#anyway i think steve would be happy following robin for a while until he decides what he wants

[qprstobin]

Stobiners don't want all of Robin's decisions to revolve around Steve - Stobiners want Robin to follow her dreams! And to pack Steve up in her carry on as her emotional support Himbo ❤️

[xoxoladyaz]

It Hits Different This Time

Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Rock Star Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five

“Steve.” 

He hears Robin knocking on the door, her knuckles tapping firmly against the wood.

“STEVE.”

He’s lying on the bed in Robin’s guest bedroom, limbs starfished across the plush gray comforter, staring at the ceiling fan. Taylor Swift is singing to him, blasting from the Alexa speaker next to him.

Oh my, love is a lie, shit my friends say to get me by 

“Alexa, volume up.”

“Steve – STEVE!”

It hits different, it hits different this time

“Alexa, off,” Robin says as she marches into the room. Taylor’s voice cuts off almost immediately and Steve huffs, frustrated.

“Steve, as much as I love listening to your ‘Sad Taylor Swift’ playlist, you need to eat something. Go for a walk. Take a shower.”

“I’d rather not.”

Sighing, Robin kicks his left leg until he’s made enough room for her to collapse down beside him and gaze up at the spinning fan. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

They lay in silence.

“It’s just – our three-year anniversary, Robin.”

“I know.”

“He didn’t even text me.”

“I know.”

“And the supermodels at the club! And the tweets!”

“I know, Steve.”

There’s moisture pricking at the inside of his eyes now. “I just – it’s dumb, okay? I thought we could make this work. But I guess I’m not as important to him as he is to me.”

“Dingus,” Robin chides, and he turns his face away so she can’t see that he’s actually crying now. (She still probably knows that he is; Robin always knows. He just doesn’t want anyone to see.) “Okay, is Eddie Munson a huge idiot? Yes, and he has been for as long as we’ve known him. Is he kind of an asshole now that he’s famous? Yes. Do I think this is the end? Not necessarily.”

Steve snorts. “It’s been four days, Robin. Nothing for four days. I think it’s already ended.”

Robin cuddles up to his side so now they’re legitimately snuggling together. “Look, all I’m saying is he’s going to be back in the state in a few days and I think you owe it yourself to at least have a conversation with him. Either you two decide to work things out and start communicating better or you decide that he’s not pulling his weight to make his relationship work and you get closure. Either way, I think you need to talk to him.”

“Yeah,” Steve sniffles. “You’re probably right.”

“Steven, I’m always right.”

“I’m sorry, do you want to talk about the Pixar question you fumbled on trivia night?”

“Dingus, I swear to god if you don’t let it go - ”

/////

Eddie’s groggy and nauseous and fuck the sun is too bright. He pulls at the window-shades as he stumbles into their kitchen, dropping his Louis Vuitton bag on the floor. The fact that he’s managing to walk while coming down from a five day bender that he barely fucking remembers is kind of a miracle. 

“Steve! Stevie, baby, I’m home!”

Silence.

What day is it today, Saturday? He’s probably at the farmer’s market with Robin. Eddie’s a few days early anyways, wanted it to be a surprise. And honestly, it’s probably a good thing Steve’s not home, Eddie needs to keep sobering up.

He pulls a fresh bottle of water out of the fridge and collapses onto the restored dining-room chairs they bought a few months ago. He tips it back and drinks it down greedily, swallowing the cool water down his aching throat. “Oh, that’s good,” he moans to himself, dropping the now empty bottle onto the dining room table.

The empty bottle that clangs against something. Squinting, Eddie opens his eyes and looks down.

There’s a small box sitting at his spot, a card laying haphazardly onto the side. It looks like someone opened it and scribbled all over what they originally wrote.

Eddie frowns and grabs for the card. It’s Steve’s writing. Whatever he’s crossed out is unreadable. Instead, all there is is the following:

I would say Happy Anniversary, but judging by the fact that (1) you didn’t return my call or even text me back and (2) the paps caught you at the club with the guys and a bunch of supermodels instead, I’m going to assume that you’re not interested in celebrating it anymore.

Eddie feels his stomach sink so fast that he’s going to lose all the water he just drank. 

Look, Eds, I am so proud of you for making your dream come true. I would never ask you to give that up or sacrifice your music for me. But I’m tired of feeling alone in this relationship. Of feeling like you don’t love me as much as I love you. Because I would do anything for you, but I think this all proves that you wouldn’t do the same for me.

Anyways, I still want you to have your gift. It wouldn’t make sense to give it to anyone else. 

Your biggest fan, Steve

He can’t see straight and it’s not because of the drugs. He can’t breathe and it’s not because of his asthma or his wicked smoking habit. 

He grabs the small box, flips it open, and chokes back a sob.

It’s a perfect replica of Aragorn’s ring, the ring he’s given that proves he is Isilduir’s heir. He’s wanted it foryears, but it was never something that he thought he could buy for himself. Sure, he could buy whatever random luxury shit without a sweat, but something so meaningful to him? Because reading The Lord of the Rings saved his fucking life in high school? His brain couldn’t deal with him buying it for himself. His therapist says it’s one of his many hang-ups regarding money and fame and his self-esteem issues, but that’s not what matters right now.

What matters is that Steve gave this to him, loved him enough to have it made for him.

And now Steve is gone.

Eddie grabs for his phone with shaking hands and checks the date.

“Fuck.”

Five days. 

He’s five days too fucking late.

He’s dialing Jeff before he can even realize he’s doing it.

“Dude, I really don’t want to be talking to you right now.”

“Jeff,” Eddie barely gets out, his voice choking on a sob. “Steve is gone.”

Jeff’s silent for a moment. 

“I’m on my way.”

[nathanielzalexandria]

This is where the second part of this discussion comes in with relating it to Stranger Things.

I would like to put forward a new way we can write Steve's parents or a new backstory for them not being around and I am not sure if this has been done before but here it is.

Steve's parent's marriage was for all intents and purposes, arranged. Steve's paternal grandfather feared his son running wild and accidentally siring with an undesirable and he wanted to secure a legitimate heir.

Steve's maternal grandfather was an only child, that married an only child and sired only one child, a beautiful daughter whom he could not leave his money and business to. Because perish the thought that the daughter he highly educated would actually inherit the business and not be a respectable trophy housewife. So as a sensible yet loving father, he chose a family that would suit his needs and the Harringtons won the lottery.

So they were forced on each other with arranged dates and meetings and visits. They eventually grew on each other, but more importantly, they learned to lean on each other and became each other's hiding places from the expectations laying heavily on them. They weren't stupid, they knew what was expected of them and decided that the only way to get freedom would be to give in. So they fake-dated then they married. Somewhere along the line, they carved out a place to fall in love and they never stopped leaning on each other, to the point of pushing others out.

When they had Steve, they gave him all the freedom they could not get when they were his age. No pressure, no supervision no expectations and no guidance. They left him for months at a time so he could "self-discover" without their input. And they in turn continued to do what they wanted with their lives. And now with an heir, their family could not rule them, so his mother joined the business and went on business trips with his father.

And they were so happy. This is what Steve learnt what love was supposed to look like and be. Even if he felt like he was left out of their happiness and love.

So he dedicated himself to Nancy the way his parents were dedicated to each other. He contorted himself to support her, even when she wouldn't return even an iota of the effort; it was okay. Now that he thinks about it, even if he hadn't wanted to change who he was and the people he associated with, he might have followed his parents' example and drifted from them anyway.

It was not until his heart was crushed, he adopted several children and met his soul mate Robin that he realised that while his parents loved each other, they neglected him and harmed him and that that type of love has no room for anyone else —even family.

And as somebody who grew up without a family, he doesn't think he can live without the family he managed to cobble together.

So who needs a relationship?

Spoilers for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (even though this will have little to do with the show and will devolve into a Stranger Things postulation that can be ignored).

So i watched Queen Charlotte and i could not help but think, "Damn, this woman does not like her 13 children," when her son broke into tears and all she could say was, "Sorrows and Prayers". Which, while iconic is really distant. And it was confirmed by the children, at least the eldest, when they tell her shes not a good mother.

But what really surprised me was the genuine surprise that they don't think she's done a lot for them.

And in her mind, she has. Once her eldest child had a child she stopped meddling in their lives. She allowed them to remain unwed and childless. The boys could love their commoners and married women. And in her head, she gave them freedom that she had never gotten.

However, she loved George. And George needed a lot of love and support that would have increased over the years and made sure no one would question him or his legitimacy she became responsible for a lot and thus shouldered a lot in order to become "His Queen" in that magnanimous way that she did.

And something had to be negatively impacted so she could achieve this for George, and sadly that meant her children, and those close to her, were neglected. She simply did not have room in her heart for to equally love one as much as she loved George —let alone 15/13 other children and a granddaughter.

[amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines]

Robin//two queens in a king sized bed

hey! happy holidays gays!! and to everyone who doesn’t celebrate christmas, i hope you’re having an amazing day!! this is based off ‘two queens in a king sized bed’ by girl in red. because i heard it and instantly fell in love. enjoy!!

The snow falls lazily outside the comforts of Robin’s bedroom. Snowflakes float on the soft breeze, adding to the white blanket that’s enveloped the entire town. It sparkles in the moonlight, making the entire street look magical. 

But neither you or Robin care. You pull the garish blue and green comforter further over your head and Robin cuddles closer to you. Her toes wiggle against your legs making you squeak in surprise at the coldness, and when you force an eye open to look at her, she just sends you an innocent look back. 

You shift until you’re on your back and Robin takes the opportunity to rest her head on your chest and wrap a loving arm around your waist. The soft fabric of her your shirt reminds her of being back at college. Where the two of you can cuddle in bed without having to also be on high alert that someone could walk in. You can lock the doors to your shared dorm, but you can’t lock a bedroom door.

Even if she could, her mom would just sacrifice a pin from her hair and pick the lock. Robin sometimes likes to theorize that in a past life her mom was a spy. It makes sense, she can pick locks far too quickly for a normal stay at home mom, and she has an incredible habit of finding things that Robin has carefully hidden. 

She wishes you were back at college. She was going to stay after learning you weren’t going back to your own parents for the holidays. She was so looking forward to spending an entire two weeks with you. Nobody else around just the two of you having the whole campus to explore together. She could kiss you underneath street lamps in the snow, or while hiding in the corner of dark clubs that smell of sweat and weed, and she wouldn’t have to check if anyone was around and watching as many times as she usually does. 

But then she told her mom, and before she’d even finished her sentence she was adamant that her only daughter was going to be staying on some college campus by herself for two weeks. She thought telling her about you, about how the new friend she’d made was going to be alone over Christmas so she was just being a good person and offering to stay. 

Yeah, Robin’s made some mistakes in her time. Following Harrington into that elevator was one of them, but this was definitely the biggest. Her mom had pestered her for a week after about how she could bring you home and then it’s a win-win, and after some persuasion and promise to buy you anything you wanted, you finally agreed. Even if it was funny to watch Robin try to avoid her mothers phone calls, and the two visits to your dorm. 

She sighs deeply and runs a light finger over the exposed part of your stomach. You move slightly, but don’t tell her stop and when she looks up, she sees a gentle smile ghosting your lips. 

Her head leans against your chest again and she listens to your steady heartbeat while you listen to her parents clatter about downstairs. 

Mrs Buckley decided on preparing some of tomorrow’s dinner tonight. She has a lot of guests coming over tomorrow so she wanted everything to be perfect. However when you hear a loud crash and not so muffled curse, you figure she’s starting to regret that decision. 

You let out a short laugh that shakes Robin and she sits up surprised. 

“Are you laughing at my parents miss-fortune?” She asks, raising an eyebrow and staring down at you. 

“Yes.” You reply bluntly making her snort a laugh. 

“Good.” She replies. “She deserves it for dragging us back. I’ve been trying for so long to get away from this stupid town. But every time I seem to make it far enough away, it always manages to drag me back.” She huffs and you see pain flash through her eyes. 

Her fingers pick at the sheet underneath you and you watch as she struggles with something. A small war has just started in her own head and you can see her battling on both sides. 

“Hey, hey.” Your voice is as gentle as it can be as you sit up. You rest a hand against her cheek and she slowly raises her head to look at her. She’s biting her lip, a coping mechanism to stop her from crying. “It’s okay.” You soothe and wipe underneath her eyes. The wetness from her cheeks dulls the perfectly disorganized splay of freckles that litter her face and that alone makes a sadness settle in your chest.

A stray eyelash catches your finger and you hold it up to her lips. She looks between you and your finger and a teary smile pulls at her lips

“Make a wish.” You whisper and she closes her eyes, letting another tear roll down her face and land on her crossed legs. But she leans forward anyway and you watch as she scrunches her face up in concentration before blowing lightly. 

“You’re okay Robin.” You reassure her once her eyes are open again. It takes a minute for her to calm down, but soon she slowly lies down again. You follow suit and wrap your arms around her, pulling her tight to her chest.

“What did you wish for?” You ask curiously and she sends you a look. 

“None of your business.” She mumbles. 

“I won’t tell anyone. I promise.” You beg and she rolls her eyes. 

“Fine, I wished for a less annoying girlfriend.” She glares at you but you just grin back at her. 

“Ha! Jokes on you because now you’ve told me it won’t come true.”

“Damn.” 

Of course that isn’t what she wished for. She’s going to keep her real wish locked away safely in order for it to come true. She wished for another Christmas like this with you, and then she wished for all of them afterwards. She settles back into your chest and smiles contently. 

“If I knew I’d get this view, I’d have gotten upset a whole lot more.” She teases, her voice raspy from the tears, but you can tell she’s smiling and it makes you roll your eyes. 

“Shut up.” You giggle. “And go to sleep. Otherwise Santa won’t come.” 

“Excuse me. I’ve been very good all year. He most definitely will...otherwise he’ll have the wrath of my mother to deal with.” 

“Yikes.” You say. 

“Exactly.” She mumbles against your chest. Your eyes flutter shut and thoughts of what the the next few days hold rattle around in your head. Robin’s told you about her mom’s brother and his second wife. They only properly got together 6 months ago, but she’s 8 months pregnant so you can do the math. 

You wonder if Robin’s grandparents are going to be as nice as she’s told you. A lot of Robin’s happiest memories come from hanging out with her grandparents, specifically her grandfather and you’re excited to meet them. But with that excitement, there’s also a sense of nervousness bubbling underneath it. 

You may be meeting them just as Robin’s friend and roommate, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want them to like you any less. You want to see Robin happy, and to be happy, her family has to like you, even if she’s told you countless of times she doesn’t care what they think of you. 

An alarm rings beside your head and your eyes snap open, a small part of you worries it’s already time to get up and if thats the case you’re not at all prepared. But then Robin rolls over and slaps the top of her alarm clock with far too much force for any normal person. You close your eyes again and wait for her to lie back down, but she doesn’t, and you can feel her staring at you. 

“Can I help you?” You ask, refusing to open your eyes as an act of protest. 

“Merry Christmas.” She replies and you can sense the grin she has. The tiredness from Robin’s tour of Hawkins has finally hit you. The highlights were ‘and this is the mall that i burnt down, but if anybody asks, it wasn’t me’ and ‘oh, thats where me and dingus used to work.’ 

The smile on her face while you were stood outside of Family Video was bittersweet. Steve moved out of Hawkins almost as soon as Robin did. And even though she was of course happy that he was finally getting away from all the shit this town had given him, a part of her was sad that he would no longer be here when she came back.

You may be tired. But it doesn’t mean you ever want to miss an opportunity see Robin Buckley smile. It’s a sight that you think everyone should see at least once. It fills your entire body with warmth and light and no matter how you’re feeling it’s guaranteed to cheer you up just a little. The only problem is, is that no matter how hard you try to capture it in a photograph, it just never seems to do it justice. There’s nothing quite like seeing the real thing. 

So you open your eyes and sure enough you feel yourself relax at the sight of your girlfriend smiling above you. Her short hair falls down around here face and you reach a hand up to tuck a few strands behind her ear. 

“Are you blushing?” You tease making her roll her eyes at you.

“No.” She crosses her arms while pouting at you. “Again...Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas.” You reply, a gentle smile settling on your lips and you watch her face light up. 

She throws herself back down against the mattress making the old springs creak a little, and when she’s comfy enough, turned on her side so she can face you and propping her head up with her hand, she waggles her eyebrows playfully. 

“Not gonna happen.” You say. “I don’t want to be on Santa’s naughty list.” 

“Prude.” She mumbles and you let an offended huff. 

Her fingers skate gently down the side of your face, they trace the curve and bumps until finally she cups your cheek and tugs lightly until your facing her. 

“Can I kiss you?” She whispers and a playful smile tugs at your lips and now it’s your turn to blush. 

She hovers above you, her lips are parted while she waits for an answer and you’re sure its a mix of the slightly dim light and the thoughts clouding your mind, but they’re looking very kissable. It feels like she’s peering into your soul and you start to feel a little exposed, especially when the hand that was on your cheek moves further down. It traces your collarbones and leaves a trail of fire wherever it goes. 

“Do you have any mistletoe?” You ask after definitely far too long of just looking at her. Taking all of her in is impossible to do. There’s so much to Robin that you’d need a lifetime to notice every single thing, but you hope more than anything that that’s what you’re going to get.  

She pulls her eyes away from you, glancing up at the wooden bed frame before looking back at you and shaking her head. 

“Sorry.” She shrugs, her voice raspy and it makes your head dizzy. “But can I kiss you anyway?” She asks and you slowly nod your head. 

Her hand travels back to your face, her fingers curl around your cheek making them feel hotter than they already were. Her eyes flutter closed and you follow suit. You crane your head up to meet her halfway, bumping your nose against hers and the two of you giggle quietly in the moonlight. 

But you can’t wait anymore, you need to feel her, to have her. You just need her. So you cut her laughter off with a chaste kiss and she instantly relaxes against you. She’s kissing you back instantly, not giving you a chance to pull back and her lips a soft against yours, so soft that they make your head spin and your heart hammer in your chest. And even though you’ve kissed her countless of  times before, there’s something special about this one. 

She moves to sit on your lap and you sit up to make it easier for her. You hands fall to her hips and she cups both your cheeks, pulling you impossibly further into her. 

She’s the first to pull away, but you chase her for a few seconds making her smile at you so lovingly you feel like your chest is going to implode. She looks at you like you can give her the moon, the stars and the rest of the universe. 

She looks at you like she’s known you you’re entire life, despite it only being four months, but most importantly she looks at you like you’re the most special human being on the planet. 

And to her, you are. You always will be, she can feel it. She felt it the day she met you. 

Her parents had left her stood on the curb outside the main building, her dad wanted to beat the traffic back and her mom was too busy sobbing to do anything about it. 

Robin very rarely feels anxious, the last time she felt this sort of nervousness was when she was throwing fireworks in a burning mall. The feeling crawls up her throat until it settles in a lump she can’t seem to swallow. 

But then you appeared, with your bright smile and kind eyes. And you introduced yourself and she’s never heard a prettier name. Your fingers brushed against hers when you shook her head and she felt her brain short-circuit.

You offered to help her carry her things to her room, and she hoped you’d be roommates, you had a warmth about you that made her feel safe. And she remembers the smile that graced your lips when you realized you were in fact roommates. She doesn’t think she’ll ever forget it...not that she really wants to. 

It’s weird to think how much one person can mean to you. How you can go from strangers to them being the most important person in your life in a matter of months. It’s weird to think that all of sudden they’re the only thing on your mind, the highlight of your day, the person you’d give everything to even if you did only have a little.

When you look at Robin, all those little thoughts swarm your entire being. The thought that you’ve found someone to share your life with fills you with so much excitement. All your time is going to spent on her. Talking to her, thinking about her...loving her. 

She kisses you again, this time it’s much slower, but it doesn’t mean it leaves you any less breathless and when she pulls away to lie back down, you feel a certain kind of cold settle in your bones.

Her legs tangle with yours and you wrap an arm around her. Her head rests against your chest, and even though her chin is slightly uncomfortable, you don’t mind. 

The closer she is the better, so no matter how uncomfortable you are, you’ll stay right here forever, until forever disappears and you’re both left with nothing but each other. 

[abundanceofsoph]

SkyFire 3: Chapter 4

A week of the Late Late Show: May 2017      

Word count: 4.1k

SkyFire 3 MASTERLIST

Sorry it's been 3 weeks since the last chapter but I'm back at work and with Christmas approaching I can't promise I'll upload frequently although I do have a lot planned out for the rest of this story. I'm going to aim for monthly chapter updates.

The songs written by Aurora and mentioned in this chapter are Perfect Color - SafetySuit, I'll Be There - Jess Glynne, and Feel Good - Gryffin ft. Daya.

Hope you enjoy and always please don't forget to comment and share :)

Aurora and Harry were smiling as they climbed out of their hire car and were instantly greeted by James Corden and ushered into his home. They had driven straight from the airport, not even taking the time to drop off their luggage at the Malibu Mansion where Tony had lived before relocating to New York after building the tower and meeting Steve. James led them inside where his wife Jules immediately pulled them into hugs and the children ran around their feet excitedly. It had been a few months since they had seen them, and Aurora was shocked by how much they had grown in such a short time. Max had recently turned 6, while little Carey was nearing her 3rd birthday and the pair were such perfect combinations of their parents that they melted Aurora’s heart. As soon as Jules released Rori from their hug, Max grabbed her hand, tugging her into the playroom to show her his new toys. She happily sank to the floor, crossing her legs underneath her and smiling enthusiastically as Max handed her one toy after another, chattering away excitedly about where he got them, and which ones were his favourites. Harry joined them a few moments later, Carey resting on his hip as she also babbled away happily. The young couple gave their full attention to the children for the net hour until Jules declared it time for bed. Both children were reluctant to leave the room but after both Aurora and Harry pinky promised that they would be in town all week and would definitely visit again soon, they finally allowed their mother to lead them upstairs to their rooms.

They joined James in the kitchen where he poured a glass of wine for both himself and Harry and some of Jules’ homemade iced tea for their wives. It was a nice late spring evening and they ended up sitting out on the back patio with their drinks as the sun was slowly sinking into the horizon. James asked about the album launch and the show they had played the previous night in London and Harry launched into an animated recount of the show. Jules joined them shortly after they sat down, sighing as she sank into her seat and announced that the kids were successfully asleep.

As the boys started discussing James’ plans for the following few days on the show, Rori turned to Jules, asking about what she had been up to in the last few weeks since she and James had attended the wedding. Aurora had always loved kids and was especially soft when it came to Max and Little Carey, so she happily hung on every word as Jules recounted stories of silly things the kids had said or done. Aurora laughed as Jules spoke about Carey’s new favourite saying, ‘I do it’; apparently, she had entered into her independent phase and was wanting to do everything for herself, much to the exasperation of her parents. It was stories like these, and the afternoons spent playing with the kids that made Aurora dream of the time when she and Harry would be ready to start having children of their own. She was in no hurry, knowing that now, at the beginning of Harry’s new solo career, was the absolute worst time to try for a baby. Despite not wanting children for at least a few more years, she was so incredibly excited for their future family, a sentiment she knew her husband shared with her. They stayed until well after the sun had set before saying goodnight and driving down the coast towards the Stark family mansion on the Malibu cliffs. Rori smiled as they stepped into the large foyer and was greeted by a flood of memories of summers spent there with her parents and late nights sitting down on the beach.

xXx

The following morning Aurora woke early to make breakfast for Harry, knowing that he would be feeling a little nervous about the day ahead. He smiled softly at the blueberry pancakes placed in front of him as he took his seat at the kitchen table.

“Thanks babe,” he said, kissing Rori’s cheek as she sat down next to him with her own plate of pancakes. They ate together, talking about their days ahead, and all the segments James had planned for the week ahead. Once breakfast was finished, Aurora walked Harry to the front door and kissed him goodbye and good luck before he climbed into the hire car to drive into the city to the CBS studios. The moment Harry disappeared at the end of the drive, Aurora headed back into the house, busying herself with cleaning up the breakfast dishes and then watched impatiently as the clock slowly ticked away the minutes, eagerly waiting for JARVIS to announce the arrival of her guest. As soon as James had invited Harry on the show, Rori had decided that she would make the most of the opportunity, given how infrequently they were able to spend time on the west coast. She let out an excited squeal as JARVIS announced the car's arrival and she was out the front door by the time it parked out the front of the cliff top mansion. The moment Louis stepped out of the car, Aurora had her arms around him, only letting go long enough for him to retrieve the gorgeous 16 month old from the back seat.

“Oh my goodness, look at you!” Aurora cooed excitedly as soon as she saw Freddie in his father's arms. “You just keep getting cuter and cuter.” Louis chuckled at her reaction, immediately offering his son for her to hold and she happily took him into her arms, bouncing him on her hip as she led the way back into the house. “You’ve gotten so big!” she told the baby. “Gonna grow up big and strong and handsome just like your dad.” She wasn’t lying when she told Freddie that he had grown given that she hadn’t seen him since a few weeks before his first birthday, when his mother had graciously flown over to the UK with him when Louis' mother had passed away. Aurora had made sure to sneak many cuddles with him during his visit and had immediately become obsessed with the little baby who looked so much like his father.

“I’m so glad the timing worked out for this,” Rori said as she lay on the floor a little while later, playing with Freddie. “Wish we could get out here more often to see him, you know?”

“I actually mentioned that to Bri when I picked him up this morning and she said you should visit when you’re back in town on tour. Don’t always need to have me around to go see him.”

“Are you sure?” Rori asked. “It wouldn’t be weird?”

“Course not love,” Louis scoffed. “You’re his family, I mean Harry’s his bloody godfather. Besides I know Bri liked you the couple of times we all hung out together so I’m sure she’d love to get together for a coffee or something.”

“We’ll in that case I might have to find more excuses to fly out here.”

Louis put Freddie down for a nap on the large sofa, with plenty of pillows surrounding him to make sure he didn’t roll off, and then he and Aurora make coffee in the kitchen and chatted about the upcoming tour and what Louis had been up to. After Freddie woke up and it started getting closer to dinner time, Rori text Harry to see how late he would be home.

◊Aurora: How’s it going babe? Lou and I were just starting to think about dinner, and I wanted to check in on your plans.

◊Harry: Wanna get Lou to drive you in and we can all get something to eat around here?

Aurora looked up from her phone to repeat the question to Louis. He quickly agreed and they headed out to the car, loading Freddie in his car seat before making their way into the city.

They pulled into the CBS lot about an hour later and after texting Harry to let him know that they had arrived, he quickly met them outside. Harry was just as excited to see his godson as Aurora had been and happily climbed in the back of Louis car to sit next to the little bub as he babbled away.

The three friends chatted excitedly throughout dinner, always happy to be back together again even if only for a short time. Freddie spent most of the meal in either Rori’s lap or Harry’s since neither wanted to miss out on a single moment with the adorable little boy.

“How long you in town for Lou?” Harry asked towards the end of the meal.

“Just till tomorrow evening,” Louis replied. “Rori and I are gonna take Fred to Griffith Park and take him on the miniature train and then I’m flying out after dinner to head back to Donny.”

“We’ll have to try and catch up over summer before the tour kicks off,” Harry replied. “Feel like we’re not gonna see you otherwise.”

“Absolutely,” Louis agreed. “When you flying back?”

“I’m heading to Manchester after the Troubadour show Saturday night and Rors is spending next week in New York before meeting me up there. Back in London in few weeks for a gig on the 10th.”

“Everything ok with Robin?” Louis asked, noticing the way Harry didn’t seem excited to be heading home for a few weeks like he usually would be.

“Mum said he’s not doing well,” Harry admitted, his voice soft and edged with the threat of tears. “Wanna try and spend as much time as I can with him.”

“You let me know if you need anything, yeah?” Louis said. “You guys were incredible for me last year, so anything you need and I’m there.”

“Thanks Lou,” Rori said.

“Anyway,” Louis said, obviously trying to change the topic in the face of Harry’s dark mood change. “What’s got you heading to New York? Just seeing the family?”

“I’m actually gonna be in Vogue,” Rori replied. “They interviewed me last week and the photoshoot is next week.”

“That’s awesome!” Louis replied. “What’s the story about?”

“Marriage in the public eye. Touring with a disability,” Rori answered. “Just kind of a bit of a bio piece on my life, I guess. I’m honestly not entirely sure. We talked about all sorts of things, so it’ll be exciting to see what they put together for it.”

Unfortunately, Harry’s mood didn’t recover as they finished the meal, and they didn’t stay much later, all heading to their cars and saying goodnight. Harry remained quiet as he drove along the Malibu coast and Aurora decided to leave him to his thoughts, her fingers laced with his as their hands rested on her thigh and she squeezed his hand occasionally as a silent reminder that she was there if he needed her.

“Been a long day,” he mumbled when they arrived back at the house. “Think I might just head straight to bed.”

“Ok,” Rori agreed. “I’ll be up soon.”

xXx

Harry seemed back to his energetic self the following morning as they shared breakfast once again before he left for the studio and Aurora got ready for her day out with the Tomlinson boys. Louis picked her up midway through the morning and the pair laughed and sang along to the radio as they drove to Griffith Park. Rori smoothed out her yellow sundress as she climbed out of the car after Louis parked, slipping a pair of sunglasses on and throwing her handbag over her shoulder. She scooped Freddie out of his car seat while Louis unfolded the stroller, cuddling the toddler close and tickling him while he giggled adorably. They headed into the park and the moment Freddie spotted the trains he began wriggling in Aurora’s arms, desperate to be put down so that he could run over to them. Louis laughed as he pulled his son into his arms after watching Rori struggle to maintain her one handed hold on him for a few moments.

“Easy mate,” he told the little boy. “We’ll get there in a minute.”

Rori took over pushing the stroller, watching fondly as the father and son interacted. She didn’t often get to see Louis as a dad, but the past few days had shown her just how perfectly he fit into the roll. She wasn’t at all surprised, given how protective and caring he was towards his sisters, but it was nice to be able to witness his parental side.

They rode the trains for a while, before settling down at a picnic bench for lunch and Freddie quickly fell asleep for a nap in the stroller, exhausted from all the excitement.

“He really loves trains,” Rori chuckled.

“Obsessed with the bloody things,” Lou replied. “Started bringing him here every time I’m in town and he just goes mental for ‘em.”

“Do you wish you spent more time out here with him?” she asked softly.

“Yeah,” Louis sighed. “But if I moved out here permanently, I’d miss my family and I’m all over the place for different gigs. I see him as much as I can now and when he’s a bit older maybe he can come stay with me for summer’s or something.”

“You’re amazing with him.”

“He makes it easy,” Louis scoffed. “You’re pretty great with him too. You and Harry feeling ready yet.”

“No,” Rori replied quickly. “We talk about it every now and then, but with the solo career just starting it’s not a good time. Maybe in a few years everything will be a  bit more settled.”

“Glad you’re both on the same page,” Louis nodded. “You’ll both be great parents.”

xXx

Following their day in Griffith Park, Louis drove Aurora home, arriving shortly before Harry returned and the couple sat down to dinner together out on the back patio looking out over the ocean.

The next morning after breakfast, Aurora joined Harry on his drive into the city, spending the day in the studio with him before they went back over to James and Jules’ house for dinner again. The kids were excited to see them again and they spent some time running around the back garden with them before sitting down to dinner.

“I’ve got to say Rori,” James said as Jules cleaned away the dishes from dinner, “it was great having you hang out at the studio today.”

“I had a lot of fun,” Rori agreed.

“Should have spent the last two days with us too,” James joked.

“Sorry but little Freddie made me a better offer.”

“I guess I can’t really argue with that,” James laughed.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow though,” Aurora added. “I absolutely love Carpool Karaoke. Pretty sure it’s my favourite segment.”

“You know Harry actually mentioned that yesterday and I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it all day. We got a lot more filmed today then we thought we would so we’ve got a bit of extra time up our sleeves tomorrow and I was wondering if, after we film Harry’s Carpool, maybe you’d want to do one too and I can save it for an episode in a few weeks’ time. I always like to have a spare segment tucked away in case of emergency.”

“Really?” Rori asked, her face lighting up excitedly and causing Harry to chuckle. “Yeah, I’d love that.”

xXx

The following morning, after Harry climbed out of the black SUV, a large grin splitting across his face, Aurora bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet as James changed his shirt and prepared to film the second carpool segment. She was wearing a simple purple dress, her long dark hair curled softly and fanning out over her shoulders.

Aurora found herself a little nervous as she climbed into the car, smiling and chuckling as James thanked her for helping him get to work and asking if she minded if he played some music while they drove. She smiled excitedly as he queued up the first track for them, having no idea what 5 songs he had picked out and she was eager to see what he had pulled together, confident that Harry had also played a hand in picking the line-up.

The first song to play through the cars speakers was one that she had written many years ago and she let out a startled chuckle as the opening notes played out.

“I’m going to want the story behind this when it’s over,” James commented right before the lyrics began.

Yellow nice to meet you Do you know that you just blue my mind? It was the perfect conversation, I think that I red about one time And I told a white lie when I told you

I've never been green with envy, you You're the perfect colour

“Ok, so tell me,” James said as soon as the track came to an end. “I’ve been told the story behind this song is a good one, so spill.”

“Well years ago, when I used to join the lads on tour,” Rori began, smiling at the memories of touring with One Direction and how much fun they all had together during her summer breaks from Columbia. “On the days off in between shows, we’d often go grab dinner at a local pub and have a few drinks and we’d play this game where one person would come up with a challenge and on the back of a napkin we’d each write a verse or a chorus using the theme picked out and then we’d pick a winner. It could be anything like having to use a certain word or phrase, or not being able to use the letter A. One night the challenge was to use a different colour in every line, and I won the round with that chorus. Then while we continued on the tour, I couldn’t get it out of my head and eventually turned it into a complete song.”

“Did any other songs make it out of that game and out into the world?” James asked.

“Maybe a few,” Rori replied with a cheeky smirk, “But I’m not telling you which ones.”

“Spoil sport,” James huffed before moving on to the next song.

As Jess Glynne’s voice filled the car, Rori swallowed thickly around the lump in her throat and joined James in singing along. I’ll Be There had been released only a little over a month ago and had been a staple on every radio station since. When she’d first heard the final recording of the track, Aurora hadn’t been able to hold back her tears as she listened to her own words sung back to her so beautifully, but now after countless listens, she was able to listen without the overwhelming emotions and simply enjoy the track.

When all the tears are rolling down your face And it feels like yours was the only heart to break When you come back home and all the lights are out, ooh And you're getting used to no one else being around

Oh, oh, I'll be there When you need a little love, I got a little love to share Yeah, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna come through You'll never be alone, I'll be there for you I'll be there, I'll be there for you I'll be there, I'll be there for you Oh, I swear, I got enough love for two, ooh, ooh, ooh You'll never be alone, I'll be there for you

They sang the first verse and chorus before allowing the song to fade out and James looked across to where Rori was sitting next to him.

“You know this is one of my favourite songs at the moment,” he said, “and I think I was signing along to it for about a week before I found out it was one of yours.”

“Really?” Rori laughed.

“Really,” James echoed. “It’s too bloody hard to keep track to be honest. At this point I should just assume every hit is one of yours unless told otherwise.” Rori blushed deeply and giggled awkwardly in response to his glowing compliments. “I’m always so interested in the stories behind songs and I know your fans are always eager to hear, so what inspired this one?”

“Ummm…” Rori mumbled. “I actually wrote this one back around New Years for Louis,” she admitted, instantly knowing that Twitter would explode at this revelation. “For as long as I’ve known him, music has always been this beautiful way for us to have the conversations that are sometimes too hard to have and like the chorus says I just wanted him to know that through all of it, I’d be there.”

“And it really is a beautiful message,” James agreed, recognizing that Rori didn’t want to sit in these emotions any longer and he quickly segued into the next track and away from the painful memories of losing Jay. “You have such a way of putting so much emotion into your lyrics and I honestly think this next one is one of my favourites and I selfishly picked it because I’ve always wanted to hear you sing the final chorus.”

Rori’s smile returned as the acoustic version of Feel Good by Gryffin and Daya started up and she happily sang along, breathing deeply and reaching for the very high notes towards the end of the track. Causing James to fall silent as he watched her belt out the notes until the track finally ended.

Take my hand in the middle of a crisis Pull me close, show me, baby, where the light is I was scared of a heart I couldn't silence But you make me, you make me feel good I like it

“So, like I was saying, there’s always such emotion in the songs you write,” James reiterated. “Do you find it difficult to trust other artists with songs about things that are so personal?”

“Sometimes,” Rori answered. “Every song comes from something in my life whether it’s something amazing or terrible and you leave a little part of you in your work, so it can be scary to give that away to someone else and trust them to take care of it, but I also love seeing what other people do with my lyrics. Sometimes they take it in a completely different direction and apply their own story and feelings to the song which changes it slightly and I always find that fascinating. Sometimes the song’s just too personal and I have to hold onto it for myself or Harry.”

James nodded as she spoke before queuing up the next song and happily joining Aurora in belting out the familiar lyrics to Fleetwood Mac’s Seven Wonders.

If I live to see the seven wonders I'll make a path to the rainbow's end I'll never live to match the beauty again The rainbow's edge

After a quick chat about how she was looking forward to the upcoming tour with Harry, they played the final song and Rori couldn’t keep the cheek splitting grin of her face as she sang along to Infinity. Harry’s voice filled the car and she joined him in the chorus as they both belted out the high notes.

How many nights does it take to count the stars? That's the time it would take to fix my heart Oh, baby, I was there for you All I ever wanted was the truth, yeah, yeah How many nights have you wished someone would stay? Lay awake only hoping they're okay I never counted all of mine If I tried, I know it would feel like infinity Infinity, infinity, yeah Infinity

By the time they pulled back into the studio lot, both Rori and James were a mess of laughter and giddy grins, climbing out of the car to be instantly greeted by Harry.

“How did go?” he asked as he wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist and walked them back inside.

“She was better than yours,” James joked.

“Don’t doubt it,” Harry agreed before placing a kiss on Rori’s temple. “Bloody talented this one. Can’t believe she’s settling for being in my backing band. Could be on a world tour of her own if she wanted to.”

“But she doesn’t want to,” Aurora added. “She would like lunch though.”

“Then lunch she shall have,” Harry laughed.

xXx

That night the final episode of Harry’s week on the Late Late show aired and the following evening he and the band played a gig at the Troubadour. Saturday afternoon the young couple said their goodbyes inside LAX before boarding their separate flights, one bound for Manchester while the other headed for New York.

NEXT CHAPTER

OR CONTINUE READING ON AO3

[kaylathekittykat225]

Covert Feelings Exposed // Tim Drake!Robin X Reader

Warning/s: Just, being sad or upset, kinda fluff sorta I don’t know

Word Count: 3158

Hey guys, am not dead, sorry. Still working on my Steve Harrington one, because it just WON’T STOP GROWING. Anyway, I just really need to accept an ending and be done. Okay, onwards with Tim Drake.

Here’s my Masterlist.

ALSO! T/F/C is your two favorite colors.

-----

Another covert mission gone wrong; the covertness was what went wrong really.

All you guys had to do was get in, break down the central main frame and get out without making a fuss. Beast Boy made sure that wasn't a thing.

The team did manage to complete the mission and take down another one of the Light's mini Headquarters, but they were getting harder and harder to take down and more of your team members have taken more damage the harder the missions become to stay covert. 

But everyone was here safe and sound, no one physically hurt, other than Bart coming home with a gash over his head and a strong talking down to from Nightwing.

Emotionally was a completely different story. 

"Alright everyone, hit the showers while you can, I think we all deserved it after that dip in the septic tanks we all the work we did today." Nightwing told his team, exhaustion telling his body to sleep, but still being able to chuckle to himself quietly as he watched half the team race each other to the bathrooms for first dibs while the other half left to go to their rooms and just wait for a free shower. 

With everyone leaving the main hall, that left you, Robin, and Nightwing in the main hall of Mount Justice. The two of them turned away from you and began to have a hushed conversation making sure that you were out of ear shot, ignoring your presence and leaving you to stand alone to the side. 

You took the hint that your presence wasn't wanted and left to be on your own. 

But, unlike what you thought, your leaving didn't go unnoticed. Robin kept his eyes trained on you while he pretended to listen to Nightwing. 

He noticed how your uniform was filthy, covered in mud and dirt, your hair was everywhere you wouldn't normally want it to be, your entire physique sluggish and beaten down. 

You didn't look like you.

"Go check on Y/S/N, would you, Tim?" Robin turned to look at his leader and friend and saw Nightwing noticing your leave as well. "She needs her best friend." 

Nodding, the young Robin ran after you; his cape fluttering behind him, his footsteps silent from sheer instinct of being trained by the light-footed Bruce Wayne. 

He followed you into the lounge and found you trying to hide in the couch, your body sprawled over the plush furniture with your arms spread across the back of the couch and your head leaning against the back the couch.

Robin stepped over your legs that you had propped up on the table and fell onto the couch next to you. "Heya, Y/S/N." He greeted you, his legs sliding up onto the couch and slipping his feet under your leg and he kept his eyes on you, watching your every move.

You hummed quietly back in reply, never moving your body on the comfy couch, leaving Tim to continue watching you.

In the long silence, Tim took in every bit of your face that he could see, thinking back to the time when you two first really met, to him it was just the start of another day at Gotham academy for him. 

Tim made his way into Gotham Academy, like any other day, he was roughly fifteen minutes ear, leaving time for him to grab his books from his locker that he left in there overnight. 

Unlike how every other morning began, Tim hear someone screaming madly, the screaming only coming closer to him. "Look out!" The black-haired sophomore looked up from his phone and saw someone on a long board barrelling towards him. "Can't stop! Can't stop!" They screamed as they swerved towards him uncontrollably on the piece of wood on wheels.

Tim jumped out of the way, his Robin instincts gave him more than enough time to move himself from being a point of impact while also dropping his bag and reaching out towards the person on the skateboard. Tim wouldn't be surprised if, with how fast the person was rolling, they would have killed themselves against the wall behind him. 

"Oh thank God," The person Tim now had tucked into his chest breathed out a sigh of relief as the two of them watched the skateboard clatter against the brick wall. 

"You okay?" Tim inquired as the person ran away from his body, their sudden warmth leaving him a little colder than he was a minute ago, and grabbed their board, giving Tim a full view of you. 

"Yeah, thanks for grabbing me, would have been a pancake on that wall. Oh, I'd be a wallcake! You flashed a happy grin at him, showing how you didn't seem phased by the almost dying bit. He saw the T/F/C bares in your mouth, the smile running up to your E/C eyes, causing them to sparkle as you laughed. 

"Yeah, it's no problem, glad I could save you from being a wall cake." He chuckled, his arm scratching the back of his neck, still hearing at you and seeing what you looked like, knowing he had seen you before but just couldn't place you. "Oh, I'm um, I'm Tim, Tim Drake." He explained his name, extending his hand out towards you, waiting for you to take it. 

"Nice to finally talk to you, Tim, I'm Y/N Y/L/N." As you took his hand, your name hung in his head, his eyes squinting and head giving a slight tilt to the left as he tried to fix where he knew you from. "You know should really turn around in Chemistry and English more often." 

"Oh, Oh yeah!" You giggled as your name and face finally clicked in his mind, his blue eyes shining in the early morning sun light. "I guess I just never talked to you before."

"Funny since you've run into me at least three times this past week," You smiled cheekily at him, watching a light blush brush his cheeks. "I don't blame you since your nose is always in that phone of yours, I'm sure texting either your mother, your best friend or a potential girlfriend." 

"I'm...it’s...I'm not-I don't have a-"

"Whoa, is this what it's like to be tall?" You saw you made him uncomfortable, and being you, decided to stand on your long board and skate circles around him to relieve the tension you caused, it wasn't wrong for you to assume the nice-looking Drake to have a significant other. "Wow, the weather is so much better up here than at Y/H."

Tim finally crackled a smile, smiling down at the ground and watched your skateboard circle around him, finally getting to see the white sandpaper like grip and the scarlet wheels, an extremely gorgeous board. "Are you new to skateboarding?" 

"Yes and no, I've been skateboarding since I was seven, but I took time off and I got a new board and just got back on it like a couple days ago blah blah blah, yeah, I over estimated my skateboarding awesomeness I had as muscle memories give or take two years ago." The bell rang inside the school, signalling a five-minute warning to get to your classes. You two smiled at each other and walked into the courtyard, Tim keeping close to your side to make sure you didn't try becoming a wallcake again that day.

Three years later, you two were best friends, tackling Senior year together with your skateboard still a fun memory in your closet. Tim blinked his eyes, breaking himself out of that weird trance he goes to when he stares off into space and looked back over to you. 

You hadn't moved an inch since he walked in, your breathing the only bit of movement telling him that you were still alive. "Y/N," He whispered your name, gently moving his foot that was still wedged under your leg to see if you were responsive. "Y/N, you asleep over there?"

Groaning in response, you leaned forward and pulled your F/C domino mask from your face, tossing it on the table and proceeded to rub your eyes forcefully. "No," You mumbled to give him a concise response, your movements were rigid and forceful as you pulled both your heeled boots and your gloves next to your mask. 

He continued to watch you, observing and noting everything you did. Your eyes were dull as you pulled the tight boots off, your hands trembling as you finally pulled them free of the leather of your gloves. 

You still didn't look like you.

"You okay?" Tim reached over and gently laid his hand on your shoulder, rubbing his thumb against your back. 

You breathed in a little too deeply and the air quickly and shakily sputtered out between your lips, your shuddery breaths now beginning to shake your body. "No," you whined as you curled yourself up into as small of a ball as you could and laid your head down on Tim's lap, staring at the black TV just behind the tips of his boots.

"What's wrong love bug?" Tim whispered to you as he took his gloves off and began running his slim fingers through your hair, pulling out the leaves and bits of mud and tangles in your hair. You didn't give him a straightforward answer right away, what did happen however was that Tim's leg quickly broke out in goosebumps as you began tracing an endless circle on his thigh with your index finger. 

"It's just...getting so hard." Your meek voice cut through the silent air; Tim looked down at you as you finally spoke. Just the look on your face answered what you meant, and he couldn't help the sigh of agreement. 

"I know it is, love bug, it's getting hard for all of us. But we're almost there, Nightwing says only a few more until we finally can infiltrate their systems and drive them down." Humming, you turned your body around and nuzzled your face into his stomach. 

It took so long for Tim to get used to how touchy you were, being in from the Bat Family, it was not a thing to be cuddly and expect a hug when you're feeling down. Tim just had to keep his head up and pretend nothing was wrong. 

But when you finally broke through to him, he loved having you there to be able to hug. He had suppressed his need for physical touch for so long that he relished every chance he got to hug you or whenever you needed a movie cuddle buddy.

He loved your body touching his, but looking down at you, he knew that you need him right now more than anything else in the world. Tim had grown to know you so well that he could look at your face, even if it was half hidden in his stomach, and know when you needed quiet or you needed someone to ask you what was wrong. 

"Has it just all hit you at once?" Tim asked quietly as he brushed a small piece of hair behind your ear, smiling as you leaned into the touch of his hand. 

"Mmm," Your jaw clenched as you tried biting back the words, you wanted to talk so badly, but you also knew that as soon as you opened your mouth, you would just remember how your two best friends almost died right before your eyes. "Bart's so stupid." 

Tim chuckled at your comment, "You can say that again." You couldn't laugh though; Tim didn't see it like you did. 

"The idiot tripped and almost got himself killed," The words stumbled out of your mouth and you were there again, watching as one the Black Mantra's men had a gun pointed directly at the young brunette who befriended you almost as soon as he stepped out of the time machine. "He was too busy gloating about hitting his new PR for punching fifteen guys before Jaime could get one hit in and he didn't see the gun pointed right at him.

"I was so scared, Tim, I never ran so fast in my life towards him, I...I pushed him out of the gun's path and he just looked at me like I ruined his streak or something. But I can't look at him now without seeing how he almost died. Tim, he almost died, and he doesn't even know how close he was to death taking him. I don't know how I could hav-we lost Artemis; I couldn't lose him to." 

The tears were freely falling down your face, your eyes staring at the red color of his uniform. A warm and gentle hand trace under your eyes, swiping the tears from your face. You looked up and saw the masked face of the third Robin staring down at you, a small smile gracing his face, making him look a little more carefree than how he should be as a superhero. 

You reached your hand up and brushed your fingertips against his temple as you pulled his black mask off, his bright blue met your E/C one's and you felt your own eyes get heavy again. He was right, everything was just hitting you now.

"I don't know why I'm crying over Bart; he does this almost every mission, endangering himself and everyone." You were finally able to let out a strained laugh, your eyes still tearing up, but you did feel better. 

Tim quietly whined as you sat up, feeling cold without you pressed to him like you were, your back to him now. "It's cause you were scared for him, Y/N. And you care for him, you were scared that Bart would get hurt like we all do, and you didn't want that."

You slowly turned back to him, nodding in agreement since even you didn't know why you were feeling this way. Tim opened his arms out towards you, becoming you back into his warm body, both of you wanting to feel each other's presence again. The smile didn't leave your face as you leaned towards him, his arms wrapping tight around you and pulled your body to sit on his lap.

"You know we both need to go shower; I feel disgusting and I smell horrible." Your actions did not match your words as you wiggle your arms around his toned chest, hugging himself to you as you snuggled your face into the crook of his neck to enjoy his natural musk. 

"Well I think you smell fine," Tim chuckled, looking down at you after he pressed a kiss to your forehead, seeing your own smile shining back at him. He was glad to be able to bring you out of your little rut. 

Looking at your teeth, he couldn't help the other laugh that came over him, "What? Do I have mud on my face? I really do need to go shower." You exclaimed while trying to pull away from your best friend, but his grip only tightened around you. 

"No, I was just...remember when you had those god-awful T/F/Ced braces?" The scowl on your face told him that yes, you did remember the metal painfully pulling at your mouth. 

"Oh, you mean the ones that made my mouth look like the grill of a car? Yes, Timothy, I remember them every clearly." You absentmindedly ran your tongue over your teeth, comparing how smooth they were now in comparison to how they use to feel. 

"Yeah, they looked horrible!" 

You lightly poked Tim's shoulder, "I'm the one with three years' worth of pictures of me in them, don't make fun of me."

Tim's chest lightly vibrated as he chuckled at the pile of pictures he saved on his computer he's using later for blackmail. Gosh how much he loves you; he always had those thought running through his head, and like any other day he thought he only whispered that in his head.

Unlike any other day, he didn't just whisper it in his head. "Hmm?" Your eyes opened and met his light blue ones, alight rose hue dusted across his cheeks as he tried recovering from saying that. 

"Well-you know-I only meant it-you see-" His stuttering over his words was cute, but what made your heart melt at how cute he was when you giggled before you echoed the phrase back at him. 

"I love you, too, Tim." If his shocked eyes could widen any more than they already were, they did.

"You-you do?" You smiled at him and nodded your head happily, your heart bursting with joy at the smile on his face. "I love you! I love you so much! And you love me too!" Tim screamed like an excited five-year-old on his birthday as he stood to his feet, still holding your body to his chest as he spun you around. Your arms moved up to his neck as you held tightly to him, your giggling no ceasing as he spun the two of you dizzy in the middle of the lounge. 

The overly excited Tm placed your feet on the floor, as soon as your jello like feet hit the ground, Tim gently laid his hand on your cheek and pulled you towards him to kiss him, his other hand pulling you closer to him rested at the top of your hip.

You hummed happily as you kept your arms around his neck, your head was still spinning but right now all that mattered was you and Tim kissing in the middle of Mount Justice without anyone bugging you two. 

Dick Grayson leaned against the door frame leading from the kitchen to the lounge with his arms crossed over his broad chest, a smile very apparent on his face while he watched his adopted little brother kiss you in the lounge. Honestly, it took them long enough to get together, Tim was always so fond of the young super. He acted more like a teenager and less like a nighttime vigilante with you around. 

Feeling like living up to his name, the black dressed man quietly stepped up on the two and wrapped his arms around you two, promptly being the reason for breaking the kiss, a loud shriek coming from one of you. 

Probably Tim. 

"I wanted to join in the happy moment," He coyly grinned down at the pair of you, your face going red before you hide it in Tim's chest, Tim's blue eyes still wide in shock as a blush graved his own face. 

"Dick!" 

"What have I told you all about that word!" M'gann's voice joined the group from the kitchen, Dick began threw his head back in laughter while you tired hiding your now red ears and Tim glared at his brother while trying to pull the two of you away from him. 

This was a much better ending to the day than how you originally thought it would.

[ghostspideys-moved]

Wait For Me

A/N: Okay, so I know I’m already writing another oc fic but that’s fine, that’s never stopped me. This is supposed to loosely parallel one of my favorite musicals, Hadestown, so if you haven’t listened to it yet, you should. Also thanks to @bravest-at-heart​ for listening to me ramble and figure out the details, you’re the real mvp.

Word Count: 1.8k

Pairing: Steve Harrington x OC

Summary: River doesn’t quite know how to handle doing normal everyday things because she’s never had to, but a job seems like a good place to start.

Chapter One

It wasn’t a stretch at all to assume that River didn’t know what she was doing. It had been so long now that she’d escaped from Hawkins Lab and left that behind. It was the last thing she wanted to concern herself with now. 

The only problem was, now she had absolutely no clue what she was doing. Despite her best efforts, she somehow got herself wrapped up in the weird happenings in Hawkins. Having to fight Demodogs and the Mind Flayer was not really her idea of a good time. But somehow she’d gotten roped in again, and now that everything was calm again, she wasn’t entirely sure where to go from here. 

For as long as she’d been trying to assimilate with life in Hawkins, that had been a lot easier said than done. More than anything, she needed a job, but she had no clue where to even start. 

The unfortunate part was probably that her life hadn’t been all that great after leaving the lab, and technically, she wasn’t really sure how people handled every day problems like getting a job. She’d never had to before. 

The only thing River could really think to do was ask Hopper for help, and he’d been nice enough to give it a shot. In her mind, he was probably the best person to ask. The only other adult she might have been able to go to was Joyce, but her and her sons had packed up and left Hawkins a few months ago. Not that she really blamed them after everything that happened with Will.

Thankfully, Hopper gave her the idea to find a job somewhere in Starcourt. She remembered that Steve and Robin both had jobs there at Scoops Ahoy, so it was a good enough place to start. 

River decided to walk there herself. She needed the fresh air anyways despite the fact that it was fall and, therefore, windy as all hell. Honestly, she didn’t mind one bit. 

By the time she made it to the mall, her red hair was windblown and probably looked like a disaster. She tried to tame it as she wandered around, occasionally glancing at some of the other stores sprinkled around the mall. Typically, there were lots of people casually flitting in and out of the different stores, and this was no exception. At the very least, the mall got a lot of business, so it wasn’t like she wouldn’t be busy anywhere she found a job.

River spotted Scoops Ahoy in the distance and quickly navigated through the crowd of shoppers. As she expected, Steve and Robin were slinging ice cream and trying their hardest to get through the line of customers. She shoved her hands in her pockets and tried to wait patiently until they’d gone through the worst of the rush. 

Once the line died down, River walked up to the counter and smiled brightly at her friends. As she approached, Steve put away his ice cream scoop and leaned against the counter.

“What can I get for you?” he asked. “Mint chocolate chip, right?” She hadn’t expected him to remember her favorite ice cream at all, especially seeing as she’d only shown up to bother them a handful of times. Far less than the Party.

River shook her head. “No. Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with something.” He gave her a curious look, maybe even somewhat concerned, but she was quick to assure him it was nothing life threatening this time. “Do you think there’s a chance of me getting a job here?” she asked. “Or anywhere in the mall?”

Steve grinned, perking up at the question. Clearly she’d said something to excite him.

“Actually, yeah. This is perfect,” he said, ignoring Robin’s sighing. “I was actually thinking about quitting, so if I did that, I know the owners would be happy to have someone else fill my position.”

“He’s been talking about quitting for a while now,” Robin said. “It might be quieter without him here.” River knew she didn’t really mean it. She’d be willing to bet she’d miss him the moment he was gone. 

“Really? I mean, if you really think I have a shot.” It was good enough for her, and she really needed the job. It was far better than nothing.

Steve seemed pretty adamant that it was a good idea, and she really didn’t have any other ideas at the moment. River didn’t see a reason not to take the chance. Thankfully, he agreed to put in a good word and help her get everything taken care of. He didn’t see any reason she wouldn’t get the job. 

Seeing as his shift was nearly over, Steve offered to take her back home if she was willing to wait. The moment he offered her ice cream again, she was convinced. She sat in one of the booths nearby as she worked on her cone in the meantime. 

Surprisingly, the wait didn’t feel all that long, and River watched as Steve and Robin talked and said their goodbyes. She waited outside as Steve closed up, and he joined her as soon as he was done. 

“Ready?” 

River nodded and followed him out to his car. It was strange seeing how empty the parking lot was compared to a few hours ago. The only sounds she could pick up were their footsteps and the leaves skittering along the asphalt. It might have been peaceful if she hadn’t witnessed the horrors that so easily hid in such a small town. Somehow, she doubted anything terrible would be happening for a while, but her imagination was great at running wild despite the rational part of her brain. 

When they got in the car and drove off, neither of them said anything for a while. It wasn’t quite an awkward silence exactly, but the air was certainly thick with silence as if neither of them wanted to be the first to speak up. 

It wasn’t until they were probably a few miles away from Starcourt that River decided to say something to fill the silence. “So, why are you quitting?” she asked curiously.

Steve shrugged, his eyes never leaving the road. “It’s not like I get paid a whole lot,” he said. “If I’m being honest, there’s something else I want to do a lot more than scoping ice cream every other day.”

Admittedly, River had no clue what else he’d want to do. As far as she could think, she hadn’t seen him show much interest in much else outside of basketball. She was sure he had to have other interests, but she sure as hell had no clue what they were. 

“Yeah? And what would that be?”

Steve hesitated, almost like he was psyching himself up to answer honestly. 

“For a long time, I’ve always wanted to write music,” he admitted. “I know it’s probably stupid, but I really think I could make it. I’ve actually got something in the works right now.”

That was probably one of the last things she’d been expecting to hear from him. The more she thought about it, though, she had a feeling he might be onto something. On the few occasions she’d heard him sing, he sounded amazing, and she was sure he wouldn’t be too bad at writing songs. In fact, she could recall a few times she’d heard him make up random songs while he was doing something. It was dorky, sure, but wasn’t that really the same concept? 

“I don’t think it’s stupid,” River assured him. “We all have dreams, Steve. I don’t see why you shouldn’t at least try. You’ll have to let me hear your song when you finish it.”

He seemed beyond relieved that she was on board. Something else seemed to be nagging him though, but she wasn’t sure whether to pry or not. 

There was more silence until they slowed to a stop outside the cabin. Hopper’s car was sitting outside, so he must be back from work already. It wasn’t all that long ago that he took on River and her brother, but she quickly got a hang of the way things worked living with Hopper. It was a lot nicer than the lab by a long shot. No doubt he’d have questions about her job search as soon as she went in.

Steve sighed as he parked and turned to her.

“Look, I’ve gotta get something off my chest.” She was a little concerned that something was wrong, but she only nodded in response. “We’ve been friends for a while now, right? And after the shit-storm my life has been, it’s probably been the best part of this whole mess. I know there isn’t a whole guarantee the music thing will work out for me.”

“What’s wrong, Steve?” The more he went on, the more she couldn’t help feeling concerned. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” Steve promised. “More the opposite really.” He paused, running a hand through his hair as he seemed to be thinking about his words carefully. “I want you to come with me.”

River gave him a confused look, not really sure she understood. “I’m sorry, what?”

He took her hands in his, and her face grew a bit warm. The last thing she wanted was to jump to conclusions, but she could almost see where this was going. 

“I know this is really out of nowhere, but I like you, River. A lot. And I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, but I got an apartment not that long ago, and I want you to come with me.”

To say this was sudden was the understatement of the year. River was barely processing anything he’d said, and he deflated a little at her silence.

“I know, I shouldn’t have sprung all of this on you, but I really needed to get it out there. I get it if you don’t want to,” Steve said. “I get it. I probably should have listened to Robin when she said not to come on too strong.”

There was a lot running through her mind. They’d both barely finished high school last year, and of course there was the fact that he was quitting. As far as she was aware, that meant she’d probably be the one working. There were a lot of reasons to call his plan crazy. 

“I don’t know, Steve. I like you, I really do.” If she was being honest with herself, she had for a while now. “But that’s kind of a crazy idea.”

Steve chuckled and shrugged. “Well, I’m known for having some wild ideas.” He gave her a reassuring smile which practically made her melt inside. “You don’t have to say anything right now, but if you thought about it at least, that would mean a lot to me.”

She knew she was going to have a lot to think about. “Alright. I’ll think it through,” she promised.

Satisfied with that answer, he smiled brightly and kissed her cheek without hesitation. “Thank you.”

[fan-fantasies]

Dare (Final)

A/N: Whats up guys? I’m back... Kind of. School has begun and I have a full schedule and I have nothing prepared... This is gonna be the last part of the series. Probably when this gets posted, I will be on vacation with my family. More or less, I will be more quiet than usual so Heather will be around. I know I’m still pushing through writers block so I apologize if this last part is garbage. But I really hope you enjoy. ~Breezy

Warnings?: Season 3 spoilers

Part 1 |  part 2 |  part 3 | part 4 | part 5

You had made your way through the rest of the school year with no problem. You and Steve seemed to avoid each other for the rest of school, which you weren’t complaining about considering you had college to think about. You had decided to become a teacher so finding good colleges that you could afford seemed to be a challenge for you. You had no time for anything. Any time you weren’t at school you were babysitting for families with young children. 

Tonight you had decided to bring two young siblings to the new mall that had been built recently. You hadn’t been there before, but the kids said that there was a good ice cream place there. You didn't think much of it, their parents were alright with it. 

So that night you took them to Scoops Ahoy, that particular night they seemed fairly busy. Behind the counter was a blonde haired girl with short hair that reached just above her shoulders. Much like many of the workers in this mall, she didn’t seem to want to be there. Upon a closer look, her name tag said Robin. Never in your life had you thought another girl was so pretty. 

She did, what seemed to be, the usual greeting for this place though she clearly wasn’t enthusiastic about it, not like you cared. The two girls ordered what they wanted and you followed suit with something simple. You hadn’t thought you would start a conversation with this girl but you stood and talked for a few minutes. The two girls you were babysitting enjoyed their ice cream while you talked with Robin. You honestly hadn’t expected to get her number, you also hadn’t expected to see Steve Harrington waltz out from the back room either. You both awkwardly said hello before he went into the back, but not before telling Robin something in secret. 

“It was good to meet you (Y/N),” She said before heading int he back behind Steve. You sighed softly, joining the girls again. After finishing their ice cream, you walked around and then headed home. 

You started visiting the mall more often than usual, each time going into scoops to take with Robin.  Some days you ran into Steve, you would share awkward conversation with him before either leaving the shop completely or waiting for Robin to show up. 

Today Steve seemed to be in a slightly  different mood.

“You and Robin seem to be getting rather close,” he said lowly as he leaned against the counter.

You weren’t sure what to say to him, yes, you and Robin had become friends quickly.  You doubted Robin saw you that way anyways. “Yeah, I made a new friend. Is that a problem?” you snap not caring how Steve reacted. His face was stone cold, you could tell he was bothered by this. 

“Are you doing this to get back at me for what happened?” his question straightforward, almost like he said it before he thought. 

You rolled your eyes in aggravation, was he serious? “No Steve, I’m not doing this for anything.  I’m sorry I made a new friend and you don’t like it.” You snarl, “I’m sorry I didn’t realize I needed your permission to make friends.” He lowly growled at your statement. He opened his mouth to speak but the back door swung open, Robin walked out oblivious to the current conversation. Steve said nothing more, he stomped off into the backroom. 

“What’s his problem?” she questioned looking at you. You sigh and just shake your head, 

“Just a past feud is all,” 

Days had gone by, you hadn’t had enough time to go up to the mall though late at night you and Robin talked on the phone. The night before Robin hadn’t called, you figured she was busy and had no time talk. Last night she didn’t call  again, it was strange not to hear from her but you tried to brush it off as nothing. You couldn’t seriously have feelings for her, could you? 

After not hearing from her, you reluctantly called Steve who also didn’t answer. What the hell was going on? You tried to brush it off, going about your day until the phone rang. 

“Hello?” you answer unsure  who would be calling. 

“(Y/N)! Thank god!” Steve’s voice rang over the phone.

“Harrington? What the hell is going on?” you began questioning but he cut you off in a panic. Well more like he was trying to think of away to put what he was about to say. 

“There are Russians under the mall, trying to take over Hawkins,” he said then beginning to giggle, “They captured me and Robin,”  he laughed again, “I think they drugged us,” you heard the distant laugh of Robin. You opened your mouth to speak,”God (Y/N), why did we have to end the way we did? I love you so much,” your face turned red,  he loved you? 

“Is  that (Y/N)?” you heard Robin say, “(Y/N)! Hi! He isn’t lying when he says he loves you! Cause you’re all he talks  about!” the both of them laugh, “But I love you too! We are always arguing over you!” Robin laughed, you were frozen. Unsure of what to do or say. 

“O-Oh. right! (Y/N) stay were you are! Don’t let anyone into your house! Okay?” Robin said which confused you greatly. 

“O-Okay Robin, I won’t,” she began to laugh, saying her goodbye and hanging up. What the hell was that?

You had done as Robin said, let no one into your house. Which wasn’t exactly an issue considering the streets seemed empty. The power had gone out, you weren’t sure why but you had a feeling that it wasn’t anything good. You slowly walked towards the kitchen, grabbing a glass and pour yourself a cup of water. Quickly you chugged it down and poured yourself another one. A knock on your door snapped you from your thirsty phase, bringing the glass with you, you went to the front door. You stood forzen seeing who was there, Steve and Robin. Without thinking, you quickly embrace both of them in a tight hug. They stood frozen for a moment before returning the hug. You weren't sure why you were so emotional, but you felt the waterworks beginning to make an appearance. 

"I was so worried about you both. I'm so happy you're okay." you say not even bothing to let them go. Neither of them showed signs of letting go either. You three stood in the doorway for a few minutes before you let them in your home. Unlike last time, Steve decided to tell you what had happened. This time you believed him. all of you sat in the living room, together a peaceful silence seemed to overtake you for a bit before Steve blurted something out. 

"Would you date us?" Robin didn't seem to pleased with his sudden outburst. Your eyes were wide with shock as you tried to process his words. A more awkward silence filled the room as you tried to think of a way to answer his question but the only answers were questions. 

"B-Both of you?" you question looking over at them, they both looked at you surprised. Steve only nodded to answer, you took a deep breath before nodding. "Yes I would," Your answer shocked the both of them, honestly you shocked yourself. 

"You wouldn't mind, dating the both of us?" Robin asked, you took another breath thinking about your answer once more, 

"I wouldn't mind trying..." you trail off. Robin gently took your hand in hers, Steve took your other hand. You all sat in a comfortable silence, knowing you were about to have a new adventure together.

Permanent for all: @lokilvrr @m-a-t-91 @blueeyedbesson

Dare Series: clo-caillea @chipster-21​ @bitchwhytho@thecraziestcrayon@imagine-that-100

[hunnywrites]

We Fell In Love In October: Part One

Summary: Billy and Teddi celebrate Halloween in 1986.

A/N: This is probably just going to be one or two chapters. I was inspired by this gif set to write it honestly. There’s technically a spoiler for the end of Arcade Dreams in this series, but unless you really, really look for it you won’t get spoiled. Also, if you’re wondering about Tina’s Halloween party, I wrote about it in the Chasing Yesterday series. Enjoy!

“Listen, kid, it’s not my problem that you came in two days before Halloween looking for Friday the 13th. We don’t have it. I don’t care if you’re being Jason for Halloween.” Steve Harrington was leaning across the counter of Hawkins Family Video, glaring down at a ten year old that had come in demanding the first three Friday the 13th movies. 

Teddi was hovering awkwardly by the register. Technically her shift had ended three minutes ago. She was waiting for Billy to come pick her up. But it was a little hard to watch Steve go toe to toe with the kid. “Uh, Steve? You need some help?” she asked carefully.

Steve held his hand up. “No, Teddi. I got this. Look kid, either you pick something else out, or you can go home and watch Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin with your mom. I don’t really care! Now. Would you like to see our selection of horror movies?” he asked, looking down at the boy with an expectant look. Teddi tried her best not to laugh as the kid followed Steve to the back of the store, glowering up at the back of his head. Having Steve and Robin working with her at the video store and the arcade had definitely made things more entertaining. 

The familiar rumble of the Camaro’s engine filled the parking lot outside. Teddi turned to the door, watching Billy saunter across the lot and inside. His usual, casual smirk appeared on his lips when he spotted Teddi. He leaned in to kiss her, running his fingers through her hair and pulling out a piece of cobweb. He looked at it with a raised eyebrow. “Been grave robbing, Weird Girl?” he asked.

Teddi smiled sheepishly. “Nothing that glamourous,” she joked. “I was decorating the store and over at the arcade.” she pointed at the front windows. Teddi had strung up spiderwebs, paper mache ghosts and some purple blinking lights in the video store’s windows. There were little light up pumpkins scattered throughout the store, and little shiny, plastic bats hanging from the ceiling tiles. Next to the register there was a giant cauldron filled with candy. “Can you believe I get paid to do this stuff?” 

“Not at all,” he teased. “You ready to get out of here?” 

“And start the Halloween festivities?” Teddi asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet and grinning widely. She had the next two days off, and she had made Billy promise that they would try and fit in as much Hallloween fun as possible. It had been surprisingly easy to get him to agree, but then Halloween had always been their favorite holiday. 

“Yeah, yeah. Halloween festivities. Are you sure you’re set on everything?” he asked, wincing a little. Teddi only looked at him. “...That’s what I figured,” he sighed. “So what’s first then?” 

Teddi thought for a moment, quickly running through the list of things she wanted to accomplish. “Apple cider,” she finally decided. “Come on,” she squeaked, taking Billy by the hand. “Bye, Steve!” she called over her shoulder.

“Later, Harrington!” Billy threw up his hand in a short wave. Steve was still in the horror movie section with the angry ten year old. He gave them both a sarcastic smile, flipping them off as they hurried out of the video store. Teddi hurried past the Camaro and down the sidewalk. “Hey, wait my car-” Billy complained.

“It’s right there, Billy. You can walk.” Teddi argued, nearly dragging him across the street and to the small coffee shop that was on Hawkins’ main street. Hawkins was decorated for Halloween as well. There was a scarecrow sitting in the large lawn that sat in front of Town Hall. He was surrounded by bales of hay and uncarved pumpkins. The lamp posts had bright orange flags hanging off of them with a happy jack-o-lantern telling the people of Hawkins to come to the big Halloween bash in two days. The store fronts were decorated much like Teddi had decorated the video store and arcade. Paper ghosts, pumpkins, bats and Frankensteins greeted customers that walked past. There was a cold bite to the air, but just enough that Teddi could stand. The orange and red leaves crunched under her boots with each step. She loved the fall. 

Teddi’s fingers linked with Billy’s as they headed inside the coffee shop and ordered them each a hot apple cider. “Jesus, I haven’t had this stuff since I was a kid.” he mumbled after taking a slow sip. 

Teddi blew on her own to help cool it off and pulled a face. “How is that even possible?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. My mom used to take me to these farmer’s markets when I was a kid. Can you really picture Neil going to get apple cider and picking out pumpkins?” he let out a chuckle at the idea. Teddi definitely couldn’t imagine anything like that. Teddi couldn’t imagine Neil doing anything fun. 

Billy had started to speak about his mom more and more ever since the incident at the Starcourt mall over a year ago. Teddi appreciated him being open, but she knew it was hard for him. “...Are you gonna be okay with all this? We can always just go home and watch some scary movies.” she said carefully. 

They made it back to the Camaro, and the pair slipped inside. “I’m fine...just no corn mazes. I draw the line at corn mazes.” he leaned across Teddi and popped the glove compartment open. He grabbed a small, metal flask and poured some of the contents into his apple cider.

“...Are you spiking your apple cider? Right in front of me?” Teddi asked with raised eyebrows.

Billy paused for a moment, looking at her unsurely before slowly handing his flask over. Teddi poured some of the whiskey into her own cup with a pleased look. “So what’s on the agenda now?” he asked.

“We’re gonna go pick out some pumpkins, pick up a pizza and have a movie marathon.” she grinned. “I’ve carefully curated a stack of movies back at home.” 

“You ever think of just going with the flow?” Billy asked with a teasing grin.

“Excuse me,” Teddi scoffed. “I go with the flow all the time. We are going to casually watch the stack of movies I’ve picked out and casually carve pumpkins and we’re casually gonna have loads of fun.”

Billy only laughed and shook his head. “Whatever you say, Weird Girl,”

There was a pumpkin patch just on the edge of town. On the drive over Teddi traded her Family Video shirt for a fuzzy, light blue sweater. She shot Billy a stern look every time she caught him looking at her and not the road while she changed. Once they made it to the pumpkin patch, Billy groaned when he saw the amount of people milling around looking for their pumpkins to carve. Teddi of course didn’t seem to mind. Billy followed along behind her, lighting a cigarette before shoving his hands into the pockets of his jean jacket. “...What exactly is it we’re looking for?” he asked carefully. Teddi bent over at nearly every pumpkin, giving them a small knock on the side before turning it to see the whole pumpkin.

“We need big ones. And they have to be thick. Otherwise it can break easily when you’re carving.” she explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

“And when did you become such a pumpkin carving expert?”

She paused a little, like she was deciding if she wanted to give an honest answer. “...Back in New York, my friends and I would carve pumpkins and then go smash them on people’s porches.” she mumbled. Just when he thought Teddi couldn’t surprise him again, she’d pull out a story like that.

“Jesus, Larsson. You were a delinquent.” he laughed.

Teddi stuck her tongue out at him and picked up a pumpkin. “At least I never set a cat corpse on fire.” she said cooly, knocking on the pumpkin. 

Billy scoffed, the toe of his boot kicking at the grass. He blew out a puff of smoke in her direction. “That was one time. And I’m gonna kill Max for telling you that story. How come we didn’t bring her along for this anyways? Don’t kids like this kinda stuff?” 

Teddi set her pumpkin down and shrugged. “I asked. She said carving pumpkins isn’t cool apparently. And I think she’d rather spend time with Lucas,” she said with a small laugh. 

Billy groaned. Teddi had helped hide Max and Lucas’ relationship from him for nearly a year. Billy had walked in on the two of them kissing and he’d nearly had an aneurysm. Lucas hadn’t been allowed over for about two weeks after until Teddi talked Billy out of it. 

“This one!” she exclaimed, holding up a large, round pumpkin. “I’m picking this one. Now we have to find one for you. See any you like?”

Billy blew out an irritated puff of smoke and surveyed the pumpkins around him. He jabbed his finger at freakishly large, lumpy pumkin. “How ‘bout that one?” Teddi only blinked at him. Billy let out a sigh, clamping his cigarette between his lips and picking the pumpkin up. He knocked on it three times. “How’s that sound?” he asked with an expectant look.

Teddi surveyed the pumpkin. “...I know you’re just doing this so we can get out of here, but that’s like a perfect pumpkin. I mean, it’s way too heavy to throw onto someone’s porch, but perfect for carving.” 

While Teddi paid for their pumpkins, Billy dutifully carried them back to the car and set them in the back seat. While this definitely wasn’t how he would spend their two days off, Billy supposed he was willing to put up with it all once he saw how happy it made Teddi. He even agreed to get pineapple on half of their pizza like she liked. Now they were home. Teddi had run out to their shed and grabbed some tools to carve the pumpkins while Billy laid out some old newspapers on the livingroom floor. 

Teddi walked back in, tossing a pack of thumb tacks and two pencils onto the newspapers along with the other tools. Billy raised his eyebrows. “The hell’s this for?” he asked.

She shot him a look as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “The pencils are so we can draw out our design first. And then you use the thumb tack to poke these little holes along the outline so it’s easier to carve.” she explained.

Billy watched her as she crawled over to their tv, picking up a copy of Halloween and sticking the tape into the vcr player. “...Where did you learn all of this?” he asked. Teddi turned to him with a frown. “I mean, smashing them on people’s porches, yeah. But where did you learn all of this?” he asked, motioning to all of her pumpkin carving supplies.

Teddi had an almost guilty look as she began drawing a face on her pumpkin. “...My dad,” she finally confessed. Billy didn’t say anything. He was a little too surprised to think of how to respond. “It was after he got his new fancy job, back in New York. Things were bad before, but when he got his promotion he was...nice. I mean, for him. For awhile. They never wanted to take me trick or treating or anything like that, but he taught me how to carve pumpkins when I was little...I don’t know,” she shrugged. “It’s like...the one happy memory I have of him I guess.”

Billy realized how utterly depressing it was that they both loved Halloween so much. It had just been a way for them to cling to the few happy memories from their childhoods. And it was obvious that she felt guilty for having any happy memories with her complete asshole of a father. Now he felt like a dick for not being more enthusiastic about the whole thing. Billy didn’t say anything. He just picked up his pencil and started to draw what he thought looked like a scary face. “...You want me to take you trick or treating?” he asked.

Teddi cracked a smile. “Thanks, but I think I’m a little too old now.” she joked. They fell into a comfortable silence while they scooped the insides of their pumpkins out and emptied them out into a bowl. Billy took his eyes momentarily off of the movie and looked over to Teddi. She was off in her own world, absently playing with the pumpkin guts.

Billy stopped carving his pumpkin and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “...You okay there, Ted?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah....I was just thinking of the life of a pumpkin. Grow up in the sun, happily entwined with others...and then someone comes along, cuts you open, and rips your guts out.” she sighed. 

Billy only blinked at her. Great. Now Teddi was depressed. “You uh...you’re kinda bumming me out here, Weird Girl.” he said carefully. 

As if he had said some magic words to snap her out of her stupor, Teddi shook her head wildly. “Whoa. Sorry.” she let out an embarrassed laugh. 

“I thought the whole point of all this was to have fun?” Billy said, carving one of the eyes out of his pumpkin and discarding it in the bowl. “Y’know, think of all the fun stuff about Halloween? Remember when we got wasted at Tina’s Halloween party a few years back? You thought my name was Bobby?” he grinned over at Teddi, who’s cheeks had turned a lovely shade of pink at the memory. “You still have that Alice costume?”

Teddi flicked a pumpkin seed at him. “Ass.” she scrunched up her nose, unable to hide her smile as Billy let out a laugh. He was right. All of this was so that they could make new, happy memories together. Not sit around and mope over pumpkins. 

Billy surveyed his jack-o-lantern, turning it towards Teddi with a proud look. “What do ya think? Scary enough for trick or treaters?” he asked. His jack-o-lantern had big, angry slanted eyes and a row of countless pointed, fang like teeth. Somehow it was exactly what Teddi had expected from him. 

“Very scary,” she agreed with a nod. Hers was a bit more of the traditional jack-o-lantern. With its happy, triangle shaped eyes, matching triangle nose and crooked, square teeth. She sat hers next to Billy’s and let out a small laugh. “They make quite the pair, huh?”

Teddi hopped up to her feet and disappeared into the kitchen before shortly returning with two tea light candles and a lighter. “Come on, come on. Let’s take them to the porch.” she scooped up her pumpkin and hurried out into the brisk fall night. Billy and Teddi sat their pumpkins side by side, Teddi dropping a candle down into each of them and lighting them. Teddi took Billy’s hand in hers, walking down a little ways down their driveway before stopping.

“What do you think?” she asked quietly. Like if she spoke too loudly it might ruin the moment. 

“...Spooky.” Billy said with a teasing grin. Teddi let out a soft snort and rested her head on his shoulder. They stood there in a comfortable silence, looking up at the porch of their little house, lit up with an eerie, orange glow from their jack-o-lanterns. Two years ago Billy hadn’t even known who Teddi was (unless you count the incident at Tina’s Halloween party). Then a year later they had purchased their first home after learning about the horrors of the Upside Down and defeating the Mind Flayer. Billy had always loved Halloween because of the horror movies, scaring trick or treaters and seeing girls in their tiny little costumes. Now he realized he loved it for different reasons. 

Billy placed a small kiss on the top of Teddi’s head. “What’s next on the carefully curated playlist, Larsson?” 

“Evil Dead,” she replied simply. “I was thinking we could go see Sorority House Massacre tomorrow.”

Billy smirked. “Sorority?” he asked. “Count me in.”

Teddi shoved him playfully. “Just get back in the house, perv,” she let out a loud squeal when Billy picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She couldn’t hold in her laughter as she tried to squirm out of his grip. “Put me down you asshole.” she laughed. 

“Not until you stop calling me names.” he playfully scolded. 

“I don’t know if that’s possi- ow!” she fell into a fit of giggles after Billy reached up and smacked her firmly on the ass. “Okay, okay! I’ll be nice,” she surrendered. Billy set her down once they made it back to the porch and she gave him another playful shove. “How about you go put the next movie in and I’ll make us some spiked hot chocolate?” she wriggled her eyebrows. 

“Are you trying to get me drunk, Larsson?”

“Maybe. Maybe I can go put on that alice costume and we can have a replay of Tina’s party?” she leaned in the doorway, smirking up at Billy. 

Billy let out a groan and followed her inside. “I gotta agree with pumpkin carving more often.”

[theawkwardterrier]

things left behind and the things that are ahead, ch. 18

AO3 link here

“The party’s downstairs, you know.”

“Well, I’m up here, so—” Tony sips audibly from his champagne glass, spreads his arms wide. “I think the party’s actually up here now.”

He watches as his godfather walks across the gallery toward him. Uncle Steve wears a tux pretty well for an older guy, especially one who’s always preferred the comforts of home to a night out. Probably all those years of being Aunt Peg’s plus one. There’s still something strong about his carriage, a reassuring lack of hesitancy to his step, even though he has quite a few more wrinkles than he did during Tony’s childhood.

Steve stops beside him and looks up at the piece too. “See how the waves look like fingers?” He traces his own through the air to draw attention to them, as if Tony hadn’t noticed their ever-reaching grasp. He takes down the last of the champagne.

“They’re going to bring out the cake soon,” Uncle Steve finally continues when they’ve been standing in silent artistic contemplation for a while. “Your mom is going to notice that you’re gone when you’re not there to sing Happy Birthday to her. Robin might have noticed already.”

“Yeah,” says Tony absently. He almost wants to touch the painted screen in front of them, although even he, who had ducked unconcernedly past the ropes blocking off the stairs to the Met’s upper floors, holds himself firm against giving in to the instinct. His mind finds its way back to itself after a minute and he asks, “How did you know I was here?”

“You didn’t really seem in an Arms and Armor mood earlier.”

Tony’s face twitches as if it can’t decide whether to smile. “You like Robin, don’t you?” he asks instead.

“I always have,” says Steve in that easy, honest way of his. “Everyone’s glad to see her. She managed all of Rose’s questions without running, and I think Layla still wants to adopt her.” He takes in the details of the waves once more before he turns to look precisely at Tony. “But the real question is, do you like Robin? Because if you want to go through with giving her that ring you have in your pocket, you should probably be sure.”

The box, when he automatically pats at his pants, is just where it’s been each time he’s checked it tonight.

“Guess one of the grandkids found you a Super Detective magnifying glass in a cereal box,” he says to cover up the way he’s been caught off guard.

“No,” says Steve. “I know it’s been a few decades, but I once carried around a box just like that, waiting for the right moment.”

“Aunt Peggy says that she was the one who popped the question,” Tony points out.

“Well, there’s a reason we don’t listen to everything she says.” The smile gives just that little extra crinkle to his eyes. “Only most things.”

Tony lets out a little sound that doesn’t quite make it beyond the beginnings of a laugh. “You know that my—” He clears his throat, looks over toward the display without paying attention to it. “My first date with Robin was maybe three weeks after Dad died? We’d known each other a little at school and I’d seen her when I was in Boston a couple months before, so when I heard she was in town, I set it up…And I wasn’t—I wasn’t ready for any of it. I’d just been handed my father’s life’s work, I was trying to make sure Mom was managing, everything was starting with Jarvis. I was sure it was going to be a disaster. But that night at dinner, I had fun. She was fun. We could just talk - about her latest coding project or the Three Laws of Robotics, whatever.”

“And has it stopped being fun?” Steve’s head is tilted just a little, casual, patient, as if he already knows what Tony is going to say. Tony swallows and says it anyway.

“I don’t know if it ever really got past fun.” He thinks of the two of them yesterday evening. Robin had been fizzy after the train trip down from Boston, the way she always was. She’s the only person Tony knows over the age of five who regards trains as anything more exciting than a convenient way to get from here to there. They’d gone to a little burger place they liked (made the world’s most perfect steak fries and served them up in overflowing baskets), got into another good-natured debate over the implications of human cloning, stopped by to see if his mother needed any more help before the party, and went back to his place. It had been fun. It had been a good time.

“She’s sharp as hell, and that punk rock thing definitely does it for me." He risks a glance over, waiting for his godfather to clear his throat awkwardly the way he does when Tony brings up anything sex adjacent, but Uncle Steve is still watching him with that quiet, patient look. Tony finds that as he continues, he cannot look back. "Things are great when she’s here. But I don't think she knows what it would be like to be a Stark all the time, what it would be like to be married to someone who’s a part of that. Would she change for it? Would I like her the way I do if she did?” Tony wants to put his hands in his pockets despite the box taking up real estate in there, but he is still holding the champagne flute and the darkened gallery is not exactly bustling with passing waiters balancing conveniently extended trays.

“People change all the time,” Steve points out, and instead of a rising fury at the triteness of the statement, the calm around the man, Tony finds his tension beginning to unravel in response. There’s something soothing about the lack of surprise, a peaceful cushioning inside of him. It’s as if they are discussing theory, like they are back on the floor of his childhood bedroom, Steve sitting through another of Tony’s exhaustive explanations of his latest Rube Goldberg machine.

In that sort of space, even though his voice creaks as he speaks, he says, “I don’t know if I’d want her to change for me. But I don't think I'd change for her either."

“Then why are you trying to propose?”

"Gotta try to find your person, you know?" He runs a finger around the edge of his glass, looks back over. "Dad always said he regretted not finding Mom sooner. I'm trying my best here. "

"But if he had met her sooner," Steve reminds him, "I don't know that he would have been the right person for her." He shifts, and Tony remembers that however straight-postured the man stands, he's also a million years old and been on his feet all night. He's about to suggest that they go take a seat, but Steve pins him with a stare. "I've been luckier in this area than I can believe, luckier than you can understand, but I'll tell you that I knew when I had found my person. And all of these doubts you have, Tony, it sounds as if you haven't yet."

In some ways it is a relief to hear it outside of the suppressed corner of his own mind, to have the words brought into the open air with no condemnation in the tone. In others, it is as if Steve has swung the door wide and invited in all of Tony’s fears.

He can’t speak for a minute. When he does, his words are slow.

"I have this memory," he says. "I must have been really young - I don't even know if it's actually real or something my brain just pieced together. You'd brought the whole gang up to the Maine place for Christmas - no idea why, we could have all been snowed in and died - but that's where we were. And then Dad and Aunt Peggy got called somewhere and disappeared for a few days, made it back just in time for Christmas Day. I was under the kitchen table and you were cooking when they got back, and she came in to say hi to you. She just—She gave you a kiss and you whispered something to her, and she touched your cheek. Didn't really do anything, just put a hand there and looked at you. And you know, I was probably too young to know anything, but I knew that you loved each other."

Steve is quiet. "It was real. You remembered it right," he says finally, a little huskiness to his words, as if this decades-old memory is still entirely fresh for him

"No way you could have been like that in the beginning," Tony says, abrupt bravado covering the vulnerability. "I've heard all those old war stories. But you had something and you grew into it together. So why can't I—Why can’t we try to grow together like that?"

"You can, Tony.” Steve turns to him fully, resting a hand on his shoulder. “You can. But you have to want it.” In the dim light of the spot aimed at the artwork in front of them, he can read his godfather’s eyes: not solemnity or reproach, but hope for him, whatever he chooses.

He clears his throat, clears it again. “Might be that I want to want it more than I actually do.”

He thinks of Ana calling Jarvis pet names, fluttering her lashes at him as they passed in the hallway so that he stuttered and blushed. He thinks of his parents coming home from some event or another, his father’s suit coat around his mother’s shoulders. He thinks of the people who have been raised beside him as family: the Barnes’s, a carefully expanding unit, the Carters with their spouses and children and deeply committed friends.

He thinks of Aunt Peggy’s hand on Steve’s cheek all those years ago.

“Someday,” he says, a promise in a way he doesn’t entirely understand. “Someday I’ll really want it.”

“You will,” Steve says back with such certainty that Tony lets out a breath. “But for now, we should go back downstairs. We’ve been gone for a while.”

Tony waits until Steve turns, then follows him toward the doorway. “Aunt Peg will have definitely noticed we disappeared by now.”

“Who do you think told me that I should come look for you?” Uncle Steve smiles over his shoulder, hands in his pockets.

“Only right most of the time, huh?”

“Don’t tell her.”

And Tony smiles too, and shakes his head, and walks down to stand with his family and eat cake.

More chapters here

[youremyonlyhope]

Stranger Things 3

Episodes 5 and 6

Full day of work. Woke up early. Traveled on the train for more than an hour and a half. Super tired. But I want to watch at least 2 episodes tonight.

First of all, Terminator Dude needs to stop. And Alexei looks vaguely familiar and it’s killing me but I think he’s just reminding me of someone I might have known years ago. Maybe. These kids need to get over the relationship drama since this situation is ten billion times more important. Can we please listen to Will? In nearly any other situation, Erica would have a point about dehydration and drinking what you can find since odds are there’s water in it. But in this case, I don’t trust the glowing green Russian juice. Loved the Indiana Jones reference. Actually, i guess since he didn’t reach back for something it’s not necessarily an Indiana Jones reference, but still. Also we got glowing green Russian acid juice yay. Them walking down the long hallway rings a bell but I can’t figure out why. The whole time the kids were in the Holloway house, I could hear Admiral Ackbar in my head screaming “IT’S A TRAP!” Creepy journalist dude is back. Forget his name. Didn’t like him that much but at least he can be helpful. I loved Robin attempting to use the little Russian she’s learn to get them out of it. It didn’t work, but that was a good plan. Of course the other horrible guy at the Post is a zombie now too. Of course he is. On one hand, I’m glad the kids aren’t fighting anymore, on the other hand, rekindling their relationships could have waited until AFTER the Mind Flayer is gone. Seriously. We all need to just listen to Will and Joyce more often in general. They’re always right whenever they’re worried about something. The two Post dudes became rat jam... Ok yes I get that they’re humans so it’s not the same as when the rats became rat jam, BUT I love to make a Torchwood reference when I can. So from now on, when one of the “flayed” beings explode/melt into goo, I’m calling it rat jam. As an ode to my baby Owen and his messed up mind.

Once they got into the hospital I was like “...didn’t the trailer show a gruesome monster in a hospital hallway... or at least a hallway with this lighting...” and now the answer to that is yes. Yes it did.

Episode 6!

The title E Pluribus Unum rings a bell. OH MY GOD. This show is beyond genius. It’s Latin for “out of many, one” which like sure makes sense since the Mind Flayer is made up of many people and has control over them or whatever. But also! It’s a motto found on the US seal and on our currency! Because this episode takes place on the Fourth of July! Yay! Double meanings! I love it. I don’t like Dustin, Erica, Steve, and Robin splitting up even if it’s to give Dustin and Erica a better chance of getting out. And of course the rat jam monster can just... liquify and go under doors. Of course. Also that whole time I was half screaming at the kids to not go upstairs, but El saved Nancy so I guess it’s good she did go up. The Terminator really needs to stop threatening Westley. That scene of Alexei coming back was funny. Erica! Embrace your nerdiness! Us black nerd girls are the best! Can they just stop hurting Steve? Why is Steve the one who always ends up beaten up? I had a random thought during the episode. I really want to see El go into the nothingness while wearing a long flowing dress. I want to see it float and drag on the black water and what that would look like. This is a pointless thought but I think it’d be a cool visual. I appreciate Max and Nancy standing up for El’s right to decide for herself. Mike does have a little bit of a point though that the gang kind of uses El for her abilities, but also El wants to do it at the same time, it’s just that the gang doesn’t stop her. And awww Mike said he loves her. That was the one thing I was spoiled for, by the way, so that’s fun. Also, kid you’re like 14, can you really fall in love? Calm down. But it’s sweet. Oh poor Jim and Joyce realizing the implications of the gate reopening. Look at my girl Erica. Taking notice of her surroundings. Finding a weapon. Love her. The Robin and Steve scene was sweet. I just wish we weren’t going down the “Geeky girl liked the popular guy all along!” route but oh well. I like both of them. Dr. Owens you better get down here. You’re one of the few competent people outside of the core gang. GET ON THIS. I meant to mention this earlier, but it turned out they weren’t dead so I didn’t say it, but these kids are legit killing people now. I thought that Nancy and Jonathan killed those guys from the Post, but they weren’t dead they just melted (or maybe they melted because they were dead?... hmmm). But Dustin just electrocuted that doctor and there was some burning and char marks so... I think that guy’s dead and Dustin just killed someone for the first time. It used to be that only El killed people.

So. We might actually be getting some sort of Billy redemption arc here. Because first of all we got the classic Zuko-type flashback to happy memories with mom and abuse from dad, followed by mom leaving and the the child being distraught, and then the kid taking it out on others. Like could he be any more like Zuko? Oh yeah. He could if he was an actually good human being. Because even when Zuko was evil, he thought he was good, and he was still nice at least to some people, while Billy knows he’s a horrible person. But anyway. I did appreciate the one little tear from Billy. I am assuming that’s Billy bleeding through the Flayer a little. We got his sad backstory, now lets see if he can do a full Zuko and help them in the end.

...

So that’s a lot of rat jam.

Like... that’s all the rat jam... and now the Shadow Monster definitely isn’t a shadow anymore... yay... that’s fun... so much fun... RIP all the people who became rat jam.

Something I thought of, but this season it seemed like El was using her powers a lot more against people, or at least needed to use her powers more. It made me worry that we would overly rely on her and then that would lead to people manboys complaining that she’s too over powered. But now that the Mind Flayer has tapped into El a bit, or at least has a connection, she’s not as invincible so let’s see where this goes now.

[flauntpage]

Kristaps Porzingis Does Not Need to Play Center—Yet

The New York Knicks drafted Kristaps Porzingis with every intention of making him a power forward. Sure, Porzingis stood 7-foot-3 and had a reported 8-foot wingspan, but he was rail thin and, given his professional performance in Spain, it seemed unlikely he'd ever be enough of a force on the defensive interior to play center, either in the immediate or the long-term. And so, he would be the Knicks' Dirk Nowitzki: a floor-stretching big man capable of making opponents junk their defensive game-plans, but that nonetheless needed cover from a more traditional center. Nodding toward Porzingis's expected positionality, the Knicks followed up his selection by signing three centers (Robin Lopez, Kyle O'Quinn, Kevin Seraphin) in free agency.

But by December of his rookie season—29 games into his career—it seemed worth asking whether Porzingis' best position might already be center. In two months' time, Porzingis emerged as an elite rim-protector, blocking multiple shots in 16 of those 29 games and swatting six or more in three of them. His shooting also played better at the "five," creating more space for Carmelo Anthony and the rest of his teammates to operate. The results, both early and throughout the rest of his rookie campaign, were clearly in favor of him playing center.

Nevertheless, the Knicks came right back the next season and decided that Porzingis was still a power forward. They traded Lopez to Chicago in the Derrick Rose deal and let Seraphin walk to the Pacers, but they committed $72 million over four years to Joakim Noah so that he could play center alongside KP, and also signed both Willy Hernangomez (drafted in the second round the year before) and Marshall Plumlee. As a result, Porzingis played even less center during the 2016-17 season than he did as a rookie. While the team's performance during those minutes was worse than it had been a year prior, that was mostly because the team was worse as a whole. They were still better with KP at the five than at the four.

With Carmelo now gone for good and the team firmly committed to building around Porzingis for the long haul, one might that that the Knicks would also be ready to commit to playing him at what seems to be a much more advantageous position. Alas, that is not the case. The Knicks have even more centers on the roster this season than they did a year ago (Noah, Hernangomez, O'Quinn, Enes Kanter), and it sure seems like Porzingis will spend even less time playing the five once again.

This is disconcerting. Even more disconcerting to a large cohort of Knicks fans is that, just like Anthony did, Porzingis openly prefers playing a position at which both he and the team are less effective. "I think it's better for us," Porzingis said recently, per the New York Daily News. "Me at the four, especially if I'm playing against a non-shooting four, I can do a lot. When I'm playing against the five, I'm fighting with the big a lot of times and I'm wasting a lot of energy. Obviously, offensively I have an advantage at center, but I'm just more comfortable playing at the four."

Coach Jeff Hornacek appears willing to indulge KP on this, though the way the roster is constructed does seem to play a role in that thinking. "With our roster, and with a lot of centers that we have, I don't anticipate it a lot," Hornacek said of using Porzingis at center for stretches of the game. "We have situational times that when we maybe need a little bit of a defensive team, he's at the five. Offensively, again, I think we can open up the court occasionally and go small. A lot of these teams are doing that now, so that's a possibility."

So, to recap: when the Knicks need a defensive team, then they can go to KP at the five; because obviously Kanter and Hernangomez and O'Quinn do not provide anything in the way of defensive coverage for their Latvian star. And if they want to open up the court offensively, then they can go small with KP at the five; because none of those guys can space the floor either, and not a one of them brings enough playmaking to make up for their lack of stretch. (And because Joakim Noah's best position is probably "suit-wearer" at this point.) Better on offense and better on defense…but they're not going to do it a lot.

Earlier in the preseason, Hornacek let on that despite using Porzingis at center for a few minutes during that night's game, the team hadn't even practiced the configuration to that point. He did, though, allow himself to admit that one of KP's stated reasons for feeling more comfortable at the four— being able to protect the rim if he's guarding a non-shooter, per the Daily News —is mostly erroneous.

"At the five, he's probably around the basket a little bit more," Hornacek said. "He can come from the weak side at the four spot and block shots and help us out defensively, but most of these teams in the league have outstanding shooters at the four spot; so, if he's running to block a shot, there's going to be somebody open."

But Hornacek and the Knicks are going to run him out there at the four anyway, mostly because of the roster construction but also because it's what KP seems to want and they can't run the risk of pissing him off any more than they did last year. Porzingis is extension-eligible next summer and if the Knicks think they've seen what full-on disaster looks like after the Phil Jackson debacle, just wait and see what happens if Porzingis turns down an extension and says he plans to take the qualifying offer because he's not happy playing for them.

The plan, then, is to appease him. And you know what? It's really not that big a deal.

Look how happy Porzingis is to be sharing the court with a center. Photo: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports.

Yes, the Knicks will likely be better offensively and defensively this season if Porzingis plays center. And yes, Porzingis himself will likely be more effective offensively and defensively if he plays center this season. But first of all, the Knicks probably don't want to be better at anything this season other than losing. And second of all, Porzingis could continue playing 25-ish percent of his total minutes at center between now and the end of his probable max extension, and it could still wind up being his primary position over the course of his career.

The kid just turned 22 years old! He's going to be in the league for 10-15 more seasons barring injury, and he won't hit his physical prime until sometime around 2022. If he spends the next couple years playing power forward most of the game, then moving to center when opposing teams downshift late (which is happening more and more anyway), it's not the end of the world. Even the NBA's best four that sometimes plays five (Draymond Green) doesn't actually do it all that much. Granted, his team is awesome and doesn't actually need him to play center that much and he's not 7-foot-3, but the Warriors' primary reason for not making Draymond their full-time center (too much banging) is similar to (one of) the reason(s) why Kristaps doesn't want to do it.

And really, that's fine for now. Let Porzingis play the four and figure out how to be a No. 1 offensive option. Let him get comfortable with both the idea and the physicality of becoming a full-time center over the course of the next couple seasons. As he grows into his body and has to devote more of his energy to carrying the offense, it'll eventually become clear that being closer to the basket more of the time is the way he can make the most impact on defense; and if the league keeps shifting toward the perimeter, maybe there won't be all that much banging and physicality at the position by the time he's ready to become a full-time five anyway.

It's understandable, given the Knicks' history of screwing these kinds of things up, to want to freak your geek out whenever they're not doing something exactly the way they should be. For the first time in a while, the team seems to understand that the immediate results aren't all that matter. The evolution of Porzingis is what matters. And the Knicks seem to have an implicit understanding that the evolving NBA will push him to center anyway. There is no need to rush that process.

Kristaps Porzingis Does Not Need to Play Center—Yet published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[amtushinfosolutionspage]

Kristaps Porzingis Does Not Need to Play Center—Yet

The New York Knicks drafted Kristaps Porzingis with every intention of making him a power forward. Sure, Porzingis stood 7-foot-3 and had a reported 8-foot wingspan, but he was rail thin and, given his professional performance in Spain, it seemed unlikely he’d ever be enough of a force on the defensive interior to play center, either in the immediate or the long-term. And so, he would be the Knicks’ Dirk Nowitzki: a floor-stretching big man capable of making opponents junk their defensive game-plans, but that nonetheless needed cover from a more traditional center. Nodding toward Porzingis’s expected positionality, the Knicks followed up his selection by signing three centers (Robin Lopez, Kyle O’Quinn, Kevin Seraphin) in free agency.

But by December of his rookie season—29 games into his career—it seemed worth asking whether Porzingis’ best position might already be center. In two months’ time, Porzingis emerged as an elite rim-protector, blocking multiple shots in 16 of those 29 games and swatting six or more in three of them. His shooting also played better at the “five,” creating more space for Carmelo Anthony and the rest of his teammates to operate. The results, both early and throughout the rest of his rookie campaign, were clearly in favor of him playing center.

Nevertheless, the Knicks came right back the next season and decided that Porzingis was still a power forward. They traded Lopez to Chicago in the Derrick Rose deal and let Seraphin walk to the Pacers, but they committed $72 million over four years to Joakim Noah so that he could play center alongside KP, and also signed both Willy Hernangomez (drafted in the second round the year before) and Marshall Plumlee. As a result, Porzingis played even less center during the 2016-17 season than he did as a rookie. While the team’s performance during those minutes was worse than it had been a year prior, that was mostly because the team was worse as a whole. They were still better with KP at the five than at the four.

With Carmelo now gone for good and the team firmly committed to building around Porzingis for the long haul, one might that that the Knicks would also be ready to commit to playing him at what seems to be a much more advantageous position. Alas, that is not the case. The Knicks have even more centers on the roster this season than they did a year ago (Noah, Hernangomez, O’Quinn, Enes Kanter), and it sure seems like Porzingis will spend even less time playing the five once again.

This is disconcerting. Even more disconcerting to a large cohort of Knicks fans is that, just like Anthony did, Porzingis openly prefers playing a position at which both he and the team are less effective. “I think it’s better for us,” Porzingis said recently, per the New York Daily News. “Me at the four, especially if I’m playing against a non-shooting four, I can do a lot. When I’m playing against the five, I’m fighting with the big a lot of times and I’m wasting a lot of energy. Obviously, offensively I have an advantage at center, but I’m just more comfortable playing at the four.”

Coach Jeff Hornacek appears willing to indulge KP on this, though the way the roster is constructed does seem to play a role in that thinking. “With our roster, and with a lot of centers that we have, I don’t anticipate it a lot,” Hornacek said of using Porzingis at center for stretches of the game. “We have situational times that when we maybe need a little bit of a defensive team, he’s at the five. Offensively, again, I think we can open up the court occasionally and go small. A lot of these teams are doing that now, so that’s a possibility.”

So, to recap: when the Knicks need a defensive team, then they can go to KP at the five; because obviously Kanter and Hernangomez and O’Quinn do not provide anything in the way of defensive coverage for their Latvian star. And if they want to open up the court offensively, then they can go small with KP at the five; because none of those guys can space the floor either, and not a one of them brings enough playmaking to make up for their lack of stretch. (And because Joakim Noah’s best position is probably “suit-wearer” at this point.) Better on offense and better on defense…but they’re not going to do it a lot.

Earlier in the preseason, Hornacek let on that despite using Porzingis at center for a few minutes during that night’s game, the team hadn’t even practiced the configuration to that point. He did, though, allow himself to admit that one of KP’s stated reasons for feeling more comfortable at the four— being able to protect the rim if he’s guarding a non-shooter, per the Daily News —is mostly erroneous.

“At the five, he’s probably around the basket a little bit more,” Hornacek said. “He can come from the weak side at the four spot and block shots and help us out defensively, but most of these teams in the league have outstanding shooters at the four spot; so, if he’s running to block a shot, there’s going to be somebody open.”

But Hornacek and the Knicks are going to run him out there at the four anyway, mostly because of the roster construction but also because it’s what KP seems to want and they can’t run the risk of pissing him off any more than they did last year. Porzingis is extension-eligible next summer and if the Knicks think they’ve seen what full-on disaster looks like after the Phil Jackson debacle, just wait and see what happens if Porzingis turns down an extension and says he plans to take the qualifying offer because he’s not happy playing for them.

The plan, then, is to appease him. And you know what? It’s really not that big a deal.

Look how happy Porzingis is to be sharing the court with a center. Photo: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports.

Yes, the Knicks will likely be better offensively and defensively this season if Porzingis plays center. And yes, Porzingis himself will likely be more effective offensively and defensively if he plays center this season. But first of all, the Knicks probably don’t want to be better at anything this season other than losing. And second of all, Porzingis could continue playing 25-ish percent of his total minutes at center between now and the end of his probable max extension, and it could still wind up being his primary position over the course of his career.

The kid just turned 22 years old! He’s going to be in the league for 10-15 more seasons barring injury, and he won’t hit his physical prime until sometime around 2022. If he spends the next couple years playing power forward most of the game, then moving to center when opposing teams downshift late (which is happening more and more anyway), it’s not the end of the world. Even the NBA’s best four that sometimes plays five (Draymond Green) doesn’t actually do it all that much. Granted, his team is awesome and doesn’t actually need him to play center that much and he’s not 7-foot-3, but the Warriors’ primary reason for not making Draymond their full-time center (too much banging) is similar to (one of) the reason(s) why Kristaps doesn’t want to do it.

And really, that’s fine for now. Let Porzingis play the four and figure out how to be a No. 1 offensive option. Let him get comfortable with both the idea and the physicality of becoming a full-time center over the course of the next couple seasons. As he grows into his body and has to devote more of his energy to carrying the offense, it’ll eventually become clear that being closer to the basket more of the time is the way he can make the most impact on defense; and if the league keeps shifting toward the perimeter, maybe there won’t be all that much banging and physicality at the position by the time he’s ready to become a full-time five anyway.

It’s understandable, given the Knicks’ history of screwing these kinds of things up, to want to freak your geek out whenever they’re not doing something exactly the way they should be. For the first time in a while, the team seems to understand that the immediate results aren’t all that matter. The evolution of Porzingis is what matters. And the Knicks seem to have an implicit understanding that the evolving NBA will push him to center anyway. There is no need to rush that process.

Kristaps Porzingis Does Not Need to Play Center—Yet syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6

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Kristaps Porzingis Does Not Need to Play Center—Yet

The New York Knicks drafted Kristaps Porzingis with every intention of making him a power forward. Sure, Porzingis stood 7-foot-3 and had a reported 8-foot wingspan, but he was rail thin and, given his professional performance in Spain, it seemed unlikely he'd ever be enough of a force on the defensive interior to play center, either in the immediate or the long-term. And so, he would be the Knicks' Dirk Nowitzki: a floor-stretching big man capable of making opponents junk their defensive game-plans, but that nonetheless needed cover from a more traditional center. Nodding toward Porzingis's expected positionality, the Knicks followed up his selection by signing three centers (Robin Lopez, Kyle O'Quinn, Kevin Seraphin) in free agency.

But by December of his rookie season—29 games into his career—it seemed worth asking whether Porzingis' best position might already be center. In two months' time, Porzingis emerged as an elite rim-protector, blocking multiple shots in 16 of those 29 games and swatting six or more in three of them. His shooting also played better at the "five," creating more space for Carmelo Anthony and the rest of his teammates to operate. The results, both early and throughout the rest of his rookie campaign, were clearly in favor of him playing center.

Nevertheless, the Knicks came right back the next season and decided that Porzingis was still a power forward. They traded Lopez to Chicago in the Derrick Rose deal and let Seraphin walk to the Pacers, but they committed $72 million over four years to Joakim Noah so that he could play center alongside KP, and also signed both Willy Hernangomez (drafted in the second round the year before) and Marshall Plumlee. As a result, Porzingis played even less center during the 2016-17 season than he did as a rookie. While the team's performance during those minutes was worse than it had been a year prior, that was mostly because the team was worse as a whole. They were still better with KP at the five than at the four.

With Carmelo now gone for good and the team firmly committed to building around Porzingis for the long haul, one might that that the Knicks would also be ready to commit to playing him at what seems to be a much more advantageous position. Alas, that is not the case. The Knicks have even more centers on the roster this season than they did a year ago (Noah, Hernangomez, O'Quinn, Enes Kanter), and it sure seems like Porzingis will spend even less time playing the five once again.

This is disconcerting. Even more disconcerting to a large cohort of Knicks fans is that, just like Anthony did, Porzingis openly prefers playing a position at which both he and the team are less effective. "I think it's better for us," Porzingis said recently, per the New York Daily News. "Me at the four, especially if I'm playing against a non-shooting four, I can do a lot. When I'm playing against the five, I'm fighting with the big a lot of times and I'm wasting a lot of energy. Obviously, offensively I have an advantage at center, but I'm just more comfortable playing at the four."

Coach Jeff Hornacek appears willing to indulge KP on this, though the way the roster is constructed does seem to play a role in that thinking. "With our roster, and with a lot of centers that we have, I don't anticipate it a lot," Hornacek said of using Porzingis at center for stretches of the game. "We have situational times that when we maybe need a little bit of a defensive team, he's at the five. Offensively, again, I think we can open up the court occasionally and go small. A lot of these teams are doing that now, so that's a possibility."

So, to recap: when the Knicks need a defensive team, then they can go to KP at the five; because obviously Kanter and Hernangomez and O'Quinn do not provide anything in the way of defensive coverage for their Latvian star. And if they want to open up the court offensively, then they can go small with KP at the five; because none of those guys can space the floor either, and not a one of them brings enough playmaking to make up for their lack of stretch. (And because Joakim Noah's best position is probably "suit-wearer" at this point.) Better on offense and better on defense…but they're not going to do it a lot.

Earlier in the preseason, Hornacek let on that despite using Porzingis at center for a few minutes during that night's game, the team hadn't even practiced the configuration to that point. He did, though, allow himself to admit that one of KP's stated reasons for feeling more comfortable at the four— being able to protect the rim if he's guarding a non-shooter, per the Daily News —is mostly erroneous.

"At the five, he's probably around the basket a little bit more," Hornacek said. "He can come from the weak side at the four spot and block shots and help us out defensively, but most of these teams in the league have outstanding shooters at the four spot; so, if he's running to block a shot, there's going to be somebody open."

But Hornacek and the Knicks are going to run him out there at the four anyway, mostly because of the roster construction but also because it's what KP seems to want and they can't run the risk of pissing him off any more than they did last year. Porzingis is extension-eligible next summer and if the Knicks think they've seen what full-on disaster looks like after the Phil Jackson debacle, just wait and see what happens if Porzingis turns down an extension and says he plans to take the qualifying offer because he's not happy playing for them.

The plan, then, is to appease him. And you know what? It's really not that big a deal.

Look how happy Porzingis is to be sharing the court with a center. Photo: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports.

Yes, the Knicks will likely be better offensively and defensively this season if Porzingis plays center. And yes, Porzingis himself will likely be more effective offensively and defensively if he plays center this season. But first of all, the Knicks probably don't want to be better at anything this season other than losing. And second of all, Porzingis could continue playing 25-ish percent of his total minutes at center between now and the end of his probable max extension, and it could still wind up being his primary position over the course of his career.

The kid just turned 22 years old! He's going to be in the league for 10-15 more seasons barring injury, and he won't hit his physical prime until sometime around 2022. If he spends the next couple years playing power forward most of the game, then moving to center when opposing teams downshift late (which is happening more and more anyway), it's not the end of the world. Even the NBA's best four that sometimes plays five (Draymond Green) doesn't actually do it all that much. Granted, his team is awesome and doesn't actually need him to play center that much and he's not 7-foot-3, but the Warriors' primary reason for not making Draymond their full-time center (too much banging) is similar to (one of) the reason(s) why Kristaps doesn't want to do it.

And really, that's fine for now. Let Porzingis play the four and figure out how to be a No. 1 offensive option. Let him get comfortable with both the idea and the physicality of becoming a full-time center over the course of the next couple seasons. As he grows into his body and has to devote more of his energy to carrying the offense, it'll eventually become clear that being closer to the basket more of the time is the way he can make the most impact on defense; and if the league keeps shifting toward the perimeter, maybe there won't be all that much banging and physicality at the position by the time he's ready to become a full-time five anyway.

It's understandable, given the Knicks' history of screwing these kinds of things up, to want to freak your geek out whenever they're not doing something exactly the way they should be. For the first time in a while, the team seems to understand that the immediate results aren't all that matter. The evolution of Porzingis is what matters. And the Knicks seem to have an implicit understanding that the evolving NBA will push him to center anyway. There is no need to rush that process.

Kristaps Porzingis Does Not Need to Play Center—Yet published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[flauntpage]

Kristaps Porzingis Does Not Need to Play Center—Yet

The New York Knicks drafted Kristaps Porzingis with every intention of making him a power forward. Sure, Porzingis stood 7-foot-3 and had a reported 8-foot wingspan, but he was rail thin and, given his professional performance in Spain, it seemed unlikely he'd ever be enough of a force on the defensive interior to play center, either in the immediate or the long-term. And so, he would be the Knicks' Dirk Nowitzki: a floor-stretching big man capable of making opponents junk their defensive game-plans, but that nonetheless needed cover from a more traditional center. Nodding toward Porzingis's expected positionality, the Knicks followed up his selection by signing three centers (Robin Lopez, Kyle O'Quinn, Kevin Seraphin) in free agency.

But by December of his rookie season—29 games into his career—it seemed worth asking whether Porzingis' best position might already be center. In two months' time, Porzingis emerged as an elite rim-protector, blocking multiple shots in 16 of those 29 games and swatting six or more in three of them. His shooting also played better at the "five," creating more space for Carmelo Anthony and the rest of his teammates to operate. The results, both early and throughout the rest of his rookie campaign, were clearly in favor of him playing center.

Nevertheless, the Knicks came right back the next season and decided that Porzingis was still a power forward. They traded Lopez to Chicago in the Derrick Rose deal and let Seraphin walk to the Pacers, but they committed $72 million over four years to Joakim Noah so that he could play center alongside KP, and also signed both Willy Hernangomez (drafted in the second round the year before) and Marshall Plumlee. As a result, Porzingis played even less center during the 2016-17 season than he did as a rookie. While the team's performance during those minutes was worse than it had been a year prior, that was mostly because the team was worse as a whole. They were still better with KP at the five than at the four.

With Carmelo now gone for good and the team firmly committed to building around Porzingis for the long haul, one might that that the Knicks would also be ready to commit to playing him at what seems to be a much more advantageous position. Alas, that is not the case. The Knicks have even more centers on the roster this season than they did a year ago (Noah, Hernangomez, O'Quinn, Enes Kanter), and it sure seems like Porzingis will spend even less time playing the five once again.

This is disconcerting. Even more disconcerting to a large cohort of Knicks fans is that, just like Anthony did, Porzingis openly prefers playing a position at which both he and the team are less effective. "I think it's better for us," Porzingis said recently, per the New York Daily News. "Me at the four, especially if I'm playing against a non-shooting four, I can do a lot. When I'm playing against the five, I'm fighting with the big a lot of times and I'm wasting a lot of energy. Obviously, offensively I have an advantage at center, but I'm just more comfortable playing at the four."

Coach Jeff Hornacek appears willing to indulge KP on this, though the way the roster is constructed does seem to play a role in that thinking. "With our roster, and with a lot of centers that we have, I don't anticipate it a lot," Hornacek said of using Porzingis at center for stretches of the game. "We have situational times that when we maybe need a little bit of a defensive team, he's at the five. Offensively, again, I think we can open up the court occasionally and go small. A lot of these teams are doing that now, so that's a possibility."

So, to recap: when the Knicks need a defensive team, then they can go to KP at the five; because obviously Kanter and Hernangomez and O'Quinn do not provide anything in the way of defensive coverage for their Latvian star. And if they want to open up the court offensively, then they can go small with KP at the five; because none of those guys can space the floor either, and not a one of them brings enough playmaking to make up for their lack of stretch. (And because Joakim Noah's best position is probably "suit-wearer" at this point.) Better on offense and better on defense…but they're not going to do it a lot.

Earlier in the preseason, Hornacek let on that despite using Porzingis at center for a few minutes during that night's game, the team hadn't even practiced the configuration to that point. He did, though, allow himself to admit that one of KP's stated reasons for feeling more comfortable at the four— being able to protect the rim if he's guarding a non-shooter, per the Daily News —is mostly erroneous.

"At the five, he's probably around the basket a little bit more," Hornacek said. "He can come from the weak side at the four spot and block shots and help us out defensively, but most of these teams in the league have outstanding shooters at the four spot; so, if he's running to block a shot, there's going to be somebody open."

But Hornacek and the Knicks are going to run him out there at the four anyway, mostly because of the roster construction but also because it's what KP seems to want and they can't run the risk of pissing him off any more than they did last year. Porzingis is extension-eligible next summer and if the Knicks think they've seen what full-on disaster looks like after the Phil Jackson debacle, just wait and see what happens if Porzingis turns down an extension and says he plans to take the qualifying offer because he's not happy playing for them.

The plan, then, is to appease him. And you know what? It's really not that big a deal.

Look how happy Porzingis is to be sharing the court with a center. Photo: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports.

Yes, the Knicks will likely be better offensively and defensively this season if Porzingis plays center. And yes, Porzingis himself will likely be more effective offensively and defensively if he plays center this season. But first of all, the Knicks probably don't want to be better at anything this season other than losing. And second of all, Porzingis could continue playing 25-ish percent of his total minutes at center between now and the end of his probable max extension, and it could still wind up being his primary position over the course of his career.

The kid just turned 22 years old! He's going to be in the league for 10-15 more seasons barring injury, and he won't hit his physical prime until sometime around 2022. If he spends the next couple years playing power forward most of the game, then moving to center when opposing teams downshift late (which is happening more and more anyway), it's not the end of the world. Even the NBA's best four that sometimes plays five (Draymond Green) doesn't actually do it all that much. Granted, his team is awesome and doesn't actually need him to play center that much and he's not 7-foot-3, but the Warriors' primary reason for not making Draymond their full-time center (too much banging) is similar to (one of) the reason(s) why Kristaps doesn't want to do it.

And really, that's fine for now. Let Porzingis play the four and figure out how to be a No. 1 offensive option. Let him get comfortable with both the idea and the physicality of becoming a full-time center over the course of the next couple seasons. As he grows into his body and has to devote more of his energy to carrying the offense, it'll eventually become clear that being closer to the basket more of the time is the way he can make the most impact on defense; and if the league keeps shifting toward the perimeter, maybe there won't be all that much banging and physicality at the position by the time he's ready to become a full-time five anyway.

It's understandable, given the Knicks' history of screwing these kinds of things up, to want to freak your geek out whenever they're not doing something exactly the way they should be. For the first time in a while, the team seems to understand that the immediate results aren't all that matter. The evolution of Porzingis is what matters. And the Knicks seem to have an implicit understanding that the evolving NBA will push him to center anyway. There is no need to rush that process.

Kristaps Porzingis Does Not Need to Play Center—Yet published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv