#this got longer and angstier than i was planning originally | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sweet-william-writes · 4 months ago

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For the ask game! 🖍 ♻ 🤔 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

🖍 Post any sentence from your wip-

Okay I've got SO MANY wips rn lemme see which has the juiciest option...

Lol okay Imma give yall more than a sentence cuz that just seems fair-

“Have I ever told you… that you have a pretty mouth.”

“Um… no.”

“You do. Have a really pretty mouth.” Kim said, reaching up and pressing his thumb to Porchay’s bottom lip, pressing down on where it was full and plump. "Pretty mouth that makes too many pretty noises…” He slurred, almost like he didn't know he was saying it out loud enough to put in the effort to enunciate.

“K-Kim?” Porchay stammered, the movement of his words making Kim’s thumb slip forward until it was almost touching his tongue.

“Pretty…” Kim couldn’t help repeating, pushing it the rest of the way forward, groaning when Porchay’s tongue flinched back for a second before instinct seemed to take over and he licked at the digit, a moment later taking it even further and closing his lips around it and giving it a shy suck.

ANYWHO ENJOY THAT WITH ZERO CONTEXT

♻ A scrapped idea for your current wip-

There was a more messy version of events planned originally for I Just Want To Stay Here, where instead of Chay catching Kim on the phone with Chan, he was able to keep the mafia stuff a secret longer and started to kinda have a crisis about what to do cuz he couldn't just keep being a creep and hanging around a teenager's house "taking advantage" of him indefinitely, he either needed to stop lying and come up with a more permanent solution for Chay's safety or lie more and break things off AND find a permanent solution he could keep secret. His emotional messiness is visible to Chay who also gets angsty cuz he draws all the wrong conclusions why Kim is being weird.

With this set up when the truth came out and they ended up at the compound, Kim was going to be a lot angstier and emotionally unstable, especially cuz he hates being at the compound and feels super guilty for dragging Chay into Theerapanyakul Mess, so he shuts down emotionally and Chay is caught between angsting for his own copious reasons and wondering why Kim is so different now that they are around his family and not at his house. Does he not want something real and out in the open, did he only want Chay when it was a secret? Is he ASHAMED of Chay?

It was going to be super fun to torture both of them way more, but by the time I got to this part of the plot, honestly it just didn't fit anymore, they were way too bonded and in love, not to mention had learned to communicate and open up to each other too well for this to work. Plus the reveal I came up with was just, mwah too perfect.

🤔 What's a story you'd love to write but haven’t even started yet-

Apologies this answer got SO long lol I have made ALL these answers WAY TOO LONG

Oh god SO MANY to pick from, I have a ridiculous amount of fic ideas sitting in various google docs or notes on my phone that I have no idea when or if I'll ever get to them. I guess the first one that comes to mind is the sequel/prequel to Where You Fell. I technically have started it in the sense it has a tentative name (These Days You Tend To Lie) and some ideas I've already had, but I've never actually tried to Start it yanno?

I have only a Very rough idea of the plot and also whose pov it would be in, an important choice since the changing povs that never switched to wwx was one of the best parts of wyf in my opinion, but I'd been playing with ideas for a prequel way before I even finished wyf.

It would be set years in the past and be about Jin Guangyao and the story of how 3zun got together, with interspersed flashbacks to all their childhoods like wyf has AND flashforwards to events after wyf like an almost-sequel-epilogue kind of thing. It would be a great way to explore jgy and nhs more which I Really wanted to do (and honestly the mostly unfair hate they got in comments on wyf just made me want to do it even more) AND (yes I'm officially rambling now lol) I could show how chengsang's relationship healed after wyf.

Plus honestly I've always been dying to write a 3zun fic but no other idea I've ever had seems good enough. It would be a HUGE project so idk if I ever will, but it is there, sitting in my backpocket, Waiting

(If anyone wants any details feel free to message me and I totally will ramble more about this lol)

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥-

😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

#ask #fanfic #writing #willsweets #ao3 #kimchay #kinnporsche the series #mdzs #wangxian #chengsang #3zun #the untamed

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dndeceit · 1 month ago

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A bit late for "new years" stuff, but thought I'd put out a little about my fic writing plans for the next year...

(Plus some miscellaneous other plans. This is a journal post.)

I've got two stories right now tied neck and neck for being the first new fic of the year.

One is the sequel to "Nails in the Coffin" which I've been working on more or less since I posed the fic (or longer, technically, since Nails sat finished for almost half a year before I actually posted it). That one's going to focus mainly on finishing Logan's arc and actually seeing Thomas deal with moving forward and how he learns to cope with the whole...vampire thing, but there's plenty of the other sides as well.

The other is an expanded version of a prompt I filled last year. So the cute little one-shot I originally finished has grown about five more chapters and is a lot less cute and a lot angstier (though, still, with a nicely hopeful ending).

The rest of this is stuff I know I'll work on but can only hope I'll finish:

For the Fallout AU, I have three fics I'm focusing on. One picks up with Virgil and Janus after "But Someday the Sun Will Shine" and one follows after "Crawl Out Through the Fallout" (where Marcus continues to be best boy and Virgil gets a much needed hug). I've also made significant progress in a fic that will cover Roman and Remus's backstory (which is a lot of fun to write because the first one so far that ties in directly to the actual games).

Some others that I might wind up working on if the mood strikes me:

A pre/sequel to "A Game of Tea and Dragons" where we learn how Roman met his questing companions and what happens after the curse is broken.

The proper sequel/third entry in the Party Games AU with Janus figuring out how to handle the werewolf nonsense (and also how to deal with his friends insisting on being there for him every step of the way).

Part two of "A Kiss by the Sea", moving ahead with my original plans for that fic (i.e. actually getting to the Roceit in the Roceit fic that was requested).

My Among Us AU, which is probably going to be the next "big" project just as soon as "Salt for Salt is finished with.

A cute and creepy gothic horror/kiddie horror story focused on kid!Logan uncovering a supernatural mystery.

Two fics that were scrapped versions of prompt fills because I realized they were missing key parts of the request, forcing me to start over again. (I liked what I had, but if it wasn't what the requester asked for, better to start over and do these versions later).

Other plans outside of writing:

I'm finally getting back into the mood to play (and possibly run) DnD. I won't go into detail, but I was dealing with quite a bit of burnout before, which was keeping me from playing. A lot of factors were involved, including issues with the business choices of the people at WotC, the primary GM in my group wandering away from DnD (but not really sticking to any of the new systems he tried), an eventual friend break-up in the gaming group with said GM, and a lack of interest in learning the new edition (new 5e? 5e2024? whatever it's called). But I've finally joined one of my friends' New5e games...

I've recently been drawn back to thinking about the Ravenloft setting (which was a much earlier hyperfixation of mine). I'm...cautiously excited that, after so many years of playing 5e, now that my friends are a bit more experienced, they're open to the idea of playing 3.5e. Which means that I won't have to do as much conversion to actually run a proper Ravenloft experience.

Ravenloft the setting is a whole different animal than has been presented in the 5e materials, and I'm looking forward to exploring that version of the Land of Mists again...

(Let's just hope that this energy doesn't wind up distracted toward a Sanders Sides Ravenloft AU, because the last thing I need is another WIP...)

If I get this off the ground I might start doing campaign journaling here, but if I do I'll have a tag so that those following me for Sanders Sides and Fic Rec Fridays and the like can block them.

#diaryndeceit #writing meta #fic meta #sanders sides fanfiction #dnd adjacent #dndndeceit

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librathefangirl · 1 year ago

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actually scratch the list i need to know EVERYTHING

Well, let me tell you about a few more then. Let's talk about these:

The Loss in Victory (Emptiness)

Losing a Part of Me (Is Like Losing a Part of You)

Mel with tiny horns and wings

As the Night Falls

Pirate Melban AU

The Loss in Victory (Emptiness)

This is the Zeldris angst fic I was talking about back in... September, I think it was? It's supposed to be for Day 31 of Whumptober, and the prompt "Emptiness". (So the actual fic title is just "The Loss in Victory"). It's a hurt/no comfort fic taking place during the First Holy War. Basically, Zeldris struggles with the news that Meliodas is dead, and also struggles with the fact that it is actually hitting him that hard because:

He should be happy about this, yet all he felt was like someone had taken a big chunk of him out, leaving an empty nothingness where his hearts were supposed to be.

And here is a longer sneak peek:

As Zeldris made his way down the hallways, they parted before him. Anyone standing in his way quickly moved out of the way, letting him pass without any hesitation. If anything, it seemed people kept their distance from him more now than ever. Perhaps it was due to the urgency of his walk, or the tension in his posture, or maybe it was whatever showed across his face. Zeldris couldn’t tell. It was all a blur to him, nothing but the insistent need to get away, get away, get away! He was desperately holding onto the last shred of his composure like a lifeline. He was exposed out here, feeling the gazes of everybody he passed. He had to get away, to his own room. There, at least, nobody was watching, granting him the small piece of privacy he needed right now.

Losing a Part of Me (Is Like Losing a Part of You)

And here we have another demon bros angst fic. Also focused on the effect of the war/them being on different sides/Meliodas' curse. This time with focus on Meliodas. You can actually thank @hihopelessromantics for binging my attention to a post about Meliodas and Ludociel having scars from training their brothers, which is what inspired this fic. I saw that post and mind immediately went "oh I can make angst out of this".

So, as for the fic, it focuses on this idea of Meliodas having these scars that Zeldris gave him. Scars that he treasure a lot. They remind him of moments he got to have with Zel as kids, of training together or sneaking off from the castle together or even just finding a chance to goof of together. Big or small, they are moments he got to have with his little brother, where he got to be a brother to Zeldris. They mean a lot to him but - uh oh! - the DK and his assholery enters the scene. With the curse, Meliodas body is healed every time he is resurrected, including the scars from Zeldris. Meliodas struggles with losing the scars Zeldris gave him, feeling like he is losing those good memories of them together, and losing Zeldris in a way.

(Unfortunately, no sneak peek available for this one).

Mel with tiny horns and wings

Now onto happier - oh wait, this one is actually angstier than I originally planned... Anyway! This one is inspired by a conversation I had with @zorria about Meliodas with horns and wings. I wanted to write about that, but also make it really tiny and adorable.

Meliodas has an impressive set of wings and horns, but, given the whole hiding he is a demon thing, he needs to hide them. Problem is, he can't actually make them go away. All he can do is shrink them (think the sizes of a baby goat or tiny fairies). Normally, his hair and clothes are enough to hide them, but the Sins discover them anyway. And here the angst comes!

Actually, this was supposed to be a silly little fic about Mel having some adorable demon features with a side of angst in the form of his fear of them rejecting him. But then Meliodas fell in a lake! Okay, the falling in the lake was always going to be a part of the fic because I needed to get him wet, but the amount of angst that came with it was unplanned. As was my mind deciding that what if in this au Meliodas can't swim...

Sneak peek time! I've actually already shared a snippet from this one (here), so here's another one:

Which was the real problem that sunny late afternoon, wasn’t it? Meliodas couldn’t swim. If you have ever been in a situation where you are faced with the possibility that you could die right then and there, you know the feeling. The pure panic that overtakes your body. The way you fight with everything you have; frantically, desperately, without control. Meliodas had been there too many times. He’d also gone one step further, been faced with the inevitable realization that he was going to die. The moment where there was no fight left, the resigned acceptance. Maybe that had gotten worse with the years. If Meliodas died, he wouldn’t really die. Even if he accepted it, even if he actually welcomed it. There was no end to this life.

As the Night Falls

This is another fic inspired by Zorria. It's about Meliodas struggling with his nightmares (because we all know that man's gotta have nightmares after his 3,000+ years of hell), featuring a worried Elizabeth and a sleeping Tristan.

Not sure I have much more to say about this one, so here's a sneak peek:

“Hey, hey, you’re okay, we’re okay. I promise, we’re okay.” Elizabeth’s voice was a light to a dark cave, wrapping around him like a blanket and zapping away all the tension. Meliodas slumped back against the leg of the bed, head thumping lightly against the wall. Gods, it felt like he hadn’t slept all night – but clearly he had. His eyes finally decided to focus, giving him a close-up of Elizabeth’s worried frown as she crouched before him.

Actually I couldn't decide on which sneak peek to share, so here's another:

Meliodas tried to not react to the mild accusation, but she saw right through him anyway. Elizabeth always seemed to know what was going through his head. After all this time, he couldn’t hide. She sighed softly, sitting down on the floor beside him. “I worry about you, you know,” she mumbled, leaning her head against his shoulder. “We all do.” Meliodas grimaced at that; he had thought he’d hidden it better than that. Clearly he’d lost his touch. He supposed sleep deprivation did that to you.

Pirate Melban AU

Now I know you know a bit what this one's about. But I don't think I've actually talked about specific plot, just the general concept of Pirate!Ban and Merman!Meliodas. So, let me tell you a little about the start of our story. We meet Ban, a young pirate with a foul mouth and a bad habit of getting himself into trouble, who is (once again) finding himself without a ship to call home. While running from the consequences of his actions (literally), Ban ends up taking shelter in a cave. He's not the only one though, because further into the cave he comes across a wounded merman. Ban has grown up hearing (horror) stories of the merfolk living deep in the sea, so what if he ends up a little too curious about the stranger - he can't help it, especially after discovering the he has an attitude to match Ban's own.

A new little sneak peek (previous one can be found here):

How the fuck did he keep getting himself into these situations? Not that his one was his fault. Nope. The captain was the one who'd decided to cut his losses - meaning Ban - once they got into port. Ungrateful son of a bitch! Ban had given years to the Raven and now he was going to be left with nothing – just like that? Fuck no! So, Ban had helped himself to a little – okay maybe not so little – of their loot. So what? He'd helped get that, he deserved his cut.

Actually, since it's probably gonna be a long while until this fic is finished (I'm not the best at focusing on long multichapter fics lol), here's another sneak peek too:

With the first roar of thunder sounding, Ban surveyed his safe haven for the night. It really was an ugly cave. Cracks ran over the walls, splitting the brownish-gray color. From the outside, the cave had looked unstable, but inside it seemed sturdy and strong. Well, at least he wouldn't get crushed to death. Ban pushed off from the wall, walking further into the cave. It wasn't that big, narrowing off into a smaller tunnel the further he walked. A section of the ceiling suddenly dipped down, causing Ban to smack his head right into it. "AH fuck! Shit, that hurt."

WIP Tag/Ask Game!

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ilovemygaydad · 6 years ago

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18 ON THE DIALOGUE PROMPTS SORRY I FORGOT TO SPECIFY

it’s cool lol. I used two of the 18s because... it fit idk.

Title: Captive Heart

Prompts: “What’s that? Why is the sky like that?” “What? Have you never seen a sunset before?”; “Please answer me.”

Pairings: Prinxiety (well... it’s kind of more platonic/pre but it’s still cute okay)

Warnings: death mentions, gun mentions, mass shootings, prisons, dystopian societies, executions mentioned, physical fights, being mean to others, mentions of wounds, amputations, prosthetics, a metric ton of swearing, panic attacks, anxiety, IVs, hospitals, and i think that’s it but... there’s a lot of shit that goes down

a/n: this got.... very long........

**don’t rip out ivs it’s Really Bad and i know this is a trope but uhhhh virgil doesn’t know any better because he literally has the knowledge of like a 7 year old child who has only seen the outside world like 50 times in 21 years

Roman was so excited to go on his very first raid mission. He had spent the last twenty-one years training for this very day, and now he was finally able to do it! And on his birthday, no less. It was an exciting day, even if Logan was being a giant thorn in his side.

“Roman, do remember that this warehouse is over twenty klicks away on rough terrain, and we are only going to be able to bring enough provisions for us for the next twenty-four hours. Don’t go off-route, and certainly don’t lag behind. This is a very important mission for us to gain supplies; I will not have a rookie like you messing this up.”

“Oh my gods, Specs!” Roman sighed. “First off, you’re only twenty-two, so it’s not like you’re some seasoned veteran like Patton. Second, give me a break! I’m far more reliable than you’re making me out to be. I wouldn’t have made it into L-1 if I was stupid.”

Patton set down the bag he was packing with a grimace. “Well, kiddo, you did go off course in the sim to save that ‘child’ that ended up being a trap. And then you died in that sim. And there was also the time you lagged behind because you were sure that you had found something in the woods and wound up getting lost until we were on our way back. Oh, and what about--”

“Okay! Okay, I get it. I’m a horrible soldier. However, I know that this is far more dire than a sim. I won’t screw up, promise.”

Logan glared at him for a second, but he wave his hand in dismissal. “Fine. Just remember that I am the captain of this mission, so you are to report back to me if anything goes awry. All thirty of us will have comm-packs, so it shouldn’t be an issue to contact me; however, if something does happen to your comm-packs, I will be notified of such.” He handed Roman his bag. “Shall we?”

“Fuck yes!”

“Roman Sanders,” Patton chided as he readied the gate.

“Um… Heck yeah!”

“Better.”

The supplies raid didn’t end up being a supplies raid at all. It was a warehouse full of prisoners. And, gods, it was a bloodbath. As soon as the rebel soldiers had been spotted, instead of shooting at the soldiers, the Savior guards began to kill off the prisoners. Roman had desperately wanted to run ahead--to try and save even one of those people, but he knew that he couldn’t jeopardize himself or the mission like that. He had promised.

So, instead, he followed Logan’s orders to the letter, and he watched countless children and adults die. These innocent people were killed right before his eyes, and all he could do was hang back and stay safe while the others secured the perimeters and took the guards as prisoners. Roman was too important to lose.

All of that hurt--it hurt so fucking bad--but none of it was as awful as having to go around from room to room and check for survivors so they’d know who to loot and bury. It was a slaughter that he had not been able to stop, and they were just going to take the useful clothes and other items and dump the bodies into unmarked mass graves. Roman loved the cause that he was fighting for, and he knew that he was on the right side, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Each time that he went to find a pulse on a kid not much older than his brother, he felt his soul crumble that much more.

He had gone through four or so rooms without finding anyone still living. Logan had ordered the search to cease in five minutes before regrouping to determine a burial strategy, so Roman only had time to go through one last room. There were only three bodies in this one, all huddled together in the back corner, so it was easy to go through it quickly. He made it through the first two with the same results as before, but the body farthest back… had a pulse.

“Holy--Oh my gods, wake up!” Roman shook the boy in front of him gently, willing him to wake up. “Are you alright? Oh, please answer me!”

When nothing happened, Roman decided that he obviously needed to save this boy. He was so frail; it looked like he hadn’t had a proper meal in… well, ever. With an uncomfortable amount of ease, Roman scooped him up into his arms and rushed back to the rendezvous point. Most of the crew was there already, save for Patton and a few others.

“Logan, I--”

“Roman, why are you carrying a body around?”

“It’s a survivor! We have to take him back with us.” Roman took a step forward, but Logan held out his hand to stop him.

“Absolutely not. We will leave him here for the night and bring him back with the Savior guards tomorrow.”

“Logan, please--”

“What,” Patton interrupted, stepping into the room. “Is going on here?”

Logan gestured frustratedly at Roman. “He wants to take this survivor back with us tonight even though we don’t have the supplies to do so.”

Roman felt angry fire burn through his veins. “Have a heart, will you, Logan? He. Will. Die. We have to take him back tonight. He is injured and starving, and I am not going to just leave him here--completely alone, mind you--because you’re too set in your ways to even budge a little.” He turned to Patton, pleading. “I’ll keep him as my sole responsibility. No one else has to even think about him; I promise! Just let me take him with us. Please.”

“Well, Logan… I know that it’s not ideal, but Roman does make a good point.”

Logan glared at both of them. “Whatever. Fine. But you are taking care of him the whole way back, and you will be in charge of him at camp. He is not my responsibility, nor anyone else’s. Do you understand, Roman?”

“Yes! Oh, thank you so much. I promise that you won’t regret it.”

Roman may or may not have underestimated how much energy it would take to carry the survivor back to camp. Sure, he weighed maybe forty-five kilos, but that was a lot to carry for a twenty klick hike. The other soldiers were starting to get farther ahead, moving much faster. Logan would kick his ass if he got lost, but it wasn’t like he could ask for help. His stubborn nature had brought this upon himself, and he had to deal.

“Hey, Ro… Do you want a break? You look like you’re about to pass out,” Patton asked gently.

Roman nearly dropped the boy due to his shock. “God, Patton. Warn a guy next time.”

“Whoops, sorry, kiddo. Seriously, though. Let me take him for a while, okay? We don’t have to tell Logan.”

Before an argument could even form in his head, Patton had scooped the survivor into his arms. There wasn’t anything that Roman could say that would make Patton do anything else. The twenty-nine-year-old was the oldest and most successful in their sector. If it weren’t for rules, he probably would have made it into raid teams at sixteen. Patton was a six-four, two-hundred pound beast with intelligence to rival Logan, who was undisputedly the smartest person to ever join the rebellion. And Patton had a heart of gold, so he was a bit more stubborn than anyone else on the team when it came to helping.

Roman did appreciate it, though. He was actually able to chill out and look at the landscape. Their sector was surrounded by forest. They weren’t allowed to go out very far for fear of traps that had been set by the Saviors, so Roman hadn’t seen most of it, but he was able to see tons of flowers and plants that didn’t grow near their base. Little blue flowers grew along the sides of the path, and wild violets--Patton had pointed those out--were sprinkled around the ground further out into the foliage. If he wasn’t tied so strictly to the rules that he was already technically breaking, Roman would have been eager to run out and be among the nature.

But he didn't. He just fell into step with Patton, and they idly chatted until they were back at the base.

Virgil… couldn’t feel his arm. He tried to think if he’d fallen asleep on it, or maybe Raleigh or Sel accidentally did, but his last memories were fuzzy at best. His eyes cracked open slightly, and he was met with bright, white light, which was even more strange than not being able to feel his arm. Prisoners were always woken up before being brought outside to watch the executions, so why…?

Wait, where the hell was he?

Virgil sat up lightning fast. He raked his eyes around his surroundings and saw absolutely nothing familiar. A weird, clear snake-thing and bag of liquid was hooked into his arm--oh, shit, was he going to die?--and he was on a soft table of some sort with a scratchy piece of cloth draped over him. Someone he didn’t recognize was slumped in a chair--is that what a chair is???--in a corner asleep. There was a huge window on one of the walls, and a crate-like thing below it with a few metal things on it.

And his right arm was just fucking gone. Just not there. His right shoulder now ended up in a stump. He had lost his arm.

Holy shit, he had no idea where he was, and his arm had been cut off.

Breaths were coming in short, wheezing patterns, but Virgil was completely unable to calm himself. Who wouldn’t flip the fuck out when they woke up in a weird room and missing a fucking appendage? Tears welled up in his eyes as his brain raced through the possibilities. The guy in the corner seemed unarmed. If he could find something sharp, he might be able to escape and find out what the hell was going on.

As quietly as one having a panic attack could, Virgil slipped off the bed and ripped out the snake that had been inserted into his arm for mobility. He attempted to compose himself--and admittedly failed--as he stalked over to the crates under the window. After a few minutes of poking around, he found exactly what he was looking for. A sharp, pointy metal stick had been sitting on a tray of other equally sharp and pointy sticks inside the crate. Carefully, Virgil picked it up, holding it tightly by the handle. Now, to--

“Oh! You’re awake. Hello!”

Virgil spun around violently, swinging out his arm in an attempt to maim the person behind him. The stick pointed out in front of him as he stared, chest heaving, at the man. He was the one who had been asleep in the chair just moments prior. He looked afraid. Good.

“Um, if you would please put that scalpel down, sir…” He spoke too well. He had to be one of those awful doctors that the other captives whispered about when one of them was taken away and never seen again. Virgil swung his arm again, but the man jumped backwards just as fast. “Woah! Stop! Dude, please, I just want to ask some questions so that I can figure some things out about the Saviors.”

There was a second of hesitation, but Virgil lunged this time, throwing the stick to the side and using his hands to claw at the man. Well, he tried to do that. Within a second, Virgil was pinned to the ground with a knee resting just between his shoulders.

“Can you please calm down? I’ll explain everything if you’d just stop trying to kill me.”

Virgil hissed. “Go fuck yourself.”

“I--Wow! That’s extremely rude, you know, to say for someone who saved you from that dreadful Savior warehouse and almost single-handedly carried you twenty klicks back to our base.”

“Motherfu--wait, what?”

The man huffed. “Honestly, what does it take for a valiant soldier to get some recognition around here? I find the one survivor in the whole facility, and I’m almost told to just leave him there to die. However, I fight for this survivor and convince my hardened leader to allow me to bring him back with us. I stay with him day and night for the next two weeks as he fights off a nasty infection and a coma, and then this happens! He tries to kill me! How absolutely rude is that?”

“One survivor?” Virgil processed what he’d heard. “Oh my god…” Raleigh and Sel were dead. They were actually dead. Not only was he in a place that he was completely unfamiliar with, his only friends were fucking dead.

“Yes. It was absolutely devestating--”

“Get the hell off me.”

“Wha--”

“Get. Off.” The pressure on his back immediately lessened, and he could see that the man slumped against the crates next to him. Virgil pushed himself into a sitting position and curled up, trying not to cry. He couldn’t show weakness. He didn’t want to be punished for crying.

“Did you… were those two people in the room with you your friends?”

Virgil couldn’t find his voice, so he nodded slightly, taking care to not make eye contact.

“I’m very sorry about that. From what I saw of the aftermath, they are responsible for your survival. They took most of the bullets, and you escaped with only one shot in your right arm. The wound did end up becoming heavily infected due to the lack of attention I was able to give it before our arrival here, and your arm needed to be amputated, but we are working on making you a prosthetic.”

“A… prosthetic?” Virgil flicked his eyes up in confusion.

“Yeah, a prosthetic.” The man said it as though it were obvious.

“Oh… Right.” He had no fucking idea what he was talking about.

The man didn’t comment on Virgil’s hesitation if he even noticed it at all (which, honestly, Virgil doubted because he seemed rather… unobservant). “Is it alright if I call the nurse to replace your IV? It’ll help you feel better.”

“Sure.”

“Alright. I’ll be back in a minute.” The man stood up and started to exit, but he paused at the door. “I forgot to ask. What’s your name?”

“Virgil.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Virgil. My name is Roman.”

It had been a few weeks since Virgil learned what scalpels and prosthetics and IVs were. He’d learned a lot of things during that time. As it turned out, being held captive since you were a toddler led to a lot of lost knowledge of the world. Virgil learned about beds and cabinets and spaghetti and so many other awesome things like swords. Giant, shiny, stabby pieces of fucking metal! It was amazing.

Not only that, but Virgil was making new friends. He’d met Patton and Logan, who Roman claimed to be his “best friends,” even though Logan seemed less than enthused to be categorized as such. Patton was a sweetheart, and he was the one who designed Virgil’s awesome prosthetic arm, and Logan was just really smart and calming. He liked them both.

Over the weeks, he spent the most time with Roman. The soldier had helped him heal, and he had even brought him out to watch training sessions a few times as entertainment. He’d sworn to secrecy not to tell another soul that this had happened, but Roman allowed Virgil to spar with him a few times, and they discovered that, due to his small size, Virgil was extremely agile.

“Hey, Virge. What are you thinking about?”

Virgil snapped out of his reminiscence. “What? Oh, sorry. I was just zoning out.”

“Good.” Roman grabbed his hands and pulled him out of the cot (Virgil’s own cot because he actually had his own room now). “I want to show you the roof!”

“Gods, Roman, I’ve already seen a roof. This isn’t some learning opportunity. You’re just being weird.”

“Hush and let me take you outside. The weather’s very nice, and neither Patton nor Logan are willing to come out with me.”

A smirk tugged at Virgil’s lips, and he teased, “Roman, I’m hurt. I can’t believe that I’m your last choice.”

Roman laughed and continued to drag him around the facility. “Whatever.”

When they entered the fresh air outside, Virgil felt so refreshed. He closed his eyes and inhaled the clean, cool air. That was something that he had never gotten used to--being able to go outside virtually whenever he wanted. It was incredible. He opened his eyes to take in the view--

“Roman, what’s that? Why is the sky like that?! What is going on?” Virgil pointed at the orange and pink sky and clung to his companion.

“What?” Roman held Virgil back, but he did look very confused. “Have you never seen a sunset before?”

“A what?!”

“A sunset. Between day and night, there are periods of time where the sun rises and sets. During that time, the sky turns different colors due to small particles of dust.” His gaze softened. “It’s nothing to worry about, Virge. I promise.”

“But--”

“Hey, how about we sit down and watch the sky. Nothing bad will happen, but if you truly start to feel upset, we’ll go back inside. Alright?”

Virgil looked into Roman’s eyes for a few moments. If he had learned anything since his emancipation from the Saviors, it was that Roman never broke a promise. “Okay.”

It wasn’t long before Virgil and Roman had both fallen asleep in a tiny pile on the roof in a puddle of silver moonlight.

#sanders sides fic #thomas sanders fic #prinxiety #m writes things #wow this got way longer than i originally planned and way angstier whoops #Anonymous

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thattimdrakeguy · 3 years ago

Text

The Normal Kid--within reason.

An annoying development in Tim Drake’s writing as a character is when they stopped writing his character as intended, to go ahead and basically make him Batman Jr, which was probably one of the most uncreative things they could’ve done just for angst and simplicity, and then pretended they brought him back within recent years--but not really.

It’s like they couldn’t comprehend Tim was supposed to be the normal kid--Well, within reason. He is sort of...uh--

However you describe this.

But like he lived with his parents, and had normal kid problems like public school, getting a step-parent, school drama, and stuff like that.

Yet so many people, in fandom and in DC, are obsessed with thinking the skills are all that matters in a character. Which doesn’t work at all with Tim, because his character wasn’t popular because he was skilled. He was just skilled enough to succeed but to not be overly extraordinary. It was why he was likable.

But it seems like I can never get into a current Tim comic from the last--LONG, LONG while. (I didn’t grow up with Tim, but I mean when I went on by giant Tim reading spree, I found myself unable to enjoy them the longer they went on, because they reached a point where they like--stopped caring about what made Tim--Tim.)

Because you got writers talking about all his skills, like OH YEAH, HE IS THE BEST DETECTIVE, HE IS THE BEST AT TECH, HE’S THE MOST LIKE BATMAN, HE HAS THE VISION, HE WANTED TO BE THERE FOR BATMAN BECAUSE HE KNOWS THE WAY TO BE.

And all I can think is “Calm the f down.”

They’ll take stuff sometimes that’s from Tim, like yeah Tim’s purpose of a character is to be the lightside to Batman’s darkside (even if they’ve neglected that for years until, like--the last so many), but instead of playing it like a naïve kid who’s just doing his best, and isn’t exactly always accomplishing that goal. They have to play it off like he’s somebody special for it.

They think they have to make Tim so special.

But he’s not a visionary, or a general or whatever they called him in Rebirth. I don’t think he even plans out his day. At best he’s like “I guess I’ll do that to figure out more for the case”.

This was his “advanced” computer skills originally. He could hack websites--At best he was able to help Babs with her super computers--because he was directed at what to do, and he knew a bit more than the rest of the fam, since Tim grew up on them presumably.

And he’s not some virtuous, true hero, guiding the light of all that there is.

He’s a really good hearted, bright kid, who has a strict sense of morals and what’s right and not to do--But he’s also played out like he’s stubborn and just can’t understand other people’s perspectives, more than like he’s some Jesus kid. Like he thinks in pretty black and white ways, and can even get bratty over it.

And obviously I’m not talking about Red Robin or Teen Titans, but that series was created under such a specific pretense of events, and Teen Titans was famous for messing with the Core Four’s characterization to make them edgier, angstier and sometimes cooler.

But I still think characters have that base to them that makes them them, and without it, they aren’t themselves anymore, and clearly they’re trying to go back to this Tim.

They’re failing at it though, because they can’t comprehend that he wasn’t interesting because he was special. He was interesting because he was the relatable kid in the land of the mostly unrelatable Bats who grew up in circus’s, or on the streets, and didn’t really have normal kid problems the way Tim did.

There’s another editorial statement, or a statement from the writers at the time on Tim, that goes into the details of what made Tim interesting at the time, but I forgot to save it and haven’t found it again in a while.

Like they can’t even get the detail that Tim is meant to be tiny for his age right most of the time, because so many artists think he must be this typical hero. Like know, he was 17-years-old and getting confused for 12-years-old. He’s meant to be unlike the archetype hero.

But they lost the everykid aspect of him.

I refuse to say self-insert, because no body understands what that phrase means apparently.

He’s just made to be relatable--he has a personality of his own. A self-insert implies the writer wrote themselves into the character. And while some writers have done that--they weren’t supposed to. His character just wasn’t a super loud one. He has a more internal personality.

Like he was made as this naïve, always trying his best, kid, that was oblivious sometimes to a fault, but had big morals, admired Robin a crap ton, and knew a lot about Batman and Robin. And then by the time he’s Robin, he’s this kid that’s clearly an immature kid still, but thinks he has to be this mature, serious figure to be Robin. Which creates this great dynamic of his Tim side coming out sometimes when he’s Robin, and his Robin side coming out when he’s Tim. The person he naturally is, and the person who makes himself to be under the Robin persona.

They just won’t ever let Tim be relatable anymore. He doesn’t have to be extraordinary, he wasn’t meant to extraordinary.

They’re never going to write a good Tim, until they start writing him like a normal kid again, and understand his nuances that made the character work.

Just being the everykid along with the out of this world Bats made him interesting and gave him an interesting POV that made reading his solo great. How it made him insecure in his abilities compared to the others at times, like worrying about being fired if he messes up. And handle himself very awkwardly because he’s not a natural crime-fighter.

Tim just used to be really great, and had depth.

Now he’s flat and boring. It’s another part of this widespread industry problem where they simplify characters, and give them more basic traits to be easily understandable, even if it isn’t the character at all.

It just ruins them, and especially with Tim, because “super talented kid” is just what you call a Gary Stu.

Tim used to mess up all the freaking time, and it was fun.

(I think Rebirth backtracked towards the end to say “OH HE’S JUST AN IDEALISTIC KID”, but that doesn’t work when you make him able to create these magnificent bases, know kryptonian, hack without even looking, able to take on 100s of drones at once, be extra confident, and show scenes that portray him almost like a prophet. AND ESPECIALLY after they show him as being so proficient in stuff to the point he becomes an evil dictator. Which I just hate so much. Like oh no, another ‘WILL HE BECOME THE EVIL’. He’s just a normal kid. Calm the F down with all this special prophecy or whatever the hell bullshit. If you can’t do something that makes sense within the confides or tone of the character, YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN’T USE THAT CHARACTER. Like the Titans of Tomorrow where for like two arcs, just to use a trope. Then Rebirth had to treat it like so much more. Than Tomasi took that, and then made him a child murderer, when before they implied he had nothing to do with what happened to Jon? So what was that about? To make him look worse? Why? No one can tell me it was done to make a good story, because good stories make sense.)

#Tim Drake #Robin #DC Comics

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coffeebanana · 2 years ago

Note

8, 9, 20 for the new years ask game?

Thanks for the ask!! (From Fanfic Asks For The New Year) Uh. I'm putting this under the cut because tw: sui attempt for question 8

8. Is there a story idea in your mental vault that you’ve never been brave enough to try writing? Is this the year? Can you tell us about it?

Mmmm well I don't know if this counts or not because I haven't actually been sitting on this specific idea for a long time. But it's slightly angstier than what I normally feel comfortable writing (in that the beginning involves a failed suicide attempt on Adrien's part). I don't have a lot of the details worked out but long story short it's aged up, post-reveal and post-HM, and Adrien moved away (haven't 100% decided on where yet, but likely New York or Montreal). Nino's his emergency contact so he gets the call about Adrien being in the hospital. For some reason Nino can't get a plane ticket (weather or something I guess?), but Marinette happens to be on a work trip in the area, so Nino asks her to go check in. Only problem is...she and Adrien haven't spoken in years, and he's not exactly thrilled to see her at first. Still, she ends up staying in town and to help him get back on his feet so to speak. So yeah...this one starts really heavy but ends happily. I don't know if I'll actually get to it this year (or ever) because I have so many other projects and I'm trying not to start new ones at the moment. But...it's kind of calling to me. I just love angst with a happy ending too much akjsdfbsf 9. Short term goals… what do you hope to complete this week or in January? In the next few days (ie as soon as I have the time and energy) I need to finish my secret santa fic!! There are only two chapters left and they're not so long, so it should be doable! Then...I want to hopefully write something for DJWifi December even though it won't be December anymore. I had like 3 different ideas for that event but this month I just haven't had enough time lately 😭 For the rest of January I have no goals except trying to update Say Something and Ladrien roommates at least once. I'm trying not to push myself too hard because last year I got kind of burnt out from writing at some point and I don't want that to happen again.

20. Any plans to work on original fiction this year?

Not concretely, no. I have a handful of novel ideas I've had bouncing around for years but right now I'm happy working on my fics and letting those ideas ruminate a little longer haha. I feel like...2024 might be the year for that though. Just maybe.

#ask response #miabrown007 #tw sui attempt

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purrgara · 3 years ago

Note

for that fic trope mashup: bathtub fic and secret relationship for shyan 👀

- bigboybergara

This got angstier and longer than I had originally planned so uh--oops. Enjoy? |D

More Than Anything

Relationship: Shyan, Mentioned Standrew Tags: Insecure Ryan, angst with a happy ending, hurt/comfort, secret relationship Tropes: Bathtub fic, Secret relationship

There was something intimate about it all. Intimate in a way that they hadn’t been all week. It was something about being close to each other while the cameras were still rolling. Something he couldn’t quite place. Something that made his tongue feel too big for his mouth and his palms sweaty. “I can’t believe the jets don’t work. We’re literally just taking a bath together.”

Ryan was laughing it off, desperately trying to defuse the tension building between them. The tension suffocates Shane with each second that ticks by. But the cameras weren’t filming now and Shane couldn’t bring himself to laugh back. Couldn’t bring himself to look it in the eye for fear of what he might see. “Yeah. Weird right?” No. That was wrong. They’d bathed together before.

Wrong wrong wrong but he couldn’t make the right words. He didn’t know what to say. So he pulled himself up and stepped out of the lukewarm water. He could feel Ryan’s eyes on his back. Knew there was a question in the down turn of his mouth. It was too intimate. Too close. The cameras weren’t rolling, but they had been.

—

“Why does it bother you so much?” Shane wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard the soft question, but he knew Ryan would be able to tell he wasn’t asleep yet. Instead he made a soft noncommittal sound. It didn’t bother him. It really didn’t. “Shane.”

Another long pause then Ryan sighed and rolled over so his back was pressed against Shane’s. The heat of it a scorching line through his shirt. “Goodnight, big guy…” he wanted to pretend he didn’t hear the hesitation in his voice. Pretend he couldn’t hear the hurt just under the surface, but he could. And he did and it felt like something in his chest shriveled up and died.

“Night, Ry.” He clenched his eyes shut at the pain behind his sternum. He was fucking this all up, he knew it. Could practically taste it in the air between them. Why does it bother you so much? Because—because because because.

Because when the cameras were filming they weren’t Shane and Ryan anymore. They were ‘Shane and Ryan’. They were skeptic and believer. They were best friends. Ghoul boys. When they were filming they had a reputation to uphold. They had the integrity of the show to think about.

When they weren’t filming they just— they weren’t. When they weren’t filming they were allowed to be themselves. He was allowed to be Shane, and Ryan was allowed to be Ryan. And they weren’t expected to keep up that carefully constructed dynamic. They were allowed to be Shane and Ryan and be ‘Shane and Ryan’ and they just—no one else needed to know they were.

“I—love you?” His heart cracked open because it sounded like a question and Shane hated it. Hated that he’d made Ryan question it, question them, at all. He felt sick as he carefully rolled over, the warmth of Ryan’s back slipping away. Shane saw his shoulders tense and it struck him again that Ryan didn’t know. He couldn’t know because Shane didn’t tell him. Couldn’t tell him.

He slipped an arm over his waist and pulled Ryan closer. Buried his nose in barely damp hair and held on tight. The static cam blinked innocently at the end of the bed and there’d be so much footage they wouldn’t be able to use but Shane pushed that to the back burner. He pushed away the anxiety of editing but he just didn’t care. Because he couldn’t let Ryan think he didn’t love him. Couldn’t let him think that was what Shane’s hang up was. “Love you more than anything.” It was muttered into Ryan’s hair, pressed into his skin like a benediction.

God he hoped Ryan understood.

Why does it bother you so much?

Because no one else deserves to see what you mean to me.

—

“Did you see the Instagram post Steven made?” There was a carefully constructed wall around Ryan’s question. One that sent up red flags immediately in Shane’s head. Beside him Ryan kept scrolling through Twitter, head pillowed against Shane’s arm, but he was too nonchalant. His eyes were too focused, in the way you knew they weren’t really looking at the phone screen.

“The one about him and Andrew? I did.” He cleared his throat and rubbed a hand over his nose. “I’m happy for them.” Ryan made a soft ‘hmm’ noise in the back of his throat as Shane set his own phone down. Every fiber in his body was screaming ‘ABORT ABORT ABORT’ but his mouth was, once again, out to completely ruin him. “Better him than me.”

Ryan stiffened against him before he roughly jerked away. “What’s that supposed to mean?” There was a bite to his tone mirrored in his eyes. Shane wished he had the right words but everything kept coming out wrong.

“I just mean that Steven’s more suited for it.” The alarms were blaring.

“It.” Oh. Oh no. No no no he wanted to back track. Wanted to explain himself better but he couldn’t get the words out before Ryan was pulling away. Rising to his feet with his hands clenched at his sides. “Well sorry you’re not suited for it.” He snapped, turning on his heel and storming toward the hotel bathroom.

The door slammed shut before Shane could even get off the couch. Shit. Shit shit shi— “That isn’t what I meant!” But the door stayed shut and the sound of the shower running drained out his words.

—

“Ry?” Shane asked tentatively almost an hour later as he stood outside the bathroom door. “I just meant the spotlight suited them better. Ryan, please open the door.” For the longest time there was no sound other than the shower water running, then a soft, barely there hiccup.

Shane’s stomach fell to his feet. Oh. It didn’t take much to scare Ryan, not really, but to make him cry? “Fuck.” It was breathed out as he pressed his forehead to the door. Trying the knob it gave with a light click. “Baby? I’m coming in alright?” He hesitated long enough for Ryan to protest if needed. When none came Shane slowly opened the door and sighed at the sight before him.

The shower curtain was wide open, Ryan sitting in the tub with his back under the spray. His knees were drawn up to his chest with his chin hooked over top. They let the silence stretch on longer as Shane came over, hesitating only briefly before climbing into the tub to sit opposite Ryan.

Drawing his own legs up, Shane wrapped his arms around them and muttered softly, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t talking about our relationship Ry.” A small understanding nod and a small hitched breath was the only reply for a few minutes.

“Why does it bother you if people know?” Ryan asked on a sharp intake of breath. His voice broke on the last word and Shane felt sick with the sound. “About this? Us?” A puffed out humorless laugh and then, “Are you ashamed of me?”

“What? No! That’s not—no!” Dread gripped at his lungs and he couldn’t breathe. “I’m not ashamed of you, or us, or anything like that! I just—I meant that I couldn’t… I couldn’t do it. Not like Steven or Andrew can.” This wasn’t how he wanted to approach the subject. It wasn’t how he wanted to admit it and the nausea was almost unbearable.

Dark eyes looked up though clumped lashes and Ryan’s arms slipped tighter around his legs. He looked like a child. The thought struck him like a blow to the chest and Shane could only reach out and trace his knuckles along Ryan’s cheek. “I can’t share you.” It came spilling out like an over filled pot left to boil. Too hot, too much to be contained.

Ryan leaned into the touch with a sigh. “So instead you want to keep our relationship a secret.”

“I don’t want to share you with the world, Ry. No one else needs to know what we have. Andrew and Steven can keep that spotlight. They live for that spotlight. I—don’t. All I need is you, Ryan. All I want is you.” He couldn’t stop the words once they started, couldn’t pull back and rethink. Because if he did that, they wouldn’t be said. And Ryan… Ryan deserved to know. To understand. “I’m not trying to keep us a secret. I just don’t want to post it on fuckin Instagram for the world to scrutinize.”

His hand trailed down and back to wrap around the back of Ryan’s neck. “People, fans, they already suspect something’s between us and you know how they are. If we were to make some big deal about coming out or whatever—“ A harsh breath and a shake of his head, “It’ll be like throwing a meatball to starving wolves. I want to be able to enjoy what we have. I’ve seen couples fall apart after going public and I don’t—I don’t want to resent you, Ry.”

Ryan moved one hand to grip the outside of Shane’s knee as he exhaled slowly. “I don’t want to share you like that, but if that’s what you want,” Ryan looked up sharply, eyes frantically searching Shane’s neutral expression. “I’ll do it. I��ll do anything for you, you know that.” He could feel the tightening in his chest loosen at the admittance. Could feel his fears swirling down the drain as Ryan’s insecurity cracked away.

“I wasn’t meaning to hide you away as some dirty secret. I just wanted to enjoy being with you like a normal person.”

“I don’t need the world to know, Shane.” It was whispered into the small space between their folded knees. “I just want you to stop pulling away from me like you’ve been burned every time we touch on camera. I’m tired of thinking you don’t care about me.” His fingers tightened on the uncomfortably wet fabric of Shane’s pajama pants. “We don’t have to explicitly say anything but I don’t want you pretending we’re less than what we actually are.”

His hand fell away as Shane’s hand tightened around the nape of his neck. “I don’t need to do some public announcement or some grand gesture, I just need you, my boyfriend, beside me.”

Shane nodded numbly as he leaned forward to press his forehead to Ryan’s. “Yeah… yeah okay. I think I can do that.” It was breathed against his lips as Ryan’s curled into a gentle smile.

“I know you can, big guy.” He pressed their lips together before pulling away with a mischievous smile, “You know what else I need?”

“Hmm?”

“To get out from under this water. I’m freezing and pruney.” Shane wheezed out a low laugh and shook his head before pushing himself up to reach behind Ryan’s head and turn the water off. Stepping out of the tub he smiled warmly down at Ryan.

“I’ll get you a towel.” Ryan smiled up at him, open and honest and something warm and gooey melted in his heart. He turned to go back into the hotel room for dry clothes and the fluffy towel in the closet when Ryan’s low voice called back to him,

“Hey, Shane?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to share you, either.” He could hear it clear as a bell. Tucked neatly behind his own words. I love you too. It warmed him from the top of his head down to his own pruney, sopping toes.

The world didn’t need to know what they meant to each other. As long as Ryan knew, and Shane knew, that was all that mattered.

#my writing #shyan #fanfiction tropes #bigboybergara #I really honestly didn't mean for it to get so--#angsty #mentioned standrew #because of who I am as a person right now #I couldn't help myself #Sorry bout that

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jimalim · 4 years ago

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leatin prompt if you’re taking them! leah is realizing her feelings for fatin and tries to distance herself a little. fatin notices and doesn’t understand why so leah tells her she’s trying not to get attached because when they go home fatin probably won’t stick around. but fatin kisses her and promises she’s not going anywhere

I love this prompt! Fair warning this got a little angstier than I planned, but obviously it all works out in the end ;)

Leah never liked getting her hopes up.

She lived by the motto ‘lower your expectations’ so as to never be disappointed.

It certainly wasn’t foolproof, but most of the time it worked. Keeping the bar low.

It’s not like she never allowed herself to get excited, she just relished living in the in-between. Allowing herself to be surprised rather than annoyed. By having low expectations, she saved herself a lot of heartbreak when things didn’t pan out the way she may have expected had she put too much hope into something.

She finds herself having to be reminded of this strategy anytime she so much as looks at Fatin.

The words echoing in her mind every time she saw Fatin’s smile.

Screaming over and over when ever they touched.

Because despite being from the same school, Leah and Fatin never really interacted back home.

They existed in entirely separate planes of existence. Fatin in the music program, Leah in the literature program, the only time their paths allowed them to cross was during the downtime. Free period, study halls, lunch, in between bells. But even then, Fatin’s social status had her up the ladder on the highest rung, with Leah left near the ground. They barely knew each other, let alone were friends.

Leah hates herself for picturing it, a life post island where her and Fatin still got along the way the do currently. It’s a dreamland she knows won’t become reality. She imagines Fatin’s social status will skyrocket from the amount of ‘edgy cool factor’ a story like surviving being stranded on a deserted island will lend. Maybe Leah gets a little of that clout too, but given where she’s starting from, they’d never land on the same plane.

It’s when Leah realizes her feelings for Fatin might be more than friendship, that really sets her off down a self-destructive path. It was one thing to hope for a friendship with Fatin, but a relationship, well that was absolutely absurd.

So she buries the bar under the sand. Expectations so low, they’re practically non-existent.

She thinks it’s going well. Keeping her distance from Fatin is definitely hard when she only has six other people to use as buffers. But she manages.

Or so she thinks.

It’s not long before Fatin corners her during chore duty. Apparently, she’d done some rearranging of the rocks without Leah noticing.

Leah can tell Fatin is nervous. It feels uncharacteristic. The tension that hangs between them is uncomfortable and unfamiliar. It wasn’t even this awkward back in the early days of the island, when they fought on the beach. This was an entirely new feeling. The situation clouded with their growth not only as individuals, but as a pair, yet contrasted with Leah’s recent regression regarding their dynamic. There was more there than just their original preconceived notions about each other. Now there was history, though short it may be.

It was clear Fatin was trying to play it cool, to not draw attention to the way things have changed between them really affected her. The nonchalance tone of voice betrayed by the subtle shaking of her body. "Hey so I know I’m still new to the whole close friendship thing, but I can't help but feel like there's something weird happening here." She visibly exhales, clearly having wanted to say that for a while. The words finally released from the tip of her tongue, no longer blocking her airflow.

Leah is much better at suppressing her anxiousness, though barely managing a short, "weird how?" without looking up from the shirt she’s wringing out in her hands.

"Well, it feels like you're maybe avoiding me?” Fatin explains with a curiousness that is so vulnerable it makes Leah’s heart ache. “I mean I get it, you probably need your space. And I've been trying to be respectful, but it's been nearly a week and I guess I'm starting to freak out a little.” She stops working at the stain on the fabric, and looks up, eyes shining with what Leah assumes is unshed tears. “Did I do something?"

"No, not at all.” Leah wants to comfort her, hug her tight, but she knows the second she caves, she’ll be back at square one. Desperately trying to stuff all her feelings away again, compartmentalizing every interaction until she’s back to being an emotionless being drifting through the day to day, all to keep herself protected from a potential heartbreak. (As if that lifeless existence was any less painful.)

She doesn’t have an excuse, none that she can actually reveal. So Leah does her best to shrug it off, “I'm just, uh dealing with some stuff.”

It’s obvious this answer doesn’t satisfy Fatin. Barely hiding the frown on her face as she returns to scrubbing the stain, perhaps a bit to aggressively. “Oh OK, um you know I'm always here if you wanna talk about it.”

“Yea.” Leah whispers as she watches Fatin close. It’s not enough. None of it is. Not Leah’s poor explanation, not the strained shell of their relationship. Not even the low expectations. Perhaps she should consider excavating the bar, dusting it off and placing it on a shelf. High enough to be seen, eye level. A play for mutual respect, friendship. Surely that would be enough, for now, but the idea is scrapped the moment Fatin sighs as if reflecting Leah’s own mental state back at her. It wouldn’t be enough; Leah would always want more.

Fatin drops it and it’s tense for the rest of their time completing the wash. They don’t talk. No attempt at communication past that. The walk back to camp is hardest part, as Fatin merely walks away when finished without even waiting for Leah. A full five strides ahead, Fatin carries the dry clothes while Leah secures the last of it on the branch to dry.

The pressure steadily builds as the days go by. Nothing really changing, Leah still struggling to manage expectations. Pushing the flicker of hope she feels any time Fatin looks at her down as far as she can. Sighing in relief as she watches Fatin’s smile fade. Deep down she knows she’s causing this. Perpetuating the cycle, fulfilling the very prophecy she’s so afraid of. The nagging ache in her chest constantly reminds her, then the memory of heartbreak forces her to push on. Never again.

Nearly another week passes before Fatin can’t take it anymore. The cold shoulder not something she’s used to, not from the receiving end at least. “Ok this is getting ridiculous; I need you to start talking or I'm gonna end up running into the ocean." She pushes Leah by the shoulder, with a little too much force, sending the girl back on unbalanced footing.

Leah catches herself, avoiding falling but doesn’t address Fatin’s demand. This just further agitates Fatin.

“You're definitely ignoring me, and I don't know what I did to deserve this, but the least you can do is yell at me for it.”

“Fatin please, I'm not-”

“Yes you fucking are!” She’s exasperated, the crack in her voice leads to an unfamiliar wavering. She’s crying. A sight Leah can’t recall ever noticing. “You refuse to make eye contact with me, you barely participate in any group conversations if I'm around, you recoil as if in pain anytime I so much as graze your body. You might think you're playing it cool but I fucking notice Leah. I see you.”

Leah sobs, struggling to hold it all back, the damn finally fracturing. The truth leaking through. “I'm sorry ok, I just can't.”

"Can't what?!" Fatin gasps. Her ragged breathing hitting a tipping point. The air she gulps causing her jaw to tremble.

“I can't let myself get too attached to you!” The damn breaks. “I can already feel it happening and it's terrifying.”

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Because when we leave here it's all gonna go back to normal right? You’ll spend your days hanging with the popular crowd, and your nights pursuing any party looking for company.” It should be noted that the amount of disgust in which Leah spits this word is exactly the moment Fatin understands. Leah didn’t have to say it directly. This moment alone spoke volumes. Fatin barely registers the rest of Leah’s rant, too focused on the silent admission. “Or you’ll run off to LA and move on with your new life. And where does that leave me? Alone. Again.”

“Leah-”

She doesn’t let her rebuttal, needing to fully speak her truth. She can’t stop now. "I can't get too attached because I don't want to loose you, I can't. But I will.”

Fatin slowly walks closer, closing the distance that had been between them the whole time, not just now, but for the past two weeks. “You're so wrong. I'd laugh if I wasn't so annoyed.” She steps even closer, fully in Leah’s personal space. “You should have told me this sooner so we didn't have to spend the past week in pain.” The tears staining both their faces reflecting the sentiment.

Fatin uses both hands to cup Leah’s face, placing their foreheads together. She whispers, “I'm not going anywhere.” She can feel Leah’s breath hitch. “Don't you get it? We're gonna get back and walk those halls hand in hand, sit so close at lunch it’s like were in each other’s laps, and we'll kiss by the lockers without a care in the world who’s watching.” She nudges Leah’s nose gently with her own, “all that annoying couple shit I would have scoffed at before.” She wants to kiss her, but hesitates, “that is if I'm not misreading this situation.”

She waits with bated breath. Waiting for Leah to make the final move.

Her hands still.

Leah moves.

There’s no kiss…

Instead Fatin feels long arms wrap tight around her waist and a face buried in her neck.

She adjusts to return the hug, arms slinking around Leah’s shoulders. She steps forward, bringing their bodies flush together. It’s not what she was expecting, but feeling Leah tremble in her arms, once again she understands. After two weeks of no contact physically, Leah needed more. A kiss wasn’t enough. Starved for the sensation, she needed to feel Fatin with her whole self. Like a battery needing recharging, Fatin the conduit.

They stand there in silence for nearly five minutes.

When Leah finally untucks her face, Fatin gets nervous all over again.

“I’m so sorry.” Leah cries without warning.

Fatin wipes away her tears with one hand, the other still tangled in Leah’s hair. A silent acceptance.

“Can I still kiss you?” Leah asks while staring into Fatin’s eyes. Her voice low and full of nerves.

Fatin lets out a soft laugh, “Oh my god please.”

Leah moves a hand to cup Fatin’s cheek and rests their forehead together a moment. She laughs when Fatin nudges her nose again, impatiently waiting. She closes the distance. With nothing on her mind, the bar long forgotten. Leah relishes in the hope.

Expectations be damned.

#leatin #the wilds #leah rilke #fatin jadmani #leah x fatin

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inyoursheets · 5 years ago

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2, 16, 18, 23!

Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

wow ok this is surprisingly hard to answer! confronting! im not even sure, there isn’t anything specific ive got planned out that im excited to write. i don’t have any future projects planned out yet. or. i mean.....there are some things at the tips of my writing fingers but i can’t allow myself to think about them properly yet bc i need to focus on and commit to finishing warm water. and my thesis (ugh).

there are some things from warm water that ive already written that im excited to share, but right now im in a place where writing just isn’t going smoothly, so whenever i have an idea (like the eloquent “sweatpants dick” note i took recently) (my only contribution that day) im not all that confident or excited about it bc im afraid the actual writing itself will be a pain? that i’ll drag my feet for days and it won’t come easy and i’ll hate every second of it -- until things click and the words start flowing, not unlike this post describes. idk i keep really wanting to write and sitting down for it and then it just--won’t happen. or if i do actually try putting pen to paper i just start hating it all, which i don’t want.

so! this is a sad note to end on! here’s some vague things i am looking forward to: i’m looking forward to being excited about writing in general! i’m looking forward to writing something i’m proud of, either in terms of plot or theme or characterization or dialogue or whatever! i’m also looking forward to having that oh-my-god-the-words-are-flowing-from-me moment, regardless of the result tbh, bc i just love that feeling of loving writing and having it come easily. that’s what im excited about -- being excited about writing again.

Tried anything new with your writing lately? (style, POV, genre, fandom?)

ok so i have this terrible writing tendency to not know how to not describe every single action characters make -- every movement, every gesture. particularly on first drafts i feel the urge to describe it all, otherwise i can’t continue. i know that it’s not always necessary to write what happens every single second of a scene, but i can’t seem to stop?

idk if im explaining what i mean correctly -- there’s probably terms for this that i dont know -- but someone who i think manages to do the opposite of what i do very well is @fairhairedkings, who is really good at time jumps and not going overboard w the minute-to-minute descriptions, the way i tend to.

i know it can be pretty tiresome and it’s one of the things that annoys me a lot about my own writing, both in terms of reading it (it can be plain boring?) and for the writing itself. it blocks me! but i can’t seem to stop doing it, feel like i’m glazing over things otherwise or lose track of where im going. i have to keep reminding myself that leaving out certain things doesn’t mean that nothing happens or that people assume nothing happens.

so, to answer the question, ive tried to be a bit more concise with it’s hidden in heartbeats, exhales and in the hope of open hands when i started writing it. that fic is a product of being fed up with my other WIPs and it didn’t take more than a week from its initial idea to the finished product, so i really wanted it to be a quickie, and i thought something tight and concise could work for the plot. i didn’t actually manage to succeed though, still ended up describing just about every action there, too. i don’t think i’ll ever manage to write something concise tbh. i do bad with time jumps, i do bad with less is more, which is unfortunate, bc less can truly, truly be more. so! im gonna try this again some time!

Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.

mmm well, warm water originally didn’t include mutual pining -- beth wasn’t supposed to be in love with rio yet, we were gonna watch her fall in love slowly, while he already felt things. but then i ended up almost turning that entirely on its head and now we’ve got the mess that is that this fic in its current state lol. there’s also an AU to warm water that i briefly considered bc of you which i won’t go into now bc of possible spoilers -- but ive considered things!!!

also for it’s hidden in heartbeats, it was supposed to be more about petty!rio and haha, look, exes trying to get “revenge”, and to be light and funny, but i realized that idk how relationships work, let alone how exes work, so i couldn’t really find any good reasons for them splitting up, at least nothing that could generate comedy, so it ended up getting fairly angsty? idk why this keeps happening -- me planning to do something rom com-esque and it developing into something wayyyyy angstier, but it did!

What’s the story idea you’ve had in your head for the longest?

oh wow idek! ive definitely been working on warm water the longest, so i guess technically that one, but there are some other ideas that have been drifting near the surface that have been there longer and are very underdeveloped and need time and nourishment and attention and love, all of which i can’t give them yet bc im trying to stay focused on warm water and thesis writing. maybe the beth/stan friendship snippet ive got hidden in somewhere in my docs!

thank youuuu for indulging me!!! meta writing asks!!!!

#ask #ask games #foxmagpie #my fic #why am i so wordy

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trensu · 5 years ago

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Hello! I loved your werewolf AU (and the final reveal and how WWX is like, damn LZ why couldn’t you be a fae, I’m poor and now I have to pay up to JC). I loved that like everyone seems to be some magical creature except WWX and he’s just rolling with it lol. Do you ever plan on continuing it? Pretty please?

Hi~! I’m glad you liked the werewolf AU!! I wanted to add something more lighthearted as a continuation of the original post since @thewickling is doing a FANTASTIC job writing an angstier version of it on her blog (tagged as winding moonrise, if you want to check it out!)

I hate to disappoint, but it’s likely that I won’t write more of it. I’m actually not much of a writer?? I seriously lack the focus and general skill required to write proper fic. (I almost wrote something adjacent to what me and thewickling had started in lan sizhui’s POV but eh, it didn’t go anywhere)

If i think up of a scene in the lighthearted mermaid ‘verse, i may scribble something out but like...i’m not actively planning anything for it.

But, bc i feel bad about it, i’ll tell you a couple of details that i had come up with when writing the mermaid version of it:

Wwx’s dad was a merman. His mom was fully human. Wwx takes after his mother and didn’t inherit any mer traits from his father (except he can hold his breath longer underwater than most humans can). Madam Yu is not a fan of mingling with humans, so when her husband showed up with a very human child in tow, she was furious. Wwx is the reason why the Jiang clan more or less became a bigger presence in the human world. Lotus Pier had always existed as their “land post” but they didn’t live there permanently until wwx came around.

Also, the merfolk can sprout spines that are sharp and venomous and wwx is SUPER JEALOUS that he doesn’t have any of that. Jiang Cheng lords it over him all the time. Also also, merfolk can change from human form to their natural fishy form at will but if they’re startled, they will sprout their spines. It’s embarrassing and it’s something wwx uses to get back at jc. It was all fun and games until jc accidentally poisoned him that one time (wwx was hiding so he could scare jc but then he got startled by a dog and ran to jc who was then startled when wwx barreled into him in fear--nobody had a good time that day)

So yeah!

And if you or anyone else finds creature AU fics for this fandom, please let me know!! I’d love to read more of them :)

#wangxian werewolf au #trensu replies #anon #Anonymous

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hollymartinswrites · 5 years ago

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Chapters: 14/? Fandom: IT - Stephen King, IT (Movies - Muschietti), Doctor Sleep - Stephen King, Doctor Sleep (2019) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh Characters: Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier, Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough, Mike Hanlon, Original Child Character(s), Dan “Danny” Torrance, Abra Stone Additional Tags: Fix-It, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-IT Chapter Two (2019), Domestic, Light Angst, Family Feels, Childhood Trauma, Adoption, Kid Fic, Adopted Children, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Marriage, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier Are Parents, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Minor Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Catholicism, Richie Tozier Has Issues, Extended Tozier Family, Medical Examinations, Stephen King References, The Shining References, Doctor Sleep References, References to Depression, Depression, Mentioned Sonia Kaspbrak

Summary:

Eddie and Richie embark on the most terrifying experience of all—parenthood. Or, the author desperately needed a domestic, family fix-it for Richie and Eddie and it turned into a much longer, angstier exploration than I expected.

Chapter XIV: The Tozier Family trip to Seattle is not without its surprises and gets Richie thinking.

Several weeks later

Richie was just on the edge of sleep when he felt a nudge. He opened his eyes and smiled as Eddie offered him a glass of red wine.

“Thanks, babe,” he muttered, yawning. Eddie collapsed beside him on the couch with his own glass and sighed happily.

“Merry Christmas,” Eddie said, clinking his glass to Richie’s before taking a sip. “We survived.”

“We sure did,” Richie replied, gazing at the unwrapped gifts under the tree and garbage bag filled with torn paper and ribbons. “It was a good day.”

Eddie nodded, leaning his head on Richie’s shoulder.

“I think I enjoy Christmas more now with the girls than I ever did as a kid,” he observed. “Well, that’s probably my mom’s fault but still.”

“Now, you’re right,” Richie agreed. “I remember in college, being depressed that Christmas would never feel the same but this is pretty damn close.”

The two men fell silent as they gazed at the tree and gifts, content to merely be alone together with one another. Richie closed his eyes again and yawned again.

“Ready for bed?” Eddie asked.

“I’ve been ready for bed since Thanksgiving,” Richie replied.

Eddie laughed before taking another sip of his wine.

“At least we got a few days to relax before our flight,” he observed.

“Why’d we even agree to this trip?” Richie groaned. “Can’t we just stay in bed until January 2nd?”

“Because we promised our friends,” Eddie pointed out. “And we love them.”

“Let’s cheat on them with sleep.”

“The tickets are already paid for.”

“Ugh, fine,” Richie sighed, opening his eyes and smiling down at Eddie. “I hate it when you’re rational.”

“You love it,” Eddie said, draining the last of his wine.

Richie nodded and curled in closer to his husband. His mind drifted to that morning, and he smiled as he recalled how excited and happy their daughters had been all day, the smiles never leaving their faces. It had made all the stress and planning worth it.

“Do you think the girls will be okay with this trip?” he asked quietly.

“Why wouldn’t they be?” Eddie asked.

Richie shrugged.

“It’s a long flight to Seattle,” he explained. “And Tess has never even been to an airport.”

“Yeah, but we’ve been preparing her,” Eddie replied. “And her therapist gave us plenty of help, too. Plus, she’s excited just because her sister is excited.”

Richie shrugged again. Eddie wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“You worry about her too much,” he said softly. “She’s a lot more capable than you think.”

“I know that,” Richie said quickly. “I don’t think she’s delicate or anything. It’s just that she’s…”

“She’s our baby, I know,” Eddie replied before leaning in to press a kiss against the side of Richie’s head.

“She has been doing a lot better,” Richie admitted. “I thought for sure that losing Abracadabra was going to be a bigger deal but if anything, she’s become more confident lately.”

“We gotta stop calling her that,” Eddie laughed. “The poor girl’s name is Abra.”

“I know, I know.”

“Do you think…” Eddie cleared his throat. “Do you think we should reach out to her again?”

Richie gazed at him.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Sometimes Tess brings her up,” Eddie said, “and yeah, she’s been fine but maybe she should...meet her.”

Richie sat up and blinked at him.

“What?”

“I know I’ve said I don’t want her or Dan in our lives but she did help our daughter and maybe it’ll be good for Tess,” Eddie sighed. “I don’t know, it’s just a thought.”

“Well, okay. It’s something to think about.” Richie gazed down at his unfinished glass of wine. “I’m gonna chug this and then we’re going to bed, okay?”

Eddie laughed again.

“Okay, babe,” he said.

“Their house should be coming up on the left,” Eddie said as he gazed down at his phone.

“Okay,” Richie replied, slowing their rented car down. “What’s the number again?”

“112. I think that’s it.”

“Holy shit,” Richie breathed.

“Papa said a bad word,” Lydia declared from the back seat.

“Yeah, I did, sorry,” he muttered. “This is just a kickass house.”

“That’s another bad word!”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Lydia shrugged.

“This is a really nice house,” Eddie observed as they pulled into the driveway. “Way too big for just the two of them.”

“They probably got a bunch of live-in assistants and housekeepers and whatnot,” Richie said, parking the car. He turned in his seat to gaze at his daughters. “You girls ready to see Uncle Ben and Aunt Bev?”

“Yes!” Tess and Lydia both shrieked excitedly.

“Best behavior, okay?” Eddie said. “We don’t want to give Uncle Ben and Aunt Bev a reason to regret inviting us over, right?”

“Right,” Lydia answered as Tess nodded solemnly.

Richie grinned and stepped out of the car, helping their daughters unbuckle and climb down.

“Where’s everyone else?” he asked Eddie as they walked up the winding path to the front door. “You think they Ubered or something?”

“They’re not coming in until tomorrow,” Eddie replied, holding Lydia’s hand. “Remember? Bev told us that last week.”

“Oh yeah. Why’d she want us earlier?”

Eddie shrugged.

“Maybe to kill us,” he offered.

“Aunt Bev wouldn’t do that,” Lydia insisted.

“I know, I’m just teasing.”

Richie reached down and lifted Tess into his arms.

“Wanna ring the doorbell?” he asked. She nodded her head vigorously and immediately reached out to press the button. “It’s got a camera, make a funny face for them.”

Tess and Lydia and Richie all pulled ridiculous faces at the camera while Eddie rolled his eyes and smiled fondly. The door swung open and Bev greeted them with a wide grin.

“Aunt Bev!” Lydia shrieked before anyone else could say a thing and immediately launched herself at Beverly.

“Hey, whoa,” Bev laughed, wrapping her arms around their daughter. “I’m happy to see you, too.”

“I think she’s just stircrazy from being cooped up in the hotel,” Richie observed. He leaned in to kiss her on her cheek. “How’re you doing, Bev? Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year.”

“Merry Christmas,” Bev replied. She smiled gently at Tess. “Can I get a kiss?”

Much to her fathers’ delight, Tess nodded and allowed Bev to peck her quickly on her cheek.

“Good to see you, Bev,” Eddie smiled as he embraced her in the doorway.

“So good to see all of you,” she replied and stepped back. “We’re so glad you made it. I know it must’ve been hard to travel all this way. Come in.”

“Oh, nothing Xanax and a tablet full of downloaded Disney movies can’t handle,” Richie shrugged. He set Tess down on the ground. “Take your shoes off, girls.”

“Oh, they’re fine,” Bev said waving her hand. “Come in, come in.”

“Where’s Ben?” Eddie asked, hanging up the girls’ jackets.

“He’ll be right down. Come on, come into the living room.”

They followed her into a spacious living room, still decorated for Christmas, with a large sectional couch and huge TV that was already conveniently quietly playing cartoons. Lydia and Tess immediately sat down in front of it.

“Sit, sit,” Bev insisted. “Do you guys want anything to eat or drink?”

“We’re fine,” Eddie replied, “come here, talk to us. Tell us about your holiday.”

“Yeah, and why you and your trophy husband have been so cagey about this trip,” Richie said, sitting on the sofa. “I had a bet going with Eds that you were pregnant.”

Bev laughed and shook her head.

“No, no,” she said. “Sorry to disappoint.”

Richie shrugged.

“No big deal, he just owes me twenty bucks,” Eddie replied. “So what is going on?”

“Well…” Bev trailed off when they heard steps coming into the living room. “Here’s Ben, he’ll explain.”

As the two men turned to greet their friend, words abruptly died on their lips when they saw him standing there, smiling bashfully, with a baby in his arms. All was silent for a long moment, until Lydia excitedly exclaimed, “Baby!”

“Holy shit,” Richie gasped.

“Papa, stop saying bad words,” Tess insisted, sounding terribly embarrassed.

Bev and Ben both began to laugh.

“What is going on here?” Eddie asked, wide-eyed.

“Whose baby is that? Did you steal it? Are we accomplices now?” Richie quickly asked.

Ben rolled his eyes, still laughing, as he stepped into the living room, the wide-eyed baby carefully cradled in his arms.

“Tozier family,” he said, “meet baby Ida.”

“Hi Ida,” Lydia and Tess both said quickly, gazing at her in wonderment.

Ben smiled and stepped up beside his wife, who wrapped her arms around him. Richie and Eddie both continued staring at the two of them, slack-jawed.

“Well,” Bev said happily, “welcome to our surprise. Meet our daughter.”

Richie was the first to have his brain finally catch up with his mouth.

“So you were pregnant,” he declared. “I knew it! You owe me twenty bucks, Eds.”

“That’s what your first reaction is?” Eddie asked, dumbstruck.

Bev laughed.

“No, we used a surrogate,” she explained. “A college friend of mine. So, I’m sorry, Richie, Eddie wins on a technicality.”

“Damn it,” Richie muttered.

“Can we see the baby?” Tess asked gently.

“Wait, you need to wash your hands first,” Eddie said, snapping out of his shock. “We all do.”

“Bathroom’s right here,” Bev said, leading them down the hall, where they quickly washed and dried their hands.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Richie exclaimed, as they returned to the living room, Ben sitting on the sofa with Ida in his arms. She was happily sucking on her own hand.

“Well, it was Bev’s idea,” he admitted as the girls carefully sat on either side of him, gazing down at the baby.

“Bev, what were you thinking?”

“We didn’t want the fuss,” she explained, sitting down next to Lydia. “At first we were just going to wait until later in the pregnancy but then thought it would be easier to just keep it all a surprise.”

“But what about a shower or…?” Eddie asked.

Both Bev and Ben shook their hands.

“We don’t need stuff,” he said. “We just want you guys here. To finally meet her. That’s way more important to us.”

“How old is she?” Lydia asked.

“She’s just over three months,” Ben said. “She just started sleeping through the night.”

“So did Eddie,” Richie cracked.

“Harhar,” Eddie grumbled. He sat beside Tess and gazed at the baby in Ben’s arms, his face soft and gentle. “She is beautiful, you two. Congratulations.”

“Oh, yeah, we didn’t say that, did we?” Richie observed. “Congrats. And welcome to parenthood.”

“Thank you,” Bev said, smiling beatifically. “That’s actually why we asked you to come here before the rest of the Losers.”

“What do you mean?”

“You guys are parents,” Ben explained. “And amazing ones. We need advice.”

“More like we need all the help we can get,” Bev added.

Richie and Eddie both blinked and stared at one another, mildly confused.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” Richie explained, “but Eds and I are pretty much just winging it.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed, “plus, we’ve never had a baby. Lydia was five and Tess three when we adopted them.”

Bev opened her mouth to respond when Tess looked up at her father and made a tiny, whimpering sound.

“But I’m your baby,” she said softly, her eyes wide.

“Oh, for goodness—of course, you are, sweetheart,” Eddie said, quickly gathering Tess into his arms.

“Daddy just meant you’re not a little baby by Ida here,” Richie explained quickly. “You don’t need diapers or bottles, right?”

Tess considered this before nodding. Bev smiled gently at her.

“Would you like to hold her?” she offered gently.

Tess’s eyes lit up as Lydia pouted and Eddie’s own eyes widened in fear.

“I think she’s too young for that, right?” he asked.

“Nonsense, she just needs to sit still and have a pillow on her lap,” Bev explained. “Here, sit back, Tess, let me get you a pillow.”

“And then you can hold her for a bit, Lydia,” Ben said, quickly noticing the pout growing in intensity on their other daughter’s face.

Richie sighed in relief, desperate to avoid a full-on meltdown within the first half hour being there, and smiled reassuringly at Lydia. With Eddie’s help, Tess sat back on the couch as Bev placed a pillow on her lap.

“Hold your arms out,” Ben explained softly, “and be sure to support her neck.”

Tess nodded seriously and stared in fascination as he gently played Ida in her tiny arms. Eddie reached out and helped arrange her arms, whispering, “Careful, and be gentle. You’re a lot bigger and stronger than her.”

“There you go,” Ben said, sitting back. “You’re doing great.”

Tess stared down at Ida, whose big eyes were gazing around her in curiosity. Suddenly, a smile spread on Ida’s little face and she waved her chubby arms about.

“Aw, she likes you,” Bev exclaimed. “Maybe you and your sister can babysit someday.”

Tess looked up at her fathers and beamed. Something bright twisted inside Richie’s chest as he gazed at his daughter and when he looked up to meet Eddie’s face, he knew his husband felt the same way. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ben snapping pictures with his phone.

“My turn,” Lydia said, “please, please.”

“Alright, alright,” Eddie said, before turning towards Bev. “Okay if I do the hand-off?”

“Of course,” she said happily.

After repeating his instructions to Lydia, Eddie carefully took Ida into his arms and allowed himself one brief moment to simply cradle her against his chest before placing her in Lydia’s outstretched arms. Richie exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and all he could think as he watched his husband holding the baby in his arms was, I hope this doesn’t awaken anything in me.

Gazing out at the skyline, Richie leaned against the balcony railing. The lights of the city were bright against the dark sky and though it was beautiful, he was looking forward to going home. He yawned and could see his breath escaping. He shivered.

The balcony door slid open and Eddie stepped out quietly before closing it behind him.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked. “It’s freezing.”

“Got my coat,” Richie shrugged, his hands shoved in his pockets. “Just needed some fresh air.”

“Seattle has some of the worst air pollution in the country,” Eddie observed, standing beside him and wrapping an arm around Richie’s.

“Of course you would know that,” Richie smirked. “Still, it’s a pretty view.”

Eddie nodded.

“The girls are asleep,” he said. “Why don’t you come back inside? It’s been a long day.”

“Eds,” Richie began instead of answering, “I...you...fuck.”

Eddie laughed.

“You still jetlagged, babe?” he asked, reaching up to curl a strand of Richie’s hair behind his ear.

“Do you ever think about having another kid?” Richie blurted out, inwardly wincing.

“Oh, God,” Eddie laughed, rolling his eyes, “I knew this was going to happen. The moment Ben put Ida in your arms, I saw you get all gooey and lovestruck.”

“I did not!”

“And when the girls were talking to her and reading her stories and when Ben asked us to be godfathers…”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Richie huffed. “One day with an infant and I get baby fever. It’ll go away as soon as we’re on the plane back home.”

“Rich—”

“It’s just, I love our girls, right? I love them so fucking much, I can’t breathe at times,” he murmured, looking out towards the skyline again. “And I love raising a family with you and I think we got this parenting thing down pretty good so far. Besides, we’ve never had a baby.”

Eddie sighed and rested his head on Richie’s shoulder.

“I love our girls, too,” he said softly. “And being a parent with you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me but don’t you think our family is complete? And you know how hard it is to adopt a baby versus an older kid.”

“I know,” Richie sighed. “I’m just...thinking out loud.”

Both men fell silent, gazing out to the city. Richie felt Eddie shiver and was about to offer to go back inside when Eddie reached up and kissed him.

“I did enjoy seeing you hold Ida,” Eddie whispered against his lips. “You’re a great dad and I have to admit, it’s a major turn on.”

“So I’m a DILF?” Richie asked, grinning. “I fucking knew it.”

“Mmhmm. Too bad we’re sharing a hotel room with our daughters,” Eddie whispered, smirking at his husband.

“Yeah, too, bad,” Richie replied. He glanced back at the sliding balcony door and was relieved to see that the curtains were closed. He started and turned back when he felt Eddie’s fingers at his fly. “It’s freezing out.”

“So let’s get warmed up,” Eddie replied, leaning up to firmly kiss him again as he unzipped Richie’s jeans.

#reddie #benverly #it chapter 2 #reddie fanfic

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theinkquiry · 7 years ago

Text

Holding On

Pairing: Remus X Reader

Prompt: You save Remus from a dark place, in every meaning of the word.

Warnings: Very sad thoughts, Remus’ negative self-image, do not read if you’re already depressed, angst

A/N: This got a lot sadder than I originally planned. A lot angstier too. I hope whoever requested still likes it though!

Out of all the nights he's been through, this was definitely the worst.

He lay on the forest floor, bloody and confused. Most of all, he was angry. The full moon had faded moments ago, and the break of dawn was fast approaching. He took several deep breaths and closed his eyes, memories of events that passed moments ago flashed before him. Forcing his eyes open, he stumbled back onto his feet.

This wasn't supposed to happen. You were supposed to be safe. Instead, he screwed it up because of his condition like he always did. Things were going so well, but he was too carefree. He should have been more cautious, especially without the others around.

You two were wandering through the forest as you normally would. Remus as a werewolf and you in your animagus form, when a single wolf pounced out of nowhere. That's when Remus started to lose full control. The attack happened in such a blur. All he could remember was the feeling of wanting to tear that wolf into a million pieces. Except Remus did not want to do that at all. The fact that he let himself get so out of control was unacceptable. He sank down on a tree and buried his face in his hands.

He ran off as fast as he could after the scuffle. Who would want to be around an uncontrollable abomination like him anyway?

"Y/N..." the name left his lips in a choked sob. He wanted to look for you and be a million miles away from you all at once. He couldn't remember a time when he wasn't utterly yours.

He knew he was pathetic. It was hypnotic how he would follow you anywhere without question. Every time you looked at him the questions died on his tongue. The world seemed simpler with you around. The feeling of your soft hand holding onto his. The reassuring warmth of your hugs comforting him through the darkest of times. You were the bright sun that overcame the moon that has haunted him for so long.

And you didn't have a single clue. To you, he was just good ol' Remus. A friend, no more no less. You didn't notice how every time you hugged him he squeezed you tighter because he didn't want to leave your arms. Or how he would spend your study sessions pouring over the features of your face rather than the pages of his textbook. You didn't notice how every day he was so, so in love with you.

Your presence itself was a comfort beyond any blanket or snack. And he didn't deserve any of it.

The wind slammed against Remus' body. The worst part about being apart from you was how noticeable the cold felt without your warmth. His clothes were ripped from the transformation. Stepping on the sharp rocks and sticks left a painful ache on the bottoms of his feet. Tree bark scratched his back roughly, unforgivingly.

Through the silence of the forest, he could hear you call out for him.

"Remus? Are you there?" It was a hushed scream. The forest breeze carried your voice clearly through his ears, but he couldn't bring himself to shout back. Did you truly want to find him? Was he just a burden to you?

How long until you gave up?

On searching for him.

On helping him.

On being around him altogether.

You were wasting your time trying to help a pathetic boy like him anyway.

Remus shuddered, tears flowing freely down his face. He bit his hand to silence the screams that wanted to escape him.

Despite the crunch of the leaves beneath your feet, he didn't dare look up. Even as your panting became louder, Remus was frozen in place. He had nothing left to lose.

"Remus!" Your voice forced him to look up. The heartbreak was clear in your eyes. He was so ashamed to be found like this. Tattered and broken, barely able to speak. You took a step forward, causing him to immediately scramble to his feet and back away.

This came as a shock to you, but you didn't say anything. Remus stared at your wide eyes for only a moment. He kept on backtracking, wanting to run again.

"Remus?" You hesitantly reached out with your hand. He flinched, scared to be anywhere near you. You bite your lower lip, but stop moving towards him. "Hey...hey, it's alright." You hold your hand in mid-air, palm open towards him.

"I'm right here, Remus. I promise I won't leave." Your voice sounded so sweet and sure.

He waited for his breathing to slow down before looking at you again. Tears rimmed your eyes, but you didn't let them fall. Ever so carefully, you took another step forward. "I'm right here. You're going to be okay." For the briefest moment, he reached out. Only to withdraw his arm right back.

"Y-you don't want this. Want me. I-I'm-" He couldn't even finish his sentence.

"But I do," you say softly. "You're my friend, Remus. I can't go back without you."

"Why?" He rasped. It was getting harder to breathe, the sound of his own mind fracturing like his heart. He didn't even know what he wanted. He could run away again. Get out for good. Live his life in the forest until his own tragic end.

The feeling of your strong grasp around his arm shook him out. His mind blanked as he stared right at you.

"I love you, Remus." You wrapped protective arms around him. "Please, don't do this to yourself."

You loved him. He threw himself fully into your arms now. You loved him. You both slowly sank to the ground, unable to support yourselves upright. His legs were sprawled on your lap, head buried in your neck. You let him cry it out, patting his hair and shielding him from the cool forest mist.

"I love you, and you're going to be alright." You reaffirm. "You're not stupid, or scary, or any of that. You're Remus and you're the one I love most."

You wiped his tears as he whispered his own love back to you. His heart never felt so full, brimming with emotion. He no longer felt so cold.

Sunlight began to stream through the thick forest leaves. The sky turning into a pastel pink, orange, and lavender. His breaths evened out until he could at last look at you clearly.

There were tear stains on your cheeks that you hadn't bothered to wipe away. Your face was pink from the running before, hair tossed from the wind. A shy smile graced your lips. It was the same one you'd give him on quiet nights when you were the last ones in the common room. The one you'd have walking alongside Remus on rainy days. And all of a sudden he can't look away from your lips. Inching closer and closer until you're finally, at last, together.

You let out a hum of contentment, eyes fluttering shut. Your chests pressed close together, Remus' arms holding onto you because you were everything. He fell deeper into your kiss as he tried to make you feel what he's been feeling all these years. By the time you've broken away, you're both faint and giggling.

"I love you," he says again.

And this time you kiss him. Again and again, until you're both reduced to a kissing, laughing mess.

"I love you too." You kiss his nose.

"Is that all we can say now?" Remus cracked a smile. You shake your head at his question and help each other up. In a comfortable silence, you two walk back to the castle hand in hand. As you reached the edge of the forest, Remus tugs you back. You stumble right into his arms as he gives you another dizzying kiss.

"Are you just gonna do that all the time now?" You mumble into his neck.

"As if I'd ever want to do anything else."

#Remus Lupin #remus lupin imagine #remus x reader #remus lupin oneshot #remus lupin x reader #harry potter #harry potter oneshot #harry potter imagines #harry potter imagine #hp #reader insert

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adamparrishcryingclub · 7 years ago

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2 and 6 for don't take the money, and 9 and 4 for came in like a thunderstorm

2. What scene did you first put down?It was actually the scene where Gansey first comes up with the plan to get someone to ask Ronan out, where he spots Adam and Ronan in the parking lot. I mostly wrote don’t take the money in chronological order actually! Whereas with some of my other fics I wrote/write them out of order a lot based on what scenes I really can’t get out of my head

6. What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?hmm I would say what makes it different is it was pretty fun to write (minus the sad reveal at the end obvs) and it’s one of my all time favorite movies ever so making a fic based on that was super fun! If not hard because I wanted it to be different enough at the same time haha. I’m quite proud of how I wrote their developing relationship in that one, starting off butting heads but still being into each other but not wanting to admit it, to realizing “oh shit I like you” and “oh shit I like you A LOT”

9. Were there any alternate versions of this fic?actually yeah?? In another version it was way angstier and it took them even longer to get together at all. Initially I didn’t plan for Opal to be the one to get involved like she did and instead Adam showed up in the rain as just a friend in need of escape from his work and THAT is when they got together. But I’m much happier with the way it is now. I always end up ending the slow burn faster than I originally intended lol.

4. What’s your favorite line of dialogue?oh god that’s a hard one…. I have so many favorite lines in this that ngl I might steal from myself one day in my original works agskflfka but I think a few are:“I was drowning before I met you, and I didn’t even realize it”“You’re like a bad pop song and I can’t get you out of my head.”“You basically have made me a Google Alert on Ronan for you.”He smelled like a long day, if smell could be described as such a thing. Really it was just sweat, but it was Adam’s, so he liked it. Ugh. (technically not dialogue but couldn’t resist I love this part a lot and I’ve seen it referenced a few times actually)

tell me what some of your favorite lines are??? If you can remember any??

#thank you so much for asking!!!#I'm answering the other ones slowly but surely :')#ask #askybison

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hollymartinswrites · 5 years ago

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Chapters: 9/? Fandom: IT - Stephen King, IT (Movies - Muschietti) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh Characters: Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier, Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough, Mike Hanlon, Original Child Character(s) Additional Tags: Fix-It, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-IT Chapter Two (2019), Domestic, Light Angst, Family Feels, Childhood Trauma, Adoption, Kid Fic, Adopted Children, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Marriage, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier Are Parents, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Minor Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Catholicism, Richie Tozier Has Issues, Extended Tozier Family, Medical Examinations, Stephen King References

Summary:

Chapter IX: Eddie sees what his daughter is capable of.

They say don’t go to bed angry.

That’s fine and all but what happens if you’re already in bed? What if you wake up angry? What then?

In Eddie’s case, he woke up an hour earlier than necessary, glanced at Richie—curled up tight on his side of the bed, facing the wall—frowned, and got up. He washed, dressed, snuck into both of his daughters’ rooms to kiss them as they slept, and headed off to work. He had an hour to spare so he treated himself to eating breakfast at their favorite local diner. He felt queasy for the rest of the day.

He worked, said hello to his co-workers, argued with clients on the phone, sat through a meeting that should have been an email, ate lunch at his desk, absently scrolled through Bev’s Instagram, and left at precisely five o’clock. From his window, he could see that the day was overcast and rainy, and felt oddly satisfied that it matched his feelings.

When he arrived home, he sat in the driveway for several long moments, gathering his thoughts. The lights were on and he knew the girls were probably playing in the living room while waiting for Richie to finish cooking dinner. He had no idea what to expect from his husband when he walked through the door but he knew he wouldn’t say anything in front of the girls.

He sighed, rubbed at his tired eyes, and got out of the car. Whatever was bothering Richie, they could figure it out. They survived Derry in ‘89, Derry in 2016, several trips to the hospital with their daughter—they could handle anything. He briefly wondered if Richie’s attitude was due to his old complaint that he spent too much time at work but that couldn’t be it. He hadn’t stayed late for weeks and was always home before six.

Perhaps he was still worried about Tess. Eddie got it, he was worried, too, but she seemed to be doing so much better and the tests had cleared her physically so what could they do? Act like his mother and fret and nag and suffocate their children? No, he had promised himself he would never be like as a parent and he wasn’t going to start now.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the car and barely had time to lock it before the front door slammed open and Richie rushed out, shouting his name. Eddie’s heart froze and his stomach clenched, fear coursing through his veins.

“Wha—the girls. Are they okay, what’s going on?” he managed to stammer out before Richie grasped him by the wrist. He blinked when he realized Richie wasn’t upset or terrified...he looked excited.

“It’s real, it’s all real,” he exclaimed. “I talked to him. And Tess showed me. She’s not sick. It’s real.”

“What?” Eddie gasped. “What are you talking about?”

“Eddie, she has these...these abilities, and we’re not crazy. He told me!”

“Who?”

“The man from those articles Mikey sent us. I found him! Well, Mikey found him and I called him today and we spoke for hours. Eddie...” Richie grasped Eddie by the shoulders, and, for the first time in weeks, looked genuinely happy, “those weren’t seizures. She’s fine. She’s perfectly fine. She’s just powerful.”

Eddie stared, slack-jawed, at his husband. His mind was running in circles, trying desperately to catch up to Richie’s seemingly nonsensical words.

“Richie, I—”

“Come on,” and Richie turned, still grasping Eddie’s wrist, and pulled him to their front door. “I almost called you to come home earlier but I thought you were still angry at me.”

“Well, I was, I mean, I am.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Richie said quickly, shooting him an apologetic look over his shoulder. “But we’ll talk about that later. I have to show you this.”

“Show me what?” Eddie demanded, thoroughly confused.

“Tess!” Richie called as they entered their home. “Tess, come here, baby.”

He pulled Eddie into the living room, where Tess was coloring while her sister danced along to the saccharine song playing on the TV. Tess looked up and smiled.

“Hi, Daddy,” she said happily.

“Hi, Daddy,” Lydia gasped in between very high kicks.

“Hey, girls,” Eddie managed to get out before Richie knelt down in front of Tess.

“Kiddo, I need you to do me a favor,” he said breathlessly. Tess gazed up at him curiously. “I need you to show Daddy what you showed me.” She scrunched up her face in confusion. “Show him what Abracadabra showed you.”

“Oh,” she said, biting her lip. “I don’t know.”

“Who’s Abracadabra?” Eddie asked, bewildered.

“Her imaginary friend,” Lydia replied, now doing something that resembled frantic jumping jacks.

“She’s real!” Tess insisted.

“Is not,” Lydia replied.

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Okay, okay, no fighting,” Richie broke in. “Tess, please, show Daddy.”

She hesitated again, turning her worried gaze to Eddie.

“What’s wrong?” Richie asked. “You don’t want to show him?” Tess shook her head. “Why not?”

She bit her lip again before leaning towards Richie, bringing her hand to her mouth as she whispered in his ear. He listened carefully and then straightened when she finished.

“Oh, Tess, you don’t have to worry about that,” he said gently.

“What is it?” Eddie asked, still thoroughly confused.

“She thinks if she shows you, you’ll get upset,” Richie explained.

“I don’t even know what you want her to show me,” Eddie replied, exasperated before turning towards his daughter. “But I won’t get upset, whatever it is. I promise.”

Tess looked doubtful as she muttered something under breath.

“What’s that, kiddo?” Richie asked.

“I said I don’t wanna hurt his feelings,” she repeated, a nervous expression on her face.

Eddie’s heart clenched again and he tried to smile reassuringly.

“Sweetheart, you can never hurt my feelings, it’s alright,” he insisted. “So just show me whatever Daddy wants me to see so we can go in and eat dinner.”

“Oh,” Richie said suddenly, a sheepish look on his face, “I sorta forgot to actually cook dinner.” He turned towards his daughters. “How about this? Tess, you show him and we’ll order pizza!”

Both girls shouted with delight and Eddie was about to admonish Richie for bribing them when Tess abruptly rested a hand on the side of his face and suddenly, Eddie was somewhere else. He was half-conscious of the fact that he wasn’t breathing but instead of being terrified, he was astonished to discover he actually didn’t need to breathe at all.

Perhaps he was in freefall or maybe the sights and sounds around him were tangible objects that could fly but either way, he tried desperately to make sense of what was surrounding him. His father—always looking so old before his time—alive and smiling; his mother handing him pills that were far too big for him to swallow; Richie throwing spitballs at the back of his head in history; the sickening snap of his arm; Stan smiling at him for the last time; watching the news while his mother warned him about blood and needles and what happens when boys touch other boys and the shame he felt that was somehow both hot and cold at the same time; Richie telling him he didn’t like the arcade anymore, it’s for babies; moving to New York City and the smell of his mother’s sick room; kissing Myra and feeling weak with misery; staring at his bottles of pills and wondering just how many he needed to get it over with; Richie’s face in the Jade of the Orient; Richie’s face always—in the bowels of Derry, in the hospital when he woke up, in Los Angeles, when they married, when they were approved for adoption, when Lydia and Tess first called them Daddy and Papa. Then, just as quickly, the images and sounds rushed into a box as if sucked in by a vacuum, and a hand slammed a cover down over it.

The air rushed back into his lungs with such force, he nearly doubled over as he struggled for breath. He coughed and gasped and wiped at his streaming eyes before looking up. Lydia was staring at him curiously, the TV remote held limply in her hand. Tess’s little face crumbled and she launched herself into his arms, her own around his neck. Eddie turned his gaze up at Richie, who was smiling beautifically and calmly, as if everything had gone according to plan.

“Wha—” Eddie gasped. “What was that?”

Richie’s smile grew and he placed a hand on Tess’s head, stroking her hair comfortingly.

“It’s called shining,” he said.

“She’s not alone in this,” Richie explained. “This guy from New Hampshire, Dan, he’s had this ability since he was a kid. And it started out the same way. He’d have these episodes that looked like seizures but weren’t.”

Eddie nodded, his eyes glued to his clasped hands resting on the kitchen table. He remained silent.

“And she can, like, learn how to control it but he was impressed when I said it seemed like already was to a point,” Richie continued. “At first he was a bit cagey and didn’t want to talk, but when I mentioned Abracadabra, he seemed to trust me.”

“Abracadabra?” Eddie repeated, quirking an eyebrow up.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s, like, a code or something,” Richie shrugged.

Eddie rubbed at the bridge of his nose tiredly. He said nothing.

“But you see it now, right, Eds?” Richie implored, leaning in closer to his husband. “It’s all real. You have to see it. I’m not crazy.”

Eddie looked at his husband’s beseeching face.

“Is that what you’ve been thinking all this time?” he whispered. “That I thought you were crazy?”

Richie swallowed and suddenly paled. He looked away as he gathered his thoughts.

“I—I just thought you didn’t...I don’t know,” he sighed. “Sometimes it seemed like you wanted a rational explanation so badly that you’d ignore...I don’t know.”

“Rich,” Eddie said gently, resting a hand over Richie’s, “I never once thought you were crazy.”

“But you said—”

“I thought some of the things Mike sent us were a little crazy but never you. I know you just...wanted answers.”

“And we have them now,” Richie insisted.

“And what are we supposed to do with them?” Eddie asked. “Our daughter has these powers or whatever. Okay, fine. What the fuck are we supposed to do? Expect the government to walk in here like in E.T. or something?”

“No, I…” Richie looked at a loss for words. “I don’t know. I think we just have to help her control and understand it. Dan said he knew someone who could help.”

“And you trust this guy? I mean, you just spoke to him on the phone,” Eddie pointed out.

“I know but he said some things that...He’s the real deal, Eds.”

Eddie sighed and gazed up at the kitchen ceiling.

“I don’t want you talking to him again,” he said suddenly, bringing his gaze down to Richie, who looked shocked. “Who knows who this guy is.”

“But—”

“If Tess is doing better than let’s just leave it at that.”

“Eddie—”

“She’s not a science experiment.”

“I know that!” Richie snapped. “Do you think I’d do anything to put her in harm’s way?”

“No, we’re just going to...let things lie for now,” Eddie said, squeezing Richie’s hand. “If something…changes, then we’ll talk about it some more.”

Richie’s shoulders slumped as he frowned.

“Alright,” he said after a few moments. “I guess so.”

Eddie reached out a hand and caressed his husband’s face. Richie looked at him, surprised.

“I’ve really fucking missed you,” Eddie admitted, his voice cracking.

“I’ve been right here,” Richie replied, confused.

Eddie shook his head and, to his immense embarrassment, felt a hot prickling behind his eyes.

“The last few months, you’ve been so obsessed with figuring this thing out with Tess—and I get it, I really do, I wanted answers, too, and you’re a great father who just wants to keep our girls safe—but it really felt like you’ve been...gone,” he said, the words pouring out of his mouth. “It got to the point where it seemed like you were pulling away. Not just from me but even Lydia. I mean, she’s our daughter, too.”

Richie stared at him with a wide-eyed, slightly horrified look on his face.

“Eddie…” he whispered.

“It’s fine,” Eddie said quickly. “I just—”

“No, I...” Richie replied, resting his own hand over Eddie’s. “I didn’t...I’m so fucking stupid.”

“Rich, come on.”

“And after last night…”

“Was that about this?” Eddie asked curiously. Richie nodded, shame-faced. “But why?”

Richie sighed and straightened in his seat.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Maybe I was nervous or just...I guess I didn’t want to hear you call me crazy again.”

“Oh, Rich,” Eddie sighed. “Fuck.”

Richie shrugged and stood.

“I was just being selfish and fucking blind,” he admitted. He offered a tentative smile to his husband. “I’m sorry. Come on, baby, let’s go to bed.”

Eddie smiled, stood, grasped Richie’s hand, and took him to bed.

Saturdays were always good days. They could sleep in, have breakfast as a family, relax (at least until it was time to take Lydia to one of extracurriculars. Today was gymnastics), and just...be.

Richie was standing at the stove, making pancakes and promising Tess that yes, they could watch The Wizard of Oz later (even though they had watched it earlier in the week) while Eddie poured another cup of coffee.

“Okay, pancakes almost finished,” Richie announced. He glanced around the kitchen. “Lyds not up yet?”

“No,” Eddie said. “I’ll go get her.”

“She better not be sick,” Richie mumbled. “That Anderson kid was sneezing when I carpooled Thursday.”

“Oh, relax,” Eddie replied. “You sound like my mom.”

“Hey, be nice about my ex-wife.”

Eddie shot him a withering glare and flipped him off (after making sure Tess was too busy with her nose buried in a pop-up book) before heading down the hallway to Lydia’s bedroom. The door was halfway open. He peeked in, frowning when he saw Lydia still in her bed, with her back to the door.

“Lyds?” he said gently.

She sniffed loudly but didn’t turn around. He stepped in, walked up to her bed, and rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Lydia, are you okay?” She turned her face up to him and Eddie’s heart lurched when he saw tears streaming down her little face.

“Sweetheart, what it is?” he whispered as he sat beside her on the bed.

She sniffed again and wiped at her eyes.

“Is Tess gonna get taken away?” she asked, her voice thick.

“What?” Eddie asked, nearly breathless. “What are you talking about?”

“I heard you and Papa talking last night,” she admitted softly. “Is the government gonna take her like in E.T.? I know she’s annoying sometimes but I don’t want her taken away!”

Eddie clenched his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Sweetheart, no, that’s not…” He trailed off and sighed before gently wiping her tears. “Come on, come in for breakfast and we’ll talk to Papa.”

He pulled back the blankets and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked down the hallway to the kitchen.

“Hey, Lyds, how many—” Richie looked up and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Eddie sat her down at the table next to her sister and turned towards his husband.

“Lydia is upset because she’s worried about her sister,” he explained, raising his eyebrows at Richie in an effort to get his point across. Richie swallowed and nodded once as Eddie looked at their daughters. “But your Papa and I would never let anything happen to either of you. Right?”

Richie nodded again and smiled at both Lydia and Tess.

“Right,” he repeated. “That’s our jobs, after all. To keep you two safe. No matter what.”

“Even though Tess…” Lydia trailed off, glancing at her sister.

“Listen, Tess isn’t any different from you,” Eddie said quickly. “You’re both our priorities. Understand?”

Both girls nodded.

“But maybe…” Richie stopped short and swallowed nervously. He ran a hand through his hair. “Girls, I think it’d be best if you didn’t...mention anything about Tess’s...abilities to anyone.”

“Why not?” Tess asked.

Richie hesitated.

“Because people might not understand,” Eddie said quickly. “And it’s nobody’s business. So let’s just...keep it to ourselves.”

Tess nodded and continued eating her pancakes but Lydia still seemed distressed. Eddie felt his heart clench as he recognized some of his own childhood fear on her face. He reached out, took her hand in his, and kissed it gently.

“There’s no need to worry,” he said firmly. “I swear to you, Lydia.”

She swallowed and nodded.

“Okay, Daddy,” she said softly. “I believe you.”

They smiled at one another when Richie ruined the moment by exclaiming, “Oh, shit, the pancakes.” He rushed to the stove where several pancakes were burning.

Eddie rolled his eyes but smiled when he saw both his daughters laughing.

“Are we fucking this up?”

Eddie took a deep breath and turned his face towards his husband. Richie was staring at the ceiling, a worried look on his face.

“Rich, I…” he sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Now Lydia’s scared,” Richie whispered. “Lydia’s not scared of anything but now…”

“That’s not your fault.”

“I didn’t say it was my fault, asshole,” Richie replied. He sighed and rolled onto his side towards Eddie. “How can we protect the girls when we don’t even fully understand what we’re dealing with?”

Eddie frowned and turned onto his side, as well. He reached a hand over to brush Richie’s curls behind his ear. Eddie felt himself smile. Even after all these years together, he still found the sight of Richie without his glasses amusingly odd.

“What are you grinning at?”

“You,” Eddie answered. “You look funny.”

“Thanks,” Richie huffed.

“Shut up, I didn’t mean it like that,” Eddie sighed. “And you’re right. I don’t know how we deal with this. I mean...I guess we need to do more research.”

“I think I read everything out there,” Richie admitted.

Eddie gave his husband a penetrating look.

“You want to talk to that Dan guy, don’t you?” he said.

Richie bit his lip and nodded once. Eddie sighed.

“Alright,” he said gently. “But we do this together. No more hiding things, okay? Including how we fucking feel.”

Richie nodded and smiled so genuinely, it made Eddie shiver. He leaned in and pressed his lips against Richie’s.

“I really have fucking missed you,” he said.

“Me too,” Richie whispered against his lips.

They kissed for several more deliciously long moments, wrapped up in each other’s arms. Eddie pulled Richie flushed against him, and groaned at the feeling of Richie’s erection.

“Fuck,” Eddie whispered. “Kids definitely asleep?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Door locked?”

“Fuck.”

“Wanna just chance it?”

Richie grinned and reached his hand down underneath Eddie’s boxer shorts. Eddie moaned.

“Good,” Richie murmured, “you’re hard already.”

“Course I am, I told you I fucking miss you.”

“Good,” Richie repeated, leaning in to kiss him again, “because I do not feel like waiting. I need you to fuck me like yesterday.”

“You sound like an idiot,” Eddie laughed.

“How is that any different to how I sound everyday?”

“Good point,” Eddie admitted, releasing a shaking breath as Richie stroked him. “Fuck, Richie.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Richie replied, smiling as Eddie rolled his eyes. “Get the lube. And don’t make faces. You love me.”

“Yeah,” Eddie sighed, grinning, “I really fucking do.”

#reddie #reddie fanfic #it chapter 2 #richie tozier #Eddie Kaspbrak

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hollymartinswrites · 5 years ago

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Chapters: 15/? Fandom: IT - Stephen King, IT (Movies - Muschietti), Doctor Sleep - Stephen King, Doctor Sleep (2019) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh Characters: Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier, Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough, Mike Hanlon, Original Child Character(s), Dan “Danny” Torrance, Abra Stone Additional Tags: Fix-It, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-IT Chapter Two (2019), Domestic, Light Angst, Family Feels, Childhood Trauma, Adoption, Kid Fic, Adopted Children, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Marriage, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier Are Parents, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Minor Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Catholicism, Richie Tozier Has Issues, Extended Tozier Family, Medical Examinations, Stephen King References, The Shining References, Doctor Sleep References, References to Depression, Depression, Mentioned Sonia Kaspbrak

Summary:

Chapter XV: Growing up isn’t easy but Eddie and Richie are determined to help their daughters along the way.

The next couple of days went by in a blur. The rest of the Losers arrived, were just as shocked as Richie and Eddie at Bev and Ben’s surprise baby, and spent the remainder of the trip hugging, kissing, laughing, and fawning over Tess and Lydia and of course, baby Ida. Even though both men had insisted on no gifts for their daughters, none of the Losers had listened, and their daughters were delighted with their latest Christmas presents (Eddie even had to run out and purchase a new tote bag to lug them home).

But, soon enough, it was time to head back and face reality. The holiday season was over and the girls had school. Eddie, secretly, was looking forward to returning home and by the looks from his husband, he knew Richie felt the same way.

The girls cried when they left for the airport—even shy Tess. Clearly, Ben and Bev’s kindness and patience (and the new addition of an adorable, happy baby) had finally worked their magic on their daughter. Yet, by the time the family pulled into their own driveway, they were all more than relieved.

Together, Eddie and Richie helped the girls unpack, bathe, and get ready for their first day back to school after the break. Both men were grateful that they were raising children who truly enjoyed school and were too busy discussing which new outfits they would wear and what toys to tell their friends about to fret. Soon enough, it was time for bed and both girls, exhausted from their trip, dropped off to sleep easily. Now, it was time for just them.

“We did it,” Richie said, stretching after they walked into their bedroom. “We survived.”

“And the girls did great,” Eddie replied, yawning.

“Yeah, beyond what I expected,” Richie answered. “Guess we can start planning more family trips.”

Eddie nodded and leaned against the doorframe, gazing at his husband, a tender smile on his face. Richie yawned and reached for his dresser drawer before noticing.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Eddie replied, shrugging. “Just...I need to take a shower.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Be quicker if we take one together.”

Richie blinked and Eddie smirked as he watched his husband’s face go slack. After all these years, he still enjoyed shocking him.

“Together?” Richie repeated, his voice unnaturally high. “We haven’t done this since...since…”

“Come on,” Eddie grinned, taking his hand.

“But...what if this kids wake up and need us?”

“Ten minutes,” Eddie replied. “They’ll be fine for ten minutes.”

Richie grinned.

“Baby, when I’m this hard for you, I only need two minutes,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows in a poor imitation of seduction.

Eddie laughed and dragged him into the bathroom.

Work sucked.

He had been looking forward to getting back into the regular routine of things but, as he sat at his desk and stared at the hundreds of emails in his inbox, Eddie realized he would’ve been much happier at home. Rubbing at his eyes in frustration, Eddie sighed and tried to focus. He deleted as many unnecessary emails as possible, responded when necessary, and glanced up to the time. Two minutes had passed. Great.

His phone buzzed. Eddie quickly grabbed it and swiped it open. A text from Richie.

Just picked up Tess. She has her first loose tooth!

Eddie smiled, his heart suddenly light.

Send me a pic, he texted back and waited. And waited. And waited some more. He swallowed nervously but tried to remind himself that Richie was probably driving and shouldn’t he be glad that Richie never texted while driving?

Eddie looked back at his emails and tried to get through a few more, but he noticed he was nervously bouncing his leg. He clenched his free hand and took a deep, calming breath. It did not calm him.

His phone began ringing. He answered it immediately and winced at the sound of his daughter wailing.

“Hey, sorry,” Richie said, sounding breathless. “We had a bit of a meltdown in the car.”

“What happened?” Eddie asked quickly. “Is she alright? Are you alright?”

“We’re fine,” Richie answered. “We—Tess, it’s okay, I’m talking to Daddy, you can talk to him next—we just got home. And we’re a little freaked out by the whole loose tooth thing.”

Eddie’s heart twisted painfully.

“Let me speak with her,” he said gently.

“Okay, hang on,” Richie said and Eddie could hear him turn away from the phone and say, “Tess, baby, it’s Daddy. He wants to talk to you. Here, lemme wipe your nose. Okay, here you go.”

“Daddy?” whimpered a little wet voice.

“Sweetheart,” Eddie replied, his eyes closing briefly as he tried to keep calm, “are you okay? What’s wrong? Tell me.”

“I...I…” Tess broke down again and Eddie heard Richie gently calming her, “I’m scared!”

Eddie’s heart cracked a bit and he glanced down at his free hand, once again clenched tightly.

“What are you scared of?” he asked softly.

“I don’t wanna lose my tooth,” she wept. “I don’t want the Tooth Fairy to come. It’s gonna hurt.”

“Sweetheart, it’s not going to hurt,” he said quickly before changing tactics, “and it’s okay to be scared. We all get scared sometimes but you know you’re very brave, right?”

Tess was too busy crying to respond.

“Eddie?” Richie said as he got back on the phone.

“Do you need me to come home?”

“No, I think I can get it under control. Besides, it’s your first day back at work.”

Eddie glanced back at his computer screen and frowned. He absently rubbed at his chest, a deep pull nearly taking his breath away.

“I’m coming home,” he said firmly. “I’ll be there soon.”

“Alright, but only if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure, Richie.”

Eddie ended the call and stood from his desk, the only thought in his mind that he wanted to be with his family.

He was home in less than half an hour. Richie opened the door before he even had a chance to unlock it, his husband smiling tiredly at him.

“Where’s Tess?” Eddie asked immediately, stepping inside.

“Down for a nap,” Richie answered, closing the door behind him. “I’m sorry, you really didn’t need to come home early.”

“I wanted to,” Eddie sighed, putting down his briefcase. “I couldn’t focus at work anyway. And I couldn’t… not with her upset like that.”

Richie nodded and ran a hand through his unruly hair.

“She calmed down a bit after talking to you,” he said. “She’s still spooked by the whole thing. I don’t know, I guess it’s scary the first time but I wasn’t prepared for a freakout like this. Lydia had only been excited.”

“I know,” Eddie replied. He gazed up at his husband and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. “How are you doing?”

Richie offered a gentle smile and shrugged.

“I’m alright,” he sighed. “I guess I was just...thrown off by her meltdown. Tess has been so good lately, so confident.” He shrugged again. “I hate seeing her upset.”

Eddie nodded and leaned up to peck him gently on the lips when they were interrupted by the sound of Tess crying out for her papa. Both men raced to her bedroom and threw open her door, only to see her sitting up in bed, her face hidden in her hands as she cried.

“Tess, Tess,” Eddie gasped, rushing up to her bed with Richie right behind him, “Tess, it’s alright, you’re safe. There’s nothing to worry about. Your papa and I are here.”

She immediately hid her face in his chest, muffling her sobs. Eddie looked up at Richie helplessly, but he looked as troubled as he felt. Surely this was a lot more than merely being scared of a loose tooth.

“Talk to us, kiddo,” Richie offered. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

Tess sniffled and wiped at her eyes before slowly sitting back.

“I knew...I knew my tooth was loose...loose last night,” she hiccuped through the tears. “It’s scary.”

“I know it’s a bit scary but it’s really nothing to fret over,” Eddie promised. “It’s just a part of growing up and it doesn’t hurt, it just feels weird.”

“Yeah, and you get money from the Tooth Fairy,” Richie reminded her.

Tess sniffled again before looking down at her lap.

“I...when I get scared...the bad things come back,” she admitted, her voice thick.

“What bad things?” Eddie asked, cold fear gripping his heart.

“The bad things I see,” she explained. “When I’m scared...they come back. The scary things. Like Papa floating and the mean lady who gave you yucky medicine when you was little, Daddy. I can’t make them go away.”

See, Eddie-Bear? I knew you couldn’t protect her, his mother laughed from the grave. A wave of dizziness overwhelmed him, and Eddie briefly wondered which way to fall in case he collapsed.

“Tess, those are…” Richie swallowed before taking her hands, “those aren’t real. They’re like bad dreams. They can’t hurt you.”

Tess shook her head.

“Abracadabra showed me how to stop them,” she murmured. “But it’s hard when I’m scared.”

Eddie blinked and was suddenly aware of Richie’s arms around him and their daughter. An intense desire to give way to tears overwhelmed him but for Tess’s sake, he remained quiet. He closed his eyes as he felt Richie kissing the top of both of their heads.

“It’s alright,” he whispered, “it’s alright, Tess.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said gently, “your Papa is right. They can’t hurt you. I know they’re scary but they can’t hurt you. They’re like memories or something.”

Tess nodded, tears still streaming down her face.

“And we’d never let anything hurt you,” Richie insisted. “Your daddy and I both promise you that.”

“I know,” Tess murmured.

“Just remember how brave you are,” Eddie whispered. “You and Lydia can do anything.”

“And a loose tooth has nothing on you,” Richie reminded her.

She nodded again and snuggled closer to her dads. Eddie closed his eyes again and took a deep breath, allowing his husband and daughter to center him.

“We need to talk to Abra,” Eddie declared later that night.

Richie looked up and nodded once.

“I suppose so,” he sighed.

“Her classes probably started up again,” Eddie considered. “What did she say? She’s a junior?”

“Sophomore, I think,” Richie answered.

“Well, I don’t want to take her away from her classes,” Eddie replied. “I just want her to...like...reassure Tess.”

Richie gazed off into the middle of the room and a sad smile appeared on his face.

“She doesn’t like change, poor thing,” he whispered. He turned towards Eddie. “Reminds me of you.”

Eddie sighed and shook his head.

“Maybe I’m overreacting,” he muttered. “Maybe we just need to take her to the therapist again.”

“We can do both,” Richie offered. He leaned back to lay on their bed. “At least Lydia was able to calm her down a bit about losing a tooth.” He sighed. “I’m not crazy about it either.”

Eddie furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Not crazy about what?” he asked.

Richie hesitated before admitting, “Tess losing a tooth means that she’s growing up.”

Eddie smiled and shook his head before stepping up to the bed and laying beside his husband. He rested an arm over his chest and sighed deeply.

“Our kids have to grow up,” he said gently.

“I know that,” Richie shot back. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Eddie leaned in to kiss his cheek. Richie turned his head to catch Eddie’s lips with his own, his own hands reaching to card through Eddie’s hair.

“Maybe…” he murmured against Eddie’s lips, “maybe if we had a baby…”

Eddie burst out laughing.

“You ass,” he insisted. “I knew that was coming soon.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did, you’re not very subtle, Richie.”

Richie sighed and gazed up at the ceiling.

“But…”

“And what if we had a baby?” Eddie asked, leaning up on his elbows. “That baby will grow up, too. And what then? We get another baby?”

Richie shrugged.

“That’s a possibility,” he admitted.

Eddie rolled his eyes and, with his fingers, gently turned Richie’s face towards him. He smiled down at his husband, love filling him so completely that, for a moment, he couldn’t breathe.

“You’re a ridiculous man, Richard Tozier,” he murmured. “And I love you for it. But maybe let’s not discuss having another kid while our current one is in the middle of a crisis.”

Richie’s eyes grew brighter.

“You mean, you’d be up to discussing having another kid later?” he asked tentatively.

Eddie smiled again and nodded. Richie grinned and reached up, bringing his husband down to meet his lips once again. His hands carded through Eddie’s hair and, for the second time that day, Eddie felt dizzyingly weak. This time was much better.

“Where are we going?” Lydia asked for the upteenth time, swinging her and her father’s arms as she held his hand.

“We told you, the park,” Richie reminded her, squeezing her hand in reply.

“Bu it’s cold out,” she pointed out.

“It’s not that cold,” Richie answered. “And after the park, we’ll go get lunch.”

“Can we go to the American Girl store?” she asked.

“No, we have other plans.”

“What about the Museum of Natural History?”

Richie opened his mouth to refuse but immediately thought better of it and gazed at Eddie imploringly. Eddie shook his head. Nearly every trip to New York City resulted in Richie trying to convince Eddie to go to that museum again and though Eddie loved it, too, they had plans today.

“We’re nearly there,” Eddie said gently, “and if there’s enough time, we may be able to get to the zoo.”

Both girls cheered excitedly and Eddie hoped he wasn’t promising something he couldn’t come through with. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint his daughters...and Richie.

“I’m tired of walking,” Tess declared suddenly, pulling on his arm.

“Oh yeah?” Eddie replied. “Should we get you a stroller? Like baby Ida?”

Tess nodded solemnly and Eddie ran his hand through her hair.

“You’re far too grown up for that,” he observed. “I think you can handle another block or so.”

She gazed up at him with wide, plaintive eyes, and Eddie heard Richie sigh beside him.

“She learned that puppy dog look from you, you know,” Richie insisted.

Eddie was about to shoot back a snarky response when Lydia suddenly asked if they were finally at the park. The two men looked up.

“Yep,” Richie said. “Come on, let’s go find a bench to sit down for a minute.”

“What are we doing here, anyway?” Lydia asked. “We’re not seeing a play, are we?”

“No,” Richie sighed. “Did anyone ever tell you you ask a ton of questions?”

Lydia nodded.

“You did,” she pointed out, “but you said that was good and it shows I’m clever.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

Eddie sat down on a bench with Tess on his lap, his husband and other daughter following behind him.

“Your comeuppance for talking so much as a kid, Rich,” he observed. “At least, Lydia asks questions and not just spews nonsense like you did.”

Richie tried to glare but ended up smiling. Lydia began explaining what clever things she had recently done in school as the family rested on the bench, observing the people going about their day in the park. Eddie took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, wrapping his arms around Tess. This was nice. He could sit here all day with his family.

“Hey,” Richie said suddenly, his voice light, “who’s that over there, Tess?”

Eddie followed Richie’s pointing finger and a wave of nervousness washed over him. He prayed, not for the first time, that this wasn’t a big mistake. He needed Tess to be okay with it. He squeezed her in his arms again and watched her look, as well. When she spotted who her father was pointing to, she froze.

“Who’s that?” Lydia asked.

Before anyone could answer, Tess shrieked, “Abracadabra!” and launched herself out of Eddie’s arms. Stunned, he watched her race to the approaching young woman—a wide smile on her face—and throw her arms around her excitedly. They hugged for a long moment before Tess released her, took her hand and all but dragged her to her family.

“Daddy, Papa,” she cried, “this is Abracadabra! She’s real. I told you!”

“I know,” Eddie said, smiling as he glanced at his husband. Richie was also smiling and his eyes were shining brightly. “We always believed you, sweetheart.”

It was dark before they finally decided it was time to head home. Tess cried. Lydia pouted. Even Abra seemed upset but both men promised to visit again soon and plan more get togethers during the summer break.

“Good,” Abra insisted, “maybe I can come down by you guys at one point. The city is intolerable in the summer.”

“Oh, I remember,” Eddie agreed. “Tess, Lydia, say thank you to Abra for hanging out with us today.”

“Thank you,” Lydia declared, smiling.

Tess hesitated before throwing her arms around her again and hugging her tightly.

“Thank you, Abracadabra,” she whispered.

“Aw, you’re welcome,” Abra replied. “Are you feeling better now? Not so scared anymore, right?”

Tess nodded and wiped at her eyes before stepping back and taking her father’s hand.

“Thank you, Abra,” Richie said, his voice surprisingly serious, “for everything. For helping our daughter so much.” He swallowed and seemed at a loss for words. Abra merely smiled again and nodded.

Eddie cleared his throat and extended his hand. Abra took it.

“Yes, thank you,” he said softly. “I...we...thank you.”

Abra sniffed and shrugged.

“It was nothing,” she said quickly. “I just hope she does better now. No more getting scared, right, Tess?”

“Right,” Tess agreed.

The two men looked at the young woman and both felt compelled to do more than merely take her out for lunch and dinner. Still, to a college student, free food was better than gold, Eddie reasoned. He sighed and shook his head.

“Get home safe,” he said firmly.

“Don’t talk to strangers,” Lydia reminded her and Abra laughed.

“Okay, I promise,” she said and with one last quick hug to Tess, headed towards the subway.

Richie turned to gaze at his husband before looking down at their youngest daughter.

“Tess,” he asked, “was this a good thing? Was it good to see Abracadabra in person?”

Tess looked up at her father, her eyes bright and clear. She nodded vigorously.

“Yes, Papa,” she said, “I like seeing my friend.”

“It’s good to have friends,” Richie smiled, taking her other hand. “Your Daddy and I know that better than anyone.”

#reddie #reddie fanfic #it chapter 2 #abra stone #doctor sleep

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