#mama brando

[forgotten-daydreamer]

diego and jason would've been friends

#diego brando #jason todd #mama's boys yknow? #jjba #batman #dc

[x-heesy]

𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗟 𝗬 𝝠𝗦𝗦 🤪

𝗠𝝝𝝝𝗗 𝗕𝝝𝝠𝗥𝗗

#panicdynamicpandemic #trackoftheday #phunnyasphuck #gifattack #gifmania #moody #edm #electronicmusic #halloweird #gutelaune #lehüpf #bigsmile @kattywompuss @melimelo85 #shakewhatyamamagaveya #raaaaven #electroshockboogie #dancemfdance #partymusic #lostinmusic

Super Fun Time by Brando+, TrippyThaKid

#im freaking the fuck out #spotify knows #trap music #dark rap #dark beats 🎧 #Rap #bass bass bass #bass massacre #x-heesy #shake what your mama gave ya #fuck it for fun #music #spotify #now playing #fucking favorite #music and art #7/2022 #Super Fun Time #Brando+ #TrippyThaKid #exploring music #track of the day #deepdarkanddangerous #drop beatz no bombs 💣 #too short

[obessedwithfictionalmen]

Co-Star pt.9

Callum Turner X Actress! Reader

Summary: Y/n has baby fever, and Barry's son doesn't help...

Warning: Child/ mention of sex/ baby fever/ use of Y/n/

Word count: 800

When Barry bought his newborn at dinner, Y/n couldn’t stop being with him. She had a huge baby fever, and the little guy didn’t help. The cast had a tradition of eating together each month, to stay in contact with the other, this month, it was at Y/n and Callum’s house. ‘’Hi Brando!’’ she squealed as she walked towards Barry to take the baby from his arms. ‘’Hi Y/n, how are you?’’ Barry said, a little annoyed that she only paid attention to his son. ‘’Good thanks’’ she quickly replied, smiling to him. ‘’You’re so cute! Yeah, you are’’ she said in her bay voice, tickling the baby. Callum walked out of the bathroom and entered the dining room. He saw his guests all round up in the living room, they were looking at something, he heard a baby laugh, but he couldn’t see his girlfriend. When he looked at what drew the men’s attention, he couldn’t help but chuckle. ‘’Be careful, she’s going to ask you for one soon’’ Barry laughed. Y/n was playing with the baby, completely mesmerized by each move the baby made. ‘’Was that a wink? Guys he winked at me!’’ she exclaimed; eyes filled with stars. Callum laughed and kept looking at his very happy girlfriend.

He always wanted a family, but he didn’t find the right woman to be the mother of his children, but at that moment, when he saw the look in Y/n’s eyes, he knew she was the one. ‘’I’m pretty sure he just blinked’’ Nate stated. Y/n frowned her brows and looked at the man, then looked at the baby again. ‘’No, you didn’t blink. You love me so much! You definitely winked at me! But be careful, Callum is going to be jealous!’’ she said, in her baby voice. The men around her went into the dining room, while she kept playing with Brando. ‘’Have you thought about kids, yet?’�� Austin asked. Callum shook his head. ‘’We didn’t talk about it, but I think the conversation is going to come soon enough’’ he laughed. ‘’You guys are going to have the cutest babies!’’ Kaia, Austin’s girlfriend, said. The guys agreed.

When everyone left the house, Y/n and Callum sat on the couch, exhausted from their evening. She rested her head on his shoulder. ‘’You had fun tonight?’’ he asked her, before kissing the top of her head. ‘’Very, I love Barry’s son, he’s adorable! And the guys were fun too, but Brando was better’’ she laughed. He smiled, a little nervous to pop the question. ‘’Do you think about starting a family?’’ he asked her. She rose her head from his shoulder, bright smile on her face. ‘’A lot, why?’’ she smiled. ‘’You know, seeing you with Brando tonight made me realise how good of a mother you’re going to be, and I was wondering if you could see yourself starting a family with me?’’ he smiled. Y/n got up from the couch and did her little jump she did when she couldn’t contain her happiness. ‘’Callum Robilliard Turner! You better not be joking right now!’’ it was rare for her to say his middle name, when she did, it was because the situation was serious. He laughed at her excitement. ‘’Yes, Y/n Y/l/n, I’m 100% serious’’ he said, bringing her closer to his, placing his hand under her butt. Her smile was bigger than anything, she was truly happy. ‘’I love you, and I want you to be the mother of my children’’ he said, lifting his head to signal her that he wanted to kiss her. She kissed him, but she was smiling too much. ‘’I love you too, and I want you to be my baby daddy’’ she said, with a hint of teasing. ‘’Should we start right now?’’ she asked. He shook his head. ‘’Tomorrow, we both have a day off.’’ He smirked. She took his hand and ran toward the bedroom. ‘’Why are you rushing?’’ he asked, smiling. ‘’Tomorrow will come faster if we go to sleep early!’’ she exclaimed. He couldn’t help but laugh again. He kissed the top of her head as he lay beside her. ‘’See you tomorrow, mama’’ he teased. Y/n shook her head. ‘’Nah, no teasing I need to sleep’’ she giggled. He smiled one last time before letting his girlfriend sleep, he feel asleep imagining mini Y/n and mini Callum running around the house.

#callum turner #callum turner x reader #callum turner imagine #actress!reader #austin butler #barry keoghan

[sovereignjojoz]

How they’d react if their kid told them they have a boyfriend/girlfriend/crush.

Featuring: Rohan and Dio.

Warnings: readers position is ambiguous, fluff, crack.

Notes- Dio should’ve had a daughter too idc!!!! All kids are age 4. I had originally written others too but they got DELETED when I put it in my tumblr drafts, so I’ll rewrite them later.

Dio

“Hello father. Hi daddy!”

Dio glanced up from his book upon hearing Giorno and Baby Brando walking into the room. Giorno entered his peripheral vision first as baby Brando held his hand, skipping alongside him.

He closed his book and leaned back in his plush throne, “hello children,” He skimmed the room quickly, “where are your other brothers?”

Giorno shrugged in response to his latter question, “don’t know, I only walk home with her,” he gestured to baby Brando, “since she’s the youngest.”

He hummed.

“And school?”

“It was fine.” Giorno sighed, adjusting baby Brando’s school uniform collar as she smiled up at her coolest big brother, “oh and I’m going to Mista’s house in five minutes.”

Dio raised an eyebrow, “To do what? Why wasn’t I notified prior.”

Giorno clicked his tongue, his father was so nosey. “Just because. It’s not a big deal I go there every week anyway.” Giorno walked to the door, “anyway I’m leaving now, bye.”

Dio scoffed, pre-teens were so sassy, he wished all his kids could just stay at the age where they were cute and docile.

Baby Brando jumped on the couch, shoes still on, and opened the window, hanging out so she could see Giorno.

“Bye Giogio! Love you!”

Baby Brando’s eyes widened as dio lifted her up and placed her on his shoulder.

He held her securely by placing his hand on her back, “Don’t do that.”

Baby Brando smiled toothily at him, “Okay daddy!”

Dio brought her forward, hanging her upside down by her legs, “why are you so happy today stinks?” He eyed her suspicions.

Baby Brando giggled from the weird motion, squirming, causing a heart shaped chocolate to fall out of her school dress pocket.

“Because someone gave me a chocolate today in school!”

Dio’s face contorted into disgusted. What vile vermin was giving confession candy to his daughter? As if he (or her brothers for that matter) would ever allow them near her.

Dio put her down, causing her to look up at him adoringly. “Who?”

“Umm! I dunno his name! Think it started with a j but he said he really really really really loves me and I was like huh really!” She slapped her hands on her cheeks, re-enacting the scene for her father, making sure to capture the full dramatic effect of what happened.

His frown deepened, “Really?”

“Uh huh!”

Dio bent down to his daughter’s eye-level, partially smirking “shall I eat him?” He said with a guise of seriousness.

Baby Brando couldn’t believe he just said that! She covered her mouth with her hands and gasped, “daddy no! That’s bad!”

Dio snickered and lightly pulled on her blonde pigtails, “then no boyfriends.”

“Okay…”

Rohan

“Daddy Daddy!” Baby Rohan kicked her school shoes off and ran into the mangaka’s study.

His eyes flickered to the green haired girl, “Hm.”

“Look!” She came to stand in-between his legs and proudly held up a colourful piece of paper, a little bit too close to his face. “That’s me, and that’s you and that’s the cat and that’s mama!”

Rohan put his pen down and examined the drawing slightly closer, in actuality it was all scribbles yet even so he’d be framing it in his study.

“Wow, very good.” He pulled her to sit on his lap so he could resume his work, “when did you make this.”

“Today, at Josuke’s house…” she blushed.

Rohan clicked his tongue, yes, he had to send his sweet girl to that imbecile’s house yet it wasn’t of his own will, he had an important deadline coming up and his partner was at work, to say he was very reluctant to let Josuke babysit would be an underst- wait. Rohan closed his eyes, he had to have been seeing incorrectly because there’s no way he saw what he thinks he just saw.

Did baby Rohan just blush at Josuke’s name?

“Did you have fun at…Josuke’s.” He tested.

“Yes!” Baby Rohan nodded vigorously, “he’s so cool and fun!” She added, her flush deepening.

No way. Rohan’s mouth hung agape in disbelief as he pulled Baby Rohan closer to him. What did he do!

“Um daddy are you okay?” Baby Rohan asked concerned, poking his cheek.

“Yes, I’m fine.” He was so done with Josuke, when he next see him he ought to-

Ding dong.

Still irritated, Rohan dragged himself to the door, who could have even been at the door this time, it was almost 9pm!

“Hey Rohan I-”

Slam!

“Jojo!” Baby Rohan gasped, “Daddy open the door don’t be mean!”

Rohan opened the door the tiniest milli-fraction, “what.” He glared at the young jojo.

“Hi jojo!”

“Hi!” He reached to pinch the young girls cheek however Rohan was faster. He put up a finger warning him.

“Don’t.” He grit his teeth, “you know what Josuke. Take five steps back and maintain this distance.

Josuke looked befuddled but did as told anyway, “umm okay?” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “anyway I left my wallet here the other day can I just-”

“Don’t take a single step in here.” He couldn’t come in and contaminate the house.

“I can get it!” Baby Rohan beamed.

“No.”

Rohan brashly grabbed the wallet and chucked it towards him. “Next time be more aware.”

“Thanks-!”

Slam!

#jjba x reader #jojo x reader #rohan x reader #dio x reader #dio x you #Rohan x you #sovereignjojoz #jjba fluff #I made myself chuckle with this one #dio’s probably a good dad but like also a mean tease if ygm #and Rohan is Rohan and we love him for it

[argentiniancharactertournament]

MUCHACHOS

Here it is, the long awaited ARGENTINIAN CHARACTER TOURNAMENT BRACKET!!! (more info on that at the bottom of the page).

Participants were assigned randomly to their brackets, consisting on the following matchups:

PLEASE WELCOME:

Maria Elena from Casados con Hijos VS Palermo from La Casa de Papel

Mama Corra from Esperando a la Carroza VS Susanita from Mafalda

Emilio Raverna from Los Simuladores VS Mafalda from Mafalda

Alejandro "Sandy" Stern from Presumed Innocent VS Pablo Lamponne from Los Simuladores

Violetta from Violetta VS Adrian Seidelman from Cybersix

The Narcoleptic Argentinian from Moulin Rouge! VS Karl Lykos from Marvel Comics

Oikawa Tooru from Haikyu!! VS Zamba from El asombroso mundo de Zamba

Gabriel Medina from Los Simuladores VS Miss Argentina from Beetlejuice

El ingeniero Bombita from Relatos Salvajes VS Felipe from Mafalda

Martos Santos from Los Simuladores VS Ace Visconti from Dead by Daylight

Manuelita from Manuelita la Tortuga VS Mion Takamine from Pretty Rythm Aurora Dream

Los Rayados from Metegol VS Gaturro from Gaturro

Lucas Amato from Cybersix VS Carmen Sandiego from Carmen Sandiego

Eva "Evita" Péron from Evita VS Julio Renato from Gundam Build Fighters

Mario Renato from Gundam Build Fighters VS Clemente from Clemente

Dardo from Casados con Hijos VS.... versus who?

Versus Headcannon round winner. Indeed, 3 characters not canonically argentinian, but who got enough submissions to qualify to the bracket, will fight to get honorary argentinian privileges. These charachters are:

Diego "Armando" Godot from Ace Attorney

Dio Brando from JoJo's Bizzare Adventure

Figaro Garcia from Mahoyaku/Promise of Wizard

The Preliminary poll will be up for 24 hours starting tomorrow, and the rest of the polls will be up for a week. All poll posts for this round will be tagged #poll round 1 , to make them easier to find.

HAVE FUN, AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE

#polls #poll round 1 #argentinian character tournament #argentina

[princelylove]

hello its everyones favourite slightly unstable 🌸 anon here to comment on everyones least favourite dinosaur-- diego brando!

listen. LISTEN. hes stupid and silly and also has mummy issues. and what do boys who are stupid and silly and have mummy issues look in a partner? SOMEONE THAT RESEMBLES THEIR MOTHER AND ACTS LIKE THEIR MOTHER!

thoughts, your highness?

your favourite peon,

🌸

Peon? That pleases me, anon. I don’t know about my favourite, though. I’m imagining you screaming the last bit and then stepping off of your soap box to gently ask. 

I was just thinking about how I haven’t seen you recently, and now here you are. Do you often come when called? 

I already wrote a little bit about Diego here, but let’s do a little deep dive into his psyche. 

Diego is another yandere I can see picking either a familial or romantic darling. Either way you will not escape the “I’ll never love you more than my mother.” conversation. 

You’re right, anon. He misses his mother. Diego does not really want to be caught up needing someone, it isn’t in his nature to seek someone out and actually keep them. He uses people as tools and then disposes of them as necessary- human life is truly worthless to him. But… his mother is not all of humanity. His mother isn’t one of those vile creatures. Do you know what he is looking for? Mother dearest. Mama. Mommy. He craves someone who is going to coddle him- baby him. Diego loves special treatment, and there’s nothing more special than family. It’s unconditional. (Meaning it won’t abandon him.) He knows that, logically, his mother will never return to him. Is that going to stop him from looking? No. 

You’re what Diego considers to be what mankind should’ve been- and will be, once he’s taken his rightful place on top of it all. He likely found a Mother-esque darling in the race. You don't have to be motherly, you just have to remind him of his mother. It certainly would help him make the connection, though. You might’ve offered him a bit of your food, or water, or suggested he come sit by the fire you made. What a provider. He scoffs, but obeys, and doesn’t exactly resist your advances- he allows you to drape a blanket over him, and only moves your hand away when you’re “being too handsy.” 

His complex isn’t as apparent as someone like Narancia or God-fucking-forbid Jotaro, in a romantic relationship at least. But in a familial relationship? So evident. He doesn’t even hide the constant comparisons. Diego gets it out of his system via constantly comparing the two of you. You made dinner? Mother did it this way, why don’t you do it like that. Why do you keep your hair so short? It’d look better past your shoulders. 

But it’s different if Diego’s love is romantic. He is insatiable. He’s not going to get in your face about taking care of his every need. That’s not what a lover does. He just reacts very, very well to it. He is baffled by the notion that someone’s brain doesn’t rot at the mention of his name, or at the smell of his cologne. In his point of view, the world is his, and humanity consists only of the pigeons that he must guide- it makes sense that he reacts so well to praise and attention and gifts… He just reacts a little too well to it. That’s all. 

If you got out of his lovely estate- say thank you to his ex wife, you know, someone who actually spoiled him- Diego will hunt you down on one of his prized horses. He truly doesn’t mind travelling for as long as he has to, he cannot allow you to ever leave his sight- God (him) forbid anything happens to you and he isn’t there. Diego isn’t the most protective, he’s actually never felt that way towards anyone else before. Who matters more than him? He just doesn’t want someone else to hurt you.  But you’ll have some privacy. Diego is big on dignity- he loves someone who holds themself with pride. Does that mean that he has shame? No. Call him Dio. Brush his hair, treat him like a king. Hold his face in your hands and give him all the attention he’s craving, love him, adore him.

#request granted #🌸 anon #yandere diego brando #yandere diego brando x reader #idk if this makes sense i haven't had coffee all day #my mistake if not

[scary-monsters]

my idea for mama brando art/fic didn’t come to fruition today BUT I’ll just toss y’all a scrap of my diego character study, it’s a flashback between him and his mom and I still really love it 🧡

#my writing #diego brando

[passionesolja]

Dario Brando did not want a kid . Like his failed business owner ass broke as hell in the slums of Victorian London. Mf the water is poison. People throwing all types of toxic waste on the mf streets. The drinking water got lead. You know his ass was a victim of child labor and probably had 5 other siblings, 6 of them didn’t make it to 13 years old. Rich mfs like George Joestar living in the mf countryside, not having to deal with shit. You know Dario was so mf mad when he found out he was having a kid, his wife like “yay my baby. I’m going to make him after God and Ronnie James Dio”. I’m sure Dio Brando wasn’t their first kid, unless because the man died at 53 so he had to have had Dio at 39-40 years old. Statically, it’s possible that Dio had a few older siblings who didn’t make it long or miscarried. Because mfs didn’t have birth control and didn’t have protection. Dio Brando only made it for as long as he did because he’s a hater and his destiny was to be the ultimate menace.

Maybe Dario also lost his own mother to his father’s vices and he was just a less advanced Dio. One thing about Dio is he was a mama’s boy. Dario got a tribute to his moms on his chest, he was a mama’s boy too

Rip to Dario, your grandson Ungalo looks like you

#jjba #dio brando #Dario Brando #jjba meta #jojos bizarre adventure #ungalo #jjba ungalo #jojo part 1 #jjba meme #jonathan joestar #George Joestar

[phantomdoofer]

Chapter 19 - Vecchi Amici

Peppino woke up to the smell of rat. He cracked an eye open…

Brick was leaning over him.

" Yiiii!" Peppino yelled as he launched himself off the couch he'd been sleeping on. "Ti avevo detto di non farlo!"

Brick's response was a snis snis snis that sounded suspiciously like laughter. He growled as she walked away. He'd taken to staying with Gustavo, just as Giuseppe had started staying with Margherita. The Pizzamancer's words still echoed in his head:

I will destroy what you hold dear before I return to kill you. And I will savor every moment of it.

Giuseppe had reached the conclusion that they should stay with those who couldn't defend themselves. Fake had told Giuseppe about their past as Bruno, before going to watch over Brando. Peppino was staying with Gustavo, as much for comfort as protection. As tough as the little masso is, he doesn't have the powers we do.

Gustavo was still snoring in his bedroom. Peppino shrugged. No need to wake him yet. He yawned and scratched his arm. He hated imposing, but it was the safest thing. The Pizzamancer's Tower had been spotted all over the world, only to disappear again. No one knew what he was doing. For someone who said he wants to destroy the world, he's being pretty quiet.

There was a knock at the door, and two notes slipped through the mail slot.

Peppino tensed. Anything could be a threat. Mushroom hopped down off the top of his head, skittered over, and inspected them. It chirped a happy tone. Safe.

Peppino sighed and relaxed a little. The Toppins had been an absolute godsend - they could detect the Pizzamancer's influence on anything. Even they didn't know how.

Peppino picked them up. Two letters - one from La Crosta University - why would someone from their ever send me a letter? Probably junk mail. But it was hand-written, so he doubted it.

The second was also hand-written, in purple ink. Something tickled in the back of Peppino's mind - a sense that he knew who it was from. He quickly opened it.

Inside was a note so short it bordered on terse. Peppino, we owe you big time. When you need us, we'll be there. ~ G and J

Gerome and John, Peppino realized. How did they know? And what does it mean? Peppino carefully folded the letter. He'd show it to everyone else later.

The second letter was longer. Mr. Spaghetti, you don't know me, but I know about your situation. I have information vital to the situation with the Pizzamancer that I need to impart to you in person. Please come to the La Crosta History Department Main Office tomorrow at 1 PM. I cannot stress how important this is. The world itself might depend on it.

Peppino flipped it over - there was no name. He shivered. It could be a trap. But then, Mushroom didn't sense anything...

His phone rang. He picked up. "Pronto?"

"Did you just get a mysterious letter from the University?" Giuseppe's voice sounded terse.

" Sì, I did. I'm-a guessing you did too?"

"Yep. No name, either. Guess whoever it is wants to stay a little hidden." There was a pause. "Of course, if this person has such vital intel on the Pizzamancer, I guess I can't blame them." Another pause. "Are you and Gustavo going to open the pizzeria today?"

"Sì," Peppino responded. "It-a may seem foolish, but people seem to be taking heart from seeing something not-a caving to fear."

Giuseppe laughed. "They're right. Life goes on, even in a situation like this. I don't have to say "be careful."

Peppino grinned. "I know, fratello. I appreciate the concern. Just keep Mama safe, bene?"

"Of course, considering her mood, anything that did attack her would probably get folded in half." Both men laughed. "She may be old, but she's not defenseless, you know."

"I know, I know," Peppino said. "I just... I just-a worry. I'll see-a you tomorrow, esatto?"

"Of course, fratellino. Ciao."

As Peppino hung up, Gustavo came out of his bedroom. "Hey, Pep. Anything interesting in the mail?"

"See for-a yourself." He handed the two letters to the gnome.

Gustavo read both over, looking more concerned by the second. "G and J... Gerome and John?"

" Sì, I think so. I wonder what-a they mean, "they'll be there when we need them"?"

Gustavo shrugged. "I dunno. But I'm glad they're all right. I remember reading somewhere that people like them can have weird powers. And John owes you his life, after all." He shook the other letter. "Wonder who Mr. Mysterious is."

Peppino shrugged too. "I don't know, but I guess we'll-a find out." He stretched, his back creaking and popping. "Do you mind if I get a shower before we leave?"

~~~~

Peppino, Gustavo, and Brick carefully walked into the History Department waiting room. He felt like he was intruding, but the secretary had waved him through. "We were expecting you, Mr. Spaghetti. Your brother is already waiting."

Peppino glanced behind him and, indeed, Giuseppe was sitting behind him. They sat beside him. "Anyone-a else here?"

Giuseppe shook his head. "No, but I know Vigi said he got the same letter, so I expect all the bosses to be here. Fits the pattern." He wriggled around, trying to find a comfortable spot on the wooden seat. "Wish I knew who this Professor guy is."

Peppino stared in surprise. "Wait, you don't know anything about him?"

Giuseppe frowned. "I mean, if someone keeps low-profile, and doesn't cause trouble, why would I? But this guy already seems to know too much." He winced and adjusted again. "I don't like this."

Peppino nodded, then sat back to wait. After a few minutes, he pulled out his phone and started searching current events. They pretty much all revolved around the resurrected Tower: a sighting here, a glimpse there. One report of a military base firing on it and being obliterated moments later. Peppino shivered. What can we do against that? It's like being attacked by aliens.

As the minutes went by, the bosses showed up: Vigilante, Pepperman, Fake, and finally, Noise and Noisette, Noisette escorting the still-bandaged Noise.

Peppino stood up. " Mio Dio, Noise, should you even be here?"

Noise waved a hand irritably. "Eh, keep yer worry to yerself, Spaghetti. I'll be Ok by the end of the day. I paid for the good stuff." Noisette stood with her hand on his shoulder. "Just want to know what the hell's goin' on."

Then the door opened again, and in walked -

“Pizzahead? Cosa ci fai qui, bastardo?” Peppino balled his fists, and everyone present looked angry. Both Brick and Noise hissed at him.

The Ninda held up his hands defensively. “Please, calm down! I told you, I don't know who this ‘Pizzahead’ is! My name is Paolo Totino! The last thing I remember is… my father dying, and a ring…”

Fake loped over to the Ninda, grabbing him by the shoulders, looking him in the eyes.

The Ninda cringed. “What do you want, you…” he stared, his disgust giving way to horror. “What… what are you??”

Fake stared him in the eyes for several seconds, then nodded. “This is not Pizzahead. He is what he says he is.”

Everyone visibly relaxed a little. “How do you know?” Peppino said.

Noise spoke up. “Because big guy here was the one around ol’ Pizzahead the most.”

Fake nodded. “Pizzahead’s eyes carried the spark of madness. It is not there, now. Though…” Fake turned back to Paolo. “There is a coldness there, an arrogance. We know arrogance.” He leaned down, and Paolo trembled. “Know this - if you betray us, we will kill you.”

Paolo grimaced. “Yeesh, Ok! I get it! Anyway, I was released from the hospital. They said I have memory loss. Considering I've lost…” he looked up, obviously counting, “three years, I'd say that's an understatement. Then I got this letter demanding I come here today.” He shrugged. “My life is gone. What have I got to lose?”

Then the door opened again, and in walked another unexpected figure...

“Brando?” Peppino said. “What are-a you doing here?”

The young man looked up in surprise. “ Signore Peppino? Signore Gustavo? What -” he looked around at the small crowd in the waiting room. “I received a mysterious letter yesterday, saying to come here. Did one of you send it?”

Peppino and the others shook their heads. “None of us, ragazzo.” Peppino looked at Fake, and he noticed the others trying not to do the same. Brando is Bruno's son, and the Pizzamancer said something about the Tagliatelles, Bruno's family. How are they involved?

Finally a tone beeped on the secretary's desk, and she stood. "The Professor has indicated he'll see you now. Please, head inside." She gestured at a worn wooden door to her left.

As everyone stood, Peppino picked up a general feeling of electricity in the air. Are we all that tense, or is it something else?

Once they had all entered, the secretary closed the door behind them. The room was essentially a library - the shelves towered ten feet, ladders granting access to all the shelves. Spaced amongst the books were curious little objects that Peppino gradually realized were machines. Seems our Professor is a bit of a tinkerer.

A simple wooden desk stood near the back wall, and the leather chair behind it was turned away. Peppino could hear someone whistling happily in the chair, but he saw no one.

Finally, the chair turned. A gnome, with long black hair, mustachios, and a goatee was sitting tinkering with a small machine, his tongue stuck out, the tiny screwdriver working furiously. He was dressed unusually casually for a professor. Of course, that might be normal for professors. Without looking up, he spoke. "Hello everyone, I'm Professor Schreiber, the one who called you here. Just a moment, I need to finish this." He turned a few more things, grabbed a casing, and clicked it into place. Suddenly the object was a solid gray orb, which he sat on his desk. "Er, if anyone here has implants or fillings, I apologize in advance." He clicked a hidden button, and a burst of light went off. The small objects scattered around the room also shot off a wave of strange light in response. Peppino felt an uncomfortable buzz in his chest where he'd been shot - he knew there was metal there. Noise grabbed his mouth. I knocked enough of his teeth out, no telling how much metal is in there. Heh. Giuseppe jumped and looked incredibly uncomfortable, for the same reason as Peppino. Then the entire room went dark.

Suddenly a light blossomed - the gnome had lit a lantern on his desk. An old fashioned oil lantern, in fact. The gnome jumped out of the chair and walked around the room, lighting other candles and lamps. "Sorry, but it had to be done. This room is now completely inaccessible - no electromagnetics, no vibrations, no gasses, not even light. It's completely and totally private." He looked around. "Sorry for the secrecy. My name's Aldo. I need to tell you this in complete privacy - the Pizzamancer might be monitoring you."

Giuseppe stepped forward. "How do you know how to do that? That's Old Tech, OLD Old Tech. I've barely even heard of it. And you just - casually built one?" He pointed. "Who are you?"

The gnome smiled. "I told you, name's Aldo. Though that's not all I am." He leaned against his desk. "We don't have much time - when I say no electromagnetics, I mean none, including heat. It's gonna get cold in here eventually. And I know how because I invented it."

Giuseppe's hand fell. " Invented it? That's not possible - you would have to be-"

"-over 3000 years old, to be precise,” the gnome interrupted.

The entire group gaped in surprise. “Th- three thousand-” Peppino stammered.

“-years old, yes. That's right,” Aldo said. “Let me explain.” He took a deep breath, looking at the floor. “I know the Pizzamancer of old. We were friends, once, I thought.” He shook his head. "I worked with him back before he was the Pizzamancer. I've been waiting for him to reappear all this time. And I know how to give you a chance to beat him."

Pepperman finally found his voice. "Who - what are you?"

The gnome walked up and put his hands on his hips. "I told you, we don't have time for the full story. Short version: I have fire-based powers that also render me immortal. We were researchers, working on the root of superpowers and whether they could be transferred. And we succeeded. Then he copied my power to give himself immortality, which I didn't know it did at the time, but he did, since he'd seen the data and deleted it, to hide it from me. I spent the next 500 years fighting in the shadows to stop him." He looked down. "I gave people the powers to fight him, but most of them died. Finally, three of them - Volante Spaghetti, Gordo Tagliatelle, and Rosa Rossini, managed to defeat him, using a device I designed to imprison him - a ring. Only Volante survived the battle, and that only barely."

At the names Spaghetti and Tagliatelle, everyone looked shocked. Peppino, Giuseppe, and Fake looked at each other. "So that's what he meant," Giuseppe said.

Aldo nodded. "But he had a dead man switch - a nanoplague that swept the planet, destroying almost all technology and a huge chunk of the planet's life. The only sapient survivors were the superbeings I created." He looked around. "Your ancestors. You know this as the Old War. It was..." Aldo paused for several seconds, seeming to struggle to get the words out, "it was my fault. For trusting him." He looked up at them. "But now he's broken free, and I spent the last 2500 years researching a way to give you a chance." He walked back behind his desk, producing a handful of small devices. "He imbued himself with many abilities in the 500 years I fought him. These devices will remove his immortality and fire abilities. The rest... I don't have enough data on. You'll have to deal with them on your own."

Each of them looked at the tiny device - the size of a pen, with a button. Giuseppe shook his head. "You invented the teleporters, didn't you? This looks just like the one I used during the war."

Aldo chuckled. "Oh no, that tech's far older than me. I invented the return relay, though. Glad you're paying attention." He coughed. "I'm telling you this because you deserve to know. And because you're the only ones I think he'd let live long enough to get close enough to use this. With you, the vendetta is personal."

Noise scoffed. "Then why don't you do it, old man?"

Aldo shrugged. "Because he'd run if he knew I was there. He knows I know his secret. This way, you can take him by surprise. You might have a chance, together." He sat down. "I hate to lay this on you, but if the government intervenes, he'll destroy civilization. If you show up, he'll practically usher you in, just so he can watch you squirm."

Brando stepped forward. “ Signore, I understand now why you invited me, but… everyone else here has powers or at least, the ability to defend themselves.” He gestured to himself. “I am just a simple chef. Why am I here, other than for the knowledge you've imparted?”

Aldo smiled. “Well, that, for one. Forewarned is forearmed. You're a descendant of Gordo, so you're automatically a target.”

Brando shivered. Peppino saw Fake begin to move towards him, then stop. Noisette stepped forward and hugged the boy.

Aldo walked up to him. “Two, you might be surprised, young man, when it comes to powers. Gordo’s power was incredible toughness - I saw him take fire blasts and lasers to the face and laugh.” He reached up and patted the boy's arm. “That was a strong power. I bet, even if it's dormant, it's still there. The trick was -” he turned to the Spaghetti brothers - “those three - Volante, Rosa, and Gordo - their powers activated through emotion. Speed from fear and anxiety…”

Giuseppe and Peppino looked at each other in shock. “Strength through rage and hate…” Giuseppe whispered.

Aldo nodded. “And Gordo's toughness, from determination and stubbornness. All qualities those three had in abundance.” He pointed at Peppino and Giuseppe. “You two remind me a lot of Volante, and Rosa, too.” He pointed at Brando. “You're nowhere near as fat as Gordo was, but your face… yes, it's still there, all this time later.”

Brando held up a hand. “I… look like him?”

“Down to the curly mustache. But you're a lot thinner.” Aldo turned. “Every one of you is a descendant of someone I helped, fought beside, even created, in a few cases.”

Paplo stepped forward. “While I think I understand, old man, as the short guy said, you're sending us out to do your dirty work. Sounds a bit fishy. What's in it for us?”

Aldo turned, stared, and strode up to the Ninda. Even though Paolo towered over everyone other than Fake, Aldo seemed to loom.

Then his eyes lit on fire, and his hair stood up, floating in the air like black flames.

“What I THOUGHT was that you might like to live in a free world, one not under the heel of a maniacal despot,” the gnome said, his voice crackling like flame. “Maybe I was wrong? You WANT to risk being murdered on a whim daily? Maybe chopped up for parts, or food? I know this man. He thinks he's the only one in the world that matters. He will destroy you, and everything you hold dear. And he will do it with a smile on his face. Is that a good enough reason for you?”

Noise climbed down out of Noisette's arms, where he'd leaped in terror. He'd developed a fear of fire.

Gustavo spoke up. “I get what you're saying. If you show up, he'll run, right? And with the Tower's disappearing trick…”

Aldo’s eyes returned to normal, and his hair laid back down. “He'll disappear, and he might just destroy the world out of fear before it reappears. Right, my boy.”

“So, what do we do?” Vigi said. “You worked with him. Got any pointers?”

Aldo nodded. “I don't know what powers he has, but he's arrogant, and he has a very fragile ego. If you provoke him, he might go all out. But if you get him talking…” Aldo grinned maliciously. “He always loved to monologue. Be decisive when you strike, though - if he has time to use the Tower in the fight, you're probably done.”

Aldo walked back over to Paolo. “I bet you're descended from the Pizzamancer. It's why the ring took you over. I bet you don't remember anything from the last few years, do you?”

Paolo nodded. “That ring was my father's. His last words were to keep it with me, that it was very old.”

Aldo nodded. “A quirk of the ring’s design was that, while it let his spirit influence you, keeping it near to his bloodline also kept the seal strong. Did you give it away?”

Paolo frowned. “Pawned it, actually. I needed the money.”

Aldo shook his head. “You couldn't have known, but by giving it away, it gave the part of him that took root in your head a chance to flourish. There's no telling what he made you do - and he'd need it back to bring himself back. Once he took you over, the seal didn't mean much.” Aldo grasped his arm. “You have a stake in this too, young man. He destroyed your life.”

Paolo nodded. “I don't care if he's my ancestor. I'll kill him.”

Aldo nodded. “Keep that fire, young man. But don't let it blind you.” He paused, and turned. “This is the only way forward I can see - the world's only chance.” He sighed, and reached out to touch the little device. The room filled with light and sound. They all squinted and held up hands against the sudden glare. “I wish I could do more. But this is your story, now. Be careful, all of you. I hope to see you all again.” He smiled at Peppino. “I still want to try your pizza, after all.”

~~~~

The group filed out of Aldo's office. All of them looked pensive, even Noise.

Finally, they all turned to Peppino. “So, big guy,” Noise said, “what do we do?”

Peppino reared back, looking ready to bolt. “Wh - why are-a you all looking at-a me like that? I'm-a not the leader here!”

Giuseppe laid a hand on Peppino's shoulder. “Hate to break it to you, Pino, but you kind of are. You took down the Tower yourself. You beat all of them.” He gestured at the Bosses, who looked irritated, but nodded. “You're the one who did it, Pino. You. We're the backup here. You're the squad leader.” Giuseppe crossed his arms, smiling smugly. “So what do we do, Boss?”

Peppino looked pensively at the group. Why me?

He heard a chorus of familiar voices in his head.

Gonna abandon them? Run scared? Leave them behind like you did us?

Peppino started to shiver…

Suddenly he felt the hand on his shoulder squeeze.

Giuseppe smirked. “We're here, Pino. You can do this. I know you can.”

Peppino nodded. He thought about everything Giuseppe had told him about, that he'd been through. He's me, after all. I guess he would know.

Peppino took a deep breath. The voices faded, but he could still feel their gaze on him. Finally, a single voice echoed in his head. If you want to make it up to us, save them. Protect them.

Peppino nodded. “ Va bene. Do we-a know where-a the Tower is?”

Giuseppe pulled out his phone. “I bet we can find out.”

Peppino nodded. “Then we do it. As soon as we can.”

#pizza tower #my stuff #pizzatower #peppino spaghetti #peppino #pt #pizza tower au #pizza tower fanfic #tower town au #tt au #pt gustavo #brick the rat pizza tower #brick the rat #gustavo pizza tower #pizza tower pepperman #the vigilante #the noise #pizza tower noisette #noisette #fake peppino #pizzahead

[howlingday]

So to recap the howlingday jaune family tree his litter is Harley from DC who’s dating Ivy who jaune already considers an aunt. While Bruce is a weird rich godfather situation while his actual father is one of the biggest psychopaths in DC comics aka joker. And somehow his grandpa is Dio fucking Brando meaning jaune’s probably part vampire somewhere. All the while he’s been raised by the Arc’s with seven sisters am I missing any details?

Ah, yes, let me explain.

Mama Harley and Jaune's Family are two separate stories and two separate universes.

Also, Whitebeard and Dio are adopted Arcs. Not biologically related to Jaune. They meet certain requirements that get them into the Arc family name.

Although it would be one hell of a story to have Jaune's family tree to be that twisted and gnarled with strong branches of many directions, it's actually one small tree and a hedge of bushes.

I hope this clears up any confusion.

#rwby #mama harley au #rwby au #jaune's family #my answers

[madaboutmunson]

Black Denim Trousers & Motorcycle Boots (Sweet Home Chicago Series - Part 2)

Summary for overview of the whole fic can be found here

For @eddiemonth 

Week 2 prompts used: Times Like These - Foo FIghters, Wanted Dead or Alive - Bon Jovi, Determined, Adventurous, Soulmates, Monsters, Come As You Are - Nirvana

Warnings: None that I could think of, but let me know if you feel any should be added, and I'll do that straight away :) 

Romance/Fluff Word Count : 9.6K

Ao3 Link

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Eddie wakes with a start. An uncomfortable stiffness in his back and a numbness in his arms make themselves known quickly as a coffee mug appears in his view.

“Morning, sweetheart. I wasn’t gonna come in, but you didn’t answer, and I got a little worried,” she sits on the corner of his desk and starts picking up some of the pieces of paper that he can now see are littered all around him, “But when I saw you fast asleep on your desk, I thought I better wake you up. I know you don’t like to be late.” She smiles at him a little knowingly. He knows she can tell. He just hasn’t been brave enough to say it outright yet, and to her credit, she hasn't pushed. But he knows how obvious it is that he loves spending his days at the grocery store. He knows when they are both finally home, and she asks how his day was, he would try in vain to be calm and quiet about it, “Yeah, was good. Got a lot done.” But she’d wait a while to see if any further information would come her way before asking, “Was Steve there today?” that would just start the lengthy gushing about every little thing Steve did that day. It felt fine when he was in the midst of it, but as soon as he paused, he’d feel embarrassed, sometimes guilty. It was customary to be enthusiastic about friends, right? Especially new ones. 

Eddie knew that wasn’t why, and he got the sneaking suspicion his mama knew that too. He just wasn’t ready to have that conversation. He hasn’t been prepared to have that conversation since Wayne caught him with the huge A Streetcar Named Desire movie poster that Eddie had broken into the local cinema to retrieve for his own after learning that most movie posters just got plunged into storage, overhearing one of the ushers in the malt shop. He’d enacted the escapade alone for fear his fellow gang members wouldn't buy the fact that he wanted it for Vivienne Leigh, as he’d never mentioned her before. In hindsight, they probably would have just believed him if he’d told them he’d done it because he could because that's what he did back then. He didn’t need a rhyme or reason to rebel; he just did it to feel something he had control over.

And if Eddie hadn’t had Little Richard blasting out of his record player, if Eddie had remembered to just lock his door, or even if Eddie had just been listening the night before when Wayne had said he was going to be back earlier than usual, because a bunch of jobs got cancelled, then maybe, just maybe Wayne wouldn't have walked in on him running his fingers over the man on the poster. Eddie had tried to bolt, but Wayne had grabbed hold of him and sat him down, asked him to explain, and Eddie had lied. He’d told him he just wanted to be like him, that it was no different to the cowboys he used to draw or cut out of the paper and stick to his wall.

Wayne, god love him, hadn’t got mad, just blinked a few times and apologised for grabbing his arm. Asked if he was okay, “You never need to run from me, son. Not for anythin’.” And because he had no reason not to, he took Wayne at his word, but that moment plagued him for longer and much more profoundly than he cared to admit. As if to play into his lie, he decided to embody a version of Brando. The Wild One. 

He’d worked hard alongside Wayne until he’d saved up enough for an old beat-up motorcycle that he slaved away to fix up. He practically begged Wayne for a new pair of 501s and scoured the thrift shops for old biker jackets, but ended up finding one when scouring a barn for parts with Wayne one day. It was a little big, but Eddie didn’t mind. Got himself a used pair of black boots, one of his Grandpa’s old belts and a hat, and he looked the part. And whatever Eddie did, his little minions followed.

But that wasn’t enough for Eddie. He didn’t just want to look like Johnny. He wanted to become him.

It was easy to act cool when people were scared of you and your gang, and it was easy to kiss girls and make them cry when you were never into them in the first place. That's the thing about rebelling in a small town. Quickly, you run out of things to fight against, and soon, much to Wayne’s displeasure, Eddie had the town almost bending to his will, sometimes through charm but primarily by fear. Guys wanted to be him, and girls wanted to be with him, and that was great when it was impressing your friends, but it didn’t mean anything to him when he lay in bed at the end of the day. Somewhere along the way, this lonesome cowboy on his steel horse lost his north star. He wasn’t the hero taking on a stuffy old town that kept its youth down. He had become the villain. And as always with these sorts of things, he quite quickly became the scapegoat for anything that went wrong in that place.

As he sits up, a piece of paper joins him on the journey to being upright, and he peels it away from where it is stuck to the side of his face.

He tries to remember what he had been working on last night as his mama sips her coffee, and her vibrant eyes move over each page as she picks them up. Then it hits him, and he frantically tries gathering up the papers around him.

“Eddie! What's gotten into you?” She laughs and holds the paper away from him, “These are really good. Why are you hiding them?” 

“Well, uh, well…because they aren't finished. Yeah, they aren't finished,”. He lies quickly, and his mama’s piercing green eyes narrow at him and stare directly into his own.

She hands him back the sketch in her hand, “I just like seeing what you’re working on. It doesn't need to be perfect. I’ll leave you to it.” Eddie’s heart races in his chest as he nervously turns over the piece of paper his mom had been looking at and breathes a sigh of relief when he sees it is a drawing of the hero for his book. A knight who had no name or story yet, but one thing was for sure. He was a hero, a real one. One that wouldn’t lose his way. Perfect in poise and noble in deed.

Eddie shuffles through the other pages. 

The knight changes from armour and brandishing a sword to being dressed in peasant clothes that hug his sculpted body and holding an apple.

A page or two later, and all the false premise is stripped away.

Soft eyes that, even when narrowed by the sunlight, still look kind. The long lashes splay out elegantly, which he’s taken a little artistic licence with because he still hasn’t gotten over them since the first day he met Steve. His fingers trace along the slight crease at the corner of one of the sketched eyes, and soon he’s moving from beauty mark to freckle and back and down until he meets that handsome jawline, moves through the stubble that frustratingly can’t be felt. Only urging his fingers to tentatively brush over the lips that only ever spill gentle words to him.

“Eddie!” His mom calls out, and he nearly falls out of his chair due to being alarmed out of his daydream. He quickly shuffles all the papers together and shoves them in his drawer. “You want some eggs, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, Mama, that’d be great!” he calls back, breathlessly clutching his chest. 

Eddie shakes his head and drops his head into his hands. He felt awful. Steve and his mom hadn’t shown him anything but kindness since he got here, and here he was, having these thoughts about Steve. He imagines how horrified they would be if they found out. These thoughts were wrong. He knew that. He just couldn't seem to keep them under control.

Nothing he had read about this kind of attraction made it seem like an accepted ailment or condition. It was something you had to pray or force out of a person. If Eddie had been sick with anything else, he’d go to a doctor, but wasn’t it still illegal? He guessed it didn’t have to be unlawful for the public to take matters into their own hands. Not that he’d ever acted on any of it. Almost a few times, but nothing more than a lingering touch or something that felt like a kiss was on the horizon, but the sun never rose on those opportunities. Just an expanse of unknowns shrouded in shadow.

But as he sits there, he recalls how his dad spoke about Eddie being made out of pure love. So, no matter what layers he or the world draped him in at his core, that’s what he’d always be. A walking, talking personification of love. If that were true, how could anything he felt be so terrible? It would be fine if it was a girl, right? But the fact remained that the world said it was wrong, whether he understood why it thought that or not.

He knows that’s why his mama uses sweetheart above all other terms of affection for him. He remembers how she would say his smile could light up the darkest room and how his scowls only deprived the world of what it needed most in hard times. It was a dramatic statement, but he clung to it when he struggled with these things, like a scraggly worn scrap of a comfort blanket that reminds him that at his centre, he’s good.

He also knows that’s why Wayne didn't berate his bad behaviour when he confronted him about his slightly more-than-friendships with girls. Wayne explained that if something wasn’t for him, he should leave it alone. Eddie had made his point that he could get all the girls he wanted, but he didn’t have to continue to leave broken hearts in his wake any more. To begin with, he thought it was just that, a confrontation to address another tearful girl that Eddie had led on because she found him flirting with another girl the next day. But throughout the discussion, Wayne gently prised open his rebel armour at its weakest points with careful questions and sympathy.

The way he’d started that conversation stone-faced and defensive and ended up a tearful confessing mess against Wayne’s shoulder never failed to make him get choked up when he recalled it. There was no punishment, no lecture, just flannel-wrapped arms holding him tight. Rough, hard-working hands brushing over his hair and kisses on his head between words of reassurance and relief.

Eddie did tone his behaviour down from then on like the confession had freed him of a constant irritation that had been lingering just out of reach for years, but it was far too late. Hawkins had made up its mind, and that might have been his first forced step towards Chicago.

He could start over here. He could leave that old life behind and learn how to live all over again, even if that included learning to hide some aspects of himself. Maybe his dad was just wrong. Perhaps regardless of his parents, he was resigned to a life alone. Would that really be so bad? If he couldn’t love a girl non-platonically, he could aim for something else, couldn’t he? If he could be successful professionally and keep himself safe? That could be more than enough. He could morph attraction into just an appreciation of beauty. He could do this. He could change his stars.

With a deep breath and a renewed sense of purpose, he pushes down the self-loathing and love worries and starts his day over.

The rest of his morning is terrific. Being up early with his mama means he’s too early for the goons on the stairs. He strolls down by the river until the school kids dwindle and then heads to the grocery store. And just like every morning, rain or shine, the canopy is extended, and his personal table is already set up against the window. Steve’s handsome face greets him within moments, offering him espresso and a heart-stopping smile. He accepts both gladly, and though today seems busier than usual, Steve still takes his smoke breaks with Eddie. Flicks through his notes and drawings, but one element was missing today, and Steve’s adorably creased brow isn’t happy about it.

Steve grips either side of the table and wiggles it. Looks to face the same way as Eddie and looks around confused. Then, finally, he looks above him and back to Eddie, “Everthin’ alright for ya today, Ed?”

“Yeah, just perfect,” Eddie beams back at him. Because it is. Everything is perfect when Steve’s around because he eclipses everything else.

The curious look doesn't leave his face as he leans back in his chair to light a cigarette and leans one elbow on the backrest of it, “You feelin’ ok?”

“Oh yeah, the best,” he replies enthusiastically because that was true, too. When he had Steve’s attention, he felt he must be the most special person on the planet.

“ ‘Den, what's goin’ on here?” he waves the hand holding his smoke over the sketches strewn across the table. Eddie looks down at the table as if to check for anything incriminating, but there isn’t anything.

“You don’t like them?” Eddie asks tentatively.

“Oh, uh, I like ‘em plenty, just, uh,” Steve’s honey-brown eyes scan the table again before flicking back up to Eddie’s, “Well, where is he?”

“Well, he’s right…” Eddie shuffles through the sketches. He finds various fruits and their arrangements, coffee cups, an empty version of the chair opposite him, a few trees and a sunset, “Oh,” he says, looking back up at Steve. The realisation the character he’d been working on, the knight, was nowhere to be seen in word or picture.

“You homesick?” Steve asks compassionately

“No, I don’t think so,” Eddie answers genuinely because whilst he does miss Wayne, he does not miss Hawkins.

Steve hums, looks over the pictures again, “Say, uh, did you try one-a da cannoli we send home for your ma, sometimes?” The change in subject is odd to Eddie, but he’s glad of it.

“God, yeah!” Eddie replies quickly, eyes widening at Steve, “I was trying to describe them to my uncle, but I had no idea how because I’d never eaten anything like ‘em. The best I could come up with was it's like a pie tube, with the creamiest sweet filling and candied peel that cuts right through and balances it just perfectly, but, uh, needless to say, he just laughed at me. But when he visits, I’ll make sure to buy him one. Where do you get those from anyway?” Eddie finally takes a breath after enthusing over the delicious pastries that Steve or his mom occasionally put in with his shopping.

Steve smiles hugely, “I know-a-guy,” he takes another drag on his cigarette, “Anyways, you don’t like dis knight no more? Is dat it?”

Eddie shrugs, “I dunno. I guess, um, he’s just not inspiring me today?” he awkwardly smiles at Steve, whose mouth downturns a little, but he nods.

“Oh, did he do sumthin’ wrong…in da story?” Steve asks as he stubs out his smoke, not looking at Eddie.

“No, it's not like that. It’s kinda like, somedays I get up, and all I can think about is the story and everything the knight is, was and could be, and on those days, I can write about him or draw him for hours. But then, some days, he’s just not there. Or he is, but I just don't wanna write or draw about it, you know? It’s just inspiration. Sometimes, you arrange the oranges in a pyramid and decorate the table, right? With grapes and whatever those things are, and some days, you just put the crates out. A spark of creativity,” Eddie overexplains and feels a little embarrassed, revealing something that must sound utterly ridiculous to Steve, who works hard every day regardless of how he feels. He does it because he has to, for his family.

Steve tilts his head, looking Eddie over, probably trying to figure out why he said such strange things or got so animated about them. A small smile reappears, “Figs,” he says finally.

“Figs?” Eddie asks, one of his hands gripping tightly around the side of the chair seat, fearing he might float away straight up to cloud nine if Steve keeps looking at him like that.

“Yeah, next to the grapes,” he points over to one of the odd-shaped things and looks back at Eddie, “Figs,” He repeats, and picks one up and cleans it on his shirt.

The fruit looks a lot smaller in his hands. As he holds it between them, tearing it open easily, he offers half to Eddie, who shakes his head, “Oh, no thank you. I’m good.” It's a strange thing, purple on the outside and on the inside a halo of yellow around a red fleshy centre.

“I ain’t steered ya wrong so far,” Steve says simply, putting one-half of it midway between them on the table. He smiles at Eddie and turns his attention onto the street, raising the fruit to his mouth.

Until this moment, Eddie didn't really know why the story of Adam and Eve didn't sit right with him. Sure, he hadn’t read it in-depth, just vaguely remembered it. Sure, it was a story to explain creation because, at the time, they probably had no other reasons as to why humans were on this planet. But the thing that always bugged him was that they apparently used fig leaves to cover themselves up when their innocence was lost after Eve took a bite of an apple, so surely the nearest tree would have been an apple tree. But as Steve's full lips push against the skin of the fruit he’s flipped inside out, a droplet of juice spills out of the corner of his mouth and races towards his elegant jawline. Eddie realises that maybe something had been lost in translation, and perhaps Eve had bitten into a fig, just like this, because nothing so far in his existence has been this tempting or felt so forbidden, as he watches Steve bite into the fruit to consume it. Desperate for the knowledge of how it might feel to have his lips right where the fig is. He realises he’s staring at his mouth, but as he flicks his eyes up, Steve doesn't appear to have noticed, thankfully. To prevent himself from openly drooling, he picks up the fruit and copies how Steve ate his half, even looking out onto the street to avert his eyes. Though he’s absolutely sure he doesn’t look anywhere near as good as Steve looked doing it. Due to concentrating heavily on trying to compose himself, the sweetness and flavour take him completely by surprise. He makes an involuntary, pleased noise and eats the whole thing.

“Told ya,” A voice softly says in his ear, and he jolts with surprise, only to find Steve leaning across the table into his space. They laugh at Eddie’s over-the-top reaction, “You know it’s said figs are food of da gods. Maybe you’ll feel like writin’ again soon enough, huh?”

Eddie can only smile as his stomach somersaulting like a circus act prevents him from forming a coherent response. Because all his brain wants him to do right now has very little to do with writing or drawing.

His pulse is almost rumbling in his ears, at least that's what he thinks it is initially, until the noise becomes clearer, and the butterflies in Eddie’s stomach vanish and are replaced with a plummeting feeling when he recognises the noise. 

Motorcycles.

Eddie thinks his past has caught up with him. He knew someone would come looking for him eventually, for a fire he didn't even start. He frantically goes to gather his things, but Steve’s hand is on his shoulder, and Eddie can’t look. Was this what this was? Had he befriended Eddie to keep him in place for that motorcycle gang? 

“Hey, easy, buddy. Dese are just my friends. They ain’t bad,” Steve smiles reassuringly, “Dere hygiene and sense-a humor maybe.” Steve’s hand on his shoulder radiates a soothing warmth, almost like a sedative spreading through him from the point of contact, “No more espresso for yous today, huh?” Steve laughs light and melodic, and Eddie finally smiles back.

“Sorry,” Eddie says awkwardly.

“ ‘S ok, buddy. I get it. Remember, you’re safe here, yeah? I-we won’t let anything happen to ya. Promise,” Steve says with such an earnest expression that Eddie can only believe him. He turns his attention to the bikes pulling up, and stands to greet them.

The four guys are dressed in Eddie’s old day-to-day uniform. Leather motorcycle jackets, black boots, jeans. An odd bunch, he thinks. The first guy, who looks like the leader, has the most confident strut, pulls up first and is walking ahead of the rest, his hair in a jelly roll style. To Eddie's surprise, just to his left is an African-American guy with a dimple on his upper cheek as he laughs at one of the others stumbling with their kickstand. His hair was in a pompadour style, cut in that style rather than straightened and styled. Next is a tallish, thin guy with small features. His sandy blond hair is cut in a similar style to Steve’s but a little longer and unruly, and last of all, a Latino-looking guy with the longest braided hair Eddie thinks he’s ever seen on anyone.

The one at the front runs up to tackle Steve, and then all except the sandy blond pile in also, and all four of them end up falling into one of the displays, as Steve laughs along with them, grabbing the little one in a headlock.

“Shit, Steve, not my hair!” he yells.

“Aw, come on, Gaz, doesn’t matter how good your hair looks, you’re always gonna have dat little chipmunk face of yours,” Steve laughs but lets him go.

Eddie feels someone looking at him and turns to find the slender guy staring at him. As Eddie averts his eyes, he notices his name painted in beautiful cursive on his jacket. Jonny. There was a time when Eddie would have stared right back at him, but not this new Eddie. Not his second-chance version of himself. 

Steve eventually prises himself from the others and walks over to shake Jonny’s hand, “Good to see ya, Jon,” he says, but the only reply he gets is a silent nod before walking around the table to stand next to Eddie.

“Alright, ya bunch of assholes, calm down. Dis is Ed. He’s new round here,” Steve looks and smiles at him, and Eddie returns it and gives a weak wave to the others.

“Hi,” is all he can think to say before turning back to the street, “Nice wheels,” he says.

“Thanks, man,” says the one with the long braid, who picks up an apple from the stall and bites into it.

The little one steps forward and thrusts a hand out to Eddie, “I’m Gareth, that’s Jeff, Argyle and Jon, but most people know us by Hellfire. The Hellfire Motorcycle Club.” he says proudly, turning to show the painting on the back of his jacket of some kind of devil with a long forked tongue, surrounded by flames. Eddie nods at each of them in turn.

“So where you from then?” Jonny asks.

“Indiana,” Eddie answers with a smile.

“And you came to the windy city because….” Argyle asks, taking another bite out of his apple.

“I, uh,” Eddie glances at Steve, who gives him the slightest nod and smile, “I wanted to write,”

“What, you can’t write back home?” Jeff laughs, “What happened? They take away all the stationery in Indiana?”

Eddie laughs, “Uh, no. I mean, I want to be a writer, and I thought coming here would be more inspiring, you know?”

“How much does that pay then? Writin’?” Gareth says, curious as he picks up one of Eddie's drawings off the table, pulls an impressed face at it, and shrugs, passing it to Jeff.

“Oh, I dunno, honestly,”

“Doesn’t sound very secure,” Jeff frowns and passes the drawing to Argyle.

“What if you don't make it as a writer? You got a backup?” Argyle asks.

“I honestly haven't thought-”

“Got your own place?” Jeff asks quickly

“No, I live with my-”

“Hmmm, yeah, haven't thought about it, got it,” Johnny says, “You from a big family? You Italian?”

“No, and No, but-”

There is a collective groan from the motorcycle club.

“So whatcha sayin’ is you ain't gotta job or income or your own place, and you ain't even Italian?” Gareth laughs.

“Is that- Is that bad?” Eddie looks instinctively at Steve for reassurance due to the barrage of questions he is facing.

“But what are your views on fruit on pizza?” Argyle asks

“I don’t really eat a lot of-”

“You got a ride?” Eddie snaps his head to Gareth again and shakes his head.

“A girl?” Jeff asks as Eddie's head whips around to him, and he indicates negatively again.

“ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, you shitbirds. That’s enough,” Steve shouts, and they fall to silence as he turns to Eddie, “ ‘Scuse us for a sec, Ed” he says apologetically, and the gang follow him inside.

Eddie decides to give them a wide berth and looks at something comforting. The motorcycles themselves. God, that was an absolute embarrassment. He could have been much cooler about it, especially with Steve there. Oh well. Eddie looks over briefly and can see them in the window in an intense discussion.

Gareth has a virtually brand new Honda Dream C71, two of them have different year versions of the BSA Bantam, and last of all, someone has his old bike, a 1950 Thunderbird. This one wasn’t customised to look like the one out of the movie like he’d done with his own, but there had been, what looked like, some abandoned attempts. He reaches out, runs his fingers along the gleaming paintwork, and quickly retracts them, remembering how touchy he’d been if anyone even looked at his bike for too long. Whoever this one belonged to took excellent care of it.

The bell ringing over the door gets him to his feet before anyone can startle him. Steve waves him over, “Ed, come ‘ere, da guys have somethin’ to say,” Eddie swallows nervously but tries to put on a slight air of confidence and smiles at them all.

Gareth tilts his head at Eddie, “So, we’s just wanted t’ say, we didn’t mean to make yous feel uncomfortable, OK? You’re just new, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. No issues here,” he puts up his hands and takes a breath, “I was just looking at your bikes. They’re real neat.” He offers the verbal olive branch of changing the subject.

“You like motorcycles?” Steve asks a little oddly. He sort of sounds a little disappointed.

Eddie lies quickly, “I mean, my friend back home used to let me ride on the back of his sometimes. So I think they’re neat, is all.” Eddie cringes at his overuse of the word neat, like some little kid.

“He did?” Steve almost sounds slightly annoyed, but Eddie can’t determine why. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to say.

“And this friend of yours,” Gareth says, tearing his eyes from Steve to land on Eddie, “You still talk to him?” 

Shit, what if they think he was involved in some rival gang or something, “No, we lost touch a little while before I decided I wanted to move here.” Eddie, desperate to ease the tension he seems to have created, smiles around the group, “Just different life paths, you know. It goes that way sometimes.” Steve returns his smile, and Eddie's heart almost packs its bags to move into Steve’s hands immediately.

“Also, sorry ‘bout that comment earlier regarding’ your job. Guys like us are happy with our feet on the ground, you know, and I forget sometimes the world needs people to shoot for the moon,” Gareth offers him a shrug of a smile, and he does seem genuine in his apology, but the way Steve nods at his friend, makes him think that maybe Steve had jumped to his defence in the store, and Eddie tries desperately not to grin wildly at that thought.

Steve's eyes cast up for a moment in thought and then move towards the ground before he checks his watch, “I’m sure I could borrow some wheels if you ever miss it,” Steve shrugs, lighting a cigarette, and all four heads of his friends snap to his words, “Ain’t dat right Jonny boy?”

“Yeah, course, Steve, she’s yours anyway,” Johnny quietly agrees.

“No, no. None a dat. It’d just be for today or whateva,” Steve smiles at Johnny and then Eddie, “Unless you got plans?”

“No, not at all. That’d be great. I’ll leave a note for Ma-my mom and be right back.” Eddie says excitedly and packs up his things.

“Hey Arg, can I ask you somethin’?” He hears Steve ask, and the five of them disappear into the store as he walks back to his apartment.

Thankfully, the coast looks clear, so he heads inside, leaves a cute note for his mama, and is about to leave again when he pauses and goes to the bathroom cabinet. Score! There was some cologne in here. As he picks it up, a piece of note paper falls out. He picks it up to put it back and notices it’s yellowing. His curiosity gets the better of him, so he opens it.

For my soulmate:

The most beautiful star in the world

Take me in your arms

Lead me in my dreams again

I'll sell my soul for it.

What is it worth? 

Only you know

Eddie quickly folds it back up, feeling a little embarrassed. It was probably something private of his mama’s.

He adds a few extra pins to his hat to keep it from flying clean off and grabs a warmer jacket.

As he leaves the building, a set of familiar voices make him sigh in exasperation.

“This ain’t Hellfire’s place, Jonny. So why don’t you just go back to riding Steve’s coattails, huh?” Billy snides.

“I don’t know how many times we gotta tell you three morons to leave people alone around here. And for your information, this building is the concern of Hellfire now. So what you wanna do is turn around and go and crawl back into the dumpster the three of you ghouls crawled out of,” Jon fires back, and inside, Eddie has to cover his mouth to stifle his laughter.

“Oh yeah, and what if we don’t care about Hellfire’s new rules from its new asshole of a leader?” Tommy seethes.

“Well, how can I put this? If you don’t, the matter is gonna get escalated, and then it’s gonna be out of our hands. So I suggest you just run along now, so no one has to get hurt,” Jon says calmly.

“Oh, I see how it is. You're recruiting this new guy, are ya?” Jason asks spitefully, but Jon just laughs in response.

“Well, you should know, he’s a fucking creep. Was sitting here drawing pictures of Nance and the two Harrington girls,” Billy offers, and Eddie feels sick to his stomach.

“Oh, was he?” Jon says, sounding almost intrigued.

“Sure was, bold as anything, ogling them,” Billy continues, and Eddie can almost see the sly grin on his face. He should just step out there before this gets worse.

“Thing is William. I actually have conversations with my girlfriend and actually have friends. So when Nancy told me about your performance here, she said Rob and Max told her he’d ended up at the store. I called Steve. And guess what, guys,” he says with sarcastic surprise, “He was just drawing the surroundings and saw them first. I’ve seen it, it’s terrific actually. Steve’s Ma has it hung up already, and most importantly, Nancy and the girls never had a problem with him. They, as per usual, just wanted to get away from you,” Eddie hears the venom in Jon’s voice and the rustle of his leather jacket, and he knows that shift in stance, so he steps outside to interrupt.

“Oh, hey, Jonny,” he smiles at Jon, which seems to defuse the situation. He turns to the others with a smile, nods, and walks down the stairs, “Gentlemen.”

As he and Jonny reach the bottom of the stairs, Billy calls out, “Nice to see you still resting on Steve’s hand-me-downs, Jon. First a jacket, then a bike, and then his girl. What next?” Billy and his goons laugh together.

And something about the judgement entirely rubs Eddie the wrong way, and he turns on his heel to face the three of them to say something. But then there is a hand on his shoulder, and Jonny calmly smiles, “Ooooh William, time to get some new material, maybe? You’ve been tellin’ the same joke for years now, and no one with more than one brain cell of their own has ever laughed at it. Come on, Ed. Let’s go,” he says, and they walk back to the store.

Once they are far enough away, Eddie dares ask, “You ok?”

“Yeah, don’t sweat those guys. They bark a lot, but only one has got any bite,” Jon stops before they get to the store, “Just try your best to ignore them, ok? Steve’s Ma don’t like ‘em anyway, and if you end up in a tussle with them, so will Steve, and then well…things will get escalated,” Jon looks at him seriously, “Steve’s a good guy. We don’t want him getting into any trouble, capiche?”

Eddie looks puzzled at him.

“Understand?” Jon tries again, and Eddie nods, “Also, what he said was true. Steve did give me his jacket and old motorcycle, but Nancy, that’s different. They were together but not, you know?” Jon says, and Eddie nods like he understands, but he doesn’t at all, not that it matters. “Anyway, you been enjoying your days at Heartbreak Hotel?” Jonny chuckles, and Eddie screws up his face in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“You haven’t noticed?” Jon starts but reads the puzzled look on Eddie’s face quickly enough, “The constant stream of pretty girls that keep coming to the store for Steve but just end up leaving with groceries they probably didn’t need?” he laughs.

Eddie shakes his head, “I noticed it was busier today, but I was drawing, so I didn’t register who or anything.”

“Huh,” Jon half-smiles at him and looks him over, “Didn’t look up from your drawings all day?”

“Oh sure, when Steve was on his break,” Eddie says, understanding what he means now.

“But the rest of the time, not one single girl caught your eye?” Jon questions and Eddie begins to see how weird this might seem.

He fakes a laugh, “I just mean, I didn’t really engage with anyone else other than a glance. Number one, I didn’t really come here to date. It's not like I have much luck in that department, anyway. Chances are, if I make the whole writer thing, I stand a better chance, right? If I got tied down now, I’d have to get a job that paid me actual money for bills and dates instead of living off savings. My writing wouldn’t get a look in. And number two, drawing and looking at people only leads to trouble, or at least that’s what I’ve learned the last few weeks,” he pauses, “I’d really like to get the chance to apologise and explain to Nancy, Rob and Max sometime. Just so they know I’m not a creep.”

Jon puts his arm around Eddie’s shoulders and pulls him into his side, “You know Ed, I get the feeling you’re gonna get that chance,” Eddie is a bit weirded out by the physicality, but he doesn’t mind it. Jon lights up something that smells familiar to Eddie, but it’s not a cigarette, “If it’s any consolation, what I said was true. The girls didn’t move because of you. Nancy is pretty observant, so if she had felt threatened by you looking at them, she would have moved them all on someplace else.” He adds as they walk to the outside of the store.

The bell above the door rings as they step in front of it, and Steve skips a step or two on his way out and looks between him and Jonny, “You sure made friends fast,” Steve says with a huff of a laugh.

“He’s just a likeable guy, Steve,” Johnny says, giving Eddie a pat on the back.

“He is, ain’t he?” Steve says kindly,  half-smiles and then quickly looks at the bike, “Ready, Ed?”

“Yeah, yeah. Absolutely,” Eddie claps his hands together and is glad for this moment of waiting for Steve to get situated on the bike first because Steve looks gorgeous. That is just the facts. He’s beautiful and kind, and that is more than enough. But he’s looking exceedingly handsome right now. He’s traded his regular footwear for some engineer-type boots, and his hair is combed back into a place a little more, but the jacket is really causing Eddie a problem. It was style-wise just an ordinary leather biker jacket. Except this one was a mid-brown colour that seemed to make the colour of his eyes even more entrancing somehow. Like they were no longer merely functional parts of a human being but impossible, magical orbs that might turn him completely to stone if he looked directly into them. The leather is well-worn but not damaged, just lots of lines of use. The stitching is elegant, and he’s flicked his collar up against the cold.  As he sits on the bike, he fusses with it.

“Guess I’m not as small as I used to be,” he huffs out a small self-deprecating laugh, and Eddie doesn't miss that divine blush that just hits his cheeks. There is no way Steve should feel any less than the most stunning thing on the planet. Not on his watch.

“I couldn’t even tell. Looks like a perfect fit to me. It’s real nice,” Eddie says as he swings his leg over the bike to sit behind Steve, and this already feels like a mistake. Being this close. If the visuals were not enough to send him off into orbit, the smell of leather and Steve’s cologne was a heady love potion on their own.

Steve looks over his shoulder, “Thanks. Uh, you haven't even asked where we are goin’.” 

“You haven’t steered me wrong this far,” Eddie says, trying not to grin back wildly, placing his hands on his own legs. He sits back to create a suitable distance between them, but there are some things he can’t prevent, like the way his knees have to sit on either side of Steve’s hips. It makes him violently jealous of maybe all the past girls who had sat in this seat before him but were able to wrap their arms around him. Rest their heads against his back, maybe even hear his heart beat fiercely for them as they ride off into a perfect sunset.

The journey itself is pleasant. Eddie sees parts of the city he hasn't seen before whizz past him, and due to the steady speed Steve is going, he can fully enjoy the wind occasionally rushing against him as he lets go and doesn't fight the bike with his body in the turns. He thinks about all the times he’d ride at night just to feel the wind rushing through his longer hair under the moon's light.

They stop near a park and dismount. Eddie looks around the vast park in wonderment. Sure, Hawkins had the woods, the lake and the quarry, but this place was so curated.

Steve walks a little ahead of him, does a full turn with his arms outstretched, and shouts, “Welcome to Lincoln Park, Eddie,” he flashes a huge smile as he waits for him to catch up. Eddie can’t even imagine being this proud of Hawkins if their roles had been reversed.

“So, um, what are we doin’ here?” Eddie asks as they stroll along together.

“We’re going to look at what I’ve been told is da most inspirin’ thing in d’ world,” Steve smirks mischievously, and Eddie can’t help but glance over as his heart flutters in his chest at the thought that Steve is such a good person, he’s trying to cure Eddie’s lack of inspiration, “Stars.”

The word jolts Eddie out of his daydream as Steve slows to stop outside a large building, “But it’s nearly two in the afternoon. We can’t see the stars.” Eddie responds, confused.

“Oh yeah, dats right. Well, I guess seein’ as we’re here anyways, I could show you some other weird stuff?” Steve says with a shrug.

“Weird stuff?” Eddie scrunches his nose in bewilderment, but the smile doesn’t leave him.

“Come on, Ed. Live a little. It’s a super scary museum,” Steve jokes, wiggling his fingers at Eddie. 

“I’m not scared,” Eddie says, putting his hands on his hips.

“Oh yeah?” Steve smirks.

“Yeah!” Eddie says defiantly and walks past Steve into the massive building alone.

Apparently, it's the Chicago Academy of Sciences, and the science Eddie had stumbled into was zoology. Around him are many wooden glass-fronted cases of various sizes, all showcasing animal life. Some exhibits were tiny things containing bugs, others were great dioramas of an era or a setting, and then there was the set of large bones that towered over the place belonging to a mammoth.

Eddie doesn't think he’s ever seen anything like it in his life. He can only stand there and gawk at everything because he doesn't know where to go first.

“Pretty neat, huh?” Steve says as his arm envelops Eddie’s shoulders, walking him around the virtually empty place.

“Neat is one word for it sure,” Eddie tries to say as calmly as he can, but he hears how soft it emerges from his mouth, not like he could help it when he's pulled into Steve’s side like this.

Steve’s free hand waves out in front of them across the room as the other grips his shoulder, “‘Dis place, Ed, I thought it might help ya out, ya know? If you wanna create a monster, all da references are right here, ain't dey?”

Eddie knows that all that is holding him back from fully embracing Steve and his kindness right there and then is prison, death and losing maybe the best friend he’s ever had. Why did he care so much about Eddie’s dreams? Didn’t he have one of his own?

“Wanna play a game, Ed?” Steve asks, turning his head to him, and Eddie can only reflect the radiant smile being beamed at him. A lowly mortal in the presence of the embodiment of the sun itself.

Steve checks his watch quickly, “Ok, we got ten minutes to run around here, find an animal, pick a part of it, and draw it roughly, or write it down.” he fishes in his leather jacket pocket and pulls out some paper scraps and a pencil each, “Den, we switch animals, got it?” 

“Um, why are we only drawing bits of the animals?” Eddie laughs as he takes the items from Steve.

“Creatin’ monsters, o’course!” Steve shouts as someone shushes him, and he gives Eddie’s shoulder a final squeeze before running off towards a deer. 

Eddie’s legs feel like they won't budge, or maybe he’s afraid of walking in case they buckle beneath him. He’s sure if he doesn’t soon, he’ll become an exhibit himself.

Lovesick Homosapian 1959 - Donated by S. Harrington.

He walks to the nearest exhibit and starts making a rough sketch of the body of a stag beetle. It's a very minimal sketch because, try as he might to keep focussed on the task at hand, he can’t help but keep looking over at Steve, who is adorably crouched, resting the paper on his thigh to draw. His tongue pressed between his lips, and his brow furrowed in concentration. Steve must sense his stare and turns toward him, “Done already?” he grins and indicates they trade places.

By the end of the ten minutes, they crowd next to one another to pour over the results. They both have some fascinating creatures on their pages, made with elements of beetle, deer, squirrel and flamingo elements.

Eddie went for the body of the beetle, the multiple legs of the deer, the two heads of a flamingo, the arms of a squirrel and the tail.

Steve’s was…well…it was kinda cute, even though it was still weird-looking. The legs of a flamingo, the body of a squirrel, the head of the deer and the wings of the beetle. It’s also quite impressive for someone Eddie has never seen draw. He hadn't even mentioned it. Then Eddie realises he never really asked either.

“Wow, I really like your one,” Eddie enthuses over Steve’s drawing.

“Ya do?” Steve says excitedly, and his face looks almost like he’d been waiting his whole life to hear it, but the expression fades as quickly as it appears. Steve shakes his head and looks down with a laugh, “Ah, ya got me. Good one.”

“I’m not kidding. I do like yours better.” Eddie says, pulling the drawing towards himself from under Steve’s fingers. “Though it doesn’t seem very monstrous. Seems kinda sweet, honestly.” Eddie teases and turns to his friend, whose sweet brown eyes are waiting to cut off his breath, and tries to refashion it into a sigh, which somehow Eddie manages to swallow down, and turns back to Steve’s drawing, rolls it up like a scroll and puts it in his inside breast pocket, “Seems only fair, you already have one of mine.” 

Steve doesn't say anything, just keeps that gentle smile on his face as he lightly tugs Eddie’s elbow to follow him, but sadly doesn't keep hold of it.

Steve stops outside a huge, tilted back, painted, partial globe. Protruding from it is a rectangular box with seats in it. At a complete loss, Eddie turns to Steve, who looks at Eddie from the corner of his eye, looking pleased, but says nothing.

An elderly man approaches them, and his face lights up, “Steve?!”

“Da very same,” Steve answers happily.

“I haven't seen you in a while. Everything ok?” He says, coming forward to kiss Steve on each cheek, and his eyes fall on Eddie, “Nice to meet you, welcome to the-”

“No. Don't tell him,” Steve quickly interjects, “It's a surprise. He’s not from here.”

“Oh, ok, no problem.” The man opens the door to the rectangular type box, steps inside and seats himself, and waves them in.

Steve nods towards it and goes in next. Eddie follows him inside. As he sits down next to Steve, he barely has time to enjoy the sensation of brushing arms with him when the whole thing starts whirring and the box they are sitting in starts moving into the orb, and as they do, the globe begins to close over them, until they are plunged into complete darkness.

And that's when Eddie starts to see them, the stars.

The machine whirs, and the sky turns, allowing them to see more constellations. And Eddie is entirely in awe even lets out an audible gasp a few times, causing Steve and the greying gent to snicker. But Eddie couldn’t care less. Here he was basking in a marvel, the ability to see the stars any time of day, irrespective of weather, and this was all happening due to the incredible man shuffled up next to him. A feeling of disappointed acceptance begins to gnaw at him and threatens his unabashed joy. He’d found this amazing person who goes to such lengths to help him with something that most people would find trivial, yet he could never have him as his own.

He’s glad it's dark in here, so Steve can't see the frown that sets onto Eddie’s forehead as he thinks about how furious society makes him, that it asks him to be kind and loving but be tough and never show emotion. Asks him to show love freely, but only in the confines of heterosexuality. Tells him to take his time to appreciate the world around him but forces him to hurry along and keep his head down.

Steve shuffles next to him, breaking him out of his momentary lousy mood, and reminds him that whilst he can’t have everything he wants, he can capture moments like this and keep them for his own forever, and no one could take those away from him.

The machine whirs again, and light fills the space as they exit the contraption, “The Atwood Sphere,” The greying gent says as they leave, looking amused at them before waving them goodbye.

Eddie clears his throat, “That was amazing! Did you come here a lot as a kid?”

“Yeah, and no. My pa used to bring us here after he’d come home after da war. The navy used dat for training navigation, ya know.” Steve replies.

Eddie feels the question on his tongue but is frightened to ask, so he rephrases it, “What an incredible thing to share with your Pa. Bet he knew a lot about the stars and things like that?”

“Oh sure, yeah. Wish I could remember more of da stories he told us dat lived in the night sky.” Steve says a little quieter, “Did your pa do the same?”

Eddie chuckles to lighten the mood a little, “Couldn’t shut up my dad up. He had a story for everything. Especially if it had anything to do with my mama.”

“A romantic, was he?” Steve chuckles, and it's like music to Eddie’s ears.

“That is an understatement. Pa’s crazy about her.” 

“Yeah?” Steve asks curiously.

“Oh yeah, think I found a piece of his poetry to her earlier,” Eddie smiles and glances at Steve for his reaction. To see if he frowns or ridicules at the softness of a man towards his wife, but Steve only smiles and nods.

“What was it about?” Steve happily asks.

“Something about a star and a soul,” Eddie tries to remember, and Steve hums as they walk. They enjoy the quiet for a few steps outside the building before he continues, “You ever heard the story about soulmates?”

Steve turns to him and raises an eyebrow, “No.”

“Well, in the legend. Humans originally had four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. They had started to become quite powerful and threatened to rule over the gods, and Zeus didn't much like that at all. The gods were gonna wipe out the humans completely, but they needed the humans to offer tributes, so they had to come up with something else,” Eddie clasps his hands in front of him, “So they decided to split humans in half as a punishment, to remind them of their place, and at the same time would double the tributes offered.”

“But wouldn’t dat make twice as many humans to rise up against them?” Steve asks curiously, and the fact that he’s actually been listening makes Eddie put a little more performance into the story. Jogs a few steps ahead of Steve and animatedly tells the rest while walking backwards.

“Well, it should have, except for one thing. The humans were miserable, and without their other half, they didn't care if they lived or not. Also making their tributes dwindle,” he stops dead in his steps with a finger in the air, and Steve does too with surprise-widened eyes. Seemingly fascinated in the tale, “But Apollo hated seeing them this way, so he sewed them up, leaving them one physical reminder of their true original form. The humans never quite rose up like that again because even though they were healed, they still longed for their other half, not just their body, but the other half of the soul too.” Eddie finishes with a flourish of his hand and a bow. Immediately after which, he regrets it. This was the part of him he’d been trying to keep under wraps. Showing off was his old self, not this one. But he hears the one thing most performers can’t resist. Applause.

Steve is smiling and clapping his hands, and Eddie feels the heat rise to his cheeks as he turns around and falls into step next to Steve, “So yeah, that's the legend about soulmates.”

“I hadn’t heard dat before. Thanks,” Steve says as they approach the gleaming Thunderbird. He turns and looks curiously at Eddie, “Say, you wanna take us home?”

“I, um, I don’t even-” Eddie starts to lie.

“I don’t think dats true at all. I think you can ride, and I think you had a bike like dis one,” Steve says with smug confidence.

“How did-” Eddie tries to ask, a little flabbergasted.

“Well, because I used to talk to your ma a lot when she worked on things at da store and apartment for us,” Steve laughs but doesn't seem mad that Eddie lied, “You ain’t gotta be anyone else but you ‘round me, Ed. We’re good. Everyone’s gotta past.” 

Eddie realises that perhaps he isn’t just accepting the version of Eddie from before, but also he was inviting Eddie to accept him too. Clearly, he wasn’t just randomly friends with a motorcycle gang, and he didn’t just magically have a bike lying around to give to Jonny. And with what Jonny had said, there was more than just a bunch of kids watching out for Steve.

“Sure,” Eddie smiles, “Sorry,” he adds an apology, and Steve nods, tossing him the keys, which Eddie fumbles to catch as they almost drop to the floor.

Eddie sits at the front of the bike and barely has a few seconds to enjoy the feeling of the handlebars under his grip because Steve is already clambering on behind him, and he has to brace his legs and lean his own weight against Steves to keep the balance. Not that he minds in any way. It's clear Steve is not accustomed to being the passenger as he struggles to get seated, using Eddie as a supportive climbing frame. 

“All set?” Eddie asks as he looks over his shoulder to see a glimpse of Steve, who gives him a thumbs up. But as he turns his glance back to the road ahead, he sees how Steve's thicker thighs are at his sides, and he’s elected to put his hands on his knees and a glimmer of mischief enters Eddie’s mind as he starts up the bike.

He pulls away much too quickly on purpose and feels Steve's large hands grip his waist, “Uh, sorry about that. I’m a bit rusty,” he shouts back as he slows down. Steve’s hands release him but come back to smooth over his jacket where he’d latched on and shuffles forward slightly. 

The city looks different as the sun sets on it, bathing it in both the last remnants of its glow and the coolness of approaching dusk. It feels almost like the city is waking up for its second shift as more lights from homes and signs begin to illuminate as they travel. It should be calming, but that is impossible due to the rate at which his heart is racing.

Eddie can barely breathe when he feels Steve’s legs squeeze around him as he moves, and the mix of his body heat and Steve’s almost makes him feel like he might overheat. But rather than panic, he tries to relax into it, as occasionally Steve leans forward gently to point out the turning he needs to take. It makes Eddie wish it wasn’t just a primarily straight road going home because every time they come to a turning, Steve would extend one arm out to indicate, and his other would rest against Eddie somewhere. His hip, his waist or shoulder, and each one comes with surging electricity of magic that pours through the threads of the fabric of his clothes, seeps into his skin and makes his heart and soul spin like characters on a carousel along to the music of Steve’s occasional laugh when Eddie takes a corner too tightly or pulls away from a light quickly.

Sooner than he’d like, they are nearing home, and Steve points towards Eddie’s apartment, “You sure?” Eddie shouts.

“Yeah!” Steve affirms, and Eddie pulls up outside the apartment building.

They stand near the bike for a while, and it feels familiar. And he knows it's not. It could never be, but it looks a lot like all those times he’d dropped girls off at their houses after taking them on a date. Except he’s not in his usual role. Regret swirls as he thinks about all or any of those girls that might have felt like he does right now, as he looks at Steve smiling back at him from the bike.

Almost like he can read his mind, Steve tilts his head curiously. “Can I ask you somethin’ Ed?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, sure,” Eddie blurts out as he is dragged out of his thoughts.

“Dat story you told me earlier. ‘Bout da soulmates. You didn’t say what happens when dey find each other.” Steve asks, looking at Eddie but toying with one of the zippers on his jacket, “Or don't dey?”

“Oh well, my pa said that there is no escape,” Eddie laughs gently, “They are drawn together over time, and when they finally do meet. They just know. Like their souls do all the understanding for them, so they don't have to work it out. They’ll feel whole and happy. Like the happiest they ever felt, kinda thing.”

“I like dat,” Steve smiles hugely, “See ya tomorrow, Ed,” he says with a two-finger wave and starts up the bike to ride back home.

Eddie watches him ride the short distance away, and suddenly, the chill in the air makes itself known. He huddles his jacket around himself and climbs the stairs to the doors of the building before turning back to watch as his waiting friends swarm Steve outside the store. His laughter on the breeze makes Eddie smile again, and he finally turns to go inside.

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

Some extra bits of info if you are interested:

Notes: The Building they visited was the Chicago Academy of Sciences in Lincoln Park https://naturemuseum.org/explore/history/

The Atwood Sphere was based in this building until 1997 when it was moved to the Adler Planetarium.

#steddie #steddie fic #steddie fanfiction #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #eddie month #eddiemonth #madaboutmunson #eddie month week 1 #madaboutmunsonSHC

[gingerjolover]

sorry you're feeling so crappy mama g!!

would love to know your favourite songs of the boys, both as the group and solo and maybe how you found them??

sending love <3

thank you baby 🥹

omg this is the question isn’t it

fave songs are definitely souvenir, bite the hand, satanist, emily i’m sorry, true blue, and black hole! there’s not a single song i skip if it comes on but these are probably my most played

if there’s one thing you need to know about me (this is a deep cut in ginger lore) i am the biggest waiting room stan, okay? i’m writing a literary analysis on it like…. it quite literally changed the trajectory of my life

i truly love each of the boys solo discographies, i found phoebe first thru my best friend and then julien and then lucy. i didn’t start really listening to julien until 2018 i was late to the game but after the ep came out i followed them all closely!

i would say fav songs would be:

phoebe - waiting room (duh), graceland too, demi moore, garden song, ICU, the gold, aaaaand maybe smoke signals

also any christmas cover and nothing else matters are solid for me

julien - ziptie, favor, go home, turn out the lights, vessels, heat wave, and thick skull

lucy - i don’t wanna be funny anymore (#1), brando (also #1), night shift, kissing lessons, please stay and christine

🤍

#anon cutie #i love u anon #boygenius #i love my boys #gingy talks

[some-french-asshole]

I'm normal about Diego Brando, I'm normal about his lack of morals, I'm normal about his drive to climb the social ladder no matter the cost, I'm normal about his ever growing ambitions, I'm normal about his "Imma switch sides cause I do what I want" attitude, I'm normal about his greedy and prideful ass, I'm normal about his confidence, I'm normal about his tortured past™, I'm normal about him being a mama's boy, I'm normal about the way he looks, the way he speaks, the way he moves, the way he smiles, I'm normal, so incredibly normal, very normal

#diego brando #he lives in my head and he ain't paying rent #it's 5am please help me

[schottisreisetagebuch]

Chaos. Leben. Überleben

Im Anflug auf Neapel

Neapel – Das pure Leben

Anlässlich des 100. Geburtstages des US-Schauspielers Marlon Brando am 3. April 2024, der als „Don Vito Corleone“ in Francis Ford Coppolas, dreifach mit dem Oscar ausgezeichneten Meisterwerk „The Godfather“ (Der Pate) eine seiner Lebensrollen verkörperte, möchte ich von einer lebendigsten Hauptstädte Europas berichten, die alles andere, nur keine Hauptstadt ist – obwohl, so sicher bin ich mir da gar nicht. Denn in Sachen Lebensfreude, Herzlichkeit und Genuss läuft sie der etwas mehr als zweihundert Kilometer entfernt gelegenen ewigen Stadt Rom zweifellos den Rang ab. Neapel ist Italien, und Italien ist Neapel. 

Piazza Pignasecca

Ohne Chaos, kein Leben. Seit Jahrhunderten bringen Philosophen die beiden Begriffe in Kongruenz, vielleicht auch nur, um die Unzulänglichkeit menschlichen Strebens in ein beschönigendes Licht zu setzen. Die Begriffsverwandtschaft freilich ist in dieser Stadt mehr als offensichtlich, und kaum dass der Reisende seine ersten, zaghaften Schritte in jene vor Lust und Leidenschaft überbordende Stadt setzt, die seit je her als Synonym südländischer Lebensfreude gilt, ist und bleibt man von ihr gefangen. Und wenn erst die abendlich-goldenen Sonnenstrahlen den Lungomare vor dem Castell Uovo in ein brodelndes, vibrierendes Ganzes verwandeln - längstens dann gleicht er einem, über die schroffen Abhänge des nahegelegenen Vesuvs sich ergießenden Magmastrom. Dann kocht das Temperament des Neapolitaners hoch und eine Urgewalt an Sinnlichkeit erfasst die Stadt zwischen Via Toledo, Via Chiaia und der Spaccanapoli, die wie pulsierende Lebenslinien die Straßen der Innenstadt durchschneiden.

In den Gassen

Dazwischen jede Menge Gassen und Gässchen, Piazzas und Piazettas, auf denen Kinder spielen, Großmütter vor den Häusern hocken, Vespa-Fahrer hupen, Fußballfans Schlachtengesänge grölen, und Verkehrspolizisten mit ihren Trillerpfeifen den Verkehr zu regeln versuchen. Dann verwandeln sich Gehsteige in Schanigärten, die Kellner hasten pizzabeladen von drinnen nach draußen, von Tisch zu Tisch, Millionen von Jugendlichen nagen einander auf Parkbänken und in Hauseingängen ihre pubertären Gesichter ab, während die Touristen endlose Schlangen vor den Eisdielen bilden, alte Männer säckeweise Muscheln, Gamberetti und anderes Meeresgetier von den Fisch-Ständen nach Hause schleppen, indes die Mamas Wäscheleinen quer über die Gassen ziehen und die Väter die Losstände plündern, um sich ihren Wettverlust gleich darauf in der nächsten Bar schön zu saufen.

Il Cornicello

Napoli for ever! Wer das Leben trinken, dem Tod ein Schnippchen und das Glück lauthals begrüßen will, muss in genau diese Stadt reisen. Und wenn auch nur für ein paar Tage. Die aber, versprochen, haben es in sich! 

Castel Sant‘ Elmo - Von hier aus hat man den besten Überblick über Meer, Vesuv und die unendliche Stadt. Wer’s bequem machen will, der fährt mit der „Funiculare“, der Zahnradbahn, bergaufwärts, hinunter geht es dann über gefühlt tausende Stufen zurück ins Getümmel des Häusermeeres.

Castel Sant' Elmo

Über die Via Toledo zum Piazza Dante und zur Piazza Pignasecca – Die überfüllte quirlige Straße führt zu zwei der hübschesten Hotspots urbanen Lebens: Lokale, Shops und jede Menge Märkte.

Capella San Severo

Capella San Severo - Wer ein einzigartiges Kunstwerk innerhalb einer betörend schönen Museums-Kapelle erleben will, der muss hier hin: In der Mitte des Raumes ist das Kunstwerk Giuseppe Sanmartinos „Der verhüllte Jesus“ aufgebaut. Staunen und Wundern!

Der verhüllte Jesus von Giuseppe Sanmartinos

Via San Gregorio Armeno - Wer Wahnsinn pur erleben will, dem sei das schmale Gässchen anempfohlen: Hier findet man den personifizierten Weihnachtsrausch: Figuren, Puppen, Krippen - chinesisches Fließband und neapolitanisch Handgemachtes. Die satirischen Krippenfiguren huldigen Politikern, Promis, Päpsten und Fußballstars aus aller Welt. 

Weihnachten im Sommer und dazu Promis, Promis, Promis als Krippeninventar ...

Monastero di Santa Chiara - Eine Insel der Ruhe ist der zauberhafte Kreuzgang des Klosters Santa Chiara. Ein Farbenmeer strahlender Majolika-Kunst, ein gepflegter, südländischer Garten, und zwischendurch huschen Mönche über die Wege: Neapel bietet auch Muße und Ruhe.

Monasterio die Santa Chiara, Majolika und Mönchleins und die Muße der Stadt

Galleria Umberto I - Gleich gegenüber dem ältesten und glänzendsten Theater Italiens, dem „Teatro San Carlo“, befindet sich die mondäne und wohl spektakulärste Shopping-Mall Neapels, die „Galleria Umberto I“. 

Galleria Umberto I

Castell dell‘ Ovo - Vor dem Lungomare, der prächtigen Flaniermeile Neapels, erhebt sich eine sagenumwobene Tuffstein-Burg, ein wahrer Eye-Catcher, besonders in der blauen Stunde der orangeroten Abendsonnenstrahlen. Das Gebäude sieht aus wie ein Film-Set: Unwirklich, monströs, absichtsvoll. Das Kastell wurde ursprünglich als Überbau einer Kirche errichtet, die auf den Überresten einer Villa des Lukull thronte. Am Verrücktesten aber ist, was sich tief unterhalb befand: Das Ei des Vergil! Es lag in einer Karaffe, die tief im Verlies der Burg in einem kleinen Käfig von der Decke baumelte. Solange das Ei ganz blieb, so die Legende, blieb auch die Stadt unversehrt. Die Neapolitaner glaubten daran, bis heute -  warum auch nicht wir, die hunderttausend Touristen, die abends über den Ufer-Highway spazieren und ihr ‚unversehrtes‘ Leben genießen.

Castel dell'Ovo

Il Duomo - Auch im prächtigen Dom zu Neapel tut sich Wunderbares: Dreimal pro Jahr wird das Blut des verehrungswürdigen Märtyrers und Stadtheiligen, das in einer silbernen Ampulle im Safe der Kirche lagert, hervorgeholt und zum Hochaltar von „San Gennaro“ getragen. Der Kardinal hält jenes wundertätige Behältnis hoch und vor den staunenden Augen der Gläubigen verflüssigt sich das gestockte Blut des Heiligen. Wenn das geschieht, hat die Stadt nichts zu befürchten. Das Gegenteil könnte verheerend sein: Ein Ausbruch des Vesuvs, ein Krieg, ein Erdbeben. Also geht ein befreiendes Raunen durch die Stadt und die Neapolitaner sind beruhigt - bis zum nächsten Stichtag.

Il Duomo

Dass das „Blutwunder von St. Gennaro“ längst wissenschaftlich er- und geklärt ist, tut der Gutgläubigkeit des Volkes keinen Abbruch. Hier will man an Wunder erfüllt sehen, ob Eier, Blut oder die kleine, geschwungene Paprikaschote „Cornicello“, die gegen den „bösen Blick“ schützt – im Angesicht des Vesuvs, des ewig drohenden Symbols von Verderben und Untergangs, braucht man Übernatürliches. Und wenn es nichts nützt, schaden tut es gewiss nicht…  

Das Blutwunder

#michael schottenberg #schotti #schotti unterwegs #schotti to go #studio 2 #orf 2 #Italien #Kampanien #Neapel #Napoli #Monasterio di Santa Chiara #Via San Gregorio Armeno #Castell dell'Ovo #Il Cornicello #San Gennaro #Blutwunder von Neapel #Pizza #Vesuv #Vesuvio #Capella San Severino #Via Toledo #Via Chiaia #Spaccanapoli #Galleria Umberto I #Piazza Dante #Piazza Pignasecca #Der verhüllte Jesus #Giuseppe Sanmartinos #Castel Sant' Elmo

[saud4des]

im so sorry to all the men in her life who have to compete with a ghost and a very specific picture of marlon brando up in gloria's living room...is he looking hot and biteable ala stanley kowalski core?...yeah, yeah he is. would she go for someone with those same brando vibes ? silly question. .like he will snap your back and headboard in two but then wake up early and drive your mama and abuela to church in a nice button-down, come home with flowers, change your oil, and do the dishes when you cook. manners in the street, demon in the sheets you know ? ANYWAYS...someone should take the internet away from me.

#OOC. 「» frigga-isms.」 #if he dresses like brando too? ooph #IF YOU PUT ON A RECORD AND DANCE WITH HER ?

[krippe90]

22, 24, 26

22. A song that moves you forward

Mama said knock you out - Five Finger Death Punch

24. A song by a band you wish were still together

Double Dragon Rap - Duane and Brando

26. A song that makes you want to fall in love

Vi 2 (till dom otrogna) - Magnus Uggla

#ask me stuff #mygeekcorner #fuck you im doing em all atm