#Little Eddie is not used to any big celebration and his uncle just wants him to have a nice day even if he can't spend much money on him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

steddiealltheway · 1 year

Text

This is the weirdest way to celebrate 5k 🥹 but have this random intrusive thought ficlet 💛

When Steve first saw Heelys he only had one thought: Max.

So he bought them for her. After all, she was always complaining about not being able to use her skateboard indoors specifically at school. And if Steve could find any way to bring a smile to her face, he would do it.

Sure, she had opened the box with a laugh of disbelief and brushed off her gratitude with the question, “How did you know my shoe size?” But Steve had seen her heeling around in front of her trailer with a big smile that made it all worth it.

What Steve didn’t expect was the reaction from Eddie who was fuming with jealousy. He would get the cutest little frown on his face with his eyebrows all scrunched together whenever he would spot the shoes. Not only that, Eddie would make little snide comments about, “Oh, I’m just your boyfriend. Why would that make me worthy of any gift?” and “You know my shoe size, right? Then, why didn’t I get a matching pair?”

And Steve was completely honest with his response, “Eddie, you would not be able to handle Heelys. I mean this with all the love in my heart - you would destroy anything you came in contact with if you owned them. Please, do not buy them.”

But low and behold, Steve apparently planted the idea in Eddie’s head that he could go out and buy them on his own. So, the next day, Steve stops by Eddie’s trailer just in time to see him running and promptly flailing around as he attempts to balance on the wheels. By the time Steve gets out of his car, Eddie is already sprawled out on the ground.

Steve sighs and approaches him. “Are you happy with yourself?”

Eddie glances up at Steve from the ground and breaks out into a huge smile. “Very.”

And Steve can’t resist that smile. Really. He can’t. So he lets it go for a few days after reassurance from Max that Eddie will get better the more he practices.

Eddie does not get better. At all. Steve’s actually sure he’s starting to get worse. He’s already managed to break two of Uncle Wayne’s precious mugs inside the trailer where Steve and Wayne have set the strict rule: No Heeling Indoors. But Eddie was never one to truly follow rules, so another heeling incident inside the trailer is how Steve finds himself spending an afternoon in the hospital.

Eddie had managed to sprain his wrist. And Steve was no longer going to put up with Eddie’s antics. The Heelys have to go away. And they have to go away now.

By the time Eddie’s receives a large bag of ice and a wrist brace, Steve has come up with a plan - or rather a compromise. One that Eddie would never resist. He brings it up once they’re settled in the car. “No more Heelys, okay?” Steve says and glances over to where Eddie sits with a pout. “I’m serious. You could’ve seriously gotten hurt more than a sprained wrist. And you’re lucky it’s not broken - Wayne would kill you.”

Eddie huffs and glances out the window. Steve tries not to roll his eyes. Out of all the men in the world, Steve had to fall for the most dramatic one. He continues, “I’ll make a deal with you.” This seems to get Eddie’s attention because he begins to look Steve’s way all while trying to make it look like he’s not looking at all. Steve smiles. “If you give up the Heelys… I’ll finally buy you a pair of light up sneakers.”

“Really?” Eddie asks with a huge smile, evidently forgetting to give his boyfriend the silent treatment. Steve nods. Eddie leans over and says, “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

Steve sighs and leans over to give him a peck on the cheek at a stop sign. Eddie gasps dramatically, “You missed and you know it!”

Steve rolls his eyes again. “I’m getting you light up sneakers, what more could you want?” And this comment has Eddie forgetting all about the kiss because he’s too excited for these shoes. Sometimes, Steve wonders what he sees in him, but a short glance over is all Steve needs to know he would never give him up no matter what.

That is until he gets the light up sneakers - but they’re not the problem. The problem is Steve hadn’t tried to analyze their earlier conversation deeper than surface level.

See, Steve had asked, “You got rid of the Heelys, right?”

“Of course,” Eddie had said with a big smile.

“So, I’m never going to see them again?”

Eddie had paused and made fleeting eye contact as he replied, “I wouldn’t say that… but you have the shoes?” He had asked with such joyous anticipation that Steve couldn’t think of anything except letting his boyfriend open the gift.

But now, Steve is fuming. Because while Eddie hadn’t lied about giving them up, he had left out what he meant by that.

Because Dustin has just started heeling around the trailer in the “great new shoes Eddie had gotten him.”

Steve looks up at Eddie. Eddie looks at Steve. Then, he bolts out the trailer into the darkness.

Steve follows him out yelling, “You can’t hide from me in those sneakers!”

“Damn these beautiful creations!” Eddie yells as he races away from Steve.

-:-:-:-:-:-

A few days later, Steve has managed to convince Dustin to give up the shoes for a no questions asked “you owe me one.” Steve is scared to ask what that could be, but he’s just grateful to get the Heely’s away from the two menaces. He sets them on top of the box to deal with them later.

…But then they’re staring at him. Taunting him to try them on. And Steve has never backed down from a challenge, so he does. Just this one time.

Besides, Eddie is in the shower, and he’ll never know. So, Steve puts them on and goes outside. He takes a few jogging steps and then easily balances on the heels covering a good distance with a rush of adrenaline. He stops and goes again. And then again. “Why did he find these so difficult?” Steve asks as he goes just one more time.

Then the trailer door opens so fast that Steve can barely process it. “I see how it is. You just wanted them all to yourself,” Eddie says with his hands on his hips, towel wrapped around his waist. There still seems to be shampoo in his hair. “I could hear your betrayal,” Eddie explains.

Steve argues, “I was just seeing what the big deal was!” He makes his way back to the trailer and instantly takes them off and puts them back in the box. “I’m going to give these away for good now.”

“You better not keep them for yourself, Steve,” Eddie says as he heads back to finish his shower, successfully planting the idea in his head. So, Steve takes the time to hide the box in the trunk of his car. Maybe Max will want a secret Heely friend that Eddie will never find out about…

#steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie ficlet #stranger things #steddie crack

2K notes · View notes

hbyrde36 · 4 months

Text

STWG Prompt 12/24/2023 Missed Mistletoe 🎄

Merry Christmas Eve! Please ignore any typos or grammar errors and whatever else, I would have reviewed and edited more but it's time to prepare for my own celebrations!!

Christmas Eve, 1989.

Today was the day.

After nearly three years of pining after Eddie, Steve was finally going to do something about it. Though, to be fair there were a lot of reasons he had hesitated to take action before now.

In the months after Vecna and the Upside Down, Steve and Eddie grew close. It was bound to happen, trauma bonding and all that, and it didn’t hurt that Eddie and his Uncle spent a few weeks staying in Steve’s guest room while Eddie recovered from his injuries and he and his uncle looked for a new place to live.

When the two of them did finally move out, Steve found that his house felt even more empty than it had before. He spent a little time feeling depressed and a little lonely about it, and trying to hide it from everyone as best he could, but of course Eddie noticed anyway. He began to show up at Steve’s house unannounced, coming over any time he felt like it. Steve would often come home from work to find Eddie already there curled up on the couch waiting for him. It was nice.

Nicer were the nights they spent at Eddie’s own home, a small two bedroom house not far from the Byers old place. He, Eddie, and Wayne would have dinner together and talk about their days, and Steve would find himself wishing he could have this all the time, especially when he and Eddie would crash together on the other boy’s full size bed. It was big enough to hold them both, but small enough that they had to cuddle a bit to make sure neither of them fell off as they slept, which quickly became Steve's favorite part of nights at Eddie’s.

1987 saw Steve privately coming to grips with the fact that he was not as straight as he had previously thought, and had developed a debilitating crush on Eddie, using the term private loosely of course, because Robin was with him, supporting him every step of the way.

The following year he and Eddie continued to grow closer, to the detriment of Steve’s sanity.

Best friends for all intents and purposes, though they never used that phrase out loud to describe each other, lest Dustin catch wind of it. He was already appalled at the amount of time they spent together without him. Obviously the kid knew it was possible to have more than one best friend, himself having several, but it was still a fight Steve had no interest in listening to.

‘88 was also the year that Eddie came out to him, as well as the rest of the party. Steve was elated to find out that he might actually have a chance with his crush, but nervous since just because Eddie liked boys didn’t mean he would be interested in Steve that way.

But, Steve never got a chance to confess his feelings.

It turned out that the reason Eddie had finally come out was because he wanted to introduce them all, and Steve in particular, to his new boyfriend. They were (best) friends after all, and he wanted Steve’s opinion.

Mark.

There was nothing wrong with the guy, per se. He treated Eddie well and they had the same taste in movies and music. It was more than he and Steve had in common. Mark seemed to make Eddie happy, and that was all that really mattered.

So, as heartbroken as he was about it, Steve gave his stamp of approval and spent the next 6 months in agony. Their sleepovers came to an end, and dinners with Eddie and Wayne became fewer and far between. It wasn’t Eddie’s doing, in fact he confronted Steve about it a few times, hurt that they were spending less and less time together. He couldn’t tell Eddie the truth, that he was pulling away to save his own heart, so he just said he was busy, and besides, he didn’t want to take away from Eddie’s time with his boyfriend.

Then, Eddie and Mark broke up. Steve would have felt worse about how happy he was to hear that news, but Eddie didn’t seem overly broken up about it. He’d even told Steve that while he was a little sad that things didn’t work out, it was for the best, though he never really explained why, and the two of them fell back into old habits in no time.

That had been a few months ago, and Steve finally felt like the time was right to tell Eddie how he felt, he just wasn’t sure exactly how to go about it.

The idea came to him a few weeks before Christmas, when he and Robin were putting up decorations around Family Video, desperately trying to bring a little festive cheer to the place. He spotted a sprig of artificial mistletoe mixed in with tinsel and garland in a box and instantly came up with the perfect plan.

He would hang it above the door to the break room, and the next time Eddie came in to bug him on his lunch break he would make sure they walked through that doorway together. It was a foolproof way to find out the truth. If Eddie kissed him, he’d know his feelings were returned, and if Eddie made a joke about it, then he’d know it wasn’t meant to be.

Except when Eddie did finally come in, he didn’t even seem to notice the mistletoe hanging there. He completely missed it! Steve knew he could have pointed it out but he lost his nerve, and somehow it felt like cheating. They still had a nice time hanging out that day, his breaks were always more fun when Eddie stopped by, and he figured he’d get another chance. There was still a week and a half to go until Christmas.

But, Eddie continued to be frustratingly oblivious every time he entered the video store.

Steve tried everything, well, everything except using his words.

He moved the plastic mockery of mistletoe all around the store. Tried hanging it from the alcove that separated the kids section from the rest of the movies, and then the spot above the cash register where the little door opened to let them get behind the desk. He even hung it next to the bell above the front door a few times, which would admittedly be an ill-advised location for a same-sex kiss in a town like Hawkins, but Steve was beginning to get desperate.

Each time Eddie visited Steve made sure they walked together under wherever he had placed the godforsaken plant that day, and each time Eddie refused to look up. At a certain point Steve began to think that maybe he was ignoring it on purpose, but in his defense Eddie had been acting a little distracted lately.

Before Steve knew it, Christmas eve had rolled around and his window for getting Eddie to kiss him under the mistletoe was rapidly closing. He was hosting the entire crew at his house for a little party and asked Eddie to come along early to help set up.

He was taking no chances this time, forgoing the artificial Mistletoe for the real thing, he hung a fresh sprig of the plant from every single doorway and transitional space in the house. He was pretty sure there wasn’t a single piece of the stuff left in the entire county that he hadn’t bought, and if his plan worked, it would have been more than worth it.

He jumped when the doorbell rang a half past 4. He wasn’t expecting anyone else to arrive this early, and Eddie hadn't used the doorbell at his house in years. He glanced through the peephole and sure enough it was Eddie, standing awkwardly on the front porch. He looked the same way Steve felt, nervous.

Steve took a deep breath and opened the door slowly, palms immediately gone sweaty when he took in Eddie’s full appearance. He was wearing his nicest jeans, the only pair he owned without any rips in them and what had to be, hands down, the ugliest Christmas sweater Steve had ever seen. It was incredible, he loved it, even more for the fact that he knew Eddie had only worn it for him, to be festive for his party.

He opened his mouth to tease the other boy for it but felt all the breath get sucked out of his lungs when Eddie stepped in close, bringing them nearly chest to chest and gave a shy tentative smile.

He had one hand hidden behind his back, something Steve hadn’t noticed at first, but did now as Eddie raised his arm up high above their heads and dangling from his fingers was a small bundle of mistletoe tied together with a bright red ribbon.

Steve froze, staring at Eddie in shock.

He must have hesitated for a second too long. Eddie’s smile fell, face crumpling a bit as his arm began to drop. Steve snapped himself out of it and reached up to grasp Eddie’s wrist gently, holding the plant where it was as he finally closed the distance between them to crash their lips together.

It was Eddie’s turn to freeze, but only for a second. He recovered quickly, melting into the kiss as he wound his free arm around Steve’s waist, tugging him in close.

When they finally separated Eddie sighed happily, he let the mistletoe drop and as they lowered their hands Steve slid his palm into Eddie’s, fingers entwined.

Eddie rested his forehead against Steves, a wide grin spreading over his face as he spoke. “Wow, that went about as well as I could have hoped for. I’ve wanted to do that for so long, Stevie, you have no idea. I just didn’t know if you could ever be interested in me like that.”

And Steve couldn't help it, he burst out laughing.

He laughed so hard he doubled over, completely hysterical and out of breath, and only managed to stop when a look of hurt crossed over Eddie’s face.

He leaned in and pressed another quick kiss to Eddie’s cheek and squeezed his hand.

“I swear I'm not laughing at you, Eds. It’s just… “ He giggled again, unable to contain himself. “Come inside and I'll show you.”

Eddie quirked his eyebrow curiously but let himself be led inside.

Steve walked them over hand and hand to the doorway between the living room and the kitchen looking up pointedly until Eddie followed his gaze, eyes growing wide as he spotted the mistletoe hanging there.

“Steve, what…?”

He cut off Eddie’s question with a quick kiss before dragging him off to the entrance of the dining room where another bit of green hung above their heads. Another quick touch of lips and off they went to the next doorway, and then the next, and the next, and the next.

After a full tour the two boys collapsed on the couch in a fresh fit of giggles. “I can’t believe you did all this!” Eddie said.

“I’ll admit it might have been a little over the top, but this was my hail mary attempt. I’ve been trying to get you to kiss me under the mistletoe for weeks! I can’t believe you beat me to it, and on your first try!”

Eddie blanched. “Wait, what?!!”

#stwgdailyprompt #steddie fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #ficlet #steddie ficlet

172 notes · View notes

artiststarme · 1 year

Text

Eddie Saves Steve's Birthday

Part 2 of the "The Party Forgets Steve's Birthday" fic! I hope you guys like it and please leave your thoughts in the comments!

~*~*~*~

Eddie felt awful, in fact, he’d never felt worse. He would rather go back to the Upside Down and get torn into by bats again than have to hear Steve say that the Party only cared about him as the babysitter. He couldn’t think of anyone more deserving of a big birthday celebration than Steve and instead he was working a long shift at Family Video alone without any acknowledgement of his birthday from the kids. It wasn’t fair.

He used to think Steve had everything. He was the cool jock, rich kid with rich parents, huge house, and tons of friends. Eddie never could have imagined then that Steve was just another lonely kid with absent parents and friends that forgot about his birthday. Even now, they were both part of the same group that had literally risked their lives to save them from the creepy-crawlies in the Upside Down and no one paid enough attention to realize it was Steve’s birthday.

Just thinking about the defeated look on Steve’s face made Eddie’s heart stutter in grief. He didn’t care what it took, he was going to fix this. But to do that, he was going to need Wayne.

By the time Eddie got home from his talk with Steve and the minor freakout he had in the back of his van, Wayne was getting ready to leave for work. That just wouldn’t do. So Eddie did the one thing that always worked for him and threw his arms around his uncle in a restrictive embrace.

“Uncle Wayne, I need your help. It’s absolutely urgent, life-threatening, you could say. I need you and if you don’t help me, I will die.”

Wayne was far too used to his dramatics to fall for that. He patted Eddie’s back before trying to gently pry himself free. “Kid, my shift starts in an hour, I gotta get goin’.”

“No, I’m serious, I really need your help. Everyone forgot Steve’s birthday today! He’s devastated, I’m horrified, Robin is on a date, and the kids are unhelpful! I need you!” Eddie broke out his most potent puppy dog eyes and blinked up at his uncle.

Wayne sighed. “I’ll tell Craig I have a stomach bug. What do you need me to do?”

“Steve gets off work at ten tonight. I need you to distract him towards the end of his shift and get him to come back here. Kidnap him if you have to, that’s what the Chief does and it always seems to work.”

“Kidnap him? Eds-” Wayne started but Eddie cut him off.

“Please! I have to steal a camera from Jonathan, break into the Harrington house, and bribe the bakers into giving me a cake. I don’t have time to force Steve to come over too.”

“Now wait a minute, all of that sounds criminal. Eddie-” Wayne sounded the most alarmed that he ever has but Eddie took it in stride.

“Wayne. He said he hasn’t celebrated his birthday in years, literal years. And considering you have a birthday every year, that’s a lot of birthdays that he’s spent alone. So we have to get him here by any means necessary and show the pretty bastard that we love him. Okay?”

Wayne looked at him for a long time but eventually he gave a little nod. “What time should I head out?”

~*~*~*~

Steve wasn’t used to seeing Wayne around town and he had never once come into Family Video. So when the bell rang and swung open to reveal a stressed Wayne Munson, he didn’t really know what to think. Wayne looked around the store slightly before walking directly up to the counter.

Steve nodded at him and narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Um hey, Mr. Munson. Welcome to Family Video, how can I help you?”

Wayne scratched a hand through his beard before humming. “You, uh, you have any good recommendations?”

“You want to hear about my recommendations? Really?” Steve looked at him, flabbergasted. No one had ever cared to ask what he watched.

“‘Course, that’s why I asked. What do you like to watch? Anything good?”

“Have you seen Back to the Future? It was a little hard to understand because he actually goes back to the past and I think he wanted to bang his mom, it was really confusing. It’s a good one but I’m not sure if it’s really good or if I only liked it because I was super high.”

Wayne nodded at him, not even phased at his enthused rambling. “That does sound interestin’. Any other ones?”

“Oh my god, yes! Have you seen Clue? Tim Curry is in that one, he’s the guy from the Rocky Horror Picture Show that has the nice legs. He shows less leg in this one but oh, you should see Miss Scarlet. It’s truly the best of both worlds, Mr. Munson, let me tell you-”

If this was the best his night got on his birthday, Steve would be content. Wayne was listening to him rant about his current favorite movies with rapt attention and kept asking questions in the appropriate places to keep the conversation going. Steve couldn’t even remember the last time someone actually wanted to listen to him talk. The Munsons always managed to surprise him in the best way possible. What could get better than this?

~*~*~*~

With Wayne on Steve Duty, Eddie had more than enough time to coerce Jonathan into letting him borrow a camera, sneak through Loch Nora to collect some of Steve’s favorite tapes, and guilt-trip the bakery ladies into giving him a cake on short notice.

After assuring Jonathan that he wasn’t trying to record a sex tape with any of his equipment, he lent him a small Polaroid (he didn’t trust the odd request from Eddie so there was no way in hell he was letting him borrow a tape recorder). Eddie didn’t argue though. He just needed something to commemorate Steve’s first birthday in the family and a Polaroid would do just that.

The trip to the bakery though took longer than anticipated. Florence, the owner of Flo’s Baked Goods, was not in a generous mood at 4 PM on a Tuesday. Luckily, Eddie was known for being very persuasive which worked in his favor.

“Florence, come on. Do me a favor, please?” He asked with his most woeful puppy dog eyes.

“Edward, I told you already, you need to place an order ahead of time.”

“Florence, my dear, I didn’t anticipate my grandma to die! I didn’t have time to place an order and I need a cake for her funeral tonight. Please Flo? For me?” His lip wobbled slightly as if tears were close to follow. He needed to pull out all of his stops to get that cake.

She sighed in exasperation. “I can give you a small one, alright? And you’re not getting extras, I actually have orders to work on.”

“That’s okay! Thanks Flo, I appreciate it and so will St- my dead grandmother. May she rest in peace.”

That worked out great! Sure, Eddie had to make an extra stop at the grocery store for some red frosting to write Steve’s name on it but the smile on his face would be well worth it. Or rather a pitying grimace.

Unfortunately, Eddie was not a baker or a designer by any means. So the red lettering on the cake turned into a drippy mess that looked more like a crime scene than a birthday cake. He also didn’t have great space management. Instead of making the font smaller to fit on the cake, Eddie largely wrote “BIRTH STEVE” and couldn’t fit anything else. Eager to make the best of the situation, he threw some colorful sprinkles on there to liven things up. Ah, Steve would love it.

The situation only got more complicated when he went to pick up Steve’s favorite movies from his house. Eddie parked his van in the driveway and picked the lock to the front door. Steve was at work, his parents weren’t home (not that they would have let him in if they were), and the emergency key under the doormat wasn’t there so he had to take drastic measures.

He grabbed a few of the movies in Steve’s room that he knew were his favorite that he didn’t have at the trailer. Fast Times, Back to the Future, Clue, The Breakfast Club, Teen Wolf, basically everything that Eddie hated but he was willing to watch anything for Steve. He grabbed a few cassettes too in case they decided to listen to music instead. All of the tapes were disappointingly mediocre and Eddie made a mental note to introduce him to some real music. After that, Steve would never listen to fucking Tears for Fears ever again. Or Wham!, the bane of his existence.

What Eddie had neglected to consider was how the nosey neighbors would react to seeing a random van in the Harrington driveway and a random kid messing with the front door. He should’ve expected the cops to come. He opened the front door to the barrel of Hopper’s gun.

“Son of a bitch, Chief! What the hell are you waving that around for?!” Eddie exclaimed, dropping his small duffel bag and throwing his hands in the air.

“What the hell? Munson?” Admittedly, Hopper had shown up at a bad time. Eddie was lugging a duffel bag out of the Harrington house to his hastily parked van in a neighborhood he definitely didn’t belong in.

“It’s not what it looks like,” he told him quickly.

“It looks like you’re robbing the Harrington’s place,” Hopper said deadpan.

“Well, I’m not!”

“What are you doing then?” Hopper asked him sarcastically.

“I’m not robbing him! I’m trying to save Steve’s birthday. I was just getting some supplies.” Eddie explained hurriedly.

“It’s Steve’s birthday today?”

“Yep and he’s going to be pissed if he has to come bail me out of jail because you arrested me. Think about that,” Eddie said, pointing an accusing finger at him. Wayne and Steve would both be pissed if he got arrested again.

“That doesn’t explain why you’re stealing his stuff,” Hopper stated in confusion.

“I’m throwing him a little party back at my place, we’re having a movie night so I had to get his favorite movies. I don’t have this teen drama shit. But Steve does and I’m trying to give him a nice night.”

Hopper just looked at him blankly.

“So can I go? I know you don’t want to break Stevie’s heart by arresting me on his birthday and don’t you want to get home to your family this lovely Tuesday evening? Who needs the extra hassle of detaining little ole me?”

“Goddammit Munson, just get out of here. You’re making the neighbors antsy. And don’t do this again.” Hopper warned him before walking over to his cruiser.

“Copy that, Chief! Keep protecting the people or whatever the fuck your pledge is. Have a nice night!” And then he was off again.

~*~*~*~

Steve must’ve talked about his favorite movies for hours before he realized it was time to close and Wayne was still there. “Um, Mr. Munson? I’m sorry, you probably had things to do today and I wasted all your time ranting at you. I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t be, kid. It was nice hearing from you. Say, I’m sure Eddie would want to hear about some of those movies too. Could you come over tonight and tell us some more about ‘em?” Wayne offered.

Steve could tell a pity offer when he saw one though. “No, that’s okay. I can tell him another time. I have to start closing if you want me to check you out?”

Wayne sighed and made direct eye contact with him. “Listen kid, I know today’s your birthday and you aren’t spending it alone. So, you can either follow me back to the trailer or I’m gonna kidnap you and drag you there. You got me?”

Steve just looked at him in shock. What was up with older father figures trying to kidnap him? Was there something on his face that told them, ‘hey, I’m a good target for kidnapping, take me’? Was Wayne in kahoots with Hopper because this trend was getting a bit ridiculous.

“Wayne-”

“Nope, Eddie wants you there and I want you there. What are you going to do instead? If you have a good excuse, I’ll leave right now and break that boy’s heart.” Wayne looked at him expectantly. When it became apparent that Steve wasn’t going to say anything, he nodded. “Good, I’ll see you at the trailer. Drive safe.”

What the hell? Was that how age twenty was going to be? Confusing and full of ups and downs? Jesus Christ.

Steve finished closing the store quickly and made his way to Forest Hills. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on today but if they wanted to spend time with him, he wasn’t going to turn them down. The Munsons were some of his most favorite people and it’s not like there was a long list of people that wanted him around.

As soon as he opened the door to the trailer, everything made a little bit more sense. There were party streamers hanging from the walls, the most gruesome cake he had ever seen sitting on the table, and birthday hats on top of a beaming Eddie and an indifferent Wayne. Tears filled Steve’s eyes as he laughed. He couldn’t believe that they’d done all of that for him.

“Happy birthday, Stevie! I love you!” Eddie yelled, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips and pulling him into a bruising hug.

Wayne patted his shoulder a bit awkwardly and murmured, “I love you too kid but I ain’t kissin’ ya.”

Steve could hardly even speak through the rush of happiness he was feeling. Eddie had found a way to make his birthday special again. He’d cared enough to spend his day organizing a nice night for Steve to feel loved again, to feel happy on his special day. Sure, not everything was fixed and there was still a small amount of hurt that the kids and Robin hadn’t done anything. But he had Eddie and Wayne and they were all he really needed. He finally had a family and he couldn’t be any happier. Eddie was right, ‘86 truly was a great year.

Permanent Tag List: @doubleb11 @nburkhardt @zerokrox-blog @newtstabber @i-less-than-three-you @carlyv @pyrohonk @straight4joekeery @ksherlock15 @conversesweetheart @estrellami-1 @suddenlyinlove @yikes-a-bee @swimmingbirdrunningrock @perseus-notjackson @anaibis @merricatty @maya-custodios-dionach @grtwdsmwhr @manda-panda-monium @lumoschild @goodolefashionedloverboi @mentallyundone @awkwardgravity1 @anzelsilver @jestyzesty @gregre369 @mysticcrownshipper @disasterlia @lillys-weird-world @messrs-weasley @gay-stranger-things @pnk-lemonades @coolestjoy30 @strangerthingfanfic @dangdirtydemons @bookworm0690

@riley-dragonborn @shoujo-goddess @crowscared @evix-syne666 @marsbars97 @tartarusfairy @addelyin @bobbierd03 @dreamlandforever @lavenders-blu @4nemo1egend @samcoxramblings @romanticdestruction

#The kids see a polaroid taped to Eddie’s fridge a few weeks later of them smiling in front of the cake #That's how they find out they missed Steve’s birthday.#Eddie holds a grudge against them and bars them from seeing Steve for awhile #He also murders all of their characters in DnD but that's neither here nor there #stranger things #steddie #steddie ish #fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #chief hopper #uncle wayne #wayne munson #jonathan byers

577 notes · View notes

munson-blurbs · 1 year

Note

Thoughts on how eddie would react to the reader (his girlfriend) buying new underwear/lingerie and showing it off to him whike she changes into comfy clothes for the evening? Bc my boyfriend apparently didn't even look long enough to differentiate between two very clearly very different pairs and I need Eddie to have a better reaction🥲

Combining this with a req from @kellysimagines:

How about reader and Eddie dont wanna go out to celebrate their 3 year anniversary so they spend it at his trailer and the reader suprises Eddie only wearing thigh high leather boots and only that and Eddie is surprised and they have sex?

Warnings: smut (18+ only, minors DNI), sub!Eddie, dom!Reader, c*m eating, thigh riding, praise

WC: 1.3k

A/N: The model in the picture is just there to provide a visual of the boots, and does not necessarily represent how Reader looks. Eddie would worship any of your bodies 💚 also, shoutout to @big-ope-vibes for convincing me to post this tonight in an attempt to defeat the Sunday scaries and to @pastel-pillows for helping me write sub!Eddie.

“Hey, babe, I’m home!” Eddie’s voice calls out. His nose is pink from the chill in the air. Indiana winters are brutal, and this one is no exception. “And I brought Chinese for dinner!”

“I’m in the bedroom,” you call back. “Got you a little surprise.”

Eddie’s brows pinch together in confusion. “I thought we said no gifts,” he whines, placing the bag of takeout on a snack table. It’s your third anniversary, and you’re trying to save up for a house. The trailer Eddie bought from his uncle Wayne after the older man moved to Florida was cozy, but it wasn’t where you wanted to grow old together.

You giggle mischievously, further piquing his interest. “Just come over here, handsome!” You hear him stomp through the living room; he isn’t angry, just walks with a heavy foot. It makes it nearly impossible for him to sneak up on you, snaking his arms around your waist and resting his chin on your shoulder to say, “guess who?”

“Baby, you’re making me look bad–holy fuckin’ shit.” Eddie’s jaw basically hits the floor as he takes in the sight of you before him. You’re kneeling on the bed, wearing nothing but a sheer pink bra, a tiny matching g-string, and black thigh-high boots. “When did you–how did you–can I just touch you? Please?”

It seems bizarre, Eddie asking you for permission. He’s usually the dominant one, making you beg for an iota of pleasure. You’re taken aback for a moment before replying, “of course.”

His hands immediately fall to the swell of your breasts, thumbs easily finding your nipples through the gauzy material. “Don’t even know where to start,” he mumbles. He looks up at you with wide eyes. “Tell me what to do, Sweetheart. Please. I’ll do anything you say.”

“Touch me, Eds. Need…need you to touch me.”

“Tell me where, baby,” he begs. “You’re in charge tonight. Want you to use me.”

The idea of bossing Eddie around is so foreign to you, and it takes you a beat before you can figure out exactly what you want. Your whole body buzzes with need. “Let me ride your thigh,” you murmur, “and while I do that, you’re gonna suck on my tits.”

Eddie nods, lifting you onto the bed and placing you on his lap. He starts to unhook your bra, but you shove his hands away.

“Did I say you could do that?” you snap, feeling more confident in your dominance.

Eddie gives you a confused look. “N-No,” he stammers, “but you said–”

“I said to suck on my tits. You can get me fully naked once you make me come. Got it?” When he just nods again, you tilt his chin upwards towards you. “Good boys use their words, Eddie.”

“S-Sorry.”

You sigh impatiently. “Don’t apologize; just tell me you understand.”

“Yes, ma’am. I understand. I won't get you naked until you come.” He swallows thickly, leaning in and bringing his lips to your clothed nipples. One hand rests on the middle of your back, but he stops before using the other one to cup your ass. “Can I please touch your ass?”

You kiss him, biting his lower lip as you pull back. “Since you asked so nicely.” He whimpers lightly, grabbing the soft flesh in his strong palms. For a brief moment, he looks like he wants to spank you–which he typically does–but quickly remembers his new role. His mouth returns to your tits, lapping and sucking on them hungrily. You wrap your arms over his shoulders, grinding down on his upper leg. ‘Keep your hands right here; that’s my good boy. Don’t let them move or I might not let you come.”

“Won’t move,” he promises meekly, “take whatever you need. ‘M your fucktoy to use.”

You suck a harsh bruise into the nape of his neck, licking over it once you finish. “And what a sweet little fucktoy you are, hm? All mine, and ‘m gonna make sure everyone knows it.” You tug his shirt above his head and leave a trail of hickeys across his chest. Already started to feel pent up and overstimulated, Eddie instinctively begins bouncing his leg up and down. “Stay still,” you order him, ‘hold me and stay fucking still. Fucktoys don’t move.”

“Could I, um…could I kiss your neck?” Eddie asks, and you can’t help but note the slight whine in his tone. “Please, baby? ‘S my favorite spot…” He pouts as you shake your head.

“Tell you what,” you reason, still grinding your needy cunt on his thigh. You’re so wet that it’s leaving a damp patch on the denim, turning both of you on even more. “If you let me come, I’ll let you kiss my neck.” The friction is driving you wild, and you dig your fingernails into his bare back. “Fuck, Eddie. ‘S like your body was made to get me off.”

You watch as his hand instinctively snakes down towards his erection, palming at it pathetically. A tiny whine escapes his lips as you pull it away and push him back onto the bed. “Trying to cheat the system?” you taunt him, rummaging through the dresser drawer until you find what you’re looking for. “Sit over there,” you motion towards the chair tucked under your vanity, “and put your hands behind you.” Eddie does as he’s told, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. The shiny silver handcuffs glint as you snap them around his wrists. “This is what happens when you can’t follow directions.”

“‘M sorry, ma’am,” he gulps, but you’ve already devised a new way to torture him. Slipping off your panties and unclasping your bra, you let both fall to the floor. You’re left only in the thigh-high boots. “Wan’ touch,” he mumbles, knowing that the effort is fruitless. Instead, he watches as you get down on your knees, pulling at his belt buckle and unfastening his button and fly. When you take his cock out of his boxers, he lets out an audible sigh of relief. He thinks I’m gonna blow him, you realize, a suspicion that’s only confirmed when he says, “Yes, baby, please.”

You tut disapprovingly as you make your way back to the drawer, purposely bending over a bit more than is necessary to give him a better view of your ass. Grinning, you slide a cockring down his shaft and press the tiny plastic power button. Eddie yelps out as the toy begins vibrating around the base of his length.

“Now,” you say, bringing yourself back to your position on his thigh, “I’m gonna get myself off, and you’re not gonna come until I tell you to.” He’s too overstimulated to respond, so you take his face in your hand and turn it so he’s looking into your eyes. “I said, good boys use their words.”

“Okay, yes, shit, I w-won’t come.”

You rub your clit against his naked thigh, faster until you feel your orgasm about to hit. His upper leg is covered in your slick, and you throw back your head in utter pleasure as you finish. “Such a good fucktoy, letting me come all over him. You’re so fucking good to me, Eddie.”

The praise combined with the vibrations and your own orgasm is too much for him to handle, and he groans out a loud string of curses. Thick, hot ropes of cum trickle down his cock, pooling in the thatch of curls at the base. “Shit, ‘m so sorry–I didn’t mean to–”

But you just kiss him, roughly and deeply, effectively shutting him up. “That was really hot,” you murmur into his ear, before dropping to your knees again. This time, you use your tongue to clean him up, swallowing every last drop. “And delicious.”

Eddie writhes against the chair, and you let him out of the restraints. “Baby, any time you wanna be in charge, just…just fuckin’ do it, holy shit.” He pauses before adding, “and wear those boots, too.”

“Okay,” you say, shooting him a salacious grin, “how does ten minutes sound?”

#requests #eddie munson #eddie stranger things #eddie x reader #eddie x you #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x f!reader #eddie munson fanfic #stranger things fanfic #fanfic #eddie munson stranger things #stranger things

556 notes · View notes

munsonsreputation · 9 months

Text

21 (already under)

eddie munson x fem!reader

word count: [3.2K]

warnings: warnings: no use of y/n, lovers to strangers, mentions of underage drinking, crying (mentions of breakup), isolation, brief talk of anxiety, cursing, angst...ambiguous ending (maybe part 2)

summary: it's eddie's 21st birthday and though you two have been broken up for 2 years, you can't help but wonder if you should call him up and wish him a happy birthday. but to your surprise, it seems he has already beaten you to it.

Pacing back and forth in the living room of your apartment isn’t ideally how you imagined to be spending your Saturday night, but in hindsight, these days you practically spent the entire day confined to the four walls.

Your days used to be filled with stops at the trailer park to visit your favorite metal head and nights spent at the Hideout being his biggest fan in the crowd. But all of that, including him was now gone in the rearview for quite some time.

So much time had passed, but at the same time it felt like it was just yesterday where you and him went your separate ways, living two completely different lives in the same small town where you did your best to avoid each other.

But how could you avoid him without running into his friends or stumbling into Uncle Wayne at the grocery store from time to time?

All of it was just fucking impossible, and a huge chunk of you wanted to pack your things up and move away, but you knew his ghost would follow you everywhere no matter where you were in the world.

Even tonight, in the confines of your apartment, you couldn’t avoid him.

It was his twenty-first birthday today. The big 2-1 that marked the age where he could finally drink legally without facing any repercussions from Hopper. A coming of age that was supposed to be celebrated with you next to him at the Hideout.

You two had planned it out years ago when you were just seniors hanging out at Lover’s Lake with your hands intertwined and the sun setting down on the both of you.

“Hopper is gonna lose his shit if you get busted for underage drinking again.” You chided quietly, feeling him pull one of his hands away from your waist to reach over and grab an ice cold beer from the small cooler he packed.

He rolled his eyes playfully, taking a swig of the bitter before holding it out for you.

“He did the same thing when he was our age…maybe even a little worse! He’s got to cut me some slack.”

“In three years, you’ll be 21, then that’s when he’ll cut you some.”

Eddie scoffed, slinging his arm across your shoulders, tugging you close to him as you squealed, trying not to spill the beer all over the both of you. Resting your head on his shoulder, you got comfortable, taking a sip of the drink that was definitely not your choice of beverage on a scorching afternoon, but it would make do for now.

“My 21st is gonna be at the Hideout, obviously.” He said, rubbing his hand up and down the expanse of your arm.

You looked at up him through your lashes, blinking kindly, “Yeah? I just know the groupies are going to have a field day with you.”

He met your eyes followed by a dramatic huff as he shook his head and squeezed your skin lightly, almost in a soft, scolding way.

“Stop that. You know you’re my favorite fan…my one and only groupie.”

You scrunched your face up at him lovingly, puckering your lips and silently asking him to grant you with one of his famous kisses that you would never get tired of — even if it was a little peck.

“Do I still need to RSVP or will the offer still stand?” You mumbled against his lips.

You could feel his smile against your skin, before feeling another kiss come down on them.

“It wouldn’t be a celebration without you there.”

Yet here you were years later anxiously pacing your apartment and contemplating whether you should pick up the phone and at least greet him on his birthday before the clock strike midnight.

Part of you wanted to think that the split between you and Eddie was amicable, but in reality it was something so far from that. You had always thought that maybe Eddie would have seen it coming — that the growing distance and constant fighting was a telltale-sign of a break.

But he didn’t see it at all. In fact, he was completely blindsided.

“Just tell me how to make it better.” Eddie pleaded, holding your face in his hands, attempting to try to change your mind about your decision.

You couldn’t bear to look at him, to see the desperation, heartache, and confusion cluttering his features in the worst kind of way — the way that you couldn’t fix because it was coming from you.

“There’s nothing you can do,” you whimpered, shutting your eyes tightly as the salt poured down your cheeks and you forced your face away from his gentle touch.

He pursed his lips together, rubbing a rough hand down his face as the silence ate him up whole, not knowing if he was man enough to go in for a hug or ask you to leave and forget that you two ever existed in a world where you two loved each other.

Because he still loved you, even when you were standing in front of him, breaking his heart into a million pieces that were bound to be shattered all over again if he tried to make any other offers to fix it — fix you two.

Your sobs filled his bedroom, cries that even you couldn’t explain because no matter the distance or stupid fights you and Eddie got into, this was the last thing you wanted to do. Desperately you wanted to see it through, to know that you and him would grow out of the phase together and come out of it stronger, but you knew deep down that this was what you needed.

What your heart needed.

“I’m sorry.” You whispered, swiping your fingers over your eyes as you finally opened them, met with the sight of him still crestfallen.

You couldn’t stand to be there any longer, brushing past his figure as you dashed through the trailer and dug for your car keys in your pocket. He didn’t chase after you — you had already left him standing there and he couldn’t bear watching you drive away too.

You weren’t sure what you were sorry for — perhaps everything.

The way it went down.

For not giving him any warning signs.

Leaving him with no closure at all.

If he was taking the heartbreak personally, you wouldn’t blame him because if he had done you the way you did him, you’d be avoiding him, too.

In defense, he avoided you first, ignoring phone calls where you wanted to check up on him and see how he was doing. Instead, you were met with Uncle Wayne’s voice telling you that the boy was busy — busying himself with trying to forget you.

“Who is it?”

You could hear him asking in the background, quickly covered up by his uncle clearing his throat trying to mask his nephew’s voice. It was then that you understood that things would never be the same, that Eddie couldn’t even bring himself to talk to you anymore because for him it was like torture.

But sometimes you’d imagine it would be different had you gone a different route with ending things with him. That maybe if you had let him down slowly you two would still be friends, maybe even the potential of getting back together someday.

Late nights since the breakup were spent dreaming up the scenarios where you and Eddie could co-exist—

“How are doing?” You asked honestly, reaching out a steady hand that you rested upon his watching the way his eyes flickered with content.

“Fine. I’m doing really fine.”

But then you wake up, the black and white in your dark bedroom and the empty spot beside you, a reminder that it wasn’t real, and it sure wasn’t forever. That you had left him unexpectedly with a flame without yours…leaving him on fire.

The sound of your landline ringing halted your undying pacing. Your stare burning a hole through the phone that rattled on your coffee table. It was nearly eleven, just an hour left before his birthday would be done and over with.

He was probably at the Hideout celebrating with his band, so it couldn’t possibly be him.

“H-hello?” You answered, kneeling at the table while one hand picked up the phone and the other held your forehead.

“Hey you, how is it going?”

Robin Buckley, the only person in Eddie’s life that still remained in yours, but from a distance. No in person hang outs or daily phone calls, just occasional check in’s to see how you were holding up because she knew that the breakup was still affecting you the way it was doing Eddie.

You sighed, shutting your eyes as your fingers rubbed your temples.

“I—I’m fine…you know, just hanging around. What about you?”

There wasn’t much energy you had left to try to convince her that you were doing something way more interesting than overthinking the night away. Despite you and her not being really close or acquainted, Robin was an expert at one thing, and that was reading between the lines and picking up on things.

She didn’t want to put you on the spot. To tell you that from your voice alone, she could tell you were lying through your teeth. She already knew it was hard enough already and her pointing it out would only make you feel worse.

So she cut to the chase.

“I saw Eddie tonight…at the Hideout for his birthday. Nance and I stopped by to buy him a few drinks and give him his present. He’s wasted. I mean just completely shit faced—”

You took a sharp breath in, squinting your eyes that were about to turn salty all over again.

“Why are you telling me this?”

It came out harsher than you wanted, but really the last thing you wanted to hear about was how Eddie was having such a blast without you there. Part of you wanted to think that he would relocate his birthday celebration, assuming it would bring up too much hurt partying in the place where he planned to do it with you.

There was a hitch in her breathing, probably partly taken aback by your tone, but she worked past that.

“I just thought you should know…”

Her voice teetered on the edge of wanting to say more, to tell you the full story, but she didn’t. She didn’t know if it was her place to tell you everything Eddie had said tonight, how his birthday celebration came to shit the second he got an ounce of tipsy.

“I appreciate it, Robin, but really, I’m—I’m over it, him,” you corrected, “I know he’s having fun.”

You didn’t mean to just hang up without allowing her to speak or say goodbye, but you couldn’t help it. One more second on the line with her and even just another word spoken of his name, then you were sure that you’d end up a crying mess with her consoling you through the phone.

You didn’t want to picture him half drunk happy, chugging down shots without a care in the world for the hangover he’d have the next morning. The way he’d have to wake up without someone taking care of him and holding his hair back as he’d throw up everything in his system. The thought of thinking about who was going to drive him home and get him back to the trailer safely.

It was sickening…the worrying thoughts that still lingered in your head when it came to him. How you shouldn’t even be concerned in the first place because he was an adult and capable of taking care of himself. Yet here you were still worrying, imagining the life you two would be living if you stayed in each other’s lives.

Even two years later this feeling didn’t budge and you were sure that if it kept up, it would be enough confirmation that you had made the biggest mistake of your life — letting your one true love slip through your fingers and now all that he would be was a painful reminder of the love you lost when you were younger.

And you were afraid that how it was going to stay.

You ran your fingers through your hair, giving the ends of them a particularly hard tug out of pure frustration and annoyance. Taking a deep breath, your hands ran down your thighs before you stood up and for the first time tonight you stopped pacing.

Instead, you began flipping the light switches off, ready to turn in for the night and accept the fact that wishing Eddie a happy birthday would do neither of you any good.

Reopening that wound would make it hurt more than it already was. Just because you were hurting and searching for that closure didn’t mean that he owed you that. He didn’t owe you the light of day, not even fifteen seconds of his time on a phone call.

It was already over and it was best you left it that way — to move on and keep trying to forget as everything just kept pulling you under.

You glanced back at your dim living room, fingers ready to pull on the beaded string on the lamp to make the whole place dark before you proceeded to walk towards your bedroom and sulk the night away, being greeted by the love of your life in your dream.

But instead, before the whole place could illuminate black and white, there was a knock at your door. One that pounded hard, almost banging, followed by grumbles on the other side of it.

“A—are you in there? I wanna…wanna talk!”

Another round of loud and noisy knocks and for a second you thought you were in a dream. Pinching your skin to try to wake you up from the horrible nightmare that was tormenting you and your frail little heart. But to no one’s surprise, it was real — more knocking and his garbled talking confirmed it.

Your feet moved quickly against the wooden floors, crossing the boundaries between the living room and entrance where you stood on the other side of the door, fingers moving nimbly to undo the lock and chain before you pulled it open.

There he was in the flesh, leaning up against your doorframe, lazily keeping himself steady. He reeked of alcohol and you weren’t sure if it was merely his deep breathing that pushed the sharp smell of vodka and whisky towards your nostrils — or if he had spilt a drink or two all over himself, but it was clear that he was wasted.

Just as Robin had told you — maybe even more.

You wanted to avoid eye contact, to try to focus your sights on somewhere other than his deep brown orbs that could see right through you, but it was futile. Immediately your eyes met, the stare lingering so intensely, speaking volumes in the most silent and torturous way possible.

Though he was intoxicated, he still knew you like the back of his hand. Could read every emotion that covered your face and even beneath the exterior that you tried to put on. He knew you had been crying.

The swollen skin around your eyes dropping them down and making them look sadder than usual.

The tip of your nose red from the constant sniffles and swipes of tissue.

The frown that remained on your face and the slight quiver of your top lip that indicated you were holding it back all over again.

“W-what are you doing here?” Your voice was small and gravelly, breaking harshly, and though you coughed to try to play it off, he still knew.

Eddie watched you. The way your arms crossed over your chest and you finally had the courage to flicker your sights away from him, looking down at his covered feet instead. Your fingers tips pinching and tightening on your skin awaiting his response.

“I don’t know…t—to say that I’m sorry.”

You pinched your brows together, snapping your head up to look at him, “Sorry? Sorry for what, exactly?”

He shrugged his shoulders as he frowned deep and shook his head like he didn’t even know why he was here standing in front of you.

“Before you left, you said sorry…b-but you didn’t give me a chance to say it.”

You didn’t know what to say, hell you didn’t even know if you had any words left to speak even if there was still so much left unspoken. You stood there, eyes glued to his droopy ones that blinked slowly before he finally leaned off the wood and took a step back further into the hallway.

He was stumbling over his feet, but you didn’t dare take a step forward to help him. Eddie didn’t need you to. He regained his balance with his head down, holding a finger out towards you in a sign for you to wait. To not shut the door and leave him out again.

“Why couldn’t you just…just let me fix it?”

He tumbled over his words, keeping his head low in an effort to not break down here right now, but he couldn’t help but look at you when all he got was silence.

You swallowed, biting your tongue while the tips of your fingers turned white from the harsh pinching, desperate to want to run away and hide even when this was all you wanted for the past two years.

“You didn’t even let me try. Do you know how much it h-hurts?”

The end of his question broke with his voice, a whimper and a crack that let you know that the salt would start pouring any second now. And it was the same for you, his figure now a blurry mess as you croaked and shook your head, still not speaking.

He jabbed his finger into his chest while his face scrunched up, almost turning red with the tears that began to pool in his eyes.

“I…I still love you and you were supposed to be there tonight. I kept hoping you would show up. T-that you didn’t forget—”

Your foot stomped against the floorboards as you finally let up on your arm and brought your hands up to your cheeks to whip the tears away.

“I didn’t forget, Eddie! How the hell could you think I could ever forget?”

Here you two stood yet again, resorting to this…whatever this was.

You didn’t try to shut the door or step back as he finally stepped closer, closing the space between the both of you and just leaving inches. His face was nearly nose to nose with you as you both stood there and breathed in everything.

The regret.

The longing.

The pain.

The loss.

The love that never left.

All of it flooding your senses and screaming at you to say everything that you had been bottling up. To release everything that you had taken with you under the waves of wicked currents in winless fights. That even if the lights were on or off, life without him was black and white, the cruelest kind of way to live because he showed you color that you could never see with anyone else.

And unlike the last time you and Eddie stood in front of each other, this time you didn’t pinch your eyes shut or move away from his hands that clutched your cheek. He didn’t have to be the love of your life inside your head when he was standing right before you.

“I missed you…and I’m sorry.”

💌 reblogs, tags, comments, + likes are greatly appreciated! leave a comment and let me know if want to be added to my taglist!! 💌

taglist: @translatemunson @kennedy-brooke @manda-panda-monium @tvserie-s-world @givemeth @steveharringtonswife @astolenkiss @loving-and-dreaming @awkotaco24 @engenelxver @elfiaaaa @pbs-theundeadmaggot @johnricharddeacy @gaysludge @scoopshxrrington @micheledawn1975 @ihatepeanutss

a/n: my first pure angst feel kinda fic that i've written! i don't have a part 2 planned for this yet, but maybe i'll write one depending on how i am feeling and what i think the future would look like for reader and eddie!! i love "21" by gracie and this song just screamed eddie vibes...i hope you guys like it!!!

274 notes · View notes

steviesbicrisis · 1 year

Text

@unclewaynemunson Happy birthdaaaaay!! I saw your post about asking for Uncle Wayne related content for your bday and it inspired me to write this little thing! I didn't have a lot of time to work on it, please forgive any mistakes and I hope you like it!!

It's April of 1978 and, for the first time in his life, Wayne has to organize a birthday celebration for a kid.

Or better, "A teenager, I'm not a kid anymore" as Eddie would correct him every time.

It's been two months since he came knocking on his door, accompanied by social services, and things are... awkward at best.

The truth is, Wayne was never meant to be a father. He had come to accept it as he went through life and realized that the best way to not become like his old man was to not repeat the same mistakes he made. One being to have children when you can barely afford to feed them or have any love to give them.

Wayne had plenty of the latter, but lacked a stable relationship and a job that would pay him something bigger than his trailer.

So, being a father was not in his plans, but once he had realized Eddie couldn't have anything better than him, than his trailer park life, he welcomed him with open arms.

But Eddie had some trouble getting used to it.

He would talk to him only if Wayne talked to him first and Wayne, being a quiet old man, didn't do much of the talking himself. He would eat by himself when Wayne wasn't around, go to school by himself, and never left anything of his around (Wayne caught him putting his clean clothes back in the bag he came home with, once).

Sometimes, Wayne would even forget that Eddie was living with him.

So, when Eddie's birthday comes around, Wayne has no clue what he's supposed to do.

He has been giving him food, clothes, a bed, and school supplies, but Eddie doesn't ask for anything else and Wayne doesn't know what he needs.

Does he have friends he would celebrate with? does he expect a birthday party? how much would that cost? is it supposed to be a surprise?

He tries to get some sort of explanation out of Eddie, by staring at him quietly during breakfast, but he only gets a furrowed brow before the kid jumps off of his chair and rushes out of the trailer.

The frustration leads him, a few days later, to Melvald's General Store in the party supplies section.

Melvald’s isn’t a big store by any means but the selections of party hats and cake toppers is enough to confuse him even more and give him an headache.

His salvation comes in the form of none other than Joyce Byers. She must’ve noticed his pained look and decided to save him from his misery.

“I don’t know your boy very well, but I see him when I go get my kids from school” she admits, “he reminds me of my youngest, you know? He has some troubles expressing what he wants but… usually he’s happy with the simplest things. Just ask Eddie what he wants, I’m sure you’ll be fine.

Maybe get a cake, just in case. Kids love cake!”

——

“What is that?” It’s the first thing Eddie says when he gets home, staring at the cake on the table.

Kids love cake my ass Wayne curses Joyce, mentally.

They stare at each other until Wayne grunts a “it’s your birthday”, looking everywhere in the room but Eddie.

It’s a small “oh” that makes him focus on his nephew’s face.

Eddie is staring at the cake, a mix of emotions in his face that Wayne isn’t able to read.

“I haven’t had a birthday cake in a while. Dad never remembered my birthday."

It's not only what he says, but also the way he says it, with no emotions, like it's a thing he shouldn't be upset about, that breaks Wayne's heart.

Eddie approaches the table, in a way that funnily resembles a wary cat, and sits down in front of the cake. He doesn't say anything but stares at Wayne expectantly until he understands he's supposed to light up the candle on top of the cake.

"Do I have to sing you the song?" Wayne wonders, out loud.

"Please don't" Eddie is horrified.

Wayne gives him one mischevulous look before he starts to sing "Happy birthday to youuu" while Eddie covers up his hears and pleads him to stop.

Wayne was never meant to be a father, but he became a great one nonetheless.

#uncle wayne #happy birthday agaaaain!!#uncle wayne is the best #we stan uncle wayne #eddie munson #stranger things

318 notes · View notes

applcrumbl · 2 years

Text

pickled onion divorce papers.

Pairings: Ex! Dilf!Eddie Munson x F!Reader Warnings: Smut under the cut, 18+ Minors DNI, oral (f!recieving), unprotected sex, lemme know what ive missed! Author’s Note: okay i haven’t written smut in a long time, and ye i don’t get the title either i just liked it

Summary: Your ex husband is desperate to reconnect at your son’s 7th birthday.

Your son turned 7. A parade of young children flooded your small backyard on a bright summer's day in June, each excited to celebrate on the expensive bounce house you’d rented. Blown a good chunk of your savings on it. Some cautious parents hovered around the rainbow entrance, while most sat on lawn chairs, soaking up some rays themselves. You sat out another tray of assorted goodies on your kitchen island - a stack of napkins ready to be used by sticky hands and grubby faces. Truthfully, Oscar’s parties had been average at best, in the past. But this year you were determined to stick it to your ex-husband. Of course, you wanted the best for your son, as any mother would. But, there was no denying the excitement that escaped when thinking about how you’d remain the favourite parent for a little while longer.

“You did a good job,” Eddie said, leaning on the frame of the patio doors. A half-empty bottle of something in his hand, “Oscar is loving it”

‘No thanks to you’ You thought but bit your tongue instead. “Yeah, it’s been a tough time for him, he deserves it”

“And you?”

Your ex-husband was insufferable when he got like this. He could read you like a book, but never when it counted. Which was part of the reason why you split in the first place.

“I think you know how I feel Edward-”

“Wow, Edward, huh” he laughed, “I see how it is,”

“Not today,” you warned. Fully aware of what was coming next.

He wanted to talk about it. He wanted to talk about the divorce papers that had appeared through the letterbox of his uncle’s trailer a few days earlier. Where he had been staying since December when you split. He wanted to talk about how you were feeling. He wanted to talk to you, and only you. Just once.

“Then when?” He huffed, moving from his position and to your side of the island counter. The same long fluffy hair, even though it was wildly out of fashion now.

“When there's a solicitor present”

You swung the cabinet door open, nearly missing the gorgeous face of your ex-husband. Pulling a jar of pickled onions from somewhere up back. They were bound to be eaten by someone.

“C’mon, this can seriously be what you want Y/N” Eddie tried, watching as you struggled to open the tight jar.

“What I want is to enjoy our son’s birthday without another argument,” You reply, breathing out slowly as Eddie takes the jar from your hand and opens it with ease, “I had that.”

He smiles softly, “I know you did”

The conversation was dropped as 25 hungry little monsters crowded your kitchen, ravenous for chocolate and crisps. One of the mothers begged her twins to have something more substantial than a handful of party rings. Oscar - the absolute double of his father stood away from the group. Mouth full of cocktail sausage and big brown baby cow eyes.

In the commotion, Eddie had found himself next to you, serving up paper plates of various finger foods. You didn’t notice as his hands brushed your hips as he passed. It was such a natural thing so long ago. His grip tightened as the kitchen emptied again.

“I’ve missed this,” he confessed, whispering, unable to move from his spot.

A shaky breath, “Eddie, you’re only making this harder than it needs to be”

“Please don’t make me sign them,” he practically begged, lips pressed to the back of your hair. You couldn’t see his face, yet you knew exactly what was splayed on it. “We can make this work, Y/N. I know we can.”

It was second nature for you to say no in this situation. It had happened enough times in the several months since your initial separation. And it was much easier to explain to Oscar that ‘mommy and daddy are never getting back together’ than it was to tell a 7-year-old that ‘mommy and daddy just aren’t quite sure’. Pretending for the sake of your son just wasn’t working anymore, and so quitting seemed like the easiest option.

It wasn't.

But if you were being honest with yourself. You wished you'd struggled through it, because anything would be better than being without him. You wanted the long nights of arguing, or the days without seeing each other because without them you were miserable.

Minutes passed as you finally rest your head back on Eddie’s shoulder. He could practically see the contemplation in your mind, but he was scared of saying anything. Desperate to keep you in his arms a moment longer.

“We can’t tell him until we know for certain”

Your voice was just above a whisper but he heard you clear as day. His hand in yours in one swift movement as he pulled you off to a quiet room of your once family home. All thoughts of the party downstairs were gone as Eddie kissed you passionately. Months of built-up pining revealed themselves as the kiss deepened. Strong hands guided your back to the wall, careful not to be too loud.

Eddie practically moaned into your mouth as he stripped you down. Only breaking his lips from yours to trail them down to your lower stomach. “I still remember the way you taste,” He breathed as your fingers tangled in his hair. “And I never wanna forget”

His mouth attached to your clit immediately, knowing exactly where to go, and what he wanted to do. Eddie had dreamed of this for so long, that he was going to savour every moment. A skilled tongue delved through your folds. Licking a strong swipe up your slit. You shuddered at the contact, it had been too long since you’d been touched like this. Since he’d touched you like this. And it was like heaven. Rounded nose bumbled your sensitive clit as you wiggled in Eddie’s grasp, lean arms wrapping around thick thighs as he pinned you harder to the bed. Tongue exploring further down, closer to your asshole. “Oh god,” he grunts, relishing in the ecstasy he is giving you. His own hips rut against the edge of your bed, desperate to alleviate the pressure in his own underwear.

Soft lips attach once more on your clit, sucking gently as you felt your peak rising. “Eds, Wait I’m gonna-”

Words fell on empty ears as Eddie dove in harder. There may have been a buffet of sweet treats long enough to feed an army downstairs, but Eddie knew what he’d rather be eating. Your legs shook as you grew close, pressure building in your most sensitive spot, and Eddie could tell.

A voice called your name from down the hall, but the intonated sound mixed with that of your lover above you. You hadn’t heard it fully until much too late.

“Y/N do you want to do the cake? Liam’s mom says they need to leave soo- Oh my god”

Mortified, you pull the covers over yourself, unable to speak, husband still between your legs. Robin stood glued to the spot. Hand stuck to the door handle.

“Hello? We’re in the middle of something” Eddie states, head emerging from the blanket you’d thrown over him. A shit-eating grin peeking through his mouth, wet with your slick.

Your eyes blow wide as you apologise profusely, searching the room for your lost underwear and promising Robin you would be down as soon as possible. Shutting the door, you locate the skimpy lace in the back pocket of your lover.

You reach for them as Eddie turns, “Nuh-uh, I’m not finished with you,” he teases. Hands wandering down your sides, taking temporary residence in the dips of your hips. You attempt to wiggle out of his grasp, hands chasing his backside for your panties.

“Eddie, I am mortified. We gotta get back down there.” You lecture, hands coming to rest on his naked torso. When he took his shirt off? You weren't sure. But you didn’t mind anyhow, absent-mindedly tracing your fingers over the outline of the spider tattoo near his collarbone. “Hand em over” you almost begged.

Eddie hesitated, he wanted to follow your every word, he wanted to go downstairs hand in hand, or exchange flirty glances from across the garden. But he wanted to take you first. “Please?” you tried again. But it didn’t work as Eddie had you pinned to the mattress in one fell swoop, kissing up and down your neck and chest.

“Normally I would say yes, be a good husband” He offered, “But baby, if not now. I know this will never happen again”

Your eyebrows furrow in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“I have wanted this for so long, Y/N. and I’m not even just talking about the sex.” Eddie sighs, “I want the long nights and the arguments that never seem to end. I want to tuck Ozzy in together, not just see him every other weekend. I want to sit and have family dinners in front of the TV. I want the mundane chores. I want things to go back to as they were”

“Things won’t go back to as they were Eddie,”

“I don't care, I just want you back” He whispers, “I need you to be my Mrs. Munson again.”

And then he had you. Lips colliding together in a passionate kiss. It was messy, and by far not the best kiss you’d ever had. But it mattered nonetheless, desperation oozing from your husband, and your lips worked in tandem. Wandering hands found themselves pulling at the loops of Eddie’s jeans, “Take these off,” you murmur, “We need to be quick”

The truth was that Eddie didn’t want to be quick. He wanted to take his time with you and savour every second. He wanted to bed you for hours as you screamed his name. Like you used to. He wanted to cum inside you again and again, and have you lick the substance from his fingers. He wanted to thrust into you like this for the rest of your lives. Alternating paces, slow and then fast, edging himself into lasting for hours.

But the truth also was that he finished in 2 minutes. Not quite used to having you in his arms again. Hot ropes of white seed plant themselves inside you without a condom, as you muffled your own screams of pleasure into his shoulder. The long-haired man lay sweaty and on top of you. Almost embarrassed by how short it was, but he didn't care. You shoved him off gently, legs aching from being pounded into. “I still love you, Eddie” you confessed. “I want this to work.”

“It will baby, I’ll make sure of it.”

#writing #eddie munson #smut #angst

707 notes · View notes

on-maars · 3 years

Text

The Castle Operation

Alright I posted it on AO3 like one hour ago and I’m already overwhelmed by the comments you guys are crazy but I’m so grateful. I was feeling very insecure about my writing and all the comments made me smile like an idiot.

Find it on AO3.

Christopher sighs as he chews on his pencil.

This Math exercise is hard and he’s been working on it for more than half an hour. It’s a long time, and if he gets stuck any longer then he won’t have time to play video games.

Buck is usually the one to help him with his homework. Especially Math. His father is very bad at Math and Buck is not very good at it either but they usually manage to get through it together, as a team.

You and I make a great team – that’s what Buck told him a few weeks ago and Christopher doesn’t understand why he’s not around anymore. He used to be there all the time after his dad got hurt. He used to make breakfast and drive him to school and help him with his homework and read him stories just before nighttime. But that was before.

He’s alone again with his dad now. And Christopher loves his dad. In fact, if you’d ask him he’d say he’s the best dad in the world, for sure. But he thought that maybe this time Buck would have stayed. He thought that maybe his dad would want him to stay.

But his dad never asked.

Christopher presses his small hands over his face and rubs his eyes. He’s tired and he wants to sit on the couch and play video games and talk with his friends but he’s stuck on this chair because of this stupid Math exercise. He doesn’t even like Math.

“What’s going on in there?” Carla asks after a few seconds. She sits down next to him and Christopher drops his pencil on the table.

“I don’t like Math.” Christopher only answers, shrugging his shoulders. He raises his eyes and sighs when he realizes it’s only 5pm. He still has to wait two hours for his dad to come back and maybe then he can ask him if Buck can come too, for a movie night.

“Why do I feel like there’s something more than that?” Carla asks, raising her eyebrows. Christopher doesn’t like it when she does that. She always knows when something is bothering him and he can never lie to her. He tried before but it never worked.

“I miss Bucky.” Christopher says, slowly.

“Oh honey I miss him too.” Carla answers. “But you know he’s not far, right?”

“I know.” Christopher whispers. “But he used to be around all the time. He used to be around all the time and now he’s gone.” Christopher adds, taking the pen to scribble on his notebook. “I don’t understand why Dad didn’t ask him to stay.”

“Did you want him to stay?” Carla asks, smiling.

“Of course I did.” Christopher frowns. “I want him to stay forever.” He clarifies. Because he thinks it’s important, for people to know that Buck belongs here with them. Not in his own flat. Not with anyone else. Here . With him and his dad. “And I know dad wants that, too. He didn’t ask him to stay but I know he wanted to. I’m not stupid. He’s always happy when he’s around. He smiles all the time and sometimes he looks at him the same way he used to look at Mom.”

“Oh, Christopher.” Carla says, wrapping her arms around his back. Christopher sniffles and hides his face on her chest, closing his eyes. “You’re too smart for your own good.”

“So you see it too, then?” Christopher moves away from Carla’s embrace and adjusts his glasses on his nose.

“I do.” Carla agrees. “Very much so.” She adds. “But maybe your dad hasn’t seen it yet.”

“But that’s not possible.” Christopher shakes his head. Surely, his dad has seen it, too. His dad notices everything. He always does.

“Maybe it’s easier for us to tell because we can see it from a distance.” Carla explains and Christopher frowns.

“What do you mean?”

“You remember the Lego castle you built with Buck?” Christopher nods and smiles. It was a very big castle and Buck and him had taken an entire afternoon to build it. It was very complicated and messy and his dad had even said they could take some snacks upstairs in his room so that they could be done before diner. But it was a long time ago and Christopher doesn’t understand what it has to do with anything.

“I do.” He says, looking down at his hands.

“And when you stand very close to it, you can’t really see everything all at once, can you?” She asks and Christopher nods again. It’s true – he thinks. He usually has to move his eyes a lot if he wants to see the whole thing. “Maybe you can see one of the windows very well, or even a tower or the drawbridge.” She continues. “But the only way to see it all, the only way to see the whole castle is if you stand a bit further.”

“But I don’t want Buck to go anywhere.” Christopher argues.

“And he’s not.” Carla reassures him, ruffling his hair. “He’s not going anywhere. He’s always gonna be there, Christopher. But maybe that’s why you can see it so clearly and your dad doesn’t.”

“Because I can see the whole castle.” Christopher smiles. “That’s okay, then.” He says.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He nods. “Dad can only see the drawbridge.” He says. “But I’m gonna help him see the whole castle, too.”

---

Christopher spends a lot of time thinking about it. Whether it be in his bed, on the couch, in the play-yard or even in his classroom. He knows he’s supposed to listen to what his teacher is saying but he just can’t help it.

It’s only for a few minutes though, and Buck told him the other day that sometimes it’s important to take small breaks in order to be more focused on the problem at hand afterwards. And that’s what he does, taking small breaks, thinking about something else than what the teacher is saying.

So really, he’d say it’s even a win-win situation. He gets to reflect on the Helping Dad to See the Whole Castle situation and he’s then more concentrated on his exercises.

It’s only two weeks after his conversation that he comes up with a plan. A very good plan – he thinks. He’s not exactly sure it’s going to work out but he owes it to his dad to at least try, right? His dad’s happiness is at stake so the least he can do is give him a little push in the right direction.

The plan comes to him one day when he’s seated at the table inside the fire station, drawing a picture for Buck. Hen and Chim are comfortably seated on the couch next to him and Uncle Bobby and Buck are in the kitchen, cooking mac and cheese for the whole team. Christopher can hear them talking but he’s much more focused on his dad.

Because his dad is leaning against the fridge and he’s looking at Buck again, with the same expression he used to look at his mom with. He’s smiling and his eyes are so bright Christopher honestly thinks the whole thing is ridiculous. Surely his dad must know he’s in love with Bucky.

And that’s when he hears them. Hen and Chim. They probably both think Christopher is too engrossed on his drawing to notice they’re talking but he can hear them loud and clear.

“When do you think he’ll finally realize?” Chim asks, his voice low, almost whispering.

“I have no idea.” Hen answers. “But it better be soon because you and I both know Buck’s never gonna make the first move.”

Christopher frowns. First move? But to do what? He thinks. From the way they’re talking in hushed voices, he knows it must be important and so he keeps on drawing and listens carefully to the rest of the conversation. They seem very serious. Which Christopher decides is weird. They’re usually always laughing and sharing jokes but this time he can feel it’s more important.

“You know for a while I really thought it was one-sided.” Chimney says.

“Well you know Eddie. He’s never been very vocal about these kind of things.”

“I mean does he need to?” Chim asks. “I mean, look at him!” He adds, louder this time.

Christopher turns his head until his eyes fall on his dad again. He’s still in the kitchen but this time he’s whispering something in Buck’s ear, his hand holding Buck’s arm. They’re both laughing, and that makes Christopher smile. No one makes his dad happier than Buck does. Except him, of course.

Then his dad taps Buck on the back of his neck with his hand and Buck only sticks his tongue out.

“Oh come on!” Hen exclaims and Christopher almost jumps in his seat. “I swear to god if they don’t come to their senses soon, I’m locking them in the closet downstairs.” She adds. “They’re literally acting like a married couple, Chim!”

And Christopher’s smile only gets a bit bigger at her words.

They see it too – he realizes.

They see the whole castle.

And maybe that’s what he needs to do. Maybe that’s what his dad needs.

And so he takes another piece of paper his dad brought with them and starts writing:

Castle operation:

Start telling people about it. But who?

My teacher.

The nice lady of the supermarket.

Uncle Bobby and Aunt Athena?

Abuela.

Find out if Bucky knows about the Castle.

Wait for dad to see it too.

---

The first people Christopher tells are Uncle Bobby and Aunt Athena. He’s standing up on a stool and he’s helping Bobby making soup from scratch. Chicken soup. His dad’s favorite because they’re celebrating him coming back to active duty tonight and Christopher wants everything to be perfect.

He stirs the soup with the big spatula Bobby gave him a few minutes ago and smiles at the scent. It smells just like when his Abuela does it. That’s why Christopher knows it’s gonna be good.

“Where’s Bucky?” Christopher eventually asks after a few seconds. He usually always helps in the kitchen and he can’t see him anywhere.

“He’s talking to your dad in the garden.” Bobby answers, pointing at the glass window. “Look, right there.” He adds, making Christopher look up.

And here he is. Buck. He’s standing next to his dad but Christopher can instantly see that something is wrong. He seems sad. His dad seems sad, too. He’s running his hands through his hair and Christopher knows his dad always does that when he’s nervous about something. It doesn’t happen often but he always notices it.

Christopher tries to keep his eyes on the soup but his curiosity eventually gets the best of him. He darts his eyes towards his dad again and that’s when he sees it. His dad takes a few steps backwards but Buck catches his wrist before he has the chance to walk away.

Christopher squints and even from the kitchen, he knows what Buck is saying must be very important because he looks at his dad in the eye and the next second he wraps his arms around his shoulders and gives him a hug. He even kisses him on the hair and Christopher thinks that’s obviously something he needs to write down on his Castle Operation journal tonight.

“My dad and Bucky are in love.” He only says and doesn’t miss the smile Uncle Bobby shares with Aunt Athena who just joined them in the kitchen.

“You think so?” Uncle Bobby asks, tasting the soup with a spoon.

“I don’t think, I know.” Christopher clarifies. “They just don’t see it yet.” He adds. “But that’s okay. I’ll make sure they do.”

“You do that, kid.” Athena says with a laugh, ruffling his hair.

---

Christopher is lost in the supermarket. It’s a big one and he can’t find Buck. They were doing groceries shopping in order to surprise his dad and cook him his favorite dessert and the next thing Christopher knew he was alone, looking for Buck.

It’s okay, though. Christopher is not scared. It’s not the first time he gets lost in here and it already happened a few times with his dad. He would usually roam around the shelves and look at his right, and then his left, until his eyes fall on Buck but this time, he decides to choose a more direct approach.

He thinks that’s a perfect opportunity to tell the nice lady about Buck. Him and his dad always go to her checkout because she’s always giving him a lollipop. He walks away from the refrigerated shelves and heads for the entrance of the store.

She’s here, at the checkout 6 as always and there’s no-one paying or placing their items on the conveyor belt.

“Christopher!” She exclaims with a smile. “You’re here with your dad again? Where is he?”

“I’m here with Bucky!” Christopher says excitedly. “He’s my second dad. We wanted to buy chocolate chips because we’re going to do a brownie for my dad. It’s his favorite dessert. But I lost Buck. I don’t know where he is.”

“Do you want me to call him with the loudspeaker?” She asks and Christopher nods vigorously. He thinks that’s en excellent idea. Like that, so many people will know that Buck is his dad. It doesn’t matter whether they know him or not. Christopher doesn’t care. In fact, he would happily scream it on the rooftops if it meant his dad would finally realize he’s in love with Buck.

“Christopher Diaz is waiting for his dad next to Checkout six.” She announces and Christopher smiles big at her words. “Alright Christopher, which one do you want today?” She asks, pointing at the bowl filled with lollipops.

“Cherry!”

“Cherry it is, then.” She says, handing it to him. He’s about to thank her when-

“Christopher!” Buck exclaims, rushing towards him, his eyes big, his face wrinkled in concern. “I looked everywhere for you, buddy.” He adds.

“That’s okay Bucky, I was right there.” Christopher says.

“Another lollipop?” He sighs, smiling at the nice lady. “God, you’ve already eaten at least six of these cookies this afternoon, your dad’s gonna kill me.”

“Well he doesn’t need to know… Does he?” Christopher asks cheekily and Buck laughs.

“You know what? You’re absolutely right. Let’s keep it a secret, yeah?” He asks. “Now come on, let’s find these chocolate chips, alright? We don’t wanna be late to surprise your dad.”

---

“Goodnight, superman.” Buck whispers a few hours later, kissing him on his forehead.

It’s late and Christopher is tired but he knows his dad is in the shower and he’s pretty sure now is the best time to figure out if Buck is also seeing the Castle for what it really is. And so he just says it.

“Buck.” He calls him, waiting for him to sit back on his bed to continue. “Do you love my dad?” He asks and watches Buck as he opens his eyes wide, his mouth agape. He seems surprised. But Christopher doesn’t look away.

“Hum I- Of course I love him buddy, he’s my best-friend.” He says. “After you, of course.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Christopher insists, sitting up straight on his bed. He rubs his eyes with his hands and holds back a yawn. “I’m asking you if you’re in love with him.” He clarifies.

Buck doesn’t answer anything. He stays very quiet and for a few seconds Christopher thinks that maybe he didn’t hear him. He’s about to repeat the question but then Buck lets out a small laugh and looks down at his hands, like he’s scared.

“Would-would that be a problem?” Buck asks, meeting his gaze. “If I said that I was?” He asks. “In love with your dad, that is.” He adds. “Would that be okay?”

“Of course.” Christopher only answers, frowning. He doesn’t understand why Buck needs to ask him that question.

“Then I- yeah.” Buck admits. “I am. I’m in love with your dad.” He smiles. That makes Christopher smiles too and he nods as he wraps up warmly in his blanket.

“So you see the castle, too.” Christopher states, his eyes watching the lego set standing in the corner of his room.

“The castle?” Buck tilts his head with a confused smile on his face.

“You and dad.” Christopher explains, his voice tired. “You guys are the Castle.” He says. “Carla said I could see it because I was standing further away.” He adds. “She said my dad was too close and that’s why he couldn’t see it. But I don’t think she was right.”

“No?” Buck encourages him, running his hand through Christopher’s curls.

“No. I think he’s exactly in the right place.” He goes on. “He’s just too scared to see it.” His eyes are closed now. But he pushes through the fatigue and says the next few words anyway. He needs to stay awake. At least only for a few more minutes. Because this conversation is too important.

“And why do you think he’s scared to see it?” Buck asks, curious.

“Because he’s afraid it might break if he gets too close.” He says. “So he doesn’t look at it. He doesn’t touch it either. Maybe he pretends it isn’t there, too. Like that, he’s sure it can’t break.”

Christopher falls asleep. But he stills hears Buck’s answer.

“Or maybe he just thinks there’s no Castle to look at in the first place.”

There are two last thoughts crossing Christopher’s mind before he lets himself fall completely into Morpheus’ arms.

Buck definitely knows about the Castle. He’s just afraid his dad thinks it doesn’t exist.

Adults are too messy and complicated. Being a kid is easier.

---

Christopher is at his Abuela's with his dad. He’s sitting on the carpet in the living-room, his Lego bricks scattered around him. He’s trying to build the fire station but it turns out to be much more complicated than he expected it to be.

His Abuela and his dad are in the kitchen and Christopher isn’t planning on eavesdropping because he knows it’s a bad thing but his name suddenly comes up in the conversation and if what they’re saying concerns him then it must mean he has the right to listen, right? It only makes sense.

“So, is Christopher excited about his summer camp?” His Abuela says.

“Yeah I think so.” His dad answers and Christopher nods vigorously even though they can’t see him. His dad is right. He is very excited. All his friends are going to be there and he knows he’s gonna have the best of time. He’s just afraid not to have the time to make his dad see the Castle before he goes. Because school ends in a week and then it’s only two days before the summer camp starts. It’s not much time and Christopher already tried to make a lot of allusions about the Buck situation in front of his dad but he’s afraid his dad might need a lot more help than he initially thought.

“It’s gonna be good for him.” His abuela answers.

“Who gave you flowers?” His dad asks, pointing at the stargazer bouquet placed on the table.

“Your boy brought them to me this morning.” She says and Christopher frowns. Your boy? Is she maybe talking about B-

“He’s not my-" His dad starts but marks a pause. “Buck brought you flowers?” He asks and Christopher’s smile only gets a bit bigger.

“He did. I needed to change a bulb on my bedroom ceiling light but I didn’t trust myself to do it.” She says and Christopher thinks it’s very nice of Buck to have come help his Abuela, like he does with him every day and like he did with his dad after he got hurt. He’s always taking good care of his family and if you’d ask Christopher, he would say that’s probably the reason why he loves him so much.

“So you called Buck?” His dad asks incredulously. “Why didn’t you call me? I would have come.”

“Oh I would you would have, Eddito.” She answers and pats his dad on the cheek a few times. “But you were already busy with Christopher’s medical appointment." She says. "Besides, Buck was already supposed to come so I could give him the tamales recipe.”

Chris opens his eyes wide and whirls his head around towards his Abuela, his Lego set long forgotten.

His Abuela was very secretive about her recipes. Especially the tamales one. Christopher knew her own dad taught her how to cook and she always refuses to share the recipes with anyone who wasn’t family. Even Miss Flores didn’t have the recipes privileges. This was very sacred. And if Buck could have them then it could only mean one thing: His Abuela definitely knows about the Castle too.

“You-” His dad says but stops mid-sentence. He seems very surprised, just as much as Christopher. “You shared that recipe with him?” He asks. “I thought- I thought it was only reserved f-”

“Only reserved for family?” His Abuela cuts in. “Eddie, are you really telling me this boy is not family? After everything he’s done for y-”

“No, no I know.” His dad says. “And he is.” He adds. “I just-”

“You just what?” His abuela asks. “You know, I never really understood why you wasted your time with that girl.” She continues. She’s talking about Miss Flores – Christopher thinks, sticking two Lego bricks together to pretend he’s still very engrossed in what he's doing – but really all his attention is focused on their discussion.

“Ana?” His dad asks, his eyebrows raised. “What about her? I thought you liked h-”

“I did.” His Abuela answers. Christopher did, too. She was very nice, and she was always helping him with his homework. But Buck was Buck. Nobody would ever measure up to him. Nobody could ever measure up to him “She was a very nice woman. But I knew it wouldn’t last. Not as long as Buck was there.”

“Abuela, I-”

“Edmundo, this boy is a ray of sunshine. Agradezco a Jesus que lo encontraste todos los dias.” She says. “Es perfecto para ti y sé que lo amas.”

“He’s too good for me, Abuela.” His dad admits and Christopher frowns.

“That’s not true.” He says in a whisper even if he knows his dad can’t hear him.

“You deserve nice things, Edmundo.” Abuela concludes, patting his dad on the cheek once again. “Don’t forget that.”

“I wish you could see the whole Castle.” Christopher tells him later when his dad tucks him in.

“The whole Castle?” His dad asks, his smile confused. “What do you mean, mijo?”

“I can’t tell you, yet.” Christopher says, closing his eyes. “You need to figure it out on your own."

---

It’s the last day of school and Christopher is running out of time. Buck hasn’t spent a single night with them this week and his dad seems sadder than usual. Or maybe not sad – Christopher thinks, but distracted. He always has this faraway look in his eyes, like he’s thinking of something very important but he can’t make a decision.

Christopher wishes he could help but he knows his dad doesn’t really like to talk about himself and how he feels. And so he observes him quietly from afar, trying to find ways to make him feel better. That’s why he convinced his dad to invite Buck for a movie night after school. Because there’s no one who can cheer him up quite like the way Bucky does.

He’s seated on his chair and he’s drawing a picture of himself with Buck and his dad. He’s been drawing a lot of pictures just like this one for a few weeks because he will be away in that summer camp for Buck’s birthday and so he decided to do a drawing for each day he spends without him to make up for it.

“That’s a nice drawing you did there, Chris.” His teacher says, squatting down next to his table.

“That’s for my second dad.” Christopher nods. “For his birthday.”

“Oh so that’s the famous Buck I keep hearing about.” She says, pointing at the person standing next to his dad.

“Yes, that’s him.” Christopher nods excitedly. “He’s the best.”

“I’m sure he is.” His teacher agrees and turns her head when someone knocks on the door. “Oh, looks like your dad’s here.” She says. Christopher whirls his head around and smiles wildly at his dad who starts conversing with his teacher.

“Are you and your husband going to join us for the end of year picnic tomorrow?” She asks and Christopher smiles cheekily while putting his stuff back in his schoolbag.

“My- my husband?” His dad asks. He sounds very confused.

“Your partner?” His teacher corrects herself. “I’m sorry, from the way Chris talks about his Bucky, I assumed you guys were married.”

“Uh no we’re not- we’re not married. He’s… He’s just my f-” His dad starts but marks a pause. “We’re not married.” He says again.

“My apologies. But you should bring him anyway.” Ms. Walker says. “We’d love to meet him.”

“Uh yeah I- I’m sure he’d like that.” His dad says with a smile.

Christopher follows him out of the classroom and to the car. He fastens his seat-belt and takes the book about space Buck bought for him a few weeks ago. He’s still not done reading it and he really wants to finish it before summer camp so he can discuss it with him.

“Christopher.” His dad calls him from the driver seat. “Why does your teacher think Buck and I are married?” He asks. Christopher was scared his dad would be upset but he only sounds curious. Confused, too.

“Because I told her he was my second dad.” Christopher answers matter-of-factly.

“Why… Why did you do that?”

“Because he is.” Christopher sighs, pressing his hands over his face.

Christopher thinks his dad is going to say something else but he stays very quiet instead. The whole drive is silent until he parks the car on the driveway where Buck is already waiting for them in his truck. He waves at Christopher excitedly and engulfs him into a hug as soon as he’s out of the car.

“Buck!” Christopher exclaims, his smile big. “You’re here early.”

“It’s never too early for my favorite Diaz boy.” He answers, ruffling his hair.

Once inside the house, Christopher lets go of his school bag, takes off his shoes and sits at the table. Buck serves him cereals with milk, accompanied by a glass of orange juice. His dad is seated at the table but he’s still very quiet and for a few seconds Christopher is afraid he might have done something stupid but then Buck slides a second bowl filled with cereals and milk in front of him and his dad smiles softly at him and rolls his eyes.

“What?” Buck defends himself. “I know you’re a sucker for cereals when you’re all cranky.”

“I’m not cranky!”

“Right.” Buck answers, raising his eyebrows, unimpressed. “Eat your cereals, Diaz.”

“Yeah dad.” Christopher repeats. “Eat your cereals.”

Christopher spends the next half hour telling them about his school day and then Buck tells him all about a documentary he saw a few nights ago about the Egyptian Pyramids. Christopher thinks it’s fascinating and after making both his dads promise they would take him in the Egyptian Museum in San Jose, he sits down on the sofa and goes on reading his book about Space.

“Bucky.” He still says after a while.

“Yeah, buddy?”

“I have a drawing for you. Wait here.” Christopher answers. He stands up and opens his school bag, taking the drawing he did in class while he was waiting for his dad to pick him up. He wanted to give it to Buck just before leaving for his summer camp but he feels like maybe it needs to be given now. Maybe that’s the only way for his dad to see the Castle.

Because it is . A Castle. Chrstopher drew a big one at the center, with him, his dad and Buck standing next to it, all smiling.

Christopher gives it to him and he can instantly see a soft smile breaking in on Buck’s face. His dad is watching too over his shoulders, and when Buck looks up at him with a knowing look on his face, Christopher smiles too. He knew Buck would understand.

“It’s… It’s the Castle.” Buck says. Christopher can see that his eyes are filled with tears and so he wraps his small arms around Buck’s shoulders.

“You know about this?” His dad asks after a few seconds, his eyebrows raised in confusion. “You know about the Castle metaphors?” He add. “I mean he actually explained it to you?”

“Uh… Maybe?” Buck says, apologetically.

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“Well I’m not sure you’re quite there yet.” Buck answers and Christopher nods sadly.

“What do you mean I’m not quite there yet?” His dad asks, exasperated. “Can you both stop talking in riddle and tell me what’s going on?”

Christopher signs and looks down at his hands. Maybe this has gone off long enough – he thinks. Maybe it’s time to tell him directly. Maybe that’s what his dad needs, for Christopher and Buck to tell him that’s it’s okay, that no Castle is too big for him. And so he takes the sheet of paper and turns it the other way, revealing what’s written on the back.

“Me and my two dads.”

“That’s the castle, dad.” Christopher finally says. “You’re the castle. You and Bucky.”

“And you too.” Buck adds with a smile and Christopher just nods.

“Hum I- I still don’t get it.” His dad admits and Buck lets out a small laugh. But Christopher can see he’s scared too. He knows it because he doesn’t look at his dad in the eye. He looks down at his hands instead.

“Of course you don’t.” Buck still says with a smile.

“It’s our family.” Christopher clarifies. “And Buck is a part of it.”

“Of course he’s a part of it Chris, but what does it have to do with anyt- Oh.”

“Buck’s been inside the Castle for a very long time, dad.” Christopher explains. “I thought you knew it too. But then you started dating Miss Flores and it wasn’t fair to Bucky.” He adds. “I- I’ve never been mad at you for dating again, dad. I was mad at you because I thought that Bucky was the only one with the key to our Castle but then she was there and he was gone. I felt like you were replacing him and I didn’t like that.”

“Christopher, I-” His dad starts but marks a pause, letting his eyes fall on Buck for a few seconds. Buck is still very quiet and his eyes are bright with tears and they’re still fixed on the few words written on the back of the drawing. “Why didn’t you tell me?” His dad asks.

“I tried.” Christopher says with a small voice. “And Miss Flores was nice.” He adds. “She was nice and I liked her very much but she was-”

“She was never Buck.” His dad finishes for him and Buck whirls his head around to look at his dad in the eye. “What? He’s a smart kid.” His dad says.

“The smartest.” Buck chokes up and tears are rolling down his face. But that’s okay because his dad places both of his hands on his cheeks and wipes them with his thumbs.

“Buck was scared you thought there was no Castle to see.” Christopher explains but frowns when that only makes Bucky cry harder.

“Of course there’s a Castl- Dios.” His dad says, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “Buck.” He goes on. “Evan.” He adds, and Buck finally looks up at him. “Of course there’s a Castl- god, I’ve had enough with these Castle references.” He says, and Buck laughs through his tears. “Of course you’re a part of this family, Buck. You always have. Always will.”

“Always.” Christopher agrees, placing his small hand over Buck’s. “You should kiss him now, dad.”

“I should, right?” His dad says cheekily, cradling Buck’s chin with his right hand and pressing their lips together. Only for a few seconds, though. Otherwise that’s just too gross – Christopher thinks. His dad then whispers something along the line of Christopher was right and you do have the keys to my heart and Christopher doesn’t really understand what that means but Bucky throws his head backwards, laughing, so Christopher only guesses his dad must be doing something good.

“You didn’t just say that, Diaz.” Buck says. “That’s sappy as hell, even for you.” He adds and his dad taps him on the back of his neck again, still smiling.

Christopher eventually looks away though and focuses on his book about Space once again because his job here is done:

The Castle Operation is officially a success.

#buddie #buddie fic #buck x eddie #9-1-1 #911 #my writing #911 fic #evan buckley #eddie diaz #christopher diaz

54 notes · View notes

backofftubby · 4 years

Text

Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley begins.

Chapter 1. “Wanna bet?”

“It’s done! I knew I could do it!” Buck was beaming. He had just finished building a beautiful crib for Chim and Maddie’s baby girl.

“And I did it super quick, so pay up,” he said to Chim who grabbed for his wallet. “You shouldn’t bet against my handyman skills, I’m quite ‘Buck the Builder’,” he continued smuggly.

“Hahaa, very funny,” Chimney answered with a sour face, now 20 bucks poorer.

“I hope you know he will never let that go,” said Eddie who had suddenly appeared at the nursery door.

“When did you get there? Where’s Chris?” Buck asked.

“Just now, Chris is with Maddie, giving her our gift,” Eddie didn’t even have time to close his mouth when Buck heard the joyful yell of his best boy “BUUUUCK!!”

“Seems like I gotta run,” he said grinning and headed to the kitchen where Chris and Maddie were. He loved Chris to bits and he couldn’t wait to be an uncle and have another kid in his life to spoil rotten.

-----------

Maddie was due soon. She didn’t want a baby shower, branding ít a stupid ‘commercial garbage’, so instead, they were having a little get together with close friends from the 118 and dispatch center to celebrate Maddie officially beginning her maternity leave. She didn’t want any gifts, but as if anyone was listening. Buck’s gift was the crib he had just finished building. He had let Maddie choose it though, as Maddie didn’t trust his, or Chimney’s for that matter, taste on the matter.

“So any plans now that you have all the time in the world?” Eddie asked. He, Buck, Maddie and Hen had just finished large plates of tacos (something Maddie had graved all the time during her pregnancy) and where lazying around the dinner table, listening other’s sounds from the living room.

“Well actually, our parents are gonna come to visit me, well, us, in two days.” Maddie said and continued “I haven’t seen them, gosh, I don’t even remember. Do you?” She asked from Buck.

“Nope, they haven’t visited me while I’ve been in LA,” Buck said and stood us taking his plate to the sink.

Eddie noticed Buck’s demeanor tensed a bit at the mention of their parents. “That’s nice they are coming, isn’t it?” He asked Maddie, even if his eyes never really left Buck.

“Yeah it is,” Maddie said smiling.

“Yeah,” Buck agreed, now seeming to relax a bit again.

“I’ll go check what’s up with Chris.” Buck said smiling.

“Yeah, I’ll join you, Denny has been abnormally silent for a bit, need to see what he is plotting this time,” Hen mused and left the room with Buck, leaving Maddie and Eddie at the table.

“Buck never talks about your parents,” Eddie tentatively muttered looking at Maddie.

“Yeah, well, there’s not much to talk about,” Maddie said with an unreadable look. “Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t bad parents, just…. not very present.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be, we had a good childhood, they made sure we had everything we needed to have a happy and healthy childhood…. and we had each other to lean on.” Maddie stood up and started to clean the table.

“No let me do that, you should rest!”

“Eddie, I’m pregnant, not sick, I can do this,” Maddie jokingly scolded him.

“Fine, but let me at least help.”

“Be my guest.”

“You know, I regret not being present when Chris was younger, I…”

“Eddie, it’s not the same thing, and you are an excellent father. That’s the first thing Buck told me about you. The way he was going about you being a great dad and how great Christopher was. He had such a boy crush on you, it was cute,” Maddie laughed. She didn’t miss the way Eddie perked up at the mention of ‘boy crush’.

She didn’t get the chance to question him about it as Chim waltzed to the kitchen frustrated. “Buck is cheating again, no way is he that much better than me at Mario Kart!”

“Did you bet on it too?” Eddie asked, amused at Chim’s frustration.

“No, I learned my lesson, thank you very much” Chimney said and continued “Chris was asking for you to go play with them.

“I better go then,” Eddie said smiling.

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

When he stepped into the living room he saw Buck and Chris in the middle of a game. They both looked happy.

“So I hear you were cheating,” he said to Buck waiting for him to take the bait.

“Wait what, who said that...Chim of course! I never cheat!” Buck said, partly offended.

“I know you don’t, but I’m still gonna beat you easily,” Eddie dared him.

“Oh you think so, wanna bet on it?” Buck asked, ready for another challenge.

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

Rest of the day went by really quickly and soon it was time to head back home. The weather had done a quick 180 and turned from a lovely, hot, summer day to a dark and storming night. “This night can’t end well” he muttered to himself while driving and watching the cars battle the wind and water filled streets. Luckily he had a big SUV, safe for a weather like this. And so did Buck, who was driving ahead of them. The thought of Buck having a safe ride made Eddie feel calmer than it should and he smiled to himself. That’s when he saw it. A lightning striking a tree. The tree falling down to the utility pole taking it down as well, crashing to the street. All he could hear was Chris’ fearful ‘dad’ as he hit the break. The left tires hit hydroplaning and the car started to spin.

“DAAAAAAAAD!!!!”

“DAAAAAAAAD!!!”

“What felt like and eternity must only have been a few seconds, but he managed to stop the car just before crashing into others.

“Chris!!! Are you okay?” Eddie worriedly asked.

“Yeah dad, I’m fine but…”

All Eddie could do was to turn his head where Chris’ scared eyes were looking. There was a big car pile up - and Buck’s car was in the middle of it.

#I'm no writer but I try #911week #day 1 #buck begins #my fics #911 #911 fox #evan buckley #eddie diaz #christopher diaz #maddie buckley #chim han #hen wilson #911week2020 #buddie #911 fic #fan fic

59 notes · View notes

laurawritesandgames · 4 years

Text

Title: Objections

Fandom: Beetlejuice (Musical)

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Beetlejuice/Adam/Barbara, Charles/Delia

Prompt: Wedding

Content Warning: Set during coronavirus pandemic

Summary: It’s Delia and Charles’s wedding day. The Maitland-Deetz household tries to keep their irreverent demon from spoiling the big day. Little do they know it’s not Beetlejuice they need to worry about….

It had taken ten minutes, but Barbara was finally satisfied with Delia’s lashes. “There. I think we’ve got it.” She moved aside to let Delia see herself in the mirror.

Barbara had put her hair and makeup skills to the test and helped Delia out on her wedding day. Why invite over a makeup artist and hair stylist during a pandemic if you didn’t have to?

Delia examined her reflection and beamed. “It’s perfect.”

That was being kind. It wasn’t exactly one of the dramatic looks on Delia’s wedding Pinterest board. More dramatic makeup would’ve suited her dress better. Ordered from Italy, her dress was a gold ballgown with dramatic tiered tulle flounces on the skirt and a deep V neckline. The gold in the dress played off the gold accents in Delia’s bright orange hair, which was in romantic waves down her back. It was daring and sweet all at once.

When the pandemic hit, the household had talked about postponing her and Charles’s wedding. But Charles’s parents were old-fashioned, and since Delia and Charles wanted to try for a baby right away, they decided to have a virtual wedding instead.

“I can’t thank you enough, Barbara.”

“I’m not letting you do your own hair and makeup on your big day!” She gestured to the laptop. “Now go show the girls.” Her bridesmaids were eagerly awaiting drinking mimosas and celebrating Delia’s look. Barbara had met them at Delia’s virtual bachelorette party, though, of course, they hadn’t known Barbara was there. The bachelorette party had also been rather subdued, considering Delia’s usual standards. She, Barbara and the bridesmaids had streamed both Magic Mike movies, ate popcorn and drank champagne. What else could you do in a pandemic? “I’ll go check on the preparations.”

Delia’s phone, face down on the makeup table, buzzed again. Someone had been texting her all morning, and Delia had been ignoring them. Her gaze flicked to the phone, jaw tightening before she looked back into the mirror.

Barbara gestured to the phone. “I can grab that for you, too.”

A hint of a frown worked its way between Delia’s brows. A moment later, her expression relaxed, and she waved the suggestion away. “I’m fine, darling. I’ve been getting so many robotexts lately. You know, you could stay and have a drink. You’re a bridesmaid too, dear!”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I like keeping busy!” And if I bump something or the camera catches me drinking a mimosa, the focus is definitely not going to be on the bride. Barbara excused herself and went downstairs.

The walls of the living/dining room were decorated with curled gold ribbons and champagne-coloured tulle banners beneath the crown molding. The ghosts and Beetlejuice had moved all the furniture—quite easily, with telekinesis—and added two rows of four chairs on either side of an elegant pale gray runner. The rug led the eye to the laptop, set up on a crystal-laden table where the officiant would’ve stood, and the pale-wood wedding arch wrapped in the same champagne tulle. Everything looked perfect.

Adam, Beetlejuice, and Lydia, the family’s impromptu wedding photographer/videographer, were gathered around a photo album. It took Barbara a second to recognize it.

“Aww, our wedding album!” She joined the group, resting her head on Adam’s shoulder. He kissed her temple, pulling her closer with both arms. The book continued floating in mid-air.

“Obsessed with sunflowers much?” grumbled an unimpressed Beetlejuice.

“I guess so,” Adam said. “My family’s farm had a little sunflower patch. That kinda became our thing.”

“Love the mason jars,” Lydia commented.

“Hey, those were the big thing in 2009,” Barbara said. She supposed their wedding had followed a lot of popular trends: an outdoor barn wedding, lots of tea lights in mason jars, and even a photo booth. But they’d managed to be ahead of the curve on a few things. “Remember our party favours, sweetie?” she asked Adam. “They were little terrariums in stemless wineglasses.”

Adam grinned and squeezed the arm around her waist. “They were tied with ribbons that said ‘Thank you very ‘mulch’ for coming to our wedding!’”

Lydia chuckled; Beetlejuice rolled his eyes.

“Don’t encourage that,” the demon said to his friend. He continued scowling at the wedding album, but Lydia seemed happy to keep looking at the photos.

The most pages they turned, the more Barbara’s mood slid closer to Beetlejuice’s. All those photos were full of friends and family she couldn’t see anymore. Most of her friends’ Facebooks or Instagrams were private, so she couldn’t even do any light internet stalking unless she wanted to log into her old accounts and confuse everyone. Was Lisa still going back to school to get her Masters, or had the pandemic put that on hold? Was Alison still having issues with her mother-in-law? Barbara had no idea. Dead women didn’t have friends. Not to mention her family….

But a wedding was no time to be sad. She pasted a smile on her face and even managed a few cute wedding stories.

“Remember when your uncle Eddy tried to drink his wedding favour?” she asked Adam, who chuckled. “He almost choked on a succulent!”

“But he kept trying to drink from it! Three times!” Adam chuckled. A moment later, his smile faltered. “Probably because he’s a massive alcoholic.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” That story wasn’t quite as cute as she remembered. “So, um, why don’t we do a last-minute check? Make sure we’ve got everything.”

“All right,” Lydia said. She took the photo album from midair and put it away, frowning slightly. “This is probably going to be the nicest moment I have today, so thanks for that.”

Barbara and Adam shared a worried look. Lydia was deeply ambivalent about her father marrying another woman only six months after her mother died. Lydia had used that fact to extract a lot of concessions about the wedding: Delia had let her wear a black dress and take photographs on her analogue camera instead of a digital camera.

“C’mon, kid!” Beetlejuice said. “Just wait ‘til I get the party started!” He blew a party favour, and sparkly beetles flew behind him.

While Lydia rolled her eyes fondly at her friend, Barbara and Adam shared another worried look. The young woman went upstairs to get changed.

Barbara turned to Beetlejuice. “I just wanted to remind you about your promise, Beetlejuice. I know it’d probably be very funny to interrupt the ceremony. Maybe Lydia would even appreciate it. But this day means a lot to Delia and Charles. They’ve found each other through a lot of pain and hardship, and they deserve a fun, special memory.”

Beetlejuice waved her words away. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You don’t know this about me yet, but I love a good party. And people can finally see me! Well, only people here, but whatever. Why would I mess that up and have everybody pissed at me? I’m here for the fun and the food, baby.”

As much as Barbara wanted to believe him, she suspected that the only reason he didn’t have a disruption planned was because of Lydia’s innate goodness, not his own.

“I noticed you didn’t love us going through the wedding album, buddy,” Adam said. “Is everything okay?”

He shrugged. “It just…it looked nice. Your wedding.” He glanced between Barbara and Adam, loudly announcing, “None of that boring-ass shit at our wedding, okay?”

Barbara tried not to look too surprised—Beetlejuice loved shocking them. “Noted. But it’s also not going to be jump scares every minute, or a projector that reveals everyone’s darkest fears, or some kind of Saw situation.”

Beetlejuice’s eyebrows rose. “I was just thinking there’d be singing cockroaches and banners made of bats, but those are way better! You wanna plan it, baby?”

“I said ‘not.’ It’s not going to be any of those things. Did you even hear that part?”

He darted in close and kissed her lips. “Eh, we’ll find a compromise that works for all of us. We’re all about that life, right?” His neck stretched cartoonishly to kiss Adam on the lips as well. Then he poofed away in a cloud of smoke.

After a few moments, Adam said, “Did he just ask us to marry him?”

“I think it was a joke proposal. You know him. If he really wanted to propose, there’d be a lot more pizzazz. And possibly dead bodies.”

“Right, of course.”

“Would you have said yes if he’d been serious?” Barbara asked, curious.

“Things between the three of us have been going pretty well, but I don’t think I’m ready to jump into another marriage quite yet. And you?”

It was exactly what she’d expected from Adam. They’d changed since their deaths—six months later, their afterlives involved parenthood, isolation from friends and family, a lot more free time, and a polyamorous relationship. But it was nice when she could guess what he was thinking. Not everything had changed. “The same. Maybe in a few years or so.”

Before the ceremony, Charles and Lydia stayed in the living room, helping older relatives log on to Zoom and greeting people as they logged in. Charles was wearing a pale grey tuxedo with a metallic grey tie and pocket square. Lydia looked like an elegant classic Hollywood starlet with a goth twist: her black lace gown had a subtle skull pattern to it, barely visible unless the light hit it just right. Her onyx choker and bracelets looked like thorny vines going up her pale arms and encircling her neck. On her head was a raven fascinator with golden bead eyes, her one concession to the wedding colours.

The laptop screen filled up with squares of happy, smiling faces. Everyone had dressed up for the occasion, wearing suits and dresses.

“Betcha most of them are wearing sweat pants,” Beetlejuice said.

“Well, hopefully we’ll never find out,” Barbara replied. The three of them were sitting on the white chairs on either side of the aisle. Most people watching this meeting online probably assumed these chairs were only there for symmetry. As far as they knew, Lydia was the only other person physically at this wedding.

Despite her earlier claim, Lydia was smiling and chatting with Charles’s parents and, to Barbara’s surprise, Emily’s mother. Coming to your son-in-law’s wedding six months after your daughter’s death must have been hard, but if there were any issues, Barbara didn’t see them, and she wasn’t about to eavesdrop on a family moment.

Emily was sick for years. I suppose her family had a lot of time to mourn her. She thought about her parents and her sister at her own funeral. What had that been like?

Lydia took video of Delia coming down the stairs to the bridal chorus, played on speakers set up throughout the room, then put the video camera on a tripod so she could participate in the ceremony.

“I want to thank everyone for joining us today,” the officiant said. “In lieu of wedding gifts, the bride and groom have asked that you donate to the Rural Connecticut Preservation Society. I’m pleased to share that we’ve raised $10,000, which will be donated after the wedding.”

If Charles had had any reservations about donating to a charity dedicated to stopping housing development in rural Connecticut, which directly impacted his career, he hadn’t brought it up during the wedding’s planning stages. Lydia had suggested the charity, after all.

Everyone applauded.

“We will now bless the rings,” the officiant said.

Lydia took out the rings, held them both tightly in her hands, and whispered her blessing into her clenched fists. She smiled mischievously at Charles.

“I suppose if they burst into flame, we’ll know Mom disapproves.”

There were a few awkward chuckles from the assembled, none louder than Delia’s. “That’s my darling, unique stepdaughter for you! Oh, Lydia, you’re so funny!”

In a mocking, little-girl voice, Lydia replied, “I appreciate the compliment, my dearest stepmother.”

Barbara and Adam made sure that they were holding Beetlejuice’s hands so he couldn’t raise them.

The demon scoffed. “You know, I don’t need my hands to do ghost magic? I could just set the rings on fire with my mind.”

“Do not—”

“I wasn’t gonna! Jeez.”

With a theatrical flourish, Lydia showed off the rings to the laptop camera. Barbara half-expected them to be Netherworld green, but they were normal. “My blessing has been spoken. Please speak your blessings now.” Ideally, everyone would’ve been able to touch the rings and speak their blessings in private.

After a pause, Delia’s father spoke first, and others followed. The wedding program had provided a few sample blessings, but people were free to write their own. Delia’s mother began crying halfway through hers.

“Save something for the wedding speech, Amanda,” her father joked. He reminded Barbara of her own dad.

Barbara and Adam gave their own blessings. “Delia and Charles, we wish you health, happiness and love as you start your new life together,” they said, touching the rings, making sure not to brush Lydia’s hands.

Beetlejuice had declined to take part in “New Age bullshittery,” so he remained hovering over his seat.

The rest of the wedding was more traditional, probably to appease Charles’s parents. Barbara’s mind wandered. She and Adam had come so far, hadn’t they? She held Adam’s hand lightly, running her thumb up and down his palm—rather, she did until Beetlejuice forced his way between the two of them and sat on both of their laps.

“Poor baby, no one was paying attention to you,” she cooed into his ear.

“It’s the worst,” he agreed. She ran her fingers through his spikey green hair. Adam gave him some attention by resting his head on Beetlejuice’s shoulder. That seemed to do the trick—he sighed and relaxed.

Readings were read, vows were said, and rings were exchanged. Charles’s vows were simple and straightforward—too curt for Barbara’s tastes—but Delia’s were long enough for them both. Barbara fought the urge to check the time. She felt like Delia had been going for 10 minutes.

Delia actually appeared to be wrapping up when “I object!” sounded over the laptop’s speakers.

A square popped up on Zoom, revealing that the speaker was a tanned older man with more salt than pepper in his hair and bright white teeth. He had a faint accent that Barbara couldn’t place. She’d never seen him on any of Delia’s photos or social media.

Delia made a few choking noises in the back of her throat, the colour draining from her face.

Charles glared at the screen. “You,” he spat out.

Clutching Charles like a lifeline, Delia drew herself up as tall as she could. “Jeremy, log off immediately! I don’t know how you got my number or how you got this link, but get out, you narcissistic psychopath! You don’t get to be a part of my life, not after what you did!”

“Delia, my love, I know you still feel something for me—“

‘My love’? This can’t be the ex-husband, can it? Years ago, Delia’s ex had sailed away to Rome with the secretary he’d been cheating on her with.

“Hey,” Beetlejuice whispered, “I never possessed someone over the internet before. Maybe if we all work together, we can do it?”

Jeremy had opened his mouth to speak again. If ghostly powers could stop this disaster, they had to try. Barbara grabbed Beetlejuice’s and Adam’s hands and held them out to the laptop screen.

“—and I—” Jeremy continued. His gaze abruptly unfocused. Barbara tried to force words into his mouth.

“I’m so sorry!” he said, just as she’d scripted. “I’m going to log off and…and…and throw myself into a dumpster like the piece of trash I am.”

She hadn’t told him to say that. Barbara glanced at Beetlejuice, who grinned back at her.

“And then,” Jeremy continued, “I’m gonna take my toenail clippings, and my belly button lint, put them in a blender, take a shit in that blender, start the blender, and pour myself a shit-shake. It’s my regular Saturday morning routine, baby!”

Lydia rushed forward and tapped a few keys. His square vanished from the screen.

“I blocked him,” she said.

“Thank you, stepdaughter.” Delia sniffled, and Charles handed her a Kleenex from his suit pocket.

As Delia struggled to compose herself, Barbara whispered, “A poop-shake? Really, Beetlejuice?”

“It was Adam!” He couldn’t even keep a straight face, and chortled. “Okay, you caught me. Hey, I had to make sure he’d never be able to look these people in the eye again.”

Delia glared at the laptop screen. “Lydia, darling, explain to me how you set this event up again.”

“I set it as a private Zoom event. Everyone involved in the ceremony had to have a link and a password.”

“So,” Delia said, “who gave my ex-husband—who, I’d just like to remind everyone, is a cheating bastard—the link and the password?”

Slowly, one of Delia’s aunts raised her hand, her face bright pink behind her makeup.

“Millie!” Delia’s mom exclaimed.

“Mom!” shrieked one of Delia’s cousins.

Most people on the Zoom call started shouting at once. It took a few minutes to hear Aunt Millie’s explanation.

“I had no idea he was going to object,” she squeaked. “But he was such a big part of our lives for such a long time, and I thought he deserved to at least see the ceremony….”

“Aunt Millie,” Delia said, “you are no longer welcome!”

“Of—of course. I’m so sorry, Delia.” Aunt Millie took out her glasses and peered at the screen. “Er, which button do I…?”

Lydia took care of it, and banned her.

“And everyone thought I’d use my ghost powers for evil,” Beetlejuice boasted. “Look at me, doing good deeds! Being a goddamn hero!”

Barbara would’ve responded, but poor Delia sagged against Charles, tears running down her face. She tried to speak, but only managed a quiet sob.

“We’re going to take a break,” Lydia said quickly, turning back to the laptop. “See you in 10 minutes, everyone.” She muted them and closed the laptop.

Beetlejuice waved his hand to grab Delia’s attention, grinning broadly. “Thought I’d mention that if you know where he lives I could teleport to his location and, well, cause a little havoc.”

“Do we need to go over the house rules?” Barbara asked. ‘No Murdering’ was the first one.

“No murdering, this time! Just a little non-fatal revenge.”

Delia hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. “No, thank you.”

“Non-fatal?” Lydia asked Beetlejuice. “Are you sure? Our wedding did set a precedent for murder….”

Beetlejuice chuckled, and the two fistbumped.

After a moment, the demon frowned. “Wait, should I fistbump you for murdering me?”

“You already completed the ‘bump—you can’t take it back now,” Lydia said.

“Shit, you’re right.”

Delia stared at the living room, lips quivering. “Maybe…maybe this is a sign. The universe must not want me to get married again!”

Beetlejuice floated over. “Delia! Signs don’t exist. Trust me, I’d know! There is no heaven, no hell, no meaning to anything! The universe is cold, distant, and uncaring. It’s basically my mom,” he joked. “But the point is—it doesn’t care what you want, and nothing you say or do can affect it.

“Besides, girl!” Beetlejuice leaned in. “Chuck is rich as fuck. Lock him down!”

Charles glared at him before turning back to Delia. “I still want to get married to you, Delia.”

“Are you sure?” She blew into her Kleenex before continuing. “There are women who…who don’t have ex-husbands that ruin their weddings and—and make a scene in front of all their friends and family….”

“Delia,” Barbara said quietly, “you’re not the first person to date an asshole. I mean, look at me and Adam.”

Beetlejuice appreciated the burn, even if it was at his own expense—he cackled over Delia’s tepid chuckle.

“Don’t blame yourself for what just happened,” Barbara continued.

Delia whimpered into her Kleenex. Charles stroked her hair lightly.

“Delia,” he said, “I stood in front of our friends and family and told them how you were the brightest light in my darkest time. I meant every word of it. Nothing will change that. I love you.” He kissed her so deeply that Barbara looked away to give them some privacy.

When they were done, Lydia cleared her throat. “I’ll go get the digital camera so we can adjust the photos faster. That way you won’t have to worry about your makeup looking perfect.” She began to set her analog camera down.

Delia shook her head. “No—you said this was your artistic vision, and I won’t see it compromised.”

Lydia looked surprised. “Oh.” Her smile was small but sincere. “Thanks, Delia.”

Delia took this as an invitation to hug her stepdaughter. Lydia rolled her eyes, but patted her shoulder and didn’t pull away.

“Besides,” Delia added, “this camera was your mother’s gift to you, and I don’t want her coming back from the Netherworld to tell me off.”

Beetlejuice facepalmed. “That is not how the Netherworld works! That’s not how any of it works.”

“Well, it couldn’t hurt to make sure, could it?” Delia stepped back. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll just fix my face.”

“I can help,” Barbara said, and Delia nodded.

Once they were upstairs, Delia collapsed in her makeup chair, sighing heavily.

“I actually thought it was going to go well,” she commented. “That I’d have one beautiful day even in the midst of the world’s ugliness. I was so stupid. Nothing ever goes right for me.”

Barbara reached out to pat Delia’s shoulder before stopping herself. When Delia looked confused, she explained, “Lydia said touching me or Adam is like touching an ice cube tray straight from the freezer.”

“I don’t mind.”

Hesitantly, Barbara touched Delia’s shoulder. It was the first time she’d touched a living person other than Lydia in months, and hugs from a 16-year-old girl she didn’t know that well were rare. The older woman shivered but didn’t pull away.

“Lydia’s not wrong,” Delia admitted. She put her hand over Barbara’s, squeezing slightly. “But a hand offered in friendship should never be refused. You know, it’s been almost four months since I last touched someone who wasn’t Charles.”

“Hopefully this coronavirus pandemic will end soon.”

“I’ve been saying healing prayers twice a day.”

Barbara wasn’t sure they’d be effective, but healing prayers were more than most of America’s leaders were doing. At least Delia was listening to the science and wearing a mask when she went outside. She’d grown so much in the short time Barbara had known her.

Barbara missed her friends from when she was alive. That was natural. But she couldn’t let her loss keep her from recognizing that she’d made a friend after death, too.

“Thanks, Delia,” Barbara said. “Not just for the healing prayers, but for everything. Having two ghostly housemates and a demon would be a lot for some people, but you’ve taken it in stride.”

Delia chuckled. “I once lived in a commune of 200 people. Living off the land, growing our own food…and digging our own toilets.” She wrinkled her nose, then chuckled. “You three are a walk in the park compared to that!”

“If there’s anything you need from me or Adam, please let us know. We don’t want to trouble you or Charles.”

Delia opened and closed her mouth. After a moment, she said, “Well….I suppose I do have a rather personal question….”

“Shoot.”

“Beetlejuice—is he actually good in the bedroom?”

Barbara giggled. “He is. He’s had millennia to think about what he’d do if he ever had sexual partners again. He’s very…inventive.”

“I’ll admit, I’m surprised. He doesn’t seem the type to be concerned with another’s pleasure.”

“Oh, there’s definitely times he forgets. But then we get to teach him. Ahem. Now,” she nodded to the mirror, “let’s get your makeup touched up.”

Barbara wouldn’t ever be hungry or thirsty again, but the stuffed butternut squash was delicious. Delia and Charles had deferred to Barbara and Adam’s local expertise when they planned the menu at their wedding dinner. Adam knew most of the farms the vegetables had come from.

The Deetzes had said goodbye to all their guests, and the family was eating their wedding dinner in the dining room.

Delia had been going to give out the crystals on either side of the laptop as wedding favours—the stones were mostly rose quartz, moonstone and a pale white stone called selenite. But after Jeremy’s arrival, she said she needed to cleanse the crystals. “I’m going to give them a few lunar cycles, just to be safe.”

Barbara nodded, pretending she understood what that meant. “Adam, Beetlejuice and I are dead. We’ve got nothing but time!”

“I just want to thank everyone again for your hard work,” Delia said, smiling at them. “Lydia, for your photographic eye and leading the blessing. Barbara, for the hair, makeup, decorating and emotional support. Adam, for sending out all the emails and doing the tech support. All the ghosts, for intervening when a certain someone decided to crash the party.”

“It was mostly me,” Beetlejuice said. Barbara rolled her eyes at Adam, who chuckled.

“He is the ghost with the most,” Adam said, making Beetlejuice grin.

“My mistake—thank you, Beetlejuice. Thank you all for being part of one of the most important days of our lives. Thank you for being our family.”

Barbara sniffled a bit as she and Adam applauded the speech.

“I got the happy couple some extra gifts,” Beetlejuice said. “For the wedding night.”

“I’m going into another room,” Lydia announced abruptly, setting her plate down. “Another house. Another life.”

As she left, Beetlejuice grinned. “We’re rated PG-13, guys! It’s just rose petals on the bed and some boozy chocolates. Figured you two have your own toys—”

Lydia started singing loudly as she covered her ears, taking the stairs three at a time to get away.

Barbara tried to figure out what he had in mind. “These rose petals won’t become spiders, will they?”

“They’re totally normally and boring, if you must know. I ordered them off Amazon.”

“How?” Adam asked. “You have no money.”

“I typed in Chuck’s credit card, duh.”

“What?” Charles snapped.

Barbara and Adam sighed. Beetlejuice’s morality was a never-ending project that was not without its consequences.

Not for the first time, Barbara reflected that it was a good thing the Maitlands loved working on projects together.

After the wedding dinner, as Barbara, Adam and Beetlejuice were cleaning up, Lydia came downstairs. She was carrying another photo album and wearing a glum expression. She’d changed out of her party dress, and was wearing a comfy hoodie and sweat pants—all black, of course.

“Got a sec?” she asked quietly.

“Of course, sweetheart,” Barbara said.

Lydia showed them a photo—a younger Emily Deetz on a younger Charles’s lap, grinning at the camera in a fancy restaurant.

“My mom and dad’s wedding wasn’t like today’s. There wasn’t any structure. It was just a big party at one of the best restaurants in New York, followed by wandering the city with all their friends and family. They stopped in at dingy bars to listen to live music, they caught a comedy show, they walked through Times Square at two in the morning. They almost got mugged! Mom was hard core like that. Daddy attracts dramatic weddings, doesn’t he?” she joked.

Her smile dropped a second later. “And Daddy looks just as happy here as he did today. I was photographing him and Delia the whole time. I’d know.”

“So,” Beetlejuice said, “the big takeaway here is that Chuck is in love with the women he gets married to?”

Lydia chuckled sadly. “Something like that. I mean, one of them was a woman he met in college, while the other was his employee…. But who cares about things like abuses of power when it’s true love? Daddy and Delia keep trying to make me comfortable with their love story, but how can I be? If it were any other situation, I’d be blasting Daddy online as he stars in the latest MeToo scandal, right?”

Barbara nodded. “You’re right. It’s pretty rare for a story like Delia and Charles’s to end this way. You sound like you’re carrying a lot, Lydia. Do you want to sit and—”

“No, thanks. I just wanted to whine for a bit. Delia’s family seem nice, at least. Except for Aunt Millie, obviously.” She closed the photo album in a short, frustrated gesture. “Well, goodnight, guys.”

“Do you mind if we check in with you tomorrow?” Barbara said. “See how you’re feeling?” Sixteen was such a tough age—particularly when your father was remarrying.

“If you want.” She shrugged, as if she really didn’t care, but her small smile made Barbara hopeful that she’d made the right decision. The only thing more difficult than being a teenager was parenting a teenager she’d just met a few months ago.

Beetlejuice was frowning as Lydia left. “Guys, we gotta help Lyds!” He was nothing if not loyal. “We should break Chuck and Delia up, right?” He leaned in to Adam. “I got the perfect way to do it. You know how Delia thinks Emily can come back from the Netherworld?” Beetlejuice became Emily Deetz for a moment, still with a few mossy patches and green hair. “Well, what if she can? And then we tell Delia to GTFO!”

That he was asking them instead of just doing it was a pretty good sign.

“Well, Bug,” Adam said, “think about it—if Lydia didn’t want this wedding to happen, she could’ve objected herself. Or asked her father not to get married to Delia.”

Beetlejuice became his usual self again, looking disappointed. “Oh. Right. Didn’t think of that.”

“She’s an intelligent, sensitive young woman with complicated feelings about a complicated issue,” Barbara said. “I think the best way to help her is to listen to her without judgement.”

“Why is the right way always the most boring way?” Beetlejuice said, sighing.

Barbara knew how to get him happy again. “Now,” she said, running her hand along his shoulder, “why don’t we finish up and go upstairs? After all this work for everyone else, we deserve some…ah, quality time together.”

Beetlejuice fistpumped and chortled. “Yes! Unfortunately, because of this fic’s rating, we gotta cut it off here. I just wanna let everyone know, it’s gonna be freakin’ awesome—'cuz I’m awesome, baby.”

Barbara had no idea what he was talking about, as usual. Adam kissed her cheek, and they went back to the dishes.

#beetlelandsweek2020 #Beetlejuice #beetlejuice musical #adam maitland #barbara maitland #beetlejuice x adam x barbara

32 notes · View notes

madcapmoon · 5 years

Text

MacKayes are woven together, through punk rock and beyond

Alec, Amanda and Ian MacKaye, exclusive 2019 photo by Allen Beland.

By Andy

Sunday, March 10, 2019 With dad taking his spot, front and center at the stove, the MacKaye family dinner is a vital Sunday fixture in their schedules in the Washington, DC, area. Whipping up vegan delights, the elder MacKaye is a culinary threat as he grips onto cooking utensils instead of a microphone or guitar that his children -- Ian, Alec and Amanda -- have wielded during their time on stage with their various bands over the years. This is where the MacKayes thrive, as a family, more than they do anywhere else in their lives. "For us, the MacKayes, we all still hang out with each other," said Amanda, 49. "It wasn't temporary. A lot of people when they get to this stage of life, their siblings are far-flung or they don't really get along with their siblings or whatever. A lot of this is just part of who our family is, we have Sunday dinners, we're together. We have one sister who lives on the other side of the country, but we're all still connected. And we're all still into whatever the other one is doing. We're all still pretty interested in each other." Currently, Ian, Alec, older sister Katie and their dad Bill all live in DC; Amanda (the youngest) resides in nearby Arlington, Va.; and another older sister Susannah calls Oakland, Ca., her home. Ian said it was a treat to have Susannah back on her home turf of DC this weekend to celebrate her birthday. Ian, 56, noted that his parents were only children, so the MacKaye siblings grew up without any uncles, aunts or cousins. They learned from and inspired each other along their life paths, which eventually led them toward punk rock and embracing the idea of residing outside of the mainstream. He laughs about the MacKayes being a weird family that way. They're close-knit to the core. "We are the MacKayes. Especially our mom, she really emphasized, we are a family," said Ian of mother Ginger, who passed away in 2004. "We're fifth-generation Washingtonians. My mom was born here and it was just important to her this idea of being Washingtonian. I think we're just committed to each other. We're a family and there's times where people get steamed with each other about something, but we never have like the awkward Thanksgiving nonsense. But partially because we see each other almost every Sunday for dinner anyway." If the conversation roams toward music at the family meal, Katie can certainly chime in about taking Ian to his first concert, featuring Queen and Thin Lizzy in 1977. Ian noted that Katie always possessed cool records and was ahead of her peers in the music game. She wasn't a punk, but was a proponent of going to see live music of all sorts, including arena-rock bands and tunes with a faster bent like witnessing the Ramones with Ian in 1979. Katie still attends gigs, and aside from venturing into the music scene, she's voyaged across the country twice on her bike. She's a badass, Ian said. Alec, 52, remembers Katie toting a clutch of records back from England around Christmastime in the late '70s. Generation X, Eddie and the Hot Rods, the Damned and a 10-inch sampler featuring X-Ray Spex were soon blasting throughout the household. "The moment I heard it, I was just clocked in. It was the best thing I had ever heard," Alec said. Ian was a self-proclaimed Ted Nugent "Double Live Gonzo" devotee before latching onto punk music a few months before Alec in '79 or so, thanks to his high school friend Bert Queiroz lending him some Sex Pistols, Damned, Clash and Tuff Darts records. "I had to really get in on it and think about it 'cause I was so puzzled by the whole thing. But I gotta say, it clicked and I was like, 'Oh, I'm in, I love this stuff,'" said Ian, who remembers debating with kids in high school about whether punk sucked or not. When Ian cut his hair, he recalls rocker Alec and his friends teasing him about the new look. Soon, Ian and Alec would be a punk duo, delving into the music together, attending gigs in DC and performing in bands like the Slinkees, Teen Idles, Untouchables, Faith, Minor Threat and more. Further down the road, Embrace, Ignition and Fugazi would continue to put the MacKayes and DC on the map.

Little sister Amanda got in on the punk action as well. It wasn't just the music that spoke to the MacKayes, it was the surroundings that punk offered and a way for them to click with family and the other like-minded people they encountered. Amanda's entrance onto the scene occurred at age 9 and was captured in a classic photo of her and Katie watching the Slinkees play a garage gig in August of '79. Amanda laughs when the photo, featured in the book "Dance of Days," is mentioned. "It was like a lightning-bolt moment for me. The funniest part of the memory for me is that Kim Kane of Slickee Boys, he was just so kind, he is so bright in my memory of that show. It's just interesting to think about the fact that of all the things to remember about that moment, it is someone I wasn't even related to," she said.

A young Amanda, center, with Katie behind. From "Dance of Days."

While she doesn't remember any of the music, "I remember, and this is probably sort of like the core of my feeling about punk, is I just remember the freedom and the intimacy. I think I was wearing a Johnny Rotten button, but it was a homemade one that Ian or Alec had made. You're in a garage, there's not like a real stage, just running around with people I didn't know who were happy to see me. We're all just there and there's like this joy, which is what I think of, that sensation is what sort of propels me in every aspect of my personal definition of punk. It's wrapped with this joy." For Alec, dipping his boots into shows in the punk realm marked both an advancement into his formative teen years and a punch of chaos into his musical tastes. "I think I liked the intimacy of it all. Before that, I had just been to see arena rock, some of the huge bands like Queen and Santana and large-scale things. Then going to smaller shows was really the ticket for me -- it still is," said Alec, who mentioned attending small shows by Bad Brains, Slickee Boys, Tru Fax and the Insaniacs at first, and bigger ones with the Cramps, Damned, Clash and B-52s. The energy of those shows was infectious. "I really was digging on that abandon, you could really lose yourself in the music. Everybody else was on the same page and it didn't seem like it was very well-controlled and that part was super exciting for me. That was what I was responding to right away," Alec said. Alec began his punk transformation on the clothes and hair front in middle school and said that people thought he was a nerd or a freak. At age 14 and now in high school, he joined his first band, the Untouchables. He's still singing today with Hammered Hulls and Ian plans on taking them into the studio soon. On initially getting up on stage, shouting out lyrics and bouncing his body all over the place, Alec said, "I was pretty introverted before that, and I still am in a certain sense, but I also became an extrovert by being in a band and not being afraid to be standing on stage and doing things that a lot of people would not be up for. I was up for it, 'cause it gave me license to act out in ways that were just fun. So that was a big change for me. With punk rock, it felt like I had a new persona and had a little bit more vigor." Ian's mind was blown when he saw the Cramps play in DC in '79. It was his first punk show and was a seminal event for the area's punks. "I thought it was incredible. The first show was the Cramps and that was complete chaos and really, really exciting and so dangerous feeling and terrifying," he said. "At that point, I had seen Queen twice and Nugent three times, and they were all arena shows, so my relationship with music was really, when you saw bands, you saw them in that kind of setting, and bands were, as you know, unapproachable in that setting." The Cramps show in a hall at Georgetown University was wall-to-wall packed with punks. And it was nuts. "(The Cramps) were so in your face and everybody was really losing their shit. People were jumping up and down," said Ian, noting that as the sold-out show progressed, the long tables that people were standing on soon began to break and he could see "human formations descending into the crowd." People also were seen squeezing through transom-style windows to get into the fray. "Punk was wide open, and I just wanted to get in," Ian said. "It was instantly just on, so I felt it was great. Super engaging. It was like you're walking down the street and you find a box, and you go, 'That's an interesting box,' and you bring it home and when you open it, it's a box of infinite learning -- and I'm still learning." "Some people in the world think of life in terms of phases and then there's other people who think of it in terms of flights of stairs, and that's I think where we're at," he added about the MacKayes. Ian's still got the Evens, a two-piece with him on guitar/vocals and his spouse Amy Farina on drums, in the back pocket but they haven't been active lately. Another band with Joe Lally on bass, Farina on drums and Ian on guitar/vocals is nameless at this point and they have a record in the bag and awaiting a future release. They played two gigs last November, but the band is on hold until Lally returns from tour with the Messthetics, which also features former Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty.

Ignition

For Ian, after the seeing the Cramps, he felt that what they were doing was pretty straight forward and so he got the Slinkees happening. "I wanna be in a band, I just wanted to play music. I wasn't then and I still don't think of it as a career. To me, I just wanna play music. I just do the do, I just work with what's in front of me," he said. That Slinkees garage show, with his family members in the crowd, kicked things off and the MacKayes have never stopped. The punk ethos still rings true. The idle teens are adults with children and they continue to make an impact in the music world and on the people they encounter in their day-to-day lives. Their family is your family. We're all in it together. "I honestly wasn't thinking about sort of the juxtaposition of me as an audience member or me as a performer because that's kind of the point, they're not that different. We're making a show together, that's what we're doing, the audience and the bands," Ian said. Alec knew he would be a punk-rock lifer from the get-go. "I gotta say that there never was even a doubt in my mind. I have known people in my life that, 'that's a closed chapter,' they move on, they grow up, they put away childish things or whatever. I think when I got into punk rock, in my head it was a forever thing that I would be 120, if I ever live that long, and still be doing it, on some level, I just didn't know how," he said. "So that's been a thing that as you go through life, navigating how you can still relate to it and how it can work in your life. It just stayed with me, I never stopped listening to music and I like the energy." "It's a feeling and it's real as they say, as I said in a previous band," laughed Alec, who works full time in an art museum and thrives on learning about history, philosophy and cultural things. He also gets to travel the world, and recently attended a hardcore show in Tokyo while his art colleagues took in different sights. Some things never change, right? Keep your key in the ignition of life and go wherever the fuck you want. "It's astonishing to me that when I was in Tokyo, there was a flier for a Faith/Void re-release. To me, it's been almost 40 years of doing stuff and it just keeps going," Alec continued. On a recent day, I walked into a Barnes & Noble and saw a Minor Threat record with the first two EPs at the front of the M rack. Alec sits on the cover with his head buried in his arms. It's an iconic image that I first witnessed when I purchased the original red 7-inch at Zed Records in Long Beach, Ca., in 1981.

Alec said that someone recently showed him a photo of that image emblazoned on someone's back as a tattoo. "That particular image is not me, it's anybody. That's the one that the everyman punker can relate to. Yes, it's a trip to see that everywhere still. It's really got legs," he said. Like a lot of us who got into the punk scene back in the early '80s, those early MacKaye bands had a major impact on Amanda. As a youngster, she had those tunes at her fingertips, literally right when the tapes came hot from the studio into their home music deck. Lives were changed when the play button was pressed. "They were my older brothers and I already looked up to them and tried to do whatever they were doing. I found the whole thing instantly exciting. The energy of it was just hypnotic for me and I immediately sort of gravitated to it," Amanda said. "My parents played a lot of records and my mom played piano. There was other music, we didn't really listen to mainstream radio that much. I definitely was aware of 'mainstream rock,' but really at a very early age, like 10-11-12, I was in a conflict with my peer group because I was listening to Minor Threat and they were listening to (mainstream music)." "Some of the general-population music stuck with me, but mostly I was sort of in an instant weirdo zone because when I was trying to get people to listen to my Walkman, it was Minor Threat and they were like, 'Eww. Why?'" she added with a laugh. "Some of the 'why?' for me was that I was totally awestruck by my brothers and I was super proud of them and wanted to tell everyone like, 'No. No. No. I'm related to these people.'" Like family members do, the self-proclaimed tomboy gravitated toward whatever Ian and Alec got their hands on: football and baseball cards and muscle-car Hot Wheels because Alec made models of those vehicles. Amanda, who these days works at a public high school with her husband, said that as a child, "I think that I always sort of felt like outside the circle. I felt like our family just didn't look like everybody else's family, we did things that were a little bit different." She tried to fit in with the other kids by playing soccer in elementary school, but she was admittedly a terrible player and hated the experience. Kids were mean to boot. "I couldn't wrap myself into it and maybe that added into why when I saw this group of people in this garage, who were like, 'Oh, hey, you're outside just like us,' maybe that's why it felt so good," she said of the Slinkees gig. "I'm still attracted to that warm embrace that punk rock gave to me as a young child. I love it when I find bands that are just warm from the get-go. You meet them and you feel like you've known them for a long time, or they play music and you just feel like, 'Oh, yeah, this feels right.'" Following in her brothers' footsteps, she formed her first band, The Headaches, as a pre-teen and they performed in living rooms. A quick insight into the experience was their theme song was ripped off from The Monkees and they had personas (she was the tough, cool person who looked like one of the Blues Brothers). Her punk path became more serious when she formed Sammich Records in high school and released an EP by her friends Lunchmeat and Mission Impossible and then many more records to follow. Ian helped her configure the label since he had experience on his side with Dischord rolling strong (Amanda and Alec also worked at Dischord for a awhile). At age 20, she began singing in Desiderata and later performed with the Routineers.

For the last 14 years, Amanda has booked shows at Fort Reno Park in DC, the spot where the MacKayes saw some of their first concerts. She likens the free outdoor shows to an incubator for bands to give it a shot and play out. She's received feedback that people are thankful their kids can see them play and see music and be able to expose their kids to something that drives them forward, she said. "I jokingly refer to it all the time as a labor of love. But it's actually much more serious for me than that, because at this point in the music industry or however you want to discuss it, the opportunity for people under the age of 21 or even 18 to see live music un-influenced by anything else is very rare in this area. It's like a dinosaur. I feel extremely emotionally bound to do this because that's what helps me sort of dial in on what was important to me," said Amanda, adding that most venues -- aside from art spaces -- serve alcohol and have video or pinball games that infringe on the true musicality of the shows. "It's really really hard to find a pure experience where you're seeing music and that's all you're seeing. You're with your friends or your family or just with like-minded people. So, I'm pretty impassioned about keeping it going," she said of the Fort Reno gigs,

Heaps of music and crucial life lessons that they gained through the punk scene remains with the MacKayes. As they gather for the Sunday meals and for Susannah's birthday, the conversations are sure to be lively and insightful. The MacKaye children of today will have enough of their parents' stories and anecdotes to last them a lifetime, and they'll feed off those discussions and create vital paths of their own and experiences to pass on as well. "I suppose it's what I didn't learn that's kept me free," Alec said. "I'm pretty resistant to being led away from the things that I cherish. I didn't learn to grow up and be completely conventional, even though there's been plenty of peer pressure from adults. It's a cliche, but it's true, that you really need to stay true to the things that serve you best, and I've continued to do that." "I have two daughters and that's another moment where I just didn't know what that was gonna be like, being a father," Alec added. "I wasn't really afraid of being a father, I was afraid of being a member of the village. You know, they always say it takes a village to raise a child... to me, the village just fucking bothers me and they should just go raise their own children and stay outta my face. That was something I was worried about, but I found out there's other villagers that feel the same way, so that was a relief. I can be a father that isn't like the ones that you think are perfect, and that's OK, and my kids love that about me." For Amanda, she forever enjoys watching Ian and Alec perform and says it's a cool feeling to be still walking her own path. "At this point in my life, it doesn't hurt to be different. When I was 12, it was really complicated and painful for me that all the kids in the neighborhood thought I was weird and I didn't really have any friends, except for Josh who introduced me to Joan Jett, which was incredible 'cause it's still very prominent for me," said Amanda, who's still in touch with Josh. She's thankful for remaining true to herself since the day she stepped into the garage with Katie to watch Ian and the Slinkees. The high school she works at has a staff spirit week on tap and they're asking people to dress like they did in high school. Amanda and I laugh: "Same." (Except that she doesn't wear leather anymore, so that jacket of yore won't make an appearance.) Alec jokes that Ian's the ultimate storyteller of the family. He remembers occurrences with exact dates and years and relays the information in great detail, with verve and a dose of humor. Through the punk scene, the trio of MacKayes -- Ian, Alec and Amanda -- have woven themselves together. "In the '70s and the early '80s, there was a lot of chaos in our family, with our parents, and I think that punk probably was something that was very anchoring for us," Ian said. "And I think the three of us especially, really that was an important connection. It was something that we could feel committed to and it was a safe thing."

There’s Something Hard In There Blog

#fugazi #ian mackaye #alec mackaye #amanda mackaye

10 notes · View notes

grilledcheesedelux · 7 years

Text

“Fuck it, right?”

AN: Okay so..I’m trying the fanfiction thing out. I actually wrote this a while ago, but just never posted it anywhere because I didn’t have a reddie blog lol. This sucks a lot, so be prepared, but since I have nothing to post on here just yet, I just decided why the hell not.

Summary: Richie begins noticing that he may swing the other way, and it gets harder for him to deal with when he realizes he may like one of his best friends: Eddie Kaspbrak. He decides to tell him during a sleepover at Bill’s place.

Sleepovers are not uncommon for the losers. If anything, they have them almost every other day. But tonight, Richie knew things were going to be different. He knew the moment everyone decided upon even having the sleepover. Tonight was the night he told Eddie just how he felt.

For many kids his age, telling your crush how you feel about them can be sort of a big deal, but not quite that bad. For Richie, however, this felt like life or death. He had only recently noticed his sexuality, and how he needed to come to grips with it, just a few months back. For the first few weeks of finding this out, he was in complete denial. He tried thinking of celebrity women he would like to kiss, or even girls at his school he would want to go out with. But he felt nothing. It was completely different, however, when he thought about Eddie. Anytime Eddie came to his mind, he felt this nice, heavy sort of feeling in his chest, but at the same time it felt awful. He absolutely hated the fact he wanted to kiss a boy, his friend at that, but it wasn’t like he could help it. After months and months of just hating on himself, and then coming to grips with the fact he likes boys, not girls, he decided he needed Eddie to know. He needs Eddie to get what he’s feeling, and hell, maybe he may even feel the same way. Though, that was really only a fantasy of Richie’s.

That afternoon, he went straight home after school instead of heading to Bill’s house for the sleepover first. He told the other losers he just forgot something at his house, but he knew that wasn’t true. He just wanted to get himself mentally prepared for tonight. He got home and went straight to his bathroom. He looked in the mirror, and tried desperately to recite what he was going to tell Eddie to his reflection, though he felt it was all just too awkward.

“Hey, Eddie? Can I tell you something? No, no, that’s way too upfront. He’ll know exactly what I’m gonna say, and he’ll think I’m a fucking weirdo. Okay, okay, try again,” Richie sighed to himself, feeling this would never ever go the way he wants it to. “Eddie, I’m gonna be real with you. I kinda wanna kiss the hell out of you. No no! That’s way too fucking weird!” Richie frustratingly slammed his fist on his bathroom counter. He was so upset and angry, as he felt this would all just end up in the end of their friendly relationship. He’d be kicked out of the loser’s club and would be completely friendless, and all just because he likes a boy. That’s when Richie decided he was just going to say exactly what he was feeling. It was too bad he was saying this just to his reflection and not the real Eddie.

“Alright, look. I like you, Eds. I really REALLY like you. I know you won’t like me back, and this will all just end up in you hating me or something, but I really just need this off my chest. Every time I see you I feel things in my chest, and it can feel nice, but it also hurts so much. Like..like I’ll never be able to just see you like a friend, but just as the boy I want to hold hands with. I’m really sorry, Eddie. I hope this doesn’t fuck anything up.” Richie looked up at his refection, and saw that he had an actual tear on his cheek. He quickly wiped it away, as there was no way he was going to look weak during all of this. He took a couple of deep breaths, and opened the bathroom door. What he wasn’t expecting was to see Mike standing right there.

“Woah. Dude...is that how you really feel?” Mike was shocked, his jaw stood in a dropped position. Richie was so embarrassed, his face red and his eyes watering from embarrassment.

“Why are you here?” Richie asked, his voice shaking as he tried to conceal tears. He didn’t want to cry, especially not after saying all of that. He knew he was on the brink of tears because of how embarrassed and shocked he was, but at the same time he knew Mike and the others would have to find out sooner or later, right? He just didn’t really feel now was the right time for the others to find out.

“I was just..checking on you. You usually go straight to Bill’s place, but you didn’t show up. We figured you’d be back soon but you’ve been gone for over half an hour. So, I just decided to..y’know..see if you were okay? To make sure you didn’t have an accident on the road or something.” Mike was looking at the floor, like he was unable to make eye contact. “Actually..it wasn’t my idea to come up here.”

Richie paused. “Then who’s was it?” Mike had a slight grin on his face as he looked back up at Richie.

“It was Eddie’s.”

Richie’s face lit up, and his heart swelled with excitement. “Wait, really? Like, for real?” He wasn’t really sure why this excited him that much, as Eddie WAS the hypochondriac of the all the losers, but it just felt nice knowing Eddie cared for him in some sort of way. “Then..why didn’t he come? Are you lying to make me feel better, because you know you don’t have to do that.”

“No, I swear I’m not lying! Eddie got scared you had an accident or something, and asked someone to check up on you. He said he didn’t want to go because…” Mike’s voice traced off, another grin appearing on his face. “..he didn’t want to see you hurt. We all knew that he wasn’t scared about you being in an accident, though.” Richie was confused, seeing as that WOULD be why Eddie would want to check up on him.

“Then what was he scared about? Stop fucking around with me, Mike. I need to know what the hell’s going on.”

“Sorry, sorry! It’s just..I think Eddie likes you back, man. Anytime you’re not around, all he talks about is how he wishes you were there. ‘If Richie were here,’ this and ‘If Richie were here,’ that. He was worried you were upset about something. After we mentioned the sleepover earlier you just seemed more..upset? Like, kind of fidgety and stuff. He just wanted to know you were okay, but didn’t want to have to see you sad. If that makes any sense..I didn’t really understand it, but that’s what he said.” Richie was stunned. Eddie cared..that much about him? Where he couldn’t even see him sad or anything?

“Um..yeah. Okay…can I ask you a question?”

“Go for it.”

Richie paused slightly, looking at his dirty shoes instead of at Mike. “Do..do you really think he’ll like me back? And, was what I said, like..too dumb or something? I don’t wanna look like a bitch or anything in front of him, but-“

“Look, it’s okay. What you said was great, and if you say what you said just then to the REAL Eddie, he’ll appreciate it. Whether he likes you or not.” Richie’s face began to slightly blush at just the thought of Eddie liking what he said about him. Mike patted Richie’s back, and signaled it was about time to head back to Bill’s house.

“Wait..Mike?”

“Yeah?”

“If…if he doesn’t like what I have to say..you won’t kick me out of the Loser’s Club, right?” Mike sort of giggled, and shook his head.

“Dude, that’s absurd. None of us could even consider kicking you out, much less just because you like one of the members. Ben likes Bev, and we don’t kick him out?”

“Yeah but..that’s different.”

“And how so?” Mike said with a little smirk on his face, as he already knew the answer, and also knew what he was going to say back.

“Because it’s like..gay?”

“Dude, that’s not a bad thing. You know, I’ve actually got a gay uncle. My family isn’t really all that accepting of that kind of stuff, so we don’t really talk about him much. But, I do know he was a great guy, and my parents still loved him when they were here. He’s my mom’s brother, and she always told me she couldn’t be any happier than with the brother she already had. You really don’t need to worry about anything, Richie. It’ll all be okay.” Jesus, why does Mike have to be the greatest person to talk to? Thank God he was the one that showed up. Richie had tears forming in his eyes from the last things he said, because he never thought any of his friends would feel this way, and to be honest, much less Mike. Richie pulled him in for a hug, wiped his face off, and started off to Bill’s house.

“We’re back, losers!” Richie shouted from downstairs, looking over at Mike, who gave him a big thumbs up. Richie took a deep breath, and began walking up the stairs towards Bill’s room.

“Hey R-Richie! W-What the hell t-t-took you so long?” Bill asked, sitting on the bed with Eddie and Ben. Bev was sitting on Bill’s desk, though he’s repeatedly told her not to.

“I was just out fucking your mom. You know, she’s quick.” Bill rolled his eyes and returned to talking with Bill. Eddie however, jumped up from the bed and ran over to Richie.

“Jesus Christ, Tozier, I thought you were dead! And you said you forgot something, but I see nothing new with you! What the hell’s going-“ Richie grabbed Eddie and pulled him out of Bill’s room, shutting the door with an unintentional slam. The losers tried to run over there and see what was going on, but Mike stopped them. He knew what was happening, and there was no way in hell he was going to ruin this moment for Richie.

“What the f-“

“Eddie, just listen to me a minute. I need to talk…serious with you.” They were now standing in a cold bathroom, which was not what Richie had planned, but it would have to do.

“Wait..what’s going on? You’re not ever serious about anything. Are you hurt? Is someone else hurt? IS SOMEONE DEAD?!”

“No, just shut up a second Eds!”

“Don’t call me Eds.”

“Just listen, okay?! I...I like you.” Eddie’s face turned a bright shade of red.

“I-I mean I w-would sure hope so as friends..” He stuttered to much he almost sounded like Bill.

“No, I mean..Love you..sorta. It’s weird. Like..when I see you, I get this weird feeling in my chest that kinda..hurts? If that makes any sense at all. But like..I kinda like it at the same time. I hate that I feel that way, but..fuck it, right?” There was a sort of long silence after what Richie said, and it made his face turn almost as red as Eddies. Almost. “I’m..I’m sorry. I never should’ve said anyth-“ Eddie grabbed the collar of Richie’s shirt and pulled him into a kiss. It was both of their first kisses, so it was messy and not perfect. But to them, it felt like perfection at it’s finest. Richie tried pulling Eddie closer by holding his back gently, and Eddie just held on tightly to Richie’s collar. The kiss was long, but to them it felt longer. They then pulled away simultaneously and just stared at each other for a while. Then Richie got the guts to talk.

“Woah.”

“So like..what was that?” Richie realized he was holding Eddie’s hand, and immediately let go.

“I’m, uh..n-not sure. It felt..nice. I think.”

“Yeah. Really nice.” There was yet another awkward silence, and Richie could begin hearing the faucet dripping.

“So..you wanna-?” Eddie directed toward the door behind Richie.

“Oh, yeah, yeah. Right. Uh..do you just..not wanna mention it? Mike kinda already knows about me liking you, so..could I maybe tell him that I scored a kiss?” Richie said, a smirk on his face. Eddie giggled and pushed past Richie to the door.

“I think we should just tell all of them. I mean..fuck it, right?”

#AAH WHY DID I DO THIS #FUCK #reddie #reddie fanfiction #it #it fandom #it fanfiction #it fanfic #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #richie and eddie #the losers club

1 note · View note

rkeefer · 5 years

Link

http://bit.ly/2F1Xbvm

The NC Courage have become a big part of our family’s lives this past year. We’ll be fans for life. Let me tell you a bunch of the reasons why.

Who are the North Carolina Courage?

The NC Courage are a two-year-old women’s professional soccer team. They play their home games in Cary, North Carolina — a town just South of us here in Raleigh. Technically, the Courage are more like five years old, starting as the Western New York Flash, where they were an original founding member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). They relocated to North Carolina in 2017 — and that’s where our introduction to the team first began.

Soccer Heightening in our Family

Over the past four years, soccer has quickly become a big part of our lives. Mainly, it’s because both of our boys are playing in the North Carolina Football Club Youth (NCFCY) organization. Our oldest, Tyler is a talented all-around player in his second full year at the challenge level. Our youngest, Nolan is a progressing and talented recreational player. In 2017, the youth organization transitioned from CASL to NCFCY, and with it, a stronger association with the professional NCFC and NC Courage squads.

Additionally, I’ve been coaching since Tyler was in his second season as a rec player. I moved up with him to challenge. With that, I was looking for more places to pick up and understand the game. The professional duo of teams in the North Carolina Football Club and the NC Courage was an obvious choice.

The whole family had already begun to be drawn to the women’s game in a major way, watching all of the US World Cup games over 2015 where the United States eventually won it all.

We had also been fans of the team NCFC had been before — the Railhawks. Tyler had even had a birthday party at the pitch, and we had been to a handful of games.

Inaugural Courage Season

In the Courage’s first year playing in North Carolina, we attended a pair of games and were hooked instantly. That first year we watched them play against Orlando, and then their 1-0 victory against the Red Stars that propelled them to the NWSL Championship Final where they, unfortunately, fell to the Portland Thorns 1-0.

That inaugural season, the NC Courage finished the regular season in first place with a 16-7-1 record, winning the NWSL shield. Through 2017’s season, no NWSL team had ever won both the regular season (NWSL shield) and the championship — a bit of an NWSL curse.

Season Tickets

In the past couple years, my wife, Amanda and I had been toying with the idea of getting season tickets to a local sports team — a way to elevate our fandom a bit, and just support a local team wholeheartedly. Initially, we looked at the Carolina Hurricanes, but between prices, the number of games, and the on-ice product, we declined to pull the trigger.

But at just over a year ago, I decided to get the whole family a big Christmas present — season tickets for the 2018 NC Courage season. Christmas morning, Amanda was psyched to be season ticket holders. The boys took a little bit more convincing. At their ages of 4 and 8 at the time, both were wanting the men’s season tickets — you know because girls have cooties and all.

NC Courage 2018 Season

The 2018 season was an absolute blast, and an amazing time to come into the fray full-time as season ticket holders. We only missed two games all season — one because of weather (the season opener), and one because Tyler had an out-of-town soccer tournament of his own. Other than that, we were present at every other home game, and we streamed every single away game.

The on-field product was absolutely amazing all season, and late in the season, while attending a men’s NCFC match, Tyler admitted that the women were superior. He confessed the Courage were more fun to watch. We went to multiple NCFC games. I’m not taking anything away from NCFC, but it was satisfying to hear we converted Tyler.

Courage Player Interaction

As awesome as the on-field product was, the real icing on the cake, and the thing that really sold our boys, and my wife and I to a lesser extent were all the interactions we had with the players, coaches and staff throughout the 2018 season.

At our first home game, rather than sit around in traffic at the conclusion of the match, the four of us went down to the railing separating the stands from the pitch. The boys got to meet a bunch of the players, get autographs, take photos, and just talk.

I cannot tell you what a great first impression the girls made on our family. They were all genuine and legitimately thankful for our attendance and our support. That first 2018 home game solidified a tradition for us, staying after each and every game to congratulate the team, talk to them, and to get them to autograph tickets and miscellaneous merchandise. We’ve still got to frame some of that autographed merch from the season.

Sabrina D’Angelo

Throughout the course of the season, several of the players ended up knowing our boys by face and a few knew them by name. Nolan latched onto goalkeeper, Sabrina D’Angelo early on. The interactions post-game between Nolan and D’Angelo were a highlight for both Nolan and for Amanda and I. All season, he talked a big game when she was at a distance, but retreated into a rare shy shell often when actually talking to her after the matches.

Their friendship fully cemented in the final home game when Nolan and Sabrina swapped jerseys — a gesture that we’re grateful for. We had tried for a while to get a Nike D’Angelo jersey for Nolan through the NC Courage store and Nike, but it just wasn’t possible/for sale. I offhandedly mentioned it to Sabrina after a match, and she said Nolan could have one of her 2017 jerseys. That’s when Amanda offered to do a jersey swap. So cool — and just one of the many great interactions between D’Angelo and our family, along with so many other NC Courage players.

Lots of Other Player Interactions

While D’Angelo definitely left a lasting impression on Nolan, and the rest of the family, there were a lot of other players. Again, they all were personable, and interactive post game. Former Tar Heel, Jess McDonald was always great to talk with this season — from the post-game signings and chats at the home pitch to the outside of Portland’s Providence Park, she’s been so much fun to get to know just a little bit.

McCall Zerboni has always been super-personable post-game. She took interest in Nolan especially, and it was as high energy after the game as she is in the middle of it. Other players that come to mind in post-game interactions are Jalene Hinkle, Sam Mewis, Elizabeth Eddy, Abby Erceg, Lynn Williams, among others.

2018 NWSL Championship

In May, the NWSL announced that the 2018 Championship for NWSL would happen in Portland, Oregon — a place neither Amanda and I had ever been. With the record-breaking season the Courage were having, we decided to get tickets and make a long weekend out of it. While there were still months to go before fully knowing if the Courage would make it all the way to the championship game, we were all in. I just hoped us purchasing tickets wouldn’t jinx the girls in any way.

As it turned out, it didn’t. Even a hurricane couldn’t stop the 2018 Courage. Mother nature did rob us of being able to see the Courage at home in the semi-finals. Ultimately, we got to see them play and win in the biggest game. They played what ended up being a home field advantage match for their opponents — the Portland Thorns.

Hanging in Portland

Amanda and I flew out to Portland for an extended weekend in Oregon, with the NWSL championship being the centerpiece. We arrived a few days early and got to walk over to a Courage practice and cheer them on with a few other fans. It turned out to be mainly family members of the Courage players. We ended up meeting and talking with a bunch of the parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles.

We got to know several of the families. Everyone was super welcoming and great to interact with, and we ended up hanging out with them on several occasions. The hope is we’ll see some of them again here at a future match.

Championship Gameday

Originally, our tickets we purchased were the best available, but after meeting up with the Courage family members, we ended up switching our tickets to be near the families and with the other fans who had traveled to the game. Our seats were in the second row for the match where we stood the whole entire match, cheering the whole time as a minority cheering for the NC Courage. The stands were completely packed. The volume level was booming loud. As the Courage scored their first goal, then a second, and a third, things got a bit quieter. Thorns fans around us heckled a lot. But it got to be less and less as it was obvious the visiting (but No. 1 seed) was going to be victorious.

Our purchase of tickets to the NWSL championship before the teams were determined thankfully didn’t jinx the Courage. Our first road game would end up being the Championship, where the girls from NC would end up dominating Portland in a 3-0 win.

Post-Game

The post-game celebration of the Courage winning it all was great fun. The quickly assembled stage at midfield elevated the players as they got their individual medals and NWSL trophy. The Courage all came to our section with trophy raised in triumph, clapping as confetti rained down. As we made the way around the large Providence Park, to go nearer the player benches, we congratulated fellow fans and family.

Exiting the facility, we ended up waiting with Courage family members. We saw Courage/NCFC owner Steve Malik, trophy around his neck. Amanda got to wear it and get photographed with the medal. Malik thanked everyone for coming out.

Amanda and I talked to McDonald a bit, as well as Hinkle as they exited the facility, before ultimately riding back to the Courage’s hotel with Courage family to take part it the post-championship celebration.

On the upper floors of their hotel, in a relatively small ballroom, everyone was fired up — players, coaches, staff significant others, family, fans, and putting the exclamation point on the season, that had only a single loss, an NWSL Shield, and an NWSL Championship. The curse was finally broken by our own NC Courage.

It was so surreal witnessing very up close and personal the celebration, the speeches and elation. View the speeches and some of the celebration here.

2019 and Beyond

It was a no-brainer that we’d renew our season tickets. The 2019 season can’t come quick enough for the Keefer family. We’re ready to see the NC Courage back on the pitch with the majority of the team back, cheering for them, and talking to them afterward. Zerboni should be back from injury. Williams and McDonald will still be scoring machines, and the hope is they defend and retain the NWSL shield, and return to the championship match in the 2019 season.

We only missed watching a single game all season, because of one of Tyler’s soccer tournaments. We attended all but two home games. Our goal in 2019 is to make it to all the home games and to hit a least one road game (Orlando at least).

Thanks NC Courage!

We’ve had such a blast being fans of the NC Courage for the past year and look forward to the years to come. We’ve had a wonderful time learning about the personalities, fire, and skill of every player, coach and staff members associated with the team. Thanks for letting us be a part of it all, and here’s to many more seasons.

The post Our Journey with the NC Courage appeared first on Keefer Madness.

via Keefer Madness

#IFTTT #Keefer Madness

0 notes

toriibelledarling · 7 years

Photo

Twin Time: Before the Fame

Hey y'all, Torii here with another installment of the Twin Time series. This particular story takes place before they moved to NY around 17 years old; so welcome to small town middle America where the number of chickens and cows outnumber people. Thank you @theartificialdane for letting the twins have their time to shine…they are such problematic darlings.

***

* Twin Time Some shit town in middle America 5:30 pm In a little treehouse in their parents backyard July 1991 *

“Open up!” Called Raja as she held onto the fraying rope ladder that led to old treehouse.

“What’s the secret password?” A slightly muffled male voice replied from over her.

Raja rolled her eyes as she tightened her grip on both the ladder and the bucket handle she was holding onto in her other hand. “I have cold beer, cigarettes and a little bit of weed,” Raja started as she heard her brother Sutan move around above her in their childhood secret space. “Yeah I thought so,” she said as she saw the trap door open to reveal the smiling face of her twin brother.

“Oh why didn’t you say you had beers?” Sutan quipped as he held his hand down to grab the bucket Raja handed him so she could hoist herself up into the small wooden structure.

“Shut up.” Raja groused as she got settled on her designated beanbag chair right by the small window as her brother closed the trapdoor.

“How did you get these?” Sutan asked as he grabbed 2 beers from the bucket, before handing Raja one as she passed him a cigarette.

“You know Aaron Coady?” Raja asked as she lit her cigarette before handing Sutan the lighter. “He’s workin’ over at the gas station by Dardo Dairy Farm”

“Yea,” he replied as he lit his cigarette. “He’s the weird blonde whose not dating that Justin kid from my honors pre-calculus class, right?” Sutan asked as he blew out a cloud of grey smoke, moving to the side so Raja pull off her oversized tee, revealing a bandeau top and a pair of denim overalls.

“Allegedly,” Raja replied easily as she tossed the shirt in a corner before pulling off her sneakers. “But yea, I went to the gas station to flirt with Eddie for cigarettes and shit,” she started before flicking her cigarette in a little teacup turned ashtray. “But I get there, and I see Aaron at the register, and he tells me that Eddie had taken ill so he was filling in for him.”

“Doesn’t he work at the theater in town?” Sutan asked as he finished his first beer and got another.

Raja looked out of the small window down into their backyard where she watched their mother tend to her little herb garden, the tomatoes were ripe enough for her to pick. They were having one of her favorite meals for dinner in celebration of the end of Eid Al-Fitr or Eid. Which both Sutan and Raja found endlessly funny, considering they converted from Huinduism to Islam to Christianity since immigrating to America. However, they still celebrated Ramadan and Eid, Holi and now Christmas. If they converted to Judaism, they would have almost all the major religions holidays covered.

[“Mani! What are you making for dinner?”] Raja yelled from the small window down to their mom.

[“Extra spicy beef rendang (steak,) ikan bakar (grilled fish,) bakso (Indonesian meatballs,) nasi goreng (fried rice,) and lumpia (spring rolls).] Maharani answered, as she straightened up to look towards the trees to where her children were hidden from her sight.

["Do you need any help?”]

[“No!”] Maharani replied as she brushed her hands off after placing the basket carrying the herbs and tomatoes she collected from her garden on her head, which was just another quirk that made their family stand out in their town. [“You and Anada helped me a lot last night so now all I need to do is grill the fish and fry the lumpia.”] The older woman said as she began walking back to the kitchen door on the side of the house. [“I’ll call you and Putri before prayer and dinner,”] she finished as she stood on the small back porch as she addressed her son who she knew was with his sister in their treehouse.

[“Thanks mama!”] Sutan called as their mom went back in the house.

“Yea, but I found out that Eddie is his uncle so he asked him to cover the shop.” She continued, as if she never left the conversation; as she finished her cigarette while Sutan broke down the little bit of weed she had and proceeded to roll it into a joint. “So I asked him flat out if I could buy some beer and he was like he didn’t give a fuck, because he needed weed money.”

“So you hooked him up?” Sutan asked as he finished the joint up and held his hand out for their shared lighter, that was now a glittery bubblegum pink. “Because I needed that money when I go hook up with Jeremy tomorrow to reup.”

“Yea, I gave him a little from my own personal stash and he gave me the beer and cigarettes free.” Raja said easily, as she watched her brother inspect the joint he rolled while she finished her beer and grabbed another.

“Because sharing is caring?” Sutan asked as he lit the joint and took a deep drag before breathing out the smoke.

“Duh…gotta be nice to the weird kids because you never know when they gonna snap,” Raja said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. “Because if you’re consistently nice to them, they may spare you or let you know ahead of time if they’re gonna do some crazy shit.”

Sutan nodded at his sister’s logic, “that’s true, but it’s not like we have many friends in this town anyway so I don’t really give a shit.” He mumbled as he passed his sister the joint.

“Yea, but guess what else I got,” sang Raja as she reached in her bandeau top and pulled out a little baggie of white powder.

“Where did you get this?!” Exclaimed Sutan as he made to grab the bag from his sister before she pulled her hand back. “Fucking tease,” he grumbled.

Raja stuck her tongue out at her brother’s pouting face, “as a future surgeon, I don’t think it’s wise for you to ingest copious amounts of drugs on top of alcohol.” She goaded as she waved the small bag of drugs in front of her face before taking a drag of the joint before blowing the smoke in Sutan’s direction with a smile.

“As someone who is destined to become a lawyer,” Sutan started before he grabbed the little bag of drugs from his sister as he came to sit beside her on his own beanbag chair. “You being in control of a schedule 1 drug is a federal offense.” He continued with a smile of his own.

“And God forbid mani and ayah ever find out that the treehouse is where we get fucked up.” Raja said earning a snort from her brother.

“Or get fucked in,” Sutan added earning a glare and a a sharp yank of his leg hair from Raja.

“See, that was a one time thing,” she groused as she finished her beer and grabbed the rest of Sutan’s and finished his as well. “How was I supposed to know that Michael Feliciano was the principal’s son, they don’t have the same last name.”

“The same way I knew that his daughter, Jade-Jolie, isn’t a natural blonde.” Sutan said with a laugh as he took the joint from his sister as she got 2 more beers for them. “But I thought guys weren’t your cup of tea.”

“Well excuse me for wanting to try new things,” Raja shot back as she handed Sutan his beer before lighting another cigarette.

Sutan turned his head to look at his sister who was lounging beside him with a Pabst Blue Ribbon in one hand and a cigarette in the other. “So I heard that you asked Alisa Summers to prom,” Raja started lazily as she blew the cigarette smoke out the window.

“Yea,” Sutan sighed as he leaned his head against the wall exhaled slowly closing his eyes. “But she told me that she was going with Brian Firkus.”

“Well I overheard her say she was going with Brian McCook,” Raja replied softly as she took a sip of her beer before handing it to her brother. “Did you mishear her or something?” She asked as she rested her head on Sutan’s shoulder.

“No,” he replied. “She was quite adamant about it was Firkus.”

“Damn that’s fucked up babe I’m so sorry,” Raja said softly as she scooted closer to Sutan to wrap her arms around him.

“Why wouldn’t she have been honest with me from jump?” He started as he closed his eyes leaning into his sister’s embrace. “Like I went out and bought her a nice necklace set and everything for her that will go with any dress she picked.” Sutan continued as he felt Raja run her fingers through his shoulder blade length hair in an attempt to soothe him. “So I go to her house, and of course her father answered the door and he was looking at me like I had the wrong house, and when I asked her she was all like ‘oh sorry, Brian Firkus just asked me the other day’ blah blah blah. So I’m just standing there like 'oh, umm thanks,’ so needless to say I left,” he finished with a deep sigh.

Raja was so sad for her brother, but she was also angry that Alisa would embarrass him like that, “I’m sorry you went through that,” she said softly as she cradled his head against her chest. “She’s a dumb bitch with lopsided tits who doesn’t realize she fucked up.” She continued earning a low chuckle from her brother who wrapped his arm around her thin waist in a hug. “No matter, I’m gonna be your prom date, fuck those bitches who turned you down.”

“Aww thanks Pu,” Sutan said with a smile, happy that his sister was on his side. “But it’s not just her though, like its this little shit show of a town. Out of all the places father could have moved us too, why this little po-dunk town surrounded by cow shit, corn fields and people who have the intelligence of a piece of fried chicken?” Sutan asked his sister.

“Father thought we would be safer here than the big city, but I don’t think he realized how different we are compared to everyone else,” Raja started. “People in this town are white, speak better English than our parents and they don’t have to ask for a translation. We are the brown "weirdos” who speak a different language, our mother wears saree’s and carries baskets on her head. The only reason we’re “accepted” is because our father is the pastor at the local church, but even then they still look at us crazy.“ She said angrily, her body going rigid thinking back on all the things her family went through because they were different.

"It’ll get better one day Pu,” Sutan said softly, similar thoughts running through his mind.

“When Sutan?” Raja sighed as she closed her eyes, learning her head on top of Sutan’s. “When will things get better? It would be one thing if we were at least average height, but we tower over our peers and their parents.”

“One day we’re going to get out of this town and never look back,” started Sutan as he tugged lightly on Raja’s long braid. “We’re going to live in a big city and have an amazing life.” She said with a smile as he looked up at his sister. “We’re going to have a cool group of friends and do some crazy shit.”

“And we’ll be able to take care mani and ayah and we can move them out of this depressing town.” Raja said as she breathed out softly as she felt Sutan gently tug on her braid. “We will be happy.”

“Yes we will, and we won’t have to worry about being isolated because they can’t help the fact that they are immigrants.” Sutan added as he gave his sister a soft kiss on the cheek.

“But, you won’t leave me, will you Sutan?” Raja asked, suddenly nervous that when they can finally get away this town, her brother would leave her too.

“I’d never leave you Rajie,” Sutan replied looking into his sister’s eyes. “I made a promise to you when we first came to America that I would always protect you.”

“And I said that I would make our dreams a reality,” Raja replied.

“And that is my promise to you,” the twins said simultaneously as they put their foreheads together and made a pinky promise.

[“ANADA! PUTRI! TIME FOR PRAYER!”] Their father Alhasan yelled for them from the kitchen window.

“You would think we were still living in the country,” Raja mumbled as she moved off Sutan and her beanbag to grab her discarded shirt. “Do you still have my extasy?” She asked as she put the shirt back on, knowing their father would have something to say about her outfit if he saw it.

“Yea I still have it, I’m going to trade it for more weed,” Sutan replied as he opened the trapdoor.

“Ok that’s fine,” Raja said as she tied her hair in a quick knot at the base of her neck. “I’m not into hard drugs so I’d rather have more weed for this weekend.” She said with a smirk she shared with her brother as she began to descend the rope ladder.

“I can’t wait,” Sutan said as he followed behind her down the ladder. “We will finally have the house to ourselves, we should throw a party.” He said as he straightened up and stretched.

“Yea,” Raja added as she popped her hips. “Called a party of two because we don’t have any friends.”

“It’s because we’re better than our peers,” Sutan said with a grin.

“And we don’t party with losers,” Raja added. “But let’s go pray because I have the munchies and I can smell the ikan bakar from here.”

“And if you eat the last lumpia, I’m going to give you a noogie.” Sutan said as he cut his eyes at his sister.

“It’s called the survival of the fittest at the table.” Raja said with a sweet smile as she linked arms with Sutan as they walked towards the door.

Sutan rolled his eyes as he held the door open for his sister. “Not this time short stuff, I may have promised to protect you but you’re not getting the last piece of lumpia.”

“You say that now but we’ll see when I’m eating the last spring roll,” Raja said easily with a laugh at Sutan’s pout.

“You’re such a bitch.”

“And that’s why you love me!”

***

#galactica #Galactica AU #Twin Time #Sutan & Raja

12 notes · View notes