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starsandhughes · 1 year

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Bloody Faces, Bloody Hearts

request: “I would love to see trevor zegras prompt 30 if you want to write it”

prompt 30: “you’re hurt just let me help you”

parings: trevor zegras x reader, luke hughes x platonic!reader

warnings: injuries, crying, underage drinking, kinda describing a panic attack, pain medication mention, angst to fluff, fighting, arguing

word count: 2.3k (i love writing angst) UNEDITED

(A/N i didn’t specify the team or other player bc i didn’t wanna slander anyone)

Your ever so lovely boyfriend, Trevor, was getting into a lot of fights as of late. But in the span of 5 days, he managed to not only have a physical fight on the ice, but also got into a huge argumentative fight with you.

You were sitting on the couch at Trevor and Jamie’s place trying to collect yourself. You and Trevor got into a screaming match over him going out and coming home late almost every day for two weeks and not making any time to spend with you. You didn’t care about practices, or him going on long roadies, hell you even came with on short ones when you could get out of work. Hockey isn’t, and never will be, the problem. The problem is that you went three days without seeing him other than when he got into bed next to you.

“I think I should go home.”

“What?” Trevor asked. “You are home, what do you mean ‘I think I should go home’?”

“I mean I think I should go home to Michigan for a few days. See my mom, maybe stop by UMich to see Luke. I think we need some time apart to cool down and you need to get your priorities straight.”

He had some words to say about that, but you weren’t listening. He was repeating that you’re his priority in various ways, and the more you packed the more desperate he got.

“So prove it Trevor!” you cried. “This isn’t a breakup. I am not breaking up with you. But maybe you’ll know how it feels to come home everyday without seeing the love of your life and realize you’ve been taking me for granted.”

Your voice got softer as you went on and you reached up with one hand to cup his cheek, “I love you, okay? Always. I just used two Fault in Our Stars terms so you know I mean it.” He laughed lightly at that and brought his hand up to where yours was to hold it.

“Okay,” he nodded. “I love you, too. I’ll see you later.”

It took you almost two days to reach UMich, but you thought having some “not really-but might as well be-little brother” time with Luke would do you some good. The Hughes family is how you and Trevor met, and they were more of your family thank your actual blood one.

‘Hello?’ Luke answered the phone.

“Lukey Moosey! Do you have plans tonight?”

‘No? Why, what’s up?’

“Your favorite person ever just booked a hotel right outside of campus and is stealing you for the night!”

You tried to say this with as much heart and excitement you could muster, but the youngest Hughes saw straight through you.

‘Something happened,’ he said, as more of a statement than a question. You sighed as your response. ‘Is it a “you’re wearing Quinn’s hoodie and we’re drinking” kind of something happened or a “disney movies and pout” kind of something happened?’

“I just drove two days to come home, what do you think?”

‘Don’t get tequila.’

“Jack scarred me too much for me to ever drink tequila again, don’t worry. I’ll pick you up in an hour.”

You got a hotel for you and Luke to spend the night in because you didn’t want his teammates around when you just need some Luke time. Plus, you’d rather only be responsible for one teen underage drinking.

Luke nursed a beer while you drank a vodka margarita you made in the bathroom as you told him everything that has happened with you and Trevor.

Luke listened, and spoke as well, to help you sort out your priorities and issues with the situation, and did his little brother duties swimmingly.

You two sat up against the headboard of the hotel bed and put on a Spider-Man movie after you both caught up with everything non-Trevor related in your lives. You leaned your head against his shoulder and pulled your knees up to lay them near his chest.

“Thanks, Luke,” you said low.

He wrapped an arm around you, “any time, y/n/n.”

For the rest of your undisclosed amount of time in Michigan, you spent it at your parent’s house, with some time with your second set of parents mixed in.

The latter is where you were currently sitting on the couch watching the Pregame for the Ducks game. Yeah, you were in a fight with Trevor, but you were still going to root for him.

They had the lead in the middle of second period at 2-0. The other team was becoming more defensive in their playing, as well as more aggressive. And your boyfriend had a tendency to be on the other side of someone’s aggression.

There was a fight. Gloves dropped, punches thrown, blood on faces. And Trevor was not getting as many hits in as the other player.

Fights happen. This isn’t the first Trevor has been in and it certainly won’t be the last. But this one was different. This one was worse. This one was the most violent brawl you’ve ever seen in a hockey game.

Their fight moved down the ice closer to the goal. The other played punched Trevor in the face so hard that he flew back, slammed his head on the goal post, and crumbled to the ground, bending his ankle in an unnatural way.

You suddenly felt extremely hot. Your body felt as if it were burning, your brain was threatening to drop down through your throat and bring you to the ground with it. You stood up when the fight got bad, and your legs gave out when they said he was unconscious.

“Oh my god,” Ellen gasped. You didn’t know if it was in reference to you or Trevor.

“He- he’s…”

Ellen put her arm around you and hushed you softly, “They’ll take good care of him, it’ll be alright.”

You shook your head, “No. No, I should be there. I have to go.”

“Y/N, you’re not in the right mind to drive right now,” Ellen told you.

“I’m not driving. I’m taking the next flight out and I’ll pick up my car from the airport later, I need to be there now.”

Jim and Ellen insisted on driving you to the airport and keeping your car safe at their house. You took the last seat on the flight to Anaheim that took off in the next three hours, and that’s when you finally called Jamie. You got worried when he picked up and said nothing.

“Is it bad?” you whimpered.

‘It’s not great, but it could be worse,’ Jamie answered honestly.

“I have a flight in three hours. I don’t know how I’ll get to you at 3am, but I’m coming.”

‘I’ll see if Mason can pick you up.’

Your flight was agonizingly long, but the wait to board was even worse. Anxiety still flooded your body despite how much anxiety medication you took. Nothing would cure it until you saw Trevor.

Jamie texted you that they were back home from the hospital, because it was bad enough to warrant a trip instead of the PT’s taking care of it, so that was where the very tired Mason dropped you off.

You quickly thanked him and ran out with your suitcase clattering behind you. You carefully unlocked the door and found Jamie dozing off on the couch still fully dressed. You set your suitcase by the door and crept over to the sleeping boy.

“Jamie,” you whispered as you gently rocked him awake.

He inhaled a deep and slow breath when he stirred and blinked tiredly at you, “Hey.”

“Hey,” you breathed out a laugh. “What’s the damage?”

“Minor concussion, bruised rib, and a torn ligament in his ankle.”

You winced, “So not great.”

“No, not even close,” he responded, stretching out the ‘o’ sound in no.

You sat in silence for a moment. You knew Trevor was likely asleep, and he needed rest so you weren’t about to go wake him up.

“He asked about you,” Jamie said, looking down at the floor. “The concussion was causing some slight amnesia, and he didn’t remember that you left. I just kept telling him it was hard to get ahold of you and that you were coming. I don’t know what I would’ve done if the memory didn’t come back and you weren’t here.”

You pursed your lips together to refrain from making a choked cry.

“He’s been a mess, y/n. The first thing he did was check for Quinn’s sweatshirt, and he broke down when he saw that you took it.”

“Me leaving didn’t give him enough of a clue that it was serious?”

“I think it just… solidified it, you know? You bring it out when things are bad for you; when you just need a big brother. I think he would’ve gone after you if you went to Vancouver,” he joked.

You stayed silent. You weren’t going to apologize for sometimes needing your family.

“I shouldn’t have left,” was what you got out.

“Yes you should have. I was spending more time with you than he was. You had every right.”

That’s when you broke down in tears. No— tears isn’t the right term, these were wracked sobs coming out of you. Jamie wrapped you in his arms and shushed you as he rubbed your back.

“I need to wake him up for pain meds, and I’m sure he’ll be a lot more cooperative if you do it,” Jamie offered.

“Will you come with me?”

Jamie got up with you and placed a comforting hand on your back as you trekked down the hall to your and Trevor’s room. You carefully sat down on the edge of the bed next to his chest and rubbed your hand up and down his back to wake him up.

“Z,” you singsonged. “Z baby I need you to wake up.”

Trevor grumbled into his pillow and tried to turn over, but was stopped by a sharp pain from his bruised rib. You winced at his cry and helped ease him down on his back against the pile of pillows supporting him.

“Y/N…?” Trevor asked sleepily.

You nodded and combed your fingers through his hair. His cheek was heavily bruised and he had a cut with a butterfly stitch across his eyebrow. For how much the other guy was hitting him, you were surprised his entire face wasn’t purple.

“It’s time for you to take some more pain meds,” you said low.

“You’re here,” he gapped. His eyes were wide, and you couldn’t help but think he looked like Bambi.

“Of course I’m here,” you smiled softly, still petting his hair.

“But you left. I wasn’t- I wasn’t expec… expecting…”

“Easy there, Zegras. Don’t need you having a brain aneurysm over me being in our bedroom,” you tried to laugh.

“You’re here.”

“And you need pain-“

“You’re-“

“Z, we will talk about this but I need you to give me a moment. You need to take your pain medication.”

Trevor must’ve seen the desperate pleading in your eyes through the soft lamp light because he immediately stopped talking. He bit his lip and nodded at you. He put his arms behind him and tried to prop himself up so that he could swallow the pills, but he cried out and collapsed back down. When you reached to help him, he pushed your arms back and slowly shook his head.

“I can do it myself,” he grunted.

“You’re hurt. Just let me help you,” you said.

You two locked eyes for a moment before he nodded again. You heard the door click close, a signal that Jamie had left. You put a hand between his back shoulder blades to slowly lift him up, and helped you push himself back to sit against the headboard with minimal wincing. He quickly took the water and pills you handed him and scooted himself back down a little to be be halfway sitting up instead.

You started to stroke his hair again and he closed his eyes, breathing synced with your fingers combing up and down through his hair. You were silently crying and praying to every god imaginable that you didn’t make a sound, but this was to no avail.

“Oh, hey no,” Trevor rushed out. He cupped your cheek with one hand and linked his fingers together with yours with the other.

“You didn’t get up,” you squeaked out. “You went down, and suddenly nothing made sense anymore. My ears were ringing, my head was spinning, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.”

“I’m okay,” he whispered, rubbing circles with his thumb across your cheek bone.

“My mind blacked out when they said you were unconscious. I was standing one second, and Ellen was putting a straw in my mouth to drink ice water the next. And I didn’t know anything until-“

Trevor pulled your face down to his level and slammed his lips onto yours to cut you off. When your lips parted, your foreheads were brought together, with Trevor whispering for you to breathe slow with him, thumb back to caressing your cheek.

“I wasn’t out for too long. Troy and Mason helped me off the ice, and Jimmy rushed over to the arena and rode with me to the hospital. Gibby drove Jimmy’s car to the hospital, and we took him home. Everything is okay,” he breathed out. His voice was soft, low, and steady— a wonderful combination to calm you down.

“I was so scared,” you whimpered.

“I know, it’s okay. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. Come here,” he motioned for you to lay down next to him.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” you said.

“You can lay on my chest, it’s okay,” he assured.

You crawled into bed next to him and rested your head on his chest. Your hand came up to lay where you could feel his steady heart and you closed your eyes.

“I love you,” you told him.

“I love you, too.”

And with a kiss to the top of your head, you were out.

#trevor zegras x reader #trevor zegras fic #trevor zegras imagine #trevor zegras #quinn hughes #luke hughes #jamie drysdale #luke hughes imagine #nhl imagine #nhl players #anaheim ducks #trevor zegras angst

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aleksa-sims · 19 days

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RL Story

Today I went shopping with my Mom & Ana. We bought a baby bed. If it were up to my Mother, she would have bought a complete.... fully-equipped nursery and even more. Going shopping with this woman, is a never-ending ordeal.

I just needed a crib, everything else would have been too much!! We didn’t have enough space in my room. Later when I move into my new apartment, my little one will get his own room, but now, here, it's simply not possible! Idk what my Mom was up to?...And that.... fancy baby bed she bought, was extremely difficult to... assemble, because some screws were missing. That pissed my Dad off! So time for me to leave here!

I went down to the living room to chat with Ana a bit. I asked Ana to be honest with me. I still didn’t understand why she wanted to lie for Philip in court? Next week the trial starts.

Ana: It’s too late anyway. I officially moved in with Philip. I am now P.’s girlfriend. We take care of Annabelle together. With my help, Annabelle will get back to her dad.

Me: Why are you doing this for Philip?? You’re not really together and you don't love him. So, why?

Ana: Agh.... I'm doing it for Annabelle. If you had seen what I saw, you would do the same. I have to prevent Annabelle from staying with Isabella’s parents!! Believe me, I know what I’m doing.

Me: What are you talking about? .... Please explain.

Ana: But you can’t tell Philip! He's gonna freak out. If he finds out, he’s gonna do some shit and lose custody, even before he gets the chance to get it back.

Me: I won't tell P., Ana!

Ana: When Victoria and I visited Philip in the summer... Once Isabella’s brother came by, to pick up Annabella. A few minutes after he left with Annabelle, I made my way home too. I saw him and Annabelle downstairs, outside P.’s apartment. Isabella’s brother didn’t get Annabelle’s stroller in his car, he was pretty pissed. I offered my help. Then he placed Annabelle in her car seat and..... agh, she started screaming.... I think he slapped Annabelle, but I’m not sure, yk? I didn't get a good look. But I talked to him about it. ...

Ana: Tbh, I threatened him. If he hurts Annabelle and I find out, he’ll never see her again.... However, that’s why I talked to P.’s lawyer. He then talked to Philip and asked him to have Annabelle examined by a pediatrician. But he didn’t tell him why. He just said they might need a report for the trial.

Me: Why didn’t you tell me?.... Damn, we need to get Annabelle out of there! 🙁

Ana: Isabella’s parents treat Annabelle well, but her brother is... crazy! P.'s lawyer discussed this with them. He talked to their lawyer about it. And well, as far as I know, Annabelle is safe. But since that day, that... picture of Annabelle and Isabella’s crazy brother haunts me. I feel obliged to help Annabelle. And I WANT IT!!!.... Why I didn’t tell you is, bcs... I was afraid you would tell Nico and he would tell Philip, yk? But we have to stop Philip from finding out, or he’ll do some shit. You know him! That wouldn’t look good for him in court, if he hurt Isabella’s brother or something.

Me: You're right! P. is... unpredictable when he is angry. Don’t worry, I won’t tell N.!

Ana: Only one more week and we're off.

Me: I am the first to testify. I am curious what the judge will ask me? I know P.’s lawyer will ask me questions about Isabella. I’m supposed to tell them what it was like, when she told us about her pregnancy & Annabelle.

Ana: Yeah, you and Victoria are the first. A day later it’s Nico’s turn. I have to be there every day and also accompany Philip as his girlfriend. With me by his side, he’ll get Annabelle back.

Me: It’s gonna work! He’s her Dad. Kids belong to their parents. In any case, Philip owes you a big favor afterwards. You're Annabelle's Angel. 🙂

Ana: Not a big deal for me. I just have to pretend to be P.’s gf for a while. Most of the time I’m in college anyway.

I admit I was proud of my baby sis. Now I knew why Ana was so eager to help P. Poor Annabelle. Isabella’s family is just as crazy as Isabella!

After that Ana confessed to me, that she had some dates with P.’s lawyer. So this was true, but she didn’t fall for him or anything. And she also didn't sleep with him. He's 29! Nine years older than her. But he was nice and funny, Ana liked this about him.

Previous/Next

#ts4 #sims 4 #sims 4 story #rl story #myrlgameplay #simself

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thelovelylolly · 1 year

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I saw your requests are open, could i request a Billy Hargrove friends to lovers fake dating oneshot?

Reader has an outgoing personality and is super caring and protective of her loved ones.(If you know what the enneagram types are shes a 7 and in the mbti types shes an ENFP. If you dont know what those are, its all good dont worry about it!)

She grew up in a loving household but her family is having a get together and she told a family member she had a bf that way people would stop asking her about dating and now shes in a heap of trouble till she realizes no one in her family has met billy..?

Fake It

Summary : After lying and telling your family you had a boyfriend, they want you to bring him to a family gathering. Realizing you needed a fake boyfriend, you ask your friend for help. Warnings : ooc billy, not proof read bc im sleepy Notes : ooooh i like this idea, thank you for requesting it! i hope you enjoy it <3

You knew you shouldn't have told your gossipy aunt that you had a boyfriend. She was visiting and she kept getting on your nerves. While doing schoolwork, she sat next to you and started asking about your love life. You wanted her off your back so you said you had a boyfriend and she seemed pleased by your answer.

Then your mom asked you to bring this mystery boyfriend to your family get together.

Of course your aunt would tell your mom, she couldn't shut her mouth and when it came to her sister, it was physically impossible. Then she spread it to the rest of the family and now, only a week out from the gathering, you needed a boyfriend and fast.

You ran through any of your guy friends that could work, but most of them had met your family and they knew you'd never date any of them. Steve was the closest to a possible date, but he wasn't the best liar.

You were laying on your bed as you thought through all your options. Maybe you could say that you had broken up with this made-up guy, but your family would dig for details. Maybe you could say he went to another school in another county, but that would clearly be a lie.

Then it hit you. You knew a guy who hadn't met your family, you had barely mentioned him at all to them, and he could play the part well. You rolled over and grabbed the phone, dialing his number quickly. It ringed a few times before you heard him pick up.

"Hello?"

"Billy, I need your help."

"If this is about Mrs. Scott's research project, then-"

"No, it's nothing for school. I...I can explain this later but I need you to be my fake boyfriend."

Billy went quiet for a few moments and you thought he hung up.

"Billy, you there?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here. It's just...fake boyfriend?" He replied before laughing. "I mean, in what situation do you need a fake boyfriend? You could easily get any guy to actually date you, why ask me?"

"Listen, my aunt told my entire family I have a boyfriend and they all want me to bring him to this family gathering I'm having. It'll just be a one time thing. You'll drive us there, we'll act like a nice couple, then go home and hopefully my family will stop bothering me."

"Okay...what's in it for me?"

You sighed, rolling onto you back to look at the ceiling. "Name it."

Billy thought for a moment, then said, "I want one real date."

"A...real date?"

"Mhm," he hummed.

You twisted the phone cord around your finger as blush warmed your cheeks. "Fine, we'll go on a real date."

"Alright, babe, see you at school."

You giggled. "Bye, Billy."

You heard a click from his end before you put your phone up, taking a deep breath. You couldn't believe Billy Hargrove agreed to be your fake boyfriend for your family gathering in exchange for a date.

The following week consisted of you and Billy hanging out at school more and calling each other at night. You two basically planned your entire relationship out, making sure your family couldn't poke holes in it. You two met at school in english class, he would walk you to your locker and next class everyday, you caught feelings but he confessed first, your first date was at a diner near the school, you go to all of his sports games and wear his jacket.

The day of your family get together, you got ready and waited for Billy to pick you up. Your parents had already gone over and most of your family has probable done the same. You heard Billy's Camaro pull into your driveway and you went out to meet him.

You slid into the passenger's seat and as you buckled your seatbelt, Billy leaned over and kissed your cheek. You instantly blushed, you hand reaching up to touch where his lips just were.

"W-what was that for?" You asked, a smile pulling at your lips.

"I'm getting into character," he answered, taking your hand in his and intertwining your fingers as he pulled out of the driveway.

You two pulled to the side of the road, across the street from your grandma's house. You both got out of the car and when you reached Billy's side, his hand found yours again. You smiled at him then led him to the front door.

You rang the doorbell and you heard a loud conversation approach the door, no doubt your grandma and your gossipy aunt. The door swung open and the conversation stopped, being replaced with excited cheers from your grandma and aunt.

"Oh, it's so good to see you, sweetheart!" Your grandma exclaimed, pulling you into a hug and squeezing you tightly.

"It's good to see you, too, grandma," you said as you pulled away from her tight grip. You saw your aunt and grandma's attention go from you to Billy.

"And who is this?" Your grandma asked, looking him up and down.

"This is my boyfriend, Billy," you quickly answered.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Billy said, shaking your grandma's hand carefully.

You smiled and slipped by as your grandma started to talk his ear off and compliment him. You gave your aunt a quick hug. You noticed how she was looking at you then Billy.

"This is the boyfriend you told me about?" Your aunt asked.

"Yes, why would I lie about that?"

She sighed and mumbled something about getting more wine. You looked over at you grandma and Billy, the two laughing at something Billy had said. Seeing him dressed up nicer than usual and getting along so well with your loved ones caused butterflies to flutter in your stomach.

Billy looked up from your grandma and made eye contact with you. You saw a soft smile slowly form on his face, which made you blush. Your grandma grabbed his hand then yours, snapping you two out of your little moment.

"You two must be starving! Come on, we were waiting on you two eat."

The actual dinner was easy. Everyone was mainly focused on eating, asking a few questions about you and Billy here and there. Sometime during dinner, Billy placed his hand on your knee. You kept your head down as you ate because you knew you were blushing.

But, of course, your aunt noticed. She swirled her glass of wine before taking a sip and placing it down. "So, Billy, what do you plan to do with my sweet, sweet niece after high school?"

"Oh, um," Billy muttered, looking at you and trying to think of an answer. You moved his hand from your knee and held it under the table, smiling at him. "Well, maybe move back to my hometown in California. I want to help her through college or her career, whatever she wants to do. Maybe even marry her one day."

Your mother and grandma 'aw'ed at the two of you as you smiled at each other. You aunt, however, still wasn't convinced. "You should know what she wants to do after high school, she never stops talking about her plans for the future."

You quickly tried to take control over the conversation. "Sometimes people change their minds once they actually graduate high school, you know? I mean, I know what I want but I don't know what I'm going to do until it actually happens."

"Hmm," you aunt hummed, grabbing her wine glass and leaning back in her chair. Her eyes darted between you and Billy, a skeptical look in her eyes. "You two are faking it."

"Honey, they're a young couple. Leave them alone-"

"No, mom, they're clearly faking it," you aunt said, cutting off your grandma. "He doesn't know what she wants after high school, he hasn't even thought about their future. I mean, it's clearly there-"

"I'm sorry not everyone has their entire lives planned out step by step!" You exclaimed. "I mean, you didn't even have your life planned out this far!"

"You two are faking it," you aunt paused and leaned in closer, "and you both are terrible liars."

You quickly got up from your seat and left the table, storming out of the room. Billy watched you leave before quickly following you. You walked outside, leaving the door open behind you since you knew Billy was following you.

"I can't believe her! It's probably just the wine, she can never get enough of it-"

"Hey-"

"I mean, how dare she judge us? Her marriage failed and it didn't even last 5 years-"

"Babe-"

"Maybe we should just go in there and admit it. Then we can leave and go our separate ways and-"

You finally stopped talking when Billy yelled your name. You looked at him, noticing how close you two were.

"What?" You asked.

Billy hesitated for a second then cupped your cheeks and kissed you. You melted almost instantly, your hands reaching up to get lost in his curly hair. His hands fell from your cheeks to your waist, pulling you as close as possible. You were on your tippy toes and you tilted your head to the side to deepen the kiss.

"Hey sweetie, I'm sorry-" You aunt walked out but froze when she saw you and Billy kissing. She quickly turned and walked away.

You two pulled away when she was gone, looking over at the door and laughing.

"Do you think she thinks we're faking now?" He joked.

"I doubt it, but there's one more thing we can do to really prove it."

"And what's that?"

"I owe you a date, remember?"

Billy smiled, cupping your cheek again before giving you a quick kiss. "Maybe we can that first date at the diner real."

#billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove x you #billy hargrove fanfiction #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things x reader #billy hargrove fanfic #stranger things fanfic

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queer-whatchamacallit · 9 months

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So I decided I was going to rewatch The Bear and take notes, partly bc autism and partly bc I want more interesting details for fics and just to get to know the characters even better

(Also, I’ve been curious about what makes Carmy blow up vs what makes him dissociate)

So here’s some things I noticed that you could also pick apart like I have here

Carmy has his apron on in the dream, maybe it’s just because that’s what he’s been wearing pretty much all the time for the past couple weeks or because his work is so tied with his family (w/ bears as symbolism for that) but idk

Him waking up on a random counter in The Beef confirms my headcanon that he falls asleep in weird places OR he fell asleep in the office and sleepwalked there

In this ep, any imagery or mention of Michael is pretty much always tied to religious imagery

Carmy calls her Sugar and him Mike, I’m always inclined to have him say Mikey instead but I don’t think he ever does. Also, Fak calls Carm Bear :]

“What’s UPS?” Is the first in a long string of times where someone tries to talk about something other than the kitchen, and it just doesn’t click with Carm

Syd’s “I know who you are” and Carmy’s “Yeah?” and he just listens to her completely riveted is so funny to me. Tell this man you know he was the CDC at one of the best restaurants in the United States of America and it’s like saying “walk” to a dog

Carm’s “I’m saying something >:[,” starts the classic Berzatto dilemma of no one listening to each other but wanting to be listened to

Reminder that Syd can speak Spanish :D

Richie talks about their “Italian heritage” and later says abt the labels “this is the most Polish shit ever,” which show how close he fits in with the Berzattos and his dislike of his bio family (Jerimovich is Polish right.?)

Richie talks about putting his family back together and him not coming home, and Carmy instantly dissociates

Him asking “Why didn’t he leave it to you then?” Not like a comeback, but a genuine question gets me every time

Carmy’s not good with words, so while this is something that just makes fun dialogue, in universe, it’s interesting to see how often his responses are parroted (ex: Marcus’ “that shit was straight up fire” and Carm’s “Straight up done now Chef”)

When it’s work time, it’s work time. When Fak stops looking at Ballbreaker to mention that he wasn’t able to go to the funeral but he sent flowers, Carm just says he wasn’t there either and swiftly changes the subject back to work

The three siblings and Richie all have gold necklaces. When Sugar shows up, I don’t know if hers was one of the matching ones, and I couldn’t figure out what the charm was on it

Tina says “Why doesn’t your sister come around here anymore?” Implying that she used to. I also feel like T wouldn’t have asked if Sugar stopped coming when she moved out and didn’t have to do what her mom told her to. Maybe Mikey kicked Sugar out of the restaurant too, but she wasn’t too bothered by it

Unlike with Richie, when Nat calls him out on not saying hello, just trying to get work done, he listens, and he slows down. Richie feels like his space in the family is shaky, so he’ll take a lot more shit from them while Nat won’t. She inherited a temper, just like her brothers, I feel like she’s in therapy and likely tackled how to stand up for herself when her family was treating her like shit, and she’s the “normal” middle child between a loud older brother and a worrying little brother, so she probably had to fight for her family’s attention at every turn

Nat mentions their mom and Carm’s eye contact instantly breaks, and it seems like he has to remind himself to breathe

His stutter shows up when arguing that he doesn’t want Jimmy to buy it

Carm’s “I’m gonna fix this place” vs Sug’s “No one’s asking you to” just hits so hard for some reason

When Carm tries to flee back inside, she uses “I love you,” like it’s an argument to keep him from throwing himself back into the restaurant or as a reminder that there’s people out there who want him to be doing well when she thinks the restaurant is hurting him

Sweeps is more of a background character but omg he just quietly looks out for everyone :] (he made sure Syd got to try Carm’s beef recipe :]]]])

Fak was also close with Mikey. I don’t know why I imagine Fak as being not quite as close with everyone as Richie, but they came to Christmas too, edit: Fak’s “but it got fuckin dark at the end” showed that he too knew something was up when Carm didn’t

Carm very much gives off the vibe of being allergic to cats, but I’m going to ignore that and squeeze in my headcanon that he loves Fak’s cats, Ralph and they love him

Richie’s dialogue is such a fun juxtaposition of him trying to feel superior to whoever he’s arguing with with large vocabulary and overconfidence but often falling back into vulgar insults because that’s what he knows best. Also, later in the ep he talks about “up in Napa” with the foie gras and shit to mock Carmy, but Napa isn’t up from them, it’s in California

Richie says “You have no fuckin idea what you’re doing here” and it’s like a switch, Carmy’s comebacks and annoyance with Richie stop, and he’s completely dissociated again. Richie shoves cans of spaghetti sauce into his arms and slaps at his face to steady him because he can probably tell something’s not right with him, but he just ends up leaving him to it

One of the Berzattos main love languages is physical touch via back and shoulder pats

And finally, Carm tosses the can of spaghetti sauce which I’m saying is because he just needs them to fucking listen and trust him when he’s saying no more spaghetti but there’s probably also some kind of Michael significance there too

Edit: I think I just had the realization that family stuff is what makes him dissociate while work stuff tends to make him panic and snap at people. It makes sense, snapping at his family would only escalate things and dissociating separates him from something he’s expected to fix. And Claire is kinda off in her category but falls under the panic response

So yeah!!

That’s pretty much what I got from 1x01 - System

I don’t know when or if I’ll do more of these, but this was so much fun, literally love dissecting these sad little goobers

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sunnywalnut · 1 month

Text

I fully believe that the only thing that stopped me from identifying as trans when I was younger was the fact of my autistic black and white thinking.

Well yeah. That guy is trans. And I think he's super cool. But I couldn't be trans despite the fact that I feel more like myself with him because he embodies everything I wish I could be but stop myself from being.

Oh no I absolutely could not be transgender at all! I didn't know I was a dude since I was three like all these other people who were taught the concept of gender and the fact that gay people exist from a young age and I only learned lesbians existed after I was ten years old.

Of course that person is transgender. The whole reason I changed the name on the sticky note set on their desk was because they're my friend and I'm an ally. Totally not because I want somebody to do the same for me.

Nah bro. I don't think my obsession with gender neutral names and wanting to change my name to Alex because it was the only gn name I knew at the time had any transgender reasons for it. I'm just super attached to the idea of accidentally being mistaken for a boy. Even if it's just by name.

The reason I specifically searched for books with male protagonists my age when I was younger was totally because of super straight reasons and not because I identified with them more than any of the female leads, despite being extremely similar to a lot of them.

Oh totally I'm not jealous of my brother who's only one year older than me, therefore I get to see him embody all these manly traits like getting a cool low voice and be taught things that I wish I could learn but I wasn't explicitly invited so I stay where I was.

What do you mean it's not normal to treasure the blue Finding Nemo basketball cap that I sneered at on Christmas Day for "looking too boyish" and wearing it inside the house while I crawled up on my grandfather's lap so he could read to me.

Of course my best friend of over seven years is my sister! Despite the fact that I feel completely uncomfortable when she claims that I am hers. Not because we're not family. Because something is wrong with the word "sister" and I can't tell what.

I mean shit. The only reason I realized that I could've been queer was bc somebody told me that if I(a "straight girl") liked a trans guy, then I would be pansexual.

Untrue, obviously, since trans guys are still guys, and my little 13yo brain thought the same way, but the fact that somebody said it so casually just opened the floodgates of "what ifs" for me.

And you know what?

The year after that, I came out publicly as bi. Then ace. Then two years after that gender fluid. Then in the same year, transmasc. Then lesbian a couple months later. Then transmasc but not lesbian after a couple weeks because my partner was also genderfluid. And now? Transmasc/trans man and bi, specifically for the girls and gnc folks.

Had that person not told me I was pansexual, I'm pretty sure I would've just gone around being indifferent to my romantic partners thinking that friendship was the romance all along this entire time.

Six entire years. And I was autistic the whole time.

It was always about being a good person for the "other" people who needed me until I realized I could be the other people as well.

The whole reason I didn't "show signs" of being transgender during my childhood?

Same reason I didn't show signs of being autistic.

I was mirroring people. I was mirroring what I thought was needed of me. Ignoring my interests or things I was curious about. Because I knew what was expected of me. That part of it was explained thoroughly, at the very least. The gender part of it all. And by God, I was going to do a good job at it.

And yeah. I was happy when I found dresses that were pretty.

Not because I was the one wearing them.

But because it meant that my mom thought I was doing such a good job at Gender that I deserved a skirt. In order to show it off to everyone.

Same reason I allowed my hair to be done. Little jewels to be twisted into my long locks that I grew myself and refused to cut. Because this was what I was good at. Everyone, even if they didn't like me, they liked my long, feminine hair. They liked my frilly, feminine dresses. And my shiny, feminine jewelry.

And well... I liked being liked. I liked being admired.

Because nobody noticed me any other way.

Unless it was for my art.

I was good at art.

I'm still good at art.

My "feminine" art.

I no longer get joy from long hair and frilly dresses and shiny jewelry.

But I still get joy from art.

Even if it isn't feminine.

Even if it isn't shown to anyone.

Because it is mine.

It is me.

It is the one thing that I grew up seeing that everyone could do. Regardless of skill. Everyone was thrown in a class together. Everyone crowded around the girl who drew anime in class. Everyone knew of the famous men like Van Gogh. Everyone was able to do art. Everyone was able to be creative. To get messy. To work with their hands.

And everyone meant that there was space for me, too.

There were finally shades of gray.

And I clutch them dearly to my heart, right next to the rainbows of devotion I painted on the inside walls of my ribcage.

Each palette I've created is a labor of love, used to picture the world in each wonderful shade of admiration.

And that is still the one thing that I have found that try as they might, they cannot sort into sexes.

So I keep my shades of gray. I keep my rainbows and my flags. And I paint them with all the colors I like. Because art showed me a way to be free. And I refuse to live my life in a cage. Regardless of who's hands made it.

I just know that it won't be mine.

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callsigndragon · 1 year

Text

Seeing Red | Ch. 26: The plot thickens ✍️📲

Word count: 4.3k (this is nuts)

Warnings: swearing, dad jake, WHO SENTS THE BOUQUET (read and you'll know), jealous jake, cycunt, someone gets punched pt.2, medical innacuracy but hey i'm a teacher not a doctor, BOB'S WIFE, and a fucking cliffhanger bc this chapter is super long.

A/N: NEXT. CHAPTER. REVEALS. THE. TRUTH. JUST. WAIT. A. BIT. Pls 😭❤️

Masterlist on pinned

It’s been a month since you came here. And what a month!

After the second week of silence regarding the big secret, you stopped waiting. You knew he wanted to tell you; he just needed a bit of time. How much time was a bit, you didn’t know. But you could wait.

During the last month, Jake has been the best father you could have wished for your son. He spent days baby-proofing his house, with Reuben’s help and with a soon-to-be dad named Bob, who took lots of notes. Liam has only been in Jake’s house once, when he hosted a dinner the night before you all left for a mission.

Oh, the mission. It was more of a scouting mission, but you still had to spend almost two weeks on a carrier with the whole squad. That meant sharing a room with Phoenix, small corridors, and a lack of sun. The narrow corridors were the worst part. The universe must have been trying to laugh at you or something, because every time you had to walk through one of those, you found Jake at the other end. It brought thousands of memories. The ones that left you with weak knees. Yeah, he still has that effect on you.

Jake has become a mystery to you. While he may appear to be a completely different person on the outside—someone you don't know—on the inside, he is still the same man you fell in love with.

His entire demeanor has changed, too. It’s like his father's instincts have taken over his personality, and all that bad attitude he displayed with the new recruits or as an instructor is now gone. He has become a perfect aviator, a perfect instructor, and a perfect father. Warlock even came one day to congratulate him for his outstanding behavior.

You’re sure Warlock was the one who came to congratulate him because Cyclone couldn’t even think about it. Every time you two were in the same room, something sent shivers down your spine. You have been trying to avoid him lately.

Everything is perfect. Liam has a lovely and supportive family—more uncles and aunts than days in a week—and Penny and Mav, whom Liam calls Memaw and Pepaw. Your mom, hearing that Liam has so many people surrounding him, has told you that ‘you don’t need her’. She’s literally trying to get you and Jake together, whatever it takes. And she believes she can accomplish this by staying at home with Lady. She has adopted the dog as her own.

Everything is perfect. Well, it could be even better if Jake told you the truth.

But you’ll have to wait for that.

Jake knocks on your door just when you have turned off the computer. “Ready, sweets?”

“Yeah, just let me get my stuff,” You mumble while opening one of the drawers to get some folders.

Jake watches silently as the dog tags slip from the inside of your shirt, hanging from the chain. There they are. The engagement ring he bought, the wedding band you chose together, the one that he placed on your finger at your wedding. How did Amelia get a picture of them? He will ask her later.

Your hand hides them quickly inside your shirt, where they belong, and you glance in Jake’s way. He’s grabbing your bag, his right hand patting his front pocket for some reason. “Warlock is now the babysitter?”

You laugh, closing the drawer and walking to him. “Don’t you think he is better than Dummy Boo?”

“Much, much better. I was thinking that we could have another Disney movie night.” He suggests, opening the door for you.

“Sounds good. We came back a week ago but we’ve been doing so much paperwork…” You groan, trying to get your bag from Jake’s hands, but he softly slaps your hand away. “Give me my bag.”

“Nope,” he grins walking alongside you through the corridor, his hand brushing with yours at every step. He wishes he could just slide his hand between your fingers, draw infinite shapes in your skin.

Ames is right. He needs to tell you.

“It feels like all I’ve seen of him this week is his sleepy form.” Jake mentions, and you nod, because it’s true. He’s been sleeping more lately. Maybe he gets tired at daycare.

“Don’t worry, we still have tons of Disney movies to watch with him. I can’t remember what was the last one we saw.”

“The Emperor’s new groove. Next ones are Atlantis and Lilo and Stitch.”

“Maybe Atlantis is a bit too much for him.” You point out. “Lilo and Stitch.”

“I bought a Stitch plushie. He’s gonna want one of those.” Jake chuckles and you shake your head while laughing.

You sigh, stopping when you reach Warlock’s office. “Jake.”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe when Liam falls asleep we could… talk?”

He sees the hope in your eyes, a sparkle in them that makes his heart skip a bit. “Yeah. We’ll talk.”

The smile that you give him in return could illuminate a town for an entire month. “Thank you.”

A part of him feels miserable that you have to thank him for doing something that he should have done before. “You don’t need to thank me, sweets.”

You kiss his cheek and open the door, Jake standing behind you with reddening cheeks. The smiles on your faces drop when you see Cyclone instead of Warlock.

“Where’s Solomon?” You inquire as you observe Liam doodling on a piece of paper.

“He had to leave, and I stayed with Liam.”

"Hey, baby," you say as you kneel in front of him and kiss his cheek.

“Hello, mama.”

“Want to go home?” He nods, and you move his hair out of his face. You need to get him a haircut. “Dada is waiting outside. Can you go with him while I give Beau some boring papers?”

“Dadaaaa!” Liam goes running towards his dad and hugs his leg. Jake drops the bag and hugs him.

“What have you done today, bubs?”

“I paint a lot. Wally is funny.” Liam explains to his dad, who believes that this Wally is Warlock. Liam goes around giving nicknames to everyone. Mickey is Mickey Mouse. Nobody knows why Reuben is called Ben-Ben. Nat, Javy and Bob don’t have nicknames, their names are just that short. And then, there’s Rooster. Well, Woosta. Jake fell to the floor the first time Liam called Bradley like that.

“What about Dummy Boo? Was he funny?” Jake keeps talking to his son while observing the interaction between Red and Cyclone. He still gives him a weird feeling; there’s something behind his actions that doesn’t sit right with Jake.

Javy calls it jealousy, but it goes beyond that. It’s just weird.

Cyclone writes something on a piece of paper that he pushes across the desk until it sits in front of Red’s hand. She takes it with a smile on her face. What the fuck is going on?

Did Cycunt just give her his number?

Today, of all days, the day where he has decided to confess everything to Red, and maybe, even though Jake knows that this is hoping too much, that will lead to the two of them having another chance to be together.

This has to be a joke.

“Woosta!”

“My baby!” Bradley grabs Liam by the waist and lifts him up, making him giggle. It’s quite a sound that you don’t hear too often in a gym.

“Can you take care of him for a bit? I want to hit the bag.” You ask him, leaving Liam’s bag next to the two boys.

“Of course. We’re gonna play a bit with the football, right, buddy?” He tickles Liam, and you smile. You’re so lucky to have them.

“Thanks, Rooster.”

You get your things out of the bag that Jake has left in front of you and go change into more comfortable clothes. You’ve been boxing since the academy days; at first it was like a joke, not really thinking how much you would end up enjoying it. It eventually became a part of your daily routine. Hit the bag for a while to de-stress.

You turn back to the room, wrapping your hands with the red cotton wraps you always carry in your bag.

“Want help?” Jake stands behind the punching bag, his brows knitted together and his arms crossed across his chest.

“Yeah, thanks.” He helps you, silently wrapping your hands and fingers. “Are you okay?”

“Just peachy.”

“Okay…”

He drops your hand once it is properly wrapped, then gets the gloves and assists you in slipping your hands into them. “Ready?”

You nod, moving your arms a bit, and throw a combination against the bag. It feels good.

You keep going for a bit, feeling Jake’s eyes on you. You know he wants to say something, but he's biting his tongue.

“Just say it, cowboy.”

“So... you and Cyclone.” He finally mutters through clenched teeth.

“What about me and Cyclone?”

“There’s something there?”

You stop punching the bag immediately. “What?”

“Every time we have to leave the kid outside daycare, he’s there. Every. Single. Time.”

You move around the bag, staring into his eyes. “Please, tell me you’re not trying to insinuate what you’re trying to insinuate.”

“What? That you two are together? Perhaps that's why he called you to lead the team?" His voice raises a level, making the others stop working out and look at the two of you.

You let out a dry laugh, watching from the corner of your eye as Nat walks closer to the two of you. “You really think I’m dating Cyclone?”

“That’s what it looks like, yes”

“And you think you have any right to comment on who I date or not?”

“So it’s right!”

You close your eyes for a second. “Rooster, can you take Liam out of here?”

“Come on, buddy. Let’s play outside” You wait until Rooster and Liam leave the gym to respond.

“Look, asshole. I’ve been waiting for a fucking month—no, scratch that. I’ve been waiting for three fucking years for you to come back and tell me what the fuck I’ve done wrong, why you left, and why I had to raise our kid alone.”

“Red, calm down,” Phoenix says, standing next to Jake.

“I won’t calm down. I’ve been here for a month. You’ve been in my house, every fucking night, and you have slept on the couch because you didn’t want to leave. I knew that you being part of Liam’s life meant that I’d have to see you all the time, even if I didn’t want to.” Your voice is starting to break; you pause for a second to breathe, but Jake takes it as his turn to speak.

“I think I’m entitled to know who the fuck enters my kid’s life.” Jake spits out.

“Jake, you asshole, you have literally been with me every day since I set foot on this base! We work together, we eat together, we go home together with Liam, you sleep there…”

“Your point?”

You're trembling, your eyes are wet, and your teeth are clenched. Why is he doing this? “Do you think I had time left to go see that man?”

“I don’t know, but he gave you a piece of paper with his number, didn’t he?” He steps closer to you. “Maybe even his address.”

“Jake, man. It’s time to stop” Reuben puts a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugs it off.

“In case you forgot, you left me. Let me repeat it again, because maybe your brain doesn’t understand it. You left me.” You emphasize each word by pressing your glove against his chest. “You don’t have a fuck to say about my life. And no, I’m not seeing Cyclone.”

You turn around to leave, wanting to be the mature person in the room. But again, Jake being Jake, he needs to have the last word. “Then tell him to stay the fuck away from what’s mine”

“Oh shit,” Payback mutters when you come back to where they are.

You throw an uppercut to his stomach, making him fall to his knees. He grunts, breathlessly looking at you. You crouch down, resting your arms on your knees. “You don’t own me, Jake Seresin. Never forget that.”

He starts coughing when you enter the locker room.

"Red.”

“Oh my god, Jake. What now?” You are really close to throwing something at him.

“Please. I’m so-” He moves closer to you, the angriness in his face long gone. You can only see regret now.

“If you say you’re sorry after all the bullshit you just said in front of everyone, I will punch you again, this time without gloves.” You warn him, walking a few steps back. You don’t want him close to you. Your body will betray you, and you know it.

While you were out there screaming at each other, you felt a need to just grab him by the back of his neck and kiss him. He needs to remember that you married him three years ago and that you weren’t the one who asked for a divorce. He needs to know that you were and still are very much in love with him.

And even though you can understand the jealousy he must have felt and how it makes you do and say crazy things, it’s not an excuse.

“You wanna know what that piece of paper was?” You rummage through your bag, looking for that damned piece of paper, pressing it against his chest. “Read it.”

“Jane Simpson?” His brows furrow. That's not the name he was expecting to read.

“Cyclone’s daughter. She’s a sitter. Cyclone said that next time the daycare is closed, I could call her and ask her to take care of Liam.” You grab all your things while Jake registers this information, feeling like an absolute dick. Great, he deserves it. “Don’t fucking come to my house tonight.”

Jake spends the next five hours inside his car, arms and head resting on the steering wheel. How has he messed up so much? Today was the day. He was going to tell you the truth, and there wouldn't be any secrets left between them. Not anymore.

But fucking Jake Seresin had to open up his big mouth.

He grabs his phone, taking a deep breath before sending a text to Mav.

Ames and Mav are glad that you punched him. He really deserves it. He's been scolded by both of them for hours now.

"When you punched Rooster a while ago, I was glad," Ames explains, filling up Jake’s glass of water. "But now? I want to go and give her a round of applause."

"Yeah, yeah. I know I deserve it, don't remind me." Jake lets his head fall against the table. The two of them are sitting outside the bar, in one of the benches, Mav has gone inside to help Penny with the new customers. "I'm gonna need a miracle now. She won't forgive me."

"Let's remember that she still carries her wedding rings around." She points out, playing with Jake's hair.

"How did you find out?" Jake's voice comes out muffled.

"Red showed them to Nat, Penny saw them and sent us a text. I've been carefully trying to take a picture of them since she told me. And one day she fell asleep on the couch, Liam had been playing with them…"

"He likes shiny things," Jake mutters to himself, that sentence making so much sense now. He liked to play with his mom's dog tags because the rings were there.

"I just took a picture. But instead of making you understand that she's still pretty much in love with you, and faithfully waiting for you to come back, it had the opposite effect."

He lifts his head, realizing that he said all those stupid things literally one hour after Amelia sent him that photo. "I'm an asshole."

"Congrats, it took you only…" She checks her phone. "Shit, it's almost midnight."

"Already?" Jake grabs his phone from his pocket. It had been silent all day.

He gets up from the bench in a swift motion, the glass of water falling over the table. "Jake, what the fuck?"

He unlocks the phone and calls you, his whole body frozen in pure terror.

Not his kid.

Everything but him.

"Red?" He can hear Liam crying. It breaks his heart into a million pieces.

"Oh my god Jake, thank God. Liam has a high fever, and the fucking car isn't working, and…” You're trying to calm Liam, but he can hear you crying. You must be so scared. Jake grabs his car keys and runs to his car for the second time in one month.

Jake knows he has to be the big person now. He needs to keep his cool and not fuck this up. His son needs him. "Hey, hey. Honey, listen to me, okay? I'm at the Hard Deck. Just give me a few minutes, and I'll be with you. I'm gonna call Bob and check if his wife is working tonight."

"Shhh, Liam. I know it hurts, but we're gonna make it stop, okay? Dada's coming." You choke on your words, and he doesn't want to end the call, but he needs to. He needs to call Bob.

"I'm gonna hang now. I'll be there soon."

"Hurry, please."

You hang up, and he scrolls down his recent calls to look for Bob.

"Man, I don't want to talk to you right now." Bob quickly says, angry at Jake’s behavior.

"Bob, please. Liam’s sick. Is Doc working?"

"Yes, she is. Take him to the hospital; I'll call her."

"Thanks, Bob. We'll be there soon."

"I hope it's nothing."

Jake hangs up the phone for the second time in minutes and drives like a madman. He can hear Liam's heartbreaking cries in his head. He must be hurting. It could be literally anything. Reuben told him that children get sick often; it's part of their life. But this is his first time going through this.

When he drove like this last month because you were sick, he felt scared. This is ten times worse. A kid is sick. He's a baby; he doesn't know how to explain things. If he's hurting, he won't say it; he's only going to cry and hope that it goes away.

And the only thing his parents can do is take him to the ER and hope for the best.

Once he gets to your home, he sees you. You're wearing the same clothes you had in the gym, and it makes it look like it has only been a few hours since the last time he saw you. The tiredness on your face, however, makes it feel like an eternity.

“Get in.” He opens the passenger door from the inside, and you run to get inside the car, tears staining your face. Liam keeps crying, his face is red and wet, and when he sees his dad, he makes grabby hands in his direction and calls for him between cries. “Dada needs to drive, bubs. We’re gonna take you to see Doc, okay? You remember Doc?”

Jake turns the engine on and drives to the hospital. “Is she working?” You ask loudly, trying to make yourself heard over Liam’s cries.

“Yeah, she’s waiting for us.”

“Thank god.”

Once you get to the ER, you see Doc waiting for you, her hand resting on her small baby bump. “There you are.”

“Aren’t you gonna get into trouble for this?”

“Pediatrics is empty. Follow me.”

Doc leads you to one of the children’s rooms in the ER. You try to leave Liam in bed, but he doesn’t want to let go of you. Jake hands him a plushie, and Liam’s attention is diverted long enough for Doc to check his temperature. “Has he been eating well lately?”

“Warlock told me that Liam didn’t eat all his morning snacks, and he didn’t want to eat dinner early.” You explain, playing with your fingers. Jake takes your hand between his, squeezing it tightly.

“It’s okay, relax.” He whispers, and you nod.

“Has he been angry or distracted?” Doc is now looking at Liam’s ears.

“Not really.”

“Has he been rubbing his ear?”

You think for a moment. “Yeah. He’s been doing that all afternoon.”

She nods and grabs her tablet, writing down everything. “It’s just an ear infection. He rubs his ear, hoping to get rid of the pain.”

Jake and you both sigh with relief. Ear infections are very common. “You must think I’m an idiot for not noticing and overreacting like this.”

Doc smiles and hugs Red. “You did what you had to do. Your kid was in pain, and you didn’t know what to do, so you went to the doctor. That’s what good parents do.”

“Thank you, Doc.” Jake says when she turns to hug him.

“Any time. I’m gonna get some painkillers for him. Wait here. You’ll be able to leave in a minute.” She leaves you alone, Liam more calm now that he has a new toy to play with, but silent tears still run down his face.

“I’m sorry you had to run to my house for an ear infection.” You mutter under your breath, your gaze fixed on Liam's hair.

“I should be the one apologizing here, sweets. I was supposed to be there with you.” Jake’s thumb caresses your knuckles; the action melts you inside. You’ve missed him so much. Being close to him Touching him. Feeling him.

“You’re cute, but you’re not cute when you’re jealous.” You say, somehow make him chuckle.

He lifts his eyes and locks them with yours in an honest, poignant stare. “You’re the only thing I have left, Red. You and Liam. I was so scared to lose you both. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Jake…”

Doc enters the room, medicine in hand. “Okay, buddy, I’m gonna give you this, and once you get home, you’re gonna feel so much better.” She pushes the oral syringe into Liam’s mouth, who takes the medicine like a good boy. “That’s it. Here’s the name of the medicine I just gave him.”

You look at the paper. “Yeah, I have this one at home.”

“Perfect then. It’s gonna kick in very soon. He will fall asleep soon, too. His body is really tired from all the crying.” Doc kisses Liam’s head. “I hope to see you soon under much better circumstances.”

“Thank you so much, Doc. You’re the best.” Jake hugs her again and takes Liam.

“Don’t mention it. I’ll call Bob and tell him it’s nothing, okay? Go home and rest. You both look like you need it.” She gives you a sympathetic smile and accompanies you to the door, waving to a sleepy Liam, who is now resting in his dad’s arms.

“I think he’s gonna fall asleep.” Jake whispers, and you look at him. Yeah, he has that tired look in his eyes.

“I’ll drive.”

He frowns. “You sure?”

“Yeah, it’s okay. I’ll drive.”

“He’s asleep.” You whisper, sitting next to Jake on the sofa. The room is dark, with the only source of light coming from the streetlight on the other side of the street.

Jake’s head rests against the back of the sofa. “You should go to sleep, too. I’ll stay here in case he wakes up.”

You shake your head and start crying. “I’m sorry, Jake.”

“Hey, hey,” He takes your face between his hands, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. “What are you apologizing for?”

“I called you crying like a crazy woman, and all that happened was that Liam had an ear infection.”

Jake shushes you and hugs you tightly. “No, that’s not what happened. A good mom called the not-so-good dad and asked for help when their kid wasn’t feeling good.”

“You’re a good dad, Jake.” You state, not leaving room for doubts. He is a good dad, and he needs to know that.

“But I’m not a good man.” He retorts, separating himself from your body, even if that’s exactly the opposite of what he wants to do.

You sigh, leaning against the sofa. “Jake, you said some stupid things. And you apologized. I can’t imagine how you must have felt when you suddenly encountered yourself as part of a family, and then your brain tells you that some prick is trying to steal them away from you.”

Jake snorts. “You called Cyclone a prick?”

“Cycunt suits him better.” You smirk, and Jake swears he could kiss you. “Look, I know he was flirting with me, but I thought that if I didn’t say anything, he would stop.”

“Nah, it doesn’t work that way. Men are idiots. Ignore us, and we’ll think that you’re trying to play hard to get. Say no, and we’ll think you’re saying yes. Be completely obvious, and we’ll think that you’re not interested at all.”

“And you say that women are difficult.”

“That’s why you’re the ones giving birth, sweets. You’re better than us in every single aspect.”

There’s a moment of silence between the two of you. “You’re not a bad man, Jake. The only bad thing you’ve done is easy to fix.”

Jake looks at his hands for a second, deep in thought. “I’m gonna need something strong.”

“Tequila? Mickey gave me a bottle.”

“Tequila works.”

You get up and go to the kitchen, coming back in an instant with two glasses and the bottle. Jake grabs the bottle and fills the glasses, clinking them before downing it in one shot.

“Okay. You want the truth? Here’s the truth.”

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stardust948 · 5 months

Text

Frenemies AU angst

(I found this in my drafts and decided to post it. Based off this post.)

Iroh is a senior in military school or already in the military. The parents gaang is junior year in HS so around 16 and 17

Ozai still lives with Azulon but Azulon is hardly at home bc of work. When he is there or when Ozai knows he’s coming soon, he just doesn’t come back until he leaves again. Either stays with Ursa in her RV or roams around town in his car. Later stays with Hakoda and Bato when they become closer friends.

Azulon blames Ozai for Ilah’s death since she died during childbirth. He’s always been emotionally and verbally abusive to Ozai but it didn’t get physical until Iroh left for military boarding school. Ozai was 8-10ish. Mainly involved being burned or tased, which left less of physical scars.

There was a big fight between the two when Ozai announced he wanted to go to Republic Arts high school and pursue a career as a musician. Azulon wanted Ozai to follow his footsteps and go to military school like Iroh. But he backed off after Iroh vouched for his brother. Still, he refused to pay for the school but Ozai earned a scholarship and Iroh covered the rest. Ozai swore up and down he’d pay him back but Iroh just told him to give him free backstage access to his concerts and they’re even. Azulon and Ozai avoided each other after that; strangers in the same home. They physical abuse ended but the threat was still there and the mental scars lasting.

After the incident at the contest, Ursa finds Ozai sitting in his car at the school’s parking lot. She knows better to ask if he’s alright or what was wrong. Instead, she tells him to get into her car and they go back to her RV. There, they spend the rest of the night watching movies and cuddling. Ozai’s feeling somewhat better in the morning; able to speak some but not back to his usual loveable a-hole self. Though he is confused to receive a text from Hakoda of all people checking on him.

Hakoda: Hey man, you good?

Ozai: Are you seriously asking me if I’m good after burning a layer of my skin off?

Hakoda: You kinda just left after without a word.

Ozai: Because I burned a layer of my skin off.

Hakoda: Ozai, I’ve seen you explode over someone using your special pen without permission but you just shut down after burning your hand. Are you sure you’re okay?

Ozai: Who won?

Hakoda: Poppy.

Ozai: We’re going to be hearing about that for all next week.

Hakoda: She was pretty worried about you. We all were. You know, you can talk to me if you want.

Ozai: I just wanted to know who won. Now stop bothering me or I’m blocking you.

Ozai closed his phone. Just then Ursa stuck her head through the door.

“Hey, my mom made pancakes. You want any?”

Ozai shook his head.

“Alright honey. Keep an eye on my children. I’ll be right back.”

Ozai smiled some as he rolled his eyes. Ursa always referred to her hoard of plants and succulents as her children. Still exhausted, he laid back down and pulled the cover over his head. Out of curiosity, he check his phone one last time.

Hakoda: Ok. See at school.

Ozai powered down his phone. He didn’t have the energy to be annoyed. He ran a hand along the bandages before drifting back to sleep.

///

The conversation they had in the janitor’s closet came flooding back. Hakoda’s seen Ozai fly off the rail many times, but that was the first time he looked guenically hurt. Hakoda’s clumsy joke about Dads also didn’t help. Hakoda cringed at the memory.

His mind drifted to the events after. The dark play Ozai wrote about the little boy slowly dying in the burning building wishing only to see his father again. Finally meeting Ozai’s father with his cold exterior and calculating eyes that made even the brash self-confident Ozai shrink back. And to top it off, Ozai saying he’d never seen his father look happier.

Hakoda didn’t know what to think at the time. He just assumed Azulon was like his father, criticizing his every move and lamenting how he wasn’t good enough.

///

Ozai refuses to bring it up despites Ursa’s suggestions of seeking professional help, even after he and Ursa wed and had children. Not until he lost his temper with Zuko and almost burned him like Azulon. Zuko’s horrified scream snapped Ozai out of it last second. Falling back onto old habits, Ozai took shelter in his car for the night and wept bitterly. Ursa finds him and directly tells him to get help which he finally relents.

It's very slow going but beneficial in the long run. Most importantly, his children never saw that side of Ozai again.

@waterfire1848

#atla #atla au #frenemies au #high school au #atla modern au #ozai #ursa #azulon #iroh #hakoda #poppy #urzai #royal fire family #tw abuse

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im-just-a-mississippi-girl · 9 months

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darius martin x female reader??? the reader works backstage at aew and falls pregnant but her shifty bf dumps her bc of it and leaves her to be a single mom and the reader confides in darius because he's her best friend and he is there for her throughout it all. super fluffy??

Thank You for Being a Friend

Word count: 1,208

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A/N: I’m so sorry this took me 87 years 😩 and yes this is named after the Golden Girls theme song 🩵

You didn’t know what you were going to do. Being a single mom wasn’t on your bingo card for this year nor was it a plan in the future. You decided to ask for extra work in order to save up money for the baby because you knew babies were expensive. Very expensive at that.

Over the next few weeks, Darius noticed you had been working long hours, being there before majority of the staff and wrestlers and staying a few hours later than everyone. At first he didn’t think much of it. At least not until Andretti mentioned you and your boyfriend broke up. That’s when it clicked. Darius knows you well, often times too well. She’s working overtime to forget about the breakup. That’s what Darius thought and he was partially correct. He just didn’t know the other reason, the main reason.

Darius excused himself from the Lads and went to search for you, to check on you and make sure you’re doing alright. He knows firsthand how rough some breakups can be. He searched all down the hallway leading to hair and makeup and wardrobe. He didn’t find you so he tried another hallway nearby. He was just about to leave when he heard faint sobbing coming from a closet. His gut told him you were in there and simultaneously his heart broke at thought.

He softly tapped his knuckles on the door and heard abrupt shuffling coming from inside. Just a few moments later the door slowly opened to reveal you, slightly red and puffy eyes with tear stained cheeks. Darius was taken aback a little. How long had you been in there crying? Why didn’t you text him? You’re best friends after all. He wants to be there for you as much as possible but he can’t do that if you don’t communicate with him. “Come ‘ere.” Darius opened his arms wide for you to which you happily accepted. He doesn’t say anything for a while, just letting you take all the time you need.

“He left me.” You sniffle against Darius’s shoulder. “He left us.” You were so lost on what to do and you knew you would need help with everything you were about to experience.

Darius just rubbed your back as you spoke, stopping once he heard the word us. What did you mean by us? Darius never cared for the guy so he knew you weren’t including him in that sentence. He wracked his brain for a few seconds until it hit him like a brick. You were pregnant. “Forget him. You got me and I’ll help in any way I can. Better yet, just move in with me so neither one of us has to drive back and forth so much between our houses.” Darius insisted, he didn’t want you to feel alone, especially not now.

You pulled away and took a step back, shaking your head. “I can’t. I don’t want my problem to be your problem or get in your way.”

“This isn’t a problem. You’re my best friend and we’re a team, remember? You said so yourself when I was injured and you insisted I stay with you.” Darius laughed at how the tables have turned and now he’s offering you to stay with him. He was determined to ensure that you and your baby were taken care of.

You saw the determination in your best friend’s eyes and knew there was no changing his mind. “Alright, but the second we’re too much tell me.” You really didn’t want to be a burden and could figure something else out if needed. Darius nodded in agreement even though he knew you and your baby would never been a burden or become too much for him.

A few months later, you were settled in Darius apartment. It took several weeks to get into as much of a rhythm and routine as you could. You were now four moths along and showing your little baby bump. It was so weird to think about a baby in your belly but Darius thought it was wonderful and fascinating that your body was carrying a tiny human around.

Darius was constantly doing everything he could for you to make the whole pregnancy easier on you. He took the mood swings like a champ and had no complaints whatsoever about running to McDonald’s or Taco Bell at two in the morning because you and the baby had a craving for a Big Mac and large fries or tacos and chalupas. He was a real trooper, really stepping up and filling in where your ex should have been.

You were forever grateful for Darius Martin.

You didn’t care much about doing a gender reveal but Darius insisted you should and that he would put it all together with the help of the Lads. You reluctantly agreed, hoping it wouldn’t turn out to be a disaster.

Thankfully, it wasn’t.

Darius put Anthony in charge of keep the gender a secret from you and himself too — he wanted to be surprised just like you — and Hook was in charge of getting the cake. Dante and Andretti were in charge of setting up decorations while Darius kept you busy with random tasks around the apartment. Once Darius got the go ahead from the Lads, he led you to the party over at a pavilion in the nearby park where you were greeted with the Lads and some of your other friends along with some family members. To say you were surprised with how well the Lads decorated and pulled this off was an understatement — balloons and banners decorated the posts of the pavilion, a beautifully decorated cake surrounded by finger foods on the center table. It was perfect, simple yet beautiful and sweet.

The gender was reveled by you popping a big white balloon. Once you opened your eyes after the loud pop, you saw pastel pink confetti floating in the air and onto the pavilion floor. You were overwhelmed with emotions as was Darius and your guests. A girl! You couldn’t believe it! You threw your arms around Darius, tears falling freely down your cheeks. Everyone took turns congratulating you and the buzz about the baby girl was the topic of conversation for the remainder of the party.

Soon guests were leaving and finally you were left with Darius and the Lads. “Thanks for the party guys, it was perfect.” You told them, hugging each man. “Take as much food and cake as you want, there’s more than enough.” You chuckled, gesturing to all the left over food and cake.

“You don’t have to tell us twice.” Andretti laughed, making a beeline for the left over food. The boys agreed, joining him in piling food on plates. You just laughed as you rubbed your belly, watching the boys reward themselves with food for all their hard work.

After today, you knew everything would be alright. You had Darius and the Lads to help you and your baby girl, and that was all you needed. You just hoped the guys would be cool when it was time for labor and delivery, but you’d worry about that later. Right now, you just wanted to enjoy the moment.

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#darius martin #darius martin x reader #darius martin imagine #aew #all elite wrestling #aew imagine #aew imagines #aew fanfiction #aew fic

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