#and I had to include some pining jake because i love it

[hangmanapologist]

Love Thy Neighbour (3) | Bob Floyd

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Bob Floyd x reader (no use of y/n)

warnings: pining, yearning, idiots in love, so close but so far

A/N: I’m shocked you guys liked the last part?!??? I will kiss you all on the forehead but I love causing fictional men pain I’m sorry

You had begun to settle into the rhythm of day to day life. Work was fine, it was work at the end of your day but your coworkers were nice. You still didn’t really have many friends outside work yet but you had Bob.

Bob Floyd was the sun.

Bob who you saw at least once a day. Bob who you’d share your leftovers with because you learned his schedule was awful and sometimes he was just too tired to cook. Bob who’d text you whenever he was in the store on the his way home in case you needed anything. Bob, who you learned, enjoyed sitting out on his balcony when it started to rain.

You were hopelessly and pathetically falling further and further with each thing you learned about him. Not that he’d ever know.

Sometimes the universe threw a dog a bone and you’d run into him on his way home in his flight suit. You had a lot of long hot showers thinking about that.

Bob liked you a lot.

You listened to him when he needed to whine or ramble and never made him feel like he was taking up too much space or time. In the 1 minute walk from his car to his front door he whispered silent prayers everyday, even though he hadn’t been to church since he was 15, hoping that he’d run into you.

Of course he thought you were beautiful. He constantly thought about the way your eyes lit up when you laughed or how your nose would scrunch when you smiled at him in passing. He thanked whatever deity was listening for your love of sundresses because the mental pictures of you in them kept him busy when the nights seemed a little longer.

But you were kind too. The kindest person he ever met, the one person he’d bring home to his mother. You brought him dinner because you had leftovers, you’d ask him if he wanted to just talk, insisting that you couldn’t finish a bottle of wine by yourself, you both knew you could. You just let him be.

That’s why you didn’t find it all that strange or unusual when he asked if you wanted to get some drinks with him and the other pilots after work. That’s what friends did, they included each other. He was a man of very few words so when you agreed he told you when and where to meet them before rushing off muttering about being late again.

“Bob are you sure she’s real?” Jake teased leaning over the pool table. “She is real and I know she’s not here yet because she’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen and if she was already here I’d know because you and Rooster would probably be all over her” he tried pathetically to defend himself but his hands were getting sweaty and if his knee bounced anymore he was going to put a hole in the floor.

It was 8.15 and he’d told you 8. Had he come on too strong? Did he freak you out? For all he knew you were probably abandoning your apartment in the hopes you’d never see him again.

He was going over every single mistake he thought he made in his head suddenly overheating as his heart began racing. “Bob I think your girlfriend is hereeeeee” Phoenix nudged his shoulder teasingly and brought him back to earth. His eyes scanned the packed bar until they met yours.

Serenity. It was like you blocked everyone else in the room out.

You felt bad for keeping him waiting, you were on time but you forgot to factor in the 15 minutes of nausea and panic outside the packed bar. You were going to meet his friends. You were going to meet his girlfriend.

What could you even say? Sorry I want to kiss your boyfriend and tear his flight suit off with my teeth?

No. You were an adult completely capable of being friends with someone you find attractive. Maybe his friends were as hot as he was and you’d finally get laid. You let that thought propel you as you pushed your way into the packed bar, eyes desperately scanned the room until they met his and all of a sudden, you saw no one else.

You waited awkwardly as he walked over to you. There was a fucking lot of pilots in here. “I’m sorry I’m late.” You pouted apologetically at him as he pulled you in for a hug. “I’m glad you’re here. I think you look really pretty” he was trying to remember all the advice Phoenix gave him on the car ride over.

He was so nauseous at the thought of flirting with you that he nearly had to stick his head out the window like a dog so he didn’t throw up.

“Make it personal. Don’t make it sound generic” Phoenix’s voice rang through his mind. “So I shouldn’t tell her she looks pretty?” “No you can but tell her that YOU think she looks pretty.” “Oh god I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“I didn’t think you were gonna come,” he half shouted over his shoulder. You just smiled at him, any worries of the day melting away. “They’re gonna love you, not as much as I love you though! Oh and Phoenix has been looking forward to meeting you all day!”

There it was, what you were blissfully ignoring until now.

Bob’s hand kept a strong grip on yours as he pulled you through the crowd that was seemingly still getting bigger. A few eyebrow raises were thrown his way and you couldn’t help question it.

What you weren’t expecting was a flock of inhumanely attractive pilots all gathered in the corner. Where the fuck did the navy recruit? Bob introduced you to them all, you had a few laughs as you learned the stories of their call signs and then you met Phoenix.

You couldn’t even hate her. You understand why Bob about her the way he did. She actually hugged you and you felt a pang of guilt in your chest.

But it was hard to not feel insecure next to her. She was gorgeous and smart and talented and couldn’t have been nicer to you. Of course it was going to be her.

You sank back into the bar stool next to Bob as the glasses got emptier. Everyone had broken off into their separate conversations and you were happy to just watch with him.

“Your friends are nice” you sighed contently as you softly rested your head on his shoulder before you realised where you were and who you were in front of. You pulled away like he was hot to the touch.

He had to pretend like that didn’t hurt him.

“I think they like you more than they like me” he nudged you too hard and you lost your balance slightly, saved by Rooster who managed to grab your elbow so you didn’t end up on the ground.

“You okay honey?” You thanked him meekly before smoothing out your skirt trying to hide the fact you wanted to keel over and die.

“Well done buddy, I’m sure she’ll like you back if you break her nose!” Phoenix whispered to her to her WSO sarcastically as she patted his shoulder.

Hangman gave him a sarcastic thumbs up from the pool table

If it was his time to go could God just take him now?

“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to nudge you that hard and then I forgot you lose your balance when you drink and I only know that because that one time you walked into the table in the hallwa-“ “I’m fine Robby don’t sweat it.” He was in fact, sweating very much at the nickname that you’d grown affectionate of. Robby. You always said it so softly, like the name was delicate enough to break in some way.

“Can I tell you a secret?” you leaned closer to his face as you stood up from the stool, one hand bracing yourself of his bicep.

He swallowed thickly. All of a sudden his mouth was dry and he could feel his heart galloping in his chest. He just nodded. “I think you’re much cooler than any of the pilots.” you whispered, your lips lightly brushed the shell of his ear and he could smell your perfume. He couldn’t breathe and he didn’t want to anyway.

You were going to be the death of him.

He wasn’t even given a chance to respond before Phoenix dragged you to the bathroom, insisting that she wasn’t going alone.

Phoenix leaned against the sink with her arms crossed as you washed your hands. You felt nervous under the weight of her stare.

“So how long have you and Bob been together?” We got paired together about a year ago, we’ve stayed together much longer than we expected. “Oh so it was like a blind date situation…that’s sweet” you were lying and you felt like throwing up.

“Date?” she raised her eyebrows quizzically and then it hit her, you thought he was dating her! “Oh my god ew no- I mean he’s great and amazing but we’re not no- that would be weird.” You could see her whole body cringe at the thought. “I like women by the way. So like that would never happen. Never.”

Oh.

So he had been rejecting all of your advances by using her as a scapegoat. “I just thought with the way he talked about you and how much he brought you up that-“ you rambled on as you wrang your hands in front of you.

Suddenly the bathroom felt small and cramped.

“If he asks where I went can you tell him I’m just getting some air?” You brushed past her as you bit back the tears. “Sure” she offered you a warm smile. It was at least somewhat of a comfort as you pushed passed bodies in an attempt to be able to breathe again.

He looked your way and you ignored him.

“Eject eject eject!” Hangman mocked watching the rejection pass across Bob’s face. He was cut off with just a look as the WSO’s jaw tensed with the way Phoenix approached the table.

“Bob why did your neighbour think we were dating?” “I never- wait what? Me and you? I never said anything!” He made a pathetic attempt at defending himself as he racked his brain trying to figure out how on Earth you’d draw that conclusion. He thought he made it very clear that he was flirting with you.

He was worse at this than he thought.

It was pretty comical. At least the 4 pilots howling with laughter at the pool table thought so.

“Why are you still sitting here? Go out to her!” Phoenix manhandled him out of the seat shooing him off. Bob kept looking back at the group for reassurance as he pushed his way through the crowd.

“Thank God. It was getting painful to watch.” Phoenix accepted the cue graciously with a hum.

You let the sound of the waves calm you. You had managed to not cry, you think you just needed a moment. You never had handled rejection well.

“Hey there stranger,” you felt the warmth of his body as he sat down next to you. You didn’t even hear him come out.

He’d probably let you down easy. You’d go home and now share nothing more but a passing smile when your paths crossed. No more coffee runs, no more shared dinners or ‘Bob’s balcony storm watch’ as he called it. What a nerd. But your heart still yearned for him.

“Hi” you returned to leaning on his shoulder like you did earlier in the night. This time you lingered. “I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye to your friends, I hope they don’t think I’m being rude.” Your eyes focused on the lapping waves in the distance. He could see the goosebumps on your skin.

You weren’t looking at him but he was looking at you. He was looking at you like you were the only person left on this earth. You were made to be seen in the moonlight.

“They don’t think you’re being rude. They just think I’m an idiot.” You lifted your head to look at him quizzically.

He quickly turned his head so he wasn’t looking you in the eye. “I think we need to talk…”

There it was. You were about to lose someone who had become your best friend. Over a school girl crush because you couldn’t just be an adult. You were gonna be sick.

“I really li-“ “Please Bob, not tonight. I can’t do this tonight.” “No I promise this isn’t-“ you cut him off by pressing a hand to his mouth.

“Just be here with me. As my friend I need you to let me have this” your pleaded as your forehead was pressed against his, you ran your thumb over his cheek watching his glasses fog up.

He knew you were jumping to conclusions but he also knew that he’d go to the ends of the earth if you asked. So when you pulled away he just let you lay there. Nothing but the sound of the ocean between you.

“You know I can never say no to you.”

#love thy neighbour #neighbours to lovers #bob floyd x reader #they’re such idiots #✍️ #my writing

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Code Blue- Ch. 48- Dr. Feelgood

Summary: Dr. Dave goes on a scavenger hunt. Josie tries to talk him out of it but the good doctor must uphold his Hippocratic oath. Josie turns to a trusted friend for help. Megan is in a bad way and Dave races against time to save her. Josie's anxiety taunts her to a breaking point and Orlando's arms help her through it. Lee and Jo simultaneously share the same memory. He later hears a heartbreaking truth about himself. Dave comforts momma March. He later whisks Jo away to comfort her. Lee medicates.

*Chapter Warnings* language, angst, injury, graphic depictions, alcohol and drug use

Chapter characters: David, Josie, Megan, Orlando, Lee, Margaret

Chapter word count: 6,099

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist:

Salem, Massachusetts

March 21, 2022

After the 3 minute drive to the nearest state park entrance, Dr. Dave, the 6 foot tall, dark and handsome healer of Grandview, MA, population 3,666, brought his GMC Sierra Hybrid to a screeching stop. In his 5 years of residing there, the born and raised Pittsburgh native who loved nature, hiking and bicycling, had never entertained himself in the vast forest full of infinite trails and seductive scenery due to his shared hectic schedules between Grandview and Salem University hospitals, so his geographical knowledge of the area was about slim to none and that included the nearby forsaken Train Town. For this reason, he rushed to compare his paper map to the billboard map at the park because Jacob was nowhere to be seen and from what the anxious doc could decipher, he was way off course.

After pinpointing his exact location on the map, Dave turned and scoured the woods with perplexed eyes. He knew his destination was on the far side and if he drove, it would take him at least another half an hour to reach it with the main route circling out too far and with traffic, but if he cut through the monstrous maze of pines, oaks, maples and hemlocks, he could cut that time nearly in half. The problem with that though was that he could become lost, so he decided to call upon his tour guide.

"Jacob, need some help little man. Now is not the time to hide! I know you can hear my voice......damn it." he snapped and was just about to make the drive when he caught sight of something shiny near the trees.

After a short jog to the object, he picked up a toy train car and it was then that he knew Jacob was showing him the way as he said he would do, although Dave was frustrated that Jake didn't just make an appearance and show him personally, for it wasn't like anyone else would see him.

Before he went into the arborical labyrinth, he tried to call you again so someone would know where he was and because... you were the only one that would believe him.

You had just woken up from a 2 hour power nap and with groggy eyes, you picked up your phone to see if you had any texts or calls, specifically from Lee, but all there was, was a missed call from Dave while you had slept. Just as you flung up to call him back, he was calling you again.

"Dave!! Oh my god, where the hell are you??"

"Josie, I'm alright and I will explain later but..."

"No?!! You're going to explain right now because I was picturing you lying in a ditch somewhere!"

"Ok, look. I just needed some space. A break from all the chaos and..."

"A break from me you mean?? because that's when you disappeared. Right after our argument about Elizabeth at Lee's hearing and now she's dead! Do you know how that makes you look?? The cops are all over this shit Dave, questioning me and Lee too. How could you just vanish on me without a word??!!! Were you THAT mad??"

"If anyone sounds mad, it's you and you said in your voicemail you wouldn't be mad if I called.

"I'm not mad!!!" you shouted and then began to sob. "I...I'm scared and hurt. I was so scared something had happened to you too and I can't lose you of all people Dave. Not you."

Hearing you become emotional was something that always brought out Dave's emotions as well, especially now when he didn't think you would be that worried since you had Lee.

"Josie...I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you sweetheart, I swear."

And now, hearing Dave become somewhat choked up, softened you to him.

"I...I know you didn't. I never meant to hurt you either. Can you just come over so we can talk and make up in person? I miss your face."

"About that, umm. Can you just stay on the phone with me for awhile longer? I...I'm looking for something and I'll explain all of it on the way."

"Okaaay? What are you looking for?"

Dave sighed as he disappeared into the trees. "Your sister."

Dave continued to find a trail of toy trains cars as he ventured through an eternity of aromatic pines while simultaneously filling you in about Jacob's visit.

"Oh my god Dave...Lee...he's seen Jake too. Ok, listen to me. Turn around and go straight back to your truck and call 911. Let them handle this. IF my sister is out there and she's hurt, you're alone and you don't know what you're walking into Dave!"

"That's the thing Josie. We don't even know if she's out here, so how do I explain my suspicions to them without the risk of being involuntarily placed on a 72 hour psych hold for evaluation??"

"Well you're going to have to when you find her!"

"You...you said when."

"Yeah? Cuz I believe you David and I know Jake is real. Why would he lie? He didn't even know me or my sister when he was alive."

"Ok, ok. So...when I find her, there's also the risk of becoming a person of interest. I mean, I know her Josie and let's not forget that Jacob told me that she's where Liz was attacked and I knew her too. So what? I just happened to stumble upon Megs while trekking through the forest in my casual clothes and shoes and with a phone that has only 20 percent battery left?"

"Jesus Dave. That's just another reason for you to re-fucking-treat. How will you call for help if your phone is dead??? I...I can call Gerry or something and he can go look, cuz like I said, you don't know if anyone is with her! You know, like Liz's murderer?! Whom I wholeheartedly believe is Ethan."

"Do you even want Megan to be found? I'm close and she needs help. It will take Gerry a long time to get out here since he's back in Salem and then there's the little fact that you can't trust him after what he did Josie."

"Ok, first of all, no matter what he did, I DO trust him for this. He's a damn good detective and second, I know Megan and I don't get along, but...she's still my sister and I don't want her to die. With that said, I still care about you a hell of a lot more and this happens to be one of the many reasons why. You have such compassion for people that don't deserve it."

"That's what doctors are supposed to do and just what are you going to tell the dashing detective? That a dead kid is showing me the w....hold up, there's another train piece up ahead."

Dave crouched down and picked up the metal toy, looking it over.

"Josie, it's the locomotive to the train set. Train town must be up ahead somewhere. This kid sure likes games."

"Of course he does. He's 5 and he has this obsession with trains. Do you even know where you are??? I feel like I should come there to hel..."

"No way Jo. Stay put. Let me check the map."

Dave stood up and retrieved the folded drawing from his back pocket.

"Well??" you intensely asked when you heard him mumbling as he looked it over.

"Jo, it's just over the hill. I gotta go so my phone don't die." he rambled, then hung up and ran off.

"Wait no! David!" you shouted but the call had ended. "Damn it!!!"

Immediately, you called Gerry, not knowing what the hell you were going to tell him, but you had to help your best guy friend. AND of course, once again, no answer, so you called the hospital to see if he was there visiting his dad. He wasn't, so now what? Craig was useless to you since he was passed out drunk in his bed, not to mention, you were not his favorite person at the moment and there was no way in hell you were calling Luke. You absolutely could not call Jason or Britt and even if you did, they were probably long gone from Salem by now. Should you call Lee?? No...no nooo noooo. Not this time. Not after all that had recently happened between the two of you. A smile then came to your face as you thought of the one person you knew you could count on and could trust. Orlando.

Just as it started to rain, Dave made it to Train Town and ran inside the monumental warehouse that reminded him of a hangar, for it was big enough to fit an Airbus A380 inside, the world's largest passenger airliner....and under the massive tin roof that eerily echoed from the pummeling rain, it was as dark as if it were night.

As Dave pulled out the one thing he knew to bring, his flashlight, he scoured his surroundings of real train cars galore only to soon realize he had forgotten the one thing he also knew to bring. His medical bag that still sat on the seat of his truck.

"Megan! Can you hear me??" he called out while gripping his opened pocket knife in his other hand, but all he could hear was the haunting downpour above him, so he cautiously continued on through the giant graveyard of antique railcars.

"Jacob, are you here buddy?? I need to know where she is. Is she in here or out there somewhere in the 10 freaking acres of this old tourist ghost town???"

Running footsteps pitter pattered in the distance and a child's laughter was heard. Dave sprinted off, following the ghostly giggles and soon came to a dead end at a dirty wooden door with a broken lock hanging from the handle.

When he pushed it open, the freezing cold air took his breath away and once he shone his light inside, Dave soon realized it led down to the old underground tunnels. Once he was further inside the depths, he gathered just how old the passageways were and possibly even unstable, for each bout of rumbling thunder shook a good dusting of dirt loose from the ceiling of tree roots where rain water also made it's way through, drip after drip after drip.

"Megan??!" he called out again. "Come on honey, if you're down here, you gotta give me a sign so I can find you."

This time he got a response, although it was faint.

"H...here...I...I'm...here."

Dave rushed forward and rounded the corner to find a battered, bruised and very weak Megan on the ground, propped against the wall with a bloodied knee.

"Megs, hey sweetie. Look at me. It's Dave. I'm going to get you out of here ok?" he assured her as he patted her chilled cheek in an attempt to keep her alert.

"I...I can't feel my body..so...c...c..cold...my leg..it's...b...broken." she stammered through chattering teeth.

Dave quickly assessed her leg to find she had a compound fracture and quite a bit of blood loss.

"Alright, Megan. This might hurt a little ok? I need to stop the bleeding before anything else because you're in shock."

Dave wriggled out of his jacket and ripped off his overshirt, then tied it around her leg for a tourniquet.

"K." Megan flinched as he did so. "Am...am I going t..t..to die?"

"Not if I can help it. Do you hurt anywhere else? I need to know because I have to carry you out of here."

"Dave...I literally f...feel...nothing ex...except the p..pressure on my leg."

"Ok. Well, at least you know my name. I'm going to put my jacket on you ok? You're on the verge of hypothermia. Alright, there. All done. Now, I need you to hold on to me the best you can. I'm going to lift you up. If something hurts besides your leg, tell me immediately."

Dave helped Megan place her arms around his neck and then he scooped her up and eventually made his way back to the light of day. By the time he got back to his truck, he noticed Megan was unconscious. After checking her pulse, he carefully placed her on the passenger seat, buckled her in and took out his phone which was now at 10 percent battery life and he didn't have his charger.

"FUCK." he loudly whispered and quickly called you as he took off.

"Dave! Thank god! Where are you?? Did you find her??"

"I've got her Josie and she's in bad shape. I'm heading to Salem Hospital now. It's closer from where I am than Grandview's."

"Oh my god. Ok. I'm with Landy. We were heading to you but turn around and meet you there!"

"You called Dr. Bloom??"

"Yes. I figured another doctor wouldn't hurt and I trust him Dave."

"So you told him. About...how I found her...didn't you?"

"Dave...I had to. I won't lie to him and he won't say anything or judge you if that's what you're worried about. Besides, you're going to have to come up with some story anyways, for both the hospital and the cops and..."

"I don't need a story. I have nothing to hide. I did nothing wrong but find her and we have yet to hear what really matters. Megan's side. That's what the cops are going to care about more than anything. I've seen it all too many times and...."

"M..momma." Megan mumbled.

"Jo...you need to call your mom. Just in case Mega..."

"Just in case Megan what? Dave??? Hello!!"

"Josie?? You there? Fuck!" Dave shouted as he tossed his dead phone on the seat and glanced at a very still and pale Megan. "We're almost there darlin. You hold on. Do you hear me??"

Your hand went to your pounding heart as you drove over the very high bridge that crossed the bay back into Salem and to add to your anxiety, your eyes caught sight of Landy's bare, buff chest in the rearview mirror.

"Jo...you ok?" Orlando asked from the back seat of his car as he dressed for his shift at the hospital that he was now late for.

He had just gotten out of the shower when you had called him in a panic to come pick you up, so he had thrown on a hoodie and sweats and grabbed his doctor attire to take with him when he learned he may have to go drudging through the forest in the rain.

Before you could answer, Landy tossed his dress shoes over the seat and onto the passenger floor, then forced his large body over the seat as well and plopped down beside you.

"Hey. Talk to me. Is it the heights thing?" he sweetly said as he softly rubbed your shoulder.

"Put your seatbelt on." you ordered without looking at him as you stiff armed the steering wheel.

"Yes ma'am, but first, I need to put my shoes on. You're ok Jo. We're over the bridge now and you handled it like a pro."

Now that you were back in town, you quickly pulled over on a side street, put the car in park and then uncontrollably broke down, sobbing into your hands.

"Is this how a pro handles things Landy??"

"Heyyyyy. Come here. Please don't cry sweetheart. Let me hold you and try to make it better."

Orlando reached his arms over to you but you didn't need any coaxing, for you practically dove into them. What you needed...wanted...was someone's warm comforting arms around you and Landy's was a perfect fit and now you were a blubbering mess of tears as you sniffled into his clean white dress shirt, rambling on about your many woes like a distraught child.

"I deservingly lost my apartment. Craig hates me. A little girl is missing because of me. I can't stand your brother as a cop and I hate your other brother and your sister. In fact I hate all of your family except you because you are good person and I think you are so wonderful and beautiful and I hate what they all have done to you and they all just suck and...and...ghosts, ghosts are real and now my sister is hurt and I shouldn't even care but I do. I hate that I do! and Britt took off with Jason and Lee is changing and I can't take it anymore Orlando!! I feel so lost and alone."

You were now bawling and gasping for air as your fingers were tightly dug into his muscular back.

Orlando softly kissed your head and stroked your soaked cheek as he pondered with an arched brow on one thing that you said.

"How...how is Britt with Jason?"

You suddenly froze and became completely silent as you realized you had just outed your brother on being alive in your careless rant.

"I...I meant that...."

You paused and sat up, then sighed heavily.

"Fuck this. I can't lie anymore and I won't lie to you. I trust you, so here it goes. He's alive Landy. He survived the explosion and then on some whim, he chose to fake his own death and he's after Ethan and Cyrus. It's one big mob war and they both are responsible for trying to kill him. Liz was involved too."

"Jesus. I always knew Ethan was into some bigger shit and that Cyrus was shady as fuck but I guess I didn't realize the extent of it. As far as Lee, I wish I could offer some insight but he don't even talk to me anymore like he used to and I've told you al that I do know. I...I'm happy for you though that you at least got your brother back."

"Yeah well sometimes I'm not because of all the baggage that came back with him. God Landy, there's so much you don't even know."

"Well...now I at least know that you think I'm wonderful and...beautiful." he raved with a twinkle in his raisin hues and a curled lip grin that always made you melt...and now you felt a bit awkward.

You dried your face and scooted back to your seat. "I think we should get to the hospital now. I'll explain more on the way, but you can't say a word to anyone. I..I just need to get this shit out. I can't stand secrets and yet here I am, asking you to keep them."

"My lips are sealed for you love. Well, at least for the secrets part anyways." he quipped with a wink and another grin as he began putting his shoes on.

With a roll of your eyes and a slight grin of your own, you shook your head at the dashing doc and drove off, filling Orlando in about mostly everything along the way. Everything except Lee. He was off limits. Even in your anger towards him, you would always protect him....until you couldn't, such as the cat now being out of the bag about him seeing Jacob. At least with Dave being a witness to the supernatural sighting, you hoped Lee wouldn't be so worried anymore about people thinking he had finally lost his mind.

There was no sign of Dave's truck yet when you pulled into the ER parking lot, so you sat with Orlando, waiting and listening to the peaceful rain parade over the car and in that moment, a memory stole your thoughts as your mind drifted off to the first time you and Lee kissed on that stormy February night inside of his car.

You could still feel his warm velvet lips and taste his breath of sweet bourbon and...

"Josie? Where'd you go?" Orlando asked, breaking your concentration to where you realized you were lightly touching your lips.

"Oh...uhhh...sorry..I...I...I'm just...it don't even matter. Where the hell is Dave already??"

Knowing David's phone was dead, you still called him to try and evade any further prodding from Orlando because you did not want to talk about Lee. Yes you did. It was all you wanted to talk about. Damn him and his luscious lips. If he were there instead of Orlando, you would be pulling them to yours. You had to get out of there. Out of the rain.

"Let's wait inside Orlando. You're late, remember?"

Simultaneously, Lee sat in the same peacefulness of his Dodge Dart on the other side of the hospital, daydreaming of the exact same memory. How could he not with all the rain and it being in that car that his lips first caressed yours? He could still feel the way you tenderly touched his face and see the way you looked at him. It was as if he were all you could see.

The pain was just too much and he needed to shut his mind off of you, as if that were even possible. That morning, he was adamant that he was not going in for his shift with all that happened, but after you left, the silence was deafening and your absence was gut wrenching, so he chose to go in, for if he had stayed home, he would have drank himself into oblivion.

Lee downed his Red Bull and crushed the can in his fist, then tossed it in the back seat. He then put out the remaining half of his Marlboro red, another old habit that was dying hard in his time of distress, and got out of the car. No umbrella, no coat. Just his dress shirt and tie as he casually walked across the lot, allowing the downpour to punish him and hoping God would too by striking him down with lightning, right then and there, for without you, Lee felt he had nothing and was nothing.

Instead of lightning, a silver truck sliding around the corner at lightning speed almost did the trick of taking Lee out, missing him by merely inches as he dove onto the wet pavement.

"Hey asshole!! You missed!" Lee shouted as he jumped to his feet, not realizing who it was until the truck skidded to a stop at the front doors and Dave hopped out.

"Lee man, I'm sorry. I didn't see you. I need some help here!"

When Lee saw him run to the passenger side and carry out a limp Megan, he instantly transformed into doctor mode and raced up to assist.

"Hey man, get her inside! I'll park your truck."

Dave gave a quick nod and rushed off, the Lee secured the vehicle and sprinted inside and through the hospital to the ER to find out what happened.

"Hey, Dave. Here's your keys. What's going on with her??" Lee panted in his saturated attire as Megan was being worked on in a cubicle.

For the time being, until he would speak with you, Dave only told Lee the need to know information.

"Josie told me she had been missing a few days and I was able to locate her. Her leg is broken and she's lost a lot of blood. Hypothermic too. I'm not sure what happened to her. She hasn't been awake long enough to say anything yet."

"I see. And according to Jo, you have been missing as well. She was pretty worried. Good to see you're back and alright. I'm sure she's very relieved. Does Jo know you found Megan?"

"Actually yes. She was on her way here when my phone died, so I'm sure she'll be here any minute."

Lee's heart skipped a beat as his wide eyes looked around for you. He didn't know if you would want to see him and he felt he better just stay in the shadows for now. After all, you hadn't called him.

"Oh. Ok. Well... I am quite late and need to go dry off and get changed. I'll check back later."

Lee rushed off before Dave could respond and then just a few seconds later, you and Orlando came running up from the opposite direction and you threw your arms around him.

"Dave! Thank GOD you're ok. Where's Megan??"

"They took her right in, over there in cubicle 3."

"Has she said anything?"

"Not yet. She's been in and out of consciousness. Josie, she was down in the tunnels. She never would have gotten out of there on her own."

Out of nowhere, you hauled off and smacked his arm.

"Oww! What the hell was that for??"

"For doing something so incredibly stupid, yet....so incredibly brave. God, I can't even be mad at you when I want to be. You're everything that a doctor should be. Compassionate and selfless. You and Landy both, so...thank you Dave, for what you did. I'm going to go use the restroom to dry off and call mom."

"And I need to go do the same and get clocked in. I'll be back when I can Jo."

"Wait, Landy."

You gave him a long, tight hug. "Thank you too. For being there for me at the drop of a hat. I meant it, those things I said about you. You're really great, you know that? I'm sorry I made you late."

Orlando smiled and gave you a good squeeze. "It's all good Jo. See you soon."

As Orlando took off to the breakroom, Lee stood in the shadows of the hall, his eyes falling in pain and sadness. He had heard you call out to Dave when he was leaving and decided to come back to see you, but...he then heard everything you just said. About what good doctors are and all, which made him think about how he refused to help Liz and how you had reminded him of that in the fight you both had.

And it crushed him that you had turned to his best friend instead of him, but he understood why. It still hurt nonetheless. He then bowed his head and walked off, undetected, with his hands in his pockets, debating on what he has wondered for quite awhile. If he should continue his career in the medical field.

The day turned into night as you sat with your distraught mother in the waiting room. Dave had stayed with the two of you while Megan was in surgery to repair her leg and he had just gotten back from speaking with a police officer. Margaret wanted answers just as the cop did, so Dave told her what he told him. A flat out lie, which he hated himself for. He had used the story that he told you sounded ridiculous, that he had been spending some time in nature to clear his head and just happened to find her in his curiosity of the old tunnels because it was much more believable than revealing that a child's ghost led him there.

You knew when Luke got wind of it, he would be all over this case and you were actually glad about it because you had high hopes that Megan would reveal Ethan as her attacker and you also really hoped she knew where Blaise was or could at least offer some leads if she didn't know.

"Do you think she will pull through this Dave?" Margaret March asked with tearful eyes as he held her trembling hand and explained what he knew as kindly as he could.

"I'm not her doctor Margaret, so I can only offer so much insight. I can make no promises, but what I will say is that I am very hopeful of her recovery. With that said, it's going to be a long one and right now, with your faith as I know it to be, your prayers will do her good. I will be praying as well."

"Me too Ma." you chimed in, which lit Margaret's eyes up to hear that you cared.

"You're an angel David. Thank you for rescuing my daughter and all that you did for her. Will they let me see her after her surgery?"

"I don't see why they wouldn't, but I know she'll have to be in recovery for a few hours first before they allow visitors. Can I go get you something to drink or to eat?"

'Oh, no thank you dear. My stomach's all a bundle of nerves. I'd just toss it right back up." she chuckled, trying to hide her fear. "I suppose I could go up and see Victor for awhile."

You could see the guilt all over her face about that as she fondled her wedding ring your late father had given her. You knew she still harbored feelings for Victor after all these years.

"How's he doing mom? I can't seem to ever get ahold of Gerry to find out. Kind of worried about him."

"He's slowly recovering as far as I know and Gerry, well, you know not to worry about him. He's part Greek like his father and Scottish like his mother. Tough as they come. I wouldn't worry too much. He's a copoholic remember. Probably keeping busy at work."

But you knew that wasn't true because you had called the station and he had taken a leave of absence, leaving his partner Luke to do all the bad boys' dirty work and he certainly wasn't as rugged as your mom believed him to be. Gerry may have looked tough on the outside, but you knew his heart and soul. It didn't harden like one would have expected it too. On the inside, he was actually quite fragile and vulnerable, which seemed to have been brough on from finding out that the man he had known most of his life as his father wasn't, but Victor was. His tough act was exactly that. An act. And tomorrow, you planned to try and find him.

"You're probably right Ma." you agreed, just to keep things brief about Gerry. "Go ahead. Go see Vic. Maybe it will perk him up some to see your pretty face and maybe it will even make you smile too."

"Oh gosh, my face must look a fright right now. I'm going to go freshen up first. Please come get me if you hear anything."

Hours went by and you had fallen asleep on Dave's lap and of course, even your dreams would not let you avoid Lee. It may have been triggered as you subconsciously heard the tv playing the David Bowie video for "Let's Dance", for it brought you back to his dad's funeral reception where Lee got the crowd all riled up and dancing to that song as he gestured pulling the train horn over and over like his dad had taught him as a child.

And then the dream went ot when Lee had pulled you in his arms and sang a verse from the song to you. You could hear his voice so clearly and you could even feel him.

"If you say run, I'll run with you. If you say hide, we'll hide because my love for you would break my heart in two if you should fall into my arms and tremble like a flower."

His face vanished as a touch to your shoulder startled you awake.

"Hey. Sorry I scared you. Your sister is out of surgery and stable."

When your eyes came into focus, you saw Orlando smiling down at you.

"Oh my god. Landy, thank you. Wh..where's my mom??"

"I'll go get her." Dave offered and jogged off.

"Aaargh!" Orlando scoffed and rubbed his tired face with both palms.

"Hey, you ok?"

"For the most part, yeah. I'm just so fucking frustrated and angry. I just want to beat Ethan's face to a pulp right now."

"You and me both. You certainly owe him, that's for sure."

"Well so do you. He can't run and hide forever, especially now."

"Yeah well, we sort of need Megan's story of what happened. What I'm worried about is that she may be too scared of him to rat him out, which honestly, I can't blame her. She didn't deserve this."

"She don't deserve you either. After all she's done to you, you still are here for her. You're the good one Jo. Hey, come here. Give me a hug. I gotta get back in a few."

Orlando leaned over and gave you a a comforting bear hug and whispered in your ear.

"It's going to be alright and I'm here if you need me. I'll be here all night and I'll keep coming to check on you when I can."

"Well my daughter won't be here because she is going to go home and get some rest." Margaret explained as she came walking up with Dave.

"No, mom. I'm not leaving you here."

"Nonsense. Dave said Megan will be sedated for pain and will sleep through the night, so there's nothing here for you to do but sleep when you could sleep in your own bed."

"And what about you? Are you staying?"

"Of course I am. In case she wakes up. I'll sleep in the recliner in her room. Dave is going to get me some blankets and a pillow. I'll be fine."

"Well...you both have got this all planned out I see."

"Jo. Go. I'll be here all night as I said and i will gladly come check on your mom and someone will call you if anything changes." Orlando kindly offered.

"Fine..nuh." you huffed.

Orlando grinned the cute grin once more. "I'll talk to you later then gorgeous."

Dave went and got the things for your mom and took her up to Megan's room and when he came back, he had a different proposal for you.

"Sooo...it's ummm, 11 o'clock. What do you say to going back with me to my place for some....midnight margaritas??"

"Dave, I don't know...I..."

"Come on. Please? We haven't spent much time together and I miss you. I don't want you to be alone. I'll even let you pick the horror movie. What do ya say?"

You couldn't resist his charming puppy eyes and pouty lips and...you didn't want to be alone either. In fact, drowning your sorrows sounded super fantastic to you, so you gave in and nodded.

"Sweeet. It's settled then. Let's hit the road."

Lee had changed his clothes and groomed himself to be presentable for work, but he found himself locked in his office with the do not disturb sign hanging on the handle. He just couldn't do it. Put on a fake smile and force all the bad thoughts and memories out of his mind and replace them with medical ones. He couldn't get the image of you in Orlando's arms out of his head nor the way you had praised him and Dave's ethics as a person, for he didn't just see it as a professional compliment.

He sat at his desk, wallowing in his misery that loved his own company. Who else did he have? Certainly not you and he didn't have his dad, his mom, his son, his brother or his only two friends, Orlando and Luke, whom he was beginning to not see as friends anymore. He felt he only had himself and his bottle of whiskey.

"Fuck it." he protested and poured a drink, then popped a perc in his mouth and washed it down.

He began scrolling through your Facebook to look at all your pictures and he continued to medicate himself with more liquid gold as he did so while waiting for the pill to kick in and finally...it did.

Lee staggered off to the bed he used for mostly for double shifts and crashed onto his back, feeling no more pain as his eyes quickly closed.

That had been the plan anyways. To feel no more pain but his lucid dreams insisted that he feel more of it as his mind traveled back in time to the underlying cause of his anguish.

@redeemer46

#lee pace #code blue #lee pace fanfiction #david conrad #orlando bloom #drama #angst #doctors #supernatural encounters #ghosts #love stories #dark stories #dark fiction #Youtube

[rad-rat-with-a-tophat]

I'M CRAVING SOME FRESHMAN RICH PINING OVER JAKE, DO YOU THINK YOU COULD FEED MY BRAIN?

OH FUCK YEAH BROSKI

i can do that.

It began with a pack of bright red little sticky notes and a bad idea.

Rich had gotten the sticky notes by swiping them off his 70 year old English teacher, Mrs Barrison. It's not like she would've minded. Every single one of Rich's English teachers loved him, Mrs Barrison included.

He got the bad idea from a song he'd been listening to recently.

"Leaving little sticky notes in your locker

hoping you'll come and find them

knowing I'll never tell ya'

how you throw me off my rocker,"

It wasn't Rich's usual style of angst and edginess but when you're a 14 year old boy with an unattainable crush you're not going to be listening to My Chemical Romance you're going to be listening to a soft indie band while daydreaming about talking to your crush.

Rich's said unattainable crush was none other than Jake Dillinger, a fellow Freshman and the most popular lowerclassman in Middleborough High.

Not only was he at the top of the food chain while Rich was at the bottom, Jake was straight. Which meant that Rich had a zero percent chance. Not even zero, it was closer to a negative fifty percent chance. Not only was Jake straight (and also the most perfect guy in the universe due to him being funny, kind, charismatic, etc) but Rich was the least datable kid in the school. Minus those two boys who everyone was sure were dating each other but that's not the point. The point was, Rich was a small, english-nerd, dnd player, and overall loser who had a crush on the embodiment of Apollo.

And if Jake was Apollo, than Rich was Icarus and he was about to drown.

The moment when the wax began to melt on Rich's wings that were made by hope and naivety was when he slipped the first red sticky note into Jake's locker.

I love your new pin

If anyone noticed the blushing boy slipping a piece of paper into a locker than no one asked.

And if anyone noticed that when a certain Jake Dillinger folded up a tiny red sticky note and put it into his pocket then no one asked.

That was just the first of many many sticky notes that Rich would send Jake.

Your hair is really cute today.

Did you know that there's a species of lizard where there's no males because they all died because of cancer and the way this all-female species of lizards reproduces is by cloning themselves? Because now you do. PS you should wear green more often

Ya like jazz?

Rich would slip a sticky note into Jake's locker at the end of every school day for two months before he got a reply on a tiny red sticky note, the exact same shade as the one's he used.

I don't really listen to music so I don't know any jazz. any recommendations? I feel like you have great music taste.

Oh my god! Rich thought to himself, tiny butterflies in his stomach washing out the usual shame he felt about his crush on Jake. He replied! And oh my god he's so nice! And he said he thinks I have good music taste!

Rich was feeling the sun in his hair and stopped feeling the sense of dread at the ocean below him.

Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone. They're so cool.

Thus began a chain of notes dropped into lockers and tiny red stick notes stuck onto lockers.

It was the last week before school was let out. Rich took a breath and his shaky hand dropped the final red sticky note.

hi, good job with surviving through your first year of high school. this is my final note. i have two things to say as my last words to you. the first thing is to listen to the song sticky notes in your locker you'll see why. the second thing is that you shouldn't look for me. you'll just be dissapointed. bye <3

And if anyone noticed the tears from the boy dropping a tiny red sticky note into a locker as he finally hit the ocean below then no one asked.

And if anyone noticed the most popular freshman in the school cover his mouth in a gasp that was the precursor to many tears as his hands gripped a tiny red sticky note then no one asked.

"Handing you sticky notes at your locker

knowing you'll go and read them

loving you out and open

not just in the corners of your locker,"

Jake listened to the song over and over, muffling silent tears over the sun he never got to reach for. The sun he only ever saw from deep beneath the waves.

#uh so yeah #btw they jake ends up figuring out it was rich in the middle of sophomore year #he doesn't tell rich he knows until rich tells him after they start dating #also the song doesn't exist #i wrote all the lyrics #richjake #bmc musical #bmc #be more chill #my writing #rich goranski #jake dillinger #fanfic

[unrealwasteland]

Roosmav fic recs vol. 3: POV Outsider, or, "What is with these two?"

This is pretty much what it says on the tin: Roosmav fics written from the point of view of character(s) other than Rooster or Maverick. These fics aren't all strictly Roosmav – many of them include side pairings and/or Hangman thirsting for Maverick. Please check the full list of pairings and other tags on AO3 before reading.

grateful for each hand we hold by notyourwinter 4k, T, no archive warnings apply implied/mentioned other pairings, mutual pining, getting together, domestic fluff

Mav asks Penny to host Thanksgiving for some of the Dagger squad. Penny can't help noticing how close Mav and Bradley have become, and how oblivious they both are to their feelings.

10/10 holiday fluff, I really loved reading this.

can't start a fire without a spark by hazelmotes 5.5k, T, no archive warnings apply 5+1 things, crack treated seriously

Five times the people around Maverick and Rooster thought what is with these two? and one time they didn't have to. In which there is scheming, reminiscing, wagers, long-suffering sighs, sex toys, and Springsteen. Always, always Springsteen.

This fic was a lot of fun to read, and the different POVs in this are incredibly well written.

Burn Out Bright by Brenda 2.5k, G, no archive warnings apply implied/mentioned other pairings, fluff and humor

On Maverick and Rooster's wedding day, Jake gains some closure, and takes a chance at a new beginning.

This is a 2nd part in a series. The first part is about Roosmav getting together, in this one Jake deals with how he feels about it. This is very sweet and I love the softer portrayal of Jake here.

Shared stupidity by Fuddlewuddle 3k, T, no archive warnings apply implied/mentioned other pairings, 5+1 things, crack treated seriously, fluff

Five times Mav and Bradley shared each other's clothes and one time they wore a matching set. As told by five of their friends, who are fed up with their sheer dumbassery.

Another really fun and cute fic. I love these idiots in love.

Game On by EmilyNorth 3.5k, M, no archive warnings apply implied/mentioned other pairings, exhibitionism, voyeurism, possibly unrequited love

So the thing was, Rooster had a type. Short, older, well-built men with pretty faces, dark hair, and green eyes. Three of those traits in one package was all it took to get him scurrying off his perch and diving in for the kill. Four or five, and he became a completely different person—fierce and focused like Hangman had never seen. And if a guy happened to check every box? Wow. Just wow. Because really, the thing was—Hangman had a type, too. And it happened to coincide with Rooster’s. (Well, at first it just intersected with Rooster’s—he liked older men, liked dark hair and light eyes, was less picky about height and build—but now it coincides. You bet your ass it does now.)

Instant classic tbh. This isn't really Roosmav - it's more like pre-slash (or possibly unrequited love), but this fic has earned its place as a Roosmav fandom favorite. The tension in this is just delightful.

What is it with those two? by finistra 1.5k, E, no archive warnings apply voyeurism, bottom Mav

For a kinkmeme prompt: Rooster and Hangman share a bedroom and one night while Hangman is already sleeping, Rooster brings Maverick in and fucks him in his twin bed.

I love this fic, there's just something about this scenario that's super hot to me. (And apparently to Jake as well!)

But I Won't Call You On It by LeoHunt 7k, E, no archive warnings apply secret relationship, voyeurism, pseudo-incest, daddy kink, bottom Mav

"He felt turned on by this in the way people got turned on by pseudo-incest porn. It wasn’t personal enough to get grossed out and close the tab, but still fucked up enough to satisfy that hunger and add just enough immorality to spice things up without making him grimace —unless he thought too hard about it." (Or Hangman gets more than he bargained for.)

Jake tries to figure out what's going on between Rooster and Maverick. This was also a really fun (and hot) fic to read, and I loved Jake's POV.

#roosmav #top gun maverick #fic rec #i already loved this trope before getting into this fandom #and it just works so well for roosmav!! #please let me know if i missed any #rsmv recs

[st4rdust-ch0rds]

What's some of the sweetest, raunchiest or most interesting fics you've read lately?

oooo this is a really good ask. i’ll try to answer one of each…

sweetest fic would have to be the seven series by @stardustchordssammy. to put it simply, it’s a timeline fic of jake and the reader over the years and it’s filled to the brim with pining, friends to lovers, angst, love, all that fun stuff. ella writes jake so wonderfully, that alone is a talent in itself.

raunchiest has to go to jammies by @sinners-go-to-drink-the-wine. oh, did that make me feel everything. frankly, anything by her is so deliciously raunchy, you want to check it out. but this one in particular had a really good blend of everything and even included imagery to get the full effect!

most interesting would be perfidy by @earthlysorrows because that had me on the edge of my seat every chapter. also the world building madi did is fantastic with all the lore that goes along with it. it’s really so well done.

if you are interested in anything i’ve read, i try to tag all my fic recs under #book club with mj!

#book club with mj #mj answers inquiries #fic recs

[storyinmyeyes]

Can't keep this beating heart at bay Set my midnight sorrow free, I will give you all of me Just leave your lover, leave him for me. Leave your lover, leave him for me.

#b99edit #b99gif #jake and amy #brooklyn nine nine #mine: gifs #this song is so beautiful #and I had to include some pining jake because i love it

[roniscloud]

lhs - runnin’

lee heeseung [a. + f. 4700 words] runnin’

to you

you came up on some new

i know i shouldn’t feel blue

‘cause i was runnin’ out of time for you

synopsis: you met heeseung in your freshman year of college and immediately hit it off. you’ve made it to your third year and when everyone including yourselves thought that you were each other’s endgame, the devastation when you two split was immeasurable. you both know there’s still love between you. this break allows you both to realize new things. can you two find your ways back to each other? will this be the final goodbye?

genre + tropes: angst. fluff. comedy. college!au. establishedrelationship!au. exes!au.

warnings: fem reader. swearing. arguing. nosy friends. cold heeseung and cold reader. drifting relationship. interventions. slight suggestive themes but it’s only mentioned like once. they both pine over each other. mentions of alcohol and binge drinking. maybe not a happy ending. if you choose to see it that way. whoops. appearances of the rest of enha plus txt yeonjun and soobin.

i.  the break

“so this is how it’s gonna end? i thought we were doing fine.”

heeseung erupts into an even angrier fit, “are you kidding me? we are not fucking fine. in what world is this fine? tell me!”

you scoff from where you stand cross-armed on the other side of the bedroom. “well, can you really blame me? it’s hard to see if there’s something wrong if we never see each other.”

“exactly my point! we don’t see each other.”

the two of you have been at each other’s throats since heeseung showed up at your apartment. you have no idea how long ago that was or when the argument started. all you remember is coming up to him when he arrived, wanting to actually spend some time with him. instead he shrugged you off and ignored you, blaming the fatigue. the rest has been a blur. one of you made an offhand comment and now here you are: frustrated and in another fight.

a quick recap: you two met at a mutual friend’s party. you thought that each other was attractive and he ended up asking you out. from there you kept going out, fell in love, dated, and everyone thought you were perfect together. three years later and it’s getting tiring. life has been draining trying to balance it all.

“and who’s fault is that?”

annoyed, he snaps back, “oh please, you can not put the blame solely on me.”

“bullshit. i sure can when i’m the only one making an effort here. i’ve actually been trying to save us. you, on the other hand…” you pause again, rolling your eyes, “well, we both know just how much you care.”

his jaw drops, defensively he spits back, “are you genuinely implying that i don’t care about you? about us? that’s rich.”

you move to sit on the edge of the bed, staring at a single spot on the floor. you can see the shadow of heeseing pacing back and forth. you sit there, not looking at each other. the only sounds to be heard are his footsteps and the heavy sighs from you. you think back to the last several weeks. you recall each of the times you have been able to see each other. there’s no substance, nothing memorable. the only thing that comes to mind is that you always end up not talking at all or arguing.

just like right now.

“be real, heesung. when was the last time we went on a date? when was the last time you stayed the night without it ending up with you just knocking out? when was the last time we actually sat down and had a conversation? be honest because i will. i can’t remember.”

“and yet you thought we were fine?”

“well it’s better to believe a good lie than face the hurtful truth. i’m trying to save this relationship. i’m trying all the fucking time and you don’t do shit.”

he spits back frustrated, “well maybe that’s because there’s nothing to be saved.”

“are you kidding me right now? am i supposed to be scared? you tell me that there’s nothing to be saved and expect me to just give up?”

“sorry but i’m not running from this anymore.”

“you’re not sorry and we both know it.” you push yourself back up to stand, resting your hands on your hips, “you can’t say you’re sorry and expect me to forgive you. that’s not how this works.”

“this isn’t what i wanted to happen. this isn’t how it was supposed to go.”

“then make it work.”

“i- i can’t,” he holds his hands over his face, running one through his hair, “it’s too much.”

“so what? what do you mean?”

he finally stops. he takes a deep breath and lets it all out, “i just can’t see this working anymore, at least not like this.”

ii. week one

you thought this would be more difficult. that this would be the hardest pill to swallow. the first week apart may actually be the easiest. nothing has really changed. that’s probably because you haven’t told anyone that you two are no longer together. perhaps the time that you didn’t spend with each other before the break up had trained you for this.

life goes on, with or without heeseung. that’s what you keep telling yourself. you choose to get caught up with your life. you have other priorities. it’s not a crime to focus on yourself for the first time in three years.

heeseung feels the same. he doesn’t see any point on dwelling on the breakup. sure, he was the one who made the decision. he’s the one who put it out there. he’s the one who ended it and the one who is taking responsibility.

lucky for both of you, you don’t have any courses together and your schedules don’t really coincide. there’s no chance at any awkward run-ins. there is this weird, tiny feeling though. there’s this small inkling of something missing. you both suppress it. i mean, hell, the breakup just happened.

iii. scheming

meanwhile, your friends have all seemed to notice that the two of you are off. they aren’t sure what it is. they get that you two have had some time apart, but you’re both adults with lives. you have your own classes, jobs, other friends, and such. no one mentions it because they don’t think it’s their business.

but come on… there’s no way they won’t get to the bottom of it. our resident gossips, sunoo and sunghoon, team up and make it their mission to snoop around. of course, they take precautions to not get caught. the scheming duo find out nothing, to no avail.

now the gang of the scheming duo plus jay, jake, and niki have convened in the common room of jungwon’s dorm building. the 02z are all playing billiards in one corner. sunoo battles jungwon in a game of ping pong. the youngest of the group sits by himself on one of the couches, contemplating if he should speak up. they’ve been in a heated discussion as they try to figure out what exactly has been irking them.

riki, against his own conscience, speaks up to the five. he has this gut feeling and innocently wants to voice his opinion. “what if,” the young boy start out while gauging the faces of the others, “now don’t get mad and just hear me out.” he stops again, taking his time to make eye contact with each of the older boys, waiting until they all nod, “what if… they broke up?”

the group of friends all exchange glances with each other before breaking out into laughter. jay composes himself a bit, still chuckling when he says, “seriously? you think they broke up? heeseung and y/n? yeah, no way.”

sunoo leans onto the ping pong table and eggs him on, “they are literally soulmates.”

jungwon sets his racket down and goes to plop himself next to riki on the couch, “there is no way in hell the two of them split.”

iv. breaking news

“yeah, we split.” plain and simple. three words that crushed the poor hearts of jake and jungwon. he broke the news over brunch. he sensed their curiosity when they deliberately never brought you up. 

“good joke there, dude. almost had me for a second.” jake says, awkwardly with a forced laugh.

the youngest of the three chiming in and agreeing, “yeah, that’s really funny.” a silence hits the booth. “you are joking… right?”

the oldest then looks back and forth between the two, tilting his head to one side like a confused pup. he doesn’t see why they think he would joke and simply replies, “nope. you guys haven’t asked so i’m guessing you tried to snoop around and pick up on my cues. i’m also guessing sunoo’s behind this whole operation.”

“ok wait,” jake interjects, “what do you mean you broke up? you can’t just break up.”

jungwon agrees, “he’s right. you two are just playing a prank on us.”

“guys, i’m serious. y/n and i are no longer together.” the two just freeze, jaws dropped, eyes wide. “besides, it’s better this way.”

v. bad timing

meanwhile the remaining four members of their friend group have met up in the campus library in an attempted study session. so far, they’ve just gone back to gossiping and slacking off. the boys all find themselves teetering on the verge of sleep. that is until sunghoon catches you walking in. immediately going to softly pat the others back awake, they all look up confused. trying to stay subtle, hoon jerks his head to the side in your direction.

you make your way to one of the shelves, searching high and low for a book you need for your literature class. sneaking up behind you comes choi yeonjun, the library aid and a friend of yours. 

“need any help?”

“no thanks, i’m good jun.” you give him a polite smile.

unbeknownst to both of you, the failure of a study group has creeped to a closer table. they knew that you two were friends but they still can’t help but eavesdrop. “will you two please shut up so we can hear them?” the annoyed face evident on sunghoon’s face at the bickering of sunoo and niki. he turns to see jay, snacking and not paying attention. he rolls his eyes at the group, his gaze then catching yeonjun leading you out of the shelves. quickly shushing the three and nodding his head in your direction again, they finally get the hint.

yeonjun steps in front of you, “so you know my friend soobin, right?”

“soobin… as in choi soobin?”

yeonjun flashes his bright smile, “that’s the one.”

“yeah i know him. we had a stats class together a while back. he definitely taught me a few tricks around a calculator.” you laugh with him, “he’s super sweet, and needless to say cute too.”

“well, am i glad to hear that! long story short, he’s kinda been crushing on you lately and wants to know if you’re free. he mentioned your shared class before but he said he never got your number.”

“since you have mine already, go ahead and give it to him. tell him i’m free whenever he is.”

yeonjun raises his eyebrows at your boldness, “will do. i just wanted to ask you first before i gave it to him because… y’know…”

“no worries, i completely understand.”

he gives a quick goodbye before going back to his desk. storming quickly, four faces appear in front of you, all a combination of confusion, shock, and anger. 

sunoo starts, “um… y/n. why are you telling yeonjun to give your number to another guy?”

“yeah, are you cheating on heeseung?” his partner in crime, sunghoon, joins in.

you pause and scan their faces. your face dawns an equally as confused expression. “how can i cheat on someone who isn’t my boyfriend?”

four jaws simultaneously drop. riki’s being the first to close and answer a bit hushed, “i knew it.”

jay turns to him in disbelief, “not the time, niki!”

“did heeseung not tell you guys?” you ask them slowly. “i assumed he would be the one to let you all know.”

“that you two broke up?!” sunoo asks angrily, being shushed by yeonjun from the counter. giving an apologetic smile then tuning back into your conversation, “what do you mean you two broke up?”

“we just… broke up. that’s it. end of story. now if you’ll excuse me, i have to actually study.”

they watch you check out the book you came in for originally and walk out the doors, unsure of what to do next.

vi. the intervention

arranging your monthly movie night was not exactly the easiest task given the tensions surrounding two people in your group. so the only logical solution that they all could think of was to simply not to tell one of you that the other was coming over. a fool-proof plan.

in the dorm of the 02z, you did not expect to see heeseung when you walked in.

he gets up from his spot on the couch, “what the hell is going on here?”

“yeah, an explanation would be nice.” you cross your arms as you glare at the younger boys.

niki, trying to act as mediator gestures for both of you two sit on the loveseat—the same loveseat that was always reserved for the two of you before. “this is an intervention.”

after the confession of their intentions, everyone goes quiet. not a single word is spoken for several minutes, no one knowing how to start. after much internal contemplation, jungwon finally attempts to start. “we brought you two here today because- you know what, i can’t do this.” he stops and cuts himself off, burying his face in his hands.

sunoo sits next to him with his arms crossed. “how dare you two? our parents gets divorced and we don’t even get a notice.” it was common for them to refer to you and heeseung as the parents of the group, being the oldest. although something about sunoo still calling you by that nickname stings, him shaking his head to display his disappointment making you feel guilty. 

you see heeseung out of the corner of your eye avoiding looking up to your friends. “look, i don’t see the big deal. we broke up. that happens when relationships don’t work out.”

sunghoon quickly intervenes, “how can you say it isn’t a big deal? you’re letting three years go to waste and that’s all you can say? that’s what happens.” he scoffs at how shameless you come off.

“well, would you rather us stay together even when we were unhappy?” their reactions were a mix of shouts, the words yes, of course not, and duh all blending into each other.

that’s what brought your ex boyfriend out of his daze. “y/n has a point. we broke up and it’s over. we were no longer happy and i don’t see the point in bringing it up again either. it’s in the past. let it go.” he says rather coldly and sternly. him actually saying it and acknowledging it caused that weird feeling to come back. his body language is off, too. your years together has taught you enough about heeseung to know when he’s upset, especially with himself.

jake takes his turn, looking down at his fidgeting hands and muttering sadly, “but you promised each other forever.”

that prompts you and heeseung to glance at each other quickly, making eye contact and it lingering for a couple of seconds. you look away first, not noticing that his stare doesn’t leave you.”some promises just can’t be kept.” your response then making him turn away.

“bullshit.” it’s the first word uttered by jay this entire time. “neither of you are the type to break promises.”

“some things can’t be helped,” heeseung defends.

jay, getting angrier, asks his friend, “did you know that she’s already going on a date? yeah, that guy, soobin. i’m pretty sure you know who he is. your ex,” he makes sure to stress the last word with a certain degree of annoyance, “thinks he’s cute.”

emotionless, heeseung answers back, “good for her, then.”

you were sure that you were over him, that’s why you said yes to the date. but something about him not caring leaves you feeling odd.

jungwon stops your train of thought, “no, you’re supposed to be upset. you’re supposed to get jealous and confess you still want to be with her. you’re supposed to fight for her and be together.”

another quick glance between the two of you, lasting longer than the previous one. no words are said on his end, but you know exactly what he’s trying to say. “he doesn’t have to fight when i’m the one who ended it.” you knew him. you knew he couldn’t admit to the others his decision. after all, he wants to be a good role model even in his darkest times. he couldn’t crush their idea of love and you did what you had to do. you lied for his sake—and maybe even yours.

vii. him

two months have passed since the breakup. there’s tension amongst the friend group, the six not wanting to pick sides between you and heeseung. they’re constantly going back and forth, like they’re walking on eggshells as to not bring up something that only happened with the other.

to get your mind off everything, you’ve found comfort in soobin. well, more accurately you’ve found comfort in between his sheets, or wherever you two decide for it to go down. that’s not to say the dates aren’t great. you’re not official and you both know that. your latest date, however, couldn’t help but feel weird.

the date was going pretty well. don’t get me wrong—soobin is a great guy. he’s sweet, caring, funny, and handsome. you have a lot in common like your taste in drinks and movies. maybe if you had met him first, you would’ve dated him… but you didn’t meet him first. you met heeseung first, and soobin isn’t heeseung.

you found yourself drifting from the conversation now and then, thinking about how heeseung would’ve been at that moment. you think back to his habits, particularly the way he raises his eyebrows whenever he’s excited or talking about something he’s passionate about. you always found it endearing. over the course of dinner, you are able to notice that soobin has some cute habits too, like him covering his face when he gets shy or puffing out his cheeks. but it still isn’t the same.

“you two deserve each other.”

soobin catches your attention again with that comment. “what?”

“you and heeseung. i know that look. don’t try to lie to me.”

“look, heeseung is my past, and i want it to stay that way.”

“do you really want it to stay that way, or are you just afraid of what could happen if you let him back into your present?”

you give him a teasing glare, “don’t get all philosophical with me. i just don’t think he and i can go back to how we were before.”

“what’s so bad about you two changing? obviously if it didn’t work out, you shouldn’t try to be what you were before.”

“can’t i just try with you?”

“as much as i would love for you to give me that chance, i can’t do that to you or to myself. it’s not fair.”

you hesitantly ask him, “but is it worth it?”

“that’s not my decision to make.”

viii. her

now that you’re virtually not in his life, he seems to be looking for you everywhere. actually… rather than going out of his way to look for you, everything just reminds him of you. the jingles of the commercials you always sang along to, your favorite songs on the radio, the reruns of 90’s shows you always binged. hell, even when he was making ramen, he was reminded of how you would make his favorite for him every time he was stressed over an exam. he was sitting in the back of the lecture hall, trying so hard to stay awake for his 3 hour long class with the most boring professor on campus. he fought the urge to text you since it felt like second nature to rely on you to help cheer him up.

there was a particular night when it really hit him. reality smacked him in the face late one evening. heeseung was bored out of his mind, laying alone in bed, aimlessly browsing netflix to find something to watch. he thinks to himself y/n would’ve slammed this laptop closed and talked all night about random and obscure topics. he laughs to himself, reliving the memories. right then, it’s obvious. he misses her.

ix. promises

the rain hitting your bedroom window had no help on your already gloomy mood. what did help was the bottle of soju- well more realistically, four bottles of soju. it was all the liquid courage you needed to call heeseung at three in the morning. 

you sat drowsily on the rug of your living room, your phone on speaker and placed in front of you as you stared out the dewy glass. you heard the phone ring seven times, ready to hang up until you heard his groggy voice come out from the other end. “hello? y/n, why are you up?”

you laugh softly and ask him, sounding loopy, “why are you up?”

“because you’re calling me. would you like to give me a reason why, and are you drunk?”

“maybe. anyways, you know… i was thinking. we broke a lot of promises and it hurts. i have to know that we’re not bad people. i have to keep at least one, right?”

heeseung groans but lets you ramble, knowing that you won’t stop until you’ve said it all, “go on…”

“we made a promise that if something was going on, if we were in a dark place, that we would talk to someone. well, if you couldn’t tell by now, i’m not in the best place. the first person i thought to talk to was you.”

“why me?”

“shhh… don’t ask questions. i know you’re tired so just stay on the phone and let me talk. ok?”

he goes quiet for a bit, sighing, “ok.”

“i miss you. i do. i don’t expect you to miss me but i just want to say it,” pausing to hiccup, “soobin helped me realize some things, saying some crap like we deserve each other.” you chuckle as you recall his words, “maybe he said it because bad people deserve bad people. maybe he said it because in our own fucked up lives, we’re the only ones who can understand each other. i did a lot of thinking and i’ve come to the conclusion that we don’t. because if we stay together, we can’t move on. we can’t grow. we can’t become good people, no matter how much we want it. that’s life. sometimes, no matter how much we want something, no matter how much we wish on stars or pray, some things just aren’t meant to be.”

“y/n, get some rest…”

“wait, i’m not done. you already can tell i’ve been drinking and to be honest i have been, for a while. i do it,” starting to choke up and sniffle, “because it helps me forget. even if it’s just for a minute that i can forget what happened, i’ll drink as much as it takes. i’ll grow out of it, eventually. i know i will, but for now… i have to do what i have to do. i’m sure you can relate.” you laugh again, getting more drowsy. you bring your legs up, hugging your knees. faintly, the sounds of heeseung’s snores play from your phone. you smile to yourself, “i wish you were here, singing me a lullaby. i don’t know when you fell asleep but goodnight. take care of yourself.”

cuddled up in his bed, heeseung hears you hang up. he lets you believe he didn’t hear what you said. he knows the reality of it all and the weight that you both are carrying. knowing that you won’t check your phone for the rest of the night, he sends you a quick text: bookstore, saturday, noon. goodnight.

as he turns off his phone to try to fall back asleep, he sees his reflection in the black screen. he sees his puffy, red eyes and his tear-stained cheeks. the end of it all is coming and finally, you two are ready for it.

x. love song

seeing him in person is a good idea. clearing the air, letting it all out, getting closure. all good ideas, you hope. walking into the bookstore was a weird feeling. when you spot him sitting by the window, you quietly make your way over. he looks up at your new presence, his feet shuffling out of nervousness. you notice the glass of pear juice on the small coffee table in front of him, already half empty.

“hi,” he says like a whisper.

“hi,” you awkwardly respond. it’s unlike the two of you to not know how to start a conversation. you make your way onto the cushioned seat, letting yourself get comfortable to help ease the tension. you each avoid the other’s gaze, not knowing how to begin. you sigh and finally ask, “how have you been?”

“busy,” he says as he nods, “finally took up actual music lessons. thought it would be better to have someone who’s played piano and guitar professionally instead of trying to teach myself.”

you softly giggle, “that’s good. you’ve always loved music.”

“yeah… how about you?”

“same, busy. i got the t.a position i applied for like forever ago.”

“congrats! you still looking to become a teacher?”

“well, generally yeah. i was having my doubts before but i just fell back into it. finally being able to be there, present, and guiding others… that’s what i want.” you sit there across from him, watching him and taking it all in. the man in front of you is heeseung, but not the heeseung you knew. no, this is the better version of him. the version of him where he can focus on himself. the version of heeseung that’s glowing and happy and ready to take on the world. “so, look. there’s no easy or delicate way to put it but i think there are things we both need to get off our chests.”

“agreed. since it all happened—the fights, the breakups, the ambush interventions—we haven’t actually talked.”

“those interventions… they were silly but the guys did help me realize some things. we’re growing up. sure, i thought we had this plan of us graduating, getting married, having a family, settling down, growing old. we both wanted that type of life. sadly, it’s not what happened and we have to live with it.”

he lets out a chuckle, “heeseung and y/n: meant for each other and meant to be.”

“but not meant to last. what a bittersweet and poetic ending."

“it’s like people always say: right person, wrong time.”

“you know… you used to tell me that our love song was the soundtrack to the best life you could live.” you reach out and take his hand in yours, “i just,” pausing to take a deep breath and compose yourself, “i just want you to know… that if anything happens-”

he cuts you off with a quiet gasp, whispering your name with a shaky voice, “don’t.”

you shake your head and gently squeeze his hand, “if anything happens… if in the end, we don’t find our way back and it isn’t us, don’t think we ended on a bad note.” you drop your head as you chuckle lightly before continuing, “cause you were always on key.” you give him a small grin, trying your hardest to not make things worse by crying. “we were just playing different tunes.”

he pulls you in closer to him, placing his hands softly on your cheeks. “i always hated seeing you cry,” he says as he wipes away the tears on your face, not bothering about his own. he wraps his arms around you, holding you close for the last time. 

you stay there in his warmth, hearing him sniffle as he tries to hold back the falling tears. when you pull away, you tell him “i will always love you. maybe not in the way i thought i would but it’s still there.”

“maybe in our next life, it’ll be the right time.” with that, he leaves a kiss on your forehead, leaves the bookstore, and leaves your life. your duet that worked in perfect harmony now playing a beautiful cadence—two wandering artists, free to fill your own wretched worlds with new melodies, the bliss and tranquility of it all. the hope that maybe one day, you’ll be in each other’s lives again is enough.

#heeseung #lee heeseung #heeseung angst #lee heeseung angst #heeseung fluff #lee heeseung fluff #heeseung imagine #heeseung imagines #heeseung fic #heeseung fics #enhypen #enhypen heeseung #enhypen imagine #enhypen imagines #enhypen fic #enhypen fics #enhypen angst #enhypen fluff #enhypen heeseung imagines #enhypen heeseung fics

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - August 8th

Happy Sunday!! Here’s what I’ve been reading this week. As always, leave your fic authors some love if you read and enjoy their stories! 

**Indicates my recent favs 

~*~ 

Turn around three times by ladyshadowdrake (Capwolf/20k) 

Tony and Steve take a tumble through a portal of inky darkness. When they wake up, they're not exactly feeling like themselves.

***Senseless by Scavenge4Dreams (Hurt Comfort/16k) 

Blinded, deafened, exhausted, injured and afraid, Tony raised himself up into a defensive position, the knife coming up just like Nat had taught him.

“That had better fucking be you, Steve Rogers- it had better be you. Fucking disarm me. If you let me kill you, I swear I will be very, very pissed.” Tony snarled, sure it was Steve approaching. Had to be. Had. To. Be.

What if it wasn’t?

Right up the road by gottalovev (Capwolf/17k) 

The day at the senate committee in Washington DC wasn't supposed to end with Tony and Steve transformed into animals by a baby witch. That said, the 350 miles trek back to the compound to get help promises to be quite an adventure too!

(or the adventures of Cat!Tony and Wolf!Steve - and how to readjust when you're back to human!)

***The love spell by Annie D (scaramouche) (Love Spell/17k) 

Tony wakes up in love with Steve. This is an alarming turn of events, because he wasn’t in love with Steve when he fell asleep the night before. That said, it’s sort of nice? To be in love? He’s enjoying it, anyway.

***Citation Needed by elwenyere, FestiveFerret (Professor AU/30K)

Historian Tony Stark has one year to get his book about WWII weapons technology under contract before he goes up for Full Professor at Stanley College. There's only one chapter left to finish, which is supposed to explain Peggy Carter's involvement with something called "Project Rebirth," but there are two problems: his trail of evidence goes cold every time he encounters references to an enigmatic soldier named Steven Rogers, and his stress levels shoot through the roof every time he runs into the endlessly frustrating new hire in Fine Arts, Dr. Grant.

***All Time Low by Sineala (616/12k) 

Tony's lost his company to Obadiah Stane. He's lost it all: his money, his friends, his Avengers team... and his sobriety. Drunk, homeless, Tony is living on the streets, and when he runs out of liquor money, he sells the only thing he has left: his body. And one day, he has the exact wrong customer.

***Not the Only Living Boy in New York by Essie (Getting Together/25k) 

Everyone has a number of names written on their bodies from birth. Steve has three: Margaret Carter, James Barnes and Anthony Stark. After Steve loses two of his soulmates he's not ready to meet his third. If wishes were horses huh?

Includes texting, movie watching a solid amount of pining and a little kicking HYDRA's butt.

Computer Love by ceealaina (PWP/6K) 

A spam email and a misunderstanding from Steve lead to him accidentally revealing something very surprising.

*

“Well, I don’t know, Tony,” Steve snapped back, once again opening his mouth without thinking. “You’ve got a robot butler, alright? Someone secretly taping me jerking off to Iron Man porn could definitely happen.”

For a moment, Steve didn’t even realize what he’d said, glaring mutinously down at the email. But Tony’s lack of a snappy response grew suspicious, and Steve looked up to find Tony staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes, mouth hanging open.

“I’m sorry. You jerk off to what now?”

I cannot walk on water by izazov (PWP/26k) 

Steve doesn't think about having sex with Tony Stark. He certainly doesn't plan for it. It happens anyway.

***If we never got this second chance by  Pookaseraph (Time Travel Kidfic/50k) 

When Tony and Steve’s son from the future, Jake Jensen, arrives at Avenger’s Tower, the two of them are forced to confront some hard truths: Tony that he might not actually become a horrible father, and Steve that he might not be able to set aside his discomfort with sharing a child with another man. When they both get a second chance at a first try at fatherhood, it’s up to the two of them to learn from their own future's past.

When I think about you by sirona (5+1 fic/11k) 

Five times someone saw Steve sass the hell out of Tony and one time Tony finally bought a clue. Also known as the story of Captain Sasspants more than handling his own with Tony Stark at his most devious.

***Thunderbolt City by  sirona (Getting Together/6k) 

It's competely unfair that the one time the whole thunder-from-the-sky thing happens to Tony, it has to be for someone completely out of his league, who takes one look at him and decides he wants none of it, thanks.

Three Little Words; or, Five Times Steve and Tony Didn’t Actually Apologize + One Time They Did by elwenyere(Getting Together/11k) 

“First of all,” Tony said, “and I need everyone to hear this on multiple levels: how dare you?”

In the branching timeline, Thor has to restart Tony's heart, and Steve hears that Bucky is alive. Some things go differently, and some things stay the same. For starters, Steve and Tony are still terrible at saying those three little words.

Some Fires Worth keeping by starklystar (Doctor AU/14K) 

“Teamwork,” Steve hands the clipboard back, trying not to jerk his hand away when Stark’s rough fingers brush with his. “You’re thinking of teamwork.”

“Well, it takes two to tango, doesn’t it?”

“If you say so.”

“If I say so?”

“You’re, uh, you’re the doctor,” and Steve feels his own cheeks warm. A beat of silence, and he cautiously adds, “you know more about… bodies.”

-----------

Or, Tony is SHIELD Memorial's newest head of ER, and Steve is New York's best firefighter. Naturally, that means some pining happens, some injuries get healed, and some hearts get kept.

***Never Have I Ever by Cluegirl (Mission fic/136k) 

Tony Stark doesn't have a lot of 'first times' left, after the life he's lived, but it turns out that Steve Rogers is directly responsible for a surprising number of them.

#stony #stevetony weekly #stevetony #superhusbands #stony fic #fic rec #fic rec list #stevetony fic #steve rogers #tony stark #Iron Man #captain america

[fific7]

Dangerous and Divine - Epilogue

Billy Russo x Reader

Summary: Billy Russo is an itch you don’t want to scratch. But he’s all over you like a rash.

A/N: The final part!! This does not follow canon, it’s mainly fluff & lemon zest 🍋 Hopefully you’ve guessed by now that is my “Billy Russo Deserves Real Love AU” as I totally refuse to accept what happened in S2! The GIF is from Exposed, unreleased pilot show in case you’re wondering 😌... Billy vibes.

Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content including oral and unprotected* sex between consenting adults. Some drinking & swearing.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

(My GIF)

Six Months Later

You opened up your eyes slowly, becoming aware of a finger trailing gently down your arm; it felt like a butterfly fluttering on your skin. Two dark chocolate eyes were gazing down into yours, sparkling with mischief.

“Good morning, Mrs Russo,” a very self-satisfied Billy Russo whispered, smiling at you.

You yawned, stretching out out your limbs and enjoying the feeling of a light breeze on your body coming through the patio doors.

“Morning, Billy,” you replied, reaching up and kissing his lips, scratching a finger along his bristly jaw. “And how is my wife this morning?” he asked, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “I’m good... actually, very good,” you smiled up at him. “Just as well we’ve got our own villa, angel. You were so noisy last night, screaming my name,” he teased.

Getting up, you stretched again, aware of Billy’s eyes on you as you picked up your little silky robe, slowly putting it on and enjoying the disappointed look on his face. “That’s just to big up your male ego, poppet,” you teased back. He flung himself onto his back on the bed, faux-sulking, “How can you say that, sweetheart?! ....after I kept you up half the night making love to you?”

“Only half the night? Would’ve thought the love god that is Billy Russo would be claiming it was all night!!” A pout instantly appeared on his handsome face and that was just too much, so you leant down over him, stroking his face and kissing him passionately. He grabbed you, pulling you down onto him and your robe came off a lot faster than it went on, unceremoniously dumped on the floor. “Ride me,” he whispered in your ear.

You had to bring him back down to earth though, as you quite urgently needed to visit the bathroom and so you’d extricated yourself from his arms and stood up, picking up your robe. The pout had got even poutier and his eyes looked huge as he gazed up at you from where he lay on the crisp white Egyptian cotton sheets. “Oh, okayyy,” he drawled, grinning, both hands going up behind his head as he lazed back on the pillows, “....so now we’re married, you’re gonna start slappin’ sex bans on me, huh?” You slipped your robe back on and put your hands on your hips, “Billy Russo! Don’t be such a drama king! You’d think you were on your honeymoon or something!” He just kept on grinning at you.

“Well! You either wait two minutes so I don’t have an accident on those lovely clean sheets, or maybe I’d better just call my divorce lawyer right now!” you mock-threatened. His face fell, “Angel! I’m only jokin’ y’know!” You burst out laughing, “Me too, you silly big sap! But not about going to the bathroom!” Flouncing out of the bedroom, hearing his answering laugh as you went.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Once you were in the bathroom, you let your mind drift back over the last few days. You and Billy had been married just two days ago, a small wedding just as you both wanted with close family and friends only (Billy’s Marine buddies being his family). You’d had the most perfect day, but after all the planning and rushing around in the run-up to the big day, you felt as if it had all gone by in a flash. Whoosh - and it was all over. One minute Karen and your little cousin had been fussing round you, helping with your hair, your makeup, your dress, and in no time at all - it seemed - Billy was taking your hand and leading you out of the reception party, accompanied by a chorus of wolf whistles and catcalls.

You two had stayed that night in the beautiful hotel in upstate New York where the wedding had been held. Billy had picked you up ‘bridal style’ while you were in the hotel elevator and then carried you along the corridor to your suite, kicking the door shut behind him and laying you gently down on the bed. Then he had slowly and sensually slid your wedding dress and underskirts up over your thighs, smile as bright as the sun as he ran his hands over your stockings and garter belt, pushed aside your lacy underwear and had taken you right there and then, whispering to you all the while that now you were truly his.

The next day, you and Billy had flown from JFK to Ibiza in the Balearic Islands, Spain. He’d been surprised when you’d said where you wanted to go for your honeymoon. He thought you’d want to go to the Caribbean or the Maldives or suchlike. But you’d spent some very happy times there when you were on your travels a while back, and you knew he’d love the laid-back vibe of the island.

So he’d booked a luxurious villa for a whole month, in the pine-clad hills above a large cove with a beach called Cala Llonga, east of Ibiza Town. The aromatic scent in the air was truly intoxicating and you closed your eyes, inhaling it from the small breeze making its way through the bathroom window, open just a tiny bit.

You sighed happily; both workplaces had been asked to contact you only in a dire emergency and with Frank and Jake left in charge while you and Billy were on honeymoon, after initially being anxious about being away for so long you now felt surprisingly relaxed about it.

Washing your hands and making your way back to the bedroom, you smiled as you saw your new husband sprawled out on the bed, naked and looking at you with a devilish smirk on his handsome face.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy happily stretched out on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and hearing the water running in the bathroom in the background. The more he thought about it, the more he could hardly believe it - he’d actually managed to persuade her to marry him. He really thought he’d blown it when he’d proposed the first time. When she’d changed her mind and said ‘Yes’, he’d been so happy he thought he’d explode like a human hand grenade.

Still somewhat surprised about his complete turnaround from playboy to lovesick sap, he’d decided long before the wedding to just lie back and accept what the Fates had in store for him. Maybe they’d decided to give him some good karma for a change, after his solitary and loveless childhood and the difficulties he’d had after he left the Marines.

He thought back to just before the wedding ceremony, when Frank had been helping him tie his silver silky cravat after he’d put on his fancy morning suit and dress shirt. His big friend had suddenly clasped his shoulder, saying gruffly, “Bill.... you’ve finally got a chance to be ‘Happy Ever After’, y’know bud. Don’t fuck it up, whatever you do.”

Grabbing the big paw on his shoulder, he’d said sincerely, “I won’t, Frankie... believe me, I won’t.”

He’d also thought about a text he’d received the night before the wedding, and which he’d decided not to mention to his girl. Because it was from Madani. She’d heard the news about Billy getting married from Sam, who he’d met by chance in a local bar a few days before the wedding.

Typical vitriolic Madani, he thought. Saying how he was making a big mistake and he’d regret it in the end. Meaning, of course, because he hadn’t chosen her. Hadn’t even wished the two of you well, couldn’t bring herself to make even that small concession.

Bitch. He’d angrily deleted the text along with the whole string of her past messages, and had then deleted her contact details out of his phone. A feeling of great satisfaction had washed over him as he’d hit the ‘Delete Contact’ button on Dinah Madani. Gone and very definitely forgotten.

Now he looked over to see his angel walking back towards him, looking totally edible in her silky robe.

Grinning, he patted the sheet next to him, “C’mere, sweetheart....”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy grabbed your wrist, pulling you down next to him and pouncing on top of you. The robe came off again and he was kissing you hungrily, appetite undiminished even after your mutual athletics the night before. He ran his hands all over you, pulling your body closer against his, telling you how much he loved you, wanted you, needed you. Then he rolled over onto his back, grinning over at you, “C’mon, angel... I need you to ride me.”

Grinning back at him, “Might do,” you replied. He shook his head, “No, really.... angel... you need to do it and do it now.” You also lay down on your back, “What’s the consequences if I don’t?” you teased. He looked horrified, “You sayin’ No to me?” You shrugged, smirking. “Angel! Please.... what... uhhh... do I gotta beg?” You nodded, “I think you do.” So Billy sighed, getting up and then kneeling beside the bed, hands clasped together and held up in supplication to you, “Please, goddess, m’beggin’ you.... pleeeease! Please!”

From your lofty perch on the bed, you looked down at the male masterpiece currently on his knees in front of you. The early morning sun highlighted his sculpted muscles to perfection, including the delicious-looking erection he was sporting, and you couldn’t keep up the pretence any longer. You reached down and grabbed a handful of his hair, tugging on it several times as his now-grinning face looked up at you.

“Ahhh... so I got the green light, goddess?” You nodded imperiously, and he leapt up and onto the bed at the speed of light. You pushed his shoulders down into the pillows and climbed on top of him, seeing his eyes widen in anticipation. Leaning over, you slid your fingers to the back of his neck and began gently stroking, then took his ‘tache between your lips and sucked gently, before running your tongue over it and then sucking again. Hearing small whimpers coming from him, you moved on to the tufty bit of beard under his bottom lip, giving it the same treatment. Then you ran your tongue very slowly over his bottom lip and suddenly you heard an agonised ‘Fuck!” from Billy, and wetness spread over your stomach and thighs.

Sitting up, you looked down in surprise at the sheen you could see glinting on your skin. A very sheepish-looking Billy was gazing up at you, “Uhhh....m’sorry, angel,” he whispered, “....y’got me too excited.” He covered his eyes with one big hand, then you saw two dark chocolate eyes peeking out between his fingers at you. “Are you mad at me?” he asked, somewhat fearfully. You leant down and kissed his nose, “No! Course not, Billy.”

He slid his hand away from his face, “Really? Been goin’ on at you to ride me then don’t even get inside you before.....!” and he gestured at the pearly liquid on your skin. His face was tinged pink by now, “M’so embarrassed!” he wailed. “Honestly, Billy.... I’m not mad at you,” you said, tweaking his nose between finger and thumb before getting up and heading through to the bathroom. Grabbing a handful of baby wipes you went back to the bedroom, sitting on the bed and quickly cleaning yourself up before teasing Billy by running a baby wipe slowly and sensually along his velvety length. You heard some low soft moans from him, and knew it wouldn’t be very long before he was fully aroused again.

So you kept on stroking him. Laying the baby wipe aside, you continued using just your hand on him. “Sweetheart, what you tryin’ to do to me?” he asked in a breathy voice. “Oh, poppet.... I think you know exactly what I’m doing,” you smirked down at him, loving the way he looked at that moment, vulnerable and at your mercy, big wide eyes gazing up at you, lips parted slightly. You slid your hand in between his legs, taking hold of his balls, gently massaging and squeezing them while still working his cock with your other hand. He squirmed below you, breath catching in his throat, one hand going to the hand you were stroking him with and pulling it to the head of his cock. Taking the hint, you concentrated on it, squeezing and rubbing at it while Billy writhed under you, letting out a string of swears.

Then you decided to add a little something to the mix and leant down to lick him, letting your tongue drag over his tip back and forth with quite some force. Billy had cried out really quite loudly as you started doing that and you smiled, thinking he’d made a good point about having a private villa. You could both be really noisy when you wanted to be. Feeling him stiffening in your hand, you increased the speed and firmness of your stroking and also took him more fully into your mouth.

“Please.... sweetheart!” groaned Billy, “....gotta get inside you... please!!!” You could hear him beginning to pant so without further delay you guided him inside you, before sinking down onto his length. He gave a long low moan, while you gasped with pleasure as soon as he was fully sheathed inside you. Billy was giving out soft whimpering moans and began desperately thrusting up into you, hands running up the sides of your body onto your breasts and he began slowly massaging. In turn you started moving on him, hands on his chest, relishing the feeling of both his firm muscled body and how he filled you completely. “You...” Billy whispered, big dark eyes gazing up at you, “...you’re perfect for me, angel. Fit me like a glove.” His hand moved down to where your bodies were joined and began rubbing your clit with his thumb.

“Could say the same about you, Marine,” you breathed against his ear, leaning down and giving him a dirty open-mouthed kiss before moving your mouth onto his neck beard, and running your tongue over it. You felt Billy tense up and knew he was about to climax, and you felt your own orgasm building. Both of you were wound up tighter than springs! You wrapped your arms round your new husband’s shoulders and let the waves of pleasure roll over you.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

A lot later on, you and Billy strolled down to Cala Llonga and joined the small queue of people waiting on the little stone jetty for the water taxi to Ibiza Town. The boat was fairly small and you all crammed onto the wooden benches which filled most of it. Billy wrapped his arm round you, glaring at the Dutch guy sitting on the other side of you who’d been smiling and trying to make small talk with you. “We’re on honeymoon,” he growled at him, butting in just as the guy asked where you were staying. “Oh that’s great, congratulations!” he said, and you’d smiled at him, “Thank you.” Billy however was still glowering at the poor guy, so you elbowed him and he said reluctantly, “Yeah, thanks.”

You tried to distract Billy by pointing out several landmarks as the boat bobbed and puttered its way round the coast, and then the main town on the island came into sight as you rounded the last headland.

Billy gazed at the sight of the Dalt Vila (Old Town) in front of him and said in an awestruck voice, “Oh hey, that’s so pretty.” You smirked at him, “Told you you’d love it.” He looked back to you, “What’re our plans for this afternoon then?” Pleased that he was handing over the reins to you, smiling fondly at him you said, “Well, first of all I’m gonna make sure my hungry husband gets fed and watered. There are some lovely little outdoor restaurants along the marina.” You heard his stomach rumbling quietly as you mentioned food and he gave you a huge grin, “Now that’s what I call a plan.”

Stepping off the ferry, you guided him to one of the restaurants you’d eaten at before, and chose one of the tables at the front overlooking the yacht moorings. There were quite a few superyachts - some the size of small ocean liners - moored up so the oligarchs were in town, you thought to yourself.

The two of you enjoyed a leisurely lunch, before heading into the maze of narrow streets of the Old Town. Strolling right up to the old church at the very top of the hill, Billy oohing and ahhing at the whitewashed old houses and the view once you reached the church. He leant on the wall enclosing the courtyard in front of the church, looking out over the town, the two marinas and the surrounding hills and you heard a big happy sigh. He turned his head towards you, “This is perfect. You’re perfect. I love this place. And I love you.” He leant in for a kiss, and things started to get a bit raunchy before you heard a throat being cleared loudly behind you. The two of you broke apart, turning to find two elderly Spanish ladies glaring at you with outraged expressions on their faces.

You smiled at them, “Ah... lo siento, señoras, estamos en nuestra luna de miel.” Instantly, large smiles appeared on their faces and they moved away in a flurry of waving hands and staccato Spanish which you couldn’t quite catch. “What d’you say to them, sweetheart?” asked Billy. “That we’re on our honeymoon,” you grinned, “...didn’t understand all of the replies but rest assured, we’re forgiven!” He leaned in, “Well, reckon we should pick up where we left off then,” mouth back on yours. You surreptitiously ran a hand over the zip of his jeans and felt an interesting bulge there, hearing his low gasp, “Okay, but we better leave most of it till we get back to the villa... otherwise we’ll get arrested!” He sighed, nuzzling your neck, “Couldn’t we just go down one of these little streets an’.....” Laughing, you walked away holding out your hand to him, “No we can’t! C‘mon, tiger,” and with a pout firmly in place he followed, taking your hand in his.

Heading back down through Dalt Vila into the main part of town, you came to Paseo Vara de Rey, a wide, short tree-lined boulevard near the marina. In the evenings, the locals would come here for their before-dinner strolls, stopping for a chat with friends or a quick aperitif. It was just starting to get a bit busier as locals and tourists alike came along to enjoy the late afternoon sun.

You and Billy joined the strolling groups of people, looking in the shop windows and at people sitting in the open-air café sections, gradually making your way towards the marina end of the Paseo. Steering him towards a large hotel situated on the corner of Vara de Rey and into the cool white interior of its bar, you suggested he might want to buy you a cocktail. Leaning on the bar, he grinned at you, “Okay, I will... but then can we go back to the villa?”

“But why do you want to go back to the villa, Billy? I thought you were having a nice time here in town?” “I am!” he protested, “...and you know perfectly well why I wanna go back!” said with an accompanying eyebrow wiggle, “...we’re on our honeymoon!”

One of the barmen overheard him, “Ah, señor y señora! Let us make you very special cocktails in celebration of your wedding!!” Bill looked round, embarrassed, “Oh no.. s’okay, honestly - we’re fine, thanks.” Shaking his head vigorously, the barman grabbed a couple of cocktail shakers and tossed one of them to his co-worker, “But we must! It will take just a few moments.”

Then there was a flurry of pouring, shaking, ice, fruit and citrus slices being added before a couple of glasses were placed on the bar in front of you with a flourish. You and Billy eyed each other before taking a sip from your drinks. It was pleasant enough - you could taste rum and fruit - but not particularly what you’d’ve chosen for yourself. However, in the same spirit as the drinks were offered, you both made appreciative noises and thanked them profusely, before escaping to a table by the window overlooking Vara de Rey. Sitting down, Billy chuckled, “I guess I better learn to keep my big trap shut!” You agreed, “You’re forgetting that most of the locals speak really good English, so don’t be giving away any more of our secrets!” “What... like the fact you love my dick and think it’s really pretty?” he sniggered, while you slapped his arm, looking round quickly to make sure no-one had heard him.

Seeing no-one within earshot, you leant forward and said, “No... more like you telling me you’re in love with my ‘perfect pussy’ and how you’d be inside me 24/7 if you could be!” He snorted out some of his drink, and the two of you just sat and laughed at each other for a few moments in sheer happiness. “I love you,” he said, serious all of a sudden. “I mean, like really love you.” You smiled at him over the rim of your glass, “Well that’s good, Russo, cos I love you. Like, really love you.” Again, you sat looking at each other with goofy grins on your faces. You caught sight of both barmen looking over at you and smirking so you finished the last of your cocktail, purposefully making a noisy sucking sound through your straw as you did. “Hey, Billy... will we have one more drink and then head back?”

His eyes lit up, “Yeah!!! What d’ya want to drink this time round, angel?” “I’ll just have a mojito, please.” A few minutes later, a luscious mojito-filled glass was placed in front of you, while Billy had decided on a Sidecar, which he polished off in a few quick gulps and then sat looking expectantly at you. Shaking your head and laughing at him, you said, “I won’t be downing my lovely mojito as if it was a beer, Billy. I will be sipping it in a ladylike manner.” His face fell, “Oh.” “You’ll just have to be patient, loverboy.” He perked up a bit, “But if I’m a good patient boy, I’ll get a nice reward when we get back to the villa, yeah?” You patted his silky-haired head, “Yes, you will,” and couldn’t resist tugging on a few locks of it while you were at it. His grin grew devilish, “You wanna tug on something else, angel?” You slid your hand onto his thigh under the table, giving him a very innocent smile, “No, I am not going to lower the tone of this fancy hotel bar by misbehaving, Mr Russo.” His hand covered yours on his thigh and pulled it up onto his zip, “Well, I haveta say I’m very disappointed, Mrs Russo,” before bringing your hand up to his lips and kissing it, putting on his best puppydog eyes and pout.

You had to admit, a frisson of excitement had run through you as he’d done that - Billy had made sure you realised he had an impressive erection. So in fact you picked up your mojito and drained the glass like a sailor who’d just hit a bar after six months at sea. “Okay, Billy,” you smirked, “....you win. Let’s go, tiger.” Billy sprang up from the table and pulled you by the hand towards the door, waving over at the barmen as he went, while you gave them a smile as you passed them.

Then you had to contend with an impatient Billy, pacing up and down at the marina while you were waiting on the water taxi back to Cala Llonga. Eventually it appeared, and Billy hustled you on board, making you sit at the back and beginning to kiss you as he boxed you into the corner seat. More passengers joined soon though and you pushed him back slightly, “Billy.... behave, please. We don’t want to upset any more people with PDA’s.” He grinned, “Okay, okay, I’ll keep my hands and my mouth to myself ... for now.” As the boat began to manoeuvre backwards and away from the quayside, you pointed at the town, “So, what did you think of Ibiza Town then?” Billy nodded, “Yeah, I loved it. It’s beautiful. But y’know, as long as you’re with me.... wherever we are, that’s what I really love.” You poked him in the side, “You big sap!” you laughed and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, “...but you’re my big sap, as they say.”

Those gorgeous dark eyes of his sparkled back at you, and his hand stroked your cheek, “Yeah I am, sweetheart... and that’s the most important thing. It’s all anyone needs to know about us. I’m yours, and you’re mine. And we’re in love. And together. Forever.” You put your lips next to his ear, “Yes, Billy... forever,” you whispered as the little boat carried the two of you away into the gathering dusk.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Additional A/N: Hope you enjoyed this little journey with Billy and his sweetheart. All I ever wanted for Billy Russo was for him to be happy. Maybe we’ll meet these two again, who knows? Thanks so much for reading.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

@blackbirddaredevil23 @galaxyjane @omgrachwrites @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @ourloveisforthelovely @swthxrry

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

#ben barnes #billy russo #billy russo x reader #billy russo fanfiction #billy russo imagine

[princessphilly]

All Bets Are Off Chapter 3

@whatishockey did the damn thing with the banners

Cw: bad language, kissing, pining

Word count: don’t know because I’m pasting this from google docs mobile

Tag list:

@ohpuckyeah, @joelsfarabee

@besthockeyfics @Defiant-Mouse

@linkingdolans @chicagostylehockey

@heatherlcrosby87 @hockeywocs

@shortstacks-blog @heatherawoowoo o

@newlibrary @iangiemae

@puckbitchesgetmoney @Missymore

@himbos-on-ice @fiveholegoal

@pagirl6866 @willieshakesqueer

@nazdaddy @alphalib22

@romanseggy @laurenairay

@texanstarslove

@konecny-s

@cutiesara23, @myhockeyworld87

“Why is Sidney Crosby and the Penguins staring at us?”

Nina turned around and smirked as she saw Sid, Tanger, Geno, Jake, Murs, and a couple of guys that she couldn’t place. “Sometimes I work with the team. They are probably wondering how I got into here.”

It had been over two years since Nina had started working with the team and she had fallen into a routine. Work on the guys, give them routines to help ease the pain and heal their injuries, rinse and repeat. Well, sometimes it included some flirting but that had ended once Nina heard about the woman named Kathy.

“I’m not really a Pens fan but it’s cool that they keep winning their championship,” Ron remarked. “It’s some kind of cup.”

“It’s the Stanley Cup,” Nina replied.

“Yeah, whatever.”

As Ron, her date, made excited talk about the Steelers, Nina sipped her wine. She had attended a game with Lauren, taking advantage of discounted tickets when Lauren pointed her out. Nina was glad that she could keep a straight face when Lauren told her that was Sidney’s girlfriend. Lauren had added that they were off-and-on but Nina didn’t care. Of course he had a girlfriend while flirting with her. Ever since then, Nina kept her interactions with the captain strictly professional.

It didn’t help that Sidney looked good. His hair was cut short and he looked like expensive whiskey mixed with heartbreak. As Ron kept talking, Nina interrupted with a smile. “Let’s not keep talking about the Pens. What do you do?”

Ron explained, “I teach at St. Dominic’s. Fourth grade, I love it.”

“That’s cool,” Nina replied, “Teaching is a gift, you must have a lot of patience.”

As Ron shared stories from his work, Nina felt bored. He was her first date so far and he spent more time talking about himself and what he liked more than letting her attempt to talk. save me, Nina texted Lauren. Her phone then rang and Nina gave Ron a smile. “Oh that’s my babysitter. I gotta go see what’s going on.”

Nina hurriedly got up and ran to the far wall by a less populated bar and snapped Lauren never again with this 1. Try again

**

Sidney wasn’t having the greatest time. Nina had been quietly ignoring him for a while and now she was out with some guy, giving him starry eyes. As soon as she excused herself from her table, Sidney made his own excuses. He thought Nina was going to the bathroom but she had gone elsewhere. Luckily, this restaurant had it’s bathrooms close together and after taking care of his business, Sidney strolled out. He was ready to wait to see if Nina was coming this way but he saw her over on the far wall, on her phone.

“Hi, pretty girl.”

Nina rolled her eyes as she stood on the wall. Sidney was right in front of her, ignoring the gawking eyes of everyone around them. Normally, Nina would be dreading this because it would be gossiped all over the internet. But, from working peripherally with the team, Nina was very aware that the team’s PR ruled the team’s branding with an iron hand. There may be whispers but Nina didn’t have to worry about people trying to stalk her. “I’m here with someone.”

“Your friends?”

Sidney leaned closer, his breath rustling her hair. He touched a curl, noticing Nina’s shiver. Her hair was out of her customary braids, curled into waves that begged to be touched. Maybe it was the beer and cognac in his veins but Sidney was ready to throw it all to the wind to dance with Nina. Then a guy came towards them, a wary expression on his face. Nina smiled at him and Sidney felt his heart plummet to his feet. “This is Ron, Ron, this is Sidney, one of the Penguins I sometimes treat at work.”

Putting his best PR smile on his face, Sidney shook his hand. He was taller than him, and Black like Nina. Of course Nina would be dating him.

“Wow, I’m a huge fan,” Ron exclaimed. Nina gave Ron a what the fuck look and Sidney inwardly smirked.

“Have you been to a game?”

Sidney put his hands in his pockets as he waited for that guy, what was his name, Rob or something to answer his question.

Ron shrugged. “A couple of times. Nina was telling me that we should go to a game sometime together.”

“Um, I did?”

Sidney wanted to sign with relief when Nina looked at that guy with a puzzled expression. From years on the ice, Sidney had learned how to read people’s body language and expressions. Even though Nina now had a pleasant expression on her face, she was definitely not into this guy at all. As Nina pulled the guy away from him, Sidney thought, ‘Maybe tonight isn’t so bad after all.’

**

“Nice guy.”

Nina smirked as she looked at Jake. “You saw what happened last week?”

Jake sighed as Nina flexed his foot after using a TENS unit on it. “He was a real winner. Sid said something about him saying you were going to bring him to a game.”

Nina rolled her eyes as she said, “He was talking shit on the team before he met Sid. I made sure to block him from everything after I told him I was interested. He’s a clout chaser.”

“Clout?”

Geno had wandered into the treatment area and sat in the chair across from where Nina was working on Jake.

Jake explained, “Some guy looking to brag that he met Sid through Nina.”

“One of them.”

“I blocked him ASAP.

Geno gave Nina a knowing look as she shrugged. “New boyfriend? Maybe Sid?”

Nina grinned at Geno and Geno asked, “Yes, you and Sid?”

“My Tinder account says….. no,” Nina replied, earning groans from both men.

“Need to take my friend out of his misery,” Geno stated.

Jake laughed, “I’m actually enjoying this shit.”

“Enjoying what?”

Tánger walked in and Nina quickly said, “All done, Jake. Just keep doing your exercises when you can and your foot should stop cramping. I gotta go.”

“Go? Just started,” Geno yelled and in a moment of unprofessionalism, Nina gave him the finger.

**

“You know we can’t be together right now.”

Nina gasped as Sidney pressed into her. It was another night out, her first night out after dumping Greg. Steely did not like him and Greg was trying to move into her place after only being together for two months. The minute he mentioned that “they” would have to get rid of Steely if they were going to live together, Nina told him it was over by text. After blocking him on everything and a week of moping, Nina had gone out with Lauren and Karesha. Of course, Sidney and some of the boys were at the same bar they were.

“So.”

Sidney bent down and kissed her neck. Nina groaned. It was obvious that The Kid was definitely not sober and while she was a bit tipsy herself, Nina could sense the mistake waiting to be made. Pushing him away, Nina took in several shaky deep breaths. “Don’t think you can play with me while you have a girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?”

Nina rolled her eyes before she noticed Guenzy and a couple other players. Gesturing towards them, she moved away from Sidney.

Jake grinned as he said, “Hi Nina. Fancy seeing you here.”

“I was here for a girls night out before this person decided he had to talk to me. He’s a bit drunk, make sure you get him out of here before anything happens to him,” Nina replied.

“I’m not drunk,” Sidney protested as Jake dragged him away.

Nina fluttered her fingers at him as Karesha came over.

“You just turned down Sidney Fucking Crosby? He’s not my type but I would make an exception for him. He’s looking good, even with that gray.”

Nina exclaimed in mock-shock, “Karesha, you have a man and kids at home!”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t look. And I will look because I can.”

As Nina scrolled through her phone, Karesha continued, “Nina I knew growing up would have already fucked him.”

“I’m a professional now.”

“That man wants to fuck you into the bed and those ass and thighs say he can,” Karesha persisted. “Let me guess, you don’t want to ruin your work rep.”

“Yes and no,” Nina replied. She was getting closer to saying fuck it. At first, she was feeling strong, felt that she could do it. But the more she interacted with Sidney, seen him do the charity work, etc., the more Nina was losing the will to say no. Only time she got a break was the off-season but her dreams were still starring an all-time pro center more than anyone else.

“Then maybe you need to start thinking about looking for another job, girl, because then you can finally get fucked like you want without having to wonder about what will happen.”

Nina scoffed, “Naw..”

**

“So, I just wanna know when you gonna finally get me my Tanger jersey?”

Nina rolled her eyes as Jason, her little brother, pestered her again. Jason was the biggest Pittsburgh sports fan in the whole family and ever since she started working with the Pens, he’d been begging her for a Letang jersey. Not just a Letang jersey, but Jason wanted a game-worn, autographed jersey. It didn’t matter that Dad had bought Jason an authentic jersey last year. He wanted a game-worn jersey.

She replied, “You know I don’t work with the team like that,” as she stirred the spaghetti. Her mother had to work an overnight shift so Nina had her little brother and sister stay with her in her Lower Lawrenceville apartment. It was a tiny place but Nina loved it. Right now, she was wishing she didn’t have Jason and Aryanna with her so she could think about her feelings about what happened a couple of weeks ago.

“Maybe I’ll get it for your birthday though,” Nina conceded. “If you keep your grades up.”

“Ninaaaa,” Jason whined.

“You know mom won’t let me get it for you if your grades are bad anyway.”

Jason explained, “I have to keep my grades up, I can’t play football if I don’t anyway. Plus, I’m trying to get invited to The Opening. Nina whistled, The Opening was an elite football camp for college juniors: kids who get in usually got to go to their pick of universities for college football.

“Good luck with that,” Nina commented as Terrible Tess jumped into Jason’s lap. That reminded her of how Terrible Tess tried to claw her date a week ago.

Aryanna piped up, “Maybe you should become friends with the pens, Ni-ni.”

Jason snickered and rolled his eyes while Nina explained, “I don’t work with the team like that, Ari.”

Aryanna pouted. “I want to tell all my friends that you know the penguins. They don’t believe me that you work with the team.”

“Like Nina cares about what a bunch of little kids think,” Jason jibed.

Before Nina could reprimand her brother, the door to her apartment opened. “Mom, you’re done early.”

“No. I got back early from my trip.”

“DADDY,” screamed Aryanna as their father came into the kitchen. Nina smiled and gave her dad a hug while Jason gave him a pound.

Vernon replied,”Hi Yanni and Ni-ni. How are my sweet tarts? And how are you doing, little man?”

“Nina still hasn’t got me my Tánger Jersey, Dad,” Jason complained.

“I may not be working there that much longer,” Nina absentmindly replied as she turned off the warmer for the pasta.

“WHAT?!?,” Nina’s father, brother, and sister all exclaimed at the same time.

“I’m thinking of maybe going somewhere else. It’s been almost three years.”

Jason groaned, “I’m never getting my Tanger jersey!”

“Are you sure, sweet tart,” Vernon asked, taking off his jacket.

Nina bit her lip as she nodded at her daddy. Her parents had worked hard after having her in their early twenties so she could achieve her dreams. Vernon was a long haul trucker while Tracey worked as a RN. Nina was the first one to go and graduate a four-year university. Vernon gave Nina a look and nodded.

“Anyway, let’s eat while I tell y’all what I saw on the road this time,” Vernon said as Jason went to grab plates. Nina gave her dad a grateful smile but she knew that he would want to talk about it.

**

“Who did you go out with last night?”

Just like a man to barge into her room, asking questions. Nina kept her eyes down on the chart she was updating as she replied, “Good morning, Mr. Crosby. How are you?”

Sidney moved to where he was in front of her desk, putting his hands on it but averting his eyes from her paperwork. “Who were you with last night?”

“Is that any of your business?”

Nina calmly closed the chart and stared coldly into Sidney’s eyes. “Do you have a reason to visit me this morning, Mr. Crosby?”

Sidney growled and Nina was thankful that he at least had the brains to close the door before having his tantrum. “Who was that guy you were with last night?”

“Oh?”

Sidney blinked, running a hand through his hair. “Was he you boyfriend?”

“Hmm a boyfriend, you know when a girl likes a boy and they go out together and become a couple,” Nina sarcastically answered. “Kinda like you and your on and off girlfriend.”

“Kathy isn’t part of this conversation.”

Sidney glowered at Nina. Geno mentioned he had seen Nina out on a date at a Russian restaurant he frequented often with Anna. There had been this guy Ron but he hadn’t lasted long. Now, there was a new one and Sidney was annoyed and pissed.

“Why so angry, Mr. Crosby? Am I supposed to be single forever and pining for you because we can’t be together?”

Before Sid could answer that, Nina continued, “I don’t know if you have spies on me or something, but if you had asked nicely instead of bursting into my office, I would have told you that I went out with my father last night.”

Sidney felt sick to his stomach as Nina glared at him. Nina was irritated as hell; it seemed like everyone here knew what she was going and what she was doing and now, that was confirmed.

Last night, Nina and Vernon had a father-daughter dinner at a hole in the wall Russian restaurant. Over blini and borscht, Nina gave her father a general explanation of what she had been thinking about with work and maybe going to work somewhere else. Vernon listened to his daughter with interest as she explained her plans. Her father had simply said, “Maybe wait until you have all your plans figured out before you put your resume out there.”

Right now, as Sidney talked, Nina tuned him out. Once there was a break, she said, “ You can go now,” before turning her back

#sidney crosby imagines #sidney crosby #nhl rpf #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #blurbs #drabbles #all bets are off #penguins imagines #penguin imagine #penguins

[obsessedtodeathwithgravityfalls]

Compilation of Michael Rianda’s GF Tweets! (Con.)

A continuation of my first post, this time for questions he answered and fun, behind the scenes snippets.

I said in this reblog that I think the best explanation would be something really dramatic or explosive (like an blown up building as opposed to something like, say, getting poisoned) because the heavier her death is, the guiltier Dipper would be, which I feel like would really highlight their bond for both the current and future pairs of twins. Good to know that Michael supports the thought of coming up with our own ideas!

The rest is under the cut:

This is a great message! People often forget that, even though a story may have more details, if its overall message is told, there’s really no point in wanting to have it reopened.

Love this. Remember, kids - with enough determination, you also might be able to tire a hypersensitive, multibillion dollar corporation into letting you include references and jokes that slightly allude to barely mature content!

Oh gosh, how different would the show have been if Bill appeared in the SEVENTH episode? I really liked how it turned out, because if you think about it, the first half of the show was building up to his first appearance. He’s hinted at throughout season one - the mysterious entity the journal references, in the end credits, within the background - and he’s the height of Gravity Falls’ mysteriousness that the audience had been expecting, seeing as the town’s paranormal activity was only becoming more and more strange as the show went on. Plus, I like the crescendo of antagonists and villains. Starts off with an angry ten year old boy that has the means to paranormal abilities, progresses to a governmental agency that’s been investigating the town for decades, and by the end, the villain is a trillion year old genocidal being that can bend reality to his very will. It wouldn’t be the same if we started with Bill in the beginning.

Wow, I never would’ve thought such a vital piece to the show wasn’t even planned until just before its appearance. If it wasn’t a portal, I wonder what would’ve separated Stan and Ford for thirty years. A secret society? Maybe that was considered and ended up becoming the Society of the Blind Eye.

I love this idea for a road trip episode much better than the one we got. It would be so good for characterization! Sometimes people aren’t aware of the routine they immerse themselves in until they actually go over it. This seems like a great, literal way to explore that idea. As for Wendy’s flaw, I mentioned in the first post that perhaps her chill-factor might be a misconstruing of apathy, which ties into recklessness. Michael shows us a script for a Wendy episode where they tried to crack it, but the plot didn’t work out in the end. I loved that look we got into her character, since the most insight into her we got were small bouts of stress or anger. “I’m stressed, like, 24/7. Have you met my family?!”

AWWWW, SOMEONE ANIMATE THIS

I swear, if any of you fuckers crop out that last tweet and go around with your Nintendo x Gravity Falls crossover fanfiction, I’m going to jump into a bottomless pit and I’m taking you with me.

Alex’s superpower is taking jokes and stereotypes so overused they’re nauseating and increasing that factor so much that it’s actually funny.

Wait, he hasn’t read “those particular ones.” Does the Gravity Falls crew read our AUs?

Time for a look at some other fun things Michael posted!

Picture of Alex, Michael, and Joe Pitt celebrating after Gravity Falls had been greenlit. Joe is intentionally trying to look like a 90′s kid.

Apparently this was supposed to be a joke on Ian Worrel for his birthday. If this was my gift, I think I would spontaneously combust right then and there. 

The Love God might’ve been based off of Michael when he got drunk for an audition to better fit a character. He didn’t get the part, but we got Jake the Dog voicing a grown man in fairy wings, so I say it balances out.

You might’ve already known this if you watched Between the Pines!

Lessons that Michael learned from working on the show. Information from one of the masters himself, use it carefully.

Also, fun fact: Michael wrote Stan’s existential crisis in Bottomless Pit! AND those fun, single frame passages of text that we see in some episodes and shorts.

I was contemplating even including this in here, but what’s done is done. The flames of the DipperxStitch shippers that burn brightly in their souls have already been lit, and there’s nothing I can do about it but spread the message.

That’s about all there is. If you want to have even more fun reading, here’s an AMA from when the show first came out that he did. There’s not much there about the plot since it’s from only a few months after Tourist Trapped came out, but you might still have fun reading it and learn a couple things about some characters, writing, and the people who worked on the show!

And although I tried my best, if I missed anything, please feel free to add it below. Buy gold!

[hopeshoodie]

The Most Romantic Islanders (Objectively /s)

So I was going to re-make my banner for Valentines day and (instead of choosing characters I just like) I was going to pick those who are the most romantic throughout the story. But then brain stuff and also time happened, so I have a half-finished banner. But! Here’s my ranking of the 6 most romantic islanders (because 6 comfortably fit on a banner). 

Also don’t come for me for not including Bobby, he makes cupcakes to cheer up a friend-with-benefits whilst never doing the same for the one girl he’s actually dating. Bobby doesn’t even make the top 15 most romantic. We’re choosing characters who go above and beyond to woo MC, be thoughtful and caring towards her, and who do big romantic gestures. 

6. Hannah- you could argue this is also Lottie, but I think Lottie makes too much of an ass of herself during the main season and there’s something quintessentially romantic about leaving someone’s life but continuing to hold a candle for them for months, years even. Hannah enters the villa, is nothing but lovely to MC and idolizes her, then leaves and comes back. She’s so desperate to emulate MC and Lottie to get her attention that she takes it too far and loses MC. But then comes back to whisk her away at MC’s wedding? That’s some rom com shit, I love it. Yes messy femme lesbians.

5. Noah- starting off with a controversial pick, I know. But just because his romantic endeavors weren’t always directed towards MC doesn’t mean they don’t count. Spending time, in the aftermath of a vitriolic argument, to carefully mend a sentimental item of his partner’s? Holding on to sentimental items, refusing to play a game that’s upsetting his partner, the whole scene after CA? That’s romance, baby. He’s so low because while making romantic overtures he was also emotionally neglecting his partner and pining after another woman. 

4. AJ or Yasmin- By virtue of S3 making literally all of the characters the same, an argument could be made for either of the two. I tend towards Yasmin because I don’t super vibe with AJ (and also because that ‘she touches you like an instrument- delicately and with reverence’ scene makes me smile every time and by every time I mean only the two times I was able to play S3), but AJ’s scenes are super sweet as well.  

3.Jake- I was waffling between Talia and Jake for this slot, because they both do very similar things throughout Season 1 from defending MC after Cherrygate to being very open about their feelings towards her, but I think Jake just barely wins it with the poetry. So many of his lines in late season make me swoon, and in general he’s far more articulate about his romantic feelings and substantive with his actions than the other endgame S1 LIs. He’s higher than Noah because even though his route is a slowburn it’s never because he’s done anything wrong, nor is he cheating on someone he has an emotional obligation to. He swept MC off of her feet far more than Yasmin/AJ did, too. You could put Talia here too, because she has more of a friends to lover story line whereas Jake’s is mutual pining. 

2. Tai- I hate to put him higher than LIs who didn’t cheat with MC, but at the same time regardless of how you play the game Tai’s not breaking any obligation to someone else by sleeping with MC. MC is, but that doesn’t reflect poorly on Tai’s romanticism. And I GUESS depending how you play MC it’s possible for her to not be cheating at that point either. But even if she is, come on. Come onnnn. ‘I had to turn up the TV and stop what I was doing to listen to your voice’. Holy shit. Holy shit. I think I would evaporate. Plus he is just so tender and romantic towards Ciaran and ugh. I love them and I love Tai. Romantic king.

1. Ibrahim- Hands down, this man is THE most romantic person in the villa (to the point where he struggles to just be goofy and platonic around people- he’s wholly wrapped up in MC or Jo). His physical intimacy scenes are the BEST in the show (yes swing me around like a golf club, dip me while we kiss, sir you’re so sweet), and his overarching plot of ‘really shy and awkward but develops as he’s more comfortable expressing affection’ is so goddamn sweet. I’m convinced he would be a fan favorite if he didn’t get really dismissive and rude to MC in the last 10 days of the season (and that’s just bad writing rather than a character trait, imo). He’s the best at grand gestures and is the most in his element on the dates, and gosh. He’s just so romantic. 10/10.

#final trash dump

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Meeting and Dating Caroline Mulford

(My ugly gif)(Requested by @foulobjectdelusion )

- Caroline is the most popular girl in school who’s dating the most popular boy in school, everyone knows who she is, you included. But you’re practically invisible to people like her. You aren’t popular, you aren’t in their circle, the most you’ll get is a friendly wave/nod or an obligatory partnering for a project.

- That doesn’t stop you from having a crush on her ...like practically everyone else in the school. Yeah, you’ve been pining for the pretty blonde since your freshman year, but it isn’t really your fault is it? You could hardly even have a conversation with her, let alone admit you have a Sapphic crush on her. All you can do is pine.

- That all changes after one very special summer. You’d gone on a trip, gotten a bit more fashionable clothing, learned how to properly do your makeup and changed your hair; you’d even had a short fling and felt what it was like to be in a relationship. You were a new woman and it didn’t take long for people to notice.

- One of the popular boys invited you to join him and his friend group at their usual hangout spot, and you, feeling like you were in some sort of teen movie, obviously agreed. That was where she approached you.

- That's right: She approached you. Granted, she didn’t know who you were and actually started your conversation with a “You must be new! I’m Caroline.” as if you’d transferred schools but you didn’t correct her and more or less kept up the façade. You supposed you’d be a new woman in more ways than one.

- Though you did keep just about every other aspect of your life the same, you just let them think you hadn’t attended the school until now. Hey, if they didn’t recognize you that was their fault, right?

- Caroline liked you almost immediately though it was purely platonic. You were surprised to see just how sweet she was, even though you’d heard rumors and seen it for yourself on occasion. The two of you became friends that afternoon and you found yourself thrust into a life of popularity. One you only could have dreamed of until now.

- Now you’re being invited to parties and sitting at the popular table and going to the mall with Caroline; who you’re still practically obsessed with, and your life is practically perfect. You feel like you’re at the top of the world ...but then, you see her kiss Jake and you can feel yourself falling.

- You’d never realized how draining it would be to be up close. It was almost better to be far away from her, at least then you couldn’t be able to see the love shining in her eyes when she looked at him.

- Hell, you now babysat her brother while she went on dates with the boy.

- It was almost humorous, the duality of your popularity; everything could be so good and yet so bad at the same time.

- Finally, everything changed after one of Jakes; or rather her, parties. She’d gotten absolutely plastered; as per usual, and you were the only one sober enough to make sure she didn’t die during the night.

- So there you were, trying to pull drinks out of her hand and guiding her to a couch as she pawed all over you and her surroundings, giggling and stumbling the entire way there.

- Pretty much everyone had left the boys house, leaving a mess in their wake. All except you, who’d been waiting to see if Jake was going to deal with the girl before you drove yourself home.

- As the two of you sat, she sighed and laid her head in your lap, gushing about how much she cared about and loved you. You sighed and told her you cared about her too, brushing the hair from your face exasperatedly.

“No, not like that. I love, love, loveeee you.” She insisted.

- You thought nothing of it, giving her a “yep, yeah I know.” before you felt her hands on your face. Before you knew it, she’d pulled your face down and pressed her lips to yours, causing you to freeze in place.

- You quickly pulled away and shifted her out of your lap, telling her that you needed to get her home and that she was drunk. Fuck Jake. You’d deal with her this time whether he liked it or not.

- So you heaved her up and got her in your car, getting ready to drive her home before she nearly made you crash said car and insisted that you pull over. She was lucid for all of five minutes before she wound up passed out in your backseat with you. You soon followed suit and fell asleep clutching your keys and jacket.

- When you woke up in the morning, the two of you had a nice, awkward talk about what happened and she admitted that she had feelings for you and you for her. You told her that if anything was gonna happen, she’d have to break up with Jake which she agreed to.

- The two of you had your first date later that day. You went to a nice Waffle House to help with her wicked hangover and when you got back inside your car, she leaned over and gave you a real kiss to make up for the one she’d drunkenly stolen the night prior.

- And just like that, things were messily made perfect.

- Most people just think that you’re close friends so the two of you can get away with some pda; though you obviously aren’t really able to kiss in public. Regardless, even if she can’t show people that you’re a couple, she’s going to make it obvious; in one way or another, that you’re off limits. 

- Long hugs. 

- Handholding or your arm around her shoulders and her arm around your waist; or vice versa depending on your height. 

- Corner of the mouth kisses. 

- Deep, soft kisses. 

- Slow makeouts. 

- Hair petting. It’s a habit of hers. 

- There’s quite a bit of snuggling in your relationship. She likes laying her head on your shoulder or chest whenever you do, tracing patterns on your shirt while you wrap your arms around her.

- As we all know, Caroline's little brother is deaf so one can assume that she’s a bit attention starved at home. So, on that note, she always wants to be the center of your attention. God forbid you have homework to do; she’ll bother you until you take a break and give her what she wants.

- She usually just calls you some cutesy form of your given name or honey, maybe hun or babe when you’re out in public since girls can call their friends those. 

- Her parents don’t seem to be uptight in the slightest so you’re usually allowed to stay out for a long time and pretty much do whatever you want.

- Going to parties.

- Taking care of her at parties.

- Staying up until the early morning and watching the sunrise, usually while you’re both a little tipsy.

- Picnics.

- Beach dates.

- Almost always walking to class together. You’ll usually end up carrying her books because she’s a bit of a princess.

- Copying each others school and homework. If you can’t cheat off your partner, are you even dating?

- Taking photos together and of each other. She’ll take offense if you don’t have a picture of her framed on your nightstand.

- Please give her gifts; she loves them so much. You’ll never see her smile wider.

- Her asking you to get her things. She’s the girlfriend who calls you over just to ask you to go and grab her something from somewhere; usually with a cutesy little smile and a please.

- She wouldn’t be caught dead riding the bus and she sort of hates to drive so you usually end up driving her wherever she wants; or at least to and from school.

- Honestly talking about which movie stars you think are hot and would be obligated to marry if they asked.

- Going to the mall. It’s her favorite place.

- Helping her zip herself into dresses or pick things out when the two of you go shopping. She always asks you a million questions before she actually buys something.

- Popularity is pretty important to her so she’ll want the two of you to look your best when you’re out together. If you’re less stylish than her, she’s gonna wanna make you over.

- Doing each other’s nails.

- Laughing and cursing at each other as you do beauty rituals. You always have a lot of fun when you’re putting on face masks or cutting each other’s hair, etc.

- She pretty much lives at your house at this point. She comes over nearly everyday and spends more time in your room than her own.

- She becomes a part of your family whether or not your parents know that the two of you are dating. They either accept her as your girlfriend or just assume that you’re really close friends. The same goes for her family.

- I feel like she has the type of family that packs everyone up and takes them camping at least once a year so ...wanna go camping with her?

- Festive holidays. Her family probably goes skiing every winter and are really into the holidays and you; being her best friend tm, are always invited to join them.

- Staying over while she babysits her little brother. The little dude likes you a lot.

- It’s pretty funny to watch her go from her popular, cutesy teenage girl self to a mature, protective woman when she’s with her little brother. She’ll be batting her eyelashes at you one minute and doing sign language and/or watching her little brother like a hawk the next.

- She’s sort of oblivious when you’re upset and not the most considerate of your feelings but she’s trying to be better.

- That being said, she’s able to be reassuring and comforting when she realizes that she needs to be. She’s even sweeter and smarter than everyone in your school anticipated.

- She’s a bit paranoid when it comes to you and other girls so she’s definitely a pretty jealous person. She’ll usually sit in your lap; when she can, to make it clear that you’re a couple, plastering on a fake smile and greeting the other person like she hadn’t seen them there.

- She’ll later; bluntly, confront you about it, and will take your word for it but she’ll occasionally threaten the fact that she can easily find someone else.

- You’re the one who has to be protective, considering the fact that she tries to kill herself every other weekend.

- The two of you have quite a few short arguments but they’re rarely ever serious. You tend to settle them fairly quickly so you rarely ever have a “we’re in a fight” moment with your mutual friends.

- She usually tries to use cuteness to win you over; if you’re really fighting, or just concedes mid argument and accepts what you’ve said after a bit of convincing. She’ll give a real apology if her cute face doesn’t work but she’d prefer not having to do so.

- She tells you that she loves you fairly often; particularly when she’s drunk.

- She’s pretty fond of talking about the future. She makes it very obvious that’s she’s planning on staying with you for the rest of her life and it always warms your heart to hear it.

#caroline mulford imagine #caroline mulford headcanons #caroline mulford imagines #caroline mulford headcanon #sixteen candles imagine #sixteen candles headcanons #sixteen candles imagines #sixteen candles headcanon #80s movie imagine #80s movie imagines #80s movie headcanons #80s movie headcanon

[daisugababy]

Ok so... the similar scenes with Calzona or Tremmet using BASIC romcom tropes is straight culture too? (Including a knocking on the door scene) And what about Jake's film, a romcom with a gay couple that uses the same tropes? I don't get how you see this gesture as "straight"... what would be an appropriate "gay" gesture in your opinion?

And isn't his change all about wanting to express himself more because Levi is a helpless romantic and doing things that he only worked on his head all this time??? This isn't worshipping Levi, it's doing what he said back in season 15, that Nico wanted to learn that from him. And Levi is changed too, because of Nico, he's more confident!

There is just a way you can tell how a queer story is told by straight people. It's not about using basic tropes/gestures, and how (often) you use them.

It starts with the type of characters they both are. The cute, insecure nerd who gets wooed out of nowhere by the new hot guy.

If that sound familiar then you might've read an amount of self-insert fics or books around that trope. Usually from the pov of the girl who's pining for the hot guy from afar until he notices her and falls for her quirkiness. And there's nothing bad about writing or enjoying that type of story. Read/watch what you enjoy.

But for Grey's, a show that prides itself on their amazing diversity, this falls very flat. Yes, I fell for them in season 15 too, like most of us. However, ever since season 15, there was barely any progression. And especially not for Nico.

And that's because Levi is that self-insert of every fic of that trope.

He's the nerd who talks a lot and has no meaningful male friendships. Like, at all. There was Casey when the B-Team still existed, but did they interact a lot? No. He laughed at Levi putting in contacts and hung out with him once at Joe's. Not to say that no gay guy every has only female friends, but you want to tell me that after realizing he's gay, he did not look up anything about gay culture? That he never tried to even once go to an lgbtq+ meetup/hangout thing just to meet and talk to people like him? Or even if it's just online? You want to tell me that after over two years he still does not have another queer friend other than Taryn? That he has not one gay guy beside Nico in his life to talk to about his queer exprience? He's so out there about being gay, he for sure would go to pride at least once. And there he for sure would make some friends.

But then he'll suddenly becomes besties with Jo out of nowhere, because... plot says Jo needs a friend? Gay best friend trope.

Just like Nico is just the hot guy wooing the nerd. That's all there is to his character tbh. Yes, maybe he is a great surgeon who gets job interviews from everywhere out of thin air and he doesn't know how to talk emotions, but that's all we have on him. Oh, and he speaks Korean.

Their lovestory revolves around Levi. It's always about him and how Nico's actions impact him, not why Nico reacted the way he reacted. Nico's whole part in the relationship is worshipping Levi.

Whenever there is conflict either a) Nico suddenly says he agrees with Levi (we don't know why, bc we followed Levi all-episode long) or b) Levi saw a patient conveiniently have the same problem as he did and applies their solution to their relationship. Not once do we follow Nico's flow of thinking. We don't know why he does or doesn't do the things he does.

We do not know why specifically Nico decided he's suddenly capable of saying ily to Levi or what exactly changed. But we always know why Levi does the things he does, because we followed him and saw his pov during the whole episode.

And why did we see his pov? Because he's the main character in their love story. Nico is just the hot piece of meat that talks occasionally. He's the prop to launch the next storyline that relies on him being the bad guy, because no effort is put into him.

That sudden monologue and honesty during the episode? Absolutely out of character and all just to please viewers that are rooting for Levi. This was not about Nico overcoming his potential emotional trauma that had rendered him unable to express his emotions. It was about making Levi happy. If we saw his process, all of this would be a different story, but we didn't. And we won't. You just can't suddenly let this bomb drop that he overcame his fear of emotional openess with no explaination how he did it and expect people to love it.

This wasn't Nico just following up on what he said a year or two ago. There was no gradual growth for him. We went from 0 to 100 out of nowhere. This was Nico suddenly copying Levi's behaviour in hopes it will fix him and their relationship. We know Nico is a cheesy dude, so the candles were fine, but the whole speech was just a little (a lot) cringy, because we didn't see where the development came from.

Neither Nico or Levi are fully developed characters (anymore). They are there to fill the diversity quota.

I know Grey's is a joke on accuracy in general, but they are still riding the train of DIVERSITY and REALISM by dealing with current events and promoting queer couples as 'Look at us, giving you the rep!'. But none of that stuff is dealt with well or realistically. It's catering to the predominately straight female viewership who wants to see the quirky person they see themselves in to end up with the hot guy that worships them. You gotta decide if you want to be realistic or catering to your audience. But you can't have both and Grey's is the best example of it.

I can't list you 'appropriate gay gestures' as you call them. Because romcom gestures/tropes are universially applicable and a lot of fun with both straight and queer couples alike. But for them to be enjoyable, you have to actually put in the effort in writing your characters/storylines. Which is what Grey's lacks bigtime. Which is why it's just so disappointing to watch as a queer person who hoped to see a nice queer storyline on a show as huge as Grey's. But this story isn't revolutionary or representative of anything besides Levi's coming out.

In regards to Tremmet/Calzona. I mean, have you noticed how all queer couples had to deal with negative reactions from their families to their coming out? Same with Schmico. It's like they only know one storyline to write for queer couples and somehow it gets worse every time. So bad, that they even stuffed one of them back into the closet so they can milk the fear of coming out once more.

#schmico #nico kim #levi schmitt #greys anatomy #ask #yes the queers are pissed but why wouldn't we #always just here for good press and that's it #grey's be like: LOOK @ HOW PROGRESSIVE WE ARE #*uses queer and bipoc characters as plotdevices but won't put in the effort to not make them sound like they're human beings*

[letsperaltiago]

one single thread of gold tied me to you

From the very first time Jake mentions her name, Karen sees a thread of gold tying him to Amy. In other words: a series of small moments in which Jake is talking to Karen about Amy.

or

Jake talking to Karen about Amy throughout their relationship

Read here or on AO3 

The new girl

“Anything exciting happening at work?”

“Nah,” Jake halts, pausing to think between bites of the dinner Karen has prepared for the two of them. Because he’s the only child (and the fact that he’s a huge momma’s boy) he tries to stop by Karen’s once a week. Either for a quick chat and a coffee or longer. If the latter includes dinner, which it often does, then it’s always a huge plus. Tonight’s visit is one of the longer ones, much needed, and of course dinner is a must.

“Or,” he takes back his prior dismissal. “Like, this new girl joined the squad last week, so that’s… exciting, I guess?”

Karen’s head perks up letting her son know that she’s indeed listening.

“Well that’s always a good thing. What’s her name?”

By then Jake is already busy chewing on another bite of her mom’s baked potatoes - a personal favorite of his. Then again any food his mom makes is his favorite.

“Amy Santiago. She seems cool enough, I guess. Then again she just arrived so I guess I’ll have to see.”

Although the world, more specifically Jake, isn’t aware of it yet, the spinning of his and Amy’s golden thread commences its journey here. Karen smiles to herself as this, she realises, is the perfect opportunity for her to pick a bit on her son who’s never shy of teasing her. Lovingly, of course.

“Maybe she’s cool enough to date?”

The statement immediately interrupts his before eager chewing, a press on his entire body’s pause button, and earns Karen a deadpan expression as answer to her so-called proposition.

“Mom, please.”

There’s small smile on his face as he knows his mom is out to pester him. “Charles already went all Cupid on us when she arrived, so the last thing she needs is me hitting on her. Plus,” he’s back to being chewing on a mix of potatoes and meat, “I don’t even know her.”

“Well that’s just a matter of time, honey.”

Having nothing else to add he figures a shrug must be answer enough.

“Anyways,” he looks back up from his plate to his mother. “How’s Carla?”

Rivalling close friends

For her son’s birthday Karen has invited the squad over to her place for a celebratory dinner. At this point, since they’re good at dropping by if they’re ever in her neighbourhood or nearby for work, she’s familiar with most of the people Jake spends 95% of his time with - this with an exception of Amy and Holt.

They’re setting the table while Jake gives her one last quick rundown of the 99th precinct’s squad, so Karen is sure of who the different people are.

“… And Amy, besides Holt, is the last one to have joined the squad. She’s that super neat, kinda annoying one, I’ve told you about. You know, the one who tells me that I can’t eat in her car, and constantly corrects my grammar.”

“I thought you liked her?” He can’t see tell, since he’s busy setting the table, but Karen frowns finding it unlikely that her son suddenly has something against a colleague he most of the time spoke so highly of.

“I do, mom and that’s what’s so annoying. She’s the worst and best of all worlds...” He pauses in the middle of putting down a plate giving himself some time to turn over his thoughts. “… I mean, she probably is my best friend at this point, besides Charles, yanno? But please don’t tell him I said that. His little heart can’t take it.”

“Because of jealousy or because he’s dying to see you and Amy together?”

“Both,” Jake chuckles shaking his head in disbelief of the fact that he puts up with this situation daily.

Karen knows Jake’s “brother from another mother”, how the little man had introduced himself the first time she met him, very well  and can’t hold back a chuckle at the very vivid mental picture of a both jealous but also over the moon Charles.

“Your secret is safe with me.”

It brings an even wider smile to his face upon seeing his mother pretending to lock her lips and throw away an invisible key. Okay, maybe his mom is his best friend, but Amy and Charles are a close second.

Sadly Amy has fallen sick and never makes it to the birthday dinner, but upon arrival Rosa hands him a pretty gift bag with a tiny card and impeccable handwriting that says: Happy birthday, Pineapples ;) Inside the bag he finds the limited edition Die Hard 2: Die Harder-poster that had smashed his heart to pieces when someone had outbidded him for it on eBay. Little had he known it was Amy, sitting just a few feet away by her desk opposite of him, who’d outdone his bid with a sly smirk on her face. A smile which she could hide behind the big computer screen.

The smile on his face is impossible to hide and he immediately sends her a text:

‘ur gift made me die hard!!! guess ur not so bad after all ;) all kidding aside thank u so much and get well soon <3’

Later that night after everyone has left, he’s helping his mom cleaning the kitchen. Suddenly she hands over a homemade doggy bag with leftovers from the dinner.

“Don’t you think sweet, sick Amy deserves this after the gift she gave you?”

Her smirk doesn’t go unnoticed.

Jake of course agrees and later, on his way home, he drops it off at Amy’s place. It being late and not wanting to wake her up, he leaves it on her doorstep and sends her a text for her to see whenever she wakes up:

‘the bag on ur doorstep is not a bomb but a care package from mother peralta. hope ur feeling better but if u dont can i have your desk at work?’

A few days later Karen texts him a picture of a beautiful thank you card with the infamous, neatly Santiago style-written message thanking her for the thoughtful gesture. Jake smiles to himself and replies with a simple: ‘shes a good 1’

Unconsciously developing feelings

He never explicitly tells her. Still, Karen has her suspicions and they only grow every time her son mentions Amy’s name. Sooner rather than later it becomes very clear to her: her son would go to great lengths for his partner - even though he isn’t ready to acknowledge it yet.

“Mom, there’s no way I’m losing my car to her. I’m gonna take her on a date and she’s going to hate it and i’m going to love it- I mean… love her misery,” he corrects himself.

Karen is leaning against the doorframe to his still unaltered childhood bedroom, where Jake is currently rummaging through boxes containing a mix of childhood memories, dust and worthless nick-nack.

“You don’t happen to still have those old pictures of me and Jenny Gildenhorn, do you? I want to find an exact replica of Jenny’s hideous blue dress to torture Amy with.”

Knowing of Jake’s repressed, yet to be realised feelings, because a mother does know best, Karen rolls her eyes. He doesn’t notice. Probably because he has his head buried under his bed looking for more boxes and childhood treasures. Telling him to look for acknowledgement of his feelings for Amy while he’s down there is almost too tempting, but Karen manages to bite her lip. Hopefully he’ll see it himself one day… Or just keep talking the way he already does about her, even when complaining; it’s always with some kind of admiration. Karen sees the little twinkles in his eyes whenever the raven haired detective is brought up in a conversation.

To Amy’s sheer luck, Karen of course has loads of childhood pictures stored in a box in the garage and she gets to sit by knowingly as Jake searches multiple internet websites for the most horrible, blue, 80s dress possible. “Oh, mom… She’s going to hate this so much. Amazing.”

She doesn’t say anything but smiles knowingly as her son sits on her couch, laptop in his lap,  a boyish smile telling her that he is up to no good as he plans the (best) worst date for his “just a good friend”.

Pining

Everything seems harder at the moment. At least harder than what he’d like, Jake thinks to himself as he lies in bed, feeling tipsy from the few beers he had a Shaw’s. He knows he should just sleep but for some reason he can’t. Instead he tortures himself by staring at the ceiling which is definitely spinning - just a tiny bit though, he tries to convince himself.

He’s just come back from being undercover, and although it was kind of fun and definitely exciting in more ways than one, deep down inside he can’t deny that a tiny part of him had hoped Amy by now would give them a chance. It’s not that he’d expected her to break up with Teddy for him - it was her life to control after all. Not his. Although there was no shame in dreaming; dreaming that she’d welcome him back to the 9-9 with a slow motion run and kiss that would blow them both away, telling him that Teddy and his pilsners were out of the picture and that they belonged together;  all this time they’d been destined to belong to no one else but each other.

Alas this wasn’t the case and he returned from the mafia to a:

“I’m still with Teddy.”

The short sentence plays over and over in his head like a broken record he can’t turn off. The worst soundtrack of his life - without a doubt. Suddenly his phones rings, interrupting his spiralling thoughts.

“Hi, Mom,” he mumbles not hiding the fact that he’s exhausted, physically as well as mentally, and tipsy.

“Hi, honey. How did your first day back go?”

“It was... fine. Good to see everyone.”

Good to see Amy, Karen thinks before she does a double take when she picks up on her son’s voice clearly representing a moody side of him she, or anyone, rarely gets to see.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing, It’s-” he starts out not wanting to get into it, because feelings are messy and he always ends up being the hurt one anyways…  But on the other hand, he thinks, his mom will figure out either way - if she hasn’t already. Perhaps his lack of soberness also takes part in his sudden honesty.

“Amy,” he sighs.

“Is everything all right with her?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. I just-” he pauses. “She’s with this guy and-”

“You wish she wasn’t?” Karen beats him to it and finishes the sentence for him.

“Yeah or- I don’t know. I want her to be happy but...” he sounds utterly defeated to a point that hints at teary, she can tell even though she can’t see him. In that moment Karen wants nothing more than hug her little boy. “I really like her, mom.”

His voice never breaks entirely but it’s a fine line he’s walking throughout the entire conversation. Everything pours out of him; he’s a book of sentimental secrets opening up about his Achilles’ heel for the first time and all his mother can do is listen as he describes his favorite parts of Amy (which is pretty much everything): everything from the way her dark ponytail swings back and forth with purpose when she walks to a crime scene to how, when they’re out drinking with the squad, she always get him a beer whenever she gets up to get herself one.

It’s almost as if the spinning of the golden thread, still unknown to the world, between him and Amy is slowly choking him.

“I want her to be happy, mom… I just-” he almost dozes off before finishing the sentence but fights through it and it’s all at once incredibly endearing and heartbreaking to Karen who’s still listening from her end of the line.

“... I just wish she would be happy with me instead.”

New couple

It’s truly unbelievable. Jake can’t believe he’s about call his mom to tell her: tell her that he’s with Amy now.  

It’s been a month now; a month of him being with Amy and being so very happy he still can’t believe he’s been spending all this time not feeling like this. However, not wanting to rush things or put any pressure on either of them, simply enjoying being together, no one else but the squad knows about them.

Them. Him and Amy. A thing.

Just thinking about him and Amy that way, it almost makes him dizzy of pure disbelief. There had been so much buildup, such a long history of back and forth, bad timing, but all that aside now here they were. Amy Santiago was his girlfriend. Maybe that is the thought that causes his heart to take on a way too quick beating pattern and the hand holding his phone to become clammy. Now is the time though and he doesn’t hesitate to hit his mom’s contact. It rings. Jake can clearly hear his heart thump loudly against his ribcage. Should he be this nervous?

One time.

Two times.

Thre-

“Hi, honey,” his mom’s warm chipper voice interrupts the monotone ringing instantly making his lips spread into a small smile and heart take a break from the irrational thumping.

“Hey, mom,” he starts pacing around his apartment in attempt of diverting all the energy and emotions rushing through him, unconsciously bringing him everywhere from his bed to his kitchen.

“So it’s actually been a little while now… And I haven’t said anything since I didn’t want to rush anything but,” he cuts the sentence in two with a deep breath. “So, like… Amy and I are dating... together... her and I,” he starts rambling and wow he really should’ve written this down first. Karen doesn’t let it go on for too long though too excited to not say anything.

“Honey, I’m so so happy for you two! And it was about time that you finally told me!”

Jake’s pacing stops on the spot.

“What do you mean “finally”?”

“Oh, Jake... Sometimes I think you forget that mothers know everything. Plus you’re not very good at hiding… bruises,” she clears her throat, emphasizing what she’s really saying while imagining her son blush on his end of the line. “Also you’ve been visiting less and less, which means someone else has to take up your time.Someone who is even cooler than your very own mom, someone who makes you this gitty and nervous to talk about… It had to be her you were calling about.”

The smile in her voice is clear as day, but Jake is still baffled trying to come up with an explanation or the very least a decent answer. There is none, he quickly abandons the plan and instead lets out a happy huff.

“She’s really cool, mom. So cool. The last month has been like… the best. I don’t know how else to describe it. She’s the best.”

Compared to the defeated and heartbroken man she spoke to all those months ago, after his return from being undercover, this is a whole new version of her son that she’s longed to see. Karen can’t physically see him but can still clearly tell he’s flipped the page and is taking on a better chapter of his life.

Early relationship

It’s another night at his mom’s. Although the motivation behind the visit is a tiny bit different than usual this time. Sure, they’re gonna talk and have a nice dinner prepared by Karen as per usual, although tonight the mother has to nurse a whiny Jake who’s missing his dear but very out of town for the week-girlfriend. And the experience feels… mixed.

“Dinner is ready!”

No response.

She looks up from where she’s just carefully put down a sizzling pan to see her son back against the one arm of her armchair with his legs svung over the other. Physically he might be close but mentally he’s so far away, clearly more focused on whatever is going on on his phone’s screen.

“Jake,” she tries again but rather than giving his mother a reply Jake start typing as if nothing or noone was within miles of him. Karen can’t help but feel like she’s raising a teenager all over again, a teenager with the attention span of a goldfish, although this time her son is actually in his late 30s, lives by himself and has a girlfriend. So little yet so much has changed about him.

“Jacob,” she tries with her more more stern voice. She knows what he’s doing, texting Amy, and even though it’s cute he needs to snap out of it. At least for long enough to eat. He finally reacts and looks in her direction. Realization hits him which immediately prompts him to push himself out of the seat.

“If you stop eating you won’t even be alive to see her when she comes back.”

He deserves to be teased, he figures.

“I’m sorry. It was a text from Amy and I just wanted to reply right away. I just really miss her, I guess... and this is the closest we’ll get to talking today since she’s busy with her family, so...”

He leaves his phone behind on the coffee table, implicitly letting his mother know she’s got his (somewhat) full attention from now on.

“It’s so weird. We’ve only been together for like...” he counts in his head. “... 5 months now, but I already can’t stand being away from her for too long. Am I insane?” he drops down into his usual seat by the dinner table, almost in defeat but Karen is quick to rescue him in his moment of overdramatic despair.

“No you’re not, I assure you.”

Karen grabs his hand to stroke it comfortingly. She knows her son didn’t mean to be rude, didn’t mean to ignore her and she loves how much he’s opened up about his emotions since getting together with Amy.

“It’s a good sign that you care so much, but just remember that distance makes the heart grow fonder and it’ll feel even better when she comes back… and until then you can let your old mom entertain you.”

They share a chuckle because they both know what that means.

“Did you get ice cream?” he asks.

“Strawberry, chocolate chip and cookie dough… and to top it off: Die Hard is ready to play the second we’re done eating and doing the dishes.”

It’s a little tradition of theirs: their shared comfort snack plus movie-combo.

“You know me so well,” Jake smiles almost forgetting about missing Amy.

If not for the rest of the week then at least for a couple of hours.

Going steady

This week is a a lot different from the usual. While it’s not every single week they actually manage to see each other or even get the time to talk, Karen knows for sure that she won’t hear from her son for at least a couple of days. Jake is away on a cruise with Amy, and so besides the few pictures he’s texted her of them eating shrimp in bed (she wonders how he talked Amy into that) and a huge seagull stealing some of Amy’s fries, Karen doesn’t expect a whole lot of her son’s attention that week.  

Which is why she is extremely surprised when her phone rings, her son’s picture and name displayed on her phone, in the middle of the night. Yes, the element of surprise is of course due to the fact that she knows he’s busy being away with Amy, but also much due the time at which he calls.

01:21

A mother’s undeniable fear and worry for her child never goes away, no matter how old said child is, and it now creeps in making her fear that the worst has happened. What could possibly lead him to call this late? She frantically grabs her phone from her night stand.

“Jake, it’s in the middle of the night. Is everything okay?” She doesn’t mean to come off as accusing but she’s definitely trying to get to the bottom of the mystery right away.

“I love her.”

It falls from his lips, very out of nowhere, and it’s hard to tell within what context it is to be interpreted. Interlacing with his voice is the sound of crashing waves and a strong breeze making Karen wonder where her son finds himself.

“Honey, what do you mean? Where are you?”

Maybe she should’ve understood right away, it was obvious, but not only was she sleeping just seconds ago but the background noise on his end of the line only makes the whole scene way more confusing than it already is.  

He breathes, out of breath almost as if he’s been running. “I’m outside. On the deck. And I love her, mom.”

“The deck?”

“No,” he pauses catching his breath. “Amy. I told her… Or she told me first and then I told her back. Nothing has ever felt more right.”

That makes way more sense, Karen thinks although still quite unsure of exactly why he’s calling her. All that aside her heart is flooded with happiness, when she realises her son is not out of breath from running or crying, but rather all the emotions he must be feeling.

“Aw, Jake. I’m so happy for you. I know how much she means to you.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yeah… You’ve changed so much throughout your relationship with Amy and it’s only for the better. You were already wonderful, you’re my son after all, but she brings out so much more good in you. This was only a matter of time. I think you’ve loved her for longer than you think.”

Another silence allows the crashing waves and whistling night wind to make an appearance. Following words almost fall off his lips in a tremble but Karen can tell it’s because he’s moved and is trying to collect himself, his emotions and thoughts. This is a big step for him - she knows.

“I have. And I don’t think I wanna stop again.”

Their talk lasts a few more minutes; just long enough for Jake to explain that he couldn’t sleep, too excited about the fact that he loved Amy Santiago and, even better, she loved him! Instead of staying in bed, restless and thus risking waking up Amy, he’d carefully disentangled himself from his girlfriend’s grip and decided to go for a night stroll. Next thing he knew he was calling his mom’s number.

“I should probably go, mom. I don’t want Amy to wake up alone.”

They say their goodbyes and when Karen finally gets to meet his daughter-in-law a few weeks later, at Jake’s chaotic birthday dinner, she is even more sure: their golden thread is so very strong.

Moving in together

The first time Karen visits Jake and Amy’s apartment (the words still make his stomach twist and turn with excitement every time he says it or even thinks it), Amy is out getting groceries for the dinner they’ll all be preparing together.

Jake proudly gives his mom a full apartment tour explaining where he’s added his Peralta-touch to the household while still praising his girlfriend’s taste in interior design. She has to laugh at the huge Die Hard poster discreetly hung on the inside of their closet door. Framed pictures of the couple together hung and standing around the apartment only makes Karen’s heart melt even more.

“How are you guys liking living together so far?”

They’re in the kitchen, Jake is preparing them both a cup of coffee.

“I mean, we already took constant turns crashing at the other’s place so it doesn’t feel that brand new, but still…” he pauses to smile and pours his mother a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee before continuing. “This is so much better. We share a home now. She is officially my home now, yanno?”

“I’m proud of you, Jakey,” Karen playfully ruffles her son’s curly hair, something she rarely gets to do but still immensely enjoys every time. It reminds her of when he was still a little kid and hits her with just how far he’s become. She’s not just proud: she’s so proud.

“Plus, now I get to annoy her 24/7, which is great,” he laughs and Karen playfully pinches his ear.

“Be nice to her, Jacob,” she’s chuckling too.

“I am! Our relationship is practically built on a foundation of pestering and messing with each other. Trust me; she loves it.”

Prison

“Amy… I miss her so much.”

As if the fact that her son has been wrongly accused and is facing 15 years in prison isn’t agonizing enough, Karen also has to suffer the pain it causes her to hear her son cry out to her over the very rare phone calls they get these days.

“When I say I’m afraid of never getting out of here-” he heaves between fallen, sobbed words; sobbed words which Karen knows he tries to subdue in order to not show the other inmates weakness. But it’s hard; impossible. “It’s mostly because I’m afraid of not seeing her again. Every time she visits-,” a sniffle “I’m always afraid that it’s the last time I see her. And all I wanna do is kiss her and hold her, but i just- I can’t. I miss her so so much, mom.”

Karen’s heart breaks alongside her son’s, even hours and miles between them, tears rolling down her red cheeks. She knows she has to be strong for him, and that it’s harder for him than for herself. Denying the ache and fear in every cell of her body is impossible though… But she has to keep her head up for him.

“It’ll be okay, honey,” Karen forces herself to stop crying when she speaks and will instead let the tears fall freely whenever he can’t hear it. “The squad is doing everything they can to get you out.”

“I know... “ he takes a deep breath and Karen can tell he’s trying to collect himself for good this time. “H-how is she?”

For a split second Karen considers lying, not telling him that she’s spent multiple nights consoling a crying Amy and even sleeping over at their place when the young woman was too tired to take care of herself. She considers telling him she’s fine, but she knows it’s pointless: Jake and Amy are two open books who tell each other everything. Just like Amy knows Jake has never been more afraid and seeks hope in every second he gets to be with or even just talk to her, Jake knows Amy is struggling though she’s a trooper and tries to fight through it as seamlessly as possible.

“I visited her on Wednesday and…” Karen bites her lip but eventually a sigh escapes her. “You know how she feels... It’s hard for both of you. But she’s strong, honey and she manages. And on the days where she can’t, I’m there with her. I promise.”

Silence.

He’s holding back tears again.

“I love you both, mom. So so much. You two are what is going to get me through this.”

“I love you too, Jacob.”

Their golden thread might be strained, but now is time for it to show its strength.

Engaged

He can’t put it into words, at least not properly, because how does one describe how it feels to be the happiest man alive? How does one describe such a wide, complex, incredible range of emotions? It’s impossible.

Instead he settles for a text.

It’s truly comical but also very much them: a picture of Amy in the evidence locker, still partially crying although of course also smiling as she shows off the shiny ring on her finger. It’s followed by the message:

‘MOM, I’M MARRYING HER!!!’

Later that night, tipsy after celebrating at Shaw’s, Jake and Amy facetime Karen. It’s safe to say that she gets a good laugh at 3-drink Amy showing off her new, favorite bling while Jake is all over her, placing small kisses to various parts of her face.

“Okay, you two... I’m going to hang up before this goes beyond a PG-rating. Once again congratulations. I love you both and can’t wait to see you soon.”

Married

Bomb threats, ruined cakes and a lost veil are just a few of the things that go horribly wrong on Jake and Amy’s wedding day.

Now, a few weeks later, all these tiny disasters seem to be long forgotten, almost as if they’d never happened.

“... But in the end we’re married and that’s all that matters,” Jake finishes telling his mother the tale of their chaotic but incredibly beautiful and unique wedding which was followed by a PG-rated version of their trip to Mexico.

The three of them are taking up the space of Karen’s living room as they chat and drink their usual coffee. Jake’s arm is slung around his new wife’s shoulders, fingers interlaced with a happiness and peace that warms the mother’s heart. Compared to the anxiety and sadness they all experienced during Jake’s time in Florida and then later on in prison, this moment in time is a major contrast. It’s a moment which Karen at times had feared she’d never be able to witness ever again. Yet here they were, the three of them together in the same room and Jake looked happier than ever. He was married to the love of his life, showing off a warm glow that he could thank both happiness and the Mexican sun for.

“I’m so happy for you two. It was always meant to be this way.”

Karen beams just as much as the married couple, feeding off the pure bliss they display in each other’s company. Amy perks up at the comment growing curious.

“Always?” she questions with a smile.

“The second he told me that the new girl was “pretty cool”, I knew something was meant to happen.”

Jake feels blood rushing to his cheeks even though said new girl is now his wife.

“Aw, babe,” Amy turns to him flashing a teasing grin. Every opportunity to tease must be put to good use. “I can’t believe you’ve been into me for so long. How embarrassing for you.”

“Hey!” He whines and it’s clear to see that he’s trying to fight the blush and embarrassment alas it’s already way too late. ”Be nice to your husband, Mrs. Peralta.”

“Not my fault that you’re so into me, Mr. Peralta.”

There’s a short pause in the conversation where Jake realises there’s no way out unless he uses her own teasing ways against her.

“I’m a lucky man… I guess,” he counters playfully and it earns him a just as playful slap to the shoulder.

“You guess?”

Amy is quick to pull away  although doesn’t allow their fingers to untangle while she sends him a mock-pout.

“Be nice, Jake.”

Karen loves her son but will also, at any given time, take Amy’s side before his. Jake came to learn this the second he introduced the two women and they started gossiping about him. He would care to mind if it wasn’t for the fact that there was nothing better than his two favorite women getting along so well.

“I’m joking, babe,” he loses no time and before Amy can add anything he’s pulled her back into the nook of his arm, adding a kiss the top of her head - just for good measure (and because he’s crazy about her). “I’m the luckiest man alive.”

Their golden thread has tied an everlasting knot.

Trying

Jake and Amy trying for a baby had been such a joyous announcement, and Karen will never forget the proud look on her son’s face the day he told her. Although tonight, said proud and happy expression is long gone, forgotten and dissolved by the many months of planning, trying and holding on to their hope.

Jake is once again, as so many times before, on his mother’s sand-colored couch with warm coffee in hand but this time with a look of despair painted across his pale face. While she’s been getting cookies in the kitchen he’s fallen into deep thought and doesn’t say anything for a while. Even after she comes back and sits down across from him. The silence might be needed, Karen thinks and, of course, respects it. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t shake her to the core when the next thing he says seems to question every ounce of happiness he’s ever lived.

“What if all along I’ve been the wrong choice? A bad choice.”

His eyes doesn’t budge from the same spot, an old coffee stain on the couch, he’s been staring emptily at for the past minutes. Even as he speaks.

“What if she was supposed to be with someone else. Someone who can give her the family she wants… the family she deserves.”

It doesn’t even sound like a question at this point but rather a horrible fact he states in a moment of frustration and agony, and it ignites a fury within the mother because she knows it’s his anxiety and fear of abandonment speaking. She knows that their love is way bigger than that.

Things are far from easy right now. On the other hand Karen hasn’t witnessed them fight and overcome every obstacle imaginable, everything from a stupid mattress to being sent away to both Florida and prison, only to come to this. This isn’t the tip of the thread. A golden thread isn’t spun without reason. It’s spun for the fated.

“Has Amy ever made a bad choice?” she asks.

For the first time in a long time Jake actually looks at his mom. He pauses but she knows he doesn’t have to think. Karen knows that in his eyes Amy can do no wrong.

“No… I just-”

“Okay, so do you honestly think that her wanting and fighting for a baby with you is a bad choice? Even if it doesn’t come easy.”

There’s another silence, longer this time, which hopefully means that something resonates inside his head even though Karen knows it’s a dark and confusing place right now.

“No, I guess…”

“No, don’t say “you guess”. You know, Jake Peralta. You love Amy and she loves you. I know it seems like life keeps on throwing you curveballs and I wish it wasn’t so, but trust me when I say that it’s not because it’s a wrong or bad choice. You being with Amy is the best, most right doing I’ve ever witnessed, and I’m so proud of it. Stop doubting yourself. Your love is too good for that. You’re too good for that, honey.”

Her voice had started out a bit rough, just to make sure to get her point across, but by her the last sentence it has grown soft like butter and Jake can’t help but fall into his mother’s arms. He knows she’s right and it’s in moments like these that, moments where he wants to give up, he’s glad to have her to fight off his demons.

“I just want to give her everything she deserves, mom,” he mumbles into her shoulder, still holding on for dear life; so closely that Karen swears she can feel his heart breaking against her chest. “And I know I’ve been hesitant about it in the past, but now I just-”

Karen feels him let go of her and straighten his back. His eyes are shiny and there’s so much hope but also hurt in them.

“... I really want to be a dad. I really do. And then I wanna do it right.”

Karen knows what he’s hinting at and the sentiment is so valid even though she’s back together with Roger and their father-son relationship has grown stronger.  

“You will be, honey. One way or another,” she whispers and reaches out to stroke his cheek. “And you will be the best. I promise you.”

Pregnant

Mother knows best, Jake can’t help but think on the magical evening Amy tells him the best thing he’s ever heard: she’s pregnant. The world seems to flourish around him like never before.

Of course the first person he wants to tell is his mom, but him and Amy quickly agree on keeping the amazing news to themselves, or at least until their baby has hit the safety that the 12-week mark comes along with.

Until then Jake and Amy plan on how to break the news to Karen (and Roger, of course) and Jake almost can’t believe it when the day finally arrives. Their 12-week check was just yesterday, and to everyone’s relief and joy their baby is growing as they should and thriving in their mother’s womb. They both shed a tear and ask for an extra set of ultrasound pictures to give to the future grandparents - both on his and Amy’s side.  

During dinner with Karen and Roger the following day, Jake is on the verge of bursting, yelling out the news the very second his parents arrive. Although a humbling squeeze of the hand from his wife keeps him in check until dessert. Here the hand squeeze feels different and Jake knows now is the time.

“By the way,” Jake gets up and heads to the kitchen to get another tub of ice cream. “We have a little extra surprise for dessert…”

Roger and Karen frown in unison as both of them are yet to finish what’s already in their respective bowls. Jake ignores it and comes back with a tub of…

“Lime ice cream?” Roger asks, clearly confused by the very specific flavour.

“I didn’t even know that was a thing,” Karen chuckles, always being the one to lighten the mood.

“Well,” Jake smiles with content as he sits back down. “I promise you: you don’t wanna skip this part. It’s the best.”

And so of course Karen is quickly hands on, pulls off the lid and is ready to dig in with her spoon but halts the second she gets to take a good look at the bucket’s content: a small piece of paper. Neither her or Roger understand a thing, and being too preoccupied by their confusion they fail to notice the wide grins on the other couple’s faces.

Karen takes the leap and digs out the picture quickly noticing something scribbled onto it with neat handwriting - Amy’s, of course.

Hi, grandma and grandpa. I’m now 12 weeks old and the size of a lime! I can’t wait to meet you <3

Karen feels her heart skip a bit, maybe even stop entirely for multiple seconds and looks to Jake and Amy for some kind of approval or… she’s not even sure of what. All she’s sure of is that she’s on the brim of exploding. Her son nods biting down on his bottom lip in excitement, and when she flips the piece of paper she’s met by the most wonderful picture she’s ever seen: their future grandchild, tiny as can be, in black and white, and completely perfect.

Karen tears her eyes away from her grandchild to look at her son to be met by his almost trembling voice and shiny eyes.  

“Good thing my mom was right when she told me that I would be a dad some day.”

Jake’s eyes are so sincere with tears threatening to spill as he holds his mother’s gaze talking directly to her, and it’s safe to say there’s waterfall’s worth of happy tears that evening.

Welcoming mac

The day Mac is born Jake feels as if his heart is suddenly beating and living outside of his chest in the shape of his son. There’s so much love even before their son officially arrives, but nothing can possibly top the feeling of holding him in his arms feeling the infant’s hand wraps around Jake’s thumb. Love is shooting through the roof and up to the moon. Never before has Jake felt so much love for someone’s he’s just met before and it’s scary in the best way.

He’s sitting in an armchair by Amy’s hospital bed, his wife fast asleep after the most exhausting hours of her life, when the door to their room pops open. He doesn’t even bother looking up at first as he’s too busy gazing lovingly at the bundle of love in his arms.

“Oh my goodness.”

Jake head perks up immediately recognizing the sound of his mother’s voice. By now she’s closing the door behind her, quietly.

“Hi, mom. Come say hi.”

Karen can hear his smittenness in his voice and sits down on a smaller chair next to him to better see her brand new grandson. It’s immediately clear as day that the newest Peralta is the perfect mix of both parents. Chubby cheeks, dark hair, full lips and a nose she’s gonna want to kiss over and over again.

“Meet McClane. Mac for short,” Jake informs her stroking his son’s chubby cheek.

“It’s perfect,” Karen clucks and follows suit stroking Mac’s other cheek. “He’s beautiful, honey. You must be so proud. I know I am.”

For various obvious reasons Jake has always struggled with acknowledging pride - even when he’s clearly felt it, he’s found it difficult to say it out loud or fully believe it. Today is different though and he wants to scream it from the rooftops: he’s so freaking proud of his beautiful baby son and his incredible wife.

He smiles fondly as he nods in agreement.

“I really am, mom. Proud of myself but especially of Amy. I’ll explain it further later but I Amy went into labor at the precinct, I was out helping with the blackout and almost missed the birth. I just barely got there before Mac was born and Amy managed everything like a pro. I can’t believe I’ve made a human with her. She’s the best… I’m so lucky.”

Jake looks at Karen sensing that she’s going to speak.

“I can’t imagine any other person for you than her, and together you’ve formed a beautiful little family, honey. One to be very proud of, so don’t forget to give in to that feeling, okay?”

Karen hand travels from sleeping Mac’s cheek to her son’s curly hair, on a mission to stroke it like she always would when he was a child and it prompts Jake to lean his head onto her shoulder. From his new vantage point he looks back at Mac, then Amy.

They’re his whole world, his two ends meeting and Karen can only sit by to admire the scene before her. Never has Karen felt more sure of the fact that there was always one single thread of gold tying Jake to Amy.

(And Mac).

#peraltiago #baby peraltiago #mac #fanfic #fanfiction #perlatiago fanfic #oneshot #pining #fluff #angst #happy ending #jake and amy #peralta #santiago #brooklyn nine nine #b99 #brooklyn nine-nine #taylor swift #kinda hahha

[swiftlythebest]

2020 Creator Tag Meme

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Thank you to @middyblue for tagging me!!!

I didn’t write too much this year, but here’s what I think are my top 5 (out of 7 I’m choosing to acknowledge):

One Single Thread of Gold (8,244 words): This was my first posted fic in the Schitt’s Creek fandom. I did it for SportsFest, which was maybe a weird choice as an unknown writer but oh well! I wanted to kind of explore a universe very adjacent to the show’s canon and give Patrick some friends. I’m the one always talking about the rules of a sport while we watch, so I decided to stay in my comfort zone with that. Also, hands. I love hands. Gotta write about hands as much as I can.

Give You My Wild (1,737 words): I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to include this one or not, but it has the bit of dialogue that I keep saying is my favorite I’ve written this year so that earned it a spot. I’m a big fan of misunderstandings and conversations that are actually about two different things, so this one was fun to write. Also, my first use of Jake as a convenient plot device, which shows up again!

Is It Cool That I Said All That? (1,047 words): It feels weird to include this one because it’s short, and I wrote it in very little time, but I love it. It’s just some real fun pining. I don’t know, maybe I should have gone with a longer one or something, but this one was just a delight to write so here it is!

You and Me Forevermore (25,432 words): I don’t really know how to talk about this one. It’s the longest thing I’ve completed and posted, and I’m really proud of it. It came out during Frozen Over, so it maybe got a bit lost in all the EXCELLENT fic we got during that. I just loved writing this whole thing and it felt like a big accomplishment to finish it and get it out there. I don’t watch Hallmark movies (I think I watched my first one this weekend), but I’d watch this one maybe.

We Could Call It Even (8,192): I woke up one day and chose violence against myself by changing a cute lil idea I had into something more angsty. It’s not angst, I know that, but as the above fics show, I’m not about writing angst. The initial idea was just David seeing Patrick again when they’re after having a big crush on him in high school. It’s sort of that but more. This felt like a bit of a challenge for me, and I ended up really liking the finished product. 

I have so many things started right now, but they’ll all be new year stuff, so I think that’s the end of posting fic in 2020 for me. Not a lot of words this year (59,252), but some things I’m really proud of were posted this year. So quality over quantity, I guess? I don’t know, I’m used to my year end word count being higher, but I’m not as proud of that stuff. I lost a lot of motivation this year so I wasn’t churning things out as quickly.

I have barely been on Tumblr this week so forgive me if I tag people who have already done this: @filthysweetie, @yourbuttervoicedbeau, @dinnfameron, @danverses, @januarium, @schittposting, @schitthappens, @danieljradcliffe, @kindofspecificstore, @fishyspots, @lisamc-21, @roguebebe, and anyone else who wants to do it because I’m probably missing people.

#tag game #the woes of writing #schitt's creek