I got to collab with @arelliann on this piece for a line art exchange for the @steddiebbang while we waited for art claims to roll around. They did the linework and I did the color!
It's been a busy week, but I'm so excited to share my Steddie BB project! It's cute, it's silly, and it's completely in line with my current Fake Dating obsession. I hope you like it!
Rating: E(?) | Wordcount: ~20-25K
Tags: Fake Dating, No Upside Down AU, Modern-ish AU, Co-conspirators to Lovers, Past Tommy/Eddie, Petty Revenge, RomCom
Summary:
Eddie made the stupidest decision in his life and followed his boyfriend, Tommy, to a different state and a different city and a different job, only to find himself unceremoniously kicked to the curb. All because of Tommy’s obsession with his high school crush that got away. Now he was jobless, homeless, and brainless apparently, since his only plan for revenge was to contact Tommy’s high school crush, Steve Harrington, and beg him for help with something just petty enough to work. It wasn’t like he wanted Tommy back, absolutely not, he just wanted Tommy to taste a little bit of his own Instagram-curated medicine. And what better way to drive his ex crazy than setting up a fake relationship with the man he’d been obsessively stalking on social media since he was eighteen? Was it petty? Yes. Was it dumb as hell? Absolutely. Would it drive Tommy completely insane and probably lead to a massive crash out that would taste sweeter than any dessert Eddie had ever tasted? No doubt about it. So Eddie sucked it up, opened his DMs, and rattled off an unhinged request to a total stranger.
↳ Snip below the cut
Eddie wasn’t stupid, contrary to popular belief. Sure, his teachers may have thought so, and maybe his father did too, but he wasn’t. Or at least, he hadn’t been. He hadn’t been, until he decided to follow his stupid boyfriend to Chicago, even with the pit of unease that creeped into his gut and didn’t leave.
He hadn’t been, until he ignored everything that told him this was a bad idea because Tommy was so good at talking him out of his own thoughts.
You’re overthinking, he’d say.
You need to relax, he’d say.
You’re seriously going to stay in your podunk town just because you ‘feel weird’? C’mon, Eddie.
And he sounded right, at the time. An apartment he didn’t have to pay for, a job already lined up at the same company Tommy’s dad ran, someone there so he wasn’t alone in a new city.
It seemed right. It seemed stupid to refuse.
That was until he found himself unceremoniously kicked to the curb after one fucking fight. A fight that Eddie refused to settle on, and kept poking the bear until Tommy reported him to his father for harassment, got him fired, and tossed his bags out the fourth floor window of their apartment.
Tommy’s apartment. Because Eddie wasn’t on the lease.
Eddie didn’t think he was stupid, but he sure felt like he was as he sat on the curb of an unfamiliar city, two shitty duffle bags of his clothes and not much else sitting beside him as he smoked through his last pack of cigarettes. It had only been three months. Three months, until he was suddenly homeless, jobless, and apparently fucking brainless to boot.
It wasn’t even like it was a new fight, it was a fight that had been shoved aside so many times, he kind of expected it to keep being pushed off until it was irrelevant. It wasn’t even like Tommy was cheating, or pursuing other people; he wasn’t looking elsewhere, he didn’t have wandering eyes, and he wasn’t afraid of claiming Eddie in public whenever they went out — which was new for Eddie. Maybe that skewed his idea of a healthy relationship, just a little.
No, instead it was like there was a third man in the relationship that was never actually there.
A ghost.
A remnant of a life that didn’t even exist. One that Tommy just couldn’t get out of his head.
Eddie’d never even met the guy.
Steve Harrington.
Apparently he and Tommy had gone to high school together, before either of them even realized they were gay. Which would mean nothing, as far as Eddie was concerned. He’d had plenty of gay awakenings in high school that went absolutely nowhere, and they fizzled out fairly quickly.
The problem was that it wasn’t flizzling. Every time Eddie did something slightly wrong, it was ‘Steve did it this way’ or ‘Steve did it that way’ or ‘Steve’s dinner tasted better, but yours is good too, Eds.’
For once Eddie just wanted to have a nice night in with his boyfriend, without having Steve Harrington hanging over the conversation. He was overthinking, Tommy said; he was paranoid, he insisted; it wasn’t like Steve was even in the state, Eddie, they were just high school friends, get over it.
So Eddie told him he wasn’t the one who needed to get over it. It was Tommy that kept bringing him up, it was Tommy that kept inserting some random guy into their relationship, it was Tommy who compared every little thing Eddie did to Steve, when — News Flash! — Steve clearly didn’t want him, it was Eddie who had moved states to be with him, it was Eddie he’d begged to follow him, it was Eddie who’d made them dinner every fucking night to several back-handed compliments and critique disguised as praise.
Apparently that wasn’t the correct thing to say, he scoffed to himself as he flipped through the contacts in his phone and debated whether or not calling Wayne for a ride or walking to the nearest bus station was better. Wayne would have to drive for a few hours to reach him, and that would definitely result in ‘I told you so’s and ‘I hated that boy from the beginning’s that Eddie didn’t want to deal with right now.
On the other hand, the Greyhound station was a couple miles away, and he’d have to call Wayne for a ride once he got to Hawkins anyway.
Eddie groaned, poking around through his social media just to delay his choice for a few more minutes. He didn’t think he’d be this annoyed by the end of a two-year relationship. He figured he’d be sadder, maybe a little depressed, maybe he’d feel all his emotions congeal into a blob of despair that would clog up his lungs and his throat and choke him from the inside out.
At least, that’s what the movies and books would claim.
Instead, he felt righteous indignation burn a hole through him as he looked at Tommy’s latest instagram post — a picture of their dinner from a couple days ago, Eddie’s ring-clad hand loosely resting around the stem of a wine glass (one he’d kind of wished he threw at Tommy’s head) that was taken right before their fight started and ended with their relationship up in flames.
Sometimes it’s all worth it
The caption stared at him mockingly. Eddie wasn’t even tagged in it or anything, it was just Tommy’s smug little way of looking perfect online — he didn’t need Eddie for that, he just needed a prop, another body to show the world that Tommy wasn’t pathetic and alone, to pretend that he wasn’t hung up on some high school nobody like the loser he was. God, Eddie was so mad.
The timestamp was even minutes ago, as if he hadn’t already told Eddie he was fired and his stuff was on the curb by then. He could strangle that little weasel, he could march right back up the stairs and pound on the door and demand he delete the stupid picture.
But what would that do?
Tommy wouldn’t even open the door, let alone delete his stupid post. He probably had a stockpile of their pictures just to keep up the relationship on Instagram for appearances. He scoffed, the sound ripping from his throat sharp with anger that had nowhere to go.
Posting some angry rant online calling him out would just make Eddie look like a lunatic, and give him proof to hand over to HR to justify his firing. Was slinking back to Hawkins with his tail between his legs really the only thing he could do about this? Tommy deserved to feel like shit, he deserved to get a relationship thrown into his face over and over again, Eddie wasn’t just a prop, he was a person.
He was angrily scrolling through past pictures, his last cigarette hanging from his lips when a username caught his eye.
StevietheHairington had liked one of their early pictures, one with Eddie’s hand clasped in Tommy’s over a fancy tablecloth with candles and mood lighting, and suddenly he had an idea.
A petty one, for sure, but Eddie had never exactly been known as level-headed. He was a big fan of petty, a huge fan of petty — call him Tom Petty he was so ready to not back down.
So he went to Steve’s profile, just for a peek. Just a look — not even a look, a glance, just a little one.
The guy was gorgeous, he’d give Tommy that. All tan and happy, pretty mole-dotted skin that could absolutely stick in someone’s head for years. He looked sweet, nice even, which he hadn’t quite expected from someone who was friends with Tommy in school. He had several pictures with some girl, declarations of best friends and platonic soulmates that said Steve was probably single, which worked perfectly for the little plan that was vaguely forming in Eddie’s head.
It wasn’t even a plan, yet, just the whispers of a plan, really. It was kind of crazy, even for Eddie, but he figured it couldn’t hurt to try.
So he opened his DMs and sent probably the most unhinged message to a stranger that he’d ever sent in his life. He started with a simple ‘Hey man. You don’t know me, but I think you know my boy—’ he deleted the last few letters and shook his head, clearing his throat from the anger that suddenly climbed up to choke him, ‘ex-boyfriend,’ he amended.
‘We’d been dating for a few years and he dragged me to a new city just to throw me to the curb because he was too obsessed with you. I know that’s not your fault, and I’m not mad, but I was wondering if you’d maybe be interested in helping me get a little revenge?’
‘Ik this is weird and a lil fucked up and everything but he seriously left me stranded and got me fired and this is the only thing I can think of to get back at him…’
He didn’t exactly expect a reply, to be honest. He kind of figured that would be that, and he’d just have to suck it up and deal with getting his life back in order — starting with the trek to the train station with his stupid bags weighing him down like cement blocks.
He was sweaty and tired by the time he got a ticket and a seat, a vague text to Wayne about coming to visit for a few days… or weeks, that he then ignored. He had two hours to gear up for the ‘I told you so’s, he didn’t need them before he and his uncle were even face-to-face.
When his phone buzzed a few minutes later, he figured it would be the exact type of text he didn’t want to read, but it was a DM instead.
From Steve.
Eddie scrambled to open the app, nearly dropping his phone in the process, heart skyrocketing into his throat like the king of rock himself had just messaged him instead of a stranger.
‘weird lol whos ur ex?’
That’s all it said. Simple.
‘Tommy Hagan?’
‘I’m in.’
The reply was instantaneous. It popped up like a liferaft, dragging Eddie’s drowning emotions to the surface with renewed clarity and hope. He didn’t think it’d be that easy, he didn’t think he’d get a reply at all, let alone an immediate one.
A bubble popped up, ellipses drifting in and out until Steve replied again.
Hi all! It is my turn to post and I'm excited to share with you the story that's been a year in the making! With gorgeous cover art by the ever-talented @gallapiech 💜.
I hope you will join me for some Gallavich IIINNN SPAAACE! I hope it's accessible even if you haven't read Freefalling (For You)... It is a sequel, but it's also a prequel.
Slightly under half is available now, the rest will be posted when I can edit it... Probably in two big chunks rather than chapter by chapter.
Constant Acceleration (Towards You)
(35385 words) by AnniseFreya
Summary: It's not an easy life, running cargo through space to the very edge of the sun's influence. Eighteen months ago, when Lip wanted to leave their ship, the Fiona Gallagher, Ian didn't think they'd be able to find another mechanic as skilled. Until luck delivers them Mickey. And don't get him wrong, he's brilliant at his job... but Ian needs more than that from the only other person on board his ship. Like an actual conversation that doesn't revolve around maintenance schedules.
In the present, a few weeks after an engine breakdown and a stressful space walk led Ian and Mickey to finally admit their feelings for each other, they reach the relative safety of Odyssey Station. They're hoping for some R&R, and time to enjoy the relationship they're just starting to build together. Odyssey has other plans. Dr Svetlana Yevgenivna needs passage to Earth for herself and some important research. And just to add insult to injury, Svetlana brings a complication even she doesn't know about.
Chapters: 11/?
Fandom: Shameless (US)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Ian Gallagher & Mickey Milkovich, Svetlana Yevgenivna & Mickey Milkovich, Svetlana Yevgenivna & Ian Gallagher, Ian Gallagher & Lip Gallagher
Characters: Ian Gallagher, Mickey Milkovich, Svetlana Yevgenivna, Lip Gallagher, Carl Gallagher, Debbie Gallagher, Mandy Milkovich
Additional Tags: Shameless Big Bang (Shameless US), Alternate Universe - Space, Pilot Ian Gallagher, Mechanic Mickey Milkovich, Gallagher family space business, Bipolar Ian Gallagher, Space Ships, Space Stations, Alternating timelines - prequel and sequel, Alternating POV (different timelines), in space no one can hear you pine, the pining was mutual they're both just idiots, additional tags for the different storylines in the chapter notes
Series: Part 3 of Gravitational Pull
Additional tags for sequel: Unwanted passenger, Svetlana third-wheeling real hard, Pregnancy (it's not Mickey's or Ian's), no strong smut but lots implied (starting in the opening scene)
Additional tags for prequel: Strangers to colleagues to friends, the 'to lovers' part is implied by the sequel, competence kink
And if that's not enough, there is a little teaser snippet under the cut.
----
“Dr Yevgenivna’s research is at a critical point, and we need to send her and some equipment back to Earth at the earliest possible opportunity.”
Mickey glances from Lochley to Svetlana, frowning.
“What’s that got to do with us?” he asks. “We ain’t a passenger transport.”
“No,” Lochley replies. “But you do have the facilities to transport an extra person and the equipment required.”
A bubble of something forms and builds behind Mickey’s sternum. There’s pressure in his chest, heat in his skin. The very idea makes him itch. A stranger on their ship. Their home. Fucking up the cosy world he and Ian had made together. An extra mouth to feed. An extra voice to listen to.
“Absolutely fucking not,” he says.
He doesn’t have the diplomacy voice like Ian does, but he doesn’t care. He’s not accepting a fucking passenger on his ship, and he doesn’t quite understand why Ian’s sitting there with a thoughtful, unhappy frown, rather than saying the exact same thing.
