#in my heart Eddie survived but this scene wouldn’t leave me alone

[j2h5b5]

There was only one thing that could have dragged Steve out of bed at two in the morning when he was nursing a booze-induced headache and an Eddie Munson-induced heartache.

“We need you,” she said.

He didn’t even bother putting on a jacket.

***

Dustin was sloppy, red-eyed and so unsteady that when Steve thunked a strong hand down on his shoulder, he almost lost his balance turning away from the group of asshats he’d taken up with to see who had grabbed him. Some of the drink in his hand sloshed over the sides of the cup and dribbled down the front of his shirt and onto the already filthy kitchen floor.

“Hey, what the—” he began, and then he dragged his gaze up to land on Steve.

There was a time, not so very long ago, when those same eyes would’ve lit up at the sight of his babysitter slash idol slash best friend. He would wrap him in a hug if it had been a day or two since he’d seen him, or sling a companionable arm around him, or punch him good-naturedly in the arm in hopes of initiating a play scuffle, which inevitably ended with him in a headlock getting his mop of curls aggressively tousled because he was just never going to have any kind of athletic edge on Steve.

But now.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” the younger boy asked in a tone so sharp and cold and so very NOT-Dustin that it made Steve’s heart squeeze painfully in his chest.

“Hey, man,” Steve said, aiming for casual if only to keep Dustin from embarrassing himself in front of his new asshat friends. “Can I talk to you? Step outside with me for a sec, okay?”

“Um, no,” Dustin bit out. “This’s my party, i'ss my house. It would be rude to leave my guests.”

“Yeah, since you brought that up … who are these people?” Steve swept his gaze over the Henderson kitchen, which was almost unrecognizable with all of the clutter, displaced furniture, and wasted teenagers. “And Dustin … where’s your mom?”

“Not here.”

“Well yeah, I kind of gathered that. Listen, Dust…”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Are the others here?”

“Oh, you mean the traitors who called and ratted me out to YOU? Who the fuck cares?” His voice lowered to what he seemed to think was a conspiratorial level but was really just an extremely loud stage whisper. “Maybe they tripped and fell and landed their buzzkill asses back in the Upside Down.”

“Okay, that’s it.”

Before Dustin could protest, the cup was plucked from his hand and tossed expertly across the room, over the heads of several unwary drunken youths and into the crusty-dish-crowded sink and he was being towed along behind Steve through the kitchen, the living room, out the front door.

“What the fuck, Harrington? Let go of me! Let go!” Dustin struggled against the vise grip on his bicep but only succeeded in ensuring he’d probably have finger-shaped bruises there tomorrow.

Steve paid him no mind until he had deposited the boy into the passenger seat of his car, slammed the door, and locked it. Then he walked around to the driver’s side, unlocked it only long enough to get in, relocked it, and turned to Dustin.

“First of all,” he began loudly, drowning out Dustin’s sputtering attempts to find the words he wanted to hurl at Steve in his outrage at being manhandled out of his own party. “First of all. Joking about the Upside Down in a room full of strangers? NOT OKAY.”

“They don’t even know what—”

“Not. Fucking. Okay. SECOND, if you ever imply again that one of ours should BE in the Upside Down, you will find yourself with my foot so far up your ass you’ll choke on my shoe, and if you think I’m joking about that, Dustin, try me.”

This time there was only an eye-roll from Dustin, because he kind of didn’t want to try Steve on that point and because he kind of felt bad about saying it.

“Third, your friends are not traitors. They care about you and they’re worried about you; they called me for help because you’re treating them like shit and shut down every attempt they make to help you. Listen, I know I’m not your favorite person right now, Dustin, but you have to let someone help you. You’re not okay, buddy. This isn’t you. And all this shit you’re doing, the drinking and the partying and the pretending not to give a damn? It isn’t going to fix anything. It … it won’t bring him back.”

“Shut up!” Dustin shouted, flinching so hard at the words that he smacked the back of his head against the side window. Steve winced at the sound of skull meeting glass and resisted the urge to reach out and check for blood, or a bump. Dustin seemed not to have noticed that he’d nearly brained himself, infusing his next words with all the venom he could muster. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, Steve. Even if you were right, it’s none of your business what I do! I am none of your business.”

“Don’t say shit like that, Dustin. Of course you’re my business.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah! What are you saying?”

Dustin barked out a humorless laugh. “As much as I’d like to sit here with you and have a heart to heart right now, I have to get back to my guests.”

“No,” Steve snapped, reaching over Dustin to slap down the peg lock when the teen yanked it up. “We’re not done here. Now I can go inside and clear out your house and we can talk there, or you can drop the bullshit and talk to me right now.”

“You’re not shutting down my party.”

“Then we talk here.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Right, sure you don’t. Maybe I can give you some words, then. How about this, Dustin? How about: ‘Hey, Steve, you useless idiot loser, you promised to keep us safe and then you fucked it all up like you always do. The plan didn’t work and Max got hurt and Eddie fucking died, and you couldn’t stop it. I hate you for that, for lying and making us feel safe and telling us it was going to be okay. I can’t even look at you anymore and I hate my friends because they don’t hate you for some reason, but we know, don’t we? We know whose fault it is that we came back a man short. It’s yours, Steve. Yours.’” Steve’s voice was cracked and painful, like he’d been eating gravel and chasing it with cheap whisky and cigarettes. It hurt, that voice. “How’s that, Dust?” he finished, staring unflinching into Dustin’s shocked eyes. “Am I in the ballpark?”

Before Steve could react, Dustin unlocked his door and flung himself out of the car. He was drunk and it was dark, though, and he only made it a few yards before tripping and landing hard on the grass. Steve was on him almost instantly, hauling him up by the arms and scanning him for injuries.

He didn’t see the punch coming, wouldn’t have believed Dustin Henderson capable of such an effective hit, right in the mouth, knocking him back a couple of feet. “Jesus, Dustin!” he shouted, touching his lip and staring dumbfounded when his fingers came away wet with blood. “What the fuck, man?”

“Hit me back.”

“What? No! Dustin, what’s—”

“HIT ME BACK, STEVE! You have to!” Dustin’s voice cracked, the sudden violent burst of emotion threatening to unleash something big and scary and unforgivable. A tidal wave that had a name.

Steve grappled wildly with the boy, trying to grab his flailing arms so he could pin him, but Dustin was surprisingly swift in his current state, and he launched another punch, this one landing heavy in Steve’s gut and socking the breath right out of him.

“HIT ME, STEVE! I KNOW YOU WANT TO, JUST DO IT!”

Fueled by a burst of frustration and a sharper burst of fear (what is this?), Steve recovered enough to trap Dustin’s arms against his body, using his own weight to twist the boy around until he was trapped with his back against Steve, the hold immobilizing him so all he could do was squirm and shout out his fury. “LET ME GO FUCK YOU STEVE WHY WON’T YOU JUST FIGHT BACK YOU ASSHOLE?!”

“Dustin, stop. Stop it. Breathe, Dustin. Take a breath. No, hey, stop. You’re not going anywhere until you calm down for me. Breathe. Shhh, buddy. Breathe,” Steve’s hold was unbudging, his tone stern but soothing. Dustin’s violent struggles gradually slowed, and it took a couple of minutes for Steve to realize that the boy was shaking with silent sobs. And then the sobs became words, almost indecipherable in the wrecked, wretched voice that was rough and strained from screaming.

Every sentence Steve parsed from the stream of horrible self-accusations added another crack to his heart, which couldn’t have been more than a mess of spiderwebbing at this point.

It’s my fault.

He’s dead because of me.

I couldn’t save him.

You loved him, I know you did.

Why don’t you hate me?

Why don’t you hate me?

Why don’t you hate me?

Finally, finally, the words stopped and Dustin sagged, exhausted, in Steve’s arms. Only then did Steve ease up on his hold, but only long enough to turn the boy around and hug him properly. He bent down to bury his face in the unruly curls, his own tears falling unchecked and inconsequential.

“Dustin,” he whispered into the mop of hair. “Oh, Dustin, never.”

And when he realized he didn’t have the right words, he just stopped. He just picked Dustin up and carried him to his car, buckled him into the passenger seat, and told him he would be right back. He had a party to break up, some kids to chase away, and a boy—his boy—to mend.

“You loved him, I know you did.”

With a soul-cleansing breath that sounded more like a sob, Steve made his way back up to the Hendersons’ house.

#stranger things #found family #protective steve harrington #mama steve #dustin henderson #fanfiction #steddie #mom steve harrington #steve harrington #steve and his children #grieving over Eddie #survivor guilt #poor dustin #poor steve #unhealthy coping mechanisms #arm wrestling for the blame #angst #oh the angst #in my heart Eddie survived but this scene wouldn’t leave me alone

[wallsshouldtalk]

STRANGER THINGS 4 VOL. 2 SPOILERS

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OKAY so i’ll start off by saying i cry at literally nothing ever and i dehydrated myself from crying harder than i’ve cried in 10 years at eddie’s death scene. i’m a tough cookie but not when it comes to silly, goofy, lovable, rock-star nerd eddie munson. am i going through genuine grief? yes! so is my denial misplaced? most likely!! but i have a theory anyway

SO!!!! we know the duffers are not above a fake death/ misleading death (see hopper), so maybe they’re trying that again with eddie. as far as we know, dustin didn’t bring back his body- meaning we don’t have proof that eddie fully died/ remained dead. now yes, he was pretty torn up and overall doing not his best, but was it so much damage that survival would be completely impossible? i feel like maybe not. pain and shock can do some pretty weird shit to the body and passing out is not a crazy reaction to have after being mauled by monster demon bats.

aside from the “medical” reasoning, eddie’s role (although new) is not really as a side character, and to get rid of someone with as much potential as our metal DM would have to have some stronger reasoning than a “redemption” arc with a pointless sacrifice. barb, bob, and alexei were insanely lovable characters and played their parts wonderfully, but mostly their roles were about how they affected other people. barb was there to lead nancy into this upside down business, bob was there to give advice and comfort to will and be that sacrifice of “bob newby the superhero”, and alexei needed to be there to help our adult crew. eddie’s story line was more independent and had a leg to stand on even if the rest of our hawkins crew wasn’t there. he wasn’t tagging along, he became a part of the main crew (minus jonathan, will, el, and mike). eddie dying serves no purpose, except to make dustin sad, and doesn’t really fit in with the previous thing of introducing a character only to kill them at the end. so, maybe, eddie wakes up in season 5, gravely injured and alone, and is trying to find a way out and back to the gang. maybe that serves the purpose of giving us eyes on the inside or maybe it’ll give eddie the chance he deserved to clear his name (SINCE NO ONE ELSE SEEMS TO BE WILLING TO STEP UP AND SAY ANYTHING FOR THE PERSON WHO LITERALLY THREW HIMSELF INTO A HOARD OF DEMOBATS YO SAVE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE THAT HATE HIM) or maybe it’s so he can walk the stage and get the diploma he rightfully deserves. at this point i don’t care what the reason is i’ll be honest. also the writing has been quite strategic in the past, so i feel like maybe they wouldn’t have eddie’s last lines be “this is my year” when it clearly is not. i guess we’ll see.

joseph quinn did also make that comment about wanting to do scenes with charlie in s5. now, granted, that may have been just to fuck with all of us, but i’ll take hope where i can get it.

my theory has no real evidence or proof of any kind to support it, but denial is the first stage of grief and this is how i’m choosing to view it until someone explicitly tells me no. even then, i’ll probably ignore them and keep living in blissful ignorance until 2024 when s5 comes out and throws my heart into a wood-chipper. the duffers aren’t perfect writers by any stretch, but i am choosing to have a little faith that their choices are more calculated than this. thanks for listening to my delusions

edit: joseph quinn just did an interview where he talked about how he would’ve liked to come back for another season, but that he was satisfied with the end of eddie’s character arc. sounds like this death was a real one folks (unless this is all some super extra silly prank)!!! i’m gonna leave this theory up here though in case some crazy, wacky miracle occurs and we are all allowed to have hope again.

link to article:

edit/ update pt.2: NEW interview (yes somehow already) reveals that joe really may not know how the future of eddie will play out. he says that he’s been talking with joe keery about ways eddie could make an appearance! so hope is not lost! hopefully the duffer brothers realize that they just made the literal largest mistake ever getting rid of quinn as an actor and eddie as a character and they’ll just do an uno reverse moment <3 essentially: FUCK THIS SHOW FOR PLAYING HOT POTATO WITH MY FEELINGS

link to pt2 article:

#stranger things #eddie munson #steddie #st4 vol2 #st4 predictions #joseph quinn #eddie munson st4 #st4 volume 2 #stranger things 4 #st theory #st eddie munson #eddie and dustin #dustin henderson #gaten matazarro

[buckttommy]

If you could write one S5 scene for 9-1-1, with a song playing in the background, what would happen in the scene and what song would be playing? (also, hello!)

hiya!

in the spirit of us allegedly getting the scene of eddie crying tonight, i do actually have this scene in my head (that includes a lot more swearing) where eddie is standing in the locker room, changing out of his clothes for the day.

his movements are short, jerky, fingers fumbling over the buttons on his shirt. he's angry, but when isn't he these days? it seems like it takes nothing for latent fury to rise up in his bones. most of the time, it never goes anywhere, always rising just to fall again, but this time, eddie's anger has a source.

a tall, stubborn, annoyingly attentive source.

buck stands at the door of the locker room with his arms crossed over his chest. eddie doesn't even have to turn around to know he's there. of course he's there; eddie's so attuned to buck's body he thinks -- knows -- he could pinpoint his location just from the way his hair stands on the back of his neck, the way buck's gaze on him feels like a warm hand stroking down his spine.

it's comforting, most times. especially when they're out in the field. tonight, it just makes him feel exposed.

the locker room empties out one by one until it's just him and buck, and the silence that descends upon them is thick and charged. eddie remains turned toward the lockers.

"what do you want, buck?"

"i want you to talk to me."

talk to him, he says. eddie almost laughs. like it's that easy.

"there's nothing to say."

"bullshit," buck hisses. "you had a panic attack at work. when the helicopter--

"i know what happened," eddie says quickly. too quickly perhaps, if the annoyed little huff buck gives behind him is any indication. seeing that chopper go down brought up enough bad memories to last a lifetime.

"you know what happened," buck says, voice flat. then, "jesus christ," he mutters.

eddie hopes, perhaps foolishly, that that's the end of it. that buck will be so angry, so disgusted with him that he'll just walk away and let the conversation drop until the next time it inevitably comes up again, but eddie should know better, really, because buck's never been a quitter even when he should be.

buck steps fully into the room, and it's like every molecule of energy between them comes alive. eddie almost imagines he can feel his warmth.

buck stands in his peripheral vision. "you don't get it, do you? do you know what this is like for me? do you get that? seeing you walking around every. fucking. day like nothing's wrong, when i know you're dying inside?"

"i'm fine, buck."

"you're not fine!"

eddie freezes. it's the first time he's ever heard buck raise his voice like that. they've argued, brutally, but he's never heard that note to buck's voice--shaky and desperate and infuriated and... scared, yeah. there's a whole lot of fear there too. he doesn't know what to do with it.

"you're not fine," buck continues. "or did you think i wouldn't know that you haven't slept in two days. yeah," buck says when he catches the startled look on eddie's face, "you can thank christopher for that little tidbit since he called me yesterday past midnight wondering if a person could die from not getting enough sleep. that was a fun conversation to have."

eddie sharply turns to face buck. fuck. he'd thought--he'd thought he'd been keeping it together, thought that he'd been keeping himself in check so that at least chris didn't have to see. especially not after the suit shopping thing.

he swallows hard. "what did you tell him?"

"i told him that he had nothing to worry about. that i'd be over this weekend to make sure you were getting your rest."

it's a non-answer but it must have been enough to assuage chris's worries.

eddie clears his throat. "i--thank you. i didn't--know he'd been... worried."

"he's not a little kid anymore. he sees more than you think he does."

"yeah."

"and if he knows you're not okay, why don't you?"

it's the wrong thing to say.

eddie can't say why it's that little sentence that does it. even later, when he thinks about it, he can't say for sure--whether it was the inflection in buck's voice, or the fear behind his eyes, or the disappointment eddie was sure he must have felt, or maybe just a miserable combination of all three. but one minute eddie's standing in front of his locker -- their locker -- waiting for buck to say his piece so the conversation can end, and the next...

the next he breaks.

eddie slams the locker door shut. "is that what you think this is? you think i don't know that i'm not okay?" he can hear the note to his own voice -- flat and cold and numb all at the same time. "you think i don't know i haven't been okay since well before the shooting, or the tsunami, or hell, shannon? jesus christ, buck, it's all i know. i wake up every morning surprised that i even woke up at all. it's like i can't even breathe without thinking something's going to kill me, whether it's this... this fear i can't shake, or the job, or something else. every morning i wake up and i'm surprised that i get to see my son one more time. my son, who i can barely let my son out of my sight, by the way, because every time he leaves the house, i don't know if it's the last time i'll ever see him. and then once i get started on that train of thought, it's like i can't stop. what's the last thing i said to him? if something happens, does he know i love him? and sometimes i'm right, and i do good, and the last thing i said is 'i love you' but then other times it's 'don't forget to tell your teacher you have a dentist appointment friday' and i feel sick because the last thing my kid will ever hear from me is nothing that tells him how much i adore him, and how proud i am of him, and how he's saved me in more ways than he knows by just existing."

eddie's eyes burn hot with tears. it's like his brain has detached from his mouth, but the words keep coming and he's powerless to stop them.

[this song starts playing]

"but i'm fine, right?" he continues. "it's fine. i'm not going to be that dad who keeps my kid caged in a house because i can't control my fears, so i let him go to school, and hang out with his friends, and maybe if i'm lucky, both of us are going to survive the fucking day. and then i get to work, and it's like it all starts over again. hen's late, and the first thing i think is that she's dead in an accident. chim comes in looking exhausted and upset, and i think, oh god something's wrong with maddie and the baby. and you--" eddie lets out a dark laugh. "goddamn you. i let you out of my sight and it's like my heart fucking stops until i see you again. i let you out of my sight, and i think the next time i see your face, it'll be covered in blood, or the next thing i hear will be you scream in pain, and it scares me because i don't know who i am or who i'm going to be if i lose you. and it never stops. it never fucking stops. all the voices, and the pain, and the fear, it's all there, and it's choking me. so no, buck, i'm not okay. i'm not fucking okay, and i need help."

his voice cracks on the last word, every bitter fear and anxiety now spilled into the open, and there's a moment, just a moment, where all buck can do is stare.

he feels torn open from skull to sternum, eddie's pain is so sharp visceral he swears he feels it mirrored in his own body. swears that if he looks down, he'll see nothing but a mess of blood spilling from all the open wounds in his flesh, and it feels like death.

so there's a moment, where buck stands and he bleeds and he dies.

but then. then, he grabs eddie into his arms. it's almost violent, the way he grips him -- too rough and too tight and too fierce, but eddie grips him back just as tight, face buried in his neck.

"it's okay," buck chokes, "it's okay, it's okay, we'll get you some help, it's okay, we're okay, you're not alone, it's okay" and he presses his lips to the top of eddie's head, to the side of his face, anywhere he can reach, just so he can touch and soothe as much of him as he possibly can. and they just stand there holding each other, shaking apart in each other's arms until the scene fades to black.

#this got longer than i meant for it to! #oh well #jack answers mail #i know you sent this yesterday but i didn't have time to write all this yesterday lol #my fic

[thoughtfullyyoungduck]

sleepwalking

summary: could you do a reddie x daughter where all the losers watch a horror movie and she convinces them she won’t get scared but she’s obv scared so they tease her abt it the whole night but then when they go to bed she starts sleep walking and richie get terrified and screams running upstairs and he has to literally pay eddie not to tell the other losers

The kernels crunch under footsteps, left over from their night in with the losers and his family, and Richie just about dies. Richie is not often spooked, can’t afforded to be after what Pennywise did to them as kids and how fast they had to react to survive the encounters, scared shitless or not, although he got plenty of practices getting over initial frights when their daughter was just three months old and awoke them out of a deep sleep every night with her piercing cries.

Tonight though, he finished watching three horror films, and he’s downstairs in the pitch-black with his daughter and Eddie both already retreated upstairs. He’s alone on the bottom floor, having decided He was going to write down a few jokes that occurred to him during the evening, like Bill trying to drink his sofa without taking the lid of, and his Rose pretending not to be scared by the movie, even if she had to cover her face with her hands every time the music picked up.

It’s not the first, nor will it be the last, time that he’s stayed behind while Eddie and Rose turn in. The night time seems to spark his creativity better than the day ever does, but it is the first time someone else comes creeping. He knows it’s not Eddie. When Eddie has to get up to get a drink during the night, he’ll do his best to stay quiet, but always falters on the second to last step that creeks loudly throughout the otherwise solemn house. He curses himself over it every time.

The second to last step didn’t produce any sound tonight, but still Richie can pick up on heavy breathing, just outside the kitchen he’s positioned in. Suddenly, the films he bravely -and foolishly- selected are having him imagine all sorts of creepy and ominous things.

His phone, perched to the side of him, lights up. So far, Richie has been listening, trying to distinguish what the sounds are without having to face the possible danger, but now he sees Eddie is calling him from upstairs, his heart sink and he switches into protection modus. He doesn’t stop to answer the phone, but walks towards their cabinet where they stash all the sharp objects - Rose may be 14 already, the habit sticks - and grips the largest one they have.

His hands are shaking, flashbacks of Pennywise are infiltrating his thoughts, but he bans them to the same dark corner they’re always supposed to reside in. He can’t think of that now, not while he needs to protect the ones he loves.

He gears up, preparing to lunch at whoever is waiting for him, but a sudden hand on his shoulder scares him.

He yelps, louder than he ever had, and rips away from the dark figure. The dark figure turns out to be Eddie, who looks about two seconds away from slaughtering Richie to death, despite the latter having no idea why. Richie’s chest heaves, and with his entire body shaking as the aftershocks of the fright leave him, he has momentarily forgotten the threat in the other room.

‘Eddie?’ He asks confused, blinking up at him.

‘No, the fucking demon that lives in this house asshole. Of course it’s me.’ A chuckle escapes Richie’s lips without his intent, but it dies down quickly and withers away after it’s met Eddie’s scornful gaze. ‘I told you to keep it down, rose is sleepwalking again. You know not to wake her.’ Suddenly, the noises in the other room make sense.

‘Fuck’, Richie curses, slapping a flat palm to his forehead in discontent. ‘I thought it was fucking burglar or something Eds.’

One of Eddie’s eyebrows twitch up, unimpressed. ‘So you dismiss the obvious that it’s either me or our daughter, but you jump straight to a burglary?’

‘Well... in that movie-‘

‘Oh for fuck sake Richie’, Eddie laughs. ‘the movie you insisted didn’t scare you and wouldn’t scare Rose?’

‘It didn’t scare me’, Richie defends, even though the trembles in his voice and his earlier rapid doom scenario thinking suggests otherwise. ‘It just had a lot of scenes that could happen in real life.’

Eddie clearly has more to say, more disgustingly covered up affectionate nicknames to throw around, but another voice, confused and hazy with sleep speak up from the other room.

‘Dad? Pops?’

Instantly, the petty argument between Richie and Eddie is forgotten, and they run in to check up on Rose. It isn’t the first time that she’s sleepwalked in the middle of the night, and it unfortunately won’t be the last, but there’s usually a reason as to why it happens. An overload of stress for example, or the overthinking of a mundane task that was, in hindsight, easily done. Richie’s a little unsure about what set this episode off, he doesn’t recall Rose mentioning anything out of the ordinary.

He’s face blazes and Ashley white when he begins to wonder whether or not a scary movie can set it off, and that he was the one who allowed her to watch it.

He stores the question as to why somewhere far in the back of his mind to revisit later, which he will do, extensively. Right now the most important thing is making sure Rose is alright.

In her daze she stumbled on over into the living room, sitting on the edge of the table glass with her eyes closed gently swaying back and forth. If Richie didn’t know any better, he’d think she was intentionally mimicking the film earlier in the evening. She’s still asleep, but her lips mumble words not loud enough to be tangible.

Eddie puts a single digit before his mouth, silencing Richie before the other has time to mutter something. People who sleepwalk need to be awoken gently, not by brute force or a simple wake up, because the changes environment might spook them. Richie is all about pranking his daughter, but he will never wake her up out of her daze for a quick laugh.

‘Rose’, Eddie whispers, starting to shake her slightly harsher than she’s already doing herself. Richie positions himself behind her, ready to catch in the case that she jumps and falls to the ground. Luckily for all of them, Rose isn’t deep in trance, she startles awake from the bare minimum Eddie was doing.

‘Dad, pops?’ She asks disorientated, rubbing away the sleep in her eyes. ‘Did I do it again?’

‘Yeah sweets,’ Richie says,’how are you feeling?’

‘Tired, the usual.’

‘You’re sure? You have to tell us if something else is wrong okay?’ The first time Rose sleepwalked, she ran into a cabinet and injured her ankle, and she kept it a secret from Richie and Eddie. When Eddie found out, he had been rightfully worried.

‘I promise dad’, Rose reassured him. Squeezing his hand. ‘I just want to go to bed. Wait, why are you two down here? Did I cause another ruckus?’

‘No honey, your pops-‘

‘Was just telling your dad about that fancy new car he was going to buy him.’ He tries to signal to Eddie as discrete as possible, but his frantic eyes are probably giving everything away. Still, he hopes Eddie has mercy on him, at least this once, because Rose will never let him live it down that he got scared by his own hand. God, Richie shudders, he can already picture the blackmail material she would have when she gets older and asks him something Eddie forbade her to do.

Eddie smirks, but he says nothing for now, most likely plotting how he can drag this out the longest to torture Richie.

‘Off to bed now, come on. I’m too old to skip my naps like this.’ Richie inches Rose forward by her shoulders, both to spur her on and to make sure she’s stable enough not to fall over. Richie doesn’t understand that much about sleepwalking, he’s not as smart or intuitive as Eddie is, but he is pretty sure it means she’s still half asleep while moving, and that always uphold a risk.

They make it up the stairs in one piece, low lighting and all, and Eddie parts from the father-daughter duo to go back to their bedroom and doze off for the night. Richie lingers, as he always does whenever he tucks Rose in. Every day, he praises himself lucky for the all opportunities he’s gotten after Derry, from Eddie and the losers to his job and Rose. He can’t believe it all happened to him, so he likes to take a moment to soak it all up.

‘Richie,’ Eddie beckons him over, because though he knows how much his husband cherishes his life, he also knows Rose is a child who is tired and needs her 8 hours of sleep at night.

‘Coming,’ Richie mumbles, pressing down one last kiss to Rose’s and making silly faces to ridicule Eddie in good fun. ‘You’re dad is so bossy’, he complains to Rose, who giggles but shakes her head loyally.

‘Careful, he might hear you and then you’ll be in big trouble pops.’

‘Do not mimic me in front of our daughter Richard. I’m warning you.’

‘I’m telling you he has a wire placed on me at all times’, Richie jokes, patting himself down to sell the joke home. ‘Anyway, Goodnight bug’

‘Goodnight. Oh, and Pops?’

‘Yeah?’

‘You don’t have to pretend not to be scared for my sake, I could see you cover you eyes during the scary parts.’ She turns on her side, facing away from her door and where Richie is standing, though the smirk on her face suggest she’s all too aware of she put Richie in his place. He can’t bring himself to be upset about it, she’s too much like Eddie for it to do anything but endear him.

#reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrack #eddie imagine #richie tozier imagine #adult Richie #richie x daughter #reddie x daughter #eddie x daughter

[the-silentium]

Wait for me to come home Pt.3

Summary: Eddie surprises you by showing up at your home. Unfortunately, it’s not the only surprise you will have.

Masterlist   Part 2.

Pairing: Eddie Brock x Reader, Venom x Reader

Warning: Angst, fluff, swearing

Words: 3320 words

A/N: Wow, I haven’t published in a while! I’m so sorry guys! 

You wake up the next morning with a grin plastered on your face. The memories of last night are fresh and you can’t stop yourself; you roll to the edge of the bed and grab your camera from your nightstand. You go to the gallery and select the photo of your kiss. Your heartbeat accelerates and you start to laugh at yourself. I feel like a teenage girl again.

You get up from your bed and go to the kitchen with joy in your steps. You let your camera near your laptop and make yourself some breakfast. You ask yourself if you should call him, or if doing it would make you look desperate. You weren’t involved in a relationship since… well, never, so the perspective of screwing this one up was very likely and scary.

Damn. One date and I’m already enamored. You finish your toasts and get to work. You connect your camera to your laptop and open your photos in Photoshop. First, you decided to work on the firefly kiss photo and then, you would finish the last details on the shots for Sam.

Finding your first project, you started to analyze it. You don't want to modify it much. Just correct some things here and there. You changed some parameters and you found a little string getting out from Eddie's neck. Frowning, you zoom on it. Is my lens defect? Damn, I'll have to buy another one.

An hour and a half later, you finished your photo and Sam's order and send him an email thanking him for the opportunity and asking if he has some new subject. You almost forget to attach the different pictures to your email, but you add them to the attached files at the last second. You get a reply 6 minutes later.

Perfect as always Y/N! I would ask you to catch some shots of the misery of the slums, but it’s raining like there is no tomorrow and I would never ask that to anyone. It’s not safe. Take a day off and I’ll contact you tomorrow. Take care.      

     -Sam

Frowning, you get up and pull the curtains. Sam was right, there was a downpour outside and you are surprised that you didn’t hear it before. The sky was a dark grey despite the fact that it was 10 am. You grabbed your candles in the bathroom, just in case the electricity goes out and decided to try and paint a bit. After gathering all of your painting essentials, you changed clothes, putting on an old t-shirt and short full of paint stains. You already knew what you wanted to paint.

You remembered when you were a child, you were often scared of storms and one of the only things that could reassure you were your dog Maverick. He was a Pembroke Welsh Corgi and at that time, your best friend. Sadly, he passed away a couple of years back, but you still missed his energetic presence.

So you begin to paint, replaying happy memories of your childhood in your head. You get lost in your thoughts and in the painting, so when the house falls in the dark, you jump and spill paint all over yourself. Groaning, you try to make your way to the kitchen counter without putting stain everywhere. When you manage to find the counter in the dark, you are proud that you didn’t hit your toes on anything. Putting down your painting stuff, you search for your matches and the candles. You light some and dispose of them through your apartment. When you put the last one on your work desk, a loud knock startles you and you almost drop the candle on the floor. Your heart races and you finally put the object down to go answer the door.

You are surprised to see Eddie standing at your door, soaking wet. When he sees you, a blush creeps on his face and he smiles shyly at you. “Hi Y/N.”

“Hi, Eddie.” You smile at him and do a step on the side to let him in. You go to the bathroom to get him a towel. When you get back, there is a little puddle at his feet and you chuckle. “What brings you here?” you ask while giving him the towel.

He takes it and starts to dry his clothes. “Well, I was in the area and I decided to stop a minute to say hi.” He had stepped out of his shoes and removed his leather jacket. His t-shirt was clutching to his body and you couldn’t stop yourself, you stare at his chest. When he finished drying what he could and caught your gaze, he grins and hands you back the towel. You feel the heat coming to your cheeks.

“And why would you be outside in this weather? Not really enjoyable for a walk.” you try to turn his attention.

Just before you turn around to dispose of the towel, you see Eddie scratching the back of his head. “Okay, maybe I got out just to come here,” he admits. A smile forms on your lips and you feel like floating.

“I’m flattered.” you shoot him over your shoulder. Reaching the bathroom, you realize that your clothes are still a little sticky from the paint and you change clothes quickly. When you come back to Eddie with fresh and comfortable clothes, you found him watching your painting. “That’s Maverick,” I tell him. He turns to me with a smile. “He used to help me fight my fear of storms when I was a kid.” Eddie saw some sadness into your eyes and his smile becomes compassionate. He approaches your form to engulf you in his arms.

“It’s a good thing I’m here then. If you are frightened, you won’t be alone,” he says before kissing your forehead. You wrap your arms around his wet torso and tilt your head to see him. His eyes sparkle with the reflection of the candles and the dim light creates a romantic atmosphere. Kissing him would be perfect at the moment, but Mother Nature has other plans for you. A great thunderclap makes you jump and your embrace on Eddie tighten. He chuckles, stroking your back to calm you down.

After a moment you release him, embarrassed. “Would you like to watch a movie?” you ask chewing the inside of your cheek.

"Yeah. But I think I might wet your couch. My clothes are still wet." he said lifting the corner of his t-shirt.

"Choose a movie from my collection," you point your bookcase filled with books and movies. "and I will grab you some spare clothes my brother left here."

Eddie nods and you go searching for the clothes. Hopefully, it wouldn't take you long and you will be able to snuggle in a blanket beside the handsome man in your living room.

While rummaging through your brother spare clothes, you try to bring some sense into yourself. Come on Y/N, stop reacting to the stupid thunder! You're 26, not 5! Now, bring yourself together and act like a grown woman.

You found a t-shirt and sweatpants and return to your living room. Voices make you stop in the doorway and you try to hear the conversation. To your surprise, you only hear Eddie's voice but it's too muffled for you to understand what he says. Maybe he is talking to himself to improve his confidence like you just did. Who knows, maybe he is as nervous as you.

So you step forward and do the only thing that crosses your mind; you throw the clothes at him, hitting him square on the back. Aaand here goes the grown woman thing.

He stops abruptly to talk to himself and turn around to see you, a hand on your mouth, trying to stop your laughter. A smile makes its way on his face and a mischievous glint appears in his eyes. He then starts chasing you around the couch and tickles your sides when he finally catches you. You're laughing so hard that tears fall from your eyes and it's becoming hard to breathe.

"Stop! Stop! I surrender!" you laugh.

Eddie releases you, the grin still on his face. He catches you off guard with a quick kiss that leaves you wanting more. "Don't start a war you can't win."

"Oh you really think you stand a chance against me?" you chuckle.

"Believe me, you really don't know what I can do," he says while getting the dry clothes and heading to the bathroom.

His words make you blush. You know he probably talked about his ability to get you back at your childish demeanor, but you couldn't stop yourself, you imagined another meaning to his words that put your whole body in fire.

Shaking your head, you put the DVD Eddie chose in your laptop and connected it to the TV. A horror movie. You generally didn't like to watch this kind of movie, so why do you have one at your home? Simple. Your nagging brother forgot it here the last time he came to visit you. And now, you'll have to play tough.

Preparing yourself mentally, you place some snacks and drinks on the table near the couch and snuggle into a fluffy blanket.

"The sweatpants are fine, but the t-shirt is too small." you hear Eddie say from behind you. When you turn around to face him, you are greeted by a perfectly chiseled chest and your face start to heat up again. Please darkness, hide my face! Fortunately for you, Eddie doesn't notice your embarrassment.

"Sorry, that's all I got." you stare too long at his torso and need to force yourself to look in his eyes. "But I have a huge blanket that can fit us both."

Nodding, Eddie sits right next to you and you share your precious protector with him. Pressing play on the remote, you think that you might be able to survive the movie after all. Your mind seems too concentrated on the fact that the men next to you was half naked.

Unfortunately, the firsts scream seem to catch your attention and immediately, your body move closer to Eddie while your fists clench a little tighter on the blanket. Being the gentleman he is, Eddie put a hand on your thigh and, thank god, doesn't laugh at you.

You try your hardest during the whole movie to not freak out, to keep your breathing steady and so far, it worked. You managed to watch the most gruesome scene without hiding yourself in the blanket, but when you feel something wet touch your hand, you freeze. You stopped breathing, trying to determine what touches you. You know one of Eddie's hand is on your thigh and the other is lazily picking some snacks. Never before did you hear some noises signaling the presence of rodent. So…

What. Is. Touching. You?

Slowly, you try to touch it with your other hand. You jump when it seems to grip to your fingers and move away from Eddie, causing the blanket to fall on the floor. Your eyes become wide and your breathing accelerates.

Despite the darkness of your apartment, you can see a black goo all over Eddie's chest. You can see it moving slowly, the reflection of the candles making it easier to discern the edges of the mass.

When Eddie's face mirrors your own, the black thing quickly fade inside of his skin and that is what you needed to regain control of your body. Jumping from the couch, you run as fast as you could to your bedroom. On the way, you didn't hear the pleads coming from who you believed was a perfectly honest man, because your heart was pounding into your head.

Closing and locking your bedroom door hastily, you did the first thing that crossed your mind; hiding in the closet. You remember that the girl who did that in the movie died horribly because the killer found her quite easily. You closed your eyes tightly, trying to think about something else than your imminent death.

Because yeah, you are definitely going to die. You are not dump. You know what is this black goo. You've heard about the Demon of San Francisco. A black monster that liked to eat people alive. A monster with sharp teeth, claws and that is way bigger than you.

All those thoughts made your breathing accelerates and the knocks on your bedroom door didn't help. You can hear Eddie asking you yo let him in, that he would explain and promising to never hurt you, but your brain doesn't understand. All you could do was breathing louder and if possible, faster.

Hearing your erratic breathing through the door increased Eddie's panic. You were having a panic attack and he needed to calm you down quickly.

"We can help."

"No, you are just going to make her panic more!"

"She needs help, Eddie. We can help."

"You can't explode the door, take it easy." With a sigh, Eddie let Venom destroy your door handle.

You can't see in the dark, but you hear the claws breaking the wood of your door and the handle been torn apart. Did he just remove the entire handle? Sounds like it, because now you hear your door open and steps approaching your shaking form.

"Y/N please, believe me, I'm not gonna hurt you. Please, you need to calm down." You can hear the worry in his voice and for the first time, you register what he says. Still, you keep yourself in your protective ball and pay attention to his movements.

Eddie gets on his knees and tries to reach you slowly. When his fingertips touch you, you flinch and slap his hand away. Not the best move you've got, but now, it's fight or flight and flight is not possible.

"Y/N we will not hurt you. I promise." Now, you hear fear and it doesn't make sense to you. Why would he fear you? "Slow your breathing, you are hyperventilating."

But you can't do it yourself. So you panic more and Eddie's arms get you out from the closet, right in front of him and he places your hand on his chest.

"Like this. Follow my breathing. In for 4 seconds, keep for 4 seconds and out for 4 seconds."

You do as you are told, following the up and down of his chest. After 4 times, your breathing is back to normal, but tears run down your cheeks. Strong arms pull you to a hard chest and you can't help but grasp on his back. You stay there, not having the force to move. The stroking on your back finally appease you and you are lifted to be set down on your bed. At this moment, the electricity returns and your bedroom fills with light.

You feel an extra weight next on the bed and a hand washing the tears stains from your face.

"You don't have to be afraid of us."

"Us?"

"Venom and me."

You knew it. A thin string got out of Eddie's neck and then, it clicked. The string in the photo, it wasn't a defect of your lens. It was him.

You lock eyes with him and you see the reluctance in his eyes. It makes you more comfortable that he doesn't push you and there is that part of your brain that tells you that if he wanted you dead, he would have done it by now.

Eddie retracts his hand and stands up. "I know you probably fear me right now, but please, let me explain." The thin tendril becomes thick and creates a t-shirt like form on the brown-haired man. "Venom, stop it, you're not helping!" His tone was harsh and you couldn't help but flinch. Seeing it, Eddie passes a hand in his hair with a sigh. "Sorry."

The black mass resorbs in his skin again and you sit, putting your legs over the edge. Slowly, you get up, your legs still weak.

"Does he always listen to you?" You needed reassurance. It didn't work.

"Most of the time, but he can do as he wishes too…" You hesitate to come closer. After all, Venom seemed to take good care of Eddie and you just hit him in the arm. You didn't want to end up hurt. "He would never harm you, you know? We… erm… We like you too much for that."

You frown, not processing what he said. We? As in him and the monster? They both like you? A head coming out from Eddie's shoulder blade gets you back to reality.

"We only wanted to reassure the little one. I am sorry for scaring you."

You didn't expect that. He cared for you and wanted to help you? Disbelief must have been all over your face because Eddie backs him up.

"Y/N, he is not as bad as you think."

"Then why does he eats people?"

You have heard a lot of stories. You needed to know what was true.

Eddie scratches his head, uncomfortable. "He only eats bad people. People who steal, who kill, who rape… not good people."

You nod slowly and take a step forward. You can see hope in his eyes, but you need to do something before taking a decision.

"Can I talk to him?" You see him frown, unsure of what you have in mind. "I need it if you want something to happens between us." He looks like he is fighting with himself so you add, "Please."

Sighing, you see Eddie nods and the moment after, black goo take control of his body and cover every inch of his skin. Before you is a very much taller being than you, with enormous teeth and white eyes. To your surprise, he seems to wait for you to talk and watch you with what you think is curiosity.

With another step forward, you ask, "Why did you want to reassure me?"

"Because the little one was not well. You were in distress and the last time you were in distress, Eddie hugged you and you felt better."

A laugh escaped your lips. "You were trying to hug me?" A smile crept on your lips when you realized that what you thought was a monster, was in fact a… sweet big terrifying creature.

Venom nods once and you make the two last steps separating the two of you and takes him in your arms. Slowly as to not scare you again, Venom hugs you back. The feeling of his skin under your touch is weird at first, but you soon find comfort in it. Then, there is something wet on your cheek and you gasp. You pull away a little and see Venom's tongue darting out of between his teeth. It unease you a little, and he seems to feel it.

"We like our little one."

A weight lifted from your shoulder and you decided to give them their chance. You smiled at him and rested your head on his chest. Moments later, Eddie was back, his arms around your waist and his head on yours.

"Thank you." He whispered it, but you heard it nonetheless.

Lifting your head up, your gaze found two beautiful blue eyes full of love.

"There's nothing to thank me for." You pull away from him and goes to the door. There is a big hole where your door handle should be and wood pieces mixed with your compacted door handle on the floor. You will clean that later.

You glance at Eddie over your shoulder and smile. "It's almost 12. Do you want to call some pizza and watch another movie?"

"That's a good plan." He followed you back in the living room, where you ordered the pizza and cuddled together on the couch.

Tag list: @slither-in-a-half​ @a-frozen-bag-of-corn​ 

#venomxreader #eddie brock x reader #y/n #venom #photograph #revelation #movie date

[eene-fangirl]

Monster House-Ed Chapter 1

Here is the first chapter of my story Monster House-ED! Monster House was one of my favorite animated Halloween films as a kid. I always laughed at the kid's interactions. I am looking forward to writing more of this story. Enjoy!

“You can’t catch me, Sarah!” Jimmy challenged his friend as they rode on their tricycles through the cul-de-sac.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Jimmy! I’m right behind you, you slippery rattlesnake!” Sarah smiled viciously as she peddled along. 

The children’s laughter filled the neighborhood. Orange leaves fell from the trees into piles. People were just setting up last minute decorations for the exciting night that was just around the corner. Witches flying against the door. Graves. Or strobe lights for extra special effects.

Kids couldn’t wait to dress up and travel around their neighborhoods for candy. It was one of the best nights of all. Except, all but one enjoyed the night. Alerted by the happy shrieks of laughter outside, the old man retreated into the darkness, resting a hand against the wood of his old house, easing his nerves.

“Hey, Jimmy, I’m right beside you! I’m gonna beat you!”

“The last one there makes hot cocoa!”

“Uh-huh, the last one has to give the other their Halloween candy!” Sarah challenged.

“Eat by dust bubbles!” Jimmy raced off on his trike, narrowly avoiding hitting a tree.

Just then, Sarah yelped. Alerted, and cautious that it may be a trick, Jimmy slowed and turned around. His friend was still sitting on her trike having difficulty spinning the wheels but she couldn’t get them to comprehend.

“Sarah, are you okay?” Jimmy called out, turning himself around on his trike.

“Yeah! But, this grass won’t let my tires go!” Sarah struggling, gritting her teeth, trying to pull her bike to make it go.

From the looks of it, the grass looked as if it knabbed Sarah’s trike. Impossible. Grass didn’t have hands. The grass was just tangled around the spokes of the wheels.

“I don’t understand this!” Sarah grumbled.

“Maybe we could pull it together?” Jimmy said getting off his trike.

“No, I think I got it!”

Just then, an orange leaf flew onto the spokes of the wheel. It wasn’t like it was anything out of the ordinary, but the kids stared at it, watching it move, floating daintily, until the wind took it, pulling the leaf through the grass, towards the old house that menacingly stood over the children. 

Until now, the kids didn’t realize that they were in front of the lawn that all the kids talked about in the school. The monster lawn. The house of no return. Suddenly feeling intimidated by the gigantic house, the children felt as they heard breathing. A growl. Glancing at the windows, Jimmy was sure that he saw... no, it was only...

The door opened.

For a moment there was nothing except eerie darkness. Followed by ominous growling. Through the darkness the outline of a menacing old man appeared out of the shadows and shouted. “Get off my lawn!”

Jimmy screamed in terror. Sweating, Sarah tried to get her trike to go but the tires were stuck to the grass. Jimmy even tried to give her a push but even that didn’t help. It was too late anyway as the old man, who was surprisingly very agile despite his age, ran out, waving his fists in the air.

“Trespassers! Do you want to be eaten alive?!” He shouted as spit flew off his mouth.

Sarah and Jimmy shook their heads, their lips trembling. “No!”

“Then get outta here!” The old man pointed down the sidewalk.

Obeying, Jimmy started running away, screaming, when Sarah grabbed his arm. Gaining some confidence, Sarah stood her ground, trying to be more intimidating than the old man. “You and whose army?”

Taking another challenging step, the old man snarled. “Get outta here before your bones are lying on the ground!”

The children ran for it. But Sarah stopped Jimmy again. “We want our trikes!”

Picking up the trikes with little effort, the old man’s strength was something to be admired. However, that changed when he broke the wheels off the trikes.

His heart shattering at such a cruel act, Jimmy sobbed as Sarah walked him away from the scene. Still feeling confident the little girl spat a raspberry at the old man.

“Stay away from my house!” The old man shouted after them. And that was that. With a huff, the old man walked back to his house. Why couldn’t any of them listen?

Having a feeling that he was being watched, the old man turned around and snarled at a boy, who was just across the street, spying on the events.

Gasping, Eddy immediately stepped away from the telescope, tripping over a heap of his laundry to the floor. Did he see him? Aw, man, he was cheated out again! The old man was always one step ahead of him. Ah, who cares! It’s not like the old man ever walked passed the walkway that led to his house. 

“Eddy!” Eddy’s mother called out to him from outside. “Your father and I are leaving soon, come say goodbye to us!”

Jotting down the most recent activity on a crumpled piece of paper with shaking hands, Eddy went through all the developed photographs of what the old man stole now. Even the photo of the man sinisterly staring at him from afar. The image gave him shivers. Taking a breath, he had to remind himself that it was not... him.

The old man stole a lot of toys from the neighborhood kids for twelve years. Eddy still didn’t understand why his parents wouldn’t buy him a cell phone yet. He had to pretend to have one in front of the other kids in school. It was embarrassing using a polaroid camera to take pictures! Oh, what was he saying it was his Grandfather’s!

“Eddy!” Eddy’s mother called out, this time more as a warning. He could hear his mother mumble something to his dad.

“Listen to your mother, son!” his dad called out.

Rolling his eyes, Eddy raced out of the house. Once outside in the driveway, his mother was just putting away the last suitcase of three others stored with his dad’s lone bag sitting in the corner of the trunk. It look as if it were hiding out in a cave. They were only going away overnight and yet his mother acted as if they were going to be gone for a whole week.

“Mom, he did it again!” Eddy announced, flailing his arms at the house across the street.

“Who did what again?” His mother asked, worried for a moment.

“Didn’t you see? He’s right across the street! Old man Jonny stole another trike!”

Eddy’s mother shook her head. “Eddy, how many times have I told you not to call your neighbor by that insulting name? And this spying shenanigans has to come to an end!”

“And the scamming, too,” his dad added closing the trunk of the car.

Not this again. “Ed and I aren’t scamming! We’re making business!”

“You and Ed should do better things. Why don’t you two ever sign up for sports in school?”

Eddy groaned. Nobody understood! Why even bother trying to count on his parents? Stuffing his hands inside his pockets and sulking, Eddy caught sight of the house across the street. Where did the old man store all the stolen toys? 

Once when he was a little kid he and Ed rode their bikes by the house. He’d never been so scared in his whole life when the old man chased them down, taking away their bikes. It was scarier than... than... 

With a sharp pat on the shoulder from his dad, Eddy yelped, drawing back.

“Eddy?” his mother asked, alerted.

Grasping his heart, Eddy tried to act normal, like his throat wasn’t closing up. “Do you have to sneak up on me like that?”

His mother raced over, falling to her knees. “Eddy, your complexion looks odd. Are you feeling alright? Have you done your breathing exercises today?”

Pushing himself away, Eddy groaned. “Mom, I’m fine! Never been better!”

His mother frowned. And then she turned to her husband, shaking his hand. “Harold, maybe we shouldn’t go. Or you could come with us?”

“Enough, Barbara,” Eddy’s father waved a hand to make his wife calm down. “It’s just overnight! Besides, Marie is already on her way.”

Scoffing again, Eddy would have told them how he didn’t need a babysitter for one evening, but he’d obviously lose that bet. Even the thought about being alone made him feel uneasy.

When his mother walked away, Eddy’s dad bent down to his side, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulder. “You know son when I was your age I spied for a different reason,” his dad said changing the subject. 

“Who says I’m spying?” That was when Eddy realized. “Oh, well...”

His father pat him on the back, this time, more softly. “Yeah, I spied on your mother all day until the day I eventually got a date with her!”

“Yes, at least he survived me punching him in the face after he fell out of that tree,” Eddy’s mother approached from behind, starling her husband. Smiling, the couple nuzzled together, kissing. The sight only made Eddy want to barf.

Now it was time for the goodbyes. Dreading this part, Eddy washed his face good and clean from all the lipstick.

“Marie will be here in an hour,” his mother said getting into the passenger seat of the car. “Be good!”

“Why don’t ya tell her that?”

“That’s enough, son. We’ll see you tomorrow night.” Just when his dad was pulling out of the driveway a big thunk against the back windshield made Eddy’s mother cry out in a panic.

It was only Ed. Wearing what looked to be a monster-chicken mask. “My bad! I can’t see a thing with the mask on!”

“Then keep it off, Ed!” Eddy threw off the mask, throwing into the pathway of the car in the driveway.

“Have fun tonight, boys!” Eddy’s mother called out again.

“I heard you the first seven thousand times, Ma!” An annoyed Eddy said back to her.

“Eddy!” Eddy’s father warned. Then he closed his window. That only made Eddy’s mother angry and for a fight to happen inside the car.

“They’re never gonna leave!” Eddy whispered to Ed. The taller boy snickered.

Finally, Eddy’s mother reached over her husband and put down the driver's window. “We both love you!”

And then the car pulled out of the driveway as his parents continued to gripe over blowing Eddy more kisses.

Eddy groaned, letting out his steam to the heavens. Why did it always have to be like this? Out of all the parents in school, nobody else had embarrassing parents who covered their child with kisses every morning! His mother was just one of those parents. Especially since... what happened. 

“It’s okay, Eddy. Cheer up! It’s almost Halloween!” Ed tried to cheer his friend up. “Ooh, look what I got!”

“What did you get, Ed?” Eddy asked. He didn’t mean to sound uninterested. Why couldn’t he have slept over Ed’s place? Oh yeah, Sarah hated him. And Eddy’s parents weren’t too fond of Ed’s parents. How ironic when they loved Ed to pieces.

“A new basketball!” Ed presented the orange ball.

Eddy looked at with an ‘are you serious’ expression. “But you don’t play basketball.”

“Yeah, but my dad watches basketball all the time! I could start playing and get good! Watch this!” Ed dribbled the ball trying to mimic all the moves of a basketball player. Eddy did find it humorous.

“Maybe this is what I should be when we go trick-or-treating tomorrow night!”

“Uh, Ed...”

“Ooh, ooh! I got it! An alien basketball player!”

“Ed, I...”

“No, I got it! What about...”

“Ed!” Eddy hollered to get his attention.

“Yeah, Eddy?” Ed asked. He stopped dribbling the ball.

Eddy sighed, finally looking up at Ed. “I don’t think I’m going trick-or-treating this year.”

Ed’s face broke. “What? But you love trick-or-treating! We stayed out for four hours last year! Halloween is your favorite holiday!”

And the reason they were out for four hours was due to a misleading map from his brother. He wanted to kick himself for how stupid he was. Why did he fall for that? As if he really changed. 

Brushing a hand through his hair, Eddy struggled to find an answer. “I know, Ed. Trick-or-treating just seems like a... kid thing.”

“We are kids!”

Why was this so hard to explain? Once he loved Halloween and now it was just a big trigger for him. He couldn’t find the words to tell Ed even though he knew he’d understand.

“Let’s just watch monster movies this year.”

Pouting, Ed pounced the ball around, charging at Eddy and then backing off. “He lunges, he knocked over the shortstop!”

“That’s baseball, stupid!”

“He throws! Score!”

Unfortunately, the ball Ed tossed into the air, smacked Ed in the face. He rolled onto the ground in pain.

“My nose is in my brain!” Ed shouted frightfully.

“Let me see!” Ed unshielded his face so Eddy could look at him. Then his eyes grew and Eddy recoiled. “Oh, no!”

“What?”

“You’re a lump!” Eddy joked and laughed in his friend’s face. 

“Haha, Eddy!” Ed laughed sarcastically. 

“You shoulda seen the look on your face!”

Forgetting about the joke, Ed looked around. “Where’s my ball?”

An awful feeling washing over the two Eds, they turned around to see that Ed’s basketball landed right on old man Jonny’s front lawn. Running across the street, the boys stopped right on the sidewalk before the walkway started as if it were lava right in front of them. It was so close and yet so far.

Eddy pat his friend on his shoulder, turning back. “Sorry, Ed.”

“Wait, Eddy, can you get it?” Ed begged his friend.

“Why me?”

“Because... you own me!” Ed said sheepishly.

“What? No way! You owe me!”

“But I covered for you!”

“So did you! Please, Eddy, I need to impress my dad! And plus I asked my mom a dozen times for one more quarter. And Sarah got so annoyed that she threw a dime at me! I didn’t find the last quarter until I saw it in a drain!”

Unable to resist the dog pouting, Eddy groaned. Why did he always get himself into these situations? Taking a quick look around at his surroundings, there was no sign of old man Jonny.

“Old man Jonny has to be asleep,” Eddy studied the area. Since he kept a close watch on this house every day from the moment he returned home from school until he had to go to bed, it was kind of funny how he memorized this house routine. Wow, that was dumb! “I got one chance.”

“Thank you, Eddy!” Ed squeezed his friend tightly.

“Yeah, yeah...”

“I’ll never forget this. Hurry!” And Ed pushed Eddy over the danger line.

No turning back now. And Eddy ran across the lawn. No one yet. Was this his lucky day? No, of course, something bad was going to happen! 

Right when he was about to pick up the ball, the door opened. Out stepped Jonny who pointed at him with a threatening finger. “You!”

Eddy was stuck in place, afraid to move. Just then, the old man charged at him. Tripping over his shoelace, Eddy kicked up some of the dirt onto the walkway.

The old man stared, horrified at the sight as if someone had been wounded.

Then he picked up his head, staring menacingly at Eddy. “Look what you’ve done!”

“I.. uh... it was...” Eddy couldn’t gather his words together. His throat was tightening. No, focus your breathing! Be a man!

“Run, Eddy!” Ed hollered from the end of the sidewalk. He grabbed at his hair, grabbing at it, struggling to go help Eddy or stay in his place. Was there anyone around to help? No! Of course not, barely anyone ever came out of their houses on this street. 

Running as fast as he could, Eddy didn’t dare look back. The old man reached for him, trying to grab at Eddy’s shirt. No, don’t think about him. You can do this.

But then, the old man grabbed his shirt. Eddy reached for Ed who was only a foot away.

Picking him up into the air, Eddy stared into the old man’s menacing eyes. 

“You want to be dead?!” The old man screamed, shaking him.

Eddy shook his head. “No!”

“Then stay away from my house!” He hollered, his voice shaking.

“Got it!” Eddy just wanted this to be over, having a horrible flashback.

“Why can’t you all just listen and stay away from...”

The old man fell silent. A horrifying silence as his entire face paled. And then the old man slumped over, falling on top of Eddy. He wasn’t moving.

If Ed and Eddy were paying attention they would have seen the house move for a brief second. And then smoke rose out from the chimney.

#ed edd n eddy #eene #eene fanfiction #Monster House #Monster House-ED #Ed #Edd #Marie #Eddy's Parents

[hysterialevi]

When the Devil Cries pt. 30

Fanfic summary: (NO SPOILERS IN THIS STORY) After arriving in Saint Denis, Arthur ends up falling in love with a seemingly innocent pianist, only to find himself in a battle with one of the most notorious outlaws to ever emerge from America. Now, between working for Dutch and robbing money for the gang, Arthur has to also protect the man he loves as the two of them try to find their freedom.

Pairing: Arthur Morgan/Male OC

Previous chapter

This story is also on AO3

From Arthur’s POV

BEAVER HOLLOW

Bolting back to camp, Eddie and I powered through the roads like there was no tomorrow as we rode towards Beaver Hollow with the speed of a cheetah, completely forgettin’ about the stagecoach or the loot that was supposed to be in it.

At the moment, the thoughts in my head were rushin’ even faster than I was forcing my horse to go, and with every agonizing second that passed, the more my heart pounded in my chest.

Who knew what the hell Atticus was planning? If he and Cornwall stationed that many guards to protect a single stagecoach -- a trap that was meant to just capture me and Eddie alone -- I didn’t even wanna think about what he had in mind for the rest of the gang.

There was no doubt Atticus knew where our camp was -- all thanks to Micah -- and I just hoped we would be able to get to Dutch before anything else happened.

Our time may have been comin’ to an end...but I sure as hell refused to go down without a fight.

“...Arthur!” Eddie suddenly exclaimed in an alarmed tone, his voice shaking as he pointed to the sky. “...L-Look...!”

Bringin’ my attention to the top of the tree line, I felt the color drain from my face when I realized there was a monstrous cloud of smoke coming straight from our camp, its ghostly texture tinted with an orange glow as bright red sparks danced wildly around it.

There was no way in hell a simple campfire coulda produced that much smoke, and considerin’ the fact that I wasn’t at Dutch’s side to protect him right now, I could’ve only assumed that the gang had been attacked.

This was the perfect opportunity, after all. Our gang’s leader had been left alone with the very same rat who drove us into this hellhole in the first place, and without me or Hosea to keep the camp safe, Dutch was nothin’ more than a target to shoot.

I just hoped they weren’t all dead already. Our gang was vulnerable enough as is, and to be ambushed by someone like Atticus Rose...well, it didn’t leave much chance for survival.

We was at the end of our rope, here. We had done our worst, and tried our best, but now...it was finally time to face reality.

It was time for me to be a goddamned man, and protect the people I loved.

Skiddin’ to a stop, my horse’s hooves dug deep into the dirt below as I quickly hopped off and hurried back into camp, not wasting a single second while Eddie followed me from behind.

All around me, I could see fresh corpses littering the ground with their jaws hangin’ open as smoke rose from the barrels of their guns, and numerous flies began gathering on their flesh.

The stench of gunpowder and death filled my nose and caused me to grimace, my face twistin’ in disgust as I investigated the gruesome scene.

So far, I didn’t see anyone I knew buried in the pile of bodies -- and most of the casualties appeared to be from Atticus’ side -- but the situation still looked more than dire in the camp. In fact, it was downright nightmarish.

There were flames still ragin’ from what appeared to have been a hellish fight, many of the tents and wagons had been destroyed, a handful of our mounts had been slaughtered, and it looked like Dutch’s donation box had been smashed to pieces.

...Jesus Christ. What happened here?

Slowin’ down our pace a bit, Eddie and I cautiously ventured deeper into the ruined camp as the two of us gazed around in pure horror, unable to believe that this was the same place we left behind just an hour ago.

Most of our belongings had been broken beyond repair, and considering how we already had lawmen searchin’ for us in the rest of the states, I didn’t know where on Earth Dutch was planning to run to after this.

It was a big country, sure...but its people hadn’t forgotten us nearly as much as we hoped they would. Our faces were plastered on every building from here to Blackwater, and now that Atticus was teamed up with Cornwall, I doubted we’d have a very easy time escapin’ from Roanoke Ridge.

If we managed to escape at all.

“...Oh!” A brash voice suddenly blurted out sarcastically, grabbin’ my attention. “The hero returns!”

Snappin’ my head to the side, I turned towards the sound and squinted in the fire’s brazen light, only to see the rat himself.

“Micah!” I barked, clenching my fists. “What the hell happened here?”

The crooked man scoffed. “I thought you knew. After all, it was your friend Mr. Kingsley who caused this.”

I glowered at Micah, my voice lowering to an enraged whisper. “That man ain’t no friend of mine, and neither are you.”

“Calm yourself, woman,” he retorted. “Ain’t no point in denyin’ the truth. We all know what’s really going on, and so does Dutch.”

I shook my head in confusion, my words damn near colliding with each other due to how fast I was speaking. “What’re you talkin’ about--? Y’know what, forget it. Where is Dutch?”

A third person joined in, interrupting our conversation.

“Over here, Arthur.”

Gazin’ behind Micah’s shoulder, I spotted a furious Dutch sauntering in our direction as he walked past all the lifeless bodies surrounding our blazing camp, his eyes devoid of any compassion or empathy, and his brows furrowed in anger.

Contrary to the shocked state I expected to find him in, Dutch only appeared to be consumed by rage alone, and I could almost hear his teeth grindin’ in his mouth with how tightly he was clenching his jaw.

There wasn’t a hint of sorrow, or remorse, or grief in his expression. Instead, all I saw was a burning desire for revenge, and I had a bad feelin’ he was about to take it out on us. I just hoped I’d be able to talk some sense into him.

“Dutch!” I called out, rushin’ over to the man.

He simply glared at me in response.

“Arthur,” he said lowly, “where...have you been?”

I glanced back at Eddie, makin’ sure the boy was behind me.

“We was robbin’ that stagecoach,” I replied. “Just like you wanted us to.”

Dutch let out a frustrated breath. “Well, I hope it was worth it. That crazy bastard Rodrick ambushed the camp while you was away. Killed poor Kieran in the process, too. Strauss is also dead, accordin’ to him. As for everyone else...” he looked around the mini battlefield, “...they’re alive, but Mary-Beth, Swanson, Uncle, and Pearson are all missing. Vanished in the middle o’ the fight.”

I fell silent at the news, suddenly realizin’ how much smaller our gang was.

“Oh, Christ...” I cursed, “were they captured?”

“I don’t think so,” Dutch denied. “I think they ran off. Used the chaos as an opening to desert us. Goddamn cowards!”

Micah jumped back into the conversation, crossin’ his arms in an accusatory manner. “I’m just surprised you didn’t take off with them, Morgan. Y’know, considerin’ who you’ve got in your company.”

I sighed in annoyance, scowling at the sly man.

“What are you talkin’ about?”

Dutch answered in his place, throwin’ his hands up out of anger. “Someone had to tell Rodrick where our camp was, Arthur! Someone had to let him know when you’d be chasin’ after that stagecoach, so you could run away while they attacked the rest of us!”

A dreadful realization thought hit me.

“Wait...” I said quietly, “...you think I’m the rat?”

The older man shook his head, steadily bringin’ his attention to the boy behind me. “No. Not you.”

Glancing back and forth between Dutch and Eddie, my eyes widened in fear once I understood what he was saying, and I immediately held a protective arm in front of the boy, warnin’ the others to stay back just as Eddie went for his holster.

“Now, hold on, Dutch,” I insisted, blocking his way. “Eddie ain’t the rat! He’s--”

But Dutch wouldn’t hear it.

“Step aside, son!” He demanded, his tone nearly feral at this point. “I know how you feel about him, but we’ve been fallin’ apart ever since I allowed that boy inside our gang. He’s usin’ you! He’s usin’ all of us! Can’t you see that?! We need to think about survival here. It’s time for him to go!”

I stayed in place and guarded Eddie like a brick wall, absolutely refusin’ to move.

“Just listen to me, goddammit!” I exclaimed, desperately tryin’ to get through Dutch’s thick skull. “The stagecoach was a trap! There weren’t no money inside. Atticus set us up. He knew we would try to rob it, and that’s why he gave Cornwall the extra security. They wanted to capture us, Dutch! Both of us! Eddie ain’t the rat, and you know it. I know it!”

Dutch remained unswayed. “Then who is?”

I gestured to Micah. “Why don’t you ask the man who’s been in your ear ever since Hosea died?”

The older man gazed at his friend and gave him a puzzled look, dismissing the idea.

“Micah,” Dutch questioned, clearly not buyin’ it. “Really. He has been loyal to me this whole time, Arthur. He is one o’ the few people left in this gang who still has faith! Him, Javier, and Bill are the only ones who have yet to turn their backs on me!”

“Loyal?” I fired back, ignoring his statement. “Eddie and I interrogated one of the guards, Dutch! He told us himself that Micah has been helpin’ them out! That rat is the reason we’re in this nightmare of a situation!”

Micah rolled his eyes at the accusation and strolled next to Dutch, almost laughin’ at how much more of an advantage he had over me.

“Really, cowpoke...?” He countered. “A guard told you I was the rat? That’s the best you can come up with? Alright, then, big guy. Where is this guard, hmm? ...Dead?”

I was silent in response, leadin’ Micah to let out a victorious chuckle.

“Yeah. Thought so.”

Stepping in between me and Micah, Dutch dragged a hand down his face before sending a glare in Eddie’s direction, his expression stiff with both a sense of betrayal and retribution.

The manner in which he carried himself frightened me, if I was bein’ honest. Dutch no longer acted like the same guardian so many of us had grown to love, and instead, stormed around like a mad tyrant who wasn’t gettin’ his way.

I knew something about him changed the minute we lost Hosea back at Shady Belle -- and I doubted we’d ever find a way to get the old Dutch back -- but the little boy in me still couldn’t believe that this was the same man I once saw as a father.

He was just so different. So deranged. So deluded. Not at all like the man I grew up with.

I mean, Dutch still hated law and order as much as he did twenty years ago, but the difference today was, he had become the very thing he claimed to fight against.

He preached about livin’ in a free society, yet caged us behind invisible bars called “faith” and “loyalty.” He damned corrupt businessmen like Leviticus for robbing people, yet reveled in the money he pried from a dead man’s hands.

He called me son...yet treated me like a complete stranger.

And the worst part was: I didn’t even think he realized it.

Refusin’ to back down, Dutch got right in my face and pulled out his gun, holdin’ the weapon at his side before giving me one last order.

“I’m sorry, Arthur,” he apologized flatly, his voice gradually rising with insanity, “but if we wanna survive, we gotta do what’s necessary. If we have to steal, then we’ll steal. If we have to run, then we’ll run. If we have to kill, then we’ll kill. We will do...whatever it, goddamn, takes. And right now, it requires taking Mister Ryan’s life!”

Dutch aimed the revolver straight at my head and cocked it, his hand shaking with rage. “So for the last time...step aside, son!”

I held my ground and stayed in place, subtly reachin’ for my pistol as I desperately tried to recognize the man standing in front of me.

“...You’ll have to kill me, first.” I stated, admittedly heartbroken that Dutch would pull a gun on me.

“Don’t make me do this, Arthur...” he warned darkly, his finger dangerously close to the trigger.

But before he could do anything else, John threw himself into this pit of chaos and intervened, aimin’ his own rifle at Dutch while Abigail and Jack stayed behind.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Dutch?” Marston scolded angrily, rushin’ to my side. “Do you even see what you’re doing?”

The outlaw whipped out his second revolver and pointed it at John, holdin’ both of us at gunpoint as Micah came to Dutch’s defense.

“I am doing what must be done, John!” Dutch yelled, his eyes wide with fury. “Now stay outta this! This is about Mister Ryan, and Mister Ryan alone!”

Marston shook his head. “No! This is about you losin’ your goddamned mind! Eddie saved my son’s life, Dutch. Arthur’s, too. I ain’t gonna let you murder him in cold blood. No matter how close we are!”

To my surprise, the other man seemed truly shocked at the response and tightened his grip on his guns, damn-near erupting with how outraged he was.

“How you two fooled me over all these years...” Dutch whispered, his voice rumbling like magma in a volcano. “I raised you as sons! Goddamn...SNAKES!”

The sound of someone cocking a shotgun reached my ears and I peeked outta the corner of my eye, only to see Miss Grimshaw joining me while Javier and Bill stood with Dutch.

“Put those guns down, Dutch!” Susan warned, her temperament resembling that of a mother bear protectin’ her cubs.

There was a newfound tension growing in the camp, and part of me dreaded to see what would finally ignite the flame.

“What is wrong with you all?” Williamson blamed, appearing genuinely disappointed in us. “I thought better of you! Our gang needs to stick together if we wanna survive. This ain’t how we do things here. This ain’t brotherly!”

Sadie aimed her rifle at them, her behavior relentless as always. “Good thing I ain’t your goddamn brother, then! No one’ll ever replace my Jake, but I sure as shit ain’t lettin’ you take my closest friends from me!”

Javier admonished us. “Come on...what’s happened to you people? I stuck with this gang because it felt like a family. But now, you’ve all become just like the O’Driscolls. Hell, worse. You’re traitors!”

“Bill, Javier,” I said, “think for yourselves! Take a look around you!”

Steppin’ out of hiding, Eddie walked up to my side and unholstered his weapons, glaring at Micah with a level of hatred I didn’t know he contained.

“After everything I’ve done for this gang...” he berated, his tone unusually dark. “I should’ve killed you the moment I laid eyes on you!”

“They’re lying, Dutch,” Micah insisted, practically hissing in his ear. “Lying!”

“Shut your goddamned mouth, Micah!” I snapped, turnin’ to the man who used to be my father. “All them years, Dutch...for this snake...?!”

“It’s done, Arthur!” He growled, failing to see reason. “No more! Lay down your guns...and let me do...what must be done!”

Without any warning, a stray bullet suddenly fired at us outta nowhere and hit Miss Grimshaw directly in the stomach, causin’ her to collapse on the spot while the rest of us whirled around in panic.

“Oh, sunshine!” Rodrick bellowed from inside the woods. “Miss me?”

“Goddammit!” Dutch cursed. “He’s back!”

Completely forgettin’ about the previous conflict, the entire gang immediately ducked for cover as a storm of bullets commenced within the small camp, decorating everything with holes and burns as splinters went flyin’ all over the place.

“Shit!” I exclaimed, throwin’ myself behind a wagon. Even with all the gunfire surrounding me, I could still hear Susan screaming in agony.

“Eddie!” I called out, frantically searching for him. “Are you alive?!”

To my dismay, there was no response.

I felt my heart stop.

“EDDIE!” I repeated even louder, almost feelin’ sick with worry. “Answer me, goddammit! Are you there?!”

A frail voice replied to me from a distance.

“...A-Arthur...!”

Following the lonely voice, I looked at the other side of the camp and spotted Eddie sittin’ behind a large boulder, causing a huge wave of relief to wash over me.

That was, until I noticed his left leg had been shot.

The boy groaned in pain, clutching his bloody knee. “I...I can’t move, Arthur!”

“...Aw, crap...” I muttered. “Keep shooting, Eddie! I’m comin’ to get you!”

Drawing their fire away from me, the pianist took out his fair share of Rodrick’s men as I bolted across the camp, holdin’ onto my gun as if it were a goddamned baby.

I had no idea how the hell we was gonna get outta this, or where the hell Rodrick came from, but now that I knew for a fact where Dutch stood -- or rather, who he stood with -- I was gonna do whatever it took to keep Eddie alive.

I might’ve lost the gang, and I might’ve lost my family, but I was gonna destroy the entire goddamned world before it took Eddie from me.

Leapin’ behind a fallen horse, I used the animal as a shield and crawled through the blood-stained mud, grabbing onto clumps of hardened grass as I dragged myself through the dirt.

“I see him!” One of Rodrick’s men alerted. “He’s right there--argh!”

Shouting in pain, the man abruptly fell silent and toppled to the ground as a bullet carved its way through him, leadin’ me to jolt my head towards the source of the shot.

John reloaded his rifle from behind a tree and gave me the “all clear” sign, urgin’ me to keep going.

“I’ll keep ‘em off you, Arthur! Just get that boy outta here!”

“But what about you?” I asked. “Where’s Abigail and Jack?”

“They already escaped!” He answered. “She took Jack and rode off the minute the ambush started! I’m gon’ find them later! You just worry about yourself right now! Now go!”

Giving him a firm nod, I picked up the pace and ran like hell to the other side of the camp as Marston continued firing at Rodrick’s gang, just barely holdin’ out considering he had nothing more than a tree to protect him. Our enemies seemed to have forgotten about me, and Eddie was still shooting them from his own position, but even with their help, I could still barely see where on Earth I was going.

A thick layer of gun smoke clouded my vision everywhere I looked. And with the amount of fire that was spreadin’ all over the camp, it felt like I was walkin’ through a sea of orange fog...and the only thing I could hear was screaming.

I didn’t see Dutch, or Bill, or Javier, or Micah anywhere. Half of me assumed they had just been shot and were now lyin’ on the ground with their enemies, but the smarter half knew they had run away like the bunch o’ cowards they were.

But none of that mattered to me right now. All I cared about at the moment was findin’ Eddie, and getting that kid somewhere safe. I had been through more than enough bullshit for one day, and I certainly didn’t plan on losing the one man I loved.

I just didn’t know where we would go.

Finally reaching the boulder Eddie was using for cover, I gunned down all the enemies that were surrounding him and helped the boy up, wrappin’ his arm around my shoulder as we made our way to the mounts.

The pianist’s skin had lightened into a sickly pale color by now, and even though he had me to support him, the man still looked like he was about to crash at any minute, which that only made me panic more.

“Hold on, darling,” I encouraged, liftin’ him onto the back of my horse. “We’re almost outta this. I’m gonna get you someplace safe. Just hold on!”

Climbing onto the saddle once Eddie was in place, I barely sat down all the way before snappin’ the reins like a madman, urging my horse to run for her life as a series of bullets showered the ground behind us.

I felt like a goddamned monster for not goin’ back to get John, but if I was being perfectly honest, I didn’t know if such a thing were even possible at this point. The camp had been completely overrun by Rodrick and Cornwall’s men, and judgin’ by the lack of any horses at the hitching posts, I guessed the other gang members had also fled the horrific scene.

I didn’t have a clue where Tilly, Charles, Karen, or Sadie had run off to, and I definitely didn’t give a damn about Micah’s safety, but as far as I was concerned...our home was nothin’ but a pile of ash now.

Everything we built, everything we worked for, everything we sacrificed -- it all meant nothing now because of that rat. Jenny, Davey, Mac, Sean, Hosea, Lenny, Strauss, Susan...all of them died just for a pathetic, little snake like Micah to come along and piss on it all.

We was nothing more than a bunch of scattered cockroaches now. The Pinkertons were most-likely gonna kill us off one-by-one within a matter of days, and that was only if Atticus didn’t get to us first.

Everything was going to shit. My entire family, the only life I’d ever known...it had all suddenly been destroyed right in front of me, and the one man who could’ve prevented it from happening didn’t. Dutch didn’t.

Instead, he simply stood by and watched his throne burn, and allowed a usurper to light the flame...even when he had Hosea to see it comin’ from a mile away.

He had finally descended into a pit of utter madness, and taken leave of every single principle he ever lived his life by.

He may have survived the attack...but the Dutch I knew died a long time ago.

Even with Dutch goin’ insane however, I supposed everything wasn’t lost. Against all odds, I still managed to escape the camp with Eddie by my side. We were both alive, and -- even if I didn’t know where on Earth we were gonna go -- we still had a chance to get things back on track.

Eddie was a fighter, and so was I. We were gonna make it through this, just like I promised him, and...God willing, finally pursue the freedom we had sacrificed so much to achieve. We had come too far to fail now.

Our future was waitin’ for us somewhere out there...and I knew I’d be damned if we didn’t find it.

#red dead redemption #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 #arthur morgan #eddie ryan #arthur morgan x male oc #rdr2 fanfic #rdr2 story

[richiefuckfacetozier]

Closet Talks

This is part of a series of moments we didn’t get in the IT 2017 movie. My first one was Drawing Straws. If you have other scene ideas you want to see written, pop into my ask and let me know!

Summary: After Bill punches Richie, he goes to Eddie’s house that night. 

Pairing: Richie and Eddie

Located on Archive of Our Own

Requested by @sam-i-am2468

Dedicated to @jem-carstairs-is-perfection and every person I made cry in my last chapter of It’s Not My Fault

Masterlist

Richie climbed into Eddie’s second story window from the tree that leaned next to the Kaspbrak house. He spent the day yelling to Stanley about how much he hated Bill, but he needed to see Eddie. Stanley could only be fake sympathetic because he believed Richie's words to Bill were cruel. He needed someone on his side and he knew Eddie would be that person. Eddie was HIS person after all.

Eddie yelped at seeing him appear through the open window and immediately hissed out, “Richie if my mom fucking sees you, I will never be allowed to leav - “ Eddie stopped abruptly as he saw Richie’s face. He jumped up from his bed and rushed over to him. "What the fuck did you do?" He placed a small hand on his cheek gingerly tilting it to see the damage better. He placed a bit of pressure on the wound, which made Richie wince away from the touch. Eddie let his hand fall but observed the dark blueish mark etched on his best friend’s face. “Hold on one second.”

Eddie ran down the stairs quickly. He peered into the living room and saw his mother asleep in her chair. He grabbed a kitchen towel then opened the freezer. The only cold objects inside were ice cream rockets on push-up sticks. He took out two and hurried back upstairs as quietly as possible. 

“Here,” Eddie handed him the ice cream. “Put it against your face and use the towel so it doesn’t directly touch your skin.” Richie took the objects with a sad nod.

“What happened, Rich?” Eddie asked with concern but also a bit of annoyance. He was betting Richie ran his mouth and got punched by Bowers. 

Richie began pacing around Eddie’s room. He was known for never being able to sit still and constantly needing to fidget, but pacing was a really bad sign. Something truly awful must have happened after his mother took him to the hospital. Richie kept up the pacing, not saying anything right away. Then his eye caught Eddie’s wrapped arm in its sling.

“Are you ok? I’m so sorry about your arm. I just knew I had to snap it into place because you always fucking talk about what happens when an arm is dislocated and shit and I know you didn’t want me to do it I just couldn’t leave it like that. And I'm so fucking sorry Eds, I feel horrible and I -”

Eddie put up his uninjured hand to stop the rambling. “Don’t worry about me. I'm getting fitted for a cast later this week. Although, my ma has been screaming at doctors on the phone most of the day to make it happen tomorrow.”

Richie nodded along as he paced more then his foot caught on a shoe and he fell to the ground with a thud. Eddie’s eyes widened in horror. “Closet!” He said urgently.

“Eddie! Eddie-bear! Are you alright!” He heard his mother hurrying up the stairs as fast as her legs could take her.

“Fuck!” Eddie shoved Richie inside the closet and shut the door just as his mother barged into the room. 

“What happened?” She cried dramatically.

Eddie trained his features to look calm. “Nothing Ma, I was just cleaning up my room a bit and dropped a shoe.”

“It sounded like you fell.” She tried to fuss over him but he took a step back.

“Nope, just a shoe.” He reassured.

“You should be resting. Lay down and I’ll make you some dinner.”

“Thanks, Mommy.”

She left the room and Eddie let out an exasperated breath. He turned back to the closet, opened the door, ready to yell at Richie's stupidity. Except when he did, Richie was sitting on the floor miserably eating one of the ice cream rockets. He looked so sad and pathetic that Eddie didn't have it in him to be mad. He thought about trying to get him toward the bed to sit and talk properly. Then decided against it. He was already sitting still and the chances of him remaining that way in this state were slim. Eddie crouched down and sat next to him. He let his good arm brush against Richie’s tentatively. He wanted to comfort his friend but didn’t know if Richie wanted to be touched right now.

“Tell me what happened.” Eddie encouraged softly.

“Bill and I fought.” He bit out.

“Like you yelled at each other?” Eddie said in confusion. Bill rarely raised his voice and certainly would not be able to out scream Richie. Even if he could get through more than a couple words without stuttering, Richie was a master of being the loudest. 

He put the ice cream in the towel, no longer hungry it seemed. “I fought with my mouth and he fought with his fist. We definitely know our strengths now.”

Something ugly flared in Eddie’s stomach. No matter how many times he may have wanted to punch Richie, he would never have done such a terrible thing. They were all supposed to be friends. Henry Bowers uses his fists, the losers club do not.

“Why?” He demanded

Richie looked at him with surprise. “I ran my mouth.”

“You always do that! It is no fucking excuse to -”

“I told him Georgie is dead.”

“Oh Rich…” Eddie and Richie had said to each other they believed Georgie was dead. He had been gone for months now, there was no chance he survived the sewers. Especially with this demonic clown trying to kill them all.

“He is! You and I both know it. And now he is trying to get us all fucking killed.” He paused taking a shaky breath. “I have never heard you scream like that. Eddie, you were frozen in fear. I couldn’t get you to move. I was so scared.” Richie practically whispered the last sentence like his fear concerned him just as much as Eddie almost dying did.

Everything happened so fast that Eddie did not stop to consider how it affected his friends. How it affected Richie. He was too busy feeling sorry for himself and trying to forget the nightmare experience. The fear he felt was all-consuming, he practically blacked out during the fight.

Richie lifted his glasses to wipe his eyes angrily. Eddie realized with a pang of hurt that he was trying not to cry. “Bill almost got you killed.” He said watery.

“So you told him his brother is dead...” Eddie whispered. He shifted letting his leg touch Richie’s, leaning closer together. It was hot in his closet but he wanted to comfort his friend. The skin contact made Eddie shiver for some weird reason, probably just ticklish.

“You wouldn’t even look at me.” Richie whined.

“What?” Eddie locked eyes with him.

“When IT was coming at us. I was trying to get you to look at me, I wanted the last thing you saw to be your best friend. The last thing we both saw.” They were silent at this terrible revelation.

“I’m sorry,” Eddie said quietly, letting his eyes fall. “I could barely breathe let alone think about looking at you.”

“But I needed to make sure the last thing you saw were my beautiful eyes. How could you deny yourself?”

Eddie rolled his eyes and pushed down the butterflies that sprung in his stomach. He had the urge to snap at Richie but was too happy about him making a normal joke again. “Yes, your big brown bug eyes are so beautiful, Trashmouth.”

“I’m glad you can admit it.” Richie slung his arm around Eddie’s shoulders to hug him and brought their heads together.

“Get off,” Eddie laughed trying to lean away. Richie kissed his cheek with a wet sticky pop. “Germs, Richie!”

“What? You kiss your mom, I can’t kiss you?” Richie leaned forward making annoying kissing noises.

Eddie laughed as he leaned far into the closet corner. “No! Stop it!” He squealed as he brought his legs closer to his chest. Richie stopped right before their lips could meet his hands on Eddie’s knees. They looked at each other and something unknown passed between them. Richie’s cheeks blazed pink and Eddie could feel his own face heat up in embarrassment.

Eddie had a true moment of wondering what kissing Richie would be like. A thought that should never pass his mind. Boys don’t kiss boys. Not in the way he wanted Richie to kiss him. His lips were extra red from the rocket ice cream and he was curious if he tasted like it.

“You know, IT lured me into a room alone at one point.” Eddie listened but was very aware of Richie’s calloused hands still on his knees, his red lips and his nearness.

“I’m so sorry.” Eddie breathed out. 

“IT tricked me into thinking you were in the room, so I went to get you and the door slammed behind me.” He put his chin on top of his hands bringing his face closer to Eddie’s. “I’d do anything for you, Eds. You know that right?”

“I know.” A conversation like this had never happened between them. They were the two who always fought, bickered, or teased each other. They never needed to think about serious life or death situations.

Eddie had no clue what possessed him to do it but he leaned forward and kissed Richie’s cheek lightly. Not the way he would his mother. The way you did for someone who meant the world to you. If Eddie was being honest with himself, Richie was sometimes his whole world. “I would do anything for you too, Rich.”

Richie blushed brighter and smiled at him. “I should probably go so you don’t get into more trouble.”

“Ok.”

They clamored out of the closet together letting realty wash over them. Eddie felt more nervous than he ever had around Richie. He shifted his weight awkwardly. “Will you try to come by tomorrow?”

“Of course I will.” Richie stood there seeming to not know what to do. Eddie walked closer and pulled him into a hug with his good arm.

“See ya then, Rich.”

Tagging all the people who’s Broken hearts I collected from It’s Not My Fault. Have some soft adorable Reddie today:

@sam-i-am2468 @jem-carstairs-is-perfection @slashpalooza @dandeliontozier @reddie-brasil @takemetothetide @ohheydatsme @averym14 @fucking-reddie @leidi-didi @savannaholeff @missingstanleyuris @indigoveronica @jaederp @it-crack @ignite-eternal

#richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #reddie #it fanfiction #it fandom #the losers club #i am a loser #Shannon writes #stanley uris #bill denbrough #mike hanlon #beverly marsh #ben hanscom

[creddieswestallen]

into the speedforce thoughts

Ok I get why the speedforce is mad that Barry put the responsibility of saving Iris on Wally when it’s his job. But what I don’t get is why the speedforce is blaming Barry for Eddie and Ronnie’s deaths that wasn’t on him. I just recently watched 1x23 again and Eddie killed himself because he figured out he was Thawne’s ancestor and wanted to save everyone. It was the same for Martin and Ronnie they went into knowing the risks, they separated in the singularity and Ronnie sacrificed himself to save the city so I don’t know why the speedforce is trying to make Barry feel guilty about that just like Caitlin did in Killer Frost.

Barry and Iris broke my heart this episode first the “did I lose you” scene, those dramatic ass I love yous and that ending scene fucked me up good. So this episode was a continuation of last week’s episode so Iris had just broken the engagement because she didn’t want to be engaged out of fear but while Barry was in the speedforce and almost died she changed her mind and wanted to be with him and her engagement ring was on the table I think she was hoping he’d come home they’d talk and he’d put the ring back on her because she said “I don’t have to doubt why you wanna marry me it’s the same reason I wanna marry you, I wanna be your wife Barry.” But instead he said they need space and as much as I want to punch him and yell at him for making her cry and leaving her alone when she needs him most. I understand why he needs space which brings me to my next point.

Barry has been through some traumatic shit in his life and Iris has always been his constant. She has been with him through everything and he wouldn’t have been able to get through it without her and she was the only who believed in him when no one else did. He’s not gonna survive if she dies that’s why he’s been refusing to acknowledge that her death is even a possibility that he’s not thinking clearly and acting out of fear. So he does need to come to terms with her death and figure out how to save her and he can’t do that if he’s with her and it reminds me of the 2x23 porch scene where he says “if I’m gonna be worth anything to you I need to fix what’s wrong with me” which is exactly what he’s trying to do here so I can’t be mad at him for that, it just hurts. Also props to Grant and Candice their acting was on point this episode, they do such a great job during their heavy emotional scenes especially Candice the tears streaming down her face had me crying.

Barry and Iris have a love strong enough to get through anything, they’ll get through this and come back better than ever. I fully believe that after seeing Millie and Tommy together in the dream world he’s going to come to his senses because Music Meister is trying to teach Barry and Kara a lesson about their relationships and I’m not sure how Barry’s song Running Home to You will play out in the episode but it’ll definitely tie into Barry coming back home to Iris and doing things the right way and spending as much time with her as possible because she only has a few months left.

#westallen #iris west #barry allen #the flash #quincey writes