#But I hope you enjoyed either way

[chaosduckies]

Friends in Small Places (Chapter 3)

So sorry for the wait haha- The stress is real. Anyways this is NOT my best chapter, but it does include something that I always love to see in g/t. But otherwise, I hope you enjoy!

Word Count: 3.4k

CW: Anxiety

3-Cas

When I woke up, it was quiet as usual. My head was throbbing, and my muscles ached every time I moved them, but I forced myself to sit up, finding that I was lying on the hard ground. Right. New medicine, made my body go haywire, Liam- Liam. My eyes darted all round, landing on a small figure that was copying some things down in his notebook from his laptop. He wasn’t as small anymore, which meant I was back to normal. Well, sort of. I felt drowsy. And hungry, but I usually I just go out to go eat something. 

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, stretching out my arms as far as I could temporarily manage. Liam picked up his head, closing his notebook and laptop. What time was it? I looked through the window curtains to see that the sun was still out, but it didn’t look like it was noon at all. How long was I out for? 

“Morning.” Liam greeted, walking a little closer to me. I pressed my back up further against the wall. Did I sleep through the entire I night? Where was my phone anyways? 

“M-morning.” I whispered, simultaneously searching for my phone. I knew that I didn’t have to go into the lab today, but still, sometimes they liked to schedule surprise meetings or something. Last time I didn’t show up they punished me for it. I shuddered at the thought, but kept my attention on Liam, who looked like he was forcing himself to come closer to me. 

I raised the hand that he seemed to be walking towards close to my chest. It’s not like I didn’t want him to touch or come near me, it’s just that I was scared I’d accidentally do something that he might not like. What if I hold him wrong or-or he gets too uncomfortable, or what if I accidentally drop him? The anxiety ate away at me until I felt myself grow a few feet. I winced, calming myself down before it could get worse. Again. 

Liam took a few seconds to get out of his sudden shock, giving a shaky smile. Was that supposed to mean “I’m okay but I’m terrified of you?” I couldn’t help but look away, saddened by the thought. I wish I didn’t have to keep so in control of my emotions all the time. Anytime I want to cry I just can’t otherwise I might hurt people. More especially the regular-sized human that was currently struggling to stand on two feet. I would offer help but… I don’t think he’d be all that excited about it. Neither was I. 

“How are you f-feeling?” He tired to hide how shaky his voice was, but I could tell. Most people talk like that when they’re around me anyways. They get one glimpse at the stupid band around my wrist and they automatically think I’m a threat. I mean, yeah, I have depression, but as long as I remember to refill my anti-depressants and SSRI’s I should be okay to go out in public for a couple hours. Most of the time I try to control my emotions though. Since that’s what triggers me to grow in the first place. It’s also mostly why the SSU doesn’t let me see my family for a long time. They think that if I’m around it’ll spark too much emotions all at once. It could be true, and the last thing I want is to hurt my own family. 

“Um, a little better.” I sighed, seeing my phone thrown halfway across the room. Right. I completely freaked out when Liam said to open the door and ended up throwing it somewhere. I’ll just go grab it in a little bit, I wasn’t in a rush. If anything, I should probably get dressed to get something to eat. I didn’t know how to cook besides some microwaveable things I had in the fridge. Of course I had some groceries, just not many. 

“Hey, um, are you hungry? I can go out to get something.” I asked, keeping my voice to a whisper while also getting ready to stand up. While I didn’t have a job, the company was giving me monthly checks to help for necessities. Clothes, food, basically anything I needed to survive. With another person here I might as well make them comfortable and help out with anything they need. It’s only the right thing to do. Especially if I’m the one giving them a hard time… 

“Hm? I-I can cook something.” Liam looked towards where the kitchen was. I nervously smiled, finding it kind of funny that he didn’t realize that this entire house was accommodated for my size. Of course I can be smaller, but I wouldn’t be able to do anything but walk around on the floor. Plus, it’s hard to stay that height without the medicine. I did feel bad that Liam couldn’t do the things that he wanted to do. I didn’t know if he liked cooking or not, but maybe I could at least try to help? I’m not exactly a culinary expert. 

“I can maybe help? I-if you’re okay with it of course.” I stared at my hand, slowly lowering it to the ground what seemed a few inches away from Liam to me, but must have been a couple feet to him. He eyed it warily, and the longer he stared the more shaky my hand became. How could I trust myself to carry an entire life in my hands? I don’t even trust myself anywhere around someone smaller than me. 

Liam sucked in a deep breath, “I-I, um, I d-don’t-“ He paused for a minute, recomposing himself, “S-sure. If you want to.” He hesitantly walked closer to my hand, looking at my palm as if asking himself how to get on. I didn’t particularly care. It’s my first time actually holding someone. A living person in my hands. What if I drop him? What if I’m holding him wrong? I don’t want to hurt him! I would never forgive myself, and then they’d assign me a new therapist. I bit the bottom of my lip, trying my best to tilt my hand as much as I could to make it easier to climb on. Of course I could just grab Liam, but I don’t think he’d like that very much. 

“You can just climb on. I don’t really mind.” I gave the best fake smile I could manage as he returned one back. He took another look at my hand, starting with hurtling on of his legs on and then falling over when I tilted my hand flat to make the rest easier for him. Apparently it just made him roll over onto his stomach. I was so sure Liam could feel how shaky I was. Of course I was nervous, but I guess I’d just have to trust myself. Something I wasn’t prone to do on a daily basis. 

I stood up slowly, using both hands to cup the passenger I was currently holding to make sure they didn’t fall, and walked slower than usual to the kitchen, slightly tilting my hand to let Liam back down before I did something I was going to regret for the rest of my life. 

“I don’t know how to cook, so I guess you just tell me what to do?” I kept my hands by my sides. Liam took a while to get himself back together, but eventually he just nodded his head, “D-do you have anything in the fridge?” He fidgeted with his hands while I checked, finding it kind of sad that it looked kind of bare except for a few containers filled with some leftovers, eggs, drinks, and a couple of the microwaveable plates I buy at the store. 

“Just some eggs, a few plates I can microwave too.” I closed the fridge, noticing that Liam cringed. Did I do something wrong? 

“It’s not healthy just eating those y’know.” He muttered, probably thinking that I wouldn’t be able to hear him. I sadly nodded my head, “My mom wasn’t able to teach me before they moved me away soooo-“ I looked away for a second, grabbing two eggs and smiling nervously down at Liam, who was thinking hard about what I had just said. Did i give away too much? He’s going to have to meet my parents sometime soon anyways. They’ll tell him all the embarrassing stories of me when I was a kid and all of the other things I did. The good and the bad. Because that’s just how they were. 

“I can just make these, right?” I held them up, watching him nod and tell me what to grab and do. Liam had tried moving some objects around that I needed to use. He tired his best to use them himself, but of course he was too small, or he at least couldn’t do it by himself. I was scared that if I grabbed it at the wrong time then he’d jump and run away, so I usually just waited for him to take a break before taking the issue off of his hands. 

It was kind of awkward since I should be the one already knowing I how to cook, but I guess this was fine. Liam was honestly a really great teacher. He kept me calm when I thought the heat would just make the mixture explode in my face. Again, I don’t know the slightest thing about cooking. Not at all. Can’t blame me for not knowing… but maybe Liam could teach me? No, that’d be ridiculous. There was no way that he’d do that. Plus, what if I don’t watch what I’m doing carefully enough? I could really hurt him without even meaning to. 

“Liam?” I set down my plate for a second. 

“Yeah?” He did the same with his, all of his attention on me. Was it weird that I was a bit nervous now? I feel like it should be the opposite. But here I was, worrying about an answer to a question I pretty much already knew the answer to. 

“Would you mind teaching me how to cook? You seem pretty good at it, and I’d like you to feel more welcome here.” I tried to explain thoroughly, so he doesn’t think I’m tricking him. I wouldn’t ever dream of it, but just in case. We’ve only really been around each other for two days anyways. He has no reason to trust me. Especially when yesterday I messed it all up. I had it all planned out in my mind. I’d try to stay calm for as long as I could, let us both get comfortable with the situation (More for Liam than me) and then I wouldn’t have to be so careful around him. Turns out I couldn’t even last a day. Or maybe that was just because of the medicine. It was extremely painful. It felt like my insides were being ripped out. Do you know how hard it is to stay calm when you’re in that much pain? Hard. Very, very hard. 

“Sure! U-Um, we might need to go to the store later though. If that’s okay with you of course!” He laughed nervously, trying to rid himself of the shakiness of his voice. At least he was trying. But… I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that he though I would actually hurt him over something as trivial as taking him somewhere. If anything, I’m just happy that he wants to be near me at this point. 

“I don’t mind. You’re the cook here anyways.” I tried to lighten the mood. It seemed to work. 

———Liam———

When Cas woke up this morning I wasn’t expecting him to be in such a light-hearted mood. If anything I thought he’d be the exact opposite. He seemed tired still, but at the same time he seemed to be trying his hardest to keep calm. Actually, that’s kind of what he looks like all of the time. No offense. 

This morning was surprisingly fun. I wasn’t expecting to try and help a full on giant cook something. It’s extremely difficult to maneuver all of the utensils when they’re almost ten times your own size. I wasn’t built for moving heavy things around if you couldn’t tell. But either way, it was still a lot of fun trying to help Cas cook. It was saddening to learn that he was never taught because the company moved him away from his family. Why would they do that in the first place anyways? I don’t see a reason why they would just rip him apart from his family. I would think they’d help him out more than I could actually. 

“S-sorry to ask,” I sighed, making the mistake of peering over the edge of the counter, shuddering at the devastating height I was currently at, “But could you l-let me down? P-Please?” I took a couple steps back. Cas nodded his head, extending his hand out just like before and waited for me to let myself on. I couldn’t really tell all that much, but I think he’s just as nervous as I am when he’s holding me. I can feel him slightly trembling, and even the way he moves slower than usual. I think it’s kind of funny how he cares so much about one meaningless life. Or sweet really. 

I climbed onto his hand, being taken back to the living room where I had left my stuff. Right. I had a test to take on Monday… Luckily I still had the entire weekend to study. I think it’d be nice to spend at least one day with Cas. We haven’t really had the chance to get to know each other better. Maybe I can ask to make my lessons online? Just until they find my replacement. If they ever find one of course. It’s not actually that bad being with Cas. He’s really nice and gentle, doesn’t overdo anything. I have no idea why I thought it’d be so terrifying in the first place. Then again, it’s only been a couple of days. 

“Thank you.” I mumbled, just barely loud enough for Cas to hear. He look a little shocked before smiling. Like a genuine smile. Not one of those fake ones he puts on to hide that he’s actually sad. I must say, I’m not doing a very good job as a therapist, but then again everything seems to be fine. 

I put away most of my things inside of my backpack, heading to my little corner on the floor where my other suitcase was, filled with my clothes. I still had a lot back at my dorm, but I’m technically not living here. Just staying for a while until the SSU can make sure that the person I’m with is comfortable without me here almost all of the time. 

I grabbed a few clothes, waiting for Cas to leave and change so we could head out. It was already midday anyways. I think it’ll be fun teaching him how to cook anyways. I feel bad about the whole situation he’s in. Does he even get to see his parents? I guess I’d have to ask him that. 

After a while of waiting, Cas came out wearing a t-shirt and a regular pair of jeans. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the bright-red band on his wrist though. He’s not… that bad actually. I’ve only ever heard stories that shifters with a red band were a danger to society. Were they wrong? Did the company lie to us? That can’t be true… But so far everything that’s happened to Cas hasn’t been exactly great. The forced medicine, taking him away from his parents, what else have they done? So many questions I wanted to ask Cas, but we weren’t at the level yet. I feel like he’d completely shut me out if I asked him right now anyways. 

“So are you fine with just climbing on again?” He crouched down on the ground, his palm down for me. I struggled to climb on, but managed on my own. He was definitely more nervous than I was. 

“You good?” I chuckled lightly, getting used to it already. For someone who was so afraid of being mishandled, I was actually doing pretty good. Or maybe that was because Cas was watching everything he did so closely. Ryan was definitely right. Shifters really weren’t as bad as the stories made them out to be. Or I had made them out to be. 

“Hm? O-Oh yeah! Just nervous.” He brought up his other hand our of fear of himself dropping me I was guessing. Yeah, I would not enjoy falling from a hundred foot drop right now. I was thankful for the extra protection, but this only proves that he doesn’t trust himself all that much. Another thing I can work on with him? I think it’d be a good thing to work on his self-confidence. Maybe that’s why he’s not used to being around people smaller than him? That being said… how did he live when he was younger? If he couldn’t stay comfortable at a normal height? And yet another question to ask Cas. 

I admit it’s pretty scary when You’re a hundred feet up in the air, your life literally in someone else’s hands, and heading to a place you’ve never been to before. Really anything could happen, but I have to place all of my trust in I just met two days ago. I guess you can’t gain trust if you don’t give any in the first place. Still, I couldn’t get rid of the slight fear that was slowly crawling up through my entire body. Okay, maybe I was just jumping to conclusions about getting used to being carried around. This was the most terrifying thing ever. 

——————

The walk wasn’t that far. (Well at least for Cas-) Maybe about ten minutes before we reached the small store that was packed with people. I guess this is what it was like on this side of the city? This was just crazy. Maybe that’s why Cas doesn’t go out much? It would make sense. It would also explain why he tried his best to avoid so many people everytime he walked down an isle. Or maybe it was for my sake? I couldn’t tell. 

“What exactly do I need?” He laughed nervously, grabbing a carry basket in his free hand, the one holding me cupping even more to make sure I wouldn’t fall off. I think I’ll just stay clear of any kind of view from the ground. Yup. 

“Oh, well, um, fruit? Some meat I guess? I-I can help you with that.” Cas nodded his head, walking over to the produce section and picking out a mixed bowl and some things to make a salad. Good to know that he wasn’t just microwaving everything. It didn’t take long for me to help him pick out some chicken to make for dinner tonight and something for tomorrow too. There would probably be leftovers for a good day or so afterwards anyways. I’m just glad I could help him out with something. At least somewhat. 

When we arrived back home, I told Cas where to place everything, and that was basically it. I’d just have to teach him how to cook dinner for tonight. But otherwise, we would just be hanging out in the living room. I could go without studying for a while anyways. It was beyond tiring to memorize all of those formulas anyways. 

“Thank you so much.” Cas laughed. 

“For what? Getting groceries?” I laughed with him. Just because I’m slightly older than him doesn’t mean anything. 

“Yeah. I guess so.” His hand laid up against the couch, letting me down and onto the comfy cushion. I made myself comfortable, watching Cas sit on the other couch, grabbing his phone that he completely forgot about after last night and checked on whatever was waiting for him. He sighed, placing it on the table in the middle. 

“Wanna play a game?” He asked, looking a little wary. Well, it’s not like I can say no. 

“Sure!” 

——————

Ahhh I love when the giant doesn’t know how to cook but the tiny does. Just when the giant tries to help out as much as they can AGHH- I hope you guys enjoyed this extremely overdue chapter, again, so sorry for the long wait.

But thank you guys so much for reading! I appreciate every single one of you who read and like my work you have no idea how much it means to me that you all like it 🫶

If there is an ask in my inbox, I promise I will eventually get to it. So sorry for those of you who have been waiting (I have a little writing piece that I want to do for them)

Taglist: @da3dm

[runningupthatvecna]

get the peach(es)

bestfriend!eddie munson x reader

it's the day after chrissy got vecna'd and you and the gang decide to check up on eddie at rick's. he's still in so much distress that you can't help but selflessly stay with your best friend (who you've been harboring a crush on for quite some time) and keep him company. 6k words, not proofread.

cw: the good old friends to lovers trope, eddie is an anxious bean who just needs to be held (by you, ideally), mutual (and not so secret at all) pining, i wrote this with fem!reader in mind (she/her pronouns) but can also be read as gn i guess, fluff, hurt/comfort (for eddie), pet names, mentions of chrissy's death, there shall be kisses and a lot of softness. nothing too explicit but minors are still advised to LEAVE

a/n: totally not self indulgent, that scene of him being so terrified in 4x02 ripped me to shreds so this is my fix-it attempt, trying to still my need to hold him and scratch his head. disclaimer: this piece of writing is based on the ending of that episode, meaning all credits for the setting go to the respective writers. sources to the header images here, here and here. lovely divider by saradika. ok thank you so much for reading byeeee love y'all <3

–––––

The overwhelming need to befriend the satanic metalhead found you at that party at the Wheeler house. You had almost said no to Nancy when she invited you, knowing damn well how the night would end. Steve passed out with a girl on his lap, Robin silently pining after Vickie from some corner of the room while clinging onto the red plastic cup in her hand, Jonathan getting higher than a kite with his old school mates, the younger kids asking you every five minutes if you could give them a ride since you usually were the one staying sober.

Additionally this time, there would be Eddie Munson. This familiar stranger Dustin, Mike and Lucas had met and somehow befriended over the last months, due to them joining his DnD club. "He might come off as a bit intimidating ... but I promise he's super chill and easy going!", Mike had tried to convince his sister, poking the tip of her shoulder repeatedly with a bunch of pleases during lunch break in the editing room of the school's newspaper. Until she rolled her eyes theatrically and agreed to let the ambiguous stranger, which the whole town collectively perceived as not really fitting in (and who you both certainly knew under the not so chill reputation he carried around), attend the celebratory events at Casa Wheeler. Occasion: Karen, Ted and their youngest leaving the house for more than one day, off on vacation.

You'd always kinda stayed out of his ways, used to observe his antics back at school with a silent laugh and this .. intrigue poking at your guts. To you he always stood out, and if anyone asked you'd be hesitant to admit it, but his willingness to go against the flow and not conform to the acceptable standards set by society was honestly impressive. And besides, surely this whole mysterious drug dealer rockstar image must just be a fassade and deep down he's just a dork, right?

His eyes follow you through the living room, an echo of your name crossing his mind repeatedly after having pulled Dustin into a corner for a brief interrogation. He finds it endearing how quickly and almost bashfully you look away every time your curious gaze meets his. As you redirect your focus to the conversation you're becoming engaged in, there's a soft smile creeping onto your lips. Little did he know it would soon start to haunt him in his dreams at night.

"Anything specific you're looking for?"

God, his voice. The close proximity invites your nose to inhale a mix of fresh cigarette smoke, bergamot and sandalwood, allowing you to sense what can only be him standing behind you as you skim through the cabinets of the Wheeler kitchen. You turn your head for your eyes to confirm your assumption and what they find is the deepest brown of round baby cow eyes they've ever met, up so much closer now. The paring of his gaze and plush smile somehow manages to dissolve every little prejudice you've been involuntarily harboring about him. Eddie Munson, the town's freak. Prime reason for the existence of the satanic panic. Drugs. And then you realise that you should probably do the polite thing and give him an answer. "Yeah uh, I was just trying to find the peach syrup", holding his gaze with a small lopsided smile, lost in its warmth which you wouldn't have dared to expect from it, before facing away from him again. He snorts a little, "peach syrup?", pauses to bring a thumb to his upper lip, lightly scratching the skin above as if to wipe something away, before he removes it again and the dimples appear around the corners of his mouth, "that is oddly specific." His response spreads a smile over your face, and the next thing he says widens it, "looks like you have taste though."

You move one step to the side, about to investigate the insides of the next cabinet, the kitchen itself almost empty of people with only three others chatting away in the corner across the island. He follows, undoubtedly trying to stay close, and the heat from the fire he just ignited somewhere inside of you rises to your cheeks. "Thanks, I really like peaches. Especially in my drinks. It adds a little ... kick to my sobriety", you explain, Eddie now quirks an amused eyebrow paired with a lopsided smile at you, and as you get to the last cabinet it dawns on you (and also Eddie) that this household severely lacks peach syrup. An atrocity. Thanks Ted.

After he helped you rummage through the entirety of the kitchen without success but under a lot of small talk, the metalhead vanishes from the function for an hour or so. At least that's what your brain concludes when your vision fails to spot him among the people who are in attendance. Maybe he's selling out of Nancy's bedroom. Maybe he's puking up his insides in the bathroom because he had too much of that weird beer he's been downing all night. Maybe he's banging some random girl in the bathroom upstairs. Or summoning a demon. Or both. At the same time. You once again try focusing your attention back to the conversation you are involved in. Munson already feels so dear to you that the lack of his presence is starting to form an ache in your heart. It's tugging on those strings with how much you already want him near you. Yeah. You're gonna be in trouble with this one.

And then he stumbles into the room from the direction of the front door, an event you're totally unable (and unwilling) to miss. He doesn't look like he just puked, nor sold a whole lot of the stash since you notice it still bulging out the left ass pocket of his black jeans. Instead, as he pushes past the small groups of people socialising – and towards you – while you notice a red net of round fruits dangling from his right hand, and you start to think that his disheveled hair and that rosy tint on his cheeks might actually not be from shagging either. He meets your gaze again as he approaches you with a grin and your heart dares to swell at his attentive gesture (you think you might as well pass away on the spot).

"Have some, peach."

It's not syrup, but you'll take them anyway. And with your next drink, you swallow down not only that peachy sweetness on your tongue, but also whatever this tingly feeling in your chest is.

"Chchhrhch.."

Pause.

"Hey, uh– chrhchhr.."

Silence in your bedroom, the only thing illuminating the space is the moonlight softly falling through the window.

"Chrch– a-are you there?"

You stirr awake from dozing off in your bed, trying to piece together the information your senses are giving you.

Eyes gone dry, you have to blink a few times. Figure out which year it is and so on.

Confusion lies between the static crackle for a moment. That nap after your shift at the diner was necessary. God, you need to fucking quit.

"No I'm sure she'll pick right up, just– hey pleeease b-be awake, goddamn it!–"

Is it already past midnight?

You don't know and you can't tell, the clock on your nightstand still broken. What you do know though is that the familiar voice belongs to your friend Dustin and it's desperately trying to get ahold of you.

They must have found him.

"Dustin? I copy, where are you? What's going on?", you finally grab the device from the nightstand, fully awake and aware of your surroundings now.

You need to know. If he's okay.

There's that all too familiar instant tingle in your chest again, an ache that made itself familiar to you for the first time when he was introduced to you at the one and only Wheeler party several months ago. The dungeon master of Hawkins High's Hellfire club, the lead guitarist of Corroded Coffin and a super chill and easy going guy, to put it in Mike Wheeler's words.

What you didn't expect back then was your heart starting to develop that feeling, that tingle you'd always get to feel when you were in his presence, or like now, when his name is threatening to spill from your friend's lips on the other side of the connection at any moment.

"Aha! See? I told you she'd respond in no time."

You can practically feel Dustin's shit eating grin through the frequency, basking in being correct over Steve Harrington once again. It never gets old between these two.

"Oh my god", Steve's muffled voice is what you can make out vaguely from the off, he's probably palming his face.

"Dustin!", your voice disappears into the device, and your impatience grows with every passing second, hoping he gets the hint.

There's the sound of a door falling shut, leaves rustling under shoes, he must be outside now.

"Alright, okay yeah, so we found him at Rick's and he's really upset and he's been asking for you. I know it's late but can you meet us out here? And maybe, uh, stay with him?"

It's not even worth questioning. You're already wearing shoes. Your biggest hoodie in tow, you stumble into your kitchen with the intention to raid your own snack drawer. Pulling out Eddie's favourite, which you of course had stocked up on ever since hanging out with him at your place had become more of a weekly routine for the both of you.

Ten minutes, you told him. You'd be there in ten.

The drive feels like forever. The longest ten minutes of your life, you think.

You know the route like the back of your hand, having driven along the gravelly road leading from the last intersection before Hawkins' border to the outer world, to the serene woods surrounding Lover's Lake countless times. Eddie would take you here ever so often, for picnics, an occasional smoke after picking up a new delivery from Rick's, cloud or star gazing, listening to Metallica and Tears for Fears on Wayne's old walkman.

The gravel crunches underneath your white reeboks as they land on the ground. You close the door to your car as quietly as possible after you've taken out the bag and your hoodie.

Dustin and Steve are stood outside the boathouse, waving like madmen in the darkness once you come into their periphery.

The younger boy hugs you tightly.

"So glad you could make it", he gets out, the relief palpable through his voice as well as the grip he holds you in for a brief moment.

You look at them both after Steve presses you against him cordially, and breathe out through your nose, making your nostrils flare.

Dustin cracks open the case to you as he starts to ramble about the state in which they found your best friend, "well first he attacked Steve with a broken bottle, we had to put in great effort to convince him that we'd be on his side, and we came to the conclusion that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, basically."

What you want right now goes without saying. Everyone here knows how close you and Eddie are. As friends, of course. No one would think anything different.

Without wasting another second, the boys lead you inside where Max and Robin are knelt on the wooden floor. Heads turning towards the entrance of the room where you're now standing.

The sight of what's offered to your eyes, sitting opposite of them, breaks your heart.

You can see that he's slightly shivering, eyes glassy in the dim lit room. A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips though once his brain grasps your presence, and he can't help anymore but let the water fall once his eyes lock with yours.

The pain that is swimming in those two deep warm brown oceans hits you like a dagger to the chest. Over the months of being friends with him you'd seen him various different states, none of them comparable to this.

"Peach", his shaky voice announces your arrival and the sound of your nickname spilling from his lips cracks through your bones. The bag that's slung around your shoulder drops onto the wood with a dull thud.

Wobbly legs carry him towards you with a gentle shove past Robin and Max. You're once again reminded of your best friend's sheer physical strength as he wraps his arms around you, instantly burying his face into the crook of your neck.

One arm of your own sneaks around his torso, pressing him against you as tightly as your own strength allows you, while your other hand comes up to bury itself underneath the mane and to end up scratching soothingly over the scalp above the nape of his neck.

Eddie lets out a muffled sob, sniffling into the collar of the sweatshirt you threw on in a haste. He doesn't really want anyone to see him like this, certainly not Steve Harrington, so he clutches onto you so tightly that he thinks you might just feel his heavy heart beating anxiously against your chest.

And you do. How could you not with the amount of world he means to you? Like an automatism your other hand rubs slow circles over his back. Comforting him in the best way you could. Not a conscious decision you make.

"Okay so, m'not meaning to ruin the party, in fact I'd love to stay for another round of doom talk, but I really should get home soon, guys", Robin scratches the back of her head after she gets up from her huddled position next to the wooden crate Eddie had been sitting on. Max joins in and agrees, mumbling something about having to move her mom from being passed out on the couch again into her bed.

"Yeah me too, actually. My dad's gonna be fucking pissed. We'll see you tomorrow, yeah?", Steve's voice echoes through the room and you can tell he's already shoved Dustin back outside, itching to drive the kid home.

As Eddie processes having to stay in hiding, added the possibility of everyone leaving without him, his grip on you tightens even more.

"It's okay, Eds", you speak softly, head slightly tilted so your cheek rests on the dark frizzy mop you could call his hair. The skin on his neck and scalp so warm underneath your fingertips as you keep scratching it, emphasizing your presence, "I'll stay."

A soft muffled whimper is what you get as a response, and the way he lets you see him in this state melts your insides to a puddle.

You just need him to be okay.

They wave their goodbyes behind your back, accompanied by mumbles of "see you in the morning", and you can't even bring yourself to turn your head around, fully focused on making the young man in your arms less terrified of the world. A world he was sure was now going to come for him with all its force – in deep conviction of him being responsible for Chrissy's misfortunate end.

The door falls shut and Eddie muffles a quiet thank you into the fabric of your sweatshirt. The skin on your neck is damp with his tears, wet eyelashes tickling every time he blinks.

"It's okay, Eds", you softly keep repeating your words to him while continuously rubbing over the denim of his signature Dio vest in a slow motion, when he feels the urgency to claim the truth into the collar of your sweater about what has happened, "I– I didn't do it, I swear."

As if you would need any convincing.

"Oh no of course you didn't, I know that", you're looking for a way to ease the distress this entire situation is causing him, his quivering voice adding to your desire to soothe him to inner peace, "can I make a suggestion?"

Eddie nods with another sniffle against your collarbone, the round wet tip of his nose brushing against the column of your throat lightly. To his ears, your voice sounds like silk right about now.

"How about we head over to the main house and get ourselves a little more comfortable? Since we're gonna be here for a little longer? My god you probably haven't slept or eaten at all, have you?"

You can feel him nod his head again with a hum this time, and you start to think that the tears might not just be pouring because he just witnessed someone suffer a gruesome death right in front of him, but also due to physical exhaustion.

It makes your heart ache even more, that tingle still present, even more so now. It hurts to see your best friend hurt.

He just needs to be okay. And in that heart of yours there's that little spark of hope that leads you to believe you could be the one helping him with that.

You'd really want that. Be all his to find comfort in, to hold close, to kiss stupid

Stop.

A sigh escapes your lungs at the thought. That tingle, that longing, it's selfish. It familiarly pools in your belly and slowly drips downwards. You push your brain aside. This is about soothing your best friend now.

"C'mon then", you utter softly, encouraging him with your hand to lift his head from where it leans against your shoulder.

For your heart it's almost too much to look at, the hurt still swimming in the glassy big brown irises, his waterline red and puffy. The soft smile returning to his lips causes the wet apples of his cheeks to push up slightly, reflecting the dim light coming from the one torch Robin left you, placed on one of the crates.

He really hadn't been able to close an eye for a single second since he he'd gotten up for school the day prior.

You smile back at him almost bashfully as you slowly create space between your bodies.

Eddie is grateful that it's you who grabs his ringed hand next.

He squeezes yours, hoping to get the message of this meaning something to him across.

And he closely trails behind you as you lead the way.

The house feels empty, like no one's really been here in months. You'd never been inside. The few times you'd accompanied Eddie grabbing stash you'd stayed in his van, waiting. But as far as you now can make out in the darkness, there's a couch with knitted blankets, a little TV with a whole stack of VHS almost rising as high as the screen itself, spilled and spluttered empty cans and papers and wrappings littered all around. Maybe this is why he never let you come inside with him. Keeping you out of this definitely not sterile mess. Along with keeping you out of the business.

In the middle of the living room, you let go of his hand and shuffle one step away from him. He's inside now. Safe. Job done. Doesn't need physical contact. You shouldn't, he's your friend. You feel like something between you would break if you'd go there.

Eddie thinks otherwise, regarding close proximity at least. He promptly follows you into what you believe to be the kitchen where you hope you might find a tea bag or two. He comes up behind you and encases you in his arms as you rummage through the cabinets (feels familiar, hm?), not at all ready to say goodbye to the warmth of your body pressed against his own just yet.

You giggle at the silliness of him putting weight on you just to make it harder for you to reach into the cabinets. It's endearing. And very Eddie.

Twenty minutes later and there's two mugs – cleaned to your best ability – with steaming hot liquid on the sixties wooden coffee table. Next to them a plate filled with the almost equally hot insides of a ravioli in tomato sauce can. Thank Rick for a still functioning microwave.

You drape the knitted blankets over both you and Eddie as you settle into the cushions. The only light existent coming from two lit candles on said coffee table. It wouldn't be too wise setting up the torch you think.

The side of Eddie's face glows in the orange yellow, his wide brown bambi eyes dried after the first grand storm, and there's this tug on the corner of his pink plush lips again. He exchanged his leather jacket for the freshly washed hoodie for comfort and a small part of you hopes he doesn't spill his dinner onto any of it.

You lean back into the backrest of the worn out couch and watch as he eats, a domestic thing you've done a thousand times already, yet you still find comfort in knowing that he's nourishing himself.

Or well, in this case, inhaling the raviolis.

"Thank you Peach", he moves to put the empty plate back on the coffee table and it makes the spoon chink and glide along the edge, "I really needed this."

His voice is a little hoarse, probably from the emotions of the hours behind him. Maybe he has indeed calmed down a little. His hand moves down to your thigh, squeezing.

You give him the most empathetic smile you can bring yourself to display, painfully aware of the blaze that is transpiring through your leggings and seeping into your bones, "it's no big deal, really. I mean it is– uh, being there for you, is."

And he can't bring himself to look up at you. Instead, he stares at the empty plate on that coffee table in front of him.

"And to me as well. It really helps that you're here."

He doesn't bother moving the calloused warmth of his hand from the soft warmth of your thigh. It lights your entire nervous system on fire. In a good way.

And that's when you begin to wonder if everything that has just happened and is still happening right now changes anything.

"I'm so glad it does", is all you're able to get out.

Eddie decides that it's time to lean into your side and wrap his arms around your torso once again, drop his head back to its favourite place with a soft content little hum.

He just needs physical comfort. Of course. Just that. Nothing more, nothing else.

The words are redundant but your mouth articulates them anyway, "try to get some sleep, yeah?"

His back already lifts and falls evenly. You place your hand on the back of his head that rests in the crook of your neck again, scratching through the curls lightly, searching to help him shut off even deeper.

–––––

The candles have gone out by the time your eyelids slowly open. It takes you a moment to recall the location you fell asleep in, and you hope that the nightly darkness the whole room is now filled with hasn't invited any stranger to take advantage of your unconsciousness.

There's a warm hand holding your face, the pad of a thumb tracing over the apple of your cheek softly. It makes its way from the bridge of your nose to the outer corner of your eye, and back. And forth. And back. And forth.

You must have moved to lie down on your back in your sleep, with Eddie's weight still on your body, legs entangled. It's not the first time you've slept like this, there had been movie nights that had ended similarly.

His hand caressing your cheek though, yeah that is new. There's something unspoken in the air this time around. Your stomach is doing flip flops when you realise that he is propped up on his elbow, just .. looking at you. With eyes that don't require light to hint at whatever it is he is trying to say, or maybe not trying at all.

"Eds, what are you doing?", you ask almost in a whisper followed by a lopsided smile, expecting an unserious answer, because he always tends to make a joke whenever he tries to avoid conversing about emotions regarding his heart.

His thumb stops its acrobatics on your cheek, comes to a halt.

"I'm–", he takes a deep breath before he continues, "I'm just so grateful it's you that's here right now."

Your hand comes up to cup his. Brush over his rough knuckles with a thumb of your own. Enjoying the warmth that is seeping from his palm into your skin.

"Yeah, I figured you were gonna be a little opposed to spending the night with Harrington", you laugh, an attempt to turn your nerves into humour.

Eddie snorts a little, "yeah right, it's almost like you know me", he grins and pushes himself even closer to your face than he already is. It doesn't necessarily help in extinguishing the fire that's consuming you whole at this point.

"It's almost like we're best friends and I know what you think of him because every time Dustin or literally anyone else mentions his name around you, you're not necessarily secretive about it."

"Hey, my own worldview is not my fault, it's just– ... he just kinda seems like a douche of the highest order."

"He's quite alright, Eds. Try giving him a chance, I think he'd look great as Coffin's tambourinist."

He snorts again and you feel his breath on the column of your neck next when he dips his head down, nose pressing against the soft skin, his small giggle being swallowed by the collar of your sweatshirt.

Your favourite sound. Ever. Followed by the relieved moan Eddie lets out at the way your other hand is softly rubbing over his shoulder blade. The vibration against your neck makes you twitch as much as being pinned into the couch cushions by his body allows you.

It's soothing as much for you as it is for him.

When he lifts his head, the soft gaze he eyes you with is enough to let the goosebumps erupt. Even in the darkness of the room you can still make out those round buttons that could melt the entire north pole.

"Thank you, Peach, really. I'd be goin' mental right now and probably tryin' to counter that by smoking an equally mental amount of the stash I've been hiding here."

Your heart aches.

"I'm just glad I can be that kind of comfort to you, Eds. You don't have to go through whatever the fuck this is alone."

"I know I'm never gonna be alone as long as you are there."

You almost cry yourself now, his words making your hand travel from his own to his cheek, almost passing out from the way his eyes bore into your own once again.

Eddie isn't sure what it is that is making him feel lightheaded right now. The whole rollercoaster of events of the past hours. Or your words of affirmation. Or mayhaps it is your cute soft hand with that little ring on your thumb which is gently swiping over his damp skin.

That cute soft hand he'd been imagining countless times at night, silently yearning for your eyes to look at him differently, to finally see him in a different light the next time you'd hang out.

Probably a combination of just everything.

You reciprocate his soft half-lidded gaze, hand moving from his cheek to tuck some of his hair behind his left ear, revealing that delicate silver hoop earring you'd gifted to him for his birthday, after having talked your ear off about getting his ear pierced for literal months.

He'd insisted you join him for the appointment, "another metal moment for the books", as Eddie had called it, the need to have his hand held during the stab comically urgent in the way his voice sounded when he called you that day. And in the pace in which he picked you up.

"I'm here no matter what", you respond to his sentiment, that hand that brushed his hair away resting on the side of his neck while leaning the weight of your head into his palm that is still attached to your cheek.

Eddie's confidence reaches a new all time high with the admission of your unconditional support being stirred into the cocktail of hormones and emotions that's been circulating in his bloodstream for a generous amount of time now.

Because then he goes on by saying impossible things.

Impossible things with a slightly less platonic undertone.

"You're so fucking sweet, has anyone ever told you?"

You smile as you shake your head, heat rising to your cheeks once again and you're sure he won't be able to see just how flustered he's getting you (joke's on you he does).

You're also sure he's out of his mind for saying that. Now.

"A shame, honestly. You should scold your best friend for not telling you sooner. Tell him what a fucking idiot he is."

Eddie earns another giggle from you. Music to his ears. Better than Metallica. Okay maybe not but .. pretty fucking close.

"I'll let him know next time I see him", you say with a grin, playing along with pleasure, and you ask yourself why it is only now that you realise just how fucking close his face is to yours.

There is a moment of silence in which Eddie hesitates articulating whatever is seemingly bugging his mind.

"Do you, uh, still like him?"

If you lifted your head just a little your noses would be touching. A silly and utmost redundant question, and yet, Eddie dreads your answer. If the circumstances were different, less dystopian and tragic, you'd seriously wonder what would spark the doubt in your friendship in him, but considering that everyone else would be going to pour their judgement over him, you understand.

Every word exchanged between the two of you at this hour is soaked in mutual infatuation, something the idiots in both of you are slowly starting to fathom as well.

"Of course I do, he's everything to me."

As you say it, you can't help the grin which reappears reliably each time you finish verbalizing your thoughts. It's contagious, you notice.

"And do you think – just hypothetically of course", it's only then he breaks eye contact to clear his throat, "of course", you interrupt him still smiling and cocking an eyebrow at him, "d'ya think it would be okay for this best friend to, uh, maybe...", Eddie pauses, internally watching the ship containing his confidence set sail slowly and ultimately letting the irrational thoughts win for tonight, "would you let him..."

Eddie generally wasn't someone who lacked confidence. It showed in the way he boisterously wandered the halls of Hawkins High, the way his demeanor never changed, his mask never faltered no matter who was around. Except for you. You who he had always granted a look underneath the impulsive, extroverted surface.

"Eds", you try everything in your power to stay calm even though everything inside of you is screaming right now and you're certain you can feel your pulse in your earlobes.

"Would it be just insane of that best friend to kiss you right now?"

You want to squeal and kick your feet, pull him into your face, pinch your own forearm, pass away, leave the house and never return, and stay right where you are forever, buried underneath your favourite metalhead, the parts where your bodies are touching practically on fire, cosy and content.

Instead, the most fond smile spreads over your lips as you try to contain your internal overwhelm.

It's still dark, the only light source being the full moon outside. Eddie's so hopeful of your reciprocation and even more terrified of ruining his entire life at the same time, those deep doe eyes at this point pretty much resemble the shape of the space rock orbiting earth. Rejection from you, his pretty Peach and the Bonnie to his Clyde, would be unbearable.

"I think so," you almost whisper, the hand that's been rubbing over Eddie's back coming up to lightly trace one of his eyebrows with your index finger because you just can't seem to not touch him in some way, "but you should know that I love his insanity."

Your small giggle is being silenced by a soft and cautious kiss from Eddie Munson. Like he doesn't want to break you. Or he's afraid you'll snap out of a haze, slap him and leave if he starts kissing you like he really wants to.

And then it's you who goes for it, you feel at home, right where you belong, you don't think you've ever felt this good. The hand on his jaw tugs him closer softly, pressing your lips to his with a bit more urgency.

It gives him all the confirmation he could possibly need.

That tingle, it grows and fills up your chest and shoots through your entire being, goosebumps and all. Eddie moans and breathes against your lips, tongue dancing over the thin skin, asking for permission.

His ringed hand digs deeper and slowly moves to the nape of your neck, intending to hold you in place, afraid you could slip away from him if he didn't. This blossoming thing between you could slip away from him. If he didn't.

It's so soft, the way his lips touch yours, and before you know it they move to your cheek, to your jaw, down your neck before Eddie comes up again, smiling from ear to ear, to gently bump his nose against the tip of yours and his lips return home with a soft and deep hum escaping from his lungs into your mouth.

Relief floods his veins along with whatever it is you're doing to him. The ability to shut out the insanity of the past hours is what he so desperately wants to cling to for as long as you allow him, even if the dawn will remind him of the horrid reality he's involuntarily become subject to live through now.

"You're making things so much better, Peach, you're so sweet, so fucking cute, so fucking good for me, do you even know for how long I've been dreaming of this?"

Eddie greedily pulls your face into his again, not even giving you a chance to reply and not nearly getting enough of your affection it seems with how fervently his tongue searches for yours.

A gentle collision of skin.

The soft whimpers you let out only spur him on. You not backing away from him, staying with him, letting him be this close to you?

You, the only constant source of consolation Eddie's ever really had.

Life changing.

Soft touches follow soft touches, your thumb traces his jaw repeatedly.

"You don't–", kiss, "for how long–", kiss, "I've been dreaming–", kiss, "of you as well", you breathe against him and Eddie thinks he might be about to resort to sniffling into your collar again with the amount of relief he is experiencing.

You'd let him.

"Yeah?", he presses his nose into your cheek with his eyes closed, smiling from ear to ear, relaxing his entire body into yours as you let him slide inbetween your legs.

"Yeah, you know how much of a sucker I am for peaches", you grin, another peck to his cheek, his jaw, his neck, your hips slowly finding a rhythm against his own.

Eddie groans at your allusion with a wide grin on his face (and the feeling of your warmth against his dick), before pressing his lips against yours again lovingly, "me too baby, me too."

–––

taglist (thought you might be interested): @josephfakingquinn, @ghost-proofbaby, @analogkraken, @wroteclassicaly, @songforeddiemunson, @joejoequinnquinn, @somnambulic-thing, @trashmouth-richie, @eddddiemunson, @ceriseheaven, @userchai

comments, reblogs and other forms of affection towards the author are greatly appreciated thank youuuuu <3

[angelbitezzz]

[It was becoming increasingly clear that he wasn't her Sans. He sure looked like him but—this was different. HE was different. Sure, maybe affection hadn't been his forté, maybe his sense of humor was darker than what was generally acceptable, maybe he'd always been cagey and distant but...not something like this, never this. Nobody ever wanted to find out they had been dating a murderer.

"aaaaangel."

The soft sing-song of her name usually made her perk up. All it did now was send a bucket of ice water down her spine. There was something so utterly terrifying about knowing that you're a hairsbreadth away from death. She presses her hands harder over her mouth, squeezing further back against the counter, silently willing him to keep walking...

"tell you what, kid," Sans starts, too close. She suppresses a flinch as she hears him lean against the counter. "you're being pretty damn stubborn about this. but i do like you...so tell ya what! you make it to dawn without getting caught, i'll take the hint and leave you be. how's that sound?"

She doesn't reply, but he takes it as a yes anyways. He always liked doing that.]

[hoshiina]

pairing: hoshina soushirou x gn!reader (no prns)

request: Hii im the anon who ask for the wips and i saw the blurbs you have. IM VERY MUCH HOOKED with the third ones where hoshina loves reader's smile🥹 relating to that maybe i would like to add(if you want, but feel free to do seperate if you want) soft moments with hoshina x reader who felt like she being the most pessimistic person regarding love(not anti but just felt like she doesn't deserve it) so she is on denial when hoshina make a move on her

notes: reader is usually rather energetic, talkative reader, hoshina thinks you are "beautiful" at some point, TYSM FOR THE REQ!! sorry it took so long omg

wc: 1300

Something was wrong— terribly wrong. There was no way someone would want you, let alone your vice-captain who could have anyone in the world. Not your vice-captain who did everything with such care and looked after everyone so preciously. And definitely never your vice-captain you were terribly in love with.

There must be some mistake. Or else he wouldn’t have just said what you thought he said.

“Pardon me?” you asked.

He looked a little flustered and you had never seen such an expression on him, confusing you further. “I love you,” he said again, softly. “I’d love to know if you’re in a relationship.”

The way he spoke so carefully added to how nervous it made you feel— it was so different from how he usually talked to you. Now, you were lost to say the least, because you couldn’t think of one reason why he would like you, let alone romantically. Under normal circumstances, you’d assume you were being played with or that this was a silly prank or dare, but you knew that Hoshina wasn’t one to do something so horrible. So what was happening?

“I am not…” you said, still confused, but the visible relief in his eyes made your heart tighten. Oh gosh, is he serious?

“I’m… thrilled,” he said, and he wished you goodnight and left. While you were terribly flustered to know he liked you back, there was a voice in your head that wouldn’t stop making you feel anxious. Something felt so odd to you— to be loved back. To be loved back by him. You enjoyed talking to people so you talked to him often, but never had you thought he'd think of you like that. Having a naturally talkative personality, it was true that both of you had fun talking to each other, but you had accepted that your love was unrequited ages ago. When would he have possibly fallen in love with you? The more you thought about it the more impossible it sounded. As thoughts of him circled your head, it’d be morning before you knew it.

It'd be hard for him to point out exactly when he fell in love with you, because he was in love before he knew it. Before he knew it, he'd catch himself following you with his eyes. He adored watching you work, because you made everything look exciting. Of course, he saw how you groaned at the paperwork you had to do, but he'd see how the little things would put a smile on your face.

He liked the work he did, he liked all of it quite frankly. From neutralizing kaiju all the way down to the research he had to do— rarely did he think something was a chore to do, but if you were around to laugh at something silly he found or mutter about the binders and binders of files that the 3rd division just doesn't have space for anymore, he'd start looking forward to these moments.

While he knew you were like this with everyone, he hoped that you were happiest with him. It would mean everything to him if you looked forward to doing seemingly mundane work with him too.

However, while he loved so much about you, there was one moment specifically that made him realize he wasn't moving on. His heart would be yours forever at this rate. You'd look so horribly tired after all this work, and yet, if someone needed help with anything at all, you'd still smile and ask them what's wrong. You'd find the energy and speak to them so kindly. You might not have the energy you usually had, but you'd be so happy to help. Even if they couldn't tell how exhausted you were, he could. He knew how much you did for everyone in the division, and he thought you were stunning when you did so. You were the most beautiful when you had that lovely smile on your face that seemed to light up his world.

He loved you so dearly.

You loved talking to people, so there always seemed to be something for you to talk about. A new finding you wanted to share or a terribly random thought that popped up in your head. While you naturally talked to most of the people in the division, you looked forward to talking to Hoshina the most. The way he'd always listen so intrigued at your dumbest thoughts and laugh at the smallest things you said meant more to you than one would probably think.

And if you shared your daily happenings with him, he'd share his with you too. To say you loved these moments would truly be an understatement. Nothing could possibly make you happier.

However, you knew he was like this with everyone. His laugh would always manage to keep the morale of the division up and he'd never miss potential problems in the condition of any of his officers. You knew he was a sweet person, but also the best one could ask for in a vice-captain. You weren't special— he was like this to everyone. You knew better than anyone else.

You couldn't imagine anyone falling for you, let alone the kindest person you'd ever meet in your life. Let alone the person you'd probably love for the rest of your life.

Yet, here you were, alone with him this afternoon working away through paperwork and it was quiet. Eerily quiet. He was the first to break the silence.

“I rather dislike the rain,” he said, looking out the window. “It’s been raining all day.”

You paused to look outside as well. “No, you’re right. I don’t mind the rain, but I hate how dark everything is.”

“Yeah,” he said. More silence.

“Sorry, I’m awkwardly nervous now,” he said, eyes fixed on his work. “I didn’t mean to make things… weird.”

You could tell he probably didn’t want you to, but you couldn’t help but look his way. Your eyes widened and your heart filled. You weren’t afraid to say much, but you were afraid to talk about this. However, you thought you’d be able to if you were talking to him.

“I just… can’t imagine that you’re… in love… with me,” you said, looking down at your paperwork. “Sounds too good to be true. I know... sounds unlike me, right?”

Immediately he looked up at you, shocked to say the least. You could tell he probably wanted to ask why, but he thought for a moment more.

“What… would I be able to do to show that I am?” he asked. “You’re the one I love… you always will be.”

Your eyes widened. “I just… don’t know why,” you said honestly. “Why me?”

“Because I love you,” he said. “I love a whole lot about you, but I love being with you. I enjoy spending time with you and watching you enjoy the life around you. Is that too simple?”

It took you a second to reply, but you felt a lot better. “No, not at all,” you said. “Because I feel exactly the same way.”

“You’re kidding”

“Absolutely not”

“I’m going to kill you if you’re lying,” he said.

That made you laugh. “You know I wouldn’t,” you said, and yes, he knew you wouldn’t.

“Hey, Hoshina,” you said, avoiding eye-contact. “If I get worried… will you tell me again?”

“I’d tell you until you get sick of my voice,” he said while getting up to kiss your forehead. “I love you so much.”

[an-established-butt-dent]

I am not a god.

I am prideful, hotheaded and foolish -

- and I'm doing what I must.

When you report back to the Inquisitor,

say that I am sorry.

Audio is an excerpt from this video by Solas' voice actor.

Colored pencil on paper.

[theghoulboysblog]

trick or treat!! 👻

here’s every shane and ryan hug that exists to this day! :) have a great october 🧡🤭

[cassandracain52]

A canon compliant guide of Bruce Wayne’s officially adopted children

I noticed there has been some confusion about who all in the BatFam is actually legally adopted by Bruce Wayne so I thought I’d try and help clear some things up.

(Full disclosure you can of course headcanon whatever you like, I made this is strictly to help newer fans know what is actually canon💕)

Dick Grayson: Adopted

(Batman: Gotham Knights #17 and Batman #600)

Many fans argue over whether or not Dick is officially adopted, many saying it was never official and he is still just his ward.

Though he does admittedly usually spend the majority of his actual childhood as a ward, Bruce ends up officially adopting Dick as his son(as I have explained before here)in multiple timelines

Barbara Gordon: Not Adopted

(Batgirl and the Birds Of Prey Rebirth)

There was never a need for Barbara to be adopted because she still has a Dad. She is however still very much in the BatFamily and has trained under and with Bruce

Jason Todd: Adopted

(The New Titans (1988) #55 and Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying)

Now I couldn’t track down a comic where we actually get to see Bruce adopt Jason, but there are plenty of instances in which his adoption is referenced -including but not limited to these two- throughout several timelines and reboots

Cassandra Cain: Adopted

(Batgirl 2008 #6)

Now this one is a bit more debatable as aside from this one instance, Cass’ adoption is never really mentioned again even after the timeline gets rebooted. Still the general consensus is that Cassandra’s adoption is considered canon.

Tim Drake: Adopted

(Batman #654 and Red Robin #4)

Though Tim declines Bruce’s offer of being adopted at first, we get to see Bruce adopt Tim as his son about a year or so later. His adoption is also referenced across multiple reboots

Stephanie Brown: Not Adopted

(Batgirls #13, Robin (1993) #174, and Robin (1993) #126)

Now the main reason Stephanie is not and probably will not be adopted is because both her parents are alive. While her Dad is a villain and out of the picture, her mother is a nurse and fully capable of taking care of her.

Bruce does however train her during her brief stint as Robin and much like Barbara she is no less apart of the BatFamily, she’s just not in the Wayne Family

Duke Thomas: Not Adopted (technically)

(All Star Batman #1 and Batman & the Signal #3)

Now Duke is never officially adopted because technically his parents are alive just insane due to Joker’s toxin of which there is no cure. However Bruce does take him in and let him stay at the manor and it is heavily implied he becomes Duke’s foster parent so do with that what you will

Damian Wayne: Not Adopted/Biological child

(Batman and Robin (2011) #0)

Damian is Bruce’s one and only biological child -of the main canon- and therefore does not need to be adopted because you don’t need to adopt your own child

And that’s all of Bruce’s official and unofficial children in the main canon!💕🖤

[oatmealcrisp-freak]

"shipping saiki is aphobic because he's aroace!"

stares at you with my demiromantic asexual in a committed relationship eyes then looks at the camera like im in the office

[michelle-jacksons-art-blog]

To be loved is to be changed.

[explodingstarlight]

there's nothing to see here (lying)

@snailsnaps fic “Alpha Stage” single-handedly reawakened my muse

[inspiration meme/tweet below the line 👇]

I saw this and I just HAD to redraw it for this AU-- you can count it as my prediction for chapter 3 if ya want ahdhjdjk

And here's a close-up on the main art as well (⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠)

[briar--rising]

It is so funny to me when people try to argue about who's 'worse', Lestat or Armand. First of all, worse by what metric? By the way they treat humans? The way they treat Claudia? Or (as it seems most people are focused on) only the way they treat Louis? And if it's by the way they treat Louis, are you judging based on what you would find worse in a partner, or by what Louis does (bc I would argue he pretty clearly has an opinion on that based on the end of season 2).

And most importantly of all, who cares??? They are both TERRIBLE. Everyone in this show is terrible! You can like morally reprehensible characters. Armand is my personal blorbo, and what he does is horrific. I can feel bad for him, and enjoy watching him, and think that his actions are heinous, and reblog art and read fanfiction of him, and analyze him without excusing him, all at the same time! And so can you with whoever you like!

Pitting these characters against one another is absurd. "Which one is less abusive" is a question I guess you can ask, but it's not a very interesting one. Much more interesting is "Why are they abusive in these specific ways? What about their trauma and personality informs their actions? Why does Louis react the way he does to each of them? What does that say about Louis? What does this show say about domestic violence in general? Are the rules different for vampires? Or is abuse abuse? Do the victims determine who should get forgiveness? Or are certain actions inherently unforgivable? Can you forgive someone when their victim hasn't? Is any of this different in fiction rather than reality? etc etc etc." There are so many interesting questions posed by the juxtaposition between Lestat and Armand and the way they treat Louis, and none of them are "but which one is worse so I can forever villify that one and hold up the other one as the paragon of what's good and right and perfect for Louis"

[moeblob]

@tinycurlyfry

hey hello hi please enjoy Awakening and GL o7 (take a Frederick doodle I'm v rusty but hope it's ok)

[mikakuna]

Hi! :) I realized turnabout is fair play so this is me asking for any jason fic recs you might have for me.

Have a wonderful weekend! 💕

hey, yeah of course!! this list is gonna be mainly angst and whump, with some fluff! check the tags of each fic so you don't end up reading something you don't want to see!

__________★˙⋆

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54591685

Jason struggles with expectation and reality; what Superman had been for Dick, what he could have been for Jason, and the nothing that he ultimately was.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54688366

Jason finds the younger Arkham Knight version of himself held captive by the Joker below Arkham.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1328723

basically a series where jason escapes an abusive relationship and meets roy (protective batfam!! and small jason bc no capes au)

https://archiveofourown.org/series/2962401

a series of stories within the same time line, exploring jason's history as a victim of human trafficking and child sexplotiation

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53281042

an exploration of jason's parental figures

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54121165

Jason falls. Of course, he falls. Bruce wasn’t holding onto him. (a fic that delves into jason's expectations of bruce as a parent and how he struggles to prove his worth as bruce's new child)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15320190

an exploration of jason and dick's brotherhood:

Following his disastrous confrontation with Jason in New York, Dick can't get the note Jason sent him upon leaving out of his head. He talks it over with his psychiatrist friend Clancy and comes to a horrifying realization: it's not emotional manipulation. It's Jason trying to cash in on a promise Dick made to him long ago. A promise to always be there for his little brother.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52453172

roy's perspective of jason's relationship with the bats

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53536696

bruce, during and directly after jason's death (gore warning but also ABSOLUTELY heartbreaking omg)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33947401/chapters/84421471

Bruce is racing across Ethiopia to save his son. Bruce is fighting in the Batcave to stop his son. Bruce is 34 years old. Bruce is 39 years old. Then Bruce is looking at ...Bruce. Uh oh.

(a time travel fic where bruce and jason, on the day of his death, find themselves in front of bruce and jason from five years in the future)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26820559

married jaykyle wherein kyle has some words for bruce after the events of rhato 25

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23062525

cute jason/joseph wilson multi-chapter fic where jason is also mute (from the batarang) and he learns what love is

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46774495

Jason survives Ethiopia and returns home; this is the beginning.

(GENUINELY DEVASTATING like i cried omg.. i won't spoil anything but definitely read!)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/38173990

Batman finds and apprehends the Red Hood after he attempts to murder the Joker, then surrenders him to the mental health facilities of Arkham Asylum. This is the best way to prevent more deaths, and it's also in the best interest of the Red Hood, who is clearly unstable.

Insane criminals cannot be permitted to walk the streets of Gotham. Certainly not ones raised by the Batman. Not under any circumstances.

(disturbing content; jason is abused at the hands of the staff in arkham asylum and is in a state of overmedication throughout the entire fic, amazing fic but read the warning tags carefully!)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45156520

a fic in which jason has dissociative identity disorder

˙⋆★__________

[itsamenickname]

The perfect family 💚🧡💛💚🧡💛

[orobty]

HA HA! The rise cyoa clue game that I've been mentioning in tags for forever is finally here!!

Plotting everything out took a bit but I think I got most of the possibilities written out although I wouldn't put it past you guys to do something wild lol

So part of the way this works is that there'll be more options the more you've spoken to people but some people will only have a few options naturally! I tried to keep it in character and some of them just wouldn't lie/are very very bad at it, so ya get what ya get, hope you guys have fun!! (And feel free to send asks with theories and/or praise I accept both <3)

[mandiemegatron]

Awwww your Story about Killer is so cute 🥰😍 can I request another one? Would be awesome to read a story where the reader starts helping Killer in the kitchen and realizes how much he's doing for the crew and how gentle and soft he is inside. And then they get closer while cooking ❤️

Hello my darling, sweet anon !!

Firstly, thank you so much for your patience in waiting for this and Secondly, please forgive me as this is a shorter one as I lost the original file for this and had to start all over. I remembered what I could but it's much shorter than i originally planned BUT ! It is sweet Killer loving times regardless, so I hope you enjoy either way ! All the good things under the cut to keep this post short for my fellow mobile friends 💖

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥

𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙭 𝙂/𝙉 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙: 𝙂 !! 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩, 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙛𝙛.

ᴹᴰᴺᴵ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵃⁿʸᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ˡᵃᵇᵉˡᵉᵈ ¹⁸+, ʸᵒᵘ ʷⁱˡˡ ᵇᵉ ᵇˡᵒᶜᵏᵉᵈ ᵒⁿ ˢⁱᵍʰᵗ.

Thank you again anon, and I hope you enjoy ! 💖💖💖

My beta was busy unfortunately so i had to do it myself, if you see any mistakes, I'm sorry, I'm sick with the flu so blame that 😭😭😂😂

Fitting in on the Victoria Punk was somehow an easy task for you.

Always being the one to say “Yep, no problem!” to any task handed to you was one of the many reasons everyone adored you; The other was the absolutely delicious food you and Killer always managed to create and feed to the crew.

“And just a small dash of oregano…”

You watched Killer with concentrated eyes, only taking them from him and his favourite dish to smile widely up at his masked visage as he stirred the sauce boiling away in the pot.

“... and voila! The perfect spaghetti sauce.”

He gently pooled some of the sauce into a small spoon, blowing onto it through the holes in his mask as best he could before holding the spoon out for you.

You went to grab the spoon when he pulled it away, knowing he hid a cheeky look under that mask as he gave a soft “tsk,” before holding it back out to you.

You rolled your eyes playfully before taking the sauce into your mouth, humming in content as the array of flavors hit your tastebuds.

“Amazing,” you gushed as he pulled the spoon away to toss into the sink nearby. His chest puffed a bit at your praise, which you noticed immediately, a knowing smirk resting on your lips as you commented jokingly,

“You know, I really thought you were never going to show me how to make this.”

Killers head turned to you, tilted slightly as he asked genuinely,

“Really? Why so?”

You gave a small shrug, unable to meet his masked gaze as you looked out one of the large windows overlooking the Victoria.

“I'm not sure why, just felt that maybe because it's so important to you that you'd want to keep it safeguarded from everyone or something.”

Killer was silent for a moment before he went back to stirring. Once he was happy with the consistency and temperature, he turned off the stove and turned back to you, lifting your chin in one of his massive hands as he finally replied,

“It is important to me.”

Your eyes slowly rose from his chest to his mask, trying to decipher any hidden emotions behind it but found nothing.

“You are also important to me. Why would I not share this with you?”

Your heart raced at his words, your stomach churning with butterflies as your cheeks burned a dark pink.

“... oh!” Was all you could get out, truly shocked by his words.

He chuckled in reply, shaking your face slightly in his grasp before he bent down to press a masked kiss to your forehead.

“Stop thinking so little of yourself. You're incredibly important to me, and to this crew.”

He pulled back to press his mask against the tip of your nose, as if trying to press his own against yours as he murmured softly,

“I love sharing with you, and I love spending time with you, no matter what we do.”

You can't help but lean up slightly to press your lips against his mask, ignoring the small sound of surprise that leaves him as you reply,

“And I love doing things with you, especially the things you love to do.”

Your eyes stared right through the pirate, the man feeling almost naked under your gaze as you continued,

“And I love that you shared something so important with me. Thank you, Kil.”

He hums in response, clearly pleased with your words as he presses his mask to your lips again, holding you in place for a few moments before pulling away and turning back to the stove.

You notice his discreet motions of adjusting himself below before he clears his throat and gets out in a slightly higher voice,

“Let's feed some hungry men, shall we?!”

He picks up the pot and walks right past you, ignoring the chuckles from you but stops as you nearly purr at him,

“Maybe later, I can show you some of my own important things…?”

He stops right at the door out to the main eating area and slowly turns his head, staring you down as he thickly replies,

“... Don't tempt me.”

He stalks off with heavy feet before you can reply, the sound of your laughter echoing after him.

You chewed your bottom lip with a grin, thinking about the many, many things you could teach him before you picked up the other pot containing the noodles and walked after him, unable to wipe the wide grin off your face.