#once again not major league baseball | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jaimexbrienne-fic-finder · 4 months

Text

Sports Fic

I don't celebrate Superbowl Sunday, but still, here are stories inspired by sports:

Sports featured more or less prominently!

Completed; Summaries from AO3

Baseball

you, just like heaven by theworldunseen

Jaime is an All Star pitcher on the King's Landing Crowns, and Brienne is the girl he gives free tickets to and sleeps with sometimes. That's it, she tells herself. And yet.

With All Your Faults by sea_spirit

In 1943, small-town slugger Brienne Tarth is recruited to play for Tywin Lannister’s newest business venture: the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. There, she meets Jaime, a maimed former Major League pitcher who’s been talked into managing one of his father’s teams. She can't stand her arrogant coach, and he is definitely not interested in his annoyingly principled star player. They don't like each other at all, really...until they do.

Loosely inspired by "A League of Their Own," with slightly less baseball and lots more love story.

Diamond in the Rough by cardinalgirl75

All Brienne Tarth's ever wanted to do was play baseball. All the world's ever given her is scorn for thinking a woman could be as good as a man--until she's drafted by the King's Landing Royals. Now she's got a chance to make her wildest dreams come true.

Jaime Lannister overcame a rocky start to his career to become the premiere pitcher for the King's Landing Royals. He thinks a woman playing professional baseball is ludicrous--until he meets Brienne Tarth.

Stealing Home by PrettyThief

It was cold, he was warm, she'd polished off a very tall beer, and the night was full of happiness. Besides, they were friendly colleagues now, so surely there was no harm in a platonic hug between two fans.

Coaches Jaime Lannister and Brienne Tarth find themselves seated together watching the losingest team in baseball, Brienne's beloved Storm's End Stags, compete in the final game of the World Series.

these warm summer evenings where we once and again shall meet by sdwolfpup

This summer, the fourth since they'd parted after college, Jaime's coming for a month, and Brienne's already dreading having to say goodbye at the end of it. But there's no alternative, because they're simply baseball buddies, no matter how many nights Brienne might fall asleep talking to Jaime on the phone about work or how often he texts her random non-baseball thoughts during the day. Regardless of too-long hugs and extended vacation stays.

It's been eight years since they met. She's sure she's missed her chance to try to make it anything more, so she's going to be happy with the time she gets. Just as soon as she stops dreaming about him.

Right Off the Bat by hillaryschu

to be read in 90s Movie Trailer RomCom Voice

Meet Jaime. He used to be the most infamous player in Major League baseball but a career-ending injury brought him back into the family business. He hates it. What he doesn’t hate is coaching the best Little League team in Kings Landing.

Meet Brienne. After her father’s death, she left behind a successful career in women’s competitive fastpitch to start over. She’s trying to balance life and love in a new city, all while coaching a down-and-out Little League team.

In a world where everyone is looking to connect, Jaime and Brienne discover the best way to meet someone is to never meet at all. What they don’t realize, is that they already have.

This fanfic exchange season, follow along with Brienne and Jaime as they take to one another on Twitter and battle on the ballfield. Then find out what happens when those worlds collide.

(a You’ve Got Mail AU)

Change-up by Lady_in_Red

Jaime is used to reading signs and changing his play accordingly, but baseball and relationships are two entirely different games.

Formula 1

Heart Full of Gasoline by sdwolfpup

Jaime Lannister is a Formula 1 driver with a sordid past, dubious future, and nothing left to lose as he hits the far edge of his career. He thinks all he wants is the world championship title he’s never quite been able to reach and to finally give up smoking. What he finds to his great surprise is what he really wants might be Brienne Tarth.

Brienne Tarth is an unknown mechanic eager to make the jump to the big time of Formula 1. When Jaime hires her as Chief Mechanic for his team of misfits, she discovers she’s ready for the work, but is she ready for Jaime?

Bull Riding

Fever by Lady_in_Red

As a professional bull rider, Jaime Lannister cheated death, eight seconds at a time, for more than a decade. When his luck finally runs out, Brienne Tarth becomes his unlikely savior. A slow-burn romance set against a backdrop of dangerous sports and pop culture geekery in a Westeros-flavored United States.

What he loves might kill him But he's got no choice, he's a different breed With a voice down deep inside That's screamin' he was born to ride - "The Fever," Garth Brooks

Dancing

I Owe It All To You by theworldunseen

Fresh off another World Cup title with the United States Women's National Team and heading into retirement, Brienne Tarth lets her friends convince her to join the newest cast of Dancing With The Stars. Mostly she doesn't want to embarrass herself. When the show pairs her with veteran dancer Jaime Lannister, she gets even more than she bargained for.

Hockey/Dancing

when the sun shine, we shine together by cardinalgirl75

Brienne spent one incredible weekend with hockey superstar Jaime Lannister, only for him to break her heart when it was over. Four years later, she's moved on with her life and made a name for herself as the lead choreographer for one of the hottest shows on television--Lip Sync Battle. The last thing in the world she wants is for the show's creator to announce that he's pursuing Jaime to be one of the contestants.

Tennis

Grand Slam by LadyRhiyana

In which Jaime and Brienne play tennis, fool around, and fall in love.

Football (Soccer)

Playing Defense by RestedAbandon

Jaime and Brienne are always on opposite sides of the field, until they're not.

Kiss Cam by SeeThemFlying

Jaime and his girlfriend Cersei go to see a football game.

There's a kiss cam.

Jaime doesn't kiss Cersei.

This Is The One by disappointed_turtle

Jaime, Brienne, football, feminism, friendship, dogs, cake, sex. Good things, basically. No one is getting crushed by bricks after a wildly unbelievable 'relapse' in this story. No one is ending up celibate and having to spend their life playing the diplomat between lots of men who have failed upwards. Modern universe, this world. It'll probably be quite crude. Title from The Stone Roses song. I'll update very soon as it's almost finished.

Football (American)

Stannis Baratheon, Fantasy Football League Commissioner by ikkiM

Stannis Baratheon is the new Fantasy Football League Commissioner.

This is completely an exercise in fun. If you're looking for heavy angst or a deep exploration of the characters, this fic is not for you. If you are looking to have a laugh, come on in.

Basketball

My Best Friend is the Centerfold by PrettyThief

Five years since last they spoke, Brienne does not expect to see her old best friend, Jaime Lannister, modeling underwear on her social media feed.

Swimming/Football (American)

Beast and the Beast by SigilBroken

___________________

This is unfinished but it is great until it stops

Make Love Your Goal by lionswench

When the arrogant, widely-reviled and recently-relieved war veteran Jaime Lannister starts pulling the reins at his father's factory, he finds himself tiptoeing around the ire that munitionette Brienne Tarth seems to reserve only for him.

Careful to contain the explosive potential between the two of them, Jaime gradually begins to win Brienne over with a little help from the beautiful game. If a war can momentarily cease for a bit of football, surely a bit of workplace bickering can too, right?

A retelling of the history of Dick, Kerr Ladies FC with slightly less football, and many more feelings.

#jaime x brienne #braime

28 notes · View notes

daryandricky · 11 months

Text

SWEAR

Chapter 4 CHERRY

Rick Grimes x Fem!Reader

Summary: Shane tells reader that Rick didn't make it after the hospital was overrun, causing reader to travel with her former military brother to find somewhere safe.

Summary of chapter: Rick finds Shane. Reader cares for Dylan.

Warnings: Swearing, torture, sa, pregnancy, basic walking dead shit.

masterlist

Ricks POV

I don't know how but I found him. I found Shane. And Lori and Carl. Morgan, the father of the son who could've played in major league baseball after his hit to my head, told me of a safe zone located in Atlanta. Told me that was where almost everyone went, and he placed his bet that my wife and unborn child would be there too. He wasn't sure if it was still running, if people survived, but I had to find out. I needed to know that y/n/n was okay. That our child was okay. So, after stocking Morgan and his son up with guns from the station, I left. It sure as hell wasn't what I thought it was going to be.

They were everywhere, the infected people, or like Morgan liked to call them, walkers. I thought I was a dead man, but Glenn, a young man who helped me escape many, many near death experiences in the heart of Atlanta, let me stay with his group and brought me to their camp. At least until I found out where to go next, what to do next. And that is where I found them. Half of my family.

I sigh as I rest my head against the back of the chair, exhausted and worried. What if she was there? There's no way she could have survived that. What if she's somewhere else? Wh-what if she turned into a walker, and she's stumbling around with our dead child still inside her? The thought alone makes a lump form in my throat and my eyes begin to burn. I take a deep breath as I exit the truck, not really in the mood to meet more people today.

"Uncle Rick? Uncle Rick!" I hear a child yell. I look up and am met with the sight of my best friend's son, Carl running towards me.

"Oh my god." I whisper as I envelope him in a hug. The world feels like its spinning, too fast for me to keep up, until suddenly, I'm filled with hope. I smile tearfully into Carl's hair, and look around, trying to find his parents, y/n.

"Shane!" I say as I watch him and Lori appear from the trees, looking distressed over their son's commotion just seconds ago. Shane looks at me with wide eyes, looking over my body, my face. He slowly walks towards me watching me with invasive eyes. Swiftly, he smiles. Bigger than I have ever seen, all teeth and gums. He grabs my arm, yanking me into his chest, holding me tight. He's never been so affectionate and emotional around me, yet here I am in the same state as him, overjoyed. He pulls away, gripping my shoulders and looking over my face once again with tearful eyes.

"I thought we lost you man, thought you were dead." He's says whispering the last part. I shake my head, lost for words, before looking around the group, looking for someone in particular.

"Is she here? Is y/n here?" I ask looking at Shane hopeful. Have I finally found her? Is she safe? Is our baby safe? Shane looks down at his feet, avoiding my gaze. The lump reappears in my throat, my heart drops to my stomach.

"No," Shane starts, nervously biting on the skin of his lip. I cut him off, "Is she down at the reservoir? I saw it on the way up here. O-or" I say trying to find some way to convince myself that she is secure and out of harm's way. "is she in one of those tents?" I ask as I wave my hand around, every second as I wait for an answer, I get more and more distressed.

"No," Shane says again, letting out a shaky breath. I cut him off again, "What the fuck do you mean "no" Shane? Did you fucking just leave her to fend for herself? Has she been out there alone this whole entire god damn time?" I asked, spitting in anger. Shane looks at me annoyed, and then at the people around us. "How about we take it down a fucking notch, yeah? And go somewhere a little more private to discuss this? I would rather talk about this shit not in front of my child Rick." Shane says, glaring at me. I stare at him for a few seconds, writhing in my own skin, before nodding my head in agreement.

Shane leads me down to the reservoir, a pretty body of water that only for a split second, made me forget about everything. Shane stands beside me, hands in his pockets, as he kicks pebbles near his feet. He looks up at the water, squinting from the bright sun, rubbing a hand over his mouth, not really sure where to start.

"Dylan came to see you." He says, staring in my direction. I glance at him before quickly redirecting my gaze to anywhere but him. "Came to help y/n, be there for her." He watches me, not getting a reaction, he sighs before running his hands through his hair.

"It happened too fast man, faster than I could've imagined." He says staring at me, as I continue to examine the water, too many emotions to feel anything. "The day everything went to shit, they sent out a warning, telling people to stay home, stay safe." He says through an unsteady voice. "Before we knew it those fucking things were everywhere."

"Walkers." I whispered. Shane looks at me confused, before nodding. "Took less than 3 hours for most people to get infected. I came to the hospital, to make sure that they were protecting you, that you were safe. I was too late. Everywhere and everyone was in fucking distress. Screaming, crying, bleeding. I had to get my family to safety man!" He says, hoping that I would understand. I did, but he had his family, and I did not, so, I could only slowly nod my head. Shane sighs. "I pushed a gurney against your door. I-I wasn't, I didn't know what to do Rick. I called y/n, but the phone lines got jammed and we got disconnected. I tried calling her again, but the god damn phone wouldn't put me through to her." I look down at my feet, scrunching my face up, trying to stop the tears from falling. "After I made sure Lori and Carl were safe, we drove to your house. But they were already gone Rick."

I nod my head slowly and look up to meet Shane's stare. "Did you know she was pregnant?" Shane looks at me confused before nodding his head. "Yeah, she told me a couple days after you were shot, she was going to tell you when you came home. Did she leave you a note or something?" He asks, looking stumped on how I found out.

I rest my hands on my hips, looking out at the water. "She left a present on our dresser, had these in it." I say as I fish out the onesie and pregnancy test out of my front pocket, handing them to Shane. He lets out an airy laugh as he reads the onesie, looking at me with a small smile. "She always has a way to make light of any situation."

"Had."

"C'mon man, you don't know that."

I feel my face heat up in anger and point my finger at him. "Yeah, well you don't know that either!" Shane tilts his head back in annoyance and glares at me. "She's with Dylan for Christ's sake. If anyone would be able to protect her it would be him. And don't fucking shake your head at me like you know that's not true." He finishes, now pointing his finger at me.

"She could be dead, Shane! She could be halfway across the fucking country and no one would have a god damn clue about where she is! She-she could have turned into one of those." I say muttering the last few words. Shane grips his hands on my shoulders once again, forcing us face to face. "Fucking look at me man. Look at me!" My eyes snap up from the ground, looking Shane in the eyes, with a distasteful flavor in my mouth. The man was looking into my soul, for fucks sake. "Ok, good man. Now I'm only going to say this one more time. She is safe. She's with Dylan. He's been in wars and knows tactics. He knows how to protect y/n and the baby." I look away. "Hey man, we’re right here." He says snapping his fingers in front of my face. "We'll find her okay? Find all three of them. I know we will."

My eyes begin to fill with the familiar sensation of burning as I look at Shane, shakily nodding my head.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can't get the iron taste out of your mouth, the dried blood off of your hands. Your fingers are gripping the steering wheel tight, the car you got from Sean, from Joe. You're almost out of gas, but you believe you made it far enough away from him, that you'd be able to walk. Well Dylan would be limping, and you'd be dragging his ass with you. You look over at him, his now shaggy hair, after not being cut in military pristine for 3 months, is now matted with blood, dried to his forehead. His breathing is labored as he sleeps, holding his side, no doubt from broken ribs. Eyes are swollen and already forming bruises, a cut near his eyebrow that needs stitching, and his nose, most definitely broken.

You sigh as You read the odometer, you're running on empty. You drive off the side of the road, into some bush, before getting out to better conceal the car from any passersby. You hop back in and lock the door before looking at Dylan once more. The sight leaves tears brimming your eyes. You lean the chair back and stare up at the ceiling of the car, trying to think of anything but the events that just happened only a couple hours prior. Your mind drifts to Rick and you welcome it. You think of the first date you had with him, and it makes you smile fondly at the memory.

"Dammit!" You hiss, as for the fifteenth time today you burned your finger in an attempt to perfectly curl your hair. Hey, you wanted to look good for the man. Your phone buzzes on the counter, and you see it's a message from Rick.

"Be there in 5." You gasp as your eyes move rapidly between the text and the time in the corner of the small screen. "You motherfucker." You say in an attempt to put the blame on anyone else but you, but it was in fact your fault for running late. You were doing your student teaching, when your mentor asked if you could finish grading the rest of the papers, as she had a family emergency she needed to tend to. You stupidly agreed. By the time you were done, it was already 4:30 and school let out at 1:30, as it was a Friday, and this left you with only an hour and a half to drive home and get ready for your date with Rick.

You do the finishing touches on your makeup and fix a hair that managed to escape. You cross your arms as you stare at the dress you were supposed to wear tonight. It was a pretty sage green, bordering black tie. Rick had asked you to dress in your finest clothes for tonight, which made you nervous because you were anything but fancy. You throw on the dress, and look in the mirror, pleasantly surprised with how well it fits, hugging all the right places. You're putting on your earrings when you hear a knock at your door, making your heart fall out of your ass. "One minute!" You yell out. You take one last look at yourself in the mirror, before running your hands over your dress, trying to smooth out any imperfections.

You smile as you open the door, the sight of Rick nearly leaves you drooling. He's dressed in a black suit, his hair is neatly done, and he's wearing a strong cologne. With his hands behind his back, he grins at you.

"Hi!" You grin back.

"Hi, I got you something." He says smiling before the arms that were once behind his back are now showing you the prettiest Dahlias you have ever seen. You gasp as you eye them, waving your hand to silently ask him to come in. "Got to get these into some water." You say cheerfully as you walk to the kitchen. Rick follows closely behind, making sure to notice every detail of your tiny apartment. You open the cupboard to grab a vase, but let out an annoyed sigh as it is on the top shelf. You hear Rick chuckle behind you before pressing his body into yours, reaching above you to grab the glass vase. He steps to the side before handing it to you.

"Thanks." You whisper, your face bright red. Rick looks down at you and smiles. "You look beautiful y/n/n." He says while leaning against the counter, arms crossed, watching you fill the vase with water. You place it on the island and make sure the flowers are beautifully displayed before turning to him, blushing hard. "Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself." You say grinning at him. He laughs and smiles.

"You ready?" Rick asks. You nod your head, leading him out the front door.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." He says smirking at you.

You arrive at a very nice house, music streaming from the big backyard. You look at Rick confused. This is definitely not black tie. Am I too overdressed? You think as you look down at your dress, once again trying to smooth out the nonexistent wrinkles. Rick opens your door, holding a hand out for you to grab. He helps you out and you stand by his side, he still hasn't let your hand go.

"Rick what is this?" You ask, feeling uncomfortable to be at a random person's house.

"C'mon I'll show you." He says tightening his grip on your hand, leading you into the backyard. You gasp, shocked by what you see. Lights are streamed from the trees, leaving a pretty glow, there's a little table sitting on the patio with wine and dishes, a slow song is playing. You think it's absolutely beautiful until you see a table off to the side, holding a bowl of punch, and some snacks. You tilt your head looking at it confused.

Rick notices your confusion and looks down at you. "I remembered you told me that no one ever asked you to prom, so I asked my grandparents if I could borrow their backyard for the night and I brought one to you." He says gesturing to the little get up he put together. You look up at Rick, absolutely shocked by his gesture and generosity. You pull him into a hug and let out a giggle. "Thank you, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." You say pulling away, trying to fan away the tears that are brimming your eyes. "It was no problem." Rick says, scooping you back into his arms, starting to sway the two of you. He leans down to softly speak in your ear. "I was gonna get a disco ball, but the fucking high school wouldn't let me borrow it, I even bribed them." You laugh as you look up at him, grinning.

"What could you have possibly bribed them with?"

He rubs the back of his neck, looking at you sheepishly. "I told them that Shane and I would come and teach d.a.r.e. to the kids."

You laugh as you lean into his chest.

Suddenly your mind is not filled with happy memories, but you are dreaming of the house at the end of the street.

"Too bad he's not here right now." Joe says looking down at you sinisterly. He shoves your bra down below your breast, and twirls his knife between his fingers, looking down at you hungrily. "Now," he says, getting mere inches from your face, "you're going to do everything I say, or," he traces your breasts with the knife, "I'm going to cut this pretty little body up." You shakily nod your head, and he licks your face, causing you to unconsciously recoil. His eyes darken as he looks at you, and he slaps your face. "Now what did I just say you stupid bitch?"

He lightly slices the skin in between your breasts, leaving a long bloody line. It wasn't deep enough to need stitches or cause serious damage, but you probably were going to be left with a light scar. You hiss at the pain, biting your lip to refrain your yelping. Joe kisses your cheek before standing up to unbuckle his pants.

"Joe!" You hear Sean yelling from the living room. Joe looks at you annoyed that he's been interrupted, he comes back and gives you a hard kiss, shoving his tongue in your mouth. His slimy mouth and hot breath nearly making you gag. He stands over you and says, "I'll be right back sweetheart, need to go check on something." His face turns sour as he looks at you. "You move an inch and I kill that guy out there. Got it?" You gulp as nod your head, causing Joe to smile and slam the door behind him.

You quickly stand up and throw your tattered shirt back on. His horny ass forgot to check you for weapons. You press your back flush against the wall next to the door, clutching your knife. You hear footsteps making their way back towards the bedroom. You try to control your breathing.

The door swings open, revealing Sean. He looks at the bed confused, about to yell out for Joe, when you press your knife to his throat, and he's pushed into the wall.

"Give me your gun or I slit your throat." You say just below a whisper. He smiles at you, shaking his head cockily. He moves his arm, ready to make a move on you, but your quicker, slicing the knife across his neck, splattering blood all over your face, hands, body. You place your hand over his mouth, silencing his gulps for air and his strangulation from his own blood, quietly following him to the ground. You watch as his wide eyes fall. You grab his gun, poking your head out the door. You silently stand, aiming your gun as you walk into the living room. You're met with the sight of your brother tied to a chair, head hanging as he has no strength to keep it up. Joe's staring at you irate as he eyes your bloodied body and stolen gun.

"Oh so you want to fucking die and kill your baby?" He say's before leaping towards you. You cock the gun and aim it at his head.

"You move an inch and I'll shove this bullet so far up your ass and through your head, tearing every single god damn organ along the way."

"Oh, you're hot when you're feisty." Joe says grinning. You press the barrel into the middle of his forehead, and he puts his hands up in surrender.

"Ok, ok, how about we come to deal, huh?"

"We've already seen where your deals lead too." You say rolling your eyes and pressing the gun further into his head. Joe laughs.

"Didn't like that very much, did you?"

You glare at him. "How about you find my brother and I a fucking car since I can't fucking carry him, and then we'll be on our merry way." You say, mocking him.

"Uh uh sweetheart, not so fast. That leaves me hanging, shouldn't I get something?"

"Hmm? Let me think about it. No."

"How about I get you that car, and you let me keep all the food in this house, along with the weapons." He says eyeing the gun still pressed into his forehead.

"Deal, but we keep our knifes."

"Deal."

#rick grimes #rick grimes x reader #rick grimes x y/n #the walking dead #twd rick #the walking dead x reader #twd x reader #fanfic #imagines #oneshots

83 notes · View notes

andydrysdalerogers · 7 months

Text

Sliding Into Home ~ The One with the World Series

Pairing: MLB!Frank Adler x Abigail Hernandez (OFC)

Synopsis:

After a trade from Boston to Los Angeles, first baseman Frank Adler would seem to have it all. Money, women, an amazing niece, yes Frank should have it all. Except for one thing. One thing that left after a mistake five years ago. Los Angeles should be the chance to start over. Except she is supposed to be in Boston. Not his new medical director.

* A Frank Adler AU x Major League Baseball Story**

Warning: ANGST (i can't stress this enough), second chances, cheating, S~M~U~T!!, slow burn, drug use, abandonment issues, betrayal, domestic violence (i may have missed some), flashbacks

Dividers by me

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Previous: Trial by Fire

Sliding Into Home Master List Main Masterlist

Two weeks later...

“I want to know.”

“So do I.”

“So why can’t we?”

“Because It’s too early for it to show up.”

“That seems stupid. Why are we here? You’re perfect.”

“I’m a mess.”

A chuckle. “But you’re my mess.”

“Thanks, I think.”

Frank kissed the top of Abby’s head. “You’re beautiful Cricket.”

“I don’t feel like it.”

“You’re twelve weeks pregnant, Cricket.” Frank took her hand. “You’ve been nauseous every day for the last two weeks. Plus, the stress from the hearing wasn’t helping.”

“And you’re leaving,” she mumbled.

“Sweetheart, you know I don’t want to leave you. I have to go to work.”

“Stupid playoffs.”

Frank chuckled. Abby had always hated when the playoffs started because he would have to be on the road for five days at any time during the current series. They were starting in LA, the Dodgers having the best record in the West, facing off against Arizona. “Cricket, it’s gonna be fine. Marco and Scott will be home to help. Please, just take it easy, ok?”

Abby sighed. She knew this but it didn’t stop her anxiety. She thought back on the last couple of weeks.

Mike had been officially charged with kidnapping and endangerment since there were drugs found in his house. He was fighting it, of course, but now Frank and Abby had a protection order against him. He went back to Boston in custody, his bail revoked.

Diane pled no contest to her charges of assault and battery. The deal she made was to allow her to stay in treatment in Boston as long as she had no contact with Abby or Mike. She asked for a letter to be delivered before she accepted. Abby read the letter, Diane’s apologies all over it. Abby closed that chapter in her heart, grateful her friend had found peace and recovery.

Bobby Fuller was suspended pending a full investigation for his involvement with Frank’s incident in Vegas as well as helping Mike with the kidnapping. He made a statement, saying he was not going to fight any charges or decisions made by the league. He had earned what would happen to him after everything had concluded and offered his apologies to the Adler family.

Now, she was dealing with the playoffs and the push for Los Angeles to make it to the World Series once again. She came out of her thoughts as her doctor entered the room. “Hello Dr. Adler.”

“Hey Dr. Montgomery.”

“Mr. Adler,” she shook Frank’s hand. “Ready to start the playoffs?

“Absolutely Doc.” Frank flashed her a smile. “Game one tomorrow.”

“You better bring that trophy home,” she replied. “Now Abby, how are you feeling?”

“Nauseous and thirsty at the same time. Kinda weird.”

“Yeah, that happens. Any drowsiness, bloating, cravings?”

“A little bit of everything.” Abby smiled. “Just generally tired. Had back to back surgeries yesterday and then Mary decided it was time to learn a new hobby.” She gave Frank a pointed look.

“How did I know she wanted to learn the drums? She said she wanted to play an instrument.” Frank shrugged and gave his best boyish grin.

Dr. Montgomery chuckled. “Yeah, I can understand that. Well, your blood work came back great, your weight is on track for twelve weeks.”

“When will I pop?” Abby placed a hand over her belly. “Right now, I just feel big but Frank says I look the same.”

“No, I said you look beautiful,” Frank argued.

“Whatever.”

“Usually, moms pop their bellies closer to 15 or 16 weeks. Like I mentioned, your weight is great for twelve weeks. Now, are we ready to see baby?” Abby nodded. “Ok, scoot down, shirt under your breast and pants down a little. Sorry, this is a little cold.” She squirted gel onto Abby, grabbed the wand and rolled over her skin. Frank and Abby stared at the screen, just a mix of black, white and gray, until...

“There it is.” A little peanut shaped blob appeared. It was different from the first scan where it was just a blip of something. This time, a head was clearly taking shape. “That’s your baby.”

“It’s like a little peanut alien,” Frank said.

“Frankie,” Abby whined.

“What? Cricket, it’s a peanut. It's our...” he stopped as Dr. Montgomery turned on the sound and a rapid noise echoed in the room. “Is that...”

“Baby’s heartbeat. Its nice and strong, about 150 beats per minute, which is perfect.”

“They are perfect,” Abby breathed. A tear ran down her face.

“Cricket, what’s wrong?”

“I just thought with the stress, that I did something to the baby.”

Dr. Montgomery cleaned Abby up. “Abby, you are doing everything right. I know that the hearing was stressful, but everything is perfect. I don’t think you need an amniocentesis, so I would relax and enjoy.”

Abby nodded as Frank said, “thanks Doc.”

“Pictures will be up front, and I want to see you in four weeks. Good luck, Frank.”

As Abby and Frank made their way up, they started to talk about baby names. “I like Emily for a girl or Steven for a boy,” Abby said.

“I’m ok with Emily but Steven? Steve Adler?” Frank twisted his mouth in disgust.

“It sounds good.”

“No Cricket it doesn’t. How about Daniel?”

“Dan Adler? I mean, its ok.”

Frank sighed. “We have time right?”

“Yes, we do.” Abby leaned into him. “When are we going to announce this?”

“Let’s do it after the playoffs. You won’t be showing for a few more weeks, and we have the box, so you’ll be hidden.”

“Ok, now if we can only guarantee that Mary will keep her mouth shut,” Abby muses.

“That’s like asking Johnny not to call himself the ‘Human Torch’. Just impossible,” Frank smiled and kissed her head. “But keep dreaming.”

The Dodgers make it through the Wild Card and Division series, defeating The San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cub, respectively. Johnny had pitched a no hitter in the first game against the New York Mets, but a rouge bounce made Frank miss a ground ball in game two, letting the Mets win that game. Fortunately, the Dodgers held themselves together for games three and four and were sitting on the verge of their 13th World Series appearance.

Frank was pumped. He was already a two time World Series winner with Boston and he wanted to make his new team proud. They were away in New York, but it was Saturday, so his family and Abby’s parents were able to make the game.

Abby: No matter what, Mary, peanut and I love you so much Frankie. Good luck baby!

Frank smiled as he finished dressing. Johnny was also looking at his phone, smiling like a goofball. “What has gotten into you? Or should I say who?”

Johnny dropped his phone. He scrambled to pick it up. “Nothing, no one, what, wait, huh?”

Frank grabbed his chest and laughed so hard it brought attention from the entire team. “What is so funny Adler?” Mookie Betts asked.

“Johnny Storm, our own Human Torch, has a girl!” Frank said through gasps of air. “Pay up losers!”

Over half the team grumbled as they pulled out their wallets with Frank and a couple of others holding out their hands. “What the actual fuck is going on?” Johnny asked.

“I told the guys you were going to be infatuated with a girl. Thanks for this,” Frank holds up his hand holding up a few bills.

“You bet on me meeting a girl?”

“No, that’s a stupid bet. I bet you would fall for a girl. Told them I introduced you to one and said I think this is the one for him and Betts said there wasn’t a chance in hell and others agreed so we made a small yet rather fruitful wager.”

“You couldn’t have waited until the end of the season, could your Torch?” Betts slapped his back.

Johnny tried to be angry but instead smiled. “Hell no. Have you see her?” He showed off a picture of him and Katie together by the beach. “She is smart, gorgeous...”

“And should have no business with you,” Kershaw said. “She is smoking.”

“She likes baseball, hangs out with Mary and likes it and she...” he stopped himself. “Never mind. All I’m saying is that I hit the jackpot with my girl so you all can fuck off now.” He turned back to his locker to finish getting ready.

“$100 says he’s engaged if we win the World Series,” Kershaw says.

“No bet. I think he’ll do it at Christmas. More romantic,” Frank says. Johnny just flips them the bird and the team laughs.

The game is tense, but Johnny manages to throw only one hit the entire game. Mookie hits a grand slam and seals the Dodgers fate to another World Series. After the celebration in the locker room, Frank showers and heads out. He sees his wife, daughter and best friend in the family room, Mary asleep in her grandfather’s arms, Abby leaning against Scott and Susie in Marco’s lap. Johnny walked in right after and saw his sister. Before Johnny could say anything, Frank covered his mouth. “Shut up,” he whispered.

“That’s my sister,” Johnny pointed.

“Have you not noticed she been dating my brother in law?” Frank hissed. “Since the All Star game.”

“Seriously? I thought she was with that nerd Reed.”

Frank sighed and ran a hand over his face. “According to Abby, Reed said he didn’t have time to date because of some crap project about a cloud in space, who the fuck knows. Anyway, when everyone was trying to find Mary, I guess Susie broke down in the backyard and Marco comforted her. One thing led to another, and they started seeing each other in LA.”

Johnny looked at his sister. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

“Geez, I wonder,” Frank deadpanned.

“Yeah, alright, you don’t have to be a dick about it. Let’s take them to the hotel and get some sleep before we fly home.” He took another look at his sister. “She’s happy, and he’s a good guy?”

“I couldn’t trust anyone better to protect this family.”

The Dodger has two days off before they have to start their series with Boston. The irony was not lost on Frank. Playing the team that had traded him after missing the playoffs last year would either be glorious or gut-wrenching. They are starting on the road this time and Frank is nervous. Not for the game, but for the fact that Abby had now been dealing with a streak of morning sickness that left her pale, dehydrated and bedridden.

“Cricket, maybe I can miss the first game? Just until I know you are better.” He smoothed her hair away from her clammy forehead.

“Frankie, you can’t miss. Susie said she would stay with me and Nugget and Marco. Scottie and Steve are going to go and support. If I feel better, I’ll fly out with Mary for game two.”

“But...”

“No, Frank, this is your job. Win this, babe, and come home and finish it for me here in LA. I promise, if something is wrong, we will call. Your baby just likes to test me is all.”

Frank ran a hand through his hair. “The minute something is wrong?”

“You’ll be the first call, ok? I love you.”

He knelt next to the side of the bed. “I love you Peanut. Be nice to momma, ok?” He kissed her stomach and then kissed her forehead. “I love you, Cricket. So very much.” One last kiss, he grabbed his suitcase and was out the door.

Mary, Susie and Abby watched their boys play in Boston. They took game one with ease, Frank making a spectacular dive in the fourth for a double play. Johnny hit two homers in the ninth securing the win. Game two was a different story. Boston came to play, outscoring Los Angeles by ten. Abby flipped off the TV at the end of the game, tugging on Mary’s ponytail. “At least Frank hit it.”

“But they lost.”

“I know, but you have to look at the positives, Nugget. I’m sure Dad would appreciate it if we kept to the positives. It’ll make flying home easier.”

“I guess.” Mary shrugged. “I don’t remember Boston being that good.”

“Me neither.”

Frank and the rest of the team came home in a dejected state. Losing that hard took its toll but it just made the Dodgers want to work that much harder. He hadn’t mentioned it to Abby, but a couple of the Boston guys jeered at him when his was on base. Fans did too, during game two. It had messed with his head a little bit. Johnny had heard it and reminded Frank that he hadn’t chosen to leave Boston. It still stung.

The next three games were at home and the Dodgers took the lead after five, with spectacular performances from Kershaw and Storm. Betts hit homers in every game and Frank had two RBIs. Abby had been feeling better to attend the games, making Frank feel better knowing his girl was at the stadium with him.

Game six and the teams were back in Boston. It had been a close game, but Frank fouled up in the ninth allowing the winning run on base. But former Dodger Justin Turner would not be denied. He had come over during Frank’s trade and had something to prove. He launched a walk off rocket off a fast ball from Joe Kelly that went right over the famous Green Monster wall. Joe and the rest of the team walked off of the field with the crowd going absolutely wild in the background.

As Frank woke up on the day of game seven, he stared at the ceiling. This was the last day to prove to everyone that, despite the year of chaos he had, he was still the best at this game. He turned and looked at his beautiful wife. Abby’s hair cascaded down her naked back, finding comfort of no clothes during her fourteenth week of pregnancy. Frank moved a piece of hair that had fallen over her face back. Winning her back, completing his mission to marry the love of his life, he knew he had already won the year.

Abby curled more into his side and Frank wrapped his arm firmly around her. He could snooze for a few more before the chaos of the day began.

The game was tight and scoreless. Both teams were playing with no errors. It was the top of the ninth and Frank was on second, having a lucky bounce allowing him to get the double. Johnny was now at bat and had a two count. Frank took a small lead of the base and could see a fastball would be delivered. Johnny read it perfectly and it bounced in left field. Frank ran for third and the third base coach waved him through to home. Frank slid and beat the throw home.

Dodgers –1 – Boston – 0.

The next batter strikes out, but the damage has been done. It's up to the defense to hold off Boston for the next half of the inning. Johnny came in as relief to Kershaw and has been on his game all night. He quickly dispatches a batter but walked the next and now it's do or die for Boston. And Justin Turner is at bat.

Johnny settles, a shake of his head, then a nod, and let go of his patented fast ball. Strike. He gets the ball back and takes a breath. He looks at Frank, who gives him a reassuring nod and he turns back. Another nod and Johnny threw his change-up, leaving Turner swinging.

One more.

Johnny sets, rears back and lets go of the ball.

It's perfect.

Until the crack of the bat sounds.

And Frank watches as it sails over the right field wall.

Boston has won the World Series.

I'm sorry, don't kill me...

Taglist

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@firephotogrl74

@before-we-get-started

@tinkerbelle67

@bunnyforhim

@peaceinourtime82

#andy's hea #andy's shenanigans #chris evans fanfiction #frank adler #frank adler au #mlb au #dodger au #ofc abigail hernandez #sliding into home #chris evans #mike weiss #johnny storm #baseball au #frank adler smut #slow burn #chris evans au #cliffhanger queen

23 notes · View notes

medic--main · 21 days

Text

Does He Like Me...? (TF2 BushMedicine Sniper x Medic Fanfiction - Fluff)

Yeah, this is copied from my ao3 account bc I just got Tumblr. (my ao3 is Medic_Main)

Enjoy, and as always feedback is appreciated :D

꧁--------------✯ꨄ✩--------------꧂

It was a nice day, even at 2pm. Not too hot, not too cold, but just right. The birds were singing, flowers were blooming, guns were shooting- wait what?

BANG!

A Scout, part of the Builders League United (otherwise known as BLU) team, slumped down onto the ground, lifeless and with a hole going through his baseball cap.

And his brain.

“...Boom, headshot.”

The Australian whispered to himself from his outpost, far away from the loud battle commencing in Badwater Basin. He grinned and set down his rifle, grabbing his cup of coffee which read “#1 SNIPER” in bold, capital, red letters. He took a sip of the coffee before setting the cup down onto a nearby wooden crate, adjacent to the one he was currently perched on top of. He grabbed his sniper rifle again, reloaded, and aimed towards the raging battle, searching for a BLU to kill. Time progressed quite quickly, and before he knew it, the BLU team had captured another checkpoint, extending the time of the battle.

Sniper heard the Administrator announce the RED’s minor setback and groaned, mumbling curses to himself as he decided to rotate his position and find a better location. He took his sniper rifle, jarate and kukri along with his precious coffee cup and left his outpost in search of another. On the way, he took some damage from a stray Heavy shot but decided to ignore it as he didn’t want to bother Medic. He would deal with it later, once inside a safer place.

Meanwhile, in the heart of the battle was a very busy medic.

“MEDIC!!”

“Ja!” he would scream after hearing the cries of his teammates. Medic was a genius, a psychopath, and a bird-lover, among other things. He would spend his days outside of the battle either experimenting with the organs of the BLU team’s members, or tend to his birds, giving them little baths and occasionally making them clothing. During the battle, however, he was a vital member of the RED team.

Being the only one with healing capabilities, Medic was naturally called on a lot for everything from major to minor injuries. He never complained, however, as he enjoyed his job. Especially when he got to stab a disguised Spy with his ubersaw. He enjoyed getting sprayed with the blood of his enemies, and enjoyed assisting those killing said enemies. Medic was known among the team for being very loud and out-going, always advising his teammates about what to do and what not to do in order to stay healthy, despite himself usually doing the opposite.

As he was running around Badwater Basin, he noticed that the BLUs had captured the latest checkpoint and cursed to himself, running away from the sudden flurry of rockets and bullets which threatened to shred him to bits.

He noticed his other teammates running away and caught a glimpse of a slightly wounded Sniper, running to an outpost he found. Medic, seeing his injury, decided to quickly heal his teammates before tending to Sniper.

After spreading some quick healing around, Medic found Sniper’s location and ran towards it, medigun in hand.

Sniper had already climbed up the ladder outside the outpost, set up, and had his sniper rifle in hand, sitting on a box which was conveniently placed right in front of a window. It allowed him to see the BLU’s make even more progress with pushing the cart due to RED’s retreat. Sniper groaned and tried to find another target, failing to notice his team’s Medic running towards his outpost.

Medic climbed the ladder up to Sniper’s little hideout and caught his breath, readying his medigun.

Sniper heard creaking from behind him and realized someone was climbing the ladder. He quietly set down his sniper rifle and prepared his kukri, suspecting a Spy to be there. He walked over to the door and prepared for a potential ambush.

Opening the door, Medic noticed Sniper with a kukri in hand and smiled up at him.

“Hallo, Herr Sniper!”

Sniper relaxed slightly but still held his guard up as Medic entered the room, kukri still in hand.

“G’day, Medic. What uh… what brings you here?” Sniper hesitated before asking. He wasn’t sure why Medic would bother following Sniper when he could have used his crossbow to heal him. They never spend any time with each other, either, other than the occasional small talk they had during Sniper’s weekly medical checkups.

“I saw you had been injured, so I came up here to heal you,” he replied, shaking his medigun slightly before activating it, Sniper’s wound almost immediately healing completely, the wound being replaced by skin and all blood cleaned up.

“Oh, thanks…” Sniper said, still unsure why Medic went through all this effort to heal him.

“Hey Medic, before you go…” “Hmm? What is it?” “Why did you come up here? You could’ve just healed me with your crossbow, you know.” “Oh? Well, I figured that it would be alright for me to do so, since the others were retreating and at full health, and I have time before the next push to get back to them, after all.”

Medic smiled up at Sniper, who for some reason blushed slightly, but covered it by turning away and moving his hat down to cover his face more.

“Thank you, doc” was all he managed to say before Medic laughed softly. “It’s alright! Let me know if you need healing next time, ja?” “Yeah, I will.” “And prepare for your examination today! I’ll be waiting for you after the battle in the med bay,” Medic reminded Sniper before exiting the outpost, climbing down the ladder to join his teammates.

Sniper looked at the door, seemingly frozen in place before softly closing the door and sitting back down on the crate, left alone with no one but his thoughts once again.

“Why the bloody hell was I blushing?” he thought to himself, shaking his head before searching for another target.

“I mean, it’s not like he’s going to like me if I like him…” He took a shot, but missed slightly. Groaning, he readied another bullet and aimed at another target.

“Gah, what am I even thinking about? I need to focus on the battle and not him- or his smile for that matter…” He missed again and groaned slightly louder, eyebrows furrowed and trying his best to focus and ignore how his blush was increasing in intensity.

“His smile is so annoying. It’s so… bright”. Another miss. “So… cute”. Sniper was getting lost in his thoughts as he reloaded his gun, gritting his teeth as his blushed intensified even more. “Wait, WHAT?!” Sniper caught himself before he fell down the rabbit hole, shooting his gun and accidentally killing a BLU.

He sat upright and set his gun to the side before resting his elbows on the edge of the window and placing his head in his palms, staring up into the clouds.

“He isn’t THAT cute… his smile is, sure… and his eyes… his accent… his-” Sniper stopped himself and was shocked about what he was just thinking of.

“No no no, I didn’t… I didn’t just think that, did I? Oh god…” Sniper shoved his face into his hands, rubbing his eyes and trying to regain his senses, his blush deepening in color as he became more and more flustered the more he thought about Medic.

“Why me…” Sniper said out loud, to no one in particular, before sitting back in his usual sniping position, gun now in hand as he tried his best to focus on the battle and not on the Medic who just so happened to be glancing up at Sniper occasionally. To make matters worse, Medic would smile when he noticed that Sniper wasn’t injured. This only worsened Sniper’s already terrible accuracy to the point where he almost hit his own teammate.

“Awh piss…” Sniper whispered to himself as he missed yet another shot. He reached for his bullet stash to reload. He shot again. He missed. He reached down again. This vicious cycle repeated until he had no more bullets and was forced to climb down from his outpost in search of more ammunition. Groaning again, he took his rifle and descended from the hideout. He searched around for a long time, unable to find any ammunition fit for his gun.

“Argh… the others must have taken it all…” he thought, searching everywhere he could before giving up. Luckily, his team had managed to defend the payload for the rest of the allocated time, and when the Administrator announced RED’s victory, Sniper heaved a sigh of relief before heading back to the outpost, grabbing his now empty coffee cup and trekking back to the RED base.

“So much for secrecy,” mumbled Sniper as he heard his teammates cheer and celebrate their victory inside their “secret” base.

Sniper reluctantly entered the base, put away his gear and showered before changing into some new clothes and heading to the med bay where Medic waited patiently for him.

Sniper stood at the door, debating with himself whether or not he should enter. He wanted to get this out of the way, but what if he blushes again? He needed to wash his hat because it got stained with the red dirt of Badwater, so he had no way of hiding red ears or cheeks should they return. Despite this, Sniper knocked thrice on the door, awaiting a response.

Medic had been signing some medical papers, mainly to confirm his purchase of uranium and human hearts, as well as many other considerably rare products. He finished signing them all and sat at his desk, waiting for Sniper to enter. He knew Sniper had returned to base, as he caught a small glimpse of him walking inside as he exited the entrance to head to his med bay. He could also hear Sniper mumbling to himself something along the lines of “stupid… dirt… wanker” .

Medic looked up at the med bay door as Sniper knocked, and smiled as he allowed Sniper to enter.

“Come in!” he said joyfully, standing up to meet him at the door.

Sniper entered and was immediately hit with a strong gush of cold air from the air conditioning and a strong, almost unbearable scent of antiseptic. He slowly got used to the smell and greeted Medic with a slight smile, trying to hide his nervousness.

“Hey, Medic,” he said, looking around the room to see if anything had changed since his last visit.

Luckily, nothing had changed, despite Medic’s birds not being present. There were three evenly spaced beds to the right of the entrance and medical cabinets which went all around the room. Next to the beds were sphygmo-whatchamacallits (the things that Medic said is used to measure blood pressure) and small bags of blood, should things go south and the medigun is unable to be operated on. Sniper quickly adjusted to the cold and smiled softly, waving his hand slightly.

“He’s just a friend… he’s just a friend…” Sniper tried to not let his mind panic and instead focused on what Medic was doing. “So… what were you doing?” Sniper paused, finding the right words and to not blush again, repeating his thoughts and he tried to calm himself down.

“Eh, just some paperwork, nothing important,” replied Medic, motioning towards a chair which sat on the other side of his desk. Sniper sat down without a second thought, deciding that focusing on the check up would be more important.

There’s usually a lot of physical contact, after all.

“Alright, you know the routine…” Medic sighed and pulled out a tongue depressor, moving it towards Sniper’s face.

“Say ‘ah’, would you?” Medic gripped Sniper’s chin to steady it, causing Sniper to blush lightly. “Ah…” Sniper closed his eyes to try and clear his thoughts, but to no avail.

A couple minutes later, and after many scribbles on his clipboard, Medic was finished and pulled away the depressor.

“Now for blood pressure. Please sit on that bed, next to the sphygmomanometer, bitte,” Medic said, pointing towards a med bay bed. Wondering how Medic says it so perfectly each time, Sniper nodded and sat down next to the… sphyg…uhh… the machine.

Medic took my blood pressure before continuing to the part that Sniper dreaded.

“Ach, I need you to… take off your shirt,” explained Medic, holding out a stethoscope.

Sniper, understandably, blushed intensely and nodded, slowly taking it off and exposing his well toned skin and battle scars. Medic blushed slightly but managed to maintain his professionalism and didn’t say anything, calm as ever. Sniper noticed the other’s blush and wondered how he managed to be so secretive. So… good at hiding his feelings. He wished he could be like him.

Medic clearing his throat snapped him out of his thoughts as the doctor walked over to Sniper, stethoscope in hand. Medic had removed his gloves and placed one of his hands on Sniper’s back, the feeling not unusual but not one Sniper had gotten used to, for sure. He blushed more, covering it by coughing, or so he thought.

Medic, on the other hand was blushing and blushed even harder when he noticed Sniper was too. He felt around for Sniper's shoulder blades. Sniper had found that weird - why were there blades in his shoulders? He didn't really think about it, but with Medic feeling around for them, the thought of kukris under his skin made him shiver.

Ignoring this, Medic found Sniper's shoulder blades and wrote something down on his clipboard again before walking around to face Sniper face on. They both noticed each other's blush but decided to not say anything about it.

Medic hesitantly placed a hand on Sniper's shoulder to stabilize him, so he wouldn't move when he placed the stethoscope on his chest. Medic felt around with the device and found Sniper's heartbeat, pressing down lightly to be able to hear it better. Sniper steadied his breathing once Medic told him to, breathing slowly. He wondered if he was breathing too slowly… too loudly… too-

"Alright, all finished!" Medic cut off Sniper from his thoughts, liberating him from any self doubt. "Oh… thanks, doc," Sniper grabbed his shirt and started to try and find the entrance for his head. "Hmm… could I… ask you something?" Medic slowly approached Sniper, turning his head curiously. "Uh… yeah, sure. What is it?" Sniper blushed more, trying to calm down but to no avail. Medic's face was only a few inches away from Sniper's face, and Sniper started breathing a bit faster.

"You're blushing…" Medic smiles gently. "Uh…" Sniper's eyes darted around nervously as he forgot momentarily about the shirt which he had still not put on. He blushed and didn't elaborate further on the issue. "Is it too cold in here?" smirking, Medic pulled away smirking, hands behind his back as he backed away slowly. "Uhm… yeah… sure…" Sniper put on his shirt and shivered, suddenly realizing how cold it is again. He thought he had gotten used to it. "Bloody freezing."

"Haha! I am very sorry, Sniper," Medic said, his smirk slowly fading into a smile. "I'll make sure to make it warmer next time."

"So… I can leave now?" "Ja, you may leave." "...thanks again, doc." "Kein Problem"

Sniper adjusted his shirt and stood up, walking towards the door and still blushing as he left the med bay, until he heard Medic shout after him.

"I also want to see you again later today, at around… 7pm?” Medic stood up and walked towards Sniper, hands behind his back and smiling again. “Oh, sure… where?” replied Sniper, turning around with his hand now on the door handle. “On the rooftop maybe? I know you’ll be there, anyway, so it should be convenient for both of us?” Medic stopped walking once he was a few meters away from Sniper, one hand gesturing as he spoke. “Sure, see ya then, doc,” Sniper turned and blushed lightly, turning the handle, exiting the room and finally, closing the door gently behind him. He sighed in relief and turned to go to the comfort of his campervan.

He nearly tripped a few times when going to his safe haven due to his mind being absent from Earth, as he was thinking about his sudden increase in encounters with Medic. Beforehand, they had not talked much, but now? Now Medic didn’t seem to want to leave Sniper. And Sniper? He… he thought the same.

“Bloody hell… Why’s it gotta be me…” Sniper said his thoughts out loud, looking up at the sky and wincing slightly due to the glare from the sun. He was outside the base, walking to his campervan as the red dirt stuck to his boots, Sniper deciding to clean them once he got inside. “Why do I have to like him?” he growled under his breath, frustrated at the idea. He glanced at his watch, reading “5:49”. “Why’s he gotta see me again so soon?” he asked no one but himself.

He reached his campervan and opened the door, entering after taking off his boots. He took out a spare hat he had lying around and stood on the ladder leading to the ground, boots in hand. He tapped them together, getting as much dirt off as he could until he saw a glimpse of something white in front of him followed by some red, presumably blood. “What the-” Sniper looked around, searching for the anomalie. He caught a glimpse of it above him again, the figure looking like a bird of some sort. Sniper looked around again until he finally found what he was looking for - a white dove with a splotch of blood on its front. It was perched on the top of the door, observing him. He immediately recognised it to be one of Medic’s birds, the one he named “Archimedes”. Archimedes looked into his eyes and cocked his head. Sniper stared at it through slightly squinted eyes and mouth slightly agape, as if he was going to say something but realized that no matter what he says, Archimedes won’t be able to understand him.

“That bloody doctor is waiting… and using messenger pigeons to watch me…” Sniper’s eyes squinted more as Archimedes turned his head back so it’s front-on and flew away, straight in the direction of the base. Sniper took a step back, a bit startled by the sudden action, and re-adjusted his hat, staring after the dove as it flew away.

Sniper shrugged it off, then got ready for his second meet-up with Medic.

Sniper didn’t do much to prepare himself - he didn’t shave, didn’t wash himself (he already did) and didn’t wear anything fancy. All he did was comb his hair and fix up his hat, trying to make their little “catch-up” seem like it was only something very casual, and not formal in the slightest. He wore the same boots as the one he was cleaning when Archimedes interrupted him, and set off towards the base, kukri and jarate on hand in case anything went south.

Sniper let his mind wander off for once, thinking about Medic. He smiled and looked up at the sky, eyes closed or blinking slowly, as if he was in a dreamy state. “I don’t get what I find so attractive about him! His smile is pretty cute… Oh who am I kidding, he has the most adorable smile! And his accent sounds so… Charming? Yeah, and his eyes - oh his beautiful eyes…” Sniper was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even remember entering the base, let alone walking all the way up the stairs and ladders to the rooftop. He felt the slightly cooler breeze hit his face once he opened the door, though, and that brought him back down to Earth. He checked his watch, and it read “6:55”. Despite this, Medic was already there, waiting for him and enjoying the view of the horizon, turned away from him. Sniper then noticed that he could see the campervan from where he was, and froze in embarrassment. He internally panicked, wondering if Medic had seen him smile and if he did, if he knew that Sniper was thinking about him.

Medic turned around when he heard the door open and smiled gently. He was wearing his usual medic clothing, but had taken off the coat and was instead wearing a vest. “Glad you could make it, Sniper! It is a beautiful night, hmm?” Medic turned back around, gesturing towards the horizon that stretched out before them. Sniper slowly approached him, humming in agreement. He was already blushing, fiddling with his fingers to calm down. “Way to go, Sniper, good job at hiding your feelings! Just go ahead and blush before you’ve even talked to him!” Sniper scolded himself in his head, and sat down once Medic had too, after Medic had patted the ground next to himself to invite Sniper to do so.

“So… why’d you want to see me?” Sniper managed to hide his blush with his hat again, trying to hide it. Medic noticed, but didn’t say anything. “I just wanted to talk!” Medic smiled, looking excited contrary to Sniper who seemed nervous. He was still fiddling with his fingers, and decided to look away from Medic and talk about the night sky. “The stars are bright today,” Sniper started overthinking almost immediately after speaking.

“They’re always bright… There’s hardly any stars out today! Oh god, what will he say about-”

“Yeah, they are bright…” Medic was now looking directly above himself, gazing at the stars in awe and wonder. This brought Sniper out of his little panic-attack and forced him to relax and try to not overthink everything he says. Sniper blushed a bit more as he realized that Medic kept on looking at the stars. “He’s cute…” Sniper blinked a few times after realizing what he was just thinking, blushed a bit more, and just nodded in response, then spoke after realizing that Medic wouldn’t be able to see him nodding. “Yeah…” Sniper wondered if he should share with Medic his feelings, but decided against it for now. “We hardly even talk with each other, and now you want to confess your feelings? Come on, at least try and get to know the guy!” his conscience scolded him.

"You hardly ever come in for check-ups. Is there something wrong?" asked Medic, turning his attention once again to Sniper. His eyes lock with Sniper's, and Sniper freezes for a second, lifting his hat so he could see the doctor clearly. It was then that he noticed some more fine and hidden details he hadn't seen before.

Firstly, he noticed that Medic had deep, brown eyes, just like his own, and his eyebrows were a lot sharper in shape than he realized. Medic's jawline was also extremely sharp, even sharper than his own. His glasses were perfectly round, and the left side had a small crack on it. Medic's hair also had a bit of gray in it, to display his old age.

"Yeah- nah- I-I mean… Nah, nothing's wrong," he stuttered, turning away in embarrassment, despite wanting to gaze into Medic's eyes forever. Sniper panicked slightly and bit his lip nervously, trying to calm his nerves.

"Well… it definitely seems like something's wrong," Medic's tone shifted to one of sincerity and understanding, something which seemed surreal to the bushman, as he usually heard Medic in a crazed state, screaming and barking out orders to people on the battlefield. This new side of Medic was… definitely interesting, but not something that Sniper didn't want to see more of.

Sniper half turned back to be able to see Medic out the corner of his eye. Sniper didn't say anything in response, which led to Medic flashing a smirk before going back to his look of curiosity. He definitely knew what was going on.

"Is it because… you're afraid of the equipment?" he teased, leaning forwards towards Sniper. Sniper's breathing quickened as he saw Medic lean over to him, and he shook his head, afraid that if he spoke his words would betray him.

"Are you afraid of doctors?" Medic continued, scooting even closer to Sniper now. Sniper flushed bright red and turned away, muttering a soft "no".

Medic paused for a moment, seemingly thinking to himself what Sniper could be afraid of.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked, now mere inches away from Sniper. Sniper paused for a moment and thought about his response. He closed his eyes tightly and slowly nodded, earning a soft sigh from Medic. Medic knew exactly why Sniper felt that way, but was willing to remain seemingly oblivious to earn more cute reactions from the bushman. Sniper opened his eyes again.

"Why?" he said, turning his head slightly to the side. Sniper saw that out of the corner of his eye and looked away slightly. He then placed his hands in his lap and looked down at them, fidgeting with his fingers. His mouth remained shut.

"Is there… something you want to tell me?" Medic could hardly contain his excitement at this point, and placed a hand gently and reassuringly on Sniper's shoulder. This action made Sniper's heart skip a beat, and he gasped silently, taking fast, shallow breaths. Sniper nodded, seemingly ashamed at what he wanted to say. Medic noticed this and started to become worried. Sniper opened his mouth to try to speak, but decided against it, which only piqued Medic's interest even more. However, seeing Sniper's conflicted and worried expression made the doctor not push the matter, and give Sniper as much time as he needed to express his thoughts. Eventually, he spoke.

"It's not that I'm afraid of you, doc," he explained, still looking down at his hands in his lap. He paused again to try and find the correct words. "I just… I don't know how I feel," he concluded, looking slightly towards Medic, his eyes meeting Medic's. Medic nodded slowly and rubbed Sniper's shoulder gently.

"Would you like to talk about it?" asked Medic, hiding his excitement and anticipation.

"W-Well… there's… someone who I like," Sniper started fidgeting again. "It's alright, now he doesn't know who I'm talking about, this is fine!" Sniper tried to reassure himself. "And I'm not sure if… they like me back."

Medic barely held back a laugh. “Is he serious? So obvious! How adorable…” he thought, nodding in an understanding manner to play into Sniper’s little game. Sniper breathed a little easier as he believed that Medic was oblivious.

“S-so what should I do about it, doc?” asked Sniper, finally looking Medic in the eyes again. Their eyes locked and each other’s gazes lingered for a few seconds before Medic broke it and looked back up and the stars, hand on his chin with his index finger stroking his chin slightly. He made a slight hum sound, as if thinking, then looked back at Sniper.

“Is it with someone on the team?” asked Medic, turning his head slightly once again. The question made Sniper blush again, and he hesitated slightly before nodding, looking away and fidgeting with his fingers. He tried to calm himself, but Medic wanted otherwise

“Well you should be careful, then,” sighed Medic. Medic had a slight blush tinting his cheeks, and the blush was slowly getting deeper. Sniper looked back at Medic, wondering what he could mean by that.

“If the Administrator catches you, you’ll be kicked off the team for sure,” Medic explained, making slight gestures with his hands to emphasize the importance of being careful around the Administrator’s many cameras.

“…Which is why you should confess to whoever you have a crush on… in a nice and quiet place like this,” Medic said, gesturing to the space around them. Sniper blushed slightly and nodded, noticing the lack of cameras and microphones in the vicinity.

There was silence, not awkward, but rather comfortable, for the next few minutes. Sniper decided to break the silence.

“Hey, Medic?” he said softly. He wondered for a split second if Medic heard him before he heard him answer.

“Yes?” Medic responded, smiling brightly. Sniper looked at Medic and again their eyes locked. Medic noticed an air of uncertainty around Sniper and placed a reassuring pat on the other’s back. Sniper smiled and relaxed a little, embracing the pat. He took a deep breath before speaking.

“Do… Do you have a crush on anyone?” asked Sniper, blushing slightly. Medic raised an eyebrow.

“Me? Hmm, well yes I do!” Medic confirmed, smirking slightly as he saw Sniper panic slightly. Sniper’s mind immediately thought of the worst: what if Medic didn’t like him back?

“R-really? Who?” Sniper asked, his worriedness showing in his voice. Medic laughed.

“So eager to know? Well, if it helps, I also have a crush on someone on the team,” he said, looking at Sniper’s reaction.

Sniper looked like he had seen a ghost. Of course, there was a chance that Medic liked him, but the chances are low, especially when “the team” includes a certain Heavy Weapons Guy. Sniper had noticed that Medic and Heavy had spent a lot of time together, not just recently but ever since the two have been on the team together. Sniper thought that if there was anyone Medic would have a crush on, it would be Heavy.

“U-uh, w-well, I-I…” he stuttered, brain suddenly failing him. He turned away and covered his face, as if ashamed that he ever thought he could be with Medic. Medic smirked and stifled a laugh at his reaction and decided to try and get Sniper to confess.

“You know, you can tell me who you have a crush on! I promise to keep it a secret!” Medic winked, rubbing Sniper’s back gently to try and make him more comfortable. Sniper decided to “screw it and give it a shot”. He took a deep breath and finally confessed.

“I… I like you. I… I have a crush on you,” he said, almost immediately regretting his decision and wanting to run away. Sniper panicked internally as worry and doubt filled his mind. Externally, he was tense and had his eyes closed. Medic noticed this and decided to reward his bravery.

“I love you too, Sniper,” Medic said, planting a soft kiss on Sniper's temple and smiling gently. Sniper heard Medic’s words and whipped his head around after the kiss, blushing wildly as his mind was in shambles, trying to make sense of everything that just happened.

“WH- YOU- I- HOW-“ he fumbled over his words, too shocked and overwhelmed to respond properly.

Medic patted Sniper’s head gently and leaned his own head against Sniper’s.

“So adorable~” Medic teased, nuzzling gently against him. Sniper blushed heavily at this sudden action and wrapped his arms around his legs which were now folded and situated on his chest. He shoved his face into his legs and groaned, blushing even harder. Medic chuckled and leaned against him, gazing up at the stars before they both fell asleep shortly after.

~end~

꧁--------------✯ꨄ✩--------------꧂

#tf2 #tf2 medic #tf2 sniper #team fortress two #tf2 fanfiction #fanfic #fluff #tf2 fluff #medic x sniper #help #bad english #very bad #i don't write much so don't expect anything for a while

14 notes · View notes

stephstars08 · 2 months

Text

Better Than Him

Gunnar Henderson x Reader

Warnings: Some Adult Language, Depressed!Reader, Anxiety, Mention of Bad Break Up, Alcohol, Mention of Drunk Reader, Angst with Fluff at the End, and Possible Grammar Errors. (Let me know if I forgot any!!)

Summary: Y/N and Gunnar grew up together and lived in the same state till their senior year in high school but they eventually got reunited after just a year apart. When they reconnect old feelings came back for Gunnar but before he could tell Y/N she once again got together with someone else. After the boy breaks Y/N’s heart Gunnar hopes and prays that Y/N will realize that he is way better for her than her ex.

Word Count: 1,764

Author’s Note: My first Gunnar story is finally here! I am so happy that baseball is back since I’m getting all kinds of story ideas for Gunnar and Adley. Now this story is actually based off a country song that I don’t think a lot of you know. The inspiration is from the song He Ain’t Worth Missing by Toby Keith. I grew up listening to country music and my first ever crush was Toby Keith who sadly passed away in February and it really crushed me because he was a big part of my childhood so of course I’ve been listening to his music a lot lately. Gunnar actually reminds me a lot of Toby Keith. I really don’t know what it is. They are both country boys since Gunnar is from Alabama so they had similar accents. And maybe it’s because they had similar hair and when Gunnar has facial hair he looks like him! Idk what it is so don’t be surprised if I write another Gunnar story based off a Toby Keith song! I’ll leave the link to song here if you all want to listen to it! You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Sorry for the long Author’s Note and I hope you all enjoy this story!!

Y/N and Gunnar grew up together in Montgomery, Alabama and were really close to one another since the day they started school together. Well, that was till Y/N moved from Alabama to Maryland her senior year of high school.

Y/N has a lot of family in Maryland so that was a big reason why her and her family moved there. It just really broke her heart to move away from Gunnar. It was so hard for both of them to not see each other everyday. They did their best to stay in touch with each other by texting, calling, or even FaceTiming.

After they both graduated from high school they thought that they were still going to be separated from each other since they were going into different directions but to their surprise they were going to be reunited. Y/N got accepted into the university of Maryland and Gunnar got drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2019 MLB draft at just seventeen years old. They are so happy to be back to living in the same state as one another again. Even though they won’t be able to see each other everyday but at least they were just a car ride away from each other again.

When they started hanging out with each other again a lot of old feelings were returning especially for Gunnar. Gunnar started to develop a crush on his best friend at the end of eighth grade into their first year in high school. Gunnar will never forget the day he realized that he’s falling head over heels for Y/N. Gunnar always wanted to ask Y/N out but she was always with someone else. When he reconnected with her he was hoping he would get a chance to confess to her his feelings but again Y/N got the attention of someone else.

______________________________

Now into the Present. Gunnar is entering his third season in major leagues after winning AL Rookie of The Year the season before and Y/N is almost done with her final year at Maryland University. Y/N hasn’t just been stressed out because of school but also has been stressed because she just had a bad break up with her on and off again boyfriend named Brad. He’s your typical fuck boy frat boy in college. It always drives Gunnar fucking crazy when Y/N goes back to that asshole so he’s hoping and praying that this break up is the end.

Since Y/N has been depressed from the break up Gunnar and a couple of her friends she goes to school with got her to agree to go to a bar and have some drinks since it was Friday. Since Gunnar’s opening day for his team was a Thursday he didn’t have a game that night. Once everyone arrived at the bar everyone walked into the bar together. Right away Y/N wished she didn’t walk inside. She just froze in her spot. The only person who noticed that she just stoped was Gunnar. Before he could ask what was wrong he saw what Y/N was looking at. It was Brad sitting at the bar with a girl who was obviously his date. Y/N knew who the girl was. The girl is the person Brad dumped her for. It hurt Gunnar to see the hurt in Y/N’s beautiful and soft eyes. “Y/N.” Gunnar said putting one of his hands onto her shoulder which got her attention. “Ignore him. Don’t let him ruin your night.” Gunnar told her. Y/N just gave him a nod and let Gunnar take her to where their friends were sitting which was a table in the back of the bar.

Right when the waitress came to their table Y/N ordered some shots of Tequila for herself. Gunnar’s worry returned since he was worried that Y/N was going to get completely wasted. It’s never fun taking care of a drunk Y/N since she can get really crazy when she drinks too much.

As the night went on Gunnar would notice Y/N glance over at Brad and his date. When Brad leaned over and gave the girl a kiss on the lips Y/N has enough. “I can’t fucking do this!” Y/N hissed as should stood up. She grabbed her purse and made her way out of the bar. Her friends kept calling her back over the music but she just ignored them and kept on walking. When Y/N walked out of the bar one person followed her. When the person grabbed her hand she knew the person who followed her was Gunnar. Y/N let out a heavy sigh. “Y/N-“ Gunnar started to but Y/N immediately cut him off. “I’m not staying okay!” Y/N told him with a mixture of frustration and sternness in her voice pulling her hand out of Gunnar’s. “Listen I know you can’t go back in there but you still deserve a night out. We can go somewhere else.” Gunnar told her but she shook her head no. “I just need to be alone right now.” Y/N told him and turned away from him to walk to her car. Gunnar wanted to go after her but no matter what he says to her it isn’t going to change her mind.

Y/N has gone through many break ups but this is the first break up that has left her completely broken. No matter how sad Y/N got from a break up she never shut Gunnar out. Her telling him that she just wants to be alone is a first.

Once Gunnar watched Y/N drive away in her car he let out a heavy sigh and walked back into the bar.

______________________________

A couple days have pasted and Y/N hasn’t contacted Gunnar which made him even more worried about her because it’s not like her to ignore his texts and calls. He feels like she is isolating herself from all of her friends which is really out of character of her. He knows that she’s hurting but she shouldn’t be by herself right now. She’s vulnerable and when you are vulnerable being alone is a big red flag. He knows that she’s hurting but she shouldn’t be ignoring the ones that love and care for her. The only time Y/N has left the her apartment is to go to her classes.

Y/N was sitting in her living room watching TV. She was wrapped up her in her fluffy blanket eating her favorite snack while watching her favorite and comfort show. This is all she does when she is home. There was a knock on the door which made her let out a big groan. “Go away!” Y/N called out. “Y/N, it’s Gunnar.” She heard him say on the other side of her front door. “I told you that I want to be alone!” Y/N called back out to him with frustration. “Y/N I just want to talk to you.” She heard Gunnar say. She could hear the concern in his voice. “I’m not going to leave.” She heard him add in.

She let out a sigh in defeat as she pulled her soft blanket off her body. She stood up from the couch and walked over to the door. She opened the door to see her concern best friend. “Are you going to let me in?” Gunnar asked her. Y/N stepped to the side so he could walk into her apartment. “Is your roommate here?” Gunnar asked her in a curious tone. “No, she’s in class right now.” Y/N answered as she closed the door. “Have you been going to class?” Gunnar asked her which made her let out a groan. “If your talk is a lecture you can just leave.” Y/N told him in annoyance.

She walked back towards that couch and flopped down onto it. “Y/N you shouldn’t be depressed over a stupid fucking frat boy.” Gunnar told her in a stern tone. “You can find a guy that is ten times better than Brad.” Gunnar added which made her let out a scoff. “Oh and who could that guy be?” Y/N asked him folding her arms over her chest. “Me!” Gunnar blurted out which took her by surprise. “What?” Y/N asked in shock looking up at him with wide eyes. “Shit!” Gunnar hissed as he ran a hand through his curly blonde hair.

This isn’t how he wanted to tell his best friend that he has feelings for her.

“Gunnar!” Y/N said as she stood up from the couch. “Do you have feelings for me?” Y/N asked him. “Yes I do.” Gunnar answered which made her heart skip a beat. “How long have you felt this way?” Y/N asked him. “Since the end of eighth grade.” Gunnar answered her. “You’ve had these feelings for that long.” Y/N said still in complete shock. The couldn’t believe what was happening. “I wanted to tell you but you were always with someone.” Gunnar told her with frustration in his voice. “Gunnar.” Y/N said but he ignored her since he started to ramble. “I wanted to tell you when we reconnected here but before I could get the chance you got with Brad.” Gunnar explained to her. “Gunnar.” Y/N said again but again he kept on talking. “When you two broke up I was hoping and praying that you would realize that I can be better than him for you.” Gunnar told her. Y/N knew he wasn’t going to listen to her and that he was going to keep talking so she walked closer to him.

Before he could get another word out she grabbed him by the arms and connected her lips with his lips. The kiss took Gunnar by surprise but since this has been a moment he’s been waiting for he immediately returned the kiss. When they released from the kiss they had to catch their breaths.

“I’m sorry.” Y/N said in a soft tone which confused him. “Sorry about what?” Gunnar asked her in confusion. “I’ve had feelings for you too but I always thought that you only saw me as your best friend.” Y/N told him. “Don’t be sorry. I’m stupid for hiding my feelings from you.” Gunnar reassured her. “I think we’re both done with be stupid.” Y/N said with a giggle which also made Gunnar laugh.

“Well since we’re done being stupid how about I take you out to dinner after my game on Sunday for our first date?” Gunnar said as she smiled up at him. “That sounds like a good date to me.” Y/N said wrapping her arms around his neck as he smiled down at her.

9 notes · View notes

justforbooks · 6 months

Text

The career of the actor Andre Braugher, who has died of lung cancer aged 61, was benchmarked by two performances in police dramas a generation apart. In the groundbreaking drama Homicide: Life on the Street, from 1993 until 1999, he played Detective Frank Pembleton, whose drive immediately made him the anchor of an impressive ensemble cast led by Yaphet Kotto and Ned Beatty. He drew a younger audience with the comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-21) as Captain Ray Holt, who takes over a chaotic homicide squad and whose intensity again makes him the heart of the show.

Braugher’s deep, resonant voice and seemingly effortless control drew the respect of all he worked with. David Simon, creator of Homicide and The Wire, said: “I’ve worked with a lot of wonderful actors. I’ll never work with one better.” His classical training, at the Juilliard School in New York, made him a regular at the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, and indeed his portrayal of Henry V in 1996 won him an Obie (the off-Broadway equivalent of the Tony awards).

He brought the projection of the stage to the small screen. Pembleton was the master of “the Box”, or the interrogation room. He explained to his rookie partner in Homicide (played by Kyle Secor), it was “salesmanship … as silver tongued and thieving as ever moved used cars, Florida swamp land or Bibles. But what I am selling is a long prison sentence.” He dominated those small scenes, but the episode Subway, with Vincent D’Onofrio as a character pushed between subway trains, who will die once the trains are separated, was a two-hander whose intensity might have come from the stage of Beckett, Pinter or Mamet.

In Brooklyn Nine-Nine, as Holt, he played it straight in two senses. The adage of comedy being funniest when played straight gained resonance from Braugher’s ability to show the audience with a gesture or line-reading that he, like you, got the joke. But Holt is also gay. His gayness is never an issue, except as motivation for his progress within the police. It was as if Pembleton were stepping into Kotto’s “Gee” Giardello, a black man with an Italian father who was determined to rise in a white-dominated department.

This drive reflected Braugher’s own background. In the tough neighbourhood of Austin, on Chicago’s West Side, both his parents worked for the government; his father, Floyd, was a heavy equipment operator for the state of Illinois, and his mother, Sally, worked for the US Postal Service. He recalled he might have “pretended I was hard and tough and not square”, but he won scholarships to the Jesuit St Ignatius College prep and then to study mathematics at Stanford University, California. After walking into a student production of Hamlet, and playing Claudius, he decided he wanted to act.

Another scholarship took him to Juilliard. He graduated in 1988 and almost immediately was cast in a TV revival of Kojak, as his assistant. His first film role came in Glory (1989); he was so impressive as the educated Thomas Searles, forced to serve as a private soldier in the all-black regiment commanded by his white friend, that Hollywood came calling, but the parts were standard stereotyical roles. His father had questioned how a black actor would make a living, and Braugher later explained: “I’d rather not work than do a part I’m ashamed of.”

He played the lead in a TV movie, The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990), playing Robinson, the first African-American player in major league baseball, who earlier in the 1940s, as a US army lieutenant, had refused to ride in the back of a segregated bus; and appeared in another TV film, The Tuskegee Airmen (1995). He was an egotistical actor in Spike Lee’s Get On the Bus (1996), about the Million Man March on Washington DC the year before. In 1998 he won his first Emmy award for playing Pembleton; he was nominated 11 times, and won his second in 2006 for his role in the miniseries Thief.

After Homicide, he starred as a doctor in Gideon’s Crossing (2000-01), as a cop in Hack (2002-04), as a car dealer in the comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age (2009-11) and as the captain of a submarine which goes on the run after he refuses to obey orders to fire nuclear missiles in Last Resort (2012-13). He had another series of remarkable two-handers in a recurring role as Hugh Laurie’s psychiatrist in House, was a defense attorney in episodes of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and voiced Governor Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz in the animated comedy BoJack Horseman.

He made the most of supporting roles in films such as Primal Fear (as Richard Gere’s investigator), Poseidon (captain of the sinking liner), Salt (as the US secretary of defense) and most notably as a New York Times editor in She Said (2022), covering the Harvey Weinstein scandal. He also starred in 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002), the story of the unionisation of Pullman railway porters, who were always called “George” by passengers.

Braugher admitted that his career “could have been larger, but it would have been at the expense of my own life”. He lived in suburban New Jersey with his wife, the actor Ami Brabson (who played Pembleton’s wife in Homicide). He said he wanted his three sons, Michael, Isaiah and John Wesley, raised in a “true context”, away from being a movie star’s offspring in Hollywood.

He is survived by his wife and sons, his brother, Charles, and his mother.

🔔 Andre Keith Braugher, actor, born 1 July 1962; died 11 December 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

#just for books #Andre Braugher #in memoriam

14 notes · View notes

noxsoulmate · 11 months

Text

Fic Rec FridaySunday Fun

Thank you for the tag, @detective-giggles and @carlos-in-glasses 🥰 noticed that I haven't read some of your fics yet and I'll make sure to correct that asap 😊

So wanted to get some hiatus rec lists going and encourage some self-promo in my friends so how about sharing your top fics no matter how big or small - give us the links to your wonderful words with the Most hits/Most kudos/Most comments/Most bookmarks /Most words/Least words

Some of mine will double or even tripple up, so for those I went further down the list...

Most Hits: I Heard You've Been Missing Me - When Alex makes an unexpected reappearance in TK’s life, he doesn’t know how to face that storm. Thankfully, he’s not alone in this. Not only does he have Carlos by his side to help him navigate through it – but a whole armada of friends who all come to his rescue. || I truly love how many people love this fic. It was one of my earlier ones in this fandom and basically just written for my own guilty pleasure of "revenge" fics on Alex - it's good to see that so many people seem to agree with me 😏

Most Kudos: Again, I Heard You've Been Missing Me, which is actually my first Lone Star fic to reach over 1000 kudos 🥰

Second Most Kudos: Everywhere I'm Looking Now, I'm Surrounded by Your Embrace - When the fire fam won’t stop teasing TK about his sleeping habits, Carlos has to come to his rescue. || I'll admit that this one surprised me - not because I don't like this fic but more because I would've thought other fics to be "higher". But it seems we all love our protective Carlos and sleepy koala TK 🥰

Most Comments: PS: I still love you, too - An alternative rendition of how TK and Carlos may have gotten back together. || A personal favorite of mine, so I'm truly happy to see it so high up.

Most Bookmarks: Once again, I Heard You've Been Missing Me, followed by Everywhere I'm Looking Now, I'm Surrounded by Your Embrace

Third Most Bookmarks: This Love is Ours, it’s Everything - After two years without Pride Parade, Austin’s first responders are hyped to finally have it back – especially with the generous surprise their Captains have for them. Carlos was looking forward to a great day, maybe some stolen kisses and lots of flirting with TK, even though they’re on the clock – it’s Pride, after all. Little did he expect to have to fend off some unwanted attention from a stranger… || Another fic featuring Alex getting what he deserves, even if this is slightly different. Also, I truly love writing about the Pride Parade!

Most Words: PS: I still love you, too with 22770 words

Second Most Words: Valentine’s Match with 16330 words - Meet cutes are only meant for rom coms, right? So why is it that TK has a total of four of them with the same stranger in just one day? Besides, Valentine’s weekend is certainly not the right time for him to have his head in cloud nine – not when the annual Baseball game between Fire and Police is on the line. Apparently, Police hasn't lost in years thanks to their pitcher. But now Fire has TK on their team – a paramedic who had a chance to play in the major leagues… || I enjoyed writing this fic so, so much! And I learned a lot about Baseball thanks to it 😂

Least Words: Of Teddy Bears and Boyfriends with 490 words - The 126 spends a day at the fair – and TK isn’t the only one whose boyfriend has the ability to win him a teddy bear. || Just a sweet little entry for @flufftober

I'm super late for this so I guess you've all already done it, but just in case, tagging some of you: @heartstringsduet, @catanisspicy, @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut, @bonheur-cafe, @firstprince-history-huh, @rangergurlgleek1211, @actuallysara, @wtfuckevenknows, @lightningboltreader, @meditating-honey-badger, @mangacat201

#tarlos #911 lone star #noxy writes #fic rec friday #thanks for tagging me

19 notes · View notes

cowgurrrl · 1 year

Note

Hello, first time doing this I hope I put the right emoji English is my second language 🦋 How do they celebrate birthdays, especially the girls or Sammy. Thank you for writing beautiful stories 😊

You did great! That’s the right emoji!! I added the girls in too since they weren’t announced when this was sent in lol!

How the Millers celebrate birthdays

When it was just Joel and Sarah, Joel would make a homemade birthday cake (mostly because they couldn’t afford a store bought cake) and take her to the park/movies/whatever because it’s summer and she already doesn’t get to celebrate with classmates (oh the woes of being a Leo)

Even after Joel gets famous, he still makes her birthday cake every year but they do get a little lavish with her birthday (pizza AND ice cream?!)

Joel tries not to spoil the kids but it’s hard when he and Sarah had nothing for so long. You agree on one (1) big present each birthday and then let them get showered with other presents from relatives, family friends, classmates, etc.,

When Ellie comes into their lives, she’s a little more hesitant to express any want to do anything for her birthday but once she’s settled, they go to art museums, the beach, or a nice dinner pretty much anywhere Ellie wants to go and do anything she wants to do

He still makes the cake though

Sam very quickly becomes a Sports Person so for his birthday, you either have a baseball themed birthday party or you find a local game and go. Poor guy was born in the off season so he doesn’t get to go to any Major League games until later but he does get to go!!

The girls have joint birthday parties for the first few years of their lives before they decide they want individual events. Still, on their actual birthday, you guys spend the day as a family. Sarah and Ellie come in from wherever they are in the world and for a week, your family is all under one roof again

And the older girls help make the birthday cakes for the little kids 🥹

#one for the money two for the show headcanons #rockstar!joel miller #dad!joel miller #June’s milestone celebration

32 notes · View notes

ghostofskywalker · 2 years

Text

Home Run Romance - 2

Natasha Romanoff/Fem!Reader

Words: 2,101

Summary: [Professional Baseball AU] Natasha Romanoff is the first female major league baseball player in America, and she’s determined to prove herself to the rest of the world. Y/N L/N is a reporter and a journalist, with most of her job specifically dedicated to covering the New York Yankees, and she has a strict “no relationships” policy at work. Natasha falls hard for Y/N almost instantly, but doesn’t have the confidence to admit it just yet.

Series Masterlist

As Natasha stepped up to the plate, the only thing running through her head was don’t strike out. Her first at-bat in a major league baseball game would decide how both fans and enemies of the Yankees would see her for a very long time, and she needed to impress. Steve had told her that it wouldn’t matter if she got out, because at the end of the day some of the best hitters in the game only hit the ball one third of the time, but she still didn’t want to make herself look like she didn’t deserve to be here.

There was a ringing in her ears as she stepped up to the plate, taking a deep breath before she stepped into the batter’s box. Turning towards the pitcher, Natasha could see the focused expression on his face, and the way his eyes flashed a little before he wound up for the pitch.

The ball came soaring past her, a little too high for her taste, and the umpire agreed. Ball One.

If this man thought that Natasha was going to fall for this kind of pitching, he was dead wrong. She knew what a good pitch looked like, and she wasn’t going to swing at just anything.

The second pitch flew in; a little lower this time. She swung too early to send it where she wanted, and the ball flew across the third base line and into the stands, where fans cheered and raced towards the prize. Foul Ball. Strike One.

She stopped, taking a breath before the pitcher wound up again. Fans were cheering and booing, depending on who they were here to see, but Natasha barely even heard anything beyond that ringing in her ears.

The next pitch was a little to the left, and she didn’t swing. She hoped that the umpire didn’t classify it as a strike, but it was one of those pitches where it could have gone either way. Luckily, the universe took mercy on her this time. Ball Two.

Now her opponent is annoyed, he likely believed that previous pitch to be a strike. She continued to stare in his direction, waiting to see what his next move will be. She was in the zone at this point, because no matter how new she may be to the Yankees, coming up to bat was something she’d done hundreds of times before.

He fires a fastball in retaliation, and she swings. There’s a satisfying crack as her bat makes contact with the ball, but she doesn’t have time to revel in her achievement. Taking towards first base and leaving the bat in her wake, she looked up to see that the ball had been pushed deep into left field, being chased down by an outfielder.

She is steps away from first base when she makes the impulsive decision to try to make it to second. Maybe it was a bad idea, but at this moment she didn’t care, rounding first and keeping her momentum. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the player with the ball turn and fire it towards second base, and it was now a race against physics.

It looked like the ball was going to make it there first, but Natasha wasn’t going to give up that easily. A cloud of dust and dirt surrounded her as she propelled herself forward by sliding across the ground, right leg out as she moved that final ten feet. She easily stood up right as the second basemen caught the ball, and she caught the eyes of her smiling teammates from their dugout. Safe!

She hoped you could see her smile from wherever you were sitting.

***

Her first major league baseball game ended in victory, and Natasha couldn’t believe it. She came up to bat twice more, once with a line drive single down the third base line and once with a fly ball that was quickly caught. She played well on the field too, catching a pop fly herself as well as getting several players out with her throws.

The energy that the team had was electric. Despite playing a long and tough game, they whooped and shouted with glee in the locker room, and even had a team sing along when one of the latest hits came on the speakers. And despite the fact that she was bone tired and covered in dust and dirt, Natasha felt like she was ready to head back out there and play another game. There was a rush to the sport, a feeling of elation that no one but those who played could understand.

Once everyone was showered and dressed, Natasha turned to Bucky, who happened to be nearby. “What do you do after games?” she asked.

“Honestly, it depends on the time. Since today was the season opener we’re all headed to dinner with the coaches and other staff, which is why they told us to bring nice clothes.” Natasha nodded, she knew about the upcoming team dinner. “But usually we’ll go out to dinner with just the team, or if it’s really late we’ll head home. A lot of the guys have families elsewhere, so they live in an apartment with one or two other teammates.”

“Are you one of those?”

Bucky shook his head. “Nope, Steve and I were born and raised in Brooklyn, so we’ve always been local. But Sam’s originally from Louisiana, so when he’s up here for the season he rents an apartment with Clint. What about you?” he asked, as everyone started to walk out of the locker room. There was a fancy dining room in the clubhouse, and dinner was being catered by one of the best Italian restaurants in the area, so the whole team was excited. “You here just for the season?”

Natasha shook her head. “Nope. After living most of my life in the middle of Ohio, I knew I wanted to get out, so when I was offered the job here, I took it in a heartbeat.”

“Really? No secret family like Clint?”

“Sorry to disappoint you Barnes, but no.”

“Oh I forgot, you like Y/N.”

“What?” How the hell did he manage to figure it out? She was sure she wasn’t being too obvious with her questions, but apparently she had done something wrong.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to hide it,” Bucky said quietly. “I think half the team has tried to ask her out at one point or another. She’s pretty, there’s no getting around it.”

“I don’t-, what makes you think that I like her?” She barely managed to get the words out, which definitely wasn’t helping her case.

“I saw you staring when we were warming up,” he said. “That, and all your questions about her in the locker room were kind of a dead giveaway.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she responded. Actually, he had hit the nail right on the head, but she wasn’t about to admit that. “I was just trying to figure out who everyone was.”

“Uh-huh.” Bucky obviously wasn’t buying it.

But it didn’t matter what he thought, because she didn’t have to talk about this anymore. They had reached the room where they would be eating, and now everyone was mingling with the coaches, managerial staff, and the press team. Natasha tried to keep her eyes to herself, but you were wearing a dress, and despite the fact that you looked slightly uncomfortable in it (like you would rather be wearing a suit), your beauty still captivated her. Bucky was called over to where Steve and Sam were, but Natasha caught him sending a look in her direction, and she knew that she had been caught staring at you.

She didn’t even care though, not after you called her over to sit next to you at the giant dinner table. You were already sitting down, with Loki on one side and an empty seat on the other. “Hi,” you said brightly as she sat down. “I know I didn’t get a lot of time to really introduce myself, but it’s really nice to see another woman at these things.”

Natasha laughed in response. “Yeah, baseball’s always been like this, but that’s what I signed up for I guess.”

“Well hopefully it won’t be like this for long,” you said, a small smile on your face. “I’m really hoping that next season other clubs start to sign female players. This is long overdue in my opinion.”

“Unfortunately, I think it’s going to depend on how I do,” Natasha said. “And I feel like everyone is hoping that I either quit or get kicked off the team.”

“I know it can feel like that, and it’s hard to drown out the voices of those screaming for you to be removed from the sport,” you said. “But I have seen quite a few articles and journalists who are rooting for you. And I’ll always want you to succeed, and not just because it’s my job.” Natasha smiled, your words were a small comfort. But she knew, just as well as you did, that it was going to be a long, tough road ahead of her.

The topic of conversation changed to a much lighter topic soon after that, and Natasha got to learn more about you. She learned that you had gone to school for journalism, but had fallen in love with TV reporting, so you preferred to cover the games on television rather than on the radio.

You were very good friends with Loki, and he joined in on your conversation as well. Despite a chilly exterior, he was kind and friendly, and she learned that Thor was actually his brother, something that wouldn’t have seemed believable if Thor hadn’t cut in and shared some stories about the two of them as little kids that had all of you laughing into your drinks.

After dessert was served, they were briefed on the schedule for the following day and then sent back home to get some rest. Thankfully the first few games of the season were all home games, and Natasha wondered if you and the rest of the press team would be traveling with them when they went to away games.

As you were walking out of the room, you sent a warm smile in Natasha’s direction and called her name. “It was really nice meeting you, and if you ever need anything from me, please don’t hesitate to come find me. Or any of the press team really,” you said, but that last sentence seemed like it was added as an afterthought (or at least, that’s what Natasha hoped was the case).

“It was nice meeting you too,” she responded, deciding to be a little bold and reach out to hold your hand for a second, squeezing it lightly before pulling away. “And don’t worry, if I have a problem, you’ll be the first person I go to.”

Your eyes widened slightly as she touched you, but you kept your composure. Natasha felt secretly accomplished for breaking through your shell of professionalism, and she really hoped that you were reading the situation the same way she was. “That’s what we’re here for.”

Natasha really wanted to see how much flirting she could get away with before you either said something or started to avoid her, but unfortunately she was called to head back to the locker room to get the rest of her stuff before leaving.

Everyone was quiet as they collected their stuff and started to head out. They had won the game today, but tomorrow they would once again be facing off against the White Sox, and they couldn’t afford to get too comfortable, especially this early in the season.

Right as she was leaving the locker room, she caught Bucky’s eye, who was walking out a few steps behind her. She could tell from the look that he gave that he had witnessed at least some of her flirting tonight at the dinner, and she couldn’t tell if he was telling her to go for it or not. She knew that you had a rule against relationships at work, as not only did the team inform you but you had even mentioned something about it as well. However, there was something in her mind that told her maybe, just maybe, you felt the same way about her that she did about you. And she really hoped that you liked her enough to bend the rules a little, because she sure did.

- end of part two -

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x y/n #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #marvel #marvel x reader #wlw x reader #natasha romanoff fanfiction #home run romance fic

149 notes · View notes

mangatxt · 5 months

Note

For the wip ask, if you don't mind, I'd love to hear more about any of these(you don't have to answer all of them if you don't want!):

"your hand on the hot stove" "Serizawa Broccoli" "Matsuo Pokedex" ?! "Too many beds Serirei" this sounds hilarious, and the title instantly has me humming the 'too many cooks' song "Emi Writes a Novel" "Health Inspector / Blair Witch" ?!?! "Mob and Serizawa Lunch Gossip" this sounds Adorable!!

again you don't have to answer all of them, please forgive my inability to narrow my curiosity

Hope you're doing well!

Best wishes!

"forgive me for my inability to narrow my curiosity" you say, meanwhile i'm over here like

AHHH thank you so much for asking about all of these. i get excited about ideas and end up outlining a story or writing a particular scene i think would be fun. i hope to go back and finish off a lot of these ideas eventually -- or repurpose them into other things i'm working on.

i'll give a summary of these wips under the cut:

your hand on the hot stove

This is a backstory fic for screwball that I've been working on and off for the past year. The summary is: "Serizawa Katsuya will never touch a baseball again. The man who knocks on the front door every day says otherwise." More specifically, Suzuki Touichirou is determined to put together the best supporting team possible despite salary cap regulations, and thus, resorts to recruiting a handful of powerful and impressionable misfits. Among them is Serizawa, a major-league dropout after he accidentally struck a pitcher in the face and put him in a coma. The fic follows Suzuki convincing Serizawa to come out of retirement and get involved in the baseball scene once again -- and explores the twists and turns of Serizawa's simultaneous rehabilitation and indoctrination into the Claw org. Basically, it's a baseball-ified version of the Serizawa backstory and some thoughts about how professional sports recruiting takes advantage of people or invests them in the idea of winning at all costs (e.g. feuds, steroid use, etc). As for the title, the “hot stove” refers to the winter during the major league baseball off-season when free-agent signing and trades are most prevalent. This is one of the more complete fics I have in my WIP folder, but I find I can only work on one angst-y thing at a time, and android au has held that attention for a while.

serizawa broccoli

This was short, angst-y attempt to fill in Serizawa's missing scenes during the Divine Tree arc. In it he reacts to the strange vibes at work and school and eventually receives the candy from Reigen and encounters the brainwashing himself, which mirrors his entry into Claw so thoroughly that he panics and loses control of his powers enough to snap him out of it. In the manga, Serizawa is the first character to identify the roots having weird properties during the Yokai Hunt mini-arc. I think it would be interesting to explore how his Claw deprogramming experience interacts with the city-wide rise of Psycho Helmet -- the indoctrination patterns he might recognize or the tactics he would remain susceptible to.

matsuo pokedex

This is a character study of Matsuo from early life and through major plot points (7D, Mogami, World Dom). It was based on the idea that Matsuo internalized his own powers as a kid by comparing them to Pokemon games. As such, each snippet of his life has Matsuo's version of a PokeDex entry for a relevant spirit. Much of the fic follows Matsuo's journey from treating spirits like tools to something more compassionate and the grief he goes through every time he loses his pets.

too many beds serirei

(nsfw-ish) After an awkward one-night stand with Reigen, Serizawa -- in cahoots with wingman!Dimple -- attempts to spur on another hook-up by engineering a "there was only one bed" situation. He's foiled by "too many beds" at every turn.

emi writes a novel

This a 5+1 "5 times emi's writing was rejected and one time it wasn't" that goes over Emi's progress at her first novel before and after her encounter with Mob and how her writing follows her changes as a person.

health inspector / blair witch

The premise is based on this post. I think it's actually going to be separate from TPC, but still post-Reigen spinoff S&S. A resentful Roshuuto calls the Seasoning City equivalent of OSHA on Reigen and Serizawa, which forces them to cancel out-of-office case plans with Tome. Annoyed, Tome recruits Hoshida and Dimple into a "witch-hunting" trip of her own. The fic swaps back and forth between the comedy-of-errors inspector debacle and the increasingly-troubling Blair Witch situation (which seems to affect Hoshida exclusively) on Tome's livestream. The two situations finally intersect when Tome and Dimple (carrying an unconscious Hoshida) run into Reigen and Serizawa (carrying an unconscious health inspector) at the office stairwell and they're both like, "don't ask." It's only an outline right now, but I fully intend to write this.

mob and serizawa lunch gossip

Mob and Serizawa go out for lunch during Serizawa's first week on the job (sometime between 3x02 and 3x03). Serizawa has a lot of questions about the job and Reigen and society in general, and they talk about some of Mob's more troubling memories. Missing scene friendship stuff with minor references to upcoming Divine Tree arc.

pheeeew that's a lot. it was fun to write this out. thanks again for asking!!!

#ask #creativenicocorner #fic updates #writing #man skjdkaldkl i hope i actually write these #especially health inspector / blair witch and too many beds

5 notes · View notes

andydrysdalerogers · 11 months

Text

Sliding Into Home ~ Maybe I Should Have Ducked?

Pairing: MLB!Frank Adler x Abigail Hernandez (OFC)

Synopsis:

* A Frank Adler AU x Major League Baseball Story**

Warning: ANGST (i can't stress this enough), second chances, cheating, S~M~U~T!!, slow burn, drug use, abandonment issues, betrayal, domestic violence (i may have missed some), flashbacks

Dividers by me

Previous: Wanna Feel Safe Again

Sliding Into Home Master List Main Masterlist

San Francisco is usually beautiful in late Spring. The air wasn’t sweltering yet, the flowers were in bloom.

And the rivalry with Los Angeles was in full swing.

Frank gritted his teeth at the thought of having to see Bobby Fuller again. That asshole had been traded two years after the Vegas incident and he and Frank had been at each others throats during that time. So seeing him with the Giants was hard. The Dodgers would be playing the Giants more often than he did with the Red Sox.

During the first inning, there was almost a full out brawl when the pitcher almost hit Frank in the head with an errant pitch. Frank got into his face but never made a violent move. The benches were given a warning and play continued.

Abby sat in the dugout as the trainer on the field, a responsibility that she enjoyed because not only was she involved with the team, but she was also close to Frank. They didn’t interact much, knowing the TV cameras were everywhere, but Frank gave her a side smirk every once in a while, allowing the butterflies to gather in her stomach. When he could, he gave her a gentle touch, so she knew he was there.

It seemed the game calmed down for a few innings until the top of the sixth. Frank was back at bat and observed a pitching changeup. The new pitcher, Smith, stopped to hear something from Fuller and then warmed up. Frank was curious but he let it go, concentrating on the pitch. The first one was low and inside, the second was away. Frank smirked. He knew he just needed to be patient.

Except when the fastball went wide of the box. And bounced off of Frank’s hand and into his face.

He dropped to the ground, not moving. Abby grabbed her bag and followed another trainer out to the field. “Adler? Frank? Can you hear me?” Abby looked at Dave, the other trainer. “We need to move him. Get the brace.” After fitting Frank with the neck brace, Dave and Abby carefully turned him over. “Oh Frankie,” she whispered.

Frank had blood coming from the side of his face. “Fuck,” he moaned. He blinked. “Cricket?”

“Oh thank God. Let’s get the backboard,” she ordered Dave. As the EMTs came in, she smiled down at Frank. “If you wanted my attention, there are other ways Franklin.”

“Full name treatment. I’m an injured man Cricket.” He smiled but immediately grimaced. Johnny came over to check on him. “Hey man.”

“Adler, jesus, are you ok?”

“Maybe I should have ducked?”

Abby smacks his shoulder. “We’re gonna get him checked out Storm.” They loaded him to a cart as the crowd in San Francisco clapped and Frank gave a wave.

The ride to the hospital was quick and Abby spoke with the attending physician to advise what happened. She stood back in the examination room as the doctors on call checked him over. The lead doctor came to speak to Abby. “Dr. Hernandez, it looks like Mr. Adler has a very minor concussion, a contusion on his face that will require a couple of stitches and a broken pinkie finger. My recommendation is three weeks of healing.”

Abby let out a sigh of relief. “That's better news than I had hoped for. I agree with your assessment. I will let the team know. Thank you so much.”

“We can release him in your care today but no flying for 48 hours. Let me know if you need anything else?”

“Just copies of his records for the team.” They shook hands and Abby went to Frank. “How do you feel about a small vacation?”

“That bad?”

“Broken pinkie, a small cut that needs stitches, and a small concussion. The League is putting you into concussion protocol, which is two weeks and the pinkie will need an extra week. I’m sorry love, but three weeks on the injury reserved.”

“That’s all of June,” Frank whines as he leans his head back. Abby runs her nails through his scalp gently and he lets out a hum of contentment. “Will you stay with me Cricket?” He looked at her with puppy eyes.

“I will have to work a little but yes, I can stay with you.”

“What about...”

“He’s back east with the firm. He took a case over there that will last about a month.” She bit her lip. “We’ll be fine.”

Frank kissed the inside of her wrist. “I love you.”

“I love you. Now, let’s get you discharged and to the hotel. I need to let Todd know your status and have another trainer join the team for the rest of the trip.”

When Frank and Abby arrived back at LAX, a teary Mary and Scott were waiting for them. Mary ran up to Frank and he scooped her up with his good hand. She cried into his neck, and he tried to sooth her. “Hey Nugget, its ok, I’m ok.”

Mary pulled back and squished his face between her small hands. She pushes his head around, inspecting the cut and his eyes. “Frank, you scared me.” She pushes his lips to make him smile. “You’re smiling.”

“Yeah, I scared me too. But Abby took good care of me.” He flashed a soft smile to Abby before Mary launched herself into Abby.

“Thank you, Abby, for taking care of Frank.”

“Always Nugget. I’ll always take care of my family.” She put Mary down so Frank could take her hand and she turned to Scott. “How bad?”

“She cried until you guys called. It was pretty scary.” Scott huffs. “If he wanted your attention...”

“I did not do it to get her attention,” Frank growled. “If I wanted to get her attention, I would just need to show her my...”

“Franklin!”

Scott snickered as Frank groaned. “Franklin, that’s so lame,” Mary says.

Frank looks at Abby, who blows him a kiss. He shakes his head but returns the gesture as they make it out to the car. Getting home, Frank gets to the couch and leans his head back. “Are you in pain Frankie?”

“A little, Cricket.” He grimaces. “Just feel pressure behind my eyes.”

“Yep, that’s the concussion.” Abby reaches for her bag and takes out a couple of tablets. “Here, let me get you some water.” Scott comes around with a bottle of water and Frank looks at him gratefully. He swallows the medicine and tries to close his eyes. “Baby, if you want to sleep, you should be in your room with the curtains closed. You’ll feel better, promise.”

“Will you lay with me?” he asked pathetically.

“Sure love.” She helps Frank up and into his room. She gets him down and curled up against him. “Better?” He nodded and closed his eyes. “Rest, my love. I’ll be right here.”

The next ten days were calm with Frank still recovering from his concussion. On day 12, he became restless. He woke up with his Cricket in his arms, her butt right up against his pelvis. Christ, her ass is perfect, he thinks. He lets his hand wander down, dipping below her panties. She sighs in her sleep, but Frank wants to wake her up. He pulls her leg over his hip to open her up and lets his fingertips dip into her folds. Fucking wet and warm for him, like always. He slowly sinks a finger in.

“Frankie,” she moans softly. “Baby, your head.”

“It is clear as ever Cricket. Can I have you?” She nods and Frank smiles. He adds a finger and pumps at a steady rhythm. She cries out quietly and he palms her clit. He brings her to the brink and watches as she shatters in his arms.

“Need. More,” she pants.

“Whatever you need Cricket.” Frank pushes her panties down her legs and then pushes his own boxers down, grasping her knee and pulling it back over his hip. He let his tip dance around the remnants of her release before slowly pushing in. She purrs at the stretch, and he gives a low chuckle. “Can you be quiet for me Cricket? Can you be a good girl and be quiet?” He feels her nod against his ear. He pulls back and rocks back into her and he can feel her hum at the sensation. “Good girl. Such a good fucking girl.”

Abby is lost in the sensation of Frank taking her apart slowly. He isn’t rough or fast, just taking his time, making her feel everything. She whimpers at a particularly deep thrust into her womb but she doesn’t cry out. “That's my good Cricket,” he whispers, making her clench around him. “Didn’t realize you have a thing for praise, my love.”

“Frankie,” she whispered. “Don’t be cruel.”

“Never, my love.” He ran a finger down her skin until he met her clit. He rubbed slowly, feeling her build around his cock. “Are you almost there? I know you are, can feel it.”

“Yes,” she gasped. He didn’t stop until she shattered, seeing stars as he pumped in one, two, three and released inside of her with a low groan.

“I love you.”

“I love you more.”

“Not possible.”

“Let’s take a trip.”

Abby looks from her coffee. “What?”

“Let’s go on a trip. Nug has her trip to DC this week, Scott’s heading back to Boston while she’s gone. I can’t stare at these walls anymore Cricket.”

“You’re on injured reserve Frankie, you can’t just take a trip.”

Frank pouts and gives her puppy eyes. “Please?”

“Oh so you think that just giving me eyes and a sweet little please is going to change my mind.” Abby turns back to her computer with a scoff. She misses Frank coming from behind her and sweeping her curls off of her shoulder. He presses sweet kisses to her neck and shoulders, watching her lose her head and tilt back, exposing more of her.

“I can stop, my love, and just go back to the couch.”

“N-no.” She closes her eyes as her hand cups the back of his neck. She can feel his smile against her skin.

“Just a few nights. Please.”

Abby starts to lose control of her gasps. She knows she needs to be quiet but the sensation of his lips on the column of her throat is one of the best she’s ever felt. “Ok,” she whispers as he nips her gently. “Fine, where do you want to go?”

After Mary is dropped off with the school for her trip, Frank heads to the airport to drop Scott off for his flight to Boston. “Have fun Frank,” he said with a wink.

“You too Scott.” He gave him a hug and walked back to his car. As he drove away from LAX, a sign blinked at him and an idea hit him. It was time, he thought to himself. He messaged Abby.

Frank: pack for the heat Abby: Why? Frank: I want to take you somewhere and it will be hot. Abby: I hate being hot. Frank: Humor me Abby: 😑 Fine. Frank: Love you. 😘

Abby packed her suitcase, smiling at the message Frank sent when another popped up

Mike: How’s the road trip? Abby: Fine. Mike: I miss you Abby: You too Mike: I’ll be home in a week. Abby: Ok, I’ll be home

“Fuck,” she muttered. She hated that she hadn’t had the nerve to just break it off yet. She was just scared of Mike’s reaction. Abby wasn’t normally a confrontational person. The last time she was hostile, well, she lost Frank. The memory made her sad. When she heard the door open, she shook it off and closed her case.

“Hey Cricket. All set?” Frank’s excitement was in the air.

“Yeah baby, I’m all set.” Abby smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Gonna tell me where we are going?”

He kissed her nose. “Nope. Let’s go.” He grabbed her bag and his and headed to his Camero.

“I can’t believe you still have this car.”

“I can’t believe you would think that I got rid of it.” Frank started the car and headed out. “This is my prize for getting drafted.”

“And here I thought that was me,” she replied without a thought. Frank smile dropped a little. He swallowed, wondering if this road trip idea was smart. He stayed silent, thinking about all the details and hoped that she would listen.

A few hours later, Abby’s face was in disbelief. Frank had taken them to Las Vegas. She didn’t know what to say. Why would he bring them to the very place that had broken them? Having never been to the city herself, she was awestruck at the lights and sounds. Frank pulled into a fancy one, the Bellagio and had the valet take their car and bags. He held her hand as they walked into the lobby. Abby gasped as she took in the glass flower ceiling. “Wow.”

“It is beautiful,” Frank commented. “When the team had come out here and we were walking around, I remember thinking that you would have loved this.”

“Is this... is there where...”

“No Cricket. I will never go back to that particular hotel ever again.” Frank checked them in and a hotel concierge walked them to their room. “This is one of our high roller suites, sir. If you need anything just call the desk and someone will be right up.”

“Thank you.” Frank tipped the man as Abby took in the room. It faced out to the strip and she could see the other hotels. Suddenly, what sounded like a cannon blasted water up in the air and the fountain began to dance.

“The fountain,” she squealed as Frank chuckled. She could faintly hear the remnants of a Frank Sinatra in the air as the towers of water began to dance. When it ended, Abby clapped. “That was amazing.”

“It says here that it happens every half hour to a new song until midnight so we can watch it again if you like Cricket.” Frank loved watching her as she enjoyed the show. It was something he remembered from that awful October, wishing he could have shared it with her then. “C’mon baby, let me feed you and we can take a walk.”

After a delicious meal, Frank and Abby walked hand in hand on the crowded streets. They pointed at the different signs, different characters that were walking the strip, laughing, and enjoying being just Frank and Abby. As they approached one hotel, Frank’s palms began to sweat. “Frankie?”

“Can I tell you a story? It doesn’t have a happy ending but maybe we can rewrite it.” Frank looked to his feet.

“You can talk to me about anything, love.” Abby cupped his cheek. “Take your time.”

Frank swallowed. “About five years ago, I won the big game for my team, and we came here to celebrate. I really didn’t want to because I had my amazing girlfriend and my darling little niece at home, but I didn’t want to come off as a bad team player. My best friend came with me, and we lived it up. Our captain had gotten us a couple of tables at a club, and we had fun.” Frank sighed and pointed to the club in front of the MGM. “See that sign? Its for the club we went to. This is the hotel we were staying at. Anyways, we partied and went back to the suite where some of us had been staying at.”

“Alone?” She asked, quietly.

“Me, yes. Some women approached me that night, but I refused. I wasn’t drinking as much as the rest of the guys from what I can remember. Anyways, some of the guys had brought girls back with us and the hotel had set up a bar for us to drink from. There was a pool off the balcony of the room and the girls were getting in with just their underwear. I was uncomfortable. I said that to Mike. The last thing I remember clearly was him handing me a glass of scotch. He said, ‘Adler, you earned this.’ You’re a good man to Abby and a wonderful father to Mary. Just relax and enjoy.’”

“Mike handed you that drink?”

“That’s the last one I remember. When I woke up, I was in a room, not mine. My head was splitting, and I was dehydrated. I made it to the bathroom and when I looked back, I saw the blonde. I yelled at her, asking her what the fuck she was doing in my room. She panicked and said she didn’t remember coming in there with me. Mike rushed in and told her to get out while checking over with me. I asked him what I had done, and he said, I swear, he said that I got drunk, and I couldn’t make it to my room so he put me in his.”

Abby closed her eyes. “Why would Mike lie? He had no reason to.”

“Abby, I love how you are so trusting but Mike has had it bad for you since high school. But he knew I liked you and was working up the nerve to tell you for years. But back to the story. I called Steve and asked what I should do. He was here as well with another client. He asked me to stop the girl and ask her for the truth. I did manage to stop her, ask her and promise not to go to the press. I would pay anything for it not to go to press. I needed to tell you first. Steve showed up and got an NDA in place. He talked to her and she confirmed, nothing happened.”

“But then the pictures came out.”

“Then the pictures came out. I was so angry that someone, who knows who, they violated my privacy, my trust. I was desperately trying to get to you first but by the time I landed, it was too late. You didn’t let me explain and I lost you.”

“Oh Frankie,” she cried as she pressed herself into his chest.

“I’m so sorry Cricket. I should have called, I should have done something else to stop this from happening. I lost five years with you when a simple phone call would have solved everything. I am so sorry.”

“I’m sorry too Frankie, I should have just taken a moment to listen to you. When I got those texts of those photos...”

Frank pulled back. “What texts?”

“I got an anonymous text with the photos and an audio of you just says, “I can’t tell Abby,” I thought, well I thought it was more common.”

“You don’t know who sent it.” She shook her head. “Fuck, I don’t, I don’t even know what to say. I was always going to tell you but I didn’t want to do it by phone.” He pulled her back into his arms and held her tight. “I love you Cricket. I never stopped.” He kissed the top of her head as they held each other.

Abby sighed after a while. “Take me to bed?”

Frank didn’t answer, just turned away from the hotel that ruined his life and started back to the fountain. As they walked, Abby spotted something and stopped. “Cricket?”

She pointed at the building. “We could make better memories.”

Frank stared at the building and back at his girl.

Taglist:

@patzammit @texmexdarling @slutforchrisjamalevans @firephotogrl74 @before-we-get-started @jennmurawski13-writes @tinkerbelle67 @bunnyforhim

35 notes · View notes