#buckle sandals womens

[birkenstockindia]

From classic styles in new colors to fresh footwear options, the new line is bound to meet your style and function needs perfectly. Discover the latest collection of Birkenstock Footwear in New Style here -  https://www.birkenstock.in/products/arizonabigbuckle-patent-naturalleatherpatent-0-eva-wv

[shoesparadise]

[womenofwrestlingfashion]

Both Ways Reversible Bucket Hat ($48), Align™ Bodysuit 6" in Taupetastic ($128) & Free to Be Bra in Black ($48) from Lululemon, Erika Classic Sunglasses in Polished Light Havana from Ray Ban ($186), Minnie Mouse Die Cut Quilted Crossbody Chain Bag from Loungefly x Disney (n/a) & Athlefit Women's Double Buckle EVA Sandals from Amazon ($29.99)

Links Here

[crocsin]

Crocs Brooklyn Buckle Low Black Women Sandal - Crocs™ India

Women's Crocs Brooklyn Buckle Low Sandal is specially designed for women and is available in multi-color it is soft, flexible, and lightweight, and changes your look at any cost. Read more: https://www.crocs.in/crocs-brooklyn-low-black-women-sandal.html

[prettiedup]

“You look good.” Ony states as he studies the false lashes that sits on top of your eyelids. His tatted hand reaches out to grab your chin. Silently, he tilts your head right and then left. He slowly nods his head in approval while continuing to examine the extensions. You had mentioned getting a more dramatic set this go round, and truthfully he was a bit nervous, he thought he would have to pretend to like them. But, to his shock, the dramatic fluff fit your face perfectly.

“Thank you, baby.” You find yourself fawning at both his compliment and being under his watch. You absolutely loved having all of your boyfriend’s attention, no matter the situation.

You lean closer towards him, the two of you meet in the middle where your lips connect to. Ony never liked quick kisses. He preferred to take his time gliding his tongue into your mouth, and sucking on your tongue. You were used to his antics at this point, and decided to just let him do as he pleased.

When he finally decides that he’s had enough, he pulls away from you. His eyes dart down to your lips before trailing back up to your eyes. He gives you a knowing smile when he sees the needy look you’re giving him.

“You aight?” He asks. He lets go of your chin, and adjusts himself in the driver seat. You nod at his question. Ony smacks his teeth at that. “Words, bae.”

“I’m okay.” You confirm.

He waits until you’ve buckled your seatbelt to pull out of your lash tech’s driveway. The familiar whine from his hellcat runs through your ears before he turns the music up. He hands you his phone, in a routinely fashion you open his apple music and begin searching for a song.

You choose a song you knew for a fact the both of you enjoyed singing.

You let the song play out before turning the radio down. “Where are we going?” You ask curiously.

“Imma drop you off at the crib, ‘nd then I have some plays to go make.” He explains.

Instantly, your attitude changed. You were no longer smiling. Instead, there was a pout on your lips while you gazed at him offendedly. Your arms found their way crossed against your chest before you even realized you were doing it.

Ony glances at you out of the side of his eye. Seeing you pouting and crossing your arms makes him sigh. “Don’t start.” He warns you.

“Why can’t I come with you? You usually let me come.” You ask in irritation.

“Cause I don’t want you to. Simple.” Ony responds with a lousy shoulder shrug. The stoplight turns green and his car grumbles as he accelerates.

You had this horrible habit of accusing. In your defense, the way you looked at things is like: my boyfriend is tall, dark, and handsome. If I’m attracted to him of course other women will be also. And so you found yourself accusing him of things constantly, sometimes without even meaning to.

“A girl must be there.” The words flew out of your mouth quicker than you could stop them. Ony had told you time and time again to stop accusing him, claiming that it’s both draining and annoying. You just couldn’t help it.

“Here you go.” He sighs. Instead of giving you an answer he just turns the radio up, blasting out any chance for you to keep your accusations going.

Your arms stay folded for the remainder of the drive. You childishly look out of the window the entire time, not once sparing your boyfriend a glance.

The millisecond he puts his car in park in his designated parking spot outside your loft complex, you practically hop out of his car. You don’t purposely slam his car door, you had used more strength than you intended to truthfully. Ony didn’t play about his car. The thousands of dollars he has spent adding modifications to it only backs up his claim. You knew just from that action you were going to be in deeper trouble.

The sound of your pink tory burch sandals clacking against the pavement, your numerous bracelets hitting against each other played in your ears as you tried to collect your thoughts. You didn’t hear his heavy footsteps trailing behind you which is both a good and bad thing.

You’re in the elevator when your phone lights up, displaying your lover’s contact. Your heart thumps in your chest a little faster as you contemplate answering it. With a shaky exhale, you answer.

“Hello?” You could hear the sound of his car switching gears and the clicking of his signal stick.

“What did I tell you about slammin’ my door?” He’s composed, which only makes you more anxious.

You bite down on your lip at his question. You look around the empty elevator as you try to come up with an explanation that was good enough. You were acting childish but you just felt undeniably angry at him for not even offering you an invitation.

“You made me mad.” Your voice is lighter and apprehensive.

You could hear Ony kissing his teeth at your admission. “Why do you not understand that what I do ain’t a fuckin’ game, mama? This shit aint sparkles and rainbows. I’m mad at myself for even exposing you to this shit. This typa shit ain’t for you.” You’re his babydoll. Pink, glitter, soft scents, doe eyes, and pouty lips. Violence doesn’t fit in your criteria, it just isn’t you. How polar you two are is what drew Ony to you to begin with.

The elevator dinged and slowly opened its doors. You step out, your grip on your phone tightening as you rationalize his words. There’s a frown on your lips that you’re positive Ony would have plucked away if he was standing beside you. His explanation made sense, and deep down you knew you had no business mingling with a crowd like that. Hell, you had no business mingling with Ony.

“But, I’m grown,” You whine. “I should be able to choose where I want to go and what I want to do.” You’re putting up a weak argument against him. The both of you knew it too.

“Yeah but that ain’t you.” He reminds you. “Running the streets with me ain’t safe. And your safety is the most important thing t’me.”

You hum at his words while you bring your hello kitty printed key up to the doorknob. You still vividly remember the day Ony surprised you with it. You guys had been together for some months, and were beginning to discuss hypothetical ‘what if we lived together’ scenarios. A few days later Ony had gave you a solid black box with a light pink hello kitty key in the inside. That was the start of something incredible.

“My baby’s so stubborn.” Ony could hear the sound of the front door slamming shut. Your sandals and shuffling played through his speakers, he had told you to pick your feet up when you walked, and like always, what he said went through one ear and out the other.

“‘M notttt.” You whine.

“Yes you are. But it’s okay, baby. Daddy’s got somethin’ for that attitude you had earlier.” He promises you.

You have to pause in your tracks. Instantly, there’s throbbing in between your legs. A surge of horniness courses through your body. This is how the game between you two went. You would pick at him for something—anything, just so you could act out, and so that he could put you right back in your place.

“You don’t sound mad with me anymore though?”You frown.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not gonna set you straight for acting out like that. I’m bout to pull up tho, imma text you when I’m free. Love you, mama.”

“I love you, baby.” You say before hearing the call end.

There’s butterflies swarming in the pits of your stomach as you try to imagine what he could possibly be planning. When Ony made promises like that, he made sure to keep them. He’s a man of his word and never switches it up.

[rafeandonlyrafe]

fruit stand

words: 1.2k

warnings: none, just very cute rafey <3

“rafe.”

“what is it rose?” he asks, looking up from his phone.

“i need you to pick up some fruit at the stand down the street. i need two watermelons.”

rafe rolls his eyes, resisting the urge to tell her to do it herself. there is some big dinner party tonight, and ward and rose have been overly stressed about it to the point it’s driving him crazy.

“alright, i’ll go now.” rafe stands up with a stretch, considering bringing wheezie long for a moment, but when he peeks in her room, he sees her nose deep in a book and decides to leave her alone.

rafe shoves his hands in his pockets as he walks down the street. he’s seen it briefly when driving by, the small fruit stand positioned on the corner of his block. he would think that the other people in the community wouldn’t want someone selling there, but he guesses that having easy access to fresh fruit makes up for it.

“hello there!” your voice brings rafe out of his thoughts.

he can’t speak. you’re like a ray of sunlight, bright smile on your face, dressed in a warm yellow sundress and sandals, hair down and slightly curly. you look effortlessly beautiful, and rafe has never felt this way just looking at a woman before.

“what can i get for you today?” you ask, gesturing to the fruit in front of you.

“i-” rafe clears his throat. “just two watermelons.”

“great! we have two sizes, i’m guessing the bigger one because you want two?”

rafe has no idea what rose wants, but he nods quickly anyways. “yeah.”

“alright, great! that’ll be $16. if you have cash, you can drop it in that box, we don’t take card but i have venmo, cashapp, and paypal on that sign.”

rafe quickly scans the sign in his venmo app, sending you the money. you don’t even check that it’s gone through before you’re handing him the watermelon, each now netted in a red mesh to make it easier for him to carry.

“oh gosh, that’s heavy carrying both. do you want to use my cart to take it back home? you can drop it back off any time before 6 today.”

“no, i got it.” rafe doesn’t want you thinking he’s weak as he carries one watermelon in each hand, hoping that the workout he did earlier today means his muscles are on display.

“alright!” you say, flashing him another smile that makes his knees buckle. “have a great day!” “you-you too.” rafe walks away, replaying the entire interaction in his head and cursing himself. he’s never had a problem talking to women before, even ones he finds attractive like you.

he spends the rest of the evening, all throughout the dinner party thinking of you, and he swears the watermelon tastes sweeter than normal.

--

“hello again!” you smile at rafe, recognizing the handsome man who visited your fruit stand only a couple of days ago.

“hi.” rafe smiles back, eyes quickly flipping from your face to the fruit in front of you.

“what can i get you this time…” you trail off, hoping he will provide you with his name.

“rafe.”

you smile. you’ve never heard the name before, but it fits him perfectly. “rafe.” 

“just some strawberries.” rafe picks up the box. he doesn’t even particularly like strawberries, but he would use any excuse to come back to see you again. he hopes it’s not creepy, that you just see him as a returning customer, not one with an embarrassing crush on you.

“great! that’ll be $4.” 

rafe thought ahead and brought cash this time, stuffing a $10 bill into the cardboard box.

“do you want change?” you ask upon seeing that he paid double the price.

“no, it’s a tip.” rafe smiles, hoping it comes off as genuine. he easily forgets how much smaller amounts of money means to people who aren’t as fortunate as him.

“well thank you, rafe.” you say, “i’m y/n, by the way.” you reach across and shake his hand. rafe swears he feels a slight zap at your first time touching each other.

--

“i’m going to go pick up some lemons.” wheezie says as she walks through the living room.

“wait!” rafe says. “at the fruit stand down the street?”

“yeah.” wheezie rolls her eyes like it’s obvious.

“i’ll come with you.” rafe says, getting up and smoothing out any wrinkles on his shirt.

wheezie gives him a weird look. “why? i’m 13, i don’t need you to babysit me.”

“shut up, let’s go.” rafe says, butterflies building in his stomach at the thought of seeing you again. he tried his best to find you on instagram, but with no last name, he had no luck.

wheezie rolls her eyes but lets rafe walk with her. 

“hey rafe!” your voice has him seeing stars, giving you a little wave.

“this is my little sister, wheezie.” he introduces her.

“hello there, wheezie! what can i get you?” you ask as she scans the fruit, smiling when she lands on the yellow citrus. “just some lemons!” 

“making lemonade?” you guess, and wheezie nods as she inspects the fruit.

“hold on, i’ve got some bigger ones down here.” you kneel down under the fruit stand, searching for the lemons that you were saving, looking too good to just put out.

wheezie looks up to rafe with a smirk. “that’s why you wanted to come” at least she whispers it.

“shut up.” rafe whispers out as you pop back up, holding a bag of lemons. “perfect!” wheezie says, reaching across to take it. wheezie goes to get money out of her pocket but rafe stops her, not wanting you to think that he wouldn’t pay for his little sister. he quickly scans the sign and transfers you the money.

“thanks so much wheezie!” you say with a smile, before looking at rafe, and he swears a faint blush comes over your cheeks and your voice drops an octave as you say “thank you rafe.”

--

rafe heads back to the fruit stand around 6pm, hoping that was your closing time. he sees you starting to load up fruit into the back of a pick up truck for the night, and he hurries his step up.

“let me help you.” rafe says, and you startle at his unexpected appearance.

“oh, god, rafe, you scared me.” you press a hand to your chest.

“sorry.” rafe laughs gently, you’re surprised face was just as adorable as every other face he’s seen you make. “you can hand me that crate.” you say, and quickly fall into an easy rhythm, rafe handing things up to you while you stand in the truck bed, organizing them to get everything to fit. it halves the time it usually takes you to clean up.

“all done!” you say, accepting rafe’s hand down. you take the last couple things, like your open sign and money box, and throw them in the passenger seat.

“hey- um…” you come to stand back in front of rafe as he struggles to get his words out. “i was wondering if you wanted to go grab dinner? with me?”

you’re only slightly surprised by his question, rafe hasn’t exactly been hiding his attraction to you. “yeah, yes.” you nod. “that sounds great.”

rafe smiles and lets out a breath of relief.

[mrhyde-mrseek]

Hellenic Polytheism UPG: Appearances

This is how the gods I work with/worship appear to me, divined either from dreams, meditation, or images that pop into my mind that I inexplicably associate with a deity!

Hades: switches between(?) a black cloak that covers his whole body and melts into the shadows and a black suit with dark grey pinstripes, very pale skin, very tall (taller than Persephone), long black hair, wears a three-point black/darkened silver crown with black jewels in each point

Persephone: tan, olive-toned skin, long curly brown hair, golden-brown eyes(?) a long berry colored dress (darker pinkish-red) with red flowers on the shoulders, significantly taller than a human (this is what I’m guessing is her spring outfit, I don’t know what her winter one looks like yet since it’s still summer)

Dionysus: long, curly black hair, dark skin with red undertones, fat, either wine red or black eyes, warm-toned dark purple peplos dress, ivy crown

Athena: Big barn owl wings, nose (/face?) looks like a barn owl beak (/face?), has its helm, has gray eyes, wears a long, flowing white dress with dark gold or bronze buckles/pins/belt, gold sandals(?), long brown hair

Hermes: blonde hair, classic white chiton (exomis maybe?) with gold clasps, gold winged sandles, looks closer to my height from what i can tell

Artemis: young woman, thick, flowy/wavy black hair, sparkling eyes, pale skin, maybe a silver crown/band(??) white/silvery peplos dress, barefoot (I think), human height “so the women she guards/hunts with won’t be afraid of her” (paraphrased explanation from my first meditation with her)

Apollo: long, light golden hair, tan skin, golden(?) eyes, athletic, elegant, white exomis(?), very tall, has supportive camp counselor energy

Aphrodite/Aphroditos: very soothing voice, soft, pale, peachy skin, LONG-ASS flowing dark reddish hair, naked (couldn’t pick out any specific clothes), much taller than most humans, very much seashell vibes; as Aphroditos he looks like red-haired Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle and has the same ethereal, magical pretty boy vibes

[ms-lirio]

"Teu nome é pátria amada, é patriazinha  Não rima com mãe gentil" — Vinicius de Moraes

faceclaim ; marina nery | voiceclaim ; fatima guedes

• BASIC PROFILE INFORMATION:

🌿 human name: mayara dos santos silva (former beatriz dos santos, it used to be her baptism name gave by Portugal)

🌿 gender: cis female

🌿 birthday: september 7th (independence day)

🌿 zodiac: virgo

🌿 mbti: esfp

• SPOTIFY:

🎵 Mayara's theme songs playlist — may

🎵 Mayara's favorite musics — may's playlist

• DESIGN INFORMATION:

Brazil is a difficult country to be represented due to its large ethnic and cultural diversity. As we do not have only one traditional clothing, I decided to add to her casual clothing some cultural aspects and details.

Mayara is a parda (mestiza/mixed) woman. She has long dark curly hair and bright hazel eyes (they're not green) with a small mark below her left eye (Portugal's influence).

(The images above are some examples of Brazilian women that inspire Mayara's appearance).

Her basic clothing is composed of a white lace blouse and a tiny turban made of floral green chita cloth.

She wears simple jeans shorts with a guaiaca (gaucho belt) decorated with an Aparecida buckle.

Her earrings are based on indigenous (povos originários) earrings, made of beads and feathers.

Her sandals are made of leather; they're traditional sandals worn in the Northeast region of Brazil.

📍CHIBI + REFERENCES

#mayara trivia (tag for extra info)

@d-elirio (for my Mayara ship, Brapan)

[katerinaaqu]

Katya hi :D

Please tell us about whatever the shit that goes on between Hephaestus and Athena

Oh Hephaestus and Athena huh? That is an interesting couple of gods we do not see so much these days and yet they were really co-worshipped in antiquity! Let's buckle up then!

For starters they are half-siblings that much many people know. There are different myths about Hephaestus. Apollodorous and Cicero have him as the legitimate son of Zeus and Hera while other writers such as Hesiod, Hyginus, Pausanias and the Homeric Hymns mostly want him to be a son of Hera that has no father and basically was born out of a virgin birth process. Ironically with this train of thought he has no biological father while Athena has no longer her biological mother given her birth. Also both gods being born out of both the members of the couple and the parallel is interesting.

Hephestus and Athena are also sharing the attribute of the protectors of the craftsmen. Hephaestus is generally seen as the protector of metalwork and Athena of other crafts but the two overlap a lot. In fact many temples have them co-worshipped with it. Another common thing they have is their elleged mighty strength. Despite the fact that he is limping, Hephestus is mighty in strength and Athena easily overpowered Ares in Homer to say a few.

Now as we know Hephaestus is a god that was either born crippled as we have from Homer or crippled by the fall he had from Olympus (either because of Hera or because of Zeus depending on the myth) while Athena is a goddess dressed in armor and choosing to remain a virgin and unmarried. Both cases seem to be "contrasting" some of the ideals of antiquity (the ideal of beauty and the ideal of women marrying and not fighting) and both are respected for their contributions which is interesting. Hephaestus being unattractive surely didn't stop him having his own affairs and according to some myths he was given Aphrodite, the most beautiful goddess, as a wife as a compensation (of course we know that this didn't really work out given that by most accounts following the myth Aphrodite was never faithful to this union either and she had a number of lovers with one of the most known being Ares)

In one of the myths Hephaestus tries to bed Athena and violate her. The reasons behind it vary according to writers. Pseudo-Apollodorous says that Hephestus was just abandoned by Aphrodite and so being angry and sad. Athena arrives to his warehouse to get some weapons made, where she gets attacked by him (in fact Apollodorous says that he had to chase her before finally catching up with her. The description is rather graphic and detailed to say the very least). Pseudo-Hyginus also mentions a similar story although that states that after Dionysus made Hephaestus drunk to coerse him release his mother Hera from the chair he had trapped her, Poseidon took advantage of the situation to get revenge on Athena so he urges Hephaestus when he would have one wish granted to ask Athena to marry him. He does and she defends herself and they struggle a bit (ερις eris= fight/strife) . In another work of his the same writer states that Hephaestus was just enflamed with passion for Athena and begged her to marry him but of course she refused and Hephaestus chases her. She hides herself to a sanctuary (believed her co-worshipping center with Hephaestus in Athens) and there Hephaestus follows her and tries to embrace her.

Either way Athena repells him and gathers his seed that has fallen onto her sandal in the process with a piece of wool (ἔριον) [or shakes her foot on the dirt to get it clean] and she throws it away. The piece of cotton proceeds to to fertilize Gaia (earth, χθών) who later gives birth to the mythical king Erichthonius (ἔριον+χθών - wool+earth/ground) who becomes the legendary first king of Athens. The infant is being depicted on various attic vases, with Gaea basically giving baby Erichthonius to the arms of Athena. The myth was basically to signify not only the protection of Athena against the city or the connection of the city with arts and agriculture but also signify the legend Atheneans believed into, that their nation was native indigenous of Attica as opposing to other greek tribes like Dorieans who came from the north (or Hyperborean lands). Since Erichthonius came directly from earth beginning the line of the Atheneans.

I hope this helps!

[ycton]

hi i heard you’re doing styling requests,, and i wanted to ask if u could do a styling board of manon from katseye?

MANON KATSEYE | Styling Board

I pictured her with a fairy look that sticks to a casual but fancy vibe iykwim

When i see her i think of ruffles, butterflies, glitter and glossy looks with a half pony hairstyle~

I also made this look with this jewelry on mind cause it suits the aesthetic i was going for ^^

Items

- White Gauze Brassiere Top from Elywood

- Y2K Butterfly Flare Jeans from Boogzel

- Proportion Little Magic Design Belt Flared Denim from Belchic

- MIU MIU 55mm Patent Leather Multi-buckle Slingbacks

- Gabriella Cardigan Top (Pink) from Nana Jacqueline

- Pearl Reverie Top from Boys Lie

- Stitch Detail Denim Pleated Midi Skirt CL403 from Lewkin

- Naked Wolfe Women's White JOSIE Platform Sandals Heels

- Choker Necklace Water Pearl with Satin Ribbon by Lola Tapioca Pearls

- Baroque Water Pearl Earrings by Lola Tapioca Pearls

*all rights reserved to me, i did all the editing and writing* *sorry if there are spelling mistakes, English is not my native language*

© ycton 2024

[crocsin]

Brooklyn Buckle Low Latte Women Sandal - Crocs™ India

Women's Brooklyn Buckle Low Sandal is specially designed for women and it is available in various colors and very comfortable in wear. For more info: https://www.crocs.in/brooklyn-buckle-low-latte-women-sandal.html

[avengerscompound]

The Interview - Chapter 5

The Interview - A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Rating:  E

Warnings:  nothing really

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Melody Danes

Word Count:   2040

Summary:  Melody Danes gets the break of a lifetime when as a lowly intern, she’s assigned to write a profile piece on Captain America.  Steve Rogers is a hard man not to fall for and as she and Melody get closer and Melody’s career takes off, jealousy leads to sabotage, and the potential to bring her whole world crashing down.

Chapter 5

The excitement was thick in the air as Melody and Bobbi rode the elevator up to the party deck of the Avengers Tower.  Bobbi looked gorgeous in a black lace cocktail dress and knee-high boots with the buckles she’d picked up from the thrift store.  Melody wore a dark blue satin jumpsuit with slits up the legs that had black a lace strip both at the slits and along the armholes.  She’d paired it with a pair of sandals and her favorite jewelry and she was feeling good about herself.

It was both thrilling and nerve-wracking thinking she would see not just Steve Rogers, but all the Avengers in party mode.  What eclipsed all of those feelings was her excitement and nerves about getting to socialize with Steve outside of the confines of interviewing him.

The elevator doors slid open to a room that resembled a cross between a bar and a nightclub.  The doors opened into a large open area with a bar to the left and a pool table to the right.  There were angular gray couches set up in squares up the floor and a set of stairs that led up to the huge windows that looked out over the city.  More couches were set up at the raised platform.  There were three more sections above with a floating staircase on each side leading to the balconies.  Each staircase ran beside a sloped window that let her see the room beyond, most of which looked down at workshops and hangers for the jets.  Below her feet were rugs sitting on thick glass or black marble tiles that ran in patterns.  Through the glass, she could see the Quinjets and rows of Iron Legion.  There were people everywhere, most of whom she didn’t recognize, but she did spot Natasha Romanoff and Tony Stark at the bar and Thor was up on the raised platform holding the attention of a whole group of people.

“Oh my god,” Bobbi exclaimed as she walked into the room.  “This is unreal!  I'm in a room with an actual god!”

Melody scanned the room looking for Steve, but he spotted her first and waved to her from the other side of the room.

“If you want some time alone with the good captain, just give me a signal.  I don’t know, tug on your earring or something,” Bobbi said, as the two women approached him.

 “I’m not going to abandon you in a party where you don’t know anyone,” Melody argued, nudging her.

“Don’t you worry about me,” Bobbi assured her.  “I make friends everywhere I go.”

Melody wanted to argue with her more, but she had already reached Steve.  He was standing with two easily recognizable people.  On his left was Sam Wilson, dressed in black jeans and a black jacket of a deep red button-up shirt, and on his right was James Barnes dressed from the neck down in black.

Steve kissed her cheek in greeting.  “You made it.”

“Are you kidding?” she said.  “How could I miss a genuine Tony Stark party?”

Steve chuckled.  “I’d give anything to be allowed to miss one,” he joked.  “These are my friends, Sam and Bucky,” he added, gesturing to his friends.  “Sam, Bucky, this is Melody the woman from the DB that’s been interviewing me.”

“It’s a real pleasure to meet you,” she said, shaking their hands and gesturing to Bobbi.  “This is my cousin, Bobbi.  We live together on the Upper West Side.”

“And what do you do, Bobbi?” Sam asked.

“I’m an actor.  And I also bartend on the side,” she answered.

“Would you have been in anything I might have seen?” Sam asked.

“That depends,” Bobbi answered.  “Have you ever been to the Vampire Dinner Theatre in the East Village?”

“I haven't,” Sam said.  “But maybe I should.”

“It's a lot of fun,” Bobbi said.  “Come sometime.”

Sam laughed and nodded.  “So, can we get you ladies a drink?”

They followed the men down to the bar where Tony Stark was making drinks and Natasha Romanoff sat on a bar stool with her legs crossed beside a dark-haired woman in a black pantsuit.  She looked stunning in a slinky black dress with a shrug over her shoulders that looked like she’d draped herself in a spider web, while Tony wore a black three-piece suit with a red tie.  He’d taken the jacket off and it was hanging at the end of the bar.  Tony’s sleeves were rolled up as he shook a drink in a shaker.

“Cap! Is this the journalist?” Tony said, sidling up toward Melody.

“It is,” Steve said.  “Melody, this is Tony.”

Tony leaned over toward Melody.  “Well, if you want the dirt, let me know.  I have loads of stories.” 

“No, forget him, if you want stories, I’m your guy,” Sam argued.

Bucky just cleared his throat and looked at both men with his eyebrows raised.

Steve held up his hands. “Hey now, no one needs a source close to Captain Rogers' claim by line.  Dial it back.”

“Mmm… We’ll see,” Tony said and poured an almost ink-black cocktail into a martini glass.  He grabbed a cocktail pick and speared two blackberries and a raspberry onto it in sequence and dropped it into the glass before sliding it over to Natasha.

“So what can I make you ladies?” Tony asked.

“What was that one?” Melody asked, gesturing to Natasha’s drink.

“It’s something I made up.  I call it the Black Widow Martini.  Mostly vodka with a little Chambord and Blue Curaçao,” Tony explained.

“That sounds good,” Melody said.  “I’ll have that.”

“And you?” Tony asked Bobbi as he began to mix the new drink.

“Me?” Bobbi said, her eyes locked onto Natasha as Natasha took a sip of her drink. “I’d like a red Russian.”

Natasha stifled her laughter.  “Well, aren't I popular tonight?”

“Like you don’t know,” the woman next to her teased.

The drink Tony made was a little sweet, a little tart, and very, very strong.  Melody wasn’t sure if it would be better to nurse it and keep her wits about her, or to drink it quickly to let down her barriers.

When Bobbi had hers, Sam put his hand on her back. “How about a game of pool?  We can get our asses handed to us by Clint.”

“Yeah, that’s a great idea,” Bobbi said, giving Melody a very over-the-top and significant look as she let Sam and Bucky lead her away.  The fact that Steve’s friends were trying to leave Melody alone with Steve was both a little exciting and a lot terrifying.

She turned to look at Steve.  A pink flush had colored the back of his neck and he scratched his fingers through his hair.  “I might have been talking about you a lot,” he admitted.

“Me?” she said.  “Really?”

“Yes, you,” Steve chuckled.  “I’ve really been enjoying the time we spend together.  I know you’re just trying to put me at ease so I open up more, but I can usually tell when someone is trying to manipulate me.”

His admission made her heart flutter and her stomach flip.  It was exciting and scary and amazing.  The feeling was mutual, though she didn’t know what that meant right now.  The ethics about dating someone she was writing an article about were hazy at best and while she didn’t think she’d get fired for it, there was the possibility it could happen.  “I’m not trying to manipulate you,” she assured him.  “I mean, yeah, I want you to open up for the article, but I do actually like you.  And it’s not exactly a hard-hitting piece I’m doing.”

“Well, I am glad I wasn’t wrong about that at least,” Steve said.

“Unless I’m manipulating you right now?” she teased and took a sip of her drink.

He laughed. “God, don’t make me doubt myself more than I already am.”  He shook his head and offered her his arm.  “How about I show you around a little?”

“Sounds good,” she agreed and hooked her arm around his elbow.

He led her up the stairs to the second floor.  “This room is such a strange shape because the hanger for the jets, and Tony’s Iron Legion are kept below it.  As are parts of Tony’s labs.  He’s staggered this space above it to give it more room but make this space more interesting than just a large mostly empty room.  “If you look over this side you can see all the past iterations of his suits on display.”

Melody looked down into the space below to row after row of Iron Man armor that seemed to just go down forever.  As impressive as it was, she was still distracted by Steve’s admission and whether there was something that could be done about it.

“He has a lot of suits,” she said.

“You should see his closet,” Steve replied.  It made her snort and the journalist in her wanted to get to the bottom of that little statement.  She looked up at him and he returned her gaze with a soft smile.

“Hey, are you okay?” Steve asked.

“It’s just that I do really like you too,” she said.  “I went shopping today with my cousin to try and buy the perfect outfit because I wanted you to see me as a person you could be attracted to and not just the person asking hundreds of super personal questions.”

Steve reached out and took her hand, with a huge grin on his face.  “Well you didn’t need to dress up to do that,” he said.  “Though you do look stunning.”

“Thank you.  We got the jumpsuit at a thrift store and spent the afternoon tailoring it in and adding the lace,” she said. 

“Wow,” Steve said, clearly impressed.  “That was a lot of effort.”  He lifted her hand above her head, and she did a spin for him.  “Are you sure tailoring isn’t your calling?”

She laughed.  “It’s Bobbi more than me.  She’s so tall and she has such distinctive taste that she got really good at thrifting and tailoring.  But then when we moved to New York and started living paycheck to paycheck we started thrifting together and she helped me hone my skills.”

“That’s impressive.  I haven’t sewn anything in a long time, but back in the day Bucky and I would at the very least patch our clothes.  Sometimes we’d make things from scratch.  We had so little money when we lived together I slept on the floor of his bedroom,” Steve shared.

She made another mental note for her column.  “I’m practically doing that now.  We have a one-bedroom place.  Bobbi has the bedroom and I have this little sectioned-off area in the living room.”

“Well here I was thinking that I wouldn’t meet anyone with a shared life experience,” Steve said.

“Plus an artist and a writer,” she added.

He chuckled.  “Exactly.  It’s like it’s meant to be.”

She sighed and shook her head, moving her hand to his chest.  “I want this,” she said.  “I do.  But - this is my big break.  I need to make sure I don’t do anything to fuck this up.  And this could be a conflict of interest.”  She hated herself a little for saying the words but she knew they needed to be said.

Steve frowned and bowed his head.  “Right.  Yeah.  You’re right.”

“But,” she continued.  “What if we put a pin in it until after it’s published?  If you still like me after you see what I’ve written about you.  We’ll go out.”

Steve smiled and nodded, squeezing her hand.  “It’s a deal,” he agreed.  He looked out at the party below and his stance changed.  He stood straighter and with his chest out.  It was like he’d decided not to dwell on it.  “How about we go join our friends for pool?”

She nodded and wrapped her arm around his again.  “Thanks, Steve,” she said.

He smiled at her with real affection and for a brief moment, she completely lost herself in the soft blue of his eyes.  She steeled herself.  Article first.  Then, if he let her, she’d willingly let herself fall for Steve Rogers.

// NEXT

[veganmikehanlon]

Realizations Are a Funny Thing: 2

CH1

Robin actually lives closer to Vickie than Nancy does, but he still picks her up first. Best friend privileges or something. She looks hot in a weird girl way and he tells her as much when she’s buckled in. She punches his arm and she’s strangely strong for being such a green bean, she says it’s from four years of marching band but he just can’t quite believe her, and she’s wearing rings and “Jesus! Ow!” She cackles.

“Just Robin is fine,” She teases and Steve dramatically rolls his eyes before backing out of her driveway. Robin fiddles with the volume on the radio saying Steve always keeps it at a stupid level that makes her brain feel weird to which he just shakes his head in bafflement. They ride in silence until Steve notices Robin nervously jiggling her leg.

“You good?” He asks. He sees her shrug jerkily out of the corner of his eye.

“I might have chickened out of telling Nance it’s Vickie’s party,” She confesses and Steve gasps.

“It’s gonna be okay, right?” She pleads worriedly and Steve nods as enthusiastically as he can without making the road bounce.

“Yeah, man, it’s going to be fine, you’ll get a chance to explain everything and then you can get drunk. It’s actually great, you might be a genius,” Steve gets more and more confident as he talks. Robin scoffs lightly at him.

“Don’t think tricking girls into going to parties and getting drunk is genius!” Robin tells him.

“Well that’s just a classic, if you were into Nancy this would be a really good move.” Robin gasps.

“First of all I can’t believe you would ever even suggest Nancy and I together, second, I can’t believe you just called that a “classic” like how is that not everything wrong with the world right there? The power imbalance between men and women is staggering and the only way to reduce that is for men to get better so like Steve, please, as my best friend, never trick a woman into shit.”

Steve glances at Robin then back at the road a smirk forming on his face.

“Why can’t you believe I’d suggest you and Nance?” He asks mostly genuinely. Robin sputters for a moment before getting any words out.

“I mean there are so many reasons!” She explodes. “Like, for one she’s your ex, so that goes against, like, all friendship rules ever, then there’s the fact that she’s straight, that’s always a fun one. And, actually, do I even need to go on after those?” She says pointedly. Steve shrugs.

“Yeah, guess not. Although, maybe you just haven’t clocked her yet.” Steve suggests slyly.

“Whatever,” Robin laughs, “She’s still your ex and that still goes against friendship rules.” Steve chuckles and nods.

“Yeah it would probably be weird as hell if you dated Nance,” He jokes.

“Yeah,” Robin scoffs, “Super weird.”

They putter into the cul-de-sac and Steve pulls smoothly into the driveway. Nancy comes strutting out of the front door in a soft, tight-fitting black dress, with chunky black sandals, her hair curly and wild around her head, lips dripping dark red. She looks hot . She slides into the backseat and Steve and Robin both turn around to look at her.

“Hey guys,” She greets a warm smile tugging at her lips. “Thanks for driving,” She tells Steve.

“No problem,” He returns, turning back around in his seat. He glances at Robin who stays turned around and notices a blush on her cheeks. She must have noticed Nancy’s dress to impress as well, like really noticed , he thinks as he has to crane his head over hers to be able to look over his shoulder.

“You look good,” Robin tells Nancy shyly and Steve’s eyes widen.

“Thanks, so do you,” Is returned quietly. He looks over at Robin when she turns the right way in her seat and reaches for the radio volume again, turning it up, noting the color high on her cheeks. He snorts softly so Nancy won’t hear him.

When they come to a stop sign Steve catches Robin’s eyes, glances at Nancy in the backseat then looks back at Robin. Her eyes widen and she rolls them in frustration at his antics making Steve chuckle. It’s late enough at night that Steve can speed through the streets and they get to Vickie’s in no time. They pull up and they’re one of the few cars in front of the house. Steve anticipates Robin’s panic before she expresses it.

“Shit, do we look lame?” She asks nervously and Steve turns to her in his seat.

“Hey, man it’s not a problem, you’re going to go in there and get a drink, and you know, get the party started,” He tells her, and she gives him a withering look and rolls her eyes.

“We’re going to “get the party started” really Steve?” She asks, an edge of panic in her voice. Steve tries a new approach that may not calm her down but at least will get her moving.

“Okay, how about you get to spend some quality time with Vickie before she has to start hosting.”

“Wait,” Nancy leans forward between the seats, “This is Vickie’s party?” She asks sharply. Steve and Robin look back at her.

“Yeah, do you know her?” Robin asks carefully.

“No,” She answers, and Steve and Robin glance at each other. So she’s definitely upset about something .

“Okay,” Steve says after a moment, drawing out the word uncomfortably. “Well, what are we thinking about going in? Are we doing it?” Robin takes a deep breath and blows it out loudly. A fierce look comes over her face.

“We’re doing it, we’re going in,” She says determinately, and Steve cheers on the inside. The girls slide out of the car and Steve gives Robin a big thumbs-up before they walk to the house. He waits for the door to open before driving away.

He feels a little bad leaving Nancy and Robin considering he has no idea what’s going through Nancy’s mind right now but he knows, even though she doesn’t know, that Robin can handle anything thrown at her. She’s strong like that.

He speeds to Eddie’s house. A nice little ranch-style home in the middle of nowhere. Wayne and Eddie picked it out with their government hush money. Wayne finally has his own bedroom with a real bed and Eddie has taken up the entire basement. His bed is shoved into the office-sized room down there and the couch from their trailer is down there in front of the small TV. They got newer, nicer, furniture for the upstairs.

Steve rings the doorbell and waits impatiently on the front stoop. The door swings open revealing a smiley Eddie. He’s wearing a t-shirt that looks like it shrunk in the wash the way it’s clinging to his body, black basketball shorts, and high black socks with little red guitars on them. Jesus, why are all his friends hot?

“Steve Harrington, here at my humble abode, who would believe it?” He jokes, stepping back from the door to let him in.

“You invited me here,” Steve deadpans, stepping into the house.

“True, but still, who would believe it?” Steve cracks a smile.

“Hopefully, no one.”

Eddie laughs loudly and claps Steve on the shoulder. “Here,” He says, holding a joint up to Steve’s face, so close he could lean forward and take it in his mouth. He reaches up and takes it in his fingers, bringing it to his mouth himself.

“I have to pick Robin and Nancy up from a party in about an hour and a half,” He tells Eddie who was just about to hand him a lighter.

“So you don’t want to smoke?” He asks.

“No, no, no,” Steve says, holding out his hand for the lighter. “I just can’t get too fucked up.” Eddie smiles devilishly and hands him the lighter. Steve lights up the joint and follows Eddie down to the basement. They collapse onto the couch, Steve by the arm and Eddie on the middle cushion so they can pass the joint, there’s heavy guitar playing over the stereo. Eddie throws his arm over the back of the couch and turns to Steve. Steve passes him the joint.

“So, I’m kind of having a crisis,” Eddie starts, pausing to take a hit. Steve turns towards him making their knees press together so Steve shifts away. His leg tingles where it had touched Eddie’s.

“The kids asked me about pot.”

Steve’s mouth drops open in shock. Fear and concern spiked through his veins.

“They what? ” He hisses out and Eddie nods, his eyes wide while taking another hit and then handing the joint to Steve who takes it numbly. He mechanically takes a hit.

“All the little sheepies always end up asking me about drugs, it’s no secret that I do them, and my opinion has always been I would rather they get them from me because I know it’s clean, and I’d like them to do it with me around so I know they’re safe and can help them through anything. It’s just that it feels different now, they’re just kids, you know?”

Steve stares down at the joint in his hands. He takes a hit and holds the smoke in his lungs until he coughs it out. He hands the joint to Eddie and coughs into his elbow, he uses the time to think hard. Dustin Henderson wants to do drugs. The thought fills him with dread. Mike Wheeler… Does need to relax. That thought brings a smile to his face.

“I was fourteen the first time I smoked weed,” Steve tells Eddie. “How old were you?” He asks. Eddie gives him a small smile.

“Too fucking young,” He answers, briefly hiding behind his hair before shaking it out of his face. Steve laughs sardonically.

“Yeah, that’s how I feel too,” He says. “I don’t want that for these kids, they’re way too smart for this shit. Like, they’re going to go to good colleges, not anywhere near this bumfuck town.” Steve gets a little choked up if he thinks about it too much so he shoves those feelings down before they have a chance to come out. Eddie spreads his legs so his knee presses into Steve’s. He waits for him to move away but he doesn’t, and now it would be weird if Steve moved.

“Hear, hear,” Eddie cheers flatly, handing him the joint. Steve takes it gratefully. “You know, I was wondering why you were still here and not off at some fancy college yourself, no sports scholarships for King Steve?” Steve scoffs.

“Please, I was good enough for high school in Nowhere, Middle-America, with a coach that graduated from our school, and with my grades? Yeah no, no fuckin’ sports scholarships for me.” Steve finishes his rant with a hard hit off the joint and Eddie whistles.

“Damn, you been holding that in?” Steve laughs and chokes on the smoke in his throat.

“I really have,” He clears his throat and laughs. Eddie laughs with him and takes the joint when it’s handed to him.

“Shit so, our kids want to do drugs, this is insane,” Steve says, throwing his hands up. “I feel insane.”

“You’re telling me, I’m going to have to do drugs with them!” Eddie exclaims.

“Wait, who brought it up to you?” Steve asks curiously. If it was Dustin he swears to God he’s going to kill him.

“It was Mike,” Eddie says. Steve lets out a snort, of course it was. “He said Jonathan and Argyle do it and that it helped Argyle calm down after they buried a body, which like, I would really like whatever they’re smoking if it can do that,” Steve silently agrees, “And he wanted to know what it was like for real,” Eddie concludes. Steve thinks it over.

“On one hand,” Steve says, “I really think Mike should smoke some weed and mellow the fuck out,” Eddie giggles, “On the other that could go so badly, just, so, so, badly.” He worries.

“That’s what I think too, on both points, but teenagers will do drugs if they want to, they’ll find a way.” Eddie points out.

“Shit,” Steve mutters. “We’re going to have to do drugs with them,” He comes to the horrifying conclusion with wide eyes aimed into Eddie’s. He nods sagely at Steve’s horrified look.

“That’s what I was afraid of,” He answers, sadly. Steve leans heavily against the back of the couch and lets out a huge breath.

“Shit,” He mutters again.

“Yeah, no fucking kidding,” Eddie sympathizes, “Hanging out with these kids is always a fucking trip.” Steve laughs as Eddie shakes his head in something akin to despair. They pass the joint back and forth quietly until it’s done, each in their own world. Steve still remembers how little Mike was when he first met him, how little they were when they were in those tunnels under Hawkins, how he drove Dustin to his middle school dance. Barely any time has passed and yet it’s been at least a hundred years and Steve is old .

“The first time I smoked was after my first high school swim meet,” Steve tells Eddie. “Usually freshmen aren’t invited to parties but I knew one of the juniors through our parents, we hung out at their parties all the time, so he let me tag along. He was a cool dude. I got drunk with him for the first time at one of his parent's parties, also too young. But yeah the first time I smoked was with the swim team and I got fucked up, I don’t even really remember what happened that night.”

“Damn,” Eddie replies, “The first time I smoked was with some old buddies at the trailer park when I was a kid. I insisted I didn’t feel anything but I also ate an entire tub of chocolate ice cream by myself so I’m going to go ahead and say I was at least a little high. Although to be fair I was a pretty malnourished kid so I might have just needed the calories,” Eddie laughs and Steve chuckles along uneasily. Sometimes Eddie says some really fucked up things about being a kid.

He’s not comfortable saying anything though, he’s well aware of the differences between how they grew up. Steve may have had his own fucked up version of childhood but he doesn’t know anything about, say, hotwiring vehicles.

“Ice cream sounds so good right now,” He says instead of commenting on Eddie’s childhood.

“It really fucking does,” Eddie agrees, “Dairy Queen soft serve?” He asks and Steve perks up.

“Oh fuck yes,” He agrees and they immediately scramble off the couch and stumble hurriedly up the stairs.

Steve drives and he passes easily through the empty back roads. There’s a Dairy Queen and gas station just at the edge of town that they frequent because it has everything you would need for the munchies and the methed-out cashiers don’t bother the past satanic serial killer suspect that still dresses like a satanic serial killer. It’s nice.

They both order a twist and sit on the curb next to the car because it’s nice outside and Steve really doesn’t want ice cream dripping on his seats. Eddie makes fun of him for having old man rules about his car and Steve makes fun of the pigsty that’s Eddie’s van. They laugh in the circle of light the storefront provides and ignore the darkness outside of their bubble.

They chat idly while they eat their ice cream and Steve only catches himself eyeing Eddie’s long tongue a couple of times which is honestly a record. He always gets high and distracted by whoever is hot and near him. It never really used to be a problem but his group of friends is smaller than it’s ever been and full of only off-limits people. Maybe he should try to get a date soon.

Not that dating has been that interesting lately. Even before this latest foray into saving Hawkins and also the world it had been getting, well, boring. The sex was nice, of course, vanilla, but nice. But he finds his friends much more interesting than the average Hawkins resident. Robin can speak, however, many languages and has a mind bigger and more creative than Steve knew was possible. Nancy is fierce and scary and passionate. Eddie is… Well, weird. Steve finds he can’t get enough of the man. And then he’s got all the not-so-little kiddos he has to look after that take up the rest of his time.

“I’m going to end up alone,” He laments, interrupting Eddie’s ramble about Orcs. He thinks it’s Orcs, all that shit kind of sounds the same to Steve.

“Well alright then,” Eddie says taking a bite of his cone and through his mouthful, he asks politely, “What the fuck?”

Steve groans and bites into his cone the cold ice cream making his teeth hurt. “I’m never going to meet anyone interesting in this stupid town and I’m going to die alone.” He sucks on his front teeth to make the ache go away before taking another bite and starting the process over. Eddie laughs at him.

“No picket-fence life for Steve-O? For shame,” Eddie Tsks.

“I’m serious man!” Steve exclaims, waving his arms. “All the girls are like the same here, and it’s not that I don’t love girls, I do, but nothing interesting ever happens when I’m with them.”

“Nothing interesting ever happens here ever. Except for…” Eddie widens his eyes and raises his eyebrows in a significant look and Steve copies him and nods in understanding.

“I mean, you’re right,” Steve agrees, going back to his cone morosely. They finish the last few bites of their ice cream quietly. Steve studies Eddie out of the corner of his eye, suddenly curious.

“So, what about you?” He asks. Eddie looks at him curiously.

“What about me, what?” He asks warily.

“There’s no girl you’re interested in? What’s a picket fence life look like for a metalhead anyway?” Steve asks. Eddie laughs.

“It looks like a trailer park, dude, at least it did before all my cool dirty money from the government.” He answers, wiggling his fingers with a laugh. Steve rolls his eyes but can feel his face heating up.

“Yeah man, that’s my fucking taxes you’re living off of,” Steve jokes pushing Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie cackles and Steve’s face smolders for a whole new reason.

“Hey man, what time do we have to pick up the girls?” Eddie asks, grabbing Steve’s arm to look at the watch on his wrist. Steve swallows heavily, Eddie’s hand feels too hot on his skin and the contact is sending tingles shooting up and down Steve’s arm. He carefully pulls his arm away, Eddie’s fingers leaving a trail of fire in their wake as they slide off his arm. He clears his throat and blinks until the watch comes into focus. He does the mental math of how long it’ll take to get to Vickie’s house from here and groans lightly.

“Right now,” He huffs.

“You good to drive?” Eddie asks and Steve shoots him a smile.

“Yeah man, I’m good,” He says, touched by Eddie’s concern. They throw their napkins away and get into the car. Eddie controls the radio on the drive, switching between stations when they go to commercials. It’s nice driving through the night to the eclectic shuffle of music. Steve feels at ease with Eddie in his passenger seat drumming away on his knees on the way to pick up his other best friends. It’s a nice night. And after this, he’ll go back to Eddie’s, smoke some more, and watch a movie before passing out on the couch.

They roll up to Vickie’s and see Robin and Nancy with their arms around each other sitting on the front step. Steve honks a couple of times until they look up and they quickly make their drunken way to the car.

“Hey guys,” Eddie greets them once they’re inside.

“How was the party?” Steve asks, turning around in his seat to face the girls.

“It’s a long story,” Nancy answers with an awkward smile. Steve’s smile slips as he looks between his friends. They don’t look happy at all. He’s about to ask for more information when he catches Robin’s wide eyes and a minute shake of her head.

“Well, alright then,” He sighs, turning back around and putting the car in drive.

“Robin is coming to my house,” Nancy speaks up from the backseat.

“I am?” Robin asks.

“Yes,” Nancy answers firmly, “If that’s okay?” She asks, voice faltering with nerves.

“Yeah, that’s okay,” Robin answers and Steve nods to himself and turns right at the end of Vickie’s street towards Nancy’s house. Something obviously happened at the party but if the girls are about to have a sleepover that means they’re still friends. So points towards Nancy not being homophobic.

Eddie fills the silence in the car with chatter and a constant stream of music which Steve is grateful for. Still, he only listens with one ear, his brain racing with thoughts about what could have happened at the party to upset the girls. Steve knows Vickie’s ex is a dickhead jock so there’s a chance some of those were at her party even though she’s a band nerd. But Robin can run words around guys like that until they don’t know which way is up, and Nancy is a brick and would never let anything physical go down. Steve wracks his brain for what could have happened. What it is that’s making Robin curl up in his backseat and has Nancy shooting sad puppy eyes at her out of the corner of her eye.

They pull up to Nancy’s and she thanks him for the ride.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Robin promises, leaning forward to squeeze his shoulder. He lays a hand on top of hers.

“Okay, tomorrow,” He confirms in a firm voice. He’s worried about her and it sucks she isn’t telling him what happened to her tonight. She gives him the ghost of a smile and a nod and then the girls are slipping out of the car and quietly closing their doors. The lights in the house stay off as they get inside the house.

“Okay was it just me or were they being weird?” Eddie asks once Steve has pulled away from the house. Steve nods.

“Something happened at the party.”

“Oh shit,” Eddie says, peering back over his shoulder in the direction of the house. “What do you think happened?”

Steve shakes his head, a thought had occurred to him when he saw Robin’s sad smile, something happened with Vickie.

“I don’t know,” He tells Eddie.

“Shit, I hope they’re okay,” Eddie says with another look over his shoulder like he could still see the girls.

“Me too,” Steve mutters.

They swing by the gas station again to pick up snacks and fountain drinks before making their way back to Eddie’s. Steve settles back on the couch with their bags of snacks while Eddie goes to his room to grab another joint. The stereo is still on and someone is screaming into the mic over heavy guitars and drums. Steve really doesn’t get Eddie’s taste in music.

“Okay,” Eddie says, coming out of his room and using his long legs to step over the back of the couch and curl up on the middle cushion. “What movies did you bring for us today?” Steve puts his pop down and grabs the two movies from the coffee table, displaying them so Eddie can read the titles.

“This one Robin wanted me to watch,” Steve says holding up the case with The Purple Rose of Cairo , “And this one the kids just returned again,” Steve holds up the case for Conan the Destroyer . Eddie sets down the two joints he brought out and takes the movies from Steve, turning them over to read the backs.

“Gotta go with the kids on this one,” He says after a moment's consideration. Steve snorts.

“Of course you do, you big nerd,” He teases making Eddie laugh and roll his eyes.

“Ah, you love it,” Eddie bites back before getting up to put the movie in. Steve rolls his eyes but like yeah, he might. Eddie turns off the overhead light and the stereo leaving just the lamp in the corner, bathing the room in a soft yellow glow that the blue light of the tv cuts through. He settles on the couch next to Steve who carefully keeps his own limbs on his cushion even when Eddie’s knee comes into his space when he sits cross-legged. The previews start and Eddie lights up a joint before throwing his arm across the back of the couch behind Steve’s head.

Steve is always careful about how close he gets to other men. In the locker room as a kid he studied the guys around him to see where their eyes rested and how close they would get to each other. He always sees how comfortable other guys are with touching before he reaches out. He knows where the limit stands.

Eddie does not. Or he just doesn’t care, Steve isn’t sure which one it is. He’s always getting into Steve’s space like he wants to push that limit. And Steve lets him. It makes him kind of uncomfortable when Eddie gets in his face because he’s not used to being in that position under any other guise than intimidation, but Eddie is never like that. And Steve is getting more comfortable with the other man. He’s getting better at anticipating Eddie’s moves and it makes not stepping away easier.

They pass the first joint with soft mumbles and brushing fingers. Steve quickly loses track of the plot of the movie. He always does when it comes to these weird fantasy movies, there are too many made up words. Eddie seems to be into it, his eyes glued to the screen except for when he has to find the ashtray. Steve looks back to the movie to find the characters in a new setting with no idea how they got there.

Steve sighs quietly and questions why he never brings anything normal over like Caddyshack. Now there’s a good, normal, funny movie. Although Schwarzenegger with a sword is really– Yeah no, he’s not going there. Steve cuts his eyes from the screen to Eddie. He’s watching intensely and his lip quirks up at what must have been a joke because there’s laughter coming from the screen. Steve feels his own lips lift in return.

Eddie starts the second joint and as Steve gets more high he settles deeper into the couch. His head falls back on the couch and he’s sunk so low only his hair touches Eddie’s arm that’s on the back of the couch.

“Sorry,” He mutters, leaning forward a bit.

“‘S’okay,” Eddie mutters and Steve expects him to move his arm but he doesn’t, so after a second he lays his head back down. His eyes pass lazily from the screen to Eddie every time he hands the joint back. He watches Eddie in the swirling TV lights as he hits the joint. He has no idea what’s going on in the movie.

Eddie jumps at some movement on the screen and chokes on his inhale which leads to a loud coughing fit.

“Shit, man, you okay?” Steve asks, sitting up. Eddie waves him away and Steve cautiously sinks back down in his seat, keeping his eyes on Eddie.

“Shit, man,” Eddie grinds out between waning coughs. “Sorry, sometimes everything is a jumpscare, you know?” He says quietly. Steve’s face softens into a sad look.

“Yeah, I know,” He answers. He wishes they had become friends through non-life-ending events, that Eddie never had to go through what he did.

Eddie looks down at him and gives him a soft, sad smile. Steve returns it. They sit like that for a moment until Steve realizes he’s staring and shifts his eyes back to the screen. Things seem to be winding down onscreen and Steve is grateful. It’s been a long night and Steve is getting tired. They watch the rest of the movie in silence.

CH 3

[fayzer1012]

Summer Buckle Strap Wedge Sandal Luxury Brand Special Design Women Shoes High Heels Platform Slides Fashion Genuine Leather Lady

[kimludcom]

SPECIFICATIONSBrand Name: EMMA KINGHeel Height: Super High (8cm-up)With Platforms: YesPlatform Height: 3-5cmSandal Type: basicOrigin: Mainland ChinaOccasion: PartyUpper Material: PUOutsole Material: RUBBERBack Counter Type: Back StrapPattern Type: SolidSide Vamp Type: OpenFit: Fits true to size, take your normal sizeSt

[fashionofcassiehoward]

Ruminations: Big And Little Bullys (2x03)

Overalls: Top

Dress: Jonathan Simkhai Clara Mini Dress

Dress: Christopher Kane Silk Bow Motif Dress (Look 24) SS13

Necklace: Altar'd State Dainty Monogram Necklace - C [Also worn (1x05), (1x07), (2x01), (2x02), (2x04), and (2x06)] Dress: Marc Jacobs The Prom Dress

Top: Brandy Melville Belle Bow Tank

Robe: White Robe

Necklace: Altar'd State Dainty Monogram Necklace - C [Also worn (1x05), (1x07), (2x01), (2x02), (2x04), and (2x06)] Top: Bershka ballerina wrap top in blue Skirt: Vintage Abstract Car Skirt [Also worn in (1x07)] Bag: Pink Leather Bag Shoes: Light Blue Sandals

Top: Bag:

Necklace: Altar'd State Dainty Monogram Necklace - C [Also worn (1x05), (1x07), (2x01), (2x02), (2x04), and (2x06)] Top: LPA Soren Cropped Sweater Pants: LEVI'S 501 Skinny Jeans in light wash blue

Necklace: Altar'd State Dainty Monogram Necklace - C [Also worn (1x05), (1x07), (2x01), and (2x02)] Tracksuit: Seth Pratt Custom Made Track Suit Shoes: Bag: 227 Pearl Beaded Bag

Necklace: Altar'd State Dainty Monogram Necklace - C [Also worn (1x05), (1x07), (2x01), (2x02), (2x04), and (2x06)] Top & Dress: Seth Pratt Custom Gingham Tie Front Top & Camisole Dress Bra: For Love and Lemons Luella Bustier Shoes: Whistles Dahlia lace up leather boots in stone Bag:

Sunglasses: Serlium Square Sunglasses, Rimless Rectangular Sunglasses Stylish Beautiful Comfortable UV Protection Rimless Sunglasses for Women Bikini Top: 437 The Kenzie Top in Pink Bikini Bottoms: NA-KD Synthetic Recycled High Waisted Bikini Bottom Sandals:

Dress:

Headband: Pink Headband Bra: Floral Bra

T-Shirt:

Top: Naked Cashmere Margaux Cardigan in Seafoam Green Skirt: Knit Skirt Shoes: Nike Air Force 1 [Also worn in (2x05)] Bag: Wild Fable Extended Buckle Shoulder Handbag