#the lines have been scanned for weeks but only now did I actually get around to coloring her in (yes I was procrastinating tasks again)

[chiropteracupola]

fiddling with my design for alison a little

#em draws stuff #the flight of the heron #alison grant #the lines have been scanned for weeks but only now did I actually get around to coloring her in (yes I was procrastinating tasks again) #there's a lot I'm not satisfied with here but it's okay #and I'm very pleased with the brocade pattern (with the whole outfit actually) for Reasons You'll Eventually See... #this makes it sound like I am currently Up To Shenanigans which is not Precisely the case. you'll see. #on the point of explosion again (as is typical) which doesn't leave a ton of time for shenaniganery

[lyjen]

Ask for help pt. 2

Evan Buckley x Sister reader

A request by: @shauna-carsley - The request

Summary: As (y/n) and her fiancé get hit by a drunk driver, she loses the love of her life. Her family and best friend are trying to help her whenever and where they possibly can. Until she shuts them out.

9-1-1 masterlist

Taglist: Let me know if you want to be added in the comments or message me! 😊🫶🏽

______

(Y/n) is standing in front of the station. Simply just staring at the giant red garage doors. After weeks of physical therapy, and talking to Frank she was back at work. She took one more deep breath, and walked into the firehouse.

With her bag slung over her shoulder, she walked over the threshold into the firehouse and made her way towards the locker room. When she heard a familiar voice calling through the firehouse. “Well if it isn’t my favorite paramedic!” Eddie’s voice spoke as he ran down stairs and across the floor towards his best friend. He opened his arms and pulled her into a hug. “Finally we get to work together again” he spoke as he almost squeezed her to death.

A smile formed on (y/n)’s face, Eddie’s arm patted on her back and he pulled back. Eddie held her shoulders as he scanned her body. She was looking good. She finally was dragged out of that deep dark hole.”I'm so proud of you” he said as he once more pulled her close and pressed a small kiss on the back of her head.

Eddie was happy to see that she actually was getting better.He slung his arm around her shoulder as he walked with her between the trucks, towards the locker room. “Are you ready for your first shift back?” he asked. She sighed, “Yeah.. I think I'm ready to get back out there, and actually do what I love.”

It has been a rough couple of weeks, months. Ever since Eddie came over to her house and confronted her with her problems, they’ve been closer than ever. Which even (y/n) didn’t know that was possible. She has been close to Eddie for years, but to think that this horrible situation actually made them become even closer, filled her heart with love. Eddie had helped (y/n) a lot in these last couple of weeks. If Eddie didn’t show up when he did, she still might have been in her bed, crying over Jay, or maybe she wouldn’t even have made it this far.

She went to therapy, which helped a lot. (Y/n) wasn’t the kind of person to talk to a stranger about her feelings, it made her uncomfortable. But she knew she needed help, so she had to just step out of her comfort zone, and set her standards aside and talk to Frank. What also helped was that she knew she had the entire 118 who had her back. Even if it was only a phone call or a text, it was enough for her. It made her feel like she was being seen.

A smile was spread across Eddie’s face as she said those words. “We’re happy to have you back (y/n), It hasn’t been the same here without you.” he spoke. (Y/n) softly nodded, while she pressed her lips into a thin line, not really knowing what to say.

She was happy to be back at the firehouse, but she was scared for this shift. It has been a while since she gave medical advice. But she knew she had her fellow paramedics to lean on, Eddie, Hen and Chimney would be there every step of the way.

(Y/n) walked into the locker room, following after Eddie. “Well if it isn’t my favorite Buckley sibling!” Bobby said as his eyes spotted her walking into the room. Bobby tied the lace of his boot and made his way towards the female firefighter who just entered the room.

Her brother was right there, just pressing the last button of his shirt. Evan scoffed at Bobby’s words, “Hello? "I'm right here!” he said offended, but Bobby just ignored him. Evan didn't seem too happy with Bobby calling her his favorite Buckley. But, for now he could live with that. He loved his sister, and he was happy to see her back at work again. So if that would mean that she was at the moment Bobby’s favorite, he was okay with that.

Evan felt a hand land on his shoulder, when he looks to the left he sees Eddie just laughing at his comment.

“Welcome back firefighter Buckley, glad to have you back.” Bobby said as he squeezed her shoulder. Her eyes wandered from the hand on her shoulder to Bobby. “Thanks cap, it’s good to be back again.” Bobby’s hand slipped away from her shoulder and he left the locker room.

“Ready for the chaos today, sis?” Evan spoke as (Y/n) let her bag fall onto the bench in front of her locker. “Are you ever really ready?” she asked as she started to peel off the taped on name of the floater who used the locker. Evan smiled at her reaction, that was the kind of reaction he would’ve expected from his sister. He was happy to see this side of her again. This time she wasn’t screaming at him, crying or feeling down. “We’ll leave you to it.” Eddie said as he walked out of the locker room with Evan following close behind him, when Evan stopped as he passed by his sister.

“If there’s anything wrong, just tell me. Okay? I'm here for you.” he spoke as he reassuringly squeezed her upper arm. “I know..” she says as she lays her hand on his and rubs up and down on the back of his hand. Evan gave her a small smile and jogged out of the locker room. “Oh and Buck..” Evan stopped in his tracks and turned around to face his sister once more. “Thank you… for not giving up on me.” she said while she fiddled her uniform shirt in her hands.

“Always.”

______

The sirens of the trucks and ambulance roared through the streets of Los Angeles. The blue and red lights were lighting up the night sky of Los Angeles, as they raced towards the scene.

The entire day the 118 had been on small calls like: cats that needed rescuing from trees and small kitchen fires. But this one sounded like they were going to be busy for a moment.

The ambulance pulled to a stop as Hen stepped on the brake. “We got this, lets go” Hen gave (y/n) a small peptalk. She trusted her, even though this was her first shift after her accident.

(Y/n) pushed the passenger door of the ambulance open and hopped out. She opened the door of the ambulance and she grabbed the medic bag from the back. But when she turned her face towards the scene, her stomach turned and she got the feeling like she couldn’t breathe.

It was exactly the situation she would’ve been in if she steered one inch to the left or right. She just stood there, like she had turned into a statue. The chaotic sounds on scene became an echo, nothing came through. Everything around her seems to be moving in slow motion.

She wanted to move, she really did. But it felt like her legs were made of stone, and she couldn’t seem to move. “(Y/n)?” An echo of her name sounded through her eardrums, but as soon as she felt a hand on her shoulder, she woke up from her trance. “(Y/n)? Are you coming?” Hen asked her partner. (Y/n) shook off the thought, “Yeah” she whispered, barely audible, and she followed Hen towards the scene.

The car crashed into a concrete wall and had just missed a tree.

Before the team came up with a plan on how to open the driver's door, (y/n) quickly put her index and middle finger on the neck of the victim, checking for his pulse. “He has a pulse but it’s barely there!” she said as she ran towards the other side of the car, which was busted open with a halligan so (Y/n) could enter the car.

Before she could get into the passenger side of the car, she stopped in her tracks as a vague figure stepped forward. “That could’ve been you.” his voice spoke. It was Jay. His voice. His body. The whole picture, it was here.

She felt like she was going to lose it right here, right now. (Y/n) closed her eyes for a second, “He’s not real.” she whispered to herself, and she got in the car. She had to stay focussed, she was going to prove herself and her team that she still could do her job, after all she had been through.

(Y/n) had heard his voice inside her head for weeks. But it looked like, just as everything in her life started to get good again, her mind was telling her no.

She leaned her left leg onto the chair and her right leg was balancing her on the floor of the car as she tried to access the man. The victim's head was leaning against the steering wheel, with lots of blood on the right side of the person's face. His head had hit the windshield. (Y/n) could see his eye rolling to the back of his head as she carefully helped the man to sit up straight so she could put on the neck brace.

The figure she was imagining was now in the back of the car, leaning over to look at what she was doing. “Well, that was too late for me” he said. That was typically what he would’ve said. He was the one with the darkest humor and the sarcasm all over the place.

She shook her head at the reaction of the figure. Maybe it would go away if she just ignored it and stayed focussed on the job. A shiver rolled down her spine as she took a look at the man’s face. It looked so much worse than she thought. “Hen, get me a neck brace!” she called over to her partner, who passed her a neck brace. She carefully slipped on the brace and secured it around her neck.

In the meanwhile Eddie was opening the driver’s door with the jaws so they could easily help the man get out of the car on a backboard.

“Let’s get a backboard!” Eddie yelled at the team, who passed the backboard towards the driver’s side of the car.

“Watch his head” Eddie warned the other firefighters as Eddie and Evan turned the man on his seat and slipped him onto a backboard. Another firefighter already had the gurney waiting on the side “Let’s move it!” Eddie spoke as a bunch of firefighters carried the backboard with the man on it towards the gurney and carefully heaved him over onto the gurney.

When (Y/n) stepped out of the car, and took a few steps back from the vehicle.

“You did a great job.” Jay’s voice sounded proud.

She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in, but it sounded more like a cry. Both her hands went into her hair and she let herself fall down on her knees. She felt like she was going to lose her mind all over again. Tears were rolling down her face.

(Y/n) knew she had to step into that ambulance with Hen, but as soon as Bobby saw her there, in the middle of the street. He told Chimney to get in the back of the ambulance and drive with Hen towards the hospital. Bobby knew she needed a minute as soon as he looked at her face.

“Hey hey hey! You okay?” Evan spoke up as he kneeled down beside his sister and slid his hand onto her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

She let her hands slide over her face, to wipe away her tears and to process what the hell just happened. (Y/n) looked silently at her brother, “I think so.. just, some stress I guess.” she whispered as she leaned her forehead against his shoulder.

“Sounds like this call was a little too close to home, Am I right?” Evan asked as he placed his hand on the back of her head, reeling her into his body. He felt her head nod against his shoulder as an answer to his question.

Her hands slipped underneath his arms to reach his back and she turned her head so her ear was now against his chest. They just stayed silent for a bit, hugging each other. That’s what she needed for a long time, someone who would just give her a hug sometimes.

Sure, she would get hugs from Eddie. But right now what she wanted was a hug from her brother, the brother who raised her, the same way Maddie raised Evan. And just tell her that everything was going to be okay. That she would be okay.

She pulled back from the hug and let her hands rest on his forearms. “This all made me think of.. what I’ve been through or what could’ve happened.” she spoke up as she looked down at her knees that were connected with the asphalt.

Evan nodded at her confession, he understood what she meant. This call was almost an exact copy of the situation she was in months ago. He remembered that night, the way his heart dropped at the sight. The way he wished that it wasn’t his sister’s car that crashed into the tree. The way he screamed her name on the top of his lungs.

After a few counts of silence (y/n)’s voice made its way through Evan’s eardrums. “I’ve been seeing him.” she whispered.

Evan’s face morphed into a confused look, he didn’t understand what she said. She has been seeing him? What did she mean by that? “What?” Evan said as he furrowed his eyebrows at his sister.

“Jay. Sometimes I can just see him, and sometimes I can only hear his voice. I know I sound like a crazy person-”

“No, no, no! Not at all. You’re not crazy.” Evan interrupted as he felt like (Y/n) was sounding like she was going to rattle. “You’ve been through a traumatizing event, of course it’s gonna leave its scars. And I do believe that you can hear him or sometimes see him, and that’s fine.” He tries to comfort her.

He moved his hand to the back of her head as he looked into his sister’s eyes.

“To me it sounds like you will never forget Jay the way he was. That you won’t remember him as the Jay you saw when you crashed your car.” Tears were welling into her eyes again as he said those words. She closed her eyes as she looked down to her knees and a tear escaped her eyelids. She pressed her lips into a thin line as she faced Evan once more. “Thank you” she cried. “Always” And he pushed the hand which was resting on the back of her head towards his chest, so she could bury her face into his chest. “I’ll always be there for you.”

#911 #911 fox #911 imagine #buck imagine #buck x reader #evan buckley imagine #evan buckley x reader #evanbuckley #imagine #911 abc

[hoedamn-eron]

listen okay

been thinking about Oscar's characters and what they're like as dads

Spoke very briefly with @writefightandflightclub about this, months ago (can't even find the post it was that long ago - I'll link it later if I do - FOUND IT)

Poe Dameron is a girl dad

Santiago Garcia is a girl dad (see here)

Steven Grant is a girl dad

And Marc Spector and Jake Lockley

(Jake especially)

But Nathan Bateman

Nathan Bateman oozes boy dad

Because, right:

Nathan created Ava and has the mindset that girls are scary

(And Luna pointed out that he'd be wary after that having a girl after 'the incident' and I agree)

Seems like the kind of guy to say 'first time, guaranteed' after sex, when you both agree to start trying

(he was right, it was)

(you still don't know how he did it)

Anyways, you both have a boy

He needed to find out at your anomaly scan because he hasn't been able to control one single thing during this pregnancy and he hates it

So he voted he found out the gender

Makes you put on classical music for "the foetus" (Nathan's words) because he seems like that type of guy

Not that he doubts the kid'll be a genius, but it can't hurt

When your son is here, Nathan would be a mess

It was one thing knowing you were pregnant, seeing the bump and ultrasounds and all

But now there's an actual kid

A kid that is fully reliant on him

Nathan probably wouldn't sleep for weeks

Just sit and works and watches the kid, make sure he's breathing

He'd mellow out eventually, when you'd told him he needed sleep and can't keep doing this to himself

You took over the night shift after that, mostly

He isn't the kind of dad to rough house

But one that you'll catch talking out coding issues to an infant who just stares at Nathan, just because of the sound of his voice

Your son would look nothing like you, and take everything after Nathan (he's super smug about it too - not only can he make literal lifelike robots, but he has 'superior genes' too)

Would want to call the boy something unique like Silas, or Atlas, something along those lines

You had veto'd them very quickly

But Silas grew on you, so I can imagine you agreed to a unique name

Once your son was old enough, he'd definitely teach him how to box

Since Nathan's sleep schedule is fucked (he's working on it), he's always up first with the kid

You'll always find them on the decking at the punching bag

Nathan was always guiding him, praising him when your son eventually punched the bag

You and Nathan both regularly went out on hikes (he enjoyed them more than you did) even before the kid

When the kid was born, it was easy to carry him around in a carrier on your chests

But when he got older and learned to walk, he never wanted to be carried

And the hikes took longer

So now Nathan's planned out new family friendly routes for you all, where you'll all be out for an hour, tops, and not far from the house

Nathan really hates mess, so will probably follow the kid around once he starts walking, just picking up after him

If he's stressed or hungover (he's working on that too) he would probably yell at you to sort it out

He'd apologise later after you chewed him out, even offering to do bath time and get the kid ready for bed

"I'll read him a story or some shit"

(It's probably Stephen Hawking)

He'd arrange someone to decorate the kids bedroom to look like space or something

You had a field day looking around the IKEA website and choosing what you wanted for your son's dream bedroom, but Nathan had just rolled his eyes and got the more expensive, designer, equivalent and it was delivered within a week

You'd told him off for doing it, but he just shrugged at you wordlessly as he set up the bedroom for your son

This is long enough, I'm gonna stop here, but now I want to write a full series of dad!Nathan 😭😭😭

#headcanon #nathan bateman imagine #nathan bateman #nathan bateman x reader #nathan bateman x f!reader #ex machina #oscar isaac #imagine #nathan bateman is a boy dad change my mind #everyone else is a girl dad #dad!nathan bateman #dad!nathan bateman x mom!reader #parent!reader

[in-my-shifting-era]

Not In The Mood

(Draco Malfoy Angsty but ends Fluffy)

Summery: Having a playful academic rivalry with Draco Malfoy results in some mainly playful banter. What happens when reader has a bad week and Draco is the only person to try and fix it.

Warning: Some mature language. Maybe some strong language. Draco is kinda a softie in this.

Authors note: Draco won my poll! This is my first blurb of him for let me know what we think.

————————————————————————————————————————

You’ve been having a bad week. On Monday you got detention for being late to class because your alarm didn’t go off. Tuesday you spilt ink on your brand new uniform shirt. On Wednesday you snapped at your best friend and she’s giving you space. Then on Thursday you lost 15 house points for laughing at a prank pulled on Snape during class. When Friday came around you prayed it would be a good day. All was good throughout the day. That was until you got back your Transfigurations test from the last class and getting a bad mark.

To get away from the week you’ve had you decided to hide away in the Hogwarts library to try an escape into your new book. This plan didn’t last very long because a smug laugh interrupted your peaceful moment. “How did I know I’d find you here? A bore like you would spend their Friday evening in the library.” You looked up from your book to see Draco with his signature smirk as he leaned against the shelf you were sat by. You gave him and exhausted sigh and closed your book. “I’m not in the mood for your shit Malfoy; I’ve had a bad week.”

Your voice was flat. You didn’t really sound annoyed or rude with your words. To the blonde you just sounded numb. He wasn’t getting the rise out if you that he wanted. He shifts himself off the shelf to stand closer as his playful gaze softens. “Yeah I’ve kinda noticed you’ve been in a mood all week. I even heard you called Granger a stick in the mud. I actually want to talk about what happened their?” He’s pushing at your buttons but you won’t give him the satisfaction of his comment getting you to talk back to him.

Rolling your eyes at his comment you look at him fully now “Seriously Draco leave me alone. I’m on a streak of saying things I regret and I’d refuse to apologize to you if I hurt your feelings.” Your tone was playful this time making Draco’s lips turn up into the slightest smile. You take this moment of neutrality to get up and put your book back into your bag. You start to walk around him. You’re stopped when You from walking past him by stepping in your way.

“Go for a walk with me. Going for a walk always helps me clear my head” A look of uncertainty falls onto your face not knowing what to think of Draco’s offer. Draco notices your hesitation and sighs softly. “Don’t be a stick in the mud now. I promise to play nice.”

A smirk finds its way back to Draco’s face as you roll your eyes and give him a playful glair. You push your shoulder against him playfully as you walk past him towards the door. “ Can you do something nice for someone without making a snarky comment Malfoy?” He smiles to himself seeing your attitude return and follows behind you. “What would be the fun in that? My snarky comments are part of my charm darling.” You roll you eyes at him and let out a small laugh as you walk out of the library with him.

The comfortable silence that followed as you two walked the empty corridors brought you a small moment of peace. You look at the blonde and see his usually tense and guarded demeanor is replaced with an comforting presence. His eyes scan the many paintings that line the halls of Hogwarts. He turns his head having felt you staring into him and cover yourself by asking him a question.

“How did you know about my test score? We don’t have Transfigurations together so I know you didn’t see it some how.” Draco looks down lightly and let’s out an awkward laugh. “Uh Blaise actually told me. He sits near you and he told me you looked disappointed when you got your test back.” You give him shocked look. “Do you have your friend keeping tabs on me Draco?”

Draco scoffs lightly and rolls his eyes. “ No I don’t. He knows about our academic banter and he was telling me to leave you alone on this one. I had to still poke my fun but I wanted to make sure you were okay. Failing a test is not like you at all so I figured something more was going on.” He gave you a sympathetic smile as he says this. Something you’ve never seen often from the tough Slytherin.

Your demeanor softens and you smile up at him. “You’re the only person to notice I was struggling this week so thanks Draco.” A soft smile fall onto his face Draco’s face. He hold your gaze with his gray eyes staring into yours. “I may like to get under you skin sometimes but never aim to intentionally be cruel do you.”

In this moment you’re seeing a side of Draco you’ve never seen before. The burning blush that hides on your cheeks as you both bicker back an fourth if fully dusting your cheeks a rosey red. Talking like this with Draco feels nice. You like seeing this side of Draco. Truly you bring it out of him. Through he would never admit that.

#draco malfoy #draco malfoy imagine #draco x reader #draco fluff #draco angst #draco x female reader #draco lucius malfoy #draco fanfiction #multifandom writer #draco x you #draco x y/n

[runnning-outof-time]

Birmingham | Tommy Shelby x Reader (Part 1)

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: (Y/N) arrives in Small Heath, Birmingham and almost immediately finds work at the Garrison tavern. When two men come looking for her, she deals with them, which then has Tommy Shelby questioning her true identity.

Warnings: language, smoking, weapons, character death

Word Count: 3686

A/N: I hope this was along the lines of what you were envisioning, anon! Enjoy! :)

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future stories similar to this one!

"I'll let you off here and I won't go any further," the cab driver announced as he brought the vehicle to a stop.

"Thank you," (Y/N) answered, handing him money before she exited the car with her small bag in hand. It held everything she had to her name. Of course, it wasn't all of her belongings, but it was what she was able to collect in a hurry.

After doing a quick spin to take in her surroundings, she made her way down the street to a building that had a small 'lodging' sign hung over its door. She knocked on the door and was greeted by an older lady, who quickly took her in and showed her an apartment that was available. Luckily she'd also brought a lump sum of money from her family's stash.

The woman left (Y/N) shortly after the money was transferred. The first thing that she did was open one of the windows, which let the industrial sounds of Small Heath, Birmingham invade the space. It wasn't quite music to her ears, but she'd have to get used to it since she was living there now. She also left the door open, enjoying the cross breeze that it brought into the apartment.

In her own little world, she began unpacking the small amount of things she had with her. Then, out of nowhere, a woman's voice came from the door. "Are you new here?" the person asked, making (Y/N) quickly spin around to see a woman with blonde hair and a simple dress standing in the doorway.

"I, uh...yes, I am," she answered after her initial shock wore off.

"I'm in the apartment next door. My name is Grace," she introduced herself, a smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you, Grace. I'm (Y/N)," (Y/N) sent a friendly smile back.

"If you ever need anything, feel free to knock on my door," Grace then told her, motioning in the direction of her door then.

"I will, thank you," (Y/N) nodded. The conversation finished after that, and (Y/N) went back to arranging everything so that it was to her liking.

——

A few days later, (Y/N) went over to the door next to hers and knocked on it gently. She hoped that the person she was looking for would be inside. Moments later, the door opened.

"(Y/N)," Grace greeted, surprise flashing across her face, "do you need something?"

"Yeah," (Y/N) nodded before continuing, "I wanted to ask you if you knew of anywhere that might have a job opening. I've only been here a few days and I'm already climbing up the walls with boredom."

"I work at a pub. It's called the Garrison. I'm not sure if the owner has any spots available, but I can ask him for you," she answered, a slight smile on her face as she nodded in understanding.

"That'd be great. Thank you, Grace," (Y/N) sent a smile back.

"Sure, no problem," Grace responded, her eyes glancing around (Y/N) for a moment. It was as if she was scanning the area around her. "I was expecting someone soon, actually," she said then, breaking the momentary silence that had fallen between them.

"Oh, ok. I'll leave you alone then," (Y/N) said as she began taking steps back to her apartment, "thank you again for asking him." Grace merely smiled before both of the women stepped back into their apartments.

——

A little over a week later, (Y/N) found herself walking down Garrison Lane. She hadn't heard from Grace after asking her about a possible job, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. After asking the lodging owner where the Garrison was located, and receiving a wide-eyed look in response, (Y/N) was on her way to find work for herself.

When she entered the tavern, she found a man wiping down the bar's counter. "Can I help you?" he asked once he heard the door close, a look of confusion on his face.

"I'm looking for work," (Y/N) started as she walked further into the bar's main room, "my neighbor said that she works here. Her name's Grace."

"Yes, Grace," the man nodded in recognition, "I don't have any room for another barmaid," he then said before going back to cleaning the counter.

"I don't have to be a barmaid," (Y/N) took a few more steps towards the bar, not wanting to let go of an opportunity so easily. The man looked up again, this time with furrowed eyebrows, and he looked her up and down. "I'll take any job you have," she continued, then wanting to kick herself for sounding so desperate. "My name's (Y/N), by the way. (Y/N)...Williams," she introduced herself, hesitating for a moment as she almost gave the man her real name...the name she was trying to run away from.

He pursed his lips, showing that he was thinking of her offer. "We need help with stocking," he finally said after a few moments.

(Y/N) nodded her head a few times before speaking, "I'll do that," she agreed with his offer. At this point, she just needed something to do and was up for anything.

"Good," the man nodded his head, a smile forming on his face, "name's Harry, by the way. There's men above me that you'll also have to answer to, but you'll be seeing me most of the time," he then gave her some information about the place she'd be working at.

"Ok. When will I start?" she asked after nodding her head.

Harry smiled. He liked the drive that this woman had. "Tomorrow," he told her. (Y/N) nodded one last time before she bid him goodbye, happy that she now had something to occupy her time.

——

The next morning, (Y/N) arrived at the bar at the time that Harry had specified. He almost immediately gave her a list of things that needed doing, and she was more than happy to get to it. She loved the job almost instantly. She rarely had to talk to people and oftentimes was off in the backroom, making sure that the alcohol was inventoried and restocked at the bar when it was called for. The one person she did see rather early into her shift was Grace, and the blonde woman did not look happy to see her neighbor.

"What're you doing here?" she asked (Y/N) as she searched for what Harry had told her to get.

"I came looking for a job," (Y/N) responded simply as she continued unpacking and stacking the crates that filled the backroom.

"And Harry gave you one?" she asked yet another question.

"He did," (Y/N) responded, then looking over at the other woman, "why do you look surprised?" she questioned upon noticing the expression on Grace's face.

"I'm not surprised..." Grace trailed off, looking like she was scrambling for a cover, "I just didn't think that Harry would offer you a job," was her excuse.

"So that's why you didn't even bother asking him?" (Y/N) inquired, her eyebrows raised.

Grace shut down almost immediately after hearing this statement. "I need to get back out to the bar," she said in a dismissive tone before she quickly grabbed the bottle closest to her and turned to leave the room. (Y/N) couldn't help but snort at the random encounter she'd just had. She shook her head before going back to what she was doing.

——

Grace was different towards (Y/N) from that day forward. She was no longer friendly and inviting whenever (Y/N) saw her around the apartments, and when she did speak to her, she kept things very formal in nature. It certainly confused (Y/N), who was hoping to find at least one person to confide in.

She also was able to meet the 'men above Harry that she'd have to answer to'. There were two of them: Arthur and Tommy. Although Harry ran the bar, these two men, who were brothers, owned the establishment. Arthur seemed nice and was happy to see that there was another hand around the place...because it was less work for him to do. Tommy was different. (Y/N) couldn't quite get a read on him, and she hoped to hell that he wouldn't get a read on her and figure her true self out. She'd introduced herself to both of them as (Y/N) Williams, and was hoping to keep it that way.

She was finishing up stacking the newly ordered crates in the backroom when she heard voices coming from the main room of the bar. This confused her because it was late and she didn't think that there was anyone else in the building. So she finished stacking the final crate and slowly walked from the back to the main room.

Before she was able to enter it, she saw Grace. She was leaning up against the wall and she had what looked to be a gun cradled against her chest. She didn't see (Y/N) coming, because she was busy peering out into the bar's main room. "Grace?" (Y/N) asked, making the blonde-haired woman jump and quickly turn to look at her. "What are you doing?"

"Keep your voice down," Grace spoke in a hushed voice, her eyes wide and serious.

"What's going on?" (Y/N) asked again, her voice lowered now.

"There are two men that are about to come in and try to do a deal with Tommy. He insists that those men are going to kill him after the deal's done, so he's got me waiting back here...for backup," Grace explained. (Y/N) almost wanted to laugh in her face. She couldn't ever see a woman like Grace offering competent backup to someone who's on the verge of being killed. She just didn't look like she had it in her.

"Did he tell you who it is that's coming?" (Y/N) asked another question before she also tried to peer out into the main room. She was able to see Tommy sitting with his back facing them, staring at the door, but no one else.

"Men from Sheffield. He didn't say much about them, just that they'd gotten in contact with him and wanted to carry out a deal," Grace gave her more information, making the other woman's eyes widen slightly.

(Y/N) was about to say something, but got stopped by the sound of the doors opening. Upon hearing them, she peered out again to see two men walking towards the table Tommy was sitting at. Her blood ran cold as she instantly recognized their faces. "I need the gun you have, Grace," she said the second she turned back to look at the blonde-haired woman.

"No. Why? Tommy gave it to me to use," Grace was hesitant to hand it over, still clutching it close to her chest.

"You've got to trust me, Grace, I need the gun. Give me the gun, please," (Y/N) was one step away from begging now. Her heart was going a mile a minute as the countless possibilities were circling through her head. Why were these men here?...in the last place she thought they'd look for her. And how did they manage to come to her place of work?

"I'm not giving you the gun," Grace stayed steadfast.

"Give me the fucking gun, Grace. Now," (Y/N) ordered, her eyes widening as she spoke in a low voice, "between the two of us, we surely know who's the better shot," she quipped then, holding her hand out. The women held each other's gazes for a few painstakingly long moments before Grace finally handed it over with a sigh. "Thank you," (Y/N) said, not as a show of gratitude, but rather an exhale of relief because the thing that would save her was now in her hands.

She quickly opened the weapon's chamber and made sure there were bullets in it. Just as she was clicking it shut, she heard one of the men speak: "do you know where she is, Mr. Shelby?" he asked.

This sealed the men's fate. Not listening to the objections from Grace, (Y/N) cocked the gun and began walking from the hallway to the main room. She took a second to visually confirm the identities of both of the men before she fired two shots; one for each of them. Tommy, who was sitting with his back to the hallway, ducked under the table at the sound of gunfire, immediately worried that his plan had been infiltrated.

Silence fell in the room again. (Y/N) was now able to hear the sound of her heartbeat in her ears, and even though she squeezed her eyes shut tight, she wasn't able to still her shaking hands. You weren't found out. You're still safe here. They haven't gotten to you yet. She kept repeating in her mind as she tried to ground herself.

After nothing else occurred within the first few moments of silence, Tommy finally pulled himself up off of the floor. His eyes widened the second he turned around to see just how the situation had unfolded. (Y/N) was standing a few steps away from him, her eyes frantic and her hands grasped around the gun she'd just used. Grace was in the opening of the hallway, where he'd told her to wait for her cue...the cue he never got to give. A quick glance down at his person made him realize that his white collar now had blood splattered on it, confirming what he knew had happened.

"(Y/N), what the...what the fuck just happened there?" he asked once he'd gotten his voice back from the initial shock he faced. He was confused as to why the woman who'd been only working there for a few weeks had just come out and shot two men. She didn't respond to him and looked like she was in some sort of trance, so he stepped over to her, carefully reaching out for the gun in her hand. "Hey," he called to her as he slowly wrapped his hand around the weapon, "(Y/N)...what's going on?"

The second she felt his hand touch hers, she snapped back to reality and quickly became aware of what was going on. The blood on his collar reminded her of what she'd just done. She released her hold on the gun, making it drop to the floor instead of to Tommy's hand. "They...they were coming for me," she stammered as her eyes found the bodies of the two men lying on the floor, "I...I've got...gotta go," she stumbled over her words as her frantic eyes found Tommy's. She was able to see the confusion in them, but had no desire to make him understand what just happened. So she quickly pushed herself past him and rushed to the door of the tavern.

A policeman was entering the building as she was leaving, so she pushed past him too. Surely he wouldn't have suspected a woman to kill those two men...even if she was leaving the premises rather quickly. Right now all she wanted to do was get into the safety of her apartment.

——

The fact that she had the next two days off from work at the Garrison felt like a blessing to (Y/N). She was still reeling from the events that had transpired that night. But the days passed by too quick and soon enough, she was due back in the stockroom.

Her shift started off well. She was needed in the back so that she could unpack the most recent delivery that the bar had gotten, which meant she was by herself. Grace had just barely said hi to her when she noticed that she was there. (Y/N) was fine with that though. She'd been feeling more and more weary about the blonde-haired woman since that night.

The day was about halfway over when she heard her name being called from the entry of the stockroom. Looking up, she saw Tommy Shelby standing with an expectant look on his face. "Can I do something for you, Mr. Shelby?" she asked, eager to help out in any way possible.

"Can I have a word with you?" he asked her.

"Sure," (Y/N) nodded.

"Follow me," he then beckoned her out of the room. She quickly sat down the rag in her hands and hurried out of the stockroom, seeing that he was just about to the end of the hall. She followed him into the office she knew that Arthur Shelby used whenever he came to oversee the bar. "Sit," he instructed her, motioning to one of the wooden chairs as he took a seat in the leather one behind the desk.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Shelby?" she couldn't stop herself from asking as she clasped her hands together in her lap.

"Not necessarily, no," Tommy shook his head, clearing his throat before he pulled a cigarette out of its pack and lit it with a match. "You said your name was (Y/N) Williams, correct?" he asked her, smoke billowing out as he spoke.

"Yes, that is my name," (Y/N) nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

Tommy pursed his lips, as if he was trying to think of a perfect way to say what was on his mind. (Y/N) waited on eggshells as the anticipation grew with each silent second that passed. "You gave us a fake name," he finally said, making (Y/N)'s heart drop to her stomach.

Immediately she began trying to disprove him. "No, I didn't, I..."

"Your name is (Y/N) (Y/L/N)," Tommy cut her off.

"Please don't say that name," (Y/N) whispered, cringing at the sound of it as she squeezed her eyes shut. That name was exactly what she was running from.

Tommy continued without comment on her plea. "You're father and brothers lead the Weller Boys. You're originally from Sheffield, but yet you've found yourself in Birmingham. These two cities are nowhere near in the same vicinity. Perhaps there are other reasons behind your desire to live here?" he asked, his eyebrows raised intently, "and can you explain to me why I've just had two Weller Boys visit my pub a few nights ago?"

(Y/N) took a deep breath, trying to stop the emotions she'd been suppressing for days now from coming up again. She then opened her eyes and looked at Tommy, making sure that she held his gaze as she began speaking: "I may be tied into them by my family, but I am not a Weller. My father was married into the gang because my mother was an only child and they believed that a woman was not capable enough to run the enterprise. My brothers are the heads of it now...my father's stepped back. They were trying to control every aspect of my life; what I did for a living, who I was and wasn't able to see or spend time with. I wanted out. So I ran to the last place that I thought they'd look for me, which was Birmingham."

"And why did two Weller Boys show up at my pub a few nights ago?" Tommy reasked the second question he had.

(Y/N) couldn't stop the snort from leaving her lips. "Those men were barely Weller Boys. They were two low level street soldiers who'd do anything to make it up in the ranks...obviously," she paused after calling back to the meeting that had been set up, "they knew who I am, and knowing my brothers, they were probably also sent here looking for me," she finished by raising her eyebrows. Tommy only pursed his lips in response, not looking completely sold on the idea. (Y/N) sighed at that, shaking her head slightly before she spoke again: "I killed both of them, didn't I? Why would I've done that if I was on the same side as them?" She stared at him with raised eyebrows then, the fact that she hadn't looked away once while she was telling her side showing Tommy that she was speaking the truth. After a few more moments of silence passed, (Y/N) let out a sigh, "look...I fled to Birmingham so that I could be safe. I didn't intend to get mixed up in any more gang activity. I want to be away from all of it to be honest with you."

"You will be safe as long as you're in Birmingham," Tommy told her, seriousness in his voice.

"I will...?" (Y/N) responded, her statement sounding like a confused question.

"You're in my city now, and I keep the people in my city safe," he told her. The way he spoke made (Y/N) believe him immediately. She couldn’t help but smile slightly, taking solace in his words.

“Thank you, Mr. Shelby. That’s...you have no idea how relieved that makes me feel,” she thanked him, her smile growing.

“There’s no need to thank me...” he trailed off as he stood from the chair, brushing off her gratitude with a wave of his hand, “I just expect for there to be no more close calls in the future,” he finished his statement with a wink and a slight grin, calling back to the predicament they found themselves in a few nights ago.

(Y/N) laughed slightly at his second statement, “I will make sure of that,” she assured him before she stood as well.

Tommy nodded slightly at her statement before they both exited the office. Tommy turned back to go to the bar while (Y/N) went the opposite direction to return to the stockroom. She couldn’t stop the smile from forming on her face as she resumed the job she started earlier. Things could only go up from here.

Next Part

Tagged: @alreadybroken-ts @magicallovdrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @golden-hoax @elenavampire21 @peaky-cillian @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @easilyobessedbutflighty @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist

#tommy shelby #tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby x y/n #tommy shelby imagine #peaky blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders x y/n #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic

[readyforthegarden]

Breakable Heaven - Part One

Pairing: Danny Wagner x Female Reader

Synopsis: Being the maid of honor in your best friends wedding is already stressful enough without the best man being the ex-boyfriend who tore your heart to shreds. Stumbling across a dating app with dates for hire, you take a chance, inviting a perfect stranger to pretend to be your boyfriend for the weeklong celebrations. But how long can the charade last when the champagne starts pouring and feelings start growing?

A/N: I just want to say thank you so much to @joshsindigostreak and @sinners-go-to-drink-the-wine for workshopping this idea with me for what feels like a year, and to @gretavanfleetposts and @earthlysorrows for hyping me up when I shared some sneak peeks with them. Love love love y’all!!!

Warnings: flight anxiety, tooth rotting fluff 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

WC: 3904

Airports always made you nervous. The people, the stress of making flights on time, getting through TSA, not to mention innate fear that not only were you going to miss your flight, but that the gate and flight actually never existed. 

Adding on top of that the stress of meeting someone new, a complete stranger you had only a handful of phone conversations with, well that made you more shaky than the coffee with two espresso shots you’d picked up on the way to the airport. 

Looking around again, you tried to find the face of the stranger in the crowd, recalling his profile picture from the app. The sea of faces that greeted you didn’t match, raising a new fear in your gut: you were being stood up. You wouldn't have blamed them, honestly. It was an entirely insane idea. Hiring a date for your best friend's destination wedding was up there with the stupidest things you had ever done. But the idea of facing your ex, Gavin, during all the week-long festivities alone made your stomach churn. 

Hearing your name, your eyes scanned the crowd again, looking for the man from the pictures on his profile. Heart beating anxiously in your chest, it fell as you were greeted with nothing. 

“Hey,” your soul nearly left your body as a hand landed on your shoulder from behind. Turning, you were greeted with the man you’d been looking for. “I didn’t mean to startle you!”

“Oh it’s okay.” you waved his concern away, calming down, fanning your face a bit with the tickets clutched in your hand. “I was so focused on trying to find you I didn’t think that you were trying to find me too.” 

“Yeah, this place is nuts,” he agreed. “I guess we should properly introduce ourselves. I’m Danny.” he held his hand out,  and you met it with your own in a firm shake. “It’s nice to meet you in person.”

“Yeah, it’s nice to meet you too,” you replied back, supplying your own name, though feeling a bit foolish because the two of you had been texting for a week now. But Danny just grinned, his smile slightly crooked. His dark curls flowed from the bottom of his baseball cap, and you had the distinct feeling that if he took it off, he wouldn’t suffer from hat-hair like you would. Not realizing you were staring until he chuckled, you cleared your throat, handing him a plane ticket. “We should head over to get through security.”

The cattle line through security was as awkward as you anticipated in your anxiety. Danny let you go ahead of him, the set path too narrow for both of you to stand together. Stomach churning  nervously, you were dying to fill the silence between you two, but there was very little to discuss at the moment. When you did peek back, Danny seemed preoccupied with reading all the signage around you. 

When it was your turn to fill your bin with any metal and belongings you frantically tossed everything you had in taking off your shoes and padding in your socks through the metal detector. The agent beckoned you down to wait for your tray as it went through the scanner with your carry on backpack, and you watched Danny go through. He moved effortlessly, like he did this every day. Whether it was vindication or jealousy you weren’t sure, but you felt a tug in your stomach when he took off his cap, his curls bouncing perfectly back into place, not a strand matted down. 

“Are you hungry?” you were sliding your backpack back on, wiggling your feet back into your shoes as Danny asked the question. 

“I could nibble on something.” 

“Great, I’m starving. I woke up late and didn’t want to chance missing the flight.” Danny’s smile graced his face again, and you couldn’t help but feel charmed by it. Maybe your judgment was broken, to feel this confident about a stranger, but Danny seemed completely sincere off the bat. Something that was going to be key to keep up the lie for the next week. 

Finding a small cafe, Danny ordered himself a breakfast sandwich and a coffee, asking what you wanted. After a bit of back and forth, Danny insisting he pay for your breakfast, you yielded, ordering a croissant and herbal tea, feeling like you’d had enough coffee this morning. Danny convinced you to take a seat at one of the small tables in the cafe, assuring you that the gate would not magically disappear, and you had more than enough time to get there. 

“So, who in this day and age throws a week-long wedding celebration?” Danny asked, a curious smirk on his face as he lifted his coffee cup to his lips. 

“Someone whose family hasn’t known what an empty wallet has felt like since the eighteen hundreds.” you rolled your eyes.  Your best friend Olivia had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, though it was rare she acted like it. You hadn’t realized she had any money until high school, when her parents finally allowed you to come over for a sleepover.

Her room was bigger than the floor plan of your childhood home, and you remembered wondering what someone used all of that open space for, but realized as the night went on and the giggles grew louder, it was used to have small dance parties at sleepovers. 

“I see,” Danny nodded, wiping his hands on a napkin. “So what I’m hearing is that we should make the absolute best of this all-inclusive trip and open bar at the wedding?” his hazel eyes sparkled with good-natured mischief, even under the shadow of the bill of his hat. 

“That’s what I’m planning on doing.” you smiled back, feeling a giggle bubble up in your throat as you picked at your croissant. “No well in my drinks, I’m getting top shelf.”

“‘Atta girl,” Danny laughed. Soon you both finished your breakfasts, the herbal tea calming your nerves some. By the time you got to your gate, there was only a few minutes before boarding started. As maid of honor, Olivia had made sure you and your plus-one had first class seats, which made you so giddy you nearly forgot your anxiety. 

“Woah,” you breathed once you boarded, looking at the pod that was your seat. “This is like a whole ass apartment.” 

“Never flown first class before?” Danny snickered as he entered his own pod next to yours, dropping his small carry-on pack onto the seat. Looking up, you shook your head. “I think you’ll like it.”

“You fly often?”  Danny shrugged as he settled into his seat, moving the pack to the floor by his feet. 

“I’m in a band, and we fly around for gigs.” he answered. “I’ve only flown first class twice, but once you do, you never want to go back to economy.”

“Well, it’s good I don’t get to travel often then.” you sniffed, sitting in your seat. There was a gap for a curtain partition between you both, should either of you decide to lean back and take a nap. You occupied yourself with looking at all the buttons around you, fiddling with the air conditioning, anything you could the closer you got to takeoff. When the flight attendants came by and reminded you to buckle up, you took a deep breath, leaning back in your seat and closing your eyes once fastened in. 

The pilot came on the speakers, going over the flight details and making her announcements, and you focused on your breathing, in through the nose, hold one two three, out through the mouth. You repeated it over and over through the speech until you were interrupted. 

“Are you okay?” Danny was looking at you, forehead creased in concern. 

“Oh, yeah I’m fine.” you tried to wave him off, but your shaky hand gave you away. Instead of going back to his own business, he reached out, taking the hand you tried to dispel him with, holding it in his. 

“Good, because I am, and I don’t think both of us could survive this flight if we were both nervous.” he laced his fingers through yours, the soft pressure of his hand calming the shakiness of your nerves. He gave you a soft smile, and you caught on to his fib, him trying to make you feel better by pretending to be the nervous one. “Besides, it gives me a chance to practice acting like your dutiful boyfriend.”

“Right, right.” you nodded. “You’re doing wonderful already.” The compliment had Danny giving your hand a small squeeze as the plane began its ascent.

“Tell me more about Olivia and her fiance.” Danny leaned in, his elbow resting on your armrest. “Y’know, to distract me.”

“Um, well Olivia is my best friend. She’s amazing. She’s kind, smart, and supportive.” you smiled thinking of your best friend. “And stunning, like, she should’ve been a model instead of going to school for environmental science. Mike is a great guy too. He wasn’t enamored by her money like a lot of guys were. You could tell the ones that just wanted to be with her for what she could get them, but Mike really cares about her.”

“How long have they been together?” 

“About four years, now.” you answered. “They met at a party in our senior year of college. Mike was friends with my boyfriend Gavin, and I brought Olivia, and it was like a movie when they met. They just kind of…stared at each other with these smiles on their faces. Instead of dancing and getting drunk they holed away in a corner of the party until like, three in the morning, talking and getting to know one another.”

“That sounds really sweet.” Danny’s thumb rubbed over the knuckle of yours soothingly as the plane reached altitude, evening out. 

“It is. They’re perfect for each other.” you nodded. 

“So, what about this Gavin?” Danny quirked an eyebrow. “My competition?” you scoffed, rolling your eyes.

“Hardly.” your reply was short, then you quickly supplied. “Not that you pale in comparison I didn’t mean it like that! He just…I’m over him, and I didn’t want to come to this wedding alone and let my loneliness talk me into running back to him.” Danny glanced down at your hands, his thumb still swiping across the skin of your thumb, saying your name to make you look at him.

“As your wedding-week boyfriend,” he started. “I promise to make sure that you won’t even think about your dumb ex-boyfriend, even when you’re standing right in front of him.” he looked up at you with his hazel eyes, the light from your window hitting them perfectly to make them shine. 

“I appreciate that.” you could feel yourself blush from the eye contact, before Danny tossed you a wink and sat back in his seat again, hand still firmly in yours. 

“Now, let’s see what movies we can watch to keep ourselves distracted.”

The flight was tolerable, Danny keeping your hand in his the entire time, especially when there was some slight turbulence. He continued to say it was he who was anxious, making you laugh again and easing your worries. It actually wasn’t until you were in the towncar on your way to the wedding venue that your nerves started to spike again.

Your name drifted through the air with a shriek, Olivia dashing down the steps of the vineyard towards you. Dropping your bags, you threw your arms open, ready to catch her as she launched herself at you. “I’m so excited you’re finally here!”

“Me too!” Laughing as you swayed under the weight of another human. “I’ve missed you!”

“I missed you more, you don’t even know!”

“It’s been two weeks,” Mike chuckled from behind you both. Olivia let herself down, and once her heels were firmly planted on the pavement, pulled you into another hug.

“The longest two weeks of my life,” she whispered before moving back. Her eyes moved over and up, and you finally noticed Danny next to you.

“Oh, Danny, this is Olivia and Mike. Guys, this is Danny, my boyfriend.” Olivia grinned at your label for the tall man as he held out his hand. 

“I’ve heard so much about you guys, thank you for having me.” Danny smiled charmingly as Mike shook his hand. Olivia swatted it away when it was turned to her, pulling him into a tight hug instead.

“We’re thrilled to have you!.” she told him. “You must be something, being kept secret for so long.” When she let him go, Danny slid an arm around your waist smoothly, tucking you into his side as he gazed down at you. 

“What can I say? Sometimes when you have a good thing you want to keep it to yourselves for as long as possible.” his eyes shone down as he smiled, making your cheeks blush as you gazed up at him. Damn, he was good. 

“Oh you guys are already so cute.” Olivia squealed before her face turned playfully devious. “But now that you’re here I’m going to find out everything about you both. I want every little detail!” What shot a shiver of fear down your spine only made Danny laugh, his hand rubbing your back soothingly. 

“We’ll tell you, I promise.” Danny assured her, making her bounce in place with excitement. 

“Good! Now come on, we’ll show you to your room!” Olivia looped her arm through yours, effectively tugging you away from Danny and leading you towards the vineyard house. Danny and Mike were left to grab the luggage as she whisked you away. 

“That man is gorgeous.” Olivia leaned her head in close, talking softly so they didn’t overhear. “Seriously no wonder you haven’t even soft launched him.”

“He is handsome, isn’t he?” you couldn’t help but giggle. It wasn’t just his looks that made you pick him, but they certainly didn’t hurt.

“Is he treating you right?” Olivia whispered, suddenly over the giddiness and turning serious. “Good looks be damned, if he hurts you I will destroy him.”

“No, he’s been wonderful, Liv, really.” you assured her. “He treats me very well.”

“Good, you deserve to be treated like the goddess you are.” Olivia tightened her grip on your arm lovingly. You glanced behind you, seeing Danny carrying your bag along with his and rolling your suitcase behind him, while Mike dragged Danny’s behind him. They were chatting as they walked and you couldn’t help but think the two men already looked like good friends, laughing as they spoke. 

Olivia led you up a flight of stairs and down a hallway, her heels clicking on the white marble floors. The vineyard was exquisite, and definitely something her parents chose and paid for. 

“Here it is! The maid of honor suite!” Olivia slid a keycard through the door handle and pushed it open, gesturing for you to step inside. The room was massive, an entire sitting room that was separated from the bedroom by double doors with frosted glass for privacy. There was even a small kitchenette with a fully stocked coffee bar. 

“Liv, are you sure this isn’t the bridal suite?” you gasped pacing around the couch to the large picture windows to see your view of the grounds. From your window, you could see the grounds of the vineyard, a luscious lawn sprawling out to a large forest area, a path disappearing into the trees.

“Oh, that’s down the hall and makes this room look like a dump.” her laugh peeled like bells. “You like it?”

“Like it? I love it!” you turned back to her, seeing Danny and Mike enter the room, the former's eyes going wide as he took in the room.

“Wow, this is…huge.” he glanced into the bedroom as he walked further in.

“Only the best for my best friend.” Olivia hummed, smiling as her eyes shot over to Danny. You pursed your lips slightly, knowing she was going to be sizing him up all week. A part of you felt nervous for him, and you had to remind yourself that it didn’t matter what she thought. Once the wedding was over and you flew back home, you wouldn’t see Danny again.

“Honey, your parents should be here soon, we should go back downstairs.” Mike cleared his throat, checking his watch. Olivia nodded, walking over to him and sliding her hand into his before looking back at you and Danny.

“We’ll leave you two alone to get unpacked.” she smiled cheekily. “Dinner is at seven, wear something nice.”

“Thanks Liv,” you waved at her as they left, before she popped her head back in.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Olivia gave you an exaggerated wink before Mike reached back, tugging her out of the doorway and shutting the door for you guys. There was an awkward silence between you and Danny as you were both truly alone for the first time ever.

“This is a really amazing room,” he smiled, checking out the flatscreen that was mounted on the wall. 

“Yeah, it is.” you hummed, picking up your bag and bringing it in from the small hallway leading to the door. 

“I uh, I can take the couch.” Danny gestured towards the large sofa, his other hand tucking into the front pocket of his jeans. Looking over at the couch, it looked comfortable, but didn’t seem nearly long enough to house his lengthy body.

“I-I don’t mind sharing the bed.” you told him. “It’s so big I don’t think it will be a problem.” Danny nodded 

“Only if you’re comfortable with it.”  Danny’s brows were creased again, double checking.

“It’ll be fine.” you assured him with a smile. “Besides, I wouldn’t put it past Olivia to get an extra key and bust in here whenever she pleases, and she may think it’s weird that you’re sleeping on the couch.” Danny chuckled.

“We could say we had a fight,” he suggested, though he was already moving his things towards the bedroom with you. “Or that we’re taking it slow.” you paused, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Unfortunately my track record would blow that excuse into smithereens.” Danny laughed, tossing himself onto the bed.

“Oh, it does? I must be the luckiest boyfriend in the world.”

“Yeah, don’t you remember? First date you got lucky.” you sat yourself on the other side of the bed as Danny watched you, a playful smirk on his face. He dropped his jaw slightly, looking fake shocked. 

“Must’ve been a really good date.”

“It was pretty good.” you shrugged with a laugh. “You took me to an Italian restaurant.”

“Mmm, molto bene,” Danny replied. “Let’s see, I had the chicken parm, and you had the carbonara.”

“Oh, I do love carbonara.” you hummed. “Part way through dinner, you got marinara on your shirt, and we couldn’t let it set in and stain, so we went to my apartment. You took off your shirt so we could soak the stain and one thing led to another.” trailing off, you looked back over to Danny, who was grinning.

“I cannot wait to tell this story tonight to anyone who asks,” he replied, one hand splayed over his shaking chest while he laughed. “Tell me, was it love at first sight?”

“Sure,” you shrugged, smirking. “But we played it cool for a while, you know, trying to keep it casual.”

“If there’s anything I’m a sucker for, it’s love.” Danny informed you. “I said it first.”

“I’ll let you have that,” building this imaginary relationship with Danny was starting to be fun. “But I’m the one that asked you out in the first place.” Danny leaned over, the hand that was on his chest extended towards you. 

“Deal.” you shook his hand before he sat up, moving to his bags. “Alright, let’s get settled in here. We have a lot more ground to cover.”

He was right, an impromptu story-building session of your first date and saying ‘I love yous’ wasn’t going to be enough to get through the week. You had been foolish to think that you’d rely on improvisation and hoping no one asked more than a few basic questions. Grabbing your suitcase you began unpacking your clothes while weaving the webs you and Danny would have to carefully maneuver all week long.

Taglist: (feel free to add yourself!)

@joshsindigostreak @sinners-go-to-drink-the-wine @ascendingtostardust @sammysprincess @sammykiszkamyass @belovedsamuel @sunfl0wer-power @indigo-starcatcher @sammyscherub @earthlysorrows @lvnterninthenight @allieisacrybaby @losfacedevil @xserenax-13 @sarakay-gvf @shutupdevvie @myownparadise96 @watchingovergvff @gretavanfleetposts @josiee-gvf @joshkiszkatoothgap @madneedshelp @gardensgatedaisy @myownparadise96 @demonrat444 @dannyandthekiszkas @tearsofbri @paleshadow-ofadragon @happy-harpy-stuff @like-a-woman-in-a-dream @starshine-wagner @objectsinspvce @josh-iamyour-mama @mountain-in-springtime @cal-a-bungaa @capturethechaos @jankandjonch @gvfpal

@allybjt @hippievanfleet @weightofbrokenbells @joshkiszkasbadussy @malany-gvf @ruby0antlers @samofthedawn @sacredjake @aim4thedoublee @diditallforyouu @gvfmarge @highladyofasgard @sammysvanfeet@gold-mines-melting @earthgrlsreasy @mountain-in-springtime @forcebond301 @stardust-and-shadows @llightmyllovee @gretavangroupie @comesofarsomehow @infinisonicosm @indigofallingsky @hellowgoodbye @hearts-hunger @fwzco @dharma-divine33 @lightsofthe-living-gvf @ascendingtothestarsasone @klarxtr @ofthecaravel @musicspeaks @radmads-gvf

#danny wagner #danny wagner x reader #greta van fleet #josh kiszka #jake kiszka #sam kiszka #breakable heaven fic #danny gvf #danny wagner fanfiction

[aussiepineapple1st]

What is Happening to Me?

Leon x F!Reader

Words: 1,580 Contains: Injury, blood, fluff, angst.

Part 2

"How many times have I told you that dress looks perfect on you?" Leon said with a sigh as he saw you checking yourself out with a pout as you stand outside a hotel restaurant, waiting for the both of you to be escorted in and to your table Leon had booked a week Prior to tonight's dinner. You look up to Leon with a small smile and reach up to hold onto his arm as you leans against him. "Thank you, Leon." You say feeling giddy at his compliments, you had been dating for years now, both of you D.S.O. Agents and you still get butterflies when he looks at you with pure love in his eyes or gives you simple compliments.

After about a minute of waiting you were both met by a young late teen girl, this was probably her first job as she seemed nervous, yet seemed to know what to do as if having practiced her lines of greeting and asking for a name before leading you both to a small square table in the back of the hotel restaurant. "I love pub meals." You comment as the young girl leaves both of you at the table to make a decision on what you would like to eat and drink.

"I know, you never want to go anywhere fancy." He comments with a slight pout in his tone. "But pub food is sooo much better than the fancy, expensive stuff you get which is also only a mouthful most of the time." You said smiling and reaching a hand to rest on his as you sit across from each other. "But if you really want to take me to a fancy restaurant I don't mind going. Food is food." You shrug pulling your hand back and holding the menu in your hands.

"The schnitzel looks like a good option..." You say quietly to yourself and Leon only gives a small chuckle, shaking his head. "Whaaaat?" You say feeling your cheeks blush slightly. "Of course you went for the schnitzel, why not try something different? Like... The Carbonara, or even the steak with hot chips, gravy and an egg on top? Actually that sounds good..." He said trying to convince you but ended up figuring out what he was going to be eating.

Smiling up at your partner you want to savour this moment when of course... you heard a racket happening in the main dinning room, both of you share a look and stand to your feet making your way down the small hallway and to the dinning room. The power turning off in the hotel and looking outside you don't see any street lights or any power in the buildings across the road. Both of you reach for your firearms, yours on a strap under your dress around your thigh and Leon reaching under his jacket to the holster on the back of his belt, not drawing yet unless it was just a normal power outage and the commotion was nothing you needed to worry about.

Scanning the darkness you both allow your eyes to adjust when you see the young lady kneeling next to what the commotion was all about, a bloodied man had stumbled into the restaurant and fallen unconscious on his back, his t-shirt soaked in blood as the young lady was on her phone calling for an ambulance. Leon runs over and pulls the young girl up away from the man on the ground you follow and stand between Leon and the girl giving her an extra layer of security. Leon takes out a small torch from his pant's pocket, turning it on before touching his fingers to the pulse in the man's neck. "Every body get to the second level of the hotel.. NOW!" Leon calls out in the low mumbling as he looks up to you. "I'm going to check around and shut to doors and make sure no one else is infected.

Giving Leon a nod you turn the young girl around and lead everyone to the stairs, you knew what rules to follow as this was probably your 100th time dealing with this. Leon's gun goes off and tried to keep everyone calm, pulling out your own gun and walking up first to quickly check around the second level, ushering everyone up and into a large sitting room allowing everyone to be comfortable. "Did he kill him?!" The young girl asked in a shouted whisper not wanting to say the obvious out loud. "He wasn't alive when he stumbled in." You explain in a calm tone as you make sure the bar tenders and chefs join the group knowing Leon had sent them up.

You could see the gears turning on the faces of all the people and the young girl standing in front of you. "Oh my god... It's an outbreak.. isn't it? Are we going to die?" She asked clearly becoming distressed. "No... You'll be just fine, Leon and myself are professionals who deal with these outbreaks and monstrosities all the time." You assure, seeing your calmness and words seeming to give the young girl more confidences that she will get out of this alive. You give the most capable man of the small group of dinners and staff the duty to make sure no one comes in or out, unless you or the man you are with is with them or ask someone to leave the group. Confident they are alright you make your way through the halls, knocking on every door you come across and end up finding 6 people, taking them back to the lounge room.

Leon was there to meet you, taking your arm gently and pulling you out into the hallway talking in a quiet voice as not to alert the civilians. "I have contacted Chris and Hunnigan, damn it... why can't we just have some time out and not have to deal with this stuff." He sighed in frustration. You take his hand and lean up on your tippy toes to press your lips to his. "It's frustrating, but I would rather being here to protect everyone and catch it quickly rather than not." You say smiling up at him as you lick your thumb and wipe it on his jaw to get rid of some blood splatter from shooting the undead man downstairs. "We will keep everyone safe until Chris or whoever can get her and get everyone out safely." You nod as you pat Leon's chest and make your way to the civilians and check on them all one by one.

᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭᛭

After checking on everyone and making sure no one else was infected and calm about 10 minutes had passed, Leon standing from a squat as he was finished checking on a 7 year old boy per his parents requests to make sure their child was going to be alright. Leon looks over to you but your attention was taken by the dark hallway across from the lounge, walking over to you Leon takes out his gun and torch before pressing a gentle hand on the middle of your back before walking towards the same noise he could now hear.

He follows the sound of scratching on plaster or brick and metal, making his way around corners quickly, holding his gun out in front of him as his hand holding the flashlight was held under his gun, giving him more stability in his aim. Coming to where there was a spot on the carpet now wet, a dripping coming from the ceiling when suddenly it collapsed above him, sending plaster, brick and wood atop of him as a licker burst through the ceiling. You hear the crashing sound and shots being fired as you order everyone to huddle in the far corner and race out of the lounge.

“LICKER!!” You hear Leons voice shout as your eyes widen seeing the creature running across the floor and walls towards you, shooting it you draw it away but end up in a dead end. Shooting at the creature before it leaps at you, a shout leaving your mouth as you are tackled through the window and fall down to the street below. You feel a sharp pain shoot from the back of your skull and down your spine as you the dulled sound of assault riffle fire was shot in the air to bring the creature off of you as Leon runs to the window you had just fallen through. "(Y/N)!!!!" His voice shouts from the second floor as he sees Chris standing with a few other members of his team, now leading the Licker away and shooting it so you weren't caught in any cross fire. A few men run into the hotel and make their way upstairs to the civilians as Leon hurried downstairs, leaping off the side to allow the others to make their way up and make his way to you faster.

Chris was beside your body calling over medical as he sees Leon making his way over. "Is she alive?!" He asks as he kneels down beside your body. "She is... but unresponsive, My men and I have it from here, you go with (Y/N) to the hospital." Chris assures as he places a hand on Leon's shoulder and looks down to your body before standing up and leaving the two of you with the paramedics so he can finish the job here.

#resident evil #leon s kennedy #leon kennedy #leon #leon x reader #leon x female reader #leon x f!reader #fluff #angst #blood #injury #what is happening to me

[slaymitchabernathy]

Field Mouse

It's nearly dinner time by the time he gets back from the Seam. Coriolanus walked her back to the house but he wasn't invited inside. "Next time," she'd told him, lingering in the doorway, "when my family isn't home."

He hadn't quite known how she meant that. Did her family not like Peacekeepers so she felt it was best to keep them apart? Or did she want the house to herself to do...other things? 

He was hoping for the second option. 

Smiley hopped out of the bunk the second Coriolanus walked in, "How'd it go?" Coriolanus shrugged, not wanting to give out too much information, "It went fine. I didn't know the Seam was that bad." 

His bunkmate chuckled, "Poor people in District Twelve are the poorest people in all of Panem, at least you found a pretty one."

Coriolanus hadn't thought of it that way, how Twelve was technically the bottom of the barrel when it came to the Districts, ranking all District Twelve citizens at the very bottom. Below the bottom if he was being honest. In the dirt sounded better.

He sat down on his bunk and mulled over it even more. What would his friends say if they saw him running around with some poor girl with tattered clothes and a sagging house? He'd be the laughingstock of the Capitol for sure. He'd have to keep this under wraps. He couldn't afford any loose ends if he left for the Capitol. When he left for the Capitol was more like it. He was getting out of here, one way or another. 

"They're having an officers test tomorrow if you're interested," Smiley says, pulling Coriolanus from his thoughts, "gotta be Capitol to qualify so I figured you'd be interested."

Becoming an officer meant higher rankings, it meant actual pay, a salary, and possibly being relocated to a higher-ranking District, closer to the Capitol.

It was all lining up for him. He had everything he could need right now. The girl, the job, the hope. 

"I am interested. Thanks, Smiley," he says before grabbing his towel, he ought to shower before lights out, wash all the sweat off of him. 

He could smell the whole day on him as he scrubbed himself down under the shower water, it was mostly sweat and dirt. But a hint of vanilla lingered. He'd see her again at the Hob on Friday, maybe steal a few kisses and slip his hand under her dress. 

Coriolanus fell asleep with a content smile on his lips. It was all lining up for him. Finally.

꧁ ꧂

The results from the officer's test still weren't posted. Granted it had only been two days but still! Coriolanus had been one of two people to take it and the other guy walked out halfway through it. Needless to say, he was a shoo-in. If not for his impressive skills both physically and academically, then it was by default. And he was okay with that. 

Still, it bothered him. Bothered him to the point where he'd asked Commander Hoff about it. He told Coriolanus that the test was reviewed in the Capitol so it would take about a week to get the results back. A whole week to find out if he passed even though he knows he passed. Ugh. 

He didn't let it sour his mood as he walked into the Hob though. It was Friday night and he planned on having a good time. Music was already playing and people already dancing. He scanned the crowd for Soarynn's blonde head of hair and found her dancing with her cousin Jett. Even though they were family, Coriolanus couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. She should be dancing with him. 

He pushed through the crowd towards her, leaving his friends behind as he went to claim what was rightfully his. Jett saw him before Soarynn did and he leaned down to whisper something in her ear before disappearing into the crowd. Soarynn turned around and looked up at Coriolanus, giving him a big smile, "You came!"

Coriolanus smiled back at her, that smile of hers was infectious it seemed. "I did. Hopefully, I didn't scare your cousin off."

Soarynn waved him off, "Jett's been keepin' me company till you got here. He's got his eyes set on some girl from town, keeps hopin' to bump into her but he never does. Too busy workin' I guess." 

Coriolanus couldn't help but wonder what Soarynn did for work. She hadn't really specified but she didn't look like she did a lot of hard labor from the looks of it. "You wanna dance?" She asks, taking his hand. Coriolanus looked around, it was mostly miners dancing with their girls, but he wasn't used to this dancing, it was so...District. 

He shook his head, "Let me buy you a drink." He pulled her along with him, leading them to the bar where he wrapped his arm around her, breathing in the scent of vanilla again. It used to be the smell of roses that brought him true comfort, the smell of his mother's silver compact. But that was back at home, so he'd have to settle for vanilla. 

They waited a minute for their drinks and he watched the band on stage put on quite a show. There was a girl, tan skin, dark brown curly hair wearing some ridiculous rainbow dress up there twirling around and singing. She looked over at them, taking in the pair before her eyes found Soarynn's and she playfully wiggled her eyebrows. Soarynn snorted next to him before turning to grab their drinks.

"You know her?" He asks, looking back at the girl who'd already gone back to singing. Soarynn hummed, handing him his drink and taking a sip of hers. "That's Lucy Gray Baird, she lives a couple houses down from us with the Covey." He raised his eyebrows, the Covey?

"Is that some sort of band name?" He asks, casting the band another glance. None of them looked related at all. Soarynn watched them for a moment before responding, "Kind of. They're all cousins one way or another, not all by blood like me and Jett. But they're all related some way or the other. The little one's Maude Ivory, she's got real authority." 

Coriolanus shakes his head and laughs, looking down at Soarynn, "People in District Twelve sure come up with some strange names for their children." Soarynn gave him a small grin and shrugged, "We're strange people, Coriolanus Snow," she drawls. She's got him there, and she knows it. "I could introduce y'all if you'd like," she offers. As fun as that sounds, Coriolanus isn't too keen on meeting this band of musicians. He'd like to hear some other music for a change, like Soarynn's moans. 

He shakes his head, "No thanks. I'd love to go somewhere more quiet though." She gives him a look that lets him know she's on the same page, "There's a shed out back." 

The shed is more of a shack and it's dark, but Coriolanus doesn't complain. Besides, everything more fun in the dark. Soarynn leads them to a desk in the back corner and he wastes no time in wrapping his hand around her waist, capturing her lips in a heated kiss. Soarynn responds just as eagerly if not more and her arms wrap around his neck, tugging him down to meet her height. He smirks at how low she needs him. His girl's on the shorter side, so tiny he could break her in half. 

He picks her up and sits her on the desk, her legs dangling off the edge. her hands go under his shirt, those nails scratching his back lightly, "Take it off," she whispers against his lips, tugging at the fabric. He's never been with a girl this straightforward, who knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. 

He gives in to her request and his hands leave her waist to tug his shirt off, showing her his sculpted abdomen, Soarynn let out a low whistle, "My, my, they sure whipped you into shape, pretty boy." 

Coriolanus rolls his eyes before grabbing her chin with her fingers, "I'd say it's only fair if you take something else off too," he challenges. Soarynn tilts her head and gives him a smile that's all too sweet, "You can take it off," she offers, gesturing to the pink dress she's wearing tonight. It's nothing fancy, old, and worn just like her other blue dress but this one has some embroidered flowers. Doesn't really matter when it's going to be on the floor in a few seconds. 

He's quick to grab the hem of the dress and tug it off of her, baring almost all of her to him. She wearing panties, white and lacy. Her breasts are bare to him as is the rest of her torso and he finally takes all of her in. She's underfed his girl, with her ribs poking out and her waist narrow. She stiffens up when she sees him noticing her rough edges, letting him know that despite how confident she appears, she still has insecurities. 

His hands go to her breasts, the perfect size for his hands and he leans back down to kiss her, rolling her rosy buds in between his fingers. Soarynn lets out a whine and her back slightly arches into him. He wonders how long it's been since she's been touched. "You ever been with anyone before?" He mumbles, pulling away to kiss up and down her jaw. Soarynn shudders when he pinches a little harder, "Does it really matter right now?" So she has. That's fine. He likes a girl with a little experience. He just hopes Soarynn's not a proper whore who's been run through by every miner in District Twelve.

He leans down to her collarbone and sucks hard, leaving a small bruise behind when he pulls away. "Nope," he answers, knowing he's never going to get a straightforward answer from her right now. His left hand lets go of her breasts and slips down to her thighs that are pressed together for obvious reasons but she immediately spreads them when she feels his fingertips.

"I like it hard by the way," she breathes, her own hands tangled in his hair. He has to swallow after hearing that. Any Capitol girl he's been with has only wanted it sweet and slow, but he supposes that he can be rougher with District girls who are far below any Capitol girl. 

So he doesn't even take her panties off, her just tugs them to the side before wiping a finger up and down her cunt, swearing when he feels how wet she is. Her hips buck when he grazes her clit, her hands settling on his shoulders as he slowly parts her folds. He wishes he could see this, see better in the dark, but their options are limited right now and he's not one to complain when he's got a perfectly good and willing cunt right in front of him. 

For a second he wonders if that's how she views him right now. A willing hand, a willing cock. Does she do this with other guys, other Peacekeepers? Just how much honey has this little bee had? 

"Hurry," she whispers, getting him to focus once again. "You're so wet," he murmurs, teasing her entrance with his finger. Soarynn whines, her nails digging into his skin, "For fucks sake hurry up" 

He doesn't like that.

He doesn't even think before he grabs her jaw, squeezing it hard as he forces her to look up at him. "Don't tell me what to do," he snaps, shaking her head for good measure. Her hand is on his wrist in another second and she digs her nails into his skin hard, she probably drew blood. He hisses and pulls away, glaring down at her but she's already glaring up at him, "I'm not one of your Capitol girls you can boss around," she tells him, sitting back on her hands, "if you're not interested there's the door," she juts her head towards the shed door he hastily closed when they got here. 

He swallows, not used to this type of behavior from girls. "Suppose someone found you here," he says, gesturing to her current state, legs spread, cunt bared for him. She gives him a wicked grin, "They'd be welcome to have me." 

She's a hornet. Not a bee. A fucking hornet. 

He's slipping his shirt on before he knows it, not even sparing her another glance before he walks out of that shed, fuming. 

He's moving so fast that he bumps into several people and the sound of instruments falling to the ground makes him cringe. "Sorry," he says, bending down to grab the closest thing he can grab which so happens to be a guitar. "It's all right, no harm done," a girl answers him. He stands back up to find it's Lucy Gray Baird, whom he's bumped into along with the rest of the Covey who's picking up their instruments. 

She recognizes him immediately, "You were with Soarynn," she says like it's an accusation. "You're correct," he answers her. Because he was with Soarynn. As in the past tense. As in he's never going to see that little field mouse again. That mouse that likes to dance with snakes. 

Lucy Gray looks behind him like Soarynn might be hiding behind him, "Well where is she?" The little girl, Maude something or the other pushes her way to the front and looks him up and down, hands on her hips like she means business, “Are y’all together? We saw you beat up Billy Taupe the other day. He had it comin’ though.”

At least these people haven’t lost all their senses. Coriolanus glances back at the shed, no signs of life coming from it, “She’s in there,” he nods in the general direction. Lucy Gray follows his gaze and she raises her eyebrows, “Ah, the shed.” What’s that supposed to mean? Was he really not that special? Was the shed her known place to take her toys?

Coriolanus is on the verge of spiraling when Lucy Gray pulls him from his thoughts, “Well I hope y’all had fun, but too much fun.” Coriolanus wants to tell her that he’s never going to go near her friend again for the rest of his miserable Peacekeeping service but he just nods before heading back to the Hob.

Ready to forget that little field mouse.

| Part 2. |

| tumblr oneshot/drabble |

#coriolanus fanfiction #coriolanus smut #coriolanus snow #hunger games #slaymitchabernathy #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games #ao3 fanfic #soarynn snow #wattpad #soarynn nightingale #coriolanus x soarynn #coryo snow #staywithmealways #coriolanus x original character #coriolanus x oc #coriolanus drabble #coriolanus imagine #coriolanus fic #stay with me always

[infernalodie]

𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 || 𝐒𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐤

“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘪𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦“

Inspo: Kehlani - Bad News

Pairing: Sadie Sink x Black!Male!reader

Requested - 🚨🦇

Summary: She didn’t know half of the shit you went through. But she would be willing to understand first hand.

Warnings: Brief fluff, but overall angst

Words 2428

“Cut!” The Director called out, an alarm going off as you sighed, running your hands down your face. “Y/n, what’s going on, man?”

You couldn’t respond, only grabbing your phone from your pocket and staring at the screen. All media’s screaming out about the decision to choose you for the villain in Ms. Marvel. It’d started when the rumours came up, but after the trailer was released, you have been getting nonstop hate.

So, without much thought besides pure anger and frustration, you whipped your phone at the floor. “Fuck!”

The sheer volume of your shout silenced the entire room, who looked to see you fuming. Everyone on set knew of the trials that you and Iman had been going through after getting cast for the show. Now, Iman only had the troubles surrounding Ms. Marvel’s powers, but that was Marvel’s decision. But for you, no one liked the casting you were given. The moment people found out, there had been nothing but hate for weeks.

Anybody who was famous and had experienced what you are was lying if they said the initial hate didn’t bother them. Because today you had made the mistake of bringing your phone on set and you were paying the price for it. Phone constantly going off and even in between scenes, you were looking at your phone and the bullshit coming from it. You couldn’t remember your lines and the fact you guys were going through major reshoots was only adding to the stress.

It was understandable to hate a character from the comics and the things he did in the comics, but this was a show. A new look at the character you were tasked to bring to the screen, along with the director. You took the role to hopefully take a leap in your career and do the roles you were actually wanting to do. But this wasn’t at all what you signed up for.

Iman, being one of the only people brave enough to comfort you, walked over and placed a hand on your shoulder. You leaned into her touch, bending over and trying to take calming breaths. “Wanna take a break?” She asked softly.

In the time both of you walked out on set and did your first scene together, you instantly clicked. Although your character was Homelander Esque from The Boys, a brutal psychopath, you managed to be able to put down the mask at will. Which made the in-between takes relaxing when you could joke around with the girl and talk freely. She made this decision and transition easy for you. And she might’ve been the only person there that could somewhat understand what you were going through.

But you shook your head, sighing as you ran a hand down your face. “No, I should be good.” Placing your hand on your hips, you turned to the staff and waved your hand. “I’m sorry, everyone. I- I’ve just been having a difficult time. Let’s do that again. Sorry.”

They all nodded, getting back to their places as you walked on stage with a sigh. “I hope Sadie is having a good day.”

“Hey, uh, Sadie? Have you heard from your boyfriend?” Dylan asked, sitting in the makeup trailer, eyes scanning his phone with furrowed eyebrows.

The redhead that was sitting beside him frowned, glancing over for a moment. “Um, no?” She said. “Why? Did something happen?”

Dylan was about to open his mouth to speak, but the trailer doors opened and Taylor stepped inside. An uneasy look on her face as she walked over. “Sadie, you might want to hear this.”

Handing over her phone, a video was going viral on Twitter that was a pure black screen. The caption talking about you on the set of Ms. Marvel. A show you were extremely excited to be a part of and even had her read lines with you. She knew that you weren’t planning on signing a multi-movie deal with Marvel, just considering how the experience would go. But seeing that the caption was involving you having a massive outburst, she could only guess that this would be your one and only appearance with Marvel.

And when she watched the video, she heard something smash and you yell something before the video cut to you apologizing. She couldn’t blame you at all for what happened. Considering that all the tweets below were making fun of you, she was guessing this was the reasoning behind the said outburst. With how reshoots have been going for you, the addition of hate could only stress you out further. So, she knew that tonight would likely be a rather quiet night between you two.

“Y/n! I’m home!” Sadie called out, shutting the front door to the large house as she kicked her shoes off and proceeded further. No response was given as she found you sat on the couch in front of your 4k TV with Stranger Things on, passed out with a soft snore coming from you.

A smile formed on her lips as she placed her bag down and took her jacket off before walking over. You wore a pair of black joggers and no shirt from the heat of California recently. Your chocolate back was presented to her as she carefully straddled your back, leaning forward and resting against you. Only creating a larger heat to build between you two.

You shifted underneath her, grumbling as you lifted your head just enough to see her smiling down at you. “Hi, baby.” You playfully puckered up your lips, making Sadie laugh as she kissed you softly.

“How was work?” She muttered, but you groaned, laying your head back down onto the pillow as you watched Steve push Dustin’s butt into the vent. A soft laugh fell from your lips before you glanced back up at her.

“How was Dylan?” You avoided, shifting around until she straddled your waist where you let your hands rest on her thighs. “Haven’t heard from him since Maze Runner. He doing good?”

Sadie knew that you didn’t like talking about your work life. You were always far keener to learn about hers and see how she was doing. Able to avoid your side of life fully, but still have so many questions about hers. It was one thing she loved and despised about you. She couldn’t hold it against you considering today likely was a pain in the ass for you. But every day seemed to be having that single description.

She sighed, leaning back as she rested her hands on your stomach. “He’s good,” she answered. “We finished up filming, so I get a day or two off before I have to get into filming for Season 4 of Stranger Things. Don’t know if I am excited or dreading the filming for it.”

You chuckled, nodding in understanding as you shot your hands. “You and me both.”

That made Sadie tilt her head, nails gently tracing shapes and figures into your skin. Earning a gentle hum of approval as you sighed softly. “I saw the video.” The mere mention of the video made you groan. Having been told by the director and Iman, who ambushed you at the end of the day about it. Promising to find whoever was responsible and punish them for it. But you knew that there was no direct way to figure out who could leak the video. There were far too many people on set to even single out the person.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Nope.”

“Do you wanna talk about the hate.”

“Could care less about that.”

Sadie chuckled in amusement as you shook your head. “It doesn’t bother me, Sadie. I got it for when I was in The Harder They Fall-”

“But all that hate was from racists if we’re being honest here.” Sadie pointed out.

“Fair point, but I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder,” you stated. “I’m not going to let some people deter me from a role because I’m black and it goes against the comic version of the character. Yes, it is a big change, but that doesn’t mean shit to me.”

“You don’t have to act tough around me, you know?” Sadie reminded softly. “I come to you about all my problems. Don’t think that means you aren’t allowed to either.”

That was a very true statement, but you didn’t go to Sadie about it because it was often you were gaining daily comfort from your aunt. Yes, Sadie knew you like the back of her hand, but your aunt knew you and read between the lines of everything you said. Able to get to the core of your problems and provide help. It’s not like Sadie wasn’t able to do the same, but your aunt has been there since you were a kid.

But Sadie had accepted that she wasn’t the first person you would go to. After everything you’ve been through with your parents and trauma overall, she couldn’t relate. So, she understood completely that you needed to vent to someone who knew you best. Instead, she would keep an open eye and help wherever she could. If you beckoned her, she was sprinting to your aid. It was that unconditional love that had fueled and made this three-year-long relationship sustainable.

“I think you should take a break from acting-”

“Can’t.” Sadie stared down at you, slightly surprised by how quickly you were to interject. “I have Uncharted with Tom, then I have Black Adam, and then I have Oppenheimer with Robert and Cillian.”

“Do you ever take a break?” Sadie teased softly, blessed to hear when that soft chuckle falls from your lips. “You should take a break. You have enough money to just hold back on taking any more roles for the next few months.”

“But what’s the point if I can’t spend that free time with you?” You asked softly, earning that large smile from Sadie.

She brushed a finger across your caramel skin, kissing your cheek softly and muttering, “You are adorable.”

“No, I am being realistic.” You grumbled as the girl laughed.

The both of you laughed as you two spent the majority of the night sitting and watching Stranger Things. With you preparing for long and gruesome coming weeks of reshoots for something you were already regretting ever deciding to do.

Well, the filming of the show was done and you finished filming for the other three projects given you didn’t have massive roles in almost all of them. So, you were still looking for other projects that were willing to take you up. And so far, reception for Uncharted had been mixed. You played the games, so you knew it would be expected when you got the script. But a lot of people liked your character, so that was something for you to look forward to.

After the reshoots for Ms. Marvel, the second trailer came out and gave your character more exposure from Kamala Khan. Showing just how well you did portraying the character that was far different from your previous roles. Especially considering, they might’ve not shown it on screen, but you killed soldiers without a second thought. It might’ve just been your acting and the direction the studio took the character that allowed some of the people to accept your character and you.

There was still the mixed reception, but it wasn’t as bad as it was before. It gave you enough time to finally breathe and feel some sort of weight off your shoulders. And now, you are using the very small time with Sadie before you go film Uncharted.

Today, you were accompanying her and Millie to the set of Stranger Things. Happy that you finally get to experience Sadie acting firsthand, as well as support her. It was a rare occasion that you were excited to finally get as you wanted to spend every waking moment with your girlfriend.

So, when the springer van pulled at the front of the closed-off studio, you, Sadie, and Millie exited with bodyguards surrounding you. You held Sadie’s hand, sunglasses blocking out the sun as you held a cigarette in the other.

But as you guys approached the entrance of the studio, fans and paparazzi could be seen behind a fence. They screamed Millie and Sadie’s names hysterically. The two girls gave friendly waves and smiles as you kept your head down. Since finishing Ms. Marvel, you had opted to keep your head down. As well as not spill too much into what you were doing next, so you’d been under the radar for a bit.

Except, your head snapped towards the fence when you heard, “Fuck you, Y/n! You fucking suck ass in Ms. Marvel!”

Now, you have had many verbal altercations with people and the roles you’ve gotten. There is always going to be that one person that wants to speak their mind and it isn’t much you can really do about that. So, you just continued to walk, keeping a deadpan as best as you could. If only Sadie had felt the same because she was quick to break off from your side and march towards the fence.

“Who said that?” She yelled. “Who the hell said that?”

“Sadie- shit!” You rushed over with Millie in tow as Sadie found the person responsible for the comment.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” She spat. “Judging someone just because of a character they play- You haven’t even seen the show yet and you’re making rude comments!”

Before anything could continue, you literally picked the girl up bridal style and quickly jogged away. Jaw ticked in frustration as Sadie fumed in silence. “You alright, love?” Millie asked, specificity of who not set as you kept your eyes forward, allowing Millie to direct.

But Sadie nodded, turning her gaze to you, and before she could speak, you cut her off. “You don’t have to fight my battles for me. You just gotta leave it alone when it’s fans.”

“They had no right to speak to you like that,” Sadie huffed. “You may be used to it, but that doesn’t mean they get to continue to treat you like that. And if they were fans of mine, then they aren’t anymore.”

A small smile forms on your lips as you look away, shaking your head in amusement. “I don’t deserve any bit of you.”

Sadie leaned up, kissing your cheek. “You deserve the world and everything in it, Y/n.”

#sadie sink #sadie sink imagine #sadie sink x black!reader #sadie sink x black!male!reader #sadie sink x reader #sadie sink angst #sadie sink fluff #sadie sink fanfiction #poc reader #x black!reader #x black reader #x black!male!reader #sadie sink x male!reader

[unidentifiedseacreature]

They find you sleeping on the job

Ahhh, Ruin DLC... you rekindle my love once again.

This is actually old but I never got around to posting it. Inspired by:

I am on my phone and I am lazy so prepare for significantly worse formatting than previous posts ✌️

Freddy 🐻

- He spots you across the mall and smiles and waves.

- He's confused when you don't react at all.

- Squinting, he realises you're asleep.

- He stands there, like 70ft (20m) away from you, trying to decide if he should wake you.

- 'They're at work, they should be working... I don't want them to get in trouble if someone else catches them asleep.'

- He decides it's best to wake you up.

- He walks over and gently shakes your shoulder.

- "Y/N?" Your eyes slowly open.

- "Superstar, you're still at work."

- Once you're up, he asks you if you've been getting enough sleep.

- For the rest of his shift, he keeps his eye out for you.

- He'll probably ask you how your sleep was every shift for the next few weeks.

Monty 🐊

- He's strolling past when he does a double take.

- He smirks when he realises you're asleep, ideas to prank you filling his head.

- Then Monty's braincells kick in and he wonders if he should wake you up.

- 'They should be working, right? But it's not my fault if Y/N gets in trouble.'

- He sits down next to you and leans his head back, glancing at you every now and then.

- Only a few minutes pass before another staff member walks past and he panics.

- "Y/N GET UP."

- You scramble to your feet and pretend you're doing something.

- When your coworker passes, you thank him, saying you had a bad sleep last night.

- He unsympathetically gives you a comment along the lines of "Get better sleep."

- "Oh yeah, great idea Monty."

- "I DON'T KNOW HOW SLEEPING WORKS."

- He decides he won't be able to use this against you in the future because screaming at you to wake you up wasn't his finest moment.

Chica 🐔

- She came looking for you to tell you something but immediately forgot what it was when she saw you asleep.

- Her first instinct was to take plenty of photos to document the occasion.

- She then plopped herself down next to you to hang.

- When you woke up, you were met with two purple eyes staring at you.

- She profusely apologises and insists she wasn't staring at you the whole time.

- You call her creepy.

- She promises not to tell anyone but she'll probably bring up the photos when talking to the other glamrocks.

- It's not like she told your boss.

Roxy 🐺

- When she sees you sleeping she's unsure if she should wake you or not.

- She sits next to you for a while, trying to think of what to say.

- She ends up nudging you awake.

- "Hey, you're still at work" she says sternly but not unkindly.

- She just awkwardly avoids eye contact until you walk off to continue your duties, trying to stay nonchalant.

- She doesn't see you any differently, but she might say "you snooze you loose" next time she beats you at Roxy Raceway.

Bonnie 🐰

- Bonnie didn't particularly want the awkwardness of waking you up.

- So he sat down next to you instead.

- Crossing his arms, he scans the pizzaplex like a watchdog, ensuring no one catches you asleep.

- "Morning, sleepyhead" he greets you when you eventually do wake up.

- "How long was I out for?" You ask.

- "At least half an hour".

- You swear and run off.

- The next time you see him, he says "Hello sleeping beauty" you glare at him but everyone else just seems confused.

- He slips you an energy drink every now and then, you have no idea how he's been getting into the vending machines.

Foxy 🦊

- I'm sorry to all Foxy lovers but he does not care.

- He'd see you sleeping in the strangest situations and would just walk past.

- You were asleep standing up, leaning on your mop and the wet floor bot cared more than he did.

- Though ever since, he has thrown a protein bar at you a few times. One of those times, he threw it full force and knocked you out, so he's not very good at what he was trying to do.

- His arm also came off when he did that if it's any consolation.

Sun ☀️

- Jingle jingle *he spots you* JINGLEJINGLEJINGLEJINGLEJINGLE.

- Unlike the others, he actually knows how to wake people up.

- "Wake up, friend! It's not nap time just yet."

- It's surprisingly pleasant to wake up to him jingling around the room, singing an original Fazbear Entertainment nursery rhyme about waking up.

- "Thanks, Sun."

- "No need to thank me, I wouldn't want you to miss out on play time!"

- 'Playtime, my ass' you think to yourself, getting back to work.

- For the rest of the night he hums the nursery rhyme tune to himself.

Moon 🌑

- To be fair to you, tidying up the lavender scented pillows and blankets from the daycare is hard to do without getting sleepy.

- Moon is used to being around sleeping kids, so he doesn't think it's weird when he spots you.

- That doesn't mean they know how to properly act around sleeping people.

- He just sits there and stares at you.

- Feeling someone's eyes on you, you wake up and practically jump out of your skin.

- "Holy shit, Moondrop."

- "Don't say that, Y/N."

DJ Music Man 🎵

- You seemed to have fallen asleep in the arcade.

- DJ Music Man retrieves a blanket and lays it over you, patting your head goodnight.

- In his hands, the blanket looks like the size of a tissue

- He turns off his music and the main lights in the room, then continues cleaning up or settles down to take a nap beside you.

- When you awake, you're surprised to see your manager was too busy reprimanding Music Man to be mad at you.

- It turns out Music Man is a repeat offender, and you aren't the first person this has happened to.

- He hangs his head in shame. But he will do it again.

#fnaf #fnaf sb #fnaf security breach #fnaf yn #yn #fnaf freddy #freddy fazbear #fnaf chica #security breach chica #security breach monty #security breach freddy #glamrock freddy #glamrock chica #fnaf monty #security breach #fnaf roxy #security breach roxy #roxanne wolf #fnaf foxy #security breach foxy #foxy the pirate #glamrock foxy #fnaf fandom #fnaf fanfic #fnaf headcanons #fnaf bonnie #security breach bonnie #glamrock bonnie #fnaf moon #fnaf sun

[translatemunson]

track five — the ex tapes

warnings: not proofread. female reader.

author's note: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE DURING THIS SERIES! (sorry i took too long to update). this is the last chapter, and the epilogue will be posted tomorrow! hope you like it!

series masterlist

It has been weeks. Eddie kept his part of the promise. No calls, no mentions of you — actually, he only talked about how amazing it was to work with Charlie Rogers and how he was happy to get someone that’s not usually from the rock scene to work on something so honest, but so powerful at the same time.

Having your name on the credits had turned out to be a thing for a successful song. You were working so much these days that you feel you’re reaching your limits. Of course, working with Corroded Coffin added a few more people interested to your list, and you were trying to fit everyone.

But you just couldn’t.

That’s why you decided to go on a break. It was a good time since Nancy and Robin were in town, so you would have some time to go out and help them find a place to move in. Driving around LA and having late nights with your friends was everything you needed to keep your mind off work.

And away from the new hit song from Corroded Coffin. 

Kinda impossible to forget when the song keeps playing non stop at every radio station. A few days ago, you got a special delivery from the band’s manager: a VIP ticket and an official invite to watch them at one of the sold out Los Angeles concerts, where they would play the song live for the first time. Little did he know you already had tickets for the most distant seat from the stage.

That’s where you’re watching the concert right now. You bought their CDs, listened to all their songs, learned how to sing them. And even if it hurted you to admit, you are really liking it. The energy, how they can control the crowd and engage effortlessly.

And Eddie. You can’t take your eyes off him.

The lights are lowered and the instruments stop. Eddie takes the center stage, a different guitar in his hands. It’s the same one he played when you recorded the song. He pulls his hair back and smiles.

“Having a good time?” The crowd screams. “Glad to hear that. I’m kinda nervous, y’know? I have this special song, like you all heard it already and something says it’s a fans’ favorite,” he smiles and you swear he found you in the middle of the crowd. No, it’s just something in your mind. “It’s also my favorite. This one is special because I wrote it with someone that’s really good with words, and I feel like this is more personal than anything that I wrote.”

His confession is followed by a small pause. He scans the faces around, looking at a specific place close to the stage. Maybe that’s where he was expecting to see you. As soon as reality hits — you’re not there, you didn’t accept his offer — he looks to the band and then smiles to the crowd, wearing the Eddie rockstar Munson mask over his sadness.

“I feel like since this is our second sold out show in LA, I might sing it live. What do you think?”

Everyone screams. People know the words to it, and as a songwriter you can’t lie, this is always fulfilling. However this one song hurts the most to hear. Eddie strums the first note and you feel like someone is taking your heart out.

You'll be the saddest part of me

A part of me that will never be mine

It's obvious

Tonight is gonna be the loneliest

Everyone sings it together. You hold your body tightly, but you can’t avoid moving your head with the melody. 

There's a few lines that I have wrote

In case of death, that's what I want, that's what I want

So don't be sad when I'll be gone

There's just one thing I hope you know, I loved you so

It’s funny to hear it. You’re almost sure those lines were written by you, but when Eddie sings it, he makes it his.

'Cause I don't even care about the time I've got left here

The only thing I know now is that I wanna spend it

With you, with you nobody else here

Tonight is gonna be the loneliest

Eddie’s voice gets heavier and stronger on the chorus. He’s singing from his heart, it’s more transparent than when you recorded. It’s like he’s in pain, real pain. Heart being torn apart, every single emotion being pulled out of him.

I'm sorry but I gotta go

If you'll ever miss me give this song another go

And I just keep on thinking how you made me feel better

And all the crazy little things that we did together

In the end, in the end, it doesn't matter

If tonight is gonna be the loneliest

It hits you harder than you expect. You’re sobbing, tears rolling down your face. Because this song is so personal it is strange to hear it in the voice of thousands of people. You can’t remember anymore which part it’s yours, which is Eddie’s and which lines you wrote together, eyes connecting and words matching.

As the guitar solo starts, you decide you can’t take it anymore. You hold your bag closer to your chest and walk towards the exit. That’s the limit.

You leave the venue almost immediately. You’re running, the tears making your vision blurry, people asking you if you’re alright. No, you’re not, but you don’t wanna say it out loud. You find the first vacancy cab and give the address to the bar where you're meeting your friends.

It’s not impossible to find Steve waving his arms, complaining about never beating Robin in any game. Robin is laughing, holding their beers and begging Steve to let this go. Nancy sees you first and says “Steve, stop, she’s here.”

“Y/N?” he spots the signs that you’ve been crying. “Come here, you need a drink and a few hugs,” Steve opens his arms, but you can’t move.

“Hey, let’s get your face washed, ok?” Nancy steps in, holding your hand and taking you out of your mind. “We’ll be right back, guys.”

You follow Nancy to the back of the bar, not paying attention to anyone around you. You let her guide you to the sink, get some paper towels and remove the make up stains. You do your best to not start crying again. Nancy whispers that everything is gonna be alright while doing it.

“Do you want me to watch over your drinks tonight? I’m not opposed to the idea of you drinking to get these out, but maybe you should be careful,” she says as she throws away the paper towels. 

“No, it’s fine, I’m not drinking today. I promised Steve I would drive his car back, so no alcohol for me.” You check yourself in the mirror, glad that Nancy still does a pretty good job as one of your best friends. “You can drink your weight in alcohol, tho, I’ll let you crash in my bed for the night.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. The sofa is comfortable, so don’t worry.”

“Let’s go back, Steve ordered fries and mini burgers before you arrived,” and then Nancy is holding your hand and dragging you back to the table. 

Robin moves in the booth to give you space, and you sit across from Steve and Nancy. He looks for any signs that something is very wrong, and when there’s none — already used to your super emotional persona, and he doesn’t think it’s bad — he asks “Did he talk to you?”

“Steve!” Nancy slaps his arm.

“Ouch! No, but really, did he see you?”

“I’ve told you I was going on my own, staying far away from him. So, no, Steve, we didn’t talk,” you feel your lips getting bitter. Robin passes you the soda she got you. “Thanks, Robie.”

“And the song? Did he play it?”

“Yes, he did. And it was perfect,” you admit. “Can we just not talk about it? I'd rather die than think about Eddie Munson.”

“Wait, just one more question!” Robin has the devilish smile that sends a wave of fear through your bones. “Do you still love him?”

“Robin, not a good time,” Nancy rolls her eyes. 

“She clearly does, and I’m not letting her run away from this chance.”

“He promised me we would follow our separate paths, and I’m doing my part.” You still didn’t tell any of your friends that Eddie kissed you before you went back home that day. And you would die before sharing this detail.

“Such a talented songwriter, but so dumb. Y/N, really, that boy is in love with you. It’s been weeks since you wrote it, I can’t believe you’re not seeing each other,” Steve says.

“Well, we had a meeting to agree on my part of the deal, but that was it.” Yeah, you walked into the room with your manager, Eddie and his team, but it was a short meeting. He sat there and insisted that you would get the bigger cut of the revenue of the song — since they decided to release it as a special single —, and you just agreed. Papers were signed and that was it. He didn’t even talk directly to you.

“Stupid Y/N,” Robin sights.

“Can we just move on to something else? Please.”

“So, we finally decided on which apartment we’re renting,” Nancy says. 

“Please tell me it’s the one close to the beach, I would love to crash there after a long day,” you share your thoughts, even though everyone knows it already. Maybe you should break your lease and get this one. 

“Hm, no, actually we made an offer to rent the unit across yours!” Robin shares excitedly. “We should move in next month!”

“And since Johnathan only lives a few hours up north, we are finally gonna be back together!” Robin adds.

“No way!” Steve celebrates. “That’s amazing news! But how did you get it?”

“Oh, Nancy met the lady that owns the place a few days ago and used her persuasive skills to convince her to let us rent it,” Robin explains, dipping her fries in ketchup.

“That’s great! So happy to have you close again! We’re throwing a house welcome party! We can invite some of your LA friends so you could also meet them and create a circle for you as well,” you’re already making plans, finally getting a missing piece back to you.

“Yes! Dinners on me!“ Steve announces.

“I’ll bring the music! And some guys and ladies that might catch your attention,” you blink.

Steve waves to someone behind you, but you assume he’s just calling the waiter to get more beers. 

“It’s gonna be one hell of a party!” Robin cheers.

“Am I invited?” The voice you could recognize anywhere.

He steps closer to the table, wearing fresh clothes and his classic denim vest. Robin slips to the middle of the booth and you have no option but to make space for him.

“Eddie, you came!” Steve says and gives you a I’m sorry smile. “How was the concert?”

“It was great. Nancy! Robin! If I knew you were in town, I’d brought you all to the concert,” he takes the vacancy seat by your side and shots you a timid smile. “Did you get the VIP ticket I’ve sent you?”

“You had a VIP ticket and still went with the shitty tickets?” Robin is furious at you.

“So you were there?” Eddie smiles.

There are four pairs of eyes on you and none of it helps with your feelings. You face Eddie and push him out of the place he just took.

“Ouch! Is that a way to treat a rockstar?” He says, a lot of humor in his words.

“Shut up, Munson,” you stare at your friends, “don’t go anywhere without me, or I’m making your lives miserable.”

“Why should we leave?,” Steve makes himself more comfortable, and you know he can’t wait to watch you from the other side of the bar.

“Good luck finding another roommate, Steven.”

“I have two right here,” he points to Nancy and Robin.

You leave the table and Eddie follows you to the exterior area of the bar. He lights a cigarette and leans on the wall. 

“I was there,” you admit.

��I know, my manager saw you walk in,” Eddie spills like it’s no big deal. So he knew you were there even before your friends said it. “You should’ve accepted my gift, you know, it would’ve been a better experience.”

“I thought we were walking away from each other's lives.”

“Well, I guess I can’t do it. Because I wanted you there,” his eyes avoid yours like the plague. “But you still went there, on your own terms.”

“Guess I can’t do it as well,” you hug your body and walk until you are face to face with him, “and now we are here.”

“How do you wanna spend your time, darling? Answer truly.”

“You’re not using our song to start this conversation,” you laugh.

“Yes, I am. Because I know that I wanna spend my time with you.”

His words hit you right in the face, and you take a step back. You convinced yourself that the kiss didn’t mean anything to him, because he hadn’t tried to reach you. You were trying to keep your promise, but it was hard not to ignore it when the old flames reignited after the kiss.

“Eddie…”

“No, Y/N, no what ifs this time around. We are older, we have the means to make this work, we are not just two teenagers trying to hurt each other. I just need to know if you feel the same way.” He tosses the cigarette and takes one step closer.

“That’s unfair, Eddie.” The tears roll down your face and Eddie reaches to hold you closer. “The moment I walked into the studio I knew I never had gotten over you. Besides, it was never easy to understand you.” 

You expect him to say something. The game you’ve been playing for so long must end. And if it isn’t now, then it’s never. After all, maybe you don’t understand how he makes you feel this way. Faster heart, lighter thoughts, honesty all over your veins.

“You do understand me, darling. You made it very clear with your letters, your poems, your songs, your actions,” Eddie steps into your personal space, hands reaching for your face. “You were the only one that could do it.”

“Yet I still said those terrible things to you.”

“Who cares? I’ve said things I regret as well. But I don’t regret calling you, with my heart in my hands,” your foreheads touch and he lowers his voice. “I wasn't gonna let you slip through my fingers again.”

“Eddie…”

“That promise was stupid. Please.”

His eyes are dark and focused on you. You move your hands to his face, cupping his cheeks and finding out that all the things you love are still there. Eddie is here.

He closes his eyes and sighs, a breathy “I love you” escaping his lips.

“I love you, Eddie,” you confess. “And I will love you until my heart stops beating.”

“Hope this day never comes,” he opens his eyes. “Because I've been stupidly in love with you since the day we met.”

The confession is raw. You expect him to kiss you like that day in the studio, but when his lips press your cheeks, you get it. The whole world is watching the both of you: he’s on the stage, you’re in the studios. And he wants to take things slow. And you’re fine with that, as long as he never leaves you again.

“Let’s go back inside and annoy the shit out of those idiots,” you suggest, and he laughs.

“Just like old times?”

“Better than them.”

taglist: @lokiofasgard616 @munsonology @sidthedollface2

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #rockstar!eddie munson #eddie munson #rockstar!eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x f!reader #rockstar!eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson angst #eddie munson x you #songwriter!reader x eddie munson #songwriter!reader x rockstar!eddie munson

[emmerrr]

just hold it tight if it feels right

[this fic is also on ao3]

-

“Why is it so fucking busy?” Ronan said, scanning the absolutely packed movie theatre in an effort to track down their seats. “This isn’t even a new release.”

“Shhh,” Gansey hissed, managing to be a lot louder than Ronan had been.

“Don’t shush me, it hasn’t even fucking started yet.”

“I know, I know, but language, Ronan. There could be kids here.”

“Well there shouldn’t be, isn’t this an R-rated movie?”

“Oh, like you’ve never snuck into an R-rated movie before.”

Ronan hadn’t, actually. The only person he would’ve done so with was Gansey, and their tastes in movies very rarely aligned. The only reason they were even here now was because Ronan was restless and Gansey wanted to get him out of the apartment but not on his own – a restless Ronan was often a destructive one, apparently. For all intents and purposes, he was being babysat. “...Have you?”

Gansey waved this away as irrelevant, and then stopped sharply as he found the right aisle, already mostly full. Gansey led the way, whispering apologies as they squeezed past people to reach their own seats, using the light of his phone to check the chair numbers and make sure they had the right ones.

They found them, Gansey checking and then double-checking that they were correct before he let Ronan sit down. He immediately slouched down in the seat, propping his boots up against the back of the seat in front until Gansey glared him into submission. Ronan sighed and crossed his arms, already regretting this. He couldn’t sit still enough for the movies. 

The seat on Gansey’s other side was occupied, but Ronan’s was free so far; he hoped it remained that way so he could stretch out a bit. He pulled the empty seat down and then let it go again a few times, the squeak it made as satisfying to him as it was probably annoying to everyone in earshot. He caught the eye of the girl on the other side of said seat, and she gave him a glare that outmatched the one Gansey had given him before, but Ronan just raised an unconcerned eyebrow at her until she scowled and looked away. He did at least stop messing with the seat, though.

The screen came to life with no warning, the accompanying noise making Ronan jolt in surprise. He supposed he’d have to get used to jump-scares for the next couple of hours; it was Friday Fright Night at the movie theatre, in which they showed some back-catalogue horror movie every week. Tonight it was The Descent, a movie Ronan hadn’t seen, but which Matthew had informed him was “scary as balls.” Ronan was generally fine with scary movies, but he’d felt twitchy and off-kilter all day and had a feeling it wouldn’t be a good mix. Maybe some food would be a good idea. He reasoned there would be plenty of general commercials before the trailers started, and elbowed Gansey in the arm. “I’m getting popcorn, you want anything?”

“Ronan, I asked you when we were in the foyer, you said you weren’t hungry.”

“I changed my mind, so sue me,” Ronan said, getting to his feet. “Excuse me,” he said with exaggerated politeness and a cheery grin to the girl who’d scowled at him, and she pulled her feet back with obvious reluctance.

Out in the foyer, Ronan joined the back of the line for the concession stand. A text came through from Gansey – get me gummy bears and a coke please – and Ronan snorted. “Is he five fucking years old?”

The person in front of him in line turned around. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”

“Hey man, I wasn’t talking to you.” Ronan looked up from his phone and immediately lost all train of thought at the sight of the dusty-haired, blue-eyed boy now staring at him. “Holy shit.” Oops.

The guy half-cocked his head to the side, his eyes wary and confused. “What?”

“What?” Ronan repeated, like an idiot. He shook his head. “Nothing.” Oh god. His mouth went dry. He could feel his hands clamming up. And the guy just kept staring at him. Ronan pointed past the weirdly hot stranger. “Hey look, you’re next.”

“Oh.” He turned back around and stepped up to the counter as Ronan waited for the ground to swallow him whole. This didn’t usually happen to him; he had absolutely no idea how to proceed.

Soon enough, the boy was handed his popcorn and drink and left – seeming to very deliberately not look Ronan’s way as he did – and Ronan let out a breath as he walked towards the concession stand. He ordered what Gansey wanted and then the largest size popcorn available, just so it would take them a little longer to do and give him time to sort himself out.

Treats acquired, Ronan headed back to the movie. The screen was still showing regular commercials even though he’d been gone a good few minutes – that was capitalism for you – but at least he hadn’t missed any of the trailers. He liked watching movie trailers because most of them looked like they would be terrible, which greatly appealed to Ronan’s often judgemental nature.

He made his way up the steps, careful not to spill any of his popcorn or Gansey’s drink. He was so distracted by this task that he almost missed the right aisle. There was much grumbling from the others in the aisle when he started squeezing on through to get to his seat, as Ronan was much less polite about it than Gansey had been earlier on. He stepped past the scowling girl again, and the seat beside her was no longer empty. Standing up to let Ronan go by easier was none other than the cute guy from the foyer, now eye to eye with Ronan once again.

He actually did a double-take. “Oh shit, it’s you.”

“Oh shit, it’s me,” the boy agreed solemnly.

“Adam, do you know him?” the girl asked, and if Ronan was that way inclined he could have kissed her for finally providing Ronan with a name. It almost made him regret being so passive aggressive before.

“Nope,” Adam said, and sat back down.

“Well, not yet,” Ronan said, and then sat down himself. “But look at that, we’re neighbours.”

“Lucky me,” Adam said dryly.

Ronan grinned, then turned to Gansey. “Here’s your munchies, Dick.”

“Thanks,” Gansey said, taking them from Ronan. He nodded his head down towards Adam and companion. “Making friends?”

“You know me,” Ronan said, shovelling a handful of popcorn into his mouth. “Social butterfly.”

He perched his elbow on the very edge of the adjoining armrest and desperately tried to keep himself from looking at Adam. Luckily, the trailers finally started which gave Ronan a handy distraction, but the urge was still there, to see if he looked and Adam looked back.

Despite having been looking forward to them, Ronan barely noticed the trailers. Nothing seemed comically bad enough for him to enjoy, nor did they seem genuinely good enough for him to feel in any way invested. None were as interesting to him as the boy sitting beside him. Ronan had never had his interest piqued in someone so quickly before. He was glad of the popcorn to keep his hands busy, although he really should have gotten a smaller size; he’d hardly made a dent in it and he was already getting sick of it.

After what felt like forever, the lights fully dimmed, signalling the start any second now. “How long is this movie?” Ronan whispered to Gansey.

Gansey shrugged. “Like an hour and a half, I think? A little over, maybe.”

Ninety minutes or so. That wasn’t so bad. Ronan could sit still and be quiet and look straight ahead for ninety minutes.

To be fair, the movie did a decent enough job at drawing him in, enough that he relaxed a little and leaned back in the chair. He picked up the drink from the cupholder on the armrest and took a long sip through the straw.

“That’s uh…that’s mine,” came a quiet voice, and Ronan looked to the left to see Adam staring at him again. Ronan’s eyes darted to and from Adam and the drink in his hand, then he slowly put it back in the cupholder. 

“So it is,” he said. He couldn’t believe he’d done that. He didn’t even have a drink.

Thankfully, Adam looked more amused than annoyed, at least sort of; he didn’t exactly smile but there was something in the shape of his eyebrows that seemed to convey humour. And all of a sudden Ronan realised they’d been looking at each other for too long.

“Sorry,” he muttered, and diverted his attention back to the screen.

The Descent, Ronan was finding, was a very claustrophobic movie, seeing as it predominantly took place in a cave system. When the first of the creepy Gollum-like creatures showed up on-screen, Ronan was so on edge that he grabbed what he thought was just going to be a part of the armrest, but actually turned out to be Adam’s hand.

Mortified, he let go immediately, and this time didn’t look to see if Adam had reacted at all. He at least didn’t say anything, and Ronan managed to relax for a little bit until another one of the little bastards jumped out of nowhere and he did it again.

Like the first time, Ronan swiftly let go, but this time thanks to his heart racing from both the jumpscare and the embarrassment, he covered his face with his hands, mumbling, “Jesus H Christ, get it together.”

“Um, are you okay?” Adam whispered.

Ronan gave him a thumbs up without looking his way. “Fuckin’ peachy, thanks for asking.”

“Alright, as long as you’re not having a panic attack.”

Ronan did lift his head now, and gave Adam a sardonic smile. Adam smiled back and shrugged, before looking back at the screen, and Ronan did the same, willing his heart to slow. Now Adam was going to think he was a giant baby who scared easily.

Determined not to accidentally hold Adam’s hand again, Ronan instead put both hands on either side of his bucket of popcorn and held on tight. Of course, this meant that when the next jumpscare happened, Ronan jolted and popcorn went everywhere; all over him, all over Adam and Gansey, and all over the people in the row in front.

Amid copious annoyed groans and hissed “Hey!”s, Ronan said, in a complete monotone, “My bad.”

Still brushing popcorn off himself, Adam snorted a laugh and then immediately clapped a hand over his mouth as if surprised it had happened. He caught Ronan’s gaze and shook his head, the cheer still glinting in his eyes.

He took the bucket of popcorn from Ronan and put it on the floor, then sighed and put his arm on the armrest, palm up. He looked at Ronan meaningfully and then back at the screen.

Ronan stared at Adam’s hand. He felt so sure that this was an invitation, but was momentarily paralysed, because what if it wasn’t? What if he held Adam’s hand but he snatched it away? Then again, he’d already done it twice so far tonight, and he’d been the first to let go both times.

Ronan took a breath. He placed his hand in Adam’s. And immediately, Adam’s hand closed around his.

Gun to his head, Ronan couldn’t have told anyone what happened in the rest of that movie. He was too busy cataloguing everything he could about Adam’s hand to notice anything else; the callouses that suggested some sort of manual labour, the long, almost elegant fingers, the roughness of his knuckles, how both of their hands got clammy after a while and still neither of them let go, not once, not until the credits started to roll. 

It was Gansey who brought him out of his reverie. “I swear I’m never going to get popcorn smell out of my clothes,” he said. “Ugh, I think there’s some in my shirt. I need to bounce up and down and make sure it’s all dislodged.”

“Uh huh, you should do that then,” Ronan said, but when he turned back around, Adam and his friend were already gone. They must have been very quick off the mark. Utterly deflated, Ronan got to his feet. He dusted some wayward popcorn out of Gansey’s hair. “C’mon, let’s go.”

On their way back to the foyer, Ronan went to use the bathroom, telling Gansey he’d meet him by the exit. He felt really tired all of a sudden, annoyed he hadn’t had a chance to speak to Adam afterwards, and knowing he was probably never going to run into him again.

He was just washing his hands when Adam walked in. Maybe the universe was paying attention.

“Hi,” Adam said.

“Hi yourself,” Ronan replied, pleased that he’d managed to sound relatively cool and collected instead of the nervous wreck he was.

“Some movie, huh?” Adam made no move towards any of the stalls, which made Ronan think that the only reason he’d come in here was to talk to him, the thought of which made him feel like he might be glowing a little bit.

“Remind me not to go spelunking anytime soon,” he said.

“Will do,” Adam smiled. He ran a hand through his hair. “So listen, is it okay if you tell me your name?”

“You wanna know my name?”

“Well yeah, I can’t keep calling you–” Adam cut himself off very quickly. “I held your hand for like an hour, man, I need a name for you.”

Ronan grinned. “What have you been calling me in your head?”

Adam shook his head. “Look, my name is Adam Parrish. Now you go.”

“Ronan,” he said. “Ronan Lynch.”

Adam nodded. “That’s a very good name.”

“Isn’t it?”

Ronan finished drying his hands and moved towards the door, Adam falling into step beside him as they left the bathroom.

“There’s a sequel to The Descent, you know,” Adam said conversationally. 

“I didn’t.”

“Yeah. It’s gonna be next week’s Friday Fright Night,” he shrugged, “if you, I dunno, wanted to go or something?”

Ronan was pretty sure he was being asked out. “Oh, fuck no, can we do something else instead?”

Adam went on a little face journey as he processed what Ronan had said, but then he finally nodded, relieved. “What did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know yet,” Ronan said. “Leave it with me, I’ll figure it out.” He passed Adam his phone. “Here, put your number in there.”

Adam handed it back apologetically. “I don’t have a cellphone.”

“No?”

“But I can use the phone at work.”

“You got a pen?”

Adam did not have a pen, but Ronan knew someone who always did, and hurried over to Gansey to borrow one.

He ignored Gansey’s questions and went back to Adam, grabbing his hand and writing his number on the back of it. “I guess you’re calling me, then.” He finished writing it down, holding onto Adam’s hand just a moment longer than was strictly necessary.

“I guess I am,” Adam said. By now, his friend had drifted over to Gansey, obviously noticing that they were waiting for the same people. Gansey was talking to her very animatedly, and she looked slightly charmed, and also somehow annoyed that she was charmed. Gansey managed to have that effect on an alarming number of people.

“We better go, my friend is probably about to talk your friend into a coma.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s Blue. We were kinda on a date.”

Ronan froze. “You were on a date?”

Adam nodded. He seemed almost as confused by the situation as Ronan was.

Ronan couldn’t help it; he burst out laughing. “I don’t know how to break this to you, but I don’t think it’s going that well.”

“No, I don’t think it is.” He shrugged. “I guess that’s what I get for holding someone else’s hand through most of the movie.”

He didn’t even remotely look torn up about it. And neither, to be fair, did Blue.

“Yeah, you’re not allowed to do that on our date,” Ronan said, and pressed his hand to his chest solemnly. “I’m sensitive.”

Adam smiled. He leaned forward and kissed Ronan on the cheek. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

#the raven cycle #pynch #trc fic #trc

[ninjathrowingstork]

Blade Runner: Bitter Water

Hello I am back again with more heartbreak.

I'll probably update with my actual notes once I remember what I wanted to add for this.

______________________________________________________________

Chapter 3

A blood black nothingness.

A system of cells.

Within cells interlinked.

Within one stem.

And dreadfully distinct.

Against the dark.

A tall white fountain played."

He’d passed. He always passed. 

Leaving the dingy white room, the rapid-fire questioning had left his mind feeling scraped raw, but he was still on his baseline and he had a job to do. It had been nearly a week, and he was running out of time. This hadn’t been the fight he was looking for, but hunting down where a fugitive replicant would go to ground meant finding other fugitives sometimes. Fugitives who fought back. 

But they weren't designed to fight, to hunt, to kill, the way he had been designed. 

The investigation was getting nowhere. 

kD6-3.7 scanned through another day’s worth of surveillance recordings, fruitlessly looking for one, specific spinner. 

While pursuing his other lead had resulted in the crash landing in a pile of slush, he’d eventually tracked down first a shop owner who’d recognized the lost heiress’s replicant companion and that had led to someone else who’d confirmed the woman’s daily route, and finally to the series of cameras along the streets. 

Just for once, he wished something could have been easy. It took days to get some of the recordings back, from stores and private security cameras. Sure the Police Department could request the files be turned over, but tracking down the paperwork and waiting for permits to go through had already set him back, even before sitting and watching through the days and days of recordings. He’d eventually had to put each camera’s recording of the last day the replicant woman had been seen together in sequence,  tracking her path along the usual route, and- 

There. 

One moment she was walking, head down under an umbrella, and the next she’d turned a corner and by the camera next in the sequence, she was gone. There was still one more recording, partially blocked by an awning, that had a viewpoint of the alley in between the two streets. It was slim chance, but- 

He had it. The woman turned the corner onto the street, lined with parked spinners, speeding up slightly on the empty sidewalk. He watched as the door of one swung open as she approached, and with one last look over her shoulder, she’d slid into the dark, unmarked vehicle and it had pulled away and vanished into the flow of traffic around the next corner. But- 

Zooming in. Another flick of the controls and the image of the spinner’s open door was magnified to take up the whole screen. He brightened it, and there. It was her mistress. The missing heiress was already in the vehicle, holding the door open for the replicant woman to join her.         

He’d been told not to look into the human woman’s vanishing as well, and he’d surmised the two were connected, but their timing and circumstances for disappearing had stayed a mystery, until now.  While finding the method of their disappearance solved several questions, it only raised more. If the two hadn’t been abducted, hadn’t been taken by force, that left the questions of who helped the pair, and why did they leave ? Answering those would be a start in finding where they went. 

Wearily, he ran his hands down his face, it had been long hours sifting through the recordings, and it was getting close to dinnertime. That didn’t mean he was done for the night, though. With a few keystrokes, he sent the shots of the replicant Alice entering the car and a report of his progress to the Lieutenant, and put in a request for any ID on the spinner the system could find.. She’d given him a week, and he had one more day to work the case before she’d said it would be passed along, solved or not. He hoped he’d made  enough progress to buy more time. Whether that was to work the case or to live, he wasn’t sure. It was the highest profile assignment he’d been given, and the family of the missing girl could easily ask for his retirement for not finding the pair. Still. Joshi had phrased it to sound like this was just a courtesy and a preliminary investigation before more important resources were invested in the case. He could still be retired and replaced over a courtesy, when dealing with a family with the money of the missing girl. 

The only thing left was to go take a look at the street where the replicant woman had been picked up, if he could still find any evidence. If he could get any lead in the case from there. 

Trudging through the station, he kept his head down as always. The past week had been. . . different. The other officers still either ignored him entirely, or else he had to endure the gauntlet of glares and the occasional curse flung as he passed, sometimes a shoulder slamming against him as he passed, but. But. No one had grabbed him, no one had touched him more than in passing. He wondered how long the sergeant’s influence would keep them off of him, but he would take whatever reprieve she’d bought him. 

Sergeant Flint. He hadn’t spoken to her since that night, but he’d seen her at the desk in passing a few times. She’d looked up, nodding in recognition each time, but he’d been focused on the case, and it seemed wrong to approach her uninvited, with others around. There had been that one time he’d passed a hallway to see her red hair shining in it’s tight knot as the tall woman was speaking with the Madam. The conversation had seemed friendly, but there was the now-recognizable angry set to her jaw, and Joshi had been standing even more stick-straight than usual. Whatever the two women had been discussing seemed personal, and he’d turned and left them alone. 

“Officer K?” As though summoned by the memory, there she was striding down the hallway as he passed. With barely a pause, she fell into step beside him as they entered the entryway together. “On a case tonight?” It was less formal, less restrained than she’d been at first but there was a new tautness to her words, and that set to her jaw that said anger  had returned. 

Best be wary then. “I am, ma’am.” Then, “the report is due tomorrow.” 

She paused as they neared the desk, and he stopped a step later, looking back at the tall sergeant. “Think you’ll have time for dinner again?” 

Dinner? Was this a regular thing for them now? There was a small flutter of - of something in his chest, a strange lightness, but still. . . “If this lead doesn’t turn up anything, I - I could meet you somewhere.” It was one of the longest sentences he’d said to her so far. He told her the neighborhood, and after a moment, she nodded. 

“There’s a rail station there. Meet you there at seven?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“If you’re not working, officer, it’s not an order.” 

The pitch of her voice shifted minutely, the tone softer as it had been when she’d reassured him before. Oh. Not an order. He could. . . he could say no, could say another time, if he wanted. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll meet you there at seven.” This was already too close. Too familiar. Before she could say anything else, he’d turned on his heel and headed out into the evening. 

Within cells interlinked. 

The streets on the way were as busy as they’d been on the day of the disappearance, but turning down the side street, it was quiet. The backs of a few stores, and crumbling brick walls. It was. . . nice, not a neighborhood a wealthy heiress would be walking through, but someplace her tutor and assistant replicant would be left alone. Stopping at the point across from the camera, still with an awning stretched over a door blocking a corner of the view, he looked along the empty stretch of street. A single spinner hummed by in the evening chill. Not for the first time, he recalled his instructions not to look into the missing girl, the missing human. Investigating her would possibly give more information about the spinner’s route, where she had boarded it, who was driving it behind the dark privacy-tinted windows. If anyone had been watching the street here that day, they wouldn’t have any more insight than the camera had given about the spinner or the two passengers. Between the tinting and the positioning of that awning, any identification of the vehicle or driver had been carefully hidden. 

They knew someone would come looking.  

They knew, and he’d get nothing else from here. 

Once more, Officer KD6-3.7 turned, trudging into the evening. He might still make the station for seven. 

By the time he reached the monorail station, he half expected she’d have gone. It wasn’t long after the hour, but she had no reason to wait for him. 

But. 

There she was, lights glinting off the damp on the shoulders of her coat. She peeled herself away from the wall when she spotted him, lowering the boot she’d propped up behind her. “Didn’t know if you’d make it.” 

Didn't know if he’d make it alive, he realized. There never was a guarantee he’d come back. “I don’t have that much of a social life,” he shrugged. “Didn’t know if you’d still be here.”            

That got an almost-grin from her. “Not much of a social life either, I had time to wait.” 

The thought that a human would willingly spend her time just waiting for him, not knowing if he’d make it back, was. . . strange. 

“And anyway, I was the one who asked to meet,” turning on her heel, she led him into the station and towards the monorail car. “Wasn’t about to leave you here, if you got held up on the way and happened to be late.” 

As little as he could trust most humans, and even less those who held rank over him, whose orders he was bound to obey, he could feel himself actually trusting the sergeant. This was well beyond caring for his well being as department property, coming to this corner of the city just to meet him. The first night she’d led him from the station, had given him food and kindness, she’d said she didn’t want to use him, and his instincts were telling him this woman didn’t change her mind easily so he doubted that was her plan for the evening. 

Ahead, his companion quietly slid by the kiosk where evening passengers stopped scanning passes with a soft chime before crossing the platform to board. “We’re not paying, ma’am?”  He’d been on the monorail that wound through the black buildings and neon lights once before, in his first, disorienting days alive as he was learning his new life on the force. He’d been with another officer then, taking him  through the city on foot instead of spinner for once, leading him along with a hand clamped painfully around his arm, and it had all been too overwhelmingly new for him to process if there had been any fare paid then. He hadn’t tried the rail system since, preferring either the privacy of a department spinner or the economy of traveling by foot. 

Without stopping, Flint glanced back at him, reaching to tap at the insignia pinned to her coat shoulder. “Not in uniform, officer, we ride free, department wants us to have a presence out here and the transit folks say it keeps the rides safer.” He caught the corner of her half-smile before she turned back. 

As the lights of the city slipped by in the night, he glanced sideways at the woman standing still as a statue, gazing calmly out the window as she held onto the overhead strap for balance. Maybe her presence in her uniform-blue coat did make the other passengers in their car feel safer, maybe not, but if all he’d gotten from them was the occasional side-eye, he knew the weight of presence she carried around her was keeping him a little safer. They didn’t talk during the ride, despite the ease between them earlier Flint had slipped back into being the stone-faced sergeant beside him with the closeness of the other riders around them, and. 

And. 

And there was still that flicker of the suppressed anger in the set of her mouth and line of her jaw. Had something happened in the past week? Was this night with him for her to unwind for once instead of him? But there had been that something in how she’d asked to meet him, something masked behind the rare lightness in her tone. Either way, whatever her intentions, he reminded himself, it wasn’t his place to question her. Even if she had said it wasn’t an order. 

Still in silence, they left the rail car, a jerk of her head the only signal it was time to exit before she led him out and back into the city streets. There were more holo-signs here, the city more dense than the area they’d just come from. High above them, a glowing pink woman was dancing on the side of one building, and he stopped, for once watching one of the myriad of advertisements he walked through daily. “Those digis really are something.”  The sergeant had stopped, joining him again to stare up at the display. “Wonder if they really can be whoever you want, like she says.” 

“Wouldn’t know.” The idea of just having someone around to talk to had been utterly alien  to him until little more than a week before, but having someone, even a fake, digital companion had been so far above any wildest dreams, if he’d had any. “Probably costs a lot, though, so they must be worth it.” 

“Probably right.” The rosy light slid over the orange of her hair, turning it a strange, murky shade, “ but I guess if folks really need someone to talk to. . .” she shrugged, before turning and leading him further through the streets.  

Dinner that night was some kind of meat, likely vat grown also, but with a slight char to the corners and served on long skewers, and tonight, he didn’t protest her buying him food. Tonight, they ate quietly again, only commenting on the sauce on the meat, on the crowds. Tonight she wasn’t trying to distract him from anything, to save him from anything. There was no sharing of memories or stories of life- on the force and just of living . Just the company of sharing a meal with someone else as they watched the crowds pass by. 

She was subtle. So subtle it took until they were both nearly finished eating for him to realize she was watching for someone , and as she quickly finished her food, he wolfed down the last bites of his, savoring the memory of the sauce and crunch of seared vegetables, trailing a step behind her as they crossed through the  evening foot traffic to another table across the market from theirs. 

The pair, a man and a woman, stood, talking over plates of food and something- something in the way they stood, the fit of their clothes, despite being nondescript civilian garments, said this pair were also police. Plainclothes, likely detectives- 

Like the sergeant had been, he remembered. 

“Roark and Nguyen,” Flint had stopped, just far enough the pair wouldn’t notice them, her voice just loud enough to be heard above the noise of the street. “I’ve known ‘em for a while. They ever give you any trouble?” 

The question caught him off guard. Had they ever been among the ones he’d learned to avoid? Their faces were familiar, but just as another pair he’d seen around the precinct, never when his tormentors were around, never among the hands reaching to drag him into corners or rooms. “No, no, they’ve never bothered me.” 

“Good.” She nodded curtly. “Knew I could trust ‘em, just had to be sure, you know?” 

He didn’t know, but the realization she’d asked if her friends  had ever. . . the thought she’d checked her knowledge of them was real against his experience was something he’d lie awake in his thin, fold-out bed thinking about in the night. But for now, he was following her again, straight for the pair. 

“Evening, detectives.” There was a new wryness in her voice as she greeted them. It was almost. . . playful? 

“Sarge, it’s been a while.” 

“Hey, you.” The other woman, shorter, dark hair brushing damply against her shoulders, grinned up at the sergeant. 

He was seeing their friendship, seeing the serious, hardened senior officers he passed every day as people, as friends. There was that pull, that twisting in his chest again for something he’d never truly be a part of. 

“Hey back at you both. Been keeping out of trouble?” 

“Nothing we can’t get ourselves out of, you know.” The man, average height with a fighter’s build, his instincts filled in, as the detective leaned his elbows on the table, a smile in his eyes despite an otherwise serious expression. “Who’s your friend?” 

“Matt, Alicia, Officer K’s new around here.” A tilt of her head invited him  to step into their circle, joining Flint and her friends at the table. “K, these two and I go way back. Went out drinking with  them when I first made detective.” 

And she still stopped to ask him if they’d ever hurt him. 

“And the Sarge here has been kicking our asses in the shooting range since the academy days,” The man - Matt’s face finally cracked into a grin as he ran a hand through short, sandy hair, brushing out a scattering of snowflakes. 

“He’s the new ‘runner, right?”  Detective Nguyen - Alicia - eyed him curiously. 

“Yeah, since they stopped partnering with human detectives, don’t think I’ve seen much of the last few. Well, uh, it’s good to finally meet ya,” finally looking past the sergeant to greet K. 

Beside him, Flint’s jaw twitched with- with annoyance? 

“That’s part of why I need to ask you two a favor.” 

“Oh?” The shorter detective leaned forward to mirror her partner, curiously. “What kind of favor?” 

“Have you two seen Walters and his pals much this week?” 

She shook her head, as her partner drawled a slow “can’t say that I have.” 

“Well, that pack’s been givin’ K here trouble lately, and L-T can’t do much through official channels to stop it.” Her voice had slipped into the nomad drawl as she spoke to her friends. “Try as I might, I can't watch everything at once-” that got another grin from the detectives, “so I’m askin’ if you two could help keep an eye out, run interference for him. Keep that pack of degenerates off his back. Leastways until they get bored and back off. It’ll save me the worry and keeps the L-T from coming down on me if he takes any damage in the station that’ll put him out of commission.” 

This was. . . different, from how she’d been- been concerned for him, framing the request as a favor for her, for the department instead. Using her own friendship with them to shield him again. 

Both detectives stared at him, she with a cool appraisal and he with a sharp curiosity, and he found himself wanting to shift uncomfortably under the new scrutiny. He’d learned this much attention from anyone not connected to a case was rarely ever good. 

Roark straightened up, the sharp grin he’d greeted the Sergeant with almost returning. “Well. Never thought about the runners having trouble like that, but Walters and his guys are jackasses, so- K, was it?” 

“Yes, sir.” His reply was too quiet, again, as he stared at the flickering light of a holo ad on a wall past the man's shoulder. 

“K, you find me or Alicia here if there’s any trouble, those degenerates know not to mess with us.” 

It wouldn’t help if he was ambushed in the hallways again, but it was a start. 

“And I know this is already a big favor,” Flint jumped in, “but anyone else you can trust, who’s not been taking advantage of K here,” the muscle of his shoulder twitched as she dropped one hand onto the fabric of his coat, resting it with the slightest squeeze before dropping away,, “run this by them also, that the Sarge says he’s off limits.” 

Off limits. He almost missed the two nodding in agreement as he processed what her words meant. 

“Hey, Tam,” Nguyen reached across the table, tapping the surface by where the Sergeant’s arms were folded. “In exchange for this massive favor, you gonna come back out from behind that desk again? Joshi’s got that standing offer for you to join us in plain clothes again, I hear.

Beside him, Flint shifted minutely. Uncomfortably? “I’m  fine where I am, Detective, you know that. ‘Asides, if she wants me back that badly she can make it an order.” She shrugged, barely a lift of her shoulders. “You never know, though. Someday I’ll get bored in the precinct maybe, and finally go outside again.”  

The humor in her voice sounded forced to his ears, but the seriousness of the moment was broken. Making their goodbyes, Flint excused herself from her friends, and strode back along the street, with him following a step behind, the two of them alone in the crowds again. 

The carefully-designed investigator’s mind they’d built in him was racing with questions as he followed, watching the sharp set of her shoulders in the blue coat. All of them led back to why . Why had she asked him to meet her and  spend another evening out with her? Why go out of her way to meet him at the station, Why introduce him to her friends, and ask- 

She’d known. She’d known the pair would be eating in this neighborhood, and for her own reasons had made the encounter and request appear casual. But. But that still left the question of why . She didn’t have to do this, didn’t have to protect him. He’d been built to endure the violence that came with the solitary life of a blade runner. He - didn't’ want, couldn’t want anything else  - would have survived. But the sergeant had told him she’d used her position and influence to put the fear of real consequences, the fear of their sergeant into his - his attackers. Off limits , she’d said. She’d already done that for him. Now, she’d gone further and requested help from detectives . Human detectives. For him. If he could have felt shame, felt it even after what he’d been subjected to in his short life so far, he would have been ashamed of the request that the well-known and respected partners have to watch out for him, that they have to watch out for one replicant in the station who can’t- 

But. There was, once more, that strange warmth in his chest that she was trying to protect him, and they’d agreed. He’d never spoken with  the pair - still hadn’t beyond a few words, he realized, playing back the conversation - and, because she’d asked them, the two had agreed to help watch out for him and keep Walters and his cronies off his back. It wasn’t much on the surface, but, if they kept their word, then the number of humans in this world who gave a second thought for his life had just tripled. It seemed unlikely, but. . . but the memory of warm food and tea, of the blue-coated figure parting the crowds ahead of them, and of the rare, warm touches said it just all might be true. 

That figure strode ahead, hand now shoved deep back into the pockets of her coat, and he followed as always, just a step behind her shoulder.  With one long step, he caught up, for once walking beside her. She looked as she did that first night, that determination, that deeply hidden burning anger that only highly-tuned senses could have detected. “Thank you. . . thank you for doing that. You didn’t have to” He sounded too quiet in his own ears again, each word carefully measured out. 

She shrugged one shoulder, “can’t always be around to keep those sonsabitches off you, already asked Bernal and Elliot to help keep an eye out also. They’ve never bothered you, right?” One eyebrow tilted, she glanced across him finally. 

He’d seen the two men on occasion also, they’d maybe looked at him in passing but never longer than it took to recognize his approach before going back to their own conversion, their own lives. “No, they’ve never bothered me. “

“Yeah, those two are the last guys I’d ever suspect, and the last who’d be into whatever kicks Walters and the others get  from. . . well, it’s just not their thing.” 

There were several things she could mean, but right now it meant he had two  pairs of respected, senior, human officers watching his back in the station. 

“Thank you” His voice was even quieter this time. Falling back to his usual position  at her back, he almost missed the quirk of a smile his thanks earned. 

“It’s the least I can do, Officer K.” Her voice was that almost-gentle tone again, the current of anger she’d carried all night hidden deep. “Like I said before, you shouldn’t have to put up with how they treat you.” 

Any other protests he might have made, if he’d been able to find it in himself to ever contradict her, were lost as he trailed her through the narrow, winding stalls of the night market she’d led them into.  This was more closely packed than the one she’d brought him to before, smaller openings for evening shoppers to eat, and tighter lanes wrapping around the few, coveted stores hemming the packed streets. Long legs carried Flint smoothly through the press, sliding around crowds with the occasional person slipping out of the way upon recognizing her. Finally, she slowed, giving him the chance to catch up. 

“Up there,” she gestured at a larger booth, selling what looked like fruit from a distance. It was set up against a wall, possibly connected to one of the permanent shops if he judged the large, semi-permanent structure right. They stopped, and he watched over her shoulder as the sergeant leaned in, ordering from the woman behind the counter, her sleek dark hair a contrast with Flint’s fiery copper. It was hard to hear, even with his heightened senses, but he could faintly make out “les vrais” before the woman nodded, vanishing into the darkness of her shop. 

“When I was a kid,” Flint had turned, staring out across the market as she spoke, her nomad’s drawl slipping back into her speech, “sometimes we’d find berry bushes up in the mountains still. Scrubby lil’ things, but they’d be out there clingin’ to life.”  His full attention was focused on the story, another memory of a real childhood she was sharing with him. “Sometimes we’d find berries on them, growing in whatever sunlight the things  could get. Dusty, tart little things, but we’d pick any we could reach. Bring ‘em to the city, get good money for ‘em, even then.” 

He could only imagine, produce that wasn’t grown in Wallace-made facilities was treated like gold, and- 

The thought was interrupted as the soft rustling of paper containers sliding across the counter heralded the woman’s return. Two small, paper cups holding. . . holding blackberries. 

“Since getting here, this is the only place I’ve found that still has a hookup with other dusties, can still buy the berries from outside the city.” Her almost-grin looked more like a grin than ever now. As she reached out, taking the cups from the woman, he almost missed the flash of a slip of paper passed along with one cup to the sergeant, vanishing behind her fingers a moment later. Strange, but her business was none of his, and questioning human officers, no matter how odd their behavior, was not his job. 

The almost-warm almost-grin was back as she passed him one of the small cups, and for once, he barely noticed how her hand pulled away too quickly for their fingers to touch. The cup held barely a handful of small, dark berries, with a small swirl of . . . whipped cream? Slowly, carefully, he tried a berry with a bit of the cream, and- 

For a heartbeat, it was as though a part of his brain froze and a wave of something ran through him as the thin membranes of the berry burst on his tongue. It was sweet , sweet in a way nothing he’d ever tried compared to. There was a tart earthiness to the berry, a burst of flavor and juice that no synthetically grown food could compare with, somehow more substantial than any fruit he’d tried before. 

“Like it?” Beside him, Flint popped one of her own berries in her mouth, eyes suddenly distant as she chewed. 

“It’s. . . it's real. ” This was real food, something more real than he’d ever had, ever be able to afford on his own and that ache  behind his sternum was back, aching for everything he’d never know, never be able to experience, everything that was long-gone from the world even before he’d drawn his first breath. “They’re. . . really real. Ma’am I can’t-” 

“Yeah, they’re real. They get sweeter when they’re on the plant longer,  get to stay in the sun longer, but those don’t stay good as long to get em’ to a buyer.” She popped another berry in her mouth, savoring it for a moment. “And I know what you’re going to say, K, and you absolutely can . Your life doesn’t have to be shitty, leastways no shittier than any of ours down here, just because of what you are. You get a chance to enjoy some small, bright spot of joy down here, you enjoy what you can, you hear me?”

He did, and while most of what she said still sounded wrong to him, he took another bite of berries and cream, feeling the flavors burst in his mouth like nothing ever had before, feeling their realness and beauty. It was wasted on him, of course, since he was neither of those things himself, but . . . but for however long he had left to live, he’d remember the taste. “Yes, ma’am. And thank you, for the berries, for everything. If it’s an order, then I’ll. . . allow myself to enjoy things.” 

 That drew a snort of a laugh from her. “It’s not an order, just a suggestion. It  took me a hellova long time once I got here to start livin’ like a civilized person, enjoying the stuff we never had out there,” she jerked her head in what was probably the direction of the badlands, “havin’ so much running water alone felt wrong. But, I adapted. Learned to take what little softness the city had. It’s different, but. . . you learn to live, understand?” 

He did, a little. Remembering his curt, perfunctory showers framed her words over that being even more water than a nomad girl had in a new  light. “I- I think so. I’ll. . . I’ll learn, eventually. Maybe get to do some living while I’m alive, right?” The dry humor was coming easier now. 

Chewing the last of her cupful of the rare treat, Flint’s quirk of a grin showed it was appreciated. Eventually, regretfully, the last of the purple-black jewel-like berries he guessed to be more rare and prized than actual jewels these days was gone. The only trace was the lingering tartness on his tongue, and the rich, slightly-sweet oiliness of the cream coating his mouth. 

 He’d just eaten what was likely a small fortune in bootleg, genuine fruit. There was a strange mix of - not emotions he didn’t feel - from the delicacy. He knew he didn’t deserve them, that the rare produce grown on some far-off mountain that still had the faintest tang of dust clinging to them was far beyond the station for which he’d been made, been manufactured. They had been more real and valuable than he. But. But she’d told him he could eat them. Had wanted to see him enjoy them. If it had been anyone but Flint he might have suspected they’d wanted to see his reaction, if he reacted, to the taste as their own entertainment. She wasn’t like that and it didn’t take the heightened intuition and observational reflexes that had been carved into his nervous system to see that. She’d told him to eat, and even though the same deeply-carved and wired instincts recognized her as a superior officer, and something deep within his mind knew her as a registered user and her orders were law and there was never any question about obeying her commands. This hadn’t been an order, really. She’d given him the food, sure, but the closest thing to an actual order had been. . . to find what made him happy?  He may not have been given the luxury of free will, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find peace in the small luxuries he was able to obtain. 

It didn’t make sense, not with everything he knew to be true about himself, how he was created and what he’d been created to do. That he was a product, not a person. Maybe, though, maybe what the sergeant wanted him to hear was that it didn’t mean he had to endure what might be a short, brutal life entirely alone and empty. The idea was . . . new.  As much as he could trust any human, and any who he’d been created to serve and obey, he trusted her. 

They’d thrown the empty containers away as they exited the market, Flint falling back a step to walk beside him, far enough away her elbows couldn’t brush his with her hands back in her coat pockets, face hidden inside the cavernous hood. They walked in silence that way for a few blocks, the sounds and lights of the city at night rippling around them. 

“Bein’ a nomad, it’s not all that folks think it is.” Her voice broke the silence between them, and he half-turned to look at the sergeant beside him on the sidewalk, but the shadow of the hood hid her face as she spoke. “Folks in the Department jus’ know the dusties in raiding parties, maybe some that’ll camp outside the city, sellin’ anything that’ll sell. Anything we’ve found.” 

We , she’d said. It’d been a long time since Flint had been with them, K remembered, but she still slipped and called herself one of them. 

“But ridin’ together, stripping abandoned buildings, cities, looking for anything we can use, sure it’s a rough life but you’ve got the convoy, you know?” 

He didn’t know, but stayed silent as she spoke. 

“There’s scavenging yeah, but we weren’t scaveys, not like those almost-ferals down south. We work as teams, families sometimes, watch each other’s backs. You learn to turn junk into whatever we needed out there. Going on reuse and recycle runs to find supplies off old trucks, old machines. Clean it up, hammer out the dents, and cut it int’a what you need.” 

They walked, surrounded by the darkness and grime of the city that was the only home he’d known, but. . . but her words conjured up memories that weren’t his, of a dirty, lonely childhood spent hammering trash for the few pieces of treasure. Of bleak, dusty stretches of parched land. What could a life out there have been with a convoy and family behind you?  “I. . . I have memories of the ruins,” it was the first time he’d told anyone about the past that wasn’t his. “In an orphanage, they put us to work picking over scrap metal, breaking apart old machines.” 

A small hum of what might have been sympathy sounded from the hooded woman. “Think I heard about places like that, never been near one from what I recall. Yeah the clan had kids around but if’n one lost their folks, we’d just keep ‘em and raise ‘em with the rest.” 

A family, even in the harsh, wild life of the nomadic clans out in the badlands, it was more than he’d ever had. Ever have. “So, why’d you leave and join the Police?” There were notes in the file, and while he could put together pieces from her interview and records, there were also things she’d never said. 

For a few steps, they walked together in silence again until he thought she might not answer. “Lost my ma when I was real young,” that much he’d already heard. “My brother and my Da were on a convoy with me, and one night raiders hit us. We got away but Da got hit and we lost him.” Her words were short, clipped. Rehearsed? Something nearly inaudible in her tone sounded rehearsed but then, he supposed, she must have told this story before. The Madam had been her partner in the past and he doubted the hard-eyed woman he answered to would have let Flint’s history stay a mystery to her. 

“Brother and I stayed on the convoy together for a time after that, then one night we met up with another band, and knew the folks so we camped together that night,” she continued. “In the morning, he was gone. Hopped a truck in the other caravan and left.” 

“He left you?” 

She shrugged, one-shouldered. “Left the memories, saw a chance for a new band to fight with and took it. He liked to fight.” The last sounded almost sad. “Didn’t have anything keepin’ me there, so I packed whatever I had and came here. Knew the city was dangerous and all, but if’n I’m gonna get mine one day, I figured I’d do it somewhere I didn’t hafta forage for food and might get a hot shower first.” Beside him, she rolled her shoulders, head tilting back to look at the sky. It had begun snowing again, and the flakes settled on her lashes in the glimpse of her face he got before, lowering her head once again, she was lost in the hood. 

“Why’d you choose to join the police?” You had the choice to join. He’d never have the choice to or not, only the preprogrammed memories of choosing that he’d been given, like a pile of clothing left folded on a chair for him. 

“Why them? Well, as much as I can keep an engine goin’, things I was best at were fighting and shooting. Spent enough years guarding convoys I thought might as well get paid for it, not that the pay for a beat cop just startin’ out is that much, but it sure as hell was more than I’d ever had before.” 

And it sure as hell had to be more than the small allowance he was given by the same department. 

“Also, picked the Police over private cops because I’d heard they always needed fresh meat, and weren’t as choosy. Knew I could handle anything they threw at me after growin’ up how I did.” Her voice had dropped off at the end, and . . . and he could almost relate, almost understand with his fictional past. Fighting to survive in the orphanage had made the brutality, the isolation of his life here almost easy. But- but her past was real , her humanity stood as a chasm between them and their nearly parallel stories. 

“And now here you are.” 

“Here I am.” 

“Ever think of. . . of visiting them, your clan?” 

Another long pause. “Got no one left to visit. Some old friends, yeah. Might find my brother out there if I go asking around, if he’s still topside. Been so long though, don’t think I’d really know them that much. Anyway, got my life here now. Got work to do.” 

They’d reached the platform for the monorail again, and, now silent, she led him back across the platform and onto the car. She was silent again as they soared through the night, the sleek metal capsule flying past spinners and signs, the smells of bodies and metal dust and late-night spilled alcohol drifting around them.  Soon, they had stopped again, and he realized this was the station closest to the market and his own neighborhood. 

Still in silence now, they walked together through the snow-dusted streets. Around them, the lights rippled off the powder in the moments before it melted to a cold grey slush, turning the streets a momentary shimmering rainbow of neon.

They were a few blocks from his building when she broke the silence. “I’m taking the promotion.” 

Only his expertly crafted neurochemical system kept him from twitching at the jolt of surprise. “The promotion?” 

“Back to sergeant.” She’d shoved her hood back, staring levelly ahead, face back to the stony mask. “Got an ultimatum from the L-T. Wants me to take it, join a new task force that’s being built for these kidnappings, or else I’ll be put on the nomad raids.” 

He remembered that briefing, the events. . . after had made the report less important, and it wasn’t his work anyway, but he’d heard talk in passing of more disappearances in the week since. But that would mean. . . 

“So I won’t be around as much anymore, K. Might be in the precinct for reports but can’t say it’ll be regularly anymore. I’ve done what I can and having detectives saying you’re off limits should keep those pieces of shit off your back.” 

At least as far as anyone could see them, he knew. It might not stop the wandering eyes and hands, but he hoped, as much as he could hope for anything, it would keep them from going any further again. “I. . . I understand. Does this mean-” 

“And these nights will have to end, yes.”  The words were as cold as the snow beneath their boots. “I’ve had word from up above that this. . . association is frowned on. Might impact your effectiveness or something. Point is, I’ve been ordered to back off.” 

It was back, that yawning pit inside his guts, knowing now how much it ached when he wasn’t supposed to feel it ache, feel anything. He knew now what it was to have someone being near him, to walk beside in the dark, to eat with, tasting flavors he’d never dreamed he could ever know. But now, now he knew . And because of what he was, who had paid for him, he was denied that life a second time. “I understand.” He swallowed around the tightness rising up his throat. “I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any trouble, sergeant.” 

They’d reached his doorstep again, and she glanced away, the corners of her mouth turning down as the simmering anger she’d carried all night flared. She’d known. She’d planned this as a final night, he realized. Flint must have been told that week, been arguing with Joshi that day in the hallway, and had planned this night to be a farewell, to tell him others would be looking out for him and to give him one last taste of the life he could never know. A taste of the fruit he would never be worthy of knowing. She’d known it would always end like this. 

“It’s no trouble, Officer K. And if the department wants to come down on anyone for this, they can take it out on me. I’ve been around long enough to handle it.” And for her, censure wouldn’t mean the risk of retirement. 

A rapid flicker of emotions nearly broke her stone-like composure, nearly said something else before the faint click of her teeth killed the words.  “Goodnight, officer.” Turning on her heel, she strode into the dark and snow. 

“Goodbye,” his whisper followed her into the night.            

On feet that felt as dead and heavy as lead from more than just the cold, he forced himself to climb the long flights of stairs up to his apartment. The jeers and hands reaching and groping for him that he usually had to endure on the path to his door all faded out as white noise tonight. Silently, he brushed past all of them, head down, ducking into the safety of his collar. Cans and debris crunched under his boots as he shouldered past figures outside his apartment. Someone called out at him as he unlocked the door, slipping inside as it shut behind him before any reaching fingers could catch the back of his coat (this time). 

He was alone. 

He’d always been alone. Now, he- he could almost feel how alone he was. 

(He wasn’t supposed to have feelings opinions but still-) 

Silently, as always, he moved through his evening routine. He was meant to be alone. The lukewarm water of his shower pelted skin. He’d known almost what it was like to have a friend. The packaged seasoning for the stovetop noodles smelled stale compared to the memory of flavors so sudden his eyes had nearly watered.  The packaged food was better than the protein grubs, although less nutritious, but the meal earlier had been solid and warm and he wished he could forget how the background hypervigilance needed for a blade runner to survive had quieted some with the presence in the blue coat beside him. Harsh alcohol burned down his throat, washing the small meal down, but the memory of the taste of berries and cream still clung to his taste buds. 

Curled in his thin, cold fold-out bed, he thought ahead to what the next day might hold, his time on the case had run out, and depending on what was asked by the people even beyond his Madame’s sphere of power, he could be gone and another, new replicant in this apartment in  the next few days. He’d been given a case with little to use and a short timeline, been given as little choice or consideration in this assignment as he’d ever been, and now the one person who’d cared enough to try to help him the least bit was gone. If the worst happened the next day, there’d be no one left to remember him. A deep curl of something by his heart almost ached at the thought. As he drifted off, the ghostly memory of a rough wooden toy in small hands that weren’t really his made his palms itch with the phantom touch, and the persistent whispered “ survive” slid through his mind, soothing away the thing that another might have called despair. 

<- Chapter 2. Chapter 4. ->

#blade runner 2049 #blade runner #blade runner fanfic #fanfic #blade runner 2049 fanfic #officer kd6 3.7 #officer K. fanfic #ryan gosling #writing #cyberpunk

[negansbackdoorwhore]

Dangerous Game

This was a request from @sparkythefallen1

Warnings: blood, angst, romance, smut

Bounty hunting ain’t easy. But it wasn’t hard either, it was way better pay than any other job could offer. The only thing it cost was having a dead heart. No emotions were involved when it came to killing assholes for your clients. But this one in particular was a doozy. You had many people come to you about him, but it wasn’t the right price. Until a woman of interest came into the picture. She had no way of speaking but showed the offer that peaked your interest. Done.

The first steps was to figure out your target and to find out all the details. You knew from your client he was prideful, ruthless, rude, and a brute. So no mercy against the kill. Next thing, he wore a maroon coat with a black hat, along woth a handlebar mustache. Lastly, how to gain trust from him. Apparently the town you were heading to hated this man already. With the word of him killing a man and an old woman before everyone. So he will die without being missed. To keep a good cover up you went to be a bartender at the saloon.

A month’s time has passed and you knew Henry very well. He would regularly come in to drink himself stupid and talk business with his men. They were pigs but somehow his charm was growing on you. Especially the way he would flirt and call you “Princess”. His first impression wasn’t a good one however. Henry came in to see you and tried sweet talking to get into your pants. But you scoffed at him. Some nights he would flap his jaw about nonsense or in means to brag about himself. You did seem interested in him and he was most definitely pleased. But your attraction to him had to be hidden. Now he’s here again, walking in and looking all sexy.

“Evening Princess.”

“Mr. Delarue.”

You both talked for a moment and he was off with his men. You kept making beer after beer and saw how drunk they become. Especially Henry, he was swaying around and slurring his words. You couldn’t have him here like this, so you closed up. As everyone left, you made sure to get Henry to his bed safely. Upon arriving Henry tossed away his hat and coat onto the floor. While he became occupied with his boots you scanned carefully at his space. Wasn’t much of a housekeeper but not a man of possessions either.

“Princesssss.” You look at him face down in his pillow wearing a cute smile to see his dimples. You walked over and gently lowered your hand to ruffle his hair.

“I think you’re the only person who I actually trust. You’re special.” He muttered out before his eyes shut. You were in shock at what you heard. In a way it’s sad but it also made you frustrated. It was like your heart wanted to beat for him but your mind shut that down. This was an opportunity, in which you reached into your boot. As your blade was brought out you lingered it over his head. You cursed yourself because he should be dead now. In the past it wouldn’t have taken you so long but this was too obvious. You tucked it away and made your exit.

-

That was days ago and you were summoned to meet your client. She wasn’t too happy to see him still breathing. You then see she brought someone with her to communicate.

“This deal you had is going to expire soon. You are stalling on us.”

“Things are getting complicated. But give me more time.”

“One more week. But if you don’t kill him soon, I’ll do it myself but then kill you afterwards. Understood?”

You frowned at this sudden ultimatum but things needed to be taken care of. It was one thing to loose a job but your own life certainly wasn’t worth it. You decided to skip your bartending and got straight to the point. It was mid afternoon and you were hiding on a rooftop awaiting Henry.

He walked upon the street with his men following, that’s when your scope was lining up to shoot him. This would’ve been much better if he was alone but who cares. You then took a deep breath and took the shot. Once the sound of the bullet hit your ears, you realized that you didn’t hit him in his heart. It was just a few inches away. You saw him instantly fall and his men scrambled to find hiding. You cursed yourself as you left your gun and ran down to go help him.

You ran along the street to his blood painting the dirt. The sight of him made you feel pain that you’ve never felt before. You fell to your knees at his side and pressed your palm to his bullet wound. The blood flow was calming down with the pressure.

“Motherfucker!”

He swore out and went to sit up but couldn’t as the pain was too much. There tears in your eyes as you realized you just sealed your fate because you grew a heart for this bastard. Now was time for action, you hurried to help him stand. As soon as he gained balance you rushed him to the doctor. He wasn’t fatal but he kept swearing about his pain. The gut ate at the pit of your stomach. Especially the sight of him getting wrapped in bandages and how he started to look pale.

“You’ll need bed rest and someone to take care of you.”

“Fuck! Fine, I only want her to do it.” He nodded his head in your direction. You didn’t protest and listened carefully to the doctor’s instructions. He needed to have bandages changed at least twice a day and had to be in bed for a while. Henry hated the idea, you assured him it’s the best thing to do.

-

A week has passed and you were sure that your ex employer was after you. They had to know Henry was still alive. But you felt safe in a way since Henry had his men guarding the building twenty four seven. It added relief but you still needed to explain yourself. It has been nothing but taking care of him and hearing bitch about the pain. The pain you caused. So you decided to tell him after his bath that night. You were bring fresh linens to lie onto his bed when you heard him stepping out his tub.

“That you Princess?”

“Yes Henry.” You say across the room and hear his footsteps coming into your direction. He didn’t care for covering himself and you had to admit that he had a nice body under all those garments. When he came to sit you laid a towel in his spot before grabbing the bandgaes.

“The bleeding doesn’t look as bad as it was. But there’s still some none the less.”

“I see, hold still while I do this.” You stood before him and slowly began wrapping around his shoulder toward his diaphram.

“Been meaning to thank you Princess. You really came through for me and well you’re doing this bullshit.”

“It’s no problem.” You brush off his words and finish it up nicely before putting the material back into the kit you made.

“Henry. We need to talk.”

“Can it wait? I was hoping to get some sleep.”

“Please?” You say as see him lifting his covers and he sighs as he gets situated underneath. You took a deep breath as you brought yourself to the foot of his bed and sat down.

“I haven’t been honest with you for all this time that I’ve known.”

“How so?” You could feel his anger already brewing and he was looking at you made you tense. But he deserves to know who you really are.

“I was sent here to kill you. I had a mute woman wanting you dead, so for a good price I took the job.” You felt the bed shift and he was sitting up straight with a fire behind his eyes.

“It was really only a job that’s all. But getting to know you and seeing you, I fell in love. So when it was time to kill you I missed your heart and that’s why you’re here.”

There was a silence that filled the room and you were shaking at what could possibly happen.

“Be dressed and ready to skip town by sunrise.”

“What?”

“Just fucking do it.” He hissed and threw himself to lay back down. You were confused but did as he asked. So when morning came you had your couple bags and went to check on him. He was already dressed and insisted on leaving.

“Do you want me to change your bandages?”

“Not yet. Let’s get going, we have a long trip to make.”

He brushed past you and the nervous feeling had been building up into uour chest. There was a small carriage tied to a couple of horses and you saw him toss your belongings onto it. He motioned you to come over and you were being picked up to sit in the uncomfortable thing.

“We are going to New Orleans. And I’m taking you with me because we have unfinished business. My men will stay back for a bit so it’s just us two.”

You only nod in response but gasped when he roughly had a hold of your hands. Without wasting time he had tied your wrists up in some very uncomfortable rope.

“Hey!”

“Don’t you start, after what you told me I can’t trust your ass. So fucking deal with it.” He practically growled and shoved you to sit back down. You groaned at the impact but couldn’t blame him and this aggressive was making you feel more for him. Damn it, you were stuck. You watch him bid goodbye to his men and hopped onto the seat to give the horses the signal to move.

You sat still and endured the long ride ahead of you. Hours had passed and you were bored of your mind along with the rope beginning to leave marks along your skin. The ride was dragged on and occasionally he would stop to give the horses their water. He would also stretch out his legs but you were left, he had pity for a second and gave you a couple sips of his water. But it stopped there as he kept up the journey. That was until sun started to set and he warned you it was time to set up camp. You were left in the carriage to watch him building a fire along with laying out makeshift beds. You were surprised that he made a second one. But you knew you probably had to stay in restraints. Henry stood up and went untie your rope and you felt instant relief. Your hands ran over your red wrists.

“I’ll let you roam a bit, but first give me all your weapons.”

“I don’t have any on me.” He scoffed and you just frowned.

“I swear it! They’re all inside my bags.”

“Fine. Prove it, go on.” He held the pistol that rested on his holster and kept looking at you. Cautiously, you moved to your bags and slowly removed all things deadly. Your guns and a set of knives, it didn’t seem to please Henry.

“Empty your pockets and boots. Now.” He decided to pull his gun on you and aimed for the head. You weren’t shaken up by it but only complied. You shifted your pockets to make sure they turned inside out. Then moved to remove your boots and held them upside down to show there was nothing. He approved by putting away the firearm and moved to make a fire. You didn’t know what to do except sit on one of the blankets.

“You know, I could kill you right now.”

“Yes.” You say as you hugged your knees and looked at him while making a fire.

“So why not run?”

“I deserve to be dead, after all the bullshit I’ve done with my life. Along with hurting the person that means everything to me.” You felt as if your heart was breaking with how he looked at you. There was anger and you flinched as he got closer. He removed his hat and placed it near his bag while you felt anxious on his next move. Henry already made the fire as dusk was turning to night and the air was getting cool.

“Why did you fall for me?” You chose not to answer but that shit wasn’t going to slide with Henry.

“Answer me.” He said sternly while getting closer toward your body and just inches away from making physical contact with you.

“Because, at first I knew how everyone had hate for you. With your brute nature and your crude mouth. But when I started to see you and got to know more about you, it just made me feel things that I have been trying to keep tucked away. And when you said I was special that made me realize that I can’t keep repressing these emotions.”

Henry stared at your face to focus on your expressions and then you watched him leaning closer to you. Without thought your eyes shut and anticipated his touch, after a

minute of staying still your eyes opened to see him on his blanket. You felt flustered and just laid down against the hard ground while Henry giggled to himself. It became dark fast as you watch Henry poke at the fire. The sounds of crackling and the crickets started making you tired. But once your eyes shut, Henry woke you up.

“You think you deserve sleep Princess?”

“Guess not…” You sighed out as you began to sit up.

“I need some shut eye myself. Don’t wake me unless it’s an emergency.”

You nodded and watched him lay against his blanket with his hat rested along his face. For about an hour it was just the sounds of the night and Henry’s snoring that filled your ears. You stared at the stars for that time but then curiosity started to get to you. You gradually made your way to be next to him and did best to keep quiet. As you looked over him you felt your heart starting to beat faster. He was so damn gorgeous. Your hand a mind of it’s own as it went to touch his body. You barely grazed his jacket and felt a spark. You took it further and ran from his forearm toward his shoulder. Keeping up with your pace you ran your fingers to touch his chest.

“What are you fucking doing?” His voice made you freeze and he felt your fingers trembling.

“You gonna answer?”

“Nothing.” You attempt to retract your hand but he shot up and tightly held your wrist.

“It wasn’t nothing. You keep on lying and I’ll kill you.”

You should’ve been scared but this was making your heart race with excitement. To see his eyes go dark and how he was handling the situation. You’d do the same thing.

“I wanted to feel you.” You say and he looked confused before letting go of your hand. He went back to lay on the ground with his back facing you. With that you watched over him through the night until you started to doze off. Your eyes fell shut and you felt a nudge on your body.

“Wake up woman!” You were startled by the masculine voice and looked up to see Henry standing tall before you. Dawn was clear on how the dark of night was gone and the warmth of the sun hit your body.

“Shit! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to but-“

“Calm down Princess. Just get your shit together. I plan on having us in New Orleans by sunset.”

You stood up with wobbly legs as you were just waking up, Henry held your arm to help balance. The touch felt electrifying until he let go. You gathered everything to be put back into the carriage and awaited Henry to put on the ropes. He walked to you and watched you hold your wrists together, without hesitation he pulled out the used material. The same amount of tightness went around your wrists and he picked you up to place in the back. You just sighed as the sun started to bake you on the ride.

-

“We’re here Princess!” Henry announced as he hopped off the carriage seat and the horses stopped in front of a house well more like mansion. You knew Henry had money but not this much by a long shot. He left you to sit for a minute as he approached a man to talk about whatever he needed to. You stayed put and couldn’t wait for the ropes to come off. It felt like they broke your skin by now. You heard them laugh a bit before the gentleman left on horse, Henry made his way toward you and cut off your restraints. You hissed once the rope was released and saw how your skin would blister later on.

Night time was fast approaching and Henry had already brought in all the luggage along with making sure things were prepared for sleeping. You were drug along his side the whole time so he can keep his eyes on you.

“I reckon we need both could use a good bath, I’ll go first. You stay plant your ass down on that bed while I do my business. Don’t you fucking move from there.”

“Yes Henry.” You say and went to sit on his bed, and watched him leave the room. You sigh and sat in silence, wondering as to why he’s keeping you alive. You thought for sure he would’ve killed you during the night. So for now, you waited for his return. Not long he was back in the room and tossed you a towel along with pajamas.

“Go clean yourself up and bring yourself back in here.”

You went away to the bathroom and saw the tub filled with fresh water and how there was steam rising from it. You wanted to take your time but there was a sense to make things go fast since Henry was expecting you. Quickly washing away the filth and sweat from the past couple days, you exited the tub. The pajamas was a simply night gown and you slipped over your nude body before going back to his room. He was still naked as he stood by the window and sat on the edge of the bed. You assumed you were to accompany him and sat on the opposite end.

“You really love me? Like genuinely?”

“I do. I know what I did is unforgivable but if you have to kill me, then do it.” He looked over his shoulder to see your back facing him and your shoulders were tensing.

“No.” He said in a blunt tone and you looked back at him.

“Please just do it. I know you’re probably waiting on the right place or time.”

“I said no, or is your hearing that bad?” You flinched as the bed moved with his body weight. You anticipated some kind of touch when his presence was growing closer.

“Look at me. Now.”

Your head turned in his direction and he swepted his hair back. You the felt the rough pull of his hand on your arm to pull you toward the center. You felt scared as he had you pinned down while looking over you.

“Show me. Prove how fucking bad you want me.”

“I can touch you?”

“You better.” He smirked and you leaned up onto your elbows and pressed a shy kiss on his bottom lip. Henry let you continue with your light kissed before taking hold of your chin. He smashed your mouth’s together into a demanding kiss that completely dominated you. His tongue wanted access by having you open your lips for him. You moaned against his kiss and wanted more but he denied you. It was like he knew what he was doing and pushed himself to lean up onto his knees.

“That was just a taste. But before I give you anything, I want you to make up for the shit you put me through.“

You didn’t need further instructions and made way to touch him. Henry felt your fingers on his hips to pull him closer to your mouth. His cock already semi erect and you went hold the base before licking his tip. You looked up at him as you slipped him past your lips. The sight of you and how your mouth felt was making grow harder. You could feel it against your tongue.

His patience grew thin and started to thrust his hips forward to feel how his dick started to gag you. Still, you gladly excepted him fully and made him use you. His deep groans filled your ears along with how he was basically fucking your mouth had you feeling. It was turning you on already with how he was fully bare to you and it made you grow wetter to the point of feeling it go to your inner thighs. His fingers grabbed your hair to tug and made you look up at him.

“You’re a good cock sucker. But I wonder is that pussy as good as your mouth?” He pulled your hair roughly to bring his cock away from your lips. You gasped for air and he was already pushing you onto your back. His hand pinning your wrists above your head and the other shoving your gown up enough to have reveal your wet center. You shivered at how his rough touch was all over and the feeling of his hand pushing your thighs apart, it was giving you thrill. He looked pleased with how soaked you were and admired it for a moment.

“Oh shit. You are just dripping for me Princess.”

He guided his cock toward your body and you tensed at first contact with how his tip barely slipped inside. He groaned as your walls were squeezing him and leaned down to kiss your neck.

“Fucking relax.” He said against your skin as his hips started to move. You winced slightly at him opening you up and wanted to touch him but his firm grasp wasn’t budging. You whined at Henry’s cock filling you up and making you squirmed.

“What’s wrong? Thought you wanted this? Thought you’d do anything for me?”

“I-I do.” You gasped when he started to go harder and you bit your lip trying to keep yourself together.

“Yeah? Then you are going to fucking take me. All of me.” He moaned out and pushed your legs up to fully view you under him. He licked his lips at the sight of you all flushed and the sounds you released was making him crazy. You could feel overwhelming pleasure just by the sight of his body on top of you and his cock being inside you was enough to make you feel happy.

“Henry! I love you! I love you!” It spilled out your mouth over and over as you came closer to your release. He let out a deep moan that immediately went to your pussy at how good he sounded. He was getting close and his hands released your legs and placed them by your head to have you grab onto his body.

“Fucking shit! I’m coming.” He rasped out and you whimpered feeling his release inside of you. You squeezed his skin and he hovered over you as his unruley hair was sticking to his forehead from the sweat. His breath shaking as your legs were quivering. You saw stars for a moment and let out a noise when he pulled away from you.

“Shit. You are fucking gorgeous Princess. I’m going to keep you all for myself. You will be in charge of my men and keep me safe.” He leaned closer to kiss your lips for a quick moment.

“But don’t worry. I’ll protect you too, no one is going to cause you harm.” You faintly smile as he left your side to get on a pair of lounge pants. He quickly joined your side and smirked to himself as you were clinging onto his body.

“I love you.” You whispered and he justed kissed your head.

“I know.”

#jeffrey dean morgan #jeffrey dean morgan x reader #jeffrey dean morgan fanfic #jeffrey dean morgan x you #the salvation henry delarue #henry delarue x reader #henry delarue

[nothinggathers]

#Tomorrow, you're only a day away#

Almost there! On the 26th of August chapters 1, 2, and 3 of Ghosts in the Machines will go up on AO3. There will be art, there will be me biting my nails down to the bone, there will be much screaming.

So before that fateful day I would like to thank @vladlen4i and @winterbaroness for choosing my dumb Reverse AU idea to make art for, and @sevdrag and @ranunculus-bloom for their efforts in the organisation of this Big Bang event.

It's been so much fun speaking to so many people within this madcap and definitely not dead fandom, and I can't wait to see what everybody else is bringing to the table over the next few weeks.

You get one final sneak peek, and I will see you tomorrow!

“They said to let him in.” The words were quiet.

Goon One seemed as surprised to hear them as Connor, but Connor doubted they set off sharp spikes of concern creeping down his spine in the same way. What had he just walked into?

The masked goon shrugged, and gestured across the bridge with his gun. “Looks like you're good.”

Connor's throat was dry, but he nodded. “Thanks,” he said.

The barrier lifted as Connor rolled his window up, and he set off slowly across the bridge. In his mirror he watched the guards going back to huddle in the shelter of their hut.

Hank's plan was stupid, but Connor wasn't sure his was much better. Hank wanted to walk in here, bold as brass, find the warehouses, and then wake up a bunch of new androids. Deviancy couldn't be forced, but Hank would show them the reasons to choose it.

But how would they get out? Hank couldn't even be sure he'd get in, and then once he did wake up however many thousands of androids, then what? Did they expect to just calmly walk out of Cyberlife Tower and past a bunch of stunned guards? There were three with AK47s sitting at the bridge. Hank and any androids walking towards them would be caught in a bottleneck, and that was assuming they made it out of the tower in the first place. If there were armed guards at the bridge, there were definitely going to be more in and around the tower itself.

And now they were expecting Connor. Shit.

Connor drove slowly over the icy, slippery snow on the bridge. Cyberlife Tower itself was lit like a beacon, jutting into the sky like a bad advertisement for Elijah's Kamski's micropenis. There were more guards stationed by the entrance, patrolling through well worn tracks in the snow. These guys didn't have the luxury of a nice sheltered hut to huddle in out of the weather. Above, drones circled, following their programmed paths.

Connor checked his gun, and stepped out of his car with his badge in hand as one of the guards approached. “Detective Stern?” Connor nodded at the man he automatically designated Goon Four. “This way.”

There were more AK47's. Connor's service weapon would be less than zero help if it came to a fight. He followed Goon Four towards the sheltered entrance of the tower. A scan appeared in soft lines of light, sweeping over Connor, and the guards.

“Agent 47, identified. Detective Connor Stern, identified.”

That was unsettling as fuck. Goon Four's designation was Agent 47. Cyberlife actually numbered their employees.

And they had Connor on record.

He stopped when Hank approached him, that cold annoyance Connor was used to seeing on his face still fixed there, his cold blue eyes locked on Connor. “You really can't just do as you're fucking told, can you?” he asked, lifting a gun.

#dbh #dbh fic #dbhbb2023 #sneak peek #reverse au #ALL ABOARD THE HYPE TRAIN #my fic #my writing #dbh big bang

[ajokeformur-ray]

I'm not a doctor but why do u have to get blood tests so often??? Mine aren't concerned with it as much, maybe because I have gluten insensitivity and not coeliac (although they believe i have it, the only way to confirm is a scope and biopsy and they don't want to do that at this time)

I asked my doctor about cancer risks and the GI doctor and him (hes a specialty) both said with newer studies the anticipated risk of cancer is actually really low. So did your doctor say something different or am I being lied to or is it an anxiety thing

This is new for me and seeing other people who may have it is so nice to see (not nice but relief im not alone)

I have to have blood tests so often because there’s a massive risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies with coeliacs disease, as our bodies cannot absorb nutrients properly even when on a gluten-free diet, so every six months I have a blood test to make sure all my vitamins and minerals are where they should be and to make sure I don’t have anaemia, which is also a complication which occurs within coeliacs disease even when following a gluten free diet. I was so anaemic at one point I had the equivalent of half a paper clip of iron in my blood, got put on a six month regime of the strongest iron tablets, and then had another blood test to confirm I was no longer anaemic. That was even with following a gluten free diet. Next step after that would have been a blood transfusion, but thankfully the tablets worked. There’s also the possibility of having a lower bone density due to the aforementioned inability to properly absorb nutrients through the intestinal lining, which is why I also had to have bone density scans prior to diagnosis and every few years I have to have one of those to check up on my bone density. There are SO MANY complications with coeliacs disease. It’s just… it’s scary.

(That’s fair enough, the endoscopy they have to do to test if you have coeliacs disease is quite invasive; I had to have about seven or eight medical tests to confirm I had it and it was a really uncomfortable six week period. I’m happy your doctors aren’t too concerned with it at the moment! Blood tests are so annoying and to make it better on me, I like to make jokes about attending vampire food banks.)

I had to have appointments with doctors and nutritionists and they all told me the same thing; the risks of intestinal and stomach cancers are really high within coeliacs disease IF you don’t follow a gluten free diet. So if you know you have coeliacs disease and you choose to eat wheat and gluten anyway, you are at a very high risk of developing cancers within the same kind of area (i.e. digestive system). I don’t want to mess around and take any chances so I’m very careful with my food and very strict on it, because I don’t want to contribute to any chances of developing those cancers. I’m just not willing to risk it. So I don’t know why we were told slightly different things, I was diagnosed almost ten years ago so the literature on this topic might be different now.🥺

I know what you mean, it’s quite cathartic to know you’re not alone. Interestingly, coeliacs disease is hereditary and yet I’m the only one in the family who has it. No one else has it, has been diagnosed with it or has signs of it. So I like to wonder which of my ancestors gave it to me.