#Casey has NO CHILL

[rosecabenson]

I’m convinced the squad is at a constant state of anxiety when Casey gets a passionate streak and goes for a perps throat without regards for the potential damage her career could take- this woman is about justice at any means necessary- if that means screw the rules and do it Alex Cabot made up search warent style- then that’s that-

It’s probably gonna go something like this-

Elliot:..

Olivia:…

Munch:…

Fin:…

*Cragen walking in a noticing the silence.*

Cragen, anxiously;..Who’s Novak trying to indict now..?

Fin, stressed and sarcastic : Munches favorite people.

Elliot, rubbing his temples: She’s indicting the US army for r@pe and murder.

…

Cragen, choking on literal air: I’m sorry, she’s WHAT.

Munch: it’s about time someone took initiative- back in the day there wa—

Fin, stressing: DON’T START JOHN- NOW IS NOT THE TI—

[pretty-blue-flower]

Casey: Sensei, what's that machine doing?

Leo: It's getting rid of the moths, honey.

Casey: Where's it taking them?

Donnie: Hell.

Leo: Don't say that, Donnie.

Donnie: Oh, I'm sorry, not hell, Staten Island.

[aroacettorney]

tbh its kinda disappointing that aup focused so much on the power struggle between marias and casey to conclude their sibling arc when their conflict was much more subtle/psychological and had little to do with whether they could beat each other into submission.

marias didnt corner casey and scare her into agreeing to an engagement/arranged marriage just by force, as it would have ruined the reputation of both of them. instead, she seems to have given casey extremely generous terms when it comes to choosing her own love interest, but thats only because she lowkey already knew its not gonna happen, fully aware that casey had zero interests in love or romance.

the deal between them was rigged against casey from the start, and it was even done under the guise of giving casey a fair chance to fight for her own happiness. casey, being herself — living only in the present, gave it a lick and a promise without any second thought, not knowing that even her reaction was also a part of marias's grand scheme to put casey under her control.

marias was absolutely certain of her win against her beloved sister, which was why she didnt even bother to check up on how casey was actually doing before sending the letter to call her home, but miraculously for casey, ludger agreed to help and everyone in the entire continent for some reasons seemed to be convinced there was something that ambiguously could be romance between them.

marias is the extraordinarily cunning politician archetype of character — one that is on a par with eileen von exilion in terms of foxiness and cannot simply be defeated through brute force or sheer strength, while casey is... casey, ever straightforward in her problem solving approach. casey might have won in terms of raw power but it would still mean nothing if she couldnt outwit marias. the fight between the selmore sisters didnt end with the holy war; it barely just started.

[happi-tree]

🎶✨when u get this, list 5 songs u like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favourite followers (positivity is cool)🎶✨

Omg, hi, Casey!!! Hope you're doing well, lovebird 🖤🖤🖤 Thanks for the ask!

Heart Attack by Purple Kiss

fever dream by mxmtoon

space girl by Frances Forever

Fate by (G)I-DLE

ALIEN by LEE SUHYUN

[ariel-gremlinzkeep]

DNI: 🚫🐢t©️est🚫

🄾🅈🄰🄹🄸 🅁🄾🄽🄸🄽'🅂 🄲🅁🄾🅂🅂 🄳🄸🄼🄴🄽🅂🄸🄾🄽🄰🄻 🄰🄽🅃🄸🄲🅂

• Master Index Post •

🄸🄽🄳🄸🄴 🄵🄰🄽 🄰🅁🅃

• Master Index Post •

@beeceit 's tags ⤴️

Congrats on setting the Breakdown Board's bar high, Blue! Take all the Casey cuddles! He's part Raph so he won't crumple under the mightiest of bear hugs.

(Stills under read more like usual)

@rottmntpeepawpolls

[callixton]

my main takeaway from every spotify wrapped is that i need to listen to music even more often. which. from my perspective i am doing an awful lot already. where are u people finding this time

[chaoswithcausation]

my superpower is that I’ve got all sorts of Unfortunate Things but at low settings

scoliosis? yeah my spines a lil twisty

digestive issues? yeah I get sick randomly multiple times a month

obsessive compulsive tendencies? yeah I suffer from the Must Do Thing or Bad Thing Happens. used to be worse tho

frequent muscle spasms? yeah sometimes my muscles twitch and my legs will hurt like the world’s ending but whatcha gonna do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

anxiety? yeah World is Scary

trauma? yeah but don’t we all lol

really short memory? yeah but. I forgor

[masschase]

i can’t remember if you talked about it before, but for the ask meme i’m curious about troy and casey. and if you have already, or feel like talking about more than one ship, what about casey and viola?

Ooh, OK! I thought I wasn't going to get any this time around so this is a pleasant surprise! 😊

Have your followers send in suggestions for ships for your OC, and you describe how good/bad/amazing/disastrous/hilarious it would end up.

Casey and Troy

So Troy and Casey is a definite no! At one point early on in forming my hcs I was going to have them be cousins, and while I have yet to give a definitive answer on whether they are or not, I've been shifting back in the direction that are, but that unlike my original hc, neither of them remotely know that in my main-universe. In fact, you know what? They are and I'm going to do a post on that later because I have more to say on it. 😁

However, speaking from a potential situation where they're not related... it's still not something I can see.

So just off the bat I don't ship Casey with anyone during SR1 because she's only 15 at the start(slight exception being in universes where she has Zoo as her co-boss and/or friend as they are the same age, so I shall allow them their little moments). The next youngest Saint is Dex who I hc as 21 and gay so... yeah, no. But I do have the thing of Casey having one-sided crushes on Johnny, Lin and Dex.

Why not Troy? He just wasn't someone she saw as "cool" like she saw the others, in fact he was quite protective and responsible with regards to her and this is why I see their connection as more familial and duty-based (because I believe regardless of Troy leaning towards the Saints overall he's had a keen sense of protecting civilians drummed into him since childhood) even if they aren't related by blood. When she starts to succeed in life, he feels pretty proud of her.

Additionally, while I see that Troy is a complicated and probably conflicted character, Casey takes a long time to get out of the mindset that he betrayed her. It's one of those things where she knows it's not entirely black and white but she can't quite shake the grudge she felt when she woke up from the coma and found out.

There is the brief and admittedly kind of silly thing about Troy having a wife who resembles Casey(referencing ONE mission and something I thought of bc of posts so far back I will NOT be able to find them but you know). I don't believe that's because Troy has some secret attraction to Casey, I think it's something he just doesn't really see because he doesn't want to. He sees them too differently.

So there just isn't a place and time for them, you know? But even if things were to align, I just don't think they're attracted to each other, sexually or romantically, so I can't really envision a ship dynamic for them.

Casey and Viola

This one is interesting. I think Viola is incredibly grateful Casey allowed her to join the Saints, but her overall opinion of her is Boss first, friend second, and Casey reacts accordingly, so they're not super close friends. I can see some physical attraction between the two, more Casey towards Viola than vice versa(partly bc of Viola's thing for Shaundi, but also just in general). I don't think they ever hooked up but like they easily could have given the right situation.

Romantically, on the other hand, I can't see it at all. Viola and Casey are both, to me, "cool" characters emotionally. While they aren't unpleasant people I think both of them have a certain standoffishness, though Viola's would appear as more "professional/detached" and Casey's as "chill/unphased".

I think they both have a great deal of capacity for love. But I think they both need an emotionally warm character to unlock that. I think Shaundi for example is emotionally warm even if some of the barriers she puts up from SR3 onwards make it hard to see, which is why time and place dependant, she works as a ship for them both. For the record, they could potentially work as a triad. Maybe. But I also feel like there's also something about the Shaunvi vibe that Casey would just throw off completely. Maybe because she's almost the mediator between them so she might balance out what's passionate and interesting about them.

This is going a little off topic but I've actually wanted to talk about this aspect of Casey for a while because when you look at their first impressions you wouldn't get that she is the cold one and Matt is the warm one. Matt doesn't immediately come across as "warm" at all but I would chalk that up to fear and anxiety. In SR4 we get to see him acting a lot more openly emotional as well as passionate about things he cares about, because he's found a group of people he actually feels comfortable enough around to be himself. Leaning more towards headcanons (although maybe not so much when you see his rejected advances towards Asha in-game) I have him as quite physically affectionate/touchy feely. It's a combination of sensory seeking and not always being able to put his affection for people into words.

I don't allude to it here as much but in my writing I make frequent mention of it. Casey talks about how she's always cold and Matt is really warm as a justification for being physically close with him. I constantly have Casey tell Matt to relax/breathe when he's panicking and talk about how he finds her cool touch calming. That sort of thing. If you want to go one further there's the fact that Casey smells warm (cinnamon) but feels cold when you get closer, and Matt smells cold (lemon) but when you get closer he's physically warm.

But getting back to my actual point- Matt and Casey take a long time to get together because he's like a very persistant hairdryer melting a block of ice. But it works eventually. With Viola, Shaundi is more like a decent heat source which melts the ice very easily once her own barrier (in my hc, finding out in 2016 that Johnny isn't actually dead) is lifted. Viola and Casey on the other hand are just... two blocks of ice. It's a nice thought but it's just not going anywhere.

[oozedninjas]

This is more on the fluffy end, but could easily turn naughty if you choose. (￣▽￣)b

Normally shy crush randomly sitting on bayboys lap? They want attention and are determined to get it, flustered and all!

Also, hello! I love your posts. Thank you. (* ´ ▽ ` *)ﾉ

Reader sits on their lap to get their attention!!

2007 / NSFWish / Suggestive/boys are 25 and love to see you squirming for them

Leo is cleaning his katana when he feels your hands sliding over his shoulders. Immediately recognizing the touch, he glances at you.

"Hi, love. I thought our date was in another hour," he notes, a glimpse of a playful taunt in his tone.

"I got impatient," you say, sitting on his lap in one motion. "I want you now."

Your bravado stuns him for half a heartbeat before dissolving into a smirk. He places the sword on the side to pull you further onto his lap. His voice is a hot whisper near your lips. "Show me how much."

Raphael is fixing Turtle Movil's muffler when he hears your steps approaching over the smooth asphalt of the garage.

"I'll be with ya in a sec, doll!" he voices from under the van.

You humm, stepping on the edge of Mikey's skateboard, currently serving as support for Rafael to slide under the car. You roll him out.

"Hey! he whines sitting up, just half a second before you sit on his lap.

His breath hitches as you straddle him, shell pressed to the van's side.

"Sorry Raph, I don't feel like waiting," you breathe, trapping his mouth.

Donatello is so invested in talking about this new substance that he doesn't notice you stripping. When you press your bare chest to his shell and drag your hands over his plastron, his words trail off as he tenses.

"Hmm, darling?"

"Yeah?"

"W-what are you doing?"

You smile, turning his swivel chair to you, wasting no time sitting down on his lap.

"I'm listening," you mutter into his ear. "You're so hot when you talk about deadly substances. But I'd love to hear something a bit sweeter."

"Yeah? Like what?" he manages, heart racing.

You lick a stripe over his pulse line, eliciting a whimper from him.

"Like that."

Mikey was chilling, sitting on the worn-out couch, waiting for the TV to load what looked like a video. You placed your hands over his eyes.

"Guess who it is?"

"My Sugar bun?!" he says, turning back excitedly. "Hi! You're just in time, I'm about to start a new game! Let me show you," Mikey reaches for the Xbox controller, turning his back to you.

"Sure! Is the Brotherhood joining soon?"

He giggles at the nickname. "Nah, they're out."

You frown. "Out? All of them?"

"Yeah. Leo's training with his new partner, Raph's out with Casey… and Don's helping April cover some tech issues or something. Oh, and dad's sleeping," Mikey explained idly, choosing the abilities for the playable character.

"Wait, we'll be alone here for… a while?" you venture.

"Yup! So, you want to play with me?"

You smirk, climbing onto his lap. "Love to!"

He dodges you, his eyes glued to the TV. After a moment of contemplation, you break into a mischievous grin.

"But how about we make it more interesting? The loser has to take off an article of clothing for each game over."

You tug at his orange hood, and his eyes dart to you, a mischievous smile growing on his face. "Aw baby, you know you won't beat me, right?"

"I'll take the risk," you say, kissing his snout.

[shy-sapphic-ace]

List of queer books I read, loved & recommend!

(There isn't any particular order, I wrote these as I remembered them)

Master Of One - Jaida Jones & Dani Bennett (mlm, fantasy, very cool worldbuilding and magic system, funny, cool characters)

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree (wlw, fantasy, very soft & chill vibes)

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon (wlw, high fantasy, cool worldbuilding, kinda reminds me of LOTR but with more dragons and feminism and lesbians)

Even Though I Knew The End - C.L. Polk (wlw, supernatural noir, cool 1930s detective story with angels & demons, I loved this one!)

The Love Interest - Cale Dietrich (mlm, science fiction, very cool concept)

The Darkest Part Of The Forest - Holly Black (side mlm, fantasy, cool fae lore)

The Weight Of The Stars - K. Ancrum (wlw, not quite science fiction but space stuff is involved, lovely and complex characters)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz (mlm, fiction, very nice in general, there is also a sequel)

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee (mlm, historical and vaguely fantasy, nice story but I preferred the sequel honestly)

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy - Mackenzi Lee (wlw, the sequel to the one before, more fantasy elements than the first, asexual main character!!)

Gallant - V.E. Schwab (no romance, but in the background one of the characters(?) uses they/them pronouns, very cool dark fantasy vibe)

Stranger Than Fanfiction - Chris Colfer (gay main character, trans main character, coming-of-age, nice book)

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (yes it's the Love, Simon book, mlm, fiction, pretty nice)

They Both Die At The End - Adam Silvera (mlm, sci-fi ish but mostly fiction, cool ideas, but the ending is sad! Very amazing book though, I haven't read the prequel yet)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid (wlw, bi main character, historical fiction, cool story, just a neat book in general)

This Is How You Lose The Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone (wlw, sci-fi, very cool time travel stuff!! and very beautiful, it felt like reading poetry most of the time)

One Last Stop - Casey McQuinston (wlw, background trans & pan & queer characters, sci-fi or fantasy idk, but time travel, I loooved this book, great)

The House In The Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune (mlm, fantasy, THIS BOOK oh my gosh you should read it!!, just cute and lovely and good)

Under The Whispering Door - TJ Klune (mlm, fantasy, this book is also sooo amazing, great character development and awesome relationships and stuff, it's been a while since I read it but it was so good)

In the Lives of Puppets - TJ Klune (mlm, ace main character!!, sci-fi, now THIS is found family, oughh feelings. argh, tj klune you’ve done it again, a human and his family of funky robots… I love them)

And They Lived... - Steven Salvatore (nblm, fiction, about gender identity and learning to love yourself, read it a while ago but it was very nice)

I Wish You All The Best - Mason Deaver (nblm, fiction, about finding your identity and people who care about you, very cute and sweet)

The Song Of Achilles - Madeleine Miller (mlm, historical, very good in general)

Carry On - Rainbow Rowell (mlm, background wlw in the third book, fantasy, it's a trilogy, basically Harry Potter if it was gay and also better)

Silver In The Wood - Emily Tesh (mlm, fantasy, very pretty, lots of fae stuff and lovely descriptions, it has a really good sequel too)

Pretty much anything by Alice Oseman (all cute and lovely and great, though I've only read Radio Silence so far I hear only good things, Solitaire is on my to-read list)

I Kissed Shara Wheeler - Casey McQuinston (wlw, fiction, it's been a while but I liked this book)

The Falling In Love Montage - Ciara Smyth (wlw, fiction, this book was so cute and funny and deeply emotional it made me Feel way too many things, I'd definitely recommend it)

What Big Teeth - Rose Szabo (a bit of queerness all around, fantasy, werewolves and monsters, this one was pretty cool!, lots of original ideas for the world/character building)

His Quiet Agent - Ada Maria Soto (mlm, asexual, fiction, about like spies but this book was so gentle and sweet I wanted to cry in the best way possible)

Some By Virtue Fall - Alexandra Rowland (wlw, historical fiction(?), theatre drama!! rival romance!! duels!!, a very good read in general)

Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend - Emma R. Alban (wlw, historical fiction, I’m not usually one for regency romances, but I really liked this!!, very cute and lots of drama, and there’s a sequel coming out soon!)

[rosecabenson]

What I think some of the ADAs do while waiting for a jury verdict:

Rafael: he’s either A, fighting off a headache and practically downing ibuprofen- or he’s squabbling with Liv- heavy in the last one-

Alex: Skimming though law Text books for absolute funsies (also because she’s over thinking the court cases she mentioned during indictment and she has to double check or Liz will never hear the end of it-) that or she would go chat it up with Cragen over some drinks (only Alex is drinking, cragens AA boys would have his ass if he drank-)

Sonny: Oh my boy is stressing. He’s pacing, biting his nails, loosening his tie because suddenly it’s a million degrees in that room- then he panics even more and the second someone asks if he’s okay, especially Rollins- the nausea hit him-

Casey: To be honest she’s probably just chilling in her office, and this is for simpler cases, I feel like she will just sit in her mess of an office (Seriously it looks like a mad scientist lives in there-) and mess with her soft ball things, that or going to bat with Elliot, that usually ends in her having to book it back to the court house quick enough to get the verdict-

[kennahjune]

Teen Dad AU

Part 4!!!!

Tag List: @cam-cat-writer @irregular-child @grimmfitzz @fantrash @bookworm0690 @fiddledeedee85 @hunterbow04 @strangeforest @just-a-tiny-void @jaimeweasley13 @thelittleclare @rebellatio-03 @sirsnacksalot @geekyfifi @sapphireoceansoc @salty-h0e @mentallyundone @dragonmama76 @lingeringmirth @moomkin77 @nextflixisacopingstrategymom @jaytriesstuff @finntheehumaneater @jackiemonroe5512 @goodolefashionedloverboi @hellfirebaby-86 @blackpanzy @blu3stars @strawberryyyenthusiast @lololol-1234 @thestarslittleking @silenzioperso @forest-fogg @bebopbabyy @lawrencebshoggoth @stevesbipanic @dauntlessdiva @live0rdive @y4r3luv @jonesn4coffee @sofadofax @sensationalsunburst @scarlet-malfoy @l393ndjean @asspirin-s @fandomz-brainrot @mugloversonly @virginlemontea @littlebluejane @paintsplatteredandimperfect @astrid-nomically-steddie @maferisa-7 @phantomrose17 @thoughtfulbreadpolice @fandomnerd103 @atemisiscursed @croatoan-like-its-hot @myownworstenemyyy

AAHHHH IM SO SORRY FOR ANYONE WHO WASN’T ABLE TO BE TAGGED!! The list is unfortunately officially full, I’m so sorry :( everyone who has been tagged here will be tagged in all future parts!!! (I’m also terribly sorry, some of them won’t tag properly).

Without further ado:

.

Monday nights were now spent with Noah, Casey, and Miss. Bottomette (“Just Margaret is fine, dear”).

They’d come over to Steve’s trailer or he and Louie would go over to theirs and they’d gather around the tables to have dinner and talk.

Steve’s never had a dinner with others where he wasn’t expected to act a certain way. Where he wasn’t expected to be mature and serious.

With Miss. Bottomette and the kids, he goofs off and isn’t reprimanded for it. He puts his elbows on the table while talking to Noah and isn’t slapped upside the head for it.

It’s a very welcomed change.

It’s on one of these Monday nights that Steve officially gets his new babysitter.

He’d had to call off on the dinner. It was last minute and unexpected but they’d all been incredibly understanding and Steve appreciated the hell out of it. He was pulling his shoes on while on the phone with Miss. Bottomette when he’d let it slip.

“I’m so sorry again, Miss. Bottomette. I know this is really last minute and we were supposed to eat at mine tonight but Mason’s got a fever and they need me in the kitchen for the dinner rush—“

“Steve, sweetie, it’s alright. Me and the twins will be quite fine on our own for one Monday, I assure you. You just focus on making sure you don’t overwork yourself to death tonight, yeah?”

Steve chuckled at that, pulling the laces on his sneakers tighter and crafting the phone between his shoulder and ear. “Rodger that. I’ve gotta get going though, need to get Louie situated before I head out.”

“That’s quite alright, dear. Is that Nancy of yours coming to watch him? Or are you taking him there?”

Steve huffed a slightly pathetic chuckle that was more air than anything. “Nah, Nancy’s got her own dinners on Monday nights. Louie usually comes in with me and waits it out.”

Steve was standing straight now— well, with one hip cocked to the side and his hand resting on it. But his shoes were firmly on and Louie was watching him with bright eyes. Steve smiled at the baby and made a face that had Little Louie giggling and covering his mouth with chunky little hands.

On the other line, Miss. Bottomette hummed.

“Well that just won’t do, huh? I could take him for the night, Steve.”

Steve startled and put both hands on the phone.

“Oh! No no no— that’s alright, Miss. Bottomette. My manager, George, is really chill about letting me turn his office into a daycare for Louie while I’m at work. And I’ve got people to check on him there while I’m busy so I’m not leaving him alone the whole time—“

“I hear that, hon, but maybe it’s time you let someone take him off your hands for a bit, yeah? The twins will want to see him at some point anyway.”

Steve pursed his lips and twirled the phone cord around his fingers.

“I seriously can’t ask you to do that, Miss. Bottomette. I’ll be on shift until at least 10 tonight and then I have to help with closing so there’s no guarantee I’ll be back before 11.”

“And that’s quite fine. I’m fully capable of watching your boy until then, dear.”

“Are you sure?” Steve’s voice was so small, so unsure. It made something break a little in Miss. Bottomette’s chest.

“Yes, absolutely.”

Steve sighed into the receiver. “Ok.” He whispered and relented.

“That’s what I thought.” Miss. Bottomette chuckled. “Now, should I come over there or are you ok with bringing him over here?”

.

Work was a doozy.

Between coming in at 6:30 and working until just past 11, Steve was asked constantly about the lack of Louie in the diner.

It was fun and comforting in a way to have so many people care enough to ask about the missing baby. But Steve just wanted to get through his shift quickly to get back to said baby.

He could feel the nerves eating away at him. Steve kept watch on the time all shift, watching the clock tick slower every time.

He’d never left Louie home like this before. Never with anyone other than Nancy. The anxiety was absolutely agonizing but he pushed through until his break, where he called Miss. Bottomette from the phone outside.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Miss. Bottomette, it’s Steve.”

“I know who it is, ain’t no one else call me ‘Miss’ who know me like you do, son.”

Steve managed a slight laugh. It was true. For months now, Steve has been practically apart of their little family. And yet he still referred to her so formally. It was simply something that was beaten into him from a young age.

“You’re right, sorry. I was just calling to check on you guys and Louie?”

“Everyones alright over here, Steve. Noah and Casey are just about passed out on the couch and Louie’s fast asleep in bed.”

Steve breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you so much, Miss. Bottomette.”

“You’ve got it dear. Now go get back to work, and tell Gwen and Allya I said hi.”

Steve could hear the smile in her voice.

“Will do, thanks again.”

He hung up after their goodbyes. God, he really needed a cigarette.

He ran inside real quick to grab his pack out of his bag, lighting up the moment he set foot back through the door to the alley by the diner.

Steve hadn’t been able to smoke too much lately with Louie and the twins. Miss. Bottomette also smoked, but she had explained how she’d dialed it down astronomically with how much the twins were over.

Steve was just halfway done with his cigarette, lost in his thoughts and staring off into space when a pair of boots stopped in front of where he was sitting on the curb.

He spared a glance up to the sudden intruder, giving a second glance when he saw Eddie Munson.

Steve blew the smoke out of his lungs. “Um, hi?”

“Harrington.” Was the only response he got.

Steve ground his cigarette out on the sidewalk and stood, tucking the now put out cigarette behind his ear. He took half a step back so he wasn’t quite chest to chest with Eddie.

“Hey, man. Uh— I’m not really looking to buy anything at the moment.” Steve stumbled his way through a sentence. Eddie Munson was a looming presence that Steve couldn’t figure out, not since he’d fist saw him when he started high school.

Eddie was only a year ahead of Steve despite being nearly 2 years older than him. When Steve had started his freshman year, he’d been immediately pulled into Munson’s orbit of lunchtime rants and class skipping.

Until he was pulled by Cairo Rickson, the then-basketball captain. Eddie had kinda left Steve in the dust after he joined the basketball team.

Now Eddie Munson was redoing his senior year a second time— they even shared some classes. But they’d never spoken outside of school or Steve’s old house parties.

Eddie was staring at him with an odd flicker in his gaze. Something that threw Steve almost completely off. Something that almost looked like interest.

Steve swallowed. It was then that he actually took in Eddie’s face— not just his eyes. (Eyes that were so big and dark Steve thought they were black. He’d later realize they were actually a dark brown.) Eddie’s mouth was pressed in a line, his cheeks flushed from the cold breeze, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

He looked almost stressed.

“You alright, dude? C’mon, Eddie talk to me here. You’re kinda freakin’ me out.”

Steve felt his natural worry starting to kick in. That urge to press and figure out what was wrong.

Eddie opened and closed his mouth a few times before sighing aggressively and rubbing a harsh hand down his face. He wore a ton of rings that glinted in the streetlight they stood under.

“Listen—“ Steve was cut off.

“Do you have a lighter? Mine is fucking me over and I just really need to smoke.”

Well, ok then.

Steve blinked owlishly for a moment before spurring into motion.

“Um, Uh! Yeah! Yeah, I’ve got a lighter. Hang on—“

Steve handed over his lighter without a second thought, watching Eddie pull an already-rolled joint out of his pocket and immediately light up. Steve payed extra attention to his lips— pink and bitten-raw— when he blew out the smoke.

“Thanks, man.” Steve’s eyes snapped back to Eddie’s looming ones. They were wide and earnest, no longer narrowed and suspicious.

“Yeah, no problem.” He accepted the offered lighter, ignoring the tingle from their brushing pinkies.

“Alrighty then, Steve-o. Catch you later.” Eddie gave him a two-finger salute and promptly walked away. Steve watched him go, following him with his eyes until he was out of sight and leaving a chorus of “what the fuck” replaying in Steve’s mind.

He tucked his unfinished cigarette back into the box and went to finish his shift.

.

True to his word, Steve wasn’t home until just before 11 that night.

Miss. Bottomette was up and waiting for him, the lamp in the living room on a low setting because there for some reason were never living room lights in trailers. The twins were spread out on the floor, lying on top of each other with Casey’s head on Noah’s legs while she practically kicked him in the face.

Steve snickered quietly to himself, dropping his bag quietly on the couch and closing the door as silently as possible.

Miss. Bottomette barely glanced up from her book to greet Steve. The familiarity gave him butterflies.

“Hey, sweetie.” She bookmarked her page and took off her glasses.

Steve smiled sweetly at her. “Hi, Miss. Bottomette. Louie alright?” He’d noticed the absence of his baby bug the moment he walked in the door.

“He’s quite alright, dear. Sleeping in your room, yes with the pillows.”

Steve deflated slightly, his worries seeping out slowly while Miss. Bottomette reassured him.

“That’s good. Great, yeah. Thanks so much. You need help taking these two back?” He nodded his head to the twins sleeping on his carpet.

“No it’s fine, hon. I’ll just wake ‘em up and let ‘em complain themselves tired again.” She grinned mischievously. Steve giggled.

“I can carry them over,” he offered instead.

“Are you sure, dear? You have to be exhausted after your shift, they can deal with a little bit of walking.”

Steve shook his head and smiled. Yeah, he was tired to the bone, his muscles sore and his legs on fire from standing and serving, but he’d be fine for this last thing. Then he could crash.

He stooped down and took Casey first since she was practically on top of Noah. She woke up briefly, just to smile at Steve and wrap her arms around his neck. He ran her outside and to their trailer just one place over. Setting her down was difficult as she didn’t want to let go of him to lay her bed, but he pried her off eventually.

Noah had shifted to curl around a couch pillow on the floor while he was gone. While Miss. Bottomette shuffled around grabbing all of her stuff, Steve picked up Noah and chuckled when he stayed completely dead to the world.

Noah was slightly heavier than Casey, but Steve made do and walked him carefully to the trailer and into his room. Noah was still out like a light, despite the slightly harsh landing because Steve’s arms gave out.

The twins shared a room, it being split down the middle by a curtain. Steve made sure they were both tucked in and sleeping before turning the lamp on on Noah’s side (he was scared of the dark) and pulling the curtain closed.

Miss. Bottomette was waiting for him again when he got home, her bag over her shoulder and the twins’ shoes in her hands. She smiled at him.

“Thank you so much, hon. Those two are going to wake up tomorrow thinking they teleported.” They both chuckled.

“It was no problem, seriously. Thanks again for watching Louie all night.”

Miss. Bottomette waved him off and gave him a big hug instead.

“Enough with that ‘Miss. Bottomette’ nonsense, kiddo. You can call me Margaret, or even Gran. I promise you there’s nothing wrong with dropping the title.”

Steve swallowed and wrapped his arms around her in return, blinking an onslaught of tears from his eyes. “Thanks,” he whispered into her hair.

“Alright.” She pulled back. “You go ahead and crash. I’ll see you when I see you tomorrow, though you have both school and work, huh?”

Steve chuckled and nodded.

Miss— Gran left then, closing the door as gently as she could (but the door was a piece of shit and had to be slammed in order to fully close). Steve sighed and finally toed his shoes off.

He glanced at himself in the bathroom mirror after a nice, hot shower. His hair was getting longer, curling around his ears and reaching the back of his neck. Steve smiled a little. He liked the length.

Slipping on a shirt that was two sizes too big and his Hawkins swim shorts, Steve didn’t waste another moment before getting into bed right next to Louie.

He turned off the lamp and let the night light shine bright instead. Louie already had a death grip on Steve’s pointer finger. He smiled at his baby and let himself fall asleep.

[starry-bi-sky]

Clone Danny Interlude: Dani with an i

Just some miscellaneous stuff i thought up while thinking of Dani in the Clone Danny au that i will put in a bullet list. I have part 5 mostly written since yesterday but i wanted to make this before i finished part 5

Dani typically goes by Ellie, Ell, or Ella.

Ellie is the same age as Danny, they have adopted each other as twins. Danny is the older twin for obvious reasons

(They also have a twin sense thanks to ectoplasm bs)

Ellie is a Halfa unlike Danny. Vlad went through many trial and error to make a halfa from scratch but he did it.

She has a ghost form but instead of looking like canon or wearing a jumpsuit, her outfit is an invert of Danny's "Phantom" gear. White hoodie, white vest, white pants and boots, and a black Casey Jones mask. the only thing thats the same is the eery green eyes.

(Danny's Phantom gear already was creepy on its own, but Ellie amps up the creep factor by eleven. Danny is a cryptid. Ellie however is horrifying to look at.)

Ellie has the same family-based ghost obsession as Danny. The only difference is that Danny will die for his loved ones, and Ellie will kill for them

Ellie has the scary dog privileges. I am giving her the scary dog privileges, as a treat. My girl's been alive for like, a year and she won't hesitate to BITE

“Danny goes berserk when Dani gets hurt” except its in reverse. Danny is the fleshy human kid with ghost detecting powers and Ellie is the ghostly human kid with the plasma-blaster fists who will throw fists with a bitch if they even so much as breathe wrong in her big brother’s direction.

Skulker took it too far in a fight once and Ellie tore his armor to shreds. Danny would have done the same too tbh

She has an electric core. When she’s enraged she looks like the witch in ParaNorman

Ellie and Danny are practically identical to each other minus a few minor details. Put them through a genderswap filter and they'll look just like each other

She nearly named her ghost form 'Motnaph' since it was Phantom in reverse, but she changed it to Spirit instead.

Ellie can purposely give people static shocks and does it regularly as a prank on Danny.

You would never think that Ellie came into existence recently by how close she and Danny are. She's quickly become one of his best friends and vice versa.

She usually chills in the ghost zone when she's not with Danny and his friends, or traveling. She also has a phone and Danny's number.

Ellie thinks Danny should tell Bruce about his existence, but she also understands Danny's reasoning (they can't promise Bruce will react positively to being cloned nor can they bet on Bruce accepting them like Danny accepted Dani) and doesn't push the idea hard

she still encourages the idea

Ellie has the creepy Dick Grayson's Robin giggle

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 4.5 (Dani interlude) Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 7.5 (Dan Interlude) Part 8

[dianagj-art]

Is there Oneion facts we can know about?

THIS HAS BEEN ON MY DRAFTS FOR SO LONG OMG IM SO SORRY, HERE'S SOME FACTS ABOUT THE BABY BOY

(the baby boy in question is ten years older than me)

I'm gonna go canon stuff first, then some fun crossover stuff:

The version that I'm using is 35-ish years old (a few years before the movie events), he's been the leader of the resistance for around a decade

He still has all his brothers and loves them very much, would kill and die for them

Way more chill than One is right now, still a beast on combat

One can manipulate vines only using the seeds Draxum makes, Oneion can summon them at will from the ground with little issue

In the story he mostly goes by Leo now, very few people call him One (but lets keep calling him Oneion to avoid confusion)

The protesis he uses is an old one from Raph, but he outgrew it and gave it to Oneion when he lost his arm. It was a bit ridiculously big for him at the time, it's still a *little* too big for Oneion, but by the time he's 40-something (movie events) its gonna fit right in

The scarf he has is not the same One has, but as One's it was a gift from Draxum, he has carry the same scarf the whole apocalypse

Still has a lot of gold accents on his clothes

He's still the best fighter out of the four turtles

He loves being around kids but doesn't, he's afraid of hurting them. He knows he didn't had a normal childhood but is not 100% aware of what part was normal and ok and what part is not, and he rathers not take a chance and do something wrong.

He ends up enjoying teaching martial arts, tho he doesn't like being called sensei, and he wont spar with anyone bellow his level (again, being afraid of hurting them)

Casey Jr becomes the exception to these

Crossover stuff!

he can and will beat the shit out of One, he knows how much One can take so he's not really worried about that

when the apocalypse started he basically lost contact with the multiverse, so no fun crossovers for him. Until by the power of "@intotheelliwoods started doing fanart of Oneion before I even had finished his design" he had access to the multiverse again!

First of his "old frieds" he saw was Poptart and Sprout (2al huggy leos) and first thing he did was to hug Sprout<3 (well, he first kinda yelled at him but I'll draw that some day)

I don't think he has met again with the rest of the separated council? I don't remember if I've stick him in any crossover situations

he loves hugging Poptart, he's teddy bear size<3 and he'll never get tired of calling him his friend and loving him "the way he deserves" because he still hasn't forgive himself for the shitty way he treated Poptart (dont worry about it)

he fucking destroyed the attempt of a slau/2al crossover time line

he says he's fine by it but he keeps bringing up the "jawbreaker" incident, I dont think he got over it, actually

he hangs out with Sprout a lot

something something, being with Sprout makes him feel like a kid again, and it makes Sprout feel like a kid again because Oneion reminds him of Big Leo

Sprout and Oneion have a spa day, they deserve it<3 they also go shopping together. Also, they are not exactly good at cooking but they try and they love working together on the kitchen

Oneion got the "Oneion" nickname by Sprout and Poptart

he stronk. he can lift Sprout with no problem, and even Toast

if you wanna have a good time scroll down the besties tag on ell's blog or mine (2)

[eclipsedrgn]

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑳𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝑩𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅

(y/n) befriended the turtles along with her best friend ren. she didn't have anything to offer the family of ninjas, except her friendship and love. and when she realizes she's just pulling them back, she decided to take it to her own hands.

rottmnt!leo x fem!reader

⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇

⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇

It wasn't until you notice they started acting differently around you when you had a feeling they're starting to pull apart. All four turtles, each in their own unique way, rejected you. Either hanging out, or eating out to even going on patrol together. You didn't exactly offer a lot on the table if you were being honest. You were just the lucky girl who they rescued, and somehow became part of this mischivious family.

Mikey became your closest friend, you two were too much a like whether it was being completely naive to the world to being the most childish person of the group. The two of you never felt judged by one another.

Donnie, embarrissingly, became your buddy when it came to doing your homework. You did all the work of course, you hated cheating but Donnie was the one looking over your shoulder half of the time telling you from right and wrong.

Raph was coincidentally your therapist, although you mostly smile around the turtles, Raph knew the signs of depression and anxiety, most importantly anger. He saw how much anger you hold within yourself that he took upon himself to help you.

Leonardo...

To you, in your eyes, he was everything. He was the perfect turtle for you and could not stop yourself for falling in love with him. He was your everything, you were willing to even make yourself unhappy just to get his attention...

But you knew with the way he looks at Karai, it wouldn't happen.

You guess it was probably the way you let yourself loose. You ate too much pizza with Mikey, you barely exercise, or maybe how you just chilled on the couch for the longest time. The turtles noticed.

But they did not care.

And that's how you ended up in this situation, hiding behind the walls of the kitchen eavesdropping the turtle's conversation about you. Worst of all, your best friend Ren just sat there listening to them, though you didn't see her face, she was devastated that the turtles thought of you this way.

"Come on Leo, are we seriously letting this girl stay with us?" Raphael states with an annoyed tone. "She has done nothing but sit here with her thumbs up her nose"

Was all the times you come to Raph about your problems fake? Did you complain too much?

"We can't just kick her out Raph-" Donatello started but was interrupted.

"We can and we will. She eats all the food, she plays all the games while we're up there risking our lives" Raph complains.

"Dude... she's my best friend" Mikey muttered, nobody heard.

"She doesn't bring anything to the table! April does the news, Casey's a police officer- hell even Ren brings us notices about the Foot. (Y/N) does nothing" Raph says.

You are nothing.

A burden.

Leo shook his head, the warm feeling at the thought of you turned guilt, anger, confused. He knew his brothers were right. You didn't bring much to the table. But how can he kick out the only person who brought joy and compassion, no matter what the atmosphere of the lair is.

You clench both of your fists as tears stream down your face, you covered your mouth with both hands as another sob was coming. Leo barely stood up for you, Donnie barely stood up for you and Mikey... all he did was sat in silence. You wiped your face with your hands, getting rid of signs you were crying and came out of the kitchen with a smile on your face.

"Hey guys, I'm headed out for some pizza. Want anything?" you asked.

"J-Just some Hawaiian dudette" Mikey says with an unsure look on his face.

You smiled, "Sure Mikestar, I'll be back in a few"

"At least she brings us food" you hear Raphael scoff as you walk further from the lair.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

You barely looked where you were headed, you were just walking aimlessly for the past 20 minutes since you left. The depression was getting worst, your anxiety is off the roof and the fact the only people who truly liked you has been faking all this time...

You sighed as you yelp when you bumped into something... soft? You opened your (e/c) eyes seeing the father of the four turtles. You forgot Splinter likes to take walks around the sewer twice a day, curing boredom he said when you asked him once.

"My child, were you crying?" Splinter asks.

You sniffled and shook your head, "Allergies, Sensei"

"I can tell in your eyes you are lying. Tell me, what's going on?"

And so you did.

You snitched.

You told him how the turtles hurt you. How they didn't know you've listened to their cruel words.

The look on Splinter's eyes slowly dimmed, his sons, were not nice towards you?

"I'm gonna leave" you decided, Splinter looks up surprised you even claimed such decision. "I can't spend the rest of my life being a burden to everyone. I need a change of pace, I need to leave New York City"

Splinter sighs, "I cannot change your mind. But I do have an offer for you. My Master Yoshi has a friend in Japan called the Ancient One, fly there and tell him Splinter sent you. Tell him your desire to change, he will help you"

Your eyes became misty as tears started to gather, you hugged Splinter tightly and then came up with a plan. The turtles need to know how much you've been hurting, you became a little bit of a bad person.

That night you came back home, calling your tech friend to fake a news, hacking into the lair's tech and played the news.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

"We interrupt this program for some breaking news."

Leo paused sharpening his katana as the news blared on, Raph paused his benching, Donnie came out of his lab and Mikey stared blankly at the TV.

"(Y/N) (L/n) was found dead in her apartment at 21:34, her cause of death is currently unknown."

"No" Leo gasps his eyes widening, the brothers followed, Mikey gagged sprinting towards the bathroom. Leo watches at the apartment building you once live in, burst into flames, the firefighters rushing to put it out.

"Firefighters rush to stop the fire but it is all too late. The body was found with burned beyond recognition and the police have ordered an autopsy... Stay tune for further news"

"She never came back" Mikey croaked, leaning against the door frame. "She went out for pizza and never came back"

"S-She must've went to get more money, went home and then boom" Donnie says rushing towards his computers for answers.

Leo slammed his katana against the ground he was sitting on so hard, it broke into two pieces. He stood facing his hotheaded brother with a menacing look in his eyes.

"Are you happy now?" Leo sharply asked. "You asked for her gone right! You told us, to kick her out right! Well here you go Raphael. She's gone. For good"

"I-I never meant-"

"You knew she was depressed, you knew she fighting on... Raph, you have no idea!" Leo yells.

"BOYS!" the four flinch at their father's tone.

Splinter...

What're they going to tell him?

"What is going on here?" Splinter demands.

"(Y/N)'s dead" Mikey says voice cracking as the tears finally streamed down his face. "She's dead and its all our fault"

"Mikey..." Donnie says comforting his baby brother. "We should've helped sensei... but we... we didn't"

"5 times" Leo says confusing the others. "I saved her 5 times and this time, I couldn't"

"Leonardo..." Splinter sadly said.

Leo shook his head and walked away, the others slowly went their own way to grieve.

Splinter stood there with one though, he hopes you know what you need to do.

[illdowhatiwantthanks]

Reading "changes" kinda make me want to request a fic when reader and Casey were in their 50s or 60s and talking about the silly little things they used to do when they were younger when they went for a little trip out of country for retirement or something.

Getting Older, Too

Casey Novak x fem!reader Warnings: explicit language, getting older, changes in ability (let me know if I've missed anything!) Word count: 1.5k

Summary: You and Casey, now retired, are vacationing in Jasper National Park, but you find that your bodies aren't quite as capable as they used to be.

NOTE: For any who don't know, Jasper National Park has just experienced a devastating wildfire. I went hiking in Jasper in 2022, and it's truly one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, so I wanted to pay tribute here.

You shivered against the morning chill as you looked out over the Athabasca River, a light fog coming off of it, pinpricked by early morning sun. Decades later, and you still couldn’t manage to sleep in like Casey did, even on vacation. It was colder here in Jasper National Park than you’d expected, though it often warmed considerably by midday.

You groaned as you lowered yourself into an Adirondack chair, wishing you’d brought more than a sweatshirt to keep warm out here. But you didn’t want to go in and wake up Casey, either. She would never admit it, but she tired more easily than you these days. She was, after all, almost ten years older than you. And neither of you were spring chickens. She’d retired last year, finally, but still freelanced on the side. But one of the perks of both of you being in retirement was that there were now no limits to your vacations. You’d already spent two weeks in Banff and had decided to extend your trip into Jasper and drive the Icefields Parkway.

But Casey was tired, bone tired, you could tell. You’d gotten some good hikes in, but she’d pushed herself too far yesterday. She’d insisted you go to all six bridges along the Maligne Canyon loop, even though the sixth bridge added a solid 2.5 miles round trip. You’d made it, but you’d both been exhausted by the end, and Casey had conked out in bed before you even had dinner and had been asleep ever since.

You shook your head and smiled to yourself thinking about her. Fiery, stubborn Casey. Just as hard-headed as she’d been when you met her playing rec league softball 29 years ago. Her hair was gray now instead of red, but just as pretty, as you told her again and again. It wasn’t that she’d softened over the years exactly. She’d still fight someone if the situation called for it; it was that she’d grown more accustomed to laughter and joy, that she let herself now, sometimes, expect the best instead of the worst. She gave herself time to rest and savor and appreciate things.

You wrapped your arms around yourself, breathing deeply to inhale the scent of the pine trees. It really was cold out here. You thought about going to the property’s restaurant for a cup of coffee instead as an alternative to waking Casey with the noisy drip machine in your chalet. But then you’d have to purchase the all-inclusive breakfast and damned if you were going to spend $25 to get a cup of coffee and a croissant.

“You’re up early,” Casey observed, coming into view, her voice still rough with sleep.

“No, you’re up early,” you argued, smiling softly at her. “I’m always up at this time.”

“Here, take this,” she said, handing you a steaming mug of coffee.

“God, I love you.”

“Wait! This one too.” Casey handed you another cup of coffee and you looked at her, confused. “Now lift your arms up.”

“Why?” you asked, but obliged, trying not to spill from either coffee mug.

She grabbed a blanket from over her shoulder and tucked it around you so that only your head and arms peeked out, then settled herself in the chair next to yours with her own blanket.

“Okay,” she said, getting comfortable, holding out her hand for her coffee.

You beamed at her. “You really are the love of my life, you know that?”

She sipped from her mug and patted your hand. “It’s been thirty years, honey. I should hope so.”

She groaned a bit in her seat, wincing as she shifted her weight.

“You alright?” you asked. When she didn’t answer, you raised your eyebrows and leaned toward her. “Hmm… you know, one might think that maybe, just maybe, you overdid it yesterday? Even though your beautiful, smart wife said during the hike, ‘Casey, my love, you seem tired. Maybe we shouldn’t do all six bridges.’”

Casey shot you an amused glare. “You know, it’s incredible that my beautiful, smart wife, after thirty years in New York, still can’t dress appropriately for the weather and would, likely, freeze to death without me.”

“Touché.” You shrugged.

You sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping your coffee, enjoying the early morning sun and the quiet and the gurgling of the river below you.

You took Casey’s free hand and ran your thumb in circles over the wrinkles there. She’d been so self-conscious of them when they started to show, but you told her they were beautiful, like the rings of a tree trunk. They showed her growth and what she’d been through, and you loved them.

“Are you really okay, though?” you ventured.

She shrugged. “I’m pretty sore, but I’ll be alright.”

“We don’t have to hike today. We could just take it easy.”

Casey shook her head. “I don’t want to miss it. We only have so much time here, you know? When in Rome… or Jasper, I guess.”

“Hey,” you said, struggling against the chair so you could sit up and place your hand on Casey’s cheek. “The trails will still be there tomorrow. If your body needs to rest, we should rest. I’m sore, too. I’m not gonna be mad about a day lounging around in the mountains with you.”

Casey still didn’t look convinced.

“We could go to the hot springs, we haven’t been there yet. Or to that fancy hotel spa and get massages…” you suggested.

Casey scoffed. “You hate massages.”

“I do, but you’re sore, so…”

Casey sighed, taking another sip of coffee and squeezing your hand. “I just don’t want to hold you back, honey,” she said quietly.

“Are you kidding me!?” You gestured toward the mountains in front of you, the river, the forest. “Casey, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here. I’d be too scared to go alone. You don’t hold me back, love. You move me forward.”

Casey looked like she might cry. “I hate getting old sometimes,” she muttered.

You wished so badly that Casey could see herself the way you did–strong and capable and brave and full of life. Yes, it was hard to grow old. Yes, it was frustrating that your body–and hers–could no longer do all the things they’d done before. But it had been in exchange for a life truly worth living–and you were still living it!

“Do you remember our first hike together?” you asked her, trying to lighten her mood. “When we went camping in the Catskills with your parents?”

She cracked a smile. “Yeah. God, you were so scared.”

You’d happily be the butt of the joke this morning to get Casey out of her head. “Okay,” you protested playfully. “Well, in my defense, we did get lost.”

Casey’s eyes lit up, the way they always did before she laughed. “We weren’t lost. I took us on an alternate route.”

“An alternate route!?” You’d had this argument so many times that it was like reading a script, like watching a favorite comedy over and over again or the well-worn pages of a favorite book. “To the side of the highway where we had to call an Uber to take us back to the campsite?”

She chuckled and shrugged. “I got us back, didn’t I!?”

“God!” you exclaimed, feigning frustration even as you grinned ear to ear, even you as you held her face in your hands. “You were such a stubborn asshole. You’re still a stubborn asshole.” You sighed, rubbing your thumb over her dimpled cheek. “Look, today’s hike was gonna be at Maligne Lake, right?”

She nodded, sadness briefly overtaking her face again.

“I’m pretty sure they have a boat tour,” you continued. “Why don’t we do that instead?”

Casey looked like she was ready to fight you on it, so you leaned forward and kissed her, in love with the little noise of surprise she made, as if it was your first kiss again and not your ten thousandth.

“Please?” you needled as you broke apart, giving her your most convincing smile and biggest eyes. “For me?”

Even before she kissed you again, you could tell you’d won her over. She patted your cheek. “For you. Not for me,” she insisted, holding onto your hand as she sipped her coffee.

You smiled and held your coffee close to your chest. So stubborn, your wife. Stubborn and passionate and beautiful and funny and everything you’d wanted in a partner and more. You’d spent almost thirty years of your life–a full half of it–with Casey. You knew she was struggling with getting older, and you knew there’d come a time when you’d struggle, too. But right now, you were just excited. Excited for whatever future you had left, the years of uninterrupted joy and travel and fun. The big moments and the little moments together. It could only get better from here and, god, it was already so good.

“I love you, Case,” you whispered, your voice breaking through the quiet sounds of nature that surrounded you.

She lifted your hand and brought it to her lips, and no words were needed.