#Mike was a little overwhelmed at this at first but he's settling in quite nicely

[msfbgraves]

We all know they take Johnny in as a house pet! He sleeps on the bed but only when they allow it

I say this as a lawrusso shipper and Johnny stan, but it would actually be so funny if Daniel left Amanda so Johnny. Imagine leaving your gorgeous, succesful wife, the mother of your children, for an alcoholic deadbeat who doesn't eat vegetables.

[raccoon-eyed-rebel]

Part 30

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Part 29 🟣 Part 31

A reverse harem vampire AU ft. Mikey, Marshall, August, Sherlock, Charles, Melot and Napoleon

Series summary: Somehow, you've managed to live with your boyfriend and his roommates for months before finding out they're vampires, but the real shock first comes when they find out you have a special quality. A quality the guys would love to make use of...

Warnings: ongoing vampire shenanigans

Word count: 4.2k

A/N: Some lore, some tension... We're lowkey bullying Charles, which is kinda nice I guess.

@geralts-yenn @deandoesthingstome @ellethespaceunicorn @summersong69 @mis-lil-red

@sillyrabbit81 @livisss @itsrubberbisquit @ktficworld @proud-aroace-beastie

@plaidcat4815 @wa-ni @lovemusicpart2 @lizzystuffsthings @manysecrets2020

@sarcasmoverlordxo @mysweetlittledesire

“Sherlock?” You opened the door to his room quietly.

“He’s in the bathroom,” Mike said with a smile before waving goodbye and disappearing again. You still struggled to sense Sherlock, so you’d needed an escort to the room, which you hated.

“In here,” you heard as you walked a few steps into the room, closing the door behind you. “Feel free to come in.”

He didn’t have to tell you twice. Without hesitation — fine, with little hesitation — you opened the door to the bathroom.

As you looked around, you couldn’t help but chuckle. Sherlock looked up from his book and cocked an eyebrow.

“Very… green?” you said hesitantly.

“I must admit that Priya got her hands on the remodeling plans.” Sherlock smiled. “She did a rather wonderful job, don’t you think?”

“It’s cozy,” you said as you took a hesitant step towards the corner, where Sherlock was reading in what seemed to be an uncharacteristically bubbly bathtub. Wait… He was no longer reading. The book he’d been holding when you came in was now on a side table by the tub. When did that… never mind.

“Would you care to join me?”

You carefully walked towards the bathtub, shedding your clothes as you went along. Sherlock kept his eyes on you the whole time — it felt strange. When you finally managed to bring your attention back to anything other than his staring, you noticed the sound of running water.

“It’s gone a bit cold,” he explained kindly. “I personally don’t care much, but I guessed you wouldn’t appreciate it.”

He offered you a hand as you stepped into the water, which was still a little cold for your taste. You shivered, causing Sherlock to chuckle. “Do our taps even manage the sort of temperature you deem comfortable?”

“Funny,” you said, rolling your eyes. “I’m so very sorry I don’t enjoy freezing to death.”

“That’s rather dramatic, darling, don’t you think?” He pulled you into his arms, guiding you to sit in his lap.

“Every day I spend here is full of new surprises,” you answered, thinking back to the conversation you’d had with Leon an hour or so prior to this moment. “I’m allowed to be a little dramatic.”

Sherlock pressed his lips to your temple. “Are you settling in at all?” he asked softly.

Were you? So far, you had been given a room you couldn’t bring yourself to look at, been informed you had some kind of talent for mind reading, were being ignored by a vampire you’d barely even spoken to — let alone had wronged in some way, as far as you were aware, learned to locate people — vampires, whatever. Did vampires count as people? — who weren’t near you, spent an evening getting mauled and double-teamed by two of your vampire lovers, been propositioned by an incubus you barely knew — and you hadn’t even rejected the proposal, and you had been more or less verbally attacked by a fourteen-hundred-year-old nineteen-year-old, without having a single clue as to why.

“It’s been… a whole ass week.” That was really all there was to say about it. Sherlock looked at you, seemingly not quite understanding your turn of phrase. “I mean it’s been a lot, and I’m overwhelmed by everything that’s happened.”

“That’s completely understandable,” Sherlock said as he gently stroked the side of your face. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Honestly, him holding you like this was already helping, but if you trusted anyone in this house to have any good advice for you, it was Sherlock. So why not ask him? “Charles…”

He didn’t let you finish. “I’m aware of the hypocrisy of the statement, darling, but this is something you’ll want to discuss with him. I’ll tell you that August isn’t the reason he keeps his distance from you, if that brings you any comfort.”

It did. You had indeed been worried that this had something to do with the strained relationship between August and Charles, and it was good to know you weren’t somehow in the middle of that.

“Pardon my curiosity, darling,” Sherlock said suddenly, “but what did you answer to Napoleon’s proposition?”

“That I want to play it by ear a little, unless it’s the standard… more public stuff,” you answered. “Wait, does that mean he would feed when I kiss you, too?”

“It is my understanding that reciprocation is a key element in his kind’s feeding habits,” Sherlock recalled. “You should ask him about it. Regardless, he knows about my unwillingness as well as my inability to provide him with sustenance. I trust he wouldn’t cross that line, even if the opportunity presented itself.”

Hearing Sherlock say that he trusted Leon took away some of your worry — which was extremely helpful, considering all the other things you still had on your plate — so you continued to the next issue on the list.

“And what’s wrong with the Melot-shaped fourteen-hundred years’ worth of teen angst?”

Sherlock chuckled. “Ah. Melot wants to ask you a very simple question requiring a very complicated introduction.”

That was just about the world’s worst explanation of anything, ever. What the hell was he afraid of?

Sherlock shrugged when you asked him. “That you’ll see him the way the rest of the world does. He suffers from a rather rare and… limiting condition. There’s a reason he’s always lived here, with Charles, and you have the potential to offer him an escape. He suddenly sees a future for himself he never dared to dream of, but since everything revolves around… well, you, he doesn’t want to ask and run the risk of shattering those dreams.”

“Doesn’t he know what I’m going to answer, though?”

“It’s not that simple, darling,” Sherlock says. “His gift is particularly finicky. It depends on his relationship with the people involved in a situation, not to mention the freedom of choice — and that includes his own. Melot doesn’t think too highly of himself to begin with, but right now, his world has been turned upside down in so many ways… Not to mention he’s been starving for days. At best, he sees nothing at all. At worst, he sees every possible scenario. Including the ones he’s so afraid of.”

As far as you were concerned, this problem was too easily solved to let it simmer any longer. You tried to sit up, but Sherlock had his arms locked around you. “Let go of me,” you snapped unintentionally harshly. “I need to talk to him.”

Sherlock let go of you rather reluctantly. “No time like the present, I agree. Priya is taking a break…” He knew something you didn’t.

“What?”

“Walking in now would absolutely ensure that you get your explanation…” What the hell was that supposed to mean? You weren’t given much time to think about it, because Sherlock had already carried you out of the bathtub and wrapped you in a towel. It was big and soft, and under different circumstances, you wouldn’t have wanted to unwrap yourself from it ever again, but this had to be done. And it had to be done now.

With Sherlock’s help, you got dried and dressed quickly, and before you knew it, you were on your way to a part of the house you were fairly sure you hadn’t seen before.

Sherlock stopped in front of a beautiful French door. “I’m going to guess… Charles?”

“Of course,” Sherlock said, watching you as you admired the stained glass in the doors. “Ladies first.”

Because you hadn’t completely lost your dramatic inclinations yet, you opened both doors without knocking, and barged into the room — only to come to a halt three steps in, when your gaze fell on Charles and Melot.

Charles was lying on a blue velvet chaise longue, reading a book, while Melot was sitting in front of it, with Charles’ wrist in his mouth. He looked at you with wide eyes — Charles didn’t even look up from his book.

“I can’t believe you, of all people” — so vampires did qualify as people, then? — “would encourage this kind of rudeness, Sherlock,” he said indifferently as he skillfully turned a page of his book with just one hand. “Being the head of this household, miss, does not give one a free pass to storm into others’ private quarters, least of all mine.” He still didn’t look up from his book. “Perhaps” — he finally lifted his eyes off the page in front of him and trained his gaze on yours — “I would feel differently if I, too, could stick my cock in you whenever I pleased, but since that privilege does not befall me, and I suffer no such aspiration, either…”

“Allow me to ask you this as a friend, Charles,” Sherlock interrupted before you could think of a single word to say, “but I believe this hostility is neither proper nor warranted, and I would very much like you to restrain yourself immediately.”

By now, Melot had let go of Charles’ arm, but he remained balled up on the ground, his arms around his legs, pulling them into his chest, and his eyes fixed on his knees. Then, he was gone.

“Mel—” He was nowhere to be seen, of course.

“Tell me, Sherlock,” Charles said, sitting up on the edge of the chaise, “what was your plan? To prevent him from feeding? Because if so, bravo! Your efforts were incredibly successful!”

“I need to talk to him,” you whispered. You were having a hard time processing the scene you’d just disrupted. Not the disruption itself, no. That was completely understandable in every respect. But…

“You’re in luck. He’d only been feeding for seconds when you walked in, so he’s weak. And he’s not Mike, so he’s smart enough to realize he can’t leave the house like this,” Charles sneered. “I suggest you both go after him. Sherlock can fill in the gaps in the conversation, if necessary.”

Sherlock took you by the hand and the two of you hurried out of the room before Charles could say anything else.

“That did not go according to plan,” you sighed as you rushed down another, then another and then yet another hallway you didn’t recognize.

“It didn’t?” Sherlock noted plainly. You raised your eyebrows at him. “We get to speak to Melot in private, and you got to bother Charles. I consider that a win.”

You came to a halt in front of a plain wooden door — the same one as pretty much all the others in the house, but after Charles’ suite, it seemed extra simplistic. This time, Sherlock knocked.

“Go away.” You barely heard it.

“Not happening.” You tried the door, but it was locked. With a frown so deep that it physically hurt you, you turned to Sherlock. “Is that lock going to stop us?”

“I’m afraid so,” he replied calmly. “Things are… sturdier here than back at the apartment. Besides, he does have a right to privacy, so even if I were able to break down this door, I would not.”

“Melot, open the door,” you pleaded. “Please.”

A soft click, then nothing. When you tried the door again, it opened, but Melot was nowhere to be seen at first. Then, you caught a hint of those unruly black curls, behind the big canopy bed that took up less of the room than you felt it should have.

“Don’t come near me,” Melot warned as you walked around the bed. He was sitting on the ground, knees pulled against his chest and his head resting on them again.

You ignored him, closing the remaining space between the two of you with a few big steps until you sank to your knees beside him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. He didn’t move a muscle. “Why is there a sad little ball of vampire on the floor?”

Melot scoffed, but he leaned his head to the side so you could rest your forehead against the back of his head. Sherlock was sitting by his other side now, his eyes dark and suspicious. As if he was waiting for something.

“Don’t let me,” Melot whispered to Sherlock. “You have to promise you’ll stop me if I lose it.”

“Melot, look at me,” Sherlock said, his voice strained as he fixed his gaze on Melot’s. “You won’t lose it.”

A sense of calm washed over Melot as soon as Sherlock finished the sentence, and he lifted his head, breathing in deeply. “I guess we might as well talk, then.”

“Don’t you want to feed first?” you asked without thinking too much about it. The offer had become second nature — maybe technically first nature — to you. “I know you haven’t asked, but I’m happy to offer. Why haven’t you asked? I mean… We both know I’d sooner punch Charles in the dick than let him feed on me, but you?”

“I know there’s at least one question you can’t wait to ask me, and we should absolutely get that out of the way before you make any kind of offer,” Melot said, a weak smile on his lips. “So, ask me.”

It wasn’t hard to figure out which question he meant, because only one leaped to the front of your mind immediately. “Why were you feeding on Charles, and not on Priya? That’s why she’s here, right?”

“It is why she’s here,” Melot answered quietly. “I’m…” His voice trailed off, and he looked at Sherlock helplessly.

“Just tell her, Melot,” Sherlock encouraged him.

“Contrary to you lot, I don’t bite,” you joked.

“Yet,” Melot blurted out. “Sorry.” One conversation at a time was plenty, as far as you were concerned. And you still weren’t ready to actually talk about… that. “I’m… eh… I’m not allowed to feed on humans. Why, you ask? Well…”

“Can you have this entire conversation by yourself?” you asked, laughing at the guilty look that appeared on Melot’s face.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I know better. I’m just tired and hungry…”

“Just show her, Melot. The sooner you get it out of the way, the better.” Sherlock put a hand on Melot’s back, which seemed to calm him down a bit.

“She’ll run,” he whispered.

“She won’t.”

He turned back to you with an apologetic smile that showed his fangs, and then he opened his mouth further.

“Whoa,” you blurted out in surprise when you saw not just the fangs you were used to, but… “Why do you have four?” Without thinking, you leaned in to take a closer look at the second set of fangs in his lower jaw, and before you knew it, Melot stared up at you in bewilderment when you stuck your fingers in his mouth.

“I told you she wouldn’t run,” Sherlock said with a smile. “Darling, can we get to the explanation first? You can continue your inspection later, if Melot is okay with that.”

You pulled your hands back and nodded, sitting back on your heels again as you waited for someone else to say something to make sense of all of this.

“I have them… because I’m old, I guess?” Melot said carefully. “Every predator needs a toolkit, and those fangs are part of mine.” He shrugged.

“And because you have those, you aren’t allowed to feed on humans?” you guessed.

“It’s not so much having them,” Melot explained. “Sherlock and Charles have them, too. But—”

“You do?” You looked at Sherlock, utterly shocked, and you involuntarily dropped your eyes to his mouth. He smiled, and you focused on his lower jaw, where… Yep… He had them too! “How? What? You…”

“Melot is what we refer to in our branch of biology as an ancient vampire — Mike and Marshall would be considered modern vampires, while me and Charles are medieval vampires. August and Napoleon are both hybrid species, and the thought of having to classify either of them specifically gives me a headache, so…” Sherlock stopped speaking when Melot cleared his throat. “My apologies. Charles and I have control over those teeth. Furthermore, they don’t… work, so to speak. It is our understanding, generally, that by the start of the eighth century, virtually no ancient vampires were… let’s say ‘born’, to keep things simple.”

“I really got the short end of the stick,” Melot muttered. “Not that they didn’t come in handy all the way in the beginning…”

“Yeah, what do they do?” you wondered out loud.

“They, eh… They inject a pretty powerful paralytic,” Melot said, fixing his gaze on his knees again. “Which gave us the option to avoid killing… prey, by incapacitating them for days, until it was safe to feed again. I—”

“You don’t have to talk about that,” you said as you turned Melot’s head back to yours and looked in his eyes. He looked so guilty…

“The summary of the situation is that we can’t very well put a part of our feeders in hospital for days at a time,” Sherlock explained. “And, well… I’d say we haven’t been able to synthesize an antidote, but the sad reality is that efforts in that area have been extremely limited. I have tried, but so few ancient vampires remain nowadays — that we know of, at least — that chances of getting a project like that approved, let alone funded, is an absolute nightmare.”

“But… you can feed on my kind?” you asked carefully.

“The paralytic doesn’t work on you,” Melot said softly. “So, yes.”

You’d never felt more like designated vampire food than in that moment. And you’d be lying if you said you didn’t love every bit of it.

All three of you looked up when someone knocked on the door. It was Charles, who barely waited for anyone to speak up before walking in. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but Priya doesn’t have all day. Are you in, or out?”

“Out,” you said before Melot could answer.

“Are you sure?” he whispered, and you answered with a stern nod. Melot’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. It was adorable — not unlike Mike, if you had to be honest. He looked at Sherlock, then at you, and he went back and forth between the two of you for a few seconds. “So, how… I’m a little rusty on human feeding protocols, sorry.”

Sherlock opened his mouth to say something, but you stopped him. “I’m sure we can figure something out,” you said calmly, hoping Sherlock would pick up on your hint to… get lost, effectively.

Luckily, he did, which left you and Melot alone in the room.

“There’s no need to be scared,” you said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

“It feels so much more intimate than what I’m used to,” he admitted.

You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing. “I kinda hope so,” you said with a smile. “At the very least, it has the potential to be more intimate.” You got up and reached out a hand. “Come on.”

The two of you sat on the edge of the bed together. Melot was still trying very hard to avoid looking at you.

“What do you want to do?” you asked after a while.

“That’s not a great question to ask a person who is currently fighting every predatory instinct in his arsenal,” he said, smiling widely at you. “You smell so good…”

“Mike mentioned something about following the teeth,” you remembered. “Is that really a thing?”

“Yeah,” he answered. “And right now they’re pretty much screaming at me to — literally — go straight for the jugular.”

“So, do it.”

“What?” He finally looked you straight in the eye, his eyes wide with shock. You couldn’t keep your eyes off his teeth, though, as you wondered what it would feel like if he sank them into your neck.

“Those instincts exist for a reason, right?” you asked. “And it’s not like you’re going to kill me — at least I hope the teeth know that wouldn’t be a smart thing to do…”

Of course you completely missed the moment he moved, only registering that you had moved — or been moved — when your back hit the mattress and Melot was on top of you, straddling your hips. His bite was more painful than those of the others — not surprising, given the fact that you were dealing with twice the usual number of teeth — but the pain faded fast to make room for the familiar sense of complete and utter bliss.

Melot was rough with you at first, for about thirty seconds, and then everything about him relaxed. Before you knew it, he pulled back and looked at you. “Do you want me to hurry?”

“Honestly? I want you to never have to hurry again,” you whispered softly.

He pulled you along to the top of the mattress, where you fell into the comfortable pile of pillows. Why did he have so many pillows?

“Don’t say a word, I like pillows,” he said when he saw the way you looked around.

“Who doesn’t?” Mike was suddenly right next to you, lounging on the bed. “August needs a headcount for dinner.” You both said you’d join, and Mike disappeared again — but not without a wink and a very suggestive ‘have fun’.

“He’s such a jerk,” Melot groaned with a wide grin on his face.

You shrugged. “Mostly just an idiot. I can’t believe I’m asking this — no, actually I totally can… Can you please get over here and bite me?”

He didn’t need to be asked twice, and the second bite felt even better than the first one had. This time, Melot really took his time, taking a long drink while he moaned softly against your skin.

“You taste so good,” he muttered. There was a sadness to his voice, and when he pulled away further to look at you, there were tears in his eyes. “Forgive me.” He smiled through his tears. “Do you want me to stop?”

“I want you to keep the amount of holes in my neck to a minimum,” you said, chuckling softly.

Melot’s smile turned into a grin as he took your hand and guided it to your neck. Where you should have been able to feel at least four, and at most eight wounds, you felt… none.

“How?”

“Allow me,” he said, lifting your wrist to his mouth and looking at you, silently awaiting permission.

One nod later, he sank his teeth into your arm, pulling away immediately after. Then, slender fingers wrapped around your wrist, covering the wounds, and when Melot took his hand away…

“This explains nothing,” you said, breathlessly examining your arm.

“Seducing her with a party trick… not cool, man.” Mike had returned, and he was sitting at the foot of the bed, watching you and Melot. “Although she really doesn’t need much seducing, do you, Sweetcheeks?”

Fucking Mike…

“Did you come here to get us for dinner?” Melot snarled. “Because if not, I suggest you leave.”

“I came here to watch you enjoy your first human meal in centuries,” Mike said with a grin. “This attempt to impress her with your hidden talents is a nice bonus, though. Kind of desperate and unnecessary, but cute.”

In a split second, he was up against the wall, Melot keeping him there as he snarled at him ferociously.

“Ooh, I forgot about the insane protective instinct in the beginning.” Mike was still grinning. “Get a handle on yourself, Melmel, I'm not going to touch her.”

Melot’s grip seemed to relax a bit, but not enough to let Mike go.

“It’s okay, Melot,” you said as gently as you could manage despite your annoyance at Mike’s predictable yet unexpected idiocy. “Come back here and tell me how the hell you fixed those bites.”

Mel came back, but he didn’t speak — not to you, at least. “Mike just get in here with us,” he sighed. He waited until Mike was curled around you from behind to continue.  “I’m a healer. It’s a rarer gift, especially today, I—”

“Ancient vampires are, like, super overpowered—” You kicked Mike in the shins.

Melot chuckled. “He’s not wrong,” he said, shrugging. “And I’d be lying if I said it never came in handy. I probably could have trained it to be ten times stronger than it is today, but during most of the middle ages it was risky enough to heal a cut, let alone more… I’ve had more exorcisms performed on me than I care to remember” — he chuckled — “I'm sure Sherlock can say the same.”

“It’s way cooler than my gift though,” Mike said, sulking away behind you.

“You don’t even have your second gift yet,” Melot replied. “You’re just a baby.”

A flash of Mike zoomed over your body and before you knew it, he had Melot pinned to the mattress with his hands over his head. “Don’t call me that,” he said, a wide grin slowly spreading across his face. You watched the strange scene with wide eyes. There was something about the way their noses almost touched. Melot’s lower lip trembled slightly — Mike would no doubt pick up on that effortlessly.

Mike’s lips moved, but no sound came out. Judging from the way Melot’s eyes went wide, though, he definitely said something. But what?

“Mike, get lost!”

He was by the door in an instant. “Mel, whatever you do… Don’t run. It’s not worth it.”

[angel-wings-and-tattoos]

i can't stop thinking about the potential of s5 stonathan. it's a disease. this is directly inspired by the .5 second frame that steve and jonathan share in s4 bc i am actively psychotic and audibly gasped when it happened even though they literally didn't even look at each other.

when jonathan sees them for the first time, he assumes that steve and robin are a couple.

those two are practically the same person. they work on the same level and it's obvious to everyone around them that they're just meant to be together. steve and robin both know its in a platonic way, but it's hard for everyone else to look past the fact that they're a boy and a girl; how could the two of them be that close and not be dating?

robin has no idea about steve and jonathan's complicated history (surprising, i know. but steve's memory isn't what it used to be and truthfully he just assumed that he's already told her everything about his entire life, which is approximately 87% true. but jonathan happened to fall into that pesky 13%) but clocks the weird energy between the two of them immediately.

i'm just imagining jonathan lowkey cornering steve in order to talk to him. not that steve was avoiding him or anything. he just was not not avoiding him. so it takes a little while but jonathan finally gets steve to himself for more than 5 seconds and just overall asks how he's doing.

after a little small talk he asks about him and robin, very, very extremely (can't emphasize how bad it is) awkwardly. this is a man who is shitty with small talk at the very best of times talking to someone who he beat up and then kind of stole his girlfriend (jonathan stands by the fact he deserved the beating up part and would also like to point out that nancy is her own person who can't be stolen from anyone) so there's really no script to be going by here.

neither of them really know what the goal of the conversation is. jonathan just had a vague urge to talk to steve and steve didn't want to talk in the first place so, again, cannot emphasize the awkwardness of the situation. steve eventually realizes that jonathan thinks him and robin are a thing and, in a very mean girl way that only steve can pull off without sounding like an absolute asshole, bodily rolls his eyes and huffs at him that no, byers, we're just friends. capital P-Platonic.

jonathan is suddenly hit with an overwhelming reminder of steve back in high school. surprisingly, it's not in an entirely bad way, it's weirdly nice. he hasn't genuinely talked to steve in so long and it's at that exact moment that he realizes that he missed him. which is bizarre, in jonathan's opinion, because he's pretty sure you have to have more than two positive interactions with a person in order to miss them. (jonathan is also resolutely ignoring the bizarre relief he felt when steve said he wasn't dating robin).

another thing is that jonathan has the weird urge to hug steve. when the california crew got back to hawkins, jonathan had mainly been focused on nancy, which he thinks is perfectly understandable. by the time that talk was over (they had somehow managed to end the conversation while still ignoring one or two majorly important issues that their relationship might not survive talking about) steve was a dozen or so feet away, one arm still around el in a hug that never quite ended and talking to her, dustin, mike and will. jonathan had sort of vaguely waved at him and steve's returning smile and wave were genuine, but less than enthusiastic.

by the time he managed to get steve alone, it was past the time jonathan deemed as hug-appropriate. he settled for somewhat stiffly laying a hand on steve's forearm when he noticed the distinct bite marks peaking past his shirt sleeve. jonathan took it as a win when steve minorly tensed, but, more importantly, didn't brush his hand off. he assured jonathan that he was fine and that they look worse than they actually are, i'm fine, i promise.

they continue to talk for a little while, steve quickly asking about will and el (give him some credit at least, he hadn't seen jonathan in months but he still knew the man pretty well) and letting him ramble about them for a while. (neither of them acknowledge or do anything about the fact that jonathan is still holding his arm, all he would have to do for them to be holding hands would be shift his own hand 3 inches down)

the scene that robin eventually walks in on is steve and jonathan standing less than a foot apart, jonathan's hand still loosely resting on steve's arm, and them talking quietly enough that, even in the small living room, she can't make out what they're saying.

the thing is, robin has seen steve in just about every scenario there could possibly be with other people. she's seen him fake smile at customers, bitch at the kids, sweet talk the kid's parents, charm his way through dates, try to be less charming with her parents, play nice with his ex-girlfriend, play even nicer with his ex-girlfriend's parents, try and fail to not be flustered with eddie flirting with him, hell, even try to get along with her bandmates that one time. so, needless to say, there was hardly anything that steve could do to surprise her anymore.

that all flies out the window with jonathan byers, evidently. it would be more understandable if she had heard anything about jonathan from steve. she only knows what she heard and witnessed when she was in high school with the two of them, but in all of her thousands of conversations with steve, jonathan only made an appearance once or twice, and never for very long. at the time, she didn't think it was intentional, but now she's starting to reconsider.

robin clears her throat pointedly, startling the two men. they look up at her, but don't move away from each other. steve turns to look at her which coincidentally (or not, robin thinks its the exact opposite, actually) shifting him slightly closer to jonathan. robin tilts her head in the direction of the door, trusting that steve can easily follow her train of thought. they had to leave soon in order to make it back to the school to help with the make-shift relief center.

steve nods at her, his gaze sliding back to jonathan. he says something that robin still can't hear before going to clap jonathan on the shoulder. jonathan apparently decides that this isn't enough and goes straight in for a hug instead, looping his arms around steve's neck. steve is visibly surprised by the show of affection, but he immediately tucks both of his arms around jonathan's waist. robin's eyebrows go up slightly as steve practically tucks his face into jonathan's neck. (turns out, steve missed jonathan more than he anticipated. also, it's been a long time since someone hugged steve without almost dying immediately before or after so, sue him for enjoying it a little)

the hug doesn't last for very long but robin has seen enough to qualify steve for a very long talk the second that the pair leave the house.

the two men somewhat reluctantly let go of each other, jonathan letting his hands quickly trace over steve's shoulders to loosely grasp his elbows as they separate. steve gently drums his fingers against jonathan's side once, saying goodbye before turning to follow robin.

jonathan watches as the two leave the house, feeling better about the whole situation but still somewhat off-center. obviously steve didn't hate him, seemed to actively like him despite their convoluted history, but jonathan wasn't sure why that mattered to him so much. he barely even likes steve in the first place (that's a bald-faced lie, your honor) so why did he feel relieved when steve hugged him back? jonathan's subconsciousness files that right along the relief from earlier to be examined at a far later date (read: hopefully never).

-

basically i just want jonathan and steve to have a moment together, robin to clock the weird tension, and then for them to all get along forever. without dying tragically. that is probably far too much to ask but i'm nothing if not a clown who will watch and likely thoroughly enjoy s5 regardless of the chance that nancy and jonathan will probably end up staying together.

[freddiekluger]

BBC GHOSTS FICLET: thomas thorne, reluctantly bi

hi i made this shitpost and ran with it, enjoy

—

The ghosts are gearing up for an argument. again. last week, it was the ethical ramifications of keeping Piers Morgan on an otherwise delightful breakfast program, and the week before it was whether or not Julian should be banned from music club (they settled for a temporary period of non-participatory attendance. There’s only so many times he can swing his hips while singing Boyz II Men before you have to preface his performances with an R18+). This week, it looks like one Regency era poet was to be the subject of debate.

There was plenty about Thomas that prompted the irresistible urge to slap him across the face, as Julian had often remarked, but it’s last night’s binge of the Pride & Prejudice BBC miniseries that has everyone in a tizzy. Thomas had somehow found himself loudly appreciating the Colin-Firth-in-a-wet-shirt lake scene along with Kitty and Mary (even Fanny deigned to saucily raise an eyebrow), and he’s starting to get the impression it’s thrown the others off their rhythm.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Feeling admiration for the muscular intensity of the male form, and being able to express it, is a basic part of appreciating Life’s beauty,” thomas proclaims with the overwhelming confidence of a flat earther adressing a panel of scientists.

“I don’t think saying, and this is a direct quote, that you'd ‘cover his torso in honey and lick it all off’ counts as appreciation, mate.” Pat was pretty sure Thomas had something he needed to share with the proverbial class- they’d been through it all already with the Captain, and Pat definitely wasn’t strong enough to do the four decades of lead up he was actually present for with the Captain all over again with Thomas. “Besides, I’m actually bisexual myself, so I know what I’m talking about.” He smiles warmly in the Captain’s direction, a gesture that goes unnoticed by Thomas.

“Well, that’s all well and good, Pat, but I assure you i’m no pathikos! One could say I’m as ‘straight’ as that chanteur from Wham!”

Julian snorts and leans back, forgetting the ghost thing for a second and almost falling right through the wall behind him. 

“I don’t think that means what you want it to mean,” Robin says, scratching his head.

Thomas was about to deliver a scathing retort when the sun, er Alison, strolls into the room (followed, as ever, by Kitty). Anyone could tell that she was on her way to do something else. Anyone, except Thomas, who’s already bounded up to her and begun to speak.

“Alison! Good morning. Did you sleep well? Of course you did, look at you- now would you kindly inform these simpletons that my objective, intellectual admiration of Mr Firth is nothing more? Honestly, one would think they had never even heard of a romantic friendship,” Thomas finishes with a scoff. It’s safe to say the others didn’t take to kindly to being called simpletons (except for Robin, who’s not quite sure what it means), but Alison manages to summon enough awakeness to respond to exactly one part of Thomas’s monologue. 

“Romantic friendships? You know those weren’t really a thing, right? People just said that so they could be gay and affectionate in public without getting jailed or losing their jobs.” Already tuning out, Alison continues on her mission, which turns out to be joining Mike in the kitchen for breakfast.

“She’s right, you know,” Humphrey chimes in from his place on the floor, startling a nearby Mary. 

“Is that why you got the ker-schhk?” Julian asks, miming a beheading.

“No, that was just a misunderstanding. Tax fraud, light treason, you know how it is.”

Julian nods. He does know.

Kitty sighs happily, “Oh, my mother had a romantic friendship! I remember I once saw her friend crawling under her skirt to help fix her petticoat. It must have been ticklish, I remember mother couldn’t stop shrieking. I always wanted a romantic friend of my own.” Her eyes flit briefly towards Mary, who’s unknowingly about to open the floodgates.

First, Robin barks out a laugh. “Case closed.” 

“Are Thomas’s late night meetings with the Captain not to be mentioned?”, Mary asks with a mischevous grin. 

Fanny rolls her eyes. “I think they were more than meetings, Mary.”

Julian adds a subtle “Whoomp, there it is”. Thomas was beginning to feel aggravated that the conversation had turned away from him (if his sexual proclivities were to be up for debate, at least let him be the centre of attention), but come on! He was just trying to do a nice thing for a friend- associate? fellow ghost who you have no choice but to stand?- and by the redness and failed attempts at denial coming out of the Captain, it looks like he regrets it. 

Alison, still in the kitchen, has tuned right back in and is doing her best not to laugh. Right now, her best is not very good.

At the same time as Alison’s eavesdropping and the Captain’s spluttering, Pat can’t help but yell “See?! THAT’S gay!”

Julian raises his hand. “I also ‘met up’ with Thorne more than once.”

“We agreed NOT to speak of that!”

“So did we, but now bloody Mary knows,” the Captain grumbles.

Mary isn’t done yet. “I once saws him firting with a plague spirit! Not the lady one, mind you, the tall one with the curled hair.”

Robin is starting to feel insecure- Thomas never once hit on him.

Thomas would have stood bolt upright, had he not already been standing. “I’ll have you know, Mary, that I would never have relations with a plague victim.”

"Didn’t stop you from tryin’ though, did it!”

Fanny’s arms are folded as ever, but her facial expressions are downright acrobatic. “Honestly, you’re almost as bad as Julian!” Julian looks a little too chuffed at that remark.

Thomas concedes. “Alright, I’ll grant you that. But I’m not a fool, I know the classics, it’s only gay if you’re on the bottom and I was n-”

Thomas is cut off by the ghosts yelling. They’re split on the reasons- Pat, Robin, and Julian are yelling because it hasn’t worked like that for thousands of years before Thomas was even born, while Mary, Fanny, and the Captain find Thomas’s assertion to be a hallmark case of Too Much Information. Humphrey and Kitty are on the fence, but just like to be included.

Alison has totally lost her composure now, prompting so much concern from Mike that he’s abandoned his cornflakes. 

"What’s wrong- is it a ghost thing?”

Alison nods.

"Care to explain?”

Alison takes a deep breath, racing through the details as quickly as possible to avoid falling behind while the ghosts continue to yell and wave their arms in the next room.

"I think Thomas has slept with Julian and the Captain and has been arguing with the rest of the ghosts that he’s completely heterosexual, while they all yell at him. Also Pat’s bisexual, I’m pretty sure Kitty’s mum had a lesbian lover, Humphrey was beheaded for tax fraud, and Robin’s upset that Thomas didn’t try to sleep with him because according to Mary he even tried it on with a plague ghost.”

Mike whistles. “They don’t waste any time, do they? Wait, how does T… Toby-”

"-Thomas.”

"Thomas, how does Thomas think he’s still straight?”

“Apparently, according to the classics, it’s not gay if you’re on top.” Alison lets out an amused groan. It appears Thomas’s total lack of awareness isn’t just limited to her boundaries.

Rejoining the ghosts, Thomas has finally raised his hands in defeat. “Fine! Maybe I am a little unisexual, or whatever it is you said.”

“Bisexual,” Pat and Julian say in unison. 

Thomas shrugs. It’s not like it matters to him anyway. Although that does explain one or two (or ten) encounters at Hampstead Heath back in his day. Doesn’t matter who they belong to, Thomas Thorne is a sucker for beautiful eyes and a few other things he’s far too gentlemanly to mention.

[natromanxoff]

I wasn’t sure about posting this at first but as it is already shared publicly and I have come across with it on Pinterest, I decided that it would be okay. So here is a story of a fan about Jim Hutton:

“ON 23rd of March, there was a Queen Tribute band concert in Goresbridge and my boyfriend told me that Jim would come as well. He admitted that he had arranged with Stephen for Jim to come along. The concert was in the pub called The Spirit Store. What a great name for spiritual meeting, I thought. When I entered, Jim sat at the table with Stephen, Jascqueline, her sister Valeria and other family friends. There was nowhere to sit, so we just stood by the table for a while. When I looked at Jim, he appeared somewhat fragile and tiny, like a man who could easily be overlooked. He didn´t look anything like those photos portraying him in the books.

After a while, there was a free seat by the table and everyone, including Jim, moved in order for us to sit down. It was just one place and my friend Mike wanted to take it. He got up fast but they all stopped him. Jim measured Mike up and down and told him, "Perhaps you should let the lady sit here, you cavalier!" Embarassed, Mike got up from his chair and offered it to me. I got the honorable place alongside Jim. Being a woman sometimes has its advantages! Jim welcomed me with heartfelt "Hi". At first I was nervous, but after a while I felt relaxed and enjoyed Jim's company. I was aware of his behavior, gestures, laughter, and tried to absorb his energy all at once. It was easy to talk to him about anything and everything.

I wanted to know the man Freddie loved so much, so I guess I started giving him many questions.

"Jim, are you still in touch with Phoebe?" Jim looked at me closely and began to talk to me with interest. "I haven´t really been talking to him for a long time. I know he had a hotel in Dubai, then he sold it, and he's in Prague now. He also bought something overthere and I think he's going to settle down there." When I heard about Prague, I jumped up excitedly and told him that I was from there. He smiled a little, though the coincidence like this didn´t overwhelm him as much as me.

He relished glass of Budwaiser and smoked Ultra light Silk Cuts. He offered me one and lit it up for me like a real gentleman. It seemed he wanted to continue talking. We both made fun of the ultralight effect of his cigarettes, which would probably piss off every orthodox smoker, Freddie for sure! He then demonstrated jokingly, how to properly smoke them. He inhaled all the smoke by sucking in his cheeks and widening his eyes, as if he should soon burst like an inflated toad. None of us resisted and we both burst into a mad laughter. I told him about my visit to Munich and meeting Barbara. He smiled and listened, then he rolled his eyes up to heaven and stated that she is one hell of a crazy woman. I totally agreed, and added, that also alcoholic one. It was surreal to talk about mutual aquaintances together, people we both knew. I also mentioned my visit to New York club and I could see how he returns nostalgically into his memories. Then I also tried to make him remember my friend Allison, who told me about him in the first place.

"About nine years ago she visited you in London". He couldn´t remember and admitted, that since then a lot of people have passed through his life and many of them he never saw again.

I continued. "She showed me several of your photos and in one of them you were holding Freddie's portrait that you bought at the auction". Suddenly he jumped up and said he knew whom I mean.

I showed him my miniature box containing a stone and talked about it with almost patriotic pride. "It's a stone from Logan Mews that I had to dig out from under the threshold of his house, because there was nothing else to take." Jim laughed out loud, this time without any hindrance and doubt that I was totally crazy. I also laughed because I knew I sound like nuts. He remarked with smile from ear to ear that I was pretty crazy. "Yeah, I'm crazy, and I'm proud to be. Who isn´t...and by the way.....why not?" I smiled at what I just said, because that´s what Freddie would say, to defend himself. Jim then talked about the medallion that Freddie had given him for his birthday. He said, there were three miniature pictures inside. "The first is that of Miko ", he said gently, looking up at me to make sure I knew who he was talking about. "In the other one is Freddie" ... he continued with kind of fervor and love. Something deep inside me shivered. "In the third one," ... he didn´t answer yet, when I jumped into his monologue ...."Tiffany," I blurted out.

"My mom's photo," he finished his sentence. (and I prayed he didn´t register my answer).

It was nice to hear him remembering like that. He opened up in front of me the way I never dreamt of. I think it was nice for him to share these beautiful moments and to talk about things that meant so much to him. "This rock is my good luck charm. I have been listening to Queen since I´m twelve and I also work in the Fan Club's office. We celebrate his anniversary every year. When I went here, I was kidding with my friends that I might meet Jim Hutton in Ireland... and here you are, sitting right next to me. That´s my dream come true", I said all emotional.

"How do you know Stephen?", he inquired after while.

"I go out with Vinnie and they are good friends" He eyed my boyfriend and indicated that he knew who he was.

"I was annoying the two of them and was constantly asking them to bring you", I smiled.

"Oh, Jacqueline wanted me to come, alright" Jim smiled at the thought. Then he talked about the music talent competition, in which they were selecting the best imitators of Queen.

"What music are you actually listening to?" I wondered.

"I have no favorite, I'm listening to almost everything. Even a radio".

"And do you still have Zig and Zag?"

He only sighed and said in a sad voice that they had both died since then.

"And do you have any other cats?"

"Yeah, I have seven others now," Jim smiled. This number didn´t surprise me. The old habits are hard to kill.

"Do you still keep up the gardening, Jim?"

"Constantly," he said with a loving smile and amusedly showed me his hands dirty from the clay and covered in sores. For God's sake, he must have been gardening a few minutes before going to a concert!, I thought to myself. A complete garden maniac.....

We were joking on the account of the band that was supposed to start playing long time ago, but somehow did not. He told me it would be nice to get drunk, so we didn´t know how terrible they were. That really made me crack up. He could be so funny.

He joked and emphasized to everyone around the table, that instead of a concert he could have been at home watching his favorite movie. In the same breath, he admitted that he was curious about their performance and that he hadn´t been out in ages.

He leaned over to me and confessed, that now he lived a life completely cut off from the rest of the world.

"We are basically the same, I am basically like him. Now I just enjoy loneliness and privacy. I don´t go out anywhere except my garden". I immediately knew whom he was referring to in his speech.

I said that I had discovered his house in Palatine and apologized when I saw his slightly concerned look. I said I was just little curious.

He then recalled a few of his encounters with the fans. One day there was an unknown car with a couple of strangers that arrived to his house. They came all way from Vienna and they found him by questioning people in a town! Not a hard thing to trace him, he said, as every cab driver in the area knows him pretty well. One local newspaper even published a photo of his house, and although they gave a wrong address, a lot of people had found him.

That made me laugh, because I knew what it means to be a devoted fan.

"On the other hand, it's nice to know that someone is constantly looking after you and giving you the feeling that all this is still alive," I added with a smile.

"Jim, do you still have your Volvo?"

"You mean the one that Freddie gave me?.....No, I don´t have it few years now, I´ve swapped it for a new one," he smiled.

He was all too gallant all the time, always lighting my cigarette.

He also wondered how long I would stay in Ireland, so I said that only another half a year.

"And you wanna come back here?" He asked suddenly.

"Oh, I'd love to. I'm trying to find a job either in Carlow or Kilkenny," I said enthusiastically.

Then I fell silent, looked at him and assured him "Definitely."

Each time he looked up into my eyes, I saw an incredibly nice person in front of me. Something in his silent expression suggested that he had suffered great deal of pain in life, but that he was now completely reconciled with his fate. Still, in his eyes shone a spark of unrelenting humor. In his company I forgot all about the world. I was happy to be able to make such an affluent and warm contact with him. The longer we knew each other, the closer we were.

When he wanted to go to the toilet, Stephen told him that the men's toilets were behind the bar and the ladies in front of the bar. It sounded like he wasn´t quite sure which one would Jim prefer.

But Jim didn´t care much and set off to the men's. I admit it made me laugh a little.

Then we continued our dialogue. I mentioned that I read both his and Phoebe's book, but that I couldn´t find his book anywhere in the stores. He confirmed that it´s out of print at the minute.

When I told him that I had stolen his book at the local library, he laughed and said that I should have asked him and he would have given me a copy, but he only had Italian version.

Finally, the band started to play. Everyone in the pub stood up and whole lot of us - as we were tucked in at the back, climbed onto the window ledges. I stood next to Jim, who remained seated.

He looked a little bit run over. I knew he was surrounded by the loneliness and I watched him with sadness. I lacked much power or words to comfort him. It was only after some wonderful songs that we both joined and got up. He could not remain sad in such a loving and friendly company for ever.

When he noticed the enormous, life-vibrant energy that only Queen music could produce in conjunction with a crowd of people singing, I think he forgot his personal pain. I could see pride in his face. He stood up and watched the band. Then he addressed me and made me come up onto the ledge above him to see better. I would not listen to anybody else, but from him it didn´t sound like an order. He wanted me to get the most out of it and it pleased me. Then we sat back and drank. Jim seemed to be getting cheerful and livelier. The more he drank, the more cheerful he was. The guys ordered him Red Bull with vodka. When I asked him if it was vodka, he claimed it was white lemonade! He put a warm glass of "vodka" on my hand, so I almost jumped out of my skin, which he thought was terribly funny.

Whatever he did, he looked at me as though I was the only person who knew what was behind his looks. His faces and funny grimaces reminded me of Freddie. He had a lot of subconsciously inherited poses and gestures from him. Even in his laughter I could detect an influence of Freddie's strong personality. He simply marked all people around him. It was not the same contagious and stormy laugh, but there was a spark of resemblance.

His niece Jacqueline, Valerie and Stephen, danced all the time on the ledge and Jim was pulling them and wrapping himself in between their legs, hugging them, clinging to them, and messing around like a little boy. It was a wonderful sight, as he was so happy and childish.

After some time, Jim lost himself in a crowd of concert goers, so I went to look for him. Without his company it felt such a sad place. It was as if he had fallen through the ground, which made me very nervous. Finally, I found him by the entrance table, where he was joking away with one old blonde, not too different from frivolous Barbara Valentin. I asked him for a photo together. At first he looked impenetrable but as soon as I threw a sad eye and smirked, he brightened up and agreed as if saying "You know you can, anything for you, darling"

His niece Valerie took our picture. He then whispered to me that he hopes I´ll send him some pictures later.

After that he announced that we are going back inside to listen to the band.

I saw them from close-up and I must say that it was much better to just hear them. They looked rather too comic with all their wigs. It was something that would make Freddie laugh too.

I told Jim that they don´t look very natural,which he agreed with, but he said he couldn´t complain about their music. He was totally right, because musically they weren´t bad and the singer had a very authentic voice.

Inside, everybody was dancing and Jim joined in and circled around them like a rogalo.

The whole pub vibrated with intense and loving energy. There was no one who would be bored. Jim then threw himself in the arms of his two nieces, who gently caressed him in his hair and embraced him. He let them take care of him, now vulnerable like a little lost child all of a sudden.

There was something deeply touching about it. He had closed his eyes and sadly lowered his head, as if his tears flowed deep inside, in his invisible world. I realized at this stage, how much he really loved Freddie. I was looking at him and I had a desire to caress him and comfort him but instead, I had to stand aside.

"You can have everything and yet feel alone", Freddie once said. But I was glad Jim had his family and friends around him, who cared and protected him. Jim was going through sorrow and joy,both at the same time, it seemed.

During one of his many shananigans, I caught him messing around with his niece's boyfriend.

He sat him on his knees and imitated sexual intercourse. It would seem offensive and utterly crazy to someone who didn´t know him. But we all did. Jim was laughing like crazy and when he finally looked at me, he seemed a little embarrassed by his behavior and gave me a look that said"I hope you won´t tell on me to Freddie"...but it was hard to take him seriously.

We both smiled conspiratorially at each other. In that sense, our relationship no matter how short-lived, was special. We understood one another in thoughts. He winked at me a couple of times, tapping my beer like an old buddy.

In one moment in particular, Jim leaned over me and whispered: "You as a fan have right to be crazy, but them" ... pointing at our dancing group of friends ... " they are fucked up", he said with smile and he began to knock his finger against his forehead. An international gesture that doesn´t need an interpreter!

Jim then went to the toilets for a while, and I, like a stray sheep, followed him through crowds of oblivious dancers. He was somewhat drunk at that time and barely retained a balance. He staggered a little like a broken tree. No surprise after god knows how many Red bulls and vodkas! I was bit afraid for him, so I supported him inconspicuously by both shoulders from behind. He went to the toilet and cared too little to even close the door behind him. If anyone was looking, he would see Jim Hutton pissing in a toilet bowl in his bright canary shirt.

At that moment they played the most touching song of all, These are the Days of our lives .... I stood by the door and listened, watching the band and waited for Jim. I don´t know why, perhaps because of the fate that brought me here, I suddenly felt terrible sorrow. I was sorry for Freddie and Jim. Tears poured into my eyes. I didn´t cry, but was very close to it. Jim suddenly appeared next to me and noticed my face. "What about those tears? I hope you don´t cry", but at this stage I was lost for words. His concern made me sad even more. Something inside me forced me to caress him. I hugged him gently around his neck and put my head on his shoulder for a moment. I wanted to let him know that I am very sorry about what happened to Freddie. He did not resist. He knew he wasn´t the only one in the world who was missing him. I looked into his eyes, and I told him a sentence that I didn´t know why I said, but I strongly felt it..."Jim, he's here, he IS here." His expression was rather confused at first. "Do you believe me?" ... I said this with a seriousness and a certain degree of self-assurance that he froze for a while. He looked thoughtful. He knew what I was talking about.

I seemed to only confirm his inner conviction. He didn´t say a word. He wiped my tear away with the edge of his hand and without warning, took me firmly by the hand and led me through crowds back to our friends. There was a lot of care and love in his touch. The music was just playing and Freddie just sang "I still love you" and I knew he did.

I didn´t want to leave, but I knew I said everything I needed to. I could not leave without saying goodbye. It would be a sin after all this to just disappear into eternity. I interrupted him from the conversation with someone else, leaned over the table and said, "Jim, I'm leaving now, so I want to say goodbye, it was great pleasure meeting you." I smiled as much as my heart allowed me to and shook his hand. He stared up and thought for a moment, and then, without any hesitance said, "We do not see each other for the last time." I didn´t know at this time how true his words were.

I thought I did not understand well, so I asked again, "sorry?" and he repeated patiently and more resolutely, "I shall surely see you again," while taking my hand into his hands and kissing it gently.

He left me in amazement. I stumbled out from there perplexed but still I could hear him talking about me to someone there. He probably said he hadn´t seen a bigger nutcase in a long time, assuming from his cute teddybear smile. Gosh I loved him so much!

The next day I learned from my friends that Jim was looking next morning for his jacket that he had forgotten in his car. Few days later, I've sent him the promised photographs. Jacquie confirmed that he called in to say he had received them allright.”

2001

“...And then I returned back to Ireland in 2004.

I had the opportunity to welcome Jim to my own home in Carlow sometime in 2006. He was Stephen´s surprise. When the door opened up, I didn´t see him at first.

Then his head popped out from the side of the door and with a laugh he emerged a bit later. He hugged me like we hadn´t seen each other for million years. What I felt at that moment was indescripable. My dear Jim back in my life and in my own house!

We all sat in the living room, Jim settled down on the sofa, I was sitting on the ground and absorbed the precious moments because I knew time spent with him was only borrowed time. Then we watched Queen videos and talked about Freddie as if he were in the next room. It was so surreal. Me and Jim agreed that our favorite video was Scandal, and he just added that Freddie didn´t like it very much because he couldn´t make any creative input in it, although he loved the song.

Then we talked about his illness, about him taking up to 40 pills a day to sustain his health and he also explained the difference between AIDS and HIV, as many people still didn´t know. We have talked so much and - above all - we laughed all night, almost at everything. It was so easy to succumb to his funny personality once again and to his heartfelt laughter. He made jokes about fancying my ex-boyfriend, whom he lied on top of on the sofa. Long time ago, I´ve sent him a letter explaining to him how Freddie has impacted my life. But I've forgotten I´ve ever written it and now I was faced with the horror that I actually have sent it. I hoped he has forgotten about it, but when Jim and I met in the corridor of our house, I couldn´t but apologize to him for that letter, and for being so daring. To my surprise, he looked at me softly with his tired eyes and assured me that my letter was absolutely fascinating. Then we were interrupted by Stephen, who was just leaving a toilet and the conversation was cut short at that point. Unfortunatelly I would never have the chance to find out what was the next thing he was about to say, because I noticed he wanted to continue, if he weren´t interrupted.

When we were saying goodbye at the door, he treated me as an old friend. He simply kissed me on the lips, which utterly shocked me and made me laugh at the same time.

He invited us back to his house to have a little party, but my ex-boyfriend was not in the perfect mood and so we politely declined, which I will forever regret!

About a year after that I bumped into Jim several times in the city where we both lived, or we exchanged text messages whenever I needed to advise what room flowers would be best for our new house. Sometimes I learnt about how he´s doing through my ex-boyfriend, who used to hang out with him and drink few pints in a night bar. Once my ex confessed how Jim told him that I was a great person and he should be happy to have me. They must have been talking about me!!!!

Then I met Jim one night in the nightclub, where he was with his friends. He spent most of his time sitting in the lounge smoking a cigarette, having fun with younger girls. Wherever he was, you heard his laughter. That night my ex-boyfriend arranged for Jim and me to have a dance together.

Jim was just dancing on the dancefloor with some older woman. I remember he had his jumper tied around his waist. I just got onto the dancefloor, he looked at me all serious and pulled me close to him. It was some tediously slow song that I can´t even remember, I just know that we were staggering from side to side like two handiccaped penguins and that made me laugh hysterically.

He was such a clown! Now, however, I consider this moment as one of the most precious memories of him. It was my night.

Back in 2009, I have learned that Jim was diagnosed with cancer. My ex-boyfriend told me how concerned Jim was when informing him. He said, he wept. At that time I didn´t know how serious the situation was and I hoped Jim will get better in no time. I believed the doctors would somehow help him out of it. I saw him a little later at work when he came to our restaurant for breakfast.

I almost served him as another customer, but when I realized it was him, I pulled myself back into the kitchen and let the other girls serve him. He never noticed. I was in such state of shock. I didn´t know what to do, how to act and what to say. He was so thin, just skin and bone. His face was sinking, his eyes full of pain, a small tube leading from his nose to the oxygen device he carried in his backpack and a small canvas hat on his head. I couldn´t believe this was Jim, whom I have remembered being so full of life and joy only half a year ago. I wanted to cry like never before. I also felt embarassed by my own cowardly reaction. I wished more than anything in my life to hug him and say I loved him. I wanted to wish him a happy Christmas. But I was scared of my own tears, which would not help him in his situation.

I wrote him a message on the phone, but he didn´t respond. And then I got the terrible news. Jim died and somehow I also missed his funeral. I took a first taxi and went at least to his months Mass and visited his grave, bringing him daffodils and little white lantern with candle. It was so hard for me. His relatives stood above his grave. I said my prayers in a minute of silence. The air didn´t move and the moon was full in the night sky. It was dark and cold all around but I didn´t care.

I wanted to see him laugh and mess around like he used to. It was as if another star had disappeared and fell to the earth. If only life could last forever.”

2006-2010

Credits to Seraphiel’s blog. Please don’t repost without credits.

[michaelfenton]

THN Talks ‘Pramface’ With Sean Michael Verey

At the end of series two, we saw Jamie and Laura (Scarlett Alice Johnson) FINALLY making it official as boyfriend and girlfriend! Where do we see the pair as we head into series three?

I think series three is more about Jamie and Laura. The first series was more initially about the pregnancy, the second was about the baby and now the third series has sort of calmed down in that respect, everybody’s come to terms about the baby and it is more about Laura and Jamie. I think it’s very up and down between them both; it keeps you guessing right to the end. But there’s a lot of things that happen, like Laura and Jamie decide to start looking at a place to live together and there’s twists and turns when they are looking for a place – a will they won’t they type thing, plus things and people get in the way – I don’t want to give away too much but it’s pretty much always up and down between them both.

Is Jamie still the loveable idiot we have got to know over the last few years?

(Laughs) I think there’s an element of that. But I do think on a whole he has grown up a lot actually. I think he’s had to, obviously with the baby and all of a sudden he is in this relationship with Laura – he is growing up now you know? And he is in the working world. But there are still elements where he gets caught out (laughs) and becomes that loveable idiot once again.

And how does Jamie and Laura’s friendship hold up now they’re together? Will we be seeing more of Beth (Yasmin Paige), Mike (Dylan Edwards) and Danielle (Emer Kenny)?

This series seems to be written in a way where Jamie and Laura are kind of left to it more without the others poking their nose in it, as they’ve got their own problems with people coming into their lives, so everybody’s got their own problems now it’s not just about Laura and Jamie. So I think there’s more distance between them all storyline wise.

Pramface is three series in – you must be a pro working with babies now?

I honestly lose track of how many babies we actually use on the day but we’ve usually got four there, depending on how long the day is. We need many just in case one decides to cry, or when one is needed to cry for a scene and so forth. But I’ve actually really enjoyed it, it’s become second nature now! It’s sort of like “Oh which one is this now?” and you get to know their parents because they’re there on the day. It’s just this one big circle of babies…and by the end of the shoot you get to know their little personalities and you know which one is which…and yeah, it’s quite nice. It’s actually really nice.

Pramface has become such a staple in the BBC3 comedy line up, how has the reaction been for you?

Oh it’s done brilliantly well! I’m on Twitter (@sean_m_verey) and the feedback I get from fans of the show is overwhelming at times, especially when the programme is on and the show is airing for the first time. I’m still getting tweets now because it’s being repeated at three o’clock in the morning (laughs) and people still tweet me saying “I’ve stayed up to watch Pramface back to back, I couldn’t help myself” and “It’s the sixth time I’ve watched it” and all that stuff, so the feedback has been brilliant. We just hope that this series it can get even bigger. It’s always quite hard to start out with a new series, especially a new comedy I find, and that did well. The second series got bigger and we’re hoping it’ll follow that trait, we want it to keep progressing publicity wise and viewing figures. I think, personally, this series is the funniest…it’s really stepped up this series, it’s more laugh a minute kind of stuff.

Pramface has also made its way overseas airing on Hulu – have the Americans reacted well too?

Yeah they have actually! They seem to really enjoy it…I haven’t had a bad comment from anyone on Hulu. Again, I get most of my feedback on Twitter because I tweet quite a lot and I’ve got a nice little following on Twitter now and a lot of them have been from America saying they’ve just watched Pramface on Hulu, “When’s the next season gonna come out” “It’s so unfair that you guys get it first before we do” and all this kind of stuff. It’s been really really good feedback from overseas!

There are some absolutely hilarious scenes in episode one, how do you get through a take with a straight face?

I rarely do! I mean the take that we use is probably the only one out of three takes where no one is actually laughing. I recently got sent the gag reel for clearance to use on DVD and just watching it back, there was a lot from the caravan actually! It’s very hard but a lot of fun. It does get to the point where sometimes you think “Oh my God we’re not gonna get this! This will never not be funny” especially when you are working with people like Ben Crompton who is probably the funniest guy I’ve ever met and Bronagh (Gallagher) just encourages him, which makes it even worse. He tries to stitch you up in scenes and he’ll try to make you laugh…yeah it’s very hard to answer your question (laughs) but we manage to do it somehow!

Lastly – if you were a writer on Pramface, where would you like to see Jamie go in the future?

Oh wow, that’s a good question! (Thinks about it) Well…I mean…there’s quite a lot of twists and turns that happen but I would eventually like him to end up with nothing really massive happening but just him being settled and just him and Laura working it out with the baby and getting a nice job and by the time the whole thing has wrapped him thinking “Huh, I did alright, I did well!”

[mishasminion360]

We’ll All Float On

An It: Chapter 2 epilogue

Warning: Language; mentions of trauma and therapy; coming out of the closet; angst; fluff. You know what? Everything. It’s got everything.

A/N: I wrote this ages ago immediately after seeing the movie, but I’m just getting around to typing it up and posting it. The remaining members of the Losers Club deserve all the happinesses life can dish out. And in this house we ship Reddie!

Derry, Maine, 2017

Maybe coming back there wasn’t the best idea. After all, the last time they’d all gathered at that particular restaurant it had been a disaster, a God damned nightmare, and Mike had sworn to himself that he’d never eat Chinese food again. But as he gazed into the bubbling waters of the aquarium (this time tranquil and free of severed heads), his worries began to subside. And when the second of the Losers finally arrived his fears vanished completely.

“Jesus, isn’t there anywhere else to eat in this town?” Mike turned to see Bill Denbrough sling his jacket over the back of a chair and offering him a wide grin.

“Man, you grew up here, too, Bill. You should know that the answer to that question is a resounding ‘no’.”

The two men embraced with a hearty laugh, things already felt so much different than before.

***

Beverly gazed up at the glowing neon of the Jade of the Orient as Ben wrapped an arm tenderly around her waist.

“How does it feel to be back, Mr. Hanscom?” Bev asked, leaning into him.

“A lot better now that I’m not saddled with this overwhelming sense of dread weighing on my chest.”

Beverly circled both of her arms around Ben’s muscular torso which 28 years ago had not been so muscular. “Well, now the only thing resting on your chest is me.”

She hoisted herself up on her toes to lock her lips with his and Ben smiled into the kiss. “Easy now, Mrs. Hanscom,” he murmured. “Time and place. Time and place.”

“Get a room you two, before I lose my appetite.”

The lovebirds extricated themselves from each other’s arms to gape at the bespectacled man who’d approached them.

“Seriously, how the fuck is it that the two of you look even better than you did last year? And what the fuck am I doing wrong?”

“Beep beep, Richie!!!” Ben and Beverly cheered in unison as the pulled good ol’ Trashmouth Tozier into a bear hug.

“All right you two, lay off,” Richie laughed as he shrugged his way out of their embrace. “Don’t touch me, you don’t know where I’ve been.”

The three linked arms and strode to the front door of the restaurant like Dorothy, Scarecrow and the Tin Man sauntering down the yellow brick road.

“Alrighty, fellas,” Bev said, never afraid to take the lead. “Let’s do this thing.”

***

“Hello and welcome! How many in your…oh.”

The hostess trailed off as she took in the trip before her. Oh, she remembered these three, and the rest of their strange little gang as well. The last time the six of them had dined there they’d nearly destroyed their finest dining room. She didn’t need to open up a fortune cookie to know she’d be cleaning up more shattered dishes and splintered furniture that night.

“Right this way,” she said, clearing her throat. “The rest of your party is expecting you.”

Volleying quips and sharing in quiet giggles, Bev, Ben, and Richie followed the hostess as she procured their utensils and menus and led them to their seats.

“Where is your sick friend? The small man who is allergic to everything? I don’t believe he’s arrived yet.”

The trio immediately fell silent. She’d been referring, of course, to Eddie Kaspbrak. Bev would had to have been blind not to notice Richie’s face fall and his body sag with an unspoken sadness at the mere mention of their late friend. Reaching behind her without looking, she grasped Richie’s hand tightly in her own and her stiff shoulders relaxed when she felt him squeeze back in thanks.

“He’s, um,” Ben paused as a he searched for the right words. “He’s one of the reasons we’re here tonight.”

***

Mike and Bill were already engaged in an animated discussion about something or other and hadn’t even noticed the others approach. Ben gazed wistfully at the joyful pair, admiring their exuberance and allowing it to overtake him as well before removing the padded mallet from its place and offering it to Richie. “Care to do the honors?”

Bill and Mike’s conversation was abruptly silenced by the thunderous echo of a gong and Richie’s announcement.

“This meeting of the Losers Club has officially begun.”

And just like that all of the pieces fell into place. The little family was whole, as it would ever be, once more.

***

“Shit, Mike, you actually went to Florida?” Richie guffawed before taking a pull from his beer.

“Mm-hm,” he responded through a mouthful of lo mein.

“Fuck, why?”

“It’s like I told you when we were kids. It’s just a place I’d always wanted to see. Now I’ve seen it.

“And?”

The other five eyed Mike in anticipation of an exciting story, but he merely shrugged. “It’s about as magical as you’d expect.”

“Yeah, I told you you’d hate it,” Richie snickered.

“It wasn’t all bad. I did meet a nice gal in Jacksonville.” This was met with a chorus of juvenile “oohs” and a salacious whistle from Bill.

“What was she, like, 70?”

“Don’t be such a smart ass, Rich,” Mike chided, waiting until Richie once again had his lips poised at the edge of his glass of booze before finishing his sentence. “She was 80.”

The gang hooted as Trashmouth Tozier choked on his beverage. Bill clapped his coughing friend firmly on his back before lifting his own glass.

“If Richie here can keep it down, I’d like to propose a toast.” The others followed suit and hoisted their drinks in the air. “To those we lost. To Stan and Eddie.”

They smiled they’d all been wearing throughout the evening finally began to falter as silence engulfed the room. After a moment of quiet hesitation, Bev tapped her glass against Bill’s.

“To Stan,” she said with a grin that took all of her strength to muster.

“To Stan,” they all repeated before clinking glasses and taking a swig.

“To Eddie,” Ben cheered, and the others parroted with a little more pep. All but one.

“Rich? You okay, man?” Bill turned to his left to see the usually boisterous comedian staring stoically into his half poised glass, his brow furrowed in concentration as if he was searching the bottom of his beer for something he’d never be able to find.

“To Eddie,” he whispered at last, clinking his glass against all the others.

***

Though Florida had been a bit of a dud, Mike did find happiness traversing other states, even other countries. Thanks to a little help from Bev’s keen eye, Ben had just designed, and would be supervising construction for, a swanky new chain of hotels. Richie’s third Netflix special would be available to stream by the end of the week. Bill’s latest book had just been nominated for an award and talks had already begun regarding a big screen adaptation. And all that good news coincided with the birth of his first child, a son named Georgie.

It certainly seemed that none of them could be considered losers anymore.

***

Another blanket of uncomfortable silence settled upon them as the waitress plopped the plate of fortune cookies in the center of the table.

“Enjoy,” she chirped before adding in a whisper, “and my boss has insisted that I ask you lot to please refrain from destroying any furniture this time.” To that end she left them to partake in their potentially hazardous desert, and the group eyed the plate of novelty snacks with trepidation.

“Okay, who wants to be the first to crack one of these suckers open?” Richie asked. “By the way, not it.”

After another moment or two of hesitation, Mike finally reached for the plate. “I got you all into this mess last time, so I might as well start making up for it. Since Eddie can’t be with us, I’ll be this evening’s designated risk analyst.”

He cracked a cookie in two and, popping one half inside his mouth and discarding the other on the table, withdrew the small slip of paper.

No blood, no milky eyeballs, no critters from another hellscape of a world. The only thing inside these cookies were fortunes. Mike read his without a sound, and he could feel the others watching him intently.

“If that fucking thing says ‘guess’ or ‘Stanley’ or ‘could’ or ‘not’ or ‘cut’ or ‘it’, I swear to God I’m fucking gone.” Richie laughed but failed to hide his growing unease.

Mike grinned as he read the fortune again, this time out loud. “‘The world is big, but time is short.’”

“Well that’s much less terrifying,” Bill sighed. “I’ll take that as a cue to dig in.”

Bill devoured the cookie and then vocalized his fortune. “‘The ending is the most integral part of the journey’.”

“Would you look at that,” Richie guffawed, clapping Bill on the shoulder. “Even a shitty cookie has offer it’s two cents about your lousy endings.”

“Fuck you, Trashmouth. My last two novels have ended quite nicely, thank you very much. Just ask my Booker Prize nomination.”

“I’d rather ask the award itself when you win it.”

Bill rolled the slip of paper into a minuscule ball and flicked it aside. “If I win it.”

Richie shook his head. “When.”

Bill patted Richie’s hand as a sign of thanks. “You know, I’ve actually been thinking about taking a step back from all the doom and gloom thriller stuff to take a swing at writing children’s books.”

“You’re kidding!” Bev exclaimed with a bark of laughter.

“I’m serious. I kind of thought it would be a good way for Georgie and I to bond. I write a story, then we read it together. You know?”

Ben leaned back in his chair and snapped his cookie in half. “Bill that’s…wow. That’s quite a change. Good for you, man.”

“What does yours say, honey? Bev asked, eyeing the slip of paper between her husband’s fingers.

“Yeah, honey. What’s it say?” Richie leaned toward the two of them, batting his eyelashes dramatically and resting his chin in his hands as the pair flipped him off at the same time.

“It says ‘he who builds the dreams of others should not neglect his own’.”

“Well, that’s oddly specific,” Richie said matter-of-factly. “You know, because you’re an architect? You build things….yeah, I’ll shut up now.”

“First time for everything,” Ben grinned.

“I want to read mine next,” Bev chimed in, holding the small piece of paper primly between her fingers. “It says ‘the smallest changes make the biggest difference’.”

Mike rubbed his chin in thought, nodding his approval at the depth of Bev’s fortune. “Anyone want to wager a guess as to what it means?”

Richie snapped his fingers as his eyes lit up. “Well, by jove, I think I’ve got it, gents,” he exclaimed in an overblown, piss poor excuse for a British accent they hadn’t heard him use since they were kids. “I do believe it means that if our dear friend William here could slightly alter his crummy endings, some of his books might actually make for a halfway decent read.”

Bill glared at his wisecracking friend. “Tozier, if you make fun of my writing one more time, I swear to God-“

“Don’t blame me, man. It’s the cookies that have it out for you!”

“I don’t think it has anything to do with Bill’s books, Rich,” Ben smiled just as Bill smacked Richie in the back of his head.

“I think it means that something small can have a huge impact on your life,” Bev clarified. She scanned the faces of her companions to see if any were catching her drift.

“What, like, a new haircut?”

“Or a baby, Richie.” Ben’s eyes twinkled when he grinned.

“Right. Or like-wait, what?”

“Bev that’s….are you really….?” Mike stammered happily.

“Three weeks along,” she confirmed proudly. “You guys didn’t think it was a little weird that I’ve been drinking water this entire evening?”

Bill leapt from his chair and threw his arms around the expectant couple. “Ben! Bev! This is amazing news! Congratulations!”

“Yeah, congrats you two crazy kids,” Richie added before Mike inquired if they’d been considering names yet.

Bev leaned into her husband affectionately. “Well, of it’s a girl, Ben has graciously agreed to name her after my mother, Elfrida. We’d call her Frida for short.”

“Beautiful choice, Bev,” Mike praised, taising his glass and taking a celebratory sip. “And if it’s a boy?”

The Hanscom’s looked silently, almost nervously at each other before answering, some sort of unspoken agreement passing between the two of them as the rest of the Losers looked on.

“If it’s a boy,” Ben finally said, releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he’d even been holding, “we’d like to name him Eddie. Edward Stanley Hanscom.”

Richie instantly felt a lump form in his throat, and he had to cast his eyes downward to ensure that no one could see the pain that burned behind them. He chewed his lip quietly as he struggled to reel his unraveling emotions back in. When he looked back up his eyes immediately found Beverly’s. She searched his face silently. Hopefully.

“He would have loved that,” Richie finally croaked. “They both would have.”

Mike and Bill were too choked up to speak, so they just adamantly nodded their agreement.

“Alright, I think I’ve had about as much sentimentality as I can take for one evening.” Ben turned to Richie and tossed him a fortune cookie. “Come on, funny man, make me laugh. What does yours say?”

Richie made a big manly show of crushing the cookie in his hand before extricating the fortune from the rubble of the snack, and as he read it to himself his face blanched.

“Oh, this should be good,” Mike snickered, noticing Richie’s sudden discomfort. “Don’t keep us in suspense, Rich.”

He felt a wave of nausea overtake him as he read and re-read the small segment of paper. The clown was dead, he knew that, but this fortune felt like another of his cruel tricks. Richie felt as if he were being mocked all over again.

Love doesn’t come only once.

“Rich?” Beverly asked softly, her gentle voice cutting through the harsh buzz of white noise in his ears. Nuh-uh. No way in hell was he reading this shit out loud. He didn’t have the stomach to explain it to them. Not yet. Not like this.

“I, uh, I guess my new special’s gonna bomb,” he coughed. “It says ‘a career change can set you on your true path’.”

The others eyed him skeptically and he feared they’d seen through his fib when Ben at last said, “it’s probably for the best, Rich. You’re not that funny anyway.”

Richie mouthed a silent “fuck you” and the tension dissolved into laughter.

***

The first to arrive, the leave. Mike stood and slipped his jacket from the back of the chair, shrugging into it as he said, “I don’t know about you folks, but jet lag and alcohol do not seem to be mixing well for me. Any of you care to continue the conversation back at the townhouse?”

“You read my mind,” Bill said, polishing off the dregs of his third beer before following Mike’s lead.

“Me, Ben, and the Lima bean here,” Bev said with a Pat of her stomach, “would be more than happy to take you up on that offer.”

“I’ll handle the check,” Bill said, already removing his wallet from his back pocket.

“Slow your roll there, Stephen King,” Ben said, reaching for his own wallet. “I’ve got this one. Really.”

“Let’s at least split it. I don’t feel right about you taking the whole thing.”

“Girls, girls, you’re both pretty,” Bev interjected. “I’ll pay it myself if it keeps this from turning into an all night debate.”

Bill turned to Richie, who hadn’t moved an inch. “Well, maybe mr. big shot comedian here would like to contribute.”

Richie still made not a move to stand. He simply sat and stared at the collection of dirty dishes littering the table, gazing so intently that he could potentially shatter one of the plates with a single thought.

“Yo, earth to Trashmouth. You okay, man?”

Richie licked his lips nervously; his mouth had gone inexplicably dry and he struggled to dislodge his voice from his throat.

“I’m not ready to, uh….guys we can’t leave yet.”

The tone had shifted once again and a far sense of dread took hold of each of the Losers. Bill tried to laugh through the unease. “You planning on spending the night here, Richie?”

“You guys, I came here tonight to say something and, God dammit, I’m gonna say it! I just need…just give me a sec.”

Richie Tozier spent so much of his time joking around that the rest of the gang often forget that he was even capable of being serious. He felt sadness and fear just like the rest of them, and it was clear at that moment that he was scared to death.

He was gripping the edge of the table so hard that his knuckles paled. Beverly slid into the chair next to him and took one of his hands in her own. He was shaking terribly.

“Richie, what’s wrong?”

For what was probably the first time in his life, Richie couldn’t bring himself to start talking. Tell them, Tozier, he commanded himself. Just tell them. They’re your friends, man. They deserve the truth. You owe it to them, and to yourself. To Stan. To…Eddie.

“Sweetie, you’re scaring us,” Bev whispered. “Talk to us, Richie.”

“I’ve been seeing a therapist,” he finally blurted, the words tumbling out with the gust of a breath.

The others glanced from one another, unsure of how to respond, until Mike placed a comforting hand on Richie’s shoulder.

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of, Rich. Shit, after everything we went through last year…” He trailed off as Richie shook his head fiercely, eyes screwed shut.

“I’m…um, I’m….gay.”

And just like that it was out. His “dirty little secret”. His painful truth laid bared before him for his friends, for the world to see.

“I’ve been having a really hard time accepting myself and….and processing all of these feelings. Especially after….after Eddie….” The rest of the words died on his tongue. He couldn’t bare to finish the sentence. It had been a year since he’d lost the only man he’d ever loved, but with each passing day the wound reopened. The pain was always fresh.

“Oh, Rich,” Bev cooed. She stroked his hair and pulled him close, already a loving mother in the making. “We know, honey.”

“You….what?”

“Richie, we know,” Bill confirmed. “We’ve always known, man.”

Richie could hardly believe his ears. Was it even possible for someone to be in so much pain but still find it possible to smile?

“Why the fuck didn’t any of you ever say anything?”

Ben slipped an arm around Bev’s shoulders and placed one of his strong but gentle hands over Richie’s. “Because we didn’t care, Rich. Who you loved didn’t matter to us. Because we loved you.”

“We still do. We’re your friends, Trashmouth,” Mike added. “We figured that, someday, you’d tell us when you were good and ready.”

Richie snatched his glasses from his face to rub his eyes as his vision went blurry. “I would have told you all a lot sooner, I think. But then we all left and….and we forgot. I forgot.”

Beverly laid her head against Richie’s shoulder. His trembling had only grown worse.

“Do you think….do you think that Eddie knew?”

“Eddie’s death hit us all pretty hard, Richie, but we could see how deeply it hurt you. Much more than any of us. We understand why now,” Bev soothed. “We all know how much you loved him, and we’re just so sorry that you’ve had to deal with all these feelings by yourself.”

He didn’t want to cry in front of them. Not again. But Richie had never been a good fighter, so the tears eventually won. Just like that day in the quarry one year ago, his friends held him as his body convulsed with harsh wracking sobs.

***

After his good healthy cry, Richie excused himself and snuck off the pay the check before either Bill or Ben had the chance to protest.

“So, I think Richie is definitely going to need another drink. How about I go grab a couple six packs and then meet you all back at the townhouse?” Bill offered.

The gang nodded their agreement as they all began filing out of the dining room and toward the front door. Suddenly, Richie came barreling past them back to the table.

“OhShitOhShitOhShitOhShit,” he chorused as he frantically snatched up as many napkins as he could that hadn’t already been soiled.

“What happened?” Ben inquired, quirking one perfect brow.

“I bumped into a guy at the register.”

“A guy?” asked Bev. “Someone you know?”

“Nope,” Richie responded, clutching two fistfuls of napkins. “And I literally bumped into him. Now he’s wearing his takeout as a suit.”

Richie rushed past them all again in a mad rush to clean up the mess he’d made.

Mike rolled his eyes. “Looks like Trashmouth has got quite a way with the fellas, doesn’t he?”

***

Cozy in the townhouse, they laughed some more, drank some more, and reminisced some more. They listened intently as Bill read aloud some of the rough passages he’d scribbled out for Georgie’s book. They helped Mike chart a course for his next adventure: a traditional backpacking trip across Europe. Richie offered to tag along if they could make a pit stop in Amsterdam for some weed.

As for Richie, the happily married Losers offered him some helpful advice for his next encounter with Don, whose number he’d been rewarded with after mopping up his spilled sweet and sour chicken. The very Don he’d promised himself to call when he returned home and felt good and ready to make a move. And Richie was starting to feel that “ready” may actually come sooner rather than later.

And as the week long visit neared it’s end, as their time together came to a close, the five collectively came to the realization that they were far from the losers that Derry had shaped them to be. But then again they never did feel like losers when they were all together.

[trashcanreddiefan]

The 1st Annual Losers' Club Christmakkah Celebration

Summary: The Losers gather for their first annual Christmakkah celebration. Several announcements are made, and Richie’s Christmas wish just may come true.

Word Count: 2800-ish

Warnings: None whatsoever. This is pure fluff.

Author’s Note: Post-Chapter 2. All of the Losers are alive in this fic, including Stan, because canon can suck it.

1st in a (at least) 3-part series where the Losers take turns hosting Christmakkah.

CROSS-POSTED AT AO3.

Bzz bzzz. Bzzz bzzz. Bzzz Bzzz. Bzzz bzzz.

Richie Tozier groaned and picked his phone up off of his nightstand, squinting at it in the harsh early morning light and smiling sleepily when he saw that new messages were flooding in in the Losers’ group text thread.

Benverly (Bev): First annual Loser’s Club Non-denominational Holiday Celebration at Ben’s house on December 24th!

Benverly (Ben): OUR house, Bev.

Benverly (Bev): Our house. :-*

Benverly (Ben): I love being able to say that.

Micycle: Can’t wait!

Billiam: Audra and I will definitely be there!

Staniel: Patty and I will be there.

Eds: I’m coming.

Richie waited until everyone had confirmed before sending his response. Oh, I don’t know if I can be away from Eds’s mom for that long.

Eddie’s reply immediately came through.

Eds: Dude, you realize the joke no longer works since my mom’s been dead for 12 years, right?

Eds: Also, fuck you.

Richie grinned. Love you too, Eds.

Staniel: Richie, you had better be there or else I’m personally coming get you and dragging your ass to Ben & Beverly’s.

Richie shook his head. I’m kidding, guys, I’ll be at Christmakkah. Honestly, I wouldn’t miss it for anything.

Eds: Good, it wouldn’t be a Losers’ Holiday Celebration without the biggest loser of us all.

Richie snorted with laughter. Ouch, Eds, you wound me. 💀

Eds: Truth hurts, asshole. And that’s still not my name.

Billiam: Christmakkah? Really?

Staniel: Actually, I kind of like it.

Benverly (Ben): Ok, 1st annual Losers’ Christmakkah Celebration at my & Bev’s house then. :)

Everyone had mutually agreed that gifts weren’t necessary, that everyone having made it out of Neibolt alive and It being well and truly dead was gift enough.

Richie was never one to follow the rules, however, which is how he found himself loaded down with gift bags in front of Ben & Beverly’s house 3 weeks later. He rang the doorbell.

A few seconds later the door swung open to reveal Eddie.

Richie blinked. “Hey, Eds.”

A smile spread over Eddie’s face. “Richie, hey. Come on in, everyone’s in the dining room.”

Richie stepped inside and Eddie reached for some of the gift bags. “Here, let me help you with that stuff.”

Richie and Eddie deposited Richie’s gifts in the living room. Once Richie had taken his jacket and gloves off and was settled, Eddie pulled him into a hug. “I’m really glad to see you, man.”

“Same here, Eds. I’ve missed you– I mean I’ve missed all of you. Even though it’s only been a few months. Yeah. Anyway, let’s go in the dining room so I can see everyone else.”

Once they reached the dining room, Richie announced his presence in his usual loud, playful fashion. “Happy Christmakkah, Losers!” he shouted.

“Richie!” came the chorus of replies, followed by hugs and greetings.

Bev rubbed her hands together. “Good, now that you’re here, let’s eat!”

After dinner, everyone gathered in Ben & Bev’s gigantic living room to sit by the fire and socialize. Stan, Patty, Ben, & Bev sat on one sofa, Audra, Bill & Mike were on the other, and Richie and Eddie each sat in the 2 armchairs by the fireplace.

“While we’re all here, Patty and I have a gift for everyone,” Stan announced. “I know we said that we weren’t going to get everyone gifts, but…” he shrugged. “You’ll just have to deal with it.”

He began handing out bags to everyone. “Don’t open them yet.”

Richie fiddled with the tissue paper sticking out of his bag as he waited for Stan to sit back down. “Ok, go ahead,” Stan said.

Richie pulled the tissue paper out and pulled out a white onesie that read “I love my uncle.” He looked around everyone else, who all held the same gift, with Bev’s reading “I love my aunt” instead.

Stan placed a hand over Patty’s stomach. “We’re expecting!” he said excitedly.

Richie jumped up and gave Stan a hug. “Staniel, you old dog, congratulations!” He then turned to Patty, giving her a much gentler hug. “You guys are going to be fucking phenomenal parents, I just know it.”

After everyone had congratulated Stan and Patty, Ben cleared his throat, looking at Bev in silent conversation. Bev tilted her head in affirmation.

Ben got up and grabbed some gift bags from behind the couch. “Here you go, everyone,” Ben said sheepishly, handing them out.

Each bag contained a dual photo frame, one side holding a picture of the Losers’ at 13 and the other holding a more recent group photo that had been taken at the Jade of the Orient before they had all remembered It, and an envelope.

Richie tore his card open. Inside was an engagement announcement.

Bev linked her fingers through Ben’s. “We’re getting married,” she said happily. “We decided to do it while you’re all still here for the holidays since we want the most important people in our lives to be there.”

Another round of congratulations echoed around the room.

Bill spoke up next. “I brought gifts too. No announcement though, at least not unless you count a new book deal.”

Everyone congratulated Bill as he handed his gifts out, Richie good-naturedly teasing him about hoping Bill had finally learned how to write an ending.

“Ok, so I’m assuming no one listened and brought everyone a gift anyway?” Mike said, then nodded when Richie and Eddie both murmured an assent. “In that case I’m going next.”

He handed everyone their gift, then settled back down. “I do have a small announcement –  I’ve decided to settle down in Key West. I just closed on a house last week.”

“Next Christmakkah at Mike’s,” Richie said jokingly, unwrapping his gift.

Mike had gifted each Loser with something he had picked up during his travels, Richie’s being a hand-carved wooden turtle.

He glanced at Mike.

“I saw that at a little roadside stand in Arizona and thought of you for some reason,” Mike explained with a shrug.

“I like it,” Richie replied with a nod. “Thanks, man.”

He hadn’t told anyone what he had seen in the deadlights, but he had distinctly remembered seeing a giant turtle right before he fell.

“What about you, Eddie?” Bev asked. “Any announcements?”

Richie studied Eddie’s profile. He looked… calmer than the last time Richie had seen him. Then again, the last time Richie had seen him they had just defeated IT a few days prior, so naturally they were all still a little frazzled.

“Actually, yes,” Eddie replied. “I filed for divorce once I got back to New York. Also, I quit my job. I figure at this point in my life it’s too late to become a doctor, but I’ve decided to go to nursing school to become a nurse practitioner.”

Richie’s heart sped up. Eddie’s single.

He mentally chastised himself. He's still your best friend, not to mention straight. Don’t fuck it up. He blinked as Eddie dropped a gift bag in his lap.

Eddie had obviously taken great care in selecting each person’s gifts, giving Bill a nice fountain pen and notebook set, Audra a spa certificate, Mike a hardcover coffee table-type book, Ben a vinyl re-release of New Kids on the Block’s Hanging Tough album, Bev a silk scarf that she had offhandedly mentioned wanting during a Losers’ Skype session a few months prior, Stan a book on exotic birds of Moldavia or something (Richie wasn’t quite sure) and Patty a broach with a hummingbird on it.

Richie carefully opened his gift, pulling out a leather jacket very similar to the one he had lost in the sewers. He softly stroked it.

Eddie had been watching him. “Thought you could use a replacement,” he said.

“Thanks, Eds.”

Richie realized belatedly that it was his turn. His mouth went dry. He almost blurted out that he didn’t have anything for anyone and that he had absolutely nothing to say, but Eddie had helped him haul his gifts in so he knew that wouldn’t work.

He stood and hurriedly passed out everyone’s gift bags. “Uh, my gift is also an announcement and this was the best way I could figure out how to do it, so…” He made a ‘go on’ motion with his hands. “Ok, go ahead.”

Each Loser (with Stan and Patty receiving one bag) pulled out a CD single of “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross.

Richie studied each Loser’s expression as they looked at their gift. Ben, Bill, and Mike all looked confused, Bev had a slow smile spreading on her face, Stan was shaking his head while trying to hold back laughter, (the fucker, he probably knew back when we were kids –) and Eddie… well for once in his life Richie couldn’t read Eddie’s expression. He took a deep breath. “So yeah, um, surprise! I’m gay.” He did a little ‘tah-dah’ motion with his hands as an emphasis. “I’m gonna come out publicly soon but it was important to me to tell you guys first.”

Stan was the first one to move, standing and wrapping Richie in a hug. “I’m proud of you, Rich,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah, I mean somebody’s gotta be the cool gay uncle to the next generation of Losers,” Richie joked, holding back tears as the rest of the Losers embraced him.

He sniffled. “Ok, as much as I’m enjoying this mostly beefcake-filled love fest, I, uh, I need some air. I’ll be back in a few.”

Richie quickly detached himself from everyone and headed out to Ben and Beverly’s porch.

He had figured everyone would be supportive of him, but it had still been overwhelming. He took a few deep breaths in order to collect himself then froze as he heard a voice behind him.

“Hey Rich, you ok?” Eddie.

Richie sniffled and cleared his throat. “Yeah, man, I’m fine. Just needed a minute.”

Eddie walked up next to him. “I uh, I have to tell you something else,” he said quietly. “It’s why I divorced Myra.” He shook his head. “I mean, obviously I wasn’t happy, but there was more to it than just that.”

Richie fought the urge to make a joke about Eddie realizing his Oedipus complex. Now’s not the time, Tozier. “Hey, man, your life is your business, if you don’t want to talk about it that’s up to you–”

“I’m in love with you,” Eddie blurted.

Richie blinked. “You’re in what with who now?”

Eddie sighed and looked skyward as if praying for strength.

Richie couldn’t believe his ears. “Ed. Eds. Eddie. I swear to Christ if you’re just fucking with me–”

“Jesus, Richie, do you honestly think I would ever do that–” Eddie spluttered.

“–Because I honestly couldn’t take it if you were.”

Eddie shook his head. “Look, Rich… All these years, it wasn’t just my childhood memories that were missing, it felt like… like part of my soul was gone too. I’d been attracted to a few guys in college – all tall, dark-haired, lanky motherfuckers, but I always felt like I was comparing them to some unknown person so they never worked out. Then I met Myra and she was just so… safe that I buried that part of myself and wound up marrying her, even though I knew I was making a mistake.”  

Eddie smiled. “Then about a year ago I caught one of your specials on TV and felt a peace I hadn’t had in years. So I watched all of the shows that I could get my hands on, then I found a bunch of clips of you on YouTube and watched those too. There was something so… familiar about you, even though in the back of my mind I knew something was off - which as it turns out, was that your jokes weren’t really yours.” He huffed out a laugh.

Richie winced. “I’m working on that.”

“Good. You’re much funnier than you give yourself credit for.”

“You think I’m funny?”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, don’t let it go to your head.”

Richie was still processing. What the actual fuck. “So wait, so you're… into dudes?”

Eddie smirked. “Well, I’m certainly not actually into women.”

“And you’re into me in particular.”

“Yes.”

Richie still didn’t quite get it. “Why?”

Judging by Eddie’s reaction Richie realized he hadn’t just thought it, but had said it out loud.

“Because, Rich, you’re you. You never made fun of me because of my hypochondria, you always protected me when Bowers would give us shit, and no matter how bad things got at home I always knew I could go to you and you wouldn’t ask any questions and would let me stay as long as I needed. You’re my best friend and I always loved the way you made me feel when I was around you. At first I thought it was perfectly normal to feel for your friends like I felt about you, but as we got older and I started to analyze it I realized that I didn’t feel about any of the others in quite the same way.  You were always joking around and acting like you didn’t give a shit about what anyone said, and I wanted to be like that… You made me want to be brave.”

Richie’s heart cracked. “Eds. I’ve told you before. You are brave. You’re one of the bravest people I know.”

Eddie shook his head. “I wasn’t though. For the longest time I was terrified to admit it to myself, but after everything that happened this year I knew I was finally brave enough to tell you. I love you, Rich. I’ve loved you since we were 12 years old, and when I turned and saw you at the Jade the final pieces of the puzzle sort of slotted back into place. I knew I couldn’t go back to New York and keep living life the way I had been, but I also felt like I couldn’t tell you how I felt about you while I was still married. It wasn’t fair to you or to Myra. So when I got home I told Myra as much as I could, and we mutually agreed to separate. The divorce was finalized last week.”

“Fuck, Eddie…” Richie couldn’t believe it. Eddie loves me. Eddie LOVES me. Holy fucking shit, EDDIE loves ME.

Eddie was still talking. “And I mean it’s fine, I know just because you’re gay doesn’t mean you’re into me, and if you didn’t feel the same back then or even now it’s okay because– mmph.”

Before Richie could even process what he was doing he had pulled Eddie to him and had slotted his lips over Eddie’s.

Eddie’s lips were just as soft as Richie had always imagined. I see he’s still using Chapstick religiously, he thought, moaning as Eddie nipped his bottom lip then soothed the bite with his tongue while his hands reached up to tangle themselves into Richie’s unruly hair.

He briefly detatched himself from Eddie’s lips. “I love you too, Eds,” he breathed. “I loved you before I even knew what love was and I’ve loved you every day since. You’re it for me.”

Eddie let out a growl and pulled him back in, immediately deepening the kiss.

Oh Jesus Christ yes, PLEASE. Richie would’ve happily stayed right there on Ben and Bev’s porch making out with Eddie all night, but unfortunately he was outside in 30-degree weather without a coat. He shivered.

Eddie pulled back. “Christ, Richie, you’re freezing. Come on, let’s go inside with the others.”

Richie held him back. “Wait, wait, Eds. How exactly is this going to work? We live on opposite sides of the country.”

Eddie bit his lip. “I um, actually I didn’t exactly say where I was going to school either.” He glanced up at Richie. “I enrolled at UCLA.”

A smile bloomed on Richie’s face. “Really? You’re moving to L.A.?”

“Yeah, I mean UCLA has a great nursing program and I needed a change of scenery anyway, so I figured the west coast would be a good choice…”

Richie thought about his cold, empty house in Beverly Hills. Here goes nothing. “So, do you like, have a house or apartment or anything yet?”

Eddie shook his head. “No, not yet. I’m looking into apartments near campus but I haven’t found anything yet.”

“Because you know you can totally come stay with me while you look for a place, or… even better, just move in with me permanently.” Richie bit his lip. “Because like I said, you’re it for me, Eds. You’ve always been it for me. You’ll always be it for me.”

Eddie was silent for a few moments, appearing to be weighing his options. Finally he said, “Okay.”

Richie’s heart leapt. “Okay?”

Eddie grinned. “Yeah. Okay. Because you’re it for me too, you know.”

“Well in that case…” Richie grabbed Eddie’s hand, dragging him inside. “HEY, EVERYONE! WE HAVE ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT!”

[grapesodatozier]

can you post more smutty madwheeler hcs?

hell ya i can i just cant proofread them lmao so sorry for any typos or tense changes. anywho get your sub!mike hats on folks!!

okay so to set the scene for these hcs… mikes a whole dumbass

like hes school smart and everything but hes just,, so dumb

hes going into his senior year of college and he’s never eaten anyone out

hes given blowjobs, but he realizes he’s only ever had sex with people with dicks

and basically he starts having an early onset midlife crisis bc hes mike wheeler so of course he does

he knows that he wants to eat someone out at some point, like he’s not in a rush to actually do so, but he doesn’t want to be bad at it once he actually gets around to it, so he feels rushed to learn

this is the dumbass part bc he should realize you can’t really be “good” at sex bc everyones different

but he succumbs to the social pressure/college myths and such, and he kinda starts to panic about it bc mike wheeler does not like not knowing how to do things

so he goes to his closest friend on campus for help

he met max his freshman year, and while they both thought the other hated them at first they ended up being great friends

and max has seen mike at his peak dumbass, so he’s only kind of embarrassed when he asks her if she can teach him how to eat pussy

he thinks it’s a great plan bc not only does max have a pussy, but mike knows for a fact that she’s gone down on people with pussies plenty of times

and he’s expecting her to laugh, and sure, maybe say no, but he’s not expecting her to choke on her drink, he’s not expecting her cheeks to turn pink like that

“what?” she rasps once she catches her breath and clears her throat

mike shrugs, but he feels a lot less sure now. “i just don’t know how to, and i know you do, and i figured i could maybe practice on you while you teach me”

max’s eyebrows shoot up, and she shakes her head with a small laugh. “you’re a dumbass, you know that, right?”

and that helps mike relax, bc that sounds like max

“okay yeah i get it,” he grins, “it was dumb. i guess it’ll just have to happen when it happens”

“wait, no, i’ll do it” max rushes to say “it’s dumb, but yeah, i’ll help you”

“really?”

“how can i resist you admitting there’s something i’m better at than you?”

mike gives her a challenging smirk. “not for long”

and max laughs at that, but then it goes kind of quiet bc like… they’re sitting on the couch in her otherwise empty apartment as they speak… and they both kind of realize at the same time that there’s no reason to not start right then, and now mike isn’t quite so sure that he actually thought this through bc wow he really didn’t consider the potential consequences of this, especially bc he’s just recently been beginning to realize that he really likes max, like maybe more than a friend, but he’s still in the denial stage but that doesn’t stop his heart from racing at the thought of touching her, kissing her…

fucking her

suddenly his skin his burning all over

and hes all like “so… when do you wanna… like should we now? how should we-”

and max just cuts him off with a fond “god, you’re so fucking dumb” and a grin before swinging one of her legs over his hips and settling herself in his lap

you know that meme about being attracted exclusively to idiots? max

and before mike knows it, his hands are on max’s waist, and they feel really nice there

and her hands are in his hair and she’s kissing him, and it’s all kinds of wild to be kissing his best friend but it also makes him realize “oh shit ive been wanting this for a while huh”

theme: dumbass

and honestly, things come way more naturally than he was expecting

that is, until he realizes how far his hands have slid up her sides, so much closer to her chest than he intended

and that panic starts rising again, his heart racing, and he just sort of keeps his hands still there, then begins inching them slightly closer to her breasts

eventually she begins kissing down his neck and teases him a bit like “so are you gonna touch my tits or what?”

and mike is very happy to have permission

soon their shirts come off and they’re stumbling to max’s room

and suddenly they’re both in her bed in nothing but their underwear, and mike cant help but realize how beautiful she is, how happy she makes him, how she makes him feel all warm and giddy

but also as she unclasps her bra and tosses it aside, she makes him really fucking hard, so he focuses on that, bc that’s a lot less complicated

her tits looks so soft, and her nipples are the prettiest rosy pink color he’s ever seen

he’s nervous as he kisses down her chest, but the sounds she makes when he runs the tip of his tongue lightly, experimentally over her sensitive skin encourages him

and god, sucking her into his mouth for the first time is like a religious experience

meanwhile max is having a similar crisis/epiphany

bc like, mikes always been cute, but now his dark eyelashes are fanned across his pink, freckled cheeks, and his hairs a little messy from her fingers running through it, and he’s sucking on her tits like he was born for it, and she’s kind of overwhelmed by how much she’s enjoying this, how good it feels, and especially by how fucking beautiful he looks

she runs her hands over his skin, and it’s so soft and warm

and his back is curved so nicely…

god, this was a mistake, she can’t only do this once, now that she’s seen him like this she wants to see him like this all the fucking time, she can already feel how desperately she’ll be longing for it once it’s over

but for now she enjoys it, tells him to be gentler or go harder, tells him how to swirl his tongue over her tits, just barely touching her, which has her getting wetter and wetter

at one point she grabs his hair and bucks her hips up into his, and they’re both still for a second before mike kisses her again, even more desperately than before

and max doesn’t need to teach him anything about this; the way he sucks her lower lip between his teeth and teases his tongue over her own has her steadily rocking her hips, rubbing herself against his thigh

mike nearly comes right then and there when max moans his name

he takes it as a cue to kiss down her stomach

and he fucking looks up at her for permission with his hands so gently on her hips before taking her panties off and wowowow her heart is doing all kinds of flips

and mike doesn’t know what he’s expecting to feel when max spreads her legs, but what he ends up feeling is just pure awe

like he sees the fucking light lmao

and max thinks he’s just so fucking cute but also like she’s fucking desperate to feel his tongue on her

and some sort of electricity sparks through both of them once his mouth is on her, and she guides him through it, stroking his hair all the while

honestly… she kinda gets off on telling him what to do

like she has to tell herself to calm down lmao bc like the prettiest fucking guy has his head between her thighs and keeps looking up at her and he fucking wants her to order him around like that’s lowkey the point of this so she has to be like “okay chillchillchill don’t start domming him rn that’s not the goal here”

little does she know mike likes it too

like every time she pulls his hair to guide him up or down or harder or softer he can’t help but grind against the mattress bc he is so fucking into that

eventually she tells him to slide a finger into her, and she’d noticed before how long his fingers are, but wow they reach so fucking deep and she was not prepared for that

she tells him to add another, and wow that feels so fucking good, and he curls his fingers just the way she tells him to, and she knows she’s not gonna last very long

and shes moaning and rambling like “fuck, fuck, yes, just like that, don’t stop, fuck don’t fucking stop”

when she comes, she comes hard, her thighs wrapping around mike’s head

and it’s super intense but tbh she’s kind of into that

when she opens her eyes mike is all starry eyed, and his lips are all swollen and the entire bottom half of his face is glistening and this motherfucker has the audacity to look at her with his stupid sparkly brown eyes while she’s still fucking catching her breath and ask “was that good?”

max just pulls him into a kiss and strokes his hair

she also needs to get her mouth on his cock

he happily helps her get his boxers off, and neither of them mention that this was just supposed to be about him learning how to eat pussy

max is not ready for the realization that mike is genuinely a solid 8 or 9 inches

like she actually goes “what the fuck your cock is fucking huge”

and mike b l u s h e s at that, and max’s mouth is on him in like 0.2 seconds

the second he moans max knows that sounds gonna be on loop in her head for at least the next few days

he comes super quickly, and his o-face is the hottest thing max has ever seen

mikes embarrassed, but the way max swallows him down is so fucking hot, and she kisses him all over after he comes

somehow they silently agree to cuddle for a bit before showering together

they order pizza, and things seem normal but they both lie wide awake that night once they’re alone in their own beds

neither of them can stop thinking about it

they do it again a few days later

and mike looks so fucking gorgeous and hes all like “does that feel good?” and max can’t help but let him know how bad she wants to sit on his face

mike is SO down

she grips his hair and rides his tongue hard until she’s coming on top of him

…and then they keep going until she comes two more times

later that week mike feels kind of weird when he buys condoms on a whim, but it turns out to be a good thing, bc the third time they hook up max can’t help but tell him in the hottest voice he’s ever heard how badly she wants his cock inside of her

and tbh, while she’s wet as fuck for him, it takes a while of opening her up for her to be ready to take his cock

it’s so worth it once he’s inside of her tho

she guides him through fucking her, but they both kind of know he doesn’t really need it, this is coming so naturally to both of them

so it quickly turns into her more telling him what to do just because they both find it super hot

“fuck, baby, fuck me harder, fuck yes, just like that, that’s it baby, fuck it’s so good you’re such a good boy for me”

the phrase “good boy” rings in both of their ears and makes mike come immediately

“so… you’re into that then?”

“uh, yeah. you?”

“fuck yes.”

they never realized how sexually compatible they would be

like they both come at least three times the first time max is on top, they’re v v into all the same stuff (and each other)

then eventually they get their shit together and realize they’re in love!! so then they get to sprinkle “i love you"s throughout their dirty talk!! and they cuddle and kiss all the time!! it’s so great!!

okay thank you for coming to my dom!max/sub!mike ted talk lol

[notalone91]

i heard you calling (it hurt so much to let go of your hand)

Summary: Every year, like clockwork, on the Anniversary of the day they defeated It, the Losers make a point to crash back down on Derry and wreak some havoc. One stop they have to make is Neibolt Street.

I saw a post on tumblr and was inspired, so, taking a break from my Major Canon Fix It writing to bring you this little nugget. A choose-your-own-adventure of sorts.  This is unbeta'd and fell out of my hands and unraveled quickly, so just... take that with a grain of salt.

This is a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story of sorts. After the read-more, hit ctrl+f and seek Option A (Camp Denial) or Option B (Camp Canon).

also available on AO3

Every year, like clockwork, on the Anniversary of the day they defeated It, the Losers make a point to crash back down on Derry and wreak some havoc.  They drink. They swim in the quarry. They drink. They laugh. They drink. They watch all the horrible old movies they used to see at the Capitol. They drink.  They reminisce. They drink. They cry. They drink. They visit the vacant lot on the corner of Neibolt street. They’re very sober. They all stand around for a moment before Richie steps forward to drop a flower he’d kept hidden in his jacket onto the rubble.  He runs his hands through the dirt, looking at the sprouts from where the flowers from the last four years have begun to take root. He swallows thickly and kneels, closing his eyes for a moment to block out the other Losers' hushed chatter. He knows they’re talking about him.  He’s heard it all before. Still, he has to do it. He has to let him know...

“So, uh, Eds,” he says, tongue feeling too large in his mouth.  “It’s been another year.” Another year makes five. It’s been five years already.  He can hardly believe it, even though it’s been a huge topic of discussion for the last two days.  “I, uh… I washed my sheets. Like twice.” He lifts his eyebrows and smiles, pleased with himself. He laughs to himself, raking a hand through his hair.  “I showered a couple of times.” He shrugs, trying to remember all of the things he’d want to tell Eddie that happened since the last time he was here. “I hosted SNL again.  They never wanted me as a cast member, but now that I’m all cool and relevant, they’re all over me. Figures, right?” Another laugh. The other Losers look on, none of them ready to interrupt his ritual.  They knew too well what happened when they intervened. “My manager threatened to bring in ghostwriters again because my new act wasn’t raunchy enough.” He sank back onto his heels, with his hands folded in his lap.  “I think I’m getting too old for the Trashmouth routine. Gotta grow up sometime, I guess.” He pushes his glasses up on his nose and stares at the sky, feeling tears start to bloom in his eyes. “New York is nice, but I gotta say…”  he takes a deep breath and exhales, close to a laugh, “it’s filthy, Eds.” He hiccups a little, a single tear beading under his glasses. “How did you live there for so long and not go on a city-wide cleaning spree? I get off the subway and feel like I need to light my skin on fire.  It’s disgusting. And the smell?” He bunches up his nose like the wafting steam had followed him to Maine. “I mean, I’m getting used to the smell, but I can’t picture you ever getting used to it.” He laughs, thinking about how many jokes Eddie could make about his Trashmouth being the source of the stench.  But he can’t get distracted. He can’t. “I got a dog. She’s a pit bull. I know,” he places a hand over his heart, gasping in shock, “not a pomeranian.” He gives a little sideways smile. “I’m still terrified of the yappy little things. But she protects me, just like you did.” He tries not to remember Eddie’s proud face when he thought he’d killed It with that fucking fencepost.  “Anyway, I named her Sunny. It’s supposed to be short for Sonia, but something in me decided that having to remember my lost love every time I looked at her sad brown eyes…” He can hear the Losers shuffling behind him, stifling their own emotions at his rambling. “Your mother did have the most beautiful eyes, Eds.” He bursts out a breathy laugh, “Sorry. I know you hate that.” He thinks over the present tense and realizes it’s not accurate anymore and the laugh dies on his lips.  “Hated,” he corrects, shaking his head. “Hated that. Even though, I don’t think you really did.” The tears that had been threatening to fall for quite some time begin to crash against his cheeks. “I miss you,” he shakes his head, sobs wracking his body. “All the time.” He buries his face in his hands, words building in intensity. “I never got to tell you how much I love you.” He doubles over and feels himself begin to lose his composure, picturing his Eddie alone in that dirty fucking sewer, clutching his old, beat-up leather jacket to his chest like a lifeline.  “God, you died alone. And I just… I just let you.” He takes off his glasses and puts them down beside him, wiping the tears away with balled fists. “I’m sorry, Eddie.” He tries to settle himself, but his sobs have become overwhelming and he can do nothing else but repeat, “I’m so sorry.”

OPTION A

Leaning against the fence, unimpressed with his husband’s performance, Eddie crosses his arms and rolls his eyes.  “You know, that’s still not funny, asshole.” Richie lets out a loud, exaggerated wail, signaling that his protests have been heard.  “I’m right fucking behind you, Richie,” he sing-songs, waving.

“It’s almost like I can still hear his voice,” he whimpers, covering his mouth in a stifled cry.

“STOP ACTING LIKE I’M DEAD, FUCKNUT!” Eddie groans, kicking a pebble in his direction.

Richie reaches up to the form that has closed in behind him, pulling Bev closer as she drapes her arms around his neck, kneeling.  “I’m sorry we made you leave him down there, Rich. There was no other way.”

Jaw dropping a little, Eddie huffs out a shocked, “Bev, not you too.”  Normally, Richie’s little monologue goes on by himself and everyone else lets him go.  Maybe because five years is a big anniversary or maybe because there’s enough distance between them and It now, there seems to be a bigger emphasis this year.  “Don’t fucking encourage him.”

“We just, we couldn’t risk it.  The building was crumbling and we never would have made it back out,” Bev adds over his protests, her own voice quivering.

Eddie looks over at the man next to him and smacks him in the arm.  “Ben, come get your woman,”

He just shakes his head in response, looking down at his feet.  “Your man started it,” he points out. At least he can find comfort in the fact that Ben won’t joke about his near-death experience.  Unlike Mike and Bill, who’ve moved forward, adding themselves to the unfolding melodrama.

“It never would have happened if I hadn’t called you all back here.  But,” Mike chokes out, reaching his hand for Richie’s shoulder, “it’s over now.”  Richie rubs his hand over the top of Mike’s and accepts his glasses being replaced on his face.  “It’s done. We can move on.” He nods, locking eyes with him. “We’ll find you someone new, Rich.”  

Sniffling pathetically, he gives an exaggerated shake of his head.  “Nope, never.” He flings himself forward as though trying to dig through the rubble to get into the sewers beneath Derry.  “There’ll never be anyone to replace my Eddie Spaghetti. Just let me be with him.”

Eddie turns around, resting his elbows on the fence and hanging his head.  “Oh, here he goes,” he adds as soon as he sees that Bill has opened his mouth.  Beside him, Stan shakes his head, bewildered at their antics.

“I’m sure that, in time, you’ll heal.  In the meantime, the three of us are always open to making it a foursome.  Isn’t that right, Stan?” Bill asks, looking up at the missing member of their triad.

“Could you not bring me into this?” he responds, stepping closer to Eddie in protest.

“I appreciate the offer, but it would all be meaningless, just like my whole life.  It would be empty sex and I couldn’t do that to you boys,” Richie says, patting bill on the cheek.  “I love you,” he looks between them sadly. “I love you all, but not in the way that I loved him.”

Eddie turns back to the dogpile of Losers in front of him.  Cupping his hands around his mouth, he calls out his trump card.  “I’m running away with Stan and Ben. You know, people who don’t make light of me almost dying to save your sorry ass!”  Richie sits bolt upright, one ear turned up like a dog. “I’m leaving you, Richie,” he adds for emphasis.

Turning around on his knees, Richie blinks at him, as though he had risen from the dead.  “Eddie?!” He stands, taking a few slow, hesitant steps toward him. “Eds?!” He lifts his husband from the ground and spins him around, shrieking out a blissful “EDDIE SPAGHETTI!!!!!”

Swatting at his arms and kicking his feet, Eddie squirms.  “Put me down, asshole.”

Doing as he’s told, but only to suit his own needs, he places his hands on either side of his neck and observes him carefully, turning his head from one side to the other.  “Could it be?!” he asks, tracing his finger along the fading white scar on his cheek, “Is it you?!”

“Stop it, would you?” Eddie says, fighting off laughter.

Richie leans back for a moment and untucks the front of Eddie’s shirt, raising it to expose the scar on his chest and kiss it once before moving on to smack a cartoony kiss on his mouth.  “Back from the dead! My one and only wish! My one true love!” He pulls him forward by the hands and spins around. “Bert to my Ernie!” He stops and kisses him. “Lime to my coconut!” He pulls him closer and kisses him again, a little more tenderly, knowing Eddie can’t complain about this part.  “Frosty to my french fries!” Eddie scrunches his nose because Richie knows that particular quirk grosses him out. “Chill to my Netflix!” He adds, pressing their hips together first before kissing him again.

“Are you done?” he asks, wanting to get the fuck away from this part of the trip as quickly as possible.

Richie gives a sideways smile.  “Almost,” he says and Eddie sighs, staring up at the sky.  Richie almost wishes he hadn’t lied about being almost because he can’t think of another one, but he can’t back down now.  He spits out the first thing that comes to mind and instantly regrets it. “Red Balloon to my sewer grate?”

There’s a collective groan from the Losers, including not one but three separate iterations of “Beep beep, Richie,” one from Bill, one from Bev, and one from Stan,

“Okay, I’m sorry,” he says, throwing his hands up in surrender, laughing and accepting every smack and kick that lands his way.  When their assaults die down, his town grows serious and he locks eyes with Eddie. “Every day, I wake up knowing how close I was to losing you and…” he shakes his head, trying to dislodge the image of Eddie’s pallid face, mouth dripping blood, gasping for breath from his mind.  He can hardly remember the minutes between Pennywise’s death, pulling Eddie to his feet, Ben taking him from him, suddenly understanding everything, and arriving at Derry Gen, but he knows that, in the deadlights, he saw them leaving him and he couldn’t let that happen. “I can’t.  I can’t imagine going on. You know that’s why I do this every year, right?” He laughs when Eddie shakes his head no. “It’s a very…” he trails off for a moment, looking for the right words, then nods, slipping into a dead-on Michael Caine impression, “‘Young Lad, what day is it? Why, it’s Christmas day, Mr. Scrooge!’ feeling every time we come back here and the deadlights-of-Christmas-Yet-To-Come scared the shit out of me.”  He rests his forehead against Eddie’s, sighing a little. “I saw that broken man and…” Richie rubs his thumb over Eddie’s and smiles. “I’m just so grateful that you’re here. And you’re alive. And you love me.”

Eddie smiles back, definitely understanding the second chance they were given.  “I don’t know why sometimes.” He pulls Richie closer when he gives an overdramatic pout, “But I love you more than anything.”  Tugging Richie into a kiss, forgetting momentarily that the other Losers are, indeed, right there, he feels himself melt into his husband.  He’d let him give that performance once a week if it would help him remember that this is real. When they pull apart, he nods over his shoulder at the street where the rest of the Losers have started heading back toward town.  “Can we get the fuck out of here now?”

Draping his arm over Eddie’s shoulder, Richie acquiesces easy enough.  “Whatever you wish, Jelly to my Peanut Butter.”

Bumping his hip against his, he laughs, “Okay.  I wish for you to stop.”

As soon as he laughed, he recognized his mistake, having given Richie all he ever wants.  “Cheese to my cracker?” Richie suggests, kissing the hand clasped in his own.

“Someone help me,” Eddie calls out to their friends, trying to catch up to them, but never letting go of his hand. Richie gives himself a smack on the forehead, “Spaghetti to my meatballs!  How have I never used that one before?!” he cries out, capturing Eddie in his arms and kissing his neck exaggerated.  Eddie thinks, for a moment, that this must be the closest thing to riding off into the sunset they’ll ever get.

OPTION B

Ben looks down at Richie, sympathetically.  Over the last five years, he’d let himself wonder occasionally what would have happened to him if it had been Bev that died and he still can’t fully grasp it.  All he knows is that he will let Richie do whatever he needs. “Let’s give him a minute,” he suggests, pulling the rest of the Losers out into the street, giving him some privacy to grieve.

Weeping, Richie rocks back and forth a little, arms wrapped around his middle.  “Eddie, I’m sorry. I’m so, so fucking sorry. I should have done something. I shouldn’t have let them…”  His breath hitches in his throat and the thought falls away. “They dragged me away. I wanted to stay there with you.”  He clamps his eyes shut, hoping that he can stop the tears from falling. When that doesn’t work, he just stares forward into the rubble.  “You never fucking knew. You died alone. You never should have been alone. I…” He tries to steady his breathing, but can’t. He’s too far gone for that.  “God, the next morning, I tried to come back and find you from the Barrens side. I tried. The caves had all collapsed. I couldn’t get to you. Fuck, I tried.  I walked the canal, trying to find another entrance, but every one was blocked.” He wondered, then, how Derry hadn’t flooded. Now, he wonders how he’s not drowning in his own pathetic tears.  “I love you. I’ll love you every day until I die.” He says, out loud, for the first time since his memories returned. Sure, he’d admitted it to himself, even let the other Losers guess it, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.  Even now, he didn’t think it could do him any good. He was just talking to hear himself talk. But isn’t that what he always did? “I don’t know if I ever would have told you. You married a woman. You were married. I’m disgusting.” He pulls a necklace out from beneath his t-shirt like Eddie could see it.  “I wear your wedding ring on a chain around my neck like you were married to me. I just…” He trails off, realizing how truly fucked it sounds. “I found it in your room and I, uh, I couldn’t leave it. What kind of fucking psycho wears his dead ex-boyfriend’s wedding ring?” He gives a bitter laugh to himself, imagining for a moment that it was Eddie who said it and not him.  “I never would have told you that I still loved you, knowing you were married.” He shakes his head a little and finally lets his arms fall to his thighs. “I mean, I’m better about myself now. I even, uh, I even joke about my sexuality, now. Like, openly,” he widens his eyes a little, an unspoken ‘yeah, I know,’ that needn’t be done, “in public even.” He takes a deep breath and thinks about the first time a paparazzi picture surfaced of him with his arm around Bev and some late-night host asked him about it and he’d laughed openly, brightly.  When the guy asked why, he answered that the plumbing wasn’t right. He didn’t care about mentioning it, but his phone hadn’t stopped ringing to the point that he just shut it off when he got home. “My manager isn’t crazy about that but it’s not the 80’s anymore. It’s still not safe but, I figure, fuck it, I came out of the sewer unharmed, I owe it to myself to have given the closet the same treatment.” He smiled, remembering all the times Eddie had tried when they were teenagers and together, to make him more comfortable with the idea of being out publicly.  He could only hope that Eddie could see him and be proud. That’s what Stan’s letter to him had said. Be proud. “I owe it to you.” Hearing the shuffle of feet heading back into the yard, he sniffled, fighting to regain his composure. “Okay, well, the other Losers are starting to get restless, staring at me crying and all. Ben and Bev are getting married.” Pausing for a response that would never come, he smiles. “I know, finally.” He stands up and shoves his hands deep into his pockets. “Mike and Bill are getting used to one another again. It’s cute… I think.”  He swallows thickly and glances over his shoulder. Just Bev, still giving him a respectful distance. He’s glad. “Being around them just sort of hurts,” he admits to no one. He smiles a little, wiping away the slowing tears. “I remember when the four of us would go down to the clubhouse for double dates and ignore each other, just being safe together. It was nice.” It was. He misses that terribly, he thinks. He feels like he’s floating and chases the unwelcome phantom voice from the back of his head. “Now… I just… uh…” He stammers ineffectively, trying to come up with more things to say.  He doesn’t want this moment to be over. When it’s over, he’ll have another year before he has another excuse to be in the place that makes him feel like his conversations with Eddie can be heard. “I can hardly be in the same room with them alone. It makes me wonder what we could have been. If you’d have left her. If we’d have…” He trails off one last time and chokes out a sob. “I fucking hate the word ‘If.’”

“Richie?” Bev calls from the garden gate.  Her voice is quiet, but he hears her. He just… He doesn’t want to let her talk him away from him again.

He leans forward and touches the flower gently.  “I love you,” he whispers.

Heading up the path, she reaches a gentle hand out to his shoulder.  “Rich, honey?”

“Yeah, yeah.  I’m coming,” he says, moving toward her and letting her arm drop to his waist, edging him forward, but not before casting one more look back at what remains of the house on Neibolt street.  What remains of Eddie.

“You okay?” Ben asks when they reach him, before heading to where Bill and Mike stand a few houses down.

He shakes his head and accepts his outstretched arm around his shoulders, appreciating the steady, grounding weight.  “No,” he says quietly, for once telling the truth, and not letting some bullshit fall out of his Trashmouth.

“That’s okay.  You don’t have to be,” Ben says, nodding.  

Bev squeezes him tighter.  “Not today, and not with us.”

When the five remaining Losers find themselves together once more, they wrap Richie in a tight hug.  He appreciates it, but he knows that once they pull away, it’ll be back to his new normal. Alone.

[unfortunate-stranger-losers]

Right-Side Up AU, Part Three: It’s the End of the World {AO3} {tumblr} {Part One} {Part Two}

Chapter Ten → The Cabin Wreck

Mike clung to El on the back of her bike, Lucas trailing close behind them, as she directed them towards the place he’d seen Heather. He shook slightly as the rain poured, but somehow felt worse when El parked the bike and started to help him get off. 

Lucas carefully grabbed his hand, and Mike took a deep breath as they passed the mailbox. They reached the door, and Mike focused a moment, shutting his eyes and trying to keep himself calm, reminding himself that nothing would turn to smoke this time, that he had to keep going, and protect everyone. He had to stop being scared, he had to help. 

You can do this. You can do this. You can still save them. 

He cocked his head to the side, watching the doorknob twist, and the door swing open. El and Lucas both gave him nervous looks, and he managed to push his fear down, settle his face into a blank look, and step into the house. 

It seemed like a pretty normal home at first; green walls on which hung portraits, nice carpeting, though the lighting was low. Mike thought it looked a little nice, but honestly the small halls and dimness made him feel a bit suffocated. He glanced back at Lucas, who came in after him, and Lucas nodded and cocked his head, letting the room light up a little more. Mike grabbed onto El’s hand, as she said, “I suggest we follow the music.” 

Mike flinched; he hadn’t even realized there was a radio playing in the other room- pretty loud, too, he must have just been so focused on the small space… 

He glanced at the pictures in the hall as they walked- quite a lot of Heather, which was not making him feel great. Flashes of her dropping down, down, down into the Void filled his head as he looked from picture to picture. 

“This is her house?” El asked. 

Mike focused his eyes on a family picture, and his sight landed on her father, someone who looked a bit familiar, though he couldn’t be certain from where. For someone of Mike’s background, that was not a good feeling. 

“Do we know…?” Mike pointed at the picture, but to his relief, Lucas glanced at it and shook his head. 

About then, they heard a loud peal of laughter, and the children jumped. Carefully, they made their way towards the music, and Mike quickly adjusted himself so he was in front of El and Lucas, in case he needed to throw or block something. He supposed Lucas’s shields would be better for that, but… well, he wanted to make sure he was ready for anything. Especially in this dark place.

Slowly, they moved to an open doorway, and Mike paused, confusion flashing across his face. El quickly grabbed Lucas’s hand, too, as they glanced in.

Billy was sitting at a dinner table, inbetween Heather’s parents. He’d said something that made her mother laugh hysterically, while her father smiled, sipping from a wine glass. A full dinner was set in front of them, the strong smell wafting towards the children; Lucas, a bit overwhelmed, struggled not to look rude and cover his nose- it wasn’t a bad smell, but strong smells always made him feel horrible. 

Billy noticed them first, and looked up, his smile slipping only slightly. As the adults turned, suddenly growing bewildered, he said, “El.” 

El froze a moment, as if trying to figure out if she should look guilty or angry. She stared at him, trying to put into perspective everything she knew about him from seeing him most of her life, as well as what Max had spilled- Max, fuck. 

“We- we don’t mean to intrude.” she said quickly. “We tried knocking but the- the storm. You probably didn’t hear it… the door was open and we wanted to- to make sure-”

“Make sure everything’s okay.” Lucas finished, his eyes boring into the teenager.

Billy turned his gaze to him, and something flashed behind his eyes. “Oh, I know you.” he smiled again, and he had a strange tone in his voice Mike couldn’t pinpoint, “You’re Max’s other little friend.” 

Lucas bristled, and Mike knew instantly he was going to do something stupid, so he squeezed El’s hand, and she said, “We were- wondering if she was here. With… you.” It wasn’t a great excuse, but it was good enough. “She told us she’d meet us at the pool. But… we can go check the arcade, I’m sure she’s fine…” 

“I’m sorry, who are these kids dripping over my living room right now?” Heather’s father said, almost jokingly. 

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Billy grinned, putting down a fork and standing up. El flinched, but he said, “Don, Janet, these are my baby sister Maxine’s best friends.” 

“Oh!” Janet looked excited. 

Don looked a bit concerned, as Billy started to walk to the children. “Is this the Maxine who-”

“Went missing a while back? Yes, horrible time. We were distraught.” Billy moved to the kids. “Where did you say she was?”

“Probably the Arcade.” El flinched, realizing quite quickly it would be a bad idea to tell Billy where they actually thought she might be. “Or- or the Mall with our other friends-” 

“Well,” Billy clapped his hands, and then started gesturing, “This is Little El, and- your name is Lucas, right?” 

Lucas glared at him, and curtly nodded. 

Billy then turned to Mike, and Mike stared up at his face, which was frozen in a smile that did not look convincing, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “And… I’m sorry, I don’t believe I know your name.”

Mike narrowed his eyes. “Where is she?” 

As Billy spoke again, a fake concern on his face, Mike finally recognized his tone of voice. Patronizing. Like Papa when he thought Mike couldn’t understand something. “Where is who?” 

“I’m sorry!” They heard a call, and turned, in shock, to see Heather walk through from the kitchen, a bounce in her step as she carried a tray of cookies. “They’re a little burnt-”

Lucas and Mike froze, and El gaped, as Billy gestured to the girl and said, “Heather! Meet my little sister’s little friends. Lucas, Ellie, and… I’m sorry, I did not catch your name.” 

Mike stared at Heather, his eyes boring into her, trying to find something wrong, trying to see if she would send him some kind of SOS. Max had used Morse Code last year, but Heather wasn’t tapping, and her hands were holding a tray, so she couldn’t sign anything. Maybe he should play it safe and see what would happen. He turned back to Billy, scanning him carefully, and then he said, very slowly and clearly, “Mike.”

“Mike.” Billy pointed at him, and then his voice went low. “Now, what is it you were saying about looking for someone?” His voice turned patronizing again. “Is it Max? Do you think she’s here?” 

“No, no.” El stuttered, grabbing Mike’s arm. “We just- well, you see- sorry about Mike, he’s new in town and doesn’t understand how- how to ask things, you know?” 

“I know how to ask things.” Mike whispered. 

El glanced around the room, and then put on an innocent smile. “We’re so sorry to intrude. The people at the pool said Heather didn’t show up today- and you either, Billy, and we got worried. That’s why we thought Max was here! She might’ve… come to… check…” 

“Oh!” Billy grinned and went over to Heather, who smiled over at them, a look on her face that matched Billy’s voice. “Oh, well, don’t worry, children. This is all a big misunderstanding.” He looked to Mike again, very carefully. “Heather wasn’t feeling so hot today, so we thought we’d take the day off to nurse her back to health. But you’re feeling just fine, aren’t you, Heather?”

“Just fine.” Heather repeated, “I’m feeling so much better!” 

Mike paused. He turned his eyes to Heather’s father, still trying to place how he knew him. 

“Do you kids want a cookie?” Heather asked, holding out the tray. “They’re still warm.” 

Mike glanced around the room, and his eyes landed on a copy of the Hawkins Post, and it suddenly clicked. Him and Will scanning the paper, trying to see if Nancy had anything published yet and hadn’t told them. 

“Don Holloway.” he pointed at Heather’s father, without thinking. “You’re Nancy’s boss.” 

El stiffened, and Don paused a moment, confused. Then he laughed. “Nancy! Oh, little Nancy Drew! I’m sorry, are you her… brother?” 

“Cousin. From out of town.” El said quickly, as Mike’s eyes shifted to a glare. “Sorry, he’s not good with people. We should really go- find Max. Make sure she doesn’t get lost in the woods again, am I right, Billy?” 

He glanced between them. “Should I come with you?” 

“No, no! It’ll be fine. We’ll just. Let you know!” El started pushing Mike back. “Let’s head ou- Lucas, come on.” 

Lucas was watching Heather, just as Mike had, trying to wait for her to betray discomfort. But eventually, he did turn to go, and El quickly pushed Mike to follow. 

They heard laughter behind them, and Billy say, “I’m sorry, they’re a little odd. I’m so glad they have Maxine to hang out with-” 

“Were we wrong?” Lucas asked, pushing them through and re-dimming the lights as they moved back to the door. “She seemed happy.” 

El shook her head. “Something seems very wrong. I’ve seen Billy put on a charming face for adults but there was something… different there.” She shut her eyes. “We need to find Max.” 

“Cabin?” 

“We’ll check the Cabin, yeah. And if she’s not there-” 

“I’ll trace her.” Mike said. 

“Mike, you don’t want to overuse-” 

“I’ll trace her.” Mike said stubbornly, and he glanced over his shoulder. 

Though Billy was far behind them, he still felt as if the teenager was watching them.

This is stupid, this is stupid, I’m stupid, I’m so stupid… 

Max curled up on the cabin floor. She’d raced there, not thinking of anywhere else she could go. She didn’t know if there was. Everything would be closed from the rain, going home meant El would find her faster, going to… to her old house… 

She hugged herself and leaned against the wall, glancing around. The Cabin was still mostly empty from last year- they hadn’t cleaned much since the whole “exorcism” thing. Except… 

She got to her feet, stumbling as she walked, her mind far away. She wandered into a small side-room, peering inside. Her and El used to play there as kids, and she could still see little marks on the wall from their crayons, some toys scattered into the corner, a few papers here or there. She stepped inside, running a hand over a small, dented sofa. When she’d been in the Upside Down, it had been much more destroyed, but she’d found that it still had been nice to curl up in. Nice to hide. She wondered if Hop still had guns hidden somewhere under the floorboards. She used to never think about those. 

She looked up, and her eyes fell on a record player in the corner. She choked back a cry, then; it was on a small table, with discs for music stacked beneath it. She knew all those records, her and El had brought them here for when they hung out. To have background music when they couldn’t think of stuff to talk about, to have something for dance parties… 

She slowly pulled a record out, and placed it on the player, almost unconsciously. She lowered the handle, and listened as the music began. 

“Sweet dreams are made of this…” she mouthed the words along with the singer. “Who am I to disagree?” 

She groaned and pulled the arm back, ripping the record off and tossing it over her shoulder. She didn’t want that one, she’d been interrogated to that song. Not a great memory. She put another record on, starting to feel her heart beat a little faster. 

“Took my love and took it down… I climbed a mountain and I turned around…” 

El had sung that. When they met. 

She tossed the record again, to the other side of the room. She didn’t want to listen to that either. 

She placed a third record down, and glared as it played on, as if music wasn’t what she’d wanted to come out of it. 

“Why does the sun go on shining? Why does the sea rush to shore?” 

Max shut her eyes, and felt something flow back to her, and her eyes began to water. Her Stepdad had been so mad that day. Billy had done something stupid, she couldn’t even remember what. He’d been so mad and Billy had tried to fight back, and that made it worse. Her Mom had left only a few seconds in, to make dinner and pretend she didn’t know what was happening. Her Mom never acknowledged what was happening, not even when she was alone with Max. Max remembered when she was younger, and felt so alone, she used to scream into her pillows, wondering if her mother even cared.

“Don’t they know it’s the end of the world? Cause you don’t love me anymore…”

Max had stayed, though, trying not to watch, but also trying to think of something. She’d been feeling worse and worse for Billy, no matter how many times he’d snapped at her, and he hadn’t even been that mean to her that day- he’d shown her how to play basketball. Was that what Neil had been mad about? Did he not think Max should be- no, no, she’d skinned her knee. That was it. Billy had gotten her a bandaid so she was fine, and they’d kept playing, and Billy cheered when she got a goal, but then when their parents got home Neil had seen the bandaid-

“Why do the birds go on singing? Why do the stars glow above?” 

She started yelling, thinking maybe she could clear it up. It wasn’t Billy’s fault, she was just playing too rough… Neil told her to stay out of it, Billy told her to stay out of it, but she’d run forwards and… 

“Don’t they know it’s the end of the world? It ended when I lost your love…” 

She’d stood between them. She hadn’t known why. Sometimes she hated Billy, hated him so much, but she thought she might hate Neil more, and maybe that’s why. Maybe it was because it wasn’t actually Billy’s fault. Maybe she’d been living with Billy so long she just didn’t want him to get hurt. Maybe she actually liked him once in a while. So she’d thrown herself between them, thinking Neil wouldn’t hurt her. 

“I wake up in the morning and I wonder, why everything’s the same as it was…” 

She thought wrong. 

“I can’t understand, no, I can’t understand… how life goes on the way it does…”

She’d run. As soon as she could get away, she’d bolted. Raced out and run straight to Hopper’s house. El let her in, and she pretended not to notice her tears. Hopper pretended not to notice, either. They went to the Cabin, and Hopper played this song, this song, and they’d had hot chocolate, and El braided her hair, and they talked about DnD. Max had failed to braid El’s hair, which had been even shorter than it was now, but they’d managed to have a costume party with whatever clothes they found lying around. 

“Why does my heart go on beating? Why do these eyes of mine cry?” 

She doubted El would have a costume party with her now. El was “all grown up.” She had other friends, she had a boyfriend, she had a family who liked her. No matter how much Max pretended El was her sister and Hopper was her Dad, he only had temporary custody. Billy was right. Anyone could come and take her away whenever they wanted. She didn’t even really have the boys- they were fun, she liked them, she liked drawing with Will and joking with Dustin and… and the Arcade with Lucas… but… but they all had these shared experiences. They did so much together. Max was lost and then possessed, and she didn’t want to feel like the new girl. Even with El there- her El, her best friend- she was the new girl. 

“Don’t they know it’s the end of the world? It ended when you said…” 

Max took the record off the player. 

“Stupid.” she said. 

And she smashed it over her knee. 

She tossed the pieces, then ran and grabbed the first record she’d tossed, which had dented a little against the wall. She threw it to the ground and stomped. “Stupid.” Then she ran to the third, breaking it apart in her hands. “So stupid.” 

She didn’t even really know what she was doing. She ran to the record player, pushing it over, listening to the crash. She threw papers around, kicked at the walls, tore at the wood, screamed. She ran to the other rooms, overturning furniture, tossing boxes, throwing and kicking. Sometimes she kicked through rotting wooden walls, and rain poured in. Sometimes she smashed floorboards, and ran, leaving holes in the ground. 

She ripped open a storage closet, tossing boxes. “Stupid!” as a box of photos flew over her head. “Stupid! Fuck!” A box of old clothes, old DnD figures. “Stupid! So stu-” 

She reached back, and pulled something out, and froze. 

Her skateboard. 

It was her old skateboard, she thought she’d gotten rid of that. El had gotten her a new one when she’d gotten back from… from the Upside Down… 

This was the skateboard. The one she’d ridden while being chased. The one Hopper found in the woods. He kept it in here, when she’d gotten her new one. 

She lifted it, and then repeated, “Stupid.” 

And she smashed it. 

It took her a while. And then she was standing over the broken skateboard, pieces of wood and wheels beneath her. 

There. It was gone. The stupid, stupid baby shit was gone. There! She was grown up now, she didn’t need El, or Hopper, or Lucas, or Nancy, or Will or Dustin or Mike. She just… she was alone and that was… that was fine… 

She started to cry again, and that’s when she felt something. 

Just as the tears flowed down her cheeks, she felt her stomach sink, and her body tense, and she felt that creeping, dark shadow inside of her. A frost. A quaking foreboding, a blackness spreading. Inside her. 

She dropped to her knees as she realized what it was. 

It took a few minutes for the Cabin door to open. “Max? Max!” El distantly called. 

Footsteps behind her. Racing, hurrying. They slid to a stop before they could reach her vision, and there were a few gasps. “Max?” El asked. 

“Max, are you okay?” Lucas asked. “What happened?” 

Max realized she’d been staring at the floorboards for so long. So long. With that feeling still spreading. 

She slowly stood, her knees shaking, and turned around. “He’s back.” 

“What?” Lucas asked, stepping forwards, concern written on his face. El was looking around the cabin, shocked and worried about the state of it. Mike, meanwhile, had realized what she meant. He was staring at her, horrified. 

“The Shadow. The Mind Flayer.” Max said, and then she started crying again. “He’s back.”

[jedifighterpilot2727]

So... how about some Taylington smut? Or sexy time- or however you want to write it!

Lol finally found the ask that inspired the #Taylington smut!! Hope this is what you wanted!

Lexi just wants to take Taylor out for  nice dinner, but Taylor has other plans!

Also, comments make the fanfic writers world go round, so if you leave me one

The Paint Fight

It has not been a good day.

Lexi wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s been a bad day; but it was most certainly not on the spectrum of good.

Overwhelming, to say the least.

Long, certainly.

Mind-numbingly exhausting, perhaps.

Definitely not a day she would like to repeat anytime soon.

In fact, if she could erase the day from her memory and pretend like the day is just starting the moment she gets home, she would be more than fine with it.

Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel - it’s Friday, and she’s on her way home. Plus she’s almost positive that she can convince Taylor to let her take them out to a nice, quiet dinner. Somewhere expensive and private, where she can spend some long overdue time with her girlfriend.

The new space travel project has been taking up every spare moment her time for the past few weeks; so between that and Taylor’s new gallery opening coming up next month, they’d been hard pressed to find time together. That was all going to change this weekend though, they’d both agreed to take a break from their prospective projects and spend some quality time together.

Needless to say, Lexi was looking forward to it.

So much so that by the time she parks her bike, rushes past the doorman and makes it through the short elevator ride to the top floor, she’s practically bouncing.

Quickly, she rotates her key in the lock - pausing half a second for the retinal scanner to do its work until she hears the click.

The moment she steps inside, all of the remaining tension leeches of her, and she feels her shoulders drop as a contented sigh flutters past her lips.  

It always hits how odd it is for a place to just smell like home. When they’d first started dating, Taylor had always smelled like - well, Taylor - like an art supply store had been outside in the rain and left to sun dry. She’d always loved that smell; but she loved it even more now that it had somehow blended with Lexi’s scent to form something that was uniquely them. Where Lexi feels like she and everything she loves just … belong.

It sounds like home too, the pop-happy playlist that Taylor tends to listen to when she’s making ‘fun’ art drifting down the hall.

She gives herself just a moment to let it all sink in, a smile tugging at her lips for what feels like the first time since leaving that morning.

“Honey! I’m home!” she calls out - the same cheesy greeting that she’d given the first time she’d come home to find Taylor already there. Taylor had rolled her eyes, of course, and teased Lexi about it, but it had quickly become a sort of tradition. So much so that even Taylor had picked it up for when she was the last to come home.

“I’m back here!” Taylors voice sing-songs down the same trail as the music,  and Lexi’s grin widens.

She doesn’t think coming home to Taylor will ever get old.

Still grinning, she turns to hang her messenger bag and coat on their designated hooks by the door, and toe off her ankle boots onto the mat. Unfortunately, she catches sight of herself in full length mirror that Taylor had insisted on putting up in the entry way.

She looks like …

Well, she looks like she’s spent the past 10 hours in a working laboratory.

Which is exactly what she’s done, but it isn’t exactly how she wants to greet her girlfriend.

“I’ll be there in just a minute!” she calls out, stalling for time.

Her braid is beyond repair; either from the safety hat at the lab, her bike helmet, or both - strands of dark brown hair are sticking out every which way, and it’s evident after a few attempts at fixing them that the effort is futile. Instead, she releases the tie holding it all together and runs her fingers through it before pulling it back up into a ponytail.

Her glasses are so smudged that the light is reflecting off of them and she can barely see her eyes. Frowning, she takes them off and digs out the corner of her undershirt to clean them off. After a few tries, she’s finally satisfied, and settles them back on her nose before tucking her shirt back in and straightening her suspenders.

The suspenders had been Taylor’s idea -  one that had started out as a half joke and ended as an emphatic must-have after Lexi had tried them on. The thought of her girlfriend’s face in the dressing room that day is enough to make Lexi smirk, and on impulse, she undoes the second button on her white dress shirt, effectively ditching her polished work look for something slightly more roguish.

She takes one last look in the mirror to make sure the rest of her is presentable; from her tailored black pants to her quirky red socks.

Finally convinced that she fits the weekend dress code, she turns down the hall to find Taylor.

Their apartment is a cute little two-bedroom condo in the art district - fulfilling Taylor’s wish that it be within walking distance to the main strip of art galleries but also ‘not too extravagant, Lex, something small’; and also Lexi’s wish for something secure and quiet (and also her secret desire to make sure there’s enough room for Taylor to have a room for an art workshop).

It was difficult to convince Taylor that a two bedroom where both rooms had large windows over the river front was ‘not too extravagant’, but Lexi had cheated slightly by enlisting the help of Taylor’s dad - who also acted as their real estate agent.

Unsurprisingly, he was more than on board with helping Lexi give Taylor her dream apartment, and he gave the place an excellent pitch on their initial walkthrough. Between Lexi and Mike, Taylor was unable to resist the condo’s renovated but rustic charm, and within a week they were signing the papers and moving in.

Taylor refused to let Lexi buy the building outright, and Lena refused to let Lexi live anywhere that wasn’t vetted by her security; so in a show of bipartisanship, L-Corp Real Estate had bought the property. It still feels weird, writing out a check to her mother’s company every month (a small portion of which goes straight back into Lexi’s trust fund), but it makes Taylor happy, so she lives with it.

She would do a lot of things if they made Taylor happy, she realizes without surprise.

The thought warms her heart, and she smiles as she heads toward Taylor’s makeshift art studio.

She can hear the music loud and clear now, and her grin widens as she reaches for the door knob.

The sight on the other side of the door is enough to render her speechless - Taylor in worn out overalls and a sports bra, pants legs rolled up over her bare feet.

It’s enough to stop her in her tracks, but really, she should have expected it - Taylor has developed quite the penchant for wearing overalls lately, (admittedly, she usually pairs them with more clothes.)

What she doesn’t expect is a missile of yellow paint to hurtle into her her chest, leaving a mustard colored explosion across her torso.

Stunned, she looks up from the stain to find Taylor staring at her, open-mouthed.

“Oh my god.” Taylor breathes, looking back and forth between Lexi’s face and the stain. “I’m so sorry!”

“I mean … I don’t really mind, I just … what are you doing exactly?” she squints around the room to see a semi-circle of canvases spread around the room and Taylor holding a paintbrush covered in yellow paint.

“Oh! It’s an abstract study in random color patterns.”

“So you’re throwing paint across the room?”

“I mean … strategically.” Taylor concedes. “Wanna try?”

“Oh no, you know I’m not really artistic! I mean outside of coloring pages I guess.”

“Hmm, sounds to me like you’re chicken.”

“Chicken? I’m not chicken, I just don’t want to ruin your masterpiece!”

“You’re not going to ruin it! Just come on, one little flip of the wrist.”

“I regret that I must cordially decline.”

Taylor narrows her eyes accusingly.

“Spoil sport.”

“I am not a spoil sport!” Lexi scoffs, stepping closer.

“Mmm, seems to me like you’re a spoil sport.”

“Oh really?”  She moves even closer, effectively stepping into Taylor’s space.

“Yeah,” Taylor nods, a smirk teasing at the edge of her lips. “For sure.”

Lexi’s hands settle on Taylor’s hips, and pull her close.

“Would a spoil sport do this?” She dips her head to capture Taylor’s lips with her own, effectively silencing all trash talk and not stopping until she elicits a moan from the other woman.

Without breaking the kiss, she reaches for the paintbrush in Taylor’s hand, tossing it onto the drop cloth covering the floor.

Taylor responds immediately - arms wrapping around Lexi’s neck and tugging her closer.

It’s easy to get lost in the kiss, the feeling of Taylor’s lips pressing against her own and the heady swipe of tongue in her mouth.

She lets herself free fall for a few a long minutes before she regains control of her facilities enough to move again - reaching her fingers into the palette behind Taylor and gathering up a scoop of paint to smear it across Taylor’s cheek.

The result is like if a bucket of cold water splashed over them, with Taylor immediately jerking back to stare at her incredulously.

“Who’s a spoil sport now?” Lexi teases with a grin.

“I can’t believe you!”

“What?” Lexi shrugs. “You wanted me to paint! So I painted!”

“Yeah! I didn’t mean me!”

“Well, to be fair, you didn’t specify.”

“Didn’t specify?”

“No, you didn’t.”

Lexi’s laugh dies off when Taylor’s paint covered finger makes contact with her nose.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

“Ooh, payback’s a bitch.” Taylor teases.

“You splashed me first! I just retaliated! It was self defense!”

“You’re really going to use the self defense excuse?”

“Because it was!” Lexi protests.

“Oh really?” Taylor mocks before swiping across Lexi’s neck, some of the paint sticking to the collar of her shirt.

“Alright, okay; that’s taking it a little far, don’t you think?” She tries to capture Taylor’s hands to prevent further attacks, but her girlfriend dances away with a laugh.

“A little far? Don’t you think you should have thought of that before you attacked me?”

“Attacked you?” Lexi blinks comically before continuing to circle Taylor around the room. “I thought we established that I acted in self-defense.”

“It can’t classify as self-defense because technically I splattered you on accident.”

“Ohh, you’re saying all this was an accident?” Lexi gestures to the yellow smear across the front of her shirt.

“Mmhmm! Like I can’t say that this -“ She grabs another brush, dipping it in bright red paint before flicking it at Lexi. “- is an accident. But before, that was definitely an accident.”

Maybe it’s the kiss from before, or maybe it’s the way Taylor is looking at her now, but Lexi feels a heat rise in her belly, even as the paint soaks into her shirt.

“That’s true,” she says, stalking once again in Taylor’s direction. “You definitely can’t call what you just did an accident.”

Without warning, Taylor takes off to the opposite corner of the room, but Lexi reads her cues - easily able to intercept her - and she wraps her arms around Taylor’s, pinning them to her body and lifting the other woman off the ground.

“Lexington!” Taylor shrieks with laughter, her legs curling up as she gives into Lexi’s momentum to swing them around.

Only the sheet beneath them slips, and they tumble forward - a giggling mass of limbs and wet paint.

When they finally land, Lexi finds herself slotted between Taylor’s hips, and she gasps at the contact, but it’s swallowed up by Taylor’s mouth - hungry and searching.

Minutes, or hours pass - she can’t be a hundred percent sure - her only thought the next move of the kiss; like some sort of erotic chess game. Eventually, she braces herself before reaching up to undo the clasps on Taylor’s overalls.

Taylor sighs, a soft, contented sigh that stutters into Lexi’s mouth with hesitant release. Lexi can’t help but sink into the warm arms around her, cupping a hand around Taylor’s jaw and using the touch to draw them closer. She should feel bad for the paint she knows is getting in Taylor’s hair, but she’s too love drunk to stop, the intoxicating feel of Taylor’s lips against her own is too much to resist.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she feels Taylor’s ankle hook around the back of her knee, but she doesn’t give it much thought -  not until their weight shifts and she finds herself tumbling over as Taylor flips them. She manages to catch herself from landing flat on her ass, the palms of her hand skidding in the paint - hands that she immediately brings to rest against Taylor’s hips as the other girl straddles her; bracing against Lexi’s chest.

“You know, this brings an all new meaning to the term ‘paint fight’” Lexi grins evilly, but falls silent when Taylor moves to unbutton her shirt.

“And you’re wearing entirely too many clothes.” she counters, and Lexi can’t argue, especially since the bib of Taylor’s overalls has fallen down, effectively leaving her in just a sports bra from the waist up

As soon as the last button is undone, Taylor growls frustratedly; fingers tugging at Lexi’s undershirt.

“This needs to come off.”

And again, Lexi can’t exactly argue, (nor does she want to), so she pushes herself up; letting Taylor tug the tank to over her head.

Of course, the moment they’re evenly dressed, she seeks out an edge - relying on quivering ab muscles to hold her in a crunch position as she reaches for Taylor’s sports bra.

As soon as it’s off, Lexi latches on; covering Taylor’s nipple with tongue and teeth; unwilling to let go even as they fall backwards. Taylor’s hands brace somewhere above Lexi’s head before moving to her shoulders, but Lexi cant’ bring herself to mind the slick of wet paint against her skin.

“Lex.” Taylor gasps, and she immediately pulls back, head thudding against the floor. “Too many clothes.”

The complaint sends Lexi into immediate action, as she flips them again and kisses her way down Taylor’s torso; following with her fingers and leaving multicolored paint flecks in her wake.

She meets resistance at Taylor’s waist, encumbered once again by the overalls, and swiftly she pulls both them and the underwear beneath over Taylor’s shapely legs.

“Fuck, Lexi.” Taylor breathes, fingers fisting in Lexi’s ponytail, and Lexi wants nothing more that to bury her fingers in wet heat, but one glance at her paint covered fingers nixes that option.

Instead, she uses her hand to spread apart Taylor’s folds before licking a long stripe up her center.

The sounds Taylor makes as Lexi makes contact with her clit should be illegal, and the hand in her hair tightens almost painfully.

“Fuck.” Taylor repeats, and Lexi takes it as both encouragement and a command, effectively burying her face in the warm heat of Taylor’s core. She’s been doing this long enough to know exactly what her girlfriend likes, and she doesn’t waste time, pressing her tongue in slow circular motions against Taylor’s clit before fucking her with her tongue in long, slow strokes.

Taylor’s feet lock behind her shoulders, and Lexi drops her hands, slipping underneath her girlfriend’s ass and offering soft squeezes as she brings her up to meet her mouth.

The curses and pleas falling from Taylor’s lips paired with the clenching of her hand in Lexi’s hair is enough to spur Lexi on, and she doubles down on her efforts.

It isn’t long before Taylor is squirming beneath her, and she can feel her girlfriend’s thighs clenching even more tightly around her head. Carefully, she slips one hand from Taylor’s ass to press a thumb against her clit as her tongue reaches far and deep.

The act is enough to send Taylor over the edge, and she barely has time to brace herself before the hand in her hair tightens almost unbearably and the thigh around her head clench down hard enough to render her immobile.

It takes a few long seconds of Taylor’s inner muscles fluttering around her tongue before the grip on her loosens and her girlfriend is rendered boneless.

“Fuck, Lex.” Taylor repeats, and Lexi can’t help but grin as she pulls back to regard her girlfriend.

“Good?” she questions with a knowing smile, and Taylor slaps her shoulder.

“Payback’s a bitch, you know.”

* - - - - -  - - -  -

“Sorry.” Taylor breathes some time later. “I know you were wanting to go out to dinner.”

“Pfft, dinner?” Lexi scoffs. “I already ate.”

The back of Taylor’s hand smacks against her shoulder, and she laughs.

“No, but seriously; we can order something. I’d much rather be here with you than out at some stuffy restaurant.”

“True,” Taylor concedes. “We can’t exactly stop to make out in the middle of a restaurant.”

“Exactly. See, staying home has its benefits.” Lexi punctuates the point by leaning down to cover Taylor’s mouth with her own.

A long moment later, and Taylor pulls away - the hand on Lexi’s chest firm but reassuring.

“Okay, but I am actually hungry though.”

Lexi can’t help but laugh at that; pulling away to reach for her phone.

“Does pizza sound okay?”

* - - - - - - -

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell buzzes in the other room.

“Pizza delivery?” it asks, and Lexi rushes naked to answer.

“Yeah, send it on up.” She instructs the doorman, searching around for something to cover herself up.

Taylor is one step ahead of her though, stepping into the kitchen wearing nothing but Lexi’s boxer briefs and white shirt - now splattered with paint.

“You’re going to answer the door like that?” she asks teasingly, and color rises on Taylor’s cheeks.

“Is that a problem?”

“I mean, no? You might give the pizza delivery person a heart attack though!”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” Taylor informs her, and while the pizza delivery person may be okay, Lexi finds herself frankly incapacitated - unable to form complete sentences as she watches Taylor take their order from the person at the door. Even more so when Taylor turns to face her.

“See? No one had a heart attack!”

“Speak for yourself!” Lexi teases, reaching for one of salad boxes.

The look Taylor gives her is enough to send her spiraling into a vortex of want, and she groans.

“Woman! Please! At least let me carb load before you look at me like that! My body needs nutrients before round two!”

Taylor’s smirk is downright evil.

“Technically, it would be round three.” she corrects before waving the box of cinnamon sticks under Lexi’s nose. “Besides, we could always start with dessert if you think a sugar rush will get you kickstarted.”

“No.” Lexi says firmly, almost wavering at the pout that crosses Taylor’s face.

“No?”

“No. First I’m going to eat this salad.”

“And then?” Taylor smiles coyly.

“And then I’m going to eat a piece of pizza - maybe two - actually you know what? Make that a definite two, I’m starving.”

“What next?”

“Well, then we’re going to eat cinnamon sticks.” Lexi answers as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, and Taylor frowns.

“I mean, okay, I guess.”

Lexi feigns surprise.

“Oh sorry, did I forget the part where I lick icing off your fingers and then pin you against the wall and fuck you until you scream my name?”

“Is there any way I can convince you to skip steps one through three?“

* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The art gallery is closed -  everything from the sign on the door to the dim lights says so; but Lexi knocks anyway, almost startled when the door immediately opens.

“Hey!” Taylor’s face fills the doorway before it swings wide, Lexi letting herself be pulled into the space. “You made it!”

Lexi feels her brow crinkle.

“Of course! I said I would!”

“Yeah, but you were also talking about how slammed you were earlier -  you didn’t even stop for lunch.” Taylor’s tone is accusing, and Lexi winces under her glare.

“No, but you’re way more important than lunch. Besides, now I’ll have a ginormous appetite when I take you out for your celebratory gallery opening dinner.”

“Technically it doesn’t open until tomorrow.” Taylor laughs, but Lexi just shrugs.

“So? I’ll take you out twice then! Besides, I’m sure that tomorrow we’ll end up going out with our parents - tonight can be more of a … private celebration.” she wiggles her eyebrows, and Taylor  shoves at her shoulders playfully.

“Lex!”

“What? I have a thing for artists! I thought you knew that by now!” she laughs before trying to sneak a peak around the corner hiding them from the gallery. “While we’re on the topic, am I the muse for any of these pieces? Are there any dirty nudies of me anywhere that I should be prepared for?”

Taylor blushes prettily and Lexi’s eyebrows shoot to the ceiling.

“There are nudie portraits of me, aren’t there?” she demands, but Taylor shakes her head.

“There are no dirty pictures of you, I promise.”

Lexi narrows her eyes.

“Then why are you blushing like that?”

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” Taylor teases before reaching for her hand. “Come on, if we want to make our reservations, we need to get started.”

“What makes you think I have reservations?” Lexi tries to look appalled, but cracks under Taylor’s knowing look. “Okay, fine, I have reservations, but they’re flexible, so we have plenty of time, don’t rush.”

“You know you don’t have to do that.” Taylor protests. “I don’t need reservations at a fancy restaurant.”

“I know you don’t, but if I can give them to you, then why shouldn’t I?”

Taylor doesn’t seem to have a response for that, instead staring at her for a long moment.

“I love you, you know that?” She asks finally, and Lexi grins.

“And I love you too.” Lexi agrees, bending down to press a chaste kiss on her girlfriend’s lips. “Now show me all the pieces you’ve been working so hard on.”

* - - - - -

It’s the first time that Taylor has done an entire gallery for just paintings, and Lexi can’t lie; she’s pleasantly surprised.

She knew Taylor was good, but this, this is on a different level. There’s everything from acrylic to watercolor, and the inspiration varies from the landscape outside their bedroom window, to a coffee shop they once visited in Paris.

It’s all strikingly beautiful, and Lexi finds herself marveling at just how talented her girlfriend is.

“Wow.” She says for what feels like the fourteenth time, and Taylor frowns.

“That’s what you keep saying.”

“I’m sorry! You know I almost failed art history! I don’t know the correct terminology to tell you that I think 90% of your work belongs in a museum!” she shrugs. “But it does though! I mean look at this -“ she turns to point at the painting of the Parisian cafe. “Just looking at that takes me back to exactly how I felt that day! And I’m sure it makes other people feel that way too! - I mean hopefully it doesn’t make them feel like they want to make out with you under the Eiffel tower, but similar!”

Taylor’s frown shifts slowly into a grin, and before Lexi can brace herself, Taylor is using her grip on Lexi to pull her down for a quick kiss.

“Well, you’ll have to tell me what this next piece makes you feel like.”

They round the next corner, and Lexi is confronted with a giant canvas banner - at least ten feet wide, and no doubt as long - covered in a smattering of acrylic smears that seem to be dashed haphazardly across the sheet.

It’s stunning, to say the least - if not for its sheer size, then at least for it’s seemingly random color pattern - nothing making sense, but working together in a cohesive pattern; one that leaves her eyes flitting around for the next spark of color. There’s a larger concentration of paint towards the middle, but other than that it’s a diffuse canvas.

“Wow.” she breathes, and Taylor’s elbow connects with her side. “What?”

“I thought we agreed that you would try and be more descriptive.”

Lexi grins sheepishly.

“Sorry, it’s just -  wow. I mean where did you have room to put this? Did you have to paint it here?”

She would swear she sees Taylor blush in the low light.

“Ah, no? I painted it at home.”

Lexi’s brow crinkles as she turns back to study the piece again.

She spots the faint outline of a handprint slightly off center, and finally, it clicks.

“Is that …?” She trails off, unsure exactly, of how to ask the necessary question.

Taylor hums beside her.

“Mmm-hmm”

Lexi turns to stare at her in incredulous disbelief.

“So you’re saying that you planned on us having paint sex so that you could hang our … product up in your art gallery?”

“Product?” Taylor scrunches her nose. “I prefer masterpiece.”

“Tay.”

“No, I didn’t plan on us having sex on the canvas. That was unexpected. I was just planning on hanging up whatever paint drips were on it. But, you have to admit, we added a certain … flair.”

“Flair?” Lexi deadpans. “I’ve been scrubbing paint off myself for two weeks!”

Taylor barks a laugh.

“Sorry!”

“I mean, don’t be sorry, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.” Lexi concedes, draping an arm around Taylor’s shoulder and turning them so that they’re both facing the paining. “Besides, I have to admit, we look pretty good.”

“Pretty good?”

“I told you, I don’t know a lot about art critique.”

“You know, this place is deserted, I could give you a little tutorial session in the back room.” Taylor winks suggestively, but Lexi’s stomach picks that particular moment to growl.

“Sorry, no lunch.” Lexi winces self-consciously, but Taylor only laughs.

“Perfect, I can get you fully fed before I ravish you this time. Maybe we’ll even make it to the bed.” She winks, and Lexi whines, suddenly regretting her choice of a five course Italian meal for dinner.

And the next day? When everyone stops to ooh and ahh over the abstract canvas?

Well, Lexi hopes it’s dark enough that her blush doesn’t give her away.

[roobarrtrashmouth]

Canon Stan - Stanlon

Read it on AO3 - Canon Stan - Stanlon

After reading @tinyarmedtrex fic, Ch. 17 Canon Mike - Stanlon I felt the need to write the same call but from Stan's POV. 

ANGST WARNING - Talk of suicide, cheating ahead

@tinyarmedtrex @honeybeehanlon @constantreaderfool @honkhonkrichard @african-gem @stanlonbrough

Stan and Patty had just returned from a nice evening out. Dinner with drinks at a nice downtown restaurant. It wasn’t a regular occurrence, but it had been a while since they had enjoyed a night out like this, and they deserved it. After placing his keys in the try by the door, Patty and Stan had changed into more comfortable clothes. They were settling into the family room of their upper middle class home in a respectable gated community in the Atlanta suburbs. Patty was on the sofa checking Facebook for recent updates by her friends and Stan clearing business emails from the firm. The television was talking to itself.

The years had been kind to Stan. The sandy blond curls of his youth, were now flecked through with grey,  but it was still curly, if now controlled with product. He had barely noticeable crows feet starting to form by his eyes. Patty looked just as good as the first day he met her in his junior year of college, a brunette beauty with a quick smile.

Stan was just about to put his phone down when it vibrated, a call from an unknown number in Derry, Maine. His habit was to not answer unknown numbers, but something about the name of the town compelled him to answer on the second ring.  “Hello, Uris Residence.” He answered knowing damn well that it was his cell and not the little used land line.

“Hi Stan, it’s Mike, Mike Hanlon.” The voice that spoke back to him sounded both totally unknown, but at the same time extremely familiar. A voice that made him subconsciously frown, then smile.

Then a face popped into his head. A tall muscular dark skinned boy with beautiful brown eyes, a wide loving smile, and arms that were perfectly made to pull you into a hug. He also remembered summer nights spent making love to this same boy, kisses shared by a large oak, holding hands while walking home at night after football games, swimming with him and others at a quarry. But mostly of the beautiful dark skinned boy.

“Mike?” he found himself saying. Almost as if he wasn’t in control of his own voice.

“Hi Stan.” Mike responded. The voice desperately trying to hide some soft inflection and failing.

“Why are you calling?” Stan asked, again without consciously thinking about. Then more memories these just snatches, quick glimpses. Almost as if he was walking down a hallway and glancing into a room only to have it slammed in his face. But catching enough of a glimpse to remember what he saw. The forgetting bothering him beyond all belief, he hated forgetting things he shouldn’t. He had solidifying images of Mike, a red head boy and girl, a boy also with curly hair but the largest glasses he had ever seen, a heavy set boy with a kind face, and a nervous looking boy with a fanny pack of all things.

Mikes soft and loving voice continued, “You need to come back to Derry Stan. IT’s back.”

Stan now remembers a clown that he instantly wished he could forget. He reaches up and gently touches a few of the scars that ring his face. Suddenly remembering a flute player from hell. A house that belongs in hell and more. Coming back. He didn’t want these memories. Memories of Mike maybe, of Richie his best friend, “How could I forget Trashmouth? Fuck.” he suddenly thinks. Eddie of the fanny pack and aspirator and Richie’s boyfriend, Bill with his fucking obsesion to kill IT. “FUCK IT!” He thought angrily. Now, Beverly with her flowing red locks and uncut key necklace, and Ben, he had played football with Ben. “OH GOD Its back.” He murmurs to himself, causing Patty to look up from her phone. Now more memories, memories of Mike… Mike who had always been there to keep him sane. To help chase away the memories of Pennywise. Mike who he had conveyed information about the Losers goings on until they were finally all in high school together. Mike the one who gave him the strength and support he needed to make it through after killin IT.  

“It can’t be back. We won. We killed IT.” Stan was telling Mike but the fear was creeping into his voice causing it to quake.

Mike continued, “We were wrong, ITs back. We promised Stan, we all promised.”

Suddenly Stan felt pain in his hands and as he looked at his left hand a scar began to appear as he looked at it. He looked up at Patty, his wife and suddenly he felt guilty. How could he love Patty and Mike? He wasn’t an adulterer, yet, but he knew that if he saw Mike, he knew it would happen. He wouldn’t be able to help it. Patty just asked who he was talking to and he waved her off and got up to go their room. He was never dismissive of Patty, until just this moment.

He found himself telling Mike that he couldn’t come. Mike using his promise to get him to come back. Him insisting that he wasn’t strong like Mike or the others. Mike insisting that they needed him. He was vital. That once he was back in Derry he would remember more. But what Mike didn’t and couldn’t know was that remembered quite a bit already. More than he wanted to know. Mike had blown open a hole in his carefully crafted memory wall.

The pull of seeing Mike was strong, but the thought of having his reality violated again by Pennywise was also strong. He wasn’t totally afraid, but he was alone. His source of strength, Mike, wasn’t here he was there with IT. Suddenly he realized that the strength he needed was too far away. “Mike, please come here to Georgia.” Stan found himself pleading “We always talked about visiting California, sitting on the beach.” He offered. Yet another memory that had burst forth to torment him, with what could have been, and now may never be. This suggestion also being shot down by Mike. Mike insisting that the others were coming, he had to be strong and come as well.

“I’m not strong like you Mike. I can’t do this.” Stan found himself using a voice that he didn’t know was in him. One that he had heard once years before standing outside 29 Neibolt St. with this same Mike telling him he couldn’t go in. Crying and being comforted by Mike, Mike giving Stan strength to go on with the deed of killing IT.

“You’re stronger than you than you know Stan. You can do this.” Mike said. Almost making Stan think that he could do it. Almost.  

Stan was crying by this point and found himself saying “I - okay. I’ll come, for you” He admitted. Mike told him to meet them all at some Chinese restaurant, he even memorized the address. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Stan said once more and lied to Mike for the first and last time.

Mike responded, “Tomorrow.” They hung up.

Stan sat on his bed tears freely flowing down his face. The multitude of memories that came flooding back were overwhelming. But Mike wouldn’t come down to get him. He knew he couldn’t face IT again. He wasn’t that strong, not without Mike at his side and Mike couldn’t or wouldn’t come and get him. On top of it all he couldn’t face Patty. He feels he has betrayed her. She deserves better than him. His life entire life with her was a lie. A wonderful dream he had only to wake up to an even worse nightmare. He loved Mike, with all his heart. He knew it. If he left Patty here in Atlanta to go to Derry, one way or another he wasn’t coming back. He would either stay with Mike or die.

Who was he kidding he knew he wouldn’t go. He needed Mike. Mike who had held him at night when he woke up with nightmares. Who reassured him that he was stronger than he thought. Mike and the Losers were his strength, and none of them were here with him. Then there was Mike. Oh god he wanted to see him so bad. But how, just how, could he tell Mike that he had forgotten everything about him, the love, the times they had spent together. How. He couldn’t. He wasn’t strong on his own. Not anymore.

With a final sigh he stands and walks to the bathroom.

[formerprincess]

A tale written with fangs and claws || Chapter 45

Chapters: 45/? Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt Characters: Liam Dunbar, Theo Raeken, Mason Hewitt, Corey Bryant, Nolan (Teen Wolf) Additional Tags: Alpha Liam Dunbar, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, Dunbar Pack, Bisexual Liam Dunbar, Werewolf Theo Raeken, Alpha Theo Raeken, Canon-Typical Violence, Smut, Mates, Liam and Theo are mates, Top Theo Raeken, Bottom Theo Raeken, Top Liam, Bottom Liam Dunbar Series: Part 1 of Morning Dew Pack

The pack deals with Brett and Lori coming back while the two also deal with being back. They're all in for quite a ride, that's for sure.

Liam could not wrap his head around what had just transpired and he just stared at the former dead siblings who were still huddled together and stared at him equally as shocked as Liam was. He glanced around, every other member of his pack seemed just as astounded. Liam caught Mason’s glance and his best friend just gave a helpless shrug. Even the ever so rational Mason, the quick thinker, had no idea what just happened.

“What’s going on? Where are we?” Brett spoke up for the first time and made Liam’s attention snap back to the siblings. The male werewolf never took his eyes of Liam, a look of pure wonder on his face. “Are you really here? Liam, is this real?”

Liam slowly got to his feet and walked over to the two wolves to crouch down in front of them. “I am here and so are you. I wish I could tell you what happened but I’m drawing as much of a blank here as anybody else. But we figure it out, we always do.” This made Brett look around again, eying every single member of the pack, and he narrowed his eyes. “Who are they?” “My pack. You don’t have to be scared, you’re safe with us. Nothing will get you while we are around,” Liam vouched for his pack. He couldn’t imagine how it must feel to have your last memory be the headlights of the car running you over and then waking up in an unknown forest. This was his way to assure them and take away some of the stress they surely must feel. Their chemosignals were all over the place and Liam could not blame them. 

“They’re not the McCall pack.” Lori’s thin voice sounded up and she clutched her brother’s arm.  “I’m not part of the McCall pack anymore,” Liam replied softly.  “You’re also not in Beacon Hills anymore. You’re, we’re, currently in a forest not far from Seattle,” Mason piped in and Liam was glad for the support.  “Seattle?” Lori could not believe it and still clutched Brett’s arm. She looked at her brother who raised one hand to settle over hers, and then she bit her lip. “How long have we...?” Liam exhaled softly. It was only fair for her to know but that didn’t make this any easier. “Almost three years.” Brett scoffed scornfully. “Three years, fuck! Guess that explains why you look how you look. Older. And your hair...” He gestured at his neck and Liam nodded. “A lot of things happened. I promise I will fill you in and answer every question you might have.”

“Liam,” Ever cut in, “we should leave. We don’t know what else might have happened and we can answer questions at home as well. But just let us leave this place, please.” She was right, no doubt, and Liam nodded. “Brett and Lori, we all live in one house together in Seattle. You can stay there as well, we have spare rooms.” He got to feet again. “Oh, to make this fair: Those are Sadie, Maya, Tim, Mike, Ever, Nolan, you know my best friend Mason and his husband Corey, and my mate Theo,” He introduced his pack to the siblings. Only fair to have them know everybody’s name since everybody knew theirs.

Liam extended his hand and while Lori took it and let Liam help her to her feet, Brett hesitated. “We should ask your Alpha for permission about staying with you.” The Betas had been about to turn around and walk back to the cars but now stopped dead in their tracks. Maya frowned. “What?” “I just came back from the dead, I don’t want to piss an unknown Alpha off because I am intruding in their pack territory!” Liam felt everyone’s eyes on him. Nobody wanted to answer for the Alpha himself, that was his job alone. He smiled softly. “The Alpha has absolutely no problem with you staying at the house. He just invited you.” He flashed his eyes Alpha red and Brett’s eyes widened.  “You’re the Alpha,” he gasped. “I told you, a lot of things happened.” He held out his hand for Brett again and this time, the other took it and Liam pulled him up. “I’m not seventeen anymore,” Liam reminded Brett again and let go off his hand before he turned around. “Let’s get back to the cars.”

The car ride back home was silent and while Liam kept an eye out for the strange flickers from before, they didn’t appear again and it looked like a nice Summer night.  They arrived at the house and everyone seemed kind of relieved they got out of the whole night unharmed. “Girls, can you give Lori some spare clothes and do some of you guys have something for Brett to wear? They will also show you the bathrooms so you can get cleaned up.” The Alpha’s orders were met with nods and while Maya and Sadie tended to Lori, Mike and Tim went to show Brett everything he needed right now. Ever meanwhile filled the teapot in the kitchen with water, they probably all needed a hot drink to calm down their nerves.

“So, any ideas?” She turned around after the water was boiling and looked at the Alpha couple as well as Mason and Corey.  “Ask me that again after my brain caught up with the fact that two dead people came back to life,” Mason muttered. He looked at every single one of their little group and then nudged Corey. “You don’t seem fazed by this at all.” “Fazed by people coming back from the dead? Not really.” Corey shook his head and when he noticed the incredulous stares from his husband, he elaborated further: “I am the living proof people can come back after they died. Theo brought me back, remember that? Liam brought Theo back from hell. Also, Peter Hale. Three examples that death is not necessarily the end. Sure, in many cases it was the end, but exceptions confirm the rule. So, no, I’m not fazed by them coming back, I am more fazed with how they came back. What was that?” “I’m not completely sure, I have like a thousand theories running through my head right now, but I think it has something to do with Liam and his Alpha spark. I said Celia probably opened something when she tried to summon the demon and failed. Maybe this something was the connection to the plane Brett and Lori’s souls were trapped. I don’t have proof for that and can’t back that theory up until I researched further, but it’s what I came up with for now. It would make sense,” Ever put in her two cents.  “Liam, are you okay though? The force wave hit you pretty hard in the forest.”Mason worried about his best friend and Liam hummed. “I’m fine, yeah. It was a strange feeling but I experienced so many strange feelings over the years, I’m kinda getting used to it.”  “I’m just happy you’re okay.” Theo ran his hand over Liam’s back. “And Ever and Corey are both right. People can come back from the dead, it just takes a very strong source of power, and if I know something, than that an Alpha spark is such a source. Whatever it is, we now have two formerly dead people here and have to figure out where to go from here. What else might happen? At this point, we again have to be prepared for everything.”  “If the theory of Celia opening the portal to another dimension is true, we might have to prepare for facing more demons in the future,” Liam muttered darkly and braced his elbow on the counter in front of him. “So we will try and research as much as we can, try to figure out what happened in the forest, while we also take care of Brett and Lori. They are all on their own, we can’t let them leave just like that.”

His friends nodded and Ever took the boiled water and brew a large pot of tea for the pack. “How did it feel? After you came back from the dead?” She asked quietly in the direction of Corey and Theo. Corey sighed. “Strange. For the first few days, it felt unreal, like a dream. I didn’t dare to embrace the feeling of being alive again, too scared it might get taken away again. There was a numbness inside my bones, took some time to get over this again.” “For me, it was stressful. I was overwhelmed by everything and I didn’t really get a break. I escaped my sister in hell and outside of hell, I faced Ghostriders. But I felt empty, shallow. Like what came back had been just the shell of me. I’m still not sure you can compare dying to be sent to hell.” Theo shook his head. “Why not?” Liam asked his boyfriend and blinked up at him. Theo shrugged. “Doesn’t feel right. Dying is something you can’t influence. But getting sent to hell, that’s your fault alone. Maybe that’s why I can’t see the comparison between these two.” Liam gave him a long look and considered what to say about that but in the end, he just stretched and kissed Theo’s cheek. “It’s still relatively early in the morning and it was quite a night. You all should go to bed and catch some more hours of sleep. I will make sure Brett and Lori get something to eat, then I will also crash.” They all nodded and Theo squeezed his arm. “See you soon,” he said before he left the kitchen with the others and Liam went to prepare sandwiches. 

After he had a plate for each sibling he filled two mugs with tea and then put everything on a tray to carry it upstairs. He found Brett and Lori in one of the guest rooms. They sat on the bed and talked quietly when Liam walked through the open door.  “Hey, thought you could use something to drink and eat.” He raised the tray for them to see. “Liam, thank you.” Lori smiled gratefully at him when he sat down the tray on the bed.  “Don’t mention it, it’s really not a big deal.” Liam shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed. “It is a big deal. Without you...Liam, you brought us back.” Brett’s voice wavered with the amount of emotion he currently felt when he said that.  “We’re still figuring out what exactly brought you back, so don’t thank me too early, Brett.” He shook his head. It was too early to say Liam had been the one. Even though he understood what Brett had wanted to say. 

Lori played with the blanket. “Liam. What happened after we...you know?” She swallowed and didn’t dare to look up from where her fingers curled into the blanket.  Liam inhaled deeply. “The supernatural got exposed, which happened to be my fault. I kind of lost it after I found you in the street...” It was still hard to talk about it, Liam still felt the despair and grief he had felt in this moment. “Most of the town was out to get us afterward, we had a full-blown war at our hands. The Anuk-ite caused so much fear and the people reacted with anger and rage. Scott almost sacrificed himself to stop the Anuk-ite, there was a battle at the hospital. Gerard died but the bitch Monroe escaped. She is still out there, targeting supernaturals and hunting them. Scott tries to track her down and help other werewolves in the progress while also living a normal life. We all do. I graduated and then enrolled at Seattle University, alongside Theo.” 

“And how did you become an Alpha?” Brett asked and pulled his legs up to his chest.  “By ritual. Theo and I met the Morning Dew pack about a year ago and their former Alpha Byron decided to make me his successor. He transferred his Alpha spark to me and he is now the head of the council I founded for the rest of the pack.”  “Morning Dew, I think Satomi once said mentioned them when she talked about packs with unique values. If they get their Alpha by ritual, it’s pretty unique.” Liam felt proud to fill him when he thought about his pack and what they stood for. “It truly is. A special pack with a special philosophy. We’re not Buddhists, but we learn how to work with our inner wolves and that helped me a lot. I feel more centered and I even managed to work with my wolf on such a level, I gained the ability to fully shift.” The siblings gaped at him and Liam shrugged shyly. “I know, pretty amazing, hm?” He rubbed his neck and then cleared his throat.  “Anyway, you guys should eat something and then get some rest. Mine and Theo’s room is the first one on the right from your room. If you need anything, come and knock at the door.” He got up again but left the tray on the bed. Lori gave him another grateful smile and then bit down on one sandwich while Brett played with the sleeves of his shirt. Liam squeezed his shoulder and then walked over to the door, only to stop when Brett called his name. 

“Liam?” “Yeah?” The young Alpha turned around to face the older guy on the bed. Brett looked at him with a sincere look on his face.  “Thank you. For everything.” He smiled. “Get some rest. Lord knows you two deserve it.” And with that Liam closed the door to the guest room and walked into his own bedroom. 

Theo was still awake albeit in bed and waiting for Liam. “Are they okay?” “Still pretty overwhelmed and I can’t blame them. But they have food and a roof over their head at least, I hope it helps to some extent.” “Well, the shower you let me have at your house after I crawled out of hell helped me.” Theo leaned against the headboard and watched Liam undress and change into his pajamas.  “I just hope they manage to arrange themselves with being alive again. Must be hard, I suppose.” Liam climbed into bed and under the covers. “I am also happy the pack accepted them staying here without any problems.” “That’s our pack, puppy. We, your Betas, are open and friendly unless provoked. That’s something we have in common with our Alpha, you know?” Liam laughed softly and shook his head. “Weirdo. You know what I meant. I want to give them a somewhat safe place while they figure everything out. Three years is a lot of time.” He also leaned against the headboard and looked at Theo. “By the way, you’re not jealous of Brett, right?”

Theo tilted his head. “Strangely, I’m not. I’m aware you had a crush on him during your school days but I don’t feel jealous of him now. Maybe because you introduced me as your mate from the beginning? I don’t know.” “It’s good you’re not. Because there is nothing you have to be jealous of. As you said, I had a crush on him for a while but now the only guy I’m crushing on is you. And I’m hopelessly devoted to you.” Liam wrapped his arms around Theo and pulled him closer to kiss his cheek.  “Hopelessly, hm?” Theo chuckled and snuggled into Liam’s embrace. “So that means I have you wrapped around my finger?” “Don’t get too cocky,” Liam warned even though they both knew it was true. “Despite, you’re just as hopelessly devoted to me as well, Dore.” “Hm, true.” Theo kissed Liam’s jaw and his cheek before he pulled the blanket higher and moved into a comfortable position. Liam decided to do the same and keep his arms around Theo. He closed his eyes and feel Theo turn around which prompted Liam to move closer and nestle against Theo’s back.  “Goodnight, Lee,” Theo muttered and put his hand over Liam’s resting against his stomach.  “Goodnight, Dore,” Liam replied. It was the last thing he said before he fell asleep.

****** Liam seemed to be the first awake when he opened his eyes hours later. It was still morning but a more reasonable time to be up than before. Theo was still sleeping and Liam left him in his peaceful slumber while he slipped out of bed and moments later the room. 

He padded downstairs into the kitchen to brew some coffee and while the machine was doing its job, Liam stepped out in the garden to enjoy the morning. He stretched and held his face in the sun. Quiet and peaceful, despite the chaotic night they just had. Liam knew they had to figure out what had happened in the forest while also help Lori and Brett as good as they could, but for now, it was nice to simply enjoy.

“Your garden is nice albeit a bit empty.”

Liam spun around with a shriek and pressed a hand against his chest. “Jesus fucking Christ, Brett, don’t scare me like that!”  He had not seen the other sitting on the patio, leaned against the wall of the house. Now Brett peaked up at him and studied Liam’s features.  “Shouldn’t your Alpha instincts tell you when someone’s around? Alphas hear better than Betas.” “If said Alpha pays no attention, then no. I still have to get used to listening to two more heartbeats now. Cut me some slack, man.” His heart was still hammering inside his chest but he slowly calmed down from the shock.  Brett still studied him like he was an ancient animal and Liam frowned. “What?” “You are so different. Said it before but can’t help to notice it over and over again. My last memory of you is the seventeen-year-old boy I called dumbass because he tried to save me.” Liam shrugged and sat down next to Brett. “I’m an Alpha now and so many things happened already. I grew up quite a bit and I never thought a year ago I would have this life but then one thing happened and then the next and suddenly I’m here, in the pack house, with my own pack and all.” Brett leaned his head against the wall. “Life has a funny way to change. One moment you’re being poisoned, then you’re getting run over by a car and then there’s emptiness.” He laughed bitterly and Liam cast him a sympathetic glance.  “I can only imagine how horrible that must have been.” But Brett shook his head. “You have no idea. Like, not even your wildest imagination could come up with what it’s like. I know you’re trying to be sympathetic but you can’t. You can’t imagine it.”  Liam had to give Brett that, he probably was right. He could not imagine. Yet the cutting tone in his friend’s voice made a shiver ran down Liam’s back. He tried to help Brett and it felt like he was being dismissed. 

“I think I should start with breakfast, the others will be up soon and we all need food. Are you hungry as well?” Liam got up again and dusted his pajama pants off. Brett gave him an incredulous look.  “You are cooking for the pack?” “Yeah.” Liam frowned. “Why not? Because I’m the Alpha? That’s crap.” “Some Alphas feel like their pack should cook for them, not the other way around. It’s good to see you’re one of those working Alphas, who don’t act like their Betas are servants.” “I respect every single one of my Betas and that will never change. I like cooking so I see n problem in doing it for the pack. We actually have a good dynamic, you will see this while you’re staying here.” “Hm.” Brett made a non-committal sound and Liam just left him brooding while he ventured into the kitchen and started scrambled eggs and bacon. 

He had already finished the eggs and the bacon and was already eating his breakfast when Mason joined him in the kitchen, filled himself a plate and then sat down with Liam at the table. “You have that stormy look on your face. Something is bubbling inside you. What happened?” He asked while he sipped on his coffee and watched Liam closely over the rim of his cup. Liam grumbled and stabbed a piece of bacon with his fork. “I talked to Brett this morning and I don’t know. He seemed very distant. It’s understandable he is not the Brett I knew but it felt almost as if he didn’t want my help at all.”  “Hm, I’m sure he is happy you’re trying to help him but dying and then coming back must be a lot to take in. Corey and Theo both said they felt empty. Give him some time to get used to being alive again.” Liam munched his breakfast and hummed. “I just hope he comes around,” he mumbled.

****** The next days were spent with their daily lives but also helping Lori and Brett get used to being alive again. Lori, after she had been struggling in the first couple of days, really tried and opened herself up, especially to the other girls, but Brett kept his distance and didn’t seem to come around. It was frustrating for Liam to see his friend clearly struggling but when he or another pack member tried to help, Brett shied away and didn’t accept help, was even downright rude sometimes. He talked to them all but kept it to superficial talks and comments and never opened up about how he was feeling or what his troubles were. Or he simply didn’t respond at all and shut down every attempt to talk to him. Even Lori could not get through to her brother.

She confided in Liam one day with tears in her eyes. “I know you are trying so hard and you’re helping us so much but he is just so stubborn. I am so sorry, Liam.” He hugged her. “Hey, it’s okay. We will find a way to help him. He probably just needs more time.” Liam tried his best to go for a comforting smile and Lori responded with a weak smile on her own. She must worry about her brother like crazy and Liam really wanted to be optimistic and make her feel lighter again. He just wasn’t sure how long he could pull the Brett needs more time excuse off. 

Because truth to be told, with absolutely no attempt from Brett’s side to open up just the tiniest bit, the pack’s patience was running thinner and thinner. There was no progress being made and Liam could not be mad at his Betas getting frustrated. He knew firsthand how stubborn Brett could be, had experienced it himself after he demolished the coach’s car and Brett had not wanted to accept his apology and made Liam’s life miserable to a certain point, so Liam could relate. A tough nut to crack. 

And then came the explosion. 

Liam came home one day and he heard cussing and roaring from the basement as well as heated voices in the kitchen. When Liam walked into the kitchen, he found Mike, Corey and Ever caught in a fiery discussion with Brett.   “What is going on here? And what’s happening in the basement?” The young Alpha asked, alarms ringing inside his head.  “Brett had a very nasty argument with Sadie and she almost jumped him. Maya dragged her to the basement and tries to calm her down,” Mike filled him in with a sneer in Brett’s direction. “All because she let slip she also suffers from IED and he ran his mouth.” Oh no. Liam knew how Brett had teased him about his condition after it became public, and even before the rage had a name he had loved to poke the bear when he was in a bad mood himself. It had never failed to make Liam go through the roof. This was a recipe for disaster.

He glared at Brett and narrowed his eyes. “What did you say to her?” He inquired and tried his best to keep his voice even.  Brett shrugged nonchalantly. “I just told her that she is as much of a time bomb as you are. You may have gotten better with your Alpha control but she doesn’t have this type of control and we both know what happens when control is lost.” “Have you lost your mind?” Liam was close to yelling and it itched him to shake Brett. “You can’t tell her that!” Another shrug from Brett. “I was just stating facts and got proven right. Her control runs thin.” “It’s not your business to state these facts!  Stay out of it!” Ever shouted at him and threw her hands up in the air. “I am allowed to voice my opinion!” Liam glared at Brett and shook his head in lack of understanding. “What is wrong with you? Why are you so rude? Ever’s right, you can’t tell her things like that!” “I am just being real. What is she supposed to do anyway? I don’t have a car she can trash.” Brett had also raised his voice and gave Liam a pointed look.

White hot rage boiled up inside him and Liam heard the blood rush in his ears. He clenched his fists and felt himself shaking with the anger he was barely keeping in at the moment. His blood boiled and he got somewhat of tunnel vision, red bars blinking left and right. This had been one of his darkest moments and Liam was absolutely not proud of what he did back then. To be reminded of it, made him lose his cool. Liam spun around and stormed out of the kitchen and downstairs into the basement. Maya held Sadie’s wrists with her own hands and had already managed to talk Sadie down so much the blonde was leaning against the wall and barely struggled anymore.  “Maya, get out!” Liam ordered.  She looked at him and hesitated. “But...” “I said get out!” Liam roared at her and she reeled back in shock. Then she dropped Sadie’s arms and ran up the stairs again. She was not so dumb to argue with an obviously angry Alpha. 

Sadie slid down on the wall and sat on the floor, legs pulled up to her chest. She was quiet so Liam paid her no mind when he closed his eyes and braced his hands against the wall. Calm down, calm down, calm down. He tried to remind himself of that over and over again but the rage was still bubbling inside him and he felt his claws come out and scratch over the wall; to ground Liam to his current place and stop him from storming back up. 

He took several deep breaths, counted to ten, then let the air escape his lungs. all while he thought of nice things in his life. His pack, how proud his parents were, Theo. Theo. Theo. He was angry but what Brett had mentioned was past him, Liam was a different person now and while he could not change the fact he did what he did, he had paid for it already. 

Slowly it worked. He was still angry but it wasn’t the rage he had felt before and Liam sighed and leaned his forehead against the wall. The only sounds in the basement were the two heartbeats and their fast breathing. Until Sadie spoke up: “We have to find another way to get through to him, clearly this isn’t working.” Liam sighed. “I know, Sadie.” “Not only for Brett but for us as well. I get why he may shy away from the extrovert members of the pack but he doesn’t open up to Corey, Tim or Nolan either and they are the nicest persons I know. I’m not saying stop helping him but we need a new approach to the whole subject matter.” Liam sighed again and then pushed himself off the wall after he opened his eyes. “You’re right but right now I have no idea how,” he confessed while he turned around to face Sadie. “Are you okay though? That’s more important right now.” “Yeah, I calmed down. It was hard, I haven’t had such an episode in a long time. I thought it was over. Guess I was wrong.” “It’s never over for us.” Liam shook his head. “But we get better in keeping control and we learn how to cope better with the rage. Yet we have this condition, that is also something you have to admit to yourself. I found this one of the hardest things, admitting that I have it. Doesn’t stop me from getting better. Just focus less on you getting angry and more on the positive. You didn't hurt anybody or trashed anything. Would you have managed that in the past?” She silently shook her head and Liam smiled faintly. “There you go.” The blonde growled. “I still don’t like it. I was struggling and couldn’t really focus on my anchor.” “Maya seemed pretty good at calming you down. Anchors can change, Sads, ever thought of that? It’s all about connection.” It seemed like she considered this. “I’ll think about this,” she then promised him and at that point, this was all Liam could have expected.

They were interrupted anyway when Theo bolted down the stairs. “What the hell happened here? I come home from work and everyone is agitated, Maya says you two are struggling with your anger, the fuck happened?”  Sadie exhaled loudly and picked her nails. “Brett said something about me and Liam being time bombs and I lost it. If Maya had not caught me, I would have jumped him and punched him square in the face. Liam came home later but Brett obviously said something to tick him off as well.” “He reminded me of that one time I trashed the coach’s car,” Liam filled Theo in. Theo’s green eyes flicked between them. It was not hard to see the wheels turning in his brain and Liam didn’t need to smell the chemosignals to know his boyfriend was getting angry. Their mating bond bristled with rage.  “Okay, that’s it!” He spun around and stormed upstairs again.  “Theo!” Liam didn’t even hesitate to sprint after his mate. The last thing he needed today was a brawl between Theo and Brett. 

With Liam hot on his trails, Theo stormed into the living room where Brett was lounging on the couch. Tim sat next to the tall werewolf and had seemingly tried to start another conversation while Corey sat in the chair and tried the same thing but when Theo rushed in, both looked scared. Liam could not really blame him, Theo was seething with rage and an angry Theo was terrifying, no matter which side you were on.  “Get up!” Theo barked at Brett who gave him an unimpressed glance. “Why should I?” “Because if you don’t get up on your own I’ll make you and you don’t want that!” “Guys!” Liam tried to mend but was entirely ignored by Theo and Brett. Theo now snatched the remote from Brett’s hand and turned the TV off before throwing the remote back on the couch.  “I said get up!” This time, Brett followed the order and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I’m up. Now what?” 

If possible Theo looked even madder than before. “Who do you think you are? We are trying everything to make you feel better, make you feel alive again, but all you do is shut down and not let anybody close to you. I know firsthand how it is to not be in the world of the living for a while and then coming back, how hard it is to adjust again, but that’s not an excuse. You have your sister with you, your own blood, and she does just fine. Does her best to get better and feel alive again and yet not even that is good enough for you! We can’t help you because you won’t let us help you and I’m sick and tired of it. The nice and peaceful approach obviously isn’t working so let’s be brutally honest, shall we? You are pathetic! You got a second chance, do you know how many would love to get one and don’t get it? You were picked to have it, for whatever reason there might be because I surely can’t name one. There are other people more deserving of being alive again cause they would know what do actually do with that. They would not hang around the house all day, barely talk to anybody, and refuse any help. What have you done since you came back? Other than snarking at each and every one of us? I am fed up with you moaning and complaining, it’s insulting to all of us!” Theo scoffed. “Know what? I pity you because you don’t have anything in your life that makes you want to live again, feel alive again. Not even your sister is a good enough reason for you to fight again? Damn, that’s fucked up. One would think if you can’t live for yourself, might as well try it for Lori but you even can’t do that? And before you say something along those lines you never asked for help or why do we care about you getting better, that is bullshit. Wanna know why? Because you have to get better. That’s not a choice, that’s a duty! If you can't do it for yourself or for your sister, at least do it for Liam. Do it for that one person who grieved your loss and who felt guilty about not being fast enough and strong enough to save you. For that one person who still found it hard to talk about your death, even three years later."  Theo glared at Brett and then a grim smile appeared on his face. "And since you already got acquainted with this side of me, let me tell you something." He stepped right into Brett's personal space, their faces inches apart, and his expression an angry snarl. "I know about the zoo and should you ever think about hurting Liam like that or in any other way again, getting run over by a car will feel like salvation compared to what I'm going to do to you. Clear?"

The two men stared at each other, Theo’s face still twisted in anger and Brett’s face emotionless, and Liam held his breath. A part of him still expected the two of them to be at each other’s throats and punch each other, so he kind of was ready to jump between. But there were no punches thrown. Brett just set his jaw and left the room wordlessly, the front door falling shut moments later. 

The silence stretched out in the living room. Corey and Tim stared at Theo with wide eyes and Liam tried to focus his thoughts long enough to know what he wanted to say. He finally sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Getting run over by a car will feel like salvation to you?” He asked meekly and Theo faced him.  “It’s my job to protect you!” He defended himself and threw his hands up in frustration.  The couple looked at each other, then Liam walked over and framed Theo’s face with his hands. He kissed his boyfriend and Theo’s hands found a place on Liam’s hips.  “What are we going to do with Brett now?” Tim asked from behind and Liam internally sighed. If he knew... “We wait until he comes home and maybe we can have a quiet talk. Theo and Sadie are right, it can’t go on like it did for the last couple of days,” he stated and leaned his head against Theo’s shoulder.  “Do you think Brett will come home?” Corey inquired. “He has to, he doesn’t even have money to buy a bus ticket,” Theo commented dryly and Liam pinched his side. It earned him a slight clap on his back. 

Brett stayed away for the next hours. Lori looked completely shocked when he heard about what went down and then launched herself into apologies which none was having. It wasn’t her fault, her brother was his own person and she couldn’t speak for him. 

The evening came and with that, the pack found themselves in the kitchen to cook together. It seemed like a good idea, a pack activity, after all the fighting today. They were chatting and even laughing when suddenly Brett appeared in the doorway.   “Hey,” he said softly and hunched his shoulders. He looked uncomfortable and totally lost right now and Liam pitied him. He was still interested in how this would continue. “Brett, glad you’re back. We’re making dinner.” Lori smiled at her brother and raised a handful of carrots she was currently cutting. Brett tried a weak smile but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’s good to have all of you in one place cause I have to say something.” He looked at his hands. It was strange to see the usual so confident Brett lost for words. “I, uhm, I have to apologize. To all of you. How I treated you wasn’t fair. It’s...hard, I guess.” He started playing with his sleeve again and didn’t dare to look up at first. “I always thought when I die there would be something nice on the other hand. Call it paradise if you will but something that was good. I thought I would see my dead family and we all would be happy again. Instead, there was emptiness. Nothing. I didn’t know how to cope with it.”

He finally looked up, rare emotion displayed on his face and his eyes full with regret. “Coming back didn’t help much with this disappointment and this feeling of being empty and I took it out in all the wrong ways. It’s not an excuse but when I’m overwhelmed or stressed, I tend to get hostile and push people away. That’s my problem but I made it your problem and I truly apologize for that. I’m aware you all wanted to help me but I  got myself in a mindset where I was unable to accept help. I’m usually not that type of person, I’m not a mean guy, but I will work on it.” Brett pointed at Theo. “You lit a fire under my ass and gave me the wake-up call I obviously needed. Thank you.” He turned his focus on Liam. “I never apologized for all the things I did to you. I am sorry. This probably won’t do much but I need to tell you that. It was horrible, I’ve done horrible things, and an apology has been long overdue. I am sorry and thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me. You truly have a heart of gold.” And then he looked at his sister. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you and pushed you away. You didn’t deserve this.”  She smiled with tears in her eyes. “It’s okay. You’re my brother, I know you are a great guy.” Brett let out a watery chuckle. “I understand if you don’t want me around anymore. I will be gone as soon as I can.”

“Brett,” Liam started but Tim raised his hand. “Liam, may I?” He asked softly and the young Alpha nodded. “Of course.” Tim turned to Brett. “In this pack, we don’t give up. We had some hard cases but we never gave up on them and in the end, it all worked out.” He glanced at Mike who smirked while Maya nudged Sadie and the blonde rolled her eyes but smiled. “The thing is, you were a very hard case but as I said, this is something this pack deals with. We never gave up and we won’t start now. It was difficult to connect with you but you apologized and to me, that is the strength of character. It takes a good person to admit to their mistakes and say they’re sorry. I believe you are a good person and I would like to get to know you and maybe help you. If that’s what you want.” Liam nodded. “Nobody expects you to be the same person you were before you died but you can get there. Tim said it, we don’t give up on hard cases and no one here resents you. Right, guys?” He looked around at his pack and they all nodded. “Theo and I have experiences with somewhat dying and coming back. If you want to talk, I’m sure we both will be willing to listen. You don’t have to open yourself completely in one day, but baby steps.” Corey smiled warmly at Brett. Theo studied Brett’s features and crossed his arms loosely in front of his chest. “If someone knows how important a second chance is, it’s me. I heard stories about you and I don’t believe you are a bad guy. Like Corey said, if you want to talk, you can come to me as well.”

Brett rubbed his shoulder. “I don’t know what to say. This is not what I expected.” “Thanks would be a good start,” Lori teased her brother and wiped her eyes.  “Thanks.” Now Brett was even able to smile softly. “I really appreciate your willingness to help me.” “It’s a pack specialty.” Liam shrugged. ”Glad to have the nice Brett back.” Brett nodded and then hugged Lori when she walked over to him. And suddenly Theo groaned. “This is another group hug moment, right? Feels like one.” “You’re having group hugs?” Brett inquired amusedly and Theo grimaced.  “Get used to it, they happen quite often.” “Damn right they do!” Sadie exclaimed and Theo grumbled when she dragged him into the promised group hug centered around Lori and Brett. It was then, that Brett laughed for the first time since he came back. 

It felt good to hear his friend laugh and Liam smiled. “Baby steps, like Corey said. You said the garden was empty. That’s one of our projects anyway but would you like to help us with the garden, Brett?” “I’d like that very much, yeah.”

****** The next days showed an absolute improvement. Brett stayed true to his words and tried to get to know the pack better, get involved with them. When there were moments he needed space, he voiced it and the others let him have his space. It was a system that worked. 

It also gave Liam time to take care of a few other things to do and one day he walked into the kitchen with a big brown envelope.  “Liam, what you’ve got there?” Mike asked. “I talked to Lydia the other day and told her about Brett and Lori coming back from the dead. She then talked with her mom afterward. This is from Lydia.” He waved the envelope and handed it over to Brett and Lori. “Since you died before graduation, you never really finished high school and Lydia’s mom is the principal so she pulled some strings. Congratulations on your high school diploma.” The siblings stared at him with big eyes, then they opened the envelope and true to Liam’s words, the diplomas were there.  “It’s not Devenford Prep but I figured it worked,” Liam explained to Brett and the other shook his head in wonder.  “You’re crazy, Dunbar. But thank you.” “Don’t mention it, that was nothing. Now you can really start a new chapter.”

****** Liam sat cross-legged on the floor in the living room and made some news on the notepad before he looked through the folder his coach had given him.  “Problems with the team?” Sadie inquired from where she knelt in front of the table and did Ever’s nails.  “No but we’re still short on members and I’m trying to help Rod find someone suitable.  He will call an open training soon and asked me to make up my mind what I think this team needs. I’m captain, after all, and with Brett not wanting to enroll in SU we’re short on good players.” “Sorry, man, but I really don’t see myself in college at the moment,” Brett chimed in from where he played chess with Tim. He was still figuring out where to go from here and what he wanted to do with his life but Liam had asked him about starting college anyway. Brett had always been great at lacrosse.

“When will the open training take place?” Sadie asked.  Liam shrugged and flipped a page in the folder. “Don’t know yet. I hope whenever it takes place some people actually show up.” Koda walked over and dropped his toy in Liam’s lap and Liam laughed. “You could play with us.” He petted the dog and kissed Koda on top of his head which resulted in a happy bark. “You are fast and agile and a great goalie for sure.” Koda wagged his tail and then curled up next to Liam who handed him his toy back and the puppy happily chewed on it. So Liam was free to make some more notes about what he wanted to see in the team and what he thought was missing in their current lineup.

“Why doesn’t Theo play lacrosse? I always wanted to ask but never really went through with it. He is very athletic, wouldn’t he be a great addition?” Tim questioned.  “The only thing I like about lacrosse is watching my boyfriend play it and how happy it makes him. I really don’t want to get involved with that. I’m more a gym type of guy,” Theo called from the kitchen and Tim jumped.  “Jesus, I hate when he tunes into conversations in other rooms. Always scares the fuck out of me!” “That’s just Theo making a show of his werewolf hearing. You still have not gotten used to it?” Ever asked with a laugh and Tim shrugged sheepishly.  “Yeah, I mean, it still startles me sometimes.” Liam snickered but then picked up notepad and folder and wandered into the kitchen. 

Theo had declared himself in charge of tonight’s dinner and shooed everyone from the kitchen. Liam still wanted to check and offer his help. He knew Theo could cook but having a help was nice too. “You okay in here?” He asked when he walked in and put his things on the table. Theo nodded and didn’t look up from where he was cutting tomatoes.  “You cook for us all the time and barely ask for help. I will be fine handling dinner on my own for one night.” “Hm.” Liam leaned against the counter and watched his mate work. “I know you will be okay but having a help is also okay.” Now Theo pointed the knife at him. “Don’t even try it, Emerson, tonight’s your night off. You’re not doing one thing in the kitchen.” “Okay, okay.” Liam raised both hands in surrender and laughed. “Fine, I will just watch. And maybe touch.” Theo had returned to cutting tomatoes now tsked. “Haven’t you just agreed to not touch the food?” “Wasn’t talking about the food.” Liam stepped behind Theo and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. One hand pulled up Theo’s shirt, the other stroked over his abs. “You’re looking great as provider and chef, can’t blame me.” He put his chin on Theo’s shoulder and watched him cut one tomato after the other. When he was done and put the knife aside, Liam wrapped both arms around his middle and pulled him flush against his own body. Theo’s breath hitched and Liam smirked. “I will thank you later for the food,  I promise,” he whispered into Theo’s ear and then kissed over Theo’s cheek and his neck.  “If you keep doing that, the food will get burned,” Theo warned him but tilted his head and gave Liam more room. “Hm, takeout would be fine too.” Liam pulled down the collar of Theo’s shirt and kissed the mating bite. Theo shuddered and pressed against Liam.  “You’re bad, you’re really bad. But I love it. However, I refuse to burn the food. No matter how hard you try, you little devil.” “Uh, that’s a new nickname. What happened to naughty little Alpha?” “You’re still are my naughty little Alpha but right now you’re also devilish. And now get your sweet ass away from me or I will really burn the food and I don’t want that. Would be a waste.” He was right about that and Liam pressed another kiss to Theo’s puls point and then stepped back. “I love you.” “I love you too, Lee.”

****** One day later Liam found himself on the desk in his room where he still hovered over the folder and the team. This was difficult because while the team improved it still lacked good players. Sadie was good, Liam himself, a few of the others had potential but it wasn’t enough to win a title and Liam was competitive enough to want a title. 

“Still short on players?” Theo leaned against the headboard of their bed and read but now he had lowered his book and watched Liam. It was Friday so they had no obligations the other morning and even now it was close to midnight both didn’t plan on going to bed just now. They rather relaxed around each other and they both did their own thing. It was kind of nice.  “Yep. Next week is the open training and I really hope we will solve the problem then. I’d really like to win a title with the team at least once.” “My little champion,” Theo mocked him lovingly and Liam stuck out his tongue at him. Theo grinned.  “How mature, Liam.” “Hey, you are the twenty-something-year-old, not me, baby boy.” “Baby boy? Really?” Theo older gave Liam an amused look and Liam snickered.  “You’re right, that’s not very fitting.” He laughed and Theo shook his head with a fond smile but then got up from the bed.  “Getting myself a glass of orange juice, want something?” Liam shook his head and Theo left the room while he returned his attention back to the team. 

He worked for a while when Theo called him.  “Liam, can you come downstairs? I think the fridge is broken or something. You should check this out.” “What? It was working just fine the whole day,” Liam muttered to himself but got up and left the room anyway. When he walked downstairs, however, the kitchen was dark. “You probably would see more if you turned on the light. Or is this broken as well? I swear, if this is a trick and you jump me, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

There was a sizzling sound and suddenly sparklers drizzled. Around the kitchen island in the middle stood the pack and they all smiled at him before they started singing.

“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Liam,  Happy Birthday to you!”

Liam laughed. This was an amazing surprise and he really had not fully expected this right at midnight. During the day maybe, but not now. “It’s after midnight, you’re twenty!” Mason exclaimed and then hugged Liam tightly. “Happy Birthday, Lee. I hope you enjoy your day,” he whispered into Liam’s ear and Liam squeezed him.  “Thanks, Mase, I will.” After Mason came Corey and then Sadie and so one by one of his Betas hugged him and congratulated him. Brett smirked at him and high-fived him. “The big two zero, huh?” And then he also hugged Liam.  Theo was the last to congratulate Liam and he stepped up to him and took Liam’s face in his hands. “Happy Birthday, baby,” he wished Liam and then kissed him. The pack cheered and Liam smiled into the kiss while he wrapped both arms around Theo’s neck. 

“Guys, thank you so much. This is awesome,” he thanked his pack when he and Theo broke the kiss and Liam looked at his Betas.  “No need to thank us now, you haven’t opened your presents yet,” Sadie told him and pointed at the table where the presents had been put aside. Maya turned off the light again and Liam realized the sparklers from earlier had been put in a chocolate cake. The cake looked delicious and he could not wait to taste it. But presents first. When Sadie was so eager to see him open the presents, he would not keep her and the others waiting. 

He stepped up to the table and eyed the various presents. “Really, you got me that much? That’s insane, guys.” “Stop it and open it up,” Corey cut him off with a grin. Liam smirked but when on opening the first present. It contained a light green bomber jacket with various patches of his favorite bands and lacrosse. But when patch on the sleeve caught his eye the most. Alpha was written there in big white letters on black background and rounded with a red frame. He laughed. “That is a great jacket, can’t wait to wear it. Thank you.”

He continued to open the presents. Liam got new headphones, the newest album from his favorite band, new lacrosse gloves, another hoodie, the newest Tomb Raider game (which he had wanted for such a long time), a new case for his phone, and then the only present left was Theo’s. It was a rectangular box and Liam cast Theo a curious glance.  “I’m not telling you what it is, have to open it.”  “This is too large for an engagement ring,” Mason realized and Liam scoffed at how disappointed he sounded. He ripped the wrapping paper away and then opened the box. There were new sneakers inside, dark blue, and Liam remembered he had seen them in the shop and liked them immediately. There was something else his eyes were drawn to first, however. On the inside of the lid, Theo had written in his nicest handwriting: To keep you running through my mind. Liam smiled at his boyfriend while the girls cooed next to him.  “I noticed your favorite sneakers are about to bite the dust. And it’s true.”  Theo smiled at Liam and played it off as nothing.  “Thank you so much. You’re the best.” Liam wrapped his arms around Theo and kissed him lovingly. Theo put his arms around Liam’s waist and pulled him close.  “Look into the right shoe,” he whispered into Liam’s ear when they parted and he kissed his boyfriend’s cheek.  “Hm?” That made Liam curious and he reached for the right shoe. When he looked inside, he found something small there and pulled it out. 

It was a car key with a simple metal key pendant. This isn’t even a car key, engraved on the pendant. And this time Liam laughed really loudly.  “This is the spare key to the truck. I want you to have it. That way you don’t have to always ask for the keys when you have to drive it. And the pendant is for you not losing the key. When the salesman asked me if I wanted to engrave something, I just had to go for it.” Theo laughed himself while the rest of the pack looked quizzical.  “But this is a car key. I don’t get it,” Nolan mumbled. “I could be wrong but I think this is a Liam and Theo joke,” Ever shared her opinion about it. “And Liam obviously gets it and likes it very much.” “Oh yes, I do.” Liam was still cackling. “This is awesome. Thank you all so much for the great surprise and the presents.”

It's maybe a little late but it's still Christmas around here so: Merry Christmas, everybody! ♥ I hope you all are fine and happy and healthy. No matter how stressful this year has been, maybe you found or will find the time to get some rest and recharge your batteries. Anyway, I wish you the best. Hope you enjoyed this new chapter. I really like Brett, liked him when he appeared in the series, but I didn't want to have everything to be sunshine and rainbows and lollipops. There had to be some trouble but he's getting better. He will be a great addition to the pack, just like Lori. (Also, angry Theo is hot af, if you ask me and it was fun writing him) As always, feel free to comment and tell me about your wishes and expectations for the next chapter. It's really interesting to read everything and maybe surprise you along the line. Love you all!

[master-sass-blast]

Strong as Stone --Part Twenty-Eight

Well, hello there! Welcome to some good times!

Last time we got to see some snapshots of O’Chenga’s, M’Baku’s, Ayo’s, and Aneka’s lives. This time, we get to see kindergartners try to climb M’Baku like a tree!

That’s right, it’s the promised and long awaited fluff update! We’re back in America, but this time we’re just having a bunch of fun!

Rating: T for mild language.

Pairings: Okoye x M’Baku, T’Challa x Nakia, and Shuri x OC.

Many thanks to @ginghampearlsandsweettea to helping me come up with different things to do in this update (and future updates as well)!

@the-last-hair-bender, @skysynclair19

Loss of perspective is deadly. Perhaps not in the sense of literal death, but in the sense that you will lose yourself.

Don’t lose sight of the true purpose in what you do. Don’t confuse the challenges you face with the reason you started the journey in the first place.

Keep your eyes set on the right goals, my dears. It may end up saving you in the end.

“Sorry I’m late!” Nakia dashed into the dining room with a shocked, if pleased, expression on her face. “You’re not going to believe what I just found out about.”

Okoye raised an eyebrow. “I can only imagine.”

“The apocalypse happened and it was way more anti-climatic than any of us were expecting?” Dewani suggested as she tried --and failed--to sneak food off Shuri’s plate.

“It’s entirely possible.” Nakia held up a tablet which had an article from the Associated Press on the screen. “Trump’s been impeached.”

“About damn time,” M’Baku muttered as he took a long sip of wine.

“What happened?” Ramonda asked.

“According to an official report from Congress, his increasingly inflammatory behavior over the sexual assault lawsuit from Wakandan official, General Okoye, prompted an emergency session in the governing bodies of the nation, who voted that the President’s misconduct was sufficient grounds for impeachment. An overwhelming majority of the senators voted to convict, and the President was removed from office the following morning. Vice President Mike Pence stands to be inaugurated into the office of President, as follows the regular traditions and practices,” Nakia read off her tablet. She stopped and looked up, eyes wide. “It’s real. He was escorted from the White House this afternoon.”

Okoye realized that everyone was looking at her, and suddenly felt like she was a slide under a microscope. She picked up her glass of wine and stared down at the dark red liquid. Thank Bast, it’s done. Now, if everyone would just stop staring at me...

Honestly, what were they expecting? Tears? A victory dance? A rant?

Candidly, all of those would probably happen later, but in private, with only M’Baku or Ayo and Aneka to bear witness. It definitely, however, was not going to happen in front of the King, the Princess, and the Queen Mother.

I’d rather shove a fork in my eye.

“Anyway,” Dewani chirped as she quickly snatched a piece of mango off Shuri’s plate and tucked it in her cheek. “Glad that’s over. What’s next?”

Okoye a discreet ‘thank you’ at her, to which Dewani winked in return.

“Well--” Shuri eyed Dewani with mock annoyance “--I’m going on my United States college tour to give demonstrations of Wakandan scientific development.” She frowned when both T’Challa and Okoye grimaced. “What? Why do you two look like you just sucked on a lemon?”

“It’s just been... exhausting to deal with the American policy makers. I guess you could say we’re feeling a little...”

“Burnt out?” Okoye suggested grimly, quietly, when T’Challa trailed off.

“Well, no wonder. You’ve been focusing on the wrong things.”

The corner of T’Challa’s mouth lifted as he raised an eyebrow at his sister. “Have we?”

“Obviously. You’ve lost sight of why we’re doing the outreach program. It’s not for the policy makers. It’s for the communities we’re reaching out to. Duh.”

“Shuri,” Ramonda said as she expertly smothered a smile. “Be nice.”

“Sorry. Anyway, you ought to come with me! It’ll be good for you to connect to the communities a little. Give you an image of what you’re working for when you have to deal with the policy makers.”

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” Nakia said. “It’d be good for all of us to see some positivity out of all of this so we don’t become too jaded.”

“Nakia--”

“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun!”

M’Baku shrugs. “I was already going for part of the time to keep an eye on Dewani.”

“It’s like you don’t trust me,” Dewani fake complained as she slipped a bite of fried eggplant off M’Baku’s plate. “I honestly don’t get it.”

“Just my older brother instincts. Eat off your own plate please.”

Admittedly, Okoye didn’t seem too much appeal in going back to America. She’d had enough of the environment and the chaos for the time being. All she really wanted to do was hole up in her apartment for a few days and keep to her own schedule as she damn well pleased.

But Nakia was right. Finding positivity in a difficult situation was important. And if was possible --more than likely, even--that her and T’Challa’s burn out was coming from misplaced focus; if that was the case, then resetting that focus as soon as possible would be crucial to keep the burn out from setting in too deeply.

Plus, it would mean that she’d get to spend time with M’Baku...

Okoye shrugged. What the hell. “I’m in.”

“Okay, I’m fine with the dress, but why do I have to wear these?” Dewani held up a pair of pump heels like they were an about-to-explode bomb.

They were back in Washington D.C., starting Shuri’s college tour with her at Howard University.

“It’s a historically black college,” Shuri had explained on their flight to the United States. “It was established in 1867 to serve African American communities during apartheid and the segregation era. They’re ranked eighty-ninth in national universities, thirty-fourth in best undergraduate teaching, seventy-third in best value schools, have a sixty percent graduation rate, and it’s well known for its excellent science programs.”

“Well, that explains why you’re going,” T’Challa had said with a smile.

“Appearance and presentation is important at Howard University,” Shuri explained as she took the shoes out of Dewani’s hands. “We’re dressing with the crowd. But I think you’ll be happier with these.” She handed her girlfriend a pair of low heeled --but still stylish--ankle boots. “They’ll be more comfortable.”

“I knew there was a reason I loved you.”

Okoye smiled slightly as Dewani and Shuri chattered together --then smiled broader as M’Baku’s arms settled around her shoulders and leaned back against his solid chest. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” His lips pressed against her temple in a way that was chaste and sensual all at once. “You look a picture, ‘koye.”

“Thank you.” She turned, eyed the suit he wore and the elegant kente scarf draped across his chest, and eyed him a way that she knew hid absolutely none of the sudden hunger she feels for him --which, of course, was exactly what she was going for. “You look good, too.”

M’Baku raised an eyebrow and smirked down at her. “Do I now?”

“Of course.”

There was a knock at the door, and then it swung open to reveal a rather exasperated looking T’Challa. “Shuri. We need to leave now or we’re going to be late.”

“Yes, yes, hold on to your shorts! I’m just finishing up!”

“Shuri, I said leaving, not--”

Shuri tsked as she put on her plum colored overcoat and extended the handle on her rolling lab bag. “Relax, brother. Are you always so nervous?”

Okoye hid an amused smile into the back of her hand as T’Challa rolled his eyes while Shuri breezed past him with Dewani.

M’Baku nudged her shoulder, then held out his arm to her when she looked up. “Are you ready, my lady?”

Okoye grinned and looped her arm through his. “That I am.”

Okoye watched from the background as Shuri went through the paces of demonstrating the various capabilities of Wakandan technology. She didn’t pretend to understand all of it --she wasn’t incompetent, by any means, but she wasn’t on Shuri’s level either--but she could tell that the Princess was having quite the effect on the crowd.

The students were all in various states of awe, eyes wide and more mouths hanging open than not. Some were hastily taking notes while Shuri talked, while others were just sitting back and taking everything in.

Even though she’d grown up sheltered from the outside world, she still knew that things were undeniably stacked against the African diaspora. Slavery. Segregation. Apartheid. The Jim Crow era. Everything N’Jadaka had cited in his reasons for waging war on the outside world and more.

She was lucky, she realized. She’d grown up with countless role models and inspirations that looked like her, in a society where people like her were celebrated.

Tragic as it was, that wasn’t even close to a universally common experience.

But, as Okoye watched countless students of color watch Shuri with stars in their eyes, she realized it could be. That the outreach program could help make growing up admiring and aspiring to be like role models that looked like you a more common facet of life.

She smiled as she felt the burned out feeling that made her limbs weary fade, replaced by new energy and determination. This. This is what we’re here for.

They stayed for a while after the demonstration ended so that Shuri could meet and talk to the students. They clamored around her like excited children, asking her questions about Wakanda and her life there and different advancements in technology.

“Wakanda is amazing --though being the sister of a king isn’t as exciting as you might think,” she said with a cheeky wink in T’Challa’s direction.

“Very funny,” T’Challa replied, good natured, when everyone laughed.

“Is it true that the Wakandan Outreach Program is going to offer scholarship opportunities and financial aid for students?” another student asked.

“That is one of our goals, but coordinating with different colleges and universities is making things a little difficult,” Shuri said with a nod. “We are confident, though, that we’ll be able to start offering different options to members of the program by the end of next year.”

A rush of murmurs went through the students, various grumblings about loans and vows to get connected with the outreach program as soon as they could.

Okoye narrowed her eyes and leaned towards T’Challa. “How does Howard University rank as far as financial aid options and tuition costs?”

“Not bad, but the United States isn’t exactly known for its inexpensive education.”

Well, that was no small secret. Between the regular reports that Wakanda got on other nations’ financial status and Shuri’s seemingly omniscient connection to social media, Okoye knew all too well that too many students were shot in the foot with debt before they even graduated.

“I wish there was something we could do about that,” Nakia murmured as she watched Shuri and Dewani field questions from the students and take selfies with them.

Okoye didn’t miss the contemplative gleam in T’Challa’s eyes, and she carefully suppressed a smile. Bast, I know he’s planning something, and I know it’s going to be good.

“Okay, I’m back from the university. There’s no one to see any texts or overhear any phone calls. Now, will you please tell me why you made an impromptu trip to the university President’s office without telling me?”

Okoye smirked. Barely two seconds in the door and she’s already asking questions.

Some things about Shuri never changed, no matter how old she got or how much of the world she’d seen.

“If you really must know,” T’Challa said with an amused smile. “We were just settling the issue of who would be the commencement speaker for the upcoming Spring graduation.”

Shuri blinked, then grinned, wide and bright. “Really? You’re going to be the commencement speaker?”

“I think I know how to give a speech, Shuri.”

“Debatable.” She surged forward and wrapped her arms around her brother’s shoulders. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

Shuri shrugged, still smiling as she stepped back. “For not giving up.”

T’Challa smiled back. “So, I know we can’t accompany you to the lab observations for safety reasons. Do you have any recommendations for what we do while you’re busy?”

“Funny you should ask... I might’ve taken the liberty of booking a couple things for you.”

The corner of Okoye’s mouth turned up in a smile as T’Challa rolled his eyes. This ought to be good.

It was good. It was really good.

Shuri had arranged a series of ‘meet and greets’ at some local elementary, middle, and high schools for them over the next couple of days. Each time they walked into a gym or a crowded auditorium, they were greeted with excited chatter and cheers.

Today was no exception. They were surrounded by a group of excited kindergartners, answering questions about life in Wakanda and learning more about life in the United States. They were shocked to find out that Wakanda didn’t have things like Poptarts, Oreos, and other Western staples --and even more thrilled to learn about the Dora Milaje.

Everywhere she went, no matter what their background, young girls loved finding out that there was an entire group of soldiers comprised only of women. No matter how many successful missions she cleared or how many places she traveled to, seeing the look of excitement on young girls’ faces when they saw other women being powerful in their own right was always --would always be--Okoye’s favorite part of her job.

She --carefully--showed her spear to the class, explaining how it worked and --very carefully--demonstrated how she twirled it.

Perhaps the funniest moment of the day, though, was how well the students took to M’Baku. They bobbed around him, ridiculously tiny compared to his sheer size, asking him questions about the Jabari lands and the differences between the Jabari and the rest of Wakanda.

Then, one student tried to climb him like they would a tree, and it was all over from there.

M’Baku, to his credit, took everything in his usual relaxed stride. He patiently answered each question in turn and happily let the students clamber all over him until the teacher told them to settle back down.

Okoye couldn’t help but grin as he lifted two students, one gripping to each hand, as he would a pair of weights. She chuckled when he jibed at T’Challa about the might of the Jabari, but she was all too aware of the warmth settling in her lower abdomen. He looks good when he works with kids.

Not for the first time, she was grateful she had her own hotel room for this trip. It would make dealing with these... feelings much, much easier.

“Would you want to have a boy first, or a girl?”

They were back at the hotel, lying in the center of Okoye’s bed, propped up on pillows as they cuddled together and enjoyed some time alone together.

“I mean, obviously them being healthy and happy is the biggest priority, and I suppose the gender doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things,” Okoye said. “But I am genuinely curious.”

“I get what you’re saying,” M’Baku said as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. He kissed the top of her head. “It’s one of those things people ask. I wouldn’t be upset with either a son or a daughter, but... I kind of want a boy first.” He grinned. “I’ve already raised a girl, technically. I want to try my hand with a boy.”

“Makes sense. Would Dewani be their older sister, or their aunt?”

“Aunt. She and I already talked about it; that’s what she wants.”

Okoye raised an eyebrow at him. “The two of you have talked about us wanting kids?”

“Well, yes, but that’s not what I’m referring to. She’s always known that I’ll need to have biological children of my own some day. I check in with her about once a year or so, to see if her opinion’s changed, but she’s always wanted to be an aunt. For as much as I’ve done my best to raise her well, we’ve never quite fit into a ‘father-daughter’ dynamic.”

“You two do your own thing,” Okoye agreed.

M’Baku chuckled and pulled her in closer. “That we do.”

“Is it wrong if I say I’d rather be with the students than here?”

Okoye closed her hand over M’Baku’s and squeezed it reassuringly. “No. But this time will be better.”

They were sitting in front of the White House again. Her attorney had contacted her a few days ago, informing her that she could expect the settlement payment in approximately five days and that the newly minted President Pence would be holding a press conference to offer an official apology to her and anyone else harmed by the former President’s behavior.

If she was being honest, Okoye was just glad it was all over with.

She watched as President Pence walked up to a podium, expression stoic. She kept her expression neutral as his calm gaze flicked over to her and M’Baku, then to T’Challa and Nakia. Bast, can we please just get on with this?

Fortunately, it seemed that the Panther goddess was smiling down on her after all; at that moment, the new President cleared his throat and began his apology speech.

Okoye sat back and partially listened as he apologized to her, specifically, and to any other women that had been harmed by Trump’s behaviors and encouragement. Mostly, though, his words just seemed wash over her, flowing past her and dissipating somewhere behind her.

She appreciated the apology, really, but it was also really obvious that it was a politically correct formality. Here they were, in front of a group of reporters, hearing a televised speech that wasn’t even fully addressed to her and the frustration she’d had to endure for the past couple months.

Politically, she understood why they were doing things the way they were, but she wasn’t a political entity. She was a person. And, sometimes, she wanted to just be treated like a person, dammit.

Screw them, Okoye decided. She focused her thoughts on the high school students that had come dressed in Dora Milaje costumes, on the kindergartners that had gasped when she’d showed them the workings of her spear, and the college students that had been sitting in near dumbstruck awe as they watched Shuri demonstrate the capabilities of Wakandan technology. We’re not here for the politics, and we’re not here for the politicians; we’re here for the people.

That was the truth of it. The Outreach program had never been for politics, never been for looking good. It had been for people. For trying to rectify the damage they’d done in sitting in the shadows and doing nothing.

She let go of the nuances of what she found wrong with the apology and found peace in sitting back and focusing on the past few days. It’s an end to the madness, she told herself about the apology. Let it stay that way. They don’t deserve any more of your energy.

Breathe in, breathe out. Be like the stones in the river.

She breathed in.

She breathed out.

She was at peace.

[richiardtozier]

congratulations!!! could i get some kasplon first date hcs please :)

thank you so much!!

uhh I’ve been in such a kasplon mood lately so yes you absolutely positively certainly can

I’m really sorry this took so long feel free to come yell at me :/

this is a modern high school au and this is kinda more how kasplon got together + first date so yay bonus points?? Unless this isn’t what you wanted and if that’s the case just tell me and I’ll do something else!! Also the ending is kind of rushed :/

Also also sorry this got a little (a lot) long,,, i hope you don’t mind!!

// i know you didn’t ask for a moodboard, but here it is anyway bc why not

- if you ask mike or eddie what their first date was they’ll probably both tell you the same thing

- and it’s kind of funny bc it happened before they were even a couple

- it started like this:

- mike had finally convinced his grandpa to let him start going to public school his freshman year

- on his first day he was pretty nervous bc he didn’t know anyone

- but he noticed a boy that was in pretty much all of his classes

- and ohhhh man was that boy cute

- long story short mike introduced himself and learned his name was eddie

- and then eddie introduced him to his other friends bc wow he’s the nicest guy in the world and he may be the best person Eddie has ever met and boy oh boy is he handsome and he just knows his friends will love him too and tada!

- mike was the new addition to the losers club

- and everyone noticed right away that mike had it bad for Eddie and that Eddie had it bad for mike

- everyone except for Eddie and mike anyway

- but mike tried his hardest

- he tried to flirt with Eddie every chance he got but Eddie just didn’t get the hint bc he was sure there was no way that someone like Mike Hanlon would flirt with him

- no matter how many times his bff Ben tried to tell him

- “Ed.. mike complimented your hair like five different times today. He was totally flirting. He winked and everything.”

- “No no no Ben. He wasn’t flirting with me. He’s just really nice. That’s all.”

- “Eddie. Dude. Mike was trying to hold your hand earlier. Didn’t you notice?”

- “No, Ben that’s not what happened. It was an accident. We were just walking close to each other and our hands brushed together.”

- “Eddie, mike literally called you beautiful and told you that he’d marry you if he could.”

- “Ben, he’s just nice.”

- flash forward to their junior year

- yes this goes on for 2 years

- literally they were the embodiment of the whole “are you flirting with me? have been for the past 2 years but thanks for noticing” thing wow I hate them

- anyway mike eventually came to the conclusion that Eddie just wasn’t interested

- which broke mikes heart bc he was totally gone for Eddie

- and Eddie was way too afraid to tell mike how he really felt

- so unbeknownst to the other, they each decided to ignore their massive crush and settle for just being bfffffs

- they spent pretty much all their spare time together

- if they weren’t with the other losers they were usually hanging out at eddie’s house doing homework, listening to music or just talking and enjoying each other’s company and it was all good

- until it wasn’t all good

- bc back when mike had convinced his grandpa to let him start attending derry high, the deal was that he had to keep up with his share of the work on the farm

- and mike agreed bc it wouldn’t be that hard to do both, right? wrongo

- he kept up with his chores pretty well the first year or 2 and his grandpa had cut him a little slack bc he knew it was a whole new experience for mike and he was probably a little overwhelmed

- but when junior year came around he noticed that it wasn’t getting any better so he tells mike that he has until the end of junior year to prove to him that he can still pull his weight or he would have to go back to homeschooling

- His grandpa wasn’t a bad guy… it was just that there was so much that needed to be done and they couldn’t afford to actually hire anyone

- Mike tells the losers this and that there was no way he would be able to handle his school work and his chores so they might as well get ready for mike to leave derry high

- and they aren’t having it okay bc they love mike and he isn’t going anywhere

- so when they’re available, the rest of the losers come to the farm after school and on weekends to help mike with his chores

- all of them except eddie, much to mike’s disappointment

- bc even though eddie found out years ago that his mother had been lying to him about him being sick, the hypochondria and some of the fear and anxiety he had about sickness and disease still remained

- and going to a farm??? with all of the animals and dirt and manure and germs??? that was a hospital visit waiting to happen. especially if his mom found out

- so he made up an excuse each time anyone asked him about it. he was always “busy”

- Mike tried to act like he wasn’t bothered by the lack of eddie’s company but his friends didn’t miss the comments he made

- “Eddie would love the apple orchard, don’t you guys think? He loves apples.”

- “Eddie would probably have a fit if he saw me in this pig pen. He’d probably pull that face where his nose scrunches up and he’d start yelling about germs. He’s the cutest, don’t y’all agree? God, I miss him. I wish he’d come visit.”

- “ I know he thinks the farm is dirty, but I hope that doesn’t mean he thinks i’m dirty too, ya know?”, he tells ben one day with a sad look on his face and ben’s heart breaks for him

- Ben informs eddie of what mike had said and eddie immediately feels incredibly guilty bc he never meant to make mike feel that way

- so eddie decides that he’s gonna try and tell his anxiety to fuck off for at least a day so that he can surprise mike at his farm

- Ben tells the other losers to make up some excuse as to why they couldn’t come help mike that saturday so eddie and mike could be alone ;)

- eddie obviously tries to dress and look the part of ‘experienced farm boy’ to impress mike but he has no idea what that look is

- but then he thinks… “overalls”

- He knows he’s seen mike wear them at some point and he’s pretty sure he has a pair in the back of his closet from 2 years ago that his mother got him for christmas

- he had hated them but hey if mike liked them

- he got himself ready and got in his car

- He soon learned that telling your anxiety to fuck off doesnt really work bc he had a little trouble controlling his breathing on the way over

- but he also has trouble deciding whether or not it was bc he was literally driving towards a field of animal shit or because he was driving towards mike

- mike tends to make his heart beat a little faster, he realized

- when he gets there he honks the horn to get mikes attention

- he sees mike run out the barn looking slightly confused and wearing a white t shirt and jeans and eddie tries not to think about how incredible he looks even when he’s all sweaty

- mike can’t keep the smile off of his face when he realizes it’s eddie

- as eddie steps out of his car mike sees the shy smile on his face and wow he’s adorable and oh gosh he’s wearing overalls!!!! mike thinks he might die

- “What are you doing here?”

-  “I’m here to help. Oh and ben might have told me that you were afraid that I thought you were dirty and that is not true at all… it’s just… you know how I am about getting sick.”

- “Well, I’m glad you don’t think I’m dirty, but you really don’t have to be here if you’re worried, Eddie.” mike replies with the kind smile that eddie loses sleep over

- “No, it’s okay. I’m done being afraid. Tell me what I can do.”

- It turns out that mike had pretty much finished for today, but there was one thing that he wanted to do with eddie

- He hands eddie a basket and grabs his wrist to lead him around the farm

- The whole place is actually pretty nice. the scenery is quite beautiful and eddie can feel his anxiety melting away and he almost feels foolish for thinking that it would be filthy and dirty

- mike eventually leads eddie to a trail in the woods and eddie is in awe when he turns the corner to see basically a whole field of apple trees

- “We’re actually gonna pick apples?”

- “uh… yeah… unless you think that’s lame. I just thought you’d like it. I was hoping you’d show up eventually so that I could bring you out here, but we can totally do something else I-”

- “No! I mean… no. This is great. Perfect.”

- so they spend the next hour on ladders, eddie’s much taller than mike’s, which mike thinks is adorable, picking apples off of the trees and dropping them into their baskets,, talking and laughing

- both of them are secretly thinking that this is the most fun they’ve had in a while

- at one point they fall into a comfortable silence until eddie interrupts it with the question he’s been wanting to ask since they began their apple picking

- “Why were you hoping to bring me out here? To pick apples, I mean.”

- Mike has a slight blush on his cheeks when he says: “Oh… well because you know that one time you told me that apples were your favorite fruit… so… an apple orchard seemed like something you’d like… I guess.”

- He then laughs a little when he says: “but then you corrected yourself saying they tied with strawberries. You rambled about different fruits for about an hour after that. You were trying to rank them on a scale from sour to sweet. ten being the best and the sweetest.”

- Eddie hardcore blushes and turns his head, but continues to pick apples when he says: “oh my God… how lame is that? Sorry you had to listen to that”

- Mike blushes again when he says: “I’m not. It was cute. I think it was the moment I knew I had a crush on you.”

- They both seem kind of shocked that he had said that out loud.

- Mike chose to ignore the fact that he said it all and continued to fill his basket

- Eddie on the other hand thinks he’s going pass out

- He waits for mike to say something else, but he doesn’t

- So eddie does

- “I’m done being afraid.”

- Mike turns around at the sound of eddie’s voice and he’s met with eddie climbing the other side of his ladder to press their lips together

- Mike drops his basket, letting the apples fall to the ground, and brings his hands up to hold eddie’s small face and eddie’s hands tangle themselves in mike’s t shirt

- the kiss is gentle and sweet and everything mike and eddie had both been dreaming about since they laid eyes on each other the moment mike had walked into first period on their first day of high school

- Both of their faces are flushed when they pull away and all they can do is smile at each other

- Mike finally says, “I think we have enough apples. What do you think? Wanna go up to my room?”

- Eddie, still too breathless to say anything, just nods

- Mike’s room, eddie learns, is the loft in the barn

- It’s nice and neat and organized with pictures and fairy lights hung on the wall

- It’s very ‘mike’ and eddie loves it’

- They sit on mike’s bed and talk and laugh for hours

- They kiss some more too bc wow it was fun the first time

- Mike’s bed is covered in a whole bunch of pillows and quilts and it’s incredibly cozy and eddie never wants to leave

- They get hungry after a while though so they do finally leave and go to eddie’s favorite diner and they share a strawberry milkshake

- That monday at school, their friends see eddie hopping out of mike’s truck and then watch as they walk towards them, mike’s arm around eddie’s shoulders and eddie smiling up at him

- Of course they all congratulate them and tell them how happy they are for them but not without a “What took you idiots so fucking long?” from richie

- This was long and it may be a shitty but wow i love boyfriends