#he made the announcements for today. Good job Mike.

[mixsethaddams]

Eddie and Steve were sitting on the back porch of the little two bedroom house that Owens and his merry band of government lackies gave to the Munsons in exchange for signed NDAs.

It was getting late and Steve knows he should go home, but Eddie keeps finding new conversations to strike up and it just feels too natural to keep responding. Getting up and announcing he was going home would be downright rude. The deckchair he was lounging in was confortable too, so it just made more sense to stay.

Eddie passed Steve the joint they had been nursing between them. Steve had lost track of what they were talking about a long time ago. He was too caught up in the low rumble of Eddie’s voice, quiet enough to make it feel like they were sharing secrets even if they were all alone with nothing scandalous to say. It didn’t matter what Eddie was saying. Steve was happy to just listen. The subtle fizz of the weed spread across his skin as he leaned his head back and enjoyed the light breeze that cut through the warm night.

Today was the same as every other day.

Steve woke up, showered, picked Robin up for work, and then spent eight hours rewinding tapes. He listened to her go on and on about her latest discovery of why Vickie was the perfect person, adding commentary where needed. Steve was happy for her, he was. He just wished she wasn’t so distracted. Not today.

And then he ferried Mike to Dustin’s, Will to the hospital to visit Max, brought Lucas home from the hospital so he could shower and then right back over again. He was barely through the door when Eddie called and asked how his day was, insisting Steve come over to hang out when he heard it was just ‘fine, average, nothing special’.

Steve had wanted nothing more than to fall asleep on the couch with a terrible tv movie in the background. There was something about Eddie, though. Something in the way he moved, the way he said Steve’s name and dragged his teeth along his bottom lip over the V sound. The thoughts of staring at the stars with Eddie might just be the one thing that could redeem today. Even if no one else would understand.

Steve arrived thirty seconds before two large pizzas, courtesy of one of Argyle’s buddies in the business. They each had all Steve’s favourite toppings. Which was weird because Eddie definitely didn’t like olives or pineapple. Steve had a cold beer in one hand and hot slice in the other before he even said ‘hello’.

If there was any way Steve wanted to spend the final hours of today, it was with Eddie. He knew why, of course. He bit his tongue every time he got close to saying it out loud, but he knew exactly what that something was.

“And I figured hey, if it means I don’t have to sell weed to highschoolers anymore, then why not, you know?”

Steve’s brain took a second to catch up to Eddie’s train of thought about his new job. He was going to be working in a garage with Reefer Rick’s nephew.

“Totally,” said Steve, sipping the mostly empty bottle in his hand, the liquid warmed by being held so long. “I bet you’ll be great at it too,”

“Yeah well,” said Eddie, quirking his eyebrows. “I hope so,”

They fell into silence again and Steve started to think it might not be rude to leave any more. The joint was down to the nub, the beer was gone, and Eddie’s eyelids were looking heavy.

“I should, uh…” said Steve, shifting his weight on the chair to stand up.

“Why didn’t you tell them?” asked Eddie, looking up at the moon. Steve could see its reflection in his eyes.

Steve stopped.

“Tell who?” he asked. “Tell them what?”

Eddie sighed.

“It’s your birthday, man…” breathed Eddie. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“Oh…” said Steve. He could feel his face heat up. “I don’t… I guess its not a big deal for me… Not for years…”

Eddie nodded solemnly.

“You’re too good for us, Harrington,” said Eddie, shaking his head. “I saw what you did for Robin’s birthday. Did she remember, at least?”

Steve didn’t say anything. He knew he’d probably get a frantic apology and a card tomorrow. It wasn’t like he was going to hold it against her.

“Pizza and beer isn’t exactly the five star treatment you deserve,” said Eddie. “Hope it’s enough to, you know, make today not suck entirely,”

Eddie waved his hand around in a circle, as if gesturing to the very day itself.

“This actually might be the best end to a birthday I’ve ever had,” admitted Steve. “So, you know, thanks. For doing this for me, I mean,”

“Thanks for eating all the olives,” joked Eddie, draining his beer bottle. “Besides, any excuse to hang out with you, I’ll take it,”

“Yeah?” asked Steve, his voice smaller than he expected.

“Yeah,” answered Eddie gently. “I like being with you,”

Steve’s stomach lurched. He followed Eddie’s gaze to the moon. She was beautiful tonight and Steve felt safe the cool glow she cast over them.

“How did you know?” asked Steve, playing with the hem of his sweater. “Or like, care?”

“Saw it on your license a whole back,” Eddie answered, lighting two cigarettes at once and handing one to Steve. “And I cared because… Because I care. I didn’t want you to be sad on your birthday,”

“Oh,” said Steve meekly. “I’m not sad. Not now. I’m happy now, so it worked,”

Steve took the offering of the cigarette and sat back in his chair, looking at his hand and the subtle hint of ‘don’t go’.

“Did you have a birthday wish?” asked Eddie, holding up the still-lit match. It was burning quickly down towards his fingertips.

“Just one…” said Steve slowly, looking through the flame at Eddie.

“A person?” asked Eddie.

Steve gulped, and nodded.

“So make it,” Eddie said. “Don’t tell me, or it won’t come true,”

Steve blew out the flame, still gazing into brown eyes, watching them turn black when the light was gone.

Eddie’s watch beeped. It was midnight.

“Didn’t come true,” said Steve sadly, his eyes still fixed on the point where Eddie had been holding the match between them.

“Give it time…” said Eddie softly.

Steve took a long drag of his cigarette and wondered if this is what every night would be like. If his wish came true and he got exactly what he wanted, would he sit out here and smoke and stare at the stars and listen to Eddie talk every night? Was he allowed to have that?

“I wished for the person that makes me happy,” said Steve, not looking over at Eddie but feeling bolstered by weed and boldened by beer.

“It won’t come true now,” teased Eddie, his voice low.

“Even if I tell them?” asked Steve, turning to look at Eddie. He looked into Eddie’s eyes again and thought of all the things he wanted to say. He felt something shift between them when Eddie didn’t look away.

“I made a wish on my birthday too,” said Eddie. “That didn’t come true either,”

“What did you wish for?” asked Steve.

Eddie’s arm flopped between their chairs, his cigarette burning steadily between his fingers.

“To make someone happy,” he said.

“Like…” whispered Steve.

Steve slowly moved his hand so it brushed against Eddie’s, the backs of their fingers rubbing together. Steve hooked Eddie’s pinkie with his own. Eddie looked at their hands and smiled gently.

“Yeah,” said Eddie quietly.

Steve hummed.

“Guess I just needed to wish for it too,” said Steve.

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie drabble #seth writes #steve harrington’s birthday

[sleepyhutcherson]

Hi! I have a sweet fluffy and very angsty Mike Schmidt idea, if you'd like it??

Okay, so what if Mike and the reader dated for a good while in highschool? Like, they were childhood best friends, tried dating in highschool, but ultimately decided that it was a classic case of "right person, wrong time"? Like, they genuinely love each other, but when they were teenagers, they just couldn't do it.. I hope that made sense?

Know It’s For The Better

pairing: mike schmidt x gn!reader

word count: 3.1k words

contains: child bestfriends to lovers to strangers (sorta), “right person, wrong time”, angst, use of y/n, reader works at a cafe, they’re genuinely so in love w each other but it’s just never the right time.

a/n: thank you so much for requesting this anon!! this was so fun to write xx peep the ‘normal people’ and phoebe bridgers references in this. btw maybe this could do a part two but idk.

You lived a quiet—boring, surely—but cosy life at twenty two. You lived alone in a lousy, small flat that you were growing to like more and more everyday as you started shaping it more around your liking. You worked at a small cafe that paid you pretty well, with hours that worked just right for you. You were comfortable at your job, your co-workers were all friendly with each other, you couldn’t complain about your life, even if it was dull.

On your day off your boss had asked you to come in, you agreed but frankly you were a little pissed that you were working on your day off. The cold weather today drew customers away so in a way you couldn’t really complain. You were at the counter, a book in hand that you would occasionally peek up from to glance at the weather from the window. It amused you how only yesterday the sun was shining brightly and now today the sky was threatening to pour, the wind blowing harshly through the trees.

You return your attention to your book, having to re read the passage again. Just then, the bells hanging above the door chime, announcing someone’s arrival. You perk up, closing your book and setting it aside.

You complained about your life lacking entertainment only weeks ago, wishing for some kind of shocker to just happen.

You, however, did not mean for that “shocker” to be Mike Schmidt.

For a second all you can do is stare at him, trying to figure out if you were hallucinating. It was such a rush seeing him—your breath caught, your brows knitted as you tried to make out if it was really him. The last time you saw him he was about eighteen, grasping onto you as he sobbed, precious words being said between you two. But, irritatingly enough, you think you could recognise him anywhere, even after all this time, from merely his appearance, to his hazel eyes you remember getting caught up in, to the familiar black coat he wears even now.

Mike reacts about the same, his eyes widening, the light inside the cafe reflecting on them just perfectly. You almost get trapped into them again.

“Mike,” you breathe out after some time. His name sounds so strange coming out of your mouth.

“Hey,” he replies, tone uncertain. Your eyes trail up to the curls that rest carefully on his head, and you smile. You used to practically beg Mike not to cut his hair, loving the curls that formed whenever he kept it just a little longer than usual. Now he kept them, messily, but still enough to lure your eyes. "How…how are you?" He manages to ask.

Your hands rest on the cool counter in front of you, you can see the way Mike’s eyes land on your hands, longing for touch. “I’m doing good. How have you been?”

“Good.” A simple reply. This all felt weird, seeing each other again after your failed relationship, one neither of you have really moved on from.

Silence. A long, painful silence.

“So, are you going to order something?” You ask, smiling the way you would smile at any other customer because a part of you just wanted to believe he was just another customer. “My boss will scold me if he sees I’m only talking with the only customer we’ve had all day.”

“Right,” Mike looks up at the menu, although he really only came for black coffee. When he looks back at you, his mouth opens, and closes, like he’s debating on what he’s going to say. “I don’t know if you’re busy later but do you want to…catch up? If you’re free, of course.”

You had nothing else to do and you didn’t really have it in you to reject him. “Yeah, okay. I get off in two hours.”

Mike shyly smiles, trying not to be too obvious your agreement meant a lot. “Sounds good,” he says, and then remembers Abby has a school project she’s supposed to work on at home today. “Shit, is it alright if we meet at my place? Abby has this project she needs to work on for school…unless you want to reschedule…”

You can’t help but smile when he mentions Abby, the last time you saw her she was still a baby—about three years old, to be exact. Mike was taking care of her practically full time, you helped with her as much as you could, both of you being constantly mistaken as her parents.

“That’s fine,” you say. He thanks you, throwing in an apology for the inconvenience that you wave off. He writes down his address on a napkin before leaving, not even ordering that black coffee that had drawn him to the small cafe in the first place.

—

The blue front door makes you question if you have the right address. Compared to every other house in the dull neighbourhood, Mike’s house appeared to be the only one with a colourful door—that is if this was Mike’s place.

You’re proven correct when the front door swings open and Abby, who you recognise almost immediately despite her being much older than the last time you saw her. She smiles widely, but it’s obvious she doesn’t recognise you.

“Hello…” you say, awkwardly. You’re not even sure what to tell her when she asks who you are—a friend of Mike’s? It just sounded odd. You’re saved when Mike appears behind Abby.

“Y/N,” he seems pleased to see you. In fact, Mike is pleased to see you. Honestly, he wasn’t sure you would actually stop by. “Oh—Abby, this is who I was telling you about.” Mike says, and you recognise that gentle, almost innocent tone he always used with Abby.

“Hi,” she greets with a smile, standing by Mike’s side. “Mike hasn’t shut up about you—“ she’s interrupted when Mike looks at her with a more stern expression. “Oh, sorry!” She apologises, giggling—she knew well what she was doing.

“Why don’t you go and continue your project, yeah?” Mike suggests, paying no attention to you anymore, his focus entirely on Abby right now.

“Okay.” Abby agrees, which surprises Mike a little. She says a quick “goodbye” to you before running off to her bedroom.

Mike then looks back at you, cheeks slightly flustered. Don’t ever tell Abby anything ever again he makes a mental note of that. “Come in?”

You don’t know what exactly you expected walking into Mike’s home but you feel somewhat pleased seeing Abby’s drawings displayed everywhere in the house, stuffed animals — a dolphin, two bears, a rabbit, a duck, and even a fox — neatly sitting next to each other on the sofa. The house has such a childlike atmosphere to it that you couldn’t help but smile.

“Do you want something to drink?” Mike asks, looking for something in the fridge.

“Sure, thanks.” You reply, your eyes still ogling Mike’s home.

Surely a lot of the decor had to be Abby’s idea, there was so much colour everywhere; from the pillows, the carpet, a crocheted blanket on the sofa, the little toy figures that were placed on the TV stand. It had to be Abby’s touch, the only colours you ever saw on Mike were dull shades of greys and blues.

You’re pulled away by the sound of Mike setting down two glasses of some kind of soft drink on the table. “Abby’s a talented artist,” you say, sitting down at the table, across from Mike.

A small chuckle escapes Mike’s lips. “Yeah,” he agrees, taking a long sip of his drink as he stares at the drawing you were fixated on. “She’s got a real chance at being someone great in life.”

You both don’t say anything for a minute. Mike dreads the silence that falls between the two of you, trying to think of something to say to fill it.

“She’s grown a ton,” you then say. Seeing Abby brought you back so many memories—the good ones, for there were so many of those with Mike. “Remember that time we took her to the park and she kept trying to eat flowers?” You laugh at the memory, one you haven’t thought about in a while.

Mike smiles upon hearing your laugh. “Yeah. She loves flowers, I mean, of course she doesn’t try to eat them anymore but she’s pretty skilled at painting them.”

“She’s doing good then?” You ask.

Mike nods, his hands wrapped around his glass. “Yeah. She’s doing great. Her birthday’s coming up so she won’t shut up about that.” He says teasingly.

“Oh, how old is she turning?” You ask.

“Eight,” he answers, running his finger around the rim of the glass. He couldn’t sit still being around you, his heart racing, but he tried not to acknowledge it.

“That makes me feel old,” you joke, which actually gets a genuine laugh from Mike.

“Then what does that make me?” He teases, a wide smile on his face that makes your heart flutter. Mike was only one year older than you making him twenty three.

You don’t reply and then it hits you, Mike is twenty three, he’s not eighteen anymore. Of course you knew that, you just never really realised just how long it’s been, how much you’ve missed. It’s been five years since you last saw to him—five birthdays you missed, Abby’s and his.

The atmosphere changes then. A depressing realisation hitting you. Mike wasn’t anyone to you anymore. He was once someone to you, not just your boyfriend but your childhood best friend. But now? He could easily be a stranger.

You take a sip of your drink then, and you can feel Mike’s eyes on you. You could always tell when Mike was staring at you, there was something so different about the way his eyes felt on you compared to anyone else’s.

There’s another dreadful silence then. You force yourself to look at the way the bubbles in your drink rise, the way the ice cubes crash into each other.

“Did you feel ashamed seeing me today after how things ended?” Your head snaps up once hearing Mike’s question. You don’t know what to even think—what to even say! He’s got you in a spot, and now you wonder, did you?

No. You didn’t. You really didn’t. You longed for him for so long, for the memories you shared, the pretty words that were exchanged—the many promises that were said.

“No,” you reply, your hands wrapped around the chill glass, still staring at it like it’s the most interesting thing in the world. “I just…it was difficult seeing you.”

Mike nods even if you can’t see him. “I know,” he replies, and then; “it was hard for me, too.” He says a little more quietly.

You realise how unfair everything is, how you and Mike are being pulled together again all of the sudden after all these years—after it never worked for you two. There was always something pulling you apart when you were dating, a sudden intervening, but you both always tried to make it work. Until, of course, both of you saw it best to end things, that perhaps there was a reason why you were being pulled apart.

The last time you saw Mike he was eighteen, trying to find a job to help provide for Abby, and mourning the sudden absence of his father. It wasn’t a good time for him.

A guilt washes over you because you deserted him the time he needed you most. “I’m so sorry,” you say, finally building up the courage to meet his eyes. Honestly, he had no idea what exactly you were apologising for.

His brows pinch together slightly, his eyes fixed on yours with such focus even if you’re avoiding his. “You don’t have anything to apologise for,” he says, “we both agreed it was…best to end things.” Which was true, the breakup was mutual, one both of you agreed to despite how much it pained both of you.

“I shouldn’t have left you though,” your eyes are sad and Mike can’t bear the way they look.

Mike smiles sadly, reaching across for you hands. They’re cold from the glass, the contact from his hands immediately warming yours up. You don’t pull away from his touch, the sudden touch startles you but you soon relax at the familiarity.

“Maybe it was for the better.” Your heart breaks at his words, the memories that linger within them. The memory of Mike kissing your tears away, whispering “it’s for the better” between each kiss that last time you saw him.

Your eyes shut, and you let your head fall not wanting Mike to see you struggle fighting back tears. The sudden sound of his chair screeching against the tile making your eyes flutter open, and soon Mike is kneeling beside you, looking up at you with his soft, doleful eyes.

“Hey, hey,” he whispers, his tone rather soothing. He tries to meet your eyes but you look away from his knowing that if you do you’ll probably break. “Look at me, baby.” You relent, being manipulated to meet his eyes hearing the intimate nickname.

And for a moment you both just stare into each other’s eyes, Mike’s mouth opening slightly, being enamoured by the sight of you alone. He could live like this—staring up at you, if he could he thinks he would agree to stay like this forever, with you being his only sight.

He stands up and pulls you up with him, his hands resting on your waist holding you still. Holding you tightly, scared to lose you again. “I’ve thought about you everyday since,” he admits in a whisper. You feel a pang of guilt.

“Mike,” you sigh, your hands grasping onto his dark blue zip up tightly, your knuckles turning white.

He doesn’t say anything. His hands move up slowly from your waist, to your arms, to your shoulders, to your neck and finally up to cup your face. It’s such an intense moment, both of you overwhelmed with the touch.

Mike fears that this could be the last time he touches you, he doesn’t know where this will go but with the reputation you both have he isn’t sure this will end well. You know it, too. You know that the universe has spawned Mike back into your life the very moment you’re far too busy for a relationship. You don’t want to address it, you don’t even want to recognise it yourself so you say nothing.

But you both know deep down.

His hands feel warm against your skin, they’re callous but perfect against your cheeks. “I’m here,” you say, “so kiss me.” It comes out more desperate than you would like, but it doesn’t matter, you were desperate, craving what could be a last kiss.

Mike doesn’t hesitate, of course. He pulls you in, gradually, looking at you briefly before he closes his eyes to push his lips against yours. Your body weakens, your heart beating quickly in your chest as the kiss deepens. He makes sure to take his time like he did the last time, kissing you ever so passionately. He wants you to know that in this moment he has everything. That the one thing he has ever lacked in life has finally come back to him even if only briefly.

You can tell that he’s giving you all the control—punishing you to be the one to have to pull away first because if it were up to Mike he would scoop you in and keep you here like this forever if he could. If you’d let him.

Pulling away from the longing, awaited kiss leaves you hungry still. A pathetic moan escapes Mike’s lips when you pull away, as if you’ve just put a dagger through his already maimed heart. You clutch onto his shirt now, looking at his eyes that are growing bigger, sadder.

“No tears this time,” you say, more to yourself, but when you say it a single tear rolls down your cheek. You let out a chuckle, Mike smiles a little too sad for your liking, wiping the tear away with his thumb. But you can feel that threatening knot in your throat. You bury your face into Mike’s chest, his hand going to the back of your head, softly stroking your hair.

You cry into his chest, grasping desperately onto his shirt. Both of you had a strong feeling this would be the last time you would see each other for a while. You sob into his chest, staining his grey shirt with your tears. You were mourning someone who was alive. You felt your body warm up with anger, not at anyone specifically, but because this would always be your ending, the time just never right.

Mike forces himself to look up at the ceiling, forcing back tears. He continues to stroke your hair, letting you cry into his shirt. When you’ve calmed down, he kisses the top of your head before pulling you back to look at you once more.

“We’ll be okay,” he hears himself say.

You nod, wanting to believe him, but by the look on his face he doesn’t seem to believe himself. “Okay,” you say, “I’ll go.”

His hands still cradle your face carefully. “And I’ll stay.” He whispers, a tear escaping.

You grasp his face, a little less gentle than he’s been with you. You pull him closer to you, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek. And then another. And another. And several more. When you’re done you take notice of his curls again, you move up to tangle them in between your fingers, tugging at them just slightly. It makes Mike smile.

“I keep them for you now,” he mumbles. “I know how much you used to love them.”

“I still do.” You whisper, tugging at them one last time before letting them go. You move towards the front door which isn't too far from the dining table and Mike follows.

He grabs your arm before you can open the front door. He turns you to face him, his hands moving up to cradle your face, planting a long, delicate kiss on your forehead. A goodbye kiss. A promising kiss that this doesn’t have to be the last. A kiss that speaks more than he does, telling you he’s always here for you to come back to him. He’ll wait.

#mike schimdt x reader #mike schmidt comfort #mike schmidt x you #mike schmidt angst #mike schmidt fluff #mike schmidt #five nights at freddy's #fnaf #josh hutcherson fanfic #josh hutcherson x reader #mike schmidt smut

[artiststarme]

College is for me but only if it’s us

No angst today, I just got accepted into my master's program so I'm thrilled! All humorous/fluff/good vibes stories today. I hope you guys like it and please leave your thoughts in the comments!

~*~*~*~

It took Eddie three long years to graduate high school and even then, it was by the skin of his teeth. He barely scraped by with straight D’s and even then, his grade in history threatened to hold him back for his fourth senior year. Luckily though, with Nancy’s flashcards and Steve’s motivation while studying, he was able to pass all of his finals and his classes. Eddie army-crawled across the stage, ignoring the anger and slurs from the self-righteous townsfolk,  as he received his diploma. He waved to the Party sitting in the audience and smiled at his uncle. Eddie didn’t think he’d make it here but here he was

He, Max, and Steve were in the hospital for weeks following their Spring Break from hell. Eddie had had daily blood transfusions and enough skin graft surgeries to last him for a lifetime. There were still moments where he would feel ice-cold pain flash across his body in a spot deep enough he couldn’t reach it. 

Max was in a coma for two weeks before her blurry eyes opened to a world she would never see quite clearly. She still had to attend near-daily physical therapy sessions to be able to walk without the assistance of a walking aid for balance. She would probably never skateboard again.  

Steve was in a bad way too despite his reluctance to accept treatment. His wounds from the demobat bites caused him to develop sepsis that nearly killed him. He had to get his system flushed with saline for days to fight off the septic infection and he needed several surgeries to repair the damage done to his sides. 

Even still, they all made it. They were moving on with their lives and Eddie had finally graduated. His friends and Uncle Wayne were of course thrilled. They knew he’d graduate with time but he could tell that they were glad his attempts finally paid off. They expected him to devote more time to his music or get a full time job out of town or something. 

No one expected him to go to college. 

But when Steve expressed interest in enrolling in a local community college and some apprehension in doing so for fear of what their friends may say, Eddie jumped at the chance to take the heat off of him. And boy, did it. 

When Steve announced to the Party at one of their regular gatherings that he was going to college, he got some mixed reactions. Some of the Party gave uninterested grumbles, some asked if he was serious, and some pointed out that it would probably just be a waste of money since he wasn’t good at school. Robin was the only one, besides Eddie, that congratulated him on moving onto the next step. 

Eddie wasn’t impressed with any of them. No wonder Steve was afraid of their reactions, no one seemed to care and those that did were pointing out how ‘dumb’ he was. So Eddie did what he did best and created a distraction. 

“I’m going to college too. Steve and I enrolled together and if we increase our GPA’s enough, we might be able to go to a state school later. We might even move in with each other and get our own place.”

That caused an uproar. Mike and Max were arguing about why he wanted to go with Steve, Uncle Wayne was cheering and toasting him with his beer, Dustin and Will were congratulating him, Jonathan and Nancy were looking suspiciously between him and Steve, and El and Robin were looking on in confusion. But Steve was beaming at Eddie. He’d never seen smile so broadly, so happily. 

Eddie watched as Steve ignored all of their friends and stalked up to him. “Hey Big Boy, sorry to steal your thunder-”

All thoughts left his mind as Steve grabbed both sides of his face and brought him in for a deep kiss. Holy shit, Eddie felt like he died and went to heaven. If Eddie knew that this was what would get Steve Harrington to smooch him, he would’ve made plans to go to college with him a long time ago. 

Once Steve pulled back for air, Eddie started hearing all of the comments that their friends were making. He pulled back to see a variety of expressions. Some of their friends were supportive like Nancy and Robin who were cheering and wolf-whistling. Others were somewhat offended or disgusted. The most notable voice of the group was Murray who was screeching at Hopper. 

“I fucking knew it! Didn’t I fucking call this, Jim? You said I was out of my mind but I was fucking right!” 

“Murray, shut the hell up,” Hopper hissed at him. 

“Very much like you to doubt the truth, Jim.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” He asked him. 

When Eddie made eye contact with Dustin, the kid leapt to his feet and pointed an accusing finger between him and Steve. 

“What the hell is this?” Dustin yelled in confused outrage. “You’re not even friends!”

“We clearly are, dude. And more,” Steve told him in a tone that said it should be obvious. Dustin just opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water in response. 

Meanwhile, Mike was throwing up behind some bushes muttering nonsensically about Steve ‘doing it again’ and ‘hooking up with his brother too’. He obviously wasn’t over Steve dating Nancy all that time ago. 

Steve just shook his head at all of them and pulled Eddie in again. “I’m really looking forward to going to college with you.”

“I can tell, Big Boy. Kiss me again.” At his request, Steve kissed him again. They ignored the pitiful protests of Hopper, the fake gags of Max and Lucas, and even the supportive cheering of Joyce and Wayne. With Steve’s lips on his and his arms around him, nothing existed in the world but them. 

Sure, they had some talking to do and some shovel talks to hear. But they would get through it all just as they had before. Things were only looking up for them now. ‘86 really was Eddie’s year.

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#they weren't even dating before Steve kissed him in front of everyone #they certainly were afterwards though #they end up moving into an apartment together and getting their degrees #Hopper can't even be mad at Eddie for getting with Steve because he's such a good influence now #stranger things #steddie #fanfic #fluff #steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #chief hopper #murray bauman #joyce byers #uncle wayne #dustin henderson #mike wheeler #nancy wheeler #lucas sinclair #will byers #eleven hopper #max mayfield

[familyvideostevie]

Hi hello🍄✨🌼 I would like to ask for a friends to lovers Eddie munson x fem reader, where Eddie's announcing to the reader that he's going on a date with a girl and it gets a bit angsty and they stop talking for a while but eventually she admits that that she likes him and they get together. If this is too much or not your thing feel free to ignore. Hope you have a great day ✨🌼

darling! i hope this works for you, let me know! <3 angst w fluff at the end! | 2.3k, fem!reader

The sun is warm on your face as you wait for Eddie to get out of class. You're meant to go to the library today to work on his history paper, but he's late. You don't really mind, since it's a rare early spring day in Hawkins. Having the day off, you walked to the school and chanced a skirt today, glad to stretch your legs out in front of you where you sit on the steps. The sounds of the campus are soothing as you close your eyes, chin tipped up. Someone playing frisbee, cars starting and stopping, skateboards over the pavement. Shouts and laughter. It's a perfect day. 

"Don't be late tomorrow, Wheeler! You too, Henderson!" Eddie's voice from behind you makes you smile, warmth spreading through your chest at the sound. 

Being friends with Eddie has made your life better in so many ways -- he is kind and caring, sure, but he is funny and brings you out of your shell. He has introduced you to a gaggle of other teens and they've welcomed you into the fold. Eddie makes your life full and makes you so happy you could burst.

Maybe it was only par for the course that you've fallen in love with him. But, friends you stay, because that is enough for you. And if sometimes you think Eddie's gaze lingers on your lips, or if he holds you a little tighter than necessary when you sleep over? Maybe someday you'll ask him about it. But first, getting him to the end of the school year and into a job at the record store with you.

You keep your eyes closed as you feel him plop down next to you, chain scraping the stone steps. He bumps his shoulder with yours. 

"Now, what's a pretty thing like you doing in a dump like this?" The corners of your mouth turn up but you try to muster a frown. You open your eyes and allow yourself to drink him in for just a moment. Warm eyes, wide grin, messy hair. Your Eddie, pretty as a picture. 

"Waiting for someone who is late," you cry, mocking affront. "I'm burning to a crisp out here."

"Looks like you're enjoying it," he smirks, running an index finder over the freckles on your cheeks."You look like a dandelion in the sun."

"Are you calling me a weed, Eddie?" You roll your eyes and stand up, brushing off your skirt. His eyes follow your movements, and you pretend not to notice. "Real nice."

"A pretty weed, babe. Honest." You snort and he laughs as you walk to his van. "And I know my weed." No doubt the sun has warmed your cheeks some, which is a good thing since you're definitely blushing.

He pulls out of the school parking lot and heads towards town after you've hopped in and buckled up.

"Y'know," he starts, glancing over at you. You're already looking at him, of course, and he smirks. "I was late because the weirdest thing happened."

"I heard you talking to Mike and Dustin. Hellfire stuff?" He shakes his head. 

"No, just ran into them as I was leaving." He pauses, fingers tapping a random rhythm on the steering wheel. "Lester asked me to go out with her this Friday. To her brother's gig in the city."

"Kate Lester? From your English class?" You furrow your brow and look out the window. You feel a little mean for being surprised. 

"You know her?" 

"A little," you say. She'd been your lab partner your senior year. She's kind and pretty, a year younger than you, and going to University of Cincinnati in the fall, according to Nancy. 

"What's she like?" Eddie huffs. "She's never talked to me before, really."

"Then why did you say yes?" The question comes before you can stop it. His eyebrows raise and he searches your face for something before looking away. Your shoulders drop. 

"Well, she asked, I guess." He shrugs. "Seems to think I'll like some amateur punk music. Don't know where she got that idea." He looks at you to see if you'll laugh at him, but you're focused on the road. 

"She's nice," you say, and you mean it. She is nice. "I'm sure you'll have a great time." You try to keep your voice bright because you really do want him to have a nice date, even if it's with someone who doesn't know him like you do, with someone who doesn't already love every inch of him. Eddie is a catch, anyone should be able to see that. 

It's just that you thought everyone knew you and Eddie were youandEddie. Even if you're just friends, it's been you two against the world for a while. Late nights watching him practice his guitar, staying over in the trailer after helping him study, long walks when he has nightmares. You've got a drawer of his clothes in your room and he made you the guest of honor at Hellfire Club for your birthday and he visits you at work whenever he can. You know that he loves you, but maybe it's not ever going to be the way you love him. 

"What's wrong, sweet thing?" The pet name makes you shiver. His hand reaches over and cups your knee, thumb pressing into the bare skin, his rings leaving little indents. His eyes flick between you and the road and you feel a little guilty, but can't muster the will to pretend. 

"Headache," you mumble. He gives you a squeeze before letting go. 

"Do you want me to take you home?" His voice is soft, gentle with you in that way of his. 

You shake your head. "We agreed to do your essay today, Eds." He's smart on his own, but he works harder when you're there to encourage him. 

"I can read and write, you know. I'll be fine on my own, honest. I'll drop you at home."

"You sure?" You're going to be no help anyway, now that you're sulking over a date that hasn't even happened yet. He nods.

That night you try not to think about it but you fail. Your brain is fuzzy all week at work, but when Friday rolls around you put on a brave face. 

"We're leaving right after school," he tells you at lunch -- he's driven over to see you on your break during his free period. "Driving into the city and then back tonight."

"Be safe, okay?" you say. "No drinking." Eddie is a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them. Still, you can't help but make him promise. 

"I'd never," he replies, seriously. "We'll just see some shitty music and be back before midnight, probably."

"Are you excited?" you ask, running your hands through your hair to stop yourself from brushing his out of his face. 

He hums noncommittally. "Lotta driving for a first date," he huffs, as if it just occurred to him. "Didn't even know she knew my name till this week."

If you didn't know him so well you'd say he was self conscious. "Oh, stop that," you say. "You're a catch, Eddie Munson, you hear me? She's lucky to be going on a date with you."

Eddie fixes his gaze on you and looks and looks and looks. You meet his stare with your own, until he breaks and grabs your hand, dragging it up for a sweet kiss. Your heart breaks a little, but you smile. 

____

You don't know why you do it, really, but you avoid Eddie for the whole weekend after his date. And the entire week after. You sit in the break room during lunch in case he comes in, and pick up extra shifts to beg off when he asks you to hang out. You even go to the skatepark with Max. Anything to keep you busy. A small, ugly part of you wonders if he even notices. 

Robin calls you from work a week after you last really spoke to Eddie.

"Do you know why Munson is in Family Video right now looking like a kicked puppy?" she asks, the line crackling. "Steve is telling him he's scaring away customers."

"Why did you call me about it?" you ask, twirling the phone chord around your fingers. It's Saturday night and you would bet that it's just the three of them in the store.

"Don't be dense," Robin replies, not unkindly. "Does this have to do with his date last week?"

"Robin, shh! Can he hear you?" You pause. "Wait, how do you even know about that?"

"Kate told Carol in the locker room and Vickie overheard and told me. Do you even know how it went?" She sighs. "Of course you don't, since Eddie has told us no less than four times that you haven't spoken for a week."

The guilt rises up in your throat. Have you gone and done the thing you wanted to prevent in the first place -- ruin your friendship?

"Is he mad?" you whisper into the phone. Robin barks a laugh. 

"Mad? Have you ever seen Eddie get mad? Other than that time when I made fun of his music. But at you? I don't think he can get mad at you." You rub at your eyes with your free hand. 

"Okay," you say. "Okay. Can you tell him to come over to my house, please?"

"Roger that," she chirps. It sounds like she pulls the phone away from her mouth before yelling, "Munson! Y/N wants you at her house, pronto."

You hear a faint Thank Christ from Steve and a Really? from Eddie. 

"Thanks, Robin," you say. 

"No, thank you," she laughs before hanging up.

The sun is setting, so you decide to throw on a sweatshirt and wait for him outside so you can go for a walk. You've barely sat on your stoop when Eddie's van pulls into your drive. He seems to steel himself before getting out. 

"Hey," he calls, his voice hoarse. You stand. It takes about four second of looking at him for you to start running and before you know it you're in his arms. He thunks back against the door of his van and you bury your face in his neck, his hair tickling you, but you don't mind. His hands stroke your back, up and down, and the tension seems to leak out of him. 

"Hey," you whisper, before you pull away from him just enough to see his face. He looks wrecked and your stomach twists. "I'm sorry, Eddie."

"No," he says loudly into the night. His hands come up to cup your face on either side. "No, I'm sorry. Whatever I did, I'm so fucking sorr--"

You place your fingers over his mouth. "You didn't do anything." He looks confused, so you continue. "This was all me, Eds. I've been a horrible friend to you this week and that's the last thing I wanted to do but I went ahead and did it anyway."

"Why?" he breathes. You take his hands in your own and draw them down between you. 

"I--," you start, then take a deep breath. "How was your date?" you ask. You need to know before you tell him. 

Eddie looks confused, but answers. "Music was fine. She just wanted me there to make the drummer in her brother's band jealous," he admits, rolling his eyes. Your eyebrows furrow at that. "It's okay though," he continues. "Because I'm not really into Kate."

"Oh," you let out. 

"But what does that have to do with you not talking to me?" His thumbs trace circles on your skin. His eyes have nothing but warmth for you and it gives you courage. He'll forgive you for this, you think. You can still be friends. 

"I want more than anything for you to be happy, Eddie," you say, and then lose your nerve at the last second, closing your eyes before continuing. "But I'm in love with you." His thumbs still. 

"And I know that's no excuse for how I've treated you this week, because we're friends first and you're my best friend and --" 

"Sweetheart," Eddie says, sounding breathless. "Look at me, please." Your eyes fly open. He's looking at you the way he looks at his guitar, the way he looks when he's finished a campaign he's proud of, the way he looks at you when you wake up next to him. 

He's looking at you like he always does, you realize. He's looking at you like he loves you. 

"Can you say it again?" he whispers. 

You don't hesitate. "I love you, Eddie." The words seem to pour out of you now. "I have for a while. And it made me jealous to hear you were going on a date, which I have no right to be, since you should be happy with whoever you wa--"

"Hey," he interrupts again, and this time you can see the beginnings of a smile on his face. "Let a guy talk, huh?" His hands return to your face and you nuzzle into one palm. "I am happy." He smiles. "Happy with you." He sighs, and it's a happy sound, before leaning in to kiss your forehead. "My best friend." His lips find your right cheek next to his hand, and then your left. "Girl of my dreams," he continues, and you're grinning, now. He kisses your nose and you giggle.

Eddie pulls away and you almost whine. He looks serious, but you can't stop smiling. 

"I'm in love with you," he says. "I love you. Can I kiss you?" You find the ability to nod somehow, since Eddie has just blown your world to pieces and you didn't know you could feel this happy. But as his lips find yours and your hands tangle in his hair, you think that you could get used to it. 

want to be added to my tag list for full-length (non-ask) fics? send me a message and specify for steve, eddie, or both! reblog, send feedback, requests open, masterlist here!

#anon ask #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #eddie munson fluff #stranger things x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x female reader #stranger things s4 #please excuse all typos i just wrote this #first fanfic on this account WOOO #reblog and share and all that bc i have no followers yet <3 #emma’s asks

[magmahearts]

TIMING: before minecraft PARTIES: @mayihaveyournameplease & @magmahearts LOCATION: the streets of wicked's rest SUMMARY: beau tries to make new friends, but ends up needing a hero instead. CONTENT WARNINGS: none!

Daily walks were important for physical health. Beau was sure to go on his daily walk, daily. Just as the name suggested. Part of him wished that he lived closer to BMV so his daily walk could be to and from work. As Beau walked he allowed himself to drift into vivid daydreams of living in the BMV. Being able to let people in after hours, steal their names and send them home. Life would be so beautiful with a BMV that was open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Beau wondered if he should bring it back up with his manager, Mike. Mike was a twenty-seven year old child who hated his job and hated that he got promoted. Beau wouldn’t want that promotion either. Being promoted to lead took Mike off the floor. He was busy in the back dealing with management shit instead of out on the floor, mingling with the crowd, kicking ass, taking names. 

A small chorus of little meows tickled Beau’s ears, pulling him back into the present. “Kittens?” A smile tugged at his lips. Beau loved animals. Every few months Beau would go to a shelter to try and rescue an animal, and each month Beau would walk away with an employee ushering him out and explaining they’d never seen animals react like that to someone before. Today was going to be different. Beau just knew it. Beau could hear their little voices calling out to him. “Take us home, Beau!” They called. “We love you, Beau!” Beau rubbed his hands together. “I’m coming my lovelies! I love you too!” 

Beau tracked the cute choir until he came across a box. “FREE TO A GOOD HOME.” Was written in sharpie across the front. Not very nice to leave them in a box, Beau thought to himself. Especially not in this dark alley where they were less likely to be seen. Beau pulled out his phone, turning on the flashlight app so he could get a good look at the cute little faces. Beau was not disappointed. Five of the cutest little faces he’d seen in his life looked back at him. Four babies and one presumably mommy cat. “Hey babies.” Beau crouched down next to the box, ignoring the hiss starting in the mom’s throat. “Want to come home with me.” Beau lowered his hand into the box. 

Scratch. Scratch. Bite. Bite. Bite. “Ow!” Beau jumped to his feat, hopping backwards. The little beasts attacked him. “Fine! Stay in that box!” Beau nursed his hurt arm against his chest. They did not stay in the box. The little horde jumped out of their container. A bite on his ankle announced the first attack. “Ow!” Beau jumped back again. Listen, Beau knew he wasn’t like the greatest dude in the whole world. But he wasn’t a monster either! He couldn’t just kick the kittens away. “Stay back and no one gets hurt.” A swipe. “Ow!” Beau took off running. Behind him he could hear the pitter patter of tiny feet slapping the pavement. They were chasing him? Why were they chasing him?! “Help!” Beau shouted. “Someone help! They are going to kill me! They want me dead!” 

Being a superhero was amazing. It was exciting and thrilling and downright fun. And, Cass was learning, it was a very good way to get people to like you. People might find the girl who spent a little too much time rambling about rocks and comic books annoying, but people loved the superhero who swooped in to save them from danger. Even if they did get her name wrong half the time. (What the hell kind of a superhero name was Magnets? Why would a volcano-themed superhero name themself that? It was Magma! It was a good name! An obvious name! Magnets made no sense!) 

She wasn’t sure if being a superhero would be quite as feasible anywhere else, but in Wicked’s Rest? There was rarely a night where she didn’t find some kind of crime to fight. A robbery, a mugging, a supernatural animal attack of one kind or another. There was danger around every corner in Wicked’s Rest and, luckily for the people who lived there, there was also someone always ready to fight it. 

She sat up on a fire escape, kicking her feet and waiting for something to happen. It usually did in this town, and tonight was no different. After only a few moments of waiting, she heard the thunderous footsteps of someone running down the alleyway, screaming for help. Jackpot. Dropping her glamour, she stood and dropped into the streets, rushing out to see what awful, terrible thing she was going to get to save someone from today. A chimera made up of spare parts? A hellhound intent on consuming everything it came across? A hoard of vicious, wild, furious…

Kittens?

She faltered as she took in the scene. A grown man running down the street, screaming for help and insisting he was about to be killed, pursued by a handful of hissing, spitting, skinny kittens. Cass bit her lip to keep from giggling. Slowly, she approached. “Um,” she said, voice distorted by the lack of the glamour that made her look and sound more human, “are you… okay?”

“Am I okay?” Indignant. Beau was offended that this fellow fae would ask him if he was okay when he clearly wasn’t. The kittens were trying to attack him! Beau shuffled behind the fellow fae, grabbing her shoulders and placing her firmly between him and the hissing little beasts. “I just wanted to be their friend! Look at me. I’m a loveable little guy.” The kittens didn’t care for the fiery blockade. One of them crawled its way between the girl’s ankles and took a good swipe at his ankle. “Ow!” He cried, hoping back. 

Beau was on the move again, using his longer legs to keep ahead of the kittens as he started running circles around the fae. “Why are you unglamoured in public? Whatever. That doesn’t matter. You have to help me. Catch them or something. Give them to a shelter. Do something. Anything! They are trying to kill me.” The street lamp Beau ran under was a spot light to his own humiliation. God gave his toughest challenges to his silliest soldiers, and Beau was just a silly happy man. He didn’t deserve this. He really did want to be a safe place for the kittens. 

The mama cat, who hadn’t been born recently, seemed wise to Beau’s tricks. She’d sat in the middle of the circle, mouth pulled in a hiss, but unmoving. Beau should have known the mother cat would know too much.  Sitting there. Watching. Waiting. She pounced. She landed right on Beau’s back. Beau started howling at the top of his lungs. “Ouch! Mercy! Mercy! Help me!” What had he done in his life that would make cats hate him so much. “I’m begging you. Do something. Anything! I can’t! I don’t want to hurt them! This is killing me! They are going to eat me alive!” 

The pain of the cat ontop of him was too much, Beau could no longer watch his footing. He toppled to the ground. It was game over for him. The kittens joined the fray and he could feel his body being shredded by tiny kitten claws and mouths. They must have been starving because he was sure they were trying everything in their power to eat him. “Please!” He was reaching a hand out towards the fellow fae. “Tell my family… .tell them…. I’m not sorry. I’d do it again.” 

The kittens were kind of adorable, even with the hissing and the swiping. Cass tried very hard not to laugh as the man began ranting and raving, allowing him to place her as a blockade between himself and the cats. That was what superheroes were for, anyway. “Did you do something to them?” If he had, she definitely wasn’t going to help him. He probably deserved to be eaten by kittens if he’d tried to hurt them, but given the fact that he didn’t seem interested in hurting them now, she kind of doubted that this was the case. They just… really hated his vibes.

She watched as the kitten crawled through her legs to take another swipe at the other fae, watched again as he tried to keep away from them. It was pretty entertaining, and she struggled to maintain her composure. “Because I want to be,” she replied. Normally the answer would be because I’m a superhero, but she didn’t really want to be a superhero right now. Not when he’d probably ask her to ‘superhero’ him out of this very funny situation. So, with a wrinkled nose, she put the glamour back up and allowed herself to go back to being Cass instead of Magma. Just for a moment. 

“They’re not trying to kill you,” she said, but as the largest cat jumped into his back, she wasn’t so sure. The big cat did look pretty mad, and she was pretty effective in her attack. Much more so than the kittens, who were mewling and yowling from the ground now. When he fell, she figured it was probably time to step in.

Carefully, she moved forward and reached out a hand. One of the kittens sniffed it, then pressed its head against it with a quiet, more content meow. Cass smiled, picking it up by the scruff of its neck and gently tucking it into the inside pocket of her jacket. She did the same with the next kitten, and the next, until her pockets were full of squirming kittens and only the mother cat remained. It was lucky she’d worn a jacket with many large pockets, otherwise this man would have been mostly on his own here. With only the mother cat left, Cass crouched down. “Come here, kitty,” she said gently, wriggling her fingers. “If you come see me, we’ll get you some tuna. Sound good?”

“They’re not trying to kill you,” 

Those were going to be the last words he heard before he died. Beau knew it. He knew it as sure as the sun would rise in the morning after his death, and as sure as he knew that no would mourn his passing. As the mother cat bit viciously into his shoulder he saw his life flashing before his eyes. Would it have been different if he hadn’t stolen his parents names? They’d still have kicked him out, that was an event that always happened on a spriggan’s eighteenth birthday, but maybe they wold have welcomed him back for the holidays. Maybe the other fae would have gathered around to protect him when the warden came calling, instead of kicking him out on the streets. There was a whole world of what ifs and they all chose that moment to harass him.

Finally the other fae decided to do something about his horrible predicament. The kittens were being lifted off of him. One by one he could feel their sharp claws and teeth being lifted off his body. Freedom. Pain still stung his skin. He knew he was going to be covered in scratches for days. Hopefully it wouldn’t give him cat scratch fever. He wasn’t sure he could survive such a terrible thing. Was it a thing? Or just a song. He didn’t know. All he knew was the pain that surrounded him. It ate at him. It tore through him. He was aching. 

The only cat left was the mother cat. The mother cat who hurt most of all. Was tuna enough to drive the cat off him? Beau prayed to everything above. “Please,” He said to the mother cat. “I didn’t do anything except want to giving you a loving home.” Tears were filling his eyes. The pain from the encounter had been too much. “Please just leave me here. You’ve already killed my dreams, you don’t need to kill me.”

She actually felt bad for the other fae as he pleaded with the mother cat, something in her chest aching. Maybe it had been mean to laugh at him before. The situation was objectively funny — a grown man being chased and attacked by kittens felt more like an SNL skit than a real life event — but he did seem upset about it. And it was bad to laugh at other people’s pain. It was wrong. It certainly wasn’t very heroic.

To make matters worse, it did seem like he’d actually been trying to do something decent. He hadn’t hurt the cats, not even when they were hurting him. He was probably a much better person than Cass was; kinder, happier, easier to love. He probably had more friends, more people who would help him put band-aids over the scratches the kittens had left and put some kind of ointment on the bites. Just… not friends who were cats, she was guessing. But maybe the fact that Cass had laughed was one of the reasons why she didn’t have that, why she didn’t deserve it. Her thoughts went back to Debbie no matter how much she attempted to force them in any other direction. Would Debbie have laughed? 

Carefully, Cass scooped the wriggling mother cat into her arms and began stroking her between the ears. “I’m sorry I laughed at you,” she told the man. “I really don’t think the cats were trying to kill you. I think they were just scared. Do you want to help me find them something to eat? Maybe they’ll like you more if you give them some tuna.” They probably still wouldn’t like him, but maybe they wouldn’t hurt him. “I’m Cass, by the way.”

Beau knew he looked like a mess. Nothing like the handsome and suave man he wanted to present to the world. The tears had turned his face red, and the scratches had turned his body red. An ache ran over him where his back had hit the concrete, and that was nothing compared to the now constant burning of his flesh from the millions of tiny scratch marks. Now there was a girl, practically a child, and fae to make it worse apologizing for laughing at him. At him! Could his day get any worse?

The answer was yes because the laughing fae child was able to pick up the mother cat as if she wasn't a demon spawn intent on tormenting this Earth. Apparently, it was just Beau who the cat wanted to attack. It was just Beau who wasn't good enough to be friends with. A bit of his tiny fragile ego started to crack under this enormous pressure. It wasn't fair to him. He had been the one trying to help the cats but he had scared them? What about him? Hadn't they scared him when they all attacked him? Beau scowled deeply as he got back to a standing position, brushing his clothes off. It wouldn’t be right for a noble BMV worker such as himself to be seen walking around dirty. 

“Fine.” He muttered. Deep breath. Find the happy man he was. “I am cheesed to meet you.” The words came out in a hiss, then suddenly his smile was plastered to his face, containing all the rage he felt in his little body. “Cass is a beautiful name, may I have it?” He let out a boisterous forced laugh. “”My name is Beau, but everyone can call me Beautiful.” He pronounced it so the first half of the word was said like his name instead of bew. “Lets go get these little angels” Acid burned on his tongue and his stomach curled with the lie “something to eat.” Then maybe they could eat them. How did cat stew sound for dinner? Because from where Beau was standing it sounded delicious.

Absently, Cass scritched the mother cat behind the ears, shifting as the babies wriggled around in her pockets. The more she looked at the stranger, the more the guilt burned in her throat. She should have snatched up the cats sooner, before they dug in as deeply as they had. Why hadn’t she? Was it because of the fluttering in her stomach, the feeling that meant this man was fae and the memories of all the fae who’d rejected her in the past? Was some part of her subconsciously punishing a stranger for the actions of people who hadn’t wanted her, people who had probably been right not to want her? What kind of a superhero did that make her? What kind of a person? 

She smiled faintly, though it wasn’t entirely genuine. She felt too bad to be genuine. As he spoke, though, something clicked into place. “Oh. You’re the cheese guy.” She’d seen him online, trying to score dates with… just about everyone, and stealing a few names here and there. It made a little more sense now, his phrasing when he spoke online. Judging by the way he spoke, he knew exactly what he was doing when he asked for people to give him their names.

And he wouldn’t be dissuaded by an alternate introduction, either, it seemed. Cass raised a brow, and she might have been amused if her guilt hadn’t soured her name. “You can’t have my name,” she replied. “It’s mine, and I like it. But I like yours, too. Beau is a nice name. Can I have it?” She was only teasing, of course. For all the use she got out of promise binds and thank yous, Cass didn’t really make a habit of taking names. There just wasn’t much you could do with them after. “There’s a corner store nearby,” she replied, turning to walk in that direction. “Maybe they have cat food. Or we can get tuna. I bet they’d like either one. Come on.” Without looking to see if he was watching, she headed in the direction of the aforementioned corner store, shifting the mother cat in her arms to maintain an easy grip. “I guess we should take them to a shelter or something after, huh? They shouldn’t have to live on the streets.”

Anger shifted through Beau’s body as the little brat told him point blank, he couldn’t have her name. Why couldn’t some people be more thoughtful? Wasn’t he a good guy? Wasn’t he having a bad day? Couldn’t she see that a little name giving would turn this night around? But no. Not only did she get to pet the cute cats, but she was also smug about it. He could see the disdain in her eyes, the fake behind the smile, the way she stroked the mother cat like some villain in a television movie. Oh, yeah. He could see all of it. Beau knew, in that moment, that he hated that little brat more than anyone else in the town. Years of practice always prepared him for moments like this. Years of smiling at everyone who refused him his simple request. The smile on his lips, forced to spread and show his glistening pearly whites, was well practiced. Never let them see the true anger inside. 

“Haha.’ He let out a forced chuckle. “Good one.” He pointed a shaking finger at her. “Got me back with it.” He laughed again. “You can’t have my name. It’s my name. I stole it fair and square.” Had the little brat called him the cheese guy? He couldn’t remember. Whenever people refused to give him their names, he always blacked out from rage for a second. His mother would say that was a failure in him. His mother had also lost her name, so what did the bitch know? Beau followed as the brat led them towards a corner store. He just knew he was going to have to pay for these tiny bastard foods. After they had tried to eat him. Because that’s just how much the universe hated Beau Bueford. Everything was constantly against him. 

The door dinged as they walked in. A tired looking employee sat behind the counter reading a book called “Making Friends for Dummies.” What kind of dumbass idiot would need a book like that. Just make friends. Some people had no insight in life. Those people were Beau, who had no friends but was actively making fun of the clerk in his internal monologue. Beau stomped his way to the pet aisle, grabbed the first generic cat wet food he could find before stomping back to the idiot behind the counter. “Hey,” He squinted to name the name tag. “Charlie.” Beau slammed the cans on the counter. “I like your name.” 

The employee looked fluster, putting the book down and moving forward to scan the item. “Thanks.”

 Beau gave a little nod. “I accept your thanks.” He told the man. “Hey, Charlie, I had a friend named Charlie before. Nice guy. Wouldn’t mind another friend named Charlie.” The employee looked more and more confused with each passing word coming out of Beau’s mouth. “Great guy. I miss him.” Beau stared dramatically off into the distance, letting the pause between them grow more and more awkward. “For old time’s sake, just so I can relive my joy, could you just say you’re giving me your name? Old Charlie loved doing that.”  

The employee, confused, under duress, obviously no clue how to get out of the situation started to stammer. “You just want me to say I give you my name?” At Beau’s nodding the employee continued “I give you my name. Please, sir, is that all for you? Your total is seven dollars and thirteen scents.” Ah. He could feel the snip of the thread as the man lost his name and it wove its way into Beau’s being. At least this made him feel better.

Beau grabbed the cat food with one hand and started to walk away. “I’m cashing in my thanks, this is free.” Beau didn’t wait for a response; didn’t wait for the man to register he’d just lost his name and now had to cover the cost of some generic cat food. “Come on, kid.” At least he wasn’t seeing blood red when he looked at the brat anymore. He led them back outside so she could feed her new cats. “They like you. Why not keep them all instead of taking them to a shelter.” 

There was something… weird about this guy. Cass wasn’t sure what to think of him. Fae couldn’t lie, but some of them were very good at exaggerating the truth. (Cass was very good at exaggerating the truth.) He was smiling, but there didn’t seem to be any joy behind it, didn’t seem to be any amusement. Instead, he seemed… a little upset. Fear rose up in her chest, that old anxiety involved with another fae being angry with her a difficult thing to shake, even when the fae in question was a weird stranger who she’d saved from feral kittens. She tried to shake the feeling away as best she could. All they had to do was get these cats fed and get them to a shelter. Then they could go on their way.

“You stole it? So it’s not your real name? Why do you go by it, then? Are you worried about losing your real name? That’s smart.” The questions tumbled out all at once, anxiety eliminating any filter she might have otherwise had. People liked it, sometimes, when you asked them questions about themselves. People liked talking about themselves, liked being the center of attention. Cass had learned to use it to her advantage over the years, but she wasn’t sure it would work with this guy. There was something funny about him; nothing he was putting forth on the surface seemed to align with what was going on inside his head. Cass didn’t know how to juggle that.

She followed him into the corner store anyway, offering the clerk a small smile as they entered. The book was intriguing; it reminded Cass of the ones a woman online had been advertising some time ago. Did this guy need friends? Maybe Cass could give him one. She was about to strike up a conversation when Beau marched up to the counter, a box of wet cat food gripped tightly in his hands.

She could see what was going to happen before it did. Online, Beau seemed to take great pleasure in stealing names. It clearly wasn’t any different in person. Cass thought she might try to stop him, but… She couldn’t help but remember his thinly veiled anger when she hadn’t given him her name. As stupid as it was, she didn’t want Beau to be mad at her. So she let him steal the poor clerk’s name, followed him out before the man could notice. It was mean, but maybe she could make it up to the clerk later. She could help him find a new name or something. Maybe that would be nice.

Back outside, she took the cat food from Beau and opened a can, setting it down on the concrete and removing the kittens from her pockets one by one. They surrounded the can, meowing loudly as they began to dig in. Cass knelt down beside them as they feasted, gently stroking the nearest kitten.

At Beau’s question, she glanced up. “I don’t have a house,” she replied with a small shrug. “It wouldn’t be right to keep them when I don’t have anywhere for them to be safe. They’d be better at a shelter, where people who can take care of them can adopt them. Maybe you can take one. I bet it’d warm up to you after a while.”

"Of course I'm worried about losing my real name." Beau had been worried about losing his real name since the day it had happened. Now there was nothing he could do about it. It was gone forever and he was left suffering as Beau Bueford. His real name was probably very beautiful. A name of gorgeous magnitude. Whatever that name was? He'd remember it again eventually. As soon as he saw that fucking Jedidiah Sebastian again. More anger forced its way through him, rampaging around his tiny body. He forced another smile. "You never know who is going to trick you. You never know who wants to take things from you." At least she'd made it easy. He hadn't had to lie about any of that. It was all true, even if it came out misleading. 

The night was hot, humid and summer. Beau now had a fae following him around, one that looked like a lost puppy that had been kicked the moment his first fit of rage festered over him. Of course he'd noticed the fear that had flickered behind her eyes. He wasn't a fucking idiot. Maybe this girl didn't think she deserved his ire, but hadn't she let him suffer under the effects of the cats for longer than she had to? Had she not foiled his plans to steal her name? Even if those plans hadn't been veiled at all and even though he had no right to her name and could understand why she wouldn't give it up.

Deep breath in, deep breath out. He did his best to let the anger roll out of his body. Anger management classes were offered at the BMV sometimes, drivers often needed to manage their anger, and he'd heard some of the classes in the back. Not that he'd ever needed to attend. His anger was understandable and manageable. Beau opened his eyes and blinked at the girl now feeding the cats. Thank the morning dew, they decided to focus their attention on the cat food instead of swiping at his ankles again. 

"What, so you're just a homeless kid?" Beau asked. There was no sympathy in his heart. This child was a fae. If she wanted a home, she could promise bind one from a human. They weren't hard to steal from, they were all dumb. If this child was homeless, it was because she was doing everything in her power to be homeless. Then the child proceeded to insult him by suggesting that he take one of the cats home. "Take one of those monsters into my home?" The scowl that deepened the creases in his face wasn't covered fast enough by his mandatory fake smile. "After what they did to me? I don't care what happens to them as long as they never come near me again." 

Beau absently rubbed at his torn up flesh as he said that. He hoped they never got adopted. He hoped those cats had a horrible and miserable life that left them crying every night. That's what they deserved for attacking him. "You can do whatever you want with them. Leave them here for all I care." He threw the words out there as if they meant nothing, because to him, they didn't. 

Maybe he was smarter than he seemed, then. When she’d first noticed him online, trying to steal names from everyone he spoke to, she’d thought he was a little dumb. His attempts weren’t even subtle, and anyone who knew the first thing about fae would know exactly what he was trying to do, wouldn’t they? At least when she bound people, she was careful. She tricked them into thank yous and I promises, which were so much easier to swing. And so much more useful, too. What did you even do with a name once you had it? What was the point? 

But maybe he did know a thing or two. Giving a fake name by default meant that your real name could never be stolen at all. Maybe it was something she should try on for size. Stealing just one name so she could use it as a layer of protection against her own might not be the worst idea in the world, even if she didn’t think she wanted to tell this guy that he’d given her a half-decent idea. He’d be annoying about it, she could tell. And she wasn’t even easily annoyed!

She continued petting the kittens as they ate, enjoying the quiet purrs that rose up from their tiny bodies. They’d just been hungry; that was all. She understood how they felt. Cass had had days where she was so hungry that she would have done anything for some food, too. Maybe not clawed and scratched at a random stranger, but she wasn’t a cat. To a cat, maybe that was a great solution to hunger.

“I’m not homeless,” she said, a little defensive. “I just don’t have a house. Houses are stupid. So are apartments. I live in a cave. It’s better.” Caves were more reliable than houses, and you didn’t have to pay rent, and no one ever told you that your grass had to be mowed. What did a house bring you but trouble and headaches? 

She glanced up at the man as he spoke again, deciding in that moment that she didn’t like him very much at all. What kind of a person could be so cruel to kittens? “I’m not going to leave them here,” she said. “You know they were just scared, right? Scared and hungry. Nobody acts their best when they’re scared and hungry. They didn’t mean to hurt you or anything.” But she didn’t think she’d trust him to take one home with him anymore, anyway. “I’ll take them to the shelter, and they’ll get homes. They’re cute — people will definitely want to adopt them.”

“Sure kid,” Beau was standing a respectful distance away from where the cats were enjoying their new feast, and the fae child was petting them. “Because there is a big difference between being homeless and not having a house. So, what, the box that you sleep in on the street counts as a home now?” Beau rolled his eyes. The youth of this generation. “Listen, honestly, I don’t care where you live. The cats don’t care either. Look at them. They were living in a box at the side of the street before this too. You all have so much in common. No matter they like you so much.”

Jealousy panged at his chest as he said that. He longed to have an animal companion. Didn’t he deserve the love of a small furry animal companion that wanted to curl up in his lap and purr? Or a dog who would wag its tail when it looked at him with its big, beautiful eyes? Didn’t he get to be happy too? No. Because the universe was always saying fuck you Beau. It took his names; it took his happiness and now it took his dreams of having a pet of his own. This world was really against him. Everyone was against him. This fucking fae child was probably against him.

Once more he could feel the anger in him rising. He wasn’t hungry, and he wasn’t about to act his best. How come cute little kittens get excused for attacking a person because they are hungry, but the universe takes away everything he loves about life when he messes up once. “That’s not the way the world works.” He snarled, harsher than he meant. He could feel his tight smile, the mask of his charming personality slipping. Beau turned around. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Get it together. He is cheesed to be here. He is cheesed to help.

Calmer. Smile back in place, he turned back. “I feel for them.” Beau let out another breath. “I know you think they didn’t mean to attack me, but they would have stopped when I left them alone instead of chasing me, if that were true.” As if it was the most obvious thing in the world. As if he was the expert in being chased down the street by a cat. Which, to be fair, he felt like he was at this point. “And I’m sure people are going to want to adopt them. Strays with big eyes are loveable.”

Another breath in, another breath out. The smile in place. “I’m not acting my best, because I was just attacked by them. That means you can forgive me, right?” Not that Beau cared what this fucking brat thought about him. “So, just run along and take those cats to the shelter, and let's call it a night.” 

“A cave is not a box.” God, how could he even make that comparison? Caves were warm and safe in a way a box on the street could never be. Cass had hoped, after a while of being ostracized by people who didn’t understand her living arrangements, that fae would understand. But this was the second fae to not get what she had going on. Conor was at least nice about it. Maybe it was limited to nymphs; she thought Teagan would probably understand it. “But it’s not a good place for kittens. There’s stuff there that could hurt them. I’m supposed to live in a cave, but they’re not.” Oreads were built for much harsher circumstances than tiny kittens were.

This guy didn’t seem to get that. Or if he did, he was ignoring it. Who held a grudge against kittens? Cass couldn’t help but judge him just a little. “Dude, they’re cats. You know when you run, animals usually think it means you’re trying to play, right?” That was what she’d read in books, anyway. She’d never really had any pets of her own, never been in a position to keep one. But looking at the kittens now, it was hard to hold them responsible for the scratches the man was sporting. They were cats. It wasn’t like they’d meant it.

If it were anyone else, she might have tried to convince him to come along with her to the shelter. She much preferred the company of others to her own, but Beau was slowly making himself into an exception. She didn’t think she liked his company very much at all, really. “I can forgive you,” she agreed. “I know you’re probably hurting, and maybe a little embarrassed. That’s okay. It’s not like you hurt them.” If he had, they’d be having a much different conversation now.

Looking back to the cats, she nodded. “I can take them by myself,” she confirmed. She’d leave her number at the shelter, ask to be notified when they were all adopted. It would be nice to know that they all found loving homes. “Try not to get attacked by any more kittens, okay?”

#mayihaveyournameplease #beau: catastrophe #wickedswriting

[yourreddancer]

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

April 19, 2022 (Tuesday)

Last night, lawyers for Ed Vallejo, one of 11 members of the right-wing Oath Keepers gang accused of seditious conspiracy for their actions surrounding January 6, filed a motion for Vallejo’s release from pretrial jail. Vallejo’s lawyer describes his client as having “a passionate yet gentle nature, as well as [a] love of animals,” and quotes one of Vallejo’s friends as saying the accused conspirator is a “true man of passion” whose “tools are an abundance of love, sunshine and gratitude to God for giving him a chance to prove it by helping people.” The lawyer tried to explain away the 200 pounds of food Vallejo brought for a 30-day siege (he thought they were going camping, the lawyer says) and his declaration that there would be “guerilla war” if Trump didn’t “bring the f*cking hammer down." The lawyer’s argument is that Vallejo should be let out of prison because the real culprits were former president Trump—who convinced Vallejo that the election was stolen and that the country must be protected—and Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, who was planning an attack on the Capitol. 

The motion is interesting because included in it were several hundred pages of exhibits, including dozens of pages of messages allegedly between many of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys. Messages indicate how closely the insurrectionists on the ground followed former president Trump’s Twitter feed—“there’s no better direct link from him than Twitter”—and offer extensive evidence that the attack on January 6 was planned in advance.

The insurrectionists talked at length from late December onward about arming themselves and going to Washington, D.C. On January 3, one reported to the group that they had gotten an email saying that the rally would start at the Ellipse, whose space “merges into the Mall around the Washington Monument, and heads down to the Capitol, the scene of the ‘action.’

”Calling himself “We the People,” one of them wrote, “WeAreTheStorm as you are about to witness!!” The person took heart from what was happening in Congress: “Sens Ted Cruz (RTX), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (RIN), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Kennedy (RLA), James Lankford (R-OK) and senators elect Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) announced they will object to the Jan. 6 electoral vote certification and are calling for a 10-day electoral commission to audit the election results.”

As well, the messages refer to Trump advisor Roger Stone and to Representative Ronny Jackson (R-TX), at the time the newly elected representative who had been the White House physician. “Roger Stone just asked for security,” Jessica Watkins texted the group chat on January 1, referring to a statement Stone had made on television. Another answered: “Who reached out to you? I [spoke] to him Wednesday.” On January 6, around 3:00 in the afternoon, one person texted the group: “Dr. Ronnie Jackson—on the move. Needs protection. If anyone inside cover him. He has critical data to protect,” one person messaged. Oath Keeper leader Steward Rhodes messaged back: “Give him my cell.”

By 6:36 on January 6, the conspirators appear to have figured out they were in trouble. “We are now the enemy of the State,” one messaged the others. Another was furious at Rhodes: “As I figured. This organization is a huge f*ckin joke. You Stewart are the dum*ass I heard you were. Good luck getting rich off those Dumb ass… donations you f*ck stick.”

Rhodes responded to the group by moving the goalposts. They had “one FINAL chance to get Trump to do his job and his duty,” he said. “Patriots entering their own Capitol to send a message to the traitors is NOTHING compared to what's coming if Trump doesn't take decisive action right now. It helped to send that message to HIM. He was the most important audience today. I hope he got the message.”

This morning, a spokesperson for Jackson said: “Rep. Jackson is frequently talked about by people he does not know. He does not know nor has he ever spoken to the people in question.“

The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol also has a great deal of information; it has now interviewed more than 800 people. On April 11, Salon columnist Chauncey DeVega published an interview with Hugo Lowell, who has been following the January 6 committee closely for The Guardian. Lowell’s observations support the idea of a conspiracy, although he noted evidence is still coming in. “The evidence so far points to the fact that Donald Trump knew and oversaw what happened on Jan. 6,” Lowell told DeVega. “Trump knew in advance about these different elements that came together to form both the political element of his plan, which was to have Pence throw the election, and the violence that took place on Jan. 6.”

Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD), a member of the January 6 committee, suggested Lowell’s observation was correct yesterday when he told reporters: “This was a coup organized by the president against the vice president and against the Congress in order to overturn the 2020 presidential election.” Trump’s role in that coup will be the centerpiece of next month’s public committee hearings.

Last week, on April 12, Alan Feuer of the New York Times broke the story that on December 30, 2020, Jason Sullivan, a former aide to Roger Stone, urged Trump supporters on a zoom call to “descend on the Capitol” on January 6 to intimidate Congress. Sullivan said that Trump would declare martial law and would stay in office. “Biden will never be in that White House,” Sullivan said. “That’s my promise to each and every one of you.” “If we make the people inside that building sweat and they understand that they may not be able to walk in the streets any longer if they do the wrong thing, then maybe they’ll do the right thing,” he said. “We have to put that pressure there.” Sullivan’s lawyer responded to the story by saying he had just “shared some encouragement” with people who believed the election had been stolen.

Yesterday, Kimberly Guilfoyle, former Trump advisor and fiancée of Donald Trump, Jr., spoke with the January 6 committee for 9 hours. Guilfoyle was with the Trump family the morning of January 6 and was also a fundraiser for the January 6 “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse, claiming to have raised $3 million to underwrite it. In its March 3, 2022, letter subpoenaing Guilfoyle, the committee reminded her that she spoke at that rally, telling “the crowd, 'We will not allow the liberals and the Democrats to steal our dream or steal our elections,' and were filmed backstage prior to your speech telling people to 'Have the courage to do the right thing. Fight!'"

In Georgia, voters are challenging the inclusion of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on the ballot this fall, arguing that she is an insurrectionist disqualified to hold office under the Fourteenth Amendment. Ratified after the Civil War, that amendment says any official who has taken an oath to support the U.S. Constitution and then engages “in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof,” cannot hold office. Greene took her oath of office on January 3, 2021, three days before the January 6 insurrection, and insisted the election had been stolen. “This is our 1776 moment,” she told Newsmax on January 5, 2021. 

Greene promptly sued to get a judge to block the challenge. Yesterday, federal judge Amy Totenberg decided that the case can go forward. Greene will have to testify on Friday, under oath, before a state administrative law judge in Atlanta. She will be the first member of Congress to testify under oath about the events of January 6. After the judge handed down the decision, Greene complained to Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson that “I have to go to court on Friday and actually be questioned about something I’ve never been charged with and something I was completely against.” 

This will be a bellwether for the other nine similar cases already filed across the country and might, of course, affect the candidacy of the former president should he run again in 2024

[tmntswagger-blog]

Shout outs for today..

Mikey: “Anon bud we hear you *looks at his list* Ahh..today we have @creepylittlemarvelgirl @ninjaturtlegirl15 @ihlni686-and-rps and @leathy-fan and also @vixen-the-ninjaturtle bae @annaliaandtheturtles @fyreball66 that's all for today love you all”

#mikey talks #he made the announcements for today. Good job Mike.

[folklorelise]

Squad Leader Mom is pregnant!

MASTERLIST

Since all the baby incidents that had happened with you, Levi or the cadets, Levi and you had been thinking about having one of your own, but you never actually talked about it. Then one night, as you were reading before going to bed, Levi sat next to you on the couch ready to have that talk with you.

“Y/N.” Levi called your name seeing that you were not paying any attention to him.

“Hm?”

“I want to have–.” Levi started but then stopped.

“What’s wrong?” you asked worried, putting down your book.

“Remember when the kids were turned into children? We said that we would talk about having a kid. I want to talk about it now.” he told you staring at you. “If you want.” Levi quickly added.

“Oh right.” you said mumbled.

To be honest, since you joined the survey corps – having a baby never was an option for you. For Levi, having a child at all was never an option, but since he met you, he felt like anything could be possible.

“If you don’t want to, it’s fine too.” Levi said.

“I don’t know.” you admitted. “I loved having the cadets around. It was a lot of fun and I loved them as kids. But a new-born is different.” you paused. “I remember my neighbour; they had one and it was constantly crying and screaming. It looked exhausting. Also, what about my job here? I cannot– I… I can’t go on expeditions knowing that our child could become an orphan.”

“I would never let that happen.” Levi assured you, taking your hands. “I know our situation is not ideal, but can you imagine how great it would be to have a tiny version of us running around. I like that thought. That maybe one day, we could finally retire with our own little family.”

“It does sound nice.” you smiled fondly at Levi. “If that makes you happy, then ok.”

“Really? Because I don’t want to pressure you.”

“I’m sure. We’ll figure it out.”

The more you thought about it, the more you were sure about your decision. You had the possibility to give Levi another chance at having his own family and that was what made you certain of your choice. The next few months were spent in bed with Levi. It was intense – Levi was intense which resulted in making the both of you exhausted for trainings and expeditions.

Eight months into trying to get pregnant, yet there was still no baby in sight. Your doctor reassured you and said that getting pregnant is not an easy task.

You get easily sick during winter, so when a week before the expedition you started to feel nauseous, you just shrug it off. Which you instantly regretted the second you felt like passing out in front of a titan outside.

Eren from far away saw you falling from the sky and did not hesitate a second before transforming and running toward you. He caught you in time from hitting the ground and Mikasa from behind killed the titan that was ready to eat you.

“Mom?” Eren tried to wake you up once Mikasa got him out. “Mom, wake up please.” Eren cried.

Every squad were running toward where Eren transformed, not knowing why he did it. Levi and his squad were the first one who arrived.

“Eren!” Levi yelled at the boy but stopped when he saw you in his arms. A million questions were running through Levi’s mind. He could not move – he wanted to see if you were fine, yet his feet would not move toward you. What if he saw a wound, what if you were already dead?

“Captain,” Eren cried, “I– I saw her falling and I came. She’s not waking up!”

“What’s happening here?” Erwin finally arrived. “Levi wha–.” he asked the captain but stopped when he saw you. “Is she d–?”

“NO!” Eren yelled. “She can’t be, I– I caught her.”

“What happened then?” Erwin asked a member of you squad.

“We don’t know. We spotted a few titans, and we were all going to take care of them. Then – squad leader Y/N was just behind us!”

“She is still breathing.” Erwin checked your pulse. “Levi’s going to take her back, and the rest of us will continue the expedition. You can go too.” Erwin told the cadets.

Every other squads were leaving the scene. Erwin slowly approached Levi.

“She’s ok, you can go and take her back.”

“Ok.” Levi breathed.

Levi slowly approached where the cadets where and took you in his arms. Once you were back, Levi rushed you to the infirmary. The cadets were all patiently waiting outside the room. Every one of them was worried, but Eren was even more.

“What if it’s my fault?” Eren said.

“You saved her!” Mikasa protested.

“When I caught her, maybe I squeezed her without noticing?”

“She is fine.” Jean shouted.

Levi was sitting with them, silently. After just a few minutes of waiting, a doctor came out of the room. Everyone stood up hoping for good news.

“Y/N is doing great. She just needs to rest now.”

“Thank you!” Sasha shouted hugging the doctor.

“Is she waking up soon?” Jean asked.

“She should be up in a few hours top. But from now on she should stay here as the pregnancy is already three months in or something.” the doctor said before leaving for his office.

“The pregnancy?” Levi repeated confused.

“Mom’s pregnant?” Jean asked Levi.

“Mom’s pregnant!” they all shouted excited.

“We’re going to have a little brother or sister!” Connie burst excited.

While the cadets were shouting, Levi was still trying to process the news.

“D– Captain!” Jean quickly corrected himself. “Can we go in and see her?”

“She’s still sleeping, I’ll go and find you once she woke up.” Levi said entering the room alone.

Levi was sitting next to you, waiting patiently for you to wake up. An hour or two later, the cadets could not wait any longer and came into your room.

“Please, can we stay?” Sasha begged the captain.

“Fine, but shup your months.”

A few minutes after the kids came in, you finally woke up. Levi was the first to notice it. He quickly stood up and came near you.

“Y/N, are you feeling ok?” Levi asked.

“Water.” you grunted.

“I’ll get you a glass of water!” Armin volunteered.

After drinking the whole glass, you instantly felt better. You asked Levi what happened and when he explained to you that you fainted due to the pregnancy, you started to cry.

“Don’t cry. It is good right? We’re happy about this.” Levi asked.

“It’s happy tears.” You confirmed laughing slightly.

Levi then left to bring some food. The second Levi left, Eren came and hugged you. Then very quickly everyone else joined the hug.

“You scared us to death earlier.” Eren told you.

“I’m sorry I made you worried.”

When Erwin came back, Levi and you were waiting for him in his office.

“Y/N’s pregnant.” Levi announced it to the commander. “Obviously, she won’t be going to the next expeditions, right?”

“What? Congratulation!” Erwin shouted happily. “That’s really great news.”

“Erwin – the expeditions.”

“Right, of course. Y/N, you have to rest from now on.”

“But I can’t do nothing.” you protested. “I’ll get bored.”

“You’re pregnant.” Levi argued. “You just have to take care of you by staying here. Erwin agrees with me.”

“I–. Y/N if you want to go home and rest, you can.” Erwin agreed.

“I don’t. I’ll stay here and work with you on paperwork, I’ll do everything as usual except going on expedition.” you stated firmly.

Levi knew how stubborn you were, so he did not continue to argue. What mattered to him was that you were not going on expedition. After announcing the news to Erwin, Levi and you went to see Hange to tell them the news. The scream Hange uttered was so loud that Moblit came in running.

“What happened?” Moblit asked worried.

“Y/N is pregnant!” Hange shouted.

“Oh! Congratulation!” Moblit hugged you.

The next person to know about it was Mike, then soon enough the entire survey corps knew about it. After a few days, you decided it was time to go and tell your family about it. You proposed to Levi to come with you since he never met them.

“I’m busy.” Levi told you.

“It’ll just be a day.”

Your parents used to live inside of wall rose, but as your father’s business became more and more successful, they moved inside of wall Sina. You had a brother in the military too. You joined at the same time – he was a year older than you – he ended up being first and chose the military police brigade.

The next morning, you and Levi took a carriage to your home. Your parents made you and your brother promise to visit at least once a month, and you both decided to visit the first Sunday of every month – which was today. You knocked on the door and it was your mother who opened the door.

“It has been so long. Ah, and you must be Levi, right?” your mother welcomed you in.

“Yes.” Levi answered.

“Come in.”

“Your brother is not there yet.” your mom told you. “Do you want to drink something?”

“Tea please, black tea. For the both of us.” you told her.

“I feel uncomfortable here.” Levi whispered once your mother was gone.

“Let’s just tell them the news and then we can go.” you reassured him.

Your mother brought back the tea and she sat on the couch in front of where you were. Your father was nowhere to be seen – he was buying groceries at the market – and your brother was probably still sleeping.

“I heard a lot about you Levi.” you mother finally said.

“Levi’s very popular.” you answered seeing that Levi did not know what to say. “He is humanity’s strongest after all.”

“Good, then I know my daughter is safe beside you.”

“Y/N is strong, and she doesn’t need me to protect her.” Levi insisted, “But that does not mean I won’t do anything in my power to protect her of course.”

“That’s good to hear.” your mother smiled gently.

Just when you wanted to continue to talk, the front door opened, and your brother and father came in. You brother hugged you, then went to hug your mother.

“Captain Levi!” your brother burst out. “You have been going out with captain Levi this whole time?” he asked you.

“Yeah, don’t be jealous.”

“It’s an honour to meet you.” (Y/B/N) told the captain, ignoring you.

Levi quickly started to relax around your family, and you were all chatting together, talking about the military and what your day looked like. After a few hours of discussion, you still did not find the right moment to tell them about your pregnancy.

“When are you going to tell them?” Levi whispered to you.

“I don’t know how to, it feels weird.”

“Do you want me to tell them?”

“No, I’ll do it. I can do this.” you cleared your throat loudly to bring their attention to you and stood up. “I came with Levi today because we had something to tell you.”

“Yes?” your mother smiled.

“I am pregnant.” you announced with a big smile.

“Oh, my dear, that is wonderful!” your mother cried happily.

Your family congratulated the two of you and asked a ton of questions about when it happened, and what you planned to do once the baby arrived. After telling them that you were planning on staying at the survey corps after the baby came. You would probably be less involved, but you could not leave your second family. At night, after taking the extra food your mother had prepared, you left.

“Why aren’t you guys sleeping?” you said seeing the cadets at the entrance.

“We were waiting for you.” Armin said.

“Is that food for us?” Sasha asked excited.

“No.” Levi answered. “Y/N is tired, so leave.”

“I’m fine, I’ll take the food to the kitchen and we can eat this together tomorrow.” you told them. “You didn’t have to wait for me, you won’t be able to wake up tomorrow.” you warned them leaving with Levi.

—————

The first few weeks of the pregnancy were going well – you worked in the office with Levi mostly, but you would also help Hange with their paperwork. Being pregnant as a survey corps soldier meant being able to have extra food during meals, being able to skip cleaning duties. You could sleep in late in the morning and no one would say anything to you.

When your baby bump started to show and you could not fit into your pants anywhere, you would go around in either dresses or in Erwin’s pants that you cut so it would not be too long.

When you were seven months pregnant, Levi started to become more and more protective of you. He would not let you carry anything, not even your food tray. He forbad the cadets to come even near you knowing how reckless they were. Only Mikasa and Armin were allowed to come and help you. Which obviously upset the other cadets.

“But dad that’s so unfair! I want to help mom too!” Jean pleaded.

“Fine, Jean you can help.” Levi finally accepted only because Jean called him dad which was one of Levi’s weak spot.

“Me too then!” the others shouted which only made Levi walk away.

When you heard about it, you reassured them that it was ok for them to stay around you. Around that time, you also stopped wearing your shoes since you could not put them on, on your own. You walked around in your slippers all the time.  

Nine months into the pregnancy and Levi never let you out of his sight. He would rest in bed with you the whole time.

“What do you want to name our baby?” you asked him one night.

“I don’t know. I didn’t think about it much.”

“I was thinking about naming her after your mother if it was a girl.”

“What?” Levi asked.

“If you don’t want to it’s fine too!” you quickly shrug it off. “It’s just–.”

“I’d like that. It’s a great idea.” Levi cut you, “I just thought… I didn’t think you would like that name.”

“Of course, I do! What if it’s a boy?”

You both brainstormed all the ideas you had before falling asleep.

You were outside with Levi during his training sessions with the cadets with a book. They were all taking a break, so you decided to join them, but when you stood up you felt something weird between your legs.

“Captain! Mom just peed herself!” Eren yelled panicking.

“Her water broke you idiot!” Sasha yelled at Eren.

Levi was definitely panicking like Eren, but he would not show it. You took a carriage with Levi direction your doctor’s house. After a few hours of labour, the baby was still inside of you.

“I can’t do that anymore.” you breathed heavily. “Just take it out!” you yelled, taking Levi hand in yours.

“It’s here, just push one last time.”

You let out a last scream and pushed as hard as you could before you heard cries.

The doctor cleaned then wrapped the baby in a blanket before giving it to Levi.

“Hello.” Levi whispered to his child.

“Is it a girl?” you asked weakly.

“It is.” Levi said looking into your eyes lovingly.

“That’s good.” you smiled when you heard a knock on the door.

“Hello.” Erwin came in with Hange and the cadets behind him. “They insisted on coming with us.”

“We bought you some flowers.” Connie handed you the bouquet.

“My favourite, thank you so much.” you teared up.

“You idiot you made her cry.” Sasha hit Connie behind the head.

“Mikasa’s the one you picked the flowers.” Connie defended himself.

“I love the flowers you guys. I’m just very tired and extra emotional.”

“Do we have a baby brother or sister?” Armin asked.

“You have a sister now.” Levi answered. “This is Kuchel.”

“Can I hold her?” Erwin asked.

“Well,” you started, “you are the godfather, of course you can.”

“Me too.” Hange exclaimed.

“You, maybe later.” Levi stated. “In a year or two, so when you drop her, she would be fine.”

“It happened once when you taught us how to hold babies.” Hange mumbled.

They were all around the new-born while Levi was laying down next to you, your head resting on his shoulder.

“You have the best mother in the world Kuchel, you’re so lucky.” Armin whispered to the baby.

—————

One night, at the boys’ dorm, a few months after Kuchel was born–

“Do you think it’s weird for us to call squad leader Y/N ‘mom’?” Eren asked. “Now that she has her own, real kid, what does that make us?” Eren continued. “We’re just a bunch of cadets again to her.”

“Why are you always thinking so negatively?” Jean sighed.

“They’re not our parents.” Eren stated sadly.

“Can you stop being so pessimistic for a minute?” Armin shouted. “She is the closest mother figure I had since I was a child, so stop this. Plus, it’s not like ever corrects us when we do. So just stop, please.”

  You obviously noticed Eren’s attitude changing towards you – you tried to talk to him, but he kept avoiding you. You asked Armin and Mikasa about it and Armin just told you not to worry about it which was not possible.

One night, as Eren was taking a walk on the training grounds, you approached him silently.

“Are you ready to talk now?” you asked him. “And don’t even think about leaving before telling me.”

“I’m fine.” Eren said avoiding your gaze.

“Eren.”

“Squad leader Y/N.”

“Since when do you call me that?” you retorted.

“It is your name.”

“If there is something wrong, you can tell me. I’m always here if you want to talk.”

“You have a kid now; you can’t worry about me– about us.”

“What?” you asked confused. “Why not?”

“Because!” Eren yelled.

“Because what?” you kept your voice calm and low.

“Because you’re not my mother! And I’m not your kid. We’re just a bunch of soldiers.” Eren cried out. “You have a real kid now, there’s no need to play family anymore.”

“Is that what you think? Is that what you all think?” you asked but Eren did not answer, “Eren… I may not be your birth mother and I would never dare to replace yours, but you are family to me. You all are. Seeing you all calling me ‘mom’ is fine, if you see me as a mother figure – it’s fine. Because I see you all as my grown-up children.” you teared up. “And that’s not going to change with Kuchel around.”

“You haven’t been spending as much time with us as you used too.” Eren guessed hesitating.

“I haven’t been sleeping much to be honest. Kuchel is crying a lot at night. That does not mean I forgot about you. Or you guys.” you turned around finding the rest of the cadets hiding behind the pillars.

“We weren’t spying!” Jean said. “We just… happen to be there.”

“I’m sorry.” Eren apologise. “I’m a terr–.”

“You’re not. You’re amazing Eren.” you hugged him which resulted in all the other boys joining the hug.

From the window of Levi office, he could see you guys hugging.

“See Kuchel,” Levi pointed at you while holding his daughter, “They are weirdos.” he sighed. “Your mother loves them though. I find them tolerable. I guess you can see them as your older brothers and sisters. You’ll grow up with a big family which is great. I’m sure you’ll love them as much as your mother do.”

—————

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT YOUR PREGNANCY

Levi would talk to your baby bump when you were asleep.

You would be often seen with vegetables in your hand – always eating them as snacks.

You would cry for absolutely no reason too. The first time it happened, Levi was worried sick. You had dropped your apple on the ground and started to cry. From then on, Levi would just hold you tightly until you stopped crying.

The first time it happened in from of Erwin was when he offered you a new baby blanket. He thought you did not like it, but Levi quickly reassured him that it was fine. “I– I– I looove it!” you sobbed.

The first time it happened in front of the trio – Armin, Eren and Mikasa – it was because Armin kept talking about what he read about baby stuff.

“I will be the best brother ever!” Armin promised with a big smile. “No, why are you crying?”

“This is too much for my heart!” you sobbed. “You are too sweet Armin!” you hugged him.

“I’ll be a good big brother too!” Eren said hugging you.

Mikasa from behind pushed Eren and Armin aside before taking you in her arms.

“You both made her cry, I did not. Obviously, I’m the better sibling here.”

When it happened with Connie, Sasha, and Jean –

Sasha and Connie were walking in front of you and Jean.

“This Sunday is a day off; I’ll probably go and buy something at the market with Connie and Sasha.” Jean told you, “Do you need anything?”

You tried not to let tears fall but it was too adorable for you.

“Mom! Why are you crying? I’m sorry!” Jean panicked.

“What did you do you idiot!” Connie slapped Jean on his shoulder.

“Mom don’t cry, please. Dad’s going to kill me when he’s going to find out.” Jean realised.

At the same time, Levi walked in.

“What’s going on?” Levi asked.

“Nothing!” Jean said hiding your face on his chest.

“Y/N?” Levi said. “Are you ok?” to which you only responded with a thumb up. “Are you crying again?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Jean hesitated, “I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine.” Levi said, “she’s been crying a lot these days due to the pregnancy.”

—————

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT KUCHEL

Kuchel first word is ‘clean’ – Levi is always talking about it when he is around her.

Kuchel favourite cadet would be Sasha. Sasha is only sharing her food with Kuchel and she loves food too.

Kuchel loves playing ‘to fly’ with uncle Erwin and uncle Mike – the giants of the survey corps.

You bought matching outfits for Levi, Kuchel and you which Levi secretly found adorable.

————— ————— 

————— ————— 

Squad Leader Mom gets badly injured

#attack on titan x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi x reader #levi fluff #another squad mom story #levi ackerman #eren yeager #jean kirstein #armin arlet #mikasa ackerman #sasha braus #connie springer #erwin smith #hange zoe #baby ackerman

[thestarrynightslover]

I'll Make It Okay for You - Part 1

Pairing: Harvey Specter x Reader

Word count: 3,666

Warnings: Discussion, yelling, some angst, mentions of drugs, and drug abuse. 

Summary: What happens when (y/n) (y/l/n), Harvey’s secret crush and a junior partner at his firm, openly defies him in front of everyone?

You can find Part 2 here.

Disclaimer: I don’t own the show Suits, or its characters, also not associated with it in any way or know anyone involved with it.

A/N: So, this is my first Harvey Specter fic and I’m obviously quite unsure about it, lol. This might’ve ended up like one big mess, cause I tried to combine a bunch of Harveys I wanted to see. The perfect recipe for disaster, right? Anyways, I hope it doesn’t suck too bad and, please, feel free to give me feedback, cause I’m also here to learn!!

(y/n) = (your name) (y/l/n) = (your last name) (y/n/n) = (your nickname)

| masterlist |

You’d barely stepped out of the elevator when you were met by your secretary that morning. That couldn’t mean anything good.

“Morning, (y/n/n). You’ve got an emergency meeting with Jessica today. Gonna give you the schedule on the way there.” Lucy stated, leading you on the opposite way to Jessica’s office.

“Oh, I got the memo; company’s under attack again. She wants me on the frontlines this time. Louis is probably running around saying ‘We’re at war, people, war!!!’, or something like that. But why aren’t we headed towards the boss’ office?”

“Apparently, uh, she wants y’all to convey at Harvey’s office.” She said hesitantly, as if afraid of your reaction.

“Are you kidding me? It’s the first hour of the morning and she wants me to go see that smug face of his?” You pouted childishly.

“Smug and hot, you mean.” Lucy corrected you, getting an outraged look from you in response, as she usually would by saying anything positive about Specter.

“Shush,” You said, motioning for her to stop talking, “ one shall not praise Harvey Annoying Specter around me.” You stated full of obstination, but the younger woman just laughed you off and said:

“Well, here we are. I guess I’ll just have to send you an e-mail with your schedule, since, once again, we spent our schedule minutes of the day talking about “the enemy”.” She mocked with gestures and everything this time. That Lucy really was a piece of work, she timed the whole thing perfectly, in a way that you couldn’t even repudiate her insinuations because you were already standing in front of Specter’s office door.

Not long after you had entered and Jessica had officially started the strategy-meeting, though, all eyes in the room turned to you, as your phone started ringing in your back pocket. "Shit! I'm- I'm so sorry, guys, I guess I-"

"Can you please take your job seriously for once in your life, (y/l/n)?" You heard Harvey Pain-In-The-Ass Specter rudely remark, as you tried to swallow your embarrassment.

“Well, like I was trying to say, I’m sorry. Gonna turn it off right now, won’t happen again.” You said, directing your apologetic look to Jessica.

“You should just go ahead and answer it, could be something important.” She calmly told you.

“Especially now that you’ve already interrupted our work.” Specter chipped in again, which just gave you more fuel to answer the goddamn phone.

“Hello, yeah this is her.” You confirmed to the man on the phone, while taking a few steps towards the corner of the room. “What??? Are you sure? Oh my God! O- okay, just tell me which one and I’ll be there as soon as possible! Right, thank you.” Everyone’s eyes were on you, trying to understand what made you look so distressed. Except his, of course.

“Wait a second. Are you leaving right now?” He asked with a mix of annoyance and irritation in his voice.

“Yes, I am. I’m sorry, Jessica, but this is a family emergency. I have to go.”

“Well, I just hope you know that this doesn’t look good for you, (y/n).” She said, voice inexpressive.

“I do and, honestly? I couldn’t care less about that right now.” You firmly told her, while hoping your career wasn’t over by the next morning.

“I hope everything goes well for you and your family, (y/n). If you need anything, and I mean anything, just let me know.” Louis told you with that childish smile of his. Jesus, even in a moment like this, he tried to flirt with you.

“Thank you, Louis. That’s very kind.” You faked a tiny smile.

“Unbelievable.” 

“What?” You asked, turning back to face Harvey.

“Your firm is under attack and you’re leaving because of some stupid family crap?” Was he even serious?

“Precisely. And I don’t really care what your thoughts are on it. Our priorities are clearly very different.” Who the hell did he think he was to say anything about your family’s issues?

“Well, that shouldn’t matter because, the minute you walk in here, through those elevators out there, you’re supposed to leave all things personal behind.”

“Oh, right. I’m so sorry that I’m not some heartless lawyer like you, who’s just in it for the petty fights in the name of money-making.” Shit. You needed to get the hell out of there before you said something else to make Specter wanna kick you out himself. So you did. Stormed out like there was no tomorrow, leaving nothing but the very shocked Donna, Jessica, Louis, Mike, and Rachel behind. Oh, yeah, and a very pissed-off Harvey Specter.

Okay, maybe you were a little too harsh, but given the place you needed to go, to do what you needed to do, you didn't care about Harvey, your job, or anything else.

---

It was much later on that same day, around dinner time, that you heard a soft knock on your door. But how could someone be at your door, if the doorman downstairs hadn't announced any visitors? Were you dreaming? Well, the day had been so tiring that that wasn't exactly impossible… Nonetheless, you made your way to the door, whilst holding your very needy three-year-old nephew in your arms. Not that you could blame Henry after the day he’d had.

Since you weren’t expecting anyone, it was reasonable to believe that, whoever it was, was going to be a surprise. But not in a million years would have you ever guessed that Harvey Specter was the one knocking at your door. Especially considering what had happened at the firm earlier. How did he even know your address?

“Hi, (y/l/n). I didn’t know you had a kid.” He stated with a bit of surprise of his own, pointing to the little boy you were carrying.

“No, uh, I don’t have any.” You managed to say, trying to control your shocked expression. “This is my nephew.” You clarified again, a little more at ease this time.

“My name’s Henry. What’s yours?” You heard your nephew ask with his cute child-voice.

“Harvey. It’s, uh, it’s very nice to meet you, Henry.” Harvey told the boy, holding out his hand for him to shake, as a sweet smile came to his lips.

“Is he your friend, auntie (y/n/n)?” Henry asked you hesitantly, before making a move. The Don’t Talk to Strangers Rule must’ve kicked in his mind. 

Before answering him, you hesitated a little bit yourself, though. Was Harvey your friend? Obviously not, but if he came to your apartment in the middle of the night like this, it was probably because of something important. Work-related, of course. Which meant you’d have to let him in, so you settled for what would be the easiest classification for a three-year-old.

“Yeah, bud, he is my friend from work.” Hearing that, something in Specter’s eyes changed, you didn’t really know what, though.

“Well, then, can he come play with us?” He gave you such a cute look, that you almost said yes right on cue. But you obviously couldn’t. 

“You’d have to ask him, but I’m sure he has a lot of other, more important, things to do now.” You tried to explain to the little boy, giving Harvey a look. But you didn’t get too far, as the lawyer quickly said:

“Of course I wanna go play with you! That is if your auntie’s okay with that…” Now he was mocking you, that was the only explanation.

“Can we play with him, then, auntie (y/n/n)? Please, please, please?” God, what horrible thing could’ve you possibly done to deserve this particular punishment?

“Um, I guess... If he really has nothing better to do-” Harvey didn’t even let you finish your sentence.

“I really don’t.” He said, shooting you and Henry a bright smile that you’d never seen before.

“Okay, then, come in. Please disregard the mess, I got this stuff to make dinner, but someone just won’t detach, right, mister?” You asked your nephew with fake annoyance in your voice, as you tickled his sides a little bit. He just laughed at you. Though what really caught your attention was the fact that Harvey, too, was chuckling lightly at the scene, as he started picking up your groceries’ bags from the floor. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you, what else?” You gave him a weird look because, well, it was a weird situation. Maybe he noticed your discomfort because he added: “You look tired, so I’ll help you by making dinner and putting the rest of these away.”

“You’re kidding, right?” There was no way in hell that the All-Mighty Harvey Specter was gonna get domestic for you, of all people. Since he didn’t bother to answer, you went on: “First of all, what was it that you really came here to do, hum? And, second, I don’t need your help with anything.” Normally you tried to be kind to everyone, but, then again, Specter wasn’t exactly your normal kind of guy.

“Well, first of all,” he started in a tone of mockery, “that was rude! Look at the example you’re setting for little Henry!” Oh God, as much as you hated to admit it, he was kinda right, because you had completely forgotten about the little boy still cradled in your arms. “Second, we can talk about the reason why I came here later,” after your nephew’s asleep, was implicit in his speech, “third, it looks like you do need some help. And, for your luck, I happen to be a very good cook when I want to.”

“But-” You could barely begin your sentence, as Harvey sharply cut you off:

“You see, buddy,” he started, motioning to Henry this time, “the quicker we get your auntie on board with the game plan, the quicker we’ll get to eat and go play together!” Son of a bitch! Using a child to get to you…

“Can we please, auntie? Please?” How could you not crack after that pleading?

“Fine, but I swear I’ll make you pay if we wake up with food poisoning tomorrow, Specter.” You told him playfully, trying to lighten the mood after all of your bluntness.

“Oh, trust me, (y/l/n), you won’t. This will be the best meal you and the young man here will ever have in your entire lives.” He said cockily, but without the usual arrogance level, if that even makes sense.

A few hours and a really great dinner later, you and Henry couldn’t help but snicker shamelessly at Harvey’s ridiculous faces, as the three of you played a game on your living room’s floor. Trying to catch your breath from your giggles, you glanced up at the clock and realized that it was way too late for your nephew to be out of bed like that. So you broke up the game, announcing:

“It’s bedtime for you, Mr. Henry.” You watched the faces of the pair turn into ones of pure disappointment, as they prepared to pout.

“Just a little longer, auntie (y/n/n)! please!” The little boy started.

“Yeah, auntie, just a little longer! Please?” This time it was the grown man, one of the toughest Wall Street lawyers.

“As moved as I am by your synchrony, guys, the answer is a big no. C’mon, bud, let’s go brush your teeth. And then straight to bed. So say bye to Harvey, and thank him for being so nice to us tonight.” He looked between you and Specter as if still hoping for a hail Mary of some sort.

“Bye, Harvey.” He sounded so sad, but then he smiled brightly again, as he repeated what you’d told him to say word by word: “And thank you for being so nice to us tonight.” Hearing that, both you and Harvey chuckled lightly at the young boy, who quickly added: “Will you come see us tomorrow too?”

“Uh, we’ll, uh, we’ll see about that, okay, little man?” He tried to let Henry down slowly but, watching the boy’s expression become a sad one instantly, he added: “It’s just because both your auntie and I have a lot of work ahead of us tomorrow, but I’ll do my best, okay?” That was definitely a side of Harvey you’d never seen before, he had even bent down to be on your nephew’s level.

“Okay.” Henry said quietly, seeming to be a little happier, too.

“Okay, then let’s just go upstairs already.” You took the boy’s hand to guide him towards the spare bedroom’s bathroom, all the while shooting Specter a look that told him to wait for you a little longer.

“I’ll wait for you down here.” He said, proving he understood what your eyes tried to transmit.

So you headed upstairs with your nephew and, after a good fifteen minutes of brushing Henry’s teeth, helping him into his PJs, and tucking him in, you finally managed to come back to the living room, where you found Harvey looking through some of your photos displayed on the sideboard. For a minute or two, you just watched him. It wasn’t that you liked what you saw or anything. It wasn’t. It was more like postponing the weird conversation you two were bound to have, because, after all that had happened in those few hours, the atmosphere was, at very least, a strange one. But, almost as if he’d felt your gaze on his back, the lawyer in him was switched on, and he interrupted your thoughts by saying:

“Ah, you’re back. Good, because we need to talk.” You just motioned for him to follow you into your home office. But both you and Harvey looked so informal to be in that kind of environment, that you just indicated the small couch on the wall opposite to your desk for you to take your seats in.

“So, uh, before you even say anything, I wanna thank you for being so kind tonight,” a small smile came to your lips, as you remembered, not only the evening but how your nephew had used almost those exact same words, already imitating you, a little earlier. Specter smiled too, you noticed. “and I also wanna apologize. If you came here to talk to me… I must’ve made you waste a lot of time, huh?” You tried with a half-smile this time, as embarrassment started taking over you.

“What? No, of course not! I'm pretty sure that I told you I didn't have anything better to do, didn't I?" He calmly asked with a smile.

"Yeah, but I'm not buying it. You're Harvey Specter, isn't that what you're always saying? And Harvey Specter always has something better to do, isn't that right?" You shot back in a mockery tone, regaining your confidence.

"Well, maybe. But, not today. So don't apologize, and don't thank me. I'm the one who should be thanking you, I had a really good time tonight." Okay, now you were shocked. He had a good time?

"Uh, okay, um, so... What was so urgent that you had to come here in the middle of the night?" You nervously ranted, while tugging your hair behind your ears. He just stared at you, so much so that you almost repeated your question.

"Um, yeah, about this morning… That's why I came here…" You were already guessing that that would come up eventually, but it was the topic of your conversation? "I know that you and I always had our differences, and maybe even some rivalry-"

"Some rivalry? Dude, I'm just a junior partner, and ever since I started on that firm you've been persecuting me-"

"I wouldn't say persecuting…"

"Oh, you wouldn't?"

"Not since you made junior partner anyways. Now it's just a healthy rivalry between work friends…" He tried to use what you’d told your nephew earlier. 

"Oh, so you do admit you were persecuting me when I was an associate, huh?"

"Shit." He muttered quietly, as you watched him with a victory smile on your lips. "You know what? Hell yeah, I did persecute you when you were an associate." Hearing that blunt admission of guilt, you just couldn't find anything to say. “You wanna know why? I did that because, from the first time I saw you doing your job, I saw this very thing that I see now: you kicking ass, you think I wanted to admit this to you? I’ll answer it myself: no, I didn’t. The only reason why it happened is that you led me to it.” He blurted out, completely knocking you off your socks.

“So, um, you treated, you treat me like shit because, um, because I’m good?” You asked, still unsure of what to think about his confession.

“Well, that was part of it, sure. So, you see, I could understand it when you weren’t particularly thrilled at the perspective of working with me. But, this morning, you said that I’m a heartless guy who only cares about money… Is that really what you think of me?” This time he sounded genuinely sad? When Harvey said that he’d come to your apartment to talk about that morning, you thought he was gonna reprimand the shit out of you for disrespecting him ⎯ your sort of boss, a senior partner ⎯, but, apparently, he was asking about it on a more personal level. A level you’d never really thought played a part in your relationship with him.

“Oh, Harvey…”

“Be honest, please. I don’t want your pity. You don’t even know me all that well, so don’t try to minimize anything. I can take it.”

“That’s not what I was gonna do. And, trust me, you’re probably the last person in the world I’d pity.” You told him with a sly smile. “You’re right. I don’t know you all that well. Or, at least, I didn’t this morning. But I do know that you’re not heartless. Also, I was really out of line then, I’ve seen you fighting tooth and nail for a lot more than just money in that firm. You’re loyal to your firm and friends like no one else and, tonight, I watched you sitting on the floor and playing with a little boy. And, trust me, that meant more to him than you’d ever know, especially after today… Anyways, what I’m really trying to say is that I was so damn wrong and that I’m sorry. I’d gotten some pretty nerve-racking news beforehand, not that that’s an excuse but...” You told him, meaning every word and trying hard to show how much you regretted your previous actions.

“Wait, what news?”

“Ah, it’s nothing for you to worry about, really.” You tried to brush him off.

“Oh, c’mon! You said all those nice things about me, but when it comes to your life and your problems you still don’t trust me, isn’t that right?” His tone was sharply inexpressive, but his eyes showed he was actually hurt.

“What are you talking about? Oh my God, Harvey! I’ve relied on you for a number of cases that I really cared about! I let you in on my apartment! I let you spend an entire night around my nephew! Of course, I trust you!”

“Then what the hell is the problem? You think I’m not gonna give a damn about your family issues? Is that it? Because I am literally begging you to tell me about them!”

“I don’t wanna tell you because I don’t want you, or anyone else on the firm, to think that I’m some pathetic little girl who uses her family issues as an excuse to get out of a tough fight.” You confessed in a lower tone, slightly embarrassed, just hoping he would understand and stop poking. “Things are very different when you’re a woman, you know…”

“I would never think that about you. Family is important. Especially if it’s made of people like Henry…” He said, reassuring you, even though there was a hint of sadness in his voice. “Besides, you said you trust me, so you need to trust me when I say that I wouldn’t betray you by telling people about your problems. I’m not here as your boss, (y/n). I just wanna help you.” He sounded so sincere and, if you were being honest with yourself, you kinda really needed to vent.

“Okay, um, where to start? I have two sisters: Henry’s mother, Kat, and a fifteen-year-old, Lisa. I’m the older one of all three of us. Lisa’s sick, like very sick, so my parents, who are both retired, are with her at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, to try and get her better. In the meantime, Kat was supposed to go to college, as well as care for her son, between my parents and me, she wouldn’t even need to provide for them or anything. But, a while ago, she overdosed for the first time. That’s when we found out about her addiction. We’ve already tried a million different things but nothing works. So, my parents and I threatened to make her lose her parental rights over Henry, hoping that it’d be a wake-up call for her, but it backfired. She just took the boy and disappeared, then today I get that call, from the police department, saying that she was in custody for drug distribution and endangering the well-fare of a minor. They asked me to go pick my nephew and, maybe, get Kat a lawyer.” And, just like that, you’d told Harvey Specter, of all people, everything. Tears rolling down your cheeks and him pulling you into a hug.

If anyone had told you that that was how your night was gonna go, you would have definitely laughed them out of the room. But now, just sitting there, being held and caressed by Harvey, as you let your armor down, it was finally beginning to look like things were gonna be okay. 

#harvey specter x reader #harvey specter #suits #harvey specter fanfiction #suits fanfiction #bickering #harvey specter imagines #harvey specter x you #harvey specter x y/n #angst #fluff #fanfiction #fanfic #harvey specter angst #harvey specter fluff #imagines #pearson specter #jessica pearson #mike ross #louis litt #donna paulsen #rachel zane

[nelapanela94]

Levi x Fem!Y/N

Levi and Y/N choosing a name for the new member of their family.

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Kids had never been a topic of conversation between Levi and Y/N, and much less were they part of the plans. Now they were both in her room, listening in disbelief to the doctor announcing the big news to the soon to be parents.

"We appreciate your discretion, Doc" Y/N said while putting her shirt on.

"My lips are sealed" He swiped his thumb and index fingers across his lips, pretending to zip and lock his mouth. "Everything seems alright so far. I'll set an appointment within two weeks" Y/N nodded and he finished packing the instruments before taking his leave.

Levi was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and eyes closed. Y/N chewed her lower lip waiting for him to say something. "You said you'd timed it"

"I'm sorry I miscalculated" she walked towards the black-haired man and stopped in front of him. "Are you angry? It's only seven weeks, we still can..."

"Don't even think about it" We warned opening one eye. The steel gray orb landed on her face. "We're having the brat together Y/N" He reassured. "And I'm not angry, I'm just surprised" He let out a sigh. With both eyes opened, he scanned her face looking for a reaction. She looked at him with her mouth agape as tears of joy were forming in her eyes. Then, the sweetest smile drew on her lips. "You don't know how lucky I am to have you by my side, Levi" She whispered before pressing her lips on his.

Levi and Y/N had kept their relationship a secret for over a year, and only Erwin, Hange, Mike and Moblit knew about it. The ravenette had threatened the energetic Hange with killing the precious titans they used for research if they let it slip off their mouth. However, they let the secret escaped when Moblit was around, and that's how he learned. Fortunately, no one else heard, and Moblit was good at keeping secrets.

Y/N and her boyfriend entered the commander's office.

"Levi, Y/N, what brings you here? Today is your day off"

"There's something you need to know" Levi bluntly said.

"Erwin" the young woman took a deep breath. It was now or never "I'm pregnant" She averted the eyes, biting her inner cheek. Erwin's eyebrows rose at the news. "But it wasn't my fault, it was Levi's" She gabbled and hid behind the ravenette, who was standing next to her.

"Congratulations" A corner of his mouth lifted. Y/N poke her head from behind Levi's shoulder. "Thanks!"

"It also means you'll be out of the field for a while" The commander was happy for them; but concerned at the same time. Y/N was a skillful soldier and a great asset on expeditions. Her absence would be noticeable. Levi, on the other hand, was glad and relieved Y/N wasn't taking part on any upcoming mission, meaning one less concern for him.

As months passed by, Y/N's belly began to stick out, making it impossible to hide her pregnancy any longer and rumors about the father's identity spread among the scouts. "I'll tell you when the baby is born" She'd firmly stated. They tried to guess and even make their bets, but they were not even close. No one would believe that the ever stoic, ill-mannered captain was soon to become a dad.

"Don't mind them" Y/N told Levi once.

"I hate when they insinuate you're a..."

"You and I know the truth, it's all that matters. I can't care less about their comments" she placed a kiss on his cheek. "Now, I want some rice with cheese and strawberry jam on top"

"That sounds disgusting"

"it's not, you gotta try it"

And obviously he'd go downtown to get the damn cheese she liked.

When Levi was hectic with work, Hange and Moblit looked after Y/N. The brunette researcher was too excited and impatient to meet their nephew or niece. Since the future mother didn't want to be a burden, she volunteered to take notes and help with the transcription of the investigation reports, even though Moblit insisted she didn't have to.

The night before the 57th expedition, Y/N and Levi were lying on his bed, his calloused hands caressing her belly. "Please, come back home to me safe and sound" she placed a peck on his lips. "To us" and her hand found his. "I want a boy" she said with a smile. "With your hair, your nose and your eyes"

"The brat will have your looks"

"But..."

"Listen Y/N, I promise I'll come back to you" he kissed the back of her hand. "The doctor said you'll deliver anytime soon. I'll be there for you"

The 57th expedition beyond the walls ended up in an utter mess. Countless lives lost, including Levi's squad. Injured soldiers with missing limbs and on the verge of death. Y/N waited for Levi in the SC headquarters. The doctor had advised her not to travel to Karaness since she could go into labor any moment. When Levi opened the door, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. She would not let go, as if her life depended on it. He cupped her face and passionately kissed her. The expedition didn't even last a day, but it felt like a century.

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Levi was impatiently waiting outside the delivery room, nervously walking back and forth and cussing under his breath. "Take a seat Levi" Hange worriedly said. "Your leg is still healing"

"Shut up, shitty eyes"

In truth, he didn't mind the damn leg.

"Captain Levi" he heard the nurse's voice. "You can come in now"

"Congratulations to you and Y/N!" Hange squealed in excitement. "Take your time, I'll be waiting downstairs."

Levi opened the door and found Y/N sitting on the bed, with her back resting on the headboard and the newborn in her arms. He dragged a chair and took a seat next to the bed, placing a hand on Y/N’s. “Are you ok?”

“I am” She assured. “I’m just exhausted”

“Did you give your mom a hard time, brat?” He said rubbing the baby’s head with his thumb, careful enough to not wake him up.

“Isn’t he cute?”

“Yeah, we did a good job” He proudly said. A smirk showed on his face. “We did have fun” Y/N chuckled, shaking her head.

“I haven’t thought in a name yet”

“Me neither” He sweetly placed a kiss on the side of her head.

“I guess we’ll have the time to come up with a good one” She looked down at the new bundle of joy and smiled. “Daddy and I will protect you at all cost little one” She whispered.

Levi couldn’t keep his eyes off of the new member of their family. The new life they had created, half him, half Y/N; he now had another reason to fight for.

After the battle against the colossus and the armored titans to bring back Eren and Historia, the Survey Corps were left on the brink of dissolution. Dimo Reeves and two of his employees were found death in the middle of Trost. Commander Erwin was to blame for the murders and all the remaining members of the Scout Legion were to ceased their activities and turn in to the Military Police. Erwin had previously made an arrangement to hide Y/N and the baby in a brothel room in Trost. The sole idea made Levi uneasy, but he was aware Y/N was not in the condition to escape along with the rest of the scouts while protecting Eren and Historia.

Nonetheless, her hideout was discovered by the M.P.

A tall man broke into the establishment looking for Y/N; and out of fear, the owner gave her away. The man didn't bother to knock and kicked the door open to her room. The place was dark, the smell of recently blown out candles still lingered in the air. Y/N had managed to take the baby in her arms and hide under the kitchenette counter. Tears were running down her cheeks, and cold sweat bathed her entire body. She was quivering in panic, and covered her mouth with one hand to drown her crying. She was praying to all the known gods for the little one not to start crying anytime soon. Surprisingly, he was staring up at her with a cute toothless smile and bright steel gray eyes.

"Well, well, you can't hide from me for too long" the man laughed as he searched around. "Gotcha!" Y/N jolted and cried harder when she saw the gun aiming at her. "Let's end this nice and smooth"

"Who are you?" She asked between sobs. "Why...?"

"Shhh, I'm afraid I'm not here to answer your questions, young lady"

"Please" She pleaded. "Kill me, but don't hurt my baby"

The man's expression turned into a scowl. "Baby? They never mention anything about a baby" He muttered. The infant's cry filled the room, and the coated man grunted.

"Can I... put him to bed?"

"Make it fast"

She stood up slowly, her knees almost giving in. She walked to the bed rocking the baby, feeling the gun on her back. The cry finally came to a halt. Y/N placed a kiss on the baby's forehead and whispered "I love you" before tucking him between two pillows. Then, she turned around with her hands up. The man put the pistol in the case and was about to take his knife out, when a glinting, flower shaped object hanging around her neck caught his attention. His forehead furrowed and walked towards her with a menacing look on his face. "Where did you get this?" he growled, grabbing the pendant in his hand.

"The baby's father gave it to me" She replied, her eyes shut, waiting for the knife to slice her throat.

"May I know his name?"

"Levi, Captain Levi from the Scout Legion"

"I see" His scowl turned into a smirk. "The midget managed to get himself a pretty lady and make her a child. I guess he did learn something after all"

"Uh?" Y/N snapped her eyes open, confused at his sudden reaction.

"What's the baby's name?"

"We haven't had the time to think about it yet. I just call him baby, and Levi opted for brat"

The mysterious man took his knife out and with the free hand, he grabbed a fist full of her hair. With a swift movement, Y/N long strands of hair fell on the floor. It was too fast she didn't even have the time to shriek. "Change your clothes and grab the little runt." He ordered. "I'm getting you out of here" Y/N nodded in understanding and changed into a big shirt, loose pants and her boots. She then wrapped the baby in an improvised baby carrier she made out of a blanket.

"I'm ready" She gulped and everything went black.

Y/N woke up in a small cabin in the middle of the woods. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. The man with the hat was sitting at a chair across the room, while the baby laid peacefully next to her on the bed. The headache make her wince in pain.

"Sorry, but they had to believe you were dead" He bluntly said as he stood up. He put his coat on and fix his hat before leaving.

"Wait. I have plenty of questions sir. Who are you? What is this place? Why did you save us? What about the necklace..."

"You really are a pain in the ass" He complained. "The necklace was a present for my sister. I had it crafted for her when we were young" He turned around. "Ackerman. Levi Ackerman is his full name. Take good care of the little brat" He continued his way to the exit.

"Wait" She got off the bed and followed him. "Who are you to Levi?"

Without turning around, he replied. "An old acquaintance"

Y/N didn't ask anything else. She stared at the man's back as he walked away. When the man was out of sight, Y/N finally relaxed, letting out all the tension contained in her body. While the baby was still asleep, she did a little house tour. There was not much to see, honestly, but the place was cozy enough. There was food for at least three days in the kitchen, as well as barrels of clean water and firewood. She went back to the bedroom, laid next to the sleeping bundle and caressed his black strands of hair. "It seems you're an Ackerman after all" She chuckled. "Your father..." Her eyes saddened. "I wish I could go and find him, but I'm still recovering and taking you with me would be a high risk." She heavily sighed and closed her eyes. "I do hope he's doing well."

A couple of days later, a heavy knock on the door startled Y/N. She swallowed hard and tucked the baby in the bed "Shhh" She put her index finger on her lips, "I need you to be quiet. Do it for mommy" She said in a whispered, then headed to the kitchen. She grabbed a pan and slowly walked towards the door; her hand landed on the knob as cold drops of sweat traveled down her temples. "Oi! Y/N, it's me. I know you're in there, open up" Without a second thought, she twisted the doorknob and found her Levi standing there, with stains of blood on his face and clothes. Y/N glomped the ravenette.

"Levi!" She squealed; her eyes already glistened. "Oi" He fought to keep his balance and embraced her tightly. "Don't leave me alone again" She sniffed.

"I promise I won't" He muttered. "And can you get rid of that damn pan? It's making me nervous"

"Sorry" She threw it away. "I can't believe you're finally here. Please tell me this is not a dream?"

"This is all real" He pulled apart and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright? did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, Levi. That tall man with the cool hat was sent to kill me, but he changed his mind when I mentioned your name and hid me in this place instead. Are we even near the city? and how did you find me?"

"He told me where to find you" He pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"Come on in, somebody wants to see you" she took him by the hand and led him to the bedroom. Levi sat at the edge of the bed and a small warm smile drew on his face. The giggling baby wrapped his little hand around Levi's index finger. "Y/N" he called her name.

"Huh?"

"Have you thought of a name already?"

"Not really"

"What about Kenny?"

"Kenny? I actually like it" She smiled and rested a hand on Levi's shoulder. "Kenny Ackerman will be, then"

#levi x y/n #levi aot #levi ackerman fanfiction #levixreader #levi x reader #levi ackerman #aot #aot fanfiction #aot oneshots #snk levi #snk

[im-in-love-with-pizza-bites]

HomeTown Part 2

Sebastian Stan x F!Reader

Summary: You and Sebastian go visit your family for Christmas and share a big announcement but Sebastian has an announcement of his own.

Warnings: Fluff?

Part 1

You followed behind Sebastian in the airport as he dragged you to the end of the gate like you had done a little under a month ago. It was the day after new year's and you were back in your hometown. You spent Christmas day and new year's with his mom but still wanted to have a Christmas celebration with your family. "Babe!! Slow down!" You wined as he walked faster. You found this amusing. In the week you had stayed before he got close with your oldest niece and your oldest two nephews, converting both boys to team cap. Jon said he'd bring them when he came to pick you up because he found this just as sweet as you did.

"But. I want to see them!" He pouted causing you to laugh.

"I know but they ain't going no where." You said walking beside him. "See they are right there." You pointed at the three teenagers running over to you their dad/uncle standing filming the reunion.

"Auntie y/n! Seb!" They said giving Sebastian a gig before you.

"You stole my niece and nephews!" You pout at Sebastian who just laughed.

"Don't worry Auntie y/n your still our favorite." Samantha reassured. You smiled shaking you head.

"Hey! When will I get a dang hug!" Jon shouted from where he was standing a pout evident on his face. Your ran ahead of your boyfriend and the kids to give your brother a hug.

"Happy New Year Bro." You said laughing as you pulled out to go to luggage claim.

"Happy New Year Sis." He smiled at you wrapping an arm around you while his kids and nephew began to talk Sebastian's ear off about what happened since they last saw him. "So Colleen said your might have big news come on tell your favorite brother!" He said.

"Goddammit Colleen." You mumbled. "We don't have big news." You lied as you made it to the luggage claim. Sebastian pulled both bags off passing yours to you.

"Oh.." Jon said.

You guys made it to the car and began the drive to town. "Sebastian how's filming falcon and the winter soldier?" Jon asked keeping his eyes on the road.

"It's going good!" He said. You leaned on his shoulder.

"Any spoilers you can tell us?" Grayson asked looking back from the front seat where he sat.

"You have to wait till the show comes out." Sebastian said.

"Come on, please?" Samantha begged.

"No."

Samantha rolled her eyes leaning back in her seat pouting.

"Why do you want to know spoilers anyway?" Jon asked the three teens.

"So we can sell that information to the people at our school. We're already popular because our aunt is Y/n L/n but being able to tell them things about Falcon and the Winter soldier would bump up our street cred." Jaxon said proudly.

"Your using us for street cred?" You asked.

"Yeah!" Grayson told you sitting back in his seat properly

"They can't use me for street cred I'm not officially part of the family." Sebastian smirked at you.

"A photo of them bombarding you with questions went viral." Jon reminded him.

"Oh yeah." Sebastian said laughing a bit.

"Did you guys bring presents?" Samantha asked.

"Yes but you have to wait till tomorrow." You said giving her a pointed look.

"Please?" The three teens said giving you puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah come on why can we give them the presents today?" Sebastian asked. He knew why.

"You know why babe." You rolled your eyes. You had a big surprise for your family, and your nieces and nephews were gonna help you pull off telling the adults. But of course you got them normal presents as well.

"You guys hiding something?" Jon asked you raising an eyebrow at you through the rearview mirror.

"No." You laughed as Jon pulled into your parents drive way. You saw your nieces and nephews playing with different toys they had probably gotten for Christmas. "Let's see if they prefer you over me as well." You joked to Sebastian as you got out. Your nieces and nephews walk toward the pair of you besides Griffin and Oliver.

"Auntie y/n!" Griffin exclaimed hugging your leg, Oliver hugging the other while your slightly older nieces and nephews just walked over normally and gave you hugs.

"See im their favorite." You referred to your youngest nephews as you picked them both up setting them on opposite hips you stuck your tongue out at Sebastian smirking.

"Good job Dragoste."

"What does that mean?" Griffin asked him.

"It means love." Sebastian said.

"Dragoste! Cool!" Griffin giggled smiling at him.

"Why do say dragster and not love?" Oliver asked him as you guy went to the trunk of the car.

"Because if I just called your aunt love. It wouldn't be as special." Sebastian smiled at them before he pulled the suitcases out of the car because your hands were occupied.

"Cool! Dragoste I like it!" Oliver declared. You shook your head a loving smile on your face.

"Why don't you two of play?" You asked them setting them back down on the ground. They nodded running off to where Benji was playing with a remote control monster truck. "I can't believe we're gonna have one of those in nine months." You whispered placing a kiss to your boyfriends lips.

"Can't we tell them today?" Sebastian asked you. That's right you're pregnant! You guys already told his mom and step dad on Christmas. You had found out on Christmas Eve.

"No we can't." You said taking your bag from him and going to the porch where Colleen was excitedly standing on the porch waiting to know if you were pregnant.

"Are you having a baby?" She asked you smiling wide.

"No." You faked being sad to hope she'd not bring it up any more.

"Oh.. Sorry." She frowned hugging you.

"It's all good." You assured trying to hide the amusement on your face. Sebastian on the other hand didn't even try he just smiled.

"Don't worry it took me and Jon a little to get pregnant." She said pulling out of the hug.

"When you did get pregnant you had twins. I don't think we're ready for twins." You joked as the three of you began to walk inside.

"I think we could handle two." Sebastian spoke up. You rolled your eyes smiling.

"You could get your own Jax and Sam." Colleen said.

"Colleen... I used to baby sit them you do remember all the trouble they caused? Especially if you threw Grayson in the mix I don't think I'm ready for that." You said before you entered the living room deciding to pause the conversation since the rest of your family was waiting there.

"Hey mom!" You hugged her, "wassup dad." You said after you pulled out of the hug with your mom hugging him next. You mom brought Sebastian into a hug while you hugged your dad. After you hugged your parent you ran over and jumped on your three brother who you had yet to greet. "Hi!" You smiled at them sweetly before they pushed you on the floor.

"You okay dragoste?" Sebastian asked helping you up giving your brothers a playful glare.

"I've had worse. Now where the baby?" You asked Justin.

"You haven't even let us say hi yet and your already asking about Nora." Justin said rolling his eyes.

"Justin she's done this every year since she was eighteen why are you surprised.

"She's in the playpen in your room cause it was the quietest place to put her." Liz answered walking into the living room, Oliver on her hip eating fruit snacks.

"Okay!" You and Sebastian said the same time before you guys made your way up stairs hearing your family laugh.

"We're gonna have one of these soon." Sebastian said when the two of you made it to your room looking in the play pen where a peacefully looking baby slept.

"Yea..."

---

It was the next morning, you sat in the living room presents under the tree that your mom kept up just for this late Christmas celebration. You brothers and their families weren't here just yet so you and Sebastian were talking with your mom and dad.

"Jax and Sammy have been telling us all about your roll with marvel." Your dad told him smiling.

"Really?"

"They are big fans of your character Barney." Your mom said. You began cackling.

"Barney barnes." You teased him.

"I-its bucky... Barnes." Sebastian corrected politely.

"Where's the presents!" You hear Griffin exclaim dashing into the living room, Levi and Jasper close behind him. Grayson walking in grumbling about how it was to early.

"They're under the tree. Find the ones with your names it your each have two." You directed them, the younger three boys of the four all dashed to the tree looking at each of the presents even though Griffin couldn't read.

"Grayson help Griffin find his." Mike said before he came and sat down in between you and Sebastian pushing you two apart. "Hi, did you guys get me any presents?" He asked as his wife walked in smiling at her sons.

"Yeah go join them finding them." Sebastian said. Griffin moved to the coffee table with his two presents.

"Okay one of those is from me one of those is from Seb."

Griffin smiled wide ripping open the present Sebastian picked out for him. It was a kid's remote control car.

"Cool!" Griffin exclaimed. Levi was the next to settle down with his presents he opened the one you picked out, finding a new football since Levi played Football. (american)

"Cool! Thanks!"

Griffin ripped open the one you picked out, revealing a Tigger stuffed animal. Jasper and Grayson sat down next to their younger brothers before griffin ran over to his mom begging her to open the car. Jasper opened his first present getting a nerf gun from Sebastian.

"Awesome! Thank you Seb!" Jasper said a big smile on his face.

"Told you he'd love it." Sebastian said to you.

"I said his parents wouldn't not that he wouldn't." You rolled your eyes at him.

Grayson opened his first present the one from Sebastian to see a empty box. "Uh... Thank you?" Grayson said looking at him confused.

"Did you really wrap a empty box! I thought you were joking!" You said reaching over Mike to smack Sebastian.

"Sorry!" Sebastian laughed. "Don't worry your actual present should be near the back of the tree." He told your nephew who was frowning.

Levi wrapped the present from Sebastian open it also revealed a nerf gun. "Dude! Cool! Come on Jasp! Nerf gun battle!"

"Wait I have one more." Jasper said unwrapping the present from you, it was the next book in the series he was reading. "Thank you!" He said before running off with Levi their nerf guns in tow toward the Mitch to probably get scissors to open it with.

Mike got up from his seat to "help Grayson find his present" he actually went to find his own presents. Grayson went back to where his other present was sat with his actual present from Sebastian. He opened it again revealing a nerf gun. Sebastian was setting up a nerf war for all your older nieces and nephews which is why Griffin didn't get one.

"Oh cool! Thank you!" Grayson said before opening the one from you, which was a x-men comic book he wanted. "This was the one I wanted! Thanks Auntie Y/n!" He said getting up to hug you. You smiled hugging him as mike sat back down next to you his two presents in his hands. These were both from you because Sebastian didn't know what to get your brothers.

Grayson found himself a seat next to your mom and dad opening his comic. You watched as your brother opened his present to get a gag gift, it was a tradition you and your siblings each had to give each other the most random or useless thing you could find at the dollar store since this started when you were 6 and only had a dollar.

"Wings? Really?" You nodded before Kristina passed you a box.

"Ooh my gag gift!" You said ripping it opened to reveal a good job cone. "Oh thanks." You laughed. Sebastian looked at it confused.

"What's the point of these gifts?" Sebastian asked.

"There is none it's a tradition, Y/n started when she was five. There's only two rules no one can help you pick the present out and it has to come from Dollar tree." Kristina explained.

"To avoid inappropriate gifts being opened while the kids are around." Mike added.

"Okay if I had known what was in that box I wouldn't have opened it!" You said.

"Matt put don't open around the kids! GAG gift!!" Mike said.

"Yeah in tiny ass letters!" You said. Sebastian looked at you guys confused.

"Whatever." Mike said opening the next gift. "Thank you." He said giving you a really look holding up the T-Shirt that said "I have a badass baby sister yes she got me this shirt."

"You're most welcome!" You said smiling at him. Kristina rolled her eyes at you two going to grab her own presents you got her.

----

Soon the rest of your brothers and their families were there, the older kids were having a nerf gun battle outside with Sebastian since he obviously bought himself a nerf gun too. The younger kids were inside playing with the other toys they had got. Your brothers were wearing the matching fairy wings you got them as their gag gift. While their wives and you were talking. You had Nora on your lap.

Sebastian walked in a nerf bullet stuck to the center of his forehead. "Babe you have something on your forehead." You said laughing.

"They teamed up on me." He grumbled pulling it off before taking a seat next to you and stealing Nora from your lap. "Can we do it now?" He whispered to you.

"Yeah go wrangle the big kids." You said taking Nora. "If you excuse us we have a surprise that the kids are going to help us pull off.. So get your butts outside to wait for us." You said to the adults in the room. They rolled their eyes walking out with Sebastian.

"Okay kiddies! Come on!" You said the little kids looked at you. "I'll give you guys lollipops." The kids jumped up running up the stairs. "Slow down! Your parents will kill me if you fall down the stairs." You said.

Once up stairs you got upstairs you got Griffin, Oliver, and Nora in their shirts while Leo got into his on his own. Sebastian and the older kids barreled into the bedroom after.

"What are we doing?" Samantha asked.

"You guys are going to have a new cousin! And if you get these shirts on you'll help us tell your parents and Granny and pap." Sebastian explained.

"Cool!!" Hazel squealed. Your nieces and nephews celebrated a bit and gave you hugs before you sent them each to a different room upstairs to change while Sebastian watched the ones already you got into your shirt that said right over the belly where your baby was: GrandBaby #14. Your nieces and nephews had shirts that say Grandbaby #1-13. You made it t your room and everyone was ready.

"Okay line up in number order. Griff stand right next to Sebastian when we get out side. Oliver stand next to Griff and so forth." You explained. Sebastian would be holding Nora and standing next to you.

You all made it outside and still in line.

"What?" Your dad asked.

"Read the shirts!" Violet exclaimed.

"Grandbaby... 14?!" Colleen looked at your shirt squealing.

"No way!" Elizabeth said.

"What? 14 kids? There's only 13.." Justin said not getting it.

"Your pregnant?" Your mom asked you.

"Yep!" You and Sebastian said at the same time.

"You told my kids before you told me? I thought I was your favorite?" Justin said mocking offense.

"Your a blabbermouth if we told you everyone would've known." You said as your mom come over hugging you then hugging Sebastian as the kids ran off to play. Your family finished giving you both hugs. Sebastian handed Nora over to Mike before he reached in his pocket. You were looking away at Hazel and Violet.

"Y/n look." Kristina said. You looked at Sebastian gasping as you saw he was on one knee.

"Y/n.. Will you marry me?" He asked. You stared hands over your mouth in disbelief. "Your scaring me." He whispered.

"Yes! Yes! I'll marry you!" You exclaimed tackling him into a hug. Your mom and dad smiled softly at you two while your brothers, tried to be supportive but your their baby sister they won't see you anyway. Your nieces and nephews didn't even notice. You stayed on the ground hugging for what seemed like forever before you pulled apart and he put the ring on your finger. "I love it!" You kissed him before a chorus of "Ew!" Was heard alerting you and Sebastian of your nieces and nephews.

"We're getting married!" Sebastian said smiling, the kids gasped hugging the two of you. their parents laughing took a photo of it.

"Can I be the ring bearer?" Leo asked smiling.

"I want to be the flower girl!" Hazel said as they all pulled away from the hug to let you two stand up. All four of your sister inlaws quickly pulled into a hug squealing, Justin was quick to give Sebastian a hug and welcome him to the family slowly followed by Micheal and your dad, Matthew and Jon stood by your mom who was waiting to hug you. The two men stared at Sebastian with the same look they had when you started dating or when your prom date came to pick you up.

"Dad? Why are you staring at Sebastian like that?" Luna asked Matt.

"This again you two?" Your mom asked them as the hug from your sister in laws was pulled out of and the three men gave who had hugged Sebastian each gave you one followed by you mom while your other two brothers kept glaring at Sebastian.

"Did I do something wrong?" Sebastian asked.

"They're being babies." You said walking over to them sighing. "It's not gonna work this time. He isn't a jerk like him." You said quietly to them, only the two men know what your talking about and that's how you've always wanted it. Now if your wondering what that is. It's about an ex who those two are the only ones who even know about him. It had been getting serious but you ended up getting in a fight and he tried to manipulate by proposing to you (this happened just before you moved out so you were 18) while those two were walking by and ended up "talking" to the guy.

*like who?" Justin asked.

"No one." Jon said hugging you before going over to Sebastian. "Welcome to the family man!" He said. Matt begrudgingly walked over to Sebastian.

"I like you and all but just because your my sister's fiancee I will still kick you ass... In a nerf gun war." Matt changed demeanors as the older kids took that as sign to get their nerf guns from the yard and begin the war again. "Welcome to the family Seabass."

"Ow! Come on!" Sebastian ran off as they began shooting at him.

"Watch the face! I want my fiancee to have both eyes at my wedding!" You exclaimed laughing.

"Glad you care!" Sebastian whined running around with the toddlers while the teens and pre-teens tried to shoot him.

"Don't shoots the little kids or your all grounded!" Matt warned as you leaned your head on your moms shoulder sighing.

What a late Christmas you had. A baby and your getting married.

A/n: I'm a tiny bit in love with this large family... Probably since I want a extended family like this but whatever Merry Christmas if you celebrate Christmas which since you read a Christmas themed story you probably do if not happy holidays!

#sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #sexy seabass #christmas #holiday fic #sebastian stan x you #family

[starrysupercell]

Silly idea I just thought of: somehow, certain Brawlers lose the ability to lie. The cause could be as innocent as Jessie testing out a new Truth Ray, to something like Starr Park deciding that there needs to be more transparency between brawlers. Whatever the reason, there will be Shenanigans abound

Tbh this sounds super fun, >:) so, of course I'm gonna go into detail on some of them.

(This could be a whole story. Mind the messy layout.)

Brawlers who have to worry the most for business/socially/jobs: Piper, Byron, Belle, Griff, Mr. P probably?, Ruffs, Barley, Gale and, to a lesser extent, Lou (towards Mr. P),

Brawlers who have to worry emotionally: Stu, Penny, the whole Retropolis Gang, Edgar, Mortis.

Brawlers that would be fun if they were hiding something deep, deep down: Bo, Nani, Amber and/or Primo.

(Brawlers who are sus and would be more nervous about this than they should be: 8-Bit, Spike, Poco, Bea, Mike.)

~~

No more sneaky gossip for Piper, and to a lesser extent, Emz. Piper could hardly speak to anyone since she loves weaving so much secret details in her words. I wouldn't call her "fake" because she genuinely enjoys company and has friends, but.. well, you've seen how I've written her. She's just... opportunistic.

Anyway, I'm sure it was in the middle of a conversation that ended badly. I wonder with whom?

~

Byron can't pitch sales for the time being. 😈

Customer: Well how do I know it works? Is it safe?

Byron: my good sir, I can assure you that...it's a highly experimental concoction. I've never used it myself because I would never be a lab rat to my own mixtures, but I have gotten a few constant test subjects around the park. Besides which, I have the utmost faith in what I'm doing. Even if there have been several unfortunate incidents in the past, I'm undeterred with my skill. Mainly because I'm beyond compare in my abilities but I also know I'm never the one at risk. Hahaha....

Byron:

Customer:

Byron: ...why did I say that?

~

Sadly Barley is unintentionally rude to several people too. Since this hypothetical truth ray/correction would prevent anyone from keeping their thoughts to themselves, he answers and comments with no filter. Several people (Rico, 8-Bit, Shelly, Bibi, etc.,) find it hilarious, Barley does not.

~

I truly wonder if the honesty policy also seeps into not only verbal truth, but making somebody avoid anything that's not "Honest" Work?

What I'm saying is, Belle can't even plan heists or delve into thinking up ways to sneak around.

Cue her announcing herself in the midst of a Robbery, ruining the plan and trying to turn herself in. (Unaffected members of her Gang might be able to get her out of there.)

Or, more ridiculously, that "This Pen Is Blue" scene from 'Liar, Liar' with her trying to sketch out a heist.

Maybe this one is a stretch? I'm not sure, but it is for fun.

~

Ruffs already has a hard time hiding his tail wagging. He's a serious guy who wants to be taken seriously, but now everyone will hear how proud he is of Squeak and how great a friend MXY Kit is to him, and how soft his heart actually is. Which, fine, maybe everybody already suspected, but it was never confirmed until now.

In short, gruff exterior dog is actually fuzzy, but it wasn't that deep down.

~

THE RETROPOLIS GANG, EDGAR AND PENNY.

1) Bull with his tough guy attitude would have trouble verbalizing mushy stuff. Crow just plain doesn't want to. Bibi is a mix of the two. She's naturally tough, and she doesn't have practice. Imagine it-- the tough gang on the block sharing emotions with each other and being buddy-buddy with people they're fond of! After the ordeal, they agree they need some time apart.

2) Penny is emotionally constipated because she leaves the bad thoughts locked in a chest. Also, she was raised by robots, so it's a little difficult expressing herself... but now she can say exactly what's on her mind! ...if she can even sort through her feelings. The truth device makes you unable to lie, but can it get you to know what you're feeling?

Penny: Holy shit, this is way too philosophical for me, my head hurts, please make it stop

Jessie: D: I wish I could help you!!

3) We all know about this tsundere emo boy. He greeted Colette with a "Hey, Colette. It's really great to see you today. I had a bad morning and you always brighten up my day." And they both knew something was up immediately. Now, as everyone is trying to resolve this, Edgar's Scarf is wrapped tightly after his mouth tightly, lest he says anything else, like how cool he thinks a few certain other Brawlers are, like Shelly, Crow and Bibi. Or how he looked up to and misses

Sorry, he parkour-ed away before he finished that sentence :)

~

....Stu won't be able to handle this, will he 😔

Stu: Oh, I'm not s-s-sticking around. Rebuild me-e-e when this t-t-truth nightmare is over🤘

Pam: Rebuild? But you aren't--

Stu: *falls into a pile-- he force shut himself down*

~

People who weren't affected because they're already 100% honest: Jacky, Sprout. That's it. They're the only honest folks here. Everyone else has something to hide.

~

I think that's about all the ideas I have for the Brawlers.

As for the cause, I like the idea of it being "Starr Park." If they thought complete honesty would work in making things running more smoothly, they thought extremely wrong. In fact, Happiness is dipping at an alarming rate. Clearly, this decision has to be reversed.

If it were Jessie, there's a more peaceful way to resolve this situation, and it started in a more innocent way too. That is, she made a truth ray for fun, but didn't think to make an option that reverses it, so she works on a "Lie Ray" as fast as she can while everyone suffers. (Yes she feels guilty.)

#Brawl Stars #Brawlstars #Too Many Brawlers #Honesty: The Best Policy? #Long Post #Ask

[erekiosuncreativeideas]

The Part-Time Puppeteer - Chapter 07

<= Chapter 6

Summary : It is time for Lukas to show his acting skills... But of course, nothing can stick to the plan, can it? Also available on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/23828971/chapters/81199699

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New chapter, woohooo ! This one was fun to write, I hope you'll like it ! Happy reading !

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Chapter 7 - “But what if I fail?”

Eventually, Lukas’ anger slowly disappeared, only to be replaced by a growing stage fright. The more seconds passed, the more his stomach hurt, and he felt like a weight was settling on his shoulders. As time went on, he was starting to regret agreeing to this whole thing- fuck, fuck, he should have said no, he should have insisted, why in the hell did he even agree to this…!

The student jumped as he heard a knock on the door and, for a small moment, he thought it was MJ coming back. However, he quickly pushed that idea away- there was no way that jerk would be polite enough to knock- he hadn’t the first time. But as the young man wondered who could be behind the door, it opened slightly. Through the small opening, Lukas’ eyes fell on Grooves. Instantly, his face paled up- oh gosh, it was time, already?

-“Ah, Mike told me you’d be in here,” the director’s suave voice brought him back to reality, and the student swallowed nervously.

-“Is… Is it time?” he asked, his voice trembling and full of anxiety.

The other didn’t respond right away, and entered the room instead, quietly closing the door behind him.

-“No, you still have a few more minutes,” his boss replied, though that didn’t reassure Lukas, on the contrary. If the director was there, then it meant something, right? He couldn’t think of any possible reason on why DJ Grooves would come into Mike’s workshop- and even then, from the other’s words, it was like he had been looking for him.

This… Didn’t sound so good, suddenly. And apparently, his fear must have been quite visible on his features, as the director seemed to notice it:

-“Okay, listen, darling,” he started, clasping his hands: “The Conductor and I were talking with our investor, the person funding this whole project.”

-“Oh, yeah, Mike told me something like that,” the young man nodded, still feeling anxious: “Is… Is something wrong?”

Perhaps the other was there to tell him they were going to take MJ back? It seemed like this conversation was important enough, and honestly it sounded like DJ Grooves was trying to bring up a sensitive subject. But maybe it was for the best? Lukas was not an actor, and they did promote him out of the blue, without really thinking about it- Although, why would they tell him to learn the lines all for nothing? Before he even got the chance to display his “acting skills”? He had used his own free time to learn them, it was a bit frustrating to have memorized them if he weren’t even going to get his chance.

His internal monologue was interrupted by DJ Grooves’ low voice:

-“Listen, I’ll be honest with you. MJ isn’t a great person to be around, but he is famous. When we announced to our investor we had pushed him out of the project, he… Wasn’t exactly pleased.”

The young man lowered his eyes and nodded- yeah, that made sense. Sure, MJ was a jerk, but he would have attracted more attention on the show.

-“So, you’ll take him back on the team?” guessed Lukas, who wasn’t so surprised, though perhaps disappointed. Of course, it was less stress on his shoulders, but… Yeah, he would be lying if he said it hadn’t brought him some excitement, or some change in his anxious routine. But it was certainly the best choice to make- however, that meant MJ would have the time of his life humiliating him about this, especially after their argument.

-“What? No,” the director frowned, his expression turning confused for a moment: “I mean… That is why I’m here, actually.”

It was Lukas’ time to be perplexed now, and he couldn’t help but tilt his head, not really sure to understand what the other was trying to say.

-“Look, darling, you did a good job yesterday. However, our investor is very insistent on keeping MJ on the team, because all he’s seeing is a celebrity who’s going to attract attention. And don’t get me wrong, it’s true,” he raised his hands, like he was defending himself: “But that means you need to prove your worth to him more than anything.”

Oh no. No, no, no, he could see where this was going.

-“Wait, wait…” he interrupted the other, his face paling up: “Are you implying this is some kind of… Exam?”

The man in front of him readjusted his glasses while raising his eyebrows, an unimpressed expression on his face:

-“Oh, I’m not implying anything, darling,” he answered simply: “I’m stating it, this is exactly what it’s going to be.”

It was like a cold shower for the young man, who was having a very tight knot in his stomach. His breathing increased in pace, and so did his heartbeat. Oh, fuck, fuck, he was going to hyperventilate, shit, this couldn’t be happening- he couldn’t do this! Playing a role was one thing, but having the future of a show depending on his sole performance was too much, way too much- okay, yeah, they’d probably get MJ back if he failed, but that still meant his performance would be examined.

This was too much stress for him to handle, he couldn’t, he just couldn’t-!

-“Woah, there, hey,” the director’s suave voice wasn’t enough to calm him down, but it did distract him slightly from his new panic attack. He felt something brushing his back hesitantly, and it didn’t take him long to understand DJ Grooves was trying to comfort him- but it only made it worse. Lukas didn’t like being touched when his anxiety was at its peak. He stepped away, and the director didn’t insist.

-“I… Suppose I did good to tell you in advance,” the other added, visibly uncomfortable by the current situation.

-“I can’t,” Lukas breathed out, really doing his best to calm himself down, in vain: “I didn’t even apply for this, I can’t, I just…”

His head was starting to spin from the stress, and he quickly sat down, not wanting to collapse on his second day at his job. He leaned against the wall and took deep breaths, bringing his hands up to rub his eyes. God, being so tired really wasn’t helping his mental state… Sounds of muffled fabric next to him caught his attention, and when he looked at his side, he was surprised to see DJ Grooves sitting next to him.

-“It’s okay to be scared, darling,” he spoke again, his voice sounding more reassuring than before: “It’s your first time acting, it’s normal. But you have something, you have potential.”

The student scoffed and rolled his eyes with an ironic smile:

-“Yeah, right. The only reason I’m replacing MJ is to teach him a lesson. I’m not stupid.”

The director shot him yet another unimpressed look:

-“You really think we’d lose production time just to punish a full-grown adult? You think it’s worth wasting a day of work?”

That made Lukas wince, and he looked away, falling silent. Yeah, okay, that was fair, but that didn’t mean it was the right decision to make!

-“I’m not going to lie, you do need some training, but there’s a spark in there,” he pointed to the young man: “You might not be able to play any character, sure, but you have a thing with villains. It’d be stupid to let that go to waste.”

A long sigh left Lukas’ lips, and he buried his face into his hands. His panic attack was slowly dying down, but God, did he feel terrible right now… His stomach still hurt like hell, as if someone were playing with his guts and twisting them around. Fuck, the last time he had felt so stressed was for his finals the year before… And back then, he had an idea of what awaited him! Today, however? He had no fucking idea.

That terrified him.

-“I can’t do this,” he weakly mumbled through his hands: “I’m not an actor, I’m just…”

-“A part-time stagehand?” the other guessed the rest of his sentence: “Yeah, that’s what you’re going to become again if you fail. But, darling, imagine if you do impress our investor! I know you had fun yesterday,” the director nudged him, with a teasing tone.

-“N-no, I didn’t,” denied the young man, though it was a lie. He had had a blast the day before… That is, when he had managed to throw his anxiety through the window, if just for a moment. But this was different, this was… Official! Yesterday, he had thought he was helping that little girl to get that role, now… Now he was doing that for himsel f, and fuck, he was not ready for it.

-“Oooh, don’t you lie to me. Sure, you were all shy at the beginning, but then… It was like you had flipped a switch, and then, there was the spark I was speaking about.”

The student remained silent. Yeah, it was true… Somewhat. Without knowing how, he had been able to put his fear aside.

-“I just…” he spoke again after a moment, shrugging: “I thought that since I didn’t have a choice, well… I told myself ‘ why the fuck not ’, you know?”

Next to him, his interlocutor smiled, as he got to prove his point.

-“So what’s so different here, then?” the latter retorted, his voice amused: “Why don’t you flip that switch again?”

-“But what if I fail?” Lukas brought his head back up and gave his boss a distressed look.

-“Then you’ll go back to being a stagehand, which is what you applied for in the first place. You’re not losing anything, darling, we’re not going to fire you if it doesn’t work out. Acting isn’t always about success, it’s about… Passion! Doing what you love, being yourself!”

He paused for a moment, his smile widening:

-“And for you, darling, it’s about having fun.”

The words had a bigger effect on Lukas than what he had first expected. Oh, he wasn’t convinced, his anxiety was still eating him from the inside, but at least… He was reassured on the fact that his promotion wasn’t just to piss MJ off. Sure, that asshole entirely deserved it, but it was good to hear he wasn’t being used.

He was genuinely wanted on the team. Obviously, he would never be as talented as the other actor, Grooves had even been honest about that, but… At least it was motivating, knowing people thought he had potential. And if it was the case, then… Why wouldn’t he give his best? His boss was right, he had nothing to lose, so… He might as well try and see where it would take him.

Plus, he had learned all those lines, it would be stupid to give up when he tried so hard to memorize them… Especially when it had cost him two hours of sleep.

Eventually, after what felt like centuries, he let out yet another sigh, as a small smile grew on his lips:

-“Alright,” he snorted: “You win.”

It was the director’s turn to sigh in relief at the student’s approval.

-“I knew I could count on you, darling,” his face was showing clear victory, and he moved his left hand to tap the young man’s shoulder: “Let’s show them what a great performance looks like!”

An embarrassed giggle left Lukas’ mouth as he looked away:

-“Ahaha, yeah…”

The two men stood up, careful not to damage any in-progress costumes. DJ Grooves dusted himself before doing the same to Lukas, who was taken aback by the attention. But he supposed that it was part of giving this investor a good first impression… Oh fuck, he was really doing this, wasn’t he?

He shook his head, and took a deep breath. Yes, he was going to do this, he could do this!

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

No, he was not going to do this, he couldn’t do this.

Now that the young man was on the scene, puppet in hand and a tensed smile plastered on his face, his motivation had been beaten to a pulp by his raging anxiety. Contrary to when he had acted in front of his bosses, this time the room was full of people.

People who had stopped working on their task just to watch him. Mike was one of them, perhaps one of the few people sending him thumb ups as encouragement. Great friend, really, but too bad this was far from enough to make Lukas more comfortable.

-“So… Your name is… Lukas Pryce, is that it?” asked a voice who sent shivers down the student’s spine. In front of him were both the directors and the investor he had been told about. It was an old man, around the same age as the Conductor. While the latter seemed like a person not to fuck with… That other person looked like a cold blooded murderer- as if a single word would be enough to make him snap. And with the clothes he was wearing- a dark green tartan suit and black loafers… Yeah, Lukas felt he was facing the boss of a criminal organization or something.

This wasn’t reassuring him in the least .

-“Is that it?” the voice called out to him again, and he jumped, his smile faltering for a short moment.

-“Y-yes, that’s me… Sir,” he quickly added, his voice trembling. Behind the man, the young student saw the Conductor facepalming, and DJ Grooves looking away, probably feeling second-hand embarrassment.

Yeah, no, there was no fucking way he was going to do this. How was he supposed to say his lines without stammering or without even messing this whole thing up?! He had not prepared for this- not like it would have helped a lot, but it would have been much better than learning that only fifteen minutes before rehearsing!

The investor shot him an unimpressed and annoyed look, rolling his eyes. He then looked back to a copy of a script he had been given by the two directors, flipping the pages as he was searching for a scene- oh, crap, this was going to be one of the scenes Lukas had the most trouble remembering, wasn’t it? With his luck, he couldn’t see any other scenario, this was going to be the worst day of his life all the way until midnight!

The man opened his mouth after flipping through the script, only to be cut short by a door opening loudly in the back of the room. Most of the crew, including the investor, turned to see who had interrupted the rehearsal. But of fucking course it had to be him .

The biggest douche in the universe had decided to grant them all of his presence- in other words, MJ was here now, bearing the widest grin ever. He was wearing what seemed to be a very expensive fur coat, as well as sunglasses preventing people from seeing his eyes at all. In his right hands, the bastard was holding a peanut bowl, casually eating some with his left hand.

Oh, obviously, that asshole wanted to see him fail. Why else would he be here when he had no other reason to be here, without any role in this show anymore?

-“Don’t mind me,” he sang with that insufferable voice of his, loud enough for everyone to hear him: “I’m just here to watch the show,” he smiled more, and Lukas just knew there were mockery, sure, but also bitterness. Wasn’t surprising, to be fair, given the other’s personality.

The latter found himself a chair and sat down, crossing his legs and, oh, how Lukas wanted to punch that arrogant face. But he wouldn’t. He was a civilized person, after all… And a coward too, but this wasn’t the topic of the day.

A long sigh came from the investor, who turned his head back to the student with a tired look, one that clearly said “I’m tired of everyone’s bullshit right now”. It wasn’t like Lukas could blame him… Though he was too preoccupied by his own situation to care.

-“Alright… So, as I was about to say… What about the scene from the act’s finale?” the older man suggested, even if it didn’t sound like an offer.

Lukas was about to say something, but when he noticed that the investor wasn’t asking him but the directors instead, he decided to shut his mouth. Apparently, he was not being consulted in the choice of the scene… Well, at least, he was lucky enough it was one of those he knew the best. It was one of the most interesting and, perhaps it was the future lawyer talking here, but it was intense . Like all these trials he had studied, with those passionate lawyers defending their clients, guilty or not!

The kind of lawyer he wanted to become.

-“Heh, if you say so,” the Conductor shrugged, before giving Grooves a reluctant look, as if he were acknowledging his colleague’s presence, for once. DJ Grooves was taken aback by the sudden politeness, but quickly glanced at Lukas, silently asking if the scene was one the student knew well enough.

This was… A really kind attention. Quickly, the young man nodded imperceptibly, and his focus went to his script soon afterwards. Searching for the scene he was going to perform, one of his ears was still listening to the discussion in front of him.

-“I think it’s a very good choice,” replied the eccentric director, his tone then shifting to a pensive one: “but we need someone to play Hat Kid… And Hailey isn’t here today.”

DJ Grooves looked around in the room, searching for anyone who could fit the role- until he and Lukas spotted a raised hand among the crowd. Their eyes moved in its direction and- oh for fuck’s sake, why couldn’t he have one (1) good day of work here?

Of fucking course MJ would be the one to raise his hand, his face beaming with that asshole attitude. In the other side of the room, Mike was trying to catch his attention, most likely to tell him to drop it, but the actor royally ignored his twin. Now, Grooves and the Conductor were very aware of MJ’s hatred towards the student- hell, the entire crew had seen that diva throw a tantrum the previous day! So it made sense that the two directors refused his oh so kind offer.

-“I don’t think it’s a good idea, darling ,” DJ Grooves was the first to answer, frowning, and it didn’t take long for the Conductor to add his own spiky comment:

-“Yeah, laddie, why are you still in the studio?” the old man put his hands over his hips, furrowing his brows at MJ, whose face darkened at the refusal. It didn’t last too long, however, as he rapidly put on his nice, innocent mask on.

-“Oh, I just thought that, since I used to have this role before and everything… I’m probably the only one knowing these lines by heart, aren’t I?” The mask fell for a few seconds as he smiled victoriously: “Even Hailey’s lines. I don’t need the script.”

Lukas tightened his fist- God, he wanted to punch that jerk’s face so much! What was he trying to do? Prove how much of a better actor he was? Hell, this most likely was it. What a brat- how could a grown ass adult act like a child so much?!

The Conductor was about to refuse once more, and DJ Grooves certainly would have too… If it weren’t for the investor, who interrupted them both with just a gesture of his hand. For the first time since he had entered the room, the older man’s lips were curling up in an intrigued smile.

Oh, this couldn’t be good.

-“Why not,” he agreed, gesturing at MJ to stand up and come closer: “This could be interesting, don’t you think, gentlemen?” the man continued, turning his head to the two directors, who were visibly wincing. Soon after getting the go-ahead, the actor’s face lightened up with arrogance, giving off a “I told you so!” kind of vibe. He quickly took off his sunglasses and his fur coat, showing the clothes he was wearing underneath: a fancy red shirt with psychedelic patterns, a black denim jacket, dark blue skinny jeans as well as black, shiny shoes.

What a show-off. That guy had changed clothes in the small amount of time they had gotten since their argument. Was he trying to impress the investor? Seriously?

The diva walked quickly to the scene, taking the stairs two by two. From afar, Mike was watching with an aghast expression, glancing nervously at Lukas and his brother, probably fearing for a fight. And that concern was more than justified, given how much the student wanted to strangle the jerk in front of him. However, the latter knew very well the ex-stagehand couldn’t do anything, and smirked widely in consequence.

That bitch-!

-“So, here’s what we’re going to do,” the investor announced, joining his hands together, all while the Conductor and Grooves could do nothing but watch with a grimace: “You will both play your roles, MJ as Hat Kid and… Uh…”

-“L-Lukas, sir,” the student reminded him, with a nervous voice, earning a mocking look from the diva at his shyness. The student glared at him in response, though not for long, as he had to focus on the older man’s words.

-“Yes, Lukas. You will play the Moonjumper’s role. Whoever plays their role the best get to keep the job,” he then turned to the two directors, shooting them a serious glance: “And I will be the judge of that, being the one funding this whole project. Do we have a mutual understanding, here?”

The duo frowned and gritted their teeth- but they couldn’t say anything. Not only the other was right, he had a power of decision on the show given his financing, but it was also a fair deal. Whoever had the best act would get the role- but in hindsight, was it, really?

MJ was a skilled actor, who had started his show-biz career when he was still a kid. He had a dozen of blockbusters in his resume, and even more regular movies and TV shows. With years of acting and practice in that field, living the celebrity life to its fullest… He was more than capable of getting a role in a children’s show!

In comparison… Lukas was a nobody, just like MJ had told him earlier. He had no experience in acting other than what he had done the previous day. Sure, Grooves had been nice enough to say he had “”potential“”, but next to a fully accomplished actor? He was never going to win, that was obvious. And yet…

Yet, Lukas wanted to win. Not only because he wanted to piss the diva off (’cause, frankly, he deserved it), but also because he felt like… If he had to try, and if he had been forced to learn all those lines on his sleep schedule, then, why shouldn’t he give his all? After all, this was probably going to be his last time on stage. Why not enjoy it while he still could? Furthermore, if he had to bear with MJ’s mockeries after losing, it was far better to have given his all rather than just… Giving up without even trying.

His glance went back on the celebrity, giving him a determined and serious look… Before dropping the script to his feet. MJ wanted to fight like this? Then he was going to get it. That asshole wasn’t the only one who had memorized all the lines- at least, this scene.

Lukas was not going to back down.

-“Ready? And… Action!” the investor yelled in the Conductor’s loud hailer, momentarily taking the director’s role.

The student felt his stage fright disappearing. Instead, his mind was soon filled with anger, determination and energy. And so, since he had the first line… He opened his mouth, and began what was perhaps one of the silliest thing he had ever done before.

Acting.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Heeeeey, looks like we're going to have an acting battle in the next chapter ! ... I sure wonder who's going to win :)c

=> Chapter 08

#a hat in time fanfiction #ahit fanfiction #ahit mj #ahit the snatcher #ahit au #ahit snatcher #ahit fanart #ahit art #ahit #a hat in time snatcher #a hat in time the snatcher #a hat in time moonjumper #a hat in time mj #ahit conductor #ahit grooves #ahit dj grooves #a hat in time grooves #a hat in time dj grooves #fanfiction #my art #erekio #erekiosuncreativeideas #puppet au #ahit puppet au #the part time puppeteer #tptp #mike

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

August 6, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

Fifty-six years ago today, on August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. The need for the law was explained in its full title: “An Act to enforce the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution, and for other purposes.”

In the wake of the Civil War, Americans tried to create a new nation in which the law treated Black men and white men as equals. In 1865, they ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, outlawing enslavement except as punishment for crimes. In 1868, they adjusted the Constitution again, guaranteeing that anyone born or naturalized in the United States—except certain Indigenous Americans—was a citizen, opening up the suffrage to Black men. In 1870, after Georgia legislators expelled their newly seated Black colleagues, Americans defended the right of Black men to vote by adding that right to the Constitution.

All three of those amendments—the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth—gave Congress the power to enforce them. In 1870, Congress established the Department of Justice to do just that. Reactionary white southerners had been using state laws, and the unwillingness of state judges and juries to protect Black Americans from white gangs and cheating employers, to keep Black people subservient. White men organized as the Ku Klux Klan to terrorize Black men and to keep them and their white allies from voting to change that system. In 1870, the federal government stepped in to protect Black rights and prosecute members of the Ku Klux Klan.

With federal power now behind the Constitutional protection of equality, threatening jail for those who violated the law, white opponents of Black voting changed their argument against it.

In 1871, they began to say that they had no problem with Black men voting on racial grounds; their objection to Black voting was that Black men, just out of enslavement, were poor and uneducated. They were voting for lawmakers who promised them public services like roads and schools, and which could only be paid for with tax levies.

The idea that Black voters were socialists—they actually used that term in 1871—meant that white northerners who had fought to replace the hierarchical society of the Old South with a society based on equality began to change their tune. They looked the other way as white men kept Black men from voting, first with terrorism and then with state election laws using grandfather clauses, which cut out Black men without mentioning race by permitting a man to vote if his grandfather had; literacy tests in which white registrars got to decide who passed; poll taxes; and so on. States also cut up districts unevenly to favor the Democrats, who ran an all-white, segregationist party. By 1880 the south was solidly Democratic, and it would remain so until 1964.

Southern states always held elections: it was just foreordained that the Democrats would win them.

Black Americans never accepted this state of affairs, but their opposition did not gain powerful national traction until after World War II.

During that war, Americans from all walks of life had turned out to defeat fascism, a government system based on the idea that some people are better than others. Americans defended democracy and, for all that Black Americans fought in segregated units, and that race riots broke out in cities across the country during the war years, and that the government interned Japanese Americans, lawmakers began to recognize that the nation could not effectively define itself as a democracy if Black and Brown people lived in substandard housing, received substandard educations, could not advance from menial jobs, and could not vote to change any of those circumstances.

Meanwhile, Black Americans and people of color who had fought for the nation overseas brought home their determination to be treated equally, especially as the financial collapse of European countries loosened their grip on their former African and Asian colonies, launching new nations.

Those interested in advancing Black rights turned, once again, to the federal government to overrule discriminatory state laws. Spurred by lawyer Thurgood Marshall, judges used the due process clause and the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to argue that the protections in the Bill of Rights applied to the states, that is, the states could not deprive any American of equality. In 1954, the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren, the former Republican governor of California, used this doctrine when it handed down the Brown v. Board of Education decision declaring segregated schools unconstitutional.

White reactionaries responded with violence, but Black Americans continued to stand up for their rights. In 1957 and 1960, under pressure from Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, Congress passed civil rights acts designed to empower the federal government to enforce the laws protecting Black voting.

In 1961 the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) began intensive efforts to register voters and to organize communities to support political change. Because only 6.7% of Black Mississippians were registered, MIssissippi became a focal point, and in the “Freedom Summer” of 1964, organized under Bob Moses (who passed on July 25 of this year), volunteers set out to register voters. On June 21, Ku Klux Klan members, at least one of whom was a law enforcement officer, murdered organizers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner near Philadelphia, Mississippi, and, when discovered, laughed at the idea they would be punished for the murders.

That year, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which strengthened voting rights. On March 7, 1965, in Selma, Alabama, marchers led by John Lewis (who would go on to serve 17 terms in Congress) headed for Montgomery to demonstrate their desire to vote. Law enforcement officers stopped them on the Edmund Pettus Bridge and beat them bloody.

On March 15, President Johnson called for Congress to pass legislation defending Americans’ right to vote. It did. And on this day in 1965, the Voting Rights Act became law. It became such a fundamental part of our legal system that Congress repeatedly reauthorized it, by large margins, as recently as 2006.

But in the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts gutted the provision of the law requiring that states with histories of voter discrimination get approval from the Department of Justice before they changed their voting laws. Immediately, the legislatures of those states, now dominated by Republicans, began to pass measures to suppress the vote. Now, in the wake of the 2020 election, Republican-dominated states have increased the rate of voter suppression, and on July 1, 2021, the Supreme Court permitted such suppression with the Brnovich v. DNC decision.

If the Republicans are allowed to choose who will vote in the states, they will dominate the country in the same way that the Democrats turned the South into a one-party state after the Civil War. Alarmed at what will amount to the loss of our democracy, Democrats are calling for the federal government to protect voting rights.

And yet, 2020 made it crystal clear that if Republicans cannot stop Democrats from voting, they will not be able to win elections. And so, Republicans are insisting that states alone can determine who can vote and that any federal legislation is tyrannical overreach. A recent Pew poll shows that more than two thirds of Republican voters don’t think voting is a right and believe it can be limited.

And so, here we stand, in an existential crisis over voting rights and whether it is states or the federal government that should decide them.

Right now, there are two major voting rights bills before Congress. The Democrats have introduced the For the People Act, a sweeping measure that protects the right to vote, ends partisan gerrymandering, stops the flow of cash into elections, and requires new ethics guidelines for lawmakers. They have also introduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which focuses more tightly on voting and restores the protections provided in the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Republican senators have announced their opposition to any voting rights bill, so any law that gets through will have to get around a Senate filibuster, which cannot be broken without 10 Republican senators. Democrats could break the filibuster for a voting rights bill, but Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) indicated earlier this summer they would not support such a move.

And yet, there are signs that a voting rights bill is not dead. Democratic senators have continued to work to come up with a bill that can make it through their party, and there is no point in doing that if, in the end, they know they cannot make it a law. “Everybody’s working in good faith on this,” Manchin told Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post. “It’s everybody’s input, not just mine, but I think mine, maybe...got us all talking and rolling in the direction that we had to go back to basics,” he said.

Back to basics is a very good idea indeed. The basic idea that we cannot have equality before the law without equal access to the ballot gave us the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution, and established the power of the federal government over the states to enforce them.

—-

Notes:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/08/how-is-john-lewis-voting-rights-act-different-hr-1/

https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php

https://www.newsweek.com/only-third-republicans-think-voting-fundamental-right-poll-1612336

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/07/22/wide-partisan-divide-on-whether-voting-is-a-fundamental-right-or-a-privilege-with-responsibilities/

https://cha.house.gov/report-voting-america-ensuring-free-and-fair-access-ballot

https://cha.house.gov/sites/democrats.cha.house.gov/files/2021_Voting%20in%20America_v5_web.pdf

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-craft-revised-voting-rights-bill-seeking-to-keep-hopes-alive-in-the-senate/2021/07/28/855b93fc-efc5-11eb-81d2-ffae0f931b8f_story.html

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Heather Cox Richardson #Letters From An American #voting rights #history #For the People #Civil War #U.S. Constitution #Equal Rights

[sunkisseddaffodils]

Johnlock Office workers AU where they work at the same same wedding planner business and Mike and Lestrade are trying to set them up by making them work on the same wedding but to make sure everything runs smoothly, Mike and Lestrade make them “act out” the wedding ceremony

Pairing: sherlock x john

Genre: fluff

Note: You can submit a request for a Sherlock fic by clicking on my profile <3

‘Matchmakers: Office Workers AU’

-

It was a quiet morning in the office of ‘Mycroft’s and Co. Wedding Organiser’s’, just before the workday had begun. Mycroft and Lestrade, who were very happily married, arrived ten minutes before 9:00 and set up their things in the main office. Lestrade looked at Mycroft, growing concerned as he could see that his husband was deep in thought as he was setting up for the day. Five minutes later and the workers came pouring in, clearly already wanting to head back home. Mycroft was checking through the list of the day’s clients when Greg tapped on his antique wooden desk.

‘Hiya sweetie, I know when you’re up to something and your face is plastered with guilt. So for christ’s sake, what are you up too?’

Mycroft was about to let him in on the plan when his brother, Sherlock and his flatmate, John, came barging in the office quarrelling loudly with each other. They continued to bicker as they slammed their stuff down on their desks, causing everyone to look over at them.

‘This is your fault, Sherlock!’

Sherlock looked appalled at John’s remark

‘What do you mean it’s my fault?’

‘You know full well, why’, John spat out.

Then he sighed in exasperation.

‘We wouldn’t have been this late to work if you didn’t spend five hundred hours in the bathroom’

Sherlock instantly had a rebuttal

‘We wouldn’t have been late if perhaps you could be bothered to wake up at the right time, ’

They proceeded to row like this for a further few minutes.

Meanwhile, back in the main office, Lestrade was ready to go sort them out when Mycroft pulled him back:

‘Greg, darling, I’ve got a plan to set up Sherlock and John, ’

Lestrade was uncertain about whether his husband was thinking straight.

‘Um honey, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, they’re arguing like an old married couple right now, ’

Mycroft looked pleased with himself as he responded:

‘Exactly! They’re pretty much a married couple already. They go everywhere together, they work together and they live together. All we need to do is to get them to realise their feelings for each other’

Lestrade realised there was not much he could do when Mycroft was scheming, but he made one last attempt to get him to see the issue in his plan.

‘Firstly, what do you mean ‘we’? Secondly, how the bloody hell are we gonna do that?’

Mycroft gestured for Lestrade to follow him and led him to Sherlock’s and John’s workspace. They had finally stopped squabbling to read their schedule for the day. Mycroft coughed to announce his arrival. The two looked up and immediately gulped when they realised they were about to get scolded for their late arrival.

‘Morning, boys. First, I’m just gonna ignore the fact that you two were late because we have a really big client today that we need to plan the perfect wedding for’

They both nodded in reply.

‘The mayor and his fiancé have called to enquire about us planning their wedding so we need to get this right. This could mean a big boost in our clientele’

Lestrade watched in confusion, really not knowing what the hell his husband was planning. Sherlock jumped in asking:

‘So you want me to clear my schedule and plan it then?

John rolled his eyes.

‘Excuse me, I think what your brother is saying is that I’m actually the one best for this job so I should clear my schedule for the day.’

Sherlock sneered at his flatmate as Mycroft began to reply

‘Not quite. I need both of you to work on it.’

Both of them jumped up in refusal.

‘Boys, calm down. This is a really big client so we need twice the manpower. I’ve sent you guys the email for the case, so get on with it’

Mycroft and Lestrade ran back to their office before they could get any more excuses.

The pair slumped back in their chairs, accepting their fate. Sherlock was slightly suspicious of his brother, he could sense he was acting strange. Since when did he get two people to work on cases? However, he brushed that aside and then both of them checked and scanned the email of the client’s names, email address and phone number. Instantly, they knew what they had to do. They hated to admit it, but they worked well together as a pair. Sherlock shouted over to John

‘I’ll call the mayor and see what he wants’

Before he could finish John cut in

‘And I’ll call the fiancé’.

Both of them spent the next half hour on the phone, collating information on the perfect wedding for the couple. After they finished, Sherlock got a whiteboard from the storage cupboard, rolling it into their work area to write down important details.

At the same time, they said

‘They want a traditional wedding’

Sherlock looked surprised.

‘Very good deductions, John.’

He continued to speak and started to write on the board.

‘I think we should look for stately homes, preferably within London as they don’t want to travel for too long’

John responded in agreement adding:

‘Definitely, we should also search for an old church in the same vicinity and the manor needs to be able to fit 100 guests.’

Sherlock also added:

‘I think they should have a classic, three-course, sit down meal’

‘Yes! And a pink and white floral arrangement on the tables’

They continued on like this, discussing their ideas, scribbling on the board everything they needed to complete. Sherlock googled stately home’s while John rang several catering companies. Sherlock discovered the prettiest stately home and signalled for John to come see. He rolled over on his desk chair to his colleague. The venue was a 17th-century Georgian mansion with an accompanying rose garden called Fenton House. The latter’s eyes widened in awe.

‘Bloody hell, it’s gorgeous. I wouldn’t mind getting married there myself’

Sherlock looked at John sadly at that comment.

John carried on.

‘And they can have the reception in the mansion and then have the photography session in the gardens.’

Sherlock and John worked late into the night, wholly engrossed in what they were doing. The time had just gone eight o’clock when Mycroft and Lestrade were packing up, ready to head home. As they were taking off, they noticed that Sherlock and John were still in the office. Lestrade noted to Mycroft:

‘Even though they both get on each other nerves, you can’t ignore the fact they both passionate about what they do. Maybe you’re right, Mikey, they’re perfect for each other’.

Mycroft kissed Greg on the cheek and they went home. The next few weeks were spent finalising details, and they had eventually completed the full schedule for the mayor’s wedding. First, the bride was to be taken to a charming old chapel in the west of London by horse and carriage where they would have their ceremony. A violinist would perform an elegant, romantic melody, written by Sherlock, as the bride walks up the aisle. After the couple is wed, they both travel to the Georgian estate by horse and carriage. When they arrive, they will have the photography session in the botanical rose garden. Then they would head into the manor where, in the ballroom, it would be spread with round tables with pink roses atop of them as the centrepieces. There would be the main table for the bride, groom, and their family. The other half of the ballroom would be left clear with only a white grand piano where the pianist accompanied with more violinists would play as the couple would have their first dance.

Sherlock sent the full details to the couple by email. Not too long afterwards Sherlock and John received a call confirming that they were delighted with Sherlock and John’s plan. A few months flew by and it was the day of the rehearsal for the wedding. Accordingly, the pair of them had to go look over and make sure all was in place for the wedding next week. Sherlock and John left their flat and headed to the church by cab. During the cab ride, John jokingly mentioned to Sherlock:

‘I kinda wish that I was having their wedding. It’s perfect’

Sherlock laughed.

‘Well, of course, it is, we were the one’s who planned it’.

John turned serious for a moment asking:

‘Sherlock, do you ever wanna get married?’

Sherlock was taken aback slightly as he never really had these conversations with John.

‘I don’t know, John. Maybe if it was with the right person’

‘Have you met that person yet?’, John boldly asked.

Before Sherlock could answer, they had reached the church. Sherlock was massively relieved. Lestrade for some reason was already there and ran up to them. Sherlock was puzzled as to why he was there but had no chance to think about it when he asked:

‘Sorry to do have to do this but the clients have requested that you rehearse the wedding ceremony for them’

Sherlock and John’s jaws dropped in shock.

‘Why on earth would they want us to do that?’, Sherlock proclaimed.

‘Umm, shouldn’t they be the ones to rehearse their wedding seeing as it is their wedding?’, John added.

Lestrade was sweating nervously but stated:

‘Look, mate, if that’s what the client wants, that’s what they’re getting. Maybe they just want to see their ceremony from an outsider’s perspective.’

Lestrade walked away to let them get ready for the rehearsal, ringing up his husband his mobile.

‘Good news, babes, they bought it, they’re gonna rehearse the wedding’.

Back at the church, Sherlock and John were getting ready for the rehearsal when the mayor and his fiancé came to greet them. The bride to be held up two black-tie suits and said:

‘Thanks so much for doing this. You don’t know how much this means. We got two suits prepared so we can really immerse ourselves in the wedding’.

Sherlock took the suits, smiling.

‘No problem, we want this to be perfect for you.’

They got dressed in separate rooms and John headed outside the church while Sherlock was the one was going to wait at the altar. Two minutes before the rehearsal was starting and suddenly John was feeling particularly anxious. Why was he feeling this way? It wasn’t like he was literally getting married to Sherlock. The same concerns were running through Sherlock’s head. The violinist commenced playing the exquisite melody and John began walking up the aisle. Sherlock’s heart skipped a beat when he saw his best friend on his way up to the altar. He looked so dapper in that tuxedo, and his blue eyes complimented the flower on his suit jacket so well. John glanced to Sherlock at the altar and he blushed. He had to concede it that his looks were impeccable and how he had always secretly wished to ruffle his curly hair. John reached the altar where he took Sherlock's hands. It seemed like the right thing to do at that moment. The mayor and his bride to be were in the front row of pews to observe the rehearsal. The priest then began the service:

‘Dearly beloved and honoured guests. We are gathered here today to join Thomas and Julie in the union of marriage.’

The priest continued:

‘This contract is not to be entered into lightly, but thoughtfully and seriously, and with a deep realization of its obligations and responsibilities’.

‘The bride and groom have each prepared vows which they will read now’.

There was a pause when Sherlock and John didn’t know whether they should do that part or not. Everyone was looking at them expectantly, clearly wanting them too.

John wiped his brow as he came up with his vows.

‘I have known you Sher- I mean Julie, for a long time and I mean it when I say this. Even though you may get on my nerves, I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend the rest of my days with.’

Sherlock’s heart was beating like crazy.

‘Thomas, you make me laugh, you make me think differently and you make me a better person. I wanna grow old with you.’

The priest saw that they were finished and continued:

‘Thomas, do you take Julie to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honour, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others, and holding only unto her forevermore?’

Sherlock confirmed ‘I do’.

The priest now turned to John

‘Julie, do you take Thomas to be your husband?’

John also confirmed ‘I do’.

When they had finished, the mayor, Thomas, and his fiancé, Julie, walked up to them thanking them for the rehearsal, commenting on how magical it looked. After the church rehearsal, they rode to the stately home in a stunned silence. Both kept thinking if there was any truth in the words they said to each other. Could it really be they were both in love each this whole time? They feared finding out the answer. At the manor, they taste tested the dinner and the cake, and then they had finished the rehearsal. Thomas and Julie thanked them for their help and left to go home. The pianist and violinists were still practising the songs, so Sherlock pulled John onto the empty dance floor and said jokingly.

‘Well we have practised everything else, so might as well do the slow dance’

John giggled saying ‘why the hell not’

Sherlock gently placed his hands on John’s slim waist. John rested his head on Sherlock’s shoulder. Slowly, they began to twirl around. As they were spinning, Sherlock whispered into John’s ear.

‘Did you really mean what you said back in the church?’

John responded quietly.

‘Yes’

Sherlock stopped in his tracks.

‘I meant what I said too. So are you saying we should give this a shot?’

John replied.

‘I really think we should’.

Sherlock embraced John, giving him a gentle peck on the lips. The next week, the pair of them came into work and they couldn’t help but giving each little kisses and hugs throughout the day. Lestrade noticed, his mouth agape and he shouted to Mycroft.

‘Oh my god, your plan really worked!’

Mycroft chuckled

‘Of course, it did, I’m a genius’.

#Sherlock Holmes #sherlock #sherlock x john #john watson #sherlock BBC #sherlock and john #sherlock/john #sherlock fic #johnlock #johnlock fic #bbc sherlock #sherlock x #sherlock x you #sherlock x y/n #sherlock reader insert

[alcalavicci]

1988 interview with Dean. This is a really good one and helps bring more of his life into perspective. Note: the newspaper originally censored his swearing, but I’ve put it back.

Guthman, Edward. "Dean Stockwell: Third Time's a Charm." The San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, California), August 14, 1988.

“Six years ago, Dean Stockwell's acting career had turned to dust. Reduced to playing parts in unreleasable, made-in-Mexico movies that now make him cringe, Stockwell decided to chuck it all and get out of Hollywood.

“Along with his second wife, Joy, Stockwell moved to Santa Fe, settled down under the wide New Mexico sky and applied for a real estate license. He even placed an ad in Daily Variety to announce his exile: 'Dean Stockwell will help you with all your real estate needs in the new center of creative energy.'

“Stockwell never sold a house; he didn't need to. Instead, almost as soon as he'd relocated, things started happening to the former 1940s child star. It began with a small part in David Lynch's 'Dune,' and escalated with an important supporting role in Wim Wenders' highly regarded 'Paris, Texas.'

“Moving back to California to cash in on his fortune, Stockwell acted in 'Beverly Hills Cop II,' 'Gardens of Stone,' and 'To Live and Die in L.A.' He also played a cameo role, as Howard Hughes, in the newly released 'Tucker: The Man and His Dream.' And in 'Blue Velvet,' David Lynch's American nightmare, he delivered a chilling cameo as Ben, a waxlike, sexually ambiguous drug dealer.

“And now, at 52, Stockwell says he's found 'the favorite role I've had, by far.'

“The picture is 'Married to the Mob,' a dark, romantic comedy by Jonathan Demme ('Melvin and Howard,' 'Stop Making Sense') and Stockwell plays Mafia don Tony 'the Tiger' Russo. Wearing an Al Capone fedora and full-length vicuna coat, Tony is a rich, sardonic, larger-than-life character -- the kind Stockwell has never had a chance to play until now.

“Opening Friday at the Galaxy and UA the Movies, 'Married to the Mob' has been touted as Demme's first shot at a genuine box-office winner. Set in Long Island, New Jersey and Florida, it stars Michelle Pfeiffer as Angela DeMarco, a young Mafia wife who tries to start a new life when her husband, Frankie 'the Cucumber' DeMarco, is pumped full of lead during a hot-tub tryst at the Fantasia Motel.

“When Stockwell's character isn't ordering hits, drug deals and the dumping of toxic waste, he's lusting assiduously after the gorgeous widow. Meanwhile, bumbling FBI agent Mike Downey (played by Matthew Modine) is jumping through hoops trying to shadow Angela and 'catch Tony with his pants down.' Instead, he falls in love with Angela.

“During a recent luncheon interview, not far from his central California home, Stockwell spoke about the film, about his new happiness as the father of two children and about the bizarre trajectory of his long career. Dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and slacks, wearing a Panama hat and drawing first on a cigaret, later on a cigar, Stockwell emanates prosperity and calm.

“'I don't know why I was unemployed so long,' he says, reflecting on a fallow period that started in the '60s and lasted the better part of two decades. 'The only thing I can figure out in my own mind is that, for some reason or another, I was being made to wait until a certain time in my life when my talent would reach its full maturity and fruition.'

“Ironically, he says, he felt just as equipped 10 years ago to do the work he's doing now -- 'only I couldn't get fucking arrested.'

“Today, Stockwell sees harmony in the fact that his new success coincides with the arrival of two children. His son, Austin, will be 5 in November, and his daughter, Sophia, turns 3 this month. Inordinately proud and protective, he refuses to allow his children to be photographed, and also requests that the town in which he and his family reside not be named. (There were no children from his first marriage, to Millie Perkins, which lasted from 1960 to 1962.)

“'I want to make a lot of money and I want to put it away for my children,' he says. To that end, Stockwell has been snapping up job offers. 'A lot of people ask me, "How have you been able to choose these wonderful things you're doing? Have you been very selective?" And I have to tell them, "I haven't been choosing what I'm doing." Things have been coming and I've been accepting virtually anything that's come.'

“Stockwell's ambition is so great that, for the first time in his life, he actively pursues aspects of his career that he once shunned- interviews, for example.

“'My entire motivation in life is my family,' he says. 'I don't need to get an award. I don't need recognition. I've had that already. What I need is to provide. The best way I can provide is to be successful, and the best way I can be successful is to take advantage of all the things at my disposal to achieve that, one of which certainly is press.'

“Take a look at the young Stockwell, specifically the version that emerges from old magazine and newspaper interviews, and you meet another person altogether.

“Robbed of a normal childhood, Stockwell had made 22 films by the time he was 15 -- including 'The Boy with Green Hair,' 'Kim,' 'Anchors Aweigh,' and the Oscar-winning 'Gentleman's Agreement.' Working nonstop, he had a privileged life that millions of children probably envied, but he loathed it nonetheless.

“The son of show-business parents -- his father, Harry Stockwell, was the voice of the Prince in 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' and his mother, Betty Veronica, was a former stage dancer -- Stockwell made his professional debut at 7. It all happened by a fluke: when Stockwell accompanied his older brother, Guy, on a Broadway audition, the casting director took a liking to both boys, and cast each one. The play, aptly enough, was called 'Innocent Voyage,' and it led to an MGM contract for curly-haired Dean.

“From the beginning, the pressure on young Stockwell was intense. His parents had divorced when he was 6, and when his father defaulted on child-support payments, Dean reluctantly became the family provider. Over a six-year period, he averaged three to four films per year.

“At home, he says, 'There was a lot of friction... I was getting all the attention, but I hated it. [Guy] couldn't appreciate that, because he wasn't getting the attention. He had all these friends, his peer group, that he took for granted. I had none and I resented him for being able to live that way. I was fucking lonely.'

“When he was 13, chained to a seven-year contract, Stockwell was described by one magazine as 'a young rebel who despises acting and resents every moment it takes from his fleeting boyhood.' Many years later, Stockwell told columnist Hedda Hopper, 'Child actors exist in a sort of limbo between childhood and maturity and belong to neither. Adults take them too seriously and other children are either awed or hostile. A child actor can find friends in neither group.'

“Finally, Stockwell fled Hollywood when he was 16. He cut off his curly locks, started using his real name, Robert Stockwell, and for the next five years roamed the country, working menial jobs and disavowing his true identity. 'People that might have known me from seeing my films knew me as a young child,' he remembers. 'Now I was 17 and I wasn't that recognizable.'

“Around the time of his 21st birthday, Stockwell was pushing papers as mail boy to a Manhattan plumbing firm. 'Of all the jobs that I'd had in those intervening years,' he remembers. 'I think I hated that worse than anything. I came to the realization I had no training at anything. My primary education was very skimpy, very poor, and happened under the worst type of conditions. I was literally at the mercy of the world.'

“Most of Stockwell's childhood earnings were squandered by crooked accountants, he says, and he knew that the tiny sum being held in a trust wouldn't last forever. 'So I thought, "What am I gonna do? Well, let's go back and attack this [acting career] again, and see if I can do it a little more on my terms."'

“What followed for Stockwell was a brief but impressive 'second career.' He starred in the 1959 film 'Compulsion,' based on the Leopold-Loeb case of the '20s, and won a joint acting award with Orson Welles and Bradford Dillman at the Cannes Film Festival. He played the lead in the 1960 film of D. H. Lawrence's 'Sons and Lovers,' and in 1962 scored the plum role of Edmund Tyrone in Sidney Lumet's film version of 'Long Day's Journey Into Night,' holding his own alongside Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson and Jason Robards.

“Stockwell was winning the best parts, but found his attention drifting elsewhere. What was happening, he says, were the first signs of the '60s youth revolution. 'It captured my imagination as much as anybody's. And it represented to me -- I can see this in retrospect -- something in childhood that I had missed: the freedom and loving being alive, without responsibilities and work and having to report to the studio every day, and deal with fans and interviews and shit that I hated when I was a kid.'

“So Stockwell called his agent, said, 'I'm not workin',' and dropped out once again. When he tried to come back three years later, though, 'I found it very difficult, 'cause I'd been out-of-sight, out-of-mind.' What followed was a long period of marginal employment: He found some TV work, took parts in low-budget trash ('The Dunwich Horror') and occasional oddities (Dennis Hopper's 'The Last Movie') and co-directed a film with musician Neil Young ('Human Highway') but often just didn't work at all. At one point, he went 18 months without a job.

“Today, along with his buddy Hopper, Stockwell is enjoying a major career renaissance. And with his starring role in 'Married to the Mob,' he says, he's never felt more confident.

“'I knew before I started the film that this character was going to work in spades,' he says, adding that Demme, as director, deserves credit for taking a risk with such offbeat casting. Instead of picking Peter Falk, Vincent Gardenia or another ethnically identified actor to play the Mafia don, he went with Stockwell (who is actually half-Italian on his mother's side).

“Demme's inspiration occurred on a flight from Los Angeles to New York, when he opened a copy of the Hollywood Reporter. Stockwell had just changed agents, and in order to announce the fact, had taken out a full-page ad. Demme saw the picture, and instantly recognized his Tony.

“Weirdly enough, Stockwell made another film immediately prior to 'Married to the Mob': a Canadian feature called 'Palais Royale,' due for an October release, in which he plays a character almost identical to Tony Russo.

“'It's very curious,' he says. 'For all my years I'd never had a role like this come my way, and here it was twice. The Mafia don in New York, the Mafia don in Toronto, both of them colorful and charming and also threatening. And I just thought, "What am I gonna do? It's the same character." So I decided to do the same character in both those movies.'

“To take the coincidence 'one nauseating step further,' Stockwell says he's also got a part in the recently completed 'Backtrack,' Hopper's next film. This time he plays a corrupt mob lawyer, dropping the Italian accent for a generalized East Coast sound.

“It would be difficult to find a film actor who's busier than Stockwell at this moment. And it would be difficult to find anyone whose job history better illustrates the vicissitudes, serendipities and insecurity of a Hollywood career.

“Looking back on his misfortunes -- at the career that he was forced to accept as a child, and the humiliation he felt when he couldn't maintain it as an adult -- Stockwell says he's not bitter. 'When you reach your maturity, I think it behooves you to accept the fact that it's absolutely futile and fruitless even to speculate on changing anything in your life. All you can do is get embittered. So I accept everything that's happened as part of my life, and try to push it in a positive direction from the moment right now.'”

#dean stockwell #article #i hear the kid who had plans to get a ranch again in this article :) #i've also been trying to reconcile his working in NYC when he was 21 with what parts he had around then #i think he tried acting again at 19/20 #hated it #got out went to NYC worked that job also hated it #so he went back to acting #then Compulsion helped him accept acting more