#he is happy to have siblings eventually but holy shit did they have to do that??

[shit-talker]

Another idea to do with this post I made;

They aren't raised together. The deal between Shiva and David is still intact when they're born, and when Shiva ends up having 3 kids, it presents a perfect opportunity for David Cain to put in a proper experiment with these kids. He takes Cass, raises her as he did in canon, and tells Shiva to raise Tim how she sees fit, and then they give Jason to a struggling couple in Gotham city, just to see if their genetics really do create the perfect child assassins, or if they have to foster the ability into them, and who's better at it.

Tim and Cass end up meeting when they're around 5 or 6, and they end up fighting then, too. It's a pretty even fight, all things considered, but eventually Cass ends up with a knife to Tim's throat, and Tim ends up with two daggers pointed from behind Cass's head and their parents decide to stop things there.

Jason, meanwhile, is being raised just as he was in canon. His dad gets arrested around this time, and he's left alone with his mother, completely clueless to his siblings currently battling it out in a different continent.

David forces Cass to kill when they're 8, and it fucks Cass up. She ends up hunting Tim and Shiva down, and while she still hasn't figured out talking, Tim is able to get that something bad just happened, and they have to go now. So, they run off together and end up in Gotham about 2 years later.

They're 10 when they run into Jason, who immediately gets freaked out because he and Tim look literally identical, but there are a few basic differences, and Cass just looks like them if they were a girl. Jason, newly homeless after his mother's death a few months before, shows Tim and Cass the basics of Gotham, and in exchange, Tim and Cass show Jason how to handle being homeless (and how to fight properly)

Tim and Cass technically can speak English, Tim moreso, but it's definitely not a perfected thing, and Jason becomes a sort of translator for them.

When Jason ends up stealing Batman's tires 2 years later, he runs to get back to Cass and Tim, who are admittedly and annoyingly better at fighting than him. Bruce obviously follows him, and when he stumbles across 3 kids who look a hell of a lot like Lady Shiva, he just has to take them home.

(Other post on this AU)

[kazzsk2]

Your sacrifice resurrection au is amazing i love the cringefail rizz of Narinder dealing with the lamb. Questions: Why does Narinder get suicidal and mentally unstable after the lamb goes kaput Is it just general loneliness or pining or something else? Whats up with the other bishops? Why did the lamb decide that they were done? Whats the crowns take on the situation? Whats rataus? Is there a betting pool?

Okay I didn't not actually expect questions holy shit (but in a good way) please ignore any grammar or spelling mistakes

1. Narinder becomes that way due to the trope of like "I've gotten what I was supposed to want but all I really wanted was you" type thing and the loneliness and wanting start to eat up at him so badly to the point he starts having like dreams and nightmares of the lamb speaking to him. Basically it's kinda because general loneliness but like heightened a bit.

2. The other bishops were all chilling and stuff so it was very clear to them when something was going on with narinder. Heket was the first to notice anything and advised him against doing something stupid. She was 100% off board with the idea of resurrecting the lamb as she knew they wouldn't be happy about it. Even when the lamb is resurrected, she at first doesn't want to help narinder fix his relationship with them as she considered it his karma for bringing them back.

(Even made a mini comic about the siblings giving advice and heket is the least helpful due to this. Mostly advising him to leave the lamb alone or let them die in peace.)

Kallamar is somewhat similar to heket as he didn't think what narinder did was a good idea, but he does offer some semblance of support after the lamb is resurrected.

Leshy did not really care, but he wanted narinder to be happy and he supposed that the lamb was the best way to go about it, so he chose not to interfere with narinder's plans.

Shamura was the only one to really push narinder to resurrect the lamb as they thought it was the only way narinder would be happy and go back to normal. They didn't not care what the lamb really thought about the matter as their focus was only on narinder at the time. When they see how much suffering the lamb went through during the failed resurrections, they regretted pushing narinder to do them, but at this point there was no stopping him.

3. They had the plan really from the start. After being resurrected and ordered to kill the bishops, they knew that they would have to give the crown back. Of course the plan changed a bit before the final boss fight with narinder as they wanted to give narinder a better life when they joined the cult. So they spared him, brought him in, and got narinder's siblings as well.

His main goal was to be reconnected to those he lost in death like his family, so they weren't at all joyed for that to be pulled away from them after giving narinder what he said he wanted.

4. The crown has sentience in this au and they honestly found no problem with the plan. The crown is selfish and did like the lamb a lot so it was happy to have them back either way.

5. Sadly ratau is dead in this au so he couldn't get the full picture of what's going on. All he understood was that one day lamb was there in the afterlife with him, and the next they were gone. Eventually, he manages to speak to lamb through their dreams, but even then he doesn't fully grasp the situation. He has mixed feelings about it.

6. Yes. Leshy is betting that the lamb will kill narinder before the 5 years is up and the crown is betting that they'll get married before the 5 years is up (both ain't got no money to bet).

[coff-in]

Oh my god can that be my name? Devious Anon? <<<< I mean if you wanna kiss I'm not gonna say no.../j Also that's such a mood this game constantly invades my mind during working daytime hours, thank fuck I am done with finals sooo for now I have some time to fuck around :D Okok so first and foremost, I think the main reason Andrew might not kill baby sis reader is because he thinks she doesn't deserve to be dragged into their old sibling bullshit. Reader is still playing angel most of the time, so Andrew mostly thinks of her as innocent and she still has her whole life ahead of her! I like to think he would at least leave her some sort of message before he kills Ashley and them himself, but she doesn't take well to it because her siblings are dead and that was her whole life and now there's no life ahead of her! (This is compounded if Andrew was her favorite sibling and left the message behind because I think there's an extra layer here of "you'd die for Ashley but leave me behind, so clearly you care about her more than you care about me" and by god will she chase him to hell to terrorize him about this.) I WROTE THAT LINE BC ANDREW'S IN MY MIND WITHOUT RENT 24/7 LIKE AAAAA THIS MAN HAS NO RIGHT!! BEING!! SO DATEABLE!! Like hell I can't blame Ashley or Julia I just-rrrrghh. I read one of your past posts where you mentioned Andrew eating the reader out and all I can think of is him telling her that he'll take such good care of her and to relax when she wakes up to him eating her out first thing in the morning. Anyway. Ahem. Excuse me for that horny thought. If devious baby sis is left behind with the not-favorite sibling...I think she ultimately still loves both her siblings, just unbalanced, so she'll still stick around, but eventually the sibling will kind of realize that reader has lost her light. She can't joke around as much, she stops being a little shit, she's helpful and clings close and gives the sibling affection but there's some measure of distance unlike before (she probably also holds some hidden resentment towards the surviving sibling). This could ultimately go three ways—the surviving sibling eventually patches up with her and becomes her favorite sibling/or at least on equal grounds with the dead sibling (good ending), the surviving sibling goes off the rails as the realization that their baby sister no longer loves them (and maybe never did love them) the way they always thought she would (kinda bad ending bc I can see Andrew resigning himself to this, maybe thinking this is what he deserves, but for Ashley, this is another slap to the face because once again, not even her own little sister puts her first), or little sis reader eventually can't take it and kills herself (bad ending for sure bc I don't think Ashley or Andrew will be sticking around for long after that.)

notes from coff-in: AAAAAHHHHH DEVIOUS ANON DEVIOUS ANON WELCOME TO THE COFFIN!!!! im so happy to have you here! i was honestly refreshing tumblr on my phone waiting to see how'd you respond to my post im sorry!! tcoaal has been a daily in my life for a month now, like ive never been to attached to a piece of media this hard before (besides homestuck) ah anyway, your ask! my response!

[fem] reader-insert, [devious younger sister reader] continued, incest, NSFW, murder

andrew leaving a note for baby sis [reader] would fuck her up SOO MUCH, like holy fuck. this has gotten me thinking about how, what if, reader killed ashley for andrew? like classic yandere style stuff: [reader] sees ashley getting under andrew's skin and pushing his buttons and making him mad. when ashley goes to have her vision she sees [reader] chasing after her instead! "i don't know why you insist on pushing him so much, leyley. why can't you be a good girl like me and do as he says? hm? maybe it's cause you don't love him as much as i do... i'm pretty sure no one ever will really." i'm not the best with dialogue but like GGRRRRRRR I CAN SEE IT IN MY MIND

ashley would then have to worry about andrew leaving her AND her little sis possibly killing her! that's not even taking into accounts andrew's reaction to it since the visions always end after ashley dies... would he resent [reader] for killing ashley? would he kill her in turn and then himself? WHAT IF ASHLEY DEFENDED HERSELF AND KILLED [READER] IN THE VISION??? im really going into hyperdrive thinking all these thoughts

also never apologize for horny in my inbox, this whole blog is my excuse to write porn about me and the graves siblings (and now you guys too!! yay!!! :D) i saw it come up on the tcoaal subreddit that andrew would eat pussy and it just made so much sense in my head. i headcanon that andrew likes to eat pussy (idk if he's any good but he's eager to learn) and is an ass man. i mean he talks about ashley's fat ass in the motel room, and how he would slap her cheeks when climbing into their parent's house, AND THE SCENE WHERE HIS FINGERS ARE THROUGH ASHELY'S BELT LOOPS!!! god i can imagine his waking up baby sis [reader] with the most sloppiest head ever, rubbing her thighs and saying how he's "gonna be a good big brother and take care of you"

he's biting her inner thighs and sucking on her clit/dick (for all the lovely little sisters who have one) and just GRRRR ITS NOT FAIR HE'S NOT REAL!!! he tells her to "be a good girl and cum, cum in big brother's mouth" and i just... [reader]'s going to have to most intense orgasm ever because it's an absolute dream come true for her!!! probably passes out due to how hard she came... and it's only fair that she returns the favor when she wakes up, no? ;)

i can see the awkward and silent car rides with [reader] and her least/second favorite sibling. the empty space between that used to be filled with their bickering and laughs is just... quiet now. they ask her what's wrong and she just continues staring ahead of her until she lets out a silent, almost missable "i miss andrew/ashley..." i actually don't know how much more angst i can write until it becomes a full on oc/reader insert fic (man if only someone could write what they wanna see *looks in the mirror*)

ah... but thank you so much devious anon for adding ur brainworms to this blog, they have throughly burrowed their way into my head. and i dont want them to leave :) (*makes out sloppily with you*)

----

coff-in

[ochrearia]

A bunch of shit list about mr Biff aka PoPr!BF

I need to write out stuff all in one place about my stupid versions of BF I'll make one for Beefer later on his own but I started Poly Propaganda first so I go in order

-This idiot is short. I don't care. He's 5'1 because I deserve to be taller than him. I think I made reference to him being like 5'5-5'6 in PoPr somewhere but that's retconned he's even smaller now. Fuck him in particular

-Look... I couldn't be bothered to write BF and GF constantly in my series so Biff's "name" in the series is Keith. I didn't want to call him boyfriend while also referring to him as GF's or Pico's boyfriend in the same paragraph and that's my reasoning

-Next level dumbass. Dumb and horny like base game BF except most of the horny happens Off Screen in the series SADSFDGFHGJ but he is stupid. Endearingly stupid

-Absolute menace. He will die on the hill of teasing someone even if it gets him killed, completely and totally worth it

-Loverboy... Oh this guy is such a loverboy it's so bad. So prone to being lovesick and constantly thinking about his partners that he's distracted from being a living person.

-I wouldn't necessarily say he's got depression properly but sometimes he just has. really bad days where he gets tired of everything and doesn't want to do anything other than lay in bed until it's the next day

-He does, however, have a fear of failure. He wants the people he cares about to be proud of him and can end up shutting down if he's presented with a scenario where they aren't and he thinks it's because he isn't good enough.

-This dude sleeps like a corpse. The fucking apocalypse could happen and the entire reinvention of civilization after and he'd wake up when it's done only thinking a few hours went by

-"Touch Starved" in the idea that his biggest love language is being physically affectionate and it translates to seeming like he's never had a hug before. He could've seen you an hour ago and he's going to hug you like it's been 7 years

-Proven to be "obsessed" with hearing the laughter of the people he loves. "Makes me happy to be able to hear that you're happy". Probably one of the reasons he might play into being stupid, if he gets laugh reactions out of it it's more than worth it.

-CANNOT FUCKING COOK FOR SHIT DON'T LET THIS MAN EVER TOUCH AN OVEN

-Hates his birthday. As a kid he never got the same "important" treatment from his classmates in school that they'd give to each other when it was someone's birthday, so he eventually learned that his birthday didn't matter. Acts like it never did, which makes his partners sad (They still celebrate it and remember it even if he doesn't)

-Hides his true singing voice behind his microphone, which had a mix of auto-tune and magic in it. Basically vacuums up his voice and auto-tunes it to that high-pitched beeping like base game before anyone gets to hear what he actually sounds like. He's not confident that his normal voice would be able to fit to any situation or beat like the auto-tune can.

-He's constantly flirty with his partners but holy fuck he canNOT take what he dishes out. His partners being flirty back stalls his brain and derails everything. Dumb becomes dumber

-Loooooves to be sung to. Would kill for 1 minute of his Pico singing to him. Would do anything for his GF to also do it. He's whipped.

-In context of RBGFverse, oh boy he's so attached to YS. He's got residual guilt over having reacted like a dick to him in the beginning because he's so important to him now. He's never had a sibling before and now he has a big brother and maybe he's too clingy about it but. He doesn't exactly know how else to act having no experience with it before

-Also suffers from RSD but nowhere near as bad as YS has

-In a brotherly way, it is ON SIGHT with Beef. Unspoken rule to annoy the fuck out of each other

-This hasn't been mentioned or referenced in PoPr itself yet but Biff is probably bigender. He just hasn't had time to really think about it because his thoughts are so full of his lovers and also having to do these damn ass rap battles

-Particularly sensitive nose when it comes to his GF's scented candle hoard. He cannot stand that shit he makes her keep them all in the kitchen LMFAO

-Wears a ring with dual pearls set in it, insists that those two pearls are Pico and GF. He has a weakness to sentiment... can be caught kissing the ring if he thinks no one is looking

-Likes being reminded the people he loves are alive. If you let him he will cuddle up to you and listen to your heartbeat for his own piece of mind

-Very easy to impress. He's got a lot of wonder in his heart for things he's never seen or heard before and if he thinks its cool he's basically going to get stars in his eyes over it. Tell him moreeee

-Seemingly shares the most "similarities" with YS (This may not always end up being a good thing when he's trying to be a menace to the big guy)

-As much as he is a menace, 99% of his actions can be traced back to a place of genuine care if you think about what he's doing for more than a second.

-Needs background noise to do a lot of things. Hates complete silence. Will have music on when he's doing tasks, and even when he goes to bed he prefers to be able to hear the cars driving by on the street below the apartment

-Paints his nails! Usually just black nail polish but if he's feeling particularly. Thinking about himself he might put the colors of the alt bigender flag on his nails just to, maybe try it out

Uhhhhhh I've probably forgotten a bunch of shit this is what I remember off the top of my head. Yeah. Thumbsup /silly

[eldritch-spouse]

HELLOOOOO (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+

First of all, i love ur content so much holy shit, like just the world building is amazing but also the really well written characters AND THE LORE, so good, just *chef's kiss* and the fact English is not ur first language always takes me by surprise bc your writing is so good 🙏 like I love reading about ocs and the likes, but yours is definitely my favourite :')

Seconly, I'm here on my knees,asking, if perhaps you could write a small fic/more headcanons on how it'll be like to be in a poly relationship with Obie,Mervin, and Ludwig?

You wrote about it slightly before and since then i couldn't take it out of my brain😔

P.S- i wonder, how long did you have the idea about Krulu and Admin, and The Clergy, and the entire wrold-building before you decided to publish it on Tumblr?

Anyway, that is all, HAVE A GOOD NIGHT/MORNING AND A GREAT CHRISTMAS 🥰💜💜🥳🥳🥳😚😚

[AAAhjldc- Thenk, that genuinely makes me shriek with happiness, I'm glad you're enjoying the stuff! I can't really do ya a fic in a timely manner, so I'm going to ramble if you don't mind. :V]

It's already been discussed that Ludwig is the first one to meet you, and interacting with him on his own is nothing out of ordinary. You'd never expect that he has two other, utterly insane siblings, that he's in fact just as batshit mental, just better at hiding it. Truly, putting all three together is the key to seeing their true nature.

While Lud is the one to introduce you to his brothers, Mervin is actually the first one that'll declare this dynamic a relationship. There will be a lot of confusion for you initially, as you're getting swayed into romantic situations with each of the brothers seemingly behind the other's back. You're likely to reach a breaking point, and confront all three about it- Only to have the fork tell you something among the lines of "What do you mean, dipshit?! We've all been dating you for weeks now." And while it's far from a gentle nudge, if he hadn't told you that to the face, the other brothers would have taken much longer to make a statement.

The most affectionate of the bunch is Obie. Out of the trio, he's got the less hangups about physical touch and will often drape himself over you like a blanket. Lud and Merv definitely think he overdoes it and will make efforts to either join or rip you away from the glutton. This is easier said than done.

Ludwig and Mervin will be investing in your self-defense skill, as you'll eventually be brought into the Common Ring of Hell to meet Katia. Mervin teaches you directly how to fight with or without weapons, and your opponent is almost always Ludwig, because it kind of gets him off to fight you. By the end of this, you'll be able to hopefully buy yourself some time if a more powerful demon attempts to make a victim out of you.

Katia is a very nice lady who's just happy to see her boys found love, you'll be accepted into her heart without issue and you'll definitely get to see the ever elusive baby demon pictures. There's nothing cuter than seeing a picture of baby Ludwig putting Mervin in a chokehold while Obie's standing by their side, casually eating a pillow. That album is a bit cursed... But Katia does want a picture of you four together! Speaking of, she's here when you have trouble with any of them okay? If they start getting any funny ideas, she's just a call away. You're likely to be quickly escorted away by the three heathens when sloth mama starts mentioning grandkids.

Ludwig is the designated piggyback ride giver.

Obie is oftentimes oblivious to your flirts, Mervin has to hit him over the head and whisper the obvious.

It may seem like Mervin has more brain cells, but he does not, that's Ludwig's unwanted privilege. Nonetheless, the prideful demon often spearheads most outings.

Mervin is somehow more easily flustered than Obie by your antics. The hardest to fluster is Ludwig, but when it does happen, he gets quiet and extremely blushy, so pat yourself in the back.

As mentioned before, fighting between them over the smallest thing is common, and even healthy for demons, but some fights will be started purely because they want you to wedge in-between and give them attention.

Obie is the one that lends you clothes the most, although Mervin disagrees with this because the glutton is a "slob" and "has no taste".

The three are trying to decipher how to propose to you and can't reach an agreement. Ludwig argues they should polish the skulls of their enemies and put the wedding ring on one of the horns. Mervin can't afford the ring he wants so he's just going to steal it. With a lot of effort. Obie wants to do it with a massive feast that'll put even Vorticia to shame. Needless to say, it's going to be a very bizarre proposal.

I can't think of more right now, but you can always ask. <:1

[arkhammaid]

Pookie 2 please. (Ollie has my heart rn and I need fluff)

I need Spanish media Nepo babies influence against the stark influence in literally the rest of the world. I need the unresolved angst and I need the mortal enemies these two would be because Carlos WISHES he was as good as little stark.

But also OLLIE BABY he deserves the world and while yes he would get shit from Tony, Peter and Harley, he would win them over so fast.

Tony immediately is just like “k your chill and actually have the capability and SeNsIbIlItY to send a stark to bed when they’ve been sciencing and inventing long enough” so as long as he doesn’t have to bear witness to PDA he’s adopted another kid (part time of course, he’s an in law with no trauma (compared to his three))

Peter and Harley would be giving him shit for the longest, but eventually he’s like another brother and they just make fun of any PDA. They’re also teaching him ✨science (engineering) things™️✨ so he has a lot more input into the car and drives a lot better.

But yes Ollie is a simp and will fangirl the most about tony and Peter, while also being overly respectful with pepper because holy shit that’s the lady who has control over a company with not much previous experience, can pilot the iron man suits, and has media influence…. He was raised to be respectful of strong independent women.

Anyways enough of that have a great rest of your (insert appropriate timeframe here)!

i just woke up to this, a big smooch to you anon <33

referring to this post

yes to all of this!! so, the thing is, up until now, no one really went against the spanish papers because they were either not powerful or bothered enough by them 😭 but i just KNOW all starks are petty enough to go all out. i also feel like sainz sr would be sensible enough to actually stop the slander but carlos would just continue (and get in trouble lmao) because he can not cope with his feelings. especially when he sees his replacement getting all cozy with little stark...

ollie just wants the best for the love of his life (that's what little stark is) and tony has eyes. he sees how happy he makes her, so he gets accepted very fast into the family. much faster than he thought

ALSO YES! ollie fears any starks too much to actually do any kind of PDA, he doesn't want to get run over just because he kissed their daughter/sister in front of them 😭 it ends with little stark literally grabbing his face and kissing him in public, leaving him all dazed and blushing

and once peter and harley get over it, they actually become really close with ollie, start to drag him with them every where. it ends up with them stealing ollie from little stark for "bearman time" (stark siblings fighting over who gets to spend time with ollie while he's just standing there like this 🧍‍♀️)

ollie returns from his winter break and starts to talk with his engineers in engineer talk and everyone in the factory is just o.O (resulting in people trying to play detectives,, because wtf did ollie do over winter break (since he and little stark are definitely keeping their relationship secret for a while)) charles is definitely quaking in his boots when ollie delivers his sim racing times. why can't he just have one easy season...

ollie bearman was definitely raised to respect women and isn't afraid to show his inner fangirl (why do you think little stark fell for him...) he will forever remember the day when pepper gave her approval of his relationship to her daughter. it literally means the world to him

to add to all that!! the bearman's absolutely ADORE little stark. his younger siblings think ollie is the coolest brother in the whole world because 1. he met iron man 2. he talked to iron man 3. he's literally dating the only daughter iron man has. no one can top that

while his parents are first... well a bit reserved, (since she's the daughter of a public hero AND a driver) when ollie tells them that he and little stark started dating, they're very excited for him. they see how happy they make each other, so little stark is definitely a honorary bearman (and they don't mind PDA, which results in ollie being much more bold with little stark when he's around his family instead of hers LMAO (it results with little stark wanting to visit them very often, she likes this ollie much more))

[dootznbootz]

YOOOO I LOVE THE HEADCANONS SO MUCH. Especially the one where the type of the water affectes the appearance, that's so so neat

Also,, what do you think happens to a naiad (or someone of naiad descent) when they stay out of water for too long? Do they get sick? Do they eventually die? Would only water heal them or could something else (eg. eating fish) at least "stabilize" them?

And how would rain affect them? Would they be able to spend more time out of water when it's raining? Or could they maybe even bend the rain to their will? Of course rain comes from the clouds/sky which is not in their domain,, but if the raindrops are low enough, could it work? :0

Sorry if this was too long, i just really liked the headcanons and they made me think hahahaha

sdlkfj Thank you!!! Don't ever be sorry, Niko! I'm happy you like them so much!!! And always feel free to chatter away with me!! :D I think a LOT about the Naiad dynamics as they're really fun!!!! And as someone who grew up with a lot of river stuff, it's really nice and fun!

It's part of the reason why Penelope's smaller and has straight black hair :D As she was born a month early, it caught Periboea by surprise and she just went into the nearest creak :D (probably was mostly alone too)

It was calm at first before suddenly the current got fast and Penelope was swept away. Obviously terrifying. To say the least, some ducks brought her back :P (I really love the duck myth. It's neat and to have Penelope be associated with ducks while Helen is kind of associated with swans itches my brain just right >:D (Swans are bigger than ducks as well. like how I think of Helen and Penelope!) I like the thought of Odysseus "always thanking the ducks" whenever he sees them even while away. He gives them peas to eat and just gets happy when they fly overhead :'D

Penelope is a bit self-conscious about being born from a creek while her mom and most of her other siblings are from the river. (she's also the youngest and smaller.) Penelope was actually really worried about this and even kind of tried to not say that her water broke and was just like "hey, let's go here! No reason! :'D " because she wanted to get to the "better source of water" to give birth to Telemachus.

Odysseus: I can't believe you did that! >:( Penelope: HEy! Me and our son are fine!! The contractions didn't even start yet and we still made it to the river!!! And he'll be so strong, Odysseus! :D

Honestly they'd kind of "dry" out and just... really uncomfortable. I can imagine they kind of shed scales and just feel sick and unwell. Probably if you gave them a glass of water they'd rather dump it over their head :P Would eventually die if they don't get enough :'D If you marry a naiad-born person and don't have what they need, then you're a shit spouse. It is basically common knowledge, even for non-naiad born. Leda, for example, with Tyndarius, makes sure he has his "dips" in the water if she notices it's been a while or that he starts itching his skin. (Odysseus makes damn well sure she has enough water. Not only did he carve her a "nest" as a wedding bed, but he also has a pool with a canal that could go to the caves if she needed that's basically right outside their chamber :D Where she and Telemachus go a lot (especially during the suitors). He thought of EVERYTHING. It's seeing the bed and the pool where she realizes that this man truly loves her and that she loves him as well. She knew before that "she would be happy with him" and did love him but this is where she was hit with "omfg this is like the tales poets sing about. holy shit." )

Oh boy the RAIN >:)

Yes they can do SOOO much with it. It's actually a very joyous and playful time for most naiads and basically, everyone leaves their spots of water to just run around and play and dance. (and Helen and Pollux :P but uh...they do make it "sparky" so they only run around where there's no big body of water.) And it's actually another thing that naiads have over nereids as rain has no salt :P

It also helps with yeah, Helen and Pollux, as when these two get pretty emotional the clouds start to form. Helen likes to mess with people by giving them a "static shock" as it's funny and "minor". And she loves doing it to Penelope as she likes her reactions. When it rains or they're near water, Penelope kind of gets her revenge >:D (They love each other, they're just cousins)

[doueverwonder]

I am having the feelings for my gaul oc tonight. probably gonna write this out wake up in the morning and see none of this is coherent and then I'll delete it BUT FOR NOW it is 3 am and I have feelings(tm)

Gaul had 5 kids. 1 with Rome (France) and 4 with Germania (HRE, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium).

Now, I see a lot of 'France had a wonderful relationship with his mom!!" bro he absolutely did not. Welcome to the wonderful world of Gaul hated Rome and every time she looked at France all she could see was his father even though as we all know François looks nothing like Romulus. France always knew his mother didn't really love him, not completely at least; he doesn't even have an 'epiphany' moment, he just grew up knowing it. When France was idk, five, maybe six, Gaul for lack of better term ran away from Rome's house. She escaped (eventually he'd catch her again unfortunately) she ran for the hills and for a long while was free.

She ended up married to Germania, how we got there doesn't matter rn, but they were married. We can discuss though how they had very different views of their marriage, partially bc they didn't know how to communicate for shit. Gaul always thought them ending up together resulted from nothing but the fact that they had a common enemy. Germania always thought they were married because they enjoyed being with each other, which wasn't completely untrue. they had a decent relationship, but, it wasn't anything special.

They hadn't been married long when their first child came along, a daughter, Adelheid (or Heidi). Now, Heidi may have been the personification of The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation; she was also Eldest Daughter Syndrome personified. yknow the "I hate my mother. My mother is the only person who understands me. I'm more like my father. My father doesn't know a thing about me."

Switzerland would be the only one to ever be able to claim he knew his mother. Really knew her, it was an odd thing but Heidi was trying so hard to please their father that it left Aldrich with his mother all the time, he didn't mind. He would be the most torn up by her death, part of his "how do you feel?" "I don't" mentality comes from the extra traumatic circumstances surrounding Gaul's death.

Netherlands didn't have much of a relationship with his mother. When Rome did find Gaul again she was pregnant with him, Rome didn't know that not for a few months. When Eitel would be born Rome would basically call a meeting with Germania to go 'I believe this belongs to you' give him newborn Ned and half-order him to never come back.

I've talked about Belgium before; but I'll say it again. She was born when her mother was living under, and her father was working for Rome. Emma was born, they passed her off as Rome's kid for a good while before he connected some dots and disowned her.

France hated his half-siblings, he despised them. Why? Gaul didn't love France; she couldn't. And he tried his hardest to convince himself that he wasn't jealous, that he was happy they got what he didn't. But in the end, some of his last words to Heidi were "what do you have that I don't? What made her love you?"

His relationship with his siblings has gotten better as time has gone on, it won't be the same as if they grew up together obviously. But it's good, they're all happy with the state of it.

But sometimes, sometimes François can't help but look at Aldrich, Eitel, and Emma with a pang of jealousy and wonder again "what made maman love them?"

[lasoonaofthefireembull]

I talked a while back abt how I think Ess could eventually regain her memories of Ex as her father but they'd have to work through things/re-bond a while before she actually got any memories back. I think even after she remembers that he's actually her father (and comes to terms with the fact that he didn't abandon her of his own will etc, starts to trust him again) she still doesn't regain her memories all at once the way tee did, that's a process as well. Though they're mostly happy memories it still tends to make her pretty emotional.

but like at least at that point they can work through it together and ess has. an actual human parental figure to depend on through it (zed tries his best he really does but he doesnt have a lot of particular capacity for emotional support...) but yeah thinking abt that period. I feel like she's softer toward him at that point but not as saccharine sweet as she is to zed. It's like somewhere between how she is with zed and her siblings, she isn't as thorny with him as she can usually be seen to be with her siblings but also y'know. the sass is still there a bit. She'll still call him out for not getting rest and doing self-sacrificial things and such, she won't just. go along with stuff unquestioningly. She will shake him like a maraca. (Also. I think she’d still be attached to Zed,,, holy shit two papas) however there are probably. a few instances of ess either coming through the portal to just sit with him a while because she got lonely/suddenly missed him or ex getting someone to watch the edge for a second so he can sit with her a little longer because she's struggling a bit.

[sinemaveriteofficial]

My Life Story

I was born to a middle-class family in NYC in 1899, the second of four children. I had a quite normal upbringing; my parents were very kind and understanding, and I was close with my siblings despite our occasional quarrels.

I've always had some concept that I seemed to experience the world differently than my peers. My interests and preferred conversation topics were considered too advanced or boring to relate to classmates and neighbors. I did endure a bit of bullying in elementary school, but Lewis put a stop to that very quickly.

I did reasonably well in school, graduating high school in 1918. During my senior year, I told my parents about my discomfort living as a female, and desire to create a more authentic life for myself. My parents were wonderfully supportive of my wishes, and helped me as much as was possible.

In spring of 1919 I finally had everything prepared to move. Once I left, taking my new documentation we had created, my parents held a funeral for their eldest daughter. They buried an empty coffin in a grave with my birth name.

I wrote a lovely eulogy under my new identity, with the pretext that I was a man that the deceased had been courting, and my parents saw me as a son because of this, giving an understandable reason for us to maintain a close relationship rather than severing ties.

Knowing I wanted to pursue a career as an actor, I moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. The film industry was smaller there than in New York, but still a very viable opportunity for a young actor. The environment was perfect for me; lively, and populated enough that I could blend in with the crowd. I was able to rent an apartment on my own, finally fully independent.

However, with so many people packed so densely, there were always those who were looking to take advantage of the unaware. They lurked in every shadow, waiting for someone they deemed an easy target. Everyone knew they were there, and everyone sober enough to remember knew to avoid them. But eventually, in 1924, one bastard made the last mistake of his life.

I had spent the evening on the town, drinking and dancing with a couple of friends. Our darling Lily was quite the lightweight. She loved partying, but the girl couldn't hold her liquor no matter how much she tried. We had left her alone for a moment; I had gone to get another round of drinks while the others danced, leaving sweet Lily, too drunk to dance, to hold our table.

That was the last time I saw that gentle girl. When I returned to the table she was no longer there. I asked one of our companions to check the washroom while I stepped out to see if she had gone for fresh air, only to see her leaving in a taxi. I never saw anyone with her, so I assumed she was calling it an early evening and going home safely.

However, the next day, the news broke, her name in the headlines. She had been found by her roommate, assaulted and slaughtered in her struggle to save herself. The night after her funeral, I swore to all things holy and otherwise that I would make the bastard that did this pay.

And make him pay I did. He never harmed anyone again, after that. Neither did my next target, or the next after that. It was incredibly therapeutic, really. Their begging, their screams… It makes the results all the more satisfying, the more they fight to live.

I know, so many have said it's tragic, a waste of human life. But these pieces of shit were far more useful in death than in life. I promise you, I'm not one to be wasteful. I only left enough to identify the dead, as their families and victims should receive that closure. I allowed the first one to be found, though; that was a message, on Lily's behalf. It was the only warning I allowed for the others.

Unfortunately, it seemed that I began getting credit for deaths that were not my doing. There were announcements about a serial killer, listing off those I had killed as well as others I had not. Either the news was getting trigger-happy over every unconnected death, or I had a counterpart in the city.

I suppose it was inevitable, really. If I believed in a higher power I'd say it was fate. We first met in a dingy speakeasy, drinking and dancing the night away. We ended up dancing together, then talked for hours, into the small hours of the morning.

We parted at closing, presumably strangers never to meet again. I found my next dinner on the way out that night. He was incredibly bold, pressing me for a proposition in clear public. So, I decided to allow him to follow me home. He was a bit lean for my preference, but a poor dish is an small sacrifice to get him off of the street.

I was just getting started taking care of him, when I realized my window had been opened and someone had entered. I went to check on it, leaving the creep tied in my kitchen. When I returned after finding nothing, I saw the man from the speakeasy standing in front of the creep, holding a knife and smiling but looking rather surprised.

After several awkward minutes, I found out that he was responsible for the deaths that had been confused with my work, and vice versa. He stayed that weekend with me, helping me dispatch and clean up our shared interest. We found we had even more in common than we realized, and a friendship formed.

As I write this I find that it sounds incredible cliched and corny, but after that night he was always part of my life. Neither of us trust or care for others easily, so there were several months of tentative friendship and testing the waters. But within the year we were as thick as thieves. Be it working up a target, a night out on the town, or a quiet dinner at one of our homes, we found ourselves happy and comfortable together like neither of us had been before.

With all this given, is it really so surprising that we ended up in a committed partnership? We both knew that we weren't the romantic sort, but it was very logical to make the decision to work to maintain such a rare relationship as what we had. Eventually we moved into a nice little house together, a close pair of bachelor friends as far as any outsiders were concerned.

That arrangement worked beautifully for years, the closest thing to domestic bliss that a pair like us are prone to. But it came to a terrible end in 1933. He had made a kill, and left to dispose of the remnants while I cleaned up at home. He was always prompt, always precise, but that night he was late returning.

I waited, assuming that an acquaintance had stopped to talk to him on his way home. But as the hours passed my dread grew. I fell asleep by the door, still waiting and hoping to wake to him walking in with a smile and a cheery explanation of the delay. But that never came.

What did wake me was a sharp knocking, so harsh and unlike him. When I answered the door I was met by a policeman, asking to speak to me. He asked me questions about Al, about his work and his hobbies. Eventually the reason for his visit came out.

Al was dead. Found burying human remains, and shot by an elderly hunter in the dim light mistaking him for a deer. I never thought that one could experience heartbreak without romance, but I learned otherwise that day.

I carried on for years, always doing everything I could for his memory. I was more ruthless than ever. I kept my mask in place for my daily life, always the actor. But I was slowly losing control of myself in my extracurricular activities.

I believe the only reason I was never caught was because I had become so erratic. My methods changed so drastically that law enforcement assumed I had to be a different person. I made kills outdoors, picked up targets in far too public places, even left behind tools. But eventually I would rejoin my dearest in the grave.

In March of 1938, nearly 5 years after the greatest pain of my life began, I found my peace. I finally slipped up; I discovered too late that the target I had just killed lived with his police officer brother. The brother came home as I was beginning to work up the body, drawing his pistol, and… I woke up in a strange place, with a different body.

Once I realized I was in Hell, I was able to find Alastor easily enough as he was already making a name for himself as a rising overlord, a story most everyone knows well. There's little to tell beyond that; Hell has been much the same for the near century we've been here, the only real changes being the rise and fall of overlords as newcomers make their way.

Alastor made his way to the top, every new soul he owned bringing more power. At some point, I'm not sure how many decades ago now, we decided it ebe prudent to legalize our partnership as a failsafe in case misfortune were to befall either of us. As part of our marriage contract I signed him my soul, and took partial claim of those that he owned then and in the future.

We were once again content for many years, until his recent unannounced sabbatical. Again I found myself left behind, picking up the pieces of our life and managing a small empire without him. With him gone his souls and responsibilities fell to me, which I dare say I handled dutifully for the better part of a decade.

I was beyond ecstatic when he returned, however. I am not fond of being an overlord myself, and everything besides those responsibilities I had let fall away. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was a broken man, being the one remaining for the second time.

But, he did return this time. And together we are rebuilding our status, reminding the masses why we were so feared. We've also been investing a great deal of time into our new project, helping young Princess Charlie Morningstar create and run her Hazbin Hotel.

[prince-jelli-fish]

omg your tags @agrimmbrothersgrimmestgoose made my day!! I'm so incredibly delighted that you like our characters that much !! I'll gladly go ahead and do a little info dump cause they've been making me oh so happy this week

Introductions!!

Waylen Arlo Katz (on the left in the outfit drawings)

37 y.o.

aromantic bisexual

got married at 18 to an extremely abusive man but had no way to escape until around 10 years later

extremely technology averse, hates computers, the only electronic devise he has is an exceptionally old nokia that he hates

extensive knowledge of poisons

holds a PhD in Toxicology

works as a museum archivist

Callianessa (Callie) Martimore

31 y.o.

aromantic demisexual

spent her formative years looking after her two younger siblings, eventually got them away from their abusive parents, still takes responsibility for her younger brother who is still in high school

extremely into fantasy in general, active larper, she also works out solely in order to be strong enough to wear a suit of armor regularly

extensive knowledge of historical weaponry

holds a PhD in archeology

works as a museum archivist

Waylen and Callie's relationship

met when they were hired onto the museum's brand new archivist team

upon meeting the two of them and their other new coworker got into an argument regarding how a specific historical figure actually died

after resolving the conflict, they never had a problem again

Callie and Waylen began to get closer as friends realizing they both suffered from insomnia, had a great interest in toxins and their uses, as well as similar opinions on more commonplace subjects like tv shows and movies

after around 5 or 6 years of their friendship, most people just assumed they were dating due to the vast amount of time they spend together

Callie is the first to start thinking about how being in an official relationship with Waylen might be nice

After only 2 months of "officially dating" they decide they want something more and get married

Neither of them really thought they'd get married, least of all to each other

Callie had never really thought of herself as a marriage person

Waylen couldn't see himself ever wanting to get married again after the abuse he suffered

but to them, it wasn't going to be a traditional marriage, they weren't "husband and wife" or even "spouses", they're each other's safe person

plus marriage comes with sweet tax benefits that they did really want to cash in on

so they have a courthouse wedding followed by a reception that Callie's little sister plans extensively

Other cute things

Waylen exclusively calls Calllie "Callianessa" because he finds it to be an utterly beautiful name

they end up hyphenating their last name to Katz-Martimore, due to this Callie likes to state that sinse she also holds the last name "Katz" she has an honorary PhD in Toxicology as well

Waylen's insomnia is such that he can't sleep if there's no noise and Callie can't sleep unless it's dead quiet plus neither of them can sleep at night, to accommodate this Waylen mostly sleeps when Callie is working or has guests over during the day and when Callie needs to sleep, Waylen will leave the house for a couple of hours

they adopt two pet snakes together (named Baby Waylen and Baby Callie) plus a jellyfish

Not so cute things

They're both really stupid and like to try ingesting various poisons in order to experience the effects (they have an ER nurse friend on speed dial and no he's never happy to hear from them)

holy shit that was a big long chunk of writing...and there's literally so much more to say lol if you read all the way through this wowee I'm honored that you find our oc ramblings that interesting! Thank you <3

@literally-in-too-many-fandoms and I have gone a little insane regarding her dnd character and a random npc the character has talked to exactly once

[autisticlancemcclain]

“Oh, no, Lance wasn’t my nickname. Well, I mean, it is my nickname, but not the one I grew up with. Everyone called me Patito when I was little.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means ‘little duckling’,” Lance answers with a grin.

Allura leans forward, smile just as sunny as his. “Tell us why.”

This is common. Lance’s life pre-Voltron was probably pretty average. He grew up in a family home on a regular farm in Cuba. Nothing crazy, no insane situations. But Lance finds the extraordinary in the ordinary, every time. The team will be on a mission, regular and rudimentary, nothing of notice. They’ll come back to the Castle to Coran’s endless questions: “What happened? What did you do? What adventures did you have?” and everyone will have the same dismissive answers on their tongue.

But not Lance.

Lance will bound into the room with a beam and a gesturing hand — “Oh, you shoulda been there, Coran! There was this soldier who’s voice was the gruffest I’ve ever heard, he sounded like a mountain being pushed over gravel! Oh, and Pidge did this insane move with her bayard, just zapped this girl into the next century —”and suddenly, everyone remembers that yeah, holy shit. They’re in space. They are space knights. This shit is wild. How did they ever forget how exciting the world is?

This is Lance’s gift. He makes everything interesting, just by virtue of being himself. So when he offhandedly mentions a story, a quick anecdote from his childhood, well. It’s time to get comfortable and lean in.

This time is no exception. As Allura leans towards Lance, jewelled eyes wide and imploring, Pidge and Keith tuck themselves under either of Hunk’s arms. Coran curls up on the armchair, Shiro makes himself comfy on the floor. Everyone looks to Lance with rapt attention.

“Well. I was an ‘oopsie’ baby — no one saw me coming. So all my brothers and sisters are much older than I am. Rachel’s closest in age to me, and she was ten when I was born. So I was very much the younger sibling stereotype. Still am, honestly, if you couldn’t tell.”

Everyone chuckles a little, each thinking of their own specific situation with Youngest Baby Lance ™. He has won many an argument by simply being stubborn and annoying, and has lost just as many to the tendency to succumb to reverse psychology. Such is the life of someone with only older siblings.

“So yeah! I was very much doted on. I was everyone’s little babydoll, but there was no one I followed around quite like my sister Veronica. On my chubby toddler legs, too — Papá came up with the nickname when he joked that all I ever did was waddle after Vero, like a patito. Man, I followed her everywhere. I did everything she did. She was happy? I was happy. She wanted to go somewhere? I begged to go too. Hell, I followed her to the Garrison!”

Pidge looks surprised. “I thought you just wanted to be a pilot.”

“I mean, I did,” Lance shrugs, “but I wanted to be a pilot because Veronica was a pilot. I eventually fell in love with space myself, but the first step was following Vero. I’m so lucky she’s so patient with me. I’m not sure I would be so accommodating of a kid who followed my every move.”

“On the contrary, my dear,” Coran disagrees. “Was it not you who taught Pidge to make milkshakes last week, patiently despite the many mishaps? Was it not you who happily took on the task of helping Allura and I understand human languages and customs? It was you, again, to help Keith with all manners of diplomatic efficiencies.”

“And it’s you who helps me nearly every night after a nightmare,” Shiro adds warmly. “I’m sure you learnt your patience from your sister. We certainly appreciate it.”

Lance goes pink, prompting the group into a few minutes of poking and teasing until Lance finally batts their hands away.

“Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?” he asks exasperatedly.

“Of course we want to hear it,” Keith says, poking Lance with his foot.

“Then shut up,” Lance teases. Keith rolls his eyes, but complies.

“Okay!” Lance continues. “Where was I? Oh, right. I followed Vero everywhere, and I did everything she did. Well. One day, when I was about five? Maybe six? Vero was in her early twenties, I remember that. She was getting ready for a date, with some irrelevant guy she never ended up seeing again, but whatever. She’d just showered and done her hair, and she was rushing around the house in her robe trying to gather all her beauty supplies from all the people who’d stolen them. You know, siblings. Nothing is truly ever yours. I was unattended, because Mamá was busy, so I was watching her get ready. One thing I watched her do was wax her legs.”

Shiro claps his hand to his mouth. “No. Tell me it isn’t so.”

Pidge, Hunk, and Allura are all giggling. Keith and Coran crack a smile.

“Oh, poor baby Lance,” Allura coos.

“Mhm,” Lance agrees. “As soon as Vero left, I waddled into the bathroom right after her, climbed up the sink, and got the wax strips. I did what she did, pressed them all over my legs — and it’s not like I was super hairy, but there was still hair there — and tried to rip it off. I screamed so loud that Mamá came sprinting in with the kitchen knife. She thought I was being murdered.”

Everyone’s laughing now, imagining poor little Lance just trying to follow his big sister and enduring that.

“The worst part is that I must have stuck at least eight wax strips all over my body, and we had to rip them all off.”

Pidge cracks up, leaning heavily into Hunk and trying desperately to hold in her giggles.

“I — I’m sorry, it’s not that it’s funny, it’s just —”

Lance shoots her a grin. “Nah, it’s pretty funny. I mean, not at the time. At the time I was Very Upset and Betrayed. But it’s funny now. It’s even funnier that the incident didn’t even stop me — I still did everything Vero did. Now, she’s just a little more conscientious of what she does in front of me.”

[infitsovermisfits]

What's Shakin' Baby? (2) - Eddie Munson x GN! Reader

AN: i wanted to finish this before my birthday (4 days ago now) and instead i broke my glasses ;-; happy birthday to me ig. ANYWAYS it's finished now- it took me so long and i really apologise for that ;-; I'm a perfectionist and it takes me a while to write these... I mean, look at the size. It's also difficult for me to work when I'm burnt out and tired all the time, and considering i stayed up till 7am to write this (dw I'm sleeping as soon as i post this) then yeah. That starts to take its toll eventually. I'll say that I had a lot of fun writing this- i understand not everyone likes fluff but to those i say ok? go read something else there's a multitude of fics I'm sure you'll find what u like :) PERSONALLY i liked Dustin and Eddie's friendship in s4 and it's clear Gaten and Joe have great chemistry... But hear me out: Eddie and Max. Do u really think Eddie saw Max moping around, all sad around the trailer park and just didn't do anything about it? Nah. Sarcastic little sister and Goofy older Brother? Ya. We were truly robbed of Max finding someone like Eddie to confide him and realise could be a good sibling to her that doesn't yell at her and make her afraid.  (arcade idea stolen (with permission) from @intergalacticaquarium if you, like me, think Eddie and Max should have had a friend/siblings dynamic in s4, I encourage u to read their fics about them. They are v wholesome.)

WARNINGS: gender neutral reader, reader is 20, L O N G and slow burn forgive me i got v carried away, reader smokes, fluff, tooth-rotting fluff at the end, i promice, mentions of billy being a bad older brother to Max, Max opening up a bit about Billy trauma, Eddie being an amazing older brother to Max (along w yn ofc), eating food, negative self-talk, slight angst at the end, brain empty, no more thoughts, lmk if i missed something 

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | MASTERLIST

15,915 words (holy shit i know)

The following day, you found you were driving back home from your trip into town with Eddie, blasting one of his mixtapes and singing along happily. As suspected, there wasn't anything interesting in the various stores and boutiques that had opened up since Starcourt shut down, but you still had a delightful day. You almost forgot how fun Eddie was to just... Be around. Even if he hated following you through the stores, his comments on the people in the store or the mannequins or the stupid slogans on the shirts made it difficult to not burst out laughing in the middle of the otherwise silent store. You did eventually have to drag him out so you wouldn't get kicked out when you flicked your gaze over and he was shifting the mannequin's hand around to be a middle finger. He finally pulled you into a Goodwill- the best decision you had made that day because apparently, you hit a jackpot- someone retired a bunch of Metal merchandise and it's probably the most quiet Eddie has been while sober and conscious in years. You both meticulously searched through the numerous Metal band t-shirts (some of which neither you, or Eddie had heard of, surprisingly), unsown patches he could add to his battle vest and various band pins. Eddie kept mumbling to himself about 'how lucky he got' as well as 'how someone could ever give this up'?

Collectively, you spent almost two hours sifting through all the clothes there and eventually buying close to ten things each. You stopped by a McDonald's to eat something, sitting in his car and talking about some bizarre thing that had crossed Eddie's mind at that moment, and as you drove home, you excitedly pointed at the Palace Arcade,

"Holy shit! That place is still open!?" You grinned eagerly, trying to turn your head to look over your shoulder at the passing building,

"Uhuh. If you came here a couple of weeks earlier, I would have taken you," he said playfully,

"What? Why not now?" You frowned, looking back at him,

"Cause school's out for summer. It's gonna be crowded as fuck with stupid kids stealing all the good prizes," He pouted, and you lit up at his comment,

"Aww," You grinned, "I'm sure we can just find your disappearing ink somewhere else out of town-"

"No, no, no," He grinned, "Buying something is not the same as winning it in an arcade after busting your ass on Tetris for an hour," You laughed softly at his comment,

"You played Tetris for an hour and all you could get was disappearing ink?" You grinned. At first you thought it was a joke- you remembered Eddie's whole phase with with the ink, realising he could draw whatever he wanted, wherever and no one would see it. He grafitied a lot of rooms in Hawkins with stupid messages and crude drawings, not to mention his room was full of glowing drawings under the black light he brought... You quickly realised he wasn't joking about spending an hour on one game and your eyes widened, "No-"

"Babe-" He said quickly,

"Eddie-" You said in a warning tone,

"Babe-" He repeated, his eyes widening and a grin spreading across his lips,

"Are you telling me you played Tetris for an hour... And all you could afford was disappearing ink?" You asked, mouth opening in shock,

"I'm not answering that," He huffed, "I don't like your tone,"

"How bad are you at Tetris?" You laughed, "It's a simple game, how-" 

"Okay, well," He smiled, "Now you're just being mean-" He commented on your laughter,

"Eddie-" You managed breathlessly,

"It's a hard game!" He protested,

"This is like the rubik's cube all over again," You teased once you calmed down a little,

"It is not! Do not disrespect the cube like that"" He whined,

"The cube!!" You said amused, laughing,

"Can you stop making fun of me, babe?" He cast you a glance with a bright grin on his face,

"I'm not making fun of you; you're just funny, Eds," You grinned, shaking your head, "I'm simply reminiscing on that week that you locked yourself away in your room, almost losing your mind over that thing," You said,

"Yeah. And then a possum tried to kill me and cursed it," He said playfully,

The possum incident occurred in early autumn a few years ago. Before he disappeared for the week, Eddie picked up a new strain of weed from Rick. He talked your ear off about how it was real, authentic shit, grown in pristine conditions, and supposed to be better than anything he had ever sold or tried before. He'd been so excited to 'test' the product that he left his bedroom window open while he was greened out and a possum snuck in during the night. He didn't realise at first, but when he discovered it... It was safe to say that nothing could beat that phone call- hearing Eddie screaming about the 'demonic' marsupial hiding away in his closet and crudely describing it as a 'screaming rat that wants to eat him' was confusing at first. When you pulled the receiver from your ear, you almost collapsed laughing as you could hear him yelling from his trailer. It took you a while to collect yourself before you arrived in his home- Wayne was already there, attempting to usher the terrified creature into an empty laundry basket with a broom, while Eddie stood on his bed and rambled about 'demons' and 'cursed cubes'. Seeing you made him yell at you for laughing at the scene, and once you calmed, you moved your focus to help Wayne. You felt bad for the older man, considering he usually slept during the day for his shifts at the Plant, and who reprimanded Eddie about closing his windows at night so creatures don't find their way inside,

"It didn't try to kill you, Eddie," You told him as he parked his van outside his trailer, "It was more scared of you than you were of it," You pat his shoulder as you unbuckled the seatbelt and got out, heading for the back of the van to collect your bags,

"Why'd it have its mouth open then?" He grinned, opening the back for you,

"Because that's what they do," You reminded him, "They don't have thumbs, or spikes or knives, so they open their mouthes to be all scary," You explained, smiling as he rolled his eyes. You cast a glance at the bags, "Damn... We gotta wash all of these," You mumbled as you grabbed yours, which had been set on the right,

"Possums are terrifying," He muttered under his breath as he walked back to his trailer,

"Yeah, yeah," You rolled your eyes, "Hey, meet me at mine in like, ten minutes," You said, "I got watermelon in my fridge," You smiled,

"Yeah, I know. I was there when you bought it," He said with a grin, "Save me a beer," He said, before disappearing into his trailer.

A while later, you'd set the clothes you bought in the washer, opened the beer for him and got busy cutting up the watermelon. Eddie quickly entered announcing himself with a cheerful 'Hey baby!'  the thick smell of cigarettes fluttering through the air behind him. Glancing up to give him a small smile, you noted he was shirtless, yet still wearing the same pair of dark jeans he had on before. He hated shorts, so he opted to find the jeans with the largest rips and holes in them instead. It surprised you when he walked up behind you, wrapping an arm around your waist and pressing a kiss to the back of your head. As you tried to feed him a chunk of the fruit, he playfully moved out of the way, grabbing the beer and mentioning that he was smoking, so he couldn't eat. You rolled your eyes, before telling him you should go sit outside, considering your AC was busted and it was cooler there than inside. There was a thin layer of sweat on your forehead, and you didn't want to stay inside longer than you had to. You eyed the spider etched into his right shoulder- how dare he not mention he got a new tattoo?

"You're staring," He said in a sing-songy tone, distracted by fishing out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pockets, causing you to blush and glance away from him,

"Shut up, Eds," You said with a small smile, following him outside and sitting in one of the seats you had on the porch, before grabbing a watermelon slice to eat. You gladly accepted the cigarette he offered, leaning over so he could light it for you and inhaling deeply,

"You dig the new ink?" He asked playfully, sliding a notebook you hadn't noticed he brought along off the table into his lap and flicking through the pages. You eyed him; the cigarette tucked between his teeth and plump lips, his brows drawn together slightly as he focused on the contents of the pages; big brown eyes darting over the words scribbled inside, "Drew it myself," He said, lifting the book up to show you the spider,

"Holy shit, Eds, it looks so cool!" You grinned, taking a bite of the melon,

"Thanks!" He said proudly, picking up the pencil that had fallen from between the pages and flicking to a half-empty page, "Took me forever deciding where I wanted it," He mumbled,

"It looks good where it is, babe," You told him, giving him a small smile and eating some more of your watermelon slice, "Oh- Hey Max!" You called, seeing her approach from the entrance to the trailer park on her skateboard. Considering she didn't look up at your loud yell, you guessed she must have her headphones on, "You think she's still super into Kate Bush?" You glanced over at Eddie,

"Probably," He murmured, the word muffled by the cigarette between his lips. His gaze flicked up to you, then Max in the distance, and then settled back to the notebook he was busy scribbling away in,

"Mh," You hummed. You took another drag before straightening and raising a free hand to wave at her as she approached. Seeing you, she effortlessly stepped off the board, walking a few steps and picking it up, before pulling the headphones off of her head and letting them sit around her neck. She came to a stop before the steps up to your trailer, glancing between you and Eddie,

"What?" She asked sharply,

"You having a good day, Red?" You heard Eddie ask,

"It... Was fine," She said, a little confused by his question,

"Anything fun happen?" You asked, leaning your elbows on your knees and letting your head rest in your hands, smiling at her, "Oh- you want some watermelon? I just cut it up- it's from the fridge so it's nice and cold," You offered, glancing behind you and picking the bowl up from the table, extending it out to her

"No," She shuffled in place a little,

"Damn... That's a shame," You said, setting the bowl back in its place, "Well, if you want any, you know who to ask," You told her, "Are you more into smoothies, by any chance?" You asked, "I have a blender and crazy experience making thick juice," You offered, smiling at the sight of the corners of her lips involuntarily lifting. She turned on her heel to walk to her neighbouring trailer,

"C'mon, Red," Eddie chimed in, "Their smoothies are a work of art- and that's coming from me," He called after her,

"Whatever," You heard her mutter before she quickly climbed the steps and entered the trailer,

"Damn," You sighed, leaning back in your chair and finishing the cigarette, stumping it out in the recently emptied ashtray,

"I could hear it from here," You heard Eddie chuckle to himself. You turned your body to look at him, leaning an arm on the table,

"Kate Bush?" You asked,

"Good, old Katie," He grinned. You gave him a playful glare,

"If you dare disrespect her, Eddie, I swear-"

"Wh- Disrespect?" He set the pencil between the pages of his book and closed it, setting it on the table, "When did I ever say anything disrespectful about Kate Bush, babe?" He said defensively, though there was an amused look on his face,

"You didn't, but I know how riled up you can get," You grinned, finishing your clice and setting the rind back into the bowl, "About what constitutes as 'real' music," You mimed air quotes before grabbing another slice,

"I would never say a bad thing about Kate Bush though, babe," He said, "Promice. Hand on heart; cross it and everything," He said, drawing a finger in two lines over the ink on his chest,

"Good," You raised your brows, "Cause she's like... Crazy amazing,"

"I know," He grinned, "I was the one who introduced you to her," He smiled, 

"Cause the song came on the radio," You teased, 

"In my car," He said with a smirk, 

"Whatever," You rolled your eyes, sitting back in your chair and biting into the watermelon, quickly licking the juice that spilled onto your fingers. It was delightfully cold, thanks to you putting it in the fridge as soon as you got home from the grocery store earlier today. You only wished you could buy some stronger alcohol, or make a cocktail...

"Hey... Come here," Eddie mumbled, catching your attention. Once your eyes were on him, he removed the cigarette from of his mouth and tapped his leg with his free hand, shifting his legs so they were spread slightly wider apart,

"Why?" You asked, though you set your slice into the bowl and stood up without much hesitation. His smile simply widened as you approached him, carefully sitting in his lap and wrapping your arms around his neck. He hummed pleasantly, wrapping an arm around your middle to pull you closer,

"Missed you," He said simply, before tucking the cigarette back between his lips to take a drag,

"We spent the entire day together, babe," You reminded him, pulling the cigarette out of his lips and placing it between your own as he tilted his head back to exhale the smoke up into the air,

"Mhhm, and you dragged me around all these stupid stores and didn't let me have fun," He grinned, leaning forward to press a kiss to your cheek and taking his cigarette back,

"You almost got us kicked out, again," You grinned,

"I was just helping the mannequins express their feelings," He said with a nonchalant shrug. Your eyes flicked down to his neck, smiling and allowing your hand to gently caress the soft skin, "They've probably been stuck there for years in those awful shirts. I could sense a lot of anger coming from those plastic things," He said,

"You're a true hero, Eds," You smiled, "For mannequins all across America," You grinned,

"I work one store at a time," He said with a small smile. You laughed as he took another drag, "Can't believe we scored gold in that Goodwill," He said proudly,

"I know, right?" You grinned, "I finally got my own Pantera shirt," You said excitedly,

"I wonder who gave all of those shirts away," He muttered curiously,

"Someone cool?" You said, shifting a hand to play with strands of his hair, running your fingers through,

"Or someone lame," He suggested, glancing at the movements of your hands as your fingers began to carefully braid his hair, "In any case, we lucked out. You're like a good luck charm," He said with a proud smile,

"Me?" You asked amused, grinning as he moved his hand to touch yours, pulling your fingers away from his hair and pressing a kiss to the back of them,

"You," He murmured, brown, doe eyes meeting yours. He set the cigarette in the ashtray, letting both his hands wrap around you,

"Bet if you went to the store earlier without me you would have found those shirts anyways," You mumbled, rolling your eyes,

"Nah," He said, "But they'll make good replacements for all the shirts you stole from me," He said playfully, causing you to laugh,

"Maybe this is my way of giving them back to you," You joked,

"That's a really stupid way of giving me back my stuff, babe," He said, "Making me pay for my own stuff?"

"Eddie I'm j-"

"I know," He laughed, "I just like to tease you," He smirked, leaning back in his chair with a small sigh, "So! We have the rest of this wonderful day together. What do you suggest we do?" He asked, watching you expectantly. It was only the beginning of summer- the days would grow longer and hotter, and you'd be forced to get the AC fixed so you could seek comfort in the coolness of your home. That meant you couldn't really hang out in there. Eddie's trailer was always an option but it felt a little strange just inviting yourself there- besides, Wayne worked nights at the Plant, which meant he had to sleep all day. You couldn't play the TV too loud or yell or listen to loud music... You let your mind run as you leaned over Eddie, pulling the fruit bowl closer so you could munch on a slice as you thought. You'd already been and raided the nearby stores, and Hawkins was a shithole with nothing interesting ever happening here. The only thing left was...

"What about the arcade?" You said, raising your brows, "You can win me a teddy bear," You smiled,

"How romantic," He grinned, "But be warned, it will take me like... Six hours on Tetris to get enough tickets to afford one of those," He said, causing you to laugh,

"Damn- does the arcade even let people stay that late? Especially if they're awful at the game they're playing," You teased,

"Fine- you're not getting anything from me," He huffed playfully,

"Eddie- no!! Play anything but Tetris," You plead, grinning,

"Fine, fine. I'm pretty good at Pinball," He said, arms leaving you momentarily so he could stretch them above his head,

"You can't win tickets with Pinball. Also- pinball is the lamest game you can play at an arcade," You said, holding the slice out for him to take a bite of,

"Hold on-" He said surprised, gently moving your hand out of the way, "What did you just say?"

"Pinball is the lamest?" He opened his mouth in shock, and you smirked, moving the slice against his lips so he was forced to take a bite of the pink fruit, "What are you? An old man?" You grinned, 

"Old men aren't the only ones who play pinball, babe!" He protested, yelping softly as some of the juice spilt out of his lips and down his chin. You laughed as he reached a hand to wipe his face and smirked, swallowing the food in his mouth and grabbing the slice from your hands,

"Yes, they are!" You laughed, shaking your head and getting off of his lap, "Oh my God- Eddie," You managed between laughter, having to lean your hand on the side of your trailer, "I have never met anyone who goes to an arcade thinking 'I'm going to play pinball', what the fuck?" You laughed,

"Listen- okay, okay. Since you think this is so fuckin' funny-" He said standing and following you as you stumbled inside your open front door, hardly breathing through your laughter, "-You haven't been here in a year, and, like, a bunch of the good machines broke down," He rambled,

"So it's the machine's fault you're horrible at the games," You grinned as you stepped into the warmer home, "Not your horrible game skills?" It was only a few degrees difference, though the change felt astronomical,

"Yeah- it is," He said, groaning as he followed you, feeling the warmth against his skin, "Shit- what's up with your AC?" He asked, watching as you removed the mass of black from the washer,

"Broken," You huffed, grabbing the basket and heading back outside,

"Why didn't you ask Wayne to fix it for you?" He frowned, walking to the broken machine and tapping it,

"He's asleep, right?" You said, glancing over at him, "I don't wanna wake him and waste his time," You sighed,

"Babe, your house is unliveable. I'll get him to fix it for you-"

"Don't we have plans to go to the arcade?" You asked, trying to quickly change the topic as you moved outside to the now empty line you shared with Max, beginning to hang up the wet shirts,

"Yeah, but-" He tried, following you quickly,

"Do you think Max'll wanna come with us?" You asked, glancing from her trailer, then back over your shoulder to see him standing on your porch and watching you. With a dejected sigh, he moved to sit down, his legs hanging over the edge of the porch, "Do kids nowadays even play arcade games anymore?" You asked more yourself as you got back to your task, running a hand over the wet, upside down 'Pantera' print,

"Of course they like arcade games," he said with a huff, "Everyone likes arcade games,"

"Good," You smiled, "I have faith in the new generation once again. And maybe she plays games that aren't Pinball or Tetris," You teased, "Maybe she's actually good," You added, "Maybe-"

"I swear to God if you make fun of me again..." You heard him say in a mock threatening tone,

"You'll what?" You grinned, setting the empty basket down and looking at him. A large grin spread over his face and he quickly hopped off the porch, "Oh no- Eddie, no-" You yelped as he suddenly grabbed you, picking you up and spinning you around and cackling, "Put me down!" You laughed loudly,

"You take everything you said back or I throw you in the dirt!" He said playfully,

"How about I don't!" You grinned, grabbing at his hands. He laughed again, setting you down but still holding on to you tightly. He opened his mouth again to say something, although- 

"Gross," You heard from nearby, causing your head to look in the direction of the voice,

"Oh, hey Max!" You grinned at the red-headed girl now standing nearby in the shade between the two mobile homes. Eddie loosened his hold on you, letting you brush off your clothes and gather yourself, "We were just looking for you-"

"Why?" She asked,

"Well, uh... Eddie and I are planning on going to the arcade later and we wanted to know if you wanted to join us," You offered with a pleasant smile. She watched you with a frown, glancing between your faces, before narrowing her eyes,

"What's in it for you, huh?" She asked sceptically,

"Nothing...? We're just going to have fun and play games. Maybe get some milkshakes later or something?" You offered, glancing over at Eddie,

"C'mon, Red," Eddie piped up, moving to stand next to you, "It'll be fun; we used to go to the Palace all the time-" He gestured between you,

"Didn't we call it 'Our Palace' at some point?" You grinned, glancing back at him,

"Hell yeah," He grinned, "God, I used to kill on those pinball machines," He gave you a look, while you laughed at his statement, "Christ," He mumbled, rolling his eyes at your reaction, though smiled fondly at your laughter,

"Don't mind him- we played games other than Pinball," You assured her, "Have you ever been there, Max?" You asked the girl, and watched her cast her gaze downwards momentarily,

"Yeah... I used to go a lot, actually. It was the first place I'd go to when I first came here from California," She said, "I stopped going a few years ago... Cause of school? Haven't really been there since," She admitted,

"All the more reason for you to come with us!" You said eagerly, "Please? We promise we'll never bother you again," You plead, putting your hands together to emphasise your point. She glanced back at you and sighed,

"Fine," You both grinned happily, "I'll have to ask my mom,"

"That's fine- you be ready by 6," You told her eagerly, before grabbing Eddie's hand and dragging him back to your trailer,

"See you later, Red!" He called after her, laughing slightly as you dragged him inside your trailer.

It took a while for you to get ready. You had brought in the rest of your watermelon inside so the flies and wasps wouldn't gather around the fruit, eating the slices and trying to get Eddie to eat them with you, before cleaning your hands and changing into your outfit for the evening. Eddie left at your request to get ready himself, allowing you to freshen up and get ready in peace. Once you were finished, you walked out to meet up with Eddie and Max. Coincidentally, you walked out of your trailer at the same time as her, giving her a small nod and mentioning that Eddie was going to be your ride to the arcade. Once you locked your trailer, you joined her in the short walk over to his, lighting up a cigarette on your way there. Max had also changed and was holding a blue zip-up jacket for later in the evening, when the temperature would inevitably drop. Her hair, which had previously been braided, was out in loose waves and framing her pale face. She glanced at Eddie's trailer as you stopped, leaning against his van. You could faintly hear Black Sabbath playing from his open bedroom window,

"He's late," Max pointed out,

"He is... As usual," You let her know, "But he's our ride, so we gotta wait," You said with a sigh, "He's probably fixing up his hair- it usually takes a while, he's got a lot of it," You joked, smiling softly as she let out a quiet, breathy laugh,

"Yeah. Right," She nodded, eyeing the cigarette in your hand,

"Speaking of hair," You gestured to her, "Where's your Anne of Green Gable's schtick?" You asked,

"Didn't seem fitting for an arcade," She mumbled,

"Course," You smiled, "You excited to try any of the games there?" You asked, 

"Excited?" She smiled slightly, "Do I look like a kid to you?" 

"Well, you seemed eager to go," You shrugged, "I'm excited. I'm sure Eddie is too- oh! And if you're any good, you could teach him how to play Tetris!" You grinned, 

"He doesn't know how to play Tetris?" She asked, blinking her wide eyes in surprise, "But it's so easy...!" She said, and you laughed softly, nodding, 

"I know, right?" You smiled, glancing over her "He excels at DnD though... That might be the only game he's good at. As annoying it is watching him play the games and loose them, it's pretty funny," You grinned, 

"Sure," She smiled slightly, glancing around in silence, 

"I think your hair's cool, Max," You told her, "Pretty colour and all that," You said with a nod,

"What about my hair?" Eddie asked, walking out of the trailer and meeting you at the foot of the stairs,

"Not yours," You said, rolling your eyes, "Max's," You gestured to the girl. Eddie glanced over at her and nodded his head in a silent hello, before plucking the cigarette from your lips and taking a drag as he twirled his car keys in his hand. He was wearing a Metalica shirt under his leather jacket,

"Nice hair, Red," He complimented, "Now are you two ready for the greatest night of your lives?" He asked, glancing between you with a grin,

"In Hawkins?" You smirked, grabbing your cigarette back from his hands, "Never," You winked. Your grin widened at the way he looked at you after your wink,

"Right- not grand enough for you, Your Majesty?" He waved his hand in a mock bow, grabbing the door handle to the passenger side and pulling it open for you. With a grin, you stood a little taller,

"No. It never is," You said in a fancy tone, "Now take me to my Palace, your highness," You said playfully,

"Jesus fucking Christ you are both awful," Max muttered, shaking her head,

"You wanna be called your highness too, Red?" Eddie asked with a smirk,

"I was promised a ride to the arcade," She said, "My mom gave me a 9 pm curfew, so..."

"Right- and we're losing daylight," Eddie clicked his fingers in understanding. He walked over to the back door, opening it and gesturing for her, "M'lady, your chariot awaits," He said dramatically, smiling at her. With another eye roll and a 'whatever' muttered under her breath, Max climbed into the back. You shut the door after her and climbed into the passenger seat, while Eddie moved around to the drivers side, and you drove off into town,

"Did you eat dinner yet, Red?" You asked, busy shuffling through the tapes you found in the car,

"Huh?" She asked, "Oh uh... Yeah," She said quietly,

"Is that a lie?" Eddie asked, glancing in the rearview mirror to see her face. You did the same, watching her blink, before quickly glancing out of the window,

"...No," She said in an unconvincingly way,

"Well I haven't," You chimed in, "But I'm not hungry right now," You said quickly, seeing Max glare at you through the mirror, "We should go buy pizza after we finish up at the arcade," You glanced over at Eddie,

"Hell yeah, we can stop by a Pizza hut and get those breadsticks you like," He grinned, giving you a knowing look,

"Nice- sound good to you Max?" You turned your head to look over your shoulder at her. A small, involuntary smile spread on her thin lips, though she quickly turned her head to try to hide it from you,

"Sure... Sounds good," She confirmed, glancing down at her feet and shuffling them slightly. With a satisfied smile, you looked back to the tapes you had left discarded in your lap, continuing to flip through and listening to the gentle clatter of plastic against plastic,

"Here," Eddie mumbled beside you, reaching over and opening the glove compartment. Thankfully, you were at a red stop light. Curiously, you watched his hand as he shuffled through the stuff thrown there carelessly. Your eyes focused on his rings, faintly glittering in the light from outside. You always had a fondness for them, loving the way they looked against his rough hands, and how cold they felt compared to the warmth of his skin. He finally pulled a tape out, and you glanced over the cover, "Put this one in," He said softly,

"'Kill 'Em All'," You read, sliding the tape out of the cover and  looking it over, "Is this new?"

"Nope. I just lost it," He said, smiling once you set the tape in and placed the others back, "And then found it again when I was cleaning my van a few days ago. Hey, Max, you good with loud music?" He asked as 'Hit The Lights' started blaring loudly from the speakers,

"Yeah," She said softly. You expected another annoyed 'whatever' but the girl just kept silent, looking out of the window,

"Good- loud is good," Eddie smirked, giving you a glance and winking back teasingly,

"Hah- yeah," You grinned as the heavy guitar riffs came in and you turned the music back up. The ride into town wasn't too long, though by the time you arrived at the arcade, your hair was all messed up, considering you had rolled the windows down and spent the majority of the ride nodding your head to the music and laughing along with Eddie. Max was silent the whole time, only staring out of the window at the houses zooming past the van. Her hair covered her face so you couldn't see her expression, though it didn't appear she minded the loud music, or the way the car shook at your limited dancing, or your screaming along to the lyrics. You hopped out of the parked vehicle, glancing at the spinning 'Palace Arcade' sign, then flicking your gaze to the building. The lights were already lit, though the sun's light drowned them out so you couldn't appreciate the bright colours they'd usually cast across the parking lot. Outwardly, it was still the same as you remembered when you were there last year, and since you drove by it earlier today,

"Ready?" Eddie asked, coming to stand beside you, hands tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket and a small smile set on his lips as he watched you, "Also, is this our..." he trailed off, shuffling his boots against the gravel bellow, "Uh... How do..."

"Our...?" You looked at him expectantly. He opened his mouth, but the words fell short and he found himself unable to look at you. You narrowed your eyes, before realising, "Like our first date?" You asked, "As a couple?" He smiled at your words,

"Uh... Yeah," He nodded, "My first date with you," He said fondly, "I should have taken a camera," He huffed,

"We can always take a picture after," You nodded to the building, before walking forward so you could stand in front of him, "I'm looking forward to this date with you, Munson," You said, watching the grin forming on his face,

"I'll make it worth your while, babe," He said, walking forward to press a kiss to your forehead. You hummed pleasantly, before glancing back to his van,

"I love going out on dates and babysitting," You said playfully, "Speaking of-" You knocked on the back window, causing Max to jump, startled. She hadn't moved since you parked, appearing distracted. She gave you a confused look, before you pointed to the arcade behind you, "We're here!" You said, opening the door for her. She slid over, considering she was on the other side, and hopped out, looking at the building before her, "Hey, are you okay-"

"I'm fine," She said quickly, giving you a stern look. You held your hands up in surrender,

"Just making sure. We can always uh... Do something else," You offered,

"No, I just..." She sighed, glancing in the car as Eddie locked it, "I left my jacket in there," She told him,

"Oh, that's fine. It's warm now anyways and we'll come back," He gave her a reassuring smile, "You'll get your precious jacket back soon. Now come on! Let's play games," He said excitedly, eagerly walking over to you and grabbing your hand, pulling you towards the arcade.

Inside, it still looked the same, aside from a few new machines you were excited to try. You glanced over your shoulder to make sure Max was still following along, motioning for her to join you at an ATM to exchange the ten dollars you had brought along for quarters, one by one. Once you all had your money, you followed Eddie as he made a beeline to a machine,

"Pong?" Max asked as he slipped the change into the machine,

"Yeah! We used to play this all the time," Eddie said, glancing over at you with a wide grin, "You ever play?" He asked Max,

"Have I ever played Pong?" She asked with a slight smile, moving to stand next to him, "I heard you can't even play Tetris," You laughed as Eddie cast you a glare,

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm not losing to a child," He said, determination clear in his tone,

Eddie did, in fact, lose to Max. Badly. And when he started getting low on quarters and playfully frustrated, he insisted you tag in. She was good- really good. Normally, losing a few rounds would hurt your ego, but considering how much she was smiling and laughing now was worth the shame of losing to a freshman. She eventually pulled you away, bored of her near-constant victories to play air hockey,

"I'm with Max!" You said quickly, moving to stand next to her,

"Two against one? That's not fair!" Eddie whined,

"Fine- you play against her and I'll be the ref," You said, searching through your pockets for a dollar,

"And let her beat me again?" Eddie protested, "Hell no," 

"What is it, Munson? Are you afraid to lose to a child again?" You teased, leaning your hands on the side of the table,

"Yeah, Munson," You heard Max say besides you, handing you a dollar that you could put into the machine, "Looser buys us all candy?" She offered. He smirked, moving his hand out for her to shake,

"You're dead, Red," He grinned playfully, taking his spot at the end of the table and watching the rather intense game.

Eddie graciously bought you all a bunch of Nerds, Pop Rocks, Pixie Stix and Fun Dip. Max mentioned something about wanting to play Dig Dug and disappeared off down the aisles to find it, sneakily stealing the full bag of candy with her while Eddie distracted you with his annoyed mumblings of losing two games to a freshman,

"Aw man, my candy necklaces," You pouted when you noticed she was gone,

"C'mon- I wanna show you something," Eddie grinned, grabbing your hand and pulling you to another game,

"But what if she eats all of our candy?" You asked with a soft smile, 

"First of all, I don't think it's humanly possible to eat that much candy at once without your teeth falling out," He said, casting you a glance, 

"This is coming from the same Eddie Munson who won't eat his fruits and veggies?" You teased, 

"Shut up," He rolled his eyes with a smirk, "Anyways," He glanced up at the name of one of the machines, before gesturing to it,

"Centipede?" You read the writing at the top, "This one's new, right?" You asked, not recognising it. Eddie nodded,

"Go ahead," He motioned for the machine,

"I don't know how to play it, Eds," You said, "Don't wanna waste my precious quarters on a game I'm not gonna be good at," 

"Then let me show you," He prompted, 

"You and your history of being awful at games?" You asked playfully, digging through your pockets for some change, 

"Babe," He whined, "Come on, please?" He smiled. With a sigh, you moved forward, placing your quarter in and straightening up. It surprised you a little as he moved up behind you, putting his hands over yours and resting his chin on your shoulder, "Here, like this," He said softly, considering he was so close to your ear,

"Okay," You started the game, eyes darting over the screen as he started it, "Woah- why does it split up like that? What?" You laughed softly as you shot at the bug. Eddie moved his hands over yours so his fingers pressed against yours on the buttons. You'd played games together multiple times- Eddie behind you with a gentle hold on to your hands, occasionally fighting for control over the buttons and laughing as you playfully yelled at him to get off because you were going to get a 'Game Over' and waste your money. All in good spirits of course. You revelled in the closeness of him in this sort-of hug. Now you were finally together as a couple, it felt different. The gentle kisses he'd press to your cheek and neck, or simply blowing cold air onto your skin, grinning as it caused you to shiver, were incredibly distracting, but you couldn't deny that it felt nice, and beautifully intimate,

"Damn, you've been making fun of how bad I am at Tetris when you can't even play Centipede," He smirked, pressing another kiss to your cheek before letting go of you, standing to the side, grinning proudly, 

"If you weren't distracting me, Eddie, I might have won," You huffed, "Or at least get a high score," You huffed, glancing at the flashing 'Game Over' screen. You glanced down at the names next to the high scores, noticing 'Mad Max' filling some of the bottom slots- could that potentially be your red-headed companion, blissfully distracted by you and Eddie and eagerly tapping away at the buttons on Dig Dug? Glancing up higher, through the less familiar names, your eyes widened at the top two, "No-"

"Yes," Eddie grinned beside you, 

"No," You repeated, jaw-dropping at the two names at the top, "You beat Henderson at this!?" Your eyes widened, glancing over at him smiling proudly, 

"Kid's got a vendetta against me because I kicked his ass on here," He said, "I wanted to see how you would do," He said, 

"You just distracted me the whole time, Eds! I had no chance!"

"Uh- I helped?" He said, "And now you can't make fun of me for being bad at games," He grinned, "Here, watch me, it's honestly really simple," He playfully pushed your arm so you'd step out the way, 

"And here I thought your gaming talents ended at DnD," You teased, folding your arms and watching him straighten up, hair bouncing once he placed his own quarter into the machine, 

"I'll let this one slide, but if you offend me one more time," He held up his finger in mock warning,

"You'll what?" You challenged, grinning, "Huh? Huh? What're you gonna do Munson?" You grinned, moving to stand very close to him. He only smiled down at you, soft eyes flicking over your face, and making you momentarily forget your playful conflict. He quickly broke the eye contact, glancing at the screen, then looking at you with a slight glare,

"I'll make you walk all the way home," He settled, smirking proudly and starting the game, quickly tapping the buttons,

"Oh, yeah?" You asked, looking over his shoulder at the screen. He clearly knew what he was doing, fully focused on the screen. Leaning closer to his ear, your grinned, "Make me," You hissed, quickly moving away and smirking at the way his eyes widened and he looked at you quickly. You were already walking away towards Max, though you glanced back and blew a playful kiss at him, "You better win that game now, babe!" You called back to him, watching him shake his head and grin, glancing back at the screen, "How's it going Max?" You asked, looking over her at the screen, "Holy shit- you're on round six!?" You said proudly, 

"Yeah," She murmured, concentrating hard,

"How are you so good at Dig Dug?" You marvelled, staring at the screen and then glancing down at Max's hands as she expertly played the level,

"Got a lot of practice back in California," She mumbled, blue eyes darting around the screen in full concentration, "They have the same machine up there. And I spent a lot of time here when I first came to Hawkins," She said, a small smile appearing on her lips as the screen flashed brightly, indicating she passed the level,

"Nice, Max!" You grinned, lifting a hand up for her to high-five, "Max... MADMAX? You've had the top high scores on this game for years now," You smiled as her hand slapped against your own, "That's real talent kid," You complimented,

"It's a simple game," She shrugged, though the smile didn't leave her lips. She ended up scoring sixty-eight thousand points and you grinned, feeling like a kid at the sight of all the tickets pouring out of the machine, "Damn," she hissed, standing back as the screen displayed 'Game Over',

"What?" You asked with a small smile,

"I got third place," She said with a small frown, "I used to be way better," She glanced at the high scores that both displayed MADMAX,

"Are you hearing yourself?" Eddie spoke up, grinning. He had quietly joined you a few moments ago, holding a bunch of tickets he won at Centipede, "You got third place-" He leaned over to tap the screen, "-And first, and second. You're the entire podium!"

"Still. I should have done better," She said, glancing around at the other machines, 

"Meh- I say you did great," Eddie grinned, reaching over and ruffling her hair, "C'mon!" He eagerly scooped up her tickets, swiftly moving to another machine, "Let me show you how it's done!" He said, stopping at the Pacman machine and shoving the tickets into your arms,

"Eddie's awful at Pacman," You whispered to Max, earning a small laugh from her that caused you both to lighten up as he started playing, "He always loses, but he likes the noises,"

"Babe, stop throwing me under the bus like this- Max, I'm great-" The telltale sound of Pacman dying came from the machine, "The fuck!?" He exclaimed, causing you to laugh as he smacked at the console,

"Eddie, don't break it!" You quickly grabbed at his arm, smirking, "My turn," You pushed him away with the tickets and focused on the game as the next round started, "See, what you're doing wrong is you're going after the power-ups first; you only go after 'em if the ghosts are chasing you," You muttered, "Max, get over here to watch the pro," You grinned, standing aside so she could watch you,

"Pro?" Eddie asked amused, "You got on the leaderboard once, babe. Humble yourself," You gasped at that,

"Excuse me, how many times have you been on the leaderboard, Munson?" You challenged,

"Well, on Centipede and Dragon's Lair-"

"I don't give a shit about those- I'm talking about Pacman," You smirked, "How many times have you beaten the first level of Pacman, Munson? Huh?" You teased, managing to kill one of the ghosts with the immunity buff,

"Damn- you can't even get over the first Pacman level, Eddie?" You heard Max ask from beside you,

"The game's hard!" He protested, though you could hear the smile in his voice. He stood behind you, an arm snaking around your waist and his head resting on your shoulder as he watched your movements,

"Get the cherries!!" Max chimed in, from the side. She sounded so happy- and when you completed the level, your small audience erupted into eager cheers, Eddie gripping your shoulders and shaking them slightly,

"Max- you do this level now. We'll take turns!" You said eagerly, ushering her to take your place and grinning as she started playing, "Eds, you can watch," You teased, turning to see him looking mock offended,

"Wh- Why!?" He whined,

"Uh- you cost us one of your lives," Max chimed in, "You're not touching this game again," She said playfully, 

"Hear that Munson?" You smirked, glancing back at the screen to watch Max play,

"Well, I'm the one holding all of your tickets," He said, indicating to the large mass of tickets he held, "I can easily go cash these in for a bunch of sticky hands and worms on strings," He teased, 

"You wouldn't have those if it wasn't for our skills!" Max grinned, 

"She has a point, Eds," You grinned, "That'd be stealing," You said, to which he huffed and rolled his eyes, 

"So no disappearing ink?" He pouted at you, 

"Why are you so hung up on the disappearing ink?" You asked with a wide smile, 

"Because it's cool!" He grinned, "And you can only see it with a black light!" He grinned. You made a face, sticking your tongue out, 

"Yuk- I don't want to go near you with a black light-" You muttered,

"Shit!!" Max cursed as Pacman's death sound effect played from the machine. She hit it with her hand, wincing at the impact. With a small frown, you walked over to her as 'Game Over' flashed across the screen,

"Hey," You said, "It's fine! I'm kinda tired from all these games. Why don't we cash in our tickets and go... Eat pizza?" You suggested, glancing from Eddie to Max, 

"Sure," She sighed, and you gently touched her shoulder walking to the prize counter and looking over all the things on display. From puzzles to gimmicky items stacking the shelves behind a clerk, and plushies hanging from the ceiling on strings, you let out a small sigh, eyes settling on a lava lamp momentarily, before rolling your eyes at the 'grand prize- 10,000 tickets!' scrawled underneath it,

"You ever get one of those?" You asked Max, pointing to the assortment of large teddy bears, dragons and various other stuffed toys, 

"No... I doubt we'll be able to afford any of them," She shrugged, "Usually I could only afford the candy," She sighed, 

"Me too. I did get a mug one time though. With Kermit the Frog on it," You smiled, "Spent a lot of time on solo pong though... Not too much fun playing it by yourself," You said, "I still have it. I drink hot cocoa out of it every winter," You smiled softly, 

"You?" Max asked amused, "You like the muppets?" She smiled softly, 

"What can I say? I have a soft spot for that funky little green guy," You grinned, clicking your fingers, "Too bad we can't afford any of the cool toys," You huffed, 

"Whoever told you that?" Eddie grinned, appearing out of nowhere, "Let's get these counted," He gestured to the large ball of tickets. It seemed to have doubled in the few moments he was away from you, and when he placed them on the counter for the employee to count, you noticed two sticks of unopened tickets in his back pockets. How he managed to get those was a mystery to you. Catching you staring, he gave you a wink, "I'm gonna head to the bathroom. You guys pick out a good prize," He said playfully, walking behind the machines, away from the employee's view and pulling the two wads of tickets out, unfurling them to try make it look like they came from the machines,

"Where the hell did he get those?" Max hissed to you, eyes widened mouth agape as she looked from him to you, 

"Eddie... Has his ways..." Was all you could say, stumped as to where he even found them, "I sort of figured it's best not to question things like this by now," You told her, glancing at the tickets. He promptly returned with another ball of unfurled tickets and a proud smirk on his face as the employee sent him a glare, considering they had to count more tickets. You heard him briefly mention he forgot them and attempted to distract the employee in hopes that'd get you more tickets. You moved to the side with Max, glancing at the prizes that were worth thousands, "Got your eye on anything, Red?" You asked, leaning your elbows on the glass counter, "Perhaps a Carebear?" You suggested,

"What about that?" She pointed, 

"You're talking about the Popples?" You smiled, "I always loved those- my family could never afford them but I always thought they were so cute," You said,

"What even are they?" She smiled, 

"Don't know, and I don't think I care. They just look cute for kids," You shrugged, "Which one d'you want?"

"What?" She asked, her smile faltering, 

"What?" You mimicked, moving one of your arms so it was leaning on the counter, "I asked you to pick one," You nodded to the toys, 

"Are... You sure?" She frowned, "They're your tickets..." She said, brows knitting together, 

"You won more games than me," You winked, "C'mon Red, just-"

"But what about you?" She asked quickly, 

"What about me?" You smiled, "C'mon, Red. This is for you- you deserve a reward for wrecking a super Senior and a college student at arcade games," You rolled your eyes. She was still looking at you with a confused look. You glanced back at the plushies, "Fine. Get a Care Bear instead," You prompted, 

"But do you-"

"C'mon Red!" You groaned, "Look how sad Funshine Bear looks!" You pointed to the smiling yellow bear, "It's begging for you to take them home!" You grinned. She looked at you with wide eyes, still searching your face, as if she was looking for any hint of a lie, or... Some other emotions. She quickly looked back at the high-end prizes, 

"We've got a good nine 'k' built up; that means thousand," Eddie grinned at you,

"Proud of you for learning that one, babe," You smirked, patting his chest gently, "You can get so much disappearing ink with that," You teased, 

"Well now I'm not gonna get any," He pouted playfully, 

"So what are you getting?" The tired employee said, glancing between the three of you. You looked at Max expectantly,

"Care bear; care bear," You quietly chanted at her confused face. She smiled slightly, rolling her eyes and looking back at the prizes, 

"Can I get the... One of the Popples?" She asked softly, moving to place her hands on the counter, pointing out the one she wanted to the employee, 

"You still have three thousand left," They said, placing the toy in front of Max and removing the price tag. It took you a while to choose through the various smaller prizes, trying to spend all your tickets so you had zero left. Your purchases included: three sticky hands for each of you; a few string worms for Eddie; matching space-themed keyrings for Eddie and you; disappearing ink; a bunch of temporary tattoos; and finally, more candy. You soon left, climbing into the van and speeding away. You grinned, throwing Pez pellets from a shitty dispenser at Eddie as he attempted to catch them in his mouth while he drove you to Pizza Hut. 

Eddie brought up that you should probably share the pizza and then asked about the toppings you would both like. Max was mostly quiet, and you were fine with most things... That was until he jokingly brought up getting pineapple or banana. Even Max joined your fierce protests against them. You ended up getting half just cheese and half with toppings you mutually agreed on with Max, considering how iffy Eddie could be with certain ingredients, 

"This'd be so good if it was Hawaiian," Eddie smirked at you over a mouthful of pizza, 

"Eddie, you're very close to losing your speaking privileges," You grinned as he threw his head back and laughed, "Why are you so insistent on getting pineapple and banana on our pizza? You want to watch the world burn that bad?" You asked,

"You are correct, my dear," He smirked, 

"That poor worker at the arcade wasn't enough for you?" You smiled at him, 

"They counted wrong. And if they didn't want me to find their extra tickets, they should have hidden them better," He shrugged, "Besides, you know I'm only kidding about the fruits, right?"

"I knew you were joking," you gave him a sceptical look, before glancing over at Max, "He hates fruits," you let her know, 

"Really?" You nodded with a small hum, 

"Yeah, he does," You smiled, "I work at Sam's Smoothie Shack and I basically have to force him to drink the smoothies I make," You said, before glancing over at him, "Speaking of you hating fruits," You glared at him, "If we did get pineapple or banana, you wouldn't even eat it," 

"Nope," He smirked, 

"So why would..." You trailed off, confused,

"Just to piss you off," He grinned,

"Eddie that'd be such a waste," You huffed, rolling your eyes as he laughed again, 

"But it would be funny!" He said,

"Whatever," You smiled, looking over at Max, "Hey why aren't you eating?" You asked, 

"Oh, I... I can have more?" She asked uncertainly. You looked at her, incredulously, 

"Of course you can!" You smiled, "You think we can eat this whole thing just by ourselves?" You said, gesturing to the partially eaten pizza,

"Well..." Eddie said, before wincing your name as you kicked him under the table, 

"Max, eat as much pizza as you want. We can even ask for a to-go box if you wanna take this home and reheat it later," You smiled at her, "It's no good cold, so get to eating," You reassured her, before your attention quickly snapped to Eddie, "You too- I don't want to hear any more about your weird pizza combos," You said, tapping Eddie's hand as he reached for another slice, 

"Speaking of-" He smirked, "What if we put the pizza in a blender?" He smirked as you groaned his name in protest, "What? You expect me to drink mushy, blendy raspberries but not blended pizza?" He grinned, starting up yet another playful, bickering session between the three of you. At least Max was having a good time.

When you left, the sun had almost set, only a sliver of orange left, sitting far on the horizon The sky was primarily filled with a wonderful dark blue and speckled with bright stars. You remembered learning that most of them were likely suns at the centre of other galaxies, likely filled with their own solar systems, full of their own people or aliens... But most of them were likely dead, the visuals of them exploding into novas or supernovas taking light years to reach the earth and your gaze. But who cared if they were all dead? As long as you could see them, they were real, right?

You hummed along to the quiet music, the same Metallica tape playing quietly now as you stared out at the darkened houses and streets of Hawkins. The city was so much more peaceful at night, when the inhabitants were sleeping and the streets were relatively empty, safe for the occasional fox or cat that darted across the street. When you were younger, you thought the darkness was scary; some unseen monster hiding away in the shadows. Now, it just felt serene and calm- a small, anxious, part of you maybe still believed there were monsters lurking away somewhere, but with Eddie at your side... Actually, he probably wouldn't do a lot to scare them away. He'd likely run away. But he'd run away with you so... Technically, you were in safe hands?

"What's on your mind?" He asked softly, his hand coming to rest on your leg, gently moving over your knee. You sighed, shifting to lean back in your seat and stretching your arms above your head, 

"Hawkins... How quiet it is," You said softly, glancing over at him to see him smile, "You,"

"Me?" He asked surprised

"You," You grinned softly at the feigned disbelief on his face, "I had fun on our first official date, Eds,"

"I'm glad," He smiled, gently squeezing your leg, patting it, then putting his hand back on the gear shift, "Mine or yours?" He asked, 

"Mine- I gotta collect my laundry before someone steals my Pantera shirt," You sighed, 

"Already so attached?" He asked, smiling softly as he put his leg back on your knee. You placed your hand over his, skimming your fingers over his rings, 

"Mhm," You smiled,

"Aw," He cooed, smiling softly, "By the way, I asked Wayne if he could fix up your AC," He said, 

"Wh- Eddie," You said with a small frown, "You... Didn't need to," You said, 

"Mmmh, I kinda did," He said, giving you a look. As you looked away, getting ready to protest again, he said your name to try and get your attention back on him, "I've known you the better part of my life, and I know that you're just gonna leave it broken and complain about it never being fixed," He said softly, "I wanted to do something nice for you," He glanced over at you. You couldn't stop the small smile that found its way onto your lips, 

"Remind me to pay Wayne back for his kindness," You sighed, leaning back in your seat, 

"I won't," He said with a small smile, "Besides, if you want me hanging around you all summer, you better have that thing fixed because earlier today?" He huffed, "I thought I was gonna die!" He said dramatically, 

"Uhuh. Yeah," You smiled at him. With a sigh, you cast a glance in the rearview mirror, catching sight of Max in the reflection, "You good, Red?" You asked softly, turning your head to look at the girl in the back. She was staring out of the window blankly, eyes shutting slowly with the gentle lulling of the van. You smiled to yourself, "Max," You prompted, making her sit up and look at you,

"Yeah?" She hummed tiredly,

"Are you alright?" You asked again,

"Uhuh... Yeah," She nodded, fiddling with a hairband around her wrist. Her jacket was draped over her legs, as if it was a blanket,

"Beating us at arcade games tired you out this much, huh?" She smiled at your words,

"Maybe," She mumbled, leaning her head back against the seat and turning her head back to the window. You shifted back so you were sitting straight in your seat with a small smile, glancing at Eddie. He was already looking at you with an affectionate smile, but averted his gaze back to the road when you caught him staring.

The rest of the drive was quiet; the usual loud music turned down so you could only faintly hear it. It was peaceful: you humming along to the melodies; Eddie's fingers tapping along to the beat; the road stretching out into the darkness before you. All too quickly, he was pulling up in front of the Munson trailer at Forest Hills, and the sound of the three doors opening echoed into the quiet,

"You good going home by yourself, Max?" Eddie asked, walking around to stand next to you,

"Yeah- make sure you don't forget your jacket or your prize," You smiled, leaning your back against the van and glancing at Max as she walked in front of you,

"Right," She looked over them, before looking up at you, "Can you hold this? I want to put my jacket on," Eddie quickly moved forward, taking the plush from her as she thanked him. He looked over the Popple's face, handing it back to her,

"Cute," He commented, setting his hands in his jean pockets,

"Are you sure you don't want it?" She asked, holding the creature in her hands and looking it over with a small frown, "I mean, isn't this like a couple thing to do? Win prizes at arcades for each other?" She glanced between you,

"Mmh- but you can also get them for friends," Eddie said. You felt him tapping your shoulder, and when you looked at him, he was holding a lit cigarette out for you to take, "It's yours to keep, kid," He smiled in reassurance,

"Oh!" She looked over the stuffed animal again, blinking and with a look of bewilderment on her face, "Uhm... Thanks, Eddie," She nodded her head to him, then thanked you quietly, "Tonight was... Was good," She said,

"No problem- I'm glad you had a good evening," You said, taking hold of Eddie's hand once he locked the van, "Ready to go home now?" You asked, nodding towards the two trailers,

"Sure," She said quietly, still staring at the toy, transfixed. She followed after you silently. The night was pleasant, a soft breeze blowing through your hair and sending a chill across your skin. At your shivering, Eddie took the cigarette from your lips and held out his jacket,

"You'll be cold," You said with a frown,

"You'll be warm," He said with a smile, causing you to roll your eyes and take the jacket from him. It was warm from his body heat, and the smell of cheap cologne and weed filled your senses- the comforting smells of home, "See? You look better in my clothes anyway," He said, moving an arm around your shoulders with a smile,

"How cute, Eds," You said, taking the cigarette back from him and placing it between your lips to take a drag. You finally made it to your trailer, picking up the laundry basket you had left behind and quickly taking down the shirts, folding them as you stacked them in the basket. Glancing over you saw Eddie sitting on the top step of your trailers porch, quietly talking with Max as he smoked your cigarette,

"You got a name for the little guy?" He asked, nodding to the plushie in her hands, 

"A name?" She asked quietly, 

"You never named your stuffed animals as a kid?" He asked, raising his brows,  

"No..." She said, 

"Well, I think he deserves a name," He pointed to it, "How about... Frederik... Frederik the First," He smiled, "He strikes me as a... Thing with an 'F' name," He said, 

"Why the first?" She asked, 

"First one to get a name from you. And it rhymes," He explained, 

"It's alliteration..." She said quietly, 

"That's the one with the letters being the same?" He asked, taking a drag as she nodded, "'F' and 'F'. Huh... Well, if you don't like Frederik the First, give him a different one... Or her!" He smiled, moving his arms out. She regarded the toy for a moment, thinking,

"Francis the... Fast," She said, glancing up at him for approval, 

"Cause he's fast?" He smiled, 

"Well yeah... She kinda looks like a rabbit I had back home in California," She said, moving a hand to touch the soft fur on the Popple's face, "She wasn't called Francis, she was called Hoppy,"

"That's cute," Eddie said, nodding, "Predictable for a rabbit but what can you say?" He shrugged, "Did she like hopping?"

"Mhm," She hummed softly, smiling at the fond memory, "Yeah she... She was great... And then she ran away," She frowned softly, "My stepbrother... He forgot to close her cage... I cried for weeks hoping she would come back," She said with a small frown, "But she never did..."

"Well," He sighed, "Things like that happen," Eddie nodded, "I had a puppy that ran away," He sighed sadly,

"Really?"  She asked,

"Mhm. My dad got super drunk and left the door open. I was, like, eight?" He put a hand on his chest, "My first heartbreak," He said dramatically, leaning backwards on his arm, "Sometimes I still think I can hear Lucky barking for me to let him back in," He sniffled as you approached, setting the basket by your front door with a small laugh, 

"Eddie, you better not let anything that's whining under your window inside," You smiled, taking a seat next to him. Eddie moved an arm around your waist, drawing you closer to him, "Last time you freaked out over a possum," You reminded him, 

"I'm smart- I won't let a possum back inside, babe," He shifted his head to kiss your cheek reassuringly before his gaze travelled back to Max. She had gone quiet, still staring at the toy in her hands, "Are you sure you're okay, Max?" Eddie asked, the worry clear in his tone as he watched the girl standing before you. She glanced up, and from the faint light, you could see faint tear tracks were staining her face. She quickly whipped it dry, a look of anger crossing her face, before it quickly faded. She opted to look away from you both instead. You let the tense silence hang in the air, glancing at Eddie and meeting his concerned gaze as you both figure out what was best to say to her. Slowly, she moved to sit down on the bottom step,

"Metalica... The Four Horsemen... Billy liked those songs," She mumbled, more to herself. She drew the toy close to her chest, hugging it,

"Billy "The Asshole" Hargreeves listened to Metalica?" Eddie muttered in disbelief; you shoved his shoulder slightly at the comment, "What!? Is it so hard to believe that waste of space gave them the time of day?" Eddie said with a frown,

"Eds, he was her brother," You hissed, glancing at Max, "Sorry h-"

"No, it's fine. Billy was... An asshole," She sighed, rubbing her clothed arms with a small frown, "The music just reminded me of him... And the way that things used to be when he was still around," She said softly. You remained silent, letting her talk. Somewhere deep down, you felt she needed this- to talk to someone, "They weren't great... I mean, he drove me to the arcade, but he never went inside like you did. Sometimes he got out of the car to talk to a girl. He never went inside to play games with me..." You heard a small sniffle, "He never won me prizes, or let me keep them... We were never close, but I still cared for him... And maybe that was my fault,"

"Your fault?" Eddie asked softly. She shook her head,

"That... We weren't close," She sighed. Did she want to say something else? "He was my step brother. He barely tolerated me in California. He hated that we were related. I thought if we moved to Hawkins things would be okay... But then they weren't," You frowned softly, brows drawing together, confused,

"H-" Eddie started, but you quickly tapped his chest with your free hand, drawing his attention,

"Shh," You hissed quietly. In the dim, moonlight, you might have seen the twinkle of fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, had she not moved her head to look downwards and pick at the fraying material of her shorts,

"Today was one of the best days I've had in a while," She admitted, and though you couldn't see her face, you could tell she had a slight smile on her lips from how her tone shifted, "And all you guys did was play games and ate food with me," She said quietly,

"Well, sometimes that's all you need," Eddie smiled, leaning forward to ruffle her hair, "Eat food and play games with your friends. You let us know anytime when you want to go back down there and kick ass at Dig Dug again. Or Pacman," He glanced over at you,

"Mhm," You confirmed, "We're always here for you, Max," You said, reaching a hand over to place it on her shoulder, "Us... 'Trailer Trash' gotta stick together, right?" You gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled back with a small nod, whipping her face again,

"Sure..." She stood slowly, looking at the plush in her hands, shaking slightly,

"You have a goodnight," Eddie wished,

"You guys too," She said, waving a hand. You watched as she walked the short distance to her own trailer, waving once again as she noticed you watching her, before unlocking the door and disappearing inside,

"I hope she's doing okay," You mumbled softly, letting out a sigh and rubbing a hand over your face, 

"She's okay for now," Eddie murmured beside you. You felt a gentle kiss being pressed to the side of your head, "We did what we could... Come on- it's getting cold, even for me now," He said, moving his hand to rub your arm. With a grimace, you stood and grabbed the laundry basket, while he stubbed his cigarette out,

"I just wish we could do more for her... Do you think it's too much if I bring over lunch tomorrow? Or breakfast?" You frowned, glancing over as he stood up, throwing the butt of his stubbed cigarette into the darkness,

"How about you just invite her if you run into her?" He suggested. Glancing up at him, you saw him offering a hand out for you to take, "We let her know today she has us if she needs us. And she has her mom to take care of her," Gently sliding your soft hand into his rougher one, you let him pull you towards your front door got your keys out,

"Yeah, but if she's anything like mine was..." You trailed off with a long sigh, "But you're right. At least we made sure today was a good day for her," You smiled softly to yourself as you entered your home. A soft sigh left your lips at the coolness inside- you'd have to bake Wayne cookies or something as a thank you present, "We can go to the arcade some other time again," You said, "Since she said she liked it,"

"We'll go whenever you want, babe," he said from behind you, entering after you and locking the door behind him, "Where's that camera of yours?" He asked, walking around,

"It's up on that shelf-" You pointed it out for him, "I brought it all the way back down to Hawkins with me. It should still have some film. You want a beer?" You asked as you headed for the kitchen, sliding the jacket off of your shoulders and setting it on the back of one of the dining chairs,

"Nah- not really," He said, approaching you with the camera and turning on the kitchen light,

"Oh?" You murmured surprised, turning and leaning your arms back against the kitchen counter, watching him curiously,

"Not thirsty," He said with a wink. There it was again. You grinned, moving so you were standing next to him, illuminated by the overhead kitchen light. He held the camera up, snapping a picture of the two of you together, smiling into the lens. As it instantly printed, he grabbed it, shaking it and setting it off to the side to develop "Kiss me on the cheek?"

"Why?" You asked with a smile

"For the picture," He smiled holding the camera up again as you placed a hand on his shoulder to get closer,

"Is one for me and one for you?" You asked in an amused tone, standing on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek,

"Mhm," He hummed, snapping another picture and shaking that one out too, "We'll have these ready by tomorrow," He said, setting the camera down next to them and looking at you,

"That's good. I'll look at them before work," You smiled,

"Work," He sighed, moving closer to you and setting a hand behind you on the counter to prop himself up as he leaned down to kiss your cheek, "Do you have to go?" He asked with a small pout,

"Unfortunately," You smiled at him, "You can always come and visit me though- you're my most valued customer, Eds. Even though you never buy anything," You said playfully, setting a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezing it,

"Right," He said with a frown, hanging his head so his hair bounced. You reached a hand up to gently play with the ends of his loose curls, "God... I..." He groaned softly, moving and beginning to pace slowly across your kitchen,

"What's up, Eds?" You asked, folding your arms and shifting to lean back against the counter, watching him,

"I don't know," He said, his hands moving to rub over his face and eyes, "I guess just... I've been thinking about... Things a lot," He said with a frown, "Mostly you being so far away from me in Franklin... I mean... We're the same age and I'm still in... Fucking high school..." He muttered to himself angrily,

"Hey, Eddie," You said softly, gently putting a hand on his wrist, "You know that's not-"

"But that's the thing- it is my fault," He said quickly, exasperated, "I mean, I'd love to graduate and leave with you, but I just fucking can't get through this year," He huffed, "The first time I failed it... I never cared about... Education or whatever and then... It was all so serious in Senior year... With graduation and with college," He sighed,

"Yeah, that... Was stressful," You frowned softly, remembering back to two years ago. How stressed you had been the whole time about passing all your classes, actually getting into Franklin college, and applying for financial aid. Since he failed, you graciously delayed your plans of leaving for a year- not fully ready to accept being so far from Eddie for such a long time, and not trusting yourself to survive that long without him... But when he flunked the next year too, you knew you couldn't wait for him any longer... You had to live your life and... Do something. And although your separation was heartbreaking, you vowed to come back the following summer. And here you were, and here he was in your kitchen... "But we got through it right, Munson?" You tried assuring him, "Here, come on, it's been a long day we can talk about this tomorrow," You said softly, moving through the kitchen to walk to your bedroom,

"I didn't want to graduate that first year," He suddenly admitted. You froze, glancing at him,

"What?" You asked in surprise,

"The first time. I guess I failed on purpose- missed O'Donnell's final because I knew there was no way in hell I'd pass it so I just... Didn't show up," He sighed, shoulders sagging. He crossed your room, sitting heavily in your desk chair, "I never told you because of how embarrassing it was, and you were already mad at me-"

"No, I was never mad-"

"You were pissed off, babe," He said quickly, pointing at you, "I could see it... Sence it... You fucking... You could have left me that first year- You should have-"

"Wait, Eddie, hold on, cause yesterday you were pissed that I left without you," You frowned,

"Yeah, and at myself that I didn't just go with you," He sighed, "All because I was afraid about moving on with my life... Seeing Wayne so disappointed I failed wasn't the same as seeing you," He frowned, sitting heavily in your desk chair, "You were walking around so sad everywhere... Because of me," He said, 

"No, Eds, it wasn't because of you," You said quickly,

"Don't bullshit me," He said in a sharper tone than intended, wincing himself, "Shit, sorry," He muttered. With a frown, you walked over to him, kneeling on the ground before him and reaching out a hand to place on top of his,

"Eddie," you said softly, "I know how hard school is for you. Even now. But I never looked down on you for failing. I never felt angry staying here. Annoyed maybe, but never angry at you," You said softly, squeezing his fingers and feeling the cool metal of his rings pressing against your skin, "I just... Wish you could leave with me already," You sighed, "See how much better the world is outside of Hawkins..."

"Yeah, and I'm trying," He said in an exasperated way, "You have to believe me I'm-"

"Good," You said quickly, cutting off anything else he might have wanted to say, "Because I miss you a lot," You moved his hand and pressed a kiss to the backs of his fingers gently, as he had done to your before, "And I can't wait to have you annoy me every day of my life again," You smiled softly, standing and moving to your nightstand so you could set your alarm clock to four am.

Eddie went quiet at your statement, seemingly moved by your tender gesture. He was leaned back in your swivelling chair, moving side to side slightly with his hands clasped together and a faraway look in his eyes. He was playing with his rings, having slid the metal pig's head a little further up his skin so it was loose, twisting it around his digit. His legs were spread apart widely; he had removed his shoes at your front door. There was a deep frown set on his face, corners of his plump lips downturned, and his brown eyes missing their usual Munson spark,

"Okay..." You sighed, sitting on your bed far enough so you could lean your head back against the wall and letting the heavy silence surround you momentarily. You glanced over at him, thinking for a moment, before smiling to yourself, "You... Remember when we were younger? And we'd make all these plans about our futures?"

"Yeah, but we... We were kids, man," He frowned, running a hand over his face, "Kids don't think about money and bills and... College and graduation," He rambled,

"Plans are plans, Eddie," You said softly, giving him a small smile, "Besides... It was always our future. Never my future, or your future. Ours. We always wanted to be together, no matter what came our way," You reminded him,

"And you still want that...?" He asked, the uncertainty clear in his voice. It always broke you how hard Eddie was on himself, how disbelieving he was that you wanted him to stick around. If only he knew just how much he meant to you,

"Are you kidding me?" You smiled at him, "Of course I do... Come here," You said, even moving a hand to pat your leg, the same as he had done to you earlier today. That made him smile, along with your reassurance. With a sigh, he stood up and walked over to you,

"You mean it?" He asked sheepishly, placing a knee on your bed before sitting down, half on, half off,

"Yes, Eddie," You said, reaching a hand out and grasping his tightly, "God, what I would give to just... Leave with you right now. Get you out of Hawkins for good," You smiled at him warmly, "Drive out somewhere, find a cute little place-"

"Why don't we?" He asked hopefully, "Like- like right now?" He offered, his smile returning to his lips as he looked at you eagerly. Truthfully, there was nothing you wanted to do more right now... Though realistically, it was near impossible,

"Well, I can't exactly have long-term guests staying in my dorm room..." You sighed,

"But you came back here to make money for next year, right?" He asked; you nodded your head, "So you can move out?" You nodded again,

"But the thing is with my rent here, I'll have t-"

"Move in here with me," He blurted out, and your hand relaxed in his, eyes blinking in disbelief,

"What...?" You whispered. It felt like every emotion flooded your brain and your veins at once, circling through your body and making your heart race and your stomach drop,

"Just- Wayne'll understand, he loves you!" He said excitedly, grabbing both of your hands in his, and shifting closer to you on the bed, "That way you won't be paying rent here; you'll be keeping all your money, staying with me, which is a great bonus, personally speaking," He rambled with a bright smile, making you let out a small, surprised laugh, "And you just gotta focus on work-"

"Eddie, you realise I would never-" He frowned at your words, "-stay free of charge right?" You finished quickly, his expression relaxing, "If your uncle even let me stay, I'd at least help him out with the rent and paying for utilities- I could also get a second job and-"

"But you're not... Saying no?" He asked, "If I talked to my uncle and he said yes, you'd move in with us?" He asked hopefully, eyes full of longing and hope. You smiled softly. His eagerness had caused him to shift closer so he was mere inches from your face,

"I'm not saying anything until you talk to your uncle about this," You said, a smile spreading across your lips, "I know how impulsive you can be, Eds. I don't want to finalise anything just yet," You stated, "But... I'm not going to decline or pass up on an offer like that," You barely even finished your sentence and he was already grinning wide and wrapping his arms around your middle. He laughed in delight, leaning on you so you were forced to lay back on your bed with him on top of you, nuzzling his face into your neck eagerly,

"You mean I'll get to wake up to you every morning for the rest of my life?" The proposition didn't sound too bad. You couldn't deny that the times Eddie had stayed overnight at your trailer had always left you feeling happier and significantly more well-rested. Though you were not a morning person, waking up to the sight of him in your kitchen, humming along to himself between drags of a cigarette in just his checkered pyjama pants while he made coffee was an image you had burned into your mind, and made you want to leave the warmth of your bed. The memories of waking up in the middle of the night, tangled in one another arms on the couch with the TV static glittering against your face, forcing you to press your face further into his neck and feeling his lips ghost over your forehead were your personal favourites. Going to sleepovers and leaving wearing his clothes because you purposefully forgot to bring something to sleep in, and were too drunk or stoned to walk across the park to your home, eventually forming a collection of black band shirts that you'd find yourself wearing when your heart ached for him in the middle of the night, crying against the cotton that so faintly clung to his smell... You wouldn't need them anymore... You'd wake up to him every day...

"Only if-" You started, though quickly stopped due to his groan of disagreement,

"Indulge me, babe," He muttered into your neck, lips ghosting over your skin causing you to shudder, sighing as his warm breath fanned against your flesh. Lifting a hand up to stroke through his hair, you smiled softly, shutting your eyes and letting your mind run, "What would our lives look like if we lived together?" He asked you,

"We'd wake up like this," You started, feeling his lips moving into a grin at your words, "You'd wake up first. You always do, Eds..." Your brow furrowed and you opened your eyes, "Wait... Does that mean every time I'd fall asleep on you-"

"I never wanted to wake you up," He mumbled. His voice was delightfully low next to your ear, "You always hated getting woken up by anyone... It's a good thing you're so cute. I'd be pissed off if anyone else used me as a personal pillow," You laughed softly at that,

"I... Wow..." You hummed. You couldn't even count the number of times you had unintentionally fallen asleep on him- on his couch, in the movie theatre, in the forest when you got too drunk or high... And he always...

"Mhm- it's wild how long it took you to realise I was in love with you," He sighed again, "Continue, please. I was enjoying myself," He said, "We wake up..." He started for you again,

"You worm your way out of my arms eventually," You smile softly, "You go to the kitchen to make us coffee. It takes me a while to realise you're not there... I get up-"

"Oh, be realistic, sweetheart," He chastises, causing you to laugh,

"I thought it was our fantasy?" You smiled,

"Yeah, but come on," He laughed, "Don't be unrealistic," He said playfully,

"Fine. I lay in bed until you bring me coffee... We get to drink it together... I'm probably wearing one of your shirts- the AC/DC one's my favourite-"

"Oh yeah, do you have it by the way?" He asked, "I've been looking for it everywhere,"

"Uh... Yeah," You admitted, embarrassed, "I took it with me... To remember you by," He smiled again, and he pressed another kiss to your skin,

"Damn, babe, am I really that forgettable?" He says playfully,

"Of course you're not, Eddie!" You say quickly, "I just... It gets lonely out there without you, you know?" You said with a small sigh,

"You can keep it," He grinned, "The shirt. It looks better on you anyway. Keep going," He murmured again,

"Right... So... We drink our coffee in bed... I'll probably tell you about some wild dream I had- or you will. And we'll laugh about that," You smiled, letting your eyes open slightly to watch your fingers as they gently separated the strands of messy curls, "And then... We'll smoke something?"

"It's your day off work?" He hums,

"Mhm. No work that day," You smile, "Maybe it's a weekend? We'll either go outside and enjoy how cold it still is, or just open the window and lay back in bed," You mutter as you watch your hands delicately working through his hair, avoiding pulling on the knots, "Maybe you have your guitar and you're playing something for me?" You smile, "I'm laying in bed... Or on your lap,"

"What song?" He whispers,

"I don't know," You match his quiet tone,

"Oh c'mon, babe," He says normally, kissing your neck again, "What song do you want me to play?"

"I can pick any song?" You smile,

"Anything in the entire world," He murmurs, "For you, I'd learn any song,"

"Romantic," You mumbled, humming, "Could you play me 'Rip Her to Shreds'?" You grinned,

"Blondie? Really?" He asked amused as he sat up to look at you, placing his chin on your chest,

"Hey! You said any song," You smirked, moving your hand to play with the hair framing his face, "Maybe you could throw in 'A Shark in Jets clothing'?" You asked,

"What is it with you and Debbie Harry?" He grinned,

"Have you seen- Have you heard Debbie Harry? She's amazing!" You grinned,

"Mhm," He hummed half-heartedly, before moving his head to the side so he could lay on your chest, "I'll play you the Shark one- I always liked that one better,"

"You listened to Blondie for me?" You smiled affectionately,

"You left the tape at mine," He said, "Though I can't say I'm tempted to steal your Debbie poster," He grinned, sitting up and looking across your room at it,

"I used to lay awake at night and just stare at her," You sighed playfully, eyes scanning over it, "She's just so beautiful," You breathed,

"I'm getting jealous over here, baby," He said playfully, causing you to laugh "Why didn't you take her to Franklin with you?" He asked curiously,

"I guess I just forgot..." You sighed, "And she looks better up here," You smiled to yourself, 

"Or... You secretly came back for her, and not me," He said playfully, 

"Bingo, Munson," You said playfully. You let your eyes fall shut tiredly as he moved off of you, laying next to you. His arms remained wrapped around you, but he pulled your body closer to his chest, "Today was a good day," You murmured, 

"It was?" He asked, 

"Mhm," You hummed, opening an eye to look at him, "Because of you," You gently touched the tip of your finger to his nose, grinning as he wrinkled his nose, 

"Cause of me?" He asked softly, 

"Mhm," He smiled at that, "You always make my days better, Eds..." You said softly, setting a hand on your cheek and leaning forward to gently kiss him, "I love that we can kiss now," You grinned, quickly kissing him again, 

"Mhm," He hummed against your lips, "You have no clue how long I've wanted to do that," He sighed, leaning his head back on your pillows and shutting his eyes, 

"How long, Eds?" You smiled, 

"Mmmh," He hummed, opening his eyes and looking up, thinking, "So... You remember in junior year-"

"Here we go," You rolled your eyes, 

"Let me speak, babe," He smiled, 

"Oh, sorry, do go on," You smiled, reaching out and beginning to play with his hair again, 

"Mh... In junior year, we skipped Phys Ed together to smoke behind the gym. It was your first time, and you started coughing like crazy," He smiled, 

"Ugh- I still remember how bad it burned my throat," You commented, 

"Uhuh- and look how far you've come," He grinned, "Anyways- we both went back inside to change. You got dressed first, as usual. Some Seniors had apparently seen me stealing their cigarettes and decided to beat the shit out of me for it," You winced softly at the memory. It was outside- he was already changed into his Hellfire shirt and ripped black jeans, but by the time you got there, the white fabric was speckled with his blood,

"Shit, I remember," You frowned, the images of him being punched, then thrown to the ground, body curled and arms raised to try and protect his face as he got kicked flashing through your head, 

"Yeah..." He muttered, absentmindedly reaching a hand up to touch a small, faint white scar stretching from the bottom of his lip down to his chin, left as a reminder of the incident, "Thought they'd kill me until you came and saved me," He glanced over at you. He poked at your downturned lips with his finger gently, but you quickly grabbed his hand, interlocking your fingers,

"I don't like that memory," You frowned at him. His face bloomed into a soft smile, and he moved your hand to press a delicate kiss to your fingers, 

"Well I do," He said softly, "Because when they saw you, they ran. And then... God, they probably kicked me in the head too hard because I thought you were my guardian angel," He closed his eyes, setting your joint hands on his chest, "You were so worried for me," He smiled, teasingly, 

"Because I thought they were going to kill you," You said sternly, watching him unamused. He kissed your hand again, just to watch your expression soften slightly at the gesture, 

"You picked me up off the floor and skipped sixth period just to take care of me," He said softly, glancing up again in remembrance, "You had this look on your face... Your eyes were shining so much, I thought you were going to cry for me. You babied me a lot- you said I could have a concussion and I should go to the nurse," He smiled, 

"That's not a happy memory, Eddie," You said softly, moving your face closer to him, 

"No... It's not," He agreed softly, "But do you know why I realised I was in love with you then?" He asked softly, 

"...No," You admitted softly, 

"Would you like to?" He asked with a smile, the curve of his lips widening as you nodded, "I realised that someone, someone in all of Hawkins, cared about me," He said with a gentle sigh, 

"You have Wayne-" You tried to say quickly,

"I know," He said quickly, "But family caring about you is different to friends- or lovers," He spoke softly. He let go of your hand, and moved it to slide against your cheek, "See, you could have left me there. Pretended you never saw, pretended to be confused or worried about my black eye and split lip next period... But you went out of your way to make sure I was okay- I think I remember you mumbling something about covering my hospital bill if I actually had a concussion," He smirked as you looked away with a blush, 

"Of course, I care about you, Eddie," You said softly, frowning, 

"Yeah... I know now... And I realised then that you really did that day," He said softly, "And I also realised," He said softly, sliding his hand down to your chin and tilting your head with his fingers so your eyes locked, "That I was in love with you," He murmured before his lips touched yours, sealing his words.

The kiss was slow, and gentle, years of yearning and affection pouring into one another. It was beautiful, not sad or interrupted like the first one you shared yesterday, and you could feel warmth flowing from your chest across your whole body. It really felt like you would be floating away, if he wasn't holding you down, pressing you closer against him, one hand running up and down your arm whilst his other kept a gentle hold on your face. Your own hands roamed from his neck down to his chest, feeling his heart beating against your gentle fingertips. You smirked against his lips as you traced a heart with your fingers, sighing as you felt him pressing his tongue against your lips in a silent ask for permission. 

Though you didn't go further tonight, you went to sleep knowing you were with someone you loved and trusted completely, and that he'd still be there by the time you regained consciousness made you feel safe, above all else. And knowing he wanted some sort of future where you were there for him, and he'd be there for you made you feel elated. You knew it was rare to find someone you could happily call your 'soulmate' in this world- but Eddie was your person. Your soulmate. Yours...

[beef-brisket]

Holy shit.

Lucifer: holy shit.

Adam: ...Holy shit? Is this a... good holy shit?

Lucifer: babe.

Adam: ...yes?

Lucifer: it's perfect, babe! Badass even!

Adam: oh, thank Satan- I thought you hated it!

Lucifer walked over and cooed at baby Cain, who was sitting up in Adams arms. He was waving his arms and trying to blow bubbles.

Lucifer: do you like that name, my love~?

Cain flapped around even more, making little happy noises.

Adam: damn right, he liked it! Naming things my shit, boi!

Adam leaned down and kissed the top of Cains head, who tried to look uo at him, but settled for grabbing Adams finger.

Adam: you love your name, don't you my little star~, you're very lucky you like Cain, because otherwise I would have gone with my backup~

Lucifer: backup?

Adam: Skidmor. That could have been you're name, my little sweetheart~. Skidmore Morningtar!

Lucifer slowly looked up at Adam. Even Cain stopped moving around.

Lucifer: excuse me? Skidmor?

Adam: mhmm

Lucifer: I would have taken the kids and divorced you.

Adam: what!? Babe, it's a beautiful name!

Luicifer: Where the hell did you hear Skidmor?!

Adam: one of the first humans named theor son Skidmor! It always brings a smile to my face when I hear it-

Adam bursted out laughing as Lucifer softly grabbed Cain. Unbelievable. Adam couldn't stop laughing, Lucifer was trying so hard not to laugh with Adam, but it was failing.

Lucifer: I'll call you skidmor! Adam Skidmor Morningstar!

Adam: noo! Keep your voice down! By dad might actually hear you and change my papers!

Lucifer: good!

The next few days were calm, especially now that all the babies were named. Adam was placing the babies in a small lounge room, and Lucifer was getting ready to pick his dad up so he could meet his grandbabies for the first time.

Adam: alright! Michael will be here soon, so you going to get your dad?

Lucifer: that I am~

Lucifer kissed Adams hand, and pulled out his crystal. He looked directly in Adams eyes as be basically tongue fucked it.

Adam was blushing so fucking hard. But stopped when the portal opened, and not a moment later, Teddy was speed walking through. Lucifer said he was a bit nervous about the whole portal thing.

Lucifer: hey dad!

Adam: Hi Dora!

Teddy only offered a grant as a hello and beelined it for his grandbabies.

Adam: rude!

Within a minute, Michael snapped into the room. He walked straight over to Teddy and knelt next to him, kissing his his head. Adam and Lucifer stood there for a minute, but when neither Michael nor Teddy said anything to them, they decided to get on with dinner.

Once they were in the kitchen, their plan was to make a three corse meal. Which ended up only being one corse because this was the first time they've been by themselves in a few months.

So, instead of cooking, Lucifer blew Adams back out on one of the benches, Adam sucked Lucifer off as he was cutting vegetables. Which didn't end well as he dropped the knife when Adams teeth grazed his dick. The knife landed and wedged itself in Adams hand.

It only took a few seconds to heal, but Lucifer was already balling his eyes out.

After an hour they eventually said fuck it, and Adam snapped in some food. Walking into the lounge they saw Teddy and Michael fusing over the babies. Adam had to admit, Michael looked cute cradling Charlotte and Teddy rocking Cain, Seth was fast to sleep.

Adam: you know, Dora. Michael can have babies to~

Michael: A-Adam! That's your curse- not mine!

Adam: just shape-shift a pussy, babe!

Lucifer noticed Teddy glance down at Cain, then back up to Michael, who instantly blushed. Luvifer couldn't help but smile as he placed the food on the table. He might have a new step sibling soon.

Devil and the Priest!au

(Feel free to change the name- it's 1am where I am, so my brain is starting to fry lol)

@things-arent-what-they-seem66 @fanofstuff01

---

Lucifer drove through the country side, he's been behind the wheel for nearly 5 hours. He didn't realize how much of a drive getting to this monastery. He knew it was remote but this is getting ridiculous- he should have brought snacks.

He glanced out his window every now and then to take in the scenery. He's currently driving past a large body of water, where he spotted a small island. He wishes he was over there, with no worries or expectations. With no one but himself. The Vatican has been on his ass lately about making this trip. Apparently, there was something 'dark- and 'unsettling' at this monastery. If any of the priests he knew were anything to go by, it was probably just them. He swore they refused to die, they had more wrinkles than brain cells.

Lucifer turned his radio up, some type of rock song was one, it was a big no no to be listening to music like this, it's his car. Driver picks the music, and the Vatican shuts their cake hole.

Finally, as the sun was setting, Lucifer arrived at the monastery. The large stone building loomed over him, maybe the Vatican was right, this place was unsettling. He felt like he was being watched, the multiple colours in the sky masking how decrepit this place actually is. Pulling out a brochure from his pocket, Lucifer couldn't help but smirk, they're really trying to market this place like it's a holiday retreat.

Lucifer: "Welcome to the Hazbin. Find not only sanctuary and enlightenment but also beaches and the best crab around!" ...right, definitely staying away from the crab then...

After an exhausted sign, Lucifer licked his car and picked up his bags. Making his way towards the large wooden doors, Lucifer couldn't help but dread the next two or three hours, all he wanted was to hop into bed and close the world off foe a few hours but he'd probably have to take the whole tour and- ew- meeting people.

He shuddered at the thought.

Lucifer: I wonder if I could convince them to leave the formalities till tomorrow...

Lucifer gripped a huge, iron door knocker and banged it three times. He knew this could take a while so he prepared to get comfortable- until the door was pulled open.

Priest: Hello! And welcome to the Hazbin! How can I assist you this fine evening!

Lucifer: uh- yeah- hi, my name Luicfer, I've been told to come here by the Vatican- I've been told you're expecting me...?

Priest: hm... Lucifer...

The man flicked through a small book, humming every so often. What's the point in having glasses if you still can't read a damn book.

Lucifer: look man- sir- it's been a long drive, I'd really like to just get to sleep-

Priest: ah! Yes! Here you are, Lucifer! Please, come right in! We've been expecting you for hours, your overseer said you would be here this morning- but better late than never I suppose!

The man moved aside to let Lucifer in. He really didn't like this guy, but that's not new, priest are pretty... eccentric.

The man shit the door behind him, using at least six locks to secure it.

Priest: pardon my manners, Lucifer! My name is Alastor- Father Alastor. And I'll be your superior while you're here

Ah, great. He has to answer to this... lovely man. Forcing a smile, Lucifer did what he did best: lie.

Lucifer: that's very exciting Father Alastor, look forward to working with you and getting to know this place more personally!

Alastor: oh, I could imagine! I'm sure you've heard a lot about me! I've been in charge of five other monasteries before this one! All saw a raise in volunteers and profits.

Lucifer: that's fantastic, Father. It's a real honor to be working on this project with you-

Alastor: "project", yes, that's one word to describe it.

Alastor lead Lucifer down a long hall, hebcouldbt believe how quiet it was. He was told there were at least 60-70 nuns and other workers here but it just seemed abandoned.

Thankfully, Alastor showed Lucifer to his room, it was large with a queen bed in the middle. It didn't have much furniture, just a set of draws and a desk out looking the garden. It was dead and overgrown, but the air was fresh, he'll have to start taking up writing again.

Alastor: well! Lucifer, it is a real pleasure to have you here! Tomorrow I'll show you around and I introduce you to some of the other occupants here- there are quite a few so I do expect you to introduce yourself to some of them in your own time.

Lucifer dumped his bags on his bed, and turned to face Alastor.

Lucifer: that understandable. Thank you for this Alastor, I'll see you in the morning-

Alastor: bright and early Mr Lucifer. I like to get the day started as the break of dawn

Of course he does.

Lucifer: great! I better get some sleep then

Alastor: yes, you should. Goodnight Lucifer

Finally, Lucifer was alone. Or at least he hoped. He still hasn't shaking that feeling from earlier. Except this time, he was certain nothing was watching him, Alastor seemed to be the only other living thing here. And that's giving the bastard a lot of credit. Not once did he stop smiling- Lucifer already wants to wipe that look off his face.

All Lucifer wanted to do was sleep, so he got comfortable and started to drift off.

[boobchuy]

i want to know more about the plantar au 👀

omg no way thank u guys for asking about this completely unprompted yall are so nice <333 (under read more bc this is rambly and l o n g)

OK SO AGE SWAP AU..... no i have not thought about the consequences of this swap in the actual plot other than how it affects their family... wdym im bullshitting this as i go

for starters though,, dynamics are v different from in canon, although anne would probably still be the closest w sprig. sprig and polly are also roughly adults! like maybe theyre in their 20s human years wise? pollys the oldest but probably only by a year or two, and im not sure whether to make hoppy (hop pop's toddler counterpart nickname lol) their younger sibling or cousin... it gets muddled there, but theyre still family blood or not :)

the heron incident still happens plantar parents i am so sorry. sprig n polly experience the same thing as canon hop pop did and are very protective of hoppy as a result (they r traumatized and are ridden w guilt <3)

the most basic explanation i can give for the siblings is that its the same in canon but they are much more mature. polly likes to mess with what little inventions she can create in the middle of nowhere while sprig ventures out and explores the woods every now and then and sometimes even visits the archives. they both tend the farm to earn money (but are really only doing it for hoppy's sake and would probably abolish the practice entirely unless hoppy wants to inherit it)

hoppy is just happy to be here :D

sprig is still the one who finds anne in this au! he was feeling a little restless and went out to hunt for the 'monster' that was spotted. somewhere along the way from being trapped and almost being sliced alive by the mantis he realizes that 'holy shit a child just spent two weeks alone in the woods' and decides 'ur my responsibility now'

polly argued a lot w sprig about letting anne stay in their home, and it probably takes a decent amount time before they really connect w one another. an episode like girl time in this au would probably have them bonding together more

when anne reveals the music box to them, sprig, even though he would have rather not, shows the book that says its dangerous to polly. he cares about anne, but he'd rather not keep the secret about it being a potential threat to the fam from his sister. by this time the two probably already care a lot about anne, and keep it a secret from her. (a lot of arguing went into this decision)

they DO attempt to hide the music box when anne eventually leaves it in their hands. it hurts a lot more when anne realizes they both kept it a secret from her. they both knew. and they still did what they did.

not directly related to anything about this au, but this snippet in the wiki about family shrub rubs my brain in the good way :)))))

[princessofprocrastination]

The Faceless Youtuber (Sapnap)

MASTERLIST

pairing : sapnap / nick armstrong x reader 

summary : people often pressure faceless youtubers to reveal themselves. but for you, you were happy to show it to the world. but were they ever ready to see who you actually are? (fluff)

a/n : hi! i know it’s been awhile since i wrote a sapnap one, so here it is. (finally it’s not an angst.) AU 

-

 the first faceless legend that anyone could really think off would probably be sia. she kept herself secluded, always performing on big stages with her face covered, until she didn’t.

you loved your time being a faceless youtuber. you enjoyed it, if you say so yourself. you knew that once you let the world know what you look like, you can’t really take it back, no matter how many people respected your decision, there would still be a couple who don’t. 

the world knew very little of you, just your first name, and maybe which state you lived in. you liked to keep them anticipating and kept in the dark. 

they also knew that you were for some reason close with the twitch streamer, karl jacobs. the same karl jacobs that is always on mr beast’s videos. when they kept asking you two questions, you would tell them that the two of you simply met through mutual friends. 

of course, being friends with the opposite gender, or not would mean that there would be certain rumours, which included that the two of you are dating, or that the two of you are siblings. 

you laughed and played along sometimes at their stupid theories but it seemed like no one really had guessed who you actually are. 

honestly, you weren’t sure how no one has figured out who you are, or even just whose sibling you are. 

granted, it wasn’t often that you appeared in your brother’s videos, but you appeared in a couple, enough for at least a couple people to figure it out. 

being a friend of karl meant that you were friends with his friends, so you’ve met and spoken to everyone he knows, which obviously included everyone that’s in the dream smp.

so you’ve met everyone on the smp, eventually you got so close to dream that he allowed you into the smp. 

being karl’s fiance and all, you’ve definitely met quackity and sapnap before. and for some reason, you and them clicked so well. 

you and sapnap got really close whilst you joined the smp, being a year younger than he is. he treated you like his sister almost. 

what he didn’t know was that you hated that he treated you as his little sister. but what he doesn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him. 

you and your brother had a couple times talked about what you should do, or how you should do your face reveal. 

and it clicked to you that your brother is doing a spin on youtube rewind for 2020. and since everyone pretty much was on lockdown or in another country, he couldn’t really film people so he asked content creators to send him certail clips he wanted for the big video. 

so you brought it up to him, and not to everyone’s surprise, he loved the idea. also being the fact that he wanted to troll people about dream’s face reveal, he liked the idea of an actual faceless youtuber making a face reveal in his video. 

if people reading this hadn’t figured it out yet, yes, you are indeed the sister of the mighty mr beast. as fun as that sounds, life can get chaotic with him around, which was one of the reasons you moved out, away from him. though not far, it felt good to be able to wake up to no screaming. 

you’ve definitely thought about the consequences of doing a face reveal on his channel. 

first of all, would people even know you enough to acknowledge you? you’ve also been in the background of some mr beast videos, but they knew you as a crew member. 

of course you told your brother about your concerns, but him being his bubbly self, he told you to never say that about yourself ever again, and that your face reveal would top of dream’s future face reveal. 

-

although you and sapnap, or nick, are close, you’ve never showed him your face, and never revealed to him that you are jimmy’s sister. he respected that, and told you once that it was your choice and never rushed you to show him your face. 

but that didn’t mean you guys didn’t facetime. but instead of your face, he’d see your ceiling. 

he was one of the first people to know that you were planning to do a face reveal on mr beasts’ channel. 

you remembered exactly how the facetime conversation went. 

“sappyyy.” you greeted as the texan boy answered your facetime call. you wanted to tell him your plans as of december 2020. 

“i’m doing a face reveal on mr beast’s 2020 rewind.” you went straight to the point, not wanting to drag it out. you never understood the point, anyways. 

“holy shit, really?” you could see his face as he asks you, in shock. you nodded to him. 

“since we all know dream is really just trolling, jimmy said i could fill in the void in people’s hearts after that.” you laughed, remembering what your brother told you. 

“wait, that means he gets to see your face first?” he asked you. you nodded again. 

“ugh. he never loses, does he?” he jokes around, laughing towards the end of the sentence, clearly clueless about the two of you being siblings.

-

time came for the countdown for the premier of the video. you were nervous, but more excited. you couldn’t wait for people to see you, and to get to know more about the dynamics of you and jimmy’s sibling-ship. 

when you tweeted out a teaser video for the mr beasts’ rewind, everyone was pumped. and although a lot of people knew deep in their hearts that dream wasn’t actually going to do a face reveal, they still had that little bit of hope left in them. 

nonetheless, they were really excited to finally see you, and to get to know more about you, besides knowing which part in america you live in, and what your voice sounds like. 

you saw yours and dream’s name trending on twitter for the face reveal. while you waited for the countdown to touch zero, you scrolled through twitter, to see what they were talking about. 

some were making theories about the face reveal, saying that it was sus that dream and you wanted to do one together, that the two of you were dating. some say that the both of you were just going to troll everyone and isn’t actually doing a face reveal. 

you laughed at some of the stupid tweets you read. they were all definitely in for a treat. 

your brother, jimmy was talking to his cameraman as everyone was anticipating to watch the video. obviously he wanted to document this, he felt a sense of pride for you. also, you brought him a lot of views, according to him. 

you sat next to karl, texting nick as you bounced your leg in mixture of excitement and nerves. 

“oh my god, stop. it will all go well.” karl’s hand stops your annoying leg bouncing as he rests it on your thigh. 

“i can’t help it, after this video, everyone will know what i look like.” you told him. honestly, you didn’t care about what the public would think about you, you were more worried about what nick would think. 

what if he thought you looked weird or just generally didn’t like what you looked like. 

as if karl could hear your thoughts, he said. “he will think you’re the most beautiful girl he’s ever laid his eyes upon.” 

you rocked yourself in the chair you sat to calm yourself down. and just in time, your brother’s video started playing. 

-

SAPNAP’S POV

everyone thinks her and i have this amazing sibling relationship but none of them really know how much i hate that word so much. 

siblings. 

do we not look good together? granted, no one really knows what you look like, but why don’t people ship us together as much as they ship you with all the other guys?

i pushed that hurtful thought down my chest, though. this was it. i can finally see what she looks like. not just the top of her beautiful, healthy hair. not just the side of her neck. 

i watched through the entire mr beast video, seeing all the small creators who have became successful during the pandemic, you being one of them. 

i watched as clips of yours and dream’s youtube videos and streams popped up. i smiled hearing your soft voice talking in the background of the video. 

knowing mr beast, he would put all the important parts towards the end, so i had to sit down and watch the whole video. not that i minded, though. 

there was another thing i was curious about. i knew dream isn’t actually going to show his face, but what if you did the same thing, too? 

you wouldn’t, right?

i bounced both my legs as it came towards the end of the video. 

at that point, they were playing the dream’s supposed face reveal. i chuckle as dream removed his cardboard sign to reveal a mask. i was sure everyone knew that this was coming, anyway. 

then, your part came. 

i heard people in the background of the video talking a little bit about you. they were talking about how mysterious you are, and what they expect you to look like. 

the background voices goes quiet, as the screen starts to show your back. 

everyone right now is staring at the back of your head, your shiny hair as you type away on your computer. your hair was put down, not long but longer than shoulder length. 

your hair isn’t a natural colour. it seems like it had a tone of purple in it, just dark. although i hadn’t seen your face, your hair was just what i had expected. 

you heard mr beast call out your name from behind you. 

“hey, uh, sis? i kinda need your help.” i heard him say. 

wait. did i hear that right? 

there is no way he meant it as actual siblings, right? but then, it he didn’t mean it like that, what was the point of saying it. 

i heard you hum as an answer to him, still not turning back. 

“just turn around and see, dear sister.” mr beast himself, said again. 

oh my god. you and him actually are siblings. that basically confirmed it all. 

“why have you said sister twice now?” your voice soft, but confused to why he repeated that word. 

on screen, you slowly turned to face your supposed brother. you looked straight to your brother, finally giving him the attention he wanted.

soon, you realised that there is a camera pointing to your face. your eyes widen, not expecting a large camera pointed to you as you spoke to your brother. 

your eyes visibly flicked from making eye contact with your brother and the camera, confusion still etched on your face. you offered a small smile and wave to the camera as the scene cuts there. 

holy shit. when karl said she’d be pretty, i didn’t think she was going to be gorgeous. is she even in my league? 

the outro rolls in. mr beast has his arm around your shoulders. 

you were wearing something different this time. you wore a blouse under a sweatshirt, tucked in jeans that fitted you so well. goddamn, you are beautiful. 

“hi.” you exclaimed to the camera, now visibly more comfortable. 

i could hear karl say something, though it sounded far. in the next second, karl came in the shot, hugging you, making sure to wrap his arms on your waist, tightening it after a while. you gave karl a small kiss on the lower part of his cheek since he’s slightly taller than you.

queue the ship comments. the little interaction burned me a little but karl’s love language is physical touch and you and him have been friends for a while, so i tried to not think about it too much. 

i focused on the grin on your face as your brother went on to talk about how proud he is of you, and how far you’ve come. 

the video finally ends with you grabbing and holding karl’s hands as you went forward, near the camera to give it a kiss. 

“i love you guys, byeee.” you ended it, pulling the ‘e’ as far as you can. 

the video ends. 

holy shit. i need to call this girl. 

-

YOUR POV 

as the video ends, while the guys and you are laughing at you giving the camera a kiss, your phone goes off. a facetime call from someone you wished to hold like you did to karl. 

you jumped in your seat, on the couch, excited to finally call him and not have to cover your face.

“helloo.” you dragged your ‘o’s.

“you beautiful woman, why would you hide that from me for so long?” his voice louder than usual, almost screaming. he has a large smile on his face that complimented all his facial features. 

you smiled back to him, knowing that he wasn’t actually expecting an answer from you. 

“is karl next to you?” he asked you.

“you called me to talk to your fiance? this is unfair.” you pouted. 

“just you wait, gorgeous. pan the phone to him.” he told you. 

you showed karl’s face on your phone, now karl sitting even closer to you to get a better look of his friend. 

“yes, my betrothed?” karl starts conversating with the man on call. 

“listen here. you are to be far far away from my woman, got it? no hugging her anymore. you can only sit next to her if there’s room for jesus, no closer.” he said seriously. that was intimidatingly hot, you couldn’t lie.

“what? i got her before you did, this isn’t fair at all.” karl whined. 

“nah, before i seclude her from you, i better see some space between you and her.” nick told karl. 

“i guess you’re losing the fiance card, karl.” you told your best friend, laughing. 

karl, although still whining, tried not to laugh along with you and some of the boys who heard your conversations.

you glanced at your brother who was standing opposite you. he gave you a small wink and gave you a thumbs up, mouthing “i approve.”

you rolled your eyes. you glanced at the camera next to jimmy, recording this very conversation. you knew that everyone would not live this one down ever. 

you blushed, remembering the very words nick had said on the call.