#faked suicide

[lifewithaview]

Charles Dance as Ben Wilson in Rabbit Hole (2023) The Algorithms of Control

E3

Weir's traumatic history is brought to light, along with the origin of his friendship with Valence and their career in corporate espionage. In the present, Weir and Hailey's tenuous relationship begins to thaw.

[sa-dnesss]

nobody talks about the fact that you can have all this crazy shit in your head, and want to open up and talk about your feelings but no matter what, you just can't make out the right words and properly put your thoughts and emotions into words

[viatamoarta]

[timethehobo]

Spent too long on it but I just wanted to do up a character sheet for Boomie had he been in Suicide Squad ISEKAI. 💪 Just for the fun of it.

[cloudyydraws]

more saiki stuff

[yayll]

idk if u feel comfortable writing marriage but dazai proposing perhaps...? i love u and ur dazai so baddd you capture his depravity perfectly :(( <3

PLEASEEEE ALL IVE EVER WANTEDDDD IS SOMETHING LIKE THIS i want to see him soft, deranged, and so far down bad for u that he can't even recognize himself in the mirror. thank u baby, i hope u enjoy this!

~ a little something about Dazai and the concept of spending forever with you ~

"... Soo, what are you wearing?~"

You roll your eyes at the way he flirts lamely on purpose, flipping through the channels of your tv. A smile tugs at your lips as your other hand holds the phone to your ear.

"... I'm wearing something warm. Might watch a movie, you should stop by."

He smiles from the other end of the line, your reply as generous as always. He's forever at your beck and call, but tonight is different. He wants to spice things up. He clears his throat, letting out a dramatic sigh along with his response.

"Oh, l'd love to, but I'm currently about to jump off a building and I seem to only have mere seconds left to discuss the true meaning of life before I swan dive right into the abyss!"

You immediately put your remote down and raise an eyebrow, your voice becoming firmer. You were used to this, but the edge in his voice always did something to cause chaos in your decision making.

"Where are you? I'll come get you."

"I'm in the trenches of my own desires, I'm afraid..."

You sigh and rub your temple. Patience is probably the only thing this man has taught you.

"What do you want me to do, then?"

There's a long pause after that, followed by the wind bellowing on his end. He murmurs into the phone, his voice softening.

"...Marry me, I suppose."

"You're dying anyway, does my answer even matter?"

His lips curl into a wicked grin, he loved when you played the game back.

"It may alter a few things, yes. What do you say?"

"I thought you didn't care for all of that official stuff..."

You hear a hearty chuckle, strained and practiced.

"Maybe I can care a little. Come on, cutie. Think faaaast."

The way he purrs that last line really makes you contemplate what sin from your past life you must be repenting for, because that's what dating Dazai felt like at times. You were always so careful, always keeping track of everything in your life so effortlessly. There wasn't a last minute plan or a late night talk you couldn't fit into your routine and you manage to somehow include him in all of it.

You were a saint.

You didn't need to put in all of the extra effort being with someone like him comes with, yet you always seemed to genuinely want to. You never tried to fix him either, but you made sure to always be there when things got especially dark and laughed at his self-deprecating jokes in public when everyone else would stare in concern. You knew him and how he operated, this wasn't going to spook you so easily. You simply cross your legs and sink further into the couch as you reply in a deadpan voice.

"Sorry, I don't accept proposals over the phone."

You hang up right after saying that.

Upon hearing the call drop, he bites back a groan, your indifferent reply going straight down to the already aching warmth in his pants. He laughs to himself for a moment, the brisk wind pushing back his messy brown locks as he sits there thinking about what grand miracle must have happened for him to finally meet someone who could match him. Other couples marked milestones with dinner or a card, but you guys did things differently. He found it intoxicating when you made him work for it, something no one could ever make him do even if it really did come down to his own mortality. He was a slackoff, a total waste of bandages some have said, but whatever you saw in him was the reason he still bothered with the meaninglessness of it all.

Your love enables him to be worse for the better!

Dazai finally decides to call it here and carefully makes his way down from the roof of your apartment where he's been the entire time. He hopes you never find out this isn't the first time he's done this, sometimes his self care consists of watching whatever you're doing from a distance and that's okay! That's giving you the space you've asked for before! This is just a form of foreplay, really. He dusts himself off and walks a few steps to your front door. He knocks exactly one time before you open the door, your face going from pleased with yourself to absolutely clueless in a second.

"How did you get here so fast?"

"I jumped, remember?"

You look up at your ceiling and then back at him, finally connecting the dots. You huff and immediately smack his arm.

"You could have been inside with me the whole time instead of freezing out there!"

He clutches his arm and makes an exaggerated pained expression, quickly replaced by his signature smirk. He nods with enthusiasm.

"Yes!"

You sigh, stepping aside.

"You're a nightmare. Come in."

He immediately obliges, striding indoors and hanging up his coat on the rack. He turns to you, like some proud little kid with his hands behind his back. You two stare at each other for a few moments, your cheeks flushed and eyes narrowed while his are strangely at ease. Not a single recognizable expression on his face, deceptively thoughtless. Only Dazai could make you feel this way in your own home, it was a wreck for the butterflies in your stomach and an even worse reckoning for your heart. He steps a little closer, breaking the quiet streak with a playful murmur as he tucks a piece of his messy bangs behind his ear, showcasing that devastating jawline.

"I was just strolling around the neighborhood when I thought about how the act of proposing is a subversive act on its own. A defiant gesture against the monotony of existence, a true act of rebellion! It's endearing to willingly enter a cage of gilded societal expectations for someone, don't you think?"

You simply stare in awe for a moment, catching yourself from whatever he's talking about. You shake your head, letting out the breath that you've been holding. Patience, you remind yourself.

"Don't be so dramatic, Osamu. You're barely taking yourself seriously."

He tilts his head when you say that, leaning down to meet your gaze with genuinely curious eyes and lopsided smile. A wild fire burning behind them as your answer does nothing but excite him.

"Have I ever been anything but dramatic? You should marry me for my honesty alone~"

You snort, rolling your eyes, as you look off to the side for a moment. It's hard maintaining eye contact with Dazai, he will always devour the last bit of your dignity before you manage to get your bearings. When you don't say anything, he mutters once again, voice getting softer by the second.

"...l wouldn't mind getting down on my knees for you. I do it all the time."

You snap your face back to him, letting out a flustered gasp as you smack his arm again.

"Osamu!"

He giggles, eyes burning with desire. Your touch feels so good in any format, he can do this all night. He hopes you'll go for the face next. He places a hand on your waist, bringing you in closer as his long bandaged fngers gently hold you in place. He whispers, leaning in so that his nose brushes against your neck, each word reverberating against your veins as he speaks painfully slow.

"It's your fault for having a thing for hopeless, lost cases. You still like those, right?"

His other hand tips your head up as he begins to place small kisses along your throat. His warm breath sends a shiver down your spine, especially when you feel the wetness he leaves behind when he nips at the soft fragile skin of your neck. He murmurs once more, purring into you as he slowly backs you up into the hallway.

"... Always having such terrible taste in men, always going for the ones who are more trouble than they're worth. I can't say I'm not thankful, it's sort of why I'm here to begin with."

You reply with a soft whimper, and that makes Dazai grin against your skin, enabling him to continue his assault on your neck. He's vampiric with the way he hopes to kiss his essence into you, a biological love letter embedded into his lips and entering your bloodstream with every little mark he leaves behind. He bites down on your pulse point ever so gently, and this finally gives you the ability to become vocal again.

"Mm, what a weird way to propose..."

He laughs at that, his voice full of mirth and desire.

He pulls back from you, eyes dilated and his chest heaving slightly from the amount of his desire. It feels even better when he knows he deserves none of it.

He traces a finger from your collarbone down to the center of your chest.

"Is that a yes?"

You hum, pretending to think, as if you haven't dreamt of a moment like this your entire life. As if Dazai wasn't the last person you'd ever imagine caring for something so tangible and grand besides death. It excited you, it terrified you. He's scanning your face over and over, trying to anticipate your answer and for once, he can't.

"I don't see a ring."

Dazai pretends to look offended, huffing into a laugh as he keeps his hold on you firm. He grins as he speaks, his finger trailing further down your torso until he can feel your navel through the fabric of your knitted sweater. He pokes it, causing you to jolt.

"I thought I made it pretty clear that I wasn't against getting down on my knees for you. Say yes and these things can be arranged, duh."

He knew the answer before you even opened your mouth, before he even stepped into your apartment. He wouldn't have spent months researching the perfect weather conditions to sit up on your roof and stage a 'casual conversation' with his beloved for you not to be ready to make the big jump with him. The metaphorical one, of course. He hasn't planned something this elaborate since the day he met you and vowed he'd make you fall for him. Even now, hours later as you both lie in your bed he knows you were always for him, undoubtedly so.

Waiting for a revelation proved to be worth it in the end, especially now as he slips the gaudy piece of cheap plastic he got from a vending machine onto your bare ring finger while you sleep soundly at his side. It's shiny and hollow like the epitome of human desire, typical in Dazai fashion. He figures he'll get you a proper ring someday, but for now this will be the beacon of his love for you, a testament that he meant the madness he put you through earlier as your sweet voice repeated a series of pitiful 'yeses' and 'love you's' while he buried all of his doubt and insecurity right into your loving embrace. You handle his misery so well, why wouldn't he want to keep you and hoard your affection for all eternity?

He holds up your limp hand and admires the way the plastic object sits awkwardly on your finger, lopsided and far from what you actually deserve, much like how he is in your life now. He mutters, his voice oozing with pathetic endearment as he places a featherlight kiss onto your knuckle.

"... Till death do us part, cutie."

[idiot-mushroom]

exams are making me want to kill myself and i want to rip my skin off i hate it here

^like this

[pjotwitter]

[hieronymus-botch]

My hot take about the James Somerton situation is that at this point, attaching a "don't harass them tho" disclaimer to your callout post doesn't mean anything and is actively disingenuous. Everyone ought to know by now that if you have a large platform and publicly post a list of someone's misdeeds, they're going to get mass harassed about it even if you tell people not to, so if you actually cared about not getting them harassed, you wouldn't make the callout post in the first place.

[lgbtlunaverse]

Thinking of the Nie disciple that told Nie Mingjue it was Meng Yao who stayed behind to clean up corpses on the battlefield today.

Nie Mingjue didn't just randomly stumble upon poor lil meowyao eating bread in the novel, he was already looking for him to thank and reward him for his work.

That's what makes it so fun that nieyao's first conflict will end up being about someone else taking credit for Meng Yao's work.

And I'm sure that Nie Mingjue's actual opinions on plagiarism are a lot more nuanced, all we really get from him in this scene is "well you shouldn't kill someone over it!" which leaves a lot of room for what punishments he thinks are appropiate. But I bet that it isn't occuring to him in this moment that the only reason he knows Meng Yao at all, the only reason he got such a capable deputy, is that he noticed someone was taking care of the dead and cared enough to want to know their name. And then the Nie disciples didn't lie to him. The disciple he asked could have said "it was me, Zongzhu" to rise in the ranks himself, but he didn't. He went and asked others, who all also could have taken the credit, but they didn't. Someone saw Meng Yao working and decided to be honest about it and that simple decision is the catalyst for Meng Yao becoming Nie Mingjue's deputy.

Meng Yao can't just work hard to get results, others have to acknowledge that work. If they don't, it's as if he didn't do anything at all.

[connedcohn]

cure 97

[rachandruin]

I've been reminded of the whole James Somerton situation lately and the discourse that surrounded his recent fake suicide note, and how people who disbelieved it straight off the bat were pilloried for doing so, told they were uncaring and vindictive and wanted him to die

This is a man who literally had a track record of lying with every breath he took, not just about the provenance of his work but also about being "harassed" by people who were just rightly requesting he credit his sources, and of receiving "death threats" from people connected to his detractors (of which there has never been even the slightest shred of proof)

This is a man with previous for making manipulative, passive-aggressive, guilt-tripping statements regarding possibly harming himself in response to mild rebuke and minor pushback

Not believing him when he threatened suicide in response to finally being exposed for the conman he is is, in every possible way, the most logical conclusion to draw

This is such a common abuse tactic that it's almost a cliché and Somerton gave us textbook examples of it over and over again, this is not an enormous leap to make

Saying you don't believe someone who has repeatedly threatened to self-harm as an abuse tactic (and never once gone through with it) is not cruel, it's just understanding human behaviour and having pattern recognition

[sa-dnesss]

I don’t know how to do this anymore. I don’t know how to get better. My head is a dark place and it only gets worse, day by day. and I have no idea how to stop the darkness from coming in. I have no idea how to save myself anymore.

[vigilskeep]

making inquisitors always requires like at least 5 backstory supporting cast members

[steddiealltheway]

!!!!! Tw: faked suicide not by Steve or Eddie. There are ⚠️⚠️⚠️ before and after the most graphic parts which can be skipped without needing too much context. I tried to be vague but it can still be triggering. !!!!! (Thank you everyone tagging it as such)

A sort of different type of TikTok Modern AU…

Eddie Munson is a famous rockstar and honestly doesn’t post much on TikTok, but he occasionally finds himself scrolling though the app which is how he finds Steve.

He’s gorgeous. Exactly Eddie’s type with luscious, gravity defying hair, a sharp jaw, pretty lips, and he bets if he had a closer look, Steve would have the most charming eyes. It’s a shame the camera is so far away from him, and Eddie almost wonders why until Billy Hargrove is in the shot.

Eddie’s stomach sours at the sight of the man. Yes, he’s attractive, even Eddie could admit that, but there was something about him that made Eddie feel uncomfortable. Plus, there were a few scandals surrounding the tiktoker regarding previous racist Tweets and comments which he has responded to with a thrust trap to “Nobody’s Perfect” by Miley Cyrus / Hannah Montana.

So yeah. Eddie didn’t particularly like him and the stuff he got away with just because he’s hot.

He tunes back into the video which has him holding his finger to his lips, and Eddie is already rolling his eyes. The caption says, “Pranking my boyfriend, Steve 🤣😱” and Eddie can already tell it has to be fake with all the dramatics that Steve just happens to not see.

But then Billy carefully sneaks behind the couch where Steve is sitting and dumps a bucket full of water and ice onto him which has the man yelling and standing up in shock. He stands still for a minute and then yells, “Why the fuck would you do that, Billy??”

The tone and overall reaction has Eddie actually wonder if the video is fake or if Steve is just a really good actor. But he watches it again and notices that the man doesn’t look toward the camera once and something about that makes him feel really uneasy.

Eddie has to reason with himself, if the man is dating Billy Hargrove then he must not be a great person, and maybe he deserved the bucket of ice water. But Eddie still closes out of the app and tries his best not to think about it.

-:-:-:-:-:-

He opens the app a few days later, having forgotten about the whole incident until he comes across another video by Billy and the word “prank” in his caption catches Eddie’s eye. He sighs wondering why it’s on his for you page, but right before he swipes past it, he catches the gist of the prank.

Billy fills a syringe with mayonnaise and injects it into a donut, and then it cuts to him giving it to Steve from a camera that once again seems to be hidden although Billy keeps glancing at it with a smirk on his face and evil in his eyes. Steve, on the other hand, doesn’t glance toward the camera, but his face lights up with glee when he’s handed the donut. “You got this for me?” He asks in an awe filled tone as if the donut means the world to him.

“Yeah, why don’t you take a big ol’ bite of it for me?” Billy asks, voice low. Eddie watches as Steve shifts uncomfortably and puts the donut down.

“This isn’t another prank, is it? You know I don’t like them,” Steve says which honestly surprises Eddie. His tone is entirely genuine, and he feels like he’s peering in on a private moment.

“Of course not baby. Told you I’d stop,” Billy replies with a big smile.

Eddie can’t help but click on the caption: “Simple prank makes boyfriend storm out!” With a shit ton of hashtags that Eddie doesn’t bother reading.

Sure enough, Steve bites into the donut and immediately spits it out. He doesn’t say a word, just shakes his head and storms out of room.

Billy laughs loudly, “Oh, don’t be like that, babe! You know that was funny as shit!”

Eddie opens the comments, and is surprised to find people actually defending the prank. There are some people who comment shit like, “date me instead! I would never get mad at your pranks 🥵”

There’s only one comment that says, “Don’t really find this funny.” But it’s swarmed with hate comments from Billy’s fans that has Eddie scoffing as he scrolls onto the next video. He watches for a few seconds before scrolling back up when he realizes something. He looks at the date of the TikTok and realizes it was posted the previous month which means…

Eddie sighs realizing that him looking through Billy’s videos will only give him more attention and views, but he needs to know how long this has been going on for. And he really needs to find out if Steve is in on any of it or at least had gotten Billy back.

He begrudgingly clicks on Billy’s profile and scrolls through. He finds several videos with the thumbnail being of Steve mid reaction to a prank, and Eddie notices that every time, the camera is far away, and there doesn’t seem to be a single video of him up close.

The whole thing doesn’t feel right to Eddie. But what can he do about it? It’s not like he can report the videos. He could simply just block Billy and try to forget it all.

He scrolls back to the top and accidentally refreshes the page. He’s about to block him when he notices a new video pop up, where Steve looks like he’s in the middle of a panic attack. Eddie immediately presses on it.

⚠️⚠️⚠️

Billy smiles at the camera, no shirt in sight as he laughs, “This is my biggest prank yet. Steve should be home in less than a minute. And look,” he holds up his phone and shows a bathtub filled with red water that almost looks like blood.

Eddie’s shaky hand covers his mouth. He wouldn’t.

Billy laughs and continues, “I sent him a text that says ‘I’m sorry’ and a picture of an empty pill bottle, and he’s been texting me non stop for the past few minutes. Shit, he’s on his way now so it’s time for me to hide my phone and make this look as real as possible.”

Eddie watches as Billy puts his phone on a shelf and seemingly stacks towels up to cover his phone and hold it in place. He looks away when Billy takes out a bottle of fake blood and stages a suicide. He practically shakes with anger. Steve has to be in on this. He has to just be a good actor.

Eddie’s stomach drops when he hears Steve yelling Billy’s name rushing through the house. He bursts through the door and falls against the wall in shock. “Tell me this is a damn prank Billy. Billy…” he gets closer and shakes him. “Billy!” He yells shaking. “Shit. Shit. No no no. Fuck. What the fuck…”

Steve sits next to the tub and puts his head in his hands having a panic attack. Billy’s eyes open and he winks at the camera before grabbing Steve’s shoulders and yelling, “Boo.” He starts cackling loudly as Steve confusedly looks around trying to catch his breath. “I got you so good!” Billy yells through laughter.

Steve shakily gets up, tears streaming down his face and runs. Billy gets out of the tub and makes his way to his phone. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to him later,” he says with a wink before the video ends.

⚠️⚠️⚠️

Eddie sits as the video reloops. He’s shaking with anger. He doesn’t think as he duets the video and mutes the other audio. “This is the most fucked up thing I’ve ever seen. These ‘couple pranks’ are stupid enough and not funny, but to fake a suicide and call it a joke… you have to be an extra type of fucked up asshole. There aren’t enough words to describe how evil of a human being you have to be to do something like this to someone you love. I don’t care if this is staged or not. This is not okay. And fuck you.” Eddie quickly censors Billy’s half of the video with a note of “watch at your own risk.” He doesn’t care if his manager is pissed or if his account is filled with Billy’s fans hating on him or whatever. He presses the post button and turns off his phone. He needs fresh air.

He grabs his keys, a hat, and sunglasses, and makes his way out of his apartment. Hopefully the damn paparazzi back the fuck off today. He makes it down his street and walks quickly, fuming with anger. He weaves in and out of people and curses the busy LA streets.

He turns the corner and rams right into someone walking at an equally fast rate. He holds onto the stranger to steady himself and keep them up. “Sorry,” the man chokes out and Eddie is about to brush it off when he realizes he recognizes him.

“Steve?” He asks. He knew Billy lived in Los Angeles but he didn’t know he lived so close. The thought makes him kind of sick to his stomach. He thinks he might punch him if he ever saw him in person.

Steve wipes at his face and narrows his eyes at Eddie. “Sorry, do I know you?”

Eddie glances around before lifting up his sunglasses and hat, waiting for Steve to recognize him enough to gain his trust. Instead, Steve just stares at him blankly.

Eddie’s heart races. This has never really happened to him. He puts on the hat and sunglasses sheepishly. “Uh, I’m Eddie. I know you from Billy’s TikToks.”

Steve just tilts his head in confusion. His eyes are red and puffy. He wonders if Billy posted the video so soon after his prank and if Steve is currently in the aftermath of it. “Um,” Steve says and clears his throat, “Was I in the background or something? He told me I wasn’t in his TikToks.”

Eddie’s heart drops. He opens his phone and goes to Billy’s TikTok, ignoring the way his own TikTok is blowing up. He turns his phone to Steve and picks a less traumatizing prank to show him.

Steve grabs his phone and his eyes widen. A look of confusion crosses over his face that slowly turns into realization and numbness. “He’s been using me for views after promising he wouldn’t, isn’t he? I even asked if the pranks were somehow stupid content but he said they weren’t. He…” he trails off and shakes his head. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be unloading all of this onto you.”

Eddie shakes his head. “No, no. It’s okay. I’m sorry that I told you.”

He watches as Steve numbly nods and scrolls presumedly through Billy’s profile. He looks down at the screen and back at Eddie. “Is this you?” Steve asks hesitantly as he turns the phone back to him.

Eddie confusedly looks at his phone and sees that Billy has apparently replied to his TikTok already. Then, to his left, he hears a bit of commotion and sees some cameras flashing. Fuck. “Do you trust me?” Eddie asks.

Steve looks at his phone and back at Eddie.

Yeah, that’s a lot to ask of him. “Okay, how about this? You keep my phone, and we run back to my apartment around the corner and talk in private before we both end up in shitty magazines?”

Steve tilts his head and glances toward where a few people with cameras make their way to them yelling, “Eddie! Eddie Munson!”

“You’re not a famous serial killer or something, right?”

“Musician,” Eddie says and holds out his hand. “One who hates Billy Hargrove.”

Steve looks down at his hand and takes it running alongside Eddie who tries not to think about the stories that might come out of this. Gosh, he thought his biggest scandal would be when he came out as gay.

He makes his way back to his apartment telling his doorman, “Paparazzi! He’s with me!”

Hopper just nods in response and opens the door quickly. Eddie sighs in relief when he makes it through and to the elevator. Steve looks at him and asks, “How offended are you that I don’t know you?”

Eddie laughs. “Mildly, but it’s a relief really.” He realizes that isn’t the biggest concern in the moment and changes the subject. “Are you okay?”

Steve sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He opens his mouth but the elevator dings, and Steve almost looks relieved. Eddie doesn’t press it as he leads him to his apartment. “Make yourself at home. Do you want water, coffee, tea, soda, or anything?”

Steve numbly shakes his head, so Eddie grabs two bottles of water and two cokes from his fridge. He puts them down on his coffee table and sits on the couch, watching as Steve kind of hovers in his living room with his arms crossed. “I won’t bite, and I certainly won’t pressure you to do anything. But you can sit on the couch if you like.”

Steve eyes him and asks timidly, “You’re not in on anything with Billy, right?”

It breaks his heart seeing and hearing how on edge these pranks have made Steve. “Fuck no. I promise on my guitar I have never had anything to do with Billy and I never will. Well… unless you count me calling him out on his shit on TikTok.”

The words seem to get through to Steve who sits down on the couch next to Eddie while keeping his distance. “So… that’s why you were on his TikTok.”

Eddie’s heart hammers. He nearly forgot that Billy had apparently dueted his own video. “Yeah, but it has to be really new because I only posted mine literally a minute before I ran into you.”

Steve looks down at Eddie’s phone still in his hands. “Why?”

“Why what?” Eddie asks genuinely confused.

“Why did you call him out?” Steve asks, not sounding angry just… curious.

Eddie shifts and play with a string on one of the rips of his jeans. “His most recent video with the faked suicide. That wasn’t fucking cool, man. None of the pranks he’s done have been okay. And I’m sorry that you were put through them - especially this last one.”

Steve’s face turns almost white. “He posted that? Was I… was I in it? Like… my entire breakdown was…” he trials off as Eddie slowly nods. “Fuck,” Steve says burying his face in his hands. Eddie is about to apologize or go on a rant about how much he hates Billy Hargrove when Steve asks, “Can I see the video you made?”

Eddie’s cheek flush red, but he replies, “Yeah, uh, I don’t exactly remember what I said because I kind of went into a fit of rage and posted whatever came to mind. But yeah, my password is 051599.”

Steve types the password into his phone, and stares at the screen blankly. He looks at Eddie and asks, “I’m not on social media… ever so… could you show me?”

Eddie nods and slides over until he’s a few inches away from the beautiful man, and he does his best to try not to think too hard about how attractive he finds him as he goes to his profile and presses on his recent video. His nose scrunches up at the sound of his own voice, but he doesn’t disagree with anything he said. Billy Hargrove is a dick.

“Can I see the comments?” Steve asks. Eddie nods and clicks on them.

“Woah,” Eddie can’t help but say as he sees blue checkmark after blue checkmark. The top comments are from @ ronancetheromance with the couple saying: “Only an absolutely vile person is capable of such a fucked up prank. #SaveSteve”. Another from @ willthewise: “remember to comment on here instead of the original video so it can get less attention!! #savesteve”. Several of the rest of the streamers who call themselves “The Party” reply to Will’s with the hashtag “SaveSteve”.

“Who are these people?” Steve asks as he scrolls through the comments. He comes across one from @ billyfan4everandalways saying: “Watch Billy’s new video and stop being so quick to judge!!”

Eddie clicks on the replies, and the top liked one - having more likes than the original comment - is from @ ericasinclair: “that ugly mullet man’s explanation is bullshit and everyone knows it. let Steve talk for himself or I’m not buying it. #SaveSteve #CancelBilly”

Eddie nearly follows the girl, but realizes that Steve had asked a question. “Most of them I don’t know personally honestly.”

“Then why are they defending me? I’m nobody,” Steve says as if it’s a common fact.

Eddie turns off his phone and puts it down, properly facing Steve. “I know I don’t know you well, but you are not nobody. And these people are defending you not only because Billy is a dick, but this prank stuff is abusive and shouldn’t be normalized especially with the following he has. Nobody should go through that.”

Steve turns slightly red and looks away before asking, “Can we watch his reply?”

Eddie shudders a bit at the thought, but turns on his phone and goes to his page. “Are you sure? I haven’t seen it yet either, and I’m a little prone to getting pissed at him.”

“I’m sure,” Steve says and even reaches over to open the video.

Billy still has fake blood on him and is scrubbing it off with an angry look on his face. He looks at the camera every so often, and it’s clear that he’s staring at himself in a mirror. What a fucking asshole. “These pranks are harmless, and even my boyfriend would agree with that. He enjoys them and he makes sure to show me how much once the cameras stop rolling and his shock has died off,” Billy says so with a smirk on his face that sends chills down Eddie’s body. “So, stop making assumptions about me and my boyfriend and keep making shitty music instead asshole.” The video ends with him flipping off the camera.

“Charming,” Eddie comments, pausing the video so it doesn’t endlessly loop, and turns to see Steve’s reaction. He runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head.

“He’s lying. I’ve been begging him to stop for weeks. Even slept on the couch in protest. But that last one was the last straw. I just… don’t know where to go,” Steve sits back against the couch and mumbles, “Fuck.”

Eddie shifts and looks at him. “Do you have any friends or family that could take you in?”

Steve laughs humorlessly. “My parent disowned me when they found out I was dating Billy. Didn’t want a bi son ruining the family image. I had to move in with Billy, and he used to be sweet really. Well… I thought he was for the first three months. When his TikTok career took off he moved to LA, and I felt like I had no choice but to go with him. I grew apart from the few friends I had before the move, and I was just stuck with Billy here. And I… I don’t know,” Steve sighs and puts his head in his hands. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to dump all of this on you. I just… haven’t really had anyone to talk to.” The man lifts his head, his eyes are tired and filled with unshed tears. He’s gorgeous really, but that’s the last thing Eddie needs to be thinking about.

Eddie takes a moment to consider things. Steve seems like a good guy. He has plenty of extra room in his too big apartment and money to spare that he doesn’t know what to do with. Honestly, he’s not meant for this lifestyle and never has been. He’s happy that his uncle Wayne is retired and living comfortably off his too big income, but it’s lonelier than he imagined it to be.

And with that thought Eddie tells Steve, “Then live here for a while. No pranks. I won’t use you for clout or whatever. I have a guest bedroom with its own private bathroom, and I usually never have visitors. And I hate parties, so you don’t have to worry about that either. I may be writing songs in the middle of the night, but my music room is fairly soundproof. And trust me, I would appreciate the company or feeling like my money is going toward something important.”

Steve stands up and shakes his head. “It’s okay, man. I don’t want your charity. You’ve already done enough.”

Eddie stays on the couch and says, “Please, Steve, stay a week or just a few days. If you hate it here, I’ll help you get on your way. But trust me when I say you’ll help me too. It’s…” he sighs and runs a hand over his face, “It’s lonely in LA.” He cringes as he quotes the title of his favorite song that he’s written. It’s also his least popular one, but it’s the most honest thing on any of his albums.

“Reminds me of that song,” Steve says with a small smile.

Eddie’s head snaps up. “You know it?”

Steve hums the chorus of Eddie’s song and Eddie joins in. Steve stops to ask, “You know it, too?”

Eddie huffs a laugh. “I wrote it.”

Steve looks at him for a few moments longer with a combination of shock and hesitation. Then he surprises Eddie by asking, “You really wouldn’t mind if I stayed?”

“Not at all. Unless you ended up doing something really drastic like trying to murder me.”

Steve snorts, and Eddie finds it endearing. He tries to shake the feeling away. He can not fall for this man when he’s a guest in his house and especially not after everything he’s been through. But then Steve gives him a real smile and holds out his hand saying, “It’s a deal.”

And when Eddie takes his hand and feels how warm and nice it feels in his, half of him wants to argue that it’s just because it’s been a while since he’s actually had a genuine conversation with another person. But the other half is quick to accept that he’s absolutely fucked when it comes to this stranger that he feels like he’s inevitably going to fall in love with.

[space-blue]

Ekko walks away from the final battle in a daze after learning that Jinx is dead. Or: An alternate ending to the show, in which she isn't, no matter what Vi believes.

Timebomb. 4.3k one shot. Alternate ending/fix it fic!