#so. somft

[didderd]

Fell Week day 1! :3

Lil kith on th cheek. u3u

Prompt suggestion from @skelekins! <3

[raphaerolo]

Cozywan for cozy season

[sinnamonpork]

resting bitch face? more like resting pretty face

[cryptidsport]

I was like hey Why do this suspicious package by my door smell of pungent slime ?

alas it was the Thang

[cloysterbell]

What's the last thing you remembered before you woke up in the hospital?

[lotuslate]

drunk and in love in a meadow // used this pic as ref

[inquisimer]

Hi, happy Friday and thank you for the welcome! Arlow de Riva/Lucanis with “I’m sorry, I’m just—I’m just really tired.” - Anonymous-Inquisitor

ty for the prompt!! Mostly fluff with some hurt/comfort (?) and subtle pining for flavor :3 for @dadrunkwriting - mild da4 spoilers, just Arlow and Lucanis being somft workaholics.

-

“Rook?”

Arlow started, blotting the parchment with the bead of ink that had been waiting too long for her to keep writing. Cursing under her breath, she set the unfinished letter aside and laid down her quill.

“Yes?” she asked, without looking up, or even really registering who had called her name. “What’s happening?”

“Arlow.” The same voice, but quieter, firmer. Finally, her brain caught up to her ears and she sighed, pinching at the bridge of her nose.

“Lucanis. What do you need? Must be serious, to get you out of the pantry.”

“If it were truly serious, I wouldn’t have waited as long as I did for you to respond to your name.” Lucanis perched on the edge of her desk and folded his arms. His brow knit together, concerned. “You need to rest.”

“Hypocrite.”

“My reasons are a little more tangible than yours.”

“Are they?” Arlow challenged. “Tell that to D’Meta’s crossing. Or—“

She broke off, glancing over to where Varric was sleeping. The steady rise and fall of his chest did nothing to ease the guilty ache in her heart.

“You cannot help anyone if you are exhausted beyond reason,” Lucanis said gently. “And what would Viago say, if he saw you so unaware of your surroundings?”

“Viago would clock me upside the head and knock me out to teach me a lesson.”

“Is that a request?”

“You can certainly try.” Her words were snippy, but they lacked their usual bite. She didn’t remember the last time she’d properly slept. Before the Crows kicked her out of Antiva, probably. With a sigh, she picked up her quill and took a fresh sheet of parchment.

“Arlow—“

“Someone has to answer Strife and Irelin,” she snapped. “Unless you have someone else that’s interested in the job, let me handle it.”

Her quill was halfway into the inkpot when Lucanis laid his hand over hers, trapping it there. She clenched her fist, irritated.

“Take a break,” he said firmly, in the voice of the First Talon’s grandson, the one that was used to deference. It made Arlow want to buck on instinct. But there was a weariness in her bones, an exhaustion in her soul that wanted to agree.

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I blink, and the world falls apart, Lucanis. I look away, and every crisis redoubles.”

She closed her eyes and steadied herself with a breath. He was close enough that she smelled coffee and cinnamon, and the odd tangle of herbs that were always drying over his cot. “This is my contract,” she said. “Could you rest until it was completed?”

He pulled the quill up between her fingers and set it aside, cupping her now empty hand in his and gently massaging the cramps she hadn’t even felt forming. “Of course not. But I would at least break for coffee.”

“Is that an offer?”

“It always was,” he said softly. His fingers stilled against hers and it took all of Arlow’s willpower to keep her hand from twitching, lacing their fingers together. She wanted that comfort. But it wasn’t something she could take so easily anymore.

“Are you brewing from your supply, or ours?” she asked, teasing. Lucanis raised a brow.

“Would you even know the difference?”

“I would,” Arlow said, affronted. “Or do you think Viago didn’t drill us in palate sensitivity?”

“There is a difference in tasting for poisons and knowing a quality brew.”

“The two have a surprising amount of overlap. Just because I’m not a snob—“

“The word you’re looking for is connoisseur.”

“Sure it is.” Arlow rolled her eyes. She capped the inkpot and stood, regretting the chill that took her hand when it slipped from Lucanis’ grasp. “Well, if you’re taking me from work, it better be from your stash.”

“It will be,” Lucanis assured her, holding the infirmary door open. “Someone has to save you and Neve from yourselves.”

“I might be at the point of saving. Neve, on the other hand—“

Lucanis laughed, a low, quiet chuckle that warmed Arlow better than any cup of coffee he promised. He slipped past her to lead the way to the kitchen, the silky samite of his vest brushing against her knuckles. She clenched her fist to keep from chasing after it.

“Let’s get something in you before you’re beyond hope, then,” he murmured, eyes twinkling. The corner of Arlow’s mouth quirked. As long as he looked at her like that, she thought, she wouldn’t be beyond anything. But she didn’t say that.

She gestured across the courtyard with her chin. “Lead the way.”

[demodoggonetired]

It's a quiet night in with just the two of them - Wayne having already left for work. A gentle drizzle has settled over the trailer park.

Eddie's hunched over at his desk with the old table lamp on, painting his latest miniature for the upcoming campaign. Steve's perched on the bed right near him, using that same lamp light to read one of Wayne's magazines. A tape randomly picked from their collection plays in the background.

There's a quiet 'clink' as Eddie rinses his brush in the paint-water cup (newly labeled after one to many mix-ups). The brush is dried then slotted into the cracked mug holding the rest of his painting tool hoard.

He pauses to stretch out his back from its scrunched position, scars giving a minor twinge at the action. Then reaches for his small, detailing brush.

Only, it's not where he put it last.

It's not on the pallet. Didn't slip under the paper towel. Sitting in the paintbrush mug? Nope. Roll onto the floor? No dice. (Well actually, many dice. Including the d8 he lost last week, he should remember to grab that later (he won't)).

It's as he's pulling his head back out from under the desk that he notices it.

The subtle, upturned pinch at the corner of Steve's mouth.

Like he's fighting not to smile. Trying to act like he hasn't noticed Eddie's obvious searching.

"Steve?"

"Mhm?" The thief doesn't even deign to look up from the magazine.

"Have you seen my small detail brush? Bright red handle?”

"Nope."

Right, of course. Because the hand Steve wasn't using to hold his magazine just happened to be tucked behind his back, out of sight.

Clearly this called for drastic measures.

Without giving the other a chance to react, Eddie lurches forward to push his boyfriend back onto the bed, simultaneously planting himself atop Steve's legs.

"You sure about that one, loverboy?"

Steve crinkles his nose with a slight blush at the pet name. Then reaches up with the hand that previously held the magazine (that has now ended up in the abyss of the floor, sorry Wayne).

Eddie stills, curious to see how Steve will defend himself, as the hand continues up... and plucks the missing paintbrush from behind Eddie's ear. Where Eddie had earlier, unthinkingly stashed it.

Steve's face breaks out into a grin at Eddie's affronted noise.

"What do you have to say for yourself now, Eds? Accusing your boyfriend of such a heinous crime?"

Eddie hums, rolling the now reclaimed brush in his fingers, staring down at the boy beneath him. His sure-fire grin. Eyes crinkled in mirth. How the soft lamp light and dappled moonlight played across his features.

He leans down, hovering over the other.

"I say that I'd forgive you anyway. How could I not, with such a pretty face like that."

They meet in a gentle kiss. No rush as they simply enjoy the other's company. Warm in the knowledge there's nowhere else they need to be tonight. The tape clicks as it finishes and the rain becomes their only background noise. They seperate.

"Mmgood. Cause I did steal your paint tube."

[grelleswife]

Chimike mascots of the baby bun and the supernatural entities battling over the fate of his soul! Based on a quick Google Translate scan of this image, it appears that they’re scheduled for release in December 2024, but pre-orders are currently being accepted!

Source

[llamagoddessofficial]

Still got that Horror Mafiafell Sans brainrot

---

It wasn’t the first time Sans had pulled you into his lap, by any stretch of the imagination. The wads of cash he so often put in your pocket to ‘make up’ for the time you spent trapped had been difficult to explain to the bank at first- by now, it had happened so often that the tellers just got a look on their faces when they saw you walk in

They called you by name without looking at any paperwork. They probably thought YOU were in the mafia.

It was common bar knowledge how fond he was of holding you through his meals. Nowadays, Lisa would jokingly 'warn' you when he came through the doors and his mood was visibly stormy... the deeper his glower, the more likely he was to pull you in without warning when you passed his table, those giant claws sealing tight around a body that immediately became tiny in his presence.

So you should've been used to it.

...

... Something was very new about this time. And it wasn't just the lit cigar between his phalanges, different to his usual brand of choice.

Up against his huge chest. Your cheeks were hot, your heart was thumping. His touch was... different. Sat sideways across his lap, he kept you tucked against him with a hand on your thigh. Though on your thigh was a little bit of an understatement- his hand was so huge, he had nearly all of your thigh in his hold. 

The other hand, resting on the table, had the cigar held between the index and middle finger. It felt like an impenetrable barrier between you and the outside world... his gold rings gleaming in the low light.

... Perhaps it was the position of his hand. Holding your thigh gently, but with a possessive hint in the curl of his claws that slightly pressed into your flesh. Big, warm bones, the cold metal of the rings... he was holding you like he owned you.

Either way, you were just staring at his jacket lapel. Finding it very hard to cool down. The smell of smoke and gold was overpowering.

(You’d grown pretty adept at just tuning all table conversations out, for fear of overhearing something dangerous. But today, you couldn’t have concentrated on what was being said to Sans by the other two men at the table, even if you tried to.)

You didn’t know what the meeting he was having was about, and whatever it was, he didn’t seem happy about it. But he wasn't furious in a way that would usually frighten you. His energy was much more... reserved. There was a low scowl written across his face, he looked serious, dark. The crack and his scars cast deep and expressive shadows across his face. You were protected from the entire world, like this.

... Usually, you just felt like a tiny plushie in the arms of a big child who needed comforting. Not this time. And as he brushed his thumb slowly, back and forth across your leg... the prickles ran up your spine.

What's wrong with me? You swallowed. Your heart hadn't slowed down, not one bit, hands balled in your apron. What's going on?

... You heard Sans move, above you. You couldn't help but look up at him- and his big eye moved down to you. He seemed to register your altered state, for the first time, emerging a little from his obvious frustration at the other members of the table.

...

... His expression changed. Something about him shifted, ever-so-slightly.

His grin lifted, sharpened... his sockets fractionally lidded. 

He was smirking at you.

You’d grown accustomed to gleaning as much as possible from Sans’ expressions. It was how you judged his mood, how you saw his grabs coming, how you guessed what he was trying to say with the few words he had available. 

Perhaps you were too good, now. Because when he leered down at you like that, gently squeezing your thigh... you could practically hear his words purring through your mind.

“aren’t you cute~?”

You immediately broke eye contact, staring at your own knees. But it to was too late- you felt heat completely flood your face.

... Sans returned his attention to the other people at the table. But not before he gave your thigh another little stroke with his thumb. As if making sure you absolutely knew he saw that.

...

You faintly recalled hearing that Sans, before his famous injury, was something of a... playboy. If you were completely honest, it had been very hard to picture the Sans you knew successfully wooing someone.

...

You could imagine it, now. Very, very well.

[didderd]

forgor to post this doodle i did for Milk a bit ago

the beeg mans, Butch belongs to @sans-guy <333

[accio-victuuri]

their ordinary life. 🏠

i am referencing this post which was allegedly shared in 2021. i like how it’s written and the cpn clues inserted, then making a whole story out of it. a reason why most of us love lrg and other rumor anecdotes is because it’s simple and shows what their day to day life is like. tho they are celebrities with extraordinarily busy lives, the thought of them just being zz and bobo is comforting and sweet. it may be confusing cause there are parts where they are both referenced as they. and then it will switch to “i” as if in the person’s first person pov.

all of this is fake & fanfiction…

they should have a cat and a dog. everyone knows the cat's name is Tao, the dog’s name also matches the cat very well, it’s called Lizi. it’s a puppy ZZ bought it on impulse, but in the end I had to give it to my mother in Chongqing to deal with the aftermath. they have a home in Beijing, with a room full of helmets and musical instruments. there is also a room equipped with a projector, with warm and artistic decoration. when the two people are tired, they can lie here and watch movies together. there is also a big LCD TV, two people playing games to decide the outcome and doing housework.

the kitchen should be well-equipped, but the storage of materials is not alot, both of them are busy and have little time to cook, but there should be someone that makes trouble while the other person is cooking, and the other person will teach. when that person was making hand cakes, he had a headache several times and wanted to curse.

the room they sleep in, well, the bedding must be of high quality, it must be very comfortable and considerate for two people who both have the habit of sleeping naked. someone should install a night light in the toilet so that people who are afraid of the dark can get up in the middle of the night. there will be lights as soon as the toilet is near. there should be a lot of things on the bedside, eye drops, stomach-protecting tablets, Ryukakusan, cough cough... In short, both of them takes good care of your body! there will be a light fragrance in the room. they are all people who love cleanliness, maybe it’s also due to the scented candles.

there is a huge closet, which could have been used as a styling area in the beginning. one will often buy several pieces at a time and wrap them up. the other will also complain that one person loves shopping so much that he is not frugal and knows how to organize his clothes regularly. it was painful to pick out an old model to wear, and taught another person: "See, this is okay. As for clothes, save money and don’t buy so much. You still have a mortgage. ” another smiled and didn’t say anything. clothes that smell like them over time are familiar and reassuring, as if they are by each other’s side. In this way, they give each other company. Sometimes the trip is too urgent and I don’t pay much attention. both people will pack the wrong clothes into their suitcases. there should also be a small gym, where two actors and teachers can work hard. One person is envious of another's eight-pack abs, and the other possesses someone's waist (don't ask me why I know it's possible because I am a barbell. )

both of them have been doing more and more endorsements, and they have a lot of products at home. when the two brothers are in a good mood, they take one out and play with it, jokingly calling it "opening a blind box." most of the time, they kept sending them to my family, and the family group was noisy.

the two of them still can't stay at home most of the time and are always on the road. yes, headphones are a common item. why? because they are used for making phone calls and watching videos and to chat online. I took out my mobile phone to complain after getting off work. i quickly called to tell him that I miss you. people’s true emotions finally have a safe and secure place. how good is this, just wanting someone who can always listen to me in my life. you act coquettishly. you can complain and cry.

i also surfed the Internet, but I just browsed casually, after all, it was all the same rainbow fart, I want to take some time to listen to that person blowing it to me. sometimes it’s annoying to see fans quarreling. i used my account number to tell them to stop arguing, but it didn’t work. just switch to my other account and fight bravely with heizi ( antis ) and lose. until the account was suspended and blocked, then I took screenshots and felt aggrieved. he said, "Baby, look at me, I've lost another number by helping you.". The other person was amused, and he was no longer troubled by the remarks.

the other side is also keen on surfing and secretly saves a lot of emoticons, all of which are like pigs. regarding this, after I sent it, I laughed so hard that I hit the table and couldn’t stop having fun. hey, of course you can hear the voice of someone screaming on the phone: "Why does it have to be a pig?" "I'm a leopard! Not a pig! You What a stinky rabbit!”

they will take care of eating, taking medicine, drinking water, and taking care of each other when they are sick. they will take good care of each other and care for each other. if you are disobedient, it will be known immediately, and you will be punished, and then you will obey because I want to live a long with the other person. if possible, I hope it will be the same in my next life.

he will also get jealous, lose his temper and act awkward. Alas, as an actor, he is still in the entertainment industry. what can I do? Buy gifts, buy food, make phone calls. if you want to talk, send WeChat, and send some updates and stuck points that fans can’t understand.

In the end, I still couldn't coax him, so I could only study how to fight authentically and run to see the other party. the time is very short, and you may only be able to stay in the car, room, or corner. i left after an hour or two, my temper was gone, and I kept looking at the other person. laugh, give a hug, hold hands for a walk, kiss, and talk for a long time. if it's been a long time, your eyes will inevitably turn red when you separate.

“Every time it’s so short, it’s hard to be separated, and I won’t be able to come next time.

“But I miss you.

"...I know, I'll come see you next time."

knowing that there will be an event for two people on the same stage will make them excited for a long time, and they will fall in love at public expense. love, doesn’t it feel good?

no matter what, they won’t understand the meaning of it anyway. meet backstage, eat a meal together, take ugly photos of each other while doing makeup, and fight. let’s sit together and look at our phones and chat about the current situation. the two people at the back looked right at each other when Fang doesn't speak, the staff will consciously go out and leave them alone.

think hard. I miss you even when I walk. I miss you when I sit. kiss the necklace that you bought for me, look at the blue sky and white clouds, draw a picture, then take the archeology test, and look at the other party’s dark history, snap screenshots and make emoticons and throw them over. it’s the happiness that only artists can have when they fall in love, don’t you understand~

regarding the public, the feeling of being watched by millions of people cheering and blessing that summer it’s really good. surrounded by love from all over the world, you will feel that there is nothing better than our happy couple. maybe, one day, wait for the rainbow to come. On that day, I am Lao Wang and he was Lao Xiao. We walked in front of everyone. before, he drew a story about us, told by me since I was 21 years old.

[creacherkeeper]

when you didn't even know you needed a second chance

{the good bones, maggie smith / summer doorway with african lilies, phyllis dodd / sputnik sweetheart, haruki murakami / ashe vernon / phoebe wahl / creacherkeeper / braiding sweetgrass, robin wall kimmerer / love poem with apologies for my appearance, ada limón / @korocore / i am offering this poem, jimmy santiago baca}

[ID: ten images, 8 of text and 2 paintings, in a litstack

1: [...] though I keep this from my children. I am trying to sell them the world. Any decent realtor, walking you through a real shithole, chirps on about good bones: This place could be beautiful, right? You could make this place beautiful.

2: a realistic painting in soft colors of a potted african lily plan sitting outside the open doorway of a home. beyond the door there are more plants in a garden

3: I have this strange feeling that I'm not myself anymore. It's hard to put into words, but I guess it's like I was fast asleep, and someone came, disassembled me, and hurriedly put me back together again. That sort of feeling.

4: So maybe this time, love doesn't kick down the door-- / doesn't rattle the windows or plant weeds in the flower garden. / Maybe you can't smell the smoke because, / for once, / nothing is burning.

5: There is a little house somewhere, surrounded by green cedar boughs, where we are eating oatcakes with honey, dipping them in our tea three times for good luck. Somewhere I am sitting with you in stillness.

6: Calm, for the most part. Also tired, also worried, also nervous, also scared, also sad, but those things were just … always swimming around inside her somewhere. Sometimes they were quiet, sometimes they were bigger. They’d been quiet the last few days. It seemed another emotion had replaced them, a subtle sort of ache around her chest, a pang of longing that she had long come to recognize. / She really missed Morel.

7: [...] found her barefoot in the garden, planting beans and helping me fill my pail with earthworms that were severed by her shovel. I thought I could nurse them back to health in the worm hospital I constructed beneath the irises. She encouraged me in this, always saying, "There is no hurt that can't be healed by love."

8: I do like I do in the tall grass, more animal-me than much else. I'm wrong, it is that I love you, but it's more that when you say it back, lights out, a cold wind through the curtains, for maybe the first time in my life, I believe it.

9: a painting of many pastel flowers. the flowers are painted using thick brush strokes to give the petals a raised texture

10: I love you, / I have nothing else to give you, / so it is a pot full of yellow corn / to warm your belly in winter, / it is a scarf for your head, / to wear over your hair, / to tie up around your face. / I love you,

end ID]

[laughing-moonlight]

HE???

LOOKS???

SO SOMFT???

[angeart]

Lulled by the warmth that Mumbo provides, Grian finds himself nuzzling against the vampire’s shoulder before letting his eyes slowly fall shut. Knowing that he’s safe with Mumbo and his comforting warmth, he falls asleep.

-- Drawn for @mochiwrites songbird fic / night life series on AO3, specifically the scene in part 10 (welcome to the circus), chapter 3.

[skepsiss]

Modern Problems, Modern Solutions - pt2 - Steddie

Pt1 Pt3

A modern day AU (2015) of Steve and Eddie in high school. Eddie is out as Bi and Steve has just recently come out as Bi. Steve is 16 and Eddie is 17.

I wanted to explore the genuine, awkwardness of young, queer love. Eddie is doing better in school with modern solutions, but his anxiety I think is worse. Being ignored (like in the 80s) helped him avoid some more intense day-to-day anxieties, but it obviously messed up his education and a lot else. Anyways, enjoy this yearning, young love, slow burn. This chapter is light and softer.

-------

Much like Eddie had assumed, heading back to school on Monday was the same as it ever was. Nothing had changed and there was no one that seemed to be gossiping or anyone who even knew about the little drive Eddie and Steve had taken on Saturday. He wasn't sure why he had vaguely worried about that or why he mentally braced himself to be leered at by some annoying preps and have to put on his tough-guy attitude. Eddie mostly stuck to his own business during school and the teasing had more or less stopped over the last year or so. Still, he could hear people snickering at him when he happened to get loud at lunch or when he let a more genuine him slip out in the hallways at school. He always felt scrutinized by his peers and quietly hated the fact that he had to go to the Special ED room for one of his blocks. He knew it was the only thing that was really helping him to keep up with his grades and graduate, but he hated the ammunition it gave other people to tease him. The nicknames had been relentless when he was in middle school.

This day, school had been quiet and Eddie had started to relax after lunch. No one had said anything to him and he didn't mention it to his friends either so he was surprised when he stopped off at his locker and saw Steve mingling near the end of the hall. They made brief eye contact and Eddie started to look away before he saw recognition in Steve's expression. He patted the guy's shoulder he was talking to and excused himself, walking down the hallway directly at Eddie. 

Eddie felt his body tense and a chill roll over his arms. What was this about? He didn't want Steve talking to him at school. He had carefully cultivated his social circle with the freaks and the weirdos and the last thing he needed was for anyone to think he was friendly with the jocks.

Eddie closed his locker, motioning to turn away from Steve so he could escape the whole situation and save himself the ridicule, but that wasn't to be either.

"Eddie, hey," Steve called to get his attention. He wasn't speaking terribly loud, but anyone nearby would have heard him.

Eddie half turned and Steve was actually jogging up to him in order to catch up. That made Eddie's shoulders tense as he stood there, feeling like he couldn't escape. 

"Hey," Steve offered, moving his book bag over his shoulder and fishing in one of the front pockets. "I think one of your pins came off in my car."

Eddie looked at Steve in surprise and glanced down at his hand as Steve presented him with a latchback pin that was definitely his. It must have come off of his denim jacket without him realizing and fallen onto the seat or something. The pin was obviously his–the little gold skull ribboned by the words "Five Finger Death Punch" was a sore giveaway. 

"Almost vacuumed it up. It's yours, right?"

Eddie looked back up at Steve who was smiling in a friendly way, his hand still open with the pin in it. Eddie floundered for a quick moment before nodding and sticking his hand out to accept the pin.

"Yeah, uh, I didn't even realize," he replied as Steve tipped the little piece of metal into his hand. "Thanks."

Steve was already adjusting his bag back over his shoulder, not prolonging the exchange as he started to turn back towards his friends.

"No problem, later," he offered, half waving and leaving Eddie there to gawk at him slightly. 

Eddie glanced around himself, but no one seemed to be staring at him, and despite Steve's friends giving him a strange look–obviously asking what that had been about–Steve seemed to wave it off without Eddie getting any leery looks, though. It was like... a totally innocuous exchange and Eddie didn't know how he felt about that. 

The bell rang and Eddie pocketed the pin, his anxiety flaring still as he walked back towards his class. That was so... weird. But what did he expect? He had left something in Steve's car, he had found it, and then he had returned it. No big deal, right? But that meant Steve was acknowledging him at school and not trying to hide the fact that they had spent time together. Enough time that Eddie had been in his car. When did a guy like Steve interact with a guy like Eddie? If he had just been trying to be nice he could have returned the pin after school when fewer people were around, or left the pin with Robin to give to him at band practice or something–but no, he had walked it up to him in the middle of the hallway without a second thought. Was Steve Harrington an idiot? Or did he really not care?

The whole exchange puzzled Eddie for the rest of the day which proved to be a nuisance as he was called on in class for not paying attention. His brain just kept drifting back to the exchange in confusion–absolutely fixated on it. He was overthinking, he knew it, but he couldn't help himself. What did this mean for him? Was he going to have to be on his toes and endure annoying questions from his classmates in the locker room after Gym? Was he going to have to be an asshole to Steve to prove to his friends that no, he didn't actually like him, he had just been nice was all?

Eddie grumbled about it all the way to band after school, hating that he was wrapped up in high school politics. He wanted to just forget about it, but couldn't. He felt like his hackles were up the whole time and he messed up more than once in rehearsal, only to snap at the teacher and then angrily excuse himself for the rest of the day. That had everyone staring at him which made him feel worse and that night had been spent mourning the day as he lay chest down on his bed and let his phone cycle through YouTube videos. He stayed up too late and woke up frustrated by his alarm only to drag himself to school again the next day.

His mind did feel a bit clearer though, and he tried to focus on the fact that he had Hellfire after school today. Gareth was going to bring in his new copy of "Out of the Abyss" which Eddie hadn't gotten to look at yet. Gareth had proclaimed that it was a brutal campaign setting, even if Eddie had quietly already changed part of the phrasing in it from what he knew of the setting. He wasn't keen on the premise of the plot being based on the party starting out as slaves, and he'd probably change that to prisoners or something if he were to run it. But this was their first real look at the Under Dark since 5e's initial release in 2014 and he was excited to see how it all fit together. 

Eddie let himself focus on that for the rest of the day, bracing himself for the debate that always popped up about the differences and superiority of 4th edition versus 5th. He liked taking both sides at different times depending on his mood, and he was running through the argument in his head as the club members started filtering in. 

As everyone trickled in through the door–Dustin and Will showing up already in the throws of a conversation–Eddie felt his anxiety from the previous day melt away. He was laid back, sitting so the chair he was in was wobbling on it's back legs and his feet were up on the desk in front of him. His thoughts were a mile away from Steve Harrington and how their proximity would affect the remainder of his high school career. He was even laughing at some innocuous comment Benson had made and was now being ripped apart by Jeff when his attention was snatched away.

"Henderson."

Eddie glanced over, noting that Dustin was exclaiming animatedly at Will, obviously giving an impassioned speech over something.

"Henderson!"

Eddie looked again, staring at Steve who hung off the doorframe to the classroom they were all piled into. No one else was paying attention to him and Eddie could see the frustration on his face. Without thinking more about it, Eddie wadded up the paper in front of him and chucked it at Dustin across the way, hitting his arm harmlessly.

"Yo, Halitosis!" Eddie yelled, not getting up from where he was seated, his feet still up on the desk.

Dustin's attention was pulled away and he looked at Eddie with the most exasperated expression in human history before Eddie jammed his thumb in the direction of the door.

"What? What?" Dustin asked, putting his arms out to the side as he looked from Eddie to Steve.

"You left your stack of crap in my backseat," Steve said, his tone familiar and put-out sounding.

"Okay?" Dustin exclaimed, which got an eye roll from Will.

"Okay? So, go get it or you're not seeing it until next Tuesday, come on, man," Steve scolded which got a sneered look from Dustin. 

"And you didn't bring it in, why?" Dustin retorted, walking towards the door anyway, followed by Will who was obviously perturbed by Dustin's incredulous behaviour. He probably had intentions to help him bring all his things inside, too.

"What am I? A pack horse?" Steve quipped back, stepping out of the doorway for the two boys to walk out to his car. He pointed his car fob towards the parking lot, no doubt knowing that they were close enough that he could unlock it from here.

"Don't forget to lock it!" Steve called after the boys, which got a mumbled reply that Eddie couldn't hear.

Steve looked back at the room and at the other boys there who were all a bit amused by the exchange. Steve seemed exasperated, but in that kind of way an older brother who secretly adored their kid sister would. He was smiling a bit while he rolled his eyes and Eddie couldn't help but smile back.

"Tell me about it," Eddie retorted, chuckling a bit in a good-natured way. He hadn't meant it to be an invitation, but Steve seemed to take it as that and stepped into the classroom to stand near the other guys.

Benson and Jeff seemed confused by his approach, but they didn't look as anxious as Eddie felt by the friendly way Steve approached them.

"He like this during your guy's club, too?" Steve asked, putting his hands on his hips and looking towards the door as if he could see Dustin standing there.

"More or less," Eddie offered, putting his hands on top of his head as he leaned back, trying his best to look casual. Why was he acting this way? Who was he? Why did he care what Steve Harrington thought of him?

"Why do you drive the little hellion around anyways?" Eddie asked, surprised by his own question. 

"Dustin?" Steve asked, looking back at the other boys, "well..." he seemed to pause and think for a while, hands still on his hips as he looked back over toward the parking lot.

"He's a good kid... generally," he replied, giving a bit of a nothing answer. That left Eddie feeling unsatisfied and curious about the real reason. You didn't just know some random kid for no reason, especially when you lived in such different worlds. 

Steve shrugged and smiled briefly, before nodding.

"Well, I better make sure he isn't scratching up my paint job. See ya," Steve offered, half waving, "talk to you later, Eddie."

Eddie blanched as he watched Steve leave, staring after him as the boy walked out into the hall and towards the parking lot. Talk to you later, Eddie? What did that mean? They were going to talk later? Since when?

"You know Steve Harrington?" Jeff asked and Eddie almost broke his neck with how fast he whipped around to look at him.

"As if–" Eddie hissed, his chest clenching hard as he processed all of that. "We've talked like, once–that's it."

Jeff and Benson seemed surprised by his delivery before their attitudes melted into something else: interest in having a repartee at Eddie’s expense. 

"I don't know man," Jeff teased, shrugging a bit, "you two seem pretty close."

"Yeah, you tossing the ball around after school or something?" Benson taunted, backing up a bit.

Eddie felt his face grow hot and he wobbled the chair back onto all fours as his frustration seized him.

"Shut the fuck up–we talked one time!" He hissed, knowing that he was getting riled up and in turn giving the two boys what they wanted.

"It only takes one time," Jeff sighed dreamily, which in turn made Benson catch him by the shoulders and tilt him as if they were swooning over each other.

"Oh, Steve..." Jeff tormented, snickering a little as Eddie stood up fast enough to make the desk and the chair squeak back.

"Cut it out!" Eddie snarled, sending enough energy towards the other two to have them stumble backward over one another and laugh at the display. They were scared, but obviously amused. 

It was all good-natured, Eddie knew it, but it was getting under his skin. Why was he so embarrassed? Usually, when the guys teased him about boys Eddie just retorted with a quick, inappropriate remark and left it at that. He'd lean into the tease and act the damsel or reverse it and purposefully get so raunchy and macho about it that his comment would verge on harassment. They were joking, Eddie would joke back, they always knew the other didn't mean anything by it. 

Eddie was still red in the face when Dustin and Will pushed their way back into the classroom, arms full of books and their conversation from earlier still raging. They both seemed to stop though as they read the energy in the room, Will chuckling awkwardly.

"What's... what's uh, going on?" He asked nervously and flinched hard when Eddie looked at him. His expression was so sour that Eddie was sure that Will thought he was in trouble.

"Nothing–" Eddie snapped, which got a few more chuckles from Jeff and Benson. He didn't need to deal with this, he was better than this.

"Move," Eddie demanded, walking towards Dustin and Will and then forcing his way into the hallway. He walked red-faced to the men's washroom to cool down, eager for this day to be over. PT3