#do i tag keith ? yeah okay

[sincerelymarner]

Who You're About to Be, ari banias

(photo credits: denis brodeur / mark buckner / dave sandford / claus andersen)

[dearharriet]

ooh and for steve, maybe something where it's reader's first day at the job where steve works and he's helping them out or maybe just a meet cute before they land the job

ty babe! fem!r (wc: 553)

No one is up front when you step into Family Video, so you pretend to look at the tape display to feel less awkward. It’s right beside the counter, so whenever someone emerges from the back (if they do at all), they’ll see you right away.

You’re not entirely certain what the theme of the display is supposed to be. It has The Sound of Music and Xanadu, so you guess musicals, but then Ghostbusters throws that all the way out.

You’re so concentrated on the puzzle that you don’t notice that an employee comes out until he clears his throat.

When you look up, a flock of nerves lights up in your stomach. The man at the counter is the kind of handsome that you’re never prepared to see for the first time, effortless and confident.

“Hi,” he says, and it’s more flirt than greeting. He leans on the counter, fluffing up his hair and smiling, and you’re hooked.

“Hi.”

You drift hesitantly toward the counter, shifting your bag over your shoulder. Eyes flicking down, you catch sight of his name tag, Steve-o stickered onto the plain black rectangle.

“How can I help you?”

Returning your attention to his face, you purse your lips shyly.

“I, um—I was wondering if there was someone I could talk to about working here?”

The boy’s eyes widen a little bit, and he seems to put himself back together, in a way. He’s not professional, by any means, but he’s all business.

“Oh, yeah.” His brows pull together in faux seriousness. “Are you kidding? You’ll fit right in.”

You laugh. “I can’t tell if you really mean that or not.”

Steve’s smile warms. “I do. Sorry.”

Suddenly, you really hope you get the job here.

“Okay,” you nod. “So, um…”

You look around, to the door leading to the back room. Steve perks up.

“Oh, uh, yeah.” Forearms on the counter, he leans toward you, a good gossip-length away. “He’s not here, actually. But I can put in a good word for you, and tell him you’ll be back tomorrow?”

“Oh, sure,” you agree, a little breathless from his big eyes and sweet voice. “I’ll, um��I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

You step back, and Steve almost looks like he’d crawl over the counter to follow you.

“Well hey—uh. Keith is gonna ask about your favorite movies, probably. He’s—” Steve glances around like he’s checking for eavesdroppers. “He’s kinda pretentious, yknow. Picky.”

You nod slowly.

“Is this his display? Cause I mean, these ones aren’t half bad.”

Grinning, Steve shakes his head.

“Nah, that’s mine, actually. Killer Soundtracks.”

“Ohh.”

With another pass through his hair, Steve pops over to the cart behind the counter, a picking through the tapes there for something. He returns to you with a stack of three.

“Keith’s a nerd, so, uh. Sci-fi is the way to go. These three don’t have to be your favorite, but he’s gonna bring ‘em up.” He slides them over to you. “On me. Just give ‘em back tomorrow, kay?”

Blinking, you take the stack between nimble fingers.

“Oh, are you sure?”

A girl appears from the back then, making a slow and obviously nosey gander back to the counter. Steve ignores her, still folded over the bench.

“‘Course, babe.” He winks a long-lashed eye. “Pretty privilege.”

+

thank u for reading! xx

masterlist

[hannahssimblr]

We spend the afternoon here, talking about all the things that come into our heads, most of which is music, happily, as I always have a lot to say on the subject. I let her go through my CD collection, and she confesses she hasn't heard of most of the artists.

“Bloc Party, really?” I say, showing the CD to her. “You don’t know them?”

“No! Why would I?”

“I don’t know, because they’re famous?”

“I know Eminem,” she picks that one out of the pile, and I smirk, “That’s a pretty old one. I don’t really listen to it anymore.”

“Hm,” she turns it over in her hands. “Well, just letting you know, you forgot to take all the stickers off.” Her thumb nail picks at the corner of the parental advisory sticker, and I snatch it out of her hands. 

“No, leave it.”

“Leave it?”

“Yeah, the sticker stays on. C’mon, everyone knows that.”

She examines me like I’m the weirdo. “Um! It’s a sticker, the same as a price tag. You just peel it off like a normal person would.”

“No, you keep it on so everyone knows you listen to music with bad words in it.”

This makes her laugh. “Oh, yeah, very important. Sorry. I would have peeled it off, because if my mam saw an album with that sticker on it, she’d have brought it to the charity shop the next day.”

“Bit strict, hm?”

“Yeah, I suppose. She just doesn’t like the idea of me being exposed to certain things.”

I’d like to ask Evie what specifically she’s not allowed to be around, but judging by the bizarre way Shane clucks around her like a mother hen, I can guess. Alcohol. Drugs. Boys like me. I’m curious what it’s like to have parents that care about any of that stuff. I can’t imagine. 

“How would she feel about you coming to the festival? Does she know there’ll be songs with bad words there?”

“No, obviously,” she gives me a playful shove, “She’s not going to be going on iTunes and finding the artists. She barely even knows how to use the internet, and she’ll be fine about the festival as long as she knows Shane is there.”

“What’s it with Shane, anyway?”

“Oh, God. She loves Shane. For some reason, she’s just obsessed with him, and keeps trying to get me to go out with him.”

“You don’t want that though, do you?”

She snorts. “Hardly. That’d be so weird.” She grabs my Prodigy CD and slips the booklet from inside. “He’s like my brother or something. It’s just sick.”

“Right, right, so, like, just curious, what kind of guy would you-”

“That’s you,” she interrupts, holding a picture of Keith Flint with his tongue out up to my face. He’s got that green, clown hair thing going on and really intense black makeup under his eyes. I laugh, surprised. “What?”

“That’s you,” she taps her nail against it. “Him.”

“Why? Because he looks bad?”

A shrug, “Yeah.”

God, it’s so stupid. I understand there is no sophistication to this joke, that it’s just an ugly-looking man, but that’s exactly why it’s so funny. She grins at me as I snicker into the back of my wrist. “What?”

“You know that’s good, c’mon.”

“I actually don’t know why I even said that. That’s the sort of thing I say in my own head.”

“Very funny, okay, well two can play at that game.”

I reach for my Dodos, Beware of the Maniacs album, and she starts protesting before I can say a word. “No!” she says, “No, no! That’s not me!”

“Uh huh!” 

“That’s offensive, you can’t say that!”

“Evie…” I show her the image.

“No!”

“...Is that you?”

I grab her leg and we fall about, howling, wiping tears from our eyes, laughing until I think I might be sick. If someone ever asked me what we were laughing about, I’d have to play it off, and pretend that I didn’t really think it was so funny, that it was a bit juvenile and stupid, but I would be lying about the first part. For some reason, nothing has even been as hilarious as pointing to an image of a big, looming bald man’s face and asking Evie if it is her.

It goes on like this, as we try to find more ugly things to compare each other to, eventually pulling that magazine from under my bed and wiping off the dust to flip through, eventually landing on an very serious article about a family of inbred royals from Austria. We don’t even have to say anything. I just turn the page and we start shrieking. 

“Oh, God,” Evie’s face is red, and she has tears in her eyes. “I promise I’m usually not this weird in front of people.”

“Me neither, fuck sake, we have to calm down.” 

We look at the picture and burst out laughing again. 

I decide it would be cool, eventually, to show off my immaculate, curated CD collection. I hold her hostage while starting and stopping my CD player, running through all the best songs and the best albums in my possession. Evie keeps pretending to know them, but then doesn't recognise their biggest hits. 

“Of course I know Gorillaz,” she scoffs. “I just don’t know this song, is all.”

“This is Feel Good Inc.”

“Yeah, I just don’t know it.”

“You’re lying to me!”

“No! I’m not caught up on new music yet! I don’t have time for everything…”

“Evie…”

“What?”

“This album is five years old.”

When I try to teach her German, she fares no better. She pores over my textbook, trying her best to pronounce all the long words at the back, the ones that are, like, five different words squashed together into one. I understand the difficulty on one hand, but on the other, it's really not that complicated.

“You have to stop trying to pronounce them weird.” I'm know I am beginning to come across as an impatient person. “It’s not like French. Just think in English.”

She takes a determined breath and gallantly butchers the word “entschuldigung.”

We go back to the start of the book and try “eins, zwei, drei” again. 

“I’m tired of this! I can’t do the throat sound,” she protests, so I relinquish the book and lay it on the bedside table. 

“Well, just pointing it out, but you’d get it after a while if you kept trying.”

She peers at me. “It’s not a very nice language, is it? It sounds harsh.”

“There’s something about it,” I say. “Like any language, you know? Once you get to know it, you start to discover the nice things.”

“Are you worried about having to speak it all the time?”

“Kind of. I’m mostly worried that I’ll have a strong accent, you know? And everyone will just think of me as the foreign guy, rather than who I really am.”

“Hm, yeah, I never thought about that.”

“It’s hard to be myself when I speak German. I just don’t know how to express what I want to say, or to be funny and whatever.”

 “Well, you could just show them an ugly picture in a magazine and say ‘ist das du?’”

“Thanks, I’m sure I’ll come across great.”

Her eyes dart across my face. “I don’t think you should worry. I think everyone will like you, even if you have a bad accent. They’ll know just by being around you that you’re cool, and they’ll line up to be your friend.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, Jude, I think you’re really nice.”

I smile. Resting my head mightn’t have been the greatest idea, because my body quickly informs me it is time to give in and sleep. Insomniac nights routinely catch up on me by the afternoon, and now heaviness pulls at my lids. With the sun heating my body through the window, and the soft, dreamy melody of a Radiohead song coming from the speakers, I want to stop fighting. Evie too watches the waves outside the window, and her breath moves with them, a meditation. I shut my eyes. It’s just for a few minutes, just to ease the sting. Then we can talk some more. I really want to talk to her more…

Beginning // Prev // Next

Corresponding LG Chapter

[harukamitsuki]

Okay... I am currently back on my Voltron bullshit and continuing my rewrite of Voltron. And I'm constantly reminding of HOW MUCH I HATE LANCE.

Don't get me wrong. I am still treating Lance fairly in my fic, making sure he gets screen-time and a proper character acr and stuff.

But by GODS. This man pisses me off so much and that's only made worse by his stans. I was scrolling through Keith's tag here on tumblr. I also have Kl@nce filtered out. I cannot see a single post without at least three pages of scrolling and then it's only ONE POST. AND IT'S STILL KLANCE BECAUSE IT HASN'T BEEN TAGGED CORRECTLY.

Anyway. Onto the actual things I hate about Lance and not just his fandom.

Lance is a fucking asshole. I mean that on the deepest level. Let's go through it chronologically because I cannot rank it from least to most assholery, because some things are on the same level.

1 - Allura wakes up from the cryopod and Lances catches her. She's confused and dazed and the first thing you should do is ask if she's alright. Oh, but Lance is above that. Instead, he flirts with her. Karma given immediately as she calls his ears hideous and puts him in a submission hold, which is why I kept that scene in my fic, but that was still wrong. I know it was played for comedic effect, but that doesn't make it not canon. It's canonically accurate that if you've awoken from a coma, Lance's first instinct is to flirt with you if you're pretty.

2 - Literally throws Hunk into the middle of a battle. I get that Hunk was supposed to leave the Lion anyway, but just shoving him out when there are lasers everywhere and Hunk has no protection? Yeah. So much for 'best friend'. Add on the fact that Lance never really treats Hunk like a friend. At all.

3 - Okay. Season 1 Lance isn't bad outside of those two examples, even if he has his dumb moments, so let's jump to Season 2. Starting shit with Keith for no reason. People can go 'oh, Keith obviously did something to him at the Garrison' but he DIDN'T. The writers themselves confirmed that Keith did nothing to Lance, he just started shit with Keith all the fucking time. Like accussing Keith of wanting Blue and cutting him off when he tried to explain what was actually happening, even though Lance is the one who was outraged initially that Keith had Red. Or how about Lance getting up in Shiro's face and screaming his head off about how Keith would rather kill people than listen to them, as if he knew Keith at all after bullying him the entire time.

4 - Okay. This one pissed me off the most and is the biggest reason I'm making this post. The fact that Lance used Shiro's death/disappearance against Keith. Keith outwardly expresses his lack of desire to become the leader and accidentally let it slip that Shiro wanted him to do it. To which Lance is all 'convenient that you say that when Shiro's gone'. What. What the fuck. Stans really say that Lance is precious but how the hell are you justifying that? A blind man could see how much Keith loves Shiro, and Lance has the fucking gall the say that Keith is USING his death/disappearance for a position he doesn't want? He didn't even apologise for it. He just told Keith to suck it up later on. This is one of the reasons I hated Lance as the Red Paladin, the others being explained in an earlier post of mine.

5 - Oh, yeah. We're not done. Because after Keith, it's Allura. Allur@nce is probably the worst ship that could have happened, apart from Kl@nce. If you wanted a straight ship, how about what was canon for the past Voltron series? Kallura? Anyway. Yeah, Lance treats Allura like a prize instead of a person. He's posessive in a way that he has no right to be because they were not together. He glares at Matt for flirting with Allura, something he only does once. He gets mad at Lotor and tries to stop them from spending time together, EVEN THOUGH LOTOR IS HELPING ALLURA AND BONDING THROUGH ALTEAN THINGS. HELPING HER KEEP IN TOUCH WITH ALTEAN CULTURE. In Season 8, he literally yells that it should be Lance and Allura?? What a fucking weirdo?? You can't claim that you're destined to be with someone without being together. That's not how healthy relationships work. That's how a stalker's mind works. Lance is constantly flirting with Allura throughout all of Voltron and she never once reciprocated until Season 8 where it's so obvious that Lance is just a rebound but the writers wanna make it so that it's 'true love' and they want Lance to be happier than anyone so they just gift her to him like some sort of trophy. Lance didn't care about loving Allura, he cared about winning her. At least Lotor actually cared for and respected her. I still don't like canon Lotor, but that's mostly because the writers didn't want to deal with gray morality. Cowards.

1 - Honestly the worst example of a leader. It's shown from episode one. Now, there is the argument of learning to become one, but Lance just never learns? He's never facing the consequences of his actions and, if he is lectured, he ignores it. Keith actually takes lessons to heart and tries to improve and he does. If Lance became the Black Paladin, the universe would have been doomed because he can't get over himself for a single moment to even bother listening to anyone else's advice.

So. Yeah. Those are the main reasons why Lance is an asshole. Now to make the Lance stans really pissed.

Reasons why Lance would have been a terrible leader and could never have been the Black Paladin.

Remember episode one? Remember how the hydraulic stabiliser was out in the simulator and Lance still tried to push on, even though Pidge and Hunk advised him not to? Totally great leadership qualities there. There's nothing better than a leader that refuses to listen to you. 'Oh, but Keith is stubborn and didn't listen--' yes he did. He's stubborn and unrelenting at first, but he eventually realises that they're right.

Remember episode three? Remember when Lance bragged about kicking, which made Voltron fall, then proceeded to try it again and failed again even when Keith advised him not to? Yeah. Lance does not make good decisions and does not listen to any advise. Even from the leader's right hand man.

Remember Season 1 Episode 12? Remember how they were waiting for Shiro and Allura to get back and then Keith saw someone taking quintessence so he decided to follow them? Remember how Lance said no and was ignored but did nothing more to stop Keith? He has no authority and no charisma to keep anyone at bay. Pidge herself mocks Lance for being the pinnacle for leadership. Sarcastically. Because he's far from it.

Pidge doesn't respect Lance as a leader, Keith never would considering Lance treats him like shit, Allura can't take Lance seriously with him hitting on her every ten seconds, and Hunk is always questioning Lance's decisions. If nobody respects you, you cannot be a good leader.

2 - Easily distracted. Yes, it's a very popular headcanon that Lance has ADHD, and I agree with that, but that doesn't make it okay. And he's distracted in the easiest ways. Just shove a pretty girl and he'll instantly get distracted and lead the entire team to doom. Remember Nyma and how easy it was for her to steal the Blue Lion? How he didn't even warn anyone that he was taking her out for a ride because he didn't want anyone contesting his conquest? Yeah.

Don't get me wrong. It's fine to have ADHD or get distracted easily. Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece is a great example of a leader who gets easily distracted, but the second he sets his mind on something, he blocks everything out. Lance just doesn't have the capability to do that, nor do I think he'd be able to learn how to.

3 - Gets jealous really easily. As in. Really fucking easily. He's jealous of Keith from the get-go, starting a one-sided rivalry that he's constantly on the losing side of because Keith doesn't care. He gets jealous of Matt when he flirts a bit with Allura. He gets extremely jealous of Lotor for having actual chemistry with Allura. He's constantly jealous and a good leader is only ever in competition with himself. A good leader will only strive to become better for the sake of the team, not to say that they're better than someone else, much less if they're someone that you are in charge of. It's a horrible trait to have.

Jealousy in and of itself is not a bad thing. It's when that jealousy overrides your logic and controls you, instead of you controlling your jealousy: which Lance struggles with a lot. And getting jealous over anyone who even looks at your crush is a very bad thing to do because you do not own your crush. It's okay to be jealous, but not posessively like Lance is. Not to the extent of trying to scare off any potential suitors.

4 - Nowhere near as skilled as Keith or Shiro. Sure, the writers may claim that he is better, but the proof is in the pudding. Keith and Shiro are fucking unmatched. I've defended Lance's skills in a previous post, but I also said in that post that, while he is skilled, he is nowhere near Shiro or Keith's level. I mean, Shiro was the golden child of the Garrison and set so many records. He was known as the best pilot. Keith beat those records and his flying capabilities are always, always noted. I haven't heard a single character comment on Lance's skills, other than to point out how bad they are. Keith was the only one who could have flew through the astroid field, he was the only one who could fly into the Marmora base which was in a blue star surrounded by two black holes, he was able to fly a Galra jet just by pushing the right buttons and knowing what the do, and he's the one who unlocks the warping abilities of the Black Lion. Shiro was able to connect with the Black Lion far before anyone else, able to see through Black and connect with Black to the point of his soul being saved by her.

Lance hasn't done anything spectacular. And, no. He was not 'done dirty'. He was given almost everything he wanted except the Black Lion. The writers claim he's the best pilot, but have not shown it at all. In my eyes, Keith and Shiro will always be the best.

5 - Selfish. Again. Nothing against being selfish. It's perfectly fine to be selfish, so long as it doesn't actively harm others. But for a leader? You should be as selfless as you can be. The team comes before you. And that's exactly what Lance isn't.

Lance is selfish and that's okay, but it's not leadership material. The whole reason Black rejected him is because he wanted the position out of selfish reasons. When he enters Black, he says 'Come on, Lance. You can do this'. In other words, he wants to pilot her because he wants to prove himself. He wants the acknowledgement. He wants the title of the Black Paladin and leader. Black accepted Keith, both at the start of Season 2 and Season 3, because he piloted her for purely selfless reasons. For Shiro.

Lance wants things for himself. Keith wanted things for Shiro. It was only after Shiro came back, (or so they thought), that Keith started focusing more on himself. Even then, he put everyone else before him. He distanced himself from the team so that Shiro could pilot Black again, and he was constantly risking his life for the Blades.

Lance just... isn't the type. He has put others before himself, but he expect things out of it. He expects a parade and acknowledgement. Nobody knew what Shiro went through to rid Zarkon of his connection to the Black Lion. Nobody knew what Shiro went through in his imprisonment because he doesn't want to burden anyone with that. Nobody knew what Keith went through to save Black and Shiro from Zarkon. Nobody knew what Keith went through when they were all mad at him for missing an attack. Lance doesn't withold that sort of stuff. The only thing he doesn't talk about is his insecurities, which he ends up spilling to the mice and Laika (the Yupper) anyway.

6 - Last one. Promise.

Nothing fucking happened. While Keith was gone, nothing of importance happened surrounding Voltron specifically. There was the Lion mind meld and Lotor joining, but all that served to prove was, with the mind meld, if Keith was there, he would have heard Shiro. And with Lotor joining, all it proved was how immature Lance was.

The second Keith gets back, things start happening again. Lotor gets outed as cruel and manipulative (still an ass-pull, by the way), Shiro gets outed as a clone, and so on. If Lance was leading, they all probably would have died ages ago. I'm talking Season 3 Episode 2, ages ago. Because Lance just isn't cut out for it.

So. Yeah. Those are the main reasons I hate Lance and why Black Paladin Lance is an awful idea. Screw the people who believe in it. It is awful.

Like I said, this won't affect my treatment of Lance in my rewrite, because I can fix those issues that come up. I don't have an issue with Season 1 Lance, it's later on that gets problematic. I just hate people building Lance up by bashing all the other characters, then claiming that Lance is the most traumatised, sad character when SHIRO AND KEITH ARE RIGHT THERE. NOT TO MENTION ALLURA, WHO LOST HER ENTIRE SPECIES, AND CORAN WHO LOST EVERYONE INCLUDING ALLURA AND NEVER GOT TO SAY GOODBYE TO HER.

Fuck. I hate Voltron so much but I can't help but love it.

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @corrodedcoffinfest May warm-up round.

These Keys?

Prompt: Get a Job | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: Language, Off-Screen Recreational Weed Use | POV: Gareth | Pairing: Steddie | Tags: AU, Gareth Fakes It Until He Can Make It, Car Dealership, Gareth & Steve, Meet Ugly, Eddie Only Tortures Those He Loves Most

Gareth is dozing at his desk, when a knock on his office door startles him awake, "Your two o'clock is here." 

Gareth didn't remember having a two o'clock, but he stands up and tries to smooth out his suit. It's two sizes too big, and something Eddie found for him at a thrift store. It's ugly, but works, for now. He's just working this job selling cars, saving some goddamn money, until the band can start playing full-time. Hopefully. That's the dream, anyway.

He's not very good at it, not like Eddie would be, but Eddie was a no-go with his hair that he refused to cut to be a corporate shill, or whatever he ranted about.

There's a guy standing in the showroom, waiting. Preppy and coiffed within an inch of his life. Great. 

But Gareth approaches him, because he looks like he has money. And money means the chance at a commission. So, Gareth tries to shake the cobwebs out of his brain.

"I'm Steve. We talked on the phone earlier," this guy says, and Gareth reaches out to shake his hand. He has no memory of this alleged conversation. Maybe he shouldn't have gotten so stoned with Eddie during his lunch break.

Rolling out of the van loose and faded after lunch, probably wasn't the best idea he's ever had. 

But he hates this job. He can't sell cars. He knows nothing about them. 

"What can I help you with, Steve?" Gareth asks, and Steve's just staring at him, definitely annoyed. What's his damn problem?

"As I said on the phone, my lease is up. I need to find out how much it will be to buy mine out, or lease something new."

"Cool. Cool. Totally, man. We can do that."

"How about this one?" Gareth asks, looking at a BMW he's never seen on the lot before. It's shiny. Really, really shiny. He runs his hand over the roof. "Pretty, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Steve says, but sounds less than enthused, crossing his arms over his chest, and it looks a little aggressive, "Well, how much? What's the mileage?"

Man, he's bitchy.

There's no sticker, but Gareth can find out how much they're asking. He'll just bullshit until then. 

"It's new on the lot," Gareth says, and tries to pull up on the handle, but it doesn't budge.

"Locked, huh?" Steve asks. "Maybe you need the keys?"

Gareth presses his face to the window, to see if he can see the odometer from here, but can't.

"Yeah, I'll get the keys. I'll be right back. Wait here."

"Sure, okay. I'll be waiting," Steve snaps, and Gareth strides off towards the dealership. 

When he comes back, with no keys, Steve is talking to Keith. Goddamnit. 

"Do you know where the keys to this car are?" Gareth asks Keith, interrupting.

Steve pulls a set of keys out of his pocket, "These keys?"

"Where'd you get those?" Gareth asks.

"It's my car, Gareth. This is the car I drove here. The one I've been leasing from you guys for the past two years. The one I told you about, on the phone."

Keith shakes his head, disappointed, and points Gareth back towards the showroom.

He's been dismissed, and his potential commission, gone. Probably his job. A lease would have made sure they wouldn't fire him. Fuck. He didn't know that was Steve's car. How could he have known? Steve could have said something, for fuck's sake. Prick.

And now Gareth just has to stand by watching as Steve goes over the paperwork on his new car. The one Gareth definitely isn't going to sell him. Keith made sure of it. 

Today's not his day. 

At least it's winding to a close, and when Eddie pulls up in the van, Gareth walks toward it, relieved to be done with Keith, Steve, and this job for another day.

But then he notices that Steve is following him. Which, weird. Surely he's not gonna kick his ass over a dumb mistake. He was just a little baked. That's all. 

Gareth pauses. And so does Steve. 

"What?" Gareth asks. 

"What, what?" Steve repeats. 

"Why are you following me?" Gareth asks.

"I'm not following you," Steve says, clearly following him.

"You are." 

"I'm not."

They're still arguing, this childish back and forth, when Eddie gets out and leans against the van. 

"Soooo, I see you've met," Eddie says.

And they both turn to look in his direction. 

"You know him?!" they both yell, in unison. 

And Eddie just cackles. 

"You set me up!" Gareth accuses, pointing at Eddie.

"Well, maybe. A little. But it was mainly Steve I was harassing." 

And then Gareth gets it. 

"This is your Steve?" Gareth asks, pointing at the preppy-looking motherfucker standing next to him.

Eddie nods, pleased with himself, clearly. 

"Eddie! You lost me my commission!"

Steve is rubbing his eyebrow, "Gareth. Shoulda realized. How common could that name be?"

He's muttering quietly and Gareth is scared they've broken him. 

Eddie must be pretty sure about this one, if he's already picking on him this goddamn hard. 

Steve snaps out of it, suddenly striding over towards Keith.

Gareth follows.

"Hey, Gareth was helping me first. He's the one I had the appointment with, so I'd like to finish this up with him. See it through."

"But, are you, I��" Keith splutters, not wanting to let this one go, obviously, and Gareth just grins and holds out his hand for the halfway filled-out lease. 

Keith hands it over, and Gareth leads Steve and Eddie back to his office.

Steve signs on the dotted line, and Gareth will be able to pay his rent for another month. And he hit his monthly bonus, right at the end of the month. Hot damn.

"Thanks, Steve," Gareth says, "Sorry we got off on the wrong foot."

Steve just lulls his head towards Eddie, "Now, we had a little help with that, didn't we?"

And Eddie just cackles, like the shitty troll he is.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @corrodedcoffinfest and follow along with the fun! 🦇

Notes: Inspiration for this one, was I saw this video a couple months ago, and had to track down the original on TikTok to share it here. But: Graham, Gareth. It made sense. (And I found there were updates to the Graham debacle!!)

[localfanbaselurker]

I’m watching Voltron: Legendary Defender for the first time and here is what I have had to say per each season (this is 1-2) (3-4) (5-6) (7) (8)

Pre-Watch Knowledge

->big transformers type robot

->pretty alien girl that looks like princess yue from A:tLA

->they are the epitome of color-coded characters

->space??

->there was crazy people in the fanbase that sent cupcakes laced with something to the creators

->queer baiting (this one in particular got me)

->klance.

->^honestly I only knew that because people were comparing it to zukka and I wanted to check it out

->my friend really likes it

Post S1 thoughts-

->that cliffhanger was crazy imagine they weren’t renewed for a s2

-> i went on tumblr after and youre telling me they made that show IN TWO YEARS?? EIGHT SEASONS. IN TWO MF YEARS?? that is insane. props to the writers bro they fr must of known what they were doing.

->all of these characters already scream “doomed by the narrative”

->my fav characters are pidge and lance

->I definitely did NOT expect yue Allura to be British

->bonding moment.

->^like yeah okay i get it now

-> the healing pods are a very interesting concept. Like, what if you get some ailment that it doesn’t recognize?? Do you just die??

-> genuinely felt so bad for Not Yue. Allura. Allura when they had to remove her father’s memory thing. Like yeah I know the castle was corrupted or wtv but bro imagine. Your entire race is dead. your mom, who you previously knew alive is now most likely dead. You already had to go through losing your father once, and now you have to lose him again. Any sliver of hope you had of staying connected with him is gone, because the entirety of his essence is now gone. She’s stronger than me, I would have never given him up so easily. I admire that about her.

->I also made the horrible mistake of going on ao3 after

yk for gits and shiggles… and when I go to a new fandom I always search by hits to see the classics first yk

…

WHY are you guys so 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂… I genuinely shed a tear what. I was flabbergasted to say the least.

On that note the top 23 were about redguy/blueguy getting smoochy-smoochy with each other so I guess that should be a hint as to what you guys like

->the description of the show says the robot (voltron) is operated by “five teenagers” but that shiro guy has to be AT LEAST 25. He is pushing 30 you can’t convince me otherwise.

->for now it’s kinda giving atla except the war is intergalactic and lasted 10,000 years instead of 100.

->all the other characters seem to have a pretty clear background, but we haven’t yet heard about Keith’s backstory, so I want to know (I know now, this was my initial thought)

->shiros backstory/ptsd is very interesting, lots of angst possibilities i see

-> I had an inkling that pidge was…genderly different. (At first I thought she was transmasc)

Post S2

-> WHERE is my man. Where did he go.

-> Pookie please come back. Now. It’s not a suggestion.

->KEITH BACKSTORY I PREDICTED THEY WERE GONNA SHOW US YAY I LOVE BEING RIGHT

-> he’s galra! Soooo much whump opportunity

-> the whole “Allura doesn’t hate you she’s just a little upset to find out ur part of the race that killed off her entire peoples and family and okay maybe she does hate you” scene with keith and hunk is really giving that scene in atla: the southern raiders where zuko thinks katara hates him and sokka reassures him (badly) while he was just trying to get laid w suki.

->^ that’s gay

-> the aliens they met are going to be very important, aren’t they?

->^ oohhh so this is where the “langst” stuff comes from? he’s just kinda insecure i think, but it can’t possibly just be this episode that has that tag so high, unless flanderization is just really popular with you guys, but already suspect that unfortunately

->^Allura high key ate with this

->the “Blade of Marmora” people are definitely gonna be important later

-> the mall episode was soooo fun! fav s2 episode for sure!

->^gay. It’s literally giving “two bros chillin in a hot tub. five feet apart cus they’re not gay”

-> I know of 2 ships now. klance and allurance. I only see the former though, the latter seems more like a running gag/unrequited crush thing (for now i suppose)

-> Coran is an icon. I love that whimsical man. he’s beekeeping age per say.

-> I need pidge to find her brother and father man I feel so bad for her PLEASE DOBT TELL ME THEYRE DEAD ILL LITERALLY DIE.

-> pidge is sooooo cool i love her so much she’s literally the pookiest of the pookies

-> Who tf is gonna be the black paladin now. Keith sure as hell isn’t ready for that. maybe Allura?? Cus yk she kinda already leads them a little bit

These are thoughts I had compiled over a while now. I am on S5E3 as of now (07/03/24) but I wanted to document my thoughts either way. I will post on the tag “laura’s first vld”

[foxtricksterwriting]

Meeting Reimagined; Keith

Author's Note: It's been a while since I've written for Duality, even though I think about it a lot. And I'm back with a new MC, Tytus!

Tags: @dualityvn

Tytus sighs, annoyed by the cold rain pelting him harshly. As he jogs, he notices the flower shop he’s walked by everyday. He heads that way, figuring that the rain won’t let up for a while still. He dips into the shop and lets out a relieved breath. The floral air invades his nose while he looks around, making him hum in content. He jumps as a soft voice ahead of him says “Pretty bad weather today, huh?”

Tytus looks ahead at the counter, finding a tall blond man with blue eyes. The man gives him a shy and apologetic smile. “Hello, hi, sorry, I was in my head a bit. Yeah, the rain’s terrible right now,” he responds while giving an awkward laugh, “Is it okay if I stick around until the rain’s gone?”

“Oh, yes, that’d be fine. Feel free to look around while you’re here,” the blond cashier nods as he speaks. Tytus nods back, not giving him a second look. He scans the store, looking at the arrangements and other potted plants. After not finding what he’s looking for, he steps up to the counter. “Excuse me, do you have Bat Flowers?” He asks, scanning the cashier and finding his name card on a lanyard around his neck; Keith. 

“I’m sorry, we sold our last two this morning,” Keith says after a minute of thought and checking somethings. Tytus deflates a little, but desperately tries to rein in his reaction. “Oh, okay. Thank you,” He says. “We could take your number and call you when we get more?” Keith offers. “Ah, no thank you. I appreciate the offer though,” Tytus declines easily but he keeps talking, “but I would still like to get a plant. Do you have any recommendations? Preferably something that wouldn’t hurt a cat if it got eaten.” Keith lights up at the question.

“Of course! Spider plants, Echeveria succulents and Bird’s Nest Ferns are all pet friendly. Spider plants are actually notorious for being non toxic to animals. Boston Ferns are another option, but they're a little harder to care for,” Keith continues to explain how to care for each plant while pointing them out. Tytus watches him as he speaks, mesmerized by how outspoken he is. His passion would be obvious to even the most oblivious person. His whole body radiates joy and a bit of excitement. It’s a bit infectious, at least it is to Tytus. The green and black haired man can’t help but give the slightly shorter man his full attention. When Keith is done explaining, Tytus hums before saying, “I’ll go for the Spider Plant. You said they were over there, right?”

Keith nods and Tytus goes to retrieve it. As he carefully sets it on the counter, Keith asks, “Have you cared for any kind of plant before?”

“Yeah, actually. Mostly herbs and cat grass, though. I use the herbs when I’m cooking,” Tytus internally reminds himself to leave out any mentions of spells or potions. No telling how this guy would react, for now at least. He continues, “I used to have catnip, too, but my cat found and destroyed it when I wasn’t paying much attention. I haven’t had many plants that were there to just look nice.” Keith chuckles a little. As Tytus pays for his new spider plant, he notices that the rain has stopped. He looks back to Keith as he picks up the spindly plant. Before he even thinks to stop himself, he says, “Could I have your number?” Wait, fuck, shit SH--”Sorry, that was really sudden. You don’t have to agree to that.” He tacks that on, not sure if he’s already fucked up somehow.

The blond blushes as he registers the question, “Oh, I’m flattered!” His expression morphs quickly into one of sadness, “Don’t take this the wrong way. I think you’re very attractive and you seem like a nice person, but having my number isn’t a good idea.” Tytus’ brows knit together with confusion but he quickly shakes it off and nods. “That’s alright. Thank you for at least humoring me, and for helping me with the plant. Bye,” He says this as he walks towards the door while giving the blond a smile. He ducks out as suddenly as he came in.

Right as he starts walking home, a shiver crawls up his spine, tickling his neck and making him look around. He spares the shop window a glance, seeing Keith through it. He’s looking back at Tytus, but missing the polite smile. And something about his eyes seem……off. I don’t think they were like that before. He shakes it off and hurries away, content to get lost in his thoughts while minding his new plant buddy.

[swissboyhisch]

The Beginning of the Hockey Couple

Pairing: Matthew Tkachuk x Ivy Lemieux (OC)

Summary: When Ivy was a kid, her dad took her on a road trip while her mother was away. Everyone wouldn't know that that was the start of beautiful friendships and a relationship.

Word Count: 363

THE MASTERLIST JOIN THE TAGLIST HOCKEY DISCORD

Mario Lemieux thought it would be a smart idea to bring his only daughter, 3-year-old Ivy Winter, to St. Louis. Where Blues was hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. His wife was away visiting family in Australia so his choices were to have Ivy stay with another family for the string or take her with him. Since the road trip was short, he thought why not bring her along. It wasn’t like it was a 2 week roadie.

The older hockey player held his daughter’s hand as they walked into the stadium and to the family room for the away team. Ivy was dressed in her favourite shirt, her dad’s jersey, and a pair of leggings. A matching black and yellow beanie she adores; a was a present from her favourite uncle, Brooks Orpik. He walked alongside the father-daughter duo, chatting to his captain about the coming game. 

Young Ivy did not recognise where she was, so naturally she was curious. She could see people she had never met before everywhere. Her hand slipped from her father’s hand before she ran away from her father, giggling as she ran past different players.

“Ivy Winter!”

Said girl only giggled more at her father’s voice, acting like it was a game of chasey. She turned the corner and slammed into another person, falling onto her bum. The petite child looked up at a young boy not too much older than her. He had curly hair and was wearing a Blues jersey. 

“Are you okay sweetie?” The woman beside the boy questioned, kneeling to help the girl up.

“Yeah,” Ivy replied, taking the woman’s hand to stand. “I’m Ivy.”

The older boy sent Ivy a wide smile, “I’m Matthew.”

“Ivy Winter,” Mario huffed as he spied the familiar little 66 jersey and pigtails in front of the family. “I’m so sorry Tkachuk.”

The man comes up behind his wife and kids, chuckling as Mario picks up his daughter. “All good Lemieux.”

“Keith, Chantal, this is my daughter, Ivy.” The girl sent the family a smile, waving at them.

“Where’s your wife?”

“Family,” Mario replied. “Isn’t that right, bug?”

“She’s seeing nana,” Ivy stated, looking up at her father. “I get to see Daddy play.”

“Who’s looking after her?” Chantal asks, lifting her youngest son onto her hip.

Mario sighed, “I have one of our staff taking her in a corp box. None of the friends or family are here for this game.”

“Do you want me to take her with me?” Chantal offered. “I have both the boys and I’m with the other wives in the box. Ivy can play with Matt and Brady.”

Ivy looked up at her father with a cheeky smile, eyes glinting with the familiar childlike mischievousness, “Can I?”

“You sure it’s not too much trouble?”

Chantal shook her head, “Nonsense, I’m happy to take her. I’ll bring her back to you after the game.”

After Mario made sure Ivy would behave, he sent her off with the family so he could get ready. Ivy on the other hand was so excited to be with other kids her age. 

“Do you play hockey?” Matt asked the young girl as they found the family box.

“Of course,” she sassed. “You?”

“Of course.”

“You my best friend now,” Ivy grinned.

Matthew wrapped his arms around the girl, beginning her into a hug. “Best friends.”

“Me too,” A voice joined the convo, with Brady coming to join the hug. Well try to at least. That was until Matt pushed him away. Brady looked like he was about to cry. “But me too.”

“Matthew,” Chantal warned, watching the wholesome moment soon turn sour. 

“Fine,” The older Tkachuk groaned and turned to his baby brother. “You too.”

The three shared a hug before turning their focus onto the ice to watch the game they all loved so much.

TAG LIST

@findapenny @mp0625 @hischierhaze @11zegras @lvrzegras @francesfarhadi @cixrosie @dasiysthings @dancerbailey3 @puckmaidens @cole-mcward48 @sammiejane22 @kajasagmo @poufsouffle21 @there-goes-thefighter

[bellezaycafe]

sunsets and self doubt (and words left unspoken) - 3

Main AO3 tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, 2024 Formula 1 Season

Sadie's Faceclaim: Maia Mitchell (but you can visualise her howver you want :) )

warnings: lots swearing, major car accident, mentions of broken bones, blood and hospitals. A lot of shit happens. Limited knowledge of Silverstone or how the structure of their emergency response on track works.

comments: ...prepare for pain. I'm not sorry. I did speak to a doctor friend, and Sadie continuing with her injuries is plausible.

“Fuck me, it’s a bit cold,” Sadie complained to the middle-aged paramedic beside her.

“Is it too cold for the Australian kid?” Mark laughed.

Sadie turned to him, looked up and frowned. “Not a kid, fuck you.”

Mark laughed again and tried to pat her on the head, which Sadie swatted away.

“Let’s just hope today’s race is dry,” he said after a moment.

Sadie nodded, stray wisps of her dark brown hair loosely flying around her face in the breeze.

Silverstone, in June, was the same temperature as Sadie’s home town in September, just leaving winter into spring.

“This is not summer weather,” she whined.

“You volunteered, kid,” Mark reminded her.

“I know, I know.”

“Where have they placed you?”

“Medics at turn 13. That’s Stowe, right?”

“Yeah. It can be a dangerous one. But you’re with my older brother Keith, so you’ll be fine.”

"How is it in the wet?"

"Worse, but the drivers are in safe hands."

----$----

Sadie paced as she watched 18 -Pierre Gasly and Oscar Piastri had sent each other out early in the race- of the best drivers in the world speed past.

“Sadie,” Keith called, “you should sit down.”

“I’m more anxious when I sit,” she replied without taking her eyes off the track. The track that was getting wetter and wetter as the minutes passed.

"Mark said to let you pace and I will, but nothing is going to happen," the grey-haired man reassured.

Sadie sent him a kind smile but didn't reply out loud.

It was a good thing she didn’t. They might have missed it.

Two Red Bulls, the McLaren and a Mercedes flew into view. The McLaren, Lando Norris' McLaren, clipped the back wheel of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes, sending a shower of debris into the misting rain.

Lando's car spun twice and then slammed into the wall side on. Lewis spun once but managed to pull his car to a stop in the gravel before it could collide with anything.

Sadie was out the door, pulling on her mandatory helmet and grabbing a first aid kit before Keith was out of his chair.

"Go to the McLaren!" Keith shouted to her as he followed with another kit. "I'll take Hamilton!"

She didn't acknowledge his order but followed it without hesitation. She jumped the barrier, her gaze locked on the fluro-yellow helmet. The helmet that was barely moving.

"Norris," she shouted as she reached the car. "Are you okay?"

"No!" His voice came as a strangled croak, barely loud enough for her to hear him.

She dropped the first aid kit and grabbed the steering wheel he was holding out.

"You will be, we're here." She stated. "Can you get out?"

Sadie didn't breathe as Norris cried out. "My foot!" he wailed. "My ankle!"

"Okay, take a deep breath, Norris. Push yourself up with your arms. You're strong, mate. Push."

She didn't know what she was saying. She was running on instinct and adrenaline. Purely, instinct and adrenaline.

Get them off the track, Mark's voice rang in her head. Get them somewhere safe.

The driver hoisted himself onto the halo and Sadie saw his ankle bent at an unnatural angle. She couldn't let it show on her face.

"Alright, Lando swing to me. Swing around."

He did so, wobbling dangerously.

"Drop onto your right foot, I'm here."

Cars sped past, the flag only yellow.

Lando didn't drop onto his feet, he fell from the car and into Sadie. She was lucky she had braced herself as she caught him.

He screamed in pain as his ankle hit the ground.

"Lando, my name is Sadie. I've got you now, do not put your left foot on the ground. I'm gonna get you to the medical tent."

"Sadie? Melbourne Sadie?" He whimpered. He couldn't stop making small sounds of pain.

She opened his visor, met his watercolour eyes. She knew her helmet had no visor, knew he could see her eyes. 

"Yes, Lando, it's Melbourne Sadie. I've got you now, we've got to get you off the track."

She hauled his left arm over her shoulders and wrapped an arm around his waist. "Walk with me Lando. That's it, with your right foot. Good. You're gonna be okay, mate. It's just a scratch."

Sadie still hadn't registered what she was saying, or the fact that Lando was leaning almost all of his weight on her.

Her head snapped up at the sound of approaching cars. With hands firmly on his waist, Sadie slipped out from under his left arm and placed herself under his right.

She put herself between him and the oncoming cars. She didn't know what might happen, hadn't thought about it. She hadn't thought at all.

It was Yuki Tsunoda’s RB that struck the McLaren or Mercedes debris. More debris flew through the rain, something off all three cars. Sadie pulled Lando tighter into her and shielded him as she continued to pull him towards the closest exit.

Pain tore through Sadie's adrenaline. Her right side, both arm and leg. She stumbled, barely, but right herself and Lando cried out in pain again.

She knew two things and two things alone; do not stop and do not let the pain stop you.

"I've got you Lando, you're going great. Keep going!"

"Sadie," he whimpered. "Fuck. My ankle, Sadie, my car."

"I know, Lando, I know. You're going to be okay. Your car will be fine, you will be okay."

"Fuck," he whimpered again.

"Keep going, pretty boy. Don't put that left foot on the ground. You're gonna be okay."

More hands joined hers and pulled Lando over the barrier. She didn't register who it was, only that he was on the other side and being treated. She heard a lot of swearing, she heard someone call her name.

She looked up to see Lando staring at her leg. He was lying on an ambulance stretcher.

"Sadie," he croaked, his eyes rising to hers.

She didn't look down, a part of her knew she didn't want to know. Sadie kept his eye contact as she tried to stand upright. "I'm okay, Lando. I'm okay." She reassured.

Someone stepped into her line of sight and she lost view of his face. They hauled him into the waiting ambulance.

"Fuck, kid." She recognised that voice.

She turned, limped around to face Mark.

"Mark, Lando he's -" He recognised her voice, just as she had his. She was still wearing the medic's helmet.

"Sadie, your leg. You've-" He stepped forwards and pulled a chair with him.

"I don't know," she whispered. She couldn't be louder, she tried to say it louder but it was the same whispered, "I don't know. I haven't looked."

The paramedic rushed to her, placing the chair beneath her as her right leg gave out.

"Don't look," he muttered. "You're gonna be okay, but you can't look."

Someone handed him gauze and bandages. Another handed him saline and scissors.

Lewis, instantly recognisable in the black suit, stepped into Sadie's quickly narrowing line of sight.

"Oh my god," he exclaimed.

When Sadie saw him, she remembered what she'd done. She thought about what she'd done.

The crash. Catching Lando. Essentially dragging him off the track. Putting herself between him and the cars. Her leg. She didn't know the damage but her leg was on fire.

"Sir," she breathed. "Lewis, my helmet, please."

"Oh my god, kid. They're gonna look after you, okay?" He dropped to his knees next to her, leaving his own helmet in the dust.

"I know," she croaked as he undid the straps at her chin. "It's not that. The media- Lewis, hide me from the media. Please."

That's when Lewis recognised Sadie. Her brown hair was plastered to her pale face. Her dark eyes were wide with fear.

"Oh shit. Okay kid, yeah. They'll never know your name, they'll never see your face. I swear it, Sadie. I promise."

Someone handed her a green piece of plastic. The green whistle. Pain relief, and a very strong one.

Her last words before the high kicked in were, "Lewis, please. No reports, no one can know it was me."

Needless to say, the rest of the day was a blur. She barely remembered the ambulance ride, getting the piece of Formula One car embedded in her thigh taken out or the stitches in her arm and leg.

It was all over the news.

Medic gets stabbed with shrapnel while helping driver Lando Norris.

Norris out of Silverstone GP: The Medic Who Saved Him.

Two in hospital after dangerous crash at Silverstone.

But Sadie's name was never written. Every reporter was baffled at the disappearance of her identity.

----$----

Lewis had gone to Max that evening, before the winner had the chance to go out.

"It was the Melbourne volunteer," he'd told him in his hotel room. "The medic in hospital, it was Sadie."

Max's face snapped towards Lewis. He'd been making Lewis a coffee, but it was abandoned.

"What happened? Is she okay?"

Lewis shrugged, shadows passing over his face. "I don't know, man. I- Her leg was bad."

"Fuck," Max muttered. "How did it happen?"

Lewis rubbed his face with his hands. "I don't know that either. I didn't see it. It's what happens now that I want to talk about. I need your help."

Max froze. Lewis knew why, he'd never asked Max for help before. They were friendly, finally, but they weren't close.

"She begged me, Max, begged me, to keep her name out of the media. So far, so good but I need your influence in the paddock. You still have the unpredictable 'Mad Max' reputation to some people. I need you to use it."

He nodded and there was an understanding between the champions. Sadie had protected their friend, maybe saved his career if some of the initial reports were true, and it was their turn to protect her.

"I don't know why she was so desperate. She was begging me. She had a piece of fucking metal sticking out of her goddamn leg and she was begging me to hide her from the media."

"It doesn't matter," Max stated. His eyes were dark as he searched his contacts for a name. "It doesn't get out. Her name appears nowhere."

They would protect her.

My laptop is being weird with letting me tag people. Let me know if it didn't work and I'll see what I can do :)

credits to saradika-graphics for the banner

Masterlist | Series Masterlist | AO3 link

Taglist: @snubug @cmleitora @izzy-marvel @aquangxl @morenofilm @viennakarma @simpingcorner @randomgirlnumber-13 @leilanixx @spookystitchery @itsjustkhaos

[berenwrites]

Late Again? - Stranger Things - Steddie - PG

Rating: PG | cw: mentions of sex | tags: fluff, rich Steve, post Vecna

Prompt: Love is being late to work because you can’t ever say goodbye in a reasonable amount of time (@sharpbutsoft)

A/N: Written for @steddielovemonth day 14. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. Hope you are having a great day full of love be it platonic or romantic.

Also on AO3 soon | All My Other Stranger Things Fic

Late Again?: Love Is Too Compelling!

“You should just quit,” Eddie said, doing his very best to drag Steve back to bed.

“And leave Robin alone?” he replied, slipping out of his boyfriend’s grip. “I couldn’t. She took a year out so she could earn some money for college, and I won’t leave to her deal with Keith on her own.”

“Let me guess, you offered to give her the money and she said no,” Eddie said, flopping back onto the pillows.

“Yep,” he said, searching around for his work vest. “She’s being stubborn, wants to earn her own way. I’ve tried explaining that since my Grandpa died I have more money than I know what to do with, but she keeps telling me I might need it in the future. It was hard enough to get her to let me pay for some proper driving lessons. Her dad is great, but good at teaching driving he is not.”

“I’ve seen her dad drive,” Eddie agreed, “he’s almost as erratic as his daughter.”

“They do take after one another sometimes,” Steve said, holding his prize aloft when he finally found his vest down the back of the nightstand.

They might have been somewhat enthusiastic the previous evening given how their clothes seemed to be in very random places. Not that Steve would ever complain. His sex life with Eddie was amazing, which went right along with how much he had fallen in love with his metalhead boyfriend.

“Please come back,” Eddie whined. “Just for five minutes.”

“You mean like yesterday’s five minutes?” he responded. “If I am late again, Robin might actually tell Keith, and I’ll have to sit through another one of his lectures about company loyalty and responsibility.”

He was very glad to find he still had plenty of clean underwear in the drawer when he pulled it open. Laundry day was a way off yet, thank heavens.

“Am I not worth it?” was Eddie’s next gamble in the dragging him back to bed game.

“Of course you’re worth it,” he said, leaning down for a quick kiss on the way to the bathroom, “but I happen to have the keys today.”

“I shall lay here and pine away thinking of how I have been abandoned,” Eddie added with huge drama.

“Write me a new song,” Steve shot back, sticking his head back into the bedroom after grabbing his toothbrush. “You know how hot I think that is.”

“I feel like an old-timey bard with a rich benefactor,” Eddie replied.

“Yeah, well when you and the band are rich and famous, I’ll be your kept man, okay?” he said with a laugh.

Eddie had tried to find a job in town after he had been begrudgingly allowed to graduate, but no one would hire him. Even though he had been completely exonerated and even made into a bit of a hero by Owens’ carefully created cover story, Hawkins was slow to believe. After Steve’s grandfather had died and he’d inherited a ridiculously large amount of money and the house in Hawkins, which it turned out his parents had never owned, Steve had offered to give Eddie the time and space to chase his dream.

It had taken some persuading, but neither of them planned to go anywhere until the kids were graduated, just in case it wasn’t as over as everyone said, so Eddie had finally acquiesced. Eddie had a set up in the basement where the band could also practice and, these days, he’d just about moved in permanently too. Technically he and Wayne had a house thanks to government hush money, but Eddie spent most of his time at Steve’s, and they had Wayne over whenever Wayne was free.

“Stevie,” Eddie called from the other room as Steve started the shower.

“Yeah?” he called back.

“Have you ever actually told Robin how much you inherited?” Eddie asked.

“Um,” he said as he thought about that. “No,” he realised, “but I did tell her I had so much I didn’t know what to do with it.”

Throwing around numbers had felt kind of wrong.

“You do realise you don’t exactly live an extravagant lifestyle these days, right?” Eddie said and Steve turned to find his boyfriend now standing in the doorway.

He shrugged.

“Guess I got used to budgeting,” he replied.

“Which is very noble, gracious knight,” Eddie said with a grin, “but are you sure she gets just how filthy rich you are now? I didn’t until you showed me the numbers.”

Steve had never thought of it like that. Throwing some of the paperwork he’d been given by the lawyers at Eddie had been part of his last-ditch attempt to convince his boyfriend to take him up on his offer.

“Ah, maybe not,” he had to admit.

“Then I shall return to bed and mourn your parting quietly today,” Eddie said, back to his dramatic flair, “but give Robin the numbers and invite her to be your live-in lesbian of leisure.”

“Our,” Steve corrected as he laughed at Eddie’s choice of words.

This was why he was sure Eddie had more than enough talent to eventually go global. One day Eddie’s words and music would be famous, he had no doubt. Using the money he had never expected to receive to give Eddie the time and space to realise his dream, seemed like the perfect plan.

“I still don’t know if she’ll say yes,” he said, pulling back the shower curtain to climb in, “but I will tell her. Now shoo before I’m tempted to be late again, because if she’s mad at me she won’t even give me the chance to talk.”

“As my liege orders,” Eddie said and bowed, which was hilarious given he was naked.

Steve gave himself a stiff mental talking to and refused to look too long. After all, he only had so much will power.

All My Other Stranger Things Fic

[klanceficatalogue]

Hey I'm so glad you're back! I was wondering if you had any good love bug stories or anything where they go to an alien planet and either Keith or Lance get their feelings exposed by accident?

oh yeah baby. another classic klance trope - k

love bug tag

Affections and Deceptions by Deatmat (2/2 | 21,353 | General)

"We need to talk about the bite." He mumbles, "What about it?"  "Well, for starters, what do we do? What do we tell the others?" He gestures with his free hand at the bite. "I mean, we can't just magically make it go away."  There's a pause before he says abruptly, "What if we pretend it's real?" - - - - - [Lance and Keith are dating behind the rest of their teams backs but a run in with an alien bug that's venom causes victims to mimic infatuation brings both opportunities and issues to light.]

Look At Me And Say "I Love You" by Dedmemes (5/5 | 17,253 | Not Rated)

*insert typical love bug AU summary* The team goes to a planet, Keith gets bitten and 'falls' in love with Lance, they spend the next three days glued to each other to stop Keith's heart from stopping.

Synthetic Love by EnlacingLines (4/4 | 25,210 | Teen and Up)

“Keith? Buddy, did it sting? Bite? You okay?” Lance says. “Bitten. Shit, that hurt, I don’t know where it we-” Keith looks up and just stops. That’s all Lance can describe it as. His mouth ceases forming words, his eyes lock onto Lance’s and his body freezes. A Klance love bug AU

[fxckadoodledoomunson]

Negligence |FINALE|

Summary: On the night before Corroded Coffin fly out to LA, you and the band go out for drinks. When you finally make a decision about your future with Eddie, something or someone gets in the way.

Warnings: Angst, swearing, misunderstandings, alcohol consumptions, vomiting.

Author’s Note: Apologies for not updating. Been having massive writer’s block. But I hope you enjoy the final chapter.

Tagged: @ali-r3n @somethingvicked @booksarekindaneat @tlclick73 @luvingdreams @sadbitchfangirl @lacrymosa-24 @emotionaldreamer @lail1010 @wh0reforbucknasty @thegreatbossjr @rupsmorge @siriuslysmoking @digital-charlie @decadentwombatmiracle @eris-rose-86 @savagejane1 @its-quinns-bread @allagogtoreblog

Previous

A few weeks had passed since Eddie kissed you, weeks since he told you that he would wait for you.

Since then, you’ve been going through the pros and cons of being a relationship with him.

“Sweetheart?” You heard Eddie say, as you sat quietly in his van. “You okay?” Eddie asked, as he drove to Gareth’s home. “You’ve been quiet since you left the video store.”

You turned to look at him, and smiled softly, before replying, “Yeah, just tired. You know, with training Brenda and Lee since Keith’s still in recovery and Robin visiting her aunt.”

“And no doubt Harrington busy flirting with customers, only to find that they have boyfriends.”

You laughed at Eddie’s comment when you felt his hand on top of your head. He then proceeded to tousle your hair, as he commented, “There’s my favourite sound.”

You smiled, as he moved his hand back on the wheel, deciding not to mention to him about the conversation you had heard earlier…

While Steve was at the front counter, you were training Brenda and Dustin’s new neighbour and a soon to be high school Junior, Lee, who was a movie buff. During the training, you and Brenda quizzed Lee from actors in the movies to which films were banned in which countries.

After Steve had finished serving a customer, you continued to train the other two when you heard the door open again.

You looked up to find Eddie standing in front of the counter, and smiled at him when Lee greeted him, “Welcome to Family Video, how can we help?”

Eddie chuckled, before telling him, “Actually, I’m here to see this fair maiden.”

He pointed to you, as he winked at you, which made you giggle.

“I thought you were meeting the guys,” you said.

“Yeah, I am,” Eddie replied. “I just wanted to ask if you would like to join us.”

“I guess my invite got lost in the mail, Munson,” Steve said sarcastically, as he was updating the database when Brenda lightly smacked his arm, as you told Eddie, “I’d like to. But I’ve got my bike-“

“Not to worry, I can put it in the van,” Eddie interjected.

You smiled, as you replied, while giving him your bike lock key, “Okay. I just need to go over some more training stuff, and then I’ll be ready.”

“I’ll wait by the carriage, milady,” Eddie replied, as he bowed to you, making you and Brenda giggle.

As soon as Eddie was leaving, Steve sarcastically said, “Thanks for inviting the rest of us.”

“No one’s stopping you guys from coming, Harrington,” Eddie chortled, before telling him, as he started walking out. “Don’t work too hard, big boy!”

As Eddie went out and grabbed your bike to put in the van, you, Brenda and Lee laughed, while Steve shook his head, grumbling, “I hate him sometimes.”

After going through the last part of the training, you asked them if they were okay with doing the job on their own.

“I’m sure we’ll be okay,” Brenda replied. “If we get stuck, we can ask Steve. You have fun tonight.”

“Are you guys gonna come for drinks later?” You asked.

“I’ll be there,” Steve replied. “But I’ll be a little late. I have a date with Naomi at Enzo’s after I pick up Henderson.”

“Hey, before you go on your date, can I ride with you too?” Lee pleaded. “Last time, I got on the wrong bus and got lost.”

Steve huffed, when you silently gestured to him to give the young boy a ride.

“Okay,” Steve responded, before sternly telling him, whilst pointing at him with a video tape. “But if I find even a speck of dirt on my carpet, your ass is grass.”

Lee nervously nodded, when you assured him, “Ignore him. Dustin wipes his feet in the car all the time, and he still drives him.”

You then turned to Brenda and asked if she was coming.

“I’m seeing Aliens with David tonight, so I can’t make it.”

“Okay, I hope you guys enjoy the movie,” you told her, as you went to grab your bag from the break room, when you looked up at the work schedule on the wall. Earlier, you noticed that you had a week off the same week as the band being away, which you were suspicious about. When you asked Steve about it before, he shrugged before he mentioned that you were working everyday for the past weeks and that you needed to take a vacation to rest. As you were stepping out of the break room, you overheard an unaware Steve and Brenda talking about you and Eddie.

“If she wants to be with Eddie, she’ll be with him in her own time,” Brenda told Steve in a hushed tone.

“Wait, I thought that they were already dating,” Lee interjected.

“Well, she needs to get with him, before someone else snatches him away from her,” Steve told them.

Your heart sank, hearing him say that. Eddie did say that he would wait for you, but how long would it be before he decided to be with someone else?

Back in the present, you and Eddie were parked outside Gareth’s house, waiting for the rest of the boys to come out. You sat in silence again, waiting for the others to come when Eddie gently tapped your shoulder, and softly asked, “Hey, are you sure that you’re okay?”

You nodded, and replied, “Yeah.”

Suddenly, Eddie pressed his hand against your forehead, which made you furrow your eyebrows. “What are you doing?” You asked.

“Just checking your temperature,” Eddie replied, as he pressed his other hand against his own forehead.

You lightly slapped his hand away, as you giggled. “I’m okay, really,” you told him.

“Okay, I won’t ask again,” Eddie chortled as he raised his hands, before slapping them back on the wheel.

You turned your head and kept your eye out for the others, while Eddie frantically tapped the wheel when he focused on you. I know I should wait, he thought. But I really want to tell her now.

Eddie cleared his throat, before saying your name. You turned to him, and told him, “I told you before, Eddie, I’m okay-“

“I wasn’t gonna ask that,” Eddie interjected.

Your face softened, as you watched him rummaging through his pockets. Wondering what he was reaching for, you heard him say, “There’s something I can’t wait to-“

“Boo!”

The pair of you screamed in fright, as Eddie grabbed your hand, seeing Gareth pressing his face against the window, pulling faces at you.

“Jesus Christ, Emerson!” Eddie scolded, as a laughing Gareth got in the back seat, followed by Jeff and Grant. “Are you trying to kill us?”

“Well maybe if you two weren’t so occupied, you would’ve seen us,” Gareth retorted, as he and the others put on their seatbelts when he asked, “So, are you gonna drive, Munson? Or are you gonna just sit and hold her hand?”

The other boys snickered, as you and Eddie looked down at your hands, making you blush. Realising that he was holding on to yours, Eddie immediately moved his hand away and placed it on the wheel, before turning the ignition. As he started driving to the Hideout, Eddie looked over to you, laughing at something Jeff said, as he thought to himself, I need to tell her tonight.

A few moments later, you and the band parked outside the Hideout. You were about to open your door when Eddie stopped you. “I’ll get that for you,” he said, as he got out of the van and rushed to your side, to let you out.

As he took your hand and helped you out of the van, you both heard Gareth mock, “Will a certain gentleman help us out too?”

You turned to find three of the guys raising their hands daintily towards Eddie’s direction, whilst suppressing their laughter. You then shifted your attention to Eddie who smirked at them, reaching for Gareth’s hand, before flipping the guys off, causing you to slap his hand down, as you laughed, “Eddie!”

After Eddie told the boys to get out of the van, you all started to make your way through bar, as Eddie had put his arm around your shoulder, with the rest of the group behind them, whispering. “So, you think she’ll say yes?” Grant quietly asked.

“Well, I hope so,” Jeff replied. “Otherwise, he planned it all for nothing.”

As you all went over to a booth, you were greeted by Tom, who turned to the new barmaid, Lottie, and told her your usual drinks.

You first saw her about a week ago when you went to have a drink with Nancy, Robin, Steve, and Eddie, before both women went away, but you had never spoken to her.

You watched Lottie grab the pint glasses and started pouring a couple of beers when you heard Eddie say, “I’ll go and pay for the drinks.”

You turned to him, as you watched him stand up, and walking up to the bar, before he started chatting to Lottie, whilst giving her the money.

You then heard Gareth comment on how hot she was.

“And a little too old for you,” Grant said, as he nudged him, making Jeff laugh.

“Hey! I might have a chance,” Gareth retorted.

“Yeah, in your dreams,” Jeff sarcastically said, as he tousled his hair.

You watched the brunette placing the glasses on a tray, as the rest of the guys changed the subject and started talking about the trip and audition. You didn’t join in the conversation, as you were busy staring at Eddie and Lottie chatting and laughing, when suddenly, you saw Lottie looking over at you, before saying something to Eddie. You were pretty sure that she was asking him if you were his girlfriend, as you were trying to lip read before she pointed at you to him. He turned his head to look at your direction, before turning back and shook his head.

Your heart sank, unsure what she was saying to him, as she leaned over to grab a packet of pork rinds to give to him. You then witnessed him laughing, assuming that she was flirting him, after she winked at him. Suddenly, you had a flashback to what Steve told Brenda and Lee earlier…

“She needs to get with him, before someone else snatches him away from her.”

You snapped out of your thoughts when you heard a loud familiar feminine laugh. You looked over to one of the other booths to find Gwen sitting with a red haired concerned woman. You could see that Gwen had too much to drink, as she started to ramble, before she turned to face you.

“Do you know her?” Grant asked, as he noticed her glaring at you.

“Just someone from that double date I went to with Steve,” you mumbled, as you watched her get up when she started to stumble. Luckily, her friend grabbed her in time and started walking her out of the door. Suddenly, Gwen stumbled close to your booth, and slurred, “What are you looking at?”

“Gwen, come on,” her friend sternly told her, as she pulled her away. As they were leaving, her friend gave you an apologetic look, as she mouthed, “Sorry.”

After they left, the boys asked if you were okay when Eddie approached the booth with the tray of drinks, as he apologised, “Sorry for the wait. I was giving Lottie recommendations for places to visit in Indianapolis.”

After he placed the tray down, he asked you, whilst sitting next to you, “You okay? I saw what happened with that woman.”

“I’m okay,” you replied, as he passed your drink to you. “I just hope that she and her friend will get home okay.”

“So, other than that, what did I miss?”

“Gareth thinks that he stands a chance with Lottie,” Jeff chortled.

Eddie laughed, before telling Gareth, “No offence, dude. But, you’re not her type.”

What’s that supposed to mean? You thought, Does Eddie like her?

The boys continued to tease Gareth, who slammed his hand on the table, as he interrupted, “Okay! Enough! Are we gonna drink or what?”

You felt relieved that Gareth stopped them going any further. After he and everyone else grabbed their drinks, Eddie smiled, as he lifted his glass, before making a toast, “To Corroded Coffin. And to the success that the band will receive.”

You and the rest of the band cheered, as you all clinked your glasses together, “To Corroded Coffin!”

A couple of rounds later, Eddie got up from his seat, and announced that he was getting another drink, before asking everyone else if they wanted another drink. “Remember, you’ve had two beers so far,” Grant pointed out. “So maybe-“

“Don’t worry, I’m gonna get a root beer,” Eddie chuckled, as you gave him some cash. “Thanks sweetheart,” he said, as he winked at you, before heading to the bar once again.

As you watched Eddie talking to Lottie, you noticed that she playfully patted his shoulder, making your heart sink once more. You sighed, as you watched Eddie laugh at something Lottie said, before you got up from your seat, deciding to go up to Eddie.

Maybe Steve’s right, you thought to yourself. If I don’t do it, he’ll find someone else.

You quickly walked towards the bar and tapped Eddie’s shoulder, as you called his name, prompting him to turn to you. “Hey, sweetheart,” Eddie began to ask. “Did you want something else?”

You began to stammer, as you shifted your attention back and forth between him and Lottie, who was leaning towards the bar. “Cat got your tongue, pet?” She chuckled, revealing a Scottish accent.

You froze for a moment when Eddie softly asked, “Are you okay?”

“Looks like someone could do with a strong bevvy,” you heard Lottie say, finally snapping yourself out.

Before Eddie could say anything, you blurted, “Just need the restroom.”

Eddie went to grab your hand, but you swiftly stormed through the door, making him lean forward against the bar, feeling confused.

“You don’t think she thinks that we’re…?” Eddie began to ask Lottie, who responded with a grimacing expression, “God, I hope not. No offence, pet.”

Eddie chuckled, before replying, whilst raising his hands, “Hey! None taken.”

Lottie giggled, as she poured his drink while Eddie rummaging through his jacket pocket when he started cursing, “Shit, where is it?”

“Lost something?” Lottie asked, as she watched him search for something.

“I thought I had the envelope with me,” Eddie commented, as he stood up and rummaged through his pockets.

“No no no, this can’t be happening,” he started to groan. “Where the-?!”

“Okay, calm down,” Lottie interjected, as she placed her hand on his shoulder, before telling him to take deep breaths. After he did what she said, Lottie asked him, “Is there anywhere else it could be?”

Eddie tried to remember where the envelope was when he cursed, as he remembered where he left it, “Shit.”

He raced through the bar when Jeff stopped him, “Dude, where are you going?”

“I left the envelope back in the trailer,” Eddie panted, before telling the boys to keep you distracted until he came back.

Meanwhile in the restroom, you were splashing cold water on your face, trying to calm yourself down. “Just do it,” you told yourself. “Tell him that you’re ready to be with him.”

Am I though? You thought to yourself. Or am I just doing it because I don’t want him to be with Lottie? Am I really threatened by her closeness with him in a short period of time?

You groaned, as you leaned your head back, feeling confused.

Suddenly, the door swung open, making you jump.

Standing in front of the door was Lottie, who commented, “Someone’s a wee wet.”

She giggled, as you rapidly grabbed a paper towel and dried your face. You then threw it in the bin when Lottie bluntly told you, “You know, Eddie talks about you whenever he comes to the bar.”

You froze, worried about what he told her, as Lottie looked in the mirror, smoothing her hair. “He’s very keen on you.”

You remained silent when you heard her say, “So, whatever you think, about me and Eddie, it’s never gonna happen. Believe me, he’s not my type.”

You couldn’t help but feel relieved, knowing that Eddie’s relationship with Lottie was platonic and also, that he was keen on you. Suddenly, you heard her mumble, as she leaned against the sink, “Or any fella for that matter.”

Your ears perked up, hearing her confession.

Wait, is she…? You thought as you turned to face her, when she admitted, “There’s only a few people who know that about me. Not that I intended on telling a lot of people in this town. I mean, hearing how Eddie had been treated in the past by people in this town because of his taste in music and he plays his Dungeon Dragons…thingy, it made me wonder how people will be if they-“

“Don’t think that,” you interjected. You then sighed, before telling her. “It shouldn’t matter what other people think. It’s not their business.”

Lottie lightly chuckled, before telling you as she started walking towards the door, “That’s exactly what Eddie told me.” She then turned to you, continuing to speak. “I think you and him really need to talk.”

As she was about to leave when you called her name, prompting her to face you.

“Yes?” She spoke.

“Never say Dungeon Dragons thingy in front of Eddie,” you advised her. “He’ll get easily offended.”

Lottie chuckled, before telling you, “I know. Just seeing reaction makes me laugh.”

You giggled, as she started to walk out of the restroom.

After you watched her leave, you gathered up your thoughts, deciding to tell Eddie about what you wanted.

You rushed out of the restroom and looked over at the bar, searching for Eddie. Seeing that he was nowhere to be found, you assumed that he was outside, having a cigarette.

As you were walking out of the bar, Jeff asked you, “Hey where are you going?”

You turned to the boys, before replying, “Oh, I’m just going to find Eddie. I’ll be back.”

The boys tried to stop you, but you had already ran outside, only to find Gwen wrapping her arms around Eddie’s neck, giving him a sloppy kiss.

At that moment, you felt your heart break, like the first time you saw him kiss Chrissy. You stumbled backwards, before turning around to go back inside with tears in your eyes.

As soon as you stormed back to the bar, you heard Gareth asked, “Hey, is he still outside?”

From behind the bar, Lottie frowned, seeing you teary eyed. The boys tried getting your attention, when you turned to the booth and snatched your bag from the floor, before stomping back outside.

You stopped to find that Eddie was now on his own, as he was getting in his van, before you stomped towards it. Eddie was about to turn on the ignition when he heard the back doors open. Assuming that someone was robbing him, he got out of his van, and rushed to the back, as he shouted! “Hey! Whoever you are, you can’t come here and open-“

Eddie froze, as he saw you grabbing your bike, pulling it out. “Sweetheart?” He softly asked. “W-what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” You growled, as you avoided eye contact with him. “I’m getting my bike.”

“Why?”

Eddie noticed that tears were rolling down your cheeks, as he asked, “What’s wrong?Has someone upset you?”

As you silently took out your helmet from your bag, and put it on, Eddie pleaded, “Please talk to me, sweetheart. This isn’t about Lottie, is it?”

You grabbed your bike and started walking away, when Eddie followed you, as he continued to speak, “Look, there’s nothing going on between us, we’re just friends-“

“What about Gwen then?!” You snapped, as you stopped and glared at Eddie.

“Gwen?” Eddie paused, realising that you meant the girl David liked before. “Wait, you mean David’s old crush, Gwen? I’ve never met her-“

“Bullshit, Eddie! I saw you kiss her just now!”

Realising that the woman who kissed him was Gwen, he clapped his hand over his mouth, before lowering it down, as he tried to explain, “Sweetheart, it’s not what you think-“

You shook your head, and started to walk away, as you interrupted, “You know what, Eddie? I don’t want to hear it. You said that you would wait-“

“I am,” Eddie responded, as he stopped you by standing in front of you, holding the handlebars. “I am waiting until you’re ready, like I promised. You gotta believe me.”

You shook your head once more, as you moved your bike away from Eddie, making him let go of the handlebars. As you got on your bike, Eddie tearfully pleaded, “Sweetheart, please…”

“Goodbye, Eddie,” you sniffled.

As you peddled away, Eddie squatted down and covered his face, as he burst into tears, unaware that the fallout was witnessed by the rest of the band and Lottie, as well as Gwen’s friend.

All through the night, Eddie did nothing but sat at the bar, plying himself with leftover alcoholic drinks. But it wasn’t enough to stop the heartbreak after you left. He wished that he went after you, to explain what happened with and Gwen, but it was too late. The boys tried to stop him from drinking himself to death, but he refused to stop. “What’s the point?” Eddie slurred. “She’ll never speak to me again. I’ve screwed up my chance to be with her.”

Suddenly, Lottie huffed, as she snatched the bottle from him.

“Hey!” He continued to slur, as he leaned over to grab it back when he nearly fell off his stool. Luckily, Jeff and Grant caught him in time.

After they stood him up, he tried to grab the bottle when Lottie scolded him, “You’ve had enough, mister.”

“What’s going on?” A male voice asked. Eddie turned to find a worried Steve standing behind him. “Eddie, man…what’s wrong?” Steve asked, before asking where you were.

Suddenly, Eddie started sobbing, as he leaned towards the bar and covering his face with his crossed arms.

Steve turned to the boys and asked them what happened.

Grant explained that you went to find Eddie and caught him and Gwen kissing. Steve was surprised to hear that his former date kissed one of his friends.

Suddenly, Eddie muffled something.

“What?” Steve asked, when Eddie lifted his head and slurred, “I didn’t kiss her. She kissed me. I told her that I wasn’t interested in her, and that I liked…”

Eddie continued to sob when Lottie placed her hand on his shoulder, and told him, “I think you need to go home. Sleep it off.”

“She’s right,” Gareth told him. “We have a flight tomorrow-“

“I’m not going!” Eddie interjected, whilst shaking his head. “We won’t pass the audition! What’s the point?”

Eddie rested his head on his arms, while everyone exchanged glances, wondering what to do.

After a short discussion, Lottie and Steve agreed that she and Grant would take Eddie home, while Steve took the other guys home.

On the ride back to the trailer park, Lottie was keeping an eye on Eddie, while Grant drove.

Once they had arrived at Forest Hills, both Lottie and Grant got out and carried Eddie back to the trailer.

“Jesus, how can someone so skinny be so heavy?” Lottie complained, as they continued to carry Eddie to the trailer when Grant noticed a familiar bike leaning against the trailer. It can’t be, can it? He thought to himself.

While Eddie rambled, Grant told Lottie to open the door.

“Shouldn’t he have a key on him?” Lottie asked.

“I don’t think he needs it,” Grant replied.

As soon as a confused Lottie opened the door, Grant’s suspicions were confirmed.

There you were, sitting on the couch, eyes puffy from crying earlier.

Eddie looked up, as he slurred your name.

You gazed at him with concern, as you sat silently.

You were about to open your mouth to speak when Eddie stumbled away from Lottie and Grant, and landed on his knees in front of you, as he muttered your name.

“You have to bel-” Eddie slurred when he suddenly starting vomiting in front of you, making Grant and Lottie groan.

Realising that he puked on your shoes, he profusely apologised as you sympathetically gazed at him.

“Come on, let’s go to the bathroom,” Grant told him, as he lifted Eddie up to his feet, and started taking him into bathroom, when Eddie vomited near the back door. Lottie turned to you, watching you take your vomit covered shoes off, as she asked you, “So…why did you come here?”

While Grant was keeping Eddie company in the bathroom, you and Lottie were outside, cleaning vomit off your shoes. You began to explain to her that on the way back home, you encountered Gwen and her friend…

You were peddling through town, as you continued to sob when you stopped and got off your bike, before sitting down on the nearest bench.

You continued to sob when you heard a vehicle parked near you, before the passenger back door opened. You looked up, seeing Gwen, who had started vomiting from a car.

Suddenly, you heard a female voice say, “Sorry about her.”

You shifted your attention to her friend, who was sitting in the front passenger seat with an older man, whom you assumed were either girls’ father, in the driver’s seat.

“I told her not to drink so much,” she told you.

“Wish I never kissed that guy,” you heard Gwen slur. “All I wanted was weed from him.”

You furrowed your brow, as you muttered, “What?”

Suddenly, her friend admitted, “It was my fault, I should’ve kept an eye on her.”

You stared at her with confusion when her friend explained that while she was calling her dad to pick them up, Gwen went up to Eddie and drunkenly flirted with him, just to score some weed, but Eddie refused her advances. She also mentioned that when Gwen kissed him, he scolded her, telling her that he wasn’t dealing anymore and he liked someone else.

“I’m guessing that someone else was you,” she said. After hearing her side of the story, you deeply sighed, feeling guilty for not letting Eddie explain himself.

Before you could respond, Gwen groaned, “He wasn’t even hot anyway.”

As Gwen had shut the back door, you were about to say something when her friend lowly told you, “Ignore her.”

Suddenly, the dad told the girl, “Michelle, we should get Gwen home.”

He then turned to you, and asked you, “Do you want a ride? I’ve got a bike rack on my car if you want to use it.”

You thanked him, before deciding where to go. You thought about going home, but you couldn’t face your parents’ questions. Instead, you asked him to take you to the trailer park…

“That’s why I came here, so I could hear it from Eddie,” you explained to Lottie. “But then of course…”

Lottie knew what you meant. “He started having leftover booze after you left,” she replied. “The lads and I tried to stop him from drinking, but he just wouldn’t stop.”

You silently cleaned your shoes, as you both heard Eddie vomit, and Grant comforting him. Lottie looked over at the door, before shifting her attention to you, when you suddenly quietly told her, “Listen, Lottie. About earlier, I’m sorry if I made you feel that you had to…come out to me like that. I guess I was little…“

“Jealous?” Lottie asked.

You slowly nodded, before mumbling, “I know, it’s stupid…and I shouldn’t have-“

Suddenly, she had let out a little chuckle whilst shaking her head, “No need to apologise. It’s okay. Besides, I figured that Robin was also into girls, especially the way that Steve fella mentioned a girl named Vickie to her, and I figured that you and the others knew too. So, I trust you guys.”

You were silent for a moment, before asking, “And does Eddie know that…?”

“Oh aye, he figured it out after he caught me staring at that Nancy girl.”

You giggled, as Lottie retorted, “What? I thought she was hot. Well, both girls are.”

“Should I be offended that you don’t think I am?” You bantered.

Lottie laughed, before telling you, “Of course you are, but I wouldn’t steal a friend’s woman.”

You both laughed, as you continued to scrub your shoes, when Grant came outside and told you, “Hey, Eddie’s stopped puking, I’m gonna try and get him to sleep. He’s gonna have one hell of a headache in the morning.”

You nodded, as Grant went back inside and took Eddie to his room.

Lottie turned to you and asked, “So, when do you need to get home?”

You shook your head, before telling her, “I told my parents that I’m staying. Besides…” Suddenly, you took out an envelope with your name on it, and opened it, revealing a couple of plane tickets and your passport.

Lottie gaped, as you were about to speak when you both heard Grant say, “That’s why he went to his van earlier. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

You both looked up at him, as you told him, “I guess that explains why my suitcase was in his room.”

Grant sighed, before telling you, “Eddie felt guilty for not telling you about the audition sooner. So…he called Charlie a few weeks ago and asked if we could bring you along.”

You and Lottie gaped, as he continued to speak, “And…he may have exaggerated a little bit, saying that you were-“

“He didn’t tell him that I was his girlfriend, did he?” You interjected.

“Actually, he said that you were our second drummer.”

“Oh,” you exclaimed.

“Why did he do that?” Lottie asked.

“Well, Eddie didn’t think that he would say yes if he said that you were his girlfriend,” he told you, as he sat on the chair near you and Lottie. “He figured it would’ve been unprofessional. Besides, it wasn’t a lie. You did play.”

“Yeah, once,” you retorted.

“Still, you played. Besides, he still haven’t had a chance to perform with you. His words.”

You looked over to Eddie’s window silently, thinking about going, but then you remembered about your family and colleagues.

You shook your head, before telling him, “I don’t know. It’s too short notice. I mean, how am I gonna tell-“

“It’s okay, your folks know. And Harrington.”

You gaped, as Grant explained. “He asked if it was okay, and as long as you wanted to, it was fine with them. Mary and Carver even helped getting some of your stuff and your passport. She figured that you might say yes.”

“Wow,” Lottie exclaimed. “That guy really thought ahead.”

You were astonished that, not only everyone knew about the surprise, but they also helped arrange it for you. You sat silently, as you thought about what to do next.

Eddie woke up the next morning to the sound of the toilet flushing, with a bad headache and a horrible taste in his mouth. He began to groan, as he rubbed his eyes.

As he sat up, he looked at the eyesore in front of him. His suitcase, only his suitcase. He remembered that you came over, sadly sighing as he noticed that your suitcase was gone, assuming that you took it when you went home. The real kicker was seeing the envelope on his bedside table.

He didn’t bother checking the contents inside. He figured that you saw it and freaked out, deciding not to go with him, taking your passport back.

He sniffled, trying to hold back the tears, as he got out of bed, before Wayne would scold him for not getting up.

As he ambled out of his bedroom, he saw Wayne grab the van key. As soon as Wayne looked up at him, Eddie was sure that he was going to lecture him about last night, if any of the neighbours grassed him up for coming home drunk. Instead, Wayne greeted him, before telling him, “I’m gonna pick the boys up now. So, make sure that you’re ready to go by the time I get back, okay?”

Eddie silently nodded, trying to hold back the tears. After Wayne left, he squatted down and broke down in tears, as your last word to him, before you walked away replayed in his mind.

All through the journey to the airport, Eddie sat in the front passenger seat in silence, while the boys were chatting in the back.

After finally reaching the airport, the boys got out their luggage of the van. Eddie grabbed his suitcase, before hugging Wayne goodbye.

Suddenly, Wayne told his nephew, “I know that you wanted her to come. But you two can talk after you come back.”

“I doubt she will talk to me,” Eddie tearfully mumbled against Wayne’s shoulder. “I screwed up.”

Wayne moved back and wiped the tears away from his nephew’s face, before wishing him luck.

After checking in with the airline, the boys went through security, and waited at the gate for the plane to board.

The boys finally went through the gate, after a couple of hours of delays, and boarded onto the plane.

As the rest of the boys found their seats, Eddie found his, not far from them, and took out his campaign book, placing it in his seat, before putting his hand luggage inside the overhead compartment. He then picked up his book before sitting down.

He huffed, as he opened it, trying to pick up from what he had written. However, he couldn’t focus on it, partly because he couldn’t stop thinking about you and what to say if he saw you again.

“Nervous about the flight?” He heard a feminine voice next to him ask.

He exhaled, before replying to the person beside him, “Not just that.”

“Missing family already?”

Eddie sighed, whilst shaking his head before responding, “I…wanted to surprise someone with this trip, but I screwed up.”

There was a short silence between him and the fellow passenger, before he heard the question, “What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”

He sighed once more, before explaining, “I had planned to surprise this girl last night with the plane tickets, but I was stupid. I forgot them.”

He then mentioned about Gwen kissing him, and the repercussions of it, resulting in him trying to explain to you what happened, only for you to leave.

“I guess she found out about the tickets, and freaked out,” Eddie softly said. “I mean, her suitcase was gone and the envelope was at my place, so…”

Eddie paused, as he turned to find the person next to him, holding Brave New World close to the passenger’s face.

Eddie furrowed his brow, as he recognised the tattered cover with a familiar bat doodled on the corner of it.

It can’t be, can it? Eddie thought, before he mumbled your name. The book was lowered down to the table, revealing your face.

A flabbergasted Eddie gazed at you, as you greeted him, before he stammered, “B-but, how-?”

He quickly turned to his not-so-shocked bandmates, who waved at you, before shifting his attention back to you, as you smiled at him.

“I don’t understand,” Eddie softly said. “I thought you-“

“Freaked out about the tickets and left?” You asked.

He nodded, before you explained to him about what Michelle said about his kiss with Gwen, and that Grant told you the tickets were supposed to be a surprise for you.

“I stayed overnight while Tom took Grant and Lottie home. My dad picked me up early this morning and took me to the airport after Wayne got back.”

“And did he know…?”

“Mrs Wicks snitched on you, as soon as he arrived home, but I explained what happened.”

“I guess that explains why he didn’t lecture me this morning.”

You gave him a small smile, before asking him, “How’s your hangover?”

“A little better. I’m sorry for puking on your shoes,” he replied, causing you to roll your eyes, as you giggled.

“It’s okay. They’re clean now, with help from Lottie.”

Suddenly, the pilot started making an announcement over a tannoy, in regards to the plane taking off shortly.

After everyone had put on their seatbelts, you turned to Eddie, after he called your name, gaining your attention.

“Yes, Eddie?” You asked.

“About Lottie…you should know, I’m not attracted to her-“

“I know,” you interjected. “She told me that you were keen on me. And she also made it abundantly clear that you weren’t her type.”

Eddie lightly chuckled, before asking you, “So…are we…okay?”

You smiled, as you took his hand into yours, before telling him, “Yeah, we are.”

Eddie smiled back, before lifting your hand and kissed the back of it.

As you lowered it back down, you began to confess, “Eddie, after I thought about going with you guys, I had thought about…us.”

Eddie gulped, nervous about what you were going to say, as you exhaled, before telling him, “I do…want to be with you, and I thought I was ready, but…I think that I still need more time. I know that Steve said I should get with you before someone else takes you-“

“Sweetheart.”

You stopped talking, as Eddie told you, “It’s okay, I can wait. And don’t listen to Harrington…I haven’t got my eye on anyone else right now, so…we can take it slow, whenever you’re ready.”

“Really?”

Eddie nodded, before replying, “Really.”

You smiled as you rested your head on his shoulder, waiting for the plane to take off.

Neither of you weren’t sure what the future held for you both, but Eddie had hope that one day, you would be ready to be his.

[laurfilijames]

Like My Dreams

Characters: Pete Dunham, the GSE boys, Steve Dunham

Words: 820

Warnings: Mentions of near death experiences, scars and bruises/wounds on face and neck. Mention of blood and trying to control bleeding. Broken leg/use of crutches. Swearing. Drinking

Summary: Steve takes Pete home after he is released from the hospital after almost succumbing to his injuries from the fight with Tommy and the NGO.

A/N: I love Pete and he deserved so much better, so I'm fixing it. This will be a series and will follow the plot of the film aside from the obvious...

This introduction is short, but sweet, and I just needed to get it out of my system and have this hooligan be okay again 💗

If you're interested in being tagged in this please comment, send an ask or DM me!

A big thank you to my friend @stealfromthedevil who lent me her expertise in British slang so I could get it just right 💗

Pete Dunham Masterlist

---

Each bump in the road made his head hurt, but even with that, Pete couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

He was going home.

"Bruv," he pleaded one more time, "I really just want to stop in for a pint and see the lads. I don't think that's too much to ask considering you were almost an only child again."

Steve gave him an exasperated glance, his lips thinning even as Pete's grew into what he obviously thought was a convincing grin, and focused back on the road with a sigh.

"And I'll remind you how I almost fucking kicked it, too."

"Yeah, yeah," Pete sang, a solumness washing over him as he looked away from the scar on Steve's neck and out the window, recalling seeing his older brother bleeding out while his hands and clothes were stained in his blood as he had tried to apply pressure to the wound that nearly took his life.

He stayed quiet for the rest of the drive, not wanting to go home, and definitely not wanting to go back to Steve and Shannon's even though they nagged him to, his heart yearning for some form of normalcy after all he'd been through and the days upon days he'd lay stuck in a hospital bed.

The lads had all visited, of course, usually to the disapproval of every nurse and doctor in the vicinity, each member of the GSE doing whatever they could to help the leader of their firm see through to another day.

Pete hadn't been paying attention to the route Steve was taking when he realized they had stopped out front of Brigid Abbey Pub, his brother giving him a somewhat defeated nod as he switched the ignition off.

He was home.

If he didn't need fucking crutches to walk because of his broken leg, he would've ran inside, but instead remained as patient as he could as Steve helped him out of the car, the motion from sitting to standing making him dizzy, and walked slowly with him through the door.

The air inside felt different; the all-too familiar smell he could recount just by thinking about it suddenly seemed foreign, and the usual buzzing feel of The Abbey had fizzled out, almost as though he had actually died.

As he hobbled through to the back table and their usual spot, other patrons began to take notice, whispering and nudging their mates to turn and see both Dunham brothers, alive and almost-well, returning to the place they would always be known as legends.

They were all there; Dave, Bovver, Ned, Ike, Keith and Swill, nearly mowing each other down to get out of the booth and off their chairs to get to him first.

"Aye, aye! Take it easy, lads!" Pete warned through a laugh, all of them quickly settling and taking turns in opting for a gentler hug than they would've liked in seeing the still-fragile state of their mate.

It was a fast and frantic spill of words and stories as they all struggled to talk at once, making his head pound from the sudden excitement, but he smiled through it, having missed his crazy and loyal brotherhood more than he ever imagined.

Steve watched from the bar as Terry fetched their beers, happy to see his brother laughing and breathing, his eyes watering as the emotion of almost watching him die came over him for the billionth time.

"You alright, Major?" Dave asked, coming up to help him bring all the pints over to the table.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Steve blinked, "I'm just- it's just nice to see this."

Dave smiled, his own eyes reflecting the light more than usual, and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, it is, isn't it?"

They finished their round and ordered another, Pete planted firmly in his seat and refusing to leave yet even though Steve tried to usher him out the door more than once.

"I'll take him round to yours when he's had enough, eh?" Dave offered, and not wanting to rid his brother of the first good thing he'd had happen to him since his brush with death, Steve agreed.

"Cheers, Dave. Always the responsible pilot," Steve nodded, getting his wallet out of his pocket and tossing a few notes on the table for more beers. He looked down at Pete, those boyish blue eyes beaming up at him just as they had all those times he was a kid getting into trouble, the scars and flaws on his face unable to take away from his high-spirited expression.

"You," he pointed, "Go easy."

"Yes, mum!" Pete called, hitting his hand on the table in celebration.

Steve walked through the bar, smiling and shaking his head when he heard Pete say to them in the distance; "Aye! I wanna hear all the eulogies you cunts wrote out for me. Better have been singing my praises!"

---

Part 1

Taglist:

@theesirenteller

[taomyou]

The Affections of an Architect - Chapter 5

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Reader Status: ONGOING, inconsistent updates Summary: There’s a woman Levi sees every Friday on bus 143, and he thinks she’s really cute. It wouldn’t hurt to keep a paper star from her, would it? or, you and Levi take the same bus home from work every Friday, and he falls in love slowly, clumsily, and with all the time in the world to design the architecture of his dreams. Word Count: 6.9k Tags: slow burn, friends to lovers, modern au, office au, fluff, romance, meet-cute, matchmaking, levi pov (A/N: this fic is available on ao3 here if you would like to read it there instead! The Affections of an Architect is a spin-off of The Romance of Reimbursements, but can be read as a standalone if preferred. They are the same story, but The Affections of an Architect is written entirely in Levi's POV. The Romance of Reimbursements is already completed, and The Affections of an Architect is currently a side-project that will be updated infrequently.) Chapter Navigation Accompanying Playlist

our bus

“I’m driving, what do you want?”

“What?” Hange singsongs. “Can’t I just call my favorite architect friend?”

“I’m your only architect friend. I’d say Shadis barely counts, seeing as you-”

“Don’t you bring that up with me! I don’t know who started that joke that I had a crush on him,” it was Isabel, but, to be fair, she was, like, 15 at the time, “but I just thought Keith was cool! And that was way back in college!”

Levi knows that, but he rolls his eyes anyway.

“Okay, so what do you want?”

”Oh, I just wanted to call you for no reason.”

“Really?” His sarcasm bleeds through the line.

”Nope! No reason at all!”

Levi sighs. “I’m hanging up,” he takes a hand off the wheel to end the call from his car’s monitor, “text if you want to annoy me, I’ll look at it when I’m home.”

Hange’s voice passes through again. “Wait!”

“Fucking what?”

“I’m actually calling to ask if you’re gonna be free this weekend?”

Well, he knows where this is going.

“We’ve gone out every weekend for the last month, Four Eyes.”

“And?”

Which excuse is he going to give this time? “I have work.”

“Do you really?”

"Yes." This time, he's not lying—he has a work meeting tomorrow—but he'd still say yes regardless.

“Ok, well, we’ll only be out for a couple hours! Do it when you get home! You aren’t being paid extra to work overtime, anyway, so just come with! I was thinking that we could get dinner with, you know, the whole crew, plus my super cool neighbor-slash-best friend!”

He pauses for a second before putting his hand back on the wheel, sighing.

“Yeah, I’ll pass.”

“Oh, come on! Who else are you gonna socialize with? That bald dude that regifted you his grandma’s tea set?”

“He’d be better company than you, holy shit.”

“Then he can come too!” Hange laughs, and they sigh happily. “You’re coming with us, capeesh?”

Levi flicks his signal on as he waits to turn into the open parking lot in front of Magnolia Floral. “I wasn't lying, I do have work. Go without me, what’s the big deal?”

“Aw, really? That sucks! Okay, next week, then!”

Levi groans, letting himself fall forward enough to tap his forehead against the top of his steering wheel. “I’m so sick of you.”

“So what I’m hearing is ‘yes, Hange, I would love to grab dinner with you and the others next weekend! Thank you so much for inviting me, and I’ll happily wait for more details?’”

“No.”

“Well, that’s what I heard. This all works out anyway, since I just remembered Astraea is staying in this weekend. I'll text you later! Buh-bye!” They hang up, and Levi lifts his head to sigh and put his focus back on the road.

Why him? Why does it have to be him?

He’s not an idiot. He knows Hange is trying to set him up with you, and so is everybody else.

He supposes that you probably can’t pick up on Erwin and Miche’s scheming because you only knew Erwin as your work superior and you’d only met Miche for the first time a few weeks ago, but it’s not lost on him at all that the two aren’t subtle at all in their unnecessary teasing and excessive play on his “positive qualities.” Erwin drops a line or two about how Levi lead the pack of them professionally, Miche casually mentions his master’s degree, and the cycle repeats while the two of them are high-fiving each other underneath the table.

(Moblit is excluded from all this because Levi knows the guy couldn’t give a rat’s ass about anyone’s dating life (save for Hange’s—it’s painfully obvious he’s liked them since that one time they kissed at some college party Levi was forced to hear the details of from Furlan) (Isabel asked for them, not him). Moblit minds his own business otherwise).

But at least those two are at least attempting the art of subtly. With Hange, they burn the canvas with a million matches and chooses to start a bigger fire elsewhere.

”Hey, did you know Levi is set to be tenured in a few years?”

”Say, doesn’t his hair look so good today?”

”Levi, why don’t you tell her what kind of car you drive?”

”Oh, didn’t you mention making, like, seven figures a year? Really, no? Is it eight now?”

It’s so juvenile, the way they try to make him out to be such an eligible bachelor, and, quite frankly, it’s embarrassing. It’s humiliating enough that he has to be out in public with them when they act like this, but also in front of you?

Yeah, no thanks.

Ugh, and, best worst of all, “oh, Levi, you go sit next to her!”

“…Why?” You’d ask. Levi's too mortified to ask himself.

“I wanna sit with Moblit, and Miche and Erwin need to be on the ends because their legs are so long!”

Levi swears Hange makes sure to choose restaurants and eateries with only booths to accommodate their party.

He doesn’t say anything about it to them right there because doesn’t want to be rude and suggest the notion that he’d rather drive off a cliff than be squished into a booth between a giant (Erwin) and someone he’s already way too nervous to be around (you), but he hopes it’s still obvious enough to you that he’s not the one orchestrating this contact, regardless of how harmless it actually is. You probably do know all of the above is Hange’s doing, since he assumes you know well enough by now that that’s just how they are, but if you’re bothered by it, you don’t mention it yourself, and it’s not obvious enough to him for it to be any outstanding issue.

Quite frankly, that’s also probably why he’s gone this far without wanting to actually drive off a cliff—the fact that you’re also being forced in the spotlight, and that he’s not entirely alone in this weird high school-esque matchmaking plot.

It certainly doesn’t matter to Hange whether or not the two of you are receptive to their teasing, but it’s good enough that Levi can share his misery with someone else. Gives him something to think about to stave off any embarrassment that’s beyond what’s normal for Hange to bring upon him, and the forced proximity is great practice for him to steel his expression during more intimate interactions. He’s gotten pretty good at it, not that you’d notice anyway since you’re in your own world sometimes, just folding paper stars while he watches and everyone else at the table complains about the drive over.

It's probably just because he’s the closest one to you, but when you’re finished with folding a few, maybe four or five, you drop them into his hand. He rolls them around, one by one, in-between his fingers, and he just nods when you smile over at him.

Totally not because he has no other idea how he’s meant to react when that happens, but yeah.

This is all fine.

He’d rather you be uninvolved entirely, but this is the next best thing.

And, well…

He supposes it’s a nice change of pace that he now has someone to talk to on the bus, even if just once a week. He did use to wonder what your company would’ve been like (….even if that was just a month ago), and while the circumstances of his formal introduction to you were less than ideal, it’s… nice to at least know your name now. There isn’t really much that you and him talk about besides what’s considered office small talk. Maybe you'll imply you've been sleeping worse or that work's been especially hard, and he'll do the same, but that's all in-between much more lighthearted dialogue about how the weather is or what your weekend plans are.

It’s very casual, but it’s cordial, and that’s more than he can say for pretty much any other conversation he has throughout the week, so that’s good enough for him.

Plus, you have pretty good decent taste in tea, so at the tip of his tongue is a question about what you’d suggest. He’s never actually asked, but maybe he’ll venture past what’s already been established as the boundaries of this routine when the two of you aren't being constantly hounded by Hange. It's just the two of you on the bus on Fridays, but there's still the ghost of awkwardness that lingers from all the embarrassment Hange brings upon them on the weekends. It'd probably be there even if Hange wasn't like that, but, for now, he's just going to blame his nerves on that.

The driver behind him honks their horn at him, and Levi sighs again as he raises his hand in apology and puts his foot back on the pedal.

Fucking, whatever. At least there’s something for him to be looking forward to for next week, even if it is just another handful of paper stars he drops into his glovebox. Not that that really beats out seeing you on the bus, but he'll deal with that thought later.

✰

Ok, so maybe it isn't the worst thing in the world that he's being forced to go out soon. He really could use something to keep him away from his laptop because it's probably going to explode from all the angry typing he'd bound to do soon, all things considered.

Ugh, winter semester has barely even started, and there's already so many things irritating him. It's not even like it's his fault.

He spent all of winter break prepping for the new term, making sure to correct all his mistakes from fall semester, but there's a whole new plethora of problems that arise now that he's actually trying to settle into the groove of things. He was beating himself up already with the pacing of his class (which he still does, but he'd spent the last month trying to get back everyone back on track to pass, so he feels better about that now), but as the semester's progressed, he's come to realize that these problems aren't even his doing.

Annie, one of his teaching assistants, had emailed him earlier in the week to meet today before class, and she told him that, apparently, the department decided that it was a great idea to schedule all the core architectural classes at the same exact same times on the exact same days, and that's why so many students don't show up half the time and why the rest can barely keep up, even if Levi was moving slight above pace for the first couple of sessions.

He doesn't even smoke, but as the words pass through her lips and she expresses her  frustration and thinly-veiled contempt, he wants to bolt to the nearest smoke shop and get a pack of cigarettes to burn through. Annie leaves after Levi reassures her that he'd figure this all out and to relay that message amongst the other TAs, but now, as he walks back from yet another lecture with half the seats empty, he can't stop himself from sighing as he keeps his arms crossed on his walk over to the bus stop.

Seriously, what kind of fucking idiot thought that would be a good idea? He wouldn't have bothered blaming his students for double-booking courses since it's not exactly easy to get a schedule put together in the first place, but, now, he can't even if he wanted to.

How he's meant to remedy this problem, he's got no idea right now. None of his asshat colleagues even bother replying to his emails under any circumstances (especially Pixis), so he doubts they'll be any help even if they did ask. Not to mention the fact he has close-to-no pull with the department considering it's his first year teaching and he's technically still on professional probation, and he'd probably have a better shot at getting struck by lightning than being able to get different times made available for his classes.

His feet somehow guide the way to the bus stop without him really putting much thought into it, and as he goes to tap his fare against the scanner, he thinks to himself that maybe today's meant to be the day that he actually talks about something other than the weather with you. Work's never really been something Levi's found much enjoyment in talking about with others, since he's always considered his work and his private life to be very separate, and, well, private, but, all things considered, he think you'd listen without judging him.

Besides, you're a part of the bridge's journey between work and his private life, and no doubt that you have your own complaints about your day. Maybe it'd be a nice offer of comradery for his fellow subject of entertainment.

He finds his usual seat on the right, facing the sidewalk, and he slings off his backpack to put onto the spot next to him. He'd thought it was a bit much for him to him have done it last week, considering that he really doesn't need to (that one day in January was an exception), but there's no ulterior motive to it; it's just a gesture meant for himself since he moves the backpack onto his lap when the bus approaches your stop.

He'll just call it a force of habit, or something like that. He doesn't know the exact phrase he'd use, but that's hardly relevant when he'd never admit to doing something like this to literally anyone.

The bus starts back up again, and Levi tips his head back against to top of the seat to stare at the overhead lights and the route map sticker pasted above the windows. His eyes follow the red line connecting all the stops, back and forth, because it's a hell of a lot easier than accidentally letting his thoughts linger on the shitfest that is his teaching career right now, and the gentle hum of the engine combined with the rock of his seat keep his other senses occupied. He looks out at the street view in his peripherals to see if the bus has miraculously moved fast enough to get to your stop before all the other ones that come before it, but that's more of him just trying to waste enough time for you to get on.

His fifteenth time following the red string, the bus where it's meant to catch you, and Levi scrambles to move his backpack off of your seat. He holds it up by its lifting handle and gently holds its side to shake off any dust that's caught on the bottom of it, then placing it on his lap before cautiously looking out towards the front of the bus where the scanning machine is. His hands have learned to not show his nervousness anymore after having to hold them out to you so often, but he tries his best to not let it show on his face. He leans forward slightly to see because there's a few stanchions blocking his vision of the front, and he rests his chin atop his bag.

The first person that comes on isn't you, but Levi thought it could've been because the light reflecting off their watch is like the one that comes from the the clasp of your briefcase. The second person that comes on isn't you, but Levi swears it might be because the tap of their shoes on the upwards stairs are like the clicks of your flats. And the third person. And the fourth person. And the fifth person. After eight people get on the bus and are squared away in their seats or standing and holding the railing, the doors close, and the engine starts back up again, the seat to his right still unoccupied.

Levi has to blink to really make sure he hadn't missed seeing you sit down next to him. He can hear the jingle of his bird keychain as the bus starts and stops, so his ears work; he hadn't missed your greetings to the driver. He looks back up at the red line chart and through the window to make sure it'd stopped exactly where it's meant to catch you, and it did.

Huh.

It's probably just the break in routine that's getting to him, but his face falls slightly. He slumps back in his seat, moving his bangs out of his face, and he sighs as he lets the weight of his backpack settle further back onto him.

Like a rolodex, his mind riffles through all the possible explanations as to why you aren't here, cards flipping mechanically and without rest.

Are you stuck in the office? Did you get off early? Did you decide to try out a new line to get home? Is he the one that's on the wrong bus? Did you take your car to work today? Did you decide you were getting sick of having to see him so often?

The actual answer could be more important to him if he had any semblance of entitlement for your thoughts, but he doesn't, so the reason why you're not here isn't important either. The two of you hardly know each other beyond formalities and half-truths that're probably more fiction than not, and while, yes, he isn't repulsed by your existence like he is most other people, that's not enough reason for him to really have that be any of his business.

Still, he thinks he cares is curious enough for it to not be that weird if he were to text you and ask if you weren't going to be on the bus at all today.

Maybe something happened to you? There's no harm in looking out for someone who's, at the very least, a frequent acquaintance, right?

Looking over at the empty seat next to him, he concludes that he is right; it really would be okay. He wouldn't mind if you'd done the same if you were in his position, or more since he'd think you're more forthcoming with your friendship than he is. You've already exchanged numbers anyway, even if neither of you use it, so it's not like he's really having to go out of his way to contact you.

Think of it as a premature gesture to reassure you that his opinion of you hasn't been tainted by Hange's ramblings about your (definitely inflated) salary and whatever else they want to lie about.

He moves his backpack back onto your seat so he can stand briefly to get his phone from his back pocket, and he rests his right elbow on the plush of his bag as he pulls up your contact on his phone. He drums his nails against its side as he ponders what to text, but it's not all that hard when it's straightforward enough.

Not taking the bus today?

That's casual enough. Not demanding of any further answers, not too small-talk-esque that it suggests he's only asking to get your attention for something else.

Very casual. Very simple. Very face-value.

Yeah, that's good.

He sends it as-is, and he sees the Read receipt almost immediately. No reply comes in, though, even after he waits for a minute or so, and he pockets his phone again to ignore the email notification he just got from his work account.

That's kinda embarrassing, but whatever.

It's probably better, then, that you're not on the bus today. He can't imagine how boring he would've been to you, talking about his work, and how inconsiderate it probably would've been if he just sprung that on you. He imagines the most likely reason you're not here is that you're caught up in the office, and that combined with the bags underneath your eyes that he's noticed over the past couple of weeks means you probably have your own share of hardship at work too. He wouldn't ever comment on it, but it's best left unsaid anyway.

He sighs as he crosses his arms and tips his head down to wait out the rest of the ride. He'd go to sleep if he could, but a thirty-minute nap hardly sounds appealing anyway with all the bumps and breaks of the ride. His mind just focuses on the abrupt starts and stops, and because there's so many and they're so inconsistent, he's very easily able to just force time to pass that way and, sooner rather than later, he's at his stop, and he boards off after raising his hand in thanks to the driver through the rear mirror.

On her way out the house this morning, Isabel mentioned that her evening class was cancelled for the day (basically asking if Levi could take her home after her afternoon shift), so after he slings his backpack onto both shoulders, he heads over to the floral shop to go fetch her. She should be wrapping up by the end of the hour, but Levi's fine just waiting in his car 'til she's done. As he approaches it, he rolls his eyes at the display that's been put up in the storefront window.

Gaudy, obnoxious red roses in (quite frankly, kinda ugly) vases line the bottom, and hearts are drawn over the glass in all the cheesy romantic colors. Heart balloons with corny pick-up lines and red animals are floating at the sides of the display, and Levi can see more of them lingering at the back of the shop. There's a holiday banner hung at the top of the window and there's lights strung beneath it, and Levi cringes to himself as he takes it all in. He'd already been acutely aware that Valentine's Day was coming up because several students have asked for extensions on their projects that're due by then, but, now, it's like he's being forced to remember.

No doubt that this is all Isabel's handiwork because none of this was up when he parked his car here in the morning. The elder Magnolias have no trouble with subtly and they already had a Valentine's Day display set up with some teddy bears and their usual assortment of roses at the front, but their daughter probably just wanted to make a bigger deal out of it and redid it herself. Probably told them that it'd be better for business if lonely businessmen were to be reminded of the upcoming romantic holiday (even though any respectable husband would've remembered regardless, and the less-than-respectable ones would just go to the grocery store just a few feet away for shittier flowers instead).

Levi looks over his shoulders to check that there's nobody around (because the last thing he wants people to think is that he buys into this romantic bullshit), and he opens the door to the shop to go check on Isabel. The bell rings as he steps inside, and he scans the store quickly to look for her, and he spots her at the counter where she usually is, her back turned.

"Isabel, do you need a ride back toda-"

And, mid-sentence, he makes eye contact with a very familiar face.

You sheepishly wave from where you are, right at the counter. "Hey, Levi."

He pauses, blinking.

What're you doing here?

He makes his way closer to where you and Isabel are, his eyes looking anywhere but you. They land on the countertop, where, now that he's closer, he can see that Isabel's assembling a bouquet.

Isabel turns around, and she waves at him in greeting. "Nah, I'm good. I was gonna go to the movies after my shift's over." Levi nods, and his eyes drift back awkwardly to you. "Oh, yeah!" Isabel continues, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You bastard, she told me you guys made the tarts! Why didn't you just tell me that? Me and Furlan have been looking all over Yelp to try and find them, and you just let us struggle!"

Levi rolls his eyes. Seriously, that's what she's mad about? "Because, if I told you, you'd force me to make them for you."

"Damn straight I would!" Isabel whines while grabbing some more floral accessories. "You don't even know how to bake! Is that why some of them were so ugly?"

To his right, you laugh, looking away from the pair to hide your smile. Levi holds his breath for a second to steel his face because he already can feel blood rushing to his face.

"Yeah, Levi, why were they so ugly?" You tease.

"Good one!" Isabel laughs, the sound just a bit louder than the crinkle of the floral wrapping paper that she's assembled around the bouquet. She tilts it up to show it to you, and she waits as you get closer to look at it. "How do you like it?"

Is it yours?

"It's perfect! Thank you so much!"

Levi stands where he is as you and Isabel drift over to the register, but your eyes float back to his once you're there.

Again, he steels his face. He can't be too sure he doesn't turn red if he doesn't do that.

"Why didn't you tell them where they came from?" You ask.

He shrugs, leaning back onto the counter. "Didn't want to bother you for the recipe if they asked for more." That, and he doesn't want to give off the impression that he only values your company because you can give him something tangible.

Oh, god, he's trying so hard to look nonchalant, but he's already having trouble not stealing glances over at the bouquet now sitting on the register table while Isabel punches in something into the machine there.

Red and white are the colors he spots in the assortment. No roses, but it seems Valentine-esque, doesn't it? He's not so old-fashioned to believe that any and all flowers are just for lovers, but it's the most natural assumption when Valentine's Day is less than a week away. He doesn't think Hange would encourage homewrecking, so he'll rule out the possibility that you've got a lover already, but maybe you're interested in someone else already and just waiting for Hange to get off your back so you can pursue them?

He sees you wave your hand half-heartedly, and he pulls his attention away from the flowers.

"It wouldn't be a bother," you tell him, smiling slightly.

"I don't think I could make them anyway. It was mostly you."

You roll your eyes at him, probably teasing him. "Don't sell yourself short. I could make them again for Isabel and your other friend too, you know? I don't mind."

Before he can tell you he wouldn't want to inconvenience you and pull you away from whatever free time you have outside of work and hanging out with Hange (which he assumes isn't that much time to begin with), you excuse yourself to go over to the register and pay for the flowers.

You smile at Isabel, and you bring up the bouquet to smell them before tucking them underneath your arm. "I should be leaving now, but thank you so much, Isabel! I'll be sure to get some more tarts to you, and I'll text you," and you look over at Levi now, that smile still on your face as you speak to him, "the recipe when I'm home, okay? Bye"

When you're out the door, Levi turns to glare at Isabel.

She looks back at him, eyebrow raised. "What're you looking at me like that for?" Looking between him and the door, she smirks, crossing her arms across her chest. "You want me to tell you who those flowers are for, don't you?"

Levi frowns, scrunching his nose. "What the fuck? No, I don't."

"You totally do!" Isabel laughs, uncrossing her hands to put her elbows on the register. "What, you like her? I don't blame you, she's really pretty! I have been wanting to go to a wedding lately, think you'll be having one anytime soon?"

"I don't like anyone, much less her," he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And since when do you care about my dating life?"

"You don't have one for me to care about!"

He walks over to her, flicking her forehead once he's close enough. "Exactly, and that's how it's going to stay." Isabel knows by now that Levi's just messing around, so she doesn't move her hands, instead letting Levi rub at the spot with his thumb so that it doesn't hurt.

Still, that doesn't stop her from whining. "Oh, come on, Levi! I'm just teasing you!"

Levi pulls away and rolls his eyes. "You must think you're so funny."

"I do, actually," she huffs, smiling. "Okay, but, really, do you wanna know?"

Yes.

"It's none of my business."

She raises a brow. "That's not a 'no.'"

"It is."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Romeo," Isabel taunts. "Say, do you think you could give me her number? She seems really nice, and it'd be good for me to be acquainted with a lawyer, y'know? In case I get into legal trouble or something."

"You're insufferable. I'm going home," Levi groans. "And she's a family lawyer. Unless you need a divorce or custody of your kids, she's not gonna be much help." On top of giving out your personal information being a real invasive breach of privacy, he's a bit humiliated to be left on read. He's not just gonna go back and look at your contact just to be reminded of how pathetic he is.

"Still! I think she's cool, I'd wanna be friends with her! Do you think you could at least pass my number off onto her?"

"Ask Four Eyes for her number if you want it so fucking bad, I'm not doing that either."

"You're no fun," Isabel sighs. "Well, go on home. I'll be back at, like, 11 or something."

"Call me if you need a ride later, Furlan's out for drinks with his coworkers so don't get in a car with him. Or make one of your annoying ass friends drop you off, I don't care as long as you come back in one piece."

"Yes, dad, I'll make sure to wear my seatbelt too," she replies, waving him off in the direction of the door. "Now, shoo!"

"Don't need to tell me twice," he says under his breath, turning on his heel to leave.

Just before he puts his hand on the door to push it open, Isabel yells out at him again. "Wait! I actually forgot my keys today, can you or Furlan stay up to open the door when I'm back?"

"No." He already saw that she left them in the morning, though, so he fishes the obnoxious neon orange lanyard she keeps her keys on from his backpack's side pocket and throws it back to her. "But stop forgetting them. You're lucky I saw them on the couch on my way out."

She catches it before grinning at him and making a heart with her hands above her head. "You're the best, Levi! How ever can I repay my hero?"

"You can start by vacuuming the living room."

"Oh, nevermind then."

He expected as much. "Of fucking course. Anything else?"

"Well, Romeo, since you were asking, she was getting those flowers for her-"

And before she can finish her sentence, Levi is through the door and already on his way out.

✰

After getting home, getting changed into comfier clothe, and making dinner for himself (and for his housemates to eat when they get home), Levi is now at the dining table, typing an email on his laptop as he gets ready to turn in for the night.

The solution he's come up with to making sure his students don't fall behind and don't have to choose between his class and someone else's whose much less forgiving is that he's going to have to start recording his lectures and providing a separate transcript of his lessons. It's unfortunate that that's the only reliable enough option, since it's sure to lessen attendance and the department will hound him for not being strict enough to demand it, but it's the only solution Levi has that isn't going to inconvenience anyone but himself.

He has to email the technician for the lecture hall he teaches in because it doesn't have a camera and recording system hooked up, and he'll figure out what else needs to be done later. He's already done enough since having dinner—redoing his course syllabus sheets, contacting all his TAs and students and informing them of any changes, doing some preliminary grading to help take the load off his teaching staff—and a lot more to do, but, right now, all he cares about is getting settled in for the night and having a cup of tea.

After proofreading the email and making sure that he's properly listed what he needs for the class recordings to happen, he hits send and is on his way to get some water boiling. He closes his laptop and brings his phone with him to the kitchen so he can keep track of time, and he goes to the counter to grab the kettle and fill it with water.

While he's waiting for it to get full, he hears his phone go off with a text notification. Is Isabel already on her way home?

He checks it, and it's you.

Astraea - 8:56 PM

sorry i didn't get back to you earlier yeah, i had work off today to plan an intern's birthday party

...Is that who the flowers were for?

Levi mentally knocks himself for immediately assuming that they'd be for someone else for something else, but before he can do anything else about it, the water has spilled over and Levi has to frantically move it out from under the spout and put the kettle on the counter. He goes to grab a kitchen towel to clean up the spill, and he frowns as he goes to pick up the now-wet fabric and put it in the laundry bin in the washroom. Coming back to the kitchen, he plugs in the kettle and turns it on. While he's doing that, his phone goes off again, but it

When he comes back, there's another text from you. This time, it's a picture from what looks like a handwritten recipe book.

Astraea - 9:03 PM

here's the recipe! sorry, my handwriting's kind of garbage

Clicking on the picture and zooming in, it really doesn't. It's fine enough to read, all the numbers clear and written distinctly. The two-page layout is spotted at the edges with what looks like flour residue and earmarked, but it looks like all the other pages in this recipe book are too. It seems well-loved.

Levi - 9:07 PM

No need to be sorry I was just worried you missed our bus

Is that the right word to use? Worried? The word feels a bit too... intimate, but Levi thinks it's the truth; he was worried something had happened to you, even if he knew he wasn't entitled to know what that was.

Looking at the text again now that it's sent, his face falls when he reads that he'd written out "our bus."

He puts his phone face-down on the counter and runs his hands down his face, groaning.

Why the fuck did he do that? Sure, he considers seeing you there every week part of his routine, but that doesn't mean he entirely associates it with you. He doesn't own the bus, neither do you, so what the fuck was he thinking, call it our bus?

Okay, okay, he can save this. Hange, in their infinite wisdom, would suggest making a joke, and even though Levi doesn't quite listen to their advice, that seems like the appropriate thing to do now.

Levi picks up his phone again.

Levi - 9:09 PM

And I'm a professor, do you think I can't handle some messy handwriting?

He waits impatiently when he sees you typing back a response near immediately, but a breath of relief passes through his lips when you don't say anything about his text about our bus.

Astraea - 9:10 PM

i said nothing of the sort! but is it really that messy?

Levi - 9:10 PM

I can read it just fine Thank you for sending it

He's not entirely sure he's going to be making use of it anytime soon, but it'll be nice to have if he needs to get Isabel to clean her bathroom or get Furlan to grab dinner on his way home when Levi's took lazy to cook.

Astraea - 9:11 PM

yeah, of course! let me know if you need help with any of it

Levi - 9:12 PM

I definitely will need it

Astraea - 9:13 PM

i can also make them for you guys i really don't mind

Levi frowns slightly. Of all the half-truths Hange tells him about you to get him interested in you, the one he finds the most true is that you're much too kind and forthgiving with your time.

Levi - 9:13 PM

You barely have time to sleep

Astraea - 9:14 PM

and how do you know that?

Levi - 9:14 PM

You look more tired nowadays

Astraea - 9:14 PM

that noticeable?

Levi - 9:15  PM

Yeah, no offense

Fuck, why the fuck did he say that? It isn't that hard to keep his mouth shut about it, but it's not really like he's lying or exaggerating. He groans again as he puts down his phone, this time, face-up, and he hears that the kettle beeps. As he goes to grab a teacup for himself and the cannister of dandelion root tea that's about half-way empty now, he sees another text back from you.

He tips some of the tea leaves into a strainer, and he drops it into his teacup, watching as the colors bleeds into the water. In his peripheral, he reads what you'd said.

Astraea - 9:16 PM

none taken i'm in bed so i'm gonna go to sleep

That's good to hear. He'll assume that Hange's backed off on having you join any plans now that Levi isn't coming, so you can actually rest up this weekend. He sets a timer for his tea before replying to you.

Levi - 9:16  PM

Sleep well then

Astraea - 9:16 PM

you too!

There's an unfamiliar flip in his chest at the sentiment of the text—like he's about to throw up but he doesn't feel the actual dread that comes with that feeling—but he ignores it.

And maybe it's because you're already on his mind and there's already a cup brewing, but he takes a picture of the teacup as it sits alone on his countertop, and he considers for a second sending it to you so that you can see that he's making good use of what you'd given him. He attaches it, and he types out the first thing that comes to mind.

I will. See you next week

And, almost immediately, he physically cringes and deletes everything: the text, the picture, the thought of sending something like that at all. He clears all the apps active on his phone, and he haphazardly slides it across the counter to be out of reach.

What the fuck is going on with him today? He's all worked up over nothing, and it's making him act all... weird. He's a near-thirty-year old man, what the hell is he doing?

Before the tea feels like it's had enough time to steep, his phone beeps to tell him that it has. Maybe time just moves faster when he's flustered. He takes out the strainer, opening it and tapping it against the side of the compost bin, then dropping it into the sink, and he pulls the teacup closer to him.

And even though there's nobody around, before he takes a sip, he looks over both shoulders again here because, uh... he doesn't know? He thinks a robber has broken in? God forbid he's not aware of that happening if somebody had just come in and ransacked all his belongings.

It's definitely just because he's shy all-of-a-sudden, but he isn't going to be the one to admit that.

As he takes his first sip of his tea, he finds himself smiling faintly at the taste. It's become familiar, as absurd as that sounds, and regardless of how much of a mess today way, this is still a nice way for him to end his evening before having to turn in and get showered and ready for tomorrow. The citrine eventually calms his nerves, and he carries the cup with him to the couch as he watches a rerunning episode of some random cop show that pisses him off.

And as he watches the courthouse drama unfold and tips the cup all the way up to find it empty, the thought strikes him as harshly as the gavel does wood—that even without any meddling or orchestration by anyone other than the universe, he was able to see you on this particular Friday.

And that realization is kinda... nice.

Yeah, nice. It's nice that the one good thing he's looked forward to for the last, like, five months still hasn't really changed, and that he can keep that little bit of nicety to himself to enjoy.

...

God, he's going to be so fucking nervous when he sees you next week.

✰

Next Chapter - coming soon!

thank you for reading, and please consider checking out a sip of sunshine for more content from levi's pov! it's postcanon, slow burn, angst, (domestic) fluff, friends to lovers, and is a very lengthy levi character study (42k+, to be completed by the end of august)! i'd appreciate it a lot ^^

[slavicviking]

In the mood for some delicious miscommunicatio trope for steddie so here we are >:) part 1 of ??

wc: 1281

tags: friends with benefits, requitted unrequitted love, idiot4idiot

Love sucks.

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

“You’re supposed to have my back, Robin,” Steve sighs and slumps against the counter.

“I do have your back,” she replies with a light pat on the shoulder. “I am, though, going to ask you to stop moping over the counter, dingus. I just wiped it down a moment ago.”

“That’s so rude. Maybe crying over this counter is exactly what I need right now, you know?”

“Don’t. The stench of boy-desperation is going to seep in.”

Steve snorts. At least with Robin here the Monday morning shift is not so overwhelmingly, mind-numbingly boring. There’s only so many times Steve can reorganize the backroom, trying not to think about, well, The Situation.

Robin hands him a small packet of skittles from a bowl as peace-offering. If they’re lucky Keith will never notice. “Okay, but, really – I think you should consider it.”

“It’s not that easy, Rob,” he sighs, wincing when the customer bell sounds from the doors, even more when he sees who it is.

“Howdy,” Eddie greets them before diving straight into the horror section of the store. Steve sees Robin follow him with her eyes, her lips pulled down at the corners. He knows that look and though he appreciates her feeling protective over him, Steve is past his need or desire for any sort of escalating drama, especially within a group as tightly-knit as the Party. His hand lands in hers under the counter and squeezes.

Eddie comes back around ten minutes later, a video tape in hand. The plain T-shirt and the usual ripped jeans don’t look like much but Steve still finds it too magnetic to look away.

“The Shining?” Steve quirks an eyebrow. “A bit too mainstream for you, isn’t it?”

“It’s a classic, Stevie,” Eddie grins before leaning closer, twirling a lock of hair between his fingers, and if Steve didn’t know any better he’d say Eddie looked nervous. Which - ridiculous. Nothing to be nervous about, not in Eddie’s case anyway.  “Actually, I was wondering. I mean, it is a classic, right? Already mentioned that, um. But we could watch it together. If you’d like. No pressure, or anything.”

Before Steve can reply, the bell over the doors rings again and in a flurry of motions a chipper blonde runs up to the counter of Family Video, a dimpled smile plastered over her face. Jenna, if Steve recalls correctly – Robin’s year.

“Hi, Steve!” she greets loudly, hair pulled up in a high ponytail bouncing up and down. “I didn’t know you worked here. I mean, I did, I’ve been here before. Breakfast Club, remember? Anyway, after the earthquake I kind of thought you’d jump the ship. I mean, I would, but parents, you know?”

“Uh, yeah,” Steve blinks. “Guess I stayed.”

“Glad you did,” Jenna giggles, slim fingers just barely grazing over Steve’s arm. Enough to cause goosebumps. “Anyway, I’m here to return Fast Times for my brother. He was supposed to but he’s apparently too busy with basketball.”

Steve knows how this conversation should go, would have gone a few months ago, probably. He would ask about her brother and basketball, throw in a quip or two, maybe flex his arms, wink. It would work perfectly, too. And Jenna – she’s sweet, all dimples and cute skirts, colorful ribbons in her hair. She’s everything he should want right now – something easy and stable and realistic. But he can’t help but let his eyes drift to Eddie, how quiet he has gotten all of a sudden, maybe stressed about Jenna and the jock crowd she usually falls into; maybe because she feels eerily similar to how Chrissy used to be. Who knows.

In the end Steve just smiles politely and tells Jenna the fee to pay in a manner so robotic King Steve would cower in embarrassment at the mere sight. She looks miffed but it doesn’t deter her completely because she slips him a piece of paper with a poignant look shot Robin’s way. As if Robin was her greatest competition. Turn around, a little bit to the left, and there you’ll have it – the reason Steve Harrington is off the market.

Not that Eddie knows. Or will ever know.

The boundaries he set were pretty clear, Steve gets it.

“Did you see The Look?” Robin snickers next to him once Jenna’s gone and he can’t help but snort because, sure, Steve did have a crush on Robin very briefly what feels like ages ago, but by now the idea of them ever being considered a romantic couple is just laughable. Eddie, though, stays silent, eyebrows dropped low and eyes glued to the door.

Steve decides to bite the bullet.

“I’m game, you know.” Eddie shots him a perplexed look and he feels a hot wave of embarrassment wash over him swiftly. It’s clear Eddie hasn’t given the invitation much thought, maybe didn’t even really mean it in the first place but wanted to be polite. “You know, for, uh, The Shining.”

“Oh, yeah, sure, that,” Eddie shrugs, shoulders rising almost to his ears. “You can come. If you want.”

“Cool.”

“Cool.”

Eddie doesn’t linger after that, leaving Family Video with much less vigor than when he entered. Maybe that’s Steve’s effect on people, he muses as he dumps the slip with Jenna’s number into the bin in the backroom. The Steve Experience is an intense one, as he has been notified of before.

“So. What the hell was that?” Robin pokes him in the arm, nails surprisingly sharp and painful.

“Honestly? I don’t know,” Steve sighs. “He hates me. Fuck.”

“He doesn’t, dingus, I promise you,” Robin slings her arm across his chest and leans against his back. Steve loves her so much. “But he’s being super weird. I mean, my guess would be that he got jealous, honestly-“

“You know it isn’t like that. It’s just sex, he said so himself.”

And, okay, so. The Situation.

The weeks following Vecna’s attempt at world-domination royally sucked ass. The NDAs, the nightmares and all-encompassing fear – that Steve knows, that he can deal with on most days. Physical therapy was a nicely added new feature, it at least spiced things up a little. It’s also how Steve and Eddie ended up spending a lot of time together. Becoming friends with Eddie was surprisingly easy, falling for him – a slippery slope.

It's Eddie that suggested their little arrangement and it’s Eddie that has been vocal since the beginning that it’s nothing more than hooking up – blowing off steam, as he once called it. Happened only a handful times, too, and only after one or the other couldn’t sleep because of nightmares. So, really, it’s on Steve to get so attached to an idea that exists only in his own head.

Before they close up, Robin taps him on the shoulder. “You deserve better, Steve, okay? Someone who cares. Just – think about it.”

A slip of paper with a number finds its way into his pocket, second one today but first for a boy; some guy that Robin met via a mutual friend – Dorothy, or whatever. It weighs on his mind the whole drive to the trailer park but the moment Eddie opens the door, it really doesn’t matter anymore, does it?

For once, Steve wants to be in control. And with Eddie looking at his mouth the way he is, Steve feels wanted, desired, however illusory that really is. The kiss grows heated once they enter the trailer but the second he lays Eddie on the couch, a pair of hands pushes him away gently.

“We shouldn’t,” Eddie pants. “We- I don’t think we should do this anymore.”

Fuck.

part 2??

[annab-nana]

Long walks alone or with your friends and making up back stories for people you see on the street

With the stranger things group

omg yes!! i'm not super happy with this one but i think it ends on a cute note so here you go my love <3

warnings: not proofread

❀ masterlist ❀

"do you think mike will kill us for not waiting to watch this with him?" lucas asked, will and max on either side of him.

"i'm not worried about mike being mad," you shared with the group, "it's steve i'm worried about."

robin chuckled beside you while dustin nodded in agreement.

most of your friend group was present on your walk to the hawk to go see the princess bride. the only ones you were missing were jonathan, nancy, mike, and el since they were on the wheeler family vacation and steve as keith wouldn't let him off. he called dustin to let him know that he wouldn't make it and to just go on without him, but you still feared he may be upset about missing out.

"he gave us the okay to go on," eddie offered while nudging his shoulder with yours. "no need to fret."

you nodded. "yeah, but i feel bad for him."

"so do i," max piped up before shuddering dramatically, "imagine having to work with keith."

"whoa," will muttered when a girl with bright purple hair and cool sunglasses walked by. his comment drew the attention of the rest of his friends as you all glanced over at the girl.

"i love her overalls," robin added.

dustin was next to speak. "i feel like she has a pet lizard."

"her name is raven and she definitely works at either a book store or a thrift shop," lucas tacked on.

will provided some more insight on the story your friends were creating, only he took it a lot further. "she is an artist who pours her soul into her art. her favorite things to paint are her pets, seasonal landscapes, and anything that has to do with the ocean. you'll never see her without remnants of paint on her skin."

"damn will, that was good," you complimented before eddie spoke up beside you.

"hey byers, you ever thought of writing a campaign for hellfire because i think you'd be pretty good at it?"

will beamed up at eddie and nodded fervently prior to the pair falling to the back of the group, discussing campaign details.

"how much you wanna bet that they're going to plan something the princess bride related after we watch this movie?" lucas whispered over to dustin.

you watched as the boy's smile grew. he stuck out his hand for lucas to shake.

"five bucks. you're on."

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