an open bar do not mix well together.”

He chuckles and Magnus takes that as an invitation to do the same. Again he gets it, he’s taken his fair advantage of the open bar at his father’s parties many times.

“And then one year my dad was going on about some girl who was at Thanksgiving dinner, I don’t even remember her name, but she was standing there and the whole time he’s talking about how she’s so pretty and so ready to start a family and I should make a move before someone else did. And I was losing my mind internally and evidently I’d had just enough to drink that I just screamed at the top of my lungs that I was gay.”

He pauses taking the last sip of his coffee.

“And then I just left after my mom was trying to talk to me about causing a scene. Then Christmas rolls around and to my extreme shock I get the invite. I thought for sure I was in for the lecture I’d been avoiding for a month, but instead they just acted like Thanksgiving hadn’t even happened,” he shakes his head. “They invited some other poor girl to try and marry me off to and just went on like I hadn’t had a big, gay outburst. My outburst was a lot bigger that time, after that I didn’t get any more party invites, they just cut me out entirely.”

Magnus reaches out resting his hand on Alec’s that’s drumming on the table. “I’m so sorry, Alexander,” he says trying out the full name for the first time guessing that’s what Alec is short for. He likes the way it rolls off his tongue and judging from the way Alec doesn’t correct him he ventures he got it right.

Alec just shrugs with a sad little smile on his lips. “It’s okay,” he says. “I mean it wasn’t back then, but I’m okay now. I don’t need my parents or their money, my siblings are still in my life and I’ve got a whole life outside of that. I can have my gay outbursts in peace now.”

Magnus laughs squeezing his hand once before pulling back, he’s been resting it there much too long now.

They talk logistics after that, establishing a plan for the holiday dinner. Alec immediately offers to bring his Thunderbird to drive to Magnus’ father’s place upstate.

“I don’t have the car not to be embarrassing about it,” he says and Magnus smiles insisting he pays for the gas then.

He spends almost three hours and four coffees with Alec and eventually finds they’re not even talking about the dinner in question, but they’re just talking instead.

It’s an unexpected development.

***

Coffee with Alec goes all too well and by the end of it they have a carefully cultivated story about how they met and how long they’ve supposedly been together all set in stone. Alec ensures him he’ll be the ultimate, best bad boyfriend for the night, and frankly Magnus is having a hard time believing it.

Alec is sweet, kind without even realizing it and looks like the living embodiment of tall, dark and handsome. If Magnus is being honest he’d love to take him out sometime as a real date more than a bad boyfriend for the night.

He calls Dot after they’ve said their goodbyes, walking to his apartment not far from the coffee shop.

“So how’d it go?” Dot asks immediately upon answering the phone.

“He’s incredibly charming without trying to be and cute is a fucking understatement, Dorothea,” he says looking both ways before crossing to the other side of the street.

Dot chuckles wildly on the other side.

“I’m serious, if I was given the opportunity to craft a man based on looks alone I’m pretty sure he’d be what I’d create, he’s gorgeous,” Magnus says as he reaches his building going inside and heading for the elevator.

“I may have undersold him slightly,” Dot says sounding all too innocent.

“And was there a reason for that, my dear?” he says. He’s starting to feel like he’s being set up.

“Perhaps,” she says and he can hear the gleeful smile in her voice. “You can thank me later, for now just enjoy your bad boyfriend.”

***

Five days later on the last Thursday of the month, Magnus waits outside of his apartment for Alec and at three o’clock on the dot Alec’s truly ridiculous car pulls up. It’s even better in person than he described.

The black, red and white lines are exactly like Eddie Van Halen’s infamous guitar and the ’93 Thunderbird is just on the right side of beat up. The left taillight is busted, covered in see through tape and there’s a sizeable dent in the passenger side door.

Alec steps out of the car, a vision in his signature leather jacket, black jeans with far too many tears and dark eyeliner around his eyes. It’s not neat like Magnus’ though, it’s messy. His whole look from his disheveled, but neat hair, to his trimmed beard to his scuffed boots is just on the right side of acceptable, but screams of a wild side as well.

Magnus isn’t as black tie as he knows his father would like him to be, wearing a deep red shirt and tight pants with a line down the side, his perfectly styled hair, curly and soft with matching red streaks running through it. They make a pretty attractive pair if Magnus does say so himself.

Magnus can’t wait to see how the evening plays out.

Alec smiles at him coming over to open the passenger side door, it takes a couple tugs to get it open.

“It’s a little finicky,” he says playfully bowing and gesturing for Magnus to get inside. “Your chariot awaits.”

Magnus smiles stepping into the car. Alec shuts the door tight rounding the car and falling into his seat.

“Ready to cause a scene?” Alec says with a devilish smile that Magnus finds hard to resist.

“Absolutely,” he says with his own answering smile as Alec turns the key and peels out onto the road.

***

The ride up takes about two hours all told with holiday traffic and every minute of it is delightful. Alec tells him more about himself, outside of the surface stuff they’d covered to make sure Magnus was comfortable with this whole night.

He learns Alec loves archery, has an affinity for trash shows like the Bachelor and has a vicious little cat he adores named Church. Magnus gives his own tidbits in return about his work at the university and his love of bad horror movies, laughing when Alec suggests their fiendish cats might just get along.

Magnus laughs just as they pull up outside of his father’s home, “Chairman doesn’t exactly play well with others.”

Alec shrugs. “Neither does Church, that’s why it’d be fun,” he says with a smile pulling his eyes away from Magnus looking up at the sprawling house before them. He slows the car to a stop pulling into a spot that makes the car perfectly visible from the wall of windows that line the living room where all the guests won’t be able to miss it.

“Damn,” Alec says as he steps out of the car, Magnus joins him where he’s leaning back against the front of his Thunderbird. His car looks amazingly out of place and perfectly hilarious parked between a silver Porsche and a sleek black Lamborghini. “Your father’s in real estate you said?”

“Amongst other things,” Magnus grumbles looking at the house that was always too big, that always felt hollow and empty to Magnus when they moved here after his mother skipped town.

“It’s way too big,” Alec says with a grimace looking it over one last time before offering his arm to Magnus. Magnus takes it guiding him to the front door. “And there’s way too many fucking windows.”

Magnus chuckles as they reach the door opening it automatically and walking in. The space is gaudier than the last time he was there, the walls where once his father and stepmother number four’s portraits used to hang now feature the latest wife and sadly the one of him that his father had commissioned years ago. It’s the last time he’d agreed to sit for one of his gaudy paintings, he’s young, barely 20 wearing a stiff suit and barely any makeup, he doesn’t look like him at all.

“Well that’s a painting,” Alec says looking at it. “I like this you better,” he says eyeing Magnus up and down. Whether he meant to or not there’s a lingering in the look, Magnus likes it. “That looks like somebody trying to be something they’re not.”

And just like that with one look at a painting, Alec nails him right on the head. Like he can read Magnus easily, a thing that just about no one can do.

“Come on,” Magnus says pulling Alec along down the garish hallway that leads to the large expanse of the living room. There’s a new chandelier hanging in the hall, riddled in way too many gems. He bets it’s a feature added by the new wife.

“Maggie!” a woman’s voice yells, speak of the devil, he rolls his eyes at the nickname no matter how many times he’s told her to drop it she just won’t. “Happy Thanksgiving!”

His stepmother comes bouncing over their way, her ridiculously high heels clacking against the hardwood floor. He can hear his father sigh from the other side of the room, more concerned with his precious oak floors than anything else in the world.

Magnus braces himself as she barrels into him hugging him tight, she releases him with a smile before turning to Alec and doing the same.

Alec’s eyes go wide in surprise, no matter how much Magnus described her to him there’s no preparing for hurricane Marissa. She pulls back adjusting her very not appropriate for the setting tight pink and black strapless dress with a smile, her fake tan looks a little lighter than usual and he’s weirdly proud of her for that.

“And who is this?” she asks reaching out to adjust Magnus’ shirt collar that she crumpled when hugging him.

“This is my boyfriend, Alec,” he says gesturing his way. “Alec this is my father’s wife, Marissa.”

Marissa playfully pats Magnus’ cheek, “Stepmother.” She says it pointedly holding out a hand to quickly shake Alec’s. He will never refer to her as his stepmother out loud, much like the past four wives Magnus bets Marissa will be gone in five years’ time tops, his own mother hadn’t even stuck around that long. Also, she’s 25, five years younger than him, and there’s no way he’s referring to her as anything remotely close to a mother.

“It’s lovely to have you in our home,” Marissa says to Alec gesturing to the room at large. Magnus looks around at the room full of people, most of whom he doesn’t remotely recognize. A few seem somewhat familiar in the most unmemorable sense. He’s sure they’re constant clients and rich cohorts of his father’s that have attended before.

“That it is,” his father’s voice says coming up behind his wife. He rests one hand on her shoulder and holds out another Alec’s way. “Asmodeus Bane.”

“Alec Lightwood,” he says a perfect gentleman returning his father’s handshake. They’d agreed to keep it civil for at the least the first introduction and then let the evening escalate from there. Magnus can tell just from looking at it his father’s grip is tight, commanding and borderline threatening, but Alec doesn’t even flinch.

“Lightwood, hm?” his father says eyeing Alec up and down frowning and Magnus can tell he already disapproves of what he sees. “Any relation to the Lightwood Consulting company?”

“Yes,” Alec says and Magnus smiles when he sees his father’s lips uptick in an impressed smile that immediately falls at Alec’s next words. “But they cut me out and off years ago, I’m the black sheep of the family if you will.”

Asmodeus just hums disappointed. “Well, that’s a shame,” he says. “So, how did you meet my son?” he asks not bothering with anymore small talk now that he’s already decided Alec’s no good, just jumping right in to the things he can criticize.

“Prison,” Alec jokes and Marissa titters delightfully. She quickly stops when Asmodeus looks at her disappointedly. “Just kidding,” he says. “I did my time there years ago, no we met at a bar.”

Asmodeus bristles at the prison mention, which is technically a lie, Alec only spent a few hours in a cell back when he was arrested, but his father clearly buys it as more. Magnus can tell he’s tuning out the rest of their crafted meet cute story, all about how three months ago Alec had a few too many drinks and almost got into a fight and Magnus had been his stalwart knight in shining armor.

“Love at first sight,” Marissa sighs clearly enjoying their made up tale. “Isn’t it sweet, Asmody?” she coos tugging on his father’s arm.

“Yes, quite sweet,” Asmodeus grimaces gripping his wife’s arm and pulling her away. “We’ll talk later.” He says looking directly at Magnus, essentially and completely dismissing Alec’s presence all together before stepping away. Marissa grins wide waving at them as she goes her long pink acrylic nails clicking together as she does so. Marissa may not be the brightest or subtlest bulb, but at least unlike many of Asmodeus’ past wives she’s nice enough.

“Well damn, do I even need to do anything else? He seems disappointed enough already,” Alec says shaking his head in disbelief.

“Now, where would the fun in that be,” Magnus says with a smirk, shrugging off his jacket. Alec follows suit and Magnus admires the view of his arms in a short sleeved well-fitting white button up shirt. His love of archery has made for some nicely toned muscle.

***

They mingle for a bit after Magnus deposits their coats in one of the coat closets, Magnus putting on his best son of the year smile while Alec downs glasses of water that everyone thinks is vodka at a fairly speedy rate.

It’d been his first task when they’d rejoined the party walking over to the bar with a smile.

“I need you to fill a bottle or two of vodka with water and keep serving me all night,” he said to the bored and disgruntled looking woman behind the counter. The rest of the hired help for the night must have been sequestered away in the kitchen until dinner judging by her being the first one that Magnus had spotted.

“You planning something weird tonight?” she questioned sliding Magnus a glass of red wine.

“Not weird, just disruptive,” Alec said so kind and so believable that the girl perked up.

“Well I love to see rich people who call me barkeep unironically disrupted, so you got it,” she said with a smile discreetly pouring out a bottle and refilling it with water before handing a glass to Alec as he dumped a sizeable wad of cash into her completely empty tip jar. God, rich people were cheap.

She’s been steadily serving him since.

Now they find themselves with a man who has to be bordering on 200 years old and it seems Alec decides it’s time to truly get to work.

“All that glitters,” the old man says talking about something that they’ve clearly both been tuning out.

“Glitters?” Alec says a little too loud, just enough so that everyone in their vicinity can hear. “You mean the place on 5th? My ex used to dance there, maybe you saw him, man knew how to work a pole if you know what I mean?” he winks at the old man and Magnus just barely stifles his laughter as the old man steps back in shock. He mumbles something unintelligible looking suddenly ill and paler than he had before and slips away.

Alec tosses back his drink and hands it to a passing woman in a truly hideous pantsuit that is definitely not a server, dragging Magnus along to the table of appetizers. He tosses shrimp into his mouth not bothering with a napkin, rubbing his hands on his ripped-up jeans making direct eye contact with a young woman, no doubt another trophy wife, as he does so. She scrunches up her nose and steps away.

Evidently despite his fairly small work so far he’s made just enough of a scene to garner Asmodeus’ attention once again.

“So, Alec, I assume that colorful vehicle outside is yours?” he says walking up beside the two of them. Their bartender and conspirator comes up just then handing Alec a fresh glass.

Alec smiles at her, before turning to Asmodeus. He’s not acting drunk yet, but he’s bordering on behaving tipsy.

He slings an arm over Magnus’ shoulder and brings him in close. Magnus settles a hand at Alec’s waste enjoying the proximity.

“Yes, that is my sweet Cherry,” he says naming the car on the spot. “Won her in a poker game when I was 18, crashed her three days later and have been patching her back together ever since.”

“A poker game?” Asmodeus questions, clearly becoming more disappointed by the minute.

“Yup,” he says cheerfully popping the p in the word. “Well, I wouldn’t say won directly, more cheated a guy and then fought him for it,” he pauses gesturing to the little sliced scar that runs through his left eyebrow. “That’s how I got this.”

“You wouldn’t believe how many tire irons a high school principal is carrying around,” Alec continues with a snort tossing back half of his drink.

Magnus just nods along in agreement to Alec’s concocted tale. He actually bought the car from his sister’s ex-boyfriend when he was nineteen for 200 bucks, but this story shocks far more.

“You mean to say you fought your principal for your car?” Asmodeus says judgement so very clear in his voice.

“High school, am I right?” Alec shrugs with a chuckle smiling down into his drink. Asmodeus looks appalled.

“Oh, come on don’t look like that father,” Magnus says placing his free hand on Alec’s chest and patting there lightly. Magnus can’t help but notice how solid the chest under his hand is. “I got up to some trouble in high school myself, surely you remember.”

Asmodeus just hums, clearly finding Magnus’ occasional wild parties without permission a dull comparison to the tale Alec just told.

“Never forget the time I streaked and jumped from the guest house roof to the trampoline and right into the pool, nearly broke my arm in the process,” Magnus says with a smile. Alec leans over burying his face in Magnus’ hair, careful not to mess it up, whether it’s to play up the PDA or stifle a laugh Magnus isn’t sure.

They’d had a whole conversation about PDA, Alec promising to respect his boundaries, no kissing and never a hand wandering beneath his waist.

“How could I forget,” Asmodeus says sharply embarrassed by his son’s antics. He turns towards the large windows and looks out to where the porch patio lights illuminate Alec’s car.

“It is so sexy that you did that,” Alec says ignoring Asmodeus and turning towards Magnus. He downs the rest of his drink and meet’s Magnus’ eyes, a question and idea brewing clear in them. Magnus smirks tugging at Alec’s shirt.

“You think so?” he says teasingly.

“Mm hmm,” Alec says biting his lip and Magnus knows this is all a part of the show, but god are those lips tempting.

Magnus catches Asmodeus turning his attention back to them looking outright furious. Magnus pulls away from Alec’s eyes and smiles a bright smile like they’re doing absolutely nothing wrong.

“I’m gonna give Alec the tour,” he says leadingly pulling Alec along by both hands and rushing away from the living room and down the hall before Asmodeus can say a word. He can see Alec’s smirk as he notices the stares of the other guests in the room.

Magnus doesn’t even pay attention to where they’re going as he pulls them into a room just off the right side of the hall.

“How��d you actually get that scar?” Magnus asks once they’re inside shutting the door behind him, no doubt convincing everyone they’re about to get down and dirty.

“Took a hockey stick to the face when I was 17,” he says pulling himself to sit up on a desk. A desk that Magnus now recognizes as his fathers. They’ve pulled themselves into his father’s office and if they get caught in here he’ll never hear the end of it, he loves it.

“You played hockey?” Magnus asks lifting himself up to sit beside Alec on the desk ignoring the papers he accidentally topples to the ground.

Alec nods in the affirmative. “I did, that’s why it’s the only sport I can start heckling fights about, everything else is boring.”

Magnus snorts at that, he’s never been partial to any sport himself.

“Did you really do what you said out there?” Alec asks picking up a notepad and flipping through it mindlessly.

“I did,” Magnus smiles and Alec’s eyebrows both go up. “Don’t look so surprised, you’re not the only one capable of mischief.”

“Oh, I see that,” he says with a smile tossing the notepad back to where he found it. “That is kinda sexy you achieved a jump like that and didn’t get hurt.” He says it with his voice low and all sorts of New York around the edges. He freezes his hand stopping over the spot where he’d been about to pick up the ugly green and bronze sphere shaped paper weight beside him.

Magnus freezes too, Alec saying something like that while they’re alone makes it real, not like the fake flirty way he’d said it out in the living room.

“Sorry, that’s not, I’m sorry, I never cross that line when I do these things, we’re alone and,” Alec runs a frustrated hand through his hair. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”

Magnus shakes his head reaching out and tentatively laying his hand atop Alec’s where it rests on the desk between them.

“It’s okay,” he says and Alec looks at him ready to argue the point. Magnus jumps in stopping him before he can say a word and taking his own leap into making this far more real than fake. “Really, it’s okay. You, uh, you’re not so bad yourself.”

Alec huffs a laugh opening and closing his mouth a few times like he’s looking for the right words to say. The space between them feels a little charged now that they’ve floated out the simple fact there’s a real attraction here. Alec closes his mouth and bites his lip looking determined like he knows what to say finally when the door busts open.

“Oh, my apologies boys,” Marissa says standing in the doorway her hands on her hips and a pleased little smile on her lips. “But dinner is served.”

Magnus and Alec pull away from one another quickly hopping off the desk and stepping towards the door.

“You two are just too cute,” Marissa says when they reach her. She loops each of her arms through one of theirs and tugs them down the hall happily. “Don’t listen to a word your father says.”

Magnus meets Alec’s eyes over her head only to find Alec already looking at him, a soft smile on his lips.

***

Magnus takes his proverbial spot on his father’s right at the head of the table, Marissa doing the same on his left. Despite Asmodeus’ clear attempt to keep Alec as far away from him and Magnus as possible by seating him at the far end of the long table he fails. Luckily one of Marissa’s friends, just as airy and tight dressed as her is seated next to Magnus and happily swaps spots with Alec.

Alec lifts his drink to Asmodeus in a faux toast that Asmodeus doesn’t even feign interest in as he takes his seat.

Dinner is served and it’s to be expected. The sweet potatoes are divine none of that weird marshmallow bullshit in them, the mac and cheese is literally to die for and the homemade bread hits in just the right way. The turkey is terrible, but that’s not at the fault of the overpriced chef that’s just simply because it’s an indisputable fact that turkey tastes like napkins.

Alec eats so much Magnus is concerned, he can tell from the tight fit of his shirt that Alec is in impeccable shape so he doesn’t really know where he puts it all as he goes for his fourth serving of mac and cheese.

But long before his fourth serving of cheesy goodness Alec starts up at least three debates that would be deemed far too impolite for their supposed polite company. Each fresh serving he corners someone new into a debate; first it’s an old lady in a pantsuit pulled into a debate about the existence of god, then a forty something who looks like he’s never seen a rainbow without feeling threatened into a talk on the merits of teaching queer history to children and finally a woman who can’t be much older than them who looks like her name is Tinsley or Ainsleigh or something equally as nauseating into a tense bordering on yelling match about the importance of safe abortion access.

He sounds a little more drunk with every conversation and he’s damn good at faking it. He sounds just the right amount of inebriated not slurring his words too much or fumbling around with his silverware, it’s practiced, a master class in being drunk without being drunk. Most people overplay it acting far more outlandish than a drunk person sitting at a table would, but Alec has it down pact.

Magnus watches him not a care in the world, acting like he doesn’t even notice the disruption Alec is causing. The only person aside from Magnus that doesn’t look increasingly more uncomfortable by the minute is Marissa who looks like she’s having the time of her life watching these stuffy rich people squirm.

Asmodeus of course does not look delighted, he barely eats, just scowls over the rim of his wine glass and attempts to deflect any conversation Alec purposely instigates another way unsuccessfully.

The only time he seems to look like he’s not about to have a coronary is when everyone’s plates are finally collected, Alec still shoveling the last bit of mashed potatoes on his plate into his mouth as one of the waiters lifts the plate away from him, and it’s announced that dinner and coffee will be served in the living room.

Alec stands stretching his arms up over his head and Magnus admires the ripple of his muscles as he does so before standing beside him. Alec reaches over the table picking up yet another glass of water and tossing it back with a loud unnecessary thirst quenched sound before holding out his hand to Magnus. Magnus takes it instantly with a smile following along as they head for the living room once again.  

***

A waiter takes their dessert requests, a choice of six different types of pie as they file out of the large dining room.

Magnus selects the pumpkin pie, while Alec chooses the chocolate pecan.

“Pecan, gross,” Magnus says as they work their way over to one side of the room a little bit away from everyone else to have just a moment of reprieve.

“How dare you, pecan pie is delicious,” Alec says sounding outright offended.

Magnus rolls his eyes and crosses his arms making a face that screams Alec is insane to have that opinion.

“It’s all sugar, no substance,” Magnus says. He really shouldn’t be surprised Alec’s favorite pie is one as ridiculously sugar based as pecan considering the amount of sugar he witnessed him dump into his coffee a few days prior. Alec doesn’t even deign him with a response, he just gives him another affronted look like Magnus has insulted his entire being, not a pie.

Moments later a waiter hands them each their requested pies. Alec takes a bite of his pointedly making eye contact with Magnus as he does so and making a pleased obnoxious yum sound. Magnus just rolls his eyes again, amused as he takes a bite of his own pie.

“So, are you enjoying yourself so far this evening?” Magnus asks after a few minutes of companionable silence.

Alec pauses grabbing a coffee from a passing tray and taking a sip, he grimaces a bit at the black coffee before answering Magnus’ question. Out of the corner of his eye Magnus sees his father watching them, almost looking excited to see Alec drinking a coffee, probably hoping it will sober him up.

“Well, your father is kind of terrible, and all these people are exhausting,” he says gesturing with his fork to the room at large after he sits his coffee on the floor next to him. “But despite the fact she may be a little air headed Marissa is lovely and I get a kick out of making rich people as uncomfortable as possible, so it’s been a pretty good night thus far.”

He pauses taking a bite of his pie and looking at Magnus from underneath his thick dark lashes. “Plus, you know, you’re pretty good company as well,” he says tapping his fork to his lips.

Magnus slow blinks at him and smiles.

“You’re pretty good company as well, especially when you’re just being you, like right now, not the overstated bad boy, even if he is a good time,” Magnus says. He reaches out his empty fork and boops Alec on the nose with it, just because. Alec scrunches up his face adorably at the action.

“Well I like you being you too, though it’s kind of fun you’re playing into my whole act, most people just play the none the wiser partner,” Alec says before leaning down and drinking another glug of his coffee. He makes the same cute displeased face again as he swallows.

“Really? No one’s made it seem like you’ve turned them into a crazy bad boy too?” Magnus says surprised. He’s been having a pretty good time being a little more instigative around his father than he usually would be.

Alec shakes his head. “Not really, Dot tackling her family members was a bit of an outlier, and honestly they’re almost never guys.”

“So I’m your first fake boyfriend then, huh?” Magnus says oddly flattered about the possibility.

“Second actually, but still most of the time I get hired by women, there’s a comfort in knowing that your fake date won’t try to make a move,” Alec says taking the last bite of his sickeningly sweet pecan pie.

“I guess I didn’t have a problem with that prospect,” Magnus says smiling around his fork looking right into Alec’s pretty hazel eyes, all dark rimmed and intent on him.

“I guess you didn’t,” he says with a smile putting his empty plate and mug on a passing tray and leaning back comfortably.

Magnus joins him leaning over by one of the sprawling windows casually finishing off his pie looking up to see one of his father’s political friends, a 30 something councilman of some sort, staring at them nearby. Alec, the little devil, winks at him slow and seductive. The councilman bristles and his wife beside him gives Alec an evil stare.

Magnus laughs a little, thinking that’s it for that interaction when suddenly the click of heels approaches them.

“Did you just wink at my husband?” the woman all but screams at Alec causing him to jump up from his slouch against the windows. Her head shakes as she speaks, her clip-on earrings wobbling.

“I,” Alec starts, but she doesn’t let him get in a word before she’s tossing her glass of white wine right at him.

“Oh, shit,” he says surprised and laughing a bit as he scrubs at his face his already messy eyeliner getting even messier in the process.

“Listen, lady I had no intention, your husband was the one staring,” he shouts back sounding a little more drunk than he did at the dinner table, they weren’t planning on Alec picking a fight tonight, but it seems he’s rolling with the one presented to him.

“Why you little, you little-“ she basically shrieks her husband pulling at her arm trying to stop her from taking this any further. Magnus steps in in front of Alec, a stern look of shutting shit down that he learned from his father on his face.

“You will want to watch your next words very carefully, wouldn’t want your husband’s constituents hearing any bigoted language coming from his already,” Magnus pauses surveying her bejeweled dress that looks like she’s going to a bad 80’s themed prom. “Tacky wife.”

She looks angrier at that, but Magnus’ stern look seems to usher her away, allowing her husband to pull her from the room.

The room is dead silent all eyes on them.

“Alright,” Asmodeus’ voice booms, everyone turning his way. “Show’s over, nightcaps will be served by the barkeep in the library shortly why don’t you all head in there,” he says gesturing to the way of the library. He steps over to Magnus and Alec as does Marissa who instantly hands Alec a towel.

“She’s always been a stick in the mud with bad taste,” Marissa says showing her own dislike for the councilman’s wife. “You didn’t do a thing wrong.” She smiles at them both apologetically before linking her arm in Alec’s and pulling him the way of everyone else. Magnus moves to follow, but is stopped by a hand on his chest from Asmodeus.

“We need to talk,” he says leaving no room for argument. Alec looks back at him from where Marissa is still chattering happily to him, a clear question of if he needs to cause a scene to stay with Magnus in his eyes. Magnus waves him on, watching as they go.

He barely waits until Alec and Marissa are out of ear shot to start in on Magnus.

“I know he’s faking it,” Asmodeus says and that is not what Magnus was expecting. He plays dumb though raising his eyebrows in question.

“Don’t act like you don’t what I’m talking about, I’d venture to say from the looks you two share you know all about it as well. You just brought him here and put on this whole show to embarrass me,” Asmodeus continues with a disappointed sigh. “That man hasn’t had a drop of liquor tonight, every action he’s taken hasn’t been some alcohol fueled mistake it’s been purposeful. He’s probably the most sober person here tonight. As far as I’d guess aside from truly being the black sheep of his family name and that truly atrocious car nothing that’s happened here tonight has been real.”

And alright, yeah Magnus definitely wasn’t expecting this. He expected his father to rail on his choice of partner, to knock Alec’s character and behavior and maybe Magnus’ to boot as well. He didn’t expect him to know exactly what’s been going on all night.

“And before you ask how I figured it out, you really should have made sure your date kept better track of his finished glasses, after dinner he left one behind and it didn’t smell of the vodka we’ve all been convinced he’s been downing all night,” Asmodeus explains. “From there a quick search told me the name was at least true. His family really did cut him out judging from his complete disappearance from all events, not that I can blame them, anyone who behaves this atrociously without influence of alcohol just to play a game probably deserves to be cut off.”

Magnus huffs out an unamused laugh at the underlying implications of his statement.

“Is that a threat?” Magnus says steely eyed.

“It could be, if you don’t get him out of here right this instant and promise to never try anything even close to similar to this charade again,” Asmodeus says just as steely eyed and Magnus hates that he learned the look from him.

For a moment he considers just leaving, hightailing it out of there with Alec and not saying a single other word to his father, but he’s tired. He’s 30 and he’s been putting up with his father’s vague threats if he doesn’t play the good little son role since before he could talk practically and he’s just done.

“No, we won’t be leaving,” Magnus says holding his ground. “And as for this charade well I guess I can promise you nothing like this will ever happen again, because I’m done. I’m done playing some perfectly crafted son that I’m not, I’m done acting like we’re a happy little family, like you won’t get bored of poor, sweet Marissa in no time and there’ll be a new wife on your arm who you’ll pay just as little attention to.”

“You’re right, I did do this to embarrass you, to show those fucking fakes in there that you are the fakest amongst them, even more so than all of them combined. Alec may have been playing a role tonight, but he’s ten times more real than you could ever dream to be. Don’t worry about having to cut me off and making a whole big show of it, I haven’t needed you or your money in years,” Magnus says. He straightens out his shirt and stands with his head held high turning on his heel to join Alec in the library.

***

Magnus is frankly riding high on truly stepping up to his father for the first and likely last time in his life when he saunters into the library scanning around to find Alec. He spots him in the corner chatting with Marissa.

“There you are,” Alec says sounding genuinely concerned. Magnus just smiles at him hoping it looks more assuring than it feels.

Marissa reaches out patting him on the cheek lightly. “Don’t listen to whatever he said, he’s just jealous he’s not as outstanding as you,” she says with a smile.

Magnus is struck in that moment with how much his father doesn’t deserve her, she might be a lot to take sometimes, but she is a genuinely kind woman.

“Nor as outstanding as you,” Magnus says with a smile and she blushes at the compliment. He’s ready to follow that up by telling her that she should leave his father’s ass immediately before he gets the chance to toss her to the side, but someone calls out her name and she’s pulled away smiling at them as she goes.

“Ready for the grand finale?” Alec says as soon as Marissa steps away. The grand finale, right, Magnus and Alec had discussed giving one last show before they left for the night if they managed to make it all the way through dessert. And they have, everyone’s nursing nightcaps ready to exit for the evening, but clearly all lingering around to see if Alec does anything else embarrassing or outlandish before they go.

Mere moments ago Magnus was ready to just storm out of here with Alec at his side and maybe ask Alec if he fancied going on a real date for a late-night drink somewhere.

But now with his father storming into the room after him, glaring and judging, looking quite possibly the most upset he’s ever been with Magnus he can’t seem to find a reason to go just yet.

“Let’s do it,” he says and Alec smiles tossing back his water and acting as if there’s a nice vodka burn to it. He grabs a discarded fork from a table nearby and taps it on his now empty glass so hard that it chips just a bit earning everyone’s attention.

“Could I have everyone’s attention please,” he says sounding a little bit like he’s sobered up after the near fight with the councilman’s wife. Most of the room looks their way eagerly like they can’t wait to see what happens next, while a few others apprehensively turn their attention.

“I met this stunning man not all that long ago,” he says laying his hands lightly on Magnus’ shoulders. “But in that short time, I have realized that undisputedly there will never be another for me. From the moment we hooked up in the back of Cherry the night we met,” he says not elaborating at all on that sentence, earning the shocked gasps and confused looks of many. Marissa giggles, Asmodeus seethes not loving this new addition to their fake meet cute story even if he knows it’s all a ruse now. “I knew you were the one, so, Magnus Bane,” he continues on getting down on one knee he pulls the plain silver ring he’s been wearing all night on his middle finger off and presents it to Magnus. “Will you marry me?”

Magnus pretends to be shocked covering his mouth with a gasp. His eyes flit up to where his father stands, looking like he’s about to make some move to physically stop Magnus from answering Alec’s question, like he won’t survive the embarrassment of this room full of people knowing his sons engaged to a degenerate in messed up jeans even if he knows it’s not real. Magnus doesn’t give him the chance immediately looking down at Alec with glassy eyes.

“Yes, Alexander, yes,” he says no longer hiding his amused grin as Alec slips the ring on his finger and lifts up from the ground pulling Magnus into a crushing hug. The room claps tentatively, enthusiastically in Marissa’s case who it seems does not care how insane something is she just loves love. How she ever ended up married to his father, who only truly loves himself, his hardwood floors and his hair is a continual mystery.

“Wanna get the fuck out of here?” Magnus mumbles into Alec’s ear. Alec pulls back from their hug and nods enthusiastically.

“Do I have your permission to bridal carry you out of here?” Alec says lowly ensuring no one can hear him.

“Oh, hell yes,” Magnus says delightedly as Alec lifts him up and makes for the door.

“We’re gonna go celebrate in the back of Cherry again,” Alec announces proudly to the room as he goes. Magnus pats him on the shoulder guiding him to the coat closet where he quickly grabs their jackets, Alec never losing his grip on him.

Asmodeus shouts after them as they head out the door, Alec pausing at his car and planting Magnus down on the ground gently. He tugs at the door three times before it opens gesturing for Magnus to get in as he ignores his father’s bellowing shouts. Alec playfully salutes Asmodeus and slides over the hood of his car bumping into the Porsche beside him setting off it’s car alarm as he lands and slips into the driver’s seat quickly.

He starts the engine peeling out of the space just as Asmodeus reaches the front of the car. Magnus just blatantly ignores him only catching sight of Marissa standing in the door waving their way as they drive off.

***

The ride back is quiet for the first twenty minutes or so, music playing softly as Alec drives drumming his fingers along the steering wheel to the beat.

“My dad figured out you were faking it,” Magnus says with no preamble looking out the window as they go. The roads are mostly empty now people celebrating the holiday into the late hours with their families before waking up at 5 a.m. to Black Friday shop.

“Shit, there goes my Oscar,” Alec says eyes flashing to Magnus quickly with a laugh before focusing back on the road. Magnus chuckles in response.

“Well, it’s an honor just to be nominated,” Magnus smiles tilting his head towards Alec.

Alec snorts a little laugh then turns his head quickly to Magnus once again.

“Did your dad give you a lot of trouble about it?”

“He did, I don’t think I’ll be getting a Christmas invite after I railed back at him,” Magnus says. “But it’s okay. I think it was just a long time coming, bound to happen. Better to get it over with now before I wasted more years trying to seem like I’m something I’m not just to please him.”

Alec comes to a stop at a red light and turns his attention fully to Magnus.

“Are you okay? I mean shitty or not, having a parent cut ties isn’t easy, trust me I know,” he says. Magnus watches him enjoying the way the red of the stoplight cuts through his dark hair.

Magnus takes a deep breath and gives Alec a small assuring smile.

“I will be,” he says, truly meaning it. The fallout with his father is a lot, but he will be okay. He’s lived without his father being truly present in any form since the day his mother walked out on them, this new world where he’s likely all cut off isn’t anything new really. He’ll manage, hell he might even thrive without the chains of his father’s expectations weighing on him now.

The light turns green and they lapse back into comfortable silence for the rest of the ride, Magnus completely endeared as he listens to Alec mumbling the lyrics to every other song that comes on the radio under his breath.

When they pull up to the curb outside of Magnus’ house Alec steps out first ever the gentleman helping Magnus with the finicky passenger side door.

He holds out a hand helping Magnus out and smiles when he drops it shutting the door tight.

“Well, thank you for the free meal and the fun night of mischief,” Alec says leaning back against his Thunderbird. His eyeliner is a mess and there’s a faint dried spot along his white shirt stained from the wine incident, he looks beautiful under this streetlight and Magnus wants more night like this. Well maybe not exactly like this one, it’s been a bit of rollercoaster for him emotionally, but nights with Alec all the same.

“Go out with me,” he says not even framing it as a question. He knows Alec is interested too has seen it in the moments where he was just being himself and the appreciative glances he’s given Magnus all night that clearly weren’t just a part of the show he was putting on. And that doesn’t even cover their coffee the other day, the easy way they’d talked and just clicked right off the bat.

“For real, not a fake date or a bad boyfriend show, a real date,” Magnus clarifies when he notices Alec’s surprise.

“I’d like that a lot,” Alec says pushing off the car. He steps a little closer to Magnus leaving just a bit of distance for Magnus to clear if he wants. Magnus does want so he steps up not quite touching Alec, but close enough all he’d have to do is raise a hand. It feels almost like when they were in his father’s office tonight, but even better because they’re alone for real now, there’s no show and no chance of interruptions.

“I need the record to show that I literally never do this, not once, I haven’t even been interested, let alone made any sort of action to make something real out of one of these fake dates,” Alec says low and sincere keeping his eyes on Magnus’ the entire time making sure the words are clear. “You are entirely the exception.”

“Entirely exceptional, actually,” he adds on with a smile. Magnus smiles reaching out his hands to rest on Alec’s chest.

“So are you,” he says patting his hands twice where they rest. “And I believe you aren’t just doing this to pick up hot guys, no worries.” He says with a chuckle and Alec rolls his eyes.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?” Alec asks.

“Nothing, no classes until next Tuesday and most of my friends are out of town for family dinners and what not. I’m as free as a bird,” he says blinking his eyes just a bit flirtatiously at Alec.

“Good, we should get dinner, no family, no bullshit, just us,” Alec says tentatively resting his hands on Magnus’ waist.

“I like the sound of that,” Magnus says lifting up to kiss Alec on the cheek softly just once before pulling back.

“I’ll text you with a time and place in the morning,” he says slowly stepping backwards holding Alec’s steady gaze as he goes. He turns just for a moment putting his key’s in the door and pushing it open before turning back. “Goodnight, Alexander.” He says and watches as Alec smiles a dazzling smile before rounding the car and opening the driver’s side door.

“Goodnight, Magnus,” he says before slipping into his car. Magnus watches with a smile as he pulls away from the curb, his bright red ridiculous Thunderbird speeding away. The smile doesn’t leave his face as he makes his way all the way up to his apartment, so much so that he’s pretty sure his cat is judging him all the way to bed.

***

One Year Later

Magnus’ phone buzzes insistently his ringtone blaring on the nightstand.

“Stop that,” he says weakly reaching out an arm to silence it, his hand falling to the nightstand and coming up empty once, twice, three times while it continues to ring. It’s far too loud and far too early on a holiday with no responsibilities for this.

A chuckle comes from above him and warmth reaches over brushing his fingers before gripping the phone and pulling back.

“Magnus Bane’s phone,” Alec answers his voice a little lower and rougher than usual from sleep. It’s a very nice sound. Magnus can’t hear who’s on the other end of the line, but when he flips over he sees Alec smile and perk up a bit leaning back against the headboard.

“Yeah it is Alec, it’s good to know you remember me, Marissa,” he says and Magnus raises an eyebrow he’s only heard from his father’s wife once since last Thanksgiving, an apologetic text on his father’s behalf. His father on the other hand hasn’t so much as sent a sternly worded email in that time.

“Yeah, he’s here, hold on sec,” Alec says, he lowers the phone offering it to Magnus who grumbles a bit lifting himself up and leaning against the headboard next to Alec.

“Hi, Marissa,” he says clearing his throat a bit.

“Magnus!” she shouts into his ear and he jumps back a bit, from the both the volume and from shock hearing that she’s finally dropped her terrible nickname for him. “I was glad to hear Alec answer the phone, I knew you two were a good match, even if it was all a show that night.”

“Ah,” Magnus says. “So father told you.”

“He did, but it doesn’t change that you two are the cutest,” she says. “Which speaking of your father,” she starts and Magnus is ready to shoot down any attempt at reuniting she’s trying to pull here. Marissa is a nice woman, but his father’s silence in the past year has spoken volumes, he’s not playing into a reconciliation he can’t even make the call for.

“I left him,” she says finishing her sentence. Magnus huffs out a little surprised laugh that Alec raises an eyebrow at, well good for her. “About a month ago and I know it’s incredibly short notice and you might have other plans, but I’m having a little Thanksgiving dinner of my own with a few friends this year and I’d love to see you. And Alec too, of course!”

Magnus smiles, they’d had a Friendsgiving slash one year anniversary celebration over the weekend with Raphael, Cat, Dot, Ragnor and Alec’s siblings, tonight’s plans were likely going to consist of Chinese takeout on the couch and making out. And while Marissa can be a lot she was always kind, and he can’t help but recall how supportive she’d been that night a year ago. He can’t find it in himself to turn down her offer because of it.

“We’d love to,” he says and Alec looks at him again in question. Magnus just waves a hand signaling he wait a moment for explanation. On the other end of the line Marissa claps excitedly.

“Yay!” she says. “I’ll text you my address, I’m in the city now so Alec might have to leave Cherry at home.”

Magnus laughs. “Oh, he might bring her anyways.”

He chats idly with Marissa for a few more minutes before disconnecting and promising they’ll be on much better behavior this year for dinner.

“Marissa left my father,” Magnus says as soon as he’s hung up and tossed his phone back on the nightstand. Alec smiles looking just as oddly proud for her as Magnus feels. “And we’re having Thanksgiving with her and some friends tonight.”

“Good for her,” he says flipping back the covers and getting out of bed. “Should I get out the eyeliner and torn up jeans for tonight just for old times’ sake, or no?”

He smirks standing gloriously naked in front of the dresser rustling through one of his drawers. His drawers. Magnus isn’t quite used to the lovely novelty of the fact that Alec lives with him now. It’s been about two months since they made it official and just seeing one of Alec’s crappy romance novels on the coffee table or his shitty leather jacket hanging in its permanent space in their closest still makes him feel all sorts of tingly.

Magnus hums in thought rising up from bed and moving to lean against the dresser beside Alec. He’d pay good money to get Alec to wear eyeliner more often frankly.

“I think you should bring both of those things out as often as you’d like,” he says reaching out a hand and cupping Alec’s cheek turning it towards him. The feel of Alec’s soft, shaven skin is something he also isn’t quite used to. For the first time in their year together he’d shaved off his beard entirely, completely out of the blue and for no other reason than he’d had a day off and was bored. He’s as handsome as ever, but Magnus had quite literally had to do a double take when he came home and saw Alec sitting on the couch.

“Do try and leave the illustrious tales of our sexual escapades at home this time though, darling,” he says with a smile. He’s mostly joking, but now that their sexual escapades are real and not fictionalized he’d like to keep them just between them.  

“Damn, well there goes all my dinner conversation topics,” Alec says with a wicked little smile.

“Menace,” Magnus says as he slides his hand down from Alec’s face to his chest with a shake of his head.

Magnus runs his fingers lightly through the hair on Alec’s chest stopping to rest on the stark black tattoo on his lower abdomen. And boy hadn’t it been a blissful discovery to see that ink when he finally got Alec’s shirt off for the first time. He trails his fingers over the shape of it lightly, knowing exactly what he’s doing.

“If you keep doing that we’ll never leave this room,” Alec says his lips tilting up in a little pleased smirk.

“Doing what?” Magnus says innocently still moving his fingers over the shape of the tattoo lightly.

“And you say I’m the menace,” Alec says leaning in to kiss him on the lips once hard and bruising. “We need to shower.” He says stepping away from Magnus. Magnus’s hand falls and he pouts laying it on a bit thick. Alec pointedly attempts to ignore it.

“Together?” Magnus says with a hopeful smile.

Alec rolls his eyes. “I feel like despite having literal hours to get ready we’ll end up late somehow if we do,” he says eyeing Magnus’ bare form appreciatively. “But there’s no way I can say no to that.”

Magnus smirks pushing himself off the dresser and right up against Alec.

“Damn straight,” he says before leaning in to lay a teasing, promising kiss on his lips.

“There is absolutely nothing straight about this,” Alec says with a toothy smile once he’s pulled back already tugging Magnus into the bathroom for their shower. Magnus laughs loud and bright as he’s dragged along.

***

Impossibly despite literal hours, Alec’s right, showering together does prolong the entire process of getting out of the apartment when showering becomes shower sex, which becomes another round on the bathroom counter which results in needing to shower again, separately this time much to both their dismays.

Eventually though, they’re dressed and ready. Magnus finishes up the last touches on his hair, adjusting the bright almost golden streak at the front of it which compliments the golden chained pattern of his shirt. He picks up the ring Alec fake proposed to him with last year and twists it onto his right-hand ringer finger with a smile. They obviously aren’t actually engaged, but increasingly lately Magnus finds himself thinking about making it real.

He gives himself one last once over in the mirror before stepping out of the bathroom to find Alec sitting cross legged on their bed and Magnus is nearly sent back in time to a year ago.

He’s wearing the jeans and boots just like he had that night, his eyeliner is in place a little less messy but still unpracticed and his hair is its usual tussled self. The shirt is almost the same, this time it’s one Magnus gave him with subtle lines of shiny black at the collar and cuffs, the little black loops in his ears are a gift from Magnus as well.

It’s a perfect combination of that first night when they were a fake couple out to cause mayhem and the couple they are now, a royal we couple that are so deep in love Magnus has to just take a few breaths in sometimes to remember this is all real.

“Ready to go?” Alec asks looking up at Magnus with a smile. Magnus nods as Alec stands throwing on his leather jacket with the hole in it he refuses to fix. Magnus follows suit grabbing his own jacket and following Alec out as he grabs his keys and wallet scratching the heads of both cats curled up on the back of the couch as he goes.

“We could take the subway you know?” Magnus says once they’re in the elevator, Alec twirling the keys to his Thunderbird around his finger.

Alec scrunches up his face adorably. “No way,” he says gesturing for Magnus to step out first when they reach the lobby. “Cherry helping us fight through Thanksgiving traffic is gonna be a lifelong tradition for us.”

Lifelong Magnus likes the sound of that, but he is dubious that Alec’s precious car will last anywhere near that long.

Alec rushes to the car parked proudly and loudly right in front of their building unlocking it and pulling four times on the passenger door before getting it open.

He smiles at Magnus gesturing with an overstated bow for him to get in and Magnus rolls his eyes but can’t seem to hide his smile and Alec knows it. He shuts the door once Magnus is in and in a move reminiscent of their escape from his father’s last year slides over the hood before slipping into his own seat and starting the car driving off to a much better Thanksgiving than the year before.

[thestarsaroundyourscars]

72 and 60 with reddie please?💞

For you, lovely.

PS: Let’s pretend for a minute that the Derry Town House has a hot tub. 

60. “You have no idea how much I want you” & 72. “Ah, he’s playing hard-to-get. That’s cute.”

Read on AO3

Richie was close to falling asleep, the warm, bubbling water of the hot tub helping him relax. He’d been tossing and turning in his bed for hours before he snuck out of his room to use the hot tub downstairs, hoping it would help his aching muscles and his bruises⎯ apparently, running around the sewers and fighting a demon clown for the second time in his life had taken a toll on his forty-one year old body.

And it was working. And Richie was glad that even a shithole like Derry’s Town House had a hot tub. 

“Do you know how many infections and diseases you can get from that water?" 

Richie opened an eye to find Eddie, peering down at him from the edge of the tub. 

"Eds, we just spent the past day splashing around in the sewers. This,” Richie held out his arms, gesturing at the water bubbling around him, “Is definitely an improvement.”

Eddie wrinkled his nose in disagreement, eyeing the water warily. 

“It’s relaxing. I needed to relax.” Richie continued, sinking further in. “You look like could use some of that, Eds. Why don’t you jump in here?”

Eddie shook his head, sitting on the edge of the tub. “Yeah, no. That’s not fucking happening.”

“What? Are you afraid you won’t be able to resist me?” Richie waggled his eyebrows. He noticed the way Eddie’s eyes darted down to his chest, as if he was only just noticing that Richie was shirtless. His cheeks flushed and he looked away.  

“Hardly.”

“Ah,” Richie gave him a shit eating grin. “He’s playing hard-to-get. That’s cute.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, splashing water on Richie’s face, giggling when Richie spluttered. He thought about returning the favor, but Eddie would probably throw a fit if Richie got his pajamas wet. 

“So, if you’re not out here for a midnight dip, what are you doing here Eds?" 

His face pulled into a frown. "I was making a call in the lobby. I saw you through the doors.”

“A call? This late?” Richie asked, confused. “Was it a booty call?” He gave Eddie a sly grin. “Because you could’ve just knocked on my door you know, save yourself the trouble." 

"No, I was⎯ I was calling my lawyer, actually.”

That wasn’t what Richie expected, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. “Your lawyer? What, you’re gonna sue the state of Maine for psychological trauma? Because I’m in.”

Eddie snorted, then shook his head. “No, I⎯ I’m getting a divorce.” He said, biting the inside of his cheek. 

Richie’s breath caught in his throat, he blinked repeatedly at Eddie. “Oh, wow. That's⎯” He paused, reaching up to adjust his glasses. “I really don’t know what to say to that." 

Eddie chuckled. "Well, that’s a first." 

"I mean, are you okay?” Richie said, fidgeting slightly. “Do you need a shoulder to cry on? I’ve been told I have nice, broad shoulders.”

A small smile curled along Eddie’s lips. “Thank you Rich, but I’m okay actually. I think⎯ It was a long time coming. I’ve just been too scared to do it." 

"Why now?”

Something in Eddie’s expression flickered, but Richie couldn’t catch what it was. “There’s a number of reasons.” He said, dipping his fingers in the water, distracted. "First of all, once you defeat an alien clown, a lot of things that you used to find scary just don’t seem to be anymore.” He explained, face scrunching up. “Then there’s the fact that I got all my memories back and finally realized I married my mother’s replica." 

Richie bit down on his tongue, knowing Eddie wouldn’t appreciate whatever joke he was about to make.

"And then there’s you.” Eddie continued, finally looking up at Richie.

“Me?” He asked nervously, eyes bugging out of his head. “Why⎯ what about me?”

Eddie gave him a look, but Richie remained blissfully ignorant. Then his eyes were traveling over his body and Richie fidgeted under his stare, feeling exposed and painfully aware of the fact that he was wearing only a pair of shorts. He felt weirdly nervous and just like he did everytime he was nervous, he tried to hide behind a joke. 

“What? Did you find out your wife was lusting after me all this time? It’s okay Eds, you know the effect I have on Kaspbrak women, your mom was the same, she could never get enough of⎯ wait, what are you doing?”

Eddie had stood up. At first, Richie thought he was going to leave, chased away by Richie’s running mouth but then he was toeing off his slippers and sliding into the tub, his clothes still on. “I thought you said⎯”

“I know what I said.” Eddie cut in. He stood there, across from Richie, clothes wet and sticking to his body, the thin material of his shirt clinging to him and Richie had to tear his gaze from his chest before he started drooling. This was his wet dream unfolding right in front of him, Richie could feel his nerves get the best of him. 

“What? You’re gonna fight me for your wife’s honor?“ He joked, but his voice came out strangled. 

"No, but she might try to fight you for mine." 

"Wh⎯ what?” Richie stammered out, brain short circuiting at the implication behind Eddie’s words and then again, when Eddie started moving towards him in the tub.

“I’m not divorcing my wife because she has a secret crush on you. I’m divorcing her because I do.” He said, coming to a stop right in front of him. Richie plastered himself against the edge of the tub. Short of jumping out of it altogether, he couldn’t do anything to escape. He was left staring up at Eddie with wide eyes. “And because I’m gay. But mostly because I’ve had this big dumb crush on you since we were kids." 

Richie wasn’t entirely sure he didn’t fall asleep at some point and was dreaming all of this up, but then Eddie reached over and cupped his cheek, softly running his thumb over his stubble and maybe it wasn’t a pinch, but it still snapped Richie out of it. 

"Me too.” He blurted out. “You know, to all of that. Except the part about the wife, I don’t have a wife, but if I did, I would divorce her for you. Because I have a big gay crush on you too, Eds. And I’m gay.” He paused, surprised at himself. “Wow, I think that’s actually the first time I’ve said it out loud.” He looked straight at Eddie. “I’m so fucking gay and I love you." 

He grimaced as soon as the last words left his mouth, feeling like he already ruined everything by freaking Eddie out⎯ bringing up love when no one said anything about it. 

But Eddie wasn’t running away, he was grinning, watching him ramble with a fond look. And then he was saying, "I love you too Rich,” making Richie’s chest explode with butterflies. 

Then Eddie was moving to straddle him, his legs on either side of Richie’s, his hands resting on the edge of the tub, and those butterflies turned into fizzing heat, pooling on Richie’s stomach.

His arms remained at his sides, his brain not knowing what to do with a lap full of Eddie Kaspbrak, no matter how many times he’d imagined it.

Eddie chuckled, feeling Richie’s muscles tense up. “Who’s the one who needs to relax now? You’re all stiff." 

Richie choked out a laugh. "Oh, I’m stiff alright.” He said, feeling his dick starting to fill up embarrassingly fast, considering they’d done nothing at all.

“We should do something about that.” Eddie said and rolled his hips the tiniest bit, mouth curling into a smirk when Richie let out a strangled noise.

“Holy shit.” He muttered and then they were both moving in, lips crashing together. There was a short needy noise that Richie couldn’t assure didn’t come from him, his brain too focused on Eddie to care⎯

Eddie cradling his face in his hands, Eddie sliding his tongue into his mouth, Eddie rolling his hips against him. Eddie Eddie Eddie. 

Richie’s hands reached up to grab his waist, sliding under his wet shirt. On the next roll of his hips, Richie felt Eddie’s erection through his pants, pressing against his, causing them both to let out a moan.

“We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to⎯” Eddie was saying, breathing heavily as he continued to press against Richie.

“Oh, I want to.” He groaned, pressing kisses to the column of Eddie’s neck. “So much. You have no idea how much I want you, Eddie.”

“Me too, fuck.” Eddie gasped, one of his hands leaving Richie’s face to move down his chest until it rested over the waistband of Richie’s shorts, waiting for permission.

Richie gave a firm nod and Eddie’s hand ducked inside his shorts, pulling him out. Richie groaned at the touch, hips jerking up. 

When Eddie started stroking him, Richie had to bite down on his lip to keep from crying out, heat building up inside him. 

Feeling lightheaded, all the blood currently in his dick, Richie moved his hand to palm Eddie over his pants, causing his rhythm to falter and a whine to escape from his lips. He tucked the waistband under Eddie’s balls and grabbed his erection. When Richie started moving his hand, Eddie cried out, his head dropping on Richie’s shoulder.

It would be over sooner than Richie wanted and he would be feeling a little embarrassed by just how fast, if Eddie wasn’t just as desperate as Richie. There would be time to take it slow, next time. Richie needed there to be a next time. Many times in fact, to make up for lost time. 

“Richie. Oh god, Rich.” Eddie panted against his neck, his hand speeding up. Richie could only moan in response, squeezing Eddie’s dick. Their hips thrusting against each other, wanting more.

“Come on Eds. Fuck, I love you. Come for me baby⎯" 

He gripped Eddie’s waist, nails digging into the skin and then, Eddie was coming, spilling over Richie’s hand and crying out his name as he did. 

"Richie.” He muttered, voice slurred and breathless. His hand was still moving, working Richie’s dick. “God, I fucking love you.”

It didn’t take more than that, Richie was coming only a second later, biting down on Eddie’s collarbone as he stroked him through the aftershocks.

They rested their foreheads together, both of them catching their breath.

Richie opened his eyes when he heard Eddie make an unhappy noise. He was frowning at the water, face scrunched up. “No, nope. This was a bad idea.” He muttered and Richie’s heart skipped a beat when he thought Eddie might be regretting doing this but then, “I can’t believe I let you convince me to do this in the fucking hot tub!”

“I convinced you? What? Eddie, you literally jumped on me! I didn’t have a say in this!”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Well, I didn’t hear you complaining.”

“I wasn’t, you’re the one who’s complaining! You’re ruining my afterglow.” Richie said, sinking further down and leaning his head against the edge. “Let me enjoy this.”

Eddie wrinkled his nose. “How can you enjoy sitting here? We just came in this water! Not to mention these things are like a growing culture for all kinds of bacteria and fungus and⎯ stop laughing at me!”

“I can’t help it! You’re just too cute when you go on about bacteria and body fluids. Keep going and I might get hard again.”

Eddie punched his shoulder, but he couldn’t help but laugh with him. His eyes were crinkling in the corners and it made Richie’s heart skip a beat. He couldn’t help himself, pushing up so that he could kiss Eddie again. He melted in Richie’s arms, happily returning the kiss. 

Richie would’ve been happy to keep kissing him, but Eddie was bound to freak out again⎯ about the hot tub, the dirty water or the fact that any of their friends could walk in on them.

“So, want to go back to my room, take a shower and do this again on the bed this time?” Richie asked, smiling against Eddie’s lips. 

Eddie nodded, giving Richie one last kiss. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

Tag list: @daddyphantomtbh @yes-dillman-yes @richietoaster @beepbeeprichiellc @its-stranger-than-you-think @lemonaayyee @losers-gotta-stick-together @tinyarmedtrex @richiefuckfacetozier @sam-i-am2468 @stylesmelon  @s-s-georgie @reddie-for-anything @eddiefuckinkaspbrak @constantreaderfool @hammockrichie  @jesuschristsupruvestar @mirandonsky @reddie4diaster @alargedepresso @purplepoisonedgem @pan-ini @reddie-to-cry @reddieforlove @trashmouthnick @multi-fandom-wby @wheezyeds @nancynwheeler @reddieslashgeneralhorror @madi-personal @reddie-tozibrak @lover-mouth @atownofeggs @that-weird-girls-blog @appojoos @castielwinovak @a-gay-treee @twoidiotsinl0ve @fcngirltrxsh @spirited-marvel @typewrxter (if you want to be added, let me know!)

[a-portable-snack]

(This is Reddie-Fangirl24) “Do you have something to say?” - Reddie sentence starter

Thank for this one! It was alot of fun! 

Age: 13

The Beep-Beep rule was the law of Loser’s Club. Richie always followed the rules. Mostly.

It’s just sometimes his mouth was on a roll and his mind couldn’t stop it. And usually the losers would laugh it off and move on. But that was not Richie’s luck today.

“I SAID BEEP FUCKING BEEP ASSHOLE!” Eddie yelled. It caused Richie to stop in his tracks and turn to Eddie. Eddie looked like he was borderline tears, with face cutely scrunched up. Richie just gaped at him for a second.

“Do you have some thing to say?” Eddie said.

Richie knew Eddie was wanting an apology. But instead, ‘I love you’ sat on his tongue. And, not gonna lie, that was kinda new. I mean Eddie was just so cute but Richie wasn’t… like that. Was he?

Instead of approaching those feelings, Richie deflected the ENTIRE situation.

“Oh Spaghetti! You knew I was messing! It’s me! Trashmouth!” Richie did some finger-guns. He could tell his voice was straining. How did he act before he realized he loved his best friend?

“Well, you messed too much!” Eddie stormed passed him.

“I-I’m sorry!” Richie called out. Eddie stopped. Honestly he hadn’t expected Richie to actually apologize. Eddie was expecting to storm home, pout for a few hours, then Richie would show up with his new comic book. That’s what normally happened when they fought.

“It’s okay. J-just learn to either watch your mouth or take a fucking hint!” Eddie exclaimed through a rising blush. Neither boy was able to look at each other as they caught up with the rest of the Losers.  

Age: 18

Richie was excitedly packing up his car. Too soon, he’d be on the road to California. And as happy as Eddie was for him, he would do anything to stop Richie from leaving. Eddie wasn’t leaving for college until August and what did Richie expect him to do for three months?

“I still don’t understand why you have to leave so early” Eddie was almost pouting as he leaned against the car.

“I need to get to California ASAP so they can set me up for stardom!” Richie joked.

“Yeah, but…” Eddie let his sentence fade out.

“Do you have something to say?” Richie invaded Eddie’s personal space.

Eddie did have something to say. The thoughts taking over his mind. ’Stay. Stay with me. I love you’. The last part made Eddie’s eyes go wide.

Oh no. Eddie was in love with Richie. And Richie was about to be on the road and Eddie doesn’t know what to do. Does he ask to follow Richie? Does he ask Richie to follow him? Does Eddie even say anything? He was suddenly seconds away from a full panic.

“You good, Eds?”

“Y-yeah! Totally! We’re - we’re groovy?” Eddie shifted into an awkward pose, leaning on the car. How does one act normal after realizing you’re in love with your best friend?

Richie raised an eyebrow but went back to loading up the car. He hated to leave so early but he knew he had to leave Derry as soon as possible. There was the risk of him confessing to Eddie. With the AIDs epidemic, there was no way Eddie could even look at him if Richie confessed.

And so, Richie finished packing, gave Eddie a tearful hug, and both boys cried has Richie passed Derry’s Welcome sign.

Age: 40

After everything that just happened neither Richie nor Eddie could imagine what to do next. Most of the other Losers were either starting their new lives or off to fix their old ones. But here they sat, in a hospital, with no idea where to go next.

They both knew they couldn’t go back to their old lives. Richie’s career was going to be more difficult than ever after his failed show and Eddie couldn’t go back to New York.

So, what’s next?

“Mr. Kaspbrak? Your wife is here” a nurse came in and told Eddie. Eddie had almost forgotten that she was called and told about his accident when he woke up.

“I guess I’ll leave you…”

“Please stay” Eddie said, finally expressing the emotions he would have 20 years ago. “Please stay with me”

Richie immediately settled back into his chair “Always Eds”

Eddie let out a small sigh of relief then Myra barged through the door.

“Eddie! Oh Eddie! What happened!? I get a call that you were in the hospital and they weren’t able to answer any of my questions!”

“I’m sorry Myra but when my friend called we were trying to get him out of here because of a serial killer and…”

“A SERIAL killer? Oh my god! My poor Eddie!” Myra started cooing and petting him, and act that just made Eddie want to curl into himself.

“Ah, Myra, I think maybe you should give him some space…” Richie calmly commented.

“I will not be having some random stranger tell me how to treat my husband!” Myra snapped.

“But he’s obviously uncomfortable!”

“Can you both stop?!”

The tension in the room was able to be cut with a knife. Eddie opened his mouth to say something but it was caught in his throat.

“Do you have something to say?” Myra almost spat.

“Y-yeah. I want a divorce” Both Myra’s and Richie’s jaws dropped.

“I’m sorry I’ve been lying to you but I… I’m gay. And everything that just happened made me realized that I’m done hiding. I want us both to stop lying to ourselves and start living.” Eddie couldn’t stop himself from letting his eyes drift to Richie with that last sentence.

Luckily Myra didn’t notice.

“D-divorce? GAY?! Eddie you have no idea what you’re talking about. How about we go home and I can help you get fixed…”

“I don’t need to get fixed!” Eddie exclaimed “I am fine just the way I am! I am not sick and I am not broken and I am definitely not fragile. Myra I want a divorce and we will be getting a divorce. I will have a lawyer call you soon”

After some more yelling and Richie almost physically fighting Myra, hospital security escorted Myra off the hospital grounds. Eddie had his knees pulled up to his chest, needing some sort of barrier between him and the world.

Richie sat down next to Eddie. Richie had so much he wanted to say. So much he needed Eddie to know. But Richie knew he should hold his tongue for now.

“Thank you” Eddie almost whispered.

“Why are you thanking me? You were the badass who just did… THAT! I don’t know what was more bad ass, that or the gazebo incident” Richie smiled as Eddie let out a small laugh.

“Yeah, I guess so” Eddie looked like he had another thing he wanted to say but Richie couldn’t deal with the silence that came with waiting for him to speak.

“Yeah, I mean your list of bad ass moments are just on the increase with pulling a knife out of your face and shit. I feel like I need to put you on lock down. Haha. I mean not really. That’d be weird” Richie couldn’t stop the words from filling the silence.

“RICHIE!” Richie slammed his mouth shut.

“I’m sorry. I want to tell you something and I’m just so scared to say it out loud. It’s part of what I was saying earlier about not being afraid anymore and living my life…” Eddie’s eyes started watering, fear making his hands shake. Richie took one, running his thumb over his knuckle.

After a beat, Richie brought the knuckles up and placed a kiss on each one. Eddie’s wide eyes tracked each motion.

“You can say it.”

“Richie I love you”

“I love you too”