#because she moved TO CALIFORNIA with him and he was being a piece of shit then and she had NOBODY out there

[blujayonthewing]

opening the group chat for the first time today and there's like 200 new messages because everyone's Going Through It today it seems but one of my friends dropped 'I'm separating from [terrible boyfriend she's been living with for like eight years] for real this time, I just moved a bunch of stuff to my parents' and I'm losing my mind because y'all the subject changed almost immediately HEY HI EVERYBODY ELSE SHUT THE FUCK UP I WANNA HEAR ABOUT THAT???

[nburkhardt]

Mainly for my love, @strangersteddierthings ily

An overly sappy and fluffy follow up to this angst piece

“-Christ, I’m coming!”

It’s- Jesus Christ, only eight in the morning on a goddamn Saturday and someone decided to call him now? He roughly picks the phone up, “whoever the fuck this is, you better have a goddamn good reason to be calling!”

“Well, I’m sorry. It’s even earlier for me, nerd” Robin’s voice comes through, and now he’s confused.

If anyone should still be asleep, it should be her. Since she’s ya know, in California, in a different timezone. It’s- “why the fuck are you awake at five? Aren’t you on vacation?”

He can hear the eye roll Robin does, but it’s only fair. She woke him up, she gets to deal with a little bit of bitchy Eddie.

“I am, doesn’t matter. What are your plans again for Christmas?”

Tilting his head, squinting his eyes, he blinks hard before rubbing a hand down his face. “Buckley. You did not fucking just ask me what my plans are. The hell? You’re not even here! Why?”

Robin groans, obnoxious and long. Then a huff, and after that he hears tapping and he can imagine she’s bumping the phone against her head and straighten up with a glare on her face. He gets the look a lot from her to see it clearly.

“Edward Munson. I need to know what your Christmas plans are for very good reasons. Actually, what are you doing for that whole weekend? I need a favor and you’re going to do it, because it’s very very important. So important that if you do not do this and I find out, you will be a dead man and wish the demobats were after you.” She takes a deep breath, “do you understand?”

It must be, if she’s bringing up violence this early.

“Okay, geez I’ll bite. My plans for Christmas is just hanging around with Wayne, we usually just hang around watching Christmas movies and eat together. I got nothing planned the weekend, all of ya and my band are busy with family and shit.” He leaned against the fridge, closing his eyes and hoping whatever Robin is thinking doesn’t involve much.

“You need to kidnap Steve.”

He opened his eyes quick to widen them, straightening up and looking around for his keys. “Can I keep him then?”

Robin groans and he smiles, “if I’m kidnapping Stevie, I get to keep him. Finders keepers, Buck!”

“If you can only promise to love him and care for him.”

“Always, Robin. My Honeylove deserves it and so much more, he doesn’t even know how much,” he sighs, “I’ve agreed, now can you explain why?”

He’s met with silence and he looks at the phone wondering weather it’s not working or Robin hung up; already satisfied with him agreeing. Which would be fucking rude of her.

As he brings the phone back, he hears her sigh and- “i know my platonic soulmate and he doesn’t think I’ve noticed him being withdrawn or sad. He’s determined to make me go grey by suffering in silence, and he doesn’t believe how much I care or how much you care. So, he’s alone, like right now.” She sniffles and he can imagine she’s gripping her hair while also leaning up against whatever wall or surface, “SO, I would appreciate you for the rest of my life, if you help me and make him very, so very happy. Please.”

Taking a step out of his van, Eddie shifts his weight as he looks at the single flower he managed to pluck from his neighbors bush, it’s probably cheesy and maybe a little much but he couldn’t help himself.

Picking it up, he quickly slams his door before marching his way to Steve’s front door and stands straight. Taking a breath before moving his arm behind his back, knocking on the door with the other.

It’s been a few days since Robin’s call and his plan couldn’t take any shape until this morning. Wayne had noticed he was off the rest of that day and a complete word-for-word retelling happened and he ended with Wayne telling him, “Jesus kid, ya didn’t need to ask. That boy of yours is welcomed here”

And that was that.

He holds his fist up again as the door swings open and he’s met with an adorable sight, Steve wearing his glasses a little askew and his favorite yellow sweater along with some plaid sweats.

“Eddie?”

Smiling, Eddie pulls the flower out and brings it in front of their faces. Twirling the flower around before lightly bumping it on Steve’s nose, “My dear, Stevie Honeylove Harrington, I am here on this lovely December twenty third to officially kidnap you.” He watched as Steve pulls the door open more looking even more confused, it makes him smile at him.

“Eds, what the hell? Please don’t tell me you’re high right now?”

Rolling his eyes, Eddie shakes his head. “I am very sober, and come on, get things together. You’re coming home with me”

They move into the kitchen and Steve looked at him before shaking his head.

“Can my kidnapper explain one more time, because he deserves to know why he’s being kidnapped- two days before Christmas” Steve asks and grabs the flower from him, putting it in a cup before leaning up against the counter to look at him.

He doesn’t bother sitting anywhere, instead comes right up to Steve and tapping his temple. “Because, my heart, you selfless dummy. You will be spending the rest of this holiday, with me and Wayne.”

Steve’s eyes widen, before darting around to avoid looking at him. It pulls a frown on Eddie’s face and he steps back just a bit, just to let Steve avoid his gaze more. He knows when it’s necessary to give more space, especially this lovely boy.

“I don’t want to impose on you both, I’m fine here. My parents called and said they’ll be her-”

“Nuh uh. Nope, I will not accept that. Even if they were coming, I’d still be kidnapping you, sweet boy.” He interrupts, crossing his arms and glances around the room before settling his eyes back on the important thing, Steve.

Steve who is still looking anywhere but at him, his own arms crossed but looking much more like he’s hugging himself, his fingers drumming along his arm.

“Sweetheart, Steve, I would truly and utterly love if you come along with me to your first official Munson Christmas.”

A smile pulling at his lips, as the words process in Steve’s head. A light blush is slowly creeping up. It makes his own cheeks start to burn, his own blush coming up from seeing Steve looking soft and confused.

Eddie moves closer to him again, arms no longer crossed and instead coming up around Steve. Enjoying how he instantly shifts to wrap his arms around Eddie, it makes his heart happy.

“Yeah okay, Teddy. I’ll go”

It’s the smell of bacon that makes him stir and the light sound of Christmas music playing.

Steve blinks a few times to get the sleep out of his eyes, his vision getting as clear as they can without his glasses. Along with that his other senses also kicks up and he can feel the weight of an arm around his waist and legs tangled with his.

He shifts just enough to see Eddie behind him, face still relaxed as he lightly snores. Clearly still asleep. It’s only then that he relaxes back down and looking away with a blush and tiny smile.

For once happy to wake up on Christmas morning in years.

“Merry Christmas, Love” Eddie’s arm tightens around his waist as he spoke, pulling him closer.

His face completely breaking out into a smile now. “Yeah?”

Eddie hums and squeezes his waist again, “yeah course, it’s Christmas”

Steve shakes his head, “no, well, yeah it’s Christmas but um, the love thing.” He squeezes his eyes shut and mentally counts to five before turning around to face Eddie, “are you serious? Because I’m, um, starting to think that you’re-”

There’s a smile tugging on Eddie’s lips and he moves his arms to settle back snug around Steve, “In love with you? Yeah, Honeylove. I am, I love you Steve and I would be the happiest man alive if you let me keep you”

Steve’s eyes are watering as he nods and breaks into a breathless laugh, the words bouncing around in his head over and over.

“Yeah, yeah. Please. I love you too”

It brings a bright smile to Eddie’s face that Steve matches, Eddie presses a kiss to his forehead and promises that they’ll share their first kiss once they lose the morning breath and Steve holds him to it.

They’ll get up, brush their teeth and share a soft kiss before walking out to see Wayne busy finishing off some pancakes. They’ll wish him a merry Christmas, enjoy their breakfast together before settling in the living room to watch Christmas movies and unwrap the presents under the tree.

There’s not much; only a few gifts for each of them.

Steve doesn’t even pay much attention to his, he’s really truly happy because his favorite present is currently sitting on the floor in a Santa hat obnoxiously shaking a gift next to his head with a big smile on his face.

It’s the best Christmas he’s had in a long time.

One of my all time favorite tropes is “they’re not dating” and guess what, they weren’t dating at all in this until Christmas 🥰 Eddie was very obviously in love with Steve from the start though, Steve was just a little slow on catching the very point-blank flirting :D

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this sappy piece and it made up for the angst I put you through in the first part. ☺️

Those who also asked/commented: @goodolefashionedloverboi @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @vampirestevie @steviesummer

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[passivenovember]

Being a dad is something he's always wanted. Call it a cliche, right, the all-American, golden boy who's caught up in the idea of four to six snot-nosed brats looking up to him as they try to make sense of all the big and small things because they have no other choice. You only get one dad, right?

He images them, crawling and then walking and then sprinting through the same ancient, brand-new stages of life. Six months, learning the kitchen-magic of how their fingers and toes bend on command. A year, stumbling Jello-legged down a hallway. Fifteen, slamming their bedroom door only to rush, crying, into Steve's arms when he works up the courage to rap his knuckles on the wood like the dad from Full House.

Maybe. It's all Steve's ever wanted. More than that signed Nicks basketball his own dad sent for him when he was twelve. More than Nancy Wheeler. More than his need for mountains, and oceans, and something else.

But then he meets Billy, and it's like all that other shit goes away for a while. None of it disappears, really, but he's got something to focus on, now. Something to work toward, with someone, and that makes it worse, in a way.

Billy finally lets him fuck, and Steve lays in bed that night with an irritatingly awful douchebag drooling a spot onto his chest, and Steve thinks. Knows--

Look, he won't admit it on the first fuck, but this is it for him. He wants to buy this dude house, and he wants wedding rings around the fat and bone of both their fingers, and. He wants babies, with Billy.

Aches Billy to love him.

He wants a life with this asshole. The whole nine. Steve runs his hand through Billy's hair and falls asleep imagining family Christmases, and vacations, and the fragile, shining hope that Billy will wake up tomorrow and swear that he's in love. That Steve is who he's waited 19 years for. That to each other, they'll always belong.

Obviously, that doesn't happen. Maybe.

If it does Steve wouldn't know, because Billy's not a lunatic. He's gone before the sky's fully blue. Leaves his phone number scrawled on the corner of Steve's mirror in Sharpie.

Steve's in love.

So. Immediately, he wants the impossible, but mostly, he just wants Billy. And by some giant, invisible, choking miracle he gets Billy. His body first, and then his thoughts. His laugh, genuine and biting and whole. Billy shares his memories, like pieces of bread dropped in water for hungry birds, for Steve. Achingly slow, he tells his hopes, his dreams, and.

Eventually, one night with his head on Steve's chest he says, "You terrify me. I never want it to end."

So. It's basically love.

Steve's a loose canon when it comes to this feeling. Pedal to the medal, he shoots through walls with bright red booming firepower until everything is cracked and bleeding and open around them. Until there's room enough to say, "I love you, move in with me."

So, Billy does. Impossible.

Wonderful and joking, even though it's not a joke when Steve's parents meet him on move in day and Steve's dad is thrilled that Billy knows shit about cars, and Steve's mom likes that Billy has a weathered recipe book that was, "passed down from my grandma, back in California," for her to find a place for in their tiny, warm kitchen while she unpacks.

"He's very nice," Steve's mother says, "Respectful. Handsome." In that same wistful, sleepy tone that she used when she first called Nancy wheeler sweet. Beautiful.

"He's a fine young man, son," Steve's dad tells him. "Try not to run him off."

Steve watches them reverse from the ratty, rocky, untamed driveway, with his heart in his throat. Imagines the day he and Billy will leave their kids, supported and loved fiercely, to make that wobbly step toward the brush-fire shore of their lives.

--

Steve's plan for the future lives and breathes in a small, tucked-away corner in his mind for months. He nearly chokes to death on it, several times a day, watching Billy relax into his routine.

Billy cooks dinner every night. They eat on the couch in their boxers, dishes left on the coffee table until Billy kisses him awake in the blue light of the television, "Let's go to bed, baby," he says. Steve always notices that the plates and cups are cleared away, the living room tidy for the dawn.

Billy buys a shovel and digs two holes in their patchy backyard. Steve watches him from the kitchen window, wondering what the cavities will grow with the start of spring.

Billy plants a clothesline. "My mom used to dry our clothes this way," He says, when Steve raises an eyebrow. He tacks sheets and sweaters to sway in the sunlight. Talks about laying a patio out there, so they can grill for people when it's warm.

Steve gets hard from the image of himself, in an apron, grilling hot dogs and hamburgers for their friends, first, and kids. Someday. A total dad.

--

Billy makes use of his library card and checks out every book about homesteading he can find. He learns about gardening, and bricklaying, and how to buff gashes out of hardwood floors. For his birthday, Billy hints at a Better Homes and Gardens subscription.

When Steve forks out the cash and the May issue arrives in the mail two months later, Billy presses a hasty kiss to his forehead and disappears onto the porch. He spends his Sunday afternoons with sticky notes and an overused ballpoint pen from that moment on, circling things that have no rhyme or reason, to Steve.

--

They've been living in their house for six months when Billy says, suddenly, "We should see if we can buy it." Like he's been planning his own version of their future.

It's Sunday, and he's just come up for air from Better Homes and Gardens. There's a cheese plate in his hands. He's parked by the front door, on his way out, looking startled as if the words escaped from a caged area buried deep inside of him.

"Huh?" Steve's more of the lay-around-and-rot-in-his-underwear-on-Sunday's type. He's eating ice cream out of the container, distracted by something Barney Fife says. He laughs.

"We should buy the place," Billy tells him.

Steve blinks, "The house?"

"It's our house," Billy says delicately, with all the weight of the world resting on him.

Steve looks up from the television set, shocked that Billy's hair is wet in some places and drying in others. As if he was being groomed by some large, impatient cat. He peers around Billy, out the screen door. "Is it raining?"

"Sprinkling," Billy says, "I have an umbrella."

"Your magazine's gonna get wet."

"I'm reading The Grapes of Wrath," Billy tells him, pulling a weathered copy out from under his cheese plate.

"Sure, but if the rain picks up, your book--"

"--The characters could use a little water," Billy says, "They're trapped in the dust bowl."

"I'm in love with you," Steve says. Like it's the first time he's ever admitted something like this out loud. So it's a surprise. "I like that you read. I like that you talk about everything like it's real."

Billy pads over to the couch and knocks Steve's legs apart. He settles on the arm of the thing, cold, wet toes pressing into Steve's thigh. Steve winces, sputtering when Billy feeds him a slice of American cheese wrapped in bologna.

He chews. Swallows. "I need to make more money, baby."

"Why," Billy asks, feeding himself.

"Because," Steve chokes on the next round Billy feeds him, heart soaring when Billy smiles, "Because if we're gonna lay a patio and grill for our friends I want to make sure you have decent ingredients."

"I don't mind the cheap stuff."

"You deserve better," Than what I can provide, Steve doesn't say.

Billy shrugs, feeding him another round of cheese and meat. "Well, if we're following through with the patio and the grill--"

"--And a porch awning," Steve says, feeding Billy a slice of cheese, "I'm adding that to the list. You can’t read your book and eat snacks while holding a fucking umbrella over your head."

Billy stares at him, swallowing and red cheeked. "I think any sort of permanent installment has to be cleared through the landlord."

Steve thinks about it, humming low when Billy slips off the armrest and settles, heavily, into his lap. "So, we buy the place."

"I need a better job, too."

"We'll look when the paper comes tomorrow."

They lapse into silence, eating cheese and bologna until it's gone, then they move to the ice cream Steve was working his way through, chuckling at The Andy Grifith Show.

It starts pouring rain, little hammers falling on the roof until the power flickers. "I want to make this house nice for you," Billy says.

Steve looks at him. "It's already nice."

"It could be better," Billy says, fiddling with the hair on Steve's chest. "We could have a garden. And I think the beige walls are boring as shit, we need to get some wallpaper. Or paint, or something."

"What else should we do?"

Billy shrugs, "The kitchen needs a rug. I saw this book at the library about how old men in Russia and China and shit learn to weave rugs on giant wooden looms. Some of them have seaters, and others hang them from the ceiling. Your car needs a new power steering pump--"

"--Sounds like you need a shed."

"Yeah, I guess so," Billy says. He grins, and then his brows furrow. "But. Steve, I want to build us a life, here. I want to start my life with you, I don't want to wait until we move to something we own, because I like this house, and I feel like when we start to grow our family, we can--"

Steve's heart stops beating.

His vision tunnels, all his focus collapsing on the words Billy says. Phrases that sound wonderful and impossible, all knitting together to equal nurseries built from two-by-four.

Billy stares at him cheeks red. "Sorry, I know we haven't talked about any of this. I get excited."

"I'm in love with you," Steve tells him, breathless.

"I know, dumbass, I'm in love with you."

Steve kisses him. Pulls away. "You really wanna buy a house?"

"Yeah. Not a house, this house."

"You wanna have my babies?"

Billy tugs on his chest hair, grinning when Steve yelps. "Maybe you wanna have my babies, instead."

"Sure," Steve tells him immediately, "Yeah, anything you want."

"I'm going back onto the porch," Billy says, "We'll start with the job listings in the paper."

Steve watches him go. Thinks he could be alright at this, being a husband and a father. Someday.

Right now, he's alright at being Billy's.

[intothedysphoria]

Billy’s therapist probably didn’t mean to be patronising but he very much came off that way. Something about being in a wheelchair now made people think he was simple.

It was CIA appointed or whoever the assholes who’d dragged him into hospital were. The therapist felt like he should have been a part of the Men In Black and Billy half expected that he was going to get his memory erased.

Instead, after Billy signed several NDA’s about the time he was possessed by a fucked up alien thing, he was told to draw. So he drew. He drew his mom bathed in the California sun, Max trailing a muddy skateboard around the house. Heather when she was still alive. Neil covered in bulbous sores, just because. He didn’t draw Steve, even if he wanted to. He wasn’t going to get his boyfriend into more shit than he already was.

The man pursed his lips then asked Billy if he knew why he was there. A sardonic answer almost danced on his tongue until he remembered these guys probably had Max. He shook his head no instead.

“We’re moving you out of Hawkins Billy” came the crisp response. For Billy’s own safety, of course. No cover up here.

They were not moving him back to California, even after Billy threatened to stab a guard. California would be too obvious of a move.

They were dumping him in yet another shithole but this one was in Texas. To live with his maternal grandfather, who Billy hadn’t met since he was three years old.

He didn’t get to say goodbye to anyone. All he had were Max and Steve’s house numbers balled up in his fist as he boarded the plane.

His vague memories of “grandpa Patrick” were of a gruff, surprisingly fit old man who scared the shit out of Neil. Memory did not disappoint.

Patrick had served 32 years in the Air Force before working as low level management on an oil rig and retiring soon after. He was a piece of work when it came to bending house rules but it came from a place of genuine caution not the desire of instilling fear.

Since the past months had destroyed any hope of going to college, Patrick signed him up for wheelchair basketball. Under the surname O’Connor, not Hargrove.

Phone usage was limited from 5pm until 6pm every day, because Patrick was perhaps overly concerned about bills and was also convinced that all phones were bugged. Billy tried to call Max and Steve every day. And every day either Susan or Mrs Harrington picked up. It was driving Billy up the fucking wall. What was the point of having a boyfriend or sister if you weren’t allowed to call them?

Billy’s aunt Marie had noticed that he was becoming steadily more despondent by the day, so she gently suggested writing a letter. As long as he didn’t use his old name and wrote with his left hand he should be fine.

Max’s letter took about 10 minutes. They knew each other so well all Billy really needed to establish was that she was safe, she was coping and she wasn’t getting too much shit at school. Billy already knew how she’d be feeling in this situation.

Steve’s letter took much longer. Trying to judge how your boyfriend of a little under a year would react to you suddenly reappearing in his life was a little more complicated. Especially when you had to drop in hints as to who you actually were.

Billy struggled through emphasising that he loved Steve, leaving him had been hell and he’d met several actual cowboys since the move. After that he really just had to wait.

Steve sent him back a letter with tiny butterflies drawn on the front. He was always doodling and on their first date Billy had been told his eyes reminded Steve of butterflies. It was a difference from all his past dates who’d told him they looked like the sea.

It was a long letter for Steve. He was dyslexic and despised writing, would constantly need to be bribed with affection to finish a book report but Steve sent practically a novel. He was bored and lonely in Hawkins, had a job in a video rental space and was working his way up to going to college. There were several paragraphs asking about the rules of wheelchair basketball followed by several more asking if he’d bought a cowboy hat.

He loved Billy more than he could explain and hoped he could come back soon.

Billy felt asleep with the letter tucked into his pocket and resolved to find Steve again.

One day.

For @shieldofiron @dragonflylady77 and also @oopsiedaisiesbaby for giving me the idea of Texan Billy

[heavyhitterheaux]

Got Me Thinking

Part 1: Butterflies

Synopsis: a reunion that is well overdue makes your heart flutter once you lay eyes on your first love in more than ten years and the feelings that you thought were long gone come rushing back

Pairing: Jack Harlow x Reader

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

Sighing to yourself, you quickly pulled out your phone and started looking for plane tickets to head back home to Louisville. It had been a little while since you had been back, but your biggest reason for going was to get away from him.

Him being your husband, Xavier.

The two of you had been married for only three years, but you were over it. You had come to the realization that the person you married was long gone and that there really was no hope left. The less that you were around him, the better.

You knew he was cheating on you and you recently discovered that he had gotten another woman pregnant and that she was due in less than a month.

He had no idea that you knew all of that information and since you found out, you had just been biding your time and had since opened up another bank account to save money in order to plan to get away from him.

The goal was to move back to Louisville so that you could be closer to your parents and siblings who stayed there while you were the only one that left.

Booking your flight, you closed your phone to begin packing since you would literally be leaving within the next few hours. At this point, you were desperate and longing for a peaceful environment.

You knew that he wouldn't ask any questions about where you were and it seemed as if it had gotten to the point where the two of you were simply roommates and you were completely okay with that.

It had been almost a week since you had seen him anyway.

A quick text was sent to your mom to let her know to expect you around midnight and she quickly responded back in excitement.

The plan was to divorce him by the end of this year because then you would have more than enough money to live off of for the time being once you moved back. Truth be told, you had enough money now, being a CRNA had its perks and it helped that you lived in California which had the highest pay for nurses because of the cost of living. Moving to Louisville would definitely be a pay cut, however you didn't even care. You just wanted to get away from him.

–

When you had finally touched down in Louisville at midnight, you told your mom not to worry about getting you from the airport but she insisted and wouldn't take no for an answer.

Once you slid into the passenger seat of her car after throwing your suitcase in the back, she immediately eyed you which made a sigh escape from your lips.

“Hi to you too, mother.”

“I'm just waiting until the divorce is finalized so that I can throw you a party.” She said while following behind the other cars headed towards the highway.

“By the end of the year. I told you that already.”

“But what are we waiting for? Anything that you need, you know me and your dad will support you until you get settled back here in Louisville. He is a piece of shit and I'm tired of him treating my daughter as if she isn't the best thing to happen to his ungrateful ass.”

“He wasn't always like this.”

“I know because if he was, ain't no way in hell he would have gotten my approval to marry you.” Your mother replied with her voice slightly raised and you simply sighed.

“You deserve so much more and it is hard seeing my youngest child so unhappy all the time. So, I'm just going to say it.”

“MOM!” You replied turning to her with wide eyes because you knew what was going to happen next and what she was going to say because she said it every single time that you talked to her on the phone or facetime.

“Jack wouldn't have treated you like this.”

“Will you ever let that go? We broke up more than 10 years ago! It was a mutual decision!”

“Well it needs to be a mutual decision for yall asses to get back together. Jack is the only son-in-law that I'm going to acknowledge at this point and I am waiting for the proposal. See? It's meant to be. I don't like his wife and I don't like your husband. There, that settles it.”

Any time that someone mentioned Jack, your heart immediately began to race and the butterflies in your stomach increased tenfold.

The two of you decided to end your relationship after dating from your freshman year in high school all the way up until senior year. It wasn't because either of you wanted to, it just was what was best. You were going to nursing school and Jack was trying to become a rapper and get a record deal and move to Atlanta. When you sat down and thought about it, the two of you could have made it work, but the last thing you wanted was for him to feel like he was being held back by you in any shape or form.

You saw how successful he was and was proud of him and never counted him out for a minute despite what people were saying around the two of you.

“Wait, pause. When did he get married?!”

“Talk about a delayed reaction. But it only happened about ten months ago. You and Xavier were umm… starting to have your issues so I didn't mention it. I met her when I went to meet Maggie for lunch and she gave me… What's that word yall use now? The ick. And in not so many words when Maggie and I went to lunch, she told me she didn't like her either and that he should have married you. Jack even LOOKS unhappy. But you didn't hear that from me. Do what you want with that information. I mean you could always go over to Maggie and Brian's. It seems like he's always there and never at home. I wouldn't be at home either with someone like that.”

“Mom! Quit it. I am here to…”

“Get away from your cheating ass husband who is also about to have a baby on you? Go and get the man who has wanted you since you were fourteen.”

All you did was sigh because you knew deep down that your mother was right. But, you still had hesitations in the back of your mind. You highly doubt that Jack still felt the same about you all these years later. Besides, he had a whole wife and you could admit that your mother could be extra dramatic at times, so why would he marry her if he didn't even like her?

“Okay, changing the subject. What do you want to eat when we get home?”

“Mom, it's one in the morning.”

“So? What time do stomachs open?”

–

Later on in the day when you had gotten some much needed sleep, you had a craving for some Italian food and decided to go to a restaurant not too far from your parents’ house and get your order to go. Your all time favorite, Vincenzo's.

In order to make it so no one in your house had to cook dinner, you took it upon yourself to get something for everyone. You had already placed your order and was waiting for it as you were scrolling on your phone, when suddenly you heard someone call your name from behind.

“Y/N?”

Once you looked up and turned around, you came face to face with no one other than Jack's younger brother Clay. Who you hadn't seen since you left Louisville to go to nursing school.

“Well look who it is and who is all grown up. Hi, Clay.” You responded while giving him a hug. You remember him wanting to be just like Jack and would want to follow him around everywhere.

“Just visiting or moving back like your parents want?” He asked and all you could do was roll your eyes because you knew your mom would tell anyone who would listen.

“Oh, so she's literally made it known to everyone that they want me to move back, but just visiting for right now. Had a taste for some Italian so here I am.”

“What are you doing tonight? Are you busy by any chance?” Clay asked, catching you off guard. Your only plans were to drink wine and watch tv until you passed out for exhaustion.

You simply shook your head no towards him.

“Well, it's Jack’s birthday and we’re throwing a surprise party for him and Urban. You should come. I know he would be happy to see you.”

You didn't even realize that it was in fact March 13th.

“Clay, I don't know. We haven't seen each other in over ten years.”

“All the more reason to come. Just…. trust me on this. He would want you there and I won't get knocked upside the head for his gift not being here on time and I'll just say that you're the gift.” All you did was laugh and shake your head.

It wouldn't totally be a bad thing to see him, but what would you say when you did?

The butterflies were erupting in your stomach again and you looked back up at Clay before you talked yourself out of it.

“What time and where is it?”

—

Your older sister, Janelle was currently with you in your childhood bedroom helping you decide what to wear and of course she was picking out the more revealing outfits while you were simply trying to be modest.

“Put them titties on display! Show him what he’s been missing!” She yelled and you simply looked at her and rolled your eyes.

“You are literally the worst and I should have asked Jeremiah.”

“Should have asked me what?” Your older brother and the middle child, Jeremiah asked as he popped his head into your room.

“What the? Since when do you live here?” You asked, confused by his sudden appearance.

“Well damn, I can’t come and see my baby sister when she’s here anymore? And besides, Janelle texted me and said you were going to a certain ex’s birthday party. So, I needed to find out the details and especially when the wedding date is.”

“Because Janelle cannot keep her mouth shut to save her life and yes I am. And wait a minute, WEDDING DATE? You two are just as insane as our mother.”

“She won’t dress slutty though as I’m suggesting.” Janelle said while rolling her eyes at you.

“You want my ass and boobs out like I’m not going to freeze.”

“Hoes don’t get cold.” She fired back, but you quickly gave it right back to her.

“I’m anemic.”

“You know you’ve always been it for him. I mean my baby sister is the shit and he let you get away and is now married to… umm…. Someone that is not on his level.” Jeremiah said as he went over to your vanity to pick out jewelry that you would wear despite you not having an outfit.

Jeremiah was definitely the fashionista out of the three of you and you knew for a fact if he wasn’t an orthopedic surgeon that he would definitely be doing big things in the fashion industry.

“So, all of you have met her?!”

“And it was not a pleasant experience and one that had left a good first impression.”

Janelle got up to rummage through your suitcase and found a black halter top that she paired with tan cargo pants and proceeded to throw your New Balance 550’s at you that matched.

“Here, go put this on. Your boobs are going to be spilling out the top in this.”

“Did I ever tell you two how much you both get on my nerves?”

“All the time, but it’s a good thing that we don’t care. Now it’s time to catch us a man.”

“He’s married.”

“And so are you. And both of you are miserable. Hurry up and make this happen, we have a wedding to plan.”

It was now 8 PM and you were sitting in the passenger’s seat of Clay’s car and the two of you were headed to where the surprise party was going to be held and he noticed how much you kept fidgeting.

“Y/N, it’s going to be fine. I know he misses you even if he doesn’t want to admit it at times. He is always asking our mom if she had talked to your mom lately and always asked how you were doing.”

“Really?”

All Clay did was nod his head as he slowed down to a complete stop at the red light in the intersection.

“Look, I… know he probably doesn’t want you to know this, but I’m telling you anyway.”

“Tell me what?” Now you could feel your heart rate speeding up.

“When he found out that you were married that broke him even though he was trying to put up a front and now he probably won’t admit it if someone asked him. He has never moved on from you.”

“Clay…. He’s married so, obviously he did move on.”

“Hmm, if you could call it that.” He responded while snorting and trying to find a place to park so that the two of you could head inside.

“Wait, what?”

“You know from the start that we were always rooting for you two to be together. Even our parents were.”

“Clay, I did not come here to break up a marriage.”

“I… it’s already broken despite it not even being an entire year yet, but you didn’t hear that from me. But Jack has to see it for himself. Anyway, we’re here. And if nothing else tonight puts a smile on his face, I know you will when he sees you. His wife might show up, she might not… she’s a piece of work.”

“All of you give me entirely too much credit. I am nothing special.”

“Ask Jack if he feels the same way and I guarantee that he’s going to say that you are.”

The two of you walked in and Clay had mentioned that Jack and Urban were going to be there within the next ten minutes and now your butterflies were starting all over again as they erupted once more in your stomach.

When PG saw you, you were placed into bone crushing hugs and it was expressed how much you had been missed around Louisville, especially from Jack and that once he laid eyes on you that it would be a done deal.

Clay told you to hide to the side in the back corner as PG was in front of you so that when Jack walked in, he wouldn’t be able to see you until everyone moved out of the way. He planned on everyone screaming ‘surprise’ when both of them walked in and then telling him that he wanted to start the party off right by showing him a gift that he had been patiently waiting for, and that gift was you.

It was now quiet in the room that the party was taking place and the lights had been shut off and you heard Jack and Urban mumbling to each other while trying to find the light switch. Once they did, everyone screamed ‘surprise!’ and the two of them were all smiles.

This was the first time that you had laid eyes on Jack in person in more than ten years and the butterflies erupted once more. He looked so good and it felt that your heart was about to beat out of your chest.

Clay had walked over towards him to give him a hug and then whispered in his ear and you were assuming that he was telling him about the so-called “gift” and the two of them started to walk towards where you were casually standing behind Ace and 2fo.

“I know that this will probably be your most favorite birthday gift that I’ve ever gotten you.” You heard Clay say and you simply smirked and laughed to yourself.

“Hmm, I’ll be the judge of that.” You heard him answer and it was now go time.

“Okay, Ace and 2fo, move out of the way so that he can see his surprise. I made this happen by the way, just so you know.” Clay said and Jack immediately rolled his eyes before laughing.

Once Ace and 2fo moved, Jack came face to face with you and it seemed to be speechless and it was as if he couldn’t believe that you were standing in front of him.

“Happy thirtieth birthday, Jackman, or should I say Jackson? Did you miss me?”

[perfectprofessorloverapricot]

•| A not so stolen youth |•

Stranger things / Chapter 1

Summary: Everything in life seemed limited to walls of whites and rainbows. Caged within the confines of the lab. But an accident that involved a group of teenagers and the upside down world finally let him free. In a funny turn of events he found himself hiding in a step sibling's shed. A redhead that loves video games and a blond that spends his time making sure to keep his good looks.

Character: Male child OC

Warnings: Possible to descriptive scenes, child abuse, use of drugs and bad language.

A/N: I ask you to take into account that I lack experience writing in English and there'll be some grammatical mistakes because my native language is Spanish.

Prev part - Masterlist - Next part

“What does it say here?” Sounded the voice of the teenage redhead in the shed. She pointed to one of the dialog bubbles in the comic.

Thirteen tilted his head in a vain attempt to read better. The comic was in his own hands and moving it wasn’t as helpful as he thought. “Mmm… final… v… victory?” He stutter. He felt he chest warm when he saw the look of pride in Max face while she nodded.

“Yeah. You’re getting better.” She said excitedly. A big smile was formed in the kids face.

It’s been two weeks since they met. And everything’s going good so far.

The day after Max let him stay, with the condition of being careful no to be seen, she went to check on him only to have heart attack when she didn’t find him.

The blankets she gave him were folded and there was no trace of him.

She spent the whole morning of school wondering where he could have gone. It’s not like she paid attention to the classes before.

And after an uncomfortable ride home with her stepbrother she went straight to the shed getting an insult of how weird she was behaving from the blond and disappointment from finding nothing.

She stayed on her room thinking the few things she knew about him while her brother worked out in the living room. She thought about the limited vocabulary of the kid and that she had to read the comics she showed him because he couldn’t.

There were no visible signs of physical abuse but she got a glimpse of a tattoo in his left wrist when he rubbed his eyes after yawning.

The kid is only ten, what kind of tattoo would a kid his age want?

He is dirty and his clothe doesn’t fit him, obviously not his. But still, none of it gives her a hint from where he comes from or how to find him.

She didn’t even know why she wanted to finde him so bad. Or more like, she pretended not to know.

She’s always thought of herself as independent, which was accurate for the most part, but didn’t mean she liked being alone.

Before moving to Hawkins, in California, she made her life outside of the awkward environment of her house. She spent most of her time with her two best friends and going to her biological fathers house. Even when her mother met Neil and his son, she did it.

But now, she is stuck in a place she doesn’t know with her awkwardly nervous mother, an asshole who controls the house and everyone in it and calls himself her father just to have an excuse to “educate” her and a stepbrother that gives cero shit about her.

The kid was like her hope for something better. His innocent soul hasn’t been taught how to be an though (asshole) to confront the live out there. He was a little piece of the remaining good things of the world.

Fortunately, before she could exit and give her stepbrother an excuse to leave the house she was startled out of her thoughts by a knock on her window.

There he was peeking over the edge of the window and lifting a hand with three bags of chips to share with her.

Since then it became a routine that they manage to hold for a week. While Max goes to school and avoids as much interaction with her current family as she could, thirteen sneaks out to explore more. He already knows most of the place like the back of his hands but he still finds interesting the things that people do, even tho he is to scared to get close.

Those are the moments too bitersweet to him. He loves watching others have fun and imagine himself enjoying with them, having a life where he didn’t have to keep hiding, but before he can get a step closer to the kids in the park the fear of returning to the lab and being punished for leaving in the first place stops him.

That’s why he always goes back to the shed. To a place where he knows he is not alone anymore. At least the fear of being found didn’t bother him for the first week, but at the beginning of the second something that neither he or Max could have thought happened.

It was a normal day for them until the girl came back from school and went to her room like usual. But her heart fell once she saw Billy walking out of the house with a grey tank top and a pair of shorts he only uses when he knows his going to get dirty. Which means he is going thinker with his car, which means, he needs his tolls that are in the shed.

She took a shortcut jumping through her window. She run to catch her stepbrother and walked as normal as posible beside him.

“What are you doing?” She asked, trying to act normal.

He threw her a a momentary look, easily realizing her act. “To mind my business.” He answers bluntly.

She put herself in front of him walking backwards, only making the situation even weirder to Billy. “Don’t you have a date? With the… that blonde girl. What was her name?” She tried to remember almost stumbling with a rock.

Billy rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I don’t know and I don’t care. That was yesterday. Now move.” He pushed her effortlessly to the side once they reached the shed.

Max almost face planted in the floor but that wasn’t her priority. She turned to Billy only to witness him stop in his place with the door open.

“What the fuck?” He mumbled.

Max rammed her body against the door and closed it staying between it and her stepbrother. “It’s not what it looks like.” She defended.

Billy rose a brown in incredulity. “Really? Because it looks like you’re keeping a stray in Neil’s shed.”

“He’s not a dog, he’s a kid.” She defended, actually offended. “A really scared kid.”

“And I don’t give a shit. You’ve been keeping him there in a shed that doesn’t belong to you.” Max knew that what he said was true, but she couldn’t let him to his own with the possibility of returning to an abusive home. “What could a kid of his age be scared of? A monster under his bed?” He shook his head. It was ridiculous. “He needs to go.” He said with finality.

Max pressed her back even harder against the door and shook her head.

Billy got closer to her, using his height to tower over her in an intimidating way. “Get him out before Neil finds out or I’ll do it.” He threatened in a gruff voice.

Max genuinely felt scared. She knew what he was capable of, but she bets that the kid is even more scared than she is right now. And she was right, the boy was shaking inside the shed, hugging to his chest one of the comics Max left for him. His favorite comics. One of x-men’s.

“No.” She said with all the confidence she could in front of her intimidating brother.

The blond grabbed her arm in a painfully strong grip and dragged her a few steps away from the shed before throwing her, ignoring her yelp when she fell on her side. “Then I’m gonna get rid of the scaredy cat myself.” He conclude walking with heavy steps towards the shed.

Max panicked. She let out something that she knew could affect him. “He’s scared of his father, okay?” She screamed.

She felt a small relief when Billy stopped in his actions with his hand in the door’s handle.

His hesitation brought some confidence to the girl. “He hurts him.” She explained in hopes of changing his mindset. “I’m not asking you to take care of him. Just don’t tell anyone. You won’t even notice he is here.” She pleaded a little calmer now but still seating in the floor. “You won’t even notice he is here.” She repeated in a soft voice.

Billy bit the inside of his cheek in thought. He doesn't know how long the kid’s been there but if it weren't for the fact that he personally went to the shed he wouldn't know of his existence.

Almost reluctantly, Billy opened the shed again. He stayed in his place but he took his time to actually take a look at the kid. Scared and dirty, the boy stayed in the very back of the wooden place, shaking. Those blue innocent eyes were looking at him, waiting for the worst.

For a second, a small flash, he saw himself in the boy. When he was recently abandoned by his mother and left with his abusive father. He moved slowly to one of the shelves close to the door to grab the box of tools, keeping an eye on the kid.

Once he was out he looked at the surprised redhead in the floor as he closed the door behind him.

He stepped in front of his sister with his always present frown in his face. “If Neil finds out I let you hide a kid in the shed I’m gonna drag you under the bus with me. Do you understand?” He concluded.

Max was stunned for a few seconds but nodded slowly.

Billy scoffed, proceeding with his plans on tinkering in his car but made a las comment. “And wash that filthy kid. His gonna become a charcoal by the weekend.”

Max blinked a few times. She sat there for a moment, processing what just happened until she heard the door creaked open and a pair of eyes accompanied by a dirty fur (at least that’s what it looks like) peeked out of the place. She gave him a toothed smile that soon became a laugh that turned into a cackle that had her almost rolling on the floor.

The boy came out of the shed smiling, visibly confused but smiling. If Max was happy that means good news.

And it did.

Now that she didn’t have to actually hide the boy it became easier to change places between her room and the shed, they go through her bedroom’s window though.

She did what Billy said. She gave him a bath. She took his clothes and left him in his underwear covering it with a towel and sat him in the bathtub. She was horrified when the water changed color almost instantly and she had to change it for more clean water.

She knew he got dirty through the week but not that much.

She was surprised once again when she gave him the bottle of her brother’s shampoo and he only looked at it in wonder.

The kid didn’t know how to use a shampoo, much less the conditioner. He now has hair long enough to go a little below his ears when wet but that’s new to him, he’s always had a buzz cut since he was a kid. He never needed anything more than soap for his whole body, like the rest of the kids in the lab.

Knowing the kid was never taught how to use a shampoo put another knot in Max’s heart. Through how much has the kid gone?

She end up teaching him how to use the shampoo and conditioner. He needed a little help to get some knots out of his hair but it was easy.

Surprise surprise. Under those old rags and all the dirt was a beautiful kid with light brown hair. It was formerly a way darker color.

Even Billy who was just on his way to his room did a doble take to the boy standing patiently in the hall. He scoffed and continued on his way. Who could have thought?

Meanwhile Max was practically buried in the main closet of the house, it was more like a storage room with all the unpacked boxes, looking for clothe that would fit him. More specifically, clothes her stepbrother used, but there was nothing. She already looked for in the unpacked boxes around the house and the closet was her last option.

She debated if she should ask Billy personally. It wasn’t the best of her ideas but it was the only one. The probability of Billy slamming the door in her face where high.

She sigh. It was her only option for now.

Reluctantly, she made her way to her stepbrothers bedroom where he was gathering clean clothes to take to the bathroom. His towel was already in his shoulder.

She knocked on the doorframe a little shy.

“What?” He grumbled without looking at her.

“Can you lend me some of your old clothes. The kid doesn’t have any.” She said in a small voice.

He huffed as he grabbed a blue tank top from his closet. “Why is that my problem? He should have thought about it before running away.” He said in a low voice with a hint of annoyance.

“Come on Billy. You can’t let him freeze to death in the autumn weather. Winter is already close.” She answered with a little bit of annoyance in her own voice.

Billy slammed the door of his closet shut and turned to Max. He already had what he needed. He pointed at her with his free hand. “You said he isn’t my problem and I wouldn’t even notice him. This doesn’t seem like it.” He had a point. “Give him some of your old clothes.” He recommended walking to the door. “You dress like a boy anyway.” He insult on his way out, bumping with Max’s shoulder on purpose.

Thirteen, still in the hallway, looked at Billy in curiosity when he walked by him, even when the teenage was obviously ignoring his presence.

Max huffed at him. Well she didn’t have that much expectations in him anyway.

She guided Thirteen back to her room and sat him down on her bed.

She looked for her own old clothes through the many unpacked boxes in her room, grumbling every time something fell out of the boxes for the lack of space needed.

It took a long time but finally, she found her clothes. she organized it into tree divisions. The too small for the 10 year old kid, the clothes that fits and the clothes that will fit. All of that, after selecting the ones that looked boyish.

By the end of it thirteen already had his hair sticking out in every direction, full of static. He put on and took off everything to measure.

While they were both doing their own things, Billy was back in his room. He discarded the dirty clothes in the laundry basket and dried his hair with harsh movements of the towel. Once satisfied he threw the towel to wherever the hell it flew, he just wanted to fall on his bed and blast some music, but he was stopped when he heard a commotion at the feet of his bed.

He huffed. The towel fell on top a stack of books placed on an unpacked box and caused everything to fall.

He grabbed the towel with annoyance only to freeze when he saw the box slightly opened. The item wasn’t hidden but wasn’t visible either from the door, that’s why Max didn’t see it when she came to ask. The light left a cloth visible inside the box. The box was filled with the clothes Max was looking for and some other things of his childhood.

Memories of the few good times. When his mother was still with him and he was happy.

He hasn’t been able to get rid of the things. To sentimental. But he doesn’t want to be reminded of the past and keeps everything hidden. Just like his feelings.

Agitated, Billy grabbed the box of things, slammed his closet’s door open, threw the box inside and slammed it back shut. He walked to his nightstand and grabbed the box of cigarettes. He lighted one up with hands trembling in bottled fury and disgust towards himself and the world.

The relief of breathing nicotine and filling his lungs with the smoke was almost instant. He held his breath for a few seconds, calming himself first then letting it out just like the bad feelings.

The past is in the past, he cannot be weak anymore. He doesn’t have that chance.

To drown every remaining of that bad taste in his mouth he blasted his noisy music so loud that he couldn’t hear his own thoughts anymore.

Thirteen, still in Max’s room frowned when the music reached his ears. Billy’s door was close and so was Max’s, yet, he could still hear the music very clear. He didn’t like how it sounds.

A little thing he hasn’t told Max yet is one of his rare capabilities. Everyone in the lab new it was a possibility to gain enhanced senses once some of the kids started showing signs of it. More specifically, hearing and smell.

Whatever they did to expand the limits of their minds also better enabled the senses limited by mental capacity.

9 of the 15 kids they had developed the enhanced senses along with telepathy and psychokinetic powers. Thirteen was one of them. He only got the hearing though.

But he never got to interact enough with them because he was separated from the rest of the kids when his father found out he was a late bloomer. He was left in isolation for many hours with the excuse that it was to help him concentrate. He was raised in the east side of the lab while the rest were held in the west.

But still, he ended up better than his father ever anticipated and now he has some resemblance of freedom.

Uncomfortable with the music rumbling in his head he rubbed his ears for a moment. The security alarms in the lab were still worse so it wasn’t that much of a problem.

“Here” cheered Max grabbing jeans, a pair of socks, a navy-blue t-shirt with long sleeves and a red hoodie that has less color than when it was new for the many times it’s been washed.

Happy to cover his chilling skinny body he quickly put on the clothes. Max helped him when he managed to get his head stuck in one of the long sleeves.

At last, when he was done, he had a big innocent smile in his face that was reflected in Max’s own. The clothes fitted perfectly.

“Looking good, uh?” she said rising and lowering her eyebrows consecutively. The smile in the boy’s face widened with joy. “Now you can blend in with the others if you need.” Thirteen nodded in agreement. “Wanna read a comic now?” She asked, getting another nod as an answer.

“Magneto?” asked the boy in hope.

Max laughed a little, already grabbing an x-men comic. She knows that the boy’s favorite character is Magneto. She doesn’t know why but she likes how he thinks outside of the box. Most of the kids like a hero, but Thirteen likes a villain, just like she likes monsters. In some way, they are similar.

That’s how the first two weeks of knowing the stepsiblings went. Enjoying a little bit of liberty and not lonely anymore.

But Halloween is close, and so are other things in the dark he thought he would never see again.

Fortunately, this time he won’t be alone.

What do you think?

Any comment or constructive criticism are appreciated.

[hiighonmarss]

Got To Be There

eddie munson x black!reader

summary: idk i didn’t think this through.

WARNING: THERE WILL BE RACIAL SLURS, SEXUAL ACTIVITY, CUSSING A LOT OF IT, AND TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES

this story is gonna be based in the Late 90s - Early 00s.

PSA: I WROTE THIS IN 2022 so there will errors and cringe. i just made some adjustments. THIS WILL BE A 3 PART STORY.

Y/N SINCLAIR WAS THE GIRL everyone wanted, the person who everyone wanted to be like, the person who everyone thought had a good life but that's not right at all. Behind closed doors Y/N was another person, she had an abusive dad who beat her every time he looks at her. She has severe depression, she cried herself to sleep every night.

Other thing, she got pregnant in Junior year at her old school in California during a party and she was kicked out and decided to move in with her cousin.. Lucas Sinclair who lived in Indiana. She brung her son along of course, she was scared to have him around her father. Surprisingly, They let her in with opened arms.. they didn't beat her down. They even offered to help with Indygo. Nobody knows who Y/N really is behind the face and doors, they just know what they can see.

Eddie was the first person who actually talked to her which she moved over here. He was the freak of the school but she didn't know that until she saw him getting chased by Jason Carver and his friends. She didn't want to be around him knowing she'll mostly likely get bullied.

She cut Eddie off because she felt being around him ruined her reputation and she felt like shit for doing so. One thing though, she loved him more than a friend.. she still loves him and he loved her more than a friend but they were scared to pursue anything so they admired each other from a far. Eddie was failing 2 classes this year and he wasn't gonna be able to graduate if he didn't fix it so they assigned her to be his tutor due to her being the only person in his class having a 4.0 gpa.

She loved having a 4.0, and it might have people calling her a nerd but that's her only shot of getting herself and her son the fuck out of here.  She was pissed about having to tutor Eddie because she couldn't be around him, she'll ruin the reputation she built . It was lunch and the first thing she did was walk towards Eddie's lunch table.

" Aye." She said trying to get his attention but he was ignoring her.

" Dustin, you guys hear something?" Eddie said looking at Dustin who was next to him just looking back forth between the two.

" No, I don't." Dustin said he was not letting Eddie beat his ass today, mouthing 'sorry' to her

" Ignore me if you want to i don't give a fuck but I have to tutor yo dumbass." Y/N said crossing her arms, making Eddie look at her.

" Why did they choose you?" Eddie scoffed

" Because I'm the only person in yo classes passing with a 4.0" Y/N rolled her eyes "Get your shit together Munson."

" You get your shit together." Eddie said standing up, which led to her pushing his ass back down onto his seat and handing him a piece of paper with her number written on it.

" Call me so i can help yo ass." Y/N said walking away and out the cafeteria. Eddie just sighed and looked at the paper. Everybody at his lunch table started to chuckle which he looked at them making everyone shut the fuck up.

*

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*

*

*

*

*

It was Saturday, Y/N was busy helping Erica with her school project that was due Monday while Mary Jane by Rick James played softly in the background. Indygo was in the living room watching The Wiz with Michael Jackson and Diana Ross, chewing on a candy bar that Erica gave him. The phone rang and deep down she was hoping it was Eddie. She picked the phone of the hook and to her surprise, it was the person she wanted it to be.

" Sinclair residence, how may I help you?" She answered

" Oh um Ophelia there?" Eddie softly said, getting nervous because he didn't know Lucas had a housekeeper.

" You're speaking to her, and may I ask who this may be?"

" Eddie." Eddie said quickly.

" Oh Munson." Y/N chuckled softly " Finally realized you need my help?"

" I don't but my uncle found out about you tutoring me and he wants me to actually graduate this year so he forced me to call you." Eddie said telling a half-lie, real truth was he just wanted her presence.

" Well do you want me to come ova?" Y/N said looking at Indygo who was falling asleep on the couch with his thumb in his mouth. She has to break him out of that habit.

" Ophelia?" Eddie said in a sing-songy voice, snapping her out of thoughts.

" My bad, what did you say?" She said

" Wayne is off today so I wouldn't want us here bothering him, he needs his rest." Eddie said sighing

" Okay then, you can come over here." Ophelia said, she was scared for him to see Indygo considering the fact that Eddie could tell everyone she has a kid but honestly she stopped giving a fuck of what people thought of her having a kid at 18.

" I'll be there around 6, is that okay?"

" That's fine." Y/N said realizing that's in an hour

"Okay." then there was a click which indicates he hung up.

Hopefully this goes well.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

I really hope you guys enjoy this , it might be ass but oh well - Azure<33.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

[sugarywishes]

Presuming all the Afton Family had survived, what was their ambitions for when they were older? In terms of jobs, goals, things they want to do, etc... And same goes for the Emily Family as well, I'm quite curious to see what you have to say given the direction you have taken these characters in your AU.

God, I'm super pumped up to answer this one, sorry for the late response! (I assume you mean if they had all survived, that the Bite incident never occurred, so I'll be basing the answers off of that idea!) Also, the answers are insanely long 😭😭

Okay we're going back to the regular formula and starting off with William. No dead son = no reason to kill children, which means THE MCI AND KCI KIDS LIVEDDD!! Although his violent urges would still manifest in him abusing the kids and his wife. And also because of no dead son, he kept working with Henry. (Although he'd get more and more sick of him as years go by) I honestly think he wouldn't mind continuing the way his life used to be for a very long while, as long as he kept control of everything, and of course, control of Evan. In the universe where the Bite never happened, his dreams did come true.

Onto Clara, I definitely do not see her staying for long with William any longer, he's broken her down for years and essentially ruined her life. I can see 4 possible futures she could've had, either A. She'd flee Utah and reluctantly go back with her horrible family, seeing as they are the only ones who she thinks William wouldn't consider her going with (As if he'd bother going after her) B. She'd leave and move to a city, probably to finish her schooling and maybe she'll get to become a ballet teacher! (Too bad she never accomplished her original dreams...) C. She'd leave and maybe take the remaining kids with her (I'm not sure if she'd even want to take care of William's spawns, but I'm also not sure she'd just ditch them at an orphanage) or D. Leave the family and have a new one, promptly abandoning her children. I think between her and William, she was more likely to want better romance for herself (in my original rewrite for FNAF, I considered having her in an affair with another man in the midst of Pre-FNAF 4, but I thought it seemed really melodramatic, not sure if I'd bring it back though)

So with Mike, the Bite incident is what gave way to his redemption arc and what made him become a better human being, but because it didn't happen, he never grew past being a total piece of shit. His biggest goal would be however, to get away from his family as soon as possible, so I think he'd run away at 18 (maybe he asked Jeremy to run away with him too /hj) and I think he'd want to make it to California or New York or Chicago (cause yk they're the cool places of the time, do you think he'd want go to Wyoming or something?? HELL NO) I always headcanoned Mike as wanting to be a Rockstar when he grew up, or at least some kind of musician. I don't know if he would've accomplished that. It's up to ones imagination. I can see him becoming kinda sleazy. Maybe he'd get into the party scene and become totally unleashed. Would he have want a normal settled lifestyle? Not sure. Another goal is to try and save his mom from William (he didn't consider saving his siblings, because he thought they'd be fine with him)

For Elizabeth, she'd want to try harder and harder to win her dad's affection, and it probably will never work. I'm honestly skeptical if she would ever be interested in romantic relationships, I think if she would, she'd just do it to fill the hole in her heart. For jobs, she'd probably try and inherit her dad's job. Her efforts wouldn't work. For other job ideas, she probably wouldn't really have many careers she'd want, she'd probably settle for a mundane and 'simple' job like nursing or teaching, or even working as a cashier. She preferred being home than actually working. Maybe she would've become a caretaker for her parents when they got older. I don't think she would've ever been disillusioned from the idea of her father being the best, no one would've stayed to help free her.

Finally, Evan, boy oh boy, did he dream. His biggest goal was to just- make real friends. At least one. But that can never happen to him, his father said so himself! (Yeah, because Evan still lived, William further exploiting and abused him 😔) but hey, I can imagine Evan eventually escaping his family! Maybe he can become an artist, or an inventor, or a toy maker, or maybe he can become a depressed recluse. (I think if Evan had lived, bite or not, he could've basically become the Boo Radley of FNAF). I don't think he would ever develop any romances with anyone (how could he??) I see Evan's future as being very uncertain. Maybe he will get a happy ending, but he doesn't think he's worthy of one :(

Okay moving on from that depress sesh, it's Henry's time! I think he'd be open to the idea of getting a new wife, although Charlie would absolutely hate that idea, (okay Lydia Deetz). Someone to give his Charlotte a sense of femininity she so lacks. Best case scenario, it's some random woman he knows, worst case it's Jeremy's horrible mom 😭😭 Anyways, besides getting a new wife, he'd still try and swerve Charlie into a more girly lifestyle like how his wife wanted. Moving onto business, he'd probably still keep Fredbear's up and running, he probably would've become ambitious enough to sell it off and try to become the next 'Disney' (it won't really work, but selling it off did give him tons of cash!) Maybe he'd still try to cut off the Aftons? Besides that, I dunno how else life would go for him, I'll think abt it more eventually.

And finally for Charlie, she wants to become independent and free and all that stuff. So her first course of action is to do whatever she wants with no limits and judgements from her dad! (That would be a very hard task to do...she could probably end up cutting contact with him) and I can see her getting a career in something that helps people, doesn't matter what it is as long as she can assist people and make them feel better. I don't think she'd become romantically involved w/ anyone either. I'm not sure if she'd stay friends with the Aftons either.

Suffice to say, everyone has a kind of negative or uncertain fate. Probably because I haven't thought of anything good that could happen to them without completely changing everything. Hope this was a sufficient response!

[uluvjay]

Can i request “don’t come any closer! “ from list4 for Mason McTavish please?

Mason x fem reader

Warnings?; admissions of cheating, crying, arguing, angst, long distance relationship

The first thing that came to mind was mason cheating on his long term / long distance gf over the season and having to admit it when he went back home and drama😍, I hope you enjoy!

—

I stood with Masons dad at the pick up area in the airport waiting for Mason. Long distance had been hard and i couldn’t wait to have him in my arms again. It had been almost eight months since I had seen him and I couldn’t wait.

I must have zoned out because next thing I knew I heard Masons dad saying “here he comes” and then the two were in a tight hug.

When they pulled away Masons dad went to get Masons bags and mason turned to me, and i couldn’t contain myself as I jumped into his arms.

“I missed you so much” I mumbled into his neck and his arms wrapped around me.

“Me too, I’m so happy to be back home” he spoke putting you down. But he wouldn’t make eye contact with me and i noticed he was a little nervous.

“Mase you okay?” I asked as his eyes finally met mine, they looked different, the bright light that was usually there was missing and they looked sad when we made contact.

“Yeah baby I’m all good” he said before pulling me back into his arms and placing a kiss on my head.

—

A few hours later everyone was sat at the McTavish dinner table eating and catching up, but i still noticed something was up with Mason. He was a lot more quiet then usual and every time someone’s iPhone went off he jumped and checked his. His mother had scolded him multiple times for it but unlike him he still checked it every time. As everyone started to clean up i noticed he had slipped out onto the back deck and was on the phone with someone.

“What’s up with him?” His mom asked as i helped her dry dishes from dinner.

“Not sure, is it okay if I go check on him?” I asked not wanting to leave her with all the dishes.

“Of course sweetie, go ahead” she smiled at me

I thanked her before heading out the sliding door. At the sound my boyfriend quickly told the person he was talking to that he’d call them back later. He turned to face me but once again with a sad look in his eyes.

“I’m only gonna ask one more time, what’s wrong Mason? And don’t say nothing because I can see it in your eyes” I told him in a stern but caring voice.

He didn’t reply for a moment, only tipped his head back and took a deep breath, “I messed up Y/n” he said to me looking at the ground.

“What do you mean Mason?” I asked him, stomach filling with dread at what was about to come out his mouth.

“I’ve been cheating on you” he mumbled and i swear I could feel my heart breaking.

“What?..W-with who? Why? What the fuck mason?” I couldn’t believe him, all the times you’d had guys come up and offer to buy me a drink, attempt to take me home even after i told them about my boyfriend, and I never once thought about actually being with anyone but him.

“She’s a friend of one of Trevor’s hook ups, we’ve been sleeping together for a few months now” he told me with his eyes still on the ground.

“Are you fucking kidding me Mason!? You couldn’t have just told me you didn’t want to be with me anymore? You had to go and consistently fuck another girl?” You yelled at him not caring if his parents heard.

“I’m sorry Y/n, really you don’t deserve any of this and I’m a total piece of shit for putting you through this”

My tears were coming now, all these years I stuck by his side just for him to throw me to the curb for a groupie.

“Your right Mason! I don’t fucking deserve any of this! I’ve been nothing but a good and supportive girlfriend for the last four years just for you to end up fucking some groupie!”

“Baby please don’t cry” he tried as he began moving towards me.

“No! Don’t come any closer you asshole!” You yelled at him.

“I’ll ask your mom to pack my stuff and pick it up once you go back to California. Lose my number while your at it” I told him before walking back into his parents house.

As i reached the front door his mom was standing there with tears of her own in her eyes, “Honey im so, so sorry he did this to you” she cried while pulling me into a hug.

“I love you mama, but I really have to go and I promise not to become a stranger I love you guys to much , I just need some time” I told her giving her a kiss on the cheek and walking out.

[liminalpebble]

Eddie's Education, Chapter 31

Masterlist link

Pacifica, California

October 2002

The smoke of Eddie's cigarette swirled around his face in the cool coastal air, joining the early morning fog swaddling the coast. The glow of its cherry cut through the haze and reflected in the dark orbs of his eyes. He took a deep drag and exhaled slowly. It had become a ritual...a meditation.

Eddie had never been a morning person...ever, but something changed lately. Being here, being alive after everything, being the hell out of Hawkins, made him cherish however many sunrises he still had left to witness in his life. Besides, the smoky vista and the rare black sand made him feel like some kind of dark wizard in a fantasy novel, surveying his alien domain.

Sure, now and then a beach runner would stomp by, ruining his musings as their footprints would mar the swath of charcoal-hued sand. Some neo-hippy would wave him a much-too-cheerful “good morning” while Eddie would just grin faintly around his cigarette, squint groggily, and raise his Garfield mug in a one-way toast.

What was it Hop always said? “Mornings are for coffee and contemplation.”

Damn straight, Hopper, Eddie thought with an amused snort.

Eddie cradled the warm ceramic. Stained and chipped and ugly as it was, he loved that mug. Wayne insisted he take it with him as the two wrestled with cardboard boxes and packing tape.

The bustle of packing and moving stilled for a moment as the two men faced each other with matching Munson smirks, fighting back tears as they realized that this was it. This was goodbye.

“I'll...I'll call. I promise,” Eddie croaked out, and sniffed, holding his tears at bay.

“I know. I know you will, son,” Wayne said patting him on his shoulder, sniffing as he also stubbornly refused to cry.

“...and I'll send you some hats and mugs for the collection. Every ugly piece-of-shit souvenir from every gas station and tourist trap between here and Nor Cal. I'll mail it to you.”

Wayne snorted and chuckled loudly.

“Come here, kid,” he said and they held each other tight, both unable to hold back tears any longer.

Eddie took a deep breath and held tightly to Wayne's jean jacket. It smelled like motor oil, black coffee, and Camels, just as it had when Wayne would hold him as a kid, consoling him when he was afraid or abandoned.

Some things never change, he thought.

-----

Eddie floated back to the present. His cigarette had fizzled its way down to the filter and his coffee had all been sipped away, revealing the witty quip, I hate Mondays, at the bottom of the mug.

He knew he should make his way back, but he wanted to stay out here a little longer, just until the fog lifted and the sky lit up a little more. So he sat down cross-legged in his pajama pants, waiting for the light to come.

-----

Hawkins Memorial Hospital

November, 2001

“Yes. I suppose you could frame it that way. However, medical techniques from our research are what saved your life and they're going to be what saves hers. But, of course there are conditions.”

Eddies brows shot up. “Conditions? You're willing to withhold life-saving medical attention, which she needs because of your project gone haywire in the first place, if we don't agree to your 'conditions'?” He scoffed, “What is wrong with you people?”

“Hear us out, Mr. Munson. If you don't, she will never wake up again,” she stated bluntly.

All he could do was gulp. They knew exactly where they had him, pressing a blade right through the most devastatingly vulnerable rend in his armor...his love for her.

“Alright...I'm listening.”

“Leave.”

“I beg your fucking pardon?” Eddie snipped back to the suited wall of assholes before him.

“Leave. Leave Hawkins and set up somewhere else. We'll provide both you and Leia a generous stipend for rest of both of your lives. Work or don't. Whatever you want to do, we don't care as long as you don't talk about what happened to you, or what kind of medical miracles it took to bring you both back from the dead. Let's just say there's a lot we'd rather not have to explain...again.

We'll visit to conduct periodic check ups, gather data, provide further medical care if required. But we'll need you both to leave Hawkins. We don't want to risk or invite questions or investigation from the public.”

Eddie's face went from confused to a wide shit-eating grin as it all came together.

“Ohhh. I get it, you're bribing us. You're trying to make it sound like you're willing to be benevolent patron saints in exchange for our cooperation, but it seems a lot more like Leia and I have you well and truly by the balls here.”

The lady's eye twitched beneath her immaculate veil of make up, and he knew he got to her. She said coolly. “Or we could simply remove this problem in other, more direct ways. Our organization knows how to make people disappear through much less charitable means.”

Eddie wiggled his head. “Oh no...see, we're too valuable for you to off us. We'd be your prized research subjects now. Lightning struck twice for you with me and Leia. Get rid of us and you get rid of decades of breakthroughs.”

He tapped his finger to his head as he stood up and smiled menacing to the agents. “I'm trailer trash, folks, but I'm not an idiot. And I'm not about to drop to my knees thanking you for giving us what we deserve after what you've put us through. And we killed your monster for you, by the way, you're welcome.”

The lady took a deep breath and clenched her jaw. She had a look that Eddie was deeply familiar with; the look of an angry authority figure trying to stay composed when they really want to smack the smug grin off his face.

But this wasn't principal Higgins. These were people with real, terrible, power and her next words reminded him of that.

“We've learned, over the years, that the carrot works a good deal better than the stick for getting what we want, but that doesn't mean we won't resort to the stick. Bear in mind, Mr. Munson, we haven't saved her yet, and we could glean a good deal of information from either of you as cadavers.”

That got him, the idea of Leia's body utterly lifeless on coroner's slab. He lurched forward like a rabid dog, but the others held his arms back.

Now the lady smiled her perfectly painted lips, unflinching satisfaction written across her features.

Gradually, Eddie's breath stilled. Finally he sighed and looked over to his beloved with a soft, desperate expression as he asked, “Can you really save her?”

The agent didn't expect to, but she felt a pang for him, for this couple, for the life they were fighting so hard for. She said, with surprising gentleness, “We'll do our best. You have my word.”

He snorted. “You'll forgive me if that doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot, agent whoever-you-are.”

He turned away and sat on the edge of Leia's bed, held her small warm hand and said, “Let's stop bullshitting each other. You already know I'd do anything to bring her back. So let's not waste anymore time.”

The agents nodded. Before Eddie knew it, he had signed some papers (the fine print of which he couldn't give a single shit about) and a frenzy of activity began around them.

@sweetsigyn @veemoon @elegantkoalapaper @little-wormwood

(Thank you so much for your patience, my dears! This should wrap up soon.)

[houseofbrat]

I don’t think Meghan will let Harry go. I used to think she would leave him for someone richer but I don’t think that’s gonna happen. She is too spiteful to let him go she knows his family loves him she won’t let him go back to them. Spare was a project for her, it was to make her look good and to more than make Will look bad it was to kill the relationship between the brothers all together. W’s fans have been saying he was done with Harry but I think he kept the door open much longer than they think. I think Spare made sure he closed it shut. I think Harry is lost forever and he ain’t coming back. I would love to be wrong not because I like Harry or want him back but because he will never stop he will Harass the family until his dying day all for Meg this circus will never end.

Rumors have been for months in Hollywood that Harry and his wife have been living apart. He's in San Francisco at a BetterUp suite; she's living in LA. Oh, and the kids are the only ones living at Montecito Manor with their nannies.

She has to announce before Harry gets his balls back and decides to announce. It's her only chance in attempting to survive the pr onslaught that will occur once the palace pr teams start running their hit pieces.

In order for her to attend the coronation, she has to bring both kids to the UK. An incredibly risky move for her should Harry decide that the kids aren't leaving UK soil once they get there. She can't risk her two meal tickets getting stuck on UK soil. It leaves her with no bargaining chips in a divorce.

She can't risk being super sidelined during the coronation, which is what will happen if she attends. She's already a laughing stock due to South Park. If she attends, she'll just be in the general audience. There will be no carriage ride and no balcony.

I don't think Harry is lost forever. He's not going to apply for US citizenship. It's unlikely he'll ever apply to be a legal US resident. Rumor is that his passport is still a diplo. I have yet to see comments as to otherwise. The dude is going to have to go back to the UK once the divorce announcement happens. He'll be making trips back and forth between California & the UK, but he won't become a permanent US resident.

I do agree with you that Will & Kate's fans (incorrectly) think Will is "done with Harry." I doubt that is the case. I have no doubt that their relationship will be difficult when Harry returns to the UK, but acting as if William will never have anything to do with Harry for the rest of their lives is completely unrealistic. It's pure soap-opera, tabloid fodder, which is written to appeal to a certain emotional angle. Which is also why it's also unlikely to be true. William knows about all of Harry's emotional, intellectual, and developmental problems. It's not as if Harry just suddenly developed these problems the day he said his wedding vows to his wife. But the good-dutiful-brother-against-the-dumb-&-evil-brother angle is too good for tabloid editors to pass up.

Also, Harry's wife isn't going to live forever, so this shit will stop in the tabloids at a certain point. Also, she won't have the money to pay for the deluge of articles she's done in the past.

Eventually, the UK tabs will re-focus back on Andrew. But that might not happen until either this fall or next year (2024).

[nysocboy]

Gemstones Episode 3.2: Kelvin's butt buddies, gay Percy, two toxic families, and a lot of soldiers

Episode 3.2 introduces Eli's estranged brother-in-law Peter Montgomery, his sons, and a disturbing super-macho mirror of Kelvin's God Squad.

Title: "But Esau Ran to Meet Him," from Genesis 33.4.  Jacob has tricked his father Isaac into giving him the inheritance.  Esau is furious and vows to kill him, so he flees.  When he returns after 20 years, Esau behaves as if he is happy to see him, but....

Stephen's abusive wife:  Stephen, who was fired as Judy's guitarist after her brothers discovered their affair, is trying to tell his wife Kristy that he was "laid off," not fired.  She doesn't buy it.  It's a highly abusive relationship: she calls him "an unemployed, cokehead piece of shit who sulks all day."  He screams "Fuck you!", and she hits him with a glass blender.  Shattered glass all over his face and head, in front of the kids!  Whoa, scary.The Gemstones and their partners argue, but they never use abusive language or physical violence.  Except for the time that Amber shot Jesse in the butt. 

Later, Judy meets Stephen at Spanky's Cafe, a real restaurant in North Charleston, and offers him $10,000 to leave her alone: "I don't want to see you no' mo'."  But he still wants her.  Judy points out that he's married, but it doesn't matter: "I'd leave my family in a second if I could have you.  I'd murder them." Say what?  This guy is a psycho. Of course, he should leave his abusive wife, but murder her...and the kids?

Kelvin's Butt Buddies:  Jesse and Amber's adult son Gideon, who moved to California to become a stuntman, is back, lying on the veranda in a bathrobe, smoking a cigarette, holding a box of Lucky Charms cereal, and sulking.  The background song by Buddy Knox tells us: "I think I'm going to kill myself."  He injured his neck, and may never do stunt work, tumbling, or martial arts again.  At least he's displaying a nice chest.

In a much, much nicer parallel to the Stephen-Mandy confrontation, Gideon's parents order him to stop feeling sorry for himself, get off his butt, and go to work for the church.  But he doesn't want to preach.  Ok, so he can become Eli's driver. Remember that the long-term driver, Walker, was fired.

We cut to Gideon on his first assignment, driving Eli and the siblings to see if May-May's kids are ok.  They are living with her estranged husband, Peter Montgomery, and his militia, the Brotherhood of Tomorrow's Fires: they expect end of civilization, like Eli's Y2K scare back in 1999.   Eli calles them preppers: "They want to make sure they don't run out of toilet paper."

On the way to the compound, at the defunct Boy Scout Camp Wooden Feather, the siblings discuss their cousins, Karl and Chuck.  Kelvin says that he always found them "kind of dumb and strange."  But you haven't seen them since 2000, when you were ten or eleven.  How much do you remember?

Judy: "That's why I'm surprised you weren't butt buddies with them."  

He gets annoyed, not because she alludes to him being gay but because she implied that he's also "dumb and strange," and therefore perfect for the Montgomerys.

Not the God Squad:  Bizarre signs like "Now we will see" greet the family, along with multiple armed guards.  They pass Jacob (Stephen Louis Grush) cutting up a deer.  Kelvin smiles at him -- think he's hot, buddy?.  Then a military-style obstacle course;  guys practicing martial arts; a guy taking a shower outdoors (no beefcake); and finally the mess hall, where about thirty militia men are having lunch.

Wait -- no women and children?  The actual far-right militia movement has many female participants, but this is a male-only space, like Kelvin's God Squad in Season 2, but with scruffy guys in military fatigues instead of flexing musclemen.  It is dedicated to phileo instead of eros, buddy-bonding instead of homoerotic desire. An article on Doomsday Preppers notes that these male-only groups "cultivate a dangerous vision of apocalyptic manhood that consummates a fantasy of national virility in the demise of feminine society."  Women are weak and fragile, their civilization doomed. Only the "manly love of comrades" can survive the Apocalypse. 

May-May's son Chuck ushers Eli and the siblings in. They are greeted by Cousin Karl (Robert Oberst), who is delighted to see them; and Uncle Peter (Steve Zahn, below), who is not.  It's time for church, so get out!  No, the siblings offer to help lead the service: Jesse will preach, Judy will sing, and Kelvin will  perform some "feats of strength" for the kids -- the only time he references his muscles during the season.  No kids around, but maybe the militia guys would like to see some masculine beauty.  

Uncle Peter rejects the siblings' offer.  They are "phony fakers," entertainers, interested in making money rather than saving souls. 

Kelvin's Gay Friend: At the Salvation Center, Jesse, Kelvin, and designer Percy (Aaron Goldenberg) are going over the plans for the new executive boardroom. Percy has a gay-stereotyped name and occupation, so we can safely identify him as gay.

Background Alert: Aaron Goldenberg and Jake Jonez' video sketches, with the Mean Gays invading your dinner party, rejecting you as a hookup, and so on, have gone viral, with upwards of 35 million views across social media platforms.  In 2024, they "invaded" the Razzie Awards, giving them a national spotlight.

Back in the board room, Kelvin lays on the campy behavior and criticizes Judy's choice of color scheme,  becoming a hip-wiggling, eye-rolling, sassy Queer Eye for the Straight Guy host. He has been swishing like a Mean Gay all season, making sure that anyone who talks to him for a moment will figure "it" out.

When Martin comes in to tell them about a meeting with the Board of Ministers, Jesse orders Percy to "get the f* out," but Kelvin says goodbye nicely, while fiddling with his "wedding ring."   Why is Kelvin being nice to him?  In universe, he recognizes another gay person.  Structurally, we learn that Kelvin has gay friends.  He and Keefe are closeted, but not isolated: they are participating in the local LGBT community. 

Gaslighting BJ:  The siblings visit Eli at his fishing cabin to reveal that the Board of Ministers is "disgruntled," unhappy with how they are running the church.  But Eli refuses help: he won't always be around, and they have to learn to work together to solve their problems.   

Then Judy and BJ's Date Night: they leave the theater, discussing how cool it was to go to a movie and throw popcorn at people's heads.  "Lately we haven't been on the same page," Judy comments.  BJ doesn't know what she's talking about, so she digs herself in deeper, claiming that they were "on a break" when she was on tour.  Uh-oh, when you are on a break, you can see other people.

When he protests, she gaslights him, claiming that he said it.  Manipulative, but not nearly as crazy as last season's Judy.

Where's Keefe?  Judy/BJ and Kelvin/Keefe scenes almost always run parallel, so we should see the guys having marital problems immediately before or after Judy gaslights BJ.  But Keefe does not appear in this episode; we see Kelvin swishing it up in the board room instead.  This suggests that Kelvin's conflict is not with Keefe, but rather with his new position of authority.  It's one thing to be obviously gay while doing low prestige, nearly invisible jobs, and quite another to be gay while running the church.

Peter is Bat Shit Crazy:  Time for church in the militia compound. While the men sing "Power in the Blood." the feds raid!  Guys are being grabbed, assaulted, even shot and killed!   Cousins Karl and Chuck manage to escape, even though the guy in front of them is grabbed.

They  run to the "safe house":  a middle-aged women is sitting on a chair in the woods, making a sandwich while half-naked kids frolick. It is a surreal scene.  Who is she?  A militia man's wife?  A nature spirit?  The guardian of the underworld? She wordlessly points to a nearby cabin where ten or twelve militia guys have gathered, and we return to ordinary time.

Peter wants to know who alerted the feds -- the Gemstones?  And why did Karl and Chuck invite them in the first place?  Are they traitors? 

"No, Mama invited the Gemstones.  We had nothing to do with it." 

Peter doesn't believe them.  To get them to confess, he cuts part of Jacob's ear off!  Karl intervenes, and Peter orders his men to get him.  The Cousins run. Whoa, is he planning to disfigure his children?  This is even more toxic that Stephen-Kristy, like Kelvin's tyrannical rule of the God Squad times a thousand. 

Cut to Gideon driving Eli to a cheap motel, where Chuck, Karl, and May-May are hiding.  Peter is gunning for them -- and for the Gemstones.  His goons are parked right outside. So you ask Eli to come to your hotel and get spotted by the goons? Good thinking, Sis.  

The Shoe-Throwing Match: The Board of Ministers, representing every area of church administration, from finance to end-of-life services, want to know the siblings' plan for handling the declining membership.  They can't think of anything except an impromptu catch phrase, "We three and thee." You were notified of this meeting far in advance, plenty of time to think of a plan.  The meeting devolves into a shoe-throwing fight.  Kelvin continues to promote femme-gay behavior by wearing a glittery vest. 

Meanwhile, Eli agrees to hide the Montgomery Boys in his mansion.  To escape Peter's goons,  Gideon has do some fancy stunt driving, crash a few cars, plow through a golf course, and slam on the brakes to make his assailants crash into each other -- just below a "were you injured at work?" ambulance-chaser billboard.  The end.

Work problems, marital problems, and now a militia gunning for them.  The siblings are spiraling! 

The full review, with explicit soldier photos , is on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends

[queenofthearchipelago]

Oh shit

I think I figured out why Mike lied in the monologue!!! I forgot to think of all of this from Mike's perspective, and Mike's perspective goes like this (super long post ahead, sorry but I think it's necessary!):

October, 1985:

I, Mike Wheeler, figured out that I don't really like El romantically. It's Fall now, and Starcourt Mall is a couple months behind us and the Byers are moving to California. Me and El have been friends this whole time, and it's been good. She's been grieving Hopper, but our relationship has been good. But we were helping pack up, and she comes in to tell me that Max told her what I said in the cabin that day months ago. El said that I talked about my feelings, my heart.

I remembered what I said, that I loved her. But I didn't mean it the way Max and everyone else heard it. And now Max told El I meant it romantically, but I didn't. So I tried to deny it, like I didn't remember it at all. But she didn't seem to mind, or care to think about why I would deny it. She didn't even seem to believe me when I said I didn't remember either though because she walked right up to me and told me she loved me too before she kissed me and walked away.

I wasn't even trying to be in a romantic relationship with her anymore and now I guess I am, again? How did this happen? What do I do? How do I...?

March, 1986:

So I'm going to California to visit El and Will for spring break. I remember telling El back in October that maybe I could visit for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I said that before she kissed me and walked away. So it never happened. How do I feel what I feel and then fly to California to spend a holiday with my girlfriend who I don't love romantically?

But I do miss her. Like, really. And I definitely miss Will. I keep trying to call their house, but the phone is always busy because Joyce has that job. I just can't bring myself to write him a letter, I don't know why. I've been writing them to El. It just seems so personal, it's not a back and forth like a normal conversation. It's an essay of all the things in your mind. And what's on my mind is, not exactly something I'm ready to say out loud not to mention write down. And then after you send the letter, the other person gets this piece of paper that has your handwriting on it, it's something you held and cared for and curated for the person you're sending it to.

I don't know, I guess I don't know how to write Will a letter about how much I've missed him. How do I write down that Hawkins isn't the same without him? That nothing feels normal anymore? That high school sucks but it would be better if he was here? How do I write that down and feel good about sending it?

I haven't ever felt good about it, so I never wrote him anything either. So essentially, we haven't talked in months. But he never called me or wrote to me either, so maybe he doesn't want to talk. Maybe he's caught up in his new life in Lenora and there's no space for me in it anymore?

But anyway, I'm going to California now. And I am excited to go, I am.

I am.

The next day:

So I'm in Lenora. Not even 5 seconds after being there I get a welcome kiss from El. I expected it, so it's fine I suppose. I gave her flowers, because that's also expected. But also I did miss her, and I wanted to get her a gift. I wrote From, Mike on the card. Because I could write that down and feel okay about it. It is true, it's from me. And there's no way she can read that and think something I didn't mean to say.

I played the part of good boyfriend as best as I could the rest of the day. I really just wanted to hang out cause like I said, I did miss her. And Will, but he's been rolling his eyes and not been in a good mood all day.

Turns out that was because he blamed me for us not talking these past months. But why am I the bad guy? He could have called or written too.

I guess I was busy in Hawkins struggling with what to say to him while he was in Lenora hoping that I cared enough to reach out. I did care, I do care... I'll have to apologize for that later.

The day after that:

I went to talk to El today about why she lied to me and what happened last night. I didn't want to blame her, I just wanted to understand. I was bullied in school too, I could have empathized if nothing else. But the conversation got away from me. Suddenly we're talking about how I think she's a monster?

When did I say that? What did I say that she thinks that?

Apparently it was because I signed my letters From Mike. If I had signed them Love Mike, then that would have been proof I didn't think she was a monster. Letters from Beloved Mike are good and letters just From Mike... aren't.

She told me that I never said that I loved her. And I said that I did say it... which, isn't true. And I knew that. I don't say it. But that's only because she'd hear it differently than I mean it. What I meant to say was, I would mean it. I would mean it if I said it. I do love her. Just, not like that.

I was hoping she'd see through me, but she didn't. It felt like a fight I can't come back from. I tried so hard to keep her in my life, I want her in my life. But she seems to only want me around as a boyfriend. I was scared that if I told her how I really feel then I'd really lose her. And not just to California, but forever.

I guess I lost her anyway. Because I was just Mike. Not what she wanted.

The day after that:

So El got arrested and then I guess after that she got kidnapped by the government but she went willingly??? She left me this note that she was going to become a superhero again, From El.

It's weird to say it but there's kindof a relief to it. Don't get me wrong, I'm super worried I've completely lost her, but at least just this once she doesn't think I love her like that. So in a way, this is the most honest we've been in months.

Will was rambling about the government and El or something. He seemed to notice something was on my mind, he always does. I wanted to tell him all this stuff. That I don't love her like that. But she wanted me to say the words and I don't know how to say them the way I mean it. And I don't want to lose her completely over it, but I lost her anyway and now what do I do?

But how do I tell him that without him thinking I'm talking about something I'm also not talking about? And I don't know if I want him to know that I felt that way this whole time either. He and El are clearly a lot closer than they were last summer. He didn't hesitate to call himself her brother. And I've been dating El letting her and everyone else think I loved her that way. Maybe he won't get it, maybe I don't want him to get it.

Because why wouldn't I love her like that? She's great! She's awesome! She's a superhero! But I guess that was also part of El's problem?

And this is the spiral in which I find myself going ever downward.

So I don't tell Will exactly what's going on. Just that we had a fight because I couldn't say something and it feels like the end. He was nice about it, he said I'll see her again and I can say whatever I want to say then. Which is... true. It made me feel better. I still have time to figure out how to say what I mean. So that she gets it. It'll be okay.

I realized later that I never apologized to Will. So I went to his room and I told him part of what I couldn't find the courage to write down. That Hawkins wasn't the same without him. That I missed him a lot and that I was clearly so worried about El, about losing her, that I lost him instead.

I asked him if I made sense. Please tell me he gets this the way I mean it? He nods and I kept going. I told him that I didn't know what was going to happen but that I thought we should work together as a team. As friends. Best friends.

Please tell me you get what I mean? Please hear that I don't wanna lose you. You're what makes my life normal and everything is weird without you and please don't leave me. I won't leave you behind again, I'm sorry. You're the one I actually can't bear to lose.

He nodded and smiled at me. "Cool," he said.

I saw it in his eyes, he gets it. Thank goodness he gets it.

"Cool," I said back.

Later that day:

So, crazy stuff happened. The house got shot up and we ended up burying someone and we don't know where El is and then Argyle got in my face that this was all about my superhero girlfriend and they were probably going to kill her.

I just... I wasn't ready for that. The thought that she might die and not know how I feel about her. That they might kill her and we ended off like we did. That she might die and think I didn't love her at all.

I zoned out a bit after Argyle left for the van. I don't know how long I must have stared at the ground but when I looked up, Will was already looking at me. I was kind of taken aback. There was so much... compassion and... understanding in his eyes. I quickly looked away, but I also kept looking back up. It's hard to stare straight at something so kind and vulnerable, but I also never wanted to look away, just to make sure I was really seeing it.

Will pulled me aside after that, he wanted to comfort me about what Argyle said. But Argyle wasn't wrong. I said that I should have explained myself cause then maybe El would have taken me with her. Maybe if she knew how I actually felt about her. That I did actually love her, and could get her to understand what I meant, then she'd want me there with her for whatever she's going through right now. But I didn't know what to say, how to say it.

Then Will the Wise came back, and he told me how sometimes it's scary to open up how you want to. Because what if they don't like the truth?

How does he do that? He doesn't even really know what I'm talking about but he somehow knows exactly what to say. Like he gets it, somehow.

Days later:

So we were in the back of the van, me and Will. And Jonathan was driving while Argyle slept. Will was trying to cheer me up with some crazy plan to get rich in Vegas, but he saw right through me again and saw I was still upset. He said El would be okay, that we'll make it.

But that isn't my problem. What if after all of this is over, she doesn't need me anymore? That was what I said, but I really meant what if she doesn't want me around anymore? She already didn't want me around when I couldn't say what she wanted to hear, what happened after all this stuff with the Upside Down is over? There isn't going to be anything keeping her in my life. And it'll really be over. I don't offer her anything.

I said that meeting El was just simple dumb luck. She needed someone back then, but she won't be needing me forever and after that she won't want me around. At least Lois Lane has something else going for her other than Superman. I don't have anything.

It was stupid to bring up, there was so much else going on. We had bigger problems. It's just easy to talk to Will. Especially when he sees right through me like that.

"You're scared of losing her," he said.

Yeah, exactly.

He gave me a painting after that. It was... incredible. I hadn't seen his art in months and I knew he was painting now but... wow. It's breathtaking. He's gotten so much more talented these past months.

"Did you paint this?" I asked. What I meant was did you paint this for me? He said yes, but that El commissioned it.

I don't know how to explain how I felt about that.

But Will kept talking, he said that I was the heart of the party. That El was so different from other people but I made her feel like she wasn't a mistake at all. That she was better for being different. And that gave her the courage to fight on. So yeah, she'd always need me. She'd always want me around.

I do know how I feel about that. Things with El feel more simple in my mind, I don't love her romantically but... she loves me like that? Maybe then I can tell her how I feel and she'll still want me around! If she'll always need me like Will just said, then hopefully she'll want me around as a friend! Hopefully she'll love me that much.

Someone loves me like that. And I can't help but love it. I can't help but smile and be relieved.

Someone loves me like that.

Later that night:

We found El. She was safe. She made a plan to help our friends in Hawkins and we set it up in the back of a Surfer Boy pizza. We were alone for a little bit, sitting at one of the tables. I made her laugh to try and lighten the mood.

She said she missed me, and that made me smile. Maybe she really did feel the way that Will said. Maybe if she really did love me like that then she'd still want me around after I tell her that I do love her, as a friend. I told her I missed her too, and that I'd had time to think about our argument a few days before. I was about to tell her the thing I really wanted to say most when Argyle came up with a pizza and stopped the conversation.

Once again, I can't say what's been on my mind.

And then later, El was in the mind fight and she started choking. I was so scared she was going to die. I froze. I was holding her hand and watching her choke.

Will reached for my shoulder and he reminded me that I'm the heart.

I'm supposed to hold her together. I make her feel better for being different. It gives her the courage to fight on.

Yeah?

Yeah.

And so I tell her I'm here and that I love her. Because it's true. I don't know how she's gonna hear it. But I force the words past my lips because she needs to hear it in whatever way she takes it. Maybe right now it doesn't matter how I mean it, just that it's true.

I said I was sorry I didn't say it more. But what I really meant was that I was sorry I didn't say it at all. But Will and Jonathan were there, and they think that El and I have been trading I love yous for the past several months. I couldn't let them know that I never said it at all. Especially not Will. Not after he made that painting for me. That painting symbolized everything that Will said about El's love for me. Admitting that I never said I loved El at all would be like spitting in his face.

I hope El knows what I mean, though. She knows I never said it. And I told her that I was never scared of her but that I was scared that she wouldn't need me anymore. That if I said how I really felt, that I loved her as a friend, then losing her would hurt more. Because then it wouldn't be that I lost her because I didn't love her. But because my love wasn't good enough.

I told her I didn't know how to live without her. That I felt like my life started the day we found her in the woods. Which feels true. I don't really remember life before Will went missing and we found her. Everything started when Will went missing and we found El. Everything before the Upside Down is a blur to me. And El has been there since the beginning of all this craziness, she's kept us safe. I can't imagine my life without her in it. She's one of my best friends, how could I imagine it without her?

I told her I loved her from the beginning, in the rain. I don't know how true that was. But she was my hope. She was gonna help us find Will, how do you not love hope? But more importantly, I wanted her to know that I didn't ever think she was the monster. If to her, the difference between thinking that I see her as a monster or a loved one is saying Love Mike, then I'll say Love Mike.

I hope she knows what I mean, but right now I guess it doesn't matter how she takes it, as long as she lives.

So I tell her I love her on her good days, her bad days, with her powers, without her powers. I love her for exactly who she is. She's my superhero. I know she didn't like that term when I said it earlier. But it's true. She's one of my best friends, my superhero. It doesn't mean I love her less. Or that I don't see her for who she is, cause she is also so much more.

And I said I couldn't lose her, which is also true. I lost both her and Will too many times to count. I can't lose either of them again. But it's not Will on the table choking to death, it's El.

And so I need her to know that she can do anything. I believe it, if she started flying or moving mountains I wouldn't be shocked. And so I believe that she can win this too. That she can fight and she can win.

I hope she hears what I mean, and if she doesn't, I hope she hears what she wants to hear. So that she can have the courage to fight on.

Two days later:

El lost the battle. Max is in a coma. And Will told me that now that we were back in Hawkins, he could feel One. He's alive and he wants everything and everyone and he won't stop. And my heart just... plummets into my gut.

Not again, not Will. Not Will with that terrified look in his eyes. The Upside Down has always wanted Will for some reason, and with One still alive, he's back in the line of fire again.

"We have to kill him," Will said.

I put my hand on his shoulder, I just needed to ground myself, and him. I didn't want him to float away, or get kidnapped, or possessed in front of my eyes again.

"We will," I told him.

I don't know what's going to become of my relationship with El. What she heard me say two days ago. Or what she thinks of anything, she hasn't really talked to me since it happened. But right now Will needs me. And I've always stayed by his side and had his back when the Upside Down strikes. And this time will be no different.

We stood on the flower field where I picked El's flowers just a week before. The flowers were decaying right before my eyes. And the sky was ripped open in shades of red and black, matching the rips in the ground all over Hawkins.

The three of us approach the sight together, but as Will and I stop to stare, El moves past us to stand in front. Closer, and on her own.

The sight was horrifying. What would we face together to bring down One this time?

I didn't know what was going to come, but I had Will by my side and El in front of us. Our guardian, as always.

And somehow, despite all the terror around us, it felt right.

[n1ccult]

Welcome to My BPD blog

Hi, my name is Nicole. I’m nineteen and I’ve been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder for nine months, but I’ve exhibited symptoms of BPD since I was eleven or twelve. I’m starting this blog to help myself heal from BPD.

I’ve always had a strained relationship with my parents. My father wasn’t the father people saw on TV shows. My mom wasn’t perfect either, drowning her sorrows in a bottle of tequila or two 20-ounce cans of Coors Light. They always forgot I was there. Being an only child I was so alone and I started exhibiting attention-seeking behavior such as pathological lying and self-harm. The self-harm was originally for attention from those around me, but then it turned into a way to release my pain, then it turned into a way for me to feel something. I would abuse substances at very young ages and was sexually active very young. At fifteen I had even attempted to take my own life. Just to preface, I’m not judging anyone who is recovering and struggling. These are just self-destructive behaviors I took part in which made it so much worse for me.

As I got older fifteen and sixteen I would have sex with men who were often older than me to feel loved. They were pedophiles who just wanted to get laid. Even though these men just saw me as a piece of ass, I would cling to them and when they would block me I would feel so devastated I would have suicidal thoughts. Was I not good enough for these men? No, I was too good for them. I was just in such a bad place not receiving love from my family, I would try to fill the void with sex, drugs, and a new friend group every other month. I only had one friend who stuck by my side in high school until one day she blocked me on everything, because “I was too much.” I saw her as Satan after she did that. I felt like she had ruined my life. Let’s just call her Kathy. However, after that happened I was alone. Had no friendships and I realized, maybe I was the problem. On top of that the guy I was seeing called me a whore and a mistake and once again I heard the phrase “you’re too much.” It clicked and I knew I couldn’t live like that anymore. Being late in 2020 in the middle of my senior year of high school which was all online, with no job, I knew I had to pull up my big girl pants and start recovery. That recovery started with a Bipolar II diagnosis, which many people who are Borderline get. However, that was not the truth. I lived with that diagnosis for a year and a half, but it never resonated with me.

I moved from California to Montana for college which was a huge part of my recovery. Within a week I had already had my “favorite person” picked out. His name was Sam and I spent every single day of orientation week with him. End of the week we ended up hooking up, and afterward, I flipped. I would get paranoid he was going to ghost me. I would Snapchat at him saying he didn’t care about me and one day I threw his sweatshirt out the window at him from the fourth floor of my dorm. I blocked him and cried every single night. There it was, not the Bipolar disorder, but the BPD. That’s when I seriously knew I wasn’t Bipolar, but something was wrong. However, I still continued that toxic behavior. For the rest of the first semester of college, it was just a pattern of Sams. Then I went home for Christmas and there were no more Sams. I couldn’t bring myself to text any of the old hookups I had in California because I was embarrassed. I was able to go back to the job I had before I left for college and I spent my nights journaling and watching youtube videos about BPD. I reflected on my past behaviors from the past semester and I just felt embarrassed. I didn’t want to be like that anymore.

In February 2022, I deleted my own social media so things to be quiet. I figure my shit out. Being in the second semester of my first year of college I was still adjusting to the move and trying to figure out what was wrong. I had therapy once a week. I talked about my past traumas as a child, I dissected all my behaviors and started plans to help me cope with my destructive behaviors.

A year later, I’m still on my BPD healing journey. There are so many more details I left out of this, which I want to cover more as I continue this blog. I’m doing this as a way to help me heal and hopefully, it can inspire others while I go on this journey. If I even help one person from this post or blog I will feel like I have done something to help. 

[weeswine]

Stuff I have noticed watching ST season 4 for the 5th or something time:

(Or just my rekindling of opinions and feelings)

Lucas wasn't a back stabber, he sent Jason and the crew to El and Hops old cabin (me too busy just focusing on Lucas (he is babygirl✨️))

Eddie isn't present for like 2 episodes and that is just a big wow [also Erica, miss her :(]

That classic shot of Eddie at the d&d table is not him being a dramatic whore™, rolling dice, but actually congratulating Erica

Why is Erica wearing the flag? Like slay and also the American theme song is playing but like girl?????

Erica supports the gays ✨️ (She probably is a gay 🇺🇲🇺🇸🇺🇲🇺🇸)

Angela still deserves that skate to the head [slayed !]

Murray is slay.

Still cant look at Robins outfit from the psych ward (sorry but yeah nah)

Alexei 😫

Jason is a leader but not a responsible or smart one, like he is hunting down a couple of 20 y/os and their half a dozen 14 y/o children??? And supporting his teammates to do the same (i didnt like him before but jeez dude)

also you can see his style of leadership of basketball and children hunting have some similarities sus

California Dreamin was played because ... *drumroll* THEY ARE IN CALIFORNIA!

The main group are the pick me girls of character developement (they dont develope like other characters~ they get desensitized and are used to death and gore *bites lip, tucks hair behind ear, giggles and pukes little*) but also geniuenly concerned for their sanity:

Argyle: Omg that dude dead, my 1st (?) death, the party is not here my dudes😔, wtf is happening, Ive never been through this, Im meant to deliver pizzas not dead bodies🍍🍍🍍

Byer boys + Mike: Oh my ✨️gawwdd✨️ Argyle get over it already ... like chop chop this agent died like 20 seconds ago move on !

(but they were in danger like Argyle indeed dude chop chop)

Does Yuri always just drug his coffee with sleepy pills? Like my guy thats not what coffee is meant to be used for, and the pills wouldve been low dosage cause unless Yuri is a maths wiz he wouldve been counting his mula for a while

Hop! Just dont have feet. At this point get rid of them! Get those 'orrid manky things outta 'ere!

The most horrific part of ST is not asshole Vecna and his gang, its just watching Hop get his feet dragged or him running around in the snow, no shoes, big cuts, the only thing keeping is feet on his body is Joyce, she is a super glue.

Vecna is more than just a piece of shit, hes the entire digestive system.

But him just targeting traumatised kids and touching them on the fore head, like: "Dw sweetie~ I'll fix you, shh is okay, you be nasty never again <3 Nurse Vecna will make you all better~ :)"

They are not nasty! They just been through some shit. Fuck you twerp

Freds visions with the funeral family giving ✨️Tisphone✨️ vibes ~♡

Early season 4 Mike is an asshole (dw it gets gayer *pats on head*)

Steve ���

Robin 😍

Nancy 😘

Eddie 🤩 (star fish boy)

Together united in harmony, they are the power Rangers💕💞✨️✨️

Dacre Montgomery (Billy) was in power Rangers (hes also aAussie which is just so oool)

Conspirewithme: #headcanons

Joyce could totally just go 1v1 brawl with the entirety of the upsidedown, Id pay to see it.

That guy who hired Robin and Steve who also worked at the arcade defo played d&d with Eddie at some point

I need to see El just have a giant therapy dog (think Perrito but Great Dame size)

Mike might be projecting Will onto El butttt he bi af, have you seen his cheekbones??? ( im watching a documentary on "Mike Gay????😱😱")

I am only up to the beggingin of episode 5, gods i hope this makes sense and im not accidently offending anyone

(Im a tag sl**)🐌

[sweetestgrethan]

Underbelly

Tags: Slice of life, face fucking, holiday season

Hi! I’m obsessed with this au so here’s part 4 even though I just posted one lol. Time skipped a couple more years, to their 30th bday! Enjoy!

WC: 2611

————

Ethan took a slow drag from the cigarette between his fingers, exhaling towards the sky, hoping it would make the smell less noticeable. He was sitting on his and Grayson’s porch, on the steps that led up to their front door, arms wrapped around his knees.

Ethan could feel the way the air was shifting already, spring turning into another burning hot summer. It was still cool enough to enjoy the weather, so Ethan tried to take advantage as much as possible. He liked watching the neighborhood pass by as they lived their lives, watching cars drive past and squirrels climb up trees, birds swooping by and neighbors offering polite smiles on their daily walks.

Ethan didn’t startle when he heard the door behind him open, feeling the floorboards under him creaking under Grayson’s weight.

“You know I don’t like it when you smoke,” Grayson scolded softly, smiling anyway, reaching down to pet the top of Ethan’s head before he joined him on the steps, sitting right beside him.

“I was feeling rebellious,” Ethan explained, returning the smile and watching Grayson settle.

“There are better ways to act out,” Grayson smirked and went to grab the cigarette from Ethan’s hand, taking a drag for himself.

Ethan watched Grayson fondly, admiring the way his lips curled around it, how the smoke bellowed out of him unceremoniously. “I was thinking..” Ethan trailed off, still staring.

“Uh oh,” Grayson joked, handing the cigarette back to Ethan.

Ethan laughed softly before he continued, ashing the cigarette on the step below them. “I want to move. California is so… I don’t know. I’m done with it, you know?” He said honestly, finishing off the cigarette before he threw it on the bottom step, crushing it under the heel of his shoe. “I wanna be somewhere quiet. And beautiful. Where no one will bother us.”

Grayson smiled at Ethan as he spoke, nodding along. “I agree,” Grayson murmured, wanting to touch, to place a hand on Ethan’s thigh or kiss his cheek to show some form of support, but he was keenly aware that anyone could see them on their stoop, that any neighbor could pop out and see the twins doing unsavory things if they weren’t careful. So, he refrained, kept his distance and his hands to himself. “Jersey?” Grayson suggested, still staring at his brother’s face.

“I considered it,” Ethan admitted. “I wish we could move back in with mom sometimes. That house is perfect,” he chuckled.

Grayson laughed too, because he had the same thought. Their childhood home was everything they wanted, with the unwelcome prying eyes of their mother. “We can look at something close to her, yeah? Our own piece of land. We can make it our own.”

Ethan nodded eagerly. “That sounds nice,” he hummed, ignoring their rule, the one about not being too obvious in public, snaking his hand onto Grayson’s thigh and squeezing it gently.

————

“3, 2, 1!”

The family of four all struck a pose as the flash of the camera went off, bursting into fits of laughter after the photo was taken.

Although the weather in LA wasn’t exactly fit for sweaters, they each had on a matching ugly sweater, something their mom had insisted on, for the sake of the holiday spirit.

“Grayson, your eyes are closed again!” Cameron guffawed as she looked at the photo they had just taken, turning the phone around to show it to the twins.

“Shit,” Grayson laughed, giving Cameron an awkward smile in return. “I’m sorry, I have to blink,” he insisted.

Ethan came up beside him to look at the picture too, shaking his head playfully. “I think it’ll make a great postcard,” he assured through a laugh.

It was a strange feeling, although exciting, to have their mom and sister here to celebrate their birthday and Christmas, in the home where Ethan and Grayson had grown so much, both as people and in their relationship. Ethan had been quite nervous about it at first, the premise of having to act normal around them for the next two weeks, but Grayson had assured him that they’d done it their whole lives, it wouldn’t be any different this time around.

Ethan had noticed a change in their mother coming up to this trip, in the way she talked about them. They’d grown used to her asking about girlfriends, boyfriends, family plans, about when they were going to move away from each other. Now, she rarely asked about any of that, in favor of asking how they’d been, what they were up to, how work was. Ethan didn’t want to assume she knew about them, but it made him a bit queasy to ponder her new acceptance of their relationship as it was, two brothers who were content to live side by side their whole lives, unimpeded by spouses. They were turning 30 in a few days, the age where they should’ve been thinking seriously about starting families and settling down, but they couldn’t deny what they really wanted, which was to be together, just the two of them.

It’s just Grayson and Cameron one morning, up quite a bit earlier than Ethan or their mom could ever bother to be up. Grayson had made them both eggs and blueberry pancakes, to Cameron’s surprise.

“Ethan’s not much of a cook, so one of us has to be able to feed us,” Grayson explained with a smile, eyes downcast at the imperfect pancakes he was cutting into.

Cameron smiled softly at that, watching Grayson curiously. She’d been wanting to ask about that, about Grayson and Ethan. How they worked, how neither of them had any intention to separate from each other anytime soon. Cameron had only ever passively cared about what her brothers got up to, never really caring to look too deep into their bond. It was different now, all of them were much older and much more mature. She’d wondered for years if there was anything more, if their closeness was just on the surface level.

“I bet you still do all the laundry and handle the finances too,” Cameron quipped back, taking a bite of her eggs as she watched Grayson laugh.

“Actually, he’s gotten better at the finances part. Can’t say he does much laundry, though,” Grayson hummed and took a sip from his water. “We have a good system. We try to trade off on the chores and stuff.”

Cameron is slightly shocked that Grayson didn’t deny that part, the part about them sharing money, like a couple. She itches to ask what she really wants to ask. It all sounds so domestic in a way she can’t quite wrap her head around. “You’re better than most married couples,” she commented, offhandedly, though she realized too late what she was implying.

Grayson paused for a moment, only taking a second to gather his thoughts before he continued eating. No way, he thought. There’s no way. “We fight like a married couple, too,” he tacked on, trying his best to dissolve the cloud of tension that settled over them.

Cameron looked Grayson’s way again, narrowing her eyes at him, like she was trying to figure it all out. “Be honest with me, Gray. Like, really honest,” she finally said, setting her utensils down to give him her undivided attention.

Grayson looked up at Cameron with a carefully practiced expression, furrowing his brows as if he was confused. He knew the day would come when she would ask, he’d practiced for this exact scenario. “About what?” Grayson replied easily and shoved another piece of pancake in his mouth. He wasn’t going to be honest at all, as long as he could help it.

“You and Ethan. It’s.. It’s more than you’re letting on. I see it, Gray, the way you look at each other. Living together this long. Not one mention of other people,” Cameron watched as Grayson broke eye contact with her, looking down at his plate with an almost guilty expression. Cameron remembers that look from when they were little, when she’d catch them getting up to no good. Grayson doesn’t need to say anything in return, but she wants to hear it from him so she’d have some peace of mind.

Grayson isn’t exactly sure how to proceed. He never expected his sister to be so adamant about the topic. It seemed like her thoughts were set, that Grayson could probably do little to convince her otherwise. Grayson shrugged, returning her intense gaze and letting out a breath through his nose. “Why do you care?” Grayson countered. He hadn’t meant to sound sassy, or rude, but it was a genuine question. Why did it matter? Why was it so bad that he and Ethan loved each other so deeply?

Cameron finally seemed to relax at Grayson’s answer. It was all the answer she needed. Truly, she’d been coming to terms with their relationship their whole lives, so it was barely shocking to her anymore. She couldn’t say she was exactly in favor of her twin brothers being together in this way, but she also knew she could do nothing to pull them apart, even if she really wanted to.

“I don't,” Cameron said after clearing her throat, back to eating her food like before. “It’s sweet. Built-in soulmate,” she concluded, offering the smallest smile, trying to ease the stressed expression on Grayson’s face.

Grayson found himself speechless again. This wasn’t how he thought this morning would go, unintentionally revealing themselves to their sister. “We’re good together. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of him,” Grayson mused. He thought, if he could prove that it was blissful, that he wouldn’t want it any other way, then any of Cameron’s preconceptions could be proven wrong.

Cameron finished off the last bite of her pancake, leaning back in her seat to take Grayson in, arms crossing over her chest. “No nieces and nephews for me to spoil, then?” She teased.

Grayson tried his best to let his guard down, to just be normal about this, to accept that Cameron wasn’t saying any of this maliciously. “We’re trying,” he admitted. “I’m not too into the idea of him, uh, carrying, but we’re looking into some other options. Adoption, surrogacy.”

Cameron nodded. She couldn’t help but feel herself growing embarrassed, almost uncomfortable. It was a natural reaction to hearing any mention of her siblings’ sex lives. “He’d be such a wimp about it, anyway,” Cameron laughed. “He can’t even handle having a cold.”

Grayson laughed, too, feeling like it was okay to do so, to about this with her. “Yeah, I guess so,” he smirked.

————

Ethan giggled as Grayson pushed at his shoulder, the older twin dropping to his knees obediently. He looked up at Grayson with big, shiny eyes, glistening with his intoxication. He could still feel the warmth of the rum he had earlier blooming through his chest as he gently tugged down Grayson’s sweats, only enough to take him out of his boxers.

It was Christmas Eve, and the house was quiet, save for the sound of the air conditioning, and the low hum of the abandoned Christmas movie in the living room. They had all wanted to stay up and watch it together, as a family, but both Cameron and their mom had bowed out in favor of sleep. Ethan and Grayson didn’t mind, of course.

Ethan was never subtle when he was drunk, so it had been hard to keep his distance until they had left. He’d followed Grayson into the kitchen when he said he wanted to grab some snacks, having other things in mind.

“I can trust you to be quiet, right?” Grayson purred as he watched Ethan pull his boxers down, revealing his already hard cock, bobbing a few inches from his face.

Ethan nodded eagerly, a hand wrapping around the base so he could stroke the length of it. This was extremely stupid, doing this in the kitchen where they could very easily be found, but Ethan didn’t really care at the moment. He’d spent the whole week sleeping alone, with only stolen kisses here and there, and he could barely function without the excessively close contact he was used to.

“Shut me up,” Ethan challenged and leaned down, spitting on Grayson’s dick so his hand would glide more smoothly, opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out, inviting Grayson in.

Grayson was certain he wouldn’t last very long, not at this rate, with Ethan being as effortlessly sexy as he was. Grayson wordlessly took a fistful of Ethan’s soft hair in his hand, using the grip to steady himself as he slowly pushed himself down Ethan’s throat. Ethan was always so good at this, pliant and soft and wet, no gag reflex to get in the way of Grayson wrecking him.

Ethan let out a silky noise around Grayson as he slowly started a pace, eyes closing as he concentrated on relaxing his throat. Grayson was already pushing him all the way down, forcing his lips to press against the base, nose buried in the patch of pubes above it. If only Grayson could see how wet he was, how he felt like he was soaking through every layer he was wearing. He didn’t dare touch himself, not wanting to stop the pleasant ache or the slick that never ceased to spill out of him. He clenched around nothing, desperate to feel Grayson’s cock inside him.

Grayson tried not to make a sound as he fucked into Ethan's mouth, letting out shaky breaths that threatened to turn into soft noises. "Missed you,” he groaned softly, pressing Ethan all the way down and keeping him there for a few moments, able to feel the way his gag reflex flexed around him. Grayson used his free hand to feel along the length of Ethan’s neck, squeezing his fingers around him so he could feel the outline of himself there, making his cock jolt in his mouth.

Ethan hummed again, flattening his tongue out to make more space, drooling down his chin and making a mess of his shirt. If he could come untouched, he would’ve been shaking from the gentle squeeze of his neck, Grayson admiring the way he fit inside of his throat. He made sure to keep his hands folded in his lap, knowing Grayson liked having full control of him, with no roaming hands to deal with.

"You're so good, just for me," Grayson purred and pushed his hips forward, on the verge of his orgasm as he thrusted into Ethan's mouth. His twin was perfect in every way conceivable, so receptive to him and what he needed, even if it happened to be in the middle of their kitchen, while the rest of their family slept just down the hall. "You want my load down your throat, E?" he growled and tugged his hair harder, watching Ethan's face scrunch up, trying desperately to tell him yes, please, I need all of it.

When Grayson did come, Ethan stayed impaled on the girthy length, letting his throat muscles work around him as he swallowed, not pulling off until he was certain he'd gotten all of it. The room seemed to spin a little more after he finished, pressing lazy kisses to Grayson's tummy as he pulled his sweats back up. "I need more," Ethan whined, knowing it wasn't likely that they'd be able to fuck properly, even though his body ached for it, needed it to function.

"I know. Me too," Grayson hummed, still sucking in slow breaths, recovering from his orgasm as he leaned back against the counter.

————

I know it’s going a bit slow. I do like writing in this style though, just little blips of their life. Hope you liked it :-) lmk your thoughts in my ask box! 🩵🩷

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3