#ellie gets a happy ending

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 235

“Mother, I have made a friend.” 

Now don’t get him wrong, Danny was delighted at the idea of Jordan making a friend, he really was. But the last three attempts had been borderline kidnappings, so he wasn’t entirely sure if he should be. Thankfully it doesn’t seem he’s kidnapped this one. Hopefully. 

Not that he wouldn’t be surprised if Dan managed to kidnap a tiny kryptonian, but the kid- Jon apparently- seemed happy enough to be there. Apparently his grandparents lived in the midwest too, and was happy enough to have someone to talk about it. 

Though um, maybe Danny should have checked to see if his parents knew where he’d gone, because he was not expecting a harried-looking superman to suddenly appear at his window. 

#DCxDP #DPxDC #Prompts #Jon saw Dan do a bit of floating when he thought no one was looking & deemed him friend #Yes Dan is also 10 lol #Jon is not getting stuck in time #Dan isn’t above contacting grandpa Clockwork because uh his totally-not-friend noo #Just wait until someone whose survived the end of the world sees Dan #mom danny #Clark: Look Jon and I made fellow alien friends :D #Ellie is 18 and started on a roadtrip for her birthday to explore more #Jon has a habit of befriending the grumpy ferals #Danny is happy he has someone to talk about space with #He meets Lois and Jimmy too & the world trembles at the potential shenanigans #Clark weeps internally before finding out that Danny can deal with most of their shenanigans

[hairmetal666]

cw// cancer mentioned, no character death

Eddie's moving to Chicago with his boyfriend and their best friend.

Eddie's moving to Chicago and it feels like everything is finally coming together.

Eddie's moving to Chicago, Steve Harrington is his boyfriend, and his life is starting.

Eddie's moving to Chicago, but then Wayne gets sick.

He tells Steve that he can't leave, not yet, needs to take care of his uncle.

And Steve, his Steve, perfect Steve, says with no hesitation, "I'll stay. Eddie, I'll stay with you. We'll go in six months. Together, that's the plan."

But Eddie can't let Steve do that; Steve who is everything bright and good and right in the world. Steve needs to get out, even if Eddie can't.

He insists Steve go, insists so hard that Steve can only agree, though Eddie can tell it's killing him.

Before they leave, Steve and Eddie cling to each other.

"Six months, baby. Just six months and then I'll be with you."

"I'll stay, Eds. Let me stay for you?"

"Not in a million years. What's six months in a lifetime together?"

"You mean that?" Steve whispers, the words tickling against Eddie's neck.

"Of course, sweetheart. Never meant anything more in my life."

They cling harder, crying against each other, despite it being goodbye for now and not forever.

They haven't said "I love you" yet, and the words hang on his tongue as the embrace ends, but he can't say it now; not when six months of time and 200-plus miles will separate them.

Except Wayne isn't better in six months. He's not worse, but the cancer's still there, he's still sick. And Eddie can't leave.

Eddie figured something like this would happen. Knew in the back of his mind that Steve and Robin and Chicago were never anything but a pipe dream.

When he calls Steve, he thinks he's ready.

"Okay, so Hopper's letting us borrow his truck, but he needs to know our timeline. You think next Saturday--"

"Steve." He says. His stomach clenches.

"What's wrong?" Because Steve knows, like he always does.

"Wayne's not better."

Steve is silent for a beat. "Okay...that's okay. I'll come back. Right now. Tonight. We'll do this tog--"

"You know I can't let you do that."

"Eddie--"

"No, Steve, don't. Okay? Let's just. It's time, you know?"

"It's not. Eddie, it isn't. Don't do this. Please, please," Steve cries.

"It's for the best. I know you can't see it now, but it is. You need to live your life, Stevie. Get that degree. Be someone."

"Eddie," Steve sobs. "Please. You have to know that I lo--"

"Don't," Eddie snarls. Doesn't mean to but can't hear those words, the three that will break him in two. "This is for the best, Steve. A clean break, yeah?"

"No." And Eddie hears Steve shuffling on the other end, like he's getting up. "I'm not letting you do this. I'm coming back, and we're doing this together. A lifetime, remember?"

Eddie's crying now, can't help it. "Please, don't. Steve, just--it's over, okay? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't do this anymore."

He hangs up the phone before Steve can argue, cries himself to sleep.

5 Years Later

Eddie never gets over Steve Harrington. His golden boy, the brave, perfect, kind, bratty man who has his whole heart.

Wayne is okay. Will never not have cancer, but he's doing good. And Eddie runs a record store in the town over. Visits some bars in Indy when he feels a certain kind of lonely. He's settled, finally, is the thing. He's settled and happy enough, so of course, that's when it happens.

He's at the grocery store, stopped in produce. There's a little girl, maybe 3 or 4--bright pink shirt, chestnut hair, little overalls--sitting in a cart by the tomatoes.

The sight of her sparks something in Eddie's chest, but he doesn't understand what or why, and then she's pointing at him, smiling and wiggling. "Daddy!" She shrieks.

That's when Steve Harrington swoops around the corner, reaching for the girl, his daughter, and Eddie takes a step away, ready to run from this.

The girls says, "That's the boy in all your pictures." She giggles and points at Eddie more. Steve blushes, and Eddie's assaulted by so many things all at once he thinks he may pass out.

"Stevie," he hears himself saying.

Steve freezes, looks at Eddie, so much knowing in those hazel eyes it makes him a little sick. But it still surprises him when Steve pulls him into a hug. Being in those arms again, It's like everything keeping him together falls apart. He sinks into the hold, breathes in deep, feels like home.

It shouldn't, though. Steve's got a kid. Probably a wife. Can't have his ex-boyfriend falling apart in his arms in the grocery store. Eddie disengages, steps back a little. Steve blinks, eyelashes fluttering, and Eddie is still so in love with him it hurts.

"I should--I should go," he mumbles, gripping at the back of his neck like it's a lifeline. The little girl giggles more, bouncing in her seat, and he's overcome with fondness. Can't help but give her an exaggerated bow as he goes.

He makes himself walk to the end of the aisle, but once he's left Steve behind, he runs.

That night, when a knock comes at his door, nothing prepares him for a sheepish Steve Harrington standing on the other side.

"Sorry to drop by unannounced," Steve says, manners still impeccable. "Wayne gave me your address. I'm glad--I'm glad he's doing okay, Eddie."

Eddie's too astonished to respond, nods for a few seconds before, "Th-thanks. Uhh, you wanna come in?"

Steve does and then they're in Eddie's little living room together and what the fuck is he supposed to do?

"Where's the kid?" he asks. He gestures Steve to the couch.

Steve smiles, a soft thing that's a knife to Eddie's heart. "Oh, I left her with Robin. They'll be fine for a few hours. Her name's Ellie, by the way. Ellie Jane Harrington."

"She knows who I am?" Eddie asks.

"Course. I told her about everyone. Showed her pictures. I hoped she could meet you one day."

"Yeah?" Eddie can't stand the thing that unfurls in his chest, blooming with love, so much care it aches in his teeth. "I swear next time I won't run away."

Steve laughs, hazel eyes fond in a way that Eddie can't look at for too long. "You didn't run away, Eds. It was a weird--reunion."

Eddie chuckles, pulls hair over his face. "A little bit. Not every day you run into your ex and his daughter scoping out tomatoes."

"I was hoping to give you a call, ask you out to dinner, or something. Not my kid recognizing you at Bradley's Big Buy."

"You wanna take me out to dinner, Stevie?" He asks before he can think better of it. Steve blushes red, and god Eddie missed him.

"Thought it might be nice, yeah. Get to know each other again."

It's Eddie turn to blush. "Why are you here?" He asks, good of a segue as any.

"Here, like, in your apartment, or here in Hawkins?"

"Both."

"I'm--uh--the new counselor at Hawkins High. Might coach the basketball team."

"But--Chicago," is all Eddie can say.

Steve laughs. "It was fun for a while, but--I don't know, man, it got hard with a kid. Joyce told me about the job opening and I decided to try."

"And Ellie's mom?" Eddie doesn't want to ask, can't stand not knowing.

Steve's eyes fall. "Ah," his hands squeeze into fists. "She's not in the picture. Never really was. After--" he takes a deep breath. "After we broke up, I sort of. Lost myself for awhile. Slept around. One night, I got this call saying that a baby had been surrendered at a fire station, my name listed as the father."

"Oh, sweetheart. I bet you didn't hesitate."

Steve stares at his hands, smiles. "Not for a second. I cried when I saw her, Eds. Just fucking sobbed. She was so beautiful. Then I had to figure out how to raise a kid and finish school."

"But you did it." Eddie can't hide that he's crying anymore.

Steve nods, is crying too.

"I'm really proud of you, sweetheart," Eddie whispers.

They look at each other, tear stained and sad but somehow so happy, and Steve leans forward, presses his mouth to Eddie's. He freezes, shocked to stillness, overwhelmed with the thing he never thought he'd have again.

Steve pulls back, face red and eyes wide. "I'm so sorry. I got it in my head--" he stands, fumbling for his keys. "I should have never--you told me we were done and I know you meant it. But I saw you in the grocery store and I thought, you know, I'm never getting over him. I'm so stup--"

"Steve, wait" Eddie snaps out of it all at once, hurrying to where the man he's never stopped loving is shoving his feet inexpertly into his shoes.

"Don't leave," he says, almost whispering. "Please don't leave. Steve, I'm so, so sorry for how I ended things. I was so young and stupid, and--I didn't want you to lose your dreams for me."

Steve turns then, tears trickling down his cheeks. "You were my dream, Eds. You still are. I should have come back, made you let me stay. But I thought--maybe your feelings had changed. That you didn't--that you weren't--"

Eddie can't help it, pulls Steve into his arms. "I was. I am. You're all I've ever wanted." He presses his face to Steve's hair, breathes in deep. "I loved you then. I love you now. I've loved you every day in between."

"I love you," Steve sobs. "I love you so much."

They kiss, lips slotting together like they never stopped. It's salty with tears, but it's perfect. It's them.

Their mouths part, but they stay in each other's orbit; need the proximity after years apart.

"I have a kid now, Eddie," Steve says into the silence between them.

"Yeah," Eddie nods. "She's beautiful. Looks like her dad."

Steve smiles, flushes again. "She needs stability in her life, you know? She's my priority. Always will be. And if I--if this--"

Eddie knows. Understands his boy just as well now as he did back then. "We'll take it as slow as you need, baby. I want to be there for both of you. When you're ready. And until then, I'll be wherever you need me."

More tears escape Steve's eyes, but Eddie brushes them away. "We have a lifetime to figure it out."

#steddie #steve x eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #ficlet #oneshot #break up #second chance at love #reconnection #mutual pining #angst #angst with a happy ending #girl dad steve harrington #steve harrington has a kid #good nephew eddie munson #wayne has cancer #getting back together #eventually ellie calls eddie daddy and everyone cries #soft #a little bit of fluff amongst the heartache

[whenthegoldrays]

The male leads in recent k-dramas have really been delivering on the I will live for you and also I would literally die for you, repeatedly if necessary

#like okay!! I can’t put Francesca by hozier in EVERY playlist #(but I have anyway) #lovely runner #marry my husband #the matchmakers #live up to your name #(ik that’s an older drama but it fits the bill and it will always be famous to ME) #elly's posts #also most of these involve time travel which helps with the whole die-for-you but still get a happy ending thing #edit: also adding #twinkling watermelon #for that father and son relationship #“you saved my life many times in our past life” still floors me and wrecks me every time I remember it #(which is often)

[loptrcoptr]

Ten years ago, a little baby loptrcoptr (then under the username daysoffuturepasta), freshly in love with Norse mythology, decided to make a few Norse-myth-meme valentines. I did seven rounds of these things (technically 6 and 1/2) for a total of seven years and I had a lot of fun. Even made some for my grad department to put around the place, and once shoved them into friends’ pockets on a night out to see how long it took them to find each one.

Now, in honor of the tenth anniversary of these trashy little things, have one more!

(Also totally message me to tell me which ones were your faves!)

#I think old Norse Loki and the birds say you’re hot and skirnir’s one… and mimir yeah. those are my faves. #and for any of you about to come up in here like ‘Ellis ragnarok isn’t the end of all things per se you should-‘ I know I know let me live #Norse mythology valentines #ten fucking years oh my god?? I had thought maybe nine but not ten #in my head I didn’t get in the Norse nerd path until I was like 23 but this means I was 21 #21!! just a baby. goddamn that feels like ages ago #happy Valentine’s Day (a few hours early here but whatever!)

[elliewiltarwyn]

Miqomarch Day 1: Introduction

Weary and exhausted, she starts fishing in her pocket for her room key as she walks under the entrance arch to Bulwark Hall, slowing her pace. It’s weirdly resistant and slippery today, feeling as if it keeps slipping from her fingers right before she can properly grasp it. She stops and lets out an annoyed oath as she focuses on digging a little more firmly—

The hairs on the back of her neck rise. Hear… Her ears immediately follow, and her eyes go wide. Feel… Her tail flicks one way, then the other. Think…

Before she’s even aware of her body’s movements, she’s spun around in place, yanked her hand from her pocket, and forcefully grabbed the wrist of a midlander man in a loose green-and-white tunic, who in response stares at her as if she had just exploded a bomb in his face and blown his bandanna and the hair underneath it clean off. “Seven ‘ells,” he mutters, not even blinking. “I ‘aven’t been caught in years.”

and that's how lilyana tsuki met captain jacke of the rogues' guild and took her introductory step towards becoming a warrior of light

(the writing's from my MSQ novelization fic very much still a wip >.>)

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv screenshots #ffxiv gpose #ffxiv miqo'te #miqomarch #I will. probably not do much more of miqomarch. this was very spontaneous. #i just noticed the word and was like “oh. huh. that can *vaguely* apply to this scene. #and i've been looking for an excuse to do this pose.” #i'm not. suuuper happy with the end result but i think the gist gets across at least >.> #maybe it's just pre-ARR lily. she looks so different from present-day lmao #“ellie didn't you just talk about how you have a bunch of prompts sitting in your inbo--” LOOK BEHIND YOU A THREE-HEADED MONKEY

[lauronk]

making bracelets today with my sister and best friend for Eras Concert Movie (it was so good) and i made myself this one that is not for trading

just a little in my feels about streetlights tonight and idk why even

but in may i got this random idea in my head and decided to write my first fanfic in like a decade and now cut to like 4-5 months later and i have a wholeass new group of friends? and my partner tells me i seem happier? and idk i just never could have imagined this coming from hitting the publish button on ao3

so yeah, feels

#too many feelings #they need to stop #but it’s insane how like one decision can shift so much #bc how did i end up here #i feel creative and silly and happy #and it’s weird to think of the way things connect #because streetlights is from a taylor swift song #Cornelia Street #and now whenever I hear it I think of tlou and my new friends #idk what I’m even saying anymore at this point #this is more emotionally vulnerable than I usually get I might delete this later #streetlights pointed in an arrowhead #tlou fanfiction #the last of us fanfiction #joel and ellie

[pedropascalbrainrot]

Look I'm sure this has been written before but like what if Riley didn't get bit, only Ellie and Riley sat with her the whole night just waiting for her to turn (heart break city tho can you imagine the angst fics that could come from that) and the time never comes and then Marlene/firefly crew roll up and Riley's like "hey this happened" and they go balls to the wall crazy and shackle Ellie in that room but this time Riley is alive and waiting it out with her and then they figure out she's immune and then shit plays out the same only now Joel has two daughters to haul across the country and also they're in love.

#the last of us #joel miller #ellie williams #riley #elliexriley #tlou #im emotionally scarred by that fucking episode guys #what if it just ended happy #and joel gets two feral children to corral

[elysianrey]

to build a home

(a/n: Belly and Conrad journey through trying to start a family of their own. Belly’s dreams don’t go quite as planned.

or basically my excuse to write a fic where these two would give each other the world if they could and Jeremiah gets the wedding he always wanted.)

pairing: belly conklin/conrad fisher

tw: fertility issues, hurt/comfort, panic attack

wc: 4,393

Belly knew from the day she chose Conrad Fisher as her future husband-to-be that she wanted to have a family with him someday. They didn’t have to have many kids—the Fishers and the Conklins got by just fine with only two kids on each side—but she always dreamt of creating at least one new life with the man who could move the moon and stars. Family was important to both of them. Family was everything.

It wasn’t long after they exchanged their vows that they agreed to start trying to make a little family of their own. Belly had been on birth control for the past 5 years so she understood it would take time for her body to acclimate and regulate itself. Between 3 months to possibly a year her gynecologist had assured her. Waiting was okay. She had learned a lot about waiting since her years of pining after Conrad. It would only make the inevitability of their little one that much sweeter.

The waiting began.

3 months.

Her period resumed.

6 months.

It finally became consistent enough to track

9 months.

A box of pregnancy tests that she purchased from the Dollar Tree resided carefully in her underwear drawer.

One year.

Nothing.

Despite no signs that she was pregnant, Belly remained optimistic. Hopeful. She repeated her doctor’s words like a mantra when thoughts of fear and doubt began to creep into her mind. Conrad faithfully repeated the same things, never failing to remind her that they always had next month. Next month would be the month. He could feel it. They just needed to wait a little bit longer. Belly’s heart swelled in her chest every time she heard her husband’s reassurance. She still could not believe he was hers and she was his. That she got to wake up to the boy she fell in love with as an awkward preteen every single day.

Something was wrong.

+

It has been two years now since she stopped her birth control. In that time, she’s spent a handful of days sitting in the doctor’s office, waiting for an answer. She’s convinced herself that something must not be functioning properly within her female parts, otherwise they would already be pregnant by now. The doctor explains that nothing is out of the ordinary regarding her reproductive health. Then she suggests the last words Belly ever wanted to hear. Have you considered visiting a fertility clinic with your husband?

Could their inability to conceive truly be a problem on Conrad’s end? When she conveys the doctor’s advice to him later that evening, he immediately agrees to the plan of consulting with another medical expert. Her heart aches with adoration for his willingness to give this unexpected route a try. She knows he gets how much this means to her as he reaches across their dinner table and takes her hand, bringing it up to his lips. He flashes his all-too-familiar, lopsided grin and gives her hand a soft squeeze.

The office is pleasant and the staff are friendly enough when they visit a month later. The secretary gives them a mountain of paperwork to complete before meeting with the doctor. Despite the pleasantries, Belly can’t ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. A nurse escorts them to a plain room with a couple of seats that have a whole filing rack of pregnancy and fertility brochures. Her knee begins to shake up and down, to which Conrad gently calms with his broad hand. She does her best to match his collected demeanor.

The doctor invites them into his formal office and initiates the conversation with her another series of questions, some more uncomfortable than others. At this point, these people knew more about their sex life than her best friend, Taylor, much to Belly’s embarrassment. Her face burns as Conrad answers each question, no hint of shame or awkwardness in his tone. By the end of their appointment, her husband has provided enough of a sample for the lab to create a report on the numbers and viability of his sperm. Belly cannot remember a time she has been more mortified about a situation, and she isn’t even the one who had to cum into a test tube.

They receive his results in one week.

Normal.

+

Three years have passed.

The crack in her heart has grown and deepened with the pain of being unable to start a family. Her mother recognizes the hurt she feels each time they get together for a movie night or lunch, and she knows Laurel wishes she could do something to ease the burden. On a particularly warm day in mid-April, her mom tentatively brings up options she still has. Adoption. Fostering. IVF. Surrogacy. With each option mentioned, Belly’s shoulders deflate more and more. By the end of their conversation, she thanks her mom for her help, and immediately drives to Conrad’s office, ignoring the fact that her lunch break is long over.

She disregards the looks of curiosity his coworkers give as she walks past them, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. Her front teeth bite down hard enough on her lower lip to hurt, yet it’s incomparable to the ache in her chest. Belly manages to hold herself together long enough to knock on his door, wait for him to appear with a concerned expression forming along his brow, and enter his office. The moment she hears the door latch, a strangled sob bubbles out of her throat and she grips onto the corner of his desk to keep herself from sinking to the ground.

“We’re destined to never have children, aren’t we?” she chokes out, her knuckles turning white from her grip on his desk. “What are we doing wrong, Connie? What am I doing wrong?”

She feels his arms find their solace around her waist, pulling her back to his chest in a comforting embrace. This is the first time she’s let the armor she keeps up about their fertility issues fall so openly and plainly in front of him. Belly can’t breathe. She can’t think. She must have done something wrong to prevent them from having a baby. The distant ringing in her ears blocks the sound of her sobs. The sound of Conrad.

Conrad.

Conrad’s talking. Conrad’s trying to talk to her. His voice slowly returns and she tries focusing on what he’s saying.

“Breathe Belly. You’re okay, I’ve got you. Just focus on my breathing.” His words are far away, but she finds herself mirroring the rise and fall of his chest, his words growing louder with each round of breathing.

In one, two, three, four, five.

Hold.

Out one, two, three, four, five.

After about 5 sets of this, Belly’s muscles begin to relax, her sobs lessen to small whimpers. Tears, snot, and saliva mix together on her face as she drops her head back against Conrad’s shoulder. He pushes her bangs back from her forehead, his lips meeting the smooth skin. He’s still holding onto her like she might collapse at any moment, and if she’s being honest, there’s a good possibility that she will if he decides to let go.

“Tell me what happened,” his voice is gentle and low, ready to catch her again if she falls.

She does. Belly tells him everything she should have told him from the moment she felt her heart break. She tells him she didn’t want to worry him because of what happened years ago with his mom’s sickness. She tells him that he deserves more than this life they’re currently living. She tells him about her conversation with her mom. By the end of her confession, they’re sitting together on the hardwood floor, leaning against the cream wall of his office.

Her eyes meet the framed picture of them dancing together on their wedding day, hanging on the wall opposite them. Hurt forms a lump in her throat, taunting her of what life was like before this mess.

She hears him clear his throat and braces herself for the worst. “Bells, look at me,” he says in the same quiet voice as earlier.

Hesitantly, she turns her head toward him, dark eyes meeting his steady blue ones. Her heart pounds, fully expecting to hear his disappointment. Instead, he takes her chin in his fingers and runs his soft thumb along her jawline.

“You have done nothing wrong. Belly, nothing you could ever do would make me love you less. We made a vow to each other. For better, for worse, in sickness, and in health,” he quotes fondly. “This is one of those times where—where we have to lean on each other in ways we’ve never had to before. I want you to know that I’ve never thought of you differently since we began this journey together. And regardless of what life has in store for us, you’ll always be my Belly.”

A fresh wave of tears form in her eyes, this time from words of promise and commitment. Suddenly, she realizes everything is going to be okay. She doesn’t have to bear the burden for both of them. Conrad wants her to trust him with the share she was trying to carry alone. He’s not going to leave her like he did when his mom was dying. They’ve already been through hell and back so why was she so worried this time would be different?

“I love you, Conrad Fisher.” She means it with every inch of her being.

“And I love you, Isabel Fisher.”

+

Belly sits in one of the large white rocking chairs on the porch of an Airbnb she’s sharing with Taylor and her husband in Cousins. Her best friend rocks back and forth, holding her extremely pregnant belly, and laughing as Conrad chases after Max, her toddler son. The little boy squeals happily as Conrad picks him up and spins him around. He sets him back on the grass and the game begins again in the pristine yard.

“Here we go ladies,” Taylor’s husband, Sergio, interrupts, holding far too many glasses of lemonade in his hands. Belly thanks him, taking a sip immediately to relieve the tightness in her throat. Despite the years she’s spent accepting their reality, and being truly happy for her friend, seeing Conrad so enthralled with Max still stings sometimes.

“So are we making bets on tomorrow or what?” Taylor jabs, breaking Belly out of her reverie.

Oh right. Tomorrow.

Tomorrow when she has to acknowledge Jeremiah again after years apart. For his wedding day of all things. Much to their surprise, Jeremiah asked Conrad to be in the wedding party months ago. The brothers had slowly started talking to each other again after the fiasco with her and Jeremiah’s wedding. The whole situation from that day seriously wrecked their relationship; however, Conrad insisted his younger brother would come around someday. Belly felt indifferent toward Jeremiah. At least he had finally found happiness with someone who would wholeheartedly return his affection.

“I bet $10 he cries at the altar,” Taylor declares with a smile.

Conrad comes running up to the porch with Max dangling on his back. “I bet $5 your water breaks,” he says with a chuckle.

Taylor responds to his remark with a childish poke of her tongue.

“What about you Belly?” Sergio asks, most likely wanting to hear a snide comment based on her and Jeremiah’s history. Conrad and Taylor look at her expectedly.

All of a sudden, she feels like she’s going to vomit. Her hand flies over her mouth as she jolts up and starts toward the door.

“Belly?” Taylor calls after her as Conrad sets Max down.

She ignores the long strides behind her, seeking only the refuge of the half bathroom next to the kitchen. Throwing the toilet seat up, the lemonade mixed with the muffin she ate for breakfast rises from her throat. She gags as more bile empties from her stomach. Belly feels a hand wrap around her long hair to keep it from falling into the mess. The other hand rubs circles on her back.

“Bells, is everything okay?” Conrad asks worriedly, his fingers relieving the tension in her shoulders.

She nods in reply, closing the toilet seat and pushing down on the handle. “Yeah, everything is good. Must have been something I ate that didn’t sit right.”

Belly stands up, causing Conrad to follow suit, and she looks at him in the reflection of the mirror while she rinses out her mouth and washes her hands. When she’s done, she can tell he’s not quite convinced, but she gives him her cheeriest Belly smile then pecks him on the cheek. “Promise.”

That evening, Conrad goes to the rehearsal dinner alone, leaving Belly to hang out with Taylor’s family. She tells him she isn’t feeling well, partly out of truth and partly because she isn’t ready to see Jeremiah again until she absolutely has no other choice.

Sergio brings soup up to Belly’s room after Taylor insists, and she does her best to eat it. Unfortunately, her stomach has other plans and it ends up where her breakfast did.

It’s around 9 o’clock when Taylor barges into her room and plops down on her bed, which brings back memories of when they were teenagers in Cousins, obsessing over boys and parties.

“How are you feeling?” She tucks a lock of Belly’s dark hair behind her ear in a motherly way.

“Great,” Belly sarcastically responds, pointing to the half eaten dinner on the bed stand.

Taylor nods with a roll of her eyes then something between them shifts. She glances down to her swollen stomach and bites down on her lip. Belly can already tell where this is going.

“Tay—no—,” the girl cuts her off before she can get a word in.

“Come on, Belly. Tell me you really haven’t even considered it,” she protests.

She sighs, looking pointedly at her friend who's been with her through every high and low. She knows she can tell her anything in the world. “Listen—even if I say I have, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s been 5 years of absolutely nothing. Why would that change all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know, Bells. I’m not a medical professional by any means, but it’s not like it’s impossible.” Belly can tell Taylor is wanting to be optimistic. She wishes with everything inside of her that she could be too. “All I’m saying is take a test. At least you’ll know for sure.”

She contemplates her friend’s words. Belly is 95% sure she has a stomach bug. That leaves 5% for the possibility she truly is pregnant. 5% is far too high of a hope that will inevitably be crushed again.

“Fine. Where am I supposed to get a test then?” She doubts she can run to the store before Conrad gets back to the Airbnb.

“I’m glad you asked,” Taylor replies cheekily, pulling a box out of her oversized skirt. Belly stares in disbelief. “What? It never hurts to keep some in your toiletries just in case of an emergency situation.”

Shaking her head, Belly takes the test from her and sets it on the stand beside the bed. “Later,” she says in reply to Taylor’s pout.

Instead of taking it, Belly shoves it inside the drawer and turns out the light. She doesn’t want to deal with this on the eve of her ex fiancé’s wedding. Squeezing her eyes closed, her mind drifts off to sleep before Conrad returns home.

+

She doesn’t know why she decides to throw the test into her purse before they leave. It’s not as if she would be using it at the wedding of all places. Belly pushes this out of her train of thoughts and heads down to the car where Sergio, Taylor, and Max are waiting. She lifts the pale sage dress to keep it from catching and yanks the door shut. Max babbles happily as Sergio takes off toward the country club.

Her stomach twists with nerves. She considers calling her husband while her fingers click on their most recent string of messages, however, she decides against it after looking at the time. They’re probably finishing up wedding portraits according to the schedule Conrad sent early this morning.

The garden for the ceremony is decorated in creamy white roses, hydrangeas, and lilies from the aisle to the large wooden arch. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, and it smells—-horrendous. Belly suddenly comes to the realization after taking her seat. Beads of sweat pebble across her forehead and she attempts to breathe solely through her mouth. She can do this. She can be supportive of Conrad while he stands next to his brother.

The ceremony promptly begins at 2:00 and she watches as the wedding party files down the aisle first. Her heart skips a beat when Conrad sends her a subtle wink. Then the processional music starts and the guests rise. Jeremiah walks down the aisle, arm in arm with his dad, a carefree smile on his face. Belly’s worries fade into nothingness as she realizes there was never any reason for the anxiety in her chest. Today wasn’t about her. It wasn’t even about them. It was about Jeremiah and—-

Cam Cameron? God—how oblivious had Belly been in the past six months? How had she missed the fact that Jeremiah was getting married to Cam?

Cam walks arm in arm with his mom and dad. The look on Jeremiah’s face as he watches his husband-to-be says everything Belly had ever hoped for his future love. She may have not been around for their relationship, yet she can sense they were absolutely made for each other.

The minister directs the guests to be seated and Belly attempts to put on a content and relaxed face. Inwardly, her body screams in protest of the awful flowers tucked in every crack of the garden.

Maybe the reception would be better.

+

The banquet hall where she danced with Conrad in her magical debutante gown has been transformed into an indoor replica of the garden. Flowers hang from the ceiling and sprout out of massive center pieces on each table. The smell is actually worse than it had been outside. Belly finds her place card next to Conrad’s at a circular table. Only the grooms have a small, two person table specifically for them on the stage where she and Jeremiah had once stood.

Belly is relieved to have Conrad by her side when the wedding party enters. Staff in formal wear serve them their dinner choice on fine china. She can tell no corners were cut in order to make this wedding one of a kind. Glancing down at her food, she comes face to face with a whole lobster. Typically, seafood was one of her favorite meals. It reminded her of the meals they ate as a family in Cousins every summer. Tonight, the sight of seafood makes her physically ill. Holding back a gag, Belly grabs her purse and excuses herself to the bathroom. She misses Conrad’s expression after he pauses in mid-conversation with one of his cousins. All that matters is making it to a toilet before she ruins Jeremiah’s big day. Again.

Lucky for her, the ladies room contains fancy, private, floor to ceiling stalls. Plus not a soul is in sight. She throws open the largest stall and vomits whatever is in her stomach. She hasn’t had much of an appetite so stomach acid burns her throat. Belly gets off the floor and closes the stall door. Her hands shake as she flushes the toilet. Then she reaches for the box inside her purse. After memorizing the directions by heart early on when she bought a handful, she tears open the packaging and takes out the stick. Not bothering to give a single second more to her doubt, she pees on the stick. She hurriedly puts the stick back in the box.

Then she sets a timer on her phone. And she waits

1 minute.

2 minutes.

3 minutes.

Her timer goes off and her hands are trembling as she picks the box off the ground. Slowly, she pulls the test out, squeezing her eyes closed to hold back the tears of disappointment.

She turns the test over, heart beating wildly in her chest, and cracks an eye open. Two blue lines form in the shape of a plus sign.

Positive.

The test reads positive.

Belly lets out a strangled laugh as tears begin to fall down her cheeks. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. It couldn’t really be, could it? When was her last period? She hadn’t been keeping track anymore out of belief that pregnancy was no longer in the cards for them. A month ago? Two months ago?

A baby. There is a baby inside of her. Belly decides to double check that the test is not faulty by using the second stick in the pack. She takes out a water bottle and chugs it quickly. Then she waits.

A plus sign.

Positive again.

A warm feeling of joy creeps into the heart she was confident could no longer experience such emotion. She is fully sobbing and laughing simultaneously when the door to the bathroom opens. Her hand flies over her mouth to muffle the noise.

“Bells, are you in there?” she hears Conrad ask cautiously.

Conrad. She’s nearly forgotten where she is and how she was supposed to be eating dinner. Was this the right time and place to share news like this? Belly had always figured she would put together something Pinterest-worthy to surprise her husband. Now she’s sitting on a toilet with two pregnancy tests in her hand, her underwear around her ankles, and the leftover taste of vomit coating her tongue.

Now was as good of a time as ever.

“Yeah, I’m in the last stall.” The lock on the door is open. She doesn’t hear him move. “I don’t think anyone’s in here.” His dress shoes rapt the tile of the bathroom floor, stopping directly in front of her stall. He turns the handle slowly and gives the door a push, peering into the space.

“I was worried when you hadn’t come back. I know you’ve been feeling a lit—-,” his words freeze and she watches as his observant eyes take in the scene before him. The tears on her cheeks. The empty pregnancy test box. The sticks in her hands. “Oh shit Bells—I’m so—.”

Belly can’t help it when she cuts him off with a laugh. Were the pregnancy hormones taking hold already? He gives her a look like she’s starting to worry him.

“Connie, I’m pregnant. We’re pregnant.” She holds out the sticks for him to see.

He slowly makes his way into the stall, closing the door behind him and takes the tests from her hands. Then he sinks down to his knees in front of her, pressed tux and all. He continues staring at the tests like they may burst up in flames at any moment. Like they will suddenly read negative. When his blue gaze meets hers, his lower lip is trembling and his eyes glisten with sparkling tears. His hand reaches out to curl behind her neck and he pulls her forward into a kiss filled with unspoken words of awe and delight.

He pulls back to rest his forehead against hers, a warm wetness dripping down his cheeks, and a low chuckle emits from his throat as he says, “We’re going to be parents, Belly.” Like he can’t quite believe his own words.

They are going to be parents.

+

By 4 months, Belly is craving Jimmy John’s subs and cotton candy ice cream. The days of morning sickness have met their demise.

The pregnancy is nearly half way over and the fear of losing what she so desperately desired is starting to fade.

At 6 months, her feet are swelling and her back is aching. She doesn’t complain though. Not once. Conrad knows her well enough and it annoys her that he notices her red feet and grimaces each time she bends down to pick something up. He spends each night rubbing her feet and massaging her back.

When she reaches 8 months, her mother bestows her an empty journal at her baby shower and Belly spends each night writing to the little life inside of her. She tells them about her summers in Cousins, her memories with their daddy, the funny pranks uncle Jeremiah and Steven pulled on grandma Laurel. She writes about grandma Susannah and the undeniable love she had for her family and her zeal for life.

She wishes more than anything that their miracle could have met Susannah. Belly has a sense they already have though.

+

On January 23rd at 6:51 a.m., a red-faced, screaming little girl with a tuft of dark brown hair is born into the world.

The nurses lay the baby on Belly’s chest as a tear-streaked Conrad peppers kisses on his wife’s face, taking in the sight of their precious baby girl. His hand reaches out to stroke his daughter’s chubby cheek, whispering, “I’m so proud of you. You are remarkable. She is absolutely perfect,” into Belly’s ear.

Hours later, the rest of the family is invited in to meet the newest addition. Laurel, Steven, Shayla, Adam, Jeremiah, Cam, John. They say she’s the most beautiful baby they’ve ever seen. Steven promises to make sure she gets in lots of trouble, which earns a glare from Shayla. Jeremiah and Cam gift the baby a whale squishmallow. Laurel and Adam can’t stop taking pictures.

Belly doesn’t think she’s ever loved anyone as much as the little girl in Conrad’s arms. The baby stares back up at her dad like he set the moon and the stars in motion and maybe she’s right.

She looks down at the blanket they ordered in secret before the baby was born. Her name is printed in an elegant script surrounded by pink peonies, a favorite of her grandmother. Belly traces the name with her fingers.

Susannah Taylor Fisher.

Her family is complete.

#bonrad #belly x conrad #belly conklin #conrad fisher #the summer i turned pretty #lola tung #chris briney #post book 3 #but more show compliant than book canon #pregnancy fic #jeremiah gets a happy ending #please forgive the ugly text breaks #gotta love tumblr #ellie talks #a rare occurence #bonrad fic #bonrad moodboard #team conrad

[agentmmayy]

find the word tag game

i was tagged by @majicmarker <3 to find laugh, bright, sweet, and heart in my wips (and to post the snippets).

these are all from one of my tlou wips i’ve been working on recently!

laugh

Joel looks more like he's militantly decimating whatever is on his plate while he scans the hall for them more than mopey, but it makes Ellie laugh and the sound draws Joel's gaze right to her and Tess, like a ship to a beacon.

bright

"Oh my God!" Ellie exclaims, face going bright red. "Shut the fuck up!"

heart

Joel mounts the horse, ducking his head to hide his smile but Tess sees it anyway, hoards it away like she does for all the ones that cross his face. Once he’s in the saddle, he reaches a hand out to her but she bats it away and grabs the pommel, heart flipping in her chest as she stubbornly heaves herself up.

(nothing for sweet so here’s another one for heart) 

Tess' heart- her stupid, foolish heart- crashes right down to her toes and shatters between them on the grassy ground littered with wildflowers.

tagging @152glasslippers @astorytotellyourfriends @cunnninghams @chrissy-n-eddie @preux-chevalier @carry-the-sky to find love, happy, friend, and hug in their wips :)

#my fic #the last of us #i was tagged #the last one hurt me and i'm not even finished with that scene yet #and yes this is the same fic where she gets shot #double homicide #jk this fic has a happy ending and it NOT as angsty as it sounds i promise #.....ok i lied #but it has a lot of joel&tess&ellie to make up for it

[whenthegoldrays]

Okay. Further thoughts about the Not-Henry-Crawford story.

Our protagonist is simultaneously in love with Fanny and wants to keep the novel on track, so he wants to get Fanny to her original happy ending while minimizing the damage. There are a few ways to do this, but I’m compelled by the idea of him just trying to Darcy his way through the story, being cold to Fanny on the surface but secretly doing nice things for her, like getting William’s promotion, and maybe later visiting her in Portsmouth. Although if he Darcies too hard, he might actually win Fanny over, and that’s not really what we’re going for.

For a more comedic tone, perhaps he’s only read up to the part where Henry has decided to propose to Fanny, and then he falls into the Austenverse thinking that Henry Crawford is the male lead of Mansfield Park. So he does the nicest things he can think of for Fanny, but none of it is working, and he’s mortified that he’s screwed up the whole story.

#we’re not trying to turn mansfield park into p&p that’s really not what we’re going for #but it’d just be funny if he decided to roast fanny at every turn while secretly pining for her #AND knowing he’s not supposed to end up with her #angst and comedy ✨together✨ #the hard part is getting fanny and edmund to their happy ending without the maria scandal happening #and our protagonist is just too Good too Moral to elope with maria so that’s his big challenge at the end #breaking up edmund and mary without ruining maria in the process #elly writes! #mansfield park #elly's posts #crawford body swap concept

[barlowstreet]

how do you feel about the show? are you gonna watch season 2/3?

So, I did really like the show! There's a lot of things I loved about it. I love Pedro and Bella as Joel and Ellie and how well they played them. I adored what they did with a lot of the side characters like Tess and Bill and Frank and Sam. I loved seeing so much more of Ellie and Joel bonding, because that is my bread and butter.

Left Behind and When We Are In Need are probably my favourite episodes and I will never be over them, ever. Joel and Ellie's conversation in episode nine will forever live in my heart. "It wasn't time that did it," ugh, it's so good.

I do have some criticisms, mostly with pacing. As much as I loved them, episodes eight and nine could really have done with being longer, in my opinion. If there's ever an extended release of the season, I will be the first in line to get it.

And, predictably, I was annoyed by some of the stuff they were trying to set up for season two, like the stupid "Ellie has a violent heart" thing because... no. She's a traumatized child. She doesn't have a violent heart. She has trauma.

But overall, I thought it was really fucking good and I'm honestly sad that, no, I won't be watching any future seasons. I hate the plot of the second game and I don't want to spend ten or twenty hours watching them torture Ellie. I love that character. I don't want to watch her be miserable forever because someone loved her so much and cared more about her than anyone else.

So I'll basically just be treating season 1 as a mini-series. If they do the museum flashback, I may download that episode and tbh I might even edit the episode if there's more than just the flashback LOL. But, no, I'm not gonna watch a season or two of a show I know is just going to make me upset, because honestly it does upset me if I think about it a lot.

#asks #anonymous #anti-tlou2 #i saw a post once about fanfic that said something like “you saw this character and thought i will write you a hundred happy endings” #and that's me and ellie #she should be happy #she should get to be happy #again please don't send me hate i'm not tagging anything besides the anti tag for blacklisting i'm not trying to start shit #i don't need people in my inbox telling me i'm too stupid to understand a revenge bad narrative

[laziarteest]

So I’ve read some of the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle comics now so I can compare to the movie

And it’s still really funny just how similar the movie is to Guyver

So many plot beats are in both

How many other series are there out there where a young male protagonist becomes an unwilling host to a piece of alien technology that proceeds to ruin their lives, including the death of loved ones, and also is externally visible only on the back

And also also there’s an evil corporation and aliens

#ellie talks to herself #blue beetle #bio booster armor guyver #spoiler joke ahead #but Guyver and the movie have the same amount of father death #poor who has it worse though #Jaime at least temporarily gets a happy ending

[bacchanal-if]

Hello!!! Do we get to pick the relationship with Ellis? I want mc to have a sibling complex and for them to have picked a fight with their parents because of Ellis arranged marriage??? Ellis happiness is the ultimate goal, always.

You can choose for the MC to be close, neutral, or dislike Ellis.

#answered #ch: ellis #love that ellis is getting all this attention #they deserve their happy ending #main character

[effyoukeyhouse]

What I say: I'm fine

What I mean: it’s not NEARLY talked about enough about how great a mother and overall person Ellie Whedon is. Her growing up with an abusive mother and choosing to break the cycle of abuse is one thing, but she takes EVERY chance to make sure Rufus feels loved, safe, and valued, even when she’s obviously annoyed at him. Hell, the only time Ellie is ever shown to raise her voice at Rufus is to tell him not to call himself the r-slur. And it’s not just that. She took the time to validate Kinsey’s emotions after she was triggered, and it’s stated, as per Joe Ridgeway’s words, that she's helped a lot of kids throughout her career. In short, Ellie Whedon is the fucking best and I love her so much. This is an Ellie Whedon stan account.

#locke and key #locke & key #comics #ellie whedon #i lover her in the comics i love her in the netflix shows #there is no version of ellie whedon that i do not adore #she deserves the best #and only the best #i'm salty her character in the netflix show wasn't explored as much as it was in the comics #but at least she got a happy ending in the show #and her fate in the comics is 99.99999% why i'm writing a fic where she gets back together with her old friends and her old boyfriend #WHO #has gone through 20 years of dilfification #:3

[thedanceronthestreets]

It's just yknow. The fact that richard ellis made peace with the fact that he can't have everything his way a long time ago. But he can still have everything. And that's how he did it all his life. He didn't do it his way but he still got what he wanted. And he must've been so convinced that it was gonna be the same with thomas and it wasn’t. And what is he going to do now? His way of life hasn't worked out. He's now in a position he'd thought many gay men would be in but never himself. How did he get there? As wise people have said before, we don't all become the men we want to be.

#fuck you jf #he deserved a happy end even without thomas #i get that you wanna show how miserable gay men were but do it with anyone but richard ellis #it's quarter to one and i am not crying #richard ellis

[werewolf-apologist]

also what i think is so interesting is that in the game i really think ellie chooses to believe joel. after everything they’ve been through, even though she wanted to find the cure (but maybe not to die. marlene.) when joel swears the fireflies couldn’t do it she accepts it. but in the show you can tell ellie doesn’t really believe it. there’s a flicker of distrust, she knows he’s lying even though she doesn’t say anything. but she doesn’t believe him

#anyway excellent show everyone i will not be watching the second season bc i choose to believe that ellie and joel lived for many many years #at tommy’s commune as a happy family and ellie still finds love in dina and joel gets to be her lame ass dad for a hundred years the end