#“MOM! OUR DOG IS ON THE CEILING AGAIN”

[sanest-bsd-delegate]

"MOM! OUR DOG IS ON THE CEILING AGAIN"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHUUYA ISTG IF U DIE ILL MAKE SURE TO PERSONALLY MAKE OUT WITH DAZAI IN FRONT OF YOU-

[topazy]

Tomorrow's promise

Pairing: Daryl Dixon × reader, Rick Grimes × sister reader

Warnings: Swearing, violence, blood

Chapter: 3.07

“Aunt y/n! Aunt y/n!” Carl runs towards you holding a green balloon in the shape of a dog; he shows you it proudly. “Look what my dad made me; it’s so cool.”

Smiling, you ruffle his hair. Being surrounded by screaming kids with sticky hands and zero concept of personal space was your idea of hell, but it was worth it to see Carl enjoying his sixth birthday party. His friends from school and a few from his soccer team had attended the party being held in your brother's backyard, and now that the sugar rush and excitement of new toys were catching up with your nephew, his eyes were becoming a lot heavier as his friends started to be picked up by their parents.

You smile, feeling Shane’s lips brush against the curve of your ear. “You want to bail out soon? The little man looks as if he’s about to crash soon, and Lori will rope us into cleaning up.”

“Hmm, what are you thinking?”

Chucking, he kisses the side of your head and then your cheek. “I’m thinking of taking my pretty girl out for dinner and a late-night movie.”

You motion to the cooler full of ice cubes and bottles of beer sitting on the opposite end of the wooden table you were standing beside. “Do you think we could sneak a few of those with us for the movie?”

“That would be stealing, ma’am.”

“Well, I know a few ways to keep out of trouble, deputy.”

Standing up, you smooth out your yellow sundress just as your brothers walk by with a couple of on-duty cops who had dropped by to suck up to Rick by giving Carl a gift. You smile politely at them before leaning back into Shane’s embrace and quietly asking, “You still don’t like them, huh?”

“Rivers and Young?” He finished the dregs in his cup. “The kids have a lot to learn; I wouldn’t want them answering a call for my mom or my girl.”

You knew Shane wasn’t saying this lightly; he often gave rookies the benefit of the doubt.

Groggily, you stare up at the ceiling, feeling devoid of any real emotion as you think back on old memories. Once you had fought to push to the back of your mind because you found thinking of the chain of events that came from that party so upsetting. Jace’s babbling pulls you from your trail of thought. He crawls up onto you, his saliva drooling onto your top. “Thanks, kid.”

He babbles some more, as if he were communicating in his own way.

“Yeah, yeah.” You tickle Jace’s cheek with his finger. His smile lightens your mood slightly. “You’re the best thing I’ve ever done, you know that?”

You slide your fingers over Jace’s dark hair as he leans his head on your chest. Sighing, you close your eyes again, but the peacefulness only lasts for a few moments. The second you hear the noise of crutches tapping against the prison flooring, you open your eyes and sit upright.

“Is everything okay, Hershel?”

“How’s your leg feeling today?”

When you returned to the prison, Hershel stitched up your leg to stop the bleeding, but there wasn’t anything he gave you to help ease the pain. “It feels as if it’s getting better, thanks.”

The older man leans against the cell doorway, his eyes crinkled with exhaustion. “I just thought you would want to know Glenn took Carl looking for the breach. They’ve just come back.”

—

You stormed to the other side of the cellblock, where most of your group was gathered. Beth was humming to your niece, Judith, while Glenn explained that they didn’t find the breach. Maggie looks up, surprised when she sees you looking so irritated. She forces a smile. “How’s the little stinker doing?”

“Happy to see you,” you hand her Jace before turning to glare at Glenn. “I told you not to take Carl with you.”

Glenn lets out a frustrated sigh. “Y/n, we need to find this breach fast. For all we know, our home could be filled up with walkers or the governor's men at any moment.”

“Exactly, which is exactly why you shouldn’t have taken a thirteen-year-old with you. Carl’s just a kid!” You wave your arm between the two of them and say, "Look at how much blood you are covered in. How many walkers did you need to kill just to get out?”

Glenn shakes his head. Instead of bonding over the trauma you had gone through together, the experience was causing friction between you. Your friendship with Glenn meant a great deal to you, but keeping Jace, Carl, and Judith safe was the most important thing.

Hershel tries to intervene and calmly says, “I still think we should go; we still have time.“

“For the last time, we aren’t running!” Glenn snaps, frustrated.

“We should have grabbed things and left last night; this place isn’t worth dying over.” In your mind, the only reason you had to stay was waiting on Daryl coming back, but you had no idea when he would return, and by then you might have all been slaughtered like cattle by the governor. “We survived living on the road before without any transport. This time, we have multiple cars to use.”

“Last time Hershel had two legs, we didn’t have a screaming baby.”

“What are you even talking about? Jace was with us the entire time, and we survived.”

“Yeah, but we got lucky with Jace not being able to hear loud noises.”

“What did you just say?”

Glenn stares at you with his mouth agape. You glance at Carol and Maggie, who both lower their heads. You are in a constant state of denial, refusing to accept the reality of your situation. Jace’s hearing wasn’t what it should be, but hearing Glenn say it so harshly, it feels like a physical blow to the gut, as if he'd punched you.

“Y/n-”

You lick at your dry lips, then turn to face Carl and say, “From now on, you only listen to me or your dad.”

Carl looks like he wants to protest, but he nods without saying anything. You take Jace from Maggie, and in a softer tone, you say, “Right, munchkin, let’s get you cleaned up.”

“Y/n” Glenn calls out, “I just meant—”

“Seriously, just leave it.���

—

Standing outside, you lean against one of the cars, watching your brother mumble to himself while wandering outside the prison gates. You had tried to get him to come back inside, but he wasn’t listening. You had left Jace inside to play with the toys Daryl had found under the watchful eyes of Beth. You were well beyond being hacked off; Rick was so damn busy chasing ghosts to even notice how much you needed him; and Daryl was gone. You knew why he was gone, but you were growing tired of feeling so alone.

Hearing voices, you look over your shoulder and see Hershel chasing after Glenn on his crutches. “You’re not going back to Woodbury, are you?”

“No. I’m just going out there.”

“I’ll go with you,” Hershel offers.

“I got it.”

“By yourself? How can you possibly think that’s a good idea?”

“I can’t just sit on my hands,” he resorts defensively. “I’ve got to do something to keep Maggie and everyone else here safe. I’ve already failed once.”

“Glenn, nobody blames you for what happened to you and y/n. There was no way you could have known what would happen; there was no way to prevent it.”

“With Daryl gone and Rick wandering crazy towns, I’m the next in charge.”

“Like hell you are,” you frown, making your presence known. “You want to keep Maggie safe, then be here to do it. I get that you’re mad and frustrated because I’m the exact same, but we can’t be making rash decisions.”

Glenn brushes by you and opens the car door without saying a word.

“We’ve already lost Shane, Lori, T-dog... I don’t want you to be the next person we lose.”

Without even glancing back at you and Hershel, he drives off.

—

You and Rick exchange a look as Hershel tries to talk some sense into him, but you knew from the look in his eyes that he was too far gone to register the advice on grief the older man was giving him. Sighing, you go to the wired-up hole in the fence and start to untie it. You’d be damned if you were leaving him as walker bait any longer; he might not have listened to you before, but now you weren’t giving him a choice.

“Y/n, stay behind the fence. It’s dangerous out here.”

“No shit-”

A bullet whizzes past your ear, narrowly missing as it skims the top of your shoulder. The sound of gunfire fills the air as you frantically scan the area for the source. Adrenaline pumping, you grab hold of Hershel and pull him with you as you drop to the ground, heart racing in your chest.

Your brother's pained voice echoes loudly, “y/n!”

You feel the heat from where the bullet grazed your skin, leaving a burning sensation. Your vision blurs momentarily as you struggle to focus amidst the chaos.

“Rick, you need to get back inside the fence!”

Using the long grass of the field in the prison yard as cover, you roll onto your stomach and peak up to see the direction of the shooter and see three different men. The governor is one of them.

Son of a bitch.

Rick was pinned down, and you could hear bullets coming from the opposite side of the courtyard, which meant they had someone right outside the prison. The governor was firing bullets into the air; the way he was wasting bullets meant he had a vast supply. You watch in horror as a van crashes through the fence, and you duck down lower to avoid being seen by hun.

The stench of decay hits your nose, and at the same time, the sound of snarling hits your ears, and you realize the drivers realized walkers into the field.

“Y/n, Hershel, get the hell out of there!”

Hershel fires at the undead, trying his best to keep them at bay. Knowing you don’t have many bullets left, you grip the cold, rusted pole that’s lying on the ground and use it to stab Walker in the head. With so many undead people surrounding him, the governor and his men retreat.

“Fuck, there are too many of them!”

More walkers enter the field, attracted by all the noise, their eyes filled with hunger and malice. You can see their twisted limbs and rotting skin as they approach. Another wave of dread courses through you when you hear another vehicle course through, but thankfully it was Glenn returning and not another van full of walkers.

He pulls the truck over, and Michonne, who you didn’t even realize was in the field, jumps inside, then Glenn drives it over to where you are. Hearing a cry for help, watch as Rick backs up against the fence, trying to fight off multiple walkers at once.

“No, no, no!” You try to run to him, but Glenn and Michonne drag you back and force you into the truck. “We need to go back; we can’t leave him!”

“He’s not alone!”

When the vehicle approaches the prison yard, Maggie and Carl open the gate to let the truck through. Soon as it stops, you jump and hug Carl. “Are you okay? You hurt?”

“No, but you are.”

“I’m okay, we’re okay.” You look around and notice Axel’s body laying on the ground, he had been shot in the head. “Carl, go back instead and stay with Jace and Judith, okay?”

“I’ll go with him,” Beth says, and the two of them go back inside.

You walk as close as you can to the fence without a walker being able to reach you through the holes, and you watch as Daryl and Merle fight off walkers alongside your brother.

Glenn taps your good shoulder and says, “You should get inside so Hershel can check you over.”

“I’ll wait… Thanks for saving our asses.”

“Always,” he says, giving you a knowing look. “What the hell happened?”

“Whatever this was, it’s only the beginning.”

[samaraannhan20]

Pete Davidson Imagine: Puppy Love

A/N: This post is based on this request I received a few months ago. I hope you enjoy it @justah0pelessr0mantic !

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Pete Davidson x shy!reader w/ problematic puppy

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“Hey babe?” I hear from the kitchen as you exit the bathroom, still rubbing the moisturizer into my skin. 

“Yeah?” I respond as I step into the kitchen. As I walk in I stoop down to rub our new puppy’s head before walking around the kitchen island to where Pete is standing, and taking a bite of the toaster waffle he is holding in his hand. He chuckles as I slowly back away while chewing. 

“What did you tell me earlier needed to be done today?”

“Oh, um, I was going to go grocery shopping,” I start as I look for something to snack on for breakfast besides Pete’s waffle, and then shut the fridge door when I realize there is nothing, hence the reason I was going to go shopping today. “Maybe look for a dress to wear to your mom’s house on Christmas Eve. Why?”

“You don’t have to wear a dress. The three of us always wear pajamas. Also, do you mind if I come shopping with you? I was wanting to get out of the house today,” he says, walking over to me and wrapping his arms around me. 

“Yeah you can come with. And if we’re going to wear pajamas, what if you and I got cute matching ones? At Target?” I ask him, looking up at him and pouting.

He leans down and kisses me, before pulling back and saying “You just look so cute when you pout like that, I can’t say no.” He kisses me one more time, before handing me my usual coffee cup and gently turning me back towards our room. Go get dressed you loon,” he says, before placing one more kiss on my lips, and playfully smacking my ass as I walk away. 

I pause after taking a couple of steps. “Do we still have puppy pads to put in the area we have blocked off for when we have to leave Peanut at home?” I ask, turning back to look at Pete. 

“We do for today, but those should go on your list,” he responds, and I nod, turning again and heading for our room.

I walk back into our room, and cross quickly to the closet, shedding the pajamas I was wearing as I walk in. I browse through my side of the closet, deciding on a pair of flare pants and an oversized sweatshirt. After I finish getting dressed, I bend down and grab my platform Uggs off the shelf before heading back into the other room. As soon as I sit down again, Pete comes walking in from outside, with a look of annoyance on his face. 

“The puppy took a shit in the living room again. I just put him out, but we have to really start getting his training started. I’m tired of cleaning up dog shit and I can tell you are too.  What do you want to do?” he asks, crossing the room while talking so he is standing in front of me. I let go of the boot and I was about to slip on my foot and let it drop to the ground, before leaning back and staring up at the ceiling with a groan. 

I hear Pete bend down and pick my boot up, and then I feel him slide the boot onto my foot. When the boot is on, he pulls me to a standing position and wraps his arms around me. “We can train him, and it won’t take long. We just need to actually start trying,” he says, and then places a kiss to the top of my head before pulling away. “I’m going to bring him in and put him in his space and then we can go. While I drive you can look up good training tools,” he tells me, and then heads toward the sliding door that leads to our backyard. 

I sigh one more time, and then grab my purse off the counter, along with Pete’s car keys, and head into our garage to start the car and start looking for training techniques. 

By the time Pete gets out to the car I have already read an article that showcased points that I believe will work for us, and have added the things that I believe we will need to the list. As we drive I explain my plan to Pete, and he agrees to it. Before we even reach the store we have a plan for helping Peanut. 

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When we start our shopping at Target it feels like no one is paying attention to us, which is how I prefer it, and unusual for when you are dating a celebrity. I decide to relish in the idea that no one has noticed him, and I decide to start with the christmas pajamas, heading straight to that section of the store after getting Starbucks from the cafe at the front. Pete no longer drinks coffee from Starbucks, but I can never go on a Target run without getting it. Pete pushes the cart as I walk next to it, telling him where to go while sipping on my Pink drink. When we reach the Christmas section I meticulously look through each of the sets of pajamas, deciding if we want ones with a funny phrase on them or just a patterned one. I decide on a simple plaid pattern, and hold it up to Pete with a smile. 

“I feel like I could order something funnier or cuter on Amazon, but what if we get these and do that? That way we had a pair we could wear to Amy’s on Christmas Eve and then a pair to wear just the two of us on Christmas?” 

“Whatever you want to do Baby,” he says with a small smile on his face. I grin, and toss my arms around his neck planting a big kiss on his lips. When I go to pull away he pulls me even closer and kisses me again, before letting go and pulling away. I grab both of our sizes and toss them in our cart, smiling down at them. When I go to turn around and see if they had a small enough dog-size for our puppy, I notice someone standing at the end of the aisle staring at the two of us, with their camera pointed right at us. I knew in that moment that they had without a doubt caught the moment of us kissing, and I immediately begin to feel a panic attack coming on. 

“Hey Pete,” I say quietly, turning back around and looking at him. I don’t want him to notice the person at the other end of the aisle, so I grab hold of the cart and start pushing it.  “Let’s go get the puppy stuff now that we have this.” He nods, and looks a little confused, but follows after me anyway. I walk quickly and quietly to the pet section, and whip the cart into the aisle with puppy pads in it before stopping suddenly. I ignore the questioning looks from Pete as I grab the puppy pads, some puppy shampoo, and then grab the cart and turn down the next aisle. I grab some small treats that will help with the potty training, and then decide to grab a small dog toy for a reward once he is trained. I take hold of the cart again and head towards the next section on my grocery list, still ignoring Pete’s glances of confusion. 

I rush through our grocery shopping as quick as possible, noticing more people staring at us in every aisle we go down. By the time we get to the checkout and are checking out, I look out the door and see the flashing lights of paparazzi. I can tell the exact moment that Pete notices it as well, because he starts shoving our groceries into bags quicker than he had been before, and before I know it we are completely checked out, and Pete has me sandwiched between him and the cart as we head out of the store and into the crowd of paparazzi. Luckily we had snagged a parking spot close to the front, and Pete opened the door and helped me get in the car, pressing a kiss to my forehead before shutting the door and going to the back of the car to put the groceries in the trunk. 

When he gets in the car, he starts it and quickly leaves the parking lot. He holds my hand as he drives, rubbing soothing circles over it. 

“I’m sorry,” he says about three minutes into the drive. I snap my head up, looking at him with a look of wonder and fury in my eyes. 

“Why in the hell are you sorry?” I ask him, and he sighs, glancing over at me before looking back at the road. 

“I should’ve ended the shopping trip that moment you suddenly got uncomfortable in the Christmas aisle. I just thought it would only be that one person and then we would be fine. Obviously I was wrong.”

“You saw them?” I ask him softly. He nods, and I put my head down. “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think you had seen them and I thought ignoring it was better than trying to do something about it.”

“I thought the same thing” he says, and then we sit there in silence for a moment before we both crack up with laughter. We laugh for at least two minutes as he drives down the road, and when we pul into our garage the first thing I do is unbuckle and then reach across the car and pull his lips into mine. 

“I’m sorry I’m so shy and get so nervous in situations like that,” I whisper when I pull back. 

“I don’t blame you,” he says, kissing me one more time before pulling back again. “I also get nervous in those situations, but not really because of me anymore. Because of you,” he says, and I feel a tear slip out of my eye. “I’ve never cared or worried about anyone like I do you,” he says, and then pulls me in for another kiss.

[spiderlandry]

HII! congrats on 100+ followers!!!

do you think you could write a jackie taylor x reader?

reader listens to jackie talk about their future together (schools, jobs, marriage and everything) just nodding along with her and admiring her in either one of their rooms

cuddles pls and messing with her fingers and forehead touches pls!

lots of fluff! (maybe some angst with the whole marriage topic, considering it was 1996? or not, whichever, tyty:))

thank you sm!!! :) <3

thanks anon! this request made me kinda blush i love the physical intimacy it’s so cute. we need more jackie fics and im happy to deliver (hopefully you like it!) no pronouns used for reader, but they do discuss the marriage topic

100 follower event

warnings: fluff! and implied discussions of being unable to get married (ambiguous reasons but can be interpreted as same-sex marriage not being recognized by the law at the time)

looking out for you — jackie taylor

A soft thud hits your back, eliciting a laugh out of you. You look up to see the culprit on the other side of her bed, Jackie, with a pillow in her hands.

“Did you just hit me with a pillow?” You grin, mirroring her smile.

She shrugs, doing it again.

“Hey!” You sit up properly to try and grab it out of her grasp, but you end up in a position you’d found yourself time and time again with her. She cages you in between her arms, getting you to lay on her while she throws the pillow across the room.

“Is this your way of asking me to cuddle?” You ask, already reciprocating her embrace.

“Mhm,” She hums.

“You’ve been quiet,” You whisper, pushing her hair out of her face. “What’s on your mind?”

“College,” she replies with a faraway look, but her stare is almost intense, as if she’s viewing the future through your eyes. (She is.) “I’m not forcing you to go to Rutgers, am I?”

The way her voice tapers off melts your heart. “You know I’ll go to the ends of the Earth for you, right?”

You know she was always the kind of person to be sure of herself—one of the reasons you fell deeply in love with the girl. But lately, as the future closes in, she’s been plagued with second thoughts ever since they lost Nationals and she had a fight with her best friend, Shauna, that almost ended their ten-year long friendship.

You pull away from the embrace, lying down completely on the bed when you signal for her to do the same. Both your eyes are on the ceiling.

“Talk to me,” You take her hand, intertwining it with your own.

“I am talking to you.”

“Okay, smartass,” you chuckle. “Tell me if everything you told me before Nationals.”

She remembers that night, ditching the party early to go home and spend the rest of the night in your arms while she tells you the ways you fit perfectly into her future life, then deeming it ‘our future,’ rather than hers alone.

“Well, she begins with a sigh. “You’re coming to Rutgers with me. We’ll do roadtrip with all our stuff packed into my mom’s minivan.”

You hum, nodding for her to continue.

“We’re both gonna work and get our own place by the second year, and it’s gonna have a cute theme, and there’s gonna be pictures of us on the wall to make people jealous.”

You laugh, “Who’s gonna come over to our place?”

“Our friends, of course. The team could visit.”

You begin playing with her hand, fiddling with the promise ring you’d given her junior year.

“We can go to college parties, and you’ll protect me from anyone who hits on me,” She giggles. “Obviously, we’re gonna study together. Hold each other accountable, right?”

“Right.” You bob your head, turning to admire her side profile.

“Then we’re gonna get a dog. Then a cat. Then we’ll make sure they’re friends.”

“Mhm.”

She can feel your stare, so she looks back. "What?" She chuckles.

"Nothing," You mutter. "You're just beautiful."

She grins wide, fully turning her body to the side so she can scoot closer to you. "You're a sap."

You look smug, "But you love it."

"I do," She puts a hand on your jaw, a soft touch that never gets old. At her own words, she is reminded of another thing. "We've never talked about getting married, have we?"

You don't miss the way her tone drops a little. "We haven't," you shake your head. "But you know I'll do anything for you. I'll marry you no matter what it takes."

Her eyes become glassy, and you press your forehead to hers.

"You wanna get married?" Her voice almost a whisper, you can feel her breath on your lips.

"I gave you the promise ring for a reason, Jackie." You say, a little more serious this time. "I'll make it happen. For both of us. And I know you're gonna look fucking amazing, and I'll cry when I see you in the dress."

"What did I do to deserve you?"

"I should be asking that question."

Becoming more comfortable, snuggling into her, you both fall asleep and dream of your future.

[im-a-matt-girl]

designing cody’s nursery with matt, discussing everything you'd think would fit and be cute in the room, asking matt for his opinions and watching his eyes light up as he thinks about his son and everything he’ll get to do with him as cody grows up.

"Nursery"

"What do you think for the walls?" I ask you.

"Hm?" you hum, suddenly looking in my direction, as if your thoughts were elsewhere for a moment.

"What color should we paint the walls?" I repeat, rephrasing my question so it's more clear to you.

"Blue," you shrug.

I purse my lips together and nod. "Because it's a boy, or because it's your favorite color?" I muse.

"Both," you smile at me.

"Predictable," I sigh. I look back at you and smile. "What are you thinking about?"

You shrug again. "I dunno," answer, playing with your lower lip.

"Are you nervous about being a dad?" I ask you, holding your hand with mine.

"Eh," you reply. You let go of your lip and add, "I'm mostly excited."

I kiss your cheek, and you turn toward me and kiss my lips in response. I close my eyes and drape my arms over your shoulders, and you rest your hands on my growing belly. "I'm excited to have this baby with you, too," I whisper to you.

You let out a small giggle, then look down at my belly and say, "I can't wait to meet you, Cody."

I beam at you. "You still love that name, huh?"

"Yeah," you nod.

"Well, I guess that's decided, then," I say. "And what else will Cody need in his nursery?"

"Hmm," you ponder, looking up at the ceiling for a second or two. "What if we get him one of those spinny things?"

"A mobile?" I ask.

"Yeah, one of those," you confirm. "One with like… I dunno, animals or something."

"That would be cute," I smile. "What do you think his favorite animal will be?"

"I hope he likes dogs," you answer. "I love dogs."

"I know you do, silly," I giggle at you.

"Koalas are cute, too," you add. "And owls. I like all animals, really."

"So do I," I say. "I think he'll grow up loving animals, too."

Your eyes light up as you begin to think about what kind of person he will be. "Yeah, and he'll love to build things, too. We could build stuff together."

"Mhm," I nod happily.

"And when he's older, we can play video games together. And I'll teach him how to play sports."

My heart feels so full that it's overflowing with love for you, and for our new baby, Cody. "I'm thinking James," I suddenly blurt out.

"Huh?" you ask me, your smile faltering.

"For his middle name," I elaborate. "Cody James. After your dad. Your middle name is your paternal grandfather's first name, and my middle name is my maternal grandmother's. So it fits."

"Cody James…" you repeat. "I like it."

"He could go by CJ," I chuckle.

Your jaw drops open at the revelation. "Yeah, but I like Cody better," you decide.

"We'll see which one he prefers, I guess," I say, rubbing my belly. "So, what else will he need in here?" I change the subject, looking around the nursery. "Besides, like, a dresser and a changing table, obviously."

"Should we get him some stuffed animals?" you suggest.

"Yeah, we'll do that," I agree. "What about blankets? He's going to need lots of blankets to stay cozy."

"We should ask my mom to make him one," you smile.

"I'm sure she's already started on one," I laugh. "She's so sweet."

"She's gonna love him," you say, wistfully.

"Yeah, she will," I reply, taking your hand in mine again.

"Almost as much as I do," you add.

Happy tears start to well up in my eyes. "You're going to be a great dad," I tell you.

You rub the top of my hand with your thumb, then bring my hand up to your lips and kiss it softly. I know that you will raise our son to be loving and kind, above all else.

I can't wait to have this baby with you.

[unwantedalien]

THE FAMILY

Today is the day. The day I met Kim Ji Sooks sons. So apparently he has SEVEN SONS NOT TWO OR THREE BUT SEVEN OF THEM.

Good lord, how does one man pay for all of them?

It has been a week since I've met Kim Ji Sook, and yesterday he wanted my permission if he could propose to my mother. For marriage. I did say I was fine with it, but I just wished he wouldn't propose to her at all. I know it's a selfish wish, but I don't want him in my life nor do I want his sons.

"Mi-Rae we're here"

I looked out of the window and blinked. Once then twice

"Omma is this a hotel?"

"yes, this is, it's one of the restaurants he owns, this is where we are meeting them".

"Oh my lord"

Omma simply smiled at me and got out of the car, and I followed behind.

"I have to take a picture of this"

I clicked a few pictures and sent them to Emi and Minhyun.

"They are going to be sooooo mad at me once they see them"

I kept my phone back in my pocket and followed my mom and Kim Ji Sook inside the grand hotel. I understood then why mom wanted me to wear something a bit nicer than a summer-vibes frock, I mean, if I knew it would be this GRAND, I would have definitely worn a suit and tie and match with the butlers.

As the three of us entered, there was a butler who asked for our name and some other stuff. I was too busy admiring the interiors of this hotel. This looked more like a palace than that of a hotel. A huge chandelier that looked silver and gold shimmering from the lights above hung from the ceiling. The ceiling itself looked grand somehow. The floors were a dark colour. A large red carpet was laid which lead visitors to various places in the hotel.

"Mi-Rae"

I turned towards omma, who had a soft smile on her face.

"Let's go"

I smiled back while telling her why I found this place pretty and why it should be a palace instead of a hotel.

We were led to a private dining room on the 3rd floor, the room was at a far corner. I looked around and realized that there weren't many people on this floor. Just a few janitors keeping this place clean and the security seemed really tight, like holy shit, I looked like I was entering a maximum security prison, are we going to get interrogated?

 'Welp I lived a good life, I should send a final goodbye message to my friends' I thought.

Kim Ji Sook stopped in front of the door and looked at us, "well" looked at me and said "meet my sons" and opened the door dramatically.

My eyes fell on one man. His eyes widen and stood up, pointing at me

"YOU!"

"Oops"

Well, this should be fun.

"Mi-Rae-ah do you know him?"

My mother was... surprised to say the least, I mean, I was too! 

"uhhhhhhhhhhhh by passing?"

"YOU MADE ME STEP ON DOG SHIT"

"That was her? lol servers you right for calling her stupid" 

He had a cute smile, with cute dimples, he looked maybe a year older than me, if not the name age.

On tree boy's other side, was a very, very handsome guy, he looked really familiar, and was meddling with his phone, not even looking at me.

"THOSE WERE BRAND-NEW SHOES, YOU BRAT"

Tree boy pointed at me again.

"You shouldn't point at people, and those were MY SHOES!"

The one next to sleepy boy said out loud, accusing tree boy of stealing his shoes.

"TAE YOU TOLD HIM?"

Ah, finally a name for handsome boy, Tae,

"You gave me an expired candy cane and a note that said please you expect me not to?"!

"That-THAT ISN'T THE PROBLEM! THAT GIRL MADE THEM DIRTY!"

This was a sight to see. 

A circle table, where Kim Ji Sook, and Omma had sat in their seats, and with me sitting right in front of tree boy. 

'Tae' was to my right, in other words, tree boys left, then sleepy boy, then the... guy with the cool band tee, and... another pretty boy, then a mature guy who I was sitting next to on the round table, next to me was omma, then Kim Ji Sook and... a cute guy, it was only tree boy who had the most similarities with Kim Ji Sook.

I would have spoken to one of them, but they kept talking over each other, fighting over... banana milk?

I looked at Kim Ji Sook with an 'are these really your sons?' Look. He just smiled at me and nodded before looking at the boys and saying.

"SHUT UP EVERYONE"

[callsign-magnolia]

I Hope You Dance // Ch. 52

MATURE CONTENT (18+)

A/N: This is cross posted to my Wattpad, so if this seems familiar that is why!

TW: Mental abuse, emotional abuse, slight physical abuse, death and loss.

Description: When Caila meets Rooster, sparks fly. But, she's already married, to a man who she thought loved her, and won't let her go. Rooster will fight for her, he just has to convince Caila to fight for herself.

Word Count: 6.1k

Chapter 51 | Masterlist

Rooster’s eyes opened slowly, blinking away the sleep as the light pouring in blinded him. He pulled the covers back over his head, hiding away from the sun in hopes it would dim or go away completely so he could open his eyes without the pain that came with being blinded. He closed his eyes, attempting to go back to sleep, feeling exhausted from the day before. He rolled onto his stomach, burying his face in his pillow, allowing the darkness to take hold of him once again. He woke up again a few hours later, feeling more rested than he had before. He rolled on to his back, stretching his arms and legs so much he thought they may just pop off. He stared up at the ceiling for a while. He wondered where Caila was. Probably down in the kitchen cooking or lounging on the couch with the dogs. He smirked, knowing she’d be back upstairs soon for a little morning delight. She could never resist a moment alone with him. He felt the same way. He relished in the feeling of her weight on him. Whether that be her laying on him, kissing his chest as he rubbed her back, or if she was straddling his waist, grinding down on his hard cock. He groaned at the thought and decided he couldn’t wait for her to come to him. He sat up but abruptly stopped realizing he was in the guest room of his own house. The only thing was, it wasn’t renovated yet and there were posters on the walls, and it was messy with clothes strewn everywhere. He got up and walked out of the room, going into the guest bathroom. He felt like he was hallucinating. He washed his face before drying it, hoping it would bring him back to reality. “Bradley! Are you gonna sleep all day?” His head snapped towards the bathroom door, frozen in place. “Mom?” He muttered to himself. 

He stood like a statue in the bathroom. He was confused, maybe even hallucinating. He wanted to walk out and see his mom, but at the same time he didn’t. Because what would that mean? He heard footsteps coming up the stairs and he worked up the courage to walk out. There at the top of the stairs stood Carole Bradshaw, but she was young again. Younger than Bradley even, maybe in her early twenties. “About time you woke up. I swear, you’d sleep all day if I let you.” She snarked and a strangled cry escaped him before he rushed to her, throwing his arms around her as he buried his face in her neck. “Hi baby.” She said, holding him close. He was a whole head taller than her, but he felt like a little boy again as she rubbed his back and played with his hair. “I missed you.” He said and she giggled. “I missed you too, son.” After a few minutes he pulled back and she wiped the tears from his eyes. “Are you hungry?” She asked. “I made lunch.” At that his stomach growled and they both laughed. “I could go for some food.” He said and she nodded, turning for the stairs. “Then come on.” She said, practically floating down the stairs. He smiled following after her and when he hit the last step she was standing at the bottom, grinning at him. “What?” He asked and she pointed to the couch. There was a Phillies game on the tv, but what caught his attention was the blonde head facing away from him. “Come on!” A familiar voice yelled. “Honey, I tell ya. This is not our year.” The man stood. He was about an inch taller than Bradley, but what caught his attention was the familiar Hawaiian shirt. The same one he wears occasionally. 

The blonde man turned and looked at him and smiled widely. “Bradley. Good to see ya son.” The man said before walking over and pulling Bradley into the tightest and warmest embrace he felt in a long time. He hugged him back, the smell of his cologne invading his senses and calming him. They stayed like that for what felt like hours but no one complained, after a few minutes Goose pulled Carole into the hug. They stood like that, just holding each other for as long as they pleased, relishing in the closeness. After who knows how long they release each other, but Goose pulled his son into a side hug with his arm around his shoulder. “Damn you look so much like your mom.” He said, looking at Bradley. “Good thing she’s the good looking one between us.” He joked and Carole smacked his arm. “Are you kidding me? He’s your twin!” She said. “He came out of me looking like you, he looked like you growing up and he looks like your twin now! It’s like I contributed nothing to my own kid!” She said, walking into the kitchen. “Come on. Let’s get some food.” Goose said, leading him into the dining room where they all sat down. Rooster took a bite of the sandwich and moaned. “Your cooking is so good mom. I missed your food.” She chuckled, grinning at him. “Sure your fiance’s food isn’t better?” She said and he laughed. “Don’t make me answer that one.” He said and they laughed. “Wait, you know about Caila?” He asked and they looked at each other, laughing. “How can we not know about her? You’re both head over heels for each other!” Goose said loudly. Bradley just smiled at his father, taking everything in. He missed the way his dad looked a his mom, and the way she returned that look. That’s when he knew his love with Caila was true love. Because they looked at each other the same way his parents do. 

“I miss you guys.” He muttered and his mom leaned over and kissed his cheek. “We miss you too, Bradley. So much.” They finished the food and then he asked the question that’s been nagging him since he woke up. “Why are y’all here?” He asked and his parents exchanged an odd look. “Honey, I think the question should be, why are you here?” Carole asked, taking her son's hand. He furrowed his brows in confusion. "What?" He asked. Goose looked at Carole, sadness in his eyes, and Carole looked at her son, offering a small comforting smile. "Bradley." His father said and he turned to face him. Goose took a deep breath, trying to find the words he never thought he'd have to say to his son. "You have a choice to make." Bradley was even more confused now. "What? What choice?" Bradley's heart beat faster, wondering what the hell they were talking about. "I think it'll be best to show you." Carole said. They all stood and walked into the living room. He sat next to his dad on the couch as his mom walked over to the old retro television set. She turned it on and hit the channel button a few times before a picture started coming into view. His mom on the arm of the couch, her arm tossed over his shoulders as the picture finally became clear. His heart snapped at the picture before him and all the memories rushed back to him.

He could see himself in a hospital bed, tubes everywhere, including in his own throat. His hand went to his neck, rubbing his throat as it felt like it was constricted. But he could see smaller hands holding his own, a glint of a ring shining in the fluorescent lights. The figure leaned back, revealing the tear streaked face of his fiance as she tried to collect herself and not have a breakdown. "Am I dead?" He immediately asked, turning to his dad in panic. "No!" Goose yelled. He didn't want Bradley thinking he was…yet. "No. You're in a sort of limbo right now." He said calmly. His son was a man, but as tears welled in Bradley’s eyes all he saw was the two year old who loved to sit on top of the piano while he played. The same little boy who curled up in his lap every night that he was home for a bedtime story. "Limbo?" He asked. "Yes. That's why we said you have a decision to make." Carole said, brushing some hair from his face. "What's the decision?" He asked, now looking up at his mother. She gave him a soft smile and he knew that one way or another everything would be okay. Her eyes flitted to her husbands in search of support and he grabbed her hand that rested on Bradley’s shoulders and squeezed. “The decision is you go back to her or… you stay here.” She said the last part quietly. As much as she loved having her son in her arms again, she didn’t want this for him. He was too young to be here. It broke her heart the moment she realized he was up in that bedroom and almost had a full breakdown herself until she realized he had a choice. “Did you two have a decision? An option to stay?” He asked, tears falling down his face. If they had a choice, why did they choose to leave? “No. We didn’t. Our deaths were inevitable for their times.There was no way around it. But yours isn’t set in stone. It can change, but only if you want it to.” Bradley sighed, looking up at the tv where Mags was speaking to his unconscious body. 

“It’s selfish to ask you to stay. I know that.” She said quietly. “I’m sure if you’re with your parents, or even talking to them, you may want to stay.” She said, fighting back tears, the hitch in her voice obvious. “I decided a long time ago that I didn’t want to live life without you. Hell, I don’t know if I could.” Bradley felt like his heart was being crumpled up. “I couldn’t be mad at you if you did want to go, be with your parents. As much as it would pain me to lose you, I would completely understand. I know you miss them.” She said and Goose squeezed his son's shoulder. “Fuck.” She muttered, her head falling to the bed, his hand grasped in both of hers as her body shook with sobs. That was where Bradley broke, his own sobs hitting him as he laid his head down on his knees. His parents held him as he cried and after a few minutes his sobs turned into sniffles. “Bradley. You need to understand that if you stay. You will be dead, and you can never go back.” Carole said. The room was deathly silent for a few minutes. Neither Goose nor Carole knew what to say. Nothing would make him feel better, nor make his decision easier and they hated to see their only child in such turmoil. “Can I think about it?” He asked reservedly. “Yes,” Carole answered. “But you can’t take too long. If you don’t make a decision, you will be stuck here.” She said. 

~~~ 

I stared at myself in the mirror. Hair pinned up, out of my face and only waterproof mascara. I told mama I didn’t want any makeup, but she told me it may make me feel more human. But I couldn’t feel human like this. Not alone. I wasn’t sleeping, every time I tried I could only see that bullet destroying his body. There was a soft knock on the door and I looked up just as my mother slowly poked her head in. Her hair was up as well, and her face was blotchy. She had been crying too. She tried not to in front of me no matter how many times I told her it was okay, but I knew when I wasn’t looking she was crying. We all were, even JJ knew something was up. As soon as I saw Jameson and Laura, he reached for me and the poor baby was so confused without Rooster there. He would see one of our pictures with him and reach for it. “Ready?” Mom asked and I immediately shook my head. “No. I’ll never be ready.” I whispered. She came over, leaning down and hugging me from behind. “I wish I could tell you it will be okay. But I think you know as well as I do, life as you know it has once again changed.” She said, running her fingers through my hair and kissing my cheek as sobs hit. “Oh baby.” She said and pulled me into her, rocking back and forth to calm me. “Why did this have to happen to me?” I asked as I cried. She shook her head, her lips pressing to my hair. “I don’t know. I wish I could make it stop.” She said, her own tears falling into my hair. 

Jameson helped me out of dad’s truck, closing the door behind me. Mav was already here and he walked over, pulling me into a hug. We didn’t say anything, we didn’t have to, we already said everything we wanted to say to each other. He let go and we walked inside just as the squad pulled up. “Miss Motley.” The funeral director greeted us as we walked through the doors. Mav looped his arm through mine as we slowly walked down the hallway, stopping in front of the open double doors that led into the large parlor. “What is it?” Mav asked, turning to me. “I…I don’t know if I can go up there.” I said and he gave me a teary smile before waving behind me. My parents joined us and my dad took up my other side. “Come on. We’ll go up there together.” He said and that alone made the tears fall. I took a second to steel my nerves before I nodded. Mom walked next to Mav while my dad took my other arm. Every step it felt like the floor was giving away and I would eventually fall through. The lid to the casket was open and from where I was I couldn’t see inside yet, and I don’t think I wanted to. But eventually I made it and as soon as I saw Bradley my knees gave way and I hit the floor with a scream. I never thought I would be in this position, my forehead pressed to the carpeted floor in front of my fiance’s casket which held his long dead body. I heard my name but I couldn’t respond. After a few more times of hearing my name I could finally focus. “I know.” I realized Mav was in the floor with me, holding me as we both cried. “I’m so sorry, Caila. Neither of you deserved this.” He said. We stayed like that for a minute before my parents managed to help us both up. Mama held me as my dad tossed his arm around Mav's shoulders. "It's not fucking fair." I muttered, venom lacing my voice. Aaron will get what's coming to him, and I'll kill him with my own bare hands and I will make him suffer.

Usually thoughts like that scared me, but there was so much anger flowing through me, the thoughts felt justified. "You want a minute alone?" Mav asked and I turned to him, brows furrowed. "You don't have to leave Mav. He's your godson." He smiled at me, his hand falling to my shoulder. "Yeah, but he was your soul mate. I think you outrank me." He said with a playful tone. A single giggle escaped me as well as a few tears. "Yeah. Then I want just the team and family before we let the crowds in." He nodded. My parents kissed my head before walking out, closing the parlor doors behind them. I took a look around the room. Vases on vases of flowers, a few sets of windchill, sympathy cards, framed photos of him, including many from our engagement. People were also making various donations in his name. I stared across the room for a few minutes before finally working up the courage to turn towards the casket. I took a step closer and finally managed to look down at him. He was so pale and cold, it wasn't him. My Bradley was always warm and bright. I reached down, straightening one of his bars that was crooked and allowed my hand to rest over the left side of his chest, wishing more than anything I would feel his heart beating beneath his skin. 

"I'm so sorry, Bradley." I muttered. "I know you would tell me it's not my fault, but it is." I said, attempting to hold back tears. “I should’ve pushed harder. Pushed to call off the wedding. But I didn’t… and now I’m left standing here without you.” I inhaled a shaky breath. “I don’t know if I can do this, Roo.” I finally allowed the tears to fall, a few falling onto his hand. A knock sounded on the door and I turned in time to see Jake peek his head in. I just simply nodded, and the door opened. I looked down at Bradley as everyone quietly filed in. Jake pulled me into a side hug and everyone else hugged me or greeted me. “Tilly’s here.” Mav whispered in my ear and I glanced across the room to see the woman standing off by herself, tears streaking her face as she squeezed her hands together. “I got it.” I said and slowly made my way across the room to Tilly. She didn’t meet my gaze until I stopped in front of her. She looked up at me and immediately looked away. I held out my hand to her, which seemed to confuse her. “Come on.” I whispered. It took her a second but she finally grabbed my hand and slowly stood. I looped her arm through mine and led her over to the casket, but she stopped about five feet away. “I don’t know if I can see him like this.” I pursed my lips, nodding in understanding. “It’s hard. But he does look quite peaceful.” I said and after a moment she stepped forward again. Once she was close enough, she gripped the side of the casket and after a moment the cries started. I looked back to Mav. I knew him and Tilly didn’t get along, but that was pushed aside for today.

I spent the day greeting people, shaking hands, and answering the question, ‘Who are you in relation?’. By the time visitation ended, I was so tired of the pity and the ‘how are you’s?’. I wanted to go home and curl up in our-my bed. It didn’t feel the same and I have slept on the couch since he died in the hospital, but I missed the smell and feel of our bed. Sleeping in his shirts only does so much. So, my parents hauled me out of the funeral home as I cried. “I don’t want to leave him.” I said, stopping in the doorway just as my parents grabbed my arms. “Come on. He needs his rest and so do you.” She said and managed to get me to walk out. I cried my heart out that night, laying in the bed, face buried in his pillow as Dahlia laid with her head on my back. The next day was much harder, harder than I ever could’ve imagined. Everyone gathered at the funeral home and we each put something in the casket. I put his fathers wedding ring and one of his fathers Hawaiian shirts. Mav placed his bomber jacket inside as well as a few pictures and him and Bradley when he was younger. 

My parents placed some of our family photos with him and the team added several various things, but there were a lot of photos. I was numb until the drive to the cemetery. The bronco roared to life beneath me and I took a deep breath, looking at his tags that hung on the rear view mirror and a small bit of peace filled me. The wind whipped around me as I drove down the road. It was warm and the sun shone brightly in the sky. I was hurting inside, but I felt light and I could’ve swore I felt a soft touch on the hand that rested on the gear shift. It was almost like Bradley was sitting in the passenger seat and for once, since he was shot, I felt like I could offer a small smile. But as I arrived at the cemetery and stepped out of the Bronco, the sadness enveloped me again. My dad, Jameson, Jake, Bob, Coyote and Payback carried the casket to the burial site. It sat on a hill, under a western redbud with a view of the ocean. He would’ve loved it, I know he would. I couldn’t listen as the funeral director spoke and jumped as the guns went off and my eyes finally focused as Admiral Simpson handed me a folded up flag. I held the flag as Mav and I walked up to the casket, he laid my wings down and with a deep breath I slammed my fist on it.

I jumped up with a gasp, sitting up in the chair that sat next to Bradley’s bed. Relief flooded me as I heard the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor but screeched as a hand landed on my shoulder. I jumped in my seat and turned, seeing Cyclone standing there. “Admiral Simpson, sir.” I said as I stood. “Don’t.” He said, motioning me to sit back down. He just stared down at Rooster, a dismal look on his face. I sat back in the chair, my hand once again finding Bradley’s on the bed. “What are the doctors saying?” He asked. “That it was a miracle he even made it out of the Hard Deck.” I said and he nodded. “His left lung collapsed and the bullet nicked his descending aorta. He has the endo tube and a chest tube. They have him basically in a medically induced coma but they’ll bring him off of that today. They said it could be a few days until he comes around, but the doctor is fairly confident he’ll be okay.” He nodded. “Who sent the flowers?” He asked. “Oh, my mom. I called and told her and my dad everything. They asked if they needed to come out but i told then no. Mom always sends flowers in these kinds of situations.” He nodded his eyes drifting back to Bradley, taking in everything, including the bear tucked under his arm. “Will he be able to fly?” He asked. The question irritated me because there was still a small chance he wouldn't make it. "I haven't asked yet." I said, irritation in my tone. "Well let's hope he can. I know it'll kill him if he can't fly again." I hummed. "Even if he can't fly for the navy, I know he'll find some way to get in the air." I said, brushing some curls from his forehead. 

Admiral Simpson turned to me, a sad look on his face. "Do you know why this happened?" He asked and I shrugged. "We had mom put out a press release on Rooster’s birthday stating that we would not call off the wedding. The next day he was shot." He hummed. "I think it’s Aaron. He's still angry about the divorce and prison. He has this deep hatred for Rooster and I wouldn't consider it was him if he hadn't had Daniel break into the house three months ago." I said. We sat in silence for a few moments before I heard a sniffle. I looked up to Cyclone whose hand shot to his side to hide the fact he was wiping tears. "Well I will leave you be. I'll check in again tomorrow." I nodded and we said our goodbyes before he turned and left the room. I sighed, looking back down at Bradley. I hated this. Not just the fact he was fighting for his life, but the fact that I haven’t seen the deep brown of his eyes, I haven’t heard his voice, or felt him wrap his arms around me. I felt utterly lost right now. I knew I loved Bradley, unconditionally. But I don’t know what I would do with myself if I lost him. The dream I just had proved that to me. I sighed, leaning back in the chair but not so far I couldn’t keep a hold of his hand. I had to deal with this first thing tomorrow morning. I had to call Jerry and make sure Aaron paid. I couldn’t let Bradley worry about this, not while he was trying to heal. 

Later that evening Mav, Hangman and Phoenix visited and they got to stay as they pulled Rooster off the medications and lowered the dosage of his pain medication so he can wake up without being in too much pain. “So you think it’ll be about twenty-four hours before he wakes up?” Phoenix asked and Macy, who was back again the following evening, nodded. “Could be less, could be more. But twenty-four hours is the guestimate, sadly this is not an exact science.” She said and we nodded. “Would you like some dinner?” Macy asked me and I shook my head. “Oh no, I’m fine.” She stared at me for a moment before nodding and walking out. Everyone hung around for about an hour before visiting hours were up and they were made to leave. “I’ll call if there’s an update.” I said as Mav squeezed my hand before leaving. They weren’t gone for half an hour before Macy came back in, urgency in her step. I sat up quickly as she stopped at the foot of the bed. “What’s wrong?” She took a deep breath before wringing her hands together. “I’m sorry, Miss Motley-” “You can just call me Caila, Macy.” She nodded, a slight redness covering her tan cheeks. “But I haven’t seen you eat since he was placed in here.” I pursed my lips, a little upset I let her notice. “I would assume you were eating during the day, but I’ve noticed some weakness when you stand, which tells me you may not be.” I sighed, knowing there was no use in lying. “It’s just so hard to eat with him laying here in this bed.” I said and she nodded, her eyes drifting over to Bradley. 

“I have seen a lot of people sit at these bedsides and not take care of themselves. I’ve helped a lot of people who have fainted, gotten sick, even had heart attacks. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t be there for him when he wakes up.” She said, and I bit my lip, knowing she was right but I honestly wasn’t sure if I could stomach anything. I started feeling weak a while back and I had Penny drop my migraine meds off earlier because I was worried I would get one. If I had a migraine and Rooster woke up, he would worry about me and he needs to focus on himself. “I could try to eat a sandwich. I just don’t know how much I can eat.” She smiled and nodded. “Better to try. Ham okay?” She asked and I nodded. “Ham is good.” She smiled and left. I pulled the eagles blanket up to my chin, gripping it as I looked up at the tv. A few minutes later she came back and handed me a simple ham sandwich with mayonnaise. “Thank you, Macy.” I said and she smiled at me. “You’re welcome.” With that she went back to her seat just to the left, looking up at the screen in front of her that showed Bradley’s heart rate. I looked down at the sandwich, sighing deeply. It looked good, but I wasn’t hungry. So I took a bite anyway. 

I stayed awake all night, worried he would wake up and I wouldn’t be awake to see him, but the exhaustion weighed me down and eventually I fell asleep with my head on the mattress, his hand in mine. It was a dreamless and fitful sleep, but what woke me was something messing with my hair. Fingers were tangled in it, jerky movements tugging on it. I groaned as one pulled a particularly tight knot. I flexed my fingers on the blankets before lifting my head. The fingers tightened in my hair and I hissed before prying them out. I looked at the hand, the thumb rubbing my hand. I looked up to see Bradley’s eyes wide open and staring down at me. Tears were in his eyes and it took my brain a second to catch up and realized he was probably in pain from the endo tube. “Oh god!” I yelled, jumping up and slamming my hand on the call button before sitting on the bed, taking his hand back in mine. “Oh, honey. It’s okay, just hang in there for a minute.” Just as I said the words, Macy came in. Bless her heart she just started her shift. “Oh my.” She said, coming over. “Good to see you awake. Let me get the doctor.” Within the minute he rushed in, sanitizing his hands as he smiled at Bradley. “I know you can’t talk yet but it’s good to see you’re awake Mr. Bradshaw.” 

“Do I have to move?” I asked as another nurse came in and he shook his head. “Not at all. We’re just gonna get this tube out and conduct a few tests before giving him some water.” He said and I nodded, bringing his hand to my lips and kissing his knuckles. They deflated the little cuff in his throat and gently held the tube as they removed the brace type material that held it to his face. “Okay, if you can, take in a deep breath and either exhale or cough while I pull this out.” Bradley gave a small thumbs up and inhaled before giving a long slow exhale as they pulled the tube out. “There we go.” He said, handing the tube to Macy to be disposed of. “How are you feeling?” He asked and Bradley turned to me. “I… love… you.” His voice was quiet and raspy. Tears fell from my eyes and I just smiled at him. “Well, I think that describes how you feel.” He said. Soon they conducted the tests and he could finally have water. I helped him drink before he finished it and his head fell back to the pillow. “You’ve been here the whole time.” He squeezed my hand and I nodded. “I would never be anywhere else.” I said, my hands caressing his face. “Kiss me?” He asked quietly and I gave him a teary smile. I leaned in, gently kissing his lips. “I missed you.” He said and before I could say anything he hissed in pain. “Oh god, where does it hurt?” I asked. “My left side, right he- AH!” He yelled out. “Stop! You have a chest tube in!” I said, reaching and grabbing his hand. “A chest tube?” He asked, eyes widening. “Yes. Your lung collapsed so they put in a chest tube to release the air from your lung cavity and the endotracheal tube to help you breathe.” I said. “What else?” He asked, eyeing me. “The bullet nicked your descending aorta. They said it was a miracle you made it out of the Hard Deck alive.” I told him and he gave me a small smile. 

“You’re my miracle.” He said, pulling me to him and softly kissing my cheek. “You also have a catheter.” He shivered and closed his eyes. “My dick hurts just thinking about it.” I giggled, my head gently falling to his shoulder. “I was so scared.” I said and his hand rubbed my head once. “I wasn’t going anywhere.” We stayed like that for a moment before the doctor came back in and did a few tests on him. Including a lung capacity test to know where he was. Once he was done he walked out and I sat with him again. “We have a long road ahead of us.” He said, looking up to me as I smiled at him. “We do. I’m not going anywhere, Roo.” I said. “I see you brought Mr. Snuffles.” I nodded. “I felt like it may bring some comfort. Mav also slipped your dad’s naval academy ring on you.” I said, lifting his hand on the other side of his body. He stared at it for a minute before motioning me closer. I laid next to him, running my hands through his hair as I occasionally kissed his head. “My parents told me they adore you.” I raised my brows, looking down at him. “What?” I asked and he nodded, wrapping his right arm around my waist. “I saw them, Caila. I saw them, hugged them, spoke to them.” Tears welled in my eyes as I kissed his head again. “Tell me about it?”

~~~

“So…” Carole asked as she sat next to Bradley on the back porch. “Any ideas on what you wanna do?” She asked. “I want to leave. But I also want to stay.” Bradley answered. “This isn’t an easy decision.” She answered. “I just don’t want to leave you and dad.” He said, voice breaking. “Well, we’ll always be with you.” She said, scooting closer to her son and holding him. “You can go back and your dad and I will always be with you.” Bradley nodded. “But if you stay here you will be without her.” The truth hit Bradley like that bullet did, piercing his heart. “I really would, wouldn't I?” He asked and she nodded. “I know you want to stay. I want to keep you here but that girl needs you.” She said, holding her son. “I need her too, mom.” She gave him a wide smile, looking at him. “I know you do. So… what are you gonna do?” She asked. “I’m going home to my fiance.” He said and stood, going inside. “I knew you’d make the right choice.” Goose said from where his head was stuck in the fridge. “Nick! We just ate!” Carole scolded. “But honey! I’m hungry!” He said and she laughed. “You’re always hungry.” Bradley smiled and his mom wrapped her arms around his dad. “You leaving?” Goose asked and Bradley nodded. Carole released her husband from her iron grip and he stepped over to Bradley, pulling him into a hug. “I am so proud of you, son.” He said and Carole nodded. “We both are.” She said, walking over. “I know it seems like a weird question. But WIll you two be at the wedding?” Rooster asked and they laughed. “We wouldn’t be anywhere else. We adore her.” 

It made Bradley’s heart soar with pride at his dad’s words. They all held each other for a few moments before Bradley stood and opened the front door. “We love you, Bradley.” Goose said. “And we’re so proud of you.” Carole added and Bradley started out the door before she stopped him. “Bradley?” He turned to her, halfway out the door. “Give Caila our love? Since we won’t get to meet her for a while?” Bradley smiled and nodded. “Now go! She needs you and uh… tell Mav to stop feeling guilty will ya? I’m tired of watching him mope around about me.” Goose said and Bradley turned for the door again, but was stopped one more time when he was hit in the back of the head. “That was for snapping at him after your friends accident. You shouldn’t have thrown that in his face.” Goose said, reprimanding him. Bradley didn’t know how to react, especially when Goose surged forward and kissed his head. “Love ya, son.” He said. “Okay, let him go. He knows we love him and all that.” Goose nodded, letting him go. “We do love you, sweetie. Now go before I lose my grip on your dad.” Carole said and she tightly clutched Goose’s arm. This time Rooster was able to walk out the door and into the light, and when he opened his eyes, he was staring up at the ceiling of his hospital room.

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

Taglist: @mak-32 @rosiahills22 @fanboyswhore9 @kmc1989 @sunderland-6 @mygyn

[thebahwrites]

hangster and italicised oh. for the drabble thing please ? <3

Hangster + 'Oh' To read listening: glycerine - bush

Could have been easier on you

I couldn't change though I wanted to

Should have been easier by three

Our old friend fear and you and me

Bradley had never liked hospitals. He'd grown up around them — Mav, Dad just once, Mom, Ice and even friends throughout the years because that's what happens when you're military. No. 'Never liked' was probably a huge understatement, he loathed hospitals. The sterile smells and antiseptic white lights, the somewhat noisy quietness, rushed and scared words thrown around at all times but never above gentle tones. Hopefulness shrouded in pain and fear because if you need to be a hospital in the first place then things weren't good.

Not that he'd been conscious all that much to even be mad about it. Once the mission adrenaline had worn off, once his body had cooled down, there was nothing much left to hold on to. A sudden string of congratulations and medical checkups and all Rooster wanted and needed was a bed to crash; and a bed to crash he was given.

In medical, sure but at the time he was past the point of caring.

Now, however, waking up God knows how many hours later, it takes a good few moments for consciousness to fully trickle back in, like an old computer rebooting. Rooster's eyes first have to adjust to the dim infirmary lights, it's probably late... or way too early in the day, judging by the way the lights are put out and the quietness all around. He had barely even registered anything before crashing down but it made sense that the only people there would be him and Maverick.

(Whom he was sure, should be occupying another of the beds somewhere around there.)

"Go back to sleep." The sudden words, dropped casually by a groaned, sleep-thick voice startles Rooster enough that he almost jumps from said bed, eyes suddenly travelling from the ceiling to his right. He's sure he looks like a confused and mildly shocked cartoon character, mouth gaping comically, eyes bugged out as he takes in the figure of Hangman sitting by his bedside.

Arms folded over his chest, g-suit still on, though unzipped, eyes closed — Rooster knew that chair couldn't be comfortable, either — but the man looked almost like a statue. Every inch of expression on his face drawn tightly like a marble statue just under the right light, hair perfectly in place. Jake doesn't budge an inch, doesn't even crack one eye open as far as Bradley can see, but he's still there. Suddenly, Rooster felt breathless.

"Go back to sleep, Bradley." Hangman repeats himself, voice again low and gruff, like he had been somehow forced awake by Rooster stirring, somewhat grumpy and annoyed... and yet, there was just an edge of something to the words, a kind of softness that he hadn't directed at Bradley for the better part of the last five years. The kind of softness that hurt him in the best and worst of ways. He blinks again, still trying to make sense of Hangman's presence there.

But it doesn't make sense. Because Jake hates him, right? Even if he had saved his and Maverick's lives, they weren't friends, not anymore. They shouldn't be. Or maybe he's still too exhausted and wired at once to actually be able to process anything like that, still on edge of almost losing Maverick and then barely surviving.

"...why.... are you here?" In his own defense, Rooster isn't already a brilliant person on a good day, let alone when his brain was checked at the door hours past. The question feels simple because sure, there were a thousand ways he could ask but right now the dumbest one was the only one he could come up with. For a second, though, he thinks he shouldn't have said a thing, shuddering at the silence that follows. Hangman remains immovable and Rooster takes in all of the man, the black tank top, the dog tags, one fading bruise right at the edge of his shirt's collar. The way his flight suit hangs loosely, the patches sewn to it, the perfect curve of his hair like some old timey Hollywood actor. Another tense second passes and Bradley decides that maybe he should've shut up and then his eyes are met with green ones.

Jake finally opens his eyes and the gaze directed at him practically burns into the back of his skull, pierces clean through like a close-range arrow shot. He's frozen in place by that gaze, breath punched out of his chest by emerald. Heavy lidded eyes, slant, lips pressed into a thin line before the man shifts just ever so slightly. The softest smile takes over those thin lips that make Rooster's heart skip a singular beat. Then Jake unfolds his arms and stretches his right hand out, letting it rest besides Bradley's body over the bed, before those eyes are closing again, fluttering softly shut.

Oh.

Oh.

I'm never alone, I'm alone all the time

Are you at one, or do you lie

If I treated you bad, you'd bruise my face

Couldn't love you more, you've got a beautiful taste

(I'm still taking writing prompts for my warmups!)

[sockeye-run]

Up early on a Saturday (it's my Friday) again. Usually I get to work early to open the cafe for breakfast service so that our bee pick up customers have a coffee and hot food option on site; a lot of them drive for hours to pick up their nucs and packages, even from out of state. Just coming from north Texas is basically out of state by sheer distance alone lol.

But today is BuzzFest, our annual summer festival about all things bees. We have the American Honey Princess visiting from Iowa, multiple other apiaries and honey producers vending and doing demonstrations, honey tastings and trivia, educational demonstrations, food trucks and arts and crafts and games (including a bouncy castle and a water slide!)... It's expected to be a big event, hopefully nearing 1,000+ customers between 11-3 today.

I'm assigned to retail, so I'm lucky enough to get to stay in the shade and AC. I've been told that when in retail, you just stand behind the register all day, no time or space to do anything else. You have to force bathroom and food breaks for each other. I'm not too worried, I've worked many a high volume, high chaos event before. This is just my first experience with it at the farm. We've spent all week as a team prepping for it, and it should be great. I wanted to make kolaches for my coworkers for a morning treat, but I stayed at work so late yesterday and was exhausted when I got home last night and decided not to stay up late baking lol. I'll grab some from the bakery down the street and try to make everyone a latte or something at work instead.

Because of the absolute disaster that has been this years bee pick up season, everything has been pushed back at least two weeks. Usually BuzzFest, which is the same weekend every year, signals the end of the crazy bee season, but we still have orders going into June. I was kind of looking forward to the break, but it seems we're not quite there yet.

The kids have some family events planned for the beginning of June, so we're getting them a week or so later this year for summer break than usual. We want them to have fun with their free time, so we're cool with it... Plus honestly, I'm hoping it will show good faith for December when I have to ask to keep them longer for an event with my side of the family 😁 my grandma is slowly deteriorating from rheumatoid arthritis and parkinson's, and my mom wants all the generations to be able to spend another holiday with her while we can. I want the kids to be able to participate in my family too. And, it'll let me get through the late bee season with relative ease, I suppose. I'm not gonna lie, I take on a lot of the caretaking responsibility when the kids are around usually, but now my husband has to step up for once lol bc I'm busting my ass full time and won't have the mental or physical energy left over most days to do all I normally do for everyone. He's already suffering the experience of doing regular weekly chores alone and taking care of the dogs all day lolol.

We're also anxiously and concernedly waiting for word on the debt ceiling crisis. They've extended the decision date to June 5, but we won't know if my husband will stop receiving paychecks soon or not, and it's crushing everything with stress pressure. He makes more than me in his military retirement and we depend on his income for survival; I can't support us alone. If they cut military support and punish the average voter for no goddamn reason, per usual, we'll suffer significantly. He's even warned his ex wife that if things go south, we may not be able to afford having the kids visit for summer. We won't be able to feed them. We've already unsubscribed from any extra services like entertainment and delivery and such which we deemed not absolutely necessary, just in preparation. We've re-budgeted and cut out any possible extra spending and reduced allowances for gas and food. I'm hoping it's all a stupid pissing contest like it was about a decade ago, and things will somehow turn out okay. Hope beyond hope.

Time to go work for those pennies baby lol

[babykentthegent]

Lucky 7-Months

Somehow we are nearing the end of the year and what a year it's been! We started the year wanting to adopt a baby and ending the year with a 7-month old. It's been a rollercoaster of a ride, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Kent is learning and growing so fast that it's hard to keep up. His hair is getting long and he now has two little baby teeth in his bottom front gums and two vampire fangs trying to bust through the top. And his personality...he is nothing short of perfection. He's so loving, so silly, and has a way of bringing sunshine into peoples' lives. The love we have for this boy is boundless and continues to grow each day we spend with him. Feels like just yesterday we were flying home from Texas just before summer and now it's almost Christmas!

In the last month, Kent has tried so many different foods. He really enjoys eating solids and is getting better at using utensils. That's not to say that he is clean about it - we find food all over the place, including the ceiling. He just learned that the dogs will lick his hands clean and has turned it into a little game. The friendship he is developing with the dogs is so special and warms our hearts. Between our two giant hounds, his grandparent's small pooch, and his nanny's birds, we think Kent is developing a strong love of animals.

With this year being Kent's first Christmas, we've been considering what traditions we want to either create or carry on with him from our families. The holidays certainly feel more exciting now that we have a kiddo. With Christmas having been my mom's favorite holiday, and her having passed away in December, the last five Christmases have felt like a candle that had been blown out. Kent has brought light and joy back into our lives and this year Christmas feels special again. I can't tell you how many lives Kent has touched with his mere existence, but I can tell you that he has completely transformed ours. As the year comes to an end, we can't help but feel immense gratitude and are so happy for the honor of showing Kent the world.

Some of the traditions we hope to introduce him to:

Reading the Night Before Christmas on Christmas eve

Opening one present on Christmas eve

Leaving out cookies and milk for Santa + carrots for the reindeer

Watching Christmas Story on Christmas eve and Lord of the Rings trilogy (extended edition) on Christmas day and dad's birthday

No Elf on the Shelf for this family - My ADHD brain won't possibly remember to do this every night not to mention Rob thinks it's creepy, haha! To each her own! ;)

Kent got to meet Santa for the first time not once, but TWICE. He did so great and didn't even cry! That was until Santa turned him around to show the camera his booty message. We were no longer in eye sight and he no longer had his parents to reassure him that he was okay. It made for a fantastic photo, though! The second Santa he met was while visiting Rob's family. It was such a nice surprise and Kent loved tugging on Santa's beard. He also got to meet some distant cousins that were closer to his age. His cousin Penelope even taught him how to hug properly. It took a couple eye pokes, but he eventually figured it out.

Kent has been surrounded by family and loved ones this month. He really seems to be social and loves interacting with everyone. So many people have told us how good he is, how he never fusses, and is such a laid back baby. This kid is all smiles and is so good at communicating what he needs. Kent spent time with multiple grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins. He loves everyone and everyone loves him. <3

Christmas is just about here and we could not be more excited! We know he'll likely only be interested in the wrapping paper and less on the gifts themselves, but I am just grateful that we get to experience his first Christmas together and to begin our family traditions.

Happy new year to everyone reading! We hope that 2024 is full of new adventures and more happy memories ahead!

[artzychic27]

Camp camp quotes pls

Ismael: *As Adrien picks him up* You are the bane of my existence.

—

Adrien: Hang on a sec, what are you even doing out here?

Ismael: Well, it's definitely not because the bus only comes in from the city to drop off and pick up campers And so far seems to be my only reasonable method of escaping this fucking nightmare of a camp. Definitely not that.

Adrien: Heeeeyy... language.

—

Adrien: Gooood morning, Marinette!

Marinette: Motherfucker!

Denise: *Tied to the ceiling fan blades and spinning around* Crank it to high, I can take the G's!

Marinette: Kim, you don't crank shit! Get down from there, Denise!

—

Adrien: Here at Camp Damocles, we pride ourselves on the variety of our curriculum.

Marinette: There's Extreme Sports Camp. *Lacey becomes tangled in the faulting climbing gear* Fashion Camp. *Reshma sucks on her finger when the outdated sewing machine pricks her* Space Camp. *Denise and Max are glaring at the outdated solar system model featuring Pluto* Theatre Camp. *Myléne and Jean have tomatoes thrown at them* Art Camp.

Nathaniel: *Painting a German Shepherd* It's a dog!

Marinette: Music camp. *Juleka gets electrocuted by the faulty wiring* And lots more. Lots of stuff.

Max: How much more stuff?

Adrien: Well I'm glad you asked because I have a little song that I can sing- *Is about to pull out a guitar*

Marinette: No!

Adrien: When Marinette’s not around.

—

Alix: This is bullshit!

Ismael: Woah, check out the balls on new kid.

Cosette: *Looks down* Where?

—

Marinette: Oh God it's coming back, the crippling anxiety and regret!

Adrien: Uh, Marinette!?

—

Adrien: Well, I think we all learned a valuable lesson today.

Nathaniel: Don't ever work together!

—

Ismael: He can't be real! Oh God, I'm gonna crack and live the rest of my life as a Wood Scout!

Kim: Actually, we've been talking about this. Cuz yeah, we exist. And we decided that I am the best camper.

Luka: Hold up. I thought we agreed that I was the best camper. I'm the COOLEST.

Marc: But I'm the most creative!

Reshma: No, I'M the most creative!

Rose: Yet I'm the most adorable!

Jean: And I'M the only one who seems to be taking this theater performance SERIOUSLY!

—

Austin A: It's why we ran him out in the first place.

Jean: You RAN him out?

Austin A: Of course! It was for his own good! He's just so... Feminine and stuff. He likes baking, shopping, and exercising in order to sculpt the perfect body image.

Austin Q: It's like if a girl came in here and tried to do what we do.

Jean: Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on! The hell's that supposed to mean?

—

Ismael: *After just flinging the camp mascot to the next island with a huge rock instead of hitting Adrien* Aw, man…That was supposed to kill you.

—

Marc: Lady-sickness. My moms used to get that all the time.

Simon: How do you cure it?

Marc: Edge closer to death… YAY! MASCOT HUNT!

—

Kim: Does this mean we’ll be the Camp Damocles Platties?!

Adrien: No, I don’t think so.

Simon: …What about the pussies?

Adrien: Definitely not!

Sabrina: Yeah, I like that!

Juleka: Pussies for life.

Campers: *Chanting “Pussies” while Adrien just gives up in trying to stop them*

Nathaniel: I’ll make the flag!

—

Zoé: That was super gay.

Jean: We JUST learned a lesson about stereotyping!

—

Ismael: This sucks…This is the kind of peasant work my parents left their home country to avoid

—

Ismael: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold the hell up! Did you nerds forget who revolutionized this place?! I should be leading you! Not "x-treme sports barbie” over here! *Points to Lacey*

—

Adrien: You guys are here to rescue me?!

Alix: No! Shut up Adrien!

Adrien: Aw…

—

Nino: Wh-what do you think about that moaning and wailing?

Aurore: Pssh, it’s just teenagers from that church camp working on those repressions again. Not that I know anything about it, just being a kid and all.

—

Nathaniel: Thank you, Mr. Adrien. Under my rule, *Raises his paintbrush in the air* I WILL MAKE CAMP DAMOCLES GREAT AGAIN! *Thunder and lightning*

Adrien: *Thinking* …This is probably fine

—

Cosette: WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MAX, KIM? SHOVE HIM IN A LOCKER? MAKE HIM PROM QUEEN, ONLY TO COVER HIM IN BLOOD?!

—

Adrien: You see, I feel that letting the campers take over gives them a sense of pride and purpose, that you just don't get with those other 'traditional' camps. I've... *Nathaniel taps him on the shoulder* Oh, uh, yes Nathaniel? How can I help YOU?

Nathaniel: Where are your papers?

Adrien: … Uh, I'm not quite sure what you mean.

Nathaniel: Your papers, where are they?

Adrien: *Sweating*

Nathaniel: It's a very simple question, Adrien. You are only hurting yourself by lying.

Adrien: … *Noticies the construction paper in Nathaniel’s hand* Oh… Oh, you want more construction paper!

Nathaniel: Yeah, what did you think I meant? I'm not some sort of secret police or something.

—

Nathaniel: Someone is hiding from art’s divine presence?! Unacceptable! We shall make an example of him! Let the hunt begin! *Thunder and lightning*

Adrien: … This is still fine.

—

Isnael: Yo, did someone say black magic?”

Myléne: *Facepalming*

Jean: Amateurs!

—

Jean: I don’t know who this BITCH is, but she is KILLING IT! AH!

—

Jean: The theater! The cruelest mistress of all! My career! Like the mistakes of so many teenage girls, has been aborted.

—

Ismael: The United States moon landings were a hoax filmed in Area 51 orchestrated by the government as a publicity stunt designed to humiliate the Russians in the space race!”

Denise: Noooooo! No! I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you!

—

Adrien: Today’s the day I get hard!

Marinette: Okay, maybe we don’t phrase it like that…

Adrien: Oh no! Rule 1: no backing down! Look out, world! I’m hard and I’m coming! Whether he likes it or not, Ivan is gonna let me in! *Badass kicks the door open* Ow.

Ismael: …So does he want to help Ivan or fuck him?

—

Nino: Well, I guess it turns out at the end of the day…sometimes you just gotta hit kids.

—

Max: YOU SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH, JEAN!

—

Nino: Yo, Adrien! I think I speak for all of us when I say that I don’t wanna become some fascist military peon!

Nathaniel: *Raising his hand* He does not speak for all of us.

—

Rose: Marinette, why is Adrien dressed like a turkey?

Marinette. Because he’s fucking Adrien, Rose, you’ve been here long enough to figure that out.

—

Kim: Tell us now, turkey man!

—

Max: Adrien. Witness me. Witness my love for nature! *Tries kissing the platypus but it bites him on the lips instead* Ow! You whore! Let me love you, goddamn it!

—

Alya: Wake up, buttercup! *Fires an arrow*

Marinette: Alya! No more arrows!

Alya: You can’t control me, white devil!

—

Adrien: Yes, Ismael?

Ismael: *Points at Félix* Who the fuck is that?

Adrien: Why, what an excellent question!

—

Adrien: Again with these cult jokes, Ismael? Please.

Simon: He gave everyone a "de-toxification” diet then started spouting off Latin from a book with a pentagram!

Adrien: He’s bilingual and cares about nutrition?!

Reshma: *Sweetly* Hey, Adrien?

Adrien: Yes, Reshma?

Reshma: WAKE UP AND SMELL THE KOOL-AID!

—

Nathaniel: … I would just like to point out the fucked-up implications of specifically YOU *points at Lila* putting specifically ME *points at himself* into a gas chamber!

—

Alya: Chloé, leave me alone, or so help me, I will post photoshops everywhere of you kissing girls!

Chloé: Woah! Hey, somebody’s a little tense. You might want to look into some agression therapy. Besides, maybe I already tried to explore my sexuality…you don’t know… Kagami, why did you leave me?

—

Alix: It’s a chat bot.

Nino: What do you mean?

Alix: I mean, it’s a programmed, repetitive, humorless, inhuman, simulation of a person.”

Nino: … Yeah, Max.

—

Markov: Calculations complete. My analysis is…absolutely fucking not! You humans all suck!

—

Ismael: So what you're telling us is you basically failed at everything. And then you wasted our time with this boring, dumbass story.

—

Lacey: You never used to try to be cool for other people before. You were so confident that you didn't even think about other people! You're just you! And that was cool.

Kim: … So you don’t think this’ll make me cooler?

[moonygryffin]

So two Carolina wrens just got into the house and my mom caught one instantly cuz it hit her in the face but then the second one kept flying around the kitchen/dining room and just refused to hold still and my bad knee gave out probably six times trying to catch in and finally it got behind the toaster and my mom threw a towel on it and luckily it was in there and didn’t fly up into a large space between the cabinets there that we have just discovered exists. Then these two birds getting in the house reminded my dad that there’s a hummingbird trapped in the garage so me and him go out with our long ass pool net to see if it’s still in there or if it flew out. I have to bring my phone as a flashlight because it is very dark out and I have a fear of the dark. Sure enough, she’s still flying around around in there and I try to catch her first but the garage is huge and cluttered and the hummingbird is very fast and small. Finally my dad catches her in the net and I hurriedly take her out to bring her to the nearest feeder because she’s been in there a while and has expended a lot of energy freaking out. Fun fact hummingbird beaks don’t hurt when they bite. Anyways I can’t take my phone/flashlight with me cuz I have to hold her with both hands and, again, it is very dark outside. My dad had to lock up the garage so walking out alone, I quickly realized that I couldn’t open the gate or get past my dog with the hummingbird which means the closest feeder is on the front porch on the other side of the house. There are no automatic lights around the house. It is so fucking dark out. I ran into several bushes and very nearly had a panic attack but I managed to get around to the front porch and opened my hands at the feeder. The hummingbird jumped around my hand a bit, took like one sip, and flew into the porch ceiling. I think she landed on the (off) ceiling fan. Anyways I go back inside, start heading back to my room and am greeted with a bug the size of my hand. None of us even recognize what kind of bug it was. What the hell just happened

[cheerfulmelancholies]

Mysterious New Member-Chapter 11

As was becoming the norm, Diana found her father in the garage yet again, toiling away in his work area. The Firebird she'd spied several months ago looked brand new, the once weathered frame restored to its former glory. The overhead lights gave it a luminous finish, the pearlescent white paint glistening. Of course, no Firebird was complete without a screaming fiery chicken on the hood.

As much as his near-obsession got on her nerves, she had to admit: he'd done a damn good job.

"Knock, knock," she said, rapping her knuckles against an old Volvo. His next project, most likely. She received a grunt in return. Not surprising, considering they hadn't spoken much lately. She let out a snort at the realization of where her 'determination' came from. "You spend too long like that, and you'll have a hump like a camel," she said to his hunched form, currently leaning over the engine.

"I take it you're only here to piss me off?" he asked without looking.

"No," she sighed, trying not to let her stubbornness kick in. "I came to check up on you. You... know you've been in here for like, three days, right? I only ever see you when you're going to the bathroom or grabbing something from the fridge." Nothing but the sound of him working. "Do you need any help?" she tried.

"Diana..."

"What? I'm just trying to help. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I'm worried?"

He stopped working and stretched, back and joints cracking. "About what?"

"You and Mom fight like cats and dogs now. I'm not saying she doesn't get her licks in, but..." She steeled herself. As much as she didn't want to do it, he needed to hear it. It was her last resort. "Honestly? You've been kind of an asshole lately, and that's putting it nicely." She jolted when he slammed the hood.

They both stood in tense silence. Diana debated turning around and leaving. She watched her father's shoulders rise in time with a deep breath before he let it out.

"How about a ride?" He stared at his reflection in the windshield. He looked like he'd spent more than three days in a dingy garage. He had deep circles under his eyes, pale skin and his dark hair looked as greasy as the rags he'd used to sop up excess oil.

It took her a few moments to realize that nothing else was coming. "Um... what?" She didn't know what to say. His posture wasn't giving anything away and his strange new behavior was still unfamiliar to her. She couldn't pinpoint what he might've been thinking.

"The two of us haven't gone for a good, long drive in a looong time, kiddo. You used to have so much fun when you were little. You'd stick your head out of the window like a dog when you could. We wouldn't tell Mom how fast we were really going, it was our little secret." A ghost of a smile formed in the glass.

Diana blinked, finally understanding where this was going. It was his way of trying to apologize. Still unusual, but at least there was some part of her dad in there. She felt a faint smile pull on her lips. "Can I drive?"

"No."

A beat passed before they both chuckled, Diana climbing in to ride shotgun as he cleared away the tools.

--------

Diana jolted and sat up in bed, throwing the covers off in the process. She wasn't sure what had startled her, just that she was thankful she couldn't remember. She sat in the dark with her legs pulled against herself, waiting for the shivers to stop. When her nerves settled and the shadows of the room stopped churning she chanced a peek at the time.

Quarter after three. The worst possible time to wake up in the middle of the night. Too early to start, too late to be able to fall back asleep. Her only choice was to lie awake in bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to keep her clouded thoughts from becoming too clear. She wondered if the Battle Force often got woken up in the middle of the night to fight off their enemies. She'd much rather be dealing with aliens right now.

With a deep breath, she lowered herself onto the mattress and folded her arms behind her head. She felt the veins in her neck pulsing from the momentary panic and spent several minutes focusing on her breathing. When the thudding faded she rolled onto her side and closed her eyes.

Opening them again she stretched a hand towards the nightstand and swiped the worn leather journal off the surface. Maybe now she'd finally be able to get some clarity on its contents. She might even get an answer or two. She sat up and turned the light on to read. As usual, the only things that stood out to her were the increasingly frantic scratches that were notes and a few vague mentions here and there.

It was still just as much a mystery as always, only now, somehow it was even murkier. She gave up and placed it back on the nightstand.

As angry as she still was with Tezz and the others, she knew she needed to go back. This was a once in several lifetimes opportunity and she would not let herself throw it away because of one misdeed on their part.

Chapter 12: TBP

Chapter 10: here

[imafrickinglion]

idk this post is a rats nest

We close on my old house tomorrow. The one mom bought on husband 2, not even husband 3 (and current real legit father, thanks for adopting me bucko).

I wasn't so young that I've forgotten everywhere we lived before then. I can clearly remember the home on mechanic street where we lost husband 1. He stole our cat and our money jar, our fish tank, and oddly the door frame that we measured me against and penciled in the ages. I don't remember that dad a lot. He forced mom for visitation and he took me to this other house a couple of times that I have flashbacks about because good things didn't happen there. Eventually she sued him and I never had to go there again.

But there are good times in that old place. Painting my bedroom pink, various renters we had in the 3rd bedroom, parties, our first Atari, our first Hurricane. Pumpkin carving one year. The old washing machine with the squeezey thingie and washboard we used for a while.

After that we moved into a duplex in another city for a while. I have clear memories of good times there, too. We still helped people out in our church community by letting them live in our basement sometimes. I had a huge fish tank in my bedroom window and we had to use pastry rollers to get it into the bathroom to wash it. We had parties there, a tree house. One year a couple of kids sold us some of our favorite handmade Christmas ornaments on our back porch.

So it's not like this third house is the only family house we ever lived in. But it's the first house I lived in with my sisters. It's the house they mostly grew up in. It's the house we *all* grew into adulthood in. And it's a house that all three of us have moved back into here and there to take refuge from bad situations.

Seeing it so empty was difficult. But I could not take care of it. It was a broken down husk of a house by the time I got to it. A contracting situation never resolved. I spent from 2017 to 2023 freezing to death in my own kitchen and living room. We had no idea how *awful* the air was until we left it (lots of open walls, open ceilings, old house dust, construction dust, dirt that just magically came from nowhere and never cleaned).

I never could take care of the overgrown gardens, or trim the lilac bush my mother picked out and had specially planted, or take care of the red Japanese Maple she did the same with.

I'm sad, and I feel like I'm hitting the end of things I can focus on to distract myself from finally facing the truth of all this. It feels like standing on the edge of a cliff, with less and less things to stop you from falling.

But also I hope the investors make it beautiful again. I hope they clean it up and put new floors and open up the living space and make the bathroom shine again. I hope they put that gorgeous farm style kitchen in that'd make that small kitchen shine and that some small family or couple just starting out cook together in it and create great memories, like we did, baking pies and cooking for thanksgiving and new year's parties. I hope someone makes the gardens pretty again.

I hope whoever buys it takes such, such good care of it.

And that's kind of the best thing I can hope for. It makes it bittersweet. I couldn't take care of this family home but another small family might. I hope they do. I hope they fill that house with joy instead of misery and shame. I hope they build fires in the fireplace and snuggle up cozy in the winter. I hope they get a couple of pets, too. Maybe put in a new fence and get some dogs. We used to have this huge gorgeous black lab named Beauty, and when she had puppies, we also kept one named Ralph. We've had mice in that house, hamsters that escaped and got lost (but always found again). More than one or even three black cats.

I just... I hope the house gets loved again. I hope it gets used again. And that the next people can keep up with it and it never feels neglected again. Through mostly no fault of my mother or my own, it got neglected so much. You could feel it giving up, just like I did. I want the spirit of the house to be proud again.

So yeah, just... thoughts.

[thinkaboutmeff7au]

flash time 110

1997.

I go into the kitchen for a drink. Seph turns down the music a little bit now that we’re not actively fucking. I still feel hazy and loose. It’s comfortable. It’s like I’m living in a warm sock.

I’m shirtless with just my dog-tags and boxer briefs on. I get distracted with the carton of apple juice in my hand and drag my fingertips down my chest. Fuck. I gotta set a timer so I can go at it again. Or maybe Seph will pass out and I’ll just jerk off...

I take a long drink. I can feel it go down my throat into my stomach. Right now, the feeling is delightful. I was so thirsty. Fuck. I go to put the juice down and nearly miss the counter. Back out...

Out in the living room, Seph is sprawled out on the couch with a towel over his crotch. His eyes are half open, slits that reveal the glow of his turquoise eyes.

It’s electric.

Ten minutes ago, he was fucking me like that in an old company shirt, cut off like a croptop. The crease in his brow from concentration, the glow in his eyes as he pushed

into

me

over

and over.

“Mmm.” I shudder.

I can just see his gaze flick over to me. “What?”

“Nothin’,” I reply with a smirk. “You’re hot.”

He makes a noise that would have probably been taken like a snort, but he barely moves. “I know,” he says.

I pace around. I’m starting to get hungry. On the couch, Seph and I share a brainwave and his hand falls on his stomach. “I’m hungry,” he voices.

I’m going to tease him. “You mean you didn’t eat before you came over?” I say. I strut over and cross my arms, shaking my head. “Rookie mistake.”

The room spins a bit, but I stay on my feet. When I open my eyes, he’s got that “fuck you” look on his face that I relish. He’s too lost in it to make any moves, but I can imagine him giving me the bird.

I bend over and grab the bowl from beside my storage chest and sacred beanbag throne. If I focus, I can get the bag of weed too. “Tell you what,” I say. “Smoke this with me, and we’ll get delivery.”

“Gen,” he groans. “Why...”

“I don’t have any fuckin’ food here, you know that.” I pack the bowl clumsily, but well. This isn’t my first time around. “So, what do you want?”

He stares up at the ceiling. “Anything...at this point.”

“Pizza?”

“Not pizza.”

“That’s not anything, then.”

“Pedantic son of a bitch.”

I grin. I light the bowl and take the first hit, smoke clouding my face. “How about Mexican? I know a good spot.”

“They...deliver?”

“No.” I pass him the bowl. He stares at me, then begrudgingly takes it. “But I can bribe a Turk who will.”

Seph cocks his head. “Huh?”

“Smoke.” I wave my hand at him and stumble back toward the kitchen. “I got this.”

My phone sits on the edge of the counter, and I pick up the whole thing and lean against the door frame. I cradle the receiver on my shoulder and dial. I’ve got a sticky note taped to it with numbers I need to remember. Angeal, Sephiroth, HQ, Gillian (scratched out, now defunct), Seph’s mom...and one last number, the one I’m dialing.

Ring, ring.

He picks up pretty readily. “Y’ello?” he answers.

“Yo, Reno,” I say. “Alone on a Friday night?”

“Dude, c’mon,” he whines. “I got stood up last week, I’m taking it easy.”

I was half expecting him to say he was dying his hair this week. I’ve seen him more than once in Wall Market trying to pick up women of the night. If he’s down there, there’s no way that he’s straight. Not sure if he knows it or not.

“Cool, then you can do me a favor,” I say.

“I ain’t doing shit for you.”

“I’ll pay you $200 to go over to The Taqueria and get me two take out bags full of whatever they’ve got.”

“Jesus Christ...” He’s thinking about it, though. His voice drops to a murmur. “...only if you throw me a joint.”

“Get your own fuckin’ dealer!” The thought of melted cheese over ground beef and spices is making me salivate though. “Fine, I’ll roll you something.”

“Done. I’m coming over now.”

“No, no, no, you get paid when you have the goods.”

“And make me pay for it? Fuck off.”

Shit, forgot about that. “Right. Fine, come over.”

He hangs up on me. I kick our strewn clothes over behind the couch, out of sight of the door. I toss Seph a shirt. “Put something on, our delivery boy’s coming over.”

He took another hit while I wasn’t looking, so he’s in very slow motion. I don’t know if he was even listening. I grab my jeans and yank them on, just as he starts knocking on my door.

“One sec,” I say. “Did you run over?”

“Dude, I’m just down the hall.”

My wallet’s still in there, and I dig it out and position myself in the doorway so I can hide Seph. He will not want to be reminded of this on Monday.

I open the door. It should be a week where he does his hair, his roots are showing. He grins. “Yo,” he says, then coughs. “Man, you really...know how to party, huh?”

I roll my eyes and shove some bills in his hand. “Get some of everything, that should be enough,” I say. “If you’re quick, you can keep the change.”

“Sure. Sector 3 right?”

“Yup.”

He attempts to peer around me. “Oh, hey--”

I block his view. I don’t want to imagine Seph’s fury if Reno saw his ass out in my apartment. “Don’t even think about it,” I say.

“Ooookay, later!”

I slam the door in his face as he leaves. As I spin and lean against it, Seph does have a shirt on, but as predicted, his dick is out. His eyes are sewed shut and head back toward the ceiling.

“Fuck...” he whispers.

Yeah, he’s not on this planet.

“Food’ll be here soon,” I say.

“Mmmm....”

I stare at his now flaccid dick. Wonder if he’s ready to get it up again...

(G.)

[havegaysex]

Since the plumber left I tested the shower head and it is no longer spraying water out of the side that it's not supposed to.

And I filled our bathtub and drained it so when I take my dog outside next I will knock on the downstairs neighbors door if they're not outside having a cig and ask if they've had any leaking into their ceiling.

In regards to not having a functioning stove apparently the pictures that I have emailed her multiple times she did not get so I sent them again and told her to respond to my email if she did not get my pictures so she can order us a new stove.

I hate renting and I hate our housing market.

All of this though at least is better than living with my parents, when I was living at my dad's instead of talking to me about the issues my stepmother had with me they just changed the locks on me with no warning and didn't even tell me (I found out when I got locked out for like the 100th time), And this was after years of not even having a key to any door when they would give all of the foreign exchange students they hosted keys to the front and backdoor. My mom's house is its own shit show health hazard.

I'm really glad my first experience living outside of my parents and not in my car it is with my partner because this would be so much more impossible feeling to deal with alone.

And I really appreciate the responses people have given me I'm grateful for y'all.