#this week on things that will only make sense to owen: this

[sleepless-dreams]

ON THIN ICE

summary: things seems to start to look up, a fragile sort of achievement

word count: 1,7k

₊⊹CHAPTER 4⊹₊

Owen takes me up on my offer.

It doesn’t matter that I’m losing sleep over stepping back onto the ice, this is for him. And if I’m doing this, I need to be prepared.

That’s why I dive into research, trying to find the best time slots for our training sessions. The main rink is open to the public only on weekends, and I don’t need to go take a look to know it’ll be packed. If Owen’s going to learn, we need space, and a crowded rink isn’t the place for it. So that option is quickly crossed out. The side halls that are used for practices are mostly booked out by sportsmen. After creating a spreadsheet cataloging every team’s practice schedule, I finally manage to find a few gaps.

On Tuesdays, there’s a two-hour window between an U11 hockey team’s practice and a preliminary figure skating session. A similar slot opens on Thursdays after Owen’s practice, and again on Sundays just before closing at six.

It takes me two weeks of careful planning to finalize everything and make sure Owen’s free during these windows.

The first time I take Owen for a session with me, it is a Tuesday afternoon. I dissociate the whole drive to the arena, trying to keep the thought at bay. I don't even realize I was spacing out after I parked until Owen knocks on the window to get my attention. He has already grabbed his stuff from the back.

I retrieve my own gear on autopilot. Every step I take in the arena’s direction tightens the knot in my stomach.

Everything I do is done without a single thought put into it. I walk into the arena, I pay for the entry and I walk into the changing rooms- all absentmindedly. That is until I unzip my bag.

My hands tremble and I realize I’ve been biting down on my lower lip. Owen is already halfway done with putting on his skates while I stare down at mine, willing myself to reach out and take them out of the bag. But I can't. My body is frozen up and I can't seem to move. There's a lump in my throat and I swallow in an attempt to push it down, but it just grows larger.

"Are you coming?" Owen asks, his voice snaps me out of my paralysis. I nod, not trusting myself to speak and finally wrap my fingers around the skates. Owen, meanwhile, disappears out of the changing room, going to already warm up.

I pull them out slowly, with measured movements. My mind is running a million miles per hour, memories flashing before my eyes. And I'm not even on the ice yet.

Sitting down on the bench and swapping my shoes for the skates is a slow process. It feels like if I do it too quickly, I'll disturb an invisible force that's holding me together.

The action of weaving the lace in the familiar pattern grounds me. I focus on the way the material feels against my fingers as it slips past.

I'm taking too long. Owen appears in the doorway again, a mildly impatient grimace twisting his features. "Auntie," he huffs.

"I'm coming," I reply, trying for a somewhat convincing smile. I don't want him to worry about me. He doesn't know why I quit figure skating, just that it wasn't because I wanted to focus on my studies or something similar.

My knees feel wobbly even before I stand up on the pair of twin blades. My stance shifts naturally to accommodate the instability, and it brings a faint, fleeting sense of familiarity.

If the walk to the hall was awful, the walk down the hall toward the rink is even worse. Stepping onto the mats that cover the floor to protect the blades makes me feel like I'm walking across shifting ground. The chill that hits me after I open the door to the rink immediately sets into my bones.

I waddle over to the gate, the dull sound of Owen's skates sliding across the frozen water rings in my ears. I take a step forward and suddenly, I'm halfway on the ice. I bring my other leg after me.

I'm standing on the ice for the first time in years, and my world stops. Everything fades into the background. All that's left is the picture of my skate-clad feet on pale blue ice.

I don't move. I can't move. Just like I couldn't back in the changing rooms.

But the ice doesn't break. It doesn't swallow me whole. It waits. Unchanging, unforgiving.

I force myself to move despite the feeling that's digging its claws into me. The movement is tentative at first- a short glide forward.

I thought I forgot how to do this. Or maybe, I hoped I did. But despite it being sloppy, skating still comes to me naturally even after all this time. The skill has deteriorated; it's not as smooth and polished as it used to be, but I could never forget how to do it. It's engraved into my brain and into my body. The muscles remember what to do, even if my mind doesn't want to.

I stay by the boards the whole time, mainly standing around. I try to resist gliding, but strangely, I find myself drifting around the spot I picked out without much of a thought. The moment I realize what I'm doing, anger bubbles up and I force myself to stand still again, redirecting my attention back to Owen as I call out my next instructions.

Every session after that looks pretty much the same, but my skates find the ice more often than I intend. I don't always realize when I've started carving shapes into the surface, smooth lines and lazy arcs drawn without thought or shift from a stationary position. When I do notice, though, the shame hits sharp and sudden, like ice splintering under pressure. It stays with me through the night, heavy in my chest, refusing to let me fall asleep as the shadow of my failure hangs over me, cold and unrelenting.

Sometimes, when the weight of it all gets too heavy, I find myself crafting excuse after excuse as to why I can't keep this arrangement up. But the thought of quitting leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and the guilt that gnaws at me regarding this outweighs anything other than I feel. Every excuse capsizes under the memory of Owen's face lighting up when I praise him. That self-satisfied grin, the spark of pride in his eyes… It anchors me, pulling me back every single time.

The progress is gradual, it's a long process, but first signs of improvement start to show after a few weeks. They're small things, subtle, but they make a difference. Owen's posture has improved quite a bit and his footwork is getting better too.

By early November Owen's progress starts to reflect in the practices enough to be noticeable. I am proud of him and I share his joy.

I notice changes in myself too. I used to perch high up on the bleachers, far away enough that the chill of the rink couldn't quite reach me. Now, I linger by the boards, close enough to hear the scrape of the skates carving into the ice.

Sometimes, when the air gets too heavy, I still pull out my phone, my thumb scrolling mindlessly- a lifeline or a shield. But more often than not, my eyes stay on my nephew, tracking his movements across the rink.

I’m lingering by the boards again today, my fingers curled loosely around the cold metal edge. Coach Maximoff has split the boys into two teams for another mock match. It’s much more balanced than it was on that day when I offered Owen my help. The hard work is showing, it’s there in Owen’s sharp turns and confident glides. A grin tugs at my lips before I can stop it.

Owen's team loses the match, but despite that, he managed to put up good chase and take the puck from the enemy team a few times.

When Owen gets off the ice, I raise my hand for a fist bump. It's a little ritual we adopted during our sessions, my way of reminding him that he's doing a good job. His gloved hand bumps mine with a huge smile on his face.

I return it easily, reaching over to ruffle his sweaty hair. He playfully swats my hand away, muttering that he's going to go change.

I really am proud of him, I think to myself as I watch him disappear down the hallway.

"He improved quite a bit in the last month. I'm positively surprised." Wanda remarks from behind me.

I turn, finding her leaning casually against the boards, thermos in hand and a lazy smile on her face.

"He has, hasn't he?" I agree, trying to keep my voice light, even as something stirs uncomfortably in my chest.

"I haven’t seen many such rapid improvements. Has he been training outside of our practices?" she asks, tilting her head slightly, eyes sharp with curiosity as she takes a sip from whatever beverage she has in the thermos.

I hesitate, searching for the right balance between honesty and self-preservation.

"I’ve been taking him to the rink from time to time," I admit, keeping the answer deliberately vague. I don’t want her -or anyone, really- prying into what Owen and I have been doing. It’s not that I’m ashamed of helping him. It’s just... if people start asking questions, they may dig too deep. They’ll ask if I have experience skating, and that’s not a story I’m ready to tell.

Wanda regards me for a moment, and I can’t shake the feeling that she sees right through me, even if I know that’s not true.

"Well. Whatever it is you two are doing, it's working out." she says with a shrug, but her eyes glint with something warmer- something softer. Something like approval.

It’s such a simple thing, really; a few words, a slight smile. But it hits me square in the chest, knocks something loose inside me. Pride unfurls like a small flame, hesitant at first, but warming.

Up until now, it’s been easy to feel proud for Owen, but Wanda’s words feel like they’re aimed at both of us. For the first time, I let myself hold onto that, let myself own a piece of that pride.

Wanda’s words feel like a gentle nudge, like she’s offering me permission to step into the spotlight- just for a moment.

It feels... nice. A little foreign, a little fragile. But nice.

[shintaru]

Ice cream

m.list ♡ taglist

Synopsis ~ ice cream Mukkbang with Owen

Tagging ~ @ravenwritten @dzvelinaskebiyars @sylith @sanzuslutttt @zyart-jpg @wthphe1n @prepchii @bfwooin @hyukwwn @kuchisabishiiiii

A/N ~ for some reason this made me want to cry

Owen fell into a rut where he only felt two things one loathing for Jay Jo and two felt depressed that Shelly was taken. You just couldn't take his complaints anymore. So you took him to an all you can eat ice cream shop. It’s your favorite place to go when you’re sad. You push him into the store since he couldn’t stop dragging his feet. Upon entering you immediately feel better eyes glowing from excitement. You take Owen’s hand, interlocking your fingers and pulling him towards your favorite section.

���Look at all the cones” you say with a huge smile on your face looking up at him. You frown when you see his pouty face clearly still sulking. “Get whatever you want it’s on me” you say. “Thanks” he says finally saying something for the first time in a week. You both get matching waffle cones to start you picked cookies and cream and he picked mint chocolate chips. You sit down at a booth writing down on the order tickets the ice creams you both picked.

“Owen you should get over Shelly she’s taken now” you say but he gives you the silent treatment and a pissed expression. “ I’m just saying it would be healthy to move on. She's happy with Jay, you should be happy too!” You add. “I’m not happy that she’s with Jay” he says, managing to pout while looking pissed off. He finally takes a bite if his ice cream while looking out the window.

“If it makes you feel I got cheated on” you say while laughing. “That’s not funny and I don’t feel better” he says. “I’m sorry I have a dark sense of humor so it’s hilarious to me” you take a bite out of your own ice cream while looking at him. “Shelly’s lucky” you say softly looking away from him. “How is she lucky with him? she should be with me!” He asks. “That’s not what I meant, I envy her a little…” you don’t finish your sentence deciding to drop the topic.

“Then what did you mean? Why do you envy her?” He asks the questions you were hoping he wouldn’t ask. “You’re so not good at reading the room” you reply. “Just answer me” he retorts. “I meant she’s lucky to have someone loyal like you remaining by her side although she’s found love in someone else and that’s why I envy her” you say getting up to purchase another ice cream. He gets up following you. “But why does that make you envious do you have a crush on me or something” you push him playfully.

“All the guys I like play me, cheat, or abandon me so I’m jealous that she has someone loyal to her but she isn’t interested in you. She doesn’t have to return your feelings. I'm just saying seeing someone throw away something I can’t even get makes me feel jealous” you admit honestly. He doesn’t say anything and you decided to order two of every ice cream off the menu for you both to try. “Let’s see who gets a brain freeze first” you say while grabbing a spoon waiting for your order to come out.

“They will probably melt before we get a brain freeze” he says. The orders come out and you make eye contact with Owen. “I’ll beat you” you say “I’m not competing” he replies although he says that when he sees how fast you’re eating your ice cream he immediately eats his faster. After eating all the ice cream you both sit there holding your heads and stomachs with your hands. “The ice cream was supposed to make me feel better but now I feel like shit” you say. “Tell me about it” he replies, making you laugh. “I’m so glad you find my misery hilarious” he says leaning his head against the table. “So I’m hearing you want round 2?” You say he jolts up from laying his head down. “No I’ve had enough I’ve cream gif an eternity” he says.

[scrapyardboyfriends]

Episode Thoughts…

Continuing to like this Vic. I want to keep her forever. She finally makes sense. Haha. I just really like her being there for Robert and wanting to help him so much. That and telling off John. He’s a walking red flag, Vic, open your eyes!

Loved her blatantly telling John he was insecure. Understatement but very painfully true.

I’m glad they’re still talking about therapy for Robert. The plot needs to give him money for that and to buy Eric’s house.

The Aaron scene was definitely rough in the second half. But I actually really liked the way they did the switch. You could see Aaron being concerned and caring in the first part of the conversation, using his soft voice to ask if Robert was okay. It was only when Robert, perhaps inappropriately implied it was Aaron he wanted to talk to about not being okay that he started pushing back.

I mean yes, it probably wasn’t fair of Robert to ask all things considered.

But I like the implication that Aaron only started to push back when the idea of spending any real time with him came up because he knows that he would cave so fast. A vulnerable Robert standing there asking him for help and wanting to open up? That’s the Robert of Aaron’s dreams right there. Haha. But no, he can’t be that person for him because he can’t trust himself so he has to exhaustedly break up with him for the four hundredth time.

And so poor Robert gets himself a date. His awkward flirting was mildly painful to watch. Also date rapist Owen and Mike the Chef seem to have the same awkward flirting style back.

It was a good kiss though. Let’s have a repeat of that with Aaron down the line please. Good practice for a reunion kiss?

I do kind of wish we saw more of a private reaction from Aaron instead of him telling John it was tragic and walking away. But hey he did get out of there fast. So maybe that’s something.

And I love that Robert is still just like “yeah no I can’t actually sleep with you” to these guys. They don’t stand a chance. Not even when Aaron rejects him.

But anyway, fuck Owen and his drugging him. And why does everyone have a creepy murder van?!? First I thought he was putting him in the back of John’s van until I realized the doors were different.

Speaking of John. I really wish the drugging had been his doing. Unless they’re going to reveal a twist later. I know part of his thing is just manipulating situations as they come to his hero benefit but sometimes I just wish his actions were a little more villainous and intentional.

I mean we don’t know what he’s going to do exactly now other than monologue and stand over him with a syringe. I imagine he’ll play the hero and fake find him or something. I just hope Robert doesn’t really fall for it.

Speaking of Robert not falling for John’s BS, his face during that scene where John was telling Vic to come to him if she ever feels unsafe was great. He was like “who the fuck does this guy think he is?!” Also he said it directly in front of Robert. Not that he cares but still. Haha.

Overall good stuff. Looking forward to the rest of the week.

[frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe]

good morning!! it's @henderdads' birthday!!!! happy happy happy birthday to youuuu cass!!!

The minute Eddie Munson turned 18, he could see it; the only color he would see until he and his soulmate kissed for the first time.

Yellow.

Rays and rays of warm yellow sunshine, the middle light (and middle light only) of the one stoplight in town, one half of their school colors, the dandelions spotted agross the grass between the trailers, the stubborn daffodils that keep reappearing in Ms. Wilson’s garden though she’s long since passed…

The half-toned things he’s told are green, half yellow, half blue, and that he got lucky his soulmate’s favorite color wasn’t black or gray (then he felt glad he’d settled on a different color than either of those by time he was older, he didn’t want to subject his soulmate to more black and white..

After Steve Harrington turns 18, he can see the color of the lipstick his mom wore in their last family portrait, the color of the punch that gets spilled all over Nancy’s shirt at Tina’s halloween party, the stripes and piping on his godforsaken Scoops uniform, the red of his own blood rushing down the drain beneath his feet.

The dark tone puddled beneath Eddie’s limp body in the Upside Down.

The same color splashed onto Dustin’s arms and legs.

Pressing his hands into it to stop it from spreading, to start it flowing again, Steve presses his lips to Eddie’s once…he hasn’t done CPR since he worked at the pool….twice…”C’mon man, don’t leave him like this.”....

The third time is when it happens.

The feeble beat of Eddie’s heart starting again, the push of breath into his lungs, the sudden flood of cool, dark colors around them. 

“Eddie? Eddie! C’mon man, stay with me.”

It looks like it takes a herculean effort to do so, but Eddie’s eyes open. “H–hey, Harrington. Wh–”

“I’m going to pick you up now, Ed,” Steve says, doing just that, tucking Eddie into his chest and starting for the trailer. “El is keeping the gate open for us but we gotta hurry.”

The four of them manage to get him out through the gate and into the RV, this time with Nancy behind the wheel. 

Having to let him go at the doors to the ER is one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do, but he manages, Robin telling him over and over again that she’d already called Eddie’s Uncle and that he’d be safe.

While they’re waiting, filthy and exhausted but victorious nonetheless, Nancy says to him: “It’s blue, by the way. The…everything down there has some sort of blue tinge to it.”

Steve doesn’t ask how she knew, just appreciates that he can look at something and she’ll tell him the name of the color. 

The pattern of the chairs is orange and purple, the plant in the corner is green (“All plants are some shade of it for the most part.”), the wallpaper is his favorite though.

“It’s yellow.”

“I guess I know what color Eddie’s been seeing the past few years..” It’s the first and last thing he says until Wayne Munson comes to get them.

“You three need’ta be looked at too. Not jus’ Henderson.”

He leads them back to a room, and Steve recognizes Dr. Owens there waiting for them.

They get looked over, they get cleaned up, and Steve gets a shot of something that’s supposed to help stave off anything those flying rats may have given him.

And for the next week, he stays. 

He and Wayne maintain a constant vigil at Eddie’s bedside. Wayne leaves for his shifts when he has to, Steve is allowed to stay because of his soulmate status, and Eddie wakes up a little more than a week later.

Wayne had left a couple hours ago, so Steve will have to call him at the plant but first: “Steve?” Eddie manages to croak out when his eyes crack open the first time.

“Hey Eds, welcome back to the world of the living.”

Eddie shuts his eyes and huffs a laugh, then cringes, “Still painful as always, I see.”

“Oh yeah? What else do you see?”

Steve watches his brow furrow as he tries to make sense of the question, watches as he opens his eyes again, a bit further this time, and when they widen in amazement as they travel around the room.

“What–? What the hell..?” The heightened beeping of his heart monitor makes Steve feel almost giddy, getting to watch him see this for the first time. “What nurse kissed me while I was out?” He pauses, staring down a painting of colorful wildflowers on the opposite wall before turning back to Steve. “And can they come back so I can get more pain meds?”

Steve chuckles as he stands stiffly from the hospital chair he’d been all but glued to for the last week, reaching over Eddie’s head to press the call button.

“What’s so funny?”

“You, of course.”

“Thank you, I try, but what’d I do this time?”

“It wasn’t a nurse, Eds.”

Eddie blinks at him for a moment, confused, “I don’t quite have the brainpower for riddles, Stevie.”

Steve’s stomach flips at the nickname, “It wasn’t a nurse, it was when we were still in the—down there.” he pauses, feeling suddenly embarrassed. Did Eddie want it to be him? His first assumption was one of the nurses… “Someone had to give you CPR.”

He watches as Eddie scrolls through what he can only assume is a roster of their “Team Vecna”; Nancy? It’s been known that she’s been able to see in full color since she and Jonathan got together. Dustin? Yeah..no. Ro–

“And it wasn’t Robin.” Steve says when he sees Eddie’s lips curl into an ‘R’.

“Then who—”

It dawns on him at the same time the summoned nurse arrives with a new shot of whatever it is he needs.

She leaves with an excited “We’ll call Wayne!”, and Eddie drops his head back to his pillow.

Steve’s stomach twists anxiously. “Eddie?”

“So you’re telling me that the one and only Steve Harrington gave me the kiss of life and also the gift of colorvision, and I wasn’t conscious enough to experience it properly?”

Steve ducks his head, scratching behind his ear nervously. “Uh…yeah…? Sorry Eddi–”

“Can you do it again?”

His head snaps up again, “Huh?”

“And preferably before I lose the battle for my consciousness?”

Eddie’s face is soft and open, a smile quirking the pink of his lips and crinkling those dark eyes of his…Who is Steve to tell him no?

He smiles softly in return and stands.

Leaning forward with his weight braced to one side of Eddie’s head, the other hand coming up to cup his uninjured cheek, Steve kisses him properly for the first time.

The first of many many many more to come.

eeee i hope you liked this little thing!!! i've never written anything w soulmates before!! 🥹 i hope you have the most bestest day today, friend!! 🫶🫶

[steddieas-shegoes]

crawl home to you

for @steddiesongfics february song 'work song' by hozier

rated e | 5,223 words | full tags on ao3

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Steve should never have kissed him. He knew that now.

While Eddie was dying, bleeding out on the ground of their version of Hell, the only thing Steve felt he could do to help him was kiss him. It was quick, just a peck on the lips, lingering only for a moment. Their eyes never even closed.

Steve wanted to take in every remaining moment that Eddie had.

There was nothing else he could do, just hold him, try to whisper comfort that may not have even been heard.

Dustin was yelling to save him, but there was no way to do that. His injuries were too severe, he’d already lost too much blood. Moving him now would just kill him faster and more painfully. Nancy and Robin were trying to hold Dustin back, but their tears were making it harder to maintain any control.

When Eddie was gone, Steve set him back down on the ground.

“We have to get out of here,” he said, biting back the sob he could feel in his throat.

“We can’t leave him! Steve, please,” Dustin begged.

“We can come back for him once we check on everyone else. I promise. I’m not letting him stay here,” Steve lifted Dustin in his arms, ignoring his protests.

******

When they finally managed to sneak through the safest gate, Eddie’s body was gone.

Steve fell to his knees, silently begging any higher power to make him appear.

But Robin’s hand on his shoulder and Jonathan’s voice by his side made him stand up and leave.

He was gone.

He couldn’t even bring his body back to bury it properly.

He’d made another mistake.

******

Nobody moved on quickly, but Steve seemed to feel the most guilt. It was written all over his face anytime someone mentioned Eddie, it was in the way he visited Eddie’s uninhabited grave every weekend to clean it and leave flowers, it was there when he wore the battle vest around town, still bloodstained and obvious.

No one commented on it. Only Robin ever saw him cry over it.

Only Robin knew that part of his guilt was from not saying how he felt before Eddie died.

The kiss was too late and the words were nonexistent, and now Steve had to live with the missed chance.

******

It was a hot summer day when things changed.

It was subtle at first, the sky darker than usual and the air stagnant.

He got ready for his day, skipping the vest since he’d be volunteering and “bloodstains scared the children.”

And then he heard a crash outside, followed by yelling and banging on his front door.

“Steve!” “Open up!” “Code red!”

Steve ran downstairs and threw open the front door.

“It’s time,” Dustin said.

“Now?” Steve asked, incredulous. How had they not had more warning?

They all thought El and Will would be able to sense more of the Upside Down leading up to Vecna’s return, even Dr. Owens had mentioned a possibility of signs for days or even weeks leading up to his return.

How could they all have been so wrong?

“Where are we meeting?” He asked, running through a checklist in his mind of everything he would need to bring with him. Most of the emergency things he planned on having were already in his car, but it helped him keep the nerves at bay to have something to do.

“The cabin. It’s closest to the gate we can use. El’s already there with Will and Hopper getting what they can done. We don’t know how long we actually have.”

“Do they feel him?” Steve had to ask, had to know.

“El said she’s not sure if it’s Vecna or the mindflayer, and Will thinks it’s just the entire hivemind, but yeah. They do feel something. They expected it to be stronger so Nancy thinks something is messing with their connection,” Lucas said.

Steve nodded and told them to load their bikes in his trunk while he finished grabbing some things.

Most of what they would wear was already at the cabin, but he couldn’t do this without a piece of Eddie.

He slipped the vest on and laced up his boots. He put the only ring he had of Eddie’s on his ring finger, the only one it would fit on.

He checked the mirror once to make sure he didn’t look like he was falling apart at the seams.

The black shadows under his eyes and greasy hair would have to be alright.

******

They split up, but differently this time. One group stayed with El, protecting her while she protected the world. One group stayed with Will in the Upside Down.

Steve insisted on being part of the group in the Upside Down.

He carried his nail bat while Robin carried a flamethrower. She had lessons and everything.

Joyce had a rifle loaded with special bullets that exploded into actual flames upon impact, something Dustin and Suzie had cooked up over the last month to try to gain any leverage they could.

Nancy and Jonathan were ahead of them, rifles in hand to fire warning shots if they saw anything before Will felt it.

Will was quiet, but he’d been pretty quiet since he’d arrived in Hawkins.

It was eerily quiet, more than they were expecting. They’d come in thinking they’d be fighting off demobats and demodogs constantly, but so far they were met with nothing but falling ash and the occasional sound of a tree limb breaking.

“Are we sure he’s still here?” Steve finally asked.

“He’s here. I can feel him. He’s just being quiet, waiting,” Will answered. That was the most he’d said all day.

So they continued.

A gunshot went off.

Everyone froze.

Jonathan yelled to them that something was nearby.

“It can’t be him. He’s still too distant,” Will said as Joyce stood in front of him.

“Unless he’s messing with you,” Robin whispered. “He knows we’re on high alert, right? He knows we’re strong and we aren’t just gonna give up. He’s not gonna let himself be known until he’s certain he’s got us in our weakest spot.”

Will nodded. “I don’t think he has that much control over what I can feel, though.”

“He has a lot more control over all of you than you think,” a voice said from to their left.

All weapons were pointed towards it except for Steve’s, who would recognize that voice in any situation, no matter how insane.

“Eddie?” He pushed everyone out of the way and moved towards the voice.

“Wait!” Eddie said from the shadows, barely an outline visible in the darkness. “Don’t come closer yet.”

“Why not?” Steve felt Robin’s hand on his shoulder, comforting and holding him back at the same time.

“I’m not…Steve.” Something in his tone told Steve to actually listen to him, to not push.

“Can you at least let me know if you’re alright?” Steve was scared to actually believe this was Eddie.

Eddie was dead. His body was missing.

If this wasn’t actually Eddie, Steve wouldn’t handle it well. He’d do what he needs to make sure everyone gets out of here, but after that?

Who knows.

Eddie sounded like he was cursing under his breath, which felt like such an Eddie thing, Steve couldn’t help smiling a little.

Maybe the world would end today, maybe he’d die, maybe everyone would die. But right now, Steve felt Eddie’s presence, and that was something worth dying for.

“Okay, this is gonna sound like a trap.” Eddie cursed again. “But I don’t know if I can be trusted near anyone except Steve.”

“Yeah, hard pass,” Robin said as she tugged Steve back. He’d already put one foot forward like he was actually going to get closer. “If I can’t see you, you’re not getting any closer to him.”

“That’s what I thought you’d say,” Eddie sighed. “I just need you to not freak out if I come out there.”

“Why would we-” Steve started to ask as Eddie stepped out of the shadows.

It was still pretty dark, but it was easy enough to see the outline of him.

In many ways, he looked the same, still pale, still long dark curls, still wearing the clothes he’d died in. But there were things Steve noticed immediately.

His wounds seemed healed, which should be impossible. Well, he shouldn’t even be alive, but even still, there should be way more scars covering his face and neck. His eyes were nearly black, not the deep brown they’d been before the life left them in Steve’s arms. When he opened his mouth to speak, his teeth were pointed, sharp.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone. But I haven’t been around anyone since-” He gestured to himself. “And I’m not sure how much control I have.”

“What…are you?” Nancy asked from behind them.

“I wanna say vampire, but nothing is really that simple, so blood-thirsting creature who hasn’t had blood since he discovered he needed it.” Eddie flashed his teeth. “I’ve got no heartbeat, which is weird. And I can hear what Steve’s thinking.”

“What?” Steve asked, almost too shocked by seeing Eddie to actually process what he was saying.

“Your thoughts have been like, the only thing keeping me alive. No blood yet, remember?”

“How does that even work?” Joyce asked, hand on Steve’s arm. “Did you feel anything strange?”

“No,” Steve answered, not taking his eyes away from Eddie. “So you…you know?”

“Yeah, Stevie. I know,” Eddie took one step closer and paused, closing his eyes. “I don’t wanna get any closer to anyone. But I know for a fact that I wouldn’t hurt you.”

“You know how that sounds, right?” Will finally spoke up.

“Yeah, Will the Wise, I do. Which is why I won’t push. But I think something happened when Stevie here kissed me while I was bleeding out in his arms and I’m pretty sure that I would actually die if I hurt him,” Eddie said.

Everyone looked to Steve, who could no longer think of a single reason not to go to Eddie.

Robin seemed hesitant to let him go, but he smiled at her and said to trust him. They all had plenty of weapons if something went wrong.

He walked closer, his only thought being able to actually touch Eddie again, maybe kiss him when he wasn’t dying.

“I wouldn’t be opposed,” Eddie said quietly as Steve stopped right in front of him. He seemed taller, just a couple inches, but definitely noticeable. “Gotta watch the teeth though. They’re pretty sharp.”

“It’s really you,” Steve reached a hand out to cup his cheek. Eddie nuzzled against his palm. “You came back.”

“I’ll always crawl home to you, Stevie.”

“How did this happen?” He whispered, his hand dropping to Eddie’s chest. He really didn’t have a heartbeat. “How are you here?”

“I don’t really know. I woke up and got flashes of your thoughts, and then my own memory kicked in and all I could think about was getting back to you.” Eddie leaned forward until his forehead touched Steve’s. “It killed me to hear how much you were hurting and I couldn’t do anything.”

“Why couldn’t you come through the gate?” Steve asked, fingers curling into Eddie’s shirt. “Why didn’t you come to us when we came to get your body?”

“Every time I tried to leave, I would pass out. One of those times was when I could hear your thoughts about coming to get me and I wanted to meet you at the gate, but I blacked out somewhere by Skull Rock?” Eddie sighed. “I didn’t get to you in time.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Steve sobbed.

“Hey,” Eddie cupped his face and shook his head. “You didn’t know. This isn’t your fault. If anything, you’re the reason I’m even alive-ish to begin with.”

It was like everything around them disappeared when Steve leaned up to peck Eddie’s lips.

It was even quicker than the first time, barely even a graze. But they both felt the spark.

Steve fell against his chest, his face nuzzling into his neck as he let out another sob. “I needed you.”

“I know. I’m here now,” Eddie said.

Steve hadn’t realized how much it was true, how much he did need Eddie this whole time. The grief he’d felt was beyond what he should’ve felt, more than what even some of the people closest to Eddie had been showing. It didn’t make sense to him why he felt so much for this man he barely knew.

“It feels like I have your heartbeat in my chest,” Steve mumbled. It didn’t make any sense.

“Maybe you do, sweetheart,” Eddie kissed the side of his head. “Must’ve stolen it from me when you kissed me.”

Steve smiled against Eddie’s skin. “Maybe I did.”

“Um, not to break up…whatever this is,” Robin started. “But Will’s hearing things.”

Steve whimpered as Eddie pulled away.

“It’s okay,” Eddie said as he laced his fingers with Steve’s. “I’m right here with you.”

And it turned out, he was more help than anyone could’ve expected.

He wasn’t exactly connected to the hivemind, but he could sense Vecna. He was almost certain Vecna was the reason he passed out anytime he tried to leave.

Which Nancy had explained probably meant Vecna would need to be severely weakened or die before Eddie would be able to leave.

If Steve had to kill Vecna himself to have Eddie back, he would. He would do anything.

But since Eddie seemed connected to him, he could give them more warning than even Will could when something was going to happen.

That warning is probably what saved them and ultimately helped El get into Vecna’s mind to finish the job she started in March.

It was obvious almost immediately when she won, when they won.

Steve’s first response was to hug Robin, her tears and sweat and a little blood soaking into his shirt while he cried into her hair. He could distantly hear everyone else crying and yelling, cheers coming from the walkie that Joyce was holding.

Everyone was okay.

Robin patted his back and pulled away. “You better get to Eddie before he rips my face off.”

Steve’s brows furrowed as he looked over to Eddie. He’d distanced himself from everyone, and even though he was smiling about their victory, he looked incredibly uncomfortable.

“Hey,” Robin said, patting his cheek. “I’m happy for you. If he’s what you want, I’m glad you get to have him.”

“Thanks, Robs.”

Robin turned to pull Nancy into a hug and Steve made his way over to Eddie.

“We couldn’t have done it without you,” Steve started. “You made sure we got him before he could get us.”

Eddie’s wide eyes wouldn’t focus on him, darting from his face to his neck to behind him.

“Stevie, I-” He groaned. “I really need blood. Everyone smells so strong. I think Vecna was covering some of my hunger before.”

Steve paled. “Okay. Let’s just- okay.”

“Steve.”

“Bite me.”

“Steve!”

“No, seriously. You won’t hurt me. You can’t hurt me. And I barely even lost any blood today. Might as well let you have some.”

Eddie whined. “I-”

��Eds, look at me,” Steve guided his face towards him. “If you drink a little now, we can all leave here. You can come home. You can see Wayne. You can see the kids. You can stay with me if you want.”

Eddie nodded. “I just don’t wanna freak you out. I feel like you’re handling this too well.”

“Maybe,” Steve snorted. “But this is not even top three weirdest things to happen to me. I want you to feel like you have control again. You can be in control of your own body.”

“I don’t know what it will feel like for you. It may hurt,” Eddie said.

“It won’t hurt as much as knowing you’re suffering.”

“You would fall on a sword I’m holding if it meant I was happy, wouldn’t you?” Eddie asked, shaking his head. “How have you not died?”

“I almost have many times.” Steve cupped the back of Eddie’s head and pulled him in, tipping his head to the side so he had better access to his neck. “This won’t be one of them. You can’t hurt me.”

“Steve,” Eddie nipped at his neck. “You smell so good. I can’t-”

“Then don’t, baby. Drink.”

The moment Eddie’s teeth sunk into his skin, every surrounding noise and sight was gone from Steve’s mind. All he could think about was giving Eddie everything, whatever he needed was his.

He could feel Eddie moaning against his neck, but couldn’t quite hear it.

Eddie’s arms were around his waist, holding him up while he took the blood he needed.

Steve lost track of time, lost track of everything except the way Eddie’s lips felt against his pulse point. His tongue lapped up the blood leaking from where his mouth connected to his veins.

They both shivered.

Steve blacked out.

******

“If you killed him, I swear to god Munson, I will kill you.”

Robin’s voice was the first thing Steve became aware of.

And then he felt Eddie’s fingers on his wrist, probably checking his pulse.

“‘M not dead,” he managed to say.

He was definitely in a bed, though he couldn’t be sure if it was his own. He didn’t really want to open his eyes yet.

He turned his head a few inches and let out a small whimper at the sting in his neck.

“Can’t believe you tried to eat my babysitter,” Dustin’s voice said from somewhere across the room. “After he basically saved you by kissing you. I gotta call Suzie. There’s theories on a “sleeping beauty” kiss, but there’s no actual science to back it up. Yet.”

“Dustin, please shut up,” Steve groaned. “I’m fine.”

He finally opened his eyes to emphasize his point, shocked to see almost everyone surrounding the bed he was in.

“This wasn’t really an everyone needs to be here situation, was it? I just passed out.”

“Eddie was panicking. He thought he killed you,” Lucas provided.

“But he cannot. You are soulmates,” El said from a chair on the other side of the bed. She looked exhausted, but otherwise okay. “It is impossible for him to kill you.”

“Well that’s…nice.” Steve was feeling a bit exhausted himself. “How long was I passed out?”

“Long enough to get through the gate and get you back to your house. 30 minutes maybe?” Eddie said, pulling his hand up to kiss his fingers. “I was worried I took too much.”

“No,” Steve said, certain he hadn’t. “I think it was just overwhelming. It won’t happen next time.”

“Did I hurt you?” Eddie’s voice sounded broken and unsure, like he would crumble into pieces if Steve said yes.

“No. You didn’t hurt me. I promise. It felt…good,” Steve was hesitant to say more with so many ears listening in, especially young ones. “It was just a lot.”

Eddie watched him for a moment, determining if he was lying. But he could read his thoughts, knew he wasn’t, and eventually gave a nod and another kiss to his knuckles.

“Well, since we know he isn’t dead and probably won’t be anytime soon…we should go!” Robin said because she was a good friend who knew what Steve was thinking even without the mindreading superpowers.

“But we should monitor him and make sure nothing weird happens. We don’t know what Eddie’s got going on and-” Dustin started to argue.

“Yep, he’s fine.” Hopper started to nudge everyone out the door. “We have stuff to do anyway. Eddie can watch him. He’ll call if anything weird happens, right?”

“Right,” Eddie answered, not taking his eyes off of Steve.

As everyone filtered out of the room, Steve blinked back at Eddie, fond smile spreading across his face.

“You need any more?” Steve asked when the door closed.

“You’re joking,” Eddie laughed, but there was no amusement in it. “I could have actually killed you. I’d never drank before and you tasted so good, Steve. You have no idea how hard it was to stop. And then you passed out! I almost had them bring you to the hospital!”

“I’m fine! I passed out because it felt good.”

“Steve. No one passes out like that just because something felt good.”

“Well, it did! It felt kinda like having five orgasms at once. Except kinda different, too. Like I wasn’t quite over the edge?” Steve shook his head. “Either way, I’m okay and it felt good and if you need more, you can have more.”

“I don’t need more right now,” Eddie sighed. “But I know I will. We’ll figure out what to do to make sure you get enough vitamins so I can drink from you next time.”

“Mhm. Sounds good,” Steve closed his eyes and tugged Eddie’s hand to rest on his chest, where his heart was beating against his ribs. “Feels like you’re part of me.”

“Yeah. You feel it too?”

“El said we’re soulmates?” Steve opened his eyes again and found Eddie’s gazing back at him already.

“I don’t know, but there’s definitely a connection. A pretty strong one. I don’t think we can ignore it,” Eddie admitted, almost apologetic.

“I wouldn’t want to. I should’ve told you before how much I wanted to get to know you,” Steve felt tears in his eyes. “You didn’t deserve to only know after you were already dead.”

“I’m not dead. I’m here with you.”

“But I watched you die. I thought you were dead. I mourned you with the kids. Robin had to stay with me for a week straight because I could barely sleep, blamed myself for everything. You must have heard all of that.”

“I think I heard a lot of it. You tortured yourself. I wanted to come here and tell you I was okay so many times. I tried so many times,” Eddie kissed his forehead. “But I’m here now. You’re mine now. I’m yours. We can figure out what this means for us.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, sweetheart.”

“Will you get in bed with me?” Steve asked.

“To sleep?”

“Eventually,” Steve smirked. “Remember when I said I was still on the edge?”

Eddie snorted. “I’m not fucking you tonight. No way.”

“Why not?” Steve pouted.

“Because it should be special and because you’ve already been through enough today,” Eddie chuckled. “You can wait a day or two.”

“Can we at least make out a little?” Steve tried to compromise.

“Will you get some rest after?”

“If you make me tired enough.”

“I didn’t know I’d end up with Steve Harrington, The Brat.”

“You’re the one who pointed out I was a spoiled rich kid,” Steve argued, turning on his side so that Eddie could climb into bed next to him. “I’m used to getting what I want.”

Steve hadn’t felt this light in a long time, maybe even years.

Eddie must have sensed it, his beaming smile lighting up the room, his sharp teeth glistening in the low lamplight.

His lips crashed against Steve’s, his arms pulling Steve closer and then on top of him as he rolled onto his back.

Steve moaned into his mouth, licking past his lips and across his fangs.

He could almost still taste his own blood in Eddie’s mouth.

He rolled his hips forward, cock already straining against his pants. The friction was perfect, just enough to keep Steve on the edge, but not so much to make it seem like he was pushing.

He was pushing though. He wanted to see how far Eddie would go, how far they could get tonight even with the events of the day behind them and the exhaustion sinking in.

Eddie nipped at his lip, just enough to break skin, and Steve whimpered.

“Shit, sorry. Forgot how sharp these things are,” Eddie pulled away and thumbed away the blood.

“It’s good, I like it,” Steve gasped out. He pulled Eddie’s thumb to his mouth and sucked on it. “Bite me anywhere.”

“Sweetheart…”

“Please, I’ll be good. You don’t have to drink. Just…bite me.”

Eddie held him still for a minute, his eyes searching his face.

“I have an idea.”

Steve nodded. “Anything.”

“Ever fingered yourself?” Eddie asked casually.

“Um, kind of? I mean I have, but I got frustrated with the angle pretty quick.” Steve suddenly caught up to what Eddie was suggesting. “Are you gonna finger me?”

“If you have lube.”

Steve sat up, nearly falling back over from a head rush. Once he managed to stay upright, he reached over into his bedside table and moved a couple things over to get the lube.

He handed it to Eddie and started to get off of him, but Eddie’s hands grabbed his hips and stilled him.

“Nope, like this. I want you to ride my fingers,” Eddie smirked. “You can find what feels good like this. Use me to get off.”

“Is that what your idea was?” Steve gulped. He’d never done anything like this before and wasn’t sure he’d do it right.

“No, but it’ll make my idea more fun,” Eddie squeezed his hips. “But we can stop anytime, okay? Even if it’s just because you’re too tired.”

“I’m not.”

“Love, you defeated an alternate dimension and its super evil guy today. Plus, I drained you of a pint or two of blood. You can be tired,” Eddie opened the cap of the lube. “You wanna get undressed?”

Steve rushed to pull his shirt off, and quickly stood up to remove everything else. Eddie tried not to laugh at his eagerness; It was honestly pretty endearing.

Once he was naked, he got back on Eddie’s lap. “Are you gonna get undressed?”

“Not right now. This is all about you, sweetheart.”

Steve’s blush went down to his chest, and Eddie was ready to proclaim his love to anyone who would hear it. He didn’t care how ridiculous it was; He loved Steve and his beautiful red glow.

He hadn’t mentioned it to him yet, but Eddie could hear the blood rushing in his veins, could hear his heart pounding even from across the room. He could almost feel every breath in his own lungs.

He spread the lube across his fingers as he helped Steve scoot up enough to make this easier for both of them.

Steve’s breath hitched as he circled his hole, and Eddie heat rushing to the places his fingers brushed against.

He pushed a finger in slowly, slow enough that it felt like Steve’s entrance was making his finger a part of him. Steve let out a long, low moan as he pushed himself down further, until Eddie’s knuckle was resting against him.

“You were made for me, weren’t you?” Eddie said in awe. He’d done this plenty, but never like this, and never with someone who wanted him this badly. “Taking me like you’re starving for it.”

“Am starving for it. Need you,” Steve moved his hips forward and back, barely riding Eddie’s finger.

Eddie pulled his finger out and replaced it with two, trying to take it slow, but Steve wouldn’t let him.

“Oh fuck,” Steve whined when Eddie crooked both his fingers inside him, brushing against his prostate repeatedly as Steve’s hips started moving again.

His cock was leaking, dripping precome down his length and onto Eddie’s stomach. He couldn’t wait to have a taste of it later. Soon, if the way Steve’s heart kept skipping a beat was any indication.

“You want another?” Eddie asked him, somehow feeling breathless despite the fact he may or may not even need to breathe.

“Please,” Steve begged. “Need to be full.”

“You want me to fill you up?” Eddie stretched him open around three fingers, going a bit slower this time when Steve tightened around him. “How much can you take? Think you can do four fingers? Think you can have my whole cock in there next to a couple fingers?”

Steve nodded, though Eddie was pretty sure he had no idea he was doing it. He wasn’t picking up any actual thoughts from him right now, which was definitely good for his ego, but a little concerning.

“Hey,” Eddie paused with his fingers inside him, his free hand against Steve’s chest. “Let me see those pretty eyes.”

Steve blinked his eyes open and Eddie was gifted with a few random thoughts about how nice his fingers felt and how much he wanted to come.

“You wanna come on my fingers?” Eddie asked.

“Mhm.”

Eddie thrust his fingers in and out a few more times before tugging Steve down.

The new angle caused him to nearly scream, Eddie’s fingers putting constant pressure against his prostate as his cock got trapped between them.

“Gonna test something. Can I bite you?” Eddie whispered against his ear.

“Fuck, yes,” Steve agreed, tilting his head to the side like the good boy he was.

Eddie stilled his fingers, but kept them as deep inside Steve as he could. He leaned forward and breathed in the scent of Steve, his sweat, the lingering smell of his body wash from his last shower barely clinging to his skin, his blood.

His teeth found their mark and he bit down, groaning as he broke the skin and tasted the first drop of blood on his tongue.

He didn’t suck, didn’t need to. He lapped at the droplets of blood as he felt Steve tense, let out a high-pitched whimper, and warmth coat both their stomachs and chests.

He pulled off immediately, pulled his fingers out so he could wipe them off on the sheets.

“Fuck, sweetheart, that was perfect. You were perfect for me,” Eddie kissed his neck, his shoulder, the side of his head. “Can’t believe I get to do that.”

“Mmm…again?” Steve’s raspy voice breathed out against his shoulder.

Eddie laughed. “Not tonight, beautiful boy. I need you to rest. You did so good.”

“Mhm. You too.”

Eddie laughed again. How did this become his life? Or death? Undeath? Whatever.

He didn’t have the heart to move Steve, but he knew they’d end up literally stuck together with dried cum if he didn’t at least wipe them down. He managed to lift Steve enough to wipe them off with the sheet, but it wasn’t perfect and they’d definitely need to shower as soon as they woke up.

Eddie had changed as soon as he got to Steve’s house at everyone’s insistence, but he had yet to shower, and he was pretty certain the only reason he didn’t smell worse was because he technically wasn’t alive to produce any body odor.

He turned his head to look into the bathroom.

Steve had a huge bathtub. They could share in the morning.

For now, Eddie ran his fingers up and down Steve’s back as he fell asleep on top of him.

“Thanks for kissing me, sweetheart,” he whispered before closing his eyes and letting out any of the tension he’d been holding onto.

Tomorrow, they’d find a way to explain his presence to Wayne, and he’d really be back home.

But tonight, he’d let the weight of Steve and his love cover him up.

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

FINAL EMERGENCY THEORY

Obviously we have an asteroid coming, but in true Lone Star fashion, they are going big with this final emergency so an asteroid alone isn't enough!

For a while now, I've felt pretty sure that the asteroid impact itself wasn't going to be the true danger but would instead be the thing to trigger the true danger. Since the asteroid should be making impact at the end of episode 11 (according to the leaked episode 11 call sheet from back in June), it's clear that they will be dealing with a post-asteroid emergency/emergencies in episode 12.

I had some speculation about what exactly the final emergency would be, and that's come into clearer focus the last couple weeks.

In this TV Insider article from about 10 days ago, Rashad confirmed my suspicion that the place the asteroid is going to hit will be important.

Then in a few Natacha interviews from after episode 10 (like this one), Natacha kept mentioning the word NUCLEAR.

So from this we knew that the writers looked at places actually in Austin to find the worst possible place for the asteroid to hit, and we knew that NUCLEAR probably has something to do with it. This got me googling, and I came up with this:

There's a nuclear reactor at UT Austin!

The Owen sneak peek released this morning confirms that there is indeed a nuclear meltdown imminent. My guess is that it has to be happening at this UT nuclear reactor since there isn't another nuclear reactor in the city of Austin.

Some of the end of filming BTS also supports this conclusion. They did outdoor filming at a real university:

That's clearly going to be this scene from the episode 12 stills:

Around the same time, they were also filming in school hallways:

Here's a video of them filming

And Natacha also posted a picture taken in the same location

So based on all of this, my theory is that the asteroid makes impact and causes some kind of damage to the nuclear reactor at UT. The 126 arrive at the university and eventually make their way to where the reactor is located. When they get there, they either get trapped or they're in a position where they can't stop the meltdown and can't get away in time so attempting an escape seems futile.

Based on what we've seen in promos, I think only the firefighters get really close. (The moments at the end of this promo when they're in the dark and apparently fearing the worst only show firefighters, not paramedics.) We also know that Carlos is going to be wearing a headset at dispatch:

I think this sets us up nicely for a moment with everyone working together. The firefighters on the ground trying to stop a nuclear meltdown, Wyatt and Carlos helping from dispatch, maybe the paramedics fighting to get to the firefighters to help them since it seems like there are going to be injuries...

This all sounds a lot like what Rashad has told us, that the "final sequence" has everyone working towards a singular goal:

However, there's no way this is the very end of the episode. I think there has to be some kind of wrap up afterwards, but I also think it's possible that Rashad meant "final sequence" in a different sense. Maybe their final action sequence or the final sequence they filmed. You never can tell with the wording used in these interviews since often quotes are chopped up and presented out of context.

Well, anyway, that's it. My final theory 🥺

(Credit to @she-walked-away for first floating this potential theory of them all working together in this particular way, and I think it makes more sense the more we find out!)

[dancewithdeath11]

Swirling Smoke

Pairing: Tyler Owens x Reader

Summary: You contemplate your relationship with Tyler Owens over a cigarette..

Warnings: Smoking, mentions of sex and a complicated relationship, lazy ending & no editing (sorry besties), afab reader

Word Count: 1.7k

Unofficial pt 1 - Confidence (I'm horrible at linking, plz just go look)

======

The burn of smoke was always comforting. You could chalk it up to your Daddy’s smoking habit growing up. The familiarity of the bitter, biting smell of tobacco really made you think of when you were back home playing in the front yard while he smoked on the porch. Or maybe of your first job. Sitting out back with your coworkers as they all had a quick smoke a few feet away, not even old enough to drive yet. Then it blended into the late night college hang outs. Passing one around while laughing over a game of cards.

It was a bad habit. Obviously. It got your Daddy in a bad way, but he got better. After that you tried to cut down too. But every once in a while, you light one to burn off some nerves. 

So here you were, confused as ever as you stood out on the balcony of a random motel in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma trying to process things. You were a storm chaser, unintentionally. How the fuck does one unintentionally become a storm chaser? Great question. You grow up with the one and only Tyler Owens, that’s how. 

It was one time. You swore it would only be one time. 

The way your hands shook as you lit up your cigarette after you finally got out of that god forsaken storm proof truck.. Your heart was racing from the second he put the pedal to the metal and almost crashed the truck chasing that tornado. The adrenaline– the excitement of it– scared you. It wasn’t natural. 

It wasn’t normal how you wanted to feel that way all the time. To hear your heartbeat in your ears. Feel your blood run hot and your hands shake. That shiver that runs up your spine that makes you brace yourself on the nearest thing. To want to expel all the air in your lungs in a shout, from the fear or exhilaration of it.

Soon you were wrapped up in it all. One of the tornado wranglers.

You never got enough of it. And it was always fun, of course. Driving head first into danger like a bunch of fucking crazy people. Wandering around the state with no true intent other than to research and help the less fortunate who were devastated by the very storms you were chasing. Stopping at the occasional bar to try and take your minds off things after the more stressful chases.

But things change.. 

You always see or hear about the heat of passion in the media. Either in a movie or book. Until a close call with Tyler a few weeks back, you thought it was all bullshit. How does it make any sense that the human reaction after a close call is to kiss someone? 

There wasn’t supposed to be a storm, but Tyler had a suspicion. So you went to check it out anyway. Next thing you knew the two of you were tearing through a field driving away from an EF1 that touched down seemingly out of nowhere. Mother Nature has a weird sense of humor like that. Tyler thought it was smart to pull some dangerous maneuvers that made your heart jump into your throat. 

As soon as the two of you got far enough away and it dissipated, you ripped him a new one. Yelling at him about the dumbass moves he pulled, all while he stared at you with a look in his eye that made your heart race for a whole different reason. The two of you fucked in the back seat of his truck. Then the next day in his motel room…And again a few nights after that in a bar bathroom. Til It was multiple times a week where keeping your hands to yourselves just wasn’t an option. 

Same thing happened tonight. Another blissful night between slightly scratchy motel sheets. Softer this time, almost sweet. To the point it made your eyes sting with tears as he held you close and whispered sweet nothings into your ear. You felt so…loved. 

You felt like it was your first time chasing a tornado all over again. Your hands shook and your heart raced even as you basked in the afterglow with him. Positively knocked on your ass as you realized what you were feeling. Tyler had been your friend all through middle school. Right up until he moved away. By some odd coincidences you ran into him several times through college. Even after that. Then you discovered him on Youtube, then you’d been riding with the team every storm season for about three years. Now you two are screwing each other every chance you can get. 

When you realized you were falling for Tyler Owens, you waited til he fell asleep then crawled out of bed to get a smoke to think about it. 

Now here you were fumbling with your lighter with a cigarette precariously held between your lips. Hip leaned against the balcony, the warm summer breeze brushed against your bare legs as you stood there in just his shirt and your panties. Suddenly, the sliding glass door opened again making you flinch, quickly turning to look. “What’re you doin’?” Tylers groggy voice grumbled as he stepped out onto the small balcony. You quickly took the cigarette from your lips and gave a hesitant smile. 

“Did I wake you up?” You asked softly as you brushed some hair back behind your ear. 

“Woke up and you weren’t there..” He sighed as he closed the door behind him. Walking up with a raised brow as he eyed your hands. “You smokin’?”

You gave a gentle shrug and lifted the cigarette with a shy smile on your lips. “My lighter ain’t workin..” 

He didn’t say anything as he took the small stick of tobacco and the lighter from you, offering the filtered tip to your lips. Tyler gently placed the cigarette between your lips, after a few tries and he got it lit. The end burning bright as you took a slight puff, turning to blow it away from him as you leaned against the railing again. “Now..” He started softly, leaning his forearms against the rail with a sigh, “What’s on your mind?” 

A soft huff left you as a smile spread across your lips, tilting your head to look over at Tyler. He was really captivating in the low shine of the streetlamps. The soft drone of distant cars driving off to who knows where filling the silence. The buzz of the neon motel sign. As ethereal as he looked, it really was frustrating how well he knew you sometimes. 

“Nothin…” You mumbled around the filter, taking another drag before taking the cigarette between your fingers and pulling it away. Flicking off the ashes over the side as you blew out more smoke with a long exhale. The smoke swirling around the two of you, picked up by some stray wind till it disappeared. 

He shifted before moving to stand behind you, his calloused hands finding your hips. A quick kiss pressed to your cheek before he wrapped his arms around you. A scalding path following his hands as they skated under your shirt as he hugged your middle. “You can tell me, y’know…” He mumbled as he pressed a kiss to your shoulder. 

He continued, kissing up your neck and having you tilt your head for him as you hummed at his affections. Your heart fluttered in the cage in your chest. Then he pulled a hand from your skin, you almost catch his hand to keep it where it was. But he reached over and gently took the cigarette from between your fingers. He pulled away only slightly to take a drag, and all you can do is watch from over your shoulder as he took it in. 

It felt intimate sharing a cigarette with him. It was a bad habit you both shared, but he was more of a social smoker. If he gets offered a cigarette in some rowdy bar, he would happily go out front to smoke with whoever offered it. 

“Honest?”

“Honest..”

“I’m wondering what I’m gettin’ myself into..” You whispered as you turned fully to face him. He offered back the cigarette, which you happily took and brought it up to your lips once more. Tyler watched silently, waiting for you to continue. A slight worry in his gaze, the kind you’d expect to see from a lover. Not..someone you’re just messing around with. Your brows pinched together as a heavy sigh left you, sharply blowing the smoke from your lungs before taking another pull. 

“What d’you mean..?” He whispered, almost like he was scared that he might hear something he might not like. 

“Indulging in…this.” You admitted in a hushed voice, looking away from him. It almost hurt when you heard his breath hitch. And when you met his gaze again, looking deep into those soft green eyes, it only made you feel worse. 

“Indulgin’, what’s that supposed to mean? You-” He shook his head, his brows drawn together in confusion, “What’re you sayin’, baby..?” His hands found you again, his thumbs rubbing slight circles into the meat of your hips.

“In this… in us. I mean, c’mon, what’re we doin’?” A gentle scoff left your still kiss swollen lips. All you could do was watch as he let out a huff of his own and shrugged.

“We’re havin’..fun? I don’t know? What do you want this to be?” Now, you weren’t expecting that question, and he could tell by the way you gave him a deer in headlights look. He took a deep breath, “Look, I want you in any way possible. That…sounds shallow, but I really like you. If you’d be my girlfriend, I’d be the luckiest son of a bitch alive. If you want to slap me and storm out for assuming, I’d still consider myself lucky that you even let me kiss you in the first place..”

Holy shit...

Holy shit.

“That…is the nicest thing a guy’s ever said to me..”

“And- Seriously?” He frowned, “I find that hard to believe-” You dropped your cigarette in the ashtray.

“Shut up.” 

A low chuckle rumbled from his chest as he pressed his forehead to yours, his large hands coming up to cup your neck. "Don't worry, Darlin'...I'll make sure you hear stuff nicer than that." He pressed his lips firmly to yours, it took no more than a moment for you to melt right into him. To get lost in him.

Like smoke swirling in the wind..

======

Note: yes.. I gave up in the end. Eat up, bitches

[refigiowen]

Owen Refigi - The Fox and the Cat and the Swallow (1-3)

"Iltis"

On my daily stroll i got to see a dead animal today, not a sliver of life left in it's eyes. I stopped and stood there, gazing upon it's lifeless body which had already been engulfed in death's cold embrace for quite some time now. I observed the animal like a child would observe the toys it's mother never allowed it to play with. It was a polecat, the animal.

Who knows how many days, how many weeks have passed since this poor thing had died. I did not care as i would never find an answer to that question.

For a minute or more i simply looked at it, the rather tall grass which it died in, and the scenery full of little tress and bushes and flowers around it. It was a fine sight, and then the corpse of this animal that had already been frozen solid by death. And yet it fit right in with the flowers and bushes and all the little trees. And soon i found myself envying the little polecat, for it died a death one such as myself could only long for in diaries and letters. It died not a death filled with pain and agony, but a slow, painless death that could be compared to a deep slumber.

The envy in my heart soon became too much to bear and i left the polecat alone. The entire rest of my stroll i could not stop thinking back to it, the sight appearing in my mind over and over.

I too wish to die the death of the polecat. To be surrounded by flowers, the bushes and all the little trees. To feel like i too am and was a beautiful little flower as my body becomes the soil from which nothing but black dahlias may grow.

"The Yellow-Belly"

Just down the street lived a man who once was a great man. I knew him even before he had become the man who he is now! A great man he truly was! That man! He would be known here and over there, he who is now a man known nowhere - like night passes his name too passed from everyone's lips to the halls of "Who?".

I often greet him with a mere "Hello" (in a monotonous voice that is) and he greets me with words of his past. I stand and listen for a moment, but then tell him that my uncle had asked me to deliver him seeds for his garden. On my days off i listen for quite some time as i had no friends or family that would want to spend their golden time with me, but i had the man to fill their role(s). I feel like a great person, the greatest of persons when i sit and listen. For he has no one but me, and when i sit and listen i become his world. And so he speaks and speaks and tells and tells of all the things i had heard from many lips already. But when hearing it from his it all felt so incredibly false, incredibly false in a way that made it beyond arduous to listen to.

But i sat and nodded and mhm'd and ooo'd because i had nothing else to do. And i did this on every day off. I came and listened until the setting sun told me to go home. I did not speak much with the man outside of these encounters, in fact, i barely spoke at all aside from my "ooo's" and "mhm's" as he would talk all the time. But i never complained for i myself had nothing worth saying about myself. In a sense we are the polar opposite of one another, him and i. He spoke of himself as someone who took the opportunity to make something of nothing, he made himself someone everyone knew and who was adored by many. He who was born a worthless no one. And it took just one step outside his door. I adored that, so did those who knew his name. My mother always told me that i was a coward, and one who tends to tell himself that so often that he begins to run himself into ruin.

I was a young man when i was asked if i would be interested in becoming someone everyone would know. I thought and thought but was overcome by my mother's words and my own thoughts. I declined and continued my monotonous life of running errands and listening to the stories of the man. I stayed inside.

Soon he died, the man, leaving me with his stories and many, many "what if's?".

I now am old, wilted, my belly round and yellow. I still think of him and his many, many stories. And i smile, knowing that my mother's words were right all along.

"The Couch"

And we sat there on her couch, having already emptied two bottles of the cheapest of wines, when she, the woman whom i always referred to as the love of my life and those after this one, asked me the question i dreaded the most:

"Tell me, what is your biggest fear?" She slurred, smiling at me as my veins ran cold.

And so i opened my mouth and the words spilled out of it like the wine spilled out of the bottle into our glasses.

"My biggest fear is that eventually, one day, you will see me the way i see myself".

"Window Sill"

I sit on window sill like i do every morning. This particular one dresses itself in a dress made of dark clouds, the scent of wet dirt, and a rain that resembles a flood. Many months have passed since i last saw so much rain get sent down onto my garden.

I stare at my precious garden, one i made in my own image, from this window sill of mine. These flowers i planted desperately need water, i haven't watered them in many days. And so this rain, despite how much and how harsh it is, is good.

But then i frown. My flowers will die. This rain is too much. Despite how much my dear flowers need their water, this amount will cause them to wither away, to drown within the very thing they need to live.

I sigh and scratch my head. I often find myself lingering on the thought that we as humans are merely brothers and sisters to flowers. "Water to flowers is like what love is to us, it is our water which we need to survive within our own mind!", i thought to myself only a few days ago. But this rain, how it will inevitably cause the death of these flowers, made me understand my thought fully.

I sit on the window sill still, watching my garden. The scent of wet dirt finds it's way into my nose. Truly, we are but flowers.

[pawnshopbleus]

These Are the Days Eight - Melted Away

Abby Anderson x Fem!Reader High School AU

For the summary, warnings, and more, please visit here.

Previous Chapter.

Another day of history class meant only one thing, more busy work. The entire class was silent. The only thing you could hear was the scratching of pencil on paper and the occasional cough from a student who definitely shouldn’t have come to school today. 

Class goes by faster than usual and the bell rings. Students gather their things, and you're leaving with them for the first time in a while.

Mr. Miller stops you at the door. “I was hoping I could speak to you for a moment.” 

You nod, bidding Abby farewell, and lean against the door frame. 

“The school board is having a meeting next Tuesday. They tasked me with finding the perfect student that could provide them with some ways to help make the school better and I pointed them in your direction.” 

You? You’ve been in Washington for less than a year and at Lakeview for less than five months. Although you’ve gotten accustomed to the school, you don’t know everything about it. 

“Mr. Miller, I appreciate the thought but I barely know this school. How would I be able to tell the school board what they should fix?” “That’s why I thought you would be perfect for this. You’ll be able to give them fresh ideas. Not to mention some of the people on the school board are also admissions counselors at The University of Washington. Having a letter of recommendation from them could get your foot in the door.” 

You press your lips together. Before moving to Washington, USC was your dream school. It was right in the middle of Los Angeles, just a thirty-minute drive from your old house and right in the middle of the city. It was where your parents went to school. You felt like you’d somehow get closer to them if you went to their alma mater but as you explored Seattle with Ellie, Dina, Jesse, and Abby, you fell in love. It was a beautiful metropolitan oasis that you would surely thrive in. You mentioned wanting to go to The University of Washington to Mr. Miller in passing but you never expected him to remember that. 

You gulp. “I’ll do it.”

Mr. Miller nods. “Good, I’ll let them know that you’ll do it. You should invite your parents. I noticed that they weren’t at back-to-school night.”

“They work a lot so I don’t think they’ll be able to make it.”  

“Well, that too bad,” Mr. Miller returns to his desk, letting you make your exit. You set off for the library where Dina, Jesse, Ellie, and Abby are all waiting for you. 

You sit in between Abby and Jesse, take out your math book, and start studying. You occasionally ask Abby for help but the rest of the group stays silent. It’s unusual for Dina, Ellie, and Jesse to be this quiet. Usually, Dina and Jesse would be bickering about something small or Ellie would be gushing over how good Dina smelled, but today, they all sat with their head down, focused on their schoolwork.

As if he could sense everyone’s discomfort, Owen saunters into the library with a smug smile dancing across his face. You have to restrain yourself from plugging your nose as he pulls up a chair next to Abby. 

Owens's hands paint their way toward the back of Abby’s neck and pulls her in close. He kisses her in a way that you know doesn’t feel good but despite that, Abby sinks into the kiss, her hands finding their way towards Owen’s letterman jacket. 

Your mouth drops and you look at the other’s for confirmation that this is happening. Owen and Abby are kissing. They’re kissing as if the past week didn’t happen. Abby’s kissing Owen as if you didn’t see her after they had their argument in his car. Owen is kissing Abby as if he didn’t get another girl pregnant. Abby is kissing Owen as if you didn’t comfort her and provide her direction when she needed it most. And all you can do is sit there and stare at them. 

The one time you want the librarian to come up to your table, she’s not here. 

They break apart after what seems like forever and Abby clears her throat and gathers her things. 

Owen throws his arm around Abby’s shoulder and pulls her in close. He leans down and kisses her on the forehead, looking you in the eyes as he does so. Owen ushers Abby out of the library, leaving the four of you behind. 

“What the fuck was that?” Jesse’s the first one to say anything. The librarian shushes him and you roll your eyes. 

“I thought that him getting another girl pregnant would finally end it for them but I think she’s in deep,” Dina sighs as she leans her head on Ellie’s shoulder. 

All you can do is stare out into the window. You thought that you were going to get Abby back but as you stared into the eyes of the devil, you knew that she was gone. The version of Abby that you knew had melted away like snow does at the beginning of spring. 

You grab your bag and leave the library. Ellie, Dina, and Jesse watch as you solemnly leave the library. They give each other a knowing look and then return to their schoolwork.

Next Chapter.

Taglist: @colbyweirdo, @rew1nds

Thank you for reading!

[honey-minded-hivemind]

Here's the color I mixed for Dragon's past life's skin tone. (Strangely, not the weirdest sentence I have typed.) At first I did it on my phone but I did it a second time on my computer so I can color pick the characters exactly and get the best mix of Goliath, Elisa, and Demona.

Those poor three, imagine seeing your child horrifically murdered in cold blood, only to see them again centuries later. But its not them. Their skin is so soft and different and they have no wings, their teeth are dull and they don't have claws. They have bruises from reckless risks and lack of sleep and their clothes are old and unwashed. (Dragon is STINKY. Someone bathe this child!)

But it is also them. They have the same hair and the same eyes that glare just like their father. They have the same sense of caring and leadership for their group as they used to have in the medical wing. They have that same overly strong sense of right and wrong from one mother and the willingness to break rules to do what they believe is right from the other.

Also, If our reincarnated humans eventually get gargoyle forms, Dragon probably gets one too. But what if they never get wings, just stups on their back where their wings were cut off in a previous life?

That, is perfect. Perfect! (It looks a bit like a dusty or dusky rose or lavender, like you'd see it in old tapestries or preserved flowers or in carved stone) (It's gorgeous)

The three parents are a storm of emotions. There's relief, that their child is back. There's worry, wondering where they've been, how they've been treated, and why they're on their own. There's determination, to have them back. And there's guilt, that they weren't able to save them the first time...

But one of their missing young is back, and it seems they're getting close to one of their brothers again. So maybe it won't be so hard to convince them to come out of the shadows, to come and see them...

They do know the child needs a bath, new clothing, and a warm place to rest. The cold is starting to set in, and soon it won't be safe to be out without the needed warmth of jackets and thick cloaks and sweaters...

They aren't sure what to think when Brooklyn comes home one night, nervous, wanting to tell them something but hesitating. They're gentle, not pressuring him to tell them, but let him know they won't be mad or upset. That he can tell them when he's ready. And he does, on the verge of tears, tell them what's bothering him:

That Dragon is sick, and they aren't getting better. It started out with sneezing a little, maybe a cough, but as the nights wore on, they started getting feverish, talking about things that don't make sense, and they shiver like they're freezing, but their body feels hot like fire. This night was the last straw, because now they're barely awake, and he doesn't think they'll be okay if they don't get help.

He's crying by the end, because he hates that his friend could potentially be dying or very ill, he's upset he broke their trust and told his caretakers/parents about them, and he's so, so sick.with worry. Demona is quick to tell him he did the right thing telling them, that he shouldn't feel.so ashamed, that because he did tell them, they can help Dragon. Elisa agrees, and says they can get Drahon medicine, and they'll likely be better in a few weeks, and that they'll be happy to know he cares about them. Goliath is scooping him into a hug, stroking his hair and letting his son/young one get it all out. Hudson is offering words of comfort, Xanatos is already getting a medical bed set up and llgettinh Owen to find different antibiotics and medicines, and Matt is on the case to try and figure out where Dragon stays hidden...

And Brooklyn doesn't want to, but... he decides to tell them he knows where they are. They need to get them back here as soon as possible, and it won't do to not tell his caretakers at this point...

Reader, known as Dragon, has been having nightmares, hallucinations, dreams of things they don't understand. Of being able to soar from wall to wall, of feasts and a castle, of many more beings with wings and tails and many colors, and always the same ending, of running, running, running, from a man with a sharp blade, only to be caught, their wings lopped off, and tossed from the high wall, down, down, down, to the broken, scorched earth below... and then darkness...

[karin-gespenst]

Between Patrick superstar Turner, young Harry the future successor of the Turner practice, and the heartbroken but never complainig Owen Desmond there is no shortage of perfect men in this episode.

We've also got another example of violent man who only did one decent thing: leaving.

Isn't it good to know that there is also an example of a man in this episode whose feelings and behaviour is more balanced between perfect and wrong? Cyril is neither perfect nor a villian. He's trying to make sense of a situation that is new to him, after a time in his life when he feels like he has failed someone dear to him - and knows that he didn't do enough. Cyril has spent years following the word of the Lord about being kind and patient and looking out for others - and still he could not to what it took to help Lucille. I think he also understands that it is not in his power to make her depression go away or make her feel safe in a community that has hostile acts. He doesn't have to want to move to Jamaica. He doesn't have to like the thought of divorce, or the fact that he does feel something for another person than his wife.

He's trying to deal with most of this on his own. Mrs. Wallace as an old friend is right to ask what is troubling him, and reassure him that his relationship status does not make him a bad person.

We'll see where the story takes him, and I may not like everything the writers have in mind.

But between the angelic doctor and the demonic drunkard archetypes of men we got to see this week I'm glad to have a realistic one in there as well.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.187 Passing the keys

That night, I went back to the rental website to fill the vacancy because it didn't make sense to wait. The house had been sitting all this time, waiting to generate income for us, and it was past time I did something about it. I decided to rent to the older gentlemen, but his application was no longer available. I was kind of bummed because I had already formed a picture in my mind of what he would be like based on the information he shared on the application, and now I'd have to start over. The plus side is that I found a young family like I originally wanted, so I accepted their application right away. In the morning, I got a notification saying they had moved in already, so I went over there after breakfast to introduce myself and get to know them. The application stated they were a married couple with twin infants. The house wasn't exactly setup for two babies, but they can make it work.

As I approached the door, I overheard them arguing, and my whole body tensed up. They reminded me of Mama's friends, who stayed with us and argued literally day and night. I hope to the Watcher these two are not like that. I pressed my ear to the door to see if I could get an idea of what the issue was. It turns out the woman was flustered because she saw a lost dog who needed help but ignored it. She felt guilty about it and wanted to go back and find the dog, but the husband didn't get it. He was very dismissive and said dogs get lost all the time and it was none of her business if someone can't keep track of their animal. Oh boy. This better not be a bad omen. I knocked, hoping to interrupt him berating her, and they let me in. Owen and Jilliana Sage are their names. Owen works at a store and seemed to have a good sense of humor, so maybe he's not so bad. Jilliana is more serious and super smart. She works at the space center, but I don't remember what she said she does there.

She tried to introduce me to the babies, Xavier and Zahava, but they both started screaming because Owen had the TV way too loud. Xavier calmed down enough to let me hold him, though. He was so tiny and made me miss Desiree at that age. I didn't intend to spend the day with them, and they clearly had things to do, so I told them to call me if they needed anything and made my exit.

I had to pass by Chi Chi's house on the way back home, so I stopped by to tell her we were moving to Gibbs Gardens soon. She was bummed about not being around the corner from us anymore, but relieved we weren't leaving the city. Behind her eyes, however, there seemed to be more than just disappointment at losing her favorite neighbor. I asked if something was wrong, and in Chi Chi-like fashion, I got way more than I bargained for.

As she began this tale, my initial reaction was to beat myself up again about not being a good friend because the details of her story started a while ago. But I stopped those thoughts before my brain ran away with them. We all have super busy lives. No one has time to be involved at such a granular level anymore, and no one is expecting us to know everything. I am a good friend, and I don't have to know every detail to prove it. Come to think about it, my friends—minus Dub—know less about me than I know about them. Needless, I'm done with stressing myself about this.

Chi Chi's woes began with her birthday a few weeks back. Like many women her age (especially when they are as fine as she is), she didn't handle the adult birthday well. Of course, she knew her body would change, but like me, seeing it hit differently. Between that and the little lines creeping from the corners of her eyes and across her forehead, she's feeling frumpy. I almost laughed. She is still one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. Frumpy where?? She would turn heads wearing a paper bag. I bet she could gain 300 pounds, shave off her hair, and still have a trail of thirsty men following her everywhere. Still, if the aging stuff was the only thing she had to deal with, she would be fine in time. The problem is all her other worries reinforce the aging issues, and she is struggling. The short version of the story is her life has not turned out how she imagined. She once told me she wanted to remarry and have more kids, but all the dates she's been on led nowhere. Now, as an adult, she's thinking about giving up on that dream, especially when she's about to be a grandmother! Karmine, her daughter, is grown grown now. She moved her boyfriend into the house without even discussing it. Then, she got pregnant and moved out, so Chi Chi is all alone in the house with nothing but these crushing thoughts to keep her company, and she's not doing that great.

I had no idea if it would help, but I decided to share my midlife crisis story. It felt wrong at first because I never told Sophia I was struggling, but if Chi Chi can walk away feeling better, the discomfort will be worth it. Even though her story is different, I identified with everything she said because I realized life rarely turns out exactly how we plan. The reason is because we never factor in trouble or change. Our plans are always perfect and positive. When change and trouble comes, we feel out of control, like our world is falling apart. But the world isn't falling apart. It's the same as it always was. We just haven't taken off our rose-colored glasses yet.

I told Chi Chi everything would be okay, and she should look at it from a positive perspective. Because she's not starting a new family, and is an empty nester, she's got so much extra time to do all those bucket list things she's been looking forward to. And since she won't have any young children to raise, she has time to time to be super grandma and help her daughter through those oh so difficult first two stages. She's still really young and can reinvent herself if she wanted. And when love finally finds her again, and I believe it will, it will be all about them with no one else coming between them. They'll grow old together and be annoyingly in love.

Like I said, I have no clue if my little pep talk helped, but at least I left her smiling. Kinda like grieving, she'll find her way to accepting her new normal, and when she does, she'll appreciate the picture I painted for her.

[devilselbowhq]

* DEHQ PLOT DROP 001

While the Children of Mothman have never been a stranger to the citizens of Devil’s Elbow, the equinox festival sure came to many as a shock. Most thought the group was harmless up until now. The ‘vision dust’ as they called it was actually neurotoxic dust and it is not harmful to most in small amounts, but the effects are a different story. Giving people hallucinations without their knowledge is rather unsettling and sent bystanders into shock in reaction, thus causing a domino effect which led to an overall state of panic. In result, there were fights, accidents, crashes, and medical emergencies leaving the hospital and clinic backed up. Even though the Eastern Atlantic Army ( Owen Westfall and his unit ) was able to work with Devil’s Elbow Peacekeepers to get the fans disabled and the festival ended a little over ten days after it started, by the end of April 2125 there had been over one thousand people hospitalized or treated and twelve dead in direct relation to neurotoxic dust inhalation.  The citizens of Devil’s Elbow are outraged by the results and are demanding answers from both the EAG and Afterglow as a whole. It was discovered by some that there is a medicinal mist called Serene that Afterglow Research Solutions has had available the entire time that neutralizes most effects caused from mind altering narcotics. The catch of this product being that it is only available from the EAA and Afterglow clinics and hospitals. This rumor has added fuel to the already wary undertone the presence of EAA units and uptick of peacekeepers in the city has brought. A paranoid sense that the Eastern Atlantic and Appalachia as a whole is becoming a military state, despite there being no proof to confirm such reasoning. Still, in order to quell the public’s concerns, there will be a special council meeting with a town hall afterwards to address how to handle the cultists in the future and other problems brought forth. So far, no arrests have been made and no extreme action has been taken. All other factions ( Jackals, Shamrocks, and The Silver Lining Militia ) have yet to make their feelings known. Last but not least, it is now known that there are giant moths in the environment, some with red and some with purple glowing eyes. It is unknown whether the eyes are caused by radioactive elements in their mutation or not, though some are attributing them to supernatural forces. Leaders of the Children of Mothman have promised the Night Mother will be addressing the eclipse soon. Afterglow Research Solutions and entomologists in the area are looking to get their hands on one of the species or observe them to find out more about them.

* OOC :

that wraps up the spring awakening event, thank you for being patient while kit got all the details together. going forward we promise to have it wrapped when the event ends if there is an event associated with it. now, what does this mean for your characters? that’s up to you. in the coming week there will be statements released from the shamrocks, night mother, and silver lining militia. since there’s no jackals president, either the next highest ranking member ( currently archer caine ) is free to make one or the group can decide to stay silent and individually react or not to things. as a whole and in general, this is a plotting point for you to use or not with your characters in their personal plots with others, to make connections, etc. if you have any questions feel free to send them to the main or ask in discord.

[ringsreforged]

Season 2, Episode 6 - Nat's Rambles

Okay – SO – Paulina is still on holiday, and I’m obviously DYING OVER HERE (Natalie, in case you hadn’t guessed) so TUMBLR. I HAVE RETURNED.

Truly though, I don’t think I’ve done this since S4 of The 100 which probably aired 100 years ago at this point…what has this show done to me…

ANYWAY. My immediate thoughts on Season 2, Episode 6: WHERE IS HE???????

Paulina Voice: All opinions herein have nothing to do with me, so only judge Natalie for them.

Important Note: I have only watched once, in a haze of stress and emotion, so I reserve the right to delete all of this later if I change my mind on any of it.

Arondir – Hello! Nice to see you! Glad you’re joining us for the battle!

I did like the detail of confirming that not all the orcs are on board with Adar’s war, but I was mostly laughing that ‘running through the trees’ is how the show has reminded us a character exists for two weeks in a row.

Rhun – I think this was the first episode where I was like GO AWAY, RHUN, NOT NOW. Though, I want to stress that I am super excited to see the conclusion of this, probably in episode 8. The Dark Wizard, the Gaudrim, the fate of the Stoors (honestly, I’m assuming they’re all going to be massacred tbh…which…the optics…but we’ll worry about that later…). In today’s episode, it just felt a bit like ‘hey, these characters still exist.’

I did love the little snippet of Tom and the Stranger, though I felt like it could have just been included in their previous scenes. He is 1000% Gandalf, and I stand by my opinion that this isn’t supposed to be a twist or a surprise. It’s just the narrative telling the story. Destiny or friend is super intriguing to me. It’s very Luke and Yoda from Empire, but I do wonder if his destiny IS to choose his friend…and in so doing, THAT is how he finds his staff…

Nori talking with the Gund was very sweet, and her willingness to give herself up to protect everyone was super in character. Poppy and Merimac were cute (I pray to all the gods that THIS was the kiss Morfydd teased but I doubt it very much…), and Poppy wanting to fight for the Stranger made me pretty emotional. However, I have some bad news…

Guys…I think I’m adding Poppy to DEATH WATCH. And I HATE IT. BUT I CAN’T UNTHINK IT.

Moving on…

Numenor – This continues to be the choppiest of storylines this season, but I do think the broad elements are super on point. And, actually, where we end up makes the Eagle sequence make more sense in retrospect. Pharazon didn’t have things locked down, Miriel is very much still a player on the board, and Mr. Eyebrows is THE BIGGEST HYPOCRIT.

Then again, if you told me I’d see Halbrand in the Palantir I’d probably touch it too…

Ahem. Loved that detail by the way! Part of the reason I felt like Halbrand would be his Numenor form was the small scene he shared with Pharazon back in S1, while Galadriel was taking out the guards. A connection was formed then – perhaps his eyes even bored a hole – and if Halbrand rocks up as an enemy of the elves, that’ll only make him more appealing.

Everything with Miriel and Elendil was absolutely stunning. He was willing to give his life for her, she was willing to give hers for his. WHAT ABOUT MY HEART. Honestly, from the way Owen and Cynthia talked about this season, I felt like they weren’t going to get anything at all romance coded. But I’m just starting to think people in TV only see active kissing as romance, because HELLO?? THAT’S THE SCRIPT????? THAT IS ABSOLUTELY ROMANCE????

I’m very excited to watch the sequence with the sea worm again, and to really let it wash over me (heh), because I was starting to get time anxious at that point in the episode (my brain starts panicking ‘don’t end, don’t end.’ Honestly, my brain SUCKS). But it was incredible, the implications were wonderful, Elendil’s relief was beautiful, and so was Pharazon’s rage. Also, the whole sequence was UTTERLY STUNNING, WOW.

Note for the show overall, or maybe just for myself, though – PLEASE stop spoiling so much of the season through promotional material. My biggest gripe with this episode is that I felt like I’d already seen/put together 90% of it.

Anyway, I’ve left Earien until last because this was a MUCH better episode for her (though, not letting her have any reaction to Valandil’s death was CRIMINAL). To the point that I’m now reforging (heh) my thoughts on last week – who directed her to have such bratty energy last week? Weird.

Anyway, we saw much more of her conflict and fluidity in this episode. She isn’t Faithful, she believes the new order is the way to go, but she’s also struggling massively with it. Her desperate hug with her father broke my heart, I had instant tears in my eyes, but then I also cheered when she brought Miriel in! What a great surprise that was! I’m REALLY interested to see where she goes from here…I’m assuming in the finale? I was sure she was locked onto a super dark path, but she witnessed Miriel survive the Valar’s judgement…will that sway her back around?

I’m going to finish this section with something that’s maybe a bit controversial…Elendil sucks as Earien’s father!!! Now, I’m willing to put this on pacing/editing issues, because I don’t think the show really wants us to feel this way. But good god, man. HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR DAUGHTER. I really enjoyed their cell scene, but sweet lord baby jesus, these two needed a deep conversation in episode 3. Watching him turn to go when Miriel walked in, and just forget Earien was even there hurt me man…even though I enjoy the Miriel aspect VERY much…

Like, I know you’re mad at her, but you’re all she’s got left…and your pride might mean she watches you die…can you be a little kinder to her???

Dwarves being dwarves, AKA perfect – Flawless. No notes.

The initial sequence with the Durin’s and Annatar was PERFECT. Annatar being rejected (that Balrog glimpse was SO EVIL), and Baby Durin’s flicker of hope. But then the reveal that Daddy Durin is deep in the shit because he’s really just being greedy. My gooooodnesssssss. The show has done SUCH A GOOD JOB setting this up, because we know Daddy Durin isn’t this way! We feel Baby Durin’s pain!

Then Daddy Durin has his IT’S MINE moment with the ring and swats his son away. Anguish. And the anguish only anguished harder when we cut to Durin and Disa. Disa talking about her love for her father-in-law, and her own father, and then DURIN’S TEARS. UGH. UGH. UGH. I was weeping, honestly.

I feel like Durin being suss of the rings this early on is a pretty big change (don’t quote me on this) but I’m for it. Watching Disa turn back Narvi and the others (poor Narvi) was beautiful and then that I LOVE YOU. UGH. UGH. UGH. PERFECT, I SAY.

I doubt Disa has anymore bats to summon, though, so IDK how the heck they stop what’s coming next. Is Durin going to get drawn away by his desire to help Elrond, leaving Disa alone and vulnerable?

I REFUSE TO PUT DISA ON DEATH WATCH, SHOW. I REFUSE. DON’T YOU DARE.

Adar and Galadriel – I wish we’d gotten more, especially because they released a clip yesterday that I obviously couldn’t resist watching, but what we got was JUICY.

I felt that Adar knew Halbrand was Sauron back in the premiere, or at least suspected it. Getting that confirmation paints their scene with the talk of the wine, the tears, and the kneeling in such a different light. TASTY.

I’ve seen people question this, because why did Adar not try and kill him there and then? To my mind, that’s pretty straightforward. He killed him once and it didn’t stick. And last time he had the element of surprise. He knows that Sauron is powerful enough to get out of his chains/to not get caught by orcs, which means he’s here for a reason. If Adar tries to kill him, best case scenario Sauron is off the board for another few centuries, but he’ll likely take down some orcs with him on the way out. And for what? For him to just come back again?

I think Adar decided to play the long game. I think talk of Eregion and Galadriel let him know that something more was going on, and he was biding his time to act.

So, Sauron promised Adar children. Honestly, the Adar/Sauron/Galadriel dynamic that played across this episode was the stuff of my dreams. Adar is holding his own relationship with the fella up against hers, and there’s so much subtext for both dynamics. Was there romance between both? Was it solely manipulation for both? Is Adar what Galadriel might become if she succumbs?

Galadriel definitely wasn’t being entirely truthful with Adar when she mentioned that Sauron promised an army, because that was more what she thought she could get out of Halbrand. And yes, sure, Sauron might have nudged her that way. But Sauron’s true offer came later on the raft, after the army had been delivered. Adar even acknowledges that she’s not being truthful, that she needs to let go of her pride. I feel like we’ll see that play out over the last two episodes for sure…

The line that really stuck with me from a Hal&Gal perspective was Galadriel finishing Adar’s line about the world with Sauron being full of colour, and without him it’s a dull grey. It fits with how Galadriel has come across to me this season. Since Elrond shut her out, she hadn’t had anybody to open up to, and she’s certainly not being fully honest with herself yet. That dull grey speaks to how she’s mostly been…quite contained? The only moments where she’s truly come alive were with Nenya, and when she was fighting.

Later in the episode, she DOES put aside her pride. She calls Adar Uruk!!! She opens up and sees the possibility of an alliance. And I think this goes back to Sauron too. She’s had a taste of darkness and the temptation of it, she knows she’s not secure from succumbing, and so her perspective of Adar – who was once an elf – has massively shifted. However, when he asks if he and his children will be able to return to their home…we all know the answer to that.

I actually never stopped to consider that Adar would be the one manipulating/tricking Galadriel, which is silly in retrospect. Because this much better explains how she ends up in a cage facing the elves (sorry guys, I don’t think she’s bait for Sauron…she’s facing the wrong way…). I’m looking forward to watching this bit again, as I feel it was a bit rushed on first watch. I would have liked to see these two chat for a good two scenes more, honestly.

Adar is falling into the trap, which is pretty devastating, and Galadriel is the one seeing through it. Honestly, I really don’t know how things roll out in the finale. I flip from it making no sense for it to be a S1 rehash, to being sure she’ll defiantly resist, to being sure the show is setting her up to not be able to. I JUST DON’T KNOW. I wish I’d never seen those stupid leak spoilers…the promo makes me think they are real, but then we MUST be missing full context.

Adar is still on DEATH WATCH but like…a little bit less than before, honestly? Mostly because I don’t see how we have time to get ALL the confrontations into the last two episodes. When Adar goes out – and he will – he deserves the biggest death.

Random aside: I am pondering sharing something of a Haladriel ramble/rant but I’m also like…IDK if I want the hassle, so we’ll see.

Celebrimbor and Annatar

Oh, Brimby. My heart aches. The sequence with him forgetting Mirdania’s name was so heartbreaking and watching Annatar isolate him so completely was chilling. First, by taking away the other smiths, then with the illusion.

I actually don’t think I have a lot to say on this section, because it’s been rumbling along all season and we’re just about to reach the climax. Sauron is Sauron’ing his hardest in this episode.

I am now quite convinced that Mirdania is not Celebrian (I already didn’t really believe it, but it’s firmer now) and I do think she’ll die. I think she’ll either be killed by Sauron himself, or she’ll be caught in the crossfire of the siege, and as she dies she’ll make eye contact with him and he’ll just coldly leave her. I feel like there has to be some sort of climax to the whole…you look like Galadriel thing, but I’m not really sure what that could be?? I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of time next episode, so maybe that really was a one and done so the viewer understood he’s thinking about her…

Celebrimbor trying to snap on Annatar, and that flash of true rage in Annatar’s face…oh god, next week is going to be soul destroying. I honestly can’t wait and dread it at the same time. Celebrimbor has fought so hard but then comes the illusion, then comes the lure – more talk of the Valar, of his work, of Feanor and the Silmarils. CELEBRIMBOR. GET OUT, PLEASE. GET OUT.

Sauron was then absolutely buzzing at the end there, as war came, and I wonder if there are more twists to come or if things play out fairly straightforward from here. We know the elves will charge the orcs. Does that happen straight away? Is there any communication? Because it’s complicated, isn’t it? On one hand, let Adar and the orcs try to take our Sauron…but then, you know innocents are being killed. You have to save them, surely?

And that’s that, I think? PHEW.

I must say, it’s harder to get through this season being in fandom because I KNOW SO MUCH MORE and I WANT SO MUCH MORE and people STRESS ME OUT. But, at the same time, it feels nice to love something this hard again?

Let’s get episode 7 and [redacted] out of the way fast, though, yeah?

[fantasyismyonlyrealescape]

Whumptober 2024: No. 8 - Sleep Deprivation/"Leave the Lights on"

Title: Creature of Habit

Characters: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (Zowens)

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 883

A/N: Welcome to Week 2 of Whumptober. As you can tell by now, there is a trend in WWE fanfics. I think I only wrote 5 non-wrestling fanfics out of the 31-day challenge. So, yeah. Enjoy and Cheers! Also, I do want to note, that this story follows the concept "kayfabe as reality". El Generico is in this one, so in the story he speaks next to no English, just like he did in interviews and in the ring. So, that's why there is Spanish in this. Translations are at the end of the story.

Summary: Sami Zayn is a creature of habit, something that Kevin Owens learns very early on.

Cross posted on AO3 under user wrestlinginjeans.

Kevin and Generico hadn’t known each other long before they had first started rooming together. After a month on the road making next to no money to get by, they figured pooling their resources together would only make sense. So, they did. In a dingy motel room with outdated peeling floral wallpaper and one bed that squeaked horribly when any weight was placed on it. They had mutually decided that they would share a bed in order to save money. Kevin had finished getting ready for bed, lounging on his side of the mattress, and catching up on some messages from family when Generico appeared out of the bathroom. The bathroom light was still on, but the luchador pointedly left the door cracked open to let a sliver of light through into the greater part of the hotel room.

Kevin watched Generico silently but did not comment. At first, he thought that the wrestler wasn’t finished getting ready for bed. But then he saw Generico throw his day clothes in his suitcase and approach the bed, clearly intending to go to sleep. Kevin, sore and tired from the three matches he had wrestled that night, didn’t have the energy to inquire about the light that night.

A couple weeks later, Kevin had noticed that Generico left the light on every single night before he went to sleep. On the nights that Generico got ready in the bathroom first and Kevin followed after, Generico made it a point to get up and turn the light on in the bathroom, cracking the door just as he did every night without a word before returning to bed.

“Uh… Hey man, what is it with you and that light?” Kevin asks, jerking his head to nod in the direction of the bathroom door.

A moment of silence passed between them as Generico tilts his head slightly in confusion.

“Qué?”

“The light?” Kevin elaborates, pointing to the lamp on the table next to him. “Why do you leave it on?”

“Oh. La luz mantiene alejada la oscuridad!” Generico says happily, nodding his head before settling down onto the bed.

Kevin shakes his head in confusion, looking over to Generico who seemed to be perfectly content with the response he had given. Kevin, knowing that he was unlikely to get anything that he could actually understand from the luchador, sighed in resignment and went back to his reading.

Years later, in the quiet of their now hotel room, Kevin Owens keeps one eye on the closed bathroom door as he waits for Sami Zayn to come out dressed for bed. While a lot has changed for them in the decades that they had known each other by this point, one thing had remained constant. Sami Zayn was a creature of habit.

The bathroom door opens and Kevin glances back down at his book quickly, all while Sami chatters away. “Hey, Kev. You remember seeing that vegan place down the street? Want to go and catch a bite before we head to the show tomorrow?” Sami suggests, stepping out into the hallway and shutting the bathroom door until the ever-familiar sliver of light shines from the bathroom into the hallway beyond.

Sami walks towards his suitcase as Kevin tries to hide his smile in his hand.

“Kev, did you hear me?” Sami asks, throwing his clothing items into the suitcase in front of him before coming to his side of the bed.

Kevin shakes his head once, attempting to wipe the smile from his face as he removed his hand and glanced at Sami.

“Sounds good, Sami.”

A month later, Kevin helps Sami into their hotel room, one arm slung over broad shoulders. They make slow work towards the bed in the center of the room. Reaching the side closest to the door, Kevin sets Sami down slowly, bending down to help Sami get his feet up onto the bed as the redhaired wrestler lays back onto the pillows stiffly.

“I’ve got you, Sami. Do you want to get cleaned up or do you want to sleep for a bit? The doc said that you would need to be woken up every 3 hours for me to check you.”

Sami, already in a dazed state as it was, brought a shaking hand to his cut forehead.

“Sleep, Kev…” Sami whispers, his voice portraying how much pain he was in.

“Alright, Sami. Sleep, I’ll be right here when you wake up.” Kevin states, pressing a hand gently (by Kevin’s standards) to Sami’s shoulder before placing the hotel throw on over his injured friend.

Glancing around the hotel room, he drops their gear down on the lounge chair in the corner and strides over to the bathroom. Flicking the light on in one swift motion, he cracks the door just as Sami had done so many times before. Nodding his head in satisfaction at the sufficient light filtering through the opening, he walks back over to Sami’s bedside and settles down next to him. Kevin reaches down and brushes his fingertips against the forearm of the slighter man in a gesture of closeness.

“I’ll leave the lights on for you…” Kevin whispers softly, leaning back against the headboard to begin his watch over his injured brother. “Just as you do for me.”

Translations:

Qué - what

La luz mantiene alejada la oscuridad – The light keeps the darkness away

[cryptidcat5105]

Sky wielders AU | Interlude

Part 1 | Art

This is just a random thing I thought up while thinking about this AU and a little funny conversation came to me

Some tiny spoilers for the empyrean series

This would take place sometime in the first few weeks of their second year. The iron squad decided to go to Chantarra and get drunk and after they came back to Basgiath, Violet, Liam and Owen decided to try and sober up a bit in the boys' room. They were essentially competing to see who can drink the most water by the point this conversation would take place.

Owen: Dude! You can't say I'm wrong!

Liam: Drink some water Owen, you're still drunk if you think that!

Violet: Hmmm....

Owen: I can basically smell your brain melting from here. Whatchu cookin' in there?

Violet: It's just... Ok, it might just be the alcohol talking, but we have the earth and the sky as power sources, right?

Liam: Yeah?

Violet: So ... Where does that leave water?

Owen: Huh?

Liam: No, no, she's got a point! I'm intrigued now! Go on!

Violet: Alright, so, stories only ever mention the earth or the sky, so that must mean that water must be lumped in with one or the other.

Owen: Ok, real, but which one is it? There's stuff like rivers and the fucking sea, so water's gotta be part of the earth?

Liam: I mean, sure, but there also clouds and rain which are tied to the sky.

Violet: Water's literally everywhere...maybe it's its own source of magic.

Liam: Or! OR! Hear me out! What if water is magic?

Owen: *frog blink* Did someone slip something in your drink, or what?

Liam: No, because it kinda makes sense. Drained land is all dry and cracked up cause magic and water is missing from it. Also, this my be a stretch, but haven't you notice that thunderstorms are a bit more frequent ever since you lot started channeling from the sky? That could be magic trying to fill in the gaps because. Water. Is. Magic!

Violet: Hold on, why does this kinda make sense?!

Owen, looking at his water bottle: Holy shit...

Violet: Gimme, like, five minutes. I need to set up an actual conspiracy board. Holy shit!