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#when their little family was born and when eddie first placed all of his trust in buck when it came to christopher even after tragedy
exhuastedpigeon · 18 days
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Just thinking about the way the Buckley-Diaz family has evolved and grown as the seasons have progressed and getting really emotional, don't mind me.
Season 2 you have Buck helping Eddie get the support he needs, but he isn't that involved yet. Buck insists on going to Eddie's shield ceremony even though he's got a cast up his thigh. They're friends, they're close, but they haven't quite made the leap to family yet.
Season 3 you get that leap. You have Buck helping with the accessible skateboard. You've got Buck planning a little party so all of the firefam can see their families on Christmas, but especially so Christopher can see Eddie. And that's not even mentioning the 'there's nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you'. This is the season their family was born and it was forged in fire and a tsunami and a lawsuit and forgiveness.
Season 4 gives us Chris running to Buck when he's mad at his dad and Buck really acting like a co-parent and not a fun uncle (which is kind of what he acted like at the start of season 3). It gives us the fucking will and Eddie showing and telling Buck how important he is to him and to his family. It gives us Buck telling Chris his dad was shot and Chris comforting Buck as he sobbed. It gives you no room to argue that those three are a family.
Season 5 takes it up another level. You have Eddie ending a relationship with a lovely woman because Buck called him on his bullshit. We get the hostage situation and Buck losing his cool when Christopher is threatened. And then Eddie leaving the 118 and Buck worrying about him because he seems off. It gives us Eddie learning to cooking Buck loving the food even though he warned Taylor to eat before.
You get Eddie's breakdown and Christopher calling Buck because he's his other adult. He's the person he trusts with himself and his dad. Then you get Buck caring for the Diaz boys - taking Chris to school, making sure Eddie isn't alone, helping Chris with his homework. And then finally you get Buck helping Eddie patch his walls, because he's the guy Eddie trusts to help him when he's at his lowest, to see him at his lowest.
(And you get Buck over at the Diaz house playing with Chris's dinosaurs while Eddie packs in one of the most domestic little scenes and I love it so much.)
Season 6 gives us family dinner at Buck's loft. It starts with Chris teasing Buck about his couch, with Eddie and Chris playing a game in the kitchen while Buck cooks. When Buck gets struck by lightening Chris demands to see him. When Buck wakes up the only place he can really fall asleep is at the Diaz house.
And you get the poker night scene, which feels like a parent's night out/date night. They still feel like a team even if things are different after the lightening.
Even though season 6 ended with both Buck and Eddie attempting to start other relationships, it's clearly established throughout not just season 6, but the entire show that they're a family, no matter what.
And we know season 7 is starting with Buck parenting Chris at Eddie's request. With Buck and Eddie teaming up to help Chris with his first crush. Another incidence of them being a family, of them functioning like a family unit.
No matter what happens with Buddie, the Buckley-Diaz family is just that - a family. There's no other way to look at it. Those three love each other. They support each other. They're a family even if Buddie is never explicitly romantic.
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angelynmoon · 8 months
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Eldritch Steve
Part 12
-
Steve makes a nest after Wayne talks to him, it's not something he's compelled to do, just something he wants.
He steals Robin's vests and her pillows, because they smell like her, anxiety and excitment, they smell like sister. He steals shirts from the children, all their left socks too, just because, the shirts smell like home and family, they smell like his, even with the undertones of betrayed and abandoned that Will, Jonathan, and El's clothes leave from Joyce.
Steve can tolerate it because there is also understanding and argument and acceptance in the trace that Hopper leaves on the cloth.
Argyle brings him blankets for the Wheeler home, where he and Jonathan are staying until they find a place of their own with Nancy, Steve is especially pleased wuth the way they smell, like love and comfort and family, not like his kids but still family, and just a tiny hit of Other, not unlike the way Wayne smells, just not as deep, like it has been bred out for too many years tobe like them.
Argyle just smiles and helps him build his nest, fixing parts when Steve gets frustrated with the edges and telling his stories, and Steve knkws that there is at least one Other, all the way out in California because Argyle speaks of his grandmother, whise age no one in the family seems to know and who changes it everytime she's asked, sometimes she's 90, other she has lost count after all tbe centuries that have passed.
"You remind me of her." Argyle tells him as they finish the nest and move on to making an overhang to hid it, "She'd make nests like this whenever the moms would get pregnant, and she'd lay with them inside until the babies were two weeks old, the babies were kept there, not presented until that time."
Argyle looked at Steve, "We always had home births, I helped with my mom's last one, nothing came of it, the child was not born alive, but I know what to do."
"Why wasn't it alive?" Steve asked, curious.
"These things sometimes happen, the first generation of a crossbreed always has more dead children than live." Argyle said gently, "It's why there are no multiples in my family, because it was better to make one at a time."
Steve paused as he held a blanket.
"But my family only had Grandmother, you have Wayne too. I think, I think your kind is not meant to be alone, not really." Argyle said softly with a smile, "You have all of us too."
"Yes, yes, I have all of you." Steve smiled back and nailed his blanket up before going to retreive the blankets he and Eddie had been using for the last few days, spreading them over the nest beneath the tent of blankets, so his scent of warmth, love and home, home, home was the most prominant, and them he went and dug out the work shirt he'd stolen from Wayne and tucked it into a corner of the nest, he wanted their eventual children to know Wayne's scent, but most importantly he wanted them to know it as a safe one, like the others in the nest, to know that he was not a danger to them, but a protection for them.
"I think I'd like to meet your Grandmother." Steve said as he a Argyle finished the nest, Steve would drag the children to sleel there for the night, in order to embed their smells a little more secrurely.
"I think she'd like to meet you, too." Argyle said, "But the moms are getting ready for the next baby back home, so it may take a few months before she comes out here."
Steve nodded with a hum, children first, he'd neet her eventually, maybe she'd even come out to stay, it would be nice to have others of his ki d he could trust to help keep his family safe.
-
A/n: so, a lot of people seemed to want Argyle to be the Other, well, he's not completely Other but rather a few generations removed, because why not.
His grandmother came through one of the cracks, ate a few towns, and then fell in love with one of the natives tasked with killing her, he married her instead and they had to flee the tribe when she spawned and ended up in California where she had three live children(girls all of them, Argyle is the first boy born in the family because he's the first one that also has two moms, the others chose a male partner.)
Because it amuses me to think that all the of decendents of Argyle's Grandmother are female and can therefore Spawn without a male presence, which some of them have, so Argyle has practical Spawning knowledge because Wayne has never Spawned in his life and Steve needs someone that will make sure his hybred babies live.
Have a happy unbirthday(it's my actual birthday so I'm making like a Hobbit and giving you a gift.)
@addelyin @merricatty @lesbiabrobin @apuckishwit @0o-mushroom-o0 @starlight-archer @darkwitchoferie @just-a-tiny-void @swimmingbirdrunningrock @intergalactic-president-awesome @vampireinthesun @goodolefashionedloverboi @adhdsummer @purpleanimeoverart @space-invading-pigeon @lilaclilyroses @nohomoyesbi @plantzzsandpencilzzs @korixae @subversivecynic @flusteredcas @persnicketysquares @freddykicksasses @little-trash-ghost @cupcakesnwhiskey @cats-ate-all-of-my-pasta @planetsoda @paintsplatteredandimperfect @irregular-child @daydreamsandcrashingwaves @lifeisnotsobadonceyoustopcaring @steddieassheg0es
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galactic-magick · 2 years
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Stranger things headcanon request please! The characters reacting to reader having been both with powers, thank you!
The reader has similar powers to Eleven and the other kids in this, but their powers didn't come from lab experiments they just were born with them. Hope you like!
Have a Stranger Things request? Read this!
Steve Harrington:
Steve is super confused when he first finds out about your powers
he knows Eleven and has heard about what she went through at the lab so he's both surprised and relieved you didn't have to go through that to be this powerful
he's in awe of everything you can do
occasionally he tries to be protective of you, even though he very well knows you don't need it
you think it's cute that he thinks he could match you in a fight with his silly little bat
Robin Buckley:
she completely loses her mind whenever you use your powers
and she will not shut up about how cool you are
she has a lot of questions though that you don't really have answers for
you don't really know why you were born with these powers, you've just always had them
she likes to joke that when you're paired up for an investigation or side quest for the party you're the brawn and she's the brains, although she hypes up all your other qualities not just your strong powers
she loves all of you and thinks you're the hottest human being in every dimension
Nancy Wheeler:
sometimes you have to tell this girl to turn her journalism brain off because she just loves finding answers and getting to the bottom of things
when you tell her about your powers she immediately is interested in how you got them
if you're also interested in that she'd offer to help you get access to old files, maybe there's some connection in your family history, and as we've seen she knows how to fake documents to get in places haha
if you're not super interested in why you were born with them she'd totally respect that too though
overall she'd just think it's super amazing that you're here and the universe blessed her with you
Eddie Munson:
this man is still very new to this so he'd be freaking out a little
if he meets you before he meets Eleven then he'd be extra freaked out because he's never seen powers like that in action before
once he gets over the initial shock of "holy shit telekinesis is real" then he'd think it's amazing and wonderful
he'd just stare at you with his beautiful big brown eyes
if he wasn't already whipped for you he'd certainly be now
as a huge fantasy nerd he'd be baffled that he's witnessing fantasy come to life in someone as awesome as you
Jonathan Byers:
Jonathan's a little tired of all this at this point lets be real, mans is just drowning all his problems out with weed
so when he first finds out about your powers he's scared of being dragged back into all the Upside Down stuff
but when you tell him you were born with them and they didn't come from Hawkins Lab or anything, he's a lot more open to it and interested in it
you become a safe space for him, and he feels like he can really take a deep breath for once around you because you could protect him if anything happened
Argyle:
he thinks your powers are sick af
the first time you use them in front of him he's high so he thinks he's just seeing things
but after it wears off he still asks you about it, cuz honestly this guy is super smart and observant and he knows when the vibes are off
you end up telling him because you trust him and you care about him enough that you want him to know this part of yourself
he's definitely the type to ask if you can do cool tricks
which of course you do cuz who can say no to him
001:
you're just like him and he can sense that immediately
he feels a super deep connection to you because you were both born with these powers, only difference is yours weren't discovered by Dr. Brenner and you weren't sent to the lab with him
he kind of wishes you had been discovered though, so he could've met you earlier
he wants you to join him, because the two of you combined would be literally unstoppable
if you say no he'd probably try to kill you cuz you'd be a huge threat to him, but if you say yes y'all would have the most villainous twisted love imaginable and could probably actually carry out his dream of remaking the world
Jim Hopper:
he wouldn't really be sure what to do with you to be honest
sure, he's dealt with being El's adopted father and her powers, but it feels a lot different since you're not a kid
he kinda just lets you do your thing, he doesn't mess with you because he knows you can take care of yourself
sometimes you like to kid around with him, making things move and jump scaring him
he doesn't think it's funny but you think it's hilarious
scaring the shit out of people is a love language I think
Dmitri "Enzo" Antonov:
Enzo literally doesn't know shit about all this horror sci-fi stuff back in Hawkins besides the bits Hopper has told him and fighting a Demagorgon
so when he hears about your powers his entire world is warped
like here you are, this person he really cares about, and you have these crazy abilities that are usually only in fiction
he might be really scared at first, he knows you'd never hurt him but people like you are so foreign to him
once he's used to the idea though, he'd love it
he'd be so filled with amazement and wonder
Joyce Byers:
you think she's protective of Will? just wait until you see how she is with you
as soon as she finds out about your powers she'd have so many questions to make sure you're safe
you assure her they're not connected to the Upside Down so she doesn't need to worry about you dealing with that
once that's out of the way she'd honestly love having your powers in her life
even just silly little domestic things, like using your powers to get her something from the top shelf of the cupboard
she'd feel safe with you around, she knows you'll protect her and her family and everyone in the house loves you
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harrowharkwife · 1 year
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we're all in agreement that the whole "oh no, i can never tell him i'm in love with him, because what if it ruins our friendship" best-friends-to-lovers angst is one of the most delicious aspects of mutual pining buck&eddie, but like... do you ever think about the very distinct, entirely plausible possibility that buck's just- never really had a best friend, before?
like, he's so friendly and charming and charismatic that he's probably had several close friends, i'm sure. guys he'd hang out with, roommates, coworkers, friends from school, people he met in peru. people he could trust to house-sit and water his plants for a weekend, friends to go bar-hopping with, an older sister who loves him so much she gave him the chance to leave home even if it meant trapping herself there longer. his found family from the 118, who'd all have his back through anything. he's always been loved, even if he didn't realize it, because he's always had a family, first in maddie and then in the 118. he's always had friends.
but a real, street-goes-both-ways, mutual, reciprocal, coffee order memorized, key to your house, spare toothbrush on the bathroom counter, emergency contact, i'm-doing-laundry-anything-you-want-me-to-throw-in-with-my-load?, on each other's car insurance policies, plus-one invite to family functions, naps together, bail-you-out-of-jail best friend?
that living-in-each-other's-pockets kind of friendship, that unspoken trust born from endless firsthand experience? those are the kind of roots that take years to put down. it's hard to find that kind of love, when you're an awkward little kid growing up in a house that never really feels like a home, until suddenly you're an awkward lonely adult moving from place to place too often to make any real friends?
speaking from experience, that... might all be brand new, to buck.
and now that he has that, for the first time, with Eddie? something tells me he'd do damn near anything to keep it.
and idk, i just think that's something we should all talk about more. could be fun!
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eddiesasspbrak · 2 years
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Not What I Expected Ch6
It’s Autumn in 1985 and Eddie is being harassed because he sold weed to the wrong girl.  Steve is still trying to get over Nancy and might have found the one person that can help him achieve that goal. Meanwhile, Robin has some secret romantic intentions of her own.
Pre Season 4 and not canon compliant with season 4
6K+ words
AO3
There he was again, in Steve Harrington’s house. If you had told him a month ago he’d be getting rides from King Steve, he’d be in his house not once but twice and that Steve himself would confess he liked him…he’d have laughed in your face. Now he had butterflies in his stomach just from looking at his dumb handsome face. While he wasn’t ready to trust Steve, he was excited at the prospect of him telling the truth. Eddie had had plenty of flings; guys experimenting and curious about what it was like to fuck a guy. No one from Hawkins though, that was his rule. Maybe that was part of his hesitation when it came to Steve.
He didn’t seem to be the douche he was in the past, but Eddie still remembered being bullied by him and his friends. What was to stop him from telling everyone that he’s gay if he decided he didn’t like him? Or like guys at all? Sure, he already knew he was gay but in Eddie’s experience, internalized homophobia tended to lash out when his partners grew scared of getting caught. He wanted to trust Steve and believe that he had 100% changed. He wanted to believe that he did like guys and that he did want to be with him. He’d love nothing more than to spend the night fucking, but he had to be cautious. One mistake with Steve could potentially ruin his life.
Thinking back to their time together in school, Steve had never directly been too cruel to Eddie. There had definitely been a handful of times he’d heard the word ‘freak’ tumble from his lips, but he mostly sat by while he got the worst of it from the others. During his last year he’d been too consumed with Nancy Wheeler and Jonathon Byers to pay much mind to anyone else, least of all Eddie. He honestly didn’t expect to see him much after he’d graduated. Sure, Hawkins was small, but they didn’t really run in the same circles. At least he didn’t think they did. When Steve had worked at Scoops Ahoy, Eddie had definitely seen him once or twice in his dorky little uniform and been tempted to go in and knock him down a peg. In the same breath, he’d find himself thinking that the uniform suit him and the insults he'd thought up had all turned flirtatious to various degrees. In the end he always walked on by without a second glance.
He frequented Family Video more often, it being one of the places he met with his customers for a discreet exchanging of hands. The first time he’d seen Steve there, he’d almost walked right back out, but the other had merely greeted him like any other customer so he’d carried on. That’s all he’d been to Steve, just another customer in Hawkins who he didn’t even seem to recognize. If not for their link in Dustin, that’s all he would have remained, and Eddie thought he was ok with that. It was preferable to this never-ending storm of lust and confusion that swirled about his brain. Because Steve Harrington was confusing. He’d gone from someone Eddie hated, to someone he desired in what felt like the blink of an eye. It was maddening the hold he’d taken on his mind both while awake and dreaming. He wanted to cat him aside and move on without him, but he couldn’t pull himself away from the blindly light he emanated every time he smiled his way.
So, Eddie conceded that, at least for the time being, he was stuck with Steve tormenting him every hour of the day. To be completely honest, he kind of enjoyed it. It was like a never-ending string of surprises with every little thing Steve did and said. Giving him rides unprompted, saving him from Jason (twice), letting him stay in his home without any promise that Eddie would return his feelings. He was a born protector and Eddie felt safe inside the shield he projected around those he cared for.
Eddie sat at the kitchen island of the Harrington home, his feet not quite reaching the floor from the height of the stool. As soon as they’d made it inside, Steve had asked if he was hungry, and Eddie didn’t hesitate to answer. He hadn’t eaten all day, too caught up in his head to even think about food. Now that he felt safe, his hunger was the only thing on his mind. Eddie figured he’d order a pizza or something easy, instead he went to the kitchen and started pulling out ingredients. Given that Eddie was not a good cook, he was impressed that whatever he was making actually smelled good and he seemed to know what he was doing. Maybe this was his first attempt to show him that he liked him. A dinner date at home with a home cooked meal. It was definitely one of the nicest things anyone had done for him.
“I didn’t know you could cook.” Eddie finally commented after sitting in silence for so long, picking at the edge of the countertop.
Steve glanced over his shoulder at Eddie, a small smile barely visible. “I kind of had to learn. It was either learn to cook for myself or order out every night.”
“Your parents don’t cook?”
It was an innocent enough question, but for a minute, Steve said nothing. The only noise in the room was the sizzle from the pan and the scrape of the spatula. Eddie wondered if he’d somehow said something wrong. He’d yet to see his parents. If they had seen Eddie they were sure to tell Steve that he couldn’t stay. Everyone thought he was a criminal just from one look his way. The Harringtons were sure to be no different, especially when it came to their son keeping such company. When Steve cleared his throat a moment later, Eddie nearly jumped out of his skin. He kept losing himself to his own inner monologue whenever silence fell and now he’d been ripped away from it. Eddie was still waiting for him to flip a switch any second and kick him out. Maybe that’s why he was so jumpy.
“My parents aren’t around much.” Steve confessed, keeping his back turned.
“Oh.” Eddie said, because what else was he meant to say? He didn’t know much about Steve, definitely not enough to comment on his family life. So instead, he sympathized. “I get it. My mom bailed when I was 10 and a year later my dad dumped me on Wayne’s doorstep and took off. Parents can be pretty shitty.”
Steve laughed humorlessly. “You’ve got that right. At least you have your uncle, right?”
“Yea…he’s pretty great.” He paused for a second, unsure he should say the next thing but pushing forward anyway. In order to know if Steve could be trusted, he had to know who he really was. “Who do you have?”
Steve looked at him then, eyes wide with surprise. “I have…my friends.” He kind of shrugged off his answer like it should have been obvious.
“Dustin Henderson takes care of you? I thought it was the other way around.” He grinned.
“Well, yea but Nancy and Robin look out for me. And Dustin can have a surprisingly parental attitude when he wants to.”
“That’s true.” Once or twice, Dustin had easily swiped an unlit cigarette from Eddie’s mouth and tossed it to the ground like an unamused parent. He couldn’t even be mad at him; the little twerp was too good and Eddie respected that.
“I’m fine, honestly. I’ve been on my own for so long I hardly even notice anymore.” Steve said, though the tone of his voice didn’t sound convincing.
Eddie wanted to say that it was not fine. It wasn’t ok that he had gotten used to being alone. How young was he when they started leaving him by himself? They had so much money and couldn’t even hire a nanny or a babysitter? Or just someone to check in on him? It made him angry, but it also made him sad. If he weren’t trying to keep his distance, he’d wrap Steve up in a hug and never let go. Here he was trying to protect Eddie, but Eddie wanted to protect him too. He just didn’t know how.
“Alright.” Steve said, grabbing the pan and off the stove and setting it on a towel on the island. “All done.”
Eddie peeked inside the pan while Steve grabbed the pot of rice he’d started earlier and brought it over as well. There was a mix of vegetables, snow peas, broccoli, peppers, baby corn and a few others mixed in with chicken. It smelled amazing.
“It’s stir fry.” Steve said, setting a plate down in front of Eddie.
“It smells good.”
“Tastes even better. It’s Ms. Henderson’s recipe. She gave it to me after I had dinner over there and had like three helpings.”
Eddie loaded up his plate with rice and stir fry, his mouth already watering. The only things he and Wayne could make were frozen or came in a can. He only got meals like that at friends’ houses. Maybe he should date Steve if only to get fed like this every night. As he ate, Eddie let himself pretend that he’d already agreed to go out with him. That this was their normal, eating together and hanging out. Of course, with far more flirting and a steamy make out session on the kitchen counter. He really didn’t need his mind to wander there when the star of that fantasy was sitting across from him. But then again, Eddie’s mind wandered wherever it damn well pleased without any caution to who was around. Still, the idea calmed Eddie a bit as it didn’t sound half bad at all.
“What do you think?” Steve asked, a pleased smile on his lips.
“Good.” Eddie said through a mouthful of food as he shoveled more in.
Steve couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped out or that he truly thought he looked cute with rice stuck to his cheek that was puffed out with food. He was going to choke at this rate. How was this man older than him? Without thinking about it, Steve reached out and brushed the rice off his cheek with his thumb, the tips of his fingers lightly grazing his skin. He didn’t really realize what he’d done until Eddie went still, looking up at him from his hunched position. It had been too familiar, too intimate given that Eddie had already made his feelings pretty clear. Steve told himself he’d do it for any one of his friends, but then he probably wouldn’t have done it so gently.
“You, uh, had rice on your face. Sorry.” Steve said, putting his hand on his lap to show he’d keep it to himself.
Eddie finished chewing the mouth full of food and swallowed before speaking. “It’s okay…thanks.”
They fell into an awkward silence, Steve picking at his food until he decided he was done if only to put some distance between them. He took his plate to the sink, rinsing the few scraps of food into the disposal. The sound of water and grinding of the blades gave Steve a moment to collect himself with a series of deep breaths. Eddie’s skin had felt soft against his fingers, and it reminded him of the first night they had been in this house together. The way he’d touched his skin repeatedly and didn’t appreciate how easy it was. He’d still been in such denial then that he had ignored the way it made him feel to touch and be touched by the other man.
Eddie appeared beside him with his own plate in hand. It was practically licked clean. Steve couldn’t help the small smile that spread across his lips. He shut off the disposal, the absence of the sound making Steve slightly nervous again. Without the distraction he could easily say or do something stupid again. He had to focus himself with a task and the dishes were a place to start.
“You wash, I’ll dry?” Eddie asked.
“I, uh, have a dishwasher actually.”
“Oh…then I’ll rinse, and you put it in the dishwasher?”
“Ok.” Part of Steve wanted to turn down the help and tell Eddie he could go to bed so he could relax with his own thoughts for a minute. But he enjoyed his closeness so he wouldn’t send him away yet.
Steve opened the dishwasher and set his own things in there while Eddie rinsed his plate – which was practically pointless to do given it was devoid of a single crumb. After their dishes were dealt with, Steve retrieved two containers for the leftovers. Eddie helped by putting the rice away and Steve dealt with the stir fry. They took the empty things to the sink and quickly dealt with them as well, Steve washing the pan he’d cooked in while Eddie placed the pieces of the rice cooker in the dishwasher as well. Once all was said and done, the awkward tension hadn’t dissipated. Neither quite knew what to say and though Steve longed to be with him a bit longer, there was nothing much else for them to do but sleep. Both were clearly exhausted, and it was already late.
“I’ll show you to the guest room.” Steve said, leaving the kitchen and indicating that Eddie should follow. Up the stairs and down the hall was a guest room nearly across the hall from Steve’s room. It was very floral and seeing Eddie Munson standing in the middle of the room nearly made Steve laugh. He looked so out of place. Then again, he looked out of place in Steve’s house in general.
“Do you need to borrow pajamas or anything?” Steve offered, knowing he was stalling to be with other for just a second longer.
“No, I’m ok.” Eddie all but dismissed him.
“Cool, well, let me know if you need anything. I’ll be in my room.” Steve was slightly disappointed to leave Eddie, the width of a hall and two doors between them, but there was no other reason to linger.
Eddie nodded and Steve turned to leave when impulse took over Eddie before he could even process it. His eyes blurred, his heart pounding and blood rushing. Eddie was a fairly impulsive guy, he always had been, and many time it had resulted in reckless behavior. This was maybe not the most dangerous thing he’d ever done but was certainly reckless. “Steve.” He called out, catching the other man before he got too far.
“Yea?” Steve turned back to face him and without warning or expectation, Eddie was there, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling Steve in for a kiss. Their lips slanted together, and Steve had barely processed it before he was gone. It was quick, chaste, and then Eddie was releasing him, practically shoving him away. “Night.” He said, closing the door and leaving Steve dumbstruck in the hallway.
Eddie couldn’t believe he’d just done that after telling himself he wasn’t going to do anything like that until he was sure Steve was being genuine. But he’d been so sweet. He saved him from those assholes, again, cooked him dinner, let him stay at his house and the thing with the rice on his cheek had nearly sent Eddie to the floor. How could he resist when Steve had boyfriend material tattooed on his forehead? And he liked Eddie. Or he said he did, and he so badly wanted to believe him. He wanted to see his face after the kiss. He wanted to throw the door back open and see what Steve would do. But he didn’t because he couldn’t. He couldn’t risk it. A five second kiss was one thing. He wasn’t going to let himself fall too fast just to get torn apart. Damn his impulse control.
*
The next morning when Eddie woke it took him a minute to process where he was. He groaned and ran a hand down his face, remembering the events of the night before; how stupid he’d been to lose control for even a second. He rolled over, turning away from the window letting in the sunlight, and heard a crinkle of paper. He wasn’t ready to wake yet, but as always he was a cat when it came to curiosity. Lifting his head, he found a note had been left on the pillow beside him.
“Took the kids to school, then work until 1. Stay in the house. Use whatever you need and borrow any clothes -Steve”
Eddie felt a little flutter in his stomach. Maybe it was being taken care of by someone that made him feel this way, or maybe it was because it was Steve and he liked Steve. It may have been the prospect of having someone really like him enough to care about his wellbeing. Sure, his friends and uncle cared about him, loved him, and protected him but this was…almost romantic. He felt like a damsel in distress from a corny romance being taken in by the surprisingly caring king. Eddie had told him to prove himself, but every little thing Steve did made him giddy like a child with a crush on a classmate. How was he to know what was Steve’s planned actions and what was his own mind running rampant?
Now that he was up, it was time to explore the Harrington home. He decided to save Steve’s room for last as he’d already been in there once before. There was a bathroom at this end of the hall that was four times as big as Eddie’s. The last door was another guest room, this one was themed as the beach with blues everywhere and seashell patterned wallpaper. Eddie thought this room was uglier than the one he’d slept in. Beaches could be relaxing if you could handle the heat and the sand getting everywhere, but this was unsettling. Even the comforter on the bed had the appearance of waves in various shades of blue.
The other side of the hall, past the stairs, had only two doors. The first was a linen closet with nothing of interest, the second was the biggest bedroom Eddie had ever seen. A marble fireplace sat against one wall, a huge bed against the other. The far wall was floor to ceiling windows that filled the room with light. Eddie could see an open door across the room that led to another bathroom. He closed the door without going in. This was obviously Steve’s parent’s room, and he didn’t want him getting in trouble if he broke anything.
Heading downstairs, Eddie first went to the kitchen where he threw some bread in the toaster and explored the rest of the downstairs while he waited. There was a big rec room with a built-in wet bar, a pool table and a TV bigger than he was. Two dark leather couches sat adjacent from the TV with a table sat between them. A poker table sat in the far corner of the room closest to the bar. Eddie couldn’t help but wonder if Steve’s dad ever referred to this room as his “man cave”. He probably did and Eddie wrinkled his nose at the cliché of a man he was building in his head.
The rest of the downstairs was fairly typical for an average house, just double in size. The living room had another TV, this one much smaller than the last but still big, as well as two more couches. Though these were upholstered with an ugly cream-colored fabric and more florals. Another smaller bathroom sat on this floor as well as a dining room with a table that could fit everyone Steve knew and probably still have empty seats, and the spacious entryway.
When the toaster popped, Eddie grabbed his toast, coating it in butter and jam, and took it out to the back. He sat beside the pool while he ate, finding it surprisingly warm by the water. It was quiet here. Occasionally he could hear a car from the road, but other than that the only sounds were the wind and whatever lived in the trees. He was so used to all the noise from loud neighbors, and this was nice, relaxing. He sat for a while longer, smoking a cigarette while contemplating what to do next. There was too much up in the air – with Steve, with Jason, with his future. He’d been hoping to finally graduate this year and missing so many days was bound to hurt him. Sure, Wayne was going to make an excuse for the school, but he’d already missed so much that year. He could see another senior year in his future, and it made him sick to his stomach. At this rate, Dustin would graduate before him.
When Eddie made his way back inside, he went straight to Steve’s room. He’d said he could borrow clothes, so that was an open invitation to go through his things, right? His room was a little messier than the last time he’d been there a few days before. The first aid kit still sat on his desk, clothes were overflowing from the hamper in the corner, and his bed was a mess of blankets and random things thrown aside and forgotten. Eddie sat on his bed, ignoring that he could smell his cologne and the way it made him feel. Beyond that was the smell that was just Steve. He’d noticed it the first time he’d been there, when he’d slept in this very bed, breathing in Steve’s scent and trying to ignore the way his gut twisted.
His first stop in his snooping journey was the bedside table drawer. Many people stored things in there they didn’t want others to see, a terrible hiding spot in hindsight. He wasn’t surprised to find condoms inside, though the rest was fairly tame. Old receipts, a sports magazine with a curvy woman in a swimsuit gracing the cover, loose change and a Walkman sat inside. Boring. He was hoping to find something he could tease him about. Surely Steve had secrets hidden somewhere inside these walls.
Under his bed was surprisingly clean with no dirty magazines hiding, to Eddie’s disappointment. There was an old shoe box, which he could only assume was a Nancy breakup box given the contents. Photos of them together, old ticket stubs, a blue scrunchy, and miscellaneous things he couldn’t figure out the meaning behind. Like a pencil that was practically sharpened down to the eraser, a single bulb from a string of Christmas lights, and an empty beer can with a hole in the side. He was almost a little jealous. Nancy clearly meant a lot to him. Enough for him to keep all these things to remind him of her even a year after they’d broken up. He’d said they were just friends, but it wasn’t so easy to forget your first love and the jealousy began to build as he thought of the hold she must still have on him.
Eddie shut the lid with a snap and shoved it back under the bed, no longer interested in snooping. He didn’t want to find anything else that would just send his mind down a path he was trying to avoid. He remembered Steve mentioning something about a jacuzzi tub the last time he was there and could use a bath. If anything, it would help him to relax a bit and maybe he’d forget to think for a little while. He dug through Steve’s drawers and closet, trying to find the least terrible thing he could and headed to the bathroom. He’d settled on a pair of old sweats with the Hawkins high logo in the top corner of the sweatshirt.
The tub was pretty big, big enough for two seated close together, not that that was a thought he needed in his head at this particular moment. Eddie filled it practically to the brim with hot water. He’d never really been a fan of baths but this was definitely better than the tiny shower at his place. He soaked for a while, pretending like this was his everyday life. He hadn’t a care in the world, he only existed in this moment in the warm water, no one else plaguing his thoughts. Of course, it only took a moment for Steve to invade this imaginary world, appearing on the other side of the tub, facing Eddie in his minds eye. He slid down into the water, running his hands over his face when he reemerged, water dripping from his hair. This was useless.
He scanned the products that lined the wall of the tub. There were oils, scrubs, bath salts and lotions. Eddie had seen the private bathroom Steve’s parents had, so this definitely wasn’t his mom’s stuff. Some of the things were unopened but others were at various levels of use. For some reason, Eddie had never pictured Steve as the type to pamper himself. He did always look extremely clean and well put together. It was possible that some things were there for guests, but given that the Harringtons were rarely home, they didn’t have much of a chance to entertain.
Eddie was so used to his 3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner and body wash, that he had to search for what to use for each thing. The soap and shampoo smelled of Steve, which was obvious but did nothing to help him not think of the other man for more than half a second. He tried to focus on scrubbing his hair and his skin, washing away every unwanted thought as he did so.
Eddie stayed in the tub until the water went cold. He couldn’t stop thinking about the events of the last week or so no matter how hard he tried. It was weird how comfortable he was in Steve’s house. He’d barely known him growing up and now he was the number one person who had his back. He definitely never would have seen that coming. Now he was staying in his house, being cooked meals and Steve wanted to date him. He wanted so badly to believe him and just let himself dive headfirst into it. He was getting too comfortable too quickly, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. As much as he tried to deny it, he had already fallen for Steve long before all of this and he was never one for self-control. It had been easy with the partners of his past. He could cling on them and then let them go the next instant. Steve had real potential to hurt Eddie and ruin his life and that terrified him.
*
When Steve returned home, he found Eddie in some of his sweats lounging on the couch in the living room and watching TV. How was it possible that he looked good even in old sweats that were slightly baggy on him? He hadn’t yet been noticed, so he took a moment to stand and watch him. He was spread out casually, his curls bouncier than he’d ever seen them. Steve was hit suddenly with the overwhelming urge to touch his hair to see if it was as soft as it looked. He couldn’t quite remember the way it had felt the last time he’d touched it that first night. Once he proved himself to Eddie, he would spend every moment with him etching every little detail into his brain. The way the smelled, the feel of his skin and his hair, the sound of his voice, the taste of his lips. He wanted all of it to forever be with him.
“Hey.” Steve greeted, dragging himself from his stupor.
“Welcome home.” Eddie said with a grin, sitting up and leaning over the back of the couch.
“I take it you saw my note.”
“I did. It was definitely not an easy task to find something to wear in your stuff.” It was true, if not for the sweats Eddie would have ended up in khakis and a polo and then he simply would have had to go out naked instead.
“I figured we could swing by your place so you could pick up some things, let your uncle know where you are. He’s probably worried.”
Eddie raised his eyebrows, amused. “Just how long do you plan on me staying here?”
“Just until everything blows over and they’re not actively hunting you down.” Or until Eddie was deeply in love with Steve and didn’t want to leave, though he’d keep that to himself.
“Are you sure it’s not just that you want me here?” Eddie had practically read his mind, not that it wasn’t obvious. Eddie was officially within the umbrella of Steve’s protection for sure, but he was also swayed by the desire to keep him near for selfish reasons.
Steve’s cheeks visibly colored pink as he stuttered over his words. “No, I mean, yes I do want you here but to keep you safe.” He wasn’t lying. They both knew it wasn’t a whole truth either.
“You’ve got a pretty bad case of hero syndrome, don’t cha?” His smile could easily melt Steve into a puddle whenever he was teasing him.
“No, I just…I want to know the people I care about are safe and cared for.”
That hit Eddie right in the gut and god did he want to kiss him. It would be so easy to throw himself over the back of the couch and run to his side. He’d already slipped up once, he couldn’t again. It didn’t seem Steve was going to bring up the kiss from the night before, so he wouldn’t either. Even if he’d laid awake for hours after that resisting the urge to run down the hall and jump his bones. He’d always just let himself get lost in his partner and wasn’t used to holding back. This was definitely testing his willpower. He wasn’t sure if Steve had noticed his knuckles growing white as he gripped the couch to ground himself.
Eddie stood from the couch, switching off the TV and grabbed his boots that he’d left by the door. He needed to get out of this house and into the cold to drench this heat between them. It was the only way he’d be able to stop himself. “Alright, let’s go.”
Steve was slightly surprised he hadn’t really responded to what he’d said as it had felt like another confession for him. He’d already told Eddie he liked him, but that was a crush and didn’t necessarily mean he cared about him as well. Sure, Steve’s actions over the last week or so had shown his feelings, but he’d just blurted it out and hadn’t expected silence in response. Steve said nothing and followed Eddie out the front door. There was no point in bringing it up right now, there were too many things going on and Steve couldn’t take another outright rejection right now. They were quiet on their drive over to the trailer park. Eddie flipped through radio stations until he found something he liked, and Steve let him smoke in the car on the way over.
Wayne’s truck was parked outside when they pulled up. Not surprising as he typically worked nights. Eddie unlocked the door slowly, expecting him to be asleep, but he was up, standing in the kitchen with the phone to his ear.
“Well, if you see him…” he turned to see Eddie in the doorway and sighed, his eyes drifting closed. “Never mind. He’s here. Thanks.” He hung up and crossed over to Eddie, pulling him into a hug. “Where the hell have you been?”
“I was at Steve’s. What’s going on? I’ve been gone for days at a time before, and you’ve said nothing.”
“You’ve still gone to school and didn’t have people trying to hurt you. You should have called.”
Guilt gripped Eddie in the chest along with something else. It was the warm feeling he’d get whenever he was reminded that Wayne loved him. He dropped his gaze to the floor. “Sorry.” Wayne nodded his response, accepting and acknowledging his apology and letting the hurt blow away.
They stepped into the trailer, Steve following after Eddie up the stairs. “I actually needed to talk to you.” Eddie said, meeting Wayne’s eyes once more. “I’m going to be staying at Steve’s place for a while. I’m not sure how long.”
Wayne looked between the two. “Why’s that?”
“Things have kind of escalated with the guys at school and they’ve let me know that they know where I live and basically threatened to show up here. It’s safer if I stay at his place until it blows over.” The guilt began to build up again at the thought of those assholes showing up and Wayne having to deal with them. God help them if Wayne had to deal with them.
“What about school?”
“I’ll probably hide out for a few more days and then use the buddy system around campus.”
“I’ll drive him to and from school too.” Steve chimed in, feeling sheepish and standing back.
Wayne glanced between the two again, as if trying to figure something out. “And these boys won’t suspect you’re staying with him and just show up over there?” Wayne asked.
“They saw us together last night so they might suspect it when they don’t see him coming home, but we’ve got the best security system you can buy. No one is getting in there without permission or alerting the cops.” Steve explained.
Wayne looked between them once more, calculating. It made Steve squirm. He’d spoken to Wayne before and had been asked to keep protecting him, but he still made him nervous. It felt like he could see there was something more than friendship lingering between them. “Alright. I’ll give the school a call and let them know you’ll be back in class Friday, so you better go.”
“I will.” Eddie felt slightly awkward having this moment with his uncle in front of Steve. Especially with the look Wayne was giving him, like he suspected something they weren’t saying. He needed to get away from his scrutinizing gaze before he figured out all his secrets. He was good at that. “I’m just going to grab a few things to take over there.”
“Just a minute.” Wayne said, stopping him. “Let’s talk alone for a minute.”
Eddie felt dread spread over his body. Wayne likely had suspected something and now Eddie was going to have to suffer through an awkward conversation. Steve continued back to his room, not that he knew what to grab or pack, but he wasn’t sure going outside was the best idea. If anyone showed up to cause problems, Steve’s presence outside would give them away. Eddie and Wayne stepped into the living room area, as far away from the bedroom as they could and spoke in low voices. Not that Steve was going to try to listen. Wayne kind of scared him.
“I know he’s your friend and it seems he looks out for you, but do you trust him?” Wayne asked.
Eddie thought for a second and realized that yea, he trusted Steve. Maybe not with his heart and his secret, but in all else he did. “I do.”
“You’re safe with him?”
“I think so.”
“Does he know…about you?”
“Yea. He knows I’m gay.”
“And are you two…?”
“No.” Eddie blurted out too fast, his cheeks coloring pink. “I’m not running off to shack up with my boyfriend if that’s what you’re thinking. We’re just friends.”
“Ok.” Wayne put his hands up in resignation. “I know you’re technically an adult, but I feel like I should know these things as your guardian.”
“I promise I’ll let you know when I decide to move in with a boyfriend. This is just a friend helping me out. He denies it but he’s got a hero complex.”
“Make sure you do. And keep me updated on what’s going on, ok? I’d rather not get a call from the school that you missed two days without telling me.”
“I will. Sorry.” He apologized again.
“Go on, get your stuff.”
Eddie nodded and headed back to his room. Eddie had felt bitter for years about his dad abandoning him. He’d spent more nights than he was willing to admit crying into his pillow. Wayne knew and let him have his space, silently conveying that he was there when he was ready. Eventually, Eddie had gone to Wayne, and he’d held him while he cried and after he was done he promised he would always be there. He would never abandon him, and he would keep him safe. After a while, Eddie’s hate for his dad grew as did his love for Wayne. As far as he was concerned, he was his dad now. Wayne hadn’t been mad when he’d failed his senior year, he hadn’t kicked him out at eighteen, he’d simply picked him up and dusted him off like he always did and encouraged him to try again.
Steve was standing awkwardly in the middle of his room, hands on his hips and taking everything in, when Eddie joined him. It was strange seeing him in his room. He’d thought about it many times over the last little bit but hadn’t expected it to become a reality. Steve looked like he’d gotten lost, and Eddie couldn’t help cracking a smile, though he managed to stifle the chuckle that threatened to escape.
“Your room is a mess.” Steve said as soon as he realized Eddie had joined him, his eyebrows knit together the way they did when he was thinking.
“Not all of us have a maid to clean up after us, Harrington.” Eddie rolled his eyes.
“For your information, I don’t have a maid. I do the housework myself.”
“You cook and clean?” Eddie grinned. “You’re a regular housewife.” He dumped the contents of an old backpack onto his bed and started shoving clothes inside.
“It’s called chores. I have to keep the place clean. You never know when my parents are just going to show up without warning.”
“Do you wear an apron and rubber gloves when you clean?” Eddie asked, zipping up the bag and turning to Steve.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Steve asked, smirking.
Oh shit, was Steve starting to flirt? Ok Eddie could flirt a little. It was maybe dangerous, but Wayne was right on the other side of that door so maybe it was ok. “Maybe I would. You gonna wear them for me Stevie?”
Steve tried to ignore what the dumb nickname did to him and instead took a step closer. His skin felt hot under the collar of his sweatshirt, his heart hammering in his chest so loud it could be heard a mile away. “Depends, what are you going to do for me?”
“What do you want me to do?”
They fell silent, the sound of the TV clicking on in the other room a reminder that they weren’t alone, which is exactly what they needed. This was stupid. A little flirting was harmless but the tension between the two was dangerously close to breaking and they didn’t need to push against it. “For now, I want you to hurry up. I’ve still got to pick up Dustin and Robin.” Steve cleared his throat, trying to calm his thumping pulse with a steadying breath.
“Can do. I’m going to change; you can wait in the living room.”
Steve said nothing as he left Eddie alone in his room, glad to put some more distance between them. It was good that Wayne was there. If they’d been alone he definitely would have given in to desire and ended up throwing Steve down on his mattress. The images swirled behind his eyelids, and he close his eyes and tried to calm himself. He tried not to think about it as he quickly changed into something of his own. He’d left his jacket at Steve’s, throwing on long sleeves and his vest over top. Probably not the best for colder weather but he’d be fine. He found an old, discarded grocery bag on his floor and threw a few more things in it. There wasn’t much he needed to take with him – just a few changes of clothes and some personal items (one of which being his stash). Out in the living room, he could hear voices and smiled at the thought of Steve trying to make small talk with Wayne. He took one final look around his room, looking for anything he may have forgotten, before heading back out to join them.
He’d expected to see Wayne and Steve awkwardly sitting together, chatting about the weather and sports. He definitely hadn’t expected to see Chrissy Cunningham standing in his doorway waiting for him. He nearly dropped his bags, his eyes darting from her to Steve. He was watching him, the concern clear in his eyes. She appeared to be alone, but both knew this could easily be a trap. Eddie had thought her to be a nice girl, she didn’t seem to have any direct involvement with his recent bullying besides the inadvertent start. However, she was still linked to Jason. Steve had been told that she broke up with him, though who knew if that were really true. They’d have to be cautious.
“Hi Eddie.” She smiled shyly.
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kmomof4 · 3 years
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CS AU- Coming to Storybrooke (1/5)
It’s FINALLY here!!!!!! I’ve only been talking about this fic for over a YEAR!!! I’m so excited to finally share it with all of you!!!
I have to acknowledge and send all the love and internet hugs to all those who helped me with this fic. I can truly say that I would have given up on it LONG AGO without them.
First to @hollyethecurious​. She was my brainstorming partner and never-ending fount of encouragement. She pulled me back from the brink of deleting this fic entirely so many times. So when I say that this fic wouldn’t be here without her, I’m not exaggerating. 
Second to @profdanglaisstuff​. The best beta in the world!!!! Her suggestions and insights make this writing business so much better! Thank you, babe!
And finally to all the ladies on the @captainswanmoviemarathon​ discord. Y’all’s encouragement and sprinting dates helped keep me motivated and got me over the finish line. 
This fic is a S1 Canon Divergence, sort of, inspired by the 1988 Eddie Murphy movie Coming to America. It is complete with five chapters and I’ll be updating every Saturday.
Fic Summary: Prince Killian of the Enchanted Forest refuses to marry the woman that his brother has chosen for him, so he travels to Storybrooke in the Land Without Magic to find his own bride.
Rating: T for some strong language
Words: Ch1 2224 of 18K Total
Tags: S1 Canon Divergence, Inspired by Coming to America, Neal is an idiot, romantic fluff
AO3 Link
Tag LIst: @hollyethecurious @winterbaby89 @snowbellewells @stahlop @resident-of-storybrooke @jennjenn615 @kingofmyheart14 @profdanglaisstuff @branlovestowrite @thisonesatellite @ultraluckycatnd @flslp87 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @let-it-raines @shireness-says @kymbersmith-90 @darkcolinodonorgasm @bethacaciakay @searchingwardrobes @ilovemesomekillianjones @teamhook @aprilqueen84 @qualitycoffeethings @superchocovian @artistic-writer @donteattheappleshook @doodlelolly0910 @seriouslyhooked @tiganasummertree @lfh1226-linda @nikkiemms @xsajx @klynn-stormz @jrob64 @wefoundloveunderthelight @zaharadessert @elizabeethan @xhookswenchx @gingerpolyglot @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 @sailtoafarawayland @justanother-unluckysoul @veryverynotgoodwrites @jonesfandomfanatic @deckerstarblanche
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Under the cut unless Tumblr ate it
Ch1
“Oh, she’s beautiful,” David whispered, awestruck.
Tears filled his eyes as he looked through the door at his other True Love. The little girl sat cross legged on the bed and slowly turned a page of the book in front of her.
David stared, dumbfounded, as a firm resolve filled him.
“We can’t waste another second,” he stated, vehemently. “We can’t wait another second.” He took a step toward the door when Snow’s softly spoken wait stopped him. “What? What’s wrong?” he asked, looking at his wife.
Her eyes were glued to their daughter until they skittered away to their surroundings and the door in front of them. Anywhere but at him.
“We can’t go through there.”
David was stunned, incredulity coloring his features. “Snow, we have to.”
She continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “If we go through that door, Emma will never become the savior.”
He turned back to the open door. To his daughter. He was heartbroken. He knew exactly what Snow was thinking. If they went through that door, they condemned their subjects, their friends, their family, to live under Regina’s curse, separated from their own loved ones, forever. But that couldn’t be true. Rumplestiltskin said to keep the child safe and she would return on her 28th birthday. No mention was made about the circumstances of her return, only that she would.
“She’ll have a new destiny.” He looked at Snow again. “With us. We will teach her. We will tell her everything. And when her 28th birthday arrives, we’ll all come back and she will break the curse.”
Snow’s tear filled eyes finally turned to him. “How do you know?”
“This family finds each other. We’ve found each other,” he said, taking her hands. He tilted his head slightly toward the open door, “We’ve found Emma. We will find the rest of our family when it’s time for her to break the curse.”
He saw the moment doubt was swallowed up by hope in her eyes. With a small nod and a smile, they turned and walked through the door.
Together.
~*~*~*~
18 years later
Emma Swan sat in the back seat of the family SUV with her brother Leo as they sped through the backwoods of rural Maine toward an uncertain and possibly perilous future. It was her 28th birthday and it was the day that her parents had been preparing her for ever since they came through the closet door to claim her so long ago.
The scenery outside her window went hazy around the edges as she got lost in the memory of the first time she met her parents. She hadn’t been frightened when these two strangers entered her bedroom through her closet door. Something about them seemed familiar. She knew in her marrow that she could trust them and when the woman fell to her knees with tears in her eyes, her arms open wide, and calling her name, Emma hadn’t hesitated to run into them. She rose to her feet with Emma held tightly in her arms, sobbing into her hair and placing kisses all over her face. Emma only caught snippets of what the woman was saying, but the words I’m your mom, I love you, we’ll never leave you, we’ll always be together sent Emma’s heart soaring. It was exactly what this little lost girl had always longed to hear. The man wrapped one arm around them both and cupped the back of her head with the other. She had never felt so safe and loved in all her life.
Now all these years later, it was time to fulfill her destiny. It wasn’t long after their reunion that they settled in Portland, Maine and her parents told her a story. A story through the pages of the book that her mother had brought through the door with her. A story that was more than just a fantasy. It was true. All of it. It was their story. It was her story. The story of where she came from… and what she was meant to do. Beginning with the day she was born, her parents told her why they had to get her to safety. How Doc of the Seven Dwarves delivered her only minutes before her father placed her in the magical wardrobe and the queen’s curse swept over the land. From there, they told her the true story of how Snow White and Prince Charming met and fell in love - very different from the Disney version - her mother’s history with the Evil Queen and how her father came to be in the position to even meet his True Love. She’d become intimately familiar with all the true stories in the book as she grew up, first her, then her brother Leo, and now it was time for her to save them all. She had to admit to being rather nervous about it. It was one thing to hear the story from her parents and believe it because of how young she was and because she trusted them. But it was entirely different to be a grown woman and solely responsible for bringing back all the happy endings for real people that her parents knew and loved. She was about to see everything from the storybook come to life.
Suddenly, her mother’s excited voice from the front seat roused her from her musings.
“There it is, David!” she exclaimed. “The town line!”
“I see it, I see it,” he replied.
Moments later, they crossed the town line and a chill passed over Emma’s entire body before something exploded out of her that nearly made her dad lose control of the car.
“What the hell was that?” Emma cried as her mom and brother shouted in alarm. She reached toward Leo’s shoulder while her other hand tried to find purchase on the door handle as her dad brought the car back under control. She looked out the window and saw a white shimmering something traveling across the sky toward the town. She saw her mom, dad, and brother craning their necks to see it too.
“I think…” her mom began, “that you just broke the curse, honey.”
“That’s it?” she asked, incredulous. “Just crossing the town line? That was all it took?”
“Apparently so,” her dad answered. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t still have to be on our guard.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened and his brow furrowed. “We don’t know what we’re going to find when we get to town. Regina and the Dark One are presumably still here somewhere.”
Silence reigned as they continued to drive toward the center of town in the direction of the white blast. A few minutes later, they turned onto the main street of the small town. Filling the street in front of them, people were laughing and hugging each other in reunions that were 28 years overdue. Her dad slammed on the brakes as her mom cried out, her hands flying to her mouth.
“Ruby! Granny!” She bolted from the car and ran toward a leggy brunette and older matronly woman. Emma could see the surprised joy on their faces as they turned and ran toward her mother. Emma and Leo got out slowly as their dad ran toward his wife as she embraced the two women. They approached the reunited and happy foursome just as seven men got their mom’s attention. Wide grins broke out on Emma and Leo’s faces as realization came over them. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Emma could hear her mom’s sobs as she tried to embrace them all at once. Once she’d finished greeting her dearest and oldest friends, her mom turned toward them.
“Everyone,” she began, “these are our children.” Her mom motioned them closer. “Emma and Leo.” Her brother suddenly looked quite different from the brash and bold teenager she knew. He looked equal parts dumbfounded and like he’d like to melt into the ground. Her father didn’t miss a beat. He grabbed his son’s shoulder and started introducing him individually to the dwarves, placing his arm around him.
“Emma?” asked Granny, drawing her attention again. “The Savior?” The old woman took steps toward Emma and tenderly cupped her face with her hands before kissing her on the cheek and drawing her into a hug. Emma knew the elderly woman from the storybook, but to be held in her arms in love and acceptance was nearly as good as the hug she received from her parents when they came for her.
“Papa,” another man further up the street shouted. He ran toward an older man that was walking toward the group with the aid of a cane.
The man turned, his face infused with disbelieving joy as the cane dropped and he took a hesitant step toward the other man. “Bae?”
Emma could feel the tears forming in her eyes as the men embraced each other. She had done this. She was the savior and she had given all these people the happy endings that the Evil Queen had taken away all because she refused to place the blame for the death of her love where it truly belonged. She turned back toward the crowd again as more reunions were taking place. She saw her parents embracing a red haired man with a dalmatian. Jiminy Cricket, she remembered.
Just at that moment, a joyous cry reached their ears and they all turned toward the sound. A young woman with wild brown hair and wearing nothing more than a dirty white shift ran toward the still embracing men as she launched herself into the older man’s arms and kissed him. A rainbow blast burst from them startling everyone gathered. They separated as the blast flew through the air and yet also concentrated around the man. The young woman’s eyes grew wide as the rainbow light grew brighter and brighter around him before finally fading away to nothing. The man had tears running down his cheeks as he reached for the young woman again. Emma watched her melt into his arms and could just hear him murmur, “Belle. It’s gone. You saved me.” The kiss they shared made Emma’s cheeks flame as she turned toward her dad.
“Huh,” he said. “Rumplestiltskin has a True Love. Who would have thought that?”
The couple separated again and the man she now knew was Rumplestiltskin, the practitioner of the darkest magic in the realm, the man that she had always thought of as the puppet master, since he seemed to have a part in every single story in the book, gathered both the young woman and the younger man to him as the three made their way toward their own group.
“Dark One,” her dad greeted the man with a curt nod.
“No more,” he answered, raising his chin just a bit. “Belle’s True Love’s Kiss just destroyed the Darkness. With my son here, I was ready to let go of the Darkness and find my happiness with my family beside me.”
Then a stately woman in a nun’s habit approached them.
“Your highnesses,” she began with a bow, “the curse is indeed broken. As is the Darkness that made the Dark One.”
Her dad reached out and placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Blue,” he said. “Thank you.” He turned back toward the crowd and raised his voice in an exuberant shout. “The curse is broken and the Darkness is no more!” The gathered crowd cheered along with him. Emma wiped away her tears and met the eyes of the man that had embraced the former Dark One. His eyes twinkled as he grinned broadly at her. She felt her heart rate increase and cheeks flush again as she turned her eyes back toward her parents.
It was moments later when she felt a presence at her back. She turned around and found herself captured by a pair of laughing brown eyes.
“Neal,” he said, holding his hand out for her to shake. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as if a sudden headache had come over him. “Baelfire. Neal Cassidy was my cursed name. But you can call me whatever you want.” He smiled again.
She took his hand and smiled back. “Emma,” she replied. “It’s nice to meet you, Neal.”
She could see her mom and brother over Neal’s shoulder exchange a stern and sheepish look. She knew that Leo, at 17, would love nothing more than to tease her about the man in front of her, but thankfully, their mother caught his eye before he could. She rolled her eyes at them before directing her attention back to him.
“Uh, thanks,” he said, “for uh, breaking the curse.” She couldn’t help but smile wider at his clumsy attempts to make small talk.
“You’re welcome?” she answered, with a shrug. “I mean, I didn’t really do anything, just crossed the town line…” she trailed away.
“But, I m-mean,” he stammered, “it was more than that. You…” he shrugged helplessly, apparently at a loss for what to say next. “Listen,” he said, brightening, “Could I show you around town? Maybe buy you a cup of coffee?”
Emma grinned widely. “I’d like that.” She looped her arm through his and he led her away from the rest of the crowd.
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bibliocratic · 3 years
Text
I was going to write this for the Aspec Archives week, but I got overexcited, so here we are. 
AU: Mythical creatures. OG Archive team. 
Some CWs apply, see tags. 
The sea is more than water, her elder brethren taught her, warned her, chided her. It is home and harm and hungry, and you should not face it alone. Her siblings were older, ever knowing better, boisterous and boasting braver, but even they worried, scolded and fretted when she swam out too far alone into deep waters.
It will love you, but it will not always be kind, her eldest sibling bit out, snapped to mask their anxiety. There can be no bearings, in the deep-deep down, no anchors to denote where the sky lies.
When her people sleep, they rest wedged into some secure rock or crevice, tails looped around tails so no one is lost while dreaming.
You cannot be a shoal of one, my dearest, my youngest and bravest, the oldest of their shoal had said, when she told her she was planning on taking the rising when the waters warmed. Ascending landward on the tide swell, letting the shimmering scales of her tail split into skin.
She had not used the name Sasha at that time because that was a landward name she chose with care. Her folk gather names like a garland of pearls, to be constantly strung longer through life as age advances them; names for qualities, for momentous events, for hopes and desires. Her first name, gifted by her shoal, was guttural. It starts at the back of her throat, trails off into a susurration through gills. Mer is a difficult language to learn, though not impossible.
Tim tried. There is no one singular language of those who skirt the deepwaters, so he attempts to mimic her dialect. His pronunciation stumbling, he makes tentative sentences with the butchered grammar of fry. Martin’s grammar is even worse, though he picks up the eddies and waves of the sounds easier.
Jon, like most things in life, takes it as a challenge. One day, almost stubborn with nerves, to perform his task to perfection, he pushes out a juvenile approximation of her first name. Clipped and textbook and the stress in the wrong places, but Sasha smiles, showing her sharpest teeth in delight. Instructs him where to hold the hum at the back of his throat, how to roll the third phoneme upwards like an air bubble. Jon repeats it and repeats it, quietly smug and pleased at his achievement, and the sea in her soul rocks fondly at the sight.
She broached landward in the rising two moons after her age of maturation. She was one of a handful to come to shore. A sibling in Brighton who she phones every week, another two in Holyhead. Her first shoal traverses to warmer waters when the season shifts, and she would feel the rock-hollow absence of them if it was not for Tim, inviting her to participate in a hundred-and-one inane activities that keep her from feeling swept out; Jon, with his libraries of questions and intrigues, his quick-silver tongue; Martin, who sometimes swims a little further out from them but who finds her small knick-knacks in charity shops and craft markets and leaves them on her desk for no reason other than he has thought of her.
She makes three necklaces, plain with a strong chain, a single pearl attached. And on a day where her folk traditionally string garlands of seaweed and mangrove roots and colourful plants from coral reefs in a celebration of family –  there is no one word in her language for this idea; it poorly translates into hierarchies like sibling and brethren and elders, but these are not concepts that fit it exactly – she gifts them to the shoal that will anchor her in the depths of the sea, and bestows upon them names. Most Mer names are wishes for quick fins, calm waters, safe shores, and so she wishes these for them in a language they are not quite proficient in yet.
Her landward shoal is smaller than is traditional. But she loves them as treasures of her heart, and thinks she understands what her siblings told her, about anchors.
--
His parents, both harpies from local nests, are perplexed when his wings start coming in.
Must be a colouring from your mum’s side, his dad hums thoughtfully when Tim’s primaries grow in long and shining like struck bronze. He runs a careful finger down the central line of the rachis, and the wing shudders and jumps, the feathers still sensitive, and Tim complains that it’s ticklish. His wings are too small to fly away as his dad dives in, captures him in careful arms, corkscrewing upwards a little off the ground with Tim squirming and squealing and squawking in play, but they flutter and flap nonetheless.
The wing span’s from your dad’s side, no-one from my nest ever went more than five foot, his mother says, rubbing at the dark brown of his downy secondaries. Tim stretches them out wide, eager to boast at their length, the tips of his longest feathers reaching past his arms held out wide.
Danny’s wings are smaller. Magpie like, bold lines of white broken up by blue and black, the same as his parents. Tim’s wings, broader, a colour like beaten brass that tips into gold at the ends, draws attention, but he’s never been embarrassed. His family never treated him differently, so he didn’t dwell on it.
He can fly, though he doesn’t often. After his parents died, and after… after Danny, he moved to London, where there’s tighter airspace regulations and permits involved, so he mostly doesn’t bother. This doesn’t mean never, however. He has learned, while working in the Archives, that from the ground, his wings have enough lift to pick up both Jon and Sasha by at least a foot. He thinks he could probably manage Martin as well, if it wasn’t for the unfortunate fact that Martin is mildly allergic to a whole host of things, including feather dander, meaning he gets a bit watery eyed whenever he gets too close to Tim’s wings, and he’s a sniffing, red-eyed mess come  moulting season.
Anyway, he can always fly when he leaves the city. When it’s been too long since Sasha’s scales touched seawater, she invites him out to the coast. Jon apparently has had enough of the coast to last a lifetime, and Martin gets funny about large bodies of water, so it’s often the two of them. She swims out, the greenish scales of her tail catching the sun-struck water, and he, above, feeling the breeze brush through his cramped wings, follows her wake. When she breaches the surface in a playful arc, he swoops down, trying to catch her at the same time as she tries to splash him.
“You never thought to look into it?” Jon asks. Always brewing with questions. Tim is obligingly holding out one of his wings, and Jon, who takes everything like a project, has books out and webpages up but with no further clue as to why his colouration and span differ so from his parents.
Tim shrugs. “Doesn’t matter really, does it?”
Jon hums, clearly not agreeing, and Sasha rolls her eyes fondly,  and that is the end of that.
-
Marysia had hoped her child would not take after her husband. She’d lit candles and attended masses during her pregnancy, worn the beads of her rosary smooth. Her child had been born on land, miles from shore, and her husband had been a grounded man, who had folded up his pelt on their wedding night for her and swore to wear no other soul than his human one.
But then her husband leaves, the box where he kept his second soul empty, and Martin is eight years old, and he wakes up one morning glassy-eyed and complaining of nausea, his lip bleeding from where his sharpening teeth have ripped the skin, and she knows her prayers were not answered.
It is not unknown, for the second soul of some folk to flourish later. But it is a rough awakening, to have one’s body grow a new skin out of itself, and Martin is off school for over a week, riddled with fever and fervour, constantly parched, crying and sweating out salt-water.
She watches his skin prickle with grey and black fur, blotching with white over his stomach as he coils up under his covers, throws them off only for his limbs to reduce to shivering. His brown eyes have gone black-shot, his cries a mix of language and barks, and Marysia fears she will lose her only child to the sea.
It will be hard for him to fit in, she tells herself. It would be best to choose one, and he has his friends and family and her on land, and who knows where his father is now, and surely it would be cruel, an unnecessary agony for him to endure some other foreign pull away from all he knows.
She does what she thinks is a kindness, though that is neither excuse nor forgiveness. After nine days, his fur has come through, sleek and soft, his whiskers twitching, and she helps him peel it off as one would do clothes, revealing sweat-sheened limbs, his eyes slipped back into brown again. His gaze still distant and feverish, he tries to cuddle into her, and she soothes him while she finishes stripping off his pelt and folding it neatly.
While he sleeps, she burns it in a fire in the back yard.
When he comes back to himself, she lies and tells him that he’s been sick with a bad fever. And he trusts her, and never questions it. He doesn’t understand that she’s burnt a part of him up, scattered the ashes to the winds, but it was for the right reasons. To keep him safe, and happy, and with her.
He grows up human-limbed and cloven-souled, and she never tells him the truth.
--
Sasha floats in an ever-dark, stolen away and hidden. There is a knot, a cage-trap around her legs, which have fused into her tail although there is no water. The sea, far away, like the wail in a conch shell, throbs in her soul as she strains and shouts and snarls in the wrapping of spider’s webs.
The sea is the only thing with her in the dark.
Sound has a particular quality, underwater. She hears it first, an echo that shivers through her, like being thrummed on the backdraft of some shallow wave. And then it is a wash of insistence. A command.
The compulsion uses her names, landward and seaward and it pulls and demands her attention, and she shrieks and cries back, struggling in the depths. She is being called home, up up up to breach the surface, and she cannot help but answer.
There is a crack and the sea splits, and she is choking on cold and dusty air.
“Sasha!” someone is saying. “God, is she – she’s not – ?”
“Get that stuff off her, come on. Sasha. Sash, love, can you hear us?”
A series of thuds as she splutters. A twisting, gnarling screech, and several swear words.
“Jesus!”
“Shit – shit, get her out of the way.”
“Boss, move, give me the – ”
The screech degrades into a glitching, warping scream. There is the multi-layered sound of compressed air, and crackling fire,the woosh and stench of something burning.
In time, she cracks her eyes open to the punch of light. Her tail flaps weakly. Someone is pulling great strands of silk that has clumped like poorly soldered iron around her limbs, making visceral noises of disgust. She’s cold-stream shivering, surrounded by broken wood and chippings.
“Hey, hey, we got you. We got you. You with us, Sash?”
The faint scratch of feathers against her cheek. Furnace-warm arms are holding her.
Jon is kneeling down in front of her. Holding an axe and stinking of smoke, and she knows, she knows, that it was his voice she heard, although she doesn’t yet understand why.
Martin throws a blanket over her as she shivers, her tail shrivelling and bisecting into legs. He has silk in his hair, and his fingers are trembling, but his face is broken with a look of such relief.
“It’s you,” he says, and his hand touches at his throat, at the necklace she made for him. “It’s you. It’s really you.”
It’s Martin in the end that carries her out of the tunnels, tucking the blanket completely around her. He is talking in the scatter-gun way he does when he is anxious, babbling, and she can’t bring herself to listen. He smells of soot and saltwater, and she’s never noticed that before.
She falls asleep, curled up into his hold, drained and shaken, but feeling utterly safe.  
--
Jon is human. Completely, one hundred percent, although Sasha had joked once that way way back there must have been some Spinx in the family. Tim’s long suspected that Martin’s not quite human, no matter how he presents, but that’s Martin’s business, not his. Some folks have lineages that are rare, or mistrusted, or misunderstood, and Tim’s not one to pry.
Jon, though. Human through and through. Which is why he’s so worried.
“I shouldn’t have been able to do that,” Jon says. Martin’s with Sasha, making sure there’s no nasty side effects to her imprisonment in the table. Jon’s had a face on him for a while which means he’s Worrying with a capital W, and it’s taken hours for him to untangle himself into a blustered declaration to the rest of the class, spiked with nerves. “That place, it had her. It shouldn’t have… I don’t know what I did, but I told her to leave, a-and she could. And she shouldn’t have been able to.”
“And you think that you did that?”
“I – I know I did that, Tim, I felt it, o-or. I mean, I felt something!”
“Ok, alright. Alright. Let’s, let’s calm down and look at this logically.”
Jon goes over what he said while they struggled to rescue Sasha from the deep. It was something he said, he’s sure of it, which is why he is sitting cross-legged on the floor of the main archive office space with Tim, his trousers getting dusty and his temper scraping frayed, getting increasingly frustrated when he tries recreating exactly what he did with his voice, going through questions and commands and instructions and inquiries. And while Tim answers, it’s clearly not what Jon’s looking for, and he’s rubbing the hair at the back of his head in the way he does when he’s getting increasingly frustrated and is too bull-headed to walk away.
Then Jon, rolling his eyes and seething in annoyance, asks him a throwaway question, one of many he’s been trying – what’s your favourite colour? (seriously, Jon, that’s what you’re going with?!); What did you do at the weekend? (you know what I did, you and Martin were with me!).
“Why did you join the Magnus Institute?”
They both sit, frozen and horrified as Tim’s mouth opens and his words trip over his tongue in their eagerness to leave his mouth. As his eyes grow wide and water with tears as he cannot stop speaking about Danny, about the Covent Garden circus and Joseph Grimaldi. As Jon sits, ramrod-backed and cannot stop listening, a muscle jumping in his jaw.  His expression wars between frantic and panicking and hungry.
Tim feels wrung out and hollow once he’s finished. Jon’s manic with apologies. It takes both of them a long time to calm down.
“Maybe… maybe you’re a siren or something?” Tim suggests, but Jon is shaking his head.
“It’s this place, Tim. It’s those statements, when I read them. It’s … I – I think they’re doing something to me.”
Tim looks at Jon and the light strikes off his eyes in a way that it shouldn’t on a human.
He touches Jon’s arm.
“We’ll sort this,” he promises. “We got Sasha out, didn’t we? The four of us, we can get to the bottom of this, yeah?”
Jon nods, and gives a small fragile thanks, and that’s human enough for Tim.
--
Marysia told herself she was not a bad mother. That her son was simply a hard child to love, that he had all the worst trappings of his father, his brown eyes perpetually caught with a far-away look that doesn’t know where to place its longing. But even as she sickened, and he sloughed off every facet of himself in a pathetic attempt to please her, she couldn’t find anything but sorrow in her heart to look upon the man grown over familiar in face, a growth that grew deep-set and fungal into contempt.
She almost spat the truth out to him. Once or twice, with the thought that confessing might bring them closer. She wished he’d chosen the sea instead, so she wouldn’t have to look upon her amputated, half-formed child who would always be lost.
But she never did.
And Martin finds out alone, cornered in an unlocked office, his hands dropping the lighter as a thousand eyes open and watch satisfied as they pour his mother’s choices down his throat to choke him.
--
It starts when Martin starts sleeping in archive storage. When Tim watches worms burrow into Jon’s skin at the same time as they latch and gnaw and wriggle under his own. When they get Sasha back, and find Gertrude’s corpse and Jon leaves and gets hurt and hurt and hurt again, and the world around them gets smaller and meaner and there is nothing Tim can do.
He takes to storing food in their desk drawers. Nothing that will go off, or won’t keep. Tins and dried goods and non-perishables. He lines the walls of Martin’s storage room with fire extinguishers of different types, fire blankets, and spare first aid kits bulging with plasters and bandages and antiseptic wipes. He buys blankets and pillows and rope and penknives. He stress-moults constantly, and tucks his feathers out of sight, irritated and embarrassed at the sight of them,  and it occurs to him that nesting is not a healthy way to deal with this.
He wants his family safe. He used to think it was such a small thing to ask for.
He thinks about that when the bomb goes off.
He burns, and he is dying.
His rage and fear burn off into a different fury. That it has come to this, his family so threatened, that all he has to his name is his sorrow and trauma and frustration and vengeance.
Tim wants nothing more than to live. To see them safe. To rail and rage against what seeks to harm them. So he burns and he burns and burns, his wings aflame and his mouth twisted in a scream, and does not die.
They dig him out breathing from the rubble. His skin stained grey with ash and soot.
His new wings stretch out red as the sunset.
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loserwitchbitch · 3 years
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TELL US MORE ABOUT DREW 😭 please haha
WELL IF YOU INSIST 👀
Warnings: child abuse, violence
So some general background on him for you. He actually got his start early on his path to becoming a slasher - being born into an abusive home, he learned early on what it felt like to be on the receiving end of cruelty even when he had done nothing to deserve such treatment. Drew was eight when his little sister died at their father’s hands, and he watched as his mother dutifully repeated the same old lies to the police to cover for her husband - “she fell down the stairs, it was an accident”. He was the big brother, and he hadn’t protected her, but he could avenge her. And if that vengeance also ensured he himself also never had to endure another beating, then Drew couldn’t see a downside to it. So that night after the police had gone, Drew grabbed a kitchen knife and made his first two kills. His only regret being that he had done it too quickly. He had wanted them to suffer the same way he and his sister had been made to suffer.
After being found the next morning covered in their blood still, Drew ended up in the system himself. Given his testimony of the ongoing abuse and the evidence supporting it following an examination of him and his sister’s autopsy as well, rather than going into a juvenile detention center he was instead sent to a mental health facility and spent the next several years there before being moved into foster care at fourteen with continued outpatient care. Here he learned all the right things to say and do in order to avoid the treatments he didn’t want or being returned to the hospital, but his rage inside continued to grow. While he was fortunate in the families he was placed with in the system, his numerous foster siblings all had their own stories of abuse be it from their biological parents or fosters or some other adult in their lives. Drew realized his own upbringing wasn’t unique, people hurt children every day and were just allowed to get away with. There weren’t enough people that cared, and the ones that did weren’t willing to do enough to protect them. Even the social workers who removed the kids from these homes, all they did was shuffle children from place to place, but so overwhelmed with the number of cases there was usually little else they could do beyond that, if the constraints of their job allowed them to do even that much.
So that was about when he decided to pursue that career himself. Knowing going into it that he was going to make it stop. He knew better than anyone the one way to make these people stop hurting their children, or anyone else for that matter. And he’s careful about it, of course. He prioritizes getting the kids to safety, using his access within the county where he works to make sure they have someplace better to go to before he acts. And he doesn’t only target to abusers in his own caseload, that would be too careless. But his colleagues as well, sometimes even spreading out into neighboring counties when he hears of cases that are close enough for him to travel there and back before he’s missed. Doing everything he can to ensure that the police can’t narrow it down to just him, assuming of course they ever actually connect any of his crimes together.
And through it all over the past few years of this, he’s had his border collie Eddie by his side, to comfort him and bring him back to a calm state of mind after the killings bring his own trauma back to the surface once again. Outside of having had the same therapist since he found a new one after college, Eddie is really the only constant presence in Drew’s life. He’s one that Drew doesn’t have to try and pretend or explain himself to. Eddie accepts Drew as he is, and as such is the only living being that Drew really trusts.
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ok i've been reading your shannon posts (because your opinions are so good and well-written thanks for sharing btw) and i thought you brought up some really interesting points about eddie's parents and how they might 'mean well' but were obviously pretty hurtful. if you have the time and/or are interested, would you mind elaborating a bit on that? hope you have a nice day :)
Hello dear nonny, I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to respond to this. I was taking a short break from fandom and didn’t really go on tumblr much, and I wanted to be sure to give this ask the time it deserved. Thank you for your patience and I hope this lives up to your expectations.
Now, first and foremost, I would deeply welcome any thoughts by Latinx and mixed-race Latinx people such as @extasiswings​ or Hispanic people such as @michaelgrantnash​ if they would like to add them, since Eddie’s Latinx background does play a role in his upbringing. I personally will not be talking about that, for obvious reasons. I’ll simply be addressing this from the position of someone who has experienced and is educated on abuse and unhealthy relationships.
I’m going to make some quick bullet points and then I’ll elaborate on them. Eddie’s parents are hurtful because they:
do not believe in him
belittle him
belittle Shannon, exacerbating an already tough situation between Shannon and Eddie
declare him an unfit father and try to take Christopher away from him
Obviously some of these are more glaring than others. I’ll work up to the big things. Let’s start with the belittling.
One of the best examples of this is in 3x15, when we flashback to Eddie after he’s been home for a short bit after his helicopter crash overseas. His mother criticizes how he make his son’s drink, and then mockingly refers to him as a “big war hero” - saying that he might have been all that and a bag of chips but he can’t make a drink for his son right, a supposedly small and easy thing to do.
Eddie then mentions it to Shannon a few moments later, and Shannon replies that she’s had to deal with a lot of that, too, showing us (the audience) that comments like this are a pattern with Eddie’s mother.
Small things build up. Little comments like that might not seem like a lot, but think about how the last time someone said something like that to you, it stuck with you. I know it sticks with me. But to hear something like that repeatedly from someone you care about? That has to really hurt. And Eddie and Shannon treat this as a normal, every day issue. Eddie’s probably had to deal with something like this his entire life. That wears down a person’s self-esteem and explains a) Eddie’s low self-esteem issues and b) his reluctance to open up emotionally. He’s scared he’ll be dismissed. His mother literally mocks the medal and event that have given her son trauma. That’s really not okay.
Not to mention, all of this belittling undoubtedly contributed to Shannon leaving. Shannon says that she’s raising Christopher all alone, and that is patently untrue and I will physically fight her over it but the fact is she probably didn’t feel welcomed by her husband’s family if those were the kind of comments she was used to. Eddie literally says, half joking, but really hurt, that “I can’t even give my son a drink properly,” to which Shannon replies that she knows how that feels.
This tells us that Shannon’s head to deal with this the entire time. Eddie’s parents later say that Christopher was with them nearly every day of his life since he was born. That means Shannon was with them nearly every day in some capacity until she left, so she had to deal with a lot of comments. While it doesn’t excuse her abandoning her four-year-old son (no, I’m not over it, I will never be over it), all those comments definitely built up and contributed to her feelings of abandonment and hurt.
And of course, it’s never just belittling. Abusive behavior is never just the small things (although the small things add up and they matter). It leads to bigger issues, too. And we see this spectacularly in 3x15, in the flashback after Shannon’s left.
Eddie’s parents try to take his son away from them.
Let that sink in. We have spent nearly two full seasons watching Eddie be a loving, dedicated, soft, adoring father to Christopher. We’ve seen him move heaven and earth to take care of his son - and now we see that his open affection and devotion to his child is something he obviously taught himself and worked hard on, and was not the result of a good example by his parents. Eddie builds Christopher up, tells Christopher that he can do anything, protects Christopher ferociously. Eddie’s parents, on the other hand, see their son being a single parent working three jobs and tell him it’s not good enough.
What the fuck.
They literally say, in 3x15, that Christopher should be raised by them, not Eddie. And reinforce this when they say Eddie should move back home to Texas post-Shannon’s funeral. This is actually the first time we (the audience) see them, even though this takes place post-3x15 since in that episode they’re showing up in flashbacks.
Their very first appearance and they’re telling Eddie, “You should bring Christopher back to us. He doesn’t belong here.” They’re ignoring the entire life that Eddie has built for his son here and once again implying that Eddie isn’t good enough to be a parent. Furthermore, they’re making Eddie’s move to LA all about Shannon, and how now that she’s dead they should move back to Texas, rather than realizing that while Shannon was a big part of the reason for the move, getting Christopher a better educational situation and Eddie a better job were also part of it.
All of this leads to the first bullet point: that Eddie’s parents do not believe in him. And possibly never have. We only see this in relation to his being a father and husband but I doubt it just stops there.
No wonder Eddie wanted to move to LA. It wasn’t just about Shannon. In fact it wasn’t all that much about her, seeing as he didn’t try to contact her when he got there and didn’t seem all that happy to see her when she first showed up, despite his later attempts to try and make things work. It was about his parents. Eddie’s parents tried to take his son from him, so he packed his bags and got the hell out of dodge.
Honestly, I wonder if he talked to his abuela about it. “Hey, they’re trying to take Chris from me, I need help.” Eddie’s clearly close with her, closer than he is to his parents. Just a thought.
And what about Christopher? He has to be overhearing what the adults are saying. His grandparents never hid how much they hated Shannon, so it’s likely they discussed Eddie’s supposed failures where Christopher could hear it, too. What does that do to a child? It hurts and wounds them deeply, I can tell you that.
Compare the behavior of Eddie’s parents to the 118, and specifically Buck. When Eddie was working three jobs to support his son post-military, his parents told him he wasn’t doing good enough and tried to take his child away. Buck sees Eddie struggle with a babysitter and so quietly and without judgment gets Eddie a service worker who can help Eddie go over options for his childcare. The 118 welcomes Christopher into the fire station and Bobby tells Eddie that he, and Christopher, have a safe place there.
When Eddie’s hurting post-Shannon, Bobby doesn’t tell him he made a mistake or did anything wrong. He asks if Eddie is okay. He supports Eddie and tries to get him therapy.
When Christopher’s struggling because of the skateboard incident, Carla and Buck support Eddie. They don’t tell him he’s raising his son wrong, or that it’s not okay for him to be upset.
Karen and Hen have playdates for Denny and Christopher. They talk with Eddie and build a friendship with him.
From day one, Buck has been there for Christopher, and the one time Buck fucked up (with the lawsuit), he apologized and admitted he was wrong to leave Christopher’s and Eddie’s lives without a word of warning. Buck is there for Eddie, ready to lend a helping hand, but also cheering him on.
How much must it have meant to Eddie, to have his best friend (and love interest, fight me) literally bleeding to death and not caring because he was desperate to find his son? To have that best friend devastated at the very idea of failing Christopher, and saying he would understand if Eddie didn’t trust him with his son again, because how could he? After his parents told Eddie he wasn’t good enough, to have someone so fucking dedicated to his child looking at Eddie and saying no, no you’re a great father, I’m not good enough... that must have meant more than Eddie could’ve found the words for.
Eddie telling Buck, “There’s nobody in the world I trust with my son more than you,” wasn’t just for Buck. It was for Eddie, too. Because he’s finally found someone he can trust with his child, who won’t try to take that child away from him, who won’t tell Eddie he’s not good enough. He’s found someone to help him be a father rather than steal that role from him.
Buck and the 118 have respected Eddie’s authority as a father, his love for his son, and his dedication to Christopher the entire time. And their only attempts to step in are attempts to give Eddie support since nobody can do it alone, and everyone needs help sometimes. The 118 are a better family to Eddie than his parents have been in every canonical interaction we see. They don’t tell Eddie all the ways he’s doing it wrong. They praise what he’s doing right and catch him when he stumbles.
Emotional abuse is not always big. In fact it’s often harder to catch than sexual or physical abuse. And it can be small and subtle. Eddie’s parents aren’t straight up bullying him in the way we’re raised to recognize. But they criticize him constantly. Tell him everything he’s doing wrong. And most importantly they tell him that he can’t do anything without their help, without being around them. It shows they don’t believe in him and that they want to make him dependent on them - and it means Eddie doesn’t believe in himself.
That’s not okay. I’m sure that they’re well-intentioned people who don’t realize how much they’re hurting their son. They might even be good people, by other definitions. But to paraphrase Maddie Buckley, you can be a good person, just not a good parent. And Eddie’s parents are, from what we’ve seen, not good parents. And they don’t give Eddie what he needs.
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anxiouslymalicious · 4 years
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Losers Club Plus One Part 8
 A Richie Tozier x daughter!reader series
Read the previous part here or go here for the complete Masterlist!
A/N; Hello everyone, I’m sorry for the long wait, but I have been struggling with this one a lot and still don’t feel like it’s as good as it could be, but this is the happiest I have felt about any of the versions I have written for this chapter.  Anyway, this is about 3.8k words. I hope you enjoy!
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“What do you mean you don’t know? Weren’t you there when she was born?!” asked Ben, stressed out beyond belief over the whole situation. He, Bev And Richie had settled in his room while Eddie got cleaned up and Bill sat in front of Y/N’s and Richie’s room, trying to get her to open up to him. He had arrived not long after the situation escalated and had been sat before the room ever since he heard what happened. Well, after giving Richie shit for never bothering to find out. Richie wasn’t mad at Bill though. He was giving himself shit for never bothering to find out, for taking her with him, for being so careless.
“I mean that I never made a test. There was a birth certificate with her, the mother’s name wasn’t readable anymore, but it had my name on it. So, I assumed…” Richie drifted off, another painful sob racking through his body. His chest was aching more and more with every sob. He hid his face in his hands again, like he had countless times in the past half an hour. The shame was too much for him. 
Richie felt the bed dip beside him as Bev sat down on his right, laying a hand on his back, her head resting against his shoulder. She was shaken up to say the least, not expecting anything like that. When she first encountered Y/N, she had thought about how little physical similarities there were between the girl and her father, but she never would have thought that there might be a bigger reason to that than genetic randomness.
Ben, meanwhile, was still pacing the room, not sure what to think of the whole situation.
“Do you want to get tested?” Beverly asked carefully. Her voice was soft and hesitant, eyes travelling from Richie to Ben and back to Richie as helplessness took over her. And not only her. None of the Losers knew what to think of anything that was going on.
Richie looked up a little, chin and mouth still covered by his hand that he never fully lifted from his face. Then, he shook his head vigorously.
“I’m scared.” He finally uttered, voice cracking and barely more than a whisper. The two Losers easily heard how rough his voice sounded, like his vocal cords had turned to sandpaper. Beverly sighed, along with Ben who ran his hand through his hair before settling his hands on his hips. He had stopped his nervous pacing and instead stepped closer to the two Losers on his bed.
“Listen, Trashmouth. You really fucked up. We all know that. But sitting here and wallowing in self-pity won’t make anything right again. You need to do something.” Ben said, kneeling down before his friend. Richie nodded as yet another sob escaped his lips.
“I’m just so scared. Did I just lose my little girl?” Richie asked, teary gaze moving from Bev to Ben. Both of them felt tears of their own stinging in their eyes. Beverly shook her head.
“I don’t think so.” She replied, trying to put as much confidence into her words as possible although she really wasn’t sure if she believed herself. Ben nodded a little, agreeing with her.
“You’re shit, Y/N knows that too. She’s hurt but I don’t think she hates you.” Ben rested one of his hands on Richie’s knee, hoping to provide some form of comfort as he looked up at the broken man. Each of the Losers had witnessed the others breaking down before. It was completely out of character for most of them, almost like an out-of-body-experience, but Ben and Beverly silently agreed that they had never before seen Richie that low.
It was hard on the other Losers too, though. It wasn’t only Richie whose heart was breaking.
Beverly was actually deeply worried for the girl. After all, Bev had never had a good relationship with her father. He had been abusive, good for nothing, but she still loved him. She still came back time and time again. And she saw herself in Y/N. She knew that Richie never meant to hurt her and wouldn’t ever dare to lay a finger on her, but if Y/N felt that being hurt by her loved ones was alright, would she find herself in a relationship like Beverly’s in the future?
Ben’s heart was aching for her. He knew what it was like to be the outcast. He knew what it was like to find people you adored dearly only to be ripped away from them again. He was sure Y/N felt that way now. Like her safe place, for both alike, the Losers Club, would be taken from her, but most importantly, the man she thought was her father, her only family, was in some ways taken away from her. It was cruel and Ben was scared that she would feel equally lost as he did when he had to move away as a kid. He never really recovered from the hurt his mother caused him back then.
Eddie was silently breaking down in his bathroom. To him, Y/N was such a little sunshine and she didn’t deserve any of this. She didn’t deserve a hurt relationship with her father like he had with his own mother growing up. Richie didn’t deserve that either, but Eddie knew just how much this loss of reality can affect someone. He himself had felt as though he had lost his grip on reality when he spent time in the hospital after breaking his arm. When he pushed his mother to her limits. When he too felt as though he was about to lose the only biological family he had left.
Lastly, Bill was desperate. He had pushed Georgie away and never got the chance to apologise. Time was ticking. What if she or Richie wouldn’t find back together? Bill couldn’t let that happen. His mind was set on saving them the eternal heartache of knowing that it was your fault that a loved one died, the heartache of knowing that the other died feeling unloved. He felt that this was his opportunity to make things right. To not give IT the satisfaction of tearing another family apart.
Which was why he was still, after half an hour, hammering against Y/N’s room door, trying to argue with the girl who mostly replied with hums and groans.
“Y/N p-p-please… This is n-not real. I p-p-promise you.” Bill tried, now growing desperate. Impatient. He felt like he was running out of time. His back was leaned against the door, teeth gnawing at his lips.
“How can you promise that?” Y/N sobbed. The hurt she felt was inexplicable. It was just too much. Her world had been torn apart, nothing made sense anymore and she felt like she just couldn’t go on.
“B-because I c-can.” Bill said, then sighed, knowing just how stupid he sounded. “W-what are we t-to you? W-w-what does the L-Losers Club mean to you?” That sounded better in his ears.
Silence. Then, “I appreciate you.”
“W-we do too. And t-the second R-R-Richie introduced you as h-his d-daughter, I d-d-decided that, to m-me, y-you are a part of this f-f-family.” Bill replied.
“I’m not Richie’s daughter though.” She said, followed by another heart-wrenching sob echoing through the door. Bill winced.
“W-What is a f-father to you?” Bill missed Stan terribly in this situation. He would have done a much better job. He had usually been able to clear everyone’s head out, bringing people closer together again, or at least he was able to talk some sense into them. A single tear managed to escape Bill’s eye, rolling down his cheek until he caught it, wiping it away with the back of his hand. He was mourning for his friend.
“I-I’m sorry, k-kiddo. Stan w-would have been much b-better at this. Sorry. I’m t-trying here, please b-bear with me.” A dry chuckle escaped Bill’s lips. “J-just… what does a p-p-person have to do t-to be a father?”
“I don’t know.” She replied. “I really don’t know. Be there for their kid, I guess. Be honest. Take good care of them. Love them and show them that they’re loved every day. Spend time with them… That stuff.”
Bill smiled a little. “D-Didn’t Richie do m-m-most of that? I mean b-besides the honesty-part.”
She sighed. “But it’ll change so much…”
“W-what exactly would it c-change?” Bill knew that he had finally cornered her. He knew that he had Y/N exactly where he wanted. Suddenly, he felt the door move, but he wasn’t quick enough to adjust his balance and fell flat on his back, met with Y/N’s tear-stained face peeking at him shyly from behind the door. Hastily, he got up as Y/N pulled the door a little further open to grant Big-Bill access to the room. He didn’t waste a second and embraced Y/N tightly, closing the door behind them.
It felt good to be held. Y/N whimpered and winced, broken sobs and shallow gasps racked pained her airways and throat, but she felt. And that was nice.
“Shhh… Y-you’re safe. E-everything will b-be alright.” Bill mumbled, hoping to calm her, but not only her. He, too, needed some support, he needed to hear those words, even if they were his own. Otherwise he knew he would go insane.
“Promise?” Y/N mumbled. She knew it would be a lie, but just for a moment, she wanted to embrace the naïve trust of the child in her. She wanted to blindly follow what the adults told her to do and what they told her would be the truth. She didn’t want to think and decide for herself, but rather go back home, to the safe distance that separated Derry from LA, that separated Derry from the rest of the world, really.
 “I p-p-promise.” Bill replied. He looked at his best friend’s presumed daughter and felt utterly helpless. Could he really promise that? He wanted her to be alright, yes, but were lies the right way?
“Can you… uh…”
“Want m-me to call R-R-Richie over?”
Y/N nodded. Bill, feeling a little at ease, grinned and left the room only to reappear a few minutes later, a shaking Richie under his arm. Dried tear streaks besmirched his paler-than-usual cheeks. Richie looked tired. Mentally exhausted, yes, but it seemed almost as though he has aged about two decades in the past hour.
“I’m r-r-right outside if y-you n-need me.” Bill told the two before stepping out, closing the door behind him. Y/N remained quiet, just like Richie. He was slumped over, hands balled in the pockets of his jacket. Y/N could see how hard he was gritting his teeth, trying not to let more tears fall. Richie looked defeated.
Y/N, however, was ready to fight. Her body was rigid, tense, and Richie thought that not even that stupid bitch of a clown would survive a fight with his little girl. Not in that very moment. There was blood on her thumb, Richie assumed she had excessively bit down on it, accidentally tearing it. Richie saw the unshed tears in her eyes and dried tear streaks stained her angrily blushing cheeks.
“Y/N, I,” Richie started, but the words caught in his throat, “I’m so fucking sorry.”
She remained quiet.
“I just… Someone left you on my doorstep. They rang the bell and just took off. I had no chance of finding out who it was. But there was a letter. I still have it at home. Couldn’t throw that stupid piece of shit paper away.” A dry chuckle escaped Richie’s lips as he stepped closer to the bed, where Y/N was standing.
“It was from your mother. I can tell you what it said, or I can give you the letter once we get home. But something about it made me want to trust that unnamed person. And you were crying. So loudly and desperately, it made me cry too. I was so fucking scared. I mean, I still am, but back in the day, everything happened so suddenly and I was still living in my fucked up one-room apartment. Fuck, I still wrote my own shit.” Richie ran a hand over his face, up to his hair, then looked at Y/N. Her arms were crossed in a defensive manner in front of her chest.
“But you looked at me with those fucking huge eyes and it was like you told me that we could do this. And I trusted you. And when you grew older, you were so much like me. I never felt the need to do a paternity test. I’m so fucking sorry, Y/N.” Richie couldn’t hold his tears back any longer. His voice sounded shallow, pained, even. Y/N just sighed, but she could feel her own tears fall, shoulders relaxing in the slightest.
“If you want me to, I’ll take the test the second we get back home. But to me you are and will always be my daughter. Fucking biology can’t change that. Please, please forgive me, little one. Please. I’m so fucking sorry.” Richie ‘Trashmouth’ Tozier was full-on pleading now. Pure fear had taken over his body, fear of losing the most important person in his life. The little girl he had taken care of, taken in, cared for and given all his love for the longest time of his life. He couldn’t lose her.
“It’s okay, Richie. I’d just like to know if you’re my biological father too on top of being my psychological dad.” Y/N muttered before finally letting loose, allowing her body to break down again. She knew that it wasn’t just okay. She, as much as Richie knew that it would take time to rebuild their trust, to get back to where they were. She knew that she couldn’t just forgive him for basically lying to her all her life, but he couldn’t help it. He had been blind with trust and now he would have to pay the price. 
Richie hesitated for a moment, not knowing if she wanted distance between them to sort out her feelings or if she was craving the comfort from the man she considered her father throughout her whole life. Ultimately, he decided against his gut-feeling and shot up from the bed, wrapping his arms around her crumbling frame.
They cried. It was raw and real and painful, but it was just as relieving. Wet, desperate sounds of hurt and heartache crawled up their throats, echoing in the room. Struggling breaths and hurried gasps. Cries for help from above. Cries for the past.
Eddie, in his room, could hear the wailing sounds. They pained him. They made him want to cry as he cleaned himself up. Eddie didn’t want anything more than for the two to be alright. He wanted the man he loved to be alright and he wanted for that man’s daughter to be alright. Eddie’s creeping hopes of going home with them rather than going back to Myra felt as though they had been shattered. He felt guilty for not wanting to go back to her, but Eddie wanted to be happy. And he felt more than just happy when he was with the Tozier-Trashmouth-duo. He felt free and accepted and loved whereas with Myra, he felt oppressed and stuck in the same vicious circle every day of his life.
He appreciated her, he appreciated how she cared for him, how she reminded him of all the meds he had to take and how he could unwind a little with her after a long day at work. Eddie did have actual romantic feelings for that woman years and years ago, but now, he felt that all those feelings had faded and since arriving in Derry, the thought of going back to Myra made him feel uneasy more than anything.
He would much rather go home with the chaotic Toziers. Get to know how they live. He could help Richie manage his life. He could help Y/N whenever she was struggling in school. Maybe, just maybe, Eddie could stay at home, make sure that everything was cleaned and cared for, cook and plan out little weekend trips. Maybe he could pick up a small job to support the duo, or he could keep working at his job, it wasn’t something he couldn’t do elsewhere, and save whatever was left of his income for Y/N’s later education.
Eddie smiled, a blush on his cheeks, as he wet the cloth, trying to get the dirt off himself. Only seconds later, his happy daydreams were rudely interrupted by the most terrifying nightmare.
Ben had checked in with the Toziers as the cleansing cries ebbed off and were replaced with soft, uneven whimpers and whispers.
“We need you two right here with us.” He had told them, eyes moving from one tear-stained face to the other. Ben looked closely, examined their faces in the most detailed way, searching for similarities between the two and ending up a little satisfied as he found a few. Like the way their noses were curved. The fine lips, the gentle eyes. Ben found that they had more in common than they might have seen. He hoped that it wasn’t just mother nature and his own mind playing tricks on him.
“We’ll stay, don’t worry.” Richie replied as he watched Ben. Little did Ben know that neither Richie nor Y/N planned on staying in Derry. Ben had closed the door behind him, his steps outside growing quieter as he was on his way downstairs, unintentionally interrupting the kiss between Bev and Bill before proudly explaining to them how he managed to get Richie and Y/N to stay.
“Let’s leave.” Richie said hurriedly, back in the room. His heart was clenching in his chest at the thought of leaving his friends, most importantly Eddie, behind to fend for themselves, but fixing his family was more important to him. The blankness of Y/N face, the emptiness of her eyes, the lack of emotion in her facial features scared Richie more than IT ever could.
Y/N nodded. She was too exhausted to interact with Richie any longer. She felt empty, almost as though with all the tears she cried, she had cried out her heart and soul and every last emotion in her brain. She felt like something had been ripped away from her. Like she was incomplete. Although she knew that Richie wasn’t really gone. He was still there, still her father, but she still felt… Strange. Because everything she had believed as she grew up might have been a huge misunderstanding. And that was a lot to take in.
 Richie smiled a little. Then, he gave her a gentle clap on the shoulder, the last non-frantic movement he would make for the next few minutes. What ensued was Richie, a constant stream of swear words leaving his lips, hastily searching the room for any items that might belong to them, carelessly throwing what was left in the room into the bags. He then grabbed both bags, gently pushing his daughter to the window where a fire escape led them outside, to the comfort of the expensive car.
Y/N climbed into the back, stretching her legs across the seats while Richie threw the bags in the trunk, slamming it close, then struggled to get in and start the car. The second the motor started, Richie seemed to be a little at ease, his shoulders relaxing further the more distance he put between his little family and the hotel of horror.
Richie had turned on the radio, a random rock song was playing, and he anxiously bopped his head along to the beat. The song sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t be bothered to strain his brain for the name.
Y/N had curled up against the backseats, legs spread out over the seats. She wasn’t comfortable, but it felt better than facing the world and sitting up. She felt too tired to do that. Instead, she looked out the window, simply watching as the world passed by.
The car came to an abrupt halt, shaking the girl halfway out of her trance. She sat up a little, confused as to where the pair might be. She spotted a synagogue and let her eyes travel to Richie who now seemed to be in a little trance himself. His vision blurred with tears and he suddenly looked back at his little girl.
“Uhm… Would you- do you mind if we-“ Richie sniffled a little, pointing at the synagogue just outside. Carefully, Y/N shook her head, silently telling the man that it would be alright. And so, Richie parked the car and climbed out, leading his daughter inside. He hadn’t been there in years. Not since the bar mitzvah. Not since Stanley’s speech.
His nose filled with the typical, slightly musty smell of the place. He knew that warm but kind of old smell from the time he supported Stan when no one else would.
Richie and Y/N sat down on one of the benches and Richie’s gaze wandered through the room. In his mind, he tried to think of how it had looked back in the day. He tried to remember the decorations, how he and his mother were dressed, what Stanley wore.
How he acted. Richie’s mother had felt embarrassed that Richie couldn’t keep his Trashmouth in check for once. But not only how Richie himself acted, admittedly quite tame compared to what his teachers usually heard from him. This was about Stanley.
How he acted up against what was expected from him. How we said that he was and would always be a Loser.
How Stanley reminded Richie of who he was and would always be. That he was alright just the way he was. That he didn’t need to be afraid of who he was.
How Stanley reminded Richie that his friends needed him.
And how much he needed his friends. ‘Because Losers stick together’.
“Thank you for showing up, Stanley.” Richie sniffled in the quietest voice he could muster
And with that, Richie grabbed Y/N’s hand and pulled her outside again, ready to go meet Mike at the library. Ready to stand by his friends. Ready to fuck the bitch up who dared to lay a finger on his little girl and tried to tear them apart. And, lastly, ready to face Eddie. Because Richie really needed Eddie to know how he felt about him.  
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trickkombowerskru · 4 years
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Baby Mama-Reddie X Surrogate! Reader Imagine
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Request: Anonymous: Hiii could you maybe do a hc or imagine either is fine where Richie and Eddie (it ch 2) are married and they want a baby so they ask the reader who’s best friend with both of them to be their surrogate and she says yesand after that babies born they ask reader to be godmother! If you don’t wanna that’s fine thanks
A/N: A bit of an auish where Eddie is actually a doctor also, the name I chose is an Easter egg to my babe @hellsgrove​ and her great story of them adopting a kid it’s so cute go read it here!
Warnings: None
Tonight felt great you were out to dinner with your best friends, who do to your busy schedules you hadn't seen in a while. You with just your higher up position at the office in general, Eddie at the hospital, and Richie with his most recent tour finishing up. 
It was nice when the three of you had some downtime to just relax and joke around, even if the restaurant they had chosen for then night was on the fancier side. 
And when they had told you they wanted to ask you something, also do to the restaurant choice you assumed it was important, and you always made sure to listen to your friends concerns. 
You were about half way through the dinner when Richie puts his fork down and sighs."I can't take it anymore Eds can we tell her?"
Eddie rolled his eyes at the nickname, considering he married this asshole he knew he'd have to deal with it for life at this point. After that he also nods allowing Richie to start whatever their proposition would be.
 "Okay so we've been talking about this a lot and really trying to think it through so-," he gets cut off by Eddie chiming in.
"And you could totally say no, it'd be okay and we would understand." 
"Yeah we would. Okay so we really want to start a family, and we considered all of our options, and thought that we would...,"
Richie freezes for a minute, a rare sight, which made you tell he was very nervous about everything, Eddie sense that and takes over.
"We wanted to ask you if you would be our surrogate? We know it sounds crazy and out of the blue, but we really did think of all of our options over, and when we decided on having a surrogate we knew we wanted someone we trust more than anything, rather than interviewing a bunch of candidates, and both our minds automatically went to you."
You were stunned by their offer.
"Well I um-"
"You don't have to answer tonight if you don't want to. Take as much time as you need," Richie adds.
"I just have some questions. First off whose....ya know....is going to be used?"
"Mine," Eddie answers.
"Yeah we talked about it and like the fewer kids that have my genes the better. They'd be too beautiful, but also blind as shit" Richie remarks, making Eddie roll his eyes again.
"Plus I mean we both have dark And dark eyes so it would look a bit like both of us in some way," he finishes. 
You just nod, really trying to think about it. You wanted to support them you did, but at the same time it was such a huge commitment, and a life changing one at that. 
On the other hand, it also warmed your hear that you were both of their automatic thoughts for something like this.Sorting through everything quickly in your mind as you wanted to give them an answer tonight, you weighed out the pros and cons and then decided.
"I'll do it."
"You will?," Richie asks, both their faces lighting up.
"Yes. I love you guys and after all you've done for me it's the least I could do for you."They each hugged you, thanking you so much for this.
Boy did you have no idea what you would be in for. 
When Richie and Eddie proposed the the idea to you, it was clear you were definitely nervous about the whole thing, but now however 4 months into your pregnancy, you couldn't have been happier to have said yes. 
You did always want kids, and while this child wasn't exactly yours you knew that the guys would let you babysit them and see them enough to where you would still have a bond. 
Your body wasn't the only thing that changed either -which was already showing a lot-, of course since you had a relatively normal life compared to Richie when the news was announced the press was all over it. 
You had an immense gain in followers across both Twitter and Instagram, along with having to go with the guys to events, or at least as many as you could for pictures next to the guys with their hands on your belly and what not. 
You even had a camera man or two stop you in the past few months on the street. While it was all very overwhelming, you understood that "celebrity baby" news was big. 
They also stayed outside your apartment sometimes for shots of Richie or Eddie when they came over with whatever you happened to be craving that day. 
While Richie came over a lot, Eddie was at your place nearly everyday giving you vitamins and supplements to make sure the baby would be more than healthy. 
They also accompanied you during each hospital visit, only time they didn't come in was during the appointment where you could find out the gender, them both wanting it to be a surprise.
As it went on the next few months, if you thought the middle of your pregnancy was tough, the near end of it was like torture. 
Now at 7 months you were more than showing, and if you didn't know any better you would think that you were pregnant with twins, although the doctor assured you that was not the case.
"Hey mama," Richie greets as you enter their place.
"Hey."
"How you feeling?"
"Good. Good. Ah!"
"What?! What's wrong?!"
"Nothing the baby just kicked."
"Really?", he asks with a spark in his eyes 
"Yeah. This kid is definitely a mix of you and Eddie with how feisty they are."
"We picked names today."
"Really? What are you thinking?"
"If it's a boy Toby and if it's a girl Rachel," he smiles.
"Those are nice."
"Took us forever to settle on ones we both liked. If it was a boy Eddie wanted to name him Xavier or Graham like do you know a kid named either of those names that doesn't get the shit kicked out of him?"
You laugh.
"Can't say I do. Then again I don't know many kids in general so who am I to judge?"
He shrugs and asks if you want anything, for the moment you decline and then just talk about all kinds of stuff they have started getting a few things for a nursery, Ben having built them a great quality crib for the baby. 
The closer it got the more excited and on edge they seemed.Time flew by and soon enough it was time for this baby to get out of your body. 
You had pretty much lived with the guys these past few days as the baby was ready to come out any second. And it chose today when this morning shortly after waking up, your water broke. 
After rushing you to the hospital, came so many hours of labor.Richie was trying to lighten the mood with some jokes, but they were doing anything except helping. 
"Richie I'm in immense pain and about to be split in half by your child so if you don't shut the fuck up I will punch you in the dick so hard, it will make it impossible for you to have another one."
He threw up his hands in surrender and looked at Eddie terrified.Soon enough it was time, after a whole lot of pushing, their baby was born.
"It's a girl!" the doctor announced.
"She's beautiful," you say holding her.
"Welcome to the world Rachel Kaspbrak-Tozier," you coo as you rock her.
"Eddie she has your eyes, and the mix of our noses kinda makes hers look like yours Rich."
"Thank you so much for all of this Y/N," Richie says.
"Seriously we couldn't have had a better mom for her, but we have one more thing to ask."
"What is it?"
"For doing all of this, and putting up with us during it, and everything else would you be her God Mother?"
You started to tear up, and unlike their initial question of them asking you to be their surrogate no thought was needed here.
"Yes. Oh my god you guys of course."
Shortly after everything you moved out of your old apartment complex and into theirs, that way your little family could be even closer and so you could watch Rachel grow up. 
Honestly for as much as they panicked Richie and Eddie made great dads, and as you had thought you were the number one babysitting option when they needed it. 
She adored you and it warmed your heart that you actually got to have an even stronger bond with her than expected.
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croonerboy1965 · 4 years
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As Many Forms of Love...
by croonerboy1965 and librarian-von-sassypants
Eddie stared out the window at the sprawling countryside as it moved like an abstract painting of green outside the carriage window, and hoped.
He hoped that this move was the right thing for his son. Christopher hadn’t flourished in the city as he thought he might. 
He hoped he was making the right choice in uprooting their lives and letting a house in the country, miles and miles from the smog and the dirt.
He hoped he would find a nice wife quickly, without too much effort, who would be good to Christopher, who would love him as much as Eddie did.
And more than anything, he hoped he could find the peace he so desperately craved. The ravages of war left little cracks in Eddie that festered, and grew, and his mind itched for a balm, something to make it all just a little bit less. 
He hoped to find that here. That peace, that so many people promised the countryside would provide. 
Twilight painted the sky in soft pastels of orange and red hues which tugged at the coming of night, and it’s blanket indigo fading into purple. They’d been on the road for hours, it seemed, and Christopher had long since fallen asleep, despite the rumbling of the carriage. Eddie could never quite get himself to sleep under any set of circumstances of late, still haunted by visions of his time in the militia. Too many tense transports during the war, where he was never sure if, when he fell asleep, he would ever wake back up again. 
They’re close now, just another hour or so and they’ll be at their new manor. It will be a relief after their long travels to have the comforts of a downy bed, and the distinct pleasure of a household staff to meet their needs. Eddie could certainly use a nice hot bath and a cup of tea to warm his tired and chilled through bones. 
The horse whinnying was Eddie’s first clue something was wrong, followed by the sudden jolt of the carriage as they ground to a halt.
Immediately, he put a hand out to stop a sleeping Christopher from tumbling onto the carriage floor. 
“Kingston?” he called out to his driver. 
“My lord--” Kingston started, but was cut off, and Eddie began to take inventory of what he has in the carriage to use as a weapon. The night often carried the unscrupulous wants of undesirable men. He considered Christopher’s walking cane,then thought the better of it. He realized he packed the only weapon he had, his pistol, was packed and sent on ahead. ‘Dammit all the Hell!’, he thought to himself. 
“Good evening!”, the voice that greeted them from outside the carriage was almost cheerful. Eddie instinctively grabbed his son’s cane, still keeping low and out of sight. The man who stepped into view looked young, younger than him, with a black mask obscuring the top half of his face. Dark and tattered clothes and high black boots completed the brigand look, but he was grinning, a smile so bright it looked very out of place. Now the only thing clearly visible in the dimming light.
Beside Eddie, Christopher was beginning to stir. Eddie muttered a series of foul words under his breath, a habit he’d broken for the most part, since Christopher was born. 
He looked up groggily at his father, and Eddie put a finger to his lips. Even in his slightly sleep-addled state, Christopher understood, and nodded.
“Don’t worry!” the chipper man continued. There was very definitely a pistol in his hand, pointed directly at Eddie. “All I want is your valuables. Jewelry, money. No need to panic.” 
The thief made the request in a tone so casual, as if he were discussing the weather over afternoon tea. 
Eddie raised his head and stuck it out the window.
“Sir…” Eddie started, but the man held up a gloved hand.
“I assure you, my lord, I have no problem using violence to get it.” The tone was kept light, and somehow that was worse. “But I prefer to be civil if possible.”
‘Where the hell were his footmen? Why hadn’t anyone tried to… divest this brigand of his weapon already?’, Eddie wondered.  
There were other low voices, indistinguishable but present, giving him the answer. 
“As do I,” Eddie raised both hands in playcation. “There’s no need for violence.” 
The brigand’s grin seemed to perk up a little. Night hadn’t quite settled in, and the sun’s light cast a ruddy glow on the pale skin that peaked around his outfit. 
“Then if you would be so kind as to exit the carriage, sir, we can get this charade over and done with.”
Eddie looked over at Christopher automatically. It wasn’t easy, getting him in and out of carriages, nor did he want to place his son in the way of some bastard’s pistol, but he didn’t want to risk enraging this man any further.
Eddie had seen the careless way highwaymen such as this had treated children in the past, and it made his blood cold. 
“I need to carry my son,” Eddie said, slowly reaching over toward Christopher. He took care to make  no sudden movements.
“Papa?” Christopher said in a hushed tone, looking up at him with trust laced with trepidation.
“It’s okay, my boy,” he said softly. “We’re just going to do what the nice man says.”, he reassured him. 
Christopher’s small arms wrapped around his neck, and Eddie grabbed him by the waist with one hand, maneuvering to open the door of the carriage with the other.
It was a bit of a drop to the ground, but he finagled it with ease, one hand raised to show he was unarmed. The cane sat uselessly on the carriage floor, and he wished like hell he could grab it, but didn’t want to risk it, not with Christopher in the line of fire. 
The look on the brigand’s face noticeably changed when his gaze landed on Christopher.
“What’s wrong with him?” the man asked, and Eddie was surprised that there seemed to be genuine concern in his voice, rather than the slight distaste he got from most everyone else. 
Eddie really wanted to tell this gun weilding man to take a flying leap and fuck off, but he tightened his grip on Christopher instead, and said,
“His legs don’t work well. He’s… different.” 
Different meant insane, in most people’s context. Different meant sanitariums and social blacklisting, and Eddie had worked so damn hard to shield Christopher from all of that. 
“I’m sorry.”, said the brigand.
Eddie fought the urge to raise his brow in surprise, because it sounded like he meant it. Eddie very much wanted to follow up with “Sorry enough not to rob us blind?”, but didn’t want to push his luck. 
“Father?” Christopher looks over at the man in black, and then back at his father. “Who is that?”
“Just look at me, Chris,” Eddie whispers, which is a useless thing to say, of course an inquisitive nine year old isn’t going to look away from the stranger, but fear is starting to whisper things into Eddie’s brain now.
The man very deftly slips his gun into the holster at his hip, and shows Christopher his empty hands, smiling softly now at the boy.
“Don’t worry,” the man says, “Your dad and I are just going to talk for a minute. Is that okay?”, and Christopher nods. Eddie is mistrustful on one hand and almost impressed on the other, at the way the robber handled his son, asking his permission and what not.
The man nudges his head to one side, silently asking to talk to Eddie alone.
“Kingston?” he called out to his driver, but then looked warily over at the brigand. “Could you…?” 
The man nodded, stepped back, gesturing for the driver to climb down. Eddie could see the other two now, though not enough to make out distinguishing features. Both wore black, as this man did, guns trained on the driver and Kingston. 
Kingston’s movements were unsure as he stepped toward his master, gathering Christopher up in his arms, with a quiet, “Come along, young master.” 
“We’ll keep this as brief as possible,” the man says, but as soon as Christopher is away, his gun is back out again, trained on Eddie. 
“If you would be so kind?”, He held out a burlap sack and gestured. 
“Would you kill me --in front of my son?” Eddie asks, locking gazes with the man. In the dying light, his eyes look almost ashen. 
“No,” he admits, smiling softly. “But I might knock you and the rest of your staff unconscious, and that would still be unpleasant for him.” 
Eddie stares at him a moment longer, debates with himself very briefly if maybe he could overpower this man, take out his two associates before either of them got a shot off, decided that no, it was unlikely, and began stripping the jewelry from his personage. 
Cufflinks, family crest ring, broach that was a gift from his father. All of the money he had on his person. 
One of the men began to unload the other bags, and Eddie, doing his best to retain what little dignity he has left, says indignantly, “You can search the luggage but you won’t find anything.” he looks up at the two small suitcases they have strapped to the top of the carriage. “We sent everything ahead. That’s mostly clothes.” And what he said was true. The bags were filled with various sundries, and had little resale worth. No value to anyone but he and his son.
“We’ll be the judge of that, the other man said as he and his cohort began to rifle through all of their personal belongings. They tossed the items haphazardly, scattering them on the ground.
Christopher was wearing the only thing of value. His mother’s necklace, a small teardrop pearl, set on a gold chain, dangling clear as day on the outside of his jacket. He hadn��t taken it off since she died. 
Eddie watched the lead man look over at Christopher, at the necklace, which was catching the last of the sun’s rays and glinting a little, and then turned back to Eddie.
“Grab the boy.” the brigand said, keeping his gaze locked with Eddie’s. One of the henchmen attempts to snatch Christoper from Kingston’s arms with some amount of force. 
“Papa!”, Christopher shrieks.
Kingston puffs up his chest, clutching the boy firmly to him and admonishes the man saying, “How dare you touch him you sniveling little--”, but the curse is cut short by the cocking of a gun’s hammer. 
“No!”, Eddie screams, as he starts to rush the man in black, hoping to shield Kingston. 
As he does so, he is yanked backward by the larger of the two thugs, the brute, thumping him on the head, bringing Eddie to his knees. The brigand dismounts and approaches Eddie, as the henchman drags him to his feet. 
The masked man sticks the barrel of his pistol up under Eddie’s chin.
Their faces are close enough that when he speaks, Eddie can smell the faint whiff of anise on his breath. And at this range can see the true color of his eyes, crystalline blue like icy sapphires. Something in him stirs and his face flushes, but it is not so much anger as a kind of embarrassment. A long moment passes, and the brigand sees something unspoken, almost desirous, in Eddie’s eyes. 
“Are you certain you are carrying nothing else?”, the thief asks as he uses his free hand to rifle through Eddie’s pockets. And in doing so, brushes against something hard, like the grip of a gun. He grasps at it and pulls more than once before realizing his error. Eddie grunts in a way that makes the man restraining him slightly consternate. He looks at his gang leader, who Eddie sees has gone flush in the face, himself. The brigand coughs as he pulls his hand from Eddie's pocket and turns to mount his horse. 
 Nodding to his henchmen to release the captives, he tries to end the encounter curtly, saying, “Then we shall send you on your merry way, sir.”, he said, replacing the gun in it’s holster. 
Eddie blinked. And blinked again. He opened his mouth for a moment, thoroughly confused, but then closed it again, gesturing for Kingston to help Christopher up into the carriage.
Eddie stared at the man, unsure if this was a ruse, wondering if he might indeed shoot them after all. 
The man in the mask looked down, a grin spread across his face, as he shook his head, and then looking up at Eddie again, said in a hoarse whisper,  “We don’t steal from children.”, his hand held up alongside his face, as if not wanting his companions to hear. “There is still at least some honor amongst thieves.” And then gives Eddie a wink. 
He backs away, gestures for his companions to mount up, and in the time it takes Kingston to get Christopher back in the carriage, they are galloping away across the open field, toward the woods. It’s no use attempting pursuit. Even if Eddie were armed, unhooking the horses would take far too long. Already, they were becoming distant smudges in the twilight.
“Everyone okay?” Eddie asks. The footman and Kingston both look rattled, but nod, get back onto the carriage.
The rest of the trip is uneventful, and night covers everything like a thick cloak as they pull up to the front of the manor. 
After tucking Christopher snugly into his bed, Eddie kissed him on the forehead, brushing away the curls from his face.
“Papa, will the bad men come back and try to hurt us?”, Christopher asked. 
“No my love...he can’t hurt us anymore. We’re safe.”, Eddie said, not really sure if the statement was completely truthful. 
“Why did they let us go?”, he asked. 
“Because you are incredibly brave.”, Eddie assured him, touching the tip of his index finger to Christopher’s nose. And your mother was there watching over you.” Eddie traces the chain around Christopher’s neck and rolls the pearl hanging there between his thumb and forefinger.
“I miss her.”, said Christopher. 
“I do too.”, Eddie says, smiling to hide the pang of sadness welling within him. 
“How about you get some sleep, and tomorrow we can go into town and find some ice cream for tomorrow's dessert?”, he said, seeing Christopher’s face change to one of excitement. 
“Can we get chocolate?!”, he pleaded.
“Anything you want, now close your eyes, and dream of all the new places we’ll see when you wake.” Eddie pulled the covers up and closed Christopher’s eyelids gently with his fingertips. 
This made Christopher giggle softly. Eddie got up and went to the door, leaving it open just a bit as he left the bedroom, letting in just enough light for Christopher to see, in case he should wake in the night. 
“Good night my sweet boy.’, he whispered, and made his way to his own bed chambers. 
Today was a long day, and he was bone tired. And tomorrow has its own weight to bear.
A new town, and a party to plan and a bevy of eligible ladies to court. Eddie stripped off his traveling clothes and washed with the basin of water at his dressing table. He thought again of the brigand and a tingle of excitement ran through him. He toweled off his face and  climbed under the sheets. The last thought he had before drifting off was of the thief...and those pale blue eyes.
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aion-rsa · 3 years
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Venom 2 Trailer Breakdown – All the Marvel and Carnage References
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Folks, we live in interesting times. We just received a trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the sequel to the surprise 2018 hit Venom, starring Tom Hardy, Tom Hardy, and a whole lot of people who weren’t trying nearly as hard as Tom Hardy. This sequel brings in Woody Harrelson as Broadway star Carnage about 30 years after his comic book debut.
Seriously, though. Carnage appeared in a Broadway musical ten years before he got to be in the movies. I’ll never get over that.
If you haven’t watched the crazy trailer yet, press pause on your Green Jelly CD and check this out.
What can we gather from this trailer?
THE RETURN OF THE BROMANCE
The Venom symbiote has become more acclimated to life on Earth, going so far as learning at least a little Chinese and getting into cooking. If that’s what you call it. Eddie Brock simply has to endure it best he can.
Fun fact: the 2004 comic book miniseries Venom vs. Carnage (by Peter Milligan and Clayton Crain) was the first time anyone’s played with the fun concept of a symbiote and its host acting like an old married couple. In that comic, a delightful scene had Cletus Kasady ironing his shirt while having a lovers’ spat with his symbiote.
Also, while Venom’s love for chocolate was hinted at at the end of the first movie, the two-in-one vigilante is more adamant about it this time around. During the character’s ’90s antihero run, it was explained that there’s a chemical in both chocolate and brain matter that the symbiote needs to thrive. Eating chocolate keeps Venom from wanting to eat brains.
Anyway, chipper Venom gives me life.
CARNAGE IS HERE
Continuing from where the last movie left off, Cletus Kasady is locked up and will only confide in Eddie Brock. While we’re left wondering how we get from point A to point B with Cletus becoming a symbiote host, we at least dive straight into the big hero/villain cliché about how similar they are.
Director Andy Serkis goes into more detail on this with some trailer commentary: “They both had strange upbringings with strange relationships with their parents and their families. And there’s an inherent loneliness that they both recognize in each other. Cletus actually reaches out and will only speak to Eddie Brock. That’s at the beginning of the story, we learned that he’s the only one he’ll speak to. And the cops, therefore, want Eddie to go in and investigate and try and discover where some of the bodies, some of the many bodies of Cletus’s victims are.”
I miss his Sideshow Bob wig.
SHRIEK HAS ARRIVED
Naomie Harris is shown as an inmate at Ravencroft, an asylum regularly used in Marvel Comics. She appears to be portraying Frances Barrison, otherwise known as Shriek.
Introduced in the Maximum Carnage story, Shriek was created to be a love interest for Carnage. The Mallory to his Mickey, if you will. In the comics, she’s a mutant with powers allowing her to fly, shoot sonic blasts, and darken people’s personalities.
The abusive couple have teamed up various times, most notably in Maximum Carnage where they were joined by the Spider Doppelganger, Demogoblin, and Carrion. The former (a six-armed monster version of Spider-Man) is the only one of the three with any real staying power, usually being treated by Shriek as either her child or her dog.
ANNE WEYING IS STILL AROUND
Michelle Williams returns as Anne Weying, Eddie’s former fiancée. The last movie ended with Venom (and Stan Lee) insisting Eddie would win her back. She’s last been seen with a supportive and successful boyfriend and Eddie’s personal life is still kind of a mess. It will take a lot to get Anne to go back to Eddie the way things are.
Besides, she probably wouldn’t enjoy finding out that he lied to her about Venom’s survival. Screwing with her trust is what got Eddie into this mess in the first place.
DETECTIVE MULLIGAN
Patrick Mulligan. Now that’s a deep cut. Remember earlier when I was talking about the miniseries Venom vs. Carnage? Said story was about introducing Toxin, the spawn of Carnage. Officer Mulligan became the host for the newly-born creature. With that origin story and a six-issue miniseries from the mid-00s, Mulligan tried to train his symbiote, which meant well, but was violent and naïve about how the world works.
Really, the Toxin miniseries is the blueprint for Eddie and Venom’s cinematic relationship. Too bad Mulligan was presumably killed off-panel so they could move the Toxin symbiote onto different hosts, including Eddie himself for a time.
Now that I think about it, the closest thing Toxin had to an arch-nemesis was Razor Fist. The same Razor Fist that will show up in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. See? Now their war lives on on another battlefield.
THE DAILY BUGLE AND…THE AVENGERS?
We have another article discussing how this brief moment in the trailer decides whether or not the Venom movies take place in the MCU. After all, this shot of Mulligan reading The Daily Bugle shows it as a newspaper, which doesn’t really line up with how it’s portrayed in the MCU.
There is an interesting wrinkle in this, though. When Mulligan angrily crushes the newspaper, there’s a very, very brief look at a headline from inside the paper. The two words visible seem to say “AVENGERS” and “NIGHTMARE.” Possibly “AVENGERS LEVEL NIGHTMARE.”
This could be nothing more than an Easter egg, but considering Morbius is supposed to take place in the MCU due to Vulture showing up in the trailer and Morbius is apparently part of the “Venomverse,” I guess we can just say that the Venom movies aren’t part of the MCU…until they are.
Speaking of Easter eggs, notice the wanted poster for E. Larson. Erik Larsen is the comic artist credited for giving Venom the gnarly face of fangs with gross tongue.
VENOM’S KATANA?
There’s one shot where Venom’s carrying something and…it looks like it’s a katana? What in the hell?
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I mean, I’m absolutely for it, but it’s not like Venom’s really known for going all Samurai Jack (he’s more Aku, really). This is like when Juggernaut had a bazooka in that Konami X-Men arcade game. He really didn’t need it, but we’re better for it!
The post Venom 2 Trailer Breakdown – All the Marvel and Carnage References appeared first on Den of Geek.
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queennymeria · 3 years
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personality 1 - 5 , combat 5 - 8, relationships 3 - 7 + gucci coochie and nascar boy 🔫
PERSONALITY
1. alignment
OLIVIA: Lawful evil. 
JAMIE: Chaotic neutral.
2. MBTI OLIVIA: ANSWERED.
JAMIE: ISFP.
3. tarot card
OLIVIA: Queen of Swords! She’s that baddie...
JAMIE:  The Star. Always looking forward to the future and hopeful about it.
4. zodiac
OLIVIA: I know I answered this and I said Dec but I can’t imagine her as a Sagittarius like you so I’m changing her birthday to October 29 and making her a hornee Scorpio.
JAMIE: Gemini...two face. Jk, jk. He was born on June 10 so he’s definitely got those Gemini traits. 
5. enneagram
OLIVIA: The Individualist. 
JAMIE: The Achiever. 
COMBAT
5. biggest weakness in combat
JAMIE: Jamie tends to get distracted easily during combat -- whether he’s trying to focus on one target or he’s trying to disable the system cameras he’s really just all over the place. He doesn’t focus on the important things and instead just spreads himself far too thin.
6. avoid combat or shot first?
JAMIE: Shoot first. He’s...trigger happy in some cases but honestly he does it to scare the people he’s trying to take down.
7. threaten or charm?
JAMIE: Charm. Jamie needs people to trust him so he’ll lay it on thick but most times it just falls flat because he’s trying too hard. It’s difficult for him to be natural and himself most times. 
8. lethal or non-lethal?
JAMIE: Non-lethal! He doesn’t like to kill but if he has to then he will. 
RELATIONSHIPS
3. who is their closest friend?
OLIVIA: Jackie was honestly the only friend outside of her family she trusted wholeheartedly and would never question his loyalty to her. He reminded her so much of her brother that was eerie at times, but regardless Jackie always managed to keep a smile on her face. He was someone she relied on really to be her moral compass when Arasaka stripped her of one, and when he dies it’s a lot for Olivia to handle because she feels like her literal life line has been ripped from her.
JAMIE: Again, Jackie. He befriended him when they could’ve very well have been enemies but Jackie saw in Jamie what he perhaps saw in himself when he was younger. Jackie was the older brother Jamie wishes Julian was, and it’s because of him that he never lost sight of his morals. 
4. who are their other friends if they have them?
OLIVIA: Viktor, Goro, Misty. Those three are the only ones Olivia will do anything for and who she’ll risk her life if need be. Later on, she befriends Judy and Panam as well as River. 
JAMIE: Vik, Misty, Pepe, Judy, Panam, River, Kerry, and Vianna and Antoni  who belong to @chuckhansen (who also happens to be Vianna’s father). Jamie is pretty likeable so it’s easy for him to kind of mingle and befriend people from different backgrounds!
5. what are their exes like? any significant ones?
OLIVIA: Olivia has a string of flings but one in particular that still haunts her is her ex-fiance, Asher Hua. He’s the CEO of a well established pharmaceutical company which means he’s swimming in eddies. He really wanted that life of having a wife and a big family but Olivia didn’t want to be married nor does she want kids. She was content to marry him just to make him happy but after awhile what he wanted from her got to be too much. It was insufferable to the point she would just straight up disappear and hang with Jackie to avoid him. He had good intentions, but Olivia didn’t want to to be tied down.
Right after him Olivia was in a year long relationship with a local ripper doc named Ruby Dee but Ruby dumped her which actually...also managed to mess up Olivia. She ended up being the crazy ex-girlfriend who slashed the tires on her car too. 😒
JAMIE: Jamie is my sweet virgin boy who was always too shy to ever try and make the first move. You would think being in the Valentinos would help get over that shy nature but nope. Jamie was too awkward to ever really go beyond kissing.
6. are they in a relationship? with who and how is it going?
OLIVIA: She’s officially with Goro because cpdr can’t stop me from making this canon. Their lives are too similar for them to not find that common ground with one another -- not to mention Olivia feels so comfortable with him that she knows she can put that trust in him and it would never backfire on her. Being with him has really taught her to just trust and be open with other people, and the fact that he has her back and vouches for her anytime he can?? Incredibly sexy of Mr. Takemura. 
JAMIE: You know he’s tiptoeing that line of wanting to get to know Vianna and eventually becoming more than just friends. I think he’s scared of messing it up because he tends to be kind of awkward in some instances when it comes to flirting. However, Jamie does little things here and there that he won’t do for anyone else. I think with Vianna he just sees a person who is similar to him in ways that he thought no one would ever understand. She helps him grow over the course of the game and helps him to establish that confidence he often fakes for the sake of maintaining his street persona.
7. who are their enemies?
OLIVIA: The whole damn city 😒😒. I think Militech in particular though are on her shitlist because she blames them for killing Marlon in the first place.
JAMIE: Maelstroms. He kills Royce and Dum Dum (rip stoplights) which was completely by accident because he pulled the trigger on Royce and it ended up blasting his head clean off. Jackie doesn’t have time to laugh at Jamie’s face right then and there, but he makes sure to bringing it up to EVERYONE at the bar once they get through that mess. Jamie’s face was horrified mix with disgust -- he would’ve vomited if not for trying to protect himself.
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holidaywishes · 4 years
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Embers IV
Chapter IV: the company you keep
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  Summary of series: Katie moves from Peachtree, Georgia, to L.A. with her son, Alex to start fresh after the death of her husband. When she meets Evan Buckley, a young firefighter, she falls fast but will her son be so quick to accept Evan into his life?
  Summary of chapter: The time has finally come for Katie and Alex to have dinner with Evan and his team at the firehouse. She’s nervous and he’s reluctant. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Evan is micromanaging Bobby’s cooking and telling everyone what they can and cannot say.
  Warning: Fluff
  Author’s Note: After last night’s episode had me on the edge of my seat, I thought it was time for a short chapter with some fluff. A few more chapters and I will have some very ‘angsty,’ dramatic chapters for everyone to indulge in. They’re pretty clear in my head so I hope it translates when I finally write it out. Anyway, until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter and keep reading the series! Cheers, xx! 😘
  masterlist
  the other masterlist
xx
Evan’s P.O.V.
  “Thank you for cooking, Bobby,” you said, standing in front of your captain in the kitchen, “but can you just like... keep a closer eye on it?”
  “A closer eye on it?” Bobby said, raising his eyebrows at you, “Buck, relax. Everything is going to be fine. I know what I’m doing here okay?”
  “Her kid’s only 8. I want to make sure he actually eats th--” You started but stopped when you realized what you sounded like, “sorry, Bobby. I’m just gonna.. go.” You said, pointing to another area of the room before heading there.
  “He’s really stressing,” Eddie said to Bobby, laughing as he offered to help, “he must really like her huh?”
  “Seems like it,” Bobby added, instructing Eddie to set the table, “I just hope this one is different. You know? He had a string of hook ups before Abby and then she left, then he met Ali and she couldn’t handle him at his worst.”
  “She is different,” Eddie answered, “but she is also a mom. She’ll choose her son every time, so I just hope Buck’s ready for that...” He looked over at Christopher, knowing how well Buck took care of him during the Tsunami and afterwards but you were curious how he’d fair with a kid who he’d have to impress.
  “I think he understands that but I understand the concern. That’s why he has us.” Bobby replied, bringing Eddie back to the conversation
  “Okay listen up everyone!” You called everyone together, “there are some ground rules for tonight.” The group laughed, sitting around the table thinking that you was joking
  “You’re serious?” Chimney said, noticing the scowl you gave the group
  “Evan, relax. We’re not going to embarrass you” Maddie added but the firefighters in the room disagreed
  “We have some stories she’d probably love to hear” Hen said.
  “Yes, exactly. Don’t say any of that!” you remarked, “We’re not just trying to impress her, we’re also trying to impress her son...”
  “We?” Athena said as she came up the stairs with Harry, May and Michael
  “Yes, we. We’re a family and the impression you make reflects on the impression I make. Got it?” They hummed as you tried to make your case, going through a list of topics you wanted them to stay away from, but the group wasn’t paying too much attention to you.
  “Buck,” Maddie said, walking over to you, “calm down. These guys love you and, from what you’ve told me about this girl, she’s not likely to run from a couple embarrassing stories.”
  “I’m just nervous. I really like this girl and everyone here is my family. I want everyone to get along.”
  “And they will. But you gotta let it happen naturally; let them talk about what they want to talk about. Okay?”
  “Okay.” You agreed but took a deep breath, still nervous that this could be a huge disaster.
xx
Katie’s P.O.V
  “Okay, buddy,” You said to Alex as you prepared to head out, “you ready to go?” He nodded but suddenly ran to his room; coming out with the plastic T-Rex that Jesse got for him two Christmases ago.
  “I wanna take him with me.” He said and you smiled, agreeing before saying that it was time to go, opening the door to head to the cab, “Nick?” You questioned in surprise as your teenage client stood outside the door with his large Bodyguard
  “Hey,” he said, inviting himself in, “can I hang with you two for a bit tonight? Maybe even stay the night?”
  “Uhh,” you hesitated, looking between Nick and his bodyguard, “actually...”
  “I just don’t feel safe at home. There’s some psycho stalking me or something. I can feel it.”
  “That’s what you’ve got Big Jeff for!” you tried
  “Yeah.. but Big Jeff doesn’t speak”
  “Come on Jeff. Big Guy. You’ll keep him company right?” He just looked at you, slight sympathy in his eyes but didn’t say a word, “look, Nick, I would love to hang out with you tonight--”
  “GREAT!” he interrupted
  “But,” you continued, “Alex and I already have plans and they can’t be cancelled. I’m sorry.”
  “That’s cool. I’ll just come with!” he interjected and your mouth gaped, “Big Jeff too!” You felt Alex tug at the hem of her dress and knew you’d regret it if you didn’t let Nick tag along.
  “Fine. Just let me make a call first.” You stepped away from the boys to call Evan quickly to let him know the change of plans
  “Hey..” you greeted, somberly
  “Hey!” he replied brightly, “you on your way?”
  “Yes, but there’s been a slight change of plans.”
  “Change of plans? What do you mean?”
  “One of my clients is freaked out that someone is stalking him. So he’s gonna tag along tonight... Is that okay? He’ll take care of himself while we’re there. We don’t need to watch him or anything.”
  “Oh”
  “I know. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know how to tell him he couldn’t come. He’s a good kid, I promise, I think he’s just lonely.”
  “No problem. I’ll let everyone know, I’m sure we’ll have enough food for everyone.”
  “Thank you, Evan.” You ended the call and took a deep breath before directing the boys out of the house and into the cab that was waiting outside.
xx
  “This looks amazing, Captain Nash!” you exclaimed
  “Thank you, Katie,” he smiled, “but please, call me Bobby.” You smiled back at him and guided Alex through the room while Evan introduced the two of them to the rest of the team. Alex kept his attention focused on his T-Rex, though, and you were worried what Evan’s friends might think of him.
  “I’m sorry,” you tried, “he’s just nervous. Alex, sweetie, can you say Hello?”
  “Hi” he whispered but ran to wear Christopher was sitting
  “I’m sorry. He’s usually better than that...”
  “It’s alright,” Athena said, “I understand. Trust me. Any time, I introduced Harry or May to someone new, they hide behind me.”
  “And don’t think for a second that Evan wasn’t the same way when he was little” a long-haired brunette chimed in
  “You must be Maddie!” you exclaimed, excited to finally meet Evan’s sister
  “That’s me!” she smiled, shaking your outstretched hand, “your son is adorable. Buck says he’s 8?”
  “He listened. Good to know,” you giggled, “yes. He’ll be nine in a few months. I can’t believe how fast time is going by.” Athena nodded and raised her eyebrows in agreement
  “Ain’t that the truth.” Athena said and you laughed as everyone began heading to the table and found your seat next to Evan; Alex sitting beside you. The meal was great and the company was better, the conversation, however, wavered between great and awkward. You noticed Nick’s bodyguard get up and begin to pace around the space.
  “So... what is Katie short for?” Chimney asked
  “Hmm,” you hummed, swallowing the bite of food still in your mouth, “Katerina. Mom was a big Katarina Witt fan before I was born so she named me after her.” You smiled, placing your hand on Evan’s knee, “what does Chimney stand for? I tried to pry it out of Evan but he did not budge.”
  “It’s a secret. I can’t tell you. With time, maybe. But I’ll have to trust you first.” The table laughed and you narrowed her eyes sarcastically at him, which he was all too quick to return
  “Alex, buddy, how do you like LA?” Bobby asked
  “It’s okay, I guess,” he said simply, “I miss the peaches though.” You laughed, grateful he was able to make some kind of joke, even if he didn’t realize it. Evan took your hand in his and you turned to smile at him, tilting your head to fully look at him for a minute
  “You moved here last year?” Hen asked, bringing you away from Evan
  “Mmm, no,” you began, swallowing the sip of wine that you’d just taken, “a couple months ago. We needed a fresh start after last year but there were a lot of things we had to get in order before we left. So we’ve been here for about 3 months.”
  “Right,” Hen adjusted herself and you were unsure if she should continue her questioning, “because of your husband...” Evan squeezed your hand before huffing at Hen. Nick’s bodyguard, Jeff, suddenly started to move closer to the table as if he couldn’t hear the conversation from where he was standing and wanted to know more.
  “Hen!” Evan scowled and Hen raised her hands in defense
  “No no,” you smiled, “it’s okay. Yes. My husband was a Navy SEAL and he passed away last year while he was overseas. It was hard, unbelievably so--” you said, brushing your son’s hair to the side-- “which is why I decided to find a job here and move us out to live near my Mom. She moved away after my Dad died, so I guess running to L.A. is genetic.” The group laughed and you squeezed Evan’s hand to reassure him you were fine.
  “So what do you do for work?” Athena asked
  “Ahh, me!” Nick chimed in, making you practically choke on her wine, “I mean, that’s where I come in. She’s my saviour.”
  “I’m Nick’s publicist. He showed up unannounced at my house last minute which is why he’s here.”
  “What’s that like? Being a publicist?” May asked and you glanced at Athena, to see what kind of answer she should give
  “It’s great!” you decided, “it’s a lot of uncertainty and, depending on the clients you get, it can be extremely taxing. I’ve been lucky enough to have easy clients with good heads on their shoulders, like this one, but some people are tasked with looking after Politicians and entire businesses. It’s a lot of fun though, I really enjoy my work.” You smiled, a gesture that May returned
  “I’ve gone through five publicists,” Nick admitted, “but Katie’s the best. I think it’s ‘cause she’s a mom. She seems to know what’s good for me and what can keep me grounded.”
  “I think it’s time we go” Jeff interrupted
  “Nah, Big Jeff, we’re good. I’m enjoying the company.” Nick tried to convince him but when you looked down at Alex and Christopher, you decided to take Jeff’s side
  “You know what, it looks like the boys are getting pretty tired. I should probably get Alex home anyway. But we’ve really enjoyed tonight and getting to know everyone.” You said sincerely, “I hope we can do it again sometime.”
  “I’ll take you home” Evan sad as he stood up
  “Su--” you attempted to agree only to be stopped by the bodyguard
  “I’ll do that, Firefighter.”
  “Excuse me?” Evan’s voice was harsh and his face contorted into anger
  “I can take care of them. You just stay here.. with your trucks and your little toys.“ You were unsure of where this was coming from and it was clear that the group was uncomfortable
  “You’re not saving the world, Big Jeff, you’re just his bodyguard. You don’t need to protect her.” Evan said through gritted teeth
  “Okay then!” You interjected, “that’s enough testosterone for tonight. Evan can I talk to you downstairs please?” He agreed but his eyes never left Jeff’s until he followed you down the stairs. The group tried to subtly listen to the conversation but they rushed to the Bannister and were easily visible to you and Evan
  “What the hell is going on?” Evan started
  “I don’t know but it’s just a ride home. He’s gotta take Nick home anyway, so it’s not a big deal. Just relax.”
  “But why is he antagonizing me?“
  “I honestly don’t know. I didn’t think you did anything. Everything was fine. Just let me talk to him on the ride home, okay?” You pouted at him, intertwining your fingers with his, hoping you’d get your way
  “Fine.“ He agreed just as Nick, Alex and Jeff walked past, Jeff glaring at Evan, and Alex waiting for you, “just be careful please? i don’t trust this guy. I’ve got a bad feeling about him.” You laughed, pushing yourself up onto your tiptoes to kiss Evan gently
  “I will, I promise.” You replied, “I really do have to get Alex home though. I’ll see you tomorrow?“ He nodded before giving you one more kiss and turning his attention to Alex
  “Hey,” he leaned down, “did you have fun tonight?”
  “Yeah” Alex answered and Evan smiled
  “Good. So you think we can do it again?”
  “I don’t know. I guess. Maybe earlier? I’m tired.” He whined but Evan knew not to take it personally
  “Sounds like a plan, big guy.” You gave Evan a hug goodbye, taking your sons small hand in yours as they began to walk out, stopping suddenly to ask Evan a question
  “What do you think they thought of me?“ You gestured to the group above, knowing they’ve been spying the entire time, laughing softly when they backed away from the Bannister. “Everyone always loves Alex, so I’m not worried about them but it seemed like, before all of this, that they kind of adored me...”
  “I don’t see why they wouldn’t.” He cooed and you smiled brightly at him
  “Yeah, you’re right.” You said triumphantly before walking out of the firehouse, meeting Jeff at the door where he put a hand on your back and you could imagine Evan would be angry at the gesture so you tried to quickly diffuse it by turning around to wave goodbye. Making the whole night feel like a success, no matter how it may have ended.
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kileyrose-2003 · 4 years
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True Knot x Fem Child! Reader
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A/N: Hello lovelies! This was requested by @wellhithere2 who Tumblr is being a pain in ass in not letting me tag. If there are grammar and spelling errors in this, I’m sorry. As I just started online classes a few weeks ago.  I hope you enjoy and all you lovely people are doing well in quarantine and again, if anybody needs anything please don't be afraid to reach out. Not to be a sap (but I am) We're all in this together and I want you all to know that I care about all of you and we're going to get through this but anyways, enough of my ranting. Love you all and stay safe :)
For as long as you could remember you always knew you were different from other children. Picking up on social cues that kids your age shouldn’t be able to recognize and having particular talents that weren’t considered normal.
You were born in the early 1900s to a particularly wealthy and religious family. Each of your siblings had a special sort of talent they liked to show off, whether that was singing or sports but your talent was different though. 
You were “special” as your mother liked to call it, though you were sure she never meant it in a good way. You could picking up on the thoughts and feelings of others, as well as manipulate their emotions. You were proud of your gift and wanted to flaunt it but your family didn’t view it that way. To them it was paranormal and a curse and they hated you for it.
You ran away from home at the age of 7 with no plan in particular on where you were going to end up when Crow Daddy found you living on the streets. At first when he tried to approach you resisted. Kicking and punching him because something deep down told you that despite the nice smile he gave, he wasn't the nicest man but all that changed when you heard his voice in your mind.
(I know you can hear me.)
For the first time in a while, your rock hard exterior melted and tears started streaming down your cheeks. He felt so warm and his clothes smelled like the earth.
(I always thought it was-)
(I know. Everyone does.)
The look in his eyes was soft and despite that feeling in your gut, you trusted him. He began to carry you out of the alley way and you gripped onto his shirt tightly. "W-where are we going?" The response was simple but made you feel safe. "Home."
The True Knot took you in, making sure you were well clothed and fed. They never had a child in their tribe before but they accepted you as their own and loved you all the more for how special you were. You weren't a rube to them or just some freak. You were above that.
When Rose originally proposed the idea of turning you, Crow was hesitant. They all were. If grown adults were capable of cycling out during the process, so were you. But Rose insisted. Saying that you had more will and motivation then those who didn't survive the process had.
Though it was long ago, you could remember the night of your turning clearly. The sky was painted a million colors by all the shimmering stars and everything just seemed so right. The world was humming like a power line and you finally found your place. After that everything was a blur though, blended with pain and agony. You almost cycled out but Rose pulled you back. Promising a life of bliss and comfort after that, to which she kept her word.
You loved your family and they loved you just as much if not more, than you loved them. Each of them served a different purpose from Rose acting as your maternal figure to Andi being like your older sister but no matter the role, you adored them.
It was a sunny Saturday morning just outside Florida and you were curled up next to Rose in bed. It was one of the very rare days where all the canisters were full and there was no need to go out and search for other steamheads so the two of you were sleeping in. The warm blankets on Rose’s bed protecting you from the autumn chill outside.
It was around noon when the sun peaked through the window, a thin ray of it shining so brightly on you. You rolled over, expecting to bump into Crow who more often than not was cozied up by the two of you on lazy days such as these but to your surprise he wasn’t there.
You sat up half way and let out a yawn as you looked down at Rose who didn’t seem to be bothered in the slightest by the bright light. “Rosie..” You shook The True’s leader gently. “Y/n..Y/n, my flower. It’s still early. Go back to sleep.” She pulled you back down next to her, placing a gentle kiss on the top your head as she spooned you close. “it’s not early. It’s twelve.” Even though you couldn’t see her face, you didn’t have to look at Rose to know she perked up slightly at hearing what time it was.
“Still, very rarely do I get the time to actually cuddle with you.” Rose ran her hands up your sides, slightly tickling you. “Rosie! Stop it!” You demanded, letting out a giggle. She turned you onto your side, that way you were facing her. “Why? I enjoy seeing you smile.” You blushed slightly and Rose stopped what she was doing, pulling you into a hug. “Good morning, my sweet.”
“Good morning, Rosie.” She kissed your forehead and released you from her grasp. “How long have you been up for?”
“Only a little while. I thought Crow was staying the night." Rose scooted around you and stood up in bed, throwing a shall on. "He did. He must of gotten up. Come on, love. Let's see what the rest of the family is up to." She lifted you up in her arms and carried you outside. The breeze from the fall winds made you shudder and Rose noticed, placing her shall over your shoulders. “Morning ladies.”
“Good morning.” You wrapped your arms tightly around her neck as made her way over by Crow, placing a kiss on his cheek. "How'd you sleep?" He shrugged. "Nothing to complain about. The two of you?"
"Pretty good since we just got up." Rose gently ran her fingers through your hair. "Good." Crow held his arms open to hold you. "Come here, darling." Rose gently set you down on your feet. You felt your toes and the bottoms of your pajamas getting wet but you didn't care, leaning over to hug Crow. "Hi daddy," You mumbled into the fabric of his jeans. "Hi baby." He knelt down to your level, pulling you into a tight hug when you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist. Pulling you away from Crow.
"Barry!" Rose barked. "What, I can't say good morning to the kid?" You giggled as he swung you around. "You can but without pulling her arms out of her socket would be nice." Andi rolled her eyes, swiping you around from him. "Hi, Y/n/n."
"Hi Andi." The snake took her turn holding you before passing you over to Annie and so on and so forth. You barely ever got any all of their attention at once so you enjoyed it.
"What do you want to do today?" You gave a light hearted shrug and giggled. "I don't know!" Diesel Doug chucked and met you at your level. "I have an idea."
"What is it?" As you walked closer he reached forward and gave your shoulder a light tap. "Tag." He ran off in the opposite direction towards the woods and you gasped. "That's not funny!" You gave Annie a light tag and chased after Doug. You could of sworn you heard Rose laugh from the distance but thought nothing of it.
"Uncle Doug! You can't hide from me forever." You spun around, trying to find him using your locator sense when you felt another hand tap on your shoulder. "Tag!"
This time it was Eddie. You could see none of your aunts or uncles in sight and carefully began to wander through the woods, peaking through and around bushes. "You guys. This isn't funny!" You heard the crunching of leaves behind you and tensed up, quickly running to hide behind a tree. You didn't see anything but you felt nervous. You could feel hot breath on the back of your neck and held onto the trunk of the tree tightly.
"Boo!" You let out a scream and spun around to look at Diesel Doug, pouting cutely. "That's not funny." He let out a laugh. "Sorry, little lady. Had enough excitement for one day?" You nodded and he took your tiny hand in his. "Come on, I'll take you home." The two of you walked back to camp together with Annie and Barry eventually finding the two of you among the way and tagging along.
Rose had The Knot's make shift picnic table set up with an array of lunch foods while Crow fiddled around with a projector. "Y/n, my flower. Come eat." She beckoned and you obeyed. Letting the much taller woman scoop you up so you pick out what you wanted.
"Rosie, what do we have that out for?" You gestured to the projector. "We haven't watched a movie together in a while as a family so I figured we should while we have the chance."
"That sounds nice." Rose smiled softly and kissed your cheeks. Sitting down on the blanketed ground with you. "So what classic are we showing the kid this time? Fifty Shades of Grey!"
"Barry!"
"Oww!" You giggled as Andi slapped his arm. "Rosie, what's 50 Shades of Grey?" She looked mad. Not at you but at Barry. "Nothing you need to worry about and no, Casablanca."
"She's seen that movie so many fucking time. Oww!" He yelped again. "And she likes Casablanca so that's what we're watching." Crow shook his head and sat down next to you that way you were in the middle of them, their arms wrapped around you.
The movie was long but it was worth it just to be able to spend time with your family. As it hit the end you found yourself leaning more into Rose and Crow's side, trying to keep awake.
"You getting tired, Y/n?" Rose gently pet your hair and you nodded and let out a slight yawn. "I want to nap..Hold me?" Crow complied to your request without hesitation and rubbed little circles across your back while continuing to play with your hair, making small braids. "I love you both," You muttered softly into his chest. "I love you too. We all love you so much."
The credits on the movie began to roll and Rose scooped you up in her arms. "Rosie?"
"Yes, Y/n?"
"Thank you for everything you've done for me..all of you."
"You're welcome, Y/n..we love you." She kissed your hair, rocking you back and forth. "Love you guys more." You didn't have to be looking at her to know she was smiling. "Sleep well, Y/n.." You fell asleep peacefully in Rose's arms knowing you were at home with your family and that's how it would be forever. Because what is tied can never be untied and they never were letting you go. Ever.
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