#I think Sam put it best

[hbyrde36]

Love, Lies, Bleeding

Steddie | R: Mature/Teen | One-shot | WC: 2122 | AO3

When Vecna was defeated and the Upside Down was dead and gone as if it had never existed, and all their various wounds were well on their way to healing, the in-the-know citizens of Hawkins who’d fought for its future set to the task of learning to live a normal life again. A life unburdened by savage monsters and the dark force that had toiled beneath their feet for so many awful years.

It was less of a surprise and more of a surrender to the inevitable when, in the midst of all that living, Steve and Eddie finally fell into bed together.

It happened on a night like many others, after the pair had spent a full day running the kids all over town, to the movies, the arcade, the diner, with Steve still playing chauffeur to a group of teenagers who were a few years away from getting licenses of their own. 

And jobs. 

And money.

He didn’t really mind, if he was honest, and he minded even less now that Eddie often tagged along too. The dark haired boy had a way of making any situation fun, no matter how dull and mundane.

After dropping off the last rugrat, they stopped to pick up a six-pack, and on Eddie’s suggestion drove out to the old quarry to enjoy a few beers under the stars, and some time together away from the watchful eyes of the party.

It wasn’t the first time Steve had felt the pull of Eddie’s unique charm, or noticed the way his eyes shined bright under the full moon, or the way his plush pink lips looked so inviting as they wrapped around the tip of his beer bottle, but it was the first time that he felt brave enough to do something about it. To lean in and take those lips with his own, to lick into Eddie’s mouth and taste the cheap beer on his tongue. 

It was divine.

They didn’t actually make it to a bed that first time, both of them too pent up from weeks of denials and pining, leading to quick and dirty shared handjobs in the backseat of Steve’s BMW.

Eddie assured Steve that it was fine, better than fine, that it fulfilled a long held teenage fantasy that he’d never in a million years thought would come true.

They made it to Steve’s bed the second time though, later that same night, and the third and the fourth times, and within a week they were officially a sickeningly sweet couple who couldn’t keep their hands off each other and spent every spare second together.

The first time Steve saw it happen, was by pure chance.

After Eddie had sucked his soul out through his dick yet again, and he’d happily and eagerly returned the favor, they’d both dropped off into a deep, contented sleep.

Or so Steve thought.

He’d jerked awake not long after passing out with a charley horse in his calf, clamping his mouth shut against the yelp of pain that was desperate to escape. There was no need for Eddie to lose sleep too over a stupid cramp. 

Except Eddie was in no danger of being woken up, because he was nowhere to be found. His still-warm side of the bed was empty and the bathroom door stood wide open revealing it to be vacant as well. If not for the soft footsteps on the roof just outside his window Steve might have thought Eddie was downstairs getting a drink of water, but one peek through the curtain confirmed his fears.

With a pit in his stomach Steve climbed back into bed, and stared at that window into the wee hours. 

He never did find out how Eddie got back inside in the morning without alerting him. Despite his confusion and heartache at seeing his boyfriend slink away under the cover of darkness, Steve had eventually fallen back asleep, too exhausted from speculating and crying to stay awake. All he knew was that when the sunrise greeted him through the open curtains, the warmth on his face was mirrored by the warmth on his back, where Eddie was pressed up against him, holding him close like he always did, as though everything before had been nothing more than a bad dream.

The next night, and every night after, Steve would pretend to be asleep, listening and watching in secret as Eddie slipped from the bed and tiptoed over to the window, opening it as carefully and quietly as he could before crawling out onto the flat part of the roof, jumping down to the concrete below.

For weeks Steve said nothing. He didn’t know what to think, or how to confront Eddie without running the risk of ruining what they had with any kind of accusation. 

Apart from Eddie’s nightly escapades, and the fact that Steve was starting to suffer from some serious sleep deprivation, things were good—great even. Steve had never felt so seen and supported by a romantic partner before, and the sex was hands-down the best he’d ever had.

They were happy.

So happy, that if Steve were a heavier sleeper, if he didn’t know what he knew, he’d think he was in love, and that Eddie was too.

He didn’t want to believe Eddie was cheating on him, but there were limited reasons he could come up with as to why a guy would sneak out of his boyfriend’s bed in the middle of the night without wanting said boyfriend to know. 

And the longer it went on, the harder it became to pretend nothing was wrong.

“Where do you go at night?” The fateful question, which had to come eventually, fell unbidden from Steve's lips one morning the moment he opened his eyes, before he could so much as think about talking himself out of it.

Eddie was out of bed and halfway to the bathroom, his bare back to Steve. At the words, he froze, body stiffening, but he didn’t turn around.

“I know, Eddie. I’ve seen you,” Steve went on in a whisper, when Eddie continued to be silent and unmoving. “I’ve known for a while now. I must have watched you crawl out my window a dozen times or more and it’s—” his voice cracked as he choked back a sob. “It’s breaking my fucking heart.”

Eddie bowed his head, his shoulders dropping heavily in defeat, but still he refused to turn and look Steve in the eye. 

“I don’t understand. Is there someone else?” Steve asked, finally giving voice to his greatest fear.

That at least seemed to finally snap Eddie out of it. He whirled, turning horror-filled eyes to Steve that glistened with unshed tears. Rushing back over to the bed, he threw himself down on his knees in front of it, where Steve sat half-hidden beneath the covers.

“I would never. Sweetheart, you mean everything to me. I swear to you, that’s not—” Eddie trailed off with a shake of his head, his voice lowering to an almost imperceptible whisper when he spoke again. 

“It’s so much worse.”

Steve begged to differ. 

He could feel the sincerity in Eddie’s words and his body instantly sagged in relief at the confirmation that his boyfriend, the person he already thought of as the love of his life, wasn’t about to shatter his heart. In his mind, nothing could be worse than Eddie cheating on him.

“Eddie, whatever it is, I can handle it. It can’t be any worse than what I was imagining.” Steve reached down to pull Eddie up onto the bed with him, coaxing him into his lap.

“You say that now, but you don’t know!” Eddie wailed, hiding his face in Steve’s chest as his body shook. “What I’ve done—what I am? You’ll hate me. I hate me.”

Steve wrapped his arms tightly around Eddie as he broke down, rocking him back and forth and kissing his hair over and over again until he calmed.

“Oh, baby,” Steve cooed softly. “It’s alright. Whatever’s wrong, we'll deal with it together.”

“Don’t call me that. I’m a monster,” Eddie said through a sniffle.

“You’re not—”

“No, Steve, you don’t get it. I’m…” Eddie sat up abruptly, wiping his face hard with his hands. “Well, I don’t know what I am exactly.”

Steve’s brows drew together in confusion. “What are you saying?”

“I think… I think I’m a vampire. Or at least vampire adjacent?”

Steve cackled, unable to hold it in.

“It’s not funny!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Steve said, quieting himself, and reached out to cup Eddie’s cheek. “Really though, what’s going on? Are you sleepwalking? Do I need to start tying you down to the bed at night?”

Eddie stared off into space for a moment as though the idea had possibilities, but he quickly shook it off.

“I’m serious, Steve. The bats, I think they changed me.”

“That can’t be right,” Steve argued. “I got bit too, remember?”

“How could I forget?” Eddie smirked. 

Warmth bloomed in Steve’s belly, but there would be time to deal with that later, for now he had to keep them both on track. “Eddie, focus.”

“Right,” Eddie sighed. “I’ve thought about that too and I think—don’t freak out—but I think the difference is, you survived their attack.”

Steve wasn’t following. “But… So did you?”

“Did I though?” Eddie asked gently, reaching up to cover Steve’s hand with his own, where it was still holding his face. “Dustin couldn’t find a pulse. Even you said I wasn’t breathing when you found us.”

“I said I thought you weren't breathing, but I'm not a doctor. Obviously I was wrong.” Steve bit at his bottom lip. “Baby, please tell me I was wrong.”

“It wasn’t obvious at first. My heart beats, I’m still warm, I still eat food and all. I didn’t even realize anything was wrong until a few weeks after everything went down. I was so tired all the time and there was this… thirst, that I couldn’t seem to quench. Then one day Wayne had a couple steaks thawing on the counter, just sitting there in a pool of red juices and I couldn’t look away from it. My mouth started to water and somehow I knew that was what I'd been craving, what I needed. The raw steak milkshake didn’t tide me over for long. I needed something fresher, warmer.”

“Why didn’t you come to me?” Steve blurted out, finding the whole idea was anything but a turn off. “You know I would have—”

“I know,” Eddie breathed, another small smile briefly playing on his lips. “Believe me, I thought about it, but we weren’t together yet, and you have no idea how grateful I am that I didn’t come to you for help.”

“Why?” Steve was almost afraid to ask, but he had to know.

Eddie looked down, letting his own hand drop and throwing off Steve’s touch. “I didn’t know. I swear to you Steve, I didn’t know.”

Steve wanted to scream but he kept his voice even and calm. “Didn’t know what?” 

“I didn’t know that when I bit down on that poor homeless man’s neck I wouldn’t be able to stop!” Eddie shouted, raising his head to reveal fresh tears streaming in rivulets down his pale face. “I killed him.”

Okay. That certainly would put a damper on things. Steve quickly moved the fantasy of Eddie feeding at his neck as he fucked him, back in its box, and cradled his boyfriends face between both of his hands. 

“I love you,” was all he could say. 

“Didn't you hear what I just said?!” Eddie asked, defiantly. “I’m a murderer!”

“It doesn’t change the way I feel about you.”

“B-but, Steve, I—” Eddie sputtered, trying to look away again.

Steve didn’t let him, keeping his hold firm. “Do you love me?”

“More than anything,” Eddie replied with zero hesitation.

“Okay.” Steve grinned, leaning in to press a kiss to Eddie’s lips, tasting the salt from his still drying tears.

“O-okay?” Eddie asked, when he pulled back. “Steve, it didn’t stop with one homeless man. I tried animals but it wasn’t the same. I’ve killed, like, a dozen people by now.”

“I understand,” Steve said, because he did. 

And he knew exactly what they needed to do now. 

First, and most important, order of business was keeping Eddie out of jail. They needed a system, some way to find victims who wouldn’t be missed, people who had it coming, bad guys who deserved justice that always seemed to elude them.  

“How do you feel about vigilantes?”

Many thanks as always to my amazing besties @penny00dreadful and @pearynice for the encouragement and beta work! 😘

Permanent taglist(open): @penny00dreadful @pearynice @sidekick-hero @firefly-party @bookworm0690

@wonderland-girl143-blog @goodolefashionedloverboi @themagicalari @awkwardgravity1 @rocknrollsalad

[fentoaster]

@lavendarlily Enjoy Casper High's first annual Twerk Contest

HAPPY HOLIDAY TRUCE!!! and a special thanks to @phandomholidaytruce for hosting ^^

[florencechase]

I watched The Riot Club the other day, and while I think the best word to describe it would be "anticlimactic", Sam Reid's in it and it gave me the perfect opportunity to make a very self-indulgent gif dump. Hope you enjoy!

[arsenicflame]

i want to give him 30 boyfriends. i want him to be aromantic. i want him to have the best sex of his life whenever he wants. i want him to never have to have sex again. i want him to be loved and love and never be unhappy again

[pynkhues]

I really do feel like Jacob, Sam, Delainey, and Assad deserve nominations -- their performances were just so extraordinary. Eric was also fantastic--I might personally put Ben Daniels over him, but that might be unfairly giving him too little credit for his performance just because the character seems closer to him than any of the other actors do to their characters.

I totally agree, anon! They're all so good, including Ben, and it would be so nice to see them all nominated. I'm not sure if this season will be eligible for the SAGs, but I really hope it is just because it's like, the only awards ceremony that offers a Best Ensemble category which this cast absolutely deserves.

I feel for Eric a bit, because in a lot of ways, he's got both the hardest and least glamorous role? He's really functioning as a gateway character for the audience to the broader storyworld, and as a result, he becomes a bit of a barometer of tone. He's modern without being too modern, he's sceptical, he's funny, and his dry tone is actually what lets the rest of the show be high melodrama. Without him, the show would veer too far into camp. It's Daniel's voice and Eric's performance that grounds the series because - like a true tonal barometer - he's constantly checking the pressure of a scene, and the side effect is that he doesn't really get to transcend tone - at least not at this stage - in the way all the other actors get to. He has to stay grounded for the show to work.

Which is a hard thing to acknowledge when every other actor gets to explore characters at such heightened points of emotion! But it's vital all the same, and I truly think the show would be lost without him, which in a lot of ways is a true supporting actor role, and lowkey a reminder that Sam and Delainey at the very least, if not Assad as well, are really probably closer to co-leads than they are supporting.

[cidandy]

not sure if i'll do the last few prompts since i'm pretty burnt out but here are the oddly specific t-shirt one's LOL i was really excited for this all month

[questioninglogic]

my sister and i are doing our watch-through of danny phantom and i've become. genuinely baffled at the hatred for the episode Double Cross My Heart

i was actually dreading watching this because i remember hating this episode too, and now i don't remember why. why did i hate it again? fdjnskfnjk

throwing this in the tags because i'd love to have a conversation to see what people think. maybe there was something i missed, or for those who are in the reverse position i can share why i enjoyed it so much

[dont-open-dead-inside-25]

god, do people just... express emotions on accident? is that it? because every time i express something other than unbridled joy it's a deliberate and calculated move... isn't it, if you don't like someone/what they're doing you make micro changes to your behavior and then when they ask about it you say it's fine because that's the script for that situation..? if you're uncomfortable you show it in the "im trying to hide this feeling" way... like you're perfectly capable of not showing any emotion but that's not what you're supposed to do. people are supposed to be able to tell that you're hiding something you have to hit that sweet spot. and if they're close they can ask you what's up and if you're feeling rebellious you can tell them and then you can talk about it. if you're upset and "hiding" it and the person doesn't notice that's their fault. they're not doing their part in the social interaction. right?

[rhythm-of-space]

I hope when josh blows his brothers' kisses they snatch it up and put it in their pocket for safe keeping 😔

[flugame-mp3]

SEASON NINE FINALE WAS WILD. I HAVE MANY MANY THOUGHTS. WHAT JUST HAPPENED. A FUCKING ROLLER COASTER FOR SURE

[tartt9]

wwc has me thinking about jamie's playstyle a lot like. okay i guess im really into the football part of the silly football show alsjfalsfj

[magdaclaire]

i think sam playacts at being well adjusted so well that he believes his own myth sometimes

[quietwingsinthesky]

Thinking about the two drabbles I did yesterday where Dean was a bit of an asshole, and I do hope that it doesn't come across in those, or in any fic, that I'm making Dean needlessly antagonistic just because I'm more of a Samgirl. Esp when it comes to him reacting to samifer.

It feels realistic to me, whether due to actual logical reasoning or due to his Various Assorted Issues™️, that Dean's obviously not going to accept his little brother having a relationship with the devil with open arms. You know, it's a combination of Dean's canonical Sam-Abandonment-Complex and also, it's Lucifer, on the heels of Ruby, and what's going to present outwardly as "Sam is making a bad choice and trusting the wrong person. Again. So I need to fight back against that," is really covering up the more self-loathing, "I couldn't protect Sam from Ruby, and if he gets hurt/used/etc again, it'll be my fault for letting it happen a second time."

In one drabble, that showed up as 'separate Sam from the reminder of his trauma that he's keeping for reasons I don't understand', which is! hey that's wrong of him to do! even if Sam is only being hurt by keeping it, what gives Dean the right to make that choice? But he is Dean, he is Sam's older brother, and he is going to make that choice to try and protect him, and I love him for that. Overprotective brother who's making choices without knowing the full story. That's the Supernatural way.

Just some of the behind-the-scenes that goes into writing, I suppose. tl;dr Dean is an asshole and I love him so much.

[tolltale]

i've seen multiple people say that twin size mattress by the front bottoms is THE seven/mc song and okay AGREED but we are underestimating the power of Be Nice To Me by literally the same band. "your voice is driving me insane" is such a terrible line in context. that's why I love it.

[unboundbymusic]

Tags via @audreycritter

Frodo: Sam hates Gollum, but that is what I shall become once I have lost myself to the ring… he’ll despise me… 

Sam if Frodo did turn into a Gollum: That’s a very nice fish you caught with your bare hands, Mr. Frodo, and its very smart of you to eat it raw, saves us the trouble of starting a fire. I knitted you a sweater in case you get cold running around in that loincloth of yours. Is the sun hurting your eyes? I’ll kill it if it’s bothering you. I’ll kill the sun

[dangerliesbeforeyou]

me: hmm yeh i kinda get the criticism of this female character, she's not overly complex or interesting but she's Cool so that's basically why people like her which is fine

me 3 seconds later when i hear others shit talking her: actually fuck that, she IS complex AND interesting and i will defend her with my LIFE