#i just needed to draw their outfits I HAD TO | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kozachenko · 3 days

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Here's a digital sketch dump of some pose/anatomy practices and some 2hu doodles, I think from now on if I don't have any big final piece to post, I'll just post sketches I liked that I did digitally (might also reblog some drawings of mine that I want more people to see, maybe idk).

Artist's Notes:

Ok so after the recent Hifuu fanart I did, I've been hoping to experiment more with how I draw faces, how I render, as well as how I stylize things. In some of the earlier sketches I did, I had an idea for a pose that I wanted to try drawing, so I took a ref pic of myself doing said pose (the leaning one btw) and then did a sketch over top of it just to get an idea for the shapes, negative space, and silhouette. After that, I wanted to do some simpler breakdowns of the shapes so I can get better at simplifying the body (these ended up being the bottom right sketches in the post). I also did some experimenting with how to push certain parts of said sketches to create a different body type (via liquify and then a more refined version based on that sketch), as well as figuring out what makes a pose feel natural and not stiff. This was also a bit of a foreshortening practice just so I can get more confident with it, and I ended up using the arms from the liquified version for the coloured Zanmu sketch I did since I liked them so much (dw I'll get to that).

The next thing I wanted to try and draw was Hisami, mainly because.... I am very bad at drawing her in my style. Last time I drew her I made her look really creepy and spindly, and it is my headcanon now that she can switch between a more human, and more creepy look whenever she wants. I'm liking where the face is going a lot, might have to refine a few things about it in the future, but it's cute (I also made the blush purple which I think is what I'm gonna do with her face from now on). I also like how her hair in the sketch turned out a lot, but the outfit..... not as much... Ever since I started changing my style to something less cartoony, I've had a hard time drawing her outfit in my style. Especially the flower veil thing she has on, which, I did try to find a way to draw, but I ended up deleting that sketch because I didn't like it. I'm also not a fan of using the colour purple, like, pure purple, magentas are fine, indigos are fine, but not strict purple. I also have a hard time with drawing all the little pattern details on her dress. I also need to find a way to draw the flower veil in a way that looks good because everytime I try it ends up just looking off (very similar to whenever I try to draw Zanmu's blue spears). I think the only solution to this problem is to do what I normally do and make my own version of the outfit, but with adjustments to suit my style while still trying to keep core elements from the original design intact (like I do with Zanmu and Keiki, and yes I am going to get to that Zanmu drawing just gimme a minute).

Ok next up is Keiki, my favourite Touhou character who I haven't drawn since the beginning of the year. Since my style has changed a lot, I wanted to just do a face sketch of her to get a hang of drawing her again, and I..... really really like how it turned out! When I drew her eyes, I realized that a good way of keeping faces too same facey can be via varying the sizes of their pupils, so that's an idea I'm gonna keep in mind from now on. I had a lot of fun with her hair, I initially was gonna do it like how it is in the official art, but I ended up not liking it, so now I'm gonna draw Keiki with wavy heir like this because it's fun and it looks nice. I also included my base sketch for Keiki's face since I was initially struggling with drawing her bandanna, and in the coloured sketch I added some more detail into her hair.

Now to finally talk about the sketches for Zanmu. Good lord was I having a tough time with her face. I also did this sketch before I figured out how I wanted to draw hair, so that's why the rendering on her hair is different (I did this soon after the Hisami sketch actually). Since I changed my art style a lot, I had to find a way to translate her face from my more cartoony style to my more detailed style, so while the face shape, nose shape and mouth was fine, I was really struggling with the eyes. I did get somewhere eventually though, and I am super happy with how it turned out. I wanted to lean more towards the androgynous side of the gender presentation spectrum, mainly because I think that makes sense for her character. Also made sure to include the silver hairs and some wrinkles just to bring some signs of her aging into her face because those are just staple features of how I draw Zanmu at this point lol. You will also notice that I gave her some scars on the right side of her face, and that's because I am a Zanmu-with-scars truther, I fucking love it whenever I see someone give Zanmu visible scars like that it just adds so much omg (I also tried to put a wolf bite mark on her arm in the full body drawing but idk if it reads well). While you can argue that her not having scars sells the idea of her being this "powerful, untouchable mastermind who is impossible to defeat," I'd say that instead of those scars representing times she got injured, they represent everyone who has failed to defeat her.

As I was drawing Zanmu's face, I referenced my sketch of to help with contrasting their features since I made Keiki's face more traditionally feminine. I also didn't mention this in my commentary on Keiki's face because I wanted to save it for here, but giving Zanmu scars also plays into the fact that she used to be human, wheras Keiki doesn't have any scars because she's a god who doesn't follow the rules of normal human biology. Plus I'm thinking about the two of them interacting again (return of Zan/Keik??? (I'm a multishipper btw) maybe???) so drawing their faces together will definitely help me in the future if I wanna draw them together (again, maybe as a ship? I've kinda been ironing out the kinks in their potential interactions (romantic and non-romantic) for a while now so idk maybe expect that in the future lol).

And now for the full body drawing, when I was doing the face sketch I did this little snippet of an outfit, had a vision, and the made it into a reality. I'll admit, part of me was worried that it would end up looking too much like Yuugi's outfits in the spinoffs and mangas, but I feel like I made enough changes to differentiate them. I tried to keep a few of the major details in Zanmu's design (i.e. the red tassles and yellow lining on her shirt) while putting a new spin on it. I also dialed up the scars to 11 since without them the whole thing kinda looked incomplete. Also, while I could say that the leaves on her kimono are "a nod to the fact that technically she should be a tengu because back then people belived that corrupt monks would turn into tengu but no Zanmu is an oni and they're maple leaves because...tengu...ahahahaha" what really ended up happening was that I looked up clothing patterns from Sengoku era Japan, liked the leaves the most because the red picked up on the red from the rest of her design and just ran with it. I also always had the idea to put Zanmu in men's clothing from Sengoku era Japan and while the accurate thing to do would be to put her in a Buddhist's clothes from that era.... from a character standpoint, I don't think Zanmu is pious enough to strictly wear the proper monk uniform, and also since she's basically the king of Hell, she would probably dress herself like royalty from that era. TBH, I probably could've been a bit more historically accurate, but again, this was mainly for conceptual purposes because I had a vision and I needed to see it through.

If I were to draw her in this sort of outfit again, I should probably try and use more references, although now that I look at it, if she were to wear it properly this would maybe, probably look a bit closer to a Kyūtai sugata (a very huge stretch, but it just kinda reminds me of that) just without the layers under and over the main piece of clothing (In the website that I searched up to try and compare the outfit in my sketch to, they name the outfit pieces but don't label them on the image, so I don't know 100% what everything is called) so I will definitely have to use that style of clothing as a reference going forward.

Also, I was kind of inspired by the ToTK design for Ganondorf since I have finished the game a while ago and I absolutely love what they did with his design (it's just so fucking cool omg) and I thought that sort of look would look good on Zanmu, so yeah got some inspo from that.

And those were all the notes for each of the sketches, I'm motivated to draw rn but kinda art blocked, so doing these little coloured sketches helps a lot.

#touhou project #art #fanart #sketches #sketch dump #zanmu nippaku #keiki haniyasushin #hisami yomotsu #touhou 19 #touhou 17 #unfinished dream of all living ghost #wily beast and weakest creature

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waldau · 2 days

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hii! I've noticed that you haven't written anything for minghao yet (according to your master list) so I wanted to request something cozy and homey with him. like maybe cooking together or waking up together or something along those lines.. :)

hello anon! i was feeling extra sappy with minghao and this also happens to be my first work for him. thank you so much for requesting it, i hope you see this!

gender neutral reader. warnings: none.

muse — xu minghao | 1,382 words | fluff

minghao blinks his eyes open to the sound of silence. there’s not much he can hear right out, except for the distant sound of cars going past. he lazes around for a few more moments before giving in and checking the time on his phone.

it’s just shy of six in the morning. he needs to be up and at the studio by nine, but he doesn’t feel like moving just yet. he puts his phone away and turns around to you, to watch you sleep.

the first time he’d ever done it was unfortunately a time you weren’t actually asleep, and he’d ended up staring at you for ten minutes before you woke up and apologized to him, saying that you couldn’t pretend to stay asleep without wanting to burst into laughter.

he still remembers how embarrassed he’d been by that, and how you made it up to him with kisses and multiples reassurances that it had been okay, that he could do it again, that it wasn’t a problem at all, you’d just been caught off-guard the very first time.

the thing is — minghao adores you. he’s in awe of you. to him, no one else on this planet even compares to how exquisite you are. he loves how like-minded the two of you are, how affectionate you’re with him, and how much you support him without even saying any words. of course, he loves going out on dates with you, seeing new places with you, seeing you match the outfits he wears, but this might just be his favourite sight in the world.

this being seeing you asleep on your side, facing him, a hand tucked under your head and the other holding his own. as an artist, he’s used to noticing the finer details about everything he sees, so when it comes to you, he could lose himself for hours noticing every single thing about you that makes him love you more.

minghao gently untangles his hand from your grasp, drawing his own blanket over you properly so that you don’t feel cold. he immediately feels the cold winter air hit his bare arms, and he winces as he gets used to it. he’s going to need to workout before he leaves, because there’s no time for it in the evening. not if he wants to finish work fast enough to come back to have dinner with you.

his fingers itch for a brush. it’s been a while since he’s painted something. the last thing he’d put on his canvas had been a rendition of a sunset he’d been able to see with you a few weeks ago. it had been magical; the beautiful hues of orange and yellow blending with the shimmering brightness of the sea, contrasting the pale hue of the sky.

but nothing looked more beautiful than you sitting next to him, watching the sun rise and letting the water wash over your legs. he’d been tempted to paint you instead, right there, but you’d dragged him out on a monday morning for inspiration, despite the fact that both of you had work soon, and he wasn’t going to let it go to waste.

but he doesn’t really need inspiration. not when you’re his muse.

he runs his fingers across your face as gently as he can, glad that you’re still asleep. you’ve been having trouble sleeping recently, and he’s glad he’s part of why you’ve been sleeping better. he smiles when he notices two faint pillow creases stamped into your cheek, angry red lines that he hopes don’t hurt you at all. you somehow manage to look even more perfect with them.

he doesn’t know how long he’s been staring at you before your eyes blink open slowly, and somehow his eyes are the first thing that yours find. he holds his breath, waiting for you to speak.

“hao?” you ask, voice croaky. “what time is it?”

minghao checks his phone again. “six thirty-seven. you still have twenty three more minutes to sleep, if you want.”

“mm,” you say, before you roll in closer and pull his arm to yourself. “wake me up at seven, then.” before he can say anything, you look up at him. “aren’t you supposed to leave early today?”

he nods. “do you want me to leave?”

you huff and tug at his arm to pull him closer to yourself, and he goes down willingly. “you know that’s not what i meant.”

“what did you mean, then?” he asks, pinching your nose softly.

you’re used to his teasing by now, so you just roll your eyes throw an arm around his waist. “did you sleep well, hao?”

“really well. you?”

“me too. but…how long were you staring at me this time?”

he feigns shock. “you could tell?”

“i can just…feel it, somehow,” you giggle. “won’t you tell me?”

“do you really want me to?”

“of course,” you say, eyes shining despite the layer of sleep clinging to them. minghao wishes he could spend more time with you like this. it’s almost like you’re forcing yourself to stay awake despite having some more time to sleep, just to talk to him. the thought warms his chest.

“maybe forty minutes? maybe more.”

there’s a grin on your face. “correct me if i’m wrong, but…i think you love me?”

he could just refute it, tease you a little, joke that you’re in too deep, but he can’t. there’s something about the early hours of the morning combined with the fact that he has the honour to wake up with you that makes his heart heavy. he’s lucky to even have this, especially with you.

“you’re right,” he says, voice rough, feeling his waterline sting suddenly. “i love you.”

the grin on your face disappears slowly. “hao? is everything okay?”

“of course it is, darling,” he says, bending down to kiss your forehead, brushing off some rogue strands of hair to kiss it properly, tucking it behind your ear so he can see your beautiful face better. “i love you. is that wrong?”

“no, silly,” you say, leaning up to cup his cheek in your palm. your hand is cold. maybe he should’ve warmed you up better. “you sound…sad. like there’s something eating at you.”

he closes his eyes and indulges himself in your touch, trying to work out his words, marvelling at how easily you can read him. “i…love you. you know that, right?”

“yeah. i love you, too. but…?”

“but,” he sighs, “i just…don’t have the right words to tell you how much i love you. i could say i love you a thousand times, but it wouldn’t be enough. i could kiss you a thousand times and it wouldn’t be enough. i could…i could ask you to marry me but nothing would be enough to tell you how thankful i am that you’re here with me. that you’re mine.”

silence, just the two of you in your bedroom, the sounds of life filtering in from outside the window.

your breath is shaky when you speak. “hao.” you drop your hand down to his arm. “i love you, too. you don’t…i don’t need any grand gestures from you. just…be with me. every single day. be mine forever. that’s it.”

“there’s nowhere else i want to be.”

“then that’s all i need.”

minghao presses a kiss to your head. he hopes it conveys everything he’s feeling right now. he’s about to say something more when your alarm goes off, and he really should get going if he doesn’t want to reach work late.

“see you in the evening?” you ask, hand catching his as he attempts to get to his feet. “maybe we can talk about…getting married? for real?”

minghao hasn’t even opened the curtains yet, and he feels like he’s standing in front of the sun again. he’s going to go to work, do well, come back home to you and hold you and hear about your day and eat with you. he’s going to surprise you with a painting of yourself, and he’s going to marry you. that’s the life he’s built for himself with you, and he loves it.

it’s all he needs to keep going, every single day.

“i can’t wait. i’ll be back before you know it, darling.”

taglist: @bookyeom @wootify @strnsvt @cloudycaramel @thepoopdokyeomtouched @minnieminshi @nonononranghaee @hrts4hanniehae @viewvuu @bewoyewo

#idk i tried writing #xu minghao #xu minghao fluff #minghao fluff #minghao #fluff #seventeen #seventeen fluff #svt #svt fluff #waldau writes #req

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lovebirdgames · 3 days

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Hi everyone!

Here comes the long post that I alluded to recently: What's Next for Lovebird Game Studios. Buckle in!

You all know that I like to be very transparent when it comes to our game development. Sharing the journey with all of you has always helped me keep taking steps. So I’d like to share the decision we came to regarding which game to work on next, and I’d like to explain the thinking behind it as well. It may not be the news you were hoping to hear, but I hope you will also leave here with a sense of excitement and anticipation for what’s to come.

At this time, we have decided to not move forward with a sequel/fandisk of Band Camp Boyfriend.

This is a decision that does not come easy, especially since I know a lot of you were hoping for an Aaron route. We had a lot of fun ideas for the sequel we were excited for and it’s a bit of a heartbreaker to think they won’t come to fruition. I also adore our cast of characters and loved writing them, and will miss doing so. There are many different factors at play that went into making this decision.

Time. The reality is we both work full-time jobs and we have to choose our battles when it comes to this hobby. While the fandisk would be about half the size of the base game, we feel it would still take around approximately 3 years to release (I’d like to say 2, but let's face it: we are slow at game development).

Money. We are incredibly grateful and proud to say that we made back the money we spent making Band Camp Boyfriend. We consider BCB a modest success. However, we don’t feel that the current player base is large enough to justify a sequel, especially since sequels do not typically perform as well as the base game. We have a feeling we would dig ourselves right back into the financial hole and not make it out the second time around.

Art. Particularly the backgrounds. Keep in mind that we commission the art for our games. Most otome games are easily able to pull off a fandisk because they have all of their assets from the base game. Since Band Camp Boyfriend took place in a bottle setting that the characters have now left behind, we would need a ton of new backgrounds for the school setting we had imagined for the sequel. Our background artist is no longer available, so we would have to shop around for someone with a similar style and buy a whole new host of backgrounds. And of course we would need new CGs, new outfits, new everything to really make it exciting.

Inspiration. During our “break,” the creative juices began to flow and we found ourselves gravitating to our next idea. I told myself I wouldn’t write or work on anything until making this choice, but I couldn’t stop myself. And I found myself writing the prologue for our next game and drawing concept art of the characters. Even while listening to music, the music videos that would play in my head shifted away from Band Camp Boyfriend and towards the next game. I guess after 8 years, deep down, I am ready to move onto a new story with new faces. My love for Band Camp Boyfriend runs deeper than the Marian’s Trench, but my heart is leading me into uncharted waters full of hammerhead sharks!

I’m happy to answer questions if you have them. Here are a couple that might be on your mind.

Q: Can’t you just make an Aaron DLC that takes place at band camp? Please, I will give you my left kidney!

A: I want you to keep your kidney, and I’m sorry, but the answer is no. I feel we have conquered band camp and there is no need to return to it. (We actually cut a route--the Leon route--and merged most of the ideas for it into the final route, because it was getting to be too much!) I’m totally burnt out on new ideas in that setting, plus it was wrapped up so wonderfully in that final route. I have no interest in doing another story there.

Another point - even though it would be easier in terms of art assets, we wouldn’t want to phone it in and do an Aaron Band Camp route, in case we were to change our minds about doing a sequel down the road. We would want to do his route as we envisioned it, so it’s best to keep that avenue open.

Q: Can you make a smaller game or just write new scenarios with what you have?

A: As we have learned about ourselves…we are not capable of making small games. Our ideas just keep getting bigger and bigger. We want to release substantial games with hours of playtime. So I guess the answer is no.

Q: If money is an issue, can you run a Kickstarter for the sequel so I can throw money at you?

A: We are probably not ever going to do another Kickstarter. It was a lot of work. It felt really bad when our first one failed and our motivation took a hit. However, I am glad it failed because we wound up releasing 3 years later than we had hoped for, but we didn’t have any pressure weighing on us from Kickstarter. We’ve seen a lot of successfully funded games get abandoned or delayed, and a lot of unhappy fans voice their displeasure and sour on a game completely. You never know what curveballs life will throw at you and these projects can easily face delays. We would hate to let you all down like that. We agree we would rather work at our own pace without that immense pressure. Also, I am kinda old fashioned when it comes to the trading of goods…you give money, me give you game! Unga bunga.

Q: So…that’s it? We’re never getting a sequel?

A: Ehh…all of this aside, never say never. If Band Camp Boyfriend unexpectedly blew up in popularity and had a mind-blowing amount of sales, then I would absolutely reconsider a return to Blue Mountain High School. But I don't really see that happening.

I really hope this news hasn’t made you too sad and I hope you’ll join us for the next game! Saying I am extremely excited for it is an understatement. I’d like to share a little bit of what we have planned and I hope it will get you excited as well, and you won’t leave here feeling too down.

If you loved Band Camp Boyfriend, you will certainly love our next otome game. It will carry the same elements of humor, romance, darkness, and drama you can expect from us—and this time, the stakes are even higher. (I know--what stakes could be higher than high school marching band?!)

The structure of this game will be a bit different. We’re dropping the crazy long common route because we feel like we’ve been there and done that, and it’s a huge headache. I love long common routes but now...I get it, I get why a lot of games have a short one or just have you pick a route, hahaha. This game’s common route will be much shorter (one whole day haha), but each romance route will be a beast in length with larger branches into various endings. The plot is so heavy that it would be best experienced in a specific order so a couple routes will be locked when you start up the game.

There will be heartwarming good endings, tragic bad endings, and somewhat bittersweet endings. And we shall once again have an original soundtrack and partial voice acting, so keep an eye out for that casting call! We plan to cast later in the process so we don’t keep our voice actors waiting around for light years on end.

There will be four main love interests to fall in love with this time around, though I’m certain you will fall in love with even more. This cast will be older, as well, with a 25-year old MC and LIs ranging from 24 to 30. I’m looking forward to writing a more adult story (not 18+, just in tone and perspective). I can’t wait to someday introduce you to them along with the rest of this memorable cast. Or maybe you’ve already heard of them…?

All of this means my social media activity is going to be eclipsed by writing and planning this next game for a while. Our platforms may be a bit quieter, but I will continue to check them of course, so don’t ever hesitate to reach out!

I’ll eagerly be anticipating the day we can start revealing the game and its amazing characters once we have something to show you. It was conceptualized way back in 2019 and been patiently awaiting its turn to shine. There will also be a free demo for you to meet the cast and dip your toes into the plot. For now, we gotta focus on the grind! But I know we have the perseverance to see this through because we’ve already done it once before!

Thank you so much for reading all of this. You deserve a yummy heart-shaped cookie with pink icing for doing so. We really appreciate you all so much! Please look forward to our next game.

♥ Lovebird Games

#lovebird game studios #indie game developer #otome #visual novel

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hjeojeo · 2 days

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3. Your favorite piece(s)?

For commission work I'm really happy with this piece for cyb0rgsunset

I'm just so pleased with how the background turned out against all the character drawings. And also how the tattoos turned out! I had to handdraw those intricate patterns each time (i should consider making like a master resource to just overlay tbh haha..im not smart) and especially that back tattoo with the cyber tiger design!! I had designed all the tattoos! Arty had shown me this car part called an automatic transmission valve body

Also i just really like drawing this character of arty's :)

And as for personal art i have good emotional memory about this sketch of my gw2 character, Hellefix

It was just satisfying to finally get around to working on an outfit reference for her after like playing as her for uh..7 or 9 years omg..i cant remmeber which one it was

Also since im always working digitally, it's always a treat when i do personal art traditionally! I do habitually find myself staring blankly at my sketchbook while trying to figure out how to ctrl+s to save xD and then i marvel at wow! I dont need to manually save! Also i think it feels nice erasing and modifying traditional sketches to gradually get it towards what you want, it's methodical and calming

#ask prompts #ask game

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nagarusus-radiostatic-blog · 3 days

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obligatory fankid ideas + general thoughts

mostly abt staticradio but there’s other ships because I’ve lost all control. Everything after the first fankid is under the cut.

(Disclaimer: I see Alastor as a demiromantic ace, so do not come onto this post to start petty bullshit. I prefer this ship as two-sided, end of.)

First, the obvious. If Alastor and Vox had a kid, it would be a daughter. Why? Because if we go off their interactions with Niffty or Velvette, they are very girldad in vibe. I know Velvette’s more like... a friend/sister to Vox - they are closer in age than Niffty is to Al, as Velvette’s obviously 30 something, but there's still that generational gap given she was most likely born in the 70s - but still. Their interactions strike as found family type, even if it's a fucked up kind. Same with Niffty and Alastor. That, and I cannot see them raising a son and that kid not growing up to be like...Cain.

I think the girl would resemble Al, but with Vox’s colors, like most design such fankids. But I think the blue in her hair would be dark navy blue, borders on looking black. Maybe heterochromia type eyes? One red, one blue as a diamond. Her fur would be like... really light blue. And she'd have spiral patterns somewhere because Vox.

Despite this, this fankid I envision - Aimee, I call her - is both her fathers' daughter and nothing like them all at once. She has a favoritism for televisions yet an adoration for radios. Modernity isn’t something she fully accepts and she likes some old traditional stuff, yet wouldn’t be afraid to mix either if it’s fun. She can intimidate and bribe, manipulate like both - yet most of the time remains easy-going, kind and with an attitude that draws people in easy that her fathers feel horrified by. How could their little heir be so soft?

Its like that scene in the old Addams family show where Pugsley becomes a boys scout and plays with a puppy, Gomez and Morticia thinking he’s lost it. That’s Alastor and Vox with Aimee.

Despite this, they still love their daughter fiercely. Granted, it wasn’t easy at first. She was created from their magic combining, accidentally, and thus Alastor nearly relapsed. He wasn’t sure what to do with the little fawn, now snug in Vox’s arms. Vox didn’t have experience with kids, much less babies, but he wasn’t going to let her go - all while Alastor was reliving memories of his childhood. An abusive father who beat him, his mother always trying to protect him - a fear rose up. Would he repeat the cycle?

He left Vox’s tower that he moved into, after they finally got over their bullshit and became the power couple. He left not due to contract, and repression of his feelings for him. He left to protect their kid from the possibility he could potentially hurt her. He's always had a favoritism of women and girls. It gets bitter when it's his daughter now.

Alastor goes to Rosie first, who promptly calls him out on being a dumbass and thinking of leaving his child and Vox. "You have every right to be afraid, and you need to work on recovery - but not at the expense of your own offspring and her development plus your husband who you just FIXED YOUR TRUST ISSUES WITH. YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT."

He tries. The first five months are rough. Vox was hurt even if Alastor came back quickly this time. Alastor struggled to hold Aimee and try not to think of himself. Trying to repress the questions of why his father would think to - and he grows protective of his daughter in the process, though not as much as Vox. Vox who babyproofs literally everything.

By the time Aimee walks and talks, it's slightly better. Rosie comes over, helps a lot even if her experience with being a mom is basically adopting Charlie as her own despite the fact Charlie’s a grown ass woman. Ah well. Details! Rosie's a great aunt. Mimzy’s an even better aunt and spoils the kid rotten. They become her favorites instantly.

Velvette would also spoil Aimee but makes little outfits for her, ties bows in her hair. Unfortunately Aimee isn’t a girly girl and usually takes off the frilly stuff for casual clothes. Overalls and stuff. Velvette’s hurt and thinks Al is somehow to blame. Actually it’s Vox but no one tell her, she will be biased no matter what.

Husk makes himself an uncle to the kid, alongside Angel. This pains Alastor inside, hearing Aimee call the buffoons "uncles." But can he deny her that? Nope. He's just glad Charlie and Niffty can be better influences. Also the kid is built with a passion to annoy Lucifer, Lilith AND Adam who’s basically living up the sinner life by the time she’s "born." Vox and Al are so proud!

Misc:

If I can bring other fankids into this... Aimee's friend group is basically Ayn, Sal/Salvatore, Lukas, Orion, Wynonna and Nicole. Who are Guitarspear, Huskerdust, Chaggie, Stolitz, Strella and Niffty x Baxter kids respectively. (Let me have my fun crossover shhh)

There's also Moxxie and Millie's triplets, Mason, Morgan, and Marilyn but they're like, four Yeats younger, so Aimee is often stuck babysitting... bummer.

Aimee is the least gremlin-like of the group and it frustrates Vox because she's a sweet little doe and these other kids are little shitheads who are the bane of his existence. He is very competitive as a result and probably ended up fistfighting several times. Alastor had to bandage his wrist and screen twice.

Aimee sees Carmilla and Zestial as like, grandparents. Only because Alastor’s mom Maeva is in heaven, and Vox’s mom is too. Vox and Alastor’s dads were both shitty and abusive, so as a result... the two oldest overlords become honorary grandparents. She calls Carmilla "mamie" and Zestial "Papi". Zestial’s basically willing to take her as his precious granddaughter, while Carmilla is a bit apprehensive because she and Vox never got along - but fuck it, the kid is cute. Too bad her dads are assholes and will do anything to make her an equally big menace.

The bane of Adam's existence is that his dynamite Ayn is friends with edgelord's kid. That being said, Vox pays him to shut the fuck up, so he tries to resign to this. Ayn is slightly less of a menace as a result of Aimee's influence, ironically. Same cannot be said for Orion or Nicole, who drag Aimee into lots of trouble and make Alastor contemplate whether he risk pissing Niffty and a demon that ranks higher off, or let this continue.

I will expand on more later because I have many ideas.

#hazbin hotel #radiostatic #staticlovetune #staticradio #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin hotel alastor #nagarusu talk.png #fankids and all their niches #it takes place after some slow burn and a couple years + Al and Vox are married #Romantic husbands. Murder husbands maybe.#I specify bc no mistag (which I've seen so often)

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dwobbitfromtheshire · 2 days

Text

Not So Complicated

AN: Yes, I just realized that Robin and Steve didn't get the Family Video job until the Byers started to move, but this is an AU, so anything goes. . . I really couldn't help but write this. . .

He hated the idea of leaving Hawkins, just as much as Will did, but his mom wanted them to be safe, and it wasn't just that. They knew how Mom felt now that Hopper was gone, and Jonathan knew how hard it would be for her to stay. If they asked her, she would choose to stay for them, but in the process, she would be miserable. He had thought about Nancy. . .what if she died. . .would he be able to stay? Jonathan never wanted to find out. He hated leaving her, but it comforted him to know she was still alive. They had a month before they left, and Jonathan was determined to make the time he had left with Nancy count. It's how they ended up at Family Video. Movie night.

"Do you know what you want?" Nancy asked as they walked through the door, the bell ringing rather loudly.

"No, why don't you pick something out? I need to ask Steve something," Jonathan said.

"You're really going to ask for Steve’s number for Will?" Nancy asked in amusement.

"Why did you ask it like that?" Jonathan huffed. "I'm just going to talk to him."

"You know I know his number, and Dustin knows his number, so it's safe to say Will knows his number," Nancy said. "This is just an excuse. . .isn't it? You know, what? Why am I stopping this? I'm going to pick out a movie."

Steve had his back turned, his eyes on the computer screen. He hadn't even noticed that they had come in. Jonathan leaned on the counter and rang the bell. Steve sprang up immediately.

"Ahoy, ladies, I'm Steve Harrington, and I'll be your - !" He yelled, startling Jonathan. "Shit, Jonathan, you're not a lady."

"Last time that I checked," he said, laughing.

"Robin made a bet that I - you know what, it doesn't matter," Steve said, blushing. "It's a Scoops Ahoy thing."

"Yeah, I saw you in the outfit. Kind of wish I had gone to Scoops at least once to see you in action," Jonathan said. "Bet you really put it to work."

It was supposed to be a sarcastic comment, but Steve’s cheeks turned pink, and Jonathan suddenly wondered if he just accidentally flirted with him. Steve smiled softly as he gazed at him, and he was thrown for a moment. He always thought that Steve’s eyes were brown, but as he looked at them more closely, they weren't just brown. . .they were green, too. They reminded him of the forest.

"Something wrong?" Steve asked.

"Are your eyes hazel?" Jonathan blurted out.

"Last time I checked, yeah," he said in amusement.

"It's. . .nice. . .your vest really brings out the green. It reminds me of the forest. . .I like trees," Jonathan said.

I like trees? Did he suddenly turn into an idiot?

"I like trees too," Steve said, grinning.

"This is going to sound weird, but can I have your number?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah," Steve said in surprised and scribbled it quickly on a piece of paper. "Here."

"I know your name, and do you usually draw a heart over the I?" Jonathan asked.

"Only in special circumstances," Steve winked.

"I just - it's for Will, you know, in case he wants to check in," he said quickly.

"Sure, for Will," he said laughing.

"Why do you sound like you don't believe me?" Jonathan said.

"Because it sounds like you don't even believe it," Steve said as he leaned on the counter, getting closer to him and inflating his eyes.

"What - stop doing that with your eyes," he said.

"I'm not doing anything," he said innocently and stood up.

Suddenly, Nancy appeared beside Jonathan with a grin on her face. Jonathan jumped.

"I found a movie," Nancy said, and he stared at her. "Jonathan?"

"Yeah, that's great," he said, blinking rapidly.

"Is everything okay over here?" Nancy asked as she looked between the two.

"More than okay," Steve replied. "I see what you see in him, Nance. He's pretty adorable. If I were another girl, I'd be stealing him away from you."

"You're an idiot, Steve Harrington," Nancy said affectionately.

"Cute boys will make some people do stupid things," Steve said, batting his eyelashes rather obnoxiously, and Nancy giggled.

Just for a moment, Jonathan wanted Steve to steal him, but then, for another moment, he wanted Steve to steal Nancy, too. That was such a weird thought, and he was so focused on it that he didn't even notice that Nancy had dragged him outside. Did he just hit on Nancy's ex-boyfriend, and did Steve flirt with him back? No, that's crazy. Meanwhile. . .back in Family Video, Steve was leaning against the counter, watching the door rather intently.

"Well, any luck?" Robin asked as she came out of the back.

"Huh?" Steve asked, looking at her.

"Any luck meeting someone special?" She asked.

"Have you ever looked at someone for one moment and not see them, not really, but then this one small moment changes everything?" Steve asked her.

"Well, you know I always thought you were an asshole but clearly, you showed me," Robin said.

"Not like that," he said. "You know, romantically."

"Okay, so, a pretty girl walked in who you never thought was pretty before?" Robin asked.

Steve looked back at the door and thought about Jonathan. He thought about his dark brown eyes. . . The color of coffee and just like coffee, it woke something up inside of him.

"Yeah. . .he's very pretty," Steve said with a sigh.

"Alright, so, who is this girl?" Robin asked as she started putting away video tapes.

"Robin!" Steve exclaimed.

"What? Am I missing something?" She asked.

"I'm going to give you a minute," Steve said as he turned back to the computer.

Robin rolled her eyes before continuing to put away the tapes. Steve sighed and gave her a look. He crossed his arms and began tapping his foot. His best friend was still a genius, right? Robin gasped and dropped the tapes. She turned around and ran around the counter, grabbing him.

"Steven, did you say what I think you just said?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," Steve said grinning.

"Did you mean what you said?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, okay, okay. . .what does this mean?" She asked.

Steve thought of Nancy's smiling face, her blue eyes, and the way she sounded when she called him an idiot. . .the way his heart still beat when she called him that.

"Well, I still like women so I don't know," he said.

"Hmm. . .well, can you tell me something you do know like. . .who is this guy you think is so pretty?" Robin said with a grin.

"You're going to flip," he said.

"Steve, this pancake has already flipped. Time to take it off the griddle," Robin said.

"Well, it's complicated. . ."

A month or so later, Jonathan didn't call Steve until after they had moved. It had been a lot of sleepless nights lost thinking of him, thinking of Nancy, and sometimes thinking of the both of them. After a long phone call with Nancy, he nervously called Steve.

"Hello?" Steve asked.

"Hey, it's Jonathan," he said.

"Hm, I thought my number was for Will," Steve said in amusement.

"It never was," Jonathan said.

"Knew it," Steve said.

"Don't get cocky or I'll hang up," he said.

"I'm not, just happily stating a fact," Steve replied.

"So, how are you?" Jonathan asked and winced at how awkward he sounded.

"Better now that you called," Steve said.

"Oh, well, I'm glad I can make your day better," Jonathan said, grinning.

"My parents are home. . .so, I'm really glad you called," Steve said.

"Are they really that bad?" Jonathan asked.

"Steven!" Jonathan could hear another man's voice on the other end of the line. "Are you making an appointment to get your hair cut? I swear, it's bad enough that my son is too much of a dumbass to get into college. Now I have to worry about him looking like a girl. It's like you want to embarrass this family. You should at least make an effort to look like a man if you can't be one."

"I'll make an appointment after this phone call, Dad," Steve said through gritted teeth. "It would be rude to hang up on this person."

"You better," he said. "Your mother is medicating again. She just had to listen to Sandra brag about her child going to Harvard. You don't want to disappoint your mother again. You remember what happened last time?"

There was a long stretch of silence, and then suddenly, he could hear Steve let out a breath.

"She did that because of you," Steve muttered.

"Jesus, Steve, are you okay?" Jonathan asked.

"I'm fine, I will be fine," Steve said. "I guess I'm going to have to make an appointment though."

"Don't cut your hair," Jonathan blurted out.

"What?"

"I mean, do you want to cut your hair?" He asked.

"Well, no," Steve said.

"Then don't. . .you look good. . .really good," Jonathan said softly.

"Okay. . .I won't. I look good, huh?" Steve asked.

Jonathan smiled at the tone of his voice, how much happier he sounded because of him. He never thought that he would have something like that in common with Steve Harrington, and he kind of hated that his dad was such an asshole but there was a part of Jonathan that felt a little less alone knowing that there was someone else who knew what it was like to have a father like that.

"Hey, so we're going to tell Nancy that we're. . . friends now, right?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah," Steve chuckled.

"It's good. . .that's good, but maybe we don't tell her that she was right about us getting a long," he said.

"Why? She's going to figure it out anyway. You know how she is. . .especially when she's right," Steve said.

"I know, I know. . .she just gets this twinkle in her eye. . .," Jonathan said.

"That's both obnoxious and beautiful at the same time?"

"Yeah. It makes you feel like you want to be wrong all the time," Jonathan said.

"Tell me about it," Steve said softly.

"Are you still . . . Never mind, forget I said anything," he said.

"Always, I think," Steve said, answering his incompleted question.

There was a heavy silence that followed. It said everything and nothing at the same time.

"I wish I was there," Jonathan said.

"Yeah, me too," Steve said softly.

They talked longer than they should have and didn't stop until Steve’s father practically yanked him off the phone. Jonathan had flopped on the bed after that, feeling everything come alive for him in that moment. He liked Steve, a lot more than he should, but he also still loved Nancy. . .what the hell? He hugged his pillow close to his chest and sighed.

"Hey, Jonathan," Will"s voice broke through his thoughts. "El wants to play a board game. Are you in?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute," he replied.

"Are you okay?" Will asked. "Did you and Nancy have a fight?"

Jonathan sat up and looked at his brother. He wanted nothing more than to tell him. . .to tell Will that he wasn't alone, but he also didn't want to make him feel like he was pressuring him to tell him anything he wasn't ready for. Jonathan sighed, opened his mouth, and closed it again. He also wasn't quite ready yet to say it outloud. It's not that he didn't trust Will. . .he just wasn't ready yet because while he was quite aware of himself now, Jonathan hadn't really quite accepted it yet. He was feeling quite overwhelmed, and it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. There are just too many emotions swirling around in his head all at once. He just needed to breathe.

"Everything's perfect."

Days and weeks passed, and Jonathan and Steve were still in this dance that neither one would mention. Nancy now knew they were friends but had yet to see them flirt or notice the way they talked about each other. Nancy was happy to be a part of Steve’s life again, but she missed Jonathan, and she felt less alone in knowing that she wasn't the only one. Currently, Nancy was leaning against the counter, talking to Steve while Robin put away inventory.

"I don't know, Steve, I just feel like there's something he's keeping from me. Do you have any idea what it could be?" Nancy asked.

"No, and even if I did know, I'm not going to be the kind of friend who goes blabbing to the girlfriend," Steve said. "There's a code, Nance."

"What if I did this?" Nancy asked as she inflated her eyes and poked out her bottom lip.

"Those powers of yours don't work on me anymore," Steve said, lying.

"He just seems troubled about something," Nancy said with a sigh.

"Maybe it's the fact that he's miles away from you, and he doesn't know how to say just how much he misses you. You know Jonathan, he's better with the camera than he is with words," Steve said.

"Well, he hasn't actually picked up the camera in a while. Too busy smoking weed with his new friend Argyle," Nancy said.

"Maybe he needs to find a balance. Photography and spending time with Argyle," Steve said and tried to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

"Maybe he's just blocked creatively. . .that happens sometimes, right?" Robin asked..

Nancy huffed and rolled her eyes. Steve wasn't sure what it was, but Nancy seemed to have a problem with Robin.

"Maybe," Nancy begrudgingly agreed.

"Well, maybe I can talk to him and get him to talk to you. . .gently, you know?" Steve said. "But if he says he's not ready to talk about whatever ever is bothering him then - "

"I'll back off, I swear!" Nancy exclaimed and then paused. "You don't think maybe he doesn't love me anymore, do you?"

"What? No! That would be crazy! Our boyfriend's an idiot but he's not that stupid," Steve said.

"What did you just say?" Nancy asked.

"I said Jonathan's an idiot but he's not that stupid," Steve said.

"That's not what you said. You said: "Our boyfriend's an idiot," Nancy said.

"What? No, I didn't!" Steve exclaimed.

"Yes, you did!" Nancy yelled.

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!"

"Robin, tell her," Steve said.

Robin froze like a deer in headlights as she cradled the tapes against her chest. She glanced at Nancy and then at Steve.

"You. . ." Robin started to say but looked at Steve for a moment, and her head snapped down to her watch free wrist. "Oh, would you look at the time. . .it's my lunch break!"

Robin dropped the tapes and ran right into the break room.

"See! You did say it!" Nancy asked.

"That doesn't prove anything! Robin is always squirrelly," Steve scoffed.

"You said it. I heard it. Robin heard it," Nancy smirked. "You called Jonathan our boyfriend."

"Hey, I mean, it's technically true. He's a boy, and he's my friend," Steve said, blushing. "You're never going to let me live this down. Are you?"

"Never," Nancy laughed.

Steve appreciated the fact that Nancy thought it was just a slip of the tongue. He wasn't ready to admit her about anything else his feelings for both her and Jonathan. How could he ever explain that? So, he let the bit go on for a while. . .up until the spring break from hell. Everything was perfect, Steve was on the cusp of revealing his feelings to both Jonathan and Nancy when shit hit the fan. He saved up money, working extra shifts, doing what his father asked of him, and then he was going to surprise Nancy with two plane tickets to Lenora. Of course, Chrissy Cunningham died, Eddie got pinned for the murders, but the real culprit was a new monster from the Upside Down. . .or rather an old one. Now, here he was, in Max's kitchen, trying to fix his bandages and trying not to cry over the image of almost losing Nancy.

"Hey, man, you alright?" Eddie's voice startled him.

"Yeah, yeah, all good," Steve said, adjusting his bandages and wincing when he decided to pat his stomach.

"Clearly, seeing Wheeler like that shook you up," he said. "Maybe I was right before."

Eddie's words sprang into his head again, and they kept spinning around in there.

". . .unambiguous sign of true love that these cynical eyes have ever seen. . ."

"You weren't wrong. . .about me anyway," Steve said. "I don't know about Nancy."

"She didn't waste a second going in there," Eddie said.

"That's just who she is," he said.

"Maybe, but Dustin told me about how she infiltrated the lab. . .stormed the gates of hell to get justice for her friend, Barb. . .she loved her, too. Maybe risking her neck out for people she doesn't know is something she does, but she's just as determined to do it for the people she loves. . .man, she's my new favorite superhero," Eddie grinned.

"Mine too," Steve blushed and paused. "It's complicated. . . She's still dating Jonathan Byers."

"So, he's all the way out in California, right? You're the one that's here," Eddie said, and Steve gave him a look. "Well, you're a better man than I am."

Steve glanced down at the hanky in his pocket. After his awakening and coming out to Robin, they had both been determined to find out any information they could find. They took off during Christmas break and traveled up to Indianapolis as well as Chicago. Steve smiled as he remembered the little bar in Chicago they had found, tucked away from everything else practically. This nice young woman who explained the hanky code to him before proceeding to make out with his best friend. It had been the best Christmas for the both of them.

"It's complicated because - " Steve started to say.

"Steve?" Nancy's voice spoke from the doorway.

Steve jumped, his heart practically leaping into his throat.

"Nancy? Are you okay?" Steve asked.

"I should be asking you that," Nancy said.

"I think it's safe to say that none of us are okay," Eddie replied.

"Are your bites hurting you?" Nancy asked, and he didn't say anything. "Steve?"

"Yeah, okay, they hurt like a bitch," Steve winced.

"We need to put some medicine on it and re bandage the wounds," Nancy said.

"I think I saw a first aid kit under the sink," Eddie said and bent down to retrieve it. "Here you go."

"Help me?" Nancy asked, and he nodded.

Steve shrugged off the vest and handed it Eddie. Nancy grinned at him and giggled.

"What?"

"I know who you reminded of in Eddie's vest," Nancy said. "Tom Cruise from the Outsiders minus the teeth, of course."

"Really. . .you know, I always thought Tom Cruise was hot in that," Steve said, and Eddie nearly choked on his own saliva.

"Yeah, me too, especially with the tattoo," Nancy said as she took off his bandages. "You should get a tattoo."

"Yeah, what would I get?" Steve asked. "Your name?"

"Oh, yeah, our boyfriend would love that," Nancy giggled.

"What?!" Eddie exclaimed, his eyes comically wide.

"It was slip of the tongue," Steve explained, and Eddie didn't ask any questions.

Nancy put the bandages on him, wrapping her arms around him as she did so. She stood on her tippy toes to whisper in his ear.

"I think you and I both know that it stopped being a joke a long time ago," Nancy whispered, and it took everything in him not to shudder. "We're going to get out of this, Steve, and we're going to see our boyfriend again. Our boyfriend."

She made sure the road rash wounds were cleaned thoroughly before patching them up as well. She kissed his cheek, put the vest back on, and went off towards the bathroom. Steve leaned against the kitchen counter, wondering if she really meant that.

"It's complicated because I'm also in love with her boyfriend," Steve said.

"Shit! Okay, yeah, I didn't see that coming," Eddie said with wide eyes. "Wait, I know we've been through hell together, but why are you telling me this?"

"I thought that maybe you might be a little safer than others," he replied.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because, you know. . .do you really want me to say it?" Steve asked.

"Yeah!"

"You're, you know. . .the hanky," Steve whispered.

"You mean this one?" Eddie asked, pulling it out of his back pocket. "It's just something I wear because I saw another heavy metal guitarist wearing one just like it."

"Oh. . .oh, shit," Steve said, and then he laughed. "Sorry, man, I thought you were like me."

"Nah, those are just rumors," Eddie said, flashing his dimples. "I never tried to deny them, though. They hated it when I acted all flattered and not like it was an insult, which it isn't."

"Thanks, man," Steve smiled.

"So, when did you know that it wasn't just girls?" Eddie asked.

"One day, Nancy and Jonathan just walked into Family Video. . .I looked into his eyes, and I just knew. I realized then it wasn't just Jonathan that I noticed. I looked at guys and girls over the years, checking out every bit of them. . .with my eyes glancing at their lips and the way their clothes fit and wondering what's under them. . .what they look like and what they would feel like," Steve said. "It hit me all at once."

"Wait. . .does everyone not do that?" Eddie asked.

"Uh, no, dude, they most certainly do not," Steve said.

"Oh. . .OH!" Eddie exclaimed and paused. "So, it's not normal to be a little into ot when you kiss your guys friends?"

"Normal, yes. Straight? Hell no," Steve laughed and slapped his shoulder.

"They were fucking right," he breathed and paused again. "Oh shit, okay. . . I feel like half gay isn't the proper term. . ."

"Bisexual," Steve said. "Only if you prefer labels."

"Okay, okay," Eddie rubbed his face and pushed his bangs up.

"You okay over there?" Steve asked.

Eddie leaned against the counter, his whole body relaxing as he exhaled. He smiled.

"Yeah. . .so, are you going to tell them how you feel?" Eddie asked him.

"I don't know," Steve said. "I mean, I had plans before, you know, but everything is so messed up now. . ."

"If you don't take the chance now. . .you'll might not get another, especially with everything that's happening now," he said and sighed. "I had so many chances to get to know her. . .but I thought she was like every other popular person who hated me . . . Then she surprised me, and we had this one moment, then she was gone. Life is short, man. Don't let your insecurities get in the way."

"Yeah, that's true," Steve said. "You're pretty smart for a third time senior."

"Fuck off," Eddie said laughing. "You're pretty great for a jock. I was glad I was wrong that all jocks are the same. . . I think I'm starting to like being proven wrong."

"Thanks, Eddie," Steve said softly.

"Anything for my fellow bisexy," Eddie winked at him.

"No! No! Absolutely not!" Steve exclaimed and Eddie laughed.

It was that moment with Eddie, that moment in the Upside Down too, that Steve clung to after he died. His words echoed in his head after Max was put into a coma, and the Upside Down came to Hawkins. He held onto them even after all that and tried not to think about Nancy's face when he told her how he felt. He tried not to think about Dustin's face when he told them that Eddie had died. Steve tried to desperately cling to the hope that the metalhead had left him with, that Robin continued to drill into them. He tried not to think about Nancy's worried expression and the words that they would talk whenever they saw Jonathan again.

He showed up two days later when they were gathering donations for the 'earthquake' relief that they were holding at the high school. A yellow pizza van pulled up, squealing loudly. Will, El, a man with long hair, and Jonathan spilled out of the vehicle. Steve watched as Jonathan and Nancy ran toward each other, Jonathan twirling her around in his arms. Steve smiled softly, watching them for a moment. Before he knew it, Jonathan was grabbing him and pulling him into the hug. No one else was looking, too busy hugging each other. Everything else seemed to fade into nothingness for a moment, blurry shapes in the background as Steve pulled back to look at them.

"Our boyfriend's home," Nancy said softly.

"What?" Jonathan asked.

"Slip of the tongue," Steve blushed.

"It was an accident then, but I think Jonathan needs to know if you mean it now," Nancy said.

"Do you mean it?" He asked Steve.

"Yes," he said. "Yeah, definitely. I love you. . .both of you."

Suddenly, Jonathan is crashing his lips to his. . .in front of everyone. Steve didn't care about that, though. All he cared about was the fact that Jonathan was kissing him, and Nancy was with them. . .in between them. He smirked as he kissed Jonathan back when Nancy let out a delightful gasp. Dustin shrieked.

"OH MY GOD!"

Steve quickly broke the kiss with Jonathan to look at everyone. They were all staring at him in shock. . .everyone except Robin and the man he assumed was Argyle. They were both grinning.

"What?" Steve asked. "I'm welcoming our boyfriend home."

"I thought that was just a joke!" Dustin exclaimed.

"It never was," Steve smirked. "Not really."

"Oh. . .and everyone involved is okay with this?" He asked.

"Well, I was the one who kissed him, so, yeah," Jonathan grinned.

"I'm definitely okay with this," Nancy said.

"I'm happy for all of you," Dustin said.

Dustin did look happy, but it killed Steve to see that there wasn't the same light in his eyes as before. It was tinged with sadness, and he could tell that Dustin was trying his hardest to be happy right now, but they were down a member, and it was difficult for him not to feel that. Steve pulled himself away from his partners and hugged Dustin tightly. The guy he had come to love like a brother was in so much pain right now, and he would give anything to fix it. Anything.

"Thanks, man," Steve said.

"I love you," he said. "You're my brother."

His heart clenched at those words. He loved hearing that but at the same time, they sounded so sad.

"I love you, too," Steve replied.

Steve pulled a way from the hug and ruffled Dustin's curls. He turned to find his partners being hugged by both their siblings. In this moment, his group of friends felt more like a family than his own parents ever did. They were going to face this thing together, and looking at them now, he felt like they could really accomplish something.

Two weeks later. . .

Steve’s vision was fading, the edges going dark as he tried to stay awake. He could feel his own blood in his hands. . .at his sides. . .just when his bites were starting to heal. He coughed, and now he could feel blood in his throat. Nancy and Jonathan were by his sides, crying.

"Stay with us, Steve! Please!" Nancy screamed.

"Steve!" Jonathan cried. "Come on, no, don't close your eyes!"

"Tired," Steve gasped.

Nancy was kissing him. Doesn't she care that she was going to get blood on her lips? Jonathan didn't either, apparently, because he kissed him too. Suddenly, he heard more footsteps. Joyce and Hopper's face swam above him, their faces pale blurry shapes.

"Let's get him in the van, hurry!" Hopper yelled.

Hands reached for him, and everything went dark. The last thing he saw was a large winged creature flying overhead. Did it have Eddie's face? Memories of his life swam before him. . .memories of playing with his nannies. . .meeting Tommy. . .joining the basketball team, the swim team, the baseball team. . .hoping each time his parents would be there to cheer him on. Then came the memories of meeting Nancy, falling for her, and the dreaded memories that came after. Her smile and her voice called to him like a beacon along with Jonathan's. He remembered getting to know Dustin, getting to Robin, and realizing that there's more love in this world than just romantic love. . .he wasn't alone anymore. He had a family. The kids and everyone else. Suddenly, he was standing in a forest. . .a mixture of green and brown swirled around him. Nancy and Jonathan stood holding hands in a clearing.

"I like trees," Jonathan whispered, his voice echoing in the empty forest.

A demogorgon stood behind them, and Steve started running towards them, trying to call out. He wasn't moving, though, and he couldn't speak either. Just as the demogorgon jumped on them, Steve woke up. A bright light overhead nearly blinded him, and suddenly, people surrounded him and pulled something out of his throat. Oh, he was in a hospital. . .hopefully. He glanced at the doctor trying to talk to him, but everything turned black again. When he woke up, he was a little more alert this time. His eyes landed on two people in the corner of the room. Eddie and Chrissy?

"Oh god, am I dead?" Steve asked.

Eddie laughed, and Chrissy giggled into his shoulder.

"No, you're very much alive," Eddie said.

"Then what the fuck?" Steve asked.

Dustin appeared at Eddie's side and into Steve’s view. He launched into the story of how Eddie (now a vampire) and Vecna's victims (who weren't actually dead) had helped El save the day. The gates were closed, and Vecna was no more. Steve hung onto every word, smiling at the light, though a little dim, was now back in Dustin's eyes. When Dustin finished telling him, he burst into tears and threw himself into Steve’s neck. Steve groaned.

"Careful, Dustin," Eddie said.

"No, man. It's alright, worth it," Steve smiled and carefully wrapped an arm around his brother.

After Dustin finished crying, he pulled back and wiped his eyes. Eddie patted him on the back.

"I'm glad you're okay," Dustin sniffled, and then he gasped. "Oh, shit! I need to tell Nancy and Jonathan! They've been back and forth between your room and Max's room. She's awake, by the way! I'm going to go get them!"

Dustin paused for a moment as if he was thinking about staying before shaking his head and rushing out of the room.

"He's never going to leave our side, man," Eddie said. "Not that I'm complaining."

"It's cute. He's happy you guys are alive," Chrissy said.

Steve grinned and laughed when he saw the markings on Eddie's neck.

"Is that a hickey, Eddie?" Steve said teasingly.

"I did that!" Chrissy said proudly.

"She went after me harder than the bats did," Eddie said, flashing his dimples.

"I can't help it if you're so yummy," Chrissy said, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him to her.

Eddie moved his arm behind her and tugged her closer, brushing his nose with hers. Chrissy giggled softly.

"Not as yummy as you are," Eddie said and paused. "Wait, is that still cute to say coming from a vampire?"

"Yes," Chrissy laughed.

The door burst open. Nancy and Jonathan came running in, breathing heavily. Nancy burst into tears and threw herself at him, climbing in beside him. Steve groaned again and laughed, wrapping an arm around her. Nancy pulled back a little.

"Oh! Did I hurt you?" Nancy asked.

"A little, so worth it," Steve said.

Nancy laughed. She began kissing his face all over, and finally, she landed on his lips, kissing him deeply. Steve smiled even though he could taste her salty tears on his lips. Nancy broke the kiss, letting Jonathan in to do the same, his own tears intermingling with Nancy's.

"We love you," Jonathan said softly.

"Love you too," Steve said weakly and cleared his throat.

"You're an asshole, though. That demogorgon was coming for me," Jonathan said.

"Cute boys make people do stupid things," Steve replied. "You're so worth it."

Jonathan started crying again and kissed him, running his fingers through his hair.

"Uh, we're just going to go and give you a few moments," Eddie said with a grin. "Glad you're alive, Steve."

Steve peered over Jonathan's shoulder to match Eddie's grin. He walked out the door with Chrissy. Clearly, they were going to make out or judging by the way that Chrissy pinched Eddie's ass on the way out, they were going to fuck. Steve smiled and buried his head into Nancy's hair.

"You know, I think there's room enough for you too," Steve said to Jonathan.

"I'm not risking pulling on anything," he said, and Steve laughed.

Jonathan rolled his eyes and plopped down in the chair next to Steve’s bed. He took his hand hand in his before taking Nancy's other one.

"It's okay, Jonathan's new bed is big enough for both of us," Nancy said.

Steve opened his mouth to say something when the door burst open, and Robin came running in with Vickie. Dustin was breathing heavily behind them.

"I tried - I tried to stop her," Dustin gasped.

"You're awake! You have no idea how scared I was. The thought that I would never see my best friend again. . . You are a sacrificial idiot! How many times do we have to go through this? You're important, too!" Robin yelled and burst into tears.

"I'm sorry," Steve said softly.

Jonathan moved out of the way and let Robin hug Steve carefully. Robin pulled back to stand at the edge of the bed with Vickie.

"You're not allowed to do that again," Robin sniffled and then paused. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No, you're good," Jonathan said.

Steve looked at the shirt Robin was wearing and then at Vickie. He tried to hide the knowing smile on his face, but apparently, it was pretty evident.

"Oh my God! He knows!" Vickie blurted out with wide eyes. "Although, I don't think I really care that he knows, unless you do, of course, Robin. How does he know, though?"

"He knows about me, and now they know about me. . .I think. Did I tell you guys or just think about telling you guys?" Robin asked, pointing to Nancy and Jonathan. "Do you really not care if they know about us?"

"If you trust them, so do I," Vickie said. "Besides, if they can keep something like this a secret then anything is possible."

"Wait, how did you know about me and Vickie?" Robin asked.

"Well, first off, you're wearing a pink shirt that's definitely not yours, and Vickie's wearing the shirt that I let you borrow that you never gave back," Steve said.

Vickie and Robin looked down, cursing when they saw he was right.

"Is that what you were doing in the on call room? Switching shirts?" Dustin asked.

"No, buddy. We were not," Robin said, slapping his shoulder. "We're dating."

"OH! Is that why you wouldn't date Steve?" Dustin asked.

"Hi, I'm Robin Buckley, permanent resident in the lesbian department," she said, wiggling her fingers at him.

"Nancy, you told me Steve and Robin had dated!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"I thought they had!" Nancy exclaimed defensively. "I know now that they are strictly platonic."

"Wait, were you both jealous of Robin?" Steve asked, and they blushed. "Well, that's cute."

"It's okay, I was jealous of Steve at one point," Vickie said.

"You were?" Robin asked.

"I had this whole plan where I would send back Fast Times to Family Video, hoping Robin would somehow notice that I had paused it at a specific moment, letting her know that I liked women. Of course, I overhead Steve and Robin talking their relationship to the next level. . .they wanted to get married! I didn't know they were talking platonically. Without even thinking, I got back together with Dan. Even though he was an asshole, he's still a person with feelings, you know. . .I can't believe it, but as it turns out, he was using me too. . .so, no hard feelings, I guess. My head was just spinning. . .you make my head spin," Vickie sighed. "I'll stop talking. . ."

"Don't you dare, I could listen to you talk forever," Robin said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Vickie squealed, stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around Robin's neck, and kissed her deeply. Robin sighed against her mouth, smiling into the kiss. Dustin grinned as he moved past them to stand on the other side of Steve’s bed.

"They are so cute," Dustin said. "Hey, I saw Eddie and Chrissy go into the on call room. . .you think they're going to "switch shirts" too?"

"Definitely," Steve snorted.

"I don't think so, I saw Argyle and Eden go in there after them," Vickie said, breaking her kiss with Robin for a moment before continuing.

"Eden?" Steve asked.

"Suzie's sister. Suzie and her family came down to help when they heard about the earthquake," Dustin said. "OH! I should bring her here to meet you! She's been dying to. . . Wait, hold on, you don't think that they're all switching shirts in there?"

"Argyle is a very. . .loveable person, and he doesn't deny it either," Jonathan laughed. "I wouldn't put it past him. Eddie is his type."

"How would that even work. . .those beds are very small. . .WAIT, WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT THIS?" Dustin yelled. "Eddie's my brother! Gah! SUZIE!"

They all laughed as they watched him storm out of the room. Vickie and Robin had finally broken the kiss. Robin's arms were wrapped around her waist, supporting her on her tiptoes, as Vickie trailed her fingers up Robin's arms. They beamed at each other.

"I think we're going to find another room," Robin said. "Glad you're alive, Steve!"

She took Vickie's hand, and they left the hospital room, giggling. Steve smiled after they left, staring at the doorway they left through. Everything was falling into place for everyone. . .including Steve. . .he could believe it. . . They had won. He looked at Nancy and Jonathan. Nancy's eyes twinkled as though she guessed what he was thinking.

"Can you believe we're here now?" Nancy asked.

"No," Steve said. "But also, yes."

"You know, this could have been the solution to our problem back then," Jonathan said.

"Don't dwell on that," Nancy said.

"We're here now," Steve said.

"We just - made things so complicated," Jonathan said.

"Well, they're not complicated now, and we have all the time in the world," Nancy said. "We have more time."

"Yeah," Jonathan grinned.

Steve laughed. He doesn't know why he was laughing, but it suddenly bursts out of him. He was so deliriously happy.

"Steve?"

"Everything's. . .perfect."