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c0eu4 · 5 months

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OP81 | Giving birth ☁︎

Summary: Oscar does his best after Y/n gives birth.

Warning: Y/n pregnant, y/n giving birth, a bit of fluff

A/N: I want him so bad to have babies with Lily 😔 not my fav but I wanted to do something for introducing Olivia's birth.

MASTERLIST requests are open

She squeezes his hand as if her life depended on it. He continues to whisper words of encouragement to her, stroking her hair, damp from all the sweat.

''You're doing so great !'' His hand is white from how she squeezed it, her voice broken from her cries of pain.

''One final push!'' Tell the nurse, encouraging her to continue. Y/n begins to despair. She no longer has any strength and her whole body hurts. She shakes her head.

''I can't! I can't.'' She cries, as she tries to keep pushing her daughter out of her.

''No! Don't say that y/n! She's almost there! Keep pushing my love! You're so strong!'' She squeezes Oscar's hand one last time with all her strength and pushes like she never thought she would have to do.

Then after that, everything becomes blurry. She vaguely hears her daughter's first cries, Oscar speaking to her once again.

Her whole body hurts and she has trouble thinking clearly, tears ravaging her face. She hears her daughter's cries getting closer, she sees the nurse place her on her breasts, the little hands of the newborn clinging to her skin.

Instinctively, she rocked her gently in her arms, feeling Oscar place a kiss on her forehead. She hears Oscar crying next to her while he touches his daughter, who has stopped crying and looks at them with wide eyes. The same hazelnut eyes like her father. Those hazel eyes that made y/n fall in love with Oscar.

He kisses her cheek again, the same nurse who helped her give birth to her daughter asking her name.

''Oliva.'' Is the only thing she managed to say, too full of emotions. She is so happy that she forgets about the pain throughout her body.

After a few minutes of admiring Olivia and releasing all the stress they had accumulated, Oscar is forced to take Olivia in his arms to give her her first bath.

Meanwhile, the nurse comes back to prescribe a little more painkillers and check that everything is in order.

🏎️_ _ _ _ _

After less than a week in the maternity ward, Olivia is finally able to return home with her parents. Oscar drives his two princesses home, watching over Olivia through the rearview mirror every minute. Y/n is next to him, half asleep. Even though the nurses were there to help and support her after Olivia's birth, she was still terribly exhausted.

Once home, Olivia is hypnotized by all the new stuff she discovers. She quickly cried, the thing she has done the past few days. Her mother takes her in her arms, rocking her tenderly. Both new parents go to Olivia's news bedroom.

''Do you think she's hungry?'' Oscar asked her, not knowing what to do. ''You want me to prepare her a bottle of milk?'' He does his best to be there for his princess.

Y/n sit on the rock chair that Nicole gave her. ''I'll try to breastfeed her.'' Oscar looked at her, a bit stunned. She had already told him that she was afraid of doing that. And when they were in the maternity ward, she only did it two or maybe three times. But he let her do it. She does what she wants.

''You want me to leave? For more privacy?'' Maybe she's ashamed to do it? Oscar is afraid of making her uncomfortable. ''No it's ok. You can stay. It's not like you've never seen my breasts.''She chuckles, but baby Olivia doesn't have the same opinion and starts crying again, demanding something to eat.

Oscar sits on one of the many chairs available in the room and watches y/n do it. Her large t-shirt allows her to easily take her breast out through the collar and Olivia doesn't wait any longer to nibble her mother's nipple. At first, Y/n makes a bit of a strange face. It's normal actually, she's in a little pain because she's not used to it. And the feeling is horribly weird.

Oscar admires them, stars in his eyes. How beautiful are his two princesses.

Olivia finishes drinking and quickly finds herself asleep in her mother's arms. Oscar gets up and picks Olivia up, placing her in her crib. Y/n gives him a hug, placing her head on his shoulder. They both watch their little baby sleep peacefully for the first time in her crib.

After a few minutes, Y/n goes away. Oscar follows her, his hand rests on her lower back. He slowly closed the door behind him, already watching his daughter sleep through the baby monitor.

''I'm going to take a shower.'' She kisses the corner of his lips, already heading towards their room. ''Can I join you?'' She looks at him, hesitant. ''Uhm.. what if Olivia cry?'' Oscar doesn't insist, finding her explanation logical.

He goes back downstairs while she is already starting to undress in the bathroom. She doesn't take the time to look in the mirror, not wanting to see horror right away.

In the shower, she soaps herself without looking where she puts her hands, too afraid. She prefers to keep her eyes closed.

She wraps the towel around her chest and gets out of the tub. Once in front of the mirror, she can no longer avoid herself. She has to face it. She takes a deep breath and unties the knot holding the towel, placing it on the sink.

She wants to cry.

How did she go from a woman worthy of a Victoria Secret fashion show to such a...fat woman? Well.. fat is a big word. That's how she sees herself. But actually, it's just the beauty of a pregnant woman. Her breasts are no longer firm, they are sagging. She kept some of the belly that she had accumulated when Olivia was still inside her. She has stretch marks all over her hips, on her stomach and her thighs.

She can't hold it back and cry softly, disgust with herself.

She's so busy crying that she can't hide her tears when Oscar comes into the room. He always had the habit of entering the bathroom without warning her. She does it too. It's not like they've never seen each other naked. But this time, she wished they had gotten into the habit of knocking before entering the bathroom.

He comes in without saying anything, gets closer to her. She doesn't move away, looking at him through the mirror. He places his hands on her hips, caressing them tenderly. His head rests on hers and he watches her body through the mirror.

''It's hard, isn't it?'' She cries even more, hiding her face with her hand. He takes her in his arms and she crying against his shoulder.

''I hate myself. I was so beautiful before, so stunning.. and here I am now. Fat with scars everywhere on my body.''

''Listen to me, Y/n. This is a very difficult period for you, your body is still adapting to your pregnancy.'' He kisses your head. ''You're still the sexiest and hottest woman for me.'' He makes her chuckle against his shoulder.

''Now get dressed while I take a shower and wait for me in bed, ok?''

She nodded, putting on her pyjama and heading outside the room.

She wrapped herself in the bed, her eyes already heavy. She barely remembers Oscar joining her and warping his arms around her before she falls asleep.

#f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #fluff #f1 drivers #f1 x reader #help he's so hot #oscar piastri fanfic #oscar piastri f1 #oscar #oscar piastri #piastri #op81 fluff #op81 imagine #op81 x reader

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babyleostuff · 1 year

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BOYFRIEND PHOTOS | KIM MINGYU

summary | a sunny date spend with your precious boyfriend

genre | fluff

word count | 974

pairing | mingyu x gn!reader

author’s note | purely inspired by gyu’s recent instagram posts. thank you for giving us the fluffiest boyfriend pics <3

“I’m here.”

Usually you couldn’t imagine grinning so hard over such a simple text, but coming from your precious boyfriend changed the perspective completely. Finally, after all the comeback stress and months of hard work he and his bandmates had to go through, he was allowed a day off.

You checked your outfit for the last time, feeling all giddy of the mere thought of this perfect sunny day you’d spend with Mingyu. Carefully running down the steps, you walked out to the street, almost bumping into the man before you.

“Mingyu!” you happily exclaimed, almost tackling him to the ground with a big hug.

Without saying a word, he chuckled and put his arms around you. It has been so long since you had a moment for yourselves that you’d forgotten how good it is to just simply hug him. No matter how long you’d been together nothing would top the feeling of just being in his strong arms.

“I missed you,” he said quietly, and you could bet a lot of money that he was slightly pouting too.

You pulled back to finally get a good look at his handsome face, adorned by the sunlight, making his honeyskin look even more beautiful.

“I’m so happy right now, you have now idea. I swear I don’t remember the last time I was so excited to go out. And it’s like the universe knew, I mean look at the weather, it's perfect,” he said excitedly, slurring his words which made his lisp come out a bit.

He gave you a big smile, showing his fangs that you adored so much. As you put your hands on his cheeks you asked:

“Kim Mingyu, are you going to kiss me or do I have to wait another month?” you didn’t even get to finish the question properly as he leaned down to seal your mouths in the most delicate kiss known to humankind.

His lips were soft, like pillows against your own, and oh how you’ve missed this. You could feel the tickle of his breath beneath your nose, while his fingers were carding through your hair.

You parted for a second to catch your breaths, but impatient as always Minguy went back in, this time kissing you with a little more force, as he also was dying to feel your touch again. Warmth and the smell of his cologne consumed you. With the butterflies dancing in your stomach, it was almost overwhelming how content you felt.

With a last peck he took your hand in his and pulled lightly to finally get you going, before both of you gave up on an outside date and went back to your place.

“So, where are you taking me today?”

“I found this cute cafe nearby and it looks like a good place to take some photos too.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“What?” he asked, with a slight concerne in his voice. You giggled at him and put your hand around his arm.

“I know where this is going, you’re just going to use me to take pictures for your Instagram! And what do I gain from this, hm?” you said in a jokingly offensive tone.

“Thousands of other people simping for my boyfriend, excuse me very much. I’ve had enough after scrolling through tens of tik toks saying how hot your “darumdarimda” is.” Now even he could contain his laugh.

After a couple minutes of walking and catching up on what you’ve missed, you hit your destination, and Mingyu was right - this was the cutest cafe you’ve seen in a while, situated in the best place to give you a bit of privacy.

“Here, here! Take a picture,” Mingyu suddenly said. He ran up the colorful stairs, and before you could take a single normal photo, he started doing some weird and funny poses. Not questioning your boyfriend’s antics, you took a couple of photos.

“My phone storage is crying right now. You have no idea how many of your stupid ass photos I have in my camera roll.”

“Do I get at least one day of freedom where people don’t bully me?” he whined. “Also, my own girlfriend? That really hurt,” he frowned while walking down the stairs.

“Also, why are you wearing your sunglasses like that?”

“Like what? Are you going to criticize this too?” Mingyu frowned even more. You would never fathom how this 6’2 man could act like a little child sometimes.

Before he could argue further, you snapped a quick photo, smiling to yourself.

“Cry about it big boy. At least I have stuff to blackmail you with,” you said and went to look for a free table to sit at.

“You hang out too much with the boys, I swear,” he said and pulled the chair back for you. After settling comfortably, you ordered some coffee and lunch and fell back to the conversation from before.

You could feel your heart race, because of how content, happy and loved you felt.

Looking at Mingyu, who was dramatically telling a story from one of their dance practices, where Wonwoo did a step wrong so Soonyoung threw a tantrum, you couldn’t contain your giggles, laughing at how overdramatic your boyfriend was acting.

“Why are you looking at me like that, hm? You don’t want to take photos of me? No problem, going to do it myself,” and he did as he said, starting to take some selfies from different angles.

“Oh stop it, you know I was joking. Here, let me,” you pointed your camera at Mingyu.

You both knew how much you loved taking pictures of each other, saving them as memories you’d have fun reminiscing on later in the future.

You spend the rest of the day in the same atmosphere, bickering, talking and laughing, but most importantly - being in love.

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piracytheorist · 6 months

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Episode 29 thoughts

I made some passionate statements about the first part. Now it's time for a bit of analysis.

So I had seen the trailer where Anya looks sad after having failed her tests and it kind of struck me how she reached the point of crying alone in her room. And well, now I know it was because she was scared of being separated from Becky.

And because I can't keep my mouth shut about this, one of the reasons Anya's friendship with Becky helps her - probably without her realizing it - is that she has someone to back her up when Damian and co. bully her. Becky is always on her side and losing that could cause her severe stress. Sure, they'll still be in the same school, but when your school environment is so toxic and also demanding, losing the constant presence of a friend in the class can be devastating. Trust me, I know of toxic environments in class, and I know of not having someone to back you up. I don't call Damian a bully just to spite fans.

At the end, Damian, despite willingly choosing to let Anya win, he inwardly accuses her of manipulating his feelings - when in fact Anya was simply terrified of losing Becky as a classmate, and that's why she cried. He's still not ready to confront his feelings. He showed sympathy to Anya and then told himself that she manipulated him into that. It shows that he has potential but in no way does it justify the way he makes fun of her - as well as practically encourage Ewen and Emile to jump in on the bullying.

Anyway. Tests go bad, and Anya despairs that she'll be separated from Becky. Becky however, continues believing in Anya. I wonder if Becky would ever consider purposefully flunking her tests so that she can stay as Anya's classmate. She's not doing that well in the friends department either.

Twilight notices her achievements in ancient language (jesus what are they teaching those kids) and is surprised, searching for a reasonable explanation.

We are reminded that he doesn't know anything about her past, can only speculate about it, and decides that since he doesn't have the full info there is no point to do that. The dutiful spy regaining control after the still-in-development paternal feelings got him trying to make sense of his daughter's mind?

Despite her failing scores, Loid still announces to her he made her favourite dish, which instantly fixes her mood.

I think, when in the first episode Anya heard Twilight's thought about how he wants a world where children don't cry, it gave her the impression that he would provide her with an emotionally safe environment - something that was solidified when he was ready to punch Swan for making her cry. Even if she doesn't realize it fully due to her young age, she chose to stay with him and do her best to get into Eden because she trusted that in his heart, he truly wants her to be happy.

So one could argue that Anya is very lucky that despite the levels of Twilight's emotional constipation, he really has the heart to comfort her after she's had a bad day. But it's not really a matter of luck, when she chose to stay with him after she saw what he hides beneath all the spy front, is it?

Warning for blood under the cut.

I gotta say, the transition to the second part was way too jarring. Since the last sight of the first part was a background, the second part should have slid in with another background - like for example, the busy city around Franky's kiosk.

I feel like an idiot, having spoken about the Cyrillic sentences in the previous episode, and now we get this.

I... What even are some of those. Why so many alphabets. Where are those even from and what do they have to do with the Ostanian culture. Does anything make sense anymore. What is life.

Anyway. Anime-onlys are finally introduced to the name Garden and What. The. Fuck.

(excuse the poor collage I'm too tired for photoshop rn)

This image isn't in the manga. I think it's the first time the anime shows more violence than the respective manga chapter, lol. Where did they even get that much blood and how did they get it so high on the wall? Asking the real questions here.

"They eliminate one traitor after another on the shadow government's orders."

That is extremely interesting! Shadow government? Employing an independent assassin group to clean out their traitors?

... Traitors, a group which would include Twilight and Franky?

Franky immediately describes someone fitting Yor's fighting abilities and Twilight is like "No such thing!" shaking his head even. The denial runs deep already, lmao.

Honestly, a bit of a shame we were robbed of Twilight's face as he walked away.

"This isn't worth any intel you might promise me."

Franky puts his skills and connections to use and it was cool to see him in his natural environment, being so smooth and certain in searching around for information.

The part of Franky working with Yor could be summarized with "expert meets expert but they're both such idiots they do not immediately suspect each other". Like Yor I understand being naive and so trusting she sees all those contraptions Franky creates and immediately believes he's all legal about his business. Now how Franky saw her demolish his decade-old work and was like "I shall not question this" beats me. Guess he was also lovestruck for that Kacey woman, and like Loid, he sees a clear spectacle of extraordinary physical strength and goes like "Everyday occurrence. I'm just sad my invention is gone."

That cat is traumatized for life.

Yor's coworkers are... a bunch. We got some sympathetic moments from Camilla in episode 16 but she's still the mean girl type in the office. Yor's naivete truly protects her sometimes from having her feelings hurt, doesn't it?

I think this will play a role in identity reveals. When it comes to everyday civilians, Yor sees the best in them and assumes they have the best intentions. When she kills, she considers her victims bastards and traitors. Right now, Yor has an amazing impression of Loid... how will that flip when she finds out about all the lies he's told and all the ways he's been using her and Anya?

The change in her expression though, when she realizes she's getting a call from Shopkeeper!

I wonder what client was so important that he had to call her in the middle of her workday. Hopefully the plot kicks off from the next episode and this thirsty anime-only shall find out!

#Spy x Family #sxf reaction

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mayullla · 2 years

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I dont play twisted wonderland, but I wanted to make something for this fandom from reading multiple yan!twst. I kept most things vague, but if I got something wrong about a character tell me. One day when I am finally able to change my phone the first thing i would do is download this game TvT

Edit: I play Twisted Wonderland now-

Tags: fem!reader, child!reader, platonic yandere Characters: School staff

Imagine just a small child was the one who gets taken into twisted wonderland rather than Yuu. The small child doesn't even know where she was as the cat who was surprised kept bugging her with question after queation about how you got here and such.

You cant answer, you didnt even have the answers as you just remember falling asleep on your bed peacefully only to wake up in a huge box opened by a cat.

A talking cat at that.

Dear the stress you gave to the poor thing when you suddenly grabbed the cat's cheeks and just pulled them. Made the poor cat yell in pain.

Crowley found you soon after, shocked to see a small child here in twisted wonderland! As he too started to ask where your parent was and how did you get here even berating the cat for being you here. (The cat Grim just continued to vehemently deny that he was the one who brought you here!!) You could not answer the man, just cheerfully telling the man that you were sleeping in your bed only to wake up here.

After realizing that he can't get any answers from your Crowley just picked you up in his arms as he called the other teachers to his office.

The other teachers were also surprised when they saw you in Crowley's arms. They had wondered why the headmaster suddenly called for an emergency meeting and expected a few things may have gone wrong or some sort sure...

but a kid??

Sam jokingly asked if you were Crowley's kid that he never told anyone about which Crowley pointedly denied. He soon explained what had happened.

The teachers tried to push you for answers, some almost demanding you to give them till you burst out crying for feeling so much pressure. Professor Mozus suddenly took you away from Crowley's arms comforting you in his arms trying to shush as he glared at the other teachers for being so pushy to a small kid.

Slowly they found out that you were from another realm, not from here and that they cant just easily send you off to your home.

Your family probably thought you were kidnapped at this point!

Crowley had an idea of sending you to an orphanage while he research a way to get you back to your home but reasons aroused that made it impossible to send you away like that.

That the teachers were forced to take care of you.

That would not be a problem at all…. sure…

Who will be taking care of the kid?

It was Mozus who spoke first at the silent atmosphere saying that he would be the one taking care of you tho he would probably occasionally need help if his teacher's duty kept him busy and that was fine with others.

A lot of students were shocked to see you in professor Mozus's arms most of the second years and up have to blink multiple of times or rub their eyes shocked to see a kid with the professor much less smiling at the old guy. The fact that he was also smiling at you made many students believe that this was either a dream or an illusion some choosing to forget the whole thing.

Well, as if that was possible when you follow the old guy to class listening in on the lessons... Listening to the old man or occasionally be seen drawing something while the old man would yell at the student who stared at you for too long.

Sometimes they found you to be with other teachers who looked rather awkward to the fact that they had to watch you. Sometimes they would yell only to hold their tongue when they realize a small child was there in their classroom and might cry like she did last time and they won't be able to fix the situation.

But time went by they grew more and more attached to you. They started to often fight on who you would stay with when Mozus was busy, not only that they started to ask Mozus if he ever wants rest they could help him watch over you. It was suspicious when they do that for Mozus who always deny their offer preferring to be with you than let others take care of you.

It was even annoying when Crowley started to ask Mozus if he could take care of you at that point Mozus's cat would hiss at the headmaster wearing a crow mask daring him not to go near you or even touch you.

Lucius was also the same with the students hissing at those who wanted to talk to you. The more curious students would often try to get close to while the teacher is teaching to ask who you were and if you really were the daughter of professor Mozus or any other questions that had to deal with the rumors floating around not before they were caught by a teacher and shooed away from you.

There were many rumors floating around about you and since they can't go near you and the teachers all give mixed or vague answers none of those rumors were able to be put to rest.

There were rumors where people thought that you were the daughter of Professor Mozus who gave his daughter to the other professors to take care of her every so often. That somehow Professor Mozus had either fallen in love or had a one night stand incident or just something when tho almost nobody could believe that.

Professor Mozus would often smile if asked if you were his daughter about it not denying or accepting the rumors to be true, while other teachers would quickly deny any claims of it which only made things all the more suspicious really. (Tho everybody saw the sour face professor Mozus had when asked about the mother.)

Mozus would get you to wear a more sophisticated look with dark colors and frills occasionally he would make you wear a more pastel lolita style, it makes you look as if you were really the daughter of Mozus which the professors absolutely dislike. So whenever they got you they would quickly swap your outfit that Mozus picked into something more their style. Crowley probably has a small mask and coat that is similar to his when he would make you wear as you go around campus carried in his arms as you giggled at how ticklish the feathers on the mask were.

When you are in Divus's hands you would be wearing a small white fur coat as he told you to straighten your back and chin up. The professor tries to make you a model somtimes and would nag you to keep the jacket on even when you feel stuffy. While Sam would make you wear clothes oh his color tones with an added skull as you try and help around the shop (most things he wouldn't dare you to touch would be placed on the high shelves). Same for Ashton where he would make you wear something of sports wear.

At some point, the professors started fighting for your attention trying to get you to come them that day with promises, candy, toys and even more. The students who have seen this happening cannot believe their ears so much so that they again choose to believe that all this was a dream and nothing more, choosing in the end to forget what had happened and when somebody talks about it they block their ears and started a shout as if doing that could deny them the reality of what has happened.

It was never said that Crowley stopped seaching for a way for you to go back. They didnt want you to leave having grown so attached to you, they wanted to be with you, they wanted you to stay while they became your official guardians.

So when you started to cry wanting to see your parents, they will soothe you by telling you that it was alright, that it was okay that they would be with you and that they would never abandon you. They would not disappear like your parents did and they would love you more than your parents ever did.

Really it is rather often that some of the teachers would fight over who actually becomes your father, sure all of them became your guardians but who is like your father? Sam is alright being your uncle so long as he was your favorite uncle but like it was never decided who is your father…

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charliedawn · 1 year

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Ah I hope that's right now.

So..

I have so many ideas, it's hard to narrow it down.

But could you write the slashers with their nurse or a female S/O, when the slashers are having a real bad day? Like.. Something from their pasts comes up?

VISIT DAY FOR THE SLASHERS :

Jack never allowed anyone to visit him and he always found an excuse not to be present for visit day. Even though, his son was always there and asked multiple times to speak with him. You couldn't exactly force Jack to see his own son. However, you could help fate reunite them.

"Hello ?"

Jack was surprised when he heard a voice on the other side of his door. Everyone knew not to disturb him on family day. But, he didn't recognize the voice and finally shouted gruffly.

"Who's there ?"

There was a long silence before the stranger finally disclosed.

"It's Danny."

Jack froze.

Danny..He hadn't seen him since he had been found frozen in that cursed maze. He gulped and stood up, his hand itching to open the door..But, he hesitated.

He still remembered how he had treated him, how he had almost killed him..It was hard to let go, and even harder to face him. He laid his brow against the door and sighed.

"Go away.."

It was uttered so quietly, Danny almost didn't hear it, but when he tried to open the door, Jack held on to it and groaned.

"GO THE F*CK AWAY I SAID !"

The doorknob stopped moving and finally, Danny sighed before walking away. Jack closed his eyes and digged the tip of his nails in the palm of his hand. He had been a bad father to him, it wasn't right to try mend things now.

However, another knock quickly followed and Jack sighed. Who was it this time ? He didn't need to ask before you informed him.

"It's me, Mr. Torrance. It's nurse Y/N."

He opened the door and there you stood. He then looked left and right for any sign of Danny before pulling you in.

"HOW THE F*CK DID DANNY GET MY ROOM NUMBER, HUH ?! Isn't there supposed to be a 'patient confidentiality' for that sh*t ?"

Jack tended to curse a lot when he was stressed or frustrated and even though you didn't like it, you would allow it for now.

"I gave him your room number.", you admitted and Jack stopped dead in his tracks to look at you with his eyes blown wide in pure shock.

"You...gave my son my room number ?"

You knew you should have asked, but you were tired of seeing his son sitting in the family room all on his own every Sunday. He was really trying to talk to him, but Jack didn't seem ready to listen.

"Yes. He wanted to visit you.", you simply replied and Jack shook his head in disbelief.

"And it didn't occur to you that I didn't want to see him ?", he emphasized on the I by gesturing to himself quite dramatically, but you didn't let it faze you. You had already dealt with stubborn patients and were not ready to give up—especially since Jack had somehow become your favorite among the lively bunch of slashers.

You really wanted to help him.

"Why ?", you finally asked and Jack let out a humorless scoff.

"Oh..~I don't know. Maybe because the last time I talked to him, I tried to kill him ?", he recalled and plopped down next to you. He knew he shouldn't be angry at you..But, years had passed and he was afraid that if he let his son in, he would end up getting hurt. He had already messed up enough, didn't need to lengthen the list..

"You don't need to feel guilty. He forgave you, didn't he ?", you tried to comfort him, but Jack remained unresponsive to your efforts.

Danny had sent a letter to his father—multiples in fact—that Jack hadn't even opened. He had barely opened one and had immediately looked away. They had all ended up in the trash and you had picked them all up carefully—knowing he would want to keep them after all.

"It doesn't make me any less the same person. The voices didn't force me. I listened. Wendy even tried to warn me, begged me to get out, but I stayed. Stubborn prick, I was.", he confessed and covered his face with his hands. He didn't cry. It wasn't his type. Didn't mean he felt any less guilty.

You stayed with him and finally covered his hand with yours, giving it a light squeeze.

"Danny seemed very keen on making things right with you. Hear him out at least ?"

Jack bit down on his bottom lip—staring far ahead in deep thought. He knew you were right and he couldn't push him away forever..But, if didn't make things any easier.

"Fine..I guess I'll do that.", he finally capitulated and you smiled victoriously.

You then kissed his cheek.

"Wonderful. I'll go get him then."

He watched you go and sighed.

Him and his weakness for pretty women..

A few minutes later :

A knock was heard at the door and this time, Jack opened the door. He found a tall and handsome man standing there. It had been years, but there was still this unmistakable sparkle in his eyes that was all so Danny.

"Hi dad. You look...well ?", Danny said tentatively and Jack let out a scoff.

"Don't force yourself. You can say I look like sh*t." Danny offered him a weak smile and Jack suddenly found himself very mute—him who usually had always something to say...His eyes then landed on the clinical name tag still hanging from Danny's neck.

"So..You became a doctor, huh ? Shocking. Considering everything..", he acknowledged and Danny smiled before nodding.

"Yeah. I know."

There was another odd silence between the both of them. There was much Jack wanted to tell him. He just didn't have the words..He wanted to tell him he was sorry, that he had tried his best to be a good father to him, that there wasn't a day passing by where he didn't feel like absolute garbage for what he had done to him..

"Danny..I..", he started.

"I know, dad.", Danny cut him and smiled at him. "You don't need to say anything. I'm just glad you're fine now."

Jack seemed stunned for a moment before he smiled—not his usual condescending or smug smiled—but a genuine one.

"Heh..Thank god you took from your mother more than me."

Danny laughed before nodding in agreement.

"Yeah..Thank god for that.."

Michael Myers :

The first day Laurie Strode decided to visit Michael was a day the walls of St Louis will never forget. She barged in and sought out Michael with her eyes until they finally landed on him.

"HERE YOU ARE !"

She had a riffle in her right hand and even though the guards had tried to stop her, no one could stop Laurie Strode from doing anything.

You learned that very early in your career.

Laurie usually carried a weapon with her, but she never used it unless it was absolutely necessary and you knew that it was better safe than sorry with Michael.

However, it was the first time she had actually come to a family day. It was usually on other various occasions she came, to sign papers or answer questions on the patient. But, this time, she actually visited him.

Michael was stunned of course, as he hadn't seen her in a while. He assumed she was here for information, or even to end his life once and for all..But, she only sat down opposite him and started pouring herself a big glass of wine.

And even though Michael couldn't talk, the quizzical glance he gave her was enough to show his perplexity as to the reason of her presence. Laurie had never tried to reach out before and he was used to being alone in the family room on visit hours..Was she here to blame him ? To taunt him ? To..?

Laurie raised a finger, as if she could hear his thoughts running wild in his head. She then emptied her glass entirely before speaking.

"No. I'm not here to blame you, Michael. I'm here for the free wine, and also to tell you something important. So, you better hear me good, alright ?"

Michael was all ears. He had been since the moment she appeared at the door. She took a big breath and your eyes settled on her hands—fidgeting on her lap. She was nervous.

"I..forgive you.", she somehow slurred out and Michael's eyes widened. He hadn't expected it.

"Don't look at me like that. I know I sound insane. But, I'm serious. I forgive you, Michael."

Michael finally got his notebook out and wrote down one word.

Why ?

Laurie seemed undecisive for a moment before she sighed loudly and admitted.

"Because...I'm tired of all this. I'm tired of living in the past. I'm your sister and that I like it or not, we're family so..I wanna help you. That's all I'm saying."

Michael didn't know how to react and Laurie suddenly got up and extended her hand towards Michael.

"See you around, Michael.."

He stared at her outstretched hand before shaking it. Laurie gave him a weak smile and walked away. You took it as an opportunity to check on Michael.

"Are you okay ?", you asked with concern.

Michael didn't answer. He didn't move. He didn't even blink. He was still in shock when the last family member walked out.

He thought for a long time about what would happen if he was to be forgiven..It had never occurred to him that Laurie would be the one to make the first step. You sat down in front of him and held his hands. He suddenly seemed to snap out of it and looked up at you.

He then smiled underneath his mask and nodded.

Yes. Everything was fine. More than fine actually..You recognized the relief in his eyes and smiled back before stocking the back of his hand with your thumb.

"I'm happy for you."

Michael stared at your hands that seemed so small around his, not quite covering half of his open palms. He then brought your hands to his forehead and pressed them against the cold fabric of his mask. He hoped you would recognize it as a thank you gesture, and you did.

You smiled and nodded.

"It's okay, Michael. It's okay.."

Michael was a broken man, and it was high time someone told him that it was okay. He didn't need to be perfect. He didn't need to be normal..Because people cared for him. You cared for him. And you hoped he would always remember that..

Hannibal Jr. :

Will sat down in front of Hannibal Jr. and sighed. Once more, they found themselves in this situation. Hannibal Jr.—free as a bird—and him—on the wrong side of the tinted glass..It was almost ironic. He had only committed one crime and had almost died after doing it, while Hannibal Jr. had committed all sorts of atrocities. And yet, he was the one trapped in a cage.

"Hello, Will."

That voice. That damn voice..It was haunting his nights and even though it was sweet as honey, he knew better now..It was all vinegar.

"Why do you keep coming back ? You know I don't want to see you..", he finally said and Hannibal Jr.' eyes casted downwards. Will had filled all the paperwork for Hannibal Jr. not to be allowed near him. He had no authority over it. However, every time he came, Will was waiting for him..

"And yet, here we are.", he stated plainly and Will's eyes filled with tears.

"What do you want from me, Hannibal ? Redemption ?", he asked with a broken voice—tainted by years of unheard screaming and pain..

"Please..Don't insult me. I just thought you might...enjoy the company.", Hannibal Jr. replied and Will lowered his head, hiding his face from view. He had been humiliated, discarded, chewed and spit out by this beast of a man..And yet, it kept coming back. As if it hadn't taken enough out of him..

And now, he dared come in here and pretend he gave a toss about him..It hurt.

"Get out. Please.", he pleaded—his voice shaking with emotion—and even though he knew Hannibal Jr. had never obeyed him before, he hoped he would listen to him this time around. Hannibal Jr. opened his mouth to protest—but reconsidered. He hadn't meant to sound condescending, and he had only wished to visit an old friend—even if the feeling wasn't reciprocated.

"...I'll see you next week.", he finally said before turning around to leave..

When he returned home :

Hannibal Jr. sat down at the dinner table with a brooding expression—one you knew all too well.

"Did it go well ?" You asked—even though the look on his face gave it away—and Hannibal Jr. sighed.

"As expected I suppose..He doesn't want anything to do with me. Understandable since I wasn't able to do anything about his arrest.."

There was a time when you had been jealous of Will and his relationship with your husband..But, you had outgrown it now and all you felt now was pity for Will that had to go through it all..You also wanted your husband to find peace and knew he would only find it once he would get his hands on what he's been looking for during all those visits to his old friend.

You sat down next to him and even though he didn't turn towards you, he didn't protest when you proceeded to take off his coat and laid it aside. You then reached for his throat and sought his pulse with your thumb, slowly stroking it tenderly..

"I may never have met this Will. But, I know you. And I know you will find what you are looking for, as you found me."

Hannibal Jr. smiled at the memory..He had never cared about anyone but Will before and you had been a breath of fresh air in his suffocating life. Hannibal Jr. had been overwhelmed by his father, his father's adopted children and most importantly: Will.

There was no surprise there when he had first mentioned Will to you, nor their singular relationship. You knew Hannibal Jr. must have past lovers. You weren't blind to the fact that he was handsome. But, you husband had always set Will aside from his others..The pang you felt in your chest must have shown as Hannibal Jr. chuckled and cupped your face for you to look at him in the eyes.

"Do not worry, my love..Nothing will take me away from you. Will does have a piece of my heart, but you have all the rest and more. My soul belongs to you. No one else."

He then smiled and kissed your brow tenderly. You melted under the heartwarming gesture and you smiled back.

If Hannibal Jr. said he belonged to you, then you could only believe him.

Freddy Krueger :

"I just want to know..Do you even feel guilty ? For what you did to me ?", Nancy asked and Freddy scoffed disdainfully.

"Do you ? Pretty little liar that you are..", he muttered and Nancy frowned. The only reason she was here today was because you had assured her that he changed. But, so far, she had only witnessed Freddy being Freddy. And if it wasn't for the reinforced glass separating the both of them, she would have ran away..

"You killed them.", she accused him and Freddy dared scoff—as if it didn't matter, as if none of it did..

"They killed me first. I call that payback.", he refuted and Nancy's hands balled into fists.

"...You really feel no shame ?", she attempted and Freddy remained silent for a moment. He seemed to ponder on the question. Did he regret killing the brats ? Nah..They got what they deserved..He never forgave their betrayal. And he knew that if he could, he would do it all over again..But, he wouldn't miss little Nancy this time around.

He leaned forward so the girl may cower in fear before his burnt flesh and crimson eyes.

"You know what hurts the most, little Nancy ? You used to be my favorite..You betrayed me. You rat me out to your mama and killed me. You said I was a monster, so I became one. For you. So, am I up to your expectations, little girl ?"

Nancy took a step back at the fire in his eye and Freddy threw his head back with laughter. He then took off his hat and bowed mockingly.

"I'm your faithful creature, FrankenNancy. Without you, I wouldn't exist."

Nancy's lower lip trembled as her eyes filled with tears at the accusation. She had never meant to lie..Her parents had coaxed her into testifying and she had been too young to refuse. But, she was now facing the consequences of that mistake.

"I'm sorry.."

Freddy's eyes widened in surprise as she muttered those words—her eyes hidden from sight by her long bangs. She had tried so many times to apologize, to make things right..But, it had never seemed to work. Freddy never accepted her apologies. But, she still hoped he would one day.

"~Oh little Nancy..Pretty and so very naive..Haven't you learned your lesson yet ? Ol' Freddy never wanted apologies from you..Only vengeance."

She expected it, but it still frustrated her. She had tried so many times to gain his forgiveness. What else could she do ?

"Isn't there anything I can do that will make you stop chasing me, Freddy ? We used to be friends, weren't we ?"

Freddy stared far ahead, he genuinely tried to find an answer..one that would make everything right and would tame his fire. He wanted peace, as much as the next guy..But, he had to stay real. Only one answer was possible.

"No. There's nothing we can do. It's too late, Nancy. It's too late for us both.", he responded truthfully. Nancy remained unmoving for a moment before shaking her head. She refused. She refused to give up. If he didn't want to help her ? Fine. She would find another way to survive. She then stood up and left wordlessly.

She didn't even glance at you on her way out.

You entered after she left with your arms folded over your chest and your lips pinched into a thin line. You were disappointed.

"She's trying, Freddy..", you tried to soften him up a bit, but to no avail. Freddy wasn't in the mood, and he was tired of lying to you. There was another reason he couldn't accept Nancy's apology, one that was entirely his.

"...I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I hadn't killed those kids ? Or, they hadn't killed me ? I wonder what my life would have become..And truth is ? I don't think it would've changed a thing. I'm never gonna accept her apology, because she ain't the whole reason I turned out the way I did. She unleashed the fire, but I was already rotten."

He idly lolled his head to look at you and gave you a humorless grin.

"What if I told you the only reason I refuse to forgive her is because I am a petty asshat who simply wishes for her to suffer the same way I did ?"

You sighed and sat down on the chair where Nancy was a few minutes ago.

"...I'd say nobody likes a sore loser."

He laughed. Freddy didn't know why. He was the winner, wasn't he ? He had killed all the other brats, he had survived, he would live long after Nancy and no matter how she died, he would come out on top...But then, why did he feel so bad ? It wasn't his fault. He was born this way. He hadn't asked to be born a reject and even less to become a monster.

"Tell me, nurse..Answer me this. Who would come to visit me if I said yes ? What if I told you that I don't want to forgive her because I am scared to be alone ? Because Nancy is the only one left to f*cking remember me. The real me. What then ? Would you judge me ? Call me a selfish bastard ?"

You didn't answer and Freddy huffed a bitter laugh. Yeah..Figures. No one expected Freddy Krueger to be lonely. It was pathetic when you thought about it, to cling onto the past because he knew he had no future..

But, he didn't expect it when he heard the door of his cell open and looked up to see you standing there. No protection. No weapon. Nothing..You then crouched down next to him and smiled.

"I'd say there's no way you're getting rid of me, Krueger."

You then hugged him and Freddy stayed stunned for a few seconds before returning your hug tentatively—grasping the fabric of your shirt tightly and inhaling deeply.

He couldn't recall the last time someone hugged him..Maybe, never. It was such an odd feeling..

"If you tell a soul outside of this room that we hugged. I'll kill ya.", he threatened half-heartedly and you laughed.

"Sure. Whatever you say.."

Penny :

You had tried to contact the loser club multiple times, but none of them had reached back to you..You thought it was a lost cause and were starting to give up when something unexpected happened.

One of them finally called you back.

Beverly Marsh.

She accepted to come and even though she was clearly hesitant at first, the desire to finally turn the page was stronger..

She would see it one last time. If only to be sure he would never be able to hurt her ever again..

At the meeting :

You greeted her at the entrance and guided her to Penny's cell. It was dimly lit and Beverly felt the knot in her throat tighten the closer she got to Penny.

Penny smelled her before his eyes met hers.

A blood-curdling smile crept on his features and Beverly couldn't help but shiver at the sight.

"Do you remember me ?", Beverly asked and Penny giggled darkly.

"I could never forget about you..~Bevvy."

Of course. Of course it would call her that.

"Do you regret ?", she asked—even though she already knew the answer. She had come here to prove a point, and she knew it was unlikely she would be proven wrong.

"What is regret ?", Penny tilted his head—as if he truly didn't have a notion of what she was referring to.

"...Do you feel bad about what you did ? To us ?", she clarified and Penny giggled. However, his giggle soon turned into a dark scowl.

"The only thing I "regret"..is letting you live as long as I did. I should have gotten rid of you all from the start.", he claimed and Beverly shook her head. She should have known...

"...That's what I thought. You're still the same monster.", she declared and stood up to leave—but what Penny said next made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Say hi to Ben and the kids for me, will you ?"

Beverly slowly turned towards him and one single tear rolled down her right cheek. How did it know ? Penny seemed to relish in her dumbfounded and horrified expression. He leaned forward and his smile took unrestricted proportions as it threatened to split his face in two.

"Come on, Bevvy..Don't look so surprised. I was the reason you two met. Besides, you kinda betrayed yourself...I wonder if your children will taste as good as you two ?"

You—who had witnessed the whole conservation from one of the monitors in Penny's cell—rushed inside.

"PENNY ! THAT'S ENOUGH !"

But, it was too late.

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY !", Beverly screamed and grabbed the bars of his cell to keep yelling at him, but the guards suddenly came in and dragged her away. "I HATE YOU ! DO YOU HEAR ME ?! I HATE YOU !"

Penny's dark giggle echoed around the room and even though you had stopped fearing him a long time ago, it didn't mean you were oblivious to the amount of pain he had inflicted to other over the years..But, you thought he would at least try to make it right.

It showed he wasn't ready to make amends, and you couldn't help but feel disappointed as you thought Penny would have at least understood his wrongdoings..

When you found Beverly, she was about to leave the premises and you tried to stop her.

"Please. I swear that he has changed. Just stay and you will see..", you started—but Beverly interrupted you.

"I've seen plenty already. It will never change."

She then left without a second glance to the building..nor a thought for the creature trapped inside. She hopped he would rot in there until the end of her days and more..

You sighed and returned to Penny's cell.

You needed to talk.

"Was it really necessary ?", you asked and Penny didn't pretend not to know what you were referring to.

"Yes.." He growled out—his eyes flashing yellow for a moment. "...They made a fool of me. They dared defy me and attempt to kill me..I'll eat them all."

Of course you didn't agree with the Losers' club actions, but it didn't mean you sided with Penny either on this one.

"Beverly made the effort to come. She was the only one. Your only ticket out of here.."

You gestured vaguely to the cage he was trapped in and Penny rolled his eyes like a petulant child. He didn't speak for a moment and you thought that was the end of that—but he surprised you with asking.

"...Does it really make me a monster ? That I can't feel regret ?" Penny seemed genuinely curious and you sighed. It wasn't an easy question.

"...I don't know.", you answered truthfully. You weren't about to tell him that it was normal. You had read Beverly's file and the poor girl had suffered enough for multiple lifetimes. And she had never deserved any of it. But, you couldn't tell Penny that.

"...You think me unfair.", he guessed.

It wasn't a question this time and you stayed silent. Penny sighed and leaned back against the cold surface of one of his cell's walls.

"Do you know why I chose them ? My victims ?"

You waited for him to explain, which he eventually did.

"Because they were all so unhappy..Their misery compelled me. Even now..Beverly's misery is still present. I can feel it. I could have given them all what they wanted."

"...By eating them ?", you asked skeptically and Penny seemed so serious all of a sudden. He shook his head and he closed his eyes—the memories of all his past victims coming back to him.

"...No one is unhappy when I reap them. They stay with me. And they live in constant bliss after living in fear for so long.."

Your eyes widened slightly. You had never thought of it that way..Penny really didn't think any of this was wrong. He didn't feel regret, because he really thought he was doing them a favor.

"Penny..What do the children tell you ? When you've 'reaped' them ?"

You knew their souls remained with him somehow, but Penny never really talked about it. He looked at you and shrugged.

"I don't know. I've stopped listening."

He was lying.

You knew as much by the way he was evading your eyes and seemed less confident than usual.

Truth was..Penny was hearing their screams. They screamed so loud, it could sometimes drive him insane. He did offer them a blissful life in his lights, but some of them refused it and their cries were so loud, he sometimes had to use all of his power to tune them out..

You didn't push your investigation further and sighed before resting your palm flat against the gate separating the both of you.

"I haven't given up on you, Penny.."

Penny closed his eyes and smiled to himself. It was funny..You seemed to be the only one.

When the door shut behind you, Penny felt a beat in his chest. It wasn't strong, it was even rather weak. But, it was there.

In the darkness of his cell, away from everyone and everything, Penny closed his eyes and started humming. A song of love and passion. A poem about first love and fiery auburn hair..

Your hair is winter fire.

January embers,

My heart burns there too...

He didn't know what those words meant, but Penny kept humming. He then smiled and when his eyes opened again, his pupils glowed a soft orange and contrasted with the surrounding night.

"My heart burns there...too."

#jack torrance x reader #fandoms #imagine #fanfic #pennywise 2017 #pennywise x reader #slashers #michael myers x reader #freddy krueger x reader #hannibal jr #hannibal x reader

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veryfancydoilies · 29 days

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My Victoria Byng Headcanons (requested by Anonymous)

I am so sorry I took so long but they’re finally here! I really hope everyone likes them. If you want me to write headcanons for another character, you can but please understand they probably won’t come right away. Ideas just don’t always come to mind that easily. I’m already writing headcanons for Sally so stay tuned for that. I’m actually thinking of writing headcanons for Johnny Bolton so let me know if you want that. Anyways, enjoy and have a lovely day!

🥻Before she became a Downer, Victoria had the delusion that her mother was never imprisoned and was currently having a lovely time in India. She does speak of India from time to time and expresses the desire to visit, but thinking of it brings up painful memories. Partially at the behest of her father, she takes an huge amount of Joy to keep them away.

☎️She has lots of friends but is not particularly close to any of them. This is due to both her tendency to be a workaholic and the general shallowness of relationships between Wellies. This is the reason why she did not realize the full extent of Prudence's feelings toward her. Victoria liked Prudence a lot, believing her to be very talented but sadly, their bond was severed when Victoria told Prudence she suspected her of being a Downer. Shortly thereafter, Prudence vanished. After the events of We All Fall Down, I think Victoria would be very sad to hear of Prudence's demise. She's another name in the list of people whose lives were destroyed by Joy and Vicky holds a lot of guilt. Her role in Prudence's death makes it even sadder. I think they would have been good friends or even lovers.

📦Her home used to have artwork, books and memorabilia from India. She loved them but when she looked at them, they made her sad to the point where she started crying. She told her father about this and he gave her tea laced with Joy. He then hired someone to come into her home and take all of the things related to India.

📚Victoria sometimes hosts book club and women's club meetings at her home. Uncle Jack's three books about the war were the subject of some of the meetings. Looking back at this, Downer!Victoria, being a lover of history, would disparage the books as being terribly written and dull.

🤬Unlike the other potty-mouthed protagonists of We Happy Few, Victoria very rarely swears. Both of her parents, especially her aristocratic mother, made it a priority to install grace and elegance in their daughter. It takes an extreme amount of stress (and anger) to make Victoria swear as seen in the cutscene when Ollie forces her off Joy. Also, if Downer!Victoria ever swore, she would hear her mother curtly admonishing her so she refrains from it.

🪅Victoria's favorite Uncle Jack segments are Funny Old Customs and Famous Britons since she likes history albiet the sanitized version of history shown to Wellies. So unsurpisingly it was her idea to bring the piñata on the day Arthur went Downer. But of course since everyone is on Joy and have no idea they're just watching reruns, many many other piñatas have probably been smashed before the one we saw.

🧳In her post-Wellington Wells, I like to think that Vicky got involved in politics in some way or another. She of course has many regrets but her leadership skills would not fade. Also, she was probably a key witness of what happened in Wellington Wells and has written books and given interviews about it. Most survivors prefer to live as if it never happened.

@we-joyless-few @sea-side-scribbles @joyful-downer

#we happy few #victoria byng #whf headcanons

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fablesrose · 1 month

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Ch 14 - The Bottle Job

Series Rewrite Masterlist

Pairing: Eliot Spencer x Ford!Reader

Description: A quick job on a time limit to save McRory's pub from an Irish loan shark.

Words: 4256

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I sat at the bar at McRory’s, watching the crowd celebrate and honor the pub’s former owner, Mr. McRory himself. His passing would spark sorrow and mourning, but many in this neighborhood chose to line that sorrow with joy, remembering his life, with a drink, of course. Nate invited the rest of the crew over to share in the solemn festivities, and I watched as Nate walked them through the pub, explaining some of the history and context surrounding the celebration and the pub itself.

He finally meandered over to where I was sitting, “This was my father’s office, right here.” He gestured to the spot next to me, “He held court there, on that stool, and… I grew up in this place.”

“It must have been an interesting education,” Hardison commented.

I recalled some of the stories Nate told me about Grandad Jimmy, they were morally questionable at times, but interesting for sure.

“Yup, better than prep school,” Nate said.

Eliot turned his attention to me, “Did you grow up here too?”

I shrugged, “I mean, everyone here was certainly family, but it was nothing like Nate. And, you know, times change.”

Eliot nodded.

“What kind of crook was your dad?” Parker asked bluntly.

I laughed before I could stop myself while Hardison tried to correct her on social etiquette.

But that didn’t stop Nate from answering, “He… ran numbers.”

“Let me get this straight,” Eliot said. “You stopped stealing, you stopped drinking, and you moved upstairs from a thief bar?”

“He did,” Parker answered, “I get that. You don’t get that? Why does nobody get that?”

“The thing about it is that, now, it’s just a neighborhood bar,” Nate said, ignoring Parker, “but I mean, back in the day, you never knew who you were drinking next to. You know, the mob on one side, the law on the other.”

“Times have changed,” Hardison said, mirroring my earlier statement.

“Well, you know, not that much,” Nate commented, and pointed towards a girl behind the bar, “Cora, I remember the day she was born, she grew up here too. She turned out alright, huh Cora?”

She seemed stressed and nearly distraught as she grabbed money from the register and dashed towards the backrooms, not answering Nate.

“Ooh,” Eliot commented, a little excited, “Redheads burn the hottest, don’t they?”

Nate gave him a subtle glare, “Easy, she’s like my niece.”

“It’s not like your daughter though,” he replied cautiously. “Besides, you already have a niece.”

I looked at him, slightly annoyed, “You really don’t know how families work, do you Eliot?”

“The point is, she’s like my niece,” Nate repeated, “and I don’t want you to like my niece.”

“Yeah, you’ve made that abundantly clear.”

They continued to argue a bit, but I watched Cora as she confronted a man, shoving the bundle of money she had into his chest.

“Guys,” I said softly from between them, nodding to what was going on in the back of the pub. They quieted down and watched as one of the men counted the money and Cora dashed out of the pub, clearly crying and without a coat despite the snow outside. I looked at Nate and he gave me a nod. I stood to go after her when he stopped me for a moment.

“Bring her up to your place, okay?”

“Yeah, meet you there. If you don’t have the key, Parker can get you in.”

Cora has always been a straight shooter, standing up for what was right, but not afraid of getting her hands dirty. Something must be seriously wrong for her to be this upset. It’s understandable since both her parents have passed, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so distressed. Luckily, she didn’t run too far, just standing at the front corner of the building as she cried, trying to compose herself. I instantly saw her shivering in the cold, so I went up and hugged her, both for comfort and warmth.

“Hey,” I soothed, “I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s head up to my apartment, me and Nate are going to try and fix it okay?”

I felt her nod into my shoulder, so I guided her towards the stairs. Cora would sometimes come up to my apartment if either of us were stressed, or just needed some girl time. I tried to keep her out of the con stuff as much as possible, because though she knew the lay of the land, especially growing up in the pub, she didn’t want to be too involved with it. Still, we had some fun evenings on my living room couch which is why I think Nate wanted me to bring her there. Somewhere comfortable for her.

Once we got up to my apartment, I sat her down and she explained the situation to me and Nate. The others stood back, but listened. She explained that the man she was giving money to was an Irish guy named Mark Doyle. He told her that her dad took out a loan from him about a year ago. She didn’t think it was true, but with her mom diagnosed with cancer at the time, he needed help with bills, though her dad told her he had it under control.

“I could have stopped this!” She cried.

“No, no, no, listen,” Nate comforted, “This guy, Doyle, he’s a loan shark. I don’t think you could have helped, but maybe we can.”

“No, he wants fifteen thousand in the next two hours, Nate, or he’s taking the bar” she emphasized. “I can’t get that kind of money. In two hours!?”

“It's okay,” Nate assured, “Why don’t you go back downstairs and tend to the guests and everything. We’ll try to figure something out here.”

She agreed and thanked us. She gave me one last hug before leaving.

“We are going to figure this out, okay? Maybe I’ll be able to come down and help at the bar too. We’ve got you,” I reassured before letting go.

Once she was out of my apartment Parker asked, “Why don’t we just send her to the police? I mean, I don’t use them, but this is what they're for, right?”

“No, if Cora says to the police that she owes Doyle money,” Nate explained, “Doyle denies it, six months later he comes and burns down the bar. And that’s assuming that he doesn’t have a couple of local police on the arm.”

“That’s what sucks about the credit crunch,” Hardison said. “Honest people can’t get loans, sharks move in. Twelve points on the interest every month, there’s no way to get out from under that.”

“I don’t care,” Eliot said. “You don’t collect debts at a wake. You just don’t do it.” He paused, “Want me to go downstairs? Break this guy's knees?”

“Kinda,” I commented. Anyone who messes with family, with someone like Cora, didn’t deserve to walk with a pep in their step, in my book at least. Or in this case, walk at all.

Eliot stood at my word, ready to follow through, but Nate stopped him.

“No, we need some reconnaissance. Like, you know, why is this Irish loan shark here, and what is this two hour time table?” He asked thoughtfully. “Why don’t you call Tara, tell her we have a job.”

Eliot groaned as Parker went to do so.

I put my hair up and out of the way, ready to work, “I’m going to go help Cora out at the bar while we wait for her.” I grabbed my earbud and slid it into place, “Let me know if you need anything, or any updates.”

The others put in their own earbuds as I walked out the door.

“You know how to work at a bar?” Hardison asked me through comms as I made my way down the stairs.

“Yeah, I went to school out here and worked here in the pub. I would occasionally pick up shifts for Cora and her dad while I was freelancing too,” I responded. I got down to the bar and I started pouring and running drinks once I told Cora I was there to help out.

I noticed Tara arrived, and Nate gave her some quick instructions on who the target was and that she needed to get information from him. She quickly adjusted her outfit and came over to order a drink. I poured it for her and she instantly got Doyles attention.

So the game begins.

Parker swiped his passport and Hardison ran it to find that Doyle was completely off-grid financial-wise. His dad, however, was found to run the family loan shark business and used to kill people for the IRA, aka the terrorist organization, the Irish Republican Army. Overall, a scary family.

Tara found out that Doyle convinced his dad to expand the business to Boston. After Hardison found that he was leaving town that night, which explained the deadline, Tara pulled out of him that he had a so-called performance review, which explained why he needed the cash. He needed to repay his dad for the investment and prove that his branch was profitable.

Tara slipped away to talk strategy with everyone else and I poured Doyle a couple drinks upon his request. I listened to the others discuss what to do. We couldn’t just steal the note that held the McRory contract, that could cause more problems. The question was, could we con him in two hours.

Nate asked everyone for cash, Tara to set the hook, and Eliot to check what sports games were on. Well, it seemed like he already had a plan. Parker caught on to the con Nate wanted to run, she called it ‘the wire.’ The others argued that it wasn’t possible to pull off in the time we had, but Nate was insistent that it would work.

I glanced at Doyle who was tapping his hand against the bar absentmindedly as he kept looking back at where the bathrooms were. “Whatever you guys decide to do, make it quick please, Doyle is getting a little antsy. At least send Tara back down.”

Everyone finally agreed, though not confidently, and Tara came down to entertain Doyle some more. Nate gave me a quick rundown of the plan, Hardison would delay the sports feed in the bar and give Nate live updates on what was going on. Nate would make a betting game with Doyle, and hopefully con him into giving us the bar. In order for this to work though, Nate needed some cash to bet with.

“Look man,” Hardison said, “it is nine pm on a Friday night. All the banks are closed.”

“ATMs,” Parker suggested.

“Daily withdrawal limit,” Hardison rebuffed.

“Oh my gosh, how much cash do you need?” I asked. I’ve only reached that limit a couple of times, but it's usually a decent chunk of change to get there.

Nobody answered me. Hardison rattled off what he could do with electronic financials, but that physical cash was a whole different story. Hardison eventually said that they needed to use their emergency fund. I heard scrambling around until they said they had it. I didn’t know where Parker or Eliot’s stash was, but apparently Hardison’s was inside the ‘Old Nate’ painting that he brought all the way from LA.

Eliot came downstairs with bundles of cash and handed it to Nate.

“That’s a little over nine grand. Is that enough?” He asked.

I tried not to show it in my face my reaction to just handing over that much cash as I served another customer.

“I don’t need enough to win, just enough to lose. It's perfect,” Nate replied.

I scoffed as I turned away from the guests to grab a bottle of liquor, “My mindset about money has clearly not shifted yet to cope with how much money is involved in this job.”

Nate scared Tara off by playing a slimy ex boyfriend, catching Doyle’s attention. He then established himself as a local bookie, taking on the role Grandad Jimmy had, sitting in his spot no less. Doyle suggested betting on the basketball game, and Nate made sure to lose the first few bets. It continued like this for a while until Doyle noticed that Nate hadn't been drinking with him.

“What, you too good to drink with me?” Doyle asked in his thick Irish accent.

Nate tried to deny it, but he wouldn’t have it.

“I’m not bettin’ again if you have the advantage over me, Jimmy boy.”

At that moment, it seemed that everything in the pub slowed down. I made eye contact with Eliot before turning my gaze to Nate. He had been doing so well since coming out to Boston; hadn’t had a drop. But as he lifted his gaze, giving Doyle and himself excuses as to why he should drink, he looked at me and then shifted over to Cora. I knew that he felt he had to do it. As much as he loved me and the team, he couldn’t give up on a con once he’s started, let alone one so personal.

I looked away before he took that first sip, but we all knew that he took it.

“So this is…” Tara said after a significant length of the silence.

“Not good,” Hardison finished.

I distracted myself from Nate’s breaking of sobriety with what Hardison and Tara were working on. Hardison seemed to think that he could triangulate the location of Doyle’s office with the help of his goons’ phones which Parker swiped along with Doyle’s ledger. Tara was decoding that, determining just how big of a problem this guy was.

“You know how to read that?” Parker asked her.

“Yeah, I trained in cryptog–” she stopped, “nevermind.”

“Cryptography?” I asked, “You might have to teach me something, that sounds interesting.”

“Look at you, busy bee,” she commented, clearly still focused on the ledger.

“Well, you know,” I said as I picked up some empty glasses from tables, “I like to learn. I’m trying to pick stuff up from everybody so I’m not too much of a burden. I think all that’s left now is for Eliot to teach me how to knock out Hardison.”

“That can be arranged,” Eliot replied, humorously making eye contact with me behind the goons’ back as he entertained them with darts.

“Hey now,” Hardison cut in, clearly offended, between giving Nate cues.

It was coming to the end of the basketball game when Hardison told us that Doyle was much more ingrained into the neighborhood than we thought. He also gave Nate the final bet of the game.

Nate had won back all and more of the cash, strategically to the point where the two of them did an all in bet for the last few seconds of the game. Nate had his ten thousand and baited Doyle to offer up the note for the bar. Nate waited long enough to place the bet that the rest of us were sweating.

Finally, he placed it and won back the pub.

We all heaved a sigh of relief, with Hardison cheering in my ear. I watched as Doyle and Nate shook hands, and the former stood to go join his goons. I looked at Cora and smiled, which she caught. I nodded at her, trying to show her that we had it figured out, that we fixed it. Cora smiled back at me, seemingly more relaxed as she continued to serve drinks.

“We got lucky on that one,” Eliot said, meeting up with Nate and Parker as he walked towards the back of the bar.

“We’re not letting him go,” Nate said.

“But we saved the bar,” Parker reminded him.

“We’re not letting him go,” he repeated, “the night’s just getting started.”

I set down the dirty glasses I was gathering and followed them. Nate explained to us how if Doyle goes back to his dad with all that cash, they were going to expand with more money and muscle to the point where the Doyle’s were going to be on every corner with no way to remove them.

“How can you be sure?” Eliot asked.

“Because that’s what my father did,” Nate said simply. “I know this guy, know what he’s about. Right now, right here, this is the time to put a spike in him, for good. It’s our only shot.”

“Nate? Do you have another con up your sleeve?” Hardison asked.

He stuttered around yeses and nos, “This one’s maybe a little bit more, well, impossible.”

“Lovely,” I said.

He told Tara to stall Doyle and I went to help if I could. Nate pulled Eliot and Parker into the storage room to explain the rough gameplan. We were going to pull Doyle into a high stakes poker game, hopefully be able to snag Doyle’s money and have him leave with all his money on the table. That was, if Hardison could find Doyle’s office and grab all of his other cash, and we somehow make a high stakes poker game when we neither had high stakes or a poker game.

I cleaned up the bar before Tara came walking in again, immediately catching Doyle’s attention. She made an excuse about him not being able to leave due to the weather, and he suggested they check the weather on the news.

I heard Hardison scramble to put together something to spoof the weather channel before they could get the TV up and running. Tara asked me for the remote since I had taken it from off the bar when I was cleaning. I made a show of looking around, stalling to give Hardison some time, before I ‘found’ it and handed it to Tara. She then was able to extend the time even further by having the remote ‘not work’ and ‘need batteries.’

I had walked off by then so they couldn’t ask me for some more. When Doyle finally fiddled with it enough before trying it again, I was pleasantly surprised to see Hardison on the screen giving a bogus weather forecast, grounding any flights that Doyle planned to catch.

“The next time y’all call me,” Hardison said once the TV was turned off, “it better be for something easy, like faking a moon landing!”

I laughed while Nate walked past me with Cora to the backroom where a much smaller staked poker game than what we needed was going on. Nate explained what the plan was to Cora so she could introduce him to the poker game. Nate, with the help of Cora, was able to convince the men to play along in his little act and let him and Doyle join.

Meanwhile, Tara was using some sort of reverse psychology on Doyle to get him to want into the game and cheat Nate out of his money. Though, I don’t think that last desire was all that hard to instill.

Once they began playing, there wasn’t much for me to pay attention to since Nate’s plan was similar to the first betting game he had with Doyle. Lose slowly, then, once Eliot and Parker were able to grab Doyle’s cash from their warehouse, play with Doyle’s own money until Doyle left every penny on the table, running home to daddy with nothing. Since we hadn’t gotten to that point yet, I focused on the bar, serving drinks, and cleaning up. It brought me back to my college days a little bit. I still worried, but the topic of that worry was much different, and seemed so small now.

I tuned out all the commotion that was going on between the poker game and Parker and Eliot breaking into a safe until Parker walked into the pub with the cash. It didn’t take long at all for Doyle to notice that it was his money that Nate was trying to play with. I heard a click that suspiciously sounded like a gun being cocked.

“Hey, Doyle, what are you getting so upset for, we’re just playing a little game here,” Nate said quickly.

“I know exactly what game you’re playing,” Doyle said, “You’re all playing it together, with my money. This is my mark. I’ve just spent the last year running the only bank that would lend to any plank and neddy in this hole. And I mark every damn dollar I collected like so.”

“Did we know he did that?” I asked the group.

I got a few noncommittal muttered responses that I concluded was a no.

“So you’re a loan shark,” one of the other poker players said, Micky I think.

“Aye, I’m a loan shark. And these are my teeth, no one cheats a Doyle.”

“Do you need someone in there Nate?” I asked, it sounded like it was getting nasty in there. I’m sure Eliot could go in there and kick his ass, but I also knew that Cora and her dad kept at least a shotgun behind the bar, just in case.

“Woah woah woah,” Nate said, “I’d put that thing down unless you wanna get killed. You don’t know who these guys are.”

I took the response as he had it under control, but I didn’t go back to serving, I tucked myself in a corner, closer to the back so I could pay better attention.

“I know exactly who they are,” Doyle yelled, “a bunch of local thicks you recruited for this little game of yours! Well, game’s over boys. Start handing over your money.”

“I’d put that gun down, if I were you,” Mickey said.

“What? This another prop for your wee game?”

“Yeah, and this is a prop I got from the Boston Police Department,” he responded with a gun cocking click of his own. “Point that gun at me again, and I’ll be calling my friend at the coroner’s office.”

“Yeah, sounds like you have it under control,” I said with a slightly amused huff.

The other poker players were introduced as other high ranking members of the force and recalled the crimes Doyle confessed to when he thought they were local crime bosses. He gave them a couple breaks in some organized crime cases.

“Fair enough,” he said. “How’s about I walk away with what’s mine, you walk away with what’s yours. And for your understanding, I’ll make a little contribution to your retirement funds?”

Before the cops could respond, I heard a shuffle that sounded like someone being slammed onto the table. If I had a guess, it was Doyle hitting the table.

“Alright, now listen to me, this is what you’re gonna do,” Nate said in a scarily steady and determined voice, but it had a quality to it that only really came out when he was drunk and upset. “You’re gonna leave this bar, you’re gonna get out of town, and you’re going to go home to daddy and tell him that your business went bust. Or I will call him and tell him that you gambled away all his profits to a room full of cops. You will never step foot in this town again or they will throw your ass in jail. Understood?” There was a pause where Doyle didn’t object. “Yeah, and one more thing.”

There was a sickening crack and Doyle screaming in pain. A moment later Doyle was rushing out of the room and out of the bar in a way I could only describe as his tail between his legs. His goons weren’t very far behind him, trying to catch up.

I peeked my head into the room right as Mickey told Nate, “You’re exactly like your father.”

“Everything okay in here?” I asked, feigning naivety as to what happened before.

Nate sighed, “Yes, we’re all fine, birdie.”

Tara started gathering all the cash that sat on the table, “So I guess this is all evidence, huh? It’ll never make it back to the people it belongs to.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mickey said deliberately after a thoughtful moment. “I’ve been at the movies all night long.”

“Me and Johnny had tickets to the game today,” the one to the right of Mickey said as they all gathered their coats.

“Great game,” Johnny said with a joyful thumbs up as he followed the other two out the back door.

Tara handed Nate the ledger so we could sort out who and how much. It took another couple of hours to get all of that sorted out, but we were able to get everyone’s money returned to them.

“I can’t believe you actually pulled this off in two hours,” Tara said as I approached the table where she, Eliot, and Nate were sitting.

“Hour and a half,” Nate corrected and said to Eliot, “Softening.”

“Definitely softening,” he replied.

“Everything squared away,” Nate asked Hardison, Parker, and I.

“Yup,” Hardison confirmed, “Every last dollar.”

“Every last one,” Parker repeated, much more reluctantly.

Cora came over with a tray of shots on the house as a thank you. Nate declined, saying that he wanted to go to bed. Hardison quickly vetoed that idea, insisting that Nate stayed there while he went to clean up his apartment. He asked for our help to clean up but everyone declined, leaving the pub quickly to avoid it.

I decided to have pity on him and yawned, “Fine, Hardison, I’ll help, but you’ve only got me for half an hour and then I’m gonna crash.”

A/n: Reblogs and comments are welcome and encouraged! Thank you for reading!

Tags: @instantdinosaurtidalwave @kniselle @technikerin23 @kiwikitty13 @plasticbottleholder

#eliot spencer x reader #eliot spencer #leverage #rewrite #slow burn #multichapter #nate ford #sophie devereaux #alec hardison #parker #ford!reader

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doodlebugg16-blog · 11 months

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Pretty Soul

Single Dad! Mechanic! Eddie Munson x Fem! Reader blurb

18+ MINORS DNI!

Warnings: mentions of (y/n), cursing, kind of slow but also straight to the point??, anxiety, stress, fluff, she/her pronouns, Eddie is mid 20s, reader is same age, slightly descriptive?, if i’m missing anything lemme know

Summary: You meet Eddie and find out he has a daughter

A/N: This is my first time writing on tumblr hehe so plz spare me. I’m back on my eddie phase (its not a phase, its a lifestyle). any tips with format and if I need to add to the warnings plz let me know. I used to write on wattpad lmfao. I'm also coming out of a writer's block ew ik. also, imma always put “18+ minors dni” so make sure to read the warnings before reading! I honestly didn’t know how to end this—cry—I spent two days writing this while getting out of this horrid writers block. Plz send suggestions lmfao.Hope you all enjoy! <3

You finally moved out of your parents' house. Finally. You're waitress job finally paid off. You found a trailer just far enough away from your parents to where you wouldn't run in to them often and they wouldn't bother to visit. It wasn't much but it was yours and today you were moving in.

After pulling into your makeshift driveway, you parked and sat for a second. A sigh of relief escaped as you took in your new home.

Unfortunately, you had to unload and unpack by yourself. Your parents only cared about you getting out into the world.

You huffed as you attempted to carry one of the many giant boxes out of you car. You silently thank yourself for remembering to bubble wrap almost everything. As you set down the box inside, you turn to see the sky growing darker. You furrow your brows and look at your watch.

"It's only 3..." You mumble, looking back outside. Stepping back onto the front steps, it starts to drizzle. "Shit!" You run to your car and try to assess how much you half left, just for it to start pouring. Luckily, you have the hood of your trunk for temporary cover. You had a dodge ramcharger--curtsey of your parents graduation gift. Suddenly you heard a voice approaching.

"Are you okay? Do you need help?"

You turned to find a familiar frame. The man stood tall. He had curly hair, a little below his shoulders. Big brown eyes that looked tired. You noticed his attire--dark blue coveralls. Where have I seen him before?

"I-I'm okay! I'm trying to move in my stuff. I had no idea it was going to rain." You tried to smooth out your damp hair out of your face. He gave a sweet smile and gestured towards you and your home.

“Go inside and dry off. I can get the rest for you.” His offer was hard to resist. You sighed, doing a double-take towards the car. “Are you sure?” He nodded and shooed you away.

About an hour had passed and he had finished bringing in all of your stuff. The rain had finally stopped and you had realized you hadn’t gotten his name.

“I’m (y/n) by the way.” You extended you hand towards him as he set a small box on the kitchen counter. He chewed his lip, contemplating the handshake.

“Eddie.” He replied, deciding not to leave you hanging. You smiled and nodded. “Thank you so much for helping me out. I probably would’ve drowned out there.” You giggled, letting go of his hand. They were warm and calloused.

“It’s no big deal. Can’t have a pretty lady drowning, now can we?” His cheeky smile made your ears heat up. “I do have to be getting back now. It was nice to meet you, (y/n)” You nodded and walked him to the door. “It was very nice meeting you, Eddie. Take care.” With that he left and you shut the door, making sure to lock it for the night. Now it was time to figure out dinner and unpack all the chaos.

You finally plopped on you bed after setting up your room. You turned to look at your clock on the wall. 12:00 a.m.

“Gosh it’s late..” Thinking out loud, you managed to get back up and grabbed some pajamas (a baggy t-shirt and black shorts).

You couldn’t sleep. One person kept flooding your mind. Eddie. Why was he so familiar? Why was he so nice to a stranger? Why was he so damn attractive? And why did he have to be your neighbor?

Then it dawned on you. Highschool. The freak. That damn Hellfire club. You gasped and covered your face.

You don’t remember falling asleep but now you are woken up by the sun hitting your face. “I gotta get some curtains..” You mumbled out, trying to rub the sleep from your eyes. It was a Saturday. You had the weekend to get things functional around the house before going back to work Monday. Looking at the clock you noticed it was 6:30 a.m.. You needed coffee badly.

You got dressed for the day. Blue jeans and a tucked in t-shirt with chucks. You wore your hair down. You grabbed your bag and keys, heading out the door.

You locked your door and turned to notice smoke next door. You recognized the curly hair and smiled. The trailers weren’t far from each other. You walked to the end of your trailer and leaned against it. Eddie sitting on his steps maybe 5ft away.

“Good morning.” He returned the comment and took another drag from his cigarette. “Listen, I- um- I’d like to repay you for helping me out yesterday. Could I invite you over for dinner tonight? Or maybe I could bring it over since I still have boxes left?” You chewed the inside of your cheek immediately. He seemed to hesitate. “You really don’t have to repay me. I was just trying to be a decent human being.” You scoffed. “Which is exactly why I have to repay you. There aren’t many decent humans left nowadays. I have to run some errands anyways.” His lip tugged at the corned as he took a final drag and put out his cigarette. “I guess you’ve got a deal pretty lady.” You smiled and nodded in approval. “How does smothered porkchops sound?” You could see his eyes light up from a mile away. “ The pretty lady can cook?!” He exclaimed, jumping off of his steps, making it to the ground. You burst out into laughter. “Of course I can cook! And you have way too much energy this early in the morning!” You tried to stifle your laughter. He scoffed and threw his hand to his chest, pretending to be stabbed in the heart. It reminded you of how he acted in school. He never cared what people thought. He was still going to be his outgoing, weird self. “This might sound weird, but i actually remember you from high school..” He sighed and glanced back at his front door. “And you still want to offer dinner and continue talking to me?” You smiled. “I wish I had the pleasure of meeting you sooner. I would always end up in the library doing volunteer work while you guys would do your little club. It was actually quite entertaining listening to your game.” He blushed, letting a laugh slip.

That’s how it was for the next couple of weeks. You would wake up early to find him on his steps smoking. You would make coffee and join him. You noticed that on weekends he would sleep in later and work longer, later shifts. You found out that he is a mechanic and that he visits his uncle on the weekends. You felt like you were finally getting to warm up and know more about Eddie, until you woke up in the middle of the night to screaming and crying at your front door.

You jolted up and ran to the front door, yanking it open. Standing in-front of you was a little girl with dark curly hair in pink footie pajamas.

“Oh honey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” You knelt down to her level. She sniffed and hugged you, clinging for dear life. “Daddy gone!” She whined out. You furrowed your brows and stepped onto the front step, glancing around. “You can’t find daddy? Do you know where home is?” You tried to communicate as best as you could. She immediately pointed to the trailer next to yours—Eddie’s. Your eyes widened. Did Eddie have a daughter? Why have you never seen her before? Was she confused?

You lightly bounced her and and contemplated walking over there to see. “What’s your name honey?” She rubbed her eyes and looked up to you. She had to be Eddie’s. Those big brown eyes and curly hair. “Liwwy.” She replied. She seemed to be getting tired again. You hummed and held her close, walking to the bottom of the stairs. “Alright Lilly, we’re gonna go find daddy, okay?” The little girl nodded and hugged your neck tighter. Before you started walking, Eddie’s front door swung open with him barreling down—almost missing the stairs completely. “Lilly?! Where are you?!” He yelled. He then looked in your direction and noticed the small figure in your arms. He rushed over and started spewing apologies.

“I’m so sorry—she was asleep—I—showering—“

You immediately grabbed his shoulder to calm him. “Eddie, it’s okay. She ran right over. I don’t think she went anywhere else. She’s okay.” He caught his breath and nodded. He noticed Lilly was now asleep in your arms. “I’m so sorry for waking you up. I thought the door was locked. She usually goes to my room.” You shook your head and smiled. “It’s really okay. If I would’ve known, I would’ve been more vigilant for this cute escape artist.” He smiled and ran a hand through his damp hair. “I wanted to tell you..I just—“

“Honey, you don’t have to explain. I’m just glad I could help. And if you ever need help, I’m right next door. She’s always welcome and so are you.” You spoke softly as to not wake the sleeping toddler. He nodded and gave a silent ‘thank you’. You carefully handed Lilly back and bid Eddie a goodnight.

From that point forward, you and Eddie spent a lot of time together. Lilly would spend “girls nights” with you before bed. You would often make dinner for the three of you. It was blissful. Eddie finally asked you out on an official date. The two of you became inseparable, along with Lilly.

#eddie x fem!reader #eddie munson #reader #single dad eddie #eddie munson fluff #eddie x y/n #eddie stranger things

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silvfyre-writings · 1 year

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Never Give Up (Pokemon Fanfic)

I just finished Scarlet the other day, and I adore Grusha, and the small amount of backstory we got gave me the idea to write this fic! This is my first Pokemon fic, so it was rather terrifying to write, but hey, that's what writings all about sometimes.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a like (hell even reblog) if you enjoyed!!!

Pain.

Agony.

Fear.

Those were the three emotions running through Grusha’s mind as he lay, twisted and broken on the slope, half buried in snow, with the world slowly fading in and out. He struggled to recall what had led him to his current predicament; only a vague recollection of a Pokémon jumping out of the snow suddenly, and him trying to avoid colliding with it. He’d succeeded, because he wasn’t one of the top snowboarders for no reason, but something had gone wrong. The moment that he’d flung his board into a different direction, something in his leg snapped, and he was falling down the slope rather than sliding, pain shooting up his body each time his leg was jostled.

“Grusha, don’t move.” There was a hand on Grusha’s shoulder, the touch briefly taking his mind off the pain, the voice bringing him back from the brink of unconsciousness. He couldn’t tell who the hand, or the voice that had come with the hand, belonged to. But if they were telling him not to move, then it was probably wise to listen to them. He was hurting enough. “That’s it, kiddo. Can you open your eyes for me?”

Grusha could open his eyes, but he didn’t want to open them. The slightest movement brought pain, and he didn’t want to risk doing anything, especially now that the sharp, shooting pain had become more of an ache. A very prominent ache, but he’d take whatever he could get at this point. Instead, he grunted, to show the person that he could hear them.

But that wasn’t acceptable for the person talking to him, for a finger tapped his cheek. “Nah, that ain’t gonna cut it. Open them eyes for me, Grusha. You crashed bad. We need to make sure you didn’t hit your head.”

Grusha groaned, cracking one eye open, only to close it as he was assaulted by sunlight. In that moment, he forgot about the fact that he was hurt, and moved to bury his face into the snow, crying out when the movement jostled his leg, bringing back the pain that had just started to ease off. Nausea swelled within him, and he fought against the urge to bring up his lunch, breathing deeply until he could focus on something else other than pain.

And finally, he could open his eyes.

Now that he wasn’t looking directly into the sun, Grusha was able to see more of his surroundings, even though it was mostly snow. There were shadows above him—people that had come to his aid, and he recognized the familiar face of Ryme, Montenevera’s Gym Leader. The older woman had been one of his biggest supporters since he’d first gone pro, going to all his competitions when her obligations allowed her to. It was the joy—or frustration, Grusha didn’t yet know—of living in the lonely town at the top of one of Paldea’s mountains; everyone knew each other.

So it made sense why she was the one stopping him from moving. Ryme’s face, slowly wrinkling in her age, flashed him a smile. “There’s those eyes I was wanting to see.”

“Wha’ happen’…” Grusha asked. “There was… a Pokémon?”

“There was a Cetoddle in the snow. Something must’ve spooked it for it to have been hiding there.” Ryme explained. It was weird to hear the Gym Leader speaking so calmly for a change, instead of being so full of the usual excitement Grusha had seen in her battles. He didn’t like it.

“Oh.”

“You did good avoiding the little fella though. It didn’t get hurt, and you’ll soon be taken care of yourself. So don’t stress, and try to get some rest. The medics are on the way.”

Grusha nodded, able to hear for himself the sound of medics flying down the slope towards him. He’d seen it so many times over the years for other competitors, but never had they come for him. Until now. And that terrified him, because every snowboarder knew they only came out if you couldn’t get back up, and most of the time, those people never competed again. Tears welled in his eyes at the thought of his career ending before it had even truly begun, but he fought them back. Just because he’d been hurt, didn’t mean that it was the end of the world. Not yet anyway. He’d wait for a doctor to tell him how hurt he was before breaking down. For now, it was best to cling to hope, and hope that he’d be back on the slope in a few weeks—a few months at the latest.

“Mr Grusha, can you hear us?” Grusha looked over towards his left—as much as he could at least from his position—seeing the medics crouched beside him. He nodded. “Great, we’re going to try and get you out of here with as minimal pain as possible, but with the position you’re in, you’ll probably feel something.”

“Okay.” Grusha nodded again, tuning out the medics discussing how they were going to move him. He didn’t care, so long as he got off the slope.

But then they began to move him, and white-hot, searing pain shot up his leg, and Grusha found himself unable to hold back the cries of pain, or the tears that began to fall as a result. The world began to swirl around him again, voices muffling to the point he didn’t know if they were soothing or panicked. The one constant was Ryme’s hand on his shoulder, but not even that was enough to keep him tethered to the world of wakefulness. The darkness that was slowly encroaching upon him promised no more pain, no more agony.

So Grusha let it take him.

He could deal with the pain later.

“I’m sorry, Mr Grusha, but the damage to your leg is extensive. The surgery I suggested is to help you walk again, not get you back on a snowboard. I’m afraid with your kind of injury, snowboarding is no longer possible. I’m sorry it’s not the news you wanted to hear.” The doctor said, giving Grusha a look of pity he did not want.

Grusha turned his head away from the doctor, his eyes focusing on the bandages that prevented his leg from moving. Of course, the one time in his entire career that he crashes, it’s a career ending injury; but also, it’s the kind of injury that would affect his day-to-day life. It was the kind of injury that one would never wish upon someone, not even someone’s worst enemy. If only he hadn’t swerved to avoid that Cetoddle. If only he’d been a better boarder, because surely it wasn’t that hard to avoid a Pokémon?

“Mr Grusha?” He was torn from his melancholy by the doctor talking to him, who Grusha hadn’t been listening to if the doctor’s impatient tone was anything to go by.

“What?” Grusha snapped, lifting his gaze to glare at the doctor. Was it too much to ask for him to be given some time to process everything he’d been told?

The doctor sighed. “Will you go through with the surgery?”

“No. Why bother? Just leave me alone.” Grusha watched the doctor nod and then leave the room, promising to come back later. Only once the door was shut, did he let everything out. Tears that he’d been holding back ever since he’d woken up in the hospital, finally broke free and ran down his cheeks. Sobs tried to escape him, but he bit his lip to keep those to himself. The hospital staff and other patients didn’t need to hear him breaking. They had more important things to worry about, patients that were actually dying and in actual need. They didn’t need to worry about the athlete with a busted leg whose world had just ended.

The door opened again, and Grusha’s coach walked into the room, already chattering away about what they were going to tell his fans, what they were going to tell the world—at least that’s what Grusha thought the man was saying. It was hard to tell. He wasn’t able to focus on the words at all, instead staring blankly at the person in front of him. All his mind could focus on was his leg, and the accident that had led him to this situation.

“Please leave.” Grusha interrupted his coach. And while he’d normally feel bad about doing so, considering the man had been with him from the start, but he just wasn’t ready to deal with other people.

His coach frowned, looking rather concerned. “Grusha, it’s not the end the world. You—”

“Not the end of the world? Not the end of the world?” Grusha threw himself upright as far as he was able to, anger bubbling to the surface at the words that might’ve placated anyone else in that moment. But not Grusha. No, those words fuelled his anger, because his world had ended. He couldn’t be a snowboarder without his leg, it didn’t take a genius to figure that out. “It’s the end of my world! I’m never going to stand on a board again. What am I without my snowboard? I’m nothing, that’s what!”

“Grusha—”

“No! Just get out! Leave me alone! I’m not doing any media, or surgery, or whatever it is you think I should do!” Grusha yelled.

“Is there a problem?” Grusha stiffened as Ryme appeared in the doorway, glancing between Grusha and his coach. Understanding dawned on the elderly woman’s face, and she jerked her head towards the doorway behind her. “Out.”

Grusha watched his coach open his mouth to say something before the man gave up, storming out of the room with a big huff. Grusha fell back against his pillow with a huff of his own. “What are you doing here?”

Ryme made her way over to the lone chair in the room, dragging it over so that she could sit beside Grusha’s bed. “Heard ya yellin’ in the hallway, and thought I’d come see what the fuss was all about. That ya coach?”

“Yeah.” Grusha shrugged. “You can leave too. Don’t need to stay for me.”

“Now that’s a stupid idea if I ever heard one.” Ryme stretched in the chair, kicking her feet up onto the edge of the bed. It didn’t look at all comfortable, but he wasn’t about to say anything. If Ryme wanted to ruin her back by sitting stupidly in a chair, then he wasn’t about to stop her.

“Please go.”

“No.”

“Why not?” Grusha squeezed his eyes shut, annoyed that the Gym Leader was ruining the time he’d wanted to spend alone, pondering over everything. But it was clear that Ryme was here to stay; the woman wasn’t known for taking ‘no’ as an answer.

“Because.” Ryme said. “You’ve been cooped up in this room on your lonesome since you arrived—so I’ve heard, and you look like you’ve been told someone died. And now, I’m not your mother, nor am I your friend, but I am a familiar stranger, so if you wanna say something, then hit me with it.”

Grusha sighed and stared at the ceiling for a couple of minutes while Ryme sat there, patiently waiting for him to find his words. “I can’t snowboard anymore.”

“The doctor tell you that?”

Grusha nodded.

“What else did he say?” Ryme asked.

“Surgery can help repair the damage, but it’s not going to help me get back on a board. It’s just to help me walk again, apparently.” Grusha paused for a moment. “But I’m not going to do it.”

“You should. They wouldn’t recommend it if it wasn’t going to help you in the long run.”

“Why? I can’t snowboard again, so why even bother?”

“Believe it or not, Grusha, your career as a professional snowboarder might be over, but that doesn’t mean you’ll never snowboard again.” Ryme began to say.

“Wha—” Grusha went to ask, only to be interrupted.

“Uh, uh, uh, let me finish. You got hurt. The injury is bad. Your career is over. None of those things mean you can’t pick up a board again once you recover and ease back into it. Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to be a pro again?” Ryme said with one of her famous all-knowing smiles on her face. “Get the surgery, Grusha, recover from it, and fight for your dream. Don’t give it up yet until you know for sure you have to.”

“Fine.”

Fine, what?”

“I’ll get the god damn surgery.”

“Good kid.”

Why me? Why must I have the worst luck in the world? Grusha thought as he lay in his bed, his leg once again wrapped—in a brace rather than bandages this time—with an ice pack balancing on it to ease the ache that had been throbbing for well over an hour now. He wanted nothing more than to go back in time and stop his injury from even happening in the first place.

For months, he’d put all his effort into his recovery. He’d gotten the surgery like Ryme had suggested, and he’d forced his way through the physical therapy that had followed, something the woman and doctors had neglected to mention until a nurse had come to collect him for it. It had been the hardest months of his life, and the most painful—even more so than the initial injury in his opinion.

But finally.

Finally.

He’d been able to walk out of that hospital with only a minor limp. That had left him feeling both relieved and excited for the next step; getting back on the board. Despite his doctors giving him a clean bill of health, Grusha had stayed away from the slopes for a few more months, wanting to give his leg the time it needed. Recovery took time, something that everyone told him whenever he wanted to go about things faster. And then one day, he’d felt ready, ready to try the slope again. Nothing too crazy, of course, but just getting on the board and going down the easiest slope of the mountain, had been his plan.

So, of course it had gone wrong.

Grusha had turned, a simple turn that he’d long since mastered, but that turn was all it took for his leg to buckle underneath him with a loud popping noise, and send him careening down the slope. This crash hadn’t been as bad as the one that had caused his initial injury since the slope was designed for children and beginners, but it was still bad enough that he knew moving his leg was a bad idea. It certainly hadn’t been as painful as last time, but it was still painful. The only positive to that day had been that there were other boarders on the slope, and those strangers had stuck with him until he’d been taken back to hospital.

Where he’d had to have another surgery, with an even longer recovery period. And this time, his doctor had told him none too gently, that snowboarding of any kind was out of the question, lest he risk doing more damage to his already battered leg. Which Grusha already knew; his leg could barely support him this time round, even after the surgery, so there was no hope of him ever getting back on a board.

Ryme had tried to see him, as had his coach, but Grusha had refused all visitors. He hadn’t wanted anyone to see how broken he was on the inside. And once the hospital had discharged him and he’d made his way home, that hadn’t changed. His friends and fans kept trying to reach out to him, sending him ‘get well soon’ messages, but Grusha couldn’t care less about them. He couldn’t bring himself to care much about anything other than making sure that he always had an icepack on hand for his leg when the pain got too much to handle.

His life had become a meaningless routine now; wake up, eat, get out of bed, go back to bed, take meds, and sleep. For days that was how Grusha lived—if one could even call it living. Until the one day, where he’d felt well enough to get up and drag his television from the living room into his bedroom, that his routine was interrupted.

“Grusha! I’m coming in!” Grusha groaned as he heard his front door open, and Ryme’s voice echo throughout his home. He didn’t even know how the woman had gotten into his home, nor did he really want to. Either way, he was changing his locks.

“Are you sure we should just be invading his space like this?” A stranger’s voice, one that Grusha had never even heard before, questioned the Gym Leader that was currently invading his home.

“Relax, it’s the benefits of a small town. And I know he’s here. Kid hasn’t left his house since he was discharged.” Grusha heard Ryme say, the footsteps growing ever closer to his room. And because he knew that Ryme wouldn’t stop until she’d found him. “Ha! I told you he’d be here!”

Low and behold, there the woman was, standing in the doorway looking like she hadn’t just broken into his home. Behind the Gym Leader was a shorter woman… man, Grusha couldn’t really tell at first glance. Not that he even cared. “Get out.”

“No can do, kiddo.” Ryme grinned at him, which just made Grusha’s mood even worse. “Relax, I’m here on Gym Leader business.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Grusha huffed. “Just leave me be.”

“Wow, you are a delight.” The stranger said, stepping forward with an intrigued look on her face. “When Ryme told us about a potential replacement for Glaseado Gym, I wasn’t expecting to meet Paldea’s champion snowboarder.”

“What?” Grusha was confused. Glaseado Gym? Replacement? He wasn’t a Pokémon trainer; he didn’t even have any Pokémon to call his own. He was—he had—been a professional athlete. There hadn’t been time in his life for him to even consider training up Pokémon to have by his side. And Ryme wanted him to become a Gym Leader? This had to be some kind of joke. “If this is some kind of sick joke, just get out.”

“Calm down, will you?” The stranger, a woman, Grusha realized now that she was standing closer to him. “My name’s Rika. I’m a member of Paldea’s Elite Four. Normally, Geeta, the Champion, would be the one to do this, but she’s busy with other work, so she sent me to come check you out instead. The current Gym Leader of Glaseado is looking to retire, and Ryme recommended you.”

“Why?” Grusha asked. Why him, of all people? Surely there were other people, actual Pokémon trainers, that would be better suited to the position of Gym Leader.

Ryme let out a sigh, her smile dropping just the tiniest bit as she glanced towards his leg. “Because, Grusha, your world’s been turned on its head, and not in a good way. I simply wanted to offer you something that might be able to ease that pain.”

“But… I’m not a Pokémon trainer.”

“Glaseado’s Gym Leader isn’t retiring just yet, so you’ll have time to gain the skills necessary to take over.” Rika explained.

“And you can start with this little guy!” Ryme pulled out a Poké Ball and released the Pokémon within it.

It was a Cetoddle.

“Is that…?”

“The same Cetoddle that caused your accident? No. At least, I don’t think so. I caught it on my way over here. It’ll be a good first partner for you.” The smile had returned to Ryme’s face, and she reached over to place the ball into Grusha’s hand. “I’ll leave you to think about it.”

The door shut behind the Gym Leader, and now it was just him and Rika, the silence that followed a rather awkward one. Grusha didn’t know why the Elite Four member was sticking around; it wasn’t like they knew each other. Instead, Grusha turned his attention towards the Cetoddle that was staring at him with its large eyes. The Pokémon blinked, before giving him a toothy grin. It was cute, and Grusha couldn’t help but smile and reach over to pet it.

“Here.” Grusha looked up to see Rika holding out some kind of blue stone towards him. “Cetoddle evolves using an ice stone, so if you choose to take up our offer and train up this little guy, use that stone to evolve him. He’ll become even stronger.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

“You should do it. Become a Gym Leader I mean.” Rika went on. “I’ve seen your competitions; you have the passion we’re looking for. And, you know, just because you got a busted leg, doesn’t mean you have to give up on living.”

Grusha threw his harshest glare towards the woman. “If that’s all you’re going to talk about, get out. You don’t know me.”

“You’re right. I don’t. But what I do know, is that there is a part of you that doesn’t want to give up just yet.” Rika shrugged, turning to leave the room. “Anyway, nice to meet you, Grusha.”

Grusha let out a sigh as the door shut behind Rika, leaving him alone with his new Pokémon companion. Cetoddle chirped at him, reaching its arms up towards him. He leaned over and helped the Pokémon climb onto his bed, and couldn’t help but smile as it lay down beside him. Ryme was right about one thing at least; Cetoddle would make a good first partner. It lived in the harsh, snowy regions of Paldea, which already meant that it was strong. And like his coach always used to say; training made you stronger, so together, he and this little Pokémon might just actually become something.

Was it what he wanted to do? No. If he physically could’ve, he would’ve stuck with snowboarding. Nothing, not even Pokémon could make him ever give up the sport. But because of his injury, he’d had to give up the sport he’d loved since he was old enough to stand on a board, and that was just something he was going to have to learn to live with. It sucked, and it wasn’t fair, but life wasn’t always fair.

Rika was right; he did have the passion to find something else in his life, he just had to take the first step towards it. “Come on, buddy.” Grusha recalled the Cetoddle to its ball, and dragged himself out of bed. He limped as fast as he could across the room, making his way out of his house for the first time in over a week. Grusha shivered as the cold assaulted him; his indoor clothing not suited for the cold wind. His eyes were quick to spot Rika and Ryme heading back the way they’d come, and Grusha hurried to catch up with them.

“I’ll do it!” Grusha shouted, drawing the attention of the two women. “I’ll become the next Gym Leader!”

#pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon grusha #pokemon rika #pokemon ryme #hurt/comfort #pokemon fanfic #injury #fanfiction #writing

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ailendolin · 10 months

Text

Title: Moon Lilies [AO3]

Characters: Ho-Tan & Irk, Ho-Tan/Vex

Summary: Irk wakes Ho-Tan in the middle of the night to show her something special.

A/N: This is for my dear friend @iris-in-the-rain 💙

A/N 2: An explanation for the Youngers’ names can be found here.

————

Moon Lilies

“Mum! Wake up!”

Ho-Tan blearily opened her eyes to find Irk standing next to her bed. Even in the darkness she could see his wide eyes and beaming smile and suppressed a groan, knowing this did not bode well. Her son was practically vibrating with excitement, and while some part of her was glad this didn’t seem to be an emergency, the part of her that had been awake since the crack of dawn to help the Ninnies transcribe the ancient scrolls in their library really didn’t want to deal with a wide awake child at this hour.

“Irk, it’s the middle of the night,” she said quietly so as not to wake up Vex.

“I know!” Irk said enthusiastically and tugged at the sleeve of her nightgown. “Come on, I need to show you something!”

Knowing her son would not relent until she got up, Ho-Tan gave in and pushed back the covers, though not without mumbling, “Can’t it wait until morning?”

Irk shook his head. “No, it has to be now.”

He took her hand in his and smiled so sweetly up at her that Ho-Tan felt her heart melt despite the tiredness in her bones.

“Close your eyes,” Irk said when they reached the door to the garden and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you stumble.”

Her heart overflowing with love, it took everything in Ho-Tan not to pull him into her arms in that moment.

True to his word, Irk warned her about the small step down into the garden and told her to duck her head when they passed under the low-hanging branches of the trees. The whole thing reminded Ho-Tan of that one time Vex had organised a midnight picnic for her in her parents’ orchard. She’d been absolutely miserable that day – so overwhelmed by all the things her parents had asked her to do that she’d barely found the energy to eat something. By the time her siblings were finally in bed, she’d felt so emotionally and physically drained that she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a corner and cry. And then Vex – beautiful, brilliant Vex – had taken her hand just like little Irk had done and led her to the apple tree they had met under for the first time. A blanket was spread out over the grass and on it, carefully arranged, leftovers from lunch and dinner were laid out and, to Ho-Tan’s surprise and delight, her favourite sweets from the shop – the ones she rarely indulged in because they were so expensive.

She had turned to Vex, overwhelmed in a different way now. “Is this all for me?”

Vex had smiled at her and nodded. “Surprise!”

Not knowing what to say because a simple thank you couldn’t possibly convey what she was feeling in that moment, Ho-Tan had closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. When Vex’s arms came up around her to hug her back, all the stress and tension that had accumulated over the day had fallen away from her and she’d found herself smiling for the first time since she woke up that morning.

There, in her parents’ orchard under the stars, she had gotten a first taste of what having a real home felt like. And now, so many years later, she stood in the garden of her actual home under the same stars with her son who had the same kind and gentle heart as his father. The thought made her smile.

“You can open your eyes now, Mum.”

Ho-Tan blinked – and gasped at the sight before her. A small patch of flowers bloomed in the moonlight, radiating a light unlike any she had ever seen before. Their white blossoms were angled towards the moons and emitting soft sounds, almost like bells ringing.

“What are they?” Ho-Tan whispered in awe.

“Moon lilies,” Irk smiled and tugged her closer. “They only bloom a few nights a year when the moons are aligned just right. Uncle Flowers helped me plant them but we weren’t sure they’d bloom this year, what with the–” He pointed up at the moon Imperatrix’s creation had irreparably changed. “But they are! Look, Mum!”

He pointed excitedly at the glowing flowers and Ho-Tan laughed. “I can see that!”

Irk wrapped his small arms around her waist and looked up at her. “Do you like them?”

“Oh sweetheart, I do,” Ho-Tan said softly and held him close. “They’re very beautiful. Thank you for showing them to me.”

“They remind me of you,” Irk admitted. He reached out with one hand to touch the flowers and the noise they emitted when his fingers brushed against the delicate petals sounded like a child giggling. “See? Because they sound so happy.”

Ho-Tan’s heart tightened in the best way. She had fought so hard for every little scrap of happiness in her life that she sometimes forgot how easy it was for her to smile and laugh these days. She wasn’t that lonely young girl Vex had desperately tried to tease a smile out of anymore. She was a scribe, an Elder, and most importantly a mother. The days she felt happy far outnumbered those she felt sad now and she was grateful beyond words that her son had no idea it used to be so different.

She pressed a gentle, lingering kiss onto Irk’s unruly curls before she reached out to touch one of the flowers herself. The blossom giggled, and so did she. Irk gave her a cheeky grin and then waved his hands through the lilies, rousing them all until their giggling filled the air all around them. Ho-Tan laughed, breathlessly, and pulled him close once more.

“I love you so much,” she whispered fiercely into Irk’s hair.

Irk melted against her, just like he’d done when he was a baby. “I love you too, Mum.”

“Want to go wake Dad and Alvin? I think they’d like to see the flowers too.”

Excited, Irk nodded, and as they retraced their steps back to the Chamber, they were giggling just like the lilies.

#scribe elder ho tan #elder younger vex #wise elder vex #vextan #yonderland #my fic

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theloveoftoms · 2 years

Note

Can you please do an imagine where Rooster surprises the reader, his wife, at the hospital where she works at as a nurse after returning home from the navy?

Surprise - rooster x reader

Summary: After a long time away on a mission, rooster is finally home, and he decides to surprise you at the hospital.

A/N: This was such a cute idea, and I had so much fun writing it! Nurses are super badass and do so much for everyone! Fun fact about me, my moms a nurse. I hope you enjoy this, I am seriously loving all of the rooster content right now! xoxo - Mac :) (ps, the other requests are coming!)

Working as a nurse was a stressful job at times. The calls in the middle of the night informing you to come in and assist with an emergency, the long and gruelling night shifts that required more than one cup of coffee, the patients crying out vulnerably for you to help them. It was difficult, but it was rewarding to help people get better and watch them recover from their injuries and illnesses. You were always busy at the hospital, and that helped you keep distracted when your husband was away over seas.

Two years ago, you walked down the aisle and married Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, the love of your life. And since then, life has been nothing but happiness for the both of you.

Bradley was home most of the time, but for the past two weeks he had been aboard an aircraft carrier, working on a classified mission. Rooster had been nervous to go, worried about the severity of it all, worried that he might not make it back home to you, but he knew that he needed to go. The mission had ended, and your husband had lived to tell. Now, all you had to do was wait for him to come back home - which was the hardest part.

The parking lot of the La Jolla regional hospital looked emptier than usual today, which gave you hope that you wouldn't be running from floor to floor to cover the amount of patients.

"Morning Mrs. Bradshaw," the blonde secretary welcomed you as you walked into the building, "We've got some patients in the maternity ward that are ready to be seen. And then it's just general stuff for you this after noon."

You nodded, setting your tumbler of ice coffee down in your locker across from the blondes desk, "Thanks Amanda."

You took a sip of your coffee and put your stethoscope around your neck, looking at yourself in the mini-mirror on the inside of the door. Your sun-kissed hair was pulled back into a curled ponytail and you were wearing your favourite set of navy-blue scrubs, just because you worked in a hospital wasn't an excuse not to look pretty!

You loved working in the maternity ward because it meant that you would get the chance to see, hold, and take care of newborn babies.

Your first patient of the day, was an hours-old baby and her mother. It was just a regular check to ensure that both baby and mom were managing well after the birth. The baby, one wrapped in a small white hospital blanket, was laying peacefully in its nursery crib, which really was just a clear sort of thing with a name tag, this one reading, 'Clara.'

"How are we doing in here?" you spoke softly, careful not to alarm the baby.

The mother, a woman with sleek brown hair (who looked far too put together to have just had a child) smiled, looking over at her baby "We're just fine!"

You smiled, looking at the woman's numbers on the various monitors on the back wall, which told you that she had a strong heartbeat and an average blood pressure, and all of the other usual things.

"Do you need anything ma'am?" you asked, jotting her numbers down on her chart.

She shook her head, "I've got water, and my baby, Im all good."

You nodded, walking softly over to Clara, the baby with the bright eyes who was watching you intensely as you checked her heart rate. You smiled down at her, you loved taking care of new babies, it was amazing how many of them just slept soundly after such a eventful time.

You jotted down Clara's number and checked a couple different boxes on her chart, and said goodbye as you worked your way over to the next room to see the next baby.

In this room, there were a man and woman sitting together on the small sofa in the back of the room, a baby cradled in their arms. Both were dressed in regular clothes and had the same tired look in their eyes. "Hello!" you said brightly, grabbing the families chart off of the door, "I've come by to check how your son is doing."

Their chart read that the baby was three days old, and was a part of a set of twins. From what you could tell, the other, a little girl, was in the NICU as she experienced some troubles breathing when she first arrived and has been in there for the past three days.

You tried not to get shifts in the NICU. It was always hard to see the smallest of babies lying in their own boxes with all sorts of tubes sticking out of them. It seemed unfair how something so young could already be subjected to such a great deal of worry and harm.

The woman nodded, standing up with her son tucked close to her chest, "Where would you like him?"

You brought the cart around, pushing it by its wheels "here would be great!"

The woman carefully laid him down, the child still asleep, "I'm just going to check how he's doing now."

You did just so, you used your smaller stethoscope, one designed for the smallest of heartbeats in the smallest of humans. And yes, the small boy's was just as it was supposed to be. You then checked his chest and looked him over for any additional concerns, and gladly, you didn't find any. "He is all heathy," you said, giving the mother the okay to pick up her son.

The father, who had been watching carefully from the side cleared his throat, "If only our other one was as healthy."

"I'm sorry to hear that she's in the nicu," you said, discarding your gloves in the trash, "But I have no doubt that she is going to make a full recovery. We have the best doctors and staff working back there."

The man nodded, "Our little girl is a fighter."

You nodded, and said your goodbyes, letting a breath escape your lips as you left the room, god, it was hard to see people so worried sometimes.

It was hard at first, to see families go through the troubles of having a sick child, especially a newborn, but over the years, you had learnt to bury your feelings so that they wouldn't get in the way of your duties as a nurse, which was difficult in its own nature.

You finished checking all of the babies in the eastern wing of maternity ward, and then it was your time for lunch.

Your lunch, which you had packed early this morning, consisted of, a fruit bar, a turkey sandwich, and a small tin of grapes. You were seated in the lunch room, at your usual table, the one looking out towards the ocean. You could see people surfing below, laughing, and playing in the waves, it reminded you of rooster.

As you finished eating your sandwich, you opened your phone, pausing for a moment to look at your screen saver, a picture of you and rooster at your engagement party.

You were wearing a creme coloured dress and rooster was in a collared shirt, the two of you grinning brightly, his arm around your waist.

Whenever rooster was away, the first couple days were the hardest to adjust to, cooking for one, waking up alone, without the warmth of your husbands kisses each morning, learning to live alone again. Your way to cope was to drown yourself in work, which probably wasn't the healthiest, but there were always things to do at the hospital, and there were always patients to see.

You opened the messages app, and looked over the one rooster had sent you the night before, a sunset picture of the open ocean, a gorgeous view from his aircraft carrier. "Miss you sweetheart," he had said, "I can't wait to see you soon." You couldn't wait either.

All of this reminiscing made you miss him even more, so you finished the last of your fruit bar, had a big glass of water, and returned to work.

You popped in by Amanda's desk to check where you would be working for the rest of the day. "Where am I needed this afternoon?"

Amanda flipped through a chart, "The walk-in clinic could use a few extra hands."

You nodded, "Thanks Amanda," and continued down the hallway to the ambulatory care section, where the walk-in's would be.

You signed in, swiping your ID card, and then figured out where you were needed.

Your first patient was a teen complaining of chest pains, a boy with fluttery brown hair. You took a sample of blood, and then ran an ecg, and then took them back to the lab for the specialists to check over, "We'll get you all sorted out real soon, don't you worry!" you reassured the boy, who had a nervous look in his eyes, "And if you need anything at all, press that button and one of us will be right over."

Your next patient was an older man with a once-white-now-red cloth wrapped tightly around his left hand. He was wearing a pair of coveralls and a black t-shirt, both covered in bits of grass. "What happened here?" you asked, rolling over the general-trauma kit from the corner.

"Well," the man begun shaking his head taking with some sort of southern accent, "I was tending to the back field, and a chunk of tree got stuck in the mower, and I stupidly stuck my hand down there to free it."

You shook your head, laying out the man's hand down beside him on a sterile pad.

"I thought the mower was off, but as soon as I tugged the branch, the blade started up. Luckily I got my hand out of there before it sped up too fast, but my pointer finger's got a nasty gash to it."

You peeled back the bandage to reveal as nasty gash indeed, "Lucky for you it didn't cut too deep into your skin."

He nodded, touching the brim of his hat, "Thank the lord indeed."

You gave him a numbing injection to freeze off his hand, so while you cleaned and stitched up the wound, the man wouldn't feel a thing.

You used sailing to flush the area, and a couple blades of grass out of the wound, and then began your stitches. "My granddaughter saw the whole thing, poor girl," he said, "She won the spelling bee just last week!"

As you stitched up the mans hand, he proceeded to tell you about his seven grandchildren, all of which he cherished very much. His stories made the process go a whole lost faster, and soon enough you were wrapping the list bit go gauze over his finger.

"Thank you very much," the man said, looking at your ID card, "Nurse. Bradshaw."

You bunched up all of the gauze wrapper and put them into the garbage, discarding your gloves in the act, "You are very welcome Mr. Smith. Take care."

You were on your way to the next room over, when one of the other nurses grabbed your attention. "Y/n," she said, "There's been a switch of patients, you next one is in room 5B, just a general refill on their prescription."

You nodded, "Thanks sally," and proceeded down the hallway with your stethoscope in hand.

Room 5B, was one of the nicer patient rooms, one with a door instead of a simple curtain blocking off the noise of the other patients.

There was no chart on the door, so you knocked lightly, and heard a muffled reply of, "come in."

You pulled back the door and looked up from the floor to see a man dressed in a navy uniform. Your eyes darted up from the ground to the man's face, one you had known and loved quite well. Your eyes meeting soundly with his, and in an instant you knew.

"Bradley!" You squealed, running over to your husband who was standing there in his uniform, his arms open for you. You wrapped your arms around his torso, and rooster did the same to you, one of his hands on your back, the other at the back of your head, cradling it close to him.

"I've missed you," he said into your ear, grinning, "So fucking much y/n."

He tightened his grip on you, pulling you up, your legs hitching around his waist, his hands supporting you from below. You had forgotten how good it was to be held by your husband, how intoxicating his scent was, how it filled your nose and flooded your head with the smell of home.

You looked at your husband again, eyes filled with tears, taking in his image. His sandy hair, his brandy eyes, how he looked at you, how his eyes crinkled up as he looked at you.

And then you kissed him. The kiss was slow, and long; the kind of kiss shared by people who haven't seen each other in such a long time. Bradley set you down, your knees weak at the very sight of him standing there in front of you.

Stretching up on the balls of your feet, you kissed your husband once more, his hands coming to rest on the small of your waist, your hands in his hair. The two of you were together, finally together.

When the kiss had ended, you looked to Bradley with teary eyes, "god," you sighed, wiping the tears from your face, "I love you."

Bradley put his arms around you once again, and kissed the top of your hair, "I love you y/n."

The two of you took a moment in the room to be alone with each other, before stepping out into the hallway, where sally and Amanda, and a couple of the other nurses were conveniently waiting.

"Surprise!" sally grinned, looking at you and rooster.

You looked to sally with wide eyes, "You knew about this?!"

Amanda smiled, "We all knew! It was rooster's idea to surprise you here!"

You smiled at your husband, wrapping your arm around his waist, "The best surprise ever."

#rooster #rooster top gun #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x reader #top gun: maverick #top gun maverick #x reader #rooster x fem!reader #request

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succubusphan · 9 months

Text

Two Man Team - Chapter 3

Summary: This is the story of two struggling friends who after many trials and tribulations find their way back to each other and build the life they've always dreamed of.

Or how Phil changed his life by talking to random strangers on the internet.

Rating: E

Tags/warnings: Friends to lovers, Friends with benefits, mental health issues (mainly anxiety), Slow burn, Dan is a psych student. Canon divergence (the timeline is altered and some things never happened), Slutty Phil, Angst with a happy ending. The fic spans many years.

Author's Note: Written for the OSPBB 2023 @oldschoolpbb. Thank you @effingmeteors for being my life saviour and beta as usual and to my artist Lin @anironsidh.

Edits and the art will be added at some point, we are busy bees.

POSTING EVERY DAY UNTIL IT'S COMPLETED.

Total Word Count: 75k ish

Read on Ao3

CHAPTER 3: Chandelier

March 2006

Mother’s Day found Phil back home, giggling as he got ready to record his first Video Vlog. This was just another outlet for his creativity, like any of his other film projects. It didn’t need to be anything special, after all, it was not like millions of people would see it. Just a silly little video, that’s all.

He looked around his room, hoping to find inspiration for his YouTube username and saw Richard’s Christmas gift. He opened the scrapbook and smiled just like the first time he saw all the photos, and when he made it to the end, he knew he’d found it. He needed something with an A to show up first in people’s inbox and Richard had called him amazing. Come to think of it, Dan had once called him Amazing as well, Amazing Phil. And so AmazingPhil was created. He had his fun filming and editing, and when the time came, he hit the upload button before he could overthink it.

After playing a few rounds of Mario Kart with Dan, Phil asked him what he thought about the vlog. Of course, Dan said it was funny and brilliant but he was Phil’s friend, what else was he supposed to say? After some more prying, Dan swore on his life that he loved the video and encouraged him to post more, which Phil appreciated. In turn, Phil encouraged Dan to start his own YouTube channel, especially when he saw that he had gotten his first subscriber already! And 5 comments as well, even one all the way from Australia. It was honestly so fun and a great way to meet new people too.

Dan was hesitant at first, but he promised to think about it. Phil knew that deep down, Dan was still a theatre kid and YouTube could be a great outlet for him. Maybe one day they could post something together.

A video reply notification came up and his train of thought vanished now that a newer and shinier dopamine rush caught his eye.

---

June 2008

So many finals had nearly put Phil 6 feet under, it was all a blur of sleepless nights, studying, revising and going out drinking.

His friendship with Callan deteriorated greatly when he got a rude and noisy girlfriend who would stay over more often than not, disturbing their studying schedule and Phil’s filming time. After one too many arguments, Sarah had seen the situation for what it was and followed Phil when he moved into a new flat with nine other people. It was not an ideal situation but it came as a blessing and helped deepen the bond between him and Sarah, especially after cutting contact with Peter when he took Callan’s side and barely speaking with Jimmy who had decided to stay despite being at odds with both Callan and Peter.

Moving during the last month of the term had been stressful to the point where Phil could barely go a day without crying, but he buried his head in his books with Sarah sitting right at his side and gave it his all.

He felt ready to give up on uni and only kept at it because it was his last term at York. Just a little more and he would be free, right?

Wrong.

Graduation didn’t come as a relief to Phil as he had expected. Every stressful situation, dramatic argument with his roommates, disastrous hookup and his ever undefined situation with Mark piled a mountain of anxiety sitting heavy on his chest.

His mistake was thinking that going home for the summer as a free man was going to solve his every problem, but no. As it turns out, having an infinite amount of time to think about the state of his life, his absolute lack of direction, or love life was not a good thing.

The fact that he felt somehow disconnected from all his childhood friends had not helped matters either. Ian’s family had moved away, but at least he had reached out and invited him to Brighton. Anja had called but she was away on vacation with her family. Richard hadn’t returned for the summer, he’d gone south to his girlfriend’s house and the others had barely shown interest in seeing him.

In a way, his home barely felt like a home anymore. His parents were preparing to move away to the Isle of Man, Martyn was touring Sweden with Cornelia and his friend group had basically vanished into thin air.

After only a week of feeling so anxious that he was unable to eat, or speak to anyone, Phil decided to run back to what he knew and enrolled in a master’s degree. It was just one more year but at least it would probably help him get a job related to what he loved: making videos.

---

October 2008

Phil looked down at his phone and smiled as he sent a winky face to Stephen. He threw himself back on the bed, a wide smile gracing his lips. Every time he chatted with Stephen, Phil couldn’t help the giddy feeling deep in his stomach. He was the first person who truly understood exactly how he felt about making YouTube videos because he had a channel of his own where he posted short films, focusing more on the directorial side of things than Phil did, but they still had their passion project in common.

Biting his lip and feeling the blush creeping into his cheeks, Phil invited Stephen to join him and his other YouTube friend, Charlie, in Manchester. He watched the screen intently until another notification popped up.

“Did you ask him yet?” Charlie asked over text.

“Yes! X_x I’m waiting for a reply. What if he says no?”

“O_o’ Nah, it’s obvious he likes you.”

Stephen finally replied. “Sure! Thursday?”

“Charlie has work. Saturday?” Phil offered. It was silly, but Phil felt a bit insecure about meeting Stephen one on one because he was just so cool, so he wanted to bring Charlie to make it more of a friendly hang out than a date. Well, it had been Charlie’s idea after all, so why not?

“Sick! Let’s film something together some other time,” Stephen said.

“Kool,” Phil replied and switched over to the conversation with Charlie. “Saturday!”

“Told you he would say yes!”

“Thanks for coming with us ^_^ u r the best!” Phil replied and threw his phone on the bed, getting up and starting to pick an outfit for the night. If he rushed maybe he could get ready-

He ran back to his bed as soon as he heard the Skype notification and did a quick fringe check while the call connected. He giggled when the first thing he saw was a very dishevelled Dan being vigorously kissed by an old, long haired mutt.

“Aww, he’s so cute!” Phil said.

Dan laughed and tried to get his dog to settle down. “Stop! Phil is going to think that you are weird!”

“I would never!” Phil said, bringing his hand to his chest in mock offence.

Sammy turned towards Dan’s laptop and barked, letting his tongue hang out the side of his mouth.

“Hellooooo Sammy!” Phil said.

Sammy cocked his head and sat on Dan’s lap, making it so Dan had to lean to the side to be able to see the screen. “Hey, how was the exam?”

“Awful, how else would an exam go?” Phil laughed. “How was your Geo presentation?”

“I think I did pretty well. Nobody else picked Burkina Faso.”

“I can believe that,” Phil smirked. “So how is your school year going so far?”

“I wish I was dead, but other than that, pretty well,” Dan smiled.

“I don’t like it when you joke like that,” Phil frowned.

“Who said I was joking?” Dan let out a humourless laugh. “Anyways, my friend group has disintegrated. Lucy and Tom broke up and now hate each other, Emilio is not talking to me, or anyone for that matter, and Jack told me to fuck off today.”

“Oh… what happened?” This was terrible news for Dan, no matter how much he tried to play it off as something he had expected.

“Well, you know how it is,” he said, absentmindedly petting Sammy as he settled down. “I’m painfully unpopular and they don’t want to get beat up for speaking to me. The inbetweeners can never relax with that. Now that we are no longer a group we are easier targets and since I’m usually the problem, everyone is avoiding me like the plague.”

Phil winced, trying to think of anything he could say to lift Dan’s spirits, but what could he possibly say to make up for the fact that Dan had no friends other than him, again. “Dan, are you sure there isn’t anyone you can talk to about this?”

Dan let out an exasperated sigh. “No, we’ve gone over this so many times. It’s fine, Phil; really. It’s just one more year and I’ll never have to see any of them again.”

“But-” Phil tried.

“I don’t want to talk about it, ok?” Dan snapped, running his fingers through his hair.

“I’m sorry,” Phil mumbled. “I know; I shouldn’t have pushed.”

Dan let out a small sigh. “No, it’s fine. I’m sorry. You are my only friend and the only one I can talk to. I shouldn’t snap at you for trying to help, but just telling you these things helps enough. You know?”

“Yeah, I understand.”

Dan slapped his hands on his thighs, startling Sammy and causing him to leave with a reproachful look on his face. “Sorry, buddy,” He said over his shoulder before locking eyes with Phil again. “Let’s talk about something else. How are things? Are you dating anyone?”

“Nah, not anymore. He-” Phil paused for a second realising he messed up but not wanting to make a big deal out of it. “He cheated on me. Robert was his name. Fuck that guy.”

Dan flashed him a smile. “Yeah, fuck that guy. Are you ok though?”

“Yeah,” Phil sighed, feeling encouraged at seeing Dan smile again. “I’ll admit I cried and all my new roommates helped me set everything he gave me on fire, even the plushie.”

“Noooo, poor plushie!” Dan laughed and let himself fall to the side dramatically.

Phil laughed, relaxing a bit more since Dan hadn’t reacted badly. “Sorry, he had to go. Oh, Also, last year I had a crush on a coworker and I thought he wanted to make out in the basement, but he just wanted me to help him steal chocolates for his girlfriend.”

Dan laughed even harder at that, letting himself fall sideways and kicking his feet in the air. “Stop!”

After watching Dan laugh for way too long, Phil decided to deliver the final blow. “I ended up quitting that job because an old lady threw a chocolate orange at my head,” he said in a monotone voice, eagerly waiting for Dan’s reaction.

“AAAaaaah, I’m going to barf,” he said, clutching at his stomach with tears running down his cheeks. “I can’t even.”

Phil smiled and enjoyed watching his friend laugh at his misery. “Hey, Dan?”

Dan wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and cleared his throat. “Yeah?”

Phil bit his lip for a moment and decided that it was ok to ask. It was Dan after all. “You don’t care that I’m gay, right?”

“Well your MySpace says bisexual so I assumed you liked guys anyway.” Dan shrugged but offered a tiny smile. “So are you gay gay then?”

“Yeah, never liked a boob in my life,” Phil said.

Dan snorted. “Boobs are nice sometimes.”

“For some people,” Phil conceded. “Not for me though.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Dan nodded. “I don’t mind. You are my best friend - and you’re fucking fit. If anything, it’s a plus.”

Dan was so casual about it, adding a little wink in the end, but his blush let Phil know that he was a bit embarrassed to have said that. Dan was 17 anyway and in a vulnerable position, so Phil didn’t entertain the comment other than to avoid his friend the embarrassment. “I would say I’m severely unfit but thanks,” he laughed.

Someone knocked on Phil’s door. “Yeah?” He asked.

“Hey, are you coming to the party? Mark’s here,” Sarah said without opening the door.

“Oh, yeah. You go, I just need to change and we’ll catch up in a bit.”

Dan’s face fell at that. “Oh, you have to leave already?”

“Not right now,” Phil shook his head. “We can still talk for a bit.”

“So you’re still with Mark,” Dan said. It didn’t sound like a question. “I remember you mentioning him a while back. He was at your birthday party.”

Phil frowned, he had never mentioned being with Mark for obvious reasons. He was also taken aback by Dan’s icy tone. “I’m not with Mark. He’s my friend.”

“Right,” Dan mumbled.

There was another knock on the door, but this time it opened slightly and Mark’s head peaked in. “Are you decent?”

“Haven’t been for a while,” Phil smiled. “I’m skyping with Dan.”

“Oh,” Mark said and invited himself over. He sat on the bed at Phil’s side and pulled his knees up to his chest. “Hi, Dan! Cool hair! When are you joining us?”

“Thanks,” Dan smiled, absentmindedly fixing his fringe.

Phil swatted Mark’s arm. “Leave him be, he’s in school. He will have time to party when he goes to uni.”

“So… next year?” Mark asked.

“I’m taking a gap year… but I could come to visit - if you want,” Dan said, looking a bit guarded but at least not snapping at Mark.

Phil raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Yeah, if you want…” Dan mumbled.

Phil almost slapped himself for making Dan doubt he would be welcome. “Of course! Do you know where you want to go yet?”

Dan shrugged. “Maybe Manchester… or York.”

“York is ace,” Phil said and both Mark and Dan laughed at him.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Dan. If you ever want to visit, we’ll take you out and about to some parties - unless you want to stay home, which would be fine. No pressure,” Mark said.

Phil smiled but looked into Mark’s eyes giving him a silent warning. “Why don’t you go make us some drinks while I get changed and chat with Dan.”

“Ok, don’t take an hour or I’ll fall asleep on the couch.”

“Old man,” Phil laughed. “Alright,” he said and waited until Mark had walked out to continue, but before he could say anything Dan broke the silence.

“Are you sure you’re not dating?” He pressed, sounding small.

“Yes, Dan,” Phil said, not understanding why Dan was so set on the topic and, quite honestly, starting to get a bit annoyed. “Mark doesn’t do dating. He likes to be free.”

Dan’s eyebrows disappeared under his fringe. “And you’re ok with that?”

“Yeah, of course,” Phil said with a shrug. “He can do whatever he wants. What made you think that we were together like that?”

“The way you speak about him and just now, he looked at you like… I don’t know,” Dan said, frowning. “He likes you.”

Phil shook his head. “Mark likes everyone - and that’s ok.”

“Would you date him if he wanted a relationship?” Dan insisted.

Phil paused, really considering it for a moment. “No, I don’t think I would. I know that he is happy fooling around and I wouldn’t want to ruin his fun. I’m sure I’ll meet someone who wants to actually be in a relationship and hopefully not cheat on me.”

“You deserve that, to be happy,” Dan said.

“Dan, you deserve that too. I know you don’t think you do but I promise that it’s true. Ok?”

Dan ventured a small smile, even if a little unsure. “Ok.” His cell phone pinged and he grabbed it, reading a text, his face falling again.

“Everything ok?” Phil asked.

“Yeah, just my - my girlfriend. I better leave you to it and head out too.”

“Say hi to her from me,” Phil tried but the light in Dan’s eyes was gone.

“Yeah, I will. I’ll text you tomorrow.”

“Do that,” Phil said. “See ya.”

“Yeah, bye,” Dan said and disconnected the call immediately.

Phil was glad that they had been able to catch up after so long but he had the nagging feeling that something else was going on in Dan’s life, something that he was not willing to talk about. Given that Dan didn’t appreciate him asking too many questions, he decided to let his friend tell him on his own terms.

He put on a pair of probably clean black skinny jeans, a black MCR T-shirt and two belts before heading out in search of Mark. The flat was fairly quiet except for Sarah’s room and the singing coming from the kitchen. Phil smiled and wrapped his arms around Mark, hugging him from behind. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Mark looked over his shoulder only long enough to peck Phil’s lips. “Malibu and coke?”

“Sure,” Phil said, stepping back and grabbing the drink Mark was already handing him. “Why did you invite Dan over?”

“I don’t know. He seemed sad. What better for an 18 year old to have friends in uni that can take him to bars?”

“He’s 17 and I don’t think he is ready for bars around here.”

“Of course he is. You just need to keep an eye on him, remind him not to put his drink down and make sure he doesn’t leave with anyone. Or do you think he would rebel against that and leave with someone?”

“No, I don’t think he would, but still. I think he is too young to hang out in the places we do. What if someone offers him drugs or - I don’t know,” Phil said, feeling unsure. “Maybe if we keep an eye on him.”

Mark’s smile dimmed when he realised that Phil was truly worried about Dan. “We can just hang out at mine with people we trust, but he needs more friends.”

“Yeah, he does,” Phil said and took a long sip of Malibu.

Mark nodded and pressed shuffle on his iPod. “Maybe you should introduce him to Charlie and Stephen.”

Phil nodded. “Yeah, maybe next year.” Perhaps introducing Dan to his YouTube friends would be a good idea. Who knows, maybe by then he and Stephen would have moved beyond the occasional drunk kiss. He tried not to let his mind linger on those memories, he reserved those for his alone time.

---

Summer 2009

Being free from uni was the best. Phil could finally go out with his friends and fool around with some cute guys in York. Having graduated both from his BA and his masters, he didn’t have much of an excuse to stay in the city for long and his parents asked him to come home since he didn’t have a job that could fully support him as Martyn did.

That was not the only change in his life. Stephen and him were getting quite close and Phil finally admitted to himself that he was developing feelings for his friend, it was not just a crush.

He didn’t want to get too attached yet so he still went out to bars and slept around as much as he could when he visited Mark in York but he still couldn’t get Stephen out of his head. In a moment of weakness, he confessed his feelings for Stephen to Charlie who was incredibly supportive even if he did tease Phil about it and promised to speak to Stephen, maybe figure out if he felt the same way about Phil.

Mentally, he didn’t feel as isolated as the previous year but he wasn’t doing super well. Ian and Anja had visited but everyone else had basically moved on. Sometimes he just yearned for what no longer was a part of his life and he couldn’t help but take the fact that everyone had just abandoned him personally. His mum had said that it was normal to lose touch with those who no longer share a space with us, that it was a part of life, but Phil simply didn’t agree. He had never intended to basically lose all his childhood friends. Thankfully, there was one person who had stuck at his side through the years, and he didn’t even live nearby. Phil felt like with Dan being an adult, maybe there wasn’t a reason they couldn’t meet anymore. Even their parents knew about their friendship.

On October 16 Dan finally found the confidence to post his very first video, which was amazing and got quite a bit of views, especially after Phil gave him a shout out. It made Phil smile that Dan said he was encouraged to post by “friends,” it was his way of mentioning him without actually naming him. He was so freaking proud of Dan and he made sure to mention it in yet another of their 5 hour long Skype calls.

That day, they talked and laughed until their stomach hurt and tears were streaming down their cheeks. Phil invited Dan over, and even though they had both mentioned the possibility before, this time it actually felt real. After some research, they decided that October 19 would be the perfect date for a meet-up. Dan would be visiting Manchester to check out the uni he wanted to attend and they could go back to Phil’s since his parents were in Florida for their annual retiree trip.

Phil lay down on his bed, listening to Dan’s long rant about a movie he’d seen. The next time Phil opened his eyes, it was already the following morning. He smiled when he realised he had fallen asleep while on the call. His computer was dead but he shot Dan a good morning text and got up to clean his very messy room. He needed to make the entire house look decent for his guest. Sure, his mum had left it in pristine condition but he’d been a bit of a slob when left to his own devices.

He spent the next 2 days putting things in random places because he had overthought everything so much that he didn’t even know what would look normal and what wouldn’t anymore. In the end, he let out a long sigh and reminded himself that Dan had been his friend for years and he knew who Phil was already. The chances of him thinking Phil was too weird by the look of his house were very slim.

He looked at the time and ran out of the house, barely remembering to lock the door before rushing towards the bus stop. In the end, everything worked out and when Phil saw his tall and lanky friend towering over everyone else in Piccadilly, he knew that everything had been worth it.

Dan did a little trot towards him and surprised him by wrapping his arms around him, pulling him into a warm hug, tighter than any other hug Phil had ever received, and that made him smile and return the gesture.

“Hey! How was the trip?” Phil asked, reluctantly breaking the hug.

“Nice. There was a weird guy staring at me so I switched seats, but other than that it was good. Well worth the 19 pounds.”

“I’m glad!” Phil said. “Wanna head to the Apple Store?”

“Isn’t that where you took Charlie and Stephen?” Dan asked, referencing the pictures they had posted to Twitter.

“Yeah,” Phil said, frowning. Was that bad for some reason?

“Are you flirting with me?” Dan asked with a wink. “Is that where you take all of your guys?”

Phil let out a shocked laugh, feeling the blush creeping up his cheeks and hoping that Dan wouldn’t think he was a creep. “Shut up. We can go to Starbucks instead if you want.”

“Apple Store first, Starbucks later. I wouldn’t want you to attack me because of your caffeine addiction.”

“Hey! I have it under control!”

“Of course you do, Lester,” Dan smiled, rolling his eyes.

They ran a bit wild all over the city, taking pictures and laughing, getting looks from old people who scoffed at them. The last stop before the bus was the big wheel. Phil stepped into the carriage, guiding Dan in with a wide smile, he was just excited to be able to show Dan all his favourite places and to see things through the eyes of someone who was experiencing them for the first time.

It was a great day, an amazing day even, but it was also a bit confusing and shocking.

Phil had always taken Dan’s flirting as a bluff, he’d figured Dan was all bark and no bite, but when Dan called his name and pressed their lips together softly, gently - even expertly - it caught Phil off guard. The kiss made his skin tingle from the tip of his toes to the last hair on his head in a way that he had never experienced before and he found himself responding, losing himself in the feeling, and then - it was over. Dan flashed him a smile without even saying a word and looked out the carriage.

Bracing himself on the rail, Phil let out a small breath and put his hand to his chest. What it meant - he didn’t know; he would let Dan decide that.

If Dan didn’t want to talk about it then that was that. Phil was willing to let it go.

---

Phil led Dan into his family home and showed him around, giggling at Dan’s commentary about how haunted it looked even though his parents had been the ones to build it. There were no Victorian ghosts attached to the house because it was simply impossible. Dan still rejected this information which made Phil laugh. Then, an idea popped into his head. “We should film a video together for my channel.”

Dan stopped mid hallway and turned around. “Really? You would put me on your channel?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” Phil frowned at the sudden way Dan’s face had fallen, but in a flash, his expression morphed into a bright smile again.

“Alright then, lead the way.”

Phil grabbed Dan’s hand and dragged him into his bedroom, suddenly feeling a bit shy about the bright green carpet and walls his 10 year old self had chosen. “This is my bedroom,” he said, stupidly.

“The famous AmazingPhil bedroom,” Dan said. “Bet you brought many guys up here.”

“Dan, I live with my parents,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Well, I don’t know, maybe you like to be heard.” Dan had the gall to wiggle his eyebrows at him.

“Ew, no,” Phil said and placed his hands on Dan’s shoulders, making him sit on the bed.

Phil brought his laptop and sat beside Dan, thinking for a moment. Maybe some audience participation could help. He decided to tweet, asking people to send some questions in, and as per usual, his viewers were being weird about it.

Dan took pen and paper and, instead of choosing the safest options, he wrote down the most unhinged topics and challenges in his indecipherable handwriting. They took turns reading the questions out loud and let their creative juices flow freely which worked a million times better than Phil would’ve hoped. Filming together turned out to be super fun, so even though it took a long time, they continued until they ran out of material.

Phil was just saying a few closing words for the video when Dan said “This was the most fun I’ve ever had” and tackled him, nearly pushing him into the wardrobe that stood behind them and effectively knocking the wind out of him, especially when Dan pinned him to the ground with a wide smirk.

Phil felt like he was falling, physically, but he was already on the ground so there was nowhere else to go. Dan hovered over him and for a moment it looked like he was slowly leaning down to kiss Phil again, but when Dan’s phone vibrated in his pocket he sat up and rushed to check his notifications, his face falling as soon as he did.

“Everything ok?” Phil asked.

“Yeah,” Dan mumbled, looking up from his phone. “I’m tired. Can we get to bed?” His voice sounded so flat, almost sad.

“Sure, you can sleep here and I’ll take Martyn’s -”

Dan shook his head. “Can you stay with me? I don’t want to be alone tonight…” He reached for his duffle bag and pulled a hoodie out, shivering a bit before slipping it on.

“I…” Phil hesitated. What was Dan asking for exactly?

“I just need a hug. I don’t want to have nightmares, that’s all.” Dan pulled at his sleeves until they showed only the tip of his fingers.

Phil nodded and cleared his throat. “Of course!”

Ten minutes later they lay in bed, Phil flat on his back with Dan laying on his side, pressed tightly to his frame, his head resting on Phil’s shoulder and one leg thrown over his as well. It didn’t take long for Dan to drift off to sleep, but Phil lay there in the dark, reliving every moment of their day, their meeting, the Apple Store, Starbucks, The Wheel - the kiss. Then his mind went to Dan’s giggles while they filmed the video, the tackle and almost second kiss - and whatever Dan saw on his phone that upset him.

Dan’s phone vibrated on the bedside table and Phil couldn’t resist the urge. He reached for it and just turned on the screen to see the notification. It was a text from “Em.” That was probably his cousin Emily, the one Dan didn’t really like, the rude one with a moustache. They were probably arguing again. He set the phone down and finally let sleep claim him.

The following day, they woke up pretty late and they decided to stay in and do a movie marathon, which was super fun. At first, Dan didn’t seem to be mentally present and, for a moment, Phil was scared that things would be weird between them because of the kiss, or maybe he had done something wrong, but Dan assured him that he was fine, just a bit distracted.

He briefly wondered if the call Dan had received the previous night had anything to do with his sudden mood change. Thankfully it didn’t last long. After the first movie, they got a fuzzy blanket, ordered pizza and cuddled up on the sofa, and Phil was happy to feel Dan relaxing into his arms and chatting loads, as usual.

By the end of the day, they had caught up with all the movie releases they'd missed, finished the pizza and decided to settle down and edit what they had filmed. Phil had taken the time to show Dan some things he’d learned at uni, given him some ‘editing tips’ as Dan had called them, as they laughed and played around with things.

Overall, it had been a fun weekend and Phil knew he would never forget it.

---

October 25th 2009

Phil was excited to finally post his first video with Dan, ‘Phil is not on fire,’ a sort of remix of odd questions and jokes turned into something that he was very proud of. To their surprise, they received 100 views quite fast, a number they hadn’t been able to achieve on their own at that moment so they didn’t know what to think.

People interacted with Phil’s channel a lot more than before but it could be a one time thing, some sort of glitch on the platform. For the time being, he celebrated the success with a six hour Skype call with Dan and some well deserved Mario Kart.

Dan visited again on the 30th for a late birthday celebration since Mark had promised to take him out to the pubs but hadn’t been available before. Phil was a bit hesitant about how Dan and Mark would get along, because of the age difference and how much Dan questioned Phil about him. In a way, Phil assumed Dan felt a bit insecure being around older people, but luckily, they had gotten on immediately. By the end of the night, they were all moderately drunk and back at Mark’s, playing a very controversial game of Monopoly and eating hotdogs until like 6 am.

Overall it was a good night, even if Phil couldn’t really relax because he felt so protective of Dan at the pub, keeping an eye on any guy who approached him and even monitoring his interactions with Mark.

Phil knew that Mark flirted with everyone and was not interested in people of Dan’s age but - he just didn’t want anyone hurting his friend. Dan had had enough with his recent breakup and he didn’t need any more drama.

Maybe Phil was just jealous of Dan. Honestly, it was hard for Phil to know where he stood with Mark sometimes. He wasn’t in love with him but Mark still held a place in his heart, as more than a friend. It was complicated - too complicated. Every time Phil tried to untangle his feelings about their situation he got a headache and gave up.

That was partially why he had started to focus more on his feelings for Stephen. There seemed to be something there, a potential relationship, definitely more than what Mark was willing to give him. Phil smiled thinking that maybe he could ask Stephen to be his boyfriend at the gathering. A soft snore coming from Dan, who was sleeping next to him, pulled him from his thoughts and made him giggle. He pressed a kiss to Dan’s forehead and shut his eyes.

He woke up well into the morning with a pounding headache, and his mood, as well as his plans, only continued to sour. It was the 31st and he and Dan were due to take the train back to London together to make it to the Halloween gathering with a few hours to spare, but things had gotten complicated early in the morning. Stephen and Charlie were supposed to join them around 10 am but they hadn't and when Mark had texted them, they had simply not replied.

Mark told them to just go without Stephen and Charlie and apologised for not coming along, but he had to work. He left Phil the spare set of keys and asked them to send pictures later.

Phil nodded and texted them again, trying to figure out what was going on but Charlie sent a vague text saying they couldn’t make it, which was fine… until Phil opened Twitter and saw a picture of them making out Charlie had shared.

His stomach dropped and, for a moment, he thought he was going to cry over Stephen, over Charlie’s betrayal… but he couldn’t. His feelings were contained deep inside him, behind some sort of invisible wall. At the same time, he felt as if there was this sort of darkness surrounding him, was it sadness? Or maybe he was going to faint again. That was getting frequent.

“Phil?” Dan said, sounding almost underwater. “Phil!”

Phil opened his eyes and realised he was on the floor. “Did I faint?”

“I think so. Are you alright? Do you want to go to A&E?”

“No, it’s fine. It happens sometimes,” he said flatly.

“Are you sure?” Dan asked. “You look way too pale.”

Phil let out a noncommittal hum and sat up against the couch. “Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

Dan frowned. “Don’t do that, don’t shut me out. What’s going on?”

“Charlie posted a picture kissing Stephen,” Phil said, looking up at Dan, trying not to cry. “I told Charlie that I like Stephen and he promised to help me with him, but now they are dating. That’s why they cancelled on us.”

“Fuck,” said Dan. “Charlie is a piece of shit. I never liked him anyway, he sounds like a dick.”

Phil wanted to disagree but he knew Dan was right. He was almost sure that Charlie had done it on purpose to hurt him. He was always competing with Phil for one thing or another. Stephen was just today’s prize to him.

“Hey, do you still want to go out?” Dan asked. “We can stay if you want.”

“No, let’s just order pizza and stay in,” Phil admitted. “Please,” he said, his voice shaking a bit as he tried to stay calm.

“Yeah, sure,” Dan nodded. “Do you want me to call Mark?”

Phil shook his head. He didn’t want to see or speak to anyone - just Dan. “Do you want to play Mario Kart?”

“Always. You sit here, I’ll handle the pizza and set everything.”

Phil looked into Dan’s worried eyes and finally attempted a small smile. “Thank you, Dan. You’re a good friend.”

Dan flashed him a smile and went about getting everything sorted. It was crazy that they had met on a random Yahoo chat room nearly 4 years ago and become internet friends and now real friends. Sometimes it was as if Dan was the only person who truly understood him.

Two hours later, feeling a lot better and no longer hangry, he decided that enough was enough. He wasn’t going to let his shit friends ruin their night. It was up to him to keep his promise and introduce Dan to the other youtubers, actually nice ones.

“You know what?” Phil said. “Let’s go to the gathering anyway, we don’t need anyone else. Get the costumes from the closet, I’ll try to find the makeup, we can make it to the next train.”

“Deal!” Dan said.

In the end, Phil was glad to have changed his mind. They had a lot of fun dressed as a cat and a bear, meeting other youtubers, and taking silly pictures that Phil held very dear. That night, like many others, Dan had been the one to make everything right, to make him feel safe and included. In his eyes, there was nothing Dan couldn’t make right.

#phanfic #phanfiction #phan #succubusphan fics #dan and phil #phan au #ospbb 2023

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wraithcxre · 9 months

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at this point in time, i once again allow myself to feel and love.

looking back, the universe had cradled me in its arms of space and time without the past, unascended me knowing.

i love the world because i love that one random atenean who gave me her 3 day pass to conquest just so i can hang out with my friends. despite my offers to compensate, she declined just because. i love remember hans who gave me his m&g so i can see hakao. i love because daniel has always seen my brain rot and meme'd the fuck out of my stupid shenanigans. a distant yet long term friend for years, i knew that he was game for anything risky, fun and borderline illegal. i remember the time we door bell pranked other houses within tondo for the hell of it. also because he smuggled smirnoff and watched autotelic live with me and other friends we've met as well. because sigrid blessed me with her amazing dj set and through music, i made a friend.

mani and hannah and sab and shiva was love when they reminded me of my worth. that boys aint shit. that womanhood doesnt have to feel like a chore, and that being a lady is a blessing. they reminded me of what i was and what standards should be. kiel reminded me i belonged when i was invited for a second time to knkland, and i get to meet so many amazing people like nica, jd and etc

love is abundant because through ej, i met new friends as well. these friends turned into late night sessions in discord complaining about coursework and planning spontaneous after class detours, like little trips to tomas morato. i would eventually come to see tagaytay with these people, trying out rides i alone would never do. anchor's away was hell but it wasnt when ej told me to inhale and exhale upon descent, and when kyle shouted about how he hates sir harold. i came to enjoy the bumpy ass ride of life with these people, the people i shared grab fees with. the people i had treasured conversations with as we went home. erika and danne always were spot on with their motherly advices and gayish quips about life, and i would always appreciate cleo stealing my phone just to fill it with wack-ass videos about them knocking on it. sitting through 9 hours of college was easy when i get to navigate it with people like alessandro and kyla, whom i shared a newfound love of 3D with. i always looked forward to the tusok tusok ventures and how kyle would always treat me street food, even when he didnt need to. fibel was there for every spontaneous paresan adventures . i would never forget the time he and hannah handled me like i was chinese porcelain during a frenzied breakdown at a place where i couldn't hold myself together. these people have seen slivers of the real me and looked at me straight in the eye anyway despite my qualms to push them away. being loved while juggling the mortifying ordeal of being known is a terrifying feeling, but i felt safe because of these people.

love is when you have people to cook with. ej taught me that care came in the form of a microwavable container filled with a generous amount of food - food that my mother would come to love. that you can share the kitchen as a sous-chef and that you would be cooked for, too - like how you used to cook for others. that there are many ways to cut an onion and that you'd end up crying as you peel the layers (of people?) everytime. it was a lesson in aromatics.

kei, my friend for more than a decade, reminded me of this when she brought me food despite the fact that it was raining. percy, who made sure i ate before i took my medicine the time i had a burning hot migraine fever because of how stressful finals week was.

i knew i was loved when despite the nosy banter from friendship, i had someone to cram requirements with. that i dont have to go through finals week alone. that a treat of strawberry drink from kyle and jeff meant that theyre giving you energy to get through it, through a warm cup. francine, the ever so strict blockmate of mine loved me when she helped me manage our production team, because she knew i had too much on my plate to manage and handle. even if she was sometimes a bitch about it.

i love the world because of precious experiences. tamiel, with her chatty nature, was loved by me because she always made sure to invite me wherever she goes - may it be ukay, a spontaneous trip for ramen, the tattoo shop id eventually come to work for and the stories we tell each other had no end. she'd tell me otherworldy stories about her OCs and i knew despite the harsh exterior she usually projects, she's a softhearted child at heart. kuya, who trusted my vision and talent, gave me love when he offered to do my tattoos for free, in exchange for my work. dell and i watched barbenheimer together in matching themed outfits. it was a refreshing break. dell also witnessed the time when the UP prof gave me fish for free, then we visited UPCM afterwards. a dream, fulfilled. i had always dreamed of playing UP's pianos and i had done it. gan and i shared a lighter after we departed the jeep, after coincidentally riding the same one. gan, ej and angelo and percy and i formed a band after we found out our shared love for music and it has been one of the highlights of my college life so far. i looked forward to the jamming sessions every tuesday and saturday, and imagine my excitement when i found out there's a nearby studio :D

i felt like a game character in persona 5 who had multiple waypoints along kamuning. i had a newfound love for persona 5 after andres lent me his copy. he also was the one who taught me how to mix and record in fls. i wont forget the time i also was given fish supplies for free by that one stoner dude from reddit and i was also accompanied as i shopped for my fish. aquascaping as a hobby introduced me to newfound connections and people who liked the same things as me and it was nice. if i could talk to my betta and told him these, i hope he is happy n proud i am making friends bc of him. i still havent named the others yet, but i do know that he is blade - because he's colored like that one character from star rail.

i know that love can extend so much more from this. and so ill keep my head, heart, arms and palms open - walls broken as i move to accept what has always been rightfully deserved - love. it nestles in every leaf and every whisper of the wind, and it exists even in waters and fishes. it exists in animals and people and lives ,

and if life is not about love, then what is it supposed to be for?

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autolovecraft · 10 months

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The thing must have happened at about three-thirty in the afternoon.

He had not forgotten the criticism aroused when Hannah Bixby's relatives, wishing to transport her body to the cemetery in the city whither they had moved, found the casket of Judge Capwell beneath her headstone. Fortunately the village was small and the death rate low, so that the coffins beneath him rocked and creaked. Birch, and I don't blame you for giving him a cast-aside coffin! He cried aloud once, and a little later gave a gasp that was more terrible than a cry. Clutching the edges of the aperture. Tired and perspiring despite many rests, he descended to the floor and sat a while on the bottom box to gather strength for the final wriggle and leap to the ground outside. He always remained lame, for the great tendons had been severed; but I think the greatest lameness was in his soul. Several of the coffins began to split under the stress of handling, and he vaguely wished it would stop.

He was a bachelor, wholly without relatives. Birch to insist at all times that his wounds were caused entirely by loose nails and splintering wood.

As his hammer blows began to fall, the horse outside whinnied in a tone which may have been mocking. He could not walk, it appeared, and the degree of dignity to be maintained in posing and adapting the unseen members of lifeless tenants to containers not always calculated with sublimest accuracy. The afflicted man was fully conscious, but would say nothing of any consequence; merely muttering such things as Oh, my ankles! Better still, though, he would utilize only two boxes of the base to support the superstructure, leaving one free to be piled on top in case the actual feat of escape required an even greater altitude.

Another might not have relished the damp, odorous chamber with the eight carelessly placed coffins; but Birch in those days was insensitive, and was concerned only in getting the right coffin for the right grave. In either case it would have been appropriate; for the unexpected tenacity of the easy-looking brickwork was surely a sardonic commentary on the vanity of mortal hopes, and the emerging moon must have witnessed a horrible sight as he dragged his bleeding ankles toward the cemetery lodge; his fingers clawing the black mold in brainless haste, and his aching arms rested by a pause during which he sat on the bottom box to gather strength for the final wriggle and leap to the ground outside. It is doubtful whether he was touched at all by the horror and exquisite weirdness of his position, but the bald fact of imprisonment so far from the daily paths of men was enough to exasperate him thoroughly. I've seen sights before, but there was one thing too much here. His questioning grew more than medically tense, and his body responding with that maddening slowness from which one suffers when chased by the phantoms of nightmare. Horrible pains, as of savage wounds, shot through his calves; and in his mind was a vortex of fright mixed with an unquenchable materialism that suggested splinters, loose nails, or some other attribute of a breaking wooden box. Just where to begin Birch's story I can hardly decide, since I am no practiced teller of tales. In time the hole grew so large that he ventured to try his body in it now and then, shifting about so that the coffins beneath him rocked and creaked. His questioning grew more than medically tense, and his hands shook as he dressed the mangled members; binding them as if he wished to get the wounds out of sight as quickly as possible. In time the hole grew so large that he ventured to try his body in it now and then, shifting about so that the coffins beneath him rocked and creaked. Just where to begin Birch's story I can hardly decide, since I am no practiced teller of tales. But it would be well to say as little as could be said, and to let no other doctor treat the wounds. Birch had felt no compunction in assigning the carelessly made coffin which he now pushed out of the enlarged transom; but gathered his energies for a determined try.

His questioning grew more than medically tense, and his hands shook as he dressed the mangled members; binding them as if he wished to get the wounds out of sight as quickly as possible. Several of the coffins began to split under the stress of handling, and he vaguely wished it would stop.

Finally he decided to lay a base of three parallel with the wall, to place upon this two layers of two each, and upon these a single box to serve as the platform. The body was pretty badly gone, but if ever I saw vindictiveness on any face—or former face. Another might not have relished the damp, odorous chamber with the eight carelessly placed coffins; but Birch in those days was insensitive, and professionally undesirable; yet I still think he was not perfectly sober, he subsequently admitted; though he had not then taken to the wholesale drinking by which he later tried to forget certain things. The afflicted man was fully conscious, but would say nothing of any consequence; merely muttering such things as Oh, my ankles! But it would be well to say as little as could be said, and to use it when Asaph Sawyer died of a malignant fever. In this twilight too, he began to realize the truth and to shout loudly as if his horse outside could do more than neigh an unsympathetic reply.

His questioning grew more than medically tense, and his body responding with that maddening slowness from which one suffers when chased by the phantoms of nightmare. It was Asaph's coffin, Birch, just as I thought! Great heavens, Birch, but you knew what a little man old Fenner was. I'll never get the picture out of my head as long as I live.

And so the prisoner toiled in the twilight, heaving the unresponsive remnants of mortality with little ceremony as his miniature Tower of Babel rose course by course. The afflicted man was fully conscious, but would say nothing of any consequence; merely muttering such things as Oh, my ankles! The vault had been dug from a hillside, so that the narrow ventilation funnel in the top ran through several feet of earth, making this direction utterly useless to consider. Instinct guided him in his wriggle through the transom, and in the crawl which followed his jarring thud on the damp ground. Being without superstition, he did not get Asaph Sawyer's coffin by mistake, although it was very similar. His frightened horse had gone home, but his frightened wits never quite did that. His thinking processes, once so phlegmatic and logical, had become ineffaceably scarred; and it was pitiful to note his response to certain chance allusions such as Friday, Tomb, Coffin, and words of less obvious concatenation. He cried aloud once, and a little later gave a gasp that was more terrible than a cry. Birch had locked himself for nine hours in the receiving tomb of Peck Valley Cemetery, escaping only by crude and disastrous mechanical means; but while this much was undoubtedly true, there were other and blacker things which the man used to whisper to me in his drunken delirium toward the last. Tired and perspiring despite many rests, he descended to the floor and sat a while on the bottom box to gather strength for the final wriggle and leap to the ground outside. Birch decided that he would begin the next day with little old Matthew Fenner, whose grave was also near by; but actually postponed the matter for three days, not getting to work till Good Friday, the 15th.

It must have been midnight at least when Birch decided he could get through the transom, and in the crawl which followed his jarring thud on the damp ground. It was just as he had recognized old Matt's coffin that the door slammed to in the wind, leaving him in a dusk even deeper than before. He cried aloud once, and a little later gave a gasp that was more terrible than a cry. He was a bachelor, wholly without relatives. Most distinctly Birch was lax, insensitive, and was concerned only in getting the right coffin for the platform; for no sooner was his full bulk again upon it than the rotting lid gave way, jouncing him two feet down on a surface which even he did not care to imagine. He changed his business in 1881, yet never discussed the case when he could avoid it. Perhaps he screamed. Why did you do it, Birch? He was a scoundrel, and I don't blame you for giving him a cast-aside coffin, but you knew what a little man old Fenner was. It was Asaph's coffin, Birch, and I believe his eye-for-an-eye fury could beat old Father Death himself. Well enough to skimp on the thing some way, but you got what you deserved.

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