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zmediaoutlet · 11 months ago

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wincest + 7?

The second time Sam listened to the voicemail was at a gas station a hundred miles from the airport where they’d emergency-landed, on their way to Chuck to find out—whatever could be found out. Dean was gassing up their stolen car and Sam said he’d go in to get—coffee, food. Dean said sure without looking at him. The station was bright and the TV over the counter was playing footage from Ilchester. “Crazy, huh?” the clerk said, and Sam said that yeah, it was, and could he please get the key for the bathroom.

He sat on the toilet with the hem of his jeans soaking up something horribly wet and he tried not to breathe through his nose and he held his hand tight over his eyes and he listened to it again. Dean’s voice crackling and strange through the speaker, like he was ten thousand miles away instead of on the other side of the concrete wall. Freak, he said, and monster. Certain it was true.

Sam took a piss after all. When he came out with his hands washed and his face dry he filled up two cups with coffee and he grabbed a handful of granola bars and he stood at the counter behind a woman who was getting twenty on pump 3 and a pack of a cigarettes and who was staring frankly shocked up at the TV, like she hadn’t seen the world ending before. “What happened?” she said, bewildered. The clerk shrugged. She looked behind herself, at Sam, and Sam felt like he was bleeding somewhere essential but unreachable, like all his organs were splitting and his skin would go dark purple-black all over and people would know, at last, what he’d—what had—except that the woman didn’t say another thing and just shook her head and left, and the clerk rang Sam out without paying much attention, and he was disgorged into the warmish night like everything was—fine.

Dean was leaning on the side of the awful little car with his arms folded over his chest, looking at the ground. He glanced up when Sam walked closer and he looked at the coffee cups and at Sam’s knees and his eyes skittered over Sam’s face without pausing. It was a long way to Ohio, he said. Sam didn’t bother to nod. He got into the passenger side and he set the coffees in the neat little pop-out beverage holders and he put on his seatbelt and he looked out the windshield, straight-ahead. Dean sat behind the wheel silent for five seconds before he turned over the inadequate engine and they drove east, unwilling to bear the radio.

The third time Sam listens to the voicemail is after he gets the job at Hoyt’s. At a motel close enough to be convenient but not obvious, the clerk tells him they only have king rooms left. “Hope that’s okay,” he says. It is, Sam says.

It isn’t because the bed is too large and the room is too empty and he stands with his back to the door for almost a minute, which he knows only because the old clock on the bedside snaps to 03:47 while he’s staring at nothing. He’s supposed to be at the new job at 5:00 and doesn’t have time for this.

He sets salt at the windows and door and he bleeds himself just enough to set the sigils a demon taught him at the corners of the room where it will matter and then he takes a shower, as hot as he can stand it, wanting to be skinned and boiled clean and have every rancid rotting part of himself picked away from the frame of his bones and then stitched up right. To be other than what he is. But that isn’t on offer, so he washes his hair and shaves and dresses in clothes without bloodstains and laces his sneakers tight and then sits on the end of the bed, sorting out the wallet for ‘Keith’. Thirty-two bucks and a license he made yesterday at a Staples and a very small very stupid keepsake that he should not have, a business card for FBI Agent D. Nugent, with a number Sam knows will ring to places he isn’t welcome, but against all logic he takes his phone out of his pocket, anyway, because—

Why? He holds his phone in both hands and looks at the carpet fibers, the toes of his shoes. Because they were meant to know where the other was. Because without even a vague idea—state, city, motel—some anchor was missing from the world. But, with what Sam has done, that anchoring chain has snapped, and he doesn’t know, now, where Dean is. Could call Bobby, but perhaps Bobby doesn’t know, either, and worse: what if Bobby doesn’t answer, or if he does answer, what if he won’t tell Sam, for any number of reasons that Sam deserves to have stacked around his heart, ready to scorch the whole thing to cinders.

His stupid heart. Aching, still. Not the fierce stinging pain of a gunshot but as solid and unrelenting an agony as from a broken bone, some fundamental error that will take months to heal. Or it won’t. The king bed’s a joke. The last king bed was almost a year ago, when Dean was back from hell and things weren’t yet as awful as they could be and they’d split a bottle of decent bourbon and Dean had told Sam, laughing, that his jokes were terrible, that he was actually the least funny person on this or any planet, and Sam had propped himself over Dean and dragged his thumb over Dean’s grin and said, yeah, sure, and you’re Mel Brooks, and Dean had promptly said it’s good to be the king, and hitched his thigh over Sam’s hip, and it had been—not perfect, but as close maybe as either of them could ever get, as close to heaven as Sam had ever had a hope for, and Sam’s chest throbs like every single rib has separated from the sternum. Some essential protection lost.

He listens to the voicemail. Dean says there’s no going back.

Sam deletes the message. He rubs his fingertips over his lips and scrubs away ghosts. He texts Bobby, Great Plains Motel, Garber OK, and then turns off the phone so he can’t know if there’s a response. He has work to get to. What passes for a life, after that.

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#wincest #my writing #writing meme #i can't remember how i was tagging these #and is this two months late? you're damn right it is #but sometimes that's how she goes #this is a great song btw #that i'm taking to an ever sadder degree #go figure!!!

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bow-of-aros · 23 days ago

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We Love You, Dumbass

Summary:

Scrags is having a rough day. He's exhausted and his mind won't leave him alone. It's a good thing that he has some VERY persistent friends.

Guys. Guys. Holy shit. I watched this a few days ago and AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Scrags is so perfect I love him. I don't know what Joey Richter puts into his characters but it's like crack they're all amazing. Anyway Scrags has literally not left my mind in days and I knew that I had to write this. I went a little insane over it so I hope y'all enjoy!! <33

Scrags sat in his little makeshift office, typing up the reports that he still needed to send to his superiors. He’d decided to stay with the FBI but as a liaison between the bureau and the Solve It Squad. Well, his title said liaison, or team manager depending on what document you looked at, but it was more desperate babysitter than anything else.

Honestly, his boss had just been thrilled that Scrags wasn’t ‘moping around’ as much anymore. Apparently, as long as the Squad kept bringing in criminals and ‘dragging a smile kicking and screaming across his frowny face’ they could work as externals.

It was a nice sentiment, in a way, but it only served to add to the stress he already dealt with on a daily basis.

Laughter filtered in from the other room and Scrags’ chest tightened briefly as he tried to focus harder on the words that had started swimming in front of him.

Look, he was glad that the gang got back together. Really, he was! Solving mysteries with his best friends was everything kid Scrags had ever dreamed of, and he was a real-life FBI agent with a badge and everything! Everything should be great.

Except he was a real-life FBI agent.

With a badge and everything.

Which meant that he had to hold himself to certain standards. There were regulations and protocols in place, not only for Scrags, but for the whole Solve It Squad. Scrags typically had no problem adhering to this, losing himself in order and routine had been one of the easier parts of becoming an agent.

But now he had to make sure that the rest of his friends also adhered to all those rules, and that was an impossible task.

They hadn’t had to worry about rules, or even laws, back in middle school. Everything they did was swept under the rug after a job well done, and consequences weren’t a word that any of them were very familiar with. The Solve It Squad basically had free reign to do whatever they needed (or wanted) as long as they caught the bad guy at the end.

And they always caught the bad guy.

Scrags brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, trying to will away the headache he could feel building there. Even with everyone in their thirties, he still couldn’t manage to snap them out of that ‘no consequences’ mindset. He was a federal agent for Christ’s sake! He could’ve arrested each of them a dozen times over for the bullshit that they pulled right in front of him.

There wasn’t anything else that he could try. Scrags had begged, pleaded, coerced, bribed, and even made an attempt at ordering Keith, Esther, and Gwen to listen to him and follow at least some bureau protocol, and nothing seemed to stick.

It’s not like he didn’t want to join in, to relive that time when the squad was at the top of the world, completely invincible.

He just couldn’t.

Scrags had to make sure that, on top of catching the bad guy, that none of his friends did anything noticeable enough to get them in trouble. He had to coordinate with his boss all of the cases they got, write up all the reports because nobody else wanted to stoop as low as doing paperwork, and try to hold himself together all the while.

A tear dropped onto his paperwork and Scrags realized with a jolt that he was crying. He frantically patted the paper dry with his sleeve as he scrubbed at his face, glancing at the crack in the door longingly.

He could picture them all tangled together, reigniting the tradition of a post-case movie night. From the number of times Scrags had heard Esther yell “Fucking gross!” he would guess that Gwen had chosen some romcom that she loved. Normally, he would be there to make fun of it with Esther, to be someone they could roll their eyes at.

But not tonight. It was easier than he’d expected to slip back into the role of outsider. Sure, everyone had admitted that they felt like they didn’t belong in one way or another, but Scrags had always known his place. He’d been part of the group because Cluebert was his dog, and now he was here because he made sure they actually got paid for their cases.

It was okay though, to be ‘no-fun Scrags’ or ‘goody two-shoes Scrags’ because that Scrags is who kept this whole thing up and running.

“Keith! That’s fucking disgusting!” That was Gwen’s voice, but she was laughing and the noise was echoed by two other distinct laughs. The sound wound around Scrags’ heart and squeezed until he was doubled over his desk, arms wrapped around himself in an effort to keep from falling apart.

A few deep breaths and he decided that he could just get the rest of this done tomorrow. A good night’s rest was all he needed to clear his head and start fresh tomorrow with the vain hope that maybe something would bother to go right for him.

After Scrags organized his papers to the best of his ability, he gave one last wipe to his eyes and slipped out the door, intent on just walking past everyone and getting to bed.

“Hey Scrags! There you are, man!” Well, so much for that plan.

He looked up to see Keith beaming at him, oblivious as usual with Gwen half asleep against his shoulder and Esther sprawled over their laps, staring at Scrags much too pointedly to be comfortable.

“Uh, hey,” His voice cracked and he paused to clear his throat, “Hey guys. I’m pretty beat so I think I’m just gonna head to sleep, alright? Okay.”

Scrags made it about two steps past the couch before someone caught his wrist in a vice-like grip. A sharp tug revealed it to be Esther, their fingers digging into his arm just a bit too tight. He shifted uncomfortably as they scrutinized him, knowing better than to try and pull away before they were done.

Finally, they spoke, “What? You’re just going to leave me alone with them?” And that little spark of hope that had been kindling within him was quickly snuffed out. Of course they didn’t want him there for his company, they just wanted a distraction from the clusterfuck that was Keith’s infinite determination to hit on a married woman.

“Sorry that I can’t be more helpful, Esther,” Scrags fought to keep his voice steady, or at least to pass it off as exhaustion, “I don’t want to intrude or anything. You guys have fun though!”

When he went to pull away though, Esther’s grip tightened and Keith and Gwen had both fully snapped to attention, watching him carefully.

Shit, he must’ve said something wrong.

Scrags scrambled to cover up whatever it was, “I’m just really tired, you know! There’s just so much paperwork to fill out and it’s been a really long day. Keeping you guys out of trouble while coordinating with the FBI is no easy task! Someone’s gotta be the bad guy and make sure we get paid and don’t get put in jail, am I right?”

It was supposed to be a joke. Albeit a weak joke delivered with an even weaker smile that fell so much flatter than even Scrags could’ve guessed. Everyone was frowning, even if Keith’s was more out of confusion than anything else.

He opened his mouth again, not totally sure what else was going to come out but desperately trying to salvage whatever it was that he’d done because of course he’d ruined the mood. Classic Scrags.

Esther cut him off before he could say anything, “Keith, take this,” they said, holding out Scrags’ arm.

“Uh, okay?” Keith took hold of it, not as tight as Esther had but tight enough that Scrags knew that he wouldn’t be able to pull away easily. “Now what?”

“Now fucking pull.” Scrags’ jaw dropped slightly.

“Wait, what—shit!” Keith barely even hesitated before doing as he was told, yanking Scrags down on top of the pile. He fell unceremoniously, not even getting the chance to recover before Esther was shoving him in between Keith and Gwen before flopping back on top of them, ensuring that they were taking up as much space as humanly possible.

Now, this was definitely not what Scrags had been expecting, and he had a feeling that it was heading nowhere good, but he had to admit that it was nice. He’d never been the most affectionate of the bunch, not because he didn’t want to be, but because he was always too nervous to be the first to reach out. The chance that they’d awkwardly chuckle and guide him away loomed over him so he just, never tried.

But sitting here, soaking in the warmth and the pressure of his friends, he couldn’t help but relax a bit, sinking into them as much as he could allow himself.

Scrags opened his mouth, then closed it again, working his jaw as he swallowed down an odd lump in his throat. “What’s this for? Not that I mind! It’s just, well, uh—”

“Alright guys,” Esther completely ignored everything he was saying in order to speak to the other two, “Scrags is having one of his bad days where his brain is being shitty and telling him fuckass lies. Does everyone remember the drill?”

He looked around, completely lost as Gwen nodded solemnly, “Hold on tight, and don’t let him run away while we make him talk about his feelings.” She said it like it was something they’d all said a thousand times, and suddenly certain moments from his childhood started making sense.

“And?” Esther prompts, looking at Keith.

“And, when we’re done, make sure he’s smiling!” Keith’s beaming, looking immensely proud of himself when Esther nods approvingly.

Scrags wriggles around in an attempt to free his arms, trying to ignore the gentle warmth spreading through him when arms tighten around him. “Okay. What the hell is going on?!”

“Is it not obvious?” Gwen asks, cocking her head at him, “You’re being a repressed sad sack, and we’re going to cheer you up!”

As he scrambles for something to say, Esther drawls from their place on his lap, “So, even though I know exactly what’s going on, I’m going to give you the opportunity to be a big boy and tell us yourself.”

“What?” Scrags chuckles nervously, “I’m fine! Everything’s fine! Totally fine!”

Esther cut him a flat look while Gwen snorted. Keith jostled him a bit, saying “Oh come on Scrags! Even I can tell that’s bullshit, and that’s really saying something. You know you can talk to us about anything, so what’s wrong?”

For a brief moment, Scrags considered it. Like, really considered it. Spilling his guts then and there and telling them how much of an outsider he still felt, even wrapped up in a weird embrace like he was now. Explaining that he doesn’t want to suck the fun out of things, that he wants more than anything to go back to solving cases the way they used to but there are standards he has to hold himself to now. And how every time they brush him off just makes everything worse because he’s doing it for them, so he just feels unwanted and useless.

But then he remembered the laughter he’d heard from the other room and how, even though they didn’t seem to like him as much as they liked each other, they still did things like this for him.

He really didn’t want to fuck up what little he had going for himself, so he just plastered on what was hopefully a more convincing smile and avoided looking anyone in the eye lest they somehow manage to read his thoughts.

“Nothing’s wrong you guys,” He reassured them, “I’m just tired, really.”

Silence rang throughout the group for a moment and Scrags readied himself to be pushed away when Esther let out a long-suffering sigh and said, “Looks like we’re moving to phase two. You fuckers ready?”

“Yessir!” Came Keith’s joking reply and Scrags felt his arms shift as hands wrapped around his wrists once more. They were firmly pulled a bit away from him as Scrags frantically tried to remember what the fuck was happening, dredging through similar situations from twenty years ago for anything that would—

Oh. Oh shit.

“There it is!” Esther said gleefully, “Now, do you still feel like ‘everything’s fine’?”

“Uh- I- I just-” Scrags started pulling on his arms defensively, that old instinct telling him to protect himself kicking in. He looked around frantically and was met with three gazes, each looking like the cat who got the canary, “Everything is fine! You guys don’t have to do tHIS—Hehehey!”

He broke into giggles as Esther nodded at Gwen who started to deliver quick little pinches to his ribs. His elbows attempted to jerk inwards but Keith’s grip was solid and Gwen was relentless, easily finding that spot near the back of his ribs from when they were kids and spidering her nails over it, making Scrags’ laughter pitch up in desperation.

Meanwhile, Esther just stared at him, unimpressed. After a few moments, a sly grin spread across their face and they reached up to flutter their fingers under his chin, lighting up when he let out a snort.

“Guys! Did you hear that?” Keith exclaimed, still holding on tight but grinning for all he was worth, “Scrags still snorts when you get his neck! Ah, classic.”

Gwen nodded in agreement, “It might actually be cuter than I remember! What do you think, Esther?”

“Hmmmmm,” Esther dragged it out, “Yeah. He’s pretty damn adorable, aren’t you, Scrags?”

Scrags was pretty sure that he was dying. He can feel his face burning and he’s certain that the others can see it if the way Gween coos and pokes at his cheek with her free hand is any indication.

He let out an embarrassed groan, frantically shaking his head through his giggles, “Nohohoho I’m nohohohot! Let me gohohoho!”

“Awwww, you don’t really mean that though, do you?” Esther asked, a shit-eating grin on their face, “But, if you tell us what’s wrong, we could probably give you a breather.”

“Buhuhut nothing’s—WAIT!” Scrags shrieked as Esther suddenly wormed a hand under themselves to rest threateningly on his knee, “Okay! Okahahay I’ll talk!”

Gwen let up and Keith loosened his grip, though not removing it completely, and they watched as Scrags got out the last of his residue giggles. He glared at Esther, not that they seemed fazed by it, “You are evil.”

They just shrugged, adjusting to get more comfortable. “And? Get talking, Scragtowski, or I’m about to get a whole lot eviler. Something about being the bad guy and still not feeling like part of the group and that nothing you do is taken seriously?”

“Yeah, I—” Scrags cut himself off, “Wait, I didn’t say those last two things. Where the hell did that come from?!”

Gwen laughs as Esther just looks at him, and Scrags sighs, “Right, fair enough.”

He falls silent for a bit, trying to find the words, and they wait patiently for him. When Scrags finally opens his mouth, the words catch in his throat and he looks helplessly at the people around him, silently begging them to just let him go and forget this ever happened.

No such luck though as Keith rubs his shoulder comfortingly, “Hey man, you can talk to us. God knows you make us deal with our shit when we need to, it’s only fair that we return the favour.”

Scrags really wishes that he had access to his arms so that he could drag a hand across his face, but instead he takes in a deep breath, holds it for a moment, and slowly lets it back out.

“I don’t know if I want to get too into it, but, you know, things have changed!” He stares at them imploringly, hoping that he’s making sense, “I work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. That’s the highest level of law enforcement in America! I have rules to follow and people to answer to!”

If he weren’t currently surrounded, he’d be pacing right now, so he lets his leg bounce under Esther in an attempt to quell the nervous energy. They don’t say anything about it.

“And it doesn’t help that you guys are constantly breaking laws, you know? Right in front of me! You could be put in jail for years for some of the shit you pull! So not only am I trying to make sure that my boss is happy with our work, I’m also covering your asses which goes against basically everything I’m supposed to be doing! I took a fucking oath!”

There’s a point on the ceiling that Scrags has fixed his eyes onto so he doesn’t have to see the looks he’s probably getting. It’s a very interesting shade of off-white.

Now that he’s started, it’s hard to stop, “And because I’m doing all that, I don’t get to join in all the fun stuff you guys do! Do you think I want to be constantly telling you guys that you can’t be doing things? No! I don’t! And I can feel you guys wishing I wasn’t here every single time I do it and it fucking sucks okay?!”

“I just—” Scrags lets his head sag back against the couch, suddenly too exhausted to bother holding it up, “It’s tough, being the one who has to ruin everyone’s fun so I, and you guys by extension, don’t lose this job. I’m used to not being everyone’s favourite, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt sometimes. I want to be out here watching stupid movies and laughing with you guys instead of being in there,” He gestures at the closet-turned-office, “Trying to figure out how to write a report in a way that doesn’t make us liable for breaking and entering! Or the insane amount of drugs that Esther has in their system at all times!”

It feels good for a few seconds to get everything off his chest. He’s breathing heavily like he’d just been running, and then everything he just said hits him like a sack of bricks.

“Shit guys,” Scrags squeezes his eyes shut, “This is exactly what I didn’t want to do. Sorry for ruining your movie night.”

Someone smacks his chest. Probably Esther judging by the force used, “It was supposed to be our movie night, dumbass. You included. We—Hey! Look at me!” Fingers snap in front of his face and he reluctantly opens his eyes, looking down at his friend’s very serious face.

They grab his chin forcefully and look him right in the eye, “We’ve been shitty friends. You’ve been jumping through insane hoops for us ever since you got us hooked up with this job and all we’ve been doing is making it harder. We’ll work on that. And,” They cut him off when he tries to protest, “We were even shittier for blaming you for all of it. I’ll try and do my drugs in the bathroom more often if it gives you something less to worry about.”

“Yeah, actually,” Scrags says hesitantly, a fragile hope blooming, “That would make things a little easier.”

“I’m not saying that we’re going to listen to you all the time, because that would be boring as shit,” They warn him, “But it probably wouldn’t hurt to help you actually keep your job. You know, for the money. Gotta support my drug addiction somehow.”

Tension starts to slowly seep out of him as Keith adds, “Yeah dude. We don’t need you more stressed than you already are, you gotta relax!” He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, “We’ll include you more. And stop being assholes. Mostly. Sorry.” He tacks the last part on like the word fits uncomfortably in his mouth, but Scrags appreciates the sentiment.

“Oh Scrags, I’m so sorry!” Gwen’s normally dramatic, but there’s something about this that seems truly genuine. She wraps him up in a tight hug, squeezing to the point where he wheezes out a slightly pained breath, “You’ve been doing so much for us and we’ve been nothing but awful about it! We’re gonna make it up to you, I promise!”

It’s honestly overwhelming, the affection and the apologies and the appreciation he’s been wanting for so long. His eyes dart around to each of his friend’s faces, all looking at him with some mixture of guilt (Keith), determination (Gwen), and a vague ambivalence with an undertone of ferocity (Esther).

All he can really do is stammer out, “Oh! Uh, thanks! It’s- It’s not really a big deal, really. It would definitely, ah, make my job easier.”

Scrags doesn’t know how much of it he really believes, but the sentiment is definitely nice. Figuring that he’s done his part, he moves to get up, but everyone’s grip tightens on him again.

“Uh, guys? What are you doing?”

Esther scoffs, sitting up a bit, “Don’t you remember the rules? We can’t let you go unless you’re smiling.”

A nervous grin starts tugging at his lips, “Oh come on! You don’t have to do that. I’m already smiling, see?”

Keith shakes his head, “Nuh-uh, that’s not a real smile. And we just agreed to follow the rules for you!”

He jolts as he feels fingers start to crawl up his sides and to his ribs, “We’re making it up to you!” Gwen digs in a little harder, pulling a yelp out of him, “Now, hold still so that we can include you. You’re part of the Solve It Squad too, Scrags! It’s time you started acting like it!”

“Wait! Shihihihihihit Esther NO!” They finally made good on their previous threat and started squeezing at his knees, completely unmoved by his attempts at shaking them off as he frantically kicked his legs.

“Esther yes!” Their grin sharpened as Scrags shrieked, Gwen tracing nonsense shapes across his ribs in a way that made him want to crawl out of his skin. “Now, how about you repeat after me? My friends care about me and I’m a real part of the group.”

The tone in which they said it was mean and teasing, but when Scrags managed to look at them, they were dead serious. Even if he couldn’t believe it, they wanted him to say it. Esther had always believed in lying to yourself until you started to believe it.

“What?! No wahahahahay!” Scrags desperately tried to crumble or squeeze into an itty bitty ball when Esther switched to scratching behind his knees, “Gehehehet out of thehehehere! Ehehehehesther!”

Things only got worse when Keith got bored and decided to let go of one of his arms and start prodding at his stomach, easily batting away his flailing limb.

“FUCK Keheheheheith! Guys I cahahahan’t!” Tears were starting to well up from the force of his laughter and, honestly? Scrags hadn’t felt this light in fucking years. Maybe decades.

Gwen’s hand crept higher, still maddeningly light, matched by the increasing shrillness of Scrags’ laughter, “Come onnnnn! You know what you have to do!”

Scrags tore through his memory for what Esther had told him to say, the words slipping through his fingers every time he thought he got hold of them.

“I dohohohohon’t—” He was cut off by another laughing fit and Esther rolled their eyes at him.

“The passphrase is My friends care about me and I’m a real part of the group,” They said, “Also! If I ever feel like this again, I’m going to tell them and let them take care of me.”

Scrags whined in distress, “Whahahahat?! Cohohohohome on!” But then Esther went back to squeezing the muscle in his legs and Keith’s hand wandered up to his neck, and he cracked, “Fihihihihine!”

Like magic, the touches lightened, just enough to keep him giggling while letting him get some air in. He took a bit longer than he probably needed to recover, but was promptly spurred into action by a warning poke to his ribs.

“Okahay! My friends cahare about me. Ahahand- And I’m a reheheal part of the group!”

He got a brief round of applause before Esther said, “Annnnnnd?”

“Ahahahand-HEY!” He glared at an unapologetic Esther who’d given his side a quick pinch, “If I ever feel like this again I’ll tell you guys and let you take care of me!”

The sentence was pushed out in one quick breath, and Scrags sighed in relief when wiggling fingers turned into soothing pats. A grin was glued to his face, taking all the heat out of his words, “You guys are the fucking worst.”

They all laughed at him and settled in a little more.

“Yeah yeah, you wanna get to bed now, tough guy?” Esther raised an eyebrow at him, already knowing his answer.

“…..No,” He grumbled, letting himself sink into his friends’ warm embrace and turning his attention to whatever new movie Keith had just put on, “I can probably stick around for a bit.”

Scrags could feel the weight of the grins directed at him, flushing a bit as he tried to ignore them.

Keith ruffled his hair, “Good. We’re happy to have you here.”

And, when Gwen and Esther nodded in agreement against him, Scrags let the thought that they really did mean it take root. There was a vague “Yeah, we love you, dumbass,” muttered quietly that he’d never admit almost brought tears back to his eyes. He would protect this feeling, these people, with everything he had. A

It turns out that putting his trust in his friends—no, his family, might not be such a scary thing after all.

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goth1c-pinki3-pi3 · 5 months ago

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im writing this because my friends are being assholes and this gives me an excuse to ignore them

So, in this Bones x Voltron au, Keith is Sweets. and we all know that lance sweets had a shitty past with the foster care system so i’ll be bringing one of my favorite (if done well) head cannons in. Everyone say hi to “keiths abusive past in the foster system after his dads death”!! now keith was in the system since he was about 8-14/5 right? cus thats the general age he looks then he joins the garrison for high school and leaves (is kicked out) the final year (yada yada yada, cannon ensues.) Keith comes back to Earth and time had passed, he’s finally able to drink and shit.

But he’s been in space for so long, that he doesn’t know how to socialize. He also doesn’t know how humans work anymore, because some of his own anatomy has changed with his inevitable galra puberty. So obviously he decides to study psychology in hopes of understanding how to communicate with people.

Now the fun stuff. He gets a job into the fbi as one of the youngest psychologists because he has a good reference from the garrison (which, in my mind, is in it’s own way a military school). help doesn’t wanna go into the fbi with this big reputation of saving the world, because they’ll ask about that and wouldn’t focus on the fact that he id a registered psychologist!

Now this can either “end” in 2 ways. Either number 1 (the boring one) where instead of Lance dying, his new galra anatomy (and the trained ability to move his organs while in the BOM) makes sure he survives and Daisy doesn’t have to raise their kid without him.

Or we can go with my favorite, number 2!! Now number 2 lies in the fact that the government knows about aliens and that Hodgins regularly goes to sweets (when they’re both not clocked in) to share conspiracy theories together. Of course, they’re best friends so Keith keeps no secrets and introduces Hodgins to his mom. Its also important to point out that Hodgins is an orphan. So of course Krolia emotionally adopts this crazy lil silly guy whos like, less than a fraction of her age.

Everything comes to a blow when something causes both Keith and Hodgins to be in danger. Keith still keeps his blade with him with permission from the government because you know, he saved the world. And that blade has some connection to his mom so he sends a pulse through it to signal he and Hodgins are in danger and she races over to save them.

Yeash this made my hands hurt. Anyways this goes out to @mosscreeper-ao3 who raised thier hand when i asked if anyone would listen to me rant about my bones (2005) x voltron idea. 🫶

#cassie's rambles #voltron #keith kogane #keith voltron #vld keith #galra keith #voltron legendary defender #bones on fox #bones tv series #bones 2005 #lance sweets #jack hodgins #theyre my little sillies

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amazingmsme · 1 year ago

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A Good Golly Holiday Time

AN: Extremely loosely based on the squealing santa warmup prompt featherflake & basically just my excuse to write for The Solve It Squad/How the Grunch Cribbed Christmas. Ever since I first laid eyes on Scrags I knew he had to get wrecked. Hope you enjoy, merry Christmas & happy holidays to everyone! Really gonna try to pump out one more holiday fic but we’ll see about that won’t we?

Scrags... really wasn't having a good time. He normally tried to avoid the holidays because it only served to remind him of the family that didn't want him, and that fucking Maddie girl in his dad's reserved seat was just rubbing salt in the wound. He tried to keep his glaring to a minimum.

It seems his efforts failed because his friends very easily picked up on his sour mood, and it was obvious that they were walking on eggshells around him. They were in the craft portion of the planned activities, and it felt like his friends were coddling him rather than actually checking in. It was insulting damn it, he was a grown ass man! He didn't need their condescending praise about his crappy snowflake or the pitying looks they cast his way when they thought he wouldn't notice. Well news flash: he notices everything; he's a fucking FBI agent for crying out loud!

He heaved a heavy sigh as he glued a handful of feathers onto his snowflake. Keith walked behind him and off to the side, looking over Ester's shoulder at the iPad in their hands.

"So, what's the chat saying about me?" he asked, sweeping a hand through his hair. Ester rolled their eyes as they continued to scroll through the comments.

"Not much, they're all talking about what a sad sack of coal Scrags is being," they muttered, causing Kieth to furrow his brows.

"What? No way, Scrags is always high strung and snappy, they just don't know him like we do," he tried to justify. He glanced up at Scrags, his playful smirk falling when he saw the way their friend's shoulders sagged. He slapped a handful of feathers onto his snowflake in a messy, haphazard thud onto the table. "Okay yeah, he is being a classic Grunch, but it's not like we can cheer him up." Keith caught sight of a nearby camera and flashed a smile and wink.

Ester rolled their eyes. Keith stepped in front of her to be in the camera's full view and addressed the audience.

"Hey all you beautiful people at home! Our friend Scrags is having a little trouble getting in the holiday spirit, so we're taking suggestions on how to cheer him up!"

"Really Keith? C'mon, we got more important things to do! I need all you fuck nuggets at home to donate in my name, got that?!" Esther yelled, addressing the camera as they shoved Kieth out of the way. "Think of the children, first and foremost, but make sure I fucking win when you do!" they insisted, drawing the attention of Gwen and Scrags with the shrill pitch of their voice.

"Esther, try and keep it down, it's arts and crafts time and I do expect you to use your indoor voice," Gwen said in her classic cheerful tone with a dash of condescension and and a pinch of superiority. Thankfully, neither Esther nor Keith paid her any mind as they searched the comments for ideas.

"Wow you guys really have no sense of humor," Esther muttered as they scrolled past a few particularly bad holiday themed jokes. Keith grabbed their wrist and pointed at the screen.

"Hold up, go back I think I saw something," he said, not waiting for them to comply and snatched the iPad.

"Hey, give that back!"

"In a sec!" he said, scrolling until he found the comment once more. He froze and looked at Esther with an excited, sinister grin. "I think mrsclausgiantjuggs just gave us the solution to our problem."

"Ew, Kieth-"

"No, it's a username! Here look!"

"No I don't wanna-" they stopped mid sentence as they read the comment. A devilish glint flashed in their eyes. "Is Scrags ticklish? You guys should totally tickle him, I bet THAT will cheer him up!" They looked up from the screen and locked eyes with Keith. An evil chuckle slipped out as they slowly crept over to their gloomy friend.

"Gwen, your snowflake is looking picture perfect, just like you," Keith flirted, ever the suck up simp.

She flushed and giggled, "Oh stop!"

"Scrags, buddy! Yours is... coming along," he said, staring at the mess of paper, glitter glue and feathers.

"Gee, thanks. Gwen made me do this so she wouldn't be crafting all by herself," he teased lightly. "But y'know, I think it'd look better if you did it, Esther. Or even you, Keith."

"The hell do you mean "even me?" he asked incredulously. Esther smacked him from behind, reminding him they had a goal to accomplish.

“Scrags, I gotta be honest with you. You’re acting like a Grade A Grunch, and the chat’s picking up on your vibe. Now if you don’t change that, we’re gonna have to take drastic measures,” he warned/threatened. Scrags merely rolled his eyes.

“Sorry that I’m not happy enough to conform to your cheerful holiday standards,” he quipped, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.

“Well that’s where we come in,” Keith said, sidling up next to him. Scrags looked him up and down skeptically.

“I’m not really in the mood for jokes…”

“Oh but this isn’t a joke!” Esther assured from his other side, making him jump. “If you ask me, this is a sure fire way to get your cheer meter filled all the way to the tippy top!”

Scrags scoffed, returning to his half-assed snowflake. He jerked away with a squeal when he felt something soft and fluffy flutter over his ear. He looked over to see Keith twirling a feather between his fingers, sporting a wicked grin. Scrags held his arms out in front of him as a weak defense.

“Dude, no, we’re live,” he practically pleaded.

“Uh, I know. This was a fan suggestion!” he chirped. Scrags choked on his own spit, sputtering and stumbling to his feet.

“Ex-excuse me? No, I don’t believe you!”

“Oh but it’s true,” Esther spoke up from behind him, making his blood run cold.

He stared at her, completely frozen for a solid few seconds before his brain caught up with himself. “What?” he reacted with his entire body, tossing his head around to look at her, placing his hands on his hips in his iconic sassy dad pose. “Who would want to see that?” he demanded.

“I think a better question is who wouldn’t want to see that,” Gwen joined in on the teasing, walking up behind Scrags and squeezed both his hips, making him twist out of her grip with a choked off giggle. “Great idea Keith!”

“Technically all the credit goes to mrsclausgiantjuggs, but I am the one spearheading this mission,” he bragged on himself, but still gave credit where credit was due. Okay, so maybe he wanted to say that username one more time.

“No, okay, I am shutting this down, it is not happenIIING!” his stern scolding morphed into a shrill squeal when Ester grew tired of waiting and dug their fingers in his armpits. He whipped around just in time to see their sinister grin as they wiggled their fingers in the air, getting ever closer. He desperately tried to fight off the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Not once up to this point in the livestream had he been so aware of the multiple cameras trained on them. He continued backing away from the threatening fingers… Right into Keith’s outstretched arms.

Strong arms, that immediately trapped him in a very tickly bear hug. “GOTCHA!” he yelled as he pinched and kneaded his sides and ribs, launching him into a full fledged giggle fit. He squirmed around like a fish on a hook, swatting and shoving at his probing hands.

“Aww, I can’t remember the last time you looked so happy, Scrags!” Gwen cooed, placing a hand over her melting heart. She wasn’t even meaning to tease, it was a genuine observation.

“Ihihihit’s fohohorced! Gwen d-don’t just stahahand there, hehehelp me damnit!” he snapped through his laughter. Before she could answer, Esther interjected.

“Uh oh, someone clearly isn’t feeling the holiday spirit!” He shook his head, eyes wide with panic as they lunged for him. Their fingers prodded his soft belly, causing him to double over in Keith’s grip.

“Oh I’ll help you alright! Trust me, when we’re through with you, you’ll feel like a million bucks! Just like when we were kids, right Mr. Giggles?” she asked and okay this time she definitely meant to tease. It had the desired effect and had him turning a rather adorable shade of pink.

“D-dohohon’t call me thahahat!” he cried indignantly, twisting around in his friend’s hold to hide his face from the camera, and hopefully protect at least a few of his tickle spots.

He realized his mistake when Keith took a deep breath and planted a loud, sloppy raspberry on his neck.

“OHOHOHO FUCK KEITH THAHAHAT’S SO GROSS, GEHEHET OHOHOFF!” Scrags’s hysterical laughter nearly blew out his mic before it tapered off into a less earsplitting volume as Keith pulled away, wiping a hand on his mouth.

“Sorry, could’ve sworn you said you liked raspberries,” he said with a shit eating grin. Scrags rolled his eyes, still grinning from ear to ear.

“Yeah, the fruit you dickwahahad!” his insult lost its edge when Esther drilled their thumbs in his hips, sending him back into helpless laughter.

“Hey, this is a charity livestream for children, watch your motherfucking mouth!” Esther yelled over him. Gwen gasped at the outburst.

“Well that’s the pot calling the kettle black!”

Esther smirked, cocking their head to the side. “Sorry Gwen, pretty sure you’re not allowed to say that anymore,” they said, shaking their head with a tsk. Gwen scoffed.

“Oh you are so asking for it!” And with that, she set her sights on a new target.

Needless to say, the chat was going wild, and they were gaining views by the second. It was a rare glimpse of the fun, bright eyed detective group they remembered growing up, and that was the greatest non denominational holiday gift anyone could ask for.

#solve it squad fic #tsis fic #how the grunch cribbed christmas fic #htgcc fic #benji scragtowski #scrags #esther backpack blueglasses #keith swanson #gwen berrywood #the solve it squad #how the grunch cribbed christmas #solve it squad tickle fic #htgcc tickle fic #ticklish!scrags

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devileaterjaek · 1 year ago

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Did I ever tell ya'll that one time me and my buddy Keith guest starred in the PC version of Resident Evil 6? 'Course Keith was real paranoid about the FBI learning his real name so he wore a helmet and just called himself "Agent" We mostly just kicked the shit outta eachother, it was funny

#gaming #capcom #ellis #left 4 dead 2 #l4d2 #re #re6 #resident evil #resident evil 6 #action horror #zombies

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alicepao13 · 2 months ago

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Hudson and Rex S04E15 - Nightmare on Water St. - Part A

This is an episode that is apparently okay to exist on this family show. Not that I mind, but they certainly haven't figured out what constitutes as family show.

Black letters in quotes: Actual show quotes.

Green letters in quotes: What I come up with my twisted brain.

I'm still upset that this is a Mardi Gras episode and not a Halloween episode. Listen, I have Mardi Gras in my country, there's nothing spooky about it. I want Halloween.

Not to blame the victim but I'd never open the door without proof of identification to this... thing. And I don't think any woman would.

If they keep going like this, Sarah will have more qualifications than a BAU profiler and it will seem ridiculous that she keeps staying in St. John's.

I like that Charlie is seeking her expertise, though. He recognizes that this murder is something Sarah might have more insight on or at least a different perspective. Which they ultimately turn into a bet lol

Yeah, there was a lot of flirting in this one.

And there it is. The popular trope. (I don't actually know if it's popular, I've seen it in a few shows, though.)

Every interaction these two have is like some kind of weird foreplay.

"Will you two stop eye fucking and pay attention?"

Yeah, man, but that's how we get to him.

Sidenote: There's a pretty good show called Profiler which was aired on NBC in 1996. It stars Ally Walker, up to a point anyway, and Robert Davi (Julian McMahon is also in there). Walker's role is about an FBI Profiler, and in the 90s this was still considered just a bit above pseudo-science (I kind of think the network also didn't understand it for reasons I won't analyze further here). There were a lot of people they met that thought she was a cross between a medium and a cop. This is a show that to this day still holds up well, has a female lead, a queer character, diversity that a lot of 2000s shows didn't have, and is very creepy because, aside from every case they have to solve, Walker's character has a stalker (a freaky serial killer) for the duration of the show. I consider it a good predecessor for Criminal Minds, it has the same brand of creepy and the cases are solved mostly based on profiling but in the raw setting of 90s crime shows. I'm a pretty big fan of it and I don't think anyone can find it easily now so if you want my 360p copies (lol), let me know.

Which means this isn't a spree killer, I think that's what Sarah is pointing out here. The difference is that in spree killings, there's no cooling off period. With the woman being dead for two days, that means we're moving away from the spree killer scenario.

Yes, we're going to catch our serial killer in the ten minute mark. Then, we're going to twiddle our thumbs for the duration of the episode and Charlie and Sarah will go for sushi.

Guys, the jumpscare is not supposed to be Charlie, you do know that, right?

Okay, did they really have enough cause to post Keith's photo on the news?

lol

"Damnit, there goes the bet."

Trophies. Nice.

"I need you to patrol every single neighborhood"? How? There can't be an adequate police force for that.

Yes, I believe that both of you climbed that fence.

"Well, now that is some fucked up shit."

Does every killer have to be a damn parkourist?

So, can you or can you not climb it?

lol I think Diesel was startled there because he was barking and then he turned to look.

Well, that is... a failure. Zero out of two. Lost our victim and our killer.

"Because I'm the hero." lol Charlie. And I don't know how Sarah didn't side-eye him. You all missed the connection, you're not some serial killer task force. When you have the end result, it's easy to backtrack and see how it all fits together.

Rugby is another sport I don't know much about.

What the fuck kind of hazing rituals are these? Branding? Seriously?

"I'm really ashamed of the way we treated those players." You don't say.

Oh you guys, you know that when you send Jesse to the field, something bad happens.

To be continues at Part B.

#the great hudson and rex rewatch of 2024

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readingsquotes · 10 months ago

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"I still can't get over the fact that the psychopath behind the "protests" blocking aid to Gaza is an American who fled to Israel to escape charges for his suspected role in the murder of Alex Odeh, a Palestinian in the US. @JoeBiden could literally extradite him and stop this." -@TaliaRinger "ADC had become a target of the Jewish right after it began challenging the pro-Israel consensus in the U.S., organizing demonstrations against Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. In 1984, ADC members were regularly receiving threatening phone calls from an individual or individuals identifying as the leader of the Jewish Defense League, an anti-Arab movement led by Rabbi Meir Kahane. Physical attacks began the following year, after the ADC began taking out advertisements in the Washington Post attempting to convince American voters and public officials that Israel should no longer receive annual allotments of millions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid. On October 11, 1985, Odeh was scheduled to speak at Congregation B’nai Tzedek, a Reform synagogue. As he entered the Santa Ana, California, office of the ADC that morning, however, a bomb exploded. He died on the operating table two hours later. It was the second bomb attack in just as many months against the ADC. Hours after Odeh was killed, his slaying was justified by the Jewish Defense League. “I have no tears for Mr. Odeh,” said Irv Rubin, then the national chair of the JDL. “He got exactly what he deserved.” No arrests were made. In April 1994, when Odeh would have celebrated his 50th birthday, the city of Santa Ana erected a statue of him to commemorate his life and his work. Two years later, the statue was defaced, and a few months later, it was again desecrated by vandals who doused it in buckets of blood-red paint. --- According to Friedman’s article in the Los Angeles Times, the FBI identified Fuchs, Ben-Yosef/Green, and Manning as the top suspects in Odeh’s slaying, before the twisted wreckage of the ADC offices had even been cleared. “The names of Fuchs, Green and Manning were mentioned as the bombers while we were still in front of the bombed-out building,” a California police official told the LA Times in 1990. Manning was extradited to the United States in 1994 for another murder, not directly related to far-right activities or to Jewish power politics and is currently serving a life sentence for that crime in an Arizona federal penitentiary. Fuchs, meanwhile, has maintained a low profile for the last quarter-century, but The Intercept confirmed he lives in a small settlement south of Bethlehem, continuing to participate in private political meetings of the Israeli far-right. ....

Decades After a Palestinian American Activist Was Assassinated in California, Two Suspects in His Killing Are Living Openly in Israel

Baruch Ben-Yosef, who was born in the United States as Andy Green, and Keith “Israel” Fuchs were named suspects immediately after Alex Odeh’s 1985 killing.

David Sheen

February 6 2020, 8:00 a.m.

#palestine #free palestine #isreal #gaza #apartheid #genocide #colonization #us politics #american imperialism

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bluedemon1995 · 1 year ago

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KIDGE content…

Imagine…

AU where Katherine Holt has a massive crush on Lance, from afar. She is socially awkward because she skipped a few grades and now is the youngest person at the college/university. She gets recruited by Coran for his robotics club and there she meets Allura. Allura instantly wants to be friends but Katherine is shy and self conscious. She’s used to being in the background, the brains behind the curtain so to speak. Allura is patient though, she knows how it feels to be different. So she chips away at her walls. Besides she doesn’t want to change her just change everyone else’s perspective…especially Katherine’s. Once she finds out about Katherines crush on Lance she decides to use that line to tug.

Katherine is smart, witty and a bit devious. Unknown to Alllura, Katherine also goes by Pidge and is currently a consultant for her brother and his partner who works for the FBI. She does a lot of the computer work with Matt. Initially Shiro was very against Pidge helping but after getting to know her, he can’t help but be impressed. Hell, he’s half in love with her and knowing she doesnt connect well with people her age, he deliberately hangs out with both the Holts. Hiijinks ensure and their bond helps Pidge blossom.

Meanwhile, Allura starts dating the new guy at school-Lotor. Who has some conflicts with Lance and his friend Hunk. It’s around this time that Lance starts to notice Katherine, who he quickly nicknames Katie. She’s tiny, quiet and supportive. She always seems to be smiling and laughs at all his jokes. As Allura starts to hang out with Lotor, Katie falls into hanging out with Lance and Hunk. Hunk loves her, she eats all his cooking and she is wicked smart. They join the robotics club and are soon winning much of the competitions. Until they join an underground fight club for their robots.

The only reason they are doing the whole underground fighting however is because Pidge had overheard how her brother hit a bunch of blocks on the current case. So she dropped breadcrumbs for Lance to follow, which he of course ran for and somehow it was his idea to compete. It’s here that Lance sees his old nemeses Keith.

But Pidge has done her research and she knows that Keith is old friends with Shiro-so she instantly puts him in the friend column, especially after doing a deep five into his history via some hacking. Fortunately, he’s friends with Acxa who is friends with Lotor who Pidge believes is somehow connected to all this.

Paths are crossed. And while Keith doesn’t hate Lance, he does make his presence known. So Keith naturally observes Katie, who is kinda dating Lance. The more he watches the more he doesn’t understand. How does everyone thing Katie is so sweet and nice? She’s sarcastic. She’s tricky. She’s suddenly all he can think about. He’s constantly searching for that moment, that glint she gets when she does something…un-Katie like. But is like he’s the only one who sees. It drives him mad. He’s obsessed.

One day, he sees some guys hassling her and he goes to step in, not even thinking she could take care of herself. But boy does she. She wipes the ground with the guys and Keith witnesses it all. He calls her on it. She shrugs it off as self defense, duh.

But now Katie realizes Keith is onto her. What to do…she needs help and she hasn’t told her brother…yet. Then suddenly there’s a raid at the fight, and chaos ensues. At some point Keith is trapped and he’s ready to bash some heads when Katie appears. She pulls him along to one of her preplanned exit plans when she sees an opportunity to hack the mainframe that is usually heavily guarded. Decided she has to go with her gut, she tells Keith and of course he’s in. With zero thought. Watching her, Keith grins, satisfied with the knowledge he was right. She was so much more than she appeared.

Obviously a slow burn where Keith fell first, and Katie realizes, a crush is so much different than love…

#kidge #keith kogane #katie holt #keith x pidge #keith and pidge #pidge and keith #voltron #fanfiction #pidge #keith #allura #lance serrano #hunk garrett #takashi shirogane #matt holt

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darkwitchoferie · 10 months ago

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Accidentally in Love

Steve and Eddie have been dating for months, but neither of them have noticed until Robin and Nancy confront them about it.

Read on AO3 here.

Steve and Eddie sat on the floor in front of the couch, pressed into each others’ sides while they watched tv in the Munsons’ new living room. It was about 5:00 am, but it wasn’t all that unusual for the pair of them to be awake together the whole night. The whole group had nightmares, which had thankfully gotten less in the six months since Spring Break, but Steve and Eddie both had insomnia on top of that. So when they couldn’t sleep, they were often together.

They were just getting to the end of Kiss Me, Stupid on the Movie Channel, when Wayne pushed open the door. “’Mornin’ boys,” he greeted them.

In a move he saw frequently, they turned to look at him in unison, “’Morning Wayne.”

“Look what I got,” Wayne announced, pulling a worn horseshoe out of his coat pocket.

“Excellent,” Eddie grinned, jumping up to rummage under the kitchen sink until he came up with a hammer and nails. He dragged a kitchen chair to the door and stood on it to hammer nails through the shoe his uncle held above the door. “Where’d you get it?”

“John, at the plant, his sister and her man have a horse boardin’ stables not too far off. Guess he was out there a couple days ago and remembered me sayin’ somethin’ about needin’ a new shoe.”

“Why do you need a horseshoe?” Steve asked.

“To hold luck,” Eddie said, as if it were obvious. “See, you hang it like this, so the points are up, and it collects good luck for the household.”

“We lost the old one, went down when the old place was sucked into that hole. And we made sure to get a mirror this time, neglected it last time,” Wayne said, tapping the small, age-spotted mirror they’d found in a thrift shop, that now hung beside the door. “You hang a mirror by the door to protect the house from evil spirits,” he explained to Steve’s puzzled look. Eddie finished hammering, hopped off the chair, then hurried to the bathroom, leaving the hammer on the counter.

“Is that why you and Eddie pour out some of your first beer too?”

“Mm, no. That’s an offerin’ to our dead. His ma, my wife, my pa, I think he pours out for Chrissy too, though he’s never said so. But it’s a way to remember and honor your dead.” Wayne looked puzzled. “Do your people not have traditions like that?”

He shook his head. “I don’t have family, not the way you and Eddie do. I think my dad’s parents are dead and I’m not sure about my mom’s. Neither of them ever talked about their parents or aunts or uncles or anything. The only thing I know about either side is that Mom’s family’s Italian and my grandma gave her a recipe book of her own recipes when they got married. For all I know, they could be alive and well in Italy. So I have no idea what any of my family was like, except my parents.”

“And your parents suck, Stevie.”

“I know,” Steve smiled just a little as Eddie rejoined them. He sat back down on the floor, running his fingers through Steve’s hair and gently scratching the back of his head as he did. Steve sighed, closing his eyes, and leaned into his hand.

Wayne cleared his throat as he lifted the chair and slid it back under the table. “You boys get any sleep last night?”

“There’s still a chance for sleep,” Eddie commented. Wayne just raised an eyebrow, knowing they both had to leave for work at the video store by 9:30. “It could happen!” he protested.

Despite being cleared by the local police, and the FBI agents that were brought out, a fair number of people in town were still suspicious of Eddie. That had made Keith reluctant to hire him when Robin and Steve first broached the subject. Then he realized he had no other options – very few people wanted to work in the video store and those that did were still in school. Monday mornings and early afternoons were almost as busy as Friday afternoons just in the opposite direction. While more people were checking stuff out on Friday, most of them were returning those same videos early in the day on Mondays. This made Fridays and Mondays the only two days all three of them worked at the same time. Robin suspected that parents came in early on Mondays to avoid their kids asking for more movies.

On Mondays, since Steve drove them all in and Eddie only worked a short shift, Nancy came in around 2 o’clock and hung out for the remaining half an hour until Eddie was clocked out and ready to go home. Things had started to slow by then, as always, so the four of them usually hung around the counter with each other.

Eddie pressed himself against Steve’s back leaning over and around him, so Steve had to bend forward a bit, to put a hand on the counter. “Good afternoon, Lady Wheeler. How is the wide world this day?”

“Hi Eddie,” Nancy smiled at him, well used to his dramatics. “Hawkins is… Hawkins, nothing new to report there. The kids have apparently formed some after school study group on Mondays, so I have extra time before I have to pick the boys and El up.”

“Why? Like, they see each other all the time, why bother creating a study group?” Steve wondered, still bent slightly forward since Eddie hadn’t moved at all.

“Ah, I asked Mike the same thing this morning. If they’ve got an official study group, they have to have a teacher there for any help they might need. Apparently, it’s aimed at helping El catch up on stuff without her needing to ask during class since that makes her nervous because of a bully back in California and without making it obvious that it’s all for her.” While she spoke, she watched as Eddie’s free hand wrapped around to the front of Steve’s hip and he slid his thumb into the slightly shorter man’s belt loop.

“That’s sweet,” Robin commented.

“Mm, they can be, when they want to,” Nancy agreed, referring to the four boys. “But other than that, nothing new. Unless there’s something new from you?” She and Robin turned expectantly to the two men.

“Mm, nope,” Steve shrugged the shoulder Eddie wasn’t leaning on. The two turned together as the phone rang. Steve reached for it under Eddie’s arm, who barely moved out of the way. “Thank you for calling Family Video. How can I help you today?”

With Eddie no longer paying attention to her, Nancy turned to Robin with a raised eyebrow. She just shrugged and shook her head in response, causing Nancy to roll her eyes and mouth today. Robin nodded once.

“Dingus, you love me, right?” Robin asked as soon as the Wheeler family station wagon pulled out of the parking lot.

“Of course I do. Did I not tell you today? Sorry. I love you, Robs.”

“You did tell me, but I appreciate it again. And I love you too,” she smiled, leaning in for a hug. Enough close calls with death made them all the more willing to tell each other how they felt. “My point is,” she continued, stepping out of the hug, “people like us, soul mates like us, they tell each other everything, right? I mean, especially the big things in life, like when they start dating someone new.”

“Did you finally ask Vickie out?! Rob, that’s amazing! When?”

Robin was almost sad to wipe the excited look off of her best friend’s face. “Not me, Dingus! You! You and Munson and all your touchy-feely-mushy so-in-love-we-can’t-hide-it crap.”

“Huh?”

She knew he got confused easily, but this was too much. “You don’t actually think the two of you have been doing a good job hiding your relationship, do you? Because you’re not. You’re so not. You’re like one step shy of renting a billboard or a marching band to proclaim your love to the whole state.”

“Robin,” he said, reaching out and putting his hands on her shoulders. “I love you, but you’re crazy. And very wrong. Eddie and I aren’t dating.”

“Really? And that little possessive hold he had on your hip earlier was… what? ‘Cause I know platonic, and honey, that wasn’t it.”

“What are you talking about? Eddie’s tactile with everyone.”

“No he is not. At least, not the way he is with you. And! Did you or did you not let him read those two books to you? The um… the ones by Terry Whatever-his-name-is?”

“The Colour of Magic and the new one – The Light Fantastic?”

“Yes! Those.”

“Yeah? I mean, he was really excited about them. Read the new one as soon as he could get his hands on it, in one night. When I told him about my issues reading since the head trauma shit, he offered to read them to me. So?”

“So, as said, soul mates,” she waved her hand between the two of them. “But you don’t take an immediate interest in my stuff like that. No, that came out wrong. You are interested in my stuff, come to band shows and you let me ramble your ears off about the stuff I like, but it’s different. Not bad different,” she quickly reassured him, noticing the apprehensive look starting to form on his face. “Just different. And then there’s the dates.”

“We have not been on any dates.”

“Uh-huh. So you wanted to go see Invaders from Mars, in the theater. And decided to pay for both of you and snacks. When usually, if you and I go together, one of us gets tickets, the other gets snacks. And you can’t say it was because he couldn’t, because he’d been working with us for like two months.”

“That… wasn’t a date.”

“Mm. What about that baseball game? Ya know, the one he bought tickets to? Eddie, who we all know loves sports, happened to buy tickets for you two to see your favorite minor league team like a week after you mentioned that you hadn’t been able to get to see a game in years. That was totally a coincidence, right? Definitely not a date. Just like the Judas Priest concert he took you to in August definitely wasn’t a date.”

“Uh….”

“Or, how about your standing Wednesday evening date? Everyone knows that is your date night but, if there’s an emergency, you two can be found at Judy’s Diner, in your usual corner booth, with separate meals but sharing a strawberry shake. Steve, you are literally wearing one of his Metallica shirts, right now,” she plucked at the material under his Family Video vest.

In shock, Steve dropped to the floor. “We’ve never even kissed though, we can’t be dating,” he said softly.

“Wait, seriously?” Robin dropped to sit in front of him.

---

Meanwhile, Nancy parked her car in front of the Munson’s replacement trailer. “Eddie?” she asked before he could open the door. She twisted in her seat to better face him. “We’re friends, right? Me and you.”

“Of course we are!” he swiveled to face her “Wait, why?”

“I just… friends tell each other when they’re dating someone. Or not dating someone.”

Eddie gasped. “Did you and Jon break up? Did he break your heart? Do I need to –”

“Jon and me are fine,” she interrupted. “I’m not talking about us. I’m talking about you and Steve.”

“What about me and Steve?”

Nancy groaned in frustration. “How long have you and Steve been seeing each other and why haven’t either of you said anything to at least me and Rob?”

“There’s nothing to tell, we’re not dating.”

“You are though.”

“Nope. Pretty sure I’d know if I were dating someone, Nance.”

“Okay, but hear me out. Steve likes his personal space, Eddie. Sure, he hugs people and is happy to do it, or other little stuff like that. But he doesn’t cuddle during movies. Or, let people drape themselves over him while he’s doing anything.”

“He does to.”

“He doesn’t. He doesn’t even let Robin do that. Have you ever seen her cuddled up to him like that?”

“That’s gotta be a her thing then.”

“It absolutely is not. There is only ever one person who’s… allowed, I guess? One person who he is totally comfortable being all over him whenever and it isn’t Robin. Do you wanna know why it isn’t Robin?” Eddie nodded his head. “Because he only does that with someone he’s dating. Trust me on this, I know the difference between how he acts when he is and isn’t seriously dating someone.” He still didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t look quite as disbelieving either. “Okay, I know you’ve eaten his cooking, we all have. But, has he ever made anything he calls ‘fussy’ for just the two of you? No Robin, no kids, and probably at his house, so no Wayne either.”

He started to shake his head then stopped. “He made… something that sounded like bologna, but was pasta? He called it fussy,”

“Bolognese?”

“Yes!”

“Insisted you eat at the kitchen table instead of in the living room and even served it on the good China?”

“He said all that work meant we had to appreciate the food and sitting in the living room with paper plates isn’t appreciating.”

“He’s not wrong about that. Point is, that’s his grandma’s recipe. And that was a date.”

“What about the lasagna?”

“Meat or veggies? Canned sauce?”

“Spinach and mushrooms, not canned sauce.”

“Date.” Eddie stared at her, wide-eyed. “Has he ever made spaghetti…,” she hesitated, trying to remember the name of the dish, “carbonara! Spaghetti carbonara for Wayne? It’s spaghetti noodles, with an egg sauce and crispy bacon. Like, made it at the trailer on a day that he knew Wayne didn’t have to go to work so the three of you could have dinner together?”

“Yeah,” he said hesitantly.

“That’s his winning-over-the-parents meal. It’s another of his grandma’s recipes – they all are – but he told me the carbonara looks and tastes fussy without looking like he’s trying to overshadow my mom’s cooking.”

“He made a cake for Wayne’s birthday.”

“That is just because he likes Wayne, not because he’s trying to impress him.” Nancy reached over and squeezed his arm.

“I’m dating Steve?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, sweetie, you are.”

“Since when?! Does Wayne know? Why didn’t I know? Did I miss him asking me out?” his eyes widened in horror. “Did I ask him out and then forget?”

---

Steve did not immediately go over to Eddie’s after dropping Robin off like he normally would. It felt odd to him to not drive out to the trailer park, but he made himself go home. Inside, he took the stairs two at a time then just stood in his bedroom doorway, looking around. There were the jeans and t-shirt Eddie wore two days ago, dropped in front of the laundry basket instead of actually in it because he’d tried to toss them in, missed, and hadn’t bothered to pick them up yet. He knew if he looked in the basket, he’d find a mix of both their clothes. Eddie’s acoustic guitar sat propped against the wall beside his window, the notebook he was currently using to plan a DnD campaign was sitting on the nightstand under the book he’d been reading on his side of the bed. He had a side of the bed, same as Steve did at the trailer, that’s how often they shared a bed. He knew without looking that if he opened the dresser drawers, nearly half of his stuff wouldn’t be in there, but would have been replaced with Eddie’s. The missing half of his clothes were in Eddie’s dresser. He looked down the hall at the open bathroom door and could just make out the two toothbrushes in the toothbrush holder.

“Are we living together too?” he asked himself quietly.

He spent a while longer cataloguing all of the things in his house that were Eddie’s or that had some connection to him. The polaroid of the two of them at the Indianapolis Indians game, where Eddie was actually wearing one of Steve’s baseball hats. Steve’s ticket to the Judas Priest concert, taped to the mirror on his closet door, along with a couple movie tickets that he remembered going to with just Eddie. A look out into the backyard at the bonfire pit Eddie had helped him dig reminded him of several evenings spent by the fire, just the two of them, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows and Eddie telling him stories about the constellations they could see. In the dining room, the China cabinet reminded him of dinners he’d cooked especially for Eddie. In the living room, there was a staged family picture where Eddie had drawn X’s on the glass over his parents’ faces, but a heart around Steve’s face.

Did he even want to be dating Eddie? A sharp pain stabbed through him at the mere thought of not being around Eddie constantly. He stared up at the portrait, not really seeing it but picturing Eddie – his long fingers wrapped around the neck of his guitar or threaded through Steve’s own while they walked into the diner; his curls escaping the messy bun he’d tried to put them in and blowing in the wind from the open car window as they drove aimlessly around; his wide smile and infectious laugh; the easy, simple affection in most every interaction; the feel and sound of his voice as he lay spooned behind Steve, telling him some story or other or just talking.

He wasn’t sure how long it had been since he got home when he heard the front door open. “Stevie?”

Steve spun around from where he’d been staring at the family portrait. “We’re dating,” he blurted.

“Oh, thank God!” Eddie’s shoulders slumped in relief. “I thought it was just me who didn’t realize! ‘Till Nance confronted me in the car, anyway. Ya know, Wayne knows too? Said ‘it’s obvious, boy’ and he ‘assumed everyone knew’ and that’s why we weren’t outright telling people. How can everyone know something about us that we didn’t know?”

“You don’t even like baseball.” Steve wasn’t sure why that was what came out of his mouth, but it was too late to take it back.

“Eh, the game wasn’t too bad. Maybe it’s high school sports I have issues with? Plus, you were so excited the whole afternoon. You don’t like Judas Priest.”

“They aren’t bad. But you do. You had a blast at that concert, and I had fun watching you have a blast. We have a standing date night.”

Eddie looked perplexed for a second. “Wednesdays, at the diner. We split a strawberry shake. Who…?”

“Robin. Right after you and Nance left. I think I’m still processing,” he turned to look back at the portrait. “You drew a heart on my face.”

“Hm,” Eddie stepped up behind him, pressing against his back like always. “Yeah, I did.”

“We basically live together.”

“Huh. Yeah, I guess we do.”

“I’ve never dated anyone this long without kissing them,” Steve said softly after a moment.

“We can fix that,” Eddie responded, matching his tone.

Steve turned around, his arm brushing Eddie’s chest as he did. Their inch in height difference usually wasn’t all that noticeable, but then, Steve usually didn’t have to tip his head back to kiss someone. For just a moment, they stared into each others’ eyes. Then Eddie grinned, tapped Steve’s nose with the tip of his, and leaned in, pressing his lips to the younger man’s. Steve surged forward, gripping Eddie’s hips and pressing their chests together.

Some time later, they lay in bed together, Steve half sprawled across Eddie’s chest and Eddie’s fingers gently combing through Steve’s sweaty hair.

“Important question,” Steve asked after a bit.

“Shoot.”

“Do we count today as our anniversary since it’s when we realized we were dating, or mid-May, which is when Robin thinks we started dating?”

Eddie chuckled. “Well, we don’t actually have a day for mid-May, do we? But we know today.”

“Mm. Good point,” he leaned up to kiss his boyfriend again.

#steddie #steddie fic

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