#day 29 prompt

[whumpypepsigal]

@whumpgifathon | Day 29 (alt. prompt): “Bedside Vigil”

Fox Mulder in The X Files 2x25

[steveseddie]

love is stored in a can of hairspray

rating: t | cw: none apply | word count: 3,189

tags: eddie munson has a crush on steve harrington, eddie munson is a sweetheart, steve has a bad hair week and eddie comes to the rescue, fluff, soft boys, first kiss, getting together

for the @steddielovemonth prompt “love is going out of your way to do something you know will make them happy” by @forgottenkanji

a/n: i'm a day late for this one but in my defense i had a wedding yesterday and it was a crazy day! enjoy!

click here to read on ao3

***

There’s a reason why Steve Harrington was dubbed “The Hair” of Hawkins.

In all the years Eddie has known Steve or known of Steve, he’s never seen him have a bad hair day.

It doesn’t matter if it’s rainy or sunny, if he’s wearing a Scoops Ahoy sailor hat or if he’s walking down the halls of Hawkins High or if he’s fighting Demobats in the Upside Down after taking a dive in Lover’s Lake, Steve Harrington’s hair always looked great. Eddie doesn’t know how he does it. Well. He kinda does ‘cause Henderson is a blabbermouth who let Steve’s secret about the Farrah Fawcett hairspray slip one time, but Eddie still doesn’t understand how Steve always makes his hair look like that. He thinks there’s got to be magic involved, a deal with the devil so that Steve’s hair never looks bad.

That is until today.

Eddie arrives at the Wheeler residence and announces himself by ringing the bell three times just to be annoying. He waits for someone to come open the door for him, and in the meantime, crouches down to tie his Converse. The door opens while Eddie is still on the floor and the first thing he sees is a pristine pair of white Nikes that he could recognize anywhere.

“Well, well, well,” he says, tightening the laces and springing to his feet. “If it isn’t my favorite guy in all of Hawkins, I didn’t know you’d be- Jesus H. Christ, dude! What happened to your hair?” He blurts out the last part when his eyes land on Steve’s head. Or the thick untidy mass where his perfect hair should be, with strands matted on his forehead above his furrowed brow.

“Fuck you, man,” Steve grumbles and crosses his arms over his chest.

Eddie feels a little bad, but his mouth-to-brain already leaves so much to be desired around Steve on a good day-

Not that Steve looks bad. Eddie is convinced that he couldn’t look bad if he tried, but right now he certainly doesn’t look like The Hair of Hawkins.

“Sorry, it’s just-” He waves vaguely at Steve’s head. “What’s up with that?”

Steve groans loudly. “A bunch of my products are sold out at every fucking store in Hawkins,” he explains for what seems to be not for the first time today. “Been meaning to drive to the next town over to get them, but I’ve been picking up so many extra shifts at Family Video that I haven’t had the time.”

Eddie nods. Steve told him he was trying to save up money to move out of his parents’ house, but it was slow going, so he started working more shifts recently to speed up the process. He’s been seeing less of Steve because of that, which Eddie hates, but he understands the urge to get out of that house.

“That sucks, man.”

Steve pouts, pink bottom lip jutting out. “Tell me about it, I look-” he gestures at his head and trails off with a huff.

“It’s not that bad,” Eddie says, but Steve raises an eyebrow at him.

“Wheeler asked if a hamster died on my head,” he deadpans.

Fucking Wheeler. He’s gonna make him regret it during tonight’s campaign.

“Please, those kids wouldn’t know a good haircut if it bit them in the ass,” Eddie says, and Steve smiles a little. “Sure, it’s- different. Not what we’re all used to, but you still look-” Handsome, hot, beautiful. “You still look good, Harrington.”

Steve’s cheeks pink up slightly. “Thanks, Munson, but I don’t feel good, I don’t know. It’s just hair and it’s stupid, but I feel off.” He groans in frustration. “Whatever, I’ll just have to wait two weeks and then-”

“Two weeks?”

“That’s when I finally get a day off.”

Eddie blows out a puff of air. “Jesus, Steve.”

“Apartments aren’t cheap, man,” Steve says with a shrug. “But I think Keith might make me manager by the end of the month. That would bump up my pay a bit, I just have to, you know, show him I can do it.”

“You got this, Stevie,” Eddie says, patting Steve’s cheek. “No one rewinds and restocks like you do.”

Steve rolls his eyes, but his lips twitch up into a smile.

“If you two are done, we have a campaign to start!” Dustin says, appearing behind Steve and giving them both an exasperated look.

They exchange one themselves at Dustin’s tone, which they agree that he still needs to get in check.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming,” Steve says and Eddie tries not to jump in excitement when he realizes Steve is staying instead of just dropping off the kiddos. He’s been hanging around more and more during Hellfire meetings recently, even if he still doesn’t want to play. Eddie can’t complain about the last part, he likes just having him there.

He steps inside and Steve closes the door.

Dustin stares at Steve’s head.

“Quit staring, Henderson!” Steve protests and Dustin holds his hands up in defense.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just bad, dude.”

These fucking kids.

Eddie whacks Dustin upside the head. “Just for that, I’m making you roll with disadvantage for every attack you make tonight .”

Dustin’s eyes bulge out. “What! That’s not fair!” He protests loudly as they walk towards the basement.

Eddie suspects that Steve doesn’t know necessarily what that means, but he still gives him a grateful smile.

***

Eddie stares at the bag of hair products in his passenger seat.

He’s always been a whatever shampoo Wayne picks up from the store kind of guy, he’s never really spent money on hair products. Until now. And they’re not even for him.

He just spent a stupid amount of money on them, mostly because, even if he remembers how some of the bottles and hairspray cans Steve uses look like from using his bathroom when he stays over, he wasn’t sure which are the ones that Steve needs. So he bought a bunch of them.

In that moment, he wasn’t thinking about the money or how it might look to Steve that he knew what hair products he uses or that he drove to another town to get them. He was only thinking about Steve’s defeated look every time someone stared at his hair or commented on it, how he self-consciously tried to fix it at work every time a customer came in, how when they hung out at his house he would hide his hair under the hood of a sweater.

But now, parked in front of Steve’s house an hour before their movie night, Eddie does think about what he did- and he seriously considers leaving the bag on Steve’s doorstep and fleeing. It’s too much. It’s too ‘I have a big crush on you and I want you to be happy so bad that I drove to another town and raided the Hair and Beauty section at a store just so you can stop walking around looking like a kicked puppy’.

But at the same time, he did this so he could see Steve smile and it would be a shame to miss it. He just hopes that Steve is too distracted by having his beloved hair products that he won’t think too hard about what Eddie did, or what it might mean.

With a short prayer to whoever’s listening so that Steve doesn’t figure out his crush today and rejects him, Eddie grabs the bag and walks up the driveway.

He knocks on the door before he can talk himself out of it, and bounces from foot to foot while he waits, hiding the bag behind him.

Steve opens the door and when he sees Eddie his eyebrows shoot up in his face, disappearing behind the few hairs that hang over his forehead. Over the last week, Steve experimented with other products, and while he managed to make his hair look a little less like something died up there, it’s still not the same. “Eddie?”

“Hey, Stevie.”

He checks his watch. “You’re early. Actually no, you’re always late so being on time is early for you, you’re like, really fucking early.”

Eddie snorts. “First of all, I’m never late, I arrive precisely when I have to.” Steve rolls his eyes. “But today I’m really fucking early, as you so eloquently put it, because I had to do some shopping first and then I drove straight here. In fact, I come bearing gifts,” he says, hands shaking a little with anticipation.

Steve eyes him curiously. “For the kids?”

“For you, my King,” Eddie says, finally allowing Steve to see the bag and presenting it to him in the most dramatic way. Hinging at the waist, holding the bag over his head, the works.

“Eddie, what are you- wait, is that- oh.” Steve goes silent when realization hits and Eddie starts spiraling. He tries to make light of it. “I humbly present to you the magic potions for your characteristic luscious hair, your Majesty.”

But when he glances up at Steve through his lashes, he looks like he’s close to crying. For a moment, he worries that he fucked up- bought all the wrong hairsprays and shampoos and now Steve is mad at him-

But then Steve is grabbing Eddie’s shoulders and yanking him up for a hug where the bag ends up squished between them.

“Christ, Eddie, thank you,” he says against his shoulder, and Eddie feels a sense of accomplishment wash over him, as well as butterflies flying in his stomach from Steve holding him like this.

One of Eddie’s arms wraps around Steve’s waist. “I don’t know if I got all the right ones ‘cause I have shit memory, but I recognized some of the bottles from your bathroom and the lady at the store helped me find your famous Farrah Fawcett spray-”

He trails off when Steve squeezes him tighter. “I can’t believe you’d do this,” he murmurs, almost to himself, but Eddie hears it anyway.

“I had some shopping to do,” Eddie says casually, but it’s like Steve is squeezing the words out of him with his arms because he keeps talking. “And you’ve been walking around with your head low and those sad puppy eyes all week, and I couldn’t take it anymore.”

Steve pulls back and Eddie braces himself for Steve calling him out for overstepping or something, but instead he looks shyly at Eddie.

“I know it’s stupid like, it’s just hair and it shouldn’t matter that much, but it’s just- it’s important to me. I might not like “the Hair” thing but I am like, proud of my hair and this week I just haven’t felt like myself and people keep making comments and-” He shakes his head, a few rebellious strands falling on his forehead. “Anyway just, this means a lot, Eds, thank you.”

“Of course, Steve,” Eddie says with a smile. They stare at each other for a little too long, and Eddie starts fidgeting. “Now aren’t you happy that I got here so early? Gives you just enough time to get through your hair routine before everyone else gets here.”

Steve chuckles. “You don’t mind waiting while I fix this?” He gestures at his head, and Eddie shakes his.

“I can entertain myself just fine,” Eddie says, stepping inside when Steve sweeps his arm over the entrance.

“Okay, I’ll be back soon.”

Eddie grins. “Yeah, go doll up for me, sweetheart,” he teases and hears the way Steve’s breath catches, his eyes widening slightly and his cheeks tinting pink.

Then Steve moves in and places a quick kiss on Eddie’s cheek. “Thanks again, Eds,” he says and then he’s running upstairs.

Eddie stands there for at least ten minutes, red in the face, before he can make himself move.

***

Steve still hasn’t come downstairs by the time the doorbell rings so Eddie answers it.

Dustin is at the head of the arriving party and he raises an eyebrow at him when he sees him. “You’re on time,” he says, perplexed.

“And you’re a butthead,” Eddie replies and the other kids snigger behind Dustin. “Are you gonna come in or what?”

With an eye roll that is pure Steve, Dustin walks in followed by Wheeler, Sinclair and Max, and finally Robin and Nancy, who drove them all there.

Buckley narrows his eyes at him as she walks in. “Why are you on time?” She asks. “Unless you got here early so you and Steve could hang out alooone?” The way she says “alone” makes Eddie flush, which doesn’t help deny what she’s implying, even if it isn’t true.

Luckily, at that moment, Steve comes down the stairs and everyone’s attention turns to him.

“Dude, you got rid of the dead hamster finally!” Mike says and Max flicks him in the ear. Eddie smirks, that’s why she’s his favorite.

“He’s back!” Dustin cheers as soon as Steve’s hair is visible. Eddie smiles at the familiar look, but mostly at the way Steve smiles and holds himself, the slouch and the sad puppy eyes gone.

“There’s my handsome best friend,” Robin hoots and Nancy puts her thumb and index finger in her mouth and lets out an impressive whistle.

“Okay, okay,” Steve says, waving off their compliments and reactions as he reaches the ground floor. “Yes, the hair is back, we can move on now. There are movies to watch.”

He starts to usher them in the direction of the living room to get their movie night started now that they’re all here.

“Dude, I thought it would be two weeks before you could buy your hair things,” Lucas says, looking at Steve over his shoulder.

Steve freezes, his eyes darting to Eddie before he just shrugs at Sinclair, who probably doesn’t care that much about it because he just accepts that as a reasonable answer and follows the others to the couch.

The same can’t be said about Buckley.

“How did you get your hair products, Steve? ‘Cause I know you didn’t have them yesterday and you were working all day today.”

Their eyes meet again and Eddie gives a small shrug. They both know Buckley won’t drop it until she knows the truth.

“Eddie got them for me,” Steve says, mouth curling up in a smile that he directs at Eddie.

Buckley’s head snaps in his direction too, but she’s smirking, her eyes sparkling. “Oh did he?”

“Uh, yeah, I did.”

“You drove to another town, spent time and money on gas, and then spent more money just to get Steve his hair products?”

“Yup,” he says, popping the ‘p’, trying to be casual, but he can feel the heat on his cheeks.

“How generous of you,” she says but it sounds a lot like, ‘I see you and your big gay crush on my best friend’.

Eddie’s eyes dart to Steve. With their platonic bond it sometimes feels like they can read each other’s minds and Eddie wonders if Steve can see what she sees. He flushes brighter at the thought.

“Come on, Nance, let’s get started with the popcorn,” she says, hooking her arm with Nancy’s and dragging her away, leaving Steve and Eddie alone in the hallway.

“I’m sorry about her,” Steve says with a light chuckle. “And listen I can pay you- for the gas and for the products.”

Eddie shakes his head. “You don’t have to, I told you, they’re gifts.”

Steve ducks his head shyly and a strand of hair falls on his forehead with the movement. On impulse, Eddie reaches out to tuck it back into place. There, now Steve’s hair is perfectly styled again. He smiles. “Besides, it was worth it.”

“Oh.” Steve licks his lips a little nervously and Eddie can’t help but track the movement with his eyes. “You- you must really like my hair,” he whispers, eyes wide and expectant.

Eddie considers taking the out, making some joke about having always admired “the Hair” or something like that, but he finds that he doesn’t want to. Not with Steve looking at him like he would like hearing the truth.

So, Eddie takes a deep breath and hopes that he’s reading this right.

“I do, I really like it, but it’s not just that. You could walk around with a hamster on your head or get a buzz cut like El, and I’d still like it. I just. I like you.”

A slow grin appears on Steve’s face. “You really think I would look good with a buzz cut?”

A nervous laugh tumbles over Eddie’s lips. “Out of everything I said that’s what you-”

Steve shakes his head, cupping Eddie’s jaw with one hand and effectively shutting him up. “No, I- I like you too, Eddie.”

He sighs in relief. “Oh, thank God.”

And then, he grabs a handful of Steve’s shirt and pulls him towards him, crashing their lips together.

The moment they touch, Eddie lets out a low whine before he remembers that the kiddos are in the next room and Buckley and Wheeler could walk out of the kitchen any minute. So he tries to keep it down as he licks into Steve’s mouth, even if Steve kissing back just as passionately should be enough to drag more noises out of him.

It’s not until Eddie’s hands start moving from his shoulder to his neck on the way to his hair that Steve stops him, his fingers grabbing a hold of Eddie’s wrist and pulling away just enough to speak against Eddie’s lips.

Eddie chases after Steve’s mouth with another whine.

“Jesus,” Steve gasps. “We probably should- If this week proved anything is that out friends are overly invested in my hair so they’ll notice if you mess it up with your hands.” Eddie makes a disgruntled sound. Steve’s fingers catch one of Eddie’s curls, twirling it around it. “But if you want, after everyone leaves you can stay and I can, you know, pay you back for this.” He gestures at his hair.

Eddie’s brain must be melting out of his ears from kissing Steve because he dumbly says, “I told you that you don’t have to-” before he understands the meaning behind the words when he sees Steve’s smirk. “Oh. Yeah. I can think of a few ways you can do that.”

The way he waggles his eyebrows makes Steve giggle adorably, but before Eddie can kiss him about it, Robin pops her head out of the kitchen, making them jump.

“If you two are done giggling like teenagers, come help with the popcorn before the actual teenagers start a riot.”

“Aye, Captain Buckley,” Eddie says with a two-fingered salute. This time Steve muffles his giggle behind his hand.

With the other, he grabs hold of Eddie’s and starts dragging him to the kitchen. The whole time, Eddie feels like he’s floating.

He’s happy he made the trip, he’s happy he got Steve his hair products, he’s happy his hair are back to normal.

And he’s even more happy that he gets to mess it up later when he kisses Steve again after everyone leaves.

[achillean-knight]

Did this like, way earlier today and utterly hated the outcome of it but hours later, I kinda like it? LMAOO Outfit and colours FOR the outfit are... subpar, but overall, I really quite enjoy this piece >:33!! I also have to admit, drawing ghost Mettaton I think is my new favourite thing

DAY 18 - STAR Skipped day 17 bc I didn't know what to draw 😭 My creativity has limits hhrg

[incorrectmarvelquotesss]

— flufftober (day 19) —

Warnings: fluff, implied sex

Prompt: “Hey, wake up!”

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

@flufftober || flufftober masterlist

A/N: Like I said, I have a ton of them in my drafts just waiting to be finished.

Bucky was ready to crash.

His eyes were dropping shut as the soft rumbles of the Quinjet sing him a lullaby. The seat, no matter how uncomfortable, had never looked so inviting. He wanted nothing more than be at home in his bed, holding his girl. But they were still hours away from the Compound then.

And Steve just had to have the post-mission meeting five minutes after they landed.

Bucky was ready to blow a fuse by the time Steve dismissed them. He hurriedly packed his duffel bag, exchanging the Kevlar for regular clothes without bothering to take a nice long shower—they had been out in the rain anyway. Not that you liked the smell of wet grass and dirt.

He just hoped he didn’t smell like shit as he sat into his pickup and drove away.

The landscape of trees woved into old town buildings before he pulled into the driveway of an old brownstone. It was in good condition, but it wasn’t hard to tell that it had been standing for a couple of decades. The vine that had grown along its side had etched into the bricks and the driveway was still gravel halfway through.

He had left it like this for that damn mission.

He parked beside the bright blue SUV and shoved the door open, grabbing the duffel bag on the passenger seat at the last second. He grumbled incoherent threats to Fury, Steve, and the stupid, idiotic people who just couldn’t stop doing harmful things. He kicked off his shoes quickly, ignoring the fact that you were going lecture him on putting his shoes on the shoe rack where they belonged. Especially when they looked like that—muddy and wet.

He took two stairs at a time, ready to finally have you in his arms.

Then, when he opened his bedroom door quietly, he saw that his spot had been taken. His heart skipped a beat or two. The two figures were easily recognizable, cuddled up in the bed with the extra pillows thrown behind you. Bucky’s heart thumped loudly in his ears as he took in the sight before him, heart practically melting.

He dropped his duffel bag, accidentally waking you up with the knives clashing in there. He came over and kissed your forehead, running a hand through Grant’s curls of hair and gently kissing his chubby cheek. The four-year-old smiled in his sleep.

“You smell like shit,” you said with a loopy smile. You tilted your head back and pouted your lips, letting him know that you expected him to get into bed with you and your baby boy the second he came home. He kissed your lips quickly three times, both an act of love and apology.

“I’ll be quick,” he murmured, unable to talk louder even if he tried. His heart was still trying to process the absolute precious moment in front of him. “Wanted to be home.”

You hummed lightly and let your eyes droop shut. “You hurt?” You asked with a grab at his hand. He squeezed your hand gently.

“No, ma’am.”

You peeked at him and have him a once over. “Be quick.” His eyes wandered over the two of you again, so unbelievably baffled by the fact that he had a wife and kid to come home to now.

“Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled against your forehead before placing a chaste kiss on the two of you again. He took no time taking off his clothes and hopping into the shower, all that dirt and grime that had been stuck in his hair streaking down into the drain. No wonder he had smelled like shit.

He dressed in his boxers and sweatpants, drying out his hair as much as he could before coming out of the bathroom. Grant couldn’t sleep without a nightlight, so he didn’t have to wait for his eyes to adjust to look at the two of you again. He swore his heart would never stop melting at the sight of you and his son. It was a miracle that he still had trouble believing in.

But he knew how to ground himself to reality now. He carefully moved all the pillows away from you, checking the clock just before climbing into the bed. It was already 6:30am and he was sure he was going to get just a blink of sleep before Grant decided it was time to wake up. He was always a morning bird.

Just as Bucky fell asleep, Grant yelled, “Hey, wake up! Mommy, wake up!” He shook you, which indirectly shook Bucky awake too. “Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home!” He crawled over you and fell onto Bucky’s side before Bucky could move to lay on his back.

“Hey, buddy,” Bucky replied with as much energy as he could possibly muster after half an hour of sleep. But, with the way Grant was grinning and looking down at Bucky, with his blue eyes sparkling, Bucky couldn’t have imagined a better way to wake up.

He turned his head slightly to see you smiling up at him from where you rested your head on his shoulder.

Well, he could think of a few other ways.

[serickswrites]

I'm So Cold

Warnings: captivity, restraints, torture, wounds, infection, fever, forced to watch

"It'ssssss j-j-j-j-jussssttttt s-ss-so-o-o-o-o c-c-c-c-c-c-old," Team Leader managed to say through their chattering teeth.

Teammate One tried not to worry as they watched Team Leader lay curled on their side in as tight as a ball as possible given they were chained to the wall. "Just think of how warm it will be in the office once we get home."

"Y-Y-Yeah," Team Leader said softly. "'m t-t-t-t-tireddddd." They blinked slowly, their fever bright eyes meeting Teammate One's.

"Take a little nap, Team Leader. I'll keep watch. I'll be sure to wake you before Whumper comes back. I promise."

Team Leader gave a wheezing cough, but nodded. "Th-Th-Thankssssss."

Teammate One tried to calm their nerves as they watched Team Leader drift off to sleep. They tried to convince themself that the infection that was raging in Team Leader's body wasn't that bad. Tried to convince themself that the wound that was red, hot, and angry looking wasn't too infected. Tried to convince themself that Whumper would let up on the torture.

Because the reality of their situation, of Team Leader's situation, was grim.

Teammate One had been utterly useless in helping Team Leader. Had been utterly useless in trying to convince Whumper to hurt them instead. They could only watch as Whumper hurt Team Leader. They could only watch as Team Leader got weaker and weaker. Could only watch as Team Leader got sicker and sicker.

And now watching Team Leader shiver in their fitful sleep, their wheezing breaths echoing loudly in the chamber, Teammate One wasn't sure how much longer they could watch without going mad.

[oz-qwin]

Mariner May: Days 29 & 30 - Rough sea's and Swimming lesson

This isn't the quality I wanted it to be, but its fine. Also i aint drawing all the background characters lol

[mono-socke]

Day 26: Shadow

[i-havenothingelsetopost]

Ao3

Danny slowly starts to use more and more Ghost Speak. First it's just a word here and there and doesn't cause much trouble — it's mostly an annoyance at school when people look at him weird all of a sudden and he realizes that he made some strange sound instead of whatever he actually meant to say. With Tucker and Sam it can even be fun — they can probably pick up the meaning of at least a couple of the more common noises, and the trio can sort of treat it as their own secret slang.

But then it starts to happen more. And more. Maybe Danny learns to catch it, to think a little longer before he speaks, maybe to even drag out the first syllable and glance at Sam or Tucker or Jazz to see whether it's coming out in English or eldritch. Slowly he realizes that most of his dreams are in Ghost Speak now, his mother's voice whooshing like wind between winter trees without him questioning it until long after he's woken up. His enemies start to have stronger reactions to his puns, and his friends — he doesn't really do puns with his friends anymore, does he? He recognizes the openings for them, every now and then, but when he tries to voice the joke he had thought was on the tip of his tongue... it doesn't come.

He starts taking longer to respond in class, in conversations, needing a moment to translate his thoughts. Because, as he's now realizing, slowly and with dawning horror (Why horror? It's just a language), he thinks almost exclusively in Ghost Speak now. He tries to force himself to switch to English sometimes, but it's starting to feel as unintuitive as Spanish homework. It's like he's frantically grasping at something that is already drifting out of his reach. He's surrounded by English-speaking people, English media, the English language — surely it's not that easy to unlearn your native tongue when you live in it?

One day, his dad surprises him by asking him how his day has been. Danny quickly tries to remember events he can talk about without the risk of revealing his identity, then opens his mouth... and realizes that he doesn't have the words for any of it. He racks his brain for something simpler, anything, even just a single adjective — how do you say "I'm fine"?

Danny smiles and shrugs.

He starts bringing the Ghost Gabber to school.

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Hero x Villain Whump Finale (June of Doom Day 29)

Alt. "I'm not okay."

Prompts List | Event Masterpost

Hero x Villain Masterpost | <- Previous Part

Fandom: Original Work

Tag List: @juneofdoom @fourwingedsnake @whumperofworlds @pigeonwhumps @mr-orion

@scaewolf @doctorsawyer @pinkrangerv @42questionsandaloafofbread

CW: concussion, captivity whump, referenced injuries, delirious, swearing, bridal carry

A/N: thank you so much for all your comments on this work! It has been really encouraging and I've had a lot of fun writing this. Thank you especially to @fourwingedsnake for requesting I pick the Hero x Villain series back up after Whumpmas. This is late in part because I didn't want to rush it and post something that in my eyes sucked.

Love all of you!

----------

Leader had been cocky enough to keep Hero and Villain’s cells relatively close to one another. Not cocky enough to place them next door, but close enough that each could hear the other screaming. Or lack thereof.

When Hero stepped inside the cell after Techie unlocked it, they found Villain slumped against the wall, head bowed, eyes closed. The blood on their face had clotted into a dark red matted mess in their hair and on their temple, and four small, round bruises dotted their cheek.

Where Leader had touched them.

Where Leader had inflicted their powers on them.

“Villain?”

They stirred slightly, eyes cracking open. “Oh… hey Hero…” they murmured, words slurring together. Wincing, they pressed one hand to the side of their head. “Ow… got the worst headache….”

Panic rose in Hero’s throat, but they gritted their teeth against the fear, crouching at their side. “Villain, you had a pretty bad concussion when we got here, and then Leader… they… they used their powers on you.”

“I… huh… so that’s… that’s what happened… fuck that hurt a lot….” Their eyes slid closed and their head drooped down, their hand falling to their side.

“Villain?! Villain!” Hero grabbed their shoulder and shook them, not caring if it made the concussion worse.

They groaned. “Ugh… whaddya do that for…?”

“Villain, you’re not okay.”

“No… no shit…” they muttered, “a child could… could tell I’m not okay….”

Hero took a deep breath. It was strange seeing Villain like this, they were used to Villain being the strong one. But Villain was in no shape for that, so now it was Hero’s turn. “I got you. Can you stand?”

“I dunno… fuck… I’m sorry… so… so useless….”

“You are not useless!” Hero snapped. “It’s not your fault we got caught, you did all you could.”

Villain laughed dryly, a short brief sound that trailed off into a low groan. “...don’t even… have any powers… Leader just kept me around for… for fucking training purposes….”

“Well fuck them! Fuck them and whatever they said to you! They’re a lying piece of shit, and if it weren’t for you Techie wouldn’t have had the courage to take them down!”

Villain’s eyes cracked open at that. “Didya just… say Techie? Took them down?”

Hero glanced over their shoulder at their teammate and jerked their head. Techie hesitated, but took the cue and stepped inside the cell, massive energy gun in hand. They nodded at Villain, a slightly self-satisfied expression on their face.

“Oh…” Villain murmured, “suppose I should… apologize… for punching you in the face… that one time….”

Techie rolled their eyes. “I let you both inside the building. Didn’t think you were gonna attack me like that, otherwise I would’ve locked myself inside the control room until you were done.”

“S… sorry…”

“I got over it.”

Hero carefully scooped Villain up in a bridal carry, their limp form in their arms. Villain groaned slightly at the movement, their eyes sliding closed again. “The light… hurts….”

“I’ll get you medical attention,” Hero said reassuringly as they moved out into the hallway, “there are a few people in your part of the city who would gladly see to your recovery as a favor for protecting them well.”

Techie frowned. “Why do you say that like you’re not going to be watching over them?”

Hero stiffened slightly at the accusation but started walking towards the stairs regardless. “Someone needs to watch over the city. With Leader and Shapeshifter… indisposed… and Youngest out of commission, it needs to be done. You can’t do it alone.”

“About that…” Techie said softly, trailing behind them, “I… uh… contacted one of the other superhero teams. Sent them everything in my database. And I mean everything.”

Hero stopped in their tracks. “So Leader will see justice?!”

Techie nodded, an almost disbelieving smile on their face. In Hero’s arms, Villain stirred. “Hope they… hope they have… a good time in prison… heh… ugh….”

Hero glanced down at them, hesitated, and planted a quick kiss on their forehead. Villain’s eyes flew open in shock. “Hey… no fair… can’t kiss you back….”

“Oh! Of course!” Hero leaned their head forward, their lips finding Villain’s. It was strange, harboring these feelings, these attachments for so long, and finally having them out in the open. It was comforting. Villain loved them back. 

The kiss didn’t last nearly as long as Hero wanted, but duty prompted them to pull away long before they desired to. “Let’s get you medical attention.”

“…m’kay…” Villain murmured sleepily.

Techie watched them leave, Villain in Hero’s arms. When they finally decided to follow, to accompany them to the door, Techie realized they were grinning like an idiot.

Everything was going to be okay.

[sometimesanequine]

6.29.2024

[defaultbyproxy]

DAY TWENTY-NINE Emmet appreciation month (June 2024)

[smile]

[rainbowfey]

Day 29: Wearing Each Other's Clothes

@flufftober

It started with a loud noise protruding his rather chaotic dream. For a moment, Tobirama wondered since when crows were able to produce resounding thuds. It took a while for the reality to sink in and disperse the remnants of his dream. Only when he finally opened his eyes did the realization hit him that the noise was indeed not a part of his dream. Still very much groggy, Tobirama sat up and stretched his neck with a groan, wondering about why he felt so stiff. He looked around and blinked a couple times at the sight of his fireplace that most definitely had not been in his bedroom when he had woken up the past couple of days. Shaking his head in hopes to clear his mind, he gazed at the dimly lit room around him. Only when he made out the familiar silhouette of the sofa across from him did he realize where he was. But something about it still didn’t seem to make any sense. The sofa didn’t have the shape he was used to, instead it was quite the opposite. But before his foggy brain could make sense of the slowly moving shape on the sofa, another bang brought him back to reality.

“Damnit,” he growled to himself and got up. He quickly grabbed a sweater lying in a jumbled pile on the ground next to the sofa table and slipped in it. He shivered when the cold fabric grazed his face but he didn’t have any time to think about it as the banging got even louder. “I’m coming,” he yelled, his voice still a bit raucous from sleep.

Tobirama stumbled through the dimly lit room that he now recognized as his living room. Before he slipped through the door, he caught a last glance at the silhouette of his sofa that now seemed to be moving more. He shook his head incredulously and fled the living room, heading for the front door. While walking, he looked down and noticed with relief that he was fully dressed which was at least something.

He reached his front door just in time for another earth shattering bang and he scowled when the sound pierced his ear drums. With a frown, he yanked the door open and blinked at the pale face hovering in the darkness in front of him. From the looks of it, he had been jolted awake only a couple of hours after the midnight, the moon still high up in the sky. This did at least explain why he felt like as if he had been hit by a particularly big boulder. “What?” he snarled at the gadfly who had his hand still raised as if to bang on his door again.

Now that his eyes finally adjusted to the dim moonlight, he noticed that the man in front of him was way younger that he had thought at first sight. He felt slightly guilty when he saw the intimidated look on the shinobi’s face who was more of a boy than a man, now that he examined him more closely.

“What’s the matter?” he asked again, this time a bit more friendly which seemed to do the trick.

“I am sorry,” the boy stammered, averting his gaze. “Hokage-sama sent for you and he asked me to get you as quickly as possible.” Tobirama instantly perked up at these words, a hint of concern stirring in his gut. He stared at the young shinobi and said, “I’m ready to go. Tell me what’s going on while we’re on our way.”

The shinobi nodded, seeming very relieved. He turned around without any hesitation and headed for the building straight ahead, getting ready to jump to its roof. Tobirama quickly closed the door behind him without locking it. The fact that the boy chose the quicker way over the roofs and treetops of Konoha was a sign for how dire the situation had to be. He followed him, his heart pounding in his chest. If Hashirama sent a messenger to shake him awake in the middle of the night, something grave had happened.

The young shinobi led him quickly towards the center of Konoha. While they ran, he told Tobirama between gasps about a big fire that had broken out without any warning and was now threatening several important buildings. Hashirama had called for Tobirama while he was already working on the evacuation of all of the endangered buildings.

Before the shinobi was able to tell him more, they had already entered the area of the fire. Even before they could see the fire itself, Tobirama noticed the unsettling red glow illuminating the surrounding buildings and he quickened his pace, leaving the exhausted boy behind. From this point on, he didn’t need anyone to lead him towards the scene of event as the perilous shine and the pungent smell of smoke sufficed entirely.

When Tobirama finally reached the source of fire, he saw at least two dozen shinobi scurrying through the flickering light and shadows, either leading frightened residents to safety or casting water jutsus at the fire. Tobirama didn’t have to wait for anyone to give him instructions, he was well aware of why Hashirama had called for him. He headed straight for the biggest fire and took a deep breath, focusing on the dancing flames in front of him.

“Water release!” he growled and gathered all his chakra. Only a split second later, the fire started sizzling when the powerful water stream hit.

Again and again, Tobirama used his jutsu, the heat of the fire and the subsequent steam burning on his skin. He barely noticed how other shinobi joined him, following his lead. Together, they attacked one source of fire after another until the village was drowning in steam. Tobirama’s heart was hammering in his chest and he was panting, scanning the area vigilantly for another suspicious red glow. But all he could see was the faint morning light cast by the sun finally rising.

He flinched when a hand fell on his shoulder. He turned around, an angry rebuke already on his lips, when he noticed his brother’s exhausted face. Instantly, his tension faded and he examined Hashirama thoroughly. His concern grew when he noticed the soot and scratches all over his brother. He grabbed Hashirama’s wrist and pulled him closer to examine a particularly big tear in his shirt. “Are you hurt?” he asked urgingly.

Hashirama smiled at him and shook his head, carefully freeing his wrist. “I’m fine, don’t worry. Thanks for getting here so quickly.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect you to arrive here this early,” someone behind Tobirama piped up and he turned around to see an also very disheveled looking Izuna who smiled at him wearily.

Tobirama nodded to him and noticed relieved that even though Hashirama and Izuna both looked like as they had had a very rough night, both seemed to be unharmed. Now that the fires had finally been put out, the chaos around them slowly calmed down. Another shinobi passed by them and handed all three of them water bottles which they gratefully accepted. Hashirama started chugging the water and Tobirama also took a few sips but Izuna paused. He looked at him curiously over the neck of his bottle and noticed that Izuna was staring at him – or rather at his chest.

Tobirama raised an eyebrow and looked down at his chest but he didn’t find anything weird about it. He eyed Izuna and gave him an asking look, wondering whether Izuna was just zoning out.

But Izuna didn’t seem absentminded at all. “Nice sweater you have there,” he said, leaving Tobirama puzzled at this rather cryptic statement.

Tobirama wasn’t exactly the most socially adept person but even to him this seemed to be a weird thing to say in this situation. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hashirama waving someone closer but he was too caught up in Izuna’s increasingly strange facial expression to give it any attention. He started getting slightly worried when he saw a knowing smile spreading on Izuna’s face.

“So, a good night got cut short, huh?” Izuna asked, grinning at him. “That’s a shame.”

Tobirama stared at him and for a moment, he asked himself if Izuna was maybe a bit befuddled by the smoke still lingering in the air. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he admitted, giving Izuna a slightly worried look.

Izuna nodded exaggeratedly. “Yeah, sure,” he said and winked at him, his voice clearly indicating that he didn’t believe him one bit.

Before Tobirama could come up with another question, Hashirama pulled someone closer to them and Tobirama winced when the sight of dark eyes instantly brought back the memory of the past night. Suddenly, the weird shape of the sofa in his living room made a lot of sense. His cheeks started burning when he noticed the amused glance in Madara’s face and he wished for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. He had been so startled at the banging at his door that he hadn’t even remembered that Madara hadn’t left the previous night – and he had just run off with the messenger without even telling Madara that he was leaving.

“Uh, hi,” he muttered, carefully avoiding Madara’s gaze. Instead, he stared at his chest which was covered in soot. Something about it bothered him but he didn’t get a chance to think about it as Izuna started speaking, his voice still sounding weirdly ironic.

“So, when did you plan on telling us about this?” he asked and Tobirama noticed that Madara seemed equally as confused as he was.

“What are you even talking about, Izuna?” Madara growled, giving his little brother an exasperated look who returned it with a wide grin.

“Well,” he said slowly, seemingly relishing in the situation. “If you want to keep it a secret, you should be quite a bit more discreet.”

Madara stared at him and Tobirama could almost see the thoughts rattling through his mind. Hashirama next to him eyed them curiously and Tobirama started feeling like he was in a fever dream.

Izuna stared at them and when neither of them made a move to reply, he sighed and pointed at Madara’s chest. “My beloved brother, if you want to play clueless, you probably shouldn’t show up in your lover’s clothes.”

And suddenly, the scales fell from Tobirama’s eyes and he gasped when he realized what had bothered him about Madara – the sweater he was wearing seemed all too familiar beneath all of the grime. He hastily looked down at himself and froze when he noticed that the sweater he himself was wearing looked exactly like the one Madara had taken off and carelessly thrown on the ground only a couple of hours ago. On the ground next to the sofa table, right where Tobirama had set down his own sweater only a couple of minutes prior.

And while they both started sputtering explanations in horror, Izuna crossed his arms and grinned like a Cheshire cat. And over all the chaos, Hashirama piped up, his eyes wide opened, sounding entirely bewildered, “Wait – are you two like … a thing?”

[mellowwhumps]

Whumperless Whump Event Day 12: Building collapse | Trapped under rubble | “I can’t move my legs.”

OCs: Haley, Halcyon, Ria

CW: nothing major, i think

@whumperless-whump-event

It was supposed to be a safe trip. He was supposed to leave her near a less-dilapidated building, then head to the more affected areas to assess the damage that needed to be fixed. She wasn’t meant to come. She wasn’t meant to warn him or happen upon a poorly-adjusted foundation. 

He took the brunt of the damage for her.

Haley groaned, every part of his body aching. He could not see the extent of her injuries without a source of brightness, but she could at least position herself to be more comfortable and talk normally. He, on the other hand, was quite trapped.

He took a deep breath, spending a moment to check over his ability to move. It wasn’t the worst injury he ever had. His legs weren’t even crushed, just lodged in a tight space. At a single glance, he could tell those rocks were the only thing supporting the rubble from crashing down on them.

“Ria. I am…unable to move my legs, so you need to escape and get help first.”

“How? How do I…you…” Ah. She’s breathing heavily. If it continued, they would easily run out of oxygen and perish. Not the best way to go, nor heroic either. Not fitting for her.

“Breathe. The building was small enough, and it was a single part of it that crumbled. There will be an exit.” A little lie wouldn’t hurt right now. He squinted, examining the wreckage. A crack of light shines, though miniscule, but it was more than enough for him. “Behind you. Dig there. Be careful not to get hurt.”

Her hands were trembling. Was it nervousness or his blood loss? Still, she finds the location and gently lifts each rock, placing it by the side and repeating the action. It’s a long process, one that was much too worrying. 

After what felt like forever, it was small enough to squeeze through. She crawled out, sprinted off, and was gone. 

She’s safe. Nothing mattered more than that.

Something heavy makes contact with his skull. He kept his eyes open for her until exhaustion overwhelmed his senses, dragging him back into darkness.

—————

Ria was a coward. Put on a brave face, but when it came to life or death, she’d run away any minute. She never even asked if he was unhurt, or tried to get him out. She had to get help. The rest of the building could have collapsed right down on him, right now, and once again she would be powerless to do anything herself. 

She needed to get help first. That’s what he instructed her to do. If none of the eyes around her even bothered to come out and help, then she would find someone who would.

She runs. But she isn’t running away.

She meets the stranger once more, clad in armor and with that horrible concerned expression on her face. The stranger told her she was crying. She hadn’t even noticed. A sign of weakness, now? No, she had to be stronger.

“…Where is your caretaker?” The knight asks. She helped her before, ever the kind person in a world of people who wouldn’t see what she saw. The only good adult she knew. Ria takes her hand, even if her palm was merely half that size, and leads her forward, striding the streets. 

The knight calls for more assistance not a second after turning the corner.

She never looked back just now, never checked just how much damage there was. The building in front of her was nothing but dust and rubble. He never told the truth to her, and sounded so confident in her as well. 

She was scrabbling at the rocks before anyone else even came close to stopping her, calling his name until her voice became hoarse. The hole she made had disappeared. No response. The woman squats beside her and starts lifting the heavier rocks, gesturing for others to help.

Ria sees the blood before the colour of his scarf, running in rivulets down his forehead. His arm twists unnaturally; the arm he must have used to try and shield her. There are so many things wrong with the situation she doesn’t even know which part to start panicking about.

Her gaze shifts to his chest, rising and falling unsteadily. He’s breathing, he’s going to be alright. The woman beside her mutters absently that it might as well be a miracle, even as her attempts to garner reaction from him don’t make him shift in the slightest. 

Miracle. She doesn’t even know what that word means. She would have pestered Haley to ask about it, the stupid, stupid man who was so smart and strong, who could fight easier than breathing, who knew how to get her out before she met the same fate as him; near-dead and gut-wrenchingly helpless to his own plight. 

If this was what ‘protecting’ was, she realises, then, that she’d have done the same in a heartbeat. He wouldn’t have wanted that, but even so, she always had that same kind of stubbornness in her.

[draconli]

Dragon Elves Day 29: Darkness

Since I had time to add some grays and blacks, I might go back and add it to the other days later.

[serickswrites]

Believe in Me

Warnings: captivity, restraints, torture, bruises, blood, rescue, unconsciousness, caretaker and whumpee, hurt/aftermath

"Believe in me," Caretaker had shouted as Whumper dragged Whumpee away, "I will find you. I will free you. Believe in me, Whumpee!"

Whumpee couldn't remember how long ago that was. They just knew it was a long time ago. And Whumper had been hurting them for a long time. But they had to hang on. They believed in Caretaker. Caretaker would get them out of here.

"Think you're so tough," Whumper hissed as they struck Whumpee's bruised cheek.

Whumpee struggled to keep their footing, struggled to keep from swinging in the standing cuffs. They couldn't fall down again. It hurt so much.

Whumper struck Whumpee once more. Whumpee felt their skin split and blood pour from above their eyebrow. They lost their footing and began to swing. "PLEASE!" They shrieked as they swung.

"This can all stop if you just give up. Give up hope, Whumpee. It won't be so terrible. I promise. I can be just as kind as Caretaker."

Whumpee didn't remember much after that. The world was hazy. They knew Whumper kept hitting them. Hit them until the world went black. When they came to, they were on their side, shackled to the wall. At least Whumper hadn't left them hanging.

Whumpee didn't know why they woke. It was dark and their body hurt. They wanted nothing more than to close their eyes and let oblivion claim them once again.

"None of that, Whumpee. Keep your eyes open."

Whumpee's heart skipped a beat. "C-C-Caretaker?" They dared to hope.

"The one and only," Caretaker gave Whumpee's shoulder a squeeze as they finished picking the locks on Whumpee's cuffs.

"You're here," Whumpee sobbed. They started to sit up, but as the room began to spin, they thought the better of it.

Caretaker wrapped their arms around Whumpee's shoulders. "Of course I am. I promised you. I told you I would free you."

Whumpee sagged with relief, suddenly the days and days of torture weighing so heavily on their body. Caretaker was here. Caretaker had them. They were safe. They were free. "Th-Thank you," Whumpee whispered. Their eyelids felt so heavy. But they were safe. It was ok to sink into oblivion. Caretaker had them.

"Whumpee, keep your eyes open. Please stay awake. Whumpee!" Caretaker's voice was sharp, but so distant.

Whumpee wanted to reply. Wanted to fight to keep their eyes open. But they were so tired. They believed in Caretaker and Caretaker was here. They believed Caretaker would set them free. And with that final thought, Whumpee let the darkness claim them.

[renee-writer]

May Prompts Day 29 Learn

What is the most important thing

You can learn

That thing that will change

Your life the most

Forgiveness

Of yourself

And others

Learning to let go

Of those things

You carry

All those regrets

And

Grudges.