#Stories about firefighters always have a special place in my heart

[tomtenadia]

Detours to you - 19

Hello all,

I am off on holidays to Lisbon tomorrow for a few days to celebrate my bday so I will leave you with a new chapter. It's Maya's bday too (she is a January girl like me).

Hope you will enjoy the fluff

MASTERLIST

A week elapsed and Maya’s birthday had finally arrived. They had waited until the Saturday for the celebrations and Aelin had closed the shop for a day so they could host the party there. They had invited her parents, Lys and Aedion, Elide was coming on her own since Lorcan was on shift, a few kids from the school that Maya liked and Rowan had the day off but was on call. Aelin just hoped nothing would interrupt the day. He needed a day of celebrations. His week had been hellish. She had accompanied him to the funeral of his three firefighters and had seen how broken he had been. Rowan had been grieving and had been so busy with the investigation that she worried about him. 

Now he was at home with Maya while she was at the bookshop getting it ready for the party.

They had gone for a mix theme of hockey and space. Rowan had started teaching her basic astronomy with the telescope he had gifted her and Maya had fallen in love with it.

A knock came at the front door and she saw her parents. Aelin invited them in with a hug “Hi mum, and dad.”

“Hi Aelin, where’s the birthday girl?”

“Rowan will bring her here as soon as I gave him the okay that the shop is ready.”

Evalin walked around the shop and looked at the decorations “This looks lovely.”

Rhoe looked at the space decorations and Aelin walked up to him “Rowan had been teaching her about the stars.”

“I know,” her father added “She is actually teaching me all about it now.”

Aelin laughed “she is teaching me too.”

“I brought a lot of biscuits and a cake too.” Added Evalin, showing her daughter the box she was carrying. 

Aelin grabbed the containers with food and placed them on the table that they had set up..

“Mum she will love your cake, it has the perfect level of chocolate.”

Evalin laughed “I also have a box for Rowan. I know he is not a fan of sweets so I made him the orange oatmeal biscuits that he loves so much.”

Aelin thanked her mother and she knew that she had always had a special place in her heart for Rowan.

Lysandra, Aedion and Elide arrived not long after together with the other few guests. She had texted Rowan that it was time to bring Maya. When later on he texted her that they had parked the car and walking to the shop, the group had switched off the lights and got ready for the surprise.

Rowan walked with his daughter on his hand and at the shop, he used the key Aelin had given him. As soon as they were inside, the darkness got replaced by a starry sky and slowly the people appeared and Aelin walked to her daughter and Rowan was at her side “Happy birthday, Maya.”

Maya hugged them both and then looked at the stars “mama your shop has stars.”

“Yes, baby, do you like it?”

“I love it so much.”

Slowly they turned up the lights and allowed her to see all the guests.

“Nana.” Maya ran to her grandparents.

“Happy birthday, my love, you are a big girl now.”

“Yes, nana I am six.” She proudly lifted her fingers.

Aelin encouraged the kids to gather in the children section where they had created a corner for them. She had also organised a story telling session with cake after the presents. But most of all, she was looking forward to see the present she got from her and Rowan. They had bought her first bike. She knew Maya was going to love it.

Rowan walked to her side “you have done a wonderful job with the bookshop. The starry sky  is perfect.”

Aelin leaned her head against his shoulder “You should see my mum’s hockey themed cake.”

“She will feel like the queen of the world today.” His arms wound around Aelin’s waist and pulled her closer “she is definitely my princess.”

“I found this young lady running around, does anyone know her?” Aedion was carrying Maya potato sack style and the girl giggled at her uncle antics “Dad save me, the dragon has taken me.”

Rowan laughed and followed the two, pretending to fight Aedion while he growled.

One of the mums walked at her side “He is so good to her.”

Aelin nodded while sipping her juice.

“You know that at school he has won the title of DILF, right?”

Aelin knew. The news had reached her and a lot of the mums had a crush on him. It had pissed her off to no end and she had been jealous too. Just as she was jealous of Lyria. The whole relationship between them was still very frail, they had not set on a label but she wanted to be possessive. Rowan was hers.

“I know and I hate it.”

“My husband was their target until Rowan came up. I know how you feel.”

“I hate them and that Remelle woman and her son caused so much grief to Maya.”

The woman gave a nervous laugh “I had my running ins with Remelle. She almost messed up my marriage with her lies.”

“Mama, we are opening presents!” Maya walked to her grabbing her hand to drag her where all the presents were gathered. 

The adults they all sat down and Aelin took Maya where all the gifts were, and started to hand out all the parcels. 

“Ok birthday girl, let’s open up a few present, shall we?”

Maya started jumping up all excited “Yes! Yes! I want the presents!”

They started with the ones from her school friends then it was then time of Elide and Lorcan who had bought her a pass for the observatory and then a limited edition jersey of the Stags. Maya ran to hug Elide. Lorcan could not be present because he was working  “Thank you auntie Elide. I love it.” 

“Mama, can I wear it?”

“Not yet, after cake maybe but not now. We don’t want to ruin it with chocolate.”

“Ok.”

Aelin placed the item of clothing aside and grabbed a present she knew was from Aedion and Lysandra. They had gifted her a super special edition book of Terrasen folktales and then her own hockey stick with the Stags colours.

Maya screamed happily and grabbed her stick swinging as if she was playing “I am playing hockey!”

They all laughed and Maya kept playing happily until Rowan pulled her back to attention for her grandparents presents who had given her a tent for her bedroom that had a space theme and then a projector for her bedroom so she could project the sky in her room.

“Nana and I thought they would be nice for the days you can’t go out in the garden. So you can have the sky in your room.”

Maya ran to her grandparents and hugged them tightly “Thank you.”

“Come on now, you have the last one from us.”

Maya walked back to her parents and Aelin and Rowan sat down beside her and Aelin handed her a small packet. When she struggled Rowan helped her opening it and she looked at her present with a curious face. Rowan lifted the passes “Maya, this is a ticket for a special event the Stag are doing and meeting the fans.”

Maya looked at her dad with big green eyes “Dorian too?”

Rowan caressed her face “yes baby, we are going to meet all the Stags again.”

She threw herself at her dad and Aelin moved closer brushing her back. They remained in silence while they cuddled their daughter then Rowan pulled back “we have one last surprise for you.” He passed Maya to her mum and walked at the back of the shop. When he came back he was pushing a green bicycle and Maya ran to him “Is it for me?”

“Of course,” he grabbed her hand and helped her sit on. The bike still had stabilisers and Rowan showed her how to use the pedals and within minutes Maya was cycling, with a fussy Rowan hovering over her.

“I think you guys topped her presents. Aeds and I tried to give her a cool one.”

“Lys, your presents were great as well.”

Lysandra stared at Rowan with Maya “He is so cute with her.”

Aelin nodded.

“So, are you getting married next?”

She chuckled “Elide asked me the same thing a while ago.”

“Because you both have made some strides and are improving, that is the next logical step.”

Aelin was silent for a moment “As I said to El, we are not there yet. For now, let’s all concentrate on your wedding.”

“Mama look, I am cycling.”

Aelin looked at her daughter on her bike and smiled. Rowan had approached her one day saying that Maya had mentioned about having a bike like the other kids. He said that he wanted to teach her and Aelin had agreed. She loved that Rowan had involved her too after the hockey classes fiasco. Classes that were going to start next week and their daughter was the most excited person ever. 

“You are doing so well, Maya.”

They were all in the middle of having cake when Rowan’s radio became alive. Everyone fell silent and he grabbed it running away to a quiet corner.

Aelin watched him with a tightness in her chest. She knew he was on call and that if an emergency happened he’d have to leave. She just hoped that for one day Orynth would have no drama so he’d be able to celebrate his daughter’s birthday in peace. It was the first one for him and she wanted it to be special for both.

He came back at the front and she knew from his face that it was not good. She had forgotten how easily she could read his expressions “What is it?”

“I need to go. I am sorry.”

Aelin hugged him tightly “Be careful, please.” A soft whisper against his neck, the scent of pine and snow soothing her soul “Come back to me. To us.”

Rowan kissed her on her lips and pulled back, kneeling in front of Maya “I have to go to work and help people.” His heart broke at Maya’s wobbly lip “I will see you later at home, baby.”

Maya threw her arms around him and softly sobbed.

“Happy birthday, my love.”

Rowan then forced himself to stand and take a step towards the door. He cast a last glance at the party and then walked out in a run.

Aelin watched Rowan go.

There was an ache in her chest. An ancient fear rising in her. It was the anguish she had felt when he was on active duty and a regular firefighter. Waiting for him to come home after his shift and knowing he was safe. Aelin had accepted the dangers of his job the day she had confessed him she was in love with him. 

Gods, she loved him. She had to tell him. She let him go to his job without telling that she loved him.

Aelin prayed Mala to bring him back to her.

I will come back to you.

taglist

@rowaelinismyotp @swankii-art-teacher @whimsicallyreading @elentiyawhitethorn @aelin-bitch-queen @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity  @mis-lil-red @thegreyj @sailorsassley @leiawritesstories @clairec79 @morganofthewildfire @sv0430 @heartless--aromantic @autumnbabylon @rowanaelinn @backtobl4ck @susumaus98  @gracie-rosee @mybloodrunsblue @tanvee1231 @avenrebekah @whoever-you-choose-to-love  @theywillnotsingforme @universallytreepost @black-daisy-water @goddess-aelin @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart @lovely-dove-zee @athena127

#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #rowan x aelin #rowaelin fanfiction #rowaelin fanfic #aelin x rowan #rowanwhitethorn #throne of glass fanfiction #aelin galathynius #rowaelin kids

[aworldforastage]

2023 Q2 Reading Recap: Personal Favorites

(Art for audio adaptations of Blazing Armour (audiobook), Top Flower Vase of the Mainland Entertainment Industry, and Spoil)

I finished 14 titles between April and June, which is a surprise because I had a really hard time finishing novels these last few months. This post will cover six personal favorites:

Blazing Armor / 火焰戎装 by 水千丞

Nei Yu Di Yi Hua Ping (Top Flower Vase of the Mainland Entertainment Industry) / 内娱第一花瓶 by 三三娘

Placid Chang’an / 太平长安 by 盐盐Yany

The Retirement Life of a Runaway Desperado / 亡命之徒的退休生涯 by FOX

Wilderness Vegetation / 荒野植被 by 麦香鸡呢

Zuo Jian (Spoil) / 作践 by 十步方寒

火焰戎装/Blazing Armor by 水千丞

“我都发誓，要带每个人，平安回去。” "I always swore I would bring everyone home, safely home."

Most novels in SQC's 188 series focus on the relationship arc, but Blazing Armor is driven by a tightly-paced and well-researched plot around the protagonist's career as a firefighter. As he races to put out fires and investigate cases of potential arson, he gets to know a rich, smart, and 188cm tall police officer with the face of a movie star and the personality of a craggy rock. They develop a close bond through their work, and decide to reopen a decade-old case that haunts both of them.

My favorite parts of this novel are the details put into Ren Yi's work as a firefighter. We see him handling dozens of sites and accidents big and small, and the inner five-year-old in me is fascinated by the information on different types of firetrucks! The mystery/procedural aspects of the story is also very engaging, though personally I find its resolution a bit underwhelming. As a member of a 188 Club, Gong Yingxian is less of a scum gong and more of a jerk who doesn't think of other people's feelings. Rather than toying with Ren Yi's romantic feelings for him, Gong Yingxian betrays his trust on other important issues (like criminal investigations), and YMMV if that is better or worse.

内娱第一花瓶/Top Flower Vase of the Mainland Entertainment Industry by 三三娘

"我已经做好了为你画一辈子分镜的准备," I am prepared to storyboard for you for the rest of my life.

Ke Yu has a reputation as a "flower vase" who looks pretty and can't act, but he absolutely shines through the lens of Shang Lu, a genius aspiring director. At just under 1 million characters long, this novel takes us through LuYu's first meeting, the gradual development of their relationship, a heart-wrenching breakup, and a deliciously bittersweet reconciliation arc in which they must face the regret and pain sowed by their own actions. Alongside the movie-making, we also get treated to dark secrets, painful backstories, and the rivalries and schemes among the artistic and business elites.

This novel stands out for treating performance and film-making as serious professions that require careful study and hard work. The highlight in this story is the LuYu relationship, but it's through the rich details about their movie-making that convince us Ke Yu and Shang Lu's share a truly special bond built on respect for each other's art and talent. In a few places, the novel made me a bit uncomfortable with its idolization of the wealthy elite, depictions of foreigners and the Chinese diaspora, and female characters repeatedly getting the short end of the stick in the narrative, though this may simply have been me becoming more critical as I revisit the story for rereads.

太平长安/Placid Chang'an by 盐盐Yany

“你既然选择了大理寺，查找真相、还原真相就是你的事，而我身为摄政亲王，稳定朝局，制衡天下是我的事。你做你该做的，剩下的我来处理。” "Since you have chosen to join the Court of Judicial Review, investigating and uncovering the truth is now your duty; I am the Prince Regent, so stabilizing the court and governing the nation is my duty. Do your duty, and I will handle the rest."

Su Cen is the newly-minted Zhuangyuan in the most recent Imperial Exams, but his political career is complicated by the factional rivalry in government. He starts as a lowly administrator with the Court of Judicial Review, and soon shines as a talented investigator with with a sharp intuition and fierce determination. He repeatedly crosses path with the Prince Regent, eventually falling into the Prince's faction at court and his bed at night. As Su Cen continues his work and tries to figure out what kind of public servants he wants to become, he notices something or other always seem to lead back to this secret society and a decade-old cold case....

I really like this novel for its cases and mysteries, as well as for clever handling of several tropes that I generally dislike. The Prince Regent is more powerful and older than his love interest (~ 40 y.o. vs early 20s). This novel does not shy away from how this difference in power, knowledge, and experience generally do not work in Su Cen's favor, even though he also benefits from being doted on, taken care of, and taught by the older and wiser Prince. The ending feels a bit rushed and cartoon-ish compared to the rest of the story. Some of the supporting characters feel a bit flat, but the main relationship and plot mysteries in this novel are very enjoyable.

亡命之徒的退休生涯/The Retirement Life of a Runaway Desperado by FOX^^

"你当父亲当得的确可怕，我不敢相信世界上有人不会热牛奶。" "Your efforts at fatherhood are indeed terrifying. I can not believe there exists people who do not know how to make warm milk."

Detective Lynn and Dr. Arthur are both widower single fathers who settle in a small American town to cope with the loss of their wives. Their daughters become fast friends, which forces them to become co-parents of sorts despite their dislike and distrust of each other. Soon it becomes very hard for Lynn to explain that he and Arthur are not together, even though Arthur is now looking after his child, making his food, picking out his outfits and aftershave.... However, there is a hidden danger in this small town, and Arthur is keeping some important secrets just like Lynn suspects.

This is a short novel at only 12 chapters. The prose is in the style of a translated novel, which can be a bit weird to read. Arthur and Lynn have their secrets and reservations about each other, but that's nothing next to the town's gossip engine or the convenience of keeping their kids in one place. The general atmosphere of the story is dominated by the slow pace of small town life and the frivolity of neighborly gossip, and I enjoy it the most for the domesticity of two jaded men raising their girls together in such a place.

荒野植被/Wilderness Vegetation by 麦香鸡呢

如果可以，谁不想体体面面的，体面地爱人，体面地被爱。 If it's possible, who wouldn't want dignity? To love with dignity, and be loved with dignity.

Xu Yan is still desperately holding onto his lopsided relationship with Shen Zhi at the start of the novel, but changes his mind and leaves by Chapter 5. Shen Zhi communicates so little that it takes him another ten chapters to realize he has been dumped for real. Although he never cheats on Xu Yan or thinks of him like a second-rate backup, Shen Zhi's behavior throughout their relationship is essentially emotional abuse. Despite his sad backstory and genuine feelings for Xu Yan, none of it justifies the harm caused by his behavior, and it's a long and hard road to win Xu Yan back.

It's strange to say it's a "healthy crematorium", but it's one of the few that does not try to justify, retcon, or minimize any bad behaviors. Xu Yan surrounds himself with a support system who reminds him that he deserves a truly nourishing relationship. Shen Zhi, despite his feelings, is actually quite respectful of Xu Yan's rejections and boundaries, and eventually lets Xu Yan go when he realizes how horribly wrong things have gone. Shen Zhi has the maturity to take responsibility for the mental and emotional work to become a better partner. When Xu Yan and Shen Zhi get back together, I believe they can build a good dynamic this time with their growth and maturity.

作践/Spoil by 十步方寒

我把我的心，系在了鸟的覆羽上，让鸟随着梦，把我带向自由的远方。 I tied my heart, onto the feathered wings of a bird, and let the bird follow its dreams, and carry me toward freedom in a faraway land.

Facing the exorbitant medical cost to treat his father's chronic liver failure, Xu Qingzhou agrees to sell "himself" to local entrepreneur Lu Cheng. He is a respectable teacher, husband, and father by day, and a sex slave during his off-hours. Lu Cheng's actions are less about pleasure and more about taking revenge for past actions of Xu Qingzhou's father. Between fear, guilt, and habits, Xu Qingzhou's actions and attitude toward Lu Cheng softens. But as Lu Cheng's controlling tendencies escalate, the delicate balance of Xu Qingzhou's double life begins to fall apart ...

This story is dark and brutally realistic. Innocent people are ruined by the cruelties of reality, while some can live their entire life without facing the consequences of their actions. The narrative touches on a host of social issues like homophobia, wealth inequity, a flawed healthcare system, as well as highlighting the harms caused by some traditional values like blind deference to figures of authority and the stigma attached to sex and sexuality. A true happy ending is impossible in this story, because some mistakes and wounds just cannot be fixed, but the characters do come to terms with the past, and starts on a path forward.

#hyrz #dyhp #tpca #wmzt #hyzb #作践 #火焰戎装 #blazing armour #内娱第一花瓶 #太平长安 #placid chang'an #亡命之徒的退休生涯 #The Retirement Life of a Runaway Desperado #荒野植被 #Wilderness Vegetation #danmei faves #danmei novels #my reading

[hyperfixationweekly]

My Experiences with Halo Infinite

I have been a huge halo fan for a very long time. Growing up, I never really played shooters. We were mainly a Nintendo family, so I didn’t get to experience what else was out there in the gaming sphere until middle school. I still remember going over to a friend’s house for a sleepover, and playing Halo 3 for the first time. I was awful at it (and I still am, honestly) but I had so much fun. I begged my parents for an Xbox 360 and Halo 3, and ended up getting them for my birthday that year.

I played through the campaign and loved it immediately. The storytelling and visuals, the gameplay, and the lore and Easter eggs all caught my interest. I bought Combat Evolved and Halo 2 secondhand soon after, and Halo 2 is still my favorite halo story to this day.

When Bungie relinquished control of the series, turning it over to 343, I wasn’t sure what to think. I still waited anxiously for Halo 4 the same way I hyped up Reach, but I was completely let down. I didn’t even buy H5, I waited for some reviews and made the decision to avoid it entirely when it was almost unanimously deemed complete dog shit. Some years went by, and I stopped gaming almost entirely. Then the lockdown happened.

I found myself suddenly with free time, and decided to dust off the old 360 and revisit the Bungie era games. I beat them all on legendary and had a great time doing split screen co-op with a couple friends. And that’s when I heard about Infinite.

It looked promising, with an art style that was incredibly faithful to the games that held such a special place in my heart. Gone were the hideous, brutish elites. The colors popped and the armor looked like I expected a Halo game to look. I waited patiently, and in February of 2022 I finally picked it up.

I’m going to split this up into things I like about Halo Infinite and things I strongly dislike.

I think the visuals in Halo Infinite are some of the best in the series. It’s so satisfying to walk into an area in a field and know immediately what kind of threat you’re facing, just based on the brightly colored enemy designs. The gunplay is incredibly satisfying, and once again the BR is king. The writing between the Master Chief and his new AI companion, the Weapon, tells a deep story of regret, loss, and apprehension. I was worried about the open world ruining the curated campaign experience that prior games presented, but it flows very well and I actually really enjoy exploring Zeta Halo. And everyone knows Halo has good music. Sure, Marty O’Donnell is no longer composing for the series, but this soundtrack finally revisits some of his best tracks while at the same time creating its own identity.

The things I dislike about may be fewer, however I think they outweigh the favorable aspects in my personal opinion. I immediately had a problem with the Banished, and their presentation. The incessant use of cutscenes and monologue from Escharum is exhausting, melodramatic, and doesn’t feel like a halo game in the slightest. Every time I see the camera pan in on Escharum’s face, it feels more like a fantasy game than a sci-fi shooter. I know nothing about World of Warcraft, but it’s the game that comes to mind for some reason. Halo 2, while being my favorite game in the series, still has its issues. And boss fights are one of them. It proved that boss fights just don’t work in a Halo game. It only had 3 bosses. Infinite has one at the end of every other mission, and they’re always just an angry brute, a big sentinel, or a hoard of enemies you have to fend off firefight style. The over abundance of cutscenes gets on my nerves too. Bungie was excellent at using cutscenes as well as in game scripted events to tell an intricate and intriguing story. 343 does the same thing they’ve done since Halo 4 and just slap a cutscene in to explain everything. And finally, the combat loop. Under Bungie, Halo was lauded for having great enemy AI. Elites and brutes and even grunts would flank the player, and cause you to think about your approach to every encounter. Infinite, while being significantly better than 4 and 5, are still a marked downgrade. Infinite’s combat pretty much consists of walking into an area, and killing everything. Repeat.

It’s such a shame, because I have been missing the old feel of the Halo series. And while I can tell Infinite is trying to recapture this feeling and even succeeds in moments, they still don’t have the feel for it at 343. Halo Infinite has moments of feeling like a Halo title, and moments of feeling like anything but a Halo title. I’m still trying to figure out what moments are what. It’s good, but it’s not great. Would I pay full price for it, in retrospect? No. Did I pay full price because of eagerness to see what it was all about? Oops.

#hyperfixationweekly #halo infinite

[nakurumok]

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9-1-1. What is your emergency?

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Got obsessed with 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star on Fox! I really love the Diaz family and Tarlos :DD They are so cuteeeeeeeeee

(Tumblr compressed the art so recommend to click open the pic to see! :D)

#9-1-1 on fox #9-1-1 lone star #Buddie #Tarlos #christopher diaz #evan buck buckely #Edmundo Diaz #TK Strand #carlos reyes #TV Drama #Stories about firefighters always have a special place in my heart #It is kind of my thing ever since I read め組の大吾 #Love ittttttttttt #Fanart #Buddie Fanart #Tarlos Fanart #And I really love the crossover between the two shows!

[libraryofloveletters]

A June Wedding

Evan Buckley x Reader 

Warnings: alcohol and the consumption of 

Category: Fluff 

Word Count: 2.8k

Author’s Note: idk what this is, I opened the doc and just started typing, so yeah // the flashbacks are set two years ago, when y/n meets Buck. The end is back to the present

---- 

From B: I was thinking about you.

From B: I miss you. 

The phone sat in your hand, you stared down at the message on the screen. It had been months, maybe longer since you met him-  2 years to be precise. 

The two of you had a weird friendship to say the least. One of those “will they, won’t they?” kind of things. Everyone seemed to notice how the two of you were in love except the two of you. 

Your story starts in a hole in the wall coffee shop two years ago, when Buck comes in after his first shift at the station. 

*Two Years Before* 

Tired and hungry was a typical look you saw among the folks who came to your shop. It was downtown LA and there were a lot of businesses around including station 118. 

Among your typical morning crowd, there were people in suits and ties, the few hippies/skater crowd and your favourite, the fire-fighters. 

They were your favourite not because they always had larger orders but they usually left big tips and were super sweet. 

It was around 9 in the evening when the bell on the door chimed as it was pushed open. You were closing up for the day but the ‘come in, we’re open’ sign still hung on the window that was ideally supposed to be taken down an hour ago. 

Pulling a tray of cookies from the oven, you were startled by the door considering that you thought you locked the door. Peering from the doorway of the kitchen, there was a man by the counter, staring up at the menu board. 

“Hi,” you smile, hesitantly stepping towards the counter from the kitchen. He glances down at you and smiles, mumbling a hello. 

“Uh, we’re actually closed right now.” you inform him. 

His brows furrow, glancing over his shoulder at the window. “But the sign-” “I forget to take it down.” 

“Oh. I’m sorry, I’ll- okay, I'm gonna go.” he looked.. disappointed. He pulls a phone out his pocket and sighs. You take that moment to study him. A grey sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, there’s a hat sitting backwards on his head and a duffle bag tossed over his shoulder. As he turns to leave, you notice the 4 letters written on his hat in bright red - LAFD. 

“Hey!” you call out, “You’re a firefighter ?” 

The blonde smiles and nods, “yeah, I started today actually. The guys at the station were talking about the coffee shop down the street. I didn’t get a chance to come during the day so I thought I'd come now- but I can come back another time, you’re closed”

Waving off his statement, you pick up a cup from the counter. “Nonsense, I'd never turn away one of the city’s finest.” you smile, he chuckles. “The city’s finest is more of a cop thing.” he tells you. 

“Is that so ?” asking, you begin looking through the fridge to see if there was any milk, he hums. 

“I think you’re pretty fine yourself” you mumble, standing straight when you realize what you’ve said. Your back was to him, a blush burning up your face. 

What you didn’t know was that Buck was blushing too, a pretty person like you calling him fine was surely going to make him blush and that it did. 

Clearing your throat, you turn to face him again. He was looking anywhere but at you for the moment. 

“What can I get you ?” 

“What do you have right now ?” 

“Just about everything, except for baked goods. I usually put those in the oven in the morning but I do have a tray of cookies if you’re interested.” 

“That sounds good,” he smiles at you. “I’ll take a cookie and uh-” glancing up at the menu, “whatever is your favourite drink” 

Humming, you turn and head to the kitchen to get two cookies for him and then begin mixing some coffee and creamer in a cup, along with ice and some caramel sauce. You ended up making two, one for him and one for you. 

The man was sitting at one of the stools by the window. He was watching the cars drive past. “Here,” you slide the plate over to him and set the cup beside it. 

He smiles, “thank you. How much do I owe you ?” he asks, reaching for what you assumed was his wallet. “Oh, don't worry about it. The register is locked and it’s your first time here, I wouldn’t have charged you anyways” 

“You don’t charge first time customers ?” 

“Only the firefighters, y’all hold a special place in my heart” you laugh, he smiles once more. 

“Are you in a hurry to leave? I can take it with me if you are.” 

“No, you're alright. The cookies are warm, I just took them out when you got here.” you sit beside him, taking a sip of your drink. He also takes a sip of his, you watch as his face twists and he smacks his tongue to try and figure out what it is. 

“I call it the y/n special” filling him in, his brows furrow. “It’s basically just caramel ice coffee” a small laugh passes your lips as you take another sip.

“I’m y/n by the way.” “I’m Buck” he smiles.

--

From that day, Buck was a regular in your shop. You made him a regular coffee before his shifts, 2 cream and 3 sugars - you've come to realize he had a bit of a sweet tooth.  After work, he’d stop by for an iced coffee and a cookie. You’d always keep some in the back for him. 

This became a routine, you asked him for his number so he could let you know when he was on his way to work that way you’d have his coffee ready if he was running late. 

Most mornings you’d just get an ‘coming’ or a little fire truck emoji letting you know he’s on his way to work. 

Over the next year and a half, the two of you became close. All the guys that came in from the station always teased you about your “boyfriend Buck” although he wasn’t your boyfriend. 

The two of you were close, you hung out all the time - when Buck had days off, he’d still stop by the shop for coffee or just to see you even though he lived in the opposite direction. He would also pick you up after work when you could walk home because you lived down the street. 

You often stopped by the station when you knew they were on a 24 hour shift. Buck would text you hourly with whatever he was thinking about, especially during the nights when most of his team was asleep and he couldn’t. During those 24 hour shifts, the last few hours kicked their asses, everyone was tired and too lazy to move to do anything about it- those were the days that you headed into the shop early to get some stuff together to take over for them. 

Over time, the affection between the two of you became clear to everyone but the two of you. 

You only really noticed you liked him after his unfortunate run in with the fire truck and his promotion which you decide to celebrate with him. 

There you were, a bottle of champagne in one hand and a bag of Thai takeout in the other - the perfect thing to celebrate his new- temporary as he kept reminding you- position. 

He had invited you over to watch a movie but life was short as was recently reiterated after Buck’s “getting stuck under municipal equipment” phase as the two of you joke. 

“Hey!” he smiles at you when he opens the door, immediately noticing the bottle of champagne in your hand. 

“The nice stuff,” he hummed, stepping aside so you could come in. You set the bag on the counter with the bottle before venturing further into the kitchen to find glasses. 

“What are we celebrating ?” he watches as you tumble through the cupboards. 

“Y/n?” “What ?” 

“What are we celebrating ?” he asks once more. 

“Do you not own any champagne glasses ? All I can find are solo cups and those ugly ass mugs you have.” sighing, you grab the solo cups knowing his answer already. 

“Y/n/n, I'm a 20-something year old guy living by himself-” “What makes you think I have such things?” finishing off the sentence for him which makes him laugh. 

Setting the cups down on the counter, you push the bottle over to him. “Would you be so kind as to do the honours?” you hop onto the counter. Buck peels the casing from around the top and then shakes the bottle. 

Your brows furrow, “that’s going to make a mess-” before you finish your sentence, the bottle pops. 

The cork ends up somewhere in the apartment whilst the very expensive champagne is sprayed everywhere. Buck just so innocently titled the bottle your way, soaking you in the liquid. 

Laughing, you pull the bottle away from him. He's standing in front of you when you grab his chin, pulling him towards you. Your left hand is cradling his jaw and leaning his head back to pour some of the champagne in his mouth. You over poured and split it on his shirt. 

The two of you were a laughing, sticky mess and the bottle was already half way empty. He held the cups out for you, letting you pour some into each cup before handing you one. 

“Okay, now will you tell me what prompted the champagne showers ?” he smiles, leaning against the counter next to you. 

“Well, life is short. You’re a fire Marshall now so, I’m here to celebrate.” 

Buck smiles at you, he wasn’t the biggest fan of his new job to be honest. Sure he liked it, but he’d do anything to be back out in the field. 

Your arm stretched out, “So to you Mr. Evan Buckley, wait should I say Fire Marshall Buckley ? Anyways congratulations my love, you deserve the job but if the power goes to your head, I'm putting you in your place.” laughing, you bump your cup to his. 

“To a speedy recovery and hoping for your return to the field soon because you’re driving everyone mad. Cheers!” 

Both taking a sip before Buck hops up onto the counter beside you. He shifted slightly, making a gap between the two of you and pulling the bag of takeout to the spot. Dinner was had on the counter, eating straight out of the containers.

“Bobby would be so upset if he saw us right now.” Buck mumbles, his mouth full. 

“Mhm but he’s not here. He doesn’t have to know.” 

A few moments later, his phone began ringing. He pulls it out and his eyes widen. There’s a confused look on your face, waiting for him to give you some context or tell you who’s calling. Finally he shows you his phone. 

Bobby is calling. 

“You summoned him!” Buck shouted. You resisted the urge to laugh. 

“Answer the phone!” 

You watch as Buck answers the phone, holding back his laughter at the conversation moments ago. He looked happy, you loved seeing him like that. The way his eyes glimmered when he smiled that million dollar smile of his, how his curls showed when his hair was wet or if he hadn’t cut his hair in a while. 

It was the little things that made you fall in love with him. 

He was still on the phone when you decided you’d find something to change into. 

He watched as you made your way to the bathroom, coming back out shirtless with a towel in your hand, drying off. He noticed the way you took a step every two steps like he does. He could hear you humming from upstairs, the way you went up in pitch when you saw something you liked or how you’d stop in-between to start whistling. He smiles to himself as he ends the call. 

He too had fallen love with you somewhere along the line. 

----

You watched as the little bubbles popped up on the screen on and off for the next few minutes. 

Today was your wedding day. 

You hadn’t spoken to him all day, things had been hectic. You promised to see him before you got married but truthfully, you had been so consumed with planning and making sure everything was ready that you didn’t get a chance to. 

Your friend comes in, sticking their head in and smiling at you. “You ready ?” they ask, you hum before taking one more look at the phone. 

“As ready as I'll ever be.” 

It was a hot summer day in June, you and your fiancé had decided on an outdoor wedding considering you had always wanted a June wedding. 

Standing at the end of the aisle, each side of the yard was filled with people you loved and cared about but your love was smiling at you on the verge of tears at the altar. 

Resisting the urge to laugh at him, you smile as the music begins playing - your cue to make your way down the aisle. Making it to the end without tripping, you smile at him. 

“Hey,” you smile, reaching for his hand.

“You look beautiful” he smiles, he leans forward to give you a kiss when a hand against his chest stops him. 

Bobby gives him a disapproving look, “I’ll be fast but you gotta wait to the end to kiss them, Buck.” The statement earned him a laugh from the crowd. 

The heat was getting to everyone including the two of you so Bobby skipped over the unnecessary parts, letting the two of you say your vows. 

You started, your hand giving his a squeeze. “The day you walked into the shop, I thought ‘damn, I'm gonna die. Why do I always forget to lock the door?’ but little did I know, it was going to be the love of my life walking in. From the moment we sat down and started talking was the moment I knew you were the one- you made me smile, laugh, gave me butterflies but you also made me feel safe, like I could tell you anything and you’d always be there for me. I watched you walk out with the promise of coming back in the morning and I knew then, we were gonna have a June wedding.” you laughed. 

“You taught me what love was, how to be happy, to never give up no matter what life throws my way because for the last 2 years, that’s what I've watched you do and I'm so incredibly proud to be marrying you. There’s no one else for me. It’ll always be you.” you smile, blinking back the tears. 

“How am I supposed to compete with that ?” he hums, giving you a grin. 

“Everything about you is.. perfectly imperfect, in every single sense of the term. You strive for perfection, but you come up with a slightly different version every time and I love that about you- like when you run out of breath while singing you start whistling so you don’t lose the melody, it’s the little things that make me love you. You hold the stars and the moon, you’re my whole world y/n, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. You make me a better man and I could never thank you enough for that.” Both of you are about to cry, looking at each other with the most love and adoration in your eyes. 

Bobby cuts to the end, both of you now impatient and waiting for him to announce that you were officially a couple and the moment he does, Buck pulls you towards him, kissing you like it was the last time he was ever going to. 

The sound of clapping and cheering filled your ears, making you both smile as your made you way back down the aisle officially as the Buckleys. 

---- 

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[puppypeter]

✨ All fics are complete! ✨

He Loves Me Cause I’m Cute, He Thinks I’m Pretty Funny | 2588 words 📱

He watches it back one more time after it posts, checking for typos in his subtitles and captions, and has to laugh again.

Steve fucking Rogers? His brain thought he could pull Captain America, literal superhero and America’s favorite sweetheart?

“Hello I’m a 35 year old amputee living in New York and I think that I could get Steve Rogers.”

OR

the one where bucky posts a tiktok and steve is utterly smitten.

Summer Slipped Us Underneath Her Tongue | 10712 words 🧳

Bucky is a tour guide who enjoys sharing the rich history and culture of each city they pass through with a bunch of early-20's college students who just want to know the cheapest place to get drunk.

Except for Steve, who asks Bucky for a personal tour around his hometown.

The rest is, as they say, history.

You Make My Heart Skip A Beet | 3853 words 🧑🏼‍🍳

“I made soda bread.” Steve lets out the 6’2” supersoldier equivalent of a squeak. “Oh, I love soda bread,” he says eagerly, rolling forward on the balls of his feet like he does when he gets excited. “My mom used to make it all the time when I was growing up.” The tips of Barnes’s ears turn red, and he mutters something that sounds suspiciously like, “I know.”

Ollie Meets Bagel | 5517 words 🥯

He was a skater boy, Steve said let's get bagels, boy.

Steve wants to start doing this twenty-first century thing properly. He gets help in the form of skateboarding, skateboarders, bagels, and Sam Wilson.

Taxi | 5113 words 🚕

Bucky Barnes was, he hoped, a good taxi driver.

He's so good, he actually tries to return lost property that ends up left in his car and... well. It has some unexpected consequences involving a National Icon.

Enough said.

Leg Day | 12157 words 🏋️‍♂️

“So talk to him,” Sam says.

“I can’t,” Bucky groans. “I can’t, Sam, I. He just.” He fluffs his hair up and stares at Sam, distraught. “I want him to bench press me.”

“Okay, so it’s serious,” Sam interprets. “Got it."

(Or: The one where Sam is Bucky's long-suffering roommate, Bucky is a hot mess of a millennial, and Hot Steve spends far too much time on the Lat Pull-Down machine.)

Love In Aisle Four | 2127 words 🛍️

When Bucky needs to swing by the supermarket after a long, hard day of work, the last thing he expects is to meet a cute grocery clerk named Steve…

Coming Up Easy | 45515 words ✍🏻

“Listen, I was just thinking,” Steve says, his face open, eyebrows raised in a tentatively hopeful expression. “Why don’t you come stay at my place for a while? I’ve got an office that I barely use, and a change of scenery might do you good, right? Help you beat that writer’s block?” With a crooked smile, he adds, “I promise I’m not a serial killer.”

While Bucky would normally crack a joke about how that’s exactly what a serial killer would say, right now, all he can do is blink at Steve in surprise, heart tripping over itself in his chest. Steve wants him to come and stay at his place. In Massachusetts. Just the two of them.

"Oh," Bucky croaks. "I- Wow."

“I mean, no pressure,” Steve says hastily. “Totally fine if you don’t wanna. I just thought I’d offer, in case it might help, y’know?”

“Yeah.” Bucky ignores the little voice in his head that sounds an awful lot Nat and Becca, telling him he’s setting himself up for heartbreak. “I mean, if you’re sure, that would be amazing.”

Anywhere The Wind Blows | 8845 words 👨‍🚒🎖️

After a catastrophic fire that shakes him to his core, Steve Rogers quits his job as a Brooklyn firefighter and relocates to a cabin in the remote Canadian wilderness, wanting quiet and solitude and to maybe never have to speak to another human being ever again. He gets his wish, more or less, until a recently injured Bucky Barnes is discharged from the Army and rents the cabin next door.

The Safer Course | 7918 words | Part 1 of Won’t You Be My Neighbor 🏡

When Steve moves to the suburbs in 2033, he intends to retire from superhero life.

He does not intend to fall in love with his pain-in-the-ass neighbor.

Every Year I Have You | 7064 words | Part 2 of Won’t You Be My Neighbor 🏡

Steve set the bar pretty high, as birthday presents go.

Bucky is determined to outdo him when July 4th comes around.

Beneath The Mistletoe | 21203 words 🎄

Bucky had a bet with his sister that if he didn’t have a boyfriend to bring home for Christmas by the time he was 25, he had to give her $200 and go blonde for a year. But now he's 25, it’s nearing December, and not only is Bucky as single as ever, but he’s also running low on cash. He doesn’t exactly want to bleach his hair, either.

At least Steve is willing to upgrade their relationship from best friends to fake boyfriends.

The Settler | 52203 words 🍞

“What do you want to do?”

Steve pauses and looks at them.

What he wants is to stay with them. He doesn't have any family left, they all died before he even joined the war and became... this. Captain America turned whatever he is now. But Natasha and Sam have become his family over the years. Not just because they're on the run together, fugitives and vigilantes, but way before that too.

He doesn't want to leave that.

But he knows that, realistically, he can't stay with them and they can't stay with him.

So he looks at them with a smile and lies. “I don't know.”

OR; In which Steve retires and finally finds a place to call home.

You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory | 1148 words 🐈

"Alright, Bucky," Steve slows his steps, watches his neighbour stop at the bottom of the next flight of stairs. There's a canvas bag in his hand that Steve didn't notice earlier, cream coloured with the figure of a sleeping, black cat painted on it. "Have a good day."

He thinks Bucky's cheeks pink up a bit right then and there, but Steve can't tell. He's too distracted by his pounding, foolish heart, by the way Bucky smiles bashfully, and ducks his head. The way he seems like he wants to stay.

To Believe In Tomorrow | 3959 words 👨🏻‍🌾

Bucky's mornings at the community garden get a little more interesting when the new guy shows up.

Maybe This Christmas | 24873 words | Part 1 of Maybe ❄️

Bucky’s not going home for Christmas. But it’s fine. He’s spending Christmas alone in his apartment, but it’s cool. He’s not feeling up to seeing his family after his accident anyway, plus he has to work. He’s totally fine with it. But then he runs into Steve, literally, and suddenly his Christmas isn’t looking so empty after all.

-----

Hurrying was a bad idea. Bucky’s foot hits a patch of ice and slides out from under him in what would have been a comical cartoon banana-peel-like trip, if it wasn’t happening to him, and he braces himself to hit the ground. This is going to hurt.

“Fuck,” Bucky screeches, but as he lands on his back, it’s not the cold hard concrete he expected, but a solid mass beneath him. Oh god, Bucky thinks as he realises he smacked into the person behind him and took them down with him.

Maybe This Year (Will Be Better Than Last) | 133868 words | Part 2 of Maybe ❄️

Last year, Bucky Barnes met Steve Rogers. Well actually, he slipped and fell on him. What followed was the best Christmas either of them had ever had. But what happens when Christmas is over and life returns to normal? What happens after the Christmas miracle?

-----

Bucky should have known. He did know. When things seem too good to be true, they usually are. And Steve is the best thing that has happened to him in a long time, possibly ever, so of course it couldn’t last.

Maybe This Time (I Hope I Get The Chance To Say Goodbye) | 34561 words | Part 3 of Maybe ❄️

Steve and Bucky Barnes are happily married. They've made it through some hard times and come out stronger and happier, together. Then Steve gets called on to come out of retirement for the most important mission of his life and everything changes. Everything.

-----

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas…” Steve starts singing along softly, and Bucky chuckles, before leaning his head onto Steve’s shoulder, always happy when he’s in Steve’s arms.

“From now on, our troubles will be miles away…” Bucky joins in.

Dancing round their living room, just as in love as ever, their troubles seem light-years away, if not non-existent.

Sadly, they’re closer than they think.

The Unexpected Gift | 9504 words | Part 1 of When Winter Comes 🐕

Steve Rogers is fine.

After ending a long-term relationship with Sam Wilson, Steve moves back to New York. He's tired and lonely but depressed? No. At least, that's what he thinks.

From the window of his apartment, he watches a dark-haired man and his service dog sitting in the park, wondering what his story is.

The Winter Storm | 2218 words | Part 2 of When Winter Comes 🐕

"If I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability you see yourself through my eyes, only then would you realize how special you are to me."

After Bucky and Steve confessed their feelings for each other, life has its own twisted way to challenge the most profound love.

One January Night | 4213 words | Part 3 of When Winter Comes 🐕

Before going back to work, Steve Rogers still has things to learn: 1- Depression is a bitch and the battle against it isn't an easy one. 2- Dating a person with disabilities comes with its share of challenges.

Bucky Barnes Has His Shit Together (And Other Lies He Tells Himself) | 14159 words 🔒

You’d think a guy who owns one of the most successful bakeries in Brooklyn, has a million-dollar smile and that antiquated good ol’ boy charm, blond hair and blue eyes and biceps for days, would know what’s what.

But don’t let that fool you: Steve Rogers is a mess.

Obvious | 917 words ☕

"Oh, I have a prompt! So, it makes me laugh how painfully obvious Steve and Bucky's feelings are to everyone when they're in that pining, slowburn, does-he-doesn't-he phase. But imagine Steve and Bucky working in a coffee shop together and constantly bickering, nudging and playfully flirting with each other. And all the employees and patrons are so invested in their relationship and just want them to kiss already but no one realizes that Steve and Bucky have been married since they got out of HS."

#stucky #steve rogers/bucky barnes #bucky barnes/steve rogers #stucky fics #stucky fic #stucky fic rec #stucky fic recs #stucky fics rec #stucky fics recs #stucky fan fiction #stucky fiction #stucky ao3 #stucky complete #stucky au #adorable stucky fics

[quixotic-writer]

Lesson Plans and Challenges

Summary: Q thought it’d be funny to poke some fun at his girlfriend who works as a teacher. She makes him put his money where his mouth is and challenges him to work a day at her job.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

It started as him joking around about me organizing my lesson plans for the week saying ‘what are you stressed about? Coloring book page due?’ Then I challenged him to a day at my workplace. I went easy on him though, telling him he could come during a shift at the after school program I do for extra pay and he agreed. Here we are waiting for school to get out, classroom doors open with students looking outside at us with eager smiles.

“It can’t be that hard. I mean, you just spend these few hours outside and kids are constantly getting picked up so the population is always slowly lowering.”

“Coming from the man who doesn’t know how to talk to kids. Everyone knows this Bri. It’s very clearly shown on your little show you have.” I playfully banter with him.

“I have nieces and nephews, I know how to interact with kids.”

“Have you handled 38 at once?” His demeanor quickly drops the moment I give him a number and I start giggling, “It’s a whole grade level and it’s the largest group too. Did you not take that into account love?” He shakes his head and I see his nerves rise. “I’m sure you’ll make it out alive. The kids will find you hysterical. Just be sure to watch your foul mouth. PG settings on for today.”

“No promises that something won’t slip out.” I roll my eyes and the school bell rings and a flood of students make their way outside.

“Better clean up your act then because here they come.” I say with a smile and crack open the attendance book getting my pen ready with a wide smile as familiar faces run over to greet me.

“Ms. Sparkle! Ms. Sparkle! Look I have glasses now and I can see the board in class now!” One of the young ones jumped for joy as I marked him down as present in the attendance book.

“Well careful there Micah. Don’t want to break them right after you got them do you?” He shakes his head with a cheeky grin until his eyes dart over to Brian.

“Ms. Sparkle? Who the heck is this guy?” He points over to Brian and I try and stifle my laughter. “Who are you? Do you work here now? Most helpers are young and you’re too old to be here.” I couldn’t help but laugh audibly at that blow. Brian’s eyes went wide.

“And what makes you think i’m so old, kid?” He asks in a joking tone.

“Lots of gray hair and you have a huge beard.”

“Okay Micah, go take a seat and I'll dismiss you guys to play in a bit.” He smiles and trots away to go sit down against the wall and patiently waits for others to arrive. I shake my head and smile as I continue taking attendance. The wonders of working with kids. They just speak their honest mind and have no filter. It always makes for the most interesting conversations that I treasure.

“What’s with the ms. Sparkle thing?” Brian asks.

“Oh anyone that works in the afterschool program gets their own personalized nickname. I was dubbed Ms. Sparkle. Sami, another helper who works here, is called ms. raccoon because the kids said she looks like a human raccoon since she has dark bags under her eyes and the dark clothes she wears. Can’t wait to see what the kids come up with for you.” The line of kids continues as I check everyone off in the attendance book and they all line up on the sidewalk and talk amongst each other. Every student that comes and goes looks at Brian sideways before going off to the rest of the group. Some were more persistent with questions before I had to tell them that I'll be explaining shortly. Once everyone was accounted for, I turned to face the countless smiling faces. “Good afternoon guys, how was your day?” A mixed chorus of responses flood from all of them. Brian stands close to me and all their little eyes direct towards him. “So I have a special announcement to make for today guys.”

“Is that guy your boyfriend Ms. Sparkle?” My train of thought was quickly derailed as a student blurted out that question. A chorus of ‘ooh Ms. Sparkle has a boyfriend!’ comes from the students and Brian turns red and I snicker.

“This is Mr. Quinn, he’s my helper for today. We all remember how we treat others right?”

“The way we want to be treated!” They all respond. I smile and beam with pride.

“Awesome guys. You are all dismissed!” Just like that, the kids are quick to their feet and they all take off running to the playground. Both Brian and I stand together and watch as the kids congregate into their little groups and do their own things. Some were running around for a game of tag, some sat under the tree nearby with their toys and imaginations, and some sat near their bags with their noses in a book.

“So… What now?” Brian leans in and whispers to me.

“Well, make some rounds! Scope out the scene and keep an eye on them. Baseline rules are to be kind to each other, no bad language or toilet talk, no dangerous stunts on the playground.” I wave him off and with hands in his pockets he circles around the playground looking at all the kids unsure of how to start a conversation with any of them since they all seemed occupied with their own things. Around the corner pops in my usual helper, Sami. She gives a smile to me as she approaches and places her bag down. “You got an easy day today y’know.”

“Why’s that?” She asked as her eyes naturally darted around the playground making sure all the kids are in proper order and not getting into any mischief. I nod my head over to Brian who’s talking to a couple of boys off on the side of the playground.

“Brian came in to help for the day.” Sami snickers.

“Uh huh. And what do you mean by ‘help’?” She continues chuckling knowing all the stories I've told her about Brian’s history with kids. As I look up, I see kids climbing all over Brian like a jungle gym. One is riding on his back, two hanging and swinging off of each arm, and another connected to his leg like glue. He laughs as he tries to move about the playground with kids attached to him, each of them hollering out and laughing just as loud as he tries to shake them off. He seemed to be doing perfectly fine with the kids and something about that made my heart overflow with a river of love. Sami strolls off to give Brian a hand with the kids. With a few quick words the kids peeled off of Brian like water off a duck’s back, relief washes over him as he chuckles. My attention is quickly redirected to a few girls standing before me, the cute little clique of the sassy sweet ones.

“Hello girls, how was school today?”

“Ms. Sparkle, is Mr. Quinn your boyfriend?” Had a feeling this is what they’d be asking.

“Yeah! Do you like… Kiss and hold hands.” They all lean in with eager anticipation. I wasn’t sure how to answer this. I mean, it wasn’t a bad thing to tell the kids that I do have a boyfriend, but I wasn’t sure how far or how weird the questions were going to be. Kids just ask anything without a second thought.

“Mr. Quinn is my boyfriend. I love him very much.” Short, sweet, and to the point.

“Maybe you should date someone younger Ms. Sparkle. He has too much gray hair.”

“Well I like his gray hair. I think my boyfriend is very handsome as he is.” There he was with a bright smile on his face, talking away with a kid sitting on the rock wall.

“Gross.” And just like that, the girls were off to go and gossip elsewhere. I shake my head and laugh.

Time goes on and I watch with a smile as Brian starts warming up more and more to each of the kids as the hours pass. I didn’t interfere much or bother him because I wanted him to flourish by himself like I knew he could. He had a hard time keeping up with their more physically active demands such as games of tag, Brian being a human jungle gym, and showing off how strong he was by lifting kids with little to no effort. I’d occasionally see him hunched over catching his breath or scrunched down in attempts to take heaping gulps from the kid’s water fountain. It was funny seeing him, a fully grown man, crunching himself down a few sizes in desperation for some hydration.

He’d socialize with the kids too, answering some of their strange and unfiltered questions, telling stories about when he was a kid, and just listening to kids tell him all about their favorite things. Shockingly, it wasn’t all strictly firefighter stories like I expected it to be. Of course he did have a few of those stories to share, but instead he built off of what the kids were talking about and eased into the conversation rather than redirecting it entirely.

They dubbed him “Mr. Grizzly” because apparently reminded them of a bear. Very fitting in my opinion. My teddy bear.

Of course, there isn’t a day that goes by without a little bit of conflict. Part of me wished it was just a simple disagreement between two kids, a normal occurrence that’s easy to mediate and resolve. The wails of pain distinguished this as my other fear: an injured child. Immediately my head whips around to find where the cries are coming from and I see a circle of students right next to the walkway which told me exactly where the problem was. I quickly run over into the center of the circle to see Brian and Sami kneeling down with a kid that has a nasty gash on her knee from falling over. Tears were plentiful and cries of pain filled the silence. My heart broke as my adrenaline rose.

“Sami, grab a first aid kit, some paper towels both wet and dry.” Brian quickly took charge of the situation, as he tried calming down the student with calming words of ‘hey, it’s okay, i’m gonna fix you right up.’

“What happened?” I quickly asked.

“Seems Lily here took a nasty f–” the ‘f’ was dragged out. I knew exactly what he had been planning on saying, but he quickly switched up his words back to PG family friendly mode, “fall here on the sidewalk running.” Sami was quick to bring over everything Brian had asked for and he took them all in hand. “Thanks Sami. Now, let’s get to cleaning this up, okay?” He washed away all the blood, patting it with a wet then a dry paper towel. He dug through the first aid kit to grab some neosporin and a band aid and quickly patched Lily up.

“There… We… Go!” With a smile he leans away to take a look at his handiwork. His eyes look back up to Lily’s. She thankfully wasn’t crying anymore and he took another paper towel to carefully dry up her tears. “Does that feel better now?” She nods her head, still frowning a bit. “Oh now we can’t have a sad face on you anymore. I know what’ll help though!” He holds out his arms to her and she jumps right in with a smile as he wraps his arms tight around her and rocks her back and forth, “Mr. Grizzly bear hug!!” Lily was giggling and smiling as she was encased in his arms and I couldn’t help but smile and laugh along. Soon he released her and she was back to her old self and took off running to rejoin her friends.

“Look at you Mr. Grizzly.” I tease his new name and he smiles. “You handled that super well you know. I’m proud of you.” He lights up and if he were a dog, I just know his tail would be wagging like crazy.

“Well working in the FDNY has helped prepare me for times like these. No big deal.” Kids call to him and just like that, he was pulled back in to entertain the little ones.

The day flew by a lot quicker after that. No more incidents, no more sad faces, nothing but smiles and laughter came from the kids from then on. The day came to a close and the last kid finally went home, waving goodbye to me and fellow staff members they recognized before hopping into their car and riding off home. I place my binder away and file away everything from today that I needed to. I said goodbye to everyone and sent Sami on her way. Bri and I got into the car and he eased back into the seat of the car.

“What’s wrong honey bear? Did the coloring book page tire you out?”

“You too with the bear names?” He chuckles. “You know what, I see what you mean babe. That was tiring as hell. I almost slipped a few swear words here and there. I know for sure I'm gonna be feeling it tomorrow, felt like a human jungle gym. The kids were all over me. And you do this every day?”

“Mmm, I don’t do the after school thing every day. Just sometimes because I know the after school program is understaffed on certain days. It’s easier than actually teaching. That’s a horse of another color.”

“I bet. After this, I don’t think I can imagine that.”

“But you know, I love every moment of it. Good or bad. I wouldn’t trade this job for anything.”

“I would.” We both burst into laughter.

“Well you did great today Mr. Grizzly, you did everything just right.” With that we decided to head on home. I made my point today that my job wasn’t coloring books and glitter, but I also brought out a side of Brian that I never thought I would. One that actually does love kids despite him being too stubborn to say it.

#whew i've put this one off for way too long #and its actually one I love A LOT #brian quinn x reader #brian quinn #fluff #suki writes

[bellakitse]

part of the deal (of loving you)

Carlos reminds TK that worrying about him is part of loving him.

Written for @carlosreyesweek - Day 1: “I love you, but stop talking” + fluff

Carlos Reyes has learned many things about himself in the year and a half of dating one Tyler Kennedy Strand.

He’s learned that he’s capable of having more love in his heart for one person than he ever thought possible. He’s learned that soulmates are real and that his, is a brave, cocky, tenderhearted, often bratty firefighter. He’s also learned that TK’s health and safety are vital to his mental state. Unfortunately, given that his boyfriend is all the previously said things – brave, cocky, and a damn brat – Carlos’ mental health is continuously getting tested.

He gets the call from Judd. The deep, aggravated sigh the cowboy lets out when he says hello, tells him what kind of call it’s going to be. “Man, come get your idiot boyfriend. Michelle says he might have a concussion, and someone needs to watch him.”

Carlos isn’t sure what sound escapes his throat, but it causes Judd to mutter under his breath.

“He’s fine,” he assures him. His tone tells Carlos that the older man is looking for patience and finding none. “But he took his helmet off before the all-clear in a house fire earlier, and a bit of the house fell on him. Michelle says he doesn’t have to go to the hospital, but he needs a sitter.”

Judd stops for a moment, and Carlos can hear someone shouting in the background.

“Yes, you do because you’re obviously an accident-prone baby!” Judd yells back, making Carlos wince, both at the comment’s volume and the words themselves.  Knowing who they’re directed at, he knows they aren’t well-received. “Seriously man, come and get him. Cap is still out of town on that conference of his, and I already have an infant at home. I don’t need one at work too.”

Carlos sighs as he hears more grumbling from the other side of the call. “I’m coming,” he says, already heading for the door. “Stop antagonizing him.”

Judd chuckles, his petty amusement clear. “But he makes it so easy.”

Carlos rolls his eyes, praying for patience himself. That’s another thing he’s learned to have more of since TK Strand came into his life. “Don’t make me call Grace on you.”

The silence he’s met with makes him smile for the first time since the call started – and when Judd calls him a dick, he’s finally calm enough to enjoy it.

 ֍֍֍

 He arrives at the firehouse fifteen minutes later, shaving off at least eight minutes of his usual time by turning on the extra light bar he keeps on his Camaro. He parks at the side of the building, hurrying out of the car in his need to get to his boyfriend. As he makes his way through the firehouse’s bay doors, he spots Nancy first. He gets a knowing smile from the pretty EMT, and, with a finger towards the station’s common area, she shows him where he needs to go. Carlos flashes her a grateful smile of his own before heading in the direction she pointed at.

He finds the usual suspects lounging around in the living room. Paul, who is to the side eating a banana, sees him first. He gives him a smirk around his mouthful, jerking his head towards the couches.

There, in the middle, with Buttercup on his lap, sits his boyfriend. He seems determined to focus hard on the dog as he pets him, ignoring the mean look Judd is giving him from the sofa across from him. Marjan sits next to TK, stroking his hair the way TK is doing with Buttercup, while poor Mateo sits a little farther away, looking anxious the same way the poor kid always looks when someone from the team gets hurt.

He clears his throat, drawing their attention while his focus goes to TK. He looks okay, at least physically. The thundercloud that is currently his face is a whole other story.

Marjan gets up from the couch, leaving the space open for him, and Carlos squeezes her arm in thanks as he passes her. Sitting down next to his boyfriend, he finds his pretty green eyes already watching him. The frown on TK’s face causing a wrinkle between his brows.

“Judd shouldn’t have called you,” he says, shooting his friend a dark look before turning back to him. “I’m fine.”

Carlos lets out a deep breath. It’s echoed by more than one person in the room, causing TK’s frown to deepen further. “TK, I love you,” he starts to say, hoping the declaration will lessen the sting of what he says next. “But stop talking nonsense.”

Judd lets out a snort at his words before getting up from the sofa, silently signaling everyone to follow him out of the room and leave them alone. Sensing TK’s turbulent mood, even Buttercup gets up from his special spot on his favorite person’s lap, also going away. Smart dog.

Once alone, they’re left in silence as TK stews. Carlos studies his boyfriend, taking in his shoulders’ tight lines and the way he clenches his hands.

“Hey,” he whispers, getting a little worried by TK’s strange mood. “What’s going on?”

TK doesn’t answer. Instead, he bites down on his bottom lip hard enough that it looks painful, making Carlos wince. He reaches out, pressing his thumb on it, pleased by the gasp TK lets out at the touch. As a result, his mouth parts, finally releasing that poor lip.

“Talk to me, sweetheart,” he says, hoping his voice is calm and reassuring. Patience, he remembers, is the key to TK.

TK looks at him; those green eyes of his are thankfully clear, as Carlos also remembers that Michelle checked him for a concussion. It takes him a moment to notice the blush working its way over TK’s face. His eyes distracting Carlos as usual.

“I’m embarrassed,” TK finally tells him in a low voice. “That was such a rookie mistake,” he continues, rolling his eyes at himself. “I know I’m not supposed to take my helmet off before we’re clear. It was stupid of me.”

“No,” Carlos shakes his head. He just hates the downtrodden look on TK’s face. “Sometimes mistakes happen, baby, but you’re an amazing firefighter. Okay?”

TK shrugs his shoulders, not agreeing but thankfully not disagreeing either.

Carlos looks at him again, the first thing TK said when he came in coming back to him. “Why didn’t you want Judd to call me, Ty?” he questions quietly, concerned.

TK lets out a sigh before he reaches out, touching his hand. There is a small smile on his face when Carlos turns his hand to intertwine their fingers. “You already worry so much about me,” he says, not adding anything else.

He doesn’t have to; Carlos can hear the rest of the thought without TK speaking them out loud.

Almost two years into knowing him and it still breaks Carlos’ heart that TK thinks he might be a bother to him. But unlike when they first started, he understands now where it comes from. Growing up with loving but often absent parents and then later a boyfriend that ignored him has conditioned TK to think he’s too much to deal with. When they first started, Carlos didn’t know how to fix it. Now, he understands it’s not about fixing it but helping TK realize it isn’t true for himself.

“Do you worry about me when I’m at work?” he asks, biting down on the urge to smile at the wide-eyed look TK gives him.

“Of course,” he rushes to say. “I always worry about you.”

“Hmm,” Carlos hums, all-consuming love for the man in front of him coursing through his veins. “Why is that?”

TK frowns deeply. “Well, I love you, of course, I–“ he trails off, eyes narrowing as Carlos finally grins, amused. “You think you’re slick, don’t you?” he says with a grumble that makes Carlos laugh.

“I think that I love you,” he corrects him, smile still in place as TK gives him a soft, almost shy look. “As much as you love me. I think we have jobs that involve risk, and I worry about you every time you clock in. Something I think you’re familiar with.”

“Yeah,” TK whispers, letting out a breath. “Yeah, I do.”

“Yeah,” Carlos agrees softly. “We’re always going to worry about each other, baby. It’s part of the deal of loving someone. But we’ll both worry more if we try to keep things from each other, right?”

TK nods, looking remorseful. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Come here,” Carlos says with a small tug on TK’s hand, letting out a content sound as TK immediately turns his body towards him, tucking his face into the crook of Carlos’ neck as he hugs him. He holds him tight, running his hand through TK’s hair the way Marjan had been doing earlier. Smiling into it as he feels TK all but melt under his touch. “How about I take you back to my place? I’ll make you something yummy to eat, and we can relax with a movie as I try to keep you awake for the next few hours, hmm?”

“Throw in some fooling around, and you have yourself a deal,” TK mumbles against his skin, giving his collarbone a quick bite when Carlos laughs.

“You drive a hard bargain, Strand,” he says, still chuckling. He leans in to kiss the tip of TK’s nose as he pulls back to look at him with a silly grin on that face Carlos loves so much. “So, home?”

TK’s smile grows as he nods once more. “Yeah, babe. Take me home.”

#911 lone star #tarlos #tarlos fic #911 lone star fic #carlosreyesweek2021 #tk x carlos #my writing

[katelyn--renee]

Out of the Fire (Part one)

Title: Out Of The Fire (Part one)

Fandom: Supernatural AU

Main Characters series: Reader, Lieutenant Firefighter!Dean Winchester, Lawyer!Sam Winchester, Jessica Winchester (Moore), Nurse!Lisa Braeden (Formerly Winchester), Ben Braeden-Winchester, Harper Winchester (OFC), Charlie Bradbury, Firefighter!Benny Lafitte, Firefighter!Jo Harvelle, Firefighter!Castiel Novak, Claire Novak, Mechanic!John Winchester, Firefighter Captain!Ellen Harvelle, Mechanic!Bobby Singer, Doctor!Arthur Ketch, Nick Vaught and many more!

Pairings: Dean x Reader (eventual), Dean x Lisa (past), Reader x Nick (past), Lisa x Ketch (current), Sam x Jessica (current)

Word count: ±2500 words

Series summary: A slow burn romance. Reader is trying to get away from her troubled past and start fresh; a new name, new town, new friends, and a new job. A clean slate. After years of planning and saving, she is able to open her own business. With the help of her best friend and business partner, Charlie Bradbury, and her new flirty firefighter friend, she is hopeful, even when disaster strikes and her past threatens to catch up with her years later. 

Part one summary: Fire erupts and engulfs her beloved business, but something arises from the ashes and ignites a new desire.

Warnings series: NSFW, 18+ only! Fire or mentions of fire, fluff (so much fluff), angst, eventual smut, mutual pining, alcohol abuse, alcohol intoxication, mentions of domestic abuse (physical, verbal), mentions of miscarriage, mentions of adultery/cheating, mentions of death, dangerous or life threatening situations, stress, descriptions of injuries, blood, hospital scenes, character death. 

Author’s note: This is my first series and my first attempt at an Supernatural AU. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I will try to release new chapters at a timely fashion, but as we all know, life sometimes gets in the way. 

A special thank you to @that-one-gay-girl and @deanwanddamons for being the wonderful beta’s that you are! Your feedback is always appreciated! Check out their awesome work and spread some love!

All dividers and graphics done by me! 

If you like this story, please don’t hesitate to leave a like, comment and if you’re feeling extra generous, share! Your feedback gives me live and motivation! 

Thank you and let’s enjoy this ride together!!

Out of the Fire Masterlist!

Interested in more of my work, check out the link below.

Masterlist

It was so hot… Why was it so hot? And why was it so hard to breathe? 

You stirred from your position on the tile floor, the long lashes of your (Y/E/C) eyes fluttering lightly as you woke. The first thing you registered was the intensity of the heat that surrounded you, quickly followed by the tightness of your chest as you struggled to take a deep breath. A vicious cough ripped through you with the effort, your throat raw. 

You winced, your face scrunching with discomfort. You stirred again, needing to get up and move, to get away from the threatening heat, but your body protested with the effort. Your head was hammering, your brain  pounding against your skull with every forceful beat of your heart. 

What the hell happened? 

You groaned as you brought a hand to your head, feeling something damp and slick against your skin. Blood. You forced your eyes open despite their heaviness, a futile attempt to gather your bearings; you couldn't see much through the thick, black smoke that hung in the air around you. Another cough tore from your lungs and stung your throat.

Fuck. That hurt.

You sucked in a rigid breath, wheezing as the smoke filtered in through your lungs. Get up! Move! You needed to get moving and find a source of fresh air, find somewhere safe, and quickly, before the smoke suffocated you and the flames consumed your body. 

You scanned your surroundings swiftly, trying desperately to make every second count. Red hot flames licked the southwestern walls of the building on your right, engulfing everything that stood too close. That was where your office had been located, meaning the exit would be behind you, to the northeast. However, the counter separated you from your freedom, standing tall and stretching out and into the north wall, obstructing your path. The layout would force you to find another way around and take up so much of your precious time.

Rolling off your back and onto your belly, you supported your weight with your elbows and knees, making  a point to stay as low to the ground as possible. You forced yourself to move, driven onward by adrenaline and the sheer will to survive. You were not going to die like this.

You army crawled through the rubble and debris that was once your beloved café, ignoring the way it made your heart clench with sorrow. Now was not the time to grieve. You needed to stay focused. Your life, literally, depended on it.

There was a loud crash somewhere in the distance - perhaps it was the ceiling caving in from structural damage, you weren't entirely sure - but the sound of it was startling and shook the floor beneath you, causing you to instinctively freeze and cradle your head, bracing yourself for impact.

A small yelp of surprise escaped from your throat as your body trembled with fear. You couldn't move, your muscles refusing to cooperate even though your brain screamed at you to do so. 

There was another crash, much closer this time, as the flames ate away pieces of your heart and soul; all the years of hard work, burning to ash. You'd put everything into that little café, and now it was, quite literally, falling in around you. A ceiling beam landed  in front of you , engulfed by flames and blocking your path.

You jerked back and shielded your face from the inferno with your arms, the skin burning from the intense heat. "Oh god," You cried out without realizing it, any hope of escape beginning to slip away. Tears filled your eyes and spilled over your lashes, streaming down your soot-covered cheeks as dread began to creep its way in.

Just breath, stay calm, you're okay, you told yourself, trying to prevent the lingering panic attack. You exhaled slowly, struggling to remain calm,  willing the tears away. You banished them from your face with a swipe of your hand as you searched for another way out. With your back pressed against the counter to try and ground yourself, you pictured the floorplan around you in your head, trying to reassess where you were and which direction to go.

The kitchen. There was an employee exit through the kitchen. Changing direction and crawling back the way you came, you began your frantic crawl toward the swinging metal door. Your limbs felt like concrete as you forced yourself to move, and even though your vision started to get spotty and dark around the edges, making you feel nauseous, you kept on going, putting one arm in front of the other. 

Just a little further. Don’t give up! But it was so hot, and you were so, so tired... 

Just then, when you thought you weren't going to make it in time, you heard it… the most beautiful thing in the world.

"Anyone in here?!" He called out, his voice booming out over the roar of the flames. You could see the beam from his flashlight strapped to his shoulder, even through the thick wall of smoke. "Y/N?! Answer me, sweetheart!"

Your heart swelled with hope again as you recognized the man who was searching for you. Even though he sounded muffled through the oxygen mask covering his handsome face, you would recognize that voice anywhere. 

It was Dean.

Dean, the firefighter you've grown so fond of these past few weeks, was here to save you.

You shifted on the floor and craned your neck to try and see him. "D-Dean! I-" A harsh cough interrupted you, "I'm he-here!" You cried out, your voice hoarse from the smoke. You went into another coughing fit, this one much rougher and longer than the others. You gasped for air, your lungs tight and constricting in your chest.

"I hear you, (Y/N)!" You heard him quickly respond, his voice gaining in volume as he grew closer. "Guys, over here!" He called out to the rest of the crew before following your voice. "I'm coming, sweetheart! Just hang on for me!"

"De-" You tried again, but your voice gave out. Your eyes grew heavy from exhaustion, and your body began to shake with the exertion and lack of fresh oxygen. Your head spun and your vision blurred as Dean came into view, the counter dividing the two of you. 

In one effortless move, you watched through droopy lids as Dean vaulted over the counter and landed on the other side, his heavy boots thudding against the tile. He was now only an arm’s length away from you. You wanted to reach out for him, to touch him and make sure that he was actually there. But your limbs wouldn’t cooperate, feeling like stone at your sides.

He crouched down beside you and gripped your hand tightly as if reading your mind. His glove was thick and rough against your palm, but the material didn’t dampen the emotion or firmness that Dean put into the reassuring gesture. 

With apprehensive, yet determined emerald eyes, he quickly assessed your body for any obvious injuries that would raise concern, ones that could be worsened or become life-threatening if he were to move you. He must have been satisfied with his examination, the look in his eye becoming slightly more hopeful. 

His actions were rushed yet calculated as he removed his red lieutenant helmet, the mask quick to follow. His hair was tousled and sticking up in odd places. If this were any other, less dire situation and you were able to speak, you would have teased him about the messy heap on his head. 

You heard one of the other firemen protest his actions, warning Dean that it was against protocol to remove his mask and put himself, and in turn everyone else, in more danger. "Fuck the protocol." Dean shot back over his shoulder sternly as he slipped the mask over your head, his large hands surprisingly delicate and gentle, even through the rough material of his gloves. 

"There you go, sweetheart," He said a bit softer, turning his attention back to you. "That's it. Nice, deep breaths for me." He coaxed, nodding his head. "Good girl." He flashed you a brief, yet dazzling smile as you inhaled, following his instructions.

Your body rejoiced as the purest form of oxygen-filled your lungs, easing the tension inside of your chest, only momentarily. You struggled to keep your eyes open and focused on the beautiful man above you, his forest green eyes filled with so much concern. "Good girl," You heard him coo again, securing the helmet back onto his head.

The building creaked and groaned, threatening them with another collapse. Dean glanced up at the ceiling, his experience telling him that their time had been cut in half. You felt his large hands on your body as he scooped you into his strong arms, protectively holding you against his chest. 

"I've got you." He muttered assumingly, trying to keep you calm as he rose to his full height, lifting you with ease. He scanned the surroundings, and you saw a hint of a frown tug at his lips, noticing the scowl on his brow. The fire was closing in, limiting his options and growing hotter by the second. 

You made a motion toward the only exit available, lifting a shaky hand to point him in the right direction, and Dean seemed to have noticed your silent instruction. His eyes followed your finger, darting to the window on the metal door that framed the kitchen. He nodded before letting the others know, directing them to head back out through the front. They hesitated only briefly, knowing they’re not supposed to leave anyone alone, before following Dean's lead, trusting their lieutenant's judgment. 

The experienced firefighter moved with determined strides, having wasted enough time as more of the building began to collapse down around the pair of you. There was a crack, and a loud pop from the ceiling as the building shifted again. The fireman shielded you as a few clusters of hot debris and flames fell from above, protecting you from the fire. One of the balls landed and burst onto his shoulder, the flames licking at his face. He shrugged it off with a low grunt, gritting his teeth through the sting of his cheek. 

He refocused and took three large steps toward the kitchen, his heavy boots crunching the rubble beneath his feet as he closed the distance to freedom. Using his foot to force open the door, he let out a breath of relief, grateful to find that the exit was still a clear shot. 

Despite the combined weight of his bulky gear, the oxygen tank strapped to his back, and the extra body cradled in his arms, Dean made good time and jogged toward the sizable steel door, determined to get you to safety. 

Once again, he grunted through clenched teeth and lifted his powerful leg, the sole of his thick boot connecting with the push bar. The force of the impact caused it to swing swiftly on its hinges and crash against the brick wall. 

Smoke billowed out from the now open door as Dean rushed out into the alley behind the café, sucking down gulps of fresh air. He grunted and coughed, staggering briefly before correcting himself. You wanted to ask him if he was okay, wanted to comfort your rescuer, but couldn't seem to find your voice.

The nighttime air was cool against your overheated skin, despite being this close to the fire, and it made you shudder in Dean's arms, goosebumps rising over your sensitive flesh. The firefighter shifted you in his strong arms, getting a better, more comfortable hold. Your head was nuzzled in the crook of his arm, giving you a perfect view of his handsome face.

Flashing red and blue lights bounced off the brink surrounding you and lit up Dean’s face, highlighting his strongest features. You’d never seen anything quite like it, but then again, you’d never been this exhausted before. Surely your head was playing tricks? You gazed up at him in awe, studying the determination that hardened his usual gentle features. His face was dirty with soot and darkened by the smoke, covering the freckles that normally adorned the bridge of his nose. His jaw was lined with stubble, emphasizing just how strong it was. There was a noticeable red patch on his cheek, the skin irritated and angry from the burn. 

You were vaguely aware of the familiar, yet frantic, voice of your best friend and business partner, Charlie Bradbury. Her voice, regardless of its urgency, was drowned out by the sirens, fire hoses, and roaring flames behind you.

Sleep was beginning to linger at the forefront of your mind, tugging firmly and trying to force you into the blissful darkness of unconsciousness. You struggled to keep your eyes open, not wanting to give up the extraordinary view before you. But, no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t keep them open any longer, and your (Y/E/C) eyes fluttered shut, despite your best efforts to keep them open and on the face of your rescuer. 

You could hear the muffled voices of your redheaded friend and the first responders that surrounded you, specifically Dean and Charlie, but you couldn't quite make out what was being said, the drowsiness making it hard to stay focused. You felt yourself being moved, and the noise died down drastically as you were lifted and strapped down to something solid yet oddly comfortable as you fought to stay awake. 

You peaked your eyes open, although they burned from all the smoke, you fought through the sting in search of your rescuer, but was met instead with the inside of an ambulance. It was bright, and the fluorescent light hurt your sensitive eyes. 

Something warm and made of thick wool was draped over your body, stealing your attention. You refocused and spotted the green eyes you had been desperate to find. You never broke his gaze as the fireman's mask was removed and replaced by a much smaller one. You grabbed at his hand desperately when he shifted to leave, desperate to have him near. 

His eyes dropped to where your hand touched his, and his expression softened almost instantly at your attempt to stop him, his large hand embracing yours. “They’re gonna take real good care of you, sweetheart.” He assured, his affectionate gaze turning back to you as he offered you a closed-lip smile. You could hear Charlie’s voice, sounding somewhere close by, but you couldn’t concentrate on anyone other than your hero. 

Your vision darkened around the edges, and your grip on consciousness was growing weak. Your hand loosened from Dean’s grasp and fell limp as your eyes fluttered shut. “I’m right behind ya.” He promised as the paramedics ushered him out so they could get moving. His voice was the last thing you heard before the ambulance doors slammed shut, and the darkness of unconsciousness took over.

Thank you for reading I hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned next week for part two!

Read part two, here! -->>

Taglist!

Supernatural

@akshi8278​

Out of the Fire (series)

@vicmc624 // @anotherspnfanfic // @krazykelly // @compresshischest09 // @thefamilybusiness

#supernatural #supernatural au #firefighter!dean #firefighter au #firefighter #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural fic #spn au #spn #SPN fanfiction #spn fandom #dean x reader #dean winchester #dean #fire #fluff #series #supernatural series #spn series #katelynw93 #part 1 #part one #out of the fire

[maxineswritingcenter]

Bragger - Dean x fem!reader

Suggested by @rileynicole1967 based on the song Bragger by Kelsea Ballerini. I am definitely not putting off writing Little Mermaid AU. 

I guess spoilers for season 12 but not, ya know?

----

“Wait, remind me what the story is again?” Dean asked (Y/N). They were both making their way through the little suburban neighborhood that (Y/N)’s parents lived in. 

“Okay. So, you know how I dropped out of college and started hunting with you and Sam?”

“I do.” 

“Great. My parents don’t know that. Meaning, as far as they know, I am a fancy pants lawyer who has been so busy that I haven’t been able to visit them.” 

“Right.” He nodded, “Then... what’s my story?” 

“You, my love, are a fireman from Texas who volunteers at a youth shelter.” This story was completely pulled from her behind. The fireman story came from a phone call where a fire was mentioned. (Y/N) didn’t have the heart to tell her mother that Dean was burning a body and just came up with a story that there was a fire in a cemetery. And the youth group was from a slip up where she mentioned Jack and the best story was that they found him in an abandoned house and Dean took him under his wing. 

“Ahuh.” He looked over the house numbers on the mail boxes, “I’ll try my best to remember.” 

“Are you nervous?” She asked, seeing how his leg was shaking. 

“Me? Nervous?” He chuckled, but his smile dropped when he saw the serious look on her face, “Uh, yeah, I am.” 

“Well, put on a brave face. Dad can smell fear.” She said through a grin as they pulled into the house where her mother and father were already outside waiting. They exited the car and Dean watched his girlfriend and her mother embrace.

"Oh there's my little girl! We missed you so so much!" Her mother gushed.

"I missed you too, mom." They pulled away and she embraced her father.

Dean watched the family, his hands wringing nervously in his pockets. But he kept a small smile on his face. He was happy to meet her family. After all they had been through, they needed the normal. It gave Sam some time alone with Eileen the big guy needed it.

(Y/N) turned back and waved Dean forward. He came up besides her, taking his hands from his pockets.

"And this is Dean. Dean, this is mom and dad." She smiled.

Dean grinned, "Pleasure to meet you both." He said with a slight twang, seems like he's living out a western fantasy since he's "from Texas". He shook her father's hand, he held it out to her mother. But seems like mom was a hugger because she pushed his hand aside lightly and pulled him down into a hug.

"Oh we know all about you, Dean." She said into his shoulder. Dean chuckled and gave her a couple pats on the back before stepping out of the hug, "Good things I hope."

"Of course." Her mother said, "He's even more handsome than you described, Sweetie."

"Mother." (Y/N) said between her teeth.

“What? I just said he was handsome.” Mom waved off her daughter’s embarrassment.

“Let’s head inside! I’m sure the drive from Kansas was a doozy.” Mom and dad led the way towards the house. 

“You didn’t tell me your mom was June Cleaver.” Dean whispered to (Y/N) out of the corner of his mouth. 

“Yeah just wait until she gets a couple drinks in her.” (Y/N) said through a smile. 

- 

All was going well until it came to dinner. They all sat around the hardwood kitchen table, eating the meal that mom had prepared. It was going pretty well until Dad spoke up. 

“So Dean, tell us about the station.” 

Dean looked up from his meal and finished chewing his food, taking this time to make something up, “Uh, yeah so there’s about ten people in the crew. Not a lot of fires for the small town."

"Not making a lot of income then. Looks like (Y/N)'s the bread winner." Dad said as he took a drink. Mom, sensing the tension, slowly slipped away from to the kitchen. Dean's jaw clenched in it's special way. (Y/N) placed a hand on his knee under the table.

"Dad, it's not about the money. Dean is saving lives. Risking his life." She defended him.

"And that's admirable, sweetie. But I just don't want you to work yourself to death." At dad's words, Dean's leg began to shake but his face didn't change.

"Dad, I'm a lawyer," She lied, "I'm always going to be working myself to death."

"I make sure your daughter is taken care of, sir." Dean said. 

“Coulda fooled me.” Dad said under his breath. 

“Dad!” (Y/N) barked sharply. 

Just then, with her impeccable timing, Mom returned with a salad bowl in her hands, “I made a salad with craisins!” Dean, ignoring the salad, abruptly got up from the table, grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and started walking towards the door as he shrugged it on. 

“Dean!” (Y/N) and her mother followed him, she was still holding the craisin salad. 

“Baby,” Dean stopped as he was half way through the door, “I just need a minute.” He left, slamming the door behind him. 

- 

Deciding she also needed a minute, (Y/N) made her way up tp her old bedroom much to the protests of her mother and her father telling her that she needed to move home if she “can’t find a man who can take a little criticism”. What he called criticism, she called blatant disrespect. Even though he wasn’t an actual firefighter, why would her dad talk to him like that? It was totally unlike him. 

To his credit, maybe he was really angry at her for not visiting since she “graduated”, but that was no reason to be so rude to Dean. 

A knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts. 

“Go away.” 

“I brought cookies.” That was mom's go-to I'm sorry dish. Did it make up for everything? No, but it certainly helped to have warm chocolate chip cookies.

"Come in." At her words, the door opened with mom in the doorway and a plate of cookies in her hands.

"Hi sweetie."

"What is his problem?" She asked, sitting up on her bed. Mom sighed and sat besides her, setting the plate of cookies between then.

"I'm not sure, honey. I think it's a combination of you not visiting more. And I think he believes that Dean isn't good enough for you."

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, "Good enough? Dean is the best think that's ever happened to me." She took a cookie and munched on it.

"I have never said anything bad about him. I can't help but flaunt him."

"I understand why you would." Mom said around a cookie.

"All that matters is that he loves me."

"Love doesn't pay the bills." The both looked up and saw Dad in the doorway, apparently listening to the conversation.

"You know what? I know you don't like him. Because he's not from around here, but he gets along with everyone. I'm gonna be honest, you can say whatever you want about my happily ever after because at the end of the day, he's mine. And I'm his. I've got his nights and his name."

"His name? You got married to him?!" Dad's voice rose.

"Yeah, I did. (Y/N) Winchester. Because I love him! If he were a wine, he'd be top shelf. If he were a house, he'd be the one at the end of the block. You see some washed up shmuck. But he's mine and I'll be damned if I listen to you anymore. As long as I live, I'll never come back here." (Y/N) shoved her way passed him and down the stairs, mom and dad behind her.

"Sweetie, please, wait." Her mom called.

(Y/N) was stopped at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the three men in the living room.

"Well lookie here, the whole family is here for dinner." The man in the middle say. He was a greasy looking man, her hair pulled back in a low pony tail, clad in biker gear. The two others besides him, bared their sharp, toothy grins.

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

Read part 2 here!

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#dean winchester imagine #dean winchester #maxineswritingcenter #supernatural reader insert

[hunenka]

Hi! If you feel like it, I would love to hear your thoughts about how Dean's ending should have gone. I haven't watched the show much for years, so I'm not sure if there was actually a consistent dream/goal Dean wanted to achieve outside of being a hunter with Sam, or if his character was so butchered/written so inconsistently that he had no clear goals? I liked the open ending of 15x19 and honestly I would have rather the series ended there!

Hi, and sorry for such a late reply! I've been sitting on this one for a long time, trying to come up with an answer, but I always ended up just sort of despairing the way the show ended, how many things went wrong.

For me, there are two types of a "right" ending for Dean -- from a storytelling perspective and from a Dean!girl perspective.

Storytelling-wise, Dean's story has always been a horror/tragedy, so anything other than a sad, even cruel ending wouldn't feel right. Dying on a random hunt, after surviving so much, feels appropriately tragic to me -- but not the way they did it on the show. It would have to be portrayed as tragic, as a life of a good man who is finally free being cut way too short because life is cruel, and even the simplest, run-of-the-mill hunt can turn deadly. Which is what makes hunters heroes.

They would have to show how much Dean's absence is felt, not just by Sam, but by so many others. How much Dean's changed people, and changed the world, and left it a better place. How even though Dean died a hunter, he was so much more than that -- a brother, friend, mentor, a geek, an enthusiastic child who loves to have fun and loves to help others have fun, a man who always tries to fight for what's right. Not just an appendix to Sam, but a character and a person in his own right.

From the perspective of a Dean fan who wishes him well, I'd like to see an ending where Dean is happy. Where he is content with who he is and what he does, knows his worth, and lives with his loved ones without being their doormat.

And while Dean has, several times, imagined a life where he would quit hunting and just sit back on a beach somewhere, realistically I can't see Dean quitting the family business. Not as long as monsters are still out there. And even if the supernatural was somehow gone, Dean would still be helping people somehow. A firefighter, a rescue worker... Like he said, his peace is helping people. So I think he'd still live a dangerous life, and maybe even die prematurely when saving someone.

The problem though is that on SPN, death isn't the end, so the real question is what happens after Dean dies. And here, frankly, I can't imagine any ending that I would find satisfying.

Hell would be awful, of course. Purgatory (if Dean got turned and then died) might mean a reunion with Benny, and Dean did enjoy the purity of Purgatory, but that says more about how horrible Dean's life had been at that point than about Purgatory as an ideal final destination. Heaven is dull and boring and unsatisfactory -- both the original "best moments on an endless loop" version and the supposedly improved version we saw in 15x20. Because once you start thinking about it, it falls apart as well. (How does it work? No conflict, nothing to overcome, no obstacles and no triumphs... Just everyone being together and happy? And is it even compatible for everyone? E.g., is Bobby with his wife or with Ellen? Or both? Are John, Mary, Kate and Adam -- now joined by Dean and Sam -- one big happy family?)

Back when the Empty was first introduced on the show, with Billie threatening to send the Winchesters there the next time they die, I thought that paradoxically, the Empty might be the best resting place for Dean, because it had a sound of a true finality. A place that is truly the end. Like it's... nothing. No consciousness, no form of existence, just nothing. And I think the only way Dean could truly find rest would be just that, because as long as he'd be "there" and conscious in any way, he'd want to do something, to fight, to make things better. (Of course, once we actually saw the Empty, I changed my mind on this.)

There's one possibility for Dean after death that I would like and find believable -- Dean becoming the new Death. His relationship with Death (in all its incarnations) has always been pretty special. He's the one to wield Death's scythe repeatedly. He killed Death two times. But more imporantly -- he's been schooled by OG Death (and Tessa) on the importance of balance back in 6x11, and I believe Dean might be the right person to maintain balance in the universe. The way Billie wanted to, before they randomly made her into a villain.

Anyway -- the more I think about it, the more I realize what I'd really want to see boils down to one thing -- the show respecting Dean as a character. Acknowledging his immense worth, his sacrifices, his courage, his kindness, his compassion. His impact on the world. (And not in a "before dying, Cas randomly babbles about how great Dean is" way, because no matter what Cas said, his actions and words towards Dean in the past years have done nothing to support that view. He's been all about Jack and only rolled his eyes at Dean and called him stupid, so this sudden last-minute change of heart is not believable at all.)

Tl;dr: Dean deserved an ending that would honor him in all his complex, complicated, multi-layered glory, instead of erasing years of character development and turning him into his early season 1 self where he can't seem to even fathom existing on his own, without depending on Sam.

Oof, this got long!

#spn #my text #dean w #dean deserves better

[tomtenadia]

A Little Braver - 20

Even if I had a crazy day at work I did manage to do my Monday post as promise... but if you notice typos...I am sorry. I read it and edited but my brain  left with the boat tonight (I work for a ferry company, hence the joke)

This is the first of a few chapters where our bird boy is away and Hamel is causing problems to our gang.

Also, Aelin tries to cook... well... you can imagine how did that go.

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

After the trip to the base Aelin had taken home a very sad Elide and then got back to her own place and cried herself to sleep while hugging Rowan’s pillow. It was very late in the afternoon and it was her day off and she had no intention of leaving her bed.

Her head was buried under the pillow when she heard her phone buzz so she scrambled to get it and her heart raced when she saw it was Rowan.

“Hi,” she said with a croaked vice.

“Are you okay?” Rowan was already in fussing mode.

“Yes I just woke up.” She heard a lot of background noise “where are you?”

“Vulture’s row.” He activated his camera and showed Aelin the view of a fully functional flight deck. “Uh, wait.” He pointed the camera stern of the ship and showed Aelin a jet landing.

“That was so cool.” He turned the camera to him and she saw him with his sunglasses and his hair messed up by the wind. Then he switched off the camera and they went back to normal.

“Are you there yet?”

“We are skirting around. We still have a few hours before we are fully in enemy territory.”

Then Aelin heard a siren of some sort and Rowan swore “I’ll call you as soon as I can again. I need to scramble. Love you.”

“Be safe.” She managed to add before he closed the phone call.

She collapsed again in bed then decided to call Lysandra and Elide and organise a day out the three of them shopping. Elide needed cheering up as well.

The next day Aelin, Elide and Lysandra had decided to have a girls’ afternoon to cheer up the two ladies who had their boys away. They met at the entrance of the shopping centre and Aelin went to hug Elide first of all “how are you doing?”

“Lorcan gave me a brief call yesterday telling me they were on the ship and on their way, then he had to go.”

Aelin sighed “today we don’t think about our far away boys.”

“And maybe you can buy some very sexy lingerie as a present for when Lorcan comes back.” Commented Lysandra and Elide blushed.

“What’s the point?” Asked Elide “you are taking it off anyway.”

Aelin laughed and took Elide’s hand “remember the dress I had at the navy party?”

Elide nodded “it was stunning.”

“I was not wearing anything underneath. It drove Rowan crazy.”

“I have done it a few times with Aedion and I agree with Aelin. The sex afterward has been amazing.”

“How do I learn all these things?”

“Stick with us and we will teach you.”

“Let’s go for some food,” said Aelin, “I haven’t eaten yet.”

“How will you survive now without your sexy chef in the house?” Asked Lysandra.

“Oh, I’ll just go back to my usual order in and ready meals.” Shrugged Aelin who had no intention of even trying to cook anything.

Lysandra took Aelin’s hand and walked toward a restaurant “come on Elide, let’s get this girl properly fed.”

The three women got into the restaurant and sat down and Aelin started perusing the menu eager for some decent food and not long after they placed their order. Lys was right, without Rowan she would be lost when it came to food. Rowan had properly spoiled her.

“How are the wedding preparations going?” Asked Aelin.

Lysandra and Aedion’s wedding was not far away and she was excited to see her best friend finally having her happy ending.

“We are getting there.”

“Do you have a dress yet?” Asked Elide all excited.

Lysandra took out her phone and showed them her dress.

“That is gorgeous. Aedion will not be able to keep his eyes off you during the ceremony.”

“That is the plan.” Lysandra smiled wickedly “but the biggest question is who is going to be next?”

“My money is on Aelin,” chimed Elide “Lor is not emotionally ready for such a step. You and the captain on the other hand…” her eyebrows flicked in amusement.

“She is right, and the two of you basically live together.”

“Yes and no.”

“What do you mean?” Lysandra was confused by the admission.

“We haven’t covered the subject yet. He still has his flat and some of his stuff there. Even after I recovered he never left and I never pushed because I like having him around.”

“Will you ask him to move in officially?”

Aelin sighed “maybe. When he comes back. I don’t know. Things are going well and I don’t want to mess it up.”

“Do you think he’ll say no?” Asked Lysandra. Brainstorming with her friend was always helpful and recently she hadn’t done it enough.

“I don’t think so. But living together is as far as we can go just now. For many, many reasons.”

“Is it because of Sam?”

“Only partially.” She was not going to tell her friends Rowan’s story. She had no right. So she remained vague hoping the two friends would get the hint and not ask anymore questions.

“Still, my money is on you two.” Added Lys “Elide is right, Lorcan does not seem to have yet the emotional ability to commit.”

“Hey, he kissed her in public. And yesterday at the base he seemed quite nice to her.”

“Quite?”

“I don’t know, I was concentrating on Rowan I just cast a brief glance at them.” Replied Aelin.

“He was super kind.” Added Elide taking biting on a breadstick.

Their food finally arrived and Aelin was the first to tuck in.

“Does the captain know about your crazy eating habits?” Asked Lysandra amused.

“Yes,” replied Aelin, enjoying her food “he calls me his bottomless pit. When we had our first date he joked that he might need a mortgage just to feed me.”

Elide laughed “Sam used to joke and say that he needed a second job just for feeding you.”

“I move a lot,” replied Aelin with a grin “I have a big appetite.”

“I think it must be a firefighter thing. Aedion is the same.” Lysandra grinned “and we burn a lot of calories.”

“Eeewwww, I did not need to know that. He is my cousin.”

“Oh come one, as if you and hot captain do not engage in illicit activities. The whole squad guessed that the other night you two had sex in the shower after the call at the club.”

“I was just giving him a special goodbye.” Her hand gently brushed the spot where she could feel his tags. She did a bit of research and she was happy she had a copy. Having the real one meant he was gone and she could not think about that.

“Are you okay?” Asked Lysandra worried at her sudden change of expression.

“Yeah.” She added flatly, then gave them a big smile. It was their day off she should not spoil it.

“So, are we taking Elide lingerie shopping?” Aelin teased trying to raise the spirits of her friend.

“Yes, it’s going to be fun.” Added Lysandra all excited.

“Girls… there is really no need. What I have is okay. Lorcan is not fussed.”

Aelin took a bite of her food “oh but we will make sure he is fussed and also that he knows how sexy you are so he does not decide to…. wander.”

“How do I keep him? I am nowhere near as interesting as the two of you. He might get bored of me very soon.”

Aelin stared at her friend and it broke her heart that her horrible past left her with no confidence at all. Elide was brilliant at her job and she was an intelligent woman and she was positive she would make quite a few heads turn.

“Don’t you say something like that ever again.” Lysandra preceded her. She was even more protective of Elide than her “I work with you everyday and I know how awesome you are and I am positive that if we go to a club you’d have your share of men looking at you.”

Aelin nodded.

They finished their meal and went back wandering around the shopping centre and visited a few shops. In one of them Aelin wandered in the male department and spotted a couple of lovely jumpers. One of them was a deep green and looked very cozy and she realised she had no idea of when it was Rowan’s birthday.

Silly question, you never told me your birthday. She sent the text and knew a reply might take a long time to come. She grabbed the jumper and tried to decide whether it was the right size for him.

“That is a lovely jumper.” Said Lysandra joining her at her side “already thinking about useful presents? You are like an old married couple.”

Aelin laughed.

“But I think this one is really nice and the man seems to look amazing in green.”

“I am just wondering about the size.”

Lysandra grabbed the tag “this one will fit Aedion so you should be fine.”

A moment later Elide rejoined them, her face beetroot red “I feel so silly.” And showed the girls her bag with her lingerie purchase.

“Hey, Ace and I are joking. You didn’t have to buy it if it makes uncomfortable.” But Elide surprised them “I will buy just one pair for now and I’ll see how it goes.”

Lysandra laughed “Aelin is already buying presents married couple style and you are still in the sexy lingerie stage. My girls have grow up so much.”

“And what stage are you and Aedion?” Asked Aelin with a grin.

“The one where I go to the grocery store and I phone him to ask him if he wants beef or chicken for dinner.”

The rest of the afternoon went swimmingly and she loved spending the day with Lys and Elide. They didn’t do that nearly enough.

Now she was back home and in the kitchen trying to accomplish her new mission. She had bought a cooking book for beginners and she had decided she was going to try and cook dinner. Lysandra had told her to start with something as simple as a stir fry. So she had bought a few more kitchen supplies and a pan Lys had told her was called a wok. She had mused why she could not use the pot she already had and Lys had rolled her eyes. Aelin had also bought the ingredients and now they were all lined up in front of her, the book open and a fire blanket and a small fire extinguisher on the counter just to be safe it was her cooking after all. She took a photo and sent it to Rowan then started working. When it got to cut the onions she cursed herself for deciding to cook.

Her phone rang and put it on speaker “hey,” her voice sounded strained and Rowan went in full fussing mode “are you okay?”

“Yeah, cutting those blasted onions.” She sniffled.

Over the line she heard Rowan roar with laughter “what are you making?” He asked as soon as he stopped laughing.

“A chicken stir fry. Lys said it’s easy to do.”

“Why are you putting onions in it?”

“Because I like them, mr I know how to cook.”

“I even bought a wok. Apparently I cannot use my pot.” She added as while throwing the ingredients in the pan.

“Seriously, when I get back we are going to have a massive overhaul of your kitchen.”

And Aelin’s heart raced in joy. It sounded like he had no intention of going back permanently to his flat. Maybe when he got back she should ask him the question after all.

“Aelin, it’s a miracle you have cutlery and two plates.” She could hear the humour in his voice.

“How are things going?”

“I just came off patrol. I am on my way to my quarters to get changed. I don’t have the most appealing scent just now.”

“Shower without me, so what? Two minutes max?”

“That’s about it. The water supply is not endless.”

He finally got to his quarters and collapsed on his bed after removing his boots then lay down and activated the camera.

“Hi sexy,” she did the same and placed the phone against the wall in front of her so he could see her as well.

“I don’t see any smoke. That’s a good start, considering it’s you.”

Aelin gave him the middle finger and then showed him her small fire extinguisher “I am prepared.” She took a bit of her food “for now it tastes edible, but not as good as yours.”

She saw him give her a smug smile and her instinct was to wipe it off his face with a kiss.

“The answer is July 16th, by the way.”

Aelin looked at him not understanding his statement.

“My birthday? You asked me earlier on.”

That she did “That’s two months away.”

“And when it’s yours?”

“May 3rd.”

“Aelin, that’s in two days.” He added sadly “and it sucks I can’t be there.”

“Lys has planned to drag me out with the girls of the firehouse. It’s also her bachelorette party. I have to go.”

“I almost forgot they were getting married. That came around quickly.”

Aelin laughed “not when you have been around them for years.” Aelin placed her food in a plate and moved to the sofa, taking her phone with her.

“When is the wedding?”

“This weekend. The weather is meant to be gorgeous which is a good thing since they are getting married outdoors.”

She heard him sigh “I really, really wish I could be there with you.”

She did not add that she had been thinking the same. So she just took a bite of her food.

“Edible?”

“Fuck no,”Aelin spit the morsel back in the plate “I must have done something wrong with the spices. It tastes horrible.” She grabbed her house phone.

“What are you doing?”

“Clearly ordering in. I am not eating this.”

Rowan rolled his eyes “you should practice more.”

“Why bother? I am clearly not cut for cooking. I am hopeless.”

“Do I need to tell you the amount of times my food sucked when I was still learning to cook decently? I got better with trial and error.”

Aelin huffed “fine I’ll try again on my next day off.” Then she put her house phone down after placing the order “I thought you were going for a shower?”

“Eager to get rid of me?”

“No, I just was hoping to have a peek at that nice arse of yours.”

Rowan laughed “If you behave.”

“Do you have the quarters all for yourself?”

Rowan nodded in the screen “the perks of rank. Gav is sharing with Vaughan. The twins are on their own.”

“Is that wise?”

“This carrier has a nice number of female officers. No one wants to go anywhere near that room.”

“Remember I am jealous, Whitethorn.”

“Some of them are middies on their snot cruise, so very young. The others… still not interested.”

“Who is a middie?”

“It’s short for midshipman or woman. They are the lowest ranking officers in the navy, just above the cadets. And a snot cruise is their first time out at sea on a proper mission.”

“Are your students middies as well?” She loved asking all those questions that might have sounded silly to him, but he never made her feel stupid for asking. He was always happy to answer.

“No, my students are called pilot officers. Then they become Flying officers, then flight lieutenants which is what the twins are, then Vaughan is our squadron leader, Gav is the Wing commander and then you have me.”

“Sounds so complicated.” She definitely needed to do more research to understand his job a bit better.

“It’s like you guys. Aedion looks after one rig as a lieutenant, you are the captain and are in charge of the operations of both at the same time and Dorian will be in charge of all the engines in case multiples houses are involved. Am I correct?”

Aelin nodded impressed.

“Same for us. Vaughan looks after our small squadron, Gav two or three squadrons, which is called a wing. I look after a unit composed of different wings and then Lorcan plays god in the CIC.”

“Now it makes more sense. So I could be your wing commander.”

“Having you fly with us would be insane. We would not concentrate on the enemy.”

Aelin laughed, then the buzzer of the door went off “just a sec, buzzard, food is here.” She went to get her food and plopped back on the sofa resuming her call with Rowan.

“Is your ship nice?”

“I served on her before. Not as swanky as the new one, but she is decent enough.” Rowan sat back up “hey, I really need to take that shower and then it’s chow time. If I miss it I don’t eat until tomorrow morning.”

“Go. Sorry for keeping you.”

“You did not such things. I have been looking forward to call you.”

“I love you.” She told him, sending back the tears that had started forming.

“I love you too, Fireheart.”

Aelin waved him goodbye and went back eating while tears had begun flowing down her cheeks. It had only been two days and she hoped it would get easier being so far apart.

***

The next morning she arrived at the station bright and early, got changed and went straight to Aedion “Are you ready?”

The man nodded “Peter is covering you until we get back from the police and I got Manon in charge of the second rig.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

They arrived at the police headquarters not long after and Chaol met them at the reception area “Hi guys,”

“Here’s my favourite cop.” Aelin went to hug Chaol.

“Just because I keep reporters away from you.”

She gave him a huge smile back.

“Come, detective Ytger is waiting for you.” They followed behind him in silence and stopped in front of a door and knocked.

A female voice told them to go in and once in the office Aelin recognised the same woman at one of the arson cases a few months back.

“Captain, Lieutenant, we meet again.” The three shook hands and the detective sat back down and invited both cousins to do the same.

The detective threw a thick file on the desk “you two have just made a very powerful enemy.”

“The man is a bastard.”

“Believe me, captain, when I tell you that Hamel has been a thorn in my side for a very long time.”

“And why is he still at large? Two people died and the man did not care.”

The woman pinched the bridge of her nose “he has very powerful lawyers and always gets away with murder. We have been working on him for a long time but whatever piece of proof we bring in is never enough to get him behind bars for good.” Aelin could sense the tiredness in her voice.

“Did you close his club as I asked?”

“We did, but he owns almost all the ones in Orynth. And so much more.”

“Can’t you arrest him for murder?” voiced Aedion.

“No, his lawyers showed us the papers of the latest inspections and the place was deemed to code. He blamed the company that did the inspections for lying to him.”

“Detective, I hope you are aware that is a bullshit.” Said Aedion, fury burning under his surface.

“I am well aware.” The woman added almost apologetically “the closure is temporary. It will not stick too long.”

Aelin almost swore “Have the other clubs been checked?”

“We did some undercover recon but we don’t have the full skillset to know what’s up to code.”

Aelin smiled wickedly “well, it’s a good thing that you have a firefighter whose birthday is very soon and was planning to go to a club.”

“You are not dragging Lys and the others in this.”

“Calm down. Hamel does not know them, they are safe. I will wear a disguise.”

“I don’t like the sound of this.” He protested again but he knew Aelin could be stubborn.

“I am coming too.”

“No,” said Aelin “One: Hamel remembers how you lifted him up and he will not forget such act. Two: it’s Lys bachelorette party as well. So, no.” she paused “you can take the guys to another one.”

“What happens if we find both clubs not up to specs?” Asked Aelin worried that it was going to be a lost cause.

“We can start by closing them and gather a bit more time to have more material against him. We have other leads. We just need something significant.”

They discussed with the detective which clubs to hit and they left.

Once in the car Aedion made his displeasure quite clear “I do not like this.”

“Neither do I, but the police has no idea what to look for.” Replied Aelin.

“We are not cops.”

“And they are not firefighters.”

After that they drove in silence all the way back to the station.

***

Two days had passed and Aelin’s birthday had arrived. She arrived at the station and laughed at the scene. One of the rigs was covered in balloons and a sign saying happy birthday, cap and the second rig was for Aedion and Lysandra and the front of the truck had a long white sheet over it that looked like a bridal veil and two massive papier mache rings attached to the front.

She laughed and joined Ansel and Manon who were doing some checks “did everyone see this?” She pointed at the engine and truck. The two women nodded.

“Then let’s clear it. I do not want to go on a call in that state.”

“Yes, captain.” Said the two women in unison. 

The locker room was empty and she sat down on the bench and looked at her phone again. She was hoping for a text from Rowan or a call but nothing yet. She kept telling herself that he was busy and probably out flying. She removed his dog tags and hung them in the locker and stood and stared at the pictures she had hung up. It was some of the photos they had taken in Doranelle. With her finger she brushed a photo of him. He was standing and looking up to the sky. His eyes closed and a small smile painted on his face and his hair all tousled after she had messed it up. It was one of her favourite photos of him. “Be safe, please.” And she blew him a kiss.

Aelin got dressed and then reached the team who was having breakfast in the communal room.

“She is here.” Shouted Nox happily.

Luca grabbed her arm and pulled to the table where a cake was waiting for her.

“Chocolate hazelnut cake. Your favourite.” He cut a slice and offered it to her.

Aelin grabbed it eagerly “mmmmm”

“Get a room you two,” shouted Ress.

A moment later Manon came through with a man carrying a large box “he says this is for you, captain.”

“Thanks, Manon.”

Aelin grabbed the box from the courier and sat down on the sofa. It came from a shop in Orynth. Strange. She opened the box and when she peeked inside she saw a massive stuffed toy. Once she lifted it she realised it was a bird and she had a feeling she knew who it was from.

“A bird? Why a bird?” Asked Lysandra.

Aelin smiled, grabbed the stuffed toy and walked to her bunk to be alone when she noticed the letter inside.

Once alone she sat down on her bed and placed the bird at her side and read the letter

Happy birthday, fireheart.

I wish I could be there for you but I can’t and it hurts more than I thought possible.

If you are reading this, you have met your new friend. I could not find a buzzard but a toy shop in Orynth had a white-tailed hawk and since I have silver hair I thought it was the closest option. Do we look similar? He will keep you company while I can’t be there with you.

I will try and call you tomorrow if I get a free moment, but the guys and I have pulled alert crew duty for the day so no phone for me.

Have fun with the girls and leave the other guys alone especially if they are navy and army.  Aelin chuckled at the joke

I miss you already.

I love you. Madly. 

To whatever end.

Yours, 

Buzzard.

By the time she had finished reading the letter she was in tears. She hugged the soft toy and for a moment she hoped to smell his scent of pine and snow. She went to her locker, grabbed the dog tags and put them around the bird’s neck “you look after them while I am on shift, but then I take them back.” After that she took a photo and sent it to Rowan “I think I will call him Rowan.”

**

It was later that night and Lysandra and Elide were at Aelin’s place to get ready for their fun night. Aelin though, was not in the mood. Rowan had eventually called her but the phone call was cut short when he had go and scramble. Soft toy Rowan was on her bed, his dog tags back on since she would not be wearing them with her dress.

Lysandra was going through her wardrobe looking for a dress for the night.

“So, the captain does have clothes that are not uniform,” said the woman going through his clothes but Aelin glared at her and Lys went back to Aelin’s side of the dresser.

“Did he phone you?”

“Yeah.” Said Aelin flatly while wearing her dress.

“Lorcan said they were having a couple of shitty days.”

Aelin ignored her friend or she would end up in tears and ruin her make up.

“Did he give you his dog tags?” Asked Lys noting them pending from the bird’s neck.

“No, he can’t. He made a copy. And I don’t want the original ones until he retires.”

“Why?” Asked Elide while she was busy fixing her hair.

“Because it means he is dead. They are used for identification.” Replied Lysandra flatly. She had learned that from Aedion.

“Can we please change subject?” Snapped Aelin.

Lysandra grabbed a green dress “what do you think?”

“It will go perfectly with your eyes.” Said Aelin wearing her blue dress.

“I thought you loved the captain.” Said Elide.

“Uh?”

“That dress?” Added Lys pointing at her attire “it makes you look as if you are open to being chased.”

“Too slutty?”

“Ansel will be proud of you.”

Aelin smiled “I do love the captain and I have no plans on taking anyone home. My only companion in bed tonight will be bird Rowan.” Then she wore a wig of red hair.

“Why the wig?”

Aelin and Aedion had decided not to tell anyone about their plan for the night, so she had to lie although it hurt lying to Lysandra “just for some fun.”

They arrived at the club half an hour later and Manon, Asterin and Ansel were already there and apparently already having fun.

“You made it” shouted the red-haired woman. “And who is the hot red-haired friend?”

“It’s me, Ansel.”

“Captain, you look hot.”

Aelin laughed “thank you.”

“We got some drinks already,” said Manon.

“Happy birthday, captain,” said Asterin raising her glass “and congratulation to Lys for bagging the meanest lieutenant in the TFD.”

Their glasses clinked and then Aelin spotted Chaol in the distance. What the heck was he doing at the club? She nodded at him and he gave her a small nod back. Everyone knew Chaol and if the girls spotted him it could raise some questions so she texted him with the pretence of being the overbearing girlfriend checking on her man.

The girls went out dancing and she stood behind saying she was not in the mood when she was actually trying to check out the place. She was about to join Chaol in his hideout when a guy stopped at her side and blocked her way “aren’t you a stunning creature?” He said and Aelin cringed. She really hated clubs and the pigs that came with them.

“Of course I am.”

She felt his arm sneak around her waist and his body move closer to hers and she closed her eyes at the fact that those arms were not Rowan’s.

“What if I buy you a few drink and have some fun you and I?”

“You couldn’t handle me.” She said to him in a whisper.

“I love a good challenge. My flat is not far from here.” And his hand slithered up on her back.

Aelin scoffed “I’d never have sex with you even if we were the last two humans left in the world.”

She made to walk away but he grabbed her arm. She almost punched him but in that instant she felt someone hugging her from behind “it’s me, follow my lead.” He whispered in her ear and she noticed it was Chaol.

“Thank you for finding my girlfriend. I went to the gents and I lost her.”

“Sorry darling,” said Aelin caressing Chaol’s face.

The stranger walked away annoyed.

“Thank you.”

“You were holding your own anyway.” He commented.

“I was about to punch him and cause a scene and mess up the mission.” She whispered then grabbed his hand and pulled him to a quiet booth at the back of the club

“What are you doing here?”

“Detective Ytger sent me here as back up. Hamel’s minions know all of the detectives but not us beat cops.”

“How do you want to proceed?” She asked him.

“You are the firefighter, I am just here to make sure you get out okay.”

“Ok, I need to walk around. Just keep an eye on me.” Chaol nodded and Aelin walked away.

She went back to the bar area and smiled when Elide walked toward her “Ace!! Come on it’s your birthday, you need to come and have fun.” She also had a job to do but felt bad at abandoning her friends. So she joined them again and Lys grabbed her for some dancing.

“How how many hearts did you break?”

“Just the one but he was a pig.”

“Did you tell him you have a super hot captain waiting for you?” 

Aelin shrugged and turned to Elide.

“How many drinks did Ansel give you?”

Elide lifted three fingers in front of her face “two.”

Aelin laughed “no more alcohol for you.”

“Buuut I am sad and I miss Lorcan.” Aelin hugged her friend knowing full well how she felt.

“Still, no more alcohol, you just can’t hold it.”

She walked Elide to Manon “can you keep an eye on her please? And just water please. Elide has reached her alcohol quota for the evening.”

“Of course.”

Aelin smiled at the white-haired woman. She was very introverted and of a very few words but she did not care about that since she was good at her job. She was the complete opposite of Ansel.

Speaking of the woman…”where did Ansel go?”

“Last time I have seen her she was dancing with a brunette.” Aelin dragged a hand on her face “I am going to the ladies. Just behave, okay?”

She used the excuse to slip away and walk around as she was supposed to do. She wanted to try and take some photo as proof but covert operations were not her forte.

“You are back,” whispered Chaol at her back.

“I’ll pretend to be drunk and lost.”

“Be careful, this is making me nervous.”

She nodded and walked away from him. Part of her was glad she had not mentioned this to Rowan, he would have gone in full protective mode.

She kept pretending she was drunk and dumb and ended up in the kitchen “sorry,” she slurred, leaning against the doorframe “are these the loos?”

“No miss,” said one of the staff “they are down there and on your right.” She gave the man a goofy smile and a wet kiss on the cheek “thank you, sweet man.” The hug had given her the time to have a very quick look in the kitchen and note there was no safety equipment. That was enough for her to shut down that club as well. How could they run a kitchen that way? She really had to take down the bastard. She hid in the shadows of the club and and checked the fire doors without activating them and found them of shoddy quality. She was fuming. She had a good look at the club and realised even the numbers of people allowed in was probably over the limit. Those doors were for 60 people, she could only see three on ground level, which meant a limit of 180 people. There were probably over three hundred, all crammed and spread on two levels. It was a firefighter nightmare. She ran back to Chaol “go home. I have seen enough. Tell the detective this place needs to be shut down as well.”

“I’ll phone her as soon as I am out. She was waiting for news anyway.”

“Go, and say hi to Yrene.”

Chaol left and she ran back to her friends nervous that she was placing them in danger. She wanted to go but the idea of leaving all those people behind made her nervous. She texted Aedion and rage surged back when he told her that their club was the same.

The girls took her dancing in the middle of the dance floor and danced away ignoring a couple of guys basically dancing on her. She hated clubs so much and the music was horrible. She bit down her annoyance and went to hug Lysandra “how does it feel to be almost married?”

“Weird.” She looked at Aelin “are you having fun?”

“You know I don’t like clubs but I came for you, it’s your night after all.”

“It’s your birthday too.”

Aelin shook her head “I get one every year, you better marry my cousin and stick to him.”

“And you stick to the captain. I want to come to your wedding.”

Aelin laughed “we’ll see…” then she turned and saw Elide leaning against the counter half asleep “what if we take the party to my place? I am sick of this place.”

“Please,” said Manon in a hopeful tone. She hated clubs as well “we can get alcohol on the way home. If I hear another man asking me why my hair is white I am going to start snapping necks.”

“Hey Manon, no need to snap necks,” then Aelin looked around for Ansel.

“I’ll get her,”said Asterin when she noticed the woman in the distance.

The woman came back with Ansel in tow and moved closer to Aelin “the fire exits are not enough and one is blocked.” She whispered.

“I know, I am going to call Peter and explain the situation to him.” She took her phone out “take the others to the cars. I’ll be there in a moment.”

Aelin watched Asterin walking the group to safety then hid in dark a corner and phoned Peter explaining that they had to pretend they had an anonymous call and come and pay a visit to the place and shut it down. The man agreed after she explained him the situation in terms of safety. She was playing dirty but could not care less. People’s lives were at stake. Hamel could just go and impale himself for all she cared.

Quickly she left the building and she went to her car joining Lys and Elide. The remaining women were in Manon’s car.

They stopped for booze on the way and finally got back home. Aelin took Elide piggyback style as the woman had fallen asleep. Once in the flat she placed Elide in the spare bedroom and covered her with a blanket then went back to the rest of the group camped in her living room. A text from Peter told her that the club had been safely evacuated and closed. Apparently he had found even more infractions that she had not the time to spot. 

“Ok, ladies back to the party.” Aelin grabbed a mixed selection of glasses and mugs for the beer.

Ansel stood and went to use the bathroom and came back a few minutes later “why do you have guy’s stuff on the bathroom shelf? Do you live with the silver fox?”

Aelin sighed “Rowan has been living here since I was discharged from the hospital.”

“That was a while ago.”

“I know.” Aelin sighed.

“Yes!” Shouted Ansel pulling Aelin toward her “our captain is shacking up. I am so proud of you.”

After a few drinks, Ansel would become very friendly with anyone. It was a good thing they had left the club.

In that instant she got a text from Aedion saying that he had activated the fire alarm in their club and evacuated the whole place after he had spotted a shit ton of infractions. Well, that was probably another club down. Definitely not what they had agreed with the detective but they had to do something.

“Ok, since this is a bachelorette party as well, we can have a bit of spiciness.” Said Asterin while drinking her beer “unusual place where you had sex. We need to give Lys some ideas.”

“Do we?” Joked Aelin “Lys would definitely teach us something.” Then everyone looked at Ansel “after her of course.”

“I once hooked up with civilian pilot and we did it in his cockpit before he got to fly the plane”

“Where you flying as well?” Asked Lysandra curious.

Ansel nodded “it’s a long story.”

“Aelin, you are up. I bet the captain is wild.” Lysandra’s eyebrows lifted suggestively.

“He is pretty amazing but the strangest places have been a beach, the sea, behind a waterfall, a pool at the foot of two different waterfalls and almost on a military ship.”

“Almost?” Asked Manon curious.

“I’ll show you the dress.”

Aelin went to get her black dress and got back a moment later “and he knew I had nothing underneath.”

The group of women cheered loudly “that must have driven him insane.” Joked Asterin.

“That’s why the almost. We would have been in a lot of trouble if we got caught.”

“I have nothing left to teach you.”Ansel was sprawled on a chair and lifted her beer in acknowledgment.

“Lys?”

The woman blushed savagely “in a car wash. Aedion and I stayed in the car while it was getting washed and… well.. it was quick but fun.”

“Definitely nothing to teach you,” Aelin clinked her bottle with her friend.

“Asterin?”

“My previous firehouse, with one of my colleagues on top of a rig on a night shift.”

Manon gave a light chuckle “was it when you were at the Regional 2?”

Asterin nodded “he was some hot firefighter. We are still friends. We did it once and then it felt so weird and never happened again.” She explained.

Aelin sighed “The night of the mayor’s party, Thomas and I hooked up. We ended up at my place. We did it, realised it was rebound sex and finished the night with tv and junk food.” Thinking about him still pained her.

“No friggin way. More than the kiss?” Asked Lysandra shocked.

Aelin nodded “after you saw us kissing I left, he found me, we went back to my place.”

Aelin looked around and noticed that no one wanted to make too many comments, his death was still too fresh for everyone and he had been Manon’s and Asterin’s captain.

“Does Rowan know?”

“I told him and he is fine. We were nothing at the time and I was mad at him.”

In that instant Elide joined the group and Aelin stood and went to her “hey, how are you feeling?”

“My head hurts.” Replied the woman leaning against Aelin.

“I should take her home. We are working tomorrow we should all go home.”

“Lys is right,” added Asterin “another 24hrs shift ahead, we need some sleep.”

Manon and Asterin offered to take Ansel home and Aelin remained with Lys and a sleepy Elide.

“I am sorry the evening sucked.”

“Hey,” Lysandra placed her hands on Aelin’s shoulders “it didn’t, and to be honest we were all quite tired. All it matters is to marry that annoying cousin of yours.”

“Take Elide home, she is about to go to sleep again.”

Once Aelin was alone she finally shed the dress and opened one of Rowan’s drawers and grabbed a t-shirt. They were usually far too big for her but she loved them as pyjama. She went to the bathroom, got ready and then finally got in bed with bird Rowan and squeezed close to his pillow to inhale his scent.

She grabbed her phone and found a text from Rowan

I hope you had a nice evening. I wish I had been there with you because it’s bad out here. I hope bird me is keeping you company. Have a nice night, Fireheart. Love you.

Aelin’s heart sank at the anguish in his voice. She tried to call him but had no answer.

I love you, come back to me, was all she managed.

She squeezed bird Rowan and tried very hard to fall asleep.

TAGS:

@rowaelinismyotp​

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@courtofjurdan​

@whimsicallyreading​

@tillyrubes10​

@surielandiareendgame​

@aelin-bitch-queen​

@bruiseonthefaceofhumanity 

#rowan whitethorn #rowaelin #rowan x aelin #aelin galathynius #Lysandra #elide lochan #Throne of Glass series #fanfic

[justanotherwriter-fangirl]

He´s My Son (K. S.)

Words: 4,420 words

Warnings: Mentions of abuse, gangs, drugs and cheating, a little bit of violence and a couple curse words but overall I think it’s friendly.

Request: Can you write a imagine where kelly's girlfriend has Aiden her 5 years old son and kelly's been his father figure since he was two and then the reader's ex comes back and wants to be in Aiden's life and go to the firehouse where kelly is with Aiden to take the little boy with him because the reader doesn't want him in his life because he is involved with gangs and drugs so kelly tells him that Aiden is his son and that he won't take him and all 51 support him? You finished, please...

A/N: Hi!!! I’m so happy with how this turned out, hope you all enjoy it and like it as much as I do so let me know how you feel about it. 

Gif obtained from Google. All credits to its owner.

Thanks for reading

_______________________

Life had never been easy with you, leaving your home in a small town at age 17 to ran away from a place where nothing ever happened, arriving to the big city of Chicago where you didn’t know anyone with barely any money, looking for a job as a waitress to afford the expenses of your new life and last but not least, meeting the man who would later turn into your worst nightmare.

Once you arrived to Chicago and settled in a little apartment you could barely afford, you decided to enroll in Chicago’s Community College to become a nurse, it had been hard with a lot of double shifts at weekends and many many nights awake studying but finally you did it and got a nice job at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, that’s where you met the person who you thought you would spend the rest of your life with, Ryan.

He had entered to the ED after a motorcycle accident and you immediately felt attracted to him, it was crazy, he was your patient and there was more important things to think of,  like taking care of his multiple wounds, mostly cuts and scratches, but still, you couldn’t fell for a patient, that was basic.

But life’s funny like that so after Will cleared him off to leave the hospital, he asked you out, you tried to refuse even when you didn’t really want to saying that he was a patient and it was wrong, but he insisted, he wasn’t a patient anymore, he had just been released, so with that argument and a little flattering of his part, you agreed to go out with him.

One date turned into two and then three and without realising it suddenly 2 years had passed by and you were moving together. You loved him, you really did and that was the main reason why you stayed with him, even after learning that he was part of a gang on the southside of the city and his day job was selling drugs, yes it was bad but he had always been so good to you.

A year later and things started to change, every cell in your body often told you to run away from that guy, that he was bad news and he was going to get you killed someday but your heart couldn’t bare the idea of leaving him. You had passed many sleepless night trying to figure out what to do, always trying to convince yourself to leave but you couldn’t, you were sure you could change him and get him out from that life, after all, that was your job, to help people. That thought was kept you going every day, despite all your fights and all those times he would grabbed your arms so hard that you'd have to wear long sleeves to work to hide the bruises, despite the nights he would come home so high or drunk that he could barely pronounce your name and all the nights you knew he was cheating on you, because, after all, it wasn’t his fault, right? It was all the drug’s fault and the people he hang with.

And one day, right when you thought nothing was going to change, you took that pregnancy test, two lines staring back at you giving you the hope you needed, that little person growing inside you was going to be the light at the end of the tunnel, that little baby was the answer to all your prayers.

But that wasn’t how Ryan thought at all, when you told him the news he was so furious, yelling at you for being so sloppy, for getting pregnant to tie him up and finally for cheating on him because there was no way that baby was his. After that he just left with his friends, probably to get high again and sleep with some other girl, leaving you at home alone and crying your heart out.

You felt destroyed, how could he said all those things to you? You always were faithful, you always forgive him and, more importantly, you always stayed until suddenly something changed, your tears stopped and you realized now you really had to leave, if not for you then for your baby who now depended of you so grabbing a bag you started to pack all your stuff, leaving nothing behind that could be a sign that you ever lived there.

Once on the street, with the air hitting your face as you put everything in your car, you felt the weight of the world being lifted of from your shoulders for the first time in a very long time, taking your phone out to call April, your best friend in the world.

You had met her when you first started working at the ED, from the beginning she was nice and helped you to get used to the craziness you had to deal with everyday. Being the sweetheart she was, she let you stayed at her place through all your pregnancy, you insisted to stay just for a couple days, just enough until you could found another apartment but she didn't let you go, completely excited with the idea of being the aunt of your baby. 

Time flew by and when you least expected it, Aiden was born, the whole ED crew by your side, April and Will holding your hands, Natalie making sure everything was going fine and Maggie supporting you from the side with her encouraging words. 

In that moment, with your little baby boy in your arms and all your friends around you, life couldn't be better. 

After Aiden turned 1 you moved to a nice little apartment near the hospital where you met Kelly Severide, he was April's childhood friend and went with her at the housewarming party. He was sweet, charming and so handsome and you both really hit it off immediately but after Ryan and everything you had gone through you were a little bit wary of going back to the dating world, specially now that you had your little boy with you, Aiden being your number 1 priority. You knew Kelly was nothing like Ryan but that didn’t change the fact that you had some trust issues regarding guys.

It was really hard to say no to him when the boy was so persistent, going to visit you at the hospital whenever he had time in between calls when he was working or going to your place with some takeout to help you take care of the baby. 

Slowly but surely, he eventually won your heart, having all those little details with you made you warm up to the idea of dating him and break down all the walls you had around your heart.

One rare night when you had the opportunity to go to Molly's with Maggie and April after shift, he showed up, flowers in hand and a huge smile on his face, to ask you officially on a date, how could you ever say no to that? He was the perfect gentleman and more importantly than anything, he accepted you with all your baggage, trust issues and Aiden, willing to be his father figure.

He soon started to be there in every first of Aiden, his first tooth, his first steps, his first word, the first time you ever took him to a zoo or his first day at daycare, staying with you at night and helping you whenever he woke up at 3 am crying or taking care of him when he wasn’t on duty and you had long shifts at the hospital.

He was fully committed, not only with you but with Aiden too, so much that one day when you had stopped by the firehouse with Aiden to pay him a quick visit you caught him at the table of squad 3 reading a book about “100 things you need to know about babies”, the sight melting away all doubts and fears you ever had, leaving nothing behind but love because that was the moment you realized you loved Kelly and it was such a strong and powerful feeling you had never experienced before.

Time flew by and before you realized it you were throwing Aiden’s fifth birthday party, the theme: firefighters. Ever since he was aware of what Kelly did for a living and understood what it was about, all he wanted was to be a firefighter, rescue people and be lieutenant of the squad just like him and every time he would mention it the smile on Kelly’s face would only get bigger full with pride.

“Happy birthday to you…” you all sang to Aiden in front of his fire truck birthday cake, the whole firehouse and Med staff there to spent the day celebrating with you.

“Blow out the candles, champ” Kelly said ruffling his hair.

“Don’t forget to make a wish!”

“Done!” he yelled before blowing the candles while everyone laughed and clapped, the boy having everyone in the room wrapped around their little finger.

“So... tell us, Aiden, what did you wished for?” April said

“I wished…” he said slowly creating expectation in the room “to be just like dad! A firefighter!” he screamed before hopping off his chair to go play with his friends, everyone on the room celebrating and laughing without realizing what had just happened. They couldn’t know it but that had been the first time Aiden called Kelly his dad, bringing happy tears to your eyes. 

Even though Kelly had been there for you both since Aiden was almost two and Aiden couldn’t remember much before him, you had always told him the truth, letting him know that Kelly was your boyfriend and his biological father had disappeared long before he was born, it had been a little bit difficult to explain it to a 4 years old boy but with Kelly’s help you managed to do it avoiding all the ugly parts of the story and letting him know that no matter who his biological father was, you and Kelly would always love him. 

Since he was a toddler who was barely starting to speak you had taught him that honesty was the best policy so you always tried to teach him by example even when it came to situations like that, once you explained it all to him Kelly and you made sure he knew that you were his family no matter what, trying to clear all fears from his little head when he asked if Kelly would leave you just like the other man did, the question almost breaking your heart and leaving you without an answer, fortunately Kelly immediately told him that he would never leave either one of you, that he loved you both and that we wanted to be his dad if he let him. 

Around a year has passed since that day and you were more than happy to know that finally Aiden’s fears had gone away and he was ready to call Kelly his dad, sure that he would never leave you.

In that moment you felt Kelly’s strong arm around you waist making you come back to reality, proud and happiness all over his face as he looked down at you, that one look being more than enough to let you know what he was thinking, that moment in time being the proof that it was all worth it and without the hardest and darkest moments in your life you wouldn’t be standing there surrounded by the people you loved most.

“Who wants some cake?” you heard April in the background “Kelly, be nice and hand me some plates, please” she said while cutting the slices without realizing you were just having a moment when suddenly the doorbell rang.

“I’m coming” you said.

“Hey, (Y/N), if it’s Capp he better be standing behind that door with a really big present for Aiden, we will not tolerate him arriving just in time for the cake” Herrmann said making you laugh.

“I’ll let him know” you said opening the door still laughing.

“Miss me?” said the man at the door, his voice sending a chill down your spine and making you want to grab your son and run.

He hadn’t change a bit since the last time you saw him around 6 years ago but now all you ever saw in him transformed into disgust and fear.

“R-Ryan?” you stuttered closing the door as much as you could so nobody could see him “What are you doing here? How did you found me?”

“Well, it certainly wasn’t easy, especially since you left no trail behind you that time you left me but a couple days ago a friend of mine told me he saw you entering this building, I thought I would pay you a visit to check on you, see how are you doing now”

“I’m fine, thanks for the visit but I have to get back inside” you said trying to hide your nerves and closing the door when a rough push from his hand stopped you.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in, (Y/N)? It’s not like everyday your son turns 5 years old” in that moment you felt like your soul had left our body and all color drained from your face.

“I-I don’t… don’t know what you’re talking about”

“Don’t play stupid and let me in, (Y/N), I want to meet my son” he said threatening when it reached you from the inside the sound of Aiden’s laugh, making you snap out of your fearful state.

“He’s not your son, you made that very clear 6 years ago when I told you I was pregnant” you said firmly taking back all your power, your mother instinct kicking in instantly. “So now leave before I call the police” you finished before closing the door in his face, still shocked from your outburst.

It took you a second to recompose yourself, still trembling from the encounter with the man that some nights still haunted your dreams.

“Babe, do you want some cake?” said Kelly approaching you when he noticed the state you were in “Hey, what happened? Are you okay? Who was it?” he quickly questioned putting his hands in your shoulders to look at you and make sure you weren’t harm.

“He’s back, Kelly” you whispered, the lump in your throat barely letting anything out “Ryan’s back”

"What?"

"It was him at the door, he said that he wanted to meet Aiden. Kelly, what am I going to do? What if he wants to take him away?"

"What we are going to do is talk to Antonio, hell we’ll talk to Voight if we need to, we'll put a restraining order and make sure there is no way he can get close to you again, you're not alone anymore, (Y/N), you have all of us, you have me"

"I'm scared"

"I know" he said enveloping you in a hug as if that way he could protect you from all the bad in the world.

“Mom, hurry! I want to open my presents!” said Aiden running to you and tugging at your hand. With your head still buried on Kelly’s chest you took a second to breathe and push all your worries to the back of your head, making sure to put in a smile for Aiden.

“Let’s go, honey” you said stepping back, grabbing Kelly’s hand and letting the kid guide you to the living room where everyone was sitting around a big pile of presents.

“Okay, champ, open up mine first” said Kelly sitting in the floor next to him and passing him a box.

“Kelly…” you said, you had told him that it wasn’t necessary at all, he had already helped a lot with the organization of the party.

As Aiden ripped the paper and took the lid on a big red firefighter helmet came into view.

“Mom, look!” Aiden exclaimed putting it on “Now I’m a firefighter!”

Everyone laughed, he was so happy and that was what mattered the most. He continued opening the rest of his presents: clothes, a superhero cape and a bunch of toys.

It was around 7 when you and the girls could finally just sit down in the living room to talk and drink some wine, the guys at the kitchen with some beers and a mess of chips and popcorn around them and the rest of the kids and their parents gone.

Aiden had fallen asleep in your arms half an hour ago with his firefighter helmet still on and you wished everything could stay just like that.

“Hey, Antonio, I need to ask you a favor” said Kelly taking him apart for a moment.

“Yeah, of course, tell me”

“I don’t know if Dawson ever told you anything about (Y/N)’s ex boyfriend, Aiden’s father”

“Not much, she once mentioned he was into drugs and gangs but not much more, he’s not in the system”

“Well, he came by earlier saying that he wants to meet Aiden and (Y/N)’s afraid he might want to take him away, is there anything we can do? I was thinking about a restraining order but I don’t know how much that can help considering his background”

“Well, we can start with that but there’s not much we can do without any evidence”

"Okay, thanks"

“If anything happens let me know, okay?”

“Sure, thanks Antonio” Kelly said going back with the rest of the guys.

When you least expected it it was already 10 pm and everyone was going, it was saturday but that didn’t mean anything being a nurse, doctor, detective or firefighter, most of you having to work the next day.

“Aiden was so happy, I think we did something right today” Kelly told you while you were getting ready to get in bed.

“Yeah, I swear I could see his little face lighting up when he opened your present, thank you, Kelly, for everything”

“It was nothing, really. I saw it the other day on my way back to the fire house after a call and I thought of him”

“I don’t know what I’d be doing without you”

“Handling it like you always have, sweetheart, I’m here because you want me around, not because you need me”

“You always have the right words, don’t you?” you said laughing a little bit.

“I hope so” he said getting into bed and extending his arms for you to crawl with him.

“What are we going to do tomorrow?” you asked once you were both in bed, your head on his chest and his hand playing with your hair “You have shift and I have to be at the ED”

“I can take him with me, come pick him up after your shift, we can even have dinner together there”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to cause you any trouble”

“Totally, I’ll speak with the chief and whenever we have a call he can stay with Connie, she’ll love him, don’t worry about it” he finished pressing a kiss on your forehead, the feeling of his fingers playing with your hair relaxing you and making you feel sleepy.

“Okay but if anything happens or you need me to go get him, just call me, okay?” you said suppressing a yawn.

“Just sleep, babe” was the last thing you heard.

That night was probably the worst you’ve had in a while, images of Ryan, your past together and him taking Aiden away constantly awakening you and keeping you from resting properly so you were more than happy when you noticed the sun was rising from behind your curtains.

Trying to not wake up Kelly you slid out of bed and headed towards the kitchen, coffee being your only thought after the horrible night you had.

Once you had a cup of coffee in your system you went to the bathroom to take a shower, the caffeine and the water helping you to feel completely awake and ready for the day. After you finished and put your nurse uniform on you found your way back to kitchen to start breakfast and since it was sunday you choose to spoil your boys a little bit with some nutella waffles.

You were halfway done when you heard steps coming from the hallway and then a pair of strong arms wrapped around your middle, Kelly resting his chin over your shoulder and leaving a small kiss on your neck.

“Morning” he said in a low husky voice.

“Good morning, babe. Can you go wake Aiden up, please?”

“Are you sure you want me to?” he said now peppering your shoulder with small kisses.

“Not exactly but you both need to get ready to go to the firehouse” you said giving a squeeze to one of his hands before going back to your current task “Puls, don’t forget that tuesday’s our day, we’ll leave Aiden with Matt and Gabby and then it’ll be just us to do whatever you want”

“Fine” he said finally letting you go “Can’t wait for it to be tuesday though” you heard him saying from the hallway.

You were setting the table when you heard laughter coming your way, Kelly appearing with Aiden on his back, the red firefighter helmet once again on his head matching his fire truck pajamas.

“Hey Aiden, tell mama what I was just telling you” Kelly said putting Aiden down on a chair and sitting next to you.

“I’m going to dad’s job today!” Aiden yelled raising his arms, a light on his eyes you would do anything to protect.

“That’s right, buddy, now eat your breakfast so we can get ready to leave”

An hour later you were saying goodbye to your boys and heading towards your car, ready for the day ahead.

“Ok, Aiden, let me give you the tour” Kelly told the 5 year old once they reached the firehouse, the toddler hand on his while they walk to the front door.

“Hey! Look who’s here” yelled Herrmann from the inside, the rest of the house coming out to receive Aiden.

“Look, I’m one of you” he let go of Kelly’s hand to go running to the guys, showing them his red helmet again.

Everyone there loved the little guy, he had won their hearts a long time ago and it was obvious as they all show him around and let him get into the fire truck, never treating him as Kelly’s partner son but as if he was his own because for anyone who ever had the pleasure to meet the three of you all they could see was a family, not mattering blood but the real connection you all had.

“Hey, Aiden, I need to tell you something” said Kelly in a moment of quiet, kneeling down to be eye level with him “Listen, champ, because it’s important, okay?”

“Okay” he said putting on his serious face and trying to cross his little arms over his chest almost making Kelly laugh.

“There will be a moment when the sirens will go on and we’ll be call to go do our job and I won’t be able to take you with me so you are going to stay with Connie, okay? She’s nice but you have to listen to her while I’m gone” he said pointing at her who was going over some papers at her desk.

“Ohh, I like her” he said now relaxing and getting closer to Kelly “She once draw with me while you and mom were busy but told me to keep it a secret” Aiden whispered to him and put his finger over his lip.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone” Kelly said playing along.

“Is that him? My son?” was suddenly being heard from the front, Kelly well aware of who was the owner of that voice and fire started to run down his veins.

“Hey, why don’t you go with Mouch to watch some cartoons? I’m sure he was looking for something new to watch” quickly said Kelly to the boy, Aiden running to the inside excited to show someone else his new favorite show and unaware of anything else.

Standing up and turning around he met eye to eye with the man who had hurt you so much many years ago and now was trying once again to do it.

“Leave, now” Kelly said angrily

“I’m not leaving anywhere unless it’s with my son”

By now everyone had already noticed the tension between the two and were getting around them, ready to back their lieutenant up or keep him from doing something stupid.

“Are you out of your mind? He never was and never will be yours”

“I have rights, he’s my son and I demand to see him” said getting closer to Kelly.

“You have no rights here, pal, you’re in my territory now and I’m not scared of you so before you do something you might regret just leave and leave my family alone because he’s MY son”

“Your family?” Ryan said before laughing “That dumb bitch will leave you just like she did with me, she’s not worth all the trouble, man”

“What did you just said!?” exploded Kelly pushing him back, everyone ready to break them apart.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you” said Matt getting in the middle when Ryan was about to push Kelly back.

“Yeah man, just leave” added Cruz, a halligan in his hands.

That’s when they both took a second to look around, almost everyone was there including chief Boden who was watching everything from behind, the only ones missing were the girls and Mouch, taking care of Aiden.

“I’m not done yet” said Ryan when he realized he was outnumbered.

“Yes, it is. Now leave and don’t ever come back” added Herrmann from the side.  

“Whatever, we’ll see about that” finished Ryan before leaving the fire house. 

“Are you okay, Severide?” stepped in chief Boden.

“Yes, sir” he said breathing and running a hand down his face.

“Good, now I suggest we let CPD know about this situation, it must be enough for them to do something. Back to work everybody”

Kelly knew it wasn’t going to be that easy but he didn’t care because no matter what he would always be ready to fight for his son, for his family.

_______________________

Masterlist

#writing #writer #Chicago Fire #chicago med #chicago fire imagine #one-shot #oneshot #one shot #One Chicago #Kelly Severide #kelly severide imagine #kelly severide one shot #kelly severide x reader #imagine #chicago fire one shot #drabble

[spnfanficpond]

Pond Diving - Katelynw93

Welcome to today’s Pond Diving Spotlight! We hope that you enjoy this little insight to our members and perhaps even find some useful tips for your own writing. Happy reading!

Want to volunteer, send us an ask! We’re looking forward to learning more about all of you! Not sure what PD is, you can learn more here.

“Don’t Be Koi About It” - All About You

Name: Katelyn, but most people call me Kate, Katie or sometimes even Kat.

Age: 27

Location: Originally from Kansas, but have been located in Upstate NY for the last six years.

URL: @katelynw93​

Why did you choose your URL: It’s usually the username that I use for everything and if I’m being honest, I’m not very creative when it comes to titles or names. Lol. I’ve been meaning to change it; I just need to decide on what.  

What inspired you to become a writer: Well, when I was in middle school (maybe seventh or eighth grade), my best friend and I decided to write a story together and post it on a fanfiction site (Can’t remember the site name, though.) And I just loved it. We never did finish that story. Lol. But eventually I started branching out and found some roleplay writing sites.  

How long have you been writing: Started writing in middle school (2006/2007), but really got into it in 2009 with RP. However, September of this year (2020) was the first year I started really writing fics by myself and opening posting them. 

What do you do when you are not writing i.e. Job/Hobbies etc? I work a lot, usually an average of 40+ hours a week; I am a manager at a popular food chain restaurant and on the weekends, a cashier at a gas station to provide a little extra cash for my family. When I’m not working, my time is spent with my two kids; Alekzander (Zander) who just turned five this past November and Lincoln (Link) who will be two in February. Outside of work and my family, I’m usually writing. Sometimes if I’m feeling extra creative or inspired, I’ll create a few crackships for couples I really enjoy. Lol. 

How long have you been in the SPN Fandom? I actually found Supernatural around the same time I started writing, so back in ninth grade, so 2008/2009. It was honestly an accident too, because I was searching for Smallville episodes (I have an unhealthy addiction to Superman and DC/Marvel.) and stumbled upon an ad for Supernatural. Was instantly intrigued and fell in love. Seasons 1 - 5 (the Kripke era) are my favorite. 

Are you in any other fandoms and do you write for them? Oh yea, I love TV shows and movies, and as I’ve already stated above, I love DC and Marvel. I’ve also written for Grey’s Anatomy and am willing to write for more, but SPN, DC and Grey’s are currently the only ones I’ve written for. I love The Vampire Diaries, One Tree Hill, Private Practice, Station 19, 9-1-1, Game of Thrones, The Witcher, Merlin, Dexter, Psych, and so, so many more. There are too many to list. Lol.  

Do you do any writing outside of fanfiction? If so, tell us about it? Other than RPing, not really. I mean, I did try to do an original story with my friend when I was younger, but it never went anywhere. But I am willing to try someday. 

Favorite published author: Other than the really big authors like; J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin, Jim Butcher, Nicholas Sparks, Suszanne Collins, I really like (and maybe it’s cliche) Stephenie Meyer. The Twilight Saga made me fall in love with reading and eventually, that love led me to writing. Those books hold a special place in my heart.  

Have you ever read a book that made an impact on your life? Which one and why?: Well, I guess I sort of answered that one already. But there truly are so many amazing books out there and still so many more to discover. 

Favorite genre of fanfic (smut, angst, fluff, crack, rpf, etc): Oh man, I’m not gonna lie, a majority of what I read is probably smut. But I am particularly fond of angst. I want you to make me cry. Really dig and stab into my emotions. Lol. And then come back in with some fluff. Haha. 

Favorite piece of your own writing: Well, that would have to be Sweet Cherry Pie because it was really the first piece I’ve ever finished and published online. It was inspired by an RP that I am currently involved in and they are my favorite couple in said RP. It got so much positive feedback after I shared it that it inspired me to keep writing. I was so nervous about posting it, but I am glad I did. 

Most underrated fic you have written: Oh I’m not sure. Maybe Love Bites. I am a sucker for Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries crossovers. I really loved writing this fic and am eager to write more. 

Story of yours that you’d most like to see turned into a movie/tv show: Oh damn, um, it’d be cool to see any of them like that. But maybe Sweet Cherry Pie or Out of the Fire (my firefighter!Dean series).  

Favorite Tumblr Writer(s): There are so many, but I usually find myself reading work from; @impala-dreamer​, @katehuntington​  @deanwanddamons​, @muchamusedaboutnothing​.  

Favorite Fic from another writer: This one is tough because there are so many amazing fics out there, especially ones that I adddddore; but if forced to choose, one story that will always stick with me would have to be Treacherous by @idkhaylijah​ OR The Sullivan Series by Kate Huntington 

Favorite character to write: Dean Winchester. I adore Dean and he’s probably the easiest for me to write. I have written the most fics with him and I portray him often in the RPs that I do. 

Favorite Pairing to write: Dean with anyone, but my favorite would be Dean x Caroline. 

Least favorite character to write (and why): That’s a tough one, cause there’s not really any that I’m uncomfortable with or dislike writing. Maybe characters with accents, because I don’t really know how to capture that in writing yet? I’m pretty open with my writing and am willing to try mostly anything. 

Do you have anyone you consider a mentor? Oh definitely. When I first started RPing, there was another girl (Jocelyn) that I used to write with and she influenced a lot of my writing. She was older than me and had more experience and gave me a lot of tips on how to get better. She is an amazing writer and had the potential of going far with it, but life happens and unfortunately, she doesn’t write anymore. But she is booming on Youtube, so that’s pretty impressive. It’s pretty cool to see how far she’s come. 

Do you have any aspirations involving your writing? I used to want to be a journalist when I was younger, but other than that, not really. I just want to have fun with it and write something meaningful for someone, and always improve and get better.  

How many work-in-progress stories do you have: I have a few ideas jotted down, maybe ten, but I haven’t actually started any of them. I have so many bingo cards I need to finish, but with my work schedule, it’s been pretty crazy. 

What are you currently working on? My main project is Out of the Fire.

“Pond Diving” - All About The Writing

What/who has had the biggest influence on your writing? Definitely the RPing that I’ve done and am currently doing. My friend Alesha has been the longest RP partner that I’ve had and her writing is phenomenal - and it helps a lot too when your mind's work in similar ways; her and I always seem to be on the same wavelength when it comes to writing. I love it. But like me, she has a very busy schedule and writing is limited. 

Best writing advice you've been given: Have fun with it, write what you want to write and always be open to helpful criticism. And don’t stress about it, either. Write in your own time. It’s meant to be fun, not stressful. 

Biggest obstacle you’ve faced in your writing: Just finding the time to write and getting over being so self conscious about my writing. I don’t let anyone in my real life read what I write.  

What aspects of writing do you find difficult when you write fanfiction? Just capturing the personalities of the canon characters sometimes; if it’s a character I’m not used to writing, I worry about portraying them the right way. And I have trouble individualizing the characters (separating them from myself/my own personality), like when I create an OC for an RP, sometimes when I have too many, their personalities all become the same in ways (if that makes sense?). And accents. I have trouble with accents. Oh, and fight/action scenes. They take me a bit.  

Is there anything you want to write but are afraid to (and why): I am always going to be afraid, no matter what it is that I’m writing, because I worry about it succeeding. I want to write for other fandoms though, I guess, but like I said, I worry about capturing the characters right and having a decent storyline that is unique. 

What inspires/motivates you to write: Honestly, positive feedback. I love hearing what people think about my writing and it motivates me to continue. 

How do you deal with self-doubt: That’s a tough one. I guess I just look towards my writing friends or beta’s for reassurance or I go back and read the positive comments and likes on the fics I’ve already shared. It encourages me to continue. 

How do you deal with writer's block: I usually listen to music and I’ll look up gifs of my favorite characters, create stories in my head with those gifs or I’ll create gif sets of specific scenes. If that doesn’t work, I’ll take a break and watch one of my favorite TV shows for inspiration. 

Do you plan/outline your story before you start: For my RPs, I have a group chat with those I’m writing with and we usually shoot ideas back and forth, but mostly we wing it. For my fics, I normally just wing it, but with Out of the Fire, I have a rough idea of what I want from each part. With that said, my ideas or plans often change as I’m writing. These characters have a mind of their own sometimes. Lol.  

Do you have any weird writing habits: I don’t know about any weird habits, but I always have music on and I guess I have to do it in spurts. I’ll write a few paragraphs or sentences, pause and scroll tumblr or facebook or gifs, and then go back, reread what I wrote and then write a few more. Rise and repeat. 

Have you ever received hateful comments on your fic and how do you deal with it? So far, no I haven’t, and I hope I don’t ever have to deal with that. But I know it’s bound to happen. I guess if I were to ever encounter that, I’d like to say that I’ll take it as a learning experience but I honestly don’t know I’d feel about that.  

Conversely: what’s been some of your favorite feedback on your fanfic? Oh man, I guess my favorite would have to be ellewritesfix05 reaction to the secret santa fic I wrote for her; Dean Fucking Winchester. And all the positive feedback I’ve gotten for Out of the Fire.

If you could give one piece of advice to a new and/or struggling writer, what would it be? Have fun with it. Write what you want and what you’re comfortable with. Don’t be afraid of constructive criticism and most importantly, don’t stress. Writing is fun.

#pond diving #pond diving: katelynw93 #spnfanficpond

[myhauntedsalem]

14 Firefighters Share Their Scariest Paranormal Encounters

The weirdest part of the fire was the 911 call. The callers wife was in the background screaming, “you f**ked him off now, look he’s gone and burned the place down”.

With grit and determination, every day firefighters bravely put their lives on the lines for us, but it seems it’s not just the flames these brave men and women face; from haunted firehouses to ghostly apparitions. Here are 14 of the most chilling paranormal encounters and ghost stories shared by firefighters from across the United States.

1. Guardian Angel

Our firehouse isn’t haunted, at least not on a regular basis, but one of our engines is.

Two examples I have personally seen and experienced are; first, we were responding to a call in a dark, secluded, industrial area one night when the engine suddenly sputtered, stalled, and coasted to a stop right in front of a railroad crossing with no gates. Just as we stopped, a freight train came through. The engine started right up and ran fine after the train passed.

The second example happened one blazing hot summer afternoon when we were called to a highway construction site for a burning shanty. We pulled up and began advancing the handline when it suddenly seemed like the hose became tangled up in the hosebed. We went back to the engine to check, and just then the shanty blew up into thousands of tiny pieces. There were NO tangles in the hose, and it wasn’t caught or hung up anywhere.

2. Mr Jones

Our fire department is haunted by a man named Mr. Jones. The story dates back many years before we built a new station. Mr. Jones died at the old firehouse from a heart attack after battling a house fire.

A chief told me a story once: ‘I went to the restroom which was off the hallway. On my way in, I sat my brand new pack of cigarettes on the file cabinet outside of the doorway. When I came out, the cigarettes were lined end-to-end down the hallway.’

Another firefighter about a year later also had a ‘Mr. Jones Experience.’ He and another guy were watching TV one night when the clock above the TV flew off the wall, landed in the center of the room, spun around a few times, then landed on a book shelf.

All of the ‘haunted firehouse’ stories never really had me believing until Mr. Jones gave me a story of my own. I have this thing about open shower curtains. I notice when they are open and I have to close them. I had walked into the restroom to clean it but forgot a trash bag. The shower curtain was open. When I walked back in, about 30 seconds later, the curtain was closed. That is the only story that is personal. Other than that, we have doors that open and close by themselves, lights that go on and off, stuff like that. So that’s my story and I’m stickin to it.

3. Jesus Christ

About seven or eight years ago, we arrived at a townhouse with heavy fire from the first floor on side one. After making entry, locating the fire in the kitchen, and extinguishing, we set about taking out a few windows for ventilation.

After the smoke had risen, we noticed that the living area to the rear of the kitchen (which was on the right hand side as we entered) had taken significant smoke and heat damage. On the wall was a picture of Jesus Christ, and it was the only object in the room that appeared untouched. Even the wall BEHIND the picture was smoke-stained and blistered.

There was evidence of two streams of water that had trickled from the lower corners of the picture to a point in the middle of the wall where they met and continued down to the floor. The odd thing was that the line had been pulled through this room and was flowing into the kitchen to push the fire out the front, through a large vented window. No water had been flowing in the room, and the steam produced had been pushed out the window. Even the FM was amazed, and we haven’t seen anything like it since. It kinda makes one wonder.

4. Steve

We have a protector. We had a member, Steve that was killed in the line of duty during a helicopter operation. Ever since he died, members swear they can hear him in the building at night. Doors close, open, etc. without explanation. Then one night we figured out why he was there.

One of our members who has been here about 15 years now was on duty. We have bullet proof vests we keep on the units, but in a back compartment. He heard that compartment open and close. He went out into the bay and looked at it, and for some reason he took the vest out and put it in the front seat. He’d never done that before.

Next thing you know, he’s toned out to a ‘sick call’ that after his arrival was deemed a shooting. Nothing happened to him, but the point was made.

Several such incidents have occurred. Whenever something big is about to happen, a unit door opens and shuts or a bay door opens etc. We always know.

5. The Phantom Handprint

On April 18, 1924, a firefighter named Frank Leavy was washing a window at the fire station. For some reason, he paused in his work, his hand resting against the pane of glass, and he told a friend who was standing nearby that he had the strangest feeling he was going to die that day. Just then, the station received an alarm call and the fire fighters were sent to a fire that had broken out at Curran Hall, an office building in Chicago. While fighting the fire, a wall collapsed and killed eight of the firemen… Frank Leavy was one of those killed.

The next day, one of the firemen noticed something strange about the window that Frank had been washing the day before. There seemed to be an unusual stain on the glass…. and it appeared to be the imprint of Frank’s hand at the same spot where he had been leaning the day before.

They tried everything that they could, but they could find no way to erase the strange handprint. It seemed to be etched into the glass!

An expert from the Pittsburgh Plate Glass company brought a special solution to the fire house, guaranteeing that it would remove the print, but it didn’t work. Over the years, there were suggestions that the pane of glass be removed, but many of the firemen argued, saying that it was not right to fool with the unknown. Besides that, it was a reminder, albeit a grim one, of their dead friend. And there was no doubt that the handprint belonged to Frank Leavy! An official from the city had come down with a fingerprint comparison and the prints matched those of Frank’s. For the next twenty years, the handprint defied all explanation and was a common attraction to visitors and other firemen from around the city.

Finally, on the morning of April 18, 1944 a careless paper boy tossed the morning edition at the fire house and shattered the window where Frank’s handprint had been.

It happened exactly twenty years to the date of when Frank Leavy died!

6. “You F**ked Him Off Now”

There was a fire about 6-7yrs ago. The call was weird from the start, the 1st due engine didn’t want to start (it was out on a run bout 20mins before) they get there, the house was fully involved. When they got there, the fire was burning in strange ways… at one point flames were shooting out a window, and taking a ninety degree turn upward. The investigator pictures show the face of the devil in the smoke and flames. I know it sounds BS, but I have seen a few of these pics, and have talked with some of the investigators. They were saying that the basement was rocking, when they went back the next day it looked as though nothing burned downstairs.

The weirdest part of the fire was the 911 call. The dispatcher said the callers wife was in the back ground screaming, “you f**ked him off now, look he’s gone and burned the place down”. These people were said to have been Satan worshipers, everyone in the Dept. is afraid to even go on that road for calls. Incidentally the name of the road is “Angel Hill” hmmm, pretty weird.

7. Footsteps

I worked for a department that had lost a few members in its time. Over the course of the first few months I was there, I noticed strange noises in the bay. Once, I walked in the front door only to hear the back door slam. I walked back to see who it was, and when I opened the back door, no one was there. There was fresh snow on the ground and no tracks.

Another time I went down to the bay in the middle of the night. I heard distinct footsteps walking around one of the rigs on the other side of the bay. I called out but no one answered. I got spooked and crept around the bay with an axe trying to find the intruder. No one there! I also got a really spooky feeling a few times when I was alone in the bay by the back door. Later, I happened to mention to the chief that I had heard some weird stuff in the station at night. He got a strange look on his face and said ‘Let me guess… footsteps behind Engine 3 and a creepy feeling by the back door!’ I got the same story from one of the captains, about hearing footsteps and all that. Guess someone’s still hanging around…

8. The Station in The Woods

Back at my old department before I moved to my current one I was assigned to the farthest southern station by myself with a single engine. The area was in a heavily wooded area of the district. At night it got extremely dark in that area, more so than the other areas of the dist. There were a lot of one lane dirt and paved roads as well as a few meth labs, and no police coverage.

I had had several occasions that I would hear dogs barking at a house near the station, and hear sounds outside the station like thumping noises, usually after 1 AM. I would go outside to look and no one would be there. These noises went on for about a week. Once I had a friend from another station come down to visit me but I was gone, he got scared off when he heard five loud bangs on the wall near the kitchen, of course he failed to tell me this. Another night I was in bed and saw a shadow outside my window walking in the flower bed. The shadow passed my window and then the person kicked the door near the bay. I crawled out of bed and called 911, while I was on the phone the person busted out the bedroom window, half scared shitless I ran to the engine and bailed north to another station with a higher staffing level. The PD responded and 45 minutes later searched and deemed the station safe.

I soon after moved from that station and it is no longer staffed even now 3 years later. I found out from a B/C later on that a previous FF had been attacked in the parking lot washing an engine, and that the station had had several other weird occurrences happen since it was built.

9. The Hose Tower Hanging

I too have heard of the strange noises that occur inside many of our firehouses.

We have a firehouse that late at night, you can hear chains rattling at the top of the hose tower. When you turn on the light and climb the ladder to the platform at the top of the tower, nothing is there. The rumor has it that back in the 50’s a probationer hung himself in the hose tower and wasn’t discovered for a week.

10. The Old Capt.

The oldest station in Lex., KY, is haunted, according to some of the old heads, by an old Capt. who died while on duty in his sleep on Christmas Eve in the 1940’s. He is said to have sat in an old cane bottomed rocking chair, that chair was put in the attic of the station after his death, where it is still heard to be rocking on occasion.

Chiefs have gotten calls from neighbors who were mad because they could see a fireman looking out of the upstairs window, but no one would answer the door. This usually happens when the engine company was out on a fire run or training. Engine started by itself and backed in to the wall one night (std. trans.). Some of the guys who have worked there would not even go in the house alone on payday to pick up their pay checks if the co. was out.

11. The Ouija Board

A fire company that I used to belong to is quartered in a building built in the 1930’s and it is unquestionably haunted. Odd things happen regularly such as bathroom stall doors being locked from the inside, tv and lights turning on and off, footsteps across the floor, yelling when nobody else is there, etc… A few members decided to bring in an Ouija board one night and see what they could find. It turns out that there are two ghosts, one is a past chief and the other is a small boy that used to live in a row of miner’s houses that has long since been torn down.

The chief confirmed his identity by naming other long dead members (so long dead that we had to dig back 50 years in the company’s records to even find their names!). The chief generally drags chairs around the meeting room at night and yells at members while the boy is constantly bouncing his ball on the upstairs floor. All of this only happens at night.

12. The Indian Arrowheads

My father’s volunteer fire company also found Indian arrowheads while they were digging for an addition to the firehouse back in the 50s, but they also unearthed cannonballs and buttons. If my memory is right, some expert said that the cannonballs were from the American revolution and that the buttons were from a Hessian soldier (Hessians were mercenaries that the British used against Washington’s army). BUT – strange things began happening while those items the firemen dug up were in the firehouse.

First off, anyone that touched the items got very ill with high fevers and rash. The guys that actually dug up the items were very bad off; and their feet became swollen and turned black and blue. The door to the firehouse would also swing open just as someone approached, and the doors to the huge cast iron firehouse oven would open and close all by itself. Someone in the company said that they should bury the items; put them back in the ground – and when they did everyone got better, and all the strange things stopped happening.

13. The Fortune Teller

My firehouse has had a run of strange happenings over the years also. Many of us have actually seen a misty figure move through the rec room and out to the apparatus room. Some of the crews have seen the figure together, others have seen him when they were by themselves. The usual doors swinging, chairs moving upstairs, people walking across the floor or up and down the stairs happens occasionally.

The really scary part was when a friend of a friend stopped by the firehouse with her kids for a tour. This woman practices tarot card readings, fortune telling and the like. She had never been in the firehouse before and had never known about any of the instances in the firehouse. After the tour she asked me if the firehouse had “guest appearances” often. I thought she meant the kids and said that we often have children take tours of the place. She corrected herself and asked if we had ever seen ghosts, I said, maybe-I’m not sure. She described our misty figure from head to toe exactly as he appears and said she had seen him. Do I believe, probably not much more than I had before that day but I don’t doubt anything.

14. Standing Behind Me

This story takes place in Fayetteville, NC and the department I used to work for there. When I was assigned to Engine 2, I had heard all kinds of stories of it being haunted. Footsteps, doors opening, writing on the wall, and even a sighting are all the things I was told about.

I heard some things once in a while but the one time I was really spooked happened in late 2000. I was lying in bed, about 2 am when I heard footsteps approach my bunk and stop behind me, between my bed and the wall. The first thing I thought was that I had slept through a call but then I saw that my LT was still asleep and I noticed the radio was quiet. I could feel someone standing beside the bed and as much as I didn’t want to I slowly turned and looked to find that there was no one there.

#14 Firefighters Share Their Scariest Paranormal Encounters #paranormal #ghost and hauntings #ghost and spirits

[agentmarymargaretskitz]

So... I was kinda disappointed with Buck Begins... NOT ENTIRELY. Just...

Major spoilers ahead. You should definitely watch the episode before reading my complaints... because I have a lot of them, and you shouldn't have the negative thoughts going into it...

But I'm gonna start with the good stuff.

The Buckley Siblings are everything to me. I love their relationship, and watching Buck grow up with Maddie protecting him? *chef's kiss* Perfection.

Buck being a daredevil because it was the only time that he got positive attention from his parents as a child? Absolutely heartbreaking and I hate his parents for *so much* for that.

Maddie doing whatever she could to help her baby brother, even when she was terrified and probably knew how bad it was going to get? I love her with my whole heart.

And I absolutely love the way they highlighted their relationship and how important Maddie is to Buck.

The moment when the team comes in to help Buck and save him and the other person? Cinematic excellence, I applaud them for that scene. His team loves him and will always have his back, and he *knows* that now.

And now for my grievances and where I think they missed the target...

It focused on Maddie too much for a "Buck Begins" episode. I get that she's a huge part of his life and that she would be in the childhood flashbacks, but even once Buck was out on his own, all we got to see were the postcards (with handwriting that did not look At All like Buck's handwriting, might I add) and the one scene of Buck bartending in Peru where he decided to move to LA and become a firefighter.

We already basically got a Maddie Begins episode, when Doug came back and kidnapped her. I didn't need another one. (I love Maddie and I loved the flashbacks, but... it just should have focused more on Buck. It was his episode, after all.)

We should have gotten to actually *see* what Buck did with his life before he made it to LA. They could have shown Maddie receiving a postcard, then done a montage with a shot of Buck writing one of the postcards. That montage focused more on Maddie than it did on Buck, which kind of frustrated me.

And then in present day? They made such a big deal about the family secret, and it just fizzled out. Like it didn't matter anymore. And I honestly don't see them doing much more with it, unless (God forbid) in a later season the Madney baby gets leukemia or something and Buck is a perfect match to save his niece. (Actually I could see them doing that and I would definitely cry. That would maybe give them a pass with this plot thread.)

Then with the factory fire? Idk, it didn't feel intense enough for me. NOT that I wanted Buck to horribly suffer more, but... Eddie being buried alive in his episode was So Much More Intense. Chimney's episode happened while he was literally bleeding nearly to death. I was hoping for more.

And maybe it has something to do with the lack of reaction from the entire team when the building exploded. Not only did we not see Eddie panic, even briefly, about Buck being trapped, we didn't see Bobby or Chimney of Hen panic either! Bobby sees Buck as a son, this is basically canon now. And Chimney and Hen see him as their little brother.

The exploding ladder truck and the tsunami both felt way more intense for Buck than the factory fire in this episode.

And then to top it off, NOBODY GAVE BUCK A HUG AFTER THR FACTORY FIRE! And Eddie and Chimney weren't even there by the ambulance! Like, what the fuck? Yes, Bobby, Athena, and Hen told him what he needed to hear, but they all should have been there! Supporting him! Where were they???

Also, they missed the perfect opportunity to casually make Buck canonically bisexual. Instead of meeting a girl who taught him how to surf, he could have met a guy. Then things didn't work out, just like they didn't with the girl.

UGH, these writers! They're either *really* amazing or *really* miss the important stuff... there was so much potential, and they just wasted it!

Anyway, enough of my ranting. I did enjoy the episode, but it was definitely not the best Begins episode in my opinion.

What are your thoughts? I clearly have too many.

-Quarantine Anon

So I just finished watching. Spoilers beneath the cut

So here’s what I knew going into this- everyone was going wild with theories and ideas and great fics of what was going to play out. Which is great. But I do think it got hyped up because of that.

The flashbacks to the Buckley childhood hurt so much. Margaret seemed to take it out on Evan so much because in her eyes- he failed her by not saving Daniel. BEGONE, Margaret! You can’t put that on your child if your own plan was to use the child to save a sibling and then deem him not deserving of love because of nature and genetics. But Maddie and Buck? I love a pair of siblings while being in agony over the hells they’ve walked through.

The use of ‘So Far’ and the team helping him? Poetic cinema. I felt so many emotions and had a bit of a cry.

I actually liked the postcards. I think if they had gone to film all of what he did, it would have gotten jammed packed. The bartender was stated in canon, so that felt worthy of a flashback (and oh wow, that was not the revelation I needed that I try to know cool things to impress cute people. Buck is not straight, I don’t care what anyone says). Plus, with Covid-19, I bet there would be some filming issues. Also, it felt the ups and downs in Buck’s postcards paralleled Maddie’s injuries from Doug. They were both lost thinking they were living, except they weren’t. It was all about survival. And the worst part is that sometimes, you will lull yourself into a sense that survival=living when that’s not the case. That’s what happened to the Buckleys I think.

We don’t know what’s to come, but the family secret might come up again in therapy. Which they better freaking continue and not drop like the Flash did.

On the factory fire- I think we hyped it up more than we expected. Eddie Begins and Chimney Begins were really serious episodes with their lives on the line. And I think about Buck talking about giving up after he gets out. He wasn’t going into this fire with a clear head. I think he saw himself as the replacement baby still who couldn’t ever live up, who couldn’t do things right. He wouldn’t leave despite ordered because that was showing Saleh he didn’t matter. To Buck, he did. He gets being left behind and in those situations, you’d rather someone else be happier and fine while you take the impact. Like the world would keep turning and everyone would be fine (eventually) after you left it.

The ladder truck and tsunami were physical pain. The factory fire was emotional pain. (which reminds me, I need to make a post about the element symbolism in Begins episodes)

If we didn’t see a hug in the episode, then we write the fic for it. Missing scenes can be created ;) Not to mention they’ve all still got work to get done on the scene. After events like that, I think everyone needed time to process it.

I get bisexual vibes off Buck big time in this episode. And I think there is repression and closeting that comes into play here. Your parents are constantly disappointed in you, so why disappoint them further? Bury it down deep and deeper who you really are. It was the attention-seeking that would work out for him. Also, bisexuality is more than one. You identify as bi and your partner uses she/her? Bi. Partner uses he/his? BI. Partner uses them/they? Still bi. (Also, how much do we know about the postcards he wrote. Maybe he didn’t give her the full story. There’s only so much room in a postcard and she was the one person in the world who still believed in him. Was he afraid to disappoint her?)

Overall, I did enjoy the episode. Eddie Begins always holds a special place in my heart as the first ever episode of 911 I saw enough of to get me interested in the show. The thing is that I can’t pit the Begins episodes against each other. They all show a journey in some way. 

Hopefully this was coherant enough and I’m sorry for my little bisexual rant.

#anon #ask box #quarantine anon #911 #911 spoilers #evan buckley #maddie buckley #buckley siblings