#Nicky's terrible at keeping secrets! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

alixinwwonderland · 1 year

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so the universe i started with this fic and this sequel seems to have more in store! part three, here we go! thanks @wonderlandleighleigh @bekindreblog for bouncing ideas with me and for some much-needed inspiration.

(this will probably end up on ao3 at some point, link to come!)

Since Alfie’s little sojourn into the future, Midge has been going into overdrive trying to fix everything that went wrong. And, yes, she even has a brand-new notebook to track as much of it as she can remember, how it all happened, and where she might be able to stop it in its tracks. Her notebooks haven’t let her down yet, so why should this be any different?

She makes a schedule to remind herself to spend a certain amount of time each day (or at least every other day) with each of the kids. It goes against everything in her nature not to turn that into a bit for her act, too, but if “Mrs. X at the Gaslight” could still come back to haunt her, then the last thing she needs is some greasy-haired dweeb recording her confessions of terrible motherhood just enough to have them pop up when Ethan and Esther are old enough to be permanently scarred by their mother joking about forcing herself to spend time with them. She’s not even forcing herself to spend time with them, just to schedule when that time is, but she suspects that’s not a distinction that will play well with audiences or with the kids. So, out of the act it goes, against Susie’s objections.

The family stuff, ironically enough, is easier than some of the professional. She’s still laboring away at Gordon’s show, and while it’s better than her first go-round, filled with unwanted flirting from the boss and constant opposition from coworkers, it’s still not what she wants to be doing. She knows, in the back of her mind, how future-her solved the “writers can’t be on the show” problem, but she’s not ready to take that leap or burn those bridges just yet.

Besides, there’s a bigger problem at hand: namely, Susie having a rare lapse in street smarts and getting herself and Midge entangled with the mob. That, again, is not something that Midge wants to relive the way it was in Alfie’s version of the future, so she’s stuck with trash-can musicals once again.

And now, she’s stuck in Chicago, doing a couple of sets at a club owned by a “friend” of Frank and Nicky’s, whose headliner pulled out at the last minute for reasons not clearly explained. It’s a weekend, and she’s got nothing to do on Saturday afternoon but explore a new city and try to figure out how to extract herself from this mess. Susie doesn’t seem to have seen as much in her vision as Midge did, or if she did, she’s keeping it secret even from Midge, and all she’ll say is that she’s “working on it.”

When she decides to indulge in a hearty sandwich for lunch, Midge picks a deli at random, knowing deep down that it’ll probably be disappointing by her standards, but hoping it will be at least passable. The bigger surprise is when the woman seated on the stool next to her turns her head and Midge realizes that she knows her, at the exact same time the other woman realizes the same thing.

“Hi,” Mei says.

“Hi,” Midge answers.

“What are you doing here?” Mei winces. “Sorry, that came out a lot ruder than I thought. I just meant—”

“Didn’t expect to see me here?” When Mei shrugs in agreement, Midge nods. “You and me both.”

Then Midge looks at Mei — really looks at her, and a thought occurs to her: a memory of a months-ago conversation with Frank and Nicky, and an allusion that Mei’s family is frightening enough to even scare off hardened mob goons.

It’s probably a bad idea. It’s almost certainly a bad idea. But, fight fire with fire, as they say, right?

“Hey,” Midge begins. “I know I have… absolutely no right to ask you this. Or ask you anything, really. But, honestly, I’m desperate.”

“I’m flattered,” Mei says dryly, and not for the first time, Midge gets the sense that, in some other life, she and Mei could have gotten along pretty well.

“My manager, she doesn’t usually get things wrong, but when she does, boy do things go wrong,” Midge continues. “Which circles back to your first question.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Exactly,” Midge says. She lowers her voice slightly, aware of the public space they’re in. “Couple of years ago, Susie made some … friends, let’s say. And now business is picking up and they’ve turned out to be less of friends and more of…”

“Ah. That kind of friend,” Mei says delicately. Midge presses her lips together tightly and nods.

“So here I am, in Chicago, using up the only free time I’ll have all month, doing sets for their friend’s club. I had to emcee a musical about municipal waste! There’s no end to it. They said they own us,” Midge hisses. “And now Joel’s sniffing around, and knowing him he’ll try to do something stupid out of some misplaced savior complex about me and the kids, and then—”

She stops and looks back at Mei.

“Sorry,” she says. “I didn’t mean to bring up—”

“It’s okay.” Mei shrugs it off. “I mean, you’re not wrong.”

“Look. I know we’re not friends, not in any definition of the word. But I may have heard … things. About the kinds of circles your family may or may not run in, and the kinds of people who are scared of them.”

A faint grin appears on Mei’s lips.

“And you were hoping, what, that I could call in the cavalry and save all of you from your own naivete and stupidity?” Mei asks, blunt as can be.

“Wow, they definitely haven’t gotten to the ‘bedside manner’ portion of med school, have they?” Midge cracks.

“It’s overrated,” Mei parries back, and there’s that dry, dry humor again that makes Midge wish things had gone differently. “Okay,” she says, getting off her stool and putting a few bills by her plate to pay.

“Okay?” Midge echoes back, startled at the abrupt shift. Mei picks up her purse from the counter, then turns back to Midge.

“Your manager — Susie, you said?”

“Yeah. Susie Myerson.”

“Well. You tell Susie to keep an ear out. And if some guy shows up to deliver Chinese food but without the food, you tell her she should invite him in. Good luck with your shows, Midge.”

Mei is already almost out the door when Midge gets with the program enough to hurry after her, tossing her own money on the counter and nearly losing a shoe on the way out.

“Mei!” she calls out, hurrying after her on the sidewalk. Mei stops and turns around. When Midge reaches her, the only thing that falls out of her mouth is, “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why would you do this for me? After everything that happened — with Joel, and with everything else — you’re just going to … help me? Without even asking for a favor or something in return?”

Mei’s eyes narrow.

“First of all, I don’t do that favor bullshit. My family might, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’m here by myself, on my own merit, no favors called in. Draw your own conclusions.”

“I’m sorry, I know you — I didn’t mean —”

“Second. You’re right that Joel is exactly the type of man who would puff himself up and try to fix things and get himself into trouble instead. And as … as badly as things ended, the image of how that could turn out isn’t one that I’m interested in seeing. And it’s not one that your kids deserve.”

Mei takes a deep breath and seems to relax a little as she looks squarely into Midge’s gaze.

“And third? I sort of owe you, anyway.”

“Me? What did I do?” Midge asks, trying to sort through her limited interactions with Mei to figure out when she’s ever done something to actually help instead of make things worse. Mei smiles, and it’s an actual smile, not a sarcastic or ironic one.

“That night, in the hospital, while we were waiting for news about Moishe, and you started in with all the questions about co-parenting and managing the kids’ schedules and me and Joel living together, and all of that.”

“I thought I scared you off with that. Joel thinks I scared you off with that,” Midge can’t help adding. Mei lets out a short huff of laughter at that.

“Of course he does. And I guess from his perspective, that’s what happened. But from mine, it’s that you showed me, clear as day, what that life would look like. What my life would have looked like, if I’d stayed and gone through with… with all the plans. I don’t know, it felt like—”

“A glimpse of a future you realized wasn’t for you?” Midge asks, a little wry.

“Yeah. Yeah, exactly,” Mei says softly. Midge smiles.

“I know what you mean.” They’re quiet for a moment, until Mei shakes herself out of it.

“Remember. Susie. Chinese food. Don’t forget.”

“Got it. Thanks, Mei. And… good luck. I think you’re going to be a really, really great doctor.”

Mei grins.

“You bet your ass I am.”

Mei’s good to her word. A week later, Dinah ushers a skinny, bespectacled man in a suit into Susie’s office. Midge never finds out what, exactly, was in the briefcase he brought over, nor will Susie tell her what was said during her conversation with Frank and Nicky.

“Better that you don’t know the details,” Susie says ominously.

Whatever blackmail is in there, though, it does the trick. Frank and Nicky will never be fully gone — that appears to be the cost of doing this kind of business, even if it makes Midge wary — but it’s much better than being “owned” by them. And that, Midge thinks, is good enough to make a start.

#the marvelous mrs. maisel #tmmm #midge maisel #mei lin #tmmmfic #tv: the marvelous mrs maisel #ch: midge maisel #ch: mei lin #mine

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myocsfanfictions · 4 months

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The Road Ahead of Us - TWD (Season 2)

The Walking Dead Fanfiction

MASTERLIST

They had left Atlanta behind, trying to reach Fort Benning; but during an apocalypse nothing ever goes at it is planned. Sarah and Nicolette will have to face new challenges and dangers. How will they survive?

<< Previous

Chapter 32

SARAH

What Rick had said has been very shocking for Sarah, as for everyone else. The fact that Rick kept it a secret was not right, not at all. She understood that he wanted to protect them, but keeping them in the dark was not the right solution for anyone.

"I can't believe it," Glenn muttered. Sarah knew what he felt, but now it was useless to talk about it; they had to make sure to build a safe camp.

"A'right," Daryl whispered, before looking at every one of them, "Imma take some wood for the fire. Sarah," he turned to her, "Do that thin' Rick asked you to," she nodded her head.

"Don't go alone," she said to him, who observed her for a moment, biting his lips before looking at Glenn.

"Ya come with me?" he asked and Glenn agreed after he took a deep breath.

"Me, Maggie, and T-Dog will keep the guard," Hershel said, holding his rifle closer.

"I'll look at the kids," Carol said, putting a hand on Carl's shoulder.

They were all divided to do what they were supposed to. As she walked towards the wall, Sarah observed her sister. She seemed deep in thought and nervous. She must have been very scared.

"Nicolette," she said, stopping by her sister, who looked at her quietly, "Do you wanna help me with the rope?"

"Alright," Nicki said almost whispering. She was really shaken up; her expression was almost impossible to see, but her fingers were moving, and her skin was paler. Something was bothering her mind more than usual.

"T, could you help me?" Sarah said catching the man's attention, who nodded, "I need to move the cars," she said, "I want to block the entrance facing the road. We stop them diagonally," she pointed, explaining her idea, "The backs attached to the walls, the fronts touching to each other. At least they don't jump."

"Gotcha," he said, "I take the red, you the green," Sarah nodded. They took little time. Beth had helped T-Dog with his car, and Nicki had helped Sarah. At least the front was secured. Then she brought Nicolette to the back. The roop that she had brought with her was long enough to touch it around different trees. She could not close the entrance, but she could create a sort of fence to defend a side. The other was open, but they needed an escape route if they needed to.

"You wanted to talk to me, right?" Nicki asked as Sarah was securing the rope around a tree most close to the little river they had at the back.

"It depends if you wanna talk," she answered, knowing perfectly well that if Nicki didn't wanted to speak, she wouldn't have.

As she was making a solid knot, Sarah glanced at her sister, noticing her eyes fixed on Carl. She was overthinking a lot; Sarah could almost see her brain at work, but she said nothing. She waited patiently for her sister to open up. And in the end, she did.

"There's something I keep thinking," Nicki said, making a step towards her sister, who looked up at her, giving her her full attention, "Why did Shane stage all of that? With Randall?"

That was a good question. A question that Sarah had thought too.

“Daryl said that Shane and Randall were together… where they found the body,” Sarah said thinking back at what Daryl had said in the house.

“He didn’t follow him?” Nicki asked and Sarah shook her head. Her sister’s eyes were fixed on the ground. Sarah didn’t blame her. She was sad that Shane had died, but what he did to Randall had been terrible and unjustified.

"Me and Carl saw Shane's body," at her sister's words, Sarah let the rope go to turn to look at Nicki, "When we got there, he turned..." she kept explaining, "Carl was the one who put him down," Sarah let out a shaky breath. Those poor children had seen something terrible, another friend died and then turned into a walker. Sarah's eyes moved briefly in Carl's direction. He was so young...

"He wasn't bit," Nicki kept saying after a moment of silence, "He was just dead, and Rick never told us how it happened..." Sarah observed her sister.

"What do you think?" Sarah asked getting closer to Nicki. The girl looked at her for a moment, before letting out a breath.

"What if he attacked Rick?" she asked finally. Sarah's breath stopped in her throat. Would he really do something like that? For what? The leadership? Lori?

But they were friends...

"Oh god," Sarah muttered.

"Why did he go crazy?" Nicolette asked after some moments of silence, making Sarah observe her with pain in her gaze, "He wasn't like that..."

"If he did," Sarah said trying to keep her voice stady, "Maybe... all of this, with all we are living..."

"Can someone change that much?" Nicki asked, her voice betraying her; for the first time, Sarah could hear them speak with worry, "He protected us, he was gentle, and then..." She was speaking the truth; everyone had noticed the change in his behavior, and the change had been quite abrupt and undeniable.

"Can someone else change?" Nicki asked.

"No, Nicki," Sarah said making a step towards her sister.

"That's a lie," she said looking at her sister, "You know it is..."

"These people are our friends, Nicki, you know that," Nicki nodded her head.

"I know," she said, her voice shaky, "But what if it happens? What should we do? What should I do?" Sarah pulled her sister into her arms. It broke her heart to see her like that, so scared, and some tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I couldn't even shoot an arrow at him," she kept saying as she hugged Sarah back.

"He was your friend, Nicki," she said rubbing her back, "Shooting him wasn't something easy to do."

" But I can't freeze if something like that happens," Nicki answered, breaking the hug, "I can't do that," and without waiting for an answer, her sister turned to move back towards the others.

That wasn't what Nicolette should have worried about, she was so young. She should have talked about TV series, music, or boys, not weapons and putting down friends who became walkers.

"Hey..." Daryl's voice made her turn, and as she saw him, Sarah quickly dried her tears.

"Hey," she said as she heard him walk closer. He had gone to search for some wood for the fire.

"Ya alright?" He asked. His eyes were on her. Sarah bit her lips, shaking her head.

"Nicki saw Shane turn," she explained, "She... felt bad because she couldn't put him down," Sarah dried more of her tears, "She is scared, and I don't know what to do. I'm scared too and I don't know..."

"Hey," he whispered getting closer to her, "It's gonna be alright," he said again, making her look up at him.

"This sounds like a promise," she said.

Daryl observed her for a moment, biting his lip, before nodding his head, "It is."

Sarah didn't know what to say, but she hoped that he knew that his words meant a lot to her.

She moved one of her hands to touch his, "Thank you," she said forcing a little smile. Daryl's eyes moved to their hands, before looking at her again.

"You need help?" She asked, but he shook his head.

"Nah, I'm good," he answered with a low voice before waiting for Sarah to set up the rope, and then they both went back to the others.

T-Dog was keeping guard while Carl and Lori sat near the fire that Daryl was staring at. Hershel was hugging Beth as Maggie and Glenn sat next to each other. Nicki was sitting a little further from them, her back laid against the wall, while Carol sat next to Daryl, on the other side from where Sarah was.

"We're not safe with him, keeping something like that from us," Carol said looking at Daryl. Sarah frowned as she listened, "Why do you need him? He's just gonna pull you down."

Sarah looked at Daryl as he spoke, "No. Rick's done all right by me."

"You're his henchmen and I'm a burden," Carol argued.

"Carol, with all due respect, but what the hell are you saying?" Sarah asked leaning forward, hoping that no one was listening to them.

"You're a burden too," Carol said, and Sarah felt taken aback by her words, "He deserves better, and you know it."

Sarah was about to answer, but Daryl spoke instead, glaring at Carol, "What do you want?"

"A man of honor," Carol answered and Sarah felt her eyes gone wide. What was she saying? Leaving Rick behind? What was her plan?

"Rick has honor," Daryl answered and Sarah looked at him. He was loyal and kind and she was glad he was with them and didn't want to leave.

"Maybe we should take our chance," Maggie said, looking at Glenn, and Sarah could not believe what they were saying.

"We have to stay together now," Sarah said with wide eyes. How could they not see it? Together they were stronger? They wouldn't have lasted two days all scattered around.

"Sarah is right," Hershel said, "There's no food, no fuel, no ammo-"

Suddenly the sound of leaves rustling made them all get up. Sarah turned to her sister, who had already come closer, an arrow already on her bow.

"What was that?" Beth asked.

"Could be anything," Daryl answered, Sarah was behind him, feeling the fear growing in her. If it was a walker, maybe they could take it down, but what if there were more, "Could be a raccoon, could be a possum-"

"A walker," Carol interrupted Daryl, "We need to leave."

"Going where?" Nicki said skeptically, "It's night."

"It's better than staying here," Carol answered, "I mean, what are we waiting for?"

"Calm down," Sarah said, hoping that Carol would not freak out and run off somewhere.

"Which way?" Glenn asked.

"It came from over there," Maggie said, bracing her rifle.

"Back from where we came," Beth whispered. And she was right.

"The last thing we need is for everyone to be running off in the dark," Rick's voice made Sarah turn; she didn't even notice that he had gotten back, "We don't have the vehicles. No one is traveling on foot," Sarah agreed with him, even if she didn't miss the annoyed look he had looking at all of them.

"Don't panic," Hershel said trying to keep everyone calm.

"I'm not sitting here waiting for another herd to blow through," Maggie said anxiously.

"We don't know if it is a walker," Sarah insisted, trying to keep calm. She knew that the situation was fucked up. They were in the open and anything could pass by, but panic never helped anyone.

"We need to move now," Maggie insisted, but this time, it was Rick who talked.

"No one is going anywhere!" He exclaimed.

"Do something!" Carol said.

"I am doing something!" Rick argued back, "I'm keeping this group together, alive. I've been doing that all along, no matter what. I didn't ask for this!"

Rick had always tried; he had always done his best to help and protect them all since the first day they met. He didn't put himself in charge; they let him, and Sarah did not think it was fair for them to turn on him because they were in a difficult situation. Being divided meant death; how could they not see that?

"I killed my best friend for you people, for Christ's sake!" Sarah's eyes widened at his words as she turned towards her sister. Nicki was observing the man, but there was no expression on her face as she kept quiet. Nobody said anything.

"You saw what he was like," Rick kept saying, "How he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us," Sarah looked up at Daryl, and they both shared a look.

"He staged the whole Randall thing," Rick kept saying and Sarah could not help but observe her sister, "Led me out to put a bullet in my back," Nicki had been right. Shane had tried to kill Rick.

"He gave me no choice," he kept saying, "He was my friend but he came after me," as Carl started to cry in his mother's arms, it had been the only moment in which Nicki turned away. Still no emotion on her face.

"My hands are clean!" Rick kept saying, and nobody dared to answer anything. Among them fell an heavy silence, only Carl's whimpers could be heard.

"Maybe you people are better off without me," Rick said, "Go ahead!" Sarah looked at the others, trying to understand if someone was talking in consideration of actually leaving, but it was very difficult to catch; they were all too shocked, too scared.

"I say there's a place for us, but maybe it's just another pipe dream," Rick said and Sarah let out a shaky breath, glancing at her sister. She was hoping that there was a place, somewhere, where her sister could grow in peace and safety. There must have been one, somewhere.

"Maybe I'm fooling myself again," Rick kept saying, "Why don't you go and find out yourself? Send me a postcard! Go ahead, that's the door!" Sarah and Daryl looked at each other once more, "You can do better? Let's see how far you get," Rick said, but nobody moved, "No takers? Fine! But get one thing straight: you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore," and then he walked away.

They all looked at each other in silence, knowing perfectly that they would not have made it on their own. They had to stay together. Now more than ever. Sarah looked at her sister; Nicki was her priority, and she would have done anything to keep her safe. Anything.

#twd #the walking dead #twd fanfiction #the walking dead fanfiction #twd imagine #the walking dead imagine #carl grimes #carl grimes fanfiction #carl grimes imagine #carl grimes x reader #carl grimes x oc #daryl dixon #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon x oc #daryl dixon x reader #season 2

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scrapyardboyfriends · 10 months

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Sooo, what now? The whole deal with Caleb was that everyone hated him, and he needed a redemption. Now he's just up and running and him and Nicky are "fine". What he's going to do a Chas and mop around for a bit, until everyone just decides that they are bored with being angry with him now. He has zero purpose now. But then again so does Will (and Chloe) but they still insist on keeping him around for gods knows why to.

That’s a really excellent question. One that I’m not so sure they’ve thought too deeply about, which is a problem.

But they had him buy the Mill and they’ve redecorated it for him, so it seems both Caleb and Nicky are here to stay for the foreseeable.

Now, is there anything to do with them so they don’t just become more secret Dingles hanging around like half the rest?

Presumably, Caleb will still need a job although apparently he’s still rich? It’s hard to keep track. So he could try and worm his way back in at home farm or try and start some other business we’ll never see. Nicky technically needs a job too now that his nanny career is over. Although there are plenty of random children in this village that need looking after. Someone should capitalize on that.

There’s love. I can’t see him and Leyla working out and he doesn’t have many options but…maybe. Nicky only has getting Ally back or Ethan now that he’s supposedly due back but god they’d make a terrible couple. Unless one or both of them had a personality change.

I did see something about Caleb having more story with Cain and Moira and it damn well better not be an affair with Moira. I guess he could help the farm he tried to destroy. That's...a mild bit of purpose.

If I was trying to salvage this now, I'd stick with Home Farm. I know the show is seemingly terrified of actually changing anything but I still think they need more/better people up at Home Farm. Dawn and Billy need to stop sponging off her new step mom and go move into one of the empty cottages. Maybe they can house share with Mack and Chloe. *Shudders* Haha. They just don't belong at Home Farm. Get Billy a more useful job too. I still think he should go work at the Scrap Yard with Vinny. And like...maybe actually see it once in a while.

And then I'd have Caleb want to continue the fun family times and still cause Kim a bit of trouble, while not actively taking her on. So I'd have him reach out to Joe and recast him and Jean and bring both of them back. Claire King can't film as much anymore and she can't really film outside, so she's not in the village as much. I'm sick to death of Will being the main Home Farm representative in the village. He's the worst. So getting Joe and Jean back and having them work up there and be able to come down into the village would be great. And Caleb could leverage his relationship with them to get back into the businesses. It would be nice too if they actually started that Stud Farm or some other business we could actually see rather than just the HOP, which was frankly one of their worst business ideas.

But they're going to do none of that so I'm sure whatever nonsense it is it will range from mind numbingly boring and underwhelming to absolutely horrific. Can't wait!

#emmerdale complaints corner

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dearcat1 · 2 years

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(Defending)

Part 54 of Biases and Expectations

He watches his wife check on a muddy but triumphant Anton and snorts, turning his attention to his daughter. He picks her up, ignoring her wide eyes. Julian is standing by his mother's legs, a little bloodied up but otherwise fine. Sawada seems to agree, judging by his mostly relaxed reaction to this mess. Xanxus clicks his tongue, "what happened?"

Tsunayoshi picks his kid up, patting his back soothingly. "Nicki grabbed Julian's truck so he pushed her. Anton returned the favour."

That's an understatement, his son tackled the shit out of Sawada's spawn. Xanxus looks back at his wife who, despite what it might look like, isn't scolding Antonio in the slightest. "It's time we go."

"No need," Sawada shrugs. "The food is about to come out. The kids will get over it pretty quickly."

Xanxus grunts but concedes the point. "Fine." It's the first time Xanxus has taken Emilia with him to one of the family gatherings and she seemed so surprised when he told her that he doesn't know what to do with that. Xanxus is just trying to keep his wife where he can see her because his people can't be trusted, it would seem. He walks up to the two of them. "Emilia," Xanxus waits until she's looking at him. "Come on, let's go inside." He ruffles Anton's hair, "well done."

Emilia stands up with a chuckle; she kisses Nicole's cheek and grabs Anton's hand, letting Xanxus guide her inside. "I'm getting hungry."

"Food should be almost ready," Xanxus brushes his fingers against her pulse. "Sawada wants us to spend the night." He hasn't said as much but it's pretty obvious he's keeping them around for as long as he can manage.

His wife eyes Angelina for a moment before nodding. "The kids were having fun." Other than that little scuffle, it's true.

Perhaps it's the frustration about the entire situation but his wife's interpretation of things angers him. Xanxus clicks his tongue but restraints his temper, his kids don't need to see that and Emilia is already wary enough of him as it is. Xanxus puts his daughter down, grabbing his wife's nape as soon as both children run inside the Iron Fort. "I'm not fucking Angelina."

"...Ok?" Emilia blinks, one of her hands coming up to grab his wrist. "I didn't think you'd sleep with her." She says nothing about other women, of course, and that's enough to keep his anger flaming but…

"Then why the look?" He takes his hand away.

"She's been walking on eggshells around Tsunayoshi and Julienne." Emilia shrugs, still holding on to his wrist. "I'm curious what that's about."

"Sawada is annoyed enough to want her gone and is planning on marrying her off if that's what it takes." Xanxus nods at his wife's wide eyes. "She's been nagging for Emma or somebody as equally influential. Byakuran maybe. Sawada is talking to your brother instead and if that doesn't work, he'll talk to Don Falco. He's got nephews. They won't inherit but it's still understandable given Gokudera."

"My brother won't take her," Emilia eyes Xanxus carefully before intertwining their fingers. It calms Xanxus's temper even as he knows that's why she did it. "Not after everything. And even if he did, it's a terrible start for a marriage."

Angelina is likely terrified that Lillo will take her. Lillo's love for his sister isn't a secret, nor are the lengths he'll go to protect her. "We know that."

Emilia snorts but before Xanxus can comment, she turns around and pulls him along. "Come on."

"Yeah."

#fanfiction #khr #katekyo hitman reborn #xanxus #oc #biases and expectations au

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ask-aurachnid · 1 year

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This Isn't What It Looks Like

Warnings: none? Wordcount: 1,046

All in all, it takes way longer than Frankie expected for anyone to find out their secret identity without them telling the person first, but Frankie has terrible luck. Honestly, they’re glad it’s just one person instead of being unmasked on live television. Still, Frankie is at a loss of what to do or say because they’re standing in front of their fucking girlfriend dressed in the suit and glowing like the Rockafeller Christmas tree. They really fucked this one up.

“You motherfucker,” Nicky snaps. She’s not yelling, but it doesn’t matter. Nicky only swears when she’s pissed, and right now she’s absolutely seething.

“I didn’t think you were coming over tonight,” Frankie says dumbly.

“I wasn’t going to,” Nicky says, closing the door and stepping into the room, arms crossed. “But I was studying and I realized I left my fucking microcontroller textbook here.”

Frankie doesn’t say anything, wringing the mask in their hands nervously.

“I tried to call you, but you didn’t pick up. I figured you were on a run, so I popped by to pick it up and find— Gods, I don’t even know what I found. What the hell, Frankie?”

“Nicky. I—” Frankie doesn’t know what to say.

“You— Shit. We’ve known each other since orientation, and we’ve been together for a year. Were you ever planning on telling me?”

Honestly? Yes, but they had no idea how. At least with Castle, or Matt, or Peter, they had understood. With them, it was less scary. With them it was more of “this is my name” and less of “hey, I risk my life every day. I hope you’re okay with that.”

“I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you, but— shit, I just dug myself a hole and I didn’t know how to climb out of it without making you upset, which I realize now was—” Frankie babbles. “You absolutely deserved to know and I just—” They cut themself off with a sigh, shrugging uselessly.

“You just what, Frankie?” Nicky demands. “I thought you trusted me.” Her eyes are wet and Frankie’s chest fills with hot shame.

“I didn’t want this. I’m a fucking coward and I didn’t want to see you upset. I didn’t want you associated with that part of me because it’s stupid dangerous. Of course, I trusted you. I do trust you. I just— I just wanted to keep you safe.”

"I can protect myself."

“Not from Rhino, you can’t,” Frankie wants to say but it’s not helpful, or fair.

“I’m sorry,” they say instead, voice choked. They drop their mask and reach out, but Nicky bats their hand away and takes a step back, scowling.

“Don’t— Just, don’t. I can’t deal with this right now. It’s super fucking late, and I have a 2k test in the morning.” She says sharply. “I need some time, and- and I need some space. So, if I could have my textbook, I’ll be on my way.”

Frankie nods solemnly, grabbing the book off their desk and handing it to her. Neither of them says a word as she takes it and leaves, and they don't miss Nicky wiping her eyes as the door starts to close. Frankie doesn’t get much sleep that night.

~*~

If the others notice any tension between the pair, they don’t mention it, though Comet does give them both concerned stares. Frankie just gives xem a tense smile in response. What else can they do? What can they say?

It’s three days of radio silence. Three days of taking out their overflowing emotions on mostly deserving criminals. Three days before Nicky finally texts Frankie asking to talk. She asks to meet up in her own dorm, as the sun is just starting to set over the city. Frankie crawls in through the window, suit under their clothes because, depending on how this goes, they’ll head out for a very productive patrol.

Nicky takes in their appearance, the suit obvious under their unzipped jacket and athletic shorts, and their hands tucked into their pockets. Nicky shrugs, arms crossed.

“I don’t know what to say,” she starts, looking at her feet. “Are there any other lies I should know about? ‘Cause I feel like there could be others.”

“Not off the top of my head,” Frankie responds. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I do trust you, I just— I don’t want Toomes, or Osborn, or Rhino coming after you because of me. I can’t— I can’t lose anyone else.”

Nicky doesn’t say anything, but when Frankie reaches for her hands she doesn’t pull them away, oar-calloused hands standing out against the deep blue of Frankie’s gloves.

“I’m sorry. I understand if— I won’t blame you if this is too much. I’ll crawl out that window right now and you’ll never see me again, if that’s what you want,” Frankie says.

“That might be difficult, considering we share so many classes and friends,” Nicky quips with a barely-there smile. It’s not much, but it’s so much better than the scowls, or gods forbid, the tears Frankie had seen on her face the last time they were alone together.

“Maybe.” Frankie shrugs, still holding Nicky’s hands, “But I’d do it for you. You didn’t sign up for this. I don’t want to put that burden on your shoulders. I’ve been told dating a superhero is a pain in the ass.”

“You’re worth it,” she says, and Frankie does a double take.

“Wait, are you serious?” they ask, hopeful.

“Yeah. Why not?” Nicky smiles up at them. “I mean, this wasn’t exactly my plan for college, but it could be worse.”

Frankie laughs with relief. “Thank the gods. You’re the best woman I’ve ever known and I really didn’t want to fuck it up.” They bring both of Nicky’s hands up to their face and kiss her knuckles with an exaggerated ‘mwah’ sound, delighting in the way it makes her grin.

“Yeah, yeah.” She responds, rolling her eyes. “Just treat me to coffee tomorrow and don’t keep stuff from me again. We’ll call it even.”

“Yes, absolutely.” They nod, smiling widely. “Though I’m warning you, it’s going to be weird, and probably scary.”

“I’m prepared to handle that.”

What’s Frankie supposed to do? Not kiss her? No way in hell.

#story post #identity reveal #nicky briggs

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raedear · 1 year

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a tumblr post about the fall out boy lyric "he tastes like you only sweeter" just crossed my dash and now im curious to know what you would do with that

'What's the worst thing you've ever done?' asks the beautiful man at the bar. He's staring into a glass of wine like it has secrets to tell him.

'Are you my confessor now?' asks Nicky, bemused. There's no one else the man could be speaking to, but it's an odd question to pose to a stranger.

He looks up at Nicky through thick dark eyelashes. He scrubs a hand over his beard, and Nicky watches the path of his thumb as it draws over his lips.

'My fiancé is cheating on me,' says the man, like he's telling Nicky about the rain outside. 'Right now. Has been for at least the last six months.'

'I'm. I'm s--'

'Don't.'

Nicky takes a sip of his own drink, unsure where to go now. The man keeps looking at him.

'My name is Joe,' says Joe, turning more in his chair and leaning back. His body is all lean lines and coiled tension. Nicky tries not to stare, and fails almost immediately.

'Nicky.'

Joe smiles. It's a beautiful smile, even lacking in mirth as it is.

'What's the most terrible thing you've ever done?' Joe asks again, looking Nicky dead in the face.

Nicky blinks back at him. There's something hypnotic about the shine of Joe's eyes.

'Would you like to do something terrible with me?' Joe asks, when Nicky stays silent.

'Terrible how?'

'My bed is empty,' Joe says, swirling his wine in his hand. He still hasn't taken a single sip that Nicky's seen, and there's no red staining the perfect pink bow of his lips. 'My fiancé is keeping his best friend's bed warm instead. I'd like to give him a taste of his own medicine. Just once, before I go.'

'Go?'

There's that mirthless smile again.

'Would you stay?'

'I suppose not.'

Nicky takes another sip of his drink. It's purely to keep his hands busy, he barely even remembers what he ordered.

'Will you kiss me, Nicky?' Joe asks, quietly.

'Are you sure?' A silver ring shines on the fourth finger of Joe's left hand. Nicky can see it, stark against the red of his wine.

'No,' Joe says with a terrible little laugh. 'But maybe after you kiss me I will be.'

Joe's lips are just as soft as they look. His beard scratches gently against Nicky's cheeks, and his hand is warm when it cups Nicky's jaw.

'You taste sweet,' Joe murmurs in the bare breath between them.

Nicky kisses him again.

#ask me anything my dudes #this isn't perfect either but i like it better than the other version #my particular headcanon here is they would make out for a while #but Joe wouldn't actually want to go through with sleeping with Nicky #he would absolutely just start crying eventually #and Nicky would take him home #and give him a hug and say goodbye and good luck #and a year or two down the line they'd bump into each other again #and Joe would be SO embarrassed #but that's when they'd end up together

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ohanthonytomallamadingdong · 2 years

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Currently reading All for the Game for the first time. I’m on chapter 6 of the first book. Here are my current thoughts.

Neil: not overly Bright but very Smart; survival instincts an interesting combo of phenomenal and terrible; willing to be literally murdered to play a game; baggage is not designer nor vintage; yells in French for Dramatic Effect when he should’ve kept it a secret

Kevin: has exactly one passion and will die/kill for it; he and Andrew have Tension; he and Neil have Tension; would definitely hate him in real life but he’s currently the character I relate to most; don’t know what that says about my self-image; ornithophobic

Andrew: goblin; smol but I keep forgetting that because he is Big; interesting sibling dynamics; bad person? good person? I don’t know and neither does he; will commit murder; stabs as a warning; mom dead? buy car.

Aaron: judgy; Done with everyone; honestly I vibe with him but I don’t know if I like him???; honestly haven’t really figured him out

Nicky: gay; minor rapey vibes with his comments about Neil and Kevin but I hope he gets better; should apologize for those things; but otherwise cool; very welcoming to Neil which is refreshing; was there for the twins when they needed him which I appreciate

Wymack: so nice?? And like?? Aware of his team’s trauma??? And how his size/gender/appearance/attitude affects that????;gave Neil a home and a lock and a key and a chance and I love him; Dad; also Daddy; def dating Abby and I’ve only seen one interaction between them

Matt: Lovely; Precious; loves Neil; getting himbo vibes but we’ll see; dating Dan????; wants Love; waiting to find out his trauma….

Dan: badass; o captain my captain; first woman in NCAA exy???; hottttt

Those are all the characters I feel okay commenting on so far.

In conclusion: everyone is hot; many are problematic; this is a very complicated life Neil’s got; I want in on whatever Dan and Matt have; I ship Andrew x Neil x Kevin (only if they figure their shit out) and I’m getting major poly vibes and I’m poly so I want v bad plz give

Stay tuned

#aftg #all for the game #aftg trilogy #aftg thoughts #currently reading #neil josten #andrew minyard #aaron minyard #kevin day #coach wymack #nicky hemmick #dan #what’s her last name???#dan wilds #i googled it #matt boyd

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codename-adler · 3 years

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Death of Heroes

Because not even Neil can outrun the ephemerality of men.

Renee is the first one to go.

Nearing sixty but never reaching it, she is outlived by Abby and Wymack. At least Stephanie Walker is waiting for her at the gates of Heaven, but for the rest of her Foxes, the loss is heavy.

It’s cancer. Leukemia.

It started with the bruises from her sparring matches with Andrew not healing very well. Then not at all. After decades of maintaining these monthly meetings, of keeping her body healthy, Renee finally has to give it up. She knows something is wrong, and she knows that these sessions won’t be of any help, now.

Then the extreme fatigue starts. Still, Renee doesn’t do a thing about it. Or at least, she lets life go its own course. She looses weight, which she already doesn’t have much of. But then the nosebleeds begin, and it’s no use telling Allison to stop worrying. The diagnosis is unsurprising, yet still shattering. And it’s not a good prognosis either, but it’s still not bad enough for the doctor to give up the Five-Year survival plan.

Renee has to speak up. Ally, I don’t want to do this. She has to put her foot down. Allison, my love, it’ll be okay. I won’t get better, you and I both know that. But it can be okay. It can still be good.

Renee doesn’t get treatment. Renee doesn’t tell anybody, except Andrew. Because Andrew knows, somehow, that she made a terrible, irreversible choice. Because Andrew only deals in truths. Because Andrew is Andrew, and just as he needed her all those years ago, she needs him now.

A little more than six months pass, with less and less outings from Renee and more and more excuses from Allison, and Renee gets sick. Really sick. It starts like a regular cold. Then it looks more like the flu. And suddenly it’s pneumonia, and respiratory difficulties, and lung failure. She’s in that hospital bed, wearing that gown, breathing in that mask. Renee finally nods to Allison, giving her consent.

Ally makes the call.

Only Andrew and Dan make it in time.

Renee Walker goes out like a light.

The Foxes, who had once upon a time been used to murders, life-threatening schemes and acts of extreme violence, had never really known Death itself. The simple, yet inevitable fate of human lives. Of going quietly into the night. It’s all so quiet. So anticlimactic. It’s so quiet, too quiet, too heavy with silence. This time, there is no one to blame, no one to punish, no one to take responsibility.

It’s just life. It’s just death.

Wymack and Abby can’t believe that one of their Foxes, on of their kids, left before them. Renee’s Korean roots made her look barely a day over forty, which made it all so much worse. Renee’s death takes a toll on every single one of them. Because it’s Renee, the best of them. Because all her papers are in orders, her will to date, her wishes known; just as when she was alive, she leaves no chaos behind her.

There is nothing and no one to be mad at, except life.

In the cemetery where Stephanie Walker is buried, Andrew buys a large lot of land. (Large enough to one day welcome all the Foxes) The tomb is moved over there, and Renee’s name is added. A tree is planted above her scattered ashes. It’s very small, very fragile, but with the years, it grows strong.

For the first time, the Foxes realize that, despite going through Hell and back in their youth, they are not immortal. There is nothing to be done about that, but it hurts. It hurts to lose their angel this way, so soon, so suddenly. It hurts to lose, period. It feels like a failure, like giving up. They lost her. They lost.

But somehow, they gained something else they might never know about. Renee might have been the only religious one among them, but that didn’t stop her from becoming their Guardian Angel. Because somehow, from then on, the Foxes were spared.

Let me show you.

Just as Bee had a few years before Renee, Abby, then Wymack, simply die in their sleep, no fight, no agony. None of them have to see another Fox go before them. They don’t have to go through that indescribable ordeal ever again. They are spared the pain.

Then decades pass, enough for the remaining Foxes to grow very old, and live very long. Not infinitely, but long enough.

Matt is the next one to go.

Matt has worked hard all his life, both mentally and physically. It comes to no surprise, then, that arthritis chose to invade his body. For the first few years living with the diagnosis, natural medicine and osteopathy are enough to keep the pain at bay. It doesn’t stop Matt from doing anything. He babysits his 9 grandchildren with Dan every week; he goes on roadtrips with Dan every summer; he goes on a light jog with Dan every day.

It’s just that one day, it’s not enough anymore. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the pain becomes too much for Matt to do his day-to-day activities. And really, the pain, he could take; it was an old friend, a familiar feeling, almost like a sixth sense.

It was the mental toll of it all that he couldn’t take. To have to say no to seeing his grandchildren. No to driving around endlessly and aimlessly for hours. No to waking up in sync with Dan every morning, and no to their routine, and no, and no, and just- not living.

For the first time in a long time, Matt doesn’t want to do this anymore.

But he does, still. He smiles, and he lies, and he tries to will away the pain.

It all comes down to one afternoon, when he takes his painful walk of the day around the neighborhood. There are three little kids playing Exy in their driveway, when suddenly a ball escapes their racquets and rolls down in the street. The smallest kid runs after it, runs and runs and runs, without looking. Kind of like Neil, Matt thinks to himself before his body acts of his own. The kid doesn’t see the car, and the car doesn’t see the kid. Matt sees both.

The BMW is going way over the limit, its sleek black sides reflecting the sun too brightly. Despite his pain, despite his age, despite his now slow reflexes, Matt leaps. He screams at the kid to stop and turn around, to let the ball roll away, but to no avail.

Matt pushes the kid away in time for the car to hit him instead, and only him.

The rest becomes a blur, but the final verdict is as such: broken hip, shattered leg, probably won’t walk ever again, even with surgery. The doctors and surgeons warn Matt that with his age, his pre-existing condition, and his drug history, surgery might kill him. But Matt refuses to be bedridden for the rest of his already miserable life. Dan knows that. She knows that he has to try. Knows that he might not pull through. She also knows that Matt wants to go, has wanted to for a while now.

She calls Neil. She calls Allison. From there, all the Foxes are bound to get the news. Matt promises to wait until their arrival before going into surgery. In the meantime, the nurses start a morphine line, after warning the couple very strongly about the side effects and the risks. But Matt is in pain, terrible pain, and it’s a compromise to wait for his Foxes. It takes about a week for all of them to come to his bedside, with Nicky being last, coming all the way from Germany. Neil and Allison barely leave his room; Dan doesn’t at all. The others take turns, leaving as much space for Matt’s kids and grandkids as their hearts can allow.

The open spot for Matt’s surgery is on a Friday.

Matt Boyd does not make it to Friday.

The morphine is too heavy on his heart. It was a possible outcome, not as alarming as the upcoming surgery, but... Matt had secretely wished to go ever since and- maybe, up there in Heaven, someone heard him...

Dan and Matt had had a mutual understanding, that it was okay, but it doesn’t make it any more easy to let go.

Two months into Matt’s departure, Allison moves in with Dan. She walks her through every stage of grief. She grieves all over again herself, too. But they make it.

Same goes for Andrew with Neil. Neil doesn’t know loss like this. Death like this.

And yet. And yet. Deep, deep down, Neil is scared. That after all his years of running, and fighting, and lying, he won’t get that peaceful ending Matt was granted.

But Neil lives.

And Nicky leaves.

A few months after Matt, he and Erik simply stay in the States. They say it’s because they want to be close, because they don’t want to miss anything, because they don’t want to risk a Fox leaving without a chance at saying goodbye. Because Nicky misses his Aaron and his Andrew.

Which are all valid and true motives. It’s just not the whole truth.

Nicky has dementia. Alzheimer’s, to be precise. Diagnosed about a year ago. It’s not bad yet, but- It’s the endless back-and-forth between the house and “der Supermarkt” because Nicky forgot what he drove there for in the first place. It’s forgetting words in all the languages Nicky speaks. It’s freaking out at all the Germans speaking German, because Nicky sometimes believe he is still living in America. It’s not finding the Columbia house and panicking when Nicky can’t get a hold of Andrew or Aaron.

It’s hard, it’s heartbreaking, it’s terrifying, but it’s manageable.

Once Nicky and Erik settle back down in North Carolina, they both wonder how long it’ll take before the twins figure it out, because there is no way Nicky is telling them, but he also knows nothing can get past his twins.

And he’s right. Between Aaron’s acute knowledge of Medicine and Andrew’s reknown lie-detector skills, it takes about 14 days for them to take Nicky hostage and demand the truth.

As the year comes to an end, Nicky’s dementia doesn’t seem to progress that much. He seems to escape the worst. He doesn’t forget anyone. He doesn’t become aggressive, doesn’t go missing, doesn’t lose any function of his body. Without looking too closely, Nicky is simply getting old.

The twin girls he and Erik adopted get to move back in for a little while, having lived in the U.S. all their lives and seeing their parents fly to Germany after their retirement. They know, too, and try to make the most of it. They are lucky. They are so lucky. Nicky is a miracle patient.

In the end, though, it’s Nicky’s body rather than his mind that gives out. Once you reach a certain point in time living with the disease, but without the general complications of it, eventually the brain has trouble managing all the organs of the body. So instead of forgetting to eat, or forgetting names and faces, sometimes your brain doesn’t remember how to make your heart beat. Or how to make make your lungs breathe.

Nicky Hemmick stops breathing in the middle of the night, after having wished his twin daughters goodnight, texted his other set of twins goodnight, and kissed his husband goodnight. Nicky had thought, then, that it was indeed, a good night.

Just as he had remembered his Foxes until the end, he was remembered by them as the big-hearted lover that Heaven had just gained as its new angel.

Too soon after him, though, it’s Allison’s turn.

It’s not that she’d simply been waiting around for the day she could be reunited with Renee. She just didn’t understand why her Foxes kept leaving, and why she was still stuck here without her other half.

She didn’t just wait, though. She helps Dan out with the grandkids, and sometimes the grown-up kids too. She volunteers a lot. She gives back to the Columbia community, and all around the world. She travels to places she’s never been, places that remind her of Renee, but are void of painful memories. She empties their bucket list, and much more. The last thing Allison has yet to do, the only thing left to do, is mending her relationship with her parents. Or parent. Singular. In spite of everything, including the death of her husband, Francesca Reynolds was still standing strong at the head of the Reynolds empire. 100 years old was nothing when you lived in spite.

In a twisted way, Allison believed that maybe her mother was the last piece she needed to mend before she was allowed to go. That despite being gone for years, Renee was still there somewhere, looking out for her and making sure she didn’t have any regrets.

So Allison accomplished the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the impossible. For the first time in decades, she flew back to the Reynolds estate and spoke to her mother. In person.

It was not the emotional reunion Renee might have hoped for, but it was a reunion still. That was more than enough for Allison. They didn’t talk about the big things. The important things. But they talked. They talked. And they scheduled another talk.

Back home with Dan, Allison embraced her friend and let the tears fall. She was grateful for her friend, but both of them knew that these were not the arms Allison wished to be held in. She went to rest a bit before dinner, and she tried to imagine how it would feel like to have Renee hold her again.

For someone as loud, as present and as strong as she was, Allison Walker slipped quietly from time.

When Dan found her, she could only smile tearfully. She played with her hair one last time as she called her Foxes.

Allison left Dan in charge of her finances, and so she took over her charity duties and went above and beyond to honor her friend’s memory. Her sister.

Dan thought she would be next. She wished, she hoped, she prayed to be next.

She wasn’t.

Kevin was.

He might have been the biggest and hardest loss to weather. It wasn’t a feeling that could be explained. As painful as it had been to lose Renee, and Matt, and Nicky, and Allison, losing Kevin was... the great and terrible 10, as they’d say.

Kevin should have died way sooner. His liver should have given out because of all the alcohol it had endured in Kevin’s youth. His heart should have given out because of all the stress it had faced for most of Kevin’s life. All the bad things that could happen with old age should have happened to Kevin, but they didn’t. They didn’t.

Death came knocking one day, and politely asked him if he would please follow them, and Kevin simply took it as a sign that his time was up.

That day, Kevin had felt a numbing pain in his chest all morning long. Used to little injuries here and there, he hadn’t thought anything of it. And he certainly wasn’t about to worry his doctor of a husband...

However, as the sun reached it’s highest in the sky, Kevin couldn’t really hide his pain any longer. He had lain down on their couch for a bit, but he couldn’t seem to get back up. It was too exhausting. So he called for Aaron, as loud as he could in the state he was.

As Aaron stumbled into the living room, Kevin tried to use his softest voice to inform his husband of the situation. Aaron immediately called an ambulance, and when the vehicle took them both away, he reached for his phone again to make, once again, a terrible call to their Foxes. But through his oxygen mask, Kevin reached out to grap his wrist and whispered, with difficulty, just Neil... just Andrew...

Because here’s the thing: Kevin loved his Foxes, and his Foxes loved him back. Immensely.

He loved them so much he had married one, with another one of them as best man (Neil), another as his husband’s (Andrew), and yet another one as their celebrant (Renee).

They loved him so much that it was only short of worship by a hair or two. And Kevin knew that. He loved Dan like a sister. And by extension, he loved Erik like a brother, too. And he loved all the Foxes’ children and grandchildren like his own, despite never being a parent himself.

But Neil and Andrew... There were no words for what they were to him. He knew that he wouldn’t have to talk them through it. He knew they would be the only ones strong enough and close enough to hold Aaron up in case it all turned to shit the moment he passed the hospital doors.

And being the History nerd he had always been, Kevin had written letters, a long time ago. To his Foxes. Most of them had left before him, and so he could never give them their letters, but Dan, and Erik for Nicky, could still have those letters. Kevin poured everything into these letters. It had taken him years, ever since Renee’s departure. He wrote, and threw away, and started again, until he got it right. Nine letters, for his nine Foxes. Andrew knew about it. He’d give Nicky’s and the upperclassmen’s to Dan and Erik, and they’d understand. Kevin didn’t want them to be there, at the very end of it all. He just wanted Aaron. And Neil. And Andrew.

Those three had letters waiting for them, too. Andrew would hand them over a month later. But he would never open his.

Andrew and Neil arrived just before 1 PM. Kevin was hooked on all sorts of IVs and still had the oxygen mask on. His heart monitor was beeping very, very slowly, erratically. He was still Kevin Day in all his gloriousness, but he was much more Kevin, their beloved Kevin.

On one side of the hospital bed, Aaron never let go of Kevin’s hand. On the other side, Kevin removed the mask and weakly motioned for Neil to take the other hand. But Neil was stunned. Frozen. So Andrew came up behind him, and held Kevin’s hand.

It would be the first, and the last time.

Just as Neil finally sprung into action and went to put a hand on Kevin’s shoulder, feeling his wiry muscles and his fragile bones underneath the hospital gown, Kevin closed his eyes.

The heart monitor began flatlining.

Neil looked at the monitor, then to Kevin. He looked at Andrew, then back at Kevin, and then at Aaron. His eyes couldn’t stay focused on one thing. He was still hoping. He was still refusing.

Aaron lowered his head. Kissed Kevin’s hand.

Andrew held on tighter to Kevin’s other hand. Gripped the back of Neil’s neck.

Kevin took Death’s hand, which felt a lot like Aaron’s, and Andrew’s, and Renee’s, and walked away.

Aaron unplugged the monitor. And called it.

Time of death: 13:01.

It took exaclty one month, day for day, for Aaron to leave as well. They called it the Broken Heart Syndrome. On the surface, Aaron had held it together. But Andrew knew. He saw. That he was losing him as well.

Some could say that, by handing over Kevin’s letter, Andrew killed his brother. But those who would say that didn’t even begin to understand the complexity of the bond between twin brothers. Especially not the Minyards.

Because what Andrew really did, with that letter, was gifting Aaron with relief.

Peace. Quiet.

Love.

Aaron could exhale, now. He would see Kevin soon, now.

And so in the same room, in the same bed as his husband’s, Aaron Minyard forced Death’s hand and demanded to see Kevin again.

And then there were three.

Dan lived for so long that she started to fear outliving her children. She felt old, so old. In her head and in her heart. She did not believe in a God, but she often found herself praying to someone, anyone. She did not believe in angels and demons, but she often wondered how long they would keep her from Death.

So she waited. For the days to go and the nights to pass. She barely ate anymore. She barely moved. She was only feeling okay when she slept outside, in her chair in the backyard, the sun shinning on her beautiful face. She could sleep for hours there, surrounded by her lively garden. The wind swayed her skirts, the trees whispered in her ears. It was okay.

And at the same time, it wasn’t.

She was tired. She was lonely. Even Erik, a couple of years ago, had gone to rejoin his husband. Neil visited her at least once a week, but he still had Andrew. He couldn’t understand, nor could he stay away from him for too long. He would miss him too much.

Every year she celebrated another birthday, and every year she blew her candles wishing they were her last.

And at last, her wish came true.

Dan was expecting one of her kids to come by in the afternoon. The Carolina sun was shinning quite hard on her, so she had placed her chair in way that let the sunlight hit the back of her head, turned away completely from her house. Her daughter knew exactly where to find her when she arrived, and so she didn’t wait for a response to her presence before making her way down into the garden. She had called her mother multiple times, and had assumed she was sleeping when she hadn’t answered.

Dan was not sleeping.

Dan Wilds had left this world, the sunlight pouring down on her like the radiant goddess that she was.

Being one of the last Foxes, it took a day before Neil and Andrew got the news of her death. They don’t get involved in the funeral preparations, but they show up. And that’s enough.

People don’t really bother them anymore, so they can bid farewell to their Captain in relative peace. They come by Dan’s house aftwerwards, too, and help her kids out with everything. Yes, even Andrew.

Dan’s death makes them reflect the most.

About the Foxes. About each of their departures. How they all lived a good and long life. How they all died a good and quiet death.

They think about how they were always the ones nearing death, always fighting to stay alive. About how they died a million deaths before the age of 18.

They think about how they are the last ones standing, even after everything.

They survived. They lived.

(They loved)

Neil and Andrew should not have gotten this far. They should not have lived this long. They shouldn’t have. But somehow, somewhere above, someone has watched over them and made sure that they didn’t get the ending they should’ve had, but the ending they deserved.

Neil and Andrew don’t really want to die. They don’t really want to live on either. But they take every day that they are given, to be with each other, to mend their hearts still, to breathe.

They take every breath they can.

They wonder who will leave first. Who will have to say goodbye and stay behind, who will have to wait.

It’s a fear neither of them had ever thought they’d have. Not like that.

And it’s only a matter of time before they get their answer. They are, after all, getting very old. It is both a blessing and a curse.

After decades of partnership, Neil and Andrew still go to bed the same way they did when they were eighteen. Both facing each other, their hands joined in the middle, their nose a breath apart.

After decades of peace, Neil and Andrew still wake from sleep at the slightest abnormality.

Which is why the minute Neil Josten gives out his last breath, Andrew awakes.

Neil’s hand in his is still warm and his skin is still soft. His hair, although completely white for quite some years now, still have that bronze glow to them. They’re still curly, and soft to the touch. Andrew passes a hand through them before resting it on the back of Neil’s neck.

He looks at Neil like it’s the first time, tries to memorize every detail of his beautiful face. He rubs circle in his skin, and takes in everything that was, that is Neil. His husband. His junkie. His rabbit. His pipedream. His lover. His love.

Andrew doesn’t move from their bed.

When he has finally spoken everything that he feels to Neil, from the safety of his mind, Andrew moves closer to him so their foreheads touch and noses align. He takes Neil’s lifeless hand again, and kisses it. He sets their hands back down, between the two of them, and looks at Neil one last time.

And slowly, Andrew Minyard closes his eyes, forever.

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