#first time i ever really wrote a ficlet
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Six hours.
That's how long it's been since Eddie broke the laws of nature and every literary device in the goddam book by being slingshotted from his dying body into that of Steve fucking Harrington's.
It's just so unfair!
It was his choice! He chose not to run, he chose to fight, he chose to die.
Steve didn't chose that. Didn't chose any of it. Yet the universe just laughed in their faces and took Steve in the place of him, let him bleed out; scared, confused, and broken in Dustin's arms.
The universe has a fucking sick sense of humour, and Eddie could do nothing but watch it all play out
Steve was dead, but no one knew. Eddie was alive, but no one could ever find out.
Not even Robin
Not even the kids
Not even Wayne.
Eddie had swapped bodies with the boy he had crushed on since fifth grade, and he had killed him in the process.
If anyone ever knew, they would hate him.
Hate him for living on when Steve had died
Hate him because he took away the beautiful boy they all loved.
Hate him because after all their fighting to clear his name, Eddie really was guilty
He really was a murderer.
#first time i ever really wrote a ficlet#body swap au#but eddies on his death bed so Steve dies instead#angst#steve harrington#eddie munson#sorry guys!#stranger things#steddie
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Favorite Johnlock Fics (BBC Sherlock)
I went on a bit of a fic-reading spree this spring, and this list of favorites is the result! There are many other fics that I’ve enjoyed reading, but these are the ones that I’ve really loved for one reason or another.
I’ve tagged the authors whose tumblrs I could find. If that’s you, thank you so much for sharing your writing with us. If your work is on here, you wrote something that I really treasure.
1. A River Without Banks, by Chryse. E, 203,286 words. Starts right after Season 3. A mix of Sherlock’s perspective, John’s perspective, and the perspectives of other characters. Sherlock-focused for the first half.
Author’s summary: “‘You love this, being Sherlock Holmes.’ He had once. When had it all gone so wrong?”
This is my absolute favorite. The author’s characterization of Sherlock is amazingly accurate, and Sherlock’s character development over the course of the story is breathtakingly executed and moving. The plot is fantastic and takes you on a page-turning emotional roller coaster, especially for about the first half of the story. I was also continually impressed by how many details from the show and references to earlier parts of the fic the author was able to weave in throughout while still keeping the story creative and original. Most importantly, though, I love this fic for the message that it sends about Sherlock and John’s love, which is a far more positive message than the one that the actual show settled upon in the end. I’m grateful that we have this version of their love story, and, personally, I like to pretend that this was Season 4 and how the show ended.
2. Another Country, by Chryse. E, 67,414 words. Starts right after the end of TAB. Sherlock’s perspective.
Sherlock spends one month and three days under house arrest in 221B, trying to get clean from the drugs, track down the new Moriarty, and figure out what the hell is going on between him and John.
Another fantastic work by Chryse. This author really gets Sherlock’s character, and once again the characterization of Sherlock is spot-on and convincing. There are a few other elements that also make this a compelling story, including smart use of minor characters, a solid central mystery, and a complicated relationship between Sherlock and John that includes a pretty convincing post-Season-3 version of John. Excellent.
3. walk through ghosts, by @augustbird. M, 6,125 words. Written between Seasons 2 and 3. Sherlock’s perspective.
Author’s summary: “The thing is: Sherlock thought that the two of them would have forever to figure it out.”
This is the saddest fic I have ever read, and so beautifully written. The author captures Season 2 Sherlock’s character perfectly; the fact that this story feels so real is what makes it devastating. The day after I read this, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and walked around with my heart physically aching in my chest.
4. Nature and Nurture, by @earlgreytea68. M, 203,273 words. Set sometime after Season 2. Alternates between John’s and Sherlock’s perspectives, but mostly told from John’s.
The British government clones Sherlock. He and John decide to raise the baby.
A true fandom classic. The premise sounds super cracky, but somehow it really works. This fic is surprisingly serious at times, but overall it is the cutest and funniest thing I have ever read in my life. Basically 200,000+ words of Sherlock and John being adorable gay fathers together and working through some feelings, with line-by-line some of the most hilarious dialogue ever. The five accompanying ficlets that the author wrote as short follow-ups are also worth checking out; my favorites were School (T, 4,753 words) and The Radovljica Apicultural Museum (T, 4,540 words).
5. To a Friend Who Sent Me Roses, by @algyswinburne. E, 16,147 words. Set sometime after Season 4 (but ignores TFP, as we all should lol). Sherlock’s perspective.
Author’s summary: “Five times Sherlock is mistaken for John’s partner and Rosie’s father, and one time it isn’t a mistake.”
This fic is sad, sweet, and hot by turns. Absolutely lovely to read in so many ways, and with so many great details and lines. I think this story offers convincing portrayals of what Sherlock’s and John’s characters might be like after it all and how they might finally get together. This and A River Without Banks are my favorite alternate endings to the show. Beautiful!
6. for all that bitter delights will sour, by @darcylindbergh. E, 9,585 words. Set sometime after Season 3. Sherlock’s perspective.
John initiates a sexually and emotionally abusive relationship with Sherlock.
The second saddest fic I have read. I would never want what happens in this fic to happen to Sherlock and John, so I don’t exactly recommend it as a Johnlock fic. But as a short story, this is a gem, full of absolutely gorgeous and incredibly moving writing. It depicts difficult themes very deftly, in lines and paragraphs that I had to stop to read over and over. I appreciate this as an emotionally powerful and thought-provoking piece of writing inspired by Sherlock, so for that reason I think it deserves to be on this list.
7. The Ground Beneath Your Feet, by Chryse. E, 68,803 words. Set after Season 3, but as if the last two minutes of HLV never happened. “The plane went on to Eastern Europe, and this is what came after.” John’s perspective.
This fic is pretty dark; the author describes it as “a PTSD story in which John was wholly devoted to Sherlock.” I don’t love it quite as much as the other two fics by Chryse that I’ve listed here, but that’s mostly because those two are just so amazing! I still really enjoyed this one. It was wonderful to see a kind and caring version of John emerge out of Season 3, and the story had several memorable moments, including one particularly nail-biting scene. I also really liked seeing John and Mycroft become friends as they bonded over their shared concern for Sherlock.
8. The Adventures of a Single Girl in London (Plus a Consulting Detective), by @earlgreytea68. M, 32,913 words. Set soon after Season 3. Alternates between different characters’ perspectives.
Bored with life at her new cottage in Sussex, Janine returns to London and moves in with Sherlock at 221B. Hilarity, heartbreak, and eventual Johnlock ensue.
This is a Season 3 fix-it fic that features an absolutely lovely friendship between Sherlock and Janine and the best version of Janine that I’ve come across in a fic. Sherlock is vulnerable and sweet, John is an absolute idiot, Janine is perfect, and the last two chapters just make me scream. Great stuff.
And that’s it for now! If you know of any other fics that I might like based on the above, I’d be happy to hear about them, so drop me a line!
Happy reading 😊
#sherlock#bbc sherlock#johnlock#sherlock x john#johnlock fic recs#sherlock fic recs#bbc sherlock fic recs#tjlc#fanfiction#fic recs#fic rec lists#rec lists#chryse#a river without banks#arwb#parentlock#sherlock fanfiction#johnlock fanfiction#johnlock fics#ao3
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Ok so the gif on your lunch post just now made me think of when I would go to camp and my mom would leave tiny encouraging notes hidden in every pocket and thing she could hide one in, like in my water shoes and between shirts and shit.
Anyway I was thinking about if Logan or Wade were to do this, like wades going out for a long mission and either he hides little notes around the apartment for Logan to find or Logan hides a bunch of notes in wades stuff, and they keep finding them randomly, they would say cute shit like, "love you" Or "miss you"
Or or or, maybe, Wade is little and something popped up and Logan needs to go do a thing but can't bring Wade the way he is so he asks someone to watch him for a while and hides cute notes for Wade to find so he isn't missing him too much.
Just a silly thought
Notes
Yesss thisss
Pov, you go on your annual trip to the deep canadian woods to hide from society (It keeps him sane your honor) but your husband misses you so much that his abandondment issues kick in and starts crying. But you were smart. You left him notes.
A truama induced little wade ficlet Ft. Caregiver Peter Parker (aka the only person Logan will trust with Little Wade)
The first few days that Wade is with Peter is great. He mainly either follows him around or is just on the couch sending Logan tiktoks to watch when he got his service back, telling him he misses him and 'dont get eaten by a bear lol', truly missing him.
By now, even Peter can see it, trying to cheer him up by asking him to help him with stuff around the apartment only for him to check his messages. They're all unread. Subconsciously it does something to him, at first making him cry quietly and then slump against the floor, sobbing that he misses Logan so much and this is the longest hes ever been away, and what if he hates him now? What if he never comes back? What if this was his way of breaking up with him? What if.. what if he never saw kitty again...
The sobbing obviously gets his attention (you know, spideysense) coming to Wade. "Oh.. Buddy.. Come on. Lets go get you a beer somet-" but he stops, watching how tight Wade is curled up, how hard he's hugging the broom and the big glossy innocent eyes.
"Crap... Hold on. He gave me something for this. I told him I already had stuff but he said something about it being special?" He mainly is talking to himself as Peter goes into his room, bringing back out a Dora the Explorer book bag.
"Wade Wilson" it said on the straps, ya know, incase some kid tried to steal it.
"Heeeyy buddy. Look what Log- I mean Kitty brought. Isn't that so cool? What's in here, Pal?"
Looking at him, Wade blinks, the confusion enough to stop his loud crying. "K-kitty?"
"Ah webs. You're really little aren't you? Cause you stopped litsening after 'kitty.'"
"Kitty?" He perks up more, smiling widely through his tears, which makes Peter smile too.
"Yeah. Kitty. Let's open it up."
Logan had slipped this to him just before he left town. "He's gonna need this." He said.
"Oh no, I have enough small stuff to take care of him, it's alright." He insists, but Logans glare of both jealousy and a 'Just fucking take it' expression made him take it anyway.
"Don't give it to him until he needs it. It's a suprise and I need it to last the week."
So Peter litsened, now presenting the book bag as a gift rather than having it this whole time.
Inside the zipper alone was 3 sticky notes, one attached to a letter, or rather, Instructions. The other two was
"Hey, Kiddo. I love you->" and next to it was a sticky note with a big heart. Taking the heart, he giggles, sniffling and wiping his eyes, pulling the sticky note to his chest lovingly.
"P" the other one said. Picking it up, Peter opened the three papers inside, trying to read over them. Man, This looks like George Washington wrote it." He mumbles, but seemed to manage just fine.
His assumptions were correct. These were instructions, numbers to call, things to do, medical information, and said he had a box of creams in the bottom of this bag.
Some things included were Wade's safe small foods, what certain words meant, Vanessa's phone number, Al's phone number, a list of things he liked to do including a vauge routine, as well as an entire list of what to do if his skin got too bad.
The man smiles. "You sure are loved, Kiddo.." he mumbles taking pictures of the instructions. He would later update them into ariel files and add his own information before printing it put and sending it home with him.
"Hey, you're the first ever kid to come with a manual, lovebug."
"Bugs!"
"Mhm. Oh, but remember, spiders are not bugs. They are arthropods and are in a class of their own called arachnids. You know this. Well- big you knows this."
"Racknids
"Close enough. Hey, how about you unpack and then afterward we can go to the lab, yeah? Do you wanna help me in my lab?"
Wade nods, clapping softly with such a big smile. He loved going to the lab, and he loved touching stuff he wasn't supposed to. Er- I mean helping. Yeah. Helping.
Leaning against the couch, Peter was sure to carefully reread the pages again, putting the contacts in his phone just in case because he knew if something happened to Wade, Logan would kill him.
Opening the bag the best of the way, Wade squealed.
"What's wrong, bug- Even though technically Lady bugs are beetles and lovebugs are flies but thats besides the point."
Pulling out a hoodie that obviously wasn't his, Wade showed it to him. There was at least a dozen little notes on the front and judging by the excitment on his face, This hoodie and the notes were special.
"Oh wow, lots of them. That's great! Let's read them together, okay?" Crouching down, Wade nods, Letting him have the notes but not the hoodie, in which he instantly put on and hugged himself tight.
"Let's see. This one says 'Miss you so much' this one is 'I love you', this is a heart, see?" He shows him, pointing at it only for Wade to snatch it, putting it in his collection of them. "This one says 'Ill be home soon' this one says 'You're doing a good job' this one is.. i think a drawing of a dog?? Or.. maybe a rat?"
"Puppy!!" He takes this note too, kissing it. "Aww.. puppy."
"That's puppins? Sorry. My bad. Maybe we can visit her later. This one is another heart. This is 'Im so proud of you' and-"
The instant he says this, Wade flaps his hands a bit, giggling.
Yeah, that checks out. He did that when he tells him good job on patrols too.
"And all these are just different color hearts. Oh look this one's your mask." He gives the hearts to him and Wade hugs them all, gently crushing them but he smiles so widely that Peter dosn't dare mention it.
"What else is in there?"
Another giggle, more notes.
"That's a lot of notes, Lovebug. Do you want to save some for later?" Of course, Wade shook his head. He wanted them now, But Peter knew better and put some up for later.
Throughout the day, whenever Wade got upset, he would pretend that he found a new one, reading it to him or giving him the heart.
All in all, there were 25 hearts and 25 notes of encouragement with "I love you" and "I miss you" being the top commons, both having 5 each while the others varried. From words of praise to simply 'Behave for Peter-L'
Taking out his phone, Pete took a few pictures of the scene, smiling at them before unironically getting a call.
"You've got Siderman."
"Good. Hey, So.. I'm coming back early. I miss him too much. Did he like the bag? Is he doing okay?" Peter wanted to laugh. Logan sounded just as worried about Wade as Wade sounded about Logan. God, these two.. maybe true love was real.
"No, no, yeah! He's been great. Had a small melt down earlier because I wouldn't let him touch the sting solution in the lab but I gave him some ice cream and he was fine."
"Sting solution? What? Anyway- Can I talk to him?"
"He's actually sleeping right now. Ill send you the picture. Poor guys all tuckered out from playing and he must have eaten an entire box of mac and cheese too. He's over here curled up on my rug with that Plushie you sent, his action guys and your sweatshirt you gave him."
The thought made Logans heart swell, currently standing in the middle of a tiny town just to get cell service, his bags in hand and on his back.
"I'm glad.. okay then- don't tell him. Let me pick him up by surprise. Did he like the notes?"
"Absolutely adored them. He stufffed all the heart ones in his pockets actually.... hey... how come Tonys head is gone?"
"Huh?? Oh- hah yeah.. puppins ate it."
"Uh huh... I'll have to get him another. Some reason the heads always pop off too easily... Anyway, do you want me to have someone come pick you up or? You could be here by morning."
Sometimes Logan forgot just how large of a franchise/ allowance the much younger man got. "Oh! Uh.. sure? As long as you don't mind if I bring my deer and rabbits."
"Uhhh... that can.. be arranged? Did you go hunting or??"
"Wasn't really planned. Just.. sort of happened. But I know a butcher guy who makes really good jerky so I didnt wanna waste them."
Peter, whose senses may or may not be intuitive anxiety at this point in the call, decided maybe he shouldn't ask what he meant by "wasting them," seeing as this would imply they were killed without the intention of being eaten.
"Okay. Send me your location, and a truck should come get you. You can put your deer in there. And you can sleep overnight if you want.
"Yeah, No. Can't sleep without him anymore. The moron done ruined that gig for me."
Peter couldn't believe the sappy stuff he was hearing. He could never imagine Logan ever saying these things. "Alright, alright. I'll have'em bring his shirt. You need sleep. I need sleep. Bye, Mr. Howlett."
"You aren't ever just gonna call me Logan, kid, are ya?" He's told him a billion times to just call him Logan, but he never litsened.
"My aunt May taught me to respect my elders, sir."
Logan chuckles at the slight dish of calling him old, but it was true. "Of course she did... Bye, Pete."
With a click of a button, Peter sighs, starting to stand but before he could, Wade sat up, rubbing his eyes with a whine.
"Hi lovebug. Have a good sleep?"
But Wade only groaned, crawling over and up onto the couch, laying on him instead to close his eyes.
"Mmh.. why am I surprised?" He shifts to lay flat on his back, letting Wade shift to sleep on top of him, nuzzling into his chest and thumb going in his mouth as he curls up.
"You're kinda heavy for a sleepy guy." He mutters, hand going to his back, trying to lul him back to sleep as the other hand called someone else.
"Hey, It's Peter. I need a couple favors. Firstly...I need another iron man. The 5.3 inch action figure... yeah.. he snapped it off again. .. and secondly... How many frames do you think ill need for 50 2x2 sticky notes?"
#slight#spideypool#platonic soulmates#probably#kid wade#sfw agere#sfw interaction only#sfw littlespace#caregiver spiderman#caregiver peter parker#kitty and kid#caregiver logan howlett#deadpool and wolverine#poolverine#logan howlett#wade wilson#deadpool#wolverine#deadpool 3#love notes
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PUTTY, chapter one
(chapter one), (chapter two), (chapter three)
PAIRING: virgin!Eddie/former cheerleader!Reader
SUMMARY: Eddie has a little brother. Eddie’s little brother has a babysitter.
SERIES TAGS and C/W’s: mutual pining, experienced!Reader, inexperienced!Eddie but he’s eager to learn, mostly sub!Eddie, insecurities and self doubt, narcissistic and/or absent parents, jealousy, mean basketball players, hurt/comfort, they smoke weed, eventual smut (18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI), uniform kink, dirty talk, foot jobs, hand jobs, oral (f!receiving and m!receiving), public sex, sex toys, unprotected PiV. more to be added as this progresses!!!
WORD COUNT: 3.7k+
A/N: hi, my friends!!! this is a rewrite/repost and has been edited for a (hopefully) smoother, more enjoyable read. fun fact that this was one of the first Stranger Things fanfics i ever wrote. it was originally titled She Was Straight From Hell, But You Could Never Tell, and featured Eddie alongside an OC. i’ve changed it to be reader-insert, because that seems to be more in my writing wheelhouse nowadays. this fic will be multiple parts — it begins with backstory, but will eventually branch off into a universe of little smutty ficlets where Reader will corrupt virgin!Eddie as much as humanely possible.
—
Eddie hadn't known about the existence of his little brother until two months ago, when Al Munson showed up in the middle of the night with a small child in tow. Eddie didn't even know his dad was out of prison again, and yet here he was, in the flesh, a little boy with a mop of black curls resembling Eddie's own cradled in his leather jacket-clad arms.
Al was lucky Wayne was working or else this family reunion would have gone south fast.
While Wayne wasn't Al's biggest fan, Al was Eddie's dad, and Eddie would always hold onto as many moments with his father as he could get, no matter how sparse, and no matter how much of a self-serving piece of shit asshole Al Munson truly was.
But Eddie didn’t see it like that. Eddie saw it like this: His dad lived a hard life. His dad struggled with addictions. His dad lost a wife, just as Eddie had lost a mother. His dad tried his best with what he had.
Deep down, Eddie knew these were all just sorry excuses, but he kept that truth tucked away, not wanting to deal with the reality that Al truly only cared about himself.
He already had one dead parent. If he cut his dad out of his life, he’d basically have two.
"When'd you get out?" Eddie asked, stepping aside so Al could enter. His eyes followed the child, brows furrowed. The trailer was always Al's first stop on his freedom tour and the older man had always brought some sort of baggage along with him -- never a little kid, though. What the hell kind of trouble had his dad gotten into this time?
"Few days ago," Al replied, heading for the living room. He placed the sleeping child down on the worn sofa, then straightened and faced Eddie. "Listen, son, you gotta do me a favor. I'm not out long this time. I might've robbed an ATM or two last night. I'm kinda on the lam."
Al didn’t even have the decency to look sheepish at his wrongdoing.
Eddie was used to this. Even when Al was a free man, he was never a free man for long. He didn't think his dad knew how to coexist among non-inmate citizens. Eddie didn't think his dad even wanted to. Prison was a creature comfort for the elder Munson. Eddie wasn't necessarily mad at that fact. He was happy when Al was locked up, because then at least he knew where his dad was. Otherwise, Eddie worried his father would eventually get himself into a situation he wouldn't be able to get out of, and Eddie would really never see him again.
Eddie was also used to Al showing up after months and months, sometimes even years and years, such as now, always asking for favors.
"Who is that?" Eddie asked, pointing towards the couch, not being able to ignore the other human in the room any longer.
"Yeah, that's kinda what I need your help with.” Al rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well, no way to do this other than to just say it. That there's your little brother, Eddie. His name's Oliver. And I need you and Wayne to look after him while I'm gone."
"My... what..." Eddie stammered, face scrunching up. He expected Al to burst out laughing and admit he was just fucking around, and that this tiny sleeping stranger was actually just the kid of a fellow convict buddy. Maybe it was said convict buddy’s turn to rob ATMs tonight, leaving Al the babysitter. Irresponsible. Unlikely. And, turns out, untrue.
With Al's silence, Eddie knew his dad’s admission wasn't a joke.
Eddie was beyond confused now.
"Dad, how... you've been in prison for six years!"
"Conjugal visits," Al answered with a bit of a smug shrug.
Eddie shook his head in disbelief. "What the fuck? Wayne can't afford another kid that's not even his... and I'm in school still, I can't watch him... this isn't... I don't know how..."
But Al was already making his way to the door.
"I know you'll figure it out. I can always count on you, my boy," Al prided, tone cheery as if the favor he'd just asked of Eddie was to give him a quick ride somewhere or find an old family recipe.
Al wasn't acting like he was ditching another Munson offspring off on his older brother. He was treating this like an issue of minor importance, just a little speed bump on an otherwise flat road.
Al Munson was not an upstanding person. Never had been, never would be. Because of this, Eddie shouldn't have been surprised or appalled, but here he was, standing with his mouth agape. Surprised. Appalled.
His dad was out the door with a lighthearted, "See ya 'round, son," and Eddie was left speechless in the middle of the living room.
𖤐 ֪ 𖤐 ֪ 𖤐
Wayne got over the new addition to the Munson household fairly quickly.
While he'd been livid at first, calling up all of Al's old friends he'd still had the numbers of to try and find out where his dumb shit of a younger brother was, Wayne eventually became resigned to the idea that he now had another little boy to rear and mold.
What else could he do?
Wayne took care of his kin, especially if they were innocent bystanders and had no say in being born in the first place. He'd raised Eddie, and although he knew the boy had his struggles, he didn't think he'd done too bad of a job.
Eddie never went hungry, always had clothes to wear, a bed to sleep in, and Wayne was the one who haggled Eddie's van down to a reasonable price so the boy could pay for it with his lunch box salary.
Wayne knew about the weed and the pills, but so long as Eddie stayed smart about where he was selling and who he was selling to, he didn't much mind Eddie's unconventional line of work. It helped his nephew stay somewhat social, and Wayne knew how important that would be for Eddie's future. If the boy was nothing but a lone recluse his whole life, he'd probably end up just like Al. Nobody wanted that.
Eddie was just about grown now. Sure, he was rearing twenty and still in his senior year of high school, but Wayne had an inkling that '86 would be Eddie's year.
Wayne had always thought about selling the trailer and buying an RV with retirement money once Eddie was out on his own. He wanted to travel the country for the remainder of his life.
The idea that he'd have to raise up another wild Munson for the next fifteen or so years caused a knot to form in his stomach.
Would Wayne even be around for that much longer? He may have been relatively healthy, and he was only in his mid 60's, but Wayne wasn't an idiot. He knew anything could happen at any time.
Wayne knew he needed help this time around. He figured he could count on Eddie here and there, but Eddie needed to focus on school this year if he planned on finally walking the stage. Because of this, Wayne decided to enlist the help of someone on the outside. Someone with experience.
So, he posted an ad in the Hawkins Post, looking for a full-time nanny for a five-year-old boy to start as soon as possible, and waited for a response.
𖤐 ֪ 𖤐 ֪ 𖤐
Wayne didn't have to wait long.
Two mornings following the job post, shortly after he'd returned home from work, he heard a knock on the trailer door.
When he answered, he saw a pretty young thing standing on the front stoop.
"Hi!" you greeted, then immediately began to ramble. "Are you Mr. Munson? I hope it's okay I just showed up... there wasn't a number listed, only an address, and I didn't know if you wanted me to write a response and mail it, but the ad seemed maybe a little urgent, so I thought, hey, what's the harm in just... showing... up..."
You trailed off, feeling silly for word vomiting during your first impression. He was watching you with a small smile, eyes flickering with what looked like amusement, especially as your cheeks began to color to the soft red of embarrassment.
Listing no number on the ad was intentional. He hadn't owned a rotary phone in about ten years, after having tried to cut back on bills, and he knew not just anyone would make the trek to Forest Hills for a potential job offer. He’d figured only committed applicants that wouldn't waste his time would follow through.
"I have a lot of experience," you continued on at his silence, almost as if you couldn't help it, compelled to divulge all the information you could in the first three minutes of meeting. Wayne found it endearing. "I used to babysit for three different families when I was in high school. And I have two little sisters. My mom and dad worked a lot growing up, so I spent a lot of time with them. Didn't get paid, but... I made sure they didn't die or anything..."
From their brief interaction thus far, Wayne knew he succeeded in his method of weeding out flakes. You were obviously serious about the position. He felt he was a decent judge of character, and he'd learned in life that sometimes over-explaining was synonymous with caring.
"Sorry," you said, forcing out a little laugh. "I guess I could have just introduced myself. You didn't really need to know all that." You shot your hand out, giving your name. "I'm here about the nannying gig. Um, obviously. That is, if I didn't already scare you off."
Wayne took your hand in both of his own, shaking it. He placated you with a grin. "It's a lot harder than that to scare off a Munson, sweetheart. Let's go inside and meet Olly."
𖤐 ֪ 𖤐 ֪ 𖤐
Although Oliver Munson was only five, he had a spectacular vocabulary and a limitless imagination. Wayne knew the boy was a little charmer, quite like how Eddie was when he allowed himself to be, when the teenager wasn't drowning himself in existential teenage angst and nonsense.
You fell under Olly's spell almost instantly.
And it seemed the little boy had fallen under yours as well.
Oliver didn't stop talking to you while you were there, and didn't stop talking about you after you’d left, asking when you’d be back and if next time you could take him to the trailer park's playground and maybe you two could watch G.I. Joe or He-Man together afterward.
Wayne had taken your number down before you’d left and had told you he'd be in touch soon.
Later that evening, after Eddie had gotten back from his club meeting at school, Wayne took the trip into downtown Hawkins to use the payphone and ask you if you wouldn't mind starting as early as tomorrow.
𖤐 ֪ 𖤐 ֪ 𖤐
You were far from struggling for money.
Your father was a sought-after criminal prosecutor for the entirety of Indiana. Your mother was a real estate agent for high profile clientele who came from old family money; her father was CEO of a day trading business, and his father before him had been the same.
Although you likely would have never had to work a day in your life and could live a comfortable existence off of inheritance alone, handouts and the humdrum of an All-Play-and-No-Work lifestyle was never a dream of yours. That sounded so cookie cutter, so monotonous, so boring.
You liked to feel a sense of accomplishment. You liked setting goals and reaching them. You didn't want to freeload off of money that was gained from the capitalistic professions your parents were a part of. You wanted to be in control of your own finances and be the author of your own future, not have it already be etched into stone simply by being just another rich kid from Hawkins, à la the likes of the Carver's or the Cunningham's or the Harrington's.
You were ecstatic when you got the call from Wayne, asking you if you’d be willing to start the following day. He left for work at 2PM, so you’d have to be there before then, and would need to plan on staying until Wayne's nephew got home around six.
If you were to be completely honest with yourself, you felt a bit nervous, but the job itself wasn't the reason why that writhing feeling accompanied your excitement.
You had more than ten years of babysitting experience under your belt, and you were eager to get back into a job you actually enjoyed as opposed to trying out different careers to see what stuck and what didn't. Having graduated the spring before, you’d been taking an off year to save up money by working odd jobs around Hawkins to be able to buy your own apartment.
You’d worked as a florist for a few weeks, but it turned out your thumb was pitch black instead of green.
You worked as the personal assistant for a group of lawyers from a local law firm, but it turned out they just needed office eye candy and not someone to actually get any sort of work done.
You worked as a veterinary assistant, but it turned out the job was much more than just petting cats and dogs. You couldn't handle it when a sick animal would come in and there would be nothing anyone could do. Your heart broke more at that clinic than it had your entire life.
You were in between jobs when you’d decided to peruse the classified section of the Hawkins post. There, in the shortest blurb on the page, was a listing for a needed nanny, a full-time position offering negotiable pay.
The next bit was where the excitement wavered.
The listing was published by a Wayne Munson of the Forest Hills trailer park.
That had to be Eddie Munson's uncle. There was no way there were two separate Munson families living in the only trailer park in Kerley County.
You couldn't believe that you’d stumbled across this ad, that the geeky metalhead you’d crushed on since your freshman year of high school had a little brother you could be the potential nanny of.
You were two years younger than Eddie, but that hadn't stopped you from losing periods of time to daydreams about the way the wind ruffled his wild mess of curls on breezy days or the way his band tee sleeves always clung perfectly to the soft muscles of his biceps or the way his cheeks dimpled when he teased the other boys he sat with at lunch.
You’d always wanted to introduce yourself, but you didn't run in the same crowds -- you being on the cheer team and Eddie blasting Black Sabbath in the parking lot after his Hellfire meetings. You could never muster the courage. He seemed so carefree, so full of life, so effortlessly funny. Chrissy Cunningham, your best friend, had spoken to him once or twice and had told you how different he was than what other people said about him. He wasn't scary or mean or threatening, and instead was warm and silly and genuine.
But you knew how the people you spent your time around treated people like him. You knew your group of "friends" referred to him as a freak, a Satan worshipper, and did everything in their power to try to bully him into becoming a shell of himself. Thankfully, he never did -- it was almost as if Eddie absorbed the hatefulness and spent it tenfold by mocking the hilarity of the jock hierarchy that ruled the school, as well as using it to strengthen his own ability to embrace every misfit that walked the halls of Hawkins High.
You never introduced yourself because you were afraid he’d think you had an ulterior motive, that you’d be trying to talk to him as a joke or a prank. You knew the company you kept. You were sure Jason Carver had once or twice suggested you do just that, lead Eddie on and make a fool of him in front of the whole school.
You figured it'd be best to just stay away.
But now, you thought finding this ad was possibly a sign from the universe.
Maybe you were getting a second chance.
𖤐 ֪ 𖤐 ֪ 𖤐
Eddie was running late.
He was supposed to be back home half an hour ago to relieve whoever Olly's new babysitter was of her duties, but the campaign had taken a shocking turn and Hellfire couldn't disband until it had commenced.
The night finally ended with Will's character decapitating Dustin's, and Eddie had to thwart an actual attack when Dustin leapt across the game table at Will in a bout of rage. Dustin was small but mighty, and Eddie had to physically wrestle the boy off of Will's neck, threatening to banish Dustin from the next few campaigns if he didn’t chill out. Henderson had huffed and puffed but had admitted defeat and apologized to Will for the attempted murder.
By the time Eddie arrived back to the trailer park, the sun had almost set. He pulled his van into his parking spot to the right of the trailer and shut it off. Stepping out, he swung his backpack over his shoulder, but came to a halt when he heard Olly's scream sound from behind the trailer.
Dropping his bag and beginning to run toward the noise, Eddie's heart fell to his stomach. Horrible images of what could possibly be pulling that sound from his little brother pervaded Eddie's mind. He had an overactive imagination to begin with, and something like this verbal cue only egged it on. "Olly!" he shouted, panic raising his voice. "Olly, are you okay?! What’s going on, where are --"
Eddie came to a halt when he found the boy in the backyard with a huge smile spread across his small, sweaty face. Olly had a fake crown on, one made of twigs and leaves, and he was carrying one of the biggest sticks Eddie had ever seen. He had a blanket tucked into the back of his shirt, the cloth a makeshift cape. A thin piece of metal, probably from one of the cars Wayne and Eddie sometimes worked on, was wrapped around his center, acting as armor.
Olly had just been playing.
Letting out a heavy breath of relief, Eddie noticed your frame just off to the side. His eyes started from the ground up, noting the shiny red Docs donning your feet, moving up bare legs that were covered mid-thigh by a short black skater dress, one that hugged your curves in a way that had Eddie’s mouth going dry.
By the time he reached your face, your eyes were wide with amusement.
You’d been watching as he slowly drank you in. He didn't mean to ogle. He had to shake his head a few times to clear it, and when he did so, the face before him started looking more and more familiar.
"Wait," he started, head tilting. He spoke your name, tone riddled with confusion. "From high school?"
You were about to answer when Oliver cleared his throat, obviously not wanting to be ignored or to have his playtime interrupted any longer. You looked down at the boy, who pointed up to his head at his crown. You got the gist -- Olly wanted the game to continue. You could indulge him. You’d been doing it all day, and honestly you’d been having the most fun you’d had in a while.
You turned your attention back to Eddie, fixing your posture and jutting your chin out slightly. "I don't know who that is," you began, voice lilting. "I am Princess Guinevere of Kerley County and this here,” you brought your gaze back down to Oliver, “is my most loyal servant, Sir Olly of Castle Munson."
Eddie couldn't help the grin that broke out over his face at your announcement. He then took a moment to fully take in the rest of your appearance. You, too, had on a makeshift crown, this one made up of cherry blossoms and daisies. You had a flowing blanket tucked into the back of your dress, cascading down your back like a veil.
No fucking way were you, last year's cheerleading captain and prom queen, standing in his backyard playing fucking knights and princesses with his little brother. No fucking way.
Olly broke the silence by shouting out, "Hey, Eddie! Who are you gonna be?"
Eddie tore his eyes from you to focus on his brother. He pursed his lips to one side in thought, trying to come up with a character. He was usually quick on his feet when it came to creative play, but he had just spent the last three hours DM'ing a month-long DnD campaign. His brain felt shot. He was pulled from his introspective reverie by your soft, suggestive voice — no, sorry — the soft, suggestive voice of Princess Guinevere.
"Wanna be my dragon, Eddie?" you asked.
Eddie wasn't exactly sure why that made his breath catch in his throat.
He nodded dumbly, silent, then forced himself to speak because he didn't want to look totally lame in front of a Princess. "Okay. Yeah, I'll be your dragon."
You graced him with a smile before Oliver's tiny but booming voice cut through the air of the darkening night. "HEY! Dragons don't talk!" the boy stomped his foot and hit his stick against the muddy ground in annoyance.
A laugh bubbled from your throat and Eddie grinned, jumping into a wide-legged stance before outstretching his arms, tilting his head back, and roaring.
#eddie munson x reader#eddie x reader#eddie munson smut#eddie munson#eddie munson x fem!reader#eddie munson x y/n#eddie munson fanfic#eddie munson fic#eddie munson x you#stranger things
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you can call me boyfriend for the weekend
I posted this earlier as a link to ao3 but I know some people like to read things straight on tumblr so this is for you people lol As noted, this was supposed to be a short little ficlet inspired by unfortunate "Black Out Wednesday"/hook up with someone in your hometown pre-Thanksgiving ritual and then Steve got a backstory and Eddie wanted a POV and it spiraled out of control like most of my work lol Also I wrote this all in twelve hours and it's not beta read at all lol but enjoy! And please ignore the wonky timeline. It's canon-divergent/no Upside Down. But basically in my head, all the normal things that happened to Steve/Eddie still happened in this universe and they got close during the Autumn months of 1986. I think that's all you need to know! wc: 8.8k | rated: M Read on ao3
The Hideout is unusually packed.
In hindsight, Steve should have figured as much. It’s not like he’s the only former resident in town who needs a shot or two (okay, maybe three, but who’s really counting other than the barkeep logging everyone’s tabs) of liquid courage before heading home to spend a few days with family. The overflowing parking lot and illegally double and triple-parked cars on the street are still a sight to see when he steps out of the Yellow Taxi.
Maybe he should have taken the cute stewardess up on the alcohol offer on the plane. Would have saved him a couple of bucks that’s for damn sure. Still, every time he was about to, Robin’s nagging voice would pop into his head, spewing one of her nonsense rambles about the importance of being fully coherent on an airplane, lest they have to land the plane as if he’d have the skills to land a plane in the first place. And yet, he remained stone-cold sober on the couple-hour flight into Indianapolis from Boston just in case.
Sure, there’s liquor at his parent's house — at least, he hopes they haven’t packed up the dry bar if they did, he’s really fucked this weekend — but he needs something now to keep the anxiety bubbling in his chest at bay. And last time he checked The Hideout is the only place within a twenty-mile radius that can serve up a quick, cheap drink. Plus, there’s the fact that the Yellow Taxi he took here from the airport has already disappeared into the night, and he’s not about to go inside to call another cab without buying something; that would be rude.
In yet another surprising twist, that shouldn’t be surprising given the parking situation; there’s a small line of people waiting to get in. In the nineteen and a half years he spent in Hawkins, Steve’s never seen a line in front of The Hideaway. He knows for a fact that the place never had a bouncer, much less one who meticulously cards everyone who walks in.
Well, everyone but him it seems.
Steve doesn’t even get his wallet open, much less out of his pocket, before the man is wrapping a bright orange ’21 and over’ wristband on his wrist. Which, like, ouch. He knows he just got off a flight after working a half-day shift at the stupid office, but he can’t look that much like an adult. Can he?
Thankfully, there’s no time to dwell on his fleeting youth as he’s pushed into the crowded bar with the rest of the customers who patiently waited their turn in the frigid Indiana November evening.
The familiar scent hits him the second he’s more than three steps through the opened doors — stale beer, nicotine, the undeniable musk bodies emit when they’re dancing and, well, horny. But there’s also something new going on, too. Crisp leather, a piney scene that can only be associated with floor cleaner, and something minty, peppermint, he thinks, maybe for the upcoming holidays. Gone is the stench of piss that no amount of power washing the concrete floors could ever scrub up. Steve notices the concrete floor is gone, too, apparently, as his shoes squeak against the shiny black laminate.
There are a few new booths from the looks of things, and the stage has gotten a major upgrade since the last time he was here to see… He shakes the thought from his head and keeps walking until he finds an open spot in the corner of the bar.
A bartender materializes the second his ass makes contact with the new vinyl seat. She looks vaguely familiar, too young to be in his class, but maybe someone from Henderson’s year. He figures he’ll be downing glasses of expensive wine when he finally musters up the courage to go home, so he orders a shot of tequila and a rum and coke in the meantime. She pours the shot right there, excusing herself to grab the rum bottle from one of the other bartenders working tonight.
He grimaces as he shoots it back, tequila burning his throat as it goes down before he sucks the sliver of lime between his lips. It’s impossible for the effects to kick in this fast, but he already feels the tension easing from his shoulders. He uses the reprieve from his anxiety to really take everything in. The Hideout may have gotten some major upgrades, but he can’t say the same about its patrons.
It’s a real who’s who of Hawkins High has-beens. Andy and a couple of younger guys he remembers playing ball with his junior year of high school, all wearing their Greek letter crewnecks, downing beers and slapping each other on the back. Jason’s in the center with his arm around a stereotypical-looking blonde who is clearly not from around here. Heather Holloway is unmistakable, pressed into a booth arguing with some guy Steve thinks was on their swim team while their three kids jump around unchecked. And is that Chrissy Cunningham with… Gareth? That nerd from Dustin’s D&D group? Steve makes a mental note to bring it up with Dustin when the little shit calls him next because holy shit.
It takes him a minute to spot Tommy and Carol, but once he does, he doesn’t know how he didn’t see them sooner. They’re pressed up against each other, practically dry-humping in the middle of the makeshift dance floor. Tommy’s got his tongue shoved down Carol’s throat, and her hand is fisted into his buttoned shirt that’s definitely a size too small.
Somethings never change, he thinks, rolling his eyes as the pair stumble their way towards the bathrooms at the opposite end of the bar.
Steve’s about to turn back around and disappear into the shadowy corner he’s found himself in when the static feedback of the seemingly brand-new speakers goes off, sending every patron in the bar covering their ears.
“Sorry! Sorry!” A man calls from the makeshift sound booth a few yards away from Steve. “Give it another go for me?”
“Check one, check one, two. Sounds great, Frank. We’re all set up here if you are,” a woman says from the stage. Steve figures she gets a non-verbal cue from Dave because then she’s talking again, her voice bright and way louder than it needs to be. The giggle that comes next is even worse. “Hi everyone! Lots of familiar faces in the crowd tonight.”
It takes his eyes a minute to adjust to the bright spotlight illuminating the stage, but when it does, he nearly falls out of his seat. Is that?
“Anyways, I’m Tammy, and these are the Townies, and we’re Tammy and the Townies!”
Holy shit! It’s Tammy Thompson. The Tammy Thompson. Robin is going to be so pissed when he calls and tells her about this tomorrow morning. She’ll probably say that he was just seeing things, blame it on the single shot of tequila he’s had since he’s still waiting for his drink, but he knows the truth. Especially when Tammy launches into the opening lines of “Santa Baby,” trying her best to be sultry but still sounding like a rejected Muppet.
Someone chuckles behind Steve, before an all too familiar voice says, “I haven’t heard that one before.”
His first thought is: Shit, did he say that out loud?
And then comes something even worse: Wait, I know that voice.
All the anxiety the shot of tequila chased off comes surging back to Steve, swirling in his gut, threatening to creep up his throat and out his mouth. No. He’s not going to throw up in The Hideout after one shot, not with the entirety of his high school class in attendance. And definitely not in front of Eddie Munson.
There’s no doubt in Steve’s mind that it's anyone but Eddie Munson standing behind him and the bar. He would know that voice and chuckle anywhere, could pick it out in a line-up if he had to after the fall of 1985 when they— nope, not going there.
The way he sees it, he has two options. One, get the hell out of here without turning around. It’s dark in the corner, so there’s a chance Eddie hasn’t realized who he’s talking to yet; in fact, Steve’s pretty sure if Eddie knew who he just spoke to, he never would have opened his mouth to begin with. So, yeah, he could get the hell out of here, maybe leave a couple of bucks at the opposite end of the bar on the way out so he’s not drinking and ditching, and then hail a cab and head to his childhood house.
Or, he could woman the fuck up, as Robin would say, turn around and meet the gaze of a man he hasn’t seen since he was nineteen, confused and desperate to make something out of himself.
He weighs the cons: spend a few extra hours with his parents or face Eddie Munson, the only person other than Robin to ever see him. The real him.
The answer is easy.
“Well, well, well,” Eddie says, sizing Steve up with those big doe eyes of his the second Steve turns in his chair. “If it isn’t Steve Harrington in the flesh. What the hell are you doing around these parts? Thought you left to go make daddy dearest proud?”
Ouch.
Steve should have expected Eddie not to mince words, even if he is a paying customer and all. He doesn’t allow himself to get a good look at Eddie, meeting him with his own mean-spirited retort instead.
“Guess I should have known you’d still be around, Munson,” Steve snarks. Eddie wants to play? Steve’ll gladly participate. “Still flunking out of high school?”
“Now that one I have heard before.”
Eddie doesn’t stick around for a response. He slams Steve’s rum and coke on the bar counter and gives it a rough shove. The glass slides across the sleek countertop before crashing into Steve’s awaiting hand. The drink sloshes in the cup, a few droplets spilling out, but Steve doesn’t have the energy to wave Eddie down and demand a replacement, so he shuts up and brings the now half-empty glass to his lips. He takes a much-needed gulp and then another, alcohol going down better than the shot from earlier, dulling the regret from his mean-spirited retort with it. He sulks for a moment before letting his eyes drift behind the bar. Searching.
If The Hideout is crowded, the bar is just as congested. At least four bartenders shimmy around each other. Hands reaching for various bottles, glasses clinking as ice falls in. It’s the most people Steve’s ever seen behind the small bar top, and he’s willing to bet it’s more than they’re legally allowed.
Fire code and all that.
Not that he knows much about that.
Not yet, at least.
He will once he starts his Fire Academy classes in the new year.
That is, assuming his dad doesn’t kill him the minute he finds out about his career change.
That’s a problem for tomorrow, Steve thinks, shaking the thought away and chasing it further by draining the rest of his drink.
“Can I getcha’ another round?” The young bartender asks, reappearing like a damn bar fairy.
Steve’s not sure he’s fully thought his order out, too preoccupied stealing glances at Eddie, but his lips start moving anyway, words escaping before he has a chance to stop them, “Actually, can I get a Vodka Party Punch with pickle juice instead of pineapple.”
“Pickle juice? Are you sure?”
Shit.
No.
Yes.
Steve quietly contemplates changing his unusual order, tilting his empty rum and coke glass to his lips, desperate for another teaspoon of liquid courage. He’s met with the cool sensation of ice hitting his teeth instead. Another not-so-subtle sneak at Eddie, and Steve doubles down. “Yeah. Eddie should know how to make it.”
“Oh, uh, ” the bartender says, nervously glancing to her right.
Steve follows her line of vision, giving himself permission to do more than glance this time, and finds Eddie on the opposite end tossing around bottles and the shaker like he’s fucking Tom Cruise in Cocktails and not a super-senior who half the town was convinced was a Satanist.
“Let me see what I can do for you.”
Steve gives her his best customer service smile and a quick nod before watching her shuffle through the other bartenders on her quest to get to Eddie.
He lets his eyes linger as Eddie finally doles out the drink he’s been working on. Five years and some change has been good on him. His hair is still as unruly as ever, twisted back in a low bun at the base of his neck. Tending to the bar has clearly served his arms well judging by the tone biceps peaking out from under his black shirt. It’s done wonders for his entire body, if Steve’s honest, sizing up the way he finally fills out his jeans.
Eddie turns just so, new piercings catching in the reflection of the spotlight from the stage. Steve catalogs them, a few new ones to his ears, a hoop in his left nostril. There’s new ink, too, decorating his strong forearms and peeking out from the collar of his shirt.
Steve’s attraction to Eddie isn’t a surprise, especially after the Fall of ‘86. But it’s like a match has just ignited a new flame in the depths of his body. He looks good, is all. Really, really good.
Steve’s pulled from his not-so-subtle ogling when the young bartender finally gets Eddie’s attention. He can’t hear the conversation, but he spent enough time around Eddie to know what the man is saying without even looking at his lips. Her back is to him, but Steve knows the minute he brings up the drink because Eddie’s body goes stiff, his head jolting toward Steve, eyes growing wide as he glares at him from the opposite end of the bar.
For a moment, Steve thinks he’s truly fucked up. Well, more than he did five and a half years ago when he let his dad convince him to set him up with a job in Boston that forced him to leave without saying goodbye to anyone, least of all Eddie. But then he sees the moment Eddie’s stubbornness sets in, clouding his eyes and forcing his chunky boots to stomp through the hoard of sweaty bartenders.
“Did you come all the way home to fuck with me?” Eddie barks, still a foot and a half away from him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Cut the bullshit, Harrington,” Eddie snaps, hands smacking onto the countertop.
When Steve doesn’t say anything, Eddie rages on. If it wasn’t for Tammy Thompson’s wailing in the background, Steve’s pretty sure they’d have everyone’s attention right now. Thank God for Tammy Thompson.
“Seriously? Pickle juice!”
Steve’s hit with the familiar woodsy, nicotine smell he spent months chasing around town as Eddie drops to his elbows, leaning in closer to Steve. For a second, he thinks Eddie is going to deck him, at the very least fist his hand into his shirt and yank him forward, but he doesn’t.
“I know damn well you’re not ordering Vodka Party Punch with fucking pickle juice at the fancy bars wherever you ended up. What makes you think you can order one here now?”
“You’re right, I don’t order them in Boston,” Steve says, answering the question Eddie really didn’t ask. “But I’m ordering it now because you’re the creator of the drink, and I know you’ll make it taste right.”
Steve watches Eddie’s jaw drop. The bar is dimly lit but it doesn’t take florescent lights to catch the red tinting the tips of Eddie’s ears, fully exposed with his hair pulled back in a bun. It’s been a minute since Steve attempted this game with anyone, but Eddie’s always been a fun participant — especially when he’s pretending he doesn’t like it.
“I’m charging you double,” Eddie concedes, twirling the giant skull ring still perched on his finger.
“Better make it worth my dime, Munson.”
“You know I always do, Harrington,” Eddie taunts, clearly finding his footing in this flirtatious sparing match they’ve started.
* * *
By the time Eddie returns with his drink, Tammy and the Townsies have wrapped up their set for the night — thank god — and The Hideout slowly starts to empty out. With a few less bodies occupying the actual bar, Eddie has no problem sticking around, tossing his dish rag over his shoulder as he slides the Vodka Party Punch with pickle juice over to Steve, much gentler this time.
The drink smells exactly like he remembers, but the presentation has improved since their days of mixing them in the Munson’s crowded kitchen. A mini pickle is skewered through a toothpick as garnish, and the glass is tall and clean, a rarity in the mug-infested kitchen of that autumn.
Steve makes a show of his first sip, slowly raising the glass to his mouth without breaking eye contact with Eddie as he licks his lips in anticipation. Eddie’s eyes dilate the second Steve’s tongue makes an appearance, and it takes everything in Steve not to jump across the bar and shove it down Eddie’s throat a la Carol and Tommy style. He knows the Eddie from five autumns ago wouldn’t mind, but this Eddie might.
He does the next best thing instead, taking a slow sip of the drink, exaggerating when he swallows before punctuating the first taste with a low moan of approval. Judging by the smattering of pink moving to Eddie’s cheeks, it works.
“Delicious, just like I remembered.”
It’s the wrong thing to say. He knows it the minute the words leave his lips, and the flush on Eddie’s cheeks drains to a ghostly white , eyes turning to fire.
“You’re a real piece of work, you know that,” Eddie scoffs, snapping his dish towel off his shoulder to wipe the counter.
“I just, I—“ Steve groans, scrubbing a hand down his face. Leave it to him to be back in Hawkins for less than three hours and already fuck things up. “Thank you,” he finally says, eyes trained on his drink. “You didn’t have to make it, and you did, so thanks.”
“Whatever customers want, they get here at The Hideout.”
Steve can’t help but snort, “S’that a new motto?”
“It’s a work in progress.”
When Steve glances up, Eddie’s smiling at him. Not his toothy grin Steve loved to coax out of him, but his lips are definitely quirked into a grin which he’ll take as a win. Small victories and all that.
“That what they pay you the big bucks for? Slinging drinks like Tom Cruise and coming up with new slogans?”
“Something like that.” Eddie finishes wiping down the counter in front of Steve and moves half a step to his right, working on the next area that’s vacated.
Steve thinks that’s it. The beginning and end of their civil conversation, but then Eddie looks across the bar, no doubt taking in the empty state of things, before turning back to look at Steve. Really, look at him.
If it weren’t for the liquor coursing through Steve’s veins, he doesn’t think he’d be able to sit there under Eddie’s gaze. But he does have alcohol on his side, so he stays glued to his seat, his own cheeks heating up as Eddie’s brown eyes roam over his body, taking him in the same way he did with Eddie a while ago.
When he’s done, Eddie cocks his head to the side and tuts. “You’ve seen better days, Harrington. I think your eye bags have eye bags.”“Corporate life’ll do that to you,” Steve grumbles, taking another sour sip from his drink. When Eddie doesn’t throw a dig he knows is on the tip of his tongue, Steve breaks the silence. “You look good behind a bar.” Jesus, maybe he should have kept his mouth shut. “I mean, uh, how long have you been working here.”
Eddie snorts, coming back over until he’s right in front of Steve. He drops to his elbows again, pillowing his chin in his hands as he makes direct eye contact. “About five-ish years ago. Right after I graduated.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
“I, uh, thought the plan was to get the hell out of here?”
Eddie hums. “It was. Took the job to save money so I could do just that.”
“And you ended up loving it?”
“Hated it at first, actually, but you know we’re not all lucky enough to be able to get the hell out of Hawkins just because people tell us we should,” Eddie says, eyes boring judgment into Steve’s own. “Figured if I have to stick around I might as well try and make it better for those of us still here.”
“That’s what you’re doing, then?” Steve asks, generally curious. He always knew Eddie had a savior complex, saw it firsthand when Dustin and the rest of the kids started high school, and immediately got swept up in Eddie’s inner circle of outcasts. “Making Hawkins better?”
“Trying to,” Eddie says, and Steve can feel the walls around him shrinking, only for them to harden in an instant. “Turns out it’s a lot easier when the assholes flee.”
Steve winces and downs the rest of his drink. When it’s drained, he sets it down and fumbles through his pockets for his wallet. He gets no more than three measly bucks out before Eddie is shooing him away.
“It’s on the house tonight.”
Steve shakes his head, digging back into his wallet “Don’t think your boss’ll be happy about that.
“Good thing m’the boss then.”
Steve gawks. He’s pretty sure his jaw is fully open, but it's worth it to see the pleased look on Eddie’s face. “Shit, seriously?”
“What, you think old Dave was the one to plan the renovation of this place? That cheapskate was slinging water tinted brown with food coloring to the regulars once they got drunk enough not to tell.”
Steve laughs, but doesn’t get distracted with the anecdote like he knows Eddie hopes he will. Eddie Munson might have his heart in his sleep, but if there’s one thing Steve knows about him, it’s that he hates being emotionally vulnerable. Steve can’t say he blames him, but still, he presses on.
“Eddie Munson, CEO of the Hideout. Who would have thought?”
“I don’t know about CEO,” Eddie says, fingers struggling with the elastic holding his hair back. It takes a second for him to get the strands untangled, and when it does, his hair cascades over his shoulder in those same unruly curls Steve tried to tame once or twice. Eddie’s hand immediately finds a strand, twirling it around his fingers and pulling it towards his lips. “Owner as of the first of the year, though.”
“Eds, that’s really fucking cool. Holy shit! Congrats! I feel like we should toast or something.”
If Eddie catches the nickname slip up, he doesn’t mention it. Maybe Robin’s patenting ramble so they can’t comprehend every embarrassing thing you’ve said method actually works.
Instead, he waves him off. “Sounds to me like you’re just trying to get another round of free liquor in you before heading home to the parents.”
“Damn,” Steve says, happy to play along. “Am I that obvious?”
Eddie rolls his eyes but ducks behind the counter for a moment, popping back up with two clean cups. He blindly reaches for a top-shelf whiskey and pours just a bit too much to be considered a shot, but not a full serving either. They clink the glasses together in a silent toast before throwing back the over-poured shot like they’re nineteen and twenty again.
“You know,” Eddie says, closing the distance between them as he leans against the countertop again. “We’re looking for some silent investor, partner types to help out with financing. If you, uh, know anyone who might be interested.”
“Oh,” Steve says, liquor making his brain slower than usual.
Eddie pushes off the bar, shaking his head. “Don’t look too excited, Steve. I was just joking.”
“No, shit, I mean, yeah, I would invest. Love to even,” Steve rambles, desperate to keep Eddie from joining the rest of the bartenders in tallying up their tips. “It’s just, uh, I’m actually getting out of the investment world.”
“You don’t have to lie, Harrington. A simple no will do.”
“I’m serious. Today was actually my last day. I’m enrolled in the Fire Academy come January.”
“Holy shit,” Eddie says, that toothy grin finally making an appearance. “Way to bury the lede, Stevie! We should be toasting to you! Finally getting out from under your dad’s thumb!”
Unlike Eddie, the nickname isn’t lost on Steve, but he doesn’t have time to dwell on it. Not if he wants to keep Eddie smiling, and dammit he does. It’s the only thing he’s ever really wanted.
“I mean, I still have to break the news to my dad. But yeah, assuming he doesn’t kill me, it’s happening.”
“Hey, Munson,” a bartender he realizes is Jeff calls from the opposite end of the bar. “Get your ass over here and close out so we can go home. Some of us actually want to see our families.”
Eddie flips Jeff off but doesn’t budge from his spot in front of Steve.
“I should probably head out, too,” Steve says, slowly rising from the stool. His legs are full of pins and needles, asleep from sitting so long, but he manages to stay upright.
“Wait,” Eddie says, shouting even though all Steve’s done is duck behind the counter to grab his duffle from the floor. “Did you drive here?”
Steve shakes his head. “Took a cab from the airport, gonna use the payphone out back to call another.”
“Don’t do that,” Eddie says in a rush. “I mean, I can’t let you waste your money on a cab when you’re unemployed now.”
“I’m not unemployed, I’m going to—“
“Fire school, yeah, yeah, I got that,” Eddie says, waving him off. “Just give me two minutes, and I’ll drive you home, okay?”
“Yeah, alright.”
Steve makes a show of sounding inconvenienced, which earns a dramatic eye roll from Eddie and a victory for himself. His streak of pretending not to care actually working lives on another day.
* * *
Seven minutes later, thanks to a mathematical error and a hushed conversation between Jeff and Eddie, Steve finds himself in the passenger seat of Eddie’s van. “I can’t believe you still have this thing.”
“How is it any different from you still driving the Beamer?”
“How do you know I still drive the Beamer?”
“Please, the only thing you love more than that car is Buckley. Speaking of, where is your platonic other half?”
“Still in Boston. She got asked to write an article for her grad department’s journal.”
“Ah, so she sent you to the lion’s den all on your own,” Eddie teases, slowing to a stop despite the light still being yellow.
“Figured this was one Harrington vs Harrington battle she didn’t need to bear witness to.”
Eddie gasps, clutching a hand over his heart. “My, my, it seems like us lowly mortals are in the presence of the Great Sir Stevebert tonight.”
Steve can’t help but snort. He’s missed this. The easy teasing, the openness. Eddie and his silly voices and even sillier words. He can’t believe he’s gone almost six years without him.
“So,” Eddie says, drawing out the vowel. “Isn’t Dick going to be extra pissed off that you’re showing up on his doorstep at three in the morning?”
Steve shrugs. “Probably.”
“What time were they expecting you?”
“When are they ever really expecting me?” Steve laughs dryly. “I didn’t really give them a set date. Figured if I told my dad I was flying out today, he’d figure out the whole work thing so I told them I’d try to catch a late flight after I finished for the day and be there by Thanksgiving dinner at the latest.”
“So they don’t know you’re in town.”
Steve shakes his head. “Not unless someone at the unofficial Hawkins High reunion tonight ratted me out.”
“Jesus H. Christ you caught that too?” Eddie shouts, smacking his left hand against the dashboard. “I’ve worked plenty of Wednesdays before Thanksgiving, but none of them have pulled that many of our former classmates out. I don’t know why everyone is back in town this year.”
“Back in town or never left?”
“Hey,” Eddie scolds. “Watch it. Your life is in the hands of a Hawkins townie right now.”
Steve holds his hands up in surrender and is glad to see Eddie grinning at him when he musters the courage to steal a glance. He wishes he could offer a careless smile back, but the closer they get to Loch Nora, the more he feels the anxiety creeping in again. Eddie must sense it, too, because he slows to well below the speed limit.
“I wouldn’t mind having a roommate for the night,” he says nonchalantly. Like Eddie’s talking about the weather and not offering to spend the night in Steve’s presence. Steve, the guy who disappeared on him one day after months of fucking around — literally and figuratively. The same Steve who hasn’t been back to Hawkins because he’s been avoiding this exact situation like the chickenshit he is.
“Wayne probably will, though,” Steve says, trying his best to turn Eddie down without actually turning him down. It’s not that he doesn’t want to spend the night with him. Hell, he’d sell his left arm for the chance. The problem is it’ll just be one night, and Steve doesn’t think he has that in him. Not when he wants all the nights.
“Good thing he’s not home.”
“Wait,” Steve says, turning in the passenger seat to look at Eddie. “He left you on Thanksgiving? Isn’t that against your Munson Family Code or whatever?”
Eddie snorts, mumbling something that sounds an awful lot like ‘I can’t believe he remembered that’ under his breath. “I told him it was okay. He’s up in Chicago spending the holiday with Scott Clarke’s family.”
“Scott Clarke? The middle school science teacher?”
Eddie nods.
“I didn’t know they were friends.”
Eddie breaks in the middle of the street, leveling Steve with a look he finds himself receiving from Robin all the time. She says people like them are supposed to know when other people are like them, but so far, Steve has yet to inherit that superpower.
“Oh, shit,” he says, finally. “I didn’t know your uncle was into guys.”
“Neither did I,” Eddie laughs. “It was a real memorable day in the Munson’s house when I found out.”
A comfortable silence falls between them as Eddie eases the van back on the rode. They stay like that for a light or two before Eddie rolls to a stop at a familiar intersection.
“Great Sir Stevebert,” he says, switching into his deep, DM voice. “It seems you have a choice to make. Shall you continue on your travels, taking the golden brick road to the lone castle on the hill, or shall you take the road less traveled and embark on the twisting journey to the Moors?”
Once again, the decision is easy.
“If you really don’t mind,” Steve says instead of a definitive answer.
Eddie whoops and makes the sharp right turn that’ll take them to Forest Hills. “Onward, Sir Stevebert, to the Moors, we go!”
_ _ _
Eddie has no idea what he’s doing. One minute he’s fighting with himself, desperate to keep his attention on the out-of-town in-laws of some Hawkins High alumni in need of a blissful night out before the family shit starts and not on the sulking figure of Steve fucking Harrington on the opposite end of the bar. And the next second, he’s ushering that same Steve up the steps of the Munson trailer like he did so many times before.
Jesus H. Christ.
He should have listened to Jeff. He should have called Steve a cab and paid for it himself if it made him sleep better at night. Hell, he should have kicked Steve out the second he mouthed off to him. But he didn’t. And he couldn’t.
Despite all the bullshit, Steve put him through, despite five whole fucking years without so much as a call, Eddie still has a soft spot for the goddamn fallen King. Time heals many things, but the love he has for Steve isn’t one of them.
Love?
No. Strike that from the record.
Infatuation.
A crush, maybe.
Not love.
Not anymore.
Eddie shrugs his shoulders, shaking the thought from his entire body, and moves to unlock the door. He gestures for Steve to enter, and Eddie trails behind, bending down at the entrance to untie his work boots and free his sore feet. He wasn’t lying when he told Steve this is the busiest pre-Thanksgiving shift he’s ever worked. He’s pretty sure his blisters have blisters at this point.
His knees ache at the position, so he lets himself fall back, ass on the worn welcome mat as he finishes the task at hand. It feels nice to get off his feet, and he lets himself linger there for a moment. A hand massaging the ache from the arch of his foot while his eyes drift up, watching Steve asses the trailer much like he did the very first time he found himself in the humble abode.
As nice as it is to get off his feet, the last thing Eddie needs is for Steve to turn around and catch him staring at him from a spot on the floor. With a quiet groan, he hoists himself back into a standing position and dusts his hands off on his jeans.
“Wayne getting rid of his mug collection?” Steve asks, breaking the silence. Eddie follows his pointed finger to the top, empty rack shelf the patterned couch.
“No, just relocated ‘m. He spends most nights at Scott’s house now. I basically own the place. Wayne refuses to let me pay the full rent, though, since it’s his name on the lease.”
Steve lets out a low whistle that doesn’t do anything, Eddie, nothing at all, and turns to face him with a look of mischief in his hazel eyes. “Now, who’s the one with a silver spoon.”
He can’t help but laugh at how absurd that sounds. As if inheriting the trailer is some kind of privilege, but in some ways it is, right?
“It’s no rent-free apartment in a big city, but it’ll do,” he says, trying his best to throw a dig back at Steve, but it doesn’t sting the way he wants it to. If anything, it makes Steve’s lips dip into a frown instead of stroking that familiar petty flame he knows stays lit in his gut.
“Come on,” Steve says, rolling his eyes. “You think Dick Harrington pays for my place in Boston? The asshole got me a shit job and told me to figure the rest out. I was lucky Robin was already there when I showed up. Her RA wasn’t too pleased, but we made it work that first year.”
Great, now he’s the asshole.
It’s such a different picture than the one he’s spent the last five years painting in his head. That good ol’ Dick Harrington shipped his only son off, far enough away that the town freak couldn’t continue sinking his teeth (and dick) into him without him knowing about it. Set him up with a good job and a nice place to sleep at night that left Steve no choice but to stay even though he knew that’s not what Steve wanted. Never was.
But that’s not the story, is it?
The real story is that Dick Harrington is an even bigger prick than he thought, and Steve is a coward. Eddie can understand Steve staying away if his dad made his new life nice for him and kept him comfortable and just shy of miserable, but he didn’t. And yet, Steve stayed in a job he hated, in a dorm he had no business crashing in because Daddy Dearest told him to do it.
A part of Eddie wants to ask why. Wants to dig his grimy finger into the still-fresh wound in Steve’s chest, judging by the grimace on his face, and get to the bottom of what the hell his dad has over him to keep in line. But what good would it do, really?
Eddie opts for a different strategy instead.
“Why now?”
Steve cocks his head, brows knitting together in that cute confused face Eddie used to love coaxing out of him with a single nerdy phrase back in the day. “Why now what?”
Eddie sighs and scrubs a hand down his face. He could change the subject, shrug off his question, and steer the conversation into calmer waters to get them through the night. But that wouldn’t be fair to him or Steve. Not in the long run.
“It’s been five years since you’ve been in town, Steve,” Eddie says blankly. “Why now?”
“My parents are selling the place,” he answers, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Said they wanted one last family Thanksgiving in the place before it’s not ours anymore. It’s bullshit if you ask me. I can’t remember the last time we spent the holiday together, even when I lived here, but here I am.”
“Here you are.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Steve groans, collapsing on the couch behind him. “I don’t know what it is about my parents that has me running to them every time they ask, even though they don’t give a damn about me 99% of the time.”
Eddie follows Steve's lead, settling on the couch but leaving the middle cushion open. An unofficial barrier between them. “I’m no psychologist, but it sounds like textbook daddy issues to me.”
Steve shoves at Eddie’s shoulder, but he doesn’t move, too stunned by the sudden contact to do anything else. Steve’s hand leaves his shoulder as fast as it finds it, but the effects are already in motion. Eddie’s entire body vibrates under the ghost of Steve’s touch, skin alive and hot in a way it hasn’t been in years.
Eddie turns, expecting to find Steve staring off in the distance, but instead, he’s staring at him with those open, honest hazel eyes. All it takes is one look, one single slip of his eyes to Steve’s lip and back again, and Steve’s surging forward, closing the distance between them.
Steve tastes like cheap liquor and pickle juice, and all it takes is one swipe of Steve’s tongue, and Eddie’s transported back to the Fall of 1986. Of experimenting with whatever ingredients they had on hand in the kitchen and throwing back drinks to nurse their respective education wounds — Eddie not graduating again, Steve failing to get into college. Memories of playful shoves turning into wrestling matches turning hot and heavy until lips met lips and skin, so much skin.
Five years may have passed, but it feels like no time at all as Eddie sinks further into Steve’s embrace, fingers tangling in the wisps of hair on Steve’s neck, and Steve’s own hands find themselves tangled in his curls.
It’s only when Steve moves to straddle Eddie’s hip that the reality of the situation hits him. Eddie jolts away; hands braced on Steve’s shoulders to keep a respectable amount of distance between them. He hates himself the moment he looks into Steve’s cloudy hazel eyes, but he’d hate himself more if he let this continue without checking in.
With Steve an arm's length away, Eddie studies him. Squinting as he stares into Steve’s eyes, checking for glassy, unfocused eyes, excessive sweating, and flushed face — all of which Steve has, but maybe not for the reasons Eddie is checking for.
“You’re drunk,” Eddie says plainly.
Steve shakes his head, words, not even the least bit slurred when he says, “No. Maybe a little buzzed, but that’s it. I promise.”
Something snaps inside of Eddie at those two words, releasing the anger his horniess has been holding at bay. In an instant, he feels the rage boiling inside of him, and he shoves at Steve hard enough to send him back to his end of the couch.
“With much offense, Steve,” Eddie says, venom dripping from his lips as he spits out Steve’s name. “Promises don’t mean shit coming from you.”
And just like that, they’re back where they started the evening off. Opposite sides of each other, scowling and hurt in their own ways.
Steve sighs and shifts on the couch, not-so-subtly adjusting himself in his pants. “Eds,” he whispers, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I fucked up, okay. I know I did, but what was I supposed to? My dad was threatening you just as much as he was threatening me, and it was just easier to leave.”
“Easier for you, maybe.”
“I—“
“What are we doing here, Steve?” Eddie asks, cutting off whatever lame excuse is coming next.
“I thought I was trying to apologize but clearly I was wrong.”
Eddie can’t help the dark chuckle that escapes him. “So you apologize, and then what? We fuck, you get one last blowjob by the former freak of Hawkins, and then poof, you’re gone again?” Eddie rises from the couch in an instant, sock-covered feet pacing the length of the living room. He steals one glance down at Steve and shakes his head. “I should have listened to Jeff. Should have listened to everyone and stayed the fuck away. This is nothing but a pre-holiday fuck, and I’m so fucking stupid for falling for it.”
“No!” Steve shouts, standing up now too. “I’m not, I mean, I didn’t even know you’d be at the Hideout. I just stopped there because I couldn’t stomach the thought of showing up to my parents' place sober.”
“You think that makes me feel better?” Eddie snaps. “Tell me this: if I wasn’t at the bar tonight, would you have come to find me?”
Steve says silent.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“I didn’t even know you were still in Hawkins until tonight!”
“Bullshit! I know for a fact Henderson has mentioned seeing me when he comes back for the holidays. Just stop lying!”
“You want me to stop lying?” Steve shouts, stalking over to where Eddie’s stopped pacing. He boxes him in against the new bookshelf he installed in the corner where Wayne’s roll-away mattress used to sit. With his shoes still on, Steve’s got half an inch on Eddie and it’s daunting staring up into those eyes when Steve’s jaw is set in a hardline. “I fucking love you, okay? I have for years! And yeah, I was a fucking coward for leaving, and I could have, should have called in the years since, but I was scared, okay? I was scared you figured out that I’m not worth it and found someone better, just almost everyone else in my stupid fucking life and—“
It’s Eddie’s lips that crash into Steve’s this time. The words die on Steve’s lip, and for a maddening moment, Eddie wonders if he’s broken him beyond repair. That maybe he sould have left him keep spiraling and hit rock button, but then Steve kisses him back and it’s perfect. Well, as close to perfect as they can get considering they’re both angry and exhausted and Jesus h. Christ when did Steve learn to do that with his tongue? It’s headier than the kiss on the couch, leagues better than their awkward teenage makeouts from that autumn. They’ve both grown up, practiced, and found what works, and god damn, does it work.
When they pull apart this time, it's only to catch their breaths before diving back in. Eddie gets his hands on Steve’s shirt, rucking it up and over his head in a tangle of limbs, his own shirt isn’t too far behind, flying through the air with reckless abandon. Steve’s lips find his throat and Eddie doesn’t know if he wants to scream or sink into him further so he does a mix of both, a wanton moan falling from his lips as he pulls Steve closer by his hips and ruts against him.
They’re really moving now, stumbling down the familiar hallway until they’re crashing into Eddie’s unmade bed. Eddie hovers over Steve, admiring his flushed torso and blissed-out face for all of two seconds before Steve pulls him close, whispering want you and need you, and who is Eddie to deny Steve anything, much less mutual pleasure?
They fumble with each other’s jeans, hands shoving and hips lifting and twisting until there’s nothing between them but the thick, musty air. Eddie’s hands trail up and down Steve’s body, his lips and teeth following leaving marks on his favorite moles. He licks a stripe from the dip of his waist to his belly button and back down, and Steve keens under him.
“Please,” Steve whines. “Stop teasing.”
“It’s call foreplay, sweetheart,” Eddie chirps, but ultimately gives in, taking all of Steve in his mouth in one go.
“Jesus Christ,” Steve swears, fisting a hand into the sheets.
Eddie pulls away, eyes wide and full of mischief. “First you say no teasing, then you get mad when I take you? What do you want from me, Stevie?” He cups Steve’s ball, rolling them with enough pleasure to coax another moan from Steve’s lips.
“Just play nice, Eds.”
Eddie hums, then dives back in, slower this time but still just as desperate. He’s missed this almost as much as he’s missed Steve in general. Maybe even more, if he’s honest. There are a lot of dicks in the sea, but none as beautiful and responsive as Steve’s.
Eddie laughs at the cheesy thought, and the vibrations do something to Steve to elicit the most beautiful sound Eddie’s ever heard. He almost laughs again just to hear it again, but before he has a chance, Steve’s shoving him off and flipping them over.
“Wh— what’s going on?”
“M’too close, and I don’t want cum without tasting you first.”
Despite his protests, Steve dives straight in with no preamble and Eddie feels the familiar coil of pressure building in an instant. He’s not going to last, not if Steve keeps doing that with his tongue and Jesus h. Christ he’s never going to live it down if he cums two seconds into getting Steve’s lips on him.
He tries to think of anything else. The disgusting bathrooms at the Hideout he’s going to have to clean tomorrow and the grocery list on the fridge he has to brave the last-minute holiday shoppers for, but nothing seems to work.
Eddie squirms, tries his best to get away from Steve but Steve hand settles on his hips, holding him to the mattress as he continues to move up and down. Eddie sees the stars building in his eyes without even closing his eyes and his hand moves on its own volution, finding Steve’s leaking cock and wrapping his hand around it.
If he’s going to cum embarrassingly fast, so is Steve.
He matches his strokes with Steve’s and they both fill the room with their moans and cries until finally they collapse on each other. Eddie’s hand and chest are sticky with Steve’s cum, and his own is spilling out Steve’s lips, but he doesn’t care. He pulls Steve closer, capturing his lips in a searing, sweaty kiss.
* * *
Another round and an hour-long make-out session later, they finally get up to clean themselves up. Eddie leaves Steve in his room and disappears into the bathroom. One look at His debauched self in the mirror and Eddie can’t help the smile that breaks out. If someone had told him this was how he’d be spending the early hours of his first Thanksgiving without Wayne, he would have laughed in their face.
When he returns to the room a few minutes later, Steve’s back on the bed, the thin sheet doing little to cover his lower half while his torso lays on full display, light by the warm light seeping through the cracks of Eddie’s blinds as the sun rises outside.
“Hi,” Eddie whispers, suddenly shy as he slips back into bed.
“Hi,” Steve whispers back, shuffling across the bed and making himself comfortable on Eddie’s chest.
Eddie doesn’t hesitate, wrapping an arm around Steve’s bare middle before bending the other behind his own head. He looks down at Steve, slowly drinking in the look of peace on his face and the way his eyelashes flutter against his cheeks as he starves off sleep they’re both desperate for.
“How long are you in town for?” Eddie asks and mentally curses himself. Fucking Munson, just enjoy the moment!
Steve shifts, chin digging into Eddie’s solar plexus as his sleepy eyes find Eddie’s. “The weekend, at least. Maybe a few extra days.”
“Yeah?”
“I could be persuaded,” he says, reaching up to wrap a lock Eddie’s hair around his finger. “I mean, I am unemployed until January, as you so kindly pointed out.”
A part of Eddie wants to laugh, maybe even apologize for the uninspired jab from hours ago, but there’s something more important he has to do. Even if it kills him. He tries to keep his smile intact when he opens his mouth next, whispering the words as close to Steve’s ear as he can so he can’t deny hearing them.
“I’m not asking you to stay. You have to make that choice on your own, Steve. Start living your life for you.”
Steve’s smile falters, lips twitching, threatening to turn into a pout, but they don’t. Instead, he nods, and Eddie feels the weight of his confession and the fear-strikes anticipation of Steve’s reaction evaporate from his own body.
Steve nods, turning to press a chaste kiss to the same demon that’s been etched there since before Steve became his all those years ago. “I know.”
Eddie hums noncommittally and drags his fingers through Steve’s damp hair, nails lightly stretching at his scalp in the way he knows Steve loves. “So then, what do you want?”
There’s a moment of silence and Eddie watches the seven stages of grief wash over Steve’s face before he opens his mouth again. “I can promise you the weekend to start.”
It’s not the answer Eddie wanted, but it’s the one he was bracing for. He knows better than to expect Steve to make a life-changing decision in their post-coital haze. Wouldn’t want him to even if he gave him the answer he wanted. All he really needs is the truth.
“Boyfriends for the weekend?” Eddie says. The word feels foreign on his tongue and yet just right. “Does that mean I get a front-row seat to watch you ruin your dad’s life when you tell him about the fire academy?”
Steve snorts, hot air tickling Eddie’s love-bite-ridden neck. “I mean, if you want. Might make things worse, though.”
Eddie hums in agreement. The last thing he wants is to make Steve’s day even harder than it’s going to be, no matter how much he’d love to get some face-to-face time with good ol’ Dick Harrington.
“How about this,” Eddie says, turning so they’re nose to nose in bed now. “I’ll be your getaway driver. Drive you over, and when you’re ready to leave, I’ll be waiting around the bend like old times sake. And then…” He trails off, nose bumping against Steve as he peppers his freckled face with kisses and nips. “I’ll bring you back here and we can make good use of this whole boyfriends for the weekend thing.”
“Yeah,” Steve says, breathy and more of a sigh than anything else but the sentiment is there. “That sounds perfect.”
Eddie hums and pulls Steve’s lips between his in a long, lingering kiss before separating. “The only condition is I get to be the one who leaves this time when you have to come back.”
“Not forever, though, right?”
“Well, that’s up to you, babe.”
Steve nods, swooping in to give Eddie his own version of a passionate kiss. “Okay, but then we’re even.”
“Yeah, we’ll be even.”
Eddie watches the smile slowly spread across Steve’s face before he hides in the crook of his neck. Eddie presses his own grin into the mop of sweaty hair on Steve’s head as they lay there, completely intertwined from their head to their toes.
“Boyfriends for the weekend,” Steve mumbles through a yawn before finally letting his eyes flutter shut.
“And then for life,” Eddie whispers, lips pressing into Steve’s forehead before his own eyes give in to the exhaustion coursing through his body.
#steddie#steddie fic#steddie ficlet#steddie fan fic#steve harrington#steve harrington fic#eddie munson#eddie munson fic#stranger things#stranger things fic#steddie smut#steddie angst#dani writes
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— Dia’s tumblr wrapped 2024
I know it’s super late for me to share this, but just as many would say, it’s better late than never. Thank you so much for the lovely people who tagged me to do this: @beomcoups, @shadowkoo, @kingofbodyrolls ♡
2024 started off smoothly…until it didn’t. The final quarter of the year has always been a hard time for me and it wasn’t that much different this year. As you can probably notice that I’ve been mostly absent ever since the end of October and I deeply apologise for that. I also regret not planning things properly and for not keeping up with my goals this year but that only means that I'll be dragging my WIP list towards the next year.
Thank you so much for everyone who has been there for me this year, and those of you who have stuck by me despite my inconsistencies. I really appreciate your presence on my blog, whether it’s through your likes and kudos, your reblogs, your comments and replies on my contents, and the kind words you sent me through my ask box. You guys have made it worthwhile for me to be here even after all these years, and I don’t think I can thank you enough for that. Here’s to mark the end of our wild journey through 2024 and enter the new year of 2025.
OVERALL FIC STATS 2024
Number of fics posted: 4 (four) one-shots, 2 (two) ongoing series, 3 (three) ficlets
Number of fics revamped: 2 (two) completed fics, 2 (two) ongoing series
Number of words written: 448,057 words (dang, no wonder I felt so burned out lol)
Number of fics in progress: 32 (oh, boy…)
FIRST FIC OF 2024
❥ A Christmas Fix 01 & 02 — posted Jan 31st & Feb 1st | 1,926 & 1,226 notes
My thoughts: This was…quite a journey. It’s been a while since I wrote a rom-com story and I was pleased to have been given the chance to write this idea through a collab. The final outcome wasn’t too disappointing either, since I enjoyed writing it and reading it afterwards. I’m glad everyone loved this story as well.
MOST POPULAR FIC OF 2024
❥ The Stand-In (Revamped version) — posted Aug 13th | 4,267 notes
My thoughts: Okay, yeah…I cheated a little. But to be fair, this fic did get a lot of notes this year before and after the revamping process. I loved this story so much that I felt like it deserved a major makeover and I’m glad I managed to do it this year.
LONGEST FIC OF 2024
❥ The Bedroom Hymns — series, ongoing, last updated Sept 9th | 50k++ words | I’m too lazy to open each chapter to count the notes I’m so sorry lol
My thoughts: I know…I know, I need to update this one again. I had to take a break from this series because this fic literally became my main focus this year that a lot of my WIPs kept getting pushed back just so I could finish more of this. I had to stop at some point to finally set free my WIPs. I have to admit that I also lost my motivation to write this due to the lack of notes and responses that I got with each update no matter how much time I spent working on it (tacky, I know…but it is what it is). I still love and enjoy writing this, so more chapters are coming. I can see this fic becoming my main focus again in 2025 until I’m done with it.
LAST FIC OF 2024
❥ The Forsaken II: Tears of the Sea — posted Oct 24th | 712 notes
My thoughts: Holy hell…this fic. Who would’ve thought that I’d be revisiting siren!Taehyung this year after…3 years?? Thank you, whoever it was that sent this during my birthday event. I never expected to write a full fic for this to continue the original story and to answer a lot of your questions, but I’m glad I did!
Honorable mention:
❥ Our Imperfections — posted Oct 30th | 92 notes
My thoughts: This was the last thing I actually released before I dipped into the void but I couldn’t count this as a fic as this was considered a ficlet or, in a more common term, a drabble.
PERSONAL FAVOURITE FIC OF 2024
❥ Blooming Wallflowers — posted Sept 25th | 927 notes
My thoughts: I had one of those rare moments where I found myself enjoying the writing process of a story so much that things simply kept flowing until it became a full story. This one went twice the size planned (and commissioned) but I have no regrets. At all.
Honorable mention:
❥ Maps (revamped version) — series, completed, posted Sept 6th, 7th, & 11th | 1,4k++ notes (again, I’m too lazy to open each chapter lol)
My thoughts: I initially planned to release something else for DPR Ian’s birthday this year. But then I started revamping the graphics for his old fics instead and decided to revamp the whole series while I had the chance. This one has always been my fave work that I wrote for Christian, so diving back into this to do a makeover and give it a major upgrade felt absolutely fulfilling.
2024 SPECIAL EVENT
❥ 𝖙𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖋𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖆𝖉𝖊: yoonia’s 2024 birthday bash
My thoughts: Once again, I can’t thank you guys enough for joining this small event of mine. I promise that I’ll have another event in 2025 so please stay tuned! (see you in March!)
Fave reads of 2024
I have to admit that I haven’t been doing a lot of fic reading this year. But I’m happy that I got to dive back into reading some fanfics during my birthday event and found some lovely gems that I truly enjoyed
The Taste of Sin by @shadowkoo
Vignette: Duty by @cybrsan
The Athlete by @beomcoups
A Lover's Redemption by @writtenwhalien
Dandelion by @shina913
The Wood by @sailoryooons
Minted by @kithtaehyung
Mr. & Mrs. Yoon by @monamipencil
On The Ropes by @raplinesmoon
Top Ten Tracks of 2024
Loved — B.I
People — Agust D
Make You Mine — Black Violet
Gemini — Cheyenne
Close To Me — Mamie, Eloy, Trippy Bass
HUH?! — Agust D feat. J-hope
Love — Lana Del Rey
Reasons — COTIS
Watch Me Burn — Michelle Morrone
Die First — Nessa Barrett
GOALS FOR 2025
Write more. Tackle more WIPs each month.
Finally finish my old abandoned WIPs (About Time, Blood Moon Rising and the Shifters Series, Chance Encounter)
Finish writing and officially release my original stories/novel as a web-series
Try to do better with planning and scheduling and keeping up with them
Finish revamping Carousel and release the novel version on Ream
Read more. Both published books and released fics
Focus more on my personal health, mental and physical
Start job hunting again
I know I’m late for this, so I’m passing this over to the writers who are tagged on the list above (if you haven’t done this yet) and also tagging a few who come across my mind right now (only if you want to!): @ressjeon @lo1k-diamonds @pars-ley @minisugakoobies @inkedtae
And also tagging randomly anyone who feels inspired to create their own tumblr wrapped!
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Congratulations on your followers! 🎉✨🧚🏼♀️ I am so happy to see you on my feed that I am not sure what I could even request… Would it be ok to request an Aragorn x reader ficlet with
26. Hurt/Comfort AU and
5. “You did this for me?” (Maybe Aragorn got protective of the reader and she takes care of his wounds… just a little suggestion)
I am really not sure if I did this right and I apologize in advance if I did something wrong or made you uncomfortable. Thank you for doing this 💜 I hope you have a wonderful day Take care <3
Thank you so much and thank you for your wonderful ask! I hope you will enjoy the story I wrote for you... and I hope you don’t mind I tweaked your prompt a tiiiiiny bit ;)
The Golden Hour
The sudden battle with the Ringwraiths at Amon Sûl took a toll on everyone. Frodo’s wound was serious — more serious than you have ever seen. It was a Morgul-blade, after all. The other Hobbits were shaken, but unscathed. What a relief. But then you noticed Aragorn clenching his left hand and giving out a slight hiss.
“You’re wounded!” Instantly, you recalled that he held that burning torch in this hand, attacking the wraiths with it mere moments ago.
“It’s nothing, my lady.” He shook his head and examined Frodo’s wound. “This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs elvish medicine.”
“Rivendell?” Your gaze met his. There was a frown on his handsome face when he nodded in agreement.
“We have no time to lose,” he said, looking at Frodo's pale face.
“I’ll take him there,” you stated. Your bay mare whinnied in agreement. It would not be your first race against death, and the Ranger knew it well.
After you placed Frodo safely before you, Aragorn gave your hand a squeeze.
“Ride with the grace of Valar.” He spoke with a glint in his eye.
The coarseness of his skin against yours made you tremble a little, and you looked away. You did not want him to read what hid in your eyes. He was the Strider, the legendary Ranger of the North, and you were… well, just you. A girl from nowhere — or everywhere. You met on the trail a couple of months ago and since then you travelled together. Both of you seemed to enjoy each other’s company. You exchanged tales by the fire, sang songs under the stars, or simply rode in silence, admiring the beauty of the landscape ahead of you.
Then four hobbits joined you in Bree and from their whispered remarks you understood that the Strider was guiding them somewhere. Wandering hobbits were quite unusual, just like their mission had to be, but you never asked any questions. You understood they had their secrets, and you respected it. In the meantime, you scouted the area, took night watches together with Aragorn, and made sure that Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin were safe. Now, you were about to do it once again — for Frodo.
And so you rode like the wind, day and night, night and day, fleeing from the black shadows trying to catch up with you. But you and your mare were faster, leaving the dull thudding of their ghastly steeds’ hooves behind.
You crossed the fast-flowing waters of the river Bruinen with haste, and soon you found yourself in the Last Homely House, Lord Elrond’s domain. He was glad to see you in Imladris again and took care of the barely conscious Frodo right away. Elrond’s healing powers were legendary, so you were almost certain that he would succeed. And so he did.
A couple of days later Aragorn and the three hobbits arrived, exhausted and hungry. You could not help but notice how he held his left hand, fisted and close to his chest. There were deep shadows under his eyes.
“Let me see to your hand,” you said, closing the distance between you.
“The hobbits first,” he spoke quietly. You knew his face well by now; it was pale. Too pale for your liking.
That was when lady Arwen arrived, welcoming the new guests. As soon as you exchanged a glance with her, she swiftly moved towards Sam, Merry and Pippin.
“Welcome to Imladris, dear guests. May I offer you a place to rest and something to replenish your strength?” she spoke in her melodious voice, turning to the hobbits. Only then did Aragorn allow you to take him to his quarters.
You rolled up his left sleeve when he sat on his bed, and then you examined his arm. It looked like a large part of his hand and forearm was covered with burns, probably when one of the wraiths attempted his final attack, his robes on fire. You worked slowly, meticulously, and as gently as you could. At the end, you covered his skin with an elvish ointment given to you by lord Elrond and bandaged the worst-looking wounds. It would take some time, but you knew he would be fully healed.
When you were done with your work, he was already asleep. The only thing you could do was to cover him with a blanket and leave him to rest.
***
A few days later you decided to take a walk in lord Elrond’s gardens. Whenever you visited Rivendell, you liked to stroll through this magical place, but this time you were not alone. On the path ahead of you, you saw a familiar figure bathed in the warm light of the evening sun.
“My lady,” the Ranger bowed his head and you saw how differently he looked from the man you had come to know on the road. Gone was the tiredness from his face and the grime from his clothes. Now, he wore green elvish robes, and his freshly washed hair softly fell onto his shoulders. In the golden light of the setting sun he looked more like a ruler of an ancient realm than a travelling swordsman.
“I have been looking for you,” he added. “I would like to thank you for what you did: for saving Frodo’s life, and with him, perhaps even something greater. And for caring for me when I needed it the most.”
“I haven’t done anything unusual. This is what one does when their travelling companions are in need. How is your arm doing today?” You glanced at his freshly bandaged arm.
“It is better, thanks to you.” A small smile appeared on his face, reaching the grey pools of his eyes. There was something in his gaze that made you smile back at him.
“Tomorrow I will have to leave Rivendell and continue my journey,” Aragorn continued. “It is a perilous one, and I do not know when or if I will return. I would like you to have this as a token of my appreciation. Something to remember me by, perhaps.”
“A necklace? Is that a mountain crystal? You made this for me?” you blinked in disbelief, looking at the crystal glinting golden in the sun, and at the elegantly interwoven leather straps that held it.
“I began making it on the road. They call this kind of crystal the elvenstone. May I?”
“Of course.” You bit your lower lip as Aragorn placed the necklace around your neck. He stood so close to you, you felt the warmth of his fingers brushing against the sides of your neck, and there was that smell of herbs, leather, and pipeweed, one that you could recognize even with your eyes closed.
“So very beautiful…” you whispered, touching the glistening crystal with your fingers.
“Very…” added Aragorn, but his eyes were set on your face. You swallowed.
“I will wear it every day with pride.” You heard yourself say. “But it will not remind me of you because I will be by your side.”
“But… My lady, the journey ahead of me is full of danger, I cannot…” He began, taking your hand in his.
“We have survived quite a few dangerous situations together, haven’t we? I believe we will survive a few more,” you smiled at him, finding golden sparks of sun among the grey clouds of Aragorn’s eyes.
“I believe we will,” your Ranger agreed and you knew that at dawn, you would be riding out from Imladris together.
Thank you for reading! If you liked it, please consider leaving a comment or reblogging 💙
➳➳➳ Here's the HUGE Celebration Masterlist! 💎
📜 Searching for more stories to read? Check out my masterlist!📜
#lathalea's huge follower celebration#lotr#aragorn#fic request#aragorn x reader#lotr fanfic#tolkien fanfiction#the lord of the rings
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the official beginner's guide to olizumi
so! you're a fan of fma or maybe a friend of mine, and you're interested in learning more about the relationship between olivier mira armstrong and izumi curtis! great, you've come to exactly the right place.
if it's been a while since you've seen fma:b, or if you've never seen it and don't mind watching some scenes from the final arc, i recommend getting started with my compilation:
youtube
(original video post here)
when i first watched fma:b back in march 2023, i thought i would manage to watch the entire thing without getting obsessed with a wlw ship. i was wrong. the second these two started interacting i immediately became enamored with the trust, respect, and intimacy that they share, and with the way they seemed to find in each other the same steely spirit, grit, and inner sense of self. their ability to communicate their philosophies, despite their differences, and listen to each other with ease and tenderness just. GOT ME. they got me.
get ready for SO MUCH MORE under the cut:
(i was lucky enough to have a chance to draw up a little list of most of my headcanons about them, which can be found here! the most important of which i'd say are that i write them as t4t, and olivier as a stone top!)
if you're convinced of their chemistry just from that, great, my job here is done! but if you don't believe me yet, or you want a little more, it would be my honor to point you in the direction of the first ever fic i wrote for them, "recognition." (tumblr post for chapter 1 here!)
"recognition" can best be described as a 4 chapter old woman yaoi where (almost) nothing happens and two milves fall in love. or if you like, sorry izumi, two very young women navigate the beginnings of a long distance relationship, polyamory, workaholism, and chronic illness. it is sickeningly fluffy, and to date the longest thing i've ever published.
it even comes with an illustration! @wlwsakura did THIS for me:
(original post here) which i will never be over not in one million years!
AND it also comes with a whole entire soundtrack, made by myself and my dearest friend @summerwoodsmoke! kinda a folksy gentle, very sappy vibe. i still listen to it all the time! alex picked some bangers tbh.
for the very first @fma-rareships event, i wrote two little ficlets set in the world of "recognition," which are here and here!
if you're keeping track so far, that's a compilation, a headcanon list, a fic(+ficlets), a commission, and a playlist. but wait, there's more!
so, okay, maybe 23k is too long for you. or maybe fluff isn't your thing. or maybe, somehow, you've made it through all that and you want more. not to worry. i have more.
just this week, i posted "bone deep" (tumblr post here), which is a 5k E rated omegaverse fic that's kind of like recognition on fastforward and if i didn't cut out the sex scenes. and if it was omegaverse. it's the first omega thing i've ever written, but i really wanted a chance to write more in depth about how i see olivier's stone identity, and weirdly this setting gave me the chance to do that!
and now we've covered everything i've made for them...so far. but i want to give a shout out to some others in the rarepairs mines with me, because i'm not the only one who care them!
@machinerismsx's fic "An Open Invitation" is genuinely incredible. it's hilariously funny (there's lines in there i still think about and giggle), and also like. super hot. we didn't know anything about each other's fic projects til after i posted "recognition," but we were stunned to realize we'd written a lot of the exact same plot points, including what i refer to as The Curtis-Armstrong Alliance.
you may have noticed that in my compilation, sig and alex also had like, off the charts chemistry. m and i noticed that too! so in both of our fics, while sig and izumi are still married, they are also each get an armstrong all to themselves, lol.
which brings me to @eggos-esper! my brother-in-arms who is out here as the reigning champ of sigalex! (& you can read the sigalex fic i wrote for him on ao3 here ((or see the tumblr post here!)))
but maybe you're nostalgic for youth. or you like epistolary fics. or maybe you, like me, are deeply obsessed with the miniep "tale of the teacher." if that's you, PLEASE PLEASE check out @baudleaires's fic "Notes from Briggs" it is the cutest thing on planet earth and it had me kicking and squealing the entire time.
maybe you want more art! there's more art!
@iztopher did this one for my birthday and it made me actually scream and then weep:
and @wlwsakura's first piece of them is what made me commission her in the first place:
it's still the photo for one of the groupchats i'm in. it rules.
also, while they're not on tumblr atm, i could not bear to make this list without acknowledging @chillingoose, who is one of my dearest friends and who has come up with some truly stunning things for olizumi as well.
and! and! also @littlebear1537! who loves briggs more than anyone else in the universe!
if i managed to miss anything, my olizumi tag is here! there's not a ton in it at the moment, but there are some jokes, like this one by @heavenlyshadowhunter:
:D
i would LOVE to add more to that tag by any means possible, so if you make anything for olizumi, PLEASE tag me in it! i am also going to work on setting up @olizumi as more of a proper archive too! (edit: i did it! it’s a real blog now!)
thank you so much for reading this incredibly long post, and for giving my girls a chance! <3!
#fullmetal alchemist#fullmetal alchemist brotherhood#fma#fmab#olivier mira armstrong#izumi curtis#major general olivier mira armstrong#sig curtis#alex louis armstrong#major alex louis armstrong#WOOF !!#long post#please please talk to me about them! it's olizumi autumn!!!!#olizumi#<3
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Doing it to Compensate (Not Love)
Now, I don't usually do this, but I wrote a really rough ficlet for any Call of Duty character x reader with a dash of rivals to lovers (younger reader is heavily implied)
It was written with Horangi in mind (blatant favoritism), but you could imagine this with any character in COD that fits the mindset
I don't want it to rot in my documents, so here u go
He resented you, he hated how stubborn you were about how you were right.
He hated how you would preach how much better you were than him at a certain skill, even if he was superior to you in rank. He hated how you would smirk everytime you saw him miss the bullseye during gun training. He hated how you would roll your eyes at him at every terrible unhealthy choice he made during meals, judging his barely sustainable appetite despite you having the oddest cravings he had seen. He despised you, absolutely detested your attitude.
But ever since that day, ever since you clung to him with heavy breaths in need of assistance, he just couldn't help but find you absolutely gorgeous. This was the first time you ever depended on him for anything, gripping his shoulder like he was the only thing that could save you.
He could remember the image of you covered in mud, your untrained fingers coated in your own blood while his rougher hands held your wound closed. It wasn't a pleasant sight, in fact, it was disturbing. But to him? He saw your defeated image as a portrait of a sorrowful martyr painted by a historic romantic, a tragedy cursed by the heavens.
He felt an unfound pity and worry seeing you like this. You were confident, believing in an ability you haven't fully mastered could help you defend in battle, but here you were, met with the reality of war. In that moment, he had just realized how important you were to him, how your confidence didn't make up in your lack of skill. Sure, he enjoyed making you groan in contempt everytime he commented on how much of an amateur you were if you missed a chance to kick him during sparring or how you were a terrible soldier if you missed a practice target just by a centimeter, but those times were accompanied by mischievous grins and amused smirks. They were all in good fun. You genuinely suffering? It wasn't any fun for him. He couldn't handle seeing you hunched over, leaning on his shoulder over a wound that could've taken your life. He just couldn't bear the thought of you being taken from him.
Since that day, he realized that for all the teasing and snarky comments made from good intentions, he'd make it up to you now just by making your life easier.
Ever since that day, he chose to make you your coffee, no matter how painfully sweet or disgustingly bitter it was. He chose to give you a pat on the shoulder every time you shot a straight bullseye, and chose to praise your efforts everytime you sent him flying back on his arse during training. You deserved it. He just couldn't go back to treating you like shit after that day, because it made him realize how he could lose you at any moment. He didn't want the last words he ever told to you to be a criticism of your skills or a sarcastic judgement of how your inexperience made him better than you. He had to make it special, because he loved you.
But he sure as hell will never tell you that. Instead, he'll tell you that you are a valued soldier, that losing you would be detrimental to the team. He would place his hands on your hand, your shoulder, or any place on your body that was subtle enough that you couldn't realize what he was truly feeling. It didn't carry his devotion nor his loyalty to you. It didn't send the message of how much he cared. But, it will always be close enough to an "I love you" that he could ever manage to tell you.
#call of duty#cod mw2#cod horangi#horangi x reader#simon riley x reader#ghost x reader#johnny soap mactavish#simon ghost riley#soap x reader#alejandro vargas#alejandro x reader#könig#cod könig#könig x reader#hiro oni watanabe#cod nikto#nikto#nikto x reader#krueger x reader#sebastian krueger#zhiqiang zimo huang#zimo x reader#kyle gaz garrick#kyle gaz x reader#gromsko#sobieslaw gromsko kościuszko#gromsko x reader#hiro oni watanabe x reader
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Deadpool x Wolverine ficlet
So I was watching deadpool 3 last night for the 9th time, and I could not get this idea out of my head. They hold hands, they think about the other person, and I tear up a little bit. Anyway, I wrote about what they might have been thinking about.
Enjoy!!!
(I might write about what happens after, if the inspiration continues because i love when emotionally repressed men don't about their feelings)
~~~~~~
Logan
The first thing he thought of was Wade. They had spent so little time together, but it had changed his life. Wade was the first person in a very long time to believe in him and see that he could be more than he was. It made him want to be worth the educated wish that Deadpool had made.
Logan could hear Wade’s voice in his head as they held hands, fighting to save the multiverse and turn to atoms. He could hear Wade saying the Wolverine in his world was a hero, which meant something. For some unknown reason, Logan wanted to be that hero for Wade. If asked, he would say that he wanted to go into that chamber because he had nothing to lose, and Wade had everything; he had a whole world. Yet, truthfully, and not that he would admit it out loud, he couldn’t stand the thought of not being Wade’s hero.
He needed to be his hero.
He didn’t really have time to unpack what that meant, considering the circumstance they were currently facing—one he wished Wade wasn’t a part of—but life had shown him time and time again that you don’t get what you want. Often, you get a fire extinguisher to the face and are faced with losing the only person you’ve felt a genuine connection to in a long time.
Cassandra had shown him what she could do if he stayed in the void, be the animal everyone thought he was. She could silence the voices.
Wade had shown him what he could do if he were just better. He didn’t have to be perfect, but he could be better. And it was hard to hear the voices with the stream-of-consciousness that asshole had running.
Logan looked at Wade, who was looking back at him, and thought this couldn’t be it. This is only the start. He wasn’t quite sure of what it was the start of, but he wanted time. He wanted the time to earn the suit that he had just destroyed, to be what Charles knew he could be or what Wade thought he could be.
He turned his head, took as deep a breath as he could, and let out a roar that had been stuck inside him. He tried to be the best Wolverine he could be, and deep inside him, though he was unlikely ever to admit it out loud, it was for Wade.
Wade
The first thing that he thought of was Vanessa. Stunning, kind and crazy Vanessa. He wanted to see her again, wanted her to know that he had tried to do right by her. That he wanted to save the universe, the multiverse, for her. She was a light in the dark, shit-filled existence of his life. She made him want to be a better man.
Wade thought of her and his family and all the ways that he had fucked up and all the ways that he wanted to be better. He had been told more times than he cared to admit that he wasn’t the world-saving type; he wasn’t a hero. Fuck, he had owned that, never wanting to be in the first place. But here he was, heroing, with a person he never thought he would meet.
That's when his thoughts turned.
See, Wade’s first thoughts were of Vanessa, but his last thoughts were of Logan.
The man that had put his head to the barrel of his gun and held it there while he drank, making Wade’s heart flutter. The man that could go toe-to-toe with him and smile with blood in his mouth while doing it. The man that had, in the end, accepted his educated wish.
Wade saw something in him, saw a future in him.
He could see that the little Peanut was broken and alone, which Wade had experienced throughout his life. While on the outside (and partially on the inside), they were so vastly different, Wade couldn’t help but think that maybe their crazies might match, too.
When that came along, it wasn’t something that Wade wanted to let go of. He grasped the Wolverine’s hand tighter as Like A Prayer played around them and thought that maybe this wasn’t the end; maybe they would get more time. Looking at Logan, he truly saw an X-Man, the X-Man, maybe, just maybe, his X-Man.
Here was 2008’s sexiest man alive, willing to lay down his life for the fate of a universe that he was not a part of after being lied to by God’s perfect idiot, and that really told Wade everything that he needed to know.
He locked eyes with Logan for a brief moment and thought to himself that if they were to avoid the gruesome end described to them by the TVA asshole that got head fucked by Cassandra, Wade would keep Logan.
He turned his head away, keeping the thought of his wonderful honey badger in his mind, and he put in the maximum effort.
#deadclaws#poolverine#deadpool and wolverine#deadpool 3#wolverine#ficlet#i wrote this at 2am#deadpool x wolverine#my fic
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Trick or treat!
Yay!! thank you!! I wrote you a ficlet as well 🧡
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eddie closes the door with a sigh, leaning back against it as Buck appears through the kitchen doorway. “What’d I miss?”
“Another cat, a slice of pizza, and a very high budget ghostbuster.”
“Like with the whole—“ Buck waves his hand behind his back.
“Proton pack, yeah. The whole nine.”
“Nice.” Buck approves, dropping back down on the couch and making grabby hands at Eddie til he joins him. “Chris would’ve liked that one if he wasn’t too busy off being a teenager.”
Eddie groans, scrubbing his hands over his face. “Don’t remind me. I’m just glad he’s in town this year.”
Last year really was brutal, holding vigil for Denny in the First Presbyterian waiting room, sucking on a ring pop (first to distract himself from waiting to hear that everything was okay, then to keep Buck’s guilty gaze on him instead of his boyfriend) and missing Christopher so bad his chest ached. This year, Chris is just across town, safe and sound at a friend’s Halloween party with Denny at his side. This year, Eddie doesn’t mind if Buck’s attention is on his boyfriend.
Buck tilts his head up and Eddie grants him the kiss he’s angling for. Buck smiles against his lips, tugging at Eddie’s thigh until he swings himself over into his boyfriend’s lap. They’re dressed like Goose and Maverick– Buck in a bomber jacket and Eddie in a white tank, both of them with aviators propped up on their heads. Chris had rolled his eyes at them when he got a good look, but he still agreed to take a picture with them in his Fortnite Trooper costume before he left for his party.
Now, Buck runs his hands up Eddie’s sides until he can tangle his fingers in the St. Christopher medal, tugging gently to keep him close.
Eddie’s not going anywhere.
They get lost in each other, tongues tangling and both of them flushing warm in their little bubble. Buck tastes like the Reese’s Pumpkins he’s been popping all night with a hint of the spiked apple cider they’ve been drinking while they passed out candy. The TV plays a video of a dark and stormy night, filling the living room with the ambient sound of rain and thunder. It’s the most festive Eddie’s felt on Halloween in years.
Buck pulls back just enough to rest his forehead against Eddie’s, rubbing their noses together until it makes Eddie laugh. “I love you.” He whispers, ducking in for another kiss.
His stubble rasps deliciously against Eddie’s cheek, and Eddie has half a mind to hit the porch light and take Buck to bed when the doorbell rings again. Buck squeezes Eddie’s hips in his big hands one more time before he lets him go.
They go to the door together this time, and Buck grins at the sweet little girl dressed as a bright blue dog as she digs through the candy bowl before coming up with a KitKat. He catches the sparkling hope in Buck’s eye and tries not to dwell too much on the warmth that swells in his chest. When the door is closed again, Eddie pulls him in to whisper in his ear. “Love you, too.”
And as they get lost again, all Eddie can think about is how this has been the best year he’s ever had.
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Hullo there! I've had really bad Romione brainrot for the past six years and as a result, I present to you a bunch of fics!
I mainly write Romione missing moments, but I also have a lotta AUs (Muggle and otherwise), steamy post-war one-shots, and a gen ficlet featuring the incomparable ✨Luna Lovegood ✨
And without further ado... *sweeping hand motions*
Series'
Mine (T): 6-chap 6th year AU where Romione got together and Hinny takes things to the next level. Hermione and Ginny are kinda hoe-y in this and I love it 🤪 WIP - but Romione part is COMPLETE
"What If" Romione Kisses (T): anthology of seven one-shots, one for each year, answering the question, “What if Ron and Hermione had kissed earlier?” COMPLETE
Let's Go (T but prolly will change to M): Muggle AU of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley meeting one magical night at a pub during their final year of uni. WIP
One-Shots
Ocean Eyes (G/T): Hermione demands that Ron explain the meaning behind his Christmas gift in OotP.
moving into me (T): Yule Ball Romione starring transmasculine Ron 🙂🏳️⚧️
Before Daybreak (T): flash fic of Romione in a secret relationship during DH
Virgo's Groove (T): the festivities in Shell Cottage when Lupin announces Teddy's birth get a bit out of hand. Also, Ron and Hermione talk about babies…and what it takes to make babies.
Stand Still (G/T): ever wonder what was going through Hermione's mind when she asked Ron to Slughorn's Party? I did a lil take on it!
Say Yes To Heaven (G/T): Romione's dance during Bill and Fleur's wedding.
Hermione Granger & The Baronet's Son (G): A lil Bridgerton-inspired Regency AU I wrote for the 2024 @romione-masquerade!
Shameless Smut
All post war. All rated E (obvi).
Dive: Hermione finds a particular book that Ron hoped she would never know about. But what happens next is more than he could have ever bargained for.
Moment: Romione's first time.
lips slightly parted: a collection of probably mostly unrelated horny Romione drabbles and flash fics. Title is a reference to the brief moment in canon when Hermione was stuck in her fight-or-fuck response when Ron came back in DH.
Gen Fics
What in God's name is the Umgubular Slashkilter? (G): missing Hogsmeade 5th year moment post Harry's interview with Rita Skeeter.
#romione#ron weasley#harry potter#ron x hermione#hermione granger#hermione#fandom#ron weasley defense squad#romione fanfic#ronmione#trans ron weasley#pro ron weasley#ron weasley defence squad#hot ron agenda#harry potter fanfiction#harry potter fandom#harry potter ships#golden trio era#golden trio#luna lovegood
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Aloha 🌺
I’ve recently discovered your blog and I looooveee your fics 😭.
I saw that your requests are open but I didn’t see any rules so excuse me if I did something wrong.
May I request a sweet (possessive) Hunter x F!Reader fic? I loved how you touched on Hunters doubts in Flutter but I’d love to know how you’d think he reacts when there is an idiots in love trope going on.
Spice/smut is always welcome but I don’t want to restrict your creativity.
Thank you 🙏🏻🌺
Hellooooooo lovely anon!
I'm so sorry this took so long, I've been flitting from project to project and not had time to really sit down and think about anything!
So, I wrote what turned into basically a prequel for Flutter, as within that there's a mention of how reader and Hunter got together.
This is a spicy little ficlet, so I hope it's what you wanted and what you were looking for!
Tension
Pairing: Hunter x Reader Explicit content within! Warnings: Angst, pining, idiots in love, guilt, swearing, mentions of bad past.
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Hunter could practically feel the anger radiating from you as you tucked Omega into the spare bunk, making sure Lula was carefully snuggled under her arm before you leant in, whispering goodnight.
Your soft smile, reserved for the young girl, was quickly replaced with a glare as you tugged the curtain across and turned to him, a fire unlike anything he’d ever seen in your eyes.
“My room. Now,” you instructed, heading for the makeshift quarters you had in what had formerly been the storage room. It was by no means large, barely fitting you slightly larger than regulation bed and a small storage chest side by side, but it gave you privacy at least.
If Wrecker, Tech or Echo noticed your anger, they didn’t say anything, all merely shrugging or shaking their heads when Hunter sent them a desperate look, one that screamed ‘help me’.
But he was on his own, letting out a deep sigh as he trudged after you, his head hanging a little.
You stepped to the side, allowing him into the room with you before you closed the door behind you, crossing your arms across your chest.
Hunter took another deep breath as he turned, bracing himself for your telling off.
“How could you?”
The simple question was laced with venom, anger pouring off of you in waves as you hissed it, leaning forward a little.
“Who the kriff do you think you are that you can just decide that Omega is going to live with a bunch of strangers she just met, and not even talk to us about it?”
“They’re not strangers,” Hunter protested, “they…”
“They are to her!”
Your heart was hammering in your chest, eyes stinging as you stared at Hunter, trying to keep your composure.
“I know what it’s like, to be cast off because no-one wants you, Hunter. You can’t just… do that!”
“I… I wasn’t trying to abandon her,” Hunter murmured, shame flooding his system. Any anger he’d felt at your earlier comments began to melt away as you continued, the salty scent of your tears hitting him like a speeder.
“But that’s what she’ll think,” you choked, breath catching in your throat, “that kid has never been allowed to make a decision in her whole damn life, and the first one she’s made, you try and take away from her!”
“Because I was doing what I thought was best!” Hunter protested, folding his arms to mirror yours, his defences going up once more.
“For who? For her? Or for you?”
“That’s not fair,” Hunter snarled, his eyes narrowing, “Cut and Suu are good people. She’d be with kids her own age…”
“I don’t care if they’re the Force incarnate!” you shouted back, immediately closing your eyes and taking a steadying breath, trying to claw back a sense of calm. “You can’t just decide she’s going to live somewhere else without talking to her, or to us!”
“We don’t know the first thing about kids!” the sergeant barked back, taking a step towards you. “How are we supposed to look after her?”
“Trying would be a good start,” you snapped back sharply, “not shouting at her for making a simple mistake, not trying to dump her on other people. Omega saved your life on Kamino and Force knows she saved all of our shebs back there. Cut, Suu and the kids wouldn’t even have been on that shuttle if it wasn’t for her!”
That silenced Hunter for a moment, your words swarming over him.
“She’s just a kid,” he protested weakly, shaking his head. “I… I’m sorry. I panicked. I… I thought she’d be better off with them. Safer, with them. Being here, on this ship… it’s no life for a kid. It’s barely a life for us… for you.”
His gaze softened as he looked back up at you, the sincerity in them disarming you abruptly.
“Hunter,” you croaked, your tears finally spilling over, “she… She wants to be here. With you. Her family.”
“But she deserves…”
Cocking an eyebrow at the derisive snort you let out, Hunter’s eyes narrowed once more, less anger and more confusion driving the action this time.
“Didn’t we have this exact conversation just after Onderon? Before everything went to shit?” you murmured, dropping your arms to your sides. “You trying to get me to leave with the refugees because it would be ‘safer’? Because I ‘deserved better’?”
Hunter shuffled uncomfortably, drawing in a deep breath as he too let his arms drop, his eyes closing against your reasoning.
“I’ll tell you now what I told you then; I’ve made my choice. I would rather spend my days locked in an Imperial prison than apart from you, from my squad. Omega made the same choice. You seem to have that effect on people.”
The joke caught Hunter by surprise, a short peal of laughter escaping his lips before he shook his head, his expression softening once again.
“For our sins,” he huffed dramatically, your lips turning up into a soft, fond smile for the first time since you’d left Salucemi.
“Hunter,” you called, the exhaustion in your voice suddenly clear. Looking you over cautiously, Hunter stepped forward, coming to meet you as you raised your hands. His met yours without hesitation, lacing your fingers together as your foreheads came to rest against one anothers, both closing your eyes and enjoying the moment.
“It won’t happen again,” he promised lowly, his guilt obvious, “and… I’m sorry.”
“I know,” you sighed, squeezing his hands softly, offering silent comfort. “Look… if things get too bad, I… I’ll take Omega. I’ll take her and find somewhere, and we can…”
“No…”
The word was huffed so softly, you weren’t sure Hunter had spoken at all until you opened your eyes, shocked at what you found.
Hunter’s gorgeous, chestnut grey eyes were reddened, a single tear rolling down his tattooed cheek, your breath stolen by the way he looked at you.
“Hunter?”
“I… I need you,” he admitted gently, “I… Maker, cyare, I…”
Your stomach fluttered even as your confusion grew.
The relationship you shared with Hunter had always been… different.
While you could joke with Wrecker, chat for hours with Tech and reminisce with Echo, Hunter had always been more… intense.
The first time you’d found him having a panic attack, you hadn’t hesitated to pull him into your room, laying him down and stroking soothing hands through his hair until the panic subsided.
By the time he woke up some four hours later, he’d been shocked to find himself in a comfortable bed, surrounded by plush pillows with an eye mask on and soothing ocean sounds playing from a small device on your trunk.
Since that day, you’d confided in each other, become closer in a way you had never thought possible. And selfishly, it had left you wanting more.
More of Hunter. More of his attention, his affection, his body and mind… But you would never ask. It was against regulations, and it was a distraction. Until the war ended.
‘He doesn’t mean it like that,’ you chastised yourself inwardly, ‘he doesn’t. He can’t.’
“Hunter?” you managed, the question breathed into the space between you, your eyes still locked with his, “What… What do…”
“On Onderon… I… I didn’t want you to go. I was so glad you chose me, chose us. And then, seeing you cuffed in the cells… I thought I’d made a bad call. I thought I might lose you. I should have… I should have said something then, but…”
“About what?” you prompted into the void left by his cut off sentence, his eyes closing once again as he sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
You couldn’t suppress the gasp that left you as Hunter pulled you against him suddenly, pressing you back against the wall of your room. With once swift motion, Hunter’s hands, still laced with yours, lifted your arms and pinned them over your head.
He withdrew from the keldabe, shifting just enough to lean down, pressing his lips to yours in a searing kiss.
For a moment, your brain simply went dark. It stuttered, trying to process the feel of Hunter’s lips on yours, the weight of his body pressing against you, all taut muscle and strong grip, the swipe of his tongue against your mouth…
Letting out a soft moan into the kiss, you opened up to him, Hunter taking full advantage. As your tongues touched, you both let out a whine, your entire body shuddering under his touch.
The reaction seemed to break whatever spell had drawn you together, the sergeant almost leaping back, letting your hands go and holding his own up as if to not appear threatening.
“I… I’m sorry,” he gasped as you leant against the wall, panting for breath, “I shouldn’t have… I should…”
You cut him off with a kiss of your own, practically throwing yourself against him, pinning him against the wall this time. As your hands moved up his chest and to his neck, threading into his thick curls and tugging gently, his wound around your back, clutching at you desperately.
The next few moments were a blur, hands roaming over each other's bodies, pulling at clothing, teeth and lips and tongues clashing in a passionate dance.
By the time your naked back made contact with your bedsheets, you were a babbling mess, barely coherent as Hunter’s mouth moved over your breasts, flicking over one nipple while clever fingers toyed with the other.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted you,” he murmured into your soft flesh, “no karking idea.”
“Is, is this really happening?” you gasped as your back arched, drawn into Hunter’s teasing touches.
“I karking hope so,” he purred against your stomach as he made his way lower and lower, kissing every inch he could reach, “because if it’s not, and I wake up alone in my bunk with a hard-on, I’m coming to find you, and making it real.”
You could only shudder and cry out in response as his tongue finally found your centre, licking stripe over your clit, to your dripping entrance.
“Now lay back, mesh’la, and let me take care of you.”
#star wars#the bad batch#tbb#tbb hunter x reader#hunter x reader#sergeant hunter x you#x reader#the bad batch hunter#bad batch fanfiction#request#daniwrites
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When you are writing a fic, do you ever struggle with over-thinking, where you can't move on to the next stage of your outline or the actual story, because your brain insists on adding detail to the current stage?
I'm really struggling with this at the moment, and it's becoming exhausting. I'm trying to write a simple, light, single-theme story, but my brain insists on over-complicating it, to the point where I get so bogged down in details, I can't actually write the damn thing, and end up abandoning it in a fit of disgust and rage.
If you or any of your followers have experienced this, and have any advice on how to tackle it, I would be eternally grateful.
Thank you for listening.
Also, Aris and her babies are adorable :)
The short answer is: Sometimes
The longer answer is: Not really, but I used to, and I didn't want to, so I put in a lot of work to teach myself how to get out of it.
By and large, I have gotten to the point where when I am outlining, if I come across a portion of the story where I don't know what exactly happens, I will just write in "some stuff happens" and leave space for stuff to happen. I have learned that chances are really good the reason I don't know what exactly happens is because I don't have the nearby puzzle pieces yet, and if I pick at other areas of the story, I will eventually find the pieces that tell me the shape of the missing piece, which is much easier than trying to guess. And if I don't find it during outlining, then I will typically find it while writing the full story out. I don't need to flesh it out immediately.
But how does one get from point A (being stuck) to point B (writing stuff happens and moving on)?
Genuinely, and I mean this in the kindest way possible, there is no tip or trick or miracle anyone can tell you, you just have to do the work. Writing is a skill, and ALL skills require practice, practice, practice to learn the "muscle" memory to perform the skill. You cannot improve without practice. You will not write the perfect story on your first try.
I practiced the skill of "write small thing without going into detail" by literally writing 150k+ words of askbox prompts with a goal of 300 words or less. No longer plot, no elaboration. People sent me 3 words of their choosing and a character or pairing, over and over and over and over, and I answered them with short, 1-scene ficlets over and over and over and over. And a few of them I wrote a bit of extra on, if i really liked what I was writing, but I went in with the mentality that this was practice, for practice's sake.
If you don't want to do it as askbox prompts, that's fine. Grab a few prompt word lists, pick 3 words at random and a pairing or character(s) you either really like or don't write for much, and figure out how to connect the three things to the characters in under 300 words. then put it into a folder you will never look at again, and move to the next one. Do this 100 times. Do it 200 times if you're still having trouble.
This may seem like busywork, but I promise it's not. The word limit helps to teach you to leave out stuff you don't need at the moment ("stuff happens, but here's what's important to have happen"), the 3-word-prompt style helps you learn to connect disparate ideas (a HUGE help if you're trying to get from a to b and don't know how they connect- your story-problem solving skills WILL improve) AS WELL as helping you learn to write (full story) from very little (minimal outline). Starting a portion of a scene and wrapping it up again over and over in short form for unrelated ficlets helps with learning how to start things and finish things (so starting a new scene or finding the ending of a scene becomes easier in full stories). There's a good chance it helps you practice story arcs, bringing back foreshadowing, circling ideas (presenting something at the start, going through the scene, and ending the scene looking at the beginning Something in a new light!), and more. You practice a lot of stuff when you do little throw-away scenes, and going in with the intent to throw them away can take a lot of the pressure off. Does it need to be fleshed out if I am throwing it in the recycling bin/flinging it unedited into the void of Tumblr the second I'm done, to never think of it again? nope~!
I'm sure there are other exercises out there. I'm sure everyone's got their favored way of practicing stuff, or avoiding practicing as the case may be. But there's not another way to learn the things you're asking about than just....doing them. You literally just have to do them a lot, and the best way I know of is to work through a list of semi-abstract prompts (and I mean like.... the prompt is "blood" or the prompt is "light" or the prompt is "green" or "christmas" or "butterflies" or "magic" and you have to write a scene) and not worry about the results so much as the doing.
Artists fill whole sketchbooks with doodles and sketches they'll never polish. Racing athletes swim or run miles and miles and miles in practice before their competitions. Team sport athletes dedicate hundreds, thousands of hours to practice before games. Photographers take hundreds of photos and only keep a few to showcase. They make messy garbage, in order to be able to make something good.
Perfection is the enemy of progress. You HAVE to learn to be messy, and to allow yourself to be messy, for the sake of learning and being done.
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It’s the end of my first full year writing fanfiction, which means I officially get to reflect on the whole experience!
So let’s dive in—
Words written: 385,418 (I was aiming for 400k! So close! Back when I was in my MFA program, I struggled to turn out more than 40k a year. I found my passion for writing again with fanfiction. It’s been a joy. Truly. I have discovered how valuable community is when it comes to creation. Having people in your corner and cheering you on is wonderful—but so is participating in fandom. The art. The meta. The conversations between friends and mutuals. I’m constantly inspired to make things.)
Kudos: 16,167 across 35 works (That’s so…fucking many. Pardon my French. You guys! You are so nice! Omg. I just want to wrap you all up and hug you. Sometimes I get so fixated on, oh, this fic barely got 50 kudos; it must have been a failure. But…that’s 50 whole human beings who liked it. And it adds up.)
Bookmarks: 5,134 across 35 works (!!! Just !!! The fact my stuff is read, let alone getting rereads and recommendations… I’m gonna cry.)
Hits: 136,434 across 35 works (Bizarre.)
My fic with the most comments:
all that defines me (295 comments — This surprises me because I feel like it’s one of my more unpopular works? I’m hardcore struggling to finish it, but I’m doing my best for everyone. Knowing now that it has some of the highest engagement of my fics is going to help me going forward.)
My fic with the most bookmarks and hits:
i talk to god but the sky is empty (582 bookmarks and 18,375 hits — I never expected this work to get the reception it did. It was the second fic I wrote for the fandom—finished after several other works but still my second. I write things I consider “niche fics” that are just hardcore my interests and I never expect anyone to care about them, but the fics always surprise me by ending up some of my more popular works. Thanks for supporting my brainworms.)
My fic with the most kudos:
i hope we shall meet again (1.472 kudos — A fic I wrote in an hour on a snowy day. It could be better, but I know I also say that because I got my first criticism as a fanfic writer on this fic and it really killed my mood for like a full week.)
My fic with the most subscriptions:
pieces of you (232 subscriptions — Another of my “niche fics.” Reception has been great! I tried something new: writing a fic with two endings, as well as challenging myself to flesh out the characterization of some lesser seen—or never seen—versions of Hua Cheng. My first non-commissioned fanart, by dragongoats, was for this fic and is happily linked in the author’s notes.)
My most popular series:
no light, no light + extras (The first fic I wrote for the fandom and a handful of extras that exist mostly thanks to IlluminatingSceadugenga being a huge fan and asking for more of the series. It’s a heavier series, and the writing style is hard to replicate because it’s my old style, but I love it.)
Fics I really enjoyed writing not mentioned above:
good bones (I stepped outside my comfort zone with this one and wrote an angry, dominant bottom Xie Lian, and then followed it up with a bunch of mpreg fluff.)
i will never leave you (I just had endless fun writing the development of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng’s relationship. The teasing. The good times. The domesticity.)
borrowed finery (This one will always have a special place in my heart. It’s sad and sweet.)
plum blossom (It’s probably the only funny thing I’ve ever written, but it makes me laugh when I reread it.)
Bonus: I wrote 5 gift fics this year, received a gift fic (!! thank you, scrapimmortal), wrote 3 prompt fics for my one-year anniversary, commissioned a piece of fanfiction, got art for my birthday, and wrote 15 ficlets on tumblr (one of which juicedpeachy added a piece of accompanying artwork for).
Y’all showed my work so much love. Thanks to everyone who subscribed, read, commented, reread, etc. You’ve been wonderful, and you’ve given me a reason to keep creating. I hope to continue writing this coming year.
#tgcf#heaven official's blessing#hualian#xie lian#hua cheng#mu qing#fengqing#feng xin#neithwrites#ao3
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The Baker from Lórien (Haldir gen ficlet)
Summary: A visitor from Lórien brings some excitement to the kitchens of the Elvenking's palace.
Word count: 1.1k
Content: Pure fluffy randomness, mother-son relationship, toddler Legolas
Rating: General (no warnings apply)
To Read on AO3: Link
A/N: I wrote this ficlet purely on a whim; I had no plans or strategy for it going in. It could be nonsense, or I could be onto something. XD It's most likely going to stay a random SotWK AU one-shot, but who knows. I pretty much just wanted to finally write any story featuring Haldir, whom I love dearly and firmly believe was one of the most desired bachelors east of the Mountains. Special thanks to my friend @creativity-of-death who inspired the concept of a Baker Haldir long ago!
Headcanons about Haldir in the SotWK AU: Any questions you might have about the background history in this fic would be answered HERE.
The Baker from Lórien
Third Age 246 Spring
Bar Lasgalen, the Palace of the Elvenking
“Down and forward, turn, and fold over. Repeat. Remember to use the heel of your hand--this part, right here.”
The lump of dough felt pleasantly squishy in Legolas’s hands, and only with great self-restraint did the four-year-old elfling manage to resist playing with it like modeling clay, instead of following his instructor’s example. With eyes narrowed in determined concentration, he watched the steadily working hands of the elf across the table from him. After just a minute or so of observation, he began to mimic the brisk kneading motion.
“Yes, good! That is very good.” The visitor from Lórien seemed pleased, albeit surprised, by how quickly the child caught on.
Legolas beamed at the ellon’s praise, and held the smooth ball of dough up high over his head in triumph. “Is it ready for the oven now?”
“Not quite.” The silver-haired ellon took the dough from Legolas and checked it with a few expert prods of his fingers. “It needs time to rest and rise. An hour at least, although up to three is much better, and then we can reshape it into loaves. Then it must rest again, before it can be baked.”
“Three hours?!” Legolas exclaimed, already dismissive of whatever other steps came after. “Does bread really take that long to make every time?”
“The loaves should be fresh and hot out of the oven just in time for your Highness’s breakfast.” Legolas watched as his dough ball was placed into a large pan next to five others and covered with a dish cloth.
“And a delicious breakfast is best preceded by a sound night’s sleep, is it not?” The voice that came from the kitchen doorway made Legolas scramble off his stool. He smiled sheepishly at his nursemaid, Ninniel, as she entered with a knowing smile and firm shake of her head for him.
The older ellon spoke up. “My apologies, Emmë. I should have realized the hour was too late.”
“It’s all right. It appears some valuable learning has been accomplished here, at least.” Ninniel took in the rather comical sight of her grown son towering next to her not-at-all-grown charge, both of them dusted in flour, and felt all her exasperation melt away. She dipped a tea towel into the washing basin and set to work wiping the sticky residue off Legolas’s fingers.
“Will you come and get me when my loaf is finished baking, Halidr?”
“Well…” Haldir of Lórien glanced hesitantly at his mother. He was still unsure what to make of Thranduil’s sons, who all behaved without any regard or perhaps even awareness of their social rank. Legolas, in particular, had been unabashed in his fascination with Haldir ever since his arrival at Bar Lasgalen. Today was merely the first day of a month-long, overdue visit to his parents, and most of it had passed with the little prince turning up wherever Haldir happened to be, armed with a constant stream of questions. “It really is not my place to--”
“When your bread comes out of the oven, I will wake you to come and have it for breakfast, with me and Haldir,” Ninniel interjected smoothly. “But the sooner you get to bed, the sooner you can rise refreshed for a new day, yes?”
“That sounds excellent!” Legolas threw his hands up, and wriggled his hips in a little sort of dance. “I shall be back in a few hours, Haldir! Please take care of my bread!” he called out to the bemused elf before bounding out the door.
“Are you still finding everything all right, dearest?” Ninniel swept a light hand over her son’s broad back. In one touch she could tell Haldir was fairly relaxed, as she had hoped he would gradually become. Her eldest had always been the most serious of her children, and his nature only grew graver as the ages passed and the memories of hard years weighed on him. It had been far too long since his last visit to Eryn Galen, so rarely could he be persuaded to leave his post at the March, and Ninniel hoped the brief holiday away would be restful for his spirit.
“Yes, everyone here at the palace has been… quite attentive.” Haldir smiled and planted a swift kiss over his mother’s hair. “The prince’s arrival sent them scurrying off, I fear, but I do not think he seemed to mind or notice.”
Ninniel shook her head. “The only thing they were running from was their own embarrassment,” she said. “I will let you return to your work, my love. Legolas and I will be back soon.”
And indeed, as soon as she exited the kitchen, she encountered the gaggle of young kitchen maids waiting in the hall, preparing to re-enter now that the royal Highness had left and gone to bed.
“Lady Ninniel,” they curtsied to her, appearing only mildly abashed by her witness to their obvious intentions. But this was a small phenomenon Ninniel had grown accustomed to over the years, for it became clear early on that her handsome son elicited rather strong reactions from elleths, often without any encouragement.
“My lady, if we may…” one of the girls blurted out. “We were wondering… that is, we wanted to make certain… do you know whether or not Lord Haldir…”
“He is not a lord, and he would not appreciate being addressed as one,” Ninniel corrected gently. “And as far as I know, he is not engaged, involved, or taken with anyone at present.” She gazed at the line of hopeful faces and pressed her lips to smother a chuckle. “Any of you are welcome to try and draw his interest, if that is your wish.”
But best of luck, indeed. Ninniel sighed as she departed, leaving the sounds of pitchy giggling behind her as the pack descended on her oblivious son. Whether there was any chance of a maiden in all of the Woodland Realm catching Haldir of Lórien’s eye, much less his elusive heart, she did not know. That hope had certainly not borne any fruit in over a thousand years of matchmaking attempts. But any diversion, any added source of joy outside of his work, his books, or his baking, could only be a good thing.
Anything beyond that--dare say a betrothal, a marriage, or even a new precious grandchild--was something Ninniel was prepared to be completely surprised with. But a mother will always hope.
For more SotWK Fanfiction: Fanfiction Masterlist
Elves Tag List: @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @achromaticerebus @aduialel @asianbutnotjapanese @auttumnsayshi @blueberryrock @conversacomsmaug @elan-ho-detto-elan-15 @entishramblings @fizzyxcustard @glassgulls @heilith @heranintomyknife23times @ladyweaslette @laneynoir @lathalea @lemonivall @quickslvxrr @scyllas-revenge @stormchaser819 @talkdifferently6 @tamryniel @tamurilofrivendell
Other useful links:
Introduction to SotWK
Headcanon Masterlist
Fanfiction Request Guidelines
#sotwk fanfiction#haldir#haldir of lorien#haldir of lothlorien#the hobbit#lotr#tolkien#legolas#thranduil headcanon#greenwood the great#sotwk oc#thranduilion#mirkwood#mirkwood elves#woodland realm#lord of the rings#silvan elves
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