#if he starts rapping at any point in the series

[kayakischaotic]

in the PJO tv series I’m gonna be on Luke’s side. imagine having Lin Manuel Miranda as your dad?? I understand working with the titans

#pjo #luke castellan #pjo series #lin manuel miranda #this is a joke I swear #if he starts rapping at any point in the series #i wouldnt be surprised #just disappointed #also #I know this is super uncreative #but it is the TRUTH

[asbealthgn]

(part one here)

Steve drives over the Munson trailer first thing in the morning after spending the night at Robin’s. He feels a little bad since he knows that Eddie doesn’t like getting up early, but Steve’s pretty desperate to talk to him. Now that he knows he has feelings for Eddie, he doesn’t want to waste a second.

Wayne’s truck is parked outside the trailer, meaning he’s home from work, but he’s probably in bed by now. All the same, Steve goes around to Eddie’s window instead of the door. He kicks a crate over to stand on to reach the glass and raps his knuckles against it. After maybe thirty seconds, Steve hears motion inside and sees Eddie appear at the window. Steve can’t quite figure out what his expression is—some mix of apprehension and embarrassment and hope.

Eddie slides open the window. “What do you want, Harrington?” he asks. 

“Can we talk?” Steve asks. Eddie stares back at him for a long moment.

“What about?”

Steve curls his hand around the window sill. “C’mon, you know what about.”

Eddie is silent for a long moment before shaking his head. “Can we just forget it ever happened?” he asks, “Pretend you never heard anything?”

“Eds, please,” Steve says, ready to start begging. “Will you just let me in? Or come out here so we can talk?”

He’s afraid Eddie’s going to shut the window. The way he’s eyeing it is definitely concerning, so Steve puts his other hand on the window sill as a deterrent. Eddie looks down at his hands and then sighs. 

“Meet me out front on the couch,” he says. He backs away from the window and disappears to where Steve can’t see him. This is progress though. 

Steve makes his way back around the trailer. He skips up the porch steps and settles in on the couch. A few seconds later, Eddie emerges wearing a hoodie, his hands inside his sleeves and arms crossed. It’s a little cold out here, but not freezing. Steve thinks it’s more a defense mechanism than a response to the temperature. Eddie sits down on the couch, leaving a couple feet between them. 

“Eddie—” Steve starts.

“Listen, I’m really sorry,” Eddie says, squeezing his arms tighter around himself. “I didn’t mean for you to hear that.”

“It’s okay, I—”

“I get it if you don’t want to be friends anymore, seriously,” Eddie says, “I know I made things weird—”

“—no, Eddie—”

“—but I do really want to be friends with you,” Eddie says, plowing over Steve. “Our friendship means so much to me, and I don’t want to do anything to fuck it up.”

“Eddie—”

“So please, please just pretend like I never said anything. I can get over it, I can—”

“—Eddie, will you please—”

“—I get that you’re straight, I know nothing will happen between us, I don’t want to ruin—”

Clearly this approach is not working. If Eddie isn’t going to let Steve get a word in edgewise then he’ll just have to resort to more drastic measures. And maybe this is really stupid, but it’s honestly the only thing Steve can think of to shut him up and get his point across at the same time.

He grabs Eddie’s face in both hands and kisses him.

If Steve still had any doubts about his feelings for Eddie, then this puts them to rest. He feels warmth spread out from his belly through the rest of his body. God, he likes kissing Eddie. It takes a few seconds for his brain to catch up and realize that Eddie is completely frozen against him. 

He pulls back. Eddie’s eyes are wide, mouth falling open. The seconds stretch without a response, so Steve speaks. “You didn’t ruin anything,” he says, brushing his thumbs lightly over Eddie’s cheeks. “And I don’t want to forget what you said. It’s what made me realize that I have feelings for you.”

That finally gets a reaction out of Eddie, a series of quick blinks. “You…have feelings for me?” Eddie asks, voice almost inaudible.

Steve nods. “I do,” he says, “I really do.”

“Kiss me again,” Eddie whispers. 

So Steve does, leaning forward and pressing his lips back to Eddie’s. This time, Eddie kisses him back, and fuck. This is everything Steve could have hoped for and somehow so much more. It’s only been about seven hours since he figured out he likes Eddie and he already doesn’t know how he’s lived his whole life without kissing him. He doesn’t know how he’s ever going to stop.

“Steve,” Eddie murmurs, pulling back slightly. Steve can’t quite hold back the whine that starts in the back of his throat, which makes Eddie smile. “We should go inside,” he says, glancing around. It’s not like there’s anyone else out here, but they’re still pretty exposed. 

Steve gets up and follows Eddie inside. As soon as the door shuts behind them, Steve grabs Eddie again and pushes him up against it, kissing him. Eddie starts to say his name, but Steve swallows the sound, desperate to never let go of Eddie again. 

From the direction of the kitchen, there's the sound of a throat clearing. 

Jerking back, Steve looks over and sees Wayne standing by the counter, eyebrows raised over the edge of his Garfield mug. His eyes are sparkling. 

“Mornin’, Steve.”

tagging: @bisexualdisastersworld @cr0w-culture @axl-is-online @awkotaco24 @justforthedead89 @bumblemyrtle @justmiiriam @brassreign @beautifulphantomstarlight @croatoan-like-its-hot @cosmicanamnesis

#i don't plan on writing more of this #steddie #steve x eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #wayne munson #stranger things #ficlet

[brand-new-hair-band]

The chain in a talent show

Wild: an acrobatic / parkour / archery show that puts de Cirque du Soleil to shame. Somehow he has a flamethrower. And fire arrows. And fire knives.

Legend: instead of whipping out any of his instruments, he sings a song he composed, filled with emotion. Warriors denies that he cried, but his eyes are puffy and he hums the tune when he’s laying down in bed.

Twilight: shows off his animal training skills. A dog performs smooth tricks without Twilight ever even voicing the commands out loud. A cat meows and purrs a familiar melody. A goat jumps through a series of hoops.

Hyrule: he plays the recorder. A group of fairies follow him the entire time, and start forming patterns and figures to go with the music.

Four: puts on a magic show. The rest never figure out how he managed to make it look like he was in multiple places at once.

Time: everyone assumes he will play the ocarina, but at the last moment he whips out the Zora Guitar. He plays a mash-up of New Wave Bossa Nova and Hotel California.

Wind: does a comedy stand-up show. His impressions make Time fall backwards laughing. At some point, he re-tells his final battle with Ganondorf with an improv rap song.

Sky: an eerily believable ventriloquist act. For some reason the Master Sword is on his back (he had meant to speed-carve a loftwing, but he slept in and couldn’t find a good wood piece in time)

Warriors: Tom Holland’s “Umbrella” lip sync performance. No further comments.

#linked universe #legend of zelda #the chain #shenanigans #lu wild #lu four #lu warriors #lu time #lu hyrule #lu wind #lu twilight #lu legend #lu sky #linked universe modern #ross rambling #the chain as #ramblings

[sadboi-writer]

Dear Jack (Series)

Chapter Four: Dojo Day Afternoon

Summary: The group is introduced to Arthur, who shows interest in Y/N. When Y/N tells him no, he starts causing chaos around the dojo. Jack retaliates.

Word Count: 3.6k

Warnings:Canon-typical violence

After their argument Y/N was avoiding Jack as best she could. Only seeing him at the dojo. 

When they walked in that following Monday, there was a pile of concrete rubble in front of the others. 

“I’m going to get a smoothie.” Eddie grumbled, “Hey, Y/N.”

“Hey, Eddie.” Y/N greeted

There was a muffled flushing and then plunging noise coming from Rudy’s office. 

“No, don’t you die on me! It’s not your time!” Rudy’s muffled voice insisted

“What’s going on in there?” Milton asked

“Rudy’s fighting with his toilet again.”Y/N sighed, walking up a rapping on the door, “Rudy stop plunging Myrtle!”

He stumbled out of his office in full plumber gear, “Poor Myrtle, I almost lost her. Twice I had to plunge her back to life!”

“How do you know if a toilet’s a boy or a girl?” Jerry asked

Rudy gestured, “Well, you take the top off the tank and reach your arm in and feel around-”

“Stop!” Milton insisted, “I think I’d rather hear about this in an awkward conversation with my father!”

“Rudy, focus!” Kim snapped, “The new owner of the mall is gonna be here any minute!”

Eddie ran in, “Hey! You guys gotta check this out! These brochures are all over the place! This new owner is making some big changes!”

Y/N took the pamphlet from him and glanced over it. 

Kim looked, “Hey! They finally took the baby changing area out of the food court! And if you ask me, that was a big step in the right direction!”

“No way!” Eddie exclaimed, “They’re bringing in a Captain Corndog!”

“Oh snap! That’s a classy joint!” Jerry said, “Yeah, my sister got married in a Captain Corndog! The captain walked her down the plank himself!”

“Look at that huge new parking lot!” Milton pointed out

Y/N took the pamphlet back, “Where’s the dojo?” 

Eddie looked over her shoulder, “There’s a parking lot where our dojo should be!”

Y/N sat down on a bench and kept looking over the pamphlet. There was no other area for the dojo. It wasn’t just being moved, it was being destroyed. After a while, Kim sat down next to her.

“What are we going to do?” Y/N asked

Kim shrugged, “Rudy will figure something out.”

Rudy had headed into the locker room to change to meet the new owners. And he came out soon after, looking way more presentable. Not five minutes later, the new owner strolled in with a boy who seemed to be the rest of the group's age. 

Rudy stepped forward extending his hand, “Mr.Turner! Welcome to my dojo!”

Mr.Turner smiled, “Nice to meet you, Rudy! This is my son, Arthur!”

“Hello, sir!” The boy said, eagerly shaking Rudy’s hand, “What a wonderful dojo you have here! Let me ask you: How do you do it? A sensei, a businessman, and obviously a male model!”

Rudy got flustered, “Uh, yeah... I don’t know-totally, it’s-well- Look at me!”

“Arthur, go make some friends while Rudy and I talk!” Mr.Turner told his son

Arthur smiled, “Yes, daddy! You and Rudy go have a good talk, alright? I’ll just be out here with the gang!” 

Mr.Turner and Rudy went into Rudy’s office. As soon as the door shut, Arthur’s entire demeanor shifted. Jack was the first to greet him.

“Hey, I’m Jack. How ya doing?”

“So!” Arthur interjected, “What do you losers do all day around this dump?Sit around and pretend to know karate?” 

He punctuated his sentence by flailing his arms around. 

Jerry puffed his chest, “Pretend to know karate? Check this out,”

Jerry readied himself, and Y/N finally stepped forward to join the group. Jerry stepped back.

“Go ahead, show him Jack!” 

Jack rolled his eyes, but turned to a practice dummy. The group started cheering him on. He did a roundhouse kick and knocked the head off the dummy. Arthur rolled his eyes, he glanced at Y/N and smirked.

“That was nothing!” Arthur insisted, “You guys want to see some real karate moves?”

He took the bow staff from Milton. 

“Watch this!” He proclaimed

He swung it around wildly while shrieking. Y/N looked away out of embarrassment. He broke one of the trophies.

“Uh oh.” He panicked, before throwing the bow staff back to Milton

Rudy and Mr.Turner emerged from the office.

“What was that?” Rudy demanded

“I can’t believe it, sir! That kid just busted up all your trophies!” Arthur lied

“Milton you are in big trouble!” Rudy scolded

Jack stepped forward, “What? It wasn’t Milton, it was Arthur!”

“Oh,” Rudy softened, “Well, accidents happen. And thank you for showing us what a dangerous place that is to keep trophies! Now, everyone give our newest member Arthur a big Bobby Wasabi welcome!”

Mr.Turner started clapping and so did Jerry. Y/N slowly joined in to not seem rude. Meanwhile the rest were just standing there, in shock.

The next day, Kim was whaling on a practice dummy as Eddie held it. He groaned as he let go of it.

“Kim, take it easy!” Eddie whined

Kim sighed, “Sorry, I’m just tired of being looked at as just another pretty face.” 

Jerry nodded, “Welcome to my world, sister!”

“I mean, what’s the point of being a reporter for the school TV station if Margaret Bork just thinks I’m some airhead southern belle who can’t do real news?” Kim vented

Arthur came in laughing, dragging Jack along with him. Y/N glanced their way as they hit a training dummy again. 

“OH, you guys should have seen what we just did!” Arthur cackled, “It was a riot! It was like taking candy from a baby!”

Jack rolled his eyes, “That’s what you actually did, Arthur. You took candy from a baby.”

Y/N laughed, Jack glared at her. 

“Hey, uh, can I get in on that?” Jerry asked before taking a piece of licorice, “Thanks, nothing tastes better than something stolen from a baby!”

Jack stormed off into Rudy’s office, and the others went back to what they were doing. Y/N approached Arthur.

“Hey,” She greeted

He seemed surprised, “Oh, uh, hey.”

She nodded at the licorice, “Can I steal a piece?”

He nodded and handed her one. Y/N bit a piece off and chuckled as she chewed. 

“What’s so funny?” Arthur asked

Y/N shook their head, “I just think it’s funny that you got Jack to just stand there while you nabbed this.”

“It’s not like he was gonna do anything,” Arthur replied

“So true.” Y/N chuckled, “Hey, do you wanna go get something to eat?”

He seemed even more surprised at that but nodded. Y/N smiled and grabbed their things. 

Jerry quirked a brow, “Where are you going?”

“Arthur and I are going to get something to eat.” Y/N replied as they headed for the door where Arthur was waiting

After the two had left Jack came out of Rudy’s office. When he didn’t see Arthur or Y/N he immediately approached Kim.

“Where did Y/N go?” Jack demanded

Kim looked at him, “She went to get something to eat with Arthur.”

His face got slightly red, “She can’t do that!” Kim turned on him, “Why can’t she!” “None of us likes him!” Jack tried to defend, “She can’t just take hiim out on a date or whatever!”

“So, you’re jealous?” 

“No, I am not jealous!”

“You so are.”

“I so am not!”

Kim chuckled, “Whatever, Jack.”

Meanwhile, Y/N and Arthur were sitting at a table in Falafel Phil’s laughing. Y/N took the wrapper off their straw half-way and blew through to shoot the other half at Arthur. 

“So, let me get this right?” Arthur chuckled, “You and the pasty kid sumo wrestled a professional sumo wrestler because you felt guilty?”

“Oh yeah,” Y/N affirmed, “I had a bruised back for like a week. Milton had to help me down stairs.” Arthur perked up, “Oh! I got you guys a gift, do you want to see?”

Y/N nodded and Arthur pulled out his phone, showing them the new pristine practice dummy he had ordered and was meant to get to the dojo the next day.

“That’s really nice Arthur!” Y/N complimented

They checked their watch, “I have to go, but we have to do this again sometime! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Y/N left with a wide smile on their face. On their way out they ran into Jerry, who was also heading home.

“Hey,” Jerry greeted

“Hey,” Y/N replied

“How was your date?”

Y/N smacked his shoulder, “It wasn’t a date! And it was good. Arthur isn’t too bad.”

The two parted ways, to go home. The next day, when Y/N entered the dojo Arthur was sitting there with the new dummy. The rest of the group exited the locker room. And Arthur stood, shooting Y/N a smile.

“What’s this?” Jack asked

“It’s a gift!” Arthur answered, “I know I’ve been a little bit of a jerk.”

“A little bit of a jerk?” Jack asked, “That’s like saying Jerry’s a little bit confused.”

“What?” Jerry asked, “Wait, what did I miss? I’m confused.”

“He’s trying to be nice, Jack.” Y/N snapped

Arthur smiled at her, “Look, to show that I’m not all bad, I got you guys this brand new state of the art punching dummy!”

“You know what, Arthur?” Jack said, “Maybe I had you wrong. If Y/N trusts you, I guess I do too.”

“Now that’s more like it!” Jerry cheered, “I think I should be the one to break this bad boy in!”

Jerry punched it in the face and the stomach opened letting out a spring punch. Y/N went to his side instantly.

“Oh my god, Jerry are you okay?” Y/N asked

Jack and Kim helped Jerry off the floor as Y/N rounded on Arthur.

“What the hell,Arthur?” Y/N shouted, “I gave you the benefit of the doubt! I thought you were alright! And now you do this!”

She punctuated every sentence with a poke to his chest.

Jack stepped forward, “Alright, that’s it-”

Kim stopped him, “No, Jack, you promised Rudy... but I didn’t.”

Eddie stopped Kim, “No, Kim, I want him all to myself.”

Milton stopped Eddie, “No, Eddie,this one’s all me.”

Milton turned on Arthur, then back to the rest of the group.

“Wait, why can’t Jack do this?” Milton pleaded

Y/N glared at Arthur, “It’s fine guys,let’s just start practice.”

Jack looked at her, and her eyes pleaded with him. Until he nodded in agreement. Arthur pushed Y/N out of the way.

“Woah, woah, woah, Jack!” Arthur prodded, “ I got this! Since Rudy’s not around and I outrank everyone, I’ll lead the class!”

“Are you nuts?” Eddie demanded, “You don’t outrank Jack!”

“Really? See, I don’t know if you noticed...” Arthur taunted, “But, I’m a green belt!” 

“Yeah,” Kim snapped, “Because your daddy bought it for you.”

Arthur stepped forward, “Jack, you don’t know anything about karate. You’re nothing but a scrawny little skate rat.”

“Arthur, would you just shut up?” Y/N demanded

Jack glowered at Arthur, “And you’re nothing but a spoiled little poser.”

The group chuckled at that. 

“Poser, huh?” Arthur snapped, “That’s it.”

Arthur ran at Jack.

“Jack don’t!” Y/N insisted

But, Jack hadn’t heard her and had already thrown him into the wall. 

“You’re gonna be sorry you did that!” Arthur shouted

Not a moment later Rudy and Mr.Turner entered the dojo.

“What’s going on?” Mr.Turner demanded

“It’s a good thing you’re here, dad!” Arthur cried, “I was just saying my prayers and eating my vitamins when Jack threw me into this wall!”

Mr.Turner turned to Rudy, “We had a deal, Rudy! You said this was a warm, safe environment where Arthur could learn karate and make friends!”

“Jack!” Rudy stumbled, “Did you throw Arthur into our wall of friendship?”

The group hesitantly nodded and agreed with what he said. Rudy ran to the wall and helped Arthur out of it. 

“They don’t do that to just anyone!” Rudy insisted, “They must really like you! Don’t you, Jack?”

Y/N stepped forward, “It wasn’t Jack’s fault. Arthur came at him first.”

Jack looked at Y/N with thanks in his eyes.

“He came at Jack, Jack came at him, it’s a big coming atcha party!” Rudy continued, “Alright, back to practice you lovable, scamps!”

“Rudy,” Mr.Turner snapped, “This is unacceptable, I want Jack and Y/N thrown out of your dojo!”

Y/N turned on her heel to look at the two. Glancing quickly at Jack, who was also frozen in shock.

“What?” They all asked

Arthur smirked, “Buh-bye, Jack and Y/N”

Rudy stood his ground, “I’m sorry, Mr.Turner, but that’s not gonna happen.”

“Alright then,” Mr.Turner stepped forward, “You have two hours to get out. You’re standing on the site of my new parking lot. Come on, son.”

Arthur was ushered out of the dojo by Mr.Turner. Tears brimmed Y/N’s eyes, one way or another she was losing this dojo. Rudy argued with his toilet for a second. 

Jack and Y/N decided to kick themselves out. Rudy stopped Jack.

“Put your stuff back, you’re not leaving.” Rudy insisted

Jack sighed, “If we don’t go, you guys lose the dojo.”

“We lose it either way.” Y/N said, “We’re not going to take it away from you guys.”

Rudy placed his hands on one of each of their shoulders.

“No, you;re not going.Sometimes in life, a man has to decide what’s really important,” Rudy said, two men started to carry his toilet away, “Oh hey! Not the toilet, take the kids instead!”

“Rudy!” Milton protested

“I’m sorry, but you’ve never sat on her.”

Jerry stepped up, “We’re not gonna take this, man! We gotta fight the power, yo!”

Jack dropped his duffle, “Jerry’s right! We’ve got to fight back! Like that guy on Meyer Avenue!”

“He chained himself to that old tree so that it wouldn’t be cut down!” Y/N continued

Kim nodded, “He stood his ground and saved that tree!”

“Until it fell over in a storm, destroyed my Aunt Verna’s house and she had to move into my room!” Milton complained, “I’ve seen things no boy my age should see.”

“You know what, you guys are onto something!” Rudy agreed, “What Turner’s doing is wrong, and we gotta fight back!” “What are you saying, Rudy?”Jerry asked

“I’m saying they can’t tear down the dojo if I’m chained to that post!” Rudy clarified, “And I will fight the good fight for as long as it takes! So chain me up!”

The group all cheered encouragement for him. 

“Get these things off of me! I can’t take it! I’m going crazy!” Rudy shrieked after he’d been chained up

“Rudy! It’s only been three minutes!” Jack replied

Kim stormed out of the side room, “Yeah, well if it’s such a great story then why not report it yourself?! That was Margaret, apparently Taco Tuesday is becoming Fajita Friday.”

“Yes!” Milton praised, “You slip the lunch lady $10 and a cat calendar and you can move mountains, baby!”

Eddie sighed, “All this talk about food is making me hungry, I’m gonna go over to Honeybuns to hook us up!”

“No!” Jerry protested, “You can’t go out there, man! That’s just what they want! You go out that door, it’s like we’ve given up!”

“Well, eventually we’re gonna need something to eat!” Kim reasoned

Eddie looked up, “You know, our air vent connects with the nail salon. Those ladies are always snacking on something.”

“Yeah!” Jack stood, “He’s right!”

Jerry nodded, “Yeah, but who’s skinny enough to fit through that vent?”

All their eyes went to Milton. 

“Oh.” Milton said, before the realization hit him, “Ohhhhh!”

Milton stripped his over shirt, leaving him in a  wife beater tank top. He threw the over shirt and hit Y/N in the face with it.

“Agh! Milton!” Y/N complained

Jack and Jerry hoisted Milton up to the vent. And there was a humming noise. Y/N glanced around.

“I think the exhaust vent just turned on!” Y/N announced

“What makes you say that?” Jerry asked

Then Milton was sucked up into the vent, Jack chuckled.

“Oh nothing in particular.” Y/N continued

They all sat together, waiting for anything to happen. About half an hour later, Turner showed up. Jack was the first on his feet.

“Look, Turner just showed up with some people!” Jack pointed out

The man had a megaphone and made an announcement.

“Attention dojo squatters, you have five minutes to get out.” Turner hollered, “We are bringing in a wrecking ball.”

“You don’t scare us, Turner!” Rudy shouted, before lowering his voice, “That whole bringing in a wrecking ball routine is the oldest trick in the book!”

Y/N kept their eyes outside, “That is a very real wrecking ball.”

“What?” Rudy demanded, “Unchain me, you fools!”

“Dude, we can’t!” Jerry said, “You gave the keys to Milton!”

Rudy panicked, “What? No! It can’t end like this! I never sat in a hot tub full of pudding! No wait, yes I did... no that was custard.”

Jerry peeked outside, “Nothing brings in a crowd like a wrecking ball! They’re totally on our side. You can feel the love!”

A muffled chant of “Knock it down!” began. Jerry glared outside before sticking his head out.

“Why don’t you guys shut your pie holes!” He shouted

Y/N slumped on the ground across from Rudy. Kim stood up straight as she got an idea.

“I just realized I’m in the middle of a huge story!” Kim announced, “Five kids from our school fight a great injustice!”

Jack glanced outside, “Well you better get out there, because it looks like your friend Margaret just showed up.”

“Oh no she didn’t,” Kim stormed out, “Not today, Margaret! Not today!”

Turner pulled out his megaphone again, “In two minutes we’re turning this place into a parking lot!”

Jerry looked at the four who were left, “I’m going out there.”

Then he stepped outside.

“Alright, now I got some demands, people,” He started, “Now, we’re gonna need a big bag of cheeseburgers, some fries, some juice boxes, and throw in some of those glow in the dark straws! They make drinking fun, yo!”

A guy in the crowd shouted, “Your demands stink!”

“Bro I wasn’t finished!” Jerry whined, “And I’m also gonna need a couple of helicopters flown by supermodels!” 

“Now those are some demands!” The same guy shouted

Jerry got the crowd to cheer Wasabi.

Y/N looked out the window, and saw Arthur climbing into the wrecking ball control center.

“Guys!” Y/N shouted, “Look!”

The wrecking ball started swinging around. 

“I got this,” Jack insisted before running outside

Y/N was quick to follow but stayed in front of the door. They blocked it with their body, if anything was happening to this dojo they were going with it. The ball swung toward them, and they leaned back.

“Y/N get out of the way!” Jack shouted

Pushing the door in slightly as the wrecking ball lightly tapped them and the dojo. As soon as it stopped, Y/N went inside.

“That was horrifying.” Y/N gasped out as Jerry pulled them into a tight hug

“You’re insane.” Jerry replied

Turner was the next person in the door.

“Is everyone okay in here?” He asked

Rudy sighed, “Look, Turner, you win. Alright, just go ahead and take your dojo back! Put up your parking lot! But, you know what? We’re proud! And we will hold our heads high!”

Rudy lifted his arms and the chains fell from around him.

“Really?” Rudy whined, “Hands over the head, that’s all it took.”

Jack ran inside pushing Arthur in ahead of him. 

“I think this belongs to you.” Jack said

Once they were both in he ran to Y/N. Doing a once over to make sure she was okay before pulling her into a bone crushing hug.

Turner rounded on his son, “Arthur, how could you do something like this? You endangered Y/N’s life! I’ve given you everything!” “Maybe that’s the problem.” Rudy said

“What do you mean?” Turner asked

“Well, this dojo might not be much,” Rudy continued, “But it’s built on the principle’s of discipline and respect. A couple of things Arthur obviously doesn’t have.”

“Blah, blah, blah,” Arthur groaned, “Look, can we just knock down the little dump now, dad?”

“No,” Turner snapped, “He’s right. I’m sorry, Rudy. Your dojo can stay.”

“Yes!” They all cheered

Jack picked Y/N up in a hug and spun them.

“Arthur, get in the car!” Turner snapped, “You’re grounded!”

Arthur quirked an eyebrow, “Grounded? What does that even mean?”

Jack smirked as he set Y/N down, “I think you’re about to find out.”

“Buh-bye, Arthur!” Y/N mocked

Turner pushed Arthur out of the dojo, leaving only the gang inside. 

“Jack, what you did was incredible!” Rudy complimented

Jack shook his head, “ It wasn’t just me! We all did it!... Wait a minute, has anyone seen Milton?”

Once everything was said and done the dojo was empty. Rudy was in his office and everyone else had gone home. Y/N sat on the bench, rubbing the spot on her sternum where the wrecking ball had tapped. A few moments passed before she felt a weight next to her. 

Jack glanced at her, “You shouldn’t have put yourself in harm’s way like that.”

“You jumped on top of the wrecking ball,” Y/N replied with a chuckle, “I am far from the one who was in the most danger.”

There was a moment of silence and Y/N looked at the ground.

“About what happened after the thing with Truman-” Jack started

Y/N stood, “Can we just forget that it happened? I’d rather things just go back to normal.”

Jack sunk in on himself a bit, “Yeah. Of course, yeah, it never happened.”

“Awesome. I’ll see you tomorrow, Jack.” Y/N said before leaving

Jack watched after her before mumbling under his breath, “I have a crush on you too.”

#jack brewer #jack brewer x reader #Kim Crawford #Milton Krupnick #Jerry Martinez #Eddie Jones #rudy gillespie #Kickin It

[jmdbjk]

Episode 1: The Beginning

Beyond the Star, produced by HYBE Media Studio

Opens with a flashback of Namjoon explaining their belief in the concept of how any art, any genre of art, can change the world.

This opening footage was recorded during a press conference for CONNECT, BTS.

A good explanation of what CONNECT, BTS appeared on DAZED, January 14, 2020.

It was a huge wide-ranging global art project to link visual art to music art. This is one of the installations in New York City:

Then we see scenes of them arriving at Incheon Airport in February 2020.

In February 2020, they were about to embark on the MOTS world tour. They were really pushing into the western market, especially the United States. They were headed to the States to start promoting on the talk show circuit and for magazine interviews. Western media was all over BTS. The public relations hype for their tour was huge. It was going to be HUGE. BTS was HUGE. At this point in the documentary we see english speaking fans trying to buy tickets for this tour.

This was the beginning of the year that would be their magnum opus. 

Leading the docu-series with this reminds everyone what was supposed to happen and the impact they hoped to make here in the United States, to ride the wave of their success as far as they could go until they had to stop. Keep in mind they did not have any full English songs yet. 

As far as they knew, this would be the end as we knew it, the end of Chapter 1. We all know what was to follow the MOTS tour even though no one wanted to speak about it: Enlistment. Jin would enlist December 2020 even though rumblings of a potential military exemption were beginning to buzz.

This period of time and after was when MANY MORE became fans of BTS. MOTS:7 was a record-breaking album. They were riding HIGH.

The scene of them being told the MOTS tour was cancelled is gut-wrenching. It makes me think of the content they filmed that day (March 8, 2020 a music show?)

and I wonder at what point during the day they were told. Jimin and Hobi did a Vlive:

There are scenes of MOTS cancellation day in 2020 Memories, but not THIS scene of them being told the tour was cancelled. 

Then we jump forward to scenes of the members on the beach in LA (end of 2021) recalling their feelings and thoughts about the previous (almost) two years (the pandemic), reflecting on themselves. They had to overcome frustration, and change and adapt to reality. 

Some of them were able to do that easier than the others. We know Jimin had a rough time, and it was challenging for Jin, Tae and Yoongi. Namjoon and Hobi worked on music. Yoongi wondered what was the point of even releasing music at all.

Jungkook says even though they were sad, something good came of it, they realized how much singing and dancing – performing – meant to them and how it superseded everything else.

Jimin says he and Namjoon spoke about how they needed to organize their thoughts over the years pertaining to the reasons they are doing what they do, how they feel and what they want to do, perhaps in order to help them sort through the pandemic aftermath and to serve as sort of an outline of how to proceed... it is sort of how the rest of this documentary series unfolds: the past, the present, the future.

Namjoon begins sharing thoughts of how he felt in the beginning and we flash back to 2013 debut. And the rest say their thoughts about how they began. This is a good way for newer fans to understand how they began: hearing their words as mature adults reminiscing about their roots and their start. 

We’ve heard the general story of how they began with RM first and the rap line was assembled, then the vocal line was added with Jimin being the last to make the team. Bang PD recalls how impressed he was with Namjoon and knew this was someone special. 

I’m positive there were opinions, decisions and choices made that we will never know because we weren’t there witnessing the moments. Whatever those decisions were, some probably forgotten in time or only known by a few involved in the process, however it happened, these seven individuals were settled upon and the team was created. The rest is history. 

No one had an inkling of how much they would change the idol and kpop industry from what they then knew it to be.

Preparing for debut: one of the things Jungkook says is they expected hardships back then but looking back now, if he tried to do that now, he couldn’t do it, but back then, it was a given. Yoongi said they spent every moment in the practice room when they weren’t eating or sleeping… up all night practicing, so much stress and pressure amongst seven young passionate young men trying to make a good debut.…you can see the stress and fatigue on their faces.

Through all of that they reveal how hard they worked and how deep their commitment is. They felt it was important to convey this deep personal connection to each other they developed and how strong their bond is.

The events might be repetitive for people who’ve been Army since the beginning or since before 2020, but for the benefit of newer fans, presenting their story like this in the words of each member is important. 

The author of the book Beyond the Story, Myung Seok Kang, explains how much of an underdog BTS was in the beginning. They were from a small, barely making it company and had the audacity to win Best New Artist in 2013 at the Melon Music Awards. 

Hearing them state how they felt during that debut year, their young minds trying to process what was happening, thrust into society at such a young age, seeing their friends still being students, they had to reconcile within themselves that their lives were so different.

Jungkook (our now giant global pop star) said he remembers how small he felt hearing another really good singer in his in-ears as they prepared for a performance.

Watching them struggle to come up with the melody for Danger, working on it as a team from Jungkook, to Namjoon, to Yoongi, note by note… at such a young age and then not experiencing the expected success or gains after they had done that with the previous song… they thought this would be the end for them. All they wanted was to win first place at a music show…. CAN YOU IMAGINE?? The team was wavering.

Newer fans need to be aware of this struggle.

All of this led to them writing the album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, the real start of their rise to stardom. They finally bagged that 1st place music show win with I Need U. The win gave them the confidence they needed to push forward and they kept winning with each song after that. Seeing their confidence grow after each win is exhilarating.

This album is the turning point in their career, the launch pad, so-to-speak.

And the song, Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment in Life) is the thread connecting Chapter 1 to Chapter 2 and beyond. We will have a Most Beautiful Moment in Life 10th Anniversary in 2025. This docu-series is the bridge between what was then, now and what is … yet to come.

Review of Episode 2 next…

#if you can read the book it adds so much more #bts beyond the star #jimin #jungkook #hobi #namjoon #yoongi #jin #taehyung #what will the song be that connects YTC with the future?

[undoing-anobrains]

you bring me home - matty healy

part one

series masterlist: :)

wc: 1.9K

Nothing could have ever prepared Caroline for the world as she knew it suddenly ceasing to exist and being forced to move in with her brother and his best friend. Well maybe saying he forced her was a bit of an exaggeration but George had been very clear that she could join them willingly or he would come and pick her up because he wasn't leaving her to mope and deal with her recent heartbreak all by herself for who knows how long. 

Just weeks ago her fiancé, well, she should say ex-fiancé now broke things off with her while they were visiting wedding venues because he claimed he didn't love her anymore. It had been like a sudden rough force hitting her in the stomach. Knees almost crippling underneath her and the bright smile she had been bearing since they arrived vanished within milliseconds. The sharp pain left her gasping for air, at the mercy of the cold man who had so casually ripped her heart out.

Now she was living by herself in their formerly shared apartment. Haunted by memories everywhere she turned. She couldn't sleep in their bedroom anymore, not when she was greeted every morning with the right hand side of the bed empty and untouched. She had boxed up all of the belongings he had left behind once the anger at the situation had passed but she hadn't been able to open it since. And then there was the ring. It felt wrong to keep wearing it when it was a reminder of her farce of a relationship but she still loved it. Mainly because she had picked the ring out herself because he never knew what jewellery to buy her - seriously, Caroline had never worn silver in her life and what did he get her for every anniversary and holiday? The same silver heart necklace.

Glancing out of the apartment window Caroline noticed the raindrops sliding down the glass. How fucking appropriate, she mused. George had rang her earlier to say that he was on the way to pick her up so she found herself waiting eagerly to catch a glimpse of his car. At first she had been hesitant to even accept his offer of moving into the studio for however long they were in lockdown and living with her brother for the first time since they were teenagers. But after spending the past few weeks feeling like a ghost in what was once her home, she desperately needed the change in scenery, and company.

Apparently she had completely missed his car pulling up outside even in her concentrated efforts because a knock rapped against the door. Caroline quickly headed to unlock it and within seconds George was stood before her. "Hey, Caro," George said hugging her tightly "ready for a change of scenery?"

Caroline nodded. "I think I'd go insane if I stayed here any longer G."

"Well," George shot her a grin "I can't promise that you won't go insane living with Matty but it's definitely better than moping in here by yourself."

Matty. That had been the only real reason she had felt so hesitant accepting George's offer. They had never really been close considering their age gap. Caroline had still been in school when the band started to take off and by that point the boys had surpassed the need for family members filling the audience at their gigs. She had met her brother's closest friend a few times over the years, mainly when he would come over to their house to get high with George in his room. Caroline had the biggest crush on him back then, not that she would ever admit it, but she had a suspicion that he knew because of the occasional joke he made when they got older.

She'd played the part of the supportive sister at their early gigs and she made sure to support them by going to whatever shows she could get time off work. George was incredibly talented but there was no denying Matty's charisma on stage. Caroline hated how easily he captured her attention whenever she watched one of their performances. No matter how hard she tried to focus on the whole band, her gaze always wandered back to the one member who'd never really given her the time of day.

Even at 25 she was convinced that he still only saw her as George's kid sister. And she’d accepted that - it was a childhood crush and destined to be nothing more. She was meant to be getting married to another man after all. A man who she had once believed to be the love of her life. However, she supposed it was true what they said about your first love because she’d never forgotten about it. If you could even call unrequited infatuation fuelled by adolescent pining a first love.

"I dealt with both of you growing up," Caroline deadpanned "I think I can handle it just fine."

George feigned offence momentarily but he knew it wasn't an argument he was ever going to win if he let Caroline get started. Similarly to Matty she could talk for England - the only difference being she had some self control and it mainly showed when she was really passionate about something, whereas Matty just never shut up.

With that Caroline had handed her bags to a reluctant George and she left the apartment without a second glance. Deep down she was tempted to take a minute to remember the place which for the last five years of her life she had called home but everything about it was as tainted as the wilting roses forever frozen in time that she didn't have the heart to replace. 

George loaded her bags into the back of his car when they reached it before turning to Caroline with a teasing grin "do you want to drive?"

"Do you have a death wish?" she beamed back at him "because if you do I'm more than happy to assist."

Caroline's relationship with driving had always been a constant source of entertainment for her brother. Even after he moved out, it still never failed to bring him some amusement. She was an absolute menace on the roads and had failed her driving test an impressive ten times before deciding that maybe she just wasn't meant to drive. Initially George had been the one forced to take her driving to appease their parents but he quickly grew bored of attempting to teach his sister who he claimed was hopeless (and maybe he was right but that wasn't the point.) He ended up pawning her off to Hann because he was the most sensible one and Ross would just encourage her chaotic tendencies on the road and Matty wasn't much better himself.

He gestured to the passenger seat in the car and Caroline took the hint. She climbed into the car, her emotions swirling within her, yet finding comfort in her brother's presence. George settled into the driver's seat beside her, his strong hands gripping the steering wheel with determination. "Ready passenger princess?"

"Look G," Caroline smirked "some people were meant to drive and the rest of us were born to be driven everywhere .

As the engine roared to life, Caroline quicky seized control of the aux. Moving slowly at first as they pulled away from her now old apartment building, before picking up speed as they left the city behind. Caroline watched the scenery pass by a blur of buildings and streets transforming into sprawling landscapes.

Throughout the drive Caroline noticed George glancing over at her whenever he thought she wasn't aware of it. As overbearing as his protective brother act could be sometimes she found herself especially grateful for it this time.  Their shared silence spoke volumes and their unspoken bond conveyed all the comfort and understanding in the world. 

"Matty's already here, by the way," George informed her as they approached the secluded studio.

That was all Caroline really took in. For the remainder of the journey she felt like she was just an autopilot. Like she was just a shell in place of a human. Then before she knew it George brought the car to a complete stop and parked it right in front of the studio. She later eyes on Matty instantly although not intentionally, he just so happened to be caught in her direct line of vision immediately after she hoped out of the car. He looked good. Happier than she’d seen him in years.

When their gazes locked for the first time in a year Caroline was slightly intimidated by the intensity of Matty’s stare but it melted away and reformed into the familiar teasing smile she had come to associate with Matty. She desperately to part her lips and speak but something was stopping her. It was unlike Matty to hold back like this as well and Caroline didn’t know what to make of this sudden reserved demeanour to him. They were at a standstill with George completely unaware of their staring match as he unloaded both of their bags from the back of his car. Caroline felt as though her throat was stuck and all the witty comments she’d been calculating in the back of her mind were suddenly wiped from her memory.

Despite having the ability to hear Matty’s voice at anytime through his music and interviews, Caroline was ever grateful that she’d been blessed with the opportunity to hear it in person. Yet even after being so sure she could resist the almost magnetic pull Matty’s voice had on her, any hope of finally being free of that childhood crush she’d never been able to let go of quickly diminished the second those words fell from Matty’s lips.

They fell like soft,music notes. A mixture of quavers, minims and crotchets perfectly arranged to enthrall her and leave her practically speechless at the beautiful melody they created that was Matty’s voice. And Caroline’s heartbeat? In that moment it mimicked a crescendo like no other. One that would put all of the greatest musicians and composers to shame.

Matty’s surprisingly veiny and dexterous hand filled her vision pulling her abruptly out of her quiet admiration as he notably leaned against the doorframe. “Well, well, well, look who's finally here. The famous Caroline Daniel graces us with her presence."

Caroline felt her cheeks turning a shade of pink so she tried to brush it off by playfully rolled her eyes in an effort to compose herself. “If anyone’s famous here darling we both know it’s not me,” Caroline grinned “I’m just here because George didn’t want me to have a mental breakdown by myself.”

Matty chuckled his voice laced with a hint of mischief “Say the word love and I’ll join you…” before his tone turned more genuine “for what it’s worth, I've missed having you around."

She wanted to make a stinging comment about that being a first. Or about him finally properly acknowledging and taking to her for the first time in years. But she held back. If they were going to be living together with only George as a mediator she didn’t want to purposefully instigate things. Besides, she was just here so she didn’t have to wallow in her misery alone. Not even the presence of the only guy she’d never really gotten over could throw a wrench in that, right?

#matty healy #the 1975 #matty healy fic #matty healy x oc #the 1975 fanfic #george daniel #ross macdonald #adam hann #matty healy fanfiction #matty x reader

[honeysuckleharringtons]

Part Three: "Spilled Milk" ~ S. Harrington

Summary: (Then) Morning sickness has finally caught up to Reader, and unfortunately it has her spilling her guts in more than one way. — (Now) When Steve brings his roommate along with him to the coffee shop, the situation soon goes south when his friend starts to spill Steve's not-so-secret crush to a certain barista.

Pairing: Nurse!Steve Harrington x Fem!Byers!Reader

Word Count: 2,561

Content Warning: teen pregnancy, vomit/morning sickness talk, mentions of food, very mild swearing, lmk if i missed anything!

Extra Notes: this chapter took so freaking long to write because work is taking it out of me lol but i hope you guys enjoy!!

Originally Written: 11/05/2023 through 11/27/2023

honeysuckleharringtons' masterlist can be found here!

'brew and me' series masterlist can be found here!

[ Then, July of 1987 ]

One week. Seven days. One hundred and sixty-eight hours. Over ten thousand minutes. That was the amount of time that had passed since that little white stick had turned blue and changed your life forever.

One might've thought you would've been used to the information by that point, that excitement or anticipation or any kind of emotion at all would've at least crossed your mind once or twice. Instead, you still felt numb, guilt and self-loathing dripping through your veins as naturally as your own blood.

To make matters worse, morning sickness had finally caught up to you. When you weren't throwing up from shame and fear, you were retching due to the human life inside you that clearly wasn't happy with its environment. You were living on a steady diet of toast and Joyce's ginger tea, and you were quite positive your brothers had started to catch on.

The older of your brothers, Jonathan, had been home for summer break from college for barely two weeks when you found out about your current condition. The two of you had been inseparable since the day you were born, having been raised more like twins than individuals who were born a year apart. And since the day you started to speak in full sentences, the two of you told each other everything. But the idea of him finding out about this? To say it terrified you more than actually having the baby was an understatement.

On the opposite hand, you had your younger brother, Will. The baby of the family—for the time being, anyway. The innocent one, the one who you trusted with anything because he didn't really have anyone to tell his secrets to. You craved so desperately to confide in someone, and he happened to be the person you always went to. But telling him this would be like taking the last of his innocence, like forcing him to cross the line between childhood and adulthood with you.

That thought was nearly too much to bear, and because of it, you found yourself doubled over the toilet, nausea and guilt and anguish rushing through you from head to toe. You retched and gagged as vomit exited you once again, tears pricking at your eyes from the pain.

Joyce truly had tried her best to help you as much as possible, bringing you anything you needed and helping you back into bed. But being a single mom also meant taking care of her kids in other ways, and this particular day, it meant leaving you at home with the two people you dreaded speaking to the most at that moment.

A soft knock rapped against the door, and you knew just from the fact that he'd actually used his manners that it was Jonathan. "Are you okay? You looked pretty sick when you ran in here."

A small smile tugged at your lips at his concern, the first time you'd felt any positive feelings since you found out your news. "It's open, Jon," you called, pushing yourself up from where you lay flat on the tiles.

He pushed the door open slightly, just enough to enter the room before cracking it behind himself. Worry knitted in his thick eyebrows as he moved to sit criss-cross on the floor across from you. "This must be one hell of a stomach bug."

A sarcastic chuckle made its way out of your lips weakly. "Pretty bad," you said, unsure if you had the strength to muster any more words together. You pulled your knees to your chest, hugging your legs like your life depended on it. Your eyes went anywhere but toward his, knowing with just one look, Jonathan could convince you to spill even your darkest secret. Which, in all fairness, this might've been it.

"Hey," he started, a gentle hand coming up to meet your knee, "I know when something's wrong with you."

"Jon, it's-"

You didn't have to look up to know he was giving you that serious and stern look, the one that always reminded you that he was nothing short of your big brother. "Don't give me the stomach bug thing again. Maybe you can fool Mom with that crap and maybe even Will, but you're not fooling me. I'm your older brother, but more than that, we're best friends. I know when something is truly wrong with you, but I can't help you if you don't tell me what it is."

Instead of forming words, you simply shuffled across the floor and over to him, Jonathan instinctively opening his arms up to pull you into his side. Just as you expected, even the simplest of touches had you on the brink of tears as you leaned into his embrace. His crisp and clean scent filled you with a sense of familiarity. A feeling that was so comforting, so needed, and just so Jonathan.

Pregnancy must've taken away your knowledge of how time worked because once again, being in a familiar embrace had made you lose track of time. You really weren't sure if you'd been on the floor with him for five minutes or five hours before a certain someone alerted you of his presence from the doorway.

"Uh," Will started, clearly confused by the scene in front of him. "Why are you two hugging on the bathroom floor?"

Identical snickers tumbled out of both you and Jonathan, yours being slightly muffled by tears. You pushed yourself up before motioning the younger boy over with a wave of your hand. "Come here, Will," you said, the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.

Despite the way he was looking at the two of you like you'd both grown an extra head, Will followed your request. He sat down criss-cross on the side closest to the door, and you were sure it was because he was secretly plotting an escape from his two crazy older siblings.

You tossed an arm around both their sets of shoulders, looking between the two of them with teary eyes. "Before I tell you guys the biggest secret you've ever heard, you have to promise me two things: one, it will not leave this house; and two, you'll still love me afterward."

Jonathan rubbed at your hair playfully. "Kinda hard to promise that second one when I never loved you to begin with, stinker." The statement earned him a teasing shove from you and a false expression of shock from Will.

Looking between the two of them, you felt your heart swell with luckiness. No person had ever been blessed with two better siblings than your own, you were sure of it. The older, a living, breathing personification of comfort, and the younger, a steady thing to hold onto when life felt wobbly. You wished it could stay that way forever, the three of you in your own private and protected bubble.

Unfortunately, the moment had to come to an end and your bubble had to burst. When you remembered the statement you were about to make, it felt to you almost as though the moment had been a passing second rather than the first eighteen years of your life.

That familiar numbness began to return, flooding to your fingers and toes first, and then starting to creep up your spine. You managed a shaky breath, avoiding both their gazes as you exhaled. "I want to preface this by saying that my boyfriend and I love each other very much, so you guys don't have to worry about him." The words came out choppy, anxiety clearly coating your throat.

You could almost hear Jonathan's eyebrows furrowing as he asked, "What's he got to do with…" His voice trailed, as if already figuring out exactly what you were about to say.

Another shaky breath escaped your lips as you lifted your head. You still avoided eye contact, this time fearful they'd see the panic-induced tears welling beneath your eyes. "I…" you started, knowing that once you said the words, there'd be no going back, "I'm pregnant."

Jonathan took the news exactly how you'd expected: leaning back against the counter, running a hand through his messy brown hair, and his complexion going from its normal pale shade to stark white. Will took the information much better than your older brother: not saying anything but pulling you in for a soft hug.

While the two of them processed the statement you'd made, a new feeling washed over you, like you were finally beginning to process the news yourself. Your nerves began to settle, and the nervous tingling in your fingertips was being overtaken by… relief? Excitement? Contentment?

[ Now, November of 1991 ]

Whatever the word was, you liked it much more than the horrible, guilty, suppressing thoughts that had been weighing you down for the past week. You'd be okay, no matter what happened. Because you had the best support system, one that made your heart swell with luckiness.

The bell chimed as the door swung open, pulling your attention away from the book you'd been reading in between taking customers. Normally, your attention would be on cleaning the equipment between orders or making sure tables were cleared off, but finals were only a couple weeks away, and that had stolen your attention this particular day.

"Hi, welcome to Brew and Me." The statement came out in its normal cheery tone, one that quickly gave way to an opposing expression as your eyes met familiar, wire-framed ones.

Steve stepped up to the counter as an unfamiliar curly-haired man followed behind him, digging in every single pocket of his leather jacket to find his wallet. In juxtaposition to Steve's neutral scrubs, the man wore a bright flannel beneath his jacket, and instead of having glasses perched on his nose, he sported sunglasses atop his head that were nearly hidden by his mop of dark curls.

You quickly turned your attention back to Steve, intrigued by whatever his order might be this time. "What's your guess this time, Lennon?" you asked, the words dripping sarcasm as your arms folded tightly in front of your chest.

Not taking the bait, Steve quickly changed the conversation. "Whatcha reading?" he asked, the words melting together in a way that made your stomach melt just the same.

Still, you wouldn't take the bait either, not backing down from your usual banter. "Mouth Hygiene by Alfred Fones."

"Sexy," he chuckled, earning a small snicker from the man behind him. Steve pushed his glasses up his nose, a cocky smirk appearing on his lips before he spoke again. "To answer your question though, I was wondering if I could just get today's special?"

"Something about me says, 'iced cold brew with cinnamon cold foam'? Good to know."

Steve leaned forward on the counter, and you had to resist the urge to watch his scrubs tighten around his muscled arms. "Well, it's like your personality. A little sweet at first, but then bold and bitter."

You started to reply but got cut off by another snicker from the leather-clad man standing behind your handsome nurse. "So this is the barista you're always talking about."

Before Steve could quip out a response, you met the two men with raised brows. Curiosity bubbled inside you. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Eddie, I swear to God, if it wouldn't get me kicked out of med school, I'd murder you," Steve grumbled.

The curly-haired man just smirked, a small huff of amusement leaving his lips. "You wouldn't dare. You love Chrissy and Wayne too much to ever hurt them like that."

"I could overlook it this one time, trust me," he quipped to Eddie. To you, he simply asked, "So, how's about that daily special?"

You quickly scribbled down his order before taking his money in contemplative silence. You knew Steve had a crush on you—that much was obvious, between his flirtatious remarks and endless efforts to get your phone number, not to mention his very generous tips—but the idea of him telling his friends all about you had butterflies shooting off in your belly like fireworks.

Steve soon headed in the direction of his favorite table, leaving Eddie to step up to the counter. His eyes narrowed in on the menu hanging above you, his tongue clicking as he contemplated his decision. Eventually, he landed on a white chocolate mocha, and your stomach growled at the thought.

"By the way," he said, sliding his money toward you, "he really does talk about you all the time, even if he's too shy to admit it."

Your cheeks flushed as you looked away, conveniently focusing on the cash register than on him. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah," he smiled. "Steve could go on and on for hours about your beautiful hair or gorgeous smile or whatever part of you he's thinking about that day. Just the other day, he wouldn't stop talking about your eyes. Not to mention, he's constantly raving about how no one could ever make drinks the way you do, hence why I'm here today."

Forget fireworks. With every word that passed through Eddie's lips, explosions of butterflies danced and spun around in your belly, tingles shooting up your spine.

After a few seconds, you finally gained enough composure to speak again. "Well, the feeling is definitely mutual," you admitted, your cheeks hot enough to steam milk.

"Good," Eddie said, the word quiet and simple and straight to the point. "He's a good guy. He's… a terrible roommate," a small laugh followed the remark, "but he really is a good guy."

The tingles on your spine somehow increased tenfold as you listened to Eddie's statements. You knew Steve was good, but hearing the people that knew him outside the coffee shop talk so highly of him made you swoon.

You didn't say anything in response, you were too busy trying to hide the blush burning across your entire face. You quickly got to work on their drinks, looking for any reason to avoid eye contact with the men. While it probably wasn't possible, you'd convinced yourself that one micro expression gone wrong could reveal every thought racing through your mind, and decided it was best to avoid the two until you collected yourself and your thoughts.

Still, your heart couldn't help but flutter at Eddie's words about the lovestruck nurse. Were it not for Mandy—and your trust issues—you might hop over the counter and give Steve your home phone number on the spot. After all, with every new day that passed and every new attempt at guessing your coffee order, you only found yourself falling for him that much more.

But you had a little girl at home, in need of protection. After all the sorry examples of men she'd had thus far in her mere three years on earth, it would take Steve a lot more than a couple of big tips and flirty banter for you to trust him.

So, you made quick work of changing the channel in your brain, no longer focusing on the one playing only lovesick lullabies and switching instead to one with barista ballads and zeroing your thoughts in on your work. If Steve really and truly wanted a shot with you, he'd have to work hard, no matter how sweet the things his friend had spilled about him were.

This is my formal apology stating that I am so sorry this was posted so late in the day! I had planned on queuing it for earlier in the day but didn't get home from work last night until super late. Anyway, I apologize and hope that next week's chapter will be posted on time!

-> taglist: @dungeons-are-too-cold @ducky-died-inside @awkotaco24 @liberhoe @princesseddie @corrodedseraphine @manuosorioh @esoltis280

#imagine #imagines #fanfiction series #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington imagines #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington series #stranger things #stranger things x reader #stranger things x you #stranger things imagine #stranger things imagines #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fluff #stranger things series #fanfic #fanfiction #fluff #series #multi part fic #honeysuckleharringtons #brew and me ☕️

[sparkytheandroid]

ABOUT NEW 50% OFF CONTENT

Hey sorry to get your attention like that, kind of a scummy move but bare with me a few moments. I’m the other person who made 50% Off, Sparky the Android, I also voiced Haru and Rin and some other small things. People usually just call me PJ now cause I don’t really make content anymore. Speaking of content Alex, Octopimp, decided he was going to make some new 50% Off content this past week and I would just like to explain some things as to why this is a real legitimate slap in the face to me personally. I want to stress that I was not sexually abused, physically abused, or in any major danger in my long creative partnership with Alex, he was just a scumbag who acted like an asshole and treated me really poorly over the course of the show forcing me to eventually quit. I was willing to just walk away from this stuff. Close the door, yknow? Get some closure but Alex seems intent on opening it by posting new 50% off content without talking to me about it first in any capacity. I have not spoken to Alex in several years but I was and always have been an equal creative factor in 50% Off, so him releasing new content without me feels especially insulting.   Alex came to me ten years ago asking if I would be interested in making an abridged series at the time because I had a background writing comedy and went to school for film. This was under the pretense of an equal partnership. We’re both funny, I’m a good writer and a decent voice actor, Alex is a decent writer and a good voice actor. He bought me my first voice acting microphone and we set to work developing the show with me refining a lot of our ideas into actual scripts to read from. As the series progressed I started taking on the larger writing work and Alex the larger editing work. Episodes went from 4 minute goofs (the original concept) to more longform almost 20 minute episodes at a time where characters had their own throughlines and stories progressing. It was a large task for the two of us, especially the difficulty of editing for Alex specifically. I don’t want any of this to seem like I did all the work, or that I never fought with or insulted Alex because that’s far from my point. Both of us were supposed to be partners but Alex consistently treated the show as SOLELY his in increasing amounts. I had to ask him to stop saying things like “I sign your paychecks.” or to stop insulting me in videos when he would add in insults against me without talking to me about it first. I can take an insult! I wrote some content insults about Alex too! But I was always up front and he would slip his insults in, or little jokes that were not in my scripts, without ever talking to me about them I would see them in the video premiers. He consistently minimized my involvement, I had to argue with him to get my name on the end slate, I wrote the theme rap, I wrote 90% of the material, I wrote our dumb tshirt commercials, the show is unequivocally so much of MY VOICE and I was begging to get a little more limelight or recognition. Alex took guest appearances at cons without talking to me. We did a panel at anime expo where HE was the guest and when I asked him about a badge to get into the con he informed me that he was giving the other pass to his girlfriend at the time. And while he did end up purchasing me a new badge to try and make good, just the act of not thinking that that badge should have been mine was so insulting. When we went to funimation he consistently bore it down on me that i was LUCKY that he flew me out so we could go to Funimation even though he would not be going in the first place without my scripts and voice. He made content without talking to me. He kept me at arms length in an arrangement that was supposed to be equal and I never spoke about it publicly because even a small amount of internet fame warped my little idiot brain and I wanted to keep being famous and cool on the internet. 

I never saw our official earnings numbers or even had access to the channel and took it on blind faith that I was being fair. When I quit the show because it was seriously becoming a real detriment to my mental health I walked away from any earnings the show would make after. 

It sucked. It sucked because I wanted to make more of the show. I wanted to finish season one. I promised people I would. It sucked because for some of it I was having fun! I was going to voice actor parties and people were paying attention to me. Selfishly I thought I could right the ship and turn it into a real career but I know that was never really an option. And it sucked because Alex and I WERE friends. I did some of my best material with him. Times hanging out with him where he was a genuine person were great. And I tried so many things! I realized arguing with him wasn't working so I figured it must be my fault. I tried being more supportive of him, supporting his streams, cheering him on at game tournaments, etc. But he just kept using me and the people around him to further his career. I just couldn’t take it anymore and I took the only ownership I really could and I walked away. The show stopped and, I’m sorry to the people who loved it, I think it should have stayed stopped. Nagisa is a fuckin racist caricature, one I actively contributed too regardless of the actions I took to make Nagisa smarter, more artistic, less of a one note joke about drugs and crime. Hell his final speech about how he felt about fetishizing MLM content at the time was feelings I WAS HAVING as a person coming to real terms with their queer identity. Alex is not a queer person! I am! I gave that speech to Alex to perform. I gave him MY VOICE. But it's still a racist caricature rooted in the past that is my fault for perpetuating.  

And again I’m not an angel. I argued with Alex a lot and said a lot of mean things to his face. Some stuff I regret because I’ve spent the time after the show specifically not shoving myself down another pipeline of making online content. The attention makes me stupid and I act like a jerk! I made mistakes while doing 50% Off and I’m sure I’ve hurt people too. I’m sorry to anyone who crossed my path when I was hopped up on stupid internet fame. You met one of the worst versions of me and it was my own doing. I’m sorry to Alex even for some of the stuff I said. But Alex leveraged his position of power over me as an excuse to treat me like shit. I’m in a good place in my life and I just wanted to shut the door on all this but Alex is intent on opening it after all these years and STILL minimizing my contributions. Saying things like “I just don't have the time/resources to make full episodes anymore.” He can’t make full episodes anymore because he would have to replace my voice in them but more than that replace my entire writing style. I was willing to let him upload a short like w/e its 2023 like whatever right? Tell your joke dude I don’t care. Then he posted another acting like he was going to do even more new 50% Off stuff and a close friend spoke with him saying it wasn't a good idea and he agreed. Then he posted them on youtube! And is saying stuff like this to people in the comments.

Like implying that the only reason he can't continue to produce 50% Off in full is because he doesn’t have the energy or schedule. He can’t continue because it would be continuing without me and I know deep down he KNOWS he shouldn’t. I don’t want any fucking clout or want you to watch any of my content because I don’t MAKE any. I wasn't sexually assaulted or physically abused. Alex was just a huge dick to me and a lot of my friends and we all just let it slide for all of our own personal reasons. Hell I was content just walking away the way I did, making the split seem amicable so there wasn’t a bunch of drama, letting the show stay up, and still field questions for people curious about it. I took my gdrive with every script i ever wrote for the show and just closed the door. I’m just tired after all these years of this guy actively ignoring my involvement in the show that is partially responsible for his internet fame. Tired of him pulling this bullshit “uwu i would love to make more but i just can't!” attitude to lie about why he can't actually make more. Tired of him opening that fucking door. 

A few years ago Alex got in contact with me through a friend with an apology. At the time he sent it many streamers were facing backlash for how they treated people in the past, ones closer to Alex, so this seemed suspiciously timed. The apology I got sounded like every other apology Alex had given me over the years. A lot of avoiding his own culpability in his actions. I told him that if we were to resume being friends it would take a lot. I think anyone who makes the effort deserves the chance to be redeemed, but I had absolutely zero trust in him and thought it was unlikely that he really wanted to make an effort to be a real friend to me. After that we resumed not speaking and when people asked me about him I still tried to make our split seem at least somewhat amicable and I try to generally avoid projects he is involved in. 

Imagine my surprise when he walked out on that Jerma stream. 

I want to thank everybody who watched 50% Off honestly and truly. I think some of it still shines as some of my best work. I got to do a lot of cool things like have my voice in a real anime, and I met tons of people who cared about me and my role in the show specifically. Those people were like life preservers while I felt like I was sinking in Alex’s shadow. It’s undeniably cool to have people respond to your work so well and I know I wouldn't have seen that happen without Alex’s skills as an entertainer and producer. Alex has hurt me personally as a friend, as a business partner, and has hurt several of my other friends in various ways with his behavior. The way I felt on 50% Off became truly harmful to my mental state. I struggle personally with imposter syndrome and RSD and at the time of making the show I had gone through very little therapy to help me develop healthy coping mechanisms for those things. It was just like pouring gasoline into a fire. And I really wanted to put it all behind me for the sake of my own mental health and life because all things considered I’m happy where I am now. I’ve worked really hard on myself personally and have been so lucky to have emotionally intelligent friends help me and give me so many chances I should not have deserved. I’m fortunate to be able to support myself and my cat, and I get to make personal art I love without having to push myself into the internet game because if I’m being honest I had a bad addiction to social media. I apologize I don’t have a nice resolution for you, I’m not asking you to stop watching 50% Off, or watch anything I make, or hell even stop watching Alex’s personal content. I just felt like I had this intense pit in my stomach seeing him parade around in the other half of our two person horse costume and insist he’s wearing the whole thing. Yknow? After all these years I just wanted to say SOMETHING about the way I was really treated so I could finally get some closure for myself. Thank you for your time and again to all the people who DID support the show thank you sincerely. 

#also without my involvement alex is a white cishet man writing queer characters #one of which is a racist stereotype #in 2023 #like cmon #octopimp #50% off! #free! abridged

[linkemon]

Boysband AU headcanons (4ggravate) 2

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, 4ggravate is the Sumeru guys who started a boyband. It comes from the same series as the widely known in the fandom 4nemo.

Working with idol groups involves trends changing like in a kaleidoscope. When 4ggravate entered the scene, it quickly became clear that they would conquer the world. Your label, after the huge success of 4nemo, decided to take another boys under their wing. You didn't know then how much work you would have to put into promoting them on the market...

Kaveh

✧ The most expressive member of the group. You'd even say it makes up for everyone else in this regard.

✧ Always there if you need to record additional video or behind-the-scenes content. This is what his fans see most often and he is the most into social media.

✧ It also has its downsides. Kaveh can be dramatic to the point where it's annoying. If he feels like it, he will walk out of the meeting with the film crew, complaining and slamming the door. Unfortunately, it will often be up to you to bring him back to finish the ad.

✧ He and Alhaitham are constantly arguing, which was a shock to you because they've known each other the longest out of the team. You usually try not to take sides or take turns so that neither of the two will take offense at you.

✧ Kaveh will dance, play, sing... He will fill any role if need be and he will be good at it. However, he feels the best while playing instruments.

✧ He studied architecture and constantly reminds that he knows art. However, this is not idle talk. He happens to come up with brilliant ideas about clothes or scenery while shooting music videos.

✧ Drinks secretly outside the studio. He almost got busted once when someone from the management decided to come to the apartment to hand over the documents but you just arrived before them and managed to put the can in your purse at the last minute.

✧ He wanted to thank you somehow and gave you the keychain. He once bought some handmade ones. He gives them only to exceptional people in his opinion.

Cyno

✧ He as an innate sense of justice. You can be sure that if anyone sees someone hurt, it will definitely be Cyno. He never stands aside. He immediately confronts who he needs to, which often put his career on the line. He would probably be willing to sacrifice it for the greater good. For example, he points it out to the older employees if they use younger ones on the set. He does it even at the cost of unpleasantness towards him. He has earned a reputation as unapproachable and stickler among industry associates.

✧ He loves to play cards. He collects entire collections of them. His favorite card game is TCG Genius Invocation. It got you interested enough to get into it. He's very happy about that because being in 4ggravate has made it a bit difficult for him to find someone he can physically play with without spreading rumors. He loves to explain the new rules to you and show you what he has hunted for his collection.

✧ There was a time when, like Kaveh, he argued with Alhaitham. Whatever happened, one day he came back changed. Since then, they've at least respected each other and making your life a little easier.

✧ He is often given rap parts to sing. Mainly because of his low voice.

✧ Fans marvel at how different he can be. The media tried to create his image as quite dark. This is how new fans often see him. Meanwhile, when they spend a little time with him, they understand that this is not the case at all.

✧ A dedicated Cyno fan site was created to collect his jokes. They are very dry. Some people even send him their suggestions for him to tell on streams.

Alhaitham

✧ Alhaitham believes in peace and quiet. You asked him once why he stayed at 4ggravate then. He replied that in this way he would earn enough to have money for his dream life for a long time. He calculated it all. He even showed you the entire spreadsheet on the computer.

✧ You don't know how he does it but he's learning all the time. Be it from books or from various types of courses. Ask him anything, about everything. He will always have an answer.

✧ He writes the lyrics of the songs. With no exception. He has a gift for words. He always knows how to put them together to use rhymes or puns. Composing is not his strong point, so the worst moment is when he has to collaborate with Kaveh, who is better in this field. Not that he would ever admit it.

✧ If he could, he would avoid interviews and meetings with fans. He doesn't like any of these activities. He goes mostly because he has to. For this reason, he does not have as many fans as Kaveh, but he is not very interested in it. The people who choose him as their favorite are usually those who are deeply interested in his words and where he draws inspiration from. And they always get accurate and in-depth answers that make him their number one forever.

✧ He does not part with the headphones. So much so that it became his sign. One time Kaveh took it for fun when he wasn't looking and broke them. You didn't want them to fight again, so you took the blame and returned it to him after it was fixed. He immediately knew it wasn't you and made you promise not to take the blame on yourself again. Despite this, the next day, there were notes on your desk regarding the marketing strategy for the next quarter. Interestingly, better than you'd ever do yourself...

Tighnari

✧ Tighnari has a very sensitive musical ear. Thanks to this, he remembers songs extremely quickly, especially new ones and perfectly matches the rhythm by dancing. He is usually praised above all for his flawless choreography.

✧ The boy is vegan. He deeply believes in unity with nature. In his opinion, there is no need to use animals in this way. Half of his social media consists of this.

✧ Helped launch an eco-friendly line of stuffed animals called Aranara. He gave you one of his first pieces as a thank you for helping with their publicity campaign.

✧ He lives in the belief that being an idol will allow him to convey certain values to his fans. He attaches great importance to the educational aspect. He often comes up with themes for new albums and is able to cleverly combine them with previous or subsequent ones.

✧ Tighnari is known for his sarcastic statements, which is why interviewers love him. He skillfully sweeps them away and hits remarks back, making them borderline controversial. Their viewership is really high.

✧ Hates the heat. You used to shoot scenes for a music video in the desert. You remember that he was perfectly prepared then. That's not to say he didn't complain about the heat but he was one of the few members on set who didn't get sunstroke. He reminded you regularly to drink plenty of water and lent you his hat.

✧ At the beginning of his career, he received a headband with rabbit ears from his younger friend Collei. When they were younger, they attended several survival camps organized by their school together. To this day, she is his biggest fan. Tighnari only pulls out these ears on special occasions.

#genshin impact x reader #kaveh x reader #alhaitham x reader #cyno x reader #tighnari x reader #4ggravate #boysband au #headcanons #over teyvat #cyno #tighnari #kaveh #alhaitham

[herrmannhalsteadproduction]

That Herrmann/Halstead DNA (Chapter Five)

Summary: This is Part Twenty-One of my series A Herrmann/Halstead Production. It is an AU where Christopher Herrmann's mom had an affair with Pat Halstead resulting in a baby. The series follows this OC character (Rebecca "Bex" Herrmann) as she grows up and gets to know her brothers and the various Chicago teams. It is very much an AU, just to underscore that. It doesn't follow the same timeline and characters will follow different paths.

Click here for the Series Rundown where you can find the links to read all of the previous installments (which I highly recommend you do so that this one makes sense.)

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Christopher Herrmann & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Original Female Character, Will Halstead & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Will Halstead, Greg 'Mouse' Gerwitz/Original Female Character, Will Halstead/Connor Rhodes, Assorted OC Couples

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Assault, Stabbing, Gunshot Wounds, Blood and Injury, Whump, Trauma, Eventual Hopeful Ending

A/N: I received my degree from the medical school of Television Drama which means while things might not (*cough* will not *cough*) be accurate, they will be exciting. *jazz hands*

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Two hours later

***

Al

After leaving Lexi with the gang upstairs, Al made his way down to Bex’s room. He rapped softly on the door and entered when he heard the quiet call to come in.

Seeing Bex in that bed was like a punch in the gut. She’d been in rough shape on the scene, but now that she was cleaned up, the marks on her were that much starker. It was only years of being on the job that allowed him to school his face into a semblance of a smile.

“Hey, champ,” he said, stepping over to her. “How you doing?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Bex said, her voice muffled by the oxygen mask as she blinked at him slowly.

Ah. Drugged up to high heaven then. Probably for the best.

“Me and the crew finished up our shifts and brought a bunch of food,” Al said. “Figured everyone would be starving by now.”

Right on cue, Jay’s stomach growled.

“You’re not wrong,” Chris chuckled. He and Cindy were on a little couch off to the side, her feet up on his lap while he massaged them. Jay and Will were sprawled out in two chairs on one side of the bed while Mouse was tucked in close on the other side of it. He was leaning half off his chair, head propped up on one elbow on the bed, his free hand wrapped around Bex’s arm. All of them looked exhausted despite the good front they were putting up.

“Well, we got burgers and sandwiches and fries and other good stuff,” Al said. “I can bring some down to you or if you want to go up—”

“You should go up,” Bex said. “Check on everyone for me. Please?”

“I can stay,” Mouse offered. “You guys go ahead and I’ll grab a bite later.”

“Maybe see if there’s any updates while we’re up there?” Chris said quietly and Will nodded.

Al knew they were still waiting to hear about Emery, but considering how badly injured she’d been, he figured no news was good news. No news meant they were still working on her and he could keep hoping.

She was a good kid. He was putting a lot of power into those hopes.

“Jay, Jay,” Bex mumbled at him as he stood and he moved closer, leaning in to hear what she had to say.

“Yeah, Bex?”

“Bring me fries.”

Jay barked out a laugh. “You want fries?”

“Yes.” Bex pulled down her mask to nod solemnly at him. “Fries will cure me.”

Al had to smother his own laughter as Jay immediately agreed and Will dragged a hand down his face.

“Seriously, guys?” Will groaned.

“No, Will, trust me,” Bex said to him, eyes wide. “It’s medicine.”

“It’s medicine, Will,” Jay repeated, biting his lip trying to maintain a serious face.

“You can have some fries if you keep your mask on until they arrive,” Will said, pointing a stern finger at Bex who immediately started putting it back in place. Mouse reached up to help her get it set, shaking his head as he smiled at her.

“Thank you,” she said, eyes fluttering as sleep started pulling her back under again.

“Alright, come on.” Chris stood up and reached out to help Cindy to her feet. “Let’s get some medicine and regroup.”

“We’re not calling it—okay, fine, yeah, let’s go,” Will said, rolling his eyes with a little chuckle. He held the door as they all filed out into the hallway.

Al waited until they were closer to the elevator to share the rest of his news. “Voight’s on his way back too. He’s got the detective in charge of the case with him and she’s gonna want to interview everyone.”

“Bex isn’t up for it,” Will said immediately. “Not tonight.”

“That’s what we figured, but maybe you? And Hailey?” They’d had a front row seat to things, so to speak, and getting that info while it was fresh in their minds would be important.

“Yeah,” Jay stepped onto the elevator and jabbed a finger at the button. “Might as well get it over with.”

“It’ll help Bex,” Al said quietly as he came to stand beside him. To them it was a clear-cut case of self defense, but put it in the hands of a scum bag lawyer and anything could happen. The more evidence they had on their side, the better.

“I know.” Jay sighed, rubbing at his eyes. “Whatever’s needed, count me in.”

Al clapped him on the shoulder in thanks. In solidarity. Whatever was needed went both ways.

The elevator dinged and they all shuffled off as the doors opened. The lounge where their crew was set up was only a little ways down the hall.

He gave Lexi a smooch on the head, checking in with her as he went by, but she seemed okay enough with Bex’s friends. She gave him a tiny head shake to let him know they hadn’t heard anything yet.

Still hope, he reminded himself.

Al let the others get Jay and his family settled with food. Platt was sitting off in a corner by herself looking like the last thing she wanted was company.

He made his way over.

“You get something to eat?” he asked as he settled into the chair beside her.

“Not hungry,” she said, shaking her head.

“You know the only way to get through a crisis is with a full stomach. I can grab you a sandwich or a muffin—”

“I said I’m not hungry, Al,” she snapped.

He held up his hands, eyebrows raised. “Alright. Let me know if you change your mind.” Al kept his mouth shut, waiting her out, until—

“I just—I keep going over it,” she said, staring hard at the carpet, tearing at the rim of the empty coffee cup in her hands. “Something should have come through, right? It should have hit my desk or been a phone call—something. So, what did I miss? When did I miss it? If we’d known Ty was out even an hour earlier—”

“Hey, hang on.” Al turned in his seat to face her. “This is not on you.”

“But if I missed—”

“You didn’t miss anything,” Al said. He’d put money on it. “This is—you know what it’s like. Agencies like Victim Services, they got no budget and hardly any staff all trying to cover a mountain of cases. Stuff falls through the cracks. We put the blame where it belongs.”

“I’d like to clock that prick myself,” she muttered.

“Get in line,” Al said. That got the tiniest grin out of her. He’d take it. He leaned back in his seat and stretched out his legs. “Still no word, eh?”

Trudy shook her head, sighing.

“Emery, she’s a good kid,” Al said. “She’s been helping Lexi.”

“Oh, yeah?”

He nodded. “Pretty sure Lexi’s boyfriend is on his way to being the same flavour of shitburger as Ty, but Emery kind of took her under her wing and helped her navigate some stuff.” Helped their whole family navigate some stuff. “Lex went with her mom today and grabbed her stuff from that loft place they were staying at. She’s moving back home.”

For the first time in months, Al felt like he could finally breath again.

Thanks to Emery.

“Yeah, she’s a good kid.”

***

Jay

Jay was digging into a burger, filling Sam in on Al’s news, when Julie showed up.

“Oh, food,” she said, collapsing into the chair on Sam’s other side and swiping a few of his fries. “Thank god.”

“You just got off shift?” Sam asked, handing over half of his sandwich to her.

Julie nodded, humming around her mouthful. “They finally sent someone to take over watch duty,” she said, grimacing. “Really glad to not be around that asshole anymore.”

“Hey!”

They all looked up to see Shay and Brett hurrying into the lounge. Shay bent down to give Julie a kiss while Brett detoured over to see Kev. “Any news?” Shay asked them.

“Nothing yet,” Jay said.

She sighed, pulling out her phone to check the time. “We dropped someone off downstairs and the Chief gave us permission to swing by and see how things were going, but we can’t stay long. We’ve got like, five minutes so talk fast. How’s Bex?”

“In and out.” Jay poked at his fries, making a mental note to swing by the caf for some fresh ones before he went back to her room. “They’ve got her on a lot of pain meds. Tomorrow’ll be worse.” He’d been in Bex’s place before and she did not have a fun road ahead.

“We’ll say hi before we go,” Shay said, munching on a fry she’d stolen from Sam. Jay shot him a commiserating look and shook some of his own onto the poor guy’s plate.

Shay stood up abruptly and Jay noticed everyone else starting to do the same, all of them going quiet. He looked around only to scramble out of his own chair to join Will.

Connor and Dr. Latham were walking down the hall, headed their way.

They both looked exhausted as hell, but beyond that, Jay couldn’t get a sense of whether or not they were coming to give them good news or bad.

Jay took a shaky breath and braced himself for the worst.

***

Will

Will searched Connor’s face as he approached, looking for some kind of clue for how things went, but Connor wouldn’t even meet his eyes.

Maybe that was enough of a clue right there.

Will’s stomach sank.

Fuck.

This—this wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. How was he supposed to go down and tell Bex that…that her friend was dead.

Will honestly didn’t know if he could.

He looked back at Connor wishing he could wrap him up in the hug they both desperately needed when he realized—Connor wasn’t avoiding his eyes. He was searching the crowd.

Looking for Bex.

Will caught the flicker of alarm the passed over his face when he realized she wasn’t there. Then he sought out Will, brows pulled together in a frown.

‘Long story’, Will mouthed at him. ‘Later.’

Connor frowned even further, but nodded…and gave Will the tiniest of grins.

Oh.

Oh.

His brain had barely wrapped around the emotional one-eighty it was going through when Dr. Latham cleared his throat.

“Family of Emery Hughes?”

“Here,” Kira said, voice thick with anxiety as she pushed to the front of the group. “It’s, uh, all of us. We’re her family. Is she—is Emery okay?”

“Ms. Hughes successfully made it through surgery,” Dr. Latham said, pausing while the wave of excitement and relief passed through their little group. “Her injuries and the amount of blood lost were quite severe though and she coded a number of times during her procedure. The next forty-eight hours will be crucial. We’ll be keeping a close eye on her.”

“Are we allowed to see her?” Malia asked.

“Not yet,” Dr. Latham said. “She has some post-op procedures to go through and then she’ll be moved to the ICU. Visitors will be allowed there on a limited basis. Dr. Rhodes can answer any further questions. Thank you.” He nodded at them all before walking away.

There was a moment of calm while everyone took that in and then they all converged on Connor, asking question after question which he answered as best he could. The problem was, in a situation like this, most of the answers were ‘we don’t know’ and ‘we’ll have to wait and see.’

After getting what details they could, it devolved into variations on the same questions which was helping no one.

“Okay, back up, back up,” Will said, wading in to give Connor some space. “We know all we can so far. Sit tight, make sure you get something to eat, and someone will be by to let us know when Emery can have visitors. I’ve got to fill Connor in on…everything else so just…give us a moment. Please.”

Kira and Malia darted in to give Connor hugs and whispered thanks, but then joined the rest of them in taking a seat. Chris and Cindy gave him hugs next. “Make sure you get something to eat too,” Cindy said to him before following Chris back to their spot by Trudy and Al.

He looked over at Will, more than a bit bewildered. “Fill me in on what? Where’s Bex? What happened?”

“Come over here.” Will grabbed his hand and took him over to a quieter corner of the lounge. Jay followed. Between the two of them, they managed to relay the full story of what had gone down leaving Connor even paler than before.

“So, uh, she’s been admitted?” Connor asked, closing his eyes briefly as he rubbed at his forehead. “But she’s okay?”

“She will be.” Will scooched closer to wrap an arm around his shoulders.

“You want to go down and see for yourself?” Jay asked as he stood up.

“Yes,” Connor said, voice cracking. He pressed his face into his hands. “Oh, my god, this day.”

“We’ll go in a bit,” Will whispered to Jay who nodded and backed away. “Hey.” Will leaned in to rest his head against Connor’s. “Let’s go somewhere private?”

Connor nodded and together they ducked down the hall into the thankfully empty nurses’ lounge.

As soon as the door was shut behind him, Connor was pacing the room. “We almost lost her so many times,” he said, scrubbing a hand over his face. “At one point, I thought—I thought we wouldn’t get her back. Latham tried to kick me out and I fought him every time. Hard. Pretty sure I’m getting written up for that, but I couldn’t leave her—I couldn’t—” He stopped suddenly and turned to Will, tears filling his eyes. “I told him she wasn’t family, Will, I said—”

“It was the only way he would’ve let you in there,” Will said, fully understanding Connor’s angst over that. They might not be related by blood, but over the past few months, he and Connor and Bex and Emery had become their own weird little family unit. “You did what you had to, Con. You saved her.”

The tears finally fell then as Connor face-planted into Will’s neck, wrapping his arms around him and Will hugged him back tight.

They stood there like that for a long while as Will let himself have a good cry of his own.

They weren’t okay. Not yet.

But they would be.

***

Connor

Connor pulled away eventually, wiping at his cheeks as he sniffled. “I can’t believe I missed everything with Bex too,” he said. “You said she’s got a pulmonary contusion? How often are they checking her stats? Is the bleed—”

“Babe.” Will took his hands and gave them a squeeze. “We’ve been on top of it, don’t worry. She’s been checked multiple times and Dr. Fahir is keeping a close eye on her.”

Right. They would’ve had to hand her off from the ED staff. Part of Connor hated that they couldn’t be the ones looking after her, but he’d crossed paths with Dr. Fahir a few times and she was excellent. At least Bex was in good hands.

And they could still check in on her.

“Let’s go see her,” he said, swooping in for one more hug from Will. “We can let her know about Emery.”

“It’ll be a big weight off of her mind.” Will held him close, giving him a quick kiss before releasing him. “She asks if there’s any news every time she wakes up.”

They headed back out to the lounge to let everyone know where they were going and Jay hopped up to come with them.

“I want to make sure Mouse goes and gets something to eat,” he said on the way to the elevator. “You guys should too after you’ve seen Bex.”

“What is it you and Bex say?” Will said, waving a hand as he searched for the words. “Okay, Mama Chicken.” He laughed while Jay rolled his eyes.

“Bex is too drugged up to boss anyone around so someone has to do it,” Jay said.

“Too drugged up to boss anyone around?” Will smirked at him. “I seem to recall a demand for fries earlier…”

“Ah, crap.” Jay reached over and hit the button for the caf floor. “Forgot about that.”

“It’s Bex’s medicine,” Will told Connor, managing to hold a serious face for about two seconds before his lips started to twitch.

Connor laughed, leaning into his side. Oh, she was definitely drugged up. An under-the-influence Bex was a snacky Bex.

They got off on Bex’s floor, leaving Jay to his fry mission, and headed for her room. Will knocked quietly before letting them in.

Bex was sleeping and Connor—he was grateful for that. He needed a minute to get himself together. Will and Jay had both been clear about her injuries and he’d seen Emery for himself, but the double whammy of seeing Bex right after all of that…it was a bit overwhelming.

He grabbed Will’s hand, squeezing it as they came over to the bed.

“The doc came by while you guys were away,” Mouse said quietly. “She said Bex’s stats looked pretty good and said she could ditch the mask for this tube-y thing.” He gestured at the nasal cannula.

“That’s good,” Will said. He shot Connor a little smile. “She kept taking it off to talk anyway.”

“Any, uh, any news about Emery?” Mouse asked. “Bex was asking again.”

“Yeah, actually.” Connor grinned at him, happy to be able to share some good news after what they’d all been through. “She’s in recovery right now. Still going to be touch and go for awhile, but I’m hopeful.”

“Wha’s going on?” Bex blinked at them groggily. Her eyes landed on Connor and they widened as she focused on him. “Connor! What’s happening? How’s—ah!” She clutched her side, groaning from the pain of trying to sit up. Mouse beat him and Will to it as he helped ease her back onto her pillow.

Will made space for Connor to move up on the other side of the bed and get closer to her.

“Emery made it through surgery,” Connor told her, getting right to the point so she’d hopefully relax a little bit.

“She did?” Bex asked, voice shaky. She reached out with a bandaged hand to clutch at his. “She’s okay?”

“We need to keep an eye on her,” Connor said. He didn’t want to lie in case things took a turn. He was hoping for the best, but he was also well aware of the risks. “She lost a fair amount of blood, Bex, and the knife hit her lungs and intestine and almost hit her heart. We had to do a lot of repairs. We’ll be watching for infection, further bleeding—the next couple of days will be critical and we’ll be keeping her sedated so she can heal.”

“Oh, god.” Bex’s head fell back against the bed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “So, she’s—she’s not okay—”

“She’s alive,” Connor said firmly. “We’re doing everything we can to keep her that way and I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but we’re pretty determined around here.”

That got a weak laugh out of her.

Connor gently squeezed her hand. “I’ll be with her as much as I can,” he said. “You focus on resting and getting yourself healed up.”

“Okay.” Bex sniffed. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to heal without fries though.”

“Jay is literally getting them as we speak,” Will exclaimed. “Despite my better judgement, I might add.”

Bex beamed at him before turning back to Connor. “Thank you,” she said, smile still a bit wet. “For saving her. I don’t know what I’d do—I just—” She sighed as she held out her arms. “I just really need a hug now please.”

“Good because I do too.” Connor leaned in for the most careful hug he could possibly give her. “Love you, Bex,” he whispered in her ear.

“Love you too,” she whispered back.

“Knock, knock,” Jay called out as he popped his head through the door.

“Fries!” Bex cheered.

Connor released Bex and cleared out of the way for the treasured snack. “She’s in better spirits than I thought she’d be,” he murmured to Will who raised an eyebrow at him.

“Pretty sure the pain meds and the shock are holding back the worst of it,” Will said quietly. “I think it’s going to hit her hard sooner rather than later.”

“We’ll help her through it,” Connor said. “In the meantime…”

“We have fries,” Will finished for him with a little grin.

***

Bex

Bex didn’t care what Will said. These fries were making her feel at least thirty percent better.

Jay had managed to convince him and Connor to go and take a break and grab a bite to eat. Now he was working on Mouse.

“I’ll stay right here,” Jay said. “It’s been hours since lunch, man. You need to get something.”

“I recommend the fries,” Bex told him.

“Yes,” Mouse said, lips twitching. “A few times now.” His phone beeped and he pulled it out to check the text, frowning down at the screen.

“Everything okay?” Bex asked, mentally crossing her fingers that it was because they really didn’t need anymore disasters today.

“Yeah, uh, Ed’s here,” Mouse said, sounding more than a little surprised by that. “I texted him to let him know what was going on and I guess he wanted to check on us in person?”

“Aw, that’s nice,” Bex said. She liked Ed. “He’s nice. You should go say thank you.”

“You heard the lady,” Jay said, nodding at the door. “Take a little break, Mouse. We’ll be here when you get back.”

Mouse looked torn, glancing between her and Jay and his phone. “I can just text him,” he began and Bex reached out to pat at his arm.

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Jay’s here. You should have snacks. Snacks are good.”

“You make a pretty good case for them.” Mouse smiled down at her, brushing her hair back from her forehead before leaning in to give her a kiss. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

“Take a proper break,” Bex said, trying to make sure he was listening because this was important.

“I’m listening,” Mouse whispered back. He chuckled a bit and oh, jeez—was she talking her thoughts again? “Yeah,” he said. “It’s okay. I like it.” He gave her one more kiss before straightening up and giving Jay one of those back-slappy bro hugs they did. “I’ll be back soon,” he promised.

Jay plopped down into the empty seat on her right once Mouse left, leaning back with one foot up on the edge of the bed. “How are those fries?” he asked, grinning at her.

“Best fries of my life,” she said, nudging the container along the little table in his direction. “Want some?”

“Nah, I grabbed some food upstairs. Thanks though for offering to share the precious.” His laugh turned into a giant yawn. “Oh, man. ‘scuse me.”

Bex tilted her head and took a good look at him. He was putting on a good show with the jokes and the smiles, but his eyes were red, his shoulders were tight, and he looked about two seconds away from passing out in his chair. “You can take a nap on the couch if you want.”

“Hm?” Jay straightened up, shooting her a look. “A nap? No, no, I’m good. Happy to hang out right here.” His eyes passed over here, pausing on all the marks she was sporting. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said softly.

“You know I’m not going anywhere either,” she blurted out, her filter apparently completely off.

Jay stilled. “I know—”

“I mean, I’m okay—or I’m going to be and you don’t have to worry—”

“Bex.” Jay lowered his foot and sat forward in his chair, catching her gaze in his. “I’m always gonna worry. That’s just how it is.”

A wave of guilt rose up in Bex for what she’d put him through today. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. He opened his mouth and she shook her head before he could argue. “No, just listen,” Bex said. She held out her bandaged hand and he took it carefully, gently squeezing her fingertips. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you today and that you had to hear…everything. I can’t—I’m not sorry for going in because I had to, Jay. I couldn’t leave her alone. I couldn’t—”

“I know,” Jay said quickly. “I get it. I do.”

“I just—I’m sorry you had to go through that,” she said. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“You’re sorry—” Jay’s voice caught and he shook his head. “Bex, you did nothing wrong, okay? You were—oh, my god, you were so brave. You saved Emery’s life. I’m sorry. I tried to get there as fast I could, but I’m sorry you were alone with him for so long—”

“No,” Bex cut him off as forcefully as she could. “You were the reason I could fight back. It was your training—you and Hailey—and knowing that you were coming? That—the whole time, that helped keep me going. So, thank you.”

Jay let out a shaky breath and swiped at the tears streaming down his face. “Scared the shit out of me, you know that?”

Bex nodded, tugging on his hand. “C’mere. Hug time.”

He moved in for one, mindful of her injuries, and gave her a little squeeze.

“You know I love you, right?” she whispered.

“Always,” he said. “I love you, too.”

“Don’t tell Will,” Bex said as he pulled away. “But I think the hugs might be working better than the fries.”

“How about both,” Jay laughed as he fell back into his seat. “Both sounds good to me.”

“Jay Halstead.” Bex fished out a fry and saluted him with it. “Certified genius.”

He snatched one up for himself and popped it in his mouth. “Hey.” His eyebrows flew up. “Those are good.” He reached for another one and Bex tried to bat his hand away.

“Noooo, not my medicine.”

***

Jay

“Who in their right mind left the two of you alone in here?” Chris called out over their laughter as he and Cindy came into the room.

“Ooooh,” Bex clutched at her side, heaving a breath. “People need to stop making me laugh.”

Crap. Jay instantly sobered, checking the numbers on her monitor like he knew what the hell he was even looking for. “Are you okay? Should I call someone?”

“I’m fine.” Bex waved him back into his seat. “I’m just sore. And I’d also probably be better if someone stopped stealing my fries.”

“Doctor’s orders were to rest, missy,” Cindy said sternly as she came over to press a kiss onto Bex’s forehead. “I’m heading home to tuck in the kids and grab some sleep, but I’ll be back first thing in the morning.”

“Okay,” Bex said. “Thank you for being here.”

“Oh, sweetheart, of course.” Cindy shot a look at Jay and Chris. “Take good care of her while I’m gone.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jay nodded.

Chris and Cindy gave them both hugs; Chris promising to be back after he walked Cindy out to the van. Jay was barely settled back in his chair when Will entered.

“That was a fast meal,” Jay said.

Will shrugged. “Connor wanted to get back up to check on Emery and make sure her post-op is going well. And I wanted to get back to Bex.”

“Awwwwww,” Bex said around a mouthful of fry.

“No idea why,” Will rolled his eyes with a laugh.

Jay’s phone pinged and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Well, you have good timing,” he said as he scanned the message. “Voight’s here with the detective working the case. She wants to talk to us.”

“Me?” Bex asked quietly.

“No, not yet,” Jay said, quick to reassure her. “Your interview can wait a day or two and you’ll have someone with you for it, don’t worry.”

“Go on and see what she has to say,” Will said to him. “I’m good to hang out here.”

Jay couldn’t lie; he wanted to hear what this detective had planned. “If you’re okay with it—”

“Go.” Bex shooed at him. “We’re fine.”

“Okay, okay.” He gave them both hugs and headed for the door, calling over his shoulder. “Let Mouse know when he gets back!”

Voight had taken over a conference room the next floor up so Jay took the stairs, not having the patience to wait for the elevator. Everyone was already gathered there along with a few people he didn’t recognize.

“Jay, c’mere a sec,” Voight waved him over. “This is Detective Medeiros. She’s handling the case.” A dark-haired woman with kind eyes standing beside him offered a hand to Jay.

“Nice to meet you,” Jay said as he shook it.

“Likewise.” She took a step back to look around the room. “Now that we’re all here, let’s get started.” Detective Medeiros made her way to the front of the group. “First of all, I want to thank the Intelligence Unit for your fast response and for securing the scene. Excellent work all around.”

There were a few solemn nods, but Jay knew they were all dealing with the same lingering feelings he was. Fast, but not fast enough.

“My team and I will be meeting with everyone for interviews,” she continued. “The name of the game here is thoroughness so be prepared for that.” A gritty smile spread across her face. “We’re going to nail this bastard to the wall.”

Jay straightened up from where he’d been leaning against the wall, a matching smile forming on his own face.

Welcome to the team, Detective Medeiros.

***

Sam

The nurse led them over to the ICU and showed them Emery’s room. Kira and Sam had been elected first visitors by their group and Sam was both grateful and terrified.

He wanted to see her. Wanted to be able to reassure himself that she was still here, but—

The way she’d looked the last time he’d seen her.

Feeling her ribs crack under his hands as he tried to force life back into her.

He wasn’t sure if he could if he could see her right know, knowing he’d been a part of the damage she faced.

Kira grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze and giving him no choice as she pulled him forward.

“Come on,” she whispered. “We need to let her know we’re here. Tell her she’s not alone.”

Sam nodded, managing to force his feet to follow Kira into the room because no matter what he was feeling, the last thing he wanted Emery to feel ever again was alone.

***

Will

Will settled into the chair beside Bex, chuckling at the dopey smile she gave him. “What?”

“You’re a good brother,” she said.

Maybe now.

Not always.

“Stop that,” she said. “Stop with the face. And the thinking.” She frowned at him. “You’re awesome. And you help me. And I love you.”

“You’re awesome too,” Will said, reaching out to give her arm a little squeeze. “And you help me.” His throat started to get tight. “And I love you, too.”

He still couldn’t believe they’d almost lost her today.

He didn’t even want to imagine what that would have been like—couldn’t begin to wrap his brain around it.

“Well, that’s good then,” Bex said. “I like that.”

“Me too, Bex.”

They sat quietly like that for a few minutes, Will holding on to her arm, letting himself be sure of the fact that she was there when Bex piped up again.

“Will?”

His lips twitched. He knew that tone. “Yeah, Bex?”

“Will you get me some water? My medicine made me thirsty.”

“Oh, really?” Will laughed. “Your ‘medicine’ made you thirsty. What a shock.”

“Willllllllll.”

“I’m going!” He stood up and grabbed the pitcher from beside her bed. “I’ll even get you some ice from the nurses’ lounge since you like it cold.”

“Yes,” Bex cheered. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Will was pretty sure he was going to be doing anything to put a smile on her face for the foreseeable future.

He was just grateful she was still here to smile at him.

***

Voight

Detective Medeiros had stepped away to take a call, but her raised voice caught his attention.

“Why the hell am I only being told about this now?” she snarled into her phone. “I want additional units sent here—no, you have no way of knowing that. He could already be here. Additional units. Now. We need to cover the entrances and do a sweep. Tell them to report to me as soon as they arrive.”

Voight stepped over to her as she ended the call with a frustrated huff. “Something I should know about?”

Her head snapped up and her lips pressed into a hard line. “Yes, actually,” she said. “You and your people.”

“Twenty-one,” Voight called out, waving them over. “With me.”

Once everyone was gathered, Detective Medeiros took a deep breath before addressing them. “That was the team at Lakeshore,” she said. “Ty Anderson escaped police custody.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Halstead exclaimed. “How—”

“Let her explain and then we’ll figure out a plan,” Voight said, holding up a hand.

“The officer guarding Anderson uncuffed him when he took him to the adjoining washroom,” Detective Medeiros said, ignoring their muttered curses at that bit of news. “Anderson got the jump on him and knocked him out. He stole his uniform, gagged him, and left him cuffed to a support railing. They estimate he’s been in the wind for at least thirty minutes.”

“Fuck,” Halstead muttered, dragging a hand through his hair. “Fuck.”

“Wait,” Burgess said. “Stole his uniform—does that mean—”

“He also has the officer’s gun, yes,” Medeiros confirmed.

What a friggin’ shitshow.

“You got extra units coming?” Voight asked her and Medeiros made a face.

“I’m working on it,” she said. “The Lakeshore team is pressing for units to go to cover the bus and train stations, but I don’t think he’s running away.”

“He wouldn’t,” Upton spoke up. “He’ll be coming here. For Emery.”

“We can’t afford to wait for the extra units,” Medeiros began.

Voight nodded. “Anything you need,” he said. “My team and I are here to help.”

“Let’s start a co-ordinated sweep and I’ll loop in hospital security,” she said.

His team instantly leapt into action, picking up on the plan and piecing out the floors for the sweep. Voight watched them dive in with grim satisfaction.

That asshole Ty wasn’t going to cause anymore damage.

Not if they had any say in it.

***

Mouse

Mouse sat at a table in the cafeteria with Ed, working his way through a BLT and what was probably his eighth cup of coffee of the day. He’d just finished filling Ed in on the details of everything that’d happened and Ed clearly needed a minute to let it all sink in so Mouse was taking the opportunity to eat.

Turned out he was actually pretty starving.

“Christ, Mouse,” Ed finally spoke. He blinked, shaking his head. “That is—wow, man. I’m glad Bex is going to be okay and I—I really hope her friend makes it. That’s some heavy shit.” Ed put his elbows on the table and leaned in. “How are you?”

That was a loaded question. Mouse slowly chewed his last bite as he thought it over.

“Still freaking out a bit,” he said, trying to be honest. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared. And I—”

“You what,” Ed prompted him.

“I feel stupid,” Mouse confessed.

Ed frowned at him. “Why?”

“I know you guys said all of that stuff about how anything could happen to anyone, but I—I really never thought we’d be here…like this,” he said. “I always thought if anyone would be hurt, it was going to be me somehow. Me putting Bex through that. And now—not that I think Bex is putting me through this, you know—none of this is her fault—I just, I never really thought through being on this side of things and I-I don’t want to screw it up. I want to be there for her and help her and help her through this, but what if I make it worse or—”

“Mouse,” Ed interrupted him. “You’re not going to screw it up, bud. You’re already doing the most important thing. You’re here. That’s what matters most, okay?”

“I hate seeing her hurt,” Mouse said. “Not just in pain, but scared and upset, you know? I wish I could fix it. I know, I know—” He waved off whatever Ed was going to say next. “I know I can’t fix it and I know being here is helping her.” He sighed. “I just—I never want her to hurt.”

“One of the hardest parts of loving someone,” Ed said quietly. “You really are helping her just by being here though. I promise.” He eyed Mouse across the table. “It’s a stressful thing. How are you handling that side of it?”

Meaning, how was his sobriety handling it…

“It’s weird,” Mouse said and Ed gestured for him to go on. “Part of me was also sure something like this would send me spinning back off into, uh, bad habits, you know? But I don’t—the only urge I’m feeling is to be with Bex. Make sure she’s okay.”

“I get that.” Ed nodded. “And I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but make sure you get your breaks in. Eat. Sleep. Don’t burn yourself out. If you guys need anything, we’re all happy to help out too. No question.”

“Bex was declaring what a nice guy you were before I came down here,” Mouse told him with a grin.

“Ah. Finally,” Ed said. “A sign of good taste from her.”

“Ha-ha.” Mouse tossed his napkin at him with a half-hearted throw. They didn’t chat for much longer—Mouse was itching to get back to Bex—and as they were leaving the caf, Ed handed over the tote bag he’d been carrying.

“From Lucy,” he explained as Mouse peeked inside. It looked like a bunch of…toiletries? “She thought you and Bex could use some supplies. We weren’t sure how long Bex would be here and you know how grungy you start to feel even after a day. There’s a whole bunch of stuff in there to freshen up or whatever. Socks too because Lucy said it’s always freezing in this place.”

Mouse couldn’t speak for a moment. It was times like this when it hit him how unbelievably lucky he’d been to find these people. “Thank you,” he managed to get out. “I—thank you, Ed. To you and Lucy. All of you.”

“We’re here for you, kid.” Ed patted his back with a gruff nod. “You and Bex.”

They walked out into the hallway and nearly ran into Kim. “Oh, Mouse,” she said, eyes going wide. “I didn’t realize you were down here and not with Bex—”

“What’s going on?” Alarm bells were going off in Mouse’s head. “What’s wrong?”

Kim got halfway through a story about Ty escaping custody and possibly heading their way before Mouse was running for the stairwell, Ed hot on his heels.

A floor away and out of the loop.

Again.

Mouse picked up the pace.

He wasn’t going to let anything stop him from getting to her this time.

***

Bex

The door to her room creaked open and Bex looked up. “Fastest water retrieval ever…” The words died on her lips when it wasn’t Will who came in.

It was Ty.

“What? How—”

“Nice to see you too, Bex,” he said, limping closer to the bed. He grinned ruefully at her. “Maybe not so nice since the last time we saw each other, you gave me this.” He reached up to poke at the bandage on the side of his head and Bex froze.

He had a gun in his hand.

She blinked at him, trying not to move. Now that she looked closer, he was wearing a patrol uniform that clearly didn’t fit him very well. What the hell was going on? How did he get away?

Oh, god, Will was coming back soon. He couldn’t hurt Will.

She had to get rid of him.

“What do you want, Ty?” Bex asked, her voice coming out a thousand times steadier than she felt.

“Emery,” he said, looming over her. “Where is she?”

No, no, no, Bex couldn’t let him anywhere near Emery.

“I—I don’t know—”

“Don’t lie to me, Bex.” Ty reached out, placing a hand where he’d kicked her and slowly pressed down. Hard.

She cried out, but Ty instantly placed his other hand over her mouth. The one holding the gun. Bex flinched back against the cold bite of metal against her lips as Ty shushed her.

“You need to be quiet, sweetheart,” he said, his thumb running through the tears running down her cheek. “We don’t want anyone coming in here and getting in the way.” He pushed at her side again and Bex stifled a scream as she felt something shift. “One more time. Where’s Emery?”

The sharpness of the pain cut through her foggy brain and Bex gathered herself. He was going to have to try and get through her and she’d already shown him she wouldn’t make it easy.

“She’s in the basement,” Bex snapped out. “Go down there and ask for the morgue.”

Ty stared at her before stepping back with a scoff. “Very funny. Try again.”

“Do you see me laughing?” Bex let her eyes fill with more tears which wasn’t hard considering the stabbing pain coming from her side. “You got exactly what you wanted. You killed her.”

Her heart pounded in her chest as Ty stared at her with narrowed eyes. “Interesting,” he said, tilting his head. “I can’t quite tell if this is the truth or if you’re sending me on a wild goose chase. Trying to buy yourself some time so your cop brother can swoop in and save the day again?”

“I’m not lying,” Bex whispered. She kept his stare, letting every ounce of hatred she felt for him show through. “You killed her, you fucking asshole.”

His eyes darkened and he grabbed her un-splinted arm, jerking her upright. “Shut up,” Ty growled when she yelped at the sudden movement. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll go on your little field trip, but you’re coming with me. Insurance for when the cops show up.” He dragged her forward and Bex couldn’t stop the cry that slipped out. “Come on. Get the fuck up.”

“What the hell are you doing?” a second voice rang through the room.

Will.

***

Will

Will’s heart pounded as he took in the scene he’d walked in on. Ty, trying to drag Bex out of her bed, with a gun in his hand.

A gun that was now pointed in Will’s direction.

“Walk away, man,” Ty said.

“Just go, Will,” Bex whispered. “Please, please, go.”

“Sorry,” Will said, carefully setting the water jug down on the nearest chair and then raising his hands in the air. “But I don’t think I can do that.”

“Then you’re going to stay right there while Bex and I walk out that door,” Ty snapped out. He had an iron grip on Bex’s arm and kept jerking her forward, trying to get her on her feet. The leads connected to the monitor were getting pulled and her heart rate was going up. Alarms were going to go off any second sending an unsuspecting nurse their way.

“Where exactly are you two headed?” he asked, trying to wrack his brain for the safest way of getting out of this mess.

He wasn’t coming up with many options.

“Bex is going to show me the morgue,” Ty said. “She says that’s where Emery is. That true, Doc?”

Oh, smart, amazing Bex, thinking on her feet. “Yeah, it’s true,” Will said, frowning at Ty. “She didn’t make it through surgery. But…listen…”

Bex wasn’t the only one who could think on her feet.

“Taking Bex with you,” Will said. “That’s not going to get you to the morgue.” He shook his head, pointing at Bex. “You try dragging a patient down the hall like that, you’re going to get stopped before you get to the elevator.”

“So?” Ty gripped Bex closer. “Only need her for a shield anyway.”

“How about a shield and a cover story?” Will gestured to himself. “No one’s going to ask questions about an officer walking down the hall with a doctor. I can get you there.”

He’d figure out the rest on the way.

“Will,” Bex gasped out. “No.”

“You’ll get me down there,” Ty repeated. Slowly. Maybe his head injury was catching up with him. Will could try and use that in his favour.

“I can,” Will agreed. “On one condition; you don’t hurt Bex.”

Ty thought it over for a few seconds before he released Bex’s arm and shoved her back on the bed. “Deal,” he said. Will didn’t even get to breathe a sigh of relief before Ty was swinging his arm out and bringing the butt of the gun down over Bex’s head.

She slumped against the pillow, unconscious as a trickle of blood flowed down onto the fabric.

“You said you wouldn’t hurt her,” Will lurched forward.

He was stopped in his tracks by Ty leveling the gun at him and clicking off the safety. “Be happy I didn’t kill her,” he said. “Now move.”

Ty stepped towards him, shoving the gun into Will’s side and propelling him toward the door. Will opened it and they moved out into the hallway.

As he’d predicted, no one gave them a second look.

This time of night, there weren’t too many people around anyway, thank goodness. There was the faint sound of voices coming down the hall and Will picked up the pace. He didn’t want anyone else caught up in whatever was about to happen.

The two of them walked quickly down the hall toward the elevators. It was dinging before Will had a chance to touch the call button and the doors opened up—

To reveal Connor inside.

No, no, no.

He smiled when he saw Will; his greeting falling away as he spotted Ty next. Confusion quickly gave way to anger as Connor recognized him. “You—”

No.

“Enough of this shit,” Ty said, pointing the gun at Connor’s head.

Time slowed down for Will.

No. not him. no. no. no—

 His body was moving before his mind could catch up with it and he grabbed Ty’s arm, shoving it down as he threw himself between Connor and the gun.

Hoping, praying he was fast enough.

***

The crack of a gunshot echoed down the hallway.

Click here to read Chapter Six. Click here to read Chapter Seven.

Click here to read That Herrmann/Halstead DNA on ao3:

And here is the tag list (let me know if you wish to be added or removed):

@sorry-i-spaced, @thegirlwhowishedeveryonelived, @ivyalmighty, @thewannabewriter, @lexhalstead3, @multifandomgrl08, @foxes-and-cats, @sensitivemallysix, @thebewingedjewelcat, @emme-looou, @trulylavandedarling

#a herrmann/halstead production #one chicago #chicago fire #chicago pd #chicago med #rebecca 'bex' herrmann #jay halstead #oc character #will halstead #christopher herrmann #greg “mouse” gerwitz x original female character #greg “mouse” gerwitz #greg gerwitz #whump #hurt/comfort #trauma #whump fic #angst

[da-birb-writes-sometimes]

Driving Habits  -Heartslabyul Edition

Can they drive? If so, what kind of drivers are they? What are their car habits?

Characters; Riddle Rosehearts, Ace Trappola, Deuce Spade, Cater Diamond & Trey Clover

Content; swearing, mentions of road rage

Author’s Note; NRC has a school radio for this (honestly a school radio would be kinda cool ngl), pretending that TWST gets our music from here

Word Count; 900+

Find the Rest of the Series; Savanaclaw, Octavinelle, Scarabia, Pomefiore, Ignihyde, Diasomnia

Author’s Note; As a reminder, do not put my work — or others for that matter — into AI as it steals. Link to Masterlist

Riddle Rosehearts

Follows the rules of the road to a T. If he’s feeling a bit adventurous he may go a little faster than the speed limit but that’s pretty much it. Has his routes memorized and hates taking different ones.

Would probably listen to a news/classical music radio station. No one is allowed to change it under any circumstance. He controls the aux.

Keeps his phone on silent and in the back seat to avoid distraction. It doesn’t matter who calls or texts him, he is only looking and potentially answering it once he reaches his destination.

The only sign that the car is not brand new is the little hedgehog plush that sits on his dash and a novelty cake air freshener… and a cursed Bibble bumper sticker that Ace put on that will not budge and it infuriates him to no end.

Has bad road rage, but is usually just content to condemn the interloper by muttering to himself. Has laid down on the horn for those who really crossed the line and turns up his music to try and calm down.

Ace Trappola

Semi-decent driver, not the best, not the worst. A bit of a speed demon but not to the extent of getting ticketed. Sometimes forgets some rules of the road, but nothing major.

The glove box is filled with snacks; he did not keep the manual for the car. He probably listens to some magic podcast (only when he’s alone), ‘90s-2000s pop (again alone), and with friends, he plays alternative rap or classic rock. Trey did catch him singing his heart out to Barbie Girl and he’s still mortified.

His phone is sitting in the cupholder and he checks it at red lights (do not be like Ace).

Probably has a magic eight-ball on his dash. Has an assortment of bumper stickers ranging from “I honk for MILFs” to qr stickers to the most hated songs, but not to the point that you can’t make out what they are.

Also has road rage, and will flip off and honk at people. People will do the same to him when he breaks the rules of the road and gets mad at them, starting a honking war.

Deuce Spade

A defensive driver, and tends to go a bit slower than the speed limit. He knows that the only thing he can control on the road is himself, and holds himself accountable. He also does regular maintenance on it to keep it to road standards.

Usually doesn’t listen to the radio or a playlist while driving. If he does decide to put something on though it’s usually very quiet so it doesn’t distract him.

His phone is on silent and in the back. He pulls over whenever he hears his emergency contact (mum) call, turns off the car and takes the call outside.

Has a little chicken sitting on his rear view mirror. He also has a few trinkets from friends but nothing too large or distracting. Cleans it out whenever he notices a mess. Ace has also tagged his bumper sticker but with the “No Bitches?” meme, he wasn’t happy finding it.

He tries his best to stay calm and has only honked at people a few times. Has only gotten pissed on a few occasions but those people were most likely driving dangerously.

Cater Diamond

He’s an average driver. Drives defensively thanks to the lessons he had to sit through with his two older sisters.

You can usually catch him singing along to pop and indie songs, or whatever is popular. He also keeps his car clean, but not so clean that it doesn’t look lived in.

His phone isn’t on silent, but he does keep it in a small bag on the floor of the front passenger side. Yes, it does occasionally distract him but he has not yet texted or called while driving.

Definitely has an aesthetic figurine sitting on his dash. Probably would also have a crystal hanging from the rear view mirror. He has a few other things hanging around, including an extra cardigan tied to the back of the driver’s seat.

Doesn’t get road rage per se, but he does trash talk people’s driving. He probably had a dash cam installed so he could record potential events that he could vent about on a separate account; he doesn’t want his online personality getting tarnished due to someone cutting him off and letting out muttered insults.

Trey Clover

A great defensive driver. Will offer to give lessons to his younger dorm mates if he notices them struggling. Mini van haver.

He listens to the school radio, enjoying the random songs that come on and also the local weather report. He gets less enthused though if he hears about the latest shenanigans any of his younger dorm mates get into.

His phone isn’t on silent, but he keeps it in the back seat; he can’t afford to have it on silent, less something or someone catches on fire. He eventually will get a blue tooth earpiece; the last time he didn’t pick up for Riddle, the flamingos managed to escape.

He doesn’t have many of his own personal decorations, but his siblings have left behind some of their toys whenever he has to drive them places when his parents are busy. You can also always find some sort of snack hiding around somewhere.

He just sighs heavily whenever someone cuts him off or is otherwise just rude. The only time you can see him get irritated is if that happens while his siblings or friends are in the car with him.

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland headcanons #twst headcanons #heartslabyul #riddle rosehearts #twst riddle #ace trappola #twst ace #deuce spade #twst deuce #cater diamond #twst cater #trey clover #twst trey #I'm in me mum's car broom broom #*crawls out of hibernation to share thoughts(tm) #riddle rosehearts headcanon #ace trappola headcanon #deuce spade headcanon #cater diamond headcanon #trey clover headcanon #heatslabyul headcanons

[leoleolovesdc]

I would love to write a TTS essay explaining why Gothel isn’t Cassandra’s mother and Frederick and Arianna aren’t Rapunzel’s parents and the show’s insistence on pushing parent/child struggles into those characters is kind of really forced so that’s exactly what I’m gonna do:

(Disclaimer: this got really messy and is kind of a bunch of nonesense glued together, so read it with a bit of patiece lmao)

Rapunzel grew up for the first 18 years of her life with Gothel, when TTS starts she has been living with Fred and Ari for 6 months and it’s wild to me how Raps already calls them mom and dad, but I won’t judge this part, she wants to be their daughter and wants to be a family so it makes sense that she would call them that way regardless if it feels natural or not, but I think where the series really fails is when it starts (by the very first episode) to give Rapunzel and Frederick father-daughter struggles, which is complete bs if you ask me, those two don’t know each other. Rapunzel shouldn’t have a “oh, I can’t disobey my father” train of thought because she doesn’t even know him and therefore he isn’t her father, at least not yet. She shouldn’t be so trusting of his judgement of love for her because they don’t have intimacy and the fact that they are fighting and disagreeing so much after having just reconnected is wild. Arianna is not that important for the plot, but her relationship with Rapunzel being so unapologetically perfect also rubs me the wrong way. Rapunzel was ruined by her mother, she was abused her whole life and I don’t think she would just let anyone fulfill the role Gothel did without getting some therapy to unpack everything wrong that her mother, the one that actually raised her, did.

Rapunzel had a narcissistic mother, an awlful one who never loved her, but that doesn’t mean that she didn’t love Gothel. Raps lived her whole by that woman’s side, she loved her more than anything in the world and realizing the manipulation and abuse wouldn’t just immediately stop a person as kind and forgiving as Rapunzel to still love her like a mother, because like it or not Gothel raised her for 18 years. She wasn’t a good mother by any means but she was her mother nonetheless.

Another point is that at the end of season one Rapunzel goes away from Corona to explore, learn about the world and her own powers. I am not exactly sure how much time passes from the beginning to the end of s1 but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t more than 6 months, so Rapunzel lives with her bio parents for about a year and then goes straight into a one year long self discovery journey and you’re trying to tell me that she missed them? Not even just missed, but when she got hold of an artifact that showed what you waned the most what she saw were her biological parents and the people of Corona who in the first episode she claims to not remember the names of? That’s some real bs right there and I have no idea how the show runners thought this made any sort of sense. She doesn’t fucking know them, maybe she respects or care about her folks, but she couldn’t have possibly built this life long parent/child relationship that the show treats like she did.

Now, with Cassandra it’s a bit more complicated. She lived with Gothel for about four years of her life before being abandoned, but she very obviously didn’t remember any of this, either because she was too young or because she repressed those memories. Gothel didn’t seem to love Cass in the slightest, but because Cass grew up with only a emotionally distant father she longed for this reassurance that she was loved by a parent figure at some point in her life, she blames Rapunzel for everything that went wrong with her life, which can make sense but also is a bit awkward to sustain once you analyze the actual facts. Yes, Rapunzel and Eugene killed Gothel, but she didn’t mean to do that, it was Eugene’s plan and he only did it because Raps had literally agreed to be used and locked up from the real world for the rest of her life. Cass isn’t dumb, she would know better than lashing out at her friends for accidentally saving her from living with a narcissist who didn’t care about her. Gothel isn’t Cassandra’s mother, Cass doesn’t have a mother because she didn’t have anyone to actually raise her.

If I was to rewrite Tangled we’d have a very different approach to how bio parents are handled, especially Rapunzel’s. I don’t think she should be close to Arianna and Frederick at all, heck, I don’t even think she should call them mom and dad. Cause bear with me, if you randomly found ot you are adopted by the time you were 18 and actually went to live with your biological family for about a year do you think you’d even have this sort of intimacy and bond with them?

#this got long #tts #rta #cassandra #rapunzel #cassandra gothel #rapunzel tangled #cassandra tts #cassandra rta #cassandra tangled #rapunzel tts #rapunzel rta #tangled rapunzel #tangles the series #rapunzles tangled adventure #mother gothel #gothel #king frederic #queen arianna #king frederick #cassunzel #media critique #txt post #text post #moonsandra #long post #character critique #family dynamics

[jvsons]

HAPPY 1K OMG!!!

for halloween prompts, could i request a coffee date with ak! jason? i also love your series decipher dead so it could be a part of that as well!

thank you sm and congrats on 1k again!! <33

☰ WAKE UP CALL

⤐ ak! jason todd x reader

- MASTERLIST / DECIPHER DEAD MASTERLIST / AO3

- WORD COUNT / 1,141

- SUMMARY / the arkham knight never says thank you.

- AUTHOR’S NOTE / thank you sm for your request!! i love the idea of a coffee date with jason, and think it’s even better to add it as a little extra to decipher dead! if you’re interested in reading, the link is above.

- SIDE NOTE / because this is a spin off of one of my series, the reader gets called “decipher” once. if you haven’t read my series decipher dead, it’s just a nickname that you can replace with your name, or whatever you like.

“And what about the synthetic processor?”

That would be the 10th question raised in a mere span of 4 minutes. Sitting on the edge of a very thin wire, the Knight sat back in his chair, running two hands up the sea of static that served as his face.

“It’s malfunctioning, sir.” The tech officer replied, scrambling for the set of notes in front of him. “Sensors are reporting abnormal deviations in chemical levels, nothing is coming out the same.”

An irritated click sounded from the Knight’s neck before he glanced to the side, daintily pointing a finger in your direction.

“Hand the notes over to Decipher. It’ll be taken care of within a week.”

You nodded, accepting the slide of papers across the desk and collecting them in a swipe. Anticipation dripped throughout the already blazing dawn atmosphere as the Knight raised a hand, signaling for any more questions. A few moments passed in silence, and it continued for the entire 20 seconds he waited, then lowering his hand with a somewhat content sigh.

“Meeting adjourned.”

A sigh accompanied your body as you stood up, stretching the stiffness of the morning off of your back. By the time you had collected your bag and the newest meeting notes, you were the only one left in the room, leaving you to venture towards the commander chamber alone.

A series of shrill beeps followed the retinal scan to your room, waving a dull flash over your features as your computer came to life. The very start of the dashboard presented 20 notifications ranging from tech notes to new messages, accompanied by a small circle fit with a 99+ on the inside.

You sighed, deciding to alleviate your stress before it rose any further by gently closing the computer. Your uniform was then swapped for a t-shirt and jeans, followed by the removal of your visor and a pair of sunglasses to replace it. A small grapnel was snatched from your bedside table before you set for your window, prying the latches open to welcome a gust of morning heat inside.

Small winds swelled into blazes as you dropped into the city of Venezuela, snapping your grapnel into the nearest roof ledge. With a soft swing you were lowering yourself into an empty alleyway, making sure to pocket your device before emerging into the bustling streets ahead. In every direction you looked, families moved in and out of stores, leaving you little room to sift through the masses until you reached your destination.

A chime rang out above your head as you pushed the store’s door open, glancing down to the small chalk board at your feet.

TASTE OF VENEZUELA

TODAY’S SPECIAL - SWEET VICTORY ROAST (MADE WITH ARABICA BEANS) - 41.2 VBS

STRAWBERRY PUFF PASTRIES - 24.7 VBS

You hummed at the board’s offerings, moving to complete your order spending only around 90 VBS. A small brown bag sat firmly grasped in your left hand as you moved to the streets once more, breaking for a shadowed lane to rise up to the rooftops.

Following a series of zips, you narrowly slipped back into your room, taking a moment to smooth out your windswept hair and grab your laptop before emerging into the hallway. Your feet led you to the room just beside yours, raising a hand to gently rap the door with your knuckles. After three coordinated knocks did you step back, lightly smiling when a muffled groan rang out from the other side.

Following that, came a slightly louder “come in.”

The door flashed green in an automated unlocked sequence, allowing you to push the handle open and enter. You let out a low whistle of greeting after the door shut, earning only a shallow wave in response.

“What do you need?”

“Nothing,” you shrugged, placing the bag on the table beside him. “Just wanted to check in.”

The Knight’s head shifted to the side at the crinkle of the bag, leading him to turn in his chair, directly facing you with the glowing LEDs serving as his eyes. The real gaze seemed to bore through the layers of screen and meta all the same, holding you with a squint, and slowly traveling over to the bag once more.

You rode the silence with caution, slowly unbagging your purchases before looking back to his bed. The sheets were cleanly folded save a scarce number of crinkles, giving you the impression that it hadn’t been used in days.

“When’s that last time you slept?”

Your question roused a stifled laugh out of him, following a shrug as he took your outstretched hand containing his order.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He contested, taking a glance down to the mocha iced coffee and strawberry pastry that sat in his grasp. “How did you know my order?”

You were faced with a look of suspiciously heightened eyebrows following a hiss of his modulator, soon narrowing as you laughed at his inquiry.

“Oh, I don’t know.” You sighed, plopping down on the foot of his bed. “Maybe because this is what you order every single time we go there?”

An unimpressed huff responded to your sarcasm ridden response. A soft smile accompanied your features as you lightly patted the spot next to you, rousing a quiet grumble from the Knight before he stood to join you. Just seconds later, the space beside you dipped, trailing a faint string of mocha to your nose as you breathed in.

The Knight slowly brought the cup to his lips, taking a rather small sip before letting it sit there, guarding the tip of his nose. Almost shyly, he cleared his throat, head tilting in the slightest so you could see his other eye.

“Thank you. Dinners on me.”

You almost spit out the mass of coffee that sat in your own mouth, rubbing your temples as you ensured that you heard him right.

If there was one thing you knew for sure, it was that the Arkham Knight never says thank you. And he most certainly doesn’t offer to buy anyone dinner either.

Yet, there he was, completely unphased, languidly sipping from his coffee as he typed notes into his laptop beside you. And if you squinted hard enough, you’d see the small smile dusting his face as he looked over in your direction once more.

“What?”

“Nothing!” You yelped, frantically snapping your gaze away from him. “You’re uh.. you’re welcome.”

He only huffed at your response, seemingly back to normal. You set your drink down on the floor before opening up your own laptop, diving straight into the flagged emails in your inbox. A few minutes passed before you felt a slight nudge on your knee, encouraging you to look up from your screen.

“Takeout sound good?”

A smile crawled upon your features as your mouth parted, mentally preparing for the extra workload you were about to get.

“Only if we’re getting Batburger.”

#jvsons #jason todd #jason todd x reader #jason todd reader insert #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd x you #jason todd imagine #jason todd x y/n #arkham knight drabble #arkham knight x reader #arkham knight fanfiction #batman arkham knight #arkham knight #arkhamverse #jason todd fluff #jason todd drabble #jason todd x gn!reader #jason todd x gender neutral reader #jvsons1k

[starg1rlie]

𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 !! (FINALE)

pairing: scaramouche x gn! reader

genre: mild angst

xtra !! notes: okay, i didn't notice, but someone pointed out how fem pronouns were used in the first part, and so, i wanted to apologize <(＿　＿)> i will be sure to proof-read my works in the future! also this is probably going to be either too long or too short, dunno yet since this is just the beginning notes...anyways, thank you for reading this mini-series, i hope that you've enjoyed it so far!

❛ tell me more of 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗦 , even if its goodbye , tell me . ❜

───── ghost in a flower ; yorushika

"EVERYONE, CAN I PLEASE HAVE YOUR attention," the teacher called, rapping his ruler lightly against the surface of his desk. everyone's voices quieted down until the room was full of silence.

"as you can see, one of our classmates, y/n, is absent. their parents have reported them to be missing. apparently, they'd run away from home. if you happen to see y/n either on campus or somewhere else, please let us know."

scaramouche dropped his pencil. you were what? ajax flashed a concerned gaze over to lumine, who was trying her best not to burst out in tears. tapping his fingers rapidly against his desk, scaramouche tried to think of a reason why you'd run away. then again, it seemed like the reason was pretty obvious. you were most likely upset after his rejection towards your confession, hiding away in god knows where.

that was the most likely reason. another one would be that something was going on with your family. however, scaramouche didn't have any more time to think about where you could be hiding away at as the teacher pulled out their pop quizzes.

y/n...where are you?

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

there was a memory that would forever be engraved in scaramouche's mind. that one summer night, when the fireworks had begun for the festival. he'd skipped out on cram school once again, settling on kicking rocks down the dusty path that wound up to the top of the hill.

he paused, hearing a crack of a twig being snapped behind him. whipping his head around, he turned to find no one there. just as he was about to walk away, he heard it again, and this time, when he turned, he saw a rustling in the bush.

cautiously walking forward, he pushed past the bristly branches of the bush, ignoring the scratches it gave him. there, he found you crouching in your school uniform, sniffling quietly.

"what the hell are you doing out here?" he asked, plopping to the ground, an irritated expression already forming on his face. he hated the sound of someone crying, it pissed him off so much. crying is for the weak, he told himself. and when you're weak, you'll never amount to anything.

"what- what are you doing here?" you managed to say in between quiet sobs, using the back of your hand to wipe away a new trail of tears.

"i asked first. don't avoid the question," scaramouche retorted, rubbing at his cheek. "it's getting late, don't you have parents or something?"

at this, fresh tears started dribbling down your cheeks. scaramouche looked taken aback, his eyes widening slightly. did he say something wrong? what did he say? god, he didn't know how to comfort someone when they were crying, not that he was interested in comforting you in the first place. he just wanted that infernal sound to stop.

"okay, okay, look- i'm sorry for whatever i said wrong, but can you shut up? you're dripping snot all over the place," scaramouche sneered. you quieted down, and after a few quiet moments of hearing your soft gasps, he shoved his hand into his pant's pocket, pulling out a plastic packet of kleenex and handed it to you.

"take it and clean yourself up. you're a complete mess."

at this, you managed a laugh, but it sound a little stuffy. taking one out of the packet, you blew your nose hard, which startled the boy sitting in front of you.

"you sound like a goose, do you know that?' he said, lips curving up into a smile. you paused your blowing, sniffing slightly as your cheeks heated up in embarrassment.

"does not!" you protested, now grabbing another kleenex tissue and wiping your eyes. when you were done, you gathered up all the clumped tissues and stuffed them into your pouch, standing up unsteadily onto your feet. "...thank you."

"what are you thanking me for? i didn't even do anything." scaramouche scoffed, also standing up. now that the two of you were on your guys' feet, you could tell that he was a bit shorter than you. snickering, you patted his head lightly, to a disbelieving scaramouche.

"god, you're so short. practically all of the guys in our class are taller than you," you said in between giggles. he glared at you, swatting your hands away from his head.

"shut up, before i shove all those tissues down your throat," he threatened, heading back up to the dirt path that he'd been walking on.

"only if you can reach my mouth," you teased lightly, laughing quietly as you followed him up.

"whatever. see you tomorrow," the shortie mumbled, stalking up the path, his school bag banging against his legs as he became smaller and smaller in your vision.

just who did you think you were, talking to him like that?

he kicked a stone rather too hard and watched it clatter down the side of hill, eyes narrowed to practically slits as he opened the door of his home and wrenched off his shoes, tossing them onto the floor before walking into the living room.

his father's altar was set up by his mother already, as per usual: incense candles already lit and a plate of his favorite mochi and an opened can of canada dry in front of a framed picture of his smiling face. putting his hands together, he bowed his head slightly to pay his respects. before he left, though, he flipped the photo so that the picture was face down.

"kunikuzushi?" a voice called from upstairs.

shit, scaramouche thought, quickly running up the stairs and into the comfort of his room. before he settled anywhere, he locked the door again and tossed himself onto the bed, thinking about that strange girl that he'd run into earlier. y/n, was it? you seemed interesting, yet infuriating at the same time. he turned onto his side and let his eyes flicker shut, listening to the steady whirring of his ceiling fan.

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

when the bell rang and class was dismissed, scaramouche shoved his textbooks into his school bag and waved off ajax before running out the school's building.

there's no way. there's no way that you could be there....right?

scaramouche pushed past the other students that were swarming out past the doors and continued to run all the way to the hill that lead up to his house.

there was a small shed that someone had built there, most likely to go with the house that used to be there, but apparently a few months ago, it was torn down, and construction began just recently.

this was stupid, completely stupid. why should scaramouche care about you? his mind wanted to have nothing to do with you, but his heart was telling him something else.

this is ridiculous,he thought to himself. i can't like them.

but the more he thought about it, the more he understood was his heart was trying to tell him. you were always there; greeting him rather enthusiastically every morning, giving him some of your bento box (even though he protested against eating your pig slop), and always having that bright, smiling attitude. but that day, the day he said he hated you, your whole happy shell broke, and he saw just how fragile you were.

he shook hsi head rapidly, coming to a screeching stop in front of the place where he saw you crying.

pushing past the bushes, he saw the shed and went over to it. scaramouche pressed an ear against the wooden door and knocked gently on it. he could hear a shuffle of someone moving away and then a quiet "go away."

"y/n, it's me, scaramouche."

"what do you want?" you asked, moving a little closer to the door. he could already sense you were twiddling your thumbs nervously, as you always did when talking to him recently.

"why did you run away? was it because of what happened the other day?" he asked, quite tempted to just kick the door down and grab you by your shoulders to yell at you, but held himself back from doing so.

"or was it because of your parents?' this caused you to stop shifting from foot to foot, for which, scaramouche was grateful, but he was pretty close to yelling at you to stop, because he could hear your shoes crunching on the fallen leaves.

"it's none of your business," you mumbled, shuffling back from the door.

"oh, so now you're going to be like this?" scaramouche called. "what happened to being ultra gaga and eccentric? what happened to the person who always greets me in the most stupidest way possible? what happened to that smile you always wear? was it all just for show?"

"you don't understand. at least you still have your mom. my mom left me. she abandoned me. and she has the nerve to tell me to come live with her. well, i don't need her! i don't need anyone! not you, not dad, and not miss aoi either!"

"yeah, well you still have your dad, don't you?"

"that's different. your dad didn't abandon you. your dad died." he could hear your voice shaking more and more. he couldn't pretend that your statement didn't feel like a hard slap to his face, but he wasn't about to let you just run away from your problems, like he used to.

"he died, so what? we move on! we don't stay-" he paused, trying to open the door, but you held onto the handle from the other side, making it even more difficult to rip it open. "-focused on all the bad things in life! i thought you were always looking for the bright side in things? there's always a silver lining, is there not?"

that statement startled you, and your hands slipped from the handle. finally wrenching open the damn door, scaramouche dragged you up by the collar of your dirt-stained uniform shirt and brought you up close to his face. his breaths came out in uneven puffs as he glared at you.

"you need to wake the hell up! if you're going to be moping about your parents all the time, then you're never going to amount to anything!" scaramouche yelled, shaking you in his grasp.

you remained silent, eyes wide at his actions.

"come back already. your dad and step-mom are probably ready to call the police. lumine's blaming herself, you know. you should come back to school. come back home."

"scaramouche, i-"

he let go of your shirt, letting you drop to the ground. you could tell that he was hesitating about something, by the way he paused when he turned to leave.

"get up already,' scaramouche said, holding out a hand for you to take, the tips of his ears pink.

you heaved yourself up and quickly gave him a hug before he could run away. "you know, you can be quite persuading when you're really into it."

"yeah, well, i guess it ticked me off when you ran away like this," scaramouche muttered, hesitantly wrapping a hand around your waist and pulling you closer.

"so...what does this mean?"

"you idiot, were you not paying attention to what i said at all?" scaramouche grumbled but grabbed your chin, yanking you down to be head-level with him. "it means i like you, dummy."

with that, he pressed his lips against yours in a kiss, shutting you up from whatever you were about to say.

you could probably say he was a hypocrite or that he was contradicting himself, but what i think is that, if he learned from his mistakes, then it doesn't really matter. at least the two are finally together.

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a / n !! - holy shit what did i just create?...

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#scaramouche genshin impact #scaramouche #genshin impact #genshin #scaramouche x reader #gender-neutral reader #gn! reader #mild angst #slight romance #angst with comfort #( ﾉ ﾟｰﾟ)ﾉ leeo writes!

[ikehoe]

Silly Little Prank [Clavis x Reader][Smut][Ikemen Prince]

Characters ↬ Clavis Lelouch x AFAB Reader 

Rating ↬ E [Smut]     

Tags ↬ Cunningulus, Clavis calls reader “Good Girl.” 

Description ↬ How were you supposed to know that you’d get knocked out after trying to save Yves from another one of Clavis’ pranks? Not only that, but the orchestrator of the prank would willingly offer himself up to be your personal butler, waiting on you hand and foot. It started out as an innocent gesture to redeem himself (as innocent as something from Clavis could be) but ended up in something purely sinful and beneficial to the both of you… 

Disclaimer ↬ I do not own the rights to Ikemen Prince or any of the Ikemen series games. 

Wordcount ↬ 2k

Tag List ↬ @and-then-she-died-tm @kpop-and-otome @curious-skybunny @lordsister @aquagirl1978 @kleeps @ikesimp100 @chaosangel767 @rhodolitesroseforclavis @themysticalbeing @violettduchess @atelieredux @dazais-baby @devildomwritersposts @otomegameinlove @randonauticrap @queengiuliettafirstlady

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It had been around two weeks since the palace doctors forced you to your bed, concern for your wellbeing evident on their faces, furrowed brows, and squinted eyes examining you for any signs of lasting damage. How you ended up getting into this predicament was simple, really. You’d inadvertently gotten in the middle of one of Clavis’ typical pranks on his younger brother, only to have things go disastrously wrong when the bucket of ice water landed right onto your head, knocking you unconscious for a few hours. 

There was one plus side to this whole situation. The resident prankster himself was so guilt-ridden after seeing you lying unconscious in the hospital bed that he’d been immediately sworn to wait on you hand and foot. According to the maids and palace staff, he’d even shirked all his regular duties just so he could knock on your door at the crack of dawn to begin showering you with unnecessary gifts (out of good will, but annoying nonetheless). You even started letting your guard down around him, allowing him into your room right after you had your regular night time bathing routine, pretending not to notice the way his golden eyes would trail from your face, down to the supple curve of your neck, and then linger on the sliver of thigh that would peek out from the sheer material of your nightgown. 

It was a mix of pure torture and heaven for Clavis. He couldn’t count how many times he had to subtly shift his briefs to conceal his raging hard-on after seeing how your nightgown hung delicately over your curves. Counting his lucky stars, he once had even seen how the nubs of your chest had hardened underneath the soft fabric, poking through due to the chill in the room. It took every last ounce of his willpower to offer you his jacket rather than rip the nightgown off you and lavish your body with his tongue, over and over, until you were crying out from pleasure underneath him.  

“Oh dearest Belle,” a familiar teasing voice called out from beyond the door before landing three sharp raps against the wooden frame. “Aren’t you going to invite me in for our little nighttime routine?” And though, at this point, you had let him into your room countless times, a tiny part of him still wondered if this would be the day you’d reject him.

“Clavis? How many times do I have to tell you I don’t need you to help me get ready for bed – it’s been three weeks, and the doctors said I’m perfectly fine two weeks ago!” You exclaimed, getting up and letting him in anyways despite your words. A part of you found it thrilling when the third Prince of Rhodolite would shower you with attention. There was a sexual charge between the two of you that was further bolstered by this game of cat and mouse you two played. 

“Well, you can never be too careful; after all, I am the utmost gentleman and must make my wrongs right,” he retorted, smirking at you in all his mischievous wonder. 

Clavis was dangerous. Everyone in the palace warned you about him. The third Prince was unpredictable, unreliable, and a nuisance at best. At worst, he could make your life a living hell. But that didn’t stop you from wanting to get to know him more. It didn’t stop you from examining every one of his beautiful, regal features, starting from his long purple lashes, framing the most stunning liquid gold eyes, down to that beauty mark that perfectly accentuated his lower lip. It was unfair, truly, how you were expected not to fall into his charms – especially when he was this captivating. 

The Prince’s movements were nothing short of graceful, nearly predatory, as he sauntered over to where you sat on the bed. The height advantage allowed him to sneakily peer down the neckline of your gown, mouth widening into a grin as your corset pushed your chest into an almost uncomfortable position. “Whatever you need, Belle, consider me your personal butler, here to wait on you at your every beck and call.” 

The heated undertone of his words didn’t fail to send a jolt of arousal straight to your core, and you took a deep breath before getting up from the bed. “Well… I… guess I wouldn’t mind some help getting out of this dress – I don’t know why you royals insist on having corsets that require at least one other person to help you get them off.” 

Before another word could even fall from your lips, you felt Clavis’ hands gently brush against the small of your back. His heated breath warmed up the curve of your neck as he slowly pulled on the ribbon that tied the boning together. With dexterity that only he could possess, he began unweaving the ribboning of your corset, taking the utmost care not to hurt you in the process, massaging any sore muscles through the fabric of your dress as he went. Your mind was hazy as you began imagining his hands rubbing elsewhere, unshackled by the barrier of your clothing. A soft moan slipped from your lips as he leaned in closer, needing to focus on a particularly difficult spot, and both of you immediately stiffened. 

Moments went by of pure, charged sexual tension, and then you heard him shift and clear his throat. His voice was hoarse when he finally spoke again, and you swore even that was causing you to become unbearably turned on. “And your request is now complete. Can I assist you with anything else, madame?”

Another few moments passed by, a million thoughts racing through your brain. You wanted him. Your body wanted him. That was clear, with the way your panties were soaked just from a few minutes of gentle, innocent grazes of his hand against your back. And you knew it was wrong, taking advantage of this situation, but he did offer to help you out with everything.

Clavis watched, lips quirked up as you battled your inner voice of reason. He’d nearly lost all semblance of logic a moment ago when that heavenly moan escaped from your lips. It was odd how strong of a hold you had on him. Truly, he had the most innocent of intentions when he offered himself to be your personal butler after his silly little prank; he really did. But now, with your breasts heaving, pupils dilated as you turned to look up at him with that look that screamed you wanted him to take you, his resolve was crumbling away piece by piece. 

“I’ve had some really sore muscles lately… I don’t think it’d be the worst thing if you… helped me out with that,” you mumbled, voice dropping down to a near whisper with the last word. 

“And your wish is my command,” he murmured before gently sliding the sleeves off your dress, exposing the skin of your shoulders. Then, he paused, as though waiting for you to give him permission to continue undressing you. Then, after a quick nod, he continued sliding the fabric off of you, eyes darkening with heat as he took in every inch of your body, covered only by your dampened panties. His eyes were fixated on you for so long that you made a move to cover yourself, beginning to feel the heat rush to your cheeks, only to be stopped by him. 

“Let’s get you into a more comfortable position,” he drawled, maneuvering you towards the bed and lowering you down onto the covers, face down. Then, with careful restraint, he began kneading at your shoulders, moving down inch by inch until his hands were on the small of your waist. The dampness seeping through your panties didn’t escape his sharp gaze, and he trailed one finger along the waistband of your undergarments. “May I? I need you to be the most relaxed and comfortable, so I can… make you feel good,” he chuckled, voice shooting straight to your core. 

You gave another quick nod and thanked the stars that you didn’t have to look at, what you were sure, was a sinfully devious look on the Prince’s face. He lifted your hips up to slide the lacy material off you with ease, and you swore you could hear him lick his lips. 

“You know, dearest Belle, I could’ve sworn you were a little minx these past few weeks, just for me. Teasing me, letting your hand linger a little too long on my arm, pressing up against me just too long when you’re reaching for something… but that couldn’t be, could it? Our little golden Belle, capable of no wrong, wouldn’t be trying to seduce the big bad wolf, would she?” His voice dripped with absolute sin as he continued now, kneading into the soft flesh of your rear, fingers skating by your throbbing core every few seconds. It was so close. Always so close, but at the last second, he would go back to rubbing your thighs or your lower back, never touching the area that felt like it was on fire. 

Suddenly, a light but sharp smack landed squarely on your rear, causing you to jolt up and squeal with surprise. “Belle, I asked you a question – are you purposely trying to make me lose control?”

The tiniest shrivel of restraint in you knew that you should stop things there. Apologize and tell him that you didn’t want to take things to the next level. Despite how dangerous everyone made Clavis seem, he wouldn’t take things this far if you didn’t want to. You knew it was wrong, yet you couldn’t bring yourself to stop him. A feeble yes fell from your lips as you hid your face between your covers. 

“Good girl,” he smirked. “Now, for telling the truth, why don’t I make you feel real good tonight?” Then, with the agility you’d never expect from him, he flipped your body over as though you weighed as light as a feather. One gloved finger trailed down the plane of your cheek, and his gaze was absolutely predatory as he lowered himself to your dripping core. “I’ll make it up to you for causing you all this trouble – though it seems like what you wanted all along was my attention anyways.” 

His tongue trailed out from behind his lips, and he licked a stripe from the bottom of your cunt to the top, flicking the head of his tongue right at your sensitive peak. A strangled moan fell from your lips, and you arched up from the bed. “I’m going to need you to be a good girl and stay still,” he stated, words mumbled as he nuzzled his nose against your core and pushed down at your hips, keeping you from moving. He pursed his lips against your sensitive bud. He began lavishing it, using the tip of his tongue to trace gentle figure eights against you until you were sobbing in pleasure. The building feeling of pleasure was overwhelming, stronger than any release you’d ever had, and it seemed like he had no intention of stopping until you were cumming on his tongue.

“That’s it,” he murmured against your core, easing two gloved fingers into your eager and needy entrance. “Let go for me.” The slight stinging of his digits was reduced away by his tongue eagerly working against your bud, alternating between flicking and sucking. Then, he angled his fingers up until he found that spot he was looking for deep in your core, and you felt him smirk against you. It was unexpected, really, how quickly he’d manage to find that pleasurable spot within, but once he did he began to languidly coax your core with his fingers, golden eyes trained on you as you began gasping for breath, inching closer and closer to your release by the second.

Finally, with one last stroke, you felt your vision go white as blinding pleasure overtook your body, from your lower belly to the tips of your fingers and toes. “Nngh—Clavis!” You cried out, hips bucking from the bed so violently that all the Prince could do was hold onto your thighs and nuzzle himself even deeper between your legs. It felt like the pleasure was radiating through you for hours – though you were sure in real time it was minutes. Still, Clavis was relentless as he continued gently pressing against your sensitive bud, causing you to toe the line of overstimulation quickly.

“I—I can’t anymore--, Clavis! It’s too much! Please, I c—can’t take anymore!” You squealed, trying to press your hips deeper into the bed to escape his dexterous fingers and tongue. 

“Mm… Well, since you begged so sweetly, I guess I’ll let you have a little break before you come on my tongue against,” he drawled, licking your juices off of his lips with his tongue. 

And despite your better judgment, you let him bring you to release again, and again, and again, until the wee hours of the morning. If there was one thing you had to give to the mischievous Prince, he definitely knew what he was doing – and by the time you two were done, he had more than repaid his debt to you for that silly little prank. 

fin.

#ikemen prince #ikeprince clavis #ikemen prince clavis #ikepri clavis #clavis lelouch #ikepri smut #ikepri clavis smut #ikepri fic #ikemen series #ikeprince #ikepri

[deanstead]

Pieces (22): Changes

Chapter 22: Changes

Chapter Summary: Caleb comes to see Y/N with a proposal. Meanwhile, Y/N deals with Chloe’s insecurities that come with all the new changes.

Word Count: 1,949

Warnings: some insecurities

A/N: Seriously, I can't believe we're already at 22! I'll be ending off this series with Chapter 23 so technically this is the second-last chapter but I'll be all sappy once we officially finish off this series so meanwhile hope you like this! Hit me up with your thoughts!!!

SERIES MASTERLIST || JAY HALSTEAD MASTERLIST

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You stepped out of Med, glancing at your watch. Jay was going to be a little late today and Kate wasn’t in any rush so you thought of stopping to get some of Chloe’s favorite snacks on your way back.

As you headed towards your car, you were stopped. “Y/N.”

You closed your eyes and exhaled, like that would help with your patience and turned back around to face Caleb.

“What do you want? I told you to call if you wanted to see Chloe, stop showing up here.” You snapped.

Caleb paused. “Can we talk?”

You crossed your arms. “I’m listening.”

Caleb shook his head. “Somewhere else, perhaps?”

You frowned. “You have five seconds to start talking or I’m leaving.”

“I need some help.” Caleb said in a low voice, looking up at you. “I need to borrow some money.”

He seriously had the gall. You couldn’t believe that this son of a bitch was standing in front of you daring to ask you for help, for money. You didn’t care about anything he was saying now about how he’d lost his job partly because of Vivian, about how an opportunity finally presented itself but he needed money for the buy-in. You actually just wanted him to stop talking so you could go home to Chloe.

“You got remarried.” Caleb paused long enough to notice you were fiddling with your wedding ring. You hadn’t realized you’d been touching it until he’d pointed it out. The ring had felt weird at first, but after the first week, it had actually been pretty comforting.

You didn’t answer him so Caleb continued. “Look, I’ll pay you back and if you lend it to me, I’ll terminate my parental rights on Chloe. You can have her.”

You felt the rage blow over you in a second. “You have got to be kidding me. What the hell are you doing Caleb? Selling your daughter? Is this what came to your mind? You might be Chloe’s biological and legal father but you are not even half the father Jay has been to her.”

You didn’t really care if your voice was traveling across the parking lot. “Do whatever you want, I’m not giving you anything. But for God’s sakes, if you don’t plan to be her father then leave us alone. Jay and I will protect Chloe.”

You stalked off to your car, still seething when you pulled up outside your house so you left the engine running, continuing to sit there while taking deep breaths, the snacks long forgotten. You were counting in your head when a rap at your car window made you jump and you looked up.

You smiled and unlocked the car as Jay got in, sliding into the passenger seat next to you. “Everything okay?” He asked.

You glanced at him. “Thought you were going to be late?”

“Apparently, I do my paperwork really quickly when I’m motivated.” Jay said with a smile, his tone slightly teasing, which at least elicited a laugh. “Now, what’s up? You only sit out here to make sure none of the negative emotions go in there.”

You recounted what had happened outside Med, while the expression on Jay’s face stiffened and you found yourself being glad that Jay hadn’t come to get you today because you wouldn’t have blamed Jay if he finally sucker punched Caleb. Jay had probably wanted to do it since the first day he’d seen him.

“He said he’d give up his parental rights if you lent him money?” Jay asked, not bothering to hide the disdainful and incredulous tone in his voice.

You glanced at Jay. “You’re imagining how it would feel like to punch him now, right?”

“You have no idea.” Jay answered, taking a deep breath as you chuckled, feeling the negative emotions dissipate slowly as you sat here with Jay.

You glanced at him and he smiled. “You ready?”

You nodded as the both of you climbed out of the car and headed inside to your daughter.

You’d found a time to slowly introduce the idea of a younger sibling to Chloe. She’d shown some curiosity, and although she wasn’t thrilled, she also hadn’t shown much resistance, which was a good start at least.

Jay had taken his turn to have a little talk with her, and you’d kept her engaged along the way during the preparation. It had been Jay’s idea to bring her along for the doctor’s appointment and you could still see the look of wonder on Chloe’s face as the sound of the baby’s heartbeat filled the small appointment room.

So all in all, Chloe had been dealing with the changes pretty well, until the day you came back home to a quiet Chloe.

Jay had told you he was going to be late and not to wait up, so you’d gone straight home only to find that your normally upbeat and hyperactive daughter was way too quiet.

“Chloe, what’s wrong?” You prompted, your eyes scanning her face for even the most minute expression changes.

Chloe didn’t look up, her eyes still trained on the doll she was holding that had been a gift from Jay.

“Sweetheart?” You prompted again, getting a strong sense of dejavu from the time Caleb had dropped her off in the middle of the night after Vivian had locked her in the garden.

Chloe glanced up at you.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” You said.

Chloe bit her lip, before the words tumbled out of her mouth. “Do you still love me?”

The words tore at your heart. Maybe you were taking this too quickly for Chloe, maybe she wasn’t ready for this many changes at one go.

“Chloe, come here.” You said, sticking your hand out and motioning to her to come towards you and you pulled her into your lap, glad she was still small enough for you to do so and also glad you weren’t showing too much yet. “I will love you for your whole life. Remember what I said? No matter what. Did something happen?”

Chloe fiddled with the hem of her doll’s dress before you felt her take a breath. “Riley.”

It wasn’t the first time Chloe had brought him up. Riley Pearson was a kid in Chloe’s class who Chloe never seemed to like. As far as you knew, Riley had never directly said or did anything mean to Chloe. At least, until now.

“I only told Ashley that I was going to have a younger brother or sister.” Chloe said, almost defensively, to which you smiled and nodded at her encouragingly, to tell her in not so many words that she didn’t do anything wrong. As if bolstered by this, Chloe continued talking in a low voice. “Riley said that now you and Jay have a new baby, I’ll be forgotten.”

You reminded yourself that Chloe was talking about a boy her age as you felt a strangely familiar rage threaten to boil up to the surface. Instead, you took a deep breath.

“Chloe, look at me.” You said, your voice firm but gentle.

Chloe turned her face to look up now.

“I have never lied to you, right?” You asked her and Chloe nodded.

You hoisted her a little more comfortably into your lap. “I know there’s been a lot of change but nothing in the world could change how much I love you and how much Jay loves you.”

Chloe gave a slow nod and you smiled at her, before you pulled her up into a tight hug , Chloe gently wrapping her limbs around you. You held her against your body tightly, resting your hand firmly against the back of her head. “You will always be our baby girl.”

So when Jay came home, it was to find his two girls asleep in the bed he shared with you, Chloe snuggled into your side in the middle of the bed.

The edges of Jay’s mouth turned up into a soft smile and he moved closer, just to pull the covers up towards Chloe’s shoulders, pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead. As he pulled away, you stirred, your eyes cracking open and you smiled.

“Hey.” Your voice was low so as not to wake Chloe and was still heavy with drowsiness.

Jay smiled, leaning over and pressing a quick kiss to your lips. “I have to go back to the district. I just came back to check on you and Chloe and to grab a shower and a change of clothes.”

You nodded and Jay’s eyes flicked towards Chloe.

“Everything okay?” He asked.

You nodded. “I’ll fill you in tomorrow.”

Jay nodded. “Go back to sleep. I should be back early tomorrow, alright?”

You could sense his unwillingness to leave the house and go back to the district so you just squeezed his hand and nodded. “Go. We’re fine.”

Jay nodded, leaning down to give you another kiss. “I’m going now.”

You watched him close the door quietly before you turned towards Chloe again and drifted back off to sleep.

"Do you need me to go down?” Jay spoke into the phone, pushing back from his desk and heading into the pantry, closing the door behind him.

Your tinkling laugh came from the other end of the phone. “To do what, Jay? The boy is Chloe’s age. I reminded myself that before I went to sleep yesterday.” You paused. “I’ll have a word with her teacher when I drop her off in a while. Everything okay there?”

“Yeah, if we’re lucky I’ll be home on time tonight.” Jay answered. “Maybe we should do something this weekend…” Jay’s voice trailed off as he heard the pantry door open behind him.

Kim poked her head in, keeping the door just wide enough for her head to fit through. “Jay, Sarge called. Someone’s downstairs for you.”

Jay nodded, before he redirected his attention back to you. “I gotta go. I’ll see you later.”

“Alright, be safe.” He was about to put the phone down when you spoke again. “Jay, wait.”

“Hi Jay! Will you be home tonight?” Chloe’s voice piped up on the other end of the line and Jay smiled.

“Yeah, I think so. I’ll try to make it for dinner alright?”

“Okay!” Jay smiled wider as he heard Chloe’s voice go up the way it did when she was excited, and he was glad she sounded her normal self.

“See you later sweetie.” Jay said, quickly saying bye to Chloe and to you as you took back the phone before he hung up and headed out the door and down the stairs.

Jay just caught himself wishing it wasn’t someone coming with a new case as he pushed open the gate to the first floor of the district, pausing at the top of the stairs when his eyes fell on the last person he expected to see here.

Caleb looked up, getting to his feet as he saw Jay.

Jay raised his eyebrows, glancing at Trudy who nodded towards Caleb, confirming that he was the person who had asked for Jay.

Jay didn’t say anything, jogging the rest of the way down the steps and heading towards him, an eyebrow still raised.

“Here.” Caleb handed Jay an envelope.

Jay took the envelope but glanced back up at Caleb. “Whatever Y/N told you last time still stands.” Jay clarified.

Caleb nodded. “That’s not why I’m here.” He nodded at Jay to open it.

Jay frowned but opened the envelope, pulling out a piece of paper, freezing as his eyes scanned the contents, his eyes finally flicking back up to Caleb, with a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

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