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#but i want to. so maybe id better give him another chance when the time comes

flynnriderishot · 5 months

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screw up pt.2 - n.d

it had been a few days since yours and larray’s party and people were still posting pictures of the event.

you were lounging in your apartment, having just finished cleaning the entire place, when your phone started going off like crazy.

you had a ridiculous amount of people tagging you in something that nathan, the triplets friend, posted.

you didn’t get the opportunity to speak to the boy very much as chris was just too thrilled that his best friend was in LA and wanted him to meet literally everyone. you had spoken briefly with him after running into each other a second time, but that conversation was cut short.

you weren’t too upset about it, but you definitely wished you could’ve spoken more than just a few words with him.

you smiled at the post of you and nate that was no doubt taken by either chris or larray. you had an idea that if nick or matt took the photo, it definitely would have come out a little better.

your curiosity got the better of you, your thumb clicking the comments before you had the chance to stop yourself.

(if you aren’t white, i apologize. i’m not white either but it’s so much easier to find pics)

ynswife omg! they met ?!

sturniolosbae nathan knows yn? @/nicolassturniolo wtf?

>>> nicholassturniolo what’d i do?

mattswifey cool?? did he just call the yn ln cool? oh he’s def in love

>>> christophersturniolo 🤫

>>> nathandoe8 seriously?

matthew.sturniolo i’m cooler tho, right?

>>> nathandoe8 idk bro. she’s pretty cool

>>> matthew.sturniolo pretty or cool? 🙄🤨

ynslovely lmaoooo not them exposing him 😭

you hummed thoughtfully. quickly commenting a simple white heart under the post before exiting the app completely.

just as you were about to get lost in the dangerous world of your mind, a text message from nick startled you.

nicolas 🤓:

nate wants your number

huh?

nathan wants your number. are you hung over or can you just not read?

no need to be rude 😔

i was just confused.

why are you telling me?

it’s called ✨consent✨

do you just want me going around giving your personal information to anyone that asks?

id appreciate it if you didn’t 😘

but nathan’s your friend and i trust that you trust him, yk?

i don’t 😐

but if that means you’re ok with me giving him your number then ok.

okay :)

does that mean you’re ok with me giving him your number?

yes, nick.

while through text you could pretend you weren’t completely freaking out, on the outside, you were completely freaking out.

nathan was gorgeous, that much was obvious. so what the hell did he want your number for?

you weren’t given much time to respond to your own question before an unknown number messaged you.

hey, it’s nate

nick gave me your number. but i’m sure you know that already cause he refused to text me back until he got your approval.

lmao 😭

hi, nathan

hi :)

a word so simple, yet your heart fluttered as you imagined what it would sound like coming from his mouth.

im in LA for a few more days…

do you maybe wanna hang out before i go?

sure

just us, right?

if that’s okay with you?

i didn’t wanna sound weird 💀

it’s perfectly okay with me. what’d you wanna do?

i’m okay with anything

an indecisive person meeting another indecisive person

i’m from boston 😭 idk whats around here.

jesus, nate 🤦‍♀️

i’m sorry 😔✌️

it’s completely up to you. i’m willing to do whatever crosses your mind.

really? okay then…

we’ll go ✨thrifting✨

from the triplets couch, nate’s head fell back when chris read over his shoulder and gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder.

“good luck, bro. the thrifting world is crazy.”

#chris sturniolo fluff #chris sturniolo imagine #chris sturniolo x reader #matt sturniolo fluff #matt sturniolo imagine #matt sturniolo x reader #sturniolo triplets #nick sturniolo #chris sturniolo #matt sturniolo #nathan doe x reader #nathan doe #nate doe #nate doe x reader

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clerc16 · 3 months

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gorgeous lies

summary: is it a gorgeous lie, or is it just a dreadful truth?

pairing: charles leclerc x fem!reader

warnings: a little angst, open ending i guess? cursing, mentions of a rocky relationship

Normally, you didn’t think about the concept of soulmates. It didn’t cross your mind. Until you met Charles; and that changed your whole perspective.

He was always there with you, for you; and you were always there for him. That’s just the way it was.

Relaxing days off were a necessity in your relationship. Calm days spent tangled between white, crisp bedsheets while small, sweet nothings were whispered and short stories were shared. Both of your lives seemed to stop once these days occurred - you were only thinking about each other while the world went on with their lives.

Honesty was very important, too. Both of your promises and words were always fulfilled. It was like an unspeakable vow; it was never really officiated but it was known.

Well, that’s what you thought anyway.

That’s what you thought, until the day you mistook Charles’ phone for yours. You tried unlocking it, but you realised that the Face ID didn’t recognise your face until it was too late.

“mate just tell her u should take a break. it’s better than to lead her on when u don’t even portray ur real feelings” read the text message. You didn’t even know who it was from - maybe Pierre, maybe Joris, maybe Arthur or Lorenzo - and frankly, you didn’t care.

You left as soon as you could. No explanation, no reasoning.

“my love, is everything ok? i’m here if u need me” Charles’ text said. You read it over so many times you memorised it. The fact he easily called you my love when he was unsure of his feelings. The way he easily made you believe him even when he didn’t believe himself.

The way you were so unbelievably attracted to him, like two opposite ends of a magnet, and all that just shattered.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, hours turned into days. And Charles’ phone never got a notification that you responded.

Naturally, he came over to your house after two very long days. When you saw him on your doorstep, you wanted to slam the door in his face. But you didn’t. Instead, you ‘invite’ him in.

“Are you here to lie to me again?” You stammer. His eyebrows furrow as his eyes look deep into yours.

“What?”

“Or are you here to tell me we should take a break?” You continue. His face contorts as he finally understands what you’re referring to.

“My love, it wasn’t what it looked like-” he begins, but you cut him off as you laugh.

“Don’t my love me right now. I’m not stupid. I’m not a child. Just... get it over with, Charles. Please, just go.” You respond, your voice cracking.

Hearing the evident pain in your voice as it cracked caused his heart to crack, too.

And without another word, he was gone. Forever? Possibly.

Days dragged on like years. Days were spent crying; out of sadness, out of guilt, out of regret. They blended into one another but each one of them stuck out, sharp as a pin.

The one day that stood out the most, though, was the final day of a devastating week. Friday.

A knock on your door caused you to groan as you forced yourself off the couch.

“Is this Ms... L/N?” The man at the door asked. You hummed shortly.

“I have a delivery for you,” he says with a small smile as he places a huge bouquet of your favourite flower on your front door. You thank him as you drag it inside.

You weren’t stupid. You knew it was Charles.

Attached to the flowers was a note. You sighed as you opened it and began reading.

“Y/N,

I promise, none of this was a lie. Well, maybe some of it. But none of it was negative, I swear. It may seem like it was all a lie, but it wasn’t. Everytime I called you my love or told you I love you wasn’t a lie. None of it was. Please give me a chance to explain. I owe you an explanation, please let me do it.

I love you, I swear.

- Charles.”

You sigh once more as you fold up the note, the decision already clear in your mind.

thank you for reading! i hope this was worth it, please don’t be a ghost reader :)

#charles leclerc #f1 #charles leclerc x reader #scuderia ferrari #f1 x reader #f1 x you #charles leclerc imagine #formula 1 #charles leclerc x you #fanfics

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the-s1lly-corner · 5 months

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may we please request gn porcelain doll!reader whos on the verge of abstraction (but has zero idea how to stop it and is afraid to admit it) x jax and maybe pomni (separate) ? ot I love how canon your writing is !! have an amazing day/night :3

Jax and Pomni x porcelain doll!reader whos abstracting !

cracks my knuckles. a TADC angst request? dont mind if i do eheheheh! and ueueueueu thank you anon! i gotta admit im really self conscious about writing characters, doesnt matter how long ive been writing them i always feel that i could do better with their characterization... but im so so happy to know that theyre not too OOC!! that means a lot!! got a little too silly on jaxs part so its longer than pomnis i hope thats okay!!

POMNI:

gosh imagine this is the first time shes seen someone actively abstract... like yeah sure shes seen kaufmo in his abstracted form, but seeing the aftermath/complete transformation is totally different than being there in the moment. i think she would.. be all over the place. i mean youre at your worst and you dont even understand whats going on... and pomni doesnt know what to do or what she can do to ground you. can you even be grounded back to the present moment? can you even back up and regain yourself? is that something someone can do? i think her panic makes you panic, which ends up making your.. situation worse.. i think pomni would try to keep you together as best as she can; physically and mentally. i got the image of the readers face cracking open and the abstraction stuff peeking out and pomni just... trying to push the pieces back together... its a horrible situation, and before long you're fully abstracted and pomni just stands there. im not even sure if she would have the mind to run away, probably too caught up in trying to bring you back to her.. i think sometimes she would stop in front of your old bedroom door and just. stare at the brand new red X over your portrait

JAX:

unlike pomni, i think he can more easily catch the signs of someone abstracting, though i dont think hes seen someone actually lose themselves right in front of him and transform right there... hmm... but unless you and him are very close i dont think he would bother trying to check in on you. i mean, if youre not, why would he? but... lets say youre both friends, or even partners, and he notices that youve been acting off.. i think it would still take him a little longer than id like to admit for him to actually come to your room to check in on you. perhaps he wants to give you space, or feels youre just going through something and thats your business, or maybe he didnt feel obligated to ask how youre doing as horrible as it sounds (i feel this is more likely if you guys are just friends, though, perhaps not close but still friendly with one another).. gets tipped off that something is wrong when he sees a stray (and glitching) piece of porcelain on the ground... which turns into two pieces, then three. a trail, leading right to your breaking form. i think at first he would think its some joke, before realizing that this is actually happening. unfortunately, i dont think jax is the best comforter so even in your last moments of being conscious and aware would still be spent in fear and confusion.. but at least theres an attempt to try to help you, right? i think jax would actually try to call for help, at least he might be able to admit hes unqualified to help you.. but regardless of if anyone hears him its too late for you.. i like to think he keeps some of your porcelain shards, on the off chance theyre still hanging around even after youre sent to the cellar

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #jax x reader #jax x you #jax imagine #pomni x reader #pomni x you #pomni imagine

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1989stanz · 4 months

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Nash proposing to Libby

Hey, guess what? I wrote another fic. Why? Because I have no job.

Disclaimer:

Mentions of Nash Hawthorne, Libby Grambs and Alisa Ortega. Minor cursing.

English is not my first language. I'm sorry if there's any mistakes.

Word count: 9K (IT'S LIKE THE SHORTEST I CAN, OK?!)

While growing up, all Nash craved and dreamed of—whole heartily, soul consuming and passionately— was his grandfather approval. He just wanted to know that he did enough, that he was enough. All the old man lessons he kept in mind, so he would not make any mistakes the next time. Be perfect. Better. Stronger. That's what Tobias always praised. But it didn't take long for him to discover who his grandfather, the man he admired, was. And after that, how could he learn about what being extraordinary really meant from a man who was worse than the devil? The respect slowly started to go away, giving room for the need to stay away from. From his money. His house. His horrific lessons that Nash memorized, who seemed to age like milk in his brain, leaving the dreadful spoiled smell behind. Eventually, he just put in his head that his lectures were full of bullshit that he did not need. But he knew, deep in his soul and heart, that he would never forget one, no matter how much time passed by. It just didn't go away.

5 years later

Nash was 22 years old, and he just came home from a long trip around the country. He tried working at different jobs, since he wouldn't use his grandfather money to keep him alive and under a roof. Tried being a mechanic, because he understood a lot of cars and motorcycles. Chef, since he knew a thing or two about cooking. Worked at Target for a long period, for the reason that he simply liked his costumers. Makeup artist, 'cause why not? At the time, he found it more enthusiastic to work as a bartender, serving all kind of drinks and listening to people's stories. However, he usually had a hard time trying to get a job, since he even refused to use his real last name and had to use a fake ID. Fortunately, he knew how to convince someone that his name really was Nash Ortega. Maybe he could change after his marriage with Alisa. Sure, she was having a bad time accepting the fact that he wanted her to move on from his grandfather and get others clients, but she probably would give in. She loved Nash and already said that she wanted to have a life with him, so there was a high chance that they would make it through. Of course they would. Just because it was a minor argument, that didn't mean they wouldn't work out as a marriage couple. They would, and Nash was more than pleased to state that he couldn't wait any longer to runaway from the billionaire with the love of his life, Alisa. The woman he could only think 24/7. The one he always saw first in the mornings. The one and only he thought about having a family with. His heart pounded faster and harder just at the thought of his new life with his incredible wife. In fact, it beat so fast that it was the only thing he could hear at the quiet tree house. He took a moment to analyze it better. The Hawthornes were know for being magnificent when it came to luxury, always having really expensive and glorious things. Their own house and the others old man's properties were an example of it. But the tree house was out of curve, without anything really rich and embellished. It was like a normal tree house, the magic was on the memories. That's when Nash heard footsteps behind him, too fragile and languidness to belong to any of his brothers. Without turning around, he felt a light but firm hand on his shoulder. “It's beautiful, isn't it?”, the old man asked, and Nash couldn't keep himself from feeling a really pure disgusting feeling of his grandfather. Of everything that he had done. Yet, the Nash that once saw him as a father felt love. “It could be yours, all yours, if you choose to stay with Alisa.” His grandson threw his head back, laughing really hard. “Trying to manipulate me again, Tobias?”, he emphasized his name. No “grandfather” or “old man” for him today. The devil stood still, not appearing offended by his word or apologizing to his grandson. But the secret was that he would never say sorry to any of them—ever. He would die before it. “You're consistent, Nash,” he replied. “Resisting even when I offer you everything. That's what I love about you.” Nash snorted, “We both know that it isn't going to be me.” Tobias looked at Nash's eyes, his expression never giving a hint about his thoughts.

“Maybe you really aren't. But who cares? You decided years and years ago that you hated everything that was related to me, and you've been running away from me since them. And you have the audacity to say in front of my face that I'm manipulating you!”. The old man smiled, amused. “You took a decision years ago and stood with it, without any hesitation.”, he looked at Nash. “That's what you should do if you want to help people. I know you don't want my money, but don't hesitate, Nash. Never hesitate when making decisions to save someone. Be consistent, hard to deal with hesitation.”, he looked away. “If you don't be, the consequences can destroy you completely.” Nash felt like the old man was talking about his own experiences in life, but he didn't give a damn at the time. Or at least pretended to. He wasn't really good at pretending, if everything always came back to haunt him.

——————————————————————————

Looking at the ring he just bought to Libby, this memory came back. Nash wasn't made for hesitation. He always thought about the right decision to make, and he stood with his decision no matter what. It was hard to change his mind. When he broke free from the old man, he was confident about it. When it came to his brothers, he was sure about every single decision. Even when he proposed to Alisa, he was more than certain about it. Of course, he was ignorant enough to think that Alisa would give up on the old man. She didn't, and it was terrifying to think about the things that Tobias did. The things he took away from Nash. But this time he wasn't there, which meant that he couldn't take Libby away. He was hers and this would never change. He was sure about everything that was about her, so why he got so nervous and insecure just by looking at the ring? Probably because he didn't know if she wanted it too. Libby loved Nash, but what if it was too early to take this step? What if it was the wrong kind of ring? What if the place wasn't adequate? And the most horrendous question: what if she wanted it, but not with him? There were so many doubts, and he didn't like to be so. . . Scared. That's it, Libby managed to get him scared. And unsure. But that's what he would find in a marriage life. Sometimes, being married isn't a straight road, and it's definitely not easy and secure. It was more like being in a road full of multiple turns and confused, mysterious and even scary streets. But once the streets are crossed, the rest is lovely. Not easy, but worth it. And Nash was ready for it.

Libby spent her entire life in Connecticut, and now that she had money and a food truck business, she wanted to travel to places that once were only part of an unreachable dream. Like Paris. Nash had the idea, and he planned everything for the two of them: booked a hotel, searched for restaurants that made her favorite foods, localized the most famous places that sold flowers—just in case— and he had every single day planned. Well, at least the second day had to strictly follow the plan.

They arrived late at night in Paris, Nash still feeling terrible from the flight, ate dinner and slept. Nash woke up at 5:00 am, anxiety not letting him sleep for long, and they left at 7:00 am.

The Eiffel Tower. Notre Dame. Palais Garnier. Louvre Museum. Champs-Élysées. Nash took her to visit all these places, loving to see the admiration in her face. He has been to Paris before, therefore there wasn't anything he hasn't seen—at least at the most famous locations. Even though he did not like expensive places, he really wanted to give this experience to Libby before proposing. And by the end of the day, they were exhausted. It was impossible to feel his toes, but he had to ask the important question to her. They were standing on a cliff, staring at the Eiffel Tower—which was pretty, he had to admit. “Nash, why did you randomly take me to Paris?” Libby asked, and he froze, unable to even look at her. But she glanced at him. “I know you would eventually take me to travel, but why right now?”

He gathered himself, his heart pounding fast. “I love you, Libby. You deserve to have a day like this one every day for the rest of your life”, he picked her chin, looking in her eyes. “But I brought you here today because I wanted to ask you something.” He dropped her chin, searching for the ring on his pocket. “You saved me in so many ways, Libby. You fixed what I thought could never be fixed. You loved me for what I am, and I want to be with you until I die. So,” he picked the box, “I really want to know.” Opening it carefully, he revealed the ring. If he wasn't shaking, sweating and so god-damn nervous, he would've noticed Libby's shy smile and her hands shaking. She was blushing, like him. Kneeling, he asked, “Lib, will you marry me?” Her smile grew more and more, happiness dominating her completely. She shook her head and said out loud, “Yes, Nash. I'll marry you. I love you so much.” Lib managed to say the last part with a quavering voice, tears falling down her cheeks. He got up from the ground, and she hugged him really tight, both with bright smiles. Nash kissed her like his life depended on it, like he was made for it and for nothing else, a soft and lovely kiss. His lips held an unspoken promise: “I will fight for you, love you, and always choose you. I'm yours, and I'll do everything I can to make you happy.” And they stood there, kissing, with happy tears in their eyes.

#the inheritance games #the hawthorne legacy #the final gambit #nash hawthorne #grayson hawthorne #jameson hawthorne #xander hawthorne #the brothers hawthorne #fanfic #fanfiction #fiction #best seller books #books and reading

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puffins-studio · 8 months

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Jason Grace ⚡️

I think the reason am so excited now for the Percy Jack and the Chalice of the gods, is I think it seems like it a chance to experience Percy Jackson in the moment. I been in the fandom for a bit, even tho it seems like it just me in my little corner when the books come out. But I got into them when the Apollo trials were being released. And this is the first time for me me a book is going to come out that has Percy as a main character. So my brain is just making it randomly special. Last minute I decided I wanted to post something, and I have the 7 made plus two mystery people, so I decided to post one of them and I thought what better why to celebrate then with a joke. As aren’t you wondering ’where’s percy?’

I do love Jason, he deserved to have lived. It why he lives in my headcannons

Hazel

Percy & Annabeth

Nico & Will (tsats spoilers)

Leo

Many Jason headcannons below as I love headcannons and love sharing them.

[ID: The picture is a felt doll that is the shape of a gingerbread men with a big circle head he is Jason Grace from Percy Jackson. He have light skin felt, blond short hair, Gold rim glass, and a little scar where a mouth would’ve be. He have on a yellow shirt, tan jacket, that have a purple, orange, and yellow bead for pins. He in light blue jeans that are cuffed, and a chain hanging on his right side. He in black converse like shoes. He have a bracelet on this right that is a braid of purple,blue, and black. And another that is an asexual color one, black,grey,white,purple. He have a camp half blood necklace with a purple and a yellow bead. And he have a white round bead that is supposed to be a stand in for a moon theme necklace.:ID]

Jason headcannons

Surviving

Either Hera was watching and was mad that Zeus’s punishment for Apollo would get her champion killed and give Apollo some of his healing powers or saved Jason from the killing blow. Kinda to also show the gods can be cruel but also kind. Or Artemis save him as she save Apollo and Jason is also like a brother as Thalia convince her. It also as he had plans to build the temples so maybe one of the minor god healed him as he maybe for Storm to fall, Jason just need to let go and fall a get high. Lol like god level trust fall.

Pants

Jason had a hard time trying to find pants that would fit and when he finally found pant that fit his waist they were too long in the leg. He was going to hem them but he keep forgetting so he just cuff them and Will sees and ask Nico about it and Nico is like should I tell him- no this is funny. And it just Jason doing a ton of bi things without knowing

the chain, Nico and Jason do activities together as they both have memories parts, and Nico take it upon himself as a favor for Thaila, to show him the way of being a punk. Just imagine the first day of this, Nico just clip the chain to his pants and he just “look at you, already looking the part” and the black shoes are a part of this. Thinking he may try to paint lights bolts on them or something.

Jacket

power wise with Jason’s flight a aviator jacket is better for him when flighting but he doesn’t want to copy Nico’s look in case it upset him (it won’t, Nico would just tease him about it) but so he gets this coat and Nico end up teasing him as it an old man jacket and Jason tease back saying if course Nico knows this as he is an old man. (When trying to find a reference picture i didn’t know what this jacket was calls and so typed old man jackets and it popped up

Pins I kinda can’t remember as I forgot to note it down, but I think it the two camps, and some random lighting pin Nico, or Leo found, or they can just be pins the 7 found that made them think of Jason so he have something that reminds him that he is someone.

Bracelets

Going with Nico’s adventure with the Apollo bracelet making. He makes Jason and Percy matching bug 3 bl as they always joke they are brothers and just Nico leaving them in their cabins as he doesn’t want to make a scene, but Jason and Percy find one of them in cabin 1 when Percy was hanging out together and they are like wait and run to cabin 3 to find Percy’s and they put them on and go run over to find Nico and they make a big fus about Nico does love them and Nico is like no thr purl for heazl, black is for him and he likes the color blue but they just ruffles his hair.

And he have a ace bracelet from Nico too. He the first to get a pride bracelet from Nico and he help Nico put on his as he helped him get to this place where he could be proud so Nico wanted him to tie it as like a sign of trust.

Asexual

I feel like a headcannon a lot of Percy Jackson characters as ace but we deserve it. As also like sex repulsedace son of Jupiter/ Zeus kinda funny in my book. Like Dad is basically known for hooking up and Jason is like nope. Him and Nico being two confused aces together as like Nico trying to explain it to him and Jason like isn’t that how everyone feels? And once Nico knows what he feeling has a name, he runs to Jason to tell him too.

I headcannon Artemis lets any gender join the hunter they just have to sworn off sex and be loyal to her (if you like that took then look up the myth of hippolytus by Overly Sarcastic Productions. I love that channel too!). And each time the hunters visit campus they ask if anyone want to join. One time when they come around when Nico and Will got together, before Nico tells Thalia about them, she ask if he wants to join as she thought he still didn’t feel like he has a place and he like no I think if found a place with the help of Will, Jason, and everyone here. and then she also asked Jason if he want to join them. and he thought about it for a moment and realized he already been through a lot, does he really want an immoral life of it, and what sold him on not joining is he happens to looked over to where Nico was watching him and he saw Nico’s worry eyes, a look basically pleading him not to go. And that night Jason and Nico have a sleepover in the hades cabin, with Nico may or may not having saying that he wants Jason to be his brother and he will be his brother in return.

The necklace is also like a thing for Artemis/Diana (for if she the one who save him), the hunt/his sister, and ace pride. I feel in his look for his identity, finally realizing one part of himself that makes him him, he would just be happy about it, and full embrace it.

Random

Him and Percy dare each other to do stupid things like when Jason meet a new camp just hit himself with lightning and act as if nothing happens

Am going to add another headcannon here as I like it and I need it.

Being hit in the head

Jason with actual brain damage from all his concussion . I want him with a TBI, him having memory problems, having a harder time spelling and reading. As someone with a TBI I want a character with a brain injury that isn’t a vegetable, who just get angered every 10 minutes or just walks it off. Him talking with Will/Chiron about concussions and stuff and him being a bit worried about hitting his head again, him and Nico talking about memory issues. Give him a bit of a speech impediment or sensitive to lights and sounds. Jason and Nico hanging out in the dark hades cabin when they have migraine days. Jason asking Will for help for a talk to the camp about being cautious about any type of brain injury. As the brain is important and weird and it can behave differently for everyone, and healing magic can’t heal it completely, so they need to be careful.

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specialagentlokitty · 1 year

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Farah x reader - I need you here

Staring at the woman from across the courtyard, you sighed as you watched her look at you and then turn away.

You didn’t know what to do, you didn’t understand what you had done to make Farah so angry with you, but it had been days since you had last spoke with her.

Nothing made sense, and you didn’t know what to do, so you simply didn’t do anything.

Maybe that’s what made her so angry.

The fact that you weren’t doing anything, because what could you do?

“Are you ready for a check up?”

You glanced at Professor Harvey and shook your head at him.

“There’s no point anymore Ben..” you whispered.

“(Y/N) there is. We’ve still got at least another week until the infection fully spreads.”

“Exactly, and what’s the point? It’s already been a week, my brother has been out there for a week searching and still isn’t any closer to finding the burned one and killing it.”

“He’s getting there, you know Saul, you know he won’t give up so easily.”

You looked at your friend.

“And I am not my brother Ben.”

With that, you walked away back to your room and you looked at yourself in the mirror.

The whites of your eyes were black, and your eyes held a soft blue tint to them and you sighed as you lifted your shirt to look at the wound.

It wasn’t getting any better and you knew that.

You held hope that you brother would find it, of course you did. Saul was amazing at what he did, but you were running out of time and they were still no closer than they were when they first started.

Maybe that’s why she was mad at you.

Because you weren’t fighting to survive anymore, you had just given up because in truth the chances of them finding the creature now was slim to none.

You knew that, Saul knew that, Ben knew that. She knew that. Yet, they all refused to believe it.

You didn’t want to die, because in truth nobody really wanted to die.

You were scared, and right now you had never felt more alone.

Sitting on your bed, you waited until the darkness fell over Solaria and you left your room, making your way outside as you shivered a little at the cold air.

Running your hands up and down your arms, you walked to the training grounds and stepped up on one of the platforms and sat down, staring up at the dark sky, looking at the stars.

It was peaceful.

It made you feel less alone because you knew there would be someone, somewhere looking at the stars too, so it didn’t feel so lonely.

You heard your phone ringing and you looked at the caller ID but you never picked up, you let it ring to voicemail and you watched as the screen lit up with a new voicemail and text message.

But you didn’t bother to read or look at them.

“You’ll catch a cold sitting out here (Y/N).”

You looked to the side, and you smiled softly.

“Shouldn’t you be attending a party Sky?”

“Silva messaged me to check up on you.”

You hummed, nodding your head.

“I take it he’s the reason my phones just gone off?”

Sky sat next to you.

“Yeah, that was him. He told me to tell you to call him back. How’re you feeling?”

“I’m okay Sky, don’t worry.”

You smiled softly at the boy you saw as your nephew, you had helped Saul raise him, you had watched him grow.

“I’m proud of you Sky. You know that right?” You asked.

“Yeah.” He smiled.

He sighed and looked at you.

“You’re going to be okay, right? You’ll get better?” Sky asked.

“I’ll get better sky.”

You lied through your teeth, you didn’t want him to worry about you, it was the last thing you wanted.

“Go. Enjoy your party.”

“I’m more than happy to stay.”

“It’s alright, I’d just like to sit alone.”

He frowned and stood up, looking down at you.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I promise I am.”

Sky nodded and walked away, and you watched him leave before you sighed to yourself, laying down on your back to look up at the stars.

“And the truth?”

You slowly sat back up, turning around a little bit.

“Farah?”

She stepped forward and draped a blanket around your shoulders, then sat herself down next to you as she tilted her head back.

“How are you really feeling?” She asked.

You laid back down.

“I’m okay.”

“No you’re not..” she whispered.

She sighed, shuffled over she sat above your head and looked down at you, placing her hands on the side of your face.

“You’re not okay love..” she whispered.

“In truth, I’m scared… I’m scared and alone..”

Farah frowned a little.

“You’re not alone (Y/N).”

You slowly sat up and pushed yourself from the platform in order to stand up and you looked at her.

“Aren’t I? You’ve been ignoring me for days Farah. I need you by my side and you’re not here.”

Farah sighed, shuffling over she sat on the edge of the platform.

“I’m sorry (Y/N), I really am. I just.. I’ve been trying to help them find the burned one..” she said quietly.

You shook your head a little bit.

“Farah it’s been a week. I don’t think they’re finding it, and you know this.”

“I’m not giving up! Okay? I’m not giving up hope that we’re going to find it and kill it.”

You walked over, taking her hands in hers as you gently squeezed them.

“Farah please.. we know it’s long gone.. you know this.”

“I need to keep looking.”

“And I need you by my side. I need you here with me Farah.”

You leant down, pressing your forehead against hers as you sighed softly.

“I don’t need you in there looking for it.. I need you here with me.. I need you by my side..”

“I’m sorry..”

Farah shuffled back and you sat in front of her, letting her wrap her arms around your waist as you rested your head on her shoulder.

You both just sat there in silence for a few moments.

“I can’t imagine a world without you in it (Y/N). I don’t want to, so I need you to keep on fighting for me, just a little bit longer.”

You looked up at her.

“Right now.. I just want to look at the stars.”

Farah smiled, kissing your temple as she nodded her head.

“We’ll do that then.”

She took the blanket from your shoulders and laid it down, and you laid your back against it, and she did the same.

Her hand reached out, gently takings yours and you both looked at one another as you smiled softly at her.

“I wish we could go back to the night we met.” You said softly.

“The night you pushed me into the river? Why’s that?”

You laughed softly, and you looked at her, running your finger along the ring on her finger.

“Because that’s the night I decided I was going to marry you of course. I was gonna make you my wife someday.”

“We’d just met, how could have possibly known we’d get married?”

You grinned a little at her.

“Because if I remember right, you were the one to kiss me first that night, and as you said Farah Dowling, we had just met.”

Farah smiled and she laughed as she looked away from you.

“You told me to kiss you.”

“You didn’t have to kiss me.”

You both laughed and she turned her head to look at you and you shuffled closer, brushing your nose against hers.

“I don’t want to go Farah..” you whispered.

“You’re not going anywhere I promise..”

You nodded your head and softly kissed her, and she kissed you back, not caring if you two were caught.

She needed to feel your lips on hers, she needed to pour every ounce of love she had for you into the kiss so you knew how much you loved her.

She slowly pulled away, and kissed your forehead.

“I promise you I’ll fix this..”

You nodded and moved closer to her, resting your head on her chest as you listened to her heartbeat.

Farah wrapped her arm around you, pulling the half of the blanket you were laid on around you.

“I love you Farah.”

She smiled.

“I love you too (Y/N).”

You smiled to yourself and closed your eyes, drifting to sleep to the sound of her heartbeat.

Farah used her magic every so often to read your emotions and what you were feeling, and when you fell asleep she used to it to fill your dreams with happy memories.

She eventually asked Ben to help take you to your room and she looked at you and sat next to you, holding your hand in hers.

“Are they close?” He asked.

“I don’t know, they’ve found one but they don’t know if it’s the right one.” Farah whispered.

Ben nodded his head.

“I just keep asking myself what am I supposed to do?”

Ben smiled a little.

“Just sit there, (Y/N) needs you.”

With that he left and Farah set her shoes and jacket aside and climbed over you to lay behind you, draping her arm around your waist and rested her head above yours.

She closed here eyes, and smiled when she felt you placed your hand over hers

#fate the winx saga x you #fate the winx saga x reader #fate the winx saga imagine #fate the winx saga #farah dowling imagine #farah dowling x reader #farah dowling #farah dowling x you

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popcorn-kitten · 3 months

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Dates don't always go the way you plan, and sometimes they do!

Fandom: FNAF SB Rating: General Pairing: readerxSun warnings: None Summary: Sun is supposed to have a date with you tonight. Your first date! For the third time! The anxiety that had him canceling the previously scheduled dates rears its head again and threatens to ruin this one too, but you're not content with letting this chance slip by again.

read on ao3

Sun held his phone in his shaking hand, thumb hovering over your name. His internal conflict was making him nauseous. He couldn’t imagine canceling on you again. If he did, would you ever give him another chance? This’d be the third time. He wouldn’t have given anyone a chance after the first so why should you give him a fourth?

If he didn’t go tonight that would be it. You’d never talk to him again. You’d hate him. You’d leave and find someone else and marry them and maybe you should. You deserved someone better than him, someone who wasn’t so scared of embarrassing himself that he’d cancel multiple dates.

Sun’s heart hammered in his chest and when he met his eye in the mirror, he almost vomited. He looked a mess. His hair was still wild and untamed, he was pale, sweating through the white shirt he’d picked out, an-

“Mr. Sun!”

The daycare attendant jumped and spun quickly to see the little boy in the doorway.

“You asked me ta tell you when-when moms and dads got here and they’re here so I came to get you like you asked!” The child’s enthusiasm was almost irritating to Sun. Couldn’t this kid see he was having a crisis?! Still, work was work and he’d spent more time than he should have in the bathroom already. Left the kids unattended for too long. His anxiety instantly shifted to all the possible injuries or messes made in his absence.

Sun launched himself out of the bathroom to check on the kids & distribute them back to their parents without any more cause for incident.

As the final parent left, with a snide comment about his chosen date outfit (he knew it was a bad idea, he knew it looked awful. Stupid stupid stupid!), ending pick up after an eternity and simultaneously far too quickly. Sun still hadn’t texted you. He still wasn’t ready to go. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing you.

Sun jumped when his phone buzzed in his pocket. His hands dropped from his mouth – he didn’t notice he’d started biting his fingers, a bad bad habit he needed to work on – and checked the notification. He yelped when your name came up on the caller ID.

A million thoughts swarmed Sun’s mind – you were canceling (a relief followed by panic and deep-seated grief) you were at the restaurant and wanted to know when he was coming (he wasn’t. he couldn’t wait to see you), you’d realized what a waste of time pursuing him was and were ending it before he could disappoint you further (devastating but understandable).

Sun answered and flinched at the shake and pathetic sound of his greeting.

“Hey Sunny, come open the door, my hands are full.” Your voice was like a refreshing glass of cool water after days in the driest desert. His shoulders instantly relaxed and the shaking almost fully subsided.

“Y-yeah! OK yeah coming!” Sun’s legs began carrying him in a random direction before he paused, uncertain where he was supposed to be going.

“Uh…wh-what door?” He was so ready to do anything you asked he hadn’t even considered what your request was referring to.

Your laugh, warm and inviting, flowed through the speaker. “The daycare door, goofus! Come let me in, see you in a sec.” The call ended and Sun remained frozen for a moment to process.

The Daycare doors? Here? You were HERE?!

Sun scrambled, dropping his phone in the process to get to the door as quickly as he could. Why were you here? Did he forget you were supposed to meet here? Did you say you would be picking him up? Did he forget he said he’d drive?

Sun flung open one of the large wooden doors, leaning his body out of the frame with a torrent of questions.

His mouth snapped shut.

All the concerns and confusion dying on his tongue when his eyes found yours. The tension in his shoulders melted away with your warm smile. One he couldn’t help but return.

Sun stood a little straighter to take you in. His face burned as his mind and eyes fully comprehended what was before him. There you stood. Kind, caring, beautiful, wonderful, patient you. You, with a bouquet of yellow daises and scarlet roses in one hand, a picnic basket in the other.

“I hope this isn’t too weird, but I uh…I guess I figured you might be canceling because you’re uncomfortable with going out? So, I thought maybe a date here would take some of the pressure off.” You’d started out confident but felt your own face flushing as you registered the shocked expression of the tall man before you. He was dressed in a white shirt and clean pants. He was going to come see you tonight! That realization soothed some of your own internal anxieties about misreading the situation between you both.

Sun’s eyes lingered over every part of you as his face heated quickly, body going rigid. You were clearly dressed for the date; your outfit was like nothing he’d seen you in before. Your silhouette was breathtaking and the colors seemed to reflect in your eyes in a way Sun had never gotten to experience before. His fingers twitched with a barely contained desire to reach out and feel the fabric that was lucky enough to be draped across your body.

Time seemed to drag by as you awaited Sun’s response. The continued silence had you shuffling awkwardly and the thought that he’d been canceling because he didn’t actually want to go out with you was returning with vengeance. Maybe he’d felt bad saying no? Maybe he thought it was kinder to cancel than outright reject you? Maybe you were really just super wrong about what you thought he felt.

“O-or maybe this was a dumb idea.” You forced a small laugh out. “S-sorry Sun I should have taken the hint the first time yo-“

“Come in!” Sun’s shout cut you off and caused you to jump slightly. There's a heavy tinge of panic in his voice as he stepped back into the daycare to make room for you to enter. “Please, please come in, Sunflower. Sorry, I was just…surprised to see you.” Sun’s arm shook as he held it out in a welcoming gesture.

You looked between his face and arm with a small frown. “Sun really it’s ok I’m sorry I shouldn’t have-“

“No no no! Please! Please stay!” Sun looked almost frantic – fearful. “Please don’t leave.”

It was how quietly he spoke that last part that bolstered some of your confidence back up. You took a breath of your own and entered the brightly lit play area. As you passed Sun his expression relaxed into his usual smile and the tension seemed to evaporate.

“So so so so sweet of you to come! I-I’m sorry I canceled before I…I’m happy you decided to come here.” Sun’s sincerity was palpable, his large hand resting just below your shoulder blades as he walked beside you into the daycare. “And with gifts too! Wow…wowie I’m…thank you, Sunshine.” Sun sounded sheepish as he glanced away from you and bit his lip. Cute.

You suppressed the shiver that threatened to roll through you at the sensation of his warm palm and long fingers – that when spread almost reached passed your mid-back. Unconsciously you leaned in closer to Sun as you walked towards the security desk. You glanced up at Sun who wore a large smile – his face coated in a deep red flush. You grinned at him in turn and moved to face him, holding the bouquet out to him.

“For you, good sir!”

Sun gently took the flowers from your hands and brought them to his face. He closed his eyes as he took a – almost comedically – deep inhale of the blooms, followed by a loud sneeze.

You couldn’t help the laugh that his surprised expression pulled from you and when he lowered the flowers from his face the sheepish grin turned almost dopey when your eyes met.

“I want to marry you.” Sun’s voice was dreamy as he spoke the wish aloud. It only took a moment for him seemingly realize what he’d said. Sun began to sputter out apologies, trying to take it back, but not really, but wow that was inappropriate, and haha oh god.

“Sun, breath.” Your command was kind as you took one of his hands in yours and gave it a squeeze, shutting him up instantly.

You continued, not wanting him to rile himself up again, “I think I’ve known you long enough that you don’t have to apologize for yourself anymore. I know you can get intense, it’s one of the things I like about you. You’ve got a lot of feelings and aren’t afraid to experience them. I don’t want you feeling like you have to explain every little thing you say you’re embarrassed about. I want you to feel safe with me.” You pause for a moment to make sure he’s listening.

“Obviously we are not getting married anytime soon. But I think it’s sweet that you’re so sure of it being something you want. I can’t promise right now that I’ll get there but knowing that you’re actually looking for something long-term is…nice. It means you aren’t just trying to mess around. I appreciate that about you. I might have been weirded out if anyone else said that but…I don’t know…it wasn’t anyone else, it was you.” You chuckle at yourself for the actual absurdity of it all.

That was a big ass red flag and here you were happy to invite Sun in regardless. Because somewhere in your gut, your heart, your soul, you knew he wasn’t trying to play with your feelings. He wanted you in his life and you were finding it hard to keep him out of yours

“But no, we aren’t getting married anytime soon, becauuuse, you have some actual dates you need to take me on before we can have a wedding.” You give him a teasing grin and release his hand, turning to open the basket you’d set on the security desk, pulling out the meal and dessert you’d prepped earlier in the day. “How about we have this first one, yeah?”

Sun could have cried if he wasn’t so busy trying to fully accept this wasn’t a dream, his shoulders relaxed and he felt, for the first time in weeks, the anxiety that had been permeating his being left to make space for the warmth and love he had for you.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! I’d love that, Sunshine!” Sun dipped down to press an excited kiss to your cheek pulling another laugh from you as you playfully swatted at him. You smiled, ready for whatever this new experience was going to bring.

#readerxsun #sunxreader #sun/reader #reader/sun #sundrop #fnaf daycare attendant #fnaf sundrop #daycare attendant #stack of fuck shit

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wayfayrr · 11 months

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I can picture wind being a pain in the butt to the school staff while gather kids to cause chaos because of getting bored from sitting in a chair for hours listening to the teacher rant about something and him of course not liking being talked down because of his age and so when he is taken detention he gets in a fight with the teacher which he wins of course and so reader is called to deal with him. Well yeah wind gets to see reader earlier now but reader is looking at him disappointed and tired. Reader gives him a trade offer that if he does good he gets more cuddles and attention from reader everyday and so wind quiets down and behaves more better altho does sleep in some classes because he is bored and so he is dreaming of him and reader having fun in his world with his grandma and sister like a family. In parent conferences I feel like there is a mini fight over who gets to go there help wind with pranks to get wind's side. When it comes to saving money legend sews up the clothes that owns that get ripped tho says it's for saving money but it's really to get close to reader and take some clothes that reader doesn't notice gone but it gets him butting heads with sage as the chain sees his lies but the chains knows he has dirt on them and that they are close. Wars gets thirsty comments from time to time but he always says their is already someone special to him as he talks about them in his videos at times which causes his fans to get the idea he's dating and so they call them lucky but he calls himself lucky. Twilight gets some of the old people from the farmers market to like him as he seems like those good old fellas and which when they see how he has a hand around reader's waist and seem so cuddly towards reader and so they think reader is his partner and when they notice there not married because of the lack of wedding rings, they ask when wedding is coming closing reader's chance to get away altho this does happen with the other open affectionate and possessive links (I'm talking about courage) they don't get as much praise and help to get their point as across other than sky and sage altho sage gets because he is the first and sky is sky. Reader notices how a lot of her stuff that has her scent goes missing but gives the ides its just them trying to find something familiar in this new world but later on reader fully realizes that they have a bunch of yanderes in their house and they want them but maybe they don't fight back because they aren't as strong as the chain even when they don't have magic altho they do have the high ground when running since this world is still new to them but that's the thing they can run but they can't hide and especially when they realize dink is after them too as running is just going to get more people hurt and hiding won't be good for long as the chain was able to get to them from another world, how is another county going to challenge them too harder pluse things are too personal and deep between reader and the links and we aren't going to get started with fierce.

Known as 👾 anon or numberonehere2008

It's great to see you 👾!!! and now I know why you're so good at coming up with ideas, I've seen some of the other blogs you've popped up on and everything is just sooooo good!!!! also the amount of stuff in this ask that's kinda similar to stuff irl is insane

fun fact the way you've described wind going to school is almost a match with my actual younger brother 🙃 (arguably he's even worse than you've described wind) so I am very used to dealing with someone who would rather rip a door off of its hinges than go to school ANSBXKSK but I'd like to think he at least tries for reader as to not upset them or exhaust them. also just promising wind a trip to the sea if it's possible if he gets a decent grade at school you know he'd be at the top of the class in an instant. The chain would most likely all take turns with reader to go for parents evening, but there's also the chance reader simply goes alone making things much more simple.

legend would be stitching up everyone's old clothes, and possibly even taking up embroidery. I can see him getting very upset if he saw that reader already had clothes they'd stitched up themselves however, and there'd be some mixed feelings there for him. what with wanting reader to have better things for themselves and loving the chance to show them how good he is at it. And definitely not getting the chance to mess up sage's clothes. Wars if he ended up live streaming would be pressured to bring reader in front of the camera by his fans but ultimately I think he'd be too selfish to want anyone who doesn't need to see them see them; making his fans ship them even more with how much he "respects their privacy".

also bold of you to assume Sage hasn't already gotten them rings!!! if he got the chance reader wouldn't be able to walk with the amount of jewelry he gives them, and that's not the only way he'd mark his territory, but if reader hadn't gotten a ring it would be a full blown arms race for the chain to get them one. Reader would also be very reluctant to push sage away since I reckon they've already been together for about a year before the chain show up, and are in a very good relationship at that!! so it'd be more likely that the chain push themselves away before driving a wedge in-between reader and sage. If the cursed links were there they'd be the worst for this!!! and they'd be pushing readers limits real quick, not that anything reader sees as bad happens but to them it's like their worlds are ending.

AKSNDN Sky is very much one of my favourites as well, he and sage could have my whole heart within an instant if they asked 💖💖

as for going abroad? the chain could get to reader with magic. if they didn't have that it'd be a lot harder to get them, what with passports and airport security on top of border controls so unless they didn't lose all of their magic then they've got as much of a chance as anyone else. But unless the chain did something very concerning as a yandere or got caught at least I think reader could excuse it as stress or a different culture, I mean they're already writing off a lot of sage's attraction due to that. although it's not impossible for them to realise how deep it goes, it might just take a while for them to see how bad it is.

#fun fact I got this ask on the way to the airport!#I might be a bit slow with answering things the next week cause im going away though 😭#linked universe x reader #yandere linked universe x reader #househusband sage #moss✦answers #👾 anon #numberonehere2008

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enchanted-lightning-aes · 10 months

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Couple of Co-Counselors

[ID: a green badge of a woodsy cabin with text that reads 'Sambucky Summer Camp Bingo, Summer Camp AU, ESTD. 2023 / finish ID]

Title: Couple of Co-Counselors

Square Filled: Summer Camp AU

Warnings: None

Word Count: 982

A/N: a ficlet of Sam and Bucky as camp counselors set in a Modern-ish AU, sksksk. an entry for the @sambuckylibrary Summer Bingo Camp Event.^^

***

Birds cawed and chirped as a fanfare blasted through the air. From a trumpet. Only blocking some portion of chatter as a crowd filled the woods.

Different cabins aligned across from each other, where a wide lake stretched out ahead of them.

Summer camp. A place of how children could join and spend their summer in the wilderness. Whether they did it because they wanted to or not was out of the question.

Bucky breathed in the air, stretching his arms. Flexing the bicep of his prosthesis, pleased at the tiny clink while moving it.

This year had to be. . . Had to be something he hadn't expected. Mostly, because his boss, Nick Fury, assigned him to Brighton cabin. And with someone, who hadn't thought he would get a chance to work with.

On paper, someone like Sam probably wouldn't be so popular. However, he had proven himself to be delightful to be around. Even if Bucky's stomach was in knots of working alongside him. As a partner, co-worker sort of thing.

At first, he had been worked up. Cue him freaking out in the bathroom, trying to get his crap together. Wondering of what to do, what to say, and how to be calm. But then, he had formed a plan or two. It may or may not involve making a move on one Samuel Wilson. A.k.a the camp counselor that Bucky had to be paired off with the entire summer.

This was his third year as camp counselor at Camp Shield. He signed up for it two years ago with Natasha Romanov. He signed up because he wanted to invest in something worth doing. After his time in the army, he couldn't think of anything better than it.

It didn't hurt that he met someone as fun and considerate as Sam. Someone who managed taking Bucky as it and having a blast with him.

Including this meeting with the campers, who they were assigned to look after.

Being forced to be near his crush would do a severe number on him. However, he couldn't complain of having more of his company.

Sam definitely had a good effect on people. With his friendly presence and bright demeanor.

"Good morning, campers," Sam called, his expression bright with a grin.

All of the campers applauded and cheered, brimming with excitement. Bucky couldn't help the smile stretching his lips.

Yeah, he thought, most likely grinning like an idiot. He would so be more than happy to be near Sam for the entire summer. . .

"Who's looking forward for this summer, huh?" Bucky asked.

"'Cause we got tons of activities lined up!" Sam clapped, swinging an arm around Bucky's shoulder. "Get ready!

"Me, me, me!" the kids answered in a yelling sort of chorus, raising their hands.

The campers started cracking up into laughter while exchanging hushed conversations. Probably speculating on what Sam got planned.

Maybe ranging from woodshops to a scavenger hunt to campfires. Bucky had been curious on what Sam had for the scavenger hunt. Because he had made the best ones before even Bucky joined Camp Shield. Other camp counselors often talked about how he pulled it off and what-not.

And fairly, when Bucky worked for another cabin with another counselor, he had been damn impressed. At witnessing how these kids got to enjoy it with his help.

Now working closely would give him an insight on what it would be like. Collaborating together and all.

***

"As I was sayin'," Sam said, startling Bucky out of his revere. "I hope you guys will . If ya got questions, feel free to ask."

Bucky fidgeted with the sweatband around his wrist as a girl tossed a hand up.

"Counselor Wilson," the girl called meekly.

"Yes?" Sam approached her, his brows raised. "What is it?"

"Are we gonna go birdwatching?" the girl asked, lowering her head. "Just wanna know."

"Yeah, cause we liked seeing those birds!" another camper piped up. "It was totally amazing! I wanna see them again!"

"Of course." Sam nodded. He smiled in a way that revealed his small tooth gap. "There are cool spots that I wanna show new campers. If you guys are all in, that is."

The campers cheered and hollered, jumping out of their seats.

For the rest of the day, Sam and Bucky introduced them to some basic things. As a refresher for those returning campers and a guide for those new ones.

Well, time to make a move then. Or else, he would regret it later on. He had a plan for a personal purpose and would do it.

If there was a thing Bucky had, it would be guts and determination.

"Hey, Sam," Bucky said after his sprint towards him. "Can I have a moment with ya?"

Sam skidded to a halt, turning to look at him.

"Sure," Sam murmured. "What can I do for ya, dude?"

"Is it alright if we can exchange digits?" Bucky asked, trying to sound casual. And probably failing. "I mean. . . I kinda regret not doing this sooner. Look, I know you'd be busy later. . . And it'd be great if

Sam blinked, his cheeks darkening. "Oh. You. . . hang on, I. . . you've been waiting to ask me?"

"Yeah. Look, maybe the timing isn't the best. . . But I'm willing to wait. I mean we got things to do here at Camp Shield, after all."

"Sure, sure! Yeah, that'd totally. . . That'd be awesome!"

Sam chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Bucky's heart fluttered at the sight. He grinned.

For all his smooth charm, Bucky didn't imagined at how surprised he would be. Sam might be used to initiating instead of someone making the first move.

Hmm. . . How adorable.

"Well, in the meantime," Bucky said, brushing a hand along Sam's elbow. "I'm glad I got you as my co-counselor."

Sam gave a small smile. "Same here. Can't wait for this summer to keep on rollin'."

#sbsummer23 #sambucky #sam wilson #bucky barnes #sambucky fic #sambucky fanfics #sam wilson x bucky barnes #ships: sambucky #enchant: fanfics

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amrago · 1 year

Text

About Me

Call me Queen because I'm too lazy to find another nickname for myself.

In my day- job, which sometimes it's a night-job too, I work in IT - cybersecurity.

I'm 27, European and a polyglot. Despite the fact that I've been writing for 15 years I yet have to write a complete novel that I can call that way without feeling any shame.

I write speculative fiction and romance. I haven't tried with erotica but i won't be sharing anything related here regardless.

This blog is about my writing (and use it as a motivator when I can) and serves as a collection of resources and prompts i might use in the future.

I unconsciously tend to write about my own experiences so here a list of themes, tropes and similar things I naturally tend to write about. I think this is better than a self-id list and more interesting. This is no particular order of importance or how much I use it and of course not everything is always included.

Bisexuality, especially WLW "ships";

Disability, mental illness and neurodivergency;

Feeling without a choice;

Community in a positive way*;

Underdogs;

Second (or even third, fourth chances);

Family and friends;

Some sort of war or big conflict;

Love;

Resilience and resistance...

I think there will be other things and I maybe will update the list as I go.

Anyway I'm always up for tag games etc. It might take me some time to get back because of my job (and ADHD).

I have to note that all my writing is original. I don't write or read fanfiction at the moment although I'm an avid reader.

WIPs:

Servant of Chaos -> Regency settled fantasy. Our MC is Rosaspina, 23 and demigod, grandson of Death and Destiny. He gets kicked out of magic university/institution, offically for a prank unofficially because his grades sucks. He was sent there because he had a clandestine relationship with the princess of the place he cames from and despite his parents being the general of the army and the first advisor he is not up enough the ladder for a marriage. Chaos offers him a job. Find the Death goddess so zombies stop ravaging a continent since she just disappeared. And why two of the most powerful entities ever existed decided to live in a castle with humans... And have a kid after the few millennia they have been alive and togheter. (Keep in mind that there is no racism or sexism in this world - the point is making a commentary on how much we undervalue people because they can't give you want you want in the way you expect them to. Yes MC is ADHD although it's never mentioned because at the time ADHD wasn't recognised yet. More details when I decide to create a wiki or something. )

Other things I'm working on:

What if? - Writing exercises ->That's the tag I use to publish the excerpt. I'm trying to learn how to write fiction in english and this helps.

[Placeholder for the prompt tag]

My writing -> Self-explanatory.

WIP -> Everything that has to do with my WIPs.

My tags to find references and writing tips are a mess. When I have some time (which I rarely do lol - the JOY of being an adult I guess) I will fix them in a way that makes sense.

That's everything for now!

(artwork by @mayasdigitalart - she deactivated)

#writeblr #writeblr intro #writeblrcafe #writeblr community #introduction #fantasy writer #writing community #writers of tumblr

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s0lar-ch3ri · 1 year

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a tiny ramble on luz's character: the symbolism i saw when she just stood there (spoilers obviously, for both season 2 and 3)

so i've been watching fan vids of the ending for toh and in this one reaction vid i was watching the death scene in a sense and i just had to over analyze it

for context, after belos is removed from the heart, he tries to lie again to luz and it starts to rail, the boiling water melting his human disguise. shes still in this titan form, clearly being as strong as ever, probably getting close to the level of the collector imo, and yet she doesnt do anything as he talks to her. she just stands, blank faced and doesnt move a bit (image shown below, low quality since its from the yt vid)

she just glares him down, not a word. she expresses no emotion other then annoyance, or maybe hate, and thats even just from looking at small details that we get.

yet here phillp is, giving it one last try, one more chance to trick her again. he shows a fake expressing of concern, later on worry that boils to anger and rage. unlike luz, he shows a ton of expression. hes using emotion, a very human concept, as a way to make her believe that he wasn't in the wrong, that he can be trusted, that he can be forgiven in a sense. he talks a lot, repeating with "better" words parts of sentences to show how good it is that she saved him and that wild magic is bad. however, he wasn't always this expressive. infact, the amount of emotion he shows here plays into how luz has reacted before!

i found the screenshot of when hes talking to hunter (its eclipse lake btw, around 1:15) and he seems not so smug but rather relaxed and welcoming. looking from hunter's eyes, this is really his uncle, and his uncle has always looked out for him, hasnt he (no he hasnt lol; also so do note that in hollow mind hunter does hesitiate before going through the memory with the portal door, like he'd take the eyeball monster over going through that again??? (i will be analysing him next hes just so ever))?

now heres an image of when he was talking to the collector in the mind scape. his energy is less familial and cozy but like an adult entertaining a child, he seems so smug and more like someone who you talk trash on others to. the energy he has for the people he surrounds himself with changes with who said people are. however, the amount of emotion he shows isnt excessive like the scenes with luz. even in elsewhere and elsewhen, he's shown more emotion when talking to her then with other characters.

this is how he knows her, the excitment and high energy, want to save everyone luz is how he has seen her. not to mention, he notices how lilith is getting concerned and starts talking differently. i know i keep jumping around with belos, but ill get back to luz soon!

another detail of lesser emotion with belos: we've seen him mostly wearing a mask. now, obviously the mask would hide his face and any form of emotion, but the mask noticiably has no mouth. all it shows is eye holes, lines to represent eyelids id presume, and nose holes. the mask cant show any kind of emotion at all due to the lack of detail. as such, we've only been able to tell his emotions through the tone of his voice, the way he speaks, etc. he has no need for emotion here.

from what belos has seen, luz has shown much emotion and empathy, so he plays into what he thinks is her weakness, pulling her heart strings with a fable that he believes surely she'd fall for. belos is good at manipulation because his style of how he does it changes with whoever he talks to, but one unexpected detail has stopped him now: this human has managed to change in such short time.

however, luz is very expressive even after everything, even in battle, even at the last battle. she always puts her best into whatever she does because she cares (its similar to the papyrus: blink motherfucker post basically, she always puts 110% into whatever she does). shes the main character because shes a very caring person and would never do anything to harm the innocent, making her a very good mc for the show! she speaks out against belos and his evil that one time at the night market because she wants to do the right thing for these people, because she cares for them.

she could just put him out his misery now. she could just kill belos just out of her hatred. yet she doesnt. because shed be stooping down to his level, killing someone because you simply dont like them. in this scene, belos finds sp,ethomg (ok ik ruining mood with that but the mispelling is just too funny, i meant to say something) he never expected, luz just does not care about him. she doesnt care to listen to him, doesnt care for his fate, and will not care in the end. she knows he doesnt deserve the respect of a response.

she doesnt even look at him, she doesnt have the care to now. and why should she? hes hurt many people, and tried to put her on his level of awful, comparing them as if theyre remotely similar. another thing by the way, when trying to use sympathy fails, belos switches to blame, saying how horrible shed be if she didn't help him now.

in this scene, he says "we're human, we're better then this!" with the irony of him being the least human hes ever been. this is pretty noticable, but theres more irony than just this. this is also the least human that luz the HUMAN has ever been. shes constantly been given that title, one example being eda telling luz that her life is great because "shes friends with luz the human"! yet shes harnessing the titan in her, and we see her doing things like eda and king do. and a big human thing we have? emotions and empathy. we sympathize with each other because we care and are run by our emotions, and thats a pretty key part in what makes us human. however, belos uses this against those around him, with promises of things that they desire in a sense. belos has lost any sense of humanity just to fulfill this savior complex (ill be doing more analysing so ill explain this later but no its not like a hero complex) while luz has became more humane with her journey, taking in how what she's done has affected those shes with, understanding them. luz being human is what makes her better then having to stomp him out, needing the last hit. she already did enough and doesnt need to care anymore about defeating him, because even if the rain didnt kick in and he was able to keep his human disguise, he would still lose.

tdlr: luz simply ignoring belos can be very over analysed by my neurodivergent ass, and the reasoning why is simply because when shed care once now she does not.

#watching and dreaming #toh spoilers #toh season 3 #toh season three #toh s3 spoilers #toh season 3 spoilers #toh s3 #toh finale #toh luz #toh belos

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madsxclinesx · 1 year

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𝓢𝓶𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓗𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓼 (𝓦𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓭 𝓐𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓜𝔂 𝓕𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻)⇢ 𝒋𝒐𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒚𝒏.

Who: J.B & M.C ( @joeburrcw )

When: May 7th, 2023

Where: Cincinnati, Ohio

Plot: A new member joins Joe and Madelyn’s household.

Triggers: birth, drug mention

MADELYN: It was nice, being back in Ohio. Things were different than they had been the last time that Madelyn had been around. For one, she lived there now, officially. Her clothes and personal items were officially ingrained in the house. For another, the once nearly empty storage room next to their bedroom was now ready for their new addition, the final details for the nursery being added just a few days prior. Now that Joe was back at work (mostly) and the dogs had been temporarily relocated to stay with Joe's parents, Madelyn was slowly learning to being by herself for a good portion of the day. She had mostly just been sleeping, taking extended naps in the guest room downstairs and then eating when required so she wouldn't have to go up and down stairs. But today, for some reason, things felt different. Madelyn woke up full of energy, compared to the past few weeks where she had been tired almost all day. She had made herself breakfast, taken a nap, and was just waking up and considering watching something on tv when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She sat up in bed, her brow furrowed in confusion, as it subsided just as quickly as it happened. It was almost like a cramp, nothing she wasn't used to, but it struck her as odd. There was still another two weeks two go, if the projected due date was correct. And her water hadn't broken, which she knew was a sure sign. Puzzled, Madelyn slowly stood up, only to be hit with another sharp pain. This time, Madelyn gripped the edge of the bed, breathing slowly before this one too went away. Probably false labor, but it was still probably good to call Joe and tell him. She knew he'd at least want to know., in case they had to go to the doctor to double check. She reached for her phone, slowly waddling into the kitchen with her phone pressed to her ear. "Hey, baby," she said, hearing the dial tone stop and starting to speak before Joe had a chance to. "Don't be freaked out, but I think I'm going into labor. I'm 99% sure it's those false labor pains that we were told about since it's still early, so there's no need to worry, but if you want to go to the doctor we should probably go like...soon."

JOE: Joe loved being in Malibu with Madelyn, but he was admittedly glad to be back home. It just meant they were one day closer to football season starting and that she would be giving birth any day now. He had so many things to look forward to and he was incredibly busy the second he stepped foot on the Cincinnati soil, but it didn’t bother him. He loved being back at work and getting to take care of Madelyn in-between. It might’ve been a lot to juggle, but Joe had made it work somehow for the two of them and things couldn’t have been better. Currently, Joe was in a meeting with several important people from the Bengals’ staff. He left that morning knowing that things would be fine with his girlfriend because of how much she had gotten used to him being in and out all the time. However, it had been about halfway through the meeting when Joe’s phone began to vibrate in the pocket of his shorts. He thought nothing of it, maybe thinking it was just a text, but it kept repeatedly vibrating — indicating that someone was calling him. Everyone around Joe knew that they were not to call him during a meeting unless it was a dire emergency. When the realization that it could be Madelyn calling him, panic instantly set in and he reached for his phone in his pocket to inspect the caller ID underneath the table. When he saw her name flash across the screen, he sat up a little straighter and almost instantly interrupted someone that was talking, “I’m so sorry, but I have to take this call. Please excuse me for a minute.” And with that, Joe literally jumped up from his chair and ran out of the meeting room as fast as he possibly could, then finding a quiet area to where he could finally answer the call. “Babe—” he had started, but Madelyn was already interrupting him. His suspicions about it being an emergency were correct when she explained that she could likely be in labor. “Oh my God,” Joe breathed, incredulously. “‘Don’t be freaked out’, are you kidding me?! You weren’t supposed to be due for another two weeks. Of course I am freaking out, Madelyn!” He exclaimed, beginning to pace up and down the long corridor because he wasn’t sure how he was going to break the news to everyone that he needed to leave right now. “Don’t fucking move, okay? Go sit down on the couch and wait for me there. I’ll be home in five to ten minutes, providing I go over the speed limit. I’ll call your doctor on the way home.” Joe didn’t even give Madelyn the chance to respond before he was already hanging up and barging back into the meeting room to inform everyone of what was going on. “I’m sorry, I hate to do this, but I have to go. Madelyn is in labor and I have to be with her right now. I’m so sorry.” Joe was just in the process of grabbing his things when they all wished him well and good luck, to which he thanked them for, of course. Seconds later, he was sprinting to his car and driving the short distance back home while calling Madelyn’s doctor in the process like he promised. When Joe got back home and inevitably inside, he did not find her on the couch like he asked her to, so instead he went searching for her upstairs. Sure enough, when he went into their bedroom, he heard the shower running and he swore he’d never been so mad before. “Please tell me you are not in the fucking shower right now, Madelyn,” he said as he barged into the bathroom. “We have to go the hospital right now, your doctor will be meeting us there. Get out and let me dry you off.”

MADELYN: Madelyn immediately heard the fear and the 'freaked out' in Joe's voice, and she instantly attempted to calm him down. "Babe, I told you, I'm pretty sure that it's false labor, the doctor said that could happen as things start to move into the final stages. Just some cramping, totally fine." She took another deep breath as another pain hit her, and she had to sit down on the couch to catch her breath. Standing felt like the last thing she wanted to do. "I'll be totally fine. You can still come home and we can still go to the doctor, because I know you want that and we've talked about it, but I'll be fine. But, honestly, if we are going to the hospital today I need to get ready, I can't just sit here." She was stood up now, preparing herself to take the long trek upstairs. She was going to take a shower, and even though she could have easily used the guest bedroom's bathroom, all her clothes were still upstairs. She was about to tell him that she'd see him when he got home and that she loved him, but the call was already over. Shrugging, Madelyn slowly lumbered upstairs, using the staircase most of the way. If she had to sit in the hospital for days, at least she wanted to be clean. And so she showered, looking down at her bump as she realized it could potentially be the last time she was looking down at it. It was possible that the next time she looked down at herself while taking a shower, the baby would already be born. She didn't hear the door open, so she had no idea that Joe was home until he barged into the bathroom, loud and worried as ever. With a sigh, Madelyn turned the water off, opening the door. "Baby, I told you I'm pretty sure I'm fine. We'll go to the doctor and they'll tell us its false labor pains and we'll be checked just to make sure the baby is safe and then we can go home." Though, Madelyn still wasn't entirely convinced, even if she thought that's what it was. "Just...I will dry myself off and you can get the hospital bag out of the nursery." She walked past him to get a towel, drying herself off (half assed, if she was being honest with herself), and picking out an oversized shirt and sweatpants to wear. "My shoes are downstairs, the slide-y ones. I'm probably gonna wear those."

JOE: “Madelyn, stop.” Joe was frustrated that she wasn’t taking this seriously, that much was obvious. It seemed like Madelyn was trying so hard to convince herself that it was all a false alarm and that they’d be able to go back home after getting checked out. But he wasn’t buying it. Not one bit. “Can you please stop and be fucking serious about this? Even if by some miracle it is just a false alarm, I’m not taking my chances. You are going to the hospital and that’s final,” he said, the frustration showing in his tone as he helped Madelyn out of the shower. Joe was even more annoyed that she was doing everything herself and not allowing him to help like he said he was going to do. He sighed heavily and followed her back into the bedroom, but this time, he was quick to swipe the clothes she picked out from her so that he could help her get dressed like he intended from the start. Though, he made sure to be extra careful with her like he’d always been doing since they found out she was pregnant. Madelyn’s doctor had suggested long ago that they have a hospital bag packed and ready to go before she gave birth; that way, they wouldn’t have to worry about throwing things together at the last minute when the time came for her to go into labor. So, he quickly went to go grab it from the nursery and then, the one he packed for himself about a week or so ago. “I need you to take this just as seriously as I am, Madelyn,” Joe said, breaking the silence as he reached for her hairbrush nearby on the dresser so he could brush through her wet hair and eventually pull it back. That way, it was out of her face and wouldn’t bother her. He wasn’t an expert at doing hair, by any means, but it was good enough to where it wouldn’t fall into her face. “Brushing it off like it’s no big deal isn’t funny to me. So, please, just stop doing it.” After Joe was finished helping Madelyn, he changed into more comfortable clothes himself, then grabbed both bags and began to lead the way out of the bedroom and down the flight of stairs. Carefully and slowly, of course, while having his arm looped through Madelyn’s the entire time. Once they were safely at the bottom of the stairs, Joe went to go retrieve the shoes she requested that were laying by the front door and he helped her slide into them. “Okay, are you ready to go now? Do you need anything else before we leave?”

MADELYN: Madelyn was quiet as Joe scolded her for not taking the situation seriously, annoyed that he wouldn't let her take care of herself like she was some sort of child. She survived days and weeks on end without his constant assistance, today was no different. She was trying really hard to remain calm, considering what could be happening today. It wasn't until she was being accused of brushing off the situation did she finally stare at him, frowning. "Baby, we are facing the very real possibility that our child is coming today, weeks before we planned and weeks before I am physically, emotionally, or mentally prepared. We can't both be freaked out here, because if we're both freaked out then we're both going to go into some sort of spiral and I cannot have that right now. I'm already trying to prevent myself from having a complete and total meltdown at the thought. One of us has to be calm, so I can be the calm 'it's not a big deal' one because it's the only thing that is preventing me from throwing up." She held her thumbs up. "Okay? Okay." She let him guide her down the stairs, though, hoping that it would alleviate some of his anxiety. The last thing she needed was for him to be super worried, and she needed him every step of the way, no matter the outcome. Plus, the stairs were difficult, considering by the time she had gotten to the top of the stairs earlier, she had worked up enough of a sweat to where she needed a shower. When she had gotten into her shoes, Madelyn felt a slice of pain through her stomach, and she gripped Joe's arm tightly as she took a few deep breaths. It had been some time since her last one, and they were too far apart to be regular contractions. At least for right now. When Joe asked if she needed anything else, Madelyn looked into the hospital bag, knowing exactly what she was looking for and making sure it was still in there. Sure enough, underneath the changes of clothes and the baby's first outfit and her phone charger, was a handful of bags of chips and some little bites brownies and a few capri suns. Just in case she needed something. "Nope, it's all there. Now, since we are a little...ill prepared," she said, swallowing the fear lump in her throat. "If this is happening today we do not have the car seat ready. And I'm not in the business of sitting around and waiting for it to get done. But we do have one and it needs to get done ASAP. It's in the trunk, and honestly you can set it up in the hospital parking lot."

JOE: When Madelyn gripped Joe’s arm, he instantly knew what was wrong. He had never witnessed what contractions were like until now and no matter how much she tried brushing everything off like it was it was no big deal, he knew it was the opposite. From how tight she gripped his arm, to the clear sign of pain written all over her face. And there was virtually nothing he could do besides soothe her and talk her through it. “Deep breaths, baby.” Joe was somewhat relieved that Madelyn had finally decided to listen to him by taking deep breaths. His free hand rubbed her back in soothing circles as she had begun to slowly come out of it. “Just make sure you don’t break my throwing arm today. I kinda need that,” he teased with a soft chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood a little bit. However, it was quick to falter when Madelyn mentioned something about the carseat not being put together. Joe had meant to do it a few days ago, but it quickly slipped his mind with a snap of his fingers. He sighed in frustration, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s fine, I’ll just put it together when we get you settled into a room at the hospital.” Shrugging, Joe tried to play it off that he wasn’t internally freaking out the best he could. He hated that she was sort of right earlier, so he was trying not to show it as much anymore. Finally, he slowly guided Madelyn out to the garage and eventually into the car. It took about ten minutes to get her all settled in and then, he loaded up everything else that needed to go with them. Shortly thereafter, they were making the short drive to the hospital. Joe was glad that he lived so close by, about a five minute drive, depending on traffic and whatnot. After arriving at hospital and making their way to the maternity ward, they filled out all the necessary paperwork that the receptionist at the front desk gave them. And about ten minutes after everything had been processed, Madelyn was finally settled into a private room. It’d been about a half hour since they arrived and Joe was already pacing the room as he was talking on the phone with his parents. He informed them of what was going on and asked them to make the drive down to Cincinnati. He was an incredibly independent person, but right now, all he wanted was his mom by his side. Thankfully, they’d be arriving in a few short hours and after also speaking with Madelyn’s parents, they were going to be getting on the next flight out of South Carolina. Sighing softly and stuffing his phone in his pocket, Joe pulled up the nearby chair to the side of Madelyn’s bed and instantly took her hand in his. “How are you feeling? Are there any contractions right now? Or have there been any since the little ones you had at home?”

MADELYN: Madelyn was glad they had done a tour of the maternity facility when they got back to Ohio. It would have just been another thing to worry about. Thankfully, though, everything went off without a hitch, and in almost no time Madelyn was wearing one of those ridiculous hospital gowns and in a bed in one of the nicest hospital rooms Madelyn had ever been in. While Joe was on the phone to call their parents, Madelyn was speaking to the nurse that had brought her in, listening very carefully to what she had to say. The doctor wouldn't be in to see her for a while yet, and since her contractions were too far apart to tell what the exact timeline was, she could stimulate birth by walking around, if she wanted to. That, coupled with her snacks and the television and the ability to get whatever other food she wanted whenever she wanted, and Madelyn would be set for a while. At least until it was time to actually give birth. She had just settled on watching the Food Network when Joe sat down beside her, and she smiled at him. "I'm okay," she said, squeezing his hand. "Nothing major right now. I was talking to the nurse that checked us in and she said they'll probably still be a little irregular for now until things start moving. And my doctor hasn't arrived yet, but she will be here soon. I think I wanna walk around for a little bit though. The nurse said it could help move things along and avoid the baby from just kind of sitting on top of me in my uterus, you know?" She squeezed his hand again. "I just hope that things hold out long enough for everyone to get here. Do you wanna reach out to Vanessa and Rudy or do you think we should wait? Also do you want anyone else in here? Cause I'll be honest, I'm fine with everyone coming to the hospital but I think when it happens I just want it to be you and me in here. Less crowded and less stress."

JOE: “Yeah, that’s fine, if they say it’ll help get things moving. I don’t want you to walk alone, but I could go put together the carseat while you’re walking around?” Joe suggested as he squeezed Madelyn’s hand right back. “I can’t guarantee I’ll be any good at it, but I guess if I was able to put together the nursery in a week, then I guess it can’t be too hard, right?” Standing up from the chair, Joe decided to sit down on the edge of her hospital bed. Just because he wanted to feel closer to her in any way that he could. He hated not being able to be in the same bed as her right now, so it would just have to make do until they were able to be discharged from the hospital and go home with the baby. “I already texted Vanessa, some of my friends, Ja’Marr, Tee, TB, a few others on the team, Zac... Do you want me to contact anyone for you, besides Rudy and your parents? Or do you want to do it yourself?” He asked. “You know, though… This means we’ll know what we’re having in like, less than twenty-four hours or longer. What do you think it’s going to be? I just have this strong feeling it’s going to be a boy,” Joe said with a smile, letting go of Madelyn’s hand and placed both of his on top of her baby bump. It was crazy to think how in such a short amount of time, the baby would no longer be in there and they’d officially be first-time parents. When Joe leaned down to place a kiss to her stomach, he was welcomed with a tiny kick from the baby that he felt against one of his hands. Instantly, his smile grew bigger at the feeling and he couldn’t stop himself from kissing Madelyn’s stomach a few more times. “I think someone’s ready to get the hell out of there. This kid is clearly going to be the next kicker for the Bengals. Sorry, McPherson. They got you beat already,” he said with a chuckle. “I can’t wait to finally meet you, peanut. Daddy loves you so much already, you have no idea.”

MADELYN: "I'm not gonna go anywhere around the hospital, just around the room." She gestured to the space, a nice large, private room that Madelyn considered herself lucky to be in. It was open and spacious, with plenty of room to walk around. And it didn't look terribly hospital like. It still had all the equipment, but the walls were painted a nice color and there was nice art on the walls. Plus she didn't have to share the room with anyone else. "Uhh, just Rudy and my parents for now, and maybe Drew. Oh, and my management team. I'll tell everyone else after the baby is born." It wasn't like anyone important could see the baby once they were born, with everyone being in LA. Plus, there wasn't really a ton of people she wanted to tell anyway. This whole time they had kept things on the downlow, and Madelyn wanted it to stay that way. She smiled down at him as he started to pay attention to her stomach, to the baby that was getting ready to make its way into the world. "I don't know, I'm happy with either," she said. "As long as they are happy and healthy that is all that matters to me." Plus, either way, she would get to fall in love with Joe even more as she watched Joe fall in love with their child, Though, secretly, she wanted to see him be a girl dad. It was something that had been on her mind since they picked out names ages ago, seeing him go completely soft for their potential tiny little newborn daughter. Though she was sure he would be in love with their child regardless, she had already seen him take care of River, and she wanted to see what it would be like if they had a little girl. Madelyn turned her head towards the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of her doctor. "I think the nurse said if things are okay they can induce me themselves and the baby should be born as soon as they're ready, it just depends on how long it'll take." She leaned her head back against the pillows, sighing. "I hope it's soon. I'm kind of hungry."

JOE: "I know, that's all that matters to me, too. But you gotta admit, it's still kinda fun to make predictions," Joe said with a shrug. "My family is full of boys, so it only feels natural that my gut is telling me it's probably a boy." Joe pulled out his phone from his pocket again and started looking through his contact list to begin texting everyone that Madelyn had wanted to get in touch with. "Okay, I can do that." One-by-one, he texted each person she had listed off to him, then he was back to paying attention to her again. "Wait, what do you mean by that? Inducing you? I thought you were already in active labor?" Joe had so many questions already, if that wasn't obvious. When the nurse had helped them get settled in earlier, he'd still been asking a plethora of questions then — almost stupid ones, he felt. But he figured it was better to ask them, than not ask at all. He was sure all first-time parents were probably the same way. "Do you want me to go get you something to eat while we wait? Not from the cafeteria, hospital food always sucks. There's some pretty good food around the campus here, if that's what you'd rather have. Unless you don't want me to leave, we can try and have something delivered. But I don't know if you're able to have food delivered to a hospital. I've never done it before."

MADELYN: "I know, but I don't want to hope for something and be disappointed, you know? I mean I did have a dream a few weeks ago that we were in the nursery and we had the baby already but the baby's face was blurred but we kept saying she? But then every time we said she we would correct ourselves to he. So truthfully I don't know what it's about or what's gonna happen." She let out a sigh and sat up, wincing as her back throbbed with a dull pain. "As much as I love this kid I am ready for them to be out of me already. Stop feeling like I'm in constant pain." She reached behind her, adjusting the pillows so that they were sitting higher up as he asked her about her labor, and she turned to him in an effort to explain as best she could, using the books and things that she read online and everything she learned from her doctor to piece something together. "So the baby is held and protected in the uterus by this thing called an amniotic sac, and when it bursts that means the baby is on it's way out. That's what it means by a woman's water breaking, it's amniotic fluid. I am experiencing labor pains but obviously my water didn't break. So the doctors can basically burst the sac for me so that the baby can come out." Though she didn't exactly love the idea of him leaving, especially when the doctor could come in at any moment, she was hungry. And if there was stuff around them that could be useful to her, she wanted whatever it was. "You could always try. I mean it's obvious that they're willing to bend over backwards for you. And I want like...a sandwich or something."

JOE: "Well, we can't really be disappointed if all we really want and care about is a healthy baby. So, I don't know about you, but I won't be disappointed either way," Joe reassured, his hand finding Madelyn's again and naturally lacing their fingers together like it was an automatic reflex. Then, his face fell when she admitted how much pain she was in and all he could think about was how much he wished he could be the one to take it all away. It wasn't fair that being in pain was like punishment, in a way, for creating life out of love. "I know, baby. I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do? Maybe rub your back or give you a shoulder massage? I don't think it's much, but it could help distract you from the pain for a bit, I think." Joe lifted their linked hands up to his lips and dusted a light kiss to the back of Madelyn's hand a couple times as he listened to her answer his question. It appeared she had done much more reading than he had, even though, he felt like he'd done so much since they initially found out. "God, that sounds... I don't know, weird and painful? I couldn't even imagine what that would actually feel like to experience that. The things women go through during pregnancy, birth, and afterwards is just... Remarkable." Though, he was partially horrified at the thought of that kind of pain, Joe couldn't help but to crack a smile at Madelyn. Only because he was so damn proud of her already for being able to go through something so amazing and terrifying at the same time. "You are incredible, baby. I don't think I've told you that enough lately, but you deserve to know it. Especially right now." Joe could feel himself becoming emotional already, his eyes slightly watering with tears as he leaned into kiss Madelyn on the forehead, his lips briefly lingering behind. "I'll see what I can do. What kind of sandwich do you want? Is that all you want or is there anything else you're craving?"

MADELYN: "As much as I would love that, I think it would just be a distraction, given the circumstances. Maybe later, depending on how long everything takes." She had read stories of a baby being born in as little as a few hours and as long as a day and a half, and it felt like until the baby was on the other side, she truly couldn't fully relax. What did help, though, was how lovely he was being. So attentive and gentle, never leaving her side. It was enough to make her burst into tears, and she had already felt the need to do that the second he helped her change into the thin hospital gown she would be wearing for the foreseeable future. He was so special, and she was so lucky. "It can be more painful than natural birth, considering they're basically forcing the baby out, but it won't be as bad considering all the drugs I get to have." She would hope things would be nice and quick, so that if it was painful it would be over relatively quickly. Madelyn smiled and closed her eyes as she felt Joe's lips against her forehead, squeezing his hand tightly. "I love you," she said, smiling. All she wanted to do was sit with him and tell him how much she loved him, how much she appreciated everything he had been doing for her. Through everything they had been through, from August until now, Madelyn never thought that they'd be in a hospital room, about to witness the birth of their child. However, with him bringing up the sandwich again, she was all business. It was all she could focus on. "Hmm. I would want a turkey sandwich. Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato. Oh, actually scratch that, no tomato. I've been getting fucking acid reflux like crazy over it. Which hopefully goes away soon because it's one of my favorite sandwich ingredients. Okay so no tomato, but yes ranch dressing. And plain, not toasted. I don't want something warm and heavy like that sitting in my stomach."

JOE: Joe gave Madelyn a curt nod of the head as she dismissed his suggestions. Although he was disappointed that she turned him down, he wouldn’t mention the fact. That wasn’t important right now. The only thing that mattered was making sure that she was okay and comfortable. “I’m going to be honest, I don’t love the idea of all the drugs, but I’m not going to be the type of partner that tells you what you can and can’t do with your body. I’m obviously not the one giving birth, so it’s not my choice. And I guess everyone handles pain differently to be able to go with or without the drugs,” Joe said with a shrug. While he didn’t want either Madelyn or the baby to be completely drugged up, at the end of the day, he knew it was for the best. Even if he knew it wouldn’t take away the pain completely, he still wanted her to be as comfortable as possible. And if that meant getting drugs to alleviate the pain, then he was all for it. Madelyn then began to explain what kind of sandwich she wanted to eat and Joe had almost stopped her mid-sentence because it was a rather odd choice, but he quickly stopped himself. He knew better than to question a pregnant woman’s cravings at this point in Madelyn’s pregnancy. He searched through Uber Eats on his phone and found a sandwich shop nearby that just so happened to deliver to the hospital. After inputting the kind of sandwich she wanted, he scrolled through the menu to see what else he could get for her. Because although she didn’t answer his second question, Joe knew that she would want something to go along with her sandwich. He picked a bag of chips, a chocolate chip cookie for dessert, and a lemonade to drink. Once he was finished placing the order, Joe turned his attention back to Madelyn. “Luckily, they deliver to the hospital, so it’ll be here in about a half hour. You got some time to walk around if you still want to.”

MADELYN: "It's only going to be if the pain is too unbearable. Maybe I won't need them and it'll be super easy and they'll slide right out. Like a slip and slide." She grinned. "It's an option I'm glad I have but not one I necessarily need or will use." She was born relatively quick and painlessly, according to her mother. So maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Madelyn tilted her head slightly forward to watch him order, and without her even having to ask him or even mention it, he had gotten her everything she could want. She hadn't even really thought about it, all she thought about was the sandwich. She smiled at him, leaning over the little railing on the bed as best she could to kiss him. "You're so good to me. You know that?" Madelyn knew she had been more than a little frustrating during the whole process. He wanted to help her, and she knew that, but she was very insistent (and often stubborn) about being able to do everything herself. It was hard for her to accept help, but she wanted to be better, especially today. "That's good," she said, nodding. "I could do with a walk, honestly. Sitting in this bed waiting for something to happen has been driving me crazy." She made the move to sit up, but right as she did so was hit with another labor pain. Madelyn sat up, leaning forward as she gripped Joe's arm, making sure to breathe slowly and deeply as the pain slowly but surely subsided. It was definitely worse than the last one she had, which was good, but also terrible in the way of pain. She pouted, looking over at him. "Could you help me up so I can walk around? Please?"

JOE: Joe’s face scrunched up in slight disbelief at Madelyn’s explanation. “Please do not call it a slip and slide ever again,” he grimaced. Although it was a little funny, Joe would never outright admit that to Madelyn. The sheer audacity, that would be. He appreciated the kiss, but he simply shrugged off her next choice of words. He didn’t really think anything of it, honestly. “I’m just doing what any good partner should do, you know? I don’t want to be put on a pedestal for just simply getting you food or whatever. Or stuff like helping you get in and out of bed. Everyone should be doing that.” Shrugging again, Joe finally stood from his place on the edge of the hospital bed and was going to do exactly that, help Madelyn up, so that she could finally walk around. But he was quickly stopped when she gripped his arm, seemingly due to another labor pain or contraction. “Hey, I’m right here. Slow, deep breaths… Take it easy,” Joe said with a soothing tone to his voice, his other hand that wasn’t occupied, reaching behind Madelyn to rub her back. He knew it wasn’t much help, but it was all he could really offer right now. “Good girl. You’re doing so good,” Joe added so quietly, he could barely even hear himself. And when she eventually came out of it again, he couldn’t have been more relieved. Seeing his girlfriend in pain was literally the worst possible thing he’s ever experienced, and that was saying a lot considering the sport he played and how many times he’d been injured. “Just please be careful. I was going to go put the carseat together while you were walking around, but there’s no chance I’m leaving you right now.” And Joe was absolutely not giving her the option, he was staying put and that was final. Very slowly and gently, he took both of Madelyn’s hands and helped her up from the hospital bed as requested — making sure to keep a good grip onto her hands to let her know that he wasn’t going anywhere.

MADELYN: The frequency of her contractions were starting to become closer together, which in one way was good, but on the other hand it was starting to get more painful. Madelyn had hardly had time to even think about the fact that Joe had praised her, stirring the part of her brain that wanted nothing more than to hear that while she was flat on her back, his fingers buried deep inside her. She stiffened, briefly, only to sternly remind herself where they were and what they were doing. She couldn't think about anything like that at the moment. Not when as she stood, another contraction rocked through her, and she couldn't help the sob that slipped out of her as she held on to Joe's hands tightly. "Please don't leave," she said, her voice strained as she tried to breathe through the contraction. It was then that her doctor and a few nurses walked in, and Madelyn almost wept with both relief and frustration. Frustration because she was finally standing and she had to sit back down, but relief over the fact that they could finally get started. Still holding tight to Joe's hands, Madelyn laid back down. She tried her best to listen to the doctor as she checked on Madelyn, and talked Madelyn through what was going to happen, and while she struggled to understand exactly what she was saying, one thing was clear. Madelyn was far enough along that once her labor was induced, the baby would be out in no time. It was early, yes, but the baby was healthy and ready to come out. Madelyn squeezed Joe's hand tightly as she let the news wash over her. All it took was one injection and she was ready to go. She looked up at him, silently communicating with him that not only was she ready, but she needed him to be ready and she needed him to be there with her. Once she got his nod of confirmation, Madelyn agreed to the induction. Once she got the injection, it only took a few minutes for the contractions to start becoming more frequent, and the doctor started encouraging her to push.

JOE: Joe was just about to start guiding Madelyn away from the bed when she was suddenly hit with yet another contraction. He was starting to become worried now, only because it wasn't long ago that they were very far apart. And now, it seemed as if they were starting to get a lot more closer together. Which meant that it would have her in far more pain that she already was. It broke his heart into a million tiny pieces listening to the pained sob that Madelyn had let out and he made sure to hold onto her as tightly as he possibly could. "I'm not going anywhere, baby. I promise. I'm right here," Joe reassured again, although, he wasn't sure how much of a help it would be by just saying it. Thankfully, right as the contraction had subsided, Madelyn's doctor and a couple nurses had walked into the room to check on her. He could see it written all over his girlfriend's face how exhausted she was that she had finally managed to get up, only to have to lay back down. But he, of course, helped her back into bed as carefully as he could, so that they could do their job. Joe listened to everything they had to say and he even brought up a few of his own concerns, but they were able to comfort him with the answers they gave. Although he wasn't entirely comforted, it was a least more than he had felt previously before they came in the room to get things moving along. Through the entire injection, Joe never once let go of Madelyn's hand. And as much as he hated the idea of her being injected with drugs just to make things move faster, he had to let it be her choice. It was what she wanted, and he was going to stand beside her and support her through it. "So, now what happens? Do we just have to wait around and let the baby come when they want or is she able to give birth at anytime?"

MADELYN: Madelyn felt better that the doctors were there. Was she annoyed that she spent ages waiting, only to finally agree to walk around and order food, only for them to arrive? A little bit. For one, she was hungry. And for another she was really stiff and tired and just wanted to not sit for five minutes. But she was also relieved that they were there, because it meant that it was time to get moving and for the baby to get out. "No, no, not like that." Madelyn was trying her best to explain, but it was difficult what with the pain and all. "Remember when I told you that they had to induce me to get the amniotic sac to burst so that the baby can come out? That's what that thing did. It relaxes the uterus so that the baby can come out." She breathed again, wincing. "And since I was already experiencing labor pains before that and with the induction things are moving fast and I think the baby is coming now." She took a deep breath, before casting a desperate look at her doctor and nurses. "Did I get that right?" When they nodded in confirmation, Madelyn let out a sigh, already exhausted from the endeavor when they had hardly even started yet. She turned to Joe, her expression weary, suddenly nervous as she realized that the months of waiting and back pain and stress were about to be over. "I don't know if I'm ready for this, why couldn't we have just cut it out of me?" She was encouraged to start pushing again, and she gripped Joe's hand that was holding onto hers even tighter, shaking her head even though she did what they said anyway.

JOE: “Babe, you don’t have to explain it. Save your breath for giving birth,” he joked, hoping to lighten the mood a little bit. But even though he was joking, Joe knew how out of breath Madelyn was from everything she’d just been put through in such a short amount of time. Then, when she turned to him again, he could see the terrified expression written all over her face. And she had every right to be, it was a scary thing having to go through everything she had for the past several months. All those months that had led up to this very moment. Of course, Joe was just as terrified and nervous because it meant that they had no more time prepare, and they’d soon be on their own with a newborn as first-time parents. It was game time. He was thankful that both sets of their parents would be arriving soon, but he also knew they wouldn’t be staying forever. They’d only stay until Joe and Madelyn could find a rhythm with their schedules and parenting in-between. He didn’t want to think about it right now, though, instead turning his full attention back to Madelyn. “Honey, it’s a little late for that, don’t you think? This baby is coming, whether we’re ready or not,” Joe laughed nervously, hoping she hadn’t caught onto the hint of it in his tone. “And you’re not high-risk, so that’s probably why they couldn’t do it that way. If you have the opportunity to have a natural birth, then I’d say to take it.” Joe didn’t know if his words would be much help, but he still did his best to reassure her, anyway. He let Madelyn squeeze his hand as tight as she wanted, and he event squeezed back for comfort as he leaned in to kiss the top of her head a few times. “Come on, you got this. I know it hurts and I know you want it to be over with, but I promise you’re almost there. You are the strongest woman I know, there’s nothing you can’t handle. It’ll all be worth it in the end when we get to hold that baby in our arms for the first time,” Joe whispered, only loud enough for Madelyn to hear. He wasn’t particularly one to ever get choked up, but the more he spoke, the more he could feel himself becoming incredibly emotional. This was one of the biggest moments of his entire life, so of course it was moving him to tears. “I love you so much, Madelyn.” And with one, final kiss to her head, he stood back up straight and rested his free hand against her knee, his thumb gently caressing the skin to hopefully help soothe her. Then, he decided to take one look at what was going on and his eyes had nearly bulged out of his head. He almost couldn’t look away because of how interesting it all looked to him, being the science nerd and all; Joe had never seen an actual birth up close before, until now. “Holy shit, babe, this is fucking cool! I mean—sorry, excuse my language. But you need to see this, Madelyn.”

MADELYN: It was almost too much, listening to Joe speak so calmly to her, being her voice of reason when hers simply didn't exist. Whatever brain power she had, whatever calmness she had as she told him of her condition earlier that afternoon was completely gone, replaced with panic and pain and another third thing that was some weird combination of different emotions. Elation, for sure. She was so happy that their baby was finally read to make their way into the world. Terrified, for another. Their lives were about to change forever, and she wasn't even sure if she was ready for it. They were prepared, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for it. If she was ready for being forever looked at as just a mom, as someone just raising a child. She hoped people wouldn't be like that, but one never knew. All this was going through her head while one of the nurses was helping her through the labor process, with Joe on her other side with such kind words, leaving her on the verge of tears as the fear slowly disappeared. He was right, of course. She could do this, even if in the moment it felt like there was nothing worse in the world than this moment. "I love you," she said, looking up at him as the fear that had dissipated with his encouragement quickly came flooding back, terrified at the thought of him not being by her side while she was going through all this. Thankfully, though, he didn't go very far, just far enough to see the other end of things. He was still touching her, and she thought for a moment that if he wasn't she would simply pass out. From pain, from fear, from a little bit of both. Either way, she was grateful to have him. But only when he was being nice, and for right now quiet. Because as soon as he started saying how cool the birth process was, she glared at him. "Oh yeah, let me just shove my head through my ass so I can see how cool the fucking baby pushing out of a teeny tiny hole in my body is." She didn't apologize for swearing, considering her brain was working in overdrive. Though, admittedly, his words made her curious. She lifted her head up, trying to look over her knees. "Wait, how much do you see? Do you see the baby?"

JOE: “Goddamn, that has to fucking hurt,” Joe said mindlessly, to no one but himself. He swore he could’ve heard a couple of the nurses laughing at his reaction, but honestly, he barely paid any mind. Though, he was a bit startled when Madelyn had yelled back at him and his eyes nearly burst out of their sockets at the profanity she spewed. Laughing nervously, he brushed it off and quietly whispered to one of the nurses, “She’s not usually like that, I swear.” Then, he briefly let go of Madelyn’s hand to reach for his phone in his pocket; he wanted to be able to capture as many pictures as he could the moment their baby entered the world. He asked that same nurse if she wouldn’t mind being the one to take pictures for him, and he was rather relieved when she obliged and took his phone. “Uh, yeah. I can literally see everything. This baby is almost out of there. Just one more push and I think they’ll be here,” Joe said, the excitement and emotion clear as day in the tone of his voice as he took Madelyn’s hand again and wasted no time looping his fingers through hers once more. “Just one more, baby. You got this. One fucking more and we’ll get to hold them in our arms.” Repeating the encouragement again just as Madelyn had finally given it her all, the hospital room was suddenly filled with the sound of their baby’s cries. “Holy shit,” Joe breathed, so quietly he barely even heard himself. When the doctor had announced it was a girl, his muted blue eyes had instantly filled with tears. “Oh my God, Mads… We have a baby girl.” The tears had quickly managed to work their way out, streaming down his face as he watched them place their baby girl directly on Madelyn’s chest in order to start cleaning her off. “I’m so fucking proud of you, baby… I love you so goddamn much,” Joe said as he reached for Madelyn’s face, taking it into his hands and kissing her like life depended on it. Like he wouldn’t ever be able to kiss her again. Then, he pulled away and dried his tears with the back of his hand before focusing his entire dimension on his new baby. “Hi, baby girl… I’m your daddy. It’s so nice to finally meet you after all these months.”

MADELYN: If Madelyn was in any position to say anything else, she would have continued to berate everyone in the room. Of course, she would never mean it, but everything felt so overwhelming. If it wasn't for Joe finally reaching for her hand once more, she probably would have had a complete meltdown. However, as she squeezed his hand tightly, she was able to find the strength to come to her senses, push past the pain so that their baby could be out of her. And, when all was said and done, Madelyn was finally able to get the job done, and their child, their daughter, had finally made her way in the world. It was like as soon as Joe swore, Madelyn's entire world shifted. She was still dazed, the pain nowhere near subsiding, but when Joe took her face in his hands, everything felt right. Sharper, somehow, she kissed him, not even caring that there were literally people hovering over her with their baby. No matter what, Joe was her anchor. It felt like they were in their own little universe, and their universe just got bigger. Finally, Madelyn opened her eyes, and all the emotion and overwhelming feeling rose back up in her, as she looked at the tiny baby that up until a short time ago, had been inside her. She had made this tiny little human creature that was now theirs forever. For once, Madelyn was speechless, using her free hand to reach up and brushing her fingers against the soft little baby arm that now lay across her chest. With another look up at Joe, Madelyn sighed, her eyes squeezed shut tightly as tears began to slide down her cheeks, her head pressing against his arm. "Holy shit we made a baby," she finally said, her voice soft and her throat hoarse as she looked down at the tiny little baby that they had made. A beautiful, tiny extension of their love and commitment to each other. She was taken, briefly, to be properly wrapped up and get the little fingerprints and footprints taken. Just as Madelyn was starting to think that something was wrong and she had thought of about a dozen worst case scenarios, the baby was finally returned to her, wrapped in a little blanket and tucked safely into her arms. Madelyn exhaled again, knowing that that panic was something that would never truly go away. Everything felt so much more real, now. Her doctor and the two nurses told them that they would be back in ten minutes to check in and explain how the next few nights were going to go before she was released, before they left the room to give them privacy. As the quiet settled over the room, Madelyn finally started to speak, refusing to take her eyes off their daughter. "Hi sweet baby," she said softly. "Those tiny little computer pictures do not do you justice, you're so beautiful." Madelyn was already obsessed, hardly even lifting her head up to speak to Joe, her focus fully on the baby. "So, we have three names to choose from. What are you thinking?" Madelyn tilted her head. "You know, looking at her I kind of already know exactly what I want. That one name we found that we both liked. Brielle?"

JOE: "Holy shit, yes, we did," Joe chuckled through more tears that had pooled in his eyes as he went to grab Madelyn's face once more to kiss her again. This time, he kissed her longer and he let it linger a little more when he eventually pulled away. Just before they had taken her to do all the necessary things, one of the nurses had asked Joe if he wanted to cut the umbilical cord. He was nervous, that was for sure, but of course, he couldn't pass up the opportunity to begin the emotional bond with his daughter. So, after he was handed the pair of medical scissors, and instructed where and how to cut, he did it to the best of his ability and couldn't seem to stop the steady flow of tears as he did so. Then, once she was finally safe back in Madelyn's arms, Joe took a seat on the edge of the hospital bed and dries his tears again with the back of his hand. He swore he'd never cried this much before, so it was definitely a new feeling, but a welcomed one, at that. And now that the doctor and nurses had shuffled out of the room, and given him his phone back, him and Madelyn were finally able to have a moment alone with the new addition to their family. "The most beautiful baby girl in the world," Joe agreed, the biggest, cheesiest smile on his face as he spoke. First, he kissed the top of Madelyn's head, then soon followed to kiss the top of his daughter's head. "Yeah, it might help if she had a name, right?" He chuckled as his index finger gently stroked over her tiny, little cheek. Though, he didn't even have to think about it and it seemed as if Madelyn had the same idea. They were both sold on the same name and he couldn't contain his smile from growing any bigger at this point. "Brielle Athena," he said, almost too proud of the name that they had chosen. Brielle just happened to be a random name that they both fell in love with when they saw it, but Athena had a bit more meaning behind it. It directly alluded to where Joe came from — Athens, Ohio. He was always doing whatever he could to show how proud he was about where he came from and they both knew it was the perfect way to honor that part of him. "Brielle Athena Burrow," Joe repeated again, only this time, with much more meaning as more tears began to roll down his already reddened cheeks.

MADELYN: Madelyn sighed as Joe kissed her, letting the world around them temporarily melt away. She loved him so much, and even though she was still in immeasurable amounts of pain, she was so happy. So happy that they got to have this life. Even if it was an accident, even if they spent hours panicking and trying to deny the initial positive tests, she couldn't have imagined having their daughter in any other way. Well, maybe a little more planned. But that didn't take away her joy. That didn't take away the fact that she looked down at their daughter as if she had never seen anything more beautiful as the baby twitched and shifted, her eyes practically glued shut with newborn stickiness. Madelyn reached out, wiping the crust away gently with her finger. "I think it's perfect," she said softly. Brielle was one of the last names they had found, after their usual routine of getting distracted by sex and slowly but surely getting back on track. They had eventually narrowed it down to three names out of the six girl names they had originally chosen, and Brielle was one they had both agreed on. And now, looking down at her, Madelyn couldn't think of a better name for her. "A perfect name for a perfect little baby." Madelyn turned her head to look at Joe, smiling at him as tears welled in her own eyes. Of course, her hormones were off the charts, but she had never seen Joe this emotional before. Before today, she could count on one hands the amount of times she had seen him cry in total. Now he was nearly doubling that number in one day. "I don't think I've ever seen you so emotional in the entire time I've known you, babe." Madelyn looked down at their daughter. "You should know that daddy is normally very tough, Bri. And you made him all soft and squishy and blubbery in a matter of ten minutes. It took me at least a month to do that." Madelyn smiled, looking over at Joe again. "I think it's time that daddy gets to hold Bri, don't you?"

JOE: "I don't know what you're talking about," Joe laughed quietly through his tears, though, they were a bit more subtle now as he once again wiped them away. He swore he couldn't possibly love anyone else the way he loved Madelyn, but now with his own daughter in his life, all he could feel was the same amount of love he felt for his girlfriend. No matter if this happened on accident, no matter if it wasn't planned, his heart swelled with nothing but pure love for the both of his girls. Joe even found himself squeezing his eyes shut for a moment because it almost felt like a dream, but when he opened his eyes again, he was once more welcomed with the sight of Madelyn holding their daughter in her arms. And his face instantly lit up all the more when she had suggested that it was finally his turn to hold Brielle for the first time. He nodded faster than he had ever done before, the biggest smile on his face as Madelyn eventually handed her to Joe, carefully placing her in his arms. "Hello, my angel. You are so beautiful." It'd only been seconds since Brielle was placed in his arms, but he could already feel himself getting choked up yet again. At this point, it was pointless to even try and stop himself from getting so emotional. This was one of the biggest moments in his life that had ever happened and he wasn't afraid to show his feelings over it. And he couldn't wait for both of their parents, the rest of their family, and eventually all of their friends and his teammates to finally meet the new addition, too. Joe swore he was going to take every minute of his life showing his daughter off to everyone that he knew; he wanted everyone to know just how incredibly happy he was with the unintentional family that he and Madelyn were starting to build. "I don't think you'll ever truly understand just how much I love you already, but know that every move I make from now on, is going to be for you and your mom," he promised, kissing the top of her tiny, little head before continuing, "I'm going to win the Super Bowl for you this year... I promise you that. I swear I'm not going to let you down. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure we take it all home for you. Every time I throw that football, I'm going to be thinking of you, my sweet girl."

MADELYN: "Are you trying to say that you want to throw our baby like a football?" Madelyn raised her eyebrows at Joe, though she was obviously teasing. She couldn't contain the way that her throat tightened as she spoke, on the verge of tears as she watched Joe fall utterly in love with the tiny newborn cradled in his arms. Almost as if it had happened instantaneously, from the second he touched her. When Madelyn first texted Joe back in August, she never could have imagined that less than a year later, they'd be here. That she'd be lying in a hospital bed watching Joe with almost literal heart eyes over a baby that they had made. That she had grown in her body and pushed out. Months of waiting over in just a few minutes. Now that it was all over, Madelyn could finally feel herself relax, and as much as she needed to wait for the doctor and nurses to come back into the room for a follow up, she could feel herself struggling. The brain fuzz of giving birth was starting to fade away, and Madelyn was starting to come back into her own focus. But she was tired, and as she looked at the little tray next to her, something dawned on her. "I never got to have my lunch," Madelyn said, frowning slightly. "Do you think they'd let me eat? I don't know if like...if I can't eat or something if they tell me I have to feed her. But I haven't eaten anything since this morning." Pouting, Madelyn looked over at the lunch that had been rushed inside just before she had started pushing. "Do you think they'd at least let me have the cookie? Or a nap? Or both?" Thankfully, the doctor and nurses that had helped deliver Brielle came back in as promised, and Madelyn sat up, doing her best to listen to them and what came next. She and the baby would be checked on every few hours, to make sure that everything was okay and that the baby was eating, which they would attempt the next time they came in to check on her. Right now, with Bri fast asleep in Joe's arms, they didn't have to worry about it. They could all rest until they were ready to check on her again, and Madelyn was free to eat or drink something if she wanted. Madelyn waited until they left the room before she picked up the cookie, downing half of it in one bite and letting out a sigh. "God that's so much better." She turned to look at Joe, who was still holding Brielle, her eyes already mostly closed. "Are you gonna be okay if I just...close my eyes for like...ten minutes? Maybe half an hour?" Her eyes were closed now as she finished the sentence, her head starting to drop from her shoulder.

JOE: “No, that’s not what I’m trying to say. Don’t interrupt my speech to her, damnit,” Joe said, rolling his eyes dramatically. Though, he couldn’t help the laugh that had managed to escape over Madelyn’s teasing. And now that the couple had their daughter, he didn’t want to let go of her. Keeping her safe in his arms for the rest of eternity felt like the perfect plan to him. He’d be fine with never playing football again if it meant he got to protect Brielle from the true ugliness of the world that they knew. “You’re going to get tired of me saying it, but I just love you so, so much. Both of you,” Joe said, lifting his gaze away from Brielle to meet Madelyn’s gaze, the grin on his face undeniably huge. “My girls.” His voice had softened a bit as he went to lean back in and kiss the top of his girlfriend’s head again. His girls. God, he’d never get fucking tired of saying it. Their daughter had only been in the world with them for about a half hour or so, but he knew that as she would inevitably get older, it still wouldn’t tire him out. Joe never realized just how much he actually needed his daughter in his life up until this very moment. It was the tiniest little puzzle piece that had been missing from it all along. “I don’t see why they wouldn’t let you eat? Considering you did just push out like, a seven pound baby and it doing a number on your body in the process of it all. I’d say you definitely deserve to eat.” Shrugging, Joe had just gotten up from the edge of the hospital bed — carefully — right at the same time Madelyn’s doctor and the same nurses from before had entered the room again. Bri was still fast asleep in his arms, he refused to let her go even while they went over a few more things and checked her over again. They’d be back at a later time to discuss things a little more in-depth and to give the new parents a couple hours to rest. They were definitely going to need it. Joe was glad when Madelyn finally got to have a bite to eat, but was surprised to find out that she’d only managed to eat half of her dessert. He couldn’t help but to chuckle softly at how incredibly tired Madelyn obviously was, so he wasn’t going to stop her from getting a little bit of sleep. He wasn’t surprised in the least bit how easy it was for her to nod off, too. “I’ll be fine, baby. Get all the sleep you can, even if it’s not much. I’ll stay up with her in case anything happens.” As he spoke, Joe was placing Brielle into the small bassinet provided by the hospital; he wanted to be able to call his mom to let her and his dad know that their daughter had finally arrived. He took a seat on the chair beside the bassinet and quickly dialed the familiar number, to which he was glad his mom immediately answered after the first ring. And the second Joe heard his mom’s voice, he only got emotional all over again. “I have a daughter, mom. She’s so beautiful, I can’t believe it. I can’t believe she’s real,” he cried softly, but was quick to dry the tears. “Are you and dad almost here? I know little Brielle Athena is dying to meet her grandparents.”

MADELYN: Madelyn smiled sleepily as Joe said he would take care of the baby, and she nodded, not even needing to open her eyes. That was the best part about him. No matter where they were, no matter what they were going through, she knew he would take care of her. She knew that he would take care of everything to make sure that she was comfortable and happy. Of course, this now extended to their daughter, and Madelyn could rest easily knowing that Brielle was in safe and capable hands. And she did just that, falling asleep almost as soon as she made herself comfortable, drifting off to the sound of Joe calling his parents. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she knew she had to do the same thing, but she had to worry about sleeping, first. She wasn't sure how much time had passed. An hour, maybe two. However long it was, by the time Madelyn woke up, her medical team still hadn't shown back up yet. Or maybe they did and just didn't wake her, she had no idea. Regardless, when Madelyn opened her eyes, she hadn't made any move to let Joe know that she was awake yet. And she was glad she didn't, because what she saw nearly made her heart want to explode out of her chest: Joe, sitting on the little window seat in the hospital room, holding Brielle in his arms. It was so beautiful to see, watching Joe with their newborn daughter without realizing that she was even awake. Watching how enraptured he was with her. Quietly, Madelyn reached for her phone on the little tray next to her, taking a photo of the moment before quietly setting her phone back down. Finally, she decided to make her presence known, smiling sleepily over at him. "There are my two favorite people in the world," she said, her throat even more hoarse than it was before. "Have you been like that with her the whole time?" She moved to sit up, reaching for the lemonade that was now (mostly) watered down, though that didn't stop her from taking a generous sip. She had woken up starving, and while she could have woken herself up a little bit more, she immediately went to go look for her lunch.

JOE: When Joe’s mom told him that they were about a half hour away, he couldn’t have been more relieved. He was shocked that he was able to do all of this without her by his side — he was a momma’s boy through and through. But naturally, living in different Ohio cities, they weren’t always able to see each other unless it was during football season or whenever he had time to visit Athens during the offseason. They exchanged a few more words, Joe telling his mom to make themselves at home at his place and that he’d call them again whenever Madelyn was ready for visitors after getting some rest. Once the call ended, Joe completely dried himself of all tears left behind and texted a few more people before finally putting his whole focus back on his daughter again. Instantly, a smile was brought to his face as he watched her sleep; looking peaceful as ever. How she was even sleeping was beyond him, but he wasn’t about to start questioning it. Considering how little newborns actually sleep, he wasn’t going to take the time for granted. Though, that wouldn’t necessarily stop him from lifting Brielle out of the bassinet and securing her in his arms again just as carefully he sat down at the window seat. Joe was almost as tired as Madelyn was, so he decided he would shut his own eyes for maybe ten minutes. Not long at all, but long enough to keep him slightly more focused. Though, when he heard the baby stirring in his arms, his eyes immediately shot open and was greeted by the soft sound of Madelyn’s voice coming from somewhere nearby. He had no idea how much time had passed, not until he looked over at the clock on the wall that read it was an hour later from when he had closed his eyes. He was so pissed at himself for sleeping that long, let alone, with a newborn baby in his arms. “What? No. I only closed my eyes for five minutes,” Joe lied. Though, he was positive Madelyn already knew the fact he was lying because it was obvious she’d been up for a lot longer than he had been. “I didn’t mean to actually fall asleep, I just meant to close my eyes for a minute. I guess she’s still good, though—” Joe’s sentence was cut short when Brielle had began to hysterically cry and he quickly froze; unsure of what to do, why she was crying. Maybe she just wanted attention? That didn’t seem plausible because he’d been giving her so much attention since she arrived. Did she want Madelyn? Was she hungry? So many different questions were running through his head at a million miles a minute. He got back up on his feet and walked over in the direction of the hospital bed, so that Madelyn could take over for now; carefully placing Brielle in her open arms. “Do you think she’s hungry? How do we know if she is?”

MADELYN: “Baby, it’s fine. We’re both exhausted. As long as she’s safe.” And she seemed to be, just from immediate inspection. “Besides, I now have my new favorite photo in the universe.” She held her phone out for Joe to look at the picture, which was now her lock screen. She was about to tease him that they needed professional photos so that they could get them properly framed for the house when Brielle started crying. Immediately, Madelyn sat up even further, pushing the tray away from her so that she could take the baby from Joe’s outstretched arms. “I’m not sure, honestly. They were supposed to tell me how to do that when they came to check in on us,” she said, gesturing towards the door to the hospital room. Almost as if they could sense it, right as Madelyn mentioned the medical team they knocked on the door, entering without waiting for Madelyn to let them in. As if they could sense that they needed help. Without skipping a beat, they helped Madelyn pull down the hospital gown she was wearing. Thankfully photoshoots has made her a little more comfortable with being naked in front of strangers, though not much. She was grateful Joe was there, both for comfort and for the fact that at least there was one person in the room that had seen her topless. Still, she was grateful that the team was all business, and they instructed Madelyn on how to guide Brielle towards latching on, and to not be discouraged if it didn’t work right away. Thankfully, it did, and within moments Brielle had quieted. Madelyn looked over at Joe, her eyes wide with emotion and disbelief. She waited until the doctor and nurses had left again (with another promise that they’d be back shortly) before she turned to Joe, letting out a little surprised laugh. “This is so fucking insane,” she said. “I mean look at this. We have a baby and she’s eating and she’s so beautiful.” Madelyn cradled Brielle’s head close to her until the infant pulled her head away. When Madelyn tried to guide her back the baby simply turned her head, which Madelyn was told meant that she was done. “Here, take her really quickly while I close this thing back up.” Madelyn passed Bri back to Joe and stood up from the bed, reaching behind her to snap the gown closed. “There we go,” she said. Madelyn took Brielle back from Joe, sliding her hand over her little back to begin to burp her, walking around and bouncing slightly as she did so. “Have you heard from my parents yet? I know you spoke to yours before I fell asleep.”

JOE: “Don’t you start taking pictures of me without me knowing,” Joe said with a playful, but dramatic roll of his eyes. He was glad that Madelyn’s medical team eventually came back to help her with the feeding process right at the same time they were questioning what to do. It seemed fairly simple from what it looked like, though, he knew it probably felt weird for Madelyn to just be topless in front of everyone. Thankfully, after the help, they were once more given some privacy while she nursed their daughter. Joe sat down on the edge of the hospital bed and laughed softly over how emotional Madelyn had become. He understood it completely, though. He couldn’t take his eyes off of either of his girls; it just blew his mind that this was his life right now. If you asked him a year ago if he thought he’d have the life he currently has, he probably would’ve laughed in the person’s face that asked. But now, he couldn’t imagine his life any other way. “It’s so beautiful and so special,” Joe agreed, leaning forward to capture Madelyn’s lips with his for a brief, but tender kiss. When he pulled back, his gaze shifted to Brielle who was still happily feeding and perfectly content after her little outburst. “Does that feel weird? Or does it just feel like nothing at all?” Joe was curious, simply put. What brand new father wouldn’t be? It almost seemed like there was a list of never-ending questions in the back of his mind that he couldn’t quite ignore. Brielle was then placed back in his arms while Madelyn went to fix the hospital gown she was wearing, but in the moment, Joe practically felt helpless. He was just sitting there and not really doing anything, and it didn’t feel right. Not being able to feed their daughter was one thing, but Madelyn was already doing things without his help and it worried him that she was overdoing it after having just given birth. “Madelyn, I can help you,” he said, albeit quietly, when she took Brielle back from him again. “You don’t have to do everything on your own,” he sighed and finally stood from where he was sitting on the bed to make his way over to where Madelyn was walking around. “And should you really be walking around right now? You literally just gave birth like, two hours ago. You need to get back into bed. There’s no reason you can’t do this while sitting down. Come on.” Now standing behind Madelyn, he placed his arms on her shoulders and carefully walked her back to the bed. After he was able to help in making sure she was once again comfortable, Joe took his phone out to see if there were any missed texts or calls from Madelyn’s parents. “I don’t have any missed calls or texts from them, which means they’re probably in flight still. Last I spoke to my mom, they were a half hour away from Cincinnati which was over an hour ago, so I assume they’ve made it by now. But I told her I’d let her know when you’re ready for visitors.”

MADELYN: "Ooh, too late." Madelyn grinned, looking down at her phone again at the photo. Two of her favorite people ever, and she only met one just a few hours ago. She felt a little bit more awake now, ready to actually start moving around and actually bond with their daughter. Feeding her helped. Madelyn had never pictured herself as the kind of woman to physically feed a child from her body; she always assumed she'd use a bottle. However, the doctor recommended she at least try first, and so far it was working. Madelyn smiled up at Joe, returning the kiss. "It's a little weird. Like obviously she doesn't have teeth or anything so she's not biting or anything but it's almost like I should be feeling a pull but I don't? Not much of one anyway." Madelyn knew she should have been recovering, and truthfully she was still in a lot of pain, but the shot that she was given to help induce labor was still twirling inside her, making it not so terrible. Truthfully, she felt fine, eager to get up and get moving around even though she was sure that when the drug eventually wore off, she would be in a lot of pain. "I'm not doing everything on my own. You're holding the baby while I get dressed, and then I have to burp her. I can't exactly do that while I'm sitting down, the bouncing is supposed to move the little bubbles around. She has a tiny baby stomach, once that gas bubble is in there it's all that's in there." Still, she allowed Joe to lead her back to bed, though she didn't lay down right away. Instead, she sat on the edge, continuing to pat Brielle on the back. "I want to make sure my parents are in the area before I'm ready for visitors. I'd like everyone to be able to see her at the same time. First grandchild and all." Brielle made a muffled burping sound against Madelyn's shoulder, and she grinned, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "There you go, look at you. Alive for two hours and you are killing this baby thing." She looked up at Joe. "Would you take her? So I can get back to kind of sort of laying down and actually eating the sandwich you got me?"

JOE: “Holding the baby isn’t doing shit. I should be the one helping you get dressed. I’m perfectly capable of laying her back down in the bassinet, so that I can help you. She doesn’t need to be held every second of the day,” Joe sighed, the frustration obvious in the tone of his voice. He hadn’t meant to come off so harsh, but he wanted to feel like he was doing something to help. And he couldn’t do that if all he was doing was holding Brielle. The last thing he wanted to do was argue over it, especially now in a semi-public place with their newborn daughter right there to hear everything. Even if she wouldn’t know what was going on, he still didn’t want to do it front of her. “And you don’t have to burp her, I could’ve easily done that myself. You say you’re not doing everything on your own, but that’s exactly what you’re doing.” Joe didn’t want to get emotional again, especially over something that sounded so silly in his head, but he truly just wanted to be able to do more to help. Even they were just little things here and there. “I know I’ll never be able to understand the bond between a mother and her child because of the fact that you were the one that carried her, but we’re supposed to be a team. If I couldn’t physically carry and deliver the baby, then the least I can do is help you in whatever way that I can. If that means helping you get dressed, helping you shower, get in and out of bed, burping her, changing her, or whatever else, then I’ll do it. You don’t ever have to ask me to or just do all of it on your own,” Joe ranted, his eyes unintentionally filling with tears as he took Brielle back from Madelyn. “I’m the one that did this to you, so it’s the least I can do, anyway,” he added quietly under his breath as he carefully placed their now content daughter back in the bassinet.

MADELYN: "I...what?" Madelyn wasn't angry or annoyed by Joe's sudden outburst. She was just confused, mostly, by the sudden outburst. Brielle had only been alive for two hours, and for most of those two hours they had all taken a nap. Not exactly prime taking care of time. "She's a baby, first of all. She's going to need to be held as much as possible, at least for right now. Second of all, I haven't done everything. She's been alive for two hours, most of those two hours she slept. All I'm trying to do is take care of her I'm not...taking away your responsibilities or trying to do everything myself. Walking around? Yes, that's going to take a little bit, and I will need your help with that. I shouldn't have stood up so soon, that's on me. And I'm going to need your help with everything. There will be hundreds of thousands of feedings and burpings and diaper changes that I'm sure you will do in the near future. And I'm sure over the next couple of weeks I'm going to need your help taking care of myself, because God knows my insides have been rearranged and my outsides have been ripped to shreds." She shuddered thinking of it. "But just because I didn't ask you to do anything more than hold her for the three things I've done she's been alive for—one of which you can't physically do—doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly do everything all by myself." Madelyn continued to stay sitting up, watching Joe put their daughter back in the little wooden bassinet. She watched as she shuffled, stretching as she opened her eyes. It was the first time she had fully, properly opened them instead of just squinting, and Madelyn was temporarily taken aback at how blue they were. Joe's blue, as a matter of fact. Madelyn looked up at him, her eyes teary. "Baby, you didn't "do" anything. We had sex. I forgot my birth control. I got pregnant. That's how it works. You do not have to find some way to make it up to me. It's not a give and take system. I mean...look at what we made." Madelyn reached out, touching Brielle's little arm. "You look at her and you tell me that she isn't the result of us working together, of loving each other. We're going to be in this together, and I promise not one person is going to be doing more than the other. Now if you want to help me, you can help me lay down so I can eat my sandwich or you can feed my sandwich to me, your choice."

JOE: Joe knew Madelyn was right. He hadn’t meant to sound so dramatic, but he figured being honest about how he felt was better than keeping it all bottled in until it would inevitably explode. He sat down on the edge of hospital bed, unable to take his eyes off his newborn daughter once she had fully opened her eyes for the first time. Joe couldn’t believe how blue Brielle’s eyes were after only a few hours of being alive, and he wanted nothing more than to cry tears of happiness because of the fact that she had taken after him in that aspect. But there was still some things weighing heavily on him and even though it didn’t feel like the right time for any of this, he needed to get everything off his chest. “I just worry I’m going to fuck up somehow, that I’m not going to do something right, or that I’m just not going to be good enough at this. No matter how hard I try. No matter how much our parents or the doctors and nurses help us, I just have this fear I’m going to mess up and I’m going to end up hating myself for it,” Joe admitted, tears filling his eyes again as he spoke with nothing but full transparency. Still, he hadn’t even looked in Madelyn’s direction while he opened up to her; he could only focus on their very awake daughter who kept making the cutest, little noises. And when Madelyn had initially told Joe to look at her, really look at her, the tears finally managed to work their way out of his eyes simply at the thought of Brielle being a product of them loving one another. He cleared his throat quietly and quickly wiped away the tears with the back of his hand. “I know. She’s beautiful and she has my eyes,” he agreed, his voice coming out more soft than anticipated. “You’re right… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so dramatic, but I just wanted to be honest with you about how I’m feeling. I know she’s only been here for a few hours, but it’s hard to ignore those thoughts in my head when they won’t shut up,” Joe admitted. Finally turning to Madelyn, his fingers slid underneath her chin and he leaned in for a kiss. A tender, gentle kiss he allowed to linger for a minute. “I love you and I love that she is the product of our love for one another,” he whispered against her lips and kissed her one more time before fully pulling away. “I can help you with that. I can do both if you want me to.”

MADELYN: "She absolutely does have your eyes," Madelyn said, her voice soft. She looked down fondly at Brielle, before looking back up at Joe. "Baby, believe me when I say that I am right there with you. I am absolutely fucking terrified of being a parent. I don't know if what I did successfully today will work tomorrow. I don't know how I'm going to feel next week, physically or mentally. I'm petrified that she's gonna hate me and I'm never going to be able to connect with her. And there's so many things that some babies do that other babies don't, so no two pieces of advice are going to be the same. But if we suck, then at least we suck together." Madelyn blinked, before scrunching her nose up. "Maybe that wasn't the most appropriate thing to say, but you get what I mean. And you know that if you ever continue to have these thoughts you can always talk to me. The most we can do is have confidence in ourselves. Parenting is really fucking hard and we're not going to be perfect at it. But we will try our best and hope that our best will be enough." She reached for his hand, squeezing it. "You can always be honest with me, darling. You know that. I've always told you that you can trust me with anything you're feeling, good or bad, and that extends to how you feel about taking care of Bri. Though, I feel like if you take care of Bri the same way you take care of me when I'm at my most baby, I think you'll be fine." Madelyn smiled and tilted her head up as his fingers touched her chin, and she returned a kiss with a soft, content hum. "I love you," she said, whispering just as he was as she kissed him once more. An amused smile curled across her face. "Both," she said. "Lay me down and hand feed me pieces of turkey sandwich like those guys in ancient Greece used to feed their queens grapes." She turned her gaze back towards their daughter. "One thing you need to know about daddy, Bri, is that he will go above and beyond to do anything you ask as long as you give him the cutest face you can muster. It's really very easy," she said, grinning up at Joe.

JOE: “She could never hate you,” Joe was quick to reassure. “Even if we’re both terrified, I know we’ll give her the best life she could ever have. We’re both lucky to be able to do what we do for a living because I know not everyone is that lucky when having children. And if after all of this, she still ends up hating us when she grows up, then we’ll deal with it then. But right now, I’m positive she loves us more than anything. Even if she doesn’t quite know what love is yet.” When Madelyn took Joe’s hand, he instantly squeezed it back for her own reassurance. It was funny how the conversation started with her reassuring him, but now the roles had been reversed. It was hard to hear Madelyn’s own thoughts she was having, while he was sure it was hard for her to hear his. But that’s when Joe knew that they were both incredibly lucky that they had each other. He’d be lost without her and knew Madelyn probably felt the same about him. “I know I can. I guess I’m still learning the right way to do that almost seven months into our relationship. It’s never easy,” Joe said with a shrug. “I try my best. But like you said, I just hope my best will be enough.” He briefly looked away from Madelyn to focus on his daughter again and he couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips as he lovingly gazed at her. It was still so bizarre to him that they were able to create life without having even meant to. And maybe, just maybe, it was meant to happen in some weird way. Joe had never thought anything was missing from his life up until now; he felt like Brielle was the puzzle piece that had been missing from it all along. His life felt complete and whole now. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. “Alright, give me a second,” Joe said, standing up from his place on the bed and quietly clearing his throat again. Then, he helped Madelyn into a more comfortable position, pulling the thin covers up and over her body halfway. He took the bag of food that was still sitting dormant on the tray next to the bed and hastily pulled out the sandwich that Madelyn had been dying to eat for some time now. He unwrapped it and noticed that it was cut in half, which would make it that much easier to feed her like she wanted. “Look at that, it’s already cut in half. I think they knew I’d be feeding it to you,” he joked as he sat back down on the edge of the hospital bed and pulled the rolling tray closer to him. He picked up one half of the sandwich and held it up to Madelyn, motioning for her to take a bite. “This better be the best damn sandwich you’ve ever had after you went through all of that. If it’s not, they’ll be hearing from my lawyers tomorrow,” Joe chuckled. “But also, that’s not true. You don’t have to give me any sort of cute face just to get me to do anything. I will always fold, no matter what.”

MADELYN: It was nice to know that they were both terrified of what was to come. Madelyn wasn't sure if she would fully believe them if they were both just okay with having a newborn, even with all the help they had. And that they were still learning. Their relationship was less than a year old and they already had a child, they still hadn't fully adjusted to their own emotions and being open and vulnerable. They were still learning, and now they were learning how to be parents on top of it. They were lucky to have each other, they were lucky that they were still in this together. "The most we can do is be a united front, no matter what. At the end of the day there's going to be shit that's going to happen, both figurative and literal, but we have to be able to clean it up together." Madelyn grinned as Joe agreed to both of her conditions, even though she was only (mostly) teasing about the hand feeding her thing. She could at least use her hands. But she wanted things to be relatively normal for them right now, and this seemed like part of it. "Well duh, they saw your name on the order and thought "Now there's a man who is about to feed a turkey sandwich to the mother of his child." Madelyn leaned forward, biting the corner of the sandwich. It was a decent sandwich, exactly what she wanted. If only she had been able to eat it a little bit earlier. "No legal team necessary, it's perfect. Also, how would she know that when she can't do anything except eat and shit and cry right now? You have to be able to do things she can visualize." Just then, her phone went off, and she leaned over to look at the notification. "Oh, my parents are here, they just picked up their rental car. If you want you can tell your parents to get here soon, since my parents will also be here." When they finally came to visit, Madelyn spent the rest of the afternoon trying to fight off tears as she watched her parents meet their first grandchild, knowing that they would have this to look forward to for the rest of their lives.

#para: small hands (wrapped around my finger)#( i love my name inside your voice ; Joe. )#tw birth #tw drug mention #( so this is the miracle that i’ve been dreaming of ; Brielle Athena. )

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betoomuch · 2 years

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8.03.22

You know what I’m tired of?!??

Aside from toxic masculinity & it’s abusive ways… I’m tired of Cis-women that date crusty dusty cis men that give them the bare minimum or nothing at all AND make excuses for them. Most of them can’t even fuck you right!!! OMG. Especially when she’s such a beautiful soul and spirit.

We’ve been taught to sit down, offer our love, body and care for free. Try and fix these men. Wait for them to get their act together. I wish I could make it STOP. The excuses women (I was once one of them can’t lie heheheh, but in my defense it was my first relationship with my high school sweetheart🙈) give these losers are things like…

“He (or we) went through so much” Haven’t we all?!

“We’ve been together for so long, can’t throw that out now” Do you want this to be your life?!? Don’t waste another second babe!

“IDK what id do without him” BITCH YOU’LL SURVIVE. Better yet YOU’LL LIVE.

“He took me on a date & begged for me back🥹” BOO FUCKING HOO.

“He’s my forever.” You’re your only FOREVER. You owe yourself everything.

“I’m just going to give him one more chance” …But he’s been shit for 99% of the relationship… one more chance turns unlimited.

Oooo and this one “I’m just having sex with him and going on dates, getting what I deserve” Honey you’re giving your energy and time… who’s really winning??!

Nah but seriously, it saddens me and worries me. How bad do we want this “love”?! Enough to bleed for it? To neglect ourselves the love we’ve dreamed of? Do we not care about ourselves enough to leave a place we know will continue to hurt us? Do we not believe that a reciprocal relationship that aligns with our wants/needs, that feels safe and gentle exist?

LOVE IS NOT ENOUGH.

We need care, we need consideration, we need what we know we as individuals need. Maybe it’s “I need someone that dances with me” & that’s ok. I strongly believe that honoring yourself and weeding out relationships that don’t reflect what you want/need for your happiness and pleasure makes space for the ones you do. It’s not easy, that fucking shit hurts mas Que el Diablo🫠 Uff but it is SOOooOoOo worth it!!! You will thank yourself in the end. You will respect yourself differently. Stick it out, surround yourself with friends and family that remind you that you are worthy of such. Part of you gets taken away every time you get disappointed, he hurts you, doesn’t respect you or you’re just receiving a love that isn’t fully for you.

After a failed relationship I wrote down the exact relationship I want in the future. In detail. Being 100% honest with myself. Not being scared to ask the universe for all I want! I promised myself I wouldn’t get into one again till it reflects exactly what I need/want. I am deserving of a magical loving, sexy, passionate, deep, liberating, orgasm after orgasm, embracing love. I got that shortly after (look at spirit!!! The fucking power of manifestation!) What type of love are you deserving of???

DREAM BIG. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.

Song- Insecurities by Syd.

(S.b. - This definitely does not include abusive relationships, that’s a whole deeper mindfucking situation)

#blog #self love #love #betoomuch #healing #reflection #relationship #advice #manifesation #Tiffany pollard #i love new york #flavor of love #writers on tumblr #write #black blogger #Black #syd #insecurities #insecure

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amor-immortalem · 1 year

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Meli the Runaway part 2

A/N: This has been rotting in my drafts for three months and I don’t have anything better to post. So I figured it was time to post this…

It’s one of the last quiet mornings Lucifer will get until the end of the next school year. He starts his morning off with a nice cup of tea while Cerberus naps just outside the window. His only child is tucked away safely in his room and sleeping soundly. Nothing could ruin this morning- nothing at all. So why is Diavolo’s good name is Lucifer’s cell phone blaring loudly from its place on the table in front of him at seven in the morning? Better yet, why is it Satan’s name on the caller id?

“Good Morning, Satan. Why are you calling at seven in the morning?”

“Is Melissa with you? She snuck out of the house at some point during the night.” The fourth-born is quick and to the point with it.

“Not even a good morning in return?” The first-born mumbles under his breath, “No, Melissa isn’t here- at least not to my knowledge, anyway. Why? Did you two have another disagreement?”

“I’d say disagreement is an understatement…” Satan sighs, “She threw Hivetes’ laptop out the window yesterday and when I confronted her about it, it turned into a fight.”

“It’s always something between those two, isn’t it?” The blacked-haired demon lets out a sigh through his nose, “Did Melissa actually admit to throwing the laptop out or is this one of those situations where you’re getting two different sides to the story again?”

“Oh no, she admitted it. I grounded her for it but I just want her to apologize to her step-mother.”

“Just let the issue die then- move on and forget making her apologize,” the older demon suggests, “if her apologizing is causing this much of an issue then I have a feeling there’s more to it than you know.”

“She claims Hivites is a totally different demon when I’m not present.”

“Well maybe it’s not that far off from the truth,” Lucifer takes a long sip of his tea, “I know it’s not what you want to hear Satan but what if Melissa is telling the truth about her? Back when we all first fell and I would sporadically try to find a partner, I met plenty of demons and demonesses that have been two-faced when it comes to the six of you. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that she’s that kind of person.”

“Still, we’ve been together in one form or another since Melissa was two- thirteen years is quite a while to put up a ruse like that.”

“Weirder things have happened… anyway, circling back around to the reason you called, I would recommend giving either Asmo or Mammon a ring and see if either of them has her. Melissa usually goes to Azalea or Zulima if she’s having issues with you, doesn’t she?”

“Usually, but I’ve asked them to make sure they at least text me if Meli stops by after our fights just so I know she’s safe… and I haven’t heard anything from either of them so it’s safe to assume she’s not there…”

“I would still cover my bases if I were you.” Lucifer sets his tea cup down as he spies the time, “I’d love to sit here and chat with you all morning but unfortunately I have to get moving. Solaris and I have a busy day ahead of us. Good luck with Melissa- hopefully you find her soon.”

The line clicks off before Satan has a chance to reply, leaving the fourth-born to glare at the device in his hands. “That wasn’t helpful at all.” The blonde dials Asmo next as he heads downstairs to the kitchen where his wife is currently making a pot of coffee for them. She shoots him a curious look when he sets his mobile on the table a little too harshly.

“Meli’s not up in her room so I’m calling my brothers to see if she dropped in on them. Lucifer was no help and Asmo didn’t pick up their phone.” He explains, running a hand through his hair.

Hivites nods slightly before letting out a sigh. “That child of yours- what are we going to do with her?”

“I don’t know,” Satan frowns, “I just wish she wouldn’t sneak out in the middle of the night like this. It’s dangerous for her to be out unattended at that hour… she saw what happened to her cousin when she was out roaming the streets in the middle of the night. I don’t get what would be going through her mind…”

“The one with the missing eye, right? Maybe she’s the one causing this little rebellious phase Meli’s going through.” Hivites sets a mug of coffee on the table for Satan before going back to fix herself one.

“Azalea? No, I don’t think so. What makes you say that?”

“Well, for one, they’re always spending time together along with your other niece as well and it seems like Azalea would be the master of knowing how to spite a parent considering how spiteful the girl can be with her own parents. I just think perhaps some of her more… problematic behaviours are starting to rub off on our dear Melissa, you know? It worries me that she’ll turn into a delinquent the more time she spends with her cousin.”

“That’s a little unfair to blame that on Azalea alone though, don’t you think? We’re the parents, if Meli were to become a delinquent ultimately it wouldn’t be anyone’s fault but ours for improper parenting.”

“I’m just saying that I think her cousin’s a bad influence on her is all.” She gives him a smile as she takes a sip from her coffee. “Whether or not you feel the same is up to you…”

A silence falls over them as the blonde contemplates his wife’s words. He picks his phone back up and dial’s Mammon’s number, hoping he’d at least have the decency to answer unlike Asmo.

And he does, answering with a very out of breath “Yo.” Satan is a little taken aback by the greeting.

“Umm, Morning, Mammon. Did I call at a bad time?”

“No… no, not really,” the second-born answers still out of breath, “I was just out chasing down some runaway souls in Hell. I’m just really… out of shape from what I used to be. Why?”

“I was looking for Meli. We had a fight last night and when I went to wake her up this morning, she wasn’t in her room but I guess since you’re down in Hell, it’s safe to assume you don’t know if she decided to drop in on you and Arella.”

“Yeah, no. You’d be better off just callin’ ‘Rella to see if she’s there.”

“Alright, thanks. Keep an eye out for her once you get back please.”

“Will do.”

The line clicks off on Mammon’s end and the wrath demon moves on to his next contact.

・・・〆・・・

As the morning goes on and each call to his brothers and eventually the parents of his daughter’s friends turns up empty handed, Satan can’t help but feel worried. If she wasn’t with any of their family or any of her friends, where could Melissa have gone? Part of the demon wants to contact authorities and open a missing person’s case but another part of him wants to wait the day out, see if she just comes back on her own.

What if something happens to her? is the nagging thought in the back of the Avatar of Wrath’s mind. He just hopes she turns up soon.

・・・〆・・・

Two weeks later

“That had to be the single worst experience of my life,” Melissa groans out as she lays on the ground. “I can see why everyone prefers to leave the Devildom via portal. That trek through the layers of hell fucking sucks.”

As she sits up, the teen brushes some of the debris from her hair. She’s never felt so tired in her whole life. Her brown eyes drift to the bright blue sky of the human world as she lets her body soak in the sunlight.

Where in the human world even am I, anyway…?

・・・〆・・・

To be continued (eventually)

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me swd #obey me! shall we date?#obey me satan #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me oc #obey me kids #obey me next gen #obey me next gen oc #melissa

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system-of-a-feather · 1 year

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4, 7, 21 & 30?

4) Do you go to sleep or wake up as different parts? What are dreams like for you?

Sometimes. Most of the time it's me that wakes up and most of the time its me that goes to sleep, but sometimes another part goes to sleep and I wake up, vice versa, and sometimes another part goes to sleep and the same or a different part may wake up.

Usually our dreams are single part, but occasionally we can like... for a lack of better words, co-con someone else's dream / watch them and rarely, but occasionally, more than one alter will exist in the dream and itll be a shared dream, but those are considerably rare.

7) What’s sexuality like for you? Does having multiple parts effect your relationships?

We are all varying leans of bi/pansexual. Ray is the only one that IDs as a gay man (and he really tried to be bi 'cause it would make sense', but he really has no interest in women / female-presenting individuals)

Having multiple parts obviously does affect my relationships in the sense that it is inherently going to be something that is known and different parts have different boundaries - and then parts that have to accommodate for other parts consent / boundaries and all that stuff. I don't think it NEGATIVELY effects my relationships, but I also wouldn't say it POSITIVELY effects it either. It just, effects it.

21) When you feel safe sharing about your parts with someone, which part is the “easiest” to introduce/explain about?

See.... back in the day maybe I'd say Lucille or something, but the truth is we don't really.... "introduce" well. We don't really plan it cause the parts that are good at like proper and formal introductions get awkward performance anxiety when its too focused on them. Most of the time it usually one of the more "don't give a fuck" alters like XIV, Aderis, and sometimes Ray that just goes "Sup lol"

These days I just kinda go "oh yeah I live a double life with my personal Johnny Silverhand living in my head" and then like at some point in the near future XIV will be like "sup I'm the personal Johnny Silverhand, you can call me [insert whatever name he wishes to give person]"

We just kinda let our dissociative brain do what it likes naturally.

30. Here’s your prompt to ramble about something parts-related you haven’t had a chance to share!

Uhhhhhhh fuck uh

Okay fun test. XIV and I share the front a lot, usually co-con / co-front, sometimes just blurred and so sometimes we can't really tell who we are with 100% certainty and a funny new found way to figure it out is to just hand us a guitar.

Cause that skill is NOT transferred between us and I have yet to still get over my habit of holding the guitar the wrong way around + never knowing what to do.

Also XIV was recently talking with my fiance about how he [fiance] had really always just marked XIV as "literally just Johnny Silverhand" and at first it was cause he was being a manspreading snarky constantly complaining 'just wanting to start fights' asshole in a restaraunt the first time they properly talked which made him go "ohhh ok its just Johnny this one"

Which only got worse with

>hates capitalism and wont shut the fuck up about it >constantly "jokes" about violence against Jeff Bezos >really laid a case for us to start smoking before settling for gum >general aesthetic >general language >really wants a guitar >gets a guitar and becomes hella pretentious using the same language >a few others I wont share on here

But apparently he noted it first thing they started formally talking and then over a year XIV just kept unknowingly evolving his self expression in more oddly specific Silverhand details when we knew nothing about Cyberpunk. Which I snicker at cause I really wish I could rewatch that and scream with him about how hilarious it is cause its really fucking funny in hindsight and imaging being my fiance when XIV keeps incrementally and unknowingly hitting a lot of the key personality traits / character traits of Johnny while our system still refused to play the game like.... XD It would have been fun to share that OH MY GOD KALSDJFLK

Cause literally the meme got to the point where it broke the camels back when XIV was rambling about guitar stuff at our fiance and basically word for word quoted a scene in Cyberpunk and our fiance just had to interrupt the ramble to just share the quote.

Its literally the best meme I swear.

-Riku

#alter: riku #alter: xiv #ask #asks #ask game

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