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trashyswitch · 3 years

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Family Reunion: 40 years later.

Michael winds up getting taken while he's asleep, and brought to an alley way. What he expected to be a murder waiting to happen, turns into a family reunion he had no idea he needed...

This fanfic is for that anon that suggested this Scrap Family Reunion idea! Here's the link!

So Sweetheart, wherever you are, I hope you enjoy!

Michael was hanging out in his apartment, cleaning some things and fixing a couple items here and there. It was often a messy apartment that always had more broken things than fixed things. Though the apartment was crappy and he had the money for a better one, Michael actually didn’t mind fixing things. You could say that Michael had become ‘Henry’s special nephew’ since the moment Michael told him he had signed up for an apprenticeship. Though he found that building wasn’t really his thing, he found that engineering and some circuit-building was fun and doable.

Ever since Michael found out about the fate of his sister, Michael did as his father said and put his sister back together. But now his sister was off doing who knows what with the funtimes, and Michael was struggling to find her. But even though he attempted to find him, he knew that Elizabeth had likely found his Dad already and would be back to let him know of his state and whereabouts. How long that would take however...was a mystery.

Michael groaned and wrapped his arms around himself before pulling the blanket more onto himself. He felt really chilly in his bedroom. Did the heater break again?! God, he hoped not. Michael groaned and got himself up to check his room heater. But he quickly yelped and covered his body when he realized he wasn’t in his bed.

The man wasn’t even at home! He was on the side of the road!

No wonder he was freezing!

Jeremy quickly doubled his comforter and wrapped it around his half-naked body. Everyone knows that a man often sleeps in their underwear. But the fact that he was no longer in his house, made him really regret his decisions.

“Hello Michael.” A familiar voice said.

Michael let out a breath of relief. It was Elizabeth! Elizabeth was okay!

“Elizabeth! Thank goodness...Come out, I wanna see you!” Michael reacted gratefully.

But the bit of excitement that Michael had, immediately vaporized the moment he took a look at the animatronic. Circus baby looked completely unrecognizable! Like a completely separate person...This wasn’t the Elizabeth he grew to recognize...This was a stranger!

“Elizabeth...I…”

“A lot has happened since I left…” she said. “I can put myself together on my own now.” She showed Michael the hand that she replaced with a claw. “I have real hair now.” She showed him the orange wires and flicked them like any regular girl would flick their hair.

Michael nodded very hesitantly. He was still trying to get used to what she looked like.

“I brought you clothes.” Elizabeth told him as she handed him folded clothes.

“We should’ve gotten a sweater for him.” someone else said.

“His blanket will work just fine, Daddy.” Elizabeth replied.

Michael widened his eyes. His father is here too?!

The ruined bunny animatronic walked out of the shadows and revealed himself to Michael. When Michael saw Baby, she was completely unrecognizable. But his father...was somehow a little more recognizable in his much more ruined state. It probably helped that the bunny mask had rotted away so much that a lot more of his father’s skull was able to be seen better.

Michael took a few minutes to get dressed, and comprehend both his family members brand new appearances. It felt long. But eventually, Michael was dressed and wrapped in the blanket.

“Now Liz.” The bunny told her in a sour voice.

Suddenly, Michael felt his body being lifted up by the claw that had taken over her left hand. Elizabeth’s Baby eyes were glowing red while William’s icey silver eyes stared into Michael’s soul.

“aaAAH! WAIT! WHAT?! BUT ELIZABETH, I SAVED YOU!” Michael protested and begged.

“Did I catch you off guard?” Elizabeth asked. “Let's see how many pieces I can cut you into.” Elizabeth decided with a threatening voice. Her permanent smile made everything all the more terrifying and real.

That’s the part that scared Michael the most. “You’re gonna have to fight hard to make sure I die. But I KNOW you’re gonna make my death slow. I’ve seen your tricks before.” Michael spat.

The scrapped bunny readied his bone spear. “A little lower, Lizzy.” William told her.

As Scrap Baby lowered Michael down a little more, Scraptrap leaned his arm back to shove the spear into Michael’s chest or leg.

He was about to kill him slowly…

Right about then…

...Maybe now?...

Why the hesitation?

Michael refused to open his eyes. So, it was a huge shock to him when he felt the spear very slowly grazing his middle. Michael finally opened one eye and saw that the villainous expression on Scrap’s face had softened.

“...Daddy what are you doing?” Scrap Baby asked.

William smirked as he remembered something very interesting and…personal. “Sometimes one of the worst things a broken person can experience...is happiness.” The bunny spoke. Scraptrap wrapped his other hand around Michael’s hip points, and started digging.

Michael gasped and widened his eyes as a wobbly grin filled his face. Oh gosh...This couldn’t be happening. Was his long-time emotionless father…

Tickling him?!

Michael tried leaning the other way to get his hand off his hip. But William’s hand followed with it and continued digging and massaging. “Being tickled was never something I personally enjoyed…” Scrap Trap admitted as he paused his attack. “But I did grow to miss tickling others…”

Scrap trap used the pause to his advantage and cut the sharp edge of his own bone, right off his arm. With the end of his arm more like a pole rather than a spear now, the bunny used it to poke and prod at Michael’s side.

Michael had started snickering and struggling to keep his laughter in. “D-Dadstahap!” Michael started trying to push him away with his foot. But Baby grabbed onto his foot and stared at it intently.

Scrap Trap looked over at Baby, and smirked. He looked like he had just developed the greatest idea ever! Scrap Trap grabbed onto Michael, removing him from Baby’s grip, and wrapped the one arm around him. “I’ll hold him. It’s your turn, Liz.” Scrap Trap told her.

“Very well. I have his foot too.” Scrap Baby grabbed onto Michael’s foot like a headlock and started skittering her right hand fingers all over Michael’s foot.

Michael wheezed and wiggled around like crazy! “HEHEHEHEY! HAHAHAHA NAHAT THE FEEEHEHEEHEHEHEET!” Michael begged.

“Kitchy kitchy koo Michael~ A kitchy kitchy koo~” Baby teased. “This is fun, Daddy. Michael was always the one who tickled me. I rarely tickled Michael without getting tickles too.” she recalled from back when she was a human kid.

“Tickle him as much as you want, sweet Elizabeth.” Scraptrap told her. “I can tickle him effectively from here.”

Sure enough, Scrap Trap was tickling his upper ribs with the hand that was wrapped around him, while he poked his belly button with his left arm nub. Michael was wiggling around to get out of his grip, but it was like his father had developed super strength from his springlock accident!

“DAHAHAHAD! ELIHIHIHIZAHAHA! STAHAHAHAHAP! IHIHIHIT TIHIHICKLES SOHOHO MUHUHUHUHUHU!” Michael couldn’t even finish the last word due to all his laughing!

“Has Micky-wickey been too long without the tickles? Such a shame…” Scraptrap teased.

“Hey Daddy, do you remember how ticklish Michael’s ankles were?” Elizabeth asked.

OH NO...NOT THE ANKLE!

“BUHUHUT HOHOHOW?!” Michael asked. He couldn’t comprehend how the heck Elizabeth remembered that over 30-40 years of her possession! The only way he could really explain it, was that her memory was still quite intact after all these decades.

“30 years being possessed will give you lots of time to think and remember the good times…” Scrap Baby told him.

Michael soon wrapped his arms around the scrap animatronic’s arm that was holding him. Sensing something was up, Scraptrap stopped tickling him and wrapped his nubby arm around Michael as well. “I missed you. Not seeing you for 30 years made me grow to miss you.” Scraptrap told him.

Michael smiled a little as he comprehended that the same man that neglected him and abused him as a child, was actually treating him half decently. “I...I’ve missed you too, Dad.” Michael admitted.

“You missed me, old sport?” Scrap Trap asked.

Michael nodded and leaned his head back onto Scraptrap’s boney, but surprisingly comfy shoulder. Scrap Baby took this as a sign to maybe stop in order to keep this moment going. Scrap Baby lowered Michael’s foot down and reached her regular hand out to hold Michael’s. Michael reached out, and grabbed hold of Baby’s endoskeleton, human-like hand.

“Ballora was put back together…She is a little rusty from being scrapped.” Scrap Baby told him.

“Is it true that you based Ballora on Mom?” Michael asked.

Scrap Trap looked down a little and thought for a moment. “...Yes.” He replied. “Ballora’s design was inspired by your mother.” Scrap Trap told him.

Michael smiled. “What did she think?” Michael asked.

Scrap Trap looked at Elizabeth before looking back down. “...She didn’t appreciate it at first…”

Michael looked at Scrap Trap in surprise.

“However one day...I did see her dancing with Ballora...and imitating her dance moves...She looked so natural and graceful compared to Ballora. Ballora was built to be a strict ballerina...yet your mother didn’t follow the tense rules that belonged to ballet...she danced more gracefully and with more flow and beauty…” Scrap Trap explained.

Michael closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

“I’m dying, Dad…” Michael admitted. “Ennard used me as a disguise to get out of the pizza world and wander the streets...I lasted a total of half an hour with Ennard inside me...But then…”

Michael looked down at his rotting self. “I threw him up...and somehow, I’m still alive…” Michael admitted. “I don’t understand...Why have I survived such a physically traumatic experience?” Michael asked.

“You have a power that most of the Aftons possess: Athanasia. Or rather...the ability to cheat death and prevail.” Scrap Trap said. “I possess it, your sister possesses it, Charlie possesses it...and now you possess it.” Scrap Trap moved some bangs out of Michael’s eyes with the boney nub, and returned to hugging him.

“Hm…” Michael looked down for a moment and over to Scrap Baby.

“Were you with Dad the whole time?” Michael asked Scrap Baby.

Scrap Baby nodded and rocked left and right like a child would. “Yes...I was.”

Michael looked at the sky as a sunrise started to form from afar. Michael watched the sunrise with wide eyes. “I...haven’t seen a sunrise in a long time.” Michael admitted.

Scrap Baby wrapped the comforter around Michael and hugged him from the side. “Me neither.”

“It’s beautiful.” Scrap Trap admitted. “We’re finally back together after all these years…” Scrap Trap told them. “I missed it.” Scrap Trap added.

Michael patted his shoulder and rubbed his back a bit. “Me too, father...Me too.”

A while after the sunrise, Michael and the scraps walked him back to the apartment. Michael gave his unusual family one last hug goodbye, and walked into the bedroom.

Michael grabbed onto his comforter tightly, and flopped onto the bed. He looked like a human burrito in his comforter. Michael took the time to sleep in and make up for the sleep that was taken from him as a sacrifice for ‘family time’.

2 hours later:

Michael’s phone started to ring from across the room. Michael groaned and covered his face with the blanket to shoo away any light that tried to peek through his comforter. The ringing went on for a couple more seconds, before stopping. Michael let out a sigh of relief and started to try and fall asleep again. But as he moved his foot around under the blankets, he felt a strong pain on his foot. He uncovered his foot and chuckled to himself as he looked at the massive bruise on the top of his foot. It was pretty much the size of his inner arch.

Michael covered his foot back up and started to fall asleep again…

BRRRRRRIIIING! BRRRRRIIIIIING!

Michael growled and got up to get the phone. He picked up his home phone and clicked the answer button. “Hello?” He asked, his voice still raspy.

“Michael, I have a plan to end the animatronic mess once and for all.” the person on the other line told him.

“Hm? Henry?” Michael clarified.

“Yes, it’s Henry. Only Henry would talk about animatronics, Mike.” The person said on the other line.

“I know. That’s how I guessed it was you.” Mike admitted.

Henry started to start off with an explanation. “Listen: I have been haunted for years by the animatronics. I want my daughter, your family, and those poor souls to be set free.” Henry told him.

“Right, right. So start explaining.” Michael encouraged.

“Okay. Here it is…”

#dysfunctional family #family bonding #the afton family #pre-fnaf 6 #ticklefic #ler!trap #ler!baby #lee!michael

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youngbugandtonystank · 3 years

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Hey ;) I know I'm going to sound too demanding but can you do a specific homecoming timeline of irondad events? The dates when things happened and how they happened? If you don't want to do it that's okay! Thank you so much for everything and I love you blog!

Sure, why not♥

Let’s make an irondad timeline from the beginning to Infinity War. Since the events after IW don’t exist for me, that’s where I’ll end the timeline :D

Chronologically;

-2008-

On August 20th, Toomes’ crew is formed as they start salvaging items to sell from wreckages and then they turn to the illegal black market in 2012. No one interferes with their business until Peter Parker does in 2016.

On November 25th, Tony Stark (age: 38) admits to the world he’s Iron Man. 7-year-old Peter Parker watches the news while (as stated by director Jon Watts) ‘eating a big bowl of cereal'.

-2010-

On May 7th, the opening day of the Stark Expo, 9-year-old Peter Parker waits in line to get an autograph from his hero; Tony Stark (age: 42). Tony gives him the autograph.

On May 31st, Justin Hammer’s Stark Expo presentation is hijacked by Ivan Vanko. 9-year-old Peter Parker (with an Iron Man mask and fake gauntlets) tries to ‘help’ by standing up to a big drone-robot. Tony saves his life and congratulates him for his bravery.

-2015-

Before June 2015 Tony was investigating Peter not for his powers, but because his intellect got his attention (this is only my speculation, I could be wrong) ‘Stark Industries announces new scholarships for promising students from urban city schools’ (June 2015). Peter said he’s had his powers for 6 months in Civil War (2016), meaning he got them in November/December, 2015. So the reason Tony could’ve been giving those scholarships in the first place, as speculated by many, may be because he was impressed with the kid’s intellect first (and then obviously found out he had powers) rather than his powers. Remember Tony deemed Peter worthy of going to MIT.

This also means Tony’s been waiting to meet Peter for about a year.

-2016-

On May 3rd, Peter stops a car from crashing into a bus before going to school. Tony keeps track of all of his activities. The same video Tony had on his phone (which he took from YouTube lmao):

Tony officially meets Peter Parker on May 23rd. Peter was 14 and Tony was 46. Tony’s birthday is on May 29, 1970 and Peter’s on August 10th, 2001.

On May 24th Peter arrives in Germany and the events of the airport battle unfold. Same day, while Tony goes to help Steve and Bucky in Siberia, Peter sneaks out from his hotel in Berlin to join a party in his Spider-Man suit.

On May 25th, after spending Friday and Saturday in Germany, Peter flies home with Tony. First in Tony’s jet where Peter asks for food and he’s given crackers, fish eggs and juice (lmao) and then they drive him home in his car in the early hours of the morning.

This is where the convo and ‘not-hug’ happens:

On May 26th, Peter is talking with May about the ‘field-trip’ and tries to cover up his identity by telling May he got into another fight (as referenced before in the novels, Peter gets into fights in school to protect Ned from bullies) and Tony helps Rhodey with his physical therapy (while Vision starts his escapes with Wanda):

On August 10th, Peter quits school band a few weeks before term starts (he sends Happy a text about this, telling him that he has more time for crime fighting and that he made a pretty big sacrifice there lmao). It is also his birthday. Tony listens and reads all of Peter’s messages thanks to Happy.

On September 1st, Peter returns to school after his summer holidays meaning the beginning of his sophomore year. He also texts Happy telling him he’s ready for his next mission and informing him that school ends at 2:45 PM. Tony sells the Avengers Tower and relocates fully to the New Avengers Facility in upstate New York.

On September 8th-9th, Tony flies to India to go to a Hindu temple. He did it to center myself, as a form of therapy.

On September 9th, they see each other again when Peter goes to Liz’s party but gets distracted by Toomes’ crew. Peter fights them and falls into the Hudson River. Tony saves him. Tony tells Peter to let other people handle Toomes and to stay close to the ground.

On September 13th, Peter decides to attend the decathlon team competition to go to Washington, D.C. As Peter is being monitored all the time by Tony, Happy calls him to ask why he’s leaving New York and then he lets him off. Peter removes the tracker lmao

On September 14th, Peter saves his friends from the Washington Monument incident. He appears on Fox news:

On September 19th-20th, Peter is given detention but he sneaks out lmao (rebel son). The next day Peter also skips school to find Toomes and his crew. Tony calls Peter to congratulate him for the Washington heroic act.

Peter goes on his own to fight Toomes’ crew. The ferry splits in half. Tony arrives and saves Peter and everyone else. Tony gives Peter the disappointed dad talk and takes the suit. He also buys Peter a Hello Kitty pajama set and takes him home.

Peter cries to May and tells her he wanted Tony to see his potential. He feels like he lost the Stark ‘Internship’ (his dad-son relationship with tony lmao).

On September 21st, Peter is all over again given detention and reluctantly resolves to not try to be Spider-Man for the time being.

On September 23rd, it’s Homecoming and moving (Avengers stuff to the new facility) day. Peter defeates Toomes and recovers the Avengers and Stark weaponry/equipment. He leaves a note for Happy to find.

On September 26th, Peter gets a text from Happy, telling him to meet him at his school’s bathroom. He tells him Tony wants to see him at the New Avengers Facility. When Parker arrives at the upstate facility, Stark greets him and praises him for his work.

Tony offers Peter an apartment at the facility. He also organized along with Pepper a room of press so Tony can step out and announce him as the newest member of the Avengers. Peter turns down the offer impressing his dad mentor. Tony and Pepper announce their engagement while Happy drives Peter home.

On September 27th, returning from school, Peter discovers that Tony gave him the suit back with a note saying the suit belongs to him. May finds out Peter’s secret.

After September, 2016 Peter is given a real internship at Stark Industries where he works and learns from Tony Stark himself.

Tony frames the picture.

- 2017-

Somewhere between this year, Peter updates the Stark-made web-shooters Tony made for him and learns how to manage Tony’s technology at the official Stark Internship.

Tony Stark along with Peter Parker create the organization Worldwide Engineering Brigade (or WEB headquarters). An organization where bright innovators and the world’s brightest young minds like Peter Parker invent new technologies and equip everyday people to become superheroes.

Tony Stark designs different types of Spider-man suits for Peter.

They also did missions together as hinted in the movies several times. In FFH, reporters and people around the world saw Spider-man as the ‘next Tony Stark’ and the ‘next Iron Man’, and asked him questions that hinted the same;

Sean: Sean Wilford, Queens Tribune. What is it like to take over from Tony Stark? Those are some big shoes to fill.

Woman: Are you the head Avenger? Are you the head Avenger now?

Fury: Stark chose you.

Peter: Tony did a lot for me, so... I owe it to him, to everybody.

Also, the coordination and the different dynamic demonstrated in Infinity War tells us that much.

-2018-

On May 30th, Pepper Potts and Tony Stark are out running in New York City and discuss their upcoming wedding. Tony starts dreaming and wanting a kid on his own thanks to his relationship with his son Peter Parker while Peter is in a bus ready to go to his field-trip to MoMa.

And then nothing happens :D everything’s ok.

I hope this is helpful for you guys. BTW, look:

Almost 20k fanfics for a platonic relationship. I feel really proud yall ♥

#tony stark #peter parker #irondad #spiderman #iron man #spiderson #marvel #mcu #pepper potts #happy hogan #avengers #infinity war #homecoming #civil war #endgame #disney #tom holland #robert downey jr #rdj

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stories-from-the-batcave · 4 years

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Dick & Damian Fic Rec List

This week’s theme is fanfiction revolving around the relationship between Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne! This is obviously a platonic rec list and includes 15 fics with both brotherly and father-son bonding between Dick & Dami. Follow for more rec lists and maybe drop a theme suggestion in the askbox.

there’s nothing in this world i wouldn’t do by emavee

34k+ | T+ | Ongoing, 10/13 | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian, Dick & Bruce, Dick & Tim & Jason & Damian

“When Dick is 16, Talia al Ghul appears with a baby in her arms. When Dick is 17, his second father dies, and Dick has to take matters into his own hands to keep his family from crumbling completely. It’s just Dick and Damian against the world now, and sometimes it seems like the world is just desperate for him to lose.”

3:16 by partingxshot @wufflesvetinari

20k+ | T+ | Ongoing, 14/? | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian, Dick & Alfred

“The knife pushes thin along Dick’s carotid artery, cupping the indent between neck and jawline—forcing him to angle his chin. The metal is warm, pulled with execution speed from under Damian’s pillow.

“Okay,” Dick says quietly, tracking the intricacies of his own heartbeat—counting the space between breaths. “Guess I did need a shave.”

(With faltering steps, Dick and Damian become Batman and Robin.)”

The One That I Miss by fishfingersandjellybabies

2k+ | G | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian

“It's Damian's birthday, and they all gathered to celebrate. All but one, anyway.

Or so they thought.”

A Better Son by CytosineSkald

7k+ | G | Complete | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Dick & Damian

“This place always felt too big. If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t really understand it. The cave was, in some ways, unfamiliar territory. Foreign country. He hesitantly gave his feet the gentlest of swings again. The Bunker was home -- this place… he had barely spent any time here before his father had died.

He stilled his feet.

His father had died.

Some shameless posturing of Damian's feelings about Dick as a father figure.”

like father, like son by potato_post_community

11k+ | G | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian, Dick & Tim, Dick & Jason

“Dick contemplates what Damian means to him, and what their relationship really is. He doesn't understand why Bruce is held to the regard he is in Damian's mind, and why it means so much to Dick that Damian's happy. Dick also thinks about Bruce, and how he fits into the puzzle that Dick calls their life.

Or, in other words: Five times that Damian called Dick his dad, and the one time that he did it on purpose.”

throughout infinity by flumen

60k+ | T+ | Ongoing, 17/18 | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian, (implied Tim/Kon El)

“Damian Wayne did not anticipate going into the mission that he'd find himself in an alternate universe where his father is still Batman and there's an eerily similar (but thirteen year old) version of his partner/mentor/guardian/brother? who has somehow managed to find himself another pack of incompetent superhero associates just as intensely irritating as the ones Damian's familiar with and borderline suspects him of being an illegal Cadmus clone but...

...well...

...sometimes life just plays out like that. And he'll be damned if he doesn't find a way home to his actual partner before he manages to impale himself on his own cowl or something equally ridiculous. Honestly.

A sort of Damian time travel fic except he finds himself in the universe just after season 1 of Young Justice. Misadventures ensue.”

We Were the Whumpiest by DawnsEternalLight

40k+ | G | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian

“My attempt at an all Dick and Damian centered Whumptober.”

The Care and Keeping of Assassins by Sassaaphrass

30k+ | G | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian

“The Talon isn't really human anymore, but that's okay because Damian's never liked humans that much anyway.

In which Damian decides to adopt the Talon as another stray, and the Talon decides that former child assassins need to stick together.”

you don’t need poltergeists for sidekicks by danishsweethearts

6k+ | T+ | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian, Dick & Tiger

“During his time in Spyral, Dick finds himself alone on death's door. He gets a familiar visitor.

Then, he keeps coming back.”

Catch Me (All Records Indicate) by Engineered

9k+ | Not Rated | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian

“Damian had studied each of his father’s prior proteges briefly before he’d left the League of Assassins. Somehow, Grayson in person is nothing like Grayson on paper.

“Are you sure you can catch me?” Grayson asked.

Damian could hear his heart beating. He wasn’t sure. “Yes,” he answered anyways.

The evolution of the nickname "Lil' D"”

The Rule Stands by Engineered

11k+ | G | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian

““I know what you’re going to say, Batman,” Damian said, shrugging the hand off his shoulder. “You’re going to tell me that Nightwing is dead, and that people don’t come back from the dead. Well, clearly you are wrong, seeing that you were dead and I was dead and Red Hood was dead and even Superman was once dead-”

“My parents are dead,” Father interrupted. “Nightwing’s parents are dead. There have been a few notable exceptions in extenuating circumstances, Robin, but the rule stands. Everyone can die.”

Damian meets a 10-year-old Dick Grayson, and they become best friends.”

Baby wonder by drakefeathers

23k+ | G | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian

“(baby!damian AU) Bruce dies, Dick becomes Batman. But the Damian that Talia leaves in his care isn’t a ten-year-old warrior, he’s a ten-month-old baby.”

Guardian by padfootprophet

9k+ | T | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian, Dick & Wally, Dick & Barbara

“Dick wasn't really planning on getting so involved, or so invested, in Damian's life, but he always did have a soft spot for kids suffering from bad parenting.”

Go Out and Find Yourself Happy by MashpotatoeQueen5

3k+ | G | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian

“Damian, a little older and a little wiser, on his way to figuring himself out.

“I should be out there,” he says, mostly to himself.

The two year old sitting next to him, building a small block tower, makes a mock trumpeting sound with his lips pressed together. Damian side eyes him and then checks the apartment for intruders. Again.

“I’m going to assume you were agreeing with me."”

where you abandon things by fishfingersandjellybabies

1k+ | G | Complete | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Dick & Damian

“To be loved by his father. It was all he wanted. But it took far too long for him to realize: not all fathers are related by blood.”

#batfam #fic rec list #dick grayson #Damian Wayne #batbros #fanfiction #batfamily #nightwing #robin #dick grayson and damian wayne #batman #tim drake #jason todd #bruce wayne #dc #dc comics

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gumnut-logic · 3 years

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Callisto (Voyage - Bit 1)

Prologue Incident - Bit 1 | Bit 2 Fallout - Bit 1 | Bit 2 | Bit 3 Voyage - Bit 1

Here is the beginning of Chapter Two :D I have completed this chapter so I’m a few thousand words ahead of this posting - this fic is now 12,000 words long :D

As always, many thanks to @tsarinatorment @scribbles97 and @janetm74 for all the read throughs, help and amazing support (heh, this part was written twice and nearly a third time just trying to get it right - I don’t do that very often at all - but it needed it. Thank you to these three for keeping me on the straight and narrow)

A special thanks also goes to my wonderful physicist, @onereyofstarlight who has spent quite some time on this with me also - she’s my John! Literally. We defined the function of the T-drive, discovered what the ‘T’ stands for, and then helped John invent a communications relay network. Yay for a geeking out in the pursuit of logical fiction :D

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this bit. There is plenty more to come :D

-o-o-o-

“Airframe?”

Virgil nudged his board. “Three and Five secure. We are go.”

His eldest brother looked away, back towards Alan, and by extension, their father on the astronaut’s far side.

Dad did not look back.

Next to Virgil, Gordon shifted in his seat.

Internally, Virgil sighed. The tension in the cockpit was so thick, every hair on his body was standing at attention.

Even Uncle Lee was silent, sitting behind their father. Virgil was pretty sure that was a first.

How the astronaut had found out about the situation, Virgil didn’t know. He could ask John, but to be honest, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Virgil had been in the process of loading up Three when the call had come in. Scott had been called ‘Simon’ three times, the good old ‘Vinnie’ popped up at least once, but Alan had received an ‘Allie’ and that had been promising at first…until it proved short for Albert.

Alan had just shrugged and, with a tight-lipped nod from their father, had advised that they would be picking up their Uncle from Cape Canaveral within the half hour.

Scott hadn’t said a thing.

Virgil added extra supplies for the extra body and hadn’t commented either.

He did, however, notice Dad’s shoulders relaxing just a little. Virgil wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“Propulsion?” Scott’s voice was all mechanical command. No inflection or emotion.

Michael, dressed in a black work suit, didn’t react. “All systems green. T-Drive ready.”

The situation with the former Mechanic was a grey area worth every grey hair it created. Scott did not like the man. Hell, Virgil was wary as all hell. He couldn’t help but remember the smoke, the red lights and the thought that perhaps he was giving his life in an attempt to save his Thunderbird as she fell from the sky.

But Brains trusted him. Swore he was genuine, that he had been under the influence of the Hood the entire time.

But Virgil still had nightmares about watching his brother’s ‘bird being torn in two.

There were many questions.

And so much pain.

But at the core of it, they needed the man’s genius. An arrangement was made with the GDF and ‘Michael’, as he had chosen to be known as, now worked under supervision with International Rescue. Almost bonded in servitude to atone for everything he had done. And apparently, he went willingly.

Kayo had so many monitoring devices on the man, he couldn’t pee by himself.

“Helm?” Blue pierced the air and targeted the youngest Tracy.

Alan didn’t flinch, but he did sit straighter.

“Navigation feed locked in. First drop point noted and programmed. Engines prepped and ready. We are go for orbital exit.”

Virgil steeled himself. He hated this part. It turned his head and his insides out. The first time they had engaged the T-drive engines it was a miracle he hadn’t puked all over himself. The second time, at least he had warning, but it hadn’t been much better.

Hopefully these jumps, no more than a second or two in each instance, would be easier. It was an attempt at more precise navigation. Callisto was comparatively closer than the Oort cloud - an odd combination of too far by ion engine and too short by lightspeed engine. So, for efficiency, they were compromising and using a combination. Lightspeed hop, followed by a trajectory change via ion thruster, followed by another hop, the sequence repeating several times. Each time they paused they were to drop a communications buoy, firming up the network with Earth and giving them almost real-time capability.

This was all John and complex, but they would get the Excel to Callisto in less than a day.

Scott’s voice was as strong and as firm as it had been the last time they had made a light speed jump.

“On my mark...”

“5...”

“4...” The countdown was a reassuring familiarity.

“3...”

“2...” Virgil braced himself.

“1...” Alan’s grip tightened.

“Mark!”

Alan moved.

The ship trembled and the world swam.

A blink and everything steadied again.

Alan’s voice was sharp. “First jump complete.” He rattled off numbers as Virgil tried to keep his insides on the inside.

“I am so not a fan of that.” Gordon beside him was clutching at his stomach.

Virgil only grunted.

“Everyone okay?” Scott sounded far too chipper.

But there were a series of FABs bouncing around the cockpit. Virgil resorted to grunting again.

That earned him an extra long glare from his brother, but Virgil waved it away. Besides, John wasn’t communicating any better, his space brother still had his face in his hands.

“That was one hell of a stomach churner. Put my insides in through a washing cycle there, Albert.”

The image Virgil managed off that statement had his insides flipping again.

Uncle Lee was also far too cheerful.

“How many more times do we have to do that?” Gordon was whining.

“Four.” Alan was as chipper as Scott. Probably a good thing since he was the pilot and all.

“Ugh, I should have brought a bucket.”

It was a redundant statement as a bucket required gravity to work. The medic in him flared. “If the nausea becomes an issue, you know what to do.”

That earned him another grunt.

“Keep it together, guys. Alan, ion burn for direction change and buoy drop.” Scott was ever the Commander.

“Already on it! Next jump in thirty-five minutes.”

Far too chipper.

But they were in normal space and that gave them the freedom to move about. Virgil planned to take full advantage.

“Virgil? A word?” It was a question, but his father’s tone obviously expected a positive response.

He sighed to himself, so much for the planned snack. “Yeah, Dad.” He didn’t miss Scott’s reflex glance in both of their directions.

Their father unbuckled and floated toward the back of the cockpit. Virgil had had quite a say in the redesign and the seven stripes of colour down the length of the cabin broke up the ivory he had demanded be plastered on the walls to brighten up the place.

Seven strips of colour, one for each brother, sister and now their father.

The suit his Dad wore today barely resembled the one he had been stranded in. The most dramatic difference was his baldric. Once the silver-grey of command, he had relinquished that to Scott.

Or so they had thought.

Virgil swallowed as he clambered out of his seat, exercising his space legs a little as he re-familiarised himself with the environment.

Dad’s baldric was now a pale gold and consequently, there was a pale gold stripe to match running the length of the cockpit...right next to the silver-grey of Scott’s baldric.

Virgil dropped a hand to Gordon’s shoulder as the fish muttered about his stomach again.

“Hey, we have anti-nausea if you need it.”

Gordon grunted.

“Virgil?” Dad was holding the door to the residential section of the ship.

“Coming.” It was a mutter under his breath that had Gordon glancing up at him, frowning.

A gentle squeeze of his little brother’s shoulder and Virgil pushed off after his father.

Dad led him down the main hallway to...the infirmary? “Dad, what?”

“I need to check you over.”

“Scott already did.”

“I know. Just humour me, please.”

Virgil blinked and pressed his lips together before following his father through the door to the tiny medbay. Scott was definitely a Dad clone in many ways.

The difference was that Scott had checked on him before they left and would have grounded his ass if he found anything wrong. Whereas Dad had waited until now?

The mandatory scanner appeared in his father’s hand and yellow light flickered over Virgil’s arm and torso. A moment as grey eyes examined the readouts.

“I had to make sure.” His father swallowed. “And I wanted to apologise.”

Virgil blinked again. “Uh, sorry?”

Dad put the scanner away and leant back against the bed in the middle of the tiny room. “I want you to understand why I need to do this.”

Virgil’s lips tightened, but he held back his response. He wasn’t really the one who needed the apology.

His father held up his hands as if to fend off what Virgil was thinking. “I know it is a risk, but it is one I’m willing to take.”

“This is not just about you, Dad.”

“I know. Please hear me out.”

Virgil swallowed down his instinctive defensiveness and waited.

“I have spent the last two years watching all of you risk your lives every day. Unable to help.”

“You help, Dad.”

His father held up a hand. “Not enough.”

“You’ve done enough. You made the ultimate sacrifice.”

“This is not the end of my life, Virgil!” It was both a yell and a plea.

Frozen mid-thought, Virgil just stared.

Dad turned away, pulling against the bed to shift himself. “I’m not finished. I owe Berry and Ju and this is my chance to pay.”

“To pay for what? What could be worth your life, Dad? What could be worth putting Scott through all this?”

“Scott? Why is everyone so defensive of Scott. This has nothing to do with him.”

“It has everything to do with him!” It was Virgil’s turn to get loud. For a moment, he forgot he was in space and his frustrated movement set him on a gentle spin. He had to grab a cabinet to right himself. “It has everything to do with all of us.”

His father’s hands were placating as he held them out. “I know you boys sacrificed a lot and I will be forever grateful-“

“You don’t know, Dad.”

“What?”

“Because we haven’t told you how close everything came to collapse. How close we were to losing Scott.”

Dad’s eyes widened. “Virgil-“

“No, you don’t get to gamble on this! I can’t watch it happen all over again. It will kill him.” He wasn’t too sure he had the strength himself either. “You were home. You were safe. You could be Dad again. Why on Earth would you ever want to be anything else after all those years? All those times you chose space, or the business or International Rescue over us. You’re doing it again. Why can’t family be the most important on your list of things, Dad? Just for once?”

It was more than he had intended to say. It bared him to his father’s scrutiny, to the sensitive parts of himself that Dad had never quite understood. His throat grew tight and he struggled to hold it together.

Dad reached out a hand and gently gripped Virgil’s shoulder. “I am who I am, Virgil. I can’t change that.”

There was a knock at the door. “Virgil, are you okay in there?”

Scott.

Virgil closed his eyes.

“He’s fine, Scott.” Dad’s voice was firm.

The door opened. Blue ice combed the room. “Virgil, Michael needs you to check the aft sensor array. He’s getting an anomalous reading.”

Virgil frowned. “Does he think there’s a fault?”

“That’s why he needs you to check it out.” Sharp and defying objection.

And obviously a route to removing Virgil from the room.

Shit.

He glared at Scott, but Scott’s expression was more tired than inflammatory. “Have you eaten?”

“Virgil…”

“I’m going, if you’re going.” Brother-speak for ‘I’m only doing as you say if you do as I say and there is no way I’m leaving you alone with Dad right now’.

Blue flickered as the message was received. “Fine. Check in with Michael and I will see you in the mess hall asap.” Scott pushed off from the door frame and disappeared down the corridor without another word.

And no acknowledgement that their father even existed.

God, this was hard.

“Sorry, Dad, I have to go.” Okay, there was some relief in that, even if he was ashamed to admit it.

The man grunted and squeezed his shoulder before letting go. “We all have our duty.”

Virgil pushed off the bed towards the door, turning for a just a moment to look back at his father. But Dad was staring at nothing, simply floating beside the bed apparently lost in thought.

Virgil’s throat tightened and he opened his mouth.

But nothing came out.

Now more sad than angry, Virgil pushed through the door and left.

After all, he had his duty.

-o-o-o-

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Virgil Tracy #Jeff Tracy #Scott Tracy #Gordon Tracy #lee taylor #Alan Tracy #John Tracy #callisto

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cryingcow · 3 years

Text

Character Story - Yuki (2006) [RGGO]

The next few stories will be about three very beautiful, very elegant, very alive ladies (which should narrow it down quite a lot lol). First up: She’s single! She’s 39! She’s probably addicted to gacha games! It’s Yuki!!

Story: Yuki learns that her father is ill, and wants to show him that she is reliable and capable so that he won’t pass on with regrets. Everyone tries to help her maintain the lie because she is, in fact, neither reliable nor capable. Majima gives a speech about the power of friendship.

(Featuring the 3 different artstyles of RGGO-verse: anime, paint-y, and Dragon Engine; all in the same weird screenshot!)

Majima & Youda: “We love you, Yuki-chan. Even if you’re dumb, and clumsy, and stupid, and gullible . . .”

Yuki: “. . . I wish I had better friends.”

CHAPTER 1

|Four Shine wins the Cabaret Club Grand Prix, and became a popular cabaret club after that . . . The temporary club manager Kiryu leaves Sotenbori, so the owner Yuki and the club manager Youda handle the club in place of three people.|

|Four Shine, Sotenbori.|

Waiter: “Kirara has been nominated for Table No. 2! Bring a wet towel for Table No. 4!”

Yuki: “Phew~ . . . I’m even busier than usual . . . Oh? Koyuki-chan, you look pale. Maybe you’re sick?”

Koyuki: “. . . I couldn’t sleep much yesterday. But it’s fine. We’re short on staff today.”

Yuki: “No, no! What if you break your body! Please go home now and get some rest!”

Koyuki: “But the 5th table . . .”

Yuki: “No buts! I’ll do something about your absence, just leave it to me!”

Koyuki: “I . . . I understand. But, I want to work once I feel better, so I’ll just rest here in the back.”

{Koyuki leaves to take a break.}

Yuki: “Indeed . . . Koyuki-chan is a hard worker.”

Waiter: “Yuki-san. Where is Koyuki-san? Table No. 5 has been waiting for a while now . . .”

Yuki: “Eh?! Table No. 5?! That’s right, I forgot . . . Koyuki-chan is resting right now. What should I do . . .”

Waiter: “If Koyuki-san can’t do it, then I guess they can wait a little longer, Aika-san would be available then . . .”

Yuki: “Y-Yeah, yeah! I’m sorry, please do that . . . ! I’ll go apologize to the customer later . . . !”

{The waiter leaves to give Table No. 5 the news.}

Yuki: “Haa . . . I said to leave it to me but then I completely forgot . . . I’m losing my mind . . .”

Cast Member Erica: “Uuugh . . . Yuki-san . . .”

Yuki: “Oh?! What’s wrong, Erica-chan? Isn’t it your day off . . . ?”

Cast Member Erica: “I . . . I was dumped by my boyfriend . . . I was feeling sad and lonely . . . so I came here . . .”

Yuki: “Oh . . . Don’t cry Erica-chan. I’m sure you’ll find a better boyfriend. And even if you don’t have a boyfriend, it’s fun! It’s great to be able to play online games by yourself at home!”

Cast Member Erica: “I-Is that okay for Yuki-san? Even though you’re 39 years old, you haven’t had a crisis about having no boyfriend . . .”

Yuki: “Eh?! I-I . . . ? I-Is that actually bad after all . . . ?”

Cast Member Erica: “Well, I guess it depends on the person . . . you’re 39 years old. If you like older men, would you like me to introduce one to you?!”

Yuki: “Don’t mention my age so much . . . you’re making me depressed. At the very least, Erica-chan seems to be feeling much better. . . . Oh!! Look at the time! Youda-san wanted us to talk about shifts!”

----

Yuki: “Ah, I’m here . . . but, is he on the phone?”

Youda (on the phone): “. . . I want to go to the amusement park with my family too, but as the club manager, I can’t take a day off on a busy Friday. So maybe next time, when everyone’s schedule lines up again . . . yes, I’m sorry.”

{Youda hangs up.}

Yuki: “Youda-san. Are you talking about next Friday? You can take a day off if you want to go with your family!”

Youda: “Eh?! Ah, Yuki-chan. No, that’s not the case . . .”

Yuki: “It’s not a problem. I’ll do something about it when the day comes. You should enjoy yourself with your family once in a while!”

Youda: “. . . Thank you, Yuki-chan. Your words have brought me happiness.”

----

Yuki: “. . . Ah, this is bad, this is bad! Before I forget, I should make a note of the change in Youda-san’s schedule . . . Is Takada also on break that day . . . he said he’d be on a date with his girlfriend so he’ll be taking a day off. Oh? Shirota is also taking that day off. That means . . . there are no waiters for that day?! I’ve done it now . . . how can I do this without Youda-san . . . But it’ll be hard for me to say he should work again . . .”

Youda: “Hey, Yuki-chan. I’m grateful for you giving me next Friday off. Thanks to that, both my wife and daughter were happy.”

Yuki: “I-Is that right . . . I’m happy for you . . . Haha . . .”

{Yuki’s phone rings.}

Yuki: “. . . Hello? My dad’s . . . you’re a colleague of my dad? . . . Eh? He collapsed and was brought to the hospital?! What . . . What should I do . . . I . . . What should I do . . .”

Youda: “Go do what you need to do! Leave the club to me . . . go on!”

Yuki: “. . . Yes. Youda-san, thank you very much. Excuse me . . . everyone, please let me through!”

----

{Yuki bumps into someone on her way out.}

Yuki: “Ah! S-Sorry . . . I’m in a hurry . . .”

Rough-looking Man: “Oi, oi . . . that hurt, Neechan . . . my bone is broken where you hit it. I think the cost of treatment’s gonna be pretty high.”

Yuki: “B-Broken bone?! Are you okay?!”

???: “If you can get a broken bone from getting hit by a girl, you’re a pretty pathetic man~.”

Rough-Looking Man: “Oh? Who’s that?”

Majima: “Hi~hihi! Awfully hostile for a weak kink! Are you a masochist looking to experience some pain?”

Yuki: “Ma-Majima-san!”

Majima: “Yo, Yuki-chan. I was in the area so I dropped by . . . but it looks like you’re in a hurry! I’ll handle this pathetic Niichan. You should get going.”

Yuki: “Th-Thank you very much . . . Please excuse me. I’ll pay the treatment fee later!”

{Yuki runs off.}

Rough-Looking Man: “You let that Neechan go without my permission. Are you paying for my treatment fee instead?”

Majima: “No one’s paying. Unlike Yuki-chan, I ain’t a fool who believes ya actually broke a bone.”

Rough-Looking Man: “. . . So I guess you’re not paying up obediently. If you go against me, you’re paying for your own treatment!”

{Majima beats up the guy.}

----

Yuki: “Haa . . . Haa . . . My dad’s hospital room . . . is here . . .”

???: “I’m . . . so terrible . . .”

Yuki: “. . . ?!”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . Doctor. Please keep it secret from my daughter. My daughter . . . I don’t want her to know. How much longer do I have . . .”

Doctor: “. . . Around 1 month.”

Yuki: (1 month?! My dad only has 1 month to live?! So . . . to not make me sad . . . Dad has been trying to keep his illness from me . . .)

Doctor: “Excuse me.”

{The doctor leaves, and Yuki enters the room.}

Yuki: “D-Dad . . . Are you okay? I heard you fell down . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “Oh, Yuki . . . you came. It’s not anything major . . . nothing to worry about.”

Yuki: “Is that so . . . that’s good.”

Yuki: (That’s a lie . . . it’s really a major illness. But . . . it’s a lie he’s telling just for me . . . so I can’t say I know it’s a lie . . .)

Yuki’s Father: “That’s right. So . . . urkk!!”

Yuki: “?!”

Yuki’s Father: “Oh, it’s nothing bad . . . I just got a big hiccup, hahaha.”

Yuki: (. . . that’s also a lie. I’m sure he’s sick and his body is in tatters . . . to be enduring such pain . . .)

Yuki: “Dad . . . I’m going to the bathroom for a while.”

{Yuki leaves and starts pacing outside the room, crying.}

Yuki: Uuugh . . . Don’t cry. It makes no sense for my dad to hide his illness so desperately.”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . Haa. I hope Yuki’s alright.”

Yuki: “. . . !”

Yuki’s Father: “I can’t help but worry about the future of that child.”

Yuki: “Dad . . . he’s worried about leaving me all alone. It’s because I’m not reliable . . . If Dad is worried about me, he’ll die with regrets . . . That’s not good! I have to let him know I can make it on my own . . . I have to reassure him at least . . . !”

{Yuki marches back in the room.}

Yuki’s Father: “So Yuki . . . is work going well?”

Yuki: “it’s going really well! It’s going so well, I’m actually worried about needing to expand the club!”

Yuki’s Father: “Well, that’s good. Isn’t Yuki’s clumsiness causing trouble for the club?”

Yuki: “Ughh . . . speaking of which, earlier today . . .”

Yuki: (I shouldn’t . . . I have to reassure him . . . ! He has to know I’m not a bad owner!)

Yuki: “Don’t you know, I’m not the same Yuki anymore? I’m called a charismatic owner now. I’m so reliable, everyone in the club is piggyback riding on me! So I’ve been busy lately!”

Yuki’s Father: “I see . . . Yuki has become great too. Okay. Can I come see the club tomorrow? I want to see the work of a charismatic owner.”

Yuki: “Eh?! Come see me work?! But you’re ill . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “I’ll talk to my doctor about it. It won’t interfere with your work, right?”

Yuki: “Y-Yup. Of course. I, I, I . . . I’ll show you what a charismatic owner looks like.”

----

|Four Shine.|

Yuki: “Hiii~! Everyone, Wh-What should I do~!!”

Koyuki: “You really went all out by saying you’re a charismatic owner . . .”

Youda: “Moreover, your dad is dropping by tomorrow . . . you don’t have time to grow up . . .”

Majima: “Hihihi, then I have no choice but to show off my charisma skills to Yuki-chan!”

Yuki: “You’re going to help me Majima-san?! Thank you so much!”

Youda: “Making Yuki-chan look charismatic . . . It’s a difficult problem, but I have no choice but to do it.”

Koyuki: “For Yuki-san . . . we’ll overcome any troubles!”

Majima: “Alright! Let’s turn the stupid, stupid Yuki-chan into a person full of charisma!”

Koyuki & Youda: “Yeah!”

Yuki: “It’s like being casually told something so cruel . . .”

-END-

CHAPTER 2

Yuki’s Father: “Sorry for bothering you. Oh, this is the first time I’ve seen it, but it’s a lively club.”

Yuki: “Fufu. That’s because it’s a club run by a charismatic owner like me. I’ve told everyone, so you can tour around as much as you like.”

Yuki’s Father: “Yeah. I want to see Yuki’s hard work. I’ll just be careful not to get in the way of everyone in the club.”

Majima: “. . . Alrighty then, Youda-han. Let’s start the operation. Ask away.”

Youda: “Please leave it to me!”

Youda: “Owner! I want to consult about our monthly sales.”

Yuki’s Father: “Oh, it’s Yuki’s turn right away . . . good luck, Yuki. I’ll be nearby.”

Youda: “Compared to last month, weekend sales have dropped by about 10%, what measures should we take?”

Yuki: “I see . . . last month was a busy month, we’ll need to deal with the decline immediately.”

Youda: (Good, Yuki-chan. Just like I taught you. Now just talk about the measures as it is. That way your dad will think you’re an owner who makes solid management decisions . . . Operation ‘Make Perfect Management Decisions’! Yuki-chan, tell me exactly what I taught you . . . !)

Yuki: “Since the seats are almost full by 7:00 PM, If we want to increase sales, we should consider opening at other times or making outdoor seating available. To the customers who come in early . . . you need to be ‘sensitive’.

Youda: (?! No, Yuki-chan! You need an ‘incentive’! You don’t need to be sensitive!)

Yuki: “Besides labor costs . . . you also need ‘Cosmo Cut’. Make a list of the things you need to buy in large quantities.”

Youda: (Yuki-chan! You’re supposed to say ‘cost cut’! Cosmo Cut is a special move . . . !)

Yuki: “I’ll do it, I’ll call our suppliers. I’ll be out for a while.”

{Yuki leaves.}

Yuki’s Father: “. . . Sensitive? Cosmo Cut?”

Youda: (No, no! He has doubts! At this rate, the hopeless owner will be revealed . . . I got it!)

Youda: “Oh, you might not know about it. Those are technical terms used in the nightlife industry.”

Yuki’s Father: “Oh, is that right?”

Youda: “Yes. ‘Sensitive’ means good customer service that enhances customer satisfaction and encourages future visits. ‘Cosmo Cut’ is a cost-cutting method where we purchase on a large scale, as large as the universe.”

Yuki’s Father: “I see! I was wondering if Yuki had made a mistake. I learned a lot. Thank you very much.”

Youda: (Phew~ . . . that’s good. Somehow I managed . . .)

Yuki: “Fufufu. How was it, Majima-san? I did it perfectly.”

Majima: “Yuki-chan, did you even notice you made a mistake . . . you should thank Youda-han later.”

Yuki: “Eh?! I-I made a mistake?!”

Majima: “No worries. Youda-han managed to fix it. Operation ‘Solve the Cast’s Worries!’ is ready to go, so it’s okay. Good luck.”

----

Koyuki: “Yuki-san. I have something to consult with you . . . is that okay?”

Yuki’s Father: “Oh, a consultation from the cast. Can I watch from nearby?”

Koyuki: “. . . Yes. No problem. Because you’re the father of the charismatic owner Yuki-san.”

Yuki’s Father: “Thank you! Then I’ll be close by. Good luck~ Yuki!”

Yuki: (It’s fine . . . Koyuki-chan is going to talk about customer service and I just have to give advice . . . I failed earlier . . . but I can’t make any more mistakes. I have to give solid advice as an owner.)

Koyuki: “Actually, I’m worried because the number of requests for me has decreased recently. How can I give good customer service that will increase my number of nominations?”

Yuki: “I see . . . That’s . . . um . . . hmm . . . That’s . . .”

Yuki: (Why is nothing good coming out of my mouth?! Wh-What do I do, what do I do!!)

Yuki’s Father: “Oh? Is something wrong, Yuki? If you keep silent, you won’t be able to give advice . . .”

Yuki: (Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What should I do?! Nothing’s coming out! My dad’s going to figure out the lie!)

Koyuki: “. . . I understand, Yuki-san. You’re saying I should find the solution myself.”

Yuki: “. . . Eh?!”

Koyuki: “Even if I think I’ll understand if I ask other people for help, I won’t really get it. Instead, I should think hard and figure it out myself . . . ! You did something as bold as shutting up, just so I’d be aware of it. Thank you very much! I’ll try my best!”

Yuki’s Father: “I see . . . It’s better to figure things out by yourself. To convey that through silence . . . Yuki has grown up.”

Yuki: “A-After all, there are things better communicated if unsaid . . .”

Yuki: (That’s good . . . thanks to Koyuki-chan’s wit, I managed to keep up the lie . . . Next, Majima-san’s friend will cause a ruckus and I’ll stop him in Operation ‘Don’t Tolerate Annoying Guests!’ . . . What kind of person is this Nishida-san who’s going to play as the annoying guest?)

Majima: “So, is it time to give the signal to Nishida and the others?”

Waiter: “Excuse me, Majima-san. A thug outside the club said to ‘give this to the man in an eyepatch with a Techno haircut’ . . .”

Majima: “Haa~, it’s hard being so popular. . . . I’ll give the signal to Nishida and the others when I get back.”

----

Rough-Looking Man: “I thought I saw a similar guy entering this club . . . looks like I was right on the mark.”

Majima: “. . . Huh. You’re the weak Niichan from yesterday. Did you come back to have your bones broken for real?”

Rough-Looking Man: “This is the end of the line Eyepatch Guy! This time I brought a friend who prides himself on fights! We’ll kill you and sink you in Sotenbori River!!”

{Majima fights the guys.}

----

G.B. Holmes: “Nishida-san. Is it okay to rampage now?”

Nishida: “No! Stop, stop! We have to wait until Boss gives the signal. But what is the boss doing . . . it’s been too long since his last instruction . . .”

???: “Stop screwing around, idiot!!”

Nishida: “?!”

Waiter: “C-Customer. Please calm down.”

Troublesome Customer: “No way! I’m paying a lot of money for so few drinks!! I’ll teach you what happens when you try to scam me!! Bring me the person in charge!!”

Nishida: “Eh . . . ? Is that a real disruptive customer? We have to stop him . . . but . . . knowing Boss, he could have actually prepared someone other than us to make it a surprise . . .”

G.B. Holmes: “Would you like to go ask the boss . . . ?”

Nishida: “Yeah. It would be bad if we get in Yuki-san’s way . . . I’m sure Boss went out the club a while ago . . . Let’s go look for him, Gary!”

----

Troublesome Customer: “Where’s the person in charge!!”

Yuki: “The person in charge is here! I’m Yuki, the owner. If you have any complaints about our club, I’ll listen to them as much as you want!”

Yuki: (. . . I keep failing so far. I have to make a quick decision here and recover my honor! Even so . . . He’s a much scarier person than Majima-san said . . . this Nishida-san.)

-END-

CHAPTER 3

Troublesome Customer: “Where is the person in charge!!”

Yuki: “I’m Yuki, the owner. If you have any complaints about our club, I’ll listen to them as much as you want!”

Yuki’s Father: “That customer . . . that man looks like he’s yakuza . . . will Yuki be alright?”

Youda: “She’ll be fine. Yuki-san is a charismatic owner.”

Youda: (It’s a customer we prepared . . . but, I didn’t know Majima-san’s friend Nishida-san was this kind of person . . .)

Yuki: (Repel this disruptive customer prepared by Majima-san . . . I’ll show my dad what I can do! Show him I have a solid place . . . my dad with a low life expectancy . . . I’ll reassure him!)

Yuki: “This is my club! I won’t let you do anything! If you have any complaints, then settle your bill and please get out!”

Troublesome Customer: “You’re the owner? How dare you speak to your customers like that!!”

Yuki: (Huh . . . ? Nishida-san is supposed to run away if I say ‘get out’ . . . Did he not notice the cue for the little arrangement? I’ll say it more clearly . . .)

Yuki: “G . . . Get out!!”

Troublesome Customer: “Who are you to order me around!!”

Yuki: (Eeh . . . ?! He still hasn’t noticed?! It’s really spontaneous, Nishida-san. Maybe he’ll understand if I speak in a Kansai dialect? . . . Alright then!)

Yuki: “L-Let’s get out!!”

Troublesome Customer: “. . . Huh?”

Yuki: “Eh? Did I say it wrong? Then . . . Can’t get out! . . . Is it still wrong? How about . . . Please get out!”

Troublesome Customer: “What are you doing! Are you playing around!! I’m being serious!!”

Yuki: (Kansai dialect isn’t working . . . ?! I-I don’t know what more I can do!)

Yuki: “N-Nishida-san . . . I’m already saying your cue to turn back. Next time I say it . . . please run away.”

Troublesome Customer: “What the hell are you whispering!! And who is Nishida! I’m Kawano!!”

Yuki: “Ka-Kawano-san?!”

Troublesome Customer: “You keep saying a Miss like you is the owner, the owner! I was just having fun, just got a little handsy and rattled the pitcher a bit! I’m a customer who paid lots of money! How will you make up for making me feel bad!!”

Yuki: (He’s different from what I heard from Majima-san . . . This person, could it be . . . h-he’s a real disruptive customer?!)

----

Majima: “You’re a really stubborn guy . . . Hm?”

Nishida: “Boss! I have a little something to tell you . . . uguh!”

{Nishida suddenly gets Tachibana’d and drops to the ground. Fortunately, unlike Tachibana, Nishida is wearing a Majima Construction Helmet ™.}

G.B. Holmes: “Nishida-san!”

Rough-Looking Man’s Friend: “That’s one of your buddies down . . . Don’t think you can get away with doing that to our friend.”

Majima: “. . . He still has friends. I thought he only had one. But . . . it can’t be helped, Nishida. Sorry I didn’t keep them away.”

Nishida: “I’m sorry, Boss . . . ow ow . . .”

Majima: “I’ll show you right now how to pass judgment on a fool who chooses the wrong kind of prey!”

----

Troublesome Customer: “Hehe, I finally see a scared face. Then I’d like you to apologize quickly.”

Yuki: “A-An apology . . . ?”

Troublesome Customer: “I was looking forward to throwing back drinks here, so get me a lady and a waiter. Shouldn’t you pay me too? Call it a compensation fee. Then I’ll think about forgiving you a little.”

Yuki: “Th-That’s . . .”

Troublesome Customer: “I don’t care about your opinion! Bring me a lady and a waiter!!”

Yuki: “B-But . . .”

Troublesome Customer: “Do it!! Or I’ll kill you!!!!”

Yuki: “Hiii! Do-Don’t kill me!”

Troublesome Customer: “Heh, you’re a pitiful figure. If you don’t want to get killed, bring me a lady and a waiter and give me back my money! I’ll hit the waiter until his face is messed up, then I’ll bring the lady to a hotel and punish her a lot.”

Yuki: “. . . ! I . . . I won’t let you do that.”

Troublesome Customer: “. . . Oh?”

Yuki: “To do my best to give the staff peace of mind . . . that is the work . . . of an owner . . .”

Troublesome Customer: “Huh?! I’ll kill you!!”

Yuki: “I’m sorry you’re not satisfied, but everyone in the club is doing their best to serve customers. Doing things that the girls don’t like . . . If you have any complaints, you don’t have to come here anymore. Here’s your bill. Now go home and don’t come back again.”

Troublesome Customer: “Don’t come back again? Is this your attitude towards customers!!!!”

Troublesome Customer: “. . . what are you doing?”

Youda: “Apparently, he’s not the guy we prepared. As the store manager, I can’t forgive any violence!”

Yuki: “Youda-san . . . Erica-chan . . . Koyuki-chan . . . ! it’s dangerous! Stay back! Don’t get hurt for a bad owner like me!”

Youda: “. . . Didn’t you switch around my shift so I can go to the amusement park with my family? Think of this as me returning the favor.”

Koyuki: “That’s right! I also have a lot of gratitude towards Yuki-san for caring about my physical condition!”

Cast Member Erica: “Me too! You showed me a lot of kindness after my boyfriend dumped me!!”

Yuki: “E-Everyone . . .”

Troublesome Customer: “This disgusting club . . . treating me as the bad guy. If you all get in the way, then I’ll kill you all together!”

{All four of them gang up on the guy and beat him up.}

Troublesome Customer: “Haa . . . haa . . . you cowards . . . fighting 4 against 1 . . .”

Four Shine Customer A: “Not just 4! If you do anything else, we’ll join in too!”

Four Shine Customer B: “That’s right!! There’s no better club than this! If you have any complaints, then get out!!”

Troublesome Customer: “. . . ?! That’s it, I’m never coming back to this club again!”

{The disruptive customer runs out.}

Koyuki: “. . . Yuki-san, are you alright?!”

Yuki: “Y-Yeah . . . I’m okay. Everyone . . . thank you so much for your help.”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . That was great, Yuki.”

Yuki: “. . . I don’t think so. My clothes got dirty . . . I’ll go get changed a little.”

----

Yuki: “Haa . . . it’s no good . . . I . . . Even this year, I’m still being helped by people . . . Because of this, my dad can’t be reassured by the lie that I’m a ‘charismatic owner’ . . .”

Majima: “. . . As usual you’re thinking so negatively~. I . . . I don’t think that’s the case.”

Yuki: “Oh! Majima-san?!”

Majima: “Yuki-chan did well today. Didn’t you stand up against a real nuisance customer? Besides, it’s not a bad thing to be helped by people. It’s all thanks to Yuki-chan’s humanity. Youda-han, Koyuki-chan, Erica-chan, the customers, they all took the risk to help Yuki-chan.”

Yuki: “Ma-Majima-san . . .”

Majima: “I don’t know if anyone can live by themselves. If you need help, then you’ll be given help. As a father, if I found out that there are many people who can help Yuki-chan, I think that’s enough to give me peace of mind. . . . even if Yuki-chan herself is a stupid, stupid owner.”

Yuki: “. . .”

----

Yuki: “Dad . . . do you have a moment? . . . Actually, I have to apologize for something.”

Yuki’s Father: “Eh? Apologize for what . . . ?”

Yuki: “Actually . . . it’s a lie that I’m a charismatic owner of the club and everyone relies on me. As you saw, I’m a hopeless owner who can only do things with the help of everyone . . . Dad, I’m sorry for lying to you . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . Is that so. I had a feeling it was like that. But I’m glad I could see your hard work even if it was a lie. Even if you being a charismatic owner is a lie, I could see you were loved by friends.”

Yuki: “Dad . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “I’m relieved that you are blessed with good friends.”

Yuki: “U . . . uugh . . . Daaad! I don’t want you to dieeeeeeee!!!!”

Majima: “Yuki-chan . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . Die? What are you talking about?”

Yuki: “. . . Dad has a serious illness and only has a short life expectancy. I heard you ask the doctor to hide it from me, to ‘please keep my illness secret from my daughter’ . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “Oh, you heard that?! I should have told you properly.”

Yuki’s Father: “This is hard for me to say, but my illness is . . . ‘hemorrhoids’.”

Yuki: “Hemorrhoids . . . that is a serious illness . . . wait, hemorrhoids?!?!”

Majima, Youda, & Koyuki: “He . . . Hemorrhoids . . . !?”

Yuki: “Hemorrhoids . . . that’s . . . is it the one found on your butt? It has a similar name with a serious illness . . .”

Majima: “. . . you can’t find hemorrhoids anyplace other than the butt.”

Yuki’s Father: “I was so embarrassed it hurt so much that I fainted . . . so I kept it secret from Yuki . . .”

Yuki: “Th-Then . . . wasn’t it your life expectancy that the doctor said was only ‘one more month’?”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . That’s how long it takes for my hemorrhoids to heal completely.”

Yuki: “So when you sometimes looked like you were in such pain . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . It’s because the hemorrhoids hurt.”

Yuki: “Then when you said, ‘I’m worried about Yuki’s future’, didn’t that mean you were worried about leaving me all alone?”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . I heard that the tendency to get hemorrhoids is inherited. I was worried you’d develop terrible hemorrhoids.”

Yuki: “E-Eeeeeeeeh?! So it was just a misunderstanding that you have a short life expectancy?!”

Yuki’s Father: “Th-That’s right. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding . . .”

Yuki: “I-I see . . .”

Majima: “. . . Haa, I was so exhausted trying to make this work. And it was all because I was swayed by hemorrhoids.”

Koyuki: “I was almost crying until a while ago . . . but it was just hemorrhoids . . .”

Youda: “What was the point of the strategy we brainstormed last night . . .”

Yuki: “Majima-san, Koyuki-chan, Youda-san . . . um . . . I-I’m so sorry!! I-I know! I’ll apologize to everyone with sushi! So . . . please forgive me! See, with the money in my wallet . . . huh? Huh?! I don’t have my wallet . . . Wh-Where did I drop it? Le-let me look for it for a second! Aaa~h, I can’t find it anywhere!!”

Majima: “Haa . . . Yuki-chan will always be Yuki-chan.”

Yuki’s Father: “You’re right . . . hahaha.”

Yuki: “Where did you gooo~ my wallet!!!!”

-END-

Masterlist

#Majima's such a different person when he's not dealing with yakuza problems #is it too early for me to be making Tachibana jokes in the year of our lord 2020 #rgg online #rggo lore #rggo #rgg #Ryu ga Gotoku #yakuza #Yuki #Goro Majima #Majima Goro #Youda #Koyuki

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doc-pickles · 3 years

Text

does it ever drive you crazy, just how fast the night changes

Alex comes back to the loft to see Jo but is met with more than he bargained for.

so i wrote a thing.... i know I've said a million times that I wouldn't write a birth scene but uhhhhh here we are. anyways enjoy... or don't... xoxo nina

It’s dark and stormy outside as Alex approaches the loft, the Seattle winds whipping around him as he jogs up the stairs. The route is familiar, one he’s walked a thousand times before, but it feels different this time. He pauses outside the door, wondering if he should actually knock or not. Finally, he does, knocking twice before stepping back and waiting for Jo’s answer. Her car was parked out front, meaning she was at home and not at the hospital. He knocks a second time, thinking maybe the thunder has made it hard to hear.

“Jo? You home?”

There’s a pause and some shuffling before Jo’s voice floats towards him, “Alex?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Alex lets out a sigh, leaning his head against the door. “I know you probably don’t want to see me.” “You're right.”

“But I drove all the way from Kansas and I’d really like to see you,” there’s more silence from the other side of the door as thunder rumbles overhead. “You still there?”

“Yeah I’m here,” her voice sounds strained as Alex listens intently. “You left me, what are you doing here now?”

Alex lets out a heavy sigh. He knew she would ask why he had come back after over half a year away but he still didn't feel like his answer justified any of his actions, “Because I messed up Jo. I never should have left, I should’ve told you as soon as I found out about the twins. I should have given you a say in our divorce. There’s a lot of mistakes I made but leaving you was the biggest one.”

“Alex…,” even through the barrier between them Alex can tell that Jo is crying,

“I just realized that while I love being a dad I didn’t want to do that without you by my side,” Alex can hear Jo let out a sob as he leans closer to the door. “Will you let me in please?”

“I’m still mad at you,” Jo clarified.

“I know.”

“The power has been out for three hours and the phone lines are down because of the storm,” Alex can hear Jo unlocking the door, his heart racing. “I haven’t been able to call anyone.”

“Why does-”

“Just… Don’t be mad at me, okay?”

The door finally slides open and Jo and Alex are face to face for the first time in seven months.

“Hi.”

Alex could barely make out Jo’s face with the lack of light but she immediately reaches for his hands, squeezing tightly, “Jesus Christ Jo! What the hell?”

Jo doesn’t answer straight away, doubled over in pain as she lets out a groan, “Just shut up, I’m trying to count and you’re distracting me.” “Count what,” Alex’s question is answered as Jo stands up, taking a step towards him. “Oh… That’s what.”

From the small amount of light in the hallway Alex can clearly see Jo, her eyes wide and questioning as she looks up at him. His eyes drift from her face down her body and rest on her protruding stomach.

“I’ve been in labor for hours but I couldn't call anyone because of the storm,” Jo bites her lip, blinking back tears. “I just figured I could deliver her myself but you showed up right on time.”

Alex only hesitates for a moment before jumping into action as if he’s been preparing for this for nine months and not mere minutes.

“How far apart are your contractions?”

“Six minutes, they have been for almost an hour.”

“Do you have a bag packed?” “In my car.”

Alex makes quick work of grabbing Jo’s keys and locking up the loft before helping Jo downstairs and into the car. They ride in silence for a few minutes before Jo finally speaks up.

“I’m sorry.”

Alex glances over at Jo for a second, watching as she traces her fingers across her stomach, “What could you possibly have to be sorry for?”

“I never called you. I’ve had the better part of seven months to call and tell you,” Jo chokes the words out as a swell of tears forms in her eyes “I knew how you felt about Izzie keeping your kids from you and I was just going to do the same thing. I was ready to raise our daughter alone because I was mad you left! I’m already a terrible mother.”

“You're not a terrible mom Jo,” Alex reaches his hand out to grab Jo’s, squeezing tightly. “And I’m not mad at you.” “You’re not?”

“Of course not,” Alex parks in front of Grey Sloan, killing the engine and turning to Jo. “I know we have a lot to talk about but I think we have more important things to worry about right now.”

Jo nods, taking Alex’s hand that’s reached out towards her. She follows him silently towards the entrance of the hospital, stopping just short of the sliding doors.

“Are you having a contraction?”

Jo shakes her head, pulling Alex closer to her as she stares up at him, “Are you really back? You’re not leaving again?”

“Not without you two. I can’t miss any more of this,” Alex places his hand against Jo’s on her belly, the other one coming up to cup her cheek. “When I said leaving Seattle was my biggest mistake I meant it, baby or not. Leaving you is my biggest regret.”

Without an ounce of hesitation, Jo leans up and presses her lips to Alex’s, a chaste kiss as rain continues to fall around them. Jo pulls back after a moment, leaning her head against Alex as she lets out a groan.

“Let’s get you inside, those have been getting closer.”

Given the storm and the fact that it was almost midnight, they make it to the L&D floor with ease. Carina’s brows furrow as soon as she sees Jo, a reprimand hot on her lips, “Jo you should be at home resting, you’re not on call tonight.” A gasp leaves Carina as she notices Alex standing next to Jo, “Oh! You finally called him?”

“No he just has impeccable timing,” Jo squeezes her eyes shut, leaning forward onto her knees. “My contractions are four minutes apart and I was dilated to an 8 when I checked an hour ago.”

Both Carina and Alex stare at Jo with wide eyes at her revelation. Alex knows she can handle pain well, but he wouldn’t have guessed she was so far along in her labor.

“You should’ve been here hours ago,” Carina chastises as she waves over one of the nurses on the floor. “Can you get Doctor Karev settled in room six?”

“You kept your last name,” there’s a tone of surprise to his voice as Alex settles his hand on Jo’s back, following the nurse down the hall. “I didn’t think you would.”

“I didn’t want to have a different last name than the baby,” Jo shrugs as she takes the hospital gown that the nurse has offered her, slipping into the bathroom to change into it. “And I might have forgotten to file the divorce papers.”

Alex is about to respond when Jo lets out a startled gasp followed by the sound of liquid hitting the floor. Jo waddles out of the bathroom, eyes wide as she and Alex stare silently at each other.

“Was that..?”

“I need to push,” Jo takes a few steps forward, leaning over the hospital bed as she let out a loud groan. “That’s a lot of pressure.” “Let me get Carina.”

“Don’t leave unless you want to miss your daughter being born,” Jo reaches her hand out to stop Alex from leaving, grabbing his hand in her own and squeezing it tightly as she let out a loud groan. “Oh god, you weren’t kidding about the big head thing.”

“No, I wasn’t,” Alex rests his hand against Jo’s back, applying pressure as she let out another pained noise. “What can I do for you?” “Catch.”

Alex moves quickly, barely catching their daughter as Jo gives one final push. Carina walks in then, a chuckle escaping her as she helps Jo knot the bed, “Looks like you started without me. How’s the bambina doing papa?”

“She’s perfect,” Alex lets out a wet laugh as he cradles the baby in his arms, a small cry sounding from her. “She’s absolutely perfect.”

“I don’t have a name picked out.”

Alex looks up from the sleeping baby in his arms to Jo who’s just woken up, “Why not?”

“Nothing sounded right,” Jo shrugs, concentrating on her fingers. Alex notices the silver band on her left hand that she’s twirling around nervously. Her wedding band sparkles under the fluorescent lights of the hospital room despite the missing engagement ring it usually sat with. “It didn’t feel right to pick something so important without you.”

“Jo-”

“Not calling you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Every single day since I read that letter I’ve wanted to call you, even more so after I found out I was pregnant,” Jo swipes at the tears collecting on her cheek and it takes everything in Alex to not lean forward and wipe them away himself. “But you left Alex and you never even asked me how I felt.” “I would’ve hopped on the first flight back if you called.” Jo throws her hands up in exasperation, “I didn’t want you to come back just because we have a baby together!”

“It never would have been about that Jo! I love you!”

“Then why? If you love me why did you leave me?”

“Because I was scared,” the baby in his arms stirs but Alex quiets her quickly, lowering his voice when he speaks again. “I was terrified of being a shitty dad and losing you and my kids at the same time. I didn’t want to hurt you, Jo, I never have, but I thought one painful goodbye would be better than months of arguing and heartache and watching the life we created crumble into pieces. I didn’t want that for us, I couldn’t ruin us like that. I wanted to protect you but I ended up hurting both of us in the process and hurting this little one too. I’m sorry Jo, neither of you deserve this. I just ended up becoming the shitty dad and husband I was trying so hard not to be.”

The room is silent as Alex keeps his eyes on the sleeping baby in his arms, not wanting to look at Jo just yet. When he finally does, she has tears running down her cheeks, “Jo I-”

“Come here.”

“Are you gonna hit me?”

“No you idiot, I want to kiss you,” Jo let out a laugh, wiping at her eyes again. “I missed you so much.”

Alex squeezes in next to Jo, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pressing a kiss to her forehead, “What about Juliet?”

“Mmm she does kind of look like a Juliet,” Jo runs her finger across the newborn’s cheek. “How about Juliet Alexandra?”

“I already have one kid named after me, I don’t need another. Besides,” Alex grins as he leans down to press a kiss to Jo’s lips. “You did all the heavy lifting on this one. What about Juliet Brooke?”

Jo silently nods, settling easily into Alex’s embrace as they both stared adoringly at their daughter, “Perfect. Welcome to the world Juliet Brooke Karev. We love you so much already.”

#jolex #jolex fanfiction #jolex babies #jolex fanfic #jo x alex #jo wilson #jo karev #alex karev #grey’s anatomy #grey’s anatomy fanfic #nina writes

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havethetimeofyourstyles · 4 years

Text

here it is! the first part of UTCM!

wc: 4.8k

taglist | story masterlist

͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧

With clothes flying across the room, trying to make each article of clothing land in the target of a rectangle, you rummage through your closet, trying to find the specific piece of your most treasured clothing.

One that meant something special to you.

As you dig through your drawer, trying to find the thick, vintage tee your dad had given you (more like you stole it and never gave it back), your hand finally feels the familiar material that has brought you comfort and lots of compliments if you do say so yourself.

With a proud ‘bingo’ escaping your lips, you’re not surprised that it’s the only shirt you folded and gently put into your suitcase. You looked around your room, finding the hurricane of clothing sprawled out on the floor and your bikini top on your lap shade. Laughing a bit, you drop to your knees and begin to pick up your clothes, stuffing it into the suitcase.

You check the time and see that it’s five minutes to 9 AM and your phone rings on your bedside table, knowing you’re behind schedule. You quickly grab your phone, placing it between your shoulder and your ear, and continue grabbing your clothes.

“Yellow?”

“Honey, quit answering the phone like that.” You take the phone from your shoulder and put it at arms reach before sighing, knowing you should’ve looked at the caller ID.

“Hello, mother. How are you on this fine morning?” Your voice changes from playful to proper tone only to tease her.

“Oh, quit it. I was just calling to see if you were all packed and ready.”

“Yup!” You say confidently, looking around your room as it says otherwise. Obviously, packing wasn’t your greatest talent.

It was your best friend’s parent’s anniversary. Minny has informed you a month ago, knowing that you would procrastinate on packing, and to be fair, she was right. Packing wasn’t your favorite, and she knew that. Aww, my best friend knows me so well.

You and Minny have been best friends since you were 7. You two met at school and were in the same class. Because of the two’s last names being right next to each other on the roll call, you were assigned to sit right next to her. Throughout the years in school, you had always remained close. Sure, you two have met other people and became friends with them, but nothing came as close as the bond you have with her.

It was 20 years of eating at lunch together, never missing a day. Sleepovers. Day and night calls to gossip or vent. Laughs. Petty arguments. Crying over stupid boys and girls that broke your heart. Monthly ‘glo the fuck up’ day. Jogging in the park. Living life. And most importantly, love.

Damn, we’re getting old.

“I’m sad I can’t make it to Dan and Lina’s anniversary trip.” Your mother sighed over the phone.

Yours and Minny’s family had practically become one big family when you both turned 10. With occasional sleepovers and meet ups at the mall, your parents had become really great friends with hers.

“I know, Mom. But you practically see them everyday, so it’s fine. They understand why.” You try reasoning out with her.

“I hope so.” She sighs sadly on the phone, and it makes your heart hurt.

“They do understand. Trust me.”

“I wish you were here-” She immediately cuts off.

“Mom, I can go with you. I don’t have to go on Dan and Lina’s trip. Let me call Minny so I can tell her to not come by.”

“No, no!” You pause. “Please, don’t miss out on having fun for me. I want you to have fun. You deserve it.” You nod, even though she can’t see you. You check the time, and know you’re running out of time to finish packing.

“You deserve it too, Mom.” She doesn’t say anything, but you know she’s smiling on the other side of the call.

“Hey, Mom. I gotta go. Minny is almost here to pick me up, so I just wanna double check everything.”

“Of course, honey. I’ll call Lina later. Say hi to Minny for me. I love you.”

“Will do. I love you too.” The door knocks once you hang up the call. Curses scolding yourself for being so lazy and procrastinating fly from your lips as you get the door.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” The last person you were expecting was seeing your ex boyfriend on your doorstep with keys in his hand. He wore rust color corduroy pants, a stripe shirt, and a turquoise jacket that’s stitched on the side. His hair was pushed back by his black sunglasses and he was wearing his pearl necklace. You hate to admit that he looks good and can possibly rock anything he wore, and you despised him for that along with other reasons.

“Wow. No, hi or how are you Harry? I’m doing great, thanks for asking.” He says sarcastically and you roll your eyes, walking back to your room to finish packing. “Well, I see you’re still not that great with organizing your time, or your clothes.” You don’t say anything because you really don’t want to speak to him at the moment, or at all. “I’m assuming Minny didn’t tell you.” Your eyes perk up into confusion.

“Minny didn’t tell me what?” You ask, continuing to fold the last pair of clothes.

“She asked me to pick you up. You know, to take you to the lake house.” If it were possible, steam was coming out of your ears. Why hadn’t Minny told you? You huff loudly for Harry to know that you’re clearly annoyed before grabbing your phone and immediately dialing Minny’s number, and waiting for her to pick up.

Harry looks around your room, seeing as things haven't changed with you, and you want to kick him out as soon as you're done talking to Minny.

“Hey, girl! Are you on your way?” Her voice is high and she clearly is not prepared for what you’re about to give her.

“How can you have Harry pick me up? And why didn’t you tell me that you couldn’t pick me up?”

“Clearly, you’re the best at greeting people anymore.” Harry says, leaning against the door frame as he wears a smirk, and you immediately flick him off. He puts his hand on his chest with an exaggerated jaw drop, pretending to be offended.

“I’m so sorry. I meant to tell you, I promise. But my dumbass of a brother decided to come last minute because his plans got cancelled, and so we were all rushing out the door and putting everything in the car.” You hear Minny’s brother, Jackson, say ‘hey!’ and you sigh.

“It’s okay, I understand.” Not wanting to be annoyed anymore, you brush it off.

“I can find someone else to pick me up, no worries.” Harry raises his hands up as if he’s saying ‘I’m literally here to pick you up.’

“No! Just take the ride from Harry. After all, he is staying at the house too.” Your eyes widen.

“What?! Why would you invite him?”

“You know, you’re doing a lot of talking like I’m not here in the room right now.” You mouth ‘shut up’ to him.

“Please, just go with him. We’re almost there anyways and I don’t want you guys to be late because you want to be difficult. Just ride with him. It’s only like a 3 hour drive and you can sleep on the way, and then not talk to him for the rest of the trip.” She persuades.

Minny was always good at persuading people. In college, both of you were commuting from home and didn’t stay at the dorms, so you didn’t know that many people, especially not in the frat or sorority houses. She had convinced her parents that they needed a weekend to get out of the house and take a nice getaway trip, laying out the pros and cons so she can throw a party. And they really thought her pros outweigh the cons.

“Ugh! Okay, fine.”

“Thank you! Love you! Bye!” She gets off the phone quickly, and you turn to Harry.

“Shall we get on the road?” He smiles. You were finally finished with packing and rolled your luggage to the front, ignoring him. He comes out of your room with your bikini top in his hand, and your eyes widen, forgetting to take it from the lampshade. “Think you forgot this.” He holds it up and you snatch it quickly. And you’re both out the door and possibly going on the worst trip.

Two weeks and I’ll be home.

͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧

Two hours down. One more to go.

The entirety of the car ride had been filled with awkwardness and silence. If music hadn’t been playing, you were sure you were going to explode. Harry had asked you if you were alright about a million times or if you were too hot or cold. You kept your responses to a minimum, replying with ‘yeah, I’m good’ or ‘I’m okay’. Harry was gripping the steering wheel so tight, that he was sure his hand would cramp up when he tried to unlatch. The tension and awkwardness was getting to him. He hated that things had ended up like this between the two of you, but he was willing to change that. He wants to change that.

“R. E. D.” He says suddenly after minutes of not talking, and just listening to the sound of the music and the engine of the car.

“Pardon?” You turn to face him.

“C’mon, you don’t remember the game we used to play when we would go on road trips?” He asks hopefully, looking at you quickly before turning his head back on the road.

Of course you remember. Hours on the road with him, going to the next destination when he was on tour or outside of the city to get away from everything, led you both to play road trip games that included saying 3 random letters and finding it on a license plate. It’s what made traveling fun and the hours on the road much more interesting. Especially with Harry.

“Yeah, I remember.” You say softly, not showing emotion.

“Okay, well, start looking.”

“You weren’t very good at this game.” You say, but quickly close your mouth, not realizing that you’re thinking out loud.

And Harry’s surprised. He knows that your comment was a teasing one, and he was worried that he would t get a single sentence out of your mouth without you yelling in his face. “I’m very good at this game!”

“I mean, considering that my board was filled with tallies, then I would think you’re bad at it.” You let out a chuckle and Harry has a big smile on his face, thinking it’ll hurt his cheeks later on.

“You literally gave me impossible letters to work with!”

“They’re license plates, not people’s names!” You tease.

“Just look for R.E.D!” He ends the conversation. Although he didn’t want to, he knew that you’re most likely going to blow up in his face if you two acted like a happy couple again. He knew that you would overthink about the bad things overlapping the good, and you would go back to resenting him.

And he was right.

After he ended the conversation, you were thinking about what could’ve been between you; what could still be if he weren’t an asshole. The laughs and teasing you two had just a minute ago were replaced with deep breaths, not knowing if one of you should say a thing again.

There were only a few cars on the same road for you; going to different places. You wondered if people going on a road trip had the same situation with you and Harry: the sharp tension that can be cut like a knife or wanting to jump out of the car.

You must have blanked out for a while because Harry had gotten off the highway and onto a secluded street that leads to the lake house.

The drive through the woods with high boulders and tall trees had you speechless. You got as close to the window as possible, looking up like you’ve just seen a shooting star. Nature has always been such a fascination to you. You’ve always loved camping trips and hiking; so much that you’re currently an environmental scientist.

You don’t notice with your head practically sticking out the window, but Harry is having such a hard time keeping his eyes on the road. He thinks that it’s admirable how passionate you are, especially about nature and animals because it’s rare that people end up doing what they love. And he loves seeing you so passionate about what you love.

The drive surrounded by the forest didn’t take long; about 20 minutes, and Harry had already pulled up into the gravel driveway in front of the lake house.

The famous lake house that Lina and Dan have owned for 30 years; ever since they got married. It was a rather large lake house; able to fit two families of four. With brown wood hammered onto the sides and evergreen border along the windows, the house was generally very comfortable and homey. They had kept renovating throughout the years to keep up with the times changing, and they’re loving how modern it looks as of now, but very welcoming at the same time.

“Well, we’re finally here.” Harry says, cutting off the ignition and getting out of the car. You do the same as well and meet him where the truck is popped open, Harry grabbing his bags. You went to reach for it, but Harry slaps your hand away.

“Hey!”

“Don’t worry about the bags. I got them.”

“Thanks.” You give him a soft smile.

“And besides, you’ve packed for like a month when we’re gonna be here for two weeks, and you were barely able to carry it out of your house.” He teases.

“For a matter of fact, I happen to be very strong.” You cross your arms.

“Okay, whatever you say, Captain.” The pet name slipped out. When you and Harry were together, he started calling you Captain because sometimes you can be so aggressive and demanding, but passionate, that it felt like you were the Captain of the ship, which technically you were. You were always in charge, always right, and always planning everything. Captain just stuck, and he thought it was so perfect for you.

The pet name had definitely startled you. You haven’t heard that name come from his lips in forever. And admittingly, you missed it. But you don’t tell him that, of course.

Harry notices your shock and just smiles instead of pushing it. He instead walks towards the car once his hands are full.

“Hey, Harry?” He could’ve sworn that his head got jumbled up at your call for him because of how fast he turned around.

“Yes?”

“R.E.D.” You pointed towards Minny’s car with a smirk on your face. Harry looks at her license plate and his jaw drops, but you see the corners of his lips turn up.

“How did you-”

“You think I don’t know my best friend’s license plate when she’s had this car for 4 years?” Your smile is amusing and Harry has missed this side from you.

“Well done.” He drops the bags and starts clapping.

“Make sure to mark my tally.” You walk past him and towards the house. Harry turns around, watching you walk. Specifically landing his eyes on your hips and watching them sway like you own the fucking world. It’s endearing and he loves it. He loves how sometimes you can walk the whole universe and own it, but he always loves how you shy away from things and look for reassurance. He loves it.

You don’t turn around because with the smile and hint of blush that crept onto your face, it’s bound to be a disaster if he sees it.

“Aye, aye, Captain.” He chuckles before picking up the bags and following your footsteps.

͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧

The inside of the house was opposite of what it looked like from the outside. While the outside was rustic and dark looking, the inside was light and provided very much needed natural lighting due to the big window that overlooks the lake. Sun shines bright through the window and into the house that it almost hurts to look out, but that’s Mother Nature at her finest.

You head up to your usual bedroom that you claimed when you were younger, having taken trips to this house for so many years that your feet just subconsciously took you to your room.

It remained the same: big window that led to a small balcony, wooden frame bed, and a mattress that is the perfect size and comfort for you. The walls were white, and with the light coming through, it made the room look even bigger.

Usually you and Minny would sleep in the same room, but there were enough rooms so you two can have your own. But there were some nights where you would spend the night with her, and her, you.

You hadn’t noticed Harry following you to your room, but when you hear bags drop onto the floor, you jump and turn around. “You scared me.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to. Thought you heard me following you.”

“No, I didn’t. I was just distracted with my thoughts.”

Harry leans against the door frame and crosses his arms. “What about?” He asks curiously.

“Just… haven’t been here in a while, and I miss it.” He only nods, and it quickly goes back to silence. “Thank you for bringing my bags up.” This time, he smiles.

“Not a problem. Let me know if you need anything else, Captain.” You chuckle.

“Will do.” He leaves your room and shuts the door close, knowing you’d probably want to settle in and change into more lounge clothing.

You sit on your bed, facing the window, and look out at the lake. You don’t know what you’re feeling. Before you saw him today, you would just get mad that you’re thinking about him, but that car ride broke every anger that clung onto your body. It was like your mind naturally reacted to Harry in a way that you couldn’t control. You can control anything else, but not with Harry. You naturally felt a pull towards him, and no matter how much you wanted to cut off the string you couldn’t.

You had definitely missed the feeling of being around him, and that makes you angry. Angry at yourself because he hurt you.

You try not to cry with the thoughts swirling in your head. You take in the beautiful view from your bedroom and tell yourself that you shouldn’t be sad because you’ve got a long trip ahead of you.

As you changed into your lounge clothes, you headed downstairs to greet the family that was just back from the backyard.

“Oh, sweetheart! I’m so happy you’re here!” Lina greets you with a warm hug. Dan does the same, giving you a bear hug.

“Happy anniversary! How are you guys?” You ask the married couple.

“We’re doing great! I’m excited this time has come again! We’ve got so much planned.” You smile at their excitement. They turned to look at each other and you can’t help but admire their love for one another, even after all these years.

Yours and Minny’s parents’ love was like no other. You were pretty blessed to grow up around healthy relationships, and can’t help but feel so fond of the love they have for each other and wanting it for yourself.

“The kids are still outside.” Lina kisses your cheek and Dan pats your shoulder before they head to the kitchen.

You walk through the glass slide door that leads to the stunning view of the water that the sun reflects onto. You take a deep inhale in, breathing in the world’s scent. The outside is such a beauty that some people take it for granted.

“Ahh!” The famous screams come from no other than Minny. “You’re here!” She runs to you and you engulf her into a big and hard hitting hug. Jackson also hugs you and runs his hand on top of your head, messing up your hair.

“Dickhead!” You slap his chest.

“How are you, other little sister?”

“Oh, you know, here.” You say, not knowing what to say, so ‘here’ is usually your backup for not really wanting to say how you feel.

Minny rolls her eyes, knowing you all too well for your liking. “How was the drive?”

“It was…interesting.”

“Well, that’s my cue to go.” Jackson walks back to the house, and leaves Minny and I to talk.

“Was it that bad?” Minny asks worriedly.

“No, it wasn’t bad. It was just awkward and there was tension between us. But then we started playing our famous road trip game and I started teasing him, and ugh! I smiled and laughed a little and I hated it.” You huffed and looked down.

“What, why?”

“I-I don’t know. I just… I was expecting to have the worst trip when he showed up at my doorstep, but my mind is taking over.”

“Your mind or your heart?” Minny tests. You don’t reply. You just look at her, not knowing if she genuinely wanted a response or she was just testing you.

“Why did you invite him?” You ask at the wrong time because you don’t hear the sliding door open, revealing Harry.

“Hey, Minny.” He smiles softly at her and steps out of the house to hug her. Your breath was hitched in your throat, feeling guilty about your question because you didn’t hear him.

“Hey, Harry.” She smiles back and hugs him. Once they let go of their embrace, Harry turns to you.

“If you don’t want me here so bad, then the Captain shall be obeyed.” He teases, but you know that he’s more hurt than what he puts on. He puts on a brave face, but really you see it in his eyes that he’s hurt. You know that your question had hurt him and it was just the wrong timing to ask that.

“I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Didn’t you?” His head turns slightly, knowing he’s trying to keep his annoyance intact. His voice is different and sarcastic. Minny senses the shift of tension, so she breaks it.

“I invited him because he’s been my friend as long as you have, so he’s practically family too. He’s been to every trip as well, and besides, my parents love him.” She places her arm on Harry’s shoulder, and you can’t help but feel like they’re teaming up against you. Harry walks ahead of us and goes inside while you and Minny trail behind him. You know you shouldn’t think of it like that because they’re not, but you feel like such a downer once you found out that Harry was tagging along. “Let’s go in and eat lunch!” Minny changes the subject, feeling like that’s what they really needed. “By the way, which letters did he ask for?” Minny asks.

“R.E.D,” you smile amusingly and roll your eyes, giving your best friend the ‘I know right?’ look. She laughs loudly, throwing her head back and clutching her stomach.

“Well that was an easy win for you.” She says and you nod, before putting an arm around your shoulder, walking inside the house for lunch.

Lina had prepared salad, homemade garlic bread, Brussel sprouts, and mashed potatoes. Dan had cooked his famous ribs, one that was his specialty ever since he was a young adult. They didn’t want to cook right when they got to the house, so they prepared it beforehand and took it with them.

The six sat down at the table that was set in front of the window. Dan at the end of the table, Lina on his right, Minny right next to Lina, you on the other end, Harry next to you, and Jackson next to Harry. Everyone was loading food on their plates before passing it around or across the table, Lina making sure everyone got one of each.

“Alright, eat up!”

The conversation flowed throughout the table. The parents asked the kids how work was going, to which everyone responded that it was going well.

“Harry, honey, is your mom and sister planning to stay as well?” Lina asks.

Harry clears his throat and wipes his mouth before replying, “they might come at the end of the week—probably the weekend. Gems couldn’t get out of work, so they’ll only stay for a few days.” She nodded and turned to you.

“Has your mother changed her mind? About coming?” She gives you a sympathetic look.

“I don’t think so. She said she would call you later.” Lina smiles at that. Your eyes naturally gravitated towards Harry and he has a confused look on his face looking back at you, but you look down at your plate before picking up your ribs and taking a bite out of them.

You listen to the conversation while you eat; Dan telling the table a story about a cliff diving incident that happened to Lina when they were in Greece, and the whole table was laughing their ass off, even though they’ve heard it a million times; it never gets old.

You finished your rib and set it down on your plate before wiping your hands down, and before you went to wipe your lips, you felt a napkin, one that’s not yours, wipe your cheek. You turn and see Harry trying to get the stained sauce from your skin.

“Thank you.” You say awkwardly once he’s done, and he gives you a smile followed by a chuckle. He didn’t mean to do that. He knew you were a messy eater and it was a habit that he wiped stuff off your face. A habit that worked well for the both of you, like you were a team. A natural born team.

Once everyone was finished with lunch, it was nearing 2 p.m already, and the group decided to split and do whatever they please as they were going to be all together tomorrow and the rest of the trip.

After everyone helped clean up the table and kitchen, you decided to take a nap before watching the sun set for the day.

Your body hit the mattress and soft pillows that made you feel like you were on a cloud. The room was dark, thanks to the thick curtains that hung from the metal rod. The only light that was shown was a strip of it coming from the curtain not being able to close all the way. You snuggled your pillow, happy you’re finally getting some rest after a long day.

When you woke up, it was still light out, but not as sunny as it was prior to your nap. You stretched your limbs out, relieving the feeling of any tense muscles from your sleep, and walked downstairs and to the backyard.

“Good nap?” Harry says from the lawn chair that is set on the grass. You rub your eyes, nodding while closing the sliding door. There’s a vacant seat next to him, and you’re not quite sure if you want to sit next to him or watch the sun disappear when your feet are in the water. “Want to sit here?” He asks as if he read your mind.

“I-”

“I can see that you’re debating if you want to sit next to me or not, so I can leave and you can sit here if you want.” He says, and you feel bad a bit. He already thinks that you don’t want him here, and he’s simply here for Lina and Dan.

“It’s okay. You can stay. I’m just going to go by the water.” He only nods and you walk away.

The water softly hits the shore and you feel the coldness of it hit your feet. It’s refreshing and cooling, hoping it’ll cool down your nerves and your mood.

You cross your arms as you watch the sun slowly begin to set. The fascination you have with the sun is like no other. It reminds you of the feeling of hope and a new beginning; how the sun setting resembles the end of a story, a day. And tomorrow is a new day.

You can’t help but think about your situation with Harry and how it’s hypocritical to be talking about a new story when you’ve been clinging onto his story. You feel a little stressed keeping the grudge and anger towards him bottled up because he hurt you bad, but you’re also still in love with him.

As the sky turned from light to dark, you turned around to go inside, and to see if Harry was still sitting on the chair. But when you’re walking away from the water and towards the house, you see the chair empty, and you don't know why you have a sad feeling in your chest.

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stormcrawler75 · 4 years

Note

if it hasn't been done yet (re the bad things happenbingo) could I ask for either amputation or damaged wing(s) with Remus please? I love what you've done with the prompts so far

Warnings: Amputation, hospitals, diseases, talk of surgery.

Characters: Remus, Patton, mentions of Roman, Logan, Virgil, and Janus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hospitals smelt like absolute, sterilized shit.

Remus couldn’t fucking stand hospitals. Just the smell alone made Remus want to stay far away from hospitals for his entire life. Like, Remus got it. The people who worked there saved lives and the world would probably die without them. But Remus really hated hospitals. Maybe the problem was that they didn’t get enough money? Or that usually only shitty things happened at hospitals? Or maybe because of how many times Remus had been in one recently and he had only gotten shitty fucking news?

Whatever. No matter the reason, hospitals were still at the top of Remus’ shit list at the moment.

Plus, the gowns were itchy. Though, that might just be Remus’ opinion. He currently had one tied around in and was lying in a bed, waiting impatiently for the stupid kiddie clock - which was actually pretty cool because it was shaped like an octopus - hung on the opposite wall to hit three o’clock. Remus was so ready for this to be over with so he could go back home. Roman had promised to make whatever he wanted for dinner when Remus came back and Remus was so craving pancakes with cheese sauce.

Remus sighed and glanced over at his Dad, who was sitting next to him and reading a battered old Highlights magazine. “How much longer,” he whined, giving Patton his best pout. “We’ve been waiting here forever!”

“We’ve been waiting here for two hours, Sweetie,” Patton said gently, putting the magazine down on his knee. He glanced at the clock hanging opposite from them. “Well, it looks like you only got about twenty more minutes to go, Hon. Are you nervous?”

The question had been asked so many times by so many people lately that Remus could barely manage a scoff. “Me? Nervous? Nah, not at all! Hey, it’ll be pretty cool, if you think about it!” He forced a gasp and grabbed Patton’s wrist. “Do you think they’ll film it? Could I watch it later!?”

Patton laughed and shook his head fondly. “I don’t think so, Kiddo. But I’ll ask your doctor, okay? But if we do get it then no showing your siblings, okay? Especially don’t let Virgil catch you watching it, he would have nightmares for weeks. He’s already so worried about today.”

Remus’ jaw clenched at the memory of his two-year-old brother sobbing just a few hours ago and trying to cling to Remus’ hand. Virgil hated hospitals just as much as Remus and, unlike Remus, he didn’t have the maturity and wisdom that Remus had to understand why he hated them or remember just how long he had spent there as a baby. “He doesn’t have any reason to worry,” Remus spat, hating the pit of fear that was growing in his gut. “The doctors said that this is the best option for me and even if I’ll have to do therapy and stuff, I should be just fine.”

“Oh, Honey, he’s only a toddler, he doesn’t understand what’s happening,” Patton said gently, taking Remus’ hand and squeezing it. “All he understands is that his big brother is in pain and is going away to a scary place and is going to come back without one of his legs. He’s much too young to know what osteomyelitis is.”

“I’m fourteen and I don’t even fully understand what this stupid disease is,” Remus muttered, crossing his arms. So many people had tried explaining it to him and all Remus fully understood was that some stupid fungi had injected his right leg bone and they had caught it so late that amputation was the only option. “But I know that he shouldn’t be worried. It’ll be fine and he didn’t need to be crying so much. Logan and Roman weren’t crying.”

And, no, Remus wasn’t disappointed that Logan and Roman - old enough to understand what was happening - didn’t cry like Virgil had or looked worried. Not that there was any reason to be worried but it would’ve been nice for them to pretend to be worried!

Patton squeezed his hand again, looking down at him sympathetically. “Trust me, kiddo, they were crying plenty last night. Logan’s been looking up the operation ever since he learnt what you have and Roman is so scared about his twin. They were trying to be strong for you, that’s-”

“But there’s no reason to be worried,” Remus cried, throwing out his arms in frustration. “There isn’t, I’m going to be fine and there’s no reason for anyone to worry!” His eyes were filling with sudden tears and his jaw trembled with the force of keeping them back. “I-I’m gonna come home and annoy everyone a-and t-they don’t need to worry ‘bout me cause I am gonna be f-fine!” He sobbed and pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes, images of all the things that could go wrong flashing through his mind.

Arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him forward until he was leaning against his dad’s chest. “Shhh, shhhh, you’re okay, you’re going to be okay,” Patton cooed, rubbing a hand up and down Remus’ back. “You’re gonna be fine, kiddo.”

“They’re gonna take my leg,” Remus sobbed, gripping Patton’s shirt so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. “D-don’t let them take my leg, don’t let them, Papa!”

“Oh, Kiddo,” Patton sighed, resting his cheek on the top of Remus’ head and holding him close. “Sweetheart, I wish I could stop them from taking your leg. If I could, I’d take this infection and put it in my own leg so you wouldn’t have to lose yours. But I can’t, Sweetie, and I’m so sorry. And I know this is very scary but I’ll be right outside the room the entire time. And I’m going to buy you the best prosthetic that money can buy, I promise.”

Remus sniffled and he rubbed at his eyes, looking up at Patton sadly. “O-one with some design?”

Patton gave him a wobbly smile and nodded, kissing Remus’ forehead. “I’ll buy you two. A plain one and one with any design that you want on it. We’ll do it together, okay baby?”

“Okay,” Remus sniffled, leaning back against Patton and closing his eyes. “...How long now?”

“...Two minutes.”

Remus’ breath hitched and he fought back the urge to vomit. It’d be hilarious but then they’d have to wait even longer for this surgery to take place. “I’m scared,” he admitted softly. “I’m so scared, Papa.”

“I’ll be right outside the surgery room and I’ll be right there when you wake up,” Patton promised softly, sounding like he was holding back tears. It made Remus want to dig a hole in the ground and cry. He was making his Papa cry. “And as soon as the Doctors say you’re ready, we’ll go home and see your brothers and Uncle Janus, okay?”

Remus sniffled and nodded, wiping away the tears trailing down his cheeks.”Okay,” he whispered. He let out a shaky breath and forced a smile. “It’ll be okay.”

“Remus?” The two of them turned to see a Doctor and a Nurse waiting for them. “We’re ready for you.”

Remus glanced at Patton nervously and got a confident smile in return. “You’ll be okay,” Patton said, looking so sure that he might as well had been saying that the sky was blue. “I’ll be right next to you when you wake up, okay?”

“Okay,” Remus said softly, turning to the Doctor and Nurse. “I’m ready.”

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#Storm writes #tw Amputation #tw hospitals #tw diseases #tw talk of surgery #Remus Sanders #Patton Sanders #Roman Sanders #Logan Sanders #Virgil Sanders #Janus Sanders #Bad Things Happen Bingo #Anonymous

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winchesterwords · 4 years

Text

“You and I” John Winchester x F!Reader

Summary: Set before the boys raid the vampire nest to get the colt, John visits you to get insight on which vamps have it. Owning a bar, you are a highway of information for the supernatural and an “old friend” of johns. How will he react around you while his sons meet you for the first time?

Word Count: 3753

Warning: Swearing, Alcohol, lil steamy moment

Song I Wrote To: “You and I” by Lady Gaga

Note: This is a bit canon divergence but I liked the concept. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t write smut, but I hope this lil steamy moment was okay. I don’t see enough John fics on here or ao3 so I wanted to do something. I wish we would have gotten more of his character. Tho i think that’s just cause I love JDM so much.

-------

In the dark of a lone American road, a 67’ Impala rolled along the rain-slicked street.

“You have that look on your face again,” Dean Winchester said, looking over at his brother. Sam turned to him, confused.

“What look?” he asked.

“The look that says you want to either punch Dad or punch him twice,” Dean said with a knowing glance.

“I just don’t get why he won’t tell us where we’re going,” Sam said with a deep sigh as he stared at the taillights of their father’s truck ahead of them. “He just has to make everything so damn mysterious.” Dean laughed as his thumbs drummed on the steering wheel.

“You’re just realizing that now, Sammy? Dad has always been like this, but he knows what he’s doing. Always does.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Sam grumbled and Dean rolled his eyes. In their search for the colt, they had gotten word that the break-in was perpetrated by a nest of vampires. The problem was, they weren’t sure where to start when it came to the bloodsuckers. Then, John had mentioned he knew someone who could give them a hand. That was all he said before jumping in his truck and telling his boys to follow him. Sam and Dean had done what they were told and revved the Impala’s engine, but now, Sam was getting restless.

----

John Winchester drove with an eagerness.

He knew where he was going. He had the route memorized no matter which direction he was coming from. You were the kind of woman that he couldn’t forget even if he tried. There was something about the way you didn’t take any bullshit when it came to anyone. Then there was the fact that you handled a sawed-off shotgun as well as any hunter he had ever met. John always liked keeping you to himself, his own personal getaway when things were getting a bit too dark for his tastes.

However, unfortunately, this visit would not be a social one. He needed your help and he was running out of options to find the colt. If anyone knew where to find a vamp nest with a desire for a mystical gun, it would be you.

John hit the gas and sped down the road, keeping Sam and Dean in his rearview mirror. He was actually nervous for once. There was so much of his life that he kept private from his sons. Dean knew a bit more than Sam, but they didn’t know about you. They didn’t know about how you had saved his life twice or that you had asked him to stay with you on multiple occasions, but he couldn’t. You always understood that he had a mission to complete. Not just for Mary, but for his boys as well and you respected that even when all you wanted was a bit more time with the man, just as he did with you.

Turning off the highway, John rolled into a town that seemed like coming home. Dean followed him through the winding streets as John drove straight for your bar. You had owned “The Iron Outpost” since before you had met the eldest Winchester. The entire building was lined with pure iron to keep unwanted spirits at bay. Not to mention the devil’s traps at both entrances and holy water you added to all the drinks.

You were pretty lenient with most supernaturals such as wolves, witches, even the odd vampire on occasion, but demons was where you drew the line. They never got past the door and if they tried, they would be met by you or your business partner, Dawn, who was also a hunter. The two of you had become an information highway for everything going on in the supernatural world and that was why the Winchesters were now at your doorstep.

Parking in front of the Outpost, John got out of his truck just as his sons pulled in. Sam still looked annoyed as he got out of the Impala, but Dean just looked confused. “Alright, Dad,” Dean said, “what’s going on? Who is this secret contact of yours.”

“Never said she was a secret, Dean,” John said, “I just said you had never met her.”

“She?” Sam asked.

“She’s a hunter,” John said, nodding towards the front door. “Sort of.”

Sam and Dean exchanged a look before following John into the bar. It was pretty crowded for a Tuesday night. The low hum of conversation rolled throughout the room as drinks were poured and food was served. Dean immediately spotted the odd charms that hung around the main entrance, as well as the warding symbols carved into the door frame.

There were two levels in the place and people milled about on both floors, smiling and drinking their fill. It was a typical place to find hunters and Dean immediately loved it. Sam was still a bit skeptical but remained optimistic that this place would offer answers.

John searched the floor for you, but could only spot Dawn as she worked behind the bar, smiling at patrons. Moving further into the bar, John kept his eyes peeled for you. “Is she meeting us here?” Sam asked.

“She owns the bar,” John said, turning to his youngest. “She should be around here somewhere…”

“Closer than you think, Winchester,” a voice came from above and John visibly relaxed as your voice reached him. Looking up at the balcony on the second floor, he finally spotted you. Grinning, you turned and jogged down the stairs. John’s eyes followed you as you approached him and the boys.

“(Y/N),” he greeted with a smile.

“Heya, Handsome,” you said as you walked up to him. “I’ve missed you,” you whispered as you leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. John smiled down at you, taking in your face as if he was trying to memorize it. “And I see you’ve brought guests,” you said, peering over his shoulder. Though, it didn’t take long for the pieces to fit together in your mind. “Or should I say, family.”

“(Y/N),” John said, “these are my boys, Sam and Dean,” he introduced, gesturing to each of his sons. You shook both of their hands, smiling.

“Wow, John, you never mentioned how tall they were,” you said, looking at Sam with amusement in your eyes. The youngest Winchester chewed on the inside of his lip, awkwardly. Turning back to John, you sat into a single hip, crossing your arms. “What are you doin’ back in my neck of the woods?” you asked.

“Need your help on something, (Y/N),” he said and you recognized his tone of voice immediately. This wasn’t going to be one of your more...entertaining visits.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, giving him your full attention.

“We may need a bit more privacy for this conversation,” he said, glancing around and you instantly understood.

“That kind of ‘something’, huh?” John nodded, “Alright, boys. Why don’t you grab a seat and I’ll start closin’ up early. I’ll send Dawn over with a bottle,” you said. John reached out and squeezed your arm.

“Thanks,” he said. You sent him a wink and then disappeared to start clearing out customers. John led his sons over to the table he always sat at when he came to visit. Shrugging out of his coat, he leaned back and watched as you spoke to Dawn across the bar, gesturing to the three men in the corner.

“Dad?” Dean said, gaining John’s attention. “How exactly do you know her?” John sighed, running a hand over his face.

“I met her a few years ago,” John began, “I was on a hunt not too far from here. Some large-scale haunting and I hadn’t realized there was more than one ghost. These were nasty spirits. Salt slowed them down, but every time I turned around, three more would show up. I was being cornered by at least four of them and I was out of rounds when (Y/N) showed up and showered them in salt,” John chuckled slightly at the memory. “Woman was like Rambo with a salt grenade and then she hauled my ass out of there.”

“So you got your ass handed to you by a chick?” Dean asked, amused. John shrugged.

“Twice actually,” he continued. “She came with me to salt and burn the bones when a vamp came out of nowhere. Freshly turned one too. I’ve never seen anyone move that fast with a machete.”

“But I thought you said she wasn’t a hunter,” Sam said.

“I said she was sort of a hunter,” John corrected. “(Y/N) hunts when she can. Mostly local things to keep her town safe, but she has other...talents. (Y/N) is connected in the world of the supernatural. She always knows what is going on within the monster world.”

“What? Like having Wolfman on speed dial?” Dean asked and Sam kicked him under the table. Dean threw a glare at his little brother, annoyed.

“Kind of,” John said, “it’s complicated.” Dean pursed his lips but didn’t press the issue as Dawn arrived with a bottle of bourbon and four glasses. She dropped them on the table. “Thanks, Dawn,” John said. Dawn grinned at him.

“Good to see you, John,” she said. “Things have been a bit boring around here since you left.”

“You know me, D, gotta keep moving,” he said and she rolled her eyes.

“Right,” she said with a knowing look. “Alright, you guys have a good night, I’m heading out.” Dawn nodded to the boys and then gripped John’s shoulder as she headed for the back, ready to have an early night. Dean poured the drinks and handed them out, pouring an extra one for you as you finished up sending people home.

John sipped from his glass as he watched as you dragged a very drunk psychic from the bar. “It helps me see better!” the woman complained, trying to stay on her feet.

“Then go buy a bottle at the liquor store, Shay,” you said, hauling her to the door. “I got shit to do!”

“You are going to have a hard life, (Y/N),” Shay said, pointing her finger at your face. Then, the psychic fell over, trying to reach the door.

“Bet you didn’t see that coming,” you quipped as she stumbled out the door. With a final dismissal of the staff, the Outpost was finally quiet. After locking up, you joined the Winchesters, gratefully accepting the drink John handed you. “Alright, fill me in.”

“Wait,” Sam said before John could begin, “how do we know we can trust her?” Dean rolled his eyes and John narrowed his at his youngest. You, however, had expected this.

“Something tells me you have questions, Sam Winchester,” you said, downing the bourbon. “Ask away.”

“How do you get your information about the supernaturals?” Sam asked. You reached for the bottle again and poured yourself another drink as you spoke.

“I have my sources,” you explained. “Not all ‘monsters’ are bad, boys. There are wolves that eat cow hearts from the butcher and vamps that drink blood-bags instead of people. If you know which ones are the less horrible ones, you can make deals with them. Offer them protection from other hunters in exchange for information. I don’t deal in demons though,” you assured them. “However, I do know how to summon one if the situation is that dire. Which it rarely is in these parts. Psychics and witches are also easy to find and very easy to bribe once you get to know them.”

“So you run a black market for information?” Dean asked.

“That’s one way to put it, sure,” you said with a shrug. “I find that monsters are more willing to speak to you than other hunters. I offer them a deal and they usually take it.”

“What deal?” asked Sam.

“If they prove to me that they don’t kill people and offer good information, I keep them protected and keep their secret.”

“And if they break the deal?”

“Then I kill them,” you said simply.

“Just like that?” asked Dean.

“Just like that, Dean,” you said. “Satisfied?” Dean hesitated before nodding. You looked at Sam and he did the same.

“She’s good, boys,” John said and you smiled at him, gripping his shoulder.

“So,” you began, “tell me what you need.” John turned fully towards you and you could see that he was exhausted. You weren’t sure when the last time he slept was. Then again, you hadn’t seen the man for months. A hundred different things could have happened since then.

“We’re looking for the colt,” John said and your brows shot up.

“As in Samuel Colt?” you asked.

“You know it?” he asked.

“I do, but nobody knows where it is.”

“We did,” Dean interjected. “Another hunter, Daniel Elkins, had it, but it was stolen.”

“By vamps, (Y/N),” John said.

“What would vampires want with a gun like that?” you asked, confused. Everyone that knew about the supernatural was aware of the gun. It was legendary, but most people thought it was just a fable, a myth to tell monsters so they would be scared. You never imagined that someone you knew would be after it.

“We don’t know,” John said, “but we need it.” You sighed, placing your drink down.

“I can ask some of my contacts, but I can’t make any promises. And as soon as I do, people, monsters, spirits, you name it, they’re all gonna know the Winchesters are after it.”

“We’re out of options, (Y/N),” he said.

“I’ll do my best,” you said.

“Aren’t you gonna ask why we need it?” Dean asked.

“Not my business,” you said. “When you’re in the business in making deals and keeping secrets, you tend to learn to not ask questions. Excuse me,” you said as you got up and headed for your office upstairs. The three men watched after you.

As soon as the door to your office shut, John turned to his sons. “Really? Did you have to interview her like a suspect?” He didn’t wait for them to answer as he got up and followed after you.

“How well do you think they actually know each other?” Sam asked, watching after his father.

“You don’t think…?” said Dean and then he cringed. “Not an image I needed, Sammy. Not at all.”

-------

Slipping into your office, John shut the door softly behind him.

“Your boys are a lot like you,” you said from your desk as you texted away on your cell phone. John walked around the room as he looked at all the memorabilia you had from various hunts and adventures. Some he had even joined you on. When his eyes fell on the leather couch in the corner, he couldn’t keep the smirk off his face.

“Sam is like me,” John eventually said, “but Dean is more like his mother.” John turned and walked back to you as you set your phone down and walked around to lean against the desk. John met you there. You reached out and ran your hands up his chest and then over his shoulders.

“You look tired,” you said softly, looking into his hazel eyes that stared back at you through thick lashes.

“So do you,” he pointed out. You shrugged.

“It can be hard in my line of work. Never know when someone is going to need me up at three in the morning.” John nodded as his hands slid around your waist under your shirt, his large hands gripping you tighter. His thumbs rubbed along your skin. “I was hoping you’d visit soon,” you said quietly.

“I’m sorry it took me so long,” he said, stepping closer between your legs.

“I heard you mention the haunting we first worked,” you said as your hands crept up his neck and into his hair.

“It was a tough one,” John said. “I should have done my research and of course, listened to the local bartender who told me the history of the place.”

“Yeah, probably would have helped,” you said with a grin.

“You know,” John said, leaning forward to trail his lips along your jaw ever so slightly. “I never did thank you for saving me that night.” Your eyes fluttered closed as he nipped at your ear, your hands tightening in his hair.

“I remember you did,” you breathed out.

“Oh?” John asked, innocently. Pulling back, he looked down at you with lustful eyes. “Would you mind reminding me?” With a hard tug, your lips met his and he grabbed your hips, placing you on the desk.

John kissed you hard as he tried to make up for all the time lost between the two of you. You gripped him tightly, letting him take control. His hands moved from your waist to your hips and then your thighs as he took charge of your body.

Sliding your hands from his hair to his waist, you ran them up his stomach beneath his shirt, feeling his hard chest beneath your fingers. John pressed in closer, gripping the back of your neck to tilt your head back for better access. When he parted your lips, a small groan echoed from your throat which only made him more eager.

There was nothing better than kissing John Winchester. He was the only man to ever make you feel like this and the second he walked out of your bar, you craved him until he returned.

Your nails raked down his back as he let go of your lips and moved to your jaw and then down to your throat. Leaning back on the desk, you let him mark you, feeling electricity flow through your veins. You gasped as he bit down just above your collarbone. Keeping one hand on your neck, he used the other to grip your thigh. Your leg came up and between his legs. John pressed his body against yours harder at the movement.

You were flush against him, feeling his body fit perfectly against your own. He dragged his teeth along your throat, eliciting another moan from your mouth. “You’re gonna cause trouble if you keep doing that,” he whispered against your skin. “Not that I’m complaining,” he said as he lay you back on the desk, running his hands along your body as he leaned over you.

“Don’t be a tease,” you warned as he grinned, wrapping your leg around his waist.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said with a smirk as he trailed a finger across your chest.

“John,” you breathed out as he moved back to your lips, swallowing your whispers.

Just as his hand began to move towards the waistband of your jeans, your phone rang.

“Fuck,” you groaned as he paused. Detangling yourself from his body, you slid off the desk and grabbed your phone. John stood back, trying to control his breathing as he smoothed down his shirt. You fussed with your own clothes as you picked up the call.

John didn’t listen as you spoke to whatever contact you had reached out to. Instead, he tried to come down from the high he had just experienced in that small moment with you. He had almost forgotten what it had felt like to have you in his arms, to feel you respond to his touch. His heart jumped in anticipation at the thought of having the opportunity again, he knew it was unlikely. They still had a job to do.

“You’re in luck,” you said, grabbing his attention as you pocketed your phone. John turned to you. You wiped at your mouth with the back of your hand and smoothed your hair. “I have the location.”

-----

Once the two of you had made sure you didn’t look like horny teenagers, you rejoined Sam and Dean.

“I got it,” John said, raising a piece of paper in his hand. Your vampire contact, a nomad who you had crossed paths with occasionally had heard about two humans who had been taken by a nest. A nest that was gloating about getting the jump on some guy named Elkins.

“Just like that?” Dean asked.

“I told you,” John said, “she’s good.” Sam still looked skeptical, but Dean seemed to be alright with how things turned out.

“Do you guys need anything else?” you asked, trying not to let the sadness on your face show. You knew he had to leave now and you weren’t sure when you would see him again.

“We’re good,” John said softly and you nodded, crossing your arms.

“Well, don’t any of you be a stranger, okay?” you said. “And for god’s sake be careful so I don’t have to hunt you down cause you got turned.”

“We’ll do our best,” John said with a longing look that Dean caught immediately.

“We’ll meet you outside, Dad,” Dean said as he grabbed his brother’s jacket. “It was nice meeting you, (Y/N),” he said and you nodded back to the both of them. As soon as the door closed behind them, you grabbed John’s arm.

“You’re going after it, aren’t you?” you asked. “The demon. That’s what the colt’s for.” John grimaced and you sighed. He had told you about the yellow-eyed demon the second time he had come to see you. To most people, a conversation like that would seem like bad pillow talk, but it was normal for the two of you.

“You know I have to,” he said, reaching for you. His hand came up to hold the side of your face.

“I know,” you said. “He’s not gonna know what hit him when John Winchester shows up with Samuel Colt’s gun on his hip,” you said as you pulled him closer, your hand resting on the place his gun normally sat. You pulled his lips to yours and you kissed him fiercely. He melted into the kiss and you felt as if this was finally goodbye. You didn’t know why, but something about the way you held each other spoke volumes.

Pulling back, you looked right in his eyes and tried to memorize those beautiful hazel irises. “(Y/N), you are...it’s been you for so long,” he whispered and you fought back tears. You kissed him once more, letting your lips linger for just a few seconds before letting go again.

“Go get the bastard,” you said. John smiled at you.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

#winchesterwords #Sam Winchester #Dean Winchester #john winchester #john winchester imagine #john winchester x reader #reader insert #apolloloki97 #supernatural #supernatural fanfic #spn fic #spn imagines #JOhn winchester fic

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anathewierdo · 4 years

Text

Waiting for Roses

Pairing: Dean x Reader... kind of 😏

Summary: Fridays are special. He waits for her on Fridays... and he waits for her with roses.

Warnings: mention of major character death, Dean’s daughter being cute and sad, Daddy!Dean, overall bittersweet sadness :)

Word count: 2.1K

Extra notes: Dean has a daughter here. Her name is Joanna. He calls her Jo or Joey. Also, I didn’t describe a lot of Jo and Y/N because I want you, the reader, to imagine yourself and the little girl in whatever shape or form you want. Dean loves you both with all he has.

This fic is based on the song “Rosas” by La Oreja de Van Gogh. You can listen to it here!

So, this is my first angsty one-shot here... and if I may say so, I’m pretty proud of it! I hope you guys like it! :D

Special thanks to @percywinchester27, @flamencodiva and @superfanficnatural for beta’ing this little fic. I cannot thank you enough <3

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He’s done the same damn thing every Friday for years now and he’ll do it for years to come. Though, there is a rare occasion when he doesn’t follow through with it, and it’s more likely for him to have no plans on a Friday evening because of this little thing. It’s incredibly stupid (he always takes that thought back) and some days he finds himself swearing that this Friday would be the last, that he should’ve stopped doing this a long ago, but fuck it. It’s more of a tradition now rather than a bitter memory.

A young girl is sitting beside him on the park bench, a bouquet of pink roses lying on her lap. She looks at the matching bouquet of roses in her father’s hands as the people in the park come and go on this particular grey friday. She’s wearing small jeans, a colorful shirt and a pair of light-up tennis shoes that took months of begging on her part, until he gave in and bought them.

“Dad, can we play now?”

Dean takes a deep breath as he takes in the question, eyeing the now almost empty park in front of them. He has to admit, ever since Jo asked him to take her with him on his Friday outings, they’ve become a little less sad, a little less heartbroken and a lot more, dare he say, enjoyable.

He knows how much his daughter likes their Fridays now. She’s made sure that he does more than sit on this very same bench, with no other company than his spiraling thoughts, every fucking Friday until it’s time for the next destination. So he turns to look at her, takes the roses gently from her hands and lays both bouquets down on the bench before he smiles complicitly, “Pit stop at the swings?”

Joanna Winchester wastes no time in dashing out of the bench, “Last one to get there is a rotten egg!” she screams back at him.

Dean has to fight a knot that begins to form in his throat at her little taunt. So much like her mother.

The one thing he can still do at the moment is run, so he does. Dean screams exaggeratedly and loudly, telling his daughter, ‘it’s not fair! You're too fast and I’m too old for this!’

Her giggles in response are music to his ears.

Dean groans in defeat once more as he watches her take a seat in a swing and wave her arms and legs in a little dance, whooping and claiming victory.

He makes a show of falling to the ground, holding a hand to his chest and panting, “One day I’m gonna win, bug. Mark my words.”

Joanna giggles again, teasing him about being a sore loser.

They spend the next hour playing and goofing around the park. Both Winchesters keep looking back at their bench, making sure the roses are still there, beautiful and unharmed.

“Dad, can we go to Mom now?”

Her father stops dead in his tracks as the laugh dies right away. With a quick look at his watch, Dean nods, “Yup, time to go to Mom, bean.”

Bouquets in hand, they start walking out of the park and towards Baby. As soon as Jo has her seatbelt on, they’re out of there.

Dean checks on her every few seconds. She’s caressing the roses delicately, even playing with a few of the petals to open them up a little bit more. She has questions. He braces himself for a bomb.

“Dad, why do we always sit on that bench?”

“What bench?”

“The one at the park. Our bench.”

He has to clear his throat a couple of times as the memories flood back, “That’s where Mommy and I used to meet. For our dates.”

“Really?” her little eyes widened in wonder.

“Uh-huh,” he confirms. “I used to wait for her right on that bench with roses ready for her. Every time. We liked to go out on Fridays.”

Joanna stares down at the roses in silence for the next few moments. The next time he looks into the rearview mirror, his little bug is sniffling and he catches sight of a little droplet falling down her face, “But then Mommy had to go,” she sniffles.

“Mommy had to go,” he croaks in agreement. “But, she loves her roses. And I like waiting for her.”

“You don’t hate that I come with you?”

“Joey, there is nothing that could be better than waiting for Mommy with you.”

“Okay,” another sniffle.

“Bug, look at me,” he pleads softly, giving his daughter his best smile once she does. “I love you very, very, very much, alright? And there is nothing I would rather do than be with my wonderful little ladybug.” Dean takes the last turn, getting into the parking lot of the cemetery. With trembling hands, he kills the engine, takes his bouquet and gets out of the car to help Jo out of the backseat. As she steps out, he gives her a big hug, careful to not ruin her bouquet, “Okie dokie, Joey?” he mumbled to her ear.

Her little fist tightens in his shirt as a trembling and small ‘okie dokie, Dad’ is mumbled back.

They stay there for a few more seconds, clinging to each other with all their strength before stepping away to look at the gate that leads to the graveyard. Taking a hold of Jo’s free hand, Dean smiles down at her as tears begin to run down his face.

“Let’s go, bug. We can’t miss Mommy’s birthday.”

It’s fairly easy to spot that particular grave. It’s unmissable to both of them by now; the path is so familiar that they could find it blind. The funeral was the second worst day of his life, with a trembling six year old Jo clinging to him as she cried, an uncharacteristically quiet Sam, a crying Castiel and the few friends (more like family) they had left. He’d fought tooth and nail to not give her a hunter’s funeral.

Burning her was a point of no return and he couldn’t imagine how he’d live knowing that he’d completely closed the door on the possibility of her coming back. Back then, he’d reasoned that if she ever came back, (if he found a way to do it) she’d need her body.

But no demon ever agreed to bargain, no matter what he did. Angels were dicks, like always. Billie had gone on about balance and how the Winchesters couldn’t go around avoiding death forever, no matter how much she’d respected Y/N back when she still breathed. Rowena, Castiel and even the Winchester brothers themselves couldn’t find a spell strong enough to bring her back (or maybe Dean hadn’t been told if they ever did). She was gone. After two years, he still wasn’t okay with that, but fuck if he hadn’t learned to brace himself and be there for Joey.

Dean feels Jo squeeze his hand tighter when they’re only a few feet away from it. Her grave is simple, typical gray stone engraved with a name, a date and a quote in front of a large patch of grass where the coffin had gone down. There used to only be one vase for the roses he brought in weekly, but a second one had been added after Joanna began to ask her father to let her buy Mommy flowers, too.

They dust away any leaves or dirt that may have made its way onto the stone. Dean takes out the now dead roses from last Friday before setting the new flowers on the vases either side of the grave and sitting next to each other in front of it. Dean lays one arm across his daughter’s shoulders and takes a hold of one of her hands with the other.

“Happy birthday, honey,” he croaks.

Joey has begun to sniffle again beside him, “Happy birthday, Mommy.”

Dean screws his eyes shut at the way her voice cracks and turns to kiss the top of her hair, whispering how he’s here and mommy’s here as well, and that it’s okay, before looking at the stone one more time.

“We got you your favorites,” he smiles softly. “Most beautiful roses we could find. Joey thought you would be in a mood for pink roses.”

“I’ll try to find white ones next time,” the girl promised.

“I’m sure she’ll love them,” he chuckled sadly. “We miss you, babe. A lot… but we are doing good lately, don’t worry. Joey’s doing great at school. You’d be so proud of our little ladybug; she’s super smart. Like, super duper smart. Just like you. We learned how to properly bake cakes a few days ago, so we can surprise uncle Sammy next year on his birthday,” a little poke on his stomach has him rolling his eyes playfully, though the tears won’t stop coming. “Alright, and so we can also bake Joey’s birthday cake in a few months instead of buying it from ‘the creepy lady’ bakery.”

The kid is quick to defend herself, “I don’t like how she always grabs my cheeks!” she complains. “Dad and I had a flour fight when we made cakes. He even let me watch the Lord of the Rings!”

“She loved it, by the way. I’m telling ya, our kid is super awesome!”

The talks are the best part of every Friday most of the time. Both Winchesters get wrapped up in whatever ducktales they had during the week, or plans and aches and such and they tell her everything about them. Sometimes they stay for hours, sometimes mere minutes, but they visit most Fridays without fail. If they really try, it feels like she never really left. Dean can still hear her laughter, her jokes and puns and all the love she used to give him and their daughter. Joanna told him once that sometimes she gets scared because she can’t remember her clearly, but he’s quick to solve that with a quick trip to the living room in their house –where the photo album lives– and as many anecdotes he can tell her about.

They stay by her side for about half an hour.

Reluctantly, they get up and once again, they tell her they love and miss her. Dean promises they’ll be back next Friday and Jo is quick to confirm it. By the time they’re back in Baby, both Winchesters’ smiles are not so wobbly, not so sad.

Halfway home, Jo breaks the comfortable silence, “You really think mom would be proud of me?”

“Oh ladybug,” he huffs. “I know so. She’d be incredibly proud of you.”

When they get home, Dean feels lighter and he knows his ladybug is feeling better, too.

Fridays are special.

So he claps his hands together and proposes a movie marathon, followed by board games tomorrow morning. Jo’s excitement at the sole mention of the plan has him taking out popcorn and setting it in the microwave. She runs to the living room to pick out the movies they’re watching and get some blankets as well as changing into her pajamas.

Treacherous thoughts begin to invade his head: how he misses Y/N, how he wishes she could enjoy Fridays like always. All the big and little things that used to make this house a home (they couldn’t risk anything supernatural happening to Jo). Dean shakes his head. No. She is gone, but this house is still a home and their family is still loving.

Hunting is thousands of miles behind him; something he never thought could be possible. Joey will grow up. More important than that, he’ll be there for their daughter. He’ll do whatever he can to make sure she has a future and he’ll do it for Y/N, because if she can’t see it then damn it, he’ll be there to raise their little lady bug.

As the microwave lets him know the popcorn is ready, he makes his way to the couch in front of the TV, and Dean finds peace. He can do this. He’ll wait for as many Fridays as he can, with roses in his hands and love in his heart and all the cheesy things Y/N used to love.

He’ll wait to see his wife again even if it means it’ll take decades for that to happen.

Dean passes the popcorn over to Jo as the opening credits for The Princess and the Frog begin and he lays an arm over the back of the couch.

He has hope that next Friday will be good as well.

===========================================================

I really hope y’all liked it! Please lemme know what you think, whether it’s with a reblog, an ask, everything and anything is welcome! :D

Tags: @katehuntington @winchest09 @emoryhemsworth @talesmaniac89 @whatareyousearchingfordean @deanwanddamons @maximumkillshot @malfoysqueen14 @flamencodiva @superfanficnatural @percywinchester27

#dean x reader #dean winchester angst #dean angst #deanxreader #dean winchester #dean winchester fanfiction #supernatural #supernatural fanfiction #spn fanfic #spn fandom #supernatural fandom

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perriewinklenerdie · 4 years

Text

Marry me (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Open Heart, Ethan Ramsey x MC

A/N: Hello, hello, hello! Are you guys good? Are you kicking ass or are you kicking ass? It's part 2 time (I really went in and spoiled the hell out of it with the title, didn’t I? :D). I had to rewrite it because my dumbass of a memory forgot that I already mentioned a few things that went down or are a part of this fic, so naturally, I had to go back and change things up a bit.

I’d like to take this time to also say that

WE HAVE REACHED 900 FOLLOWERS! HOW THE HELL ARE THERE SO MANY OF YOU HERE? I’M SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND YOU ALL BEING HERE, THANK YOU, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY OPEN HEART <3 <3 <3

AO3 link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23896966

Tag list: @paleweasels, @hopelessromantic1352, @kittykatchoices, @valiantlychaoticbarbarian , @radlovedreamer , @usuallyamazinglyaverage, @strawberrwess @palestazure, @cordoniaqueensworld, @universallypizzataco, @princess-geek, @faithhasnowords, @mightyfangirlofthefandoms, @drakewalkerfantasy, @timmagicktoad, @laceandlula, @greywitchyshots, @llamasgrl, @gingerjane15, @bucket-harrington , @marywrites-things , @ethanplaysfavorites , @mfackenthal , @betelgeusebee , @simsvetements, @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @buzz-bee-buzz, @owleyes374, @cora-nova, @aworldoffandoms, @l822, @cream-ray, @ughhhxjazzy, @silverlitskies, @justendlesssummerfeels, @togetherwearerapture, @desmaranj, @edgiestwinter, @friedherringclodthing, @daisy-ashton, @waytooattuned, @choicesgremlin , @lapisreviewsstuff, @the-soot-sprite, @writerapprentice, @chasingrobbie, @choicesobsessedd, @x-kyne-x, @thisperfectmemory, @drakewalker04, @rookie-ramsey, @jlynn12273, @thepinknymph @dr-brianna-casey-valentine, @a-i-n-a-a-s-h

Enjoy! <3

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

“I should probably warn you that my family is almost certainly waiting for us.” She spoke up after he turned the radio off, deciding that he wouldn’t stand any more of the songs. He smiled at her, completely unaware of what she meant.

“I would expect that, since we are pretty late.” He swiped his index finger along the line of her cheekbone, caressing her skin tenderly. She burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking as she drove into a narrow pathway in the woods.

“I didn’t phrase that correctly, let me try again. They’re standing by the window, watching the driveway for when we arrive. I can also bet you that my uncle has binoculars in his hand and my cousin has a bottle of whiskey on the table already.” She giggled, focusing fully on the road ahead of them. Slowly, a house came into the view, light flowing from the windows and illuminating the front porch.

Just like she predicted, right there, in the window of the living room, she spotted three people. Then five. Someone was jumping behind the little crowd that with every passing second was becoming not so little, new faces appearing every time she blinked.

“Exactly how many people should I expect to tackle me? I swear to god, they are multiplying.” He muttered under his breath, exhaling deeply when she turned the engine off.

“When I was leaving, there were five people in the house. As you can clearly see, that’s not the case anymore. Don’t worry though, they’re not going to kill you.”

“That’s not very comforting, you know.” He admitted, turning to look at her. Her eyes were already roaming his face, concern and pure, unconditional love. She reached out with her hand, ruffling his hair slightly.

“I love you, and so do they. Even if they don’t know it yet.” She whispered, pulling him into a lingering kiss that left him just a bit lightheaded. His hands flew to her sides, massaging her skin slowly, praying that her family couldn’t see them through the darkness of the night.

After a while, he nodded and got out of the car, rushing to her side. Wanting to humor him, she waited for him to open her door, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek as she murmured a teasing ‘thank you’.

Before they could even think about getting his suitcase out of the car, the front door flew open and a little girl began running towards Claire at full speed. She leaned down, catching and twirling her in the air as they both laughed.

“You’re back!” the little girl exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Claire’s neck in a vice-like grip. She ruffled the brown hair on her little head, nodding.

“Sorry it took us so long, the rain was awful. That reminds me, where is your coat, young lady? You’re going to get sick.” The blonde apologized, pulling her own jacket away from her body and wrapping it around them both so neither of them got cold.

“That’s okay, you’re a doctor!” then her attention shifted onto Ethan, who eyed both girls with a blank expression that Claire saw right through. There was panic in his eyes, she knew that look of his well. Trying to ease his nerves, she smiled at him encouragingly. “Are you a doctor too?”

“I am, yes.” He answered, trying to keep his voice from shaking. The girl nodded, looking between him and Claire for a short while before asking.

“Are you going to get married?”

The silence that followed was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. His eyes widened, blood rushed to his cheeks, making him as red as a tomato and Claire just laughed.

“Lara, you better run to your mother before I tickle you.” she whispered, letting her stand on her own to the ground, and as soon as her feet touched the grass, the girl ran away with a scream. Claire looked back at Ethan, noticing how he was about to suffocate from holding his breath. “Hey, calm down. She’s not going to make you propose tonight, she’s just at that age. If she hadn’t asked now, and she saw us kissing later, she might have thought we were already married.”

He let out the air from his lungs, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to his side, his lips brushing against her hairline.

“Claire, come on! Don’t freeze the guy!” a male voice called from the porch, making their head snap towards the sound.

“Will, don’t you want to see if you’re not somewhere else?” she shot back, shaking her head. Ethan already knew that she was talking to her brother, since they met before, but it was only a few people that he knew in a sea of people that were yet to make up an opinion about him.

Will ran up to them, tackling Ethan with a hug, slapping his hand against his back. A relieved laugh escaped the older doctor, his nerves easing a bit. Claire’s brother took care of Ethan’s suitcase, carrying it into the house while Claire wrapped her hand around her boyfriend’s arm, squeezing gently.

They got hit with a wave of warmth as soon as they stepped through the threshold. It was eerily quiet for just a moment. Claire’s hold on him tightened, hoping to let him wordlessly know that it would be okay. Then, the door shut behind them, and it was like a spell being broken.

Excited cheers erupted from every direction, a dozen of people jumping to their side and pulling them into tight hugs. Ethan hadn’t expected to be welcomed so warmly, with such openness. Like they already knew him, accepted him into their family. He caught Claire’s eyes as he passed her to reach her Mom, and she winked at him, almost like she wanted to say ‘I told you so’.

Turns out, she was right about more than him being accepted and them waiting for them in the window. When Will led him to the living room, he saw binoculars on the table, and a bottle of aged whiskey, along with a couple of glasses next to it. Looking back into the kitchen, he saw his girlfriend being handed a glass of wine by her sister, Louise.

“It’s not that I want to tease you about it, but I’m going to tease you about it. I have never, in my entire life, seen anyone more in love with someone than you two. It’s poetic, really.” Will grinned widely, watching how Ethan shifted in his seat. It was at this point that they were joined by Claire and Will’s Father, Ryan, and Daniel, their uncle. The four men sat on the couch, nursing their drinks and talking quietly.

“Dad, I’m going to put you on the spot. What do you think about Ethan here?” Will spoke up again, leaning back with satisfaction. He was met with a stern look from his father and a laughter followed by a clap from his uncle.

“William, that is not polite. But regardless…” Ryan scolded his son, then turned to face Ethan. “I want you to know that I’ve never seen her so happy before. You’re a good man, Ethan, I’m glad she has you. Hell, you could say you want to marry her right now and I would give you my blessing, right here, right now.”

Blood drained from his face at yet another mention of marriage. He gripped his glass tighter, unsure what to say in that situation. What made everyone suddenly decide that they were going to get married?

“Ryan, you’re going to make him suffocate, give a man some room to breathe!” Daniel laughed, patting Ethan on his knee. He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a quiet tone. “Don’t worry, they are all like that on this side of the family. As I’m sure you know, since Claire is exactly the same.” That made Ethan laugh, nodding his head as they both looked towards the short blonde, stirring something in the pot.

“She is a straight-to-the-point person, and don’t I know it.”

“Hey, hey, hey! All of you, leeches, back off my man. I’d like to cherish him for a bit longer before he runs away.” Her voice sounded above their heads all of a sudden, and then she waved her hands at her family, making them back away from him. As soon as there was some space around him, she sat in Ethan’s lap, wrapping one arm around his neck and stroking his hair gently, holding her glass with the other. He held her in his embrace, relieved that the interrogation, as amusing as it was, has ended. Her words rang in his head, finally settling in with what they meant, and he pulled her closer to him, pressing his lips to her ear.

“Bold of you to assume that I’m even able to run away. I’m not sure I know how to leave you. You’re stuck with me, for better or worse.” His voice was smooth and deep, laced with so many emotions that for a moment she thought he was crying. He wasn’t, but the intensity of his stare when their eyes met prompted her to lean in and capture his lips with hers in a longing kiss.

“Get a room!” Will exclaimed, then whistled teasingly. Silene, his aunt, sneaked up on him and pinched his neck, scolding him for acting like a child.

“You’re going to get your rights revoked if you don’t start acting like an adult.” She spoke with a bit of a French accent. Ethan faintly recalled Claire saying that her Mother’s side of the family was from or living in France, hence Aunt Silene’s accent.

“Just like when you were twenty!” the blonde sitting in his embrace laughed, then took a sip of her wine.

Soon enough, the whole family was gathered by the table, having already eaten dinner and now enjoying the drinks. They fell into the comfort of conversation, reminiscing about the past and talking about the future. Lucrecia stood up from the table with a mischievous smile, going towards the cabinet in the corner of the room. Claire’s eyes widened, shaking her head in panic.

“Mom, no.”

“Mom, yes”

Ethan’s confusion was soon to be resolved when he was handed a thick book. As soon as he opened it, he was met with a photo of a smiling woman, holding a little girl, wrapped in a blanket. His eyes searched for any signs as to who he was looking at, but one look at his girlfriend told him all he needed to know.

“You were adorable.” He noted, flipping the pages, finding more and more photos. Hearing her gasp, he looked up, only to find her face twisted in mock shock.

“So you’re saying I’m not adorable anymore?” she asked, trying to raise a reaction out of him. He could faintly hear Will making a sound of failure.

“You’re beautiful now, Claire. Breathtaking. Stunning.” He told her, not so quietly, very much aware that everyone was listening to him. All he cared about was the smile that lit up Claire’s face, and a blush that colored her cheeks. He kissed her forehead, lacing their fingers under the table.

“Nice save.”

“This is exactly why you are single, Will.” Lara noted without looking up from her bowl of ice cream. The room fell silent, all the eyes on the ten-year-old. And then the cries of laughter roared in the room.

Ethan glanced around the table, taking in all the different personalities. They were all their own people, all had their dreams and hopes, their goals in life. But first and foremost, they were a family. They had each other’s backs, through thin and thick, with unconditional love. Ethan had seen love his parents had for each other once upon a time, but it’s been so long ago, and it’s been difficult for him to believe that he could possibly have something so beautiful in his life.

And then Claire knocked his life upside down and left him no choice but to let her love him. Let her family love him and make it impossible for him not to love them in return. Impossible for him not to love her.

Hours later, they began cleaning up and getting ready to head to bed. Claire left with her Mom so they could get the beds ready for everyone, and Ethan stayed behind. He was sitting alone with his empty cup of tea in his hand, deep in his thoughts. Suddenly, he felt a pair of eyes staring at him, and sure enough, there was Aunt Silene, watching him with an unreadable expression. Without saying a word to him, she went around the couch and sat down next to him.

“I remember when Anaïs was younger, she always talked about you and your work. You were her hero, though, I suppose, you still are.” She mused, looking ahead at the sight outside the window, even though she couldn’t really see anything. The mention of an unknown name sparked his interest.

“Anaïs?”

“It’s her second name. Lucrecia and I always liked it, but her and Ryan both decided that she needed something more…”

“British?” he helped, smiling softly as he played with the name in his mind. Clarissa Anaïs Herondale. A nice ring to it, indeed.

“Exactly. It was a good choice on their part, it definitely offered her more freedom in a sense.”

Eventually, Claire came to get him, both of them saying goodnight and heading towards their room. Before she let him in, she leaned against the door with a smirk.

“Are you ready to see the most amazing room ever?” she bit her lip, catching his eye, and then pushed on the handle to let them in.

Ethan remained silent as he stood by the entrance, taking it all in. The room was exactly how he imagined it to be, with every detail matching every part of her. A piano was a new piece of information, and he made a mental note to ask her to play him something, but that could wait.

She watched him explore, filling in the blanks for him when he asked. It was refreshing, to let him see the intimate details of her that filled in the picture he had of her. While he continued his research, she wandered towards the window, staring at the sky. Stars were just beginning to peak through the darkness as the clouds cleared. Heat rolled down her back as he stood behind her, running his hand up and down her arm.

“I couldn’t help but think that I might not be a subtle as I think I am.” He said quietly, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. Unsure of what his words meant exactly, she looked up, her eyes meeting his in the reflection in the window. “First Lara, then your Father. I need to work on that.”

“I told you, you are terrible at being subtle. And I also told you not to worry. They were joking.” She grinned in triumph, her eyes gaining a playful spark.

“But I’m not.” He whispered, hugging her delicately, as though she was made of glass. Fragile, but strong. His to protect, but capable of defending herself. “Marry me.”

Her body went stiff, her eyes widening. Shock was evident on her face, her thoughts so loud, he could hear the gears in her head turning.

The silence was deafening. He imagined this very moment to be the happiest one in his life so far, but it was becoming more and more clear to him that that just might not be the case. The blank look on her face that he saw so clearly in her reflection in the window told him all he needed to know.

Ethan never was a man to cry. If he imagined anyone crying, it would be her, and only because he knows she tends to get emotional in moments like these. Now, facing the reality of her rejection, his eyes stung, and his hands shook beyond his control. His eyes fell shut, shoulders falling in defeat, and it was at this moment that Claire’s muscles gave back the control to her, allowing her to notice his expression. Realizing what was happening and how her silence sounded to him, she spun in his embrace rapidly. Tears of her own appeared in her eyes when she saw how broken he was when he thought she rejected him, shaking her head in great haste.

“Have you thought this through?” she asked, a pretty valid question if she could say so herself. The wild determination in his eyes made her not question him, though.

“I want to marry you, dammit.”

Their eyes met in a stare that lasted for a lifetime and a day more. Everything left unsaid was spoken through this one gaze, this one act of love that so many people overlooked, dismissed. The quiet and peace and understanding they had for each other was enough.

Claire moved her hands to the sides of his face, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs softly. She then pulled him closer, their foreheads touching. He held her like he was never going to let her go, like she was there to stay; because she was. It was her place on earth, her home, her sense of security, and all of that was reflected in her for him. Both of them sobbed when she muttered her answer.

“Yes.”

He let her go for a moment and went to his bag, taking a small box out.

“I don’t want you to fall down on one knee.” She muttered, grabbing his hand and pulling him right back to her side. The ring caught just enough light in the almost dark room to display the diamond, standing out proudly when it finally rested on her finger.

“Claire Anaïs Ramsey. Sounds perfect, if you ask me.”

“How do you- Aunt Silene.” Her eyes widened when he mentioned her second name, and then realization smoothed out the line on her forehead. Ethan ran his finger around the ring, raising her hand to his lips to press a soft kiss to it.

“It’s after midnight.” He noticed when his eyes caught the sight of the clock. Sure enough, it was fourteen minutes into the next day. “Happy Birthday, Claire.”

“I love you so much.”

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

The sound of screams woke them up the next morning. His arm was wrapped tightly around her, his face buried in her shoulder. Slowly, the world began to bleed into his consciousness, pulling him away from the tranquility the sleep provided.

Their midnight conversation felt like a dream until he saw the ring, shining in the morning sun, his chest swelling with pride and uncontained happiness. Lacing their fingers together, he gave her hand a squeeze.

“Good morning, my love.” He muttered into her ear, kissing the skin behind it. A short giggle of hers reached him as she snuggled closer into him.

“Good morning indeed.”

“Happy birthday.”

“You already wished me happy birthday.” Claire pointed out, turning to the over side so she could look at him. His arms wrapped around her securely, keeping her close to him.

“I’m so happy you said ‘yes’.” He tried again, watching how her face lit up at the mention of their engagement. “It’s a good thing I did ask your Dad for his permission after all.”

“Wait, he knew?” shock was spelled in her features, trying to remember when he could have possibly done that.

“Well, he did say it as an off-hand comment, but when I approached him later on, he said that it was pretty much obvious what I was about to ask. We did talk about it, though.” He still felt the nerves when the words left his mouth, and the sheer panic when Ryan didn’t say anything for a long moment.

“Did you cry?” she teased him, snaking her hand up the side of his neck and tangling her fingers into his hair to pull him down onto her. Their lips met in a slow, lazy kiss, neither rushing into it, taking their time to explore.

His hand moved down her back, sneaking beneath the material of his shirt that she slept in. His touch left a trail of goosebumps on her skin. She rolled them over, straddling him as the kiss deepened, a quiet groan slipping from him.

“I’m going to count to five and then I’m entering the room. You two better be decent, I’m too young and beautiful to die!” Will’s voice came from the over side of the door, bursting their bubble. Claire let out a long breath, annoyed, and leaned out of bed to grab a pillow. They sat down in bed, both pulling on their clothes and hair to make themselves somewhat presentable.

The door flew open and her brother’s face came into the view.

“Five! Are you two done having s- hey!” he started saying, then was shut up when a pillow encountered his face. When he could see again, he saw a satisfied smirk on his sister’s face, who was leaning against her boyfriend.

“If you think that just because I’m a year older, I am above dunking a bucket of ice-cold water on you when you’re asleep, think again, William.” She warned, making a ‘get out’ sign with her hand.

“The breakfast is ready, birthday girl. Also, please stay away from my bed, I value it. I love it, you wouldn’t kill my love, would you?”

“How old are you again?” she leaned her head to the side, grinning at him. “We’ll be downstairs in a moment.”

When the door closed, she turned around to look at Ethan. His eyebrow was raised in a silent question.

“Yes, I did throw a bucket of water on him while he was sleeping. On more than one occasion.”

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

“Do we just tell them or let them notice?” Ethan pulled her away from the entrance to the kitchen for a moment, unsure how to proceed. She pondered upon his words and then a mischievous grin took over her features.

“Let them figure it out. I’ve got a plan in mind.”

They walked into the room holding hands, but it didn’t last long, as everyone took turns to come up to her and hug her. Claire was immediately sat in the loveseat in the center of the room, a glass of champagne in hand.

“Little sis’, I’ve got your birthday cake here, I’ll do my best to not trip.” Will exclaimed as he approached her, placing the platter on the table next to her seat.

Twenty-eight candles were lit, illuminating her face when she leaned in to blow them out. She closed her eyes, listening to her family’s cheers. After that, they all took turns giving her gifts, until it was only Ethan left. Claire already got her gift from him, so her face must have been a pretty picture when she saw him stand up from his seat and leave the room. When he came back, she moved over so she could pull him into the seat with her. He handed her a small box, enjoying how confused about it all she was.

“You might need it for when we’re back in Boston.” He nodded towards the present, encouraging her to open it. Inside, she found the keys to his apartment and all the locations linked to it, along with a pastel pink bow, similar to the one she sometimes wore with her shirt.

“Dude, you give her the access to your apartment? How the hell were we supposed to top that?” subtle as always, Will threw his hands up in frustration.

“I’d get used to losing to this guy when it came to her if I were you, son.” Ryan chuckled, watching the pair with contentment in his eyes. Lucrecia didn’t know about the conversation her husband had with Ethan, so she was as surprised as everyone else when Claire placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him, displaying the ring on her finger. A collective gasp rang in the room, and then a second round of cheers erupted.

“You’re kidding!” Lara screeched, jumping up and down in her seat. She ran to the pair, grabbing their hands and looking at them seriously. “Can I be the flower girl?”

Ethan ruffled her hair, smiling widely. Claire nodded, tickling her cousin with her free hand. “Sure thing. Will can help you.” when her brother started protesting, she added with a wicked smile. “I’ll even get you two tiaras.”

#ethan ramsey #open heart #ethan x mc #mc x ethan #open heart fanfiction #choices #choices fanfiction #dr. ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #mc x ethan ramsey #fic #fanfiction

171 notes · View notes

sinfulserpents · 5 years

Note

sunce your now the queen of writing hopper! reader fics, please do one about billy getting the reader pregnant w hops reaction ro finding out his bby is pregnant and billy talking to hop

to say that you were both scared would be an understatement

your hands would shaking as you held the little stick that sealed your fate out to your boyfriend

billy would take his bottom lip between his teeth as he hit the pregnancy test on his palm

he’d shake his head before looking at you

“we didn’t use protection one time and we somehow create a baby”

“whose idea was it to not use a condom, huh?”

“... mine, but in my defence you said it was fine!”

the both of you would be silent for a moment before billy would speak up again

“what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“D-do you, you know... want to keep it?”

“I think so.”

his nod would be small and you wouldn’t have noticed it if you weren’t paying close attention to his reactions

“we need to tell my dad.”

“no! are you insane?! he’s going to kill me for getting his little girl pregnant!”

“well it’s going to be a bit hard hiding my fucking growing belly!”

“yeah, well that’s what baggy clothes are for!”

you’d roll your eyes and cock your hip at your boyfriend who was running his hands through his knotted hair

“we’re really having a baby?”

“yeah B, we’re having a baby.”

Billy would lowkey try to get you to hide the pregnancy for as long as possible

he didn’t want hopper to shoot his balls off lmao

but once your bump started showing at three months billy realised that you couldn’t hide it forever

no matter how much he wanted to

so after discussing it with you, y’all decided to tell your family that friday night during your weekly dinner

the cabin would be loud as the byers arrived

let me ship my babies joyce and hop okay

Billy would be way more nervous than you

his leg bouncing up and down under the table, his clammy palm grasping yours

he’d lean over to whisper in your ear “your dad is going to kill me”

which would make you snicker and give him a reassuring kiss on the cheek

billy probably had a backpack ready under your bed incase hop chased him out

everyone would be tucking into their pizza slices

max would be tossing her tomatoes onto billies plate lmao

el and will would be making a complete mess and getting sauce everywhere

billy would watch as you grabbed a napkin and tilted el’s chin to wipe away the red substance

and then ruffled her hair and gave her forehead a kiss

he’d realise that no matter what happened you were going to be a fantastic mum

so clearing his throat, he’d squeeze your hand to get your attention

you’d look at him and quickly realise that this was the moment

“uh, hopper and byers family, y/n and I have some news we would like to tell you.”

your dad would be on immediate alert

“go on, hargrove”

“we-uh... kind of did a thing that has resulted in another thing that is kind of a permanent th-”

nudging billy you’d roll your eyes before blurting out the news he was dragging on

“we’re pregnant!”

everyone would lowkey be in shock

and no matter how badly joyce wanted to congratulate you both

because she knew that although it was a big step, you and billy were slowly becoming ready for something like this

between billy’s jobs at the pool and mechanics and your internship down at the police station

all you guys needed to do was move into your own house

but she would wait to see hoppers reaction before even getting out of her seat

hopper would take a large gulp of his beer

before looking you dead in the eye, but he wouldn’t say anything

which would make you fucking nervous

“daddy, please say something...”

“what do you want me to say Y/N? congratulations?”

“well, i just told you good news so-”

“gOOD NEWS?!”

the entire house would go silent as your father stood up, with a heaving chest

el would probably lean over to you and cup her hand around her mouth to whisper ‘congratulations’ to you lmao what a precious baby

Without saying anything hopper would grab his pack of cigarettes and storm outside

joyce would get up at the same time as you to go after him but billy would stop you both before following your father

shutting the front door behind him, billy would reluctantly walk over to stand next to your dad who was leaning against his car smoking

hopper would hold out the cigarettes to billy who just shook his head

which would cause hop to raise his eyebrow in question

because, c’mon - billy hargrove never denied a smoke

billy would shrug and put his hands in his jacket pockets

“i’ve got to give up now, you know?”

“for the baby?”

“yeah, for the baby.”

hopper would hum before tossing his to the ground and stomping it out

“guess that means I should too.”

“you’re not going to kill me?”

“oh trust me hargrove, I want to – but my babygirl in there fucking needs you. I don’t know how this happened considering how frequently joyce and I drill into your brains that you both need to be safe.”

Billy would nod, but know better than to say anything while your father was talking

“You both are about to have your lives flipped inside out. a baby is a serious commitment, so you’re going to need to move into your own place, you’re probably going to be the only source of income once she has to take leave to give birth. it’s going to be tough and i need you to promise me that you’re not going to leave her, can you do that son?”

Billy would nod again

“I need to hear you say it hargrove. promise me that you won’t leave my daughter and your unborn child once things become hard - because they will.”

“I promise that I won’t, you have my word sir.”

“good.”

there would be a tense silence that would settle in between the pair, and billy would watch as hop ran his hand down his face

he’d take a mental note that your dad looked fucking exhausted and to get you to tell him to sleep

“I’m scared,” billy would admit. “actually, i’m fucking terrified. i’ve never had a solid father figure in my life - my dad was a piece of shit, beat me and my mum until she left. I don’t want to turn out like him; i can’t turn out like him.”

Hopper would place his hand on the boys shoulder and give him a reassuring squeeze

“i know you have had a childhood that you didn’t deserve, billy – but from the time that you’ve spent here; although you have kept me up at night by sneaking into my daughters room, you’re a good guy and are nothing like your shitty father. I hope that one day you can see me as a father figure.”

“thank you.”

the two would probably ‘bro hug’

but don’t let anyone know because they’re “hardcore”

through the months of your pregnancy you and billy would eventually save up enough to move into your own house

everyone would help you guys move in

but billy and hop would not let you lift anything heavy

no ma’am

hopper would probably become more protective over you than billy jsjsjs

like he’d constantly call you while he was at work and you were home

“dad why are you calling again? this is the third time in the last five minutes”

“i just want to check on my baby, since hargrove isn’t there – is he treating you right?”

“dad!”

el and max would come over for constant! sleepovers!

and they would help you with everything

cooking

cleaning

the whole lot

and when billy would come home he’d try not to laugh as you sat there while el painted your toenails since you couldn’t reach them and max massaged your shoulders

billy would paint the entire nursery!!

he’d probably even paint little fucking ducks on the wall lmao

don’t even mention when you gave birth

holy fuck what a family event

you’d all be having dinner at your house

we love constant friday night dinners

when suddenly you water would break as you stood up to go to the bathroom

billy and hopper would be distracted as the talked about the baseball game that was on last night

and the kids would all be in an intense drawing competition

so joyce would be the first one to notice you bent over in pain surrounded by liquid

and she’d immediately rush over to you and begun yelling at everyone

“Hopper go put some towels down in the car! billy go get the pregnancy bag we made you! kids put on your shoes!!”

y’all would be pilled up in hoppers car

you’d be sitting in the back seat with billy next to you while both hop and joyce sat in the front and the kids were all ontop of each other in the seat next to you

your hand would be squeezing billy’s as el tried to calm you by telling you that you were doing a “bitchin’” job

getting out of the car would be insane

hopper would pull up at the front entrance to the hospital

and wouldn’t even turn off the engine as he rushed inside to get you a wheelchair and tell the nurses that you were giving birth

everyone! would! be! panicking!

but after a gruelling eight hours of labour

and you screaming that you were going to punch billy in the balls so he couldn’t get you pregnant again

your baby girl was finally in your arms

the both of you would be in absolute awe

after a couple of minutes, billy would go and get your family who were nervously waiting

and they’d all pile into the tiny hospital room

they’d take turns sitting in the chair next to your bed and holding your little girl who was cooing at them

el would probably cry :”)

and hop was holding her so gently because he didn’t want to hurt the little angel who just graced his life

he was already making plans of how he was going to spoil his first grandchild

joyce would smile as billy sat in the bed next to you and she put your little girl back into your arms

will would be struggling to hold jonathans camera but would be capturing the moment to the best of his ability

he’d also taking really amazing pictures of his shoes

and max’s

who would sigh and grab the camera from his hands

“you guys got a name for her?” joyce would smile, leaning her head on hoppers shoulder as he hugged her into his side - his hand placed on el’s shoulder

“we were thinking phoebe,” you whispered, not taking your eyes away from your baby girl

everyone would agree that it was a beautiful name :”)))

after a few hours - and the kids slowly falling asleep at the end of your bed

hop and joyce would decide it was time for them to get going

so they’d all begin to pack up their stuff

but your dad would wait until they were out of the room to kiss you on the forehead

“i’m so proud of the both of you. you’re going to be great parents.”

softest grandpa ever :”)

and once everyone was gone billy would immediately snatch your lips into a kiss

pulling away from you he’d give you a soft “thank you”

“for what?”

“blessing me with something that i never thought i’d have – a family of my own. I’m going to do my best to make both you and phoebe proud”

“we’re already so proud of you, B. I love you”

“I love you more, mama”

bILLY HARGROVE FATHER MY CHILDREN

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unsteadygalaxy · 3 years

Text

all is soft inside chapter 7

a miragehound multichapter fanfiction

Also posted on ao3 at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26475064/chapters/67350442

previous | next

7. i carry more than you see

A gloved hand meets smooth steel and pushes gently, opening the door. The hinges whine for a moment before going quiet. Bloodhound exits their apartment, locks the door behind them, and heads for the stairs to the roof.

They know they can very well take the elevator and avoid the extra strain, but a part of them needs the burn. They need the dull scorch in their chest to keep them going. To keep them sane. To remind them why they’re here. After all, it’s only a few flights from their floor to the roof. They can manage.

They pass Octavio’s apartment on their way, and they smile. Loud engine noises beat through the walls as Octavio plays yet another racing game. Bloodhound was sure his pursuit of speed and adrenaline would slow to a crawl one day, but certainly not yet.

Reaching the stairwell, they pull out their phone for a brief moment. It’s a simple thing, not at all fancy like those belonging to their fellow Legends, but it does the job. As usual, the screen is blank and wordless, showing only the time in white numbers against a blank background. For a moment they wish that someone would send them a message, but who do they know that would? They stuff the phone back into the pocket of their thick outer jacket and sigh, annoyed with themself.

As they ascend the stairs, the familiar ache in the lungs reminds them of the first time they’d tried to navigate a stairwell after the accident. The steep, sturdy staircase leading up to their room in the loft of Artur’s home became a behemoth, an impossible obstacle to overcome for so long. They had made it up halfway before their lungs screamed at them to stop. They’d collapsed onto the steps, weeping brokenly, and abandoned their attempt, opting to burrow into a pile of warm furs on the bottom floor instead. The coolant in their lungs had frozen and damaged some of their lung tissue, and the village medics told them they were extremely lucky to be alive. The respirator they had found proved to be an essential part of their life, and they had used many over the years since then.

Now, as they near the top, their lungs burn but they do not falter. They scale the last few steps with ease, inhaling deeply. The air that passes down their throat to their creaking lungs soothes each protesting corner and calms the heat that circulates inside. Bloodhound places a hand over their heart, willing it to slow, willing it to return to its normal rhythm.Their blood pumps hard, flowing throughout their body, filling them with a sense of satisfaction. It had been many, many years since the accident, but they still felt a quiet sense of pride and assurance when they could scale a flight of stairs.

Quite ironic, is it not? Bloodhound thinks. They risked their life every day, killing and hunting and killing again, but the most meaningful victory was standing at the top of a staircase, knowing they had made it. But why? Why did that matter so much, when their prowess as a hunter was so much more important? They push at the door to the roof and it swings open with a heavy creak.

A cold chill runs across their skin and they stuff their gloved hands into their pockets. Bloodhound breathes deeply, letting the cool air tickle their throat on the way down.

“Um…”

They jump, and turn to their left. To their surprise, Elliott stands there in the corner, holding a bottle of beer, and the energy around him is suspiciously sad and forlorn again. His eyes are gleaming dully, and Bloodhound realizes they have walked in on a very private moment.

“Elliott,” they say, their voice coming out much too high, even through the modulator. They clear their throat, and continue. “My apologies. I do not wish to interrupt you. I will leave, if that is what you desire.”

“No, no, it’s okay. Really.” Elliott’s voice is quiet and tight, like it was the last time they had found each other here. He sniffs, and Bloodhound averts their eyes as he turns away, a hand going to his face.

“If you are certain…” Bloodhound trails off, waiting for a response. Elliott gives none, so Bloodhound crosses over to him, but leaves a respectable distance between them.

Neither of them say anything for several minutes. Elliott occasionally takes a drink from his bottle, and soon drains it completely. It clinks as he sets it down on the ground. He sighs and leans against the balcony, propping himself up with his elbows. Bloodhound runs their fingers over the rough stone. They let their thoughts wander here and there, but they occasionally glance over at Elliott. His expression is far away and glassy, but not from alcohol- he doesn’t seem to be drunk.

“What troubles you, félagi?” they ask softly.

Elliott snorts, a short sound filled with derision and a surprising amount of venom. “What doesn’t trouble me?” he replies, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Seems like I can barely keep my head on straight these days.”

“What is it you need?” Bloodhound asks, and a strange desire to put their hand on his arm takes place under their sternum. They ignore it.

Elliott sighs heavily, and massages his temples. “I…” He breaks off, his voice giving out. His next words come out in a tangled, frustrated tumble. “I need to stop being such a useless mess in the Games, I need my mom to stop losing her goddamn mind, I need my dad to stop being such a dickhead, I need my brothers to come out of whatever fucking hiding hole they’re in and help me, goddammit-” His voice breaks again, and his jaw is set and trembling. The sudden surge of anger startles Bloodhound; he had not seemed to be quite so agitated when they arrived. His eyes shine again, and he shakes his head, staring at his hands.

Bloodhound moves as though they are in a dream, and before they know what they’re doing, they’re at his side. They touch his shoulder, and squeeze it gently. Elliott jumps, but relaxes into their touch. He stands straight for a few more moments, shaking slightly, then he groans. “God, I’m so pathetic, sorry,” he says, his voice constricted. “I can’t believe I’m actually crying right now. And in front of you, too. The last person I want to cry in front of.” He wipes his face angrily and shakes Bloodhound’s hand off as he walks away. His foot collides with the beer bottle, and it goes skittering across the floor, clinking faintly.

Their hand is cold as they bring it back to their side. Discomfort and rejection pool in their stomach, but they press it down, promising themself they will process it later. “You are neither useless nor pathetic, Elliott,” they assert. “Your emotions do not make you a lesser person. They make you strong.”

“Strong?” He laughs, and it hurts. “Strong? You’re kidding, right? You’re going to stand there and look at me and tell me I’m strong?” His words are scathing, and he glares at them, angry and in pain.

“Yes, Elliott, I am,” they shoot back. “Because despite your poor opinion of yourself, you are a worthy teammate. I quite enjoy fighting by your side.”

“But why?” he asks, his voice becoming more emphatic. He’s pacing, his hands knotting in his voluminous hair. “Why, Bloodhound? Nothing about me has been strong lately. I lose it every time I hear my mom’s voice on the phone and she asks who she’s talking to. I’m her son. She should know me!” he gasps, anguish working its way across his face. “And my useless shithead of a dad d- des- abandons us just as soon as things get shitty, only to come crawling back the second he gets wind of his youngest son being in the Apex Games. Everyone knows the only thing he’s after is the money- he can’t be bothered to step back in and be an actual dad. He wasn’t even that great anyway.” Elliott trembles as he speaks, spitting out the words like they’re poison in his veins, left by the gaping maw of some unseen, ravenous creature.

“And then my glorious, wonderful, perfect brothers all ran off to join the fight when the war started. They all had something to prove, something to hold themselves up to. Dumbasses just wanted to be better than their dear old dad. They just left behind their kid brother to grow up alone and wonder where they’d gone.” His voice breaks again, and Bloodhound has to resist the sudden urge to gather him in their arms. He turns away, and they avert their eyes once more as he shakes.

Bloodhound waits, struggling and grasping to find the right thing to say. They feel different- exposed, or scrutinized, even. They had always been a sympathetic person, but it had been a very long time since they wanted to hold someone the way they wanted to hold Elliott.

“You are very well within your rights to feel scared and powerless,” Bloodhound soothes, trying to quiet their intrusive thoughts. “All of this is enough to make anyone deeply upset.”

“I don’t have time for this!” Elliott yells, waving his hands wildly. “I don’t have time to process all of this. I need to focus on the Games. It’s been weeks since I came out on top. Every damn time I get close, something goes wrong. I slip up, or I make a dumb decision, or I just sit there staring at you like a dumbass because you’re so—” He stops abruptly, eyes going wide, cheeks turning a brilliant shade of red. “...because you’re such a badass,” he finishes lamely, and he turns away.

Bloodhound remains quiet for a moment, mulling over the implications behind the unspoken words. What was he about to say? It certainly wasn’t “beautiful”— anyone would agree that Bloodhound’s chances of being attractive had splintered like their skin all those years ago. Perhaps it was “skilled”? But no, why would he stop himself from saying that? They close their eyes and push the question away, resolving to think about it another time.

“My success does not invalidate your worth as a person,” they reply. “Elliott, you are a smart man. You are capable and strong. But if you do not allow yourself to feel these things, they will haunt you forever.”

“And how exactly do you propose that I feel things, huh?” he asks, exasperated and impatient. “This shit sucks, and I’m trying to get rid of it, not keep it around!” He throws his hands in the air and strides away, still fuming.

Bloodhound sighs. Elliott was many things, but a patient man he was not.

“Vinur minn. Do you trust me?” they ask, both expecting and dreading his answer.

Elliott stops, and turns around just enough for Bloodhound to see the frustration in his eyes barely give way to something softer. Kinder. “I mean… yeah.”

“Come.”

Bloodhound turns away from the city lights and turbulent distractions, heading for the opposite side of the roof. They pick up a pair of cushions from the chairs there, and place them on the floor. The sun is sinking in the sky, and gives the far off trees a golden aura. Bloodhound wishes they could be running among them, feeling the day’s last rays of warmth drain from the world. But it does not matter. Elliott Witt has lost his light, and Bloodhound is here to help him find it again.

They settle onto one of the cushions, sitting cross-legged. Elliott has followed them, but he stares down at them, confused. “Uh… what are we doing, H- I mean, Bloodhound?”

“Please, take a seat,” Bloodhound says, gesturing to the pillow next to them. They pause, then begin to remove their gloves. The scarring is not as severe there, they think. But why are they rationalizing? Why are they worried? They trust Elliott not to tell anyone, and they trust him to not ask any ill-willed questions.They lay the gloves in their lap and weave their fingers together, bringing their hands to rest as Elliott settles on the pillow, still looking bewildered.

“Please take my hands,” they ask, their voice nigh a whisper. Elliott suddenly flushes, but extends his hands nonetheless. A spark of warmth ignites where the first contact is made- his middle finger graces their palm ever so softly- but it spreads and matures into something much more familiar, much more intimate. His hands are bitterly cold. Bloodhound wants to wrap his hands in theirs and hold them until they’re both warm. Part of them retreats and cringes when his fingers pass over their scars, but they resist the urge to draw back. Elliotts emotions are rattled enough, and he does not need any more rejection.

“Breathe with me.” Bloodhound inhales deeply, and Elliott follows suit, looking more and more at ease as time goes by. Air swirls into their lungs, expanding and filling their chest to a comfortable volume. The spaces between Bloodhound’s ribs stretch and extend as they pull their diaphragm down, drinking in the air like it’s a fine wine. Their gaze locks perfectly to Elliott’s, and even through the goggles, Elliott makes direct eye contact. His deep brown eyes are tired, and the bags under them look purple and dark. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days, even though Bloodhound knew that couldn’t be the case. He had very nearly beat them yesterday, after all.

The two of them breathe in tandem for a few moments more, and Elliott’s energy progresses from a writhing roar to a light buzz. “Better?” Bloodhound asks.

“Yeah,” he replies. “How-”

“Trust me,” they implore.

He nods.

“When we focus on the breath of life, we are able to filter out the distractions,” Bloodhound says. Their thumbs tenderly caress Elliott’s fingers in a calming motion, pressing soft arcs into his skin. “Tell me, what do you feel when you think of your mother?”

Elliott’s face falls ever so slightly, but he recovers. “I guess… I guess I’m just really… sad,” he murmurs. “I feel… helpless. Powerless. If it was a person causing all of her problems, I would have taken care of it a long time ago, but… this is different.” He swallows hard. “I can’t fight this. Not with a gun or my fists, anyway.”

Bloodhound nods. “And how do you feel about your father?”

A spark of anger returns to Elliott’s eyes. He grunts in annoyance, deep in thought for a moment. “He pisses me off. I’d punch him right in the face if he were here now. It would serve him right.”

Bloodhound smiles. The thought of Elliott socking his father in the face seemed amusingly petulant, but they hope they are around to see it one day. “And your brothers?” they ask. “How do you feel about them?

A mix of emotions runs through Elliott’s visage- happiness, fear, despair. “I…” he starts. “I really don’t know. I don’t know how I should feel about them. They piss me off, but… they’re my brothers. I don’t even know if they’re still out there.” He releases Bloodhound’s hands and begins to fidget with his fingers in his lap.

“It is all right to have complicated feelings towards those that have hurt us,” Bloodhound remarks as they settle their own hands onto their knees. Their hands are warm and tingly where he had been touching them. “Our emotions come for us at different times. Some are more devastating than others. Some feel as though they will last forever, but some are fleeting. They can make us feel insignificant. Small, compared to their weight and power. But their gravity cannot consume us unless we allow it to.”

“How do I stop it?” Elliott asks, his voice small and uncertain. “How do I keep from getting sucked in?”

“The answer is simple,” they reply, and they almost smile anticipating his response. “You do not.”

Elliott’s brow furrows, and he gapes at them, open mouthed. Bloodhound wants to laugh, but they hold it back, grateful for their mask for the millionth time. They are not too sure about how he would respond to being laughed at a second time. “Uh… what?” he questions. “You’re telling me that in order to stay in control, I have to… let go of it?”

“Yes.”

“How the hell does that work?” Elliott asks, his tone slightly accusatory. He shifts his weight so that he is leaning back on the palms of his hands.

“Imagine you are in a spacecraft orbiting a planet,” Bloodhound instructs. They gesture with their hands as they speak, weaving their story into being. “Think of that planet as an emotion. It has its own pull, its own gravity. If you turn off the engines, you will be stuck in orbit. If you leave, you will never know whether or not that planet had something valuable for you to discover.”

“So, you’re saying…” Elliott pauses, comically confused. Finally, he sighs, and rubs his eyes tiredly. “What are you saying?”

“Our emotions are not inconveniences, Elliott,” Bloodhound says. “They are lessons in disguise, planets waiting to be explored. We do ourselves a disservice by pushing them away and ignoring them. If we are patient with ourselves, there is much to discover.”

Elliott considers this, his hands still fidgeting. “You’re essentially saying that I need to let myself feel,” he says. Then, the realization drops on him like a ton of bricks. “Oh. Ohhh. You- yeah. Of course. Duh.” He blushes red again, and buries his face in his hands.

“Yes,” Bloodhound replies, smiling fully now. “Allow yourself to experience the emotion. Instead of pushing it away, explore it. Travel alongside it, and take note of what you see. The way may be uncomfortable at times, but you are allowed to feel the pain you bear.”

Elliott remains buried in his hands for a long time, clearly deep in thought. When he emerges, Bloodhound notices that he seems calmer and more level-headed. He looks up at them and smiles, and a strange stilted feeling skips through Bloodhound’s chest. It was almost as if their heart had lost its rhythm for a moment.

“Thanks,” he mumbles, his face red. “I can be a stubborn idiot sometimes. Doesn’t do me any good.”

“We all have our moments of difficulty,” Bloodhound soothes. “But they do not make us less worthy of assistance.”

“Caustic would disagree with you,” Elliott scoffs.

“Caustic would be incorrect,” Bloodhound assures, a flash of annoyance flitting through them at the mention of Nox. “That andskoti would benefit from a great deal of assistance.”

Elliott laughs, and his smile alone is enough to break through the gloom that has been surrounding him all evening. “What does that mean, anyway?” he asks, shaking his head in amusement.

“It most closely means ‘devil’ or ‘demon’,” Bloodhound answers. “It is… unkind, but Doctor Nox is-”

“An asshole, yeah.”

“That is not quite the word I would pick, but yes.” Bloodhound chuckles. “He is.”

They fall quiet, content to sit with him in silence. He’s not even looking at them, but for some reason, it doesn’t matter. Just sitting here with him was enough to still Bloodhound’s thoughts and bring a peace to their soul they had long forgotten.

“And one more thing,” they say, remembering. “The outcome of a match does not lay entirely on your shoulders. The team must work together to bring about a victory.”

“Yeah, but my dumbassery certainly doesn’t help anything,” he grumbles, rolling his neck. Several cracks pop through the air, and he sighs. “I’m sure you never have trouble.”

“We all struggle in the Games,” they respond. “Myself included. Your idolization of me does not improve or indicate my skill level. I am mannlegur, just like you. Human.”

Elliott’s cheeks flush, and he shrugs. “I definitely don’t believe that,” he mutters.

Bloodhound rolls their eyes. They want to take him by the shoulders and hold him there until he stops devaluing himself. “Elliott, the Games are not for the faint of heart,” they assert. “If you were incapable, you would not have survived the first season.”

“You can say I’m a dumbass, you know,” Elliott says, running a hand through his hair and stretching.

“I do not wish to insult you.”

Elliott rolls his eyes, but smiles faintly. “You wouldn’t be the first.”

“That is a shame, Elliott,” Bloodhound replies. “I would not consider you to be such.”

He is quiet for a few moments, deep in thought. “Then you’d be a r-rar- you’d be one of the few who didn’t.” He pushes back the sleeves of his sweater, and Bloodhound is momentarily captivated by his well-muscled arms. Something inside them freezes for a half second, then drops into their stomach, and they are very glad he cannot see their face.

“I am sorry you are feeling helpless,” they say, tearing their eyes away from his warm skin to look into his face. “That is a feeling I am familiar with. Please know that you are not alone.”

“I appreciate it.” Elliott smiles at them again, before getting to his feet and returning to the balcony. Bloodhound follows after putting the pillows back where they belong.

Several silent moments stretch out between the two of them. Bloodhound waits patiently, and gazes out over the busy city. The sun is just setting, and it leaks down past their view, painting the higher windows on the buildings around them in fiery orange. They used to wish they could catch the sun and suspend it right there forever, giving them all the time they needed to think and to grieve. But many years have passed since they were a child, and life does not see fit to slow down and allow them anything.

The last vestiges of the sun soon creep beyond the horizon, and a cold chill fills the air. Bloodhound is quite insulated beneath their thick jacket and woolen sweater, but Elliott begins to shiver, presumably because he is only wearing one layer of clothing.

“Yikes. This weather’s kinda crazy, huh?” he remarks, rolling his sleeves back down.

“I had hoped the seasons would delay their changing for a while longer,” they say, “but time waits for no one.” They’re already shrugging off their jacket before they fully register what they’re doing. “Here. Take this for the evening. I will leave you with your thoughts.” They hand their jacket to a bewildered Elliott, who takes it, unsure.

“Um, are you sure? You wear this thing all the time,” he asks, staring at them hard, his cheeks redder than ever.

“Quite. Leave it on my doorstep, and I will retrieve it in the morning.”

“Okay… if you’re sure.” He slides into the jacket with ease, and Bloodhound is pleased to find that it fits him perfectly. It complements his outfit well, and accentuates his features nicely. “What do you think?” he asks, and he does a slow twirl, examining his new look.

A strange leaping sensation in Bloodhound’s abdomen crackles through their body.

“It suits you,” they say, nodding in approval. Their eyes seem to be glued to his form, admiring his strength and the effort he put into his appearance. Finally, they break their gaze away, shake their head, and begin to move towards the door. “One more thing, Elliott.”

“Yeah?” His head pops up,

“Do not forget what I told you. You are-”

“‘Allowed to feel the pain I bear’, yeah, I got it,” he repeats, jokingly rolling his eyes. “Don’t you worry about me, Bloodhound, I’ll be just fine.” He gives them an exaggerated wink and a thumbs up, and they can’t help but smile.

“Have a good evening, Elliott,” they say, pulling the door open, making sure it would remain unlocked after they left.

“Thanks. You, too.”

When Bloodhound lays in bed that night, their fingers fidget with their hair, working it into twists and plaits and many stranded knots. Their thoughts wander, but always seem to arrive back at Elliott- Elliott smiling, Elliott laughing, even Elliott staring out over the balcony, his eyes shining. As they yank a brush through their hair, their chest pulses pleasantly with the memory of Elliott wrapped in their jacket, and they smile freely, openly, unobscured in the darkness of their room. Elliott Witt, they think. What a lovely person he is.

#apex legends #apex #miragehound #mirage apex #bloodhound apex #mirage apex legends #bloodhound apex legends #bloodhound #elliott witt #elliott witt apex legends #my writing #apex fanfiction #apex legends fanfiction

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baby-gremlin18 · 4 years

Text

Teen Idle

High School AU

Warning : Mention of cigarettes, insults and assault ( Not sexual )

Part 1 -

Part 2 :

Sitting on a block of wood near the gymnasium of Greenwish high school, and inhaling a mouthful of smoke, as she saw Anna do it several times, Anne choked and silently cursed herself for being too proud to ask her friend how to smoke.

It seemed so simple: Breathe in and out, but she felt like she was breathing fire every time. It was like swallowing pieces of coal. And the worst part was knowing that Anna must be laughing at her right now, knowing full well that she would be in this state.

She threw the cigarette at her feet and stamped it on the end of her boot.

"Hey Anne," said a male voice behind her. "Can I speak to you?" "

Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, she turned to the person who had just called her. Anne was able to deal with the evil girls in high school, but Henry Tudor, however, was not that easy. It had been months since she had told him that she was not interested in him, but he clung to her shoe like an old chewin-gum.

Henry was a big problem and had no understanding of the limits.

"Henry… what do you want?" Anne spoke, still walking.

Henry jumped two steps and positioned himself in front of Anne, forcing her to stop completely half arm length in front of him. He was far too close to her for her to be comfortable.

"Why don't you respond to my texts?" He asked in a scowling voice.

"Henry, for God's sake, leave me alone" She replied, losing all patience before him.

As she tried to get back on the road, Henry reached out and grabbed Anne by the wrist. He turned around, almost tackling her against the cement wall behind her.

The two remained silent. Henry's expression was blank, when he stared at her horribly. Anne, on the other hand, felt a current of fear as the grip on her wrist tightened slowly, but she did not show anything.

"When I want something, I always get it," he whispered, in the hollow of her ear, as he held her wrist above her head. "Don't make me hurt this pretty little face"

Anne breathed unsteadily as the adrenaline started to pass through her body. Her expression twisted in rage. She leaned closer until he could almost touch her nose.

"I'll tell you only once: Let go of my hand, Henry," she groaned, her body shaking with rage. "Get away now"

The rumble of a truck urging to stop behind them avoided Henry's response, and Anne looked up, almost sighing in relief at the sight of the rusty blue truck that had stopped right on the sidewalk.

"Anne, come up!" Cried Cathy, opening the passenger door.

The brunette freed herself from the grip of Henry, slightly lost when Cathy arrived, and Anne rushed into the vehicle, her wrist bruised.

"You're going to pay me that, you filthy bitches!"

Henry's roar drowned in the noise of the engine, as Cathy started her truck, and got out of the Greenwich parking lot, as fast as she could.

The two remained silent for a moment, the meeting with Henry remaining in the foreground of Anne's thoughts. She knew this guy was crazy, but she didn't expect him to become a fucking stalker. Maybe it was time to involve her father in this? She didn't really want to go to, she was trying to cut herself off from the temptation to run towards her dad when things got difficult.

All she knew was that she should do it if she had another such incident. But now Henry was no longer a problem, at least for the moment.

She turned to look at Cathy. Catherine Parr. Her old childhood friend, flying to her rescue like in this stupid comics that her brother devoured. It was weird for her.

Admittedly, they shared a group of friends, but since Anne's return from France, the little writer had kept her distance, so Anne had done the same. It hurt her and she never really forgave Cathy for avoiding her like that ... She was her best friend after all.

"Uh... thank you. For getting me out of there. I would have been in shit without you, "said Anne, with a weak smile. "This fool caught me by surprise"

"I know you would have done the same for me" Cathy smiled nervously, as she stopped at a red light. "I ... I'm glad I was able to intervene" "Why ? We haven't talked to each other for many years"

The question caught the writer off guard as she made eye contact with Anne.

"Okay ... well ... I ..." she stuttered, nervously tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. "Even if we don't spend a lot of time together, I don't want to see you hurt. Believe it or not, you remain important to me"

I'm sorry for the delay, but I wrote 3 different things and it took me a while to decide. And in the end, it helped me write the 3rd chapter faster :D So you will have the third part in the coming days ! ( And an adorable babey will appear in Chapter 3, you have to guess who it is :b )

Tags List : ( Don’t hesitate to ask to be inserted in the Tags List, I don’t reject anyone ! )

@everything-insanity

@radcowboyalmondtree

@parrlyn-4life

@jane-seemore

@annabanana2401

@homosixual-dumbass

@dont-lose-your-queerhead

@percabeth15

@obliviousasheck

#anne boleyn #catherine parr #parrlyn #parrleyn #henry viii #tw cigarettes #tw insults #tw assault #six the musical #six the musical fanfiction #six the musical fanfic #six the musical fic

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cherryblossomshadow · 3 years

Text

Wonder Woman 1984 review

Long, rambly, and spoilery. You’ve been warned.

I saw WW84. I had thoughts. Let's talk about it.

I want to preface with the fact that it's amazing that we have another female-led superhero film! I loved Patti Jenkins' work with the first Wonder Woman (and this one too) and I'm so glad she's back for this one. There's obviously a lot to pick through, but first, a couple reminders.

No film will ever be "perfect."

Not every film is made specifically for you.

It is okay to vibe or disvibe with something. But that does not make it trash.

Also, please, keep in mind, what I'm expressing are my opinions. I'm entitled to mine as you are entitled to yours. I hope you have a lovely time on the internet, and I hope you wish the same for everyone you interact with.

Oh, and spoilers obviously.

Okay, with all that out of the way, let's dig in.

My overall experience with the film is positive! I had a great time watching it, it got me emotional, and I definitely want to watch it again. That said, I don't think it's better than the first one (although that would have been quite a feat), and that's ok. It's a continuation of a story we've already started, and it doesn't need to outshine the first.

Okay, after all the hyping up and disclaiming I've done, let's dig into what I didn't like about the film.

Number one is pacing. The storyline felt very erratic to me? Part of that, I feel, is because we have three (four?) main characters, and we jump between them pretty abruptly.

Number two is the themes. Now I do like the themes of WW84 (truth and sacrifice), I just don't think they were worked into the film as cohesively as I would have liked?

Number three is perceived character changes to Diana. And really, some of this is kinda circumstantial, I just thought it deserved its own bullet point. You'll see what I mean.

So, on Pacing.

We jump between Diana (and Steve), Barbara, and Maxwell pretty frequently. And before I talk about that, I have to talk about my view on the characters.

a. Now, I love the Mandalorian, but I was not personally invested in Maxwell's arc at all. Again, this is my take, and I know people disagree. Many people feel like Pedro Pascal carried the film on his shoulders. That's cool. He's a great actor. I'm glad he was in it. I just kinda checked out of every scene he was in (when he wasn't with his kid) because I wasn't invested in him. He played a sleazeball on purpose, and it worked. I was sleazed. So the movie kinda dragged for me whenever the camera panned to him.

b. I loved the focus on Barbara. I don't know Cheetah from the comics, so this is from a movie-only perspective. But I know one of the criticisms of the first film was that Diana didn't really talk to women after she left Themyscira (even though there was a perfectly good villainess sitting right there for her to converse with and have morality debates/fights with! Even Steve Trevor got to talk to Dr Poison!), so I thought it was great that 1) they set up a villainess for her to fight and 2) it was a villainess that she knew, she had talked to, she had formed a relationship with. It honestly surprised me that Barbara was helpful for so long (bc I had seen the trailer and got spoiled that she would become a villain), but I love that she genuinely did want to help Diana, up until she hit her hard limit (giving up her powers). Now, that being said, the Nerd Girl Makeover has been done a thousand times. I knew what her vague trajectory would be from the second she appeared on screen with frizzy hair. I did like that her motivation was not solely "pretty people are mean to me, and I want revenge and/or for this hot guy to like me," but specifically, "I want to be like this really cool girl" and then "I don’t want to be like anyone else; I want to be the best/number one" for myself." But I felt like the absolute inattention that she was shown at the beginning and the absolute worship Diana and later Barbara would get was ... highly exaggerated? And I know this was another criticism of the first film, that yeah "Diana did so well in the real world because SHE'S HOT and that's actually not empowering to women" or something. But like. Watching that part made me uncomfortable instead of seen. Pandered to, instead of impacted. Showing how looks change how society treats you is important, but not to this caricaturized degree.

c. (and d?) And lastly, Diana and Steve. Or more accurately, Diana and Steve's soul or memories or ??? that has been transplanted into some random man's body with absolutely no one's consent (I don't believe that Diana "consented" when making the wish, because she didn't know 1. That it would even work or 2. HOW it would work.). So ... Yeah. The first problem with this (chronologically, not by importance) is that it's really unclear what's going on? Some rando is reciting Steve's lines from the first film, then all of a sudden he turns into Chris Pine? (Fun fact: my aunt actually recognized the actor from Hallmark 😂 Could you imagine being the guy who gets replaced by Chris Pine for half the movie? Like "yeah, I played Steve Trevor, but they had Chris Pine do all the important parts" 😂😂😂). So, Diana and Steve finally figure out that he's inhabiting some engineer's body because of the wish she made. And then they bang. Or do they bang before they figure it out? Either way, yikes 😬. Not a good look.

To be clear, the yikes part is that Steve is inhabiting Engineer Dude's body without their consent (without his own either tho so that part's not really his fault), but then he chooses to do things sexually with that body that Engineer Dude didn't consent to (because he's like, literally not home. Whether he's been subsumed into Chris Pine or taken out or dormant or whatever). Oh, and then like, probably doing death-defying stunts with his body is also yikes. I'm not really sure what the rules around body possession are. Cuz you know.

Anyway, that is a huge issue that is literally not addressed. At all.

Again, I think they may have been trying to address some criticisms from the first film about Diana "getting rid of the dreaded V-card so quickly in Wonder Woman and then pining after Chris Pine (lol) for the rest of her long life" and how that sets back female sexuality and stuff. Which I get. They actually lampshaded it in WW84, how Chris Pine wants her to move on because "the world deserves her." Which I know what they were going for in the scene, but I feel like they didn't flesh out the journey from Hippolyta's "the world doesn't deserve you Diana" to Steve's "the world deserves you (to date them)" enough. But I digress.

I'm gonna talk a little bit more about the possession and that "the world deserves/doesn't deserve you" line in my Themes section, but honestly? From the previews, I assumed that Chris Pine was revived from the dead via time travel or something. Body possession was NOT in the the trailers. I think the Dreamstone could have created a body for him out of nothing. Or like "time-traveled" him into the future. So like. Why didn't they? Why introduce body possession at all? So they could make fun of the dude's clothes?

Okay, back to the pacing part of the pacing section. These three (four?) characters have completely different things going on in their lives (I actually forgot to talk about Maxwell, but he wants to "be the best," and he's gonna do it by giving people what they think they want (maybe) and then taking from them whatever he wants. Yeah idk). And all three do interact at the beginning (brownie points) even if the attempted seduction of Barbara by Maxwell makes me want to throw up. But the themes aren't worked in as cohesively as I would have liked, and the tone changes were jarring, as the film switched between them all.

Another facet of the movie is that the Dreamstone is kind of a mystery. And that was a deliberate Choice™, not a mistake. We're guessing at what the rock is doing and how and why and by who and all that stuff, and that's on purpose, but that makes for a confusing experience. Their approach is to throw something confusing at you and then explain it later. Which is great for worldbuilding. But not always for the Movie-Watching Experience™. So to recap, we're switching tracks and characters with their own separate stories while also setting up several confusing plot points that take a while to unravel. This all contributes to the Experience™, good or bad.

Honestly, I wonder how much Covid affected this movie? My dad felt like a lot of scenes probably got cut for various reasons, and it probably affected the flow of the movie. If so, it could have affected thematic coherence, too. Speaking of...

So, Themes.

The themes that I got out of this film were Truth and Sacrifice. Maybe I missed some; I'm not an experienced Media Critic™. But these are the ones I noticed.

And actually, these themes are really strong. Universally applicable, and used in all three character arcs. It's just tied in a bit ... erratically?

So working backward, knowing that the Dreamstone is giving you a lie, you need to renounce your wish and accept the Truth™. This is echoed in Diana's flashback, where she needed to accept that she didn't win.

Working backward again, Sacrifice was a big part of the story for all three characters because Diana was willing to sacrifice her power to keep Steve, but he wanted her to sacrifice him so she could save the world. Barbara was willing to sacrifice her "humanity" or "empathy" or whatever she lost for the power and influence she got by emulating Diana, and she was unwilling to sacrifice that to save the world. Maxwell was willing to sacrifice time with his son to "become the best," but he did sacrifice that to save his son's life.

And then, full circle, he confessed to his son that he wasn't the best, he's actually a filthy liar. Which, yes, kudos for the themes, be honest with your children, but you can still sanitize it a bit. That speech alone would have traumatized the kid.

Speaking of speeches, Antiope's speech confused me in a similar way? Like, she stops Diana from "winning" the tournament after cheating, and goes on this weird rambly rant which goes from "accept that you're not a winner" to "cheating is bad and so is lying." Which yes, cheating is bad, but it's weird that she wouldn't have been disqualified at this point for not shooting that last target? Like, did she need to be tackled? Idk, I felt like they came up with the line they wanted Antiope to say first, and then just made her say it. (And also, in other stories, Diana would have been praised for being "clever" and "never giving up without a fight." So like, I needed a bit more preparation for which take they were going for, because the anti-cheating spiel felt jarring to me.)

And again, I wonder if this is a response to a criticism of this first film. (Warning: WW17 rant gearing up)

When Diana has her big motivational flashback during her fight with Ares, she thinks about Steve, this dude she just met a week ago, saying he loved her. When she could have been thinking about literally any of the women who had raised her. I personally think it would have been cool to hear some of Antiope's words at that point. Since they set up Hippolyta and Antiope to have conflicting ideas over whether Diana should fulfill her humanity-saving destiny, it might have been cool to see her saying something about humans and how they need her or how she should help them or something. They could even have done the whole thing with not being able to hear Steve's last words, but with Antiope since she dies earlier in the film and doesn't finish speaking. I also think it would have been cool for them to expand Hippolyta's earlier line about "They don't deserve you, Diana," here to like "They need you, Diana," or something. And then Steve's line in WW84 could have been something like "They're with you, Diana," or "They could get to know you, Diana," and her character arc could have been about actually living among society and maybe getting to know these humans that she's saved so many times (which they kind of alluded to when she and Barbara had their little date at the beginning of the film). But I digress.

So, yeah, I found both of these speeches to be ... Not great? Like I can tell what they're going for and how they tie into the themes, but they're so heavy-handed and they don't actually fit in too well to the moment they happen in. Like as soon as the speech starts, you realize that they started going meta on you. The character isn't really speaking to the other character, they're speaking to us, and they're telling us how this scene ties into the greater themes of the film.

Oh and they have this great quote from Antiope "greatness is not what you think" and then Maxwell's son wishes for him to be "great." And they do nothing with it :(

As promised, I want to talk about the body possession a little bit more. So again, one of the recurring themes is Truth™. Which is a great choice for Wonder Woman, what with her Lasso of Truth.

But it's tied in a bit haphazardly. They force it into a conversation about cheating in a flashback at the beginning of the film. And then they talk about how you need to accept the Truth™ in order to defeat the Dreamstone. I already talked about the cheating, and how the "accept that you're not a winner" was kind of a weird path to take to get your point across to a ten year old girl.

But the Dreamstone. Oh, the Dreamstone. I said before that the movie is a mystery. It shows you things but doesn't explain them. Well, this is a bit of a problem. Because they never actually explain that the Dreamstone is giving you lies. To my eyes, the Dreamstone is changing reality. Steve is back, Barbara is powerful, and Maxwell is doing whatever he wants with the powers of the Dreamstone. THIS DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A LIE TO ME. THERE IS NO "TRUTH" TO ACCEPT, JUST YOUR NEW REALITY. And that made the film less thematically strong (to my eyes, anyway. Other people probably picked up on stuff I didn't). But I feel like this might have been an easy fix? Like you already have Chris Pine in someone else's body (oh! So that's why they chose body possession! Because he's a Lie™! ... Still don't like it) I still think he should have manifested his own body or something but whatever. Barbara's appearance hardly changed at first. If they had people reacting to her as if she was hot when she really looked the same as she always does, then I would have bought your "but the Dreamstone only gives you lies." Instead, Barbara gained the power to walk in heels and then hotness and then the literal power of a God™ (a la Diana) which makes me think the Dreamstone is changing reality. Not bringing lies.

Oh, also, they could have had Diana's Lasso of Truth stop working for her. I thought that's what they were going for at first, but it turns out that Diana is just losing her powers. They also started with "the Dreamstone will give you what you want most," but then Maxwell started using it to clear traffic? Which by the way, is NOT an illusion. That is reality-bending.

There were just so many ways to make it obvious that "the Dreamstone is giving you lies," but they didn't use them. Or at the very least, they didn't commit. I felt like they used a little bit of "be careful what you wish for" (mostly on randos that Maxwell is duping), a little bit of "what are you willing to sacrifice," and a little of "you can have what you want, but it won't be real." All of which are valid ways to take a Dreamstone kind of story, but if they wanted to rely so heavily on Truth™ as the main theme, then I feel like more of the wishes should have been showcasing that. Instead, it felt like a jumble of all the kinds of messages we're used to seeing with Wish-Granting Objects, with no emphasis on specifically the "it's all a lie" part.

Ugh, I'm actually mad now, because I'm trying to think of a story I've heard where this magical thing is granting wishes but they're Explicitly Not Real. Like all the money gets turned back to leaves or whatever (kinda like Cinderella's pumpkin lol). Oh, Aladdin does this, too, because yeah Genie is granting wishes and changing reality, but not permanently? Like, almost all of the stuff he uses magic to do dissolves as soon as we're looking away from it or gets fixed by the end of the movie? And the film is very very clear on the fact that Aladdin is not factually a Prince.

But this film doesn't do that. They make it seem like the Dreamstone can change reality, then berate the characters for not Accepting the Truth™ about themselves. Maybe if they had made a bigger deal out of Steve coming back in someone else's body, it would have been 1) less confusing, 2) less icky (provided they don't do the sex in Engineer Dude's body), and 3) more thematically coherent.

Lastly, Diana's perceived character changes.

This one is probably the most subjective. Diana, as a character, in the first film was very morally grounded and motivated. The Diana in this film felt ... different. Again. Subjective. And also circumstantial.

Diana is still morally grounded in this film. But she's also willing to sacrifice the world to keep Steve Trevor around. Which feels like a jarring change from her characterization in the first film. She was so idealistic and optimistic in that first film, I couldn't imagine her making that choice. It just felt like such a tone change for her character. How did we go from "Who will I be if I stay?" to "Why, for once, can't I just have this one thing, Steve? ... I can't give you up. I can't. So I won't."

Also, her motivation in this film seemed to center around her loss of Steve Trevor and wanting him, and less around "save the world." Which, to be fair, I'm all for women being selfish in film. Give me women of all motivations and desires. I don't want Diana to be Perfect™. I just want her to be consistent. And I didn't think this characterization was as consistent as I expected. Was her life so terrible without Steve (even though they only knew each other for a short time)? Not to say this couldn't be a valid take on Diana (reminder: I haven't read any comics, so maybe it's not in character at all 🤷‍♀️), but if that's what they were going for, they should have developed the journey from naive idealist to jaded romantic more in order to justify this character change.

Also, the body possession thing. She's really okay with her boyfriend possessing somebody else's body. I did like the "All I See Is You" line, since it's romantic, but up until that point, we as viewers aren't really sure why Chris Pine and Hallmark Dude are both playing this guy. Then we find out in a romantic line that Chris Pine is just Wonder Woman's view of him. He still looks like Engineer Dude because he is Engineer Dude. At first, I thought that they used a different guy for the first meeting because Diana didn't recognize him. That this was her perception of him until she realized who it was. (I thought this was supported by Chris Pine's more rugged look in this film. But actually they were probably matching him to the body he was inhabiting, since the character really didn't look like himself). Leverage does a similar thing in the Rashomon Job. All the characters saw each other at the same event, but they didn't know each other back then, so they had different actors play their parts until it's slowly revealed that actually the random people at the event were the characters we know and love. It's great. Anyway, that's not what they're going for here, and the ambiguous framing along with Diana and Steve's chemistry is supposed to make you forget that he is possessing someone else’s body! Against their will! (Again, Steve and Diana didn't consent to the initial possession either, but they absolutely consented to what they did together. Engineer Dude did not.)

Yikes 😬

I will say, she didn't kill innocents this time. One of my critiques of the first movie was that she was so willing to kill Germans. And I get it, Nazis are usually an "acceptable" target in American media. But as a character, she believed that they were innocents who had been manipulated by Ares. And yet, she was slaughtering them en masse. But, in this movie, they're really careful to make sure that she's nonlethal.

And yeah, that's it.

Asteria was of course awesome. That bonus credit scene was 👌

I'm glad they got Linda Hemming back for costuming after the disaster of Justice League. Unfortunately, being set in the 80's, the outfits are not quite so modest as the first movie. But the important thing was the lack of male gaze in those shots.

The movie definitely hit me in my emotions. I cried three times: first during the tournament, watching the Amazon's being awesome. Then during Diana and Steve's fight, and when Steve convinced Diana to let him go. 😭

As I said, I definitely plan on rewatching. It makes me sad to see how much negative press that the movie is getting when it's one of so few female-led blockbusters. A lot of people are comparing it to the original or to the comics or TV show, when those are just not valuable comparisons. Comic books and TV shows are completely different mediums. And a successful sequel CONTINUES a story, instead of rehashing it. And also, not all films are created specifically for YOU. A lot of the 80's references went over my head, but that's ok. They weren't for me. I don't begrudge their existence just because I don't vibe with them.

Again, no film is perfect! I think I talked through a lot of its weaknesses pretty thoroughly, but I still think it's a strong film, and I want it to succeed.

Anyhoo, I hope you had fun watching the movie (even though it's not perfect) and I hope you had fun reading my commentary.

(Fun fact: I actually ran out of space in my notes app and had to stretch it across two notes)

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