#so I hope that they're fun to read

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Arcane Characters + "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" Pt. 1

Just some short character/reader drabbles based one one of my favorite tropes/scenes, wherein a character jokingly says "tell me something I don't know", only for the other person to respond with something cute/sincere.

Part 1 features the following characters: Jinx, Sevika, Caitlyn, and Vi. I'll definitely be doing some other characters in the future (including some of the men), so no worries if your fave isn't here :3

Genre: Fluff with a couple drops of angst

Warnings: Brief language, minor mentions of injuries, brief mentions of alcohol (the reader doesn't drink any). The reader works at a bar in Sevika's section, guns are mentioned in Cait's (to no one's surprise)

Notes: Reader is gender neutral. Also, this is only the 3rd Arcane thing I've written, and the first I've published, so... hopefully it's good? And I'm sorry if it's not?

Jinx:

“Is… is this what I think it is?” You ask, in a breathless whisper, your heart skipping a few beats. In your hands is a thing of beauty, a glittering showpiece with all the sentimentality in the world. More accurately, it is a bracelet, lovingly handmade, a central band adorned with familiar iconography: Blue smoke clouds, a rabbit with button eyes, and two overlapping hearts.

“Course it is! It’s a trinket for my Trinket,” Jinx all but shouts, excitedly bouncing on her heels. A trace of anxiety lines her movements, however, and only grows sharper when you are too stunned to reply. Voice beginning to waver, she softly asks for reassurance. “Do you like it?” In an instant you’re on your feet, pulling her into a hug, peppering her face in kisses before replying.

“I love it, hunny-bun! It’s perfect- you’re perfect,” you say, smiling so hard it hurts a little. Though you don’t pull all the way apart, you shift just enough to let her slip the bracelet onto your wrist, and you take another few moments to admire the craftsmanship.

“You’re pretty lucky, you know, to have such a great girlfriend,” Jinx teases, pressing a kiss of her own to your rapidly warming cheeks.

“Mhmm,” you start to say, leaning into her. “Tell me something I don’t know.” It’s a joke, really, a fun little way of saying that you know exactly how lucky you are to be with her. But Jinx pauses all the same, a thoughtful look on her face. A moment passes, then two, with her fingers absentmindedly playing with your hair. When at last she speaks, it is with equal parts heartache and relief; just as you are to her, both everything she needs and everything she feels she should not get.

“I’m even luckier.”

Sevika:

Thunk. A blood-stained coin bag drops onto the counter, landing with enough of a clamor to make you flinch. Still, you put on your best smile, knowing damn well that this particular customer needed it more than most. Sevika always needed it more than most.

“What’ll it be, sugar?” You ask, drawing out the last word a little too long, watching the way her lips twitched in response. Once upon a time, she had hated the nickname. Nowadays? You’ve come close to catching her smile more times than you can count. At this point you were determined to get there, eventually, even if it meant sticking it out at this shitty bar for a few more years.

“Something strong, neat. Don’t care if it’s any good,” Sevika responds after a brief moment of consideration. Part of you wants to crack a joke- this shithole doesn’t serve any ‘good’ drinks- but her expression makes you decide against it. Drink first, socialization later. If past experiences were anything to go by, you would have at least an hour or two to pick her brain before she headed home. Plus, it was a surprisingly slow night, giving you plenty of excuses to show her extra attention.

As soon as you set the first glass in front of Sevika, she throws it back with a grimace, swallowing the whiskey so fast that you wonder if she even tasted it at all. Then, and only then, does she mumble out a word of thanks, following it up with a little wave of her hand. Quite familiar with her procedure, you grab the bottle from the shelf and set it in front of her. Soon enough she’s pouring herself a refill, while you watch her closely. Her gaze meets your own, briefly, and you raise an eyebrow. One over dramatic sigh later, she offers a shitty explanation, as vague as ever:

“It’s been a bad day.” Yeah, you can’t help but scoff at that. It’s not that you expected her to go over the details of her job (she never did, as much out of concern for your safety as desire for her own privacy), just something more than stating the obvious.

“Tell me something I don’t know, maybe I’ll even give you a couple shots on the house, if you make it interesting enough,” you offer, resting your hands on the counter, letting yourself lean in her direction just a little bit. You know that Sevika doesn’t need your charity, that she makes more than enough money to pay for her own drinks, but that wasn’t really the point. She liked games… even the dumb ones with no clear rules.

“Fine. It’s been a bad day,” she repeats, pulling a cigar from her pocket as she does. There’s a short pause, her eyes watching you expectantly. A few seconds later you’re lighting it for her, watching the way her nostrils flare as the smoke hits her, feeling her own gaze locked on you. Once she takes a deep, long drag… she finally offers up an elaboration. “You make it better.”

Caitlyn:

It’s mesmerizing to watch her work. Every movement is purposeful, perfectly measured down to the millimeter, her gaze never once becoming unfocused. There are a million places where Caitlyn excels, of course, but she seems most at home here, on the firing range. Gunshots piercing the air, the clink of reloading her gun, the sharp exhale that followed the pull of the trigger… the sounds blended together to make something that relaxed her like nothing else could.

Not that you felt the same way, unfortunately. Even with ear plugs, the noises frequently made you flinch, gripping the hem of your jacket just a bit tighter every time. Nonetheless, the thought of leaving didn’t cross your mind even once. After all, you were here for her, not for your own enjoyment. After the week she’s had… she needed this. Besides, flinching aside, you did enjoy being reminded of just how incredibly badass your girlfriend is.

“You’re an excellent shot,” you say, instinctively, as soon as Caitlyn makes her way back to where you wait. The smile that crosses her face in response is enough to fill your stomach with butterflies. Soon enough she’s tugging a glove off, so that she might cup your cheek and pull you in for a quick kiss. When you part, she speaks softly, with clear pride in her tone.

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Without a beat you respond, grinning, every bit as genuine as was physically possible.

“Being with you makes me feel safer than I ever thought possible. Knowing that you have a hand in this city’s future… well, it gives me hope.” Suddenly you wish you had brought a camera, to capture the look of flustered surprise on your girlfriend’s face.

Vi:

“I’ve had worse,” Vi grumbles, holding back a wince as you clean her wounds. Normally she would say this sort of thing with her head held high, proud of her ability to endure, but right now she is nothing more than exhausted. Any attempts at reassuring you do the opposite, painfully reminding you of all that she has suffered. When she sees the way your lips are pulled tight, locked into a scowl, she cannot help but try again. “You should have seen me a few months ago. This? This is nothing.”

Your only response is to wrap her bandages a tad tighter, your touch lingering on her skin. At that, she leans in, her breath ghosting your cheek, just as the tightness of your chest makes the air ghost your lungs, and you finally bring yourself to meet her gaze. Where she is entirely concerned, your expression is anger laced with bitter resignation.

“C’mon, nothing I face out here is going to be anywhere near as bad as before. You know why? Because now I have you,” she murmurs, forcing herself to smile through the residual ache. In any other situation, you might have blushed, or otherwise enjoyed the sweetness of her tongue. At this moment, all you can offer is a roll of your eyes and a humorless chuckle.

“Prison really fucked you up, yeah?” Now it was Vi’s turn to chuckle, even though the movement makes her bruised ribs sting, and she has to pause twice to cough. Then she’s leaning in even more, gently resting her head in the crook of your neck. Finally, some of your tension begins to drain, replaced with overwhelming affection.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Vi says, smiling all the while, every syllable tickling you. Slowly you wrap your arms around her, careful to avoid putting pressure on her injuries, relishing the feeling of her heartbeat beneath your fingertips. For a moment you mull over her question, knowing that there wasn’t much you had yet to confide in her about. But there was one thing that you had suppressed as best as you could, a fire left smoldering in your chest, waiting for a gust of wind and a stray spark to ignite the whole world.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe this time around- I would burn this city down, if I knew the ashes would offer no more misery.” When Vi replies, it is with another laugh, believing your words to be hyperbole. Maybe they were, maybe they weren’t. With her tucked away in your embrace like this, away from those who wished her harm, you knew you were safe from finding out the truth. For now.

#vi x reader #jinx x reader #caitlyn x reader #sevika x reader #arcane x reader #caitlyn kiramman x reader #these were really fun to write #so I hope that they're fun to read #arcane imagines #reader insert

[italictext]

More manga panel coloring!! I love Light and Near so much <3

#Death Note #Death Note manga #Eyestrain #Death Note fanart #My art #Light Yagami #Nate River #L Lawliet #Yagami Light #Near #L death note #Moonriver #←Don't ship it but I hope the people who do will enjoy this <3 #I love Light and Near's dynamic so much #They're so fun and entertaining to read #Their dynamic deserves more love <3 They're honestly my favorite part of Death Note #Their panels look so pretty too.. Kicking and giggling over every Near + Light panel

[crescentfool]

the persona 3 protagonist 25th anniversary nui in food appliances!

#lizzy speaks #persona 3 #minato arisato #makoto yuki #guys friendly reminder that this is what adulthood is about dont listen to anyone who calls you cringe #hence why im putting these in the main tags. i mean they're not incorrect for what the photos are about. lmao #anyway this was a very fun birthday!!! i feel very loved and supported by so many people and i got to do very fun things (like this)... #i think... birthday is like thanksgiving to me. in the gratitude respect. #a reminder of all the lovely people that i have gotten a chance to meet and how i've learned from them #it makes me very happy to have been born... i think every day is a great day to celebrate life's grandeur + brilliance + magnificence #it's just a very poignant and strong feeling that i have that i'm happy to have met so many wonderful people #and while there are some people i've only known for brief periods of time or people who i havent really been good at keeping in contact wit #i do cherish it! im so grateful. so happy that there are people who cheer my silly shenanigans on #while there are ways in which aging makes me go “oh hmm” i think overall i'm happy that i get to keep on living and learning #i have so much fondness for humanity and people... like even if i dont get to talk to ppl directly i just get very emotional yknow #like wow.. you exist.. thats so fucking awesome... i hope you have an awesome day... im glad our paths could cross #if you have read up to this point of my tags.. thank you for reading and being part of my life #i will keep on being the silliest guy ive ever known! cheers to more shenyanigans and self-discovery :3

[emomomortal]

apple on your head!! apple on your head!!

#tfa #transformers animated #tfa bumblebee #tfa sari sumdac #sari sumdac #tfa sari #i remembered i could animate #If no one else is making bee and sari content i'll cook for the rest of you #transformers animated [literally] #this took like an hour to save to my computer cause flipaclip on a chromebook SUCKS!!!!!!!! #Anyways hope you like i love sari's pigtails here i think i did pretty good #originally i was just gonna draw him perching an apple on her head #but i said no i want to ANIMATE cause apparently that was easier #LOVE THEM FOREVA #also thank you to the people putting their thoughts in the tags #they're so fun to read and i really appreciate it love yall 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷 #🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

A Blorbo You Treat Nicely, Right?

#non mdzs #ask #I've seen what people do to tumblr blorbos. I cant go back in the horse plinko again...please my bones aren't strong enough #I'm made of a gelatin like substance. Very Flammable. Terrible for plinko. Ill just bounce around and wail miserably. #You cannot fool my by putting 'horse' on the box. Yeah It made me curious and wander over here. Yeah I wanna see the horses. #Oh they're in the plinko? Oh well then- #jokes aside I am very touched to have reached silly blorbo status. I hope to keep bringing you joy! #I am simply just having fun and I'm glad people enjoy my little jester dances! #Yeah one of these asks is from June...I'm slowly eating away at the backlog....I promise.... #theres so many sweet and funny asks I want to properly draw for...I promise I read them all and go -> B*)

[klaissance]

ok um i have done it i've created a thing

pls enjoy

#klance #klance fic #my writing #OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL #i have in fact never published anything to ao3 before this is monumental #anyway um this is so fuckin dumb but it made me giggle to write #in which there is a lot of looking and a lot of pining #your honor they're in love #vld fic #um if anybody reads it please tell me what you think i hope it is fun and sparkly for you #@ jackie lance has brown eyes just for you bestie you converted me so hard

[rosynova]

(first off, i'm so sorry about the quality, i've been fighting tumblr for 2 hours trying to fix it and it doesn't want to work with me :') please click on the pics for better resolution!)

so ever since reading this ask from @blank-house i've had this little scenario in my head because of jamie's bit, and i've finally gotten the chance to sketch it out :>

#keyframes vn #jamie porter #perseus tozaki #elio kealoha #rosyart #aaa i've never made a comic before so i hope this is alright! #it's a bit messy and the second page wore me out but i got it done haha #i love these guys a lot so i always want to do them justice whenever i'm able to draw them #even when it involves making jamie run into a wall from spacing out :') sorry jamie lol #also if the team is reading the tags: thank you for answering so many asks! #they're all super fun to read and they get me even more excited for the extended demo :D #i wish you all the luck with the dev work!

[pocketramblr]

It's all my fault

#i am so glad i got to the endgame unspoiled that was crazy good #but kabru just immediately flopping over and going 'ah this is all my fault' was the funniest thing #only to become the second funniest thing when Mithrun just immediately got up and went to punch him about it shfhgjgh #still i kinda wish kabru had more than a single panel interaction with this #but the fact that his arm was grabbed (he normally is the one grabbing) and the eyes stayed close (even though they could have looked human) #i dunno just fun #.... also #kabru: why won't you open your eyes #wl!laios: oh I'm about to! (rips apart the sky) they're open now! #anyway silliness aside #it's fun to draw with those textures #my art #alt text #dungeon meshi spoilers #delicious in dungeon spoilers #dm spoilers #i don't. i don't know how to tag spoilers #i wasn't blocking any #i was just lucky that of all the fun content i saw on my dash before i started reading it none of it gave away this #i hope the rest of y'all are so lucky fhgjgjgh

[skruttet]

you try this shit on my video and you'll get an essay

#SO funny that they brought up the dogs specifically cause they're like one of the few Actually Textually Gay moomin characters lmao #'this whole of idea of queer gay gender roles stuff.... it is just crazy' YEAH CRAZY INTERESTING??? CRAZY FUN TO THINK ABOUT AND ANALYSE??? #really insane they specifically brought up GENDER ROLES as if the moomins weren't constantly used to explore and make fun of gender roles #anyway #i hope they will actually read this and maybe change their mind a little bit but in the past usually these people are just homophobic and #dont wanna stop being homophobic :( #to be fair the video they're commenting on is that 'cast and crew shipping snufmin' vid and that's from sooo long ago now i would not word #things the same way as i did then but. they're still wrong lol

[clowningaroundmars]

morales twins vigilantes: getting found out pt 2

okayyyy this part's a slight bit longer but hopefully, uh, worth it lol

kinda made myself tear up a lil at the end ahahaha

also pls don't ask when this takes place, like either in between istv and atsv or atsv and btsv.... idk bro LMFAO this is technically a whole other au in and of itself soooo yuh

disclaimer: i'm a whole ass anarchist, however miles and milo are two teenage boys who've grown up with a cop dad and they play a lil lip service to the police force during their big speech so... yeah i don't support the existence of the police force, but it is what it is. characters don't reflect author's beliefs and all that

>1st part here<

Jeff happened to be lucky enough to be pardoned for the rest of the night, and he also opted to use some PTO on this very very important occasion, so he sped off in the squad car with his sons in the back immediately after visiting the police department and signing off on some papers. He did not utter a word until they all got back home safely.

In the car, it was eerily silent as Jeff fumed in the front. Miles practiced what he was going to say over and over in his head, picking at his suit and avoiding his twin brother’s eyes. Milo held what remained of his mask in his hands, gauntlets off and tucked between his feet on the floor of the car. They both hung their heads low, counting down the minutes until they got back home and had to face their inevitable death sentence.

They were in so much trouble. Yikes. This was exactly what Miles dreaded for so damn long now, and it almost felt like a dream the way it happened so quickly.

Back home, both boys were sat down in the dining room area behind the couch, waiting for their mother to come back from her night shift. Milo was given an ice pack for his head and some painkillers, and then they were both sternly ordered to take off their respective suits.

Miles turned inquisitive eyes towards his dad.

“If your mom comes in and sees you two wearing those outfits right after work, that woman will have a heart attack and faint. Take ‘em off,” was Jeff’s sharp explanation.

They were not gonna argue with that. To the bedroom they both went.

“And then you both come right back out the second you change, got it?”

“Yeah dad, got it,” was Miles’ unenthused mumble before closing the door.

Miles turned back around with his mask in his hands, and immediately threw it at Milo.

“What were you thinking?!?!” he hissed, arms flying up into the air, making grabbing motions at his twin brother’s neck. “You absolute idiot, my god, we are so. Freaking. Dead!!”

Milo ducked back, scowling. “Me?!” he hissed back, keeping his voice at a harsh whisper as well. “What did you want me to do, pendejo, just let our dad fry, just like that? I didn’t see you moving to stop the guy!”

They were both snapping at each other, hands flying everywhere as they argued in harsh tones and whispers. They only stopped when they heard a loud knock on the door.

“Don’t take all night, either,” came their father’s booming voice from behind the wood.

Miles hung his head. Milo rolled his eyes and moved towards the closet, ripping his jacket off and kicking off his shoes. “Yes dad,” they both intoned at the same time.

A few glares were exchanged as clothes were tossed onto the floor, and Miles sighed loudly as he pulled on a pair of pajama pants, throwing himself onto his bed to get them up his legs all at once. He glanced at his bedside alarm clock, knowing his mom would be home any minute now. He felt his heart beat in his chest much louder and faster than usual.

Milo pulled on a hoodie over his head, gingerly easing the fabric over his bruised chest.

“Did the blast hit your chest too, man?” Miles asked quietly, eyes playing over the mess of a bruise over slightly-scarred skin, wincing a bit.

Milo exhaled sharply. “Shuddup.”

Miles frowned. “You have to let mom know about that soon. Don’t ‘shuddup’ me.”

“Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”

Miles knew his brother was sulking, but that really looked… bad. If he was responsible for not only dragging his brother into vigilantism, but also putting him in the hospital as well, he had no idea how he was getting out of this one alive. He was probably never going to see the light of day until college. Maybe not even then.

Once ready, both boys stood side-by-side in front of the door, hesitating. They both glanced at each other, then back at the door.

This was it, they both thought. The moment of truth. This was the night where it was all gonna go down, and their painstakingly-kept secret would finally be revealed to their parents. D-day. My god. He didn’t even know if the speech he prepared in the car on the way home was even gonna suffice against their mother’s explosive anger. She was gonna have a cow the second Jeff told her. Damnit.

Guess I can kiss the whole Spider-man thing goodbye, Miles thought, the very idea leaving a very heavy weight in his chest that he just couldn’t ignore. He leaned forward to turn the knob and swing open the door. With one last glance back at his brother, he stepped out. Then his brother followed him slowly, ice pack pressed to the side of his head again.

It was like a funeral procession the way they marched solemnly back to their chairs placed side-by-side by the table. Jeff leaned on the doorway to the hallway with his arms crossed sternly over his chest, still in his police uniform, hat already hung up.

As if on cue, Rio’s keys jangled against the door, and she stepped inside once the lock clicked open. Her slightly tired expression changed in an instant once she hung up her bag and walked into the apartment.

“Hello boys, I’m home!” She announced, a bit surprised. Not only were her husband and two sons all home at the same time, but they were all hanging around to watch her come home after work at such a late hour. Granted, it was summertime and the weekend, but still. Weird.

Jeff had texted her that something important came up and that she needed to be home ASAP, but didn’t elaborate further. She didn’t know what to expect when she got back. She crossed her fingers and hoped that it wasn’t that bad, if her husband texted her instead of calling. If it was an emergency, surely he would’ve called.

Right?

Her eyes widened once she saw the ice pack Milo held against his head, and quickly made her way over to him.

“Qué pasó?” She kneeled next to her boy, checking him over quickly.

Milo winced and tried to dodge his mother’s hands, holding a protective arm over his chest that no one missed. “Ma, stop. I’m fine, seriously. It’s… it’s fine.”

“Is it? What is going on, why is everyone so… so sad right now, and what are you two doing sitting here like this? Jeff…?” She turned to face her husband but he was already making his way back to the boys’ bedroom, scooping up their respective vigilante costumes and heading back out with the incriminating evidence in both hands.

Once he got back to the table, he tossed them onto the surface and crossed his arms again.

For a second, no one moved. The whole world held its breath for one precious moment.

Then, with deadly calm in her tone, Rio slowly stood up and placed her hands on her hips. “...What are those things?”

Both boys braced for impact.

“Well?”

Miles swallowed hard, hands gripped together tightly. “Uhm. They’re. They’re… our outfits. Y’know… for fighting crime.”

Rio gaped at her sons.

“He’s Spider-man, mom. Miles is Spider-man,” Milo clarified solemnly. His chin was at his chest now, avoiding eye contact with his mother.

“...And you’re the Prowler.” Rio finished.

She took a step back and exhaled, running her hands through her hair and rubbing her face. “Oh… oh my god. Dios mió, me voy a morir. I knew it, but still... me voy a morir!” ¹

Finally, Jeff spoke up behind her. “They’re not Halloween costumes, either. Guess where I found ‘em tonight?”

With tears in her eyes, Rio looked back at her husband, a pleading look on her face. “Don’t tell me,” she begged. But Jeff continued anyways.

“I took tonight’s shift on as a bit of extra, and when I was called to take care of an electric freak close to downtown, I found these two at the scene already.”

Finally, Rio exploded. “What?!?”

The twins flinched.

Jeff exhaled and pressed on, licking his lips. “Yeah, and not only that, but Milo here took on a direct blast of electricity to the face. He jumped in front of me and put himself in harm’s way!”

Scandalized, Milo leaped up from his seat, wincing only a little bit. “Wait a minute, I did it to protect you! That’s my job!”

The anger fizzled out immediately once both parents swung their withering glares around back to him, rage hot enough to almost burn two holes into his skull. Miles pulled Milo’s hoodie sleeve and quietly hissed, “stop making it worse!”

Milo clammed up and quickly sat back down, pouting.

“Your job?” Rio shot back incredulously, laughing angrily.

“That is not your job, Milo! That is mine! My job! I wear this badge every single day so that I can protect the people of Brooklyn. You are a kid with homework and chores to do, not fighting dangerous bad guys on the streets like some kinda—” Jeff worked himself up but then stopped, as if he suddenly ran out of steam. He placed his hands over his head, clearly stressed, and exhaled loudly.

“How long?” Rio’s tone was sharp.

They were definitely not getting out of this alive. Damn. Rest in power, Morales twins.

Miles shuffled his feet, hesitating. “Uhm—”

“Speak up, Miles. How long have you two been running around behind our backs and lying to us like this? Huh?”

Miles sighed. “I, uhm. We’ve been doing this… for a while now.”

“A while?”

“…A -a year.”

“A YEAR?!”

“I mean I’unno about Miles, but I’ve only been doin’ this for like a couple months, so…” Milo mumbled half-heartedly beside his brother. That comment earned him another set of glares, including one from Miles.

“A year. A year! A year, that’s how long you’ve been lying to us?” Jeff was pacing now, clearly stressed out. He was mumbling things under his breath that both boys would rather not know anything about.

Miles jumped up from his seat, seizing the opportunity when he could. “Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait, guys. Mom, dad. Listen to me, please,” he begged, hands splayed out in front of him.

He took a breath. He opened his mouth.

“Until college.” Rio interrupted, holding a finger up. “Both of you. Grounded! Until college! You will both be adults before you ever go out without my permission ever again!”

Miles deflated. “O-kay but mom, please! Hear me out first!”

Rio held a hand up. “I don’t wanna hear it! I cannot believe that both of my sons would lie to me like this! For an entire year, no less! Dios, dame paciencia, coño!” ² She shook her head as she held her face in her hands. “Do you two know what you’re doing to me? Look at me, I’m getting grey hairs as we speak!”

Jeff immediately took her side. “Do you realize what you’re doing to your mother? You’re killing her! And you--” he rounded on Milo all of a sudden, jolting the poor boy into sitting up straight. “You are killing me! You’re going around wearing those godforsaken gloves around, punching bad guys just cuz you wanna feel like a big man, huh? Do you know what that does to me?!”

Milo visibly prickled up, hunching in on himself. “I’m not doing it for me,” he bit out angrily.

“Then for who, huh?”

“I wanted to save the little guys on the street... when the cops couldn’t. I wanted to help Miles.” Milo sounded tired, and for a split second he looked much older beyond his years. Both of his parents softened for only a fraction of a second before Jeff rubbed his eyes and turned back to Miles.

"And who made you Spider-man all of a sudden? What happened a year ago? Tell me the truth. I don't want any detail left out!"

Ah, interrogation mode already, Miles thought humorlessly.

He sighed and dutifully got started on the whole backstory, careful to leave out the fact that he was with Aaron the moment he got shot, skipping to the part where he "found" his uncle's nearly lifeless body in that alleyway that fateful day. It was a harmless enough lie… Miles presumed. Right?

"Did you… then... h-how did you see who shot Aaron, Miles? Were you there?" Jeff asked quietly, also looking as tired as Milo did. Miles paused, not expecting the question.

Rio shot him a look. "Jeff, mi amor, please. Now is really not the time." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Right now, we have to talk about this... this... situation we have going on here. What's next?"

Miles shrugged, palms facing forward as if to say and the rest is history. "I'm... pretty sure you guys know the rest. Dad... you were uh, there. At the collider. I stopped Kingpin and then I just. Well, yeah. Y'all have already watched all of the news stories and the videos. So," he finished lamely.

Then, a surge of confidence as he looked at the concerned expressions dawning on his parents' faces. It's now or never.

"...B-but I love being Spider-man! Dad, you've seen me out there, the way I fight, the fact that you guys have less to deal with cuz I'm out there kicking ass!"

Oops. Wrong words.

Miles' confidence deflated as soon as those concerned and sympathetic looks turned into ones of anger.

"Kicking ass?! More like getting your ass kicked, little boy! How many NewTube videos are out there of you getting crushed by cars," Jeff started to count off of his fingers, "hit by buses, tossed in the air, punched and flung halfway across the block--"

"Jeff, please!" Rio cried, wobbling a bit. She pulled out the chair closest to her from the table and slumped down into it, rubbing at her temples.

"S-sorry, hon..." Jeff placed an apologetic hand on his wife's shoulder.

Rio sighed deeply.

"I get it. I know. But dad..." Miles steeled himself this time. "When you put on that badge every single day and you go out into those streets to protect the city, you think you're never gonna get shot at? Jumped? It is literally your responsibility to put yourself in the way of danger so no one else has to." He turns to the table and grabs his mask.

"For me," Miles continues, "this is my badge. Okay? I put this on every single day and swing out into the streets so people can shoot at me, or ask me for directions, or wait for me to get weird guys in stupid costumes away from the train tracks. I do this every single day, because if I don't, who will? Peter is dead--" ...wow, that feels weird to say.

"Miles..." Rio's big brown eyes gaze sadly at her boy, standing tall with this awful mask in his hand. A mask that she desperately wished wasn't his.

"Mom. Peter is dead. He is. Okay? If I don't step up and take his place, knowing what I can do? Then I might as well not even be alive at all." He tosses his mask dramatically back onto the table to punctuate his point. "I can shoot webs from my wrists and I have strength like y'all wouldn't believe. I can stick to walls and do everything that Peter Parker was able to do before he passed away. If I just sit here doing nothing with these abilities while everyone struggles to live their lives every single day, letting bad guys with superpowers do whatever they want, then what's the point of anything? The exact same reason why I put on this suit to go fight crime is the exact same reason why you do, dad." Miles turns to his father now. "You have your suit, I have mine."

Milo jumps in, enthused. "And the reason why I put on my mask is because of him. And the civilians, too... of course. But it's not because I 'wanna feel like a big man', dad. It's because it drives me crazy seeing my own brother taking on all of this responsibility on his shoulders all by himself. Miles is gonna do crazy things now that he got bit by a super-spider, right? We literally cannot stop him, even if we tried. Trust me. Might as well go along with him and support him so he doesn't get himself killed out there. That's why I do this. Every single day."

Jeff opens his mouth to say something, but is then cut off by Rio's own small, sad voice. "... Why does it have to be you two?" She asks quietly.

She looks so small sitting there on their wooden dining room chair, and a million times more tired than when she came in through the door. She wasn't even out of her own nurse's uniform yet, either. Miles felt a pang of sympathy for her.

Miles... did not know the answer to her question either. He really didn't. Why was it him-- out of all of the people in Brooklyn-- that got bit by that spider? Clearly, the universe had a grand, elaborate joke planned for him. That was really probably the only explanation for it all. But, no. No, there had to be something else in the cards for Miles. After all, he was bitten by the spider while out with his uncle who was secretly the Prowler, and he was present for not only Peter Parker's death, but that same uncle as well.

He squared his shoulders. And then told the truth.

"I... don't know," he admitted. "But... I do know this. Growing up, I always knew Spider-man was there to answer the call no matter what. He didn't pick this life of battling bad guys that wanna tear the city up all the time, a spider bit him, too. But he made me promise something before he died, and I have to live up to that promise. What else am I gonna do when I'm able to pick up cars with my bare hands?"

Granted, it was only a promise to stop the collider from opening a black hole inside of the city they lived in, but. Details. Anyways...

Rio hid her face in her hands again.

Miles softened his tone, sitting down. "This is something I worked really, really hard for and it's important to me. Milo... is kinda right. You can ground me. Until college. Or whenever. But as long as I've got these powers," he held his hands open, propping his elbows on his knees and meeting his mom's eyes, "and there's people out there that need saving? I gotta do what I gotta do, mami."

Milo leaned forward, too. "Yeah. Same here. He's not alone. The same reason we do this stuff is cuz... ever since we were little, we also watched you guys answer the call, no matter what. I never met Spider-man, before... y'know, but it doesn't matter. We do this for New York City."

Neither of their parents spoke for a bit, digesting all of this information in solemn silence. The anger from earlier all but melted away as they ruminated over all of this. All this time, their little boy was running around in a spandex costume, swinging around, punching bad guys and lifting fallen buildings off of people. There was... a hint of pride underneath all of the fear and anger and betrayal and anxiety, even Rio couldn't lie.

But god, how would things ever be the same again after knowing that the very hero who swung from building to building and knocked villains down before webbing them up was the very same boy with the brightest brown eyes they've ever seen; the boy who brought home A's on his test like he won a medal, the same boy who sang horribly off-key while doodling all over his sketchbook, who refused to tie his shoelaces and drove Jeff up the wall when he found graffiti and stickers all around the city in Miles' name? It was impossible... Rio's heart broke into two pieces.

And Milo... a tougher counterpart to her little ray of sunshine, but just as sweet. The same boy who would feed stray cats on the block, beam like a ray of light after winning a boxing match against a tough opponent, who would hide behind Rio at parties and join her happily to watch the latest episode of the new telenovela they both got hooked on... that same boy was wearing those gloves, swinging around the city looking like a bad guy himself. Rio's shattered heart gained another huge crack before finally breaking into three pieces.

Finally, she sighed again.

"You have superpowers?" She asked, hesitantly.

"... I... yeah, I do." Miles answered, fearing that this was a trick question.

Rio nodded sadly. "Of course. Of course..."

Jeff spoke up, now kneeling beside his wife, caressing her hand clasped in between both of his. "Just because you have superpowers, doesn't mean you're invincible. Miles, we do this because we care about you. Maybe we won't be able to stop either of you from putting yourself in harm's way... I mean, hell, nobody can stop me. But... god, isn't there any other way?"

Miles raised a brow. "Any other way to...?"

Jeff blew out a breath. "I-I dunno, can't you use your super strength to... well, maybe help the transportation department move some tracks around, build some new stations... that'd help the city. Swing around and deliver medicine to people for free? God, I don't know. I just don't want either of you to jump in front of bullets for other people... man..." he shook his head.

Miles and Milo exchanged glances. "I... I know it's tough to accept this," Miles started, unsure of what to say. "Maybe I can scale back the dangerous stuff some but... I... can't just stand around directing traffic when someone's getting mugged. Or a bank is getting robbed. Dad, I just can't. Maybe you guys will hate it every time I put the suit on and swing outside but... I can't give this up now. I'm sorry." He dipped his head apologetically.

Another long stretch of silence.

A clock ticks on the wall in the kitchen, and the ice maker in the fridge starts humming again. It's all so painfully domestic, painfully ordinary, it's almost an insult to the people living in this apartment facing these serious revelations all at the same time. It sure is a sharp contrast to the solemn mood settling all over everyone right now.

Rio looks deeply into Miles' eyes, then Milo's. After a while, she turns to face Jeff. "Jeff. You will not like what I'm about to say."

Jeff returns her look with one of confusion. "Honey..."

Rio shrugs, a small gesture but one that makes Miles and Milo's hearts skip a beat. "Mi vida, these are our boys. They have... this big responsibility now, to the people here in this city. Just like you. Just like me," she swallows and continues. "You and me? We've seen what Miles is capable of. Well, the both of them. And as much as it hurts, it would probably hurt even more if we kept them both back from being the heroes they need to be. What we need to do now is... we need to support them. We love them. They need us. We need them! Qué más puedo decir?" ³

Jeff looked deeply into his wife's eyes and then inhaled deeply. Not quite a sigh. That was maybe a good sign?

He stands up.

"...Boys."

The twins took their cue. They both stood up, too. Milo quickly discards his ice pack on his chair. Rio joins them, leaning on Jeff for support.

"When police officers get sworn in, they usually just have to do paperwork nowadays. Not too much of the whole bells and whistles due to high turnover rates, but tonight... if either of you want to continue to fight crime in this city, you both have to put your right hand up. Right now."

Miles could cry. Milo bit his lip to try and hide his grin, and they both dutifully raised their right hands at the same time. Jeff does the same, and reaches his left hand out to take Miles'. Rio takes Milo's.

"Pretend we are the Bible. Not paperwork. The Bible."

Both boys nod with all the seriousness they could manage, looking their father in the eyes.

"Do you solemnly swear on your mother and father's life that you will uphold the law and do right by the citizens of Brooklyn, New York, so help you God?"

"I mean... the law law? Cuz sometimes we--" Milo started, immediately earning an elbow to the side. He shut up.

"Yes, the law. I will not be having the DA of New York City up in my home lookin' for you two in case anyone gets badly hurt. I don't want him in my office, either." Jeff gives them both a look.

Miles pipes up. "Yes, we swear, so help us God."

"Milo?"

Milo nods emphatically. "Yes, I swear, so help me God."

Jeff nods once.

"Mijos. You will both be allowed to go and fight crime outside, con mi bendiciones. But. But... you will both also do it under two conditions. If either of you break my rules, you will have wished that spider never bit you," Rio glared at Miles. Then to Milo, "and you will have wished you never stole your uncle's gloves from his apartment. Got it?"

Both boys nodded, still holding onto their parents' hands.

"So, my two rules are this. Only two. Easy to remember, okay? Number one. Milo, you will take care of your brother as best as you can. Miles, you will take care of Milo as best as you can. Both of you will always be seen together when going out and doing hero things, do you understand?"

"Yes, mamí" the boys say simultaneously.

"Never, ever go out alone, ever. Neither of you will be alone for even a second, especially during the nighttime. Promise me this."

Miles puts his right hand down to take his mother's other hand in his. "Yes, mom. I promise. We both promise."

Rio bows her head. "...And as for my second rule."

"Do we have to have a curfew?" Milo asks quietly. Everyone shoots him a look again.

"No, no curfew." Before the boys could get excited, she quickly adds, "except for on school nights." They both calm back down.

"Your education is always, always more important. Don't forget this," she lets go of their hands to hold up a finger. "But as for my second rule? No more secrets between us. All of us. Okay? You tell me exactly when it is you leave to go and do what you need to do, and exactly when you come back. Promise me this, too."

This time, it was Miles' turn to start saying something dumb. "I meaann, like every single time? Cuz sometimes it's not really a one-and-done kinda thing, like a shift or--"

Everyone glares at Miles. Miles promptly shuts up.

"...Sí, mamí. Te prometemos todo eso." ⁴ Milo answers seriously.

Rio sucks in a breath. "Okay. Okay..."

She looks as if she's about to burst into tears, so everyone draws in tightly for a group hug. Rio sniffles against Milo's shoulder and Jeff leans his chin on Mile's head. Miles laughs wetly.

"Geez, y'all are crying? Man, for what? Ain't nobody dying or anything..." Milo interjects suddenly, causing the whole mood to dissipate all at once. Everyone laughs incredulously.

"Boy, if you don't know how to read a room..." Jeff starts, a warning tone laced into his playful grin.

"Man, I was just trying to lighten the mood! Damn, I mean shouldn't we be celebrating? Miles literally has super strength, you guys. Like c'mon, right? That is literally the coolest thing in the whole world!"

Rio groans, tossing her head back. "Mira esté, 'coolest thing in the whole world'... déjame agarrarte, maldito cabron..." ⁵ she mutters sarcastically, moving to grab at Milo's neck in the exact same way Miles did not even an hour earlier. He playfully dodged out of the way, putting his arms up to block, out of habit.

"Cabron?! Mom, you're so mean!" Milo complained.

"C'mere!"

Jeff leans in and interrupts their banter. "Milo. Son. You have to sit with me on the couch now, cuz we have to have a little chat about how you got your hands on those gloves, actually..." He grabs at one of Milo's arms, his smile just a tad bit too wide. Milo gulps.

Jeff continues, steering them both away from Miles and Rio. "And we also have to talk a bit about the history behind those things, too..."

Rio turns to Miles and cups his cheeks in her hands, looking into his eyes. "Do you actually, actually swear to me that you will try your hardest to stay safe?"

"Yes, mom, I do! We said it like a hundred times."

"Your father was right. Just because you have super strength now--"

"And super-healing."

Rio stares at him for a beat.

Miles squirms nervously. "...What? I do!"

"Super-healing, sure. Uh huh. If I catch you with bullet holes inside of you, I am not taking you to the ER then, Mr. Invincible."

"Ouch. Harsh."

"I warned you! I'm smiling like I'm joking but I'm really not!"

"Okay, okay, geez. C'mon, ma. It's really not that big of a deal. I don't get shot at as much as you'd think! Seriously! I'm fast. And... and I've been doing this for a while now. You have to trust me, okay?"

Rio sobered up. "I know. I know. I just... mi amor, I am your mother. I worry about you. You know... I've been taking care of my two little boys for so many years now. I just... I care about the both of you even when you two drive me completamente loca! I trust that you can both handle yourselves, I really do. It's just hard. It is. I-it'll... take some time to get used to."

Miles nodded. "Growing up is tough. I get it."

Rio smacked him on the shoulder.

"Ow! What, it's true! We're all growing up right now, I'm not a little kid anymore and... and you're not the mom of two little kids now. It's just... it's a transitional period! Life's tough!" Miles shrugs, smiling warmly.

Rio smirked, crossing her arms. "Uh huh. It sure is."

Then, she opened her arms for another hug from Miles, which he happily returned.

"I mean it, Miles. Whatever happens, I want you to keep yourselves safe. And ask for help. Papí, your father is a police officer. And whatever you need, whatever you need... I'm here, too."

Miles beamed at his mother with tears in his eyes.

"I know, mom. Thank you."

☆ translations:

¹ "my god, i'm going to die."

² "god, grant me patience, fuck!"

³ "what more can i say?"

⁴ "yes, mom. we promise you all of that."

⁵ "Lookit this guy, 'coolest thing in the whole world'... lemme get my hands on you, fucking bastard..."

#mine #miles morales #miles g morales #spiderverse #i'm getting soft..... deadass tearing up at the end while writing and editing GOD how embarassing #ugh anyways #hope all that wasn't like ooc or anything #i know miles will eventually have to reveal his identity in btsv so i'm not even going to attempt to imagine that #but writing TWO hero identities getting revealed was actually more fun than i imagined #also did yall like the movie lines i slipped in there? ahaha #yes i HAD to make miles' speech mirror gwen's cuz... well yeah #they're both spiderpeople and so they obvi mirror each other in a lot of ways #esp cuz they both have/had cop dads #so anyways hope yall enjoyed this one :) #will i write more after this? who knows #i MAY have more hc posts up my sleeve for the future but We Shall See #oh yeah also the aesthetic pics used as dividers in both posts are not mine ofc #i mostly found them trawling thru pinterest and tumblr 🤙 #thx 4 reading ♡

[damnprecious]

Fun cha cha cha fact: the song was played during a break in a NHL playoff game between Dallas Stars (a team with like five finns and green jerseys) and Seattle Kraken

There's a clip of it on this Yle article, not sure if it can be viewed outside of Finland

#käärijä #finland #ice hockey #esc23 #I know I know I know we don't care about sports on tumblr dot com #but I wanted to share some fun news amongst the shitshow that the aftermath has turned into #I mean it wouldn't surprise me if some nhl team had played finnish music before #but our green boi really do be spreading the joy that is cha cha cha #that one kraken fan in the bleachers seems to be enjoying it and I'm so here for it #disclaimer: my knowledge of nhl comes from casually reading about the finnish players #and hoping that a team with at least one finn wins the stanley cup #and from bardown quizzes as well as weird nhl clips #bc those are amusing to watch #the fact that dallas has green jerseys and they're out there cha cha cha'ing brings me joy

[testing-reblogs]

@galactikburzt hey thanks for letting me draw Apollo!!! I enjoy the : ))

#ah hi if ur reading this was that anon i couldn't resist the urge to ask any longer like #designs that are literally so cool and awesome actually #i also really like shelly and houstons designs they're silly :) #i think Apollo is awesome especially the colors and outfit it literally looks so comfy #the pops of yellow are so nice it looks so good with the purple like oufhhh /pos #this is slowly turning into me just rambling about how cool i think Apollo is I cant help it im the yapper #my oc has a similar eye to Apollo actually like the bright yellow and the moon pupil #it was completely on accident but i think its a cool coincidence :3 #this might be a tag jumpscare i simply do not stop talking but anyways i hope u like it !!!! #somehow this broke through my artblock because drawing this was actually really fun

[what-am-i-doing-in-this-fandom]

First fanart I've ever done for a fic X3

PLEASE GO READ IT, it's SO good

(^^ that's the link :D )

[It's a Glacier fic set in the Hogwarts universe- it's beyond good- it's amazing- it's worth the read <33]

#the author is so nice too X3c #can't get over my interactions with them- they're too sweet #author- if you're seeing this- ily and i hope you like it <333 #the chairs were a nightmare but they don't even come close to the background- i struggled so bad just for it to come out like that 😭 #cole's art #lego ninjago cole #yeah... #zane ninjago #albino zane #my mind #valentines #yeah valentines art in october- what about it??? #lego ninjago #fic rec #fic art #the serotonin and anxiety drawing this gave me is actually a bit insane #10/10 would draw fanart of someone's fic again- this was so fun #Hufflepuff Cole #Ravenclaw Zane #admittedly i have only read the first book and watched the first movie so i'm not really the biggest hp fan #but the fic is SO amazing- you barely even notice it's set in the universe #glaciershipping #how did i almost forget that 💀 #zane x cole

[welcometogrouchland]

Stories abt teenage girls who are unabashedly cringey but still treated seriously as the hero of their stories and given depth and nuance by the narrative I am kissing you on the mouth

#ramblings of a lunatic #this post was inspired by ppl talking abt how lumity is literally a couple comprised of two teenage nd girls #who write like fanfic abt their favourite shitty ya series together. #and how it doesn't make a big deal out of it like. this is just how gay little teenage girls behave #and they're so true and correct but thinking abt luz got me thinking abt my childhood love of the first vol of ms marvel #(i never read past the first cause i pirated it off janky websites as an 11 yr old jdbsjfn( #and literally they come out the gate in that series with kamala as the epitome of a cringey fandom obsessed teen girl #and then they go all in on still letting her be a hero without sacrificing those traits #I'm forgetting other examples of stories w/ this rn (turning red comes to mind??) #and I know these are all series targeted at like a teen girl audience but a) i am a teen girl and b) bitch they need it. badly! #no more being 'that girl'! embrace the urge to be weird and off putting but happy! and still be given depth and love by the narrative! #(also. fellow audio drama enjoyers. antigne fun is just a toned down 35 yr old version of this. y/n?) #(also i took some letters out of her name in the hope that keeps it from showing up in tags cause while this feels okay to post- #-in the tags of the other examples mentioned i felt a bit bad abt putting it in the wo tag lol) #anyway yeah. literally this genre is braver than any us marine

[tickle-bugs]

I’m So Down

Summary: Steve picks up Robin’s doodling habit and shares it with Eddie. Pretty soon, they become each other’s favorite canvases. Loose sequel to Summer Lovin’ but set a while after. (Once again reminding everyone that I have seen ZERO episodes of stranger things and am therefore not liable for ooc content thank u enjoy)

Word count: 4.4k + author’s note at the end!

“You’re staring, Harrington.” Eddie grins. “A picture will last you longer.”

“Maybe I just like staring at you,” Steve fires back, a dorky smile pulling at the corner of his lips. 

“I bet you say that to all the girls.” Eddie presses a dramatic hand to his heart and flutters his lashes. 

“Nah. Just the pretty ones.” Steve kisses the corner of his mouth. Eddie’s quietly stunned for a moment, and it’s always a win to see him even a little flustered. 

“Be still, my beating heart.” Eddie shifts his arm off the back of the couch and drops it properly across Steve’s shoulders. He plays with the ends of Steve’s hair and finally pulls his eyes back to the TV. Steve indulges himself in more staring.

Eddie’s…nice. That’s an oversimplification—he’s nice to look at, to be around, to feel and enjoy. If the relief of a cool breeze, the fizz of fresh pop, and the glittering joy of sparklers could be bottled into a person, Eddie’s it. But, like, if the bottle were spiky and leather and metal as hell. Steve’s still learning about what does or doesn’t define something as metal, but he feels pretty good about this one. 

Of course Eddie’s metal. Of course he is. It’s not a question. Everything that they’ve been through both together and apart is all the evidence necessary. But in these moments where he isn’t, where Steve’s curled into his side and they’re sharing a blanket that’s fraying with love at the edges, Eddie’s gentle and tender and humming under his breath. His black-polished fingers pluck at Steve’s bicep like the fretboard of his guitar. An ostensibly metal package for beautiful contents. Pretty.

“Now you’re ogling.” Eddie rolls his head to the side and raises his eyebrows suggestively. He runs his tongue along his canines idly. It shouldn’t be as distracting as it is.  

“Your tattoos.” Steve dips his head in acknowledgment. 

“What about ‘em?” Eddie shifts to better face him. 

“They’re nice. They suit you.” Steve brushes his fingers over the bats on Eddie’s forearm. Eddie rolls over onto his stomach and props his chin in his hands, kicking his legs like a girl at a sleepover, and Steve can’t help but smile. 

“Well, don’t stop there. Flattery is smiled upon.” Eddie army-crawls across the couch until he can lean up into Steve’s personal space. His nose crinkles around his teasing grin. 

“Stop,” Steve laughs, clasping a hand around Eddie’s face like a catcher’s glove and pushing him back. Eddie, of course, responds with dignity and grace—he licks Steve’s hand. 

“Dude, ew!” Steve wipes his palm on his jeans. Eddie makes his little devil face and hisses, but the sound falls apart into a sparkling laugh before he can finish. He rolls over and deposits his head into Steve’s lap, folding his arms behind his head. 

The ambient crackle of the TV filters back in, busted speakers relaying maybe 70% of The Goonies as it plays. It’s better than nothing, though—Eddie loves this movie. He shakes both their bodies with his laughter, as if everything is bright and novel. 

“What did it feel like to get these?” Steve’s fingers wander Eddie’s arms, poking at the tattoos he can reach. Robin’s been bugging Steve about inking him ever since she figured out how to stick and poke. She draws on him a lot while they talk sometimes, like a fidget or a stim, and the urge must have surpassed temporary art. Eddie’s got a couple of these too—they’re thinner and a little shakier than his professional ones. The small triangle inked between Eddie’s fingers pulls tight on his heartstrings. He’d never noticed it. 

“Like needles in my skin. What’s gotten into you, Harrington?” Eddie pushes himself up on his elbows. His hair falls away from his shoulders, revealing the gentle curve of his neck to the light. 

“Can I give you one?” Steve gets it now. The doodling thing. He’s never been much of an artist but there’s a perfect spot on Eddie’s neck that he fixates on. He’s honestly surprised doesn’t have ink there already. 

“Elaborate.” Eddie squishes Steve’s face and pulls it down towards him. Steve smacks his hands away but doesn’t retreat. 

“You never drew fake tattoos on people growing up?” Steve immediately rethinks the question when Eddie makes a face. “Robin and I do it sometimes. It’s fun.” 

“I think I’m already pretty equipped in the tattoo department.” Eddie pulls at the collar of his shirt for emphasis. His black widow tattoo catches a glimpse of the outside world. 

“Okay, but do you have one of my tattoos?” Steve’s really overselling his abilities here, but there’s no use turning back. Eddie stares at him for a while, just blinking, and then he chuckles. 

“Fine.” He slaps his legs and heaves a labored sigh. “Where do you want me?” 

….

Eddie shivers pretty frequently while he draws, but Steve doesn’t think much of it—some part of Eddie’s always in motion. His legs and fingers shake and tap at all times, even with his head pillowed on Steve’s lap. The Goonies has long since been swapped for The Evil Dead and it’s thus far distracted Eddie wonderfully. Steve’s not a horror guy by any stretch, but the movie has a lot of charm. He digs it. 

He starts coloring in what he’s working on as Ash and Cheryl duke it out. Eddie gasps, and not at the movie. 

“Steve,” Eddie mumbles, scrunching a little. Steve immediately retracts his hand. 

“You okay?” Steve grips his shoulder. Eddie peeks up at him, something unreadable in his big eyes. 

“I…yeah, nevermind.“ He’s suddenly very red. And weirdly quiet. 

“Are you sure?” Steve cards his hands through Eddie’s hair as best as he can. He shivers and hums into the touch. 

“Yes, Your Highness.” Eddie flourishes into a dramatic bow. Steve rolls his eyes and goes back to doodling. Eddie continues to twitch. Every time Steve checks on him, he gets the finger in return. There’s a cagey quality to it, like he’s equally embarrassed and bursting-at-the-seams about something, and for the love of Christ can’t he just spit it out?

“Munson, I can hear your brain sizzling. What is it?” Steve tugs on Eddie’s earlobe. Eddie bites at his fingers.

“Don’t worry your pretty head about it. Keep going.” He settles back down, eyes stubbornly forward. When Steve doesn’t immediately continue, he gets an exaggerated wave of the hand that gets more and more aggressive until the marker touches back down. Eddie keeps shivering, keeps murmuring, but remains still.

It isn’t until Steve leans down to Eddie’s neck and blows to dry the ink that he understands.

Eddie squeaks. That’s absolutely the noise, like stepping on an old dog toy that’s seen a few storms. He turns towards Steve with comically large eyes. 

“Oh.” Steve blinks, then smirks. “Ohhh. Forgot you were ticklish. Sorry.” 

“You done?” Eddie’s scowling with no real heat, still red. Adorable. The twitching and deflection suddenly make so much more sense, all of it stupidly endearing. Flustered is a good color on him. 

“Not yet. Finishing touches.” Steve kinda means it. He’s proud of his drawing, actually—he’s got a pretty damn good copy of Eddie’s guitar printed on his neck. It could be done. But then he’d be done. And that’s unconscionable. 

Steve brings the marker back down with fast, feather-light strokes and Eddie dissolves. 

He clenches his fists and waves them around like a kid having a tantrum at Scoops. He’s a firework of frenetic laughter, exploding in an instant and sparkling afterwards with waves of building giggles. It’s like his body had been waiting for this moment to release all the laughter he’d been holding back, and it washes him away. 

“Stop squirming!” Steve’s more amused than anything. For all his flailing, Eddie’s mostly stationary. 

“It tihihickles!” Eddie gigglesnorts and buries his face in his hands. Five feet ten inches of allegedly-intimidating metalhead and he’s a frizzy pile in Steve’s lap. Steve’s never gonna forget that Eddie snorts for as long as he lives. He’s prepared to chase that sound for the rest of his life. 

“Well, stop squirming and it won’t tickle!” Steve mockingly gasps, as if this is an epiphany they should be sharing together. 

“Oh, I’m so gonna kihihill you!” Eddie’s nose and eyes scrunch as his dazzling smile takes the forefront. He points a threatening finger at Steve, dimple on proud display. 

“Almost done,” Steve hums, drawing lightning bolts crashing behind the guitar. Eddie wails like a broken siren and Steve cracks into snickers at the sound. 

“You are cruel,” Eddie whines, laughter still bubbling out. 

“The cruelest. Tap out if you need to. I’m finishing this sucker.” Steve rests Eddie’s hand on his thigh, threads his fingers into his hair, and pushes his head back down. It looks a little silly, like he’s forcing him to take a nap, but getting Eddie to stay still in any capacity is always an ordeal. 

With Eddie’s beautiful laugh filling the room, it doesn’t take long before Steve’s abandoning his task, tickling up and under his shirt until they’re both flying off the couch into a proper scuffle, then into something much more fun. 

...........................

“This is sick.” Eddie turns in the mirror and grins. The fretboard of the guitar ends in wicked points just behind his ear. It rests eternally within an open coffin, surrounded by thorny roses that are starting to look more like cinnamon buns the longer they’re in the light. A swarm of bats reigns over the whole affair, hanging out in the sky with the best lightning bolt Steve’s ever drawn. There’s a newly-blooming hickey right below it, but neither of them acknowledge it. 

“Yeah?” Steve leans his hip against the wall and crosses his arms. 

“Yeah. Definitely the first time a tattoo almost cost me my life, but it’s worth it.” Eddie pulls his hair away from his neck to get a better look. He’s still flushed a pretty pink and smiles come to him easily. Just like Eddie to be so full of color and life with such a dark wardrobe. 

“Want me to help you get it off?” Steve pats his pockets and finds a crumpled tissue. It’s unused, but the state of it makes him subconsciously start building a case for where it’s been. 

“So forward, Stevie. I thought you were a gentleman.” Eddie makes eye contact in the mirror, then looks over his shoulder to make it in three-dimensions, leaning back until his gaze peeks through his lashes. 

“If you keep this up, I won’t be,” Steve mutters, pulling Eddie closer by the belt loops. He wraps his arms around his waist from behind and Eddie squeezes his hand. Something giddy flutters within Steve. 

“Promise?” Eddie grabs his chin and tilts it toward him. His thumb brushes over Steve’s bottom lip. 

The kiss that Steve answers with has everything but decorum. 

Naturally, Steve doesn’t know how to behave when Eddie gets his stupid little drawing permanently tattooed. The artist added some fun detailing to the piece that makes Steve almost incapable of believing it was ever his drawing at all—the coffin has a velvet lining now and the guitar has some gorgeous shading, but it’s still unmistakably Steve’s. Now Eddie’s. Permanently. 

“Are you sure?” Steve haunts the door to the trailer in case he needs to flee. The other shoe should be dropping any second now, but all he’s getting from Eddie is an amused stare. 

“Oh, my bad. Let me go get this un-tattooed.” Eddie rolls his eyes and sheds his jacket. Steve worries at his bottom lip and stares at the tattoo. He does see something he doesn’t like. Above the art, Eddie’s added a banner that says ‘The Banished’. Steve scowls. 

“If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have it. Quit worrying, you’ll wrinkle.” Eddie pokes Steve’s nose and pops his bubble of disapproval. Steve smacks his hand away, but not without a smile. 

“It looks really good on you.” Steve traces Eddie’s jaw with his fingers, tilting it to get a better look. 

“Yeah?” Eddie pauses, his voice wavering with something fragile and genuine. “…I was worried you’d think it’s weird. I know I didn’t tell you.”

Steve leans in and kisses him sweetly. The way Eddie melts into him will never get old. 

“I love it...but it’s missing something.” Steve snags the marker off the coffee table. Eddie immediately holds his hands out with a goofy smile, excuses spilling from his lips, but Steve slides into his space unchallenged. 

Fending off ring-clad hands from covering this apparently very ticklish spot, which he notes, Steve draws in another banner below the coffin that reads ‘The Brave’. Eddie gets it added as soon as the tattoo heals. 

It becomes their ritual. Steve goes to work and stashes a movie or two under the counter, Eddie comes in and rents them, and they spend their nights in the trailer with good films and good company. Using each other as canvases isn’t always on the agenda, but when it is, it’s an event.

Steve becomes the proud artist of Eddie’s new Lord of the Rings forearm tattoo, though he gets assigned the entire series as required reading before Eddie agrees to get it inked. Eddie’s love for the books is a blessing, however, because he’s more than keen to read the grand passages aloud at literally any moment. The Tree of Gondor is his reward, and Eddie’s tattoo guy turning it into the pommel of an amazing rendition of Narsil, the blade realistically sharp, is a bonus. 

Post-Narsil, Eddie suggests they take turns. He’s apparently caught the doodle bug and Robin has to have something to do with it—she’s been bugging Steve less and less about being her practice dummy. She actually joins them once or twice. But mostly it’s Steve and Eddie watching half a movie, then losing the other half under murmured conversations and drawing on one another. 

Tonight, though, Rocky Horror is watching them.

“Harrington, sweetheart, if you keep scrunching, I’m going to draw dicks on your face.” Eddie doesn’t look up from where he’s perched over Steve like a goblin. His legs hang off the couch in a way that can’t be comfortable and his face is pinched in concentration mere inches from Steve’s stomach. Steve’s shirt has long since been abandoned. 

He doesn’t dignify Eddie with an answer and tries to focus on Tim Curry’s crooning. Eddie’s singing along under his breath, occasionally breaking into louder sustained notes. He squeezes Steve’s thigh when he does this and Steve jumps every time.

Eddie slides to the floor between Steve’s legs and his brain goes places that he isn’t prepared for. Eddie must see something in Steve’s eyes because he leans forward, hands roaming up as he does. Steve’s already there to meet him. Eddie tugs on his bottom lip with his teeth and lets go, leaving their lips to brush, the fuckin’ tease. Eddie’s hands wander back down while he hovers just out of reach. Steve keens closer—

Eddie yanks him forward by the ankle. Steve’s head pomfs into the back of the couch and he groans. Eddie outright cackles. 

“Why?” Steve doesn’t whine, he doesn’t. 

“You should’ve seen your face, holy shit,” Eddie wheezes, melting into Steve’s lap as his shoulders shake. Steve rolls his eyes and moves to stand. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Eddie splays his fingertips across Steve’s stomach and wiggles them ever so slightly. 

Steve releases a strangled laugh, jerking his knees just shy of Eddie’s chin. He manages to get a half-baked apology past the barricade of giggles building in his lungs. 

“Last warning. Stop moving.” Eddie raises his eyebrow in a silent challenge. He pins him back with a strong hand to the chest, bars his other forearm across Steve’s thighs, and gets back to drawing. 

To his credit, Steve lasts a full ten seconds before he starts twitching again, biting the inside of his cheek to quell the laughter bubbling in his chest. The feeling of the marker on his skin is starting to drive him insane. 

“Seriously?” Eddie’s exasperation being as funny as it is doesn’t help anything. 

“Pick somewhere else?” He wishes he at least sounded like he means it. 

“Oh no, nonono, it’s my turn. The dice chose our fate, we cannot abandon it now.” Eddie gestures to his jet black d20 on the table, still sitting pretty on a big 17. 17: pantline/hips. 

Rolling for tattoo spots was a new invention, but it certainly became law a little quick for Steve’s taste. Though, that’s what he gets for dating a guy who threatens his dice and their families before he rolls them. 

“I’ll pick a different spot.” Eddie starts to get up, a poorly-concealed note of disappointment in his voice. Steve makes a vague noise of protest. When Eddie ignores him, he pulls him back by the wrist. 

“I’ll be fine.” Steve frowns. It takes some bickering before Eddie sits back down again, but with a quick kiss and some well-timed flattery, they’re back in business. 

He does last longer this time. He muffles the snickers that do sneak up on him into his fist. He’s doing alright, watching the movie over Eddie’s mop of curls, but then Eddie’s licking his finger and swiping at the art, trying to clean up a line, and a laugh bursts out before he can catch it. Eddie looks up at him with an irritated twitch of his lip. 

“I’m sorry, it—“ 

“Tickles?” Eddie’s annoyance evaporates, all an act, and gets replaced by a wild grin. Steve realizes what he’s doing, the fucking longest con of all time—

“Don’t—“

“Well, then—“ Eddie cackles in triumph. 

“Don’t you dare—“ Steve hits him with a pillow. 

“—Stop squirming and it won’t tickle,” Eddie finishes, doing a terrible, nasally mockery of Steve’s voice. He laughs and dodges Steve’s next pillow swing, squeezing at his waistline until he drops his weapon and wheezes a surrender. 

“You suck.” Steve curls, his skin buzzing under Eddie’s still fingers. 

“You love it.” Eddie pokes again for good measure. “Now are we doing this the easy way, or the hard way?” He pulls the cap off the marker with his teeth, twirling it like a drumstick. Steve sticks his tongue out. 

“Fun way it is.” Eddie’s grin is just a little feral. Steve swallows nervously. 

Steve has fought all manner of monsters. He’s watched a child explode things with her mind. He’s been through hell and back more than once. All his battle-hardened bravery flies out the window when Eddie goes back in to draw. Not because he’s doodling on Steve’s skin, nono, because when his other hand isn’t occupied with holding his canvas still, it’s actively tickling him. 

“Asshole!” Steve shrieks, burying his face in his hands. He fights the urge to tangle his fingers in his hair.

“Not sure what you mean, Stevie,” Eddie singsongs, pinching at the underside of his knee, the perfect picture of innocence. He’s a fucking menace is what he is, and Steve’s gonna absolutely ruin him once they’re done. 

Steve’s pretty sure his life flashes before his eyes at one point and Eddie must see it, because he murmurs an amused “hang in there, cupcake” and lays off his bullying. But he’s still doodling, and Steve’s far past any measure of pretending he’s composed. 

“Et voilá! Another masterpiece complete.” Eddie pops up nearly 30 breathless minutes later with a victorious flourish. Steve’s chest has a faint, dull ache and his cheeks hurt from smiling, but he does it anyway when he catches sight of Eddie’s gleaming eyes. 

Eddie’s drawn a spiked bat on his hipbone—Ah, that explains the maddening bunch of circles that he drew at the last minute there. An impressive crown rests at an angle on the bat. On the other hip, Eddie’s loopy, geometric autograph curves along his waistband, a little bat dotting the ‘i’. 

“Where are the makeup wipes?” Eddie scrounges through Mt. Stuff on the coffee table, to no avail. He starts to scurry off to his bedroom but Steve grabs his wrist. 

“Don’t bother. I wanna keep ‘em.” Steve traces over Eddie’s signature with his finger. Following the loops is oddly satisfying. 

“Okay. Just don’t do anything stupid.” Eddie sticks his hands in his pockets. 

“Like what?”

“Like get that shit tattooed. Those things are permanent, y'know. Don’t let the troubled youths lead you astray.” Eddie shrugs back on his melodrama like an old, familiar coat. 

“Or what? You’ll ground me?” Steve crosses his arms. 

“It’s not a good idea,” Eddie scoffs, flopping back onto the couch. Something cold and distant settles over his demeanor as he fiddles with his rings.

“Elaborate.” Steve pats Eddie’s cheek until he graces him with eye contact. 

“Ah, he’s learned new words. Henderson teach you that one?” Eddie’s eyelids lower as he snarks, lashing out at nothing at all. He gets like this sometimes, like a storm that’s all thunder and no rain. He’s always on the defensive. 

“You did, actually. What’s got your boxers in a twist?” Steve knocks their legs together. Eddie turns to face him. Steve catches the precise moment that he bites back an innuendo. 

“Tattoos are permanent.” Eddie speaks slowly, as if explaining this to a child. Steve scowls. 

“Yes, we covered this. Quit being a smartass.” Steve pinches his arm hard. Eddie hisses out an apology and backtracks. 

“Rule number one is to never get a tattoo you’ll regret. You’re playing with fire here.” Eddie scribbles at the doodles he’s made and Steve flinches with a huff. 

“I don’t regret them.”

“Yeah, now you don’t. It’s later that I’m worried about. Like when I finally do something to scare you away, but then you still have to look at my name on your skin.“ Eddie hitches his knee up and sinks deeper into the couch. 

“You won’t scare me away, man. I’d literally never get tired of you.“ Steve furrows his brow. How is this even a hypothetical? He loves spending time with Eddie. He loves Eddie. 

Woah, new development. But a good one. 

“Okay, well, in a few years those words are gonna bite you in the ass and you’ll have to get a very creative cover up.” Eddie’s eyebrows lift as he scoffs, picking at the denim on his knee. Steve briefly wonders what or who might be hiding under his tattoos. 

“Alright, this doesn’t seem to be piercing your thick skull.” Steve cradles Eddie’s face in his hands. “I will never get tired of you. Not now, not in a year, not in a hundred.”

“Not even in death?” Eddie’s being dramatic now, taking the low-hanging petulant fruit, and Steve indulges him.

“I’d be honored if you haunted me.” Steve kisses his forehead as tender as he can manage, lingering there until he can feel it sink through to Eddie’s brain.

“Anyone ever tell you you’re a romantic, Harrington?” Eddie gazes at him, content to be held. 

“Once or twice.” Steve shrugs. Eddie pulls him forward by the front of his shirt for a kiss, and Steve’s arms wrap around his shoulders where they’re meant to be.

...............................................

“You’re staring, Munson.” Steve grins when Eddie freezes in his peripheral. He’s not exactly innocent here, he is wearing Eddie’s vest and only his vest, but it’s hot out and that seems like enough justification. Not like Eddie’s helping—his hair’s pulled back, bangs hanging in his eyes, and the ponytail is unfairly mesmerizing. 

“You’re distracting, sue me.” Eddie pulls Steve closer a little roughly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

“I can’t believe you did this.” Eddie wriggles a nail over his autograph, now permanently etched on Steve’s skin. He immediately squirms away with a huff. 

Robin finally got her wish. It was an ordeal that took all fucking day, but letting her give him a stick and poke meant snacks, good company, and free ink. The only tax he had to pay was listening to Robin gag the entire time over Steve wanting Eddie’s name on his skin. As if it wasn’t a relatively small tattoo. 

“Yeah, well, I thought it’d be nice to have something in common besides this.” He gestures to the rough plane of his demobat scars. “Plus, maybe I’ll finally be promoted to Corroded Coffin’s number one groupie.”

“Throw your bra on stage, then we’ll talk,” Eddie laughs, jostling their shoulders together.  

“So you’re saying there’s a chance.” Steve leans in close, grinning, and Eddie shoves him away.

“You’re fuckin’ ridiculous.” Eddie bites his lip on a silly smile. 

“You’re just scared you’d see me shirtless and I’d be irresistible.” Steve folds his arms behind his head and kicks his feet onto the coffee table. 

“I’ve already seen you shirtless, so check that off the list,” Eddie hums, leaning his head on Steve’s shoulder. 

“Then my work here is done.” Steve brushes his hands together and stands. Eddie grabs him by the waist and pulls him back down into a giggling heap. They roll around a little, Eddie managing to get Steve in a headlock and Steve managing to ruthlessly tickle until Eddie releases him. They land in a heap, legs entangled, and Eddie just gazes at him. 

“I’m glad I got stuck on you, Stevie,” Eddie whispers, brushing his thumb over Steve’s cheek. The way Eddie looks at him is sometimes terrifying, the consumption of it all. As if Steve hung the moon and stars. And he would in a heartbeat if Eddie asked. But he hasn’t, and he’ll never ask, and it’s dizzying to be cared for so unconditionally by someone who deserves it all. 

“Me too.” Steve shimmies underneath Eddie a bit. “I love you.”

Eddie beams like the sun, warm and beautiful and unmoving. He brings his hand to his mouth, thumb fiddling with his teeth as he lights the room with that smile. 

“I love you too.” His voice cracks with emotion around the edges. His eyes glitter like river stones with unshed tears. Steve holds him steady, holds him close, and resolves to never let go. Even when Eddie gets snot on Steve’s shoulder. 

When Eddie shows up a few weeks later with ‘Steve’ tattooed on his chest across a heart pierced by an arrow, Steve chases him around the trailer with a pillow until Eddie’s cackling through an apology. It’s the sweetest, craziest thing anyone’s ever done for him and he doesn’t care if it makes him a hypocrite, tattoos are permanent and Eddie’s an idiot. 

But, just like Steve, Eddie doesn’t regret a thing. 

....

A/N: Normally I don’t do these but I had some little things I wanted to geek out over:

- this was originally a 10k-ish fic that i squeezed down like an orange so apologies if anything felt weird or squished! Realized I do NOT know how to write Robin, Dustin, or Nancy lol. 

- I imagine that Eddie is wearing Steve’s yellow sweater in this. It makes me happy. 

- Get tattoos of anything you want, I’m not the tattoo police, but Eddie has a point: generally not a good idea to get tattoos of anything you might regret down the line. Shit can get expensive. I know so many people who got Game of Thrones and Harry Potter coverups, also people who got tattoos for people who are now not their friends/their exes. Be smart and take care of your tattoos! <3

- Eddie’s signature looks a lot like Ozzy Ozbourne’s! He’s practiced it for years and loves getting to sign stuff at Corroded Coffin concerts (though it’s usually just Steve, Dustin, and Robin heckling him while Will and Mike ask genuinely)

- You will pry Eddie giving Steve pet names, not limited to be including Stevie, sweetheart, babe, princess, pretty boy, etc from my cold, dead hands. 

- Eddie gives me the vibe of someone who’d want a tattoo sleeve or even two, and I like to think the Narsil tattoo starts a Lord of the Rings one for him :)

- this concept is based on something I used to do with friends IRL in high school! We usually only did like hands/arms/ankles and I was voted out as a canvas bc I was too squirmy :/

#my fics #bug’s greatest hits #stranger things #steddie #steveddie #ticklish!eddie munson #ticklish!steve harrington #steve harrington #eddie munson #i think i got maybe a 10% better read on their characters between this time and last time!! #this is all over the place and mostly self indulgent but I do really enjoy writing them. they're fun. #anywho i hope y'all enjoy!! #they kiss So Much in this but you can't tell me they're not like that

[solradguy]

transphobes suddenly think they become loremastersTM when they have opinions on bridget because they parrot some misconstrued lore but when you ask them how do you block an overhead they’re like i don’t really interact with the community so i don’t know the language :/

No way are people STILL arguing that Bridget isn't trans MONTHS after Daisuke Ishiwatari himself wrote bilingual (trilingual..? do they post the devlogs in Korean..?) statements in clear as hell writing about how she's a trans woman??? Seriously???????

I remember when she was first released and suddenly everyone was N1 turbo master level at Japanese language and culture too lol

"Well Ackshually the 9th reading on this kanji that I looked up just now on Jisho that only shows up in Arcade Ending B in one line invalidates ur point" <- only knows the の hiragana because of memes

#asks #transphobia cw #There were so many people getting 男の子 and 男の娘 mixed up (they have the same readings) and it was very obvious- #-that not a single one of them had any idea what they were on about lol #What was really especially funny about the whole thing were the Americans that were like 'Japanese people are VERY upset about this' #But then all of my Japanese mutuals and their friends and people I found in searches were just like #'Oh cool I love her new design. She's very cute and I hope her playstyle is fun' #Like there were a couple actually Japanese people that were annoyed about it but they definitely seemed like the minority #I saw more Japanese people complaining about the Americans whining about Bridget & spamming tags than any other criticism hahaha #I'm American but the Bridget Event™️ really opened my eyes to just how much (some) Americans think they're the center of the world