464 words of pre-slash pining fluff for day one of @steddie-week / rated G or T
It’s not as tight a fit in the listening booth as Eddie hoped it would be, but it does get him closer to Steve than he’s been all day. (Well, except for when he draped himself all over Steve at their table in the food court, or when they were pressed close in the photo booth, Eddie goading Steve into making goofy faces, or when their knees were resting together at the movies earlier.)
But they’re in their own bubble here. The rest of the world completely shut out. Just the two of them, one set of headphones, and a song shared between them.
Eddie has the album at home, and he wouldn’t be surprised if Steve knows that, but he didn’t resist when Eddie dragged him in here with one hand curled around Steve’s wrist, the other clutching the album they’re listening to now.
The song is so familiar and it fades to the background as Eddie watches Steve sidelong; the drums keep time with the beat of his heart, the howling guitar could be the singing in his blood. He catches Steve looking at him, once, twice, three times, his pulse skipping whenever their gazes lock.
This is almost everything Eddie wants. Listening to music with Steve, forgetting about the world beyond the song and the space between them. It would be perfect if he was sure that Steve’s heart is beating as hard as his, that his skin tingles at the nearness of Eddie, the way Eddie’s skin is tingling, now, being so close to Steve. The way his stomach swoops, and his chest feels full to bursting, how he’s every single fucking hopelessly in love cliche whenever they’re together, and even more when they’re not.
But he doesn’t know. He has no fucking clue. Sometimes, maybe, he thinks—hopes—but how can he be sure? He’s out of his depths here. It drives him crazy but, fuck, in moments like this he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Steve shifts, their hips bumping together, the brush of his arm against Eddie’s sending electricity through him. It draws Steve closer and he doesn’t move away, so they listen to the rest of the song pressed close, like the booth is half the size.
“So”—Eddie pulls his side of the headphones away from his ear when the song ends—“what did you think?” He bites his lip, kicks Steve’s foot.
“I think I liked it.” Steve’s gaze flicks outside the booth, then fixes back on Eddie. His eyes twinkle, warm and dark, and he turns so he’s facing Eddie fully. He licks his lips and leans in, saying, “But maybe we could listen to it again?”
“Yeah,” Eddie says, a smile forming, “maybe we could,” and he starts the song over.
WAS ANYBODY GOING TO TELL ME THAT DURGE AND ASTARION REALLY DO HAVE THE SAME TRAUMA OR
WAS I JUST SUPPOSED TO FIND THESE PARALLELS OUT FOR MYSELF
OH OKAY YOU ALSO WERE TRAPPED AND HURT YOURSELF TRYING TO CLAW YOUR WAY OUT?????? YOU ALSO WERE THE SPECIAL LITTLE PET OF THE PERSON WHO TORTURED YOU, WHO IMMEDIATELY STARTS TALKING DOWN TO YOU THE SECOND YOU SEE THEM AGAIN?????? OKAY. YEAH. WE CAN COMPARE NOTES IF YOU’D LIKE.
No one asked me and that’s fine because that’s entirely my brand in here, but I saw a colleague’s tweet and just couldn’t stop thinking about it.
An IceMav dads + Rooster headcanon:
With TGMs weird befuddled timeline and Bradley’s age being an ambiguous mess, all I want everyone to consider is:
Bradley had a Tamagotchi. Tamagotchi’s were all the rage in ‘97/’98, so a teen-ish Bradley BEGGING to get one because every kid does and of course he gets one. But it’s a Tamagotchi and those of you who are too young to even remember the rage of it, those little shits were WORK. And it was a point of PRIDE TO KEEP THEM ALIVE for as long as possible. But to keep them alive you had to give them CONSTANT attention and I mean CONSTANT.
But also he was a teen in the Icemav household and you know Iceman was the kind of loving but stern parent that required Bradley to show grades and work. So the only condition for Bradley to get it?
“You can’t take it to school most days so it won’t distract you.”
(He could take it Fridays and maybe the week post-tests if results were good.)
But also Ice would feel bad if Bradley’s tamagotchi died because Bradley really treated it like a pet. They didn’t have pets because everyone worked so much at all times, the feral cat that decided to inhabit Mav’s workshop did not count. Solution? Ice kept the tamagotchi while Bradley was at school. They did try to leave it with Mav but Mav’s ADHD nuked it on the first week, he could NOT keep it alive more than a few hours.
So Iceman, in the late 90s and for a good portion of his YEAR, babysat a tamagotchi. He took pride in the fact him and Bradley managed to have SEVERAL 12-day (the oldest a Tama can be before dying of old age) pets.
Many of Ice’s underlings were in awe of it. Slider also helped keep the thing alive. In fact, it was a whole village effort before he handed it back to Bradley during weekdays and when not in assignments and whatnot.
I’d like to headcanon that some of the squad have shared playlists , and one giant one for them all . They check out each others Spotify or Amazon or YouTube idk what they use anyway they check it out and if it pairs similar to their own , they join together and create one to play when they are chilling or showing to the others . The BIG one is them all together , meaning lots and lots and lots of bickering over what song gets put in and what doesn’t . Usually , it’s just Aiden complaining about the songs he can’t add ( VERY mixed style , some songs are a little too goofy . But don’t worry , he’ll add them on when no one’s looking )
say hi to me
i don't know, i just remembered being so much
brighter, i guess
cigarette ash like wildfire
burning holes in the nighttime
open scars feel like barbed wire
white lies flying high like a ceasefire
dropping flags on the shoreline
this is as far as i can feel right
'cause what you don't know can haunt you
and all we ever wanted was sunlight and honesty
highlights to want to repeat
let's get away from here and
live like the movies do
i won't mind when it's over
at least i didn't think for a while
don't drag it out
living like that doesn't mean a thing
so let's, make a great escape
and i'll be waiting outside for the getaway
it doesn't matter who we are
we'll keep running through the dark
and all we'll ever need is another day
we can slow down 'cause tomorrow is a mile away
and live like shooting stars
'cause happy endings hardest to fake
and i wanna let you know
i wanna let you go
but i just can't bring myself to speak
but this is how it goes
the end credits, they roll
this bridge was built over kerosene
but we can watch it
and all i ever wanted was sunlight and honesty
highlights to want to repeat
let's get away from here and
live like the movies do
i won't mind when it's over
at least i didn't think
so let's run, make a great escape
and i'll be waiting outside for the getaway
it doesn't matter who we are
we'll keep running through the dark
and all we'll ever need is another day
we can slow down 'cause tomorrow is a mile away
and live like shooting stars
you can wish away forever
but you'll never find a thing like today
I just find it mind-boggling that some people will reblog things like “Anakin didn’t care about Rex and his men, he wouldn’t listen to Fives just because he was friends with Palpatine” and then in the next post be gushing over Rexwalker/Rexanidala like???? so you agree. Anakin does care about Rex?
"will shouldn't use a gun in season five because his father probably taught him how to use one and that could be a bad reminder for him" have you considered that will using what was very likely a Bad experience to save his life in what is undoubtedly an even worse experience could be a good thing? have you considered that him using a skill he was forced to learn to save not only himself but (as is likely more important and meaningful to him) the lives of others could give him a sense of usefulness and safety knowing that he isn't defenseless and can stand his and others' ground if need be? especially considering that's a skill that we've only seen hopper and nancy possess, making it that much more valuable and himself more helpful to the group? after everything in s1 and s2, he's probably felt guilty for having endangered them and dozens of other people multiple times, i don't think it'd be out there for him to feel "happy" that he can finally return the favor and protect them for once (especially after having complained about being babied and treated like a doll).
"will doesn't have and shouldn't have powers because that makes him different and he doesn't want to be different" not only are you wrong lol <3 but how have you not noticed that will's entire thing since the very beginning is that he is different and he knows it and while he does get his heart broken over the fact that this means he faces constant unfairness in life, he still refuses to be any other way? will doesn't conform nor does he ever try to even when others try to force or shame him to. he gets frustrated and upset at being treated differently, yes, but he stays true to himself. to battle that feeling he sometimes gets that tells him he's a mistake, a feeling he gets not from his own otherness but from living in a world that Makes it an otherness and thus isolates him for it, he seeks out that which he loves and enjoys and throws himself wholeheartedly at it. will lives his truth and is willing to suffer the consequences for it. he refuses to live in darkness and let it take a hold of him. he holds on to hope and all that makes him feel better for being different. he holds on to art, to dnd, to video games, to his family and his friends, and everything that brings him joy and reminds him that it's okay to be different. in s1 joyce defends will ("he's missing is what he is") and jonathan tells him he shouldn't like things that other people (namely their homophobic dad) try to force him to like, that he should like what he genuinely likes. in s2 jonathan gives will the freak speech and tells him that no one normal ever accomplished anything and mentions bowie. in s3, he doesn't get a speech, (though joyce does tell him that when he falls in love he won't find it gross [avoiding the word girlfriend and leaving it neutral]) but he does face backlash from someone that IS trying to conform and IS shaming will for not letting go of "childish" things aka his interests, what's important to him, and what he wants. does will back down or shy away in shame? no. instead, he lets mike sit in his shame for having said something that hurtful, and he says "yeah. i guess i did. i really did." clearly this is a conversation about what makes will different aka his sexuality bc he goes and destroys castle byers (the safe place he and his brother built once their homophobic dad left which is a place will can be himself unapologetically) with what is likely a bat that lonnie gave him when trying to get him into baseball. he calls himself stupid and donates his dnd books, but i don't see this as an act of conformity (he tells mike as much, suggesting he'll just use his books + if he was ashamed he wouldn't have painted the party as their dnd characters and given it to him of all people lol). he felt stupid because he thought they'd always be crazy together, that they were of the same mind and heart still, and that they had the same brand of "otherness" if you catch my drift. then in s4 we get jonathan's tender "you're my brother and there is nothing absolutely nothing that will ever change that" which is the most direct anyone has ever been about that which makes will different. and he doesn't shy away from it! he doesn't deny it, because we can see from his confession and how he breaks down that he's desperately been wanting and needing to hear that. he accepts that love and allows himself to be held and seen by someone else, as he has every other time. because will doesn't hate being different, he just hates that he has to live in a world where that's seen as wrong and thus makes him feel like he doesn't belong because of it. but he doesn't change himself. he doesn't feel ashamed of it. he doesn't see it as a flaw in himself or others and he never has. will is different and he knows it and he wouldn't have it any other way.
will's story since the beginning has been about being different and going through awful things, and managing to not only find the light in it but also make it out stronger because of it all. it's always been about using what makes him different as a good thing and as something he uses to save himself and others.
will being good with a gun bought him time with whatever kidnapped him. will knowing how to run and hide kept him alive in the upside down. will acted as a spy while possessed and managed not only to save hopper but also tell them how to finish this. will's experiences and senses helped them figure out what was happening in season three. will's love and loyalty inspires mike and manages to bring him to a better place even if just for a moment in the van, and again he's the one that knows vecna's current state, aaaand had he been in hawkins at the time it likely would've gone a lot better because as dustin said "we need will".
taking something awful and turning it into a good thing and a source of strength is a wonderful trope. it's inspiring and empowering not only for the character but for those that could use that hope and reminder that there's always a silver lining, that life isn't all darkness and shadows and hurt. not only that, but it's something that they've literally always done for will since the very beginning. he is the prime character for that. his entire message has always been that it's okay to be different and that you can find strength and peace in that; that the things that make you different aren't a detriment, they're precisely what make you strong. like... i'm sorry, but have you not been paying attention at all whatsoever this entire time or... :/
Miguel telling Miles he’s going to hell anytime he gets pissed off enough (breaking into his apartment, getting involved in fights for no reason, starting trouble with Gabriel) but Miles keeps track and eventually shows up with a long paper list that rolls all through the living area & it has all the reasons he’s going to hell on it and he graded it based on creativity, so it’s very obvious neither of them are serious about that sort of thing. Now imagine one time Miles is super tired so when Miguel says “you’re going to burn in hell for putting stickers on me btw” Miles just takes it seriously for a few moments, which gave Miguel 10 new gray hairs with each second that passed. He’s already hollering like an injured dog on the inside and is begging any higher being listening to him to protect Miles’s mind from his poison, to let Miles go through the rest of his life free of him and anyone like him, is telling Lyla to mark him as dead, praying that he either doesn’t get a next life at all and is punished for his sins or if he is to be reincarnated he’d be a perfect guard dog that’ll want for nothing but will do everything, and is running away as I type this. Got so terrified of something that didn’t even happen he became religious for a second. Idk i just really want him to be so. I want him to react in a way that lets you know he’s mentally unwell <3
compilation of all my sunflower inktober art the past few days that i just. forgot to post.
prompts in order were, starting from day 3 bc i missed a day, violin, book (there are no books in this one…), picnic, flower crown, and for the last one i combined days 7 & 8, rainy day + vent