#sorry this fills me with so much joy

[bichletmepickaname]

Viktor gagged all your favs by the way(exept ekko)

[flowercrowngods]

It's unreal. The light is streaming in through the windows, the curtains still drawn to block out the midday heat, tinging their living room in golden hues that match so well with the light grey fabric of their new sofa.

Eddie should probably snap out of it and head over to the windows, open the curtains and let the light in, and with it the warmth and fresh air of a surprisingly wonderful day.

It's March, he hears the echoes of Steve's giddy voice a week or two ago. Everything's better in March.

Eddie didn't agree then, and he's not sure he agrees now, but he must admit there is something magical about this moment.

Still he remains rooted to the spot, leather jacket heavy on his shoulders, his hands hidden in the sleeves of it, just in case this really is a dream. Just in case someone will come in and snap him out of it, take away their couch and leave an eviction notice.

It's dumb. But Eddie doesn't deal well with things that are unreal. Things that he knows aren't meant for him. Things that he knows he only gets in this one play-through of his life, while millions of other Eddie Munsons are out there in parallel universes who never get to even lay eyes upon a couch this nice. Let alone buy it. From their own real adult money.

It's a corner sofa, the fabric light grey, and he remembers it being harder than it looks. Solid. Just perfect for both their fucked up backs, scar tissue pulling if they sit wrong for too long, phantom pain and muscle aches coming in hot when all they want is to just relax and enjoy a lazy evening.

Eddie bites his lip, trailing his eyes along the pristine fabric, the pillows lining the back of it, the flawless stitches keeping everything in shape.

They have a couch now. A sofa.

It's so fucking unreal.

He drops to the floor right then and there, sitting with his back against the wall, and never once taking his eyes off their sofa. It feels important to look at it for a while. It feels important to wait for Steve. It feels... It feels like maybe he'll ruin everything if he goes and sits on it now.

And it feels really fucking big.

At some point he hears the front door opening, their lock going so smoothly now that Steve fixed it with some graphite, and the sound makes Eddie smile. That's another thing that's unreal. The key barely making any noise, the lock not rattling, the door not creaking and cracking. Eddie pulls a strand of hair between his lips, the smile feeling too silly for this room, for this home, for everything he gets to have now.

For all the tiny things that matter now. All the tiny things he gets to have, turning the key's smooth slide into an allegory of everything he ever wanted but never dared to hope for.

The slide of curtains, the click-click-click of the window handle being turned to let the air in. The breeze of fresh spring air dancing around his nose.

It's all a little much. It's so fucking addicting.

And then Steve. Socked feet coming to a stop beside him, a hand landing in his hair, a voice that's so endlessly warm and fond and maybe a little worried sounding from above him, "Hi, angel."

"Hi," Eddie says, tearing his eyes away from their couch to meet Steve's. The sunlight from the windows hugs him, making him glow. Eddie smiles. He smiles and smiles and never wants to stop.

Steve hums as he leans down to press a kiss to his forehead, and Eddie weaves his arm through Steve's legs, holding onto his knee.

Everything feels a little less silly now. Like every time Steve doesn't question his little moments of sitting on the floor and just staring at things.

"We have a couch now," Eddie says, because it feels important to point out. Because Steve isn't looking at it.

"We do," he hums. "I got the call earlier. Thanks for helping with that, baby."

Eddie nods again, leaning his cheek against Steve's knee and trailing the couch again with his eyes. It looks brighter now that the curtains don't turn the room into something out of a sepia-type movie anymore.

Steve's hands comb through his hair, massaging his scalp a little with his nails. It's nice. It's warm. It's pretty.

And it's so unreal.

"I'm twenty-four," Eddie says then, and some part of him wants to carve that into the fabric. He won't. But maybe he should carve it somewhere else. "And I own a couch. It's a little crazy."

Steve comes to sit down beside him, their shoulders pressed together and he links their hands, resting them in his lap after a brushes a kiss to Eddie's knuckles.

"Why's it crazy, angel?"

He shrugs, resting his head on Steve's shoulders and curling into his warmth some more.

"Most of my life I never thought either of those would happen, y'know."

Another hum, followed by another kiss to the crown of his head. Another smile.

"But you did it," Steve whispers. "You made it. And we've got a couch now."

"We've got a couch now."

Saying it out loud doesn't make it feel any realer. It only makes his heart race and his eyes prick.

"I love you," he says, finally looking away from pretty grey fabric to meet prettier hazel eyes. "I love you so much."

Steve leans in, kissing the tip of his nose. "I love you. Thank you for buying a couch with me."

And it occurs to Eddie then that Steve understands him. Sitting there on the floor with him, hearing his words and listening to those unsaid, understanding Eddie on such a fundamental level that it should be scary. And it is, sometimes.

But he's not scared now. Because they have a couch. And they have pretty curtains that keep the light outside and still turn the room into something magical. And they have a lock that only needed a bit of graphite to let the keys glide smoothly.

And they have each other.

They stay on the floor until Steve's stomach growls, and they eat dinner with their backs against the couch and Eddie's feet in Steve's lap. They hold each other close after dinner, just breathing each other in as the breeze blows around them.

In the end, Eddie is the first to sit on the couch, with Steve standing between his legs and giving him a scalp massage in silence. In the end, Eddie buries his face in Steve's stomach to hide the tears, and Steve lets him.

Because this is real. And he gets to have this. They both do.

🤍 permanent tag list gang: @skiddit @inklessletter @aringofsalt @hellion-child @stobin-cryptid@hotluncheddie @gutterflower77@auroraplume@steddieonbigboy @n0-1-important@stevesjockstrap @brainvines @puppy-steve @izzy2210 @itsall-taken @mangoinacan13 @madigoround@pukner@i-amthepizzaman @swimmingbirdrunningrock @hammity-hammer @stevesbipanic@bitchysunflower @estrellami-1 @finntheehumaneater @goodolefashionedloverboi @awkwardgravity1 (lmk if you want on or off, for this story or permanently)

[fluffypotatey]

To be honest I am a huge Nalu shipper. But the thing is I want to know the difference between the way Natsu cares about his guildmates and Lucy. Like what is the obvious difference since that boy sees every as Nakama so how can we say that the wag he cares about Lucy is different?

Like even when Erza passed away? (All the way back in first season there was a segment where the guild was gathered at her grave and all) Natsu was still very reactive. Plus he was also said to be depressed even when Lisanna passed.

What's the difference between all of them and Lucy?

the fact that he stayed. the fact that before he met Lucy, Natsu wasn't one to stay in a group or even want to work with anyone besides Happy at the start of the story. hell, he was ready to just file Lucy down as "New Guildmate" once they reached Fairy Tail

but then, Lucy doesn't leave. she follows him on his mission to save Macao despite her not needing to or even really understanding everything about it. she stays and then fights with him and saves him. it's no secret that Natsu is strong and can take care of himself really well. he's been going on solo missions for years now, and no one has really stopped him, but that means he's been in a lot of sticky situations where he and Happy are on their own and have no backup. and yet, without asking, Lucy offers it

and i think this is the moment when Natsu considers that maybe it's okay to have someone there to have his back (sans Happy)

"but Natsu only needed Lucy for the next quest because of the requirements," well, Natsu also wouldn't have taken or even considered that quest if it weren't for Lucy, yeah? he was not a team player (in the picking job's sense) or really wanted other people to help him on his quests sans Happy. and then he goes and picks a job that caters to their team whilst ensuring that Lucy can't say no

or maybe i'm reading too much into it 🤷🏻‍♀️

or maybe Natsu's got horrible abandonment issues that he will latch onto people so fast (Igneel & Lisanna) but also cause him to distance himself so far when left behind (his 1st time at the guild, Lisanna's death). Erza and Gray are Natsu's closet friends after Lisanna and yet they cannot reach him when he closes himself off. and then we have Lucy, who stuck by and had his back, so who is to say Natsu didn't make some contingencies to ensure whether or not she'd join him?

but maybe it's the rose, colored ship glasses i have on

because yeah, Natsu cares for all of his guildmates. the power of friendship is his biggest motivator. when we meet Natsu, our first introductions of him is defending his guild's reputation from Bora (who was using it as a guise for human trafficking) and saving Macao. and our 1st big arc (Galuna Island), where Natsu adamantly refuses to allow Gray to use Ice Shell and sacrifice himself despite how antagonistic they've been to each other. we get Natsu 100% at Erza's defense throughout the Tower of Heaven and he is even ready to defend Wendy though they only met hours ago

Natsu is a character with a bleeding heart and cannot help but wear it on his sleeve, but we don't really see him allow others to fight his battles or have his back until Lucy comes in. to be honest, i don't even think he had his heart on his sleeve until Lucy. he still has a bleeding heart (i don't think anything could stop that), but he was not ready to be open in receiving company because he was so used to it being ripped away from him

that being said: of all the characters he interacts with, he finds Lucy to be someone compatible enough for him to start going on team missions and inviting her on them (for example, his 1st S-class mission, which he stole, he went to her house to show it to her. the fact that part of the reward was a celestial key might be a coincidence, but i wouldn't doubt it as Natsu and Happy's trump card in case she refused)

but yeah, the difference is that he stayed and didn't push her away at the beginning, but instead continued to invite her along with him to the point that doing a mission without Lucy wasn't his regular anymore. compared to the rest of the guild, of whom he spent most of his childhood with, even if he spoke to no one, they would still be around and talk to him anyway. he might not invite them on job and only challenge them to fights, but the guild is his home and a constant in his life, a constant he needs (bc heavy abandonment issues).

"okay, but he still pushed her away after he watched Igneel die right in front of him. and he left the guild for a whole year, too. so what's the difference there?" you may ask.

so 1) Natsu never thought the guild would disband. he returns to Fiore after a year and is the last to know that they disbanded. he assumed, like all the other times before and while he and others were sealed for 7 years, that Fairy Tail would still be there when he returned. he assumed that his disappearance would not impact so hard because the guild would still be around and Lucy would have the others with her

which, did not happen :)

and like, so many guild members go off on jobs, quests, or even just leave for an indiscriminate amount of time (which i, personally, believe was his rationality for leaving), so him being gone for a year was nothing! right? no harm, eh? his plan was never to be gone forever :))))

2) he just watched his father die and lose any chance of having some semblance of a long term reunion with Igneel. he literally lost one of his main driving motivations for getting stronger and taking jobs. before Fairy Tail, before anyone, it was Igneel. and to learn that a) Igneel was always with him to begin with and b) he only got to see him for less than a day after 14 years of nothing......i would feel lost too ngl

man's needed space from everybody. and he also needed comfort, but Natsu has been shown not to really be the character who asks to receive comfort (and when he does receive it, it's usually when he's already emotionally compromised). he is in the habit of shutting people out after being abandoned or losing someone close to him, with his next rationale being to "get stronger" in order to prevent what happened in the past to ever happen in the future.

anyway

what makes this different? well for one, he sent the letter only to Lucy (or it's implied since no one else is shown getting one) because of how the two spend most of their time together. even the line that goes with the panel makes it sound like Natsu is unsure on how the note will be received (maybe even hesitant? but that could be my own hopes)

and one of the 1st people he reunites with after a year is Lucy and we get such a similar parallel to the first chapter of Fairy Tail between the two as if the narrative itself is slotting them together to say "ah yes, now everything is back to normal and new journeys can begin"

but yeah, this is just a long way of saying, that Natsu does love his friends and guildmates but even when he is close to them, he kept to himself (and Happy) and sort of stayed in their orbit but always with some emotional distance because of his fear of abandonment. and then you have Lucy where he will stay for and allow her to orbit around him and he will invite to new adventures no questions asked

that's the difference

[sugarpasteltmnt]

hey pastel!! weird question but how do u make ur chapter previews???? is it a AO3 skin???

OOOOOO what a fun ask!!!

lmao i never understood how skins worked on ao3 ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` ) I did this through HTML! I'll try to explain it the best i can

(putting it under a read more since it's a little long)

PREVIEW SECTION CODE:

<center> (makes everything centered!) <h3> </h3> (This makes the double line that goes across the page!) <p> </p> <p> </p> <h5><em>Next chapter preview:</em></h5>   <hr /> (This makes the little line!)   <h4>Chapter 24: Tag</h4>   <h5>Part II: Brotherhood</h5> <p><em> <small>"Trust me"</small> </em></p><hr />  <hr /> <p> </p> <h3> </h3> </center>

AUTHOR'S NOTE SECTION CODE:

<b>♡ Author's Note ♡</b> (This makes the text bold!) <blockquote> (This makes the following section indented!) Surprise!!! This chapter is getting split into two parts because. yeah. whoopsie.</p><p>Hehe hope you guys liked it! I knew this one took a hot minute but dealing some irl things right now, so I hope you guys liked it. (kinda rushed this one through beta so if there's errors let me know!) </blockquote>

I hope this was somewhat helpful!! have fun!! use it chaotically lol ( • ̀ω•́ )✧

[grineerios]

i hope that every baby tenno ever knows that i'm not judging them for being new or not having a fancy fashionframe whenever i approach them in a relay or hub-

i promise i'm just looking at you and your profile with the widest most excited eyes ever, i'm just wayy too nervous to figure out what to say to you, and i don't want to be patronizing by asking if you want help ;w;

baby tenno, you are so so so cool- i'm so happy you're here, and i really hope you end up finding the same amount of enjoyment and community here that I have.

[thatonefreemanversefic]

i had a dream the three gordons burst into a musical number next chapter

HOW DID YOU GET ACCESS TO THE LEAKED CHAPTER!?!??!!?

AW BEANS!!! Now I gotta rewrite the whole thing again!!

[kakushigotofanclub]

Obanai’s reincarnation should have worked at a reptile conservancy

[wildsaltair]

it's my official job on this website to provide the absolute worst-quality set photos of Maximus in which it's so grainy you can barely tell it's him. this is an important job

[phantastrick]

I LOVE YOU FOREVER HAHGGXJGAHXGJvskavxkav

ILY FOREVER TOO BESTIE!!!!

[allylikethecat]

ohhh yay more prompts, would love an angsty gatty “helping your partner undress”

:)

First off, thank you SO MUCH for sending this in! I really like this prompt list and was so absolutely, mind blowingly thankful that someone sent me one. Second of all, I am so incredibly sorry that it took me a literal month to finish. I hope it was worth the wait and that you enjoy it! I might have gone a little heavy on the angst - though I guess that's not a surprise! If anyone else wants to send in more of these prompts, I can't promise I'll fill them quickly, but I *can* promise that you'll become one of my favorite people and that I will fill it eventually! In regards to this one, let me know what you think! Anyway thank you so much and enjoy!

❤️Ally

Warnings: George's broken shoulder, Matty's referenced addiction

physical intimacy prompts - "Helping your partner undress"

Matty was trembling, his lower lip chewed raw and bloody as he fluttered around George, hands outstretched like he wanted to touch, wanted to help, but afraid that if he did, George would break. Matty was like a hummingbird, if he stopped, he would die. He unlocked George’s hotel room door, his hands shaking. It took him two tries to get the plastic key card into the slot, but he got it on the third try, the door lighting up green. He pushed it open, stepping to the side to let George through, and dropping the pharmacy bag with George’s medication onto the desk, before letting the door slam shut behind them. That answered that question then, George thought, Matty was apparently staying. 

“Do you want anything? I can get you a water bottle from the vending machine? A cup of tea? I’ll get you a cup of tea! Are you hungry? The restaurant is still open downstairs, but if you want something else I don’t mind running and getting it. It looked like there were a few places down the street. Wait, it’s almost eight thirty, do you need another one of your pills? They said you could take it any time after eight fifteen-” Matty said in a rush before George cut him off. 

“Take a breath Matty,” he said, he was exhausted, he just wanted to go to sleep, the painkillers they had given him at the hospital made him feel lightheaded and woozy even if they were wearing off. He just wanted to lay down, he wanted to forget the pain and pretend that the last few hours hadn’t happened.

“Sorry,” said Matty, biting his lip again, George could see flakes of dried blood sticking to his teeth as he tugged on his curls, a nervous habit. “Do you want to sit down? You should sit down.” 

Sitting down actually did sound good, George thought, making his way unsteadily into the hotel room to sit down on the end of the king sized bed, Matty hovering beside him as if ready to catch George if he fell. George didn’t know how that was going to work out, he had at least six inches and more than sixty pounds on him. He groaned, realizing with a sinking feeling he wasn’t going to be able to take his shoes off with his arm in the sling. His shoulder throbbed, reminding him he wasn’t going to be able to take his jeans or shirt off either. The nurse at the hospital had helped him undress for the x-rays, and redress when he was discharged. 

He sighed, “do you mind helping me take my shoes off?” he asked, not able to bring himself to ask for help with his jeans yet. Matty nearly tripped over his own feet as he rushed to George’s side, excited for the opportunity to be useful. George felt a pang of guilt, Matty had been nothing but kind, attentive and supportive, having stayed by his side all day at the hospital, holding George’s hand and murmuring words of comfort and encouragement when George gritted his teeth against the pain. He didn’t deserve George’s anger and frustration, he was angry at the situation, not at Matty and he needed to remember that when the biting words threatened to escape his lips. Matty could just be a lot, especially when he was high and thought that they didn’t know. 

Matty knelt down, and undid the laces, tugging George’s converse sneakers off before setting them neatly to the side. He gave George’s ankle a comforting squeeze and looked up at him through his lashes, messy curls falling every which way. George swallowed hard, trying not to think of the other times Matty had been on his knees between his legs. 

“We’ll have to pick you up a pair of Vans,” Matty said thoughtfully, rocking back on his heels. “The ones you can slip on and off easily.” 

“Okay,” said George, he was exhausted, and Matty looked so hopeful, sometimes it was easier to just agree with him. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to get you something to eat?” Matty asked, pulling himself to his feet, he was tugging on his curls again, twisting one of the longer corkscrews in the front around his finger. He was chewing on his lower lip again as well, the plush flesh torn and bleeding sluggishly. It made George a little nauseous to look at the way Matty kept licking away the blood, the red staining his teeth. 

“I just want to go to bed,” George said honestly, “thank you though,” he added when he saw the way Matty’s face fell, he was a perpetual open book. 

“Yeah, for sure,” said Matty, letting go of the curl to rub at the back of his neck, shifting his weight uncomfortably. “That makes sense, it’s been a long day.” He bit down on his lip again and George suppressed a wince. “Do you, before I go, do you, need anything?” 

George sighed, Matty drove him crazy, but at the end of the day he did love him, and he didn’t want him to go. “Or you could stay.” 

Matty’s face lit up like he had been told they won a Grammy. “I can do that too,” he said, toeing off his own boots, leaving him in blue socks with corgis on them. 

George swallowed hard, shame coloring his features, he knew there was no reason to be embarrassed, there was no reason for him to feel shame, but he was supposed to be the strong one, the one that had it together, the one that was supposed to take care of Matty and protect him from the world. He didn’t like asking for help. 

“Do you,” he took a deep breath, “do you mind helping me take my jeans off? I can’t get the zipper or the button myself.” he said in a rush, cheeks red. 

“Of course,” said Matty, he stepped forward so that he was standing between George’s legs, gaze down cast, his curls blocking George’s view of his face. Very carefully, with surprisingly steady hands, he unbuckled George’s belt. His gaze was downcast, his chin tilted towards his chest, causing his curls to block George’s view of his face. He was careful, overly respectful as he undid the button before sliding down the zipper. George almost felt bad that between the pain and the prescription pain management, he wasn’t able to get hard. 

“You’re going to have to stand up,” said Matty, his voice managing to take on both a breathless and apologetic quality. 

Taking another deep breath, and holding onto Matty’s shoulder with his good hand for support, George was able to pull himself to his feet, he let go of Matty’s shoulder, teeth gritted in pain. Matty looked up at him, giving him an encouraging smile as he bent down, shimmying the fabric down George’s hips and letting it pool around his ankles. 

George grabbed onto Matty’s shoulder again regaining his balance as he swayed, very carefully stepping out of the jeans, first with his left foot and then his right. 

He felt light headed as Matty helped him sit down again, his shoulder throbbing in time to the beat of his heart. He was breathing heavily, and was filled with self loathing, he shouldn’t be so winded from taking his fucking pants off. He was going to have to sleep in his tee shirt, he decided, even with Matty’s help, if they tried to take it off he would probably throw up. 

He squeezed his eyes shut. “I changed my mind,” he said, his voice coming out strangled. “I want another one of the pills.”

“Coming right up,” Matty said, going into the bathroom to fill one of the glass cups on the counter up with water. When he returned he tore open the brown paper bag from the pharmacy, and glanced at the directions printed onto the label stuck to the orange bottle. He opened it easily despite the childproofing and dumping a few of the pills into his palm. 

“It says to take two,” he said, making his way back to George and handing him two of the little, round, white pills. George took them gratefully, chasing them with a sip of the water. 

“Thank you,” George said honestly. He knew that it was the placebo effect, that the pills hadn’t had a chance to kick in yet, he had just taken them, but he already felt slightly better. “Will you lay with me?” He asked, feeling almost shy. He was feeling needy and alone, he knew he was letting the band down, that they were going to have to scramble to find someone to replace him, and on top of the guilt was the pain.

Matty nodded. “Of course,” he said, shedding his own jeans, and climbing into bed behind him, curling up against George’s back, throwing an arm over his chest, cautious of his sling and broken shoulder. 

George shifted, letting himself be held for once. He closed his eyes and pretended he hadn’t seen Matty pocket the pills for himself.

[thueenz]

for real though that post is so true on the love front i think about it all the time like why is everyone so LOVELESS not even just in like cishetero marriages where they hate each other just in general like platonic too. it drives me craaazy when im exposed to it like why are ppl like this !! why dont you love your friends and partner!! its like everything is a social game that theyre playing just for validation and lacking real connection and its a game where theyre always about 2 steps away from being bitter and hateful towards their friends/lover like STOOOOP! im someone who values love and kindness so much and it baffles me. why do you hate your partner! why do you talk about them like theyre an object of validation! why are you dating someone you clearly dislike! why are u so mean to ur friends behind their backs im cryin. why do you up and abandon them the second you get a partner bc you dont value them over the romantic validation you get. ive always been such an affectionate person at heart and i value what my friends say so much and i always find myself feeling so distant from people in relationships because they just feel?? so shallow?? and distant from me. like i think oh this preson gets me but theres ppl who say the same things how they value kindness and love but its always like, immediately clear they are actually a deeply mean person and just enjoy feeling like theyre 'good'. the way society functions with relationships feels so intensely shallow and i cannot connect to it at all. i love my friends and i love people and i always want to understand them and reach out with compassion and be close to them physically and emotionally speaking and talk a lot and listen to them. however im cursed to live in a world of 1 word responses if any at all and shallow relationships where no one gaf about each other and then i get told i talk too much. hello? *tapping mic* hello? is this thing on? be filled with whimsy and love going forward please. anyway does anyone else feel this way or is it just me feel free to talk about it if youd like

[whumpy-wyrms]

i’ve gotten so many drawings of my tllr guys for artfight and i wish i could show them to you guys because they’re amazinggg i love artfight sooooo much. it’s also consumed my entire life which is why i haven’t been very active here

[thedrotter]

thought about it for a little bit and realized re:kinder got me out of a drawing slump thank you re:kinder for changing lives... it's was a while since i felt this satisfied with my art and drew this much till this game popped up in my life . forever changing lives thank you re:kinder whatever would i do without you

[linabirb]

seeing synthv lite and flt covers brings me so much joy.. like wow.. i can make cool stuff even with the free voicebanks.. even if they sound more robotic than the full ones..

[onemillionfurries]

I think everyone needs to make a "peace and love on planet earth" tag for their blog. A tag where videos, images, memes, and stories can be compiled of humanity showing kindness, empathy, joy, beauty, and love. A respite from the horrors that are shoved in our faces on a daily basis. A reminder that no matter what, we are all human, we are all one, and that we are all capable of being kind to each other and bringing beauty to this world.

[transannabeth]

i think level-5 should give me the legal rights to flora reinhold actually