#Not to mention the movie is about real people who went through hell and had to make extreme choices to survive

[dasakuryo]

the way some gringxs engage in sm with LSDLN and Enzo Vogrincic having a resemblance to A//d*m Dr//*ver to be specific is just... ugh. I get it, Enzo has said he's flattered to be compared with a Hollywood actor and that he likes his work but...can you all recognise him for the fantastic work he has done and the superb actor he is on his own right? Why is it so hard for some people to appreciate Latin American actors and their talent without being (redacted)

[waterhousse]

I Saw Her For the First Time

I saw her for the first time, and I was lonely for the last time

Pairing: modern!ellie williams x reader

Summary: you’re practically the girl of her dreams. it’s a shame her friend saw you first.

Author’s note: HELLO i’m back at it again with pure fluff. i didn’t know exactly how to label this one so i just put modern ellie but it has a little bit of guitarist ellie and also nerdy ellie. hope you like it !

Photo creds: elliesxgun and vamp4r3 on pinterest :)

I stand with Palestine, you should too.

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• • • •

ellie was absentmindedly playing a made-up melody on her guitar, softly strumming away as she listened to the conversation her friends were having. lisa, her roomate and vocalist of her band, was telling everyone about the new girl she had been talking to. it was the first time she heard your name.

"she's hot,” was dina's final veredict once she was done scrolling through your profile. she passed the phone to jesse, who immediately agreed.

“i know. she’s really cool and funny but she’s really into comics and fantasy movies and i don’t know shit about that.”

"so, she's a nerd."

"basically, but a pretty one. it’s just that ninety percent of the time i don't know what the hell she's talking about." lisa's complaint was followed by a tired sigh as she threw her head back on the couch. then, she looked to her side, where ellie was. "she reminds me of you, actually."

she instantly frowned, "are you calling me a nerd?"

“i mean…” jesse trailed off before dodging the water bottle ellie threw at him.

"you like all those things, right? maybe you could help me with her."

"help you how, exactly?"

"well, i kinda already told her i like all of what she mentioned so whenever that comes up you'll take over and say whatever makes me look cool."

"what's in it for me?"

ellie sat emotionless as her friend began listing everything she could do for her in exchange for her help, such as deep cleaning the apartment or buying her favorite snacks every day.

she let out a low whistle, “someone's desperate.”

“dude—”

“why can’t you just talk to her about something else?”

“because i already told her i liked all of that stuff! keep up.” lisa rolled her eyes. “tell me if it’s not worth it.” she quickly typed in your instagram username and passed the phone to her.

ellie’s eyes almost widened at the sight of you, but she managed to mask her reaction just in time. she silently scrolled down your instagram profile, clicking on the posts that caught her attention the most.

"so, what do you think?"

"uh, she's alright."

you were more than alright.

"you have such high standards,” dina huffed.

yes, and you apparently met them all.

lisa snatched the phone back from her hands as the group began discussing a new topic; ellie’s picky taste in women, even when they practically threw themselves at her. it had been a while since her friends last saw her on a date or even having a crush.

ellie threw her head back with a groan as she stood up from the couch, “are you going to keep talking about me or are we gonna rehearse?”

their band was a regular on friday nights at one of their town’s most popular bars. over the time they had been playing there, they had gathered an audience of people that went to see them. ellie would hate to disappoint them, or maybe she just hated when the conversation was centered around her.

“i think we’re gonna keep talking about you,” dina joked as she picked up her bass.

once rehearsal was over, lisa practically ran to her phone to check if she had any new messages from you. apparently, she had asked to go on a date next week and you had said yes.

“you’re gonna to have to teach me everything you know,” lisa mumbled to ellie with her eyes glued to the phone as she quickly typed her reply to you.

“great, just how i wanted to spend my free time.”

even though ellie had no real interest in doing that favor to her friend, she stuck to her word. whenever the “nerdy topics”, has lisa had called them, came up, she took over the conversation. that part of the plan wasn’t awful, in fact, ellie secretly enjoyed the moments she got to talk to you, but she had to keep reminding herself that you weren’t actually talking to her, but lisa.

it had been a confusing last couple of days.

“just try to not let those topics come up in the conversation and if they do, just agree with everything she says,” ellie advised lisa, because not even her intensive teaching could help the poor girl to memorize anything. “re-read the conversations i had with her. that could work. especially the one we're having right now."

“you’re trying to sound like me, right?”

“sure, i’m making some spelling mistakes and everything.”

“fuck you,” lisa laughed from the bathroom. “alright, tell her i’m on my way.”

“remember to read the last few messages in case she brings them up.”

“thanks, el. see you later!” and with that, she was out of their shared apartment.

ellie sighed, dramatically plopping down on the couch. she swept her gaze over the living room in hopes to find something to do to keep her mind occupied, but nothing seemed appealing enough. she used her phone for a bit, but she couldn’t fully concentrate on what she was seeing.

after tossing and turning for a while, she ended up falling asleep. it wasn’t until two hours later she was suddenly woken up by lisa’s voice mixed with somebody else’s. the sound of the door shutting closed was what made her fully open her eyes, instantly setting them on the two people that had just entered the apartment.

“sorry, didn’t mean to wake you up,” lisa apologized, but ellie didn’t even acknowledge her. instead, she looked past her friend to the person behind her.

you were standing there, an apologetic and slightly embarrassed look on your face. “i didn’t mean to intrude, i’m sorry.”

ellie sat up straight, her fingers combing through her short hair in an attempt to make herself more presentable. “it’s fine, don’t worry.”

an adorable smile formed on your lips, “you’re ellie, right?”

you didn’t wait for her confirmation and proceeded to introduce yourself while she thought about how crazy it was that you didn’t know how many times you two had already spoken.

ellie remained silent, watching you smile shyly at her. then, she realized she hadn’t said anything in a while and it was probably really weird. “it— it’s really nice to meet you.”

“i’m going to the bathroom, i’ll be right back,” lisa said before gesturing you to take a seat on the couch.

hesitantly, you sat down next to ellie. there was another moment of silence in which you looked at her with uncertainty, fearing she might be uncomfortable with your presence. you didn’t know if it’d be best for you to talk to her or to just wait for lisa to come back, not wanting things to get even more awkward.

when ellie returned one of your quick glances, you decided to say something.

“sorry about coming here without letting you know first. i can’t go home yet, my roommate has a guy over,” you admitted with a grimace.

ellie nodded, laughing softly at the reason you were there. “i don’t mind, really.”

“thanks, anyway,” you grinned.

“so, how’d the date go?”

“uh, good.” your answer wasn’t completely honest, ellie could tell. she narrowed your eyes at you, not wanting to pry but at the same time dying to know.

“are you sure about that?”

“you’re her friend, i can’t gossip about her with you.”

“we’re actually not that close.”

you playfully bumped your shoulder into hers before your eyes set on her for a few seconds. she tilted her head as she returned your gaze, silently trying to convince you to talk.

“i don’t know if you’re very persuasive or if i’m just too weak.”

ellie’s smile widened as you sighed, giving in.

“i had a great time,” you began, searching for the right words to say, “but we didn’t hit it off as well as we did through text.”

“that’s weird.” her mumbled words were followed by an awkward chuckle.

“yeah, i know. don’t get me wrong, though, she’s great, but it felt like i was hanging out with a friend. that spark, i guess, you hope to feel on a first date just wasn’t there.”

ellie nodded as she took your words in. “i’m sorry it didn’t work out.”

“oh, it’s fine. we talked about it on the way here. it’s all good. actually, she invited me to see you guys play on friday. you’re the guitarist, right?”

“yeah,” ellie smiled proudly, sitting more comfortably on the couch. “we’re really good. well, you’ll see for yourself. don’t wanna get your expectations too high.”

“it might be a little too late for that,” you replied just as lisa came back.

there was a smile on her lips, she had managed to hear the last bit of the conversation. “we’re great, actually.”

you hummed, “we’ll see.”

“hey, want me to show you the records i was telling you about?”

“can you tell me where the bathroom is, first?”

“sure, it’s the door at the end of the hallway. come to my room afterwards.”

“got it.” you nodded as you stood up from the couch, ellie’s curious eyes following you.

she looked away just in time, because lisa’s gaze fell upon her the moment you were out of sight. “what do you think?”

“she’s cool. plus, she friendzoned you so i gotta give her more points for that.”

“she did not friendzone me!” she protested in a hushed voice. “we friendzoned each other, it was a mutual decision.”

“sure, lis, whatever you say.” ellie went to her room immediately after that, not giving her a chance to defend herself.

she was feeling strangely happy about the outcome of lisa’s date. her friend had always been a player, taking advantage of her ‘rockstar’ status. ellie had done that, too, but lisa loved to be involved with multiple people at the same time. with the short interactions ellie had shared with you, she knew you deserved better than that.

ellie opened her bedroom door as she hummed a melody, not expecting to have company. you were by her bed, closely inspecting one of her action figures. she stood under the doorframe, momentarily frozen at the sight. then, a soft chuckle escaped her lips, alerting you of her presence.

“i’ve been meaning to get this for a while—” you began saying, stopping yourself mid-sentence once you looked up and realized that it was ellie the one standing there and not lisa. “oh, hey. what’s up?”

ellie just smiled as she made her way to her bed under your confused stare. “nothing much,” ellie casually replied as she threw herself on the bed. “just love the comfort of my room, y’know?”

your eyebrows rose slightly, immediately leaving the action figure where you found it, “your room? i’m sorry! there were stickers on the door of lisa’s favorite characters—”

ellie laughed as you kept apologizing. she propped herself onto her elbows, waiting for you to be done with your rambling.

“i promise i didn’t touch anything else.”

“it’s okay, i don’t mind,” ellie answered with a half-smile.

“so, this stuff is all yours?” you asked, sweeping your gaze around the room. it was decorated with a bunch of fantasy movies posters and, on the shelves, there were different book collections as well as many other action figures of, coincidentally, most of your favorite characters.

“uh, yeah.”

“i see…” you hummed before your eyes met hers again.

ellie swallowed hard, her confidence quickly fading away. “lisa and i have practically the same taste,” she was quick to explain, hoping you wouldn’t catch the pathetic quiver on her voice.

“right… okay, i’ll see you friday, then?”

“yeah, see you friday.”

you gave her one last smile before stepping out of her room. it wasn’t until she was alone that she became aware of her racing heart. she laid back on the bed, bringing her hands to her face as she let out a heavy sigh.

that night, ellie fell asleep trying to convince herself that you hadn’t figured out she was behind some of lisa’s texts, that you hadn’t been capable of reading her that well after that short conversation.

ellie woke up the next day ready to avoid thinking about the issue as much as she could, but the universe seemed to conspire against her.

the band was having a break from rehearsal, each of them sprawled around jesse’s garage. ellie had taken her friend’s place behind the drums, absentmindedly playing a beat that faltered when dina brought up your name in a conversation she wasn’t even participating in.

“she’s coming to see us play even after you fucked up the date? woah, maybe i underestimated you.”

“i didn’t fuck up the date.” lisa rolled her eyes.

ellie snickered from her place, “then why were you back at the apartment at, like, 10 p.m?”

“whatever. we both decided it was best for us to stay as friends.”

“i believe you, don’t worry.” jesse gave her a pat on her back before mouthing ‘i don’t’ to ellie and dina, who secretly laughed. “okay, ladies, let’s get back to work. we don’t wanna make ourselves look bad infront of lisa’s new friend, right?”

“yeah, she’s got pretty high expectations,” ellie mentioned as she picked up her guitar. the smile on her face didn’t go unnoticed by her friends.

“you talked to her?”

she looked up at dina’s question, who was staring at her, intrigued. ellie frowned, her guitar pick between her teeth as she tied her hair up in a short, low ponytail.

“yeah, why? i’m not some antisocial freak, y’know?”

“every time i take someone home you lock yourself in your room until they leave,” lisa snorted.

“this time i was caught by surprise. i wasn’t expecting you to come back so early,” ellie chuckled at the last part.

“fuck you, ellie,” lisa complained. “y’know what? let’s just get this over with before i stick this microphone up your—”

“okay, fine, fine. calm down.”

rehearsal went by smoothly with the four of them behaving as profesional as they could, sometimes jesse went off beat to annoy them or ellie would zone out in the middle of a song. still, they had mastered their set and they were definitely ready to play, but there was a deep, strange feeling inside ellie.

it took her a while to figure out she was nervous about the upcoming show. it had been a while since that happened to her, so it was extremely weird for her. the anxiety stayed with her until the following day, and it had actually gotten worse.

ellie ended up going on stage with that horrible feeling still present in the pit of her stomach. she tried to remind herself that it was just another show but, at the same, she knew it wasn’t. knowing you’d be in the audience had definitely affected her, but she didn’t want to look further into what that could possibly mean.

maybe she didn’t come, the thought came to mind in an attempt of calming herself down. perhaps if she repeated it enough she’d fool herself into thinking it was actually true.

she was obviously wrong.

you were there, tapping your fingers against the drink you had ordered. just as you were taking a sip, the lights dimmed and the loud chatter became whispering voices that were soon interrupted by the sound of a guitar.

four spotlights shone brightly on the band and you quickly recognized the other two members you had yet to meet. dina on the bass and jesse on the drums. lisa was at the front, she moved confidently on stage, but your eyes inevitably fell on the girl behind her.

ellie was bobbing her head to the beat of the song, eyes glued to the floor. your mouth opened slightly at the sight, it was hypnotic seeing her play. you inhaled deeply, unable to tear your gaze away from her.

it wasn’t until the ending of the second song ellie first looked up. it was only a quick glance at the crowd, but her eyes coincidentally landed on you, making her do a quick double-take. her eyebrows rose, not expecting to find you so soon.

ellie unconsciously licked her lips as she took you in, trying her best not to mess up the song. she forced herself to look away from you and swept her gaze around the place, searching for anything else to focus on. it was in that moment when a girl waving frenetically at her from the side of the stage caught her eye. she was a regular, friday after friday she’d tried to make ellie look at her for more than five seconds but she never succeeded.

your eyes hadn’t left her, so you had been watching the interaction with immense curiosity. you tried to see who that other girl was, but you lost sight of her. when you looked back at ellie, you met her eyes again. there was an amused, teasing grin on her face, which made you laugh.

ellie played the rest of the set practically on autopilot, because she had her full attention on you. to her, you were the only person on the audience. she was performing for you, proudly showing off her skills and with her nerves long forgotten.

your experience wasn’t much different than hers. to you, ellie was the only member in the band worth watching. not that the others were bad or anything of the sort, but there was just something about ellie that made it hard for you to look away. she was too entrancing. the slight smirk she had while playing, the way her hands looked and the prolonged eye contact that she broke from time to time only to close her eyes and get lost in what she was playing.

your world went silent once they got off stage, even though the sound of the people talking around you was incredibly loud. with your head still buzzing, you decided it was best for you to go outside to get some air.

you didn’t mind how cold the night was. you stayed there for what it seemed to be an eternity, getting too caught up in your own mind to realize it had only been a couple of minutes.

your peace was interrupted with the sound of a notification. it was lisa, asking you where you were. outside, you replied and waited for her to come out.

you didn’t expect her showing up with the rest of the band.

lisa was the first to appear in front of you, the huge smile on her face as she went to hug you caused a smile of your own to form. dina and jesse were next, greeting you with nods of acknowledgment and friendly smiles.

“hey! what’d you think?”

“you guys were great!” the compliment left your lips just as your eyes settled on the person who had stayed behind. “hey, ellie.”

her head shot up at the mention of her name, seemingly surprised you had chosen to address her. “hi,” she said before quickly looking away.

before you had the chance to read into ellie’s awkward response, lisa spoke up, drifting your attention away from the guitarist.

“wanna come to our place? it’s movie night.”

the invitation was definitely tempting, but you weren’t sure if dina and jesse would be okay with it. even ellie could be opposed to it, judging by the way her eyes appeared tone avoiding you at all costs.

“uh, i mean, if you guys are okay with me being there—”

“of course we are, c’mon,” jesse immediately replied, placing an arm around your shoulders. “now, tell me all about how you friendzoned lisa…”

you chuckled lightly as you let him guide you to the car, briefly glancing over your shoulder hoping to meet ellie’s eyes. she didn’t look at you once, which made a feeling of uncertainty creep up onto you.

dina, jesse and lisa were the ones who talked the most during the ride. their lighthearted conversation helped to put yours’ and ellie’s racing minds at ease, at least for a bit.

you were still wondering why ellie was avoiding you so blatantly. you were so incredibly caught up in your own thoughts that you failed to notice the pair of green eyes that were watching you through the rear view mirror.

from her place on the copilot seat, ellie’s gaze flickered from you to lisa before looking back ahead.

she could easily ignore you, right?

once you arrived af the apartment, everyone quickly settled on the couches and browsed different streaming sites in search of a movie to watch and criticize.

“this looks shitty enough, what do you guys think?”

“i already watched that,” ellie spoke up for the first time since you were there.

“you have to much free time on your hands, el. i’m sure not even the actors in it watched it.”

the (already poorly done) plan of trying to act normal in your presence quickly fell apart when the sound of your laugh made her look at you and, oh, how she wished she hadn’t.

“i’ve watched it, too. it is pretty shitty, by the way,” you said, not noticing her stare.

ellie’s lips slightly parted as she looked at yours. the same feeling that had taken over her on stage came back to her and she found herself unable to tear her eyes away from you.

god, she was fucked.

“ellie, go bring some blankets and pillows,” lisa told her from the comfort of the biggest couch, waking her up from her trance.

“why don’t you go?”

“i’m too tired.”

“i can help, if you want,” you offered, your eyes meeting hers for the first time since your awkward interaction outside the bar.

ellie was going to tell you that you didn’t have to, but she accepted your help before her mind could catch up with her mouth. you silently followed her to her room. it was the biggest one, so, therefore, she had the biggest closet where they stored a lot of stuff, including extra blankets and pillows.

“here you go, this is the warmest one.” ellie handed you a blanket. “if lisa tries to take it from you, just tell her to fuck off.”

you chuckled, “got it.”

you took the liberty to look around as she searched for the rest of them. her room was definitely a glimpse of who ellie was, you instantly could tell she was an artsy person combined with a nerdy side. various sketches were laying on her desk, as well as books about astronomy and many, many books about dinosaurs. she had a pile of them stacked on her nightstand.

you walked towards them, leaving the blanket on top of her bed.

“you like dinosaurs?”

well, she couldn’t ignore you when you were alone. that would be just plain rude.

“everybody likes dinosaurs,” she replied, standing on her tiptoes to reach the last pillow. she didn’t know why she had put them so high.

“to this amount?” you picked one of the books and glanced through the pages. ‘The Great Dinosaur Debate’, it read on the cover.

ellie walked over to you, “is it my fault that they’re interesting?”

you looked up from the book, a playful grin on your lips, “you’re a nerd.”

“look who’s talking.”

“how would you know if i’m a nerd?”

“lisa talks.” and we have, too, actually. several times, she completed the sentence inwardly.

you rolled your eyes, “at least i don’t pretend to be cool on stage.”

“i’m not pretending, i am cool. the best of both worlds, right?” she gloated with an arrogant smile.

you left the book back on the pile and grabbed another one, “you know, i’ve always wanted to learn more about dinosaurs. maybe learn from someone who knows a lot would be nice,” you casually mentioned, hoping ellie would take the hint.

“oh, i have a lot of books i could lend you. these guys know everything.”

she didn’t.

you tilted your head to the side, unable to erase the smile off your face. it was difficult to believe the ellie standing in front you was the same ellie who was on stage an hour ago.

“sure, i’d love that.” with that, you grabbed the blanket ellie had given you and a bunch of pillows and went back to the living room. ellie followed you closely, throwing each of her friends a blanket.

they had finally decided on a movie, so once you and ellie were back they pressed play.

it was a cheap movie about the end of the world and the actors were almost as bad as the special effects. ellie would‘ve found it hilarious if she had been able to focus on it.

you were sitting on the floor with your back against the couch, wrapped up in the blanket she had given you. from where she was, ellie had a perfect view of your side-profile and, even though she felt like a creep, she couldn’t help her gaze from falling on you. especially when you laughed at her friend’s jokes or chimed in with one of your one.

it was practically torture.

once the movie ended, she felt like she could finally breathe again. dina turned the lights back on and, naturally, the first thing ellie did was look at you. it surprised her to find that you were already looking at her.

“i thought you had fallen asleep. you didn’t talk once.”

“i was just too caught up in the movie.” she averted her gaze from you to her shoes, knowing damn well she couldn’t tell you what the hell the movie was about.

unaware of her white lie, you nodded as you continued folding the blankets everyone had left on the couch. “want me to help you take these back to your room?”

“uh, yeah— yes. sure, let’s go,” ellie pathetically tripped over her words before leading the way.

you followed closely, your mouth curving into a small smile at her answer.

silence enveloped the two of you when you entered her bedroom for the second time. you handed her the neatly folded blankets and watched as she stored them.

“i didn’t get a chance to tell you how well you played tonight,” you spoke up, making her glance back at you for a second.

“you think?” she smiled before putting away the last blanket.

you hummed, “couldn’t keep my eyes off you.”

ellie’s heart skipped a beat at the memory of your eyes following her every move. it was a miracle she had her back facing you and you didn’t witness the way an obvious flush spread across her face. “i take it i exceeded your expectations, then?”

“yeah, absolutely.”

sending you a coy smile, she clasped her hands together behind her back. “told you so,” she said as she walked past you.

you went back to the living room, where you found the rest of the group vivaciously talking about something that, apparently, didn’t concern you or ellie by the way they went quiet when they saw you two approach.

“guys? i think i’m gonna go. it’s getting pretty late—”

“ellie will drive you home,” jesse quickly said, making the aforementioned look up at him, disoriented.

“huh?”

“yeah?” you looked at her, lips pulling into a small smile.

who could say no to that face?

jesse threw ellie the car keys, mouthing ‘you’re welcome’ while you hugged dina and lisa goodbye. she frowned, silently inquiring what did he mean by that before setting her gaze on you.

“you ready?” ellie asked from the doorframe, waiting for you.

the cold breeze from the night hit the both of you the moment you stepped outside. given how late it was, the neighborhood was deadly quiet. the only thing interrupting the silence was the sound of your footsteps.

ellie held the passenger’s door open for you and gifted you a smile when you thanked her, slightly touching her arm. she let out a shaky breath before getting in the car herself.

after giving her your adress, she started driving in silence. her knuckles were turning white due to the tight grip she had on the wheel.

trying to be as discreet as possible, ellie glanced at you from the corner of her eyes but, once again, she met your gaze.

“what?” she couldn’t help but ask, a smile slowly forming on her lips.

you laughed softly, taking your eyes off her and looking down at your fidgeting hands. “oh, nothing.”

“right…” ellie set her eyes back on the road as she turned on the radio.

the quietness of the night got interrupted by the sound of ‘i want to know what love is’ by foreigner. both of you instantly looked at each other when you recognized the song and burst out laughing.

“woah, setting the mood?”

it surprised you when her sheepish tone changed into a slight teasing one, matching yours, “i don’t know, is it working?”

“maybe, maybe.”

the laughter gradually quieted down, letting the cheesy song’s chorus fill the silence. you shot ellie a quick glance, smiling to yourself as you listen to the lyrics.

“it is great song, though,” you commented.

“classic,” ellie added, eyes on the road.

“absolutely.”

you arrived at your place not much longer after that, since your building wasn’t that far away from hers. ellie turned off the engine and looked at you just as you turned your head to her.

“thank you for driving me and for giving me the warmest blanket. especially for the blanket.”

“you’re welcome.” the smile that ellie sent you back was a little too sweet for you to be able to function properly.

you forced yourself to look away from her, not wanting to look like a creep. unfortunately, you appeared to be destined to embarrass yourself that night one way or another. when you tried to unbuckle your seatbelt, it got stuck. you struggled in silence for a bit before giving up and looking at ellie, who had obviously noticed what was going on and was staring at you amusedly.

ellie leaned over, laughing softly at your helpless expression. “i told jesse a million times to sell this piece of crap and buy a new car,” she murmured, shaking her head.

she was close, way too close. your eyes automatically placed on her, as they always seemed to do ever since you met her. a small smile appeared on your lips when you heard her mutter a series of curses under her breath.

“there.” she returned to her seat, giving you the space you needed to regulate your breathing but, at the same time, the space you didn’t want. you happened to like having her close.

“thank you,” you grinned, but your smile faltered a little when you realized that you had to leave. maybe you were being overly dramatic, but you didn’t know when you were going to see her again, so you couldn’t help but feel disappointed that the night had come to an end. “see you around, ellie. thank you for driving me.”

“see you.” her voice was barely above a whisper.

ellie waited for you to be inside your building before leaving. you waved at her one last time, making a smile appear on her lips.

she didn’t put on music on the drive back home. it was just her alone with her thoughts. it was funny, they all seemed to revolve around you.

she went to sleep that night feeling guilty. it wasn’t right for her to be thinking about you that way. it didn’t matter it hadn’t worked out, lisa had liked you first. you were off-limits.

so the world kept spinning, time kept passing, life kept going, and ellie kept trying to forget about you. it wasn’t an easy task, since you had managed to infiltrate even her most random dreams. if that weren’t enough, you started hanging out with the group more often. jesse and dina had both taken a liking in you, too. she obviously couldn’t blame them.

ellie started making up excuses to miss said hangouts, which made her feel bad but she figured some time away from you would help dissolve whatever feelings were brewing inside of her.

she considered she was doing a pretty decent job, but that was until she ran into you on the street.

“ellie!”

you looked as radiant as always, maybe even more since your beauty seemed to be heightened by the fact she had tried so hard to forget about it. it hit her harder than she imagined.

“hey! uh, what’s up?” her reply came out in pathetic stutters, but you didn’t seem to mind.

“oh, nothing. just on my way home. doing some grocery shopping?” you pointed at the bags ellie was holding, to which she nodded.

“yeah, yeah. we were out of sugar n’ stuff.”

“i feel like i haven’t seen you in forever. you missed movie night at dina’s.”

“yeah, i know. i’ve been busy.”

the hectic sounds of the crowded street didn’t hide the fact that a deafening silence followed ellie’s short answer. you stood there, waiting for her to say something else, or even look you in the eyes.

“listen, um, i gotta go. i’m late for… something. see you around?”

stunned, you watched as she hurriedly walked past you. you tried to make sense of what had just happened, trying to recall if you could have possible done something to upset her, but nothing came to mind.

ellie turned around the corner cringing at her own behavior. she felt awful and spent the entire walk home trying to shake off the embarrassment.

lisa, who was already at the apartment, curiously observed her friend as she helped her put away everything she had bought.

“you okay, dude?” she asked her once she caught ellie staring a little too long at the wall.

“yeah, why?”

“are you sure? you’ve been acting weird lately.”

she sighed, “i’m good, i swear.”

“really? because a little bird told me you seemed off today.”

ellie shot her friend a glance, knowing that little bird was you. “oh. yeah, about that…”

what was she supposed to say? that she practically ran away from you because she couldn’t handle being around you without feeling fucking butterflies in her stomach and that it made her feel terribly guilty and the same time it scared the shit out of her?

“it’s nothing, lisa. i was just in a hurry—”

“do you have a problem with her or something?”

“what? no, of course not.”

“then why do you keep running away from her? you never hang out with us when she’s there.”

“i already told you it’s nothing.”

“we honestly thought you liked her. maybe we’ve been wrong this entire time?” she asked more to herself than to ellie.

ellie let out an awkward chuckle, “i do. she’s cool. why wouldn’t i like her?”

“no, me and the guys had this theory. we thought you liked her as in like her, as more than friends.”

ellie averted her gaze from lisa to the floor, “what?” she asked in a high-pitched voice. “no, i don’t.”

“oh my god, i knew it. you were so making eyes at each other when she came to see us play—”

“we weren’t—”

“—then, i told the others and they noticed the same thing. that’s why jesse told you to drive her home.”

suddenly, her friend’s behavior started making sense and she could not be more mortified. had she been that obvious?

“y’know, she asks me about you all the time, then she plays it off by asking about dina and jesse too, but i know she doesn’t really care about them.”

ellie’s stomach fluttered at the new information, but she shook her head. “that doesn’t mean anything.”

“is that why you’re acting weird? you like her but you don’t think she feels the same? cause let me tell you, she obviously does,” lisa told her, searching to meet her eyes. seeing ellie stayed silent, she spoke up again. “i don’t mind, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“lisa…”

“ellie…” she mocked her, unable to hide her amused smile. “so that’s what happened? you were worried i’d get mad if you liked her?”

ellie nodded, finally looking at her. “i felt bad.”

“aw, aren’t you a big ol’ softie underneath that permanent scowl?” lisa laughed, making ellie roll her eyes. “if i knew that was the thing holding you back i would’ve told you to go for it a long time ago. i just didn’t want to pressure you, i know you don’t like to talk about that stuff.”

“it’s not the only thing that’s holding me back,” ellie mumbled as she scratched the back of her neck, gaze cast downward.

“ellie she likes you, i mean it. when we were on stage she didn’t look at the rest of us once. not even when i fell, she probably didn’t even notice.”

“you fell?”

“exactly. you two were in your own little world. it’s cute, actually. so, if you’re really interested, ask her out.”

it was painfully obvious how interested ellie was but, even with lisa’s blessing and words of reassurance, she wasn’t entirely convinced you liked her back. there was the possibility you were too nice, that’s all. so, she decided to do something she never thought she’d do.

ellie left it to the hands of fate.

no matter the outcome, the universe would send some kind of signal if she should ask you out. what she didn’t expect, was that the universe would act so quickly.

only two days passed before ellie saw you again.

for some reason, she had decided to walk home after band practice. she was too caught up in her own world to notice anything happening around her, but the sound of a familiar voice snapped her back to reality.

you were talking to a dog that seemed to be attentively listening as if he understood what you were saying. “you can’t pee on strangers. or anyone, for that matter.”

a short, soft laugh escaped her lips at the situation. ellie put her hands in her pockets, a wave of nerves suddenly washing over her at hesitation grew within her. letting out a small sigh, she gathered all her courage and straightened her back. ellie began approaching you with a determined look on her face.

“hey.”

your head shot up, the corners of your lips tugging up in a smile as soon as you saw who it was. “ellie, hi!”

the dog beside you immediately jumped at her, attacking her with several kisses as his tail moved at an impossibly fast speed. ellie chuckled as she kneeled down to pet him.

“oh, i’m sorry!”

“it’s okay, i don’t mind.”

“he must really like you. he doesn’t let strangers pet him.”

“yeah?” ellie smiled up at you before returning her gaze to the dog in front of her.

eh, not really. he’s actually the friendliest dog to ever grace the earth but you’re pretty and you make me nervous. “yeah,” you grinned.

“what’s his name?”

“chip. he’s my niece’s, actually. i’m just talking him for a walk while she’s at school,” you explained, trying not to look to affected by her presence. it was hard.

ellie hummed, deep in thought. suddenly, she looked up at you again, “want some company?”

her question took you by surprise, especially after your last encounter. “uh, yes, i’d like that.”

the two of you began walking at a slow pace, sometimes stopping to wait for chip who got distracted by something that caught his attention. ellie asked how your day was going, and once you were done telling her you asked how hers was. it was a calm conversation, the total opposite of how you two were feeling inside.

“i wanted to apologize for leaving so quick the other day.”

“oh, you don’t have to. it’s fine, really.”

“no, it’s not. i’m sorry, it’s just— um, have you talked to lisa?”

you glanced at her, “not recently, why? did something happen?”

“no, no. i was just wondering.”

“you were wondering because…?”

ellie chuckled awkwardly, realizing what she had gotten herself into. she could play dumb and avoid the conversation, but that would be not listening to the universe and that would be a very dumb thing to do, wouldn’t it?

“you’re just friends, right?”

you gave her another quick side-eyed glance, “yes, why?”

“you don’t like her that way and she doesn’t like you that way either, right?”

you let out a short laugh, “yes, ellie. our date wasn’t what we expected so we decided to just stay friends. i already told you that.”

“then let me show you how it’s done.”

you whipped your head around and stared at her as your surprised expression began to morph into a giddy grin. “what?”

“let me take you on a proper date. are you free tomorrow?”

“really?”

“if— if you want, of course.”

in that moment, ellie knew she had made the right choice and internally thanked the universe for pushing her to do so. the way your face lit up at her words was priceless, and it was also a sign that you were as interested in her as she was in you.

you gleefully accepted her request with a warm smile, one that almost knocked the air out of ellie. she promised to text you so she could tell you the details, and she stuck to her word because once you arrived home there was a message from her waiting for you.

you began texting right away. more precisely, you sent hundreds of voicenotes throughout the day and she happily listened to them, replying with an equal amount of texts and lame reaction pictures (which you loved).

“you’re okay with this, right?” ellie asked lisa for the hundredth time as she was about to leave for your date.

her friend, who was sitting comfortably on their couch, rolled her eyes for the hundredth time, too. “ellie, i swear to god if you ask me again—”

“alright! alright.”

“have fun, dork.”

“yeah, yeah,” she muttered as she grabbed the keys to jesse’s car, who had kindly let her borrow it for the date. “don’t wait up, i know how to keep a girl entertained.”

“fuck you!” ellie heard lisa say before she closed the door behind her. she went snickering to herself the whole way to the car, but soon her cockiness evaporated and, instead, a feeling of uncertainty replaced it.

she began second guessing every decision she made the closer she got to your house. was her outfit nice? was her hair okay? was the bouquet of flowers too much? was the date idea she had planned the most nerdy thing ever thought? the answer to that last question was probably, but there was no time to change it, she was already waiting for you outside.

she shuffled her feet as she moved from side to side, her grip on the stems of the flowers tightening. once she heard someone coming, her head shot up. her lips instantly curved into a smile when she saw you. you had the biggest grin on your face as you approached her. ellie’s smile widened even more when she noticed what you had on your hands.

flowers.

“we’re too cheesy, aren’t we?” you scrunched up your nose, slightly tilting your head to the side as ellie laughed. you proceeded to exchange bouquets, your fingers briefly brushing hers. “these are beautiful, thank you.” the compliment left your lips in a tone so sweet it had ellie melting. “alright, should we go?”

“you’re not gonna leave them to put them in water or something?”

“that’s for when i get back. i wanna show them off first. unless the super secret date location isn’t flower-friendly?”

“oh, no, you can take them. it’ll be fine.”

ellie’s chosen date destination was the museum. it was nerdy but, fortunately for her, you were thrilled once you found out. you kept telling her how excited you were while you waited in line, swinging the flowers around as you gesticulated.

there was a small smile on her lips as she attentively listened to you talk about your first experience in a museum and how you’ve always wanted to go to one again, but never got around to it.

it was strange to think about when ellie first saw you in a picture. you caught her attention right away. now, you were in front of her, gifting her your presence and your kind smiles.

everything was going great, but the constant reminder that she wasn’t being completely honest with you caused a persistent feeling of guilt to set on the pit of her stomach.

“i have to tell you something,” ellie said after a moment of silence.

your eyebrows instantly scrunched together at her tone. “everything okay?”

“you said lisa seemed different in person than through text. she probably knew nothing about the movies and characters she said to like when you talked about it on your date, right? well, that’s because it was actually me behind those texts. just when those topics came out, you know, it wasn’t me always. so, basically, i feel really bad about not telling you sooner. you probably think this is weird, right?” ellie let out an awkward chuckle after her (way too long) rambling.

you stared at her in silence, processsing the great amount of information she had given you in just five seconds. suddenly, you laughed.

“it really threw me off when lisa said she loved anakin and legolas’ friendship. then i saw your room. i knew something was fishy, though i never would’ve have guessed i actually talked to you and you weren’t just telling her what to say.”

ellie hid her face behind her hands, laughing at lisa’s huge mistake. “i can’t believe she got aragorn and anakin mixed up.”

you chuckled, “yeah, and that wasn’t the worst one.”

“oh my god,” she groaned. “wait, so, you knew?”

“kind of. i didn’t ask lisa about it because i didn’t want her to be embarrassed or anything, so i just assumed something like that had happened.”

“and you’re not mad?”

“i wouldn’t be here if that were the case, but thank you for telling me,” you said, smiling sweetly at her and reaching for her hand to give her a quick little squeeze. “c’mon, we’re holding the line.”

much to ellie’s dismay, your hand slipped away from hers. she couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed at how brief the contact had been. still, having told you the whole truth, ellie was practically floating behind you.

“by the way, i wanted to tell you something, too,” you started, making her look into your eyes. “going on dates with two different people in such a short time is not like me, y’know? especially if those people are friends.”

“okay…”

“i just don’t want you to get the wrong idea of me.”

“what, that you’re homie hopper?”

“ellie!” you laughed in disbelief.

“i’m kidding,” she playfully rolled her eyes. you watched as her teasing smirk turned into a soft smile.

ellie had never been an affectionate person. in fact, having someone constantly touching her wasn’t something she craved and seeing couples that were too into public displays of affection made her sick. then, she met you.

standing so close to you was torture. every fiber of her being screamed to get closer and, for the first time, she initiated contact. seeing you two were next in line, she took that opportunity to grab your hand and lead you into the museum. she didn’t turn around to see your reaction, but she didn’t have to. you squeezed her hand and intertwined your fingers, indicating that you wouldn’t let go.

you walked side by side at an unhurried pace, taking the time to soak in everything you saw. the rest of the world could have disappeared and neither of you would have cared. in that moment, all that existed were each other and the hushed conversations you shared. the both of you were so caught up in your own little bubble that often forgot there were people around and you had to apologize every time you laughed a little too loud.

ellie knew a lot about everything, you were in complete awe of her. you were certain you could listen to her tell you a million random facts and never get tired of it. the best part was when you finally reached the section where everything dinosaur-related was displayed.

“you said you wanted to learn about them, didn’t you?” she asked with a playful smirk. “you still have time to want to take it back, because i will not be able to shut up once i start.”

you shook your head, smiling fondly at her. “i will listen to every word.”

and you did. sometimes you asked her questions, leading her to talk even more than she intended. it worried her that you could get annoyed, but she could see the genuine interest in your eyes whenever she looked at you.

time flew by much faster than you would’ve wanted. many conversations were shared throughout the whole date. some were meaningful and some weren’t, but each and every one of them would stay engraved in each other’s memories.

you would always remember ellie’s biggest regret, her favorite candy, the first time she fell in love, the age she learned how to ride a bike and how much she hated reality shows.

she would always remember the first time someone broke your heart, that you preferred tea over coffee, your favorite cartoon growing up and your irrational fear of mannequins.

both of you would always remember the comfortable silences you shared during the art section and the way both of you giggled whenever you caught each other’s eyes.

now, standing outside of your building under a starry sky, you already felt nostalgic about a night that wasn’t even technically over yet.

“thank you for today. it totally exceeded my expectations, and they were really, really high, by the way.”

“yeah?” ellie smiled widely before biting down her bottom lip.

“yeah.” you nod, grinning. “i had a lot of fun.”

“me too.”

you kept staring at each other, unable to erase the dumb smiles off your lips.

“did i score a second date?”

“you even scored a third one.”

ellie laughed at your answer, momentarily looking down at her shoes. when she met your gaze again, she felt time slowing as well as her breath. you were the one who took the first step, quite literally, standing closer to her whilst she seemed to be completely still.

your eyes met for a brief moment before you finally closed the gap between you and enveloped you two on a very eagerly awaited kiss. the contact made ellie come back to her senses and she reacted almost instantly, making you smile against her.

you had been waiting for that moment to come since beginning of the night and, yet, you still weren’t ready for the way it made you feel. it was overwhelming, in the best way possible.

“i’d invite you over but, unfortunately for you, i’m a lady,” you murmured as your fingers intertwined on the back of her head, the bouquet of flowers hanging upside down on her back.

ellie grinned against your lips before giving you one final kiss. “goodnight.”

you had said your goodbyes. the next step was for ellie to leave, but she found herself glued to the floor. your soft smile quickly became a teasing smirk when you realized she had no intention to move.

“did you forget how to walk?”

her next move pleasantly surprised you. she raised one of her hands to the back of your neck and pulled gently to draw you into another kiss. it felt so natural, so right.

“i think it’s time for our second date,” she mumbled, smiling dazedly.

“now?”

she was still so close.

“please.”

you weren’t sure how it was possible for you to hear her whispering voice over the loud beating of your heart.

“let’s just— let’s drive around and see where we end up.”

you grinned, immediately nodding at her proposal.

who could say no to that face?

[jikooklove9795]

What's your personal input of like crazy?

Is it related to jikook any way?

Before we get into the discussion I wanna remind you that whatever I'm gonna share here are my own observations and thoughts.

Now let's start, shall we?

Jimin himself has mentioned that he got the inspiration of his song, Like Crazy from the movie Like Crazy.

Like Crazy is a romantic movie which tells the story of Jacob and Anna and how the rules and laws of a country keeps them apart, poses a threat to their love and holds them back from having their happily ever after.

Now let's come back to Jimin. He's in love with a man in a homophobic country. Just like how in the movie the laws of the country are against the love of the lead characters Jimin may feel he's in a similar situation cause his country is against LGBTQ relationships. I think this is the main concept from the movie which inspired him. However, he doesn't want to give upon his love for Jungkook even if he knows the consequences cause their love is crazy like that. He knows this is his greatest chance at love and will not be able to feel what he's feeling for Jungkook with anyone else. This is clear from the line "Forever you and I" in the song. He wants his forever to be with Jungkook.

Now let's get to the MV. I'll speak about LC and a little bit about SMF pt2 and Letter here.

I think in LC Jimin is talking about a much younger version of him. The young Jimin who realizes that whatever he's feeling for Jungkook goes way beyond friendship. He knows the consequences. But he doesn't want to hold back. He's tempted and he takes the plunge.

You can see how thrilled Jimin is in 2015 when he notices Jungkook showing a romantic interest in him. He enjoys it, he's happy about it. But that doesn't mean he's not afraid of the threats which could break their love. So, he chooses an escapism to be removed from the real world and to live in the moment with the person he loves ( Jungkook). There's references to alcohol and sex in the song. And I think these are his ways to stay removed from the reality. We all know about his drinking. And there's sex. Don't get the wrong idea. Its not with other people but with Jungkook. Cause again he's stressing about exclusivity in the song using the lyrics "Forever you and I". He's not ready to give upon his love for Jungkook even if he knows its something frowned upon in their society. So, instead he chooses escapism to disconnect from the real world and stay in the bubble with Jungkook. The bubble he refuses to come out from.

We all saw how Jungkook promoted the hell out of Jimin's solo album, FACE. But there's a difference in his approach to LC and SMF pt2. He knows LC is about Jimin's struggles. Being the bf he must have had a hard time watching Jimin struggle. And I think he was constantly by Jimin's side, reassuring him that they'll be fine. There's this conversation at the start of LC which can be read as a conversation Jungkook and Jimin already had in their real life.

Jungkook: I think we could last forever

Jimin: I'm afraid that everything will disappear

Jungkook: Just trust me

(This is just an example and not the real conversation between Jungkook and Jimin)

From this conversation we can assume that Jungkook is the one who is reassuring Jimin whose afraid about the threats to their love. I think LC reminds Jungkook of the dark times Jimin went through. But when it comes to SMF pt2 its clear he's a fan of the song. Why?

Cause SMF pt2 is about Jimin finally setting himself free. I think in SMF pt2 Jimin's talking about a later version of himself who is embracing the real him. The society can't hold him down. He's not afraid anymore. I think this is why SMF pt2 is Jungkook's favorite song. He's happy seeing that Jimin has stopped struggling and proud to see his bf being brave.

Now there's Letter. I think here Jimin's talking about the recent version of himself. Through this song Jimin is conveying his feelings for Jungkook who stood by his side and held him while he was struggling. It felt like he was answering the conversation at the start of LC. Here, Jimin's the one saying that he has trust in their love, he will hold onto Jungkook's hand, wants to give back the love he received, asks him not to be afraid and reminds him that they'll always be together.

But is LC all about Jimin talking about his relationship with Jungkook? Not really. As Jimin said FACE is autobiographical. Its about himself. I think through LC he wanted to talk about the real him and also about his love life. Both are intertwined.

Let's see how through LC Jimin expresses the real him. This analysis makes great sense to me:

We all have noticed how queer coded the MV for LC is. Jimin's choice of makeup for the MV is also interesting. There's this scene in the song where he comes face to face with a girl and then the screen pans out to a bathroom where Jimin is facing his own reflection thus making it clear that the girl is a reflection of himself.

This becomes more clear in the dance video where Jimin and the girl are mirroring each other.

We all remember this video right?

And also the other times when he's questioned what is it to be masculine and portrayed in that way.

I have another interpretation to LC. This is mostly about how he was struggling during the pandemic when he couldn't perform for the audience like he's used to. He uses alcohol and sex (I repeat not with other people but with Jungkook) as an escapism. Jungkook is there by his side watching him struggle, trying to help him.

I think Jimin has layered LC using the 3 interpretations I stated. However, if Jimin hadn't mentioned anything about the movie my only interpretations would be 2 and 3. And again both interpretations 2 and 3 very well leads into SMF pt2 where he talks about overcoming his struggles.

As I said earlier these are my own views and opinions. You may have a very different interpretation. Thats the beauty of art. Jimin did a marvelous job with his album. The way he captured the emotions and delivered it beautifully was amazing.

Credits to the owner of the video

[steddieas-shegoes]

Hi! Would it be possible to see the party or the older group see Steve’s father first hand? Like realizing that Steve’s been abused and learning how much shit he goes through on the daily with them and then his family?

This one was so difficult emotionally. I leaned real heavy into the emotional and verbal abuse (the use of a slur does happen), briefly mentioned some past physical abuse, but then the rest was just some supportive Eddie, supportive Robin, supportive kids, and I threw in some supportive Wayne because I can't resist. I hope the soft supportive stuff makes up for what I put Steve through at the beginning! - Mickala ❤️

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

It was supposed to be the first movie night with all of them together post-Vecna, post-Eddie and Max getting out of the hospital, post-almost losing everything.

It was supposed to be relaxing and fun.

It was not.

Just when they all settled with their snacks and drinks, the movie’s opening credits rolling, a car pulled into the driveway.

Steve did a quick headcount of everyone present, wondering if somehow someone was running late.

But everyone was here.

“Why is every light in the house on?” He heard his dad’s voice ask outside the front door.

Shit.

Everyone looked at Steve, eyes wide, but frozen in place, no idea what to do.

Well, he didn’t know what to do either.

Last time he saw his dad was his high school graduation, and that hadn’t ended well. They’d only spoken on the phone twice since then: once when he told him about the mall fire and once about the pool cleaner going out of business.

Before he could think of what to do or say, his dad was walking into the living room.

That was the same scowl Steve got when he didn’t get into college.

Oh boy.

“Steven. Care to explain why I have a house full of children and teenagers?”

He didn’t know what came over him; Maybe it was just a false bravado put on because he knew his dad wouldn’t do anything to him in front of all these people or maybe he just had a thoughtless reaction.

“They’re all teenagers actually. We’re having movie night.”

His dad’s face went nearly purple with rage.

Not just anger. Pure, unfiltered, and completely undeserved rage.

Eddie spoke up first, thankfully distracting the kids from the explosion that was probably about to occur.

“It’s been so nice of Steve to open up his home to kids who needed a place to go to stay out of trouble. After the quake, it’s been difficult, you know?”

How he managed to say any of that with a straight face, Steve didn’t know.

But he was grateful.

His dad looked around at the mix of kids.

To an outsider, their group definitely didn’t make sense.

To his dad, he’d see a bunch of kids he didn’t know suddenly aware of where all of his valuables in his house were.

“And you are?”

Richard Harrington’s scowl had lessened slightly, but disgust started taking over as he looked at Eddie.

“Oh! I’m Eddie Munson. Yes, related to that Munson, but only by blood.”

Eddie was confident, calm, not backing down even a little as Richard’s eyes squinted at him, judgment clear as day on his face.

“Steven, I need to speak with you alone.”

His dad didn’t give him a chance to respond before he was walking out of the room towards the kitchen.

Everyone was looking at Steve, he could feel their looks burning the back of his and side of his face. Eddie and Robin were closest to him, so he could see out of the corner of his eyes their panic at the situation.

Steve got up and walked to the kitchen, no one trying to stop him because no one knew what his father was capable of.

He never let them know what his father was capable of.

When he got to the kitchen, his father was sipping a glass of water, his stance more relaxed but still too stiff to be considered casual.

“Where’s mom?” Steve asked hesitantly, quietly, the way he’d been taught from a young age to approach his dad.

“She’s with friends in Jamaica. We’ll be meeting up in New York in two days. Care to explain what the hell is going on?”

Steve gulped.

He wasn’t yelling yet, but he wasn’t whispering either. He knew the group of kids in the other room would be listening to every single movement and breath in here, ready to burst in if needed.

“It’s like Eddie said, they just need somewhere to hang out and I have plenty of space-“

“You? You have plenty of space? Since when do you pay the bills here? Since when is the mortgage in your name?”

His dad was good at the false calm, the even tone, the emotionless face.

Until he wasn’t.

“Sorry. I’ll take them home.”

Steve bit his lip. It’s been a while since he had to deal with his father like this, and the tears he normally could hold back until he was in his room were threatening to fall already.

“You drive them around, too? Do you feed them? Take them to appointments? What don’t you do for them? And that Eddie guy, you know his dad’s been in prison for six years for drug trafficking and grand theft auto? You want someone like that in my house?” His dad set his water down on the counter next to him. “That girl. Is she your girlfriend? Who are her parents? I don’t think I’ve seen her before. You know what we’ve told you about setting the right future with the right woman. If we don’t know her parents, then she can’t be the right one.”

Steve could do this. He could just let his dad get it all out and then get everyone to leave and hide in his room.

Maybe it wouldn’t even be a problem tomorrow, forgotten like he always was.

“Are you going to answer me or am I supposed to read your mind?”

Steve cleared his throat, hoping his voice would come out strong and confident.

“I’m their babysitter, so I take care of them when they need it and sometimes that means driving them places. Robin isn’t my girlfriend, she’s just a friend.”

He couldn’t talk about Eddie, and he hoped his dad didn’t push it.

But his dad always pushed it.

“Eddie Munson is not to come into this house again. I’m calling to get the locks changed tomorrow and contacting the neighbors to tell them to call my secretary if they see his van.”

“Dad, wait-“

“Are you arguing with me?”

His face had gone red, and Steve knew he was only reigning it in because of the people in the living room.

He knew when they left, he’d wish he left too.

“No, sir. Sorry.”

“It doesn’t really sound like you mean it. You know, I was hoping that you would have reapplied to colleges for next year by now. I thought surely having a job and focusing on your future would set you on the right path. That maybe you and Nancy Wheeler would work it out by the time she graduated. Clearly, I should’ve been requiring updates more often. Adulthood isn’t about babysitting, Steven. And it’s certainly not about entertaining friends unless you plan on making a business deal.”

Steve was used to the spiel.

This job is temporary. You have to go to college. You will work for me. You will make our name proud. Blah, blah, blah.

But that’s never been what he wants. He knows his dad knows that, probably gave up hope when he was in high school anyway, but wouldn’t let it go. The opportunity to degrade him would always be the most important thing.

“It’s been a really busy month.”

“Oh has it? Please explain how you’ve had a busy month.”

He crossed his arms and waited for Steve to start talking.

Steve knew he’d already lost.

He’d never won before, so it shouldn’t be as disappointing as it is.

“Just with the quake and everything.”

“The house is fine. This whole neighborhood is fine. There’s plenty of places still open for work. I’m not sure why you think that’s an excuse.”

“I was dealing with some injuries and helping a few of the people out there with theirs.”

“So you got paid for being a nurse?”

“No. I didn’t get paid, I just helped.”

Steve was met with silence. Silence was almost worse than yelling.

“And you expect me to take you seriously as someone who is jobless, not going to college, and is helping people for free?”

Steve didn’t know what to say. If he said yes, his father would do that laugh that he did when he couldn’t believe how stupid Steve was and then yell and who knows what else. If he said no, he would go straight to yelling about how Steve can’t be taken seriously if he doesn’t even take himself seriously.

He heard some movement in the other room, whispering, then the front door opening.

Good. If they were gone, Steve wouldn’t have to be embarrassed or ashamed of what his dad would say or do.

The front door closed and Steve’s shoulders dropped. He wasn’t relaxed, but he was settling into what he knew was coming in, preparing for the verbal beatdown followed by whatever physical blow his father thought was appropriate for him.

“Don’t even want to explain yourself? Not even try?” Richard let out a small huff. “You know, I told your mom that you must be working so much, and that’s why you never answered the phone when we called. I stuck up for you, even though a small part of my brain kept saying that I shouldn’t. You’ve never impressed me before, why would you start now?”

Steve looked down at the floor, knowing he would only get away with it for a few more seconds at this rate.

“And then I even started mentioning to my buddies that you must be putting in so much effort with college applications, giving them an honest go so you could follow your girlfriend wherever she goes. But that just wouldn’t happen, would it? Nancy will go to an Ivy League school, make a name for herself, impress the world. And what will you do, Steven? You can’t even impress me.”

“You know, I’m used to shitty parenting. I had a mom who thought drugs were more important than me and a dad who spent more time in a jail cell than with me. But you’re real special, Richard.”

Eddie walked into the kitchen, face red with an anger that looked like it could match Steve’s dad.

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, come on. You haven’t spent more than a few hours with your kid since he was probably in diapers, and even the time you do spend with him is probably just you letting him know how disappointed you are that he isn’t the smartest person alive.”

“You have no right-”

“Oh, I do, though. See, Steve is the reason I’m even alive. And while you may think that’s not a gift, maybe you even think the world would be better off without me, a whole lot of people are glad I’m still around, including Steve. In fact, pretty sure most of the kids you saw in that living room before wouldn’t be alive without him. Robin sure wouldn’t be. You only put value in what Steve can do to make you look better and how much earning potential he has, and forget that his value comes from the fact that he cares so deeply about all of us and does whatever it takes for us to be safe and happy.”

“I don’t see how that is a benefit to me or to him in the long run, and I’d appreciate if you watch your-”

“It is truly amazing how Steve turned out the way he did when you so clearly couldn’t be bothered being a parent.” Eddie shook his head. “Actually, I take that back. It’s clearly in large part because you didn’t bother trying that he managed to turn out okay.”

“Eds,” Steve started, holding a hand out to him to try to get him to stop.

Richard was starting to get the purple color to his face that meant he would be completely losing it soon.

“No, Steve. Let him take it out on me. If he wants to be mad, he can be mad at me. I don’t give a shit what he thinks about me. I don’t give a shit what he says to me. I don’t give a shit if he wants to hit me. Go ahead and do it, Richard. Take out your anger about being a shitty human and having a shitty marriage and shitty job on me instead of Steve for once.”

Eddie moved in front of Steve, head held high like he was proud to be there.

Like he would always stand in front of Steve if he let him.

Steve didn’t want to let him, though. Not after all he did to keep him safe and alive.

Steve’s first ever concussion didn’t come from an accident, or an alternate dimension creature. It came from his dad hitting just a bit too hard, aiming just right over his ear. His ear didn’t stop ringing for days, and he had his first real migraine for more than 24 hours.

No one knew that and he wanted to keep it that way, but he needed Eddie to understand he couldn’t put himself in the line of fire here.

“Eddie, please.”

Then Richard laughed.

Steve hated his laugh.

“I see now. I can’t believe you’ve found a new way to let me down, but you did it. I’m almost impressed, Steven.”

Steve glanced between Eddie’s face and his dad’s.

Something had shifted and Steve didn’t know what.

“You know I didn’t believe the rumors about you being a fag, just thought you were weird and a nobody and people were spewing extra bullshit because they didn’t like you. Now I see they were right,” Richard practically spit the last words.

Steve could see Eddie shaking in front of him, but he didn’t back down. He didn’t run.

“And you went and fell in love with my idiot son. Steve, did he turn you into one too?”

“Steve, you don’t have to answer anything,” Eddie said without turning to him.

Steve’s brain was going about 100 miles per hour.

He knew Eddie liked men. They’d talked about it when he accidentally came out when he was high on morphine in the hospital. He even offered to drive him and Robin to a place in Indy where they might actually meet someone.

He turned it down then and they barely spoke about it since.

He watched as Eddie’s entire body tensed, like he expected Steve to hit him.

Then the other part registered. The part where his dad said Eddie fell in love with Steve.

Steve laughed.

Eddie flinched.

Steve stopped laughing.

“This is gold. You didn’t even know, did you Steven?”

For the first time, Eddie was looking down at the floor, his hair falling in front of him to hide his face.

Steve wasn’t having it, not now, not from his dad, not because of something like this. Even if it was true…well, if it was true, then Eddie didn’t deserve it coming out like this.

“You know what? You’ve spent my entire life telling me who I should be. You worked so hard to mold me into a person as miserable as you. You almost succeeded. Luckily, I met people who made me want to be better, who made me better. Eddie is one of those people. He says I saved him, but he saved me first. He only needed saving because he wanted me to live. You didn’t even bother to come home to make sure I was okay after the quake.”

“Oh, don’t be dramatic. You’re a grown man. We would have been called if you were in the hospital.”

“No you wouldn’t. You haven’t been my emergency contact in three years.”

His dad went pale at that.

“What do you mean? Who else?”

“Joyce Byers was, and then since last summer, it’s been Robin. They actually would come if I needed them.”

Eddie seemed to regain some of his composure, looking up at Richard with disdain.

“Kind of crazy how your son has so many people who love him for who he is and you can’t even be bothered to show up when he almost dies.” Eddie turned to Steve with a small, sad smile. “C’mon. Robin took the kids home in my van and I need a ride.”

“Steven, if you walk out the door, you better understand you won’t be welcome back here. Not with the disrespect you’ve shown me.”

“And the disrespect you’ve shown me? Eddie? My friends? What about that?”

Richard was silent, his teeth gritting together as he seethed to himself instead of out loud for once.

“Stevie, go grab some stuff from your room just in case, okay? I’ll wait here,” Eddie whispered.

“Eds, it’s fine. I won’t leave you alone with him,” Steve whispered back.

“I’m fine, Stevie. You can stay with me and Wayne tonight.”

Steve decided now wasn’t the time to talk, not while his father could hear.

He pulled Eddie along with him up the stairs, not giving him or his dad a chance to say anything else.

He grabbed the bag he kept under his bed for this kind of situation, already full of his savings, two sets of clothes, and important papers his dad probably didn’t even know he kept copies of: his birth certificate and social security card, the registration for the car showing it was in Steve’s own name, and the official copies of his trust fund documents.

He didn’t even know if Eddie had tried speaking to him again since coming in the room, he was too focused on getting out of there.

He thought about what he would do if his dad changed the locks before he could come back to get the rest of his stuff, which was likely.

He could find new clothes, he could replace his shampoo, but he glanced at his desk, where he kept pictures on a corkboard.

“Can you grab that board?”

Eddie looked over where Steve was staring and quickly grabbed it off the hooks on the wall.

“Thanks.”

“Anything you need.”

Steve tried not to think about it. He really did.

So he rushed back out of his room, down the stairs, and to the front door, Eddie close on his heels.

He got in his car, didn’t even stop to think about this being the last time he may be here.

Once Eddie closed the passenger door, he was backing out of the driveway and continuing out of the neighborhood.

They rode in silence for a couple miles, until Steve’s hands started shaking and Eddie told him to pull over.

“I’m gonna drive, okay? Robin’s probably waiting at mine already.”

Steve couldn’t argue, he knew he was too emotional to be behind the wheel. He may have only had a few more miles to go, but anything could happen if he wasn’t focused.

He zoned out on the rest of the drive. Eddie could have been trying to talk, but he didn’t hear it. The radio may have been on, but he didn’t hear it.

He didn’t even notice when they arrived at Eddie’s trailer until his door was opening and Robin was there, hands on his arms and rambling nervously.

“Oh my God, did he hurt you? I will go back there right now if you have so much as a hair out of place. He is such an asshole. Seriously, who does he think he is talking to you like that? Does he always say that kinda stuff? You need to get out of there. You can sleep in my attic or something, we’ll figure it out. I-”

“Robin, give him some air,” Eddie said softly, pulling her away from him and leaning down so he was face to face with Steve. “Stevie, do you wanna go inside? I’ll take Robin home and you can get settled.”

“Wait. He’s staying here tonight? Is he gonna live here now?” Robin was asking, pacing behind Eddie.

“He’s staying here tonight and maybe longer. We’ll talk about it all tomorrow. For now, he just needs to get inside and rest, okay?”

“Did he hurt him?”

“No, Robbie. He didn’t put his hands on him.”

“But he hurt him.”

Eddie sighed and nodded.

Steve looked at him, then at her, giving them both a small smile.

“I’m okay guys. I can drive Robin home. Maybe get a motel for the week.”

“Steve.”

“It’s fine, I’m fine.”

Eddie put his hand on his knee, squeezing gently.

“You’re not fine. You can stay with me tonight and we can figure it out more tomorrow, okay?”

Steve knew he wasn’t going to win. They’d take his keys and carry him into Eddie’s trailer. They would make all the kids come over to make sure he wouldn’t leave.

He loved them for it.

“Fine.”

“Thank you,” Eddie said with relief. “Alright, Robbie. Get in the van, I’ve got a date with my couch tonight I just can’t miss.”

Robin rolled her eyes, but Steve was already zoning out again.

“Stevie? Wayne’s up, I see the light on. He can help you get settled.”

“He won’t be upset?”

Eddie’s face fell.

“No, swe-” Eddie cleared his throat. “He won’t be upset. He’ll be happy to have someone other than me to talk to.”

Steve nodded once, grabbed his bag from the floor by his feet, and got out of his car.

He could feel Robin and Eddie staring as he made his way into the trailer, heard their muttering, but not quite what they were muttering.

Being inside the trailer felt different, better. It felt like a home. Wayne had worked hard on making it cozy the moment the government had it brought here to replace their old one.

But Steve realized even without a lot of things, it still felt lived in.

He could feel how much love was in these walls, how safe he felt just standing in the living room.

“Eddie, that you?” Wayne called from the bathroom down the hall.

“No, sir, it’s Steve!”

“Steve!” Wayne came around the corner with a towel around his neck, shaving cream on his face. “Didn’t expect you. Thought it was movie night tonight.”

“Um. It was. I’m staying here tonight if that’s okay,” Steve said, looking down at the floor and kicking one foot against the carpet.

He could feel Wayne staring at him, but he didn’t think he had the strength to see him turn him away.

“Of course it’s okay. You’re welcome anytime, you know that.”

Steve nodded.

“You know where Eddie’s room is, go ahead and set your stuff in there. I’ll finish up and then grab you something to drink. Want a snack?”

“Oh. Um. No thank you. I’m pretty tired, so I think I might just go to bed.”

“You sure, kid?”

“Mhm. I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow.”

Wayne was coming closer, he could see his feet shuffling against the carpet.

A hand was suddenly on Steve’s shoulder.

“Son, I don’t know what’s goin’ on, but I know I ain’t lettin’ you leave here tomorrow without talkin’ first. You ain’t botherin’ me if you need to stay here for a bit. We don’t have much, but we can figure it out.”

Steve sniffled. He wasn’t going to cry. He wasn’t.

“Steve. Can I…shit, hold on. I got stuff on my face. Don’t move!”

Steve waited for Wayne to go back to the bathroom. He heard the sink turn on and Wayne grumbled something about how long it takes to get hot water in this dump. He let himself smile, mostly because Eddie had done the same thing when he was having to take careful showers while he was still healing. Wayne was walking back out of the bathroom, using the towel around his neck to pat his face dry.

“Can I hug you, kid?”

Steve just stared at him.

“Steve? You can say no. Just seemed like you might need one.”

He did need one.

Before he comprehended what he was doing, he fell into Wayne’s arms and let out a sob.

“It’s alright, son. It’s gonna be alright. We’ve got ya. Whatever it is, you’re safe here.”

His words just made Steve sob harder.

But Wayne gripped him harder, not even giving him the chance to think he was letting him go.

They stood like that for a while, probably too long, but Steve couldn’t pull away.

He heard the front door open and then Eddie asking something.

“Just needed to cry it out a little. You alright, Steve?”

Steve sniffed, pulling away so he could look at Eddie.

Eddie was watching him, concerned eyes watery with unshed tears.

“Stevie? Have you been crying the whole time?”

“No,” Steve said, his voice barely able to choke out a response.

“How about you boys head on to bed? I’m gonna be watchin’ my shows for a bit if you need me.”

“Alright, love you,” Eddie said, not taking his eyes off of Steve.

“Love ya both,” Wayne said.

Steve was at least able to hold himself together until he made it to Eddie’s room.

Then, he let go.

He let himself fall to his knees, let himself fall apart, for probably the first time ever.

He didn’t think about what Eddie would do or what Eddie would say or even what Eddie would think.

He just let himself feel the overwhelming sadness that comes from not being loved by a parent.

“Sweetheart, come here,” Eddie said into his ear as he pulled him to his chest. “It’s gonna be okay. Let it out. You’ve held it in too long.”

He had. God, he really had.

For years, he just pretended his dad was an asshole who didn’t come home often and had high expectations. He pretended his mom was just an important part of his business and that’s why she never bothered to stay home with him.

But for years, he knew that his parents just didn’t like him. They were disappointed in him as a son, and as a person.

He cried for the ten year old version of him who didn’t realize it would be his last birthday with his parents at home. He cried for the 12 year old version of him who had to forge a signature on his field trip form because his parents hadn’t been home in a month. He cried for the 16 year old version of him who was old enough not to need his parents most of the time but not old enough to be completely alone after his world turned upside down.

He cried for the version of him who couldn’t understand how so many people put their lives on the line for him, but his own parents couldn’t even call.

He cried because he knew that he would never be loved or accepted by his parents the way Wayne had just wholeheartedly accepted him, no questions asked.

“Stevie, you gotta take a few deep breaths, okay. In and out. Wanna try it with me?”

Steve felt the rumble of Eddie’s voice in his chest against his ear, felt him take a deep breath and tried to copy him, but his chest hurt and he couldn’t.

“Try again.”

So he did. And then again.

By the fourth time, it was easier. His lungs filled all the way, and he slowly let the air out. His face was wet, Eddie’s shirt was wet. He could feel snot dripping from his nose.

He knew Eddie didn’t sign up for this when he offered his place for the night.

He started to pull away, furiously wiping his eyes and face the best he could.

“Sorry. I’ll uh. I can go.”

“Steve,” Eddie wrapped his arms around him and pulled him back so his back was against Eddie’s chest. “I want you to stay, okay? I need you to stay. I’ll feel better if you stay.”

Steve relaxed against Eddie’s body, the comfort too nice to give up at the moment.

They stayed like that for a while, Eddie’s fingers tracing shapes against Steve’s arms.

“Eddie?”

“Hm?”

“Was he right?”

“About what?”

“You being in love with me?”

Eddie’s fingers stopped tracing for a moment, but then started back up. He could hear Eddie’s heartbeat quicken behind him.

“Would it be bad if he was right?”

Eddie sounded like he was going to cry now.

“No. It wouldn’t be bad at all.”

Steve knew he was emotional, and maybe now wasn’t the time to have this talk. Maybe they wouldn’t even have the whole talk they should have. But he knew that he wanted to tell Eddie what he’d been thinking about for, truly, weeks now.

“You remember in the hospital when you were high on morphine and you kept touching my cheek and telling me that you wanted to kiss the freckle that was right where I should have a dimple?”

“I don’t and I wish you didn’t.”

Steve let out a snort.

“Well, I couldn’t forget about it. And not just because you also had just come out to me, or because you were alive. I just kept thinking about how much I wanted you to kiss that freckle.”

“Stevie…”

“I know you’re gonna tell me we shouldn’t do this tonight. You’re right, we shouldn’t. But I need you to know that it’s not a new thing for me, that I love you, too.”

He felt a kiss to the top of his head.

It felt like Eddie just kissed every worry, every stress, every bad part of the night away.

“You’re right about not doing anything tonight. You’ve had a lot of emotions and you need to sleep it off a bit. But I’ll be right next to you. I’m here, Stevie. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

“You’ll stay here tonight?”

“If that’s what you want, sweetheart.”

“Mhm. I do.”

“Let’s get comfy then.”

Steve pulled away to stand up, but Eddie held his hand so he wouldn’t stand yet.

“We’re not doing anything, but. I kinda need to kiss you. If you’re good with that,” Eddie said, eyes wide with hope.

“I’m good with that,” Steve smirked.

When Eddie leaned in to kiss him, he kept his eyes open. Only long enough to see Eddie’s close and a small smile appear on his face, but it was a moment he would never forget. The first of so many moments he would never forget.

[sweetadonisbutbetter]

hiii, could i request general blitzø x reader content?? honestly anything, i’m begging for crumbs at this point, there’s like no content for him 😭

OMG YES UGHHHH BLITZø MY BELOVED AUSB i have a few other prompts of him (that aren't ask) and he is jushfgshg i love him reader is implied to be an imp but can be read as any type of hellborn

He makes me laugh | Blitzø x GN!Reader

Relationship: Romantic Warnings: Mentions of NSFW but nothing too serious

Blitzø couldn’t understand how he got so lucky. His tail flicked behind him as he watched you interact with his daughter. Loona, who normally snarled at people to back away, was engaging in a conversation with you about a shared interest. Shockingly she was the main one talking, as you listened. That was possibly his favorite thing about you, that you lent an ear to those who believed that they didn’t have a voice. 

You were his most healthy relationship, by a long shot. Being patient with him, picking up the shattered pieces of his shell,  and helping him back together, no matter how many cuts you received. If he could compare his relationship to anyone, it would be M&M, which was a just compliment in his mind. You looked at him from the corner of your eyes, before smiling at him. 

Blitzø swears that if he was capable, he would have exploded. He let out a soft purr as his tail flicked harder. He was so caught up in staring at your perfectly hand-crafted face, that he didn’t notice that a client had walked in, standing in front of him while waving their hands. It took Loona yelling his name for him to snap out of his thoughts. With a slightly embarrassed look, he took the client into his office. Loona huffed and turned to you.

“Seriously, what do you even see in him?” She asked, propping her paws on the table. She began to scroll on her phone as you plopped right onto the table and looked at the office door, trying to think of a way to answer her question. The real answer was what he didn’t see in him. 

You had met him through horse riding lessons, being the teacher. Though you normally dealt with kids, be it their parents who paid for the lessons or a school trip, there was always the odd adult who wanted to say they rode a horse once in their life. Though Bliztø was far from the regular adults, his excitement reached that of a child. Throughout his lesson, you both talked and it led to him walking away after his lesson, overjoyed to have ridden a horse and your number in his hand. 

Though it took him a couple of days, he did get back to you, inviting you to hang out with him. You agreed, thinking ‘What the hell,’ and gave it a shot. Safe to say, you woke up the next morning sore, and your clothes were everywhere. 

It didn’t take long after that for you to start falling for the imp; however, through the late-night talks you had with him anytime you two either slept with one another or you had a casual sleepover, a relationship was the last thing that he needed. So instead of rushing into one and possibly blowing the thing up, you decided to be his rock, what kept him grounded. By being there for him, you could ensure that he was able to have someone to lean on. While you had no way of knowing if you were truly helping, you could for sure count on his actions to tell you.

It started small, with Blitzø holding your hand when you went you both went out. Then it slowly escalated to small kisses, first being played off as platonic, nights in which you two would just enjoy each other's company and ended with Blitzø asking you out. While your first date with him wasn’t fancy, it was the fact that you and Blitzø had spent the night with each other, cooking and watching movies. Of course, that night there was a serious, yet open and honest conversation about your relationship moving forward. You both had put on the table that you wanted a relationship, however, Blitzø wasn’t entirely sure about the idea of it, given his track record. You were the one to propose an open relationship, which could work with the proper boundaries. Explain it as a way for him to test the waters without necessarily being tied down. He agreed to it, though he was slightly reluctant that he would do something to screw it up.

It had been a couple of years since that conversation, and you both met more people. Blitzø took you to the adoption of Loona, you were the one to break out Blitzø and Moxxie, and you were there when the I.M.P opened for business. Of course, Blitzø had his off days, where he would shut the world off and retreat into himself, but you stayed. You couldn’t leave the very demon that brought you joy and leave the little found family that was started all by him. With your answer, you look back to Loona who was scrolling on her phone. You smiled softly and said,

“He makes me laugh.”

sigh...i love u blitz...wanted to include stolas in this but i have plans for him...

[abubblingcandle]

Augusnippets Day 24 - Bear Trap - Ted Lasso

cw mention of traps from the Saw franchise

Roy comes home to the aftermath of one of the Greyhound film nights and doesn't do the greatest job at managing his team's fears

A day late but still counts!

Here on AO3 @augusnippets

"What the fuck are you two idiots up to?" Roy growled, pushing Jamie backwards to flop over the arm of the settee. He landed with a little sharp exhale and flopped to lie across Dani's lap. 

"We're never sleeping again," Dani proclaimed, holding a screwdriver firmly in white knuckles fists up in front of him. 

"Why ... no I don't care. Go to bed," Roy huffed, pointing at the stairs. In the coaching courses they don't teach you that footballers in their twenties are idiots and you'll spend most of your time parenting them. It should at least be a seminar. 

"Nope, can't sleep. Researching," Jamie nodded, rolling off Dani only to shoot back up and burrow into his side. 

"That can wait until the morning," Roy raised his eyebrows as they both shook their heads in unison. 

"What is he comes in the night?" Dani whispers. 

"We need to know what to do!" Jamie waved his iPad in Roy's direction that was showing a video about escaping from bear traps. 

Roy sighed, massaging his temples. He had just done yoga. He should be calm, refreshed, centred not frustrated, annoyed and tired. 

"One of you. Speak. Full sentences. Now!"

Jamie and Dani both looked at each other, nervous flickering eyes. 

"We went to movie night at Isaac's with the team and he showed us the most horrible of films. The man who comes and takes people and puts their head's in increasingly awful situations," Dani rambled. 

Roy groaned, "why were you watching Saw at a team film night?" They should not be watching films like that without adult supervision. 

"Isaac said it was gruesome but in a fun way!" Jamie protested. "And now every time I close my eyes I think the puppet man is coming for us so I ain't closing my eyes for nothing!"

Roy prayed to anyone and anything that was listening for strength to get through this conversation. "The film isn't real. No one is coming to kidnap you and especially no one is coming to kidnap Dani and put your heads in a bear trap," Roy sighed. 

"Why is Dani less likely?" Jamie yelped, snatching the defensive screwdriver from Dani's hands. 

"Your whole personality," Roy replied blankly, fully prepared to have to dodge a flying screwdriver. 

"Now I'm definitely not sleeping," Jamie nodded, turning back to the iPad. 

"Fucking hell. Even if, which it won't, it does happen. You'll just get the key or ..."

"Wedge the bars shut and try and break the spring!" Dani supplied helpfully. 

"There you go," Roy waved his hands in exasperation. Maybe finally they'd go cuddle in bed like the little idiots usually did. 

"But what if there isn't anything to wedge it with?" Jamie supplied unhelpfully. 

"Then I'll avenge your deaths. I have plenty of saw trap ideas," Roy replied with a shrug. Time stopped, both Jamie and Dani froze eyes wide open in panic. 

"Dani run!" Jamie screamed, diving over the back of the settee with Dani in tow in an uncoordinated mass of limbs. They both screeched as they clattered up the stairs and Roy heard the guest room door slam shut and click locked. 

Ok maybe that was a mistake. 

Roy: I am going to kill you

Isaac: I'm sorry! Jamie said it would be fine and then it was too late

Roy: You never believe the idiots

Isaac: I know, it’s captain 101

Isaac: But in my defence Jamie said he had been meaning to watch it but then they ran screaming about sharks???

Roy: Think about it pretending to be Jamie

Isaac: ... I don't think I get it

Isaac: Oohhh I got it ... Jaws 

[tarynisbunhead]

Man, CGI has really ruined Hollywood.

I've said how much I hate CGI in the past. How at this point I can't see the movie but just CGI blobs, or how about the fact that CGI takes away jobs like Make-up artists and costume design? "Hey if the computer can do it, why bother to wear the costume at all?" This is why corporations now turned to AI, and it's backfiring.

So why even bring this up? This summer I decided to watch Young Indiana Jones Chronicles again. I watched the first half of volume one, so far the first four adventures follow 10 year old Indiana Jones as he travels the world with his parents and tutor. Eventually the series tackles what happened to Indy's mother and the bitter relationship between father and son but as for right now Professor Jones is traveling and lecturing. This series was released in 1992 and as a kid when this series was released I didn't miss an episode, it was one of my favorite shows - why the fucking hell is Hollywood stupid now? This isn't some crummy nostalgia trip because I have the set and watch it on occasion, in the last 20 years Hollywood has given us reboots and self inserts, I'm not entertained watching someone's fan fiction play out.

This show starts off with a monologue explaining how Indy got to be an adventurous kid, and how he ended up with his dog. It then slides into how the family started their trip around the world - their house is a Victorian style house so you know the rest of this will be shot on location. Even as a kid I loved the location shots and costumes, I wanted to go back in time and wear Mrs. Jones clothes, I thought she was so pretty.

Okay now first of all, Professor Jones. George Lucas had to know after releasing Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, and having Sean Connery as Indy's father, that wasn't going to be easy. The actor, Lloyd Owen, not only has the look but his acting style follows Mr. Connery. Right down to saying "Junior!" almost exact.

Shoot on location or green screen? I understand budget, but if you were given the money to show off the beauty of a country, why destroy it with computer generation?

I mean even the silent film Phantom of the Opera, that music hall set was designed using sketches. People thought that scene was filmed in an actual music hall. Lucas filmed on location in several episodes, using props that fit the time period, with 10 year old Indy the journey began in 1909.

Props and costumes really make a difference in transporting the audience back in time.

But even at that, through the series Indy meets several historical figures. Some show up several times like T. E. Lawrence and Howard Carter, so of course they had to look like the person they were portraying but what about Sigmund Freud? Tolstoy? Even a young Norman Rockwell?

This is the first episode, Carter and T. E. Lawrence are at a digsite. The crafty thing about Lucas is the characters mention King Tut so yeah you're gonna see these guys again

Here's a young Norman Rockwell

Here's Puccini, the opera composer who gave us Madame Butterfly. I watched the episode last night and didn't realize just how much it showed the actual Puccini - in the episode he went after Indy's mom, the real Puccini was a womanizer so there was no holding back

You can say I'm nostalgic and defend 2024 Hollywood but look at Who Framed Roger Rabbit that was released in 1988

Or how about Dick Tracy, released in 1990

Then there's Rocketeer in 1991

And then the same year that Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was released to TV, there was Newsies - 1992

Can we go back to movies and TV shows that look like the time period they were set in?

[preservationofnormalcy]

Hey, figured I'd send this because! why not! I've never been able to see anything extra normal. I grew up being told that the whole magic supernatural stuff was fake. the things you'd only see in movies. I believed they were real, not because of any evidence but because I wanted it to be real. fast forward to college and guess what! the magic stuff IS real but I've never seen it. Ever. I went to a doctor and stuff but, nope I'm completely normal. I just physically can never see or interact with any magicy stuff. Dragons have always been something I love thinking about since I was a kid, could you... tell me about them? even if I'll never get to see one, I'd like to know just. something.

You must’ve had a recent extranormal experience that let you see this helpline. I know you probably have a lot of questions, so in general I’ll point out the wide array of PSAs and orientations the Office has available for new people in the community. Hello!

Specific to dragons, though, hmm. I’ve mentioned it before, but dragons are fairly rare. Only a few hundred on earth at any given time, and even then ETCetRA is their main point of contact with humans.

I guess one thing that’s well known about dragons is their tendency to hoard. They’re pretty proud about that - dragons tend to see an excess of one chosen thing as a point of success. It’s not a collection, to a dragon their hoard is more than that. It represents power, wealth, attention to detail and methodical planning. It’s a reflection of who you are as a person, whether your hoard is neatly organized and alphabetical or haphazard and personal. And in this day and age, it’s sometimes not gold or gems.

Mr Farrow, of Leviathan LTD., hoards stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments and assets. His wife, I hear, hoards fine art. I’ve known of hoards of pony figurines, decorative pillows, comics. I know of one particular dragon who hoards books.

It’s hell when a dragon wants to move realms, of course, and not just for the customs they’ll have to go through if they come here, but they put up with it.

[asshlyyyy]

Absolute Silence Pt. 3

Part One | Part Two

This is the last part of this instalment. I was going to originally shove this idea into part two, but I figured I would leave it as it's own little part. I can't wait to start writing again, and I can't wait for y'all to read what I have to write!

Masterlist

Pairing: Austin Butler x Deaf!Fem!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, Some information regarding cochlear implants may be wrong. Spelling and Grammatical Errors most likely.

Word Count: 2.1k

After the Cannes Festival, it seemed as if everything went crazy. You went from premier to premier, and you watched the film several times at this point. However, you weren’t complaining. It was a great movie, and you were very happy to support your boyfriend. Plus, you loved the opportunity to visit new cities and countries. Not to mention, seeing Austin all dressed up. That was the real gift in the end. 

The only downside was the press. Every magazine and online article basically called you the rudest person ever! This was because you didn’t pay them any attention or mind. They would call out to you, only for you to ignore them. Oh boy oh boy, if only they knew you were deaf. They would be shut down immediately. 

You didn’t try to let it get to you. It was bound to happen. Dating the star that blew up worldwide for his newest work. People were jealous. People were angry that you had him and they didn’t. They would try and find dirt on you. Hell, they would even start these made-up crack stories about you. 

All of that didn’t matter. All that did matter was Austin and your being. Austin saw the real you. He knows the real you and any of these fake articles will not change his mind about you. Even if you would tell him they didn’t bother you, deep down he knew… deep down you knew that they did. 

“Hey, you ready to go?” Austin asked as he walked into your shared bedroom. You looked up from your phone and looked at Austin.

“I don’t think I’m going to go,” you stated. Austin looked at you confused. You had joined him on every premier up to this point. It was just that everything was hitting you and you didn’t want to do it anymore. You wanted to support him, yes…. But people gave you disgusted looks now. His cast mates gave you disgusted looks. He was the only one who didn’t. 

“Is everything okay?” He asked as he walked over. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on your leg. 

“I just don’t want to be the girl that ignores people… The mean one.” You admitted to him.

“You aren’t ignoring them dalrin’. They just don’t know that you’re deaf.” he explained. You let out a sigh and shook your head. It didn’t matter if they knew you were or weren’t deaf.

“I just… I’m not up for it right now. Maybe next time?” Austin nodded in defeat and leaned down to lay a kiss on your head. You smiled and leaned up to kiss him. “I’ll see you later superstar.” You whispered.

“I’m going to be texting you the whole time,” Austin admitted to you. You rolled your eyes lightly at him and smacked his arm. 

“I don’t think your agent will like that.” You chuckled lightly.

“Maybe not but,” he shrugged. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, I love you.” You said gently, a small smile on your face.

“I love you too.” He responded and straightened himself up. 

“Oh! Can you put this up on the fridge? I think I just want a silent night.” You asked him as you took off your cochlear. Austin smiled and took the device and gave you the symbol for I love you. You smiled and watched as he left the room. 

You looked down at your phone and took note of the time and sighed. Elvis was a long enough movie as it was, but he might not be home for three or four hours. You could take a nap… you could watch a movie. Or…. 

You pulled up your mother’s contact name on FaceTime and called her. Your mother has helped you through so much, and you knew she would help you through this. As you watched her appear on your screen you smiled.

You perked your phone up and gave her a wave and quickly told her you weren’t wearing your implant. She frowned at this information and imminently knew something was up. 

“What’s wrong honey?” She asked you after she propped up her phone on something. Probably some old books she had lying around the house. 

“Have you seen the articles? They’re calling me the rudest person alive!” You explained to her. 

“Why would they do that? You’re the nicest person that has ever graced Earth.” She tried to lift your mood. 

“Because I don’t notice when they talk to me. So, they call me the rudest person because I ignore them.” You explained further. You should see your mother just get upset over the whole situation. It wasn’t new to her though. 

“Have you talked to Austin about this?” She then asked. 

“I just talked to him about it. He told me not to worry about it.” 

“Then I think you shouldn’t worry about it. They are the ones being rude. They are assuming you are ignoring them. However, the reality is they don’t know you’re deaf.” She sided with Austin. You let out a sigh and looked down at your lap. Both she and Austin were right. You shouldn’t make a big deal out of this. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“Austin!” Olivia called out to him once she saw him. She was especially happy when she noticed you weren’t next to him. Austin spotted his costar and smiled.

“Hey Olivia. You look great,” he complimented her dress. She smiled at his words and did a quick spin.

“Why thank you. You’re looking rather dashing.” Olivia complimented back. Austin nodded as a thank you. “No girlfriend today?”

“No, she’s been reading those articles and she just wasn’t in the mood to come out,” Austin answered.

“Ah, I’m sorry to hear that. At least we could get some pictures now.” She smiled brightly. Austin nodded slowly and just kind of went with the flow. He followed his agent and stopped when needed. 

“Austin! Can we get a few words?” Someone with a microphone asked. Austin looked at his agent for an answer, who responded with a nod. Austin walked over to the guy with a smile. 

“Austin Butler, I only heard great things about this movie.” The guy complimented him.

“Thank you,” Austin chuckled lightly, “but all I did was act. There was a huge team of people behind me that really made it the way it is.”

“I bet things got a bit overwhelming as well. You had big shoes to fill. Do you feel as if you did a good job?” The interviewer questioned. Austin thought about it for a bit. He could never become Elvis no matter how hard he worked. 

“At some moments I thought I did good, but there were other moments when I was like… I should have done that differently, but my girlfriend always reassured me that I was doing the best I could.” Austin smiled at the thought of you. He really wished you were by his side right now. 

“Yes, your girlfriend! I’m sure you’ve seen the nasty articles about her. It’s a real shame that anyone will do anything for the press.” He in a way apologized. 

“It’s all just made up. My girlfriend is completely deaf and she won’t know if you’re talking to her unless you're face to face. So, in reality, the ones who started this rude statement are going to get it.” Austin explained to him. Unbeknownst to him, Olivia was doing her own interview. 

“I met her the first time at the Cannes film festival and she was just so rude to me. I was talking to her, and she just completely ignored me. I’ve never met someone that rude before.” Olivia spoke about you. 

“It was just she was purposely ignoring you.” The female interviewer said. Olivia nodded in agreement. 

“That they are. I don’t see her with you tonight. Send her my best wishes.” He smiled at Austin and thanked him for taking time out of his day to talk to him. Austin gave him a wave and went on his way. 

Once they all got into the building Austin went his own way. He didn’t really want to sit through the whole movie again. There was just something about watching himself. As he described to the interviewer, he often would find ways he could’ve done something else. When you were next to him, you always praised him. 

He grabbed out his phone and started to text you. He wished you were right by his side, but he knew why you wanted to stay home. If only he could stay home as well. In fact, he wanted this whole tour thing to be over. He just wanted to relax. He wanted to lay in bed and be with you.

Back at home, or your temporary hotel room, you lay cuddled up in bed. The tv was playing in front of you and you felt the vibration of your phone. You picked up your phone and saw a text from Austin. You smiled and immediately went to text him back.

Austin 1:24 | I really wish you were here… I miss you so much :(

Y/n 1:25 | I miss you tooo :( Wish the movie would end soon. I can’t wait any longer till we can cuddle. 

Austin 1:30 | If I could I would sneak back right now, but I have to be here for the credits.

Y/n 1:31 | I know, it sucks >:I Y/n 1:32 | Did you see Olivia’s interview? She just continued to call me rude and everything. Saying I was purposely ignoring her… which maybe I was but- I took off my implant. 

Austin 1:34 | Hopefully it will end soon. I did a small interview myself and we were talking about you. I told him you were deaf. Hopefully, people get the damn picture now. 

Y/n 1:35 | God I hope so…

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Before you knew it, you heard the door opening. You sat up in bed and looked around. You looked down at your phone and saw no texts from Austin. You got up from bed and made your way out of the bedroom. As you came around the corner you saw Austin walking in with bags in his hands.

“What did you do?” You asked him confused. Austin just smiled in response and started to pull stuff out of the bags. There was of course food for you two to share, and then the endless amount of snacks and candy. 

“Figured we could have a movie night.” You smiled at him and walked over to him. You wrapped your arms around him and buried your face against his chest. How did you deserve this human? God, you were happy you were at the coffee shop. 

You pulled yourself away from the embrace and grabbed your implant off the fridge. You placed it around your ear and connected it. Austin watched every move you made. You looked at him and smiled.

“Let’s have a movie night then.” You said as you grabbed some of the food and walked over to the bedroom.

“I’ll get the plates and napkins,” Austin announced. You let out a quick hum and got the bed ready. When Austin walked into the bedroom with everything he started to change into something more comfortable. 

“I confronted Olivia today,” He said. You turned and looked at him. 

“Yeah? What’d she say?” You asked him as you picked up a fry to eat. 

“She started to deny everything. Said she didn’t know you were deaf.” Austin explained. You looked at him confused. That was a total lie, but it was clear that she was just trying to gaslight him. 

“Her first words to me were… you’re deaf right?” You rolled your eyes. You really thought Olivia was going to be nice. Hell, you thought you two could even be friends, but after her first words to you were that… “I can’t believe she would try and defend herself.”

“Well, the truth is out there. And they will get all the hate they deserve, and that’s all that matters.” Austin said as he climbed into bed. You let out a short hum and nodded.

“Yeah… you’re right.” You smiled softly at him.

“I’m always right,” he cheekily smiled. You rolled your eyes at him and pushed him away lightly. 

“Mhm, sure you are.”

“Always am,” Austin smiled and wrapped his arms around you, and pulled you close to him. “Because I know that I’m in love with you, and that’s the truth.” He whispered. You turned your head to face him and smiled.

“And I’m in love with you.”

Mutual Taglist: @darlinboypresley @emmymaehereeeeee @venus-haze @austinstyles

[inhibited-irregularity]

Since the voting was truly abysmal and the real winner was robbed by the corrupt juries, might as well make a "they deserved better" list including both semis and the grand finale and considering both juries and the general public. So, in an attempt to be as objective as I can, here's my

☆♥︎THEY DESERVED BETTER♥︎☆

In no particular order:

🇩🇪 Germany, Lord of the lost - Blood and glitter: I admit that I wasn't a fan in the beginning, and even made a post about how I wish that the rock entries went harder and that LOTL should either commit to hardcore or be more silly with the song. I found the cheesy lyrics delivered in such a serious and dramatic manner cringey, BUT, after their performance last night, changed my mind completely. First of all, I ADORE the lead singer's vocals (and he seems like a cool guy), and the song itself has some seriously good moments, not to mention how freakin catchy it is. Their energy was through the roof, the performance was flawless, and in spite of my initial reaction to the song, I bought it and genuinely loved it. It felt like watching a concert by one of my favorite bands. Not my winner, but I was really disappointed with how low they scored.

🇪🇸 Spain, Blanca Paloma - Eaea: ROBBED. Over the years, the juries projected an image of people that look for all things *artistic* in a song (even though it usually translates as a pretentious kid in art college with no real taste picking the thing they think their 50yo profesor would approve of). Well, they be blind, since Blanca Paloma brought IT, and they failed to recognize. Outstanding vocals, stunning visuals, the power of the entire performance, and all the emotion and significance packed into a seemingly simple concept. It was more like a movie scene than a musical competition entry, she transported me into another dimension and unlocked something ancient and wonderful. All the people I've talked to had different favorites, but they all had strong, immensely positive reactions to Spain. I literally teared up and had a spiritual experience with Blanca Paloma's performance, and the energy she exuded was undeniably healing, freeing and over-all cathartic. While I knew that her chances of winning were slim and I didn't count on the public vote, she deserved SO MUCH MORE from both general public and the juries.

🇦🇹 Austria, Teya and Salena - Who the hell is Edgar: One of my favorites from the very beginning. A quality pop song with a bop-y rhythm and ingenious lyrics. Under the guise of random and silly, there's quite a few things implied - the obvious criticism of the music industry and the more subtle "people are readier to believe that a ghost of a famous writer possessed me than that a woman can write quality lyrics and have a sense of humor" (shout-out to generations of men claiming Kurt Cobain wrote Courtney Love's songs and lyrics, work on your reading comprehension) While that might be a personal observation, here's what absolutely stands. They're adorable, funny, had a fun choreography, a catchy song, the lyrics that are fun even if you don't analyze them, great personalities, solid performance, perfect delivery and the right amount of quality with a dash of random that matches Iceland's Dađy Freyr and that y'all claim to respect. Shame on the audience; the jury can't recognize talent anyway.

🇸🇮 Slovenia, Joker out - Carpe Diem: Not much left to say. Good song, good vibes, all the charisma in the world. They had Måneskin's synergy, they had a good time, the audience had a good time with them, and they were confident in a non-pretentious manner. Special mention for Bojan, the lead singer, who's shown such sportsmanship, was truly an example of a perfect esc. representative. The entire band seems very fun to hang out with, and while they're goofy, they seem very smart with how they manage to balance witty and respectful in interviews. Members aside, their music is refreshing and perfect for people that find mainstream pop repetitive but aren't into anything too heavy. Perfect for a summer music festival or a feel-good playlist.

🇵🇹 Portugal, Mimicat - Ai, coração: you know she's something special when her entire home country shows such support and excitement. I wasn't a fan at first when I saw the national performance, it seemed a bit out-dated and frankly a bit too weird for my taste, but she changed my mind as soon as she took the stage in the first semi. In my opinion, a Broadway-worthy performance, and such personality! Fun aunt vibes, and one of the coolest people this year. When I grow up, I wanna be her.

🇭🇷 Croatia, Let 3 - Mama, ŠČ: The juries are such cowards, honestly. I was familiar with some of the band's history and not everything they did was exactly my taste, but what else to expect from a band so unhinged. I had some misgivings, but they won me over quickly. The punkest thing Eurovison has seen in recent years. That's how you do anti-war, Switzerland. Satire on point. Weird, meaningful, fun, grotesque. How something like that didn't do better in Eurovision is beyond me. But leave it to the cowardly juries that left Italy's Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Moro with almost no points to do just that. I'm still butthurt.

🇷🇸 Serbia, Luke Black - Samo mi se spava: Listen, I was NOT a fan. All the homophobes aside, everyone in the country and their mom was gushing about how original and unique the song is, which can be annoying to someone who's as exposed to various aspects of pop culture as I am (humble,I know), and I still think his singing could be better. At first, he was a bit awkward and seemed pretentious during the national selection. However, the performance did stand out, he amped his energy and put such effort, and there's no denying the flawless staging and production and how well it suits him, and over time, he's proved to be a funny, likeable and down to earth guy (with flawless fashion sense). I'm proud of him and how he represented the country, and he definitely didn't deserve to be at the bottom of the list.

🇮🇸 Iceland, Diljá - Power: I'm OUTRAGED that it didn't qualify and can only call lesbophobia idk. I mean, Im not familiar with her sexuality, but if I've ever seen something that doesn't give a damn about the male gaze, this would be it. Still, it's beyond me how she didn't qualify. One of the best vocals this year, not to mention she sung FLAWLESSLY while running and jumping all over the stage with zero breaks. The track itself is meh to me, but should be something that Eurovision fans enjoy; that being said, the vocal and performance can make or break a song with such a track, and she ATE. Power indeed, I was blown away. Her being super-cute is just a bonus. She has my heart and my votes ♡ Too bad people didn't agree.

🇷🇴 Romania, Theodor Andrei - D.G.T: Ok, I can't shout that he deserved to qualify, I knew the chances were slim and the song had some ways to go, not to mention the hot mess of a national performance. However, he doesn't deserve ANY hate that he's getting, and in my opinion, he was the best male vocal this year. I'm in love with his voice and he doesn't lack charisma either. I loved the re-vamp with the acoustic guitar, but at the end of the day, the stage was a bit empty. I will add D. G. T. to my playlist though, and I wish him a wonderful career and a powerful return.

🇱🇻 Latvia, Sudden Lights - Aijā; Well, this one hurts. I know it wasn't a fan favorite, but I was rooting for it so much and still think it deserved to qualify over some *questionable* entries. While it was something straight out of my high-school playlist, I didn't find it derivative and it was warm, touching and comforting. And beautiful, goddammit. I get how it's not everyone's cup of tea, but come on.

🇵🇱 Poland, Jann - Gladiator: Was this a jumpscare? Lol. No need to write a huge paragraph, the entire world knows that he was robbed. I've never seen someone so charismatic and meant to be a performer, and I enjoyed both the song, the lyrics and the delivery, even though I immediately noticed a similarity with Judas by Lady Gaga. However, I feel obliged to say that he should work on his vocals and that y'all wouldn't be so mad if he didn't look the way he looks. Still, the true choice of Poland, and I have no doubt he would've done great in the final.

AND FINALLY .....

THE ONE TRUE WINNER

💚💚💚💚🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮💚💚💚

Käärija (my beloved) - Cha Cha Cha:

Ok, he didn't lack the love or the appreciation. But the RIGGERY. The ROBBERY. THE AUDACITY.

First of all, the song is a banger. It mixes industrial rock, techno and eurodance perfectly, with flawless transitions, while managing to catch the ears of people that aren't into any of those genres. Great intro that pulls you in immediately, and the pacing done just right. Now onto Käärijä himself. He's a fucking star. A legend. It's impossible not to like him. Every video of him I've seen was so much fun. Performance wise, great energy, great delivery. The song manages to appeal so many people with staying unique and checking all the boxes. Want something for the angst? He got you. Want something upbeat? Cha cha cha motherfuckers. Want weird? "My name is Kääärijää", there's our green man. Want quality production? Boy from Vantaa's got it.

The only possible criticism I can see him receiving is something along the lines of "it's gimmicky", which is frankly a ridiculous thing to say about a Eurovision entry (insert the Maryl Streep from Devil Wears Prada meme) and if it were gimmicky, he wouldn't have become the only artist to ever have his name chanted by the entire audience while Sweden gets points, and I wouldn't have replayed it so many times since it came out without getting bored. Honestly, one of the rare songs that puts me in a good mood, cos it has that "starting from anger and angst and acknowledging bad feelings and THEN bringing you to upbeat and happy" thing going on. Eh. Fuck the jury.

This concludes my list. Special mentions.

Not my cup of tea, but deserved the praise - Norway, Italy, Australia, Armenia

Deserved more public votes, undeniable quality, but faded into the background compared to my other favs - France, Czechia

Not for me but I get it- Moldova, Estonia, Georgia

+ Acknowledging Malta for pulling that performance and getting everything possible out of a song that relies entirely on one catchy hook. Most improved entry since the nationals, good show, likeable group, fun staging.

[ladysomething]

Hello! Back with more thoughts! I can already tell this is going to be way too long, I am so sorry in advance, dont feel like you have to respond!! But first of all, I saw an ask where you said you liked Taylor Swift and since you were at the AUS GP, I must ask- did you get to go to the Eras Tour in Australia? I will be incredibly jealous if you did!! Anyways, AHHH THIS CHAPTER!! I have so many thoughts, I wish I could share all of them, but that would actually turn this ask into a real essay and this will already be too long lol.

I LOVED the new things we learned about the Dreyma Ver-öld!!! So interesting that people still feel pain there, but in a lesser way (does the same thing apply when sensing emotions through a bond, like Max can do with Charles now?) and so interesting that they don’t visit it while in heat/rut. And very very interesting that injuries received in there exist in the real world too!! I am DYING to know what Max’s is like, since I get the feeling it’s not quite the safe space that Charles’ is.

THE COLLAR?! I’m seeing everyone freaking out about it, but not going to lie, I burst out laughing when I read that part. OF COURSE Max would be *that* petty and throw Charles’ comment back in his face like that. I am obsessed with them and the way you write them. And the collar is awful and humiliating, but I am also excited for its reappearance 😏

I was so excited for a Max POV last chapter, but I semi-take that back now because knowing both of their perspectives and seeing wildly wrong they both are about each other just makes me want to lock them in a room and barricade the door until they figure out what a communication is. I’m frustrated as hell now, but also absolutely living for the angst while I wait for them to figure out what words are!!

I think Charles is incredibly stupid for thinking Ferarri is going to care about him starving himself. And Charles clearly isn’t caring about himself beyond just trying to get away from Max right now, so it feels incredibly twisted that Max is kind of the only person who is knows what is going on with Charles and cares about Charles (even if he seems to care in an incredibly weird and fucked up way right now). 

LOVE how susceptible you’ve made Charles is to alphas and how that fucks up the power dynamic EVEN more (the way he reacts to Pierre now???, the way he said that if Max had used his alpha voice, he would have been out for HOURS????!!!!) I have a feeling that this is a big reason that Max isn’t letting him go anywhere, and that this will become veryyyyy relevant (perhaps with a certain Mercedes mechanic 👀) later????

There’s SO much more I want to say but this is WAYYYY too long (sorry!!!), so super quick honourable mentions: 

happy dance when I saw the fic title in the chapter!!

“Maybe it’ll come to fruition as soon as the Monaco GP” I am suddenly TERRIFIED for what you have planned for Charles’ home race

Pierre becoming visibly worried in response to Charles getting a maniacal little grin and coming up with an awful plan had me absolutely rolling I love the way you write everyone

Eek it was all so good!! I am so excited to eventually get to the point in this fic where we start getting answers instead of more questions but I LOVE this suspense you’re building!! Thank you for sharing <3

you've triggered me very deeply, because I did NOT GO TO THE ERAS TOUR. I COULDN'T GET TICKETS. I stg I cried for like 3 days when I missed out lol. and then also had a weep when I watched the movie. I will forever rage at people who went to like 5 nights because how the FUCK did they get those tickets!!!!

I'm so glad you like the dream world so much. there are some reallllyyyyyy fun scenes planned for that place.

zipped lips re the alpha voice!!!! but it's also going to be coming back!!!

Pierre thought "does Charles not remember that the last time he thought he had a great plan he got bought by Max" and you know what??? that was very real of him

I think the answers are going to start trickling in pretty soon!! I think? Well, I think so at least haha. the next Max POV gives some pretty good insight into a couple things.

[theknightmarket]

"You're on."

In which Illinois and his partner explore a cave and relationship issues.

TW: sexual innuendos, cursing

Pages: 19 - Words: 8,000

[Requests: OPEN]

Tap, tap, tap. Water dripped from the ceiling in a slow, rhythmic state that could have sent you to sleep if you weren’t careful. Like a lullaby, it coaxed you to lie down and forget all about what you had come here to find. Of course, the adrenaline coursing through your veins, which mimicked the small streams created by your feet, kept you awake and aware of every little thing that happened in the tunnel. It was a cramped place, where you could touch both walls if you stood in the middle with your arms stretched out. Some places, you would have to crouch, but it widened the further in you got. 

“Scary, huh. Heard a bunch of tunnels have caved in around here.” 

You rolled your eyes. Your partner in crime behind you had a habit of trying to frighten you, ever since the first adventure you went on. He always mentioned how many people had gotten hurt in the places you went, or he’d pretend to slip on rocks just to get you to grab his wrist. It was to stabilize him, but he wouldn’t let you go without calling you out on how worried you were for him. And, yeah, he might’ve been right. The guy was an idiot sometimes – and you’d been with him for nearly three years at this point, so you reserved the right to say that – and you wouldn’t put it past him to crack his head open on a ledge. 

Still, you called back, the sound echoing through the caverns, “We can always head back, if you’re that terrified, Illinois.” 

That gravelly laugh followed suit and bounced off the walls, ending with him replying, “Never said that, babe.” 

And there was another habit of his, calling you all the pet names under the sun. Sweetheart, darling, but babe was his favorite. He used them more than he used your real name, leading you to have to constantly remind him in case he had actually forgotten. Illinois always laughed it off, but you were sure he had the first handful of times he used the nicknames. After that, they just stuck, no matter how many times you asked for him to change. 

You didn’t mention it, this time, though – instead, you concerned yourself more with the long stretch of path ahead of you. This wouldn’t be a problem if the walls weren’t completely uniform, and a mismatch of holes were dented in them. Arrows. That wasn’t too bad, given how sought after this treasure you were hunting for was. No way in hell would you risk your life for something worthless, or, as Illinois claimed, ‘the thrill of the hunt’. You liked being rewarded for your hard work, especially if it included dodging deadly traps that you’d normally see in action movies like the Mummy. You shook of the thought of Brendan Frasier and inspected the pattern of holes while you waited for Illinois to catch up.

When you felt a body at your side, you gestured to them and took a step forward. You were stopped by Illi catching your arm. Your confused look was matched by a sly smirk. 

“Lemme show you how it’s done.” 

You were tempted to remind him how long you’ve been doing this for but thought better of it when he took a few steps back. Every time you investigated a new place, you were filled with fear for that man’s life. It was as if he lived just to show-off, and, to who, you had no clue, because the only impact on you was concern for his physical and mental wellbeing. 

Still, that didn’t stop him from taking the run-up and leaping into the fray. 

Light-speed arrows shot from both directions, barely skimming his satchel and pinning loose fabric of his to the wall. Sharp tears broke the distant drip of water and sent goosebumps down your arms. Illinois flipped and dove, dodged everything that came at him like a rough acrobat, and yet he came out without a single scratch on him. At the other side of the battlefield, stone bricks now marred with chips and fallen arrows, he stood with that dazzling smile and glimmer of mischief in his eyes. A tip of his hat and the flick of a switch on his part, and you were safe to cross. 

“Well done,” you conceded when you walked past him. 

The smile stretched slightly further, the glint burned a bit brighter, and a small laugh escaped him. Illinois would never admit it, but he liked hearing those compliments from you, despite the faux reluctance behind your words – not that he didn’t get them from anyone else, you were just… different, like they made more sense coming from you. 

“I’m a natural,” he half-joked while coming into step beside you. 

Further into the tunnel, you were avoiding tapering vines at your boots, ones that threatened to trip you up if you weren’t paying attention. Puddles formed in ditches at the sides, but they only added to the ambience of the underground. It was pretty, you always thought it was, when life thrived without light. The faint trickle of rivers deeper in tempted you like a horse to a carrot, because you knew it was always worth it to get that one more scratch or drop that one level more. And yet, when the places you explored were the most dismally boring and mind-numbing that you could imagine, you still enjoyed being there, and you knew the reason. 

Illinois came to a halt before a raised platform, something obviously man-made. Two plates were set upon the brick, probably meant to be weighted down to open up another part of the tunnel. He started by throwing his satchel on one, haphazardly only because you weren’t paying enough attention to berate him, which made the section under the other plate raise slightly. Looking up showed a hole in the ceiling that led to more tunnel, presumably where you needed to go. Illi made a noise of realization and jumped on with his bag, barely fitting and nearly skidding of the edge as it started moving. 

Yep. 

You were in love with that idiot, and you weren’t afraid to admit it. To yourself, of course, you would get trapped in a cave-in before tellling Illinois to his face. God only knows what that would do to his ego, so you kept your mouth shut, and have been doing well for the last two years. You were pretty sure it started in a gambling ring, and then it actually occurred to you when the both of you were running from a stampede of elephants. It was anyone’s bet as to why you liked the fool – maybe it was his rugged good looks, or how he always knew how to get himself in and out of danger, or maybe it was just your luck to fall in love with someone who was never going to reciprocate your feelings. You’d come to terms with that fact a long time ago, but it didn’t stop them from tainting your actions. It was second nature to save him a seat at the bar and booking a room in a hotel for one was unknown to you. Despite that, you couldn’t act on the feelings, no matter how hard it was to ignore them. You assured yourself that there will always be another big thing to chase and keep your mind off it; it was the only comfort you had in the darkest and loneliest of nights when you could hardly resist dialing his number and spilling your guts. Fatigue eventually knocked you out, but, like the next morning’s hangover, the memory stayed with you. 

“Figured it out?” you asked, coming to stand next to Illinois. He had this concentrated expression on his face, shadowed by the brim of his hat, which noticeably sported many a hole from the arrows. 

He hummed in response, and you looked away. No debris, no dislodged rock, no nothing. It was almost like they didn’t want you to steal the treasure they worked so hard in guarding. You bit your cheek; you didn’t want to go all the way back to the entrance just to grab a stack of bricks, but you weren’t seeing another way round—

Swift hands gripped your sides, sending you into an immediate state of panic. You began to wriggle, but the hands just squeezed tighter before lifting you over the platform. Warmth burst from the contact, spreading, and leaching onto your face, but they didn’t relent until you were placed onto the same plate as Illinois’ bag. Speaking of, you managed a glance over your shoulder when you finally stopped moving, just to see that very man staring back at you. You stopped moving, all focus now on glaring straight into his eyes. You weren’t mad, as much as you wanted to be, but you hoped it would be excuse enough for the blood red blush that set your face alight. 

Illinois grinned, sure-fire, and confident. “I hope you don’t mind, darlin’, I had to borrow you for a second.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” Accompanied by a wink, you only registered your feet leaving the ground when you were safely chucked onto a rocky ledge. Instinct kicked in and you rolled into a crouch, grabbing Illinois’ hand before the platform could fall back down. The grip was tight and firm, but you lugged him onto the stable ground if only to stop your heart rate from speeding up anymore. 

You let a quick breath leave you, patted off your knees and thighs, and got up from the floor. 

“Thanks, love,” he muttered before following suit. 

You nodded and proceeded onwards, further into the cave system than you thought worth it. For another stretch, there were no visible traps, so you were free to think for a second, and think you did. Illinois had only come to you with this adventure a few days ago, giving you less time for preparation that you would have hoped for, but you got plenty done in the ride over. Illinois drove, you booked a room in the nearest hotel for some kind of after-party, and the two of you discussed the history of the place. Apparently, a lot of people had explored here before, though none were successful. A lot of them got stuck on that last puzzle, since they were loners or were cocky enough to think they didn’t need a partner – but some of them did get past it, if only to get stuck at the large drops. Now, you weren’t scared of heights, you had taken some rock-climbing classes and the three years of experience meant you could handle scaling down, but the rumors did give you pause. 

Story went that ‘things’ ducked out of the cracks in the rocks and pushed people to their deaths, like eels but without the water. Forums called this bullshit, as nobody had reported anything of the sort in any other cave system before, but most of the adventurers tackling this place were adept climbers. You didn’t know what else would get them to lose their balance, and you were about to find out, as you came to the first of those many, deep falls. 

“Dark,” Illinois pointed out when he leaned over. 

You huffed, “You’re so smart, Illi.” 

Hands fiddling with your equipment, your partner picked up a small rock and dropped it down the hole. Silence, silence, silence – 15 seconds later, the clatter echoed up from below, to which he made a noise of discontentment. 

After laying out the ropes and shackles, you glanced up at him. “Not getting cold feet, are you?”

He shook his head, too fast for your liking, but played it off with a deep chuckle. “Me? You know me better than that, babe.” 

“I wouldn’t blame you; you’ve heard the stories.”

“Oh, yeah, the boxing glove wall from knockout shows.” He took another glance down. “How ‘bout we make a bet?”

You’d been getting suited up while Illinois was talking, and, already done and with the hook secured in a crack, you were eager to get it over with, so you brought him closer by his shirt’s lapels and wrapped a rope around him. You secured it with another sharp tug, your chests now only centimeters away from meeting. “What kind of bet?”

His breath stilled for a moment, and you felt the words move over you when he spoke, “Whoever makes it to the bottom first gets a favor.” 

This piqued your interest. You made bets all the time, both dangerous and not, and this bordered on suicidal. A race in a location known to be deadly with no sight of the bottom?

You stuck out a hand. “You’re on.” 

And that was that. You let Illinois go, missed his ever-so-slightly disappointed pout, and started your way down the wall. Kicking at ledges to make sure they were stable, you planted your feet every few inches down in a methodical fashion. Meanwhile, Illinois realized how far behind he was and jumped down to your height, just nearly skidding against the rock to find balance. Again, you rolled your eyes, sure that he would still argue he had won if he dropped the entire way down and broke his legs, but you hoped he would be smart enough. 

You heard a quiet, “Shit,” next to you and the clatter of pebbles as your partner lost his footing. He regained it seconds later, smiling in your direction as if it had never happened, but you only squinted at him in suspicion. You were now sure he would kill himself before getting to the end. 

You tried to pass the moments in silent focus, but that was made difficult with Illinois by your side. He stayed a few steps deeper than you at all times while still offering small comments about the condition of the wall. Gradually, more vines caressed the rocks, covering up possible footholds and making the accessible ones slippery and dangerous. You grunted when you stuck your hand in a slimy nest of leaves and sludge, the texture coating your fingers and dripping off the side. You debated flinging it at Illi, but you didn’t want to be the direct cause of his death. Plus, it was gross enough in the dark, so you settled for dragging your hand across your leg and hoping it wouldn’t stain. 

Halfway down, Illinois called out, “You know, I’m not seeing punchy eels yet.” 

“Keep paying attention.” 

He was the one to roll his eyes now, mocking you with one hand and haphazardly falling down with the other. Sometimes it got on your nerves how easy-going he was in these situations, but you focused on yourself and getting that little bit further. It didn’t help that Illinois didn’t like being brushed off. 

“Maybe they lied, they’re just awful at climbing,” he pointed out, sliding down further. 

“Be quiet.”

“But it’d make sense though.” Fiddling with the rope, he pulled it straight before jumping back even deeper than he had before. You were picking up the pace, still going carefully, but you didn’t want to lose the bet. “I mean, who goes on forums just to talk about their exploits?”

Ignoring the fact that you went on those forums, you wrapped a hand around his rope and brought him swinging below you. “Do you ever shut up?” you hissed before pushing him back. 

He stayed there for a moment, thoughts running through his head that you weren’t aware of, until he laughed, “What, like you?” 

“Yeah, like me.” 

“I’m further than you, maybe you should follow my lead.” 

Illinois was acting like a child, as he was want to do in those games, and you were split between entertaining him with a petty argument and keeping quiet. You knew it was smarter to leave him to it, let him monologue to his heart’s content, but there was a small part of you that wanted to spit back­ – and an even smaller part of that liked the argument. It was a part that liked the constant banter, where it was natural and came to you like a bird learning to fly. It was fun, admittedly, so you allowed yourself this little treat. 

You replied, “If I followed your lead, we’d both be dead by now.” 

“Oh, and who got us through those first two traps?” He clambered over to your side, leaning in just to point at himself dramatically. “Me.” 

“You needed two people for the plates.” 

“Stuck, but not dead.”

Now, you stayed silent, having come to a particularly slippery part of the wall. There were little-to-no holds scattered about, and the ones that were present were tiny and crumbling. Your eyebrows ruffled and you felt around for a better place to stick your hand. You found none. So, you’d have to jump it, or keep going across the wall to find some better place. With the bet in mind, although you knew it was dumb to put it before your own safety, you took a deep breath in and pushed away. 

It was only a single second that you fell for, but that didn’t stop you hearing a sharp gasp from Illinois. Really? Had you managed to get the Illinois to fear for you. Maybe you should do that more often, and you tested the water by dropping for one more second. A smile graced your mouth when a vague ‘don’t’ met your ears, accompanied by the scrambling of stone and metal as your partner fell down next to you. 

Risking a glance towards him, you noticed that the look of mischief was accompanied by a fresh hint of concern. It was wrong, but you took pride in that, like the first breath on a crisp, spring morning. 

Illinois hid his expression beneath the rim of his hat. In his mind, he was hoping that you didn’t notice, but he wasn’t as dumb as you were led to believe; he knew you knew, and he knew that was bad. Not because he didn’t want you to be able to know – was he thinking ‘know’ too much? -  but because he didn’t want his macho-confident façade to crack. He had worked to get this reputation up, especially with you, and he had been maintaining it quite well ever since he had met you. Now, here he was, getting all worried for someone he knew well enough would be fine no matter what was thrown your way. He couldn’t help it; it was like a natural instinct to be concerned for you. It didn’t stop him from putting you in those situations, reason amongst them because he loved seeing you rugged and worried for him, too. Instead, he focused more on keeping you out of immediate danger, and this was definitely immediate danger. That, and it would be boring without you! Call him a child, but having good company was the make or break of anything good you can do in your life. 

And one way to make good company was to tease them relentlessly. 

“Go on,” Illinois prompted, “when have you ever gotten us out of trouble with your ‘keep calm and listen to me’ policy?” 

“The Church of Dawsit,” you were quick to answer. He had to admit, bringing an antidote for the most common form of poison was smart, and he would only have one arm if not for you. 

Still, he replied, “Okay, that was one time, I’ve saved us plenty more.” 

“Retneh’s Lagoon, Match-Fire, the Damned Catacombs, that one week in Washington DC—” A scuffle of rocks interrupted your boasting, bringing Illinois down with them. His boots first, then his pants, then his loosely done up shirt disappeared into the darkness, swallowed up and spat out into swaths of fear. His hat was the only thing visible as you shot out a hand to catch him. Impulse, the very thing that saved Illi one more day in the sun when he clamped his own tanned fingers around yours. Your breath caught in your throat, you felt the slime from earlier part the way between your skins, so you acted without a thought. It might’ve spelled doom had you not heaved him to your chest, wrapped an arm around his waist and pushed him against the wall. In any other circumstance, you would have blushed, but you were too preoccupied with stabilizing Illinois before he could slip any further. A knee between his legs and a tug on his rope was the most you could do while you waited for his mind to catch up. 

“—and now,” you finished. 

Your breaths combined in the air in front of, you only now noticing the distance between you had steadily thinned. It would be so easy just to lean those few centimeters closer, join your lips and let your heartbeat stay floating at a precarious 110 beats per minute. The situation between you two felt right, but the circumstances – suspended above a thirty-foot drop and barely held up by a single rope – did not. However, you couldn’t back up just yet, so you stayed there, waiting in a limbo painful enough to have you chewing on your cheek, while Illinois got his bearings. Not that this was helping him focus on his safety right now, in fact, it might have been counter-productive with the fog that clouded his mind. But it didn’t take much brains to act on instinct.

“Aww, look who cares about me.”

And he ruined it. You let him swing back to his original space, turned your face away and hid the embarrassment rearing its dirty head. 

“Just admit it, babe, it’ll be easier.”

“Nope, never gonna happen.”

“So, you do care, you’re just not gonna say so.”

“Oh my God.” 

It was weird to think that all happened over the course of twenty minutes but, when you got to the very bottom, all you remembered was a blur. Time spent with Illinois had a penchant for doing that, but, notably, the very man was standing with his arms crossed and that cocky smirk on his lips when you touched ground after him. You tried to ignore him, pushed him aside as you moved on, but he hummed a tune just inches behind you, almost standing on your heels. If you slowed down a fraction, he would bump into you, and you’d be in some new mess of your own creation. Because that was what the fall was – it was your fault that you had gotten so intimate. Sure, you could have let him drop, but what kind of person would you be? A monster, an idiot, nothing good. So, you really had no choice at all, but pulling him so close? Rooky mistake, given your troublesome feelings for him.

Drawing a hand to your eyes, you attempted to scrub away the memory of him pressed against the wall. This was horrible, and you couldn’t even escape to your own room because, like always, you had booked one to share! Your mind battled over the correct course of action, one side arguing that you should just cut ties right now, you should hoist yourself back up those ropes and figure out your own way home. The other side though, surprisingly logical for the one that blushed to high heaven, whispered in your ear like a cartoon devil. Why limit the time you had to spend with Illinois optionally? He was a good-looking guy, a charmer and anybody would be lucky to have him, so he’d be snatched up sooner or later. It would be dumb to dump potential happy moments just to be less sad later. 

You agreed, thankfully, with the latter side of you, and you sped up towards the next obstacle. 

Behind you, though, Illinois stopped still. He had never been more grateful for his hat to block his face, because the brightness of his cheeks would put the red sea to shame. He had just gone over this! Keep the cocky façade up and he’d be fine, but he just had to go and slip on whatever the hell that was and get into… that scenario. Oh, and he’d be thinking about that for months to come, probably years. The man wanted nothing more than to keel over and calm down, maybe drown himself in the rivers still at his side. He knew he had to follow you, and, when he focused his vision, he saw you turn a corner in the distance, causing him to pick up the pace with an awkward chuckle. He’d follow you but don’t even think of trying to get him to face you.

Just steps ahead of him, you came to a stop. A crossroads halted your steady march and left you wondering which way to go. Illinois appeared at your side in silence, crossing his arms and inspecting, too, each direction. The left was raised, like rocky, natural steps that headed towards a glimmering light in the distance, while going right meant following the stream puddling at your feet. More greenery thrived over there, but it was cramped compared to the other one. To you, the choice was obvious, and Illi seemed to come to a decision, as well. 

“Left.”

“Right.” 

Your eyes met for a brief second, questioning glances melting into surprise at your disagreement while you tried to discern whether he was just messing with you. After a few seconds of staring, you realized that he wasn’t. 

While Illinois was panicking, wondering bleakly if you noticed his flustered state, you opened your mouth, closed it again, and then stepped backwards. 

“You want to go towards the light?”

His irises dashed around the constraints of white as he thought. In truth, he didn’t want to go left, it was obviously just another way out, but he also didn’t want to risk you seeing him clearly. The shadowing ledges and irregular walls gave him the perfect cover but going right meant you getting closer and closer and closer – to the point that you would be backs against the walls, facing each other and sharing the same breath. Illinois wasn’t sure his heart could handle it. 

“Yeah,” he mumbled before pretending to be confident, “everyone knows bright lights lead to good things.”

“That is objectively not true—"

“But if you want to go right, then that’s fine. We’ll just see who chose the better option later.”

You stared blankly at him, crossed between thinking he was being an idiot and wondering if there was something more to it. Most adventures you went on with Illinois had him begging to go further in, taking insane risks just for the idea of getting more treasure, and yet there he was. He stood in front of you, hip out and arms crossed, that half-assed smirk on his lips so he looked surefire of his decision. 

You couldn’t imagine him really wanting to go left – and you were correct, unbeknownst to you – which meant it was a different reason. Racking your brain for a solution, you didn’t notice, not that you would be able to in the darkness, the sweat collected on Illinois’ forehead, nor the reddening of his ears, twitch of his smile. He hoped silently that you just went right on your own, give him some space to deal with the fluttering of his heart when you looked at him like… like that. Eye half-lidded and overcast, suspicion clear in the glints that normally held determination and a small bit of fatigue. 

But they disappeared, shattered into a million pieces, when you landed on a reason why he wanted to separate. 

It was because you had fucked up, and you had fucked up big time. Swinging him against the wall, what the hell was that about? You had messed everything up with a single movement, and now, Illinois wanted nothing to do with you. He was going to abandon you in the cave system, leave and never come back. You’d end up finding some useless treasure and return to the hotel, return to an empty and cold room with nothing but the clothes on your back and the stupid jewel – or whatever it was, because you, being the love-addled idiot that you were, had blindly followed your partner to one of the most dangerous locations to have ever been discovered! You weren’t even sure if the thing at the end of the tunnel was worth anything. Illinois had always been an adrenaline junkie, was that all this was for? Was that what you had wrecked your relationship over?

You twisted on your heels and started down the right path. Being in the same air as Illi was a death-sentence for you, so you had to get out of there as soon as possible, even if that meant the nail in the coffin for a chance to fix anything. It wasn’t like it would matter, anyway, and you’d only do more damage the longer you stayed. God, you were such an idiot, you could have done anything but that. Not stuck your hand in that weird sludge nest, not pulled him closer, not gotten into an argument, not flirted with him! Even though you had said that you had accepted your position, everything little thing you did sabotaged the very idea. You would never be able to move on like this, but you weren’t sure you wanted to. Too bad you had no choice, now. It was your fault. There was no one to blame but yourself. 

Illinois watched you go. Sure, he wanted to go different ways, but the way that you left was… it didn’t seem right, it settled in his stomach like forgotten food in a fishbowl, mushy and powdery and just wrong. It felt terrible to disagree with you, but it felt like someone was pressing on his heart when your footsteps faded away. His hand moved unconnected from his brain towards the right. 

Pulling his hat over his forehead, after having removed the sweat building, he followed through with going left. It wasn’t as if he could chase after you, he’d look desperate, and, what’s worse, wrong. He obviously was, but that wasn’t the point. No, he had to keep going, or he’d face the consequences of, well, your actions. 

On the other side of the wall, so close that, at times, you could hear Illinois’ footsteps above you, you marched mechanically. You were deep in thought, and your body was put on autopilot to allow your mind to run free. You had a lot to consider with this new development in your relationship; what had to change, what you needed to do, even what you would say to Illi the next time you saw him. If you ever did again. 

The problem was that you loved Illinois, and there was no way around it, but the things that made you love him were what kept you from admitting your feelings. He was daring in every situation, always willing to go the extra mile for what he wanted – that also meant he didn’t know when to stop because things were getting too dangerous. He was able to improvise in social areas without hesitation, which majorly reflected in the bars, when he’d shoot his shot at anything that looked his way. You trusted him with your life, but… there was no but to that one, it was the plain truth. You trusted him with your life, and you trusted him to not abuse the power. 

The only question was if he trusted you back? That conversation on the wall, him refusing to admit that you had saved him. Was the resistance just because he didn’t think you could do it again and the only times you had flukes? Hell, it was painful to think back on him saying he could do all of this alone.

All that was to say, you couldn’t do anything now. Maybe this was for the best. You could go home, spend more than a week in one place, choose your own adventures for once. 

Disregarding the almost-lethal pain that stabbed at your gut for your decision, you trailed along the stream into darkness. 

Finding the treasure was no easy task, only bolstered by the tense silence between the two of you. As it turned out, the paths led back to the same place, a little circular patch of open air and rock that extended in just one direction. A bit tight of a fit for a tunnel, but you had already made up your mind. You’d get the treasure, leave, and never come back. Illinois didn’t try to make conversation either, save for the light, shaky and ever-so-awkward smirk he tried to send your way. You ignored it, ignored him, and kept going forward. 

Illinois, albeit confused and worried for what could have happened to you in that tunnel, followed suit. 

At the very end of the cave system, maybe eight kilometers from where you had started, you saw a light. It wasn’t as striking as the one Illinois had been headed for – the tunnel leading to it having also split into two directions – but it was definitely bright enough for a cocky told-you-so grin to appear on your par- Illinois’ face. You would have laughed but you were too tired to think about the irony. 

That made it all the weirder when you stepped into a grotto. Your boots sunk into layers of tacky moss, squelched as water trickled onto the leather and drenched your laces. Sticks and weeds stuck up from underneath, but a vague path travelled from the entrance to a platform some steps above you. It appeared as though it belonged to some ancient civilization, or a temple ran by cultists. It was to be expected, really, with the trend you’d been seeing in your adventures recently. The greenery was a nice change of pace, you thought. 

And, while Illinois could appreciate the beauty of plants surviving where they shouldn’t be able to, he was more focused on, well, you. You weren’t frantically listing all the special features you noticed, pointing out every detail of a type of tree or bush. You weren’t excited about any of this, and it had him biting his lip in concern. Was something wrong? Did he do something wrong? Had pushing you in a different direction hurt you that much that you lost all interested in this place. He remembered your smile reaching ear to ear when you were researching the caves back in the jeep, so something had clearly changed. At one point or another, a lot of people thought Illinois was dumb, but social queues were his forte. Normally, considering that he had no idea what was going on with you. 

He could only trail distantly behind you. With the treasure so close, the adventure coming to a close and allowing a new one to take its place, he should have been happier. But, without you, the spark was gone, just some dirt thrown about by wind and the tap of shoes against brick. 

The treasure was stereotypical, you believed as you approached. A golden box, shimmering in flickering torch-light, that was bound to hold priceless lumps of jewels. You could sell those easily, pawn them off or hold them above people’s heads with bravado. Really, you didn’t care what become of them, as long as it meant this whole ordeal was over. Finally. 

God, you wanted to be happy. You wanted to feel free and unburdened, but the weight on your shoulders that had been building up after the disagreements you two had was getting unbearable. Now, you were just bored. 

Not even the surprise of an amethyst key piqued your interest. 

Illinois glanced over your shoulder, moved to stand next to you, and gripped the key in his hand. At least you didn’t flinch. He could have laughed; not even a few hours ago, that would have been an insane thing to be glad about. You had both been fine back then, but things could change so quickly. 

“You wanna find out what this goes to?” he asked, trying to keep up the bravado that used to come so naturally to him. It was harder than rolling a boulder up a wall. 

You didn’t answer him, not even with a look. A few seconds passed with only the inconstant drip of water as background, and then you were passing back down the steps right by him. Illinois felt like he should say something, he wanted to ask what was wrong and apologize if it was his fault – but you were gone through the tunnel before he could think to open his mouth. He gripped the strap of his satchel to find comfort, but there was little left in sunburnt leather. Questions ran rampant through his mind, pessimism overtaking his normal positive ideas. He may have not expressed it all the time, but Illinois liked to look on the bright side of things. This, though, had no bright side. 

He ran after you, skipping two steps at a time until he bounded out of the structured area and into the system. Your boots were distant, but they were aided by the echo, so he fastened his pace. Hopping over vines, kicking loose rocks, ducking under lowered ceilings – it was difficult to keep a steady speed, and he managed it only after you started to slow down. He had half the mind to talk a leisurely stroll and just let you calm down, but he didn’t want to lose you, and he knew that if you got out before him—

Steps trickling to a halt – yours fading into the rocks. 

Illinois stopped dead in his tracks. 

He didn’t want to lose you.

He didn’t know what that meant exactly, but he had a pretty good guess. He’d had the lecture from his mother back when he was at home, he’d had the talks with his father, he’d had the high school sweetheart thing, he’d had it all. 

He’d never had this before. 

And – this was something he’d only ever admit to himself in the crevices of his mind – he was scared. 

The reputation of Illinois Jones was not a hard thing to find out about; half of any town’s population could have been seduced by him, and the other half pissed that he’d left so suddenly. The adventuring community told stories about his exploits to newbies, and when they spoke, more people would interject with encounters they’d heard, too. It was like he was a cryptid in every place he went, some mythical siren-like creature that people lusted and loathed. 

And he was scared that you wouldn’t want that. Sure, you’d been partners for three years, which felt like thirty now, but romance? That was different. He wasn’t used to it; it didn’t come as naturally as it did pure flirting. Flings after work in bars were easier than candle-lit dinners on a balcony. You deserved the best, and he just wasn’t it. 

Illinois was dragging his feet out of that cave system when the sun was setting, fifteen minutes after you had emerged with a groan. Fatigue coated your bones, drilled holes, and connected them with metal. You were stiff and annoyed and you wanted to get back to the hotel as soon as possible. At least you were able to rest alone in the jeep for a couple minutes. 

The jostling of the vehicle had you lazily opening your eyes, only closing again when you saw it was Illinois climbing into the driver’s seat. You removed your feet from the dash and stared out the window. Nothing was said, not a word exchanged, as you retreated from the caves and towards the hotel you had booked. You remembered making sure there was a bar there, having assumed you’d get back with celebration on your minds, so you knew where Illinois would go first of all. Some more time to think then, pack and get out of there without him knowing. 

Because that was the question, wasn’t it? Would you be able to stomach abandoning Illinois, when he was probably too drunk to be able to get back to the room alone?

You bristled; he’d find a way, and that way was most likely going to be with a handsome and/or beautiful patron. 

With that assurance in your mind, you couldn’t help but wonder why it still stung so much. 

The bar stool was rickety, threatening to break under just half of his weight, as Illinois sidled into it. Constant chatter and laughter barely broke through whatever haze had been placed over him ever since you shuffled off to your shared room. You were obviously upset, and he was just centimeters away from grabbing your hand, but your boots left stains on the carpet that he stared at from the top of the stairwell. A sour taste was deserted in his mouth as he yelled out a ‘see ya’ that was never answered, so he was quick to swagger into the hotel’s bar, hoping to find relief. 

He didn’t. Not with a shot of whiskey, not with a pint of beer, not with flirts and winks towards the residents of the hotel. These things normally cheered him up, but, when he thought back on it, there was something different now. You weren’t there, downing gin or whatever new cocktail was on the menu for the night, ignoring the drunkards who tried to get your number. Illinois would laugh, convince the bartender to give them some more drinks for free, and then cheer to your good health. Together. You were always together for the afterparty, and now that you weren’t, it was all wrong. You would stay quiet during these nights, and Illinois would do the talking, and yet he missed your subtle presence. 

He could talk for hours about what you brought – the breathy laughs into your drink when he made a corny joke, the rolls of your eyes when he flirted badly, how you let him swing his arm around your shoulder when he got too into it – but there was no one to talk to. He was sure potential partners wouldn’t want to hear about the person he was sharing a bed with. 

Oh, no, he had to make it up to you. 

He couldn’t go a night sleeping in the same bed with bad blood between you. 

He could deal a quiet car and being alone at the bar – really, he couldn’t, he was pretty sure he’d go insane if he didn’t leave soon – but eight hours breathing the same air as you? He’d rather throw himself through a window. 

Illinois, scooping up two drinks of gin and coke that he did not pay for, rushed to stairs. People threw confused glances at him, but he could care less what they thought. For the first time in years, he was focused on one thing. 

You. 

So, he flew up the hotel’s levels until he got to yours, sprinted down the hallway and used all of his skills of balance and constitution to not spill a single drop. He was quite proud of himself when he arrived at your door, but he didn’t let the thought cloud his mind. 

Pushing down on the handle with his elbow, he thanked the Gods above that it was unlocked, and burst in. Momentarily, panic flooded through him like one of Hercules’ labors. You weren’t in the room, and your bag hadn’t been unpacked. Half an hour after you’d arrived, and you still hadn’t gotten everything out? His heart quickened, blood ran to his cheeks and ears. 

He was sure he would have collapsed had the curtains not fluttered just ever-so-slightly for him to see you. Outside on the balcony, wind rushing through your hair and calming the Texan heat on your forehead. He would have compared you to an angel had he not thought you were far above that. 

Closing the door gently behind him with a foot, he swaggered steadily towards your figure. 

You only noticed someone new had entered the room when the curtain was moved to the side, shifted so that Illinois could stand next to you. While you refused to look at him, you had no choice but to stay still when his arm brushed yours against the railing. It was cool, and it kept you thinking too much about just kissing him there and then. 

“Some night, huh?” he muttered, the confident exterior melting away with the temperature. 

You glanced away.

“Look,” he sighed, “I’m… I don’t know what I’ve done to make you mad, but I wanna know.”

Your neck twisted so quick that you thought it had cracked. “You didn’t do anything, I just,” you trailed off. It was difficult to put it into words, ones that he could understand, at least, but you would try. “I just realized something, and it’s changed some things.”

“What was it?” He sounded almost desperate. 

“That this can’t work.” 

And that desperation grew. “What do you mean this can’t work?” 

This time, you fully stared into his eyes. The brown, as deep as a sea trench, swam with passion and fear and everything that you had fallen in love with. You couldn’t tell him that, but you wanted to. God, you wanted to so much that it hurt to keep your mouth shut.

“This… these adventures, these bars and this relationship,” you started to explain, “I can’t keep acting like I don’t have feelings for you, like I can sit and watch you risk your life and flirt with people and not feel bad about it.”

Illinois was stunned.

You might’ve been excited or said some remark about how you got the Illinois Jones to be stunned, but you didn’t, because you fixated on the widening of his eyes and the parting of his lips.

“You don’t have to say anything, I’m already planning on leaving—” You tried to turn away, but Illinois’ hands gripped your shoulders like a lifeline, keeping you in place before you could make it to the door. 

You didn’t stop a vague pleading look to overcome your face – if he was going to do something, you wanted him to do it quickly and get it over with; let you go, yell at you, laugh, even! You just wanted him to do something. 

And that thing that Illinois did do surprised you. 

But you quickly melted into his chest, moved like a wave caressing a beach against his body. His lips were tainted with liquor, spritzed with the ashy smoke of the downstairs bar. He didn’t smoke – told you that it would be too bad to miss out on all those adventures just for a little down time – but the taste was something close to it. All in all, he felt like fire itself. Wonderful enough to sustain life, prized enough to risk your life for, and dangerous enough to die to. Perfect enough that you would want it. 

You noticed it when Illinois’ lips shifted to a smirk against your own mouth, and you pulled his hat down in response. The laugh that escaped him sent shivers down your spine, only for you to press fingertips against his back and him to gasp on his own. 

“Hey, babe,” he whispered, parting only for a second, before moving into the kiss again.

You hummed.

“You still owe me that favor.” 

That had you drawing back. It let you see that playful grin you had to come to love, and the wink that you had come to affectionately despise. 

Leaning to peck his lips once more, you fully stepped back – not without replacing your hands on Illinois’s shoulders first – and asked, “What do you want, then?”

Eyebrows rose, smiles exchanged, and, for your and Illinois’ dignity, no sleep was gotten for the rest of that night. 

[fancylala4]

Why Flynn rider is a terrible character

His backstory is poorly written and underdeveloped. He grew up in orphanage, grew up to hate his name because of some stupid reason, and wanted to be an adventurer. That’s it. Why the hell did he become a thief? Especially since he sucks at being one and was implied to be ashamed of it in the camp. Was he forced to do it because place he grew up in was poor? Was he just lazy to get a job? Why didn’t he just get a job to pay for all the stuff, or just become an adventurer? You don’t need money for that shit, you can just live off the land. It’s like the writers tried to copy Aladdin for Flynn’s backstory and character. However, Aladdin as a character made sense. We know why Aladdin couldn’t get a job because the town he grew up in was poor and harsh. He couldn’t get a job and he stole only food to survive. What’s Flynn excuse? Also, Aladdin was actually a good thief and he was smart. Flynn, on the other hand, was an idiot and a terrible thief.

Another reason why his backstory fell flat was because they didn’t show it to us. He just tells it to us. Can you imagine if Ariel told her dad that she almost got eaten by a shark, or that Cinderella just told the mice that the fairy godmother give her the dress instead of showing us those scenes? No because that’s lazy, and it’s better to show the audience these scenes. If they showed us Flynn’s backstory, we could have understood his character better and see how hard life was for him. But the creators thought it was better to have Flynn tell us his boring sob story.

We don’t know anything about him. How long has Flynn been stealing? Is he from white land or some other place? How many places has he been to? Why is he going to get killed for stealing an ugly crown? The movie doesn’t answer that or make any mention of it. We also don’t even know his real personality! We have been told that the Flynn Rider thing is all an act because he had low self-esteem or something. However, the movie never showed us his real personality or scenes that hinted to us that he’s faking. No scenes where he’s alone and lets his real personality shows through to the audience. We can only assume that his real personality is as bland as the golden age Disney princes.

He got away with the messed up things he did. Nobody called him out on being manipulative to Rapunzel when she was having a breakdown and bring her to a bar filled with criminals! Flynn was even enjoying seeing Rapunzel freaking out and uncomfortable with the bar. People praise him for protecting her when things went wrong in the bar, but he was the one who got them in the situation in the first place. He also stole a crown that belonged to a kidnapped baby and betrayed his team. When the twins got back at him for the shit he did, I’m supposed to feel bad for him? Plus, Disney stans attack princes of color like Aladdin for lying and Naveen for being a jerk. Yet they praise Flynn even though he did worse things than those two.

[ghost-proofbaby]

ghost!!! i am sobbing weeping crying omg twenty four hours is coming to an end and it is so very bittersweet. i found 24hrs on ao3 and stayed up until three am binging it, then immediately went and followed you on tumblr, and ive been keeping track of it ever since. im not very good a tumblr since i only started using the app for fanfic last october, and i am one of those people that sometimes is ashamed of being a fangirl, so it’s almost unbelievable to me that i have a space where no one will know it’s me and i can enjoy whatever i want. im still trying to adjust to that, tell myself that it’s okay to repost fanfics and that this is a safe space. but twenty four hours has helped me with a LOT of that. before i used to kinda be ashamed to go on tumblr, but now i scroll it daily bcs i didn’t want to miss any updates on the fic. i also made the plunge and officially got an ao3 account, after oh about, seven or eight years of reading fan fiction practically non stop. so im getting there, and i just wanted you to know that twenty four hours helped me to get there.

and i think the main reason that twenty four hours has helped me get there is because of the quality of your writing. you write beautifully, intricately, and most of all—truthfully. ive never read an x reader that has felt so real, so fleshed out and most of all, relatable. i would find myself having internal monologue as i read from the ‘reader’s’ perspective and then the next paragraph would, sometimes word for word, have ‘reader’ think what i was thinking. this fic was also so healing, in a way. the way you used literary devices to describe such complicated situations had me often feeling relieved—like i had just let something go. as someone with a lot of baggage right now and who has a hard time believing they could ever be loved, it was at the very least comforting to have my insecurities and my negative qualities forgiven and proven untrue through ‘reader’ if that makes sense.

ik this is sappy as hell but i genuinely feel this way. your writing has moved me in a way that actual published books haven’t done for me in a while. so i just want to thank you for the time, effort, and thought that went into this fic. and secondly, i want to suggest the idea of adapting this into a novel to be published or a screenplay for a movie, in case no one has mentioned that to you or you haven’t thought of it. i really believe you have something good here, and with your talent, i could see you being very successful. this story of these two people—who both have internal wounds inflicted on themselves, each other, or from the past—who then grow more self aware and choose to be honest, even when it’s hard, is such a rare thing to see in literature or any kind of art. and i think the world needs more of that. bcs, like i said, this fic was more than just a fic to me. it touched me deeply. i cried, i laughed, and i reflected my own self. in short, it was a journey in more ways than one.

so thank you—for your art, for ‘reader’, and for eddie. i can’t wait for the epilogue and to read whatever stories you may have planned for the future.

<3

(ps so sorry to have word vomited in your ask box.)

first and foremost — never apologize for word vomit in my ask box. i am always a-okay with that. 🖤

i don’t even know what to say. i have this terrible habit of putting a lot more of myself than i care to admit into both my readers and my ocs, and most of the time, it’s not the good parts. usually, it’s the absolute worst parts of myself. i take all the rot inside, and i throw it into these projections, and i try to justify how someone with those qualities would still be deserving of love. it’s always been a coping mechanism. always. and then i’ve always strived to be a better writer, make my words worth reading, because i know how much of myself i’ve put into it.

to know other people see themselves in reader or eddie or any character i write is both so strangely hopeful but also so saddening, and it just makes me want to give you the biggest hug 🫂

on the note of publishing, i have definitely considered it. it’s just a really scary journey to decide to take. but the day i do decide to take the plunge, whether with this story or any other i’ve written or any entirely new one, you all will be the first to know 🖤🖤🖤

thank you so so much for reading, for letting my writing touch your soul the way it has. i am so honored that this fic has had this type of affect on you. this message genuinely made me cry. i am sending you all the love. <3

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, Season 2, Episode 14-"It Should Have Been Lorelai" (Part 2)

Part 1 and all previous commentary can be found in my Pinned post. This will be brief since I ran out of space the last time and the episode is wrapping up. As shitty as CrustyPher is I really don't want this episode to end because I have to face the HellTornado ShitShow Circus that is "Lost and Found" after this. Please take your time, Judgy (Lorelai) and Crusty. Let's recount part 1 a bit first. I'm waist-deep in the middle of a concerning conversation between Rory and Lorelai. Christopher's victim, Sherrie, isolated Lorelai in her kitchen while she was a guest in her home, told Lorelai she had no interest in being her friend but insisted that she needed immediate access to her underage daughter to which Lorelai accepts and sends Rory out to face an unknown fate with this complete stranger who just insulted her and that she just met an hour ago. The details of where Sherrie took poor Rory are vague at best except for a mention of the movies. While Rory and Creepie are at the movies, Judgy and Crusty (Lorelai and Christopher) went to FND together, which I skipped over because who the hell cares. The mysterious Rory and Sherrie evening is over and it's the next day. Rory is recalling the evening to Lorelai, where we learn Sherrie spent the evening spilling extremely personal details about herself to 16 year old stranger Rory Gilmore and was acting "very touchy feely". Lorelai of course is showing the appropriate level of concern for a mother.

(talking about Emily) Having not seen the scene in question, I'll just assume that Emily's reaction is a reasonable one so far as hearing about Lorelai agreeing to a premeditated kidnapping of her grandchild. Luke's arms come into frame for two seconds as he sets down two coffees they won't pay for. This episode is sorely lacking Lucas.

Cut to an amusing scene whereby Rory uses Kirk and Michel to sneak a contraband cd into Lane's totebag. Back to the diner where Crustypher and Sherrie show up to talk to Lorelai. Creepie Sherrie immediately asks about Rory and wants to know where she is.

Someone needs to sic Chris Hansen on your ass, you weirdo.

NO! MY GIRL RORYGIL HAS SUFFERED ENOUGH. SHE'S BEEN THROUGH IT! OKAY. Rory tells Lorelai that as a kid she sometimed imagined her real father was either Pee Wee Hermann or Matthew Broderick. Very random choices but okay. A deflated soccer ball would be a better father than Crusty.

What ever would this show be without Lorelai Gilmore Constantly Opening Her Big Fat Mouth Without Thinking First?

Lorelai tells Crusty he is so ingrained in her brain matter that he has caused her to subconciously sabotage every decent relationship she has ever had. But now that Crusty is settling down with Creepy Sherrie, she can finally move past him.

It's once again time to visit a classic Gilmore Girls Trope-The Man Who Has An Immediate Public Freakout At A Woman In Public. People are staring at you, you wad. ("People Are Staring, You Wad" should be printed on a bumper sticker they sell at the Stars Hollow gift shop. It should be plastered on the vehicle of every man who causes a scene in public with a woman on this show). No wonder poor little RoryGirl wanted to live in Pee Wee's Playhouse with a talking chair instead of having this sewer dwelling sperm donor for a father. PeeWee would make an excellent father, damn it. Globey and Jambi could be like her uncles. I wish to one day see the women of The Hollow rise up and revolt against every god damn Penis Haver on this show. They need to be sacrified to the Man Volcano. Even Jess. Okay, I can make a few exceptions. Dave Ryglaksi will be spared. Kirk will be spared. Paul Anka of course. Maybe Luke will get a trial first before being sarcified to the Man Volcano, he's kind of borderline, depends where we're at in the show.

Oh honey, I hope you packed some high SPF sunblock because you're definitely getting sarcified to the Man Volcano along with Dean, Logan, Logan's Annoying Friends, Tristan, Taylor Doose, Jason DiggerStiles, Max Medina, Mitchum Huntsburger, Lane's husband Zac, Headmaster Charleston, that creepy old professor Paris dated, and all the rest. We ride at dawn, Ladies. Meet me at Miss Patty's. Bring skewers. Luke in the background like "Jesus Christ I'm trying to run a business here."

Spared from the Man Volcano. For now. And this guy in the hat just trying to enjoy his fruit salad, he can live. Christopher immediately leaves to hug Rory outside like he actually gives a damn about her and looks back to make sure Lorelai is watching them through the window. What is the rent at Pee Wee's Playhouse? Rory should look into that.

[lucysinatizzy]

Wisteria ~ Chapter 20 "Deal"

The bell jingles when the front door swings open, drawing both of their attention away from the conversation. Monday’s are always slow as it is and they’ve barely had any customers stop by. Making sure his hair is still on point, Steve looks over at the entrance with a glimmer of hope that it’s a hottie since he lost rock, paper, scissors and it’s his turn to take the next customer. 

‘What luck. It’s him again...’ 

There’s no foxy mama walking into the store. Only Eddie ‘the freak’. Dustin’s new best buddy. The little twerp always has to mention how cool this weirdo is, like anyone would buy that. They went to the same high school together and he knows what Munson’s about. Not impressed. 

“Hey, what’s up?” This isn’t the first time this guy’s come into Family Video, but something’s different. While keeping his eyes directly on Steve, the metalhead strides right up with a bunch of VHSs tucked under his arm and drops them on the counter. Not handing them over nicely or making a small stack the way most people do. The movies are dumped into a heap next to the cash register. 

“Just bringin’ back the goods.” Eddie tilts his head and motions towards the pile of tapes across the surface, pulling his lips back into an unsettling half-smirk. It almost seems sarcastic from that tone and expression. A big attitude change from the last few trips he made to the store. 

“...Right.” He slowly nods before glancing over at Robin on the off chance that she’s willing to take one for the team. As soon as their eyes meet, her head whips in the other direction, pretending not to see the plea in his gaze. She goes back to stacking tapes and holds up a fist. A reminder that her rock beat his scissors. 

‘I’ll remember that next time.’

“Alright, let’s see what we got here.” Trying to ignore the look he’s getting, Steve sifts through the movies to put them together in something a little more organized. Nightmare on Elm Street, Return of the Living Dead, Friday the 13th Part II, This is Spinal Tap, Creature, Halloween, National Lampoon’s Vacation. Figures this guy would mostly pick slasher films. Sounds about right. And Dustin worships this guy? So does Mike. Of course it just has to be someone who’s a bad influence.

He goes over to the computer to look up the account. Every couple of seconds, his eyes shift over to the man standing on the other side of the counter. Munson’s just staring at him. Practically glaring. What the hell’s his issue? Even when his back is turned, he can feel those daggers digging into him. It’s getting on his nerves. 

“Is there a problem?”

“Nah, man. Does it look like I have a problem?” Eddie rolls his shoulders back, standing tall with that bitchy look still directed at him. Should he really answer that? Anyone could see he has major beef. Clearly this isn’t an isolated thing, either. That bruise on his cheek means someone got mad enough to deck him. “Is there a reason I should, pretty boy?” 

“No? That’s why I asked.” For real? Is Munson really trying to get big with him? It’ll take way more than that for Steve to be intimidated. Not after all the crap he’s seen and done. Wrong person. 

“Then why would I have a problem?” 

“Nevermind. Forget it.” Mondays might be slow and boring, but getting into it with some headbanging freakazoid isn’t his idea of how to liven it up. He puts the returns into the system and pays no mind to the dude tearing open a box of Mike and Ike’s with his teeth like some kind of animal. “That’ll be five bucks.”

“Five bucks?!” The piece of candy he threw in the air falls to the floor as he whirls back with an outraged expression. “What the hell for?” 

“Six of the movies are four days late. Looks like they were due on the fifth. Then there’s the box you’re chowing down on. That’s another fifty cents.” Hopefully this doesn’t turn into a temper tantrum. One chick racked up a forty-dollar bill the other day and instead of talking it out, she swiped everything off the counter and wrecked a display piece. Keith had to threaten to call the cops just to get her to leave the store. 

“Christ… Greedy son of a bitches…” Munson grumbles while checking the pockets of his leather jacket before pulling out a wallet from the back of his jeans. A wad of ones are slapped down and he grabs two more boxes of candy from the side. “There. Six bucks. We square?”

“Yep. You’re good to go.” He quickly counts the money and nods. Thank God this can finally be over. This guy’s a real piece of work. It’s a wonder why the kids like him so much. 

Without another word, the freak heads out with his candy. Only stopping at the door for a second to throw him one last dirty look. Leaving a bewildered Steve trying to make heads or tails of the odd interaction. 

“Did you see that? Tell me you saw that, right?” Now that they’re alone, he quickly turns to Robin and throws his hands up in confusion. “Didn’t it seem like he had a problem with me?”

“Oh, yeah. I saw all of it.” She laughs and leans up against one of the shelves. “Eddie totally hates you now. What happened, pretty boy? Did you steal his girl? Wait. He’s with Chrissy. You didn’t…?”

“No way. First off, none of the babes I talk to would ever mess around with a guy like that. Second, me and Chrissy Cunningham? Not a thing. Our parents were friends and we’ve hung out, but that’s it. Thirdly—or Third?—Munson has no reason to hate me. I haven’t done anything!” That’s right. How the hell did that happen? The town freak is trying to adopt the kids and gets a cute girl? Nothing makes sense anymore. 

AO3 & FF Link