#i woULD ALSO love to talk about eddie and frankie……..

[powderblueblood]

who’s…w-who’s the mother of eddie’s son if not lacy? :’(

wrote about it for ya here, baby!

fact is, lacy doesn’t want her own kids. lot of factors here, and none of them to do with eddie as a dad—i wrote about that a little bit here.

to me, it’s what makes the dynamic between her and frankie grow to be so moving. lacy has no fucking idea how to talk to kids, to teenagers, how to parent, nothing. but she knows she needs to now, in order to support eddie (who is, to no one’s surprise, freaking the fuck out but desperately trying to Be A Dad) and support this poor kid that’s shown up on her doorstep. frankie has a mom already, one who’s shown him the world (or at least some of the best hotels in america), but her actual presence in his life is a massive absence. he doesn’t really know how it feels to be parented, and neither did lacy when she was his age.

it makes lacy realise she wants to give frankie what she could have used when she was a kid. first and foremost being real genuine warmth, the kind that she’s found in the home eddie has made for her.

(‘kid’s stayed in the plaza more times than i’ve had bad shrooms, lace. what the hell are we supposed to do with him? what the hell am i… how do i…’ ‘well, eddie, he needs structure, right? like curfew. movie night. made up traditions. oh! mandatory family dinner!’)

in this part of the story, everyone is freaked out by everyone. everyone’s tripping over the right thing to do. but lacy and frankie kind of find each other as these weird confidants, and i really love how challenging and tender their relationship becomes.

[kenphobia]

AKSHEJ I LOVE YOUR WRITING!! Could be possibly get more yan Wally?? I have like a horrible staring problem and usually make eye contact like a pro when talking to people due to my parents just driving those mannerisms into me lmao how would Wally react to someone with somewhat similar manners to him? Hope you have a good day/night <3333

EYE CANDY!

"And I have a sweet tooth."

summary. wally couldn't help but be interested when the new neighbor also has a habit of staring. i wonder how that turned out? (headcanons / rewritten / see end notes)

contents. too much fluff. one-sided julie x reader because mmmm, funny little fuzzy man is happy.

✦ Staring was something Wally enjoyed doing. He didn't do it out of malicious intent— sometimes, he does but that's a story for another time —but rather people fascinate him a lot. From the way they dress and move to how they interact with others and the environment around them, it sounds a bit silly and weird but it's something he just can't control.

✦ He supposed it was because of him being an artist. After all, he did spent a lot of his time training his eye to focus on every tidbit of detail in his muses. The roundness of an apple's form, the colorful patterns on Frank's vest that doesn't seem to shift along with his movements, the cute little pads on Barnaby's feet— he had it all jotted down in his mind and every one of his paintings seemed reference his friends or the neighborhood.

✦ Or maybe he's just bored, dissociating on random ocassions that he couldn't help but fix his eyes on something. Maybe it was just that, but god was he so happy you're also doing the same thing as him.

✦ It happened during a simple hangout within your friend circle and Wally caught you staring at him. He stared, of course, unblinking as always but you also stopped blinking.

✦ The unprompted staring contest ended after you finally blinked, your eyes tearing up slightly. Wally laughed and offered you his handkerchief to which you gratefully accepted and wiped your tears away.

"Hey, Frank." Julie whispered to her best friend, "What are they doing?" She pointed towards the bench where you and Wally just kept on staring at each other, unblinking and unmoving like mannequins.

Frank looked from the book he was reading, squinting his eyes at you two. "I have... no idea, Julie. Can I please go back to reading now?" He sighed in exasperation, tired from not having a single peaceful moment with any of his cheery neighbors buzzing on and about.

Another puppet plopped herself down next to Julie and Frank. "Ooh, what are you two doing? Spying on the new neighbor again?" It was Sally, giggling herself silly as she nudged the unfortunate Frank's arm.

"I am not spying on them." Frank glared at Sally, his frown deepening. "I never have been and it was mostly Julie doing that since she's too nervous to even approach them."

"I'm not nervous!" Julie argued, her face flushing red. "They're just so pretty and I don't wanna make a bad impression! I know you'd also do the same if you saw a pretty person, Frank." She puffed her cheeks, crossing her eyes as she squinted her eyes at the puppet.

"Ooo, does Frankie have a crush?" Sally's eyes lit up at Julie's words.

Frank quirked a curious brow. "What's that supposed to mean—"

"Hey, guys! What are you doing here?" Eddie's voice suddenly rang through the air as he jogged up to the trio. His arms rested on the back of the bench, pushing his body weight forward as he leaned. "Is that Wally and (Name)?"

Frank immediately stood up, his face flushed for a moment before it went back to its normal grey color.

"Oh, hey Eddie!" Sally greeted, raising her hand up to the mailman who gladly gave her a high five. "Frank and Julie are spying on them!"

Frank's face bursted suddenly in warmth. "Stop lumping me with Julie's—"

"Oh hush, Frank. I know you just as interested as we are. I mean, look at them!" Sally jabbed her hands to your and Wally's direction as if she was presenting a business proposal to the three.

"I think we should let them be, okay?" Eddie smiled, patting Sally's head. Sweat dripped down from his forehead, sliding off his cheeks in a nervous, almost jittery manner. "They're just doing a staring contest, nothing to worry about."

"I mean, that is true..." Julie hummed, pushing her lips in a form of a pout. "Wally really likes staring, and (Name) too!"

Frank shrugged, crossed his arms and leaned on the back of the bench. "Match made in heaven, I supposed."

Your staring competition with Wally came to an abrupt stop when you hear Julie scream and see her tackling Frank to the ground. Sally was cheering for Julie in the sidelines while Eddie is desperate trying to stop them from fighting.

"What in the world—?"

✦ ... Moving on! Wally would never admit it but he does get flustered by your stare at times, especially in moments where he's extremely chatty and he catches you looking at him. Bonus points if you did that little smile that his heart always go kaboom though.

✦ He'd find himself tongue tied and his face burning redder than the color red itself! If you could just excuse him for a moment, he's just gonna scream into a pillow, thank you.

✦ Wally's glad that someone is like him and it reassures him that staring is a common habit people have. Not that he's insecure about it, no! He's proud of his eyes and his staring, he just loves having someone to bond over it. It's the little things that makes it special for him <33

"You know, Neighbor... Your eyes are really beautiful, have I ever told you that?" Wally asked during a little sleepover you two had one day.

"You told me that a long time ago, Wally." You chuckled, patting his head. You gently combed your fingers through his hair, it was weird seeing it down but you wouldn't deny he was beautiful.

"Oh, Ha. Ha." Wally merely said before laughing. "Ha, I see. But they are really beautiful, you know?" He mumbled, snuggling closer to you as he wrapped his arms around you. He closed his eyes and buried his face in your chest for warmth.

"I love you, (Name)."

"I love you too, Darling."

author's note. this was rewritten to be non-yandere since it was barely even yandere in the first place sjshshd but yeah!! this one gets to stay up lol

also this is my entire masterlist, wooe

[beep-beep-sunny]

I added two new chapters to My Daddy Likes Boys a fic about Eddie Kaspbrak's son trying to get him together with his teacher, Mr. Tozier.

Read on ao3 or below!

Chapter 1: Two daddies?? Cool!

My daddy likes boys. I don't know why that's such a big deal. I'm not a dummy. I understand that they don't mean he likes boys just as friends like me and Hank from my class. Otherwise, mommy and daddy wouldn't have broked up. I get it. It's about in love. Like Aladdin and Jasmine. They aren't both boys, but that's okay. I'm sure there are other examples of boys I'm just not thinking of.

Mommy already sees other boys. Daddy comes to watch me when she goes on her "dates" and we watch Bluey on TV or play hungry hungry hippos. Daddy is great at games, but I'm better because I always win. Still, daddy deserves to play games with someone he can beat. Someone he can go on "dates" with. Maybe on a magic carpet. Daddy likes cars, and that's a very cool and special kinda car. I wanna ride on one. Maybe if daddy's boyfriend has a magic carpet I can ride in the backseat and fly up high. That would be cool. That would be super cool.

I started kindergarten in the Fall. I'm in Mr. Tozier's class. He wears funny, colorful shirts and does voices that make me laugh a lot. When we learned about animals he made all the sounds. My favorite was when he made the goose sound. Mr. Tozier is the coolest.

And a boy.

And daddy likes boys.

Then I had an idea. My daddy and Mr. Tozier could be in love! That's a great perfect idea. I just needed to find a way to get daddy and Mr. Tozier to talk. When they talked they would obviously instantly fall in love because they are both awesome and fun and they both love me. It would be the greatest thing to have two daddies!!

I started small. Daddy tells me every day that I'm brave and I decided to prove it. I made sure Mr. Tozier was close and I climbed up higher in the jungle gym than I had ever climbed. The other kids watched and some waved and giggled. By the time Mr. Tozier noticed how high I climbed and started running towards me, it was too late. I bent my knees like a frog. Mr. Tozier saying ribbit ribbit popping into my head as I hopped off the roof (where I definitely wasn't supposed to be) and fell hard onto the ground.

Plop

I yelled and yelled and yelled some more. How was I supposed to know it would hurt THAT much. Mr. Tozier reached me quickly with his kind blue eyes twisted up in worry. "Frankie!" He yelped. "How'd you even get up there?" He was concerned, but I couldn't help but notice he also sounded impressed. This was going perfectly according to plan even though my arm hurt a whole lot.

Mr. Tozier carried me to the nurse's office. "I'm gonna call your parents, okay? Just sit tight buddy." I made a froggy sound and his worry melted away just long enough to do an, admittedly much better, froggy sound.

He rushed out the door. Oh no. "Call my daddy!" I shouted after him, hoping it was loud enough. My voice was usually louder, but my arm hurt too much! I waited to let my tears fall down my cheeks for after Mr. Tozier left. He probably thought I was very brave. Mr. Tozier and daddy will talk about how brave I am all day long until they fall in love.

Daddy didn't come. Mr. Tozier must not have heard me. When I saw mommy come through the door with her arms stretched out like she was ready to clean my dirty cheek with her spit, I cringed a bit and then started crying. This time it wasn't from the pain. Well, it wasn't just from the pain. This was going to be harder than I thought.

Chapter 2: Frankie's Big Break

had a lot of time to plan my next move while I was at the doctor then at home. My arm was broken and got put in a huge cast. It's so hard and heavy. I drummed on the wall with it when mommy wasn't looking, she always told me to stop even though it made the best sound.

That made me think of my next idea. I couldn't keep getting hurt and going right to the hospital. I'd be off too much school and all my bones would be in casts until I couldn't move. I can't make Mr. Tozier and my daddy fall in love like that! I need at least one limb free!

When I got back to school, all the kids wanted to talk to me and sign my cast. I noted that I'd let Hank sign it first, after I talked to Mr. Tozier. Unless Mr. Tozier wanted to sign it first. Then he could. Sorry Hank.

Mr. Tozier sat at a big desk with papers all over the top. I could just see over it. He looked down at me, looking over his big thick glasses. He must have a really hard time seeing with glasses that big. My eyes are perfect, everyone says so, but daddy probably doesn't care about perfect eyes. I tried to focus.

“Frankie?” Mr. Tozier said. “What is it?”

“Next time I get in trouble, can you call my daddy instead of my mommy?” I said. I thought if I was as obvious as possible that he would definitely get it right next time.

Mr. Tozier's brow furrowed. “Well, you weren't in trouble, Frankie, but why do you want me to call your daddy? Is something going on at home?”

I really thought about it. No, not really. Home has been kinda boring. Daddy always looks sad when I'm with him, but mommy always has boys around all the time. I just want my daddy to be happy too. Not with lots of boys though, just Mr. Tozier. I didn't like getting used to lots and lots of new boys because some of them smell funny and have weird mustaches.

“Frankie?” Mr. Tozier asked. Oops, I'd been thinking too much.

“No.” I said quickly and walked away. I didn't even remember to ask him to sign my cast. I guess Hank could do it first after all.

After all the kids got done signing my cast with lots of cool things, Hank drew a dinosaur, I went to work. I knew daddy would definitely come if I was in danger, but it didn't work the first time. I decided I had to do something different. I had to get in trouble.

It happened at recess. Mr. Tozier was watching everybody, but I wanted to make sure he was watching me. I took a big breath in and let out a loud scream. Mr. Tozier looked up but so did everybody else. I'd have to explain why I was doing it to all my lots of friends later. They'd understand. With all my might, I pushed over the big wood play kitchen and all the kids playing house ran away. The play plates hit the ground over and over one at a time. It sounded like rain.

Mr. Tozier rushed over. Yay! “Is everyone okay?” The other kids nodded. When he looked at me, he didn't look mad. He looked worried. That made me worried too.

He took me to the place I go to when I get off my bus and had me sit in the big plush chair. Once he was in the other room, I got up and pressed my ear to the door. He was talking to somebody. I think on the phone.

“I think something might be going on at home.” Mr Tozier said. I sighed. Not really. Just call my daddy. Say I'm in big trouble. “Oh, a divorce? That's gotta be tough on him.” It wasn't tough at all! What was tough was getting my daddy and Mr. Tozier in one room. Ugh!

Chapter 3: Why Does Everybody Ask if I'm Okay??

How was I supposed to know they'd just make me talk to some lady? That is not what I wanted at all.

“Frankie,” She said gently like she was talking to a puppy. I'm not a puppy. “Can you please tell me how things have been at home?”

“Why does everybody keep asking me that!” I knew it wasn't polite to shout, but I was getting so frustrated! “Sorry, things are just fine. I'm happy.”

Even though I told her I'm happy she still looked sad. What was going on? “Are you happy when you're with your mommy?”

I felt a big frown on my face. “Yeah, I guess!” I folded my arms. Things were fine. Mommy was just kind of boring sometimes. She just wanted me to dress up nice and be polite. I was so sick of always being so polite.

“What about your daddy?” She asked.

I smiled. “Well, daddy is the best. We play games and watch TV but he's lonely and needs a boyfriend like my mommy has.”

The lady's eyebrows raised up like they were gonna bump into her hair. “A boyfriend?” She asked. “Maybe you mean a girlfriend.”

I rolled my eyes. “No! My daddy likes boys!’’

Talking to that lady was so pointless. She didn't even help me with how to get Mr. Tozier and my daddy together. I hoped I never had to see that lady ever again.

My mommy drove me home and fussed with my hair when she buckled me in. “What did you say to the nice lady?” She asked me.

“I told her daddy likes boys.” I explained, getting a little tired of always having to explain myself.

Mommy's eyebrows did the same thing as the lady. It's a little silly for her to be surprised. I knew she knew that already. She didn't say much else. She just got in the front seat and drove us home.

When Daddy came to pick me up the next day, I was so excited. It was the weekend and Daddy always planned a fun activity. I wanted to see the new Sonic movie and get lots of popcorn.

It was taking mommy and daddy a really long time to come get me in my room, so I hopped off my bed and sat on the top of the stairs looking down at them through the bars. They looked upset. They had angry eyebrows and folded up arms.

“You told him about your little perversion?” Mommy said. I didn't know what that meant, but what did daddy tell me about? Maybe about the big black cats at the zoo.

Daddy held up his hands. “No, I didn't tell him anything about that. I don't know how he found out.” Maybe not about the big cats after all.

“Well, tell him you don't. Tell him you like women like you're supposed to.” I opened my eyes really wide. Was this about daddy liking boys? What's the big deal! Mommy likes boys too!

“Daddy can like boys if he wants to!” I ran down the stairs to stand up tall next to daddy.

They both looked down at me with their mouths hanging open. Close your mouths, gosh! “It's not normal.” Mommy said in a calm voice. I was so sick of people talking to me like a puppy or a baby or something.

I held out my hand. “Daddy, I wanna go.” I didn't feel like talking about this. I had important things to do.

Daddy looked down at me, surprised. Mommy looked mad. They looked at each other for a few seconds before daddy grabbed my hand and we started walking out. I smiled wide.

“Wait!” Mommy called after us, but we didn't stop or look back.

We were gonna have a wonderful, awesome time watching Sonic and eating popcorn and then after that I would think about my next plan. Daddy and Mr. Tozier were gonna be happy if it was the last thing I did!

[hellowhisperingstars]

The Question

Summary: After starring in the fourth season of Stranger Things, you are at convention and get asked an awkward question at a Q&A. Cue Jamie and you pretending to almost fight over Joe.

Pairing: Joseph Quinn x Costar/Fem!Reader 

Words: 869

Warnings: Fluff, Jamie being a dork. Brief mention of nudity. Awkward questions.

A/N: This is the second one shot I wrote for Joe! Please let me know what you think!

You can find more of my stories on my Stranger Things Masterlist!

Or read this story on AO3!

It was an early Saturday afternoon at the convention that you and a few of your castmates are currently at. Right before the pandemic, you had been cast in Stranger Things where you played Francine “Frankie” Lewis, the love interest to Joe's character Eddie Munson. Your time on the show had shot you and your costar Joseph into the bright lights of fame right alongside all of your other costars and to say it was overwhelming was an understatement. Everyone has been so kind, from the cast and crew to the fans. This was your first convention and you were shocked to see how many people had come to see you, given you little trinkets that you will treasure forever, and some have even cosplayed as Frankie. After having spent some time talking, taking photos, and signing autographs for fans you were pulled into a Q&A that also had Jamie and Joe in it. The boys had kept you laughing the whole time easing some of the anxiety you had been feeling.

You threw your head back in a gleeful laugh as you listened to the story Jaime was currently telling about what the weirdest experience he’s ever had on a set was. “I was just laying there, naked, and there were just so many hands.” 

Joe laughed as he slouched in his chair giving you an amused look as the rest of the audience laughed with you. Bringing the microphone up to his lips he quipped, “I don’t think anyone's story can beat that one mate.”

“We need to stop letting Jamie go first.” The interviewer said with a laugh as she flipped through a couple of cards in her lap. “Our next question is on the left, I believe. Hello!”

The young lady who stood at the microphone was nervous, her stance told you so. “Hello, my name is Lucy. My question is for Y/N.”

“Hello Lucy,” You leaned forward in your seat, your elbow resting on your knee with your hand holding up your chin as you brought the mic to your lips with your other hand. “I am so ready. Bring it on.”

The girl giggled a bit as she looked at your eagerness to answer her question. “Your character Frankie and Joe’s character Eddie are very close in this new season and even start dating towards the end. I think the chemistry between the two of you is just amazing, so I was wondering if you would ever consider dating Joe?”

The question made your eyes widen for a moment before you blinked your shock away. Of course you had considered dating Joe. You had a crush on him since you both had met at your chemistry reading during the audition process. Taking a deep breath you bit your lip trying to think of something to say. 

“You’re awfully quiet Sweetheart,” Joe chuckled at you into his mic. “Making me nervous.”

“I mean,” You laughed scratching the back of your neck as you looked over at Joe. “If Joe was into it. Of course, I would consider dating Joe. Have you seen the man?” You asked, gesturing to Joe who was sitting next to you, making him blush a little. “But unfortunately, if I did it would then become a Scott Pilgrim vs the world situation. Where instead of Joe’s evil exes. I would have to fight Jamie.”

The entire room went up in laughter at your words. Jamie leaned back in this chair as his own laughter joined those around you. Joe was chuckling at the situation you had found yourself in. 

“And Jamie has like four feet on me.” You continued with your own laugh. “I mean I’m scrappy but I don’t think I have what it takes to take down Jamie.”

“I’ll give you a fair fight, love.” Jamie said into his mic as he got up off his chair mimicking his rolling up his sleeves. 

“You wanna go?” You asked laughing at Jamie as you stood up as well, “Okay, let's go.”

Joe laughed loudly at the display in front of him before he got up stepping between you two holding his hands up. “Alright, alright. Put them away.”

Jamie pointed at you in fake warning, before he smiled at you and Joe before taking his seat. 

Joe turned towards you giving you a hug before he pushed you gently back towards your seat. Looking behind him he winked at the girl who asked the question, giving her a smirk. “You almost started something Sweetheart.”

Turning back towards you Joe moved his and your mic out of the way before he leaned down to whisper in your ear. “And for the record. I would be extremely into it.”

You felt your cheeks heat up as you looked at him with a shy smile. Giving you a little nod he kissed your cheek and sat down in his chair again looking over at Jamie with a grin. “You’re a troublemaker.”

“No one’s touching my Joseph without a fight.” Jamie said in a playful way as he looked over at you with his own wink. 

Oh these boys. Giggling, you looked back over at Lucy. “Thank you for your question.”

[forever-rogue]

so i remember a bit ago you posted that pcos!reader x Frankie fic and it warmed my heart so much because it’s something i also deal with. i was thinking you’d be the perfect writer for this hurt/comfort request if you’re okay writing it. it’s with eddie where him and the reader have been trying to have a kid but they’re struggling with fertility issues and eddie, being the best he is, provides some well needed comfort

AN | I’m so sorry this took so long, my love. I hope you like this anyway and I hope everyone knows just how very wonderful and perfect you are just as you are🥺🥰

Warnings | Language, Trying for a baby (and discussion of fertility issues)

Pairing | Eddie x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 3.8k

Masterlist | Main, Eddie 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You had been sure that this time would have been the time. Everything had felt so right and all the signs seemed to be there and yet…you found yourself staring at another negative pregnancy test. Despite your best efforts, a small sigh escaped your lips as you tossed it into the trash. There was no need to bother and tell Eddie; all you’d do was not this time, he would comfort you, and then you’d call it a day.

And, realistically, you knew that it didn’t matter. Having, or not having, a baby didn’t define you. The two of you were in a good place in life, finally, after working so hard to get there, and naturally the topic of children had come up. The two of you were on the same page about everything; and it was decided that if you happened to get pregnant, that was great, and if you didn’t, then that was okay too. If you ever decided that you desperately wanted children, there were always other options. So yeah, everything was fine and would be fine…but that didn’t change the fact that your heart broke a little that afternoon. 

Oh well. Life would go on just as it always did.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When Eddie got home from work that night, he noticed that something had been off. You’d acted the same as you always did, greeting him with a big hug and kiss, asking him how his day was. Eddie was smart and extremely perceptive, noticing immediately that the smile on your face didn’t quite reach your eyes. But still, you said nothing, probably trying not to worry him, even though he insisted that you were never a bother. 

While he was washing up for dinner, cleaning some of the day’s dirt and grim away, something caught his eye in the small trash can. He grabbed the small box and quickly realized what it was, a frown settling on his features when he put the pieces together. He tossed the box back inside and wondered what he should do; should he bring it up or not mention it unless you said something. Either way, he just didn’t want to upset or hurt you any further.

But you didn’t bring it up at dinner, and Eddie hated seeing you fake your way through it while he knew that you were hurting. You had a kind, soft heart; you always put others in front of yourself whenever you could, asking for so little in return. He hoped that he managed to give you back even a fraction of the love you gave him. 

He set his forked and cleared his throat, drawing your attention to him as you looked at him curiously. He could see the flash of worry in your eyes and shook his head softly, “princess - I know that maybe you don’t want to talk about it, or maybe you’re not ready, but I saw it. T-the box in the trash.”

“Oh,” you shifted your gaze down to your plate, the little bit of appetite you had suddenly gone. You pushed the plate away and gave him a shy, soft expression, “I, umm, I thought that maybe I was pregnant this time. But I’m not, obviously. ‘m sorry, Eddie.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” he reached for your hand that was resting on the table, covering it with his much larger and giving it a squeeze, “don’t apologize, please don’t ever apologize for that. It’s not your fault, it’s not my fault, it’s anyone’s fault. It just didn’t happen this time, and that’s okay.”

“I just thought that…this was it,” you offered him the meekest of smiles, feeling tears pricking at the back of your eyes, “I know it’s okay, and that we’ll be fine but still. Eddie, I know we said that it’s whatever if we do or don’t have kids, but the more I think about it, I do want a kid. With you, obviously, only ever you. But what if I….I don’t ever get pregnant?”

“Well, I guess now is as good of a time as any to tell you that I really want a kid too. No one else I’d rather have as the mother of my kid. Obviously; you’re my everything, the woman I love more than anything,” he grinned and you couldn’t help but laugh softly at him, “and even if we don’t end up having a baby of our own, we can still have the family we want. There’s always a way; even if that means our family will be us and five dogs and cats. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah,” the tears you were holding back pearled up and ran down your cheeks. Eddie rested his hand on your face, tenderly brushing away all your tears, “I do, Eddie. I know that things will be okay, even if they suck for the moment. Things are always good when I’m with you - because of you. I love you, Eddie.”

“I love you,” he leaned in and kissed you softly, “always and no matter what. I’m sorry that you’re feeling shitty right now, sweetheart. I wish I could say the magic words to make it all better, but I know I can’t. But I can tell you that I’m with you always, every step of the way.”

“I know,” and how could you not? He showed you his pure, unadulterated love and devotion every day. Nobody ever made you feel as loved and cared for and happy as he did. Your silly, dorky, sweet husband, “I know, my love.”

“I have an idea,” he proclaimed, standing up and holding his hand out to you, “let’s go and get milkshakes at that diner you like and go for a late night drive. Whaddaya say, princess?”

“Yes,” you were already taking his hand and following him. You’d always follow him anywhere, “let’s do it!”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It had been over a year since you and Eddie had started trying for a baby and still….nothing had changed. Eddie had been so good, so kind and loving, and supportive that it almost didn’t even phase you anymore. He really was the best possible man you could have ever asked for. 

So, for the most part, you’d stopped keeping track of your cycles too closely, and didn't worry about making sure he finished perfectly inside of you every time you had sex. Whatever happened, happened. You were becoming more and more okay with that. You’d even adopted a tiny black kitten you’d seen at the shelter that had won over both of your hearts instantly. Eddie had decided to name him Stevie; Steve on the other hand wasn’t as amused by his little namesake. 

Everything was perfectly falling into place, everything was good; you were happy and so was he. So that’s why, after feeling sick in the mornings for almost the past two weeks, being exhausted by the early afternoon, having sore breasts, and missing a period you were positive that this was the time. What else would cause all those symptoms to happen? Sure, you could have been sick, fighting off a stomach virus or something, but you felt fine otherwise. Nothing else made sense, at least in your mind.

You stopped at the local pharmacy on your way home from work, stopping in to grab a few snacks you’d had a craving for lately, and a box of pregnancy tests. You hadn’t told Eddie of your suspicions just yet, not wanting him to have to go through the ups and down of you maybe being pregnant and potentially finding out that once again, you were not.

Eddie was already home by the time you arrived, having left the shop he owned early in order to catch up on some other stuff. He was in the kitchen and something smelled delicious; he was a surprisingly good cook despite what one might think. He might even have been better than you, but that wasn’t something you were going to admit outloud not yet anyway.

“Hi angel,” his entire lit up at the sight of you, chocolate eyes soft and smile toothy. Was there a better thing to come to? You doubted it. You set down your bag and practically bounced over to him, eagerly throwing yourself into his arms, as he squeezed you tightly into his warm body, “how was your day, beautiful?”

“It was good,” you leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, “even better now. How about you, my love?”

“Oh you know, same old same old,” he rested his hand on your face, brushing his thumb over the apple of your cheek, “also much better now.”

You beamed at him, brighter than the sun at the height of summer, and he swore he felt his heart constrict at the sight, “hope you brought your appetite…I got a little carried away.”

“I’m starving,” you agreed, peeking around him to see what was on the stove. The first thing you spotted was the pan of homemade mac n cheese he was finishing up; it was like he knew you’d been craving it, “smells and looks wonderful, Eddie. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Nope,” he kissed your temple before nudging you gently out of the way with his hip, “almost done. Go get changed, relax, whatever you want.”

“Aye aye captain,” you grabbed your bag and headed upstairs to your bedroom, eager to get in the bathroom and do your test. You quickly changed into some comfortable loungewear before grabbing the box with the tests and popping into the ensuite bathroom. You locked the door behind you and tore into the box. You were used to the routine by now and say on the toilet, unwrapping both sticks. Might as well do both at once just to confirm, right?

You wasted no time in doing them, quickly capping them and setting them onto the counter. Now all you had to do was wait; you’d already planned on running downstairs and telling Eddie as soon as you knew for sure. Instead of staring at the counter, you went back into the bedroom and spent a few minutes tidying up in your order to keep your mind from wandering too far. You grabbed a piece of chocolate from the snack stash you’d purchased and ate it before stuffing the rest in the bedside table. You never know when you’d need a late night sweet treat after all.

Once you were sure enough time had passed, you practically burst back into the bathroom and grabbed the small plastic sticks in your hand. 

You quickly looked at them, ready to see the result you wanted when…”what the fuck.”

They were both negative. How? How? You were absolutely sure that they would be positive. How could they not be? Everything seemed to point to you being pregnant this time for real. Well…once again you had been wrong. There was just something else going on with your body…but still. This one hurt a little bit more than the other times.

You groaned heavily, wiping away your tears of frustration with the sleeve of your sweater as you tossed everything into the trash can. But you knew that you couldn’t stand the sight, and didn’t want Eddie to worry either, so you grabbed the trash bag and ran downstairs in order to toss it into the garbage bin outside. 

“Sweetheart?” your husband had been startled by your sudden reappearance, especially when you went outside without a word. He wiped his hands on the tea towel that was slung over his shoulder and trailed after you. He watched wordlessly as you tossed the bag into the bin before turning around with tears in your eyes, “angel? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” you lied, shaking your head as you tried to walk back inside, attempting to push past time. But he knew you better than that, knew you better than anyone, and right now he knew that you were deeply upset, “Eddie, stop. Please let me go.”

“Nuh uh,” his hands found your shoulders before he gently turned your face towards his, “when we got married, even before we got married, we promised each other that we’d always be fully honest. I can see that something is bothering you. Please, just…even if I can’t make it better, talk to me. Please?”

You wrapped your arms around him, hanging onto him tightly as you buried your face into his chest, comforted by his warm, familiar smell. He held you in silence, not pushing you to talk, until you’d cried it all out, “I’m not pregnant. Again. Eddie, I was positive that I was. Everything that could even hint that I’m pregnant has been happening…I thought I’d be able to come downstairs to tell you good news. Instead…it’s nothing.”

“Oh honey,” he held you closely before kissing the top of your head, stroking your back in soothing circles, “I’m so sorry, angel. I wish I could make it better, but all I can say is that it’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.”

“I know,” you sighed softly, “it just…kinda sucks. But you’re right…we’ll be fine. We’re good. I’ll be okay. Although tonight I just kinda want to wallow and eat chocolate and watch a shitty movie.”

“Then that’s exactly what we’ll do, angel.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It had been almost a month since your last little disappointment with the tests and it seemed like things were more or else back to normal. At this point you were done taking tests and if you only found out you were pregnant when you were ready to give birth then so be it.

You were sure that you were going to be able to avoid the doctor and hospital for a long time at this point…that was until you decided to step off the deck in the backyard and roll your ankle. Normally you would have walked it off or not paid it much attention, but this…this hurt. 

“Eddie!” You flopped down on the deck and waited for him to come. He’d be able to help you inside and get you some ice anyway, “Eddie!”

It was just a few more moments before you heard him run and slide open the backdoor as he came out. He was at your side in no time, a worried expression on his face as he looked you over. You noticed his grimace as he looked at your ankle; it was already swelling and bruising. Yikes.

“Honey, what happened?” he held out his hands to you and gently helped you to your feet - well foot - as you kept the weight off the injured one, “it looks…pretty bad.”

“I was just trying to step off the deck and I slipped and rolled my ankle,” you sighed, your lips forming a pretty pout that he just wanted to kiss away, “I-I can’t even do that without fucking it up!”

“It’s alright,” he insisted softly, “you’ve always been my clumsy girl.”

“It hurts,” you whined softly as he wrapped an arm around your waist and helped you to hobble inside, “I just want to sit and put some ice on it.”

“Oh no, no, no,” he stood his head and you sighed softly, “this is really bad. I’m taking you to the ER.”

“Eddie.”

“Honey,” he insisted firmly, and you knew that it was pointless to try and argue with him, “I think it might be broken. A normal rolled ankle doesn’t do that. Even if you think it’s fine, will you do it for me? Please?”

“Okay,” you agreed, “I don’t wanna broken ankle.”

“I know,” he promised sweetly, “we just have to make sure everything’s okay. It won’t take long.”

“Promise?”

“Pinky promise.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Unfortunately, this was the first time Eddie had ever broken a promise to you.

There had been a wait at the ER and by the time you were in the exam room, almost two hours had passed. Eddie, at your request, waited in the lobby for things to finish up. You’d been afraid that if he was with you, you’d just worry and panic more. 

“Alright Mrs. Munson,” you let out a sigh of relief as the doctor finally came in. She was a kind looking woman, with a warm demeanor that made you relax, “I apologize for the wait. It appears that you and a lot of other people decided to take tumbles today. Let me take a look at that ankle.”

She touched and prodded your ankle as delicately as possible, but the sensation still made you hiss in pain, “d-do you think it’s broken?”

“It doesn’t appear to be broken,” she said and you visibly relaxed, “but I just want to make sure - the ankle can be a fickle joint. It’ll just take a few x-rays and if everything looks good, you’ll be out of here in no time. We’ll wrap it up and get you some painkillers.”

“Okay,” you nodded lightly, “sounds good.”

“Just a few things first,” she grabbed her checklist and read off a few things to which you answered her, wishing this was over already, “and lastly, are you currently pregnant?”

“Ugh..no,” you shrugged and she raised an eyebrow at your less than sure response, “no, I’m not. At least I wasn’t last month, and I highly doubt things have changed since then. And you totally didn’t need to hear all that bitterness, but to answer your question, no I’m not.”

“But you’re trying?” she asked and you shrugged. You didn’t even know anymore, “well, before we do the x-rays, standard practice to make sure you’re not pregnant. I’ll just get that ordered and we can do the x-ray. It won’t take long - I’m sure we’ll have you out of here in no time.”

You nodded, unbothered and unphased, wanting to get this done more than anything. She made a few more notes on your chart before leaving you to wait again. Ugh.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Finally, finally, you were ready to hear your fate so you could go home. You’d grabbed Eddie and made him wait with you; you hated being away from him for so long.

“Well then,” the doctor came back in and gave the two of you a big smile, “do you want the good news or the good news?”

You exchanged a curious look with Eddie, considering you were only anticipating one set of news. You turned back to her, “the good news?”

“Your ankle isn’t broken,” a sigh of relief escaped your lips, “so we’ll just get it wrapped up tightly; you’ll want to keep as much weight off of it for now, keep it elevated and iced whenever possible. If it seems like it’s getting worse or not getting better, come back to see us. We’ll send over an order to the pharmacy for some painkillers too; it’s still a nasty sprain.”

“That’s great,” you reached for Eddie’s hand and he gave yours a gentle squeeze, “what a relief.”

“I can believe it,” she laughed softly, looking back and forth between the two of you for a moment. She could easily see the adoration in Eddie’s eyes as he looked at you, “and Mrs. Munson?”

“Mhmm?”

“I’m not sure what caused you to think you weren’t pregnant,” your eyebrows raised up as your breath hitched in your throat. She looked at you with a small smile, “but you are indeed pregnant.”

“What?” your heart felt like it was about to burst out of your chest as you tried to process what she was saying. Eddie was stunned into silence as he watched you, “there’s no way. I-I took two tests last month, they were negative.”

“Ahh, well, science has come a long way and so have home pregnancy tests, but there’s always a small possibility that you can get a false negative,” she explained, “could be a defective batch of tests, or a number of things. But you are definitely pregnant, from the urine test results, I’d estimate about ten weeks.”

“No way,” you felt tears pricking up and you didn’t even bother to try and prevent them. You hadn’t been wrong, your natural instincts weren’t off after all. You really had been pregnant this whole time, “I-I can’t believe it.”

“Well,” she smiled softly, “you’re definitely going to believe it in a few months. I’d say go home and rest this ankle and then call your OB to set up an appointment.”

“O-okay,” you nodded eagerly, “thank you. So much.”

“I don’t think it’s me you need to thank,” she looked at Eddie who flushed a pretty pink before giving your shoulder a gentle squeeze, “I’ll get out of your hair so you can get your things together. You can head out when you’re ready.”

You watched her go before turning back to your husband who was watching in awe. He seemed just as emotional as you and it wasn’t long before he wrapped into a big bear hug, pressing soft kisses over every part of you that he could reach.

“Eddie,” you took his face in your hands, both of you misty eyed but so very excited, “we’re going to have a baby.”

“We’re having a baby,” he repeated, “I love you so much, sweetheart.”

“I love you, Eddie,” you pressed your forehead against his, “thank you for always being so loving and supportive. There’s no one else I’d ever want to do this with.”

“Me neither,” he grinned, “you’re going to make a wonderful mother.”

“And you’ll be an amazing father,” you grinned, “you’re happy, right? I-I just…this almost feels like a dream.”

“Of course I’m happy,” he pressed a saccharine kiss to your lips, “most metal day ever; besides meeting and marrying you of course.”

“Most metal ever,” you agreed softly.

[jgroffdaily]

One of the stars of Looking, Daniel Franzese, has joined calls for a reboot of the HBO series.

The actor, who played Eddie and is also known for his iconic role as Damien in 2004’s Mean Girls, spoke to Attitude at RuPaul’s DragCon UK on Saturday (13 January).

Noting that 2024 marks 10 years since Looking debuted (the first episode aired on 19 January 2014) Franzese commented on hopes for a reboot. “We’re all pushing on that,” he told us.

“We love each other,” he continued. “It’s an amazing group of people. Everybody on that show was an actor’s actor. We love to rehearse. We love to talk about our characters and plot points and really work on the project.

“If they ever wanted to do another movie, I’m pretty sure all of us would be down.”

The actor shared that he and Looking co-star Frankie J. Alvarez, who played Agustín, had recently seen Jonathan Groff, who played Patrick, on Broadway in Merrily We Roll Along. The three appear to have discussed Looking then.

“We all talked about it,” Franzese said. “We would love to do something again. Who knows? Murray Bartlett now is really huge. Everyone’s doing great. So, it’s a great time to get us all together. I think most of us are free once Jonathan’s out of that show. So get with it HBO.”

Franzese’s remarks follow those of Russell Tovey, who played Kevin. He told Attitude last October he had “begged” Looking creator Andrew Haigh to bring the show back. “He didn’t seem completely closed off to it so who knows?” said Tovey who then added: “I would jump at the chance.” Tovey also said now would be a “perfect” time to bring Looking back.

[freelancearsonist]

i know i do this like every six months but i somehow survived everything that happened in july and i kind of feel ok again?? and i want to be back and i want to write again i miss y'all 🥺

so yeah this is a formal invitation to everyone in the fandoms (even if you’re not following me or have no clue who the heck i am) to fill my inbox with LITERALLY ANYTHING pls i need help getting the creative juices flowing

also here's an updated character list since my hyperfixations change with my hair color (a lot. so much.)

all oscar isaac characters

pedro pascal characters (joel miller, javier peña, din djarin, marcus moreno, frankie morales, dave york)

marvel characters (pretty much all of them tbh but like especially matt murdock)

michael kinsella (kin)

eddie munson, steve harrington (stranger things)

coriolanus snow (the hunger games {that dirty rat bastard i love him})

sebastian sallow, leander prewett (hogwart's legacy {don't judge me i'm fragile})

but in general if you have anything/anyone you want to talk about at all just shove it in my inbox i will gladly accept it

anyway idk if anyone even remembers me at this point LMAO but i really would love to make some new mutuals so pls even if you've never heard of my tumblr-senior-citizen ass pls come talk to me this is me begging :)

[nerdieforpedro]

This baggage is heavy, can we drop it off somewhere?

Chapter two of "Do we know how to love?"

Frankie Morales x Nadia Thomas (plus size OFC)

Fanfiction 18+ MDNI

Masterlist

Summary: Nadia makes an impulsive but ultimately good decision. We found out a lot more about Frankie’s past. Nadia also decides to just let go.

Warnings: cursing, toxic relationships, angst, thoughts about sex, lengthy mentions of drugs and drug use, Addiction, pregnancy, death, mental health issues, medical issues during pregnancy, 12 step program

Notes: I kinda meant for it to be more lighthearted than it turned out.

Sitting in her driveway, Nadia studied the sticky note. She thought about throwing it away, she should not have this, shouldn’t have even taken it, but she did. Nadia had been swept away in the magnetism of meeting a man like Francisco Morales. Him speaking to her and enticing her with a few sentences was something that Eddie had never been capable of remotely doing, even when they first met years ago. Nadia felt she should just sent a text and break up with Eddie, but it still felt wrong, she preferred to be upfront with him, but it didn’t work well the first time.

“I’m in a relationship I can’t stand. What’s the harm? I’m meeting a new friend. A sexy new friend.” Nadia grinned to herself and got out of the car and went into her house, putting down her purse and hopped in the shower. She texted Kim and Katie and told them that she wasn’t coming she was tired. They texted back playfully mocking her for being a homebody, but hoped that she felt better and that they may stop by this weekend. Nadia told them that she’s working on something, and that she would tell them about it later. The nurse did add the number of her contacts under the name ‘Chocolate curls.’

“Hey hermana, thanks for coming by. I’m have a meeting tonight.” Frankie stated flatly. It was required for him to keep working as a pilot. He may not have to go as often as he once did, but he had to make sure he went and call his manager. Frankie was a hell of a pilot, he could fly a plane, helicopter, jet, anything if you let him tell it, he could also fly a blimp and hot air balloon. The woman was his best friend’s wife, Yovanna, she watched his daughter during his meetings.

The meetings were with cocaine anonymous, a program he entered the year his daughter was born. His wife at the time, Maria had put up a lot from him, with his drug use, being away for long periods of time due to work and a difficult pregnancy to boot. She had been stable on her lithium for years along with lexapro. He remembered the doctors testing her heart to make sure it was okay periodically and it was but when she became pregnant things changed. 

The OBGYN reviewed her medications and said she couldn’t take the lithium anymore, only the lexapro. Maria’s mood swings worsened and she started having high blood pressure during her second trimester. Frankie missed more of her appointments and they fought more which let to him doing more cocaine and picking up more hours while high. It was his own fault he knew, he should have talked to her more and supported her. He did not, one week before his daughter’s birth, he was fired for flying under the influence and nearly crashing a helicopter with some big wigs on it. The very least he could do was provide for Maria financially, but he couldn’t even do that. Maria had been complaining of contractions but her water hadn’t broken yet, Frankie did offer to go to the doctor with her but she didn’t want to, she had her birth plan with a planned home birth, doula and candles that he didn’t understand. 

The pilot had told his wife that he was off to work when really, he was going to snort his cocaine in an industrial parking lot, away from everyone. He received several calls, but drowned them out with the swimming high, riding the waves as he closed his eyes. By the time he was coherent enough to check his phone, there were two missed calls from his wife, two from her doula and five from the hospital. Maria passed out during the home birth after her water broke and her doula had called 911 and tried to get a hold of Frankie as well. When 911 came, it was the doula who went to the hospital with Maria. The medical staff tried contacting Frankie as well but he didn’t answer. They treated her as best they could while Maria went in and out of consciousness, she kept stating that she wanted her baby to be safe and asked if her husband was here. The staff told her that they would do their best and that he was on the way, though no one had actually spoken with him. Maria was having seizures associated with eclampsia, the baby was delivered safely, but the medical staff were having difficulty getting Maria stable post birth, they were able to slow her seizures, but her blood pressure kept increasing and making her bleed more than expected and they weren’t able to keep up with her body’s demands. When Frankie finally arrived he greeted his daughter Camilla and the body of his wife Maria.

Francisco Morales cried for the first time since finding out he was going to be a father. He mourned his wife Maria and their marriage and that he had failed not only as a husband but a father for not being there for his daughter’s birth and caring for her mother properly.

It was then that he asked for some of the biggest favors in his life and relied on his old Special Forces buddies. He needed to get clean ASAP but doing too quickly would do more harm than good. He asked his best friend Santiago and his wife Yvonne to care for Camilla while he went into inpatient rehab, meanwhile Will and Ben (who was never in Speical forces but tagged along to see what he could do, not much except some babysitting) working on talking some old commanding officers to have Frankie become a pilot again with strict requirements.

Complete inpatient rehab

Drug testing weekly

Go through a re-fresher course for non-commercial pilots

Attend meetings at least three times a week, calling his CO (commanding officer/manager) so the call could be traced to a cell tower near where the meeting was supposed to take place.

Give address of meeting for further location confirmation.

After six months of negative weekly drug testing, while switch to monthly hair testing for one year and then either testing can be done if drug use is suspected.

Morales adhiered to the rules placed on them and welcomed them, after getting the house ready and baby proofed and working out day care, he was able to care for Camilla and himself within the year while working. Now that she was six, he focused on childcare during summers but had turned things around, though he still had to deal with people mentioning his past drug use, thankfully they seemed to have enough tact outside of Ms. Shirley not to mention it mostly.

On his way to tonight’s meeting he reflected on things as he usually did, not quite feeling the urges he once had for the drug, instead it was placed elsewhere in caring for his daughter and sex. Frankie did not have an issue in that arena, more like he wanted something in addition to the sex and he hadn’t really found a woman that he could go on more that three dates with, they were all boring, some of them married. None of it was for him.

The school nurse he met today was interesting though, he was used to dealing with more confidant women, that matched his ‘let’s get it’ energy no matter if his daughter was present or not because when the feeling strikes you it’s best to say something coded so little ears don’t catch on. He did appreciate that she didn’t seem to be swayed by what he was sure Ms. Shirley had already told her, that old prune took the opportunity to badmouth him whenever she got the chance. Frankie suspected is may have to do with him not eating her dry cake that she was offering everyone. Most of the parents took a pity piece, but Ms. Shirley’s face became real twisted when he asked if she had any milk or water to go with the cake. The pilot was up for the challenge of getting the nurse, Miss Nadia, to be more honest about what she wanted with all those breathy sighs. Had his daughter not been there, he may have tried to sweet talk her onto that desk and fuck her in just that lab coat.

Taking a few deep breaths himself, Frankie steeled himself for this week’s meeting, he wouldn’t have much to say per usual. He didn’t want much to say, he preferred boring everywhere except the bedroom. He hopped out of his truck and locked it, double checking he had his keys wallet and phone. He was about to turn it off when he saw a text notification:

Hi, it’s Nadia from the school nurse’s office. I just wanted to reach out and see when we could meet up this week. My evenings and weekend are open.

Frankie chuckled, it’s pretty business like how she was at the office. He made sure not to open the notification because he didn’t want to leave her on read. He would definently have the bare minimum to say, he needs to check his schedule after this meeting. It was rare that he ever went to these meetings with a smile on his face, but tonight he did.

Elsewhere…

Nadia sat on the couch sipping her moscatio out of a 16 oz Sailor Moon tumbler with a straw. She had texted Frankie and was nervously awaiting a reply or maybe she wouldn’t get one, she wasn’t super worried about it, because she had refilled the tumbler once already. Instead, she was more concerned about the text she would send to Eddie. The wine emboldening her, she felt she could just send him a text, telling him not to come by her house any more because they were over and he can go with some basic woman elsewhere. It sounded simple, it was not want she texted Eddie. 

Nadia sent him the following text message:

Eddie, I haven’t heard from you for three days even after I tried calling you with the time difference and texting you. You’re over there doing monkey business and you can keep doing it. I don’t want to see you ever again. Everything is on your terms and I hate it. I wasted more of my life because you sucked my nipple a few times. Fuck you, or better yet, have someone else fuck you so they too can be disappointed in not being satisfied any of the times, like not even close to where I can finish the rest. Just bad. Horrible. You should watch some porn and get some pointers. Ugh.

The nurse finished her tumbler and stood up triumphantly, but then held onto her couch because she had stood up too fast. She then decided, drinking water would be best and to take some Tylenol before bed. “I gotta change the locks, I think I was dumb enough to make him a key.”

Nadia called first thing in the morning and paid a bit extra to get a locksmith in that morning. There was still a wide time window, but she would be able to be at work by noon. So far Eddie hadn’t called or responded, she was nervous, but also glad because she didn’t want to talk to him. After having the locks changed and having two spare keys in addition to the main one made, the school nurse headed on into work. Once she arrived, she got settled in her office and started reviewing her emails. Her phone pinged and a text came from Frankie exactly at 12pm:

Hey sexy nurse. This weekend sounds perfect, I know a good Italian resturant we can go to, you alright with me picking you up around 7 on Friday? I’m looking forward to finidng out what else you like besides chocolate.

Nadia could feel the smirk he likely wrote that last line with. She just read it a few times while she sat at her desk, imagining him looking down at her again. Running his hand up her arm, pulling her forward onto the desk, spreading her legs and…

“Nadia honey! Have you seen the stapler? I bet that wispy looking guidance couseler took it again and didn’t bring it back. If he can wear such big sweaters, why can’t he get his own stapler, I’m sure that sweater was more than a stapler.” Miss Shirley’s noise brought Nadia back from her daydream. She cleared her throat and realized she was hovering over her chair, leaning her body forward.

“Are those some new chair exericses? Are those any good? You look flushed dear, Maybe you should take a break from those, you just got in.” The older woman remarked before leaving her door, presumly to track down the rouge counsuler for the stapler.The nurse plopped back in her chair and closed her eyes, trying to calm down, inhaling and exhaling deeply. She then giggled becuase she remembered when Frankie had commented on her breath control. 

“I’m losing it…over a man I met once. Will I even make it through a date with him? At this rate, I should drive, becuase that’s they only way i won’t jump into his car.” She muttered to herself. Then in dawned on her, why should she? If she wants to fuck him in the car and he’s fine with it, why not? Hell, maybe they won’t make it to dinner. Nadia crossed her arms and spun around in her chair. She’s just getting out of a relationship, it doesn’t need to be serious, right? Could she do that? Be un-attached?

“I just must be firm. I can do it…I think.” Nadia finally replied to Frankie.

Good afternoon handsome. Seven sounds perfect and I love Italian. You can pick me up, I feel like being pampered a bit.

Nadia sent it and put her head on her desk. She did feel like being pampered at least one night and if she had a one-night stand, it would be icing on the cake. She just had to mentally prepare for the cake.

[omlwhatamidoinghere]

It's a Saturday night and I'm a Senior in college, obv I'm intoxicated rn and being in such a state makes me think about a lot of things:

I would let Alex Turner do things to me I wouldn't even let my own boyfriend do (this is not a sign that I consent to people writing fics about real people)

Pedro Pascal is becoming more and more famous and it's insane to think how long I've been a fan of his since Game of Thrones and became part of the internet side of things not too long ago is crazy to think about, like, I'm so excited that he has come so far and that more people are joining the fandom (even though some people act like they've been a part of it from the Eddie era, my sweet bby, and also act like they own Pedro and the fandom, taking the whole "Daddy" thing too far. Rookie mistake)

We are all beings on a little marble in the Creator's marble jar

Life is really fucking short, live each moment you get (yesterday- Saturday- has been a week since a friend's funeral which made me realize even more how we never know how much time we each have so live life to the fucking fullest)

Going off of the previous point, keep in touch with people you care about. I haven't seen or spoken to said friend in about 15 years and now his older brother is a parole officer and his younger brother is fresh into college. Talk to those people you think about, whether it be a tect sayinf you love them or simpley "Hey, I was just thinking about you today. Hope all is well!"

Matty Healy and Benedict Bridgerton are the same person written in a different font (both are so nice to look at)

I'm drunk

I haven't drank like this since I went to Florida in November (there's never a sober day in Florida with my family. I'm Italian and Polish so we eat a lot and drink even more)

Idk, I think about a lot of shit

Alex Turner and Matty Healy can both fuck me

I have a lot of horny thoughts because I haven't had sex in a long time because ny boyfrie d and I broke up for a short period of time a few months ago (we got back together after a bit cause we needed to work on stuff, specifically something he did) and I lost confidence in myself because of what he did and some of these men I find attractive make me feel better about myself because of the positive outlooks they have on women

If a celebrity you like says negative things about your gender/sexual identity, they can go fuck themselves

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk. My Max Lord fic (@max--phillips) will be coming out soon along with the first chapter of my Frankie Morales fic😘

[starry-eyed-steve-library]

The end really got me here. 😭💔

First of all, I can only emphasize that this is rn my favorite Steve series. It's so well written and different (in a good way), I'm so in love with this. 💗

First of all, shout out to Louise, what a gem. One of the many Steve/Frankie shippers (what's their shipname?). My girl knows what's up, and I loved her snarky comments so much. The way she looked out for Frankie was really sweet. 💗

Sidenote: Thanks again for touching on Steve's insecurity around his scars. It's refreshing to see that it's not brushed off so easily, and realistically, he would feel some type of way. (We already got proof that his neck scar won't be there in s5, which is disappointing, but I'm not surprised. Thanks for including it in this fic 💗)

I really feel for Frankie's dad. Losing his wife and then having to watch his daughter struggle, it's gotta be tough. I loved his interaction with Steve and Steve promising to keep his daughter safe. Also loved her dad as Steve's doctor, it's super hard finding someone who takes you seriously. I'm happy to read about a positive experience. 💗

I always get a smile on my face as soon as the gang shows up. Their banter is just super hilarious (and in character). Absolutely obsessed with the idea that they are now neighbors soon. 💗

I really loved that you touched on Steve's feelings towards his friends, meaning his guilt of potentially holding Robin back and that's now eased by his other friends being there. I think it's realistic he would think that way, especially bc he doesn't want to see himself as an inconvenience. I love that he can talk to Eddie about some aspects, but it's still limited, which is understandable. I absolutely love that he found someone like Frankie who showes him it's okay to be who he is. Steve deserves that. 💗

Loved the sightseeing scene, they are so cute together and idiots for not seeing what everyone else is seeing lmao. 💗

I love that Frankie is now officially part of the gang. She fits in so well. 💗 I got kinda sad that she even had to ask Steve, just showes how lonely she feels. 💔😭

Again everyone noticing that they love each other besides them. They are idiots lmao 😅😭💗

Sidenote: every time I see the mention of Ferris Bueller, the Joe Keery Dominos commercial comes to my mind lmao. 😭💗 Also I'm like Frankie, haven't seen the movie yet 😭

Before I go into the last part, I just need to say I support the theory of Frankie being the inventor of wired earbuds. Like this is canon to me, sorry to the OG inventor lmao. 😭💗

The last part was really heavy. I can emphasize with Frankie a lot. It really hurt to see her in such a vulnerable state. 😭💔 I really felt that part with her friends. Lost a few myself for similar reasons. So I get it, especially feeling so lonely but also scared to let someone new in. 😭

I'm so happy she found Steve. They are so good to each other. They can be vulnerable with each other, they can relate, and they protect each other. It's just nice to see that they are less alone together. 💗

Steve having the worst timing with his realization, is also just peak character for him. I'm glad he kept it to himself in that moment. 😭💗

I can't wait for the next part, especially now that we have a Steve realization. Honestly, they are such a great match. If Frankie was canon, I would totally ship her with Steve. 💗

Also can't wait to see the shenanigans the gang gets into when Eddie and Dustin move in. There will be a lot of bickering and banter, I already love it. 💗

Thank you again for writing this series for us and creating such a great character in Frankie. I absolutely adore her. She's my new best friend lol. 💗

accident prone

part four - hold me in the dark

Paring: Steve Harrington x Francesca “Frankie” Amato (fem!OC)

Summary: The bond between Steve and Frankie continues to grow, alongside a poorly hidden secret. Despite it all, the two continue to find the sunshine breaking through clouds they force apart.

WC: 10k+

Includes: a whole lot of hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, language, disability, fibromyalgia, lupus, discussion of medical trauma, treatments, flare ups, caretaking, bad flirting and more friends to lovers nonsense, more blooming friendships!! (apologies if i miss anything, I’ll add if necessary!) basically, this one’s heavy, take caution before reading.

series playlist ⋮ masterlist

the end - halsey

↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

“if you knew it was the end of the world / could you love me like a child? / could you hold me in the dark? if you knew it was the end of the world / would you like to stay a while? / would you leave when it gets hard?”

A/N: thank you to anyone who has stuck with this series. I cannot express how much that means to me, even if it’s only a handful of y’all still here. originally, this part was 11k, then I split it to balance some scenes out, but it still ended up at 10k anyway. I wanted to explore with Frankie’s past, how her and Steve grow closer, and how she fits in with everyone. apologies to anyone I told this would be the happy, fluffy part 😭 it’ll be part 5, promise. it’s been cathartic to write this. I hope you still enjoy this if you read <3

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It’s been one month—give or take— since Steve opened up to Frankie about everything regarding his past. The more they trust one another, the harder it gets for Steve to push his feelings aside. 

Steve’s never done aqua therapy before, but the mere thought of not having to feel pressure on his joints for a few hours a week had him elated.

The running theme of water aerobics, and any sort of therapeutic aqua activity, is that the popularity lies among elderly folks. So what a pleasant surprise it was for him to walk into the physical therapy center’s pool, eyes landing on Frankie among a bunch of older folks.

What a fucking relief.

Steve, who once had no concern showing off his body while swimming, covers himself in an old t-shirt with his swim trunks, hiding the worst of his scars. He notices the one piece Frankie wears, with the shorts nearly reaching her knees, t-shirt draped over her figure; the cotton weighed down with water exposes her shoulder a bit. He catches a glimpse of a blotchy, mottled pattern; his lingering stare is one second too long, hinting to her to cover the exposed spot, and she does.

“Steve!” She waves excitedly from the pool at him, losing grip of the foam weight in her other hand; it bounces out of the water, splashing her face. She frowns comically as she giggles, while a chuckle rises out of Steve, too.

“Hey, Frankie,” Making his way to the bench near her end of the pool, he’s rubbing the back of his neck, another one of his nervous habits; he shoots a half-smile her way. “Didn’t realize we were scheduled at the same time.”

About to respond, Frankie’s cut off by one of the elderly women swimming up beside her. “Francesca, I didn’t know your boyfriend would be here!”

Her face flushes red, eyes wide as saucers, “Wh— Louise! He’s not—“

“She—“ Steve shakes his head and hands in front of him, “We’re just friends.” He has to refrain from wincing at his and Frankie’s words.

That stings to say out loud.

Louise hums, amused. “Mhm, and Percy’s just my friend, too.” She smiles with kind, knowing eyes at Frankie, cheeks round as she chuckles. Then she looks over to Steve and winks as she swims away. “You kids have fun!”

“Louise, it’s physical therapy,” Frankie quips, hands on her hips as she narrows her eyes at the older woman. “You need to get out more if you think this is fun.”

“Can’t! The polka club’s closed for renovations!” She cackles before joining her group on the far side of the pool. Frankie turns back to Steve with a cherry red blush sweeping across her face, matching his own embarrassment, visible in his bright red cheeks.

“I can’t even be mad,” She rolls her eyes with a growing grin. “She’s literally me if I reach that age.”

Almost laughing, Steve catches her peculiar wording. “If?”

Frankie’s face drops, mouth opening to explain, but Steve’s physical therapist comes over, introducing himself before leading Steve to the other end of the pool, where the water treadmill is. He glances back at Frankie, trying to convey through his stare that this isn’t something he’s letting slide.

“Francesca! Jets are open if you want to use ‘em,” Louise breaks her thoughts, and as thrilled as she would be to use the massage jets after a round of PT, they just had to place them right next to the water treadmill.

Reluctantly, she swims over to the wall with the jets, avoiding eye contact with Steve, only feet away. He, on the other hand, won’t take his eyes off her.

There’s a murmur between Frankie and Louise, leaving Frankie cherry red under her freckles all over again as she swims off once more. Rolling her eyes, Frankie turns the jets on, but the pressure comes out heavy and rapid; Louise being the powerhouse of an elderly woman she is, forgot to turn down the settings for the younger woman. 

“Jesus Christ, Louise,” Gripping the wall, she winces as the force of water nearly pushes her over, giggling through the pain. She turns the settings down, playfully glaring at the older woman as she gets out. “Always has to have the jets on full blast.”

To someone healthy and fit, the pressure of the massage jets wouldn’t be an issue, but Steve knows how it feels to ache on a bad day, just from wearing certain clothes. Clearly, the pressure’s enough to bother her.

“Sorry, kiddo!” Louise grimaces as she apologizes, wrapping herself in a towel twice her size, perching on a bench nearby.

“It’s fi—“ Frankie sucks in a sharp breath as she tries using the jets again, eyes scrunching shut as her body tenses up. Even on the lowest setting, the pressure is almost unbearable. Steve’s never seen her react like this to anything uncomfortable.

“‘Key, you alright?” Screw the water treadmill, he can’t take seeing her in pain; he swims off and makes his way over to her. “Hey, look at me,” Steve tries leading Frankie away from the rush of water, hands slipping into hers as gently as possible. 

“Yeah, m’fine,” She croaks out with her eyes still shut, throat tight as she fights back tears. “Just need to get out.”

“Here, let me h—“

“N- no, it’s good, you should finish your session,” She slips out of his grasp, wading through the water to the steps. “I overdid it today, s’all.”

Steve’s left in the water alone, while Frankie cautiously navigates her way to the bench holding her towel; Louise shuffles over to help the younger woman, leading her to the locker room. Glancing back at Steve, she nods with a reassuring look that Frankie’s in good hands. He figures as much from the little interaction he witnessed between the two, but it’s not much easier jumping back into physical therapy with worry clouding his mind.

Still, he tries his best to continue his session without letting new anxieties eat away at his mind. He tries his best to stay focused, make it through the next hour. He tries his best to believe if something was wrong, Frankie wouldn’t hide it from him.

 That’s all Steve can do— try, try, try.

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Since PT, Steve hasn’t heard from Frankie. It had only been a day, and today, he had off because of a follow-up appointment he had scheduled. He tried calling the night before, but never got an answer. It’s hard not to panic, not to assume the worst, especially after the comment she let slip without explanation.

“She’s literally me if I reach that age.”

If. If. If.

The word bounced around in his brain since the passing comment was made; what did she mean by ‘if’?

“Steve?”

Snapping back to reality, he jerks his head up to find Dr. Amato glancing at him with concern.

“So- sorry. What was your question?”

“How did physical therapy go?”

Does he know what happened to Frankie? Should I say something? No. That’s not what he asked. Don’t get distracted.

“It was… alright.” His stare falls to the floor, rolling his ankles in circles as his legs hang off the exam table he sits on.

Dr. Amato crosses his arms, leaning back in his chair. “Just alright?”

“No— I mean— it was good, just not…” He trails off, conflicted on what to say. He wants to tell the doctor he liked the concept of aqua therapy, that he wants to continue it, and from the little bit he could focus on, he thinks it could help. But there’s no way of mentioning that without mentioning Frankie. He settles on, “It was good.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. Would you want to continue sessions?”

Steve nods, trying to push his concern for Frankie to the back of his mind. “Yeah. S’kinda nice not having to worry about pressure on my joints for an hour a week,” He laughs weakly. It’s not a lie, he really does like that part of PT.

“How comfortable are you with multiple sessions a week? Or do you want to keep it at one per week?”

As great as the water felt on his joints, the exercises kicked his ass; he’d be worn out more often than not if he did PT more than once a week. “Maybe one, until I get used to it? Is that… can we do that?”

“Kid, you know your body better than anyone else would,” The doctor doesn’t sound condescending, it’s something he stands by firmly. “We can start with sessions once a week, but if and when you decide you’re ready, we can add more as necessary. That sound good?”

Heavy concerns on his mind aside, it’s still so refreshing to have a doctor that not only cares, but believes him, too.

“Absolutely,” He gives the doctor a weak smile, but it’s genuine, at least. 

Dr. Amato finishes writing in Steve’s chart. “Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?”

Steve shakes his head, “No, I think we covered everything”. Even though it’s his second time here, he feels so at ease to open up about his health ailments without fear of judgement.

The doctor clears his throat, closing Steve’s file, chair creaking as he leans back. “Steve, off the record, can I ask something? You don’t have to talk about this either if you’re uncomfortable.”

“Uh, n- no— I mean yeah! Yes.”

Dr. Amato sighs, crossing his arms again. “I’m asking this as Frankie’s father, not as a medical professional: how has she been doing, really?”

Eyes widening, Steve’s mind spins. What does he mean by that?

“Is— is this about the physical therapy thing?” 

“The wh— oh, boy. I wasn’t even aware of anything happening there,” He runs a hand down his face, reminding Steve of Hopper. “Look, you don’t have to tell me anything, you’re both adults. But I figured I’d ask you noticed anything… different lately, since you’re friends, and co-workers.”

Steve’s brows furrow, fidgeting with the edges of his sweatshirt’s sleeves. “I- I’m not sure what that means.”

“To put it bluntly, I believe she’s experiencing a pretty intense flare-up, but she refuses to tell me. I know asking you is strange, and again, no pressure to confide in me about anything, but you’re the closest person to Francesca these days.”

Me? What about her other friends?

Then it dawns on Steve; she never talks about other friends. Does Frankie have anyone in her life outside of Steve, or her father? What about Rhi and Cade?

From what Frankie has told Steve, he knows she trusts her dad. She has a good relationship with him, but also worries about him. Maybe that’s why he’s left in the dark on something occurring, but Steve is, too. If it’s for her well being, he’ll discuss the little he knows, or witnessed. 

“Only thing I’ve noticed was what happened yesterday. She was in a lot of pain… more than usual. The— those massage jets in the pool, they hurt her, and—“ He can feel empathy weighing heavy on his heart for her as he recalls the moment. “I… if I’m being honest, I’ve never seen her in that much pain. At least she’s never shown it that visibly before.”

Dr. Amato sighs heavily as he nods, and Steve hopes he hasn’t said too much.

“I hate asking this of you, Steve, because you’ve got your own chronic illness to worry about, but would you mind checking in with her when you can? Not asking you to snitch, or anything,” He gives his own uneasy, nervous laugh. “But if anything of… concern comes up, I—“ He shakes his head, gathering his files, giving Steve a somber look. “It’s her story to tell, not mine. Just don’t be afraid to push her to get help, if she needs. Please. I feel you’ll have an easier time convincing her than I would.”

This isn’t a parent pushing their responsibilities to care for their child, even as a full grown adult, off onto someone else; this is a single parent, probably neck deep in work, running out of options to get his only child to be honest about just how severe things have become. He lost his wife, Frankie’s mother, to a sickness not even treatment could save her from. He must be terrified of even the possibility to watch that replay with his own daughter.

Steve also cares about Frankie, really, really cares deeply about her, so it’s a no-brainer response.

“Absolutely, Dr. Amato. I- I’d do—“ Steve, don’t say it. Don’t get emotional. “I’d do anything if it meant keeping Frankie safe.”

Goddammit, why can’t you shut your mouth for once?

Dr. Amato stands, towering over Steve, concern still written all over his face, but a flicker of hope and some kind of ease, too. “I know, Steve. She probably won’t tell you, but the friendship you two have is one of the best things to happen to her in a long while.” He shakes Steve’s hand, which Steve finds out of place in a conversation like this, but assumes the doctor is just taking the professional route. “Thanks, kid. I’ll see you in a month for a follow up, but don’t hesitate to call if you need.”

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The following day, Steve was surprised to find Frankie so upbeat when he entered the record shop. She’s sweeping along the tiled floor, singing along to the music pumping through the speakers, a little off key, but it brings a smile to Steve’s face to see her doing better today.

At least, that’s how it seems.

She’s bopping her head along, dancing lazily, sometimes humming along to the words she doesn’t know; she’s lost in whatever song fills the shop, with a distracted smile on her face.

“In my darkest dreams I see, you’re much closer now to me. I have got you in my hair, I can feel you ‘round me everywhere.”

Steve’s mesmerized by the pure joy she’s radiating, completely enveloped in her own little world, unaware the door’s bell chimed out, or that he’s just standing there, unable to tear his eyes away. In fact, when she spins around, she’s immediately startled at the sight of Steve, dropping the broom as she yelps.

“Christ, Steve, you can’t sneak up on me like that!” She clutches her chest, heart about to beat out of her chest, only to dissolve into a fit of giggles. He smiles apologetically with a shrug. “Hope you didn’t hear too much of my bad singing.”

“Who cares— you should hear me singing along to whatever’s on the radio on road trips,” He hands Frankie her coffee; it’s his day to grab their orders. He loves this small routine they’ve fallen into, but today was one of the many lately where Cade and Rhi tease the hell out of him for not telling Frankie how he feels. Seriously? Does everyone know except her? He shakes the thoughts from his mind, focusing back on her. “Usually Robin’s ready to kick me out of the moving car, and I’m the one always driving.”

Frankie pauses mid-sip of her peculiar yet regular iced coffee order, snorting over Steve’s words.

“Just wait ‘til we drive somewhere for awhile, I think you’ll get sick of me real quick. If I’m not singing obnoxiously, I’ll talk your ear off.”

I’d never get sick of that, or you. 

She’s just joking along, but Steve finds himself shaking his head, softly replying, “No way. I- I’d like it.” A gentle smile floats across his face, followed by a deep blush, stammering to explain, “Y’know, I- like— if we took a trip somewhere— together— I mean, duh, together, you said that, it’s—“ Jesus, Steve. Shut. Up.

Frankie’s smirking at him. “I’d like that too.” She sets her coffee down on the nearest surface, bending down to pick the broom back up. Any happiness visible vanishes in an instant as she tries to get back up, not making it very far; the broom slips from her grasp as her legs give out, sending her crashing to the floor. Thankfully, it was a short fall, but she curses under her breath, face twisting up in the same discomfort Steve witnessed days ago.

He sets his stuff aside, dropping to the floor. “Shit. You okay? Here,” He holds his hands out, but she swats them away; he wasn’t expecting that, leaving him stunned.

“I can do it. M’fine,” She huffs, looking away, embarrassed. 

“‘Key, I’m not saying you can’t—“ 

“It’s okay, really. I- I’m fine.” She takes her time getting back on her feet, grabbing onto a nearby sturdy shelf of CDs to lift herself back up. “See? I’m okay.”

He can’t just drop this, though. “Why won’t you let me help you, the way you help me?”

Frankie’s mouth opens to respond, but not a word comes out. There’s not much of a chance for any response anyway, not when the door’s chime sets off again. The pair turn to find Robin, Eddie and Dustin entering with big smiles on their faces. 

“Okay, surprising you here might be way better than a hospital,” Dustin snorts. 

Eddie, has no greeting, eyes going wide at the new surroundings, whispering, “Holy shit.”

“They insisted on coming here to see you two,” Robin shrugs, smirking. “I was practically held up at gunpoint. By Dustin.”

“Whoa, not cool, I’ve never once owned anything dangerous like that.”

“No, but you did wield that long electric prod that you practically stabbed that evil doctor with—“

“To save your lives!”

Steve sighs, rolling his eyes, before turning to Frankie with a hint of a smile, “Here we fuckin’ go again.” It earns a giggle out of her. If there’s anything she’ll allow him to do to make her feel better, at the very least, he’s happy he can make her laugh. Still, low enough for only her to hear, he murmurs, “I- I wanna talk about all of this later. Just you and me. Okay?”

Frankie huffs out of her nose, but her body relaxes, relenting on the defensive front she wants to hide behind. “Okay. M’sorry.”

Steve grabs her hand quick, squeezing it, “Hey, don’t be sorry. You’ve got a lot going on. S’all gonna be okay, I promise.”

“So… can I live here?” Eddie asks in a dreamy state, drinking in every little detail of the indie record shop. “This place is so fucking cool.”

Steve releases Frankie’s hand, noticing the way Robin eyes the two of them curiously. He narrows his eyes at her, and she whistles, wandering away. 

“Eddie, there’s a record store across the street from our place,” Dustin laughs, but Eddie shakes his head animatedly.

“Yeah, but it went all corporate, and shit. The world needs more hidden gems like this,” He throws his arms out, spinning around in a circle. “Not another fuckin’ Sam Goody.”

“Hey, they have good deals sometimes!” Robin argues, but Eddie flips her off, wandering to a section with guitar strings and picks. 

“You guys should just move to the city at this point, with all the trips you’re taking,” Steve’s mostly teasing, but Dustin can’t hide the shit-eating grin growing on his face.

“Funny you mention that…”

“Wait— wait, really? Henderson, I swear to god if you’re fucking with me—“

This catches Eddie’s attention, and he zips back over to the group, hands animatedly flowing as he explains, “So, okay, funny story, somehow my uncle, and his mom managed to get into some weird, long distance relationship—“

“It’s really just yearning like they’re in some gothic romance novel, writing letters to one another and shit,” Robin cuts in, snickering.

“Which would build to something, like all relationships do eventually, Buckley!” Eddie quips, rolling his eyes with a scoff. “Anyway, long story short, he wants to head to Florida, move in with her. Our lease ends in a month, and, I shit you not, Steven—“

“Don’t call me that, man.”

“… Big boy?”

“Not that either!”

Frankie, all the while, is back in a fit of giggles behind Steve; it brings a small smile to his face, one only the other three can see. 

“The apartment across the hall from yours? Available. Well, it was.”

“Basically, surprise! We’re neighbors now. Well. We’re gonna be neighbors,” Dustin’s grin grows even wider, as if that was even possible. “

Steve’s heart swells with joy; he can’t believe his other best friends are moving here. Here, in the city, but also right next door. After being apart for years, aside from trips here and there to visit on another, he can’t believe they’ll all be together again. It feels right. Familiar. 

The family he found, the one that’s given him more than his family by blood ever had, ever will, will be together again. At least, partially. He misses everyone that’s moved to California. Hell, he even misses, Jonathan and Nancy, still out in New York City. But this news, his two best friends moving here, makes coping with the major changes and trauma left behind a little easier.

And he loves Robin, she’s his number one, as he is her’s, but he’s been worried he holds her back sometimes. For a while, Robin was the only friend he had out here. She gave up a lot of nights out with new friends, dates with women she’d never meet back in a small town like Hawkins, to be there for her best friend. She doesn’t regret it, and he’s thankful for any moments she’s been there for him, but the guilt has always lied underneath it all. Robin never once said or sought out to make him feel like a burden, but it was still on Steve’s mind.

Then, Frankie came along, not only a new friend, but a friend who understood him on a level no one else has or could currently. Not firsthand, at least. And sure, Eddie had his health issues, had to use mobility aids when he was recovering, and he and Steve bonded over that for a bit, but aside from the PTSD they all have— still crippling in its own ways— he’s surprisingly healed enough to not have chronic pain. Not like Steve still has. 

Frankie opened Steve’s eyes to a world where he can exist, sick but unapologetic. Trying his best, but not punching himself down for what’s out of his control. He could be disabled and happy; the two absolutely can co-exist.

It all feels like things are finally falling into place for Steve; it feels like he’s finally sighing a breath he’s held for five years. Maybe, just maybe, he can enjoy life again without dreading what’s yet to come, or feeling guilty for simply existing. Whatever’s bound to happen in the future, good or bad, he’s surrounded by his closest friends, his family.

Whatever the future brings for Steve, he can handle it now.

“You can play D&D with us again!” Dustin exclaims, fist pumping into the air.

Okay, except that.

Steve’s face reddens, eyes shifting between his friends and Frankie, laughing it off sheepishly. “Whoa, wait, I played like, three times at most—“

“Hey, man, don’t try saving face just ‘cause Frankie’s here.” Eddie smirks, eyes darting over to Frankie who looks confused. “You’re still a nerd like the rest of us.”

“I— shut up—“

“You guys play?” Everyone turns to Frankie, dead silent, and she stammers, feeling like she’s on the spot now. “I- I- used to, in school— well, when I wasn’t missing school and seeing friends ‘cause I was sick a lot, but…” She trails off with a shrug.

“See, even Frankie’s a nerd!” Dustin throws his hand out towards her, making her laugh, but he still elaborates, “That’s a compliment, I promise.”

“So why are you—“ She pokes Steve’s arm, “So offended by being called a nerd?”

“I— I’m not—“

All three of his friends respond at once:

Dustin with a deadpan, “Oh, he absolutely is offended by that, still.”

“It’s the ‘King Steve’ complex that’s still stuck like old bubblegum, probably,” Eddie jokes slyly.

“He’s in denial, more than I was when I was in the closet.” Robin taunts, laughing at her own remark.

“Wait, hang on, that’s fucked up, Rob.” Steve can’t help but laugh despite his words.

“I’m just being honest!”

“Hold on, back up, what’s this ‘King Steve’ shit?” Frankie’s so amused as the shade of embarrassment across Steve’s face spreads to his neck, only growing deeper. 

“Oh, it’s— let’s not—“ He tries shrugging it off with a ‘pffffttt’ noise and a nervous laugh. “I told you before, I- I was… not the greatest person in high school.”

“He was a dick,” Dustin bluntly points out, and Steve shoots him a glare.

“Never expected to ever become best friends with him before everything happened at Starcourt,” Robin’s honesty makes Steve shake his head. “That’s not a bad thing, dingus. Just a wild plot twist!”

“Big boy over here hated me,” Steve’s ready to fight Eddie as he speaks the truth. “If it weren’t for Dustin, he’d probably still hate me.”

“Or, you probably would’ve stabbed my neck with that fucking broken beer bottle first.”

“Whoa, man. Thought that water was under the bridge.”

“I’m just saying!”

Dustin turns to Frankie, paying no mind his two older brother figures. “Ignore those children,” She giggles while they both glare at her, then Dustin. “I wanna know what touristy things we should do before we move here.”

“We are not children! You’re the infant, Dusty Bun,” Eddie snaps back with a grin.

“Only Suzie can call me that, and you know it!”

“Well, I—“ Frankie holds her hand up to Eddie, and his jaw drops. “Are you telling me to talk to the hand?” He pulls out the dramatics, clutching his chest. “Frankie... How could you?”

“Anyway, I got lots of fun suggestions!” She turns from Dustin, eyes darting between Eddie and Steve. “No children allowed, though.”

Robin, meanwhile, is cracking up during all of this.

“What if we kiss and make up?” Eddie cracks while he waggles his brows at Steve, who rolls his eyes and reels back.

“Eddie, man, get the hell away from me.”

He simply shrugs, “Your loss.”

Dustin throws his hands up, blocking the two of them out of his sight. “Can we ditch them? I wanna ditch them.”

Steve scoffs, “You little shit—“

His one hand balls up, poking his middle finger at the two of them, attention still on Frankie.

“Actually… there is something I still haven’t tried yet,” Frankie mentions, shyness pouring out suddenly, almost worried of rejection. “If you guys are up for it, that is.”

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Everything’s surreal up this high from the Sears Tower, and Steve? Oddly enough, for how cautious and anxious of a person he has become, he loves this. There’s something that puts him at ease being above the city’s grid and all the chaos and routine running through it.

But Frankie? The idea in theory sounded exciting, but now that they’re all up here…

 “Oh… no, it’s— “ She eyes the window behind Steve, freezing in her tracks feet away. Tensing up, she’s nervously babbling, “I’m— you enjoy it, I’m good right here— safe— I- I’m safe here.”

Frankie keeps her distance from the window, leaning onto her cane and fidgeting with the wrist strap. She’s afraid to peer over the edge of the railing, despite the thick glass, terrified of the height they’re at.

Steve turns back around, holding his hand out to her. “C’mon, I got you.”

“Yeah but what if there’s, like, a freak accident and the glass breaks and I fall? And you’d fall, too. If we died ‘cause of me, I’d never forgive myself.”

It sounds absolutely absurd, and Frankie expects Steve to poke fun at her, but he only continues holding out his hand toward her.

“Frankie.” He gives a reassuring smile, only to crack, “You wouldn’t be able to forgive yourself if you’re dead.”

“Steve, that’s not helping!” She laughs a little, but she’s frozen in place. Steve steps closer, hand still extended toward her.

“You’re safe, I promise.” Steve doesn’t want to push Frankie if she’s truly uncomfortable, but she’s been excitedly talking about the observation deck all day, and would hate to see her miss out on the view. “Like you told me, you won’t let anything hurt me, so I won’t let anything hurt you. I swear.”

With a trembling hand, she grasps onto his, letting Steve guide her over to the railing. She takes a deep breath as he stands behind her, glancing down toward the city’s aerial view for just a second. Eyes widening, she spins around to walk off, but bumps directly into him instead with an “oof!”.

“Nope, not so fast,” He grabs her shoulders, slowly turning her back around to stay at the window. Steve stands behind her, hands lazily gripping the railing as his arms cage her in. He leans down to her ear, murmuring, “You’re always safe with me.”

Frankie sets her cane against the railing, hands slowly sliding over his, fear-fueled trembling beginning to slow. She mutters more to herself, in reassurance, but Steve still hears it, “Safe with you.” 

Off in the distance, boats sail along the green-blue hue of the lake, while the sunshine’s reflection glitters along the surface. Standing alongside the buildings feels strange, and the view of the cars and people and trains from up here just make them look like toys. There’s not a cloud in the sky today, but Frankie’s sure if there were any, they’d be close enough to reach out and touch.

A few feet away, they hear Dustin say the timeless, “I can see my house from here!” joke. They both burst into snorts and giggles, with Steve glancing over to the kid— Dustin’s always going to be a kid to him— he’s considered a younger brother for so long now, watching the way he enthusiastically smushes his face against the glass. 

“What house? He’s literally looking out at the lake,” Steve stifles a laugh, shaking his head, as Frankie takes a quick glance over, snorting. Eddie and Robin are pressed against the glass now, searching for whatever the hell Dustin’s pointing at. They’re standing on the railing, squishing only their faces against the windows.

Her brows crinkle, head tilting with curiosity. “Why are they pressed against the glass like that?”

Steve follows her stare, then returns to her with a knowing smile, “You know that scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?”

Frankie shifts to face Steve, totally lost as her eyes meet his. “…. No.”

“Wh— are you kidding me?”

“I’ve never seen it…”

“First you tell me you’ve lived here your whole life, and never came up here until today, and now you’re telling me you’ve never seen that movie?!” She just shakes her head, smiling with a cringe. “Wanna watch it later? But only if you’re up for it, though. If you’re not feeling well, you should rest— are you feeling okay now? Shit, I should’ve asked before we got here—“

“Steve.” Frankie’s hands slip entirely away from his as she turns completely, leaning against the railing to look up at him. She’s so close, so close to him, it’d be practically effortless to lean in and kiss her.

Christ, stop thinking about that. We’re friends. Just that. Only that. Nothing else. Friends.

“I’m good aside from the fatigue, but I’m really glad we’re here, even if it’s a little scary.” She gives a nervous, soft chuckle, eyes landing on his lips, lingering for a second too long. Her eyes screw shut, nodding, “B- but I’d— yeah, I’d like that. I can’t promise I’d stay awake though.”

Now Steve’s mirroring Frankie, gaze falling to her lips, plush and pretty in the warm, soft smile she defaults to often. He sucks in a breath, forcing himself to bring his eyes back to meet her own.

“Yeah, that’s…” Steve, focus. “That’s fine. Maybe it’s better to hang at your place then, in case you need to rest. I- if that’s okay with you, of course.”

She hums in agreement, turning back to the window. Her hands slide back over his, “I’d like that a lot. All of us, right?”

While he was hoping for some alone time, it makes him happy to know she’s comfortable around his friends. Her friends, too. She glances back over to the other three, a smile pulling wider across her features as she watches them laugh and joke about god knows what.

“Your friends are fun to be around.” Frankie’s staring out to the skyscrapers nearby, gradually shrinking closer and closer to the ground the farther she looks out. Her thumbs sweep across the backs of Steve’s hands subconsciously; they still tremble a little, but the contact of her hands on his keeps her grounded. “Thank you for always including me.”

“They’re your friends too, y’know.”

“Oh I— I didn’t want to assume—“

Steve shakes his head, even though she can’t see. “You’re a part of this little, weird… whatever the hell kind of friend group we’ve got going on here.” He chuckles, “Unless it’s too weird for you, then I totally get it.”

Frankie tilts her head up and back, trying to look at Steve, grinning, “Yeah, ‘cause I’m the definition of normal.”

The way her eyes crinkle in her smile, nose scrunching as she teases, all Steve wants to do is lean down and kiss her, even if the angle is awkward. 

Quit thinking about kissing her, don’t make it weird.

 It’s such a strange, grey space to float in; they’re so comfortable around one another, with touches that aren’t fleeting anymore, they linger. They’ve been flirting, mostly teasing one another, displaying little acts of affection that stick with Steve for days— but nothing has come from it. Nothing more, at least.

Even if he and Frankie were stuck in this cycle of friends with a hint of more, he’d be happy. He longs for more, but he’s just grateful to know her, bonded together by unique circumstances. By now, Steve’s learned not to depend on one person for happiness, but is it such a crime to naturally feel elated by someone’s presence, and how well they flow with you?

“S’pretty from up here.”

“See? Not so scary, huh?”

She shakes her head and speaks faintly, it’s barely even a whisper, “Not with you.” Making the move first, she spreads his fingers apart with her own, lacing them together while still resting her palms against the backs of his hands.

There’s something. This has to be something.

Steve doesn’t think, doesn’t hesitate before he gently kisses the top of her head.

Frankie’s blushing wildly, though he can’t see, and feigning disgust through a scoff, “Gross, Steve.” She giggles as she squeezes his hands, while he scoffs a laugh.

“I’ll remember that, Amato.”

“Shh, Steve, shut up, I’m busy sightseeing” She’s shaking as she tries holding back more laughter, pointing to the lake. “Oh! I can see my house from here!”

“See!” Dustin shouts. “Frankie gets it!”

Yeah, ‘Key, you fit right in.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨

Frankie finally watches Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and giggles throughout the entire movie, sharing a loveseat with Steve. The two inch closer to one another over time, and halfway through the second movie, Poltergeist, she’s hiding her eyes behind her fingers. Steve teasingly pulls her hands from her face, so she ducks her head into his chest.

“We can turn it off if you want,” He whispers to her, but she shakes her head.

“No, I love horror movies, m’just a big wimp,” She rolls her eyes at herself, despite Steve barely being able to see it. 

“Think you might’ve picked this one just to have an excuse to cuddle,” He bravely teases, hoping it’s not a touch too far. Relief floods through him as she snuggles into him even more.

She tilts her head up and glares back at him playfully. “Maybe… maybe not.”

“Jesus H. Christ,” Eddie hisses from the couch he’s sprawled out on. “Can you two lovebirds shut up?”

Both Frankie and Steve sit up with defenses, “We’re not like that—“ and “He’s— we’re friends!”

“Yeah, and I’m straight,” Robin mutters from the floor, earning a cackle from Dustin over in the recliner. 

Sighing in annoyance, Steve lays back down, pulling Frankie with him as her face turns red. Embarrassment and irritation flows between the two of them. Their friends mean well, really, they do; it’s just lighthearted teasing. Yet it still tugs at the reminder for Steve to not get caught up in feelings that won’t be reciprocated.

Yawning, Frankie wraps her arms around Steve’s waist, face resting and squishing up against his chest to watch the movie, but it’s not long before she’s fast asleep.

This isn’t new, not Frankie falling asleep on, or near Steve, at least. It hasn’t happened in front of his friends, though, and his interest in the movie is long gone, now focusing it all on the girl he’s been falling terribly hard for. 

As Steve plays with Frankie’s hair gently, sinking into the pillows so, so carefully, trying to get comfortable without waking her, attentive to any faint noises she makes in her sleep, worried she’s going to wake up in more pain— he has no clue his friends are watching him.

Robin notices first, catching in the corner of her eye the awkward way Steve shifts against the cushions, throwing his legs over the armrest, holding Frankie close to him. She snores once, so softly, but it makes Steve smile. His fingers run up and down her spine, slowly, gently, ghosting their touch along her back in patterned caresses. His own eyes begin to grow heavy, and he fights sleep a few times, only to drift off regardless; one hand is woven in her hair, his other arm wrapped snug around her waist, keeping her secure against his own body.

Turning back to the others, Robin finds Dustin and Eddie admiring the two of them together, too.

“We should probably head out,” Dustin whispers as the older two nod. 

They collect their things, let the tape play through, quietly slinking out of Frankie’s apartment. On the way out, Robin sticks a note on Steve’s forehead, holding back a snicker as he scrunches his face up in his sleep.

Eddie quietly closes the door behind them, glancing up at Robin and Dustin once the door clicks shut.

“I know you guys have been friends with him longer, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so… comfortable with someone else.”

They make their way out of the building, with Robin agreeing, “Yeah, neither have I. Haven’t seen him this content with anyone in years.”

“Not even with Nancy, honestly,” Dustin adds.

There’s a silence that falls over them as they head down the sidewalk. They’re all thinking the same thing, but Eddie still has to ask.

“Do you think he—“

“Yeah, he totally does,” Robin cuts Eddie off.

Dustin just smiles knowingly. He’s called it, they all have from the start. Steve’s the last to know, the last to figure it out, like always, but he’ll get there. He always does.

This time, though, when Steve falls, Frankie will be there to catch him. They just know it.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨

A few days later, Steve comes into the shop, enjoying the warmth of another beautiful spring morning; he makes his way through the quiet, dark store while sunlight’s beginning to peek through the windows, spilling across the rows of records.

I could’ve sworn Frankie said she’s opening today, he wonders if he read his calendar wrong. The faint sound of weeping that floats out of the dark break room shoves that thought aside.

True to his personality, Steve rushes in, panicked and ready to protect his friend from whatever has her upset.  Frankie’s on the worn, beat up couch, head in her hands as she folds forward to her knees. The lights are off in the room, and he wonders if that was intentional.

“Hey, hey, what’s going on?” He drops his stuff on the floor, sliding onto the couch next to her. He’s ready to throw a comforting arm around her, but pauses, just to double check, “Is it okay if I touch you?”

Frankie sits up, quick to wipe her tears away. “I- I’m fine. It’s all good.” Her voice wavers, betraying her words. She won’t look at him, but she looks exhausted from what Steve can observe. Her bottom lip trembles, so she curls it inward, but her eyes crinkle at the edges as tears taunt her, ready to fall all over again.

“You’re not good,” Steve holds out an arm, signaling her to sink into his embrace, if it helps. She does, because it does help. She leans into him, and the tears start all over again. “You told me I had to be honest about what hurts me, I need you to be honest about your pain, too.”

“S’just a flare up.”

“Flare ups can be a big deal, ‘Key.”

“Well, I don’t want it to be a big deal!” Steve can empathize with her stubbornness; it’s so disheartening to do well for some time, just to crash into a flare up once again. It’s a constant, cruel reminder you’ll never be healthy. You’ll never get better. “I wish you’d drop it, Steve. I- I know you care, but I’m fine.”

It must be bad enough if she’s in denial like this.

Steve’s been doing what he can to learn more about lupus, to help comfort Frankie where he can in times like this; life has been hell for him with fibromyalgia alone, he can’t begin to imagine the pain and suffering Frankie feels with lupus. She carries herself so well most days, carefree and spirited, always smiling and cracking corny jokes or shooting off her sarcasm, while carrying love for everyone and everything good in her life.

If it weren’t for the tell-tale signs of a flare up, or using a mobility aid, one would never guess she’s sick from a quick glance, or brief interaction.

“What if I take over today? You can go home and rest—“

“No,” Her voice is firm, bitter, and doesn’t match her current appearance at all. Her ruined makeup has dried in streaks running down her face. Steve frowns, realizing she’s not herself at all.

“No?”

She sits up, eyes heavy with fatigue, and Steve notices the faint butterfly rash spreading rosy red across her features. Tenderly, the back of his hand rests against her forehead, eyes widening at the sudden temperature change.

“Jesus Christ, ‘Key, you’re burning up.”

“I know m’hot, don’t gotta tell me,” She jokes with a weak smile, if even existent at all. The faint smile flips into a frown with ease. “Steve, I never got your coffee— fuck. Shit. I’m so sorry.”

While alternating days of ordering each other’s coffees became a pleasant routine for Steve, it’s the last of his concerns right now, though.

“It’s just coffee, that’s not a big…” Bloodshot, glassy orbs glance back at him, breaking his heart. Hands cupping her own, he gives a gentle squeeze. “Hey, it’s okay, ‘Key. Seriously. Please don’t beat yourself up over that.” The fever’s getting to her— hell, this entire flare up probably has her on edge. Steve knows even when he has a cold, everything feels distant mentally; he can only imagine how rough a fever is along with other flare up symptoms.

“But I… I forgot.” 

Outside of flare ups, Frankie’s memory is usually sharp as a tack. Now, though, she’s lost in a fog of pain and a hint of delirium. 

“Hey, honey, it’s okay,” Steve surprises himself when the endearing term comes out with ease. “Do you still want— shit, wait, you probably shouldn’t have coffee right now— “ He squeezes his eyes shut, stammering, “Fuck, uh— tea? Maybe that’ll help, might be soothing. Would that work?”

“I got some at home, but I’m okay, Steve. I just need a second. B- but I can open today,” She’s up, and only on her feet for a second, reaching out to steady herself on something. Like the very first day they met, Steve acts quickly, catching her as she stumbles. Unlike that day, though, this time is worrying him.

“You’re not okay, and you’re not working today.” Steve’s tone is firm as he helps Frankie sit down safely. He kneels on the floor before her, hand slipping under her chin to lift her gaze up to his. “You’re not riding this fever out on a damn break room couch, either.”

Much to his surprise, she doesn’t argue back. Maybe the fatigue and aching has worn her down to nearly a shell of her usual upbeat, independent self. Defeated, she asks with one word, “Home?”

If cradling one another’s faces with their hands was an Olympic sport, both Frankie and Steve would be tied for gold. Both of his hands hold her face gingerly as he nods.

“Yeah, I’ll take you home.”

“No,” Her head shakes. Wrapping her fingers around his wrists weakly, she asks with bleary eyes, “Come home with me?”

There’s a pang in his heart; the sweetly phrased question is laced in pain and fatigue, and in another timeline, where Frankie and Steve are healthy, it’d be one to send his heart racing with excitement. Instead, it’s broken, tangled in the grief that comes along with yet another flare up.

Yet another reminder one never fully gets better with illnesses like these.

He gives her a pensive smile, “F’course, ‘Key.”

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

“You ever wish you could share your headphones with someone?” Frankie’s peering out her open bedroom window from her bed. She looks so cozy in a loose sweatshirt and gym shorts, nursing a cup of tea Steve made for her. The Tylenol she took seems to be kicking in, which is a relief to Steve; her temperature earlier read 101 degrees, just above being a low grade fever.

There’s a comforting, gentle breeze coming from the window, giving her some relief from overheating.

Steve’s face crinkles with confusion as he laughs. “What?” He’s on the opposite end of her bed, wearing the same pair of sweats she let him use the first time he came over, tea mug sitting empty on the windowsill.

 “Yeah… like, when you wanna listen to the same tape with them, or something?”

“… Just use a stereo?”

“Not the same! There’s something intimate about sharing your favorite song with someone in real time, y’know?”

No, he wouldn’t. He’s never been into music enough— nor have his past partners and friends— to think about something sweet like that. Maybe Robin or Eddie would find it fun, but they all have vastly different tastes in music.

“I- I wouldn’t know.”

“Someone should make headphones, but they go inside your ears,” She turns to Steve, golden hour of the day’s sunset gleaming over her worn features. How the hell is she always so beautiful? “Like, little, tiny earplug-like headphones,” She pinches her thumb and index fingers together, holding them by her ear. “And they’d be connected by a wire on each, right? So it’d be so easy to share with someone else. Each person uses one of the earplug-headphone-thingies.”

He teases, “Oh, is that the patented name for it?”

“Yeah! M’gonna invent it. You just wait,” She sets her mug next to Steve’s, sinking under the covers a little further with a sigh, eyes heavy with fatigue. “Then we can share our favorite songs together.”

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Steve’s captivated by the sunlight gleaming along her figure; even covered in blankets and comfy layers, there’s something angelic about the scene of her before him.

“So, we gotta wait ‘til you invent those headphones?” He scoots to her side of the bed, sliding under the covers next to her. 

“Earplug-headphone-thingies, Steven,” She corrects him.

“Just because you’re in a flare up doesn’t mean you get to throw my full name around like that.”

“You’re right, it’s unfair if I don’t know your middle name.” She rolls towards him, poking his chest, “Spill it, Harrington.”

“Absolutely not, Francesca.”

“That’s another quarter.”

“Jesus, have some mercy, will ya’?”

“Hm… might spare you if you hold me.”

“You’re asking for a lot,” Despite his teasing, Steve winds his arms around Frankie, bringing her closer. She’s still too warm, but it’s not as intense as earlier, thankfully. He’s just above a whisper as he asks, “How’re you feeling?”

She sighs, tucking her face into his shoulder, “Honestly, I feel terrible.” She falls into silence, long enough that Steve wonders if she fell asleep.

“‘Key?”

“Y’know, the night you told me about everything… with Hawkins, and the Upside Down… when I found you outside, you told me you didn’t want me to see you like that.” Frankie’s on the edge of a mirthless chuckle, “I remember thinking that we’re both sick, we’re bound to see the worst of one another’s illnesses at some point… but now I can’t stop feeling the same as you did— I really never wanted you to see me like this.”

“You’re right, it’s kinda inevitable two sick friends would see each other at their lowest points, but that won’t drive me away.”

“That’s the thing, though. We’re both sick. What happens when our flare ups occur at the same time? Even if you’re not in a flare, you’re still in pain. I feel awful that you’re pushing yourself to take care of me.”

That doesn’t matter when you love someone.

Steve’s grateful Frankie can’t see his face right now, eyes wide as saucers as the truth finally collides with his thoughts he won’t dare to speak aloud. He prays she can’t feel the way his heartbeat practically stops, or how he’s holding his breath, afraid to exhale a confession.

… Oh.

He can’t tell her; even if he wanted to, this isn’t the time right now. So now he has to sit with this revelation in silence, shove it to the farthest corner of his mind. And really, is it even much of a revelation to begin with? He’s known about his feelings toward Frankie for months now, but to effortlessly think about caring for her as an act of love, that’s… that’s new.

How the hell do I tell her without actually telling her?

 “You’re always caring for me through your pain, let me do the same for you.” Steve’s fingers run through her hair, ever so gently, afraid he’ll hurt her somehow in such a vulnerable state. “I care about you, Frankie. A lot.”

“That’s what scares me.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

Frankie rolls onto her stomach, crossing her arms in front of her on the pillow before resting her chin on them, eyes refusing to meet Steve’s.

“Five years ago you were leaving behind the worst shit you’ve ever experienced,” She doesn’t give into crying, despite the way her voice wavers and bottom lip wobbles, ever so slightly, in a pout. “Five years ago, I had the worst flare up of my life. I never went through one so intense before that.”

Steve turns to her, arm still draped over her torso lazily. He stays quiet, ready to listen, fingers tracing slow circles on her back.

“Usually, it was joint pain, some mild inflammation in spots, the rash I have on my face now, low grade fevers— common, mild lupus symptoms.” She sounds so worn down, but holds strong. “But the worst flare up went beyond all of that. It just got worse, and worse; I had rashes that turned into sores all over, fatigue made it literally impossible to stay awake, I was losing hair, and I couldn’t walk much without my legs giving out. That alone made me severely depressed, too. Just a constant cycle of bracing myself for the worst, and worrying if it’d ever get better or not.

“The usual meds I took weren’t enough. Nothing was getting better. I woke up one morning and couldn’t physically leave bed, like m- my legs would not move.” She tilts her face into her arms, trying to hide what she can of her face as tears threaten to break. “I was paralyzed, Steve. I’ve never been so fucking scared in my life.”

It’s as if the oxygen was sucked out of the room instantly; Steve feels his heart sink as his breathing hitches in place. He can’t wrap his head around how terrifying that must’ve been for her. How terrifying it’d be for anyone.

“And, y’know, like a stubborn idiot, I tried hiding it from my dad, but that just earned me an ambulance trip and upsetting him more than I was trying to avoid to begin with. I didn’t want him to worry, but that backfired. He still worries so much, and maybe that’s ‘cause he’s— I- I don’t know, it sounds stupid, but I think he’s afraid to lose me the way he lost my mom.”

That would explain why Dr. Amato felt panicked enough to ask Steve to step in and check on Frankie. It explains why she’s so quick to shrug off her own pain.

“It’s not stupid at all, Frankie. He worries because he cares, it’s what parents do.”

Except mine.

Steve shoves that thought away, too; again, not the time. “So… what happened? What caused it? How— sorry, this is gonna sound ignorant, but how are you able to walk now?” 

“Damn, Harrington, one question at a time.” She breaks into a faint smile, one that Steve is relieved to catch a glimpse of. “Myelitis. My spinal cord was inflamed, and that causes a whole fuck-ton of problems, like partial or full paralysis. My limbs would go numb sometimes, or tingle like when your foot falls asleep, but I couldn’t shake it off. Made my arms and legs weak, and the pain was a nightmare. I was lucky enough to get treated in time to make a decent recovery, but it’s why I still can’t control my hands sometimes,” She laughs with an eye roll, but it’s bitter and short, “Like when I dropped my damn coffee.”

Steve figures as much, but it comes full circle when he remembers a conversation he and Frankie had the first day they spent together.

“Do you just paint as a hobby?”

“I actually had plans to become a tattoo artist, did an apprenticeship and everything.” 

He can still hear the disappointment and grief in her admission of giving up on a dream.

“Can’t really tattoo when you’ve got unpredictable hand tremors, though. S’why the paintings are such a wreck.”

Frankie finally opening up only makes that memory even more gut wrenching to think about.

“Is that why you couldn’t become a tattooist?” 

She only nods, balling up the ends of her sleeves in her fists, squeezing the fabric in her palms roughly.

“Took months to recover, with a ton of physical therapy and IV treatments, since my meds weren’t working. I used a wheelchair for awhile, sometimes still do on my worst days… but things are— were going so well lately,” Frankie still won’t look at Steve, but even from what he can see, her stare grows distant as the memory tries to pull her out of the present. “My hair obviously grew back, and I can walk, most of the time with a cane, but it’s better than nothing. And I— there’s a lot of parts of me I don’t like showing, ‘cause I have scars from the sores. My skin’s all mottled and veiny. Looks aren’t everything, but it still sucks when you look bad on top of feeling bad. I was disgusted with myself every time I saw my reflection.”

That also breaks Steve’s heart; Frankie’s right, looks aren’t everything, but it certainly doesn’t help to watch your body drastically change out of your control while already chronically ill. 

“If m’being honest, sometimes I still am,” She admits with her words cracking. “It’s hard to look at the damage my own body inflicted on itself and be okay with all of… that.”

Steve so badly wants to counter her beliefs with the truth before his eyes; Frankie is truly the most beautiful person he’s ever known. Yet, he doesn’t want to come off as if he’s romanticizing the situation, nor does he want  to make it seem like he’s being nice, just to placate her self doubt.

“All of that was so hard to survive, even after the threat of paralysis, or death, were gone. I didn’t want to stay anymore, it was so hard to find joy in anything, or plan for a future I wasn’t sure was mine to begin with.” Finally, she turns on her side, gaze locking with Steve’s as she breaks; tears spill down her face as she curls into herself. “The few friends I had got sick of me being sick, eventually stopped talking to me. I was alone and afraid to try talking to anyone new.”

“What about Rhi and Cade?” This has been on his mind since Dr. Amato told Steve he’s the closest person to Frankie right now. “Aren’t they your friends?”

It’s a fractured smile, then a huff, “Kinda. Rhi’s busy with school, and Cade’s always with his boyfriend, so I never see either of them unless it’s getting coffee. At least there’s that, but growing apart because of life sucks. It’s just…everyone is busy, and I get it… but being alone for so long hurt. Hurt real bad. Probably why I came on so strong when I met you.”

“That wasn’t how I saw it. You have no clue how glad I am that you talked to me first.” Gingerly, he pushes stray hairs from her face, fingers trailing down to her cheek before resting his hand there. He sweeps his thumb along her cheekbone, really noticing the size difference between their hands as she wraps her hands around the one on his face. “I wanted to say something at the coffee shop, but it didn’t feel right with everything going on. You were also way too fucking cool for me to approach you first.”

Frankie giggles through her tears. “You’re just being a kiss-ass now.”

“Swear to god I’m not. You—“ He resists spilling the truth, watering it down to, “— you’re the best thing to happen to me in a long fuckin’ time, ‘Key.”

 Her laughter and tears shedding evolve into steady crying, eyes screwing shut as she shudders a breath. 

“I— god. I want you so much closer, Steve, but I’m so fucking scared.”

His heart skips a beat, and he’s dying to ask what that means, but she only cries harder. Steve winds his arms around her, gently, holding her once more. 

Is Frankie scared he’ll leave? She’ll get “too sick” for him and he’ll walk away? Or maybe she’s scared something will happen to her, hurting Steve emotionally.

“You’re not going through this alone. Whatever happens, I’m right here with you. Nothing will change that.” He means every word. “You’re so important to me, ‘Key.”

She hiccups, face buried in his neck. “But what if I—“

“Frankie.” He pulls back to grab her face softly, eyes never leaving her own, despite how hard it hits to see her so broken. He’s unsure where it comes from, but he responds with his own vague confession, “When you’re ready, you tell me. Until then, I’m by your side as much as you allow. M’not going anywhere, not without you.”

Steve hopes, prays, wishes on some shooting star in a night sky somewhere above the world that they’re on the same page, that she’s saying what he thinks she means. That he’s saying what she wants to hear.

There’s no verbal response, no way to tell for sure they’re seeing eye to eye, just Frankie holding him tight with weak arms. She ducks her head back into his shoulder, body heat is still high; Steve’s bracing himself for the worst, but right now, he hopes she knows just how cared for and loved she is.

When Steve promised Frankie’s dad at his appointment that he’d do anything to keep her safe, and swore to her high above the city that she’s safe with him, he meant every fucking word.

As if Frankie can read his thoughts, she murmurs into his shoulder, “Safe with you.”

[corrodedcoughin]

Songs that remind me of Steddie

1. Ever since I saw an edit of Nancy Steve and Eddie to Second Boys Will Be First Choice by The Brobecks I can’t not think of Steve.

2. for a little country vibe I think What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts would be Steve after Eddie dies in the show (despite him actually being alive I know cause I’m the third duffer brother).

3. Can’t take my eyes off of you by Frankie Valli for obvious reasons but I can just imagine Eddie (or Steve) doing it like Heath Ledger in 10 things I hate about you. The serotonin of imagining them in that AU ugh

Anyways I love your blog and your tags make post 1000x better please never stop

- @steveisabicon

(okay first off let me just say I am a big fan of everything you say and thank you for not blocking me yet after i have definitely spam liked and gone off on rants in your posts because you have 10/10 perfect incredible takes. i am but a worm to your worm kingdom) okay now please i've just listened to that first song and i am gong to NEED to see that edit PLEASE because that songis getting me HYPED FOR IT ...your second song...i'm not talking 2 u. how dare you i'm not joking i'm hurt i'm wounded i can't cope with what you've just done to me please dont ever talk to me again (im joking come back) YES FRANKIE VALLI!!! not only for the heath ledger vision because hoenstly i can see it and its perfect and i am giggling and twirling my hair and when i saw your ask at work i had to try so hard not to smile stupid at my phone at the thought of steddie to that scene. i also firmly believe eddie is reminded of steve through soul/motown songs and this is hitting my niche so THANK YOU!!!!!

[eddie-scarpa-lived]

idk how in-character this feels but i'm imagining eddie confronting henry over the drug dealing and initially saying something like "where's the money?"–something where henry's pretty sure what he's talking about, but that doesn't outright mention the drugs so he can't be 100% certain–and henry tries to play it off, asks him what he means (if there's even a slight chance he's wrong, he isn't about the reveal himself) and eddie just smacks the shit out of him without warning. that, or...he seems relatively under control at first, but when he says something about breaking the rules, henry brings up that carlo's doing the same thing, and that's when eddie hits him. it's a far cry from his usual "get really pissed for a few seconds and then calm down" routine and that scares the shit out of henry (in fact i think i have a drafted scene of the latter option, somewhere). bonus if eddie is stone cold sober for once. idk i just love the drama of eddie just going after him out of nowhere without really blowing up the way henry himself tends to, just...icy cold anger.

oh i am totally with you on this one! I think this is actually the first time Eddie actually shows Henry how scary he can be - because I assume he was kinda "ok" with the failed hit on Galante (somehow; maybe he naturally tried to believe into the "Galante at least left the city so that's a win"), but now, everything comes crashing down at Eddie and he's really stressed and worried - maybe Carlo's being more paranoid, also Eddie had to deal with the shit after Vito's house burnt down (remember how Vito says "There was even some trouble with the cop, but Eddie took care of that" at the beginning of chapter 12?), and like generally things are not looking that great.

Also, I think it's important to mention that - at least according to the Frankie Potts files - Eddie was not that keen on doing the drug business with Carlo either.

so naturally, when he learns about Henry doing the business (plus he probably connects it with the shootout at the Sea Gift Co.?), he gets angry not only because Henry is breaking the rules, but also because he's doing something what he himself is kinda opposed to, and also he probably has a lot of other shit to deal with. Plus of course Henry already failed the hit on Galante (and Eddie knows about it, judging by Vito's words - "Even though Henry failed to deliver on the contract, Eddie still brought him in when he heard Leo had skipped town")

so Eddie knows that this former Clemente guy who fucked up one big task already and was given a second chance by him personally (I doubt Carlo knows), has started doing what he is opposed to with Carlo (but with Carlo, Eddie quietly accepts the drug business since he's the boss and also because of their personal relationship). with Henry, he just feels betrayed.

i'm pushing into this also my own agenda of "Henry and Eddie growing closer during the two months between chapters 11 and 12"", where maybe Eddie for once feels like he has a true friend - and I'm thinking maybe he even somehow let a couple of information slip (about the drug business Carlo is involved in) - and now he feels like the moment of weakness and vulnerability backfired and Henry fucked him over

so I wouldn't be surprised if he really lashes out and threatens to kill Henry (although Carlo only sent him to collect the money; but Eddie is a bit drunk and also lets his personal feelings take over for a moment)

but, after all, he blames himself more than Henry actually. so in the end, he would shake his head and say something like. "how could I ever trust you?" and just snatches the money from Henry.

edit: maybe he is not drunk at all but looks a little bit like his usual “drunk” self, but it’s all just because he’s disheveled and it’s the passion and hatred and madness of the moment, and maybe Henry says “Eddie, you’re drunk” and it makes Eddie completely fly off the handle and be like “Don’t you dare” - because he was always berated by Carlo for “being drunk” whenever he tried to talk about some stuff or do some stuff

[mrs-hatake]

i'mma be honest I want to see your answer to all of the questions, from A to Z. if you feel like answering, PLEASE

ksudhwajsdcgsgd OH MY!!

okay okay, A/K/Z have already been answered here

B:  What was the first fandom you read fic in?  Which was the first you wrote fic for?

the first fandom I read a fic for was my chemical romance and it was a gerard x f!oc x frankie and I didn't even know what fanfiction was but I wanted more! 😂

the first fandom I wrote for was bandom (band fandom) but I don't remember which band I wrote for first.

C:  How did you come up with the title to [insert fic]?

most of my fics are song lyrics or things that pop into my head :p

D: What’s the most personal fanfic you’ve written?

on this blog? it has to be je te laisserai

E: What character do you identify with most?  Is there a certain fic of yours that captures these qualities particularly well?

kakashi. we're both hella depressed and we believe that we're undeserving of love. also, we're both lowkey su!c!dal. I haven't written anything that showcases how I can relate to kakashi but maybe in the future!

F: Is there a song or a playlist to associate with [insert fic]?

I need a title angel :(

G: If you wrote a sequel to [insert fic], what would it be about?

same as above 😅

H: How would you describe your writing style?

a mess lol. I get possessed by a writing ghost and have no idea what I wrote lol and I don't proof read either.

but then when there are times I am consumed by writer's block that I simply cannot write.

I: How many fandoms have you written in?  Do you have a favorite?

I've written for game of thrones, marvel, anime, kpop, supernatural and peaky blinders.

my favorite are game of thrones and marvel because they're interactive.

J:  What’s your favorite fanfic trope?  Have you written it?

enemies to lovers and no I haven't :(

L:  Which of your fanfics was the most emotionally challenging to write?

definitely eddie helps you with depression from my marvel blog

M: What’s the weirdest AU scenario you’ve ever come up with?  Did it turn into a story?

I don't have a weird scenario but I did write a bnha/naruto crossover fic where I talked about the similarities between bakugo and sasuke and why bakugo is way better. I sadly deleted it from ao3 and I can't find it on my laptop :/

N: Any fic ideas brewing that you’d care to share?

an extremely angsty toji one shot im working on

O: What are your thoughts on people writing fanfic of your fanfic?

never happened to me but I wouldn't mind if I was credited ^-^

P:  Where did you find the most inspiration for your story < insert title >?

most of my fics are inspired by songs or by my life lol

Q: Do you like getting prompts from your readers?

I used to but not anymore. im just not that committed or talented.

R: Which writers (fanfic or otherwise) do you consider the biggest influence on you and your writing?

my soulmate. she's the reason I'm trying so hard to improve my writing. I want to be her equal when it comes to writing.

S: How do you feel about fan art inspired by your writing?

I WOULD BE HONORED ❤️

T: Any fanfic tropes you can’t stand?

miscommunications, love triangles, arranged marriage and soulmate au. ik ik how can I hate soulmate aus when I have a soulmate of my own? see, my soulmate is platonic and not romantic. I just don't like the idea of someone deciding who my lover would be without my consultation or permission.

U: Is there a pairing you would like to write, but haven’t tried yet.

gojo x utahime, chilumi and obito x y/n :(

V: Are there certain comments you’ve received on your stories that have stuck with you?

"Awesome topic and you delivered it so well! I didn't know I need this fic until I read it, Dany's emotions and her realization of how special Sansa is to all these people is shown very believably here. And she's probably more in character here than in actual series. I love this." from my got fic on ao3

"Honestly, this fic has given me so much to think about because now I am in love with the idea of Tyrion making scenarios that required Sansa and Sandor to be together simply for his own amusement (though we would deny this, of course).

Not sure what you mean about writing skills failing, because this was absolutely adorable! The way you wrote it is exactly how I feel it would be written if this scene (Tyriom catching on) was canon. I felt that you did a good job in capturing Tyrion's thought process, and the story overall was so cute! So glad I read this! Keep up the great work :D" from another got fic on ao3

W: What is your favorite pairing to write?  Favorite pairing to read?

shikafemnaru!! I read anything with femnaruto 😂

X: How would you categorize your fanfic reading?  Are you a voracious reader?  Do you carefully pick and choose?  Something in between?

I carefully pick and choose but there are times when a fic would just randomly catch my interest

Y: What are your thoughts on your personal satisfaction with something you’ve written vs. the popularity of your stories?  Do you tend to be most satisfied with your most popular stories?

my most popular fic is this and I'll always be thankful for it and I am satisfied with it but im honestly selfish and I want some of my other fics to receive the same amount of love.

well, that was the end of it! thank you for this ❤️

[newtonsheffield]

HIII!!! i love your fics and headcanons so so much (i literally have notifs on for only u cuz thats how deprived i am of bridgerton content + thats how much i love your writing.) can you possibly do headcanons on how the bridgerton siblings interact w/kate or even them lowkey shipping kate and anthony from the get go? 💕💕💕

Oh my goodness! You have notifications on for my posts?! I think the fact that anyone is reading my fics and headcanons is a testament to how deprived everyone is for Bridgerton content. Because honestly... Why else would anyone read these things?!

That being said, I love Kate+ Bridge sibs interactions and if you’ve read my fics you’ll probably know that Gregory and Kate is my favourite dynamic. So! Here’s the Bridgerton Siblings thoughts on Kate and Anthony BEFORE they got together

Benedict met Kate, along with most of the others, at the Bridgerton and sons company picnic. He had been teasing Anthony about the new associate when he spotted her across the park chatting with Colin. He’d met her when they played croquet and seen how quick her cutting remarks were and how Anthony’s whole body stiffened when she was near and how his posture subconsciously mimicked her and burst out laughing. What’s so funny?! Anthony had snapped irritatedly Benedict just smiled and said I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually

Colin had also met Kate at the picnic and realised Kate was perfect for Anthony, in all the ways he would probably never realise himself. His mother had bustled past him on the way to shoo Benedict and Daphne away from Anthony and said Go and talk to Anthony’s new associate Kate please. I think he’s in love with her! Colin’s eyes had lit up immediately, and he’d shuffled over and introduced himself with a I hear my Brother’s quite taken with you, Kate had laughed loudly and said I’m very happy to say that I’m the last woman in the world Anthony would ever be taken with. I think he’d quite like to drown me in the sink in the kitchen. The feeling’s quite mutual I assure you. And Colin knew in that moment that someday he would attend the wedding of Kate Sheffield to Anthony Bridgerton. If Anthony wasn’t a total moron that was. Francesca sidled up to him and said £50 says she’s dating Anthony by the next picnic. Colin scoffs and says I’m not taking a losing bet Frankie

Daphne realised Her brother was in love with Kate Sheffield on a Thursday morning. She’d been sitting in Anthony’s small conference room, and he was going over some contracts for her work when he had trailed off, stopping dead. She had followed his line of sight and seen , through the window, Kate laughing her head thrown back, her coat flung over her arm, on her way out, talking with her assistant. She glanced back at Anthony, who was sitting a little slack jawed and bit back her smile. She’d loudly brought her hand down on the table after a few seconds to get his attention, and Anthony had startled and said Sorry Daff, don’t know where I went there. Daphne had scoffed and said I do.

Eloise and Edwina had been planning their attack for months. They just had to get them in the same room together. Edwina hadn’t even seen Kate and Anthony together but she saw the way her sister’s cheeks flushed and her eyes flashed whenever he was brought up and she knew. I know he’s in love with her Eddie, and I think he’s starting to realise it as well. Eloise had said and so she’d sent Anthony a bold message, no trickery and said I’m going to dinner with Edwina and Kate on Friday, Wanna come. When his response came through I’d love to, Eloise had sent a screenshot of it with, I told you so. And when Anthony called her later and asked if he should bring flowers Eloise hadn’t been able to keep the smile off her face when she said Maybe just ease her into it Ant.

Gregory had never seen someone so willing to stand up to his brother before and when he met Kate Sheffield, he fell half in love with her himself, though not in the same way Anthony did. After 3 weeks he’d sidled up to Kate’s assistant Lucy as Anthony and Kate were bickering in the staff meeting again and said We can agree this is just sexual tension right? Lucy raised her eyebrows and Gregory had wondered if he’d made a mistake before Lucy had, very primly said I’ve seen less tension in a porno. Anthony had sent Gregory from the room until he could control his laughter.

Hyacinth was as always, much more blunt about it. Anthony had been venting in the living room to Their mother about Kate fucking Sheffield and Hyacinth had strode into the room and said Anthony, Are you going to ask her out, or does one of us need to do it for you? Anthony had stared slack jawed at Hyacinth and Violet had whispered well, she does have a point Dear

[athenagrantnash]

Can we talk about Eddie and Buck's "begins" episodes for a second? Eddie's was amazing and had lots of Christopher and found family content. Ryan put alot of training and effort into it and for what? Crickets. Everyone forgot literally everything about the ep except for the honest to God out of character meltdown Buck had when the well collapsed. They didn't care about Shannon leaving, Eddie getting shot, or his parents trying to take Christopher away from him. Just their fanon ship. Then Buck's rolls around and I honestly found it rather lackluster? The writers tried to make us feel bad for Buck yet again and I just couldn't (at least not to the degree they were aiming for?) And b*ddie shippers were saying not to make his ep all about a ship bc sweet baby buck can do no wrong and deserves the world and all that but yet they did that exact thing with Eddie's???

Oh yes, let's make a poc centric episode all about your fetisized ship but not the white cis one.

Except... there’s nothing wrong with shipping the ship.

Listen fam, I’m not here to call people out for shipping. I won’t lie and say I don’t get tired of shippers overanalyzing literally everything sometimes, but if it makes them happy and they aren’t hurting other people or calling the showrunners names in the process then I’m not here to rain on their parade.

I’m here to call out shitty behavior, not shippy behavior. Very important letter difference there.

In regards to the “begins” episodes...

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but Buck is a little dramatic sometimes. It’s literally part of his personality. His meltdown in Eddie Begins was exactly that - dramatic. It was an intense situation and he might have just “watched” his best friend die. He’s already on edge, so of COURSE he’s going to panic.

And franky, I would say that moment was REALLY good. Buck was the audience in that moment, because he did what everybody who loves Eddie would have done. It was a great moment and if shippers want to get excited over it they have every right to be.

As to Buck Begins... honestly it was probably structurally my least favorite Begins episode. The flashback stuff was good, but the present day stuff was imo not super good and could have been better handled and given bigger emotional punches. I didn’t care for it. (If you want I have Thoughts on what would have made it better, but since most people loved it I haven’t wanted to rain on their parades so haven’t said anything).

Here’s the other thing. The reason there is more “shippiness” around Eddie Begins is that a lot of it WAS about found family, and Buck is a part of that found family, which then in turn lends itself to shippiness.

Buck Begins was the story of Buck and Maddie, and Eddie really didn’t have much of anything to do with the story that was being told, therefore there were fewer shippy moments. Honestly, I don’t know why the episode wasn’t called Buckley’s Begin, not Buck Begins, but that’s neither here nor there. Actually I do know why but that’s still neither here nor there

Also, the ship itself is not a fetish, there are just a lot of people in the fandom that fetishize it. There is a difference between the two and only one of them is a problem (and it’s only really a problem when they go out of their way to bully/attack others over it). 

And frankly, regardless of the ship, celebrating shippy moments 1) isn’t a problem and 2) even if it was, it isn’t the problem that I’m trying to call out.

[vonschweetz]

5, 13, and 18?

5. Vampire Max or Vampire Eddie?

OMG OH NO! Why would you make me choose lol! Poor sweet Eddie I just want to scoop him up and put him under my wing and just take him in! But like... But all my friends are in agreement that Max is like my douchebag vampire boyfriend that my pixie fae ass can put in his place... I have to choose Max. I feel so bad for Eddie lol.

13. Which Pedro character death was the best filmed? The worst?

None of them were filmed best. Every Pedro character death is THE WORST (I freaking read all the current books of GOT and when the Oberyn thing happened I had to reread that whole part again because I did not believe what I had read. I actually was like "oh I somehow tuned out and made up a worse thing let me reread what happened- WHAT THE FUCK?! WHY?! BUT OBERYN WAS ABSOLUTELY MAIN CHARACTER MATERIAL WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"

No joke the Oberyn death in the book way before the show was the first time something in a book majorly upset me and I'm still upset about it because I actually think it was a bad choice narratively to set up such a clear hero character with a whole revenge arc planned who the audience could root for and was also still dark and gritty for that whole bullshit "dark gritty realism in fantasy" (which usually just means racism, misogyny, and a poor justification to always be putting sexual violence in content because "ThAt'S wHaT hApPeNeD bAcK tHeN!" or whatever stupid reason. Sorry I'm on a tangent I very much hate the current trajectory of historical fiction and the fantasy genre where it's just sexual violence torture porn for creeps who never have to deal with such shit.)

So long story short I guess Oberyn? I've been upset about that character death since I read the book years before the show. Seeing Pedro bring life to Oberyn in the show made it worse because I knew what was gonna happen.

18. Travel through the Green with Ezra or through the jungle with Frankie?

How.Very.Dare.

Making me choose between my space soulmate and my more realistic life soulmate?! I guess if I had to choose between that then Frankie? Mostly because there is less chance of me dying by crazy space bullshit that's on the Green with Ezra. I love Ezra with my heart and soul and he can talk my ear off but fuck the Green. Fuck that space bullshit. Also I know Frankie would go into protect mode stat and make sure I'm safe while I also make sure he doesn't overburden himself and shove his humanity down to keep us alive. Gotta keep that fly boy grounded but in a good way.