Tumgik
#a-fee fics
zinniapetals · 3 months
Text
my fave chengxian reconciliation scenario is wei wuxian slowly realizing that the life of a wanderer isn’t actually what he wants and lotus pier is his home and more clearly, living in a world with jiang cheng but not actually being something to jiang cheng isn’t what he wants either
137 notes · View notes
mixsethaddams · 11 months
Text
Soft Steddie summertime ficlet. Pure fluff. ~1700 words. No ratings or warnings.
Twitter got it first but tumblr got spellchecked 😹
One of Steve’s favourite things to do on a hot summer morning, was to stay in bed.
It was his own little form of rebellion. After years of being forced to get up at the crack of dawn to ‘not waste the weather!’ as a kid, he loved nothing more as an adult than to listen to the bird song through the window, muffled by the closed drapes.
He wasn’t always able to break the habit of a lifetime. He spent a long time after his parents stopped coming home still hauling himself up with the sun and berating himself into doing something that was worthy of the good day.
Some people didn’t have the luxury of getting up and going out to enjoy a hot day, so he should just be grateful. He spent more days than he could count sitting at the edge of the quarry, watching the gang play in the water. They loved it when Steve called to see if they wanted to do something for the day. They’d still be half asleep whereas he would’ve been awake for hours, waiting for a reasonable time to pick up the phone.
He would sit with a hot coffee, another little ‘fuck you’ to his mother. He loved warm drinks on sunny days, the way the extra heat made the tip of his nose prickle. His mother insisted he only ever have the awful homemade lemonade she never made sweet enough and steeped the peels in for too long. It was bitter enough to make Steve gag if he didn’t brace himself properly for it.
It wasn’t until the arrival of Eddie Munson that things started to shift for Steve.
He noticed it for the first time when, at one of the many quarry days, Eddie stole a long mouthful of Steve’s coffee before lighting a cigarette and settling down onto the rocky beach next to him.
“Fuck that’s good,” muttered Eddie, wiping a stray drop from his chin.
Steve stared in half-disbelief. Everyone made fun of his little thermos before now.
Steve felt a familiar flutter in his chest.
He’d been ignoring it up until now, convincing himself it was nothing because how could it be, they had nothing in common? Surviving a bizarre mind wizard’s attempt to end the world doesn’t exactly count as a ‘shared interest’.
Steve tested the waters slowly throughout the rest of the day. Nothing too crazy, nothing too deep. Just to see how close to his own opinions Eddie’s answers would land.
“Ed, I’m gonna do an ice cream run. Whats your favourite?”
“Anything lemon lime, man, thanks”
Steve’s favourite was the lemon lime popsicle.
“I got some snacks too, here, which one do you want?”
“Oh shit is that a Baby Ruth? I’m taking that, fuck the kids”
Steve had bought himself that same candy bar.
But Steve shook himself off again because come on, really? They were like, the two most popular things out there.
Only when the kids emerged from the water for their lunch did Steve see a little more of what they had in common.
There were pouts all round when the rules of an on-the-spot game were in dispute.
Voices spoke over each other to get the adults to agree that they were right and their rules were the ones that should be followed.
Steve sighed and prepared himself. Of course, the only options were to either find a new game entirely, or figure out the rules again together as group, right from the beginning.
Steve was used to being fought every step of the way on things like this. Robin and Nancy would make unhelpful comments in jest, and Steve would end up the bad guy for at least two of the gang.
He was about to open his mouth to propose his solution, when Eddie beat him to it.
“So find another fuckin’ game?”
Eddie said it so easily, licking melted popsicle juice from the side of his hand.
“But-!” The protests came immediately. Steve readied himself to dive in.
But Eddie spoke first again.
“If you can’t agree on this one, find another one,” he said firmly. “You wanna sit out here and talk about rules for an hour until its all straightened out?”
Heads shook.
“Didn’t think so. Now fuck off, you’re in my sun,”
Steve watched with wide eyes as the kids, who were really almost college aged by now, went happily back to the water.
“How did you do that?” asked Steve.
“Do what?”
“Make them listen!”
Eddie laughed.
“They had two options, they picked one, simple,” said Eddie with a shrug.
Steve watched Eddie carefully, waiting for more of an explanation that never came.
“What, you had a different solution?” asked Eddie.
Steve shook his head.
“Thats exactly what I was going to say,” said Steve, looking out to the water where they were playing together merrily.
“We good?” asked Eddie slowly, tipping his head to the side.
“Yeah, yeah!” said Steve quickly, realising he’d been staring. “Not used to having someone on my side when they start fighting, thats all,”
Eddie hummed and went back to his candy, occassionally stealing more of Steve’s coffee.
When the sun was finally lowering in the sky and the water was getting that little bit too cool to be enjoyable, Steve and Eddie shared the last cigarette in the pack while everyone else towelled off and gathered their stuff.
“So what, uh…” started Steve. “What would you usually do on a day like this? Or is this your thing?”
Steve was curious if all the little shared enjoyments and opinions of the day would continue. If it would amount to the thing at the top of Steve’s list, that he’d been bred to believe as ‘shameful’.
Eddie hummed around the butt of their cigarette before passing it back to Steve, giving him the last drag.
“Big plans for days like this, Harrington,” said Eddie, stretching out and resting back on his elbows.
Steve felt his stomach twist. He’d gotten it wrong. That was fine. It wasn’t a big deal. Steve was used to thinking he’d found someone he could be himself around and then realising he was wrong.
“I would’ve stayed in bed all damn day,” said Eddie, smiling softly up at the sky.
Wait. What?
“You…bed?” stuttered Steve. “Seriously?”
Eddie rolled his eyes and snorted.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” mumbled Eddie. “Don’t waste the day or whatever. You ever stayed in a dark room when its sunny out? Life changing, man. Ultimate relaxation knowing you’re choosing comfort over convention. Trust me,”
Steve was stunned.
“I…I was thinking the same,” admitted Steve.
“It’s nice,” he muttered, not looking up at Eddie and feeling embarrassed somehow. “I like listening to the, um, to the birds, you know? But still being in bed,”
Eddie nodded his head.
“I totally get it,” agreed Eddie, smiling wide. Steve’s chest felt like it was about to burst when they made eye contact.
“Wonder what else we have in common,” said Eddie coyly, leaning in to knock his shoulder against Steve’s hip.
They found out later that night that they both liked a lot of the same things.
They liked how each other sounded when they giggled softly through their first kiss, sitting on the roof of Eddie’s trailer and watching the stars.
They found out they both liked teasing fingertips and gentle pushing and pulling in the right direction.
They found out they both liked to sleep holding hands to ground them against the anxiety that still plagued their little group.
They liked the bubble they created between themselves, and filled it quickly with love.
And now, late into the morning of a blazing hot mid summer day. The phone off the hook since the night before and the walkies designated for emergency use only.
They were lying together, curled up and bordering on too hot under the blanket, listening to the birds.
They listened as the rest of the neighbourhood woke up and spurred to life, cars starting and families yelling.
It was a few weeks since that day at the quarry.
Steve and Eddie had spent every night and most of every day together. They agreed on everything. Well, except pizza toppings, but Eddie would eat all the olives so it was fine. Steve’s dad had once told him that in a business if two people agree on everything, you don’t need to keep them both around.
Steve wrapped his arms tighter around Eddie and said a silent prayer that he never tried to treat a relationship like a business. That was his parents’ mistake, he thought.
It was all very new. Some people still didn’t know the true nature of their increased ‘sleepovers’, but Steve was already aghast at the idea of being without Eddie again.
He knew they’d argue eventually. They’d find a tipping point on something that they wouldn’t see eye to eye on. Steve was ready for that day. He didn’t want to think of them ever fighting but he was realistic. Steve just knew he would never make the same mistakes as his parents did, and he’d do everything he could come out the other side with his Eddie still under his arm.
Eddie stirred fully awake when a car horn blared from down the street.
“Mmmmph!” he whined. “They scared the fucking birds away,”
Steve smiled and pressed a kiss to Eddie’s forehead. Eddie sighed and nuzzled in closer, settling himself in Steve’s neck with a contented hum.
“We doin’ anything today?” murmered Eddie.
Steve stroked his back in long, slow waves.
“Just this,” he whispered.
Eddie nodded, and his body soon went lax as he he drifted back to sleep.
Steve felt like crying, in fact he thought he might. He closed his eyes and rubbed his nose into Eddie’s hair. Steve was almost surprised at the overwhelming wave of contentment that crashed over him.
Years spent feeling guilt for not ‘enjoying the sun’ were slowly ebbing away. How could he feel bad over what he was doing now? How could the love, and safety he felt now, be bad?
Steve selfishly thought he would sacrifice ever seeing the sun again, if every morning was like this.
And it had been, hadn’t it? For weeks now. Steve woke up feeling just like this, for weeks.
Steve smiled to himself and tightened his hold on Eddie’s body. He felt a tear slide down his cheek as he settled himself into his pillow.
The birds returned and resumed their song.
And for hours, Steve listened.
237 notes · View notes
kookiecamera · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Please please please can we get the three of them in more scenes together. Marvel I am in your walls😳
120 notes · View notes
szczurherbacany · 16 days
Text
every time a fanfic author interacts with my art/follows me/does literally anything i do a little jig like i cannot express how insane it is to follow a link from ao3 to somebody’s twt/tumlr and recognise their pfp or see the „follow back” like thats crazy
29 notes · View notes
saintchaser · 7 months
Text
“goodbye, alice.”
“don’t do this to me, cissa.”
alice shook her head, and laughed. bitter and aching, a loneliness of some sort that she was sure she would never be able to hide, to push away from her sorrowed heart.
narcissa did not look at her. instead, she fiddled with the ring on her finger, the ring alice had worked a whole summer to afford.
she hadn’t taken it off, yet. alice had intended it to be some sort of promise ring. a lovesick, childish vow of some sorts that deep within her she always knew that would not be enough.
narcissa kissed her one last time. regret was heavy on her lips.
71 notes · View notes
stobinesque · 11 months
Text
let me be the void you fill, pt. 1
@steddie-week day 4: familiar | ~2k words | Teen and up title from "I / Me / Myself" by Will Wood
On his way up the path to the small hut he’d gotten Dustin to draw a crude map to, Steve was stopped in his tracks by a lanky black cat that appeared out of nowhere—and then promptly proceeded to wind her way between his legs.
"Well hello there," he said, bending down to extend his hand towards her nose. 
The cat gave his fingers one short, decisive sniff, before bumping her head against them, and resuming her circuitous turn betwixt his ankles.
Steve laughed. "So you mean to hold me hostage, then, is that it?" 
The cat paused to look up at him, features set into what Steve guessed would be a look of utter disdain on a human.
"Okay, okay, bad joke, huh?" The cat slipped out from under his feet just long enough for Steve to crouch all the way down and present his palm to her again. The cat purred this time, and nudged her head up against his palm more firmly, staying still long enough to allow him to pet the top of her head, and scratch behind her ears. "I'm Steve," he offered. "And what's your name, pretty girl?"
"Miriam? Miriam! Where did you run off—oh."
Steve startled at the sudden sound, and glanced up from where the cat was now enthusiastically petting herself against him, to find a witch of about his own height rushing out the hut’s front door. They sported a head full of riotous brown curls, atop which sat a stout, felted witch's hat. In spite of the unseasonable heat, the theurgist was dressed in heavy, ruffled black skirts, and colorfully patched stockings. That had to be why their cheeks were flushed such a pretty shade of pink, right?
Steve pulled himself back up to a standing position, shaking his head as though to clear it of cobwebs. He snapped his mouth shut when he realized it had dropped open of its own accord, and glanced back down at the cat, now rubbing herself up against one leg. "So your name is Miriam?" he asked her.
The cat let out a small merp in reply, as her owner—companion?—continued to stand and stare at Steve from a few steps up the path.
🐈‍⬛🪄🔮✨🌕🧹🧙
Eddie's day had begun with a series of inauspicious events.
To start with, she had forgotten to leave fir curtains parted in just the right way before bed the night before. So instead of gradually rising with the sun as it crept in on hazy bands of light, fee'd been slapped in the face by the full force of its rays at entirely too early an hour.
And then, when she'd gone out to fetch the laundry, it was to find every single article of clothing still damp—or worse—in spite of the unusually dry heat they’d been having. That left fir with only a pair of (thankfully) threadbare, but (unfortunately) black woolen stockings, a black linen smock, and a set ruffled skirts—of which the relative breeze allowed by its shortened length at the front, was offset by the sheer quantity of its layers—to wear for the day. (The stockings, he supposed, could have been forgotten. But Eddie found themself wandering through thistle paths far too often, and unexpectedly, to not wear something on her legs every day.)
To make matters worse, the moment Miriam’d heard Eddie knocking about, she'd gone ahead and toppled over one of the cauldrons, in a way that signified today was to be a potion-making day. 
Great, so I'm going to be a puddle by midday.
Most days, Eddie could choose the direction of fir practice. But sometimes, for one reason or another—a particular rhyme of the chimes hanging in zir window, the moon hanging low and large and bloody in the night sky, a particular scent in the air—the animus of the world nudged her in a particular direction.
Those days, invariably, sucked.
But still, Eddie bustled around the small cottage—grabbing roots, and herbs, and carefully preserved insect matter—preparing for the day's task. The draught that Eddie felt fumself pushed to brew today was technically complicated, time consuming, and required the assistance of another set of hands. 
Which would be fine. If his familiar hadn't scampered off moments after knocking over the cauldron that morning.
Eddie searched high and low, and into every nook and cranny of the cramped hut—which did not want for hiding places, despite its small footprint—for his erstwhile familiar. Eventually, he had to admit defeat, and determined that she must have gone for a laze about the garden beds—even though she knew full well that they were off limits.
"Miriam?" Eddie called out as he pushed his way outside. Usually the one call was enough to have her trotting back home immediately, shame-faced and caught out. But in keeping with the day’s pattern, nothing was to be so easy. "Miriam!" Eddie called again, growing a touch frustrated. "Where did you run off t—oh." 
Eddie came to an abrupt halt just a few steps up the path from their hut, shocked still by the sight of Miriam letting someone other than themself touch her. And it wasn't just any someone. It was perhaps the most gorgeous someone Eddie had ever laid eyes on: soft brown hair that glinted gold in the sunlight, pretty pink lips rounded into a perfectly round 'O' that just begged to have something shoved between them, and…and Eddie really needed to reign in the excesses of hir thoughts. 
The honey-haired visitor straightened to a standing position and looked down at Miriam with a sweet smile on their face. "So your name is Miriam?" he asked, receiving a soft chirp of confirmation from Miriam in reply. It brought Eddie up short—most strangers didn’t address Miriam directly. Who was this person? Eddie shook his head, honing in on the most mysterious part of the tableau in front of him.
"She's letting you pet her," he marveled. "I think the last person who tried nearly got his arm chewed off for the trouble." Eddie tilted her head and looked the stranger up and down in a way that he knew would be taken for the blatant assessment it was. "She must like you." And Eddie knew that if Miriam trusted someone, then if nothing else, he should trust her—but, well: see above, re: day of inauspicious beginnings. "So what's your name, stranger?" He added just a touch of suspicion to his tone.
"Steve," came the swift reply, immediately followed with an outstretched hand, in spite of the several paces of distance still separating the two of them. "Of the town of Haring," Steve continued. As he spoke, Miriam came slinking back towards Eddie, and settled into a seated position between his feet, gaze fixed intensely at Steve.
"Okay, Steve of Haring." Eddie propped a hand on one hip, still trying to figure out what to make of this visitor. Everything about his day up ‘til now suggested there was something more going on here than met the eye. Even Miriam seemed to think so, if the way she was staring fixedly at Steve’s chest was anything to go by. But Miriam was also clearly fond of this stranger, after only moments of interaction. So there was probably nothing to fear from Steve themself, and, oh, he really needed to confirm how he should be constructing his internal narration regarding this creature— "So how else do you like to be referred to, Steve?"
"Huh?" Steve’s brow furrowed in confusion.
"Well, I can't very well keep going around calling you 'the stranger' in my head now, can I?"
Steve shrugged. "You could just think of me as ‘Steve,’" Steve said with an adorable little head tilt. 
"This is true, but it does get repetitive after a while. Which, of course, is alright, if that’s what you prefer. But I usually find that a pronoun or two often helps things along."
"Oh!" Steve snapped their fingers and pointed at Eddie with excitement at their sudden understanding. "You can use ‘he’ and ‘him’ and stuff to think and talk about me. That's what everyone else does."
"And…is that what you want everyone else to do?"
Steve shrugged. "I don't really care, I suppose. It's just…easier this way."
Eddie frowned. "And you don't think that's boring? Why limit yourself to the confines of expectation if it doesn't make you happy?"
Steve blew a gust of air between his lips and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess you could say that's part of why I'm here, really."
Eddie raised a brow. "Oh?"
Steve waved a hand as though to bat the matter away as unimportant. "Yeah, but we're getting ahead of ourselves." Steve crossed his arms over his chest and regarded Eddie with an interest all his own. "How should I be thinking about you?"
Eddie flipped a lock of hair over one shoulder, and tossed zir sauciest smile Steve's way. "You can think of me any way you like, handsome."
The bright pink flush that swept across Steve's face—and the awkward stammering that followed—were truly the highlight of Eddie's day thus far. (Unfortunately, that was an embarrassingly low bar to clear—but, on the other hand, Steve's blush-and-stammer combo had just set it at a lifetime high. Ah, Life and Her various vagaries.)
"That's not what I meant "
"Oh I know, stranger. But that is the answer to what you did mean, anyhow, so it didn't seem prudent to pass up such a delicious opportunity to be a shameless flirt."
Steve wrinkled his nose. "Charming."
"Why yes, that is one of the things you could call me," Eddie shot back with an impish grin. 
Steve laughed. "You're a bit of an asshole, aren't you?"
"I've been called worse," fee replied with a small shrug. "...and a lot better," she added with an exaggerated wink.
"Okay, but, really, how should I—? What should I—?"
Eddie waved a dismissive hand of their own. "Think of—and refer to—me however you like: he, them, hers, zir," Eddie shrugged. "It's all the same to me. Though I must confess I've grown partial to ‘fee, fi, fo, fum’."
The bright, bursting bubble of a giggle this provoked could have fueled Eddie's strongest cheering charm. "You can't be serious!"
"Deadly so, I'm afraid. Although in practice it’s more like ‘fee, fum, fir, fos’."  
"Hmmm, okay. I like it." Steve reached up to tuck his hair back behind both ears at once. "What about your name?"
"What of it, pretty boy?" Eddie asked, just to see the rosy blush spread across the apples of Steve's cheeks again.
"Could I have it?"
"Could you have it? What, to keep? Are you a faerie, Steve? If you're a faerie you have to tell me, or else it's entrapment."
"No, I'm not a faerie. But I'm also pretty sure that's not how any of that works."
"That sounds exactly like something a faerie would say," Eddie shot back, jabbing an accusatory finger Steve’s way.
Steve shook his head, but there was a delighted grin on his face and a soft chuckle rising from his throat. "I just want to stop having to cycle through various iterations of 'hot witch,' in my own thoughts," he admitted.
"Oooh, well now I'm curious—how dirty and creative did you get there?"
Steve's smile shifted into something more like a smirk. "Mmm…'beddable horror specks'?"  
Eddie threw his head back in a wild laugh that sent fir hat flying. "I think you mean haruspex—which isn't accurate, anyway; I prefer not to go around reading rabbit entrails—but that was good!"
"And?" Steve asked with a wheedling-but-cheery, sort of tone. "Could I get a name in reward? Something to call you by, in the heat of the moment?"
"Well, I must confess that now I'm even more curious about what you’d come up with if left to your own devices—but I suppose if you must have something to scream into the rafters while I ravish you: Eddie, son and/or daughter and/or corrupted offspring of the Moon, at your service." Hat no longer on her head to tip in Steve direction, Eddie instead swept down into a low bow, one arm extended out toward Steve in invitation.
stay tuned for part two tomorrow!
91 notes · View notes
Text
He was a clear blue sky with a storm on the horizon—the threat of imminent rainfall, thunder, and lightning.
And Voldemort hadn’t been afraid in a long, long time. Not since he found out he was special, not since his horcruxes and magic. There was nothing to fear when he was fear itself. Nothing when he was eternal.
Voldemort believed he could control everything. Chance did not exist, could not exist, with power. And he had that in spades.
It took a natural disaster in the physique of a man to prove him wrong.
Eyes like rolling hillside and hair like its richest soil, tanned skin from the blazing heat of a promising summer’s day, magic like the peak of its hot afternoon when the electricity in the air made skin rise from a serene rest—gooseflesh like a warning—the threat of imminent rainfall, thunder, and lightning.
Voldemort met Harry Potter by chance and realised he could not control everything. He could not control Harry Potter.
-
Spellfire whispered and ricocheted; the resulting panic was unfortunate and unavoidable. Sacrifices, Voldemort knew, had their time and place, their uses.  
That use now was possibly more controversial than it would have been had Voldemort just been staking a further claim on Wizarding England. Instead, he was luring. Using their lives to tempt Harry Potter out.
He was heroic to a fault, with a desire to aid those within his power to help. And just like Voldemort, Harry Potter had power in spades. And just like Voldemort, Harry Potter could not sit idly by in the face of his perceived visions of injustice.
Voldemort had not taken to the gleeful casting and active condemning his followers found appeal in and watched from the clear sky, high above the wizarding village turned hunting ground. His eyes raked every encounter, the Aurors holding steadfast but not for long, village folk pulling loved ones from torn apart and burning homes, his followers twitching and turning and tracking every slight movement. They knew what was coming as well as Voldemort did.
Though, a wry grin crept its way up Voldemort’s face, they were not anticipating like he was.
At the first sound of an atypical commotion, Voldemort’s eyes caught sight of grey, dark and looming in the distance. And though the fighting had started long ago, his first spell cast was an impervius charm.
Voldemort soundlessly joined his followers, taking care to mind his step. His wand remained holstered as his most loyal bat away and returned any spells aimed toward him; he need not waste his magic on such inconsequential beings.
And as the first drop of rain hit Voldemort’s cheek, cutting through his spell and burning a trail down his jaw and neck as though made of acid or poison, he approached the cause of the sudden commotion. There were shouts of surprise as whole structures reformed to their untouched state, and wixen were shielded as they fled to safety. He must sense Voldemort like Voldemort sensed him because Harry Potter turned his gaze, and they locked eyes as the last ray of sunlight caught his hillside green, alighting them like a brushfire.
Then the sun was snuffed out, and all that remained was Voldemort and Harry Potter—the threat of imminent rainfall, thunder, and lightning.
95 notes · View notes
abisalli · 1 year
Text
Hey how’s your day going? I just cried over a 200k Merlin fic
65 notes · View notes
dazzle-art · 11 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
One step forward, two steps back
Hi this has been sitting in my inbox for a while as you can tell by the date but I finally got the spark of inspo late last night so um here also I hate hair
Don't forget to click for that crisp quality lol
@onyxedskies
45 notes · View notes
tennessoui · 7 months
Text
ko-fi fic uploads
hey guys, I'm going to start putting some of my new tumblr prompt fills and writing warm-ups (ficlets of 4k-6k length) up on my ko-fi!!
Monthly supporters will be able to go into the gallery tab on my ko-fi and click on an uploaded image. The title will be which tumblr-based au the ficlet fits into and how many words it is. The description beneath the image will be a quick summary of the au and a link to the google doc containing the ficlet. The "root" au post, aka the post that started the au on my blog, will be linked as well on that google doc.
This will not affect my wips and progress on them in any way! I feel like that's very important to state - I write these sorts of ficlets all the time because it helps get me in the writing mindset for writing ao3 fics. I will just be spending a little extra effort on them to put them up on ko-fi.
I will NOT be posting any ficlets on my ko-fi that you need to read to understand a fic on ao3 - that's some disney monster conglomerate kind of shit. I will also still be posting shorter ficlets (1k-3k) on tumblr as I write them, especially if I'm answering a prompt someone sent me here. Again, I think it'd be a bit of dick move to not do that
I'll try to vary which ficlets go up on ko-fi and every time I upload one, I'll make a post about which au it is as well as a link to the page in case anyone wants to, idk, unsubscribe for a month because they hate the hopeless in coruscant au, and then refollow next month because they enjoy the playmaker au etc etc
I'm definitely still trying to figure out what I want this to look like and what feels fair or reasonable, so hopefully this isn't a huge mess on my end!
All this being said:
I've posted the first ficlet/fic on ko-fi: it's for the Senator Menace AU, an au that's basically "What if phantom menace but reversed? how fucked up would anakin get over the youngling his father master died to protect?"
the first au post is here // my ko-fi is here
28 notes · View notes
feeisamarshmallow · 8 months
Text
Jeff is to Abed as Dennis is to Charlie, in this essay I will....
25 notes · View notes
callsign-daydream · 6 months
Text
19 notes · View notes
fictionplumis · 2 years
Text
Here's a fun little idea that's bound to rife with conflict and hijinks, one which I was not planning on writing this much on but I did. If anyone wants to write an actual Steddy Hands thing about this, fucking go for it my dude, but here's my rambling.
A modern AU, maybe a college thing, where Ed and Izzy are roommates, nothing more. But they've known each other for so long they might as well be married, y'know? Ed isn't a very touchy guy, but he's comfortable enough with Izzy to toss himself over Izzy's lap and annoy the shit out of him, and Izzy does the bare minimum of fussing because it's Ed and Ed can do whatever the hell he wants in Izzy's eyes. Izzy does Ed's taxes and makes sure the registration of his motorcycle is updated every year. He knows all of Ed's obscure passwords and makes sure the bills are paid on time. Ed knows Izzy's usual order from every takeout place in a twelve mile radius and then some and goes to most of Izzy's fencing competitions and listens to him rant about his day. 
Izzy is obviously in love, in love, right? Yeah. Everyone knows that. Except Izzy has no idea how to function in that state and truthfully, he's pretty content with things. Does he have sad, rough wanks whenever Edward isn't home? Oh yeah. Does he have sad, rough wanks whenever Edward is home? Of course. Would he be happier and better adjusted if Ed fucked him on the living room floor twice a day? --Why am I even bothering answering these, we know the answer is yes. But even without that, he has Ed, so it's like, fine or whatever. 
And Ed loves Izzy. That's his little shithead. His comfort problematic dickhead. He finds Izzy's dry wit and sarcasm amusing, enjoys mildly inconveniencing him to see him scowl, and just in the most basic forms, loves Izzy. 
Why aren't they a couple then? 
Because, like, they're dumb. Obviously. 
Izzy is an angsty little shit that doesn't think Edward is interested in him like that and is desperate to keep things exactly as they are so he doesn't risk losing Ed. Ed is just content and chill to keep things how they are and doesn't think Izzy is interested in him that way. He's just a sexually repressed little dude in general and Ed isn't going to take advantage of that, not to his best friend, so while he absolutely notices how often Izzy stares at his lips when they get into a heated spat over something, it doesn't mean anything. 
(It absolutely means something.)
Enter Stede Bonnet, the funky dude that shows up one day at one of Jack's parties, IDK. He's all dressed up and just really excited to be a part of the action, guys! Now usually Ed has taken to spending these parties scrolling on his phone, laying on the couch with his head in Izzy's lap because getting wasted and puking over the balcony of Jack's dorm has gotten old. But then he sees this blond angel in a salmon colored blazer and slacks and is like, "Izzy, holy shit," and the next five hours of Izzy's life consists of sitting there between the two of them, nursing a rum and coke that isn't strong enough while those two prattle on about their lives. 
They hit it off instantly. Izzy isn't jealous at first. It's just his usual amount of malice and whenever it rubs Stede the wrong way, Ed just waves it off because that's Izzy, mate, he's always like that. Stede is wary but accepting. Izzy is bored and assumes Edward's infatuation will eventually wear off and things will go back to normal.
For a little bit there's this awkward space where sometimes just Stede and Ed hang out, or a mash of their two friend groups, but it's often the three of them, and Izzy is pretty much just there, off to the side, not really interested in participating, and Edward is mostly focused on Stede, which isn't too much of a problem because he's seen Ed get like that before. They'll fuck or something, and then Edward will lose interest, no biggie.
Now from Stede's perspective, these two are a thing. Which is a shame, because he's really become very attached to Ed, and for a couple they don't really have great communication skills. Izzy always seems jealous and annoyed that his boyfriend is paying so much attention to someone else, and Ed never seems to notice. Usually in a situation like that, Stede might try to draw Izzy into the conversation, or draw Ed's attention to Izzy but-- 
But Izzy's kind of a bitch. 
So really, it's Izzy's own fault that Ed wants to pay attention to someone who isn't a bitch. Like let your boyfriend have friends, Izzy, damn. Ed's at least making an effort to make sure Izzy is around, watching movies with them, dragging him out places and such. Surely a good boyfriend would try to engage. So that's on Izzy. 
But then during a movie night a week and a half in or something, Ed kisses him. In front of Izzy. And Stede's brain kind of short-circuits, meanwhile Izzy hardly bats an eye. He'd been kind of assuming Stede and Edward had been macking on each other anyway, just not around him, and when Stede gets all flustered and it looks like Edward is interested in taking things a bit further, Izzy just stands himself up, says, "Yeah, you two have fun, I'm out," and heads for his room because fucking finally. Now Edward can get this out of his system and things can go back to being normal.
Stede's whole concept of things suddenly shifts. 
Clearly, Stede is now in a throuple. 
Which he's down with! It's just... Even if this is more of a Stede/Ed and Ed/Izzy dynamic, he really should learn more about his partner's partner, right? It's polite. So while Izzy spends the next week warily eyeing Stede and Ed, waiting for the attraction to wear off, Stede is spending his alone time with Ed asking about Izzy, and spending their time as the three of them trying to get to know Izzy.
It's... Not easy. Because Izzy suddenly seems more bristly now that Stede is officially part of the dynamic, more resentful that Edward is spending so much time with the new guy, and Stede gets it! Ed doesn't mean to, he's sure, it's clear whenever Ed talks about Izzy that there's a lot of love there and he's used to Izzy's eccentricities and doesn't have a problem with Izzy's standoffish attitude--and the way Ed talks about Izzy, he's someone Stede could easily come to like himself! Stede has no problem with a bit of attitude directed his way, just... Maybe a bit less purposely biting? And maybe not constantly. He'd like to have actual conversations with Izzy, like Ed does, and some comfortable but companionable silences, a bit of dry yet playful bantering and such. Surely Ed really doesn't mean to spend more of his time with Stede than Izzy, it's just that Ed is pretty easily distracted and these two really aren't the best at communication. 
Now, did Stede ever ask if Ed and Izzy were a thing? No. Did he ask if he  was now involved in a throuple? Also no. Did he ask if Izzy was okay with Stede being involved with Edward? Yeah, actually. He asked Ed first, specifically, "Are you sure Izzy is okay with this?" to which Ed was like, "Pssh, yeah, 'course, why wouldn't he be?" and then he later asked Izzy, "Hey, are you actually okay with... This?" and Izzy gave him a nasty look and said, "I don't fucking care what Edward gets up to." You know, like a liar. And Stede just assumed they knew exactly what he meant.
All this to say that Stede is equally fucking terrible with communication.
However! Stede assumes he's great at it and clearly these two need some help, so he decides he's going to help them become better for each other, and maybe that would make Izzy less unbearable to be around. 
So Stede starts kindly suggesting that maybe Edward make some more time to spend with Izzy one on one, so as to not make him feel left out. He doesn't understand Ed's initial confusion, nor he does he see the resulting fight when Edward confronts Izzy to ask if he said anything bitchy to Stede, because dude, stay the fuck out of my relationship, you've been acting like a dick to him from the beginning. And Izzy says some shit because he's angry and jealous and then he storms out and spends the next three days sleeping on Jackie's couch. 
Stede feels awful, because Ed is all upset about what Izzy said, and while no, it wasn't fair, and Stede is pretty upset about it too, it is kind of his fault. He admits that Izzy didn't say anything to him, he just thought Izzy seemed a little... Jilted. And Stede doesn't want to get in between them like that. It wouldn't hurt to make more of an effort to show Izzy he was cared about, would it? 
And Ed's like, "Well... No. Guess it wouldn't. Guess I haven't really been good at that, just took it for granted that he knew."
They brainstorm some ideas, like having more nights where it's just Ed and Izzy, maybe have a nice dinner in, try to cook for him or order something a little nicer. Make it a weekly thing. And Ed mentions Izzy's competitions and goes to look up when the next one is only to see in it's a couple days and Izzy didn't mention that. He always mentions that. Why didn't he mention that? Shit, fuck, had he really been neglecting Izzy so much that Izzy didn't even think it was worth mentioning his competition? It's a big one, too. Now Ed's all sad again and Stede is like, "This is okay, it's fixable. You know about it now, you can show up and surprise him!" 
So Stede helps Ed make a big sparkly sign that says GIVE 'EM HELL, IZZY! Ed's shown up to most of Izzy's competitions for support, cheers him on, but he's never made a big deal of it like this. The sign is huge, florescent, embarrassing as hell in a way that Ed loves and knew Izzy secretly didn't mind. Stede declines to come, because it really should be about them. 
Stede is so happy he's able to help Ed find ways of being a better boyfriend. 
Ed's so lucky that Stede is willing to help him be a better friend. 
Izzy is... Embarrassed. And flattered. And he's so distracted by Ed showing up with his big sparkly sign that he gets second place when he deserved first but fuck it, it doesn't even matter. 
Ed explains that it was Stede's idea, and that Stede helped him make the sign, and that he's going to try to be a better friend and be there for Izzy more. And that he thinks Izzy should talk about his feelings more, and Ed plans on doing the same, because it's good for them! He cares and he doesn't want Izzy to feel like they never have time to themselves, and this is all Stede's suggestion, he really knows what he's doing, Iz, and he doesn't want our friendship to be strained because of him.
Which Izzy finds so fucking stupid and suspicious and clearly this is Bonnet's way of making himself look better and make Izzy look like the irrational asshole. Or he's just pitying Izzy, and that's just as bad. 
So despite all of Stede's good intentions and Edward's willingness to make time and be more considerate of Izzy's feelings, things do not get better. 
Then we have Lucius!
Now Lucius and Pete are an official thing, but they're open. Pete's not interested in anyone else, but he's supportive of Lucius and when Lucius starts up a somewhat consistent thing with Fang, they talk it out to make sure it's okay, and then they let Fang know that they've talked it out and it's cool. And Fang's talked about it with his platonic partner Ivan to make sure it's okay, and yeah, everyone's cool all around. 
Lucius has been hearing about Stede's relationship off and on in dreary sighs and he's occasionally offered bits of advice that's been mostly ignored and really, he just doesn't want to get involved, because he's met Ed, and Ed is kind of intimidating honestly, and it's just like, absolutely not his business. 
But then he's over at Fang and Ivan's to work on an art assignment when Izzy slams his way in making a fuss over something, and Lucius hears Stede's name a couple times mixed up with curses and shit, and Izzy is an absolute dick to him, and a dick to Fang and Ivan, and when it becomes clear they're too busy to indulge in his bullshit, Izzy goes stomping away muttering about useless fucking shitheads too busy drawing dicks to be of any help. Lucius is like, "What the fuck was that all about?" 
And Ivan rolls his eyes and is like, "Izzy's been going through some shit with his best friend dating this guy..." 
So now Lucius has two wildly inconsistent and dubiously accurate descriptions on what the fuck is going on with Stede. In his brief interaction with Izzy, Lucius has determined that this is a man who's only orgasms come from sad, furtive wanks in his room and it's probably been that way for YEARS now, like Izzy Hands is so sexually frustrated and repressed it's not even funny except for the fact it's actually HILARIOUS, and he's so glad that he never really go involved in this mess, because it means he can get involved now and wreck Izzy's entire life in a way that's very much needed for him. Gonna get that fucker laid.
Lucius becomes an agent of pure chaos on a mission. 
So the next time Stede looks all dour and is sighing a lot, Lucius is like, "Okay, lay it all out for me, what's going on Stede? I want to help." 
And Stede, like... Sort of, vaguely lays it out with the most recent problem and Lucius nods sagely and goes, "You know, maybe you're going about this the wrong way. Maybe instead of trying to keep your life with Ed and Ed's life with Izzy separate, you should be trying to bridge the gap between you and Izzy." And Stede makes a face and Lucius is like, "No, no, hear me out for a second. You said things were a little tense but mostly fine when the three of you were casually hanging out, right? And then it got a little tenser once you and Ed starting spending more time together. It's even worse now that you're giving Ed more time to spend with him away from you. Maybe he doesn't feel left out from Ed, maybe he feels left out from you and Ed. Some people aren't meant to have a boyfriend who has a boyfriend. Some people are meant to have two boyfriends." 
Which makes perfect sense to Stede for some reason. 
So he brings it up to Ed, that maybe they should all three hang out more, like they used to. 
And Ed is like... Tired. 
Because Izzy has been so fucking frustrating, and he doesn't know what the fuck is going on with him anymore, and he's not really sure this is a good idea because Izzy had straight up become hostile and unhinged at this point. Little do they know it's only because Izzy is so fucking confused as to what Stede's GAME is. There has to be a game, right? This has to be some kind of trick. Pity. SOMETHING. And he hates it, he hates not knowing what Stede's intention is, and hates that his suspicions are only making Ed pull away more because Ed doesn't see that something is fucking wrong here, he doesn't see that Stede is probably a conniving little shit that's plotting something and thinks he's so much better than Izzy, but Izzy sees it, he SEES IT DAMMIT.
At least with the three of them hanging out more, maybe Ed will start catching on. 
Stede puts himself in the middle this time, between the two of them. Tries to reach out more Izzy, rope him into the conversation, tries to be friendlier. Is met with nothing but suspicion, confusion, and reluctance because for the life of him, Izzy can't figure out this NEW game. More pity, probably. He doesn't like it. He'd rather it be Ed, but Ed is usually silent and sullen and uncomfortable on the other side of Stede, because he lowkey hates listening to Stede try only for Izzy to continue to be a dick.
A few uncomfortably tense hangouts later, and Stede, in a desperate attempt to bridge the gap, realizes he has spent the entire movie night holding Edward's hand, so he reaches out to take Izzy's too. 
He feels Izzy go completely rigid and chances a glance over at him to see him staring back in absolute bewilderment. Stede gives him a soft smile, equal parts reassuring and imploring, and rubs his thumb over the back of Izzy's hand. 
And all hell breaks loose. 
Izzy's on his feet yelling at Stede. Then Ed is on his feet yelling at Izzy. And Stede isn't even sure what either of them are saying with how they're yelling over each other but he wedges his way between them, tells them to stop, and Ed stops, but Izzy is still livid, still yelling, only this time Stede can hear something about not wanting your fucking pity so he just. Does the stupid thing. And shuts Izzy up with a kiss. 
And it works! 
Izzy is thoroughly shut the fuck up enough that Stede can now go, "I don't pity you, you stupid, stubborn man! I just want us all to get along, for Ed's sake if nothing else! He deserve that, doesn't he?" 
Izzy just stares at him in some mix of horror and shock. So Stede hesitantly glances to Edward to silently ask if this was a normal thing, only to see Edward looking just as bewildered as Izzy had looked over the whole hand holding thing, and Stede realizes, well shit, he might have just crossed a line. Because he knew Izzy was more... Conservative when it comes to PDA. After all, Stede had never see Ed and Izzy so much as kiss in public. They're liberal with touches, or WERE anyway, but even hand holding never happened. 
And he's just like, shit, I crossed a line, didn't I?
Izzy is still processing. Edward is like, "Uh... Maybe? Dunno. I should say yeah. Most people would say yeah. I always thought it would be a line of mine. If you would have asked me where my line was, I would have said yeah man, right the fuck here. Definitely a line. Like. Seeing my boyfriend kiss my best friend should probably be a fucking line but it's not? It's not. Nope. Actually. Pretty chill with that. Maybe not chill, chill probably isn't the right word, I'm not chill right now, but I think if it happened a lot more often I could be chill with it. No, but right now I'm just... Wow, Stede, you really just fucking did that, just went in there and-- Damn. That was kind of hot." 
And Stede is relieved and flattered and like, "Well, I mean... I just thought-- Wait. Wait, hang on. Friend?" 
And Ed's like. "Uh. What?" 
"Friend. You called Izzy your friend." 
And by that point Izzy's brain has started to work again, vaguely, and he mutters a hoarse, "Best friend, he said best friend." 
And Stede is just. Confused at first. And then he thinks about it, about all of it, and the mortification starts seeping in until he wails, "I thought we were both dating Ed!" And when they look confused he flails around a bit and goes, "I thought the three of us were in a relationship! I thought you and Ed were together but open, and then Ed started dating me, and-- and--!" 
Ed catches on first and starts laughing. Izzy catches on and shoves Stede, not hard but Stede lets himself fall back onto the couch as Izzy starts chewing him out for being an idiot and what the fuck made you think something like that, you imbecile!
And Stede's only defense is, "You two acted like a couple who had been together a long time!" 
And Ed's like, "Yeah, 'cause we've been friends forever! But Iz doesn't feel that way about me."
And Izzy's like, "Don't fucking put words in my mouth, you're an imbecile too!" 
Which of course leads to them actually sitting down to have a frank and serious conversation about what the past few months have all been about, and about Ed and Izzy's relationship before that. There's apologies made, heartfelt from Ed and reluctant from Izzy. And when the conversation peters out and Ed mutters, "Okay, so... What now?" Stede looks between the two of them. Ed, with a pinch of guilt in his brows. Izzy, looking away, shoulders set miserably but his jaw clenched in expectation of a blow, and Stede just says, "Why don't we start over? Try this from the top, but this time do it the way I thought we were in the first place. The three of us. I think, now that we all know what's going on... I think maybe we can figure it out this time around."
(Spoiler: They do.)
387 notes · View notes
oflights · 3 months
Note
Hi! For the Trope Mash-up: Detective AU + Awful First Meeting :)
hello!! okay hmmm, cheating a bit maybe because let's say "awful first meeting (after hogwarts)"
detective harry who's hired by draco's estranged spouse to prove he's having an affair for divorce ammo. in disguise, harry stakes out a club he knows draco's planning to go to. when he doesn't see him, harry allows himself to be picked up by a handsome stranger at the club, who is draco, of course, in his own disguise. the next morning, their disguises wear off, and they're harry and draco meeting again for the first time. 😊
send me tropes to mash up!
8 notes · View notes
midnightwinterhawk · 7 months
Text
Tumblr media
Don't mind me, I'll just be over here crying salty, salty tears like a sad, angry pickle.
18 notes · View notes
cinderflower · 10 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
For anyone that follows me for my fics, I'm so pleased to get to share the listing of The Pining Anthology which contains Letters, Confessions, and Choices. You can get it with the custom handwritten fonts for the letters as shown above, or there is an alternate option that uses basic fonts for the entirety of the text. It's available on my Ko-Fi in both hardback and paperback here. Additionally, there is also an alternate listing of Letters as a standalone print for those not interested in the other two stories (as there was some interest expressed in this option from the twt poll), also supporting the options both with and without the custom handwriting fonts - available here.
The beautiful cover art was a commission by the always lovely @siriuscygnus which I am very thrilled to finally be able to reveal and share! 💕
19 notes · View notes