#something something eddie singing as fire begins to burn down

[figthefruitfaeth]

Hurt - Nine Inch Nails (Bardcore | Medieval Style Cover)

anyway the party’s tiefling bard, eddie, playing this on the eve of the battle against Vecna

[thruheavenandhighwater]

Pairing: Single Dad! Eddie Munson/ Steve Harrington

Requested By: NA

Word Count: 2,026

Series Summary: Eddie left Hawkins in 1986 with no reason to ever return. But now, a few years have passed and life has changed. Eddie finally returns home and has to deal with everything he left behind, including Steve Harrington. This story starts in May 1991.

Chapter Summary: Wayne and Eddie have a heart to heart about his years away from home and how he's settling back into life in Hawkins.

Stranger Things Masterlist

Steddie Masterlist

Series Masterlist

~~~~~

Saturday was Wayne’s only real night off work. Ever since Eddie had come home with Lucy he’d taken to working Friday’s to be able to put back something of a nest egg for the two whenever the time came for them to get out on their own. And this week was no different. Eddie took Lucy to Sarah in the morning to give Wayne time to rest up before they spent the evening together as a family. Saturdays were always fun. They’d listen to music and make dinner together. Wayne and Eddie would catch up, telling each other anything they might have missed over the week while Lucy banged toys together in the living room.

Lucy had just finished eating when Wayne decided that tonight was the night he was going to talk to Eddie. He wasn’t looking forward to it. Eddie was, and always had been, reserved with his feelings. It was a Munson family trait, unfortunately. Which was the biggest reason Wayne almost didn’t bring it up at all. The idea of sitting across the table from Eddie while they both awkwardly poked at their dinners instead of saying what they were thinking was less than appealing.

Eddie took Lucy into the bathroom to wash her up before bed. Wayne smiled to himself in the kitchen as he heard Eddie softly singing to Lucy. It was sweet, the way he loved her so much. The circumstances weren’t great, and he was still pissed as hell that Eddie waited until she was four months old to call him. But he really did love watching Eddie be a dad. He was a lot like his mother had been when he was a baby. Soft and sweet, completely in love with every single dark hair on Lucy’s head.

When Eddie laid Lucy down in her crib, the two men took their dinners outside. It had become part of their routine. They’d eat outside while Lucy fell asleep. She’d proven time and time again that if either of them was around, she would not go down easily. She knew that one little sound from her would send either of them into a frenzy and they’d pick her up. She had both of them wrapped tightly around her pudgy little finger and she knew it.

The air outside was cool and quiet as the men ate in peace. The sun was beginning to set on the opposite side of the home and a few summer fireflies were dotting along in the yard in front of them. Wayne almost chickened out. He almost allowed the night to proceed as normal without bringing up the topic that had been burning in his head for days.

"Seem to be settlin' back in alright," Wayne said suddenly.

Eddie nodded, taking a bite of his dinner before answering. "Guess so," he answered.

"Ain't seen ya really spending time with any of your old friends."

Eddie chuckled, unamused. "All my old friends are in New York."

“The kid at Joe’s…”

“Steve,” Eddie finished for him as he swallowed.

“Steve,” Wayne confirmed. “This the same Steve from before?”

Eddie nodded, a smirk on his face. “I don’t know that many Steve’s, so probably.”

Wayne nodded. He took a bit of chicken from his plate to buy himself a few precious seconds before he had to spill it. “So you, uh… You still carryin’ a torch for 'im then?”

Eddie began to cough violently as soon as the words left his uncle's mouth. He wasn’t sure if he was actually choking or if it was just the sheer surprise that lodged the half chewed noodle in his throat but he didn’t much care for it either way. As soon as he was able to breathe again and his lungs didn’t feel on fire from lack of oxygen, he fixed his uncle with a confused glare. “What the hell are you talking about?” He asked, still slightly out of breath from his coughing fit.

Wayne shrugged. “Just askin’s all.”

“Asking what? If I have a thing for Harrington?” Eddie asked. His voice pitched up just a bit, laced with panic as he did his best to deflect what he saw as an accusation.

“Well, ya did before ya left so pardon me for thinking that you still might.” Wayne put one hand up, holding his palm forward as if to surrender. Maybe he had misread the signs all those years ago. But he knew his nephew better than anyone, and he was pretty sure he knew what he was talking about.

Eddie shook his head, his eyes now focused just a little too hard on the plate in his lap. “Are you even old enough to be losing your mind like this?”

“I ain’t that old, boy, you watch your tone.” Wayne warned. “All’s I’m sayin is that… well you’re not that hard to read, kid. And you definitely had… I dunno a crush or puppy love or something for that boy before you left. And now he’s fixin’ your car for free so you’re spendin’ an awful lot of time together.”

“He happens to be my only friend, thank you,” Eddie told him defensively.

“Alright, sorry for askin’,” Wayne conceded. “Anyone else in town catch your eye, then?”

Eddie giggled at that. It was more of an aggressive exhale through the nose than a real giggle, but it was something. “Kinda busy raisin’ your grandaughter if you haven’t noticed.”

“You can bring up a baby and still go on dates, ya know.”

“Oh, that’s one hell of an opening line, huh?” Eddie asked rhetorically. “‘Oh, uh, hey, I’m Eddie and I have a six month old baby that isn’t yours. Wanna go out? We have to be home by seven, though for bed time.’ Yeah, man, I’m sure I’ll have women lining up around the block once word gets out.”

“You’re not home by seven when you’re with Steve,” Wayne pointed out.

“That’s different,” Eddie sighed.

“”Cuz ya got a crush?” Wayne asked, not even trying to hide his shit eating grin. Eddie grumbled under his breath. Wayne didn’t hear what he said, and that was probably for the best. Eddie was getting annoyed and he was known to get mean once he was annoyed. “Listen, I ain’t sayin’ ya gotta get married or-”

“We can’t anyway.”

Eddie’s sudden interruption caught him off guard. It wasn't exactly uncommon for Eddie to interrupt him. But it was his tone. The way his voice sounded so quiet. Almost defeated as he looked down to the plate in his lap. He’d thought about it before. That shouldn’t have surprised Wayne. He’d suspected that Eddie might have preferred the company of men for years. But he’d never outright asked like this. Maybe it was to protect Eddie’s feelings. Maybe it was fear or discomfort on his own end. He couldn’t be sure. But right now, in this moment, he could make his nephew feel seen.

“No,” he answered. “You can’t. But the world is changing, boy. Who knows, maybe someday you could. But you never will if you don’t say anything to him.”

Neither man was sure what to make of the atmosphere around them. On one hand, it was undeniably awkward. But on the other, it was sort of familiar. This wasn’t the first time that Wayne had had to sit Eddie down and tell him, in no uncertain terms, that he loved him no matter what. He’d done it when Eddie first came to live with him. He’d done it the first time his good for nothing brother had tried to take Eddie away. He’d done it both times Eddie came home with bad news that he wouldn’t be graduating. But this was different. They could both feel that it was different.

"So you know?" Eddie asked, finally looking up to Wayne. He nodded silently. "And you knew way back then? How?"

"You ain't that slick, kid," Wayne answered with a smile. "You used to get this goofy little smile whenever you talked about him. 'Oh, Steve was at the show last night. Steve said he likes the new song. Steve got a haircut and it looks goooood.'"

Eddie lightly shoved his uncle's shoulder as a laugh ripped through him. Wayne didn't realize until that moment how much he missed that sound. Finally hearing it for the first time in five years had Wayne beaming. His boy was home and finally starting to actually settle in.

"That last one never fuckin' happened, man," Eddie laughed. His hair flew around him as he threw his head back with another laugh. Even Wayne joined in, a chuckle escaping his own smile.

"Honestly, woulda' been less surprised if you said you were bringing a boyfriend home than a baby."

"She's way cuter than any of the guys I met in New York," Eddie giggled.

"So you dated some fellas in the city, huh?"

"A few," Eddie admitted almost sheepishly.

"But you don't wanna go out with Steve?" Wayne asked.

"It's different there. Nobody cared if I was… I dunno, gay or whatever. It was like everyone had an open mind but really they just stayed out of people's business, ya know? And besides, Steve isn't… Steve wouldn't be interested. Trust me, he worked his way through every girl in all of the classes I should have graduated with."

"If you say so," Wayne relented, only half convinced by what his nephew was saying. "Only got one question, son," Wayne said quietly. Eddie nodded, his eyes staring blindly at his own lap. "If you're… gay or queer or whatever, is Lucy really yours?"

Eddie chuckled, glancing up at his uncle. Confusion was etched into each wrinkle of his aged face. "Yes, she's mine. She looks just like me," he laughed. He sighed deeply as he searched his brain for words that would make sense to the older man. "I'm not like, exclusively gay, I guess. I kinda like men and women. Doesn't really matter to me."

"Used to know a lady like that," Wayne announced, to the complete shock of his nephew. Eddie's jaw slacked, his eyes popping wide open. Wayne smiled, a puff of air from his nostrils serving as a chuckle. "The 60s were… ya know, free love and all that. Janet never cared if she was with a man or a woman, either. She just wanted to be with people. Told me once that 'inner spirits don't have genders' whatever the hell that means."

Once Eddie had begun to process what his uncle had told him, he looked over at him once again. "So you're like… cool? With it?" He asked. His smile was still there, though the light behind it was a bit dim.

"'Course," Wayne answered.

"Thanks, man."

Wayne scoffed and flipped his hand between their bodies. "Ain't gotta thank me for not bein' an asshole," he smiled. "Ya know life's gonna kick ya in the balls, right?" He asked, his tone suddenly very serious.

"Kinda has already, don't ya think?"

"Guess so, but ya know that don't matter to me, right? You're always gonna be a pain in my ass but I'm always gonna love ya. No matter what."

Eddie nodded, his smile softening. "Yeah, I know."

And that was that. The silence that followed wasn't the same tense, uncomfortable silence they'd been in just moments before. Instead it was comfortable, almost warm. Eddie shoved food into his mouth while he thought about his uncle's revelation. He wasn't that weird for not being able to settle on just men or just women. Apparently more people like him existed out there. Wayne was too busy doing thinking of his own to notice his nephew's sudden quietness. Eddie was a single dad, and now he knew for a fact that he was gay. Or whatever Janet had been. She'd never put a label on it. Life wouldn't be any kinder to Eddie in his adulthood than it had been in his childhood. But he wouldn't have to face it alone. Wayne had stood beside him through everything else, and he wasn't about to leave him in the cold now.

~~~~~

previous part // next part

~~~~~

I love this part so much and I'm so excited to share it with you all. I feel like this part took forever to finish, but I'm happy with how I ended up. Can't wait to hear what everyone thinks of it!!!

[b3ast0fburd3n]

Eli was more ready for the day than usual. All the backups were stocked, every table, chair and appliance had been scrubbed. Hell, even the pirates picked up shit when they dropped it. It was going to be a beautiful day.

Until, of course, Beth. (It's always fucking Beth.)

As she saunters over to introduce herself, Elias takes note of how the others make way for her. Maybe not scared, per se, but definitely respectful. Don't get on her bad side, gets jotted down in the same place he keeps orders straight. It'll be gone by tomorrow. Unless, of course, something memorable happens between now and then.

The molotovs come out of no where, cutting off their conversation as soon as it begins. Glass crashes into his tables and the pillars supporting his establishment, fire licks up the splattered alcohol to kiss the overhang. He didn't know they were intended for her until the blues made their way past the threshold. Out of some reflex, Eli finds himself leading Beth back to his storage room and seeking her help to block the door. His prepped soup spills all over the floor in their efforts, pot landing face down with water and veggies seeping out. It should say something about him that ruined prep gives him more of a grudge than watching the blues kill people from his team. No time to consider that now, the fire is closing in and bullets are chewing up his walls.

Beth is the one to get them out, moving so quickly and efficiently that Eli doesn't notice it's over until she's dragging him out the back door. Her hand stays on his head, keeping him low. Until, of course, one of the blues manages to sneak up behind them and whack Beth unconscious. Eli does what he can to catch her limp frame and drag her away from danger, but he ends up having to drop her and steal her pistol to keep his life. The reaction scares him for a moment. He didn't have time to consider the life he was taking. By the time he did, bullet was already firmly planted in the Rakyat man's chest.

He drags Beth into a large puddle, too small to be a pond but big enough to fully put out the singe in her clothes. Too many bodies to count. Luckily, none of them are familiar. Pirates bring a whole new meaning to red shirts.

Elias stares at the plume of smoke blooming above his cafe. Who's gonna fix this shit? The question threatens to spill, but Eli makes the choice to not anger the feral woman that just killed more Rakyat than he's seen since landing on the island. Hand digs in his pocket for a pack of cigarettes until his fingers meet the sopping wet trash. Useless. He waits until she stirs to start talking. Admittedly, he was prepared to repeat himself. He's never seen someone recover so quickly from being knocked out before.

"I met you all of an hour ago and since then I've been nearly incinerated, drowned, shot at and chopped into fish bait. 'N I don't even know your name." It sounds like cheesy romcom dialogue coming from him, punctuated with a hand running through his long hair and a smirk to ease tension. He parrots her name back to her with a nod. Beth. Eli has been on the business end of more than one of Eddie's drunk rants about who the fuck does she think she is. There were only two instances, but coming from her, it's weird enough that it happened twice. In Elias' opinion, she seems great so far. Saved his life without him even having to ask.

"Yeah. Y'can call me Eli." The chef checks himself for any open wounds, shaking his head after poking at the slimy burn on his arm. Painful, but not major. "You alright? Got a pretty nasty whack back there."

He lets a second of silence hang before speaking again. "Soon as my shit's fixed, you get a free lunch for savin' my life."

I Can't Find The Meme!

@b3ast0fburd3n said: (If you're looking for more threads! //ignore otherwise)

"Since I've met you, i've nearly been incinerated, drowned, shot at, and chopped into fish bait < and I don't even know your name." From Elias to Beth

---

Today was one of those unhinged days — moreso than usual.

She had been putting off trying out that new café type place that had opened up, even at the behest of other pirates who urged her with pulls and pushes and promises of how good it all was. Even in a rare moment of downtime, she chose the local dive over something better. Glancing around, she spotted the owner of the newer place at the bar, made a mental note to strike up a conversation.

How was she supposed to know that Rakyat would hit with a good bit of arson ( hey, molotov cocktails were HER thing! ) ? Beth hadn't even gotten to order when it happened! So, through frantic noise and panic, her and the owner of the newer place - Elias, if she remembered correctly- ended up trapped in a smaller back room, flames closing in, bullets flying. But they got out. Beth made SURE they got out.

The gunfire became even worse as they breached the outside. She made sure to keep Elias down, or let him be helpful, if he could muster it. All good! All swell! Until a few Rakyat snuck behind and managed to strike Beth from behind, rendering her unconscious for a little while. When she came-to, surrounded by water and hearing chattering, she sprung back into life.

Despite the fact that he had almost drowned ( so had she, admittedly ) , they were alive! I mean, Elias definitely almost got dismembered by a machete there, but Beth WOULDN'T let that happen. A flash of teeth and blood and gurgles signified the end of that attempt. And that's where they remained, white smoke in the short distance indicating that the bar was, in the very least, no longer actively burning.

All things considered, this went surprisingly well.

Beth sat in the shallow-enough water, a leg outstretched and the other bent at the knee, watching the smoke and steadying her breathing. It felt like hours were passing, but when he spoke, it had only been a few minutes. A laugh filtered from her, light and airy and DELIGHTFUL. For someone who didn't know her, it made her seem normal. Harmless, if not for what he had seen during the attack.

"Not bad for three o'clock on a Tuesday, no?" She flashed teeth then, pure delight and humour plastered on her face. Laughing still, she placed a wet hand over her chest in an attempt to steady herself. "You know me, mate. Or you know OF me." A hand extended itself towards him, an offer of a handshake, genuine in its appeal. "I'm Beth. You're that, uh, guy who owns that place? Elias? You alright? Any major injuries?"

God, her head was beginning to ache.

[t4twolfstar]

Pearl Jam songs as the marauders' story

listen here

explanations under read more

Red Mosquito - Remus is bit by Greyback

two steps ahead of him, punctures in your neck…/ Hoverin' just above your bed... (2x)/ I was bitten...must have been the devil…/ He was just paying me…/ A little visit, reminding me of his presence…

Jeremy - most of the song, Sirius

Okay so we’re going to look at the verses not the refrain for this one bc (TW su*) this song is based on an actual boy who diy died in front of his class so like no we’re not relating to that part but the “Clearly I remember/ Pickin’ on the boy/ Seemed a harmless little fuck/ But we unleashed the lion….Daddy didn't give affection, no/And the boy was something that mommy wouldn't wear”

Daughter - Sirius at home

Trans sirius in an abusive household………. “Mother reads aloud, child tries to understand it/Tries to make her proud/ The shades go down, it's in her head/ Painted room, can't deny that something's wrong/ Don’t call me daughter, not fit to”

Leash - Sirius and Remus’ toxic codependent love and then yelling at the establishment/people who say they’re too young going too deep too hard too fast

“Troubled souls unite/ We got ourselves tonight, oh/ I am fuel you are friends we got the means to make amends/ I am lost I'm no guide but I'm by your side/ I am right by your side….We will find a way we will find our place/ Drop the leash drop the leash/Get outta' my fuckin' face”

Why Go? - Sirius becoming disenchanted w his family

Trans Sirius too of course. She seems to be stronger/ But what they want/ Her to be is weak/ She could play pretend/ She could join the game, boy/ She could be another clone….don’t come visit/mother/ why go home?

Blood - Sirius’ family trying to make him into something he’s not

Spin me round/ Roll me over/ Fucking circus/ Stab it down/ One way needle/ Pulled so slowly/ Drains and spills/ Soaks the pages/ Fills their sponges/ It’s my blood/ It’s my blood

WMA - basically about all the big pureblood families that can get away w anything

“He won the lottery when he was born/ Took his mothers white breast to his tongue/ Do no wrong so clean cut/ Dirty his hands, it comes right off” (tw for song: police, implied police violence)

Do the Evolution - Sirius ranting abt/mocking his family

Admire me, admire my home/ Admire my son, he's my clone…./ I'll do what I want but irresponsibly/ It’s evolution, baby/ I’m a thief, I'm a liar/ There’s my church, I sing in the choir:/ (Hallelujah, hallelujah)

Bushleaguer - abt the aristocracy etc

This song is literally about George bush lmao but I love it abt the upper class

“Born on third, thinks he got a triple…./The aristocrat choir sings, "what's the ruckus?”/ The haves have not a clue/ The immenseness of suffering”

Mind your manners - You guessed it - Sirius rejecting his family

I've got an unfortunate feelin’/ I've been beaten down/I feel I don't believe/ And now the truth is coming out/ What they've taken is more than a vow/ They’ve taken your innocence/ And then they throw them on a burning fire/ All along they're sayin’/ Mind your manners

My father’s son - SIRIUS

I am my father's son,/ Yeah, too bad he was a psychopath and now I'm the next in line, , dear mother, yes, surely she's a work of art,…/Can I get a reprieve?/ This gene pool dark and deep…./Now father you're dead and gone and I'm finally free to be me,/ Thanks for all your dark gifts for which I've got no sympathy,/ I’m living in a walled-up place in the bounds of 5th symphony

Yellow Ledbetter - Sirius

Okay so 97% of the the lyrics are indecipherable when Eddie sings them but you can hear I don’t wanna stay

Go - Regulus to Sirius as he’s trying to leave

(Abuse tw) So sorry about this one yall …… .but yes I think this is regulus finally realizing that he shouldn’t have let things get so bad at home (Sirius blames him for not stepping in even tho he’s a child there’s nuance here etc) and he’s begging Sirius not to leave him here “Oh please don't go out on me don't go out on me now/ Never acted up before don't go on me now/ I swear I never took it for granted just thought of it now/ Suppose I abused you just passing it on….I pulled the covers over him shoulda' pulled the alarm/ Turned to my nemesis…Please don't go on me/ Don’t go on me/ Don’t go on me/ Don’t go on me/ please”

Rearviewmirror - Sirius running away

(Tw abuse) Time to emancipate/ I guess it was the beatings made me wise….Forced to endure/ What I could not forgive/ I seem to look away/ Wounds in the mirror waved/ It wasn't my surface most defiled

Can’t Keep - Sirius running away from home

I want to shake/ I want to wind out/ I want to leave/ This mind and shout/ I’ve lived/ All this life/ Like an ocean/ In disguise/ I don't live for ever/ You can't keep/ Me here

Hail, Hail - Remus and Sirius’ codependent strong love

A how I love you till the day I die...ah and beyond…/ are we going to the same place? If so, can I come?/ It’s egg rollin' thick and heavy...all the past we carry…

Release - Remus thinking about his dad

Remus’ dad is so full of guilt for his hand in remus’ transformations that he extracted himself from remus’ life. Remus laments here, “Oh, dear dad/ Can you see me now?/ I am myself/ Like you somehow” “I'll hold the pain/Release me” he’d would rather have a dad, guilt and all, here, than the self appointed absence but since you left me with the absence and grief and loss of it, at least release me from it, loosen your grip so I can move on.

Present Tense - Sirius and Remus talking probably laying in the forbidden forest assuaging one another’s beliefs of the gnarled beasts they think they are

BUGS - prob remus when he turns before the boys know

Bugs on my ceiling/ Crowded the floor/ Standing sitting kneeling…/ A few block the door/ And now the question’s:/ Do I kill them?/ Become their friend?/ Do I eat them?/ Do I join them?/ I’ll just stop now/ I’ll become naked/ And with the...I'll become one

Who you are - probably James at remus when he thinks he’s a big monster

Who are we?/ Who we are./ What’s your part? Who you are / You are who you are.

Save you - GOD THIS SONGG okay this is probably James @ Sirius when home life is bad and also Sirius @ Remus and also Remus @ Sirius it’s all of them @ all of them

Gonna save you fucker, not gonna lose you/ Feeling cocky and strong, can't let you go,/ Too important to me/ Too important to us, we'd be lost without you/ Baby, let yourself fall, I'm right below you now/ And fuck me if I say something you don't want to hear/ And fuck if you only hear what you want to hear/ Fuck me if I care, but I'm not leaving here/ You helped me when I was down, I'll help when you're down/ Why are you hitting yourself, c'mon hit me instead

Life Wasted - Sirius @ Reg re: leaving

I escaped it, a life wasted./ I’m never going back again…./ You're always saying you're too weak to be Strong./ You’re harder on yourself than just about Anyone/ Why swim the channel just to get this far?/ Halfway there, why would you turn around?

Severed Hand - Reg joins the death eaters

Big man stands behind an open door/ Said, leave your lady on the cement floor./ Got some kicks, want to take a ride?/ I said, yeah!/ Oh please understand I just need, my friend,/ A way a way a way home

Brain of J. - Reg and Sirius arguing after he joins the death eaters

The whole world will be different soon/ The whole world will be relieving/ You, you've been taught/ We’d been the same, now they got you in line/ Stand behind the stripes/ There will be order, so give it a good mind…./And by name/ The name they gave me/ The name I'm letting go

Deep - Regulus knows he’s in too deep

This is Regulus knowing he’s in too deep, Voldemort and the death eaters are such bad fucking people and he’s in too deep now (massive tw for this song for drugs and se*ual violence)

“Ponders his Maker, ponders his will/ in too deep/ can’t touch the bottom”

Pilate - Remus abt Sirius ;0)

Like Pilate I have a dog/ (Obeys listens kisses loves)/ Walks me out of town/ Still one's a crowd/ Making angels in the dirt/ Looking up looking all around

You Are - in love 🥰

Love is a tower/ Of strength to me/ I am the shoreline/ But you're the sea

Red Bar - the war begins

War, I’m crazy/ War I’m crazy I’m war the song is also a lil goofy so it’s maybe just like going crazy being so in it that it’s funny now

Porch - WARTIME EVERYONE @ THEIR LOVERS

It’s the war and everyone knows today could be their last day and tensions are running high in relationships and they love each other so much and need each other but snap at one another nonetheless

What the fuck is this world running to?/ You didn't leave a message/ At least I could have learned your voice one last time/ Daily minefield, this could be my time by you/ Would you hit me? Would you hit me?/ Hear my name, take a good look/ This could be the day/ Hold my hand, walk beside me

Thin Air - babes in love

There's a light, when my baby's in my arms,/ There’s a light, when the window shades are drawn…/ And I know she's reached my heart, in thin air.

All or None - More war time songs soz

Here's the selfless confession/ Leading me back to war/ Can we help that our destinations/ Are the ones we've been before?/ I still try to run on/ But it's all or none

Parting Ways - Lily @ James during the war

She knows their future's burning/ But she can smile just the same, same/ And though her mood is fine today/ There’s a fear they'll soon be parting ways

Love Boat Caption - Sirius/Remus, Lily/James, etc etc. during the war

Love boat captain/ Take the reigns and steer us towards the clear, here/ It’s already been sung, but it can't be said enough/ All you need is loveIt's an art to live with pain/ Mix the light into grey/ Lost nine friends we'll never know/ Two years ago today/ And if our lives became too long/ Would it add to our regret?…./Hold me and make it the truthThat when all is lost, there will be you

Evacuation - going into hiding

Lukin- Lily and James have to go into hiding

(Tw st*lking mention in explanation, gun mention in song) The song was written by Eddie when he was being stalked and he had to bring himself and his wife to a friend’s house for safety.

In Hiding - Lily and James are in hiding and enter Peter

No way in or out/ I turned and walked the hallways/ And pulled the curtains down…./I swallow the truth to keep from lying/ i'm no longer overwhelmed and it seems so simple now/ Yeah, it's funny how things change so much/ It’s all state of mind

Once - Peter Pettigrew betraying the marauders

Literally about someone committing a mass murder. “Once upon a time I could control myself.” “Mimic whats insane.”

Around the Bend - I'm so sorry ummm but Lily to Harry on Halloween 💀

I am wishing you a well…./ I hold your head deep in my arms/ My fingertips, they close your eyes/ Off you dream, my little child/ There’s a sun around the bend/ Please forgive me, won't you, dear?/ Please forgive and let me share with you, around the bend/ You’re an angel when you sleep/ How I want your soul to keep, on and on around the bend

Garden - Sirius being taken to Azkaban

He’s just taking his fate as it comes to him.

The direction of the eye/ So misleading/ The defection of the soul/ Nauseously quick/I will walk, with my hands bound/ I will walk, with my face blood/ I will walk, with my shadow flag/ Into your garden/ Garden of stone

Even flow - IS SO VERY MUCH SIRIUS IN AZKABAN

sung from the pov of an incarcerated person waiting for life to begin again

BUGS - Sirius in Azkaban (yes I already said this abt remus but idc)

Bugs on my ceiling/ Crowded the floor/ Standing sitting kneeling…/ A few block the door/ And now the question’s:/ Do I kill them?/ Become their friend?/ Do I eat them?/ Do I join them?/ I’ll just stop now/ I’ll become naked/ And with the...I'll become one

Black - Remus lamenting about Sirius’ perceived deception

Remembering their love and how now so many of his memories are tainted (by) black and that all of this has changed him fundamentally (star imagery, “black”, “tattooed everything”)

Indifference - Sirius in grimmauld place, sirius in Azkaban

Sirius taking his home life in stride until he can leave, taking Azkaban in stride bc it doesn’t matter any way bc he believes he deserve it anyway

“Pretend I'm free to roam/ I will make my way/ Through one more day in hell/ How much difference does it make?/ How much difference does it make?/ I will hold the candle/ Till it burns up my arm/ Oh, I'll keep takin' punches/ Until their will grows tired/ Oh, I will stare the sun down/ Until my eyes go blind/ Hey, I won't change direction/ And I won't change my mind/ How much difference does it make?/ How much difference does it make?/ I’ll swallow poison, until I grow immune/ I will scream my lungs out till it fills this room”

Alive - Remus post ’81

Eddie originally wrote the song as a lament - why did I live when he didn’t? Why am I still alive?

“Is something wrong she said, of course there is, you’re still alive she said, but do I deserve to be?”

Animal - Remus after ’81 when he needs to transform alone

Feat. A throwback to being turned (so tw: abd*ction) “Torture from you to me, yeah/Abducted from the street/I'd rather be with an animal”

Nothingman - Sirius and Remus after ’81

Once divided nothing left to subtract/ Some words when spoken can't be taken back/ Walks on his own with thoughts he can't help thinking/ Future’s above but in the past he's slow and sinking…./ She once believed in every story he had to tell/ One day she stiffened took the other side/ Empty stares from each corner of a shared prison cell/ One just escapes one's left inside the well

Smile - Remus @ the marauders (except it’s after ’81 and he just thinks of them fondly)

Don't it make you smile?/ I miss you already/ I miss you always/ I miss you already/ I miss you all day/ This is how I feel/ Three crooked hearts swirls all around/ Don’t it make you smile?

In my tree - remus abt sirius after ’81

I remember him, yeah…/ I swore I knew everything, oh yeah…/ They say knowledge is a dream, yeah…/ He's growing up just like me, yeah…

Light Years - Remus abt Sirius

But now you're gone, I haven't figured out why/ I’ve come up with riddles and jokes about war/ I’ve figured out numbers and what they're for/ I’ve understood feelings and I've understood words/ But how could you be taken away?/ Back pages and days alone that could have been spent/ Together, but we were miles apart Every inch between us becomes light years now

I’m open - Remus!!!! Post ’81

After spending half his life searching he still felt as blank/ As the ceiling at which he stared/ He is alive but feels absolutely nothing/ So is he?/ When he was six he believed that the moon overhead followed him/…..So this is what it's like to be an adult/ If he only knew now what he knew then

Thumbing my Way - Remus post ’81 again blah blah ikik

I can't be free with what's locked inside of me/ If there was a key you took it in your hand/ There’s no wrong or right but I'm sure there's good and bad/ The questions linger overhead

Rats - we know how remus like to soliloquize …. This is him waxing poetic about how fucking horrible Peter is

The song itself is kind of listing the many ills of humankind saying how rats don’t compare to people bc they don’t do all this. But Peter isnt really a rat. He’s a man and oppresses like a man and betrays like a man and takes like a man.

“Drink the blood of their so-called best friend….They don't scurry when something bigger comes their way….Don't take what's not theirs“

Oceans - Sirius escaping Azkaban

Hold on to the thread/ The currents will shift, glide me towards/ You know something's left/ And we're all allowed to dream of the next…..The sea will rise/ Please stand by the shore/ I will be there once more

Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town - Sirius after Azkaban

200004309248% sirius returning from 12 years isolated. He doesn’t really recognize most things. Remus wouldn’t recognize him. He’s different. Changed by being unchanged. He couldn’t grow and learn and morph and become. He stagnated yet decayed. But he’s back and he recognizes your skin and your breath. He’s back.

Off He Goes - Sirius is a Sagittarius in the first half, second half is post PoA

Know a man his face seemed pulled and tense/ Like he's riding on a motorbike in the strongest winds/ So I approach with tact/ Suggest that he should relax/ But he's always movin' much too fast/ Said he'll see me on the flip side/ On this trip he's taken for a ride…./ And now I rub my eyes for he has returned/ Seems my preconceptions are what should have been burned/ For he still smiles and he's still strong/ Nothing’s changed, but the surrounding bullshit, that has grown/ And now he's home, and we're laughing, like we always did/ My same old, same old friend/ Until a quarter-to-ten

All Those Yesterdays - and cue the bath scene, remus washes his lost love

Don't you think you oughta rest?/ Don’t you think you oughta lay you head down?/ You don't think there's time to stop/ There’s time enough for you to lay your head down tonight tonight/ Let it wash away/ All those yesterdays

[agentlemuse]

buddie prompt: buck finds out eddie's secret -- he's a secret johnny clash fan. of cos, buck doesn't know who johnny clash is.

He knows Buck is forging ahead into that last room before Cap can finish his warning about evacuating the building. There might be a kid in there, of course Buck is going to take that risk. It’s as certain as the fact that Eddie will be right there behind him.

They do a sweep, ignoring the ominous creaking of the floor that groans over the sounds of licking flames.

Wherever that kid is it’s not in here, a fact Eddie can only be relieved by. Buck nods his head towards the exit and Eddie sighs a bit in relief that they can now make their way out. As if on cue, the universe knocks the floor out from beneath him. 

Eddie’s falling, hands grasping at air as the floor crumbles from under his feet. Before he can think to scream, to shout, to curse his fucking miserable luck he feels the sharp tug of something grabbing him. 

Buck.

Of course it’s Buck, now flat on his belly as he desperately clings to Eddie. He can feel the flames licking at his feet through his boots. If Buck drops him he will die. It will be painful and slow and he’ll be utterly alone. He can see the strain on Buck’s face, the horror, trying oh so hard to push down his panic so he can figure out a plan. 

Eddie suddenly regrets packing on those extra pounds of muscle. 

How much longer before the floor gives way under Buck? How much longer before Buck can no longer support his weight? He swears he can feel the dig of Buck’s fingernails through his gloves and Eddie’s own uniform in his desperation to just hang on.

“Buck…”

“Stop talking,” Buck barks, his words strained through gritted teeth. If he didn’t know Buck so well, like another piece of his own body, he might have missed the trace of fear lacing his voice; the desperation.  

“Buck.”

“Whatever you’re about to say-”

“Don’t let go,” he pleads, feeling Buck’s fingers curl tighter against his arms through the heavy layers of clothing between them. He doesn’t want to die.

“I won’t. I’ve got you.”

Eddie believes him. 

Between the fear and adrenaline he feels a strange moment of calm. Perhaps it’s the determined clench of Buck’s jaw, the intensity of his eyes as if daring the universe to even try taking Eddie’s from his grasp. Buck’s got him, of that he has no doubt, even if Eddie knows the universe rarely plays fair. 

“I’ve got you,” Buck promises, over and over even as his arms begin to shake at Eddie’s weight. “I’m not letting go,” he declares, although it sounds more like he’s trying to convince himself rather than Eddie. 

But Buck is only human and all humans have their limits. 

The flames lick higher and he feels Buck’s hold begin to slip even as a desperate growl escapes Buck’s lips as he fights to hold on. 

“It’s okay, Buck,” Eddie promises. “It’s okay.” Buck lets out a pained sound and Eddie feels instant regret. This is going to hurt enough, he doesn’t want to make it any worse on Buck than it already is. Eddie opens his mouth to apologize, but before he can he sees shadows come over Buck, feels additional hands pulling him up and out of danger. 

They’re ushered out of the building; Buck’s hands still holding on to him tightly as if he might suddenly disappear. 

Eddie feels like he’s moving through molasses, the world on fast forward around him as the adrenaline surges through his veins. He’s sitting at the back of an ambulance without knowing how he got there, Chim checking his pulse as Hen hands Buck a bottle of water. 

���Come on, Buckaroo,” she presses gently, gesturing for Buck to follow her, to take him away. He doesn’t realize he has reached out until his hand is around Buck’s wrist, keeping him close. Buck’s pulse beats strongly beneath his fingertips, grounding him, proving to him that they made it out alive. 

“I’m fine, Hen, really,” Buck assures her, content to stay in Eddie’s hold. Hen looks like she’s going to protest, her eyes darting to where Eddie’s hold tightens before shaking her head in defeat. 

“Fine, but you’re getting checked out before we leave.” 

Buck nods, stepping closer to Eddie until there is no space between them. 

“What the hell happened in there,” Chim questions, checking Eddie over.  

“I fell in to a burning ring of fire,” Eddie says dryly, his thumb pressing his fingers tighter against Buck’s wrist. We’re alive. We’re alive. It’s okay, we’re alive.

“Let me guess,” Chim retorts, a lopsided smile on his face, “You went down, down, down and the flames went higher?” 

Eddie can’t help but laugh, from relief or the sheer ridiculousness of it all he’s not sure. 

“Do you two think this is funny,” Buck barks, shoulders tense and his eyes narrowed. He’s still scared, Eddie realizes. 

“It’s just a song, Buck. That’s all. It’s just a song,” Eddie assures him, rubbing his thumb gently against his arm. 

“Well it sounds like a stupid song.” 

“It’s a classic,” Chim exclaims, waiting for Buck to acknowledge the same. Buck just looks at them blankly. “Oh my god, you don’t know the song. Ring of Fire? Johnny Cash? The Man-In-Black?”

“Never heard of him,” Buck shrugs, getting pink around the ears the way he always does when he doesn’t get a reference. 

“Youths,” Eddie grins fondly, even if it is a bit ridiculous that Buck hasn’t heard of the greatest artist on earth. “Don’t worry, Buck. I’ll teach you the error of your ways.” 

They’re one song in before Buck declares he hates country music. 

It only takes a duet of Walk the Line between Chim and Eddie at karaoke night before Buck declares he wishes he had dropped Eddie into that damn fire. Eddie laughs so hard he cries and Buck’s face watching him is--

He’d happily jump into a fire to see him smile like that again. 

Eddie sings the wondrous lyrics of Johnny Cash whenever he can, Chim happily joining along to watch as Buck rolls his eyes, huffs, puffs and stomps away in annoyance. Chim may join in on teasing Buck, but Eddie gets a much different set of reactions than Chim. 

Only Eddie sees the way Buck researches the legend himself, not because he’s interested in the man but because Eddie is. 

Only Eddie sees the way Buck’s eyes grow wide, tongue darting out to lick at his plush lower lip when Eddie comes out wearing an all black outfit the man himself would have approved of: tight black jeans that strain at his thighs, a button up black shirt open in a V to reveal a patch of hair at the center of his chest. 

Only Eddie knows the way goosebumps dot pale skin when Eddie sings low against the shell of Buck’s ear; the way Buck shivers when Eddie emphasizes the growl just so.

“I fell in to a burning ring of fire,” Eddie croons, flush against Buck’s back with a hand on his bare chest. “I went down, down, down,” Eddie growls, his hand sliding slowly down the ridges and valleys of Buck’s muscled abs. “And the flames went higher,” he teases, fingers playing with the button of Buck’s jeans. 

“Eddie,” Buck whines, head thrown back against Eddie’s shoulder. 

“Nuh-uh, not until you do it.”

“You’re such an asshole,” Buck mumbles.

“I can’t hear you…,” Eddie teases, sliding his fingers up to tease the soft hairs beneath Buck’s bellybutton. 

“And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire, the ring of fire,” Buck mumble-sings, impatient enough to give into Eddie’s demands. 

Eddie smirks against the column of Buck’s neck before sliding his hand down exactly where Buck wants him. He’ll make a fan of him yet.

[penaltybox14]

DecoFiremen: No happy choice

@zeitheist @darknight-brightstar @squad51goals @its-skadi  Silky is sick in the city, and Josiah has to make some choices, and have some conversations.  Emotions are hard, yo.

It's never good, to see that look on Eddy's face.  His fighter's jaw is set, but his eyes are soft like ships on a dark harbor.  This is the face that bodes bad news, something Eddy can't fix with his hands, a hot cup of coffee or a knock about the ears.  When Josiah sees that look, after breakfast one late winter's day, the first thing he thinks is the state has come to call on Davey again.  He'd taken them in his teeth that day at the gate, and thought if not rid of them altogether, he'd bought them enough time to think of how to put them off for good.  It did wake him, though, to watch the high moon paint his quarters and fear the state might come back, with papers, with authority, with some force he could not bluff. 

(If they were to take Cleary now, he thinks, the boy would be lost forever.  He would be some shadow growing thinner and paler on the back ward of the state hospital, he would settle sure as smoke in that long dark hall of his or drown in the lake below the lawn.  For sure, he would.)

"No," Eddy says, his raw knuckles flexing, catching the rattle of Josiah's thoughts, "no, it ain't the young fella."

"So what is it, then?  You hear from town there's none left of those hot peppers the grocer pickles, that you eat whole from the stem?" 

Josiah's humor falls as flat and pale as vellum in the typewriter, gnawed down by keystrokes.

"Got a telegram from the city, Birchy."  Eddy grips the butcher-block of the back kitchen's table, leans, uprights, and leans again.  "Silky's gone down sick."

"Sick." Josiah has to steady himself.  His bad leg throbs like a bad dream that upends the day.  "Gone down sick?  Who sent it?"

"Hastings at 27.  He's at casualty down at Bellevue, thinking it's pneumonia."

He cannot go.  He cannot go: he is responsible here, the Captain of this house, their grounds.  He cannot go: to leave his post, to leave the lads, to leave the boy.  Worst of all, that: to leave the boy.  What kind of captain would he be then, to leave the newest and the rawest of recruits, who still trembles under the blunt wind of the sear and some days even falls to it?  Some damn bastard, he would be, but his heart and his bent leg howl as the breath of horses, carrying him surely to the city.  He was a coward once who left a hundred thousand words unanswered, the great sulk of an overgrown child.  It was not Silky's fault, was it, after all, that the roof had caved, that his body had broken under the greedy teeth of the timbers? 

But he had never told Silks that, had he.  And he could, now.  He could have the chance to say it again. 

"It's an awful long way, to the city."

"I haven't seen him since the promotion."

"You'd be leaving the boy."

"I know it."

"Do you?"

"I do know it, Eddy."

"Took you how long to answer a simple letter?  How long would you plan on staying?  Til he was well?  Til the dark took him?"

What a bitter kick in the chest, the fury rising up inside him so hard it makes his eyes water.  "Silks isn't going to die.  He didn't die in that damn fire and he won't now."

"If'n you go, Birch, I'll drive you to the station.  But you'll tell Lufty and Monroe and the lads, and most of all, young Cleary, where you're off to."

Lufty, he knows, will understand.  Lufty and Monroe both, are men who have swallowed smoke and coughed out grief in spatters on the sidewalk, ribs heaving under the weight of it.  Josiah was not the first fireman to be ground hard in the blaze's splintering teeth, he will not be the last. 

Though some days he feels as if he is the only fool to lose a brother by his own carelessness and greedy fury.  Fool, to lie shattered, dry and cracked and thirsty for the safe embrace of brick walls and floorboards that creak with midnight steps and men who roll over in starched sheets and roll over again.  Fool that Silks had sat for, holding the hand without the needle, speaking to him from far away through the ether and the lazy dream-fields of poppies and long sunshine.

But the boy, god, the boy. 

Whatever he does, he can't spare the boy.  Would that he could.  For his sear to have broke before his voice, the boy ought to be allowed to live a life of perfect grace, running the field with the lads and catching perch down in the pond, every line charged, every ladder strong, every jake out clear. 

Silks or Davey, he thinks, what'll it be, what choice do I have?

The sun sprawling across the yard has taken on the keener brass of springtime - the snow is still deep, the ice still thick enough to drive a double hitch onto, but the turn of the earth is winning out as she always does.  The lads sweat at their work - Lufty and Monroe have let ladders and ropes ice overnight, and each exercise begins with a clamor of ideas on how to handle the frozen gear.  Bertram and Jules are keen to lead, while Kitson, Jacob, and Lee, the newest lot, scamper about and skitter like fawns.  How funny, to see from the broad steps, that Davey knows nearly as much as a half-year, though he has not the strength yet.  He will, though.  There is an awkward, coltish grace about him.  Something he has not grown into.  Josiah woke one night when the sky was half-silver with stars and Davey was standing in his quarters like a ghost-child, the sear singing in their bones.  A long way to grow, that one.  A long, fine way.

Lufty catches him after lunch.  Lufty is harder at the edges, often, than Eddy has ever been.  Even when Josiah was still stiff about the collar in his new kit, Eddy was all bluff, and quick to mild.  Eddy would brawl for any jake among them.  Lufty was tougher to read, even after he was on the boards.  Lufty Parker was burned once, and badly, in a fire at the piers in Chelsea.  His scars creep up the side of his neck, and cup the back of his head like a brief and tender lover.  They invite no dormitory tales, only an edgy kind of sorrow.  Josiah had heard, in his rook year, that three men had plunged into the East River, but just one had come up.  The oakbellies, he had been told, had tried to make Lufty a captain, and he'd refused to show up for the ceremony.  They'd tried to make him a battalion chief, and he'd hopped the first train to Troy. 

So he had been told.

But Lufty knows the white rooms and white coats at Bellevue and the casualty ward.

"There's not no happy choice to make, Birchy," Lufty says to him in his office.

 "It's just not gonna be so.  That said, it's not about if you goes, I think, it's about if you're coming back."

"You think I won't?"

"I know you will.  But it's not me what needs convincing."

Josiah sighs.  His leg is tight, aching, and he ought to stretch it out.  But he's afraid if he ventures out now, he'll run into Davey, breathless with some discovery.  "What am I supposed to say to him, Luft?"

"To Silks or the boy?"

"Either one."

"I couldn't say.  When I went into the river, I thought we'd all come out.  We had a fire at our heels and the river below us, and the last thing I remember before spitting up black water on the cobbles was Matty taking my elbow and Tom saying it'd be alright."

He's never heard this story, not from Lufty's taut lips and clenched teeth, so he stills like a boy in church and lets the old memory - the smell of creosote, and the greasy river, the snapping pilings and the blinding smoke - shiver on the air and fall as motes of golden dust.  The worst was not the plunge, was it, but the waking.

Alone. 

It's going to hurt them both, but crueler for the boy.

After Lufty leaves him to his battered thoughts, he sits at his desk until the dusk unravels into night.  The dinner mess bell clangs.  The lads thunder about downstairs like wild horses, shouting, stampeding.

He ought to get up now, go to the kitchens, get a bite.  Eddy is always after him to put something more than gristle and spite on his bones.  He plants his hands on his desk, ready to make the effort to stand, when of a sudden Davey's there, in the door.

Josiah has a good look at him, now, under the humming electrics.  Still too thin, for his widening shoulders.  Hair in need of a trim or at least a comb.  (He tries to do it like Bertram Cochrane, slicking the sides down, but the loose black curls are springing free by midday).  A tear in the shoulder of his shirt fixed by clunky, deliberate stitches.  A boy exuberantly ragged at the end of a long day. 

"Capper.  You weren't at mess."

Josiah pins a smile to the corner of his mouth like he means it.  "Eddy send you up?"

"No sir."

"I'll be down soon."

The boy hesitates.  "Capper?  Are you angry?"

"No.  Why would you say?"

"You been up here all day, Capper, that's all.  Eddy said - well I think he said, maybe I just thought of something he did say, you know, the sear said he - well you know.  Eddy's sear is so bright sometimes.  I forget.  Eddy said you used to get your hackles up and hide out in your quarters all day."

Josiah chuckles softly.  "He's right.  I did.  I'm not angry, m'son."

"What's wrong, then?"

"Come sit."  There is not gonna be no happy choice, said Lufty.  And there won't be, but he'd be crueler not to tell the boy. 

Davey comes round to his desk and pulls up a chair, as he does when they read and talk, about things Josiah knows - like radio manuals and floorplans and exit strategies - and things that Davey knows, like checkers and poems and music.  "I told you 'bout my pal, Silky.  You remember, his letters."

"Yes sir."

"He saved my life.  Before I was a captain."

"I dream that sometimes.  Like you know about the lake.  And Liddy."

Josiah picks up a pen and twirls it over the blotter.  His chest is tight, like breathing through a wet kerchief.  "Davey, Silky's very sick.  We got a telegram from his captain."  He takes a deep breath, pushing through it, like crawling under thick smoke, palming every door.  "He's in the hospital in the city."

Davey watches him through a child's lashes with eyes that pierce him like a brother.  Josiah longs for a horse between them, the calming stroke of the soft brush on the soot-dappled back.  He longs for the darkness between bunks, staring at the ceiling.  In the low, fragile light, Josiah sees the dampness welling up in Davey's eyes.  It is too hard to hide. 

Davey knows already.  He is biting his lip, as if he is already a young man. While he lay in a Bellevue bed, a needle in one arm, Silky had bent over the other, murmuring.  Josiah, from his awkward seat with his bad leg locked in its brace, leans forward in one great surge and takes the boy in his arms and holds him tight.  As close as his nightmares, as tight as his memories.  "I will come back.  I will, Davey, I promise you.  I'll come back."

The child's stumbling sear is a raw mess of questions, frantic as birds beating their wings against a low-slung slate-clouded sky.  He is crying.  Good, Josiah thinks.  Good that grief be open. 

"You promise," Davey whispers at last, hoarse with a sob and muffled deep into his chest.  "You got to promise, Capper."

"Promise. I promise, I promise.  As sure as I can't run, m'son, I promise I will come home."

[bcbdrums]

At Last

I asked who should be drunk, Drakken or Shego, and @cocoa-at-night said both.  I present this fic.  For @drakgoprompts #8 AND #9.  Karaoke and a specific dialogue exchange.

FFn   AO3

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

At Last

The karaoke night had started out fun, to Shego's surprise. Although in retrospect, the first shot of tequila probably had a lot to do with that.

Making fun of Motor Ed attempting to sing anything was great, but making fun of him attempting to sing Kansas was even better. She had cackled into Drakken's shoulder, some of his sweet rum dripping onto her cheek from where it had spilled from his mouth as he laughed along with her.

It was equally fun to make fun of Eddie's duets with Drakken, and then to egg on Eddie and Adrena when they sang together, chanting 'kiss!' at the recently dating couple. Even though it was both of their opinions that the pair would never make it past a third date.

A drunken suggestion to that end was met with a laugh from the equally drunk pair, and a boast from Ed that that night was their third date, and Adrena declaring that the mulletted man liked to have freaky fun as she slid into his lap. Shego and Drakken understood exactly what the basis of that relationship was, the pair only having met a month prior at the cafe outside the UN after Drakken's awards ceremony.

Shego had wondered frequently about hers and Drakken's relationship too, ever since the invasion. He seemed to be doing the same, as he was brooding more, giving her nervous looks, and seemed to be trying to spend more time talking to her. He asked questions about her brothers who he had seen again at the ceremony. He asked what she wanted to do, now that she was pardoned, and there seemed to be a hint of fear behind the question... Fear she would leave?

Shego knocked back her third shot as she pushed the thoughts away. They'd gone out that night to have fun. And it had been fun singing onstage with Drakken, even if the way he smiled at her each time they did made her face flush.

Shego scowled as she poured a fourth shot. She could feel Drakken's eyes on her from where he sat next to her, tilting his chair back on its legs a bit as he nursed his drink. She wanted to warn him he would fall, but he should know better. She kept her mouth shut.

"What?" she finally asked, turning to him with narrowed eyes.

"What?" he echoed, nearly losing his balance as he abruptly sat forward, his fingers fidgeting in his lap as the chair legs impacted the floor with a 'clack'.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Her hand tightly gripped her glass as she felt another flush come to her cheeks just from looking at him. The feeling only worsened as she saw his own cheeks color.

"W-was I staring? S-sorry."

He continued to stare, and his lack of excuse made her even more anxious. She swallowed back the drink as she stood up to leave, deciding she had had enough fun for the evening.

Drakken stood as well, looking frantic. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"As entertaining as those two are," she looked to where Eddie and Adrena were still hanging onto each other as they took a bow on the stage, the other patrons of the karaoke bar cheering, "I'm at my limit for stupid, tonight."

"But it's my turn!" he protested.

Shego set her glass down and started for the door. "There'll be other times..." she said distractedly.

“But...Shego I have something to tell you!” he insisted, following after her and grabbing her arm.

“Oooh, are you about to profess your undying love for me?” she taunted, shaking his hand off with a scoff.

The DJ announced Drakken's name, and they turned and glanced at the crowd that had begun to cheer and stare at them, excited by the familiar name. Drakken took a deep breath.

“Yes, I am.”

“...What?”

A hardness joined the anxiety in his eyes as he hurried past her and took the stage. Shego felt her stomach begin doing flips as she stood seemingly frozen in place, watching him take his place beneath the spotlight and lift the microphone from its stand.

"This song," he began, "is dedicated to...the love of my life."

Shego didn't dare look around her, but she could feel every eye on her. Blood thundered in her ears and prevented her from hearing the rest of Drakken's speech. But when the opening instrumental vamp from a Chicago love ballad sounded from the speakers, she recovered.

"You know our love was meant to be—"

The green glowing blast prevented Drakken from getting any further in his song. Shego waited only long enough to see he was okay before turning on her heel and stalking briskly toward the back door. She ignored Motor Ed's jeering and Adrena's cries for her to hit Drakken again as she slipped from the alcohol-scented atmosphere and into the cool night air.

She leaned against the wall opposite the door in the alley as she tried to rein in her emotions. How dare he do something like that, when the closest thing they had had to a conversation about their relationship was the simple agreement to lay low together while they decided how best to utilize the gift of a pardon for saving the world. Besides, he had never shown any interest of that nature in her before. Was it new? Had it been there all along? Was it just the alcohol?

More importantly...did she want him to feel that way?

Her heart was racing and her stomach turning as she considered the brief conversation they had had before he took the stage, the way he had been staring at her all night, and the heat that came to her cheeks and truly her entire being each time he smiled at her.

She didn't get any more time to think about it, however, as the door opened again and suddenly Drakken was in front of her.

"What's the big idea?" she burst out, before he could say something that forced her to give more presence to the thoughts that had begun to coalesce in her mind.

"Shego..." He took a step toward her, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. Had his eyes always been such a dark but clear blue? "I love you. I want you. I don't want to keep thinking about...what to do now that we're free. None of it will matter without you."

Whether it was because of the alcohol or his entrancing gaze, Shego didn't know. But she found herself unable to move as he approached her, the fingers of one of his hands gently unfolding her nervously clasped ones in front of her chest while his other hand came to rest on her hip. Her eyes were transfixed by his lips approaching hers. She barely felt their fingers intertwine, or when he held her hand up on the wall above them.

The taste of rum mingled with tequila as their lips slowly met. She was surprised to find herself the one to tracing her tongue against the soft pillows of his lips as he kissed her with passion. The miasma of alcohol that seemed to surround them only intensified as their tongues met in a dance that only grew the fire burning within her. Her free hand found his chest and pressed firmly against the muscles beneath his shirt. She was rewarded with a hum from deep within his chest, and a moment later her hand became trapped as his frame pressed against her, surrounding her and pinning her to the wall.

Lost in his kiss and the warmth of his body, she was content to remain there and drink in everything that was Drakken, until a familiar jeer caught her ear and pulled her lips out of the passionate embrace.

"Yeah, 'Cous! Just like mine and Freak-Babe's first date!"

Shego narrowed her eyes over Drakken's shoulder at Motor Ed and Adrena Lynn peering through the alley door. She made eye contact with Drakken for just a moment, sharing his knowing smirk before she reached over his shoulder and fired a green blast at the offending pair. The slam of the door signaled their retreat, and Shego turned back to Drakken. His intense gaze had started to fall to worry.

"Shego... Shego, I—"

"Shh..." she said, bringing a finger to his lips. His expression relaxed, and she found the pounding of her heart to suddenly be a comfort as she stared up into his eyes. She didn't have anymore questions about the future. "Let's get out of here."

"Where?" he asked, still pressed against her.

"Let's take the hover car up to the roof. Unless you think you can last longer," she said with a smirk.

He looked decidedly confused, but a deliberate press of her hips brought color to his cheeks and understanding to his eyes.

"O-oh..."

Shego bit her lip as her smirk grew, her heart pounding as he looked at her. But the startled look in his eyes gradually vanished beneath his hunger as his fingers tightened in the flesh at her hip.

"That's what I thought," she said. She pulled his hand down from the wall as he stepped back to release her, and she heard the faint tones from inside the bar of someone crooning 'At Last.' An alcohol-induced giggle escaped her lips as she fell into Drakken's side, his arm wrapping around her waist as the started out of the alley side-by-side.

[gloriafc]

Beginning of a beautiful relationship: Evan Buckley

*SWAT crossover*

Athena was the one to introduce you to Buck. You were both out eating lunch catching up, she was once your mentor who pushed you towards joining SWAT. You looked up to her, and often asked her for advice.

Bobby came by, to say a quick hi. Seeing the two of you while he was out with Eddie, Buck, Chimney, and Hen. You met Bobby when he and Athena first got married, but it's always been quick hello's before you would get pulled into work.

"It was nice seeing you Bobby, Athena, but work is calling." "You told me you had the day off." "Guess it's a big case. Promise we'll do this again soon."

You're quick to pull Athena into a hug before rushing out of the cafe to your car. Athena noticing the boy she treats like a son, staring at the girl she's practically watched grow up.

"Now buck, standing there with your mouth open is not how you get a girl's number." "I wasnt- no-"

Athena's quick to grab the small to-go box with her left overs before putting her sunglasses on and looking at him, "Her names Y/N. Something tells me you'll be seeing her again soon."

The next time Buck sees you is a small Carnival at Christopher's school. Bobby mentioned the fire department letting the kids interact with the fire truck during dinner one night, and you mentioned it to Jessica, who decided to let the team bring Black Betty to the school for the kids.

Everyone sets up before the kids are let loose and allowed to explore the different cop cars, firetruck, Black Betty, and different activities. Athena makes her way over along with Bobby to where you're standing next to your team.

She happily pulls you into a hug, "Look at you!" "Thanks to you. Don't think I would've actually joined if you didn't push me to."

After talking for a little while, you turn when a kid makes his way over along with two other firefighters. Bobby quick to introduce you, "Y/N this is Christopher. Eddie's his dad, and then this is Buck."

You quickly shake their hands before making small talk. As you talk you help the kids climb inside Black Betty. By the time the carnival is over and everyone is packing up, you've managed to swap numbers with Buck.

From her spot next to Bobby, near the food stands, Athena stands satisfied while Bobby tells her, "No more medaling." "Someone has to make sure buck doesn't mess this up for himself." Bobby can't do anything except shake his head and throw an arm over his wife's shoulders.

By the end of the month you and buck have managed to start talking, not yet starting a relationship. The one thing you're cautious of, is the work you both do. They're both time consuming and can be dangerous.

Buck always imagined what you did when you got a call at work but never thought he'd experience it first hand.

When everyone was told to stay back during a call, everyone looked around confused until SWAT pulled up, Buck instantly recognizing your bun alongside your roommates small ponytail.

Normally you're a very happy go lucky person, but seeing you look so serious didn't sit well with him. Even though he knows how much you love your job, to him you're the tiny girl he's quickly falling for, one he doesn't want to see get hurt.

Everyone watches waiting for Hondo's command, not able to move and head into the building due to a hostage situation.

"Hondo, I got an idea." "Anything helps right now." You point to the ladder on the firetruck. "They're waiting at the door. They'll kill the kids as soon as we get the doors open. They won't hear the ladders and the windows are covered they won't see us enter through the windows on the top floor." Hondo's quick to nod before splitting everyone up.

You're quick to run towards the crew of firefighters, Jim and Deacon following you. Quickly climbing up the side of the firetruck, "Bobby! Get me to that window!" He's quick to move and before you know it you feel the ladder move under you, everyone's eyes on you as you wait for Hondo or Jessica's command.

As soon as the three of you enter the building it's a waiting game for everyone else. Eddie having to comfort his worried friend.

Bobby sets a hand on bucks shoulder, "She'll be fine, she's tough. This is what she's trained to do. The only people getting hurt are the ones who try to hurt her or her team."

Buck feels his heart race when gunshots are heard, resulting in the rest of the swat team to quickly enter the building. Quickly taking a deep breath when he hears your voice over the intercom, "All clear, send in medical."

Buck is the last one to enter, more worried to see you hurt than anything else. He feels relieved when he sees you're okay and you seem uninjured, before quickly helping the capable hostages out of the building.

Helping the last of the hostages outside, Buck is quick to make his way over towards you, seeing you sitting on the back of the ambulance with Bobby wiping stuff on your face.

Eddie and Bobby both try and calm him down back at the station, seeing him have an inward battle with himself, most likely about you.

"You have to calm down Buck. It was a small cut on her forehead. You saw the guy, he was way worse than her. She did that, I heard her two teammates talking. A small cut is nothing compared to what she can do." "You don't get it! Som-" "Something way worse could of happened. We know. We all met her. We care about her but this is what she has been trained to do. You don't think she doesn't worry when you come into work and have to run into a burning building before it collapses?" "..." "Buck. Our jobs have us living in a day to day life. We don't know what's going to happen each day. It's obvious you have something to tell her, so do it before something happens and makes you regret it. How you're feeling today will only get worse with each day you hold off."

With a nod from Bobby, Buck is quick to change into his regular clothes before heading to your house. Seeing you're not home he sits on the small porch you have with his leg bouncing until he hears your car pull up.

"Hey! What are you doi-" You don't get to finish your sentence before he pulls you into a kiss, quickly kissing back, your words completely forgotten.

By the time the sun has gone down, he can happily call you his girlfriend as he watches you laugh at something stupid he said. Chris coming home to the two of you singing badly to the music playing from your phone as you make brownies. Your team soon getting a message from her that you now have a boyfriend, resulting in your phone blowing up with messages from your nosy friends. "Chris!" "I'm just the messenger!"

When Bobby comes home from a shift of Buck happily talking about his new girlfriend and the weekend he had with her, he let's it slip to Athena, who stops what she's doing. "He actually did it?" "Yup. Same day as that hostage situation in the abandoned building apparently." "Really? I knew they were talking, but I didn't know they were that serious yet." Bobby shrugs with a smile, "He was freaking out about the cut she got, Eddie talked him into talking to her about his feelings." "Either way, it's the beginning of a beautiful relationship. They were made for each other."

[puttingfingerstokeys]

an alliance you silly fool

for lack of a better title--here ya go. I’mma call this a sequel (or maybe just a spiritual sequel) to thermodynamic equilibrium which, in turn, is a sequel to heart and fire. Should I turn these into legitimate fics? Fuck idk. 

Fire and Ice (subscorp) with tendrils of strange subplots--enjoy!

Broken Timeline

From the moment he woke up that morning, Johnny Cage knew that this was going to be the absolute strangest wedding he would ever have the pleasure of attending. The venue was idyllic with falling leaves of many colors scattered about, caught by wind and tossed here and there by eddies of breeze. Fujin’s on his game, thought the actor, passing beneath the archway that marked the entrance to the Shirai-Ryu Fire Gardens.

The place was a temple and a training complex all in one. The “facilities”, such as they were, bore the gravitas of age and deeply held tradition and dignity. The Lin Kuei dotting the area, therefore, were somewhat out of place. It was good, at least, to see them (those who remained) in flesh bodies—all save Cyrax, whose yellow chassis was impossible to miss. 

Johnny could not help noticing the amount of Shirai-Ryu, a clear testament to the late Hanzo Hasashi’s dedication to their restoration. His heart gave a little, achy beat, then, when he counted and compared their number to that of the Lin Kuei. The titan of time had taken so much from Sub-Zero and his clan. 

Kronika’s machinations had decimated the Lin Kuei; Sub-Zero had said as much, but seeing it first hand was gut-wrenching. “Great venue, though,” he commented to no one in particular.

“An ideal choice. Arctika would have been much too cold for the mortals in attendance.”

Johnny nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his old friend, Liu Kang. It felt like an age since he had heard that voice but despite all that, it forced a smile. Johnny played it as cool as he could and turned to face the keeper of time, glowing eyes and all. I’m never getting used to that.

“Liu, ya made it—lookin’ ah… divine, buddy.” He reached out and patted Lord Liu Kang almost hesitantly on the shoulder. He was hot to the touch, but the fire did not burn, sort of like Raiden’s low-grade EMP field. Speaking of... “Where’s ah…” Johnny craned his neck and looked around, as if he missed something. “Ol’ Sparky?”

“Lord Raiden is indisposed, unfortunately—elsewhere in the timeline.” Liu Kang seemed hesitant to offer details. This sensation, along with the lack of Raiden told Johnny something was up. He would have dismissed it but for a tiny discharge of what was little more than static electricity, arcing from Liu Kang’s upper body. Johnny nodded and gave a thumbs up, catching sight of Cassie, Jacqui, and Takeda Takahashi over Liu’s shoulder.

“A’ight well, good to… y'know see ya, Liu. I’m gunna—”

“We must speak later, Johnny,” said Liu Kang, grasping Johnny’s upper arm, shining eyes boring into his, even through the sunglasses. Johnny's heart skipped a beat. Liu knew him too well to hope he had noticed nothing. “After the ceremony.”

“Sure thing, man, no problem…” Johnny paused. “You okay?”

“I think I will be, once we speak.”

That was the best he was going to get, so Johnny let it lie and moved over to see the happy couple and his daughter. Jacqui was leading one child, their eldest, a six year old named Hanzo—the child was bright and gleeful, dark eyes sparkling with wonderment at the falling leaves—and her belly was swelling with another. She was radiant. Takeda balanced a two-year-old on his hip. Her name was Sonya and she was just as inquisitive as her brother, holding a red leaf in one hand and a small blanket in the other.

“Jacqui, Takeda, glad you’re here,” he greeted, pulling them both in for a hug.

“Mr. Cage,” they both chimed, wide smiles stretching across their faces. Everyone, it seemed, was fairly fond of Cassie’s father. She stood off to one side, offering her hand to little Hanzo when the adults squeezed him out in favor of a hug and catch-up session. The boy ran to her and slapped her palm before grasping it.

“You two look great—ah, hey, Jacqui… how’s your dad?” Johnny didn’t want to pry, but felt it was the right thing to do to inquire. It was what Sonya would have done. She was always well aware of protocol and propriety. Now he had to be the master of his own manners. It had gotten easier, but it still was not easy.

“He was…” Jacqui chewed her lip. “Today wasn’t great, to be honest, Mr. Cage; he has ups and downs.”

“This one was a down,” Takeda said, shifting his grip on Sonya, “but he sent us with all his respect and… honestly, curiosity.”

“Yeah, who’da thunk?”

Presently, Cyrax, who was acting as an usher, approached and gestured that the Takahashi family should follow him. Jacqui bid Johnny goodbye and there was melancholy in her eyes, a kind of regret that she could not offer more solid information or good news on her father. Johnny crossed his arms and found himself losing focus, staring off into the woods beyond the gates, thought and memory carrying him away.

When Liu Kang had taken control of Kronika’s crown—Johnny was informed that that had been a fight literally for the ages, like all of them—he had supposedly set about restoring the timeline,doing his best to put pieces back into place, where they belonged. It meant making many painful decisions, but Liu was, as ever, aided by Raiden, who had given his chosen champion his divinity that he might fulfill his ultimate destiny.

Liu Kang had offered little information on the arrangement. Fortunately, Raiden was a little more forthcoming than ever he had been previously. He had explained to Johnny and Cassie one afternoon upon visiting Johnny’s Beverly Hills residence that he had conferred his divinity permanently, but that he was still himself, an elemental, and that Liu Kang had given him that aspect of himself back once Shang Tsung had been defeated. For what reason and to what end was evidently not for Johnny to know. 

“It will belong to Liu Kang again,” he had said, “once my mortal life is over.”

He had guided Fire God Liu Kang to make many decisions which hurt him deeply. Returning the younger versions of all of his friends to the past had been heart-rending. Johnny preferred not to think about it in depth. He had forgotten how much he liked Lao and Kitana until he had seen them in their younger forms again. It was doubly painful now to know they were back within their timelines, put into place to maintain the balance—Liu Kang’s balance. No more of that Kronika bitch, Johnny thought. That’s shitty balance.

“Something is on your mind, Cage-san.” It would be the second time that day Johnny would jump out of his skin. He whirled this time, recognizing the voice, but startled nonetheless.

“DO not sneak up on me—Jeezis…”

Scorpion shrugged. “Be more aware of your surroundings in a den of assassins.” He did not speak with malice, though his strange wraith’s eyes betrayed nothing and so Johnny had to go on instinct that he was not being menaced. Certainly Scorpion’s attire had changed; he wore the traditional robes of the Shirai-Ryu nuptial rites, rather than his customary yellow and black assassin garb. There was something comforting in that, but Johnny had laid money on there being some kind of violence at this wedding, so he was still hoping Scorpion was packing some kind of heat under all that fine fabric. Just one “get over here” would do me, I swear.

“Okay, you got me there—am I supposed to be sitting down? Also aren’t you like… shouldn’t you be hiding someplace ‘til it all starts?” He found himself observing the man’s hair, now, held up with an ornate pin that looked to be made of gold. Everything about this was weird, but also made a strange, cosmic sense. There was balance in this, too.

“Western wedding traditions and eastern ones are laid aside here,” said Scorpion cryptically. “We are neither. Shirai-Ryu descend from Outworld… But if you would be seated, we might begin.”

Before Johnny could respond, Scorpion sank into the ground in a flash of fire and heat. Johnny wondered if his hakama would be singed by so doing and chuckled, shaking his head at the thought. Heading toward the seats, he noticed that many people had arrived while he had been daydreaming and he wondered how he had missed them. Before he could worry much about that, Cassie had caught his eye and was signaling him to a seat near the Takahashi family and, of all people, Kung Jin.

“Good to see you, kid,” said Johnny, shaking Jin’s hand. Jin nodded. 

“You kidding, Mr. Cage? I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”

The seats were filling, all familiar faces. Not many were complete unknowns; those who were quickly found their place among kindred spirits. This was an intimate affair, after all. Who would turn down the chance to see the legendary Fire Gardens of the Shirai-Ryu? There was low, murmured chatter, a few peals of laughter, and many wide eyes. 

All at once, however, a hush fell over the crowd prompting the laughter to die down and the murmuring to become whispers. The wind which had been moving the multicolored leaves two and fro stilled and Fujin himself touched down near the back, settling into his seat. Grey Cloud leaned over and whispered something in the god’s ear; Fujin seemed pleased and smiled a crooked grin, nodding. 

Kotal Kahn adjusted his headdress a moment, before taking it off and setting it to the side of his seat. Now is not the time to be emperor, he thought, but honored guest. Next to him, his empress’s smile was soft, approving, her hands folded in her lap. Lord Liu Kang had given them a great gift, restoring Jade to life and vitality. Their wedding had been the largest celebration Outworld had ever seen. She could not see how this could eclipse that, but was politely in attendance nevertheless. 

Erron Black leaned forward and exchanged a few whispered words with Johnny, who shook his head, pointed toward the most ornate building in the Fire Gardens which was serving as the backdrop for the “stage” of this ceremony. Swatting Johnny’s shoulder, Erron leaned back and crossed his arms. 

“Hang on! Don’t start without us!” A voice called from the entrance where a couple of Lin Kuei were struggling to lead a pair of figures who were now jogging toward the seated assembly. Johnny flew up out of his seat and lifted a hand. 

“Lao! Kitana! How…?” He was baffled, but so very, very glad to have the seats in that row filled by these two. Perhaps Liu had done something similar for them to what he had done for Jade. It was good to see her sitting next to Kotal. This was balance. 

“Divine intervention,” said Kitana simply, her face a broad, open grin. Dark eyes sparkled with delight and she looked as young and beautiful as ever. Lao had aged a bit, but he was still a knockout. Johnny flushed a little at the thought and shook his head.

“Well c’mon you acts of god, siddown.”

“You think there’s gunna be some kombat?” Lao asked, stuffing an elbow into his nephew’s ribs. Jin swatted at him and shrugged. Kitana shot a look at both and they sat back. Johnny shook his head. 

“It’s a wedding,” Johnny stated nebulously.

“You’ll be eatin’ your words come this evening,” Erron declared without looking or offering context. Cassie looked between them, eyes narrowed with suspicion. Johnny pulled a face and gestured at Lao and Kitana to sit. Everyone else had gone silent, so it was clearly time. 

A frigid bank of fog had settled into one side of the “stage”. Those closest were shivering, wrapping arms around themselves, smiling with heart-pounding anticipation. Of course this could not be a normal wedding. 

Sub-Zero emerged from the fog bank, ice coating his hands, which he opened and held out toward the right side of the venue. His attire was formal, some kind of ancient Chinese wedding garb, very traditional, as Scorpion’s had been. What were they playing at? And where’s Liu?

“This’s gonna be a helluva show,” rumbled Erron Black, sitting a little straighter. Grey Cloud leaned over and whispered something else to Fujin, who nodded, but then covered his mouth, glowing eyes wide and darting toward his companion, who crossed thick arms with satisfaction and sat back looking very much like the cat who ate the canary. 

A tornado of fire swept the fog and chill from the crowd and Scorpion stood, wearing the same garb in which Johnny had earlier seen him. Not a bit of it was scorched, which was impressive special effects, in Johnny’s mind. He tried to forget the magic bits as much as possible; it hurt his brain even now. He heard a low whistle from behind him, distracting his enchantment-driven discomfort. Evidently his gray matter wasn’t the only thing being strained constantly by their odd choice of companionship.

“It is Shirai-Ryu tradition that the intended must fight for his wife,” said Scorpion, his voice resonating over the quiet crowd without a need to raise it. “A brother, a father, an uncle, or cousin…” He gestured, arms out to either side of himself, as if to indicate that he had no relatives, that he was his only family. “I am nobody’s ‘wife’.”

This, at least, earned a chuckle, rippling through the crowd and easing some tension. Those who had been present from the beginning of the initial konflict knew well the former animosity between Scorpion and the man who had once worn the Sub-Zero mantle. More than that, they knew the rivalry between the Shirai-Ryu and the Lin Kuei, then brutalities committed against the former by the latter. This ceremony was unprecedented. 

“But, I will represent myself.”

“I challenge you, then, Hanzo Hasashi, Grandmaster of the Shirai-Ryu, for the right to call you mine.” Sub-Zero’s dress garb had not changed, but his hands had retained their icy coating and, presumably, that ice was running up his arms now. A cold snap was fanning out from his position, placing a beautiful layer of frost upon the leaves and greenery closest to him.

“I assent.”

Scorpion was enveloped, then, in violent flames, the challenge accepted. These consumed his dress attire and replaced it with his yellow, black, and red assassin garb as he walked through it, untouched. Swinging the spearpoint of his chain almost lazily, Scorpion emerged. With a swift, unforgiving motion, he hurled it toward Sub-Zero. 

“GET OVER HERE!”

The spear flew like lightning, taking Sub-Zero by surprise in the shoulder and tugging him forward into a stumble, staining his nuptial attire with blood. Scorpion was on him in an instant, pulling one of his swords out and swinging hard for the man’s face. Only a quick motion deflected it, ice coating the Lin Kuei Grandmaster’s arm and sending the blade spinning off and sticking into the fine wood of the dojo’s porch. The crowd gasped appropriately as Sub-Zero grasped the spear end and tugged it free, tossing it almost contemptuously onto the ground.

Scorpion retracted it and then began swinging it in another lazy arc as he approached, backing Sub-Zero toward a stone monument to the left of the dojo building. Before he could make another move, Sub-Zero had encased himself in ice and burst forth with a rolling tackle in his traditional blue uniform. Scorpion stood his ground and took the man’s momentum in stride, forcing him to one side and bringing a savage elbow down on his back. There was a grunt of agony from Sub-Zero, but the kryomancer did not release his hold, slowly beginning to chill his arms. Scorpion’s hand bearing the spearhead was trapped, but his other arm remained free and he beat Sub-Zero about the head and shoulders mercilessly, trying to free himself before hypothermia set in.

When his hand dropped open and the spear dropped from it, Scorpion knew he had to change tactics. He set his jaw and brought a leg up, aiming for Sub-Zero’s thigh muscle. The hit drove home and he broke away swiftly, rolling into a kick to the Lin Kuei Grandmaster’s jaw which sent him reeling onto his back. Sub-Zero manifested a snowpile—something he had recently cultivated—to catch himself.

“He’s not even fightin’,” Erron grumbled, arms crossed.

“Would you fight the man you loved? ‘Cause I wouldn’t.” Johnny’s mind flew, unbidden, to Liu Kang. “Besides, you’re still winning.”

“Damn right.”

“You’re BETTING on this?” Cassie’s hiss was so forceful, Johnny nearly jumped.

“Of course not, pumpkin, why would I do something like that?”

Meanwhile, Scorpion was bearing down on Sub-Zero, intent lacing every single one of his tightly coiled, compact muscles. He was an imposing figure, if only in reputation. As far as Johnny was aware, the man had never breached five and a half feet tall, if that—but make no mistake, he had more than earned his name. Supposedly—and everyone was inclined to believe this tale—he had, through sheer force of will and rage, fought his way through the Netherrealm to challenge Quan-Chi and demand his vengeance. The story, after that, became a bit sordid and most people did not repeat what came next.

Sub-Zero launched a few icicles in rapid succession at Scorpion, who was making a run at him. These, he leapt and ducked with almost practiced ease and then, with one tremendous heave, launched himself into the air to come down on top of Sub-Zero, spearhead kunai in hand, aiming very clearly for throat or face. Johnny could see their mouths moving from where he sat, but could not make out their words.

“Do you fight for your honor?”

“I fight for ours.”

“You will not best me.”

“I will.”

“I will kill you, Liang.”

“Hanzo… you are beautiful.”

Sub-Zero forced Scorpion’s arms, both of which were now employed in trying to drive the blade downward, up and over his own head, sticking the tip into the dirt. Both of Sub-Zero’s chilly arms had wrapped around his torso again, but the hold was much softer and without menace. He was holding Scorpion, rather than attempting to crush his ribcage.

“I… yield,” said Hanzo Hasashi, very quietly, sitting up and facing the crowd. “Before this assemblage… I yield.”

Johnny couldn’t help noticing that Sub-Zero’s hands had come to rest easily and comfortably on the yellow-clad assassin’s hips for but a moment before Scorpion stood and offered one of his own. Sub-Zero took it and stood, towering over his new husband, looking pleased, but hardly gloating. Both chests were heaving.

“That counts as violence,” Erron hissed in Johnny’s ear. Cassie was rolling her eyes in their direction, but her attention was mostly upon the spectacle before them. She had never, in her lifetime, had the privilege of witnessing the two Grandmasters really throw down. She was glad she did not have to take them on; one was enough and Sub-Zero had been toying with them. Proud as she was of her training, skill, and heritage, there was something to be said for the raw experience of age.

“Wait…!” Takeda called from a few seats down. He stood, gesturing. “Master Hasashi, your… your eyes!”

“My…” Scorpion paused and looked at Sub-Zero.

“You’ve returned to me, Hanzo,” whispered Kuai Liang, brushing a few stray hairs out of Scorpion’s face. “Body and soul.”

Johnny was the first to stand and applaud. Others soon joined until the entire crowd was surging to their feet with wild laughter and clapping and whistles, whooping and hollering. Jade considered this ceremony adequate competition to hers. Kotal was in tears. 

“If anyone here has any reason these two should not be joined,” said Liu Kang, appearing from a portal just at the top of the steps to the Shirai-Ryu dojo. “Speak now and risk life and limb.”

“It is not recommended,” Sub-Zero added, holding Scorpion tightly.

[justsmilestuffhappens]

Prompt :? Raining Fire

@buddie-tarlos-911 @mikereads and others I can't remember yet

Open: Cool music choice.

People are driving along a road. They are oblivious to what is the beginning of a disaster.

A couple are talking about the in-laws they are going to visit.

Their child in the back seat is looking out at the sky through their window while playing with their toy in their hand.

"Look at the birdy." They say as the parent that is not driving looks back. 

"Isn't it pretty? What color was it?" They ask.

"It was red and yellow."

That gets a look of confusion from their patent as they look to see smoke in the distance. 

- - -

Open. Dispatch center. 

Josh: 911, what's your emergency?

Caller: we saw smoke from the road. We're headed north on-

Maddie: 911, what's your emergency?

Caller: We're trapped!

Maddie: What is your location?

- - -

The 118 and other trucks are being positioned to stop a wildfire and clear a path to allow residents of a suburb out.

They will be trying to contain it by creating a controlled burn.

"There aren't many wildfires in Texas right?" Buck asks while they get out to begin this section of the plan to deter the spread.

"No. I think so, but they're less frequent and not as big. Texas gets the occasional hurricane or tornado though." Eddie says while they get ready to receive their assignments.

"Now that I did read about." Buck says earning a head shake while Eddie smiles anyways.

Hen and Chim are treating people as they are evacuating their subdivision and a safe distance away from the blaze.

"You need to see a doctor. How much smoke did you breathe in?" Hen asks while chimney is treating a slight burn.

"I don't know. A lot." The young guy starts coughing a lot.

"Why didn't you get away?" Chimney asks as he's done.

"I had to get a good shot of it." He says, pulling up his phone.

Both of them share a look.

- - -

Bobby is speaking with other captain's over the radio while their crew is setting up their part to begin being burned.

Buck spots a small creature scurrying to safety.

He goes to check it out. 

Unknown to buck a shadow is descending towards him from behind as he gets closer.

Eddie notices and shouts out to him. "Buck! Heads up!"

He's too far away to help out.

Buck turns and is barely out of the path of a bird if prey.

He instinctively reached out to catch it mid flight as it had slowed down to catch a meal.

They all look on in bewilderment as Buck is now holding a large bird in his hands and is unsure of what to do with it. 

"Got it!" Buck says unsure with a grin while noticing something.

Some of its feathers are singed.

"Cap! I think I just found the fire starter." Buck says while being told they're radioing animal control to help take the bird.

Bobby and Eddie along with the rest of the crew begin setting the prescribed burn as the small creature and others run away.

Buck stands with his caught bird as he can not let go since he's unsure if they would ever have a chance to catch it again.

- - -

"Hey, Maddie." Buck says while they are now headed to their next assignment. 

"Hi Buck. I'm on break. You and the others are with the other crews fighting that wildfire?"

"Yeah. I'm sending you a picture now. I couldn't keep 'em. They were a bad bird." He pumps shoulders with a laughing Eddie.

"They were a handful." Eddie says getting a full body laugh from Buck who drops his phone.

Maddie looks to see the picture.

"You can't have a pet. You're too busy Buck. Stay safe out there. I'll see you all later." She hangs up as they get to the next place.

Maddie is viewing the news as it shows the fire spreading. She watches as the people she's come to view as a family to her and her brother are out there.

Maddie takes a moment to breathe before getting a drink of water and a snack. 

She sits back in her chair and picks up her headset and puts it on. 

Calls are coming in. It will be a long day for all of them.

*like if anyone wants to write this or do something please go for it*

[bowieandqueen11]

Perfect Match / Richie Tozier Imagine

Request: Hey, Legend! Can I request something raising the question, What would it be like for Richie T pining after a reader not as vulgar or sarcastic, someone more tame with a big heart who still loves his personality? Thank you for your time and consideration! 

@savethehoneeybees omg my love this is so cute just my heart melts ;’) <3

Camping, to be completely honest, was not one of the things Richie Tozier believed he would be doing this summer. Yet you had raised it, and all the other Losers seemed to agree, and he wasn’t about to disagree with anything that came out of your mouth. So here he was, his hands fumbling with the tent poles that only seemed to fall out from his grasp, swatting little gnats away from his eyes as he squints out from behind his glasses at you, anger bubbling in his heart that Bill had managed to persuade you to share a tent with him instead of Richie. You laugh, your hand coming up to clench over your heart as you throw Bill a smile that just seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that an unexpected warmth rushes through Richie, and he has to blink and look away before anyone notices the slight rush of pink that tinges his cheeks.

Daring to shoot you yet another burning side glance, his eyes quickly gazing over the tip of your nose and the slight crinkles underneath your eyes before Mike wanders over from the edge of the pond to elbow Richie lightly in his ribs with a knowing grin, Ben shaking his head from where he and Bev were standing next to the car, watching the scene unfold yet again. As you were innocently talking to Bill, you had no idea that normal thoughts were barely forming in Richie’s mind before they were replaced with the melancholy longing and the fantasies of what could be if he were only brave enough to tell you how he felt. 

He had daydreamed about every feature of your face for as long as he could remember living in Derry, he recalled every way he had ever seen you wear her hair during the cherished time he had spent in your company, he had logged all of your quirky mannerisms to his brain.

Sitting himself down on the grass overlooking the campsite’s pond, Richie pats the spot next to him with a slight huff as his eyes never leave your cheeks, beckoning Eddie to drop the rest of the poles and to follow suit, not without a resigned sigh from Stanley who stops trying to fold up his trousers for the week back into his suitcase, his curls shaking gently as he sits down as slowly as an old grandpa on Richie’s other side, unable to stop himself from cautioning them that ‘there’s poison ivy all over this campsite, and I’m not rubbing cream all over Richie’s back again.’

Richie lies down next to him, electing to ignore this outburst as he places a thin blade of glass in between his clenched teeth, choosing to spend the afternoon when you and Bill finally decide to join the circle of Losers entertaining you all with various terrible jokes, constantly kicking against your leg as a chorus of ‘beep beep, Richie’’s fill the afternoon breeze. You can’t help it, the peals of laughter that bubble out your throat and make you stick a fist into your mouth, biting down painfully to stop the laughter as Richie sits up onto his elbows, looking overjoyed, but also slightly pained. He thought the jokes might be able to mask the heartache he was feeling, but sitting in such close proximity to you only made his mouth twitch into a frown.

‘Hey, I know’, you begin to say, ‘we should all roast marshmallows!’

‘We should all roast Eddie’s shorts that his mom buys for him’, Richie half grumbles back, but his heart begins to pound again and fill him with a new hope as you giggle softly back.

‘Beep beep, Richie’, you whisper, winking at him before pushing yourself up to try and find the food bag Ben had left in the car. You don’t notice Richie lean up onto one elbow, gently pushing the rim of his glasses back up the tip of his nose as he watches you walk away, a dopey, love sick grin lighting up his face and making his chest weak.

~

The sunny afternoon became a sultry mid-spring evening, and the shore by the lake was as flat and as shimmering as any mirror, lying on the edge of the campsite without a ripple in the silver-blue water as if time itself had been frozen. From the tall pines around the edge came not a sound, no movement of branches, no birds calling, it was only the eight of you alone in this perfect bubble. In the turquoise watery mirror was only the constellations, starlight so old and young, and a few littered rocks surrounding the edge as if you had reached the edge of a mountain trail, the cool breeze welcoming.

Richie shifts uncomfortably, a quiet grunt escaping his frowning mouth as he rustles around, his bottom landing stiffly on some jagged rocks which bite into his skin. He would tell you later when you both arrived home that he had jumped slightly, kicking Eddie in the shin, swearing little piranhas had managed to rustle underneath the soil of the hillside as Eddie kicks him back, a loud huff bubbling out of his mouth.

Squinting desperately in the darkness that swirls in front of his sparkling doe eyes like sullen clouds covering the sun, his arms hit against the side of his lime green sleeping bag, a large yawn shaking his body as he tries to unzip himself and reach out, his fingers craving the warm touch of your arms, the intimacy of your skin, the smooth curve of your nose as he traces his finger over the tip. Smiling to himself, his hand clamps down onto where you had lain next to him in his dream, before his face drops as his fingers fall down heavily onto a small frame, who happened to be awake, and very angry.

‘Jesus Richie, I swear to god if you start making those weird kissy noises you make whenever you dream about y/n, you are so out of here. There are wolves and coyotes and hell maybe even bears in this forest, but you’re taking your chances out there, because I swear to god if I come back with bloodshot eyes because I haven’t been sleeping, my mum is going to freak out, she already thought this was a bad ide-’

‘Shut up, Eddie!’ Richie and Eddie look at each other in slight confusion, before they realise the voice floating through the darkness had been that of Stanley’s from the next tent over.

The tent begins to whistle like wolves pattering through the darkness of a midnight forest as Richie rubs his hands gently over the shaking muscles in his arms, Eddie collapsing back down next to him and pulling the sleeping back bag up to his ears. Richie’s own ears perk up slightly, his head tilting in the dim as he hears something, a slight jangle that sounds like your voice coming from outside.

Pitching himself up, he walks through the waving flap of the tent, welcoming him out into the darkness and the stream of crickets chirping their symphonies. Walking out onto the dewy grass, he hums contentedly to himself as he hears you singing softly in the night air, your voice beautiful and angelic in his ears as he stops for a moment, taking in the pine trees that shake in front of him like slow dancers swaying in time to the music you’re creating, your voice a strange kind of magic that lets the drooping flowers hanging in thick bushes around the hilly campsite raise their velvety heads, breathing a new life into their silky petals and into Richie’s lonely heart. He follows the sound of your voice, his feet crunching against the ground and becoming lighter with every step as he spots you, your legs lying long against the dusty dirt of the ground, your hair whipped around a stout log as the fire burns ferociously by your feet, but you pay no notice. Your attention is on the stars twinkling above your head, bright and distant and so full of wonder. Richie’s attention is on you.

He settles beside you, his eyes twinkling like broken glass as his gaze settles onto your face, his shirt landing heavily on to your side. You grin slightly, your singing dying to a hum as Richie gazes at you expectantly.

‘Hey, I have an idea!’, you start, ‘I couldn’t sleep anyway. Take my hand!’

‘What-what do you mean?’

‘Come on, we’re going to dance! It’s a beautiful night for it.’

Your shoulder begins to shake lightly, your head beginning to move as he stands up again. Hopping up to him like an excited puppy, Richie doesn’t not what to do until you hold out your hand, bowing over-dramatically and looking up at him all excited as his hair flops down over his eyes. As he reaches out and places his palm flat against yours, a smile tugging at your lips, his fingers wrap tightly against yours before sliding in between them, his knuckles almost white with the effort and fear.

You’re not expecting the force with which he pulls you snug against his chest, your shoulders bumping together and hips hitting off one another before melting together, his arm snaking expertly around your waist as if he’d been waiting forever for this moment his feet starting the guide the two of you to the invisible music. Although he kept on standing on your feet, dancing like a newborn giraffe, the two of you couldn’t care less.

Your cheek lands against his burning ones, your skin rubbing as he spins you, the two of you bursting out into giggles as his nose hits against your skin and he nearly jolts back at the impact. He raises your intertwined hands up to his side, nestling his head further against yours and just closing his eyes in bliss as he spins the two of you round in a tender and loving move, just revelling in the feeling of his thumb stroking against the arch of your back and the way your hips sway into his. The way his hair tickles against your forehead, or the warmness of your breath as it brushes like sun rays against the goosebumps that send shivers rolling down his body.

He begins to hum, although he’s afraid to, singing the song he had heard you sing only a few minutes before, before dipping you down in his arms, daring to press his forehead against yours. He wasn’t expecting the night to end, however, with you leaning up almost painfully slowly and pressing your lips against his, taking all the air out of his lungs.

[policeadult92-blog]

I’ll Be There For You, When You Can’t Find the Door?

Nestled within the archives of the Detroit Historical Society are a pair of surprising pop culture artifacts–copies of the draft lyrics for both the theme song of the 90s T.V. hit Friends, and for the Pointer Sisters’ 1984 single “Neutron Dance.”  The Detroit connection for these two songs may not be readily apparent to many, but if you check the sleeve of your well-worn copy of the Pointer Sister’s album Break Out, and pay close attention to the end credits of Friends, you’ll find the common factor is proud Detroit native Allee Willis.  Willis’ signature works may be her collaborations with Earth, Wind, and Fire, including their funk classic “September.”  However she has worked with a myriad of other artists, ranging from Bonnie Raitt to DMC, and Patti LeBelle to the Del Rubio Triplets.  In fact, you very well may have recently joined Willis as one of the 5,000 Detroiters who contributed their voices to her recent anthem for the city, “The D,” which she recorded over the course of five years at various events across the area, including stops at both the Detroit Historical Museum and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum.  Willis, hot on the heels of being honored with a Distinguished Detroiter award at the 2018 Detroit Music Awards, agreed to answer a couple questions for our blog about the draft lyrics, her creative process, and her other works.

On page 20, the chorus to “I’ll Be There For You” begins to shape up.

Across 27 typewritten pages, the lyrics to what eventually would become the 45-second Friends theme, “I’ll Be There For You,” reveal an involved process.  Willis began by working directly from the show’s pilot; “I watched the pilot and wrote down every characteristic of every character and then tried to make up lines about them.”   From these concepts flowed a litany of possible frustrations felt between the characters—ranging from dealing with the smells of second-hand aroma therapy to the tolls of freeloading roommates—contrasted with the now iconic affirmation of support expressed in the chorus.  Willis explained, “when you’re writing for something so specific as a TV theme you try every possible permutation of every line that you like. The only thing the producer of the show told me was that the title was to be ‘I’ll Be There for You.’ So I had at least 25 different choruses to sing for the producers with that line in it and at least 50 verses when I presented it to them.” About these unused lines, she continued, “if a line is really great and doesn’t get used in a song I catalog it and usually end up using it in something else. But the Friends lyric had to be so specific and so simple that I didn’t save any of those lines for further use.”

With Willis’ lyrics to set the tone, Friends drew millions of viewers each Thursday between 1994 and 2004.  Image courtesy imdb.com.

Reading the drafts today, there’s almost a sense of inevitability each time one of the final lyrics first appears.  Willis describes how these breakthroughs played out during the writing process; “The first line I got that I knew was a keeper was ‘Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s DOA.’  I always liked internal rhymes, especially on long lines.  And the ‘A’ in ‘DOA’ is a great syllable to hold if the note is long. Second one I got that I knew was a keeper was ‘Well it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month or even your year.’  Something was falling apart in the lives of all the characters and I liked making a play on a common phrase.”

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In her notes, Willis mentions performing early versions of the theme for the show’s producers on the studio lot.  While reading the lyrics, it’s tempting to attempt to sing along yourself to see how these early drafts might have sounded.  When asked if these nascent versions of the theme followed the now familiar final melody, Willis responded, “The melody, written by Michael Skloff, remained the exact same from the time it was written to what we ended up with. I usually write both music and lyrics but I needed one more song to fulfill my publishing deal, which I was eager to get out of. So I agreed to just write the lyric. I never expected it to be a hit.”

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Willis’ “Neutron Dance” is widely remembered for scoring the chase through the streets of—appropriately—Detroit near the beginning of the 1984 classic Beverly Hills Cop.  However it was originally conceived for a very different movie, Walter Hill’s cult “rock & roll fable” Streets of Fire.  Befitting that film’s bleak yet musical retro-futuristic setting Willis bridged the concepts of 1950s doo-wop with nuclear devastation, and brought in a bit of her own experiences.  Willis elaborates, “I hadn’t seen Streets of Fire before writing the song but was told that people were trying to escape a nuclear holocaust. So I knew that the hook line had to have something to do with fire, explosion, or nuclear something.”

Even within that premise, Willis made the song’s themes personal and easily relatable.  She reveals, “The entire song was written in under an hour. It was very autobiographical. It was the first time in years that I had gone without hits and I wanted to write a song about not giving up and that if your life isn’t working it’s up to you to make a change. Someone could push the button tomorrow and we’d all be up in smoke so get off your ass and do something—i.e. Do the Neutron Dance. When we (co-wrote with Danny Sembello) finished the song in 58 minutes we had everything but the title.”

Willis brainstormed a series of concepts evocative of nuclear war, before settling on “Neutron Dance.”

Among the photographic reproductions of her handwritten notes, Willis included the page where she brainstormed possible titles; “As a working title we had ‘I’m just burning on the barbecue.’ I knew the ‘I’m just burning’ was right but knew ‘barbecue’ couldn’t stay, especially because the song wasn’t about barbecue. I kept wanting to use the word ‘neutron’ and was driving down the 405 freeway in LA one day and the words just popped into my head like a glowing neon sign. ‘Neutron Dance’ seemed appropriate as it got the burning point across but added some fun with the use of the word ‘dance’.”  Willis explains that the song was “thankfully rejected” from Streets of Fire, and instead recorded by the Pointer Sisters.  It was this version which made its way onto the Grammy-winning Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack.  Perhaps as an auspicious sign, in that movie, Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley sports a t-shirt from Mumford High School, Willis’ alma mater.

Beverly Hills Cop opened with a chase through the streets of Detroit set to the Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance.”  Image courtesy imdb.com.

Of course, I also had to ask Willis about the endearing legacy of “September.”  Every September 21st, the song leaps back to the forefront the popular consciousness, making its presence known both over the radio waves, and in recent years as a trending topic on social media.  Was this annual relevance by design?  And just what was the significance of that date anyway?  Willis explained, “The only thing I knew about September when I started writing it with Maurice White, who had already started the music with the Earth, Wind & Fire guitar player Al McKay, was that he wanted ‘September’ as the title. We wrote it the first day we met. We tried singing every date of the month but the 21st felt the best. I only found out a month ago from his wife, almost 40 years after the song was written, that September 21st was the due date of their son. But at that time as far as I knew it was just the date that sang the best.”

Along with the lyrics, Willis also donated copies of several records that she worked on, including this 45 of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” from 1978.

Last month, ahead of schedule, September became a topic of hot debate when Taylor Swift released a fiercely maligned country-tinged cover of the funk classic.  Willis was initially supportive of news of the cover, but her response became more measured upon hearing it.  Willis has promised to address the controversy in her upcoming performance, “Allee Willis Loves Detroit,” at the City Theatre on May 18th and 19th.  When asked for a hint as to how she’ll be tackling the Swift situation, Willis shrewdly responded, “For that you’re going to have to come to the show! No teasers. I will just say that the show is very very funny, stuffed with hits, filled with detailed stories about how the songs were written, I auction off stuff from my vast pop culture collection, and I guarantee it’s unlike any other songwriter show you seen before. And I talk about Taylor Swift. Prepare for a wild evening!”

Source: https://detroithistorical.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/ill-be-there-for-you-when-you-cant-find-the-door/

[karnivalkrew]

Event: Bon Bon Voyage

The party was going great, in Beppi’s opinion. Sure, there were lots of people he didn’t really know, and he reluctantly had turned down any booze that was offered, for Bonnie’s sake, but he was rather enjoying himself. Being with his friends made him feel like he wasn’t being forced to stay in a character. 

Of course, the balloon always stayed somewhat close to Bonnie, wanting to make sure she didn’t feel unwelcomed or out of place, but he also did his best to make sure she didn’t feel like he was constantly breathing down her neck.

Yet as time went by, Beppi couldn’t help but notice Bonnie began to enjoy herself less and less. She looked uncomfortable. Like the novelty of the bash was starting to wear off. Bon Bon was feeling as if she’d been spending too much time away from her royal duties. Holiday or not, she was still Baroness, and she had important matters to take care of. The break was certainly nice, but she hadn’t expected this to last so long. Things weren’t getting done with her here, and she was growing anxious about it. Not to mention how her feet were hurting her now...But Beppi seemed so excited to have her here. 

Beppi caught her gaze and waltzed up to her with a smile.  “You worn out?” Bonnie cracked a small smile of her own, shaking her head slightly as she chuckled. “Is it that obvious?” Beppi placed a firm hand on her shoulder. “C’mon. I’ll walk ya home.” “Oh, no, it’s fine, I can just call a carriage.” She assured. “Nonsense!” Beppi waved. “It ain’t that far, just a short walking dead!”  “Ughh. Really?” The groan earned a giggle out of Beppi. Although, Bonnie could tell by the look on Beppi’s face that the offer was genuine. Beppi knew that he and Bonnie never got the chance to talk just between the two of them, so he figured now would be as good a time as any to do so. Besides, everyone was here anyway, so what’s the worse that could happen?

Bonnie nodded and accepted his offer. “Alright. If you’re certain.” “Great! I’ll let Djimmi know.” Bepp turned around, only to find the ex-genie dressed as a mummy, singing karaoke to Mysterious Mose on the stage. Beppi really didn’t want to wait for the end of the song just to tell Djimmi where he was going, and that he’d be back. He made a few hand gestures, but Beppi had the feeling Djimmi didn’t see him. Rats. 

A light bulb appeared above Beppi’s head as he got an idea.  “Oh!” He snapped his fingers, and a balloon appeared between his middle and pointer fingers. He inflated the balloon, and said something into the end before he tied it shut, pulled out an ink pen from behind his back, and wrote Djimmi’s name on it. Then he tossed it up into the air, and spiked the balloon towards Djimmi. He’d surely get that later when he was done.

Beppi stepped out the door with Bon Bon, his face relaxing just a bit, but a genuine smile still present.  “You ready?” “You do know the way back, yes?” “‘Course I do! We ain’t to far from Isle Two. It’s this way,” Beppi motioned, “C’mon!” Bon Bon wobbled on her heels slightly as she followed Beppi off the porch steps, and into the streets. “Slow down, you simpleton! I can’t keep up in these shoes!” “Oh right, heels.” Beppi remembered, stopping to wait for his friend. Surprisingly, Beppi knew Bonnie had never worn heels before, so he was going to go slow out of respect. He’d never worn heels, and considering how painful he’s heard they are, he had no plans of wearing them either. “Did you have fun though?” “Yes! It was quite enjoyable, but I’ve many things to take care of tomorrow...” “That’s understandable.” Beppi shrugged. “I’m just lucky that I have the day off tomorrow.” Beppi glanced over to Bonnie as she walked next to him. 

The two continued to converse as they made their way back to the second isle. For once, Beppi seemed rather relaxed to Bonnie. He wasn’t making a stupid pun or a silly joke every other sentence, that was for certain.  “This is nice, Beppi. I’m glad you suggested this.” 

Beppi however, wrapped an arm around the Baroness and gently pulled her closer to him. “Look slightly down, and be quiet.” Bonnie could hear a serious tone in his voice that sounded completely foreign  for him. If something was going to make Beppi, of all people, get serious, then she wasn’t going to question it, so she did as instructed.

Beppi tried to avoid eye contact with the trio of wolves that were walking past them. He didn’t recognize them, no, but with suits like that, they were either flatfoots or gang members. And as far as Beppi knew, any gumshoe would be wearing a trench coat in this weather. Either way, the last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to him and Bonnie. Just act natural. He told himself.

Unfortunately, Beppi didn’t know them, and because of his curse, he had to fight to keep himself from smiling. The more anxious Beppi got, the more he could feel the corners of his mouth twitch and try to force their way to a smile, but the more his mouth tried to smile, the more anxious he got. He was starting to get scared, too, which only caused giggles to begin to bubble up inside him. Dang it, the stupid contract was burned over a year ago, why can’t the effects go away too?!

Luckily, the two passed the three wolves on the street. The feelings washed away, and Beppi heaved a silent sigh of relief. 

“Boss, did ya see dat lady with dat ugly joker?” “Yee. She sure looks miiiighty rich.” The middle wolf mused, a smirk holding the cigar between his teeth. “We gonna do somethin’ Boss?!” Another wolf beside him asked. “Of course.” The boss’s smirk grew even wider. “We wouldn’t be The Wolf Gang if we didn’t try and get some dough outta the valuables.” The trio turned around to face the duo behind them that was walking away.  “Eddie? Teddy? Give ‘em th’ Bums Rush. Just make sure the little lady gets finds her pretty little self in my possession.” “You got it, Boss!” The two other wolves lowered themselves, and suddenly rushed towards the two unsuspecting carnies.

Beppi was suddenly knocked forward when a wolf tackled him from behind. “Beppi!!” Bon Bon screamed, just before she felt a pair of furry, clawed hands forcefully grab her by the waste. “Ah!” “Good goin’ Eddie!” “Get off!! Unhand me you foul brute!!” She spat, trying to pry herself out of his grip. “Not so fast, toots.” Eddie growled, licking his lips. “Boss thinks you’re worth a pretty penny!” The wolf cackled. Bonnie looked around, trying to find a way out before her eyes locked onto her heels, then onto the wolf’s exposed paws.  “I said let! Go!” The Baroness stomped the heel of her foot onto the other’s paw, breaking the chocolate heel instantly. Eddie howled in pain as he let go of Bonnie, and held his foot in pain as he hopped on the ground. “And you!!” Bonnie quickly pulled out her trusty peppermint double-barreled shotgun from behind her back, and twirled it around in her hands. “Get off him!!” She screamed in a low voice as she whacked Teddy off of Beppi with the butt of her weapon. “Beppi, get up!! Are you hurt?!” She asked, pulling her friend off the ground by the hand.

Bonnie was rather off put by Beppi. He was holding his side as if he were hurt, but he was smiling.  “Beppi?!” Had he hit his head?! It didn’t seem like he had when Bonnie watched him fall.  “Let’s make like a banana, and split!” Beppi suddenly grabbed Bon Bon’s wrist, and began to run, but thanks to the broken shoe, Bonnie tripped, and would have fallen onto the wet ground if Beppi hadn’t have caught her. “Augh! My ankle!!” Beppi placed a hand on Bonnie’s back as he tried to help her stand, his whole body shaking as he started giggling. “Well, I guess it’s pain to see we can’t run!! Ahahahahaha!!”  “Why are you making jokes at a time like this?!” 

“Wadda we do now, Boss?!” Teddy asked. “Let’s give ‘em the ol’ Bada Bing Bada Boom!” The wolves each pulled out a bomb with a lit fuse, which could just barely be heard burning over Beppi’s laughter. Bon Bon knew there was no way to flee now. Not after twisting her ankle like she just did, so she raised her shotgun and took aim. 

One by one, The Wolf Gang threw their bombs at the duo, and Bon Bon managed to shoot swirling cotton candy puffs out that hit the first and second incoming explosives, but as the third one came in too close, Bonnie had to swing her shotgun around like a baseball bat to knock it away.  “Beppi, stop laughing and do something!!”  “A-aw, come on, Bonnie!! No need to be all gloom and boom all of a sudden!!” “Beppi, now is not the time!!”  "Nice heater there, sweet cheeks!” The boss grinned. “Let’s see how ya like mine.” The boss pulled a machine gun out from his back, and began firing rapidly, but the gun was too big for him, so the wolf ended up shooting in every direction. “Shoot!!” Bon Bon backed away, glancing around to try and find some sort of source of cover. “Bang reload!! Ahahahahaha!!” Beppi might have been laughing uncontrollably, but he still did his best to try and pull Bonnie back and out of danger. If only he didn’t have the strength of a party balloon. He’d be able to at least try and carry her to safety. 

What the duo hadn’t seen was Eddie sneaking around behind the pair while they were distracted, up until something struck Beppi in the side of the head, launching the balloon away from the Baroness. “Beppi!!” 

Beppi groaned as he struggled to get back up, before he started laughing even harder. He had to think of something!! Charlie was back in the carnival, so was Jerry, literally, anything he could use to fight was at the carnival! All he could do was signal his Balloon Dog Brigade, but he was laughing too hard to whistle! 

The boss stopped firing his gun and smirked, pulling out his pistol while the lady was distracted. Bonnie was about to fire at Eddie at point blank, but she saw the other pull out the gun in the corner of her eye, and quickly tried to shift her aim, but she was too late. The boss shot his pistol just as she fired, the letters B-A-N-G-! flew out of the pistol’s barrel, and into her shotgun, clogging it up and causing the peppermint to curl up around the sides with an explosion, completely destroying the weapon. “My shotgun!!” The Baroness exclaimed as she dropped her gun. 

“Take care a dat clown, Eddie!” The boss ordered.  “Makes sure he’s stays a witness!” “Right!” Eddie nodded, pulling out a nice, heavy anvil, and dropped it onto Beppi’s back, trapping him onto the ground. 

Beppi laughed even harder now. He struggled and squirmed, and fruitlessly tried to push himself up, but to no avail.  “Now then!” The boss marched right up next to the Baroness, and yanked her by the arms. “Yer comin’ with us!!” Bonnie screamed as she squirmed and pushed and tried to get away.  “Let go! Let go of me!!”

Beppi raised his head at that. His sides hurt like the dickens, but he just couldn’t stop laughing. Tears began falling from his eyes as he was forced to watch one of his best friends be dragged away by these bums.  “H-hehahahelp!! Ahahahahahahahahwahwhahelp!! Heeheeheehehehelp!! Somebody, hahahahahahahaha!! Helpaahahahahahaha!!”

“Eddie! Shut him up!” “Yes, Boss!” Eddie lifted a baseball bat up high in the air, before swinging it down onto Beppi’s head. Beppi felt the bat smack the back of his head, causing his face to slam into the pavement, then bounce back up into the bat again.

Beppi was just barely conscious after that. A few weak, airy chuckles escaped him as he watched the three wolves drag Bonnie away in a hazy vision.  “Hahahaha...Bonnie....” As Beppi watched the group get further and further away, laughs slowly turned into sobs, until his smile at last fell. “...Bon...nnh...” Beppi blacked out after that.

Event Start.

[detroithistoricalsociety]

I’ll Be There For You, When You Can’t Find the Door?

Nestled within the archives of the Detroit Historical Society are a pair of surprising pop culture artifacts–copies of the draft lyrics for both the theme song of the 90s T.V. hit Friends, and for the Pointer Sisters’ 1984 single “Neutron Dance.”  The Detroit connection for these two songs may not be readily apparent to many, but if you check the sleeve of your well-worn copy of the Pointer Sister’s album Break Out, and pay close attention to the end credits of Friends, you’ll find the common factor is proud Detroit native Allee Willis.  Willis’ signature works may be her collaborations with Earth, Wind, and Fire, including their funk classic “September.”  However she has worked with a myriad of other artists, ranging from Bonnie Raitt to DMC, and Patti LeBelle to the Del Rubio Triplets.  In fact, you very well may have recently joined Willis as one of the 5,000 Detroiters who contributed their voices to her recent anthem for the city, “The D,” which she recorded over the course of five years at various events across the area, including stops at both the Detroit Historical Museum and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum.  Willis, hot on the heels of being honored with a Distinguished Detroiter award at the 2018 Detroit Music Awards, agreed to answer a couple questions for our blog about the draft lyrics, her creative process, and her other works.

On page 20, the chorus to “I’ll Be There For You” begins to shape up.

Across 27 typewritten pages, the lyrics to what eventually would become the 45-second Friends theme, “I’ll Be There For You,” reveal an involved process.  Willis began by working directly from the show’s pilot; “I watched the pilot and wrote down every characteristic of every character and then tried to make up lines about them.”   From these concepts flowed a litany of possible frustrations felt between the characters—ranging from dealing with the smells of second-hand aroma therapy to the tolls of freeloading roommates—contrasted with the now iconic affirmation of support expressed in the chorus.  Willis explained, “when you’re writing for something so specific as a TV theme you try every possible permutation of every line that you like. The only thing the producer of the show told me was that the title was to be ‘I’ll Be There for You.’ So I had at least 25 different choruses to sing for the producers with that line in it and at least 50 verses when I presented it to them.” About these unused lines, she continued, “if a line is really great and doesn’t get used in a song I catalog it and usually end up using it in something else. But the Friends lyric had to be so specific and so simple that I didn’t save any of those lines for further use.”

With Willis’ lyrics to set the tone, Friends drew millions of viewers each Thursday between 1994 and 2004.  Image courtesy imdb.com.

Reading the drafts today, there’s almost a sense of inevitability each time one of the final lyrics first appears.  Willis describes how these breakthroughs played out during the writing process; “The first line I got that I knew was a keeper was ‘Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s DOA.’  I always liked internal rhymes, especially on long lines.  And the ‘A’ in ‘DOA’ is a great syllable to hold if the note is long. Second one I got that I knew was a keeper was ‘Well it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month or even your year.’  Something was falling apart in the lives of all the characters and I liked making a play on a common phrase.”

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In her notes, Willis mentions performing early versions of the theme for the show’s producers on the studio lot.  While reading the lyrics, it’s tempting to attempt to sing along yourself to see how these early drafts might have sounded.  When asked if these nascent versions of the theme followed the now familiar final melody, Willis responded, “The melody, written by Michael Skloff, remained the exact same from the time it was written to what we ended up with. I usually write both music and lyrics but I needed one more song to fulfill my publishing deal, which I was eager to get out of. So I agreed to just write the lyric. I never expected it to be a hit.”

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Willis’ “Neutron Dance” is widely remembered for scoring the chase through the streets of—appropriately—Detroit near the beginning of the 1984 classic Beverly Hills Cop.  However it was originally conceived for a very different movie, Walter Hill’s cult “rock & roll fable” Streets of Fire.  Befitting that film’s bleak yet musical retro-futuristic setting Willis bridged the concepts of 1950s doo-wop with nuclear devastation, and brought in a bit of her own experiences.  Willis elaborates, “I hadn’t seen Streets of Fire before writing the song but was told that people were trying to escape a nuclear holocaust. So I knew that the hook line had to have something to do with fire, explosion, or nuclear something.”

Even within that premise, Willis made the song’s themes personal and easily relatable.  She reveals, “The entire song was written in under an hour. It was very autobiographical. It was the first time in years that I had gone without hits and I wanted to write a song about not giving up and that if your life isn’t working it’s up to you to make a change. Someone could push the button tomorrow and we’d all be up in smoke so get off your ass and do something—i.e. Do the Neutron Dance. When we (co-wrote with Danny Sembello) finished the song in 58 minutes we had everything but the title.”

Willis brainstormed a series of concepts evocative of nuclear war, before settling on “Neutron Dance.”

Among the photographic reproductions of her handwritten notes, Willis included the page where she brainstormed possible titles; “As a working title we had ‘I’m just burning on the barbecue.’ I knew the ‘I’m just burning’ was right but knew ‘barbecue’ couldn’t stay, especially because the song wasn’t about barbecue. I kept wanting to use the word ‘neutron’ and was driving down the 405 freeway in LA one day and the words just popped into my head like a glowing neon sign. ‘Neutron Dance’ seemed appropriate as it got the burning point across but added some fun with the use of the word ‘dance’.”  Willis explains that the song was “thankfully rejected” from Streets of Fire, and instead recorded by the Pointer Sisters.  It was this version which made its way onto the Grammy-winning Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack.  Perhaps as an auspicious sign, in that movie, Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley sports a t-shirt from Mumford High School, Willis’ alma mater.

Beverly Hills Cop opened with a chase through the streets of Detroit set to the Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance.”  Image courtesy imdb.com.

Of course, I also had to ask Willis about the endearing legacy of “September.”  Every September 21st, the song leaps back to the forefront the popular consciousness, making its presence known both over the radio waves, and in recent years as a trending topic on social media.  Was this annual relevance by design?  And just what was the significance of that date anyway?  Willis explained, “The only thing I knew about September when I started writing it with Maurice White, who had already started the music with the Earth, Wind & Fire guitar player Al McKay, was that he wanted ‘September’ as the title. We wrote it the first day we met. We tried singing every date of the month but the 21st felt the best. I only found out a month ago from his wife, almost 40 years after the song was written, that September 21st was the due date of their son. But at that time as far as I knew it was just the date that sang the best.”

Along with the lyrics, Willis also donated copies of several records that she worked on, including this 45 of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” from 1978.

Last month, ahead of schedule, September became a topic of hot debate when Taylor Swift released a fiercely maligned country-tinged cover of the funk classic.  Willis was initially supportive of news of the cover, but her response became more measured upon hearing it.  Willis has promised to address the controversy in her upcoming performance, “Allee Willis Loves Detroit,” at the City Theatre on May 18th and 19th.  When asked for a hint as to how she’ll be tackling the Swift situation, Willis shrewdly responded, “For that you’re going to have to come to the show! No teasers. I will just say that the show is very very funny, stuffed with hits, filled with detailed stories about how the songs were written, I auction off stuff from my vast pop culture collection, and I guarantee it’s unlike any other songwriter show you seen before. And I talk about Taylor Swift. Prepare for a wild evening!”

I’ll Be There For You, When You Can’t Find the Door? Nestled within the archives of the Detroit Historical Society are a pair of surprising pop culture artifacts--copies of the draft lyrics for both…

[that4amkick]

Shut up, Richie

Here’s my entirely too late secret valentine for  @tozier-reddie!

Word count: 2,326

Pairing: Richie Tozier/Stanley Uris

February 11th

Stan had always hated valentines day. In his eyes it was just a capitalistic scheme to make everyone either feel obligated to be nice to their significant other for a day, or become aware of how alone they are. Stan had always been the latter.

He was reminded of this when he was at the grocery store; the entire store was covered in heart decorations with signs pointing to their temporary sections of cheap flowers and chocolates, hoping to make a penny off of someone who loves their partner, but not enough to go to an actual flower shop.

The reason Stan was at the store is because his roommate Richie had mistakenly left the fridge door ajar, and all their food had gone bad. Sometimes Stan wasn’t sure if Richie was really just that oblivious, or if he got a kick out of messing with Stan. A few weeks ago Stan had woken up to the fire alarm blaring because Richie had gotten distracted by his video game while making mac n cheese, so the water completely boiled down and the pasta started to burn. They had to throw the entire pot away after.

Stan was always confused about how he felt about Richie. One minute he’d be scolding him for being a complete dumbass, and the next he’d be sitting on the couch with him feeling happier than anything else. Richie was starting to feel like home. A dysfunctional home.

Once Stan had gotten all the groceries he needed, he made his way up to the checkout line. The cashier, who couldn’t have been younger than 50, began talking to him as she scanned his items. “Ooo this is a lot of nice food. You have a special dinner planned for your valentine?”

“Nope. Just food for me and my roommate.”

“Oh. Well that’s nice.” Stan felt an awkward tension between the two, as they avoided eye contact for the rest of the transaction.

Stan did not want to make multiple trips getting all the groceries inside once he made it back to the apartment. So, he had three or four bags in each hand, and when he reached the door he realized he had no way of opening it without putting everything down again. Not wanting to do that, he began kicking the door, trying not to tumble down with all the groceries in his hands. “Richie it’s me! I know your home, I saw your truck.” He stood there for what felt like hours before he started pounding on the door again. “Richie I swear to fucking god.” Stan shouts mostly just to himself.

After a while he gives up and sets the groceries down with a loud huff escaping his mouth. Once he gets the door open, he sees a folded up piece of paper lying a few inches past the threshold reading “Stanley.” As he’s picking it up, he hears the distant sound of music playing, and he aggressively throws the groceries on the kitchen counter, he marches his way to Richie’s door.

Richie is sitting on his bed doing something on his laptop, mindlessly singing along to the music. He looks up, seeing Stan glaring at him. “I’ve been banging on the door for five minutes trying to have you help me get in.”

“Oh, sorry man, I was just- hey what you got in your hand there Stanley?” Richie smirks as he excitedly gets off his bed and walking over to his roommate.

“I don’t know, I think someone slid it under the door.” Richie grabs it out of Stan’s hand. “Hey! Give it back.” Richie doesn’t reply as he turns around, dodging Stan’s arm desperately trying to get it back.

“Oooo a secret valentine. Are you going to BE their valentine Stanley?” Richie only ever called him by his full name; it both infuriated Stan and made him feel special at the same time.

“What are you talking about?” Stan takes it back from Richie, looking down at the note.

There was a drawing of a bumblebee, followed by the words Will you bee my valentine? Written in cursive. Stan’s cheeks turn pink, having no idea who the note could be from. “Stanley's got a secret admirer.” Richie says with a grin plastered on his face.

“Shut up, Richie.” Stan says before heading to his own room, a smile forming on his face once he’s turned away from his roommate.

February 12th

Friday classes were always the worst. Sometimes if you’re lucky, you won’t have any classes on Friday, but if you’re stan you have one Friday class that’s also at 8 am. The entire class period all he can think about is how much he regrets taking a class on environmental policy (A/N a real class I almost took), and how much he wishes he was still cozied up in bed. Once the clock hits 9:30 dictating class is over, Stan is the first to shoot up out of chair and make a break for the door. If he was lucky he could make it out the parking lot before it got crowded.

On the drive home Stan is wishing that there will be another note on the floor when he gets home, but has low hopes. For one it wasn’t even 10 am yet, and two, he had no idea of knowing if he would even get another. And to no surprise, when he gets home he finds to not surprise, that there is no paper lying past the threshold. With that, he goes to his room and flops down on the bed, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep.

“Stanley...Stanley...STANLEY” Stan slowly opens his eyes, seeing Richie trying to shake him awake. He looks at the clock and sees it reads 11:47.

“Richie, I told you to never wake me up, so this better be good.”

“Your knight in shining armor has returned!”

“What in the hell are you talking abou-” He looks at Richie’s hand and sees a piece of paper in it with a black footprint on it, presumably from Richie stepping on it. Richie extends his arm, and Stan takes the paper out of it. There was another drawing, this time of a peach. You’re as sweet as a peach.

“This guy obviously doesn’t know you at all, because you’re about as sweet as my ass.” Stan rolls his eyes as Richie lets out a chuckle “I’ll let you sleep now Stan the Man, and let you do what you please.” Richie winks as he heads out of the room.

“Shut up, Richie.” Stan holds the paper to his chest as he closes his eyes.

February 13th

To day Stan got wasted last night would be an understatement. All of his friends came over to he and Richie’s place, each bringing their own bottle of poison. The last thing Stan remembers was Beverly betting him be couldn’t chug have a bottle of whiskey, but Stan blacked out before he found out the answer. He woke up to a splitting headache and the feeling of razor blades in his stomach. The light from his window was hurting his eyes so much that he had to put sunglasses on. And even though it was nearly three pm, there was a chance he could still be tipsy.

When he walked out of his room, Richie was sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal. “Well good morning princess.” He says through a mouthful of food, and Stan simply growns in response. He looks over at the living room, seeing what had to have been the majority of the clothes he was wearing last night. Stan usually just sleeps in his underwear, so he wasn’t surprised when he woke up with no clothes on.

“Oh God...what happened last night.”

Richie began to smirk. “Check snapchat, we were all posting videos last night.” Stan quickly gets out his phone, and with each snap he sees the more he wants to die. The first was Mike’s, which consisted mostly of zoom in shots of the weird expressions all the Losers had when they were incapacitated. Ben’s was just him snapping the movie they were hardly watching, saying odd drunken comments about it. Bill always had issues being able to even hold his phone while drunk, so his story was only of the beginning of the party, mainly of the large amount of drinks they had. Richie hadn’t posted anything, as Bev always took his phone from him due to his inclination to text his exs. Eddie got flirty with everyone, and his consisted of selfies of him with everyone, especially Richie. He always was on top of Richie, giving him sloppy kisses on the cheek and things of that nature. It always made Stan want to throw up and he didn’t know why.

Beverly’s story was the worst. She was always one to post the entire night, and that’s where Stan pieced most of the events together. There was a 30 second video of Stan chugging that bottle of whiskey, victoriously holding the bottle above his head as everyone cheered before he threw smashed the glass on the ground. Next was a series of videos of his arm around Richie’s neck as the two sang Africa at the top of their lungs. There were some videos of Bill and Mike having a beer chugging contest, then some of Stan taking off all his clothes, whining about how the room was too hot. Eddie followed suit, and the two were lying on the ground beside one another in their underwear.

Finally he checked his own story, and he felt his heart sink to his feet. While most of it was drunken selfies, the last snap was a rather long video of Richie and Eddie making out as the room cheered them on. Stan felt tears prick the corner of his eyes.

He put his head in his hands as Richie began speaking with a mouth still full of food. “You seemed to enjoy the night a lot.” Stan here’s something slam beside him, and he looks up, ringing in his ears. “Here, maybe this will help cure the hangover from hell you must be having. Richie set a piece of paper beside him that has Stan’s name on the front. He had almost completely forgotten about his secret valentine. He unfolded the paper, seeing a drawing of a cat, and it read you are the cat’s meow. “It was nice seeing you with so little clothes on last night, it was like dinner and a show.”

“Shut up, Richie.” Stan gets up to go back to his room and try to suppress how the video of Richie and Eddie made him feel.

February 14th

Stan was easily having the worst day of his life. First, he didn’t wake up to his alarm clock in the morning. Second, his car keys were nowhere to be found, making him even later and he missed his first class. Third, it was pouring rain and he slipped on his way to class, getting his legs and backside soaked. Fourth, since he was running so late, he missed breakfast didn’t bring a lunch and so he was starving. Fifth, when he got back to his car, he realized he was out of gas. Richie was the only other of the Losers who had a car, and Stan called him seven times before giving up. Sixth, he had to walk a mile and a half home in the rain, and forgot to grab his headphones that morning.

Finally, once he reached the front door, he’d also forgotten his house key. His head falls on the door, and he starts to cry. It was valentine's day, and he spent it walking home soaking wet and with mud covering his shoes. He bangs on the door in the hope Richie will hear, but he has low hope considering he didn’t even answer his calls. “Richie…” he calls out, his knocks getting softer with each one.

He hears shuffling from inside and Richie opens the door, breathing somewhat heavy. “Oh my God, Stanley!” he says sincerely as he pulls his roommate inside. When Stanley steps inside, his breath is taken away. The living room is perfectly clean, and there are multiple vases of flowers across it, with rose petals on the floor. What Christmas lights line all the walls, giving the room a light glow. A candle is lit, but it is being covered up by the scent of sweet potatoes cooking in the oven. “I’m so sorry I didn’t answer my phone. I was a little...busy.” Richie says, his voice shaking.

Stan was speechless, but he also has no idea what was going on. “Richie, what is all of this?” He asks, looking around in awe. Richie couldn’t keep eye contact, and has his hands in his pockets as he rocks back and forth. He pulls a wrinkled paper out of his pocket and hands it to Stan, his hand shaking. Stan opens it, seeing a drawing of a heart, you give me a boner in my heart. “I don’t get it. Did you find another no-” that’s when it all clicks. There are very few people besides the Losers than know where Stan lives, but Stan always thought Richie had a thing with Eddie. “But...what about Eddie?”

Richie chuckles, “I love Eddie, but there’s never been anything serious there Stan.” Richie had called him Stan, which meant he had to have been being serious. “I mean, I’m sorry if you don’t feel the same,” Richie rambles. “I just thought because we both seem so happy when we talk and I see how you react when I talk to other guys, oh God did i read everything wrong and ruin-”

“Shut up, Richie.” Stan says before pulling Richie down to kiss him.

[beepbeeprichiellc]

Moodboard request Bill and Georgie. Sad,Angst but fucking cute and maybe A LITTLE hopeful (After all, we need the sun to appear again)

…I think I died a little.

The sweet smell of the fresh rain oozed from the moistearth, making his stomach clench. Mud sloshed under his feet as he walked downthe all too familiar path, a few birds singing high in the sky to announce hispresence. He wasn’t sure how long it had been since he had taken the time tovisit this place, a year, two maybe? Who really knew but as he headed towardstheir spot the feeling of adventure and happiness that he had felt that daybegan to prickle his tender skin. His ears played tricks on him, a child’slaughter seemingly echoing from behind trees but he knew. Bill knew thatGeorgie wasn’t really there, not anymore.

His destination was getting closer, the large oak reachinghigh past the tree tops, soaking in the rays of the newly risen sun. It hadbeen in Derry long before him, and in the end it would be here long after. Hisfather used to tell him stories about a dying witch that used to live here,that she had planted the seed of the tree to keep her everlasting existence alive.Once upon a time, Bill had believed every word that dripped from his father’s tongue,admiring everything that he was. Now, well now things were different. He wasdifferent. Experience taught him that fairy tales were just something parentstold their children at bed time, that the world was nothing but a nightmarishhell that engulfed anyone who dared to live in it.

Georgie had been gone five years.

And still the hole in his heart refused to heal.

He reached out to the tree, his fingers tracing the wornbark that it wore with a small frown. Slowly he circled the ancient thing, hisgaze lingering on the knots that had formed, creating an imperfection on thenearly perfect surface. When he made it to the deep cuts on the pulled awaybark be paused, staring at the memory of what once was. The words mocked him inevery way, its deafening screams making his heart clench. There carved deepinto the wood was a flash of crippling sadness.

Georgie + Bill Were Here

Summer ‘87

Bill could feel his throat close up, his hot tears blurringhis vision. Gently he traced his brother’s name, memorizing the groves and curvatureof it. “I’m suh-sorry it took me so long.” He choked, sniffling a little. “Iwanted to come. I ju-just  couldn’t.” Therewas no reply, now repercussions to his apology. The only noise that could beheard for miles was his poorly voiced words, and a singular bird who criedalong with him.

“I guh-graduate next week.” He whispered to the tree, bitinghis lips and shaking his head while a hollow chuckle bubbled in his chest. “Weall are, all of the loo-losers. Though it was tuh-ouch and go for a while forBev, she missed too muh-much school but Richie tutored her.”

He smiled, the memory of his friends frantic all-nightersdancing in his mind. “I wish y-you could see them nuh-now. God, we all look sodifferent. We’ve g-grown up.”

There was a burning in his chest, the realization of hiswords punching him in the stomach. Grown up. Something that Georgie never got,something that was stolen from him. Bill would never be at his brother’sgraduation, never help him with last minute tests, scream at the top of hislungs at his baseball games or even watch him take his date to prom. Georgiehad deprived of the simplicities of life, and would forever continue to missout on whatever life had been destined to him.

“Muh-om and Dad are going, nuh-not that I care. My friends willbe w-with me, they are all the fam-family I have luh-left after you-“ Billpaused, the words sour in his mouth. Tears streamed down his porcelain face, creatingbrands on his perfect skin. “I know th-that sounds bah-bad but they aren’tMuh-mom and Dad anymore, she nuh-never plays the piano and I nev-never see himany-muh-ore. I just-“

He paused, waiting for someone to come and end his rambling.No one came, of course and to Bill’s dismay he found himself ashamed of thesudden anger that had built under his skin. “You w-were our glue Georgie, andnuh-now that you’re gone, our f-f-family is broken.”

There was a smirk playing at the corner of his lips, thewords slipping though him as he continued, “But the luh-losers took th-theirplace. M-Mike is luh-like the mom, Ben luh-like the dad. Eddie and R-Richie areluh-like the bickering tw-twins, Bev luh-like the rebel sister. And Stan….well,he’s muh-my glue now.”

The sun began to beam down onto him, its light warm on hisskin. Soon his friends would be looking for him, their day already planned andwould begin as soon as he had finished his urgent task. Bill couldn’t help thepain he felt, the gaping hole that had only recently started to heal. His handsbit into the fabric of his shirt, gripping at his chest.

“I saw a yeh-yellow bird yesterday.” He whispered, halfsmiling. “S-Stan told me th-that it was you, th-that you we-were ch-checking onme.” There was a hiccup in his tone, a rip in his words. He exhaled slowly, hisragged breath like fire. “I ho-hope it was. I hope yuh-you come by moreof-often. I want you t-to see how g-good I’m duh-doing, how am-amazing my lifeis.”

He wiped at his eyes, the water soaking in to his hand. “Im-m-miss you G-Georgie. I m-miss yuh-you so much.” He whimpered, leaning hishead against the old oak tree, the bark nipping at his hair. “I w-will always l-loveyou. Always.”

It was a while until he could leave, the far away voicesprying him from his spot. There were apologizes and empty promises to returnbut deep down Bill knew this was it. A few weeks from now he would be on theroad with his friends, their destined college far away from the hell that wasDerry Maine. The unknown future scared him but as long as the losers weretogether, there was nothing that he couldn’t do. He would see Georgie again,weather it was as a yellow bird or a flutter of remembrance in his stomach, hewould see his brother again.

After all nothing was ever truly an ending, just a beginningto something new.