#I proof read many times

[kigozula]

By Your Side: Sokkla Saturdays 2023

Day 2: Summer

AO3 & FF.Net

SOKKA

She didn't remember when exactly these five letters touched her heart for the first time. She couldn't say when his presence started making her heart beat faster than she ever remembered.

All she knew was that she might be in love with him. But she couldn’t accept and embrace the way she felt about Sokka.

Azula and Sokka saw each other seldom. When they did, it was either a council meeting or a gathering between their friends. And every time it was the same: She became nervous, became awkward and feared people around them could sense it. Toph already smirked every time, though she never said a thing.

Azula. The Princess Azula. Known for her confidence, became a mess around Sokka from the Water Tribe.

She was sure he thought the worse of her.

Their conversations were limited. Sokka would smile friendly and greet her. Azula would try to greet back like it was nothing, barely holding eye contacr and Sokka would get confused and she got frustrated with herself.

Mai and Ty Lee were the only people who knew about Azula’s feelings.

“Come on Azula, you got to tell him! What if you’re too late and some other girl approaches him first?” Ty Lee said, “What if you end up with someone else and still think of him?”

“Ugh! Never knew this would get so complicated.” Azula replied.

“Go tell your feelings and kiss him!” Ty Lee said cheerfully.

“Thanks for your advice.” Azula rolled her eyes and Ty Lee giggled at that.

“Just imagine he likes you back.” Mai interfered catching the girls’ attention.

“Azula, it’s been what, two years?”

She nodded in answer.

“I know feelings and romance is difficult, but people often regret what they haven’t done. Imagine he gets married someday and you get married with someone else. How can you know that by then, you don’t carry him in your heart anymore? Do you want to wake up in someone else's arms thinking of Sokka every day?”

Mai’s words were heavy, true and straightforward.

Sunset was near when she went to her room after her meeting with her friends were over. Days were longer since it was summer. She sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. Sokka’s smiles and blue eyes didn’t stop haunting her. Azula was sick of feeling weak for him. Struggling about her feeling for him on her own without him even having a clue was tiring. Maybe he had an idea? No, it didn’t matter he surely thought the worst of her.

Her eyes drifted to her desk, and she pulled the drawer open.

To see it was gone. The letter was gone. She searched for it but couldn't find it. One night she wrote about her feelings, trying to lift some weight from her heart. Just for herself. She  never truly meant to give it to Sokka. Well, truth to be told, she thought about it, but hadn’t done it any way.

A knock on the door startled her. Before she could react Toph went inside.

“What are you doing Toph? You know you are supposed to knock on my door!” Azula said said clearly displeased.

“Well Princess, I thought I help you finding you love letters.” Toph said mockingly.

Time seemed to stand still for Azula.

“Ty Lee told me you wrote a letter. So, we decided to be nice and give it to your Loverboy Sokka.”

“You did what? How dare you, are you out of your mind?” Azula yelled at her.

“It lays on his desk in his room.”

Azula ran out of the room, setting her destination to Sokka and Katara’s home. Though she slowed down halfway. Had he read it? What would she do if he did.

She was just turning right when she bumped into a strong chest only a few blocks away from Sokka’s place.

A warm hand held her arm to keep her from falling.

“Azula?”

She looked up at him, panicking. And here he was. All handsome. Looking at her again with his piercing blue eyes.

“Sokka… I…” before she could say more, her eyes caught his other hand. The letter he held with it.

Noticing it, Sokka finally asked: “Azula, is this… is this truly for me?” his voice was unexpectedly kind. Positive even.

She reached to grab the letter, but he pulled it away.

“Give it Sokka!” she said angrily. How she hated that her voice shook.

“No, let’s...”

“Give me the letter now!” rage filled her eyes.

“Azula, please let’s…”

Azula stormed off before Sokka could finish his sentences.

Sokka immediately reached for her, but she blocked his way with fire bending and was gone.

Half an hour later he found her on the cliffs with Toph’s help.

She was watching the purple sky, the sun was almost fully set.

He walked carefully towards her, her back facing him.

“Hey, I’m glad I found you.” He said slightly panting.

Azula turned around swiftly. Did he run all the way up here?

“How are you?” Sokka said approaching her.

“Why are you asking?”

“I was worried when you ran away.”

“You took my letter.”

“It lay on my desk and was addressed to me Azula.” he said, “Did you not send it?” He looked sadly now.

“Just forget about it. It was …”

Yes?”

When Azula didn’t say anything, Sokka sighed and sat down next to her, careful not to touch her shoulder, to avoid making her even more uncomfortoable.

“Okay.” he said.

“Okay?”

“Well, I always found you beautiful.” Sokka said.

Hope glimmered in Azula’s eyes.

“And I always wanted to spend more time with you, but you would always ignore me.”

Azula looked down. She thought her feelings came off differently. And she was spot on.

“It was when I read the letter that relieve washed over me. Azula, I feel the same way about you.” he added.

“You… do?” Azula asked shocked “But you never…”

“I do. But you are so perfect and I… yes, I am just me.” he told her sadly. But his eyes lit up right afterwards, a playful smile appearing on his handsome face, “Though, if what the letters says is true, then I am one special guy!”

Azula smiled at that and turned her head away almost shyly. Sokka chuckled.

“You shouldn’t let this get over your head. It wasn’t me it was the letter stating it.” she said.

“Ahhh. But who wrote the letter?” he asked smiling.

Azula smiled. After a brief moment of silence, Sokka continued.

“So, will you accept me?”

With that he stood up and reached a hand down to her.

She looked at it first and then took it. The way her hand slid smoothly into his send pleasant jolts through both of their bodies. They didn’t let go when Azula stood up.

“I want to be with you. I… I love you too Azula!”

Azula couldn’t believe it. All her doubts from years were not necessary. Why didn’t she send the letter much earlier? From now on they wouldn’t waste any more time.

Azula let go of his hand and hugged her. His arms immediately went around her waist.

Their foreheads touched and the sun was setting in the horizon. Shining the reds over the new lovers. Their love would grow over time and last forever.

[fictoculus]

౨ৎ nightmares.

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SYNOPSIS... sumeru has undergone a lot of changes, and adults can now dream. this new capability was welcomed with open arms by people all across the region, however some slumber-induced fantasies were more welcome than others... - aka; comforting your husband, alhaitham, after he experiences his first nightmare

"haitham!!!"

you cry out to him, desperation heavy in your eyes as you hold firm eye contact with your beloved. it was no use; you were falling, and he couldn't do anything to help you. further and further, it seems to alhaitham like your body is shrinking, and in all honesty, you wish it was. you wish you could fly, or at least slow down the fall by even a second, and take in as much of him as you can before you inevitably meet your demise. you wanted to remember every last part of him, to love him in life and in death, just like you promised.

you knew you were going to die, you knew this was the end, but in your last moment, you smile. you didn't want to face the love of your life with anything other than joy plastered on your face; you wanted so badly for alhaitham's last memory of you to be a happy one, but how could he possibly be happy when the person he would take lives for loses their own?

before he knew it, it was all over as fast as it had started. you were gone, and he couldn't do anything about it, you weren't coming back. just like that, you were nothing but a memory.

he didn't want to believe it. he wouldn't. how could he possibly admit that he'd lost you?

he wants to cry, to scream, to yell and curse at the cruel world that had taken you from him, but he couldn't. it was as if something had been lodged deep inside his throat, a lump he couldn't possibly push out no matter how hard he tried. perhaps it was the love he had for you, or the knowledge that no matter how close you felt, you'd always be just out of reach.

that's when it hits him, a soaring pain slamming into his back and flowing through his veins; the cruel poison of fate. he tries to put up a fight, archons he tries, but his mind is elsewhere, and he can't seem to pull his eyes away from the speck that is your lifeless body laying hundreds of metres below him. this is it, it's all over, everything he's lived for, coming to an end at the hands of a measly -

"NO!"

the bed shakes as alhaitham shoots up from under the covers, eyes wide and breath heavy, clawing at the fabric of his sleeping shirt as he attempts to ground himself. what in teyvat was that?

it's dark. he can't see, he can't breathe. he's overcome by pure panic as he tries desperately to regain his senses, but to no avail.

"mmm... 'haitham? you ok?"

your scratchy voice breaks through the pounding in his chest, calling out to him in a hushed whisper as you run a hand up and down his arm. he feels clammy. a thin sheen of sweat covers his arms, reflecting the soft moonlight off his toned figure.

"love?"

no response. the poor man is so shaken up, and i mean that quite literally; he can't seem to keep still. you feel the mattress tremble beneath you as his chest heaves, taking in as much air as he possibly can. it's futile. he's scared.

he knows what nightmares are. he knows how they work, where they come from, how they can affect you, but never in his life has he ever had one. in fact, it's been years since he's even dreamt.

with alhaitham sat up rigid beside on the edge of the bed, you try to rack your brain, taking yourself back to the times you had woken up distressed, and how your beloved boyfriend had cradled you in his arms, murmuring sweet nothings in you ear while rocking the two of you back and forth.

"c'mere..."

you smile up at him with open arms, yet nothing could hide the concern in your eyes as you noticed the glisten on his cheeks.

"oh, love..."

with you're right hand, you reach up to cup his face, catching the salty droplets with the soft padding of your thumb. his cheeks are rosy, from stress or embarrassment you'll never know, but the faint pink hue makes him look oh so pretty.

"was it a nightmare?"

he nods sheepishly into your chest, nuzzling his face further into your shirt as he inhales deeply and lets out a shaky sigh. you feel his hands clutching onto the back of your shirt, as if he was scared he'd lose you, as if he was scared you'd fall out of his grasp once more.

it's almost endearing how he clings to you, though you're completely clueless as to the reason why. nevertheless, you hold him tightly against you, encircling him in your warmth and your scent as you gently begin to sway from side to side, lifting up his chin and peppering tender kisses all over his face and down his neck. it's grounding, the feeing of you. no matter what, you never fail to calm him, to comfort him in his times of need, and he is more than willing to return the favour.

an hour passes and alhaitham still insists on being wrapped in your arms, refusing to give in to sleep, no matter how enticing it may be as the night moves forward. he feels the need to watch over you, and you're more than happy to comply; in your eyes, it just means the two of you get to spend more time together.

it's a known fact that the scholar doesn't like to dwell, and so the two of you completely disregard the elephant in the room, instead focusing on mundane topics like what to have for dinner the next day, or your schedules for the week: typical married couple stuff.

finally, while listening to you defend his old roommate and close friend, kaveh, after 20 minutes worth of ruthless criticism, your husband slips into a deep slumber, his features finally relaxed as he lies beside you.

you have to admit, he makes you worry. always being so uptight and serious can't possibly be good for him, though in this moment, despite what he endured earlier that night, you think this is the most at peace you've ever seen him...

A/N... sorry if the ending seemed kinda sudden,, i couldn't come up with anything elseee sighh

thanks for reading ♡ want to read more? my requests are OPEN, so please feel free to let me know what you’d like me to write next!

TAGLIST…@maopll . @nyxmainex . @avensuersa . @moondrop-gummies. @lacunaanonymoused ➛ apply here

© FICTOCULUS 2024; please do not steal, translate, or repost my works as your own

[oozeandgoo-art]

Stubbornness.

[dykedvonte]

wanted to say I appreciate your nuanced takes on MW and especially Curly. i don't get the claim that the fandom is full of Curly apologists when majority (esp yt and tiktok) say he's worse than Jimmy. Yes there's commentary about bro culture defending people, he def messed up in trying to placate Jimmy (tbh "we'll fix this" sounded more like trying to keep someone prone to outbursts like Jim calm and not hurt Anya/himself) but I don't think he did nothing to help Anya, since she continued to confide in him and he had less than a week to resolve it before the crash (I also don't get everyone saying he knew for ages when it seems like Anya told him that same week). I get Jimmy's a pos but saying stuff like Curly should've known he'd crash the ship or that Jim had a criminal record he ignored, reducing them to obviously horrible villain and willfully ignorant sidekick feels like a disservice to the game. If your best friend turned out to be horrible, what would you do in a confined space in the span of a few days to respond? I'd say some of the horror comes from trying to do good but ultimately failing, Curly's state after the crash is meant to be tragic horror not revenge/punishment

Thank you and this is what I want to get across.

A lot of information we have to supplement when it comes to how long things have been happening on this current ship. I think people try to add on to the horror and negligence by making things more obvious so it can feel like it was easier to avoid when, true to life, its not. Jimmy clearly didn't deserve or appreciate what Curly did for him in getting him the job, but do you think if Jimmy was that big of a menace on Earth he would've given him a position where he could have that level of power over people's lives? There's something in the fact he specifically chose to pick a position so close to himself where he could watch Jimmy.

I hate the bro code argument because that is a whole can of worms people really don't get. That sort of mentality is born from the general respect and preference of male matter over female ones. Curly is clearly not that guy, he is absent minded about the issue and inadvertently dismissive but he clearly believes Anya, he just can't understand what she's going through. It's an onslaught of information that no one really reacts right to. Additonally, the entire discussion of her assualt plays to heavy into the idea that there is fault outside of the perpertratior when it comes to SA. It's too close if she only did this or if Curly had protected her better but the fact of the matter is Jimmy did what he did. He did it before any of the conversations with Anya about it and it's why her behavior seemed to change so drastically in those last two days.

He has other conflicting thought and while his role as a Captain should've taken over, people act like it's not a very human thing to have such a toxic presence cloud your judgement. It is never easy to separate friend from coworker once that connection is formed, you want to help them, especially if they were friend first and for a long while like in this case. It's not right, but people act like it would be easy when the game clearly points out that no choice is easy to make, especially when you have to make it for more than one person. You have the weigh the consequences, look at all the options and make a plan. People can headcanon and decide how long things where happening, but if we look at what we were presented through the characters eyes, the only person given time to do that was Jimmy.

He waited two months after the crash to appoint himself Captain. Every time a problem was brought up he immediately took action and refused to sit on it and find a better solution. I think it's important to look at the warped way Jimmy takes initiative where Curly didn't as it works as a good contrast of why you don't just run in to "fix" things. The quickest and easiest option may not be the safest or most beneficial. I think some thoughts on the game suffer from the black and white thinking the game doesn't operate on along with us being voyeurs. We see what exactly led to what but the characters don't. They don't have the hindsight and foresight we do and even ours is scrambled by the non-linear story telling.

Like it's hard to talk abuou those grey zones without sounding like an apologist because you're explaining why taking responsibility isn't easy. It's not and it's weird to act like it would be in a scenerio that led up to the events of the game knowing what we know. We see all these characters in such isolated moments with various things before, in between, after and even during we aren't privy too. The idea that Jimmy is worse than Curly heavily banks on the words Jimmy was saying to Jimmy before he crashed the ship. That whatever happened on the ship was his responsibility to bare, which is true due to his position. But, are they not still not responsible for taking the actions Curly then must bare?

Like i feel like people think that these are situation that become easier with age or when you are in a postion of authority and they aren't. You don't lose your biases or gain some sudden knowledge that makes it easier. It just becomes more tiring as you keep dealing with it. I would be first in line to say Curly fucked up and should've done more but the idea he knew how bad it could get or he really saw the worst in the people around him and ignored it pretty much ignores a huge aspect of his character and the game.

[kisskiss--fallinlove]

⋆ Taken Care Of ⋆

KYOYA X TAMAKI

Sickfic, you know the drill. Kyoya wakes up feeling on the verge of death (he has a minor illness), Tamaki insists on taking care of him. Set in the future when they’re both adults with jobs, no specific age, marital status or job clarification so go crazy with your headcanons I guess.

WARNINGS: The illness is unspecified but similar to the flu I guess, if you require specifics. I don’t think an emeto warning is necessary, there’s no vomit but possible slight reference to it?? Pretty easy to miss if that kind of thing doesn’t bother you, but I thought I should still mention it just in case. Pretty vague about sickness overall to be honest.

WORD COUNT: 1340

WILL BE POSTED ON Ao3 AND WATTPAD AT A LATER DATE AND EDITED AT THAT TIME WITH LINKS. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

Kyoya felt awful.

From the second he awoke he was hit with a searing pain in his forehead, which, as he discovered when bringing up a hand to grasp it in a futile attempt to calm the aching, was drenched with sweat. He nestled down into his blankets for a second, allowing himself a moment's relief before he got up to face the day. As terrible as he felt, and as much as he detested waking up this early, he simply couldn't be late for work. The very thought of leaving his bed was daunting — he was already far from being an early riser, but the condition he was in wasn't helping with that in the slightest. Still, he mused with a soft groan, if he didn't get up now he wasn't sure he ever would.

Reluctantly, Kyoya swung his legs out of bed and stood up — only to immediately stumble back onto the bed, vision blurred and stomach lurching. This movement seemed to wake up Tamaki, who stirred beside him with a confused "mrph?"

"Go back to sleep, Tamaki, you don't have to be up yet," Kyoya attempted to assure him, surprised at the raspy voice in which his words were spoken. He didn’t understand. He'd been fine last night, if a little more drowsy than usual, but now the very act of speaking felt akin to swallowing sandpaper.

Tamaki, ever-compassionate and caring for his partner's wellbeing, very annoyingly ignored him. "Kyo, are you okay?" He sat up, rubbing his eyes before looking worriedly at his partner. "You don't sound too well."

"I'll be fine," Kyoya insisted weakly. He tried once more to stand up, but every fibre of his body seemed intent on pulling him back down. "Just ... give me a second."

"You look terrible," Tamaki continued, lifting a hand to press against Kyoya's face. Kyoya couldn’t resist leaning in to the touch. "You feel terrible. You're boiling!"

"It's fine. I don't even feel too warm," Kyoya said, thinking it best to leave out the perhaps more concerning detail that he was, in fact, shivering.

Tamaki removed his hand to instead wrap his arms around Kyoya’s waist, gently yet firmly tugging him further into the bed. "Please come back to bed, mon amour. You can't go to work in this state!"

Kyoya considered it. It wouldn't be right to infect anyone else, he supposed — and he really did just want to crawl back into bed for all eternity (or, until he felt a little bit better at the very least).

"Maybe I should," he finally admitted with a sigh. He climbed back under the covers, practically melting into the comfort of his still-warm pillow as the mattress — Kyoya still had no idea as to how Tamaki had acquired one quite so soft — caressed his aching limbs.

"Good, because I'm not letting you leave this house — no, this bed — until you're better."

"Is that so?" Kyoya responded dryly. He rolled his tired eyes at Tamaki's dramatic declaration, before allowing them to flutter shut once more.

He'd surprised himself, giving in so easily like that. He ought to go back on his decision and find a way to get his work done regardless. He'd worked through illnesses before; it was just what he'd been raised to do, he supposed. But things had been different since Tamaki entered his life — Tamaki would practically force Kyoya to take breaks ever since they were younger, even when he wasn't ill. He didn't quite understand that, and wrote it off as some overprotective nature Tamaki had developed from his own upbringing while caring for his sick mother — but it did help him. Kyoya would feel better after spending time with Tamaki even when he hadn't realised he’d previously been feeling badly at all. On a similar note, Tamaki had filled a gap in Kyoya's life he hadn't known had been there to begin with, so he supposed that was just the effect Tamaki had. Now, he vaguely felt the man in question press a soft kiss to his forehead, the rest of his surroundings an incomprehensible haze as he drifted (quite without meaning to) into slumber.

Kyoya hadn't the slightest idea of how long he'd been asleep, but when he awoke he felt the most well-rested he'd been for perhaps as long as he could remember.

The door creaked open, startling Kyoya. Shouldn't Tamaki be at work by now? What time was it, even?

"I’m sorry, I didn't mean to wake you!" Tamaki whisper-yelled, as though the act of lowering his voice would magically send Kyoya right back to sleep.

"It's fine, I was already —" Kyoya began, then, remembering why he's been so startled in the first place, deflected with, "forget that. What are you doing here?"

"Hm? I live here, silly." Tamaki walked further into the room, revealing to Kyoya a tray he was balancing in his hands. Kyoya was now propped up onto his elbows, looking inquisitively at his partner.

"You're meant to be at work." Shit. Work. He'd completely forgotten in his exhaustion to inform them of his absence.

"I already told them I'm not coming in today," said Tamaki. He must have noticed Kyoya's panicked expression, because he added, "I did the same for you too."

Kyoya frowned. Tamaki seemed fine, particularly given the lack of the dramatics that usually accompanied any illness Tamaki subtracted. "You're not sick as well, are you?"

"No! I just want to take care of you."

That was what Kyoya had feared. "I can take care of myself," he told him with an exasperated sigh. "There's no reason for us both to miss work. I didn't even want to in the first place."

Tamaki let out a fond laugh. "You don't have to be so independent, mon cheri. I'm sure you can take care of yourself, but I want to be here to help. It won't hurt to let yourself be taken care of for once!" He sat beside Kyoya; gingerly, so as not to send the contents of the tray flying. "Now, are you hungry? I thought it best not to bring anything else unless you wanted it, I know how funny you get with food when you're unwell, but I'll make you anything you want. Drinks included — but have some water first, okay?"

As Tamaki continued his ramblings, Kyoya looked properly at the tray for the first time. It was one of the nicer ones they owned; lilac and white china, emblazoned with a beautiful rose pattern. It may well have been Kyoya's favourite, if he were to choose one. Set upon it was a jug of water beside a tall, ice-filled glass, as well as a miniature vase which proudly displayed a singular violet rose. Kyoya smiled despite himself. Trust Tamaki to go all out, even for something so simple as preparing a glass of water.

"You'll have to go back to work tomorrow," Kyoya said, pouring himself some water as instructed. It wasn't as though either of them desperately needed to be in work — they quite obviously had more than enough money to get by — it was the principle of missing work that unnerved Kyoya so.

"It's almost like you don't want me here," Tamaki chuckled.

Kyoya raised an eyebrow, not indulging Tamaki's joke, though he couldn’t help but to inwardly remark on just how untrue it was. "I just don't want you skipping work for no good reason.”

"You're a good reason," Tamaki said, his voice earnest as he handed Kyoya the now-full glass. "I want to be here for you whenever you need me."

Kyoya didn't know how to respond to that (Tamaki could find a way to make anything a grand declaration of love, and though Kyoya loved the fool right back all the more for it, those moments never failed to catch him off guard), so he took the glass in one hand, and Tamaki's free hand in the other.

Tamaki was most certainly going to be in work tomorrow, even if Kyoya had to drag him there himself. But for now he was too tired to argue, so he decided, for once, to let himself be taken care of.

[every-aj-needs-an-angel]

Part 1 sorry this took so long, the heatwave melted my brain

It took far longer than either of them intended to make it to breakfast, mainly because once Eddie had finished making a mess of the both of them, he had insisted on washing Steve's hair for him, which honestly was the most blissful out-of-body thing that he'd ever experienced; but as the two of them walked down the boulevard together, brushing shoulders and for a lack of a better word, giggling, Steve couldn't remember feeling happier. 

Eddie had the most gorgeous smile and every time he directed it at Steve, god! he felt… lighter, like he could float away any second, but at the same time, just by that same smile, he knew without a doubt that Eddie had him tethered safely to the ground. 

And holy fuck if it wasn't just the best feeling! It wasn't something Steve had ever experienced before, because yeah, he's got Robin, but she's a steady kind of safety, he knows beyond doubt that they're two halves of a whole, she's his rock as much as he's hers and the day they met something just fell into place for both of them. And he has his little found family, he knows he can go home to them (or they'll come to him) any time, he knows he's safe in their embrace, like they're his shelter in a storm. 

But this is different, he barely knows Eddie, hasn't spent more than a few hours with him, but it's like Eddie has this protective bubble around them both, like they're floating along together in this impenetrable shield and the outside world means nothing when he's held in Eddie's gaze, and he just knows he's safe, he can feel it deep in his bones.

And jesus! when they kiss! He's never felt anything like it. It’s like he's filled with bubbles that not only pop but fizzle, like someone's dropped a bathbomb into his chest, letting it froth and effervesce, like it's rolling and twirling around churning up his insides in the most spectacular way, and he almost can't breathe because of it. 

It's fucking weird and glorious all at once. 

Too much and not enough and he never wants it to stop because he knows he's never felt this way about anyone before, hell he hadn't even known it could feel this way and it's kinda scaring the living shit out of him because what if the last few hours were all Eddie wanted, what if Eddie's here for a fun time and not a long time and Steve has to go back home and learn to live without feeling like this.

Eddie nudged him gently, snapping him out of his spiral into the abyss, his eyes landing on Eddie's warm affectionate grin, following his pointing arm to where Robin and Chris were in the cafe across the street, sitting in a booth by the window, leaning into one another across the table, deep in conversation and grinning brighter than the Nevada sun. 

Robin blushed deeply as Chris tucked a stray piece of her hair behind her ear, and Steve had seen that look before (usually aimed at him) but he'd never seen her look like that before, not with Jamie or Izzy and certainly not with Sammi ("Sammi with an 'i'", god he'd really hated her), because yeah she was blushing, that was nothing new, but she looked comfortable! She wasn't ducking her head, becoming all flustered and shy, no, she looked relaxed, confident even, like she'd known her forever. 

The pair were so engrossed in each other that neither of them even glanced up as the bell above the door jingled when he and Eddie entered. Robin completely missing the way Eddie’s hand fit so naturally into the small of his back as he guided him gently over to their table. Steve felt giddy from it, like he was floating on air! It was so incredibly intimate and a little bit possessive, like Eddie couldn't keep his hands off of him and Steve just knew it was going to be his main topic of conversation for at least the next century. 

Honestly, he couldn't even be that mad that she'd missed it, not when he saw how content and engrossed she was with Chris. He hadn't seen her smile that much since Vickie, which now that he thought about it was far too long ago for his liking. Normally on first dates she went for this cool, aloof thing, trying to push her real personality down for reasons Steve had never understood, but Robin was genuinely smiling, her real toothy, goofy grin as she chatted animatedly. 

And Chris seemed equally spellbound, eyes wide and nodding, giggly and captivated. Not that it was surprising to Steve, Robin had always had this otherworldly quality about her; his best friend was beautiful, anyone could see that, but if she was passionate enough about a topic, she seemed to glow and her voice alone became sort of mesmerising.

Like the one time they’d actually got to work early, during a particularly cold snap, and while they were waiting for Jeremy to open up, Robin had started to tell Steve all about Yetis and the difference between Bigfoot and the Abominable Snowman. Only what neither of them realised was that instead of having a ten-minute chat, they’d actually sat there for three hours. Unfortunately, they were already on their last warning for being late, so it had got them fired, but they weren't too bothered, the worst thing about it was trying to find a new job in below-freezing weather.

The girls only really looked away from one another when he and Eddie slid into the booth next to their respective best friends, both still dressed up to the nines, Robin's mascara all but gone, bits all down her cheeks from where she'd rubbed at it. But it was her beaming smile told Steve all he needed to know, she was elated, she'd had a brilliant night, she couldn't wait to relay every detail to him later, and oh my god, Evie, she's amazing, I think I'm in love!

That sent Steve's attention across the table, the two best friends seemed to be having a similarly telepathic conversation, their attention quickly turning away from each other back to Steve and Robin. But it was funny how Chris and Robin had almost precisely timed Steve and Eddie’s arrival because no sooner had Steve been reintroduced to Chrissy, "Eds' BFF, platonic soulmate and personal cheerleader!", the waitress arrived with food for the four of them.

Steve was kind of glad for the distraction of plates and cutlery and condiments because shaking Chrissy's hand had sent another vision into Steve's mind of meeting her and Eddie the night before and as far as he could remember he was being so embarrassingly obvious in his attraction to Eddie, that he'd barely taken his eyes off of him long enough to have the common decency to even glance in her direction. 

Being pathetically obsessed within the first five minutes, real smooth Steve!

They ate silently to begin with, happily just enjoying their meals; the food was delicious, and it had been far too long since any of them had had any proper nourishment. And Robin, his heavenly, wondrous Robin, had ordered his favourite dish, which with every mouthful was soothing the lingering aches of his hangover and given the blissed-out little moans slipping out of Eddie every now and again, he was clearly enjoying whatever meaty, eggy, goodness Chrissy had ordered for him.

Eventually though, sitting across from Eddie started to become just a tiny bit tortuous, especially when one particular groan, resonating from the back of his throat, brought forth a very clear vision of Eddie on his back in bed, making that very same sound as Steve kissed his way down his body. Fucking hell! 

Suddenly Steve wasn't all that embarrassed about whatever he'd done that'd attracted Eddie to him because he truly was a sight to behold, in bed or otherwise.

Steve's attention was snapped away from thoughts of naked-Eddie back to the cafe when Chrissy giggled, at what he wasn't sure, he could only assume it was an inside joke when Eddie elbowed her playfully, snorting and mumbling a whined "shut. up!" even though she hadn't said a word. His pretty dimples coming out as he shoved more food in his mouth, keeping his gaze on his meal and smiling reluctantly around his fork as she cackled beside him.

Robin nudged him under the table with her foot and gave him a look that said "this dork, really?" And Steve couldn't help but grin because yes this dork and his adorable cheerleader, if it were up to him they'd keep the pair of them forever because watching the two best friends tease each other was just too fucking cute! Almost like looking through a picture book filled with their rich history, their deep adoration etched into the smiles on every page.

Steve didn't know what it was about them, they just both had that something; Robin would call it an aura, but it just felt good to be around them. The happiness they shared together exuded, pulling you in rather than pushing you out and Steve just wanted to bask in it, like he was Yurtle and Eddie and Chrissy were the heat lamp.

Steve knew he hadn't always been the best judge of character, he'd been duped a time or two, but he trusted Robin's instincts, if she thought Chrissy was a good person, good enough to spend all night with, good enough to maybe be in love with, then Steve believed it unquestionably, because in all the time he'd known her she'd never been wrong about someone. 

She'd never liked Ashley and quite right too given the little rat was the one who'd been feeding HR all the reports that'd got them both fired. She'd hated Billy from the minute she met him, and well the less he thought about that the better. She’d felt the same abhorration for Carl, the electrician who as it turned out was wanted in several states for crimes he didn't like to think too closely about, given he'd left Robin alone with him. 

When, in a fit of desperation, Steve had joined a dating service and met Angel (or SheDevil as Robin liked to refer to her as) who as it turned out was one of his dads "business associates" who (for some sick reason neither of them could fathom) had wanted to sleep with Steve; Robin had gone berserk, they’d had a massive fight before he’d left for his date but even when he came back shaken and tempestuous, she never said I told you so, she just wrapped him up in a blanket, made him a hot chocolate and let him cry into her shoulder until he felt better. 

That was the day he decided he was always going to trust her gut unconditionally because it was clear she would always just know better than he did.

So Steve knew Eddie and Chrissy must be something truly special for Robin to be so comfortable around them, for her to let Steve get married because as much as she claimed she was powerless against his determination, they both knew that wasn't true. He was well and truly wrapped around her little finger and if she'd said no and meant it he would've trusted her intuition implicitly. She was his soulmate for a reason, not only because he wasn't entirely sure he could survive without her, but because she was the brains of the pairing; he still wasn't entirely sure how he’d managed to stay alive for the first two decades of his life without her.

He'd been so deep in thought that he started when Robin began chatting perpetually again; it was uncanny how she always did that, like she could almost sense that was thinking about her, so she’d just start talking, about anything and everything. He'd missed the white noise of her voice, like he always did when she was quiet, mainly because if her voice wasn't filling the space, his mind just had this tendency to run away with him, like a train on a track heading downhill. 

Although, he could’ve lived happily without the vicariously embarrassing blow-by-blow of the night before.

Apparently, the four of them had met each other in the third club Steve and Robin had been in, Steve had spotted Eddie across the room and immediately started his five-drink-Steve ritual of making it his mission to keep Eddie forever. 

No-one was more surprised than Robin when Steve's tactics had actually worked, her and Chrissy clicking over their mutual love and mortification they felt for their, platonic with a capital p, soulmates.

Apparently, nine-drink-Eddie had decided to ask twelve-drink-Steve to marry him, Steve, somewhat unsurprisingly, gave him a teary yes before he'd really had the chance to finish asking.

They were married by a man Robin was convinced was actually Elvis (nobody had the heart to correct her).

No-one could decide who should hold the bouquet, so they had one each, both girls caught Eddie's, whereas Steve, for all his sporting prowess, managed to hit the receptionist in the face with his, getting them promptly thrown out of the chapel.

Steve was already half naked before they'd even made it back to the hotel, it was undecided who'd undressed him. A mystery only Vegas knew the answer to. They’d made it across the hotel lobby by the grace of god and because Chrissy had played her "help the pretty blonde card" with the guy at the front desk as a distraction. 

Robin had no more details for their night, but Steve was pretty sure he could piece the rest of that together himself, he was just glad the lift had been empty after all. 

And the girls had had a whale of a time after they'd ushered the newly-weds off to bed, they'd carried on to several venues, including a drag show, another wedding (one that was actually planned for longer than five minutes!) a concert, three more bars, and finally headed back to the hotel.

"And then Chrissy rang Nancy! Oh my god, Steve! It's such a small world, right, 'cause Eds and Chris are from Indy too. It's crazy we've never met, huh? But anyway, we were thinking how funny would it be if Eds' dickhead ex opened the paper this morning to find out he's already moved on, and not only that, moved on with the King of Hawkins High himself! 'Cause Eds' ex is from Hawkins, like you! I bet you knew him! But yeah, turns out Chris knows Nancy, you know, your Nancy and well..."

Robin was definitely still speaking, but Steve's ears had started to ring again, not because his head was hurting but because he was pretty sure he was about to throw up! Nancy had put their wedding announcement in the Indy Independent, the very paper everyone he'd ever known read, including his parents! Not that he cared what they thought, but going from fired to married in a little over a week was a twist even for him. And Hop and Claudia! They were going to go absolutely mental! And the kids! At least they’d probably find it a little funny, unlike Hop who’d blow his top for sure.

Well, that's one way for everyone to find out! And no doubt Nancy found it beyond hilarious.

He and Nancy hadn't parted on the best terms. They'd broken up during a massive argument two days before their first anniversary, apparently he'd wanted more than she could possibly give him because she "just couldn't imagine staying with the same guy forever", only for her then to start up with her photographer boyfriend a few weeks later and as far as Steve knew they were still together all these years later, so that was obviously utter bullshit. 

When Steve had continued babysitting the kids they'd tried to be friends, well given how little time they ever spent in the same room together, he supposed that classed as them trying to be civil, mainly for Will and Mike's sake, but Steve was grateful when Jon and Nancy had moved away after graduation.

And Steve didn't see them again for a long time, it was just sods fucking law that he happened to bump into them right after everything had imploded with Billy. 

Robin had finally convinced him to go with her to a club she knew, he hadn't really wanted to be there in the first place and seeing Nancy again was the last thing he needed, feeling far too sore for the pitying look she gave him, he'd kicked off big time, trying to get her to admit that the real reason she'd left him was because he was just unlovable.

It wasn't his best night, and given she'd left in tears, it probably wasn't hers either. So he's no doubt she found it laugh-out-loud pathetic that the only way he'd eventually got married was to a total stranger while off his tits on holiday.

Steve glanced over at Eddie to see he'd gone white as a sheet, he gently called his name a couple of times, but he seemed to be in a world all of his own. Steve wanted to reach for his hand, but he wasn't sure how Eddie would react to that, and he didn't want to freak him out more, so he left his hand palm up on the tabletop next to Eddie’s hoping it was enough, leaving him a clear indicator that his comfort was there if he wanted it.

Eddie stayed in his trance for a few more minutes before a car drove past the restaurant, bouncing light through the window, causing Steve's ring to glint in his vision. That seemed to snap him out of it, Eddie all but throwing his hand into Steve's, gripping it tightly.

"Dan knows?" Eddie's voice shook with what sounded like disbelief. Steve, worrying he might burst into tears any second, started rubbing his thumb soothingly along Eddie’s knuckles.

Steve thought back to all the Daniel's he'd known in high school, couldn't think of a single one of them good enough for Eddie, and although King Steve wasn't good enough for Eddie either, at least he'd made the effort to become a better person.

A person who could maybe be good enough for someone like Eddie, with his resplendent smile and his inspirational laugh, his wondrous voice and wicked tongue. But clearly Dan hadn't bothered to grow, he'd stayed the same small town jumped-up dickhead that thought he was too good for the remarkable man in front of him.

More fool him! 

Dan's loss and hopefully, if he played his cards right, Steve's gain.

Steve brought his other hand up to join the first, so he was cradling Eddie's hand in both of his, trying to be as comforting as he could from across the table, but then Eddie had started to laugh, deep and brilliant and merry, as though it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

"Oh, ho, ho! I wish I could've seen his face! I wonder if Jason took a picture? We could get it framed! OH! Album cover!" Eddie was practically vibrating in his seat, Chrissy joining in with his raucous laughter.

Steve looked at Robin, she looked equally baffled, oh good it's not just me! 

As much as Steve wished he had a clue, it was nice to see how easily Chrissy matched Eddie's energy, bouncing up and down next to him, waving her arm frantically, "Oh, no, no, no! Stage backdrop!" she managed between peels of laughter, making Eddie laugh so hard he started banging the table with his free hand, desperately trying to catch his breath.

Chrissy looked across the booth, quickly catching his and Robin's confusion, sucking in a deep breath and jumping right into regaling them with stories of Eddie's early music career. Of Corroded Coffins' humble beginnings, practising in Jeff's garage and playing to disinterested patrons of their local bar. How they'd caught a break getting a regular gig in Indy, how they'd been discovered by a scout who just happened to be passing through. How they'd been on the edge of stardom, only for Eddie to have his dreams squashed with the promise of forever that never came to fruition, no matter how much Eddie conformed to Dan's every demand.

Steve listened in awe, Chrissy was an excellent storyteller and Eddie turned a beautiful shade of crimson whenever his best friend praised him, but Eddie's demeanour changed as the story became heartbreaking and all Steve could do was squeeze Eddie’s hand tighter; he knew what it was like to live with a dream squasher, someone who wanted to mould you into what they wanted you to be, instead of loving you for who you are. Not that he could understand how anyone would want to try to change Eddie, or how anyone could want to take anything away from him; or how anyone could see how happy his dreams made him and not want to do everything in their power to make them come true.

He could tell Robin was equally fascinated, but Vegas was clearly catching up with her, she was desperately trying to fight sleep, nodding off and shifting, staying awake for a few minutes to keep listening to Chris' stories but nodding off again. When Robin nearly face-planted her empty plate, Chrissy interrupted herself to suggest they head back to the hotel. 

Not that Robin wanted to leave their company, she whined and protested, but quickly settled as soon as Eddie suggested they all meet up in the evening to go to a concert. Steve didn't quite catch the name of the artist, but from the way Robin bounced on the balls of her feet, he could tell she was excited about them. Steve didn't care if they were going to see the Queen of England's attempt at a comedy gig, Rick Astley repeat Never Gonna Give You Up for two hours straight or an elderly man give a talk about growing tomatoes, he was just happy to be spending more time with them.

It was hot out on The Strip, the sun high in the sky, bathing them in light and making Eddie look almost ethereal as he walked quietly by Steve's side. Eddie wasn't looking at him like he had been when they'd set off to the restaurant, he was glancing around at all the sights of Vegas, so Steve felt free to really look. Even looking at Eddie's profile knocked the breath out of Steve like a smack to the chest, he was just so beautiful, Steve felt more like he was looking at a piece of art than a human being. 

Eddie’s hair wasn't just brown, in the sunlight Steve could see it was a mix of every colour, blondes and reds and browns all intermingled in his little ringlets. Neither were his eyes, they were speckled with gold and amber flecks that shone and sparkled as the light reflected from them. His pale skin was slowly turning pink in the midday heat, making a multitude of tiny scars on his face and neck shimmer. Steve wanted to kiss every one, he wanted to know the stories behind each mark, wanted to heal the past hurts with gentle caresses. 

How could anyone ever want to hurt you?

With that thought, Steve's mind couldn't help but wander to Eddie and Dan's relationship, he just couldn't get over how endlessly unfair it was that Eddie had had to go through a relationship like that. Being in love with someone who didn't love you back was terrible enough, but being with someone willing to manipulate you into giving up your dreams, into becoming a whole other person out of desperation to be a good partner then to have the nerve to publicly blame you for the demise of the relationship, was just horrific. 

Eddie didn't deserve that, he deserved someone willing to hang the moon and the stars for him.

And as much as a sick part of Steve understood the desire to want to keep Eddie all to himself, to keep his voice all for himself because when he thought back to the way Eddie had drawn him in without even making a true effort, Steve knew that if Eddie sang with intent the whole world would want a piece. But he supposed the difference was, he understood how selfish it would be to do that, to stand in Eddie's way of making his dreams come true, to not actively help him to actualize those dreams, to stop him from sharing his gifts with the world! 

Eddie drew him out of his musings by bumping his shoulder into Steve's, a warm, playful smile on his face that Steve couldn't help but respond to, gesturing behind them with his eyes. Eddie seemed delighted when Steve snuck a glance over his shoulder at Chrissy and Robin; they were holding hands, Robin, getting more drowsy with every step they took in the intense heat, was practically being held up by Chrissy, not that it had any effect on the dopey smiles they were directing at each other. 

"Adorable" Eddie mouthed when Steve's gaze flicked back to him, he couldn't help but agree, even if he did feel that little twinge of jealousy that the two of them could be so freely wrapped up in one another. Apart from when he was dating a girl, Steve never felt confident being openly affectionate in public, he always felt like it needed a big conversation about what the other person was comfortable with, and then he was accused of overthinking everything and making it weird.

He knew it was down to the way Billy had treated him and the thing was it made sense back in Hawkins but when they'd moved to Indy they lived in a safe part of town, he saw couples just being themselves all the time but the one time he accidentally grabbed Billy's hand during a thriller at the cinema, he'd acted like it was the end of the world, like Steve had doomed them somehow and when something so small causes your partner to temporarily move out it's bound to make you self-conscious.

Steve was glad when they arrived back at the hotel, he was fine in the sunshine, other than the time when he was fifteen and he'd fallen asleep in one of his sun loungers for eight or so hours, he never burned, but Eddie's cheeks already had a permanent pinkening and Robin may as well be a vampire she burned so easily, Chrissy had rosy cheeks now too, but he wasn't sure whether that was down to the sun or Robin's affection. 

The lobby air conditioning had perked Robin up like a slap to the face, she was back to chattering easily with Eddie, telling elaborate stories of her marching band days, waving not only her own hands about but Chrissy's too where she hadn't realised she hadn't let go, not that Chris seemed to mind. Steve couldn't help but smile at them, they were too cute; even Vickie eventually became tired of Robin's rambling, she’d learned ways to discreetly quieten her, but Robin noticed, of course she did, it was the reason for the first time he'd ever seen Robin cry, but Chris just seemed enchanted, it made Steve's heart happy.

Steve was trying to keep track of their conversation, but his brain was blanking, now they were back in the midst of the hotel he was suddenly uneasy, every second that ticked by, every step they took was one closer to having to part, but they couldn’t linger, it was check-in time so reception was manic with pushing and shoving and people vying for attention. Steve was glad when the lift dinged so they could be away from the hubbub, the doors sliding open like a welcoming embrace. 

Seeming to sense his change in mood, Eddie snuck his hand into the small of his back to guide him into the lift, immediately calming Steve; Robin noticed, falling silent halfway through her sentence to poke Steve hard in the ribs, smirking and mouthing, "adorable" at him. 

Steve let out a breathy laugh and blushed deeply, melting further when the doors slid closed and Eddie snaked his arms around Steve's waist, propping his chin on Steve's shoulder. It warmed his heart to have him so close, to think that maybe he was equally anxious to be apart. Eddie snapping out of his contemplation by laughing heartily when Robin looked at the two of them with feigned disgust, but it didn't take long for her to turn into an adorably blushing mess as soon as Chrissy did the same thing to her.

With two floors separating them, the foursome found it incredibly difficult to part from one another, Chrissy wouldn’t let go of Robin’s hand and Steve was leaning against the doors forcing them to stay open for as long as possible while they checked and double-checked and triple-checked the arrangements for meeting up later in the evening. It was only when an elderly couple wanted to use the elevator that Steve reluctantly let it go, he and Robin staring forlornly at the closed doors for several moments before sighing heavily and turning to head to their room.

Robin headed straight to the bathroom for a shower, muttering under her breath about everything being wet. What could he say? They’d had fun! He knew she didn't really care about the state of the bathroom from the amount of times she'd showered with the door open in her apartment so they could continue their conversation, she was just filling the space to ease him.

Steve flopped down on his unmade bed, sucking in a relaxing breath, thinking about how brilliantly fucked up his life had become, and half listening to Robin's grumbling, letting it soothe him. Then when he felt brave enough, he put the phone on speaker and let the messages play.

Beep. "My Little Bobbin, you forgot to call! Give us a ring before your mother has an aneurysm! We love you!" Beep.

Steve could hear Robin creasing up in the bathroom, he felt guilty that he'd forgotten to remind her but her parents knew her too well, they’d only start to really worry if they didn't hear anything after a couple of days but they’d know from the fact that they could leave a message that they'd checked in and now she'd been reminded Robin would call them back when she was done in the shower.

Beep. "Steve, honey, Dustin’s driving me insane, will you please remember to bring him that book he wanted? I can't remember the name. Earthshaker! call him, will you? he misses you. Okay, love you, bye." Beep.

Beep. "Steven. Darrrling. Having fun in Vegas? Dad's got you a lawyer all set up, so don't worry! Call us back so we can start proceedings." Beep.

Beep. "Steve, it's Hop. *sigh* Is that Steve? No, he's not there. Call me, we love you." Beep.

Beep. "Steve, honey, we saw your announcement. I'm glad you're having fun but maybe give Hop a call? El says he's pacing! Don't forget my book! Dustin! Have fun with your husband! Send our love to Bobby, bye!" Beep.

If there were more messages Steve didn't hear them, between Robin chattering over the sound of the shower and listening to the messages from his family, Steve nodded off with a contented smile plastered to his face.

Part 3

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tag list @estrellami-1 @gregre369 @adhdsummer @newtstabber

[rainboneish]

i feel some kind of way about Rayleigh (specifically Rayleigh and Luffy but all of the strawhats to some extent)

Cause imagine going through all of those adventures with your crew and your best friend/soulmate captain, literally going to the end of the world with them, discovering the secrets of the universe, raising two kids together, and then having all of that end… and then one day one of your sons comes by your place, and he tells you about this boy, who he gave your captain’s hat to and sacrificed his dominant arm for, and he tells you that he reminded him so much of your captain (who also happened to be his father figure and your best friend)… and you’re curious, but it’s an 8 (?) year old kid halfway across the world and you decide you’ll wait and see, if it’s meant to be he’s bound to pass by there eventually.

and then years pass and you start hearing whispers about a boy in your captain’s straw hat in the news… and you meet the boy… and he really is SO like your best friend… and then the boy looses, and you do your best to help him, cause it’s him (and who knows, maybe your crew was in a similar position at some point when you were young)

and then marineford happens, and you find out that he is a brother in all but blood to a young man that could, under different circumstances, have been like a son to you (cause captain’s kid is the crew’s kid too in a kinder world)

and you know he must be broken seeing his brother die in his arms after already having suffered such a defeat in Sabaody… because Roger would have been… and you were, when you couldn’t bear to watch his execution, despite it being according to his plan

so you go, and you offer to train this kid for the journey to come, so that hopefully he and his family of friends can have a happier end is than yours did

and you spend a year and a half living with him, longer than he has gotten to spend with that crew of his, and you get to know this boy, both for his similarities and his differences to your old friend… and he grows… and then time comes for him to continue his journey… and when you say goodbye (for now?) you realize that in his growth and in your familiarity, he has become maybe even more like Roger… but perhaps he shines even brighter (and on top of that, which i didn’t even touch on here, you know that he will carry out what you and your family were too early for , all those years ago)

[lunarmango]

Playing Back on Radio

Hello hello!

I have had some cool headcanons for Alastor's and his radio! (The one that Vaggie uses to bash Lute's head in, yeah, that one.) I'm not usually that good at putting together a script for drawing comics or anything, though I did attempt it in one of my earlier posts.

This fic will be x Reader but... think of this like a Pilot episode to see if I should continue it!

No warnings for now folks!

Enjoy the ride <3

Word count: 1k

“My name? My name is...” 

Sat down on a plush red velvet sofa next to the fireplace in his room, his ruby eyes flash to the Mahogany Radio sat on his desk, the sunlight reflecting on the glossy surface of it. His brows furrow in thought. That voice... Why was it playing?  

Who was it playing?  

What was their name? 

Where did he know them from? 

Did he know them? 

He sighs, shutting the book he was reading and swiftly standing up to place it next to the radio on his desk. Their voice... it was sweet, in a way almost soothing. He looks over the radio, running his claws on the dial to turn it up, careful not to scratch the finish on it. After all, he doubted any other radios like his existed, even in the fantastical world that is hell. 

“Alastor was it?” 

He sighs, hands on either side of the radio on the mahogany desk, specifically customised to match the radio. Where... He shakes his head.  

Probably nobody important.

He turns on his heels, ready to face the day, his striped wine-red tailcoat dramatically flourishing with his twirl, confident, ready and better than- 

. . .

“I’ve never met anyone like you-

You’re different” 

He looks over his shoulder, his glare shooting daggers at the radio as he scoffs to himself.  

What in the world were they talking about- he always kept a good public image, always kept his work... tidy. No one knew he was-

“I- in a good way that is!” 

Oh, right, how silly to think he might’ve slipped up. He was always far too thorough with his killings. 

Static fills the room as the speech that filled the room came to a stop. Alastor never recalled this person or this memory. What was some random acquaintance doing in his radio? He rolled his eyes and faced back to the door, walking out to continue his day and help at the hotel.  

They’re nobody important. Yeah. Nobody important.

His thoughts wandered. His radio manifested when he developed his powers to an extent. It always played fond memories of his past, it was like a warm hug. Just without the touching, how nice.  

Until now. Not that he considered the memory he heard to be unpleasant. No, no. It just wasn’t as... personal as the rest. Why would some random person interest him of all people after all? It usually emitted memories of his mother, or his favorite songs or radio broadcasts he made. These playthroughs from his little radio were always calming, and one of his only forms of comfort. His best friend, in a way.

Alastor frowns to himself, walking outside to clear his head and think things over, so with a twirl of his cane, and a smug grin to the hotel guests supported by a small nod, he was off.

A radio, an inanimate object, his best friend.

How sad. Is this the cause of loneliness, or just lack of interest in social norms? Hell if I know.

He wondered as he walked through the entrance, internally rolling his eyes at the thought. 

I was thinking of something else. A person... a... Oh yes! 

Alastor walks through the streets with a more tense smile. If people were just going to start randomly intruding in his memories, it was going to be an issue. This could really take a toll on his mental state, more than already. GOD he hates admitting that though. 

He is fine. 

With his radio. 

. . .

The day passes seamlessly nonetheless, running errands for Charlie, as physically taxing as they may be, killing a sinner or two on the way, there’s no way she’d find out, its just letting off a little steam.  

Nothing new. They’ll respawn. They earned damnation and I'll be more than happy to offer their fair share.

Other than that, the day was a little dull, but hey, normal is good. It's safe. It's predictable.

Walking with a huff, he fumbles with the lock of his door, walking inside and closing the door behind him. That injury was taxing. Why was he so tired? But he’s fine, he’s the Radio Demon, one of the most powerful overlords! Always fine, always ready to take on anything- 

“You’re back! I’d recognize that dazzling smile from a mile away!” 

Dazzling smile? Him? His wide grin, his mask, the very thing he works so hard to keep together daily, working overtime as of recent, relaxes as he listens. What convenient timing, he was definitely in need of a pick me up after today.

He walks over to the cabinet to the right of his desk, a small selection of whiskey on the middle glass shelf in lovely crystal bottles that glisten ever so slightly with the dim lighting of his room as he sets a glass on the table, pouring enough for him to warm up, to settle.  

“These flowers? Oh they’re Dhalias! We do have some in red in the back, I’ll return in a moment!” 

It was you?

You.

YOU!

Still stood in front of the shelf, Alastor suddenly rushes to the radio, almost hoping he could remember your face again, crouching so his head is to the level of the radio, staring it down, as if he could see you like this. Your hair... was it long? Short? What eyes... what image to pair with that sweet personality of yours? 

Your name. 

Your name? What was your name? 

Alastor paces around the carpet in the middle of his room, waiting for answers from his radio. As if it could read his mind or something. 

“They make your features stand out...” 

He cringed. Not at you, not at your voice, but the way it made his stomach flutter.

Ugh.

What ridiculous notions. He could never entertain it, he wouldn’t allow himself. He has never had any need for affection, ever, even if it was just verbal.

Was it his wound..? No, that couldn’t affect him mentally.

The liquor..? He didn’t have that much!

He sighs, gathering his thoughts and taking another sip of his whiskey to help make sense of things.

Who are you?

[flurry-of-stars]

︵‿︵‿୨✩୧‿︵‿︵

*taps microphone* New chapter for These Hollow Halls coming soon--

[moongothic]

Dr Kureha and Grandma Kokoro should kiss send tweet

[sysig]

You’re gonna die if you keep that up (Patreon)

[thasorns-moved]

I— I try to come up with words to put my thoughts out there but it’s difficult. I’m this close 👌🏼 to drop sunset x vibes which is sad because everyone worked hard and even Bank gratulates everyone everytime who pushes the tag, apparently the drama is not doing well in Thailand… but can’t blame them. I’m lost most of the time and try to figure out what the actual plot is.

We have four episodes left and we only got snippets from the fantasy plot (except this episode) how do they going to solve it? By only focusing on the fantasy the last episodes and putting unnecessary unresolved, misunderstanding and no communication into the ring or? Did Lin acted on his self when he ran away or did the woman has something to do with it?

We got a cheating storyline with Pim which didn’t add much to the plot only to push the PrimPim couple further. We could’ve got any other story beginning for this couple than a cheating plot. Also in my opinion their relationship develops a bit too slow as to say again only four episodes left. I genuinely thought Pim is single and has a crush on Prim which makes more sense than the cheating ass boyfriend coming out of thin air

I don’t care much about nicknames call each other how you want even the sweetest grossest names is okay for me but “khun dad” is weird. It’s not even a mistranslation in the subs as Lin really calls him that. Not even daddy. Dad. When Lin has a dad. He calls his boyfriend dad for whatever reason

We have four couples: SunLin, SamYoh, PrimPim and ChanJuldis (I’m sorry that I couldn’t be bothered to remember the names as they are too many ppl involved and all over the place IF I pronounced Juldis name wrong). You see the dilemma here. It could’ve been well executed throughout the series with all the four couples involved but we rarely get scenes with PrimPim and ChanJuldis so why bother bringing these two into the story when you’ll only focus on the main and side couple?! (I’m saying this in general and not about the following episodes which will include PrimPim)

Are they going to squish and by that I mean ‘fantasy, leaked design, development of the couples in four (three) episodes??? What I mean with three is that and it is only my opinion that this week’s episode seems to be a filler episode because not much is happening plot wise and only focuses on SunLin and PrimPim couple storyline (so it seemed, correct me if I’m wrong)

In all this I didn’t talked about how I can’t really feel SunLin… again sad because MosBank are awesome and Big Dragon was good but I don’t feel them at all in Sunset x Vibes… does it have something to do with the plot maybe yeah. But also how they communicate which is none. Sun seems to know more about the whole dream Naga thing than he tells us or why else would he put the bracelet on Lin? What was the whole purpose for Lin to intern at Soul Jewelry when he goes back to work with his dad? Or his dad gets soft and allows him to stay idk. The whole Sun has a fiancé suddenly where did it come from and why? The plot is already all over the place don’t need to add more unnecessary things. It does not do much and adds nothing to the story plot wise. It’s only frustrating with the miscommunication and to have a filler episode where Sun works his ass off to prove something to Lin, again not relevant to the actual plot IF there’s one… It didn’t bother me much that Sun didn’t told Lin about Sam which bothered other ppl though and yeah I get why. Idk I find their relationship a bit shallow but that’s only my opinion

I swear in all of this I don’t want to be a buzzkill or write negatively about this drama because ppl actually put some work into it in making this but yeah a plus point for the editing team when Lin fainted and how they switched to the ocean was good 😊

[spectraspecs-writes]

Having read @alphacygni ‘s incredible Garashir fic where they plot out all of “The Never Ending Sacrifice”, and hearing Garak and Bashir talk about it, I feel like I’m part of the book club

[someartistsammy]

I’ve seen quite a few takes saying that Team Glenn aren’t really friends or don’t care about each other and I wanted to take some time to write about why I feel like that’s blatantly false. Using info from what we have in-game, from the character intros, and with a piece from an interview with those working on the game.

To start off, when we were initially given the character intros before the full release, we were told some basic information on the characters. Matt was asked by Glenn to join him on the mission, and Lucia outright volunteered to go with. Both had the option to turn it down or to not volunteer but they decided to go with, neither were obligated.

Upon the opening section of the game, if you choose the option of “Guess I should wake her.” to rouse Lucia, she will tell Glenn “…How many times do I have to tell you not to wake me up like that?” This gives us the idea that either they’ve worked multiple previous overnight or crash-landing missions together, with Glenn startling her awake with the idea of being attacked, or that they’re used to existing in a shared space where she can be woken up by him.

When they’re going around looking for Matt, Glenn mentions owing him money. This is said to be for lunch and drinks. This is something done off-clock, and not something Matt is obligated to do in the least. They spend time around each other outside of work.

When looking at the opening movie for the original version of The First Soldier, the battle royale version, we get to see that Glenn, Matt, and Lucia, all meet each other back in 1988. The mission to the Rhadore Archipelago takes place in 1992, so the three of them have known each other for roughly 4 years. Lucia actually rescues them on that mission, and outright says “If I hadn’t gotten you two out of trouble, we would’ve never become friends.” Which tells us that they do continue to view each other as friends. Not only this, but later after the mission they met on, they take their SOLDIER exam together as a team. This meaning that they continued to stay in contact after that event and work together, and even practiced specifically as a team.

They all have to have at least some degree of being close to each other, if not at least Matt and Lucia, who are able to actually communicate with each other with nothing more than nods directed at each other. They do this roughly 4 times in the story up to the end of the current release of Chapter 5.

Later, in Padapili Sea Cave, if you choose to have Glenn eat the fruit all by himself, he uses it as a slight way to mess with Lucia. She voices concern over the possibility of it being poisonous, and is concerned when he takes a bite of it without hesitation. Upon collapsing to the ground, she gets extremely frustrated and concerned telling him to spit it out. Glenn pointed it out as a moment to say nothing is more scary than ignorance, but she was truly upset by thinking he could’ve or was actively being harmed. This is a slightly mean way of messing with her, but it gives a moment to show that she does care about him.

Glenn does overuse the nickname “Professor” for Matt and it does upset Matt, but it never feels intentionally malicious or like its making fun of Matt. It’s a part of showing that they aren’t perfect and all have their flaws, Glenn’s happens to be boundaries and being a bit of a troublemaker. Although we haven’t seen as much of it from Matt, the initial idea of the First Soldier story had Matt as the protagonist. He was intended to be diligent (perhaps even too much so) and appears to overanalyze things. This includes being prepared to view Rosen as a possible enemy as though to not compromise their mission. Lucia was designed to be the mediator or “harmonizing presence” however choosing to leave Lucia behind at the 3rd pressure plate in Chapter 3’s Main Section 4, Episode 1, will grant you dialogue between Matt and Glenn wondering if Lucia is okay and worrying that she has a lot pent up and might explode. She also has small outbursts of anger such as if Glenn chooses to eat the fruit solo. Once again, they’re all flawed in their own ways.

In the same location as the previous mentioned chapter, section, and episode, the very first pressure plate you come upon gives you the option to leave behind Glenn, Matt, or Lucia. Upon leaving behind Lucia, once you reach the other side and open the wall, she will run through. Glenn asks her what’s up, and she avoids eye contact. Upon asking “Huh? What is it?” from Glenn, Lucia will say she’s angry with herself, and look at the ground. She admits that she’s relieved to see the two of them, anger that could be founded in the possibility that they (likely) weren’t gone that long at all.

When Lucia brings up the rumor of how this mission prioritized interpersonal relationships over skill when creating teams, Glenn states he was able to “get you two without a fight.” In reference to Matt and Lucia. This could also be interpreted as they’ve attempted to get on missions with each other in the past, but that it can be a hassle to do. Matt comments that “camaraderie is a powerful thing” which by definition is “mutual trust and a friendship among people who spend a lot of time together.”

Upon the topic of Lucia saying she doesn’t want the higher-ups to think she’s a willing member of Team Glenn. This feels like it just sets in with her usual slightly biting sense of jokes that can be interpreted as being slightly rude. It’s important to remember her intro states she wasn’t asked to come along, but rather, volunteered to go with. Even if for another reason she doesn’t want to be a “willing member of Team Glenn” she’s there because she wanted to be and because she cares about Glenn and Matt.

I would also like to add that I feel one of Final Fantasy VII’s key themes could be found family, across majority of the compilation. Team Glenn might not entirely treat each other as “respectful adult friends” but rather closer to family, like siblings or cousins. They get on each other’s nerves and annoy each other, but they do also genuinely care about each other.

Following in on the topic of found family, the way they treat Sephiroth. Glenn is initially hostile towards Sephiroth, likely caused by his being put in charge as team leader, and possibly taking away Glenn’s chance at getting his bonus. The one reason he refused to call in for help. Glenn does deal with financial stress, even if caused by gambling (possibly passed down to him by his grandma. But I’ll save that for a different post.) However, once he hears what Sephiroth has to say about being a hero being a lie, he’s instantly willing to help him out. When asking what Sephiroth wants to be when he grows up, he says “Come on, tell Uncle Glenn.” (Closer to big brother in accurate translation) He misses what Sephiroth says about a normal life, but still continues to try and help him out. He also apologizes to Sephiroth multiple times throughout Chapter 5. He does feel bad for the things he said in the heat of the moment, and does clearly begin to care about him rather quickly.

Glenn, Matt, and Lucia, once Glenn’s frustration passes, instantly accept him into their group, and watch over him. Glenn already using a familial term when referring to their connection. Lucia also goes to show she cares about him when ruffling/petting his hair later on. Towards the end of Chapter 5, although Matt doesn’t have any close physical interactions with Sephiroth, he does show immediate concern upon finding out Sephiroth was injured. Showing that he does still care and worry about him, even if he hasn’t had what was considered a more touching moment. Glenn also once again apologizes to Sephiroth and hugs him.

Although it gets off to a rocky start with Sephiroth, I would argue that Glenn, Matt, and Lucia, all treat each other like pretty good friends, if not closer to the jabs family would have. Not unexpected in friendships that have been developing for possibly around 4 years either. They also eventually accept Sephiroth into their group.

Things might change later down the line, and the relationships the characters have with each other could be expanded upon and I could wind up being proven completely wrong, as we do only have through to Chapter 5 currently, but as it stands at the time of me writing this, I would say they are at least friends.

[deprivedofbraincellsandsleep]

hiii zia

so the other day u was talking with my sister and you told hwr you werw trying to quit listening to music because of ur religion and like i thought u were mualim and i’ve seen a lot of muslim people singing and listening to music so i was just curious to like why you cant listen to music same thing with dancing about how you can’t dance only when you’re alone

im just curious btw

heyyyy, okayy so this is kinda ish (not really) complicated but bear with meeee

so I am muslim and the thing is, we aren't allowed to listen to music for a few reasons being:

1) instruments are haram (meaning forbidden, so singing with just ur voice is okay or listening to vocals only is okay too)

2) idk if you’ve noticed but music tends to make people want to move aka dance so another reason why is that if played in a public place or smth like that it can lead to men and women dancing together (which isn't allowed) and that can progress further to them doing things together if yk wut I mean (I dont rlly know how to explain this better)

3) this is the most important thing, so we have our holy scripture right, the Holy Quran, and while we may desire to listen to music, our soul desires the Holy Quran, so we cannot deprive it of that. There cannot be two things in our heart at once, music and Quran cannot co-exist, because if you try to keep both things in your heart together, it won't work because as a Muslim, you'll notice that you won't be focused in your worship because all you will be able to think of is music instead of paying attention. You truly cannot taste the sweetness and completely digest words of the Quran with another thing occupying your heart (music), you have to eliminate it first and cleanse your heart of it to truly be able to taste the sweetness of not only the Quran but of life aswell, theres no other way of saying this. You have to fill your heart with good things, and you'll notice nowadays that lyrics of music tends to be talking about dirty things and such so that's not good too.

sorry that got too long, anyways something called nasheeds exist, they aren't really songs because it's just vocals and the lyrics are talking about Allah and like about our Prophet (peace be upon him) and stuff about our religion. But some nasheeds tend to have instruments so you gotta be careful😭. Anyways so Muslims can listen to those instead of music and also listen to podcasts (especially Islamic ones since ur just gaining more knowledge about your religion and becoming closer to God) to help with listening to music less.

the dancing thing kinda ties in with my first point (and also the second one), because dancing can be provocative and can lead to dirty things happening between men and women which is a major sin called Zina (sex between unmarried people).

anyways so music is definitely haram (forbidden) but many Muslims nowadays, since music is so normalized and is everywhere, refuse to accept that (not every Muslim obviously but many yk). They still put music in their videos (which isn't good because for every time someone watches that video and hears the music, you get a bad deed) and listen to it themselves, and since music has completely embedded itself into society, its harder to quit it and many people struggle doing so (including me). Singing if it's just with your voice is fine though.

Sorry again for this becoming so long, I hope my rambling was comprehensive enough, especially for someone who is non-muslim😭😭.

Theres lots of videos on yt about people quitting music, it's mostly Muslims but I saw one of this girl quitting it for 3 months and she did a really nice video about it too explaining what she learnt from it and all. They really go in depth about how music has completely embedded itself into our lives and how much of a struggle it is to free yourself from it so if you wanna do more research about this you can js watch those.

[every-aj-needs-an-angel]

Part 5 of the Steddie Vegas AU!! So sorry it's a week late

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4

Steve had just finished packing up the backpack with everything they'd need for a trip to the desert when the phone rang. At first, he assumed it'd be Robin getting antsy about how late it was getting (not that it was late at all) so he just answers with a snarky "What?"

It isn't until he hears his mother's haughty huff that all the colour drains out of his face. 

"Steven, that is no way to answer the telephone! We raised you better than that," he can hear the disappointment dripping from her tone, but all he can think is, you didn't raise me at all!

"Mother. My apologies, I assumed you were Bobbie," he responds flatly.

"Oh, so that's his name," she snarked. Huh? Oh, for fuck's sake!

"No," Steve's quick to respond, trying to keep a hold of his temper, "I meant Robin, you know, my best friend!" His mother really should know that, but unsurprisingly Steve's life isn't important to her unless it's affecting her social standing, "Eddie is my husband, was that not clarified in the announcement?" he sniped, trying and failing to keep the bite out of it.

His mother sighed heavily, "You know I don't touch newspapers, darling," she drawled, "The ink stains my nails," she adds disdainfully. He can practically see her dusting the imaginary particles from her fingertips; she never was one to touch anything dirty. "We only heard because Sam mentioned it. Apparently our son doesn't bother to update us on his poor life choices any more," she bemoaned, with a quick succession of tuts for good measure. Sam was their lawyer, best friend, golf buddy, fuck buddy, probably, Steve didn't know, and he didn't want to.

The only poor choice I've made was answering this call!

Steve bit his tongue, holding in the lecture he wanted to unleash, like he always did, "Okay, well I have to go, I'm running late," he lied, "I'll come and see you both when I get home," he assured, even though they both knew he wouldn't.

"Okay, darling, call Sam, he'll finish the paperwork," she insisted, hanging up on him without waiting for a response.

Call Sam! Fuck you!

Resisting the urge to throw the phone at the wall, he kicked the bed with the side of his foot instead, growling in frustration. Part of him wanted them to leave him alone for good, part of him just wanted them to care, and the rest of him wanted him to stop caring what they thought. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes and counting to ten in his mind, this was Robin’s day, he could deal with his parental complications later. He flung the backpack over his shoulder, hooking the dressing gown over his arm and checked his hair in the mirror as he left the room, trying to leave the conversation and the frustration behind him. 

But it didn’t work, he could still feel the anger deep in his bones that meant he couldn't help stomping up the staircase. He hated how she always managed to rile him up, but what he hated most was how he let her. Normally, one of her phone calls would come with a two-day sulk, hiding in his room and moping in bed like a sullen teenager. Normally he could call for Robin through the wall, and she’d come and lay with him, rest her head on his chest while he ranted, but he couldn't do that right now, but that didn’t stop him needing her. And honestly, he felt like he kinda needed Eddie too. He wanted his arms around his waist and his hair tickling his face, and he wanted to go back to the contented peace he'd felt earlier watching Eddie and Robin talk.

Finally making it back upstairs, he knocked on the suite door, Chrissy let him in with a welcoming smile before wandering off into her bedroom. A quick glance was all it took for him to realise that the girls were waiting for him alone, he wandered further into the room putting the dressing gown down on the back of the sofa as Robin came out of Chrissy's room, handing him his wallet that he'd left in his jeans on Eddie's floor.

"What's up?" she asked, barely even glancing at him before wrapping her arms tightly around him, pressing her cheek firmly against his chest.

"She called back," Steve muttered, tucking his chin over the top of her head, pulling her closer.

"Must've got around the club," Robin reasoned, tightening her grip, rubbing his back soothingly. 

Steve adored her so much. He didn’t know how she had the patience with him because she never said anything. No matter how many times he let them do this to him, she was always just there for him, and the thing was he knew if the roles were reversed he wouldn’t be able to hold his tongue. He knew he’d be telling her to stop speaking to them, to stop letting them get to her because they both believed in cutting toxic people out, but she’d been the same way about Billy. She had obviously hated him, but she’d never said a bad word against him, never told Steve to leave him, she had always just sat and listened. She had always been his rock.

He just hummed in response, he didn't really want to think about it any more, they'd ruined enough of his holiday already. He kissed her on the top of her head, squeezing her once before releasing her.

Robin placed her hands on his cheeks, smiling affectionately as she squished his face, making him chuckle, before letting go with a gentle pat; circling him to rummage around in the backpack for her sunglasses that she'd left behind on the desk in their room. 

Steve glanced around, watching as the girls pottered, "Where's Eddie?"

Robin shrugged, "Downstairs," she muttered, zipping the backpack back up, "He said something about a surprise," she added, aiming for nonchalance and missing by miles, turning on her heel and striding out the front door without another word. 

Chrissy gathered her handbag and sunglasses, following her out and holding the door open, waiting for Steve to join them. He pulled the backpack tighter over his shoulder and pushed off the sofa with an amused huff, following them out and letting the door swing shut behind him. 

He gave Chrissy a warm smile when she linked her arm through his as they wandered down the hall together side-by-side. Robin was already at the end of the corridor waiting for the lift, still pressing the down button when they caught her up. 

A reaction like that from anyone else he would think was weird, but Steve knew Robin too well, he knew that her lack of elaboration just meant that she was in on whatever the surprise was and had been sworn to secrecy. Claudia had organised a surprise birthday party for him once, and Robin's head had nearly exploded. 

When she'd been told about the surprise baby shower for Jenny in the office, she'd told him that she just found it easier to not speak around someone she was keeping something from, just to make sure she didn't blurt out the secret by accident. Except sometimes in life you can't avoid speaking to people, so then she'd have to do that, carefully regulated wording, precise and to the point.

Except what she never seemed to realise was just how stark the contrast was between her ability to witter endlessly and her careful wording and requisite silence. Jenny had been convinced Robin had fallen out with her, the added hormones didn't help, but she'd ended up wailing in the bathroom and Robin had had to spill the secret, so Jenny would stop crying and begging to know what she'd done wrong.

The first time he'd called her out for her silence and one word answers, she’d been her convinced he was a mind reader. They hadn't known each other long, they'd been neighbours for a few months but had only started to become friends when he and Billy were on a slow path to breaking up. She used to check in on him after one of their epic screaming matches, when Billy would throw whatever was closest, punch walls and slam the front door with a "fuck you!" She'd come over with Kleenex, chocolate and ice cream and sit with him on the couch, make him laugh and help him clean up and fix whatever Billy had broken. 

But then about three days after his final breakup with Billy, her great aunt died. Obviously, he'd noticed her unexpected silence when she'd spent the previous two days talking his ear off to keep him distracted. She was shocked when he'd asked what was wrong and wouldn't take “nothing” for an answer. It wasn't that she was upset about the death, she just hadn't wanted Steve fussing over her when he was still feeling “emotionally fragile”.

Normally if she was quiet he'd try to wheedle it out of her, it was easier than dealing with how anxious it made her to keep something to herself, but she didn't seem too agitated and if it lasted more than ten minutes, he'd figured it out, but for now she seemed to be fine. 

Although if he and Eddie decided to continue to see each other in Indy, he decided to just give him a heads-up to not involve her in future secret keeping, lest her head implode.

The elevator was taking a while to arrive, leaving the three of them standing in unnerving silence. Robin continuously anxiously pressing the down button. Even Chrissy was abnormally quiet, she seemed jittery, she'd let go of his arm and was switching between picking her nails and swishing side to side, her skirt swooshing around her legs.

Steve was about to ask what was wrong when the ding of the lift arriving interrupted him, Chrissy letting out a relieved sigh and stomping inside as soon as the doors opened. He gave Robin a what's up with her look, but Robin just shrugged with a look of her own that said, beats me. Robin followed her in, smoothing her outfit and hair in the mirror, pulling lip balm out of her pocket and putting on copious amounts as an excuse to look busy.

The doors slid shut behind Steve. He gave Chris his most reassuring smile, and she smiled back, but he could tell it was false. Her smile always reached her eyes, even when she was exhauster, but this time it just didn't. He was about to ask if everything was alright, he was worried something was really wrong, when she inadvertently interrupted him, bursting out, "Hey Steve!"

Her loudness seemed to surprise them both equally, Steve's eyebrows flying into his hairline. Chrissy just seeming to regret speaking at all, like she wished she could swallow the word back down. He tried his hardest to stay calm, hummed a questioning "hmm?" afraid actual words might spook her. He didn't even care if this was a shovel talk, he just wanted her to know she was in a safe space, that she could talk to him no matter what.

She spent a few seconds looking at him, really looking, like she was trying to see into his soul. He tried his hardest to be patient, tried not to squirm under her scrutiny, tried to stop his heart from beating out of his chest, but he kinda wished she’d just get it over with. She hesitated, let out another deep breath and ploughed ahead, "You do know your hair looks the same?" she murmured tenderly.

What?

That wasn't at all what he'd expected to come out of her mouth at all. Somehow it felt worse than if she'd said "If you hurt my best friend, I'll bury you so deep, not even the worms in the earth would be able to find you!" because it'd hurt like a motherfucker when Max had said that to him (as though he'd been the town heartbreaker) but a jab about his hair wasn't what he'd prepared for.

And okay, it wasn't a jab per se. In fact, it wasn't a jab at all, but it didn't stop it feeling that way. It felt like she'd just slapped him across the face, and he's no idea why it feels that way whenever anyone even mentions his hair. Because he knows that's all it is, it's just hair and in the grand scheme of things it isn't important, but he was The Hair!

It's who he was long before he was a king, long before he was a captain. He was defined by it, it was how his peers showed him respect, and his father had never been so proud of him as when that was who he was. When he was awake two hours before he should’ve been to make sure it looked perfect, that he looked perfect, even though he was secretly wearing his mother's concealer to hide the bags under his eyes.

Robin huffed and rolled her eyes hard, "Oh my god, don't get him started!" she grouched, still not looking at either of them.

The look of hurt on his face must have told Chrissy all she needed to know. Just like the way she huffed and flapped her hands frantically, in the same way El did when she was struggling to express herself, told Steve she wasn't trying to upset him. Not that it stopped him from instinctively combing his fingers protectively through his hair.

Chrissy visibly composed herself, taking a deep breath, putting her hands gently on his shoulders and looking up at him with kind eyes. "I didn't mean anything bad by it. It's just, your hair looked nice this morning, and it still looks nice now," she clarified, except he wasn't any clearer on what she was trying to say.

He knew his hair never looked nice in the morning, that was why he'd spent so many years of his life sleep-deprived, but she seemed insistent and there was no malice or devilry in her eyes, she was imploring him to understand like she could push the thoughts from her mind into his if only she stared hard enough and it might've worked this morning, but his mother calling had scrambled his head, it was like he reverted back to his old self whenever they wormed their way into his life.

She flicked her gaze over to Robin over his shoulder, not that she was paying either of them any attention, but when Chrissy looked back at him, she looked so sad it damn near broke his heart. She sighed heavily, and when her lip wobbled slightly he was worried she was about to cry, "My mom… she used to have me obsess over my appearance, too. So I get it. I'm just saying, y'know?" she muttered.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh, Chrissy!

Suddenly what she'd been trying to say made a lot more sense.

My parents cared more about how I looked than about me, too.

Steve sighed deeply, holding her gaze as a shared upbringing, a shared pain, passed between them. When she leaned up wrapping her arms around his neck, he automatically wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, tucking his chin over her shoulder, trying to offer her some comfort, trying to let her know he heard her, that he appreciated what she'd just told him.

He didn't know her well, but she deserved so much more than that, as he squeezed her tighter he felt the overwhelming need to protect her, to put himself between her and the world, to go back in time and put himself between her and her mother, to give her the found family who loved her unconditionally that his teenage self had been lucky enough to find.

"Thanks, Sugar," he mumbled in her ear, kissing the top of her head before letting her go.

Robin, of course, had no idea what they were talking about or the emotional moment they'd just shared. She had great parents, and he was so glad for it, he wouldn't wish his kind of parents on anyone, especially not his best friend. She just stomped off as soon as the doors swung open, disappearing into the lobby and expecting that they'd follow, ranting, "He's always been this way! Guy's looked like a Greek God since I met him. Could be dragged through a hedge backwards and still never need to change a damn thing. Doesn't stop him primping, making us late for everything-"

Steve glanced at the clock above the reception desk as he followed the girls outside, "It's barely 10," he interrupted sullenly, rolling his eyes.

"Irrelevant, my point is- holy fuck!"

Holy fuck, indeed! 

Eddie, hair in a bun, in aviators and shorts! Resting on the bonnet of the most gorgeous car Steve had ever laid his eyes on. Oh my god! He wanted to take a picture to make it into a calendar, just twelve months of casual Eddie and a Cadillac! "Jesus Christ, is that a Cadillac?" Steve asked, needing confirmation of the facts his brain had only just caught up with.

Eddie grinned dazzlingly, whipping his sunglasses off his face, "A yellow-beige, 1984 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, to be precise," he apprised smugly.

Circling the car, Steve couldn't quite believe his eyes. This was his dream car, he'd had a picture of this exact car on his bedroom wall since forever, he'd removed it from an old calendar he'd been given in his teens. He'd fallen in love with it immediately and kept the picture with him, just in the hope that maybe one day… 

Knowing now why Robin was trying so hard to keep quiet, just endeared him all the more, he pulled her into his side, kissing her on the head. She'd clearly told Eddie all about it, but somehow Eddie had made it materialize. "No way!" Steve muttered in disbelief.

"Yes way!" Eddie exclaimed, pulling the keys from his pocket and letting them dangle in the air, his eyes were so soft even though his smile was slightly smug, like a magician who'd pulled the rabbit out of the hat.

Chrissy groaned, swishing her skirt again anxiously, "Eds, you know I love you, but I don't think I'm comfortable with you being behind the wheel of a convertible," she sounded genuinely concerned, but Eddie was quick to ease her.

He finally got up off the car circling around Chris and Robin, "Don't worry, My Little Dove, I'm like Santa I just used my sources to bring unadulterated joy to our very own Motorhead," he said exuberantly, kissing his best friend loudly on the cheek.

And Steve was listening to Eddie, but he didn't really hear him, so when he suddenly appeared in front of Steve with the keys held aloft between them and said "Stevie's got her! Doncha, Big Boy!" simultaneously dropping the keys into Steve's hand and waggling his eyebrows alluringly, it still didn't really sink in.

Steve looked down at the keys in his hands, "I get to..." he uttered disbelievingly because the thought that he'd get to drive this car was short-circuiting his brain. 

That was before the thought hit him that Eddie had done this for him, for no other reason than to make him happy. People had done things for Steve before, but other than his found family, it'd always been to make up for something. His parents bought him extravagant gifts to make up for missing birthdays and Christmases, Nancy brought him homemade cakes when they fought (that it turned out Holly and Karen had made, and she took credit for) and Billy would bring him flowers whenever he "worked away" (also known as cheating on Steve).

But this beautiful creation, this angel, this miracle of a human being, had teamed up with his best friend to make one of his dreams come true. To make him smile for no other reason than because he wanted to make him happy, and Steve just couldn't quite believe his luck.

And then Eddie, eyes unbelievably soft, said, "All yours, my love," his cheeks pinkening and his eyes immediately going wide as his words had sunk in. And Steve couldn't have that because he would be so lucky to be Eddie's love.

He wasn't sure how sober-Eddie felt about public displays of affection, so he beamed sweetly at him, trying to convey all he was feeling, tenderly cupping his jaw and kissing him firmly on the cheek, letting his affection shine through when he leaned away to smile at him. 

It was Chrissy squealing and jumping up and down, clapping excitedly and Robin's fake gagging that broke them out of their moment, Eddie hiding adorably behind his hand, as he headed around to the passenger side clambering into the car, trying and failing to hide the blush on his cheeks. Steve folded the front seat forward, holding out a hand to help the girls to climb in the back, Chrissy using his outstretched hand for support, squeezing Eddie on the shoulder and asking "Whose car is this anyway?"

"Char's buddy, Todd," Eddie replied, as Robin clambered into the back using Steve's head for balance, ruffling his hair as she landed in the backseat with an impish grin.

Resisting the childish urge to vault over the car door, Steve handed Robin the backpack and readjusted the seat, clambering in after them. A feeling of awe sweeping over him as he saw all the mechanisms up close that he was going to get to touch and use to power the car he spent years dreaming about. "Forget Todd, Steve's her daddy now!" he muttered as he turned the key in the ignition, hearing the car purr to life and the roar of their laughter and feeling like he could explode with happiness. 

He was all but caressing the steering wheel when a car honking behind them reminded him that they needed to get going, not just sit outside the hotel all day. Adjusting the seat and the mirrors, he found he couldn't look directly at Eddie as he adjusted the mirror on his side, he knew if he did that they’d never get anywhere because between the outfit, the bun, the gorgeous smile on his face and the Herculean effort to make his dream come true Steve just couldn't keep his thoughts straight.

He wanted to grab Eddie by the hand and take him back upstairs to show him just how grateful he was for this, he also wanted to take Eddie to the nearest studio to get him started on making his own dreams come true, and he wanted to take Eddie home and move him in and carpool with him and go on road trips just like this one. But this was Robin's day, no matter how much Eddie had managed to make it feel like his day too.

He caught a glimpse of the girls in the backseat, Chrissy now had a scarf wrapped around her hair and her sunglasses perched on her nose, she looked like a movie star. And Robin looked adorable with her hair pulled into a tiny ponytail sticking out of the back of his high school baseball cap. They were both back to their normal selves now, their anxiety seemed to have dissipated completely, both grinning widely, chatting and laughing together as though the last twenty minutes hadn't happened.

Sneaking a cheeky glance at Eddie, he caught him watching the two of them in the wing mirror with such a fond expression, Steve felt like his heart might beat right through his chest; the horn honking again was the only thing that stopped him from leaning across the seat to kiss him senseless.

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

Grinning mischievously, Steve revved the engine playfully, the growl of the engine sounding just how he'd always imagined it would, getting to fully appreciate the way Eddie's attention snapped back to him, as he laughed brightly and rolled his eyes fondly. Steve couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so joyous as he shifted into gear and set off into the mid-morning traffic.

Part 6

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