#round 2 should be going up on thursday!

[oc-poll-times]

One hour left to vote on Round 1B!!!

#get your last minute friend group propoganda going everybody!!! #already have the first half's images made c: #round 2 should be going up on thursday! #apologies for the delay but my class schedule is hell rn #not a poll

[emmasbrain]

Miscommunication (the fun kind)

Part 1 | Part 2

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!reader

Warnings: slight alcohol consumption? i think that’s all, nothing NSFW in this one

Synopsis: Your good friend Penelope sees you in a bar and begs you to sit with her and her work friends. You realise you like one. She also realises you like one. She however, thinks you like the wrong one.

The moment Penelope spotted you, she gasped. “Oh my god!” You spun round on your seat on the bar towards her running over to you in unrunnable heels, a brilliant smile gracing her face and a surprised one falling to yours as you saw each other.

“Penelope?” You hopped off your bar stool and pulled her into a hug. “It’s been too long darlin’. I feel like we haven’t seen each other in years.” You gushed, definitely over exaggerating your circumstances.

“Didn’t we go for coffee last Thursday?” She giggles, and you see the familiar glint in her eye that she only got after a couple of margaritas.

“Like I said, years!” You giggled right back, and she held your hands, leaning in towards you more.

“Who are you here with?” She questioned, looking around.

You shrugged casually, “I came with some girls from work, but they all left with guys and I decided to drink my loneliness away… Except I haven’t actually had a drink yet because I’ve been sitting here debating whether I really want to drink alone.” Your words, though holding a little weight, came out with a laugh and a self deprecating sigh.

Penelope gave you a look, and you knew she was brewing something. “What if… you come sit with us?” Before you can ask questions or protest, she continues, “You know I’ve always wanted to introduce you to the team, which is who I’m here with, and it would be good for you too ‘cus it means you can drink not on your own.” She gives you puppy dog eyes, and clasps her hands together waiting for your answer.

You relent, deciding the sooner you had an interaction with her FBI friends the sooner it was over. You had heard some things, and they seemed lovely, but they were her friends and you had the feeling you wouldn’t be very welcome with your job as a journalist. “Okay fine, but you can’t mention my job. I don’t want them to hate me on the first impression.”

“It’s okay they know, I told them ages ago about what you do. Alright you stay here, I’ll go tell them and then I can introduce you.” She was practically buzzing, so excited you could see it in the air around her. She shuffled away happily, and came back to drag you over a moment later.

As you approached the group, she introduced you in order of where they sat around the table. “That’s JJ, Derek, David, Hotch, Emily, and Spencer. Everybody, this is my friend Y/N.” She smiles all big and goofy and then scrunches up her face in disappointment. “There’s no chairs left.”

You take this as an opportunity. “Well, I suppose that means I should g-“

“Here, you can have mine. I’ll grab one from over there.” Spencer quickly finds a solution, standing to walk over to an unused table and fetch another chair. You follow him with your eyes as he lifts it over. Doctor Spencer Reid. Penelope had mentioned the man on multiple occasions. Ever the problem solver, you gathered from her ramblings on the things he would do and say.

Penelope sits in the chair between JJ and Derek, and the latter lets his arm rest on Penelope’s shoulders. As you sit down in Spencer’s sacrificed chair, he pulls another one in between you and JJ, and you both awkwardly smile at each other before you look down to your hands in your lap. “Thank you.” You whisper to him.

“What for?” He whispers back.

“The chair.” You mumble, and he nods.

“It’s no problem.”

“Okay, I say we get some drinks. How bout it, pretty girl?” Derek's words snap you from your awkwardness, and you smile, realising he’s given you a nickname already.

“I am in dire need of a beer.” You reply, and Emily looks at you from your right.

“Beer, huh? I woulda coined you for a vodka redbull kinda girl. All for the thrills.” She looks at you with a smirk and you shake your head with a giggle.

“I’m normally a whiskey kinda girl actually, I get that from my parents. I only very rarely drink vodka, it just makes me want to make out with people.” The embarrassment soaks in the moment the words come out of your mouth and you realise you’ve just told a group of behavioural analysts that vodka makes you horny.

“Alcohol oftentimes does have the effect of making you sexually confident and can heighten feelings of affection and make you more open to try things sexually. One could assume that your specific set of hormones are just more affected by the chemicals in vodka in comparison to other alcohols.” Spencer pulls his lips into a straight line, and you giggle at his readily available information. Penelope wasn’t joking.

“Thanks, Doc.” You bump his shoulder, and he looks a little confused but mumbles a “No problem” anyway. As he looks away towards Derek and Penelope, you take the chance to study his features discreetly. The angle of his jaw perfectly contrasts the softness of his eyes, the honey brown colour almost sparkling within the dim lighting of the bar. His cheeks are tinged pink from the currently inaudible teasing from Derek, and there’s a little smile on his lips that you could almost envision yourself kissing.

Derek breaks you out of your head a second time. “Hey pretty girl, you wanna go get those drinks now?” He flashes you a grin and you smile, nodding.

“Yea let’s do it. Does everyone know what they want?” As you’re trying to split everyone’s orders between you and Derek, Penelope gives you a look that says “do you have the hots for my friend?” and you give her a look back that says “maybe..” she gasps and the whole table turns to look at her, making her realise that she’d turned the conversation into an out loud one now.

“You know what? Us girls can handle those drinks, Derek. Why don’t you have a seat.” She drags you up to the bar and orders quickly before she forgets, and then whips round to face you.

“You like him. I saw it on your face. You like him!!” She whisper shouts and you glance back to Derek and Spencer hunched over the table chatting. You smile.

“Look at him! Of course I like him, who wouldn’t like him? He’s simultaneously cute and hot and I swear men aren’t supposed to work like that.” You whisper shout back at her, and her smiles sadly.

“I wish I could set you up, but he’s taken. And his girlfriend is amazing so I can’t even be mad about it.” She sighs, and you slightly deflate.

“Oh man, I can’t believe the first time in years that I actually want a guy he’s taken. Just my luck, I suppose.” You laugh, and grab the drinks that have been sat on the bar. “Well, it was nice while it lasted.” You shrug your shoulders and head back over to the table with her, handing everyone their drinks and sitting back next to Spencer to sip your own.

After an hour or so, conversation was going a tad dry, and you decided to use an old icebreaker your college roommate had taught you to get things flowing again. “Okay, one after the other I want everyone to tell the group something embarrassing. It can be anything, as long as it’s about you.” Everyone nods in agreement, and Derek starts.

“There was this one time I was flirting with a girl while I was out with my mom. Now that was my first mistake, my mom comes over and starts talkin to this girl askin if she’s my girlfriend. I said momma I’ve only just met her, and she said ‘well then you better hurry up, this girl is far too beautiful for you to pass up’. Before I could even speak, the girl says ‘I think you’re too beautiful to pass up’. She was talkin to my mom! And I just thought hey maybe she’s just tryna get on moms good side, you know? You win over mom, you win over me. But then she spent 10 minutes flirting with my mother until I had to drag her away. My mom will not stop bringing it up just to mock me.”

Spencer cracked up beside you at the story, and you couldn't help laughing a little with him.

Penelope pipes in, “Tell them when this happened.” He grimaces.

“Last year.” He barely says it loud enough to hear, but you all catch it and it sends you all into a fit of laughter.

Rossi reminisces about the time he proposed to one of his ex wives, and she said no. In public. Then later in the day said yes, telling him she just wanted to embarrass him the way his public proposal had embarrassed her.

Hotch talks of the time he finished work early and decided to pick up Jack from school. The teacher had asked him if he was Jack’s grandfather, and he had to explain that he most definitely was not.

“I once hugged my friend from behind to tell her goodbye at a party. It wasn’t my friend.” Is all Emily gives for details. She grimaces at the sheer memory of it, and you can’t help the little smile that graces your lips.

“My turn then?” You question the group, and they nod. “I probably should’ve used this time to think of what I was gonna say. Well I suppose I’ll use the only one that’s currently present in my mind,” You turn to face Spencer, “I was gonna ask you out before Penelope had to drag me away and tell me you were taken. Which was slightly embarrassing for me in the moment, but as I’m saying this I realise I’ve just embarrassed myself even more.” You nod through your internal pain at how stupid you felt, and took a deep breath before trying to move on. Spencer looked too taken aback to let that happen.

“You were gonna ask me out? And Penelope told you I was in a relationship? Why would she do that?” He looks plain confused now, and you mirror his expression.

“I never told you Spencer was in a relationship. I told you Derek was in a relationship, because I thought he was the friend you said you liked! Wait. So when you said he was hot you meant Spencer?” Now even Penelope looked confused, although not exactly for the same reason you were.

“Yes! Of course I meant Spencer! No offence Derek, you’re lovely but you’re not my type.” You rushed, giving him a sheepish smile.

“And I am?” Spencer speaks again.

“Pretty much yea.” The smile he gives you at your words makes you look away nervously.

“So what you mean is that if you hadn’t been told I was taken I could have went on a date with you?” He’s looking inquisitively at your face now, tracing for signs of a lie as he waits for you to respond.

“You still could go on a date with me.” You suggest, with a little shrug and a smile that reaches your eyes.

“I’d like that.” He nods, slightly enthusiastic but trying to play it cool.

“Me too.” You nod with him. “I should probably be heading home, I have work I still need to catch up on. But I could give you my number and you could take me to your favourite place or something. Somewhere I can get to know you just from looking around.” You suggest, gathering your things and scribbling your number down on a spare napkin.

“That sounds good- great. That sounds great.” His eyes are filled with a mixture of excitement and something else you’re not sure about, but the look on his face makes you smile.

“Call me then.” You nod finally, getting up to leave. You give everyone their goodbyes, hugging them all lightly and giving Spencer a little wave.

Over the next few days the anticipation of his call is almost overwhelming. And when your phone begins to ring, an unfamiliar number popping up on the screen, you bite your nail before clicking the answer button. “Hello?”

“Hi.”

A/N: I don’t actually really like this, but it’s fine. I wanna do a part two, someone tell me to do a part two plsplsplspls. (May rewrite this once i’m not jet lagged and cramming it between studying but idk)

#doctor spencer reid #spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds

[hillbillyoracle]

I’m working on some beginner materials to put out...eventually. But I think my advice is pretty much summed up with: 

give thanks/offerings to your ancestors - even if you didn’t like the ones you knew, I promise you’d like someone back there; doesn’t have to be daily but regularly and water counts

give thanks/offerings to the land - I don’t care where you are or if you like where you are, you’re only there because the land allows it; doesn’t have to be daily but regularly and water counts

pick a divination tool and use it - ideally pick 2; it’s very fashionable to study things in witchblr but expertise rests on a solid foundation of use; tarot, geomancy, dice, bibliomancy, and scrying are all great

pick a guiding philosophy/source of wisdom - a lot of paganism consists of practices which do not in of themselves guide how you should move through the world or make decisions; can be a philosophy, motto, or other religion

these are to me is what I’d consider the bare minimum but here’s the bonus round:

on each planet’s day, give thanks/offer to that planet - moon on monday, mars on tuesday, mercury on wednesday, jupiter on thursday, venus on friday, saturn on saturday, sun on sunday - water counts but they do love frankincense

track the moon - a lot of people are big into phases, I prefer tracking what sign she’s in; each month she will conjunct with every planet in the sky so tracking her a good way to stay aware of those influences

learn a method of cleansing self + space - fav instructions here; physical cleansing should always be a part of it if at all possible; smoke (incense, bound herbs), sound (clapping, snapping, singing, ringing), and energetic scraping are all good options

learn a method of warding self + space - go beyond visualization; witches bottle, salting, symbols of protection above a door, creating or appeasing a guarding spirit are all good options

learn a basic method of petition or spellcasting - a simple way to start is asking the spirits you’ve already been working with like your ancestors and the land and giving them a little extra back

decide on a small tradition for holidays - as you add in holidays, pick one small tradition to try to replicate next year; eating apples at Mabon, leaving an extra plate out at Samhain, lighting a candle on the stove for Imbolc, etc

doing these sorts of things for a year will honestly get you a lot further than most in my experience. these are a solid foundation from which to build in basically whatever direction you want. earnest practice beats passive theorizing and consumption any day. 

#witchblr #witchcraft beginner #beginner advice

[cheriladycl01]

My love, is mine all mine - Max Verstappen x Norris! Reader x Charles Leclerc Part 2

Plot: Norris' Twin sister is also a driver in the 2021 line up and is in her rookie era. Not only do the commentators struggle to now talk about the pair in the race, but they also struggle to talk about talent. What happens when two drivers find her eye-catching.

Credit to countingstars-17 for the GIF

After you'd spent the week at home you travelled to France, you asked McLaren to set you in a different hotel from the other drivers. You found one that was cheaper and still within a decent distance from the race track.

Your sisters in your groupchat that didn't have your bothers in, had texted you telling you Lando was getting worried you wouldn't be showing up for this race. It was Thursday and normally drivers would come to the paddock for media duties but when he came it was just him doing stuff for the F1 YouTube and being pestered by the McLaren social media teams for content.

"Zac where is she, you guys wont tell me and I'm worried she wont be here for practice which starts in 20 minutes!" Lando asks Zac whose in sat in hospitality having a pre-race coffee.

"As far as I'm aware, she's already in her car getting ready for the practice session ... so I'd get yourself down there now so you can get a good time Lando" he smiles, Lando rushed to the garage Zac slowly trailing behind him, wanting to get to the garage to get a set of headphones and sit with the race engineers.

"Y/N can you hear?" you hear through your in ears.

"Loud and clear, let me know when i can leave the pit" you say shuffling down in your seat to test the pedals.

"Nico, the pedals are feeling a little stiff, its like there's no traction" you complain as your directed out onto the pit lane.

"Okay, just do a slow lap, testing the breaks and make sure the throttle is all okay. Then we'll see if we need to bring the car in quickly before a flying lap.

As you'd gone round on a normal lap, it was determined that there was an issue with the breaks, the minute you'd tried to do the flying lap your car had major under steer. You'd managed to keep it out the gravel but you had spun out. You were called back to the pits and only placed P16.

You slammed your wheel onto the bonnet, and the engineers all immediately started to work on your car. You talked with them helping them out.

You spied Lando's car in the corner of your eyes being pulled into his half of the garage.

"Y/N hey" he says jumping out the car pulling him helmet off.

"Kinda busy trying to fix this trash can of a car right now Lando, later" you say not even sparing him a glance. Grumbles come from the mechanics making you whisper an apology as they jokingly scowl at you.

Was it petty that you weren't speaking to your brother, yes.

Was it petty that you were trying to get him to have a spoon of his own medicine for the way he'd treated you in Azerbaijan, yes.

Were you going to stop right now? Nope!

"Oh, erm okay well I'm going to go grab something to eat before the next practice" he smiles.

"Cool" you nod a smile, before kneeling down pointing something out to the mechanic that didn't look quite right.

"I'll be back in a bit, will the car be ready for FP2?" you ask.

"Should be, just needs some greasing and tightening. Trust us you'll be flying out there in no time!" the head mechanic says and you smile nodding softly before walking out towards the rest of the motorhomes.

You walked past, shyly waving to the drivers she encountered. Sky had seen her but were already busy interviewing Christian Horner and Toto Wolff who were currently talking about the championship this year and Mercedes rough start to the season in Bahrain.

"Y/N?" a voice asks from a table outside the Red Bull hospitality.

"Oh! Max, hey how have you been" you exclaim crossing over the Sky cameras who unbeknownst to you followed you for later review. You pull him into a hug, happy to finally see someone on the grid who hadn't upset you in the last few weeks.

"I'm good but i think the actual question is, are you okay?" he asks rubbing up and down your arm.

"Yeah, I just don't really know how to even talk to Lando about all of this, he's never not been there for an achievement of mine up until now. The team's strategy was shit, and I got us more points passing Lando, i was on the fresher tires, I had DRS i don't understand why they wouldn't want me to overtake" you complain, you really genuinely couldn't understand it.

It wasn't like this in Formula 2.

"You'll come to learn, that people don't like being my team-mate because im golden boy. I was the hot shot that Horner took a gamble on and he won jackpot. It's never easy being the second driver on a team to a golden boy" he advises, making you look down tears in your eyes.

Is that all Zac thought of you? The secondary to your golden boy hot shot brother.

Well that just wouldn't fly, you'll show them that your made of more and that you are worthy of sharing the seat with your brother.

"You know, keep it up Schat, Horner's been keeping an eye on you. So have Mercedes and Ferrari" Max whispers leaning in and holding your waist. You gasp as he leans back looking at you nodding before wandering off and into the Red Bull motorhome.

You check your phone for the time seeing that you really should make your way back to the McLaren garage to see if your car is ready.

"We didn't talk" you hear from behind you and a hand grabs your wrist and pulls you back to them.

Charles

"I don't want to talk to you Charles" you grunt shrugging his arm off.

"Why not?" he asks looking over you.

"I think you know why, just concentrate on FP2 Charles" you say, for the first time you see a sort of desperation in his eyes. It's almost as if he came here with the intention to say something to you, but he also doesn't want to admit it.

"Y/N... wait" he starts again but you continue walking. You manage to get back to the motorhome and see Lando sat in the hospitality, he was with his personal trainer Jon and then the performance engineer Jarv.

You walk past them and here Jarv say something to your brother.

"Go follow her, you need to sort this out before the race"

"She doesn't want to talk to me, I've tried" he groans as you wait behind the door just in earshot of them.

"You call earlier in the garage trying? Jheez man" Jon laughs before getting up and discarding of his food tray.

"Your right!" Lando sighs before jumping up to come and find you. You start to walk away so it didn't look like you were listening in to their conversation.

"Y/N, please can we talk" Lando says stopping you right by the coffee cart.

"Mmmmm"

"Look, I was terrible the other day. Your my twin and we've shared everything together. I- I'm sorry i wasn't there to celebrate with you. It's just annoying when Jon's telling me that you've been told not to go for the overtake and then you do. I see now that you taking over worked better for the team but i cant help but be upset" he tries but you look at him in shock, why on earth was he making this moment, this apology about him and how he was affected.

"How are you still making this about you?" you scoff.

"What what do you mean, I'm explaining why i wasn't there..."

"By saying that I've upset you, when I'm the person you've affected. Do you even know what they have been saying about me in articles because of this whole thing with you and Charles? I'm being told I'm a shit driver and i shouldn't have my seat and that my own brother and multiple other drivers agree... I'm being told im a danger to the sport and that I wont have a seat come next year!" you sigh, knowing that he had a right to be upset about you overtaking him, but it shouldn't be at you.

"I'm sorry, I know I ruined it. I should've celebrated with you! Its my fault" he says, before pulling you into a hug. You hug him back, your shoulders sagging into it. Your brother was always your other half, you guys were two peas in a pod. It broke your heart when he left you behind in F2 before going to F1 in 2019. So this year, being the first year that you were back driving with your brother it was special for you.

"It's not like I wont have other podiums to celebrate this year" you jab him making him laugh.

"Oh yeah, not if i have anything to say about it!" he jokes as you both start walking back to the garage.

"I'm still upset though, just so you know. But I forgive you" you smile as you both get back to the cars.

"Hey, how's the car looking?" you ask the people around your car.

"You'll be good to go, breaks are sorted and its looking good!"

And that was true, you came P3 in FP2.

You didn't have a good night sleep, thinking about Charles and how he's tried to talk to you today, how you'd made up with Lando, and you kept asking yourself if it was too quick. But what was in your mind the most was Max and what he'd told you and how he'd been so nice to you over the last few months.

FP3 the next day was worse and you came P10, which then set the mood for Qualifying, where you finished P10 which would mean that your are in the middle for starting the next day.

Lando was in P8 meaning he was directly in front of you, you were hoping you could get a slipstream from him, and overtake Fernando on the start.

By the end of the French Grand Prix you and your brother both simultaneously moved up 4 places ending with him in P5 and you in P6, Zac was happy as you'd managed to stir Ferrari and get ahead both of them.

You were walking to your car, when you notice a sleek Ferrari next to your McLaren and a familiar man leaning against it.

"Charles I really cant deal with this, the interviews have tired me out. I'll see you in Styria!" you say, clicking the keys to open your car.

"Y/N please I need to apologize" he says grabbing at you wrist again turning you round.

"Charles, look. I forgave Lando for not being at my podium and yelling at me, but you actively told me I didn't deserve my seat when i've had to work twice as hard for it than anyone on the grid. So to be told that its undeserved is horrible because this is all I've ever wanted..." you say tears brimming your eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm so so sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'll think I'll regret this forever if I don't do this" he says before grabbing your cheeks with his hands, one sliding down to your neck before leaning in and placing his lips against yours.

You kiss back, it's more out of anger, you weren't sure why you actually kissed him back. After the initial shock you pulled away, your hand slipping in between you too to push him away.

"Charles what the hell" you shout, looking at him eyes wide.

"I'm sorry, but the reason I get so annoyed with you is because I've had a crush on you for years. At first I hated that you always were better than me, I got more aggressive and you were the safer driver back then, so you'd give me room let me pass. I knew I'd never have a chance with you, getting you attention was easier when I teased you, but i guess as i got older i got more sour at you, and how everyone seemed to adore you and grab your attention apart from me" he reasons now holding her wrist again.

"Charles, you cant, you cant do that" you cry.

"What, I cant admit what I've been feeling for you for years. Y/N please" he begs, the puppy eyes looking down at you as you shrunk yourself.

"What's going on over here" Max asks coming over looking between you and Charles, you turn away so that he doesn't see the tears in your eyes, wiping them with the sleeve of your orange McLaren rain jacket.

"Nothing Max" you say before turning back round smiling at the both of them.

"Come on Y/N. I know you better than that" Max said but you decided to stay silent.

"Is he bothering you again? Charles, just leave her the fuck alone. We spoke about this after Azerbaijan..." Max says pushing him away from you.

"Max don't! Its fine I promise, I'll see you both in Austria okay?" you say getting into the car. You sit there for a second, contemplating what the hell just happened before you realize both the drivers are still stood there watching you.

What. The. Hell.

A/N: I don't know if i like this, it feels like I made her and Lando make up too quickly, and Charles felt kinda quick. But for future ideas in this series, her and Lando making up now means room for more angst in the future *wink,wink*

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic

#f1 imagine #f1 x reader #formula 1 x you #formula 1 #formula one #formula one fanfiction #charles leclerc #charles lecrelc x reader #max verstappen x you #max verstappen #lando norris imagine #lando norris #f1 fandom #max verstappen fanfic

[jo-harrington]

Freaky Friday - A Stranger Things Story (Part 1)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Word Count: 3.5k

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader, Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader, Eddie and Steve (Enemies to Friends)

Summary: Eddie thinks that Steve has everything in life handed to him on a silver platter (including his new girlfriend who Eddie has a crush on). And Steve just can't believe that the kids look up to Eddie the Freak, or that he lives his life without giving a single fuck.

Must be nice. But you know what they say, the grass is always greener.

Warnings/Themes: AU with no Upside Down. Body swapping, dark magic/alchemy, unrequited love--some crushes at least, Babysitter Steve, No Upside Down means slightly still King Steve, unresolved feelings, manipulation/deception, Reader gets a nickname (Honey), no Y/N if I can help it, no smut in Part 1 but liable to be in other chapters

Note: After a very hot and fast suggestion by @shiftingtherain, this mini-series was born. And instead of working on Store Manager Verse like I wanted to, here we are. This part is a little shorter...it's the intro, sue me. Next few parts will be a tad longer.

Credit for the header partially goes to me for the design and the logistics but I was tired, so I may have borrowed gifs from @emziess and Netflix itself as a jumping off point (with permission from Emzies and Netflix is a corporation so they can rot). I can only do so much guys, I also had to write this thing too.

You can find my masterlist here.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

If Eddie never saw Steve Harrington again in his life, it would still be too soon.

He didn't always indulge in rentals from Family Video—if it was too cold and wet to have band practice in Gareth's garage, or if he was having an especially bad week at school, or if he needed something a little more realistic than the illustrations of Heavy Metal magazine to help him satisfy his needs—but today just had that special feel to it.

He'd gotten a B on his math test, Rick had been feeling a little under the weather and let Eddie make the rounds to his usuals for a sweet little cut, and he had found a dusty old book about alchemy and occultism at the library that was going to help him put the finishing touches on tomorrow night's Hellfire session.

For all of that, Eddie thought a little reward was in order.

A little Dark Crystal, a little pizza from Lou's, a little weed...he'd be having the best Thursday night.

Except...

For the past twenty minutes, he'd pretended to hem and haw over the selection of movies just so he could glare across the store at the counter, where Steve stood, flirting and making grandiose promises, with you.

He burned with jealousy, and God, it took almost everything in him not to gag as Steve reached across the counter to slyly hold your hand. And everything else for his heart not to break as you just let it happen.

Eddie didn't know how or when or why this started—when Harrington had gotten his claws into you and how he had managed to charm his way into your heart—when it should have been Eddie instead.

Eddie'd had a crush on you for years but had always been too nervous to do anything about it.

You were a year younger than him, and friends with his pal Mickey's younger sister, so he'd seen you around quite a bit. Smart and funny and pretty; maybe not as unpopular as Eddie was, but certainly not in the running for homecoming court or whatever other social hierarchies were in place at Hawkins High either. He figured...you know, maybe once he got to senior year he'd get the courage. Maybe take you to prom or something; who wouldn't want to go out with a senior?

But he'd gotten the notice from Higgins that he wouldn't be graduating with the rest of the Class of '84 and it really put a damper on his plans.

He had been hopeful again the following year, actually had a few classes with you and sat with you for partner work when no one else wanted to work with him, when they laughed at him. You weren't even afraid to go up to him in the cafeteria to ask a question, or walk with him in the hall if you had to go in the same direction for your next class. You'd talk about assignments mostly, but he savored every little fact he could learn about you. What books you'd been reading, the fact that you watched Svengoolie on Saturday nights—just like he did—or that you'd had some squabble with Mickey's sister over a scrunchie of all things and were no longer speaking.

But Eddie knew how bad his grades were—somehow even worse than the year before—and aside from the work you did with him, he knew it wasn't gonna be enough for him to graduate. So he wasn't gonna put himself in the position for you to laugh in his face—not that you would but...just in case you did—by asking you out.

He thought you would disappear from his life after you graduated. Get the hell out of Hawkins the way everyone else wanted to. But no. You took a few classes at the community college and worked the dinner shift at Benny's a few nights a week. You'd been there every Tuesday night, when he and the guys grabbed food after their gig at the Hideout. The usual booth reserved, drinks already poured by the time they sat down, and their usual orders already written in your little order pad.

You usually gave him extra whipped cream on his slice of cherry pie too.

The guys always urged him to ask for your number...but he never did. How could he? Even if you were stuck in this town the same way he was...he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

And now...here you were, listening to Harrington talk about some great surprise he had planned for your third date the next day.

Eddie wondered why you hadn't screamed in outrage when Steve mentioned how much Nancy Wheeler had liked it when he took her to this mystery place. He would have definitely expected you to at least flinch at the mention of his ex-girlfriend's name.

"It sounds really great," you said instead, smiling and nodding. "I get out of class at 3 on Fridays...should I be here around 4?"

"4 is perfect, honey," Steve grinned.

Eddie couldn't stand to hear whatever sickeningly sweet goodbye you both would come up with so he just grabbed whatever tape was in front of him and approached the counter. You and Steve both flinched when Eddie slammed his selections down on the counter to be checked out.

“Uh…I’ll see you tomorrow then. Bye Steve,” you muttered, eyeing Eddie with a half-smile that felt a bit sad. “Bye Eddie.”

"Bye honey."

“Bye honey,” Eddie mocked once you were out the door, then turned back to Steve. “You gonna try and make goo goo eyes at me next Harrington? I don’t have all day.”

“Jesus Munson. What’s up your ass?” Steve scoffed, grabbing the tapes.

“I’m just trying to get my videos and go.” Eddie rapped his knuckles on the counter. “Not really interested in the kind of customer service you're trying to provide."

Steve wondered what the likelihood of getting fired would be, if he just punched that smug look right off of Munson's face.

Keith hated the guy too, he always left the Adult section looking like a mess. Maybe Steve would get a promotion instead.

For years Eddie roamed around Hawkins being a general menace with his gaggle of friends. Causing trouble, shouting at people, making faces at old ladies. He’d gotten “taken in” to the police station one too many times but always seemed to make it out without actually being arrested. Which baffled Steve; Eddie was a drug dealer for crying out loud.

And yeah, Steve had even asked him to come and deal at a party or two but…people like that were bad. Simple as that.

Even after all of that, after you got past the “bad boy” persona….he was a fucking nerd. He wasn’t even cool like the bad boys in movies were. Steve felt like someone was tricking him the first time he had walked past the Hellfire Club’s table in the cafeteria. For all the leather and chains and band tees—all the talk of satanic rituals and blood sacrifices—there was sure a lot of talk about elves and…and bards and Star Wars.

So it shouldn’t have been a surprise to Steve that the kids would flock to Eddie by the time they made it to Hawkins High.

But it had been. A huge shock.

His unexpected little gaggle of morons…weren’t really his anymore.

Steve had dropped Dustin off on the first day of school and said “don’t get into any trouble.” Even made Robin promise to keep an eye out for him. He expected the kid to…join the mathletes or something. Get roped in with the science nerds.

But by the end of the week, the kids were all clamoring about how they would need to reschedule movie nights with Steve so they could go to Hellfire club with Eddie.

Steve couldn’t understand it. Eddie was a freak, a punk, some good for nothing…and now the kids were suddenly following him like he was some sort of prophet. Spreading the word of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

See? Steve could do the nerd talk too when he wanted...thanks to Dustin.

Who, much to Steve's annoyance, was apparently Eddie's biggest fan. The guy could do no wrong in Dustin's eyes, and it really irked Steve.

Will and Lucas were spending Saturdays at the library—not for homework, but for research because apparently Eddie really liked incorporating mythology into his campaigns. (Whatever that meant.) Mike was growing his hair out because "Eddie's hair was cool.” What about Steve, whose literal nickname was The Hair? Shit, he'd even seen Eddie give Max a ride to school on a few occasions when he was late dropping Robin off. And he knew Max and her mom had been having a hard time since her step-dad skipped town and Billy...

Steve knew some of the town gossip about Eddie was just a bunch of bullshit...but if Max Mayfield was cool with him?

Yeah, he just couldn't help but be suspicious of the guy.

Regardless, the sooner Steve could get him out of the store, the better his night was gonna get.

...actually...

"That's gonna be $10." Steve announced dryly.

"Woah, $10?!" Eddie scoffed. "I have a membership."

"Since when?" Steve asked, hands immediately landing on his hips.

"I use one every time I'm in here."

"Yeah you use Reefer Rick's."

"So?"

"New policy," Steve lied, hoping it would get Eddie out of his hair for a good while. "No sharing memberships outside of your family. Last I checked, your last name isn't Lipton. So you either cough up the $25 for a new membership Munson, or the $10 for your rental. What's it gonna be?"

Eddie grumbled and dug his wallet out of his pocket, slamming the money on the counter.

"Any candy?" Steve asked mockingly before grabbing the cash.

Eddie grabbed the tape and grumbled under his breath as he exited the store.

Yeah, Steve wasn't gonna be dealing with him any time soon.

For a second though, as he went to start processing returns, he wondered...

If Eddie was in some ritualistic cult...what kind of curse could he possibly put on me?

But that was a dumb thought to have.

Eddie's night just went down hill from the minute he left Family Video.

He didn't notice that they'd given him the wrong pizza at Lou's so now he was stuck with some specialty veggie pie with broccoli on it, the tape he had grabbed indiscriminately had been some artsy foreign romance crap, and just now he'd just spilled Dr. Pepper all over his Hellfire notebook.

"Fuck," he shouted as it spilled over the side of the coffee table and onto his sock-clad feet. He couldn't give a shit about the carpet, he could even ignore his wet socks, but his notebook. Weeks of work, planning and toiling over the most sadistic campaign.

He liked to keep all of the notes of Hellfire's completed campaigns, a sort of...record for future kids to look back on and reference. And now this specific masterpiece would be lost to memory.

He cleaned everything up as best he could before making a quick trip back to his room for an extra notebook or something he could use to salvage his plans for tomorrow's session. He had always been really bad at...keeping spare notebooks on hand. Even the ones he'd used for class always ended up covered in his drawings or notes, little bits and ideas of dialogue he could use for speeches or NPCs.

The best he could find was his math notebook from last year which, surprisingly, sat relatively untouched.

Eddie knew why: that was a class he shared with you. And as he opened to some random mostly-empty page, he saw his little scribbles in the margins surrounding half-faded, penciled-in algebraic equations. Daggers and hearts and his and your initials intertwined together.

It was the one class where he would never encounter partner work with you, so he felt compelled to fill the pages with his daydreams instead of fantasies and lore. You would never see it.

"Well," he huffed as he dropped back down onto the floor and slapped the notebook onto the coffee table. He grabbed his pen and scribbled over the drawings on the page. "Now that she's with Harrington, no use living in this fantasy. Fuck, I was stupid, so stupid to ever think she would want anything to do with me."

He grabbed the dusty old alchemical book from the library and found his place, staring at old sigils and runes and text indiscriminately until he came upon one that looked too perfect for the campaign. Concentric circles, arcane lettering, angular lines...

While Eddie would usually use a clean page for something like this—something he would hand off to his players—he drew a copy of the sigil onto the page and planned to rip the edges off, maybe singe them with his lighter to make it look more authentic.

He kept staring at the still-noticeable doodles beneath the pen scribbles and his heart ached a little in his chest.

Yeah, he would definitely want to burn those too.

By the time he was done copying the sigil, a wave of exhaustion overtook him and he glanced down at his watch.

It wasn't much later than he usually went to bed on a weeknight...

He stared at the half-ruined notes for tomorrow's session that he still needed to rewrite and sighed.

"Fuck it, I'll just redo them in the morning." He got up and stretched his arms over his head. "I can just sleep in tomorrow. Skip class. Show up for Hellfire. Who cares anymore.”

He put the rest of the pizza in the fridge for Wayne and then headed to bed, only to be plagued with dreams of scribbled out love hearts, movie theater candy, guitar solos, and big red gum.

When Eddie woke up the next morning, he felt...honestly felt like he was floating on a cloud. Every muscle in his body felt looser, yet somehow tighter at the same time. His skin felt tighter, like it wasn't right, like it didn't fit somehow, it was suffocating him.

He must have died but he wasn't quite sure if this was heaven or hell.

His eyes burned and blurred slightly as he opened them and what he saw was...unexpected.

Gone were the off-white walls, his posters, the piles of his crap, and that concerning patch of probably-mold in the corner of the ceiling. Instead there was a sturdy ceiling, plaid-papered walls, and matching curtains?

Eddie groaned and rolled over.

What the fuck was this place?

There was a slam of a door somewhere that practically shook the walls surrounding Eddie and as he sat up, he found himself only wearing...briefs? He didn't wear briefs.

This wasn’t his bed, wasn’t his room…wasn’t his… body?

He looked down at his chest, his arms, his hands…his fingers weren’t right, he didn’t have this many freckles and moles, he didn’t have…abs, if that’s what you could call the slight definition on his torso. Still it was more than his body had ever had. His skin…was itchy and mostly hairless.

Eddie reached up and touches his hair—shorter than he was used to, not curly…at all—then his face, as if that was any indicator to what he—

“A mirror!” He exclaimed. His voice…sounded familiar, but different. Fuck what kind of dream was this?

Because it had to be a dream right? It had to be. How else did he wake up in someone else’s body?

He pushed himself out of the bed, walking slightly off-cadence, which…yeah probably came with the territory of your brain needing to get used to a new body. Fuck…was his brain even his brain or did his mind just get transported what was happening?

Ugh it was too early to think about that.

Eddie slowly cracked the bedroom door open and peaked into the rest of the house. He spotted a bathroom just across the way, otherwise…shit, this place actually looked a little familiar. Where the fuck was he? Who the fuck was he?

He quickly crossed the landing into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. He heaved a breath and leaned back against the door for a moment to calm himself; his hands were shaking and felt cold. Could he even feel his fingers? Nice to know the occasional nervousness that snuck up on him at his lowest moments hadn’t been left behind in his old body, that they’d followed him to this one.

His body…would it still be in his bed? What if he really had died and…had jumped into his new body? Was this reincarnation?

Fuck, if he was dead…Wayne would find him. Could he even…see his uncle again? How could he ever explain who he was?

Eddie felt the tears prick his eyes and his throat tighten and he slapped his face a few times.

“Come on man, come on,” he muttered. “It’s not that bad. It’s only…mildly awful. Fuck, ok. Just go, just look, just…rip it off like a bandaid.”

Eddie took a deep breath and nodded, then crossed the short distance to stand in front of the sink. He stared at his new feet, wiggled his new toes. You never…appreciated the toes you had until you have new ones.

That was awful and you’re an idiot. Just look.

Eddie closed his eyes again and turned his face up towards the mirror. He could do it. He would do it.

He opened his eyes.

“Jesus H. Christ!”

Steve woke up feeling like absolute shit. Everything ached—like he had pulled a muscle or something by sleeping crookedly—he had awful cottonmouth, and he had inhaled…some yarn or something because he woke up coughing and gagging until he got the intrusive strands out of his mouth.

“Gahh, shit, shit,” he said and scratched at his throat. He sounded hoarse. Ugh was he getting sick? He’d have to ask his mom to bring home some soup or something.

Could he call out of work? Shit he had to take Robin to school. She could walk today, he felt awful.

Steve blinked his eyes open and took in the unfamiliar popcorn ceiling with growing concern.

He looked around at the…piles of garbage and the cracks in the plaster walls partially covered by band posters...and felt the rise of panic grow within him. He tried to recall the night before.

He’d wrapped up his shift at Family Video, gone home and had a rare dinner with both of his parents, then…felt extremely tired and went to bed.

So how did he end up here…wherever here was?

This was a kidnapping; it had to be. He was…drugged—explained the cottonmouth—and kidnapped. And now someone was holding him for ransom or something to…blackmail his father? Thomas Harrington was kind of a dick sometimes, sure, but still…he was a pretty decent guy. Who would want to blackmail him?

“H-hello?” Steve called out. “Anyone there? C-can anyone hear me?”

There was some shuffling outside of the door of the room.

Thankfully Steve wasn’t tied up or anything. God, what kind of kidnappers were these? He quickly glanced around the room for a weapon of some sort and he immediately spotted...

A guitar? A few guitars actually. Man these kidnappers really liked music huh?

One was a weird shape--he'd seen some hair metal bands use guitars like that in magazines, but he'd never seen one in person--and was a mottled red color. One was just what you'd expect when someone said "electric guitar." And one was acoustic and looked like it could pack a real wallop.

Bingo.

Steve pushed himself out of the bed and immediately jumped because whatever had been in his mouth was on his shoulders now. He reached up to grab it: hair. Long, wavy, messy...knotty and frizzy. Like it hadn't been brushed for days, maybe weeks?

And his arm, sticking out from whatever t-shirt he'd been put in...was lithe and weak and there were tattoos. On both arms. A creepy claw hand and a bunch of bats.

What was this? How long had they held him hostage for? No wonder they didn't feel the need to tie him up! He'd been knocked out cold.

He needed to get out of here. Now. He needed to get home.

Steve crossed the room to grab the guitar when he noticed it. At first he thought it was another person. But no, it was just a mirror...and in the mirror...his reflection.

Only it wasn't...his reflection.

It had startled him and he had jumped. Then he moved his arms a little and watched the figure in the mirror mimic him. Over and over.

A wave, a turn, a funny face.

He couldn’t believe it. This had to be a joke. A dream. A nightmare.

Because it was him, his reflection. But it was not his—Steve Harrington’s—reflection.

It was Eddie Munson's.

#Eddie munson x reader #Eddie munson fluff #Eddie munson stranger things #Steve Harrington x reader #Steve Harrington stranger things #Eddie and steve #stranger things fic #Eddie munson fic #eddie munson imagine #Steve Harrington imagine

[joukaiweek]

JouKai Week 2024

January 19, 2024 - January 25, 2024

💜 Prompts

1/19 - star || dragon 1/20 - stranded || shadow 1/21 - alien || charm 1/22 - gravity || flight 1/23 - repair || transform 1/24 - journey || chosen 1/25 - free day (aka Jounouchi’s birthday! 🎉)

This round of prompts was inspired by common tropes and motifs found in sci-fi and fantasy stories. That doesn't mean you're limited to only creating works in those genres though! Each prompt can be interpreted in any number of ways, so let your imagination run wild.

If you're looking for inspiration and suggestions to get your creative juices flowing, check below the cut for some example interpretations of each prompt.

💙 Day 1

star nova • wish upon a star • movie star

dragon dragon rider • pet dragon • slay the dragon

❤️ Day 2

stranded crash-landed • shipwrecked • "no man is an island"

shadow shadow magic • dark side of the moon • the shadow self

💙 Day 3

alien alien races • foreign lands • alienation

charm good-luck charm • put a spell on you • charm their pants off

❤️ Day 4

gravity black hole • trapped • the immense gravity of the situation

flight escape from peril • flight of fancy • skydiving

💙 Day 5

repair mechanic • break up then make up • home renovation

transform alchemy • mutation • makeover

❤️ Day 6

journey interdimensional/time travel • hero's journey • going home

chosen the Chosen One • lottery • "I'll always choose you"

💙 Day 7

free day 2023 prompts • 2022 prompts • Jounouchi's birthday

💜 About

❤️ When does this event take place?

JouKai Week for 2024 will run between Friday, January 19th and Thursday, January 25th, 2024.

💙 How does this work?

This event is open to anyone who's a fan of Kaiba and Joey.

A pair of prompts is provided every day. Feel free to pick and choose, or combine both prompts in your fanworks. You can make as many pieces as you want for any given day. Feel free to participate every day, or just on the days where you feel like it.

You can start working on your fills as soon as prompts are posted, but please do not post your finished works before the event starts.

❤️ What can I make?

Create whatever you're inspired to—fanart, traditional long-form fanfiction, poetry, crafts, mood boards, ship playlists, or headcanon posts.

The only stipulation is your work should primarily focus on Jounouchi and Kaiba. Otherwise, there are no restrictions on length or rating. Please keep in mind that it is common courtesy to provide ratings, warnings, and put NSFW or excessively long works under a "Read More" cut.

Go wild and have fun.

💙 Where should I post my work?

Wherever you want! While this event is run on tumblr, you're free to share your creations on tumblr, FF.net, AO3, twitter, etc. Mod will also reblog and share works that are tagged with @joukaiweek​​​ or #joukaiweek2024. Mod recommends doing both so your work doesn't get lost. Mod reserves the right to not reblog anything that does not fit the spirit of the event or is not properly rated/warned. Mod also requests you not share your finished creation until the day of the prompt.

❤️ I have another question not addressed here.

Send an ask, and Mod will get back to you ASAP.  

#yugioh #puppyshipping #violetshipping #kaijou #joukai #ygo #yugioh dm #ship week #fandom event #Jounouchi Katsuya #Kaiba Seto #Joey Wheeler #Seto Kaiba #joukaiweek2024 #event info

[wildlife4life]

Fuck-Friday Coda

Tagged by the always lovely @theotherbuckley @perfectlysunny02 @cal-daisies-and-briars @aroeddiediaz @exhuastedpigeon @hippolotamus @loserdiaz @wikiangela @daffi-990 @tizniz and @diazsdimples Thank you all so much for all the tags throughout the week and today! I have eased back on working NFL Buck because I am absolutely swamped with school. I have started clinic rounds and somehow the classwork has doubled for the next set of courses. Which holy crap. So a lot of my days are for studying, homework, and quizzes. Add on being a mom/house wife and yea, not a ton of time to work on my favorite WIP. But I am making time on Thursday to watch the newest 9-1-1 episodes and write codas, because I started them in the final episodes of season 6 and really enjoyed it! So I made a goal to make a coda for most if not all of season 7 episodes! 2/2! I will try my absolute damnest to get some work into NFL Buck because it is my baby and I know how much it is beloved. Until then, enjoy the season 7 codas. Posted to ao3.

7x02 Coda

“We-I…” Buck tries to find the right words again, but he has no idea what they should be.  He doesn’t know if he should be defending himself along with Eddie and Chimney, proclaim that they were just being honest with internal affairs. Or if he should defend Hen and the betrayal she felt when they couldn’t back her up.

Rock and a hard place, with Buck being squeezed tightly in between.

Chimney left the locker-room soon after Hen, with the passing false hope comment, “She’ll come around.”  His phone was half-way to his ear before disappearing around the ladder truck, most likely spilling the entire ordeal to Maddie.

Buck slumps back down on the bench and leans his head against the lockers, closing his eyes with a defeated sigh. Still standing close by, Buck hears Eddie hum in agreement. Yea, tonight was very much a downer.

“We should have had her back.” Buck finally says.

He feels additional weight added to bench and pressing warmth along his arm and thigh when Eddie sits beside him. “We did. We just all put our foots in our mouths trying to show her.” He assured.  He gives Buck knee a gentle squeeze, “You more than me with that whole ‘right call’ comment and wanting to give Captain Collier’s a hard time.”

Buck groans in embarrassment, “I was trying and horribly failing to lighten the mood.”

“The mood was dead on arrival; you had no chance.” Eddie chuckles.

They both go silent, stewing in the hurt emotions left behind by Hen and Chimney, mixing with their own anxiety and worry. It kind of reminds Buck of the last time Hen was captain and that man died at the happiness convention. God that felt like so long ago, when really is less than a year.  Yet here they all are, questioning themselves on the job after losing a patient and without Bobby’s steady leadership to help guide them through it.

Buck could only hope this didn’t send him or anyone else on the team into a spiral of questioning their purpose in life. And he really hoped it didn’t lead to another brush with death, for anyone of them.

The hand on Buck’s knee never left and gave another squeeze, pulling him from his past wallows and has his eyes fluttering open. He looks over at Eddie and sees an understanding smile gracing his lips. “That man’s death isn’t on us. We we’re working on the worst of the crash, and we saved that girl and her mother.  Hen made the right call, the same one Bobby would have made and when those lab results concur with her story, she’ll be back, and we’ll find a way to make it up to her.”

Buck takes a moment to let Eddie’s words sink it and pull him from the beginnings of a self-deprecating spiral. He did his job, he gave his facts of the event truthfully, and Hen would come around. In all regards, Buck just needed to learn how not to put his foot in his mouth, because at the moment it really was a nasty taste.

Slowly most of the tension that had built up during Hen’s confrontation eases away and Eddie felt it through the press of his shoulder into Buck’s, “That has to be a record.” He comments before getting to his feet and reaching a hand out.

Buck doesn’t even hesitate and tries his damnest not to flush too red as Eddie hauls him to his feet with little to no effort. The man has a girlfriend and Buck was done chasing. “Uh yea. Turns out when you stop trying to search for the life’s great moments and instead live in them, internal spiraling is easier to pull out of.” He explains. Eddie also is a big contributor, but Buck isn’t going to admit that to said man.

“Well… At least those self-help books will make good kindling for the next campfire.” Eddie cackles and Buck swats at his shoulder which only makes him laugh harder.

Eventually Buck joins in and the pit of dread dwindles further. He embraces this moment and knows eventually everything is going to be okay.

Short but somewhat sweet I hope! Tagging (no pressure): @jesuisici33 @fortheloveofbuddie @rogerzsteven @lemonzestywrites @evanbegins @buck-coded @devirnis @glorious-spoon @thekristen999 @spotsandsocks @hippolotamus @sunshinediaz @watchyourbuck @lover-of-mine @hoodie-buck @elvensorceress @gayedmundodiaz @giddyupbuck @jeeyuns @bekkachaos @buddierights @try-set-me-on-fire @rainbow-nerdss @thewolvesof1998 @eddiebabygirldiaz @spaceprincessem @eddiiediaz @honestlydarkprincess @doublecheekeddiaz @prosperdemeter2 @transboybuckley @nmcggg @monsterrae1 @dangerpronebuddie @missmagooglie @thebloomingheather

#fuck it friday #tag game #coda fic #7x02 #my fic #911 abc #911 spoilers #911 fic #buddie #buddie fic #evan buckley #eddie diaz #hen wilson #chimney han #happier buck #pining buck

[eddies-house]

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 |

Smoke Signals

Chapter Three - Two Old Fashioneds

W/C: 5.2K

Eddie x Fem reader - Grumpy!Bartender!Eddie x Shy!Reader

Your first shift at The Bourbon goes less than smoothly and more chaotic. Does the town's hard-ass really have his shit together like he leads everyone to believe?

A/N: guys I'm so excited for this to pick up even more (i want to make them kiss like barbies but all in good time)

Masterlist

Prev | Next

The ins and outs of a bar were something you could have never anticipated and while similar in certain ways to a diner, there was a distinct line that separated the two.  A diner had grumpy old men complaining about not getting their coffee soon enough.  The bar had grumpy old men slurring their words, groaning about their lives and insisting that a ‘cute lil thing like you’ would fix everything.  You had to stop yourself from gagging, plaster a smile on your face, and carry on.  Because one complaint and you could be out of a job, only proving that you couldn’t handle the ‘rowdy’ customers as disclosed by the boss, who now that you thought about, hadn’t seen in the last forty minutes.  

Not one other server was on staff to at least show you the ropes, it seemed like you were the first one.  One of the bartenders, Jett, who had been the one you’d seen working the day before, was unfortunately selected to both train you and run the bar for the most part tonight, no time for a proper introduction before you were thrown into the deep end, only a quick exchange of names.  It was a Thursday night but apparently to people in Knife’s Edge that meant the weekend started early.  Poor Jett was nineteen years old and the whole bar depended on you two ever since 8:00 PM when you clocked in for your very first shift.  It was nauseating having to ask him stupid questions in between attempting to serve tables while he made drink after drink, desperately trying to keep up with each order and delivering them to the right customer, even going as far to step out from behind the bar to tend to some of your tables.  You assume he was probably used to it, what with how he did it without hesitation and seemed to have his own little system in place.

It wasn’t your fault, he assured you.  It’s just that you happened to pick up your first shift the very night that the kitchen ran out of beef which also happened to be the main ingredient of one of The Bourbon’s only menu items, the famous Shreddar Burger topped with an ungodly amount of cheese and jalapenos.  Turns out the customers went wild for it.  It didn’t seem appetizing but you weren’t going to argue with the crowd favorite.  And now it was being requested left and right, the explanation that the kitchen was currently out but should be back to whipping up another round soon, not enough for their hungry bellies.  The best you could offer was a basket of fries until the beef magically showed up, Jett insisting that someone was taking care of it and that the cook would be back to whipping them up as planned sooner than later.  You were beginning to lose faith in his promises but proceeded one step at a time regardless.

Just one more task and then the beef will be here and I won’t have to hear another damn grievance over a heartburn-inducing burger. 

Yet it seemed to never come to an end, table after table requesting the very same order each time; only for you or Jett to break the news that their precious burger would have to wait and that again, the best you could offer were some fries or chicken wings, neither measuring up to the pedestal they held this burger on.

By around 9:15 PM, out came Eddie from the kitchen, door swinging behind him as sweat dripped from his brow.  He was out of breath, chest heaving while he gestured for you and Jett to come over to which you obeyed, zigzagging around tables in a hurry with a tray tucked under your arm, brows pinched together stressfully.  A new party of eight had just arrived which prompted you to push three tables together to accompany them, their drink order hadn’t even been taken yet and Eddie seemed to pick the worst time to call an impromptu meeting, in the middle of a never ending rush.  Burgerless.  

“Beef’s here.  Jett, I need you to help with the rest of the boxes so we can get burgers going.”  He instructs, the boy immediately following orders and frantically heading through the swinging door at full speed, very aware that he still had the front of house to attend to.  “And you, Bambi, change of plans.  I need you in the kitchen.”

So much to unpack in just one sentence.  The kitchen?  Bambi?

“Well–I-I thought I was just a server–”

“I said change of plans, I need you in the kitchen.”  Before you could ask further questions, he disappears into the kitchen and for a split second you turn to glance at the full bar awaiting service only to wince and follow him.  No one was managing the front and that made your nerves twitch but you suppose the boss knows what he’s doing.  At least you hope.  Your first hour or so had been a shit show.

Pans clanked against the metal worktop as he shoved them out of the way, clearing the space and igniting the flat top all while not batting an eye at you or caring to further explain.  You could just make out the formation of numbers on his lips, no sound coming out, but he was distinctly lip syncing the numbers one through three over and over.  It was strange though you didn’t have much time to process it, instead opting to internally lose it over the sheer idea of filling in for another position.  You didn’t sign up to be a cook and this was way out of your scope of skills.  He deemed you as incapable of being a server and now he was putting the foundation of this place on your shoulders.

“Randy, our cook left.”  He begins, oiling up the surface, his focus never faltering.  “Don’t know why, don’t know where.  All I know is I went to pick up beef and when I came back he was gone.”  

Jett scrambles near the back door, hauling boxes of beef into the walkin freezer as your eyes dart between him and Eddie, a certain queasiness forming in your stomach.  Eddie continues pulling supplies out and though it's within your rights to demand to return to your original position in the front, you can’t, the words won’t come out.  

“So you’re gonna flip burgers, Jett and I will be in and out to help while also holding it down out there.”

“I don’t even know how to ‘flip burgers’!”  

It comes out less hostile and more alarmed, your eyes feigning apprehension at the current inconsistency of the place.  In any other circumstance you should leave, quit with your dignity intact however that is not an option and you are in no position to be calling any shots; you begged for this job, afterall.

“You don’t know how to flip burgers.”  He deadpans.

“I-”

“You ever flipped a pancake?”

It’s not a genuine question, more of a mockery of your simpleminded excuse.  His head drops to catch your line of sight that had been previously shooting around the colorless kitchen, saturated in grays and whites that would drive anyone mad.  

“That’s not what I meant–”  You proclaim, setting your tray on an unoccupied work top.

“Just–cook the meat.  Make sure it’s not raw.”

As if that wasn’t the whole point of ‘cooking’ it.  This guy must have thought you had mush for brains yet he was the one with a crumbling structure of a business just based on what you’ve experienced in one night.  One hour, even.  You were starting to miss the senior citizens from the previous evening that appeared to have had a great deal of patience in comparison to the younger crowd that seemed to have more audacity and a shorter attention span.

“But what about–”

“Stop asking questions!  Just follow my lead.”  He demands, rushing out to the back, the door propped open so he could assist Jett in retrieving the remaining boxes from his truck.

What lead?  There was no lead.  Only chaos.

You idled next to the grill, shuffling your feet against the grimy tiles beneath you and taking notice of the astonishingly disgusting drain on the floor, coated in some kind of copper-colored grease.  At least if Eddie came back in to yell at you for not doing anything, you had the excuse of manning the grill, ensuring his precious bar didn’t burn to the ground though metaphorically, it already was.  What else were you supposed to do?  

–

You were sure the smell of beef, onions and cheese were going to be crusted into your hair for eternity when all was said and done.  Eddie and Jett had been taking turns walking you through the steps of creating this so-called famous burger and after a few mutilated testers, you eventually got the hang of it and it became a game of rinse and repeat.  Sometimes an order for a rare cooked burger would come in and you could only hope that you cooked it just enough that it wouldn’t bring on a nasty case of food poisoning to whoever had requested it.

Eddie stood behind you at the fryer, back to you while putting together another batch of fries to store under the heat lamps while you pieced together yet another burger, setting it along the space designated for finished meals along with its corresponding ticket underneath.  Eddie dumped some fries onto the plate before swiping it up and delivering it to its table.  When he quickly came back in to repeat the same motions, a question lingered in the back of your mind and it only made sense to ask it.

“Why am I on burger duty?”  You question, mentally facepalming at the phrasing you chose.

“Come again?”  He gives you another chance.

“I-I mean, if I’m brand new, why put me in charge of one of the most important things on the menu?  Why don’t you cook and I keep serving?”  

It seemed like a valid concern, only your first day and suddenly you’ve moved up to head of the kitchen?  Okay, maybe not head of the kitchen but that’s how it felt when thing one and thing two were constantly rotating out and mainly only managing fries and other small bar foods that were simple enough to make in big batches.  The grease from it all felt prominent on your skin, and you feared your sweat was going to become one with the vegetable oil.

“Every person out there knows me.  And I know them.  I know how to butter them up.”  He explains, a rogue curl escaping his messy bun in the mayhem of it all as he dumps another large portion of potatoes into the fryer.  “You…well, you know.”

It’s uncertain whether that was meant to be an insult or simply him losing his train of thought.  Either way, you didn’t read much into it, only nodding hesitantly.

“Don’t worry, we’ll throw you back to the wolves in no time.”  Eddie half jokes, exiting the kitchen once again, this time with plates balanced on his forearms and palms, Jett zooming past him to start up another round of wings.

“So, how are you enjoying hell?”  He laughs, giving his hands a good scrub down.

“Oh, it’s amazing.”  You exaggerate, piling some cheddar cheese high on top of the charred meat, topping it off with jalapenos and a bun, then plating it up with some fries.

“Well, I promise it’s not like this every shift.  And contrary to what you may have seen tonight, Eddie’s a good boss.  Just kinda cranky but you learn to ignore it.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”  The man in question rushes by, heading for the walk-in freezer, yet again counting in threes, this time using his fingers as well.

–

As promised, you were sent back up to the front once things had slowed down, the bar emptying out aside from a few regulars that had straggled behind.  It was a manageable workload between three people, plus Jett was able to offer a little more in depth training behind the bar as well as giving you the official tour of The Bourbon.  

There was the main room where all the action was, dimly lit to create a nice ambience littered in knick knacks that decorated the walls, torn band posters covering the ceiling along with some Christmas lights.  Of course there was a pool table though you hadn’t witnessed any intense games in your short time here.  Jett took the liberty of educating you on the kitchen a little further should anything of tonight’s nature happen again.  You learned where everything was kept for their small but cherished menu, where the storage closet containing all the cleaning supplies was as well as the back office which was only reserved for Eddie according to Jett.  Lastly, he showed you the dumpsters, in case you happened to be on trash duty and he even gave you strict instructions on how to close them back up so animals wouldn’t rummage.

Now you were back behind the bar, being taught to make the signature drink, an old fashioned containing cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.  You could appreciate it, a bit spicy and a touch smooth, accompanying that burnt wood taste that would get you there fast.  It wasn’t a difficult drink to make however, perfecting the presentation was what set you back.  You couldn’t simply toss a cherry and an orange twist into the liquor, it had to be done tastefully.  Or that’s how Jett explained it, claiming that those were Eddie’s words.  The drink was in a way, an art and you couldn’t be sloppy with it, not by The Bourbon’s standards.

A  hectic night of becoming a makeshift cook, training as a server, and an intake of so much new information would do a number on anyone and the bags under your eyes clearly showed the physical exhaustion you were experiencing.  You didn’t think you ever worked so hard even at the diner back at home during rush hour.

“Little lamb made it through the night.”

Tilting your head up from the cocktail before you momentarily, you’re met with that pair of intimidating but gorgeous eyes, nearly black in the low lighting of the bar.  It was interesting, you’d seen many brown eyes in your lifetime but none of them resembled something quite like the universe he held in his, his outlook on things noticeably different from the average person.  He had taken a seat at one of the stools on the opposite side of the bar from you, some paperwork laid out in front of him as he began scribbling something down.  All you could offer him was the raise of your brow in acknowledgement of his presence, too engaged in perfecting the cherries on the toothpick just right, balancing them on the rim of the glass like a circus act.  

“They’re too close together.”  Eddie remarks, his gaze glued to the paper he had been marking up, an inventory list you notice at a second glance. 

“Hmm?”  You might as well have been in your own world, some kind of trance caused by fatigue pulling at your muscles and overworked mind.  

“Cherries.  They’re unbalanced.”

For a man of such few words, he still seemed to say a lot.  The attitude ingrained in his tone never appeared to let up and it felt as if something was either always bugging him or losing his interest.  Never content, always sour and sharp-tongued.  

“Oh.”  You sigh in defeat, as if it were impossible to simply pick up the toothpick resting against the glass and your finger and move the cherries, solving the case of the wobbling toothpick.

Jett emerged next to you after participating in some small talk with a regular at the end of the bar, a grin on his youthful face despite what a shit show the night had been.  So far you observed that he was something of an optimist, smiling his way through tough situations.  It was refreshing.

“There you go!”  He praises, gesturing greatly to the drink you’d just created.  Your third try at it. 

“Jett, you’re bein’ a shitty example.  Leaving your sheep unattended.”  Eddie grumbles, sticking a toothpick in his mouth.  You’d be lying if you said you wished he’d stop sticking toothpicks in his damn mouth.  Well, half-lying.  You’d admit he looked good chewing on a tiny piece of wood but he did it far too often.

Wait…sheep?  Were you the sheep?  Was this a jab at you?  You’d just spent the night keeping this place afloat and he was insulting you once again?

“Munson, I’d say I’m doing just fine considering you left us without a fuckin’ cook the whole night.”  Jett defends.  You want to grimace, knowing this wasn’t the standard when talking to your boss but Eddie seemed unphased while the boy kept grinning at him as he leaned against the bar.  “Plus, it seems like this sheep kicked ass on only her first day.”  He nudges your shoulder with his, sliding the drink you’d just concocted in front of Eddie.  You smiled in appreciation of his kind words.

“I didn’t leave you without a cook.  Cook fuckin’ left without telling anyone.”  He reasons, immediately throwing half the drink back in one swig.  

Please don’t taste shitty, please don’t taste shitty, please don’t taste shitty.

“And I guess you proved not to be as dainty as I thought.”  Eddie admits to you, throwing the rest of the drink back.  No complaints yet.  Only what you could make out to be a compliment.

“So can she stay?”  Jett pleads, bottom lip jutted out for emphasis.  He seemed to have taken a liking to you but then again, the place was short staffed so maybe he was just desperate to have anyone help out.

Eddie looks up from his list, pen tapping against the bar top with annoyance.  There was still no indication whether the old fashioned had been any good or not, seemingly forgotten about amongst the conversation and it was quietly eating at you.  The need for validation.

“That’s up to her, kid.” 

Both pairs of eyes landed on you, anticipating your answer.

“Well, uh, I dunno.”  You shrug.  “Was I even any good at making a drink?”  Like you had a choice in accepting the job, this is all you had.

“I dunno.”  Eddie replies, sliding the glass back over to you.  “Try again, let's see.”

“That’s a yes.”  Jett chimes in.  “Big boy wants a refill.”

“Jett, I will personally give you a swirly.”  There’s a glimpse of humor in Eddie’s tone, the smallest you’ve seen within him so far though you refrained from giggling.

“Oh, a swirly?  Real mature.”  Jett mocks, Eddie quietly snorting a laugh in response.  

His smile was cute.  

And it may be the first time you’d seen a genuine one from him.  He had dimples, deep, deep dimples.  It was a wonder why he didn’t put them on display more.

In the midst of the banter, you began whipping up another old fashioned, The Bourbon way.  You figured it wouldn’t be your place to insert yourself among the jokes, being the new girl.  It was best to keep quiet until you blended in a bit more.  Several customers throughout the night had already initiated conversation stating they’d never seen you before and you didn’t need to draw any more attention to yourself than you’d already received.

“Make it a double?”  Eddie interrupts your process.

Again you look up to meet those large eyes, practically black holes absorbing any and all light aside from a tiny sparkle you found that survived within them.  He was asking and not demanding.  He owned the whole damn place and yet he was asking you to make it a double when he could very well just tell you.

“Yeah.”  You whisper, unsure of yourself.  A double just meant…well, double, right?

So you turn to Jett who was now scrubbing at an especially sticky spot on the bar.  He didn’t take any notice in your silent plea much to your regret.  You looked like an idiot, pondering over what exactly the measurements should be since today's training didn’t exactly cover what to do should someone ask for a double.  At least you knew how to use the entirety of the kitchen though…

“Just another shot.”  Eddie instructs, emotionless.

With a nod, you kick right into action, using what you learned and putting it to use while remembering to add an additional shot and not completely overlook it in your uneasiness.  You didn’t care to peer up at him once more, uncertain if he was still watching your every move and unsure whether he would reprimand you for making one mistake in crafting his drink.  He said nothing so it was safe to assume he had resumed filling out his boring paperwork.

“See, she’s a natural!”  Jett applauds upon turning back toward you as you carefully pierce the cherries with a toothpick, balancing them just how Eddie had taught you.  

It really wasn’t rocket science and you could feel the humiliation seep into your bones at the thought of him judging you for simply not being able to figure out why they kept falling in before.  You were by no means a natural.

“You’re gonna be the new favorite, I can already tell.  Everyone’s gonna love ya.”  Though Jett’s words are appreciated and far too kind, you can’t help but doubt his confidence in you.

You were used to being a fly on the wall, observing and keeping to yourself among loud personalities.  And you were okay with that.  Being so removed grants you the ability to perceive everyone else without barely even being perceived yourself.  It was flattering, the way Jett talked you up having only known you for a few hours but you knew you were nothing special.  He was just being nice and most likely picked up on your anxious undertones.

Eddie remained mute, continuing to scribble away at the paper in front of him as if you and Jett weren’t there.  Just as silent, you slid the drink over into his peripheral before occupying your hands with a rag to wipe up any remnants caused by your shaky hands.  He only scanned the drink over once before tapping his pen against the counter, three times.  Always in threes.  

Awaiting his consensus on your bartending, you pretend to pay no mind, as though his opinion is the last thing on earth you would want.  Really, it’s all you want.  To know if you exceeded at crafting the bar’s signature drink or if you failed so miserably that he wouldn't let you behind the bar again.  After all, your official job title would be ‘server’ and server’s didn’t generally make drinks, they served.  But this wasn’t a normal bar and it seemed everyone was performing more than one job at a time so if you had to make drinks you might as well be somewhat good at it.  And if not, it could render you useless in his perception, seeing as he’d already underestimated you before.

When he finally takes a sip, large hand wrapped around the glass, you refrain from sucking in a breath because although he had already had one, he gulped it down like water.  This time it seemed he was performing a quality check.

“Good.”  His monotone voice doesn’t convey much other than you’ve at least satisfied him to some extent.  But that's it.

Next to you, Jett celebrates again before tending to another customer and then yelling out for the last call.  Eddie’s focus doesn’t budge from his work while he sips away at his drink, this time nurturing it rather than greedily throwing it all back.

–

Some time around 12:30 AM Jett had dashed out after the bar received a phone call from his mom complaining that the racoons had stormed their barn and came too close to threatening their chicken coop again.  With all patrons now gone and only cleaning and closing left to be done, Eddie dismissed him from work and told him to get a better handle on the raccoon situation seeing as it happened three times in the past month.  Jett muttered something about how raccoons are relentless and how they will find a way if they really want to on his way out.  

With one last wipe down of the tables and a thorough cleaning of the bar top, all that was left on your mental checklist given to you courtesy of Eddie was making sure behind the bar was organized and pristine for the following day, bottles accounted for, and glasses washed and dried.  He was absent for a good thirty minutes but you concluded he was doing his share in the kitchen as you heard the clanging of metal on metal and a few curses every now and then when there was an extra loud crash. 

The sudden crackle of a speaker and booming music startles you, a glass nearly slipping out of your grasp at the sound.  A harsh metal song blares through the bar, guitar wailing and bass vibrating, causing a few bottles to gently clink against each other on the shelf.  Seconds later, Eddie came sauntering out from the back office with a broom in hand and a cigarette hanging from his bottom lip, unlit.  

You try to ignore whatever he may be up to but find it impossible not to look up from the glass you were polishing off.  His hair was unruly, now out of the confines of a bun and seeming to have only gotten bigger throughout the night and–he wasn’t using the broom for sweeping.  Instead, he crawled on top of a freshly cleaned table with his dirty, clunky boots and poked at something in the rafters, tugging it forward.  You wanted to be mad that he was stepping on your freshly scrubbed table but you couldn’t help but be curious, pausing your motions to stare and try to predict his next move.  

The end of the broom was looped under the handle of a small wooden box and his arm stretched out to open it before pulling some cash out of his pocket and sticking it in the box.  Then he closed it back up and shoved it back into place, out of sight.  Once he jumped down off the table, he began walking toward the back again, stopping in his tracks when he realized you were standing there watching him the whole time.  

A puff of air escapes his lips, his bangs briefly blowing upward before resting back against his forehead.  You tear your gaze away, now more interested in cleaning water droplets off of another glass.  Your heart pounding, his footsteps only inch closer and closer and yet again, he is on the opposite side of the bar from you, staring you down.  It was obvious he had forgotten you were there.  The unlit cigarette is plucked from his lips in between his fingers and tucked behind his ear.

“You didn’t see that.  If it goes missing, I’ll know it was you.”  He speaks so gruffly and low, as if someone might hear despite the place being empty.

Nodding in submission, you can’t bring yourself to catch his fierce gaze.

“Yeah?”  Eddie pushes for a verbal response, more intensity to his tone.

“Yes.”  You chirp.  Like a pathetic little bird.  

Satisfied with your answer, he hums, resting the broom against a stool before making his way around the bar, pulling a rag out of his back pocket and assisting you with wiping down the remaining glasses.  There had to have been at least a dozen left and by the looks of it, he had finished his tasks and wanted to get out of here.  So you worked in silence, side by side.

It felt like an eternity but it must have only been two minutes later when you began to feel antsy.  Like you were supposed to initiate a friendly conversion.  Some kind of bullshit small talk.  And then your better judgment kicks in, telling you ‘better not’ since the man beside you didn’t seem like the small talk type.  In all fairness you weren’t either but it felt like you had to constantly conform to certain standards.  Then your mouth started running without a second thought because one thought provoked you and now you just had to know.

“So…the bingo night…is that a regular thing?”

A side eye from him may as well have shot daggers directly into you, his movements pausing as he scowled.  So you backtracked.

“N-nevermind–”

“Yes.”  He answers abruptly, much to your surprise.

“Oh.”  

Your voice comes out soft, as if trying not to spook an animal.  And for as annoyed as he looks, he’s the one who answered after you attempted to give him an out.  He was a very conflicting man, hard to read and mysterious.  

“Every Wednesday.  The senior home wants its residents to get out every now and then.”

“And…they chose a bar?”  A smile tugs at your lips, one that you can’t help.

“What’s wrong with that?”  

His face shows offense but his tone holds some kind of amusement, the slightest bit of personality seeping through the cracks and exposing itself to you.

“I just–nothing, it’s just, out of every place they could choose…a bar?”  You couldn’t wrap your head around the idea, shaking your head.

“I mean, we’re the only place that offered.”  

There’s a genuine kind of hurt behind his words.  You’re unable to determine if it was directed toward your question or something else wading through his mind.  Or if it was even meant to slip out in any way based on how closed off he was.  Your guess was that his sudden projection of an emotion was a slip up and that it was up to you to ignore it otherwise he’d give you an even harder time.

“Oh.”  Again, your soft spoken voice carries itself gently to his ears.  “That’s…nice.  Really nice.”  You say honestly, glancing at him.

For having such tough armor and such offputting behavior, Eddie was pretty.  His curls were messy and appeared to be pieced apart by his fingers running through them constantly, leaving them fuzzy and unkempt.  But still appealing.  And his side profile illuminated by the warm lights was soft but still manly, handsome.  He was good looking, there was no denying that.  His personality was rather repelling though and good looks could only get you so far, not that he was flaunting how attractive he was and using it to his benefit.  

Coming out of your trance, you find that you’re both down to the last few glasses, silence taking over once again.  Out of the corner of your eye, you take notice of the way Eddie’s mouth forms numbers again, without sound.

One, two, three.  One, two, three.  One, two, three.

All mouthed as he seems to breathe unevenly.  You don’t draw any attention to your observation much like earlier when you’d caught him doing the same thing.  There were depths to him that you were beginning to feel were unexplored by anyone other than himself.  A loneliness detected beneath the surface of his solid and impenetrable armor.

~end~

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tags - @gravedigginbbydoll @ohauggieo @spicysix @lunatictardis @ali-r3n @batkin028 @mrsjellymunson @witchwolflea @emma77645 @emxxblog @eddiemunson95 @angietherose @lottie-90 @sheneedsrocknroll92 @pullingattheroots @avalon-wolf @vintagehellfire @cryingglightningg @foreveranexpatsposts @winchester-angel @mmunson86 @witchwolflea @kurdtbean@micheledawn1975

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson fic #eddie x reader #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x fem reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson au #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x you

[wolfjackle-creates]

Ghost!Robin Arc 2 Part 2

Ghost!Robin won this week's poll as well! So have a little bit more of the fic for WIP Wednesday. *resolutely ignores the clock that informs me midnight was an hour ago so it is clearly Thursday*

Check out this week's poll if you want a say in what I post next.

Story Summary: Everything changed the evening Jason met Jazz's brother. Danny introduced him and his entire family to the ghost that is, apparently, haunting him. The ghost of the Robin he had been.

The ghost of the person everyone he's ever known wishes he still was.

All he wants is to make it go away.

First, Previous

Word Count: 1.2k

-----

Jason did not sleep that night, spending his time beating up a punching bag instead. What sleep he did get was laid out on the mats in the workout room. Even that was plagued by nightmares.

So it was with The Joker’s laughs still echoing in his ears that he finally dragged himself to the kitchen to start making breakfast.

Danny was no where to be seen—probably sleeping—but the ghost was. He was staring out the window not doing anything.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” grumbled Jason.

The ghost did the head motion every Robin learned to indicate they were rolling their eyes. Can’t he signed.

Jason grunted. He…probably should have figured that one out. “Well go read a book or something and don’t bother me.”

The ghost gave him a very deliberate look before flying to one of the bookcases and reaching for a book. Only for his hand to go right through it. He glared back at Jason.

“Oh.” Jason did not feel bad for the creature. He was the interloper here. But the silence in the room was not helping anything. Not with his nightmares so close to the surface. He hooked his phone up to a portable speaker and pulled up his audiobook library. Today was the sort of day for an old favorite.

Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence…

Jason hummed in satisfaction and turned his attention to the fridge. What to make for breakfast? He resolutely ignored the ghost who’d settled in his living room.

A few hours later, Jason was finishing the homemade fruit sauce when arms wrapped around his stomach and a head rested against his back.

“Mmmm, smells good,” mumbled Jazz, her voice rough with sleep.

Jason patted her arm. “I remember you liked the strawberry topping. Figured we could have it over pancakes. Batter is in the fridge.”

“Best boyfriend ever,” she said. She rested her head against his back and Jason felt himself relax in a way he hadn’t since he’d stepped out of the dining room and saw the ghost. “You left early.”

His stomach sank. Of course she noticed. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Jason,” she said flatly, a hint of warning in her tone.

He sighed. “I just couldn’t sleep. Too many thoughts going ‘round my head.”

“Hence the Austen?”

He chuckled. “Hence the Austen.”

She yawned and pushed away from him. “I’ll go brush my teeth and get Danny up.”

“He was up pretty late himself; might need to sleep in.”

She groaned. “Of course he was up, too. Well too bad. He could’ve gone to bed earlier and I think we need to have a talk about what to do next.”

“He said something about doctor yetis and a place called the Far Frozen,” Jason said. He stirred the strawberries and lifted a spoonful to test it’s consistency. Perfect. He turned off the burner.

“Oh. And you agreed?”

Jason shrugged. “Doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice if I want that”—he jerked a thumb at the ghost—“gone.”

“Jason…” her voice had gone soft and he winced.

“I know,” he admitted to the stove. “I know it’s gonna be more complicated than that.”

She was silent for a moment before sighing. “I love you, Jay,” was all she said before walking away. Presumably to the bathroom to get ready.

Which meant he had to start the pancakes. He pulled out the griddle, added a wad of butter, and turned on the heat.

By the time Jazz and Danny returned, Jason had made a pile of pancakes large enough to satisfy a speedster. Next to it sat the strawberry topping and a jar of syrup in case that was Danny’s preference. On an impulse, he grabbed the chocolate chips, too.

Chocolate and Austen, the perfect combination for a crappy day.

Unfortunately, breakfast passed much too quickly for his tastes and soon enough they were packing away the leftovers in the fridge.

“Jazz, you’re so lucky you found someone who could cook,” commented Danny.

Jason had to laugh. “Yeah, not one of her skills, is it?”

“Not one of either of our skills. Has she told you about what our kitchen was like growing up?”

“After your knife comment last night, I feel like she may have left some things out.” Despite everything that had happened since, he hadn’t forgotten that little tidbit. Jazz was so tight-lipped about her childhood that Jason made a point to horde every detail she let slip.

Jazz groaned. “Nope. I’m full of delicious food and happy. I do not want to have to remember the hell that was the Fenton kitchen.”

From the corner of his eye. Jason could see the ghost looking at them with interest. He glared at him; the ghost glared right back.

“That’s enough, you two,” ordered Jazz.

Jason broke eye contact and stared at the floor to mumble and insincere apology he knew wouldn’t fool Jazz.

Luckily she took pity on him and didn’t push. “Danny, Jason said something about you taking us to the Far Frozen?”

Danny nodded. “Yep! Frostbite might be able to tell us what happened and have some ideas on how to help them.”

“Well, Jason, Robin,” started Jazz and Jason had to force himself to not wince at the way she addressed them both. “When do you think you want to go?”

“Now,” said Jason immediately. “Or as soon as possible. I want to know what’s going on.”

The ghost nodded his agreement and made more of those chirping noises that Danny seemed to understand.

“Then let’s get going,” said Danny.

Jazz sighed again. “Hold it, Danny. Jason, you and I should go get changed. There’s a reason it’s called the Far Frozen.”

Jason took her advice and dug deep in his closet for the heaviest winter gear. Before too long, Jazz declared them both dressed in enough layers to satisfy her. They returned to the living room.

“Do you need us to do anything?” asked Jason.

“Nah.” Danny raised his hand and made a slashing motion with his fist. “That’s all it takes. There’s some benefits to being the Ghost King: my ring can open portals anywhere.”

Following the motion Danny had made, a tear formed in the very fabric of the universe. Though it, Jason could see a swirling sky of Lazarus green. Over his years as a vigilante, Jason had seen many strange and impossible things. But that tear unsettled him on a more visceral level than most. It reminded him of the pits, he wanted to run away. It felt like home, he wanted to run forward. Instead he stared, transfixed by the way the bit of sky—was it sky?—through the portal appeared to flow like water.

Jazz grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

Danny didn’t hesitate and flew right through, transforming as he did. The ghost followed right on his heels. Both turned to stare at him and Jazz.

“Come on,” she said. “We’ll be perfectly safe.” She walked forward and Jason followed, half a step behind.

His conflicted feelings got stronger with every step, but he kept pace with Jazz until they were through. No ground existed wherever they were, but he and Jazz were able to float in place.

Behind them, the portal disappeared. Taking with it his only hope of retreat.

-----

Next

They've made it to the Infinite Realms! And Jason still has Feelings™️ about the ghost that's following. (Do you notice he never refers to Robin, even mentally, as anything other than "the ghost"? That's a very deliberate choice.)

The strawberry topping is a thing I make semi regularly. I will sit there and eat it with a spoon it's so good. But over pancakes? Absolutely decadent. (The recipe calls it a pie filling, but eh. I'd rather just eat it with a spoon. Or over ice cream. Or pancakes.)

#dpxdc #ghost!robin #jason todd #jazz fenton #anger management ship #i need to make pancakes one of these days #theyre yummy #danny devoured his #hes spent so little time on earth lately #that he was ecstatic to have good homemade pancakes #hed only ever had them when sleeping over at tuckers before

[violetngrey]

A part 2 to the Charlie walker 10 things?? Maybe they go on a date or something?

well it’s definitely something

part 1

# :: 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 🫧 - 𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒃 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆

after yesterdays flirtatious conversation charlie had with you he couldn’t get you off of his mind

he kept replaying the whole thing in his head over and over

“you don’t have to lie to me to talk to me” you laughed

“who said i was lying”

you just laughed and smiled “i’m y/n”

“i know”

you’d awkwardly gotten up and left after and he could just hit himself as it was the perfect opportunity to ask you out

he spent days thinking about ways to talk to you again all while you sat quietly in the back of the club

recently you’d been missing some of the clubs sessions and charlie had started to get concerned

after class had ended one night he went to seek you out

vaguely knowing where your locker was he made sure to not get in anyones way

there you were

smiling and laughing with another boy

this struck something within charlie he didn’t know he had

“heyyy y/n, i was just looking for you” he decided to put his hand round your waist

risky move

the other guy, much taller than charlie looked rather confused as it’d seemed she been flirting with him back

“hey charlie, you’re late” you gave him a look

the other guy ended up skulking off after a few of charlie’s diabolical looks

he quickly took his arm back and turned to you

she just thanked him and said the guy had been bothering her for a while now and doesn’t like coming down this corridor anymore because he know this is her locker

something about him wanting to take her out on the town next week

so that’s why she wasn’t coming to cinema club recently

it was his fault

he’d pay for that later

“how about i take you out instead”

charlie blushed a lot more recently

“only if you want to of course”

y/n seems to blush a lot round him

tucking her oh so soft hair behind her ear she agreed

charlie would be picking her up on friday night from her house for a date

just one more day to get through until then

he definitely went home that night and had a victory wank

it’s not like he hasn’t done it before over her but this time there was progress

he’d completely forgotten he used to stutter over kirby just six months ago when she teased him and now he’s not bothered at all

robbie definitely noticed

kirby seemed to notice too

she started making conversation with him more

trying to get him to talk about movies with her and jill often

he was definitely nervous if he should get you flowers or not

friday rolled around way too quickly for charlies nerves to settle

especially after he’s had such a busy thursday

he already knew your address so it was only a matter of time

a button up shirt, nice jeans and converse and charlie felt sick

he’d never felt this way before

always racking his hair back

red roses were presented upon opening your front door

“just like the movies”

he’d pick a fancy restaurant as he had no idea what you liked

getting there just in time, the reservation didn’t go through

you guys ended up driving to the local shop and buying strawberries, chocolate and some random junk food

you both sat eating them in the boot of his car

he ended up melting the chocolate with his lighter and you both had chocolate covered strawberries

as you smudged a bit on his cheek and he retaliated by throwing half a strawberry at you

which got onto your clothes a little

“i’m sorry, okay! how was i supposed to know you’re weak to strawberries”

you scoffed and got the tissues out the front door pocket

you heard a shuffle and a bump from charlie in the back causing you to look up

he was shoving something back into the boot underlining

you thought he definitely skateboards

abandoning the tissues and taking it out of his backseat you rushed up to the boot of the car

he just looked surprised

he didn’t skateboard

he stood there teaching you and helping you not fall off around the parking lot

by the time you could somewhat push by yourself charlie would retreat to the car

he was still nervous

he called it a night rather suddenly as you guys left the parking lot

the red had started to drip out the underside of his car

at least the guy won’t be bothering you anymore

please support me by reblogging / commenting / liking my posts! it means so much to me!

I love anyone’s requests so much and it gives me even more ideas and inspiration to come up with more.

#scream #scream 4 #charlie walker #charlie walker hcs #charlie walker x reader #charlie walker x y/n #charlie walker x you #scream movie #requests #rory culkin #ghostface

[gotham-ruaidh]

Little Bit Better Than I Used To Be

Catch up: Chapter 1 (Starry Eyes) || Chapter 2 (Save Our Souls) || Chapter 3 (Dancing On Glass)|| Chapter 4 (Merry-Go-Round)|| Backstage (1) || Backstage (2) || Chapter 5 (Danger)|| Backstage (3) || Chapter 6A (Love Walked In) || Chapter 6B (Without You) || Backstage (4) || Chapter 7 (Stick To Your Guns) || Chapter 8 (Time For Change) || Backstage (5) || Chapter 9 (Take Me To The Top) || Backstage (6) || Chapter 10 (Home Sweet Home) || Backstage (7) || Chapter 11a (Nightrain) || Chapter 11b (Nothing Else Matters) || Chapter 12a (Handle With Care) || Chapter 12b (I’m So Tired of Being Lonely) || Chapter 13a (Angel) || Chapter 13b (She’s My Addiction) || Chapter 13c (Patience) Chapter 14a (Where Do We Go Now?) || Chapter 14b (Where Do We Go Now?) ||| Also posted at AO3

Chapter 14C: Where Do We Go Now?

Soundtrack: “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” Guns N’ Roses, 1987 [click here to listen]

Where do we go now?

Where do we go now?

Where do we go?

- Guns N’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987)

Tucson || July 1988

AA met every Thursday in a church hall not far from the studio. She’d borrowed Bobby’s Trans Am to drive Jamie, holding his hand the whole way, hearing about his chat with Alec – who had graciously agreed during their January trip to New York to be Jamie’s sponsor.

She kissed him when he went inside. Needing some peace and quiet of her own, in the car, as she waited.

She had tried NA off and on, but it hadn’t really clicked. She was so very happy that AA really worked for Jamie – it was always much easier for him to open up to perfect strangers – and she was grateful that he could get the support he needed, at a moment’s notice, in any city.

Not to mention that the Friends of Bill took the “anonymous” in Alcoholics Anonymous quite seriously – meaning, in those meetings Jamie was just Jamie the alcoholic, not Jamie Fraser the frontman of Print, not the rock star. Just a man who fought daily battles with addiction, who was trying to be better, who just so happened to have the number six record in the country today.

It was hard. It was always going to be hard. But he was worth it. The life they had together was worth it.

She pulled out the folded envelope. Smoothed the creases against the steering wheel. Reading and reading and re-reading the return address.

Listening to Guns N’ Roses and Def Leppard and Poison and Cheap Trick on the radio.

She didn’t see Jamie cross the parking lot. Jumped when he slid into the passenger seat, smiling, with a kiss.

“Hey.”

She offered a tight smile. “Hey. How are you?”

“Much better.”

His gaze found the envelope.

He didn’t need to say anything.

She couldn’t say anything.

But now that he was here, she opened it.

Held out the single sheet of paper.

They read.

Dr. Claire Beauchamp

via Colum Laird, Broch Productions

Dear Dr. Beauchamp,

Thank you for your letter and providing a forwarding address. Three months ago, the BMC board unanimously voted to terminate your employment. For legal reasons we will not provide further details, and the board’s decision is final.

However, we have communicated to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that your medical license should be restored, with the provision that you no longer practice medicine in any kind of high-stress environment. You may contact the medical board at the below address to request a copy of…

Jamie watched Claire read and re-read and re-read.

“Sweet Child O’ Mine” played softly on the radio.

A long, long moment.

The song shifted to the bridge.

Where do we go now, sweet child? Axl Rose murmured.

Jamie took a breath. “Where do we go now, Claire?” he whispered.

She folded the paper and put it back in the envelope. Laid it on the dash. Reached beneath her shirt to pull the long chain up over her neck. Settled her left hand on Jamie’s thigh, skin hot through his jeans.

Jamie unclasped the chain, letting his grandmother’s engagement ring slide free. He slipped the ring onto her finger. Brought her hand to his lips, kissing so softly.

“I’d like us to have an extra day in Boston when we’re there next week. So that we can pack up my apartment.”

She was looking through the windshield, face turned to him in profile.

“Yes. What else?”

“I’d like a little house in the mountains of North Carolina. Not too far from The Ridge. It’s so beautiful and peaceful there. I’m sure Dougal and Gillian can help us find something.”

Gently he bit her knuckles. “Something small. Kitchen and living room. Bedroom for us. A room I can use for music. And a room for your medicine.”

She nodded. “I’ll transfer my license – I’ve already looked into how to do that. I can file the paperwork when we get to Boston. I don’t know if I want to be in a private practice, or just volunteer in a clinic, or maybe something else. We’ll get settled, and then we’ll decide.”

“We will. I – are you happy, Claire?”

She smiled tightly. “More…relieved. And yes, I’m happy, Jamie. Happy to be free. Happy to be marrying you.”

They sat in silence for a long while. Listening to the final notes of Slash’s guitar. And then the first two minutes of INXS and “New Sensation”.

Memory flared – the last time she heard this song was the one time she’d seen Jamie nude, changing into his leather pants backstage in Orlando, when she’d entered his dressing room without knocking.

She swallowed. “I want the house to have at least one spare bedroom.”

He laced their fingers. “Of course – for guests.”

She flushed. Finally met his eyes.

“Yes. And for children.”

He released a suddenly shaky breath. “Oh, my love. Yes.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’m never taking this ring off again.”

He leaned across the console and kissed her. Kissed her. Kissed her.

#outlander #jamie and claire #little bit better than i used to be #outlander fanfic

[an0ther1]

Untitled pt.2

Leah x OC

A/N: A little more in my current project. I’m still getting a feel for my characters. Feedback/thoughts welcome.

“What are we at, one more week?” Kim adjusted the weight on the bench press bar.

“Abouts yeah. I make it to the end of the week without any pain and things feel normal, I’ll get to run on the grass with everyone next.”

Kim laid down on the bench. “Well I’m sure you know what I’m going to say, but I’m going to say it anyway. Don’t do anything stupid and listen to your body. If something is off, waiting an extra day or 2 isn’t going to kill you.” She pushed the bar up off the rack. “Trust me.” She grunted as she lowered the bar to her chest.

“I hear you. And I won’t.”

“Hey Caps.” Beth came bouncing to the end of the bench. “Le, what time do we have the venue for Saturday?”

“Umm, 9 until whenever really. Though I told ‘em it would probably wrap up around 5. 6 hours for a baby shower seemed like more than enough.” Leah answered as she spotted Kim.

“Probably right on that. So we have 2 hours to decorate? That should be plenty. I think Steph has the catering scheduled for between 10 and 11.” Beth twisted her lips as she tried to remember.

“What did I do?”

“Catering. What time is that showing up?”

“Ah, yeah. 10:30 bouts. I’ll call and confirm on Thursday though.”

Kim put the bar back on the rack and sat up. “If we can get in at 9, I’ll schedule the cake and sweets to come around 10.”

“So we just need all the girls to show up at 9 to set up?” Leah switched with Kim after removing a few pounds from either end of the bar.

“Yeah, that should be about it. Caitlin promised that she kept a check on Katie and the games, but Stina is going to claim that she will be the one running the games so she can see what she came up with.”

“Good idea Meado. When Katie called dibs on games and said she was going to use a few “McCabe family classics” I was a bit worried about what those would entail. You really never know what you might get with an Irish family that large.” Kim helped Leah lift the bar to start her set.

“I thought most of Katie’s siblings were younger than her?” Steph asked.

“Ask her to name all her cousins some time.” Lotte interjected as she joined the group. “We talking about Erin’s baby shower?” The group nodded. “You know she’s right there.” Lotte pointed across the room to Erin, their social media content creator, who was sitting in a chair with a laptop balanced on a very round belly. “I thought this was supposed to be a surprise.”

“She has her headphones in editing. She can’t hear anything.” Beth shrugged. “You have everything worked out with Dylan?”

“Yeah. Him and Tao have some plan that Dylan swears Erin will fall for. They’re going to tell her I have a children’s event to attend so I can help set up.”

“Great. And Viv has been talking to Erin’s family, she just needs to confirm the time with them.” Beth added.

“What about Dylan’s family?” Leah said as she finished her set in the bench press. “I know they're American, but is Dylan’s parents planning on being here when Gemma is born? They might be in by then.”

Lotte shook her head. “Dylan told me and Tao he doesn’t talk to anyone in his family besides his cousin Rose.”

“Wait, isn’t that the middle name they’re giving Gemma?” Steph asked.

“Yeah. Rose is the cousin he grew up with. Dylan talks about her like a sister. I think she’s a year or two older. But she’ll be there. So he’ll at least have some family.” Lotte finished.

“Sounds like this is going to be a fantastic party for our little Gooner and her mum.” Kim looked around the group. “But now, finish up your reps. We’re on the pitch in 30.”

Everyone saluted their captain before dispersing.

**************************

The week for the most part had gone smoothly. The team didn’t have their first January game for another 10 days. But Leah was finally going to be able to join team trainings next week, after almost 9 months, and the anticipation was wearing her thin. Several times she was asked if she was excited, or nervous, and repeatedly reminded that the wait was almost over. Almost. She was sure Saturday was going to be full of the same, though the full Arsenal staff and then some would be at Erin’s baby shower, so Leah would hear it ten fold. She needed a break. Which is how she found herself out to dinner on a Friday night, alone, sitting at the end of the bar top of the restaurant she had come to the previous week. She had come in a little earlier this time though, hoping it would be less crowded before the dinner rush, and she had been right, allowing her to get the same seat at the end with her back to everyone else. Tonight she would be any other diner. Not soon to return from injury, Leah Williamson.

Leah greeted Colin as she took her seat, ordering a glass of Chardonnay. The bar keep was placing the glass in front of Leah with a menu before she had even gotten comfortable.

“Would you like the chicken again?” The ginger asked.

“Might do an app first. Take my time and do some reading on my phone if it’s no bother.” Leah smiled.

“Not at all. I’d say the hummus is great. That and the pitas are made in house.”

“Yeah? Alright. I’ll start with that, thanks.” Leah pushed the menu back towards Colin. “And I’ll order the chicken a little later.”

Colin reached for the menu. “I’ll have that right out.”

Leah leaned back in her chair and pulled up the book she was reading on her phone. Picking the wine glass up off the bar, she took a small sip and relaxed. Colin placed a plate in front of her a short time later and for the next 20 minutes or so, she enjoyed her wine and appetizer completely uninterrupted while she read. The noise in the restaurant slowly rose as the main dining area filled and the seats at the bar top were taken one by one. Colin had just refilled her wine and was putting in her dinner order when someone finally claimed the last seat next to her.

“Is this seat taken, miss?”

Leah had heard that voice before. She lowered her phone. “No it’s not. By all means.” She smiled at the new guest. “Hello again RJ.”

“Miss Williamson.” RJ smiled softly as they pulled out the chair before placing their coat over the back. “Nice seeing you here again.”

“Will you be watching another football match?” Leah asked as she watched RJ prop their phone up on top of the bar.

“I was planning on finally watching Sinclair’s last international match. Figured if I did it in public I wouldn’t cry.” RJ waved at Colin and gave him a thumbs up. Clearly not needing words to order.

“Are you Canadian?”

RJ chuckled and shook their head slightly. “No. But as a kid I just kind of decided she was my favorite player and that was that. Figured after a month I should finally just bite the bullet and watch the damn game.”

“Mmmm, yeah, retirement games are hard to watch. She’s still playing one more year for the Thorns though, yeah?” Leah finished the last of her wine and caught Colin’s eye, signally for another glass.

“She is. But that doesn’t make watching this any easier.” RJ picked up their phone and waved it before unlocking it. Leah couldn’t help but notice that their background looked like an abstract black and white print of some sort. Once RJ had the game queued up they set it back on the bar top. “You’re welcome to watch. But I won’t bother you if you wish to continue what you were doing.” They hit the play button on the screen.

“Thank you. I think I might try to finish this chapter of the book I was reading.” Leah turned back to her phone as Colin placed RJ’s drink down and refilled Leah’s wine glass. The pair sat in companionable silence as Leah continued reading.

“Who do you think is going to take the armband in the future?” Leah broke the silence after putting her phone down. “Sinc has been captain far longer than I can remember.”

“Fleming.” JR’s said with a seconds hesitation.

“Seriously? She’s so young?”

RJ turned in their chair and looked Leah straight in the eye. “Really?” They paused for a moment. “You, the youngest captain in England history, is going to say that Jessie Fleming, who is 25, is too young.”

“Oh. Yeah I see your point.”

“Aside from her age.” RJ turned back. “She’s been a regular fixture on the national team for about 9 years. When Sinc and Schmidt stepped off this field she was the 4th longest tenured player on the team.” RJ took a sip of their drink.

“You aren’t just a casual fan, are you?

RJ side-eyed Leah. “What makes you say that?”

“A casual fan generally doesn’t know those types of statistics for a player who don’t play for their team”

“How do you know she doesn’t play for “my team”?” RJ used air quotes. “She may not play for the US, but.”

“Ew. You’re a Chelsea fan?” Leah dramatically recoiled further from RJ who just laughed.

“No.” RJ smiled. A full bright, cheerful smile. “I am a fan of the players individually, especially Fishel and Macario. But not the team as a whole.”

“Do you even have a WSL team?” Leah raised an eyebrow.

“I do.” RJ smirked. “And don’t worry. They wear the right shade of red.” They leaned back in their seat. “Can I ask you something? None football related and not terribly personal.” They rushed out the last bit. “And you obviously don’t have to answer.”

“Well with those conditions, sure.”

RJ tilted their head. “If you hadn’t become a pro footballer, what would you have chosen to do?”

“Probably an accountant or something like that. I’m pretty good with numbers and enjoy that there is always an answer to any problem.”

“Figures.”

“What’s that s’pose to me?” Leah asked, offended by the assumption, regardless of what it was.

“You play football like a mathematician, calculated.”

“Oh.” Leah adjusted in her seat, sitting up a bit straighter. “Thank you.”

RJ just hummed in response.

“What about you? You obviously know what I do and now what I would do.” Leah relaxed a bit in her chair. “Colin said you did something in media, I think.”

RJ glanced down the bar at the mentioned bartender. “Digital media.”

“What do you do in digital media? That seems like a, a very broad field. And do you work for a company in the UK?”

RJ took a long slow sip of their drink, clearly stalling as they then swirled the liquid in the glass before answering. “The company is US based. I do a lot of behind the scenes stuff, sometimes editing, camera work, desk stuff.”

Leah picked up her phone. “Must be a small company if you’re doing all of that. Is there an Insta page I can check out? Give a like.”

“Yes, we have an Instagram account.”

“Okay. What’s the name of the company?” Leah had the app open and was just waiting.

RJ had their glass to their lips when they answered. “-third.”

“What was that?”

“Attacking Third.” RJ repeated.

“Really? That’s the show that covers the NWSL, right?” Leah started looking at the company's account on their app. “If they cover the NSWL, what are you doing here? Covering former NWSL players or something?”

“Something like that.”

Colin approached with a plate in hand. “Ms. Williamson, your chicken.” He slid the plate onto the bartop. “Enjoy. RJ, did you want anything?” RJ raised their now empty glass. “Be right back.”

After Colin dropped off the drink, the pair continued watching the game in silence as Leah ate her meal. Her plate was finished and cleared away when the match hit halftime. “I should get going. I have an event I need to be at tomorrow morning with the girls that will be far more mentally draining than 90 minutes on the pitch.”

RJ chuckled. “I can only imagine.”

The footballer gave the other patron a soft smile. “It was good to see you again. Maybe we’ll get lucky again.”

“I’ll get my hopes up.” They smiled. “Have a good evening Ms. Williamson.”

#leah williamson #woso community #woso fanfics #woso soccer

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Had you played TV cliché bingo while watching The Couple Next Door, I do believe sparks would have been flying from your dabber. I’m almost in awe that so many were crammed in before the first ad break alone. Barely seven minutes in, Becka (Jessica De Gouw) and Danny (Sam Heughan) were pulling each other’s clothes off and having sex at their living room window, curtains open, in a way that no married couple whose small child has just left the room ever do. Except in TV La-La land.

It was a bonus, though, for Alan the Pervert (Hugh Dennis), who has a telescope trained on their house and dark circles under his eyes that suggest he does a lot of squinting while hunched over his computer (and I don’t mean at Wordle).

I suppose at least this drama owns its clichés. What am I saying? It revels in them. It opened with the classic taster of horror to come, Eleanor Tomlinson as Evie running in what we shall call TV’s “sexy terrified” way. That is, frightened but looking hot, hot, hot in a short silk nightie as she ran barefoot through a forest. We then flipped back in time to Evie and Pete (Alfred Enoch) happily arriving at their new suburban idyll to start their family, which was a sort of sunny Wisteria Lane and not at all like the Leeds I remember from when I lived there.

It told us everything was too smug to be true by having laughing children playing with water guns, lawns being mowed, cars being washed. Uh-oh. We know that can’t last. And it didn’t. Evie miscarried her baby (conceived with a donor because Pete has “puny sperm”) by minute 16. I have a terrible feeling that the koi carp in the garden are some sort of “swimmers” metaphor.

Sometimes the dialogue was so stilted, I wondered if it was a spoof. “You guys will get through this,” Danny said to Pete, who should really have responded by asking if he was a chatbot. It soon transpired that Danny and Becka were swingers (it’s based on a Dutch series called, yes, The Swingers) and they promptly had “that couple we met in Marbella” round for some wife swapping as Pete watched from his window. Has anyone in this street ever considered closing a blind? And, actually, aren’t they “the couple opposite”, not “next door”?

There’s a dull subplot about Danny being a dodgy copper, which ties in to a dull investigation that local journalist Pete wants to look into, but his editor wants him to cover the opening of a new city library. A new library? Pull the other one. The UK has closed about 800 of them in the past decade.

At least Evie cheered up when she got Danny’s powerful beast between her legs. Oh, I mean his motorbike, though it’s obvious it won’t be long before the other beast comes into play. I feared we might get to the end of the episode without it committing the top TV cliché on the bingo card, namely spontaneous sex on a kitchen worktop. But, no. Evie and Pete gave us a full house by doing exactly that — and during a storm for added cheesiness.

These couples are as wooden as Dutch clogs, but I am enjoying Dennis’s greasy performance as the disgusting stalker who pretends to like yoga so he can be near Becka. I must warn you that later in the series it’s traumatic to see the man who played the nice dad in Outnumbered masturbating. I must also warn you that episode two contains some of the worst cringey couple dancing you are likely to witness in your lifetime. I think the moral of this silly but entertainingly corny tale is going to be: “Don’t shag the neighbours.”

thetimes.co.uk

Carol Midgley joined The Times in 1996 and is a former Feature Writer of the Year winner. Find her column in Times 2 each Wednesday and her TV reviews on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

————————————————————————

Indeed I saw all the reviews after the streaming view, including all episodes. The Times’ review concretes many things about The Couple Next Door 💁‍♀️

[jerzwriter]

Reckoning

Book: Open Heart (Book 2 Timeline) Characters: Tobias Carrick & Casey, Aurora Emery Rating: Teen Words: 2,000 Series Summary: Found here Chapter Summary: A few months after the chemical attack, a friend at Mass Kenmore gives Tobias a good-natured ribbing, and then Aurora offers him some advice. A/N: I'm getting there, y'all! I'm close to sharing exactly how these crazy kids finally get together! It's only been three years in the making! lol I'm not sure how much interest there is in this anymore, but I can tell you this, I'm elated that I'm finally getting it done! 😊

The timing of this story is just after Christmas Through Your Eyes: Part One - A Proposition (I'll be working on their masterlist to make it more understandable this weekend. 😊)

With Warning Masterlist Tobias x Casey Masterlist || My Full Masterlist

Inside, it was a typical morning at Mass Kenmore, but the thunderstorm raging just outside the window made the stark white walls and fluorescent lighting feel more like a refuge. The familiar sounds of staff chatting and announcements over the PA were almost soothing, and Tobias couldn't have felt more at home behind his desk. Aurora sat before him, and while she was a relative newcomer to Kenmore, she, too, was at ease as the two doctors met to review morning rounds. They were discussing their final case when a knock interrupted them.

"Come in," Tobias yelled, and in bopped Amanda, a nursing supervisor whose tenure equaled Dr. Carricks. Her bouncing chestnut brown curls and glossy-lipped smile elevated the room's mood even before she held up two cups of Tradesman coffee.

"Hey, there!" she beamed. "I haven't seen you in forever, so I thought I'd bring you some..."

She stopped short when Aurora looked up from her seat, politely nodding before turning back to her laptop.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realize you were having a meeting. I'll just leave this for you." She placed the coffee on Tobias's desk. "We'll catch up another time."

"Tradesman," Tobias grinned. "Now that's my coffee. Why don't you wait, Mandy? We're wrapping up. I should be free in fifteen minutes."

"In fifteen minutes, I'll be starting my rounds with two interns in tow. Maybe after work? Will you be at the Puddingstone tonight?”  

The week had been busy, and one day melded into another. Peeking at his calendar, Tobias confirmed it was Wednesday - Casey's therapy night. He always drove her there, and on weeks when fate smiled on him, he’d share dinner with her, too.

"No can do," he frowned. "Tomorrow?"

"I’m off Thursdays. Maybe sometime this weekend?”

But he and Casey had plans. “Maybe Sunday night if I’m not exhausted.”

“Dear God, Carrick,” Amanda laughed. “When did you become such a hot commodity!”

Aurora tried to stifle a giggle but still caught Tobias’s attention.

“Yes,” he droned. “Are there comments from the peanut gallery?”

Aurora shrugged indifferently, her expression unreadable. “It’s just that rumor around here is that you were always a hot commodity.”

“Very funny,” he grumbled as Amanda broke into laughter.

“He was!” She jumped in. “Which is why I don’t understand why it’s suddenly so hard to see him.”

“I’ve just had a lot going on,” he replied nervously. “But things should settle down soon, and then I’m sure that....”

Ignoring Tobias, Amanda peered at Aurora. “Word on the street is he has a girlfriend! Can you believe that?”

“Amanda!” He barked. “Stop. That’s not true.”

“Well, how would I know?” she teased. “I never see you anymore, so it’s not like I’m privy to what’s going on in your life.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he mumbled. “It’s just...”

“You don’t have to explain,” the nurse interrupted. I don’t care —no one does. We’re all just glad that the grumpy period you had a few months back is over. It was so uncharacteristic! I’m happy to see you smiling again. I’d like to see that smile over drinks at the Puddingstone on occasion, but I digress.”

Tobias turned to an amused Aurora. “Go back to Edenbrook, Emery. It seems working here comes with a side of abuse.”

“Abuse?” Amanda chortled. “Dear God, Carrick. You don’t know what abuse is.” With a shake of her head, she turned toward the door, looking back over her shoulder before leaving the room.

“Lunch soon?”

“Sure,” Tobias nodded, eager for her to leave.

“Bye, Aurora,” Amanda winked. “Maybe you can get the truth out of him.”

The door shut, and Aurora dutifully returned to work, doing her best to conceal her cryptic smile. But Tobias wasn't letting it go.

 “What?” Tobias grumbled.

She raised her eyes inquisitively but ensured her face gave nothing away. “What... what? I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to. You’re thinking something... what is it?”  

“You really want to know?” she deadpanned.

“I asked.”

She closed her laptop and placed it to her side, crossing her hands atop her lap before she began.

“Before I begin. Is this conversation between Dr. Emery and her boss, Dr. Carrick? Or Aurora and her friend, Tobias?”

“You consider me a friend?” he smirked.

“That might depend on the outcome of this conversation, but for now... yes, I do.”

“Then, sit back and relax,” he grinned. “Because I’m asking you as a friend.”

“All right... what's the deal with you and Casey?”

“Oh, right to the point, I see!”

“Yep,” Aurora nodded. “And I’d appreciate you being just as direct... so? What’s the deal?”

“Deal? There is no deal.”

“Uh-huh,” she responded, picking up her laptop again. “If you’re going to bullshit me, I’m going back to work.”

Aurora had no problem with doing that, but Tobias couldn't get his mind back on work if he tried.

“I mean it. We’re friends—just friends," he continued. I don’t know why this is so difficult for everyone to accept.”

She closed her laptop again, this time with a deliberately smug gaze.

“She’s my friend, too, Tobias. Just my friend... but I don’t have to go around making that declaration. Normally, you don’t... when you're just friends, that is.”

Tobias ran a hand down his weary face and began swiveling in his chair. “It’s just getting old...that’s all.”

“What is?”

“No one believing me.... people threatening me about what will happen if I mess with her... I suppose that’s the next thing you’ll be doing, too.”

“Nope,” Aurora shrugged. The last time I checked, you were both consenting adults. What you choose to do together is not my concern.”

“Really,” he said with a raised brow. “Wow! That’s refreshing. I mean... nothing is going on between us... but, theoretically, if there were... you’d be OK with it.”

“I am OK with it.”

“That’s good to... hey, wait. What do you mean you are OK with it... there’s nothing to be OK with!”

Aurora crossed her arms and judgementally shook her head as she assessed him.

“You’re friends?”

“Yes!”

“Do you enjoy spending time with her?”

“Obviously.”

“Do you find her unattractive?”

“What? No! Casey’s beautiful,” he replied without hesitation, and Aurora rewarded him with a know-it-all grin.

“Do you think I’m stupid, Tobias?”

“Of course not!”

“Then it would do you good to remember that I was there. I was with you the day of the attack, from the moment you learned of it until I found you trembling in the chapel when it was over.”

“That’s not fair,” he countered. “That was an extremely difficult day for all of us. As I recall,  we were all pretty emotional.”

“Mmm-hmm. But I was also with the two of you when you first met. I had to bear witness to that disgusting animal magnetism you shared from its inception. Kind of gross, actually.”

He chuckled softly, but Aurora was shocked by his reaction. Was the Dr. Carrick... embarrassed?

“Nothing wrong with animal magnetism,” he replied. “But that was... it was a long time ago.”

“IT WAS FIVE MONTHS AGO!” she yelled. “Five months!”

“Yeah,” he replied softly. “But an awful lot has happened in that time... it feels much longer, doesn't it?”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I’ll give you that. Look, I’m not here to give you grief, but I have eyes. I see you two together, and from where I stand, you make each other happy. I don’t know why you both get so wound up if someone suggests there’s something there. Would it be so horrible if there was?”

“I hurt her. Badly, and not all that long ago.”

“Ah,” she smiled. “But a lot has happened since you met.”

“She’s not interested in me in that way, Aurora. She made that clear, and I... I respect that. I’m not going to violate her boundaries.”  

“Mmm-hmm. She told me you’re taking her away this weekend. To show her your hometown. Is that how you're not violating boundaries?”

“I... I just want to see DC at Christmas again. I was going to go alone anyway. I just asked Casey to come along... as a friend. It might be good for her to get away. It's not like we're sharing a room or anything! Ask her! I got a suite because she’s still afraid to be alone at night, but we’re not sharing a room! I’ll be there if she needs me, but I’m not....”

Aurora leaned forward and silenced him with a gentle touch to his wrist. “You know, you say far too many words for someone trying so hard to deny the obvious. You may want to work on that if you want others to believe you.”

Tobias’s face softened, and his composure settled. Aurora could see his defenses coming down.  

“This stays here?” He asked pointedly.

Aurora raised three fingers. “Scouts honor. What happens in Carrick’s office stays in Carrick’s office.”

“Casey... she’s incredible,” he sighed. “I knew that from the start, but I still had to go and fuck everything up between us. When she let me back into her life, she made it clear that she only wanted friendship from me. While it may not be easy, I’m honoring that. You should be proud of me... this is growth, Emery.”

“Growth is good,” she smiled. “Honoring boundaries is the right thing, but did it ever occur to you that she may have changed her mind? Did you ever consider she might feel the same way about you?”

 “No,” he shook his head. “No, she doesn’t. And even if she did, she’s not in a place to make that kind of decision right now. So...no.”

“You’re right, she’s not. And I am proud of you for realizing that. But that’s today, Tobias, and she’s getting stronger every day. I can see that. I know you do, too. Can you be patient?”

 “Historically?” He snorted. “No. Not at all. But now...I am trying.”

Aurora looked at her watch. “I hate to leave you, but I’m supposed to be at a consult with Dr. Ferrera in five minutes. But if you want to continue this talk, I can come by as soon as I’m done.”

“Nah,” he waved. “I’m good... but thank you.”

“Anytime,” she said, gathering her things. But Tobias called for her just before she got to the door.

“Aurora. Why don’t you have reservations about me... you know... aren’t you worried about Casey and... my past?”

“I have reservations about everyone,” she grinned. “But I know you’re not as bad as people make you out to be. As to your past, well, we all have one of those, including those who are threatening you. But, if I don’t want to be judged by my past, so I shouldn’t judge you by yours. Besides, Casey’s a big girl. She’s going through some stuff right now, but she still has a good head on her shoulders. If you guys decide to make a go of it, I’m in your corner.”

Tobias let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “I appreciate that. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome... but none of this matters,” she teased. “After all, the two of you are ‘just friends’.”

“Get out of my office,” he joked. “But promise... this stays between us?”

 “I’ll take it to my grave... and not only because I want no part of the drama.”

She stepped out of the door, leaving Tobias alone with his thoughts. He closed his eyes, wondering how it was possible to feel so much lighter yet emotionally depleted at the same time. Did he really just admit he had feelings for Casey... to Aurora... and himself? Did he actually say the words out loud?

He stood up with a deep sigh and made his way to the window, pushing the blinds aside to watch the torrential rains pour down on the streets of Boston below. It was a baptism of sorts, the water washing away all impurities, absolving every sin, and when the sun returned, it would be a fresh start. Perhaps it wasn't too much to ask that he might have one, too.

When he returned to his desk, he mindlessly circled the days of their trip on his calendar. Patience. They'd be visiting his hometown... hers, too... surrounded by the magic of the holiday season... and he’d have to do his best to conceal his feelings. Patience. He had to do this... now if he could just figure out how.

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

#choices fanfic #open heart #open heart choices #choices open heart #tobias carrick #tobias carrick x mc #tobias x casey #playchoices fanfic

[stevenuniversequotevstory]

“Well, We’re Getting There” Steven Universe x Female reader story

3- Let’s Explore!

Word count- 4,771

Pages-12.7

Chapt 2/ chapt 4

It’s been a few hours now and the stores are starting to open. Y/n finished hanging up her clothes pretty early since not every piece came. She tried to fall asleep, but didn’t have anywhere comfortable to sleep at since there are no beds, mattresses, or couches in the house.

Y/n is currently getting dressed and ready to head down town to a store. They all needed some extra supplies to help them get more..comfortable while waiting for their stuff to arrive from the moving van.

Y/n ran down the stairs and was met with an excited Ruby. “I can’t wait to explore this town! Maybe we’ll meet new friends!” Ruby said. And when she said “new friends” she doesn’t mean people, she meant critters and other animals that can be found.

”Yeah, we can look for some later. But I wanna explore the town a little bit first.” Y/n said walking into the kitchen with Ruby by her side.

”Good mourning girls. Let’s get ready to go yeah?” Henry said walking out the door.

”What about breakfast?” Ruby asked. Sad that she is missing out on her favorite meal of the day.

”I think you two should try to eat out around here? Try some new food from a restaurant to get use to living here you know? It’s a small town so this may help you get use to your surroundings.” Henry said with a smile.

”Ok, how are we going to get there go? We don’t exactly have a way of transportation besides the bus.” Y/n asked.

” Well since Beach city is just a small town, we can just walk to our destinations! And it’ll be good for your heart too.” Henry told them .

They both groaned. Ever since Henry adopted them, he has been telling them things that would help their heart. Well, just Y/n’s since Ruby doesn’t have a literal heart. Guess that’s what happens when you have a heart surgeon as a father.

”Alright you two let’s head off!” Henry said after grabbing his wallet and house keys.

”Coming!” Both the girls said running out the door behind Henry. They were excited to say the least. They get to explore a whole different place! 

As they walked down the street, they were heading up a road instead of down. That’s where the girls wanted to explore at.

”Hey we’re not going down there?” Y/n said pointing to the street that led to the boardwalk.

“Yeah we wanna go down there.” Ruby exclaimed.

” Don’t worry. After we’re done getting the supplies, you two can head on over to explore more of the actual town in Beach City.” Henry said as he continued to walk up the street while both of the girls looked at each other and smiled, soon rushing off behind Henry. 

“Okay , so we need to head down to a store that sells bedding supplies “. Henry said going onto google searching on the maps for a store.

“I thought we already have that stuff” Y/n asked confused. 

“Well yes we do, but it won’t be here until Thursday.” Henry said. It was currently Monday. “So we need some sleeping bags and pillows for the next few night. Plus we need food too.” 

All three of them arrived at a near by store that was average sized. They walked in and were greeted by an employee. They walked over to the camping section, and looked over at the sleeping bags.

”Ok girls. Pick any sleeping bag you want. I’m going to go shopping for some food.” Henry said waving them off and walking away. 

Y/n picked a dark green one and Ruby picked a red one.  They were both chatting for a bit until a few people approached them.

”Hey I haven’t seen you here before. You here for a vacation?” A girl asked. She had a striped red and white shirt with round gold earrings. She had long skinny jeans on that were a light blue. She also came with two others. One had white hair with a blue jacket. He also had some big orange pants. The other had brown hair with shades covering his eyes. He had a white t shirt with a lightning bolt and a red jacket to go over it.

” Oh yeah we’re new. But we’re not visiting we just moved here.” Ruby said. 

“Oh really? We never get any permanent guests?” The girl said putting her fingers up to her mouth. “ Oh how rude of me, I forgot to tell you guys our names. I’m Jenny.” She pointed to herself. “ That’s Sour Cream” she pointed to the guy with white hair.

”Sup” he said casually.

”And that’s Buck” she pointed to the dude with shades on.

”Hey” he said cooly.

”Well it’s nice to meet you Jenny, Sour Cream, and Buck. I’m Ruby and this is my sister Y/n!” Ruby said excitedly. Sister? Ruby barely used that term for their friendship. They have been together ever since Y/n was a toddler, but it still surprises her. 

“Nice to meet you too, you know… you look sort of…familiar .” Jenny said putting a hand on her chin and squatting down to look at Ruby.” Oh that’s it!” She snapped her fingers. “  You look like Steven and his aunts.” Jenny said standing up.

Aunts? Since when does Ruby look like an Aunt, nevertheless a human? Y/n and Ruby stood their for a second looking at each other and then back at the other three that had been standing there. 

“Where are they?” Ruby asked. 

“Over by the beach. I’m sure Steven will be delighted to meet two new people.” Buck said slightly smiling and pointing towards the beach. 

“Hey you, Y/n right?” Jenny asked Y/n.

”Yes?” Y/n responded questioning.

”Wanna come hang with us tonight night? We’re gonna have a campfire and sleeping out in the old corn field by the barn. “ Jenny asked Y/n.

”What about Ruby? Y/n asked.

”How about you go without me? You should make more friends! This is perfect! When your getting ready to hang out with them, I can go see Steven and his Aunts.” Ruby said excitedly. She was practically jumping off the ground.

”Yeah listen to the red kid”. Buck said with a hand in his pocket.

”….Ok. I’ll go.” Y/n said hesitantly.

”Woo. Ok we can pick you up at 8:30 pm at ‘Fish Stew Pizza’ k? “ Jenny said while the other two grabbed some supplies.

”Sure” Y/n said 

“You don’t talk much do you?” Sour cream asked while holding flashlights and lighters.

”Not really” Y/n stated holding Ruby’s hand.

”GIRLS” Both of the girls turned around hearing Henry’s voice. Y/n was relieved and started to walk away.

” It was nice meeting you guys! See you later!” Ruby exclaimed and ran off with Y/n.

”Are you two ready to leave?” Henry asked putting the food he had chosen onto the self scanner.

”Ye-“ Ruby started, only to be interrupted by Y/n.

”Yes” Y/n said rather quickly. Y/n would be lying if said she wasn’t uncomfortable during the chat she had with Jenny and her friends. Most kids at her old school in California stayed away from her. They new about her different families since they lived in a small town. This was a new experience that Y/n did not like or even wants to try to get use to.

Ruby looked at Y/n and saw something that she hasn’t seen in years. Fear. Y/n was scared. Ruby grabbed Y/n’s hand and gave it a light squeeze. Henry finished putting everything in bags and told the girls to follow him.

”You alright?” Ruby asked looking at Y/n.

”Yeah I’m fine” Y/n responded quickly.

”You know, I don’t have to go meet the ge-“ Ruby was once again cut off by Y/n.

”No no. You should go meet them. I have never seen someone like you before so this may be a good sign. Even if it is just weird aunts, it’s worth a shot?” Y/n questioned Ruby and herself.

”Ok. But if you don’t feel comfortable you don’t have to go. You can come with me!”

Y/n knew that she should go with Ruby, but she wants to give Ruby a chance to make her own friends. Since Y/n had nobody to hang out with or even want to talk to her besides Ruby, Ruby hasn’t been able to make any other friends besides Y/n. Even though Y/n is a bit worried of her close friend, she trusts that she won’t do anything bad. The only problem is that she hasn’t been more than 50 feet away from Ruby in years.

The three of them were walking down the street to their new house so Henry can put away the groceries. They soon came to their street and Henry opened the door. Y/n put the groceries onto the counter and waited for Ruby. 

“Okay. I’m going to put these away . You two can go and explore. And here.” Henry handed them some money. Both the girls looked at him confused. “I think you two might get hungry. So use that to buy whatever! I’ll let you eat Junk food this one time.” Henry said.

Y/n and Ruby’s faces lit up. Since their new father is a age art surgeon, he doesn’t let them eat too much sugar. The frappechinos at the airport were the only sugary thing they’ve eaten all week. Nonetheless, junk food was never aloud at their house, so they were lucky today! Even though Ruby doesn’t exactly have a heart, she still listens to her adoptive father to show respect.

”Thanks!” They both said together. Henry chuckled as Y/n and Ruby started to leave the kitchen and out the front door.

”DON’T FORGET TO CHECK YOUR PHONES!” Henry yelled at them.

”OK!” Ruby yelled back at him while they both headed down the street. “Where to first?” Ruby asked Y/n.

”Let’s head down to the boardwalk. That’s the only place by the beach that actually has things to look at. Unless you wanna look at peoples houses.” Y/n joked and Ruby laughed.

”Okay! Off to the boardwalk!” Ruby said rather loudly running down the street.

”Wait! Ruby a car could be coming!” Y/n said following Ruby trying to catch up with her.

Once Y/n caught up with Ruby, they chatted for a bit and came close to the beach. Once they walked across the street, they were in front of a donut shop.

”Big Donut. Huh” Y/n said aloud with her hand on her chin. Now that’s a creative name isn’t it?” Y/n joked again.

”Ha! Wanna go inside? We’ve got money and I would really like to eat one! We haven’t ate one of these in months!” Ruby said excitedly.

Y/n and Ruby loved donuts, even if it made them feel sick after. Donuts was a food source for Y/n when she was little. Her caretakers after had donuts with them so she took a couple every time she was hungry. Ruby wanted to try some too. Ever since that day, they both loved donuts. But they haven’t ate any since they were back at the adoption center.

Y/n and Ruby walked into the shop and the door gave a little ding. Standing at the counter was a short girl and a boy. The girl had medium blond hair. The boy had brownish orange hair with big earring holes cut out in his ears. Both were wearing a blue shirt with a donut on it.

Y/n and Ruby both walked up to the counter to place their orders. “Hello welcome to the big donut.” The girl said. She looked at you both and gave a confused face. “ I’ve never seen you two here before. Are you a friend of Steven’s? “ She asked.

”No we haven’t met him yet. Why do you think we are?” Y/n asked curiously.

”Oh it’s because she looks like one of the gems.” She said pointing at Ruby. Gems?! So they are like her. This makes Y/n and Ruby even more curious than before.

” She is a gem, but she’s never met them yet.” Y/n responded. “ Can I have that donut please?” Y/n said pointing at a F/D.

“Yes. I’m Sadie by the way” She said while putting a donut into a bag. “Do you want one too?” She asked Ruby .

”Yes please. I’ll take that one.” She pointed at a strawberry glazed donut.

”Ok here you go.” She handed them their donuts. “That’ll be 6.78” she said and the girls gave her money. “Wait. I didn’t catch you names.” 

“I’m Y/n and that’s Ruby. We just moved here.” Y/n said taking a bite of her donut. 

“Nice to meet you you two hope we can meet up la-“ she was cut off by the boy.

”Jeez. Could you two hurry up? Your holding up the line!” The boy said pointing behind him. There was a line of people who didn’t look to happy.

”Oh yeah sorry we’ll leave now. It was nice meeting you Sadie . See you later. “ Y/n said walking out of the shop with Ruby. “ Well that was embarrassing “ she said walking further down the boardwalk.

Ruby chuckled “ Hehe, yeah it was wasn’t it? Hey! I’ve never seen you speak to someone like that before.”

”Yeah I don’t know why but I felt like i can trust her you know?” Y/n questioned not only Ruby but herself.

”Nope!” Ruby said with an innocent grin on her face. Y/n chuckled at the scene.

Both girls wondered down the boardwalk more and saw many shops. They decided that they should sit in a nearby bench and finish eating their donuts. 

“You wanna check out the other buildings here?” Ruby asked taking the last bite of her donut.

”No, we can do that another time. We aren’t gonna buy something from every shop. Plus, we shouldn’t just introduce ourselves to everyone.” Y/n said wiping her hands on her pants.” We still need to get back home too. We’ll just me I guess. Your gonna go meet the other gems soon right?” Y/n asked.

”Yep! Oh speaking of which, it’s already almost 4:00. You should head back and get ready with your new friends!” Ruby said.

”Yeah…new friends.” Y/n said in a not so excited voice.

”It’ll be okay. And if you feel uncomfortable, then just text me and I’ll make up an excuse of why you can’t be there.” Ruby stated with a shrug and got off her seat.

” Okay. I think I can do that. The same goes for you though. If you don’t wanna talk to those gems anymore. Text me too k? Y/n said holding out her fist.

”k” Ruby replied back and did a fist bump with Y/n. “I’m gonna head off now” Ruby told Y/n

”Do you know where your going? “ Y/n asked.

”I’ll just ask one of the employees or citizens here. You go home and don’t worry about little me.” Ruby brushed Y/n away.

”If you say so. Don’t forget to check your phone. I’m serious. I will find you.” And that was the last thing Ruby heard from Y/n after she walked away down the boardwalk.

Ruby wasn’t going to lie, she felt a bit scared going to meet new people without Y/n . Sure , Ruby had been on earth for most of her life, but she still isn’t that great when it comes to meeting them.

Ruby went to a fry shop. There was a young boy behind the counter with blond hair that looked like fries. Ruby approached him with a smile.

”Hi there! I’m Ruby and I’m wondering where I can find the home of Steven?” Ruby asked the boy, standing on her tippy toes. 

“Oh hi. I’m Petey, and Stevens house is right around the corner of the beach.” He said pointing at the side of the beach with a cliff near it. “ It’s a beach house and the only actual house on the beach. It shouldn’t be hard to miss.” 

“Okay. Thanks and nice to meet you “ Ruby yelled running over to the beach. She was excited. She hasn’t met another gem in years, nonetheless other gems rather than other Ruby soldiers. The only problem was, she didn’t know what she was about to get herself into.

Steven was currently lying on his bed, doing absolutely nothing. After the events with Lapis draining the whole ocean and his dad faking his broken leg, he needed a break. Luckily, there were no missions to go on with the gems so he can sit back and relax. 

Pearl and Amethyst were squabbling about something on the couch. Like always. And Garnet was just leaning on the counter listening to Pearl and Amethyst fight. Steven let out a loud sigh and sat up.

“Pearl. Amethyst. Stop fighting your bothering Steven.” Garnet said in her usual monotone voice.

“No it’s not them. It’s Lapis . She caused so much damage and just left.” Steven said rather sadly.

”Steven, it will be alright. You did the right thing. But we cannot worry about her any much longer. We must focus on what needs to be done to protect humanity.” Pearl said trying to cheer up Steven. 

“Yeah Ste-man. Don’t worry about water girl. We got this under control.” Amethyst shrugged and Pearl had an irritated face on .

”Yeah. I think you guys might be right. Thanks.” Steven said looking at the gems.

”No problem.” Garnet said with a straight face.

Their chat was soon interrupted by a knock on the door. 

“Hello” Ruby said through the glass door.

The gems were silent for a minute, before opening the glass door harshly. Luckily, Ruby moved out of the way just before it hit her.

” Hi I’m Ru-“ She was cut off with a sharp whip to her face.” Owww! Hey what are y-“ once again, she was cut off. But this time she was thrown all the way down the stairs onto the sand.” Uhhh” Ruby groaned on impact.

”It’s a Ruby soldier from Homeworld!” Garnet said summoning her fists. “ Get her!” Garnet yelled at Pearl and Amethyst while they were all jumping down from the deck. Steven was still by the front door, watching the battle below him.

”Guys wait ! She may not be bad!” Steven tried to tell them while running down the stairs.

”Stay out of this Steven ! You don’t know what she’s capable of!” Pearl said with her spear in hand.

Ruby got up and tried to run off, but Ametugit in front of her and tied her to her whip. “ AHHHHH!! Let. Me . Go!” Ruby said as she struggled to get loose from the whip.

”Yeah, no!” Amethyst said as she managed to throw Ruby far.

”AHHHH!” Ruby screamed as she fell on the floor once again. Ruby got up and hid behind a near by rock while she can hear the foot steps of the larger gem. She took her phone out of her gem, and started to text Y/n. But before she could send anything, Garnet came and grabbed her phone, crushing it in the process. She knew that she was doomed now.

Y/n was done packing up her supplies. She was still terrified to go, but she wanted Ruby to have a chance at meeting people just like her. Speaking of Ruby, Y/n hasn’t got a single text from her yet. She grabbed her phone and opened the messages app. 

You: hey just checking up on u.

You: u ok? why aren’t I answering me?

Still no response . This started to worry Y/n a lot. She opened her phone tracking app and looked at Ruby’s profile. It was disconnected. That really scared Y/n. She feared that Ruby was gone or hurt. She immediately got up and ran out of the house.

”Y/n?! Where are you going?!” Henry yelled as she ran out the front door. She didn’t care if she would be lectured later by Henry. The only thing she cared about right now was to find her best friend . She ran ran down the road ignoring all the honking and people screaming at her to get out of the way.

She soon came upon the boardwalk and dashed down it, stopping to ask a question.

”WHERES……STEVEN’S……HOUSE!!!” She said between pants to Petey. 

“Uhhh, right around the corner ma’am?” Petey said slightly weirded out by the fact a girl was practically screaming in his face.

Without a thank you, she ran down the beach, only to slow down to catch her breath a little.

Ruby was struggling to stay up. She kept getting attacked over and over again, she didn’t want to fight anymore.

”UHHH! Why isn’t she poofing!!!!” Amethyst said angrily.

”She’s a Ruby, they are meant to be body guards and take hits like this.” Pearl said holding up her spear. 

“She can’t stay like this forever. We’ll get her soon” Garnet said walking over to Ruby once again.

”Guys stop! You don’t know if she’s still with homeworld!” Steven said jumping in front of Ruby defensively.

”How do you know that?!” Pearl asked rather loudly.

”Because why would she not be attacking you right now? She hasn’t attacked at all! And if she had an army or some kind of weapon, wouldn’t she have already used it?” Steven asked the gems. Pearl and Amethyst seemed to think for a moment, before Garnet stepped in.

”Steven” Garnet said looking at Steven. “ I do not care. Sorry Steven , but we cannot be to sure about this”. And with one last hard hit, Ruby’s gem hit the floor, with no body around it.

Steven picked up the gem and looked at it for a bit, then said some words.

”I’m sorry Ruby, but your in a safer space now”. He said bubbling the gem, before he gets a huge punch to the face.

”OWWWW” Steven whined. The punch was so hard, Ruby’s gem fell out of the almost made bubble.

”STEVEN! I TOLD YOU THEY HAD OTHER GEM MEMBERS!!!!” Pearl screamed as she ran over to help Steven. 

“ Uhhhh, P? That’s not a gem.” Amethyst said looking in Y/n’s direction.

”Wha?” Pearl said as she turned around to see Y/n picking up the Ruby’s gem. Y/n was devastated. She couldn’t believe that her best friend was attacked, and it was her fault. She shouldn’t have left Ruby alone. She should’ve went with her. But right now was not the time to grieve over her friend, she had bigger problems to deal with.

Y/n looked down at the gem and put it in her pocket, then looked up at Steven and the gems with pure anger in her eyes. That did frighten Steven , and even Pearl a bit. She had never seen any human with such hatred on their eyes.

”E-Excuse me? I need to take that-“ Steven said walking over to Y/n, to earn another punch in the face. This time he was punched in the nose, which was bleeding.

”STEVEN!” Pearl and Amethyst yelled together getting their weapons back out. Garnet walked up to Y/n without her weapon. Then she just picked up Y/n by the shirt.

”Give her to us.” Garnet said in her monotone voice. She was trying to be more intimidating to scare the floors into giving up the gem, but that was not happening anytime soon.

”NO!” Y/n yelled at Garnet. Garnet only tightened her grip on the girls shirt.

”Give her to-“ Garnet was cut off with a pinch to her face, making her drop the girl.

”GARNET!” Steven yelled to her. Her shades fell off and it showed three very angry eyes.

”What the?” Y/n mumbled to herself. Then she remembered why she was here right now. She got up from the ground , but quickly got pulled by Garnet, holding her up in the air again.

” I will give you one more chance before we force it out of your grasp” Garnet said with and angered tone.

”I don’t care! You can kill me if you have to! Just don’t hurt my sister!” Y/n yelled at the tall gem. 

“Sister?” Steven said to himself, then he realized something. “Wait Garnet! Put her down! “ Steven yelled at her as he ran over to her leg. “You know Ruby?” Steven asked Y/n . “ H-How long?” 

“Ten years.” Once Garnet heard that , she dropped the girl to the ground. Steven rushed to Y/n’s side.

”Are you okay! Wow you really lived with another gem? How did you guys meet? Are you two new here? Wanna be friends? Oh let me help you up-“ Steven asked a bunch of questions. When he tried to help Y/n up, she slapped his hand away and got up herself. Steven was confused for a moment, but then saw the anger in her eyes.

Y/n was still pissed. She couldn’t believe that this kid wanted to be friends with her, right after his friends attacked her and her best friend.

”Friend’s? With you? Never.” Y/n snarled at Steven. Steven was taken back by the comment. 

“ Sorry , we just didn’t know if we could trust he-“ he was cut off by Y/n, luckily not a punch this time.

”Trust her?! So you brutally beat her up until her form was gone?!!!” Y/n yelled at Steven.

” I don’t think you understand! We are the Crystal gems. We protect life on earth and-“ Pearl stated to the angry human. 

“Protect life on earth? It doesn’t seem like you “protect life on earth” . Your doing a pretty horrible job at it!” Y/n yelled at Pearl. Pearl looked frustrated and was about to speak up until Garnet stopped her.

” I’m leaving. I don’t want to be here with the” Crystal gems protectors of earth “ . Hope you have a horrible rest of you life.” Y/n said as she walked away from the gems. “ I knew it was a bad idea to move here” Y/n said to herself, but she didn’t know that the gems could still hear her. 

Steven looked really upset, like he was punched in the heart. Well, he was punched, just not in the heart. 

“Some nerve that human has! Coming here to just barge in on our duties!” Pearl yelled angrily as she walked back to the temple. 

“Yeesh I know. At least it’s finally over now.” Amethyst said as she walked with her arms behind her head up to the temple as well.

”Steven just stood there devastated. He thought he could get along with someone new, but didn’t think he would loose two potential friends. Garnet saw the sadness on his face, she made her way over to Steven.

”Don’t worry Steven , she’ll get over it soon. And then maybe you can become good friends.” Garnet reassured him.

”Okay, thanks Garnet”. Steven said with a smile.

”Hmmm. No problem “ Garnet said with a slight smile adjusting her shades. She started up the stairs and Steven followed after her. Steven was excited to see Y/n and Ruby again , even if Y/n beat him up pretty badly, he k ew that everything will turn out okay. That’s what he thought at least. 

#amethyst #blue diamond #cartoon #lapis lazuli x reader #peridot x reader #pink diamond #spinel #spinel x reader #steven universe x reader #steven universe #wattpad #Quotev #well…we’re getting there.. #well..we’re getting there #steven universe x female insert #steven universe x y/n #steven universe the movie #steven universe reader insert #steven universe future #steven universe headcanon #pearl steven universe #steven unvierse au #steven universe x female reader #pearl x bismuth #pearl x reader #pearl x amethyst

[ggfj84]

The Gotham Knights hadn’t graced the playoffs for 12 years straight, the longest streak in the league, so when they finally drafted a first-round quarterback and built a team around him, Dick was ecstatic. He watched the games every weekend and even managed to wrangle the family.

What started in Week 2 as, “Why don’t you stop by, Tim? We’ll order pizza, some mozzarella sticks, make a night of it,” became a weekly ritual, and each week, they added a new family member.

“You don’t mind that I invited Jason, do you?” Tim asked the following week. He also brought an extra pizza. “He was hanging around my boathouse like a kicked puppy.”

“Hey! At least make me a kicked Rottweiler or something!” Jason snarled with little heat. “And I just asked you to do like, two stitches.”

“It was ten but whatever.”

Dick shrugged. “Want a beer?”

“Yes,” the two said in tandem, but Dick brought back two beers and one large iced coffee. Tim didn’t seem to mind not drinking then.

Week 4 welcomed Damian, who understood the nature of honorable combat but not quite how football applied. By Week 7, he was yelling that he wanted “to teach the referee how Ra’s al Ghul dealt with incompetence” for ruling an incomplete pass a fumble.  

Week 5 brought Duke into their Sunday clique. He picked apart the plays and made suggestions that the Knights clearly could not hear.

“No chance you can blind the Metropolis Meteors’ quarterback for two seconds, right?” Jason asked as he tossed a jalapeño popper into his mouth. “Just so he can’t throw after the two-minute warning.”

Duke leaned back and sipped the large pumpkin latte Tim brought him. “Can I? Yeah, probably. From here? Probably not. But dude, I don’t want to get kicked out of the club.”

“Oh, please. It’s not like they ban you forever. I should know. Besides, as long as you don’t kill anyone, B will probably let you back in by summer.”

“Jason, please don’t try to corrupt the new kid,” Dick called from across the room. A moment passed. “At least not until the playoffs.”

By Week 9, they had moved to the Wayne Brownstone. Bruce came down from upstairs after 1 p.m. to find the boys plus Stephanie and Cass camped out in the living room. The game spread had grown to take up not just the coffee table but also the end and side tables by the couches and chairs.  

When the Knights scored, they shot to their feet, roaring with cheers and high-fives.

“…what is going on here?” Bruce asked as he came to stand behind the sofa.

“The Knights are 8 and 1, Father, and are two wins away from a playoff berth,” Damian rattled off without looking away from the screen.

“The new quarterback is on fire,” Cass added, topping her chili cheese dog with extra onions.

“In more ways than one, am I right?” Steph asked, lifting a hand. When Cass shook her head and left her hanging, Steph turned to Tim, who immediately returned her high-five.

Dick smiled up from his position in the middle of the largest couch. “Take a seat, Old Man. We made nachos with queso.”

The great Batman’s kryptonite.

After that, Bruce met Dick at the front door every Sunday at noon – or at six p.m. on Thursday or Monday night – when Dick arrived to set up. On Week 14, Bruce surprised them all with jerseys of their favorite players (including Cass, the traitor, who fell in love with the Meteors’ quarterback).

Week 18, they went to the game at Ferris Aircraft Field – box seats, of course – to send the Knights into the playoffs as the AFC first-round seed.  

The family held a quick meeting after the game to strategize.

“Bruce is holding charity events the next three Sundays,” Dick informed, causing Stephanie, Duke, and Jason to boo and Barbara and Damian to throw crumpled-up napkins.

Bruce put up his hands and legitimately looked remorseful. “I didn’t know you would all be taking up my living room for half the year when Lucius asked me to host, and these are all good causes.”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t blame the one-time billionaire for wanting to give back to the community,” Dick interjected with a wave of his hand, “and we’ve got this. Barbara, would you mind hosting us the wildcard week?”

“Only if you promise to clean up afterwards and make breakfast the next morning,” Barbara offered with a suggestive smirk.

“Sold!” Dick winked, even as Damian made gagging noises and Steph whispered to Cass, “We need noise-canceling headphones.”

“I can host the Divisional Week,” Jason offered, raising his voice over the girls. “No way in hell we’re going to Tim’s lame-ass boathouse.”

Tim snorted and crossed his arms. “Next time, stitch your own wounds, Jay.”

“Next time, get a real place to live, Drake.”

“I can do the NFL Conference Championships.” Dick snorted at the chorus of whines and groans that followed. “Hey, hey, hey, my place is less than a half an hour away without traffic, and it’s not like you all go to sleep early anyway. And we’ll be back at the Brownstone for the Super Bowl, all right? Now, let’s work out the menus, so the hosts aren’t the only ones cooking.”

Of course, the Gotham Knights tore through the playoffs, winning the Divisional Round and Conference Championships, which meant they were on their way to Glendale, Arizona, for the Super Bowl.

Dick stayed over in Gotham the night before and was already halfway through cutting up vegetables for the guacamole when Bruce entered the kitchen with a communicator in his hand. “I’ve been called away. League business.”

“On Super Bowl Sunday? Even villains usually take this day off to watch the game.”

“Aliens generally don’t care about our rituals or culture.”

“Don’t let Clark or J’onn hear you say that.” Dick scooped up the tomatoes and placed them in a large mixing bowl. “I’m pretty sure the Super Bowl is Clark’s favorite day of the year.”

Bruce scowled. “They didn’t name the game after him, no matter what he says.”

“Do you really have League business, or did you hear that Damian invited the Lane-Kents over to watch with us?” Dick asked with a teasing smile.

Bruce’s face fell. “If there was anything I could do to postpone an alien invasion, I would.”

“Do you need any help?”

Bruce clasped his shoulder warmly. “Thank you, but you’re needed here. I’ll try my best to be back for the Half-Time show.”

“Hey,” Dick called. Bruce turned halfway around in the doorway. “You’re needed here, too. We missed you the last few weeks. It’s not the same without you.”

“You missed my homemade salsa.”

“Jason makes a second salsa and switches out your sucky salsa, Old Man.”

A small smirk teased the edge of Bruce’s lips. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“You better.”

Bruce left with a quick nod, and Dick sighed. He put on a brave face when Damian, followed by Jason, Tim, and finally Duke wandered into the kitchen. He’d switched gears to make pancakes for breakfast before Jason took over to make his salsa and Tim ran out to pick up the pizza, hotdogs, and jalapeño poppers (Clark’s favorite snack). Duke put the finishing touches on the guacamole before they all worked together to fix the nachos.

The Batgirls arrived just after three, and Lois and Jon showed up after five. The first quarter came and went, followed quickly by the second, and though he enjoyed the night with his family, Dick checked his phone often and even sent off a quick text, Offer still stands if you need help.

As Half-Time came, Dick went out to the stoop to look up at the stars. It wasn’t like he didn’t know the world needed Batman, and it wasn’t like he wasn’t used to Bruce missing their family events. But Bruce had been making an effort lately. He made a point to join them every Sunday after they moved to the Brownstone, and he even asked Barry to run him to Bludhaven two weeks ago, so he could catch the end of the AFC Conference Championship game.

Dick just thought – hoped really – that they could enjoy the Gotham Knights winning the Super Bowl together.

Instead, he stood outside and just hoped his father would come home at all. How Alfred did it all those years, he’d never know.

“Dick! It’s back on!” Tim called from inside.

“Be right there!” Dick gave the sky once last lingering stare before turning to go back in –

“Don’t tell me you finished the jalapeño poppers and nachos yet.”

Dick turned and crossed his arms to hide his relieved sigh as Clark and Bruce appeared – seemingly out of nowhere – at the bottom of the Brownstone stairs.

“I’d check the warming draws,” Dick said with a wink. “There might be some lingering snacks in there for the second half.”

Bruce took the stairs two at a time. “Who’s winning?”

“Meteors, 10 to 7, but I wouldn’t count the Knights out yet.”

“During the Super Bowl?” Clark laughed as he clasped Dick on the shoulder and led him inside. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

“Oh, you never know. Knights – dark and otherwise – sometimes surprise you.”

The Meteors ended up winning 21 to 20, but as Dick sat surrounded by his family and they began making plans for next season, he knew he had, in fact, won.  

#Batfamily #Bat Family #BatFam #Dick Grayson #Tim Drake #Jason Todd #Nightwing #Red Hood #Robin #Damian Wayne #Bruce Wayne #Batman #Stephanie Brown #Cassandra Cain #Batgirls #ggfj84 writes #batfam drabbles