#jason carver

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"I don't wanna go," he said, voice choked. "I wanna stay."

[lavenderstobins]

get him nancy

[estrellami-1]

Fall For You

Prompt from this post | Ao3 link

“Eddie!” Steve calls, walking into the apartment. He finds Eddie at the table and sets his hands down on the surface, wide eyes staring at Eddie. “You’ve got a membership at that gym, right?”

Eddie blinks up at him from his bowl of cereal. “The climbing gym?”

“Yeah.”

Eddie tilts his head side to side. “I’m mooching off Jeff’s membership right now, but I’m about to run out of free passes, so I’m thinking about getting my own. Why?”

“I asked the workers if my boyfriend counted as family for the discount and they said yes.”

Eddie blinks at him. “Do you have a secret boyfriend I don’t know about?”

“No, it would be you.” He sits across from Eddie and spreads his hands out. “If we pretend to be boyfriends, we can get the discount, and then you could climb and I could use the gym.”

“Robin climbs too,” Eddie points out. “You don’t want to pretend to be her boyfriend?”

“Ew,” Steve says, screwing up his face. “No, she’s basically my sister.”

“Right,” Eddie says slowly, “but it’s fake.”

Steve shakes his head. “You’ve seen her try to act, Eds,” he reminds him. “She’s hopeless. Siblings are an easier act for her because that’s closer to true. Please, Eddie? Just one time, we just need to go to the front desk together once, tell them we’re together, and get our discount. We don’t even have to go to the gym together at all, if you don’t want, if you- I don’t know, if there’s someone there you hang out with? You can keep doing that! We just need to go to the front desk together once. Please?”

Eddie sighs, long and drawn-out, dropping his spoon in his now-empty bowl and leaning back. “Damn you and your puppy eyes,” he says by way of answer.

“Yes!” Steve jumps up, pumps his arm in the air, and rounds the table to hug Eddie. “Thank you! You won’t regret this!”

He’s out of the room and down the hall before Eddie can blink, can even move, so he misses Eddie’s second, quieter sigh.

“Somehow I doubt that,” he murmurs, lips quirked up in a sad sort of smile. “But it’s worth it.”

He leaves the for you unsaid, even to himself, and brings his bowl to the kitchen.

“Hey, Chrissy!” Eddie greets the woman at the front desk. “How’s it going?”

“Hi, Eddie!” Chrissy says. “Good, busy today.”

“How’re you and Jason?”

She bites her lip. “We are no longer.”

Eddie drops to his knees and raises his hands. “Finally!” He crows, popping back up and leaning over the counter. “I’m so proud of you, Chris, seriously.” He pauses. “Wait, you initiated it, right?”

She giggles and nods. “He didn’t want to accept it at first, but I stood my ground and he finally agreed. He’s coming to pick up his stuff tomorrow.”

Eddie’s brows furrow. “Are you gonna be okay? I can move my schedule around, be there if you want someone as a buffer.”

She blinks big eyes up at him. “Would you? I don’t want to inconvenience you, but Jason-”

Eddie waves her off, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “It’s no inconvenience, seriously. What time’s he coming over?”

“Eleven.”

“Okay, and… put your address in, please?” He hands his phone over, and she quickly types it in. “I’ll be there a bit before eleven, if that works for you, just to make sure I’m there before he is. Oh, and here, add your number. I’ll shoot you a text, that way you’ll have my number, and can call if he gets there before I do.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Eddie, seriously.”

“Nah,” he grins. “I’m a regular asshole, you just wore me down.”

Behind him, Steve snorts.

Eddie whirls around. “See? He agrees with me!”

“No I don’t,” Steve laughs. “Eds, you’re an asshole in the way teddy bears are scary.”

Eddie frowns. “But they’re not scary.”

“Exactly.”

Eddie narrows his eyes at Steve. “So you don’t agree with me.”

“Not even a little.”

“Oh, I remember you!” Chrissy pipes up. “You came in yesterday asking about your boyfriend! Is he here?”

“Uh,” Steve says, blushing. “Yeah. He’s right in front of you.”

Chrissy blinks. “Eddie?”

“Surprise,” he says, raising little jazz hands and sending Chrissy a sheepish grin.

“Okay, I take it back, you are an asshole,” Chrissy says, but she’s grinning. “How dare you not tell me you have a boyfriend!”

“Oh,” Eddie says, “um.”

“I asked him not to,” Steve smoothly cuts in. “I’m sorry. We’ve had some… not great reactions in the past.”

Chrissy huffs, rolls her eyes. “Well I sure hope you don’t get that reaction here! If you do, just come find me. That person may find their account suspended.” She winks at them, and Eddie grins.

“There’s really no need for that, but we appreciate it. For now, think you could get us both set up with a membership?”

“Oh,” Steve says, “Robin!”

“Oh, right!” Eddie turns to Chrissy. “Can his sister join if we have all her info? Or does she need to be here?”

“She needs to be here, but we can always add her later. You two will be paying more until she joins, though.”

Eddie waves a hand. “That’s fine.”

She gets them set up, then hesitates, biting her lip. “I hate to ask,” she addresses Steve, “but are you busy tomorrow? As much as Eddie is willing, and I’m very glad he is, Jason’s stronger than him, and just in case-”

“You don’t need to explain it,” Steve promises her. “We’ll both be there a little before eleven tomorrow.”

Chrissy sags like a marionette with cut strings. “Oh, thank you. Thank you both. Seriously.”

“Not a problem,” Steve assures her.

They move on into the gym, then wave to Chrissy on their way out.

The next day they head to her apartment and arrive just when they said they would. Chrissy greets them both with a hug. “Thank you so much for being here,” she tells them. “Can I get you anything? Coffee?”

“If I ever say no to coffee, you have my permission to shoot me,” Eddie tells her seriously.

Steve snorts. “Ditto. We’d love coffee.”

She gets them each a mug, pulls out the sugar and creamer. Eddie nudges Steve out of the way, fixes his coffee the way he likes it. Steve smiles in thanks, nudges Eddie teasingly when he winks.

Chrissy sighs. “You two are so cute together,” she tells them.

Steve blushes. Eddie pulls a strand of hair over his face. “Thank you,” Steve says.

“How long have you been together?”

“Not very long at all, but we’ve known each other since high school.”

Eddie snickers. “He hated me.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “I didn’t hate you, I thought you were weird, and I was right.”

“He hated me,” Eddie assures Chrissy.

“Christ,” Steve mutters, looking up at the ceiling.

Chrissy giggles. “How’d you become friends?”

“That’s my younger brother’s fault,” Steve tells her. “He’s obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons, and Eddie was the resident Dragon Master-”

“Dungeon Master, Stevie.”

“-yeah, that—in high school. I graduated before him, so he was there in his senior year when my brother, Dustin, was a freshman.”

Eddie snickers. “You don’t have to sugarcoat it. I was held back,” he tells Chrissy. “Had to take senior year three times. He graduated during my second senior year, and then Dustin came my third go ‘round. He brought a whole pack of rugrats with him.”

“They get into a lot of… situations,” Steve picks up. “And as his brother, I end up involved through no fault of my own. In one of these situations, Eddie got involved. We got to talking and realized, outside of the high school hierarchy lens, we’re not that different.” He smirks. “He’s still weird, though.”

“Hell yeah I am, that’s a badge of honor, sweetheart, I wear that with pride!”

Before Steve can retort, there’s a knock on the door.

Chrissy takes a deep breath, brushes by them, and opens the door. “Jason.”

“Chrissy. Didn’t take you long to change the locks.”

She sets her jaw. “This isn’t your apartment anymore, Jason. You have no right to walk in whenever you want to.”

“Jesus,” Eddie murmurs to Steve, “he’s a piece of work, huh?”

“Uh-huh,” Steve agrees distractedly. “That- that’s Jason?”

“I mean, I haven’t seen the guy before today, but I assume so.” He looks at Steve, frowns a little. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Steve takes a breath. “I’m fine. Trying to decide if I should be a bitch or not.”

“Always yes,” Eddie says immediately. “Unless you mean to Chrissy? In which case no.”

“No, not to Chrissy. I’ve met Jason before, about four months ago. But he called himself Liam.”

“Holy shit!” Eddie whispers. “Terrible hookup Liam?”

Steve nods. “One and the same.”

Just then, Jason glances over at them. His face pales with recognition, but he quickly schools himself. “Who’s this?”

“Jason, is it?” Steve asks disinterestedly. “Thats funny. I could’ve sworn you called yourself Liam when we hooked up four months ago.” He crosses his arms. “You didn’t mention a girlfriend, either.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Mhm. Chrissy,” Steve asks, “does Jason have a mole above his right butt cheek?”

“He does,” Chrissy agrees, narrowing her eyes at Jason. “and a birthmark-”

“On the inside of his left thigh?”

“Exactly.” Chrissy crosses her arms.

“Never thought I’d be the other woman,” Steve says. “I don’t appreciate being played. And I especially don’t appreciate you cheating on Chrissy.”

“Nor do I,” Chrissy says, rounding on Jason. “How dare you?”

“I didn’t!”

“Oh, yeah, like I believe that. How long? How many times, Jason? How many times were you home late because work went long, because you had meetings?” She laughs, loud and sardonic. “Oh, and let’s not forget that business trip to Florida. Unless that wasn’t for business at all, was it?” She laughs again, then walks away, shaking her head. “Get your shit and get out of here.”

She walks into the kitchen. Steve and Eddie exchange a glance, then immediately follow her.

“Chris?” Eddie murmurs. “You alright?”

She rolls her eyes at him, reaching for a mug. Her hand is shaking. Steve immediately jumps for the coffee pot, pours her a cup. “Would anybody be alright? After having something like that happen?”

“Probably not,” Eddie admits. “What can we do?”

She sighs, shakes her head. “I don’t think there’s anything to do. I’m just seeing a lot of ice cream in my future.”

Steve snorts. “I’ve been there. Actually, uh.” He shifts uncomfortably. “The last time I was there was about four months ago.”

Chrissy’s smart, so it’s only a second before she connects the dots, and she spins around to stare open-mouthed at him. “Him?”

Steve nods. “I don’t have to talk about it if you don’t wanna hear it.”

“I absolutely want to hear it,” she tells him. “What happened?”

“Well,” Steve says, “we call him terrible hookup Liam even though I’ve never hooked up with another Liam. Or, I guess, a Liam at all, considering his name is actually Jason.” He frowns. “And why’d he change his name anyways? It’s not like we knew each other four months ago.”

Chrissy rolls her eyes. “Who knows. What happened that made it so terrible?”

Steve snorts. “Well, first I think we need to establish what you’re comfortable with hearing.”

She leans towards him, eyes big and serious. “I’ve seen every inch of that man. There is nothing that you could say that I wouldn’t be comfortable with.”

Steve studies her for a minute, then shrugs. “Okay. So it’s a hookup, right? We’d met at a bar, there weren’t any sparks but there didn’t have to be for a hookup, just mutual attraction, and that was there, at least on the surface. So we go back to his place and he fucks me. And I swear to God I’ve never had a worse fuck. He didn’t hurt me or anything, but he was trying to get himself off and wasn’t really caring about how I was doing, y’know?”

Chrissy snorts. “I know, trust me.”

Steve winces. “Right. He lasted maybe five minutes? Pulled out, got up, and basically went alright, nice meeting you, now leave please. Meanwhile I’m laying there completely unsatisfied. He couldn’t have missed more if he’d tried. And I’m just… dumbfounded, basically. I’ve never met anyone like that before. So I leave and head back home, and Ed’s waiting up for me-”

“I’d nearly forgotten,” Eddie murmurs. “That’s when I realized I loved him.”

“Oh?” Chrissy says, interest piqued.

Eddie nods. “Mhm. He got home and was ranting about how terrible his hookup had been, and all I can think about is how he deserves better, how I would do better, if I could, never let him go, never leave him unsatisfied again-”

Steve’s breath catches. He remembers the night, remembers the fight they’d had, how he wanted to go back out the next night but Eddie-

Eddie had yelled, because he does that; he gets excited and he rants and rambles and throws his arms around and forgets things like personal space.

I can’t keep watching you hurt yourself like this, Eddie had said, too loud for the room, for Steve’s fragile heart.

So don’t, Steve had said, and slammed the door to his room.

They didn’t talk about it again.

But that was just- that was Eddie, just being his friend. Heart on his sleeve, because that’s how it is with the people he trusts.

He shakes the thought away, focuses back on the conversation at hand.

“That’s so sweet,” Chrissy coos, brows drawn up. “You two are so lucky to have each other.”

“I know,” Eddie murmurs, smiling at Steve.

It doesn’t reach his eyes.

Steve smiles back, sad and a little lost. “I think one of us should probably keep an eye on Jason,” he says quietly. “I’d do it, but since he and I know each other-”

Eddie shakes his head. “It could end badly, I know. I’ll go.”

Jason does, in fact, get his shit and get out. Steve and Eddie follow him down, Eddie cites work as a reason they can’t stay even though Steve knows he doesn’t have work for a few more hours.

When they get back to their apartment, Eddie immediately sequesters himself in his room.

At a loss, Steve heads to his room. Shuts the door. Doesn’t mean to fall asleep. Wakes up when the front door shuts, signaling Eddie leaving.

He’s not sure why his chest hurts at that thought.

The next day Eddie’s back to normal, so Steve does his best to act normal too. Chalks it up to thinking about the worst fight they’d had to date.

Life goes back to normal, and soon they’re back to their regular schedule. They go to the gym together as often as not, since their schedules usually align.

There’s one such day Eddie’s climbing, taking a break on a bouldering route and holding on by three points, letting his right arm hang loose, get some blood back into it. He looks around the gym, sees Steve hopping off the treadmill.

He watches as Steve lifts the hem of his shirt to wipe his face, and oh-

Hello, stomach. Hello, happy trail.

Eddie’s left hand flexes. Relaxes. He falls.

“Shit!”

He knows how to fall, lands on his feet and rolls backwards, distributing the force. Lays there for a minute, breathing hard, categorizing.

He’s known he’s liked Steve for a while. That’s an open secret to anyone except Steve, though maybe that’s not so true anymore, based on that day at Chrissy’s.

But Eddie’s never seen him work out before. Never seen his abs as he flexes slightly, the little bit of pouch he gets when he leans over, and that fucking hair-

“Eddie!” Steve calls, dropping to his knees at Eddie’s side. “That was, like, a ten-foot fall, man, are you okay?”

Eddie blinks up at him. A fluorescent angel, backlit by bulbs high in the ceiling. “Fine,” he says, when he can find his words again. “Just a bruised ego.”

Steve tilts concerned brows at him. “Are you sure? Your ankles are fine? You didn’t hit your head?”

Eddie smiles, shakes his head, sits up. “I’m fine, I swear. I’ve fallen from higher. Hell, I’ve jumped from higher.”

“You’re sure?”

Eddie laughs, shakes his head. Stands and offers Steve a hand up. “C’mon, let me show you.” He scans the wall, picks an easy route, white holds. “This is the easiest route we’re gonna find here. I’m gonna teach you how to fall, ready?” He jumps up, grabs a hold. Shows off a little, pulls himself up by his arm to grab another hold higher up, gets his feet on the wall too. Releases his left arm, grins down at Steve, only about three feet below him. “We’re gonna start here to learn, ‘cause it’s pretty hard to fuck up badly enough at three feet to actually injure yourself. You’re gonna let go, land on your feet, and roll back.” He looks at Steve, studies the ground around them. “Move back a foot? Yeah, good. Now watch. Feet, then roll to your back.” He jumps and does as he said, grinning at Steve once he’s on his back again. “See? Just like parkour, you’re distributing the energy you get from jumping. This way you don’t end with a fucked ankle or knee.” He rocks himself up to a sitting position, unclips his chalk bag, and offers it to Steve with another grin. “Chalk up, big boy, your turn.”

Steve rolls his eyes, but chalks up anyways. Climbs up to where Eddie was. It takes him longer, and he’s sure he looks more awkward than Eddie had, but it’s easy enough.

He looks down at Eddie, then further still to the ground. It looks far, even though he knows there’s only about three feet of distance. He takes a deep breath and lets go, letting the momentum carry him over onto his back.

He explodes into a breathless laugh, accepting Eddie’s arm up. “See?” Eddie says, then hands over the chalk bag again. “One more time, then you’re going all the way to the top.”

Steve glances up nervously. Eddie smiles, hands him the bag, and shows him the route. “Feet here, hands here to start, yeah? Your legs are stronger than your arms, so push up with your legs instead of pulling with your arms. Make a mental map of the route before you start and stick to it if you can. This bit can be a bit tricky; right hand reaches over here, and left hand takes the hold your right was just on, see?” He drops his left hand to look down at Steve. “Got it so far?”

Steve’s face is the picture of doubt. “I think so.”

Eddie snorts, scrambles to the top. “It’s easier once you’re doing it anyways. Hands-on is easier than watching. Then once you’re up here, you grab onto this last one with both hands, and that means you’ve completed the route. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Now from here, you’ve got two options. You can climb back down the way you came, which is possible but it means you tire yourself out faster.”

“Or?”

Eddie grins, lets go. “You jump!”

He lands on his feet, lets the momentum take him down onto his back with a giggle. “Your turn.”

“Christ,” Steve mutters. “Okay.”

“It’s not gonna be as easy as I made it look,” Eddie tells him. “I’ve been doing this for months.” He points to a sign. “This route, with the white holds, is v-zero, see? Then it goes up, v-one, two, three, all the way up to eleven. I’m regularly climbing v-seven, sometimes v-eight. It takes time to get up to that level, and I’ve learned a lot that you can really only learn through doing. Robin’s been going for a while, too, right? And she’s about at v-four, sometimes five if it’s an easier climb.”

“So you’re saying…”

Eddie chuckles. “Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t do it, or if it’s harder for you than I made it look.”

“Cool,” Steve nods. “Probably gonna beat myself up if I can’t do it.”

“Steve!” Eddie laughs, shoving him a little.

Steve laughs back, reaches for the bag, which Eddie hands him. “Here, clip it on around your waist. That way if your hands get sweaty on the climb, you can re-chalk them so you can get a better grip.”

Steve does, glances at the wall, takes a breath, and grabs on.

He gets about halfway up before he begins to slow, and about three-quarters of the way up before he’s moving at practically a snail’s pace, looking between his hands and feet, looking for the next hold. He gets to the place Eddie had warned him about. He moves his right hand over, almost gets a grip, tries again-

And falls.

“Shit!” He yelps. He does his best to fall the way Eddie had shown him, and finds that not only does it work, it doesn’t hurt and it’s actually kind of fun.

He bursts out laughing as soon as he meets Eddie’s worried eyes. Eddie’s brows smooth out, and he chuckles as he offers Steve a hand up. “Harder than you thought, huh?”

“Much,” Steve nods with a grin. “Fun, though. Can I try again?”

“Hell yeah!” Eddie grins. “Go for it! Might want to shake your hands out before you do, get your blood flowing to them again. You were pretty spread out, your hands were above you a lot of the time, and you got less blood to your hands than you should’ve. Try keeping your arms a little closer next time, really rely on your legs to push you up. And when you get up to that spot again-” he points, then sighs. “Fuck it, give me a second.”

He scrambles up, puts his hands and feet on the holds Steve had. “Here’s where you were, right? And here-” he moves his feet to holds a little higher “-is where I was. See how my arms aren’t quite as high above me anymore? It also means this hold is easier to reach.” He grabs the next hold, then decides to show off some and dangle from that hand, grinning at Steve.

Steve laughs, pretends to throw the chalk bag at him. “Showoff!”

“If I can’t now, when can I?” Eddie retorts, dropping back down to the mat and rolling all the way back, over his shoulder to end up kneeling.

Steve snorts, shakes his arms out, chalks up again, and tries one more time.

This time he makes it to the top, and Eddie whoops as soon as he touches the last hold with both hands. “Nice one, Stevie! You’re a natural!”

Steve laughs, glances down at Eddie, and drops, rolling back the way Eddie had taught him. “Okay, your turn. Show me what you can do.” He hands him the chalk bag, and Eddie grins, looking around as he clips it back on.

“Okay, here, these green holds, see? That tag is the same color as v-seven, and I did that climb last time I was here.” He chalks up, scans the route, nods, and starts.

He’s up in a little under two minutes, grinning down at Steve after he taps the final hold.

“Damn,” Steve grins. “Think I could try?”

Eddie snorts, jumps down. “Sure.” He’s stands up and gestures Steve closer to the wall. “See how there’s two tags here? One here, one there? That means you start by holding both of these. Then you get your feet up here, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Steve agrees, so Eddie moves back and Steve tries.

He almost immediately falls. “What the fuck,” he laughs, “how do you hold on?”

Eddie grins. “Hard, isn’t it? You’ve gotta get your fingers around best you can and pull together. Like the, uh.” He holds his arms out to the side, then brings them both forward. “Whatever machine this is.”

Steve snickers. “Chest fly. That makes sense, but are your fingers strong enough to grip like that? How do you build up the strength?”

Eddie shrugs. “How do you go from benching one plate to two?”

Steve snorts. “Okay, I get it.” He tries again and is able to hold on longer this time, but ends up on his ass anyways.

“Here,” Eddie says, “let’s try this. Get back up there, and I’ll help hold your hands there, so you can still start the right way.”

Steve gets back up, and Eddie slots in behind him, slides his fingers between Steve’s, and supports him. “There,” he murmurs. “Now you see that hold above you? You’re going to reach with your right hand and grab it. Pull with your left a little when you let go with your right so you stay on the wall.”

Steve turns his head to the side, and only then does Eddie realize how close they are; his nose brushes Steve’s cheek as he nods. “Got it. You won’t let me fall?”

“Never,” Eddie promises in a whisper. “I’ve got you, Stevie.”

Steve takes a breath. Nods. Rocks to his right, then as he moves to his left, Eddie lets go of his hands and brings his own hands to Steve’s hips, stabilizing him. “You’re going to want to keep pulling your arms together,” Eddie tells him. “Keep that tension. Now see that hold up and to your left?”

“Uh-huh. That’s where my left hand goes?”

“Exactly. Swing up and grab it.”

Steve does so, then moves his feet up to a couple of higher holds as well.

“Now this is what we call dyno,” Eddie tells him. “Short for dynamic. See that hold above you?”

“Oh, you mean the y-shaped one? Or the little button-looking one? Or maybe you mean the one that looks like a mushroom.”

Eddie snickers, carefully moves away from Steve, then scrambles up on some holds next to him. “This one.” He taps it twice, then jumps down and quickly gets back in position. “Try and reach it.”

Steve does, and immediately fails. “What the fuck? How do I reach that?”

“That’s the dyno move I was talking about. You keep your feet here, crouch down best you can, and jump. Let me get out of the way, because you’re probably going to fall and I’d rather it not be on me.” He moves off to the side, then nods at Steve. “Go ahead.”

Steve narrows his eyes, crouches down, and jumps up. His hand grazes the hold, but he isn’t able to grab it and ultimately falls onto the mat.

“I call bull,” he laughs. “No way you can do that.”

Eddie laughs. “You just saw me do it!”

“Nope. Nuh-uh. That’s impossible. I didn’t see you jump.”

Eddie grins, rolls his eyes, chalks up real quick before climbing back up to that spot. “This is probably what you saw,” he says, reaching up with his hands while staying crouched, then exploding up and grabbing the hold. “I made it more all of one movement, instead of stopping and then jumping.” He releases his left hand to grin down at Steve.

Steve looks like he’s been sucking on a lemon. “That’s impressive,” he says.

Eddie frowns, jumps down. “Are you okay?”

Steve takes a breath, smoothes his features out. “I’m fine.”

“I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad.”

Steve smiles. “I know. You didn’t. I’m fine, I swear.”

“Okay,” Eddie says, unsure. “Um. Are you ready to go? Done working out?”

“Sure,” Steve agrees, and digs his keys out, offering them to Eddie. “Would you mind driving?”

“Okay,” Eddie says, half joking, “now I know there’s something wrong.”

Steve sighs, ducks his head. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“Anything I can help with?”

Steve looks up at Eddie from under his lashes with a half-smile. “No. But thanks.”

“You’ll tell me if that changes and I can help?”

Steve snorts. “I swear on your Uncle Wayne.”

“Good,” Eddie tells him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and leading him out. “Coffee on me?”

“You don’t have to-”

“Let me rephrase. I’m getting coffee.”

Steve snickers. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, Stevie.”

They’re back at the gym a few days later when Steve slots his arm around Eddie.

Eddie, who was studying a route, jerks in surprise. “Please play along,” Steve murmurs. “This girl will not leave me alone.”

Eddie laughs like Steve had said something funny, pulls him in, and presses his lips to Steve’s cheek. “I gotcha,” he murmurs when he pulls away. “What’s going on?”

Steve shakes his head. “What were you looking at?”

Eddie points at the wall, traces a line. “See the blue holds? See the three close together, then the one further, kinda up and to the left?”

“Mhm. That’s a… uh, a dyno move?”

“Exactly. The problem is, see the holds below? There’s not a comfortable place for my feet. They’re either too high or too low.”

Steve frowns. “Could you… maybe put your feet on the higher one, then use your hands and kind of… swing up to the higher one?”

“Probably,” Eddie admits. “I think what I need more than anything else is practice on this route.”

Steve hums, moves away. “Show me?”

Eddie does, groaning when he falls again. He pops back up before Steve can worry and spins around to find Steve talking with a girl.

His body language looks extremely uncomfortable, is the first thing Eddie sees. He’s leaning away from her, one foot back like he’s about to walk away, arms crossed. He’s got his customer service smile on, so Eddie bounds over with a, “Stevie!” He grabs onto Steve’s shoulders with a bright smile.

Steve laughs and grins back at him, then just as suddenly his expression falls. “I missed it! Did you do it?”

“Nope!” Eddie snickers. “Think I just need practice. Who’s your friend, baby?”

“Oh, this is Cynthia. Cynthia, meet Eddie, my boyfriend.”

Eddie releases Steve and grins as he extends his hand to shake, which she does with some reluctance. “Nice to meet you!”

“Yeah, you too. Anyways, Steve, I’ve gotta get going, but it was nice to meet you!”

“Yeah,” Steve says, “you too,” but he’s still got his customer service smile on.

Eddie wraps his arm around Steve’s shoulders as she walks away. “She the one who was giving you trouble?”

Steve hums affirmatively. “Apparently I don’t look bi. Do I look bi? I do, right?”

“The bi-est,” Eddie agrees. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

Steve chuckles, then nudges Eddie over to the wall. “Okay, no interruptions this time, show me?”

Something in Eddie thrills at the fact that Steve is asking, wants to learn more about something Eddie’s passionate about. He grins wide and bounds over, makes his way to the problem area, swings up as he jumps-

And grabs the hold.

“You did it!” Steve yells, just as Eddie is realizing that very fact.

“Holy shit!” He grins down at Steve, gets his other hand and his feet on the holds. “Okay, from here should be easy enough.”

Steve snorts. “None of that is easy, dude.”

Eddie completes the route and jumps down, rolling on his back and grinning up at Steve. “Would’ve been cooler if I could’ve flashed it, though.”

Steve raises an eyebrow. “Not sure the wall cares about that, but the employees might.”

Eddie snickers and shakes his head. “No, flashing means completing a route the first time you try it. Mind outta the gutter, Stevie. ‘Sides, I can’t show just anyone the goods.”

Steve rolls his eyes with a grin. “Yeah, yeah, you’re not a slut like I am, I know.”

“Hey, you said it, not me.”

They both laugh, and Steve slaps Eddie on the back before he walks away, back to the wall to attempt a different climb.

They’re back home the next day when Eddie walks into the kitchen to see Steve staring at a tub of peanut butter. “I hate you.”

Eddie blinks. “You talking to me or the peanut butter?”

Steve pouts up at him. “My forearms are sore, and my hands hurt, and I can’t open the peanut butter because you were the last one to close it.”

“Oh, shit,” Eddie says, and opens the jar for him. “Sorry, man, I never get that sore anymore.”

Steve waves him off, dumps some peanut butter in the blender. “I’m used to being sore, and it’s a good hurt, y’know? Building muscle.” He puts the peanut butter away, grabs the milk from the fridge. Pours some of that, too. “Do you know when Chrissy’s working next? I know she broke up with Jason not too long ago, but she hasn’t met Robin yet.”

“Oh, shit, yeah, they’d be great together! I think… Tuesday? Or- no, shit, that was last week.” He sighs, pulls his phone out. “I’ll text her. Are we gonna try and wingman?”

Steve considers it, pulls the protein powder from the pantry. “For any normal person, I’d say yes. But you know how Robin is. She’s a rambler. If they can’t handle it right out of the gate, they don’t have a chance. It’s best to just let Robin be.”

“You know Chrissy’s gonna be sweet about the rambling.”

“I also know Robin rambles even more when confronted with a cute girl. I know Chrissy is pretty exactly her type. And I know Chrissy’s got a dirty mind but blushes at the slightest thing. I think they’re gonna be perfect for each other.”

Eddie grins back at Steve, tosses him a banana. Pulls his phone out of his pocket and grins at the screen. “She works today, tomorrow, and Friday.”

Steve tilts his head, looks at the ceiling. Eddie grabs the chocolate syrup and drizzles some into the blender, capping it before turning it on.

“Thanks. Thursday work?”

“It should. Rob doesn’t have school that day and she doesn’t work until that night. When do you work that day?”

“I don’t, actually, the new guy’s taking all my shifts.”

Steve chuckles. “I work that morning but I should be back by eleven, if you want to head to the gym then?”

“Sure, I’ll get Buck up with the promise of muffins.”

“Ooh,” Steve says, “blueberry?”

“Always,” Eddie agrees. “Although I might do some chocolate chip this time, too, I know you’ve got a sweet tooth.” He looks significantly at the blender, and Steve laughs.

“You don’t have to make them just for me.”

“Oh, right, cause I’m not going to have a chocolate chip muffin. And Robin definitely won’t.” He shrugs. “Besides, even if it was just for you, it’d be worth it.”

He’s hesitant as he says it, not sure how his heart will be received, but it’s worth it for the bright blush that Steve turns away to hide.

Eddie sighs, grabs a bowl and the Honeycomb. Steve pours his shake into a glass, and together they separately get on with their day.

Thursday dawns with Eddie cursing his promise to Steve. He’s not a morning person, and the muffins take a while to make.

He finally gets them in the oven and collapses onto the couch with a sigh, pulling his phone out and opening his messages with Steve.

Eddie: are you heading by the coffee shop on your way home 👀

Steve: I could be 👀

Eddie: 👀

Steve: I’ll be home 11:15

Eddie: 👍

Steve gets home with their coffees just as Robin’s trudging to the table to eat. If Eddie’s not a morning person, he doesn’t know what Robin is; she’s a zombie until she gets coffee, and even then she needs not to be spoken to until she’s finished her mug.

She stops in her tracks and makes desperate grabby hands at Steve, who chuckles, kisses her temple, and hands her a cup.

He hip-checks Eddie as he hands him his coffee then continues into his room to change out of his work clothes and into gym clothes.

He’s back in a few minutes, chugging the rest of his own coffee and throwing it in the trash on his way to the table, sitting down with a happy sigh. “Thanks, Eds.”

Eddie chuckles. “No problem, Stevie.”

“You have a plan for the gym?”

“I don’t have a plan for my life, dude. I just climb whatever I want to climb.”

Robin mutters something under her breath about climbing and Steve and trees. Under the table, Steve kicks her.

Eddie decides he doesn’t want to get in the middle of that.

Soon enough they’re on their way to the gym. Steve’s driving, and Robin has permanent passenger privilege, which means Eddie’s relegated to the backseat. He doesn’t mind, he knows how Steve and Robin are, but he lets his mind wander.

Sure, Steve’s hot. That’s a pretty objective fact. But he’s also kind. He can also be kind of a bitch, but really that just adds to his charm. He’s fiercely protective of his friends but will let people walk all over him.

Eddie wants to protect him. He wants to show Steve that he’s worth just as much as anyone else is; more, to Eddie. He wants to take Steve on drives, hold his hand over the console. He wants to get a bucket of popcorn at the movie theater and spend most of the movie eating popcorn and talking shit about the characters, fingers getting tangled when there’s just unpopped kernels left.

He wants them to know each other so well that they don’t need to ask, just do instead; he wants to surprise Steve with a coffee because he knows he’s tired, or a sweet treat because he knows he’s had a bad day.

They get to the gym before he can follow that specific train of thought too far.

“Chrissy!” He yells, grinning at the redhead, who grins back.

“Eddie! And Steve, hi! And- is this your sister?”

“This is Robin,” Steve agrees, pushing her forward.

“Hi,” she squeaks out, eyes wide.

“I like your name,” she says.

“Oh. Um. Thank you? I didn’t pick it.”

Chrissy giggles. “No, but you didn’t change it, either, that’s gotta count for something. You’re here for a membership, right? Have you been here before?”

“Y-yeah, and uh, I have, a few times.”

Chrissy pouts. “And I’m just now meeting you? That’s not fair!” She blushes a little, focuses on the counter when she says, “Maybe we could get to know each other more? Maybe over dinner?”

Robin blinks until Steve nudges her. “Yes!” She bursts out. “Please. I’d, um, I’d like that?”

Chrissy grins at her. “I’m glad. I can’t get your number while I’m on the clock, but maybe I could give you mine? We could text, find a time to meet up?”

“O-okay,” Robin agrees.

Steve nudges Eddie, and they slip away after scanning their tags.

Steve sighs happily. “I knew they’d get along.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eddie laughs. “Casanova, I know. You gonna climb or work out today?”

Steve shrugs a shoulder. “Probably just work out, but I’ll definitely come watch you two when I finish.”

“Cool,” Eddie says. “Um. You can come find me if anyone bothers you, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Steve agrees warmly. “Same to you.”

Eddie snorts. “Right, like this is so attractive.” He gestures to himself, and Steve stops in his tracks, brows furrowed.

“You- you’re joking, right?” Eddie gives him a confused look, and Steve’s brows skyrocket. “Dude, you know you’re insanely hot, right?”

“Tell that to all of the boyfriends I’ve had. Oh, wait, I haven’t had any.”

“Okay, and that’s their loss. You’re a great friend and I know you’d be a great boyfriend. Or fuck, if you’re looking for a one night stand. You’re attentive and conscientious and you put others’ needs above your own. And, again, you’re hot. Hell, if I’d ever had any indication you wanted me back, I’d be all over you.”

“You-” Eddie blinks. “What?”

Steve winces. “I didn’t really mean to say that here. Can we, like, ignore it? Until we’re home? Or forever?”

“I mean, it takes two to have a conversation, so I don’t really have a choice unless I wanna talk at you, but…” he shakes his head. “What the fuck, dude?”

Steve winces again. “I know, I’m sorry, I swear Robin rubs off on me and I just start rambling. But I can- I mean, it’s been this long and I haven’t, like, acted on it, and I can just… continue to not act on it, y’know? Nothing- nothing has to change.”

“I think everything’s going to change,” Eddie says, then notices the way Steve’s holding himself, small and unsure, and relents. “We can wait till we’re home,” he says softly.

Just then, Robin runs up and flings herself at Steve. “Dingus!” She exclaims. “I have a date!”

Eddie watches Steve pull back behind a wall, plaster a smile on his face. Only the edges peel a little, let Eddie know it’s not real. Robin would notice, too, if she weren’t so excited. “That’s great, Robs!”

“I know! I mean, we don’t actually have a date yet, but we’re going to, unless I completely misread what she meant by get to know me-”

“You didn’t.”

“Okay cool, cool. Ah! I’m so excited!”

Steve grins at her. “That’s seriously great, Robbie. I’m super excited for you. Where are you going?”

“There’s that new coffee shop down by the mall, y’know? She’s never been, and I’ve never been- should I go first? To, like, figure it out? So I don’t look stupid?”

“I mean,” Steve says, “she hasn’t gone either, right? So whatever happens, you’ll learn together.”

“Oh, that’s true. Okay. I won’t go first, then.”

Steve snorts. “Okay. You want the car or were you planning to take the bus?”

She rolls her eyes. “You know I don’t drive unless I don’t have a choice. And the bus goes right to the mall anyways, and it’s not that far a walk to the coffee shop.”

“Okay,” Steve shrugs.

“Okay,” Robin says, clapping her hands with a grin and looking between the two of them. “What are we doing first?”

“We aren’t doing anything,” Steve tells her. “I’m just working out today.”

Eddie’s heart tugs pitifully. He pushes it away. “I’ve got no idea what I’m gonna climb,” he says, and looks around. “Maybe that route, with the green holds to start?”

Robin frowns at him. “I can do that one.” Eddie shrugs, so she does, too. “Alright. I guess just… yell? When you’re ready to go?”

“Can do,” Steve nods, and takes off for the gym.

Eddie turns to the wall with a quiet sigh as Robin heads off in search of a route to climb.

Eddie tends to throw himself into things, he’s well aware. He knows putting his earbuds in won’t help that fact, but it’ll help distract him, so he does it.

It’s only when there’s a tap on his shoulder that he wakes up and realizes his hands are shaking. “Hey,” Robin says when he takes his earbud out. “Steve’s waiting up front for us.”

He follows her out, slips into the backseat. Can’t help but notice the way Steve’s eyes slide over his face in the rearview mirror.

When they get back, Eddie’s barely extricated himself from the backseat by the time Steve’s in the apartment with his door shut.

With a heavy heart, feeling like he’s walking to the gallows, he knocks on Steve’s door. “Steve?” He asks. “Can… can we talk? Please?”

He doesn’t say a word. Doesn’t make a sound. Doesn’t come out that night, even for dinner.

Eddie goes to bed with a heavy heart, but doesn’t actually fall asleep until nearly four in the morning. He wakes up to the sound of Steve’s door closing again. He rolls over, buries his face in his pillow, and quietly cries himself to sleep again.

He doesn’t see Steve at all that day. He finally catches him the next morning. It’s earlier than he’d like to be awake, but it’s not like he’s going to be able to sleep without talking to him.

He walks out to the kitchen and stops short at the sight of Steve.

He looks terrible. His eyes are puffy, his hair is flat and greasy, and his shirt is creased and rumpled.

“Steve,” he murmurs, flinching when Steve jumps. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Sorry,” Steve says nonsensically, hurrying around the kitchen. He won’t look at Eddie. “Sorry, I- I’m almost done, I’ll get out of your hair-”

“Steve,” he quietly repeats. “Can we talk?”

“I’m sorry,” Steve says again. “We- we don’t have to, I can- I’ll get over it, nothing has to change. Or- if you’re not comfortable with it, if you want to move- or if you want me to move-”

“I don’t want to move. And I don’t want you to move. Steve, please. Just talk to me.”

Steve shudders out a sigh. “I think I said it all already. What, you want to hear it again?”

“Clearly this time,” Eddie says. “Yes. Please.”

Steve sighs, runs his finger along a crack in the countertop, where two pieces join up. “I like you,” he whispers. “And I have for a while.” He grips his mug tight, shuts his eyes. His shoulders round, his head dips. “And I- I know you don’t feel the same, and that’s fine, I can get over it-”

“Hang on a second, Stevie,” Eddie requests. He takes a small step forward. “Who said I don’t like you back?”

“Well, why would you?” He asks. “I love too fast and too hard. Even Nancy couldn’t keep up and she’s the most intense person I know.”

“There’s a difference between just plain intensity and devotion,” Eddie murmurs. He takes another step forward, leans sideways on the counter. “I know devotion. I’ve known it, I think, since you walked into my life.” Steve sobs once before cutting himself off, curling into himself even more. “Stevie?”

“Don’t say that,” he whispers. “Please don’t.”

“It’s true.”

“It can’t be. I- I don’t get that. I don’t get you. It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?” Eddie questions. “It’s the truth, Stevie, I liked you the moment I saw you. Then I saw you interact with Robin, and I saw the bitchy persona you pull out sometimes, and I saw you tired and sad and mad and sick and goofy, and I’ve loved every single facet of you that I’ve seen. What haven’t I seen yet, Stevie? Why can’t I like you? How can I prove that I do?”

Steve shakes his head, releases his mug to wrap his arms around himself. “You can’t.”

“Then how can I help you prove it? Stevie,” he murmurs, taking another careful step forward. “Sweetheart. Can I hug you?”

Another choked noise. A small nod.

Eddie steps forward again, his last two strides taking him all the way to Steve. He gently pulls him in, tucks his head on his shoulder, wraps an arm around his waist and runs a hand through his hair. “Sweetheart,” he murmurs again, “how could I not love you?”

“No one ever has. Why would you be different?”

“Robin?”

“‘S different.”

“Then maybe I am, too.”

He pulls back, pushes Steve’s hair out of his face with a sad smile on. “Hey. You got anywhere to be for the next little bit?” Steve shakes his head. “Good, then c’mon. You can bring your coffee.” He pulls back entirely, just holding on to Steve’s left hand so he can grab his mug, then leads him to the living room, where he pulls Steve down onto the couch and into his arms again.

“I don’t know if you caught it,” he murmurs, “but when we were at Chrissy’s and she asked how we met, I told her the story of when I knew I fell in love with you. That was all true.”

“I heard it,” Steve admits. “I just couldn’t let myself believe it.”

“All this time,” Eddie breathes. “We could’ve skipped all of this if I’d just told you. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

Steve shakes his head. “‘S not your fault. ‘S mine.”

“Now I just refuse to believe that,” Eddie tells him. “First of all, I could’ve told you ages ago. That’s on no one but myself. You couldn’t have known how I was feeling.”

After a pause, Steve lifts his head to ask, “and second of all?”

“Okay, I don’t really have one.” Steve hits him with the bitchiest look, and Eddie collapses into giggles.

Suddenly Steve looks unsure. “You even like me when I’m being a bitch?”

“I love you all of the time,” Eddie tells him. “But you being a bitch is definitely one of the reasons I originally fell for you.”

“Really?”

“Mhm. Are you gonna tease me if I say I think it’s hot?”

Steve hums, lays his head back down. “Only a little.”

Eddie snorts. “It is. You can hold your own, and you’re so smart, and… I dunno. It’s hot.”

Steve snorts. “So eloquent.”

Eddie chuckles. “Believe me yet?”

“I’m starting to,” Steve promises. “I think… I think I just need time.”

“Take all the time you need, as long as I can hold you like this in the meantime.”

Steve hides his smile in Eddie’s chest. “Deal.”

They’re still there two hours later when Robin stumbles out of her room.

“Morning,” Steve tells her happily. “Eddie and I are dating.”

“I thought you already were,” Chrissy says, appearing in Robin’s doorway.

[darcylightninglewis]

I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby, like y o u (insp x, x)

[shieldofiron]

The knights in question.

For @spaceofentropy

[keeryhours]

Teen Pregnancy Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Steve Harrington

Part 1

Part 2

Coming Soon

Billy Hargrove

Eddie Munson

Jonathan Byers

Argyle

Gareth Emerson

Jason Carver

Jim Hopper

Tommy Hagan / Robin Buckley

Note:

I’m going to try to cover lots of different dynamics and situations in this series. I may even write different variations for some characters. If there’s something specific you want to see, let me know! Full credit for this idea goes to @fizzing-imagines and my banner as usual is made by the incredible @punkrockmlchael ᡣ𐭩

[gayofthefae]

They made a point of writing Jason to threaten specifically Mike and we don't talk about that enough.

"Your brother, he here with you by chance?" "Mike?" "Mike."

[rogueddie]

I think the similarity between Eddie and Jason are so fascinating and I hate that they're underexplored by a lot of the fandom. It's so clear in how they both treat Lucas.

Both Eddie and Jason believe they're offering Lucas a space to be safe and happy. That with them, specifically, he will find the place that he belongs. That they're the good guys who treat Lucas right.

Eddie seemingly did not know that Lucas actually cared about basketball enough to miss Hellfire. Maybe Lucas downplayed it so Eddie didn't see him as a 'traitor'.

Jason clearly did not know that Lucas was involved, or even so much as knew, about Hellfire. Lucas probably lied about where he was during campaigns or about Dustin and Mike so that Jason wouldn't see him as a 'traitor'.

When Eddie does find out how invested Lucas is in basketball, enough to prioritize it over Hellfire, he asks if Lucas has been "taken in by the darkside".

His club and the safety he may offer is conditional, exclusive, and going against what he personally likes is a personal betrayal.

When Jason finds out that Lucas is involved in Hellfire, albiet in very different circumstances, he has the same reaction. Even his reaction to Erica, Lucas' little sister, being involved in Hellfire is... suspicious.

It definitely makes it feel like any safety Jason and the team offer is conditional, exclusive, and involvement with the 'freaks' is a personal betrayal.

They aren't opposites at all. They're the same character. The only difference is the dressing.

[darnell-la]

𝑫𝑨𝑹𝑵𝑬𝑳𝑳-𝑳𝑨'𝑺 𝑴𝑨𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑳𝑰𝑺𝑻

Minors do not interact! 18+ only!

Note: we write about almost anything you could think of. We accept nearly every request, depending on how intense they are for our viewers and authors. If you do not like anything in our warnings, please do not interact.

We will put ���⚠️” if the story contains subjects like non-consensual sex, abuse, etc. Before you read the story, we usually warn our viewers about what it contains, so please pay attention!

We are smut gods. We love smut. We’ve been writing smut for years, and we plan to give a lot out, so reblog, like, comment, send plenty of requests, and don’t forget to follow us!

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𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:

𝚂𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂

𝙼𝙰𝚁𝚅𝙴𝙻

𝙾𝚄𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙱𝙰𝙽𝙺𝚂

𝚂𝙰𝙼 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝙻𝙱𝚈

𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:

𝙻𝙶𝙱𝚃𝚀+

𝙿𝙾𝙲 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎

𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚝𝚜

𝙲𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐

𝙾𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚖

𝚂𝚞𝚋 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙳𝚘𝚖

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚜

𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢

𝚊𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚎

𝚂𝙰

𝚎𝚝𝚌...

✍︎︎

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒:

𝗝𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗦 "𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗔𝗡" 𝗛𝗢𝗪𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗧 (𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗟𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗘)

ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛɪɴɢ sᴏᴏɴ...

𝗪𝗔𝗗𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗦𝗢𝗡 (𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗣𝗢𝗢𝗟)

ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛɪɴɢ sᴏᴏɴ...

𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒:

𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚗, 𝚋𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚠 / ⚠️

𝚈/𝚗'𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎, 𝚊𝚗d 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚎. 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚢/𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝙷𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎... / ⚠️

𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚢/𝚗, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍. 𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚗𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛

𝚈/𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠

𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢'𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢/𝚗. 𝙼𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚞𝚗 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙼𝚊𝚡𝚒𝚗𝚎. 𝙷𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢/𝚗 / ⚠️

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍, 𝚜𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚢/𝚗 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢'𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜 / ⚠️

𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢'𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎. 𝙷𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚒𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢

𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙸𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 ��𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 / 🏳️‍🌈

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝙲𝚘𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚍 𝚢/𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚝 "𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜" 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚋. 𝚈/𝚗 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 / sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍!𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚢 "𝚗𝚘" 𝚝𝚘𝚘

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢!𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚟𝚒𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚗!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝙱𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚢!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝙼𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍

𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢'𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎'𝚜 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎 / 🏳️‍🌈

𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝙳𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚎 𝙼𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚐𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚢, 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚛!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝗘𝗗𝗗𝗜𝗘 𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗢𝗡

𝙶𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚖 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝. 𝙴𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝙷𝚒𝚐𝚑 𝚂𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚗, 𝚋𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚠 / ⚠️

𝚈/𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍, 𝚜𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚢/𝚗 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢'𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜 / ⚠️

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚢 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚙-𝙳𝚊𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚊 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎

𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚊 𝚝𝚢𝚙𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢

���𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝙲𝚘𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎, 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚍 𝚢/𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑��𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚝 "𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜" 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚋. 𝚈/𝚗 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 / sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 about 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢/𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎en 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐, 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 / ⚠️

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢/𝚗. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎, 𝚢/𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚎 / ⚠️

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚘𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 / 🏳️‍🌈

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚠 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚢/𝚗'𝚜 𝚓𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝚂𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚎'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎𝚛

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚢 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑 𝚘𝚗 𝚢/𝚗 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚑𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛. 𝙷𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛 / ⚠️

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚢𝚙𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜. 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚋𝚒𝚐 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚞𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚛!𝙹𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚢/𝚗 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚗𝚘 𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 / ⚠️

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 . 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝. 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍!𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚢 "𝚗𝚘" 𝚝𝚘𝚘

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢. 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙹𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚏 𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 / ⚠️

𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎. 𝙻𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚅𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎!𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎'𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊�� 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗, 𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛!𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍'𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 / ⚠️ ᴜɴғɪɴɪsʜᴇᴅ sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚓𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚢/𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙼𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚌𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚙 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜 / ⚠️

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚢 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚞𝚙 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚑. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 / ⚠️

𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚘 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝙼𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛

𝙱𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚢!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝙼𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗩𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗧𝗢𝗡

𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚐𝚎𝚛. 𝙸𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 / 🏳️‍🌈

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝙲𝚘𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎, 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚍 𝚢/𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚝 "𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜" 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚋. 𝚈/𝚗 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 / sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚘𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 / 🏳️‍🌈

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 . 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝. 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍!𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜��𝚢 "𝚗𝚘" 𝚝𝚘𝚘

𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎. 𝙻𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚅𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎!𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎'𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚔𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗, 𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛!𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍'𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 / ⚠️ ᴜɴғɪɴɪsʜᴇᴅ sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙱𝚊𝚋𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑 𝚘𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝙳𝚊𝚍!𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚊 𝚗𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎

𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚘𝚜

𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢'𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎'𝚜 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎 / 🏳️‍🌈

𝗝𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗩𝗘𝗥

𝙶𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚖 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝. 𝙴𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝙷𝚒𝚐𝚑 𝚂𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢

𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚢𝚙𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙. 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚋𝚒𝚐 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚞𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚛!𝙹𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚢/𝚗 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚗𝚘 𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 / ⚠️

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢. 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙹𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚏 𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 / ⚠️

𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒:

𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡

𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐? 𝙽𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚢/𝚗, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝙹𝙹 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜? sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙷𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝? 𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 -- 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚊 𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙-𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 /⚠️

𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍. 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚕𝚏, 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚖 𝚢/𝚗 𝚜𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚝𝚘. 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢/𝚗, 𝙹𝙹 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 / ⚠️

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝙹'𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍. 𝙷𝚎 𝚜𝚗𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝙹'𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎'𝚜 𝚎𝚡 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚏𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜. 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚗 / ⚠️ sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙿𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔. 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎'𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝙿𝚘𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢/𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 / ⚠️ ᴜɴғɪɴɪsʜᴇᴅ sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝙹𝙹 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚢. 𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚠, 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚕 / ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴠᴇʀsɪᴏᴍ

𝙱𝚞𝚣𝚣𝚌𝚞𝚝!𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝙲𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚞𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚓𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚞𝚝

𝗝𝗝 𝗠𝗔𝗬𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗞

𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐? 𝙽𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚢/𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝙹𝙹 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜?

𝙹𝙹 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚙𝚎�� 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚢. 𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚠, 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚙𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚕 / ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴠᴇʀsɪᴏɴ

𝙹𝙹 𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚋𝚋𝚢!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜 𝚛𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏𝚏, 𝚌𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚜𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝙹

𝗧𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗡

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎'𝚜 𝚎𝚡 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚏𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜, 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚗 / ⚠️ sᴇʀɪᴇs

𝐓𝐇𝐄 100 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒:

𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗠𝗬 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗞𝗘

𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙹𝚊𝚑𝚊, 𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚜𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚏, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚐𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚢/𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚞𝚙 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚠, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚖 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚞𝚝 / ᴍɪɴɪ sᴇʀɪᴇs / ⚠️

𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚢/𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑. 𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚢/𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍

𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝙼𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢/𝚗 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚜. 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚢/𝚗 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚓𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜. 𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚔, 𝚜𝚘 𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕. 𝙷𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚢/𝚗

𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚜𝚘 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚜. 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎, 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎

𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒:

𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗕𝗬 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗞

𝙰𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚎, 𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚋𝚢 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍, ��𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚢. 𝙷𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗 / ⚠️

𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚋𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗. 𝙵𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚗𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚏 𝚢/𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚝

𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚋𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘? 𝙾𝚑, 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚎𝚎 / ⚠️

✍︎︎

𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐍𝐄-𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓:

"ɪ ᴅᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ" - ʀᴀғᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴏɴ

ᴋɴᴏᴄᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴜᴘ. - ᴇᴅᴅɪᴇ ᴍᴜɴsᴏɴ

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ ᴏʀ sǫᴜɪʀᴛ? - sᴜʙ!sᴛᴇᴠᴇ ʜᴀʀʀɪɢɴᴛᴏɴ x sᴜʙ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ x ᴅᴏᴍ!ᴇᴅᴅɪᴇ ᴍᴜɴsᴏɴ

ᴍᴇᴀɴ!ʙᴇʟʟᴀᴍʏ ʙʟᴀᴋᴇ x ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅᴇʀ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ʙᴜᴢᴢᴄᴜᴛ!ʀᴀғᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴏɴ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ʙᴜʟʟʏ!ʙɪʟʟʏ ʜᴀʀɢʀᴏᴠᴇ x ɪɴɴᴏᴄᴇɴᴛ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒:

ғᴏʀʙɪᴅ (ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏɴᴇ)

ғᴏʀʙɪᴅ (ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴛᴡᴏ)

♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎

[michaelwheelerdefiodental]

I finally noticed that Jason didn't ask Nancy where Mike was because he wanted to hunt him down, but because he knew that Chance has a crush on him. Jason just wanted another gay to join the team; he is just inclusive and a good friend like that. Perchance is definitely endgame!

[safk-art]

Jason's first time playing DnD

[Patre0n] [instagram] [Twitter] [BluSky]

[leesleelee]

The babysitters Chronicles.

Steve Harrington x male! reader

After the events of season 3, Hawkins has settled into a quieter routine. However, the threat of the Upside Down lingers in the background. You, Lucas' cousin has moved back to Hawkins to help out. While helping out, you meet someone who ends up being your teammate.

CW: Mild Language, emotional vulnerability, romantic themes, mention of past trauma, light angst.

Word Count: 6,863

The babysitters.

We were under the same roof.

The summer had passed, but Hawkins was still settling back into some semblance of normalcy.

At least, that’s what your parents told you as they sent you off to stay with your cousin Lucas and his family.

After everything that had happened, it was clear you were needed, even if you weren’t sure what your role would be in all this.

Your first day in Hawkins was quiet, too quiet.

The kind of quiet that made you feel like something important was still lingering in the air. You hadn’t been around Lucas, Mike, Max, Dustin, or the others much before, so you didn’t know what to expect.

All you knew was that things had been... complicated. And now, you were supposed to help take care of the kids. Easier said than done.

The house you found yourself in was familiar, Lucas’ family home, but it felt different now, like the walls carried secrets you weren’t privy to yet.

The laughter and chaos coming from the living room was a clear indication that life here, though quieter, was anything but normal. You hesitated at the doorway, unsure of how to join the group, and whether they’d even care that you’d just moved into town.

The first thing you noticed was the noise. It wasn’t loud, not exactly, but it was constant.

Mike and Dustin were arguing over some ridiculous game on the floor, while Lucas and Max were half-heartedly attempting to referee.

The energy was almost too much; too many moving parts, too many voices, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Just... overwhelming.

Then, your eyes landed on him.

Steve Harrington, leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. His presence seemed to fill the room, not with the usual ‘king of the school’ bravado you’d heard about, but with something warmer;

more grounded.

He was part of the chaos, but he was also a quiet anchor in the middle of it. His eyes flickered over to you as you stood there, unsure of how to make an entrance, but instead of the usual dismissive glance or curiosity, there was a softness in his gaze.

“Hey,” he greeted you, his voice surprisingly calm amidst the rowdy chatter. He offered a small smile, the kind that didn’t try too hard but was somehow inviting.

“You must be the new guy.”

You nodded, not sure if that was the right thing to do.

“Yeah, that’d be me. I’m... staying with Lucas for a while.”

Steve’s expression softened, his arms uncrossing as he straightened up.

“I figured as much. Everyone’s talking about you.” There was no teasing or judgment in his tone, just a genuine acknowledgment.

You glanced at Lucas, who was still in the middle of breaking up another argument between Mike and Dustin, and then back to Steve.

“How do you... handle all of this?”

You asked, half-laughing at the mess in front of you. The kids were all loud, taking sides, making plans for whatever trouble they were about to get into.

Steve looked over at them with a small shake of his head, like he was used to it by now. “It’s... a work in progress,” he said slowly, as if carefully choosing his words.

“You get used to the noise. And the drama.” His smile grew slightly, and you could see how he effortlessly slid into his role as the unspoken leader of the group. “You’ve got your hands full now, though. This lot knows how to make a mess.”

“Seems like they’re good at it,” you commented, your voice dry, feeling the weight of the situation.

You didn’t know how you were supposed to fit in, how you were supposed to navigate being the new person here.

Steve gave you a knowing look. “Don’t worry. We all get thrown into the deep end at some point. You’ll be fine.”

His tone was light, but there was something reassuring about it, as if he genuinely meant it.

You weren’t sure what to say to that, so you just watched as he moved across the room, stepping into the chaos like it was second nature to him.

He bent down to break up a new fight between Max and Dustin, using his usual calm, but firm, voice to smooth things over. There was a practiced ease to his movements, like he had done this a hundred times before.

You stood there for a moment, observing him. He was different from what you expected, much more patient and steady.

You’d heard the stories, Steve Harrington, the former high school king, the one who had been through his own share of messes, but somehow ended up here, looking out for the kids.

He was more than just the nickname.

It wasn’t until you saw him glance back at you, that small, amused smile tugging at his lips, that you realized you’d been watching him a little too intently.

He raised an eyebrow, catching your gaze, and for a second, there was an unspoken understanding between you two, something fleeting but real.

“Okay, new guy,” he said, his voice a little more relaxed, like he was letting down some of his own walls.

“Want to team up? We can tag team this babysitting gig. Trust me, it works better when there are two of us.”

You didn’t know what made you agree, but there was something about Steve, something that made it easy to fall into a rhythm with him, even if it was just a simple offer to help manage the chaos.

You nodded, stepping a little further into the room.

“Sure,” you said, your voice quieter now, more certain. “I can give it a shot.”

For a moment, it didn’t feel so overwhelming.

With Steve, there was a quiet reassurance that maybe, just maybe, this would be easier than you thought. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, helping to take care of the kids and settling into Hawkins.

And maybe, just maybe, there was more to Steve than the stories you’d heard.

As the two of you began working together to keep the kids from escalating into more trouble, you couldn’t help but notice the small gestures, the way Steve made sure you were comfortable and involved, offering quiet smiles and half-jokes when the kids got too rowdy.

It was nothing big, nothing overt, but in that moment, you realized something, this wasn’t just babysitting.

This was the beginning of something new.

And even if it was just a small spark, you couldn’t help but feel like it had the potential to grow into something more.

---

The moment you agreed to help, you immediately regretted it.

Max had suggested they all play a game of Dungeons & Dragons, but somehow it devolved into an all-out war of opinions, everyone trying to one-up each other with the most ridiculous rules.

Dustin and Mike were arguing over whose character was the most powerful, while Lucas tried to keep them in check, but his attention was split.

Max, naturally, refused to be part of it at all, folding her arms and glaring at the lot of them as if she were too cool for the entire situation.

And in the middle of it all, Steve was... well, Steve.

His usual nonchalant attitude made him seem like this was just another ordinary Saturday for him.

He leaned back against the couch, one hand lazily draped over the backrest, while the other played with a half-empty bag of chips.

You glanced at Steve, silently pleading for help. He caught your eye, his lips twitching in amusement, but he didn’t offer any immediate assistance.

Instead, he was waiting for you to jump into the fray. You took a deep breath and stepped into the chaos, walking over to where Lucas and Mike were practically nose-to-nose, arguing over whether a roll of the dice was “totally unfair.”

“Hey!” you called out, a little louder than you intended. All heads turned toward you.

Steve’s gaze lingered on you for a moment, something almost like pride flickering behind his eyes as you took charge of the situation.

“Okay, seriously?” you said, raising an eyebrow.

“We’re gonna be here all day if you keep fighting like this. What’s the point of a game if you don’t even know the rules?”

Lucas shot you a grateful look.

“See? I told them it’s about having fun, not trying to win every single time.”

“I don’t always try to win,” Dustin protested, looking offended.

He glanced at Mike.

“But Mike’s character is completely OP. I mean, who even lets a wizard have that many spells?”

“Yeah, well, you guys aren’t playing right!” Mike shot back, completely missing the point.

Steve leaned in, clearly enjoying the drama. “Boys, boys,” he said, with a theatrical sigh.

“How about we agree that everyone can have their turn to be the biggest nerd, but nobody gets to hog the spotlight? Deal?”

You could practically hear the collective groan of annoyance from the kids, but it did the trick, at least for the moment.

“Okay, okay, fine,” Dustin grumbled, sitting down with a huff.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

Just as things seemed to calm down, a high-pitched shriek cut through the air.

Max had decided she was done with the game and was now attempting to sneak into the kitchen to steal the last of the snacks.

“Hey! Max! Get back here!” Steve shouted, moving with surprising speed as he jumped off the couch and chased after her.

You didn’t hesitate to follow, knowing the chaos would only escalate if someone didn’t stop it.

You found Steve cornering Max at the kitchen table, a small bag of pretzels clutched in her hands like she was about to make a getaway.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Steve asked, his voice amused but firm, his hands on his hips as if this were a routine.

Max rolled her eyes dramatically, holding the snacks out in front of her like they were a trophy.

“What does it look like I’m doing? Getting a snack. You guys have been hogging everything.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen anyone eating pretzels since last week, Max,” you said, crossing your arms.

“You just want to be dramatic, huh?”

Max flashed you a smirk. “If you’re gonna let Steve win, that’s your problem.”

You raised your hands in mock surrender.

“I’m just here to keep the peace, not to pick sides.”

Steve leaned in closer, lowering his voice as if he were sharing a secret.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” he said, his words only meant for you.

“She gets really feisty when she’s hungry.”

You raised an eyebrow, fighting back a smile. “Noted.”

Max huffed, crossing her arms, but Steve wasn’t letting her off that easily. He took the bag from her hands with a dramatic flourish, giving her a look of mock disappointment.

“You can have some, but you have to promise to play nice with the others. No more stealing snacks.”

Max rolled her eyes again but grudgingly nodded.

“Fine, whatever.”

With the snack crisis temporarily averted, you and Steve returned to the living room, but not before you heard Dustin and Mike get into another heated discussion about which character was the best choice for their next round.

You exchanged a glance with Steve, who was clearly done with the constant back-and-forth.

“You wanna call it quits for the day?” Steve asked, leaning toward you with a grin.

You sighed, rubbing your temples. “I think that’s probably a good idea. They’re never going to agree on anything if we don’t step in.”

Just as you were about to suggest a break, the sound of crashing plastic echoed from the corner of the room.

You and Steve turned just in time to see Lucas trip over his own shoelaces, sending a bowl of popcorn flying across the floor.

The kids burst into laughter, and even Steve couldn't hold back a chuckle.

You couldn’t help but smile at the mess of it all, and for a moment, it felt like you were just another part of the family.

“You know,” you said, shaking your head,

“I can’t tell if I’m actually helping or just making things worse.”

Steve shrugged, his grin widening.

“Sometimes it’s about surviving the chaos, not solving it. Trust me, you’re doing fine.”

As the room settled into a familiar pattern of laughter and minor bickering, you realized that, despite the madness, it wasn’t so bad.

Steve had a way of making the chaos feel manageable, and it felt like, maybe, just maybe, you could get used to this.

---

The sun had begun to dip below the horizon, casting a warm glow across the room.

The chaos of the afternoon had finally settled into a comfortable lull, and the kids had either scattered to their respective corners of the house or fallen into a quiet, tired stupor.

The game was over, the snacks were long gone, and the living room now felt almost eerily calm in comparison to the frenzy that had come before.

You leaned back against the couch, the soft hum of a television in the background barely audible.

Max was sprawled out in one of the armchairs, her headphones in, while Dustin and Mike were attempting some quiet video game battle in the corner.

Even Lucas had found a moment to relax, reading through a comic book by the window.

Steve, on the other hand, had found a quiet corner near the window, arms loosely crossed as he gazed outside at the fading light.

His usual energy had settled, his expression softer now than it had been all day.

You watched him for a moment, the way the light caught the edges of his hair, how his gaze seemed far away, lost in thought.

It was the first time today that he didn’t seem like he was on high alert, ready to jump in and referee the next round of bickering. He looked... peaceful.

For a moment, you considered just letting him be.

But something about the quiet pulled you closer, a small voice telling you to take a chance, to say something.

“Hey,”

you finally said, your voice barely above a whisper.

It felt strange to break the silence, but you did anyway. “You doing okay?”

Steve shifted slightly, as though your voice had brought him out of his thoughts.

He turned his head slightly, catching your eye. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he uncrossed his arms and sat up a little straighter.

“I’m good,” he replied, his voice low and calm.

“Just... needed a second. Been a long day, huh?”

You nodded slowly, relaxing into the cushions as you considered his words.

“Yeah, it’s definitely been... eventful. But, uh, it’s not so bad. You’ve handled it pretty well.”

Steve let out a small, almost embarrassed chuckle.

“I don’t know about that. Half the time I’m just winging it.” His gaze flickered toward the kids again, watching them interact with a small, fond smile on his face.

“But, I guess it works out. You’re not doing too bad yourself.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Me? I feel like I’m just getting dragged along.”

“That’s part of the fun, right?” Steve said with a shrug, still grinning a little. His tone was teasing, but there was a warmth there, too, a genuine appreciation.

“But seriously, you’ve got a good way with them. They listen to you, which is more than I can say for myself sometimes.”

You chuckled softly, shifting so you were sitting a little closer to him.

“I guess we make a good team, huh?”

Steve glanced at you again, his smile widening just a little. “Yeah, I think we do.”

His voice was quieter this time, more thoughtful. “It’s kind of nice, y’know, having someone to share all this with. Feels a little less crazy when it’s not just me trying to keep everything in check.”

You didn’t say anything right away, letting the words sink in.

You had noticed, of course, how Steve had a way of keeping things under control—of bringing a sense of calm to the madness.

But hearing him say it, hearing the vulnerability in his voice as he admitted he wasn’t always sure he had it all together, made you feel... closer to him, in a way.

Like you weren’t just playing along in his world, but that you were starting to share it.

“You know,” you said quietly, looking out the window where the last remnants of the sunset painted the sky in shades of orange and pink, “I didn’t think it’d be like this when I moved here. All the noise, all the... chaos.”

You laughed softly, shaking your head. “But it’s kind of nice. In a weird way.”

Steve followed your gaze, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked out at the fading light.

“Yeah. It’s nice. I think the chaos makes the quiet moments worth it.” He paused, the corner of his mouth twitching like he was holding back another smile.

“And... I think the quiet moments make the chaos feel a little less crazy, too.”

You smiled at his words, the weight of the afternoon finally lifting off your shoulders.

The world outside seemed a little calmer now, the house filled with the soft sounds of the kids in their own little worlds, and Steve sitting next to you, as relaxed as you’d ever seen him.

There was something comforting about this silence, the way everything felt in sync for once.

You didn’t feel the need to fill the air with conversation or distractions. Instead, you could just enjoy the moment for what it was, a brief, quiet pause in the midst of the whirlwind that had been your day.

Steve’s gaze lingered on you for a moment, and you met his eyes, a soft, unspoken understanding passing between you.

Maybe it was the way the evening light softened everything, or the way his presence just felt right, but in that quiet moment, you couldn’t deny it: being here with him felt... good.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Steve said, the words simple but meaningful, his voice steady and warm.

You nodded, a quiet smile curving on your lips. “Me too.”

---

The days after the babysitting adventure had settled into something like routine.

The kids were still as chaotic as ever, but with each passing day, you found yourself easing into the role.

There were moments of laughter, moments of frustration, and, more often than not, you found yourself alongside Steve, trying to juggle the madness.

It wasn’t so much the kids that had started to feel comfortable, it was being around Steve.

Somewhere between handling arguments over video games, calming Max down after she’d stormed off in a huff, and Steve always having just the right words to make everyone laugh or take a break, you’d started to notice something.

The way Steve looked at you wasn’t quite like it had been at first. It was subtle at first,an extra beat of silence when your eyes met, the small, easy smiles that didn’t feel forced, like they used to.

There was an ease in his presence now, a comfortable kind of quiet that you found yourself craving when the noise of the group became too overwhelming.

Today was no different. The kids were in the backyard, playing basketball, and you’d volunteered to stay inside with Steve, mostly because the sun was just a little too hot, and you both had been the designated “guardians of peace.”

You were sitting at the kitchen table, sipping on a drink, while Steve was lazily washing dishes, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

The rhythmic sound of water running, the occasional clink of plates, and the quiet murmurs between you two were almost soothing.

“So,” Steve said, his voice breaking the silence, “how’s school been? You surviving senior year?”

You glanced up from your drink, considering the question. “It’s been alright,” you replied, a small shrug following your words.

“I mean, it’s school. It’s nothing I can’t handle. But it’s... different, you know? Moving here after everything that happened... it’s kind of thrown me off. I feel like I’m still adjusting.”

Steve chuckled, wiping his hands dry on the dish towel.

“Yeah, I get that. Hawkins has a way of making things feel a little weird, right? Everything’s either too normal or too weird, never just... normal.”

You laughed softly, nodding in agreement.

“Exactly. It’s like one minute, I’m trying to figure out how to survive high school, and the next, I’m wondering if I’ll have to deal with some weird, otherworldly creature again.”

Steve smirked, tossing the towel aside and leaning against the counter. “I’m pretty sure that’s part of the charm of this place. You never really know what’s gonna happen next. Makes life interesting, I guess.”

The way he said it made you chuckle, and for a moment, it felt like you were just... talking.

Not about anything important, not anything heavy, but just sharing a moment of lightness, of understanding. It wasn’t often that you felt that way with someone, especially after moving to a new place.

But with Steve, it was easy.

“You know,” you said after a beat, “I didn’t really expect you to be this... chill.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

“Chill? What, you thought I’d be some angry jock or something?”

You shrugged, trying to hide your smile. “I don’t know. It’s just—well, you’re different than what I thought you’d be.”

Steve laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, I get that a lot. People usually think I’m all about the hair, the car, the ‘cool guy’ persona.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Guess I got that reputation, huh?”

You couldn’t help but smile, amused by his self-deprecating humor. “I mean, yeah, but there’s more to you than that.”

You paused, looking down at your drink as you thought for a moment. “It’s just... you’re not what I expected. But in a good way.”

Steve’s expression softened at your words, and for a moment, you both just stood there in the quiet of the kitchen, the noise of the kids in the backyard still distant.

There was something comforting about the silence between you two, something that felt like it was slowly pulling you both closer.

Steve shifted on his feet, his gaze never leaving you as he leaned in slightly, as though choosing his words carefully.

“Well... I’m glad to hear that. Honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect from you either when you moved here.”

You looked up at him, curiosity flickering in your eyes. “Oh yeah? What did you think I’d be like?”

He chuckled softly, his expression light.

“I don’t know, honestly. I thought you’d be like one of those people who just comes in, says ‘hi,’ and disappears. You know, all distant and stuff. But you’re... not like that at all.”

You smiled, a small, genuine smile that came naturally. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

Steve’s grin was playful, but there was something more behind it. “Nah. Not bad at all.”

It was funny, how easy it felt to talk to him.

The way the conversation flowed from one moment to the next, no forced pauses, no awkwardness. It felt natural, like the both of you had always been able to share this space.

The kids outside were getting louder, the ball bouncing off the ground, a few of them laughing at some sort of inside joke, but it didn’t matter.

It felt like you and Steve were in your own little bubble, and for once, the rest of the world didn’t need to intrude.

“I’m glad I’m here,” Steve said softly, almost as an afterthought, as he turned back to the sink, his fingers absently running over the rim of a glass.

“I mean, you’ve made things... easier.”

You watched him for a moment, the words hanging in the air between you two.

He hadn’t said anything too deep, but there was a sincerity in his voice that made your heart skip a beat

You were getting used to this, getting used to him being around, getting used to the quiet moments, to how easy it felt to just be in each other’s company.

“I’m glad you’re here too,” you said, the words coming out quieter than you meant them to.

For a moment, Steve didn’t respond, but the smile he gave you was enough. It was soft, almost shy, but there was something in it that told you he felt the same way.

---

It had been a long week, the kind of week that blended together, filled with the usual mix of chaos, laughter, and quiet moments with Steve.

Every time you thought the day would settle into something predictable, there was always a curveball, whether it was Dustin’s never-ending energy, Max’s occasional storms, or the endless basketball games in the driveway.

But, despite the noise, the moments spent with Steve felt different. Lately, you’d found yourself looking forward to them more than you cared to admit.

It was late on a Friday evening, and the kids had all scattered off to their rooms, giving you and Steve the rare chance for some time to yourselves.

The house was quiet, save for the soft hum of the refrigerator and the distant sounds of the night outside.

You were sitting on the couch, a book in your lap, your thoughts wandering far from the pages in front of you. You could hear Steve in the kitchen, putting away some leftovers from dinner, humming to himself absentmindedly.

The usual chatter and playful teasing had quieted down, and you realized, for the first time in a long while, that you weren’t focused on keeping things light anymore.

You weren’t just babysitting the kids or keeping the peace.

You were... drawn to Steve.

And it wasn’t just about the way he’d smile when he caught your eye, or how he’d laugh when you cracked a joke. It was the way he made you feel. Safe. Understood.

Like you were both in this together. Like this moment, this piece of life, was something worth holding onto.

Without thinking, you closed the book and set it aside, standing up and walking toward the kitchen, your steps slow but deliberate.

Steve was humming louder now, moving around the kitchen, but when you leaned against the doorframe, he paused and glanced over at you, raising an eyebrow.

“What’s up?” he asked, wiping his hands on a towel.

You hesitated for a second, not entirely sure what you were about to say, but knowing that it was time to say something.

Something that had been building up in you for weeks now. Something you couldn’t ignore any longer.

“I don’t know,” you said, the words coming out a little quieter than you meant them to.

“I guess... I’ve been thinking.”

Steve tilted his head slightly, clearly interested, but he didn’t push. He just stood there, waiting for you to continue, his expression soft and open.

“About... us, I guess,” you continued, your heart beating a little faster now.

“About how things have been. How... I’ve been feeling. And, I just—”

You stopped yourself, taking a breath. You didn’t know how to explain it, didn’t know how to put into words what had been bubbling up inside you.

But Steve, in his usual way, seemed to sense what you were getting at. His expression softened, and he took a step closer to you, his voice gentle.

“You mean how it feels like we’ve been getting closer?” he asked, his tone teasing but sincere.

You nodded, looking up at him.

“Yeah. I didn’t think it would happen this way, but... yeah. I guess I’ve been feeling it too.”

Steve leaned against the counter, letting out a small breath as he looked down at his hands.

For a moment, you thought he might change the subject, but instead, his voice softened, more vulnerable than you’d ever heard it.

“You know,” he began, “I’m not always this put-together. Like, I joke around and act like I’ve got it all figured out, but... I don’t. Not even close.”

The honesty in his voice surprised you, and you stepped closer, silently encouraging him to continue.

He glanced at you, his eyes searching yours for a moment before looking away again.

“After everything that happened with... the Upside Down, losing people, and just... everything,” he said, his voice faltering slightly,

“it messed me up. I tried to be the guy who could take care of everyone, who could keep it together for the kids, but sometimes... it feels like I’m barely holding on.”

You felt your chest tighten at his words.

It wasn’t often that Steve let his guard down like this, and hearing the cracks in his usual confident exterior made you realize just how much he carried on his shoulders.

“I don’t know why I’m telling you this,” Steve continued, shaking his head with a small, self-conscious laugh.

“Maybe because you’ve been there too. You get it, in a way that not a lot of people do.”

You reached out instinctively, placing a hand on his arm.

The gesture was simple, but it seemed to ground him. He looked up at you, his eyes meeting yours, and for a moment, the vulnerability in his expression was almost overwhelming.

“You don’t have to do it alone, Steve,” you said softly. “You don’t have to be the guy who always has it figured out. We’ve all been through a lot, and it’s okay to lean on someone else sometimes.”

Steve let out a small breath, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

“Yeah. I think I’m starting to figure that out. Especially with you.”

The words hung in the air between you, and the realization of what he’d just said made your heart skip a beat.

He hadn’t said it directly, but the meaning was clear. You weren’t just someone he was confiding in. You were someone he trusted, someone he wanted to keep close.

“I’m glad I’m here,” Steve said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “And I’m glad you’re here too.”

Your hand lingered on his arm for a moment longer before you stepped back, the weight of the moment settling between you. There was something undeniable in the air now, something unspoken but understood.

The connection between you two wasn’t just friendship—it was something more, something neither of you could ignore any longer.

Steve stared at your lips and cracked a smile.

---

It had been a few weeks since that quiet night in the kitchen when everything changed.

You and Steve hadn’t spoken directly about what happened, but the air between you was different now.

The small moments lingered longer, the playful touches and glances felt heavier, and the teasing banter was layered with something unspoken. Something real.

The kids, of course, hadn’t noticed anything, too caught up in their own world of campaigns, arcade games, and adolescent drama.

But you noticed. Steve noticed. And, slowly but surely, the dynamic between you two shifted into something neither of you could name just yet.

The first time it hit you was at the arcade.

It had been Max’s idea to gather everyone, and somehow, you and Steve had been roped into chaperoning.

The kids scattered the moment you arrived, racing to their favorite machines and leaving you two by the snack counter.

Steve leaned casually against the counter, sipping a Coke, his hair as perfect as ever.

You couldn’t help but smirk at how effortlessly he pulled off the whole "cool guy" look.

“You know,” you said, nudging him playfully,

“you’ve got a serious reputation to uphold. Babysitter extraordinaire, hero of Hawkins… how do you handle all the pressure?”

He laughed, a genuine, warm sound that made your chest tighten.

“It’s tough, but someone’s gotta do it,” he quipped, taking another sip. Then he glanced at you, his expression softening. “I mean, it helps having backup now.”

The way he said it, so casually but with a weight that told you he meant it, made your stomach flip.

You looked away, pretending to focus on the kids in the distance, but the warmth creeping up your neck betrayed you.

“Backup, huh?” you replied, your voice teasing but quieter now.

“Guess that makes me your sidekick.”

Steve nudged you back, his shoulder brushing yours in a way that felt deliberate.

“Nah, more like my boyfriend.”

The word hung in the air between you, and for a moment, it felt like the entire arcade had gone silent.

You glanced at him, and the small, knowing smile on his face made your heart race.

“Boyfriend, huh?” you murmured, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably.

He shrugged, his smile widening. “Yeah. You know… someone I can count on. Someone I can... trust.”

The intensity of his gaze made your breath catch, and you felt like you were teetering on the edge of something big.

But before you could respond, Dustin’s voice cut through the moment, shouting for both of you to “hurry up and come see this!”

Steve chuckled, the spell between you broken but not forgotten.

“Guess duty calls,” he said, giving you a quick wink before heading toward the kids.

You followed, your chest still buzzing from the exchange.

---

The second time it happened was during a late-night drive. The kids were all asleep in the back of Steve’s car after a long day at the pool, and the quiet hum of the engine filled the silence.

You were sitting in the passenger seat, your head resting against the window as the streetlights flickered past.

Steve glanced over at you, his hands steady on the wheel.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice low.

You turned to him, smiling softly. “Yeah. Just… tired, I guess.”

He nodded, his eyes flicking back to the road. “It’s been a long day.”

There was a pause, and then he added, almost hesitantly, “You know, I’ve been thinking… I like this.”

“Like what?” you asked, genuinely curious.

“This,”

He said, gesturing vaguely. “The quiet. The… normal. After everything we’ve been through, it’s nice, y’know? Just driving around with you. Feels... right.”

Your heart skipped a beat at his words, and you couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah,” you murmured. “It does.”

The rest of the drive was quiet, but the air between you was charged, every glance and shared silence saying more than words ever could.

---

The third time it happened was at the Wheeler’s basement, during another one of the kids’ chaotic campaigns.

The two of you sat on the couch, watching the kids argue over strategy, your shoulders pressed together.

Steve leaned in close, pretending to whisper about the game but letting his breath tickle your ear, sending a shiver down your spine.

“Think they’ll ever figure it out?” he teased, his voice low and warm.

“Doubt it,” you replied, trying to ignore the way your pulse quickened at his proximity.

He pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting yours, and for a moment, the world around you seemed to fade.

You could feel the tension building, the unspoken feelings between you growing harder to ignore.

Before either of you could say anything, Lucas shouted in triumph, breaking the moment.

Steve groaned dramatically, leaning back against the couch, but his hand brushed against yours as he did. Neither of you moved it.

It was moments like these, small, fleeting, but deeply significant, that defined the slow burn of your relationship.

Every shared look, every playful touch, every quiet conversation brought you closer, inch by inch, until the line between friendship and something more was barely there at all. And though neither of you had said the words yet, you both knew they were coming. It was just a matter of time.

---

The night was still, the stars scattered across the sky like someone had spilled glitter over velvet.

You and Steve were sitting on the roof of your house, a favorite spot you’d both discovered during one of the kids’ sleepovers.

The chaos of the day had finally settled, leaving behind a peaceful quiet that you’d grown to cherish in moments like these.

Steve sat beside you, legs stretched out, his hands resting on his knees as he gazed up at the stars.

He looked calm, content, but there was something in his posture, his fingers tapping absently against his leg, the way he kept glancing at you from the corner of his eye, that told you he had something on his mind.

“You ever think about what’s next?” he asked suddenly, his voice soft but clear in the stillness.

You turned to him, caught off guard by the question. “Next?”

“Yeah, like... after all of this. The kids, Hawkins, everything.”

He gestured vaguely to the sky, his lips quirking in a small, self-conscious smile.

“I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like this town is all I’ve got, y’know? Like I’ll always be Steve Harrington, babysitter extraordinaire.”

You chuckled softly, nudging him with your shoulder.

“You’re a little more than that, you know.”

He smiled at the nudge, but the vulnerability in his eyes didn’t waver.

“I don’t know. I guess I just... I want more. Something real. Something that makes me feel like... I belong.”

His words hung in the air, heavy with meaning.

You felt your heart ache at the openness in his voice, the quiet longing he rarely let anyone see.

“You do belong, Steve,” you said after a moment, your voice gentle but firm. “To the kids, to this place... to me.”

The last part came out before you could stop it, but you didn’t regret it.

It was the truth, and it was time to stop dancing around it.

Steve turned to you, his eyes searching yours, and you could see the moment your words sank in.

His lips parted slightly, like he was about to say something, but instead, he just stared at you, his expression unreadable.

“I mean it,” you continued, your voice quieter now.

“You’re not just... some guy who keeps the kids out of trouble. You’re more than that, Steve. You’re... everything. To them, sure, but to me, too. And I don’t want you to think you’re not enough, because you are. You always have been.”

Steve blinked, his breath hitching slightly as your words settled over him.

Then, slowly, a small, almost disbelieving smile began to tug at the corners of his lips.

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to hear something like that?” he asked, his voice soft, almost like he was afraid to break the moment.

You smiled back, your chest tight with emotion.

“Maybe as long as I’ve wanted to say it.”

There was a beat of silence, the kind of silence that felt full instead of empty, as if the world itself was holding its breath.

Then, Steve reached out, his hand brushing against yours before lacing his fingers through yours.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way before,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Like... like I finally found someone who sees me. Not just the guy who drives the kids around, or the guy who screws things up half the time. Just... me.”

You felt your heart swell at his words, and without thinking, you leaned closer, your free hand resting lightly on his arm.

“I see you, Steve,” you said softly, your eyes locked on his. “I’ve always seen you. And I—”

The words caught in your throat, but you didn’t need to finish them. The look in his eyes told you he already knew.

He leaned in, his forehead resting gently against yours, and for a moment, the world felt perfectly still.

“I think I’m falling for you,”

he murmured, his voice trembling slightly but filled with sincerity.

You closed your eyes, your heart pounding in your chest.

“I think I already have.”

The confession hung between you, weightless and freeing all at once.

Steve pulled back just enough to look at you, his expression soft but filled with something deeper, something you couldn’t quite put into words.

Then, with a tenderness that made your breath catch, he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours.

The kiss was soft, unhurried, and filled with all the emotions that had been building between you for weeks. It wasn’t just a kiss, it was a promise. A promise that this was real, that whatever came next, you’d face it together.

When you finally pulled back, Steve smiled at you, his cheeks flushed but his eyes shining with a happiness you’d never seen before.

“So,” he said, his voice teasing but warm, “does this mean you’re my boyfriend for real now?”

You laughed, shaking your head as you squeezed his hand. “Yeah, Harrington. I guess it does.”

And as you sat there on the roof, your hand in his, the stars shining above, you knew that this was just the beginning. The beginning of something real. Something that finally felt like home.

Thank you, Hawkins.

---

Credits: The Steve Harrington border I used was made by me, but the blue border was made by: kodaswrld!! Go and support them 🫶🏽

[hellcheercaine]

Jason, just go along with Eddie. Just for once.

[idyllicwillowtree]

God Eddie, You're So In Love With Me. (part 2)

Genre: Eddie Munson x Henderson!reader, fem!reader, angst/fluff, hurt/eventual comfort, friends to lovers

Summary: Being in Hellfire, you’ve been exposed to your fair share of bullying. One day, Jason takes it a step too far.

Word count: 1.8k

Warnings: bullying, anaphylaxis, poisoning, no physical descriptions of Y/N so you don’t have to look like Dustin, reader uses she/her, reader has a peanut allergy, swearing, angy Eddie, hospital

Author’s note: Thank you so much for the positive comments on part 1! I was feeling insecure about this fic so that was very nice y'all are so sweet <3

Enjoy!

Main Masterlist

Part 1

Eddie looked to you, hoping to see you looking up at him and smiling that way you do whenever he uses his renaissance voice. Instead he met your panicked eyes.

“Hey Henderson,” Jason called from across the cafeteria. “What happens now? Should we call an ambulance?” Andy shoved at his shoulder playfully and chortled alongside Jason.

Panic gripped you as you connected the dots.

“Yeah,” you wheezed, “call an ambulance.” 

All the Hellfire members whipped their heads toward you, witnessing an angry rash spreading across your skin and your breathing becoming audible as you tried to suck in as much oxygen as possible.

Eddie’s heart clenched painfully as he looked down at you, remembering the severity of your allergy after Dustin explained it to him one time. Still, Eddie was taken aback by the speed at which your symptoms were progressing.

You reached a hand out to Eddie as the choked coughs took over. He ignored your hand in favor of catching your body before it hit the ground. With trembling limbs he carefully lowered you to the grimy tile of the cafeteria floor.

“Fuck,” Eddie cursed, “Dustin! What do we do?!”

Dustin had froze. Panic set in as he watched his older sister struggle more and more to take in a full breath. A small crowd began to gather and the excited chatter of the cafeteria simmered into hushed whispers and gasps. Everyone was watching, and not in the way Eddie was used to.

“Henderson!” Eddie snapped. 

At that, Dustin went to work. “Mike, go call 911! Lucus, see if the nurse has an epipen. GO!” The sheep dispersed. Dustin picked up your bag with trembling hands and began digging through your books and school supplies, searching for the epinephrine injector he swears you kept in there.

Eddie turned his attention back to you, trusting that Dustin had the rest handled. At the look of panic in your blotchy and swollen face he almost froze too. A chilling dread spread through his veins as you began clawing at your throat, doing everything you could to open your airways. 

“Hey, hey, hey, look at me princess. You’re gonna be alright, gonna be just fine, you hear me? D-Dustin will getchu your meds and you’ll be good to go,��� Eddie rambled, trying to convince himself just as much. He gently cradled your warm face and stroked your hair to try and soothe you.

With every second passing you became closer and closer to death. Eddie looked up in desperation. His red-headed neighbor (Max, he thinks her name is) snatched the backpack out of a distraught Dustin’s hands and turned it upside down, emptying its contents. Robin was there too and put a comforting arm around your brother while Max took over the search for the injector. Eddie was vaguely aware of a teacher trying to pry him off of you but he’d risk getting expelled for shoving a teacher if it meant staying by your side. 

“Got it!” Max exclaimed, holding the orange and clear tube triumphantly. She slid to her knees on your otherside, not hesitating to jam the needle into your leg and holding it there.

Eddie flinched at the force it took to inject you. You took your first full breath, allowing him to take one as well. Your eyes were drooping slightly as the medicine was introduced into your system.

“Hey, there she is,” Eddie said gently.

Your tired eyes met his and he could’ve sworn the corners of your lips twitched upwards.

The paramedics arrived and Eddie hesitantly let you go so they could treat you. It was a blur of navy blue and red as they hooked you up to numerous tubes and slid an oxygen mask over your head. 

You became slightly more alert at the sight of strangers surrounding you as the stretcher clicked into place, raising you a couple feet off the ground. You moved your head tiredly trying to catch sight of anyone you knew. Anyone to comfort you.

“Dustin, go with her,” Eddie told the curly haired boy. He looked up at him with wet eyes that clenched at Eddie’s heart. “She needs you, go on.”

Eddie watched the determination emerge on the freshman’s face as he walked through the paramedics declaring that he was your brother, allowing him to be by your side. 

Swallowing thickly past the dryness in his mouth, Eddie watched you get rolled out on the stretcher. 

He turned numbly to see that Lucas and Mike had returned and started digging through your lunch, in an attempt to find out what it was that could’ve caused your reaction. As the two predictably began to bicker, Eddie grabbed the cup of applesauce and slowly brought the spoon out. To his horror, he scooped out a few small round nuts mixed with the smooth texture of the applesauce. 

His darkened eyes snapped up, immediately finding Jason. He at least had the decency to look scared, his skin white as a sheet. True terror shining through as he came to realize the severity of what he did. He shook his head slightly, pleading with Eddie. For what, he wasn’t sure. But he could give a shit.

The grip on the applesauce tightened, causing it to tremble, before he launched it in Jason's general direction. A fire of rage lit up Eddie's entire being, consuming any reason or restraint within him.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?! You could’ve killed her!!” Eddie roared, the words ripping from his throat like a thunderclap.  Every fiber in his being screamed for justice, determined to ensure that no harm would ever come to you again. 

“I-I-I didn’t think…I didn’t mean to-” Jason blubbered.

“Not good enough!” Eddie snapped. He charged forward, driven by the need to avenge your pain. Just when he was closing the distance between them a thick arm wrapped around his upper body. “LET ME GO!”

Eddie struggled against the firm grip that held him back from doing to Jason what he should've done a long time ago. If Eddie was strong enough, he could've saved you, stopped all of this bullying in its tracks before Jason had ever even looked in your direction. His strength never came from muscles or brute force, but from his anger—the primal need to protect those he loved. He was so consumed by his rage that a red haze blurred his vision. Or were those his tears?

“Eddie, man, don’t do this,” Doug said, doing his best to calm his friend.

“Please,” Eddie pleaded, losing some of his fight. “Just let me go.” 

“Dude, if you get into a fight you won’t be able to see Y/N in the hospital,” the bassist whispered in Eddie’s ear. He looked over and saw Principle Coleman closing in on them, there wasn’t much time left. “We can handle it, just go while you can.”

A wave of overwhelming frustration washed over Eddie as the struggle against Doug’s hold diminished. Tears welled up in his eyes as his chest released his rage and tightened back up with helplessness and despair.

He didn’t let it consume him though, taking off in the opposite direction of the principle, his sheep following close behind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the van ripped into the hospital parking lot, Eddie finally took notice of how many stowaways he had. Lucas, Mike, Max, Robin, and even Nancy all burst through the double doors at the back of his skunky smelling van and made their way to the emergency room entrance.

Eddie was the first one through the doors, eyes scanning the waiting area for his curly haired friend. What he wasn’t expecting to see was the one and only King Steve sitting with the boy. 

Steve noticed them first, taking the lead on letting them know what’s going on. He explained that you’d be fine but the doctors are running some tests and getting you hooked up to the necessary machines. It’ll be a little longer before Eddie gets to see you with his own eyes.

Eddie turned on his heel and walked through the doors he just came through as Steve explained that your mom was called but was on a trip with her girlfriends and won’t be able to make it back until tomorrow.

The disinfected smell of the hospital only offered to heighten Eddie’s desire for a cigarette. He finds solace in the only coping mechanism he has under his belt, even if he knew it was bad for him in the long run. The stress of the day weighed heavily on him as he leaned on the brick wall of the hospital outside. The familiar routine of lighting up offered a good distraction, the only way to momentarily ease his anxiety.

That was until your brother found him. He silently stood next to him, not feeling the need to fill the silence with anything but the gentle breeze and the birds chirping in the distance. But it made Eddie feel uneasy.

“I’d offer you a smoke, but I don’t want to corrupt you more than I already have,” Eddie said with a sad laugh.

Ignoring Eddie’s comment, Dustin asked, “you remember that one time when Hellfire came over to my house for a session? When the theater kids needed the drama room at school?”

Eddie nodded his head slowly, releasing the smoke from his lungs as he did so.

“I was still in middle school so I had only heard about you from Y/N. She had this weird way of speaking about you. It was in a way I had never heard her speak about anyone before.”

Eddie’s heart punched against his ribs painfully, his insecurities taking over.

“She was nice enough to let me watch your campaign so I could get ideas for the campaign I was doing with Mike and Lucas, and our other friend Will. I think she regretted it because of the Reese's Pieces incident.”

Eddie couldn’t help but start chuckling embarrassingly at the memory. “God, that was so stupid,” he smacked his forehead in an attempt to stop his mind from reliving one of the most embarrassing moments of his life. 

-

The Hellfire members flooded into your home, bringing chips, candy, and drinks to share. Your first time hosting the club was going great, until Dustin noticed the bag of Reese’s Pieces in Eddie’s hand.

“My sister is too nice to say anything but-” Dustin started.

“Stop, Dustin-”

“-we can’t have those in the house.”

Eddie’s eyebrows pinched beneath his bangs, “what? Why not?”

“She’s allergic to peanuts.”

Before you could roll your eyes at your little brother and reassure him it was fine, Eddie turned and chucked the bag out your kitchen’s open window leaving you standing there in shock and Eddie horrified by his own impulse.

-

“I think that’s when she fell in love with you.”

Eddie’s head whipped over to Dustin. The kid had the audacity to look smug after completely shattering his world view. His mind spun with the revelation.

Love, a word so potent, was now intertwined with his thoughts of your relationship. Eddie knew he liked you, a lot, but his brain never brought him to love. He replayed moments from your friendship in his head, searching for the signs, trying to decipher if Dustin was telling the truth. If the sentiment was truly real. A mix of surprise and uncertainty overwhelmed him, but there was also something warm and hopeful there. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.

He needed to see you and hear it from you directly. A million thoughts and memories raced through his mind, but one thing was clear–he needed to be with you, to tell you how he felt.

part 3

tags: @beeblisss @fishwithtitz @leah-loves-lilies

[stablefuse]

They're dating for years and probably married 🤭 (boss/employee)

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