#neil meets the monsters

[born-to-riot]

I’ve been thinking about what would happen if Jeremy gave Barkbark to the monsters (thanks @yanny-77 and @chunkypossum for listening to me) and here’s what I’ve come up with:

Nicky would be ALL for it. He’d offer to dog sit (mostly so he can annoy Aaron but he also finds Barkbark adorable)

Kevin would be gobsmacked and confused but is too much of a fan of Jeremy to say anything about it. He would text Jean later and ask if Jeremy is ‘for real’ and Jean would be like ‘unfortunately’

Andrew is kind of a mixed bag, I can see him using it for target practice or throwing his cigarette at it (and watching it burn to the sound of Nicky’s tears because he thinks it’s funny) BUT I could also see him liking Barkbark. Not that he’d tell anyone but Andrew enjoys its company.

Aaron thinks it’s stupid, he would look at it with disdain (Kevin will probably kick him before he could say anything to Jeremy tho).

And Neil, poor Neil. He wouldn’t be able to stop arguing that barkbark is ‘cardboard’ and ‘so obviously not a dog’ and both Jeremy and Nicky would be like “what are you talking about Neil?”

Thoughts?

[medeaaasworld]

I find these two scenes endearingly similar

[caribeandthebooks]

Caribe's YA Fantasy & Science Fiction TBR - Part 2

[kazoo-the-demjin]

I don't think Nicky is given his proper credit for having raised the twins all on his own while barely being an adult and still producing functioning humans who did not face any misery under his guidance, because of him. The teens who must be way more difficult to handle than the adult twins. The distrust. The helplessness. The fear. Nicky worked through all of that and the twins trust him with it. I don't think Nicky as stupid as we make him out to be for fun- sure, he seems to be overcompensating for the lack of chatter from the minyards- but he too has faced a lot of trauma in his childhood because of his own family, left the only comfort he found in Germany, and knew how to make the boys feel a little safe with him. I think Nicky deserves some fucking appreciation for it.

[ionlydrinkhotwater]

Ichirou literally said that he decided to meet Neil in person cause of his dad.

And we only know about the Hatfords and Wesininskis from Neil's mom and dad, but what if Nathan wasn't the first Wesininski to break bad. And maybe Marys parents weren't either. What about grandparents? His great grandparents? What are the odds that they weren't marrying criminal scions, too? Through his bloodline, he might be distantly related to some of the world's shadiest criminals, gangs, and crime families. Just saying.

Neil Josten is the nepo baby of crime T-T

[thenightling]

The Little Endless storybooks are going back into print this summer and will be available on June 4th. These are the *ONLY* children's books tie-in for Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. They are storybooks by author and illustrator Jill Thompson (The Sandman comics and Scary Godmother books). The Little Endless books depict The Endless (God-like entities that represent aspects of sentient life) but as chibi-fied small children, sort of like Muppet Babies. The Endless were first shown in this cute, kid-friendly form for issue 40 of The Sandman when Abel was telling a story to baby Daniel. In the early 2000s they even sold plushies of Morpheus, Daniel, Death, Delirium, Mervyn, and Goldie in these forms. The first Little Endless book deals with Barnabas, the talking dog, trying to find Delirium and meeting each Endless along the way- all the while he thinks he's being chased by a monster that turns out to be his own tail. The second book is The Little Endless: Delirium's Party. In this story Delirium attempts to cheer up her sister, Despair, by throwing her a surprise party. Despair does not react well to each of her gifts, which in turn, makes the other Endless sad. This ultimately is what makes Despair happy. Again, these are the only kid-friendly Sandman tie-in books. They have been available before in soft cover and hardcover but had been out of print for over a decade. These new reprints come in a box set and are available for pre-order now on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Little-Endless-Storybooks-Box-Set/dp/1779525524/ref=sr_1_1?crid=23NGY53C6YP5P&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EL3Asebwtr4ffBgMNneFqFWZphc7DehnX8jgkIgTckmDQUDaBWedJ4RvixIPFGUMkTXW1QAuR5iG31et_wTpaNO2vIMsosMjs3IAgBGYXXngsFkgk2ANd6Aygn8uUVL-zD2cL8fNuT76VDxdLv4IzRdJT1xSNnjZtCv0D_QZ5iY1h11IrP0595Hl-DpVuoPRWbnAkhBBUPl9ZUV0Hi9Wgd1BixKjc--6VmvDJkyrgeI.07ZMMNXkRFkObpok7wWfJ6t872hUca47krbZeQWlq4A&dib_tag=se&keywords=Little+Endless&qid=1705805319&sprefix=little+endless%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-1

[falafels]

i can’t stop thinking about neil and andrew’s cats. like sure it’s objectively quite funny that they’re called sir fat cat mccatterson and king fluffkins, sir and king for short. however. HOWEVER.

imagine this. you are Kevin Day. you have been physically free from the cult you grew up in for nearly seven years now (it will never leave your head. it taught you what you love and poisons whatever it can). you got out, your friend got out, and you’re learning to live with the hole in your heart shaped like the monster you loved. you’re healing. you have family, you have friends, and your two closest friends have decided to get cats.

you are invited to meet the cats, and you say you don’t care about the cats but go anyway. your friend opens the door with his usual contemptuous apathy while your other friend is trying to get one of the cats out from under the sofa. the other friend introduces the cats to you while the first one pretends not to care. he says “the orange one is sir, she’s obese because andrew keeps letting her finish his vile chocolate drinks. the one under the sofa is king.”

KING?????????

and you have to pretend to be so normal about the fact that the brother you grew up with wholovedyouandhatedyouandwantedtoliveinyourskinandruinedeverythinghetouchedincludinghimself, who was killed largely on the word of these two friends, who you’re doing whatever you can to move on from, NOW SHARES A TITLE WITH THIS CAT. and the cat won’t even come out from under the sofa to say hi

props to kevin i’d have shot myself in front of neil and andrew

[kukobs]

i want the trojans to meet the foxes so badddd, i know it's unrealistic bc of the locations but

i want jeremy+laila+cat to meet the monsters. i want them to see the grumpy asshole (affectionate) kevin is with his foxes.

i want laila and renee talking about goalkeeper strategies (i know andrew couldn't care less abt that conversation).

i want cat and nicky having fun together (they're both loud, extroverted, queer latino backliners, and even neil said that cat's smile reminded him of nicky's).

i want neil getting to properly know jeremy and to know jean is in good hands.

i want andrew to confront jean about the candy he threw away and jean getting annoyed saying an athlete shouldnt eat that much sugar (he takes after kevin) and that he's doing him a favor.

i want laila and dan being friends and bonding over how hard it is to look after their respective mafia-linked boys.

i want neil bickering (in a friendly way) with jean (forever partners).

i want matt and jeremy being besties since they're both adorable sweethearts.

i want andrew being (at least slightly) protective over jean bc he knows he's important to neil, kevin and renee.

i want jeremy cat and laila finally meeting renee, the cute girl whose photo jean is always staring at with a fond smile and soft eyes, the girl who got their friend out of the hell he'a been living in for his whole life and is the reason he's still here today (i love renee sm).

and i want jean and kevin to be friends again and be able to laugh together and to talk about a future they're going to have doing what they love most, playing exy. because they're finally okay and safe, and they have a team/family that loves them and will protect them always so there's nothing to be afraid of

[ihni]

The sound of the doorbell is what wakes him. The morning sun is shining in through the window, hitting the messy curls on the pillow next to him and making them shine like gold. The sight makes him smile, and his first instinct is to reach over and brush the curls away from his boyfriend’s face. There’s nothing better than getting to watch him wake up, after all; watch those blue eyes flutter open and squint against the light.

The doorbell rings again before he can act on his urge, though. It is followed by loud knocking, which rouses the body next to Steve; unfortunately in a less peaceful way than Steve had imagined. Billy’s eyes shoot open and he tenses as he immediately takes in where he is, and with who. Wide, blue eyes meet Steve’s.

“Shit!” he says and is halfway out of bed before Steve can even react, pulling a shirt – Steve’s, not that it matters – over his head. “It’s Neil!”

Steve has just opened his mouth to protest, say that it’s not – it can’t be, Neil doesn’t know about them – when there’s a knock again, and an angry man’s voice drifts up from outside.

And it is indeed Neil’s voice.

Shit.

Steve jumps out of bed too and nabs for the other shirt that’s been discarded on the floor – but no, no, he can’t show up at the door wearing Billy’s shirt, he can’t, so he drops it again before hurrying to his closet. He pulls on an old T-shirt, and then whirls around and grabs Billy’s face between his hands. Billy’s face, which has gone ashen with fear.

“Stay here,” Steve says. “I’ll get rid of him. It’ll be okay.”

He turns and walks out of the room, squaring his shoulders as he goes. In his periphery, he sees Heather’s head peek out of the guest room that she and Robin stumbled into late last night while blushing and giggling, but he ignores her as he makes his way to the stairs.

The knocking and shouting continues, sending equal measures of anger and fear down Steve’s spine. How did the man know to come here? Billy said he’d told him that he was going to a party last night; said that he wasn’t even given a curfew. The man would have had no reason to suspect that the party was in fact a very private affair at Steve’s place, with just him and Billy and Robin and Heather – a safe place, as all of them knew about each other’s preferences by now – and definitely would have had no reason to show up on Steve’s doorstep this early in the morning. As far as Steve knows, Billy’s dad doesn’t even know Steve by name, and shouldn’t know where he lives.

He’s halfway down the stairs when a hand grasps his arm.

“Don’t,” Billy says, voice shaking. Steve turns – he’s standing a step below Billy, so he has to look up to face him – and sees that Billy’s shaking his head. “Don’t open the door.”

He’s scared, Steve realizes. Really scared.

From outside the door, they can now make out Neil’s angry words between the bouts of knocking. “I know he’s in there! Open the door. William!”

Billy is just standing there, still holding on to Steve’s arm. His eyes are big and pleading. He’s obviously terrified, and it feels so wrong. No one who has fought monsters with the same fervor as Billy should ever have to be scared of a mere human.

A calm settles over Steve, followed by resolve. He gently extricates himself from Billy’s grip – ignoring the way Billy trembles – and says, “Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt you again.”

He continues down the stairs, but Billy shoulders past him and blocks his way. Puts both hands on Steve’s chest and pushes. “I don’t care if he hurts me,” he hisses. “But he’s dangerous.” The man yells some threats from the other side of the door and knocks again. Rattles the door handle for emphasis, this time. Billy flinches and looks over his shoulder before continuing, “I don’t want him to hurt you.”

“He’s not going to hurt me,” Steve says. He doesn’t know that for sure, but he can’t imagine it. This is his house, or, well, his parents’. Neil is the one who’s trespassing. And Steve knows the Chief of Police.

He walks past his boyfriend and crosses the hall. A hand lands on his shoulder again. Not forcing him to stop or trying to hold him back; just there. Imploring.

“Please,” Billy begs, and it pierces Steve’s heart like a knife because Billy doesn’t beg.

Billy, acting like this, is not right. The man on the other side of the door has brought Billy too much pain already. This has to end. And that end starts now. By getting rid of the immediate threat.

They’ll figure out the rest later.

Steve walks on. Stops in front of the door and only then realizes that Billy’s standing there with him, still with a hand on his shoulder. He’s watching Steve with big, wet eyes and shaking his head silently. Don’t do this, he doesn’t say out loud. Please, just ignore him.

But Steve can’t. Not this time. Not when the man is ranting on his doorstep on a Saturday morning, threatening to break in. Not when Billy’s standing here next to Steve, shaking with terror.

Billy is not getting hurt by that man in Steve’s house. If Neil tries to set one foot inside, Steve will kill him.

Steve reaches for the door, and with his other hand, he pushes Billy up against the wall just inside the door. Close enough to touch, but out of sight of his irate father. He can feel Billy’s heart beat frantically under his hand, and silently vows that this is the last time. This is the last time Billy is afraid.

He breathes in deeply and takes a second to slip into spoiled rich-boy mode. Then he opens the door.

“What?” he drawls, unimpressed. He gives the man outside a contemptuous look. The man draws himself up to say something, but Steve doesn’t let him speak. “Do you know what time it is? It’s Saturday, man. Some people are trying to sleep.”

Neil Hargrove is proper; not a hair out of place. It’s the first thing Steve thinks as he sees him up close – he has seen the man from a distance at times and listened in on the occasional phone call between him and Billy, but Billy has never let Steve even get close to the house on Cherry Lane when he knows that his dad is home.

The man is of average build and doesn’t look particularly dangerous from an outsider’s point of view, but there’s something cold in his eyes that sends shivers of fear down Steve’s spine when he’s pinned under Neil’s gaze. He doesn’t let his discomfort show, though; just lets the man take in Steve’s appearance fully – his messy hair, the way he’s just wearing a shirt and underwear, and how he’s obviously just got out of bed – and waits for him to speak.

“I know he’s here,” Neil growls – actually growls, like an animal. Steve sees movement out of the corner of his eye but doesn’t dare glance to where Billy’s huddling up against the wall. Instead he leans against the side of the door, placing himself more firmly between Billy and his dad.

He has seen the bruises on Billy’s skin and he has hated that he has to let Billy go back to that house time and again, but this is the first time he truly sees what Billy faces at home. He thinks, idly, that he won’t be able to let Billy go back there again.

“What are you talking about?” he asks, and tries to make it sound as if he thinks the man isn’t all there in the head. By the way Neil’s face turns darker, he succeeds.

“My son, William. I know he’s here.”

“William,” Steve deadpans, as if it’s a word he has never uttered before. He raises one eyebrow. “Look, there’s no William here, man. You’ve got the wrong address. Go yell at someone else’s door. Or don’t, I don’t care. Just go away.”

He starts to close the door, but Neil’s hand shoots out and stops him. He doesn’t move to go inside, but he’s holding the door without letting it close, and staring at Steve with narrowed eyes. A challenge. A threat.

“I’m not leaving without my son.”

So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?

Steve draws himself up and narrows his own eyes as he stares back. He manages to dial back on the disgust, but some of it must shine through because he can feel himself sneering. “Who are you again?” he asks. Flippantly.

“My name is Neil Hargrove,” Neil says, pronouncing every syllable with obvious annoyance. Good. “And my son, William –“

“You mean Billy?” Steve says, letting surprise color his voice. “You’re Billy’s dad?” He doesn’t let the man answer, instead he lets out an incredulous laugh. “You think Billy is here?”

“His car is parked down the road,” Neil seethes, and oh. “You’re on the basketball team with him. And I know what he’s like. He’s a dirty little faggot who –“

Steve lets his face shut down. Slips on the mask that he has seen on his parent’s faces on many occasions during boring parties and work functions. The ‘do you know who I am’ persona. His voice is ice cold when he speaks.

“I’m not sure what you are insinuating, Mr. Hargrove, but if I were you, I’d stop talking.” Something like uncertainty flickers in Neil’s eyes. Steve drinks it in. “I don’t know if you know my parents –“ He nods to the brass plaque next to the door with ‘Harrington’ etched into it “– but I’m sure they won’t be too impressed when they hear that some lunatic showed up at their door on a Saturday morning, accusing their only son of being …” He holds Neil’s eye. Can’t – won’t – say the word the man used, not with Billy behind the door. “… a deviant.”

Disgust is dripping from his voice – disgust over this sorry excuse for a human, disgust over the fact that he has to deal with this at all – but that lends him credibility in this particular instance. He sounds just like an offended rich boy. An offended rich boy with influence.

As if on cue – which it most likely is, since Steve suspects that the girls have been listening in for some time now – there are soft steps behind him on the stairs, and Robin’s voice drifts out from behind him, “Steve? What’s going on?”

He lets the door open just a little bit wider under the guise of turning around, allowing Neil Hargrove to see Robin. Robin, whose hair is also sleep-mussed, and who is wearing an oversized button-up shirt. It’s not Steve’s – she must have taken it from his dad’s closet – but Neil doesn’t know that. She paints a perfect picture of a confused girlfriend who just woke up to the sounds of yelling, and Steve is so grateful that he’s friends with her.

“Nothing, baby,” he says, softening his voice. “Go back to bed.”

Robin hesitates with one more look at Neil. Licks her lips, as if she’s worried. “Should I … call someone? The police, or …?”

Perfect. Thank you for the assist, Robin.

“No, there’s no need to bother Jim this early in the morning,” Steve says, making sure to use Hopper’s first name, and turns back to face Neil. Neil, whose face has paled. Who has possibly started to realize that he may have messed up. Steve gives him a stiff smile and lets his voice go cold again as he continues, “Mr. Hargrove here was just leaving. Isn’t that right, Mr. Hargrove?”

Too proud or too angry to say it out loud, the man just gives a jerky nod and steps back. Steve will take it, as long as he leaves.

Starting to close the door again, Steve sneaks one glance at Billy’s pale face an arms-length away, and adds, in a sudden bout of inspiration.

“Oh, and if you’re looking for Billy in Loch Nora –“ He gives Neil, who’s half-turned to leave, a slow once-over, showing just enough disdain to make it clear that someone like Neil Hargrove doesn’t belong in this part of town, “– then I suggest you try the Holloways next. I think I saw him with their daughter Heather at the party last night.” He gives a sardonic little smile at the way Neil Hargrove’s face shutters. Everyone’s heard of the Holloways, just as everyone’s heard of the Harringtons. “I’m sure Tom and Janet will appreciate being disturbed on a Saturday morning just as much as I have. Who knows, it might get you a mention in the Post.”

With that, he shuts the door in Neil Hargrove’s face and locks it, and turns to his wide-eyed boyfriend. Who hasn’t moved from his space behind the door.

He ignores both Robin running out into the kitchen on silent feet – probably to make sure that Neil Hargrove actually leaves – and Heather coming downstairs, in favor of putting his hands on the sides of Billy’s face and lean in so their foreheads are touching. Billy is shivering and his breaths are uneven, but he reaches up and grabs at Steve’s wrist and the back of his head with something akin to desperation.

“I can’t believe you,” he whispers. “You’re crazy.”

“Crazy about you,” Steve says, and is rewarded with a shaky little laugh.

“Shit,” Billy breathes. “I was so scared, Steve. I thought he was gonna –”

“But he didn’t.”

They stand there for a little while, just looking at each other. Holding each other and breathing each other’s air. Gradually, Billy’s tremors subside. His heart rate slows.

Eventually, Robin comes back into the hall and announces, “He’s gone. Got in his car and left.” She adds, pointedly, “Didn’t look like he was heading for the Holloways’, either.”

Steve looks at her and then drifts his eyes over to Heather, who’s sitting on the second to last step on the stairs, looking at them with one eyebrow raised. He winces. “Yeah … uh, sorry about that, I guess. I should have asked first.”

“You should,” Heather agrees. “But you didn’t, which means that you owe me one.” She looks between Steve and Billy and says, “I would have agreed if you’d asked, but you know. You still owe me.”

Steve laughs. Heather turns to Billy and points one well-manicured finger at him. “So I guess we’re dating now, you and I. I hope you know that I expect to be wooed.”

After Billy gives her a little salute, she nods and turns to Robin. Smiles lewdly as she takes in her appearance in the oversized shirt. “You look good in that,” she says, biting her lip. “Let’s see what other fun clothes we can find in that closet.”

The girls disappear up the stairs, giggling. Steve has a suspicion that his parents’ closet are going to be in complete disarray soon, but can’t bring himself to care. It’s a small price to pay.

“Do you want to go back to bed, too?” Steve asks, and belatedly realizes what it sounds like. “To sleep some more, I mean!” he adds. Because a Neil Hargrove scare first thing in the morning is probably not exactly a turn-on. “Or do you want breakfast? I can make breakfast. We have –“

“I want to go back to bed,” Billy says, thankfully cutting off the rambling.

“Okay,” Steve says and reaches out for his hand. When Billy’s hand slots into his, is it perfectly steady. No more tremors. “Okay, let’s do that.”

But Billy shakes his head. “I don’t wanna sleep, though.”

“… no?”

Billy’s looking at him through his lashes – his ridiculously long lashes, which he knows is Steve’s Kryptonite – and gives a small smile.

“Not gonna lie, babe. That was a terrifying experience. But …” He takes a step closer, brushes the lightest of kisses against Steve’s lip before leaning in and whispering in his ear, “… the way you shut him down like that, that was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Then he abruptly turns and sashays away, but not before giving Steve’s butt a quick squeeze as he passes.

He stops at the bottom of the stairs with one hand on the bannister, and looks over his shoulder all seductively. “You coming?”

Oh, Steve is coming, all right.

He chases Billy up the stairs. (And this time, when he catches him, he’ll hold onto him and never let him go back to that house again.)

[deeppenguinstudent]

Fox Jean is literally plaguing my mind I know it goes against like everything aftg is for but my god he would fit right in.

Like can u imagine Neil tryna hide his scars in the changing room and Jean just comes in and takes off his shirt decisively and Neil is just like what the fuck. Bc all his life he was taught to hide his scars but seeing someone so uncaring is refreshing to him

like the little nuances as I reread aftg I keep thinking oh if Jean was here how would this scene differ? like I would think Jean is in the middle of the monsters and the upperclassmen (bc of Kevin and renee obv) so whenever they have meetings he usually stays like in the middle because he feels like he's not exclusively welcome there but when Neil comes he finally has somewhere to be with

I also feel like Jean would follow Neil everywhere. the codepenency as Jean is heavily reliant on Neil's presence and Neil's only company prior to the Foxes was his mom.

Neil and Jean just silently judging everyone in French is something I need so fucking badly.

I need so badly to write and plan this fic out otherwise my mind is going to explode!!!

[rookiesbookies]

Captain John MacTavish x His wife x Sergeant Johnny 'Soap' MacTavish

I dont know how it would happen but i'm imagining sweet little Johnny ‘Soap’ Mactavish meeting Captain MacTavish and his wife. I guess this is me rewriting what happened bc Im made we’ll probably never see Neil as his boy again. 

Masterlist is pinned on profile as always, don’t forget to leave me a comment or a request in my inbox to let me know what yall want to see!

Smut smut smut under the cut for my lovely mutual @shotmrmiller of my John and his wife meet sweet little Johnny au thing.

Also @glitterypirateduck this one is for you and #soapitup

“Bhean,” he whispers loudly, following it with squirrel noises, motioning for her to follow. She walks out of the recreational room. He nuzzled bis face into her neck, letting her know he was nervous about what he was going to say. “I'm getting serious deja vu.”

“Talk to me, Goose.” A shameless quote of their favorite date night movie from when they dated made his nervous face crack a smile.

“I have this crazy memory,” he mumbled into her neck, she always worried he’d hurt himself craning it down like that so often.

“What about, don’t leave me on cliff hangers, Mr. MacTavish.”

“Do you remember our first time together?”

“Skiing or fucking? Because I remember both very well.” He chuckled at her bringing up his failed skiing attempts from a vacation they went on.

“Making love, Bonnie.” He hummed, “would you believe me if I told ya it’s because I had done it before?”

“Considering baby you told me he’d call me mommy? Yes. Yes, I would.” She hummed. “You also found my clit really fast which makes that really reasonable in retrospect.”

“What if, like my future self taught me at that stage, we teach him how to make love to you so he can charm you with the monster.” It came out more as a question, making his nerves hammer against his chest. He was more than sure he beloved wife would say yes, but he didn’t want to risk making her uncomfortable or saying it wrong. 

“He does really want to impress me,” she mumbled. “Fine. But there’s ground rules.”

“Of course, Mo chridhe, anything.”

“Just the tip, you know how I am about hygiene. I don’t fully try young you to keep everything clean. He swears to secrecy and if I ever think for a second he mentions this im ending his blood line. And you stay with us. You are my husband after all, not the boy.” The Captain nodded with every word. He’d make sure. He knew the Sergeant would want no harm to come to his future wife, and the Captain didn’t need a scorched relationship.

“Thank you, Mo leannan, it’s what helped me keep up hope I could lock you down when I met you when I was his age.”

“So it was a memory and more than deja vu?” She asked with a raised brow.

The Captain just simply nodded, planting a kiss on her temple, “you’d tell me if you wanted to back out right? If it made you uncomfortable?”

“John.” She was serious, she never called him just ‘John’. “I expect the same from you. And you’d know I’d never keep that from you.”

She reached up to his face and gently rubbed it. He melted just a little bit into her touch. “I assume you don’t plan to do this on base?”

“No, but that’s the hard part.” “I’ll handle it, go tell the mini you,” she said softly, planting a kiss before walking away.

The Captain sighed and let his shoulders relax, he knew he was so lucky to have her. The sergeant was about to be the lucky one though.

He made his way down the hall and stole his past self from a conversation with Gaz. “My wife and I have decided to give you an opportunity to learn more about her.” He said in a low deep voice. “I will be teaching you about her body so you can please her but there are ground rules she set and a few of my own.” Once he covered his wife’s, he got on to his own, “do not bite her, dig your nails into her, or ignore me if I tell you to do something. No coming inside either and don’t try anything.” Sergeant Soap nodded along, “I’m not sure you’re actually listening, sergeant.” The Captain growled. Soap’s eyes went wide, “Captain me, sir, I prayed last night for an opportunity to feel her skin, honestly I was just expecting to be allowed to shake her hand.” The younger Soap grumbled, “believe me, I’m all ears.” “And none of that ‘I have a latex allergy so I can’t wear condoms’ crap. I know we don’t have that allergy. You will be wearing one.” “You’re so no’ fun,” Soap mumbled. “Fine.”

The Captain didn’t entirely know how he felt about the kid creaming his wife. Sure, it was him, but it was a younger, rowdier, dumber him and not his same body. Getting married meant he was the only one allowed to cream pie his wife, and yes, it is a version of him, it wouldn’t be the same as him doing it. Even if his wife is on birth control and enjoys them, he knows he’d get jealous, way too jealous. Besides it���s his job anyway, he signed a paper to be able to do it, and this kid version gets to just randomly do it.

“So when do I get to show mo bhean how a younger body is better to make love with?” Sergeant asked, patting his older self on the back. This made the Captain flip until the voice of an angel spoke up.

“Ya mean when you meet yer own damn wife. Ya wee-” the Captain’s rage was cut off. “Tomorrow night. I’ll be there ahead of schedule to prepare, my husband will drive you.” She said, walking past the two with effortless grace and a sway of her hips. She flicked a piece of hair back over her shoulder. 

The next 24 hours were full of different forms of tension for younger Soap. He was eager, so eager, almost too eager in the Captain’s eye. The Captain’s raging jealousy made him almost want to shut down the whole thing. 

When he loaded the sergeant and himself into the old truck he sighed. “Remember the rules?” “Of course.”

“Can’t believe you still own this truck.” “She’s carried me through a lot.” “When you meet YOUR wife, she’ll appreciate it. Square bodies are her favorites.”

The rest of the drive was small talk. The sergeant saw a notification appear on the Captain’s phone and snatched it up, since the captain was driving. He back read the short conversation from this morning between the Captain and his wife, who had been the notification. ‘Mo chridhe you better not warm yourself up on that clarty vibrator’

‘You expect him to be able to get me warmed up enough?’

‘Its a teaching experience, mo leannan’

‘I don’t want to make him wait too long, I remember how impatient you were <3’

“Does she think ima div?” Soap looked at the Captain and asked. “Reading my personal texts? Real professional, ya eejit.”

“Does she think I can’t make her feel good? Or make her feel like she’s on Eccie?”

“No, she just doesn’t want you to wait too long. She does this. I bought it for her first time I left on a long mission, now she uses it to take away the fun part of getting her warmed up.”

“So she thinks I'm a fandan.”

“Dinnae fash yersel.” The Captain sighed, “we’re here and the least ya can do is make her feel good as a thank you.”

When he dragged his younger self into the hotel room, it finally set in that he was going to be cucked. By a younger him. Fucking his wife.

He knocked on the door twice and it kind of felt like his wedding night all over again. There she stood in a silk robe, eyes only on him with a gentle and soft smile. It's a smile she only gave when she was nervous, he gave a similar smile back to let her know he felt the same. It was subtle, but he reminded him this was indeed his beautiful wife.

“Go strip in the bathroom and sit down in the chair when you’re done, we need to talk.” The Captain said sharply. 

“Aye aye Captain,” the sergeant mumbled, walking into the bathroom. 

The Captain’s hands immediately found his way to his wife’s hips. 

“Are you nervous?” He asked, holding her close with his mouth near her ear between kisses he placed in her hair.

“Of course,” she said softly into his chest.

“Do you need to back out? We can leave and forget all about this if you need.”

“Do you need me to want to back out?” She asked soft, turning her head to look up into his eyes.

“No, I don’t think so, mo bonnie lass.” He said, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Give me a safeword to give him and a safeword for emergencies.”

“Two levels of safe words?” 

“Just in case I don’t hear the first one, he’s kinda loud.” She giggled and placed a kiss on his neck.

“Bubbles for him and Soap for emergencies.”

“My old callsign?”

“I never call you anyway,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Can I undress you and keep that privilege to myself?” All he needed was the little nod she gave before he moved to untie the robe. 

The lace blue bra she had been taunting him with with the matching panties drove him crazy. She ran her hands up and around his chest as his opened the clasp with one motion and undid the hooks holding the straps over her shoulders so she didn't have to remove her hands from his torso.

He sunk down lower as he planted sloppy kisses down her body and removed her underwear. Lovely pacing a kiss at her lower lips before trailing bite marks backup as the Sergeant exited the bathroom.

“I thought you said I couldn’t bite!” He accused as he watched the Captain leave a hickey on his wife’s chest.

“YOU can’t, I can.” This made the younger Soap look offended. The Captain smirked at the Sergeant’s face. “My wife, remember. Not yours.”

His wife just ran her fingers through his slightly grown out mohawk, a means to sooth him. 

Captain MacTavish moved to his wife’s ear and whispered softly, “may I told yer hand through this, mo ghraidh?”

“Gu sìorraidh is gu bràth,” she said back, pointing to the tattoo on her collarbone. When Soap heard it he almost fainted.

“She knows the language?” Sergeant Johnny asked.

The Captain hummed, pulling his mouth away from the dark hickey he was leaving on her neck, “learned a little bit for me.”

The Captain gave his younger self a once over before landing a sarcastic remark as his eyes landed on the bush, “glad to know you haven’t started shaving yet.”

“You trim?”

“Occasionally,” the Captain pulled his waistband down a bit, nuzzling into his wife, “I wax for special occasions. Yer lucky I found one who doesn’t care.”

The Captain locked his fingers with his wife’s, gently herding her to the bed. He laid her down gently and got her into a good position, shoving a few of the lousy pillows under her waist to offer a better angle.

“How are you?” He asked softly, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. “Ready as I can be,” she said with a soft giggle, as he bent down to plant a kiss on her lips.

“Sergeant, come here.” The Captain commanded, pointing at the foot of the bed, his wife couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her as she dropped her hand over her face. The Captain moved his wife’s knees apart with his free hand, the other still lovingly holding her’s. Johnny got on his own knees as John commanded him as he spread his wife’s pussy lips apart with his fingers. “Ya see that?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, sir,” John corrected Johnny. He basically gave his younger self a tour of his wife’s softest pieces. Telling Johnny her favorite things that he does and what she reacts best to. Johnny was so enthralled with her body he could move his eyes anywhere else. Especially when John put his fingers inside and curled them suddenly making her gasp so Johnny knew how far in her g spot was. The way her body jolted and softly raised as the gasp left her lips was his new favorite thing. He was so jealous he didn’t have her yet. That she wasn’t his wife yet, that he didn’t have the liberty to mark her body yet. “Get to work,” the Captain said, patting Johnny. He didn’t need to say it twice because Johnny went right in.

The wife brought her free hand down to her mouth to hold in the gasps and moans as Johnny ate so eagerly. John was usually slow and sensual, to the messy and a vehement eating that was happening at her core was a much different sensation. John gently pulled her hand away.

“Checkin in with ya, are ya doing good?” he asked his lovely wife. Her eyes couldn’t focus, her mouth gaping and shutting. 

She gave a nod and a hum as her body started to clench as Johnny inserted fingers between her legs and curled, making her body lurch towards the sky and gasp. The Captain gently placed kisses on her face, her velvety cries just make Johnny want to do it again. “She’s even prettier from this view,” Johnny mumbled, spreading her apart with his fingers.

“She donnae like condoms but imma make ye wear one anyway,” Captain Mactavish told his younger self before placing a kiss to the forehead of his flushed wife, still coming down from her orgasm as her husband ran his fingers through her hair as her breathing slowed with her closed eyes. John threw the condom at Johnny, who quickly rolled it on before standing up. “Donnae force it in, go in slow.”

Johnny positioned himself, putting one of the lovely wife’s ankles to his shoulder before giving it a soft kiss. He didn’t dare pull her down the bed like he would have normally done, he walked on his knees to meet her. Hands sliding down her legs to lift her ass, one he saw as so perfect.

He slowly slid it in as John kissed his wife’s face, holding her hand. She was more than used to John’s dick by now, but she was far from used to Johnny’s pacing. So much energy and stamina, not to say John didn’t have it but John was definitely more about making love than he was about fucking or just having sex.

Once she started to grind her hips, Johnny’s face lit up and he immediately started a toe curly, back arching pace. His tip bullied her g spot, making her mouth fall open but no sound falling from her lips.

John cooed at her as Johnny bullied her soft parts, not caring about his own pleasure, solely the pleasure of this goddess in front of him. Once he was sure he had found the spot, Johnny folded her a bit more to hit it a bit deeper, making sure everything was dragging against her.

The only thing that left her were whines, she felt her melted brain might just spill out her ears as the white, staticy heat built up. 

A nice ring built up around Johnny’s cock as he began to roll his hips. Her pulsating cunt milked him so much he felt an almost numbness in his fingers as all he could do was hold her and roll his hips as she let out a broken moan and came. Her husband’s voice echoing around her head with praises and loving words.

It was down right impossible for Soap to not come from her body's pulsations so he did. He wished it hadn’t been into a condom but he was grateful he just got the chance.

John gave him a look and Johnny took it knowingly, going to get a warm and damp towel. He handed it to John who began to clean his wife up, nodding to Johnny to let him know he could leave. 

Johnny didn’t know it was so John could reclaim his wife with some slow sensual sex and lots of love bites.

John, unlike Johnny, was going to come inside. Johnny looked at the photo he had taken of himself with the wife of Captain John from the night prior, "I'm going to marry you. Yer the one I've been looking for."

[xxxbabyinatrenchcoatxxx]

Angsty thoughts about Neil and if he died at the hands of his father. If Stuart was a few minutes too late.

The foxes would not survive. By that point Dan and Matt had become parental figures in the form of best friends. They would see the quiet places Neil used to occupy and see it empty. No more little quips or questions would come from it. Matt would start sleeping in the girls room again because his room is too quiet. Seth and Neil both dead within the span of 8 months. Their empty beds would be a constant reminder that he couldn't deal with. Allison would lean on Renee like she did with Seth. Renee would push her own feelings behind as she checked on everyone else, making sure they were okay, that they would lean on each other and nothing harmful to themselves. Nicky would still be the connection the monsters have to the upperclassmen. He would keep them updated if Renee or Dan asked how they were doing but he would stay by them for the company only. Aaron and Andrew are quiet in their grief. Aaron would see how Neil's death effected his brother, but wouldn't understand anything more than Andrew lost someone he said he would protect. He would see what would happen if he left his brother. Kevin would be plagued with the truth. He would know the intimate details of how Neil was taken apart, even if they weren't true. He'd remember seeing Neil's father in the Evermore tower and his brain would supply images of Neil in this position. He'd go to Wymack and ask why a father would do such a thing, asking if Wymack would do it to him. Wymack would put the peices together and discover his long lost son in the form of a drunken striker grieving the loss of a brother. Wyamck should have been used to it. Hed lost all of his first pick foxes. Whether it was due to drugs, suicide, or something else. They were all gone. He had high hopes for Neil. Starting as a runaway with trust issues but made connections in the team. He pulled everyone together after Seths death. He pushed the team to be better. He even got through to Wymacks most difficult player. Andrew. Andrew. Andrew would barely make it. He would retreat into himself, allowing his apathy to take full control and let himself drown in his memories. He'd stop going to Wednesday meetings with Bee. Stop responding at all. The monsters would lose him. Renee would find him at the court starting at the pictures on the wall, trying to remind himself that Neil existed and he wasn't a hallucination that he clung to desperately trying to be seen. Neil existed. He was right here, documented on the walls of the Foxhole Court. Andrew contemplates suicide on more than one occasion. First was about a week after Neil's death. There was no funeral. Nothing. No one even acknowledged it other than to say the Foxes forfitted championships to the Ravens. But then Aaron came back and asked if he was going to return to Wednesday meetings with Bee, reminding Andrew of his promises. The next time was after graduation, Aaron going off to Med School and Kevin safe with his father as he played professional Exy. Andrew had gotten his degree, but it didn't mean anything to him. There was nothing for him left in the world. Aaron dropped him immediately and Kevin didn't hold up his end of the bargain. Bee kept telling him things would get easier over time, but that was a lie too. But then Renee texted him asking to meet up for lunch. She asked what his first memory was. He didn't hide, didn't sugar coat anything for her, told her the cold hard truth. Renee wasn't expecting the accuracy of his memory. Then she asked if he killed himself, how would Neil's memory live on? The pictures would eventually be covered up at the court, he would be forgotten in exy. That's when Andrew decided he'd live, if only for Neil's memory to live on with him.

[allfortheslay25]

How did Neil help Milo with his breathing defect? I think I remember you mentioning Riko’s pod, so i was just curious as to how that works ^^

They wouldn’t have known so soon after Milo was born if he had a defect at all. Infant Sirens need more air than adults since their gills are almost non existent. Siren mothers will either exchange air with their children until they grow a bit or they’ll take them higher up where there’s less water pressure (more reason why they’re constantly in danger)

In this version, Riko would’ve allowed Neil to keep Milo since he was doing his biological job as a siren to reproduce. (Still unacceptable to him that it happened without his permission) Riko would’ve helped Neil raise Milo if only so Riko could sculpt him in his image. Neil would eventually get away from that mess and meet Andrew

Once Neil realized about Milo’s defect, he tried convincing Riko to allow them to go on trips higher up. This is how Neil would eventually get the chance to meet Andrew. Once he’s with Andrew’s pod, they have breakfast, lunch, and dinner above the surface.

The little seaweed patch is something they’d use often for Milo to sunbathe and rest above for half an hour a day. It’s enough for him to live a normal life and the monsters rotate responsibility. Andrew never goes without Neil or Kevin at his side (nor do Kevin and Neil ever go alone)

[lily-s-world]

I always wondered when Wymack really found out about Andreil, but when you think about it, the man had a front row seat for the entire thing. He was the first one to meet Neil and saw how Andrew almost broke his ribs with the exy racket, probably thinking “Great, another one that will hate the monsters”. Then the season started and as a coach you have to monitor your team, keep an attentive eye while they play so you can give pointers and feedback later, and the Foxes being the Foxes, he also needed to keep an eye when they weren’t on the court, making sure no trouble was rising – specially with Andrew and the new kid. So, Wymack saw it, from the murdering tension slowly fading away, to them feeling at ease around each other and then unconsciously searching to be near each other. He saw the looks change, from Andrew’s “who the hell is this junkie rabbit?” to “I may want to do things with this junkie”, and Neil’s “what is the problem with this goalie?” to “I want to fix all the problems that this goalie has”.

I’m completely sure that when Neil put Andrew’s hands under his shirt in Abby’s house; Wymack internal reaction was something like this: 

[sparklywaistcoat]

finding it no end ironic that so many of Neil Gaiman's novels revolve around the idea that there is another world hidden away behind ours, a world full of evil and horrors and monsters, and we can enter that hidden world if only we're unlucky enough to stumble through the door behind which it is hidden.

but also the monsters behind those doors inevitably meet their doom.

so.

[toobusybeingdelulu]

no because why do I have the feeling that the night at the Byers’ house steve needed that fight more than billy? think about it. When seeing Steve on the porch he immediately relaxes (leaning against the car, lighted cigarette, hand on the belt) while Steve is more closed off and tense (arms crossed etc).

Steve knew that that encounter would have ended in blood one way or another, while I don’t think that Billy did: he was just there to pick up his sister. His night had already been ruined. Not even a fight could fix it. And also he had to hurry up because Neil was waiting for him, and last but not least… I don’t think he had wanted to fight steve in the first place, despite what everyone may think. I’ve always had the impression that, in canon, he wanted to get to know him in a non-antagonistic way, but didn’t know how to properly… do that, you know? So yeah, a bit of advice on the basketball court, with just enough pushing to not give Steve the idea that he was some sort of pussy (after all, we‘ve seen how he was raised), then some compliments under the shower and a little bit of encouragement (‘don’t sweat it Harrington’ ‘today is just not your day man’ + side eye at Tommy when he teased him about Nancy + ‘don’t take it too hard man, a pretty boy like you has got nothing to worry about.’) and he probably thought that maybe he was doing a good job at it?

Well. Steve did not think so. How can we blame him tho? Let’s remember that Steve is in a hurricane of emotions in season 2: he just lost his spot as king of the crowds, his shot at a normal life and his girlfriend. And then there is this new boy (who is going through just as much of a change) who cannot stop being in his space, and being mean, and pushing him around, and how could he believe that he was being friendly? Of course he is gonna think that dude’s just being a dick for the sake of making his life hell, for some reason. Even the compliments he threw his way may sound as mocking for someone who had been told to his face by his girlfriend that he was nothing but bullshit.

So.. yeah. It’s safe to say that these two idiots did not understand each other, so a fight had been inevitable. And of course it was started by Steve. Because he is the one that had a different perception of Billy’s behaviors towards him than billy himself: maybe he thought that he would have fought him even if he had told him the truth. Or some reasonable lie. Either way, it would have been inevitable. but least he could have a little fun before the first punch, ergo the “were you dropped too much as a child or what?” Because what the duffers and even his fans don’t understand about Steve Harrington’s character is that he is still a former mean girl. No matter how hard they try to uwufying him. Did he change since s1? Sure. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be bitter. That he can’t be awful sometimes. And selfish. But that is fine!! Because that’s what made him interesting in the first place. And the night at the Byers’ had been one of those times. Did billy get out of line with his violence once started? Sure. But Steve threw the first punch. And he needed that fight, because unlike the monster in the fridge, THAT was something familiar. THAT was something normal teenagers did.

and the thing that makes this dynamic even more interesting? Is that Billy loved this side of Steve (“looks like you got some fire in you after all huh? I’ve been waiting to meet this king Steve everyone is telling me so much about”) Because, once again, it was something that he recognized.

In the end, they were both scared kids trying to find a bit of normalcy in each other’s blood in order to escape their respective monsters.