#and that it was a MAN and oh God he thinks he might be GAY

[eclipixels]

Mine

Yoichi Isagi x Reader

Content: You finally meet Kaiser for the first time and, as expected, your boyfriend hated every second of it

[1,884 words]

      Isagi paced back and forth in his room, his frustration loud. The creak of the floorboards echoed his every step as he muttered under his breath, his hands running through his disheveled dark blue hair. Blue Lock had granted him a rare weekend break after the intense commencement of the Neo Egoist League, yet his mind was far from restful.

      "Winning against him isn't enough," Isagi finally blurted out, his voice a mixture of anger and resolve. "I want him dead."

      You sat cross-legged on his bed, your laptop perched on your knees. Finals had consumed your attention, leaving you out of the loop regarding Isagi's latest adversary and this whole new Blue Lock show. The way your boyfriend described this "Kaiser" guy was enough to make you believe the man might actually be the devil.

      "Baby, don’t you think that’s a little too far?" you asked cautiously, hoping to diffuse the intensity.

      "Not as far as how deep I’m gonna shove my foot down his throat after I score the winning goal," he continued, looking like a mad man. Oh boy.

      You winced, unsure of how to respond. "Oh, um, that’s not…"

      "Honestly," Isagi interrupted, his voice rising, "he should go kill himself. Right, baby? Say yes. Yes. Agree with me, please." He turned to you with an almost desperate look in his eyes.

      "I don’t know—" you began, only to be cut off again.

      "God, I hope lightning strikes him down. That gay ass fucking fa—"

      "Woah! Let’s calm down there, babe," you interjected, alarmed. You raised your hands in a placating gesture, fearing where his words might lead. "Don’t say that."

      "You don’t understand, love," he said through clenched teeth, his fists balling at his sides. The raw emotion in his voice was both startling and heartbreaking. Who the fuck was this guy that had your boyfriend losing his god damn mind?

      “C’mere” You gestured towards yourself, setting your laptop down beside you. He pouted before collapsing onto you, snuggling his face into your body.

      You exhaled softly, trying to steady the conversation. "I may not, but you need to be the bigger person here. Don’t let it get to you, okay?"

      Isagi let out a frustrated huff, his shoulders sagging slightly as some of the tension left his body. "Hmpf, he just gets me so mad," he admitted, his voice quieter but still charged with frustration.

      "I know, my love. I know," you said softly, your tone soothing.

      He looked up at you then, his dark eyes softening, filled with an almost childlike vulnerability. "You love me?"

      You smiled, your heart melting at the sudden shift in his demeanor. "Of course, Ichi!"

      "You’d do anything for me?" he asked, tilting his head with a sly smile that hinted at mischief. Oh god.

      "Depends…" you replied warily, sensing a trap.

      "Fun date idea! I kill him and you help me hide the body," he quipped, his tone still tinged with residual frustration.

      "Yoichi!" you exclaimed, incredulous.

      "What? Praying on his downfall isn't enough, I need to participate in it."

      You groaned, throwing your hands in the air. "Oh my god."

      –

      You had decided to visit Blue Lock the following Monday, armed with a basket full of homemade cookies. Ever since that chaotic day during Blue Lock’s early days when you barged in unannounced, demanding to see Yoichi, you'd somehow managed to win over nearly everyone. It was surprising how quickly you'd become a familiar and welcome presence in such an intense environment. Even Ego, who rarely exhibited anything resembling warmth, seemed to tolerate you.

      “Oh, L/N. Nice to see you,” Ego grumbled, his eyes momentarily flickering from the numerous screens in front of him.

      “Nice to see you too! Here.” You handed him a cookie with a small smile.

      For a second, Ego simply stared at the offering, as if it were some foreign object. Then, with a curt nod, he accepted it. His usual gruff demeanor faltered ever so slightly, and you could’ve sworn his eyes lit up briefly. But that was most likely because it was the first time he'd eaten something other than cup noodles in weeks.

      Anri was next. “Oh, thank you, Y/N!” she said warmly, clearly delighted by the gesture.

      You made your way through the facility, handing out cookies to the players. A wave of gratitude followed you wherever you went. Even Rin came back for seconds.

      You were a little nervous to meet Europe's top five but by the end of it, you were cracking jokes with Chris Prince and even had Noel Noa, the Noel Noa, compliment your baking. It was like a dream.

      “Thank you so much, Y/N-chan! These are amazing!” Bachira grinned as he took a generous bite.

      “You got more?” Igarashi asked eagerly, his eyes wide with anticipation. After weeks of natto and pickled raddish, his taste buds were still in recovery so this was a rare and luxurious treat for him.

      You chuckled. “Don’t worry, I baked plenty. I know how much you guys eat.”

      However, your mind was elsewhere. You scanned the pitch for your boyfriend, but he was nowhere to be found. Just as you resolved to go look for him, you accidentally bumped into someone—a very tall someone.

      The strong scent of Dior Sauvage immediately assaulted your senses, making you wince slightly.

      “Oh, hello there.” The man’s voice was smooth and.. German?

      “Ah, sorry about that,” you replied in the same language, catching him off guard.

      “You speak German?” he asked, a brow raised in curiosity.

      “Just a little,” you admitted.

      “It’s good,” he remarked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

      “Thanks. I, uh, had a phase when I was obsessed with a German boy band at twelve, so I learned some German back then.” You chuckled, feeling a bit self-conscious about the admission.

      The man chuckled too, clearly amused. “Interesting.”

      Isagi emerged from the locker room, his eyes immediately landing on the group of players happily munching on your cookies. He smiled to himself, realizing you were nearby. However, his smile vanished when Nagi casually nudged him and pointed toward the field.

      There you were, chatting it up with none other than Michael fucking Kaiser.

      What the actual fuck?

      Isagi’s jaw clenched as he watched Kaiser lean in slightly, his body language oozing confidence and flirtation. Why was that bastard so close to you?

      “You’re interesting,” Kaiser murmured, stepping just a bit closer to you.

      You blinked, unsure of how to respond. “Uh… thanks? Want a cookie? I made enough for everyone.”

      “Maybe,” Kaiser said with a smirk. “But I didn’t catch your name.”

      “Oh, it’s Y/n.”

      “Michael.”

      Your eyes widened slightly. “M-Michael? Michael Kaiser?”

      “Ah, so you’ve heard of me.” He grinned, his hand reaching up to gently tilt your chin upward. “Good things, I hope.”

      Before you could step back, a firm hand grabbed your arm and pulled you away.

      “Actually, all bad things, you fucking asshole. Get away from my girlfriend,” Isagi growled, positioning himself protectively in front of you.

      Kaiser’s smirk widened as he processed Isagi’s words. His gaze shifted between you and Isagi, a glint of mischief sparkling in his eyes. It was clear he was already scheming. How had Isagi managed to bag a bad bitch like you? And more importantly, how could he use you as a pawn in this game of destroying Isagi’s ego?

      Isagi, however, was no fool. He could see the gears turning in Kaiser’s head and immediately shot him a look that screamed, ‘don’t you fucking dare even think about it.’

      Kaiser’s grin remained, but he raised his hands in mock surrender. “Relax, Yoichi. I was just being friendly.”

      “Yeah? Well, don’t,” Isagi snapped, his tone leaving no room for argument. “She doesn’t need you as a friend.”

      “Yikes, Liebling. Is he usually this controlling?” He turned to look at you.

      “Oh shut it, Kaiser,” Isagi snapped.

      “I think the pretty girl here can speak for herself. If she doesn’t want me talking to her, she can say that.”

      “Let’s just walk away, Ichi.” You tugged on your boyfriend’s jersey trying to pull him away from the situation. Isagi stared hard at Kaiser, secretly hoping that his look was enough to burn a hole through the European man and kill him.

      Your words from earlier echoed in his mind. Be the better person. With a deep breath, he listened to your advice, turning on his heel to walk away. But then Kaiser’s taunting voice cut through the tension like a blade.

      “She’s way too good for someone like you. Let me know when she’s done with you so I can take my turn.”

      That was all it took. Your boyfriend froze, his jaw tightening, his fists clenching at his sides. The restraint he’d managed only seconds before dissolved, and in an instant, he spun around and stormed back. Grabbing Kaiser by the collar, he yanked him close, his voice low and venomous.

      “Listen here, you shitty clown. Keep her name out of your mouth. You can talk shit about me all you want, but she’s off-limits. Say one more thing about her, and I’ll make damn sure you’ll never set foot on a soccer field again. Got it?”

      Kaiser didn’t flinch. Instead, he grinned. A sly, infuriating smirk that made it impossible to tell if he was taking Isagi’s words seriously or mocking him. You felt a wave of embarrassment wash over you as the scene unfolded, the attention of the entire field now drawn to the confrontation. Where was Ego? Normally, he’d step in by now on that damn screen.

      “You’re insane,” Kaiser finally said, his laughter ringing out as he grabbed Isagi’s wrists and shoved him away. He dusted off his jersey and added smugly, “But out of respect for the girl, I’ll back off. Not because of you.”

      Isagi’s shoulders were tense, his fists still clenched at his sides just itching to wipe that arrogant look off Kaiser’s face. But he noticed how uncomfortable you looked, and his own anger began to subside. Kaiser wasn’t worth it, not if it meant upsetting you.

      Kaiser walked away scoffing. But Isagi was still super tense.

      “Are you okay?” you asked, your voice cautious but warm as you stepped closer.

      “Fine,” he muttered, though his tone was gruff.

      Then his eyes met yours, and the storm within him seemed to calm. His muscles relaxed, and while he didn’t smile, his expression shifted, relief washing over his features.

      “Cookie?” Your innocent question caught him off guard. He chuckled, the sound light and genuine, before taking your hand in his and leading you back to where his friends were gathered. They were already devouring the baked goods you’d brought, and you doubted there would be anything left for him.

      But you knew this wasn’t over. You could already tell Kaiser would be a thorn in your boyfriend’s soccer career for a little while. You just hoped it wouldn’t take too heavy a toll.

      When no one was looking, Isagi stole a quick kiss, catching you by surprise. His lips tasted of the cookie he’d just eaten, sweet and warm.

      “Mine,” he whispered, his voice firm but filled with affection as he grabbed your waist.

      “Yours,” you replied softly, your heart fluttering.

[bucksboobs]

Met-in-the-military EddieTommy that got married as soon as they retired that meet a retired Navy Seal named Evan Buckley (squadmates called him Buck) at a military themed gay bar in WeHo and Buck is completely unaware it’s a gay bar and thought he was just chatting up some fellow soldiers. Eddie and Tommy exchange a look like “we have to have him right?”

[bagelbucket]

bold take we aren’t ready for is that people think they’re trans just because they don’t align with society’s “ideal” gender roles when in fact it’s just their personality. or because of internalized biphobia.

[tyrannuspitch]

people are always ridiculing the idea of exclusively gay people and nonbinary people having *actual conversations* about gender and orientation to work out if they're compatible, as if attraction that is anything less than instinctive, instantaneous and sharply binary makes a mockery of Real Homosexuality. meanwhile cishet people going on multiple full-on *dates* to work out if they're "really into" each other is the most normal thing in the world

[fantasticgothicpeachsludge]

Watching your parent get progressively more and more bigoted over the years is actually fucking crushing

[forcebookish]

k forcebook gifers we need to get better about using tracking tags for source blogs. my last two only friends gifs were the only topmew and mew sets on boyslovesource 😒

[unnameablethings]

concept:

supervillain × henchman with the twist that the supervillain is a sort of cartoon foppish dramatic gay villain with gonzo schemes and no bodycount. and the henchman is secretly a grimdark ultrapowerful Apex Predator supervilllain who came to Stake Out the competition. got mistaken for a henchman and found this so fucking funny hes just 100% committed to the bit.

hes carrying around boxes of fucking Acme Corporation sticks of dynamite. hes dressing in the matching stylish outfit. hes managing the other henchmen to execute gonzo schemes flawlessly. genuinely the most fun hes ever had in his life

his dumbass gay boss has literally no idea the lengths he is going to behind the scenes to make sure nobody interferes with any of this shit.

(apex supervillain, in his Supervillain Disguise. homoerotically and terrifyingly flirt/threatens flamboyant supervillain. smash cut to this poor man lying face down on a couch unpacking this with the very attentive henchman)

("hes going to eat me maybe????? but GOD that was the HOTTEST fucking thing thats ever happened to me. but i might DIE?? do u think he LIKES me...."

henchman: i think he does :3)

the ruse comes out when someone who the apex supervillain didnt catch comes to ACTUALLY challenge/harm his gay boss in public and apex supervillain is like. yeah no we're not doing this. time for the power of unfathomable violence.

gay supervillain promptly has a FULL MELTDOWN. oh my god the blood. and also. "you LIED TO ME???"

apex supervillain, apologetically: "I was waiting to see if you'd ever figure it out yourself. And the longer it went the funnier it got."

gay supervillain: "I TRUSTED you!! you were my BEST HENCHMAN"

apex supervillain: aw. past tense?

[sunderwight]

y'know I think that if Liu Qingge actually did tell Shen Qingqiu (SY version) that he was lonely and asked him to be intimate with him, even just for tonight, as speculated in the Airplane Q&A, Shen Qingqiu would go for it.

like probably not after he married Luo Binghe (because infidelity), and at first I think he'd blank in shock and he'd need to quadruple check that he had correctly gleaned Liu Qingge's (extremely blunt) meaning, but after that... yeah. I think he would

because I think he'd want to, because he is attracted to Liu Qingge, he's just repressed about it. so I imagine his thought process would go:

-oh no I'm straight I can't sleep with Liu Qingge

-also this would be a terrible ethical violation because I'm his shixiong

-although as fellow peak lords we're basically equals so that probably doesn't matter so much

-I mean he is asking me after all it's not like I'm perving on him or anything here

-wow this is so deeply sad for Liu-shidi who has turned to me of all random people in his hour of need, only to be rejected

-is he sex pollen'd? he doesn't look it...

-I'm sure lots of people would jump at the chance to be with someone as handsome and capable as him! does he not know that? are people not jumping at the chance to be with him?

-I guess not if he's lonely?

-how incredibly stupid of them! the incomparable war god of bai zhan is a catch!

-this really is too tragic to tolerate. I can't possibly turn him down now, what if it's a blow to his pride that he never recovers from? a man needs his pride! gay men even more than most probably! that's what that whole gay pride thing is about, right?!

-so in a way it would be homophobic to reject him

-and well if it's just for one night... I mean, the truly heterosexual man should be comfortable in his sexuality... obviously I find the idea intolerable, however, it might be even more intolerable at this point to turn him down. for basic decency reasons that would compel anyone, not just me

-there are probably lesbians who would make an exception for Liu-shidi I mean just look at him

-and who is more confident in his dislike of oranges, the man who has tried one and confirmed his distaste, or the man who has never eaten an orange in his life? in a way, isn't having sex with Liu-shidi this one time actually the straightest thing I could do?

-(has sex with Liu Qingge)

-(enjoys it)

[asha-mage]

BingLiuShen au where Shen Qingqiu's fevered heteronormativity poisoned brain decides that the best way to avoid dying for the crime of being a heterosexual male in a stallion novel is to pretend not to be heterosexual and thus not a threat to the protagonist's harem. He figures if he can hit that sweet spot where his (supposed! Not real at all!) sexuality is just a quirk of the beloved mentor then the narrative will have no choice but to keep him alive. Airplane might be a hack, but he's exactly the sort of hack who would put in a token gay character, then shunt them off to the background, only to be trotted out again when he's getting flack in the comments for sexist, homophobic, and/or generally shitty writing decisions.

And for Shen Yuan, whose stated life goal is to idle away the hours in luxury and occasionally bask in Binghe's protagonisty coolness (in a very heterosexual way of course!) that would be the perfect out. There's just one problem- how does he demonstrate his (definitely fake!) homosexuality without playing into homophobic tropes and getting himself killed for offending the genre's aggressively het sensibilities?

The answer? Pretend to be pinning away silently in unrequited love for another man. It's perfect! All he has to do is drop a few extremely subtle hints in Binghe's hearing implying having feelings he would never act on for say, Liu Qingge, and he'll be golden. After all, what person attracted to men (which he isn't!) wouldn't fall immediately in love with the Bai Zhan War God? It has the added benefit of proving what a good Token Gay he is by the fact that he saved Liu Qingge's life without any expectations or hopes and without ever even revealing his (supposed!) feelings.

Shen Qingqiu gets about a week of feeling like a genius after putting this plot into motion before Liu Qingge starts showing up at Qing Jing with small gifts and pastries and asking to spar, and well. In between melting down (because how on earth did he put it together from the grand total of three entirely ambiguous hints he dropped!) and trying to stay composed (because even the straightest guy- which he is!- would get flustered by having Liu Qingge smiling at him Like That) he figures the only rational thing to do is just Commit To the Bit, resign himself to one day becoming cultivation partners with Liu Qingge and retiring together into the background of future plot shenanigans. Their are clearly no other possible ways of dealing with this situation, and hey being with Liu Qingge of all people isn't bad. That's a fan favorite character and he's stupidly handsome and brave and kind! Shen Qingqiu could do a lot worse, especially in a world like PIDW. In fact given the alternatives, Shen Qingqiu's could probably consider himself incredibly lucky. Objectively that is. From a purely 'guy trying to survive this dumb novel' point of view. It would be an honor to have Liu Qingge's arms wrapped around him. If he where into men of course.

Meanwhile you have Luo Binghe in the background of every scene the two are in with a forced smile, internally speed running the '*fork in garbage disposal noises*' to 'I just want my Shizun to be happy! I swear!' to 'actually Liu-shishu is really nice I can see what Shizun sees in him' to 'oh no I think I want to be in the Middle Of Whatever That Is' arc.

(And of course, Binghe at the end of the day IS the protagonist, and after much trial and tribulation, is supposed to get exactly what he wants...)

And all the while you have Liu Qingge, utterly oblivious to the mental anguish and gymnastics of his shidi and shizi, who just keeps turning up at Qing Jing, because he really does like Shen Qingqiu and even if that first date was his sister's idea he's found he really does enjoy spending time with Shen Qingqiu, and also Shen Qingqiu's sticky first disciple who despite the crocodile tears is actually clearly pretty strong. He has no idea that Shen Qingqiu is silently picking out drapery for the future house while Luo Binghe tries to rationalize his out of control heartbeat as a completely normal side effect of the sparring match they just fought (Which he only keeps challenging Liu-shishu to make sure he's strong enough to protect Shizun! He swears!).

WIll the three of them ever figure it out and get their act together? Sure. Will they do it before the Conference/Abyss arc upends everything? Absolutely not.

[kyri45]

✨ShadowPeach Bio Parents Bio AU Q&A! 20/09✨

Welcome to the Q&A! A space where I can answer related or similar question about the Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU! If you submitted your ask anonimously, then you’ll have to check the whole post if it’s answered here, if it’s not, worry not! Your asks might have been used for a future comic or just in the queue~

@funnybadger868 ha chiesto:wait so if mk can hear macaques past can he hear wukongs for example the circlet and the spell

Yeah he could. It's now just a matter of if he wants to use this power ever again

@cryptic-theseus ha chiesto:you're paying for my therapy btw, the bill is on the way

Blame it on the gay monkies not me. It's bc of them that my life is ruined/hj

@ayrza ha chiesto:Hey!I have an important question, where do you get your sources for the AU👉🏻👈🏻p? I mean, I just recently entered the LMK fandom and I see that there are parts that are not mentioned much in the series and it frustrates me because I feel like I only watch the anime but I'm missing the manga 🫠I love your art and your work, it's amazing 🫰🏻✨

Hi! Well I' finishing to read Journey to the West (im at chapter 80) and if I need extra info or just check I go to the fandom wiki.

@feyqueen91 feyqueen91 ha chiesto:A question for your Shadowpeach Bio Parent AU (btw, I just saw your recent post for More Than A Successor Arc & I thought something light hearted was needed to even out the Angst), is Macaque able to summon something like what Red Son did with the Samadhi Sprite, and he teaches MK to do it too?

Wait what exactly? I haven't understood what you meant by sprite.

@og-glitch-punk ha chiesto: Honestly I expect this to be hidden but i also love your work on both comics, keep it up!! I forgot their names but dude- how would the lotus prince and our moon chef feels about wukong and Macaque being MK's parents? HELL. WHAT ABOUT THE TRIO? YELLOW TUSK, PENG AND THE LOIN (CANT REMMEBER HIS NAME EVEN IF HE IS TECHNICALLY DEAD/GONE). Hell even this chaotic snake man may even use MK to his advantage with the fact he is the child of Wukong and Macaque. So many possibilities and guesses, so many twists and turns we will never know bro

Oh he absolutely woud. Also about the others. They would probably act like protective aunt/uncles to that poor traumatised boy.

@thenerdnico ha chiesto:Oh my GODS that last bio dad's chapter broke me, your expressions are always amazing. I'm going to assume that at the end of Wukong's and Macaque's fight, Wukong realised Macaque wasn't moving and ran up to him, and ended up sobbing and screaming when he realised he was dead??? If that is the case, do you think MK listened to it long enough to hear that as well?

Oh for angst reason yes. He did.

@shadowpeachera ha chiesto:AHHHH YOUR SHADOWPEACH BIO AU IS SOO GOOD!!!! I SCREAMED AT THE LAST UPDATE!!! I have a question though. You know in the series i think season 3 epsiode 5 where Wukong goes into a deep mystic monkey meditation, yeah. Well i was wondering if Mk has ever tried that but got disrupted and lost his memories or started acting strange infront of his monkey parents. It would be hilarious i can imagine him shouting, “TUDI, TUDI!”KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, no pressure though! HAVE A GOOD DAY!

Lmaooo ok ok I don't think I'll go witha small amnesia arc in the AU but this doeß sound adorable.

@sakuralotus03 ha chiesto:It will probably be quite heavy, but I suggest that after Wukong saw the monkey like that he had a huge attack of guilt and anxiety and ended up injuring his left eye with his claws

Poor baby!! Nono don't worry his eye is fine.

@raylamoongirl ha chiesto:question for macaque: what was the hardest thing to teach Mk?Lmk bio parents Q&A

Mmmm so they tried really hard to teach him shadow teleportation, but he seems to not be able to do it.

@lmkobsessedmoth ha chiesto:For the Shadowpeach Bio Parent AU What if macaque and wukong go on a date and wukong doesn’t know it’s a date because he’s as dense as the rock he hatched out of

He truly would be. May the gods give him a clue or smt otherwise we wont end up nowhere here

Anonimo ha chiesto:Hey!I love your Shadowpeach bio Parent's AU But I Wonder,Does Wukong and Macaque already dance together before?

Danced??? I think so?? When they still were lovers friends I think (i think i m missing something)

Anonimo ha chiesto:I am on my knees, heart giving out, HOW IS BABY MK SO CUTE AND SHADOWPEACH SO ALLERGIC TO JUST KISSING ALREADY LIKE COME ON YOU TWO Anonimo ha chiesto:When I read the other part where swk and mac where talking about wanting MK to view them as parents at first I thought swk was proposing having another kid with Mac and I went “WOAH HEY- HOLD UP FOR A SECOND THERE U NEED TO GET UR SHT TOGETHER FIRST” and thank god it wasn’t that I thought swk was JUMPING AND ACCELERATING THEIR PROGRESS LMAOOOSo I’m actually glad they are taking baby steps, they need them

This slowburn is gonna be so slow-burning you all are gonna die when they actually kiss (will they kiss? Oh that's just for me to know ahah)

Anonimo ha chiesto:Since macaque is called mama by mk does that mean macaque is like a mother figure to mk in your au mama macaque is adorable and he gives off motherly in his character

Anonimo ha chiesto:Whos mom if there is considered a mom by MK or only dads? Is it Wu or Mac? My headcanons is Wukong basically the mom cuz he gives off mom and dad vibes together and Macaque just gives off dad vibes to me

He gives more motherly vibes, yes (Mamacaque and DadWukong forever)

Anonimo ha chiesto:Hi in you bio parent au for monkie kid how were monkey king and macaque as teenagers when they had a good relationship were like they a romantic couple or had secret crushes on each other and never told each other or were they just friends love this au it's amazing

Oh I think they were definitely lovers once. And that makes their past and what happened even more tragic honestly.

@ayrza ha chiesto:I don't know who is more adorable: Baby MK or Macaque and Wukong blushingPsd. I love your AU and your art 💖

Both. Both is good

@diamondwolf23 ha chiesto:THOSE TWO BETTER KISSSSSSSSSSS-I’m gonna miss Baby Mk ;-

Me too. Me too.

Anonimo ha chiesto:You could say Wukong is a...... simpian?(like simian but yknow >>)

LMAO YES

@scififeather21 ha chiesto:You can't believe how much I love your Shadowpeach AU comic series that last part made me grin so much. Mostly because my husband and I have done that exact thing when our kids were small babies and the looks and smiles were the same too. OMG it such a nice thing to see after a long day at work yesterday. :)

THAT'S THE- SWEETEST THING?????? LIKE IM SO GLAD I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE???? TO HEAR IT'S THE SAME THAT HAPPENED TO YOU IS THE SWEETEST THING EVER

@snsp6 ha chiesto:I love ur bio dads au! I wanted to ask what would happen if smth similar to the baby mk incident happened to the immortal monkeys.Like either they were de-aged to their youth or had an amnesia rules type of situation!(I am in love w the world building in this!!! And ur art is delectable!)

I don't thing the world would be ready for non-reformed Wukong#like-#not really reformed but the guy killed so many people bc of impulsiveness#until he learned that murder is not fine

Anonimo ha chiesto: This might be a stupid question, but for your bio parents, AU is MK just always in his monkey form, or is this just how he permanently looks now?

He's on his monkey form when he trains / stays at the weekends at FFM or when he friendly duels/train with Mei and Red Son.On weekdays he's constantly in his human form

@meisawkwardashecc ha chiesto:Is Wukong potentially shorter than Macaque? 👀🥺Avatar

Yes

@miraclecactus ha chiesto:Can you show us what's going on in the Freenoodles house? I'm looking forward to knowing how they manage to calm MK down :( Puedes mostrarnos que es lo que sucede en la casa de Freenoodles? Estoy ansiosa de conocer como ellos manejan el como calmar a MK :(

They used Wukong and Mac advices until he feel asleep.

Anonimo ha chiesto:I like how Wukong asks Macaque how he knows MK won't hate him after this. Like my guy, you literally killed Macaque, and he still hangs around I think he knows a thing or two

True. Although let Wukong be the dumbass he is.

alizardonfire ha chiesto:I love the idea of macaque being wukongs *rock* if that makes sense? It gives so much character to him.

Aaaahh ty! Yeah I feel like he's pretty good at understanding when he s just out of his mind and bring him back to earth.

Anonimo ha chiesto:If this isn't to much spoiler will the next lmk comic be angsty

This will be answered too late but I will always warn you in advance if there s angst coming.

Anonimo ha chiesto:I love your art! Lighthearted question since your about to bring the pain- do you think Mac and Wu fight over who gets to be little spoon/big spoon or are both of them 100% happy with Mac as big spoon and Wu as little spoon every night

So as for now, they are good with Wukong being the little spoon. Both bc Wukong is the the one who constantly craves for touch amd bc Macaque feels more comfortable in a position of "control" let's say. He can decide how much closer or not to get to Wukong.

Then in the future they would be more comfortable to switch (and the bicker about who should be the big or small)

@sallyvanna ha chiesto:HAIII FIRST OF ALL I LOVE YOUR BIO PARENT AU it makes my day every time I see a new page postedI was just wondering, why was macaque kinda nervous when he summoned rumble and savage? He was like 'ah shit I didn't want that-' 👀

It was because the kid would be afraid of them! Of course he wouldn't. But I guess Macaque still feels like his powers are a threat to him.

@redwrathroit ha chiesto:Hey, note this is something you can completely ignore but I wanted to know if you had a ref sheet for your monkey Bois, I'd love to take a try and drawing them plus I had made an Oc character of my own but I did it once and then art block hit me like a train and said; nah, never again. So it would really help me out if you have a ref, if not ignore this and have a nice day/night

Unfortunately I don't. I have a lot of panels where you can see them full body in various stances though.

Anonimo ha chiesto:Wukong being the little spoon is too cute, he spends years being the big spoon platonically to everyone that someone finally gave him what was needed, to be protected instead of being the protector

Yesss he iss!!!!!!

@froggyofdeath ha chiesto:Question abt Shadowpeach bio parents! Sooo, who kills the spiders, who screaming abt them, who the one who picks it up and try to scare the screaming one?🫠✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️☕️☕️☕️☕️

Mk is screaming, Wukong picks it up, Macaque kills it.

Anonimo ha chiesto:Can we see exactly when they decided to prepare the courtnapping room? Like when exactly did they know oh we need to prepare that our son has apparently followed in our footsteps

Unfortunately in this AU for now I don't plan tp draw a full spicynoodle arc as well. There will be moments for the ship as well but more like extras and side stories.

Anonimo ha chiesto:Your shadowpeach bio au reminds me of something..... I remember you saying to someone that they should Read a Son of Two Dad's. Have you read the entire thing? and the sequel?

Yes I did! Also the sequel, but i think it s in hiatus.

Anonimo ha chiesto:In you newest update for the shadowpeach parent au, that one scene of Macaque looking at Wukong as MK holds his finger kind of reminds me those flashback scenes in movies of the dead lover/wife that is looking at the main character from under a flowing blanket. I have no clue why but the image popped up in my head when I read that part of the comic lmao

I bet when they are back together they will re-create this exact image eventually

Anonimo ha chiesto:I love that Macaque is initiating contact with Wukong. Hugging him, holding his hands, cuddling with him. It makes my heart melt 🥹🥰 And Wukong is giving him opportunities to do so

He is opening the door for Mac to come closer, so that it's his choice how much he can get closer. The last thing Wukong wants is to rush things or do something that would make him more uncomfortable.

Anonimo ha chiesto:Omg! I love your art especially your shadowpeach parent bio au, it's adorable! Although I'm terrified for the next page. Anyway, my question is, why won't you let the monkey trio breathe from the trauma? 😅🥹

Bc apparently chat asked for it

[sundaynightlive]

Character Development (Steddie)

“If I were you… I would get her back.”

Steve snaps suddenly out of his trance—Eddie’s a pretty boy to look at. Dangerously so. In fact, half of this conversation has gone completely over his head, which is probably why he’s misinterpreted it completely.

“Hold on—pause,” he says, perplexed, “We’re not flirting?” They stop walking in unison, Eddie freezing out of shock, Steve anticipating it. Eddie looks at him, wide eyed, jaw going slack and then taught like he can’t decide which conveys his surprise better.

“I… what?”

“I was just making eyes at you,” Steve says, and then groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. “God damn it, I’ve really lost my touch.”

“No!” Eddie exclaims quickly, “Ah, no.” He’s flustered. Steve sees the flush in his face—he’s not trying to hide it. “No it’s… it’s working. I just didn’t think… you’re into guys?” Steve shrugs.

“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

They stand there awkwardly for a moment, and then Eddie bumps his shoulder into Steve’s and they continue walking, easing out of the tension.

“So… how long?”

“How long what?”

“Have you known?” Eddie clarifies, and Steve notices their knuckles are brushing between them. He gazes up at Rob and Nancy, who are blissfully unaware.

“Well… someone came out to me recently so I started looking into it, called my uncle—man, that was an awkward conversation.”

“Your uncle?”

“Oh—he’s gay—has a partner and stuff. They live in California and we visited sometimes when my parents still took me places, you know.” Eddie blinks at him, nodding his head a little bit, but doesn’t look like he’s fully comprehending anything Steve’s saying at all. Steve takes a turn bumping Eddie’s shoulder, thinking maybe it’ll jolt awake some of those gears in his brain.

Their pinkies hook.

“So… what was the conclusion?” Eddie asks, like he doesn’t already know.

“I’ve had nasty thoughts about Harrison Ford way too many times to be straight,” Steve admits cheekily, “He said I’m bi, I guess. It means—“

“I know what it means, Steve.” Steve grins at him, a little sheepish, and Eddie smiles back, something soft and personal. It’s an expression Steve hasn’t seen him make yet, even with all his damn theatrics. To be fair, Steve’s growing quite fond of those theatrics, premature as it might be.

“So, go on,” Steve teases, “What were you saying about me getting back with my ex?

“Hmm, I don’t recall saying anything like that,” Eddie responds.

“Oh really?”

“Really. In fact, that’s a terrible idea. Bad for character development.” Steve laughs then—fully laughs—a sound that must be revolutionary for the Upside Down. No one has ever laughed here, no way.

“Character development?”

“Indeed.”

[trashremover43]

Evan Buckley had always thought of himself as a pretty straightforward guy. He liked fast cars, loud music, and women. That was it. Simple. Straightforward. No complications.

So when Tommy Kinard walked into the firehouse six weeks ago, all tall, broad-shouldered, and blue-eyed, Buck’s first thought had been, Wow, that guy looks like a G.I. Joe action figure. A totally normal, dude-bro thought.

The second thought had been less normal: I wonder what it would feel like to have him look at me like that.

Buck didn’t know what “that” was, exactly, but it kept happening. Tommy would talk to him about a call, or glance his way during a basketball game, and Buck’s brain would short-circuit. The worst part? Buck couldn’t even blame adrenaline for it.

And today, it finally hit him—like a truck, like a ten-car pileup on the freeway, like Bobby’s disappointed face when Buck forgot to check the truck inventory. He wasn’t just thinking about Tommy a lot; he was thinking about Tommy a lot.

It happened mid-lunch. Hen, Chim, Eddie, and Buck were eating in the kitchen when Tommy strolled in, looking stupidly good in a plain black T-shirt and jeans. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, gave everyone a casual nod, and leaned against the counter.

Buck, mid-chew on a sandwich, felt his brain betray him. God, his forearms look amazing. How is that even possible? Who has hot forearms

Hen squinted at him. “You good, Buckaroo? You’ve been chewing that sandwich for about five years.”

“Fine!” Buck practically yelled, swallowing the bite with an audible gulp.

Tommy raised an eyebrow. “Uh...okay?”

Buck fled the room, muttering something about checking the inventory.

---

“Let me get this straight,” Hen said later, cornering Buck in the locker room. “You have a crush on Tommy?”

“I—what? No!” Buck’s voice cracked, which immediately betrayed him. “I mean, no. Of course not. That’s ridiculous. I’m...straight.”

Hen crossed her arms and leaned against the lockers. “Sure you are, Buck.”

“I am!”

“Uh-huh. So that’s why you’ve been staring at Tommy like a lovesick puppy every time he breathes in your general direction?”

“I don’t—” Buck stopped. He did. Oh God, he did.

Hen smirked, clearly enjoying herself. “You know what? This is going to be fun. I can’t wait to see how you try to deny this while making a fool of yourself in front of him.”

Buck groaned, slumping against the lockers. “Hen, this isn’t funny. What if...what if he realizes?”

Hen shrugged. “Oh, he won’t. Tommy thinks you’re straight. Chim told him.”

“Chim told him?!”

“Yep.” Hen’s smirk widened. “So, uh, good luck convincing him otherwise.”

---

That night, Buck lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind was a whirlwind of questions. Was he really into Tommy? Or was it just some weird, temporary thing?

It’s just a phase, he told himself. Like when I was obsessed with pineapple pizza for two months. That went away.

But then he remembered Tommy laughing at one of Chim’s dumb jokes earlier, the way his whole face lit up, and Buck felt his stomach do a stupid little flip.

Nope. This wasn’t a phase. This was something else entirely.

By 2 AM, Buck had spiraled so far that he found himself googling, “How to seduce a man when you’re not gay but you think you might like him?”

The results were...not helpful.

Step 1: Be confident.

Great, I’m confident. I can do this.

Step 2: Compliment him often, but not too much.

Okay, I can say nice things. Like...“Nice arms, bro.” Wait, no, that’s weird. Damn it.

Step 3: Physical touch can help build chemistry.

Right. Totally casual. Like a shoulder pat. Or...I don’t know, leaning against him during movie night? Would that be weird?

By the time his alarm went off a few hours later, Buck had decided on a plan: he was going to be subtle. Just ease into it. Maybe start with some compliments, see how Tommy reacted.

It would be fine. Totally fine.

---

It was not fine.

By 9 AM, Buck had already managed to embarrass himself twice.

First, during morning roll call, when Bobby was assigning roles for the day. Tommy volunteered for a routine inspection, and Buck, for reasons he couldn’t explain, immediately blurted out, “I’ll go with him!”

The entire team turned to stare at him.

Bobby raised an eyebrow. “I was going to assign Eddie, but...sure, Buck. If you’re that enthusiastic about fire extinguisher checks.”

Tommy just shrugged, but Hen was smirking again.

Second, during the actual inspection, Buck tried to compliment Tommy’s skills. What he meant to say was, “You’re really thorough.” What came out was, “You’re, uh...really good with your hands.”

Tommy froze, extinguisher in hand, and gave Buck the most confused look of all time.

“Thanks?” Tommy said slowly.

Buck wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

---

By lunchtime, Buck was ready to give up. He was a disaster. A walking, talking disaster. Subtlety clearly wasn’t his thing, and Tommy probably thought he’d lost his mind.

But then Tommy walked past him in the kitchen, gave him a brief, curious look, and smiled.

Buck’s heart skipped a beat.

Maybe he wasn’t as hopeless as he thought.

[reignpage]

I think this is really funny, so if you have time and feel like it could you write how the jjk man would react if their girlfriend dressed like a boy and started to flirt with them? Like they draw on a mustache with a marker and kinda cat call them?

Gojo:

into it he's twirling his hair and batting his lashes "who? me?" will out freak you, cornering you like oh bet and you have to back out cause he looks fucking scary "now, now. what were you saying about my ass?"

Geto:

watches you with a smile like oh she's at it again will play along like "why mister, I don't think it's appropriate to discuss my body like that"

Choso:

confused to the max might actually think you're a dude that just looks a lot like his gf "hey! you can't talk to me that way." you kinda have to laugh and tell him it is you and you're just playing a game "oh, okay. what do I do? I have to bend now and show you my-- wait, I don't think that's right. what kind of game is this?"

Toji:

unimpressed he'll take one look at you and then he's turning away to watch his show or whatever's on the tv "not gonna play that stupid game ma" "cause am not fucking gay" if you get all pouty and upset then he'll sigh and try "alright, give it your best shot." "you're not gonna get any pussy talking to a chick like that"

Nanami:

sighs will give you his full attention and tries to wrap his head around it but will play along "I appreciate the compliments, but my wife wouldn't like it if you talked to me like this" "oh well, if you insist, then I suppose I could pretend she doesn't exist for a night. she has been bothering me lately with her shenanigans" laughs when you're all indignant and upset "you don't like it when I play along, darling? hmm, what a shame"

Sukuna:

scowls "you humans have an odd sense of humour" will feel really uncomfortable by your flirtations has to push you off from burying your face in his tits with one hand "alright, enough. bring back my female companion. yes, I'm referring to my 'girl friend'"

Ino:

finds it funny "oh yeah? you think my ass looks fat? thanks! what about my titties?" will outfreak you "hey come back! you said you wanted to bury your face in my ass. like bet?"

Shiu:

amused "bored, doll?" "hands off the merchandise, sweet cheeks" then laughs when you try to pin him to the wall "thank god I did the chasing otherwise we'd have never gotten anywhere"

Hiromi:

tired af "darling, what's that on your face?" will try to ignore you "I've got some paperwork to do, sweetheart." and then when you get upset cause you want to play he says "I only give my attention to my wife, so let me know when she comes back."

[unfinishedslurs]

eddie's flat ass (steddie)

Dustin whips around as soon as they’re alone. “Steve!”

“I’m Eddie.”

“No, I mean you and Steve. You like him.”

“Of course I like him, Henderson,” Eddie says flatly, pressing a little harder on the gas in hopes of getting to Dustin’s house before he admits something he regrets. “We’re friends. Best buds. A couple of dudes being bros.”

“You’re full of shit,” Dustin says. “I’m not stupid. I saw that. I wish I hadn’t, but I saw it. You’re, like, stupidly into him. I don’t know how I didn’t see it before.”

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie mutters. His street can’t come soon enough. 

Dustin pushes through. “When are you gonna ask him out?”

“Uh, never?”

“What?!”

“Close your mouth, you’ll catch flies,” Eddie rolls his eyes. “Nothings going to happen, Henderson. Yeah, I’ve got a stupid fucking crush on your babysitter, it doesn’t mean that Steve’s interested in me. He likes girls, Dustin, did you miss that part in the dossier? He thinks we’re a couple of straight guys horsing around, if he found out I was flirting with him I could be thrown into Hunt the Freak 2: the thrilling sequel.”

Dustin’s mouth snaps shut, and he laughs nervously. “Right,” he agrees. “He likes girls. But, uh, hypothetically, if he was into guys…”

They roll to a stop sign, and Eddie turns away from the road to tell the little shit off. But Dustin’s fidgeting, staring steadfast at the road and refusing to meet his eye. 

“You know something,” he realizes. 

“Uh…”

Eddie’s about to shake it out of him. “You’re hiding something, you little shit. What is it? Tell me.”

“I’m not,” he squeaks. 

“Bull-shit you aren’t. What is it? Is it about Steve?” Eddie pales. “Shit, does he know about me?”

“Well…”

“What the hell?!”

“I didn’t tell him!” Dustin yelps. “If you didn’t want him to know, maybe you shouldn’t have been so obvious!”

“Check your tone,” he snaps, hand shaking as he pulls on his hair. “Shit, shit, shit, okay, it’s fine, I just need to flee the country—“

“Why?”

Eddie is this close to throttling the kid. “What do you mean why?”

“Why is this such a big deal?”

“It could get me killed!” He shouts, banging a hand against the steering wheel. “He could—he could fucking tell somebody, and—“

“He wouldn’t do that!”

“How the fuck am I supposed to know that? You think someone’s a good guy until you’re interested in them, and then it’s all ‘You’re fucking disgusting,’ or ‘Freak,’ or ‘Don’t touch me, you fa—‘“

“Stop!” Dustin shouts, white knuckling the armrest. “Eddie, stop. He’s not going to tell anyone. It’s gonna be okay. It’s fine.”

“It’s not.”

“It’s fine,” Dustin stresses. “Steve doesn’t care if you’re gay. He definitely doesn’t mind you flirting with him.”

“You don’t know that,” Eddie says. 

“Yeah I do.”

“How?”

There’s that deer in headlights look again. Then Dustin takes a deep breath, and his expression turns guilty. 

“I know you’re not supposed to tell people this,” he says, “but you’re freaking out really bad and I’m, like, 99% sure Steve thinks you already know.”

“Steve thinks I know what?”

Dustin tells him. 

Two hours later, he’s still laying on the floor in the trailer, looking up at the ceiling. 

Bisexual. Steve Harrington, the man Eddie’s always hailed as the patron saint of heterosexuality, likes men. 

Might like Eddie. 

“Are you flirting with me?” Eddie blurts out, and immediately tries to bolt. 

He runs face first into a wall and ends up on the ground, wishing the demobats had just killed him. 

Steve appears in his line of vision, standing over his sprawled body. Eddie is treated to a wonderful view, eyes moving from his long, athletic legs to his crotch to his chest and broad shoulders, and finally reaches his face. His very amused face. 

Eddie’s entire body lights on fire. 

“What the hell was that?” Steve asks, laughing. 

“Uh…”

“Wile E Coyote over here. Seriously, man, that was some Loony Toons shit. I’m embarrassed for you.”

“Oh my God, shut up,” he groans. “Just let me die.”

“No way in hell. Sorry, Munson, I put too much work into saving your flat ass to throw it away like that.” Steve grins, holding a hand out for Eddie to take. He ignores it, rolling over so Steve can’t see how red his face is. 

“My ass isn’t flat,” he mumbles into the carpet. 

“Oh, it is,” Steve says cheerfully, nudging said ass with his foot, because he’s a bastard. Eddie doesn’t know why he likes him so much. Everything he does is catastrophically bad for his continued survival. “It’s cute though. I like it.”

“Henderson said, uh, that you were…umm…maybeflirtingwithme?” Eddie finishes in a rush. 

“What?”

Steve’s face is open, automatically tilting his right ear towards Eddie. Eddie doesn’t know if he’s aware that’s something he does. Robin says it’s because of all the concussions, his left ear just isn’t what it used to be. 

Eddie sags, unable to lie to his wide-eyed confusion. “Dustin said you're flirting with me.”

Steve stares at him. 

Eddie fidgets under his incredulous gaze, growing more anxious by the minute. Oh God, Dustin was wrong. Dustin was wrong about everything. Steve probably doesn’t even actually like boys, Jesus. The whole thing is obviously a bust. Eddie needs to cut and run, maybe make some bullshit excuse about his uncle needing him home even though Steve knows Wayne’s working right now—

“You needed Henderson to tell you that?”

[capseycartwright]

oh what a terrible honor it's been (to learn that my blessings are things you call sins)

Hey God, it's me, Eddie. I hope you don’t mind that I’m sitting in your house thinking gay thoughts.

Eddie couldn’t help but giggle to himself as he thought the words. If he couldn’t be a bit silly while having a sexuality crisis in a Catholic church – when could he? 

Christopher leaves for Texas, Eddie goes back to therapy, unearths an emotional lockbox he had been fourteen years old when he buried, and has a lot of thoughts about how Buck is sunshine incarnate. In hindsight, it probably should have been obvious he wasn't straight.

ao3 link

t’s been a long time since Eddie Diaz had set foot in a church – of his own accord, at least. He’d been to the christenings and communions and confirmations of all of his various nieces, nephews, and cousins, he’d sat stiff in the pew as he’d watched friends, and family get married, trying his best not to remember how own wedding day, the way Shannon’s hands had shaken in his grip as they promised to love each other until death do them part, both of them young, too young to understand the covenant they were signing up to. Eddie had been there, for all those occasions, but he hadn’t gone to mass, or even sat in a church, just because he wanted to in a very long time. 

He wasn’t even really sure if he wanted to be there today, but it was a Thursday, and Christopher was in Texas, and Eddie wasn’t working, and he’d been having an extended mental breakdown for the last few weeks, and before he knew it, he was sitting in the pew of St Brendan’s Catholic Church, listening to a softly spoken priest with an Irish lilt to his accent – faded, after years in America, Eddie presumed, but still there, noticeable in the inflection of certain words – recite the Our Father. 

Eddie had never been to St Brendan’s before, but it felt like every other church he’d been to in his life. They didn’t all look the same, necessarily, though they followed the same format, rows of uncomfortable wooden pews and an altar decorated in gold, as opulent as it was suffocating. Eddie had thought it beautiful, before, the way Catholic churches were decorated in gold and jewels, believing for so much of his life that the wealth honoured God – but living life had made him learn the grandeur and displays of wealth were nothing more than indicative of the wealth the Catholic church had hoarded while their devout followers starved, all in the name of faith and of God. True faith didn’t need to be gilded in gold to be sincere, he’d decided.

Eddie had never been to St Brendan’s before, but mass was the same. It didn’t change – though the wording of some of the prayers did. He’d sort of been checked out of being a regular churchgoer by time they had changed some of the prayers, only discovering the difference when he confidently started to recite it wrong at his youngest niece’s communion, his mother fixing him with a glare so icy hell might have frozen over under the power of Helena Diaz’s gaze alone. He’d never learned the new ones, not really, and so Eddie just recited the one’s he’d learned for his own confirmation, the words falling from his lips, muscle memory more than it was faith now. 

Our father, who art in heaven – hallowed be thy name . 

Eddie couldn’t help but laugh, a little, as he murmured the prayer. Hallowed be thy name. He knew the prayer talked about God, their holy father, but the prayer had always made him think of his own father, of the way Ramon Diaz was a hallowed man in his own right, how he parented with an iron fist and expected to be obeyed. 

Things were getting better now, with his dad. Maybe – maybe that was part of the fear. Eddie had always been afraid of letting people down, but more than anyone, he was afraid of letting his father down – of seeing that look of disappointment set into every crease of his father’s face, an expression he’d been on the receiving end of for more of his childhood than he’d like to admit. Eddie had tried so hard to make sure he was never on the receiving end of that look again, but nothing he had ever done was good enough – not marrying Shannon, not the way he had tried to take responsibility for his young family, not the army, not the man he had been when he’d come home from Afghanistan. 

Distance had lessened the number of disappointed looks, but Eddie knew that was because he was simply not seeing them anymore; he was sure his father sometimes frowned at the phone when they’d finally call, silted conversation about Christopher and life at the firehouse the best either of them could muster. 

It wasn’t perfect, but it was getting better. 

At least it had been, until his parents had taken Christopher with them to Texas. It hadn’t helped their relationship – but it hadn’t hindered it as much as Eddie had expected either. He was never going to thank them, for the way they had swooped in, ready to take Christopher at a moment’s notice, but he could thank them for giving his son the space that he needed to process. Eddie couldn’t give him that space, right now, but he was grateful someone could. Still – he would be ready to drive to Texas at the drop of a hat when Christopher decided he was ready to come home.

Things were getting better, that was the thing. His dad called, every night, to update Eddie on Christopher’s day. Eddie could hear the familiar sounds of the Diaz backyard as his dad softly spoke, telling Eddie about how Christopher had been to the lake, with his cousins, and how he’d finished another book, and how he was helping Helena to make dinner, right then. It had filled the gap until Christopher had started to call Eddie himself, his voice tinny as he mumbled over the phone, things not quite back to normal, Christopher not willing to talk to him about anything except Marvel and Minecraft and how abuela’s tamales were better than Eddie’s, but better than they were, at least. 

Every time they were on the phone, Eddie reassured his parents that he was working on himself. He was back seeing Frank, every week, and at Frank’s encouragement, he’d joined a veteran’s support group. Eddie wasn’t exactly the picture-perfect military veteran he assumed he needed to be, to join a veteran support group, but the rag-tag group that met at his community hall every month weren’t exactly the flag-wearing, gun-toting veterans he’d expected them to be. James was a 63-year-old man from Massachusetts who ran the group – he had moved out to LA to live with his daughter after he retired and referred to himself delightedly as a stay-at-home grandfather. Luisa was a vet around Eddie’s own age, and she’d gone back to university after she got out of the army and got a fine arts degree. She liked to paint, and talked about her wife with a reverence and openness that Eddie could only admire. 

He hadn’t said a word the first time he went, and Buck had sat in the Jeep in the carpark, a ready-made escape plan for Eddie in case he decided it was all too much. Eddie had sat quietly as the group had chatted, drinking tea and coffee out of flimsy paper cups, and eating homemade biscuits – made by James, who, as it turned out, was quite the prolific baker – and he’d watched. He’d watched as the group had talked about their bad days, and their good days, and how they were coping with life after the military, and not a single glorious war-story was exchanged. 

That was when Eddie knew it was safe to keep going. He was never going to be a man who was proud of his service, and he didn’t want to have to attend a support group of people who’d talk about their time in the military like it was the good old days. He had spoken a little more, the second time he went – Buck doing his groceries, two streets away, rather than sitting in the carpark – and he’d introduced himself, his voice gruff as he tried to figure out what version of Eddie he wanted to present to the world. 

Eddie was still figuring that part out – the version of himself he wanted to be, that is. 

He was figuring himself out. That was the point. He was trying, he was really trying – and people could see that, Eddie was sure. His parents said they could, at least.

Which was why he was here – in a church not dissimilar to the one he’d attended every Sunday in El Paso growing up – on his knees, praying to a God he wasn’t sure he actually believed in for guidance. 

read the rest on ao3

[steddiealltheway]

It's clear to Steve that Eddie is being led on, but Eddie will not accept it. So, it's intervention time. Not because Steve has a huge crush on him and is entirely jealous but... he needs Eddie to at least see that he can do better than this asshole.

He sits Eddie down and lays out the facts. "You met him in The Hideout bathroom when he put his tongue down your throat then proceeded to ignore you the rest of the night when you left the bathroom."

"It's different for gay men, Steve."

Steve presses on. "He calls you late at night when he knows that your uncle is gone just to get off and immediately hang up after."

"It's not like that..." Eddie says with a sigh.

"He doesn't know a single thing about you either! Has he tried to ask you on a date or anything?"

Eddie gives Steve a look and stands up crossing into his space. "And why do you care so much?"

Steve's heart beats a little faster as Eddie gets a little closer to the truth. "Because you deserve better."

Eddie snorts. "I think you're just jealous."

"What?" Oh shit. He knows about his crush.

He steps even closer, but Steve doesn't back down. Eddie explains, "I've finally got someone, and you can't stand that I beat you to it. The freak outsmarted the king."

Steve shakes his head and steps back, unsure of what the hell has gotten into Eddie. "You don't mean that."

"I do, Harrington," he states with venom in his tone.

Steve can feel himself tense up. If Eddie's going to be an asshole, he can be one too. "Have fun then, Munson." He shoulder-checks him as he makes his way to his stairs.

He hears footsteps behind him as Eddie follows. "I think I'll go to The Hideout tonight with Tom," he calls after Steve, further pushing it.

Steve stops in his tracks and turns around to face Eddie. "Maybe if you opened your eyes you'd see what was right in front of you."

Eddie leans in. "Yeah, I see Tom carrying me away into the damn sunset."

Steve shakes his head and laughs humorlessly. "You really don't get it, do you?"

The other boy just stares at him looking confused and then hurt. "Just because I'm some kind of freak doesn't mean that the only chance I have with a guy is some asshole who is using me, so stop trying to convince me of that."

Steve scoffs as Eddie walks to the door. "Eddie, you know I didn't mean that. Did you not hear the part where I said-" The door slams shut. "...that you deserve better..." Steve finishes then groans. He sits on the bottom stair step and puts his head in his hands.

He hopes more than anything that his gut is wrong and Tom is a good guy. But every instinct is telling Steve that he's not.

So, Steve makes a decision that he might regret. He grabs his keys and races to his car, making his way to The Hideout. He reasons with himself that he just wants to meet the guy himself to get a proper opinion of him. And maybe he won't have to use his bat in his trunk.

When he gets to the parking lot, he sees Eddie's van and parks next to it. Here goes nothing.

He immediately feels off when he enters the bar. He can't spot Eddie anywhere and almost wonders if he had mistaken the van outside for his. Then he remembers... making out in the bathroom.

He spots the bathroom door and sighs. This is definitely not something he wants to witness. He goes anyways.

He's surprised when the door swings open as he pushes on it. Gosh, they should at least be more subtle than this. Jam the door or put a heavy- Steve freezes when he hears the heavy breathing and unmistakable sound of kissing halting. Then, a stall door bursts open and a shorter man is shoving Steve against the wall.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in here?" The man asks. God, he smells like beer and a bit like rotten eggs. And he vaguely looks familiar.

"Using the bathroom?" Steve fires back.

"Steve?"

The guy, assumedly Tom, glances over his shoulder. "You know him?"

"Yeah," Eddie says looking pissed. "You can let him go, he's fine."

Tom lets go but whips around to Eddie. "He knows about us?"

Eddie nods.

Tom gets up in his space and sneers, "What part of don't tell anyone did you not understand?"

Then, it hits Steve. He recognizes Tom as one of his dad's younger work buddies. Has a wife and two young kids and... shit.

"Sorry," Eddie whispers.

Tom shoves him back into the wall. "You're fucking sorry? Is that all you have to say??"

Steve sees Eddie brace for a punch, and that's when he cuts in. "Tom Gardner, right?"

Tom jumps back, going pale. "How do you know my full name?"

Steve can't help but be a little bitchy. "Well, now you've helped me confirm it. How's your wife Ginger doing?"

Tom tries to stalk into his space saying, "Listen here you little piece of shit. I don't know how you-"

Steve cuts him off, "Threaten me or my friend again and I'll tell your whole family your little secret."

Tom walks closer. "You wouldn't dare."

Steve uses his height to his advantage and looks down at the man. "Try me."

Tom's eyes flicker between Steve's for a couple of seconds before he curses under his breath and runs out the door.

Steve barely has time to celebrate the small victory before Eddie is sliding down the wall with his head in his hands. Steve rushes over to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Eddie smacks it away. He looks up with watery eyes. "Why'd you do it?"

"I needed to meet the guy myself," Steve says, stomach rolling at the sight of Eddie so upset. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"And are you happy?' Eddie asks, swiping at his eyes.

Steve stares down at him. "And why would I be?"

Eddie gestures to the door. "You got what you wanted. You can say 'I told you so,' but I kind of already knew he was an ass. Didn't know about the wife and kids though." He puts his head in his hands again. "How did you know about that?" He asks, muffled by his hands.

"Works with my dad," Steve answers. Eddie just hums. Steve sighs and sits on the floor next to Eddie scrunching his nose up at the disgusting bathroom floor. "That isn't what I wanted by the way. I wanted him to be a good guy, " Steve lies. He glances over at Eddie and pauses before confessing, "Actually, I didn't want him to be a good guy."

"What?" Eddie asks, heading coming up to angrily look at him.

"I didn't want him to be a good guy," Steve states again.

"And why's that?" Eddie asks. "Can't stand being the only single one?"

"That's part of the reason," Steve admits.

Eddie puts his hands on his knees and grunts as he stands up. "Glad to have solved the great mystery."

"Wait," Steve says before scrambling to stand. Luckily, Eddie stops. "Remember when I told you earlier that if you opened your eyes you'd see what was right in front of you?"

"No need to rub it in, Harrington."

Steve groans. "I was talking about me!" Steve practically yells. When Eddie turns to look at him with wide eyes he repeats, "I was talking about me."

Eddie looks him up and down. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Steve says walking toward Eddie, "That I'm entirely crazy about you, and I thought you knew until you started gushing about this Tom guy. You were right about me being jealous but for the wrong reason."

All Eddie says is, "Shit."

Steve nods in agreement.

Eddie looks down and fiddles with his rings. "I didn't mean what I said earlier. Like I said, deep down I knew but didn't want to admit it to myself or you, so I got a bit... defensive."

"A bit," Steve says with a laugh, stepping forward.

Eddie smiles bashfully. "I wish you would've said something sooner."

"Who says it's too late now?" Steve asks, taking another step forward.

"Really?" Eddie asks hopefully.

Steve smiles and almost leans in, but he remembers the door behind them. "Now, let me take you home before our first kiss ends up being in this disgusting bathroom and someone barges in."

"I'll also need some mouthwash or gum so I can erase any trace of Tom before I kiss you," Eddie says with a frown.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to erase any trace and memory of him tonight," Steve says with a wink before holding open the door for Eddie.

"Jesus H. Christ. You're going to be the death of me."

Steve smiles. "I sincerely hope so."