#teh fics

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Reunion / Post-TRF Pt. 4

meetinginsamarra said: I'm very curious about "Reunion Part 4" 🙂

As I mentioned on this post, I needed a list for this weekend, and this was the only response I got, so I hope you guys enjoy this list! <3 As usual, if you have a fic to add, please do!!

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Tea by Art and Soul (K, 693 w., 1 Ch. || Angst & Friendship, Reunion) – John’s habit of making tea for two has little use, considering his flat-mate has been dead for three years. But he keeps on making that second cup, hoping he’d wake up and it’d be gone. But it never was… (FFNet)

Black Cars by johnsarmylady (T, 1,186 w., 5 Ch. || Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Post-TRF) – John is getting on with his life...if only he didn't see black cars everywhere! A short Post Reichenbach tale in 221B style in 5 parts. (FFNet)

Hallucinations can't open doors by Bespectacled dreamer (K+, 1,330 w., 1 Ch. || Reunion, Hurt / Comfort, Friendship, Hallucinations, John’s Wedding, Light Humour) – In which John gets married and Sherlock gets a broken nose. (FFNet)

Here to Stay by MockJayPhoenix12 (K, 1,574 w., 1 Ch. || Post Reunion, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Headache, Bed Sharing, Care Taker Sherlock, Hand Holding, Fluff) – On Sherlock's first day home, John wakes with a migraine. (FFNet)

Given In Evidence by verityburns (M, 5,034 w., 19 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Angst, Drama, Case Fic, Romance, BAMF!John, Submissive Sherlock, First Kiss, Humour) – Coming back from the dead can be a complicated business. With a new case on the horizon, rebuilding a life is one thing... rebuilding a friendship quite another. For Sherlock and John, things may never be just the same...

This Year by DiscordantWords (T, 6,283 w., 2 Ch. || TEH Divergence / No Mary, New Year’s Eve, John’s A Mess, Jealous John, Awkward Conversations, Trapped in a Closet, Estranged After Return, John POV, Semi-Reunion, Angry John, First Kiss, Reconciliation, Clueless Sherlock, Happy Ending) – Last year, Sherlock Holmes showed up at the Landmark with a fake moustache and a bad French accent and threw John's entire life into disarray with two words: "Not dead." This year, there are more surprises in store.

The Skin Over My Heart by standbygo (E, 8,849 w., 1 Ch. || Post-Hiatus, Fake Relationship, Case Fic, Dog Tags, Military, Homophobia, Gay Bashing, POV First Person Sherlock, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss / Time, Declarations of Love, Undercover, Haircuts, Flashbacks, Touching, Pining Sherlock, Hospitalization, Metaphors, Introspection, Hand Jobs, On the Couch, John’s Past, Angst with Happy Ending) – Sherlock and John are still trying to adjust to Sherlock's return from his hiatus when John's friend Bill Murray brings them a case. Someone is targeting the LGBTQA+ members of Bill's unit. John and Sherlock go undercover at the unit, but when they end up having to flirt to flush out the suspect, Sherlock realizes he's in over his head.

There's So Much Labour Just in Breathing Lately by Susan (E, 12,708 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TRF / Mentions of S3 Events, Romance, Angst, Grief/Mourning, Grieving John, Mutual Pining, Meddling Mycroft, Therapy, Ambiguous Hopeful Ending, Infidelity) – The dreams he hated most – the ones that left him a sweating, shaking mess when he woke – were the ones in which Sherlock was just Sherlock. Laughing or drinking tea. Sitting across the table from him at Angelo’s eating pasta. Trailing his open hand behind him on the way to the bedroom. “C’mon, John. I’m about to have my way with you.”

Sunday Evening 6 p.m. by Silvergirl (E, 30,712 w., 6 Ch. || Post-TRF / TEH Divergence, Grief / Mourning / Stages of Grief, Mutual Pining, Dreams, Reunion, Love Confessions, First Kiss / Time, Alternating First Person POV, Smart John, BAMF Boys, Emotional Love Making, Song Fic, Referenced Suicide, First Kiss / Time, Touching, Sleepy Sherlock, Blow Job, Villain Mary) – Six months after Sherlock jumped, he learns that John is dedicating songs to him on a requests-only radio programme. Is John just working through grief? Or is he—communicating? Fixes the hell out of S3 by pre-empting it altogether. Remember, as TAB told us, John is Pretty Damn Smart.

Inscrutable to the Last by DiscordantWords (M, 48,842 w., 6 Ch. || Post-TRF, Alternate S3, John’s Blog/S3 is a Story By John, Divorce, Marital Difficulties, John is a Mess, Emotional Reunion, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Grief / Mourning, Pining John, First Kiss, Adorably Clueless Sherlock, Nostalgia, Love Confessions, Eventual Happy Ending) – He wasn't Sherlock, he couldn't work miracles. All he'd ever been able to do was write about them.

The Hollow Woman by ScopesMonkey (M, 51,335 w., 22 Ch. || Post-TRF, Major Character Death, Mystery, Romance, Friendship, Family, Angst, Crime, Reunion, First Kiss / Time, Nightmares, Doctor John, Jealous Sherlock, Jealous John, BAMF John, Angry John, Dub-Con, Rough Sex, Bottomlock, Possessive John, Villain Mary, Open Ending) – Forced to return to London sooner than expected, Sherlock falls into a case too close to home. Part 1 of the Hollowverse series

Spare Parts by Raina_at (E, 63,497 w., 10 Ch. || 24th Century / Futurism AU || Post TRF, Pre-TRF Relationship, Case Fic, Mutual Pining, Estrangement, Reconciliation, Science Fiction, Reunion, Nightmares, Angry John, Cybernetic John, Emotional Discussions / Heart to Heart, POV John, Scars, Past Drug Use, Forehead Touching, Emotional Lovemaking, Kissing, Apologies, Kidnapping, Rescue Mission, BAMF John, Bed Sharing, Top Sherlock) – Two years ago, Sherlock Holmes jumped off the roof of New London Hospital. Two months ago, he walked into John's clinic as if no time had passed at all. John hasn't seen him since. But then Sherlock knocks on John's door with a case he can't say no to, and while figuring out why the biggest manufacturer or synthetic limbs in the System is going after veterans, they also need to find out whether there's a way to fix what's broken between them. Part 1 of Realigning Gravity

Against the Rest of the World by SilentAuror (E, 151,714 w., 20 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Hiatus Fic, POV First Person Sherlock, Present Tense, First Kiss/Time, Big Brother Mycroft, Escaping from Capture, Soft Sherlock, Toplock, Insecurity, Infidelity, Travelling, Introspection, Pining Sherlock, Depression, Fantasies, Yearning for the Past, PTSD Sherlock, Suicidal Ideation) – Sherlock has been away from London for nine hundred and twelve days and counting, and has no idea what sort of reception to expect when he finally returns. 

MARKED FOR LATER

Out of the Shadow of Missed Chances by MargueriteSomebodyoranother (T, 1,132 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post TRF, Reunion, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining) – He’d had eighteen months - it seemed like a goddamned eternity at the time - and he never uttered a word.

Sound of Silence by SailorChibi (G, 1,554 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TRF, Emotional Trauma, Implied Past Torture, Mutism, Reunion, Protective John, BAMF John) – Sherlock returns from the dead but nothing is like it was. He doesn't speak and John doesn't understand, not until an encounter with the Yard explains the depths of Sherlock's trauma. 

English as a Foreign Language by standbygo (G, 1,739 w., 2 Ch. || Post-TRF, PTSD Sherlock, Reunion) – Sherlock is not quite right after Mycroft pulls him out of Serbia.

Dear Sherlock by by Tara Laurel (T, 7,729 w., 3 Ch. || Post-TRF, Reunion, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Christmas) – "John was happy. Too happy. Of course Sherlock preferred to see his friend in good spirits, especially after the cloud of depression that had hung over him the past weeks, but this was simply maddening." John's got a serious case of Christmas spirit, but is there something serious hidden behind it - something that surprises & saddens a self-proclaimed sociopath? (FFNet)

Nothing to Celebrate by DiscordantWords (M, 30,066 w., 23 Ch. || Post TRF / S3 Rewrite, Not Nice Mary, Secrets, Lies, Pining, Angst with Happy Ending) – Sherlock Holmes is back from the dead. Things only get worse from there.

Ride On by Silvergirl (M, 34,342 w., 9 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || TEH Divergence, Reunion, First Kiss / Time, Mutual Pining, Alternating POV, Sherlock’s Violin, Music, Original Characters, Happy Ending) – After the disastrous reveal at the Landmark, John tells Sherlock there can be no excuse for what he’s done, and no forgiveness. Sherlock leaves London and starts a new life, and not even the British Government knows where. It’s up to John to track him down and make things right, with a trip around the world and a clue only John would recognize.

Full Mount by ArwaMachine (E, 54,887 w., 10 Ch. || Post-TRF, Fighting, John Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Bed Sharing, Mixed Martial Arts, Angry John, Sherlock and No Boundaries, Masturbation, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Fighting, Toplock, Reunion) – After Sherlock unceremoniously returns from the dead, John finds himself inexplicably angry all the time. So he does what any emotionally-constipated British man does: he joins a Mixed Martial Arts gym. As John throws himself into the sport and joins in on underground no-holds-barred brawls, situations arise that just might force John to face what is really going on underneath all the rage.

Over/Under Series by khorazir (M, 319,561 w. across 5 works || Cabin Pressure Crossover || Post-S2 / Reichenbach, ReunionFriendship, Angst, Humour, Pining, Cycling, Mountains, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Dev. Rel., Case Fic, First Kiss, Pining, Family Issues, Inexperienced Sherlock) – After his Fall, Sherlock travels the world to destroy what remains of James Moriarty's criminal empire. When things don't go according to plan and he finds himself in desperate need of a discreet means of travel, cue MJN Air ...

[kingdomvel]

Steddie | 3.4k | ao3

five times people don't believe Steve and Eddie are dating + one time they have to

Made the silly post, decided to actually write it

1.

Eddie stops his van in front of Dustin’s house. His was the last stop of the drop off after the dnd session at Gareth’s house. Dustin turns towards Eddie. He is drumming his fingers on the wheel to the beat of the DIO song playing, never still. When Dustin doesn’t move, he turns to look at him with his eyebrows raised.

“Anything wrong, Henderson?”

He is looking at him with his big eyes and Dustin gulps. Even after everything they have been through, Dustin can’t help but feel nervous. There is still this feeling that tells him he has to try to impress Eddie, to be cool enough to be his friend.

“Will you teach me how to play guitar?” Dustin blurts before he chickens out.

Eddie looks at him with surprise, blinking a few times. He was clearly not expecting that question.

“Sure.”

“Wait- really?” Dustin is genuinely surprised. A part of him knew that Eddie wouldn’t say no, but he fully expected some teasing, some ‘what, Henderson, you wanna be like me?’ which. Yes. But he didn’t want Eddie to say it.

“Yeah dude, why not?”

Dustin lets out a delighted laugh and slaps the dashboard. “Yes! Thank you! When are we starting? Any time is good for me-“

“Calm down,” Eddie says with a chuckle.

“What about tomorrow? I can do tomorrow. I will bike to your house after school and you can teach me the basics or-“

“Calm down Henderson,” Eddie repeats louder. Dustin shuts up. “I can’t do tomorrow.”

Dustin’s heart breaks a little. “Why?”

“Because this humble bard has a date with Steve Harrington.” He has a stupid smile on his face when he says it.

There are a couple of seconds of silence and Dustin knows that he is pulling a face.

“Dude, don’t say it like that.”

“Like what?” Eddie looks baffled, almost offended, but there is a shiver going down Dustin’s spine.

“Like that! A date? Just say you are hanging out like a normal person.”

He is used to Eddie’s way of saying things, rarely in a normal way, but that was weird. Don’t get him wrong, he is very happy that Steve and Eddie have stopped acting like idiots every time Dustin mentioned the other and that they are hanging out now. But it’s still strange, seeing them actually getting along so well.

“If I’m going to have the King all to myself I am calling it a date.”

“STOOOP! It’s weird.”

“What is it Henderson?” Eddie says in a teasing tone as he leans towards Dustin. “Jealous that me and Steve are giving each other a bit of love?”

“Stop saying it like that!” Dustin screams. This would be so much weirder if Dustin didn’t know he is just teasing him. Maybe it was better when they were not friends.

The front door to his house opens, and Dustin scrambles to get out of the van before his mother can come and embarrass him more. The last thing he hears is Eddie’s crackling laugh.

2.

“Okay, what is happening?” Robin asks as soon as the door closes after the girl that had just rented Back to the Future.

“Something’s happening?” Steve sends a brief look around with a confused frown on his face before he looks at Robin.

“That girl.” Robin gestures to the door for emphasis.

Steve snorts, “yeah. Back to the Future? That’s funny.” He says as he crosses his arms in front of himself.

“That is not what this is about.”

“It’s not?”

“No! She was a babe!”

“Was she?” Steve looks at the door again, like he had not even seen the girl, like it had not even occurred to him to look at the girl. Robin could kill him.

“Yes! She was!”

“Did you want me to set you up with her? Because I will, you know that. Maybe we can have a code for that, you say- I don’t know- ‘have you watched Fast Times?’ and I will put my best wingman skills to use. I will get you a date in no time.”

Steve is the best friend Robin could ask for. He is also incredibly dumb and she is going to strangle him.

“I didn’t want you to set me up with her.”

“What’s the problem then?”

“The problem is that you are Steve Harrington and you didn’t even try to flirt with her! You should have been all over her, trying to get a date or her number. You haven’t been on a date in weeks! And it’s not even that you are striking out like in scoops, you are not even trying Steve. What is wrong with you?”

“What do you mean I haven’t been on a date in weeks, I was with Eddie just yesterday, I told you.” He has this confused frown on his face, like he seriously doesn’t understand where Robin is coming from.

“Steve, hanging out with Eddie doesn’t count as a date. Also, ew, don’t put that image in my head, I know he is our friend now or whatever and that you like hanging out with him but I would hope for you to have better taste than that.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that Eddie? Seriously? Did you see the stains on his mattress?”

Steve pulls a face, like had not thought about it before. “We’ll buy a new mattress.”

Robin looks at him, trying her best to communicate how gross she finds Eddie with her mind. Steve looks back at her with his eyebrows raised, daring her to say something else about Eddie.

The bell at the door interrupts them. It’s not a babe this time, just a normal guy, returning a tape. They act like the professionals they are until he is out of the door again.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I didn’t flirt with him?” Steve asks, his hand gesturing to the door in that annoying way of his.

“No,” Robin says, but Steve doesn’t really wait for her answer before he continues talking.

“I didn’t because I am dating Eddie!”

“No you are not,” Robin answers with a snort.

“Yes I am.” Steve looks completely betrayed. “I am with him almost every day.”

“Oh, I know what is happening.” It’s so clear, so easy to understand now that Steve has said that. She puts her hands on Steve’s shoulders. He looks at her with a frown, a tilt of his head as he uncrosses his arms in confusion. “Steve.” She tries to convey as much seriousness as she can, just so Steve understands what is happening too. “Just because you have realised you like boys and he is gay and you two are hanging out, it doesn’t mean you two are dating.”

“Oh fu-“ he tries to move away from her but she clutches his shoulders tightly.

“You have to learn how to have friends your age, Steve. Remember when you though you liked me? I got away because I don’t like boys, and Eddie does! But that doesn’t mean he is into you!”

Steve rolls her eyes at her. The audacity. He bats her arms away with more easiness than Robin would like to admit. “Whatever.” He just says.

3.

“Steve”

“Mike” Steve answers in the same serious tone. If not a bit confused. Mike had followed him inside when he had come to get some drinks. He can still hear the others in the pool outside.

“I saw you speaking with Nancy.” Mike states. They had been speaking, close, too close. “And Dustin told me you were making eyes at her during the Vecna thing.”

“What?” Steve whispers as he shakes his head while he takes the drinks out of the fridge.

“Anything to say to defend yourself?” Mike asks him. He crosses his arms, tries to put on a serious pose. Intimidating, as much as he can.

“Listen,” Steve starts, he turns towards Mike him and leans back on the counter. He crosses his arms, and it makes Mike shift, conscious of his own crossed arms. He doesn’t like his tone, as if he is talking to a kid. “I know you are still pissy about me dating your sister, for some reason,” he uncrosses one of his arms to say it. “But she is with Jonathan now and I am totally over her.” Mike just squints at him. He doesn’t believe him. Everyone knows that Steve is not over Nancy. “Totally! I mean it. I’m dating Eddie now.” He says it like it’s a question.

Mike snorts. That is the stupidest lie Steve could have come up with to try to get out of this. “As if.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Eddie is too cool to date you.”

“He is too- I’ve saved your life,” he points to Mike.

“Eddie is still cooler.”

Steve takes a deep breath and Mike doesn’t really want to hear what Steve is going to say to defend himself. Thankfully he doesn’t say anything, his mouth closing as his eyes drift someplace behind Mike.

“I was promised beer,” Eddie’s voice comes from behind Mike.

“You’d have it if Mike here hadn’t decided to give me shit,” Steve answers as he moves to open a can of beer and hands it to Eddie when he gets to him.

“Just-“ Mike huffs. “Don’t get any ideas with my sister.” He says it as he points to Steve while he walks back outside.

Mike doesn’t stay to see Steve’s reaction, but he hears Eddie say “anything I should be worried about?” before the noise of the others drowns everything else.

4.

Max and Eleven giggle as the stand outside of the window to Eddie’s room. He is inside, they can see the lump inside the sheets and the mess of curls on the pillow. They look at each other and nod with a grin before they start banging on the window and shouting his name.

Eddie starts on the bed, Max could swear he lifts a few centimetres from the bed she can hear him scream ‘jesus christ’ through the window before he turns towards them with a squint. He sits up on the bed and reaches across to open the window, he is not wearing a shirt, so they have a full view of all his tattoos. It’s not like Max ever wants to see them so close, but she knows El likes them.

“What the FUCK Mayfield,” he asks, but it doesn’t sound like a question. Then, after a second of him squinting and them more. “Mini Hopper.”

Max doesn’t answer, because behind Eddie another lump is raising from the bed and looking at them with a squint. “Max? Is anything wrong?” Steve asks as he rubs his face and hair with the hand that is not currently propping him up.

“I…” Max starts, but she doesn’t continue. Sure, she had seen Steve shirtless at the boat that one time when they were going after Vecna, but it was nighttime and she had to look through some shitty binoculars.

Eddie reaches a hand back to try to push Steve back down, but it doesn’t really work. He just pushes his face, and Steve lets himself be pushed, just for a bit, before he is straightening again.

“Hey, hey,” Eddie says as he snaps his fingers in front of Max. It works on bringing her attention back to him. “Anything wrong?”

Max shakes her head.

“Are you having a sleepover? I also sleep with Max when we have a sleepover,” El asks.

Eddie looks between them for a couple of seconds before he says, “sure we are.”

It just sounds like he just wants to get rid of them.

“You boys are gross, can’t you put a shirt on?” Max asks. Billy was always walking around shirtless too.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Eddie just replies.

“Did anything happen?” Steve insists.

“We had a sleepover,” El says.

“Yeah, gathered that,” Eddie deadpans.

“We came so you will take us out for pancakes.”

Eddie groans as he lets himself fall back on the bed and looks up at Steve.

“I totally blame you for this being my life now, just so you know.”

Steve just laughs and pushes his face to the side. Max pulls a face, their friendship must be one of the weirdest things that has come out of the whole Vecna thing. Steve turns towards them with a stupid smile on his face.

“Go get your things, we will be out in ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes?!” Eddie protests, but Max and El don’t pay attention to him, already celebrating and running back to Max’s.

The last thing she sees is Steve leaning down towards Eddie with a hand on his face out of the corner of her eye, but she doesn’t really put much thought to it.

5.

Lucas loves having Steve to play with. After all the Vecna stuff, he didn’t really want to hang out with the guys from basketball all that much, so Steve had stepped up. He had bought a hoop for his big driveway for them to practise and everything.

The day is hot, and they have been going at it for hours, so they are both sweaty and tired. They are at Steve’s driveway. It’s just them, sweaty under the sun, and Eddie sitting on a folding chair on the side, for some reason. He was already here when Lucas had arrived, and he had refused to leave. He is on the shade, reading a book, looking way more comfortable than them.

“Pause for drinks?” Steve asks, and Lucas is very happy to agree with him. “Hey!” he yells towards Eddie, he jumps as he looks up. “Don’t think I don’t see you looking at me like a creep. You should be getting us drinks.”

“Sorry sweetheart.” Eddie shouts back as he waves his book.

“Drinks, now.” Steve says with a jerk of his head towards the house.

Eddie drops the book in his haste to stand up and follow Steve inside. They are weird, they act so weird all the time. They should get girlfriends, that way they would maybe stop being weird with each other.

“You want anything, Lucas?” Steve asks as he walks away.

“Just a soda!” Lucas calls out after them.

Steve gives him a thumbs up as he goes through the door.

It’s ten minutes later that Lucas starts to wonder what’s taking them so long. He got tired of practising shoots, and also of sitting down on the grass waiting for them.

The house is blessedly chilly and dark when he comes in.

“Steve?” he calls out.

He walks towards the kitchen. There is sound coming from it, shuffling. When he gets close enough to the kitchen he hears Eddie speak quietly.

“Were you afraid your neighbours might see, big boy?”

“Shut up,” Steve answers. Then there are some wet sounds and when Lucas comes into the kitchen Steve is all over Eddie and-

“DUDE!” Lucas screams. Steve jumps away from Eddie. “What are you doing? What if Robin had seen you?”

Steve looks around. “What?”

“Dustin said you like Robin, what if she was here and she saw you…” he can’t even describe what they were doing, he just knows that if some girl saw that, she would never consider dating Steve.

“I don’t want to date Robin, why does everyone think I want to date Robin?” Steve says.

Lucas doesn’t answer. He just looks at Steve. If it’s not Robin, it’s Nancy, for sure. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell her, or anyone.”

Eddie laughs like a maniac, Lucas just squints at him and goes to grab his soda.

+1

Robin is not sure how they have ended up here. At the Hideout. On a Tuesday. With all the kids and Eddie’s band helping them get ready before even the freaking owner has arrived. She doesn’t know what about Eddie he thought was reliable enough to give him the keys to the bar, but she guesses it’s ‘I don’t want to go work early because some teenagers want to set up their instruments to play their shitty music’. It works for them though, because the kids had been saying how much they wanted to see them play, but they are not allowed to come into the bar when it’s open, so they have come extra early so they can listen to a couple of songs before people start arriving.

“Hey lovebirds!” A voice shouts. It’s one of Eddie’s bandmates. Gareth, Robin thinks he is called. “Stop being disgusting and come here so we can start?”

Robin turns to look for who he could be calling out for. Nancy and Jonathan have not come today, and everyone is in the stage area, everyone except…

“Did you just call Steve and Eddie lovebirds?”

“Yeah, since they started dating they’ve been unbearable.”

“DATING?” Dustin shrieks beside them.

“Shit, sorry, was that supposed to be a secret?” Gareth asks, and he sounds genuinely scared. Robin would normally appreciate it but-

“Oh, you think they are actually dating?” Dustin asks, but it doesn’t sound like a question, more like a realisation.

“Aren’t they?” Jeff asks.

“No, no, it’s just Eddie saying weird things.” Dustin dismisses, but Robin is frozen in place, the cogs in her mind turning.

“You are not dating?” Gareth asks to the side and yep, there Eddie and Steve are, now close to them. Eddie has his arm around Steve’s shoulder and they are leaning against each other.

Shit.

“We are,” Steve says easily. “They just don’t believe us.” Eddie bumps his head against Steve’s and he moves his head slightly away with an annoyed look that looks more fond than anything else.

Robin and Dustin are gaping at them and, from the sudden quiet around them she guesses the rest are too.

“Wait you two are actually dating?!” Lucas voice comes from behind them. “But Dustin said you weren’t going out with anyone because you liked Robin?”

That shakes Robin out of it, if only to turn around and say, “Ew, no.” Doesn’t matter who he is talking to.

“And I told Mike and Robin I was dating Eddie,” Steve says. “And you saw us kissing.”

“Yeah but- I don’t know.”

Eddie’s bandmates are now dying of laughter, Robin can’t even blame them.

“How was I supposed to believe you were telling the truth!” Robin exclaims. That provokes more laughs.

“Wait,” Max intervenes. “So that day you were sleeping together without a shirt…” She trails off, but they all see in her face what she just realised. “Gross!”

“Oh shut up Mayfield,” Eddie says. “I saw you looking at my boyfriend’s tits.”

That shuts Max up.

“You really are dating Steve?” Mike asks.

“Yes, and no stupid comments or your character is dead Wheeler.” Eddie states, pointing to Mike with the arm that is not around Steve.

And that shuts Mike up with a huff and a shake of his head.

“So you two are boyfriends?” El asks. “I think that’s cute.”

“Thanks El,” Steve says.

“I can’t believe you got with a boy before I got with a girl!” Robin exclaims. “And I didn’t know!”

“You would have known if you had believed me!” Steve exclaims back.

“Well sorry for thinking about your dating record and drawing conclusions.”

“Okay, okay,” Gareth interrupts them. “As funny as this is, we need to start now if we want to play anything before the owner arrives.”

“Let’s get this party going,” Eddie exclaims. He moves away from Steve to grab his guitar, and then goes back to Steve and kisses him on the lips. Actually kisses him on the lips in front of everyone, and Steve doesn’t really react except from a smile because why would he? They have been boyfriends for weeks apparently. “Be back in a minute sweetheart.”

Robin fake gags.

Steve moves to stand next to Robin. He has this shit eating grin on his face that Robin can’t stand.

“Shut up,” she says.

Eddie is on the stage now, looking at them with a stupid smile on his face. She should have known they were dating.

“Told you so,” Steve just says.

[courfee]

look at that!! i've talked about it so much and now chapter 1 actually exists in real life!!

[rrat-king]

hey so what if i throw up

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Ok Wild Angsters, you wanted a continuation, so here you go :)

Four already knew what he would be walking into. His phone had been blowing up for hours. He’d come in to work early. Whether he was assigned to take care of Wild or not was another matter - Vaati loved to try and take all the admissions, convinced he was the best nurse on the unit. If Four could just keep Vaati out of Wild’s room, he’d consider it a success.

When the charge nurse told him he would be admitting the trauma alert, he knew who he was getting.

Pre-admission jitters always made Four anxious, but this was an entirely other level of fear. He almost wanted to request a different assignment, but it was too late now. What if he couldn’t take caer of him because he was his friend? What if that impair his decision making? What if he just wasn’t skilled enough to handle it? He knew Ezlo wouldn’t give him an assignment he couldn’t handle, wouldn’t be there to support him, but still…

Four went over the supplies in his room once more. Safety checks were fine—they had suction, they had a bag valve mask, the code card was nearby—and he had all the supplies he needed. It was just a waiting game.

Four paced the unit at least three times before he looked at the OR status board again. Wild was still in surgery. He poked in his chart, glancing at injuries, looking at vital signs and anesthesia notes. The last update he saw was that Wild had gotten another unit of blood. Estimated blood loss so far was around 2200mL.

2200mL. That… wasn’t too terrible, Four supposed. He’d… seen worse.

Please don’t get worse.

Four knew for certain that Wild had been mass transfused in the ED. Warriors, his primary nurse when he was there, had told him as much. Between that and the multiple blood products he’d gotten in surgery, as well all the crystalloids he was likely getting as well…

Four took a breath. Then another. He grabbed his phone, texting Warriors. You doing ok?

Wars didn’t reply.

Four wasn’t entirely sure where everyone was at this point. Hyrule had stayed at the hospital, lingering in the emergency department and then the operating room waiting area, but Four hadn’t seen him since he’d clocked in. Warriors and Legend should be getting off shift now, but whether they were going to stay up was another matter. Time was obviously in the OR (Wild’s wreck had been around 10pm, he’d arrived in the ED around 10:45, and he’d been stabilized for surgery and gone to the OR by around midnight - it was 7am now… he wasn’t sure how long this was going to take, but it couldn’t be much longer). Malon should be getting on shift now as well - she had come in last night when everything had gone down, alongside Twilight. Wind had been cautiously left out of the loop until Wild had gone to surgery, simply because nobody had really had much information at the time, so no one wanted to worry the kid until they could figure things out. Everyone had their hands full as it was. But by now, Four knew Wind was either in the OR waiting room, harassing every respiratory therapist he knew, or in the hospital library pacing anxiously. As for Sky, the last Four heard he was bouncing between different people, checking in on everyone.

He clicked through more anesthesia notes, looked at flow sheets for blood products. There wasn’t much to go on, as charting was sparse. What Four did know was that Wild had been obtunded, got mass transfused, had gotten a chest tube, had been intubated, blood was evident in his abdomen, and he had an open femur fracture. He’s been taken to Time’s OR for a ex-lap. Head CT had shown a bleed, and they were monitoring it. That was all the information Legend had told the group when he’d had a moment to spare.

Four’s vocera activated, telling him he had a call from the charge nurse. When he answered, he was told Malon had called and said they’d be finishing up in about thirty minutes and were likely to come up open.

Why was he coming up with his abdomen open? When had they gone from exploratory laparotomy to a full on open abdomen?

Ten minutes later, Malon called back to give report. When Four answered, the first thing he asked was, “How’s he doing? Is he okay? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Malon said, even though she sounded exhausted. “And he’s… hanging in there. I’ve seen worse, I’ll say that. I’ll give you the full rundown, okay?”

Four listened as Malon gave report, feeling his heart settled into his stomach, which was tying itself in knots. Multiple spots of bleeding, possible compartment syndrome in his abdomen, a likely kidney injury due to compression from the bleeding on some major vessels, a small hematoma in his brain… they’d had to call neurosurgery to do an emergency craniotomy out of overt concern of swelling, given that Wild had apparently had previous head trauma, based on what they saw in the OR.

Open abdomen, craniotomy, ICP monitoring, bleeding, one chest tube… this was a disaster. Four swallowed as he wrote, feeling his hand shake a little as his heart raced. He was not qualified enough to be admitting this. He was not.

But the turnaround on his unit was pretty insane, and he was the most experienced nurse on the unit today. At least Ezlo was charge; he knew he’d be well supported.

This was a nightmare. But Four had dealt with nightmares, and he would deal with this. He wasn’t going to screw up taking care of any patient, but especially his friend.

Sighing, he hung up the phone after thanking Malon, pushing worries for her and Time aside, trying to focus on what he would need, who he should grab to help him, and how he should prep his room.

It was time to get to work.

When everyone arrived from the OR, Four made brief eye contact with Time. He couldn’t read much from the man, who was stone faced, aside from the exhaustion evident in the dark circles under his eyes. Four got to work quickly, assessing Wild from head to toe as he looked to see what IV medications he was on. A coworker wrote the note while Ezlo helped detangle his lines (the OR always brought up a mess, after all). Time gave an overview of the surgery, and Four listened along as he checked pupils, as he zeroed the arterial line and the ICP monitor, as he listened to lung and heart sounds, as he checked the chest tube and stripped it with his fingers to ensure patency, as he checked peripheral pulses, as he looked at the abdominal dressing to get a baseline in case there was swelling from bleeding later. One of the techs connected the chest tube to wall suction, and Four looked over his drips. Only having levophed at 2 wasn’t terrible, and he was getting a unit of red blood cells, which was in a transfusion set that was y’d to some lactated ringers fluid. He was on propofol for sedation. Another nurse grabbed a blood gas from his arterial line and sent off labs. His foley he had was temp sensing, and Four quickly ascertained that Wild was cold, so he set up the blanket warmer and covered his friend up.

His friend. His friend.

Four shook his head. He had to focus.

As Time left the room, he put a hand on Four’s shoulder, making him freeze. The surgeon didn’t speak, just locking eyes with him. Four wasn’t entirely sure if it was for his own benefit or not. But he had no more time to let his emotions make any decisions for him. He nodded to the doctor, who nodded in return, and then the two went their separate ways.

This was going to be a long day.

[flying-cat]

Preparing myself to read a Persona 5 fic because it sounds super interesting but Maruki is a tagged character which means there's like a 70% chance that he's being mischaracterized

[helloliriels]

ANTAGONISH

"As I was walking up the stair,

. I met a man who wasn't there.

He wasn't there again today.

. I wish, I wish ... he'd go away."

. - William a Hughes Mearns

.

John had stepped into the flat only a handful of times since Sherlock's demise.

The pain of memories ... happy, whole, perfect memories ... too much to bear.

It was empty now. Their flat.

. Theirs.

. And it had been.

Once.

.

John steeled himself for what he was to face - going up those seventeen steps ...

The unshakable feeling that if he was just to turn around ... ?

Sherlock would be right behind him.

Coming up the stairs.

That if he turned back around ... Sherlock would be before him.

Beckoning him home.

.

John huffed a laugh.

Foolish.

His childish imagination.

But the last time he had been here, he could have sworn ...

.

He took one last look around to confirm that the hall and the landing were, in fact, empty.

Then he took a firm step forward. One.

Then two. Three.

.

He paused.

The hair on the back of his neck rising.

Shaking his head against the urge to look.

.

Don't turn around ...

. Don't turn around ...

. Don't turn.

.

He took another step.

Willing himself to keep moving.

.

A creak on a stair below him.

He isn't there ...

.

The echo of a step ...

Stop it!

.

John froze. Willing his eyes to stay downcast on his own shoes. He studied them. As worn and haphazard as his hope ...

Then forced himself once more, to move.

.

Three more steps. Two more steps. One.

His hand reached out for the door to 221B.

He took a deep breath.

.

This time the step behind him on the stair, was unmistakable ...

As was the fall of a large hand onto the wooden railing below.

.

"Sherlock?"

.

John spoke the name aloud before he could stop himself.

The stairwell was silent.

John's grip on the door handle tightened.

The tears stinging at the corners of his eyes ...

.

He took another deep breath.

His imagination.

Just his imagination ...

A wild, hopeful, god damned wishful and desperately-longing-for-all-of-this-to-be-just-a-magic-trick imagination ... begging the universe not for an empty stairwell ...

... but for an empty grave.

.

"I asked you for one more miracle," John told the air.

Oddly. The confession seemed to help quiet his nerves.

He looked up. Pinpointing the light of the setting sun.

"I asked you not to be dead."

He knew the words were final. Closure.

.

Somehow ... the air in the hall itself, held its breath ...

.

Then he heard a gasp.

And a heavy step below him.

Accompanied by the very real feeling ... Unmistakable.

That of a warm hand moving along a polished wooden rail. The slightest friction echoing up the stairs ...

.

John tried to steady his heart rate. His pulse thrumming in his ears, nearly drowning out the sound ... If it even had been real ...?

Sherlock's voice broke the silence next, barely a whisper ...

. "I heard you."

.

It sounded unsteady ... shaky ...

. fragile ... ?

Like a ghost.

.

But the next thing he heard was a very real hiss of pain, shattering his illusions ... even as he felt the thud of a body collapsing onto the stairs below.

John was down the stairs in seconds.

Gathering the long-missing detective into his arms. Every sense taking in and cataloguing what his eyes could not yet believe ...

(... continued below the cut)

"Sherlock? Oh, God - Sherlock!" John cradled his friend closer, rocking him into a better position where he could check him for wounds ... for anything he could do to help alleviate his pain ...?

He couldn't make out was cause of Sherlock's distress, but the man was fading into unconsciousness.

"Just ... hold on, Sherlock!" John commanded hauling Sherlock up into his arms.

Despite Sherlock's thin stature, he had been almost pure muscle before, but now ... John didn't want to think about how Sherlock could have lost this much weight in the time he had been away?

He was real. He was here. That was all that mattered.

John found the strength to carry whatever weight Sherlock had, gladly.

.

Upstairs, he tucked Sherlock into a bed that lay fitted and ready for use as if he had never left it ... and then stared at the sight in wonder.

Sherlock was alive. Sherlock was home.

John felt Sherlock shift and those crystal blue eyes blinked open for a moment. He could see Sherlock fought against the sleep that desperately wanted to overtake him.

How tired was he ... ?

John shushed him and managed to settle him back down. Watching as his friend's demeanor relaxed. His eyes closed, and his breathing evened out ...

Seconds passed. Minutes.

Maybe hours.

When John felt Sherlock's hand reach out in his sleep ... and grasp for his hand.

"... John, I ..."

The baritone voice poured into John's veins. Hot liquid. More valuable than blood. More heady than pure oxygen. Speeding up his heart rate again ...

"... I heard you," Sherlock sighed with relief, "I heard you ..."

.

John sighed too.

. Sherlock was dreaming.

This time ... John knew he wasn't the only one wishing for an empty grave. A successful magic trick.

They were both experiencing a miracle.

John gripped Sherlock's hand firmly, caressing the knuckles as he watched his miracle ...

. Sleep.

.

@flashfictionfridayofficial @whumptober

@johnlocky @fluffbyday-smutbynight @totallysilvergirl @gregorovitchworld @lisbeth-kk @john-smiths-jawline @chinike @rhasima @calaisreno @discordantwords @raina-at @kettykika78 @khorazir @hasenkind687 @iwlyanmw @missdeliadili @safedistancefrombeingsmart @iamjustreading @jobooksncoffee @topsyturvy-turtely @keirgreeneyes @peanitbear @amyreadsandstresses @shiplocks-of-love @caffeinatedanxiouscucumber @timberva @colourfulwatson @arwamachine @peageetibbs @meetinginsamarra @whatnext2020 @purplevatican @ineffableuser @estrella-creek @k2ntwo @kaursblog11 @mrb488 @justanobsessedpan @gaylilsherlock @sarahthecoat @7-percent @lillysliterature @ninasnakie @the-reading-lemon @a-victorian-girl @wizama @jawnscoffee @13monkton ... I'm getting back into writing, go easy on me!

[kindaasrikal]

How tf did this fanfic actually reach 5k words already on chapter one and its not even half way completed.

The things i do for morro 😭

[wr0ngwarp]

and no promises were kept

2024 OFF FANART JUMPSCARE. every time i think too hard about hugo i crumple up and die. read the fic i wrote abuot him also

[fence-time]

Handful o’ drawings based off of @a-plethora-of-peters ‘s So much for stardust au

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hello! Sooo...The bonfire scene... It's not really play on words when I say my HEART IS ON FIRE BECAUSE OF IT. So I was wondering if you had any fics about this scene. Cheers! 🐺💙

Hey Lovely!

Ah, I THOUGHT I did a list before but apparently not, and I am dumb and didn't tag proper. There might be some bonfire stuff on this list: The Empty Hearse-Related Fics

Anyone able to offer us a few??

[lmk-vibes]

Jayvikers can y'all link me jayvik fics in which they don't have sex but are in chatacter?

[alcoholicweiwuxian]

does anyone know that wangxian fic where wei wuxians body starts changing from mo xuanyu's back to his original one ? i need to read it. for my agonies. but i cant find it :(

EDIT: found !! Saw My Life in a Stranger's Face by timetoboldlygo

[dervampireprince]

Will You Join Me Once Again?

[18+, minors dni) Pairing: Leon Belmont/Vlad 'Dracula Tepes (Mathias Cronqvist) Words: 6,532 Rating: Explicit Read on Ao3 Tags: Dracula Vlad Tepes (Mathias Cronqvist)/Lisa (Mentioned) | Leon Belmont/Dracula Vlad Tepes (Mathias Cronqvist)/Lisa (Mentioned) | Polyamory | Polyamorous Dracula & Lisa - theres no cheating here | Trans Man Leon Belmont | Love Confessions | Getting Together | Reunions | Vaginal Penetration | Fingering | Oral | Multiple Orgasms | First Time | Virgin Leon Belmont | Internal Conflict | Happy Ending | Mirror Sex | Praise Kink | Voice Kink | Size Difference | Dom Top Vlad | Sub Bottom Leon Summary: Grass. Wet grass. That was the first thing Leon felt. His fingers twitched against soil, dirt creeping under his fingernails. He breathed. He breathed. And then he opened his eyes. Set after the finale of Castlevania season 4; What if Leon Belmont also woke up naked in a field, somehow revived. And what if he found his old friend and they talked (amongst other things). Combines Castlevania Lament of Innocence and the Castlevania animated series lore. Notes: my first writing in two and a half years huh. i started writing this after rewatching castlevania season 1 back in september 2024 and had the urge to finally write something for these two, who i adore together so much. but i started getting a headache and it was late and i went to bed instead of finishing the fic. which was the right thing to do for my health, but it did mean because i took a break i never picked up the fic again. until today. i binged all of castlevania nocturne yesterday and randomly today i just thought 'hey i reckon i could finish that fic' and i did.

Grass. Wet grass. That was the first thing Leon felt. His fingers twitched against soil, dirt creeping under his fingernails. He breathed. He breathed. And then he opened his eyes.

Waking up naked and alone in a forest wasn't the typical start to Leon Belmont's day. Especially since he hadn't gotten to start a day in over four hundred years. Wherever he had been since his death, he wasn't sure. Time passed strangely, and at times he could almost reach out and see what happening to his descenders. Centuries of Belmonts fighting vampires, that's what his legacy had become. And all of it stemming from one man.

He hadn't seen Mathias in the spirit world, or hell or whatever that place had been. Perhaps their souls had both gone to very different places. And yet despite how he had cursed Mathias, he had been... Well at first he had been angry, angry that he could not confront him, that he could now ask him if his betrayal had been worth it... and then he'd been... alone. Sara's soul was forever floating on Earth, unable to be with him. And by the end of his life, he had no other friends left, pushing them all away, scared to trust anyone... scared to trust himself. He had failed. Walter was dead, but so was Sara... and then Mathias took Walter's place. He had changed nothing. If he hadn't gone to the castle, if he hadn't killed Walter, maybe Mathias would have never become... him...

Mathias. No. Dracula.

And perhaps all the people killed in his wake would still be alive. How much suffering would be undone if he had never killed Water. Or if he'd been able to kill Mathias... But he couldn't do it. Even after everything Mathias had done, Leon was too soft, couldn't stop his damn heart from loving him. Hell, sometimes he'd wondered if he'd confessed how he felt, maybe Mathias would had never become so desperate to have gone searching for Walter in the first place.

But that was long ago. That's what he told himself. He couldn't change it. That didn't stop him from eternally thinking about it. Feeling guilty for not saving enough people, for not stopping Mathias... and sometimes, when low enough, he felt guilty for not going with Mathias in the end. Maybe he could have changed him, made him see sense, maybe he didn't try hard enough to save his friend.

He had to steal some clothes. Whoever or whatever resurrected him could have at least provided that. Though perhaps Leon was brought back just to suffer some more, humiliate himself for whatever god was watching.

At least it was night. That made it easier to sneak around the outskirts of a nearby village, watching for movement in windows, until he braved sneaking into a house and stealing some clothes. He swiped a knife from their kitchen on the way out. Unsure of what he was supposed to do with this new life, but sure that wasn't going to have any luck. That danger was probably going to find him.

That was the thought he had when he them. A couple. They were walking towards what seemed to be an inn. They had their hoods up but despite being out of practise, Leon knew a vampire when he saw one. Times had changed. Dracula was dead. Perhaps he should leave them alone.

The vampire turned, as if sensing Leon was watching him, and Leon saw his face. Older and harsher and with a beard and a moustache but those eyes were as red as they were the last time Leon saw them but he was dead he knew he was dead, he felt it and felt it again as something on his said on the veil shifted and then he was dead again wasn't he, wasn't he-

The vampire turned back, ushered his companion inside, and Leon struggled to breath.

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

When the vampire's companion came down to the pub attached to the inn, Leon was there. He watched and waited while she asked for some wine and food, and while the innkeeper turned and left to gather what she'd asked for, he approached.

She turned her head to meet his eyes. She was blonde. Her eyes were blue. Leon tried to think that could mean nothing.

And then he pieced together glimpses of this world, of Dracula's revenge statement of revenge that seeped through the cracks of the Earth and out into elsewhere.

His wife. This was his wife. They were both alive. Somehow. And they were together. Leon should leave them be. But he had so much he wanted to say, so much he needed to hear.

"Can I help you?"

He was staring. He had been staring. What do you say to the wife of your best friend turned enemy when all three of you are supposed to be dead? When the last thing you said to her husband was swearing that you'd kill him. When the last time you saw him he looked down at you as though you'd broken his heart-

"Do I know you?" She tilted her head and stared as though she could possibly know there was any sort of connection here. "You look... I swear I've seen your face before."

He was never any good at beating around the bush and being subtle anyway.

"My name is Leon."

Her eyes widened, she sucked in a breath and then... her shoulders dropped. "Oh," she said. "That explains that then."

It explains what? Had... Had Mathias talked about him? Probably gloated about how naive Leon had been but... She didn't look at him with disdain. Could... did Mathias feel guilty too?

"Would you like a drink?"

He blinked, dumbfounded. "With you?"

"Yes. Why not. I think... we have a lot we could talk about."

"You want to talk with me?"

"Yes. Especially if it could help you not try and kill my husband."

Leon nodded. Unable to think of anything to say as she asked for another drink and moved to sit at a table in the corner.

"I don't... I don't think I plan on killing him," Leon said as he sat across from her.

"You 'don't think'," She raised an eyebrow, looking down at him with as though she knew the conflict inside him, as though she could possibly know anything about him.

"I want to talk to him."

"About what?"

"About us," Leon regretted his phrasing the moment he said it.

"Us? You and Vlad?" She teased. She was teasing. He had accidentally implied a closer connection with her husband and she wasn't offended, she was teasing?

"I didn't mean it like, that is we weren't, well I don't know what you know about-"

"He's told me far more about you than I think you expect, Leon Belmont." He was cut off by her laughter, then she looked sad. "He wasn't proud of it, you know. What he did. He wondered if we'd see you in the afterlife, and how he would apologise, and how he thought nothing he could say would be enough. That you would never forgive him."

"And he'd have been right," Leon sighed. "For a time, at least."

"And now?"

"And now... And now I don't know what I'm doing here, how I'm here, how either of you are here, and I have no one and nothing and..."

"And?"

Leon couldn't get the words out. They burned in his throat. He thought of Sara, he thought of all humans that must have been killed by Mathias after he turned, and he felt guilty because despite all that all he wanted made him feel evil. Tears welled in his eyes.

"I just want to see my friend."

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

He'd gotten his own room at the inn. Felt awful as he picked someone's pocket for the money, but now at least he had somewhere to sleep.

And somewhere to wait.

Lisa, that was her name, had listened, and they'd talked and fuck she'd placed her hand on his as he'd cried. She should hate him for turning up here. For threatening to ruin their lives, this peace they were trying to make for themselves.

But she'd been kind. She'd been unashamed of Leon and his actions, and unashamed of Mathias. Vlad, she called him, that's what he went by now. And she told him of their lives, of the monster Mathias had become and then stopped being, how they'd fallen in love, of their son, and then of her death and everything that followed.

And after Leon was finished saying everything he needed too, she promised she'd go and tell Vlad, Mathias, him, everything and try and convince him to come to Leon's room so they could talk. Well actually she didn't say 'try', she said she would convince him. She seemed very sure of that. Leon thought he was starting to like her.

There was no creaking of floorboards, no footsteps. Only a cold chill seeping in from under the door.

"It's open," Leon said before anyone could knock.

The handle turned behind him. A footstep, then another, then the door closed.

"Finally have the courage to face me, old friend?"

"You visited my wife." His voice, Christ, Leon had almost forgotten what it was like. Smooth and dark and all caressing.

"I did. I wanted to talk. To understand. And I wanted you to understand that I merely want to talk"

"Hmmm, so she said."

Silence. It was Leon's turn to speak and he... He breathed, tried not to shudder, knew the damn vampire could hear it in his lungs.

"You speak of me facing you, yet you do not turn to face me. Are you frightened of what you might see? Or are you a mere trick after all. Lisa has heard stories of you, seen your face, but I would know you anywhere, little lion-"

"You do not get to call me that!" Leon whirled around, hands clenching, tears stinging his eyes and...

And there he was. Tall. Taller than Leon remembered. Perhaps the vampirism had added to his already stupid height. There were lines under his eyes, around his mouth. He had never had facial hair when he'd been Mathias. His once green eyes still that crimson red and wide, wide open as if he too was in shock.

"It really is you..." Vlad said as if in wonder. Leon could not fathom how he could be wondrous any more.

"And it really is you," And because sarcasm and stubborn was in his blood. "Nice beard."

Vlad laughed. Actually laughed. As if Leon's remark had cut through all the insanity of what had happened over the last twenty-four hours. And Leon's lips quirked up as he fought against the contagious laughter.

"Well," Vlad said. "I was never good at growing any when I was human. But..."

"Things changed. You changed."

"You haven't," Vlad took a step closer. "Leon you look... It's as if not a single day has passed. You look... perfect."

Leon drew in a breath, stepped backwards to keep distance between them and hoped by doing that he could ignore the beating of his heart. But he knew Vlad couldn't.

"Don't pity me."

"Leon, that's not... I'm not-"

"I know what I did, alright. I fucked up, I ruined everything. I couldn't save Sarah, couldn't defeat you, couldn't see that it was all one big trap, and despite all of that you know what also won't leave me? That I couldn't see that my best friend, the person I loved most in this world, was in so much pain that he'd go and turn himself into a fucking vampire so he didn't have to feel any more and try and claim some stupid revenge as if he could kill God himself, as if God even gives a fuck about any of us, after everything I gave and the world still becomes this mess, ridden with monsters and I couldn't stop any of it Mathias, I couldn't stop it, I couldn't stop..."

Leon was sobbing. He could hear it in his voice, the way it slid up in pitch made him feel sick. And Vlad was just watching, hands clenching, one arm stretching out as if he wanted to reach out to comfort him like old times. But this wasn't old times any more.

"None of it was your fault, Leon."

"Why? Because you're too damn smart I never stood a chance?" Leon spat.

"No... No... Because it wasn't your job to take care of me. It wasn't your job to track anyone down or defeat monsters. You took that upon yourself because you're good, Leon," Vlad shook his head. "You know I was jealous of you?"

"No you weren't."

"Oh, but I was. Not of your stubbornness, or impatience, or how you'd fall asleep during the Commander's lectures and I'd have to wake you up every time you were almost caught... But of your light. Your kindness. Your willingness to help others. If you are at fault for anything it's caring too much, and I would not fault you for that. And then I infected your light, with my darkness. And for that, and all the pain I have ever caused you, I am sorry."

Silence stretched between them. Leon heaved and tried to control himself, shuffling back every time Vlad tried to get any closer. Hating himself for how much he wanted to allow Vlad to touch him.

"Why are you here Leon?" Vlad said, eventually. "Why did you come to me? What do you want?"

"I... I don't know. I don't know what I expected. Probably that I wouldn't believe any apology if you gave one... but now... I don't believe you're lying and I don't know what to do with that. I spent so long being angry at you. And... I'm tired, Mathias."

"I know. I am too," A pause. "But you didn't answer my question."

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"The truth, Leon. You were never a coward. Don't start being one now." He stepped closer again. "Lisa gave her blessing for me, for us, to do whatever we want in here. So I ask you again, what do you want? Why would she say that? Unless she knows something about you that I don't."

Another step closer.

"I've confided in her about everything. She knows our history. She knows what you look like because I still have an old painting of you. Did you know I never thought it out? I couldn't. Do you know why, Leon? Did you ever wonder why I asked you to join me? Do you need it spelled out for you, little lion?"

Leon was backed up against the window now. He could run. If he ran maybe Vlad would let him go and he could start a new life, no vampires, no fucking Dracula.

"I can feel your heart race, Leon. I'd beg you to not hide your truth from me. Not now we're getting this second chance."

Leon scoffed. "As if you'd ever beg."

"You wouldn't know, would you?"

Images raced across Leon's mind. His breathed hitched.

"Why do you want to hear it? So you can gloat? That after all this time, I'm so pathetic that after everything you've done I am still in love with you."

"...All this time?"

Leon winced. "You didn't know?"

"Catching you staring back then, and hearing your heart racing now... Attraction is different from love, Leon."

"Would it have changed anything? If I'd told you back then?"

"...I don't know," Vlad shifted, his hand brushed Leon's arm and when Leon didn't flinch he grew bolder. "And I don't know how we're here now, alive once more, and next to each other. It is almost as if we were fated to find each other again. And despite your... feelings, if you wish me to leave and never come near you again, I will do so. I don't wish to cause you any further pain, Leon, but..."

Vlad towered over Leon, nails scraping over his neck, his chin, tiling his head up. Leon should be afraid.

He wasn't.

"Should you want otherwise..."

Vlad leaned in, slowly, slow enough to allow Leon to back out. He wasn't caged. He could leave.

He placed his hands against Vlad's chest, holding him there.

"Leon?" Fuck his voice sounded wrecked. As if merely being this close was ruining him. As if he was possibly even scared that Leon was rejecting him once more.

But Leon wasn't going to make a mistake twice.

"I need to know this is real, that you're real, that you... That you really want me."

"Sweet boy, I have always wanted you, even when I didn't realise or accept it. I was so blinded by rage and grief, as seems to be my continuous folly. But don't think I didn't see you. That I didn't want. When I offered you a place by my side, I meant it in every way. As my friend, and as my consort. Did you not realise that?"

"It... it wouldn't have mattered, it couldn't have mattered. I would have never joined your crusade against humanity."

"I know. But that's not what I asked."

Leon tried to laugh. "Did I notice that you liked me in return? No. How could I? You were... everything, Mathias. I never thought I could be... enough."

"Oh, Leon," Vlad forced him to meet his gaze once more. "You were always enough."

His warm hands clenched the dark grey tunic as he pushed himself up onto his toes and he sobbed as Vlad's mouth met his.

He'd imagined how his first kiss with Mathias might go many times. Whether he would shyly confess his feelings and Mathias would take him into his arms, or Mathias would come into Leon's tent already knowing what Leon wanted and finally doing something about it, or whether before one last battle Leon would throw caution to the wind.

Being pressed up against a wall by a vampire almost twice his size being kissed as though he might disappear at any moment had never once been one of those fantasies. But Leon was not complaining.

He whimpered and clawed at Vlad, until the other pulled away, letting him breathe.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to shut you up by doing that," Vlad rumbled.

"No," Leon panted. "I don't. I still don't know if I believe all of this is real but, if it is... Perhaps you should show me?"

"Leon... I have to know exactly what you want. I won't hurt you again."

"Anything. Everything. All of you," And then he added. "Please."

Vlad made a noise at the back of his throat and then he was kissing Leon again and picking up him off the ground into his arms. Or at least he tried too, but Leon was already pawing at his belt, his tunic, trying to push everything off him.

They broke away laughing.

"Always too eager and impatient, Leon. Hush. We're both here. Somehow. And after all this time I am going to take my time and enjoy you."

Slower than before, belts were unfastened, boots were kicked, and shirts were pushed off each other's shoulders.

Leon felt unsure of himself for a moment, nervous under Vlad's gaze. But Vlad simply trailed a thumb down Leon's throat, his chest, and curled his hand where it rested around his hip.

"Gorgeous," Vlad murmured, and then his lips were back on Leon's and Leon hadn't really registered they'd moved until the backs of his knees hit the edge of the bed.

He braced himself as he expected to be pushed down, but no such push came. Instead, Vlad's hands slid down over his hips, and the rest of his giant body went down with them, kissing his way down Leon's chest until he was kneeling at Leon's feet.

"How would you let me have you?"

Leon shuddered as Vlad looked up at him. Having this powerful creature on his knees before him, asking what he wanted, asking how he was allowed to have him... it made Leon's head spin.

"I already said. I want anything, everything. Place me how you want me."

"I want you to feel good, Leon."

"Yes, and," Leon cut himself off, realising he sounded irritated as if Vlad should know, as if he could guess. "I, I like, that is I would like, I... It would feel good for you to place me how you want me."

"Oh," Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Feeling suddenly embarrassed, Leon raised a hand to his face, but Vlad snatched it and pinned it to his hip.

"Is that what you enjoy Leon? Is that what you've thought about? Me taking what I want from you? Ravishing you in any way I see fit? Telling you what to do for me?"

Leon moaned. Vlad hadn't touched him and he'd moaned. The urge to crawl into a hole and hide flew from his mind as Vlad smiled. Leon wanted Vlad in control, and Vlad wanted Leon to want him in control.

All Leon had to do was nod his head and Vlad was pushing him onto the bed, moving him, positioning him up on his knees, his back pressed against Vlad's cold chest. Like this, Vlad could run his hands over Leon's body, peer down over Leon's shoulder to see the flush spreading down his chest. But that's not why he'd chosen this position.

"You are a vision, Leon," Vlad signed into neck. "Don't you see?"

He didn't know how he was supposed to see, and whether he was anything special at all in the eyes of someone who had lived long enough to see countless beauties. But a hand grabbed his chin and forced his gaze across the room.

Oh.

His cheeks were red, hair starting to matt against his forehead, thighs shaking, his, fuck, his thighs were slick. He must have already been wet and then pressed his legs together while they were moving. And he could see all of this because there was a mirror in the corner of the room.

He watched, transfixed and embarrassed, as Vlad's hand reached down between his legs.

"You will tell me if I do anything you dislike?"

Leon nodded and that's all the warning he got before a finger dipped down and swirled against his cock.

It was cold. Leon knew it would be cold, but that didn't prepare him. But it wasn't bad. Fuck, it wasn't bad. The finger gently moved in circles, around and around his cock. Leon cried. He bucked his hips but Vlad tutted and held their bodies together with his other hand. That didn't help Leon's want to squirm as now he could feel it. Doubts he had about Vlad's want for him were dripping away as he felt Vlad's cock pressing into the base of his spine.

Vlad teased him like that for a while, drawing circles around his cock until Leon was babbling, begging for more and calling him a fucking tease. Vlad laughed before finally sliding two fingers between his folds and pressing them against his hole.

"Leon," Vlad shuddered as though he could still breathe. "Already this wet for me. I really have kept you waiting, haven't I, little one?"

"Please," Was all Leon could gasp out as he fought uselessly to be able to rock his hips against Vlad's.

Leon cried and his hold body went taught as one of Vlad's fingers pushed inside. He clawed at Vlad's arms, scratching him, head throwing itself back against his shoulder. All the while Vlad hushed him, praised him, while he slid his finger back and forth until a second one joined it.

Vlad's lips mouthed at where Leon's neck met his shoulder, sensitive skin that Leon had exposed by turning his head away, trying to hide his face away in his hair. If he let his eyes wander up without moving his head, he could see his toes curling against the crimson sheets, his calves shaking, his thighs-

He averted his eyes, suddenly scared he would become too overwhelmed if he saw Vlad's fingers thrusting in and out.

Nails scratched at his cheek before Vlad's left hand snaked around them and fingers dug into Leon's cheeks. His eyes half-lidded as his vision shifted, Vlad's hand pushing his head backwards.

"Look."

Vlad's voice had always been beautiful. How many times had Leon's mind wandered whilst Mathias gave some lecture about their next movements, his next plans? How many times had Leon received an order and flushed? How many times had he gone back to his tent, imagining what other orders would sound like in that voice?

It was too easy to obey.

"That's it, Leon. Look at what you've become for me. The proud lion turning into my wanton whore," Vlad's voice was right in his ear, if he could breathe Leon would have felt it. "Were you always like this, underneath? When you would retire to your tent in the camp early, would you put a hand over your mouth while you played with your cock? Would you cry out over having nothing big enough to fill your dripping cunt? Did you imagine any of your knights coming to your aid, I wonder."

"No!" The volume of his own voice shocked Leon. "No, no, I, you have to have... you have to know that it was you, it was always you. Couldn't- Couldn't think straight during briefings, you, you, God, Mathias, it was always you."

He couldn't see Vlad in the mirror, couldn't know if he was shocked, if he was pleased. He couldn't hear his breath hitch. But he could feel Vlad's grip tighten.

"And what would you have done, little lion, if I had heard your muffled moans? If I had heard you crying out my name? If I'd stepped into your tent?"

"Anything. I, I would been embarrassed but if you'd shown any interest, if you'd asked... I would have done anything you asked. Anything, Mathias please."

Leon's hand scrambled and clasped itself around Vlad's arm as the fingers continued to pump in and out of him. It looked obscene, seeing himself stretched out in the mirror, clenching down on seemingly nothing.

"Please, Mathias, I want to see you," He tugged on Vlad's arm, tried to turn his head towards the other man. "I need to see you, need to see you, to know you're real, Mathias please."

Vlad sighed and his fingers pulled out and for a moment Leon was worried he'd ruined everything. But then Vlad was pressing him back into the bed and kissing him. Hands that could crush him were carefully cupping his face.

He'd always been the taller of the two, but whether through his own will or not Vlad had definitely added to his height and Leon and never felt how vastly different their bodies were until now. With a thrill, he realised he was caged.

"Need you," Leon mumbled between kisses.

"You were never good at being patient" Vlad chuckled. "Though I suppose in a way I've made you wait far longer than you should have had too."

"Indeed you have. So will you get on with it?"

One of Vlad's nails flicked against his cock and Leon yelped.

"Imprudence must surely be inherited in you Belmonts. I thought I taught you manners years ago. You were so prettily begging me a second ago and you've already forgotten how to say please," Vlad slunk down the bed until his face was between Leon's legs.

Leon gulped.

"Please."

One long, slow swipe of his tongue over Leon's cunt was enough to have him already wailing. His hips fought to stutter and arch off the bed, but Vlad's hands had him pinned by the hips.

Leon's hand came to his mouth on instinct, embarrassed at how easily he fell apart, afraid he'd give away how touch-starved he was down there.

"None of that, little lion," Vlad growled. "I want to hear every noise I wring out of you, you sweet oversensitive thing. No one has touched you since you've been reborn, hm?"

"Half-right," And this was exactly why Leon wanted to cover his mouth, lest it speak without asking his brain for advice first.

"Half?" Nails dug into hips as Vlad's voice darkened. "Leon..."

"You could call me an old romantic and say I was waiting for you?" Leon's shoulders tensed awkwardly. "It really doesn't need to a huge issue, I don't want you thinking you can't do anything to me, or that I don't know what I want just because I haven't... Just because I'm..."

"A virgin? You didn't think to mention-"

"I wanted you to still want to do this."

"-that I'd get the pleasure of being the first to touch you here? The first to taste you? The first to take you? You thought that would lessen my pleasure?"

"I..."

"You want to put that hand of yours somewhere? Here."

And with that Vlad dove back down, thumbs, pulling apart Leon's labia, spreading him open. One of his hands grabbed Leon's wrist and pulled it down, pulled Leon's hand onto his head. Leon's fingers trembled.

"Take from me, Leon. Take your pleasure, use me to make you come. And only after that shall I fill you like you need."

Well, Leon had never been one to refuse a challenge. Though this was out of his usual area of expertise and was uncharacteristically unsure of himself.

All it took was Vlad wrapping his lips around his cock and sucking to charge Leon into action.

Gasping, he grabbed onto Vlad's hair and started rocking his hips. Vlad moaned at every tug of Leon's hand, and that only made Leon grow bolder. He relished in Vlad's muffled noises as starting grinding into his face, pressing desperately as if he could fuck his cock down Vlad's throat if he tried hard enough.

His reborn body not having even been touched by himself, and how long it had been since he had slid his hand between his legs meant he was never going to last long. He curled inwards, stomach tensing, hardly able to get out any words but Vlad understood. And all it made him do was grab Leon's hips and pull them against his face, mouth opening as wide as it could, tongue breaching Leon's hole and Leon was arching against the bed and flooding Vlad's mouth.

Leon panted as he came down, whimpering as he pushed Vlad's head away from his oversensitive cock. From his lips down, Vlad's face was soaked, but he could not look as though he cared less.

Smirking and pressing a kiss to the inside of Leon's thigh, he asked. "Do you still wish to take me, Leon?"

And any tiredness from his orgasm left him as he remembered what he wanted, what he was finally going to have.

"Please, please," Leon's could hear how slurred his words sounded, as if he was drunk off the pleasure Vlad was giving too him. "Don't, don't fucking tease me anymore, I can take it, please let me take it."

Vlad crawled over him, making hushing noises and kissing his cheeks.

"I don't want to hurt you, Leon."

"You wont. Look at me," Leon pulled their foreheads together. "I want you to fuck me like we've been starved for it, I want you to stretch me open and ruin me for anyone else's cock, you understand?"

Vlad was silent for a moment, before groaning.

"Fuck."

And Leon yelped as he was grabbed, pushed up onto the pillow, legs pulled up into the air, knees trying to reach Vlad's shoulders, his body being bend over itself, as Vlad arranged him to his liking. He could feel Vlad's cock sliding against his hole, not pressing in yet, and fuck he wasn't sure he'd ever felt this desperate for anything in his life.

He reached a hand up, cupped Vlad's cheek, and simply said please once more.

The hand flew away as he gasped, arching, as Vlad's cock pushed inside of him. Vlad grabbed his hand and pressed it back against his cheek, nuzzling into it, kissing it.

"Fuck, Leon, so tight, so warm for me, so perfect," Vlad babbled that and other such praises as he sunk into Leon's welcoming body.

"Don't wait, I can take it, please move," Leon's hand slipped backwards, sliding into Vlad's hair and tugging once more.

Vlad growled, causing Leon to clench around him, before starting to fuck him like Leon had asked.

Leon had never felt this full. Shoving his fingers inside himself in his tent was nothing compared to this. Vlad's cock grazed over every sensitive spot, stretched him out like he'd begged, and he realised he'd been right. He was going to be ruined for anyone else. And fuck the thought only made him wetter. The idea that Vlad was making him take his cock, moulding his body into the perfect sheath. And Leon wanted it, he wanted to be used, he wanted to be useful, to do finally do something right.

"Oh Leon, little lion, my love."

He hadn't realised he was crying, until Vlad's face came down upon his, foreheads touching more move.

"Don't you dare stop," Leon choked out.

So Vlad didn't. He kissed Leon's wet cheeks, licked up his tears, and then licked his way into Leon's mouth.

Leon sobbed, hiccupped, and flung his arms around Vlad's back, trying to pull him closer, burying his face in Vlad's neck.

"Leon, I- Gorgeous boy, I won't last much longer. How many nights I'd thought about ordering you into my tent to have my way with you, having you on your knees like the loyal pup you are, you were always so eager to please, I wondered how pretty you'd look with my cock stuffed inside of you- Fuck- And if you keep clenching around me like that I'll-"

"Do it," Leon begged. "Please, Mathias, inside, come inside. I need it, I've needed it."

"Leon, fuck, I-"

"Please, Vlad."

Vlad's body caged in on Leon, his moan coming out through gritted teeth as he pressed his head down into the pillow beside Leon's. He picked Leon's hips up off the bed and he buried himself inside as he came. And Leon, crying underneath him, shook at the sensation of being filled and held and was so oversensitive, his cock brushing against Vlad's stomach, that he came again, leaking around Vlad's cock.

Time seemed to stop for a while. Leon gasped over and over, trying to regain a normal pattern of breathing. His body finally started to move when he willed it too, hands reaching for Vlad's face, coaxing him up from the pillow and peppering his face with kisses even as Vlad flinched and shook. Christ, Vlad was trembling.

Slowly, Leon rocked his body to the side until Vlad moved with him, the two of them rolling over, gasping as Vlad's cock slipped out of Leon.

Vlad seemed far away. Eyes unfocused, either lost in the haze of his orgasm or lost in thought. Leon pursed his lips, starting to worry. He wasn't regretting his actions. Maybe he should, but he wasn't. For the first time in a long time, he had felt wanted, and safe... and loved.

He traced the sharp lines of Vlad's cheekbones with his fingers.

"I don't know what happens now," Leon sighed. "I loved you for so long, and then I hated you for so long... but I never stopped loving you, even though all that hate. And I don't know this new world, I don't know how to start again."

"Come with us."

"What?" Leon would have sure he misheard but, Vlad was looking at him as though he was precious, as though he couldn't bear to have Leon say no to him again. "You're serious? What about..."

"Do you think I would have come here with discussing what happens next with my wife?" Leon flinched at her title, perhaps he was a little jealous, but more than that he didn't want to become some sort of homewrecker. "Cease your worrying, Leon. While it was not our original plan... Though none of this was our original plan, she does not view you as competition to my heart. She... understands, she always does. And she would like to know you better, and with that I suppose ask all manner of questions about my youth which will embarrass me, and you will tell her, and you will bond over whatever annoying habits I will carry out, and then, should you wish it, she may join us next time."

"She, she what, she, she would want...?"

"She said you looked 'quite adorable' when you got flustered."

"Oh God," Leon groaned, hiding his face in his hands as Vlad laughed.

"She is right of course. But then she is about all things."

"I can tell. She seems... Wonderful."

"She is... far more than I deserve."

"I think that's up for her to decide."

Vlad barked a laugh. "That's exactly what she would say."

"Well, it appears to me you have a thing for self-assured blondes."

Vlad's expression fell and Leon wondered if he'd crossed a line, but Vlad's mouth twisted and he wouldn't meet his gaze. Oh fuck he looked sheepish, almost embarrassed at having been called out.

Leon took pity on him and leant in to kiss his cheek, the corner of his mouth, drifting across his lips.

"I would find it an honour to get to know her better. And I would... I don't think I have it in me to refuse you again."

"Truly?" Vlad's hand came to rest upon Leon's cheek, tentatively as though he was purposely trying to be gentle and feared he couldn't be.

"Ask me like you did back then."

It was a selfish request, a twisted fantasy Leon thought he should have felt wrong for, but he asked anyway. It made Vlad pause and furrow his brow.

"Leon," He hesitated. "Would you join me?"

He should feel wrong, it should feel wrong. But it didn't. And after everything, maybe he was allowed to be selfish.

"Yes," Leon breathed against Vlad's lips. "And I'll tell any god who tries to stop us to fuck off."

Vlad laughed as Leon kissed him. Tomorrow Leon and Lisa would gather whatever supplies and food they could carry, and find a place to stay that was further away from anyone who could potentially recognise Dracula. And they would talk, and eat, and Leon would share embarrassing stories about Vlad so that when he woke Lisa couldn't look at him without giggling. And Vlad would kiss her. And Leon would feel wrong for a moment, before Vlad called him over and kissed him as he blushed and stammered. And when they would part Leon would flush deeper at Lisa staring at them, having watched, as she smiled with ideas swirling in her eyes. And Leon would wonder what he was getting himself into.

But he wouldn't regret it.

[3416]

desperately need a 40k fic about mitch's descent into bisexuality and how he starts having threesomes w steph and am34 to explore that in a safe space which creates a fucked up balance between the three of them like................... why is hockey rpf dying... what happened to our roots ,

[suusoh]

okay girl I don't even know what you're on because recent johan liebert fans have been spoiled with the gift of actually having so much to read in the johan liebert x reader tags. Before you I swear to god everything was SO DRY AND EMPTY. We have talented authors and fics of course which we eat up in seconds, but its so few and far between that it feels like a dead fandom sometimes. The second you came in it feels like a dam of water exploding over a dessert.

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I WAS JUST KIDDING ON THAT POST BECAUSE I JUST FOUND IT FUNNY BUT NOW I LEGIT DON'T HAVE ANY WORDS IM SOO ????? FHDSKAFHJKASHF FFH MMNN ?/ ?? FHSN H GGGG2382392 FDFA34??????????? FHADHFHFHHHFJDAKFAHJFHAFH NCNDMSNF,MC,MSDFH653742I8746783264HFDSKFBJASLKFJKSCMMMAMAMAMA8F8888123897198381NDSFHJKASHFAR8920NFKLASN @#$$#%^^&%