#and he does his hair and robin does his makeup and they teach him all the dances and cues

[ellsbclls]

i have this elaborate monster of a fic idea just brewing in my head, but i don’t have enough of the big plot points finished so i can’t write the ONE scene in my head that i can’t stop thinking about ):

[steveharringtonat3am]

Imagine drummer!steve teaching you to play the drums?? He has you sit in his lap and guides your hands and totally does not get hard from feeling you shift around! He’s such a sweetie you know he gets excited whenever something you do sounds good!

allusions to smut at the end!

kinda a part two to this fic but this can be read on its' own!

You aren’t quite sure what Steve and you are. You’re pretty sure you’re not dating but you’re also pretty sure neither of you are interested in anyone else. The two of you have been having lots of fun, both in and outside the bedroom.

After your hookup, you honestly expected to never hear from Steve again. Sure, you had a mutual friend but he just seemed to be more of a one night stand kind of guy. He had mentioned a proper date but the more you thought about it, the more it seemed to be a formality offer. Something you say after fucking someone in a bar bathroom so they don’t feel cheap.

Of course, that wasn’t a very comforting thought.

But luckily for you, he did end up calling. He got your number from Robin, who was now filled in on what happened and consequently rewarded with copious amounts of candy in exchange for minimal teasing.

The proper date hadn’t happened just yet but you’d been having your fair share of fun.

‘You busy?’ Your screen lights up with the text. His name is saved as ‘Steve🥁’ which he had insisted upon when you added his contact to your phone.

It’s around 4 in the afternoon on a Saturday which isn’t an unusual time to receive a text from Steve but they’re not usually this vague.

‘Not at all. Why?’ You can already sense the invite, pulling yourself off the couch and heading to your room.

‘Wanna see you. Meet me at the bar? The door’s unlocked for you’. This is what catches your attention. You know that bars’ hours pretty well by now, having gone a few times to see Steve play but you’ve never gone at this time because it’s never been open this early. You know he’s not talking about a hookup since those always occur either in his apartment or yours.

You hop in the shower to wash the morning off, keeping your hair dry since you don’t need to wash it. You dress casual-ish, still unsure of the vibe but you can’t go wrong with jeans and a t-shirt. Doing a quick makeup routine, you throw on your shoes and drive over to the bar.

Sure enough, the door is unlocked. It’s completely empty, lights illuminating areas you’d never noticed.

“Hey!” Steve appears from backstage. He’s wearing a tight black t-shirt and sweatpants that you have to tear your eyes away from.

“Hi! You wanna tell me what we’re doing here?”

“Sure. You know how you told me you always wanted to learn how to play the drums? Ta-da” He gestures to the drum set next to him.

“…That was more of a compliment on how you play the drums because I wanted more kisses. Not a real want.” His grin doesn’t waver as he gestures you over.

“It’ll be fun, I promise.” Your feet carry you over as the nerves sink in. What if you’re horrible and he decides you aren’t a good match? You hadn’t admitted it yet but you did really like him and you didn’t want to lose him so soon.

“I’m gonna suck you know that right?”

“You can’t suck because I’m the one teaching you and I don’t suck.” He sits infront of the drums and tugs you into his lap.

“Now I get why you wanted to teach me.” You grin as you adjust yourself on his lap. His grip on your hips tighten and you suddenly remember being in a very similar position a few days ago.

“Behave.” He mumbles into your ear, pressing a light kiss to your shoulder when you stop moving.

He passes you the sticks, covering your hands with his to show you the proper grip. You try your hardest to listen but he’s quite distracting.

“How about I show you some simple stuff and you try to replicate it, yeah?” You nod in response. Steves hands cover yours as he starts a slow beat. It sounds just barely familiar, like something you’ve heard him practice.

He pauses after a minute, letting go of your hands. You have to bite back a complaint as you attempt to recreate what he did. It’s kind of like those memory games you used to play as a kid.

“You got it!” He kisses your cheek, arms wrapped around your waist. It’s such a sweet hug that you just melt into it. You turn in his lap, legs swinging over to straddle him.

“Thank you for teaching me.” You mumble, kissing him softly.

“Isn’t that what boyfriends are for?” The word is dropped so casually you almost don’t register it.

“You’re my boyfriend?”

“…Shit did I forget to ask? Oh I knew this would happen.” He smiles sheepishly at your shocked expression.

“You forgot?” You ask incredulously.

“I was going to ask you that day we went to the farmers market I swear!” He can’t contain his laughter, hiding his face in your shoulder.

“Well, I would love to be your girlfriend.” You tug his face up, kissing him gently.

“Great!! Now let’s go to the dressing rooms!” He stands up, arms tight around you so you don’t fall as you’re forced to stand as well. He barely bothers to grab his stuff as he tugs you backstage.

”Why?” You hurry behind him, his urgency practically carrying you.

”You’re gonna sit on my lap again. But this time we won’t be wearing clothes.”

[onstrangerthighs]

👑 After Billy encounters a demodog while on his way to pick up Max from a sleepover, Steve takes a walk to Cherry Lane with a flashlight to check on him, and it soon becomes an unintentional routine. Billy has yet to call him out on it, so Steve isn't sure if he knows (he does). Steve doesn't know how to bring up what he's seen through Billy's window. He's starting to understand what Billy meant when he said that he's no stranger to monsters. He also starts leaving a light on in his house to let Billy know he's always welcome. Steve may be facing a different kind of monster, but they're all the same in the end. They thrive in the dark and prey on the lonely. Billy won't be lonely anymore; he'll make sure of it.

📸Jonathan sees the bruises that Billy's jacket can't hide. He follows Billy whenever he can, like a friendly shadow. If Billy notices, he doesn't say anything. He does, however, walk around with a small smile and a pep in his step. He's a walking masterpiece that sticks out from the drab background plaguing everyone else in Hawkins.

🤝No one understands Billy better than Patrick and Jonathan when it comes to his life at Cherry Lane. They just get it. Patrick has a curfew, so he can't stay up late, and both Jonathan and Billy have work, but they find a way to meet up whenever they can. Patrick and Billy are partners in lab and in pranks. Patrick calls Neil regularly, pretending to be a scorned ex-lover. Billy calls Patrick Senior at his job (accountant) just to annoy him. They're also on the basketball team together. Patrick secretly enjoys watching Billy get under Jason's skin. Jonathan occasionally stops by to watch them. Billy asks him if he wants to join the team. Jonathan looks at he and Patrick, all sweaty, and goes right back to his sketchbook.

📔Nancy meets Billy at the library every night at a certain time, so if he doesn't show then she'll know something is wrong. She also gives him Murray's address just in case he needs a place to go. She and Billy have a book club with Patrick and Eden, where they suggest different books to read every Wednesday. Sometimes they read to the little kids.

📢Heather covers for Billy at work if he can't come in. She'll stay with him at the pool after closing times. She helps him with his injuries and doesn't ask questions. When he's ready to talk, she'll be there. She switches shifts with him so he won't have to deal with Karen and the other creepy mothers.

🍍Argyle is always up for talking with Billy. Most of the time, it's just Argyle going on about the first thing that pops into his head. Billy chimes in whenever he feels like it. Argyle always has a story about annoying customers, and of course, everything is funnier when they're both high as hell.

🫧Carol lets Billy borrow her makeup. She takes him to the mall and they try on clothes together. Sometimes, they sit in his car, and she tells him he can let it all out.

🥋Tommy takes him to their favorite diner. Whenever Billy is filled with extra energy, Tommy lets him use his punching bag. They watch cartoons and throw chips at each other.

📣Chrissy fixes his hair into braids and ponytails. Billy reminds her that Neil doesn't like that, and she replies, "You want it. Do you really care what he wants? I don't." If he wants a hug, then she's more than happy to give him one (or three). Chrissy is also kind of a cuddle bug, and Billy is her favorite person to cuddle with because he's warm. They both talk shit about their parents. "Neil's mustache looks fake," or "Are you sure your mother's hair isn't a dead skunk?".

She drives Billy to her safe place, a hill under the stars. She says they can share it. She tries teaching him cheer routines and even gets out a uniform for him whenever they sneak into the gym. Patrick occasionally joins them to practice his free throws.

🍨Robin lets Billy into Scoops Ahoy, and they eat ice cream. They talk about crushes. They have inside jokes about their fellow classmates. Sometimes, Robin brings alcohol from her mother's stash and puts some in the ice cream for them to enjoy.

[shoujo-wizard]

some more steddie thoughts

I love love love transfem Stevie so so much!! She struggles with her gender all through public school, dreaming of college & getting to be herself on a campus far away from her parents

But then she doesn't get into any of the schools she applied to or she gets wait listed, so her parents cut her off, making her get a job, she gets one at Scoops Ahoy & hates hates hates the boys uniform & is so so jealous tht Robin gets a cute uniform then something something something they nearly die together in the mall fire but Stevie gets them out & she bonds with Robin & when Robin comes out to her Stevie does the same

Cut to: Robin & Stevie at the goodwill in the city on a shopping spree for clothes tht fit their gender expression, Robin finds a blazer & a pair of men's dress pants tht she likes, Stevie finds a sundress tht she wears in the privacy of her home with all the shades drawn closed

Cut to: Stevie & Robin procured fake ID so they can get into a club in the city tht serves a certain clientele, Stevie had Robin teach her how to do her makeup & she helped Robin tame her hair, then they're in the club & dancing & drinking, next thing Stevie knows someone has bought her a drink & she's making out with a hot guy in the dingy bathroom & the guy doesn't care she has a dick, the night ends with Stevie & Robin eating greasy burgers at a diner a few blocks away from the club tht they found by following a herd of drag queens

It's the best night of Stevie & Robin's life, they don't get back to Hawkins until the sun is up

Cut to: they've defeated Vecna, Eddie has been cleared of all charges with everything pinned on an invented escaped convict, everyone got medical care, signed the necessary NDAs after a large payout

Eddie gets released from the hospital & he grows closer with the party, especially with Stevie & Robin, Robin comes out to Eddie so Stevie does too & soon the 3 of them r planning to leave Hawkins together with Stevie applying to a cosmetology school nearby Robins college & Eddie applying to any job tht might take him, so Robin gets into college & Stevie gets into the cosmetology school & Eddie finds a decent enough job & they prepare to leave Hawkins in their dust

Cut to: a farewell party meant for all the older kids now young adults, Stevie comes out to the party all at once, Dustin hugs her & calls her his sister, & there's just a general acceptance for who she is

The next day Stevie is at the wheel as the 3 of them drive off into the late summer morning

Cut to: they've settled into the city & even found a gay bar or 2, it's the last Saturday before classes begin for Robin & Stevie so the 3 of them r celebrating at 1 of the bars, then Stevie is getting hit on by some1 she isn't interested in & Eddie is cutting in & leading her away, then they're in a hallway tht leads to the bathroom & they're kissing

The next day Stevie & Eddie have a conversation where they confess to the other & they decide to be together as a couple & Robin tells them it took them long enough because she's also in the room because these 2 dinguses r having their very serious relationship talk in the kitchen while she's trying to eat her cereal

Genuinely might write this out as a one shot

[beanghostprincess]

I am so delighted to see we can send platonic ship and that you are insane about it!! (same here i love it so so much, tahat all my life) so what about Nami&Robin or/and Nami&Zoro

there are so many people asking me my opinions i can't believe y'all actually care about what i have to say ilysm <33

nami/robin: i love them and i wish they had more scenes together in canon :(( i love that they share a room and their beds are literally next to each other. i'm sure that they cuddle when they sleep. no doubt about it. robin reads out loud while nami does her nightly routine with makeup and stuff and then they talk for a bit before falling asleep. i love that they're the only girls in the crew but their role isn't just that. they both keep the guys in place but robin has that silly, satiric dark side that scares nami sometimes, and nami has that impulsive, thief side that robin loves too. and kjsdcjksdnjkasd they make me ill. they have girl nights. they go shopping. they talk shit about people together. they eat sanji's food together. nami talks about how much she misses her girlfriend (vivi, i miss you too. come back) and robin comforts her but instantly nami complains about her "not getting it" because she has her husband on the damn ship!!!!! then nami goes and hugs robin back again. i think they're the smartest and brightest girls ever and they deserve all the love. neither of them has ever had real friends and now that they have the chance to live freely, they finally can hang out together. robin is older and tbh i think she sees nami as this cute, young, brilliant girl with so so much potential. and nami sees robin as, like, this older, mature woman that's also her bestie and that's awesome!!! a lot of people ship them romantically but i personally see them as besties or sisters ngl. i think robin is still getting used to having friends like a normal person and nami teaching her how to enjoy life is so,,, so beautiful,,, they also have their own shenanigans and i need them to have wayyy more scenes together c'mon!!!

nami/zoro: i am so not shutting up about them i apologize- i love them. i am obsessed with them. we need to talk more and more about them. "they're overrated" they should be. they deserve it. i fucking love everything about these two. so, so much... the thing that makes me like them it's probably the fact that they're part of the romance dawn trio, and i'm very nostalgic about those three. they're all important to luffy, of course, all of his nakama are. but... there's just something about zoro and nami being the first ones that makes me insane. they're the ones that had to deal with luffy together when they first met, and ever since, they've just been sooo chaotic. i'm happy opla gave them scenes together (uhhh not so much the fact that people see them romantically. it's obvious they wanted to make them romantic. please don't, netflix, i'm watching you) because they mean so much to me! they have this lesbian/gay solidarity and hostility (yes, at the same time) that i LOVE. i'm obsessed with zoro being all edgy-wannabe (he's just quiet lmfao his dramatic gay ass wanting to be a dark swordsman is so funny) and nami like "??? shut up you're just dumb". the fact that they argue and zoro complains about her manipulative behavior but still always helps her and saves her every time,,, that's so,,, i love them. i know we all say zoro is luffy's guard dog, but that's not true. zoro is luffy's cat and nami's guard dog. he stays behind nami protectively with a dark stare and nobody dares to approach her bc they know they'll die if they try to hurt his navigator. he'd never admit it out loud, tho, but he cares for her an insane amount. and she loves him too. thinking about them cuddling when it's too cold and zoro's just the perfect pillow!! zoro braiding nami's hair!!! nami helping him clean his swords!! they look after the other all the time,, and they are the ones that know luffy the best, of course they're going to be the first ones to talk things out together if something's wrong with him. also, my zolu shipper heart needs to say that nami would be the first one to find out about them. in every universe. i love them.

[french-unknown]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒: shanks, buggy, mihawk, crocodile, rosinante 𝐂/𝐖: fluff 𝐖/𝐂: 1k +

| m a s t e r l i s t |

✧ He is the king of improvisation and it has saved his ass more than once!

✧ He spoiled you to death. Whether it's the jewels they steal, the gold they got or the treasures they amass, you only need a few seconds of sweet eyes for him to give them to you without the slightest hesitation. You are his prince.ss and the whole crew knows it. The only thing he won't allow it is having weapons near you. So, when his back is turned, you go to the other members of the crew to try. They always let you use them with a "don't tell your father".

✧ You won't escape your daily amount of dad jocks with him. He will tell you about them from morning to night and, if you don't like them, you just have to grit your teeth.

✧ You met Luffy when you were young and it went down pretty badly because you thought he wanted to steal your father and he thought you were just a bad person. Now, you now have a very friendly sibling relationship.

✧ In his mind, your relationship is summarized by a “me” and a “mini-me”. So he always take you with him on all of his treasure hunts. Wherever he goes, he always have you under his arm.

✧ He also dress you in similar outfits even though he will never admit it. And that includes hairstyles: if he has a ponytail, he'll make one for you too. Same for the kind of blow-dry that he currently has. In private, he even let you play with his long hair if you want to do braids or hairstyles of any kind. But only when it's just the two of you! He also teach you the basics of makeup so that you can develop your own style. He won't judge you, even if you go through an emo makeup phase during your teenage years.

✧ Knife throwing have no secrets for you, as well as all the other circus arts such as acrobatics, balancing or juggling.

✧ He has no problem letting you face dangerous situations if you think you can handle them. He's on the "leave it, it'll make them some memories" team so, even if you were preparing to jump from the mast at 8 years old into the sea monster-infected sea of the Grand Line, he will stay on the sidelines to look at you.

✧ A dad who is more of a velvet hand in an iron glove than the other way around. He is quite strict with you, you better not disobeying the rules, but he is always nearby in case you need him.

✧ He has the single father energy: he cooks very well, does the laundry properly and he is good at cleaning. The decoration of your house is extremely minimalist but, at least, it is extremely clean.

✧ If you're good, he let you dip your lips in his glass of wine to taste it.

✧ If you have a good timing, you will become Zoro and Perona's surrogate little sibling. You will be able to watch the training of this first one while annoying him outside of training so that he takes care of you. Regarding Perona, watch out if you don't like cute things because you will become her doll regardless of your gender. You could therefore potentially find yourself in humiliating moments of being walked through mountains of frills and lace while Perona is ecstatic. Zoro will discreetly makes fun of you and Mihawk will gives you a look with compassion hidden.

✧ He is often too busy to take care of you.

So it was Mr.1, Miss DoubleFinger and Robin who took turns taking care of you. Mr.1 was responsible for teaching you how to fight and train you physically while Robin mainly taught you school subjects. You didn't go to school because Crocodile thought this institution was too mediocre for his family. Miss DoubleFinger, on the other hand, teaches you to look confident while serving you apple tea.

✧ Crocodile is an extremely strict and demanding father who accepts nothing less than perfection.

✧ He is not very attentive towards you either: he is not very present in your life because he prefers to expand his business rather than spend an evening with you. He gives you dozens of fairly impersonal gifts for your birthdays.

✧ The only blatant affection you will have from him will be when you will be an adult. After you have cut contact with him following his imprisonment in Impel Down, and you have started your own criminal organization. One day you will receive an unknown letter on your desk where it will be marked "I am proud of you. - Dad".

✧ He's the type of father who is way too involved in your life. If you have any new hobbies, he wants to know. If you have new friends, he WANTS to know. If you have a lover, HE WANTS TO KNOW!

✧ He has no sense of self-esteem and will not hesitate to shame you by calling you an abominably embarrassing nickname in public.

✧ He is extremely proud of you no matter what you do, so you will be his favorite topic of conversation with anyone. Whether the interlocutor is a stranger or not.

He will tell them about all your actions since your birth with, of course, an infinite number of photos to support his words. They will see pictures of you as a baby with your butt exposed. A photo of you smiling toothily without your front incisor which you hold, still bloody, proudly in your hand. Images of you in pajamas, each more ridiculous than the last, with crazy hairstyles since he doesn't know how to line up two pigtails.

✧ You'll have to learn to cook by yourself early because he can manage the household without dying but he already had you kicked out of a house by setting it on fire. He juste wanted to make you a soup.

𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: @iheartamora @bontensh0e @opchara @lys-ada @xomingyu @dozcan123

[sickbromeo]

season 5 better end with them giving me the party going to prom

gimme will trying to teach el how to slow dance right before they have to leave as jonathan and joyce fuse over them and their clothes and hopper watches them fondly from the side

gimme eddie and steve helping dustin get ready, arguing over how dustin’s hair should look as dustin just rolls his eyes and tells them he can do it himself now

gimme mike being embarrassed and annoyed when his mom is trying to just take pictures of him but the second his friends get to his house and they’re all taking pictures together he’s smiling and laughing the whole time

gimme robin and max going over to wheeler’s house early so nancy can help max with her hair and makeup as robin helps mike with his tie

gimme lucas being speechless when he first sees max and erica immediately making fun of him for it

gimme the whole party taking a bunch of super cheesy prom pictures together and doing stupid poses cause they’re kids and can just be stupid together

gimme me all the parents gushing over them talking about how grown up they are and how little they used to be and what happened to those little kids and they’re basically adults now where does the time go

gimme everyone dancing really badly together at prom, max stepping on lucas’ feet when slow dancing, dustin teaching el the robot, max and el dancing together sayin it’s because they’re too good for any of boys anyways, etc.

gimme suzie somehow showing up because the party wanted to surprised dustin cause he was sad they couldn’t go to prom together.

gimme lucas asking the DJ to play any kate bush song because he knows she’s max’s favorite artist

gimme mike asking will if they can talk and pulling him out into an empty hallway where they can still kinda hear the music and asking will if he wants to dance with him

gimme all of them going back to the wheeler’s afterwards for a sleepover and sitting in the basement giggling in their fancy clothes and joking around like nothing bad ever happened

gimme the last shot of the show being all of them humbled together sleeping while the goonies or something is playing on the tv and they all just all happy and content

[dearestdaffodils]

Stranger Things series rewrite headcanons

Dustin legitimately thinks of the reader as his older sister. She’s been babysitting him since he was really little and he was genuinely confused for the longest time when his “sister” would go to a different house every night

He also asks his mom why the reader isn’t in any of the family photos and then gets upset when his mom tells him that the reader is technically part of the family. He literally gives his mom the silent treatment 

Since the other boys have been friends with Dustin for so long, they’ve all unofficially adopted the reader as their babysitter and older sister. The reader is the mom of the group before Steve makes it onto the scene

One time the reader takes the boys to the mall and they all wander off and get lost so she threatens to get backpack leashes for them (idk if those were a things in the 80s but if they were, the boys were DEFINITELY leash kids)

Dustin decides to test the reader on that threat and a day later, he’s walking around the mall with a backpack leash

The reader picks Dustin up from school one day and he’s crying from being bullied so the reader buys him ice cream and cuddles with him until he falls asleep on the couch

Once he’s asleep, the reader takes a baseball bat to the bullies’ mailboxes

The reader helps Dustin with his Halloween costumes every year. She’s not the best at sewing or anything like that but Dustin is happy that she’s willing to help him

Dustin slips up and calls the reader “mom” once and the reader cries from happiness

The reader is the definition of a “you’re doing amazing, sweetie” mom when it comes to the boys. They enter something in the science fair? The reader is taking pictures and cheering whether they win or not. The boys enter a Halloween costume contest? The reader literally makes a sign with their faces on them so she can cheer for them

The reader gets lowkey jealous when Dustin starts hanging out with Steve (Dustin was her kid first) but Dustin assured her that he’s her kid no matter what

The reader plays D&D with the boys even though she doesn’t full understand the game (she’s doing her best to learn). Dustin teaches her as much as he can when it’s just the two of them

When the reader is just babysitting Dustin, she reads to him a lot. Like she’ll be sitting on the couch and Dustin will be sitting on the floor between her legs while she reads to him

Dustin won’t tell any of the other boys but the reader sings him a lullaby every night she babysits. Whether she can sing well or not, she still does it every night

The reader loves all the boys, but Lucas goes through a phase of challenging anything and everything the reader says and does. All the boys do at one point, but Lucas’ phase lasts the longest

Steve constantly asks the reader for “parenting” advice

A few weeks after meeting Robin, the reader refers to her as “auntie Robin” in front of Steve and the boys and it sticks

El and the reader become really close, El likes to go to her for “girl talk”

Once El’s hair grows out, she begs the reader to braid it for her

After El and Max become friends, El is super excited to introduce Max to the reader

The reader actually lives in a trailer near the one that Max and her mom live in, which is how the reader met Eddie

The reader has El, Max, Robin, and Nancy over every Friday night for girls nights where the older girls do Max and El’s hair and makeup

After the reader learns about the Upside Down and the monsters, she begs Nancy to teach her how to shoot a gun so she can protect Dustin and the boys, or as she refers to them, “her boys”

————————

Should I do more of these? They’re kinda fun

Taglist:

@wayfaring----stranger​ @themarvelousbee​ @balanceofgray​ @mochas-rambles​ @efvyqrs​ @10minutesofscreentime​ @allie-mcginn​ @poguebaby @short-potato​ @wh0re4harrington​ @jinxed-jk​ @seggsyswagger

@byebyebikinisss​

@hellfirebabes​

[incorrectbatfam]

Stepmom!Selina?

She sees what she's getting into from a mile away, but she welcomes it because Bruce's kids are a part of him, and she loves all of Bruce.

The kids all see it coming too, and while some (Damian) take longer to warm up to her, she's welcomed into the fold with open arms.

Selina's got a heart as big as her partner and while she's not always perfect, you can see how much she cares.

As a former foster child herself, Selina understands Duke's unique experiences and traumas from the foster care system, so whenever he needs to talk, she's the first one he goes to. Sometimes he doesn't want to (or need to) talk, so they'll watch boxing matches or she'll teach him little bits of Mandarin. If the kitchen isn't busy, they'll try their hand at new TikTok recipes, and film themselves either succeeding or debunking the original poster.

Being raised in isolation to be a human weapon meant Cass missed out on a lot of the things daughters typically learn as children/teens. The evening of Cass's first gala, she didn't know the first thing about doing her own hair and makeup. She's braved assassin armies, but her self-made disaster of bobby pins and eyeshadow nearly drives her to tears. Selina swoops in, wipes Cass's face with gentle reassurances, and walks her through step-by-step.

Selina considers it a privilege to have watched Dick grow from the spunky little Robin to the man he is today. Even though he's taller than her, she still ruffled his hair when he does a good job. She also keeps the first ever birthday card he gave her, which includes a pop-up bat signal and scented stickers, and remembers all of his favorite radio stations. Also, when Bruce does something, Dick goes tattling to Selina.

For a while, Carrie mooched off of her siblings' Netflix profiles, but everyone got tired of her messing up their algorithm and she was forced to make her own. She soon realized how much freedom she had because no one could see what she was watching. Selina caught on to the power trip and started researching and watching snippets whenever a new show comes out. That's how she stopped a bunch of preteen girls from watching Squid Game.

Tim often gets overlooked as not just the middle child, but the child who appears put-together and regularly takes on adult responsibilities. Selina, however, remembers that he's still a teenager. She regularly checks in and gradually teaches him that it's okay to let go and act his age. Selina encourages him to call his Young Justice friends outside of missions and take small acts of rebellion against Bruce. When Tim and his boyfriend snuck out to a famous lover's lookout, Selina gave them the car keys and covered for them.

She noticed that Jason really enjoys hanging out with Harley Quinn, bonding over not just Joker trauma but other shared interests like music taste. After Harley turns to the antihero side, Selina discusses with Bruce and they start inviting Aunt Harley and Aunt Ivy to dinner. The first time they do that, Harley is so excited that she baked a three-layer cake just for Jason. Literally, in strawberry frosting, it said, "THIS CAKE IS FOR JASON ONLY." Finding someone that Jason can relate to remains one of Selina's proudest accomplishments.

She's trying her best, but she makes mistakes too. For instance, although Wayne Manor has plenty of kitchen space, Selina does her cooking at Harley and Ivy's because Ivy can offer her fresh plant-based ingredients that suited Damian's needs. When Alfred's not available, she sends Damian to school with healthy, flavorful vegan lunches shaped into Cheese Viking characters. One time, she was tasked with bringing brownies to a PTA meeting. Incidentally, Harley was simultaneously baking a... different kind of brownie for a block party (you can see where this is heading). When an angry superintendent demanded to know who was responsible, Selina wisely kept her mouth shut and thankfully, so did Damian.

Cullen loves concerts, but he's a huge introvert who gets anxiety when he's left alone in a crowd. Selina becomes his concert buddy, and she'll go as all-out as he does. Sometimes that's showing up to a garage band dressed-down in hoodies and sunglasses. Other times it's painting their faces and looking like they just came out of a Hot Topic blowout sale. She even listens to the discography beforehand so she can blend in. Selina learns a lot about Cullen through this, because nothing says more about a person than the music they listen to.

Harper, though looking rough around the edges, turns into a giddy little kid at interactive science museums. During one of these trips, Harper got distracted by the giant Newton's Cradle so she didn't notice a fourth grade field trip sweeping up Selina. When they reunited at the gift shop, a chaperone had given Selina a school t-shirt and she was put in charge of grading ten kids' assignments. Harper laughed so hard that she spewed lemonade on the museum owner. Neither of them will let the other live that day down.

Selina and Barbara openly talk about guy stuff, and Selina is more than happy to offer advice in times of need. They're both pretty liberal talking about that stuff, and one time they did a tier ranking of all the Gotham Rogues based on how effective their gimmick is (Joker was the only S-tier). They then proceeded to get into a debate on whether or not Man-Bat and Killer Croc should qualify for the list, which led to them staring each other down at dinner while the other family members sat around them confused.

Steph's school offered a Mother's Day breakfast. Although Crystal Brown was doing her best and wanted to make it, she was scheduled a double-shift that the breakfast fell right in the middle of. Selina reached out to Crystal and with permission, went in her place. Afraid that Steph would publicly reject her, Selina sat in the parking lot for ten minutes as Bruce amped her up over the phone. Steph, thinking that no one would no up, was ecstatic and said that she couldn't have thought of anyone better. They enjoyed stacking up waffles and making the girls who bully Steph envious.

Long before she and Bruce got married, Selina made it clear that she would not be relegated to the gender-typical role of a homemaker, and Bruce happily concurred because it's 2021. They knew that to give Alfred a break, they'd have to take on some chores themselves. Instead of dividing up a boring old chore chart, they find ways to make cleaning fun and collaborative. They'll dance around the halls in mop slippers, play "guess the stain", and race their roombas. The kids see this and start modeling the behavior in their own ways—Dick swings from high places to dust them, Damian trains his pets to pick up garbage, and Cass and Duke compete to see who can clean the most bathtubs.

Some parts of the Manor are due for redecorating, so Selina and Alfred make a day trip out of interior design sketches, flipping through furniture catalogues, and looking at paint swatches. It sounds boring at first, but the menial tasks meant they had plenty of time for conversation, and she finally understood why everyone respects him. They also made room in the afternoon for a stroll through the park and afternoon tea, where he told her and her only the secret to a perfect scone.

The other Justice League partners welcome her into the group too. Whenever Selina's in Metropolis, she joins Lois and Ma and Pa for Sunday brunch where they share what their kids have been up to. Iris shows her life hacks to cooking large batches of food in a short time. Selina and Dinah discover an online store dedicated to selling vigilante gear and go on a Cyber Monday spree for their whole families. Steve Trevor, Diana's partner, teaches Selina how to fly with the invisible jet so she can surprise Bruce with the batplane.

After overcoming their initial conflicts, Selina and Talia hold a high amount of respect for each other. Talia sees Selina as not just a capable combatant, but a worthy partner to her former beloved and stepmother to her son. Selina, after spending all that time with the kids, understands the motherly love that Talia holds for Damian and makes it abundantly clear that she would never try to replace Talia in the boy's life. Regardless, looking after all those kids is hard, so they are very much open to the idea of co-parenting.

(Selina doesn't know it, but all this makes Bruce fall in love with her all over again.)

[lio-the-chaotic-nonbeanie-weenie]

Sanders Sides in: Stardew Valley AU

I’ve been playing a lot of Stardew Valley lately and I’m IN LOVE so here’s my take on what the sides would be like in the Stardew world.

Roman

- Explores the beaches and mines plus occasionally goes foraging.

- Owns a small ranch with Remus and tends to the horses.

- Friends with Virgil, Alex, Elliot, and Leah.

- Has a little artists’ club with Elliot and Leah.

- Is competitive with Alex and helps hype him up.

- Sings and writes poetry with Elliot.

- Does hair and makeup with Elliot.

- Awkward whenever Haley flirts with him. Doesn’t know how to tell her he’s gay.

Remus

- Goes foraging and occasionally rummages through the town’s trash cans.

- Explores the mines and fights the monsters. Except the slimes.

- Helps Roman on the ranch and has his own slime farm. Loves each and everyone one of his slime babies.

- Friends with Janus, Linus, Rasmodius, Krobus, Marlon, and Gil

- Helps Linus forage and gets food for him. He also loves listening to his stories.

- Loves taking challenges from Gil.

- Occasionally brings Janus a gift from the mines.

- Helps Rasmodius with spells.

- Visits Krobus every day and chats with him.

Virgil

- Lives with twins and takes care of the house. He’d help with the horses but they scare the shit out of him. The most he does is give their food.

- Friends with Roman, Remus, Sebastian, Sam, Abigail, and Shane.

- Hissed at Sebastian the first time they met but came to an understanding when he got to know him.

- Sam also forced them to hang out.

- Virgil thinks Sam is loud but not bad to be with. Reminds him of Roman.

- Thinks Abigail is cool and likes playing video games with her.

- Also listens to music with Sebastian as they contemplate the meaning of life.

- Doesn’t know how he became friends with Shane. He just helped him get home after a night at the Saloon and Shane thanked him the next morning.

- Lets Shane vent to him and he vents back. Tries his best to comfort him.

Janus

- Helps out in the Saloon at night and helps at the library/museum at day.

- Also lives with the twins.

- Friends with Gus, Remus, and Gunther.

- Does not get along well with Pam but is secretly concerned about her after learning from Penny about her when she came in to pick her mom up.

- Good at mixing drinks and is in charge of making them for the Saloon. Gus liked them too and has added a few recipes to the menu with Janus’ permission.

- Helps Gunther keep the museum area organized and checks to make sure each donation is real.

- Makes sure all the books are returned to the right spot.

- Occasionally stays back late at the library to read and look at the collections.

Patton

- Owns a farm with lots of vegetables and an orchard and a flower garden.

- Has two cows and two chickens and one dog.

- Loves taking care of all his animals.

- Makes home-cooked meals with the food he’s grown.

- Friends with Marnie, Penny, Robin, Jas, Vince, and Harvey.

- Helps Harvey as a part time assistant.

- Helps Penny with teaching the kids every other day.

- Jas and Vince were shy at first but came around after some treats and silly jokes.

- Jas loves making things with Patton.

- Vince loves playing games with Patton.

- Gets animal advice from Marnie.

- Often has to call Robin when the fences wear down and need to be replaced.

Logan

- Lives with Patton.

- Helps at the library when Janus isn’t working.

- Absolutely hates Joja Mart and wants to help repair the community center.

- Friends with Patton, Demetrius, and Maru.

- Does research and works in the lab with Demetrius.

- Does space research and tinkers with Maru

- Told Demetrius he was gay when Demetrius tried to scare him away from Maru.

- Helps Patton gather mushrooms since Patton’s too scared to go in the dark cave where it grows.

[growup-thatbeautiful]

drive is out now!! It’s a Post Season Harringrove Hurt/Comfort and I’m pretty proud of it. Read it on ao3 here or below the cut. Likes and comments are very very much appreciated :))

Billy doesn’t drive after starcourt. Something about being behind the wheel makes him sick with memories that he can’t understand. They’re abstract and totally unreliable.

But it’s kind of always been like that for him. He's used to having gaps in his memories, except most of the time it’s because of trauma. Or that’s what Joyce tells him and the rest of them whenever they have nightmares about things they don’t remember happening.

He's been living with the Byers and El. He tries to be useful around the house, doing whatever he can because he really doesn’t have anywhere else to go. It’s hard, though. It seems like everything he does, he does wrong. He never had to learn how to fold sheets or clean dishes. Not only was neil hargrove terribly homophobic, but also misogynistic, which is a word joyce taught him because she teaches all her kids that stuff. And he’s one of her kids now. So, yeah. Neil never had Billy do the chores because “he’s not a true man, but he sure as shit isn’t a woman.”

It's alarming how quickly this odd family replaces his old one. Neil seems miles away. Neil doesn’t try to look for Billy, and that’s fine as far as Billy's concerned. He's got scars to cover up the ones Neil made. no need to dwell on that when he has so much other trauma to process., right? Kind of.

He does check up on max. Asks her if neils pulling any of the shit he used to get from his dad. double checks for bruises hidden under makeup or long sleeves, and never finds any. Good.

Joyce is good. great, even. She doesn’t blame him when he breaks a dish because he heard a noise. She listens when he says he needs some alone time, and she knows when he’s just saying that. She gives good hugs and has no problem giving him Jonathan's old room to stay in while he’s off at college. leaving Hawkins behind him, calling every night anxiously awaiting the return of It. Nothing happens, and eventually they relax. Or they try to. That part of billy’s been broken for a long time, though.

So Joyce starts fading into memories of his mom, and he tries not to blame her.

Again. He's never had a great memory anyway. He does remember his mom telling him that boys don’t marry other boys when he was five and told her he wanted to marry his best friend. Then she told him never to tell his dad. It's strange, because he can’t remember her saying that she loved him, even though he’s sure she did. Did she? Huh.

At least the painful memories he gets to keep. Neil beating’s. Beating up on Harrington that night he didn’t know what was going on. The car crash before his mind was taken from him. Max’s terrible scream of “Billy” mixed in with the ear-ringing pain. Waking up in a hospital with starburst scars across his body. Skin that isn’t his. They remind him not to get to comfortable, remind him that the kindness he’s being shown isn’t well earned.

Because Billy knows he wasn’t worth those hospital bills and sleepless nights. All he’s done to the people here is hurt and scar and he’s seen them with the deepest kind of fear in their eyes. Fear because of him.

Everytime he goes down a path like this, he tries to stay clear of everyone. Because. They all tried to hide how much hurt he’s caused. They don’t blame him like they should.

He didn’t know any of them well before. But he knows El didn’t always carry around that police badge or look up at every siren, praying for a familiar face only to be disappointed and try not to show it. Because if Billy survived, couldn’t the more-deserving Hopper? Apparently not.

He knows Joyce didn’t always search for Will in every setting and have those folded up pictures of the two men that died because of all the shitty things that happened. Because she can’t stand to forget their faces or not carry that burden for just a second.

Will didn’t always get quiet every time a draft went through the room or refuse to go out that front door first. Because so many things have been ruined for him.

The rest of the kids didn’t always jump at every noise or bunch together for every corner, carrying lucky momentous and items. Because God forbid they have a break.

He doesn’t see them a lot, but Nancy and Jonathan definitely didn’t carry around an emergency kit everywhere they went, packed with medical supplies and Nancy’s choice gun. Because they’re going to be there to help if anything tries to take another person they loves away.

Some part of Billy reasons that it’s not all his fault. He wasn’t one of those scientists or government agents that started the whole thing.

But he did enough. Enough to warrant all the shit that he’s going through. It’s not the healthiest way of thinking, he’s aware of that, but it helps him get by.

No matter how hard he tries, though, there’s always someone at the house that finds him. Curled up into a ball, dry hitching sobs and no tears because “Hargrove men don’t cry.” Billy gets damn close sometimes, but the fear that Neil’s going to come out from the cracks in the wall and kick him where he lays is too real.

There are usually soft words.

“We don’t blame your here, honey. That wasn’t you, that did all that stuff. And I’m not going to let anything else bad happen to the people under this roof.” Joyce’s strong and sure voice, only breaking at the edges.

“I know what it’s like to have him control you like that. I know better than anyone else, and I know how scary it is. Mom says it’s over now, though, and I can’t feel It anymore. I would tell you first if It came back.” Will never says anything more than that, which is comforting in itself. It’s nice to have someone else.

“They lost. You’re here. I’m here. Will’s here. It is safe.” El’s statement is simple, but she makes it easy to believe.

He believes them until he gets another new memory of what he did. The Mayors blood on the floor. Heather’s petrified screams. Standing before that thing and feeling nothing but a perverse sense of but awe and, buried beneath that, a screaming sense of horror and the constant feeling of slipping in the sand.

There are times, like right now, when he doesn’t want someone to make him feel better. He wants someone who can drive him away from here and sit in an empty parking lot and smoke away the thoughts. Someone like Steve.

He would do it himself. He would. But he can’t. Can’t get over that fucking gas pedal. So he calls Steve.

They’ve done this enough times for it to make sense for Billy to have Steve’s number memorized. And his work schedule. And to know when he with Dustin or Robin or any of the others on one of those group outings Billy can’t bring himself to go to. There are too many sad faces, too many broken homes.

It doesn’t matter what he wears. It’s just Steve, and they’ve gotten past the point of caring about things like that.

Which. Is obvious to anyone who looks at Billy, not that he sees anyone. He’s lost a lot of weight. Muscles that used to be defined are gone, replaced by scars. He can’t get them back yet, because he’s not strong enough to lift any of them. And because muscles like that can hurt and hit. His eyes are surrounded by heavy bags, bloodshot and tired. The new callouses on his hands are mostly scars from anxiety ridden breakages, and the pained nails are because El wanted to try the new dark blue out. His hair is greasy and flat, nowhere near what it used to be. It hangs around his shoulders in curled waves, so far from where he used to be.

He doesn’t even try to smile to the sad reflection in the mirror.

Steve doesn’t honk when he arrives. The first time he did that and the noise sent Billy spiraling, and Steve had felt terrible, cussing up a storm that actually helped Billy out of it. Luckily, it was just Billy home and no one else was there to witness they’re collective train wreck.

Before he leaves, Billy grabs something from the bathroom and stuffs it in with the rest of the random shit he brings.

Billy slides into the passenger seat, leans his head back against the headrest, and says, “So, Harrington, how you been?”

Steve, mercifully, looks the same as always. He looks good, the asshole. It’s a relief that he’s still able to feel that fire Steve lights up. Different than all the other King’s from California. A few more scars, but they all have that. His shades are pushed through his hair, brown strands flopping over lazily.

“Same as usual, so fairly shitty and on the brink of breakdown. You?” It would be a normal conversation if Steve wasn’t completely serious, corners of his mouth only ticking up when Billy reaches over and bats at the band-aid charm hanging from the mirror. A joke from Billy to say sorry for, you know, almost beating him to death for no real reason.

“Oh, you know.” He doesn’t need to say more for Steve to get the idea. It’s the same way they’ve been feeling for months now.

“Yeah.” The car ride over isn’t far from the Byers’ house, and they spend it in almost silence. Some pop station is playing low on the radio.

“This the shit you listen to, pretty boy? I expected more than this.” It’s an attempt at normalcy, something that they’ve slowly been working up to.

“At least I don’t blast out my eardrums every time I want to listen to music,” replies Steve quickly, smile evident in his tone.

And it’s normal. It’s them. The way they were before it all got so messy. For that brief moment, there’s no winter night or july 4th. For a brief moment Billy can entertain a reality where he went to the find Steve instead of a fight. A world where Steve, with those pretty eyes and snap remarks, could hold his hand and stop him from doing all the bad things in the future.

But the moment passes. Steve clears his throat and looks forward at the road.

They arrive to the quarry, water at the bottom glinting, tossing, teasing. The car doors slam shut, and they slide up on to the front of the car. Billy pulls his last minute grab out of the bag and hands it to Steve.

“I want you to cut my hair.” Steve takes the scissors and towel in his hand, looking at Billy.

He doesn’t ask if Billy’s sure. Billy figures that Steve knows at this point he wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t real. If Billy wasn’t sure. Steve cards a hand through Billy’s hair. It feels. Good. Real good.

Steve starts cutting, and Billy winces at the sound of the scissors closing around his hair. His past.

“I like to think it isn’t just part of me.” The comment comes out of nowhere, surprising Billy more than it surprises Steve.

“What?” Steve’s voice is calm, the sniping of the scissors is methodical.

“The anger. The aggression. The tendency to hurt. I like to think it’s not in my nature, but my nurture.”

“I don’t think you’re violent.” It’s a laughable statement.

“You’re joking. Did you forget most of last year? I’m the one with the bad memory here, Harrington.” Billy can practically hear Steve’s disapproving mother’s frown behind him.

“That wasn’t you.”

“Right, sure, whatever, bullshit. But what about…you know. Last winter.”

“What happened before that?” asks Steve patiently.

“Jesus, you’re worse than Joyce. My dad sent me after Max. Found her at Byers’ place with you. Hurt you a whole fucking lot.”

“Is that all he did? He just told you to go after her?” Billy ignores the way his stomach does flips when Steve runs a hand through Billy’s hair, straightening it out.

“So you’re my fuckin’ therapist now? What do you want me to say? He kissed my head and sent my on my merry way? That’s now how he works. I’ll admit, I was saved by his new wifey. He can’t use me as a punching bag when she’s standing right there, not like he did with mom. Nothing I couldn’t handle. Nothing worse than what you’ve done to me. And the insults weren’t too bad either. He forgot to call me a fag.”

“Oh. Shit, Billy, I-“

“It’s fine,” cuts in Billy, hating the pity in Steve’s voice. He’s not the one who should have it.

“You didn’t deserve that.” This time it does make Billy laugh. It’s a hollow and haunting sound, an echo of his charming boyish laugh.

“Sure I did, dipshit. You’re probably one of the people who knows best why I did, in fact, deserve it.”

“So then I’m the best person. to tell you that you aren’t that person. You haven’t been that person since you left him and all of that shit. Let me ask you something. Do you want to hurt people now?”

“No!” Billy startles himself with his sudden enthusiasm, and Steve jumps a little behind him. Steve is quicker to recover, though, and he runs a hand through the hair he hasn’t cut yet. It’s soothing. Billy barely resists the urge to lean into it. Ask for more.

“Did you ever want to hurt people? Like really, truly want to see them hurt?” Billy has to think about the question. Steve deserves an real answer.

Flashes fly through his mind, bringing on too familiar emotions. Anger, a need to make someone, anyone, feel the way that he’s feeling. Fear that not having this power over people would make him weak. Horror at what he’s about to do. Detachment, painful as he grinned and laughed.

“I just wanted to have control. Take some of the hurt I was feeling and give it to other people. It was a rush that I was addicted to. The thrill of the fight, the feel of flesh against my fist, the look of blood on my knuckles. I liked fighting, still do. I didn’t like hurting people.” Steve puts the scissors down on the car hood, fluffing Billy’s hair and sliding down next to him.

“I’ve been on the wrong side of the fists of two people I’m now okay with,” admits Steve. “Believe me, I know now to take a beating. I’ve been heartbroken by two other people I’m close friends with. I forgive too easily.”

“So you’re a compulsive truster and I’m a compulsive fighter. What a pair we make, huh Harrington?”

“Yeah.” agrees Steve, bumping his shoulder against Billy. “What a pair.”

Maybe it’s the haircut. Maybe it’s the sunlight confessions. Maybe it’s how carefree and happy Steve looks. But Billy feels lighter. Like there was this unspoken weight he had been carrying around that no one knew about. Or everyone knew about, but couldn’t help.

The thing is, Steve didn’t even say anything. He didn’t promise a better future, he didn’t say that he was safe. He shared some of the personal pain they all carry around.

“I don’t think I ever said sorry. I am sorry, you know. I. I didn’t-“

<i>Mean to hurt you. Want to hurt you. Mean to let you see how much I hurt. Want to need you.</i>

“I know. I’m sorry too. Someone should’ve known. About you.” Steve leans closer, and Billy chalks it up to the night chill as the sun settles below the glistening rocks.

“I was good at hiding things I didn’t want people to see.”

“Yeah, well you’re not alone there either.”

“You good at hiding, pretty boy?” Billy’s eyes flick down to Steve’s lips, and, is Billy imagining it or is Steve looking at him the same way?

“Apparently not good enough,” jokes Steve. His smile falls off of his lips, and he leans minutely closer. If Billy wasn’t paying attention to all of Steve…

The way his hair glows white and gold in the sunset. That wrinkle between his brows. The way one of his eyes is a little darker than the other. How he smells like cigarette smoke and that fancy hairspray, even when his hair is blown from the wind.

The way he looked that night. Cool and collected, then terrified and fighting for his life. So beautiful in the harsh starlight and then so abstract in the broken kitchen light.

Before he knows what’s happening, Steve is filling that gap. Kissing Billy like he’s trying to sooth the pain from their past. Maybe he is. Billy wouldn’t put it past him.

His hand finds a way to Steve’s hair, the same way Steve’s been running his through Billy’s now shorter hair. He curls it into the strands, holding on tightly. Soft.

The way Steve sighs his name takes Billy away from it all. The pain. The memories. The lack of memories.

They lay out under the stars for a few minutes, but Billy knows Joyce will freak out if she can’t find him. Not because she doesn’t trust him, he has to remind himself, but because she doesn’t trust others.

On the drive home Steve plays that pop stuff again, and Billy gives him the appropriate shit for it, a smile on his face the whole time. His fingers laced through Steve’s.

They arrive at the house, and Steve declines to come in. Gives the excuse that his parents will be waiting up when they both know it’s not true. Billy can’t blame him. Billy understands needing to be alone, needing to get away.

Billy leans through Steve’s window and wished that he could kiss him goodbye. Well. The teasing will have to do.

“Night, King Steve.”

“Goodnight, Asshole.”

If Joyce gives him a knowing smile at the door, Billy doesn’t smile back. Probably.

He definitely does. Maybe he deserves the smile. If Steve thinks he does.

[neonponders]

Modern Steve has got his beauty routine to a t plus a bit of makeup to enhance his cheeks and any pimples. Billy washes his skin regularly, but does nothing else. Steve about rips out his hair at that, but is smug he can blend and wing better than Billy.

👀 When I tell you what I'm about to tell you, you will be told that I am a fiend for skincare. I love it. When people rant about what a scam skincare is, I'm just like, "I can't hear you over the sound of me slapping toner on my face."

The day Steve discovers vitamin-c serums is the day he becomes King Steve, frankly. Because his mom pays for extractions, and the serum takes care of any scarring.

Nancy, Jonathan's cute and all but you really struck out giving up access to Steve's bathroom collection of products.

We all see that natural lustre to his skin in s2 and the red hue to his lips in s3. Once he graduated and didn't have to deal with 8 hours a day, 5 days a week of people talking his ear off about a change to his hair, he finally indulged and got those pretty blond/caramel highlights in his hair. He teaches Robin not to entirely line her eyes. Leave the corners open, it makes your eyes bigger.

Then there's Billy. Who, I think, actually takes care of himself. He tucks his shirts in. Doesn't flaunt pectoral cleavage at school unless it's shirts vs skins in gym class. Makes sure his hair is styled for a job that is guaranteed to ruin any 1980s hairspray or perm.

The bastard has "normal skin." Next to no acne. Only oily in the thick of August, late summer heat, and uses sunlight to clean out his pores. But for all the care Steve puts into his skin, Billy puts into his hair. Steve has a dense forest of hair that just needs a blow-out. Billy's childhood curls have deflated with his looming 20s, so he has to beg, barter, and whip those strands back into place. He doesn't mind, because he spends one day outside and his hair goes from light brown to blond, whereas Steve needs chemistry in a bottle.

So imagine Steve's delight when winter arrives and Billy gets a little acne on his back and butt. Steve gets to pin him down for weekend spa days at home. Billy lays on his stomach while Steve sits on his thighs, wiping an exfoliating toner all over his back and butt. Then the next day he massages a vitamin-c serum into his skin.

Billy loathes being reliant on sunscreen because the damn skincare takes as much as it gives, but...Steve gets to apply that too.

[simonfarnabyslegs]

please tell us about your ghosts ocs!!

!!!!! so i have a uquiz i made a few weeks back that includes some of them, but the summaries at the end aren't completely detailed. i may update it to include the others.

i thought i had ten, but i actually only have 9 in all. they are:

marcus

period: roman

age: 40s

occupation: military guard

cause of death: stabbed by an intruder

summary: he's basically an ancient roman himbo. he's not very smart and was way too nice for his job. at button house, he spends most of his time outside or on one of the lower floors, but sometimes ventures upstairs to spend time with the other ghosts. the captain may or may not have a crush on him, kitty definitely has a crush on him, and mary Does Not Understand why, and makes sure to voice this opinion often.

outfit/appearance: dressed in a roman soldier's uniform with a stab wound at his neck near his collarbone.

face claim: either simon or jim. i keep flipflopping back and forth for various comedic reasons.

ingrid

period: viking age

age: 30s

occupation: farmer, previously a warrior

cause of death: poisoned by a neighbour over a land dispute

summary: ingrid is fairly intimidating as a result of her tall stature and slightly grumpy personality. her husband arne haunted button house alongside her for a while but moved on sometime during kitty's childhood. since then, she has been somewhat reclusive, keeping to herself and only leaving her room to venture out into the woods near the house on certain nights (mary suspects it's for some witchy ritual or other, but really she's just going to visit the places where she and her husband and children were buried). despite her reclusiveness, she is good friends with humphrey and she likes to play games and sing songs with jemima sometimes. julian once tried to flirt with her and she gave him such a look that he's still terrified of her to this day.

outfit/appearance: ingrid wears a long, brown dress with a golden yellow pattern embroidered down the front and at the hem of her sleeves. she wears black eye makeup and her hair is long and hangs loose, with a few small braids throughout, tied off at the ends with little glass and metal beads. she wears several bracelets and rings. she shows no outward signs of her death except for a bloody splatter on the inside of her left elbow.

face claim: ragga ragnars

arne

period: viking age

age: 30s

occupation: farmer

cause of death: poisoned by a neighbour over a land dispute

summary: ingrid's husband who died at the same time as her and who haunted button house for a few hundred years before moving on some time during kitty's childhood. none of the later ghosts know much about him other than that robin thought he was funny and his moving on is what caused ingrid to separate herself from the rest of the ghosts.

appearance: i haven't really decided yet since in the stuff i'm writing, he's only ever mentioned briefly by robin and mary and has never actually made an appearance. maybe some blood in his beard or on his shirt, like with ingrid.

face claim: again, haven't decided.

virginia, or "ginny"

period: early stuart

age: 40s

occupation: noblewoman

cause of death: smothered in her sleep with a pillow

summary: ginny is humphrey's niece who inherited the house after his death. she never knew him in life and thought poorly of him because of the supposed circumstances of his death. when she met him shortly after her death, she still didn't like him, but eventually decided he wasn't as bad as she thought he would be and is friends with him now. she likes listening to his stories while they sit or go for walks in the garden. fanny suspects ginny's husband was the one who killed her, but robin, who was downstairs when it happened, says he saw one of the maids going upstairs after everyone else had gone to bed and then coming back down a short while later.

appearance: she died while she was asleep, so she wears a long, white smock or nightgown and her hair hangs loose and is not styled.

face claim: alice lowe

peter

period: late victorian

age: 40s

occupation: groom and horse trainer

cause of death: dragged and trampled by a spooked horse

summary: peter worked at the house during george's youth and the early years of his marriage to fanny. he was killed sometime in the 1890s when one of the stable boys purposefully spooked a horse he was exercising. he and fanny knew each other distantly in life as they had several years in common at the house, but they were never really close in life as she was the wife of his employer. peter is irish and working class, so he and fanny don't really have very much in common at all, but they do get along fairly well as ghosts (though not as well as fanny and the captain).

appearance/outfit: a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up, a black waistcoat, and black-and-grey plaid pants, dirty from being dragged through the horses' exercise track.

face claim: andrew scott

lizzie

period: 1920s

age: 20s

occupation: maid

cause of death: tripped going down the stairs to the basement

summary: lizzie was a maid who worked at the house in the 1920s. one evening, near the end of her shift, she was going down to the basement to retrieve some clean sheets from the laundry room when she tripped and fell, hitting her head. the plague ghosts were the first to welcome her, and while she was frightened at first and they backed off, a couple of them decided to stay with her and try to help her understand what had happened. she still didn't believe it, even when another maid came downstairs and discovered her body and she watched as it was taken away. she only ventured upstairs a few times over the next couple of decades while the people she knew and worked with were still in the house because it made her sad to see them, but eventually made her way upstairs to stay. she was friends with mary and annie (until annie got sucked off).

appearance/outfit: medium height, straight reddish hair tied back in a bun, black maid's dress.

face claim: saoirse ronan

ron

period: 1930s

age: 30s

occupation: musician

cause of death: electrocution

summary: ron was the cousin of the wife of the lord who owned the house. he was also a musician and was invited to provide entertainment at a party hosted at the house. however, he was electrocuted while helping set up some of the sound equipment (which may or may not be robin's fault). thomas does not like him and views him as a threat, but ron couldn't care less because most of thomas's concerns are unwarranted. ron still writes songs sometimes and tries to teach them to alison for her to write down for him and/or sell them to make money for the house, and he's very good, but due to her lack of musical ability and understanding, it never seems to work. alison downloaded some music composing software onto her laptop for julian to work with him on it, but julian is even worse at music, and because julian can only work slowly, it takes ages and they end up arguing a lot.

appearance/oufit: tall and thin with dark hair that was once neatly combed but now, due to his electrocution, has a habit of standing up no matter how much he tries to smooth it down. he wears a maroon sweater vest over a white button down and black slacks.

face claim: dev patel

johnny

period: late 1960s

age: 50s

occupation: unemployed writer and amateur musician

cause of death: drugged and beaten by some men at a party

summary: johnny is very friendly and laid-back. his main fault is that he is much too trusting and hardly ever suspects anyone of doing anything wrong, which he comes to realise is what probably got him killed. the other ghosts don't always keep him in the loop about what's going on in the house, so he often gets left out of activities and spends a lot of time alone or with humphrey (if he can manage to stumble upon him). he's scared of the plague ghosts because they were the first thing he saw when he "woke up," and much like alison, he thought they were zombies or a drug-induced hallucination. sometimes gets up to Shenanigans(tm) with robin and/or julian.

appearance/outfit: he is a shorter, heavy-set man with dark greying hair. he wears a multicolour striped cardigan over a white shirt and jeans, and his clothes are somewhat dirty from the altercation which led to his death.

face claim: michael sheen

jessica

period: 2000s

age: 17

occupation: none

cause of death: undetermined

summary: jessica is a teenager who died in 2004 at a sleepover. she loves music and dancing, so of course she and kitty are great friends. she has a small crush on thomas. i haven't really thought much about her cause of death; i just think it would be interesting to see a ghost from the 2000s because you never really hear about that sort of thing.

appearance/outfit: bright pink pajamas with purple polka dots, blue fuzzy slippers, and messy looking bun pigtails.

face claim: saoirse-monica jackson

[ellewritesathing]

Ten Things    VII

Summary: If there’s one thing you have to know about Harvey Kinkle, it’s that he rarely thinks things through. So when he meets (and falls for) Sabrina Spellman on his first day of Baxter High and finds out that she can’t date anyone until her tempestuous sister does, it seems like the obvious solution is to get someone to date her so he can go out with Sabrina. A not so obvious choice for the challenge is Caliban, but, hey, it’s not like Harvey thought that far.

Masterlist Prev. | Part 7

Word-count: 3k+

A/N: before you read, i would just like to say, from the bottom of my heart, yikes 💕

For the most part, you rejected cultural, social, and gender norms - being raised by Zelda and growing up with Ambrose had pretty much insured your rebellious streak - but there was a part of you that had always wanted to go to prom. 

It was cheesy and lame, and a huge part of you still hated school dances thanks to Nick, but there was always a small, tiny part of you that craved the experience. You wanted to buy a tacky dress that you’d never wear again, dance with a high school sweetheart that would feature in all your stories, and just - for one night - be like everyone else. 

Now that you were sitting in the parking lot in a tacky dress you'd never wear again and staring at your reflection in the rearview mirror while you waited for your high school sweetheart, you were starting to have your doubts. 

Sure, Sabrina had helped you pick out a dress, Ambrose had done your makeup, and Hilda had twisted your hair into a style that made it seem far less unruly than it usually was, but that didn't change who you were underneath it all. You looked as close to perfect as you’d ever been on the surface, but underneath you just weren't sure if people like you got to be like everyone else. 

“Hey.” Sabrina reached over and touched your arm lightly. She looked as perfect as she always did, somehow more so with the annoyingly kind smile on her face. People like Sabrina were built to go to prom. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you lied with a smile. You twisted the bracelet that was just too big for your wrist. “Just wondering how Ambrose is coping with the tragic loss of his prom date.” 

Sabrina laughed, leaning back in her chair and tilting her head up to the roof. “I’m sure he’ll find some way to go on.” 

You gave her another smile and then the car fell into a familiar silence. It was slightly different than usual though. Ordinarily, it was because neither of you had anything to say; tonight, it was because you had too much to say. Anticipation and nervousness hung in the air. 

You looked up from your bracelet to find Sabrina watching Nick go into the school. With a sigh, you asked, “Did he ever tell you that we dated?” 

“What? No way!” Sabrina spun around to see if you were joking. Her surprise crushed any nervousness in the car. Her wide eyes narrowed as she took you in. “But you hate him.” 

“I didn’t always. I mean, he was so totally dreamy and, like, did you know he does modeling on the weekends?” Laughing off your impersonation of Sabrina’s cronies, you shook your head and picked at the details on your dress. “He was different back then. I was still figuring things out. We just kind of … made sense at the time.” 

“What happened?” Sabrina asked, concern taking over in the absence of surprise and suspicion. 

“Homecoming. He didn’t really respect that I wanted to take things slowly,” you said evenly. “It ended in this huge fight and he threatened to tell people we slept together anyway. I told him if he ever did that, I’d tell everyone that he made me wear his mother’s clothes first and that those swimsuit photos were, uh, very heavily edited.” 

Sabrina laughed and leaned back in her chair again. “Wow, you and Nick …” She let out a long breath and shook her head. Then she frowned and shuddered. “Gross.” 

It was your turn to laugh and sink into your chair. You grabbed hold of Sabrina’s hand and looked over at her. “Yeah, it is pretty gross.” 

The two of you were quiet again and anxiety filled up the space between you. Neither of you had ever been in this position before. Neither of you had ever been speechless before.

“Are you nervous?” Sabrina asked quietly. It felt like the slightest noise would shatter the air you breathed.

“A little,” you confessed. Light from one of the lamposts filtered through the windshield and hit your intertwined hands. It was hard to believe, when the two of you sat like this, that you hated one another six months ago. “I really like him, Brina.” 

“Me too.” 

“I keep feeling like I’m gonna mess it all up somehow.” 

“Me too.” 

You turned your head to look at her, maybe to tell her that she was crazy if she thought she could mess anything up or maybe to tell her to say something longer than two words, but you didn't get the chance to say anything or confess any more secrets.  

Caliban and Harvey knocked on yours and Sabrina’s windows with three quick blows and the two of you sprang apart. You cursed them out with some very descriptive and lengthy profanities, but unlocked the doors for them anyway. 

Instead of yelling, Sabrina laughed, stumbled out, and wrapped Harvey in a clumsy hug. 

While you were marveling at how easy it was for her to be, Caliban opened your door. He hung in the frame, the smell of ocean-scented shampoo and reckless ambition filled your lungs and washed away your anxieties. “You look lovely,” he said with a quiet smile. 

How you responded would define your night. Could you be like everyone else for a night or were you simply not built for that kind of easy lightness?

Deciding to leave the anger in the car for the night, you gave him a playful smile and tugged on the edges of his jacket. “You’re not so bad yourself, Sparky.” 

Before Caliban had the chance to respond, you smoothed your hand along his jacket and settled your fingers lightly on his neck. Your other hand held onto his shirt as you pressed a kiss to his lips. 

"I should get dressed up more often," Caliban murmured when you pulled away. You gave him another smile and he stepped back and held a hand out to help you out of the car. 

The two of you made your way into the school without a single witty one-liner escaping either of your lips. 

--- 

Harvey had heard of people who got quiet when they were nervous and about how, even when they felt like they were going to explode, they appeared cool and calm to the untrained eye. Unfortunately, he realized he would never be one of them. 

From the moment he and Caliban surprised the two of you in the parking lot and Sabrina nearly toppled him over with that hug, he had been unable to keep his mouth shut for more than thirty seconds.

It wasn’t like he wanted to make Sabrina’s ears bleed with bad jokes and unclever observations about the dance around them, or ramble on about his history assignment and how Theo finally worked up the courage to ask Robin to be his date. If he had it his way, he would be as charming and cavalier as Caliban was when he was with you. 

But he wasn’t. Harvey was anxious to every eye, trained or not.

Sabrina, thankfully, seemed to find it cute. She’d kiss him whenever he needed a distraction and even managed to convince him to dance. Granted, he would have done anything to make her smile but still. It’s not like he was any good at it. 

Harvey would step on her feet at times and go left when he was meant to go right, but Sabrina didn’t mind. She’d laugh and lead him in the direction. She was perfect. 

If all dances were like this, then Harvey was starting to think they might not be so bad, anxiety be damned. 

Looking over at you and Caliban, he figured you guys were thinking something similar. Caliban had given you his jacket and the two of you were holding onto one another and dancing in place. It was a very sweet scene, made funnier by the fact that Harvey knew the two of you were probably scheming something terrible instead of whispering ‘sweet nothings’ (as Ambrose called it). 

---

"You can't tell me you don't know any dances," Caliban said, an amused smile on his lips. "I've met your aunts and I don't believe they wouldn't teach you at least one formal dance."

"I know one," you said. Before he had the chance to ask which, you rushed to add, "But it's not really something you can break out at a school dance without looking like an asshole," you told him. 

Caliban laughed and shook his head at you. "I hate to break it to you, love, but everyone here already thinks we're assholes. So, just tell me what it is so we can stop swaying in place."

Begrudgingly, you dropped your gaze and mumbled something into Caliban's chest. 

"Sorry, what was that?" Caliban asked. 

You sighed and looked up at him. He could have sworn that you almost looked nervous. "Ambrose taught me to lindy hop before he figured out that Sabrina was a much more agreeable partner," you said. 

"The lindy hop," Caliban repeated. As he said it, an image of you and Amrose swirling around the living room with all the furniture shoved up against the walls popped into his head. It was sweet. "We could try it, if you want." 

"It's been years," you said quickly. "I- I don't even know if I still remember how to do it!"

Caliban knew that arguing would get him nowhere, so he let go of one of your hands and twirled you out instead. When you spun back into him, muscle memory had the two of you bouncing around and stepping in sync in no time. 

Soon, you were laughing and twirling and looking as carefree as Caliban had ever seen you. And then the first punch was thrown. 

---

Before all hell had broken loose, Harvey had spent his time talking nonstop and keeping an eye on you guys as well as watching over Nick. He’d been moping for most of the night, just drinking from a flask while some girls tried to flirt with him, but Harvey knew better than to underestimate him. Nick could be a loose cannon.

Although he stayed away for most of the night, Nick eventually got rowdy and staggered over. His speech wasn’t slurred but alcohol tinged every word. 

He pointed a very accusatory finger at Sabrina. “You’re supposed to be here with me,” Nick snarled.  

“I’m not supposed to do anything,” Sabrina said. “Nick, you should leave.” 

“What? Am I ruining your perfect night?” Nick looked over at Harvey. He wasn't sober enough to glare, so it was a sloppy, angry look. “You screwing the new kid now?” 

Harvey let go of Sabrina to take a step closer to Nick. “You are way, out of line, man. Just get out of here before I kick your ass.” 

“Oh, please. Save the knight in shining armor crap for someone who gives a shit.” 

Some other words were said, but they all led up to the same thing: Harvey punching Nick just above his jaw.

--- 

Though Harvey had a pretty decent left hook, Nicholas appeared to be a bit of scrapper, sloppy as he was. Caliban didn’t have the chance to say anything before you’d torn yourself away from him. Not a single beat was skipped before the two of you went to break up the fight. 

You’d pulled Harvey back at the same time that Caliban pulled Nick back by his wrist and pinned it behind his back. Caliban gave you his best smile - the two of you made a good team. 

“Oh, of course, you came to the rescue,” Nick spat, craning his neck to scowl at Caliban. “Caliban. What kind of name is that anyway? Actually, I don’t care. I want my money back.” 

Your hold on Harvey faltered. Both he and Sabrina were frozen next to you, and Caliban just knew you'd pieced it together. “Your money?” you asked.

“Awww, didn’t anyone tell you kitty cat?” Nick asked. He laughed as Caliban twisted his arm to make him shut up. “Your boy here is on my payroll. He only asked you out because my buddy Ben Franklin asked.”

Something inside you clicked, anger replacing the momentary shock, and Caliban knew there was no going back. You pushed Harvey away from you and scoffed. “Unbelievable.” 

“It’s not what you think,” Caliban rushed out. 

“Actually, it’s exactly what I think. Isn’t it, Nick? You wanted to go out with my sister and paid him to get me out of the way?” you asked. Your voice was shaking even though you were remarkably composed, but Caliban knew the rage that must have been under your skin. He’d never meant to hurt you but it was too late for that now.

“Exactly,” Nick said. 

You shook your head and stormed past them, knocking your shoulder into Caliban’s on your way out. Sabrina called out to you but you ignored her cries, Nick’s laughter, and everyone else. 

As much as Caliban wanted to punch Nick’s face in, he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t go after you. He shoved Nick down to the ground and raced after you.

---

You’d been angry before. Anger was when Sabrina borrowed your favorite shirt and ruined it, or when Billy said something ignorant and/or offensive. That's how you knew that this wasn’t anger. This was a blind fury mixed with hurt and betrayal, accompanied by some very stubborn tears. 

Your first instinct had been to hide in the bathroom and clean yourself up, but you ran the risk of someone finding you if you did that. So, instead, you made a b-line for your car. Harvey would take Sabrina home, and you were too pissed at both of them to care if he didn't, anyway. All you needed was to leave before you blew up. 

But Caliban wasn’t making your escape easy for you. He rushed after you and grabbed your hand just as you got to the sidewalk that led to the parking lot. “Look, I can explain-” 

“No!” You spun around and pushed him away from you. He looked hurt and confused but he had no right to be. He used you. He knew how you felt and he used you anyway. “I told you to tell me,” you said, hitting his chest weakly and struggling not to cry at the sight of him. Your voice shook. “I fucking told you and you just-” 

“I couldn’t tell you!” Caliban’s voice wasn’t shaking but it definitely wasn’t his usual cool tone. “I couldn’t, okay? I had feelings for you long before Nicholas was in the picture and-” 

“I don’t care! You lied to me, Caliban,” you said. You couldn’t yell at him anymore; it hurt too much. “I trusted you and you lied to me.”

Caliban couldn’t yell either. His voice was raw and shaking when he spoke again, but he reached out and touched your face gently before he tried. He wiped away one of your tears with his thumb. “I’m sorry.” 

“I hate you,” you lied, voice trembling. 

“I know.” Caliban's voice was quiet as he pulled his hand away. He hadn't looked away from you once. “I should go check on Harvey.” 

“Then leave.” 

Caliban gave you a solemn nod and turned to head back inside. The doors swung shut behind him and you started crying. Ugly, broken, and embarrassing sobs. When your hands went up to your face, you felt Caliban’s jacket brush your skin and your anger flared back up again. 

You ripped your hands away and tore the jacket off, throwing it to the ground as hard as you could. Something clinking inside caught your attention. Warily, you bent down and felt for whatever it was, eventually pulling out his car keys. 

You got to your feet and pointed the keys towards the parking lot. Somewhere in the distance, his car beeped and a terrible, impulsive idea started forming. 

---

There were a lot of things Sabrina could put up with, but Nick Scratch was not one of them. She picked him up off the floor after Caliban threw him down and then she punched him in the gut. It was a lot more painful than they made it look in the movies, but man, did it feel good. 

“That’s for breaking my sister’s heart,” she told him matter-of-factly. He was still in the process of recovering when she hit him again and burst a vein in his nose. “That’s for Harvey.” She kneed him in the one spot she knew he definitely didn’t want to be kneed. “And that’s for me.” 

Ignoring Nick's broken wails, Sabrina stormed out of the dance. She blew past Caliban and a dozen confused freshmen, and went to look for you. Your car was still in the lot but she couldn’t see you anywhere. She tried calling multiple times but there was never any answer. 

She’d just about given up when Harvey showed up, but then you picked up before he could say anything. 

“Oh, my god. Are you okay?” Sabrina rushed out, clutching Harvey’s hand. 

If there was one thing you hated, it was dumb questions. Your annoyance was evident when you snapped, “I’m just peachy.”

“Where are you?” Sabrina asked.

“Can you pick me up on the other side of the mines?” you asked. “Give me half an hour first.” 

“Anything you need,” Sabrina said. “I love you.”

“Yeah, I love you, too.”

Sabrina held onto the phone even after you’d hung up. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of what you were going through. Because of her. Taking a deep breath, she let go of Harvey’s hand. “I need to go.” 

Harvey’s face was full of concern. “Can I come with you?”

“No. I need to talk to my sister,” she said. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. I had fun before …” 

Before she crushed you. 

Part 8

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[yikesharringrove]

So I have this theory that Steve and billy would take a long time to get to each other. They both have so much damage. They know they would be amazing but they also know they aren’t ready yet. So they go with their separate ways. They grow up, they get better. 10 years later they are both back home for a wedding (let’s say Dustin/Erica because I personally think they would be awesome. She would run his life and he would thank her for it) And S/B realize they are ready now. The timing is perfect

Read on Ao3.

“It looks good, buddy.”

Steve was sitting bored in the leather armchair. His hand was propping his chin as he stared at Dustin. He had tried out 18 suits and Steve was tired.

“I don’t know, Steve. I don’t think I like the blue.” It was his sixth navy suit. Steve wanted to bash his head in.

“I still maintain I like the first one.” Dustin took another look in the mirror before nodding.

“I’ll put the first one back on.” Steve groaned at the ceiling.

Steve was Dustin’s Best Man. They had kept in close contact even as Steve moved to Chicago, worked entry-level jobs until he went to college, studied, and became a special education teacher.

Dustin had recently graduated from MIT, was living in Indianapolis with Erica. He worked at an engineering lab, was designing already. Steve was very proud. The past few months he had driven to Indy every Friday and staying through the weekend, helping him with plans, the registry, and addressing invitations. He nearly shit when he wrote Billy Hargrove’s name and address.

“Okay, I think this is the one.” Dustin was back in the first one. Steve wanted to hit his head against the wall until he fucking died.

  “Okay, so we’ve got me and your mom, and the Sinclairs, and Marnie, and Robin at Table 1. Table 2 is El and Mike and Will and Seth and Reggie and Max and Angie and Lucas, which, shouldn’t he sit at table one? Family and that. Table 3 is Nancy and Jonathan and Mrs. Byers and Hopper and-” Steve choked on the next name. “Billy? Why didn’t you tell me he was coming?” Dustin looked up from the huge board they had been using to make the seating chart.

“Does it matter?”

“Yes. You know he’s the love of my fucking life.” Steve was gawking at Dustin who rolled his eyes.

"He's not. You've just been gross and hung up on him for ten years, Steve. That's lame."

"We could've had something! We were getting close and I kept-"

"You were getting closer and you kept feeling electricity and then he died and then he was fine and then he ran away to California I know, Steve." Steve felt his face heat up He looked back at the seating chart. "Stop pouting."

"I'm not pouting." He was totally pouting. "It's just, I haven't seen him in ten years. It's gonna be, what if he's moved on."

"He's not bringing a plus one."

"Maybe they couldn't come." Dustin rolled his eyes.

"Just fucking talk to him when you see him. Don't know why it has to be such a big deal."

"I can't talk to him, Dustin. what would I say?"

"Start with hi, Billy. And just see where it takes you."

"I just, it's been a while since I've dated and-"

"But it's time you moved on from Taylor. I told you that guys was bad news, and lo and fucking behold, he ends up sucking." Steve shifted uncomfortably. That relationship had ended over three years ago, ended with Steve spending two months on Robin's couch. He was still in therapy over it. 

"Yeah, I know." Steve was talking to his arms, folding tightly over his chest.

"Buddy, I'm not trying to be an ass. Just saying. You're doing much better after that. And Max says Billy's really good. That he's got his life on track and is happy."

"Then he probably has someone. And he might not even be into guys!"

"Okay, then get over your lame self, and be his friend." Steve huffed. "But whatever you do, just help me finish this fucking seating chart."

Steve was fucking running.

He had been in charge of the rings, and he had, misplaced them.

Because of course he fucking did. Of course, he held onto them for weeks only to lose them on the day.

He was sweating through his white shirt in the Hawkins heat. Running from room to room in the upstairs of the old house. His parents kept the Hawkins house, just in case they were ever passing through. Steve doesn't think they've spent more than three hours in it since he was nineteen, but it gave him a free place to crash whenever he was in town.

He was tearing through rooms, anywhere he could've been these past few hours. He knows he had the rings when he put on his shirt, had them in his pocket when he realized he needed cufflinks.

He flew downstairs, rummaging through the drawer in his father's side of the bathroom, finding the rings exactly where he had stolen the cufflinks from. They were thin, gold bands. Erica's had a small diamond set into it. They were engraved on the inside, quotes for Star Wars, Dustin's holding Princess Leia's I love you, Erica's with Han Solo's I know. Steve had made fun of them endlessly when he had picked them up from the jeweler's.

"Steve, you're a fucking idiot and also a genius." He scrambled to his car, driving well over the speed limit to the venue, a historic house in the old part of Hawkins. It was grand and beautiful and much cooler than the summer air outside. Steve was so focused on delivering the rings he didn't notice the Camaro sitting out front, still in its pristine condition. He opened doors at random, getting screamed at by Erica's Maid of Honor, Marnie, when he burst into the wrong room. Marnie fucking hated Steve, and he didn't really know why. Apparently it had something to do with the engagement party. But, he got blackout fucking drunk at that thing, so he had no idea what she was so pissed about.

Well, now she was quite obviously pissed that he had slammed open the door to find her and Erica in robes, getting their makeup done. She threw a shoe at his head.

He was fucking sprinting down a hallway when he crashed right into a fucking wall, solid and steady. He was knocked back on his ass,

"Oh shit, sorry!" He looked up, finding Billy Hargrove staring down at him. "Steve fucking Harrington. As I live and breathe." Billy's hair was long, was wild and big. He was wearing a well-fitting suit, looked thick and muscled, more than he had in high school. Steve's mouth went fucking dry. Billy had his shirt unbuttoned to the bottom of his sternum, showing off a large chest piece, gorgeous flowers weaving around and through the scar on his chest. Steve could see it was healed, but still raised, pink and shiny in a few areas, the skin pulled and puckered where Billy had been stitched back together.

Billy extended a hand, a scarred tattooed hand, and heaved Steve off the floor.

"Hi, Billy." Billy grinned at him. It was softer than he remembered. "You look good."

"You seen yourself? You're still as pretty as I remember." Steve fucking giggled like a fucking schoolgirl. He had let his hair grow out some since high school. Some of the kids liked his long hair.

"What have you, what have you been up to?" Steve was overly aware of his arms. Was trying to find a way to hold himself that didn't look stupid.

"You know, California. USed my government hush money to go to culinary school. I'm a sous-chef now at a restaurant in L.A."

"Oh, wow. Congratulations. You've really, you've come a long way. You look, happy." Steve flushed a little more.

"What are you doin', Pretty Boy?" Steve's heart tripped over itself at the old nickname.

"I'm in Chicago, now. I teach special education at an elementary school. I'm actually, I'm in line to become head of the department when the current one, when she retires." Billy's eyes crinkled at the corners with his smile.

"That's so perfect for you. What made you choose special ed?"

"I went to college and learned I'm dyslexic." Billy barked a laugh, one Steve had never heard before, a fucking real one.

"You didn't know? I could've told you that!"

"I mean, I just thought I was fucking stupid, but once I learned what the problem was, the university gave me some resources to help. I was actually in the nursing program, but I kept thinking about how the university helped me so much, that getting a real diagnosis was fucking life-changing, not only for school, but just in the way I thought about myself. I don't want kids to grow up like I did, convinced that their literal disability is just, just stupidity." Steve met Billy's eyes, saw them glow with fondness.

"I'm so happy for you, Steve. I'm so proud you found such an amazing calling, you seem like you've come such a long way." Billy squeezed his upper arm, made Steve melt.

"Thank you, that, that really means a lot to m-"

"Steve! I have been looking for you for hours. Where have you been, Asshole?" Dustin was stomping down the hall

"Doesn't matter. I'm here, I've got the rings, I'm ready to go."

"Did you not have the rings?" Dustin looked like he was going to explode.

"I have them! See!" Steve pulled them out of his pocket, clinking them together. "All engraved with your nerd shit and ready." Billy was watching them, an amused look on his face.

"You are a nightmare and the worst best man in the history of-"

"Can you not be dramatic for one fucking da-"

"I'm allowed to be dramatic today, I'm getting marrie-"

"You're never allowed to be dramatic you little-"

"God, you two really are brothers. You fight like siblings." They both whipped to look at Billy, giving him the exact same pissed off-glare. Billy laughed at them.

"Look, I'll get outta y'all's hair." He clapped Steve on the shoulder. "It's good to see you, Stevie. Hope we can catch up more. Congrats, Dustin." He trotted down the hall. Dustin grinned at Steve.

"It's GOOD to see you, STEVIE. He's totally into you. It's exhausting being right all the time." Steve slapped his arm.

 The ceremony was short and sweet.

Steve stood behind Dustin, handed him a tissue when he got all misty, took one for himself when he began tearing up. He noticed Billy sitting a few rows back, noticed how his eyes were always on Steve whenever Steve's trailed over to him. He was smiling softly at him, even fucking winked at Steve, made him go red and look away. Robin noticed something off about him, noticed the way he was flushed, raised her eyebrow for her spot in the first row with Claudia. He shook his head.

The cocktail hour took place outside in the oppressive heat as the large ballroom was altered from ceremony set-up, to dinner and dancing. Steve was overseeing the transition, as Dustin was extremely specific, and someone needed to deal with it.

"You've been weird all day." Robin knocked her shoulder into his. "It finally catching up to you that one of your kids is married?"

"Mike and El have been married for like, years."

"Yeah, but Dustin is your baby." Steve rolled his eyes.

"It really doesn't bug me. I just, Billy's here. We like, talked earlier. And he kept, lookin' at me." She sighed.

"You know what I've always said about Billy. When he was coming into Scoops like, every day and being all flirty. But just, be careful he's been through a lot and, I just don't want the whole Taylor situation to happen again." He shuffled his feet.

"It won't. He seemed, happy. Like he was all bright and was, was laughing, and I've never heard him laugh like that." Her eyes were soft.

"Just be careful, Dingus."

 At dinner, Steve had to give his speech.

He was a wreck, had dropped his cards, and started fucking crying a couple different times. But he got laughs in all the right places, and Claudia had cried loudly so he was feeling pretty alright about it.

He had made a point not to look at Billy the whole time, couldn't fathom looking into his bright eyes as he talked. As dinner winded to a close, the bar opened, and the music began.

Dustin and Erica's first dance was so sweet, they had chosen At Last, the Etta James number that made Steve and Claudia tear up. Lucas took Erica out next, swapping with Mr. Sinclair as Claudia took Dustin.

And then the music devolved into upbeat dance numbers, kept everyone on their feet for hours.

Steve was taking a much-needed break. Nancy had worn him out during Rio, arguably the best Duran Duran dong to ever exist according to Steve.

"You're really tearing it up out there. Nice to see your taste hasn't changed at all." Billy was leaning against the bar, was nursing an amber-colored drink. Steve sipped his pink wine.

"I stand by Duran Duran." Billy laughed, leaning forward enough for Steve to feel his warmth.

"Your speech was nice."

"Thank you! I was so fucking nervous, you have no idea." It was easy talking to Billy. Felt like not a day had passed since they were sitting on the hood of Steve's car at the quarry together, throwing rocks into the water and passing a joint back and forth.

"I wanna know everything about from these past ten years." Steve took in a big breath.

"You pretty much know it all. Took me a good while to get my shit together and get through school, finding something I'm passionate about."

"But there has to be more. A lot can happen in ten years. You dating anyone?" Steve's heart lodged itself in his throat. He blinked down at his wine.

"Not right now. Last one was, uh, it really fucked me up." Billy's hand was so warm when he placed it on Steve's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I asked. You don't gotta explain." Steve blinked, shaking himself.

"Are you, are you with someone?" Billy chuckled. He ran a hand through his hair, through the wild curls Steve was obsessed with.

"Nah. Hard to find guys that don't get weirded out by the scars. I've got a whole lotta baggage."

"Sorry, guys?" Billy gave him an odd look.

"Yeah, Harrington. Guys. I'm gay. That a problem?" It was the closest Billy had looked to his old Hawkins self, puffing his chest up.

"No, that's not a problem. Just didn't know is all. I'm, uh, I'm bisexual." Billy's eyebrows shot up.

"No shit?"

"No shit." Billy smirked at him.

"You know I've always had a thing for you." Steve choked on his wine, coughing harshly as Billy laughed, thumping him on the back.

"Don't say that shit to me. I've had the biggest stupidest fucking crush on you since I was seventeen. That summer before everything when to shit, when we were, like, hanging out, I kept thinking something was gonna, was gonna happen." Billy's smile fell.

"I know. I'm sorry, Stevie. I just, I wasn't good back then. I was so fucking angry, about moving to Hawkins, and everything with my dad, and then getting possessed, I wouldn't've been good to you. And you deserve good, Stevie. You wouldn't have grown like you did if you were always trying to take care 'a me."

"Sometimes, the growing hurt, and I, I wish some of it hadn't have happened."

"I know how that feels, Pretty Boy. But the growing, sometimes it has to hurt. Everything that happened to me, everything with that thing, it made me who I am, and for the first time in my whole life, I really like who I am." Steve took a breath.

"You know, I never got the story from you. Why you actually moved to Hawkins. You'd say something different and ridiculous every time I asked." Billy looked down at his drink.

"My dad. He caught me with a boy in my room. He said, he told me living in the midwest would straighten me out. I think he thought either I play straight or I'd get hate crimed."

"I'm sorry, Bill." He smiled at him, just one side of his mouth ticking up.

"Honestly, Pretty Boy. Like I said, everything really happens for a reason. That's what I live by now, because all that horrible shit, it led me here, and I'm okay."

"Good for you, Bill. I really mean that. You've made such a great life for yourself." Billy pressed in closer to him, made Steve's breath catch.

"Thank you, Sweet Thing. That means a lot comin' from you." He leaned even further into Steve's space. "You wanna get outta here? I've got a nice hotel room." Steve felt warmth spread down his spine. He hooked a finger into one of Billy's belt loops.

"You know, I've always loved that car 'a yours. First time I saw you get out of it, kept thinking about getting fucked in that back seat." Billy groaned, his head falling onto Steve's shoulder.

"It's parked right outside." Steve leaned to Billy's ear.

"Race ya."

They ran, giggling like little kids all the way to Billy's vintage car. Billy fumbled with the keys, dropping them twice before Steve yanked open the door, diving in the back seat.

They were still giggling as they struggled outta their clothes, making out in between items. Steve flopped down once he was undressed, pulling Billy down on top of him, laughing as Billy knocked the wind out of him.

The giggles turned to moans when Billy latched onto his neck, sucking and biting. He finally put his hand in those curls, the other trailing down his back, ghosting over the scars there.

"I love all your tattoos. So gorgeous." Billy pressed kisses down his chest. He stopped at the large scar running from the inside of Steve's collarbone a few inches down his arm.

"What's this from?" Steve stiffened under him. He sat up, brushing some hair off of Steve's forehead.

"It's, it's from a surgery I had."

"What happened?" Steve pushed his hand away from the scar.

"Shattered my collarbone." Steve was sitting up, was tugging his pants back on.

"Shit, Stevie, I'm sorry. I won't, you don't have to talk about it." Steve huffed, flopping back into the seat.

"It's okay. It's just-" He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Billy tugged his own slacks back on. "The relationship I told you about. The last one I was in." BIlly's eyes went big. He took Steve's hand.

"Stevie, I'm sorry." Steve shook his head."How long were you two together?"

"A little over four years."

"Holy shit."

"I ended things over three years ago. Packed my shit and left when he was at work. Lived with Robin after that." He crossed his arms over his middle. "I should've known too. There were, there were so many red flags, but I didn't, I never really ever felt loved, and he told me that he loved me, and so I stayed. Through everything."

"Was he your first relationship since Nancy?"

"Like, full relationship. Once I moved to the city, I let myself go wild a little bit, fucked around with a lot of different people. I thought he was it for me, thought he was the one. We moved in together after about six months." Billy placed a hand on Steve's thigh.

"I'm sorry, Baby. I know how you feel. I know how painful it is to live like that."

"I know you do. And I'm, Robin and Dustin really helped me. They helped me find a support group for queer abuse survivors, and, and Robin drove me to therapies, and I'm so much better, but it's, especially the scar, it's a painful reminder." Billy leaned over, pressing a light kiss to the center of it.

"Stevie, I really like you. I'd like to do this properly. I want to take you on a date." Steve looked at him with wide eyes.

"You, really?"

"Yeah, Baby. Been gone on you since I was sixteen years old." Steve took Billy's face between each palm, kissed him softly, smiled into it, into how right it felt, these two broken boys, these two healed men finally finding one another again.

[boyneriver-fraser]

Ho! The house! 🗣

When I grow up, I want a personalized guided tour of the Big House on Fraser’s Ridge

The moment the last tenant hangs up his tool belt, I want to walk back and forth through that breezeway. Peek into every cupboard. Climb every stair. Rootle through every cubbyhole. Jump on every bed. There is so much to see, and touch, and smell… and I want to DO IT ALL!

Thoughts & Observations: S5E3 Free Will

Marsali is already proving to be the perfect apprentice. She’s motivated, inquisitive, intelligent, detail-oriented, logical, and curious about all sorts of new-fangled ideas and things there in Boston. Just wait till she tastes those cream pies.

Claire’s voiceover almost needs a Dun Dun Dun… soundtrack. Let’s hope she dares history with caution, and the copy of Dr. Rawlings’ Recommendations Fergus delivers to the printer doesn’t include scrawls and doodles of anything too new-fangled.

Really like the Jamie Payne (director) – Luke Schelhass (writer) combo! 😃

No doubt many people echoed Jamie’s Deo gratius when they realized we were being treated to a JamieClaire-centric episode. It worked well for me, but so did Between Two Fires. I find each of Jamie and Claire compelling on their own, pursing their individual interests and causes. I also like seeing their relationships with other characters. Call me kooky.

Callback #1: This one takes place in a kind of Upside Down. Remember S4E5 Savages, when Jamie returned to the Ridge from Woolam’s Creek, happy after discovering #MurtaghSaved? A shotgun-armed Claire was unable to sleep after the tragedies of Petronella’s and her baby’s measle deaths and Adawehi’s murder.

In Free Will, Jamie returns to the Ridge from Hillsborough, stunned by the Regulators’ tarring and feathering and by Lieutenant Knox’s murdering Ethan MacKinnon, and anxious about needing to form a militia. Despite missing Jamie while he’s away, Claire’s work on the Ridge and interaction with her children and grandchildren satisfies her and allows her to sleep soundly.

Fergus takes a mean shorthand! 🖌

We hear the first of many “Roger Mac(s)” to come.

“We’ll be taking yer whisky with us to share with the men. The finest I’ve tasted since leaving Scotland.” Fergus Claudel Fraser: Official Distiller of Fraser’s Ridge (I love this adaptation! I don’t think I mentioned in my The Fiery Cross episode review how much I loved Jamie’s calling Fergus to stand by his hand. Fergus, like Young Ian, is a man of worth.)

⚠️ Murtz Alert ⚠️ Oops… False alarm… 🙁 Fraser’s Ridge workforce includes a lot of silver-haired, ponytail-wearing tenants. 🤷🏻‍♀️

“Mr. Trouble” 😂 Too bad wee Robin Scott, who plays Germain, would be too young to attend most of the cast’s social outings. He would be the life of the party. 🎉

Does Marsali need Brianna’s help with reading because medical books are advanced academics and Brianna holds a degree from M.I.T, or because Laoghaire dropped the ball and didn’t educate her daughters? It’s safe to say Laoghaire didn’t encourage them to read anything that sat on a witch’s bookshelf.

Callback #2: The JamieClaire-on-horseback-led convoy’s leaving Fraser’s Ridge took me back to S2E8 The Fox’s Lair and E9 Je Suis Prest. Did you notice the pecking order? 1: Colonel & Physician. 2: Captain. 3: Official Distiller. Priorities are important, during times of peace and of war.

So… Stephen Bonnet’s free from incarceration, and recently sighted in Wilmington? How far is Wilmington from Fraser’s Ridge? Does it matter almost every fit and young man, almost every weapon, and the only doctor are on the road to Brownsville, while Bonnet’s purported child and the child’s mother are back with the not-so-fit-nor-young-nor-armed men on Fraser’s Ridge? I suppose it doesn’t, since the mother herself knows Bonnet could be consulting a map and stealing a horse as we speak. I somehow doubt her husband and named father of her child would agree… if he only knew.

Callback #3: Colonel Jamie tells Captain Roger there’s no time to train the militia, so he’ll teach them to fight like Highlanders, to gather and scatter on his command. Can you say Dougal MacKenzie in S2E9 Je Suis Prest? Sure. I knew you could.

Thank goodness for Closed Captioning. Growing up immersed in Scots (language, accents, people), I rarely “huh?” during Outlander, but I have no ear for Welsh, and John Quincy Myers keeps my clicking that CC button. And his lines are so worth understanding! 😂

Callback #4: The fireside banter and guy-talk, with Claire’s being the only participant without a Y chromosome, takes me back to S1E5 Rent. Good times.

We’re slowly adding to the books’ Fraser’s Ridge roster.  We already know Isaiah Morton and Ronnie Sinclair. Around the fire we meet brothers Evan and Kenny Lindsay, and Geordie Chisholm. Isaiah Morton on his way to Brownsville? What could go wrong?

Speaking of books, so much of Fireside Chat reminded me of The Fiery Cross, right down to Jamie’s not needing to worry whether his feet or his hair might burn in order to sleep “warm.” Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Say no more. 

I am very impressed with Paul Gorman’s playing the Beardsley twins, and duly impressed with his characters’ appearing onscreen at the same time. Well done! BUT… the BEST part of the entire Twins Story introduction was the explanation for Keziah’s missing britches. 😻

You’re lucky, Lizzie Wemyss, I’m completely committed to Murtz, because any man who would forgo his pants to keep kittens warm is my kind of man. ❤️

I wonder if Father Fogden ever missed his mirror?

I couldn’t begin to imagine those young men’s lives. Orphaned at two, with four sisters dead at sea. Sold on a 30-year term, starved, beaten, deafened… and made to sleep in a barn that is too cold for goats.

Josiah isn’t going to avoid Claire’s scary looking medical tools for long if he keeps drawing attention to his sore throat. Owie!

More book people, People: Joan, Hugh, and Iain Òg Findlay. In The Fiery Cross Roger also meets with Iain Mòr, Joan’s brother and head of the family.

Two years, three months, and five days…

It’s probably the meds, but when Fanny Beardsley slams the door in Jamie’s face, I imagined her turning to the goats and saying, “I told ‘im we got already got one.”

I’m thankful my TV’s Smell-o-Vision™ is out of order. Brianna, oh she who could not tolerate an autopsied torso, is thankful she skipped this road trip all together.

The direction, lighting, special effects, makeup, and prosthetics are excellent in this part of the episode and Mr. McCreary has outdone himself with the soundtrack. Truly a House of Horrors, Chez Beardsley.

“None of us could give him a baby.” Um, I hate to break it to you, Aaron, but I suspect it’s your problem, not any of your five wives’.

Brit Bronwyn James gives Baltimore Fanny a decent generic American accent.

Poor Jamie! He knows the pain of sending Claire back through the stones. Contemplating sending his beloved daughter and grandson, and tolerated son-in-law, is too much. 😖

Poor Fanny! To live as she has for two years, three months, and five days with that “wretch,” and awaken to see Jamie and Claire’s spooning, peacefully sleeping in her living room. I’d sneak off in the dead of night, too.

My grand-père went to Hillsborough and all I got was a wagon full of goats. 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐

“I’ll do what must be done.” No foreshadowing, thank you very much. James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser has suffered enough.

__________

March 2, 2020

Photo: Starz, Screenshots: @boyneriver-fraser​ Jon Gary Steele Twitter, W Network/Global TV app, Gifs: @abreathofsnowandwaffles​ (1 & 2), @jemscorner​ (3), @avasetocallmyown​ (4), @grantcary​ (5), @mistress-gif​ (6 & 7)

#Outlander #Personal #Review #The Fiery Cross #S5E3 Free Will #Claire Fraser #Jamie Fraser #Roger MacKenzie #Fergus Claudel Fraser #Geordie Chisholm #Adso #Mama ComfyPants & The Kittens #193 #030220