#rusty's dad

[lazyartdog]

Gay dogs

#bluey #bluey art #bluey fanart #bluey show #jack's dad #rusty's dad

[uncaaj]

Fanfic: Diesel's Petrols (Bluey)

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The door to his dimly lit office opened, and Dr. Bernard, the Australian Army counselor, looked up. “Thanks for coming, Sergeant Kelpie,” he greeted.

Diesel Kelpie took a seat in the cushy leather seat opposite him and held out his hand. “No worries, Dr. Bernard.”

After shaking his hand, Dr. Bernard grabbed his tablet and pushed his glasses up. “So let’s get right into it. How have you been since discharge?”

“Well, it was great to see my family again, let’s say that first. Everything I do, I do for them. It was all I could think about on the flight home.” Diesel leaned back and recalled the whirlwind of a month he’d had.

+++

Fresh from a 12-hour flight, I felt light as a feather despite the jet lag fuzzing the edges of my sight. It never fails, I try to catch up on sleep on the flight and somehow stay up the whole time, idling the time away with the same crummy puzzle games and the same five movies.  Even still when I landed, I couldn’t help but jog from the gate straight to border control, hopping like, well, an excited dog in the queue.

Once I finally made it to the luggage claim, there they were, big smiles all over. My pack, my troop. My family. I probably looked like hell with my stained fatigues and baggy eyes, but I knew it didn’t matter one bit to them.

“Dad!” Rusty shouted, bolting over and jumping into my arms. I could hear the others catching up to him as I gave my little recruit a good squeeze before setting him down and letting them all in. 

“Aw, missed me, eh?” I joked.

“Yeah,” said Digger, the oldest.

“Missed you lots!” said Rusty.

“Thiiiiis much!” said me youngest Dusty, stretching her little arms as far as they’d go.

Then it was Pepper’s turn. “Welcome home, honey.”

I felt all my worries vanish with my sigh as I kissed my loving wife. “Good to be home.”

“How long are you staying for?” Rusty asked.

Dusty bounced up and down. “Will you be here for my birthday?”

I gave Pepper a quick smooch then turned to the kids. “Oh yeah, I didn’t mention that, did I?”

“Tell ‘em, babe,” said Pepper.

I knelt down to meet my kids’ eyes as they all bunched together. “Well, I have a little surprise for you all. I’m here this time…for good.”

“You mean…your service is done?” Rusty asked, almost pleading for it to be true.

“Yup,” I confirmed. “Done and dusted.”

We all met in a big hug in the middle of the baggage claim, and for the first time since hearing the news I was headed home at last, I felt like transitioning back to civilian life wouldn’t be so bad.

+++

DIESEL: This episode of Bandit is called “Diesel’s Petrols.”

+++

“How have you been filling your time over the past month?” asked Dr. Bernard.

“Well, that army schedule’s a part of me, so I’m still up bright and early every day. The kids keep me active with cricket, footie, the works.” He chuckled and slung a leg over the other. “But that’s not what you’re asking, is it?”

Dr. Bernard laughed. “No, it isn’t.”

“For my career after service, it was a no-brainer for me. All that time fixing Jeeps, I knew I was gonna open my own garage when I got home. And bless Pepper, she was gracious enough to come on as my business partner. Signing the lease on that space was the fulfillment of a dream, so I was psyched.”

“Fantastic,” said Dr. Bernard. “How about friendships?”

“Oh, I’ve kept in touch with my troop online. Couldn’t do that when I was a tyke. But I promised myself something on the way home. I see Rusty talk so highly of his schoolmates on the ride home from school, so I really wanted to get to know their parents. Thought they could be my new troop. And in a way, my garage helped me do that. It started while I was out promoting the venture…”

+++

I was taking my new shop truck on her maiden voyage with Rusty by my side. Figured it’d get the word out and drum up some customers since we were gonna open any day. We’re puttering along in Paddington and suddenly, Rusty points out the window and says, “Dad, look! It’s Mackenzie!”

I saw a couple o’ border collies standing by the side of the road, their ute smoking. “Looks like they’re broken down, kiddo,” I said.

“Can we help them, Dad?” Rusty asked.

“Well, if he’s your friend, let’s see what’s up.” We parked nearby and got out. Rusty greeted Mackenzie happily while I went over to his dad.

“You’re Rusty’s dad, right? Don’t see you around much,” he said.

“Yeah, discharged recently. Diesel.”

“Sorry, Josh,” a guy shouted, “my mechanic’s booked solid today.” A blue heeler and his pup walked toward us from a couple houses down.

“Biscuits,” Josh muttered. “Thanks for trying, Bandit.”

The Heeler pup waved at us. “Hi, Rusty!”

“Bluey!” said Rusty. “Me and Dad are spreading the word about his new garage.” He pointed at the logo on my truck that Pepper designed. 

“Diesel’s Petrols,” read Bluey. “Hee-hee! I like that name!”

“You work on cars, eh?” said Josh.

“Yeah, cars, Jeeps, copters, you name it, it’s my toast and jam. I could take a look if you don’t mind.”

Josh shrugged and led me to the wide-open bonnet. I felt the heat on my fur immediately and recoiled back. “Poor thing’s overheated,” I said, waving some smoke away. Now time to sniff out the problem. The army taught me that well. Let everything fall away and focus on what needs to be done. 

I took a deep whiff through my nose and exhaled sickly sweet aromas, like burnt caramel. It was coolant, alright, almost like the radiator blew or a hose had popped loose and covered the engine in it. For Josh’s sake, luckily it was the latter I spied immediately.

“I don’t understand it. It was all right yesterday,” said Josh once I regained my awareness.

“A hose popped off your rad here,” I said, pointing to the dangling pipe near the main gears. “Reckon you’ve lost all your coolant, mate.”

“Wow,” said Josh. “That’ll do it.”

“You know, I think I have a proper clamp and some coolant in me Ute. I can have you right as rain in a tick.”

Josh looked shocked. “Really? R-right now?”

I smiled. “I always like to come prepared for anything.”

Josh pumped his fist, his bummed expression washing out to giddiness. “Well, thanks a bunch!”

“No worries.”

It was simple to refit the hose and tighten it down properly. Then once his engine came back down to as normal a temperature as could be on the eve of summer, I topped up the coolant and gave him the go to start up. The engine tumbled for a second as the coolant recirculated but then kicked right into life. “Gotta love a rock-solid Toyota,” I smirked. Hardy and excitable, just like he was.

I waited a moment to see if the hose would pop off, but it held. I shut the bonnet and gave Josh the thumbs up. He called his son over and they loaded up.

“Thanks a bunch, mate!” said Josh as I approached the cab. “What do I owe ya?”

I glanced quickly at the temperature meter. A-OK. “Ah, twernt nothin’, mate,” I scoffed. “All in a day’s work.” 

I felt a tug on my arm, and I crouched down. “Yeah, mate?” I said to Rusty.

“Dad, remember what mum said? ‘If you fix some stranger’s car like I know you will, make sure you’re paid.’”

I gulped and stood up again. Both Mackenzie and Josh were laughing. I grinned embarrassingly.

“Your mum’s a smart cookie,” Bandit said with a wink.

“Thanks, Mr. Heeler!” said Rusty.

I shook my head and fished a business card out of my wallet. “Okay, how’s $30 sound? And you gimme a ring if your Ute ever packs in again?

“Done deal!” said Josh, quickly exchanging it for a banknote from his.

“Much obliged,” I said, shaking his paw. With a wave, he was off down the road with his pup.

+++

Not long after, I’d just finished installing the new ramp in the garage when in wheels this sturdy little Subaru. My first real walk-in. I head over and a Jack Russel steps out of it. 

“G’day, mate,” I said, “thanks for droppin’ by. what can I do ya for?”

“Do you do suspension work here?” he asked.

“Whatever’s ailing your car, I can put it right.”

“Oh, great!” he said, relieved. 

I wondered what brought that on, but I didn’t have to wonder long. The Jack Russel pushed down on his wheel arch and it didn’t budge an inch. “The ride’s been really rough,” he continued. “My tail aches every time I drive it longer than a grocery run.”

“That ain’t fair dinkum. Let’s put ‘er on my new ramp and I’ll take a look.”

I helped him position the car and once it was safely in the air, I could see straight away what the problem was. “Great day in the morning, your shocks are toast! Covered in oil and stiff as stone. What on earth did you do to ‘em?”

The terrier rubbed his arm, looking guilty with himself. “It’s a funny story, I suppose. I took a shortcut picking my son Jack up from school-“

“Wait, you’re Jack’s dad?” I exclaimed. “My son Rusty talks about a Russel named Jack all the time.”

“Ha! Likewise! Good to meet you, er…”

“Diesel.” I held out my hand and he shook it.

“Blake.”

“So what happened exactly?” I said, motioning him toward my tool bench.

“So my battery died leaving me without SatNav. This bloke called Maynard showed me a shortcut through the bush, but a sign just before said it was for 4-wheel-drive cars.”

“Hmm…” I suddenly had an inkling. I went back to the car and shone my torch around the wheels. I grimaced even more. “Yeah, this is an all-wheel-drive car.”

Blake raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t they the same thing? It’s got four wheels.”

I almost laughed but I didn’t want to do that to the poor guy. “Rookie mistake, mate. See, all-wheel-drive shifts power to all the wheels to help with traction on muddy or wet road. 4-wheel-drive is for serious off-roading like what you did on that shortcut, it looks like.”

Blake sighed. “Yeah, I…had an adventurous moment. But when I came home from the markets the other day with busted eggs, my wife said I’d better bring it in. She heard about you from Josh Border-Collie.”

“Issat so?” Small world. “Well, tell ya what- I have the parts here that I need. I can have you back up and running by day’s end for…how’s $400 and a promise to not take your car where it’s not meant to go?”

Blake perked up. “Really? That’d be fantastic!”

I nodded. “All in a day’s work, mate.”

+++

“Two new civilian friends, that’s a good start,” said Dr. Bernard.

“Thanks,” said Diesel. “But it’s funny.” He scratched his chin and tried to gather his thoughts. “I…didn’t think I was making friends at first.”

“How so?”

“I guess it felt like just doing what I had to do and sending ‘em on their way, nothing more, like in the army. The troop and I would bond for hours on end every day because we were together for that long. We slept on smelly cots together. I could know everything about them. I barely got to know Josh and Blake before their cars were fixed and they were off.”

Diesel paused, wondering if he should even say what he was about to.

“Do you need to confide about something, Sergeant Kelpie?” Dr. Bernard asked gently, without judgment.

“Sometimes I feel…like an outsider, ya know? It used to be I was barely home before I was back overseas. The army was my world more than here and suddenly, this is my world now. I wasn’t sure if Josh and Blake would remember me with how little we were able to talk. I wasn’t sure I could make my place here.”

“It doesn’t make your interactions any less meaningful,” Dr Bernard reassured. “It takes time and effort but it’s very possible.”

Diesel nodded. “Oh, I’m realizing that now. And what helped me change my view was that Heeler Bandit I mentioned earlier…”

+++

As it happens, it was the day after I expressed this to Pepper and we were discussing my rates in the garage.

“The prices I’m giving aren’t too low, are they, Pepper?” I said, my head hurting seeing her spreadsheets.

Pepper shook her head. “Don’t worry, love, you’re covering all our expenses. I just want to make sure you’re charging what you’re worth.”

“It’s never a big deal. I’m just glad I get to do this at all.”

Pepper took my hand and squeezed it. “Okay, well, I think you’re worth more.”

“Yeah, and I know you always will.”

How did I find someone so perfect, in partnership and…well, partnership? We moved in closer for a kiss until we heard someone nearby clearing their throat.

We turned to see that Heeler Bandit from the other day with his daughters, Bluey and an orange one whose name I didn’t recall. “Sooooo does Rusty run off screaming when he sees smoochy-kisses?” asked Bandit.

“Dad, you were kissing Mum’s stinky fish breath!” laughed Bluey. 

I stood up straight and saluted. “Sir!”

Pepper rolled her eyes and pushed me away. “Welcome to Diesel’s Petrols. How can we help?”

“I was just passing by and I wondered if you’d give my Jeep a once-over. I’m taking the family dune racing next month and I figure you’re the Jeep expert.”

I chuckled. “It’s a stereotype for a reason. I’ll make sure you can handle everything out there. Pepper’ll show you to the waiting room.”

“We’ve got toys!” she said to the Heeler kids, and they cheered and dashed off toward the lobby, their dad following.

The hum of the lift had become music to my ears by this point and I could operate it in my sleep. Wrangler, a good rugged vehicle, could literally take you anywhere. That once-over was probably the quickest one I’d ever done, even on an army vehicle. Bandit maintained it really well.

I wiped my brow with a rag and headed to the lobby. Bandit was in the middle of keeling over, clutching his chest. His kids had their hands out, wiggling their fingers at him and laughing maniacally.

I sniggered. “What’s all this then?”

“Hi, Rusty’s dad!” said Bluey. “Bingo and I overwhelmed him with our magic!”

Bandit looked at me. “Yeah, powerful stuff,” he whispered.

“Dad,” said Bingo, “you’re supposed to be asleep!”

Bandit slowly came to his feet. No doubt it took longer these days with those two scamps running him ragged. I certainly knew the feeling. “Let’s just call it a cliffhanger,” he declared. “Am I asleep? We’ll find out when we get home.”

Rugged, adaptable, and fun. Just like his car.

“All good?” he asked me.

“Good to go,” I said.

“Good job, there, mate.”

I smiled. “All in a day’s work.”

I held out my hand and he shook it vigorously. Of all the blokes I shook with, his was the best so far. “Make quick work like that and I might be calling you from now on,” he said.

What a compliment, especially since he already had a guy. “M-much obliged,” I said before I led him over to the computer to do his invoice.

“Only seen you at drop-off a couple of times. When’d you get back?” he asked.

“Not too long ago. It’s good to be home at last. Feels like I’ve missed too much outta my kids’ lives.”

“Yeah, I feel that way when I have to be on a dig site. I’m not gone nearly as long but it’s still too long.”

“Truth. And it’s good to really talk to someone outside of that whole world. Makes it easier to get back…to the swing of it, you know?”

“Hey, you oughta come and have a drink with me and some friends. Josh’ll be there. And Blake’s thankful you got his Subaru running again.”

“Oh yeah, I remember them.” But did they really remember me? “Well, I dunno-“

Bandit slung an arm over the counter. “C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

I gave it a rummage in my mind. Sounded like the perfect proposition, and so quickly after getting back. I’d hopefully have a new friend group to make reintegration easier. But it still almost felt like I was intruding on somewhere I didn’t quite belong yet. I wasn’t sure if I should step in.

I looked away for a moment. Bluey and Bingo had slid right into another game, involving the footy in the toy box. I laughed. “These kids make it look so easy.” So easy to get along, I thought.

“Yeah, we can take a cue from them every once in a while, eh?” said Bandit.

I nodded. I’d take that step. “Sure, gimme the deets and I’ll be there.”

+++

“I’m sorry, Sergeant Kelpie, but we’re out of time for today,” said Dr. Bernard, rising up. “But it sounds like you’re making great progress with reintegration. I’m proud of ya!”

Diesel stood up. “Thanks, doc. After opening my garage and meeting Bandit and Blake and the others, it really feels like I have another troop. I know I’ve only just started my new life and there’s so much I want to do yet, but…” He shrugged. “It’s like I always say, even in the field.”

“All in a day’s work?” asked Dr. Bernard.

“Yeah, all in a day’s work.”

+++

Diesel opened the door to the pub and cased the joint for the table where Bandit and his friends were. Catching waving hands out of the corner of his eye, he saw they were all smiling and waving at him.

“There’s the dog of the hour,” said Bandit, filling a glass and handing it to Diesel.

“For putting us all back on the road,” said Blake.

“And for being a stand-up bloke altogether,” said Josh.

“Good to know ya, mate,” said a yellow Labrador. “Congrats on the new venture.”

Diesel sat down and rose his glass, gulping down the lump in his throat. “Thanks for making an army dog feel welcomed home.”

“CHEERS!” Glasses clinked and mirth and merriment took him over as Diesel joined a conversation about an upcoming cricket game. The garage had always been a goal of his, but now he felt like he accomplished something far more difficult-making a place in a third troop, a group of guys he was proud to call his new friends.

#bluey #fanfiction #aj tries to write #bandit heeler #bluey heeler #bingo heeler #rusty's dad #diesel kelpie #rusty kelpie #rusty #digger kelpie #dusty kelpie #rusty's mum #pat #lucky's dad #jack's dad #mackenzie border collie #mackenzie's dad #slice of life

[littlewinnow]

A little rough silly comic with Harry helping Draco out with infant scorp :)

#drarry #myart #drarry dads #oughh im rusty i uavent drawn anything like this in a while #hope i get more time to doodle more ahhh

[dlartistanon]

My little Samuel babies...

#arknights #saria #muelsyse #dlarts #tfw i wanna keep it angsty and slowburn #but i also need fluff so my soul doesn't implode from the pain #saria with glasses... #makes her look even more like a dad #saria managed to fluster her but she took recoil damage too #her skills are rusty

[harriertail]

FOR THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE

IS THE HAND THAT RULES THE WORLD

#scourge as firestars dad au from last post #firestar #tigerstar #scourge #warrior cats #myart #rusty #tigerclaw #the prophecies begin

[justaholesir]

RUSTY JOINER as Chris My Teacher, My Obsession (2018) dir. Damian Romay

#rusty joiner #my teacher my obsession #dad crush #damian romay #mine

[n3ctarco]

😭 he sounds so sad dude I love them so much. Father and son frl frl

#the venture bros #venture bros #n3ctarco #hank venture #adult swim #brock samson #Brock is their dad I don’t care #Brock is the dad #rusty is the dad to ok ok

[mamaestapa]

I Wish You Would

•pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

•series summary: Y/n Hubbard, the younger sister of Cincinnati Bengals Defensive End Sam Hubbard, finds herself in a difficult situation after a steamy hookup with her brothers best friend, who just so happens to be the quarterback for the Bengals. In just nine months their lives will be changed forever. How will Y/n and Joe manage to to go through parenthood together? more so, how will Sam take the news he is going to be the uncle of his best friends baby?

•chapter summary: Sam pours his heart out to you and Joe, hoping you two will forgive him and his behavior from the past six months...

•word count: TBD…it’s a very long chapter though (i was too lazy to put it on a google doc lol. i’ll fix it later today)

•warnings: pregnancy, pregnancy hormones, reader is extremely turned on by Joe (whos not? LOL), slight smut/more like allusions to sex, mentions of pregnancy loss, SAM, some confrontation, some angst, fluff, basically the basic daddy issues warnings lol

series masterlist

—————————————————

May 21, 2023

6 months pregnant

You took a deep breath as you leaned against the counter, arms crossed over your chest and resting on your growing baby bump as you watched Joe prepare a protein shake after his workout. You huffed out a sigh as you watched the muscles in his biceps and forearms flex with each shake of the bottle. It was almost like they were teasing you, wanting you to grip them tightly as you and Joe...

"Y/n," Joe's voice snapped you out of your wandering thoughts, "You OK?"

You felt your cheeks flush as you looked into Joe's blue eyes, his gaze making butterflies swarm in your belly. You gulped slightly, hoping he didn't pick up on your body language. I'm OK, you thought, I'm more than just OK, actually..

I'm extremely turned on right now by your black compression shirt...

Your bulging and drenched in sweat arm muscles...

and don't even get me started on that ass...

"I'm great." You said with a small smile as you uncrossed your arms and adjusted the shirt that tightly hugged your body. Joe's gaze never once left you, making your body's excitement grow more and more.

Stupid pregnancy hormones. They've been raging recently, wanting you to pounce on your boyfriend at any moment and climb him like a tree. Joe could just glance at you and your body made you need him, all of him.

Joe furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at you. It seemed like he wasn't believing your response. He set his shaker bottle down on the counter and made his way over to where you stood on the other side of the counter. Joe stood in front of you, crossing his arms over his chest which of course made your eyes wander. Your eyes widened slightly as you took in the way his chest looked hugged by his compression shirt. Joe noticed your gaze fall to his chest. Oh. The lustful look in your eyes made him chuckle. Lovely pregnancy hormones.

Joe smirked as he uncrossed his arms and walked up to you, holding them out for you. "C'mere mamas."

The name had you practically melting into Joe's arms. You fell into his embrace, bringing your baby blue manicured hands up to his hard chest. You slowly ran your hands down Joe's chest and abdomen, your arousal growing as you felt each ab on your fingertips. You bit your lip slightly as your hands came back up settled on his sternum. Joe stood there as you felt his body, his arousal growing as you got up on your tip toes to kiss his neck. You started delicately sucking at the skin of his neck, making Joe groan softly. You kissed along his jaw line before going back to his neck, making sure to mark him up. Before you could leave a deep purple mark on his neck, Joe pulled away from you, making you whine.

"Joeyyy."

Joe narrowed his eyes at you. Already knowing the answer, he still decided to ask, "Why are you so..."

"Horny?" You finished for him. Joe chuckled at your bluntness, "Yeah."

You pulled yourself completely away from Joe and leaned against the countertop, "Well," you sighed, "I went to my doctors appointment a couple days ago." Joe nodded along as you spoke, interested to see where you were going with this.

"And not only are my hormones raging right now, but Doctor Montgomery said it might be a good idea to stop having sex once I reach the sixth month mark."

Joe's eyes widened slightly as his mouth formed an O. You sighed once again, bringing yourself close to your boyfriends chest again. "So Joe, please," you practically begged, "all I want is for your to slam me against this countertop and screw me like there's no-."

You got cut off by Joe's lips slamming onto yours. You instantly kissed back just as harshly. He pulled away, a small smirk on his face as he looked down at you. "Say no more..." he said, huskily under his breath. You let out a breath of anticipation as your smirk matched his.

Joe pushed you against the counter, wrapping his arms around your waist.

"Jump." He instructed.

You did as he said, jumping just enough so you could sit on the countertop. You straddled his waist, your fingers digging into his toned back. You threw your head back, moaning as Joe put his lips against your neck, sucking at the skin just enough to get a reaction out of you, but not enough to leave deep marks. You brought your hands up to his hair, pulling on strands of his dark blonde hair, "Joe, don't stop..."

He pulled your tight fitting white t-shirt off of your body, throwing it across the room. Joe bit his lip, observing your chest which has gotten significantly bigger since you've gotten pregnant. You grabbed his hand, placing it on your right breast. His palm instantly kneaded at the swollen skin. Joe's other hand traveled down to your waist band, his skilled fingers hooking under and slowly pulling them down your thighs. Both of your breathing was quickening as he traced the lace of your panties...however, as Joe's fingers pulled at the material of your panties, a sudden wave of guilt came flooding over you. 

"Wait," you suddenly pulled away from Joe, making him remove his hands from your waist. "stop." you said, removing his other hand from your chest. Joe pulled away from you completely with a puzzled look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I feel..." you trailed off, pulling your pants back up and gulping slightly as you made eye contact with a concerned and confused Joe, "dirty." 

Joe's eyes widened slightly as he was taken aback by your confession, "D-dirty?" he chuckled, "Why d'you feel dirty, babe?"

You put your hands on your belly, "Because we have the little guy in here listening to everything, and it just feels wrong." You shuddered at the thought of the baby boy in your womb hearing everything.

"Babe, we've done it before with the little guy in there," Joe said, gesturing to your bump as he reassured you, "It's fine, really."

You shook your head, your hormones suddenly changing their minds. "I was only what, three months pregnant? I was barely showing, and he couldn't hear things. Now, I am really showing, and he can hear us, Joe. Do you really want our son to hear us having sex while he's in here?" You finished, pointing to your baby bump.

Joe laughed, "You- seriously?" You giggled, "Yes, seriously!"

"Y/n, baby, he's going to hear us when he's out of there, so he might as well get used to it now."

You gasped at Joe's words, lightly hitting his chest as both of you chuckled at his joke. He did have a point...but that didn't stop you from feeling guilty, nor did it change your mind at all.

"Maybe we should just wait to do this until after I give birth. I feel guilty if we finish..." You trailed off with a sigh. You looked up at Joe, smiling sadly as you looked into his eyes. He was just as turned on as you were...what a bummer. "I'm sorry, Joey."

Joe chuckled as he picked up your shirt and tossed it to you. "Stop. Don't be sorry." He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a warm embrace. He placed a gentle kiss on your forehead before he spoke, " It's fine with me, sweetheart. Whatever makes you the most comfortable."

"Thank you, Joe." You said quietly as a smile tugged at your lips. He was so patient with you and your pregnancy hormones. It meant a lot to you that he was so patient despite the raging hormones and mood swings you were experiencing. You pulled away from Joe, placing a gentle kiss to his lips which he gladly returned. You let out a soft sigh before you spoke, "It's probably a good thing we didn't participate in any...activities."

Joe chuckled at your use of the word "activities".

"Because," you continued, glancing at the clock, "we're supposed to meet Sam for lunch in forty minutes."

Joe's mouth formed a straight line as his shoulders dropped at the mention of your older brothers name. The brother you haven't spoken to since the day of your sister in-laws baby shower. The day that was supposed to be a happy and exciting day, turned into one of the worst day of yours and Joe's lives. Joe didn't want to see Sam, not after all the drama and hurt he caused you both emotionally and physically. Maybe he was being overdramatic, but Joe doesn't think he'll ever forgive Sam for being the reason you could have lost your unborn son.

"Joe," you said his name softly, pulling him out of his thoughts. Joe hummed in response. You noticed how he tensed up and how his jaw clenched at the mention of meeting up with Sam.

"I know you don't want to see him, but I think it would be good for us, all of us to hear what he has to say."

Joe just nodded at your words. You frowned softly as you said the next part, "And as much as I want to stay mad at him for everything he has done to us and our relationship. I really miss my brother."

Joe sighed softly as he snaked an arm around your waist, gently pulling you into him. He didn't want to admit it, but deep down he did miss Sam, too.

"I know," Joe said, "I miss him too."

You smiled sadly and pulled away from Joe, grabbing his hand and slowly leading him out of the kitchen, "Then let's go get ready." Joe nodded and followed you out of the kitchen and upstairs to get ready for lunch with Sam.

It was a day you were both dreading, but you knew it needed to happen sooner rather than later. After hearing how guilty and genuinely sorry he seemed, you realized you needed to let Sam talk and have the opportunity to apologize. You and Joe needed to hear where he was coming from. You may not always agree or get along, but he is your brother. What he did wasn't right, but you can't ignore him forever. While it may take some time and effort from all three of you, Sam does deserve a chance to make things right.

time skip

You and Joe walked into the restaurant you agreed to meet Sam at, both of you simultaneously taking a deep breath as you stepped through the entrance. It wasn't too fancy, just a local sandwich shop in Cincinnati, a place you and the other wags met up at often during the off-season. Sam made sure to have you all meet up when it wasn't super busy since you didn't want to be bombarded by fans. You also didn't want any speculation to start swirling around the league after you were seen sporting a baby bump while out with the star QB...

You knew you wouldn't be able to hide your unborn baby and his fathers identity forever, but you liked what privacy you and Joe had for now. You would tell the world about everything when you were ready, and right now is not that time.

As you walked further into the shop, you saw Sam sitting in a booth, staring intently at his phone. You took another deep breath as you looked at your brother. You could feel your heart race and your palms grow clammy as you realized it was finally time to have that conversation or should you say conversations you've been dreading. You and Joe agreed to go into this day with an open mind, wanting to stay as civil as possible. You’d only get confrontational with Sam he if he got confrontational with the two of you.

Joe could sense you tense up beside him, so he placed a hand on the small of your back, giving your hip a gentle reassuring squeeze. You looked up at him and smiled softly, giving him a small nod before the two of you made your way over to Sam.

As you grew closer to the booth he was sat in, Sam snapped his head up from his phone. His eyes lit up as he saw you and Joe standing in front of him. He didn't think you were going to show up.

Sam stood up, wiping his hands on his shorts and taking a deep breath before he spoke.

"Y/n, Joe," he said, sounding almost relieved to see both of you, "hi."

"Hi Sam," you said softly, giving your older brother a small smile, "it's good to see you." Sam smiled sadly at you, his blue eyes apologetic as he replied sincerely, "It's good to see you too, Y/n/n. I've missed you."

"We've missed you too." Joe answered, making your older brothers eyebrows raise slightly. He wasn't expecting that answer to come from Joe, and neither were you. You briefly looked up at Joe before turning your attention back to Sam, giving him a closed lip smile.

"You want to order some food and maybe get a table outside? It’s pretty nice out, plus it gives us some privacy." You said, voice growing quieter by the end of your suggestion. Your brother and boyfriend nodded, agreeing with what you said. The three of you proceeded to the counter to order your sandwiches before heading outside. After getting your food, Joe chose a table for you to sit at a few feet away from the entrance. Once you were all seated and settled, Sam spoke up.

"So how have you two been?"

"Really good," Joe said, glancing at you with a small smile on his face. You nodded, adding on, "I had an appointment last week, passed my glucose test and baby boy looks great." Sam smiled at that, "Good," he said , "I'm glad to hear that."

You smiled, "Thank you. He had us worried there for a while, but doctor says he's happy and healthy."

Sam's smile faltered slightly at the mention of how your baby's health had you and Joe worried for a bit. It took a lot of reassurance from Emma and the others that it wasn't his fault and scares like that can just happen, but Sam still couldn't help but feel guilty about the whole situation. He put so much stress on you and Joe during those early months, he knew it had to be his fault.

Sam gulped slightly, "Well I’m happy to hear that. You look great by the way, Y/n/n."

Sam's nickname for you made you smile slightly. While he's made you extremely upset and been quite a douche lately, you canto deny that you've missed him so much.

"Thanks Sammy," you replied, your nickname for Sam making him smile this time, “How’s Emma doing?”

“Good, her and baby girl are healthy. Em’s a bit uncomfortable though. Just ready to have the baby,” Sam chuckled, “but I constantly have to remind her she’s still got about eight more weeks left to grow.”

“It’s because she’s growing your big ass baby, Sam. How much more growing could she have left?” Joe said, joking with his best friend, “is she measuring ahead at all?”

Sam chuckled lightly at Joe’s teasing before answering, “Yeah she’s actually measuring two weeks ahead. We’re going in for an ultrasound in two weeks to confirm, but doctor thinks the due date will get moved up.”

“That’s great if it does,” you smiled, “Not only does it save her weeks of discomfort, but your daughter will be here before training camp.” Sam nodded at your words, “Oh yeah,” he agreed, “we’re hoping that’s the case.”

You and Joe nodded in agreement. You’re not at that point in your pregnancy yet where you’re extremely uncomfortable, but you know you’ll be feeling exactly how Emma feels in just a few weeks. For now though, you’re just thankful for how good you feel during the end of your second trimester.

For the next fifteen minutes or so, you, Joe and Sam ate your lunch in a mix of tense, yet comfortable silence while making the occasional small talk. It was obvious the three of you wanted to get into the reason why you’re meeting up today, but nobody seemed to be the one that wanted to bring it up.

You knew Joe wouldn’t bring it up. At all. And you didn’t necessarily want to be the one to start the conversation, but you also didn’t want to avoid the discussion anymore than the three of you already were. Someone just had to “rip off the bandaid” and finally start that conversation…

You wiped the corners of your mouth before folding your napkin in your hand and setting it down on the table. You adjusted your position in the chair you sat in, uncrossing your legs and sitting straight up. You cupped your bump and cleared your throat before speaking up, “I hate to be the one to bring it up…” you trailed off, eyeing the two men sitting with you, “but we do need to talk.”

“Yeah.” Joe sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his fingers through his grown out hair. Sam nodded as he too adjusted his position, “We do.” He confirmed, sighing softly after he spoke. Sam wore an apologetic expression as his eyes darted between you and Joe. He took a deep breath before taking a moment to spill his heart out to both of you. Months of pent up emotions would be spewing out in just a matter of seconds.

“I don’t even know where to begin. I just, I feel terrible. Terrible about how I’ve been treating you two and how I reacted to the baby—your baby. Terrible about what happened the day of Emma’s baby shower. If it wasn’t for me and my outbursts, you guys wouldn’t have almost lost your baby boy that day.” Sam’s voice cracked with emotion as he said the word “baby”.

You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth as you listened to Sam’s voice break. Joe brought his hand under the table and placed it on your protruding belly. He started to stroke the bump with his thumb, comforting both himself and you with the reassurance that your son was still safe and sound in your womb.

Sam continued speaking, “And don’t even get me started on the Ohio State situation. I had no right getting in-between the two of you like I did, even if it was for the best.” he sighed softly, as tears began to well in his eyes, “I, god, I feel terrible about everything I’ve done.”

You frowned as you saw how emotional Sam was getting. He did seem like he genuinely felt bad. You wanted to speak, but Sam wasn’t done.

“I understand if you never want to see me again—either of you. I wouldn’t want to see me ever again either if I were you.” Sam wasn’t one to usually show his emotions, but right now he was showing all of his emotions. His chin quivered as he spoke, “I am so, so sorry for all of the shit I’ve done and said to both of you. Not just with the pregnancy, but with your relationship. Neither of you deserve the shit I’ve put you through, and I am so sorry for that. I wish things could go back to how they were before between us. I wish I wasn’t selfish. I wish I wasn’t such an asshole. I wish you two would come back into my life again because…”

You and Joe stayed silent as Sam spewed out his jumbled apology. You were trying to process all the things he was saying to you, while also allowing him to have the chance to get everything off of his chest.

“I love you both so much,” Sam continued, his tone somber, “Y/n/n you’re my baby sister and Joey, we’ve been friends for so long that you’re not just my best friend, you’re my brother. I should’ve never treated you guys the way I did because as long as you’re happy, I should be happy, right?” He sighed once again, taking a moment to think of the right words to say next, “I’m genuinely sorry for the last few months. I’ve been overreacting like crazy, and if you’ll let me, I’d like another chance. I want to make things right.”

You took a deep breath as you took in all of Sam’s words, which was a lot to take in. Joe removed his hand from your bump, bringing it up to his hair. He wet his lips as he ran his fingers through his grown out hair. The air between the three of you was tense as Sam waited anxiously for either you or Joe to respond to him pouring his heart out.

“Sam,” Joe spoke, his voice quiet. Both you and Sam turned your attention to the blonde sitting next to you. “I understand why you reacted the way you did when we told you about the baby. I do, and I forgive you for that. But,” he sighed before continuing, “Why did you do it? If you love us as much as you say you do, if you want us to be happy as much as you say you do, why did you do it?” His voice was full of confusion and pain. You could feel the tears well in your eyes at the sound of Joe’s voice. You knew exactly what he was referring to…and so did Sam.

“I was trying to protect both of you.” Was all Sam said. Joe furrowed his brows and cocked his head to the side, “From what?”

“A lot. Protect Y/n getting her heart broken and losing the one boy she ever truly loved. Protect you from getting stuck at Ohio State and throwing away your whole career for my sister. Joe, I love you man but you and I both know things would’ve ended worse between you two if I hadn’t stepped in.”

“You were protecting us from eachother?” you asked, voice laced with so much confusion and emotion. It didn’t make any sense to you.

“Yes,” Sam confirmed, “I was protecting both of you from eachother.”

“But Why?” You and Joe asked at the same time.

“Because I knew it wasn’t going to work between you two at the time.”

You and Joe both furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. “Why?” You asked, genuinely confused. Sam scoffed lightly, “If you’d let me explain, maybe it’ll answer your question.” You and Joe closed your mouths, your silence urging Sam to continue.

“Joe, you were in love with my sister since the day you met her, and Y/n, you couldn’t stop drooling over Joe after I let you spend the night at our apartment for the first time.”

You and Joe both blushed lightly at Sam’s words. Neither of you had realized he knew all along about the infatuation you and Joe had for each other as young adults.

Sam continued, “And as much as you loved each other, I knew it wasn’t going to work out at the time. Joe, if you stayed at Ohio State I doubt you would’ve gotten any playing time until it was too late. I knew for you to achieve your dreams, you had to go to LSU—even if it meant breaking my baby sister’s heart. And Y/n,” Sam turned to you as he spoke, “if Joe would’ve stayed in Ohio he would’ve held you back from getting that internship in Los Angeles that gave you your job for the Bengals. You needed that time away from him and he needed that time away from you.”

You hated to admit it, but Sam did have a point. If Joe would’ve stayed at Ohio State…would you even have your job with the Bengals right now? Better yet, would Joe even have his job with the Bengals? It all started to make sense now…

Sam didn’t make Joe break up with you in college because he didn’t want you two together…

He did it because he wanted you two to find yourselves before finding each other.

“I felt like an ass having that conversation with Joe, acting like I hated the idea of you two dating. I knew it had to be done though for both of you to have the futures you wanted. But, I knew it would all work out for you,” He looked at both you and Joe with a genuine glint in his eyes, “Because you two were so in love that I knew someday you’d find your way back to each other,” Sam smiled softly as he looked between you and Joe, “and look at you now. You’ve got your dream jobs, you’re in a happy relationship, and you’re having a baby. Now you can say I’m wrong all you want, but, it looks like you found your way back to each other after all.”

You glanced over at Joe. The corner of his mouth was pulled up into a slight smirk as he shook his head at Sam.

“Wow,” he said, a light laugh escaping his lips, “You, I don’t even know what to say.”

“You really were looking out for us.” You said, looking back at Sam. He nodded, “Could I have executed it better? Oh yeah. But did it work? I’d say it did.”

You smiled slightly at your brother as tears welled in your eyes. You were overwhelmed by everything Sam had just told you. He knew all along that you and Joe were sneaking around behind his back. He knew how much you and Joe have always loved each other. His actions in college weren’t out of spite against you two, really, he was just looking out for both of you all along. It was hard to stay mad him now, now that you found out the truth behind everything.

You stood up from the you were sitting in, walking over to the other side of the table where Sam sat. He stood up from his chair, and as soon as he was standing you wrapped your arms around him. The two of you hugged tightly in silence for a few moments before you spoke.

“I forgive you Sammy.”

Sam smiled and squeezed you gently. He pulled away from you, turning his attention from you to Joe, who was now standing. You stepped to the side, letting the two have their moment. Joe pulled Sam into a “bro hug”, the two not saying a word, just nodding and slapping the others back the way men do when they hug. After pulling away from each other, the three of you sat back down.

The air amongst you wasn’t as tense as before Things were finally starting to feel normal between the three of you again. You spent the next teeny minutes talking some more, all three of your sharing some more of your feelings. You and Joe both agreed to give Sam a second chance. Your son deserves to have great relationship with his Uncle Sammy.

"Do you guys want to meet Emma and I for dinner next week?" Sam asked before the three of you went your separate ways. You smiled at your brother, your smile only widening as you glanced up at Joe. A content smile was on his face as he nodded at Sam. He didn’t have to say anything. You and Joe both knew that this was his way of beginning to forgive Sam for everything.

"We'd love to."

"Okay, great," Sam replied with a smile, "Jeff Ruby's or Boca at eight?"

"We've never been to Boca." Joe replied for the both of you with a shrug.

"Boca it is then."

After months of you and Joe both not speaking to Sam and being on not-so great terms, after today, it's safe to say things might finally be starting to look the way they did before this mess. While it's still a work in process, you finally had your big brother back in your life and Joe finally had his best friend back in his life.

You both couldn't be happier.

hi loves!!!

omg long time no see, lol. i feel like haven’t updated this in such a long time! (it’s because i actually haven’t😂)

i’ve been dealing with college, writers block, a football funk, and having ZERO motivation to write for this series. it was tough for a while because i loved working on this series over the summer, but something happened (i don’t even know what) and i lost all motivation for this series. maybe it was because football season wasn’t feeling like football season or because i started watching hockey. i don’t really know why, but the good news is, i finally have ALL my motivation back!!🤍

and with joe being out for the rest of the season now, i’ll be keeping up with updates for this series because i know that’ll keep our “joe community” happy while our joey recovers from his injury :)

i apologize if this chapter is all over the place and if the conversation with sam makes absolutely ZERO SENSE. i wrote that at like 4am, plus, i had no clue how to write this chapter. i just knew i needed to get it done and published! the next couple chapters im so excited to write, they’re going to be so sweet🤍

thank you so much for all the love and support you all continue to show me. it means the world to me. thank you for your patience too, i know it’s not always easy waiting months for updates lol. you are all the BEST!😚🫂🤍

tags: @dandelionwrites8 @joeburreauxsworld @theflawedwriter @mrsshiesty @ann288 @ijustcrypretty @theoneandonlyfanz @wickedfun9 @venus-b @hummusxx @stainednailpolishremover @a-moment-captured @alternativemadchen @erinmartin1987 @sirlewisworld @kkrenae @unhingedfangirl @sublimemusic-rebel @meameagirl @ilovejoeburroww @hallecarey1 @j-worlds-blog @blinkloverx3 @jordyn14 @kristencochefski1125 @ryiamarie @unsaidjaelinrose @sinners-98-world @ozwriterchick @evernova @fangirl-madz @jackharloww @emherb10

#joe burrow #joe burrow x reader #joe burrow x y/n #joe burrow x you #joe burrow series #dad joe #daddy issues #guys this was probably the worst one yet. #i am SO SORRY LOL #don’t get your hopes up…i’m just a lil rusty

[homuku]

sugoi

#homestuck #venture bros #dadbert #rusty venture #kill yourself rusty #sweet sweet yaoi #peak #mspaint #ms paint #art #vbros #venture bros. #dad egbert #dad crocker

[monochrome-genesis]

Pre divorce O'Keffee and Flatwell except Flatwell is misusing disguise funds

#my art #digital art #viii o'keeffe #middle flatwell #ac 6 #rusty's divorced spy dads #idk what else to tag #this isn't anywhere near the realm of canon but who cares #anyway they're hot and crazy and definitely smashing

[tamariasykes-art]

This is so fucking funny

#my post #armored core 6 #ac6 #handler walter #v.iv rusty #c4-621 #not walter turning into a protective dad again #he sees rusty flirting with 621 and immediately decides he will have none of that #cant let the arquebus bad boy be a bad influence on 621

[whats-9plus10]

what do you mean your dad watches venture bros ?

#when everyone on the monarch edit post told me their dads introduced them to vbros #homofather #my edit #venture bros #vbros #the venture brothers #the monarch #the venture bros #rusty venture #dr mrs the monarch #radiant is the blood of the baboon heart #radiant is the blood of the baboon heart spoilers #rbbh #venture bros movie #sirena ong #warriana #molotov cocktease #Amber gold #mantilla #debbie st simone #bobbi st simone #brock samson #Hank venture #tara quymn #Ginnie Dunne

[mothdapple]

Pinestar is Rusty’s Father AU

I know there’s no way I’m the first person to come up with this AU, but it’s been stewing around in my brain for a while (like the Smudge!Scourge AU) so I wanted to talk about it! The AU really intrigues me mostly because I see a ton of new possibilities for interesting dynamics between Firestar and Tigerstar. So here’s a break-down of how I’d imagine it playing out book-by-book for the first arc, going over where I see deviations from canon. (Long post below!)

Book 1

Rusty is born to Nutmeg, but his father is Pine (the former Pinestar) instead of Jake. Rusty is an only kit and Pine is very protective of him. Pine lives nearby and visits him often, even after Rusty is given to a new home, and plays an active role in his life. (However, Nutmeg lives further away, or she and her humans move, leaving Pine and Rusty only with each other.)

Pine warns Rusty about the forest and the dangers of the Clans. He does not tell Rusty that he was once a leader, but he does admit to having been a ThunderClan cat named Pinestar. However, Pine had grown tired of the Clans’ pointless fighting and chose to leave. Despite Pine’s overall negative view of the Clans, Rusty is a very curious kitten (who is also getting forest dreams, sent by StarClan) so is only intrigued more by Pine’s warnings. The main thing Pine speaks fondly of in ThunderClan is his former mate and kit, Tigerkit, wondering if they are okay. Because Rusty is an only child, he is super interested at the thought of having a brother. He imagines Tigerkit to be the strongest, best warrior in all the Clans. However, Pine remains very insistent that Rusty never go into the forest, and Rusty reluctantly promises him he won’t.

Pine is very old however, and when Rusty is around 6 moons old, he dies. Rusty is devastated by the loss of his dad, and he becomes quite lonely. He longs for more family, but he is unable to visit Nutmeg. Rusty’s StarClan forest dreams keep getting stronger too, adding to Rusty’s discontent. Feeling like he no longer belongs in the twolegplace and after convincing himself that he is no longer bound to his promise to his dad to never go in the forest (since Pine has died,) Rusty leaves his home to go join ThunderClan, wanting to find his long-lost brother, Tigerkit.

Rusty runs across a ThunderClan patrol led by Bluestar, and she allows him to come with her back to camp, mostly because of his pelt color matching with the “fire alone will save our clan” prophecy (which Bluestar and Spottedleaf still receive in this AU.) But Rusty’s reception in ThunderClan is less than stellar. Rusty eagerly announces that he wants to join the Clan because his father was Pinestar, a ThunderClan cat. However, he is quite shocked as ThunderClan is disgusted by this, viewing him as the son of traitorous leader who abandoned his Clan. (So Rusty now has to deal with that added baggage, in addition to being a kittypet.) Rusty is saddened that ThunderClan views his father so negatively. Rusty had no idea that his father was once leader, and the Clan’s opinion of him doesn’t match up with Rusty’s memory of his father as a noble cat who just wanted to live out his old age in peace. However, the entire Clan is so insistent about Pinestar being the worst, Rusty starts to doubt his own memory of his father, thinking he might have not known Pine as well as he thought he did. But, Rusty wants to work hard to prove himself to them, and also in a way, clear his dad's name by becoming a good Clan cat himself. Rusty is renamed Firepaw, but is not given a proper mentor because Bluestar declares that because of his heritage and kittypet roots, he will be in a probationary period where he has to prove himself worthy of being a true ThunderClan cat.

Also, of course when Firepaw joins, he is so excited to meet “Tigerkit,” asking about him right away. Firepaw is super impressed by Tigerclaw’s strength and size. Naturally though, Tigerclaw wants nothing to do with Firepaw. He is disgusted by the reminder of his weak, pathetic father (especially because Firepaw so strongly physically resembles Pine.) Despite Tigerclaw’s cold and sometimes outright cruel demeanor, like with the rest of ThunderClan, Firepaw is still determined to prove himself to him. He continues to admire Tigerclaw regardless of his poor treatment of him.

After a little bit of time passes in which Firepaw trains, Tigerclaw does seem to come around to Firepaw, and he starts acting warmer to him. After “testing” him in some dangerous situations, Tigerclaw has realized that Firepaw is more competent than he first believed, and Tigerclaw is smart enough to see that Firepaw's blind admiration could be used to his advantage. By exploiting his love, Tigerclaw is able to manipulate his naive little brother in almost however way he wishes. Tigerclaw and Firepaw “grow closer.” This results in Firepaw seeing being the best warrior he can be and strictly following the code to a T "just like Tigerclaw,” as the best way for him to shed the shadow of his heritage and become a great ThunderClan warrior.

Because Firepaw admires Tigerclaw so much, it takes him way longer than in canon for him to realize anything bad about Tigerclaw. Tigerclaw had still killed Redtail, and Ravenpaw witnessed it. Ravenpaw tries to warn Firepaw that Tigerclaw is dangerous when he sees his friend growing closer to him. Ravenpaw even gets desperate enough to eventually try to tell Firepaw about the murder, but Firepaw thinks Ravenpaw must have been mistaken. There is no way Tigerclaw would ever raise a claw against his own Clanmates! 

Because Ravenpaw is never taken to shelter in the barn by Graypaw and Firepaw, Ravenpaw is quietly murdered by Tigerclaw, permanently silencing him. Firepaw is greatly sadden by Ravenpaw's sudden death but of course suspects nothing of Tigerclaw. Firepaw also becomes better friends with Dustpaw and Longtail thanks to Tigerclaw's influence. After Ravenpaw’s death and Firepaw completing the probationary period, Tigerclaw is even named Firepaw's official mentor, allowing Tigerclaw to sink his hooks in even more deeply.

Because of Tigerclaw’s influence, Firepaw does not help Yellowfang when he finds her on their territory. Instead, he and Tigerclaw chase her off ThunderClan land as they would for any trespasser. This results in ThunderClan being without a medicine cat when Spottedleaf is killed by Clawface. Bluestar is deeply distraught by this development, and starts to lose faith in herself and in StarClan. Bluestar feels as if the “Fire alone” prophecy is ThunderClan’s only hope, and she pins it all on Firepaw being the chosen one. This results in her starting to show clear interest in him over the other apprentices. This does not go unnoticed by Tigerclaw, although he doesn’t know why Bluestar is so interested in Firepaw.

Lionheart dies in the fight that drives Brokenstar from ShadowClan and Tigerclaw becomes deputy of ThunderClan after his death, like in canon. Fireheart and Graystripe also earn their warrior names, but Sandstorm and Dustpelt had gotten theirs first (Tigerclaw insists on Firepaw receiving thorough training, even though Bluestar seemed eager to make him a warrior as soon as possible.) Book 1 ends with Fireheart (unknowingly) firmly under Tigerclaw’s paw, and Tigerclaw appreciating more and more the benefits of having his half-brother’s undying loyalty, especially with Bluestar being so fond of Fireheart.

Book 2

With Brokenstar driven out of ShadowClan, Fireheart is picked out by Bluestar and Tigerclaw to go retrieve WindClan. However, Sandstorm (not Graystripe) is picked to accompany him at Tigerclaw’s insistence. This is a careful calculation on Tigerstar’s part. Almost all of Tigerclaw’s biggest supporters are the younger warriors. Fireheart and Graystripe are good friends, but Tigerclaw thinks Graystripe is a bit of a buffoon. He believes Sandstorm to be much more competent, and although Sandstorm deeply respects Tigerclaw, she has never gotten over her disdain for Fireheart and his soft kittenhood. Fireheart is Tigerclaw’s most loyal follower, and Tigerclaw wants a united group of allies, so getting Sandstorm to at least tolerate Fireheart is critical to that.

Neither Fireheart or Sandstorm are happy about being paired together for this mission, but they inevitably bond over the course of the journey to get WindClan and come back. By the end of it, there is even a spark of romantic tension between the two. Tigerclaw is quite pleased that his plan worked so well when they return.

Fireheart is shortly after given Cinderpaw as his first apprentice (thanks to a suggestion by Tigerclaw to Bluestar, who is happy to favor Fireheart due to the prophecy.) But, Cinderpaw is hit by a monster and gravely injured. ThunderClan is still without a medicine cat, so Cinderpaw is taken to WindClan for treatment. Because WindClan feels indebted to ThunderClan for retrieving them, Barkface is happy to care for Cinderpaw in repayment. As Fireheart grieves over his injured apprentice, Tigerclaw is there to comfort him. Tigerclaw reveals that Goldenflower is expecting his kits when he promises Fireheart one of them to train as a new apprentice.

While Fireheart had been gone saving WindClan, Graystripe had started his affair with Silverstream. When Fireheart discovers it, he is very upset, even more so than in canon due to his apprenticeship under Tigerclaw. Fireheart and Graystripe have a huge falling out over it, and Fireheart puts the final nail in their friendship’s coffin when he rats out Graystripe to Tigerclaw, telling him what he knows about Graystripe’s illegal relationship. Graystripe is punished (not as much as Tigerclaw would have liked, but Bluestar has a soft-spot for cats caught in cross Clan relationships, who’d have thought.) Meanwhile, Fireheart grows closer to Dustpelt, Sandstorm, and Longtail, integrating fully into their friend group and leaving Graystripe on the wayside. 

Cinderpaw survives her injury and decides that she’d like to be ThunderClan’s medicine cat. She stays in WindClan for the time being, still recovering but also starting medicine cat training under Barkface.

Like in canon, Brokenstar and his rogues attack ThunderClan’s camp, but they are defeated. Brokentail is blinded by Fireheart, and Bluestar decides to keep him prisoner rather than execute him immediately.

Book 3

Despite Graystripe’s punishment, his desire to see Silverstream isn’t totally killed, and Fireheart catches him in the act of meeting with her again. Silverstream is now pregnant, and Fireheart explodes at his former friend. He and Graystripe start arguing about how RiverClan is "evil" for all the fighting over Sunningrocks and the ThunderClan cats who have died there, with Fireheart spouting a lot of Tigerclaw's talking points. Silverstream gets angry and cuts in that that RiverClan has lost cats in those battles too. In response, Firestar says something about how Tigerclaw was just avenging Redtail by killing Oakheart. This is when Silverstream drops the bomb of "what are you talking about, Oakheart died in a rockfall." 

Fireheart rejects her words in the moment, but they still linger over the next few weeks. Of course he wants to believe Tigerclaw’s story over hers, but this in combination with what he was told by Ravenpaw before he died plants the first seeds of real doubt in his mind. Fireheart almost wants to go back and ask Silverstream for more details, or proof to back up her claim, but before he can, Silverstream dies giving birth. Goldenflower takes in her kits to care for alongside her newborns (Fireheart’s niece and nephew.)

WindClan and ShadowClan find out that ThunderClan is harboring Brokentail. In response, Barkface stops training Cinderpaw, who returns to ThunderClan, putting ThunderClan in a difficult position. They really have no reason to protect Brokentail, but they will look weak if they bend to WindClan and ShadowClan’s demands to hand him over. RiverClan has also demanded that ThunderClan give them Silverstream’s kits. Bluestar is paralyzed by the threats from all the other Clans and with ThunderClan still not having a fully trained medicine cat, she is growing more paranoid about enemies and illnesses and becoming convinced that StarClan has abandoned her Clan. Tigerclaw urges Bluestar to kill Brokentail but also strike against WindClan or ShadowClan preemptively— both Clans are still recovering from Brokenstar, and it would be much easier to take them on separately than if they band together. Fireheart agrees with him, saying that ThunderClan cannot afford to look weak. But, Bluestar cannot make a decision, so she does nothing.

WindClan and ShadowClan attack ThunderClan’s camp, and ThunderClan is saved by the appearance of a RiverClan patrol who had conveniently come at the same time to retrieve the kits. But, the fight is a humiliation for ThunderClan�� being attacked by two Clans in their own camp and requiring RiverClan’s assistance to drive WindClan and ShadowClan out. During the battle, Brokentail retreated to the empty medicine cat’s den to hide. Once the fighting is done, Fireheart goes inside to get him, only to see Tigerclaw standing over Brokentail’s wheezing body, blood all over his muzzle. Brokentail dies in front of him, and when the shock finally dies down, Fireheart asks Tigerclaw why he did it— Bluestar had not ordered them to execute him. Tigerclaw argues that Brokentail had only brought ThunderClan problems, which Bluestar had been too indecisive to solve, so he took matters into his own paws. No one will know it was him anyway— Brokentail could have easily died in the fighting. Fireheart is a bit troubled by Tigerclaw’s disregard of Bluestar’s orders and his duplicitous means, especially given his newfound doubts about Oakheart’s death, but Fireheart agrees with Tigerclaw’s assessment of Brokentail. He easily agrees to keep quiet about it.

Graystripe decides to give RiverClan his kits and leave with them. Fireheart has one more conversation with his former friend before he goes. Graystripe has grown more wary of Tigerclaw recently, especially after seeing his influence on Fireheart. He warns Fireheart that he’s changed from the cat that Graystripe used to know, and to not let Tigerclaw turn him into someone he’s not. 

Book 4

Bluestar’s mental health takes a steep decline after the attack. She is now showing signs of dementia in addition to her paranoia. But ThunderClan at least has a fully trained medicine cat again. Thanks to Tigerclaw’s negotiations with Crookedstar about the return of Silverstream’s kits, Mudfur agreed to finish Cinderpaw’s training, and she is now Cinderpelt. 

Tigerclaw is more or less running ThunderClan single-handedly at this point, with Bluestar staying mostly in her den. Tigerclaw is also using Fireheart as his righthand man as a sort of pseudo-deputy, sending him on errands and trusting him to organize patrols when he is busy with other things. Fireheart is pleased his brother has so much trust in him, but he is still has questions about what happened that night Oakheart died. He attempts some investigating of Tigerclaw to further tease out the mystery of what really happened in the battle where Oakheart and Redtail died, but without an eye-witness (like Ravenpaw was in canon,) Fireheart isn’t making any headway. This isn’t helped by the fact that he still loves and admires Tigerclaw, so he is not at all sold on the idea that Tigerclaw is actually bad.

But, Tigerclaw is indeed still manipulating Fireheart and using that to ask him to do some seemingly harmless favors. One of these favors is interacting with Brokenstar’s rogues, who Tigerclaw had gathered up just outside of ThunderClan territory. Tigerclaw talks Fireheart into believing that these rogues were misled by Brokenstar, but they can be truly good, loyal warriors, if given a second chance. Fireheart is unsure, but he trusts Tigerclaw enough that he does not argue with him about it. 

Then the rogues launch an attack ThunderClan. Their scents and pelts are disguised with mud, but Fireheart has gotten to know them well enough by now that he recognizes some of them anyway when he gets close. Fireheart is shocked that the cats he and Tigerclaw had been helping betrayed them. Worried about Bluestar’s fragile health/mind, Fireheart rushes to her den to see if she’s safe, but it is already too late. Bluestar is dead and Tigerstar stands over her body, blood dripping from his fur. He tells Fireheart that he tried to save her but got here too late and the attackers killed her. The battle ends and the attackers vanish back into the night as quickly as they came, having also killed Runningwind and Brindleface. No one in ThunderClan knows why these cats attacked, or even who they are, but Fireheart knows. And he knows that Tigerclaw knows. 

Fireheart is extremely confused and feels betrayed by Tigerclaw, not understanding why he hasn’t said anything to Fireheart about Brokentail’s rogues having been the ones who attacked them. But, seeing the fragile state of ThunderClan, he resolves to wait to speak to Tigerclaw. He remains silent in public about it as Tigerclaw comforts the mourning Clan. Tigerclaw wants to leave to go to the Moonstone right away, but Fireheart insists they speak privately first and Tigerclaw finally relents. Fireheart tells him that he knows those cats were Brokenstar’s rogues; the cats Tigerclaw has been having him bring food and messages to. Tigerclaw does a good job gaslighting the heck out of Fireheart, insisting that he must be mistaken. Fireheart’s confidence is shaken (maybe he did make a mistake? But they looked so familiar.) Still though, Fireheart has other doubts about Tigerclaw. He wants to ask if he was also mistaken about Tigerclaw being alone in the den with Bluestar, with blood on his muzzle, just like how Tigerclaw was alone in the den with Brokentail. But, Fireheart stays silent for now. He doesn’t want to say the words aloud and give such a horrid thought life.

Tigerclaw adds in charm and manipulation to his gaslighting. He “comforts” Fireheart, saying that it’s completely understandable that Fireheart’s stress and grief was getting the better of him and making him think he saw something that’s not there. But, Tigerclaw reassures him that while Bluestar’s death was terrible and tragic, it really perhaps ended up being for the greater good. Bluestar made their Clan weak, but Tigerclaw will make ThunderClan powerful, strong, and safe again, especially “with Fireheart at his side.” Having no solid evidence of Tigerclaw’s wrongdoing beyond knowing that Tigerclaw knew Brokenstar’s rogues somehow, Fireheart remains quiet, but the unshakeable trust he used to have in his brother has been broken.

Tigerclaw prepares to leave for the Moonstone, but not before he names Fireheart his deputy (seemingly to reward his loyalty, but also to keep a close eye on him.)

Book 5

Tigerstar returns to ThunderClan as their new leader, and Fireheart begins his role as deputy, although he feels like he’s constantly keeping an eye on Tigerstar. Fireheart wishes he had someone to confide in about his concerns about him, and he starts to miss Graystripe. Although Fireheart has close friends in ThunderClan like Dustpelt and Longtail, and a blossoming romance with Sandstorm, he knows they are all too loyal to Tigerstar for him to bring up his doubts. Fireheart starts to feel isolated.

Tigerstar, however, is well liked as a leader in ThunderClan. The Clan is shaken after Bluestar’s death and the vicious, mysterious attack, but Tigerstar promises to keep ThunderClan safe. He increases patrols and there is no hint of any dangerous cats in ThunderClan’s territory or nearby, reassuring almost all of ThunderClan.

Fireheart receives more and more intense dreams from StarClan. Throughout the previous books, they have been in contact with him this whole time, telling him that he is destined to right the wrongs of his father. Fireheart had previously thought they meant that they wanted him to be a great warrior of ThunderClan, like how Pine could not. But, in this book, Bluestar finally appears to tell him to his face that no, that’s not what StarClan means— they mean that his destiny is to stop Tigerstar. She tells him that StarClan always knew Tigerstar would harm ThunderClan. Pinestar had the power to end Tigerstar before he began, but he was too weak to do so. So now Fireheart had to fix his father’s mistakes. Fireheart puts 2 and 2 together and realizes that she is telling him that StarClan ordered Pinestar to kill his own kit, and even though Fireheart has his own doubts about Tigerstar, he is horrified by this. He argues that his father did the right thing by not killing an innocent child, but Bluestar says that Tigerstar is NOT innocent. Fireheart gets angry and says that Pine disobeying StarClan and leaving ThunderClan is proof that StarClan cannot control a cat’s destiny, so why couldn’t Tigerkit have grown into a better cat, and why can’t Tigerstar change his ways now? So far he’s been a decent enough leader of ThunderClan. Bluestar becomes furious, but the dream fades before she can say anything else. Fireheart wakes up, still wary of Tigerstar but determined to not follow StarClan’s orders to murder him in cold blood. He has seen good in him, so there may be a way to save him even if StarClan gave up on Tigerstar as soon as he was born.

A fire tears through the forest, and Tigerstar loses a life or two futilely trying to save some of the Clan’s elders. Fireheart sees this as proof of the fact that there is good in Tigerstar, and that he truly cares about ThunderClan. Maybe he really has been acting in the best interest of his Clan this whole time. Maybe Fireheart really had been mistaken about what he thought about the rogues and Bluestar. (Or maybe, even if Tigerstar killed Bluestar, maybe it was necessary for the good of ThunderClan. Maybe she really was too weak and leading ThunderClan down a bad path.)

ThunderClan shelters in RiverClan territory after the fire. Crookedstar is weak/ill and it is clear to Fireheart that Leopardfur will be leader soon. He notices that she and Tigerstar spend a lot of time alone together (an almost uncomfortable amount of time.) Fireheart wonders what Tigerstar is up to, and he also notices how uncomfortable Goldenflower also seems about the situation. Fireheart tries to awkwardly reassure his sister-in-law that he doesn’t think Tigerstar is interested in Leopardfur “like that.”

Fireheart is also happy to see Graystripe again, and the two strike back up a tentative friendship. Graystripe says he’s sorry to hear about Bluestar and asks how things have been now that Tigerstar is leader and Fireheart deputy. Fireheart considers telling Graystripe his doubts on Tigerstar, but because of the fire and his Bluestar dream, he decides against it, instead just saying things are good. Graystripe knows Fireheart well enough to sense him holding back. He doesn’t press, but he says that he’s willing to be there to talk with Fireheart if he ever needs it.

ThunderClan returns back to their camp and starts trying to rebuild. However, Fireheart is stunned when Tigerstar suddenly comes back to camp the next day with Brokentail’s rogues. ThunderClan is immediately on edge about this, but Tigerstar introduces them to ThunderClan as loyal cats who want to find a home in a Clan again. ThunderClan is hesitant about them joining, but Tigerstar tells the Clan that they need help rebuilding after the fire, and the cats have promised to work hard. 

Fireheart recognizes one of the rogues as someone that he saw at ThunderClan’s camp the day of the attack. Despite Tigerstar’s masterclass gaslighting, when Fireheart sees this cat, he knows in his bones that he witnessed this cat kill Brindleface. At the first chance he gets, Fireheart gets this cat alone, corners them and tells them that he knows they were there during the attack, threatening to tear them to shreds if they don’t tell him why they attacked the camp. After enough beating up/threatening, the cat spills that Tigerstar had promised the rogues a place in a Clan again if they staged a fight against ThunderClan, but that’s all they know. Fireheart’s head is spinning after this revelation, but he is still desperate to cling to the idea that Tigerstar was still somehow acting in ThunderClan’s best interest. Fireheart asks them that if Tigerstar told them to stage the fight, then why did the cat kill Brindleface, Tigerstar’s Clanmate? The cat shrugs desperately and responds that Tigerstar ordered them to make it “convincing.”

Book 6

Fireheart is shaken to his core after the rogue’s revelation, all the fragile barriers of denial and optimism he’d put up in his mind about Tigerstar crumbling down. He realizes the full implication of everything— Tigerstar probably did kill Redtail like Ravenpaw said, and then Fireheart knows he killed Brokentail, and then he had the rogues attack camp so he could likely kill Bluestar, not caring about his other Clanmate casualties in the process.

But, Fireheart knows that Tigerstar can’t learn what he knows yet; not until Fireheart knows what to do with this information. Fireheart threatens to kill the former rogue if they don’t stay quiet about this conversation, and they promise they will.

A few days pass with the rogues helping and hunting for ThunderClan, and the Clan grudgingly accepts them into ThunderClan. Fireheart meanwhile, has been spending the days ruminating. Should he just reveal Tigerstar’s actions to ThunderClan and put the judgement in the paws of the Clan? Should he talk to someone one-on-one about it first? Should he talk to Tigerstar about it? 

Before Fireheart decides anything, a Gathering happens, and ShadowClan doesn’t show up. Their elderly leader, Nightstar has seemed weak lately, but an entire Clan being absent is odd. The day after the Gathering, Tigerstar announces that he is taking a patrol to ShadowClan because he is “concerned” about their neighbors. Fireheart is brought along on the patrol with a group of Tigerstar’s most loyal followers, including the former rogues.

The former Brokentail rogues guide them to ShadowClan’s camp and they find the Clan in shambles from illness, which they are just now finally recovering from. ShadowClan is far too weak to do anything to the ThunderClan cats, but they are not pleased that they are there at all. The ThunderClan cats realize that Nightstar has died, and so Tigerstar imposes himself/ThunderClan under the guise of “helping” leaderless ShadowClan. He orders the ThunderClan cats to hunt for ShadowClan before they leave. Tigerstar also orders the stronger ShadowClan warriors to leave for ThunderClan camp with him so they don’t also get sick from their other Clanmates. ShadowClan protests that they can’t leave their sick Clanmates behind, but they are convinced by Tigerstar and the former rogues (their old Clanmates) that Tigerstar has their best interests in mind. (And besides, they are too weak to fight back.) Tigerstar leaves some of the old rogues in ShadowClan to keep the sick ShadowClan cat’s “safe” (guard them) and to hunt for them, and ThunderClan leaves.

On the trek back to camp, Fireheart talks to Tigerstar and protests this course of action, saying that ThunderClan needs to worry about itself and healing from the fire, and not with ShadowClan. Besides, taking even the healthy ShadowClan warriors back to camp may risk exposing ThunderClan to illness. Tigerstar shuts Fireheart down by snapping at him to stop questioning him, and he knows what’s best for ThunderClan.

ThunderClan has mixed reactions to the new ShadowClan cats in camp. Even Sandstorm is questioning things despite her loyalty to Tigerstar. Fireheart knows now he must talk to someone about his worries with Tigerstar, but he still fears Sandstorm is too close to their leader. He seeks out Graystripe on the border, and confides everything (what’s going on currently with ShadowClan and what Tigerstar has done in the past) to him. Graystripe believes him since he’s been wary of Tigerstar for a while (he was Ravenpaw’s friend too, and wonders to Fireheart if Tigerstar could have “silenced” him.) Graystripe is very worried for his old Clan, but he tells Fireheart he can’t do anything to help. Crookedstar died and Leopardstar is now leader. Leopardstar doesn’t like Graystripe so he has to keep his toes in line if he wants to stay in RiverClan. Graystripe urges Fireheart to tell ThunderClan the truth, but Fireheart despairs that in comparison to Tigerstar, he is still a “kittypet” and the Clan will always believe Tigerstar over him. He has no witnesses for anything besides the rogues who attacked the camp, and they are likely more scared of Tigerstar than him, so they’d stay quiet. Graystripe tells him to have more faith in himself and his Clanmates.

Tigerstar begins to integrate ShadowClan into ThunderClan more, until there is no more ShadowClan. Tigerstar declares their joint Clan by a new name, TigerClan, promising a glorious new era for the forest.

Many cats are troubled by this but are too scared or too influenced by their peers to speak up. Fireheart is becoming more and more troubled as Tigerstar starts to show more tyrannical traits. It doesn’t help that Fireheart’s sleep is constantly disrupted. His dreams are haunted by annoying StarClan almost every night, sending frantic messages and pleas for him to stop Tigerstar. Despite his connection with Tigerstar, Fireheart is on board with stopping him now, but he doesn’t know how to go about it.

Fireheart tries one final appeal to his brother, hoping the cat he used to believe in was still in there somewhere. He talks to Tigerstar privately, laying his cards on the table. He tells him that he knows that Tigerstar always has ThunderClan’s best interests at heart, but ThunderClan is meant to have its own identity— they are meant to be separate Clans. It is wrong to join with ShadowClan. Fireheart begs him that it’s not too late, Tigerstar can still change course and be the amazing leader for ThunderClan Fireheart knows he can be. In response, Tigerstar’s paw flashes out, hitting Fireheart across the face so hard, he’s knocked to the ground, seeing stars. As Fireheart lies there in a daze, Tigerstar snarls that he is a great leader, and if Fireheart ever questions him like this again, Fireheart would no longer be deputy, and he’d be lucky to still even be a TigerClan cat.

Fireheart knows now it is past the point of no return. Tigerstar announces a new alliance with Leopardstar, having RiverClan join the TigerClan fold. Tigerstar seems to have realized he may have pushed Fireheart too hard, though, since he changes tactics. He is back to acting reasonable, trying to spin the action as something good for Fireheart since it will reunite him and Graystripe, and it will prevent more fighting and bloodshed between the Clans if they are united. Fireheart agrees with him, knowing he has no choice but to do so. On the inside, though, the gears have started turning. Fireheart fears he may be running out of time to reveal Tigerstar’s crimes to everyone. He is so powerful now that he is at the helm of three Clans. How could Fireheart ever hope to stop that?

After spending some time carefully judging Sandstorm’s attitude on the whole thing, Fireheart finally confides in her everything that he knows about Tigerstar. To his immense relief, Sandstorm has enough doubts in Tigerstar and enough love for Fireheart by now that she believes him and is horrified. She wants to announce everything to everyone immediately, but Fireheart tells her that they need to be careful since Tigerstar is so powerful with so many allies (Leopardstar and the former rogues mostly.) Sandstorm points out that Fireheart used to be Tigerstar’s most staunch ally, so, like him, cats may change their mind if they trust them enough to tell them the truth. 

Fireheart finally agrees with Sandstorm, but he thinks they still need to gather more supporters before they say anything, just in case. The pair (plus Graystripe in the old RiverClan camp) start looking around for more disaffected cats. They are easy to find in ShadowClan, Russetfur emerging as the natural leader of the group, and Graystripe has some luck with a few in RiverClan as well. However, Fireheart and Sandstorm are having a lot of trouble trying to navigate their Clanmates who are naturally the most loyal to Tigerstar.

Meanwhile, Tigerstar continues to escalate. He announces his plan to unite all the Clans in TigerClan, and starts threatening WindClan to join them or else. Regular battles against WindClan begin, but Tallstar learned from Brokenstar and WindClan turns to guerrilla warfare to survive. WindClan moves completely underground in the tunnels, where no other Clan can follow or find them. They only come out when it’s safe to hunt or to launch winnable attacks against smaller TigerClan patrols before retreating back into the tunnels. 

Tigerstar grows increasingly frustrated and angry at WindClan’s holdout. WindClan’s ability to navigate through the tunnels and appear seemingly everywhere throughout the forest is also making him paranoid. This just gets worse when Tigerstar catches wind of the stirring rebels. He starts capturing and killing “traitors” (although his focus is suspiciously focused on half-Clan cats.) This includes RiverClan’s former deputy Stonefur (who was really in the forming rebel group) but also cats Tigerstar just does not like, or Tigerstar finds rude/spoke out of turn. Not long after the executions begin, Tigerstar also orders Mistyfoot, Graystripe, his kits, and Russetfur to be imprisoned for treason. It is obvious that they will all be executed.

Fireheart finally decides he cannot wait any longer. He sends Sandstorm to take a desperate message to WindClan to ask for their support, and tells the rest of the rebels to ready themselves. As Tigerstar assembles all of TigerClan to hold the trials/executions of the prisoners, Fireheart jumps forward to interrupt Tigerstar’s rant about the traitors. In a heartbroken speech, Fireheart announces all of Tigerstar’s crimes, accusing Tigerstar as the real traitor and tyrant. Fireheart says that he used to admire Tigerstar so much, but he has spent seasons lying to him, and ThunderClan, and everyone. Tigerstar has betrayed the very nature of the Clans by attempting to conquer them all and killing his Clanmates, and must be stopped. Once Tigerstar recovers from the shock of Fireheart suddenly standing against him, he snarls for someone to seize his brother. But as Tigerstar’s loyalists head towards Fireheart, the rebels leap from the crowd to protect him, yowling for the rest of the cats to join them in overthrowing Tigerstar. 

Absolute chaos breaks out, with some cats joining fighting on the side of rebels, others staying loyal to Tigerstar, while others simply flee, not wanting to be in the fight at all. It is brutal, with Clanmate against Clanmate fighting at times, and neither side making much progress until slowly it seems the Tigerstar loyalists are gaining the upper hand. But, the tide is turned as Sandstorm arrives with WindClan in tow for back-up. 

A bloodied and injured Tigerstar finds Fireheart in all the fighting, determined to kill him for causing all this. But, Fireheart doesn’t attack, instead telling him to end it and order his loyalists to stop. The fighting is only hurting everyone, with Clanmate against Clanmate, and TigerClan is now outnumbered and has clearly lost. Tigerstar furiously snarls that he hasn’t lost until they’re all dead, and he’s lost every nine of his lives. Tigerstar launches himself at Fireheart, and they fight. Fireheart is unable to overpower his brother alone (for emotional reasons but also just because Tigerstar is a beast even when injured) but Sandstorm and Russetfur come to his aid and together they kill Tigerstar. The fighting ends with his death and the capture of Leopardstar, who remained loyal to him. 

Once the dust settles a grateful ShadowClan goes home, making Russetstar their new leader. Leopardstar is exiled, and Mistystar takes her place as leader of RiverClan. ThunderClan tries to piece themself back together after Tigerstar’s death, and despite it all, Fireheart still grieves for his brother. Fireheart goes to the Moonstone, where StarClan thanks him for righting the wrongs of his father and saving the Clans. Fireheart retorts that he didn’t do it because of StarClan’s prophecy, but he did it because protecting his Clanmates was the right thing to do. But, Fireheart still believes that cats should be free to make their own destiny regardless of what StarClan says. Despite Fireheart’s back talk, StarClan still grants him his nine lives and it concludes with Firestar becoming leader of ThunderClan.

And that’s the end! I’m curious to hear any thoughts on this, so leave a comment if you’d like. And, by the way, I don’t think I’ll ever write any fanfic for this AU myself, but if this inspires you to want to create something, go for it! Just please credit me in someway if you stick really closely to my outline, and let me know about it regardless because I’d love to see it :) 

#There’s probably more details I want to add to this but it’s so long already #Pinestar is Rusty’s dad AU #Tigerstar and Firestar brothers AU #warrior cats au #firestar #tigerstar #pinestar #warrior cats

[drenched-in-sunlight]

Rubicon boydad parenting war

#armored core #armored core 6 #v.iv rusty #middle flatwell #albi’s art #rusty’s divorced spy dads #v.iii o'keeffe

[ladycheesington]

#Cat Dad 😎 #it has been six months and I’m sooo rusty ugh #cheesy art #Levi fanart #aot fanart #Levi Ackerman fanart #Levi

[meowerto]

due to my poor health condition, i didn't have much time to finish the venture bros 20th anniversary art. it'll be done later, now you can look at the sketch

happy birthday, the best cartoon series about dysfunctional parenting! 🎂

#they're just young and inexperienced dads #brock samson #hank venture #rusty venture #dean venture #the venture bros #venture bros #venbros #vbros #fanart