#when i say i cackled to myself

[jamiesfootball]

Follow up to your answer about Nate. What is his role in oh god, you're gonna get it (you have not been given love) ? I know it's from Roy’s POV and off-season so not sure how big his role is, but I'm curious how Nate comes into his own and develops without Ted.

In terms of Big Things going on, Roy and the remaining Diamond Dogs is absolutely one of the Big Things, and that definitely includes Nate.

Since season three left him at an impasse, I am picking up where they left him. He is back at Richmond. He is trying, in his own way, to make amends for how he left. He doesn't feel good about what he did to Ted, and the short apology he was able to give didn't absolve him of all that guilt. At the same time, he is very very aware that he absolutely trounced Richmond last year and has lots and lots of unsolicited comments stored up about how the Richmond coaching staff made awful decisions the prior season.

It is these comments in particular that needle Beard, leaving Roy in the awkward, ill-fitting suit of playing mediator, less the two smart members of the coaching staff come to intellectual blows.

Nate is also going to serve as a neat little foil for Roy as Roy figures out what kind of coach he himself is going to be moving forward, which I am excited to dig into.

Also. Here. Have a little spoiler from chapter 3. As a treat:

"Because on Monday I offered you the manager's position."

"The fuck you did."

Rebecca's smile didn't budge.

"Is this a fucking joke?" He could feel the blood pressure pounding behind his eyes. "What about Nate? He headed West Ham - it should be him."

"Oh I agree," Rebecca said with a twinkle in her eye. "Which is why I offered it to him first. He declined, and now I'm offering it to you."

[grabby-smitten]

MC does a hear me out cake with the twins and the first thing she pull is a picture of Mephisto.

Sylus no longer sents Mephisto to spy on the MC.

[faunandfloraas]

It is kinda funny seeing people talk about Seungmin lately because he definitely has gotten more bold and confident for sure. He's also just getting opportunities to be perceived as an individual on his own as well for the first time in a while but it's still jarring to see people be like Aw he was always such a quiet goodie two shoes little nerd and it's like...... he was the one to leave and seek out his own vocal coach and blatantly talk about it, which of course lead to I.N and Lee Know also doing the same, he was the one to go on bubble and tell off sasaengs who used to camp outside their old dorm for invading members privacy but also because it effected other residents and staff at the complex, something that i'm certain upper management wouldnt have been happy about, and he wasn't curt or nice about it either. like he's never actually been a wallflower, he's always had a pretty strong backbone and seems to stick to his principals, its not really new.

[qoldenskies]

Oh my fucking god the Raph and Don parallels are so much fucking worse. They sound like each other when they think and speak. Insisting “I love you” against a locked door. The last part of Raph’s chapter feels like the scene where Donnie reminisces on the time after Shredder. His monologue at the beginning literally sounds like Donnie begging for forgiveness from his brother in CL. “I wanna be worth it” you’re both SICK in the head.

HHHHHHhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

leo and donnie may be twinning hard right now but raph and donnie are doing some fuckinnnn!!! PARALLELS!!!!!! CL being so long and having so much to take from for things like this really helps pound in the way that the roles have been reversed after the curse breaks; how they cant do much but work, how they can only love from afar, how they can give and give and give but it wont get through to the person they want to love them the most, how desperate they are for normalcy and simplicity and the donnie they used to have .......

what a terrible way to finally be able to empathize with your emotionally unavailable brother.

that scene where they talk about the stuff they miss is also kind of intended to be a parallel to the family meeting,,,, but donnie's missing from it. they're not saying this to him. because he opened himself up and took their punishment but he wont so easily do the same with their love. haha painful! :D

[chdarling]

oh that ending was evil 😂😭

[salt-baby]

my beige flag is taking immense pleasure in shocking people with my disability

[xxplastic-cubexx]

Honestly your tags are so fun to read every time, i'm almost more excited for them than the actual post (but not entirely because your art is SO GOOD!!!! i adore it). If you don't mind me asking, what are you studying?

i am studying psychology because i refuse to see a therapist so ill figure out whats wrong with me myself !!!!!!!

[safyresky]

"The snow is already GAY Jacqueline, WE'RE the ones MAKING IT!"

I feel like, in a way, this is a spiritual successor to this one lol. If Jacqueline doesn't confuse Jack at least once (1 time) per day, is she even doing her do diligence as both annoying little sister and middle child?

Bonus: this is by far the cutest Winter I have ever drawn

Happy pride! :)

[based on this classic]

[winter and jacqueline frost are my oc's. you can read about em here! they appear in the tag a lot but hey man, you gotta plug yourself when you can 🤷🏻‍♀️]

[that could've been phrased better]

omg okokok I was gonna put this all in the tags but my tags are ALREADY long as fuck but guys. you guys. do you know how I got these ding dang photos of the thing? I TOOK MY SKETCH BOOK INTO WORK AND USED THE BIG SCANNER. THE SCANNER THAT INTERNET ARCHIVE USES FOR BOOKS. THAT KINDA SCANNER. WE CALL IT THE LIZARD (it has lizard in it's name, I think) AND IT TOOK QUALITY TIFFS! That I had to flip to png's to post. BUT STILL! I GOT THE GOOD LIGHTING, EVEN IF SOME QUALITY IS LOST!

I mean, it's got layers and layers and layers of marker and metallic marker and pencil crayon and the like, so the smudgeness is not surprising, lol. Playing around with colours for the cold front was fun! I'll figure out my limited colour palette with Jack's usual fit at some point ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I wasn't sure if I wanted to add Winter or not but I asked the jury (since the og meme has jesse on a ladder) and the jury said YES and she's my favourite part of this whole ding dang thing. I drew her first. AND coloured her first. She has existed in all her =D glory a better part of the week! Best thing I've ever drawn hands down, I will NEVER top that lmao

anyway. scrimbly forthcoming at the end of the week hopefully, barring my busy ass weekend getting in the way! And I HAVE gotten the June prompts in ye olde inbox--y'all have given me some PUZZLERS. Has my brain doing the BIG THINK

[microwavetoaster-selfships]

hi kane !! if u were in charge of writing the story for a cars 4 movie, what would u want it to be about ? 🤔 (@dmclr)

Ouughh. Ohhmgugish. I don't know why I'm like all "you're asking ME??🤧"

GENIUNELY NO ONE IS OBLIGATED TO READ THIS. I know the whole "I yap a lot" thing sometimes but this is geniunely like a rediculous length. I mean no one is obligated to read any of my posts but yknow.

I need like two read more bars for this post yall. I don't know why I'm yapping so much. In case it wasn't clear I had a lot to say here and thank you for asking me this(<- more thankfulness filled than I can properly express at the moment, so sorry). I didn't proof-read much of this I'm so sorry if it's like incoherent and has the punctuation of the "I'm eating, Grandma" vs "I'm eating Grandma" grammar tool.

Okay I'm like. Blaming the fact I messed up my sleep schedule and it's 11:27pm and I just woke up like an hour and a half ago and I side-tracked myself like absolutely crazy but keep side-tracking myself into different rants or tangents so it is just a forever increasing ramble, but TL;DR, I actually prefer media that is dead or left alone because I get so anxious when new stuff comes out cause I'm afraid of what they'll do to my faves or if they'll butcher them or add slap-stick love interests, etc., and when Cars on the Road came out(idk how aware people are that it exists), I spent the whole first watch through not really enjoying and savoring it cause I was so anxious over what was gonna happen that I spent the whole time making sure it was 'safe' and I wasn't going to have a pit in my stomach. Which, it turned out lovely and I actually have some things from it that I super love and adore, but I have actually unironically predicted my F/Os so strongly(among other listful factors) that I'd rather them finally put it to rest before it starts getting into beating a dead horse territory, cause I don't know if there's really much of anything left for them to expand on anyway.

My serious answer?: I'm not entirely sure, but I would enjoy seeing them just expand on some more smaller stuff, and I'd like it better if they didn't try to do 'revivals' of characters from past movies(ily Chick but Cars 3 was a bitttt of some injustice to you), I know they're supposed to be more action-y movies but I love slice of life stuff and I'd totally just watch an hour and forty minutes of Lightning just like playing around Radiator Springs or something(every Cars game ever). Though my ultimate ideal scenario is just none at all.

My slightly less serious answer that probabblyyy isn't gonna happen but the odds are never zero(he says humorously)?: They should spend the whole time doing documentary style movie about how it would've gone if I was in the previous movies +sketches/storyboards or reanimated scenes of small moments but I'm thrown in there. ALL IM SAYING IS Cars 2 would've been SO funny if I was in it okay. Would've been exhausted running around the entirety of Europe(+like US and Japan for a moment) nearly the entire time and someone watching would've been sick to their stomach cause the movie WOULD CONCLUDE with it all ending via the power love, and I'm not sorry. Would've had my 'Mary Sue' moment of like nearly every major(and some minor) cast role having SOME sort of feelings for me, most typically romantic. And it being reciprocated. You want an action movie?? There, now tell me THAT ain't action-packed. I refuse to believe the outcome of anything would be predictable. Every last interaction is gonna leave the viewers asking "what the HELL is going on and what will happen next". Pixar(and Disney) I am right here but it's okay if ur busy cause I'm busy too.

The stuff under the cut is basically the same thing I said here(mostly focused on my 'serious' answer bit), but veryy elaborated upon, so it's fairly lengthy. PUTTING MY PHONE DOWN AND HITTING POST NOW BEFORE I SOMEHOW ADD MORE. BUT THANK YOU THNAK YOU FOR ASKING THIS I DIDNT THINK I WOULD WRITE AN ACTUAL ESSAY I AM SO SORRY.

I don't know how much I really mention this, cause I think it a lot but I don't wanna like drive my blog viewers nuts if I say it so much over and over again, but I get like so anxious over whenever knew stuff or content of my F/Os come out believe it or not! There was only like.. one or two medias in the past where I was actually like.. excited whenever the person posted new stuff! Somehow I've had the luck of most things that I F/O from are dead upload-wise. I get so anxious that it'll go down hill(especially if the media has been going on for a while now, which.. Cars starting in 2006 I'd count that) cause I've watched some shows just go downhill or randomly butcher characters or add slap-stick romantic interests that it just makes me far too anxious!! Honestly, I thought Cars WAS finished and through with, but for whatever reason there was the release of Cars on the Road(don't know how many people know of that) and DONT GET ME WRONG I LOVED IT and I still do and think about it fairly often, I actually really really love and adore some of the qualities they expanded on with Mater and Lightning but that's a whole thing for another time probably-, but what I didn't enjoy was being so anxious over it that when it came out I practically spent my whole first watch through making sure that it was 'safe' and something wasn't going to happen that makes me feel like I swallowed a rock and my stomach sinks. Which thankfully didn't happen at all, I loved how it turned out and still rewatch it occasionally, I think they nailed it, but I didn't like the so nervous experience I had in the first place😅

I've heard some people talk about someone who did an interview with someone who supposedly works on the Cars stuff about how they still had stuff in mind they wanted to do with the characters, I'm HOPING I don't somehow jinx myself wildly but honestly I'd muchhh rather prefer it just gets dropped and they let Cars just be what it is for now. Sometimes I question if they just do this stuff because they milk a crazy amount of money out of how well the diecasts sell, which is why they have so many one-off diecasts like the off-roading ones or the glow in the dark ones, or just random sorts of themes. Which, entire tangent for another day, can't BELIEVE they put Jackson anywhere CLOSE do a dirt racing series even if it was just the diecast. But anyway.

TO ACTUALLY ANSWER YOU QUESTION... I'm not super sure!!! I've heard some people talk about seeing more stuff about how Cruz and Lightning race together would be interesting, I think I'd prefer something like that as opposed to a revisit of characters from previous movies or such(ily Chick but they tampered your voice in Cars 3 and I'd argue your personality a bit as well), truthfully I'm not super sure, I've never thought about it so much before!! They should include me in the movie(/hj). Truthfully, normally each movie has been sort of centered around Lightning having some sort of character development arc he has to go through, I'm not sure what else he could be put through! Don't get me wrong, he's absolutely not a perfect character, which is what makes characters so enjoyable in the first place, but he doesn't have as big of a staple thing to go through like he did in the first movie where he was a "I can do it all by myself" i-use-my-ego-to-hide-my-feelings rookie. I don't entirely like how the third movie took it truthfully, with the whole "McQueen is getting older..😢😥..how will he still race?!" Cause like one of the staple differences between F1 and NASCAR is that so many NASCAR racers(especially if they made it good) stay racing until they are like in their 60s+ or their hairs are graying(which, arguably could happen whenever but for the sake of my point, stereotypical age-related graying). And Lightning is like in his mid-30s in the third movie at the LATEST. So I don't know what any of that was about. I know there was the whole new gen of racers thing but he honestly wasn't doing too bad keeping up with them until things got into his head and he freaked himself out(on top of the crash, and the like. Literal depression he falls in to). And then there's the whole thing of he actually had it in him the win the last race in the movie at the Flordia 500 blah blah blah but he wanted to switch out with Cruz so she could have her moment, which, I'm not entirely ecstatic over how they paced Cruz's development, I wish they let it marinate a bit more but I get they had crunch-time in the movie.

[politemagic]

and finally, a cursed vessel drawing petting an orange cat for the lovely @fruitsandcheese + bonus drafts (that are somehow more cursed) below

really showcasing the limits of my artistry here

[lemonduckisnowawake]

You know, if we really want vampires as a queer allegory, we really are missing out on stories where vampires and Catholics work together and are normal friends. Give me the allegory of a Catholic whose very beliefs are so, clearly real but also hurt their vampire friend in an equally real manner. Give me them trying to understand not how to combat the reality the Catholic believes in as evil or whatever, nor come to the conclusion that God is an evil/vindictive being, but that He IS good and true and wonderful. Give me the vampire wrestling with their very nature being broken according to a good God. Give me the vampire either coming to the conclusion that he wants nothing to do with God, but from a place where they enjoy their vampire nature and have come to accept it as something irreplaceable, that they believe it's good apart from God. Or give me that vampire come to the conclusion that the goodness of God that is so lethal to them is also lethal to normal humans, it's just more evident and obvious with them. Give me them having to fight for their place in the church, and their Catholic friend doing the same, because the body of Christ excludes no sinner because they aren't defined by their sin anymore and are called children of God. But give me them also being so exhausted by the discrimination and hatred and outright threats to end their life, or the church telling the vampire that God hates them and will burn them as soon as they step foot on "holy ground of church." Give me them finding a balance between accepting that they never will "be a normal whole human" and being okay with that while also recognizing that particular vampire nature of theirs IS broken. But when it stopped being their defining feature, their identity, it stopped hurting so much in the face of God. Yeah, garlic still burns it. So does holy water and most holy objects. Consecrated ground is an iffy subject, too, as is blood and communion and sunlight. Because, like it or not (and character arc says they accept who they are without letting it define them), they're still a vampire.

You know. Maybe an alternate take on vampire as queer allegory.

[direbeastrex]

there are literally too many amazing tags to include in this but I just wanted to say- thank you all so much for enjoying this little thing <3 I'm not sure where some of y'all recently got hold of this, I wrote this september of last year, but it's been doing hella numbers in my notifs recently and it's one of the first things I think I've had majorly pop off so I'm! Stunned! But so happy - especially for all the folks who were happy to see some fun jewish rep <3 I'm not jewish myself but I adore y'all so much and its my honour to make something that makes y'all smile ( also I am so sorry for mispelling synagogue. blame it on him getting claws and struggling to type in a hurry) I love you all so much- I don't usually write for public release, I have some poetry- one of which that got published (!!!) in an online magazine - but honestly the reception to this makes me think about writing again. I usually focus on my art which you can find some of over here (and boy i sure draw werewolves and wolf adjacent things) but i *love* writing so much, I just don't usually indulge in it outside of writing way too elaborate RP posts on discord and in MMOs, lmao. so thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me so many warm and fuzzy feelings and - yes- this is very much comedy over straight horror but also very wish fulfilment. Y'all that said that- you aren't alone <3 holding your hairy paw in solidarity.

if y'all wanna see a continuation of this newly minted maybe emigrating to canada jewish werewolf- I can absolutely work on it! let me know <3

Write a horror story in the format of an Internet search history

[samderella]

Living with my in-laws after evacuating from a hurricane be like

I appreciate you love and want to spend time with me, but if you don't let me hide in the guest bedroom and write nonsense for five uninterrupted hours, I will scream

[si0writes]

Finally watched the public school arc with my girlfriend/domme (had to wait until the English dub fully came out, til she was back from her business trip and until I stayed over hers for a weekend so we could binge it) but because I was “too loud” during book of murder and ova (started sobbing when actor Sebastian came on screen and we had to pause it for 20 minutes while I sobbed about him being ugly in modern clothes and I physically couldn’t eat until we watched a different part of it where modern Sebastian wasn’t a threat to my sanity), we played a game! From episodes 1-8, for every noise I made I would get two spanks and from 9-11, it would be 10 spanks for each noise (because I bargained for the vibe taped inside me to be taken out).

My total spanks is 118 💀

In the past the most I’ve gotten is like 20 in one sitting because I’m such a fragile baby 😭😭😭😭 literally the entire system (that deals in the dynamic with my partner ofc) is quaking so hard right now 😭

[radioactivecatboy]

Image one: A screenshot of a tumblr anon. “I wanted to let you know that the “i bet jar jar is fucking hung like a whale” ask has become an inside a joke between me and my brothers to the point that we can recite it from memory. thank you for your sacrifice.”

Images two through ten: Screenshots of replies.

artemisbarnowl: “Wake up babe new copy pasta has dropped”

alpacafragga: “Whoa why are we tagging me? I love JarJar but i don’t want his Binks in my ass”

squishymaruu: (in pink text) “Officially saying “MEESA COMING” every time I have sexual contact”

noddlezoddle: “Once again I wish I was Jared, 19”

johnnyclash87: “I can’t wait for my Lyft driver to ask me how my day has been so I can tell him that some girl online said she wanted to get plowed by General Grevious in response to another person saying they think Jar Jar looks like a baby elephant when he walks naked.”

pikaglove: A stock image of a priest sitting in a confessional booth, looking shocked and slightly horrified with the shutterstock in the middle.

mational-shitpost-registry: “i actually had a nightmare about this post”

urbanfantasyinspiration: A four panel Tom and Jerry meme. Tom clutches a piece of paper close to his face, brows scrunched up. The paper is labeled “Weird ass anon wants to fuck Jar Jar”, and Tom looks up with eager exitement, only to recieve a pie to the face labeled “I wanna fuck general grevious”

ultimatebottom69: “…Wait you are telling me you all don’t want to be fucked by Jar Jar?”

Image eleven: An official drawing of Jar Jar Binks. He stands nude with one hand on his hip and the other on his thigh. He is, sadly for the original anon, completely smooth in the groin.

Image twelve: A gif of Darth Malgus from the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic. He sits in a large chair with his forearms braced on his legs, saying, “Our survival demands a new Empire, tempered by alien alliances and strengthened by tolerance.”

I bet Jar Jar is fucking hung like a whale. God he can raw me anyday.

I spent like two? Three? Entire weeks with this sitting in my askbox and I just. I got nothing. What could I possibly answer? I tried all the “nope” gifs in this god forsaken website, I tried to draw what my face looks like every time I read this, I tried to find fanart of jar jar with his wang out and the universe was kind enough to me so that I couldn’t find any. I got nothing. Nada. Abso-fucking-lutely nothing. What am I gonna say? What in god’s name am I gonna say to that?!

You see, I wanna fuck general grievous. I do. I want him use all his four arms to simultaneously pull both my arms back and touch my tits as he fucks me with his mecha-schlong. I do. I wanna fuck darth Maul, pre-legs cut off or post metal legs+metal dick enhancement. I wanna lick those horns. Okay? I wanna fuck darth vader. Boy, oh, boy, I do. I wanna hear that hard breathing and wrap my legs over that dramatic cape while he force-chokes me and we do the do. Am I a weird robot-fucker? You bet your ass I am! Am I a tad too much on the horny side? Probably. Did I extrapolate my right to be horny on main? Fucking sue me. But this. THIS.

How do you want me to face my family and all the three (3) friends I have irl? How do you want me to walk into an elevator with a bunch of strangers and when an old lady says “the weather has been a little hot lately, isn’t it weird?” just to do small talk like every fucking old people I don’t know do, how do you expect me not to answer her with “y’know what’s weirder, someone at this very moment is thinking about Jar Jar Binks going balls-deep in them and I cannot talk about this to anyone and the knowledge of this? it’s eating me alive. ALIVE, ma’am, and I don’t mean this as some sick vore reference. Someone’s dreaming of those popped-up eyes, of that weird high-pitched voice screaming MEESA COMING while they’re filled up by Jar Jar Bink’s thick seed, and I’m just standing here while this very notion rots me to the core, taking all life away from me. It’s a nightmare. My entire life, a nightmare, because of an anon message from a horny jar jar fucker on tumblr. This is my floor now, ma’am, have a good day”

I leave the elevator. I probably have an appointment, but I can’t remember where, or what for. I sit down on the floor by the elevator doors. I sob for a full minute. I take the elevator back downstairs, I walk home, I collapse in bed and rub one out thinking of darth vader. I feel better.

Five minutes later, I think about this ask again, and my whole world collapses again. It’s only Tuesday. I sigh heavily and sit down to write this reply.-

Edit: a lot of this is exaggeration. Some of it is true. You get to pick what exactly.

[hairmetal666]

Eddie owns a record store, gets to talk about music everyday. Life is good. Great, actually.

He's consolidating the Christian rock section on a quiet Wednesday morning when it happens. A man with swoopy dark hair, tight dark blue jeans, and a plum Member's Only jacket walks in, and doesn't take his Ray Bans off even once he's solidly inside.

Eddie is awestruck. This dude is gorgeous. Heart stopping. He watches him browse in quiet astonishment, unable to say anything until he blurts, "Can I help you find something?"

The man smiles--Eddie's heart stops--and he says, "Nah, just browsing. Your sign caught my eye."

And he's still not quite with the program, the rich honey of the man's voice taking him totally by surprise. "Ah, oh, it did?" He manages after a few long beats. "Painted it myself."

"No shit? It's great."

"Thanks, man. I also think it's some of my finest work."

The guy laughs. "How can I know unless I see some of your other pieces?"

Eddie's face heats, but he's never been known for having good impulse control. "Maybe you'll get lucky."

Spots of pink bloom on the man's cheeks and the tips of his ears. "And here I was, thinking I was getting special treatment."

Eddie cocks his head, smiles big. "Well, the day's still young." It's so risky and stupid; no way this guy is queer, but he grins at Eddie, laughs a little too.

"That right? Well, tell me your latest recommendations."

"For you?" Eddie eyes him up and down. "Wham!"

The guy's laugh is warm and rich and Eddie wants to drown in it. "Big of you to say for a someone who's only listened to Enter Sandman for the last four months."

Eddie cackles, points a be-ringed finger. "It's a good song! A great record."

"Hey, I've got no problem with Metallica. I just don't think you should be casting aspersions on Wham!."

"Casting aspersions, do you have a word of the day calendar or some shit?"

"No! It's toilet paper."

Their snickers grow until they're both hysterical, needing to lean against a display to stay upright.

It's like he's living in a dream, hitting it off with a beautiful man who just happened to stumble into his store. They catch their breath and Eddie uses the time to grab a record off a nearby shelf.

"Here," he says. "Try this."

"Joni Mitchell?"

"Don't tell me, Wham! fan, that you're too cool for Joni."

"Nah, she's my best friend's favorite. How much do I owe you?"

"On the house," Eddie shrugs.

"Shit, that's generous. Thanks, man. Now, about your art--" He glances at the shiny watch on his wrist. "Fuck, is it really 3:15? Goddamnit, I gotta get going."

And Eddie wants to call him back, doesn't want this dream encounter to end, but he's dashing to the door--

And just like that, the man is gone, the only evidence it ever happened the lingering chime of the bell over the door.

The bell clatters again, and his head wrenches up hard enough it hurts his neck.

"Was that Steve Harrington?" the customer shrieks.

"No," he scoffs. Except. Except. The hair and the clothes and sunglasses and the face and his lips--

"No!?" He feels the way his eyes have gone wide with panic. He didn't just flirt with Steve Harrington. Of course not. Not ever. He would've recognized--

He runs to the racks of magazines in front of the register, grabbing the latest issue of People. The cover features a glossy, polished photo of the man who just left the store. The one who had the highest grossing movie of the summer alongside his co-star, Julia Roberts. The one who, according to the article within, is in Chicago right now shooting a new movie. The one who Eddie flirted with. The one who flirted back.

He groans and covers his face with his hands. At least he'll never see Steve Harrington again.

---

Harrington comes back.

The second time, he's wearing a jewel blue polo and fitted slacks, Ray Bans nowhere to be seen.

"Got anymore recommendations?" Steve asks.

"What?" Eddie's still trying to accept that Harrington came back.

"I finished Joni. It was good. Recommend something else for me."

Fully with the program, he reaches to the rack behind him, handing the vinyl to Steve without ever taking his eyes off him.

"Seriously?" Steve deadpans.

"Tell me you don't deserve it after last time."

Steve studies the cover of Metallica, a complicated look on his face. "Fine, but you have to listen to the album George Michael released last year."

He mimics getting shot in the heart. "After my magnanimous first suggestion, you dare to punish me with Freedom?"

"Think of it more as an opportunity."

"To regret every decision I've ever made?"

"To expand your musical horizons."

Eddie rolls his eyes. "Fiiiine. It's a deal."

Steve beams. "Good! Ring me up."

And Eddie, he'd comp it again, but Steve gives him this look that tells him not to try it.

As they pass the magazine racks, Eddie points at one featuring Steve on the cover. "That thing you wore to the Vanity Fair party last month was hideous."

Steve snorts, then laughs. "Thanks. My stylist decided to go for something--"

"--terrible?--"

"Avant garde."

"Oh, is that what they're calling it these days?"

Steve pays, throws Eddie one last smile, "next time?"

Eddie nods, already certain this time is the last one.

---

He keeps coming back.

Eddie tries not to read into it.

Steve is straight, famously has a girlfriend. former horror movie child star turned cinema wunderkind, Nancy Wheeler. They're always on the covers of the tabloids, in ever more improbable stories about affairs and secret babies and french countryside weddings.

But he keeps coming back. And eventually, they grab dinner. And that dinner becomes lunches, movies, clubs, concerts. Eddie's in paparazzi photos, and there's no speculation about their relationship. Steve has a girlfriend.

But sometimes. Sometimes Steve will rest his hand on Eddie's nape, his lower back, let it linger. He'll trace a finger down the tattoos on Eddie's forearms or the patches of his battle vest. He'll lean too close when they talk, unafraid to press their bodies together. And he catches Steve's eyes on his mouth more than once, his pupils wide.

Over the next few weeks, Steve's gaze on Eddie's mouth gets hotter, his looks longer, and it's killing him. All he wants to do, all he ever wants to do, is close the distance between them, appease the gnawing beast of desire in his chest.

But Steve has a girlfriend.

They don't talk about her, not even when he knows all about Steve's best friend, Robin, and the gang of kids who adopted him, or Joyce and Hopper, his surrogate parents. Never Nancy.

He tries not to read into it.

---

They're supposed to meet for dinner. Steve scored reservations at a trendy new restaurant, but Eddie's late. Astronomically, horrifically late. It's pouring rain, it takes fifteen minutes to get a cab, traffic is a nightmare.

Out of patience and time, he decides to run the last few blocks to the restaurant. By the time he reaches the building, he's soaked to the bone, spluttering harsh breaths through mouthfuls of rain.

Steve is walking in the opposite direction, hands stuffed into the pockets of his coat.

"Steve?" He calls.

He turns and this is the first time Eddie's seen him angry. "You're late," Steve's eyes rake over him, and his face softens in an instant. He takes Eddie's wrist, leads him into an alley where the buildings are close enough to block some of the rain.

"What happened?"

"Traffic."

Steve's gaze go all soft and gentle, and Eddie's knees buckle a little. "You look like a drowned rat."

"Yeah, well." Eddie scoffs. "We can't all be beautiful movie stars."

"You're more beautiful than I could ever be, even soaking wet."

He shakes his head, ignoring the cascade of butterflies; Steve shouldn't say things like that. His vigorous movement sends wet strands of hair slapping him in the face.

Steve reaches out, softly brushes it back.

Eddie stops breathing.

Steve closes the distance between them.

What a thing, to be kissed by Steve Harrington. What a terrible, glorious thing.

He breaks it fast, face red, can't catch his breath. "Nancy," is all he can say.

"Nancy?"

"You have a girlfriend."

Steve's face scrunches. "She's not my girlfriend."

Eddie's mouth drops. "Yes, she is." They went to the Oscars together.

"Eddie." Steve takes a few steps back. "Eddie. I'm gay."

He laughs, an ugly honking thing. "C'mon. What could she possibly get out of that?"

Steve's eyes widen, eyebrows reaching his hairline, mouth pursed in a bitchy line. It takes Eddie a minute but, "Ohhhhh. So, it's all--?"

"It was the best way."

"But you're--?"

"I thought you clocked me immediately! Wham!???"

"That was because of the jacket!"

"Have you ever met a straight man who dresses like I do and likes George Michael??"

"That describes five dudes I see a day!"

"And you thought they were straight??"

Eddie stares into the middle distance, replaying some of those interactions, and--"Huh. Okay. I get hit on at work waaay more than I realized."

"For fuck's sake, Eddie!" He's shaking his head, but Eddie sees the way the corners of his mouth shake with suppressed laughter.

"I'm sorry! You have a very public straight relationship!"

Steve giggles, pulls Eddie close. "Is this okay?"

"So okay."

"You do like me back?"

"Are you kidding! Thought I was going insane, how much I want you."

"And now?"

"Come back to my place?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

And Eddie, he's seen Steve playing at love dozens of times, but this--right here, in a soggy, smelly alley where they're both soaking wet--it's more perfect than any movie.