#Donna’s dad gets a mention for the feels

[davidtennan-t]

The Birthday Gifts

Rose has a very special gift idea for her Mum's Birthday, but to get it, she's going to need the help of her Uncle.

Words: 5947

If you crave some Fourteen and Rose shenanigans but also lots of Fourteen and Donna angst then look no further than this fic, it’s got it all! Dedicated to my bestie @kottekonst ❤️ Also available on AO3

-

Today was Donna’s 53rd birthday.

The Temple-Noble residence was, therefore, rather busy for a Friday evening. The gathering was shaping up to be moderate – Donna never liked a huge fuss, but plenty of people were soon to be mingling in the large backyard, under a hired tent and the setting sunlight.

Rose had already secured her mother a gift. A bracelet, along with one of her very own handcrafted plushies. It was something of a birthday tradition and Rose was happy with her chosen little critter.

Except, she wasn’t, deep down.

There had been a niggling idea in Rose’s mind for weeks, now, and despite her best efforts to shove the idea aside and be happy with the sparkling bracelet wrapped in a gift box under her bed, she couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting to do more for her Mum. A true show of appreciation that could speak louder than any words could, without making it too… cringe.

There was a gift much more special and personal out there in the world. All day at school, her thoughts had never been far from this gift… it couldn’t be bought, nor could it be found in any shop.

It also wasn’t the correct year.

It was why collecting this gift had at first seemed impossible to Rose. How could she ever fly herself a whole year into the past?

Most people didn’t have an uncle who could navigate time and space, however.

He was retired, of course, supposed to be resting – and he did, mostly. But nobody enjoyed bending the rules of retirement more so than the Time Lord who was supposed to be doing it.

Especially when it came to his niece.

“So, are you in?”

Sat in the living room away from the hustle and bustle in the kitchen, enjoying a cup of tea made by none other than the teenage girl perched across from him, the Doctor raised an eyebrow.

“I can see why you made me the tea, now,” the Doctor regretfully replied, having listened intently to Rose’s idea for the past five minutes.

It had been a particularly strange day, on his part. Social gatherings and parties were so very domestic and human, but he was very much part of the family now. He’d helped Shaun set up the tent, fixed the broken stereo system and even dabbled in blowing up balloons under the watchful eye of Sylvia.

Anything for his Donna.

He’d finished the balloons which were all scattered around him and he'd wandered into the kitchen to make a well-earned cup of tea, when Rose had offered to make him one. Alarm bells should have rung right there and then.

“Come on, I know it will mean so much to Mum – I really want to try and make her happy,” Rose encouraged, sat on the edge of the sofa practically shaking with anticipation.

“You do make her happy, every day,” the Doctor reminded her. He never would have thought he’d be the one trying to discourage sneaking away on a quick trip.

Five months ago, they would have been in the TARDIS already.

This was different, however.

“Not like this, though… please? People will start arriving in a couple of hours and by that point it will be too late. I know the exact day, time, and everything… June 6th, 2023, it will only take two seconds, I promise.”

The Doctor glanced behind his shoulder to make sure nobody was eavesdropping.

"Couldn't we go tomorrow?" the Doctor asked.

"We could, but it wouldn't be the same. Today is her birthday and it just feels... right."

“That's fair, but it could be dangerous... you do understand the risks of bumping into your past self? It would create a paradox that would-”

“-devastate reality around me, I know,” Rose whined, but she grew more serious when she saw the look on the Doctor’s face. “I won’t bump into myself, or Mum… I know exactly when and where to go.”

Delicately deciding if he could truly trust his niece, which he would any day, the Doctor thought of a further barrier. A barrier related to the here and now. “Let’s say, hypothetically, I agreed to take you… how would we get to the TARDIS?” the Doctor asked.

The kitchen they would need to walk through to get to his beloved ship, sat on her perch surrounded by flowers, was currently occupied by Donna and Sylvia, sorting through the mountain of buffet food.

Rose frowned. “I should be able to walk into the garden no problem, but if we both walked through then-”

“-Donna would immediately know what we were up to,” the Doctor finished, looking thoughtful as he took another mouthful of tea and pondered their options. “Listen, I think it’s all a bit too risky. Even if we somehow managed to get past her, it’s her birthday, and she told me specifically the TARDIS was out of bounds today – unless there was an emergency.”

“She always says that, though - and this… sort of…is an emergency?” Rose tried to plea, flexing her hands with a strained smile.

The Doctor placed his now empty mug on the coffee table and turned to Rose, his expression solemn, and one that clearly meant no.

“I’m sorry, Rose. I won’t risk you getting into trouble.”

Definitely a no.

Rose sighed. Then, she curved her mouth downwards, stuck out her bottom lip, and glared straight at the Doctor.

“What are you doing?” he questioned, even though he knew exactly what she was doing.

Rose didn’t reply. She sighed again, for the dramatic effect.

“Now listen, I told you, it’s too risky,” he replied airily.

The pout didn’t faulter.

“That won’t work on me, y’know, so you might as well stop now.”

Still, the pout remained.

The Doctor’s nose twitched. He patted his knees a couple of times, trying his hardest to focus on something else to ignore Rose’s silent plea – didn’t Donna ask him to help with the sandwiches? Oh! There was a gift for Donna he needed to wrap upstairs, wasn’t there?

Gift… he hadn’t even asked Rose what her particularly special gift was. Was it something Donna had lost? It dangerously fuelled his curiosity, and he risked a glance over at the teenager again, who was still pouting in his direction.

The Doctor's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, now rocking gently back and forth as he tried to resist the temptation, but it grew harder as each second ticked by.

"Please, Uncle Spaceman?" Rose said quietly.

"Oh no, don't do that... this isn't... I-I can't..." he stuttered, yielding no result.

How could he say no to her? Clearly, the gift was something really special if her persistence was anything to go by. Something more than a simple gift... it seemed so very special. If it would make Donna happy, then what did he have to lose? Rose would be careful, like she always was. She always listened to him, never wandered off.

The Doctor's entire posture suddenly sagged, and his eyes closed.

There was nobody who could pull his leg like his niece.

Rose stopped pouting, holding her breath with a trepid tilt of the head.

After a moment of defeated silence, the Doctor reopened his eyes and finally spoke. “Fine, I’ll take you,” he said, ignoring the glee of excitement out of the corner of his eye, “but we’re both taking the blame this time, you hear?” he added with a point of his finger, even if he would be the first to defend her if it came down to it.

“Deal,” Rose replied quickly, still engrossed in her victory, but relieved and elated she was getting the chance to go through with her plan. Oh, she couldn’t wait to see the look on her Mum’s face.

A smirk crossed the Doctor’s lips, unintentionally feeling very proud of Rose’s persistence. Would he regret this all later? Probably. Would it help knowing Rose was happy? Absolutely.

“You’ve turned me into a soft touch,” the Doctor mumbled as he stood from the sofa, stretching out his back to release the knots from his period of sitting.

“You’ve always been a soft touch,” Rose replied with a smirk.

“Oi - don’t push it. I might be somewhat retired but I'm still the Lord of Time,” the Doctor jibbed back, “but if it’s important to you, then it’s important to me, no matter how much it will sting when we get back.”

Rose chuckled. “So, wait… we’re banned from going into the TARDIS, our route to said TARDIS is blocked but I can go out into the garden without raising suspicion… how are you going to get to the TARDIS without going through Mum? Last time we snuck away only Great-Grandad was home, and he never tells on us anyway,” she pondered, “we’ll both have to go through the kitchen one way or another.”

There was no direct access to the back garden other than through the kitchen, nor was there any way to reach the blue box by leaving the house through the front door. There was, however, a little secret the Doctor had kept to himself, in case of emergency.

“Oh, don’t you worry yourself. You’re looking at the man who snuck out of the biggest high-security prison in the Silfrax Galaxy – twice. In one week.”

Rose looked fairly impressed, but the Doctor found it was getting harder and harder to impress the teenager as time went on. There was only so many times he could tell a story about escaping a fleet of Daleks before it grew a little repetitive.

“Tough crowd,” the Doctor uttered, straightening his tartan waistcoat with a sniff, “I’ll use the cellar window, easily done.”

“Wait, you use the cellar window to escape!?” Rose gawped.

“Rose Temple-Noble, how dare you insinuate such a thing. I used it once a couple of weeks after I arrived to get away from Sylvia and her book club,” the Doctor explained, “I do love my dear old mother-in-law, but there’s only so much you can take of them misquoting Charles Dickens. I did offer to take her and the other members to meet him, but she refused… so, I snuck out the window to go for a walk, instead. Haven’t used it since.”

This time, Rose did look impressed.

“Right then… meet you by the TARDIS in three minutes?”

-

Once Rose strolled calmly into the kitchen, complimented her Gran on the very well-presented quiche and offered to help her Mum with the sandwiches – which she knew would be met with a no since nobody could ever tamper with her mother’s sandwiches – she expertly explained she was going to lock up her crafting shed and wouldn’t be too long.

Neither Donna nor Sylvia noticed the Time Lord slipping through the cellar door in the hallway.

“Don’t close those patio doors or we’ll lose the breeze!” Sylvia reminded her granddaughter, who smiled and nodded, trying to edge her way towards the open doors. Donna, who’s hair was wrapped in curlers, suddenly looked a little curious as she added more egg to a tray of sandwiches.

“Where’s your uncle, anyway? He said he was finishing up those balloons an hour ago and that was the last I saw him,” Donna asked.

“Oh, he’s just… he’s just, tinkering! Yeah, tinkering… with the balloons. Balloon tinkering,” Rose replied, much less convincingly than she would have liked. It was a miracle her mother bought it.

“Fair enough – remember, no sneaking off in that blue box, the pair of you. It’s my birthday, I don’t want Sontarans storming the garden, or Ood showing up to cater for the party,” Donna warned, pointing a fork in Rose’s direction, but it was with a motherly smile.

Rose nodded, despite the sudden urge to stop what she was doing and listen to her Mum. Yes, this would make her mad… but it would be so incredibly worth it. “Yes, I know… I’ll be back soon.”

Instead of turning left to go to her crafting shed, Rose made sure neither Donna or Sylvia were looking before she quickly ducked right, under the kitchen window and sneaking around the bushes. Once in the clear, Rose quickly raced over to the blue box basking in the late-afternoon sunshine with a victorious shine in her eyes, the rest of the garden empty.

The Doctor was nowhere to be seen, so Rose leaned against the TARDIS and decided to wait for her uncle to appear.

Rose waited.

And waited.

Then, just to fuel her nerves even further, she waited some more.

Worryingly tapping her foot, the anxious teenager tried to peak around the greenery and flowers. The cellar window was positioned in a clearing surrounded by the bushes her Great-Grandfather loved to take care of, with stone steps leading down to some tables and chairs. There was no sign of her uncle emerging from that clearing.

“Come on, Mum’s going to catch us,” Rose uttered under her breath with a trepid glance at the open patio doors.

“Pst – Rose!”

An urgent, quiet whisper from behind the bushes. Rose perked up at the sound of the Doctors voice.

“What is it?!” Rose replied in a hushed whisper.

“Come here!” came the reply.

“Why?”

“Just come here!”

Rolling her eyes with a frustrated sigh, Rose carefully made her way towards the clearing of bushes, sneaking down the steps while shooting worried stares at the doors. At least the bushes would keep them hidden while in that area – for now.

“Doctor, we need to go, before Mum see-”

Rose was suddenly face to face with the Doctor – or rather, face to face with half of him. He was poking out from the cellar window, evidently agitated with his hands pressed against the wall, his face contorted into a grimace.

“What the hell are you doing?!” she asked.

The Doctor stopped his pushing and glanced up at his niece.

“What does it look like I’m doing?!”

“Oi, don’t get snappy with me, Mum won't like that,” Rose replied, folding her arms while glancing to make sure Donna hadn’t spotted them.

“Well I don't think she'll like any of this if she finds out what we’re doing – now help get me out of here!” the Doctor reiterated, his strained noises making the already anxious teenager even more nervous.

“Just… I dunno, shimmy your through?” Rose replied, somewhat confused.

“Shimmy!? Don’t you think I’ve tried that?” the Doctor replied in another snap, still struggling with the window to prove his point, “See? I can’t!”

“Well, why not?”

The Doctor’s expression fell into a serious but embarrassed glare. He stopped his efforts with a sigh, his diverted gaze looking everywhere but Rose.

“I can’t move,” he replied, in the quietest, most meek tone, like he’d just been caught by Donna with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Say again?” Rose asked.

“I can’t move,” the Doctor repeated. Still far too quiet for Rose to hear.

“Louder for the people in the back, please?” Rose retorted exasperatedly, putting a hand to her ear – completely forgetting they were supposed to be escaping silently.

“I can’t move!” the Doctor finally exclaimed - much too loud, as footsteps suddenly echoed just inside the patio doors. Rose gasped and quickly ducked down beside the Doctor, who grew as stiff as a board.

Donna’s mop of pinned-up ginger hair was visible even through the leaves and blossoming flowers as her head poked out into the garden.

Rose held her breath. The Doctor held his breath, his slightly shaking frame making the spikes of his hair tremble.

“Strange, thought I heard a noise,” Donna shrugged, and with that, she turned away and was gone.

After the pair released their held in breaths, Rose turned her attention back to the Doctor, who was now gritting his teeth.

“Are you saying you’re stuck?” Rose whispered, glancing at the cellar window. Now she was closer, it did look rather tight, with the Time Lord squeezed into it uncomfortably – it was a small window, just big enough for a skinny alien to navigate. Or rather, had been big enough. “How can you be stuck?”

“Keep your voice down!” the Doctor quipped, eyebrows tensed as he glared at his niece, who shot him a very disapproving look.

“Oi! I am! It’s you that’s stressing!” Rose replied while waving her hands at him, “I thought you said you’d used this window before?”

“Yeah, well, that was a five months ago,” the Doctor replied, attempting to tug himself forwards again, but with no result, “clearly, I’ve been enjoying retirement a little too much,” he added through clenched teeth.

Rose watched as he tugged again, realising what her uncle meant – he strained, seemingly slipping through, but at such a slow pace they’d be there for all the party guests to see if he didn’t hurry.

“Come on, you can do it,” Rose encouraged.

It was no wonder his suits had been feeling slightly tighter recently. Five months of ‘three meals a day, Spaceman’ and ‘look, here’s a packet of your favourite biscuits’... and how could he forget lovely little old Mrs Fredrick from next door who always popped around with the odd pie or batch of brownies?

Another few precious seconds ticked by, and the Doctor eventually slumped in defeat, out of breath and still very much caught in the window.

“This is not good,” he admitted, “well, worse than not good, actually… very bad, more like.”

“Okay, okay, chill, we can fix this,” Rose tried to reassure him despite her growing concern. “You just need to twist around a little bit, shift your weight, I’m sure you’ll pop right out.”

The Doctor tried that. A little more progress… which only resulted in more tightness. Eventually, he stopped again, long fingers clutching the soft grass as he tried to catch his breath.

By now, guilt was starting to bubble into Rose’s chest – she’d caused this. If they were caught now, she dreaded to think what her mother would say.

“Listen, let’s just call this whole thing off, I’m not having you hurt yourself because I wanted to-” Rose began, but the Doctor quickly cut her off.

“There is absolutely no way we’re giving up now – just because I’m having a little bit of trouble with this window, does not equal defeat, right?” the Doctor said and he gave Rose his most reassuring smile, despite his predicament.

Rose instantly felt more at ease and she smiled back.

“A little bit of trouble?” Rose questioned, finding humour among the urgency, but also incredibly grateful to the Doctor for not giving in so easily.

“Hey - you try saying no to lovely old Mrs Fredrick when she’s stood at the front door holding an apple pie that she made ‘just for you’,” the Doctor retorted.

It was true�� Rose wondered how anyone could say no to that sweet old lady when she stood in her little flowery oven mitts with her baked goods.

“Okay, don't worry, we can do this – I have an idea,” Rose confidently told the Doctor and determinedly got to her feet, holding out both her hands after sparing a glance to the patio doors to check for any sign of her mother. “Give me your hands.”

The Doctor, who admittedly was extremely eager to be free from the window to continue helping his niece, didn’t hesitate to reach up to grasp her outstretched hands. It was an awkward position for his long, thin body, but this was their last chance.

“If your Mum saw this I think she’d laugh rather than get mad,” the Doctor commented.

“Let’s not test the waters – ready?”

And with that, Rose leaned back and began pulling.

They were both quietly delighted when the Doctor began to move immediately, quicker than his lone efforts, but it was still precariously tight for the poor Time Lord.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the patio door.

As if playing musical statues, Rose and the Doctor froze with their hands still clutched together, the Doctor awkwardly stretched with Rose leaning back on her feet, her curly hair swaying in the light breeze.

Donna appeared again and she held out a hand, evaluating the settling beams of the sun.

“Still warm out, Mum - fancy finishing those cocktails in the fridge before we start decorating? I’ll go grab some ice from the cellar, we’ve ran out up here. And I need to find Spaceman, wherever he is, I need help with the rest of these sandwiches,” Donna said as she pulled back her hand from the sun beam she’d been testing and strolled inside.

Rose was sure she’d never seen such panic overtake anyone’s expression as quickly as it overcame the Doctors.

“Rose Temple-Noble, get me out of this window, now.”

“On it.”

Rose resumed her efforts with an added franticness, while the Doctor tried to wriggle the rest of his trapped waist through the window.

After a tense few seconds, he eventually slid through, and Rose gently placed his hands down onto the grass. He was clearly winded from the effort and his arms shook as he tried to lift himself up.

“OI!”

Donna had been expecting to go to the spare freezer for the ice without a care in the world – oh, she loved those cocktails from Lidl.

What she hadn’t been expecting was the sight of her best friend’s lanky legs dangling inside the cellar window.

“What the hell is going on?!” She yelled as she began to march down the old wooden stairs, completely bewildered at the sight.

Outside, Rose practically flung herself at her uncle, helping to heave his exhausted form forwards enough to get him moving. They were both in fight or flight and, in that moment, they both chose flight - no matter the consequences.

Inside, Donna was fast approaching the flailing tartan legs.

“Get your skinny backside back in this house!”

“Come on, come on!” Rose urged the Doctor.

“Is that you Rose? Oh, just you both wait until I-”

Donna reached out to grab one of the disappearing Converse but missed by a mere centimetre as the Doctor’s shoes finally disappeared through the window.

In the time it took her to recover from the near miss and look through the glass, she saw the retreating figures of the Doctor and Rose running through the bushes.

And by the time she’d raced back upstairs and past a very confused Sylvia holding a tray of slightly overcooked sausage rolls, Donna knew it was much too late.

-

“You have ten seconds to explain yourself – go.”

Stood before a very irritated Donna Noble in the back garden, the Doctor and Rose glanced at each other.

For Donna, it had only been two minutes since she’d discovered the Doctor’s dangling legs in the cellar. Two minutes had been enough for her to piece together a familiar puzzle, and so she'd angrily removed the curling blocks from her hair and stood in the back garden, waiting for the familiar whirrs of the TARDIS returning.

“Donna, we’ve only been gone for two minutes, and in my defence-” the Doctor began explaining but was quickly shushed by Donna.

“Not now, Spaceman – Rose, what do you have to say for yourself?”

The Doctor promptly closed his mouth and placed his hands behind his back.

Ah, family…

“Mum, I know this looks bad, but please, don’t be mad, I really wanted to-”

“To what? Fly off to some dangerous alien planet - nearly fall into a black hole? I told both of you I didn’t want anyone jaunting off on my birthday, and yet look where we are!” Donna stated, holding out her arms. Despite the anger she’d already prepared for, Rose stepped forwards with both hands secured behind her back, holding the very item she hoped would be able to save both herself and the Doctor from a grounding.

“Mum, please listen – this was all my idea, and no, we didn’t go flying off looking for trouble. I-… I wanted to get you something, for your birthday.”

Donna’s expression softened.

“Wait – you snuck off to get me a present?” Donna replied, not excusing it, but it was far from what she had expected to hear.

At Rose’s nod, Donna softened even more.

“Rose, darling, you know I’m always telling you not to make a fuss – the Doctor is supposed to be resting, not flying you around time and space to go shopping. This is the third time in two months you two have gone flying off together without me knowing… I don’t ground you both to be mean, I do it because I worry about you. Both of you.”

The Doctor looked a little meek as Donna shot him a glare to make sure he knew the impact of her words. He diverted his gaze downwards, as Rose took another defiant step forwards.

“But if I told you where we were going you would have said no, and it would have ruined the surprise, so…”

Donna’s hard stare returned, but she was no longer furious. “Maybe if you’d asked me first, I would have said yes, but instead, you had your uncle climbing through our cellar window? You both lied to me - on my birthday, no less.”

The Doctor didn’t just see but could physically sense the excitement dripping away from Rose’s posture and he couldn’t stay quiet any longer.

Domestics never used to be his thing. Once over, he would have run away and hid from a confrontation of this very nature. Now, it was time to defend his niece.

“Donna, it’s really not her fault – I agreed to do it, for her,” he explained, “and I really think you should look at what she’s gotten you.”

Donna sighed. Even she could see her daughter’s excitement dwindling… her kind, beautiful, wonderful daughter, no less.

“Okay, fine,” Donna gave in with a small smile, and Rose shot the Doctor a thankful smile before she revealed the object from behind her back, holding it out for her Mum to take.

This was it.

“Happy Birthday, Mum.” Rose smiled.

Donna reached out and gently took the gift from Rose.

It was a crumpled piece of paper.

“Oh… what’s this?” Donna questioned.

“Remember last year when we were walking through the park and you pulled out your purse, but it was really windy, and everything flew out? Receipts, money…” Rose trailed off.

It took a moment, but Donna soon recalled the event Rose described.

“Yeah, it was that cheap old purse from Primark, fell to bits, didn’t it… and I lost…”

This time, Donna’s voice trailed off. She immediately began to unfold the crumpled paper, which was dirty, but still intact. When the paper finally opened, Donna felt her throat begin to tighten, her eyes began to burn.

“You lost the last thing Grandad ever wrote down for you.”

Donna held the paper like it was made of crystal… like it was the most precious thing in the entire Universe.

On the paper, in Geoff’s handwriting, the words read:

You’ll do amazing things, my girl. Love, Dad.

“You never told me, but I knew after Dad said you’d lost it that day,” Rose explained, “I remember I watched it fly away into bush and I didn’t say anything, because I thought it was just a random bit of paper - not anything important. So, now you have it back.”

Donna sniffed, reaching up to wipe the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Never would she have thought she’d be holding this again.

“So… y-you went back in time to pick it up?” Donna asked, shakily.

Rose nodded.

“The Doctor took us to the exact day, a few minutes after we’d originally left the park. I was worried it might have blown away, but it was there, in that same bush. No trips to Mars, no sneaking off to the 1800’s, no-”

Rose was interrupted by her mother’s tight embrace.

“You don’t have to say anymore, sweetheart,” Donna said, still clutching the paper in her hand, “I forgive you for sneaking off. I’m so sorry for being so mad,” Donna apologised, holding onto her daughters curls tightly. "Thank you so much."

Rose lifted her arms and hugged her Mum back, smiling with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

“Go and show your Gran, she’ll be just as surprised as me,” Donna suggested, pulling back from the hug to cup her daughters face. “And I mean it this time when I say no more sneaking away. This-” she placed the paper into Rose’s hand, “was more than I ever could have asked for.”

Before Rose even considered making her way back to the house, she turned to run up to the Doctor and wrapped her arms around him tightly. The Time Lord, having stood in absolute silence with a slight wetness in his eyes, quickly returned Rose’s embrace.

“Thank you,” Rose said.

The Doctor didn’t say anything. Instead, he pulled back and gave her a wink. A wink that said everything he needed it to.

The garden was silent once more as Donna watched her daughter retreat into house, elated at the surprise gift and kindness of the gesture.

Suddenly, the silence was broken.

“Am I forgiven?”

Donna closed her eyes and shook her head – but the faintest of humorous smiles sat on her thinned lips.

“I’m still debating on that,” Donna stated, turning to face the Doctor, “you did promise me you wouldn’t fly off under any circumstances today.”

“Oh, come on,” The Doctor replied, “when she told me her idea, I couldn’t say no… it touched both my hearts, I’ll have you know. She’s as thoughtful and kind as her mother.”

“Oh no you don’t, Brainbox, flattery will get you nowhere,” Donna jibbed, but she was smiling as the Doctor approached.

“You know I don’t mind you taking her on the odd trip here and there, but when I said I worry, I mean it… if something happened to you while you were out, what would happen to Rose?”

“I wouldn’t let anything like that happen, Donna… HADS, remember?”

“Yeah, well, the HADS are one thing… but alien potatoes pointing rifles at my daughter would be another, just to name one example.”

“Again,” the Doctor said, “wouldn’t let it happen. I try not to go looking for trouble as much, these days.”

The look on Donna’s face grew sharper and he realised he couldn’t be so nonchalant.

“Okay… I’m sorry.”

Donna sighed. “I know you are,” she replied, nudging the Doctor in the side with her arm, “you just can’t resist that niece of yours, can you?”

Of course he couldn’t. She was his world now… they all were.

“Nope,” he answered, popping the ‘p’.

Donna slinked an arm around the Doctor’s waist, and he in turn wrapped an arm around her shoulders. When Donna squeezed him however, he unintentionally winced and let go.

Surprised, Donna immediately loosened her own grip.

“Spaceman? You alright?”

The Doctor quickly recovered from the sudden stinging sensation and shook his head. “Oh… don’t worry, it’s nothing. Just a little strain from… well, never mind. Moving on - still need help with the sandwiches?”

“Strain from what?” Donna asked, concerned enough to ignore his attempt at diverting the conversation.

“Nothing, it’s honestly nothing, Donna, I promise,” the Doctor sniffed.

“Doctor, tell me,”

“It’s nothing!”

That clearly meant it was something.

“Wait a minute…” Donna declared, her concern losing its edge, but not entirely, “that’s right, I remember now - you were hanging halfway out of that cellar window when I caught you.”

The Doctor’s cheeks were suddenly the same shade as the pink flowers in the nearest plant pot. “You mean nearly caught me,” he corrected her, quietly.

Donna inhaled. "Okay, nearly caught you...any reason why?"

"No."

“Aw… did the retired Time Lord have a little trouble escaping through a window?”

“What? Nah…” the Doctor pied off, a little too quickly, “walk in the park, that was. Just a bit of an awkward angle. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Donna reached out and prodded the Doctor in the middle – where her finger would have once met complete flatness, it instead sunk into a small mound of softness which filled out the once loose shirt. When the Doctor instantly swatted her hand away with a grimace, she knew.

She knew her best friend, his expressions, his body language... that sadness lingering behind his eyes.

“Oh, Spaceman,” she sighed while gazing up into those round brown eyes. The Doctor noticed and raised his eyebrows.

“What?” he uttered.

Donna gently moved her hands to the front of the Doctor’s stomach, between his open waistcoat.

“What are you doing?” the Doctor asked, growing stiff again at the prospect of his sore skin being jabbed, but he was surprised to feel a gentle touch, Donna’s palms resting on his tiny belly.

“Nothing, just… I’ve noticed these past few weeks how much healthier you’re looking. More there.”

More there? The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

“But… I was there, here, wherever, before, wasn’t I?” the Doctor said in a high-pitched squeak.

“You were, but not like this,” Donna replied, thinking back to watching the two Doctors fighting for the fate of humanity with a ball – the new Doctor had exuded so much energy and youth… her Doctor, this Doctor, had looked pale, thin, exhausted. “I was so worried about you, all that time leading up to that bloody game of catch. You were burned out. Thin as a pin, remember?”

“That’s the second time I’ve heard that today,” the Doctor replied.

“Yeah well,” Donna began, “seeing you like this, with a bit of meat on your bones and your face looking less gaunt and sunken in… it’s on par with Rose’s surprise gift. I don’t want fancy watches or spa days for my birthday. I want my best friend to be healthy… that is such a wonderful gift. And I've never been happier to realise you had trouble squeezing out of a window.”

The Doctor was silent. Donna’s sincerity was finally beginning to sink in as he opened his mouth to speak, but closed it when no words came out.

Yes, he had days he struggled… oh, sometimes he could scream and cry into any open abyss. Wounds would flare, his mind would play tricks on him, or he’d spot someone on the street resembling Amy, Clara, or Bill… and he’d want to run. This extra weight... he hadn't realised it, but the doubts had crept up.

But Donna. She kept him grounded. His family kept him grounded – and hearing such soft, sweet words made him feel better about ever getting caught in that bloody window.

“I only want what’s best for you, Spaceman… and this,” Donna said, rubbing her hand softly over the Doctors tighter shirt, “tells me we must be doing something right.”

Tears were blurring his vision now. His throat felt constricted, and his lower lip wobbled.

“You could never do wrong by me. Any of you,” he replied, in the quietest, most fragile whimper.

Donna always expected to have a little cry on her birthday, every year – but now, for the second time that afternoon, she wanted to cry again and let her tears build.

“Come here, you big old softie,” she said, moving her hands to pull the Doctor firmly into a hug. He chuckled through his own tears and fell into Donna’s arms, his head tucking against her shoulder – and she held him. Firmly but softly. Quietly, but with the odd sniff from both of them.

“And for the record, Spaceman – yes, I do forgive you.”

The Doctor’s wobbling lip crept into a smile.

"Happy birthday, Donna Noble."

[junespriince]

Princely Whelmed au

Dick: But I am leaving soon for *insert Kori's kingdom i haven't named yet*

Wally, pissed: and that's not far enough!

Wally: do you think there is a corner of this earth, that you could travel to, far away enough to free me from this torment?

Wally: I am a gentleman. My mother (iris) raised me to act with honor, but that honor is hanging by a thread that grows more precarious with every moment I spend in your presence.

Wally: you are the bane of my existence, the man of all my desires. I love you.

Dick: Sir West... I-I,*thinking real hard about his father wanting him to marry Kori for kingdom biz, but then again he played dead to get out of royal biz sooooo* I love you too... let's run away, Tim wanted the kingdom anyways!

Wally: finally!

[thebearer]

making the bed |carmen berzatto x reader| part one

prompt: carmen's stressed. food critics, a newborn baby, balancing work life and married life and now dad life; he's bound to break, everyone knows it. but no one ever thought he'd lash out on you.

or, part one of the devastation fic. based off this ask from the other day. two more parts to come.

contains: mega angst. mega angst, with no resolution in this part. hurt, no comfort (in this chapter, will be later in part 3). mean!carmen, very mean. mom!reader x dad!carmen with newborn teddy. fighting, language, carmen says mean stuff he doesn't mean. past mentions of trauma, family trauma, mikey mentioned. very angsty and a little heavy, please read at your own discretion. word count- 3.5k+.

"Are you ok?"

Carmen now understood why that phrase used to send Donna into such a blind rage, lips pursing and jaw clenching more and more every time he heard it. First at work, then with you, it felt never ending.

It was beginning to feel like critic season with how many were coming in, snooty and demanding to be impressed. It couldn't have come at a worst time, right in the middle of busy season with the start of the holidays. Days at The Bear were filled with frantic panic, running around, making sure everything was perfect, accounted for, and Carmen always had the sinking feeling it wasn't- that he'd forgotten something, messed something up. 

It wasn't rare for him to work himself up like this, a normal that you always warned him about, but he'd always had a solitude. As long as he'd known you, he'd had a place to go, to unwind, to let himself rest and reset with you. And he still did, it was just shared now with a newborn.

Dorothea Michelle. Teddy, for short. The light of his life, yours too. Nearly two months old with a set of lungs that sounded much louder, much more developed than that. Nights were long, sleepless, spent trying to lull Teddy back to sleep, awake even if he wasn't up with her. Carmen couldn't allow himself the selfishness to relax, to rewind, to "take it easy" like everyone told him to. At work, he was the boss; at home, he was a dad.

"Fuck, fuck," Carmen's sleepy stare was broken by a lick of bubbling heat, the lamb's roux popping with the high heat, splashing all over Carmen's chef whites.

"Jeff, c'mon," Tina clicked, shaking her head, moving the pan to lower heat. "What're you doin'?"

Carmen grit his teeth, snatching a rag off the stainless steel counter tops, scrubbing the burgundy stain, huffing when it only spread the stain.

"What happened?" Sydney turned, looking from the burnt sauce to Carmen's stained chef shirt. "Oh,"

"Do we have a spare coat?" Carmen huffed, throwing the rag down with a firm smack against the counter.

"I don't think so, Carm." Sydney shook her head. "You took the last ones home with you two days ago. The wine-"

"-I know, Chef, I know." Carmen snapped, running a hand through his hair. "Fuck, I-I can't fuckin' serve the critics lookin' like this. With shit all over me- fuck."

"Hey, easy, easy," Richie turned the corner, his hands held up. "What's goin' on?"

"Jeff got sauce over him. He doesn't have any clean clothes." Tina muttered, irritated that she had to fix his mess, more irritated that he wasn't taking care of himself. You have a baby, Jeff, you need to rest and take some time, she'd told him. Carmen only waved her off.

"Okay, okay, hey, that's no problem." Richie's voice raised, lifting over Carmen's. "You go home and change, get your spare, check on my beautiful goddaughter, and then come back with your A game. Yes?"

Carmen didn't even humor him with a snarky remark, yanking his coat off and stomping towards the office to grab his things. Richie and Tina looked at each other, shaking their head gently.

"Kids runnin' thin, T." Richie muttered with a sigh. "He's gonna break. It's gonna be bad."

"Yeah, he is. Gonna wear himself out before then." Tina shook her head. "Jeff needs a vacation." They both jumped at the slamming of the backdoor, Carmen's angry exit shaking the foundation.

"Needs to be fuckin' medicated. Fuckin' lunatic." Richie scoffed, rolling his eyes at Carmen's dramatics.

The drive home was filled with silence, Carmen's iron grip on the wheel, tearing through the traffic towards the house- his house, his home. 

Home, but it didn't provide the same comfort that it usually did. Carmen's shoulders still stayed tense, buzzing with rage, not dissipating when he thought of you, or of Teddy, knowing you'd both be there, excited to see him. 

You jumped at the sound of the car door slamming, peeking out the window to see Carmen's parked next to yours, furiously stomping up the front steps. You frowned, grabbing the baby monitor, walking towards the front door.

Carmen nearly hit you with how fiercely he flung the door open. "Woah," You reached for the door, stopping it before he could flick it shut. "Carm, don't slam it. Teddy's asleep. I just got her down." You frowned at him, shutting it slowly.

Carmen looked at you but didn't speak, looking through you with a rage that had your spine tingling before he finally broke his gaze, stomping towards the laundry room. "Carm? What’re you doing home? Don’t you have dinner soon?" You hesitated slightly, lingering in the doorway with an uncertainty you hadn’t felt with Carmen before. 

Carmen didn’t answer, his jaw still ground tight while he rummaged through the clean clothes, carelessly unfolding and shifting the folded clothes.

"Carmen," You said more firmly, caching his gaze. He didn't speak still, just stared at you- through you. "Are you ok?" You lifted a brow, features softening in worry.

Carmen paused, eyes closing, shoulders tensing in agitation. Are you ok? His ears rang, a familiar rage that he hadn't felt in years bubbling up deep in his chest. Frustrated and blinding and rampant, heat rushing through his veins, pulling himself further and further from reality into someplace different- someplace darker in his mind. 

"What's wrong?" You pressed, he could barely hear it, ears ringing at your question. "Did something happen? Did the critic come-"

"-Where's my chef whites?" Carmen barked, cutting you off, his chest tightening more and more with every heavy heave of his chest. You flinched at his tone.

"Uh, I-I haven't seen the whites. I washed your white tee-"

“-You what? Y-You what?” Carmen spat, eye widening with a wild, raged glint in his eye. Your stomach flipped and fell with fear, stepping back instinctively. 

“I-I washed your tee, Carm, that’s all that you left in the laundry basket-” 

"-Are you fucking kidding me?" Carmen boomed, his head spinning, body buzzing with rage. Your breath hitched, frozen in fear at the anger in his tone, the roar of his voice bouncing off the walls, echoing through your ears in a painful drum. 

Carmen moved, snatching the dirty clothes basket, dumping it into the ground with a shake until the dirty chef coat fell on top. He gripped the basket, flinging it across the room with a hard throw. The final push to his bad mood that sent him right over the edge, crashing into a pit of blinding fury, aggravation, breaking him from the inside out.

"Fuck!" Carmen roared, his voice shaking the walls, your breath leaving your lungs in a trembling exhale of fear. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! This is- This is- Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me?” 

You tensed in shock, gripping the baby monitor in fear, maybe surprise, as it started to buzz to life with Teddy's startled whimpers. Her small cries pulled you out of your frozen state, something deeper than fear replacing the ache in your stomach. 

"Carmen-" You gaped, voice wobbling with uncertainty, taking slow shuffled steps towards the stairs. “Carmen, calm-calm down. Ok? Calm down.” 

“Calm down? You want me to fuckin’ calm down?” Carmen sneered, an angry red flush blossoming in splotchy deep hues up his neck, towards his cheeks. “You don’t do shit, nothin’ that I fuckin’ ask for! Just sit around all fuckin’ day an-and I’m supposed to calm down?” 

“Carmen,” Your voice wobbled, throat tight with tears, hurt and fear strangling your words. “I-You didn’t ask me to wash them. I-I didn’t know. They weren’t in the hamper-” 

“-I shouldn’t have to ask you to wash them!” Carmen roared, eyes so wide you thought they might pop right out of his head, neck vein protruding on exemplifying his rage. “You know what I’m going through! You know how much fuckin’ stress I’m under! I go to that-that shit hole, an-and work my fuckin’ ass off so you don’t have to! Then I come home, and I-I can’t even get a second of peace!” 

“Stop,” You hiss, finally regaining your composure, his words fully sinking into you  now, feeling the full effect of them. “I-I just had a baby. I’m still on maternity leave taking care of a baby- our baby, and I’m tired too. But I’m not yelling at you-” 

“-Oh, right. Right.” Carmen laughs sarcastically, humorless as he runs his hand down his face. It felt mocking, left you feeling small and too vulnerable for your liking. “Because in between your napping an-and feeding, you couldn’t stick a fucking jacket in the wash, right? You’re so busy.”  

“What is wrong with you?” You snap, hoping he can’t hear the tears in your voice, the way your voice shakes with emotion. 

“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?” Carmen scoffs, throwing his hands out. “I get no fuckin' sleep, go work my fuckin' ass off, a-and then I come home so I can go back and work my ass off some more, and-and you can’t do one simple fuckin’ thing? You can’t help me out? And then you wanna know what’s wrong with me? When you sit on your ass all fuckin’ day-” 

Teddy’s piercing wail pulls you out of your shocked trance, nose and throat burning with hurt filled tears you refuse to shed. Instead, you turn, climbing the stairs on shaky legs, the sound of Teddy’s cries growing louder and louder. Anchovy watches you from the top of the stairs, sensing the tension, your upset, sliding against your leg as if to comfort you. 

Carmen scoffs, hands buzzing and trembling with rage, the ringing in his ears growing louder and louder with each of your footsteps on the stairs and down the hall. He can barely hear Teddy’s sobs, hands threading through his hair, pulling at his scalp. He sees you walk towards the bedroom, quickly, hugging Teddy to your chest. 

“Oh, don’t go fuckin’ do it now!” Carmen roared, your ignoring him only infuriating him further. “It won’t be ready in time now. I’ll just look like a fuckin’ idiot for the critic tonight! Not that you care! Why would you, huh? I-I mean just our livelihood, just our fuckin’ income!” 

You swallowed back your tears, head tilting towards the ceiling, hands shaking with every shove of your things into the overnight bag. Just enough to get you through the night, the next day. A few essentials, Teddy’s spare onesies, a charger, your wallet- you stopped mid-shove of your items into the weekender bag, the sun’s rays catching in your wedding ring. Your heart fell, more and more, you weren’t sure how that was even possible. 

Carmen’s furious voice was still booming from downstairs, ringing and shaking in his furious fit. Richie and Sugar both warned you about Carmen’s tantrums, brought them up to embarrass him, tease him about it until he was red faced and hissing hushed threats at them. You never, never in your wildest dreams thought you’d be on the receiving end of one. 

You jumped, another slam of something Carmen had thrown, maybe hit in a fit of rage, causing Teddy to wail louder, Anchovy skittering nervously away. Tears leaked out of your eyes, twisting the ring off your finger, setting it on Carmen’s bedside table. Pulling the carrier out of the closet, Anchovy got in much easier than usual, which you were thankful for. 

Carmen was gripping the marble of the countertop when he heard you again, walking from the bottom of the stairs, quick steps towards the door to the garage, Teddy’s voice nearly hoarse from her crying. You kept your head high, tunnel-visioned towards your car, ignoring his heavy breathing and frantic pacing. 

“Wha-What are you doin’?” Carmen’s voice was softer now, still with a jagged edge that was cutting and harsh. The car door opened, the baby carrier hooked into the car seat. 

“Hey, wha- what are you- where’re you goin’? What’re you doin’?” Carmen’s heart dropped in a damning rush of hour, stumbling on heavy legs towards the garage. You ignored him, shushing Teddy gently, running a calming hand over her wet cheek, trying to coax her paci into her mouth. 

“Baby, no-no, no. Hey, no, I-I- What-” Carmen’s chest felt tight, mind numbing and racing, stuttering nervously. You reached for your bag, his hand reaching to grab the strap. “Whe-Where’re you-”

“-Don’t touch me.” You hissed, teeth bared, eyes shining with tears. Carmen flinched, pulling his hand back like he’d touched a hot stove. “Don’t you dare fucking touch me.” You sneered, pinning him with a watery glare that had his stomach turning in sickening fear. 

“Baby, hey, w-wait-C’mon, d-don’t-You don’t, you don’t need to do this, ok? I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Carmen choked out the words, frantic and unsure, his hands shaking when they ghosted over you back just for a moment. Wanting to touch you, to hold you, to grab you and keep you from leaving, but too scared to. Instead, he grabbed the car door you flung open, holding it when you tried to yank it closed. 

“Let go.” You hissed, sniffling back wet, snotty tears of fury and hurt. 

“Please, don’t-do-don’t do this. Please, baby, I-I’m sorry.” Carmen begged, blue eyes deepening with the burning red hues of tears, bloodshot and lashes wet. “Don’t-Don’t do this-” 

“-I didn’t do this.” You sneered, leaving Carmen flinching at your words. “Don’t you dare try to say this was me. After how you just talked to me? The shit you said to me in there? You think I’m going to stay?” Your voice cracked with emotion, lips pressing together to keep a cry in. 

“No, no, no, no, no, baby, please. Please, ju-just come inside. Come inside, please? Please, don’t-” 

“You don’t get to talk to me like that. To say that kinda stuff to me. That hurt, Carmen. That was mean.” You glared at him, tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes. “I don’t care if you’re stressed. I don’t care what’s going on- nothing, and I mean nothing, warrants you talking to me like that. Just because you fucked up, because you forgot to ask me to do it, because you’re stressed out- I don’t care what it is. You don’t talk to me like that, say those things when I’ve been home all day taking care of my ch- our child.” You nod back towards the sniffling baby, whimpering and crying half heartedly, her little eyelids drooping with sleep that was interrupted. 

Carmen felt sick, his knees tightening in fear, he was sure they might give out, that he might fall to the ground right there. Looking at the tiny baby, lip jutted and shaking in the mirror hooked on the back of the seat, then back at you, eyes red-rimmed and glaring at him with a hurt filled anger. 

“Don’t-” Carmen’s chest shook, a white-knuckled grip on the door. 

Your own hand curled around the door’s inner handle, yanking it away from him. “Move,” You hissed, pulling again. 

Carmen wasn’t sure why he let it go, why he let you shut it, locking the door in case he tried to open it again. Why he let you pull out of the driveway, why he didn’t stop you, why he didn’t run after you, only taking soft shuffles down the drive like a zombie as you drove away. Standing in the drive, Carmen swallowed down the spit that pooled in his mouth, stomach churning, sure he was going to be sick. 

He managed to trudge back to the garage, mind racing and far away, the ringing in his ears dulling but still deafening. It felt like he was in a dream- a nightmare, a hallucinating trance that felt like a sick, sick dream- Carmen was hoping it was. That he’d wake up and find you next to him asleep. That he could hug you, pull you into him, nose buried in your neck, still warm from your slumber. 

As the sun began to sink low into the sky, minutes turning into hours that Carmen sat motionless in the garage, staring in a trancelike state, he realized that this wasn’t a dream or a nightmare. No this was his reality, a horrific reality that he’d made into his own. Carmen sat, eyes trained on the concrete of the garage, voice racing and blending in his mind- his words, yours, Teddy’s cries, Natalie and Richie’s, flashbacks of his mother screaming fits. 

He didn’t move, frozen in chilling, eerie fear. What ifs and terrifying possible scenarios, consequences to his own actions that left him feeling sick, hands trembling. A spiraling of fears that only drug him deeper and deeper with every haunting replay of his outburst. Even the flashing of headlights turning into the driveway, filling the garage with light, didn’t pull him from his trance. 

“The fuck is he- Cousin!” Richie roared, laying on the horn. Carmen didn’t move, didn’t acknowledge that he heard it, only stared. Richie frowned, turning the car off, throwing the door open. 

“Cousin? Carm? What-What are you doin’? Dinner service started an hour ago. Syd is freakin’ the fuck out.” Richie threw his hands up, walking towards the man who still didn’t move. Richie’s heart skipped, flashbacks of Mikey flooding into his vision, parallels of the two brothers blurring before him. 

“Yo, Carm, you-you good?” Richie stepped into the garage, his spine tingling with icy fear. It was quiet, an eerie, unsettling quiet. “Cousin, hey, what-what’s wrong?” 

Carmen's chest rose and fell, tighter and tighter. He was suffocating, head spinning and mind racing so fast he felt light headed. He could barely hear Richie’s voice over the noise in his head, Richie’s hand shaking his shoulder finally breaking his trance enough to meet his eyes, rounded in fear filled question. 

“Carmen, what’s wrong? Is it- Don’t fuckin’ tell me it’s the baby. What the fuck is goin’ on-” 

“-She left.” Carmen’s voice shook, raspy and scared. His tongue still felt too thick, head still spinning. He wasn’t even sure he said it, Richie’s widening eyes the only thing confirming that he had said it. 

“What? Who-Who left? Who?” Richie looked around, like the clues might be there, sure that Carmen wasn’t talking about you. No, he wouldn’t- he couldn’t. Not you. 

Carmen’s breath hitched, a strangling of a sob caught in his throat, running his hand over his face. Richie didn’t miss the way it trembled, shaking even as it rested over his eyes. Your car was gone, the house too quiet, no baby Teddy crying, nothing but silence was left. 

Richie’s heartbeat crawled into a rapid, scared pace. “Why? Wh-Why would she-” Richie looked at Carmen, eyes wide but still, reading his expression. “No. No, Cousin, no. What-What did you do? Carmen,” Richie grabbed both his shoulders, shaking him lightly until he met his gaze. “What did you do?” 

Carmen’s face began to crack, behind his eyes, Richie could see flashbacks of something- something he didn’t know what, but whatever it was, it was painful. That was evident by the fear that glossed over Carmen’s eyes, realization and horror. Carmen’s shoulders shook, frame rocking with a sob he tried to swallow, but couldn’t. Deep cries, guttural sobs breaking out of his frame, heels of his hands pressed to his eyes, fingers curled and clenched around his greasy curls in agony. 

The damning realization flooded over him, that you’d left. 

You’d left, you’d taken Teddy, taken Anchovy- you’d left because he’d driven you away. His angry outburst, petulant, mean, hurtful- he’d been so cruel to you. You. His wife, the love of his life, mother of his child, the one person who loved him endlessly without stipulations or boundaries, the one person who truly understood him. 

And he’d driven you away. 

He wished he could blame his mom, his dad, his family for fucking him up so severely, maybe Mikey, even, for leaving him the shit show that was the restaurant, making his anxieties worse and fuse shorter. But sitting in the empty garage, Richie standing above him in silent shock, his sobs and angry sniffles echoing off the cement floor, Carmen knew he had no one to blame but himself. 

He’d fucked up. Really fucked up. Fucked up in a way that made all the other times look obsolete. 

Carmen had fucked up, and for once, he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t avoid it, ignore it, deflect it like other times. Half hearted apologies and promises of change wouldn’t work, you weren’t here for him to even try to give them to you, and he didn’t know where you went. 

Carmen wasn’t sure where you went, how to fix this, why he’d done what he did, and a million other things that raced through his mind. What he did know, sitting in the too quiet garage, chest stuttering with heaving cries, was that he’d do anything. 

Anything, to get you back home. To make it right. To fix this and make it up to you. 

He wasn’t sure how, but he’d give up everything. Anything. His restaurant, his dreams, his hopes, his life, at this point, to make it up to you. 

[donetbhlmao]

every time i rewatch the bear i think about how sydney (often) actively resists opening up emotionally to/getting closer to carmy - more under the cut

moments that immediately come to mind:

when carm asks syd about her dad in s2 e2: she interrupts him and brings the convo back to food.

when carmy asks syd about her new place and how her dad is feeling about the move in s3: i don't remember the actual episode but she interrupts him again to talk about work. what was the reason!!!

when carmy initially asks about syd's mom in s2: she has shown that talking about her mom is difficult (see: her convo with marcus at her place when she made him a beautiful meal), so this could be ambiguous but i think still worth mentioning.

WHEN CARMY TELLS HER SHE LOOKS NICE IN S3: she immediately takes off her bow???? i havent been able to stop thinking about this beat because why does she do that. does she not want to be perceived by him that way? does she feel guilty because she just got back from meeting with another chef for another position (thereby potentially dissolving her and carmy's partnership)? WHY WHY WHY (also she's so real for this because i think it's at least partially meant to signal that she's uncomfortable with his attention if he's not going to accompany it with meaningful communication). yes she favors scarves in the kitchen and she was getting ready for work but i think there's something else going on and have been rotating this scene in my head like it's a rotisserie chicken.

the fact that she half-lied about why she came to work at the bear in the first place, and, relatedly, that he made the best meal she ever had: maybe carm caught onto this one but she doesn't ever openly tell him that she's a fan of his work (and that he made the best meal she ever had!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) i say half-lied because she almost immediately tells him that she knows who he is. so.

i've been thinking a lot about syd's feelings for carmy and how she likely fears emotional intimacy with him. it's a stark contrast to how easily she opens up to marcus or asks richie questions about his daughter or even mentors/becomes friends with tina.

carmy is deeply interested in syd as a person and SHOWS it - in fact the few times in s3 that he's civil to her is when they are not working in the stresses of the kitchen and he's asking her about her life.

i can't think of a time where syd asks CARMY about his family (remember - she asks richie about michael), and when he opens up (without prompting from her!!!) about michael being an addict to her she lightens the mood with a joke, and when he opens up about how donna was a nightmare and he's trying to reclaim cannolis, all she says is "whoa." (btw i actually love sydney because she's so emotionally stunted like that's my girl <3)

she will open up about sheridan road, and her fear of failure (so inherent to who she is and her motivations in the show!), but not so much about HERself and her personal life. it's fascinating.

an exception to this is when syd tells carmy to call richie and apologize - even then it's not syd "asking" per se, but it is her taking a step and knowing what's best for carmy (and the kitchen) in that moment.

i think this is meant to indicate how carmy is different from everyone else in syd's life - almost like he doesn't "fit" into any of the other boxes she has for people.

now, i personally read this as romantic. there's something BIG blocking sydney from accepting that, though, and i think it's that carmy is so tied to her passion, her profession, her LIFE'S WORK, and she will not, cannot, fuck that up. we all talk about claire being an obstacle to a potential romantic connection between the two - and she is - but i truly think sydney's unwillingness to confront her interest in carmy is a bigger, more substantial hurdle (though not at all impossible to overcome!)

[lotomber]

Hear me owwwwt pm! Dazai with a teen mom reader (17 or 18?) and he became a an AMAZING stepfather but when bio dad comes demanding custody he insults dazai for only being the stepdad and not the bio dad….(I think dazai would beat the shit out of him lmaooo) BUT ALSO he decides to put a baby in YOU just to show everyone his sperm is better.

Dazai with a teen single mom!

T/W: Nsfw, explicit content, Teen mom Reader!(18y/o), Pm! Dazai, Shitty ex!, teenage pregnancy, rough sex, piv, semi public sex, voyeurism, breeding kink, creampie, mentions of murder, not proof read!

It was hard being a single mother moreover when you were a teenager. Your boyfriend went MIA when you told him you were pregnant. You met Dazai when you were working part time and he was instantly drawn to you, something about you mesmerized him. It didn't took him long to befriend you and how could he leave you alone when you told him about how you work alone to take care of your toddler? He instantly offered to help you, you hesitated at first but contrary to your worries he was a loving partner and an amazing father to your daughter 'Hana'. He spoils her rotten, buys her tons of clothes and toys (afterall mafia pays him well), makes sure to pick her up from playschool when you are busy, and he just loves to play with her. One thing he really loved about Hana was the fact that she absolutely resembled you not her shitty father. At first it just started with his simple interest in you but as he spend more time with you and Hana he would desperately wish that you three could be a family forever, something he never thought he could have. And how could you not fall for him when he always did more than you could have ever asked for?

But all shit fell down when your ex came back crawling demanding custody of your daughter. You told him that your daughter only has one father and that is Dazai. But he just scornfully told Dazai that he was just being a stupid cuckold cause he's not even biologically her father and no matter what he will just remain a stranger. You were distraught by his shamelessness but you trusted Dazai when he told you he would handle this.

"Aah Sa-Samu slow down" But you didn't knew it would involve you bending over table in his office while his cock mercilessly pumps in and out of your tight cunt. How did you even get in this situation?

After dropping off Hana at playschool you got a call from Dazai asking you to come at his office. You thought it was weird cause he never really called you to his office. But as soon as you reached there he just bended you over his table, lifting your skirt to your waist while sliding your panties down to your knees. He pushes his whole length with one thrust filling you to the brink. You moan sharply and gasp for breathe as his pace does not falter.

"F-fuck donna you're so tight, so pretty f'me, just f'me." he grunts. You scratch the mahogany trying to gain some stability as the pleasure was overwhelming you. You try to muffle your voice but of course Dazai's didn't liked it so gave he gave a particular hard thrust making you scream.

"S-shit bella, so warm and tight, you want my seed right? I'm gonna knock you up full of my seeds!" you couldn't even comprehend what he was saying at this point anymore as you feel the familiar knot in your stomach and with a few more rough thrusts you came all over him.

"You like it bella don't you? I'm sure hana would also like a little sibling hmm right?." He grunts as there was a weird thumping noise from the back closet in the office. He increased his pace ramming more harshly than before as room is filled with the Squelching noises of your pussy and his wet balls. You feel him twitching as he shoot thick ropes of cum inside you. You gasp from the overstimulation as he keeps pumping his cock making sure you take his load well and it doesn't spill out.

All while you were unknown to the fact that your ex was stuffed in the back closet of Dazai's office. Before calling you over to his office he tied and gagged him, stuffing him in the closet. Why? Of course because dazai had to show your ex who you belonged to and that you will bear his children for him. He made him listen all this on purpose to remind him of his place before disposing him from this world.

Tags: @mberxo, @xxcandlelightxx

A/n: anyone who wants to join my taglist can send in an ask!

This supposed to be a drabble but it came out longer than expected anyways hope you enjoy it nonie! <;3

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Come Out and Play 1

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as non/dubcon, age gap, cheating, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Your mom welcomes an old friend back into her life that brings chaos with him.

Characters: Thor, Loki

Note: Two silverfoxes for the price of one

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. Thanks to everyone who reads this one and thank you for all your energy.<3

Love you all like Thor loves thunder. Take care. 💖

Your mother’s singing along to her favourite Donna Summer classic as you come through the front door. She doesn’t hear you as you drop your bag and your boots at the door. You cluck and shake your head as you tiptoe down the hallway and peer into the kitchen. All this just because you’re staying the night? 

You tilt your head and squint at her diligent fingers. She roles the filo around the filling and places each little pocket on a pan. The warmth of the stove radiates through the space and beckons you in. After the frigid chill of your apartment, it’s a relief. 

You waft over to the counter with the smell of baking pastry and chopped peppers. You stand beside your mom quietly and smile at her work. Her arm collides with yours and she looks down at you. She squeals and tosses one of the uncooked hors d’oevres. It sticks to the wall before falling apart. 

“Oh, my!” She puts her hand to her chest and raises her voice, “Alexa, lower volume.” The music recedes and you back up with an apologetic bow. “Hon, I didn’t know you were here. Oh, I hate when you sneak up on me like that.” 

It’s not intentional, more a bad habit. You’re a bit too quiet for your own good sometimes. And hers.  

“Sorry,” you mutter and turn your attention back to the pan, “...lotta food...” 

“Yes, I—I'm so sorry, I didn’t mention. I forgot.” She rambles as she does. Where you’re quiet and reserved, she often talks in streams of nervousness. “When you called, I was so busy and I had so much going on in my head. Sometimes it feels like there’s a hamster in there running on its wheel.” She throws her hands up in emphasis, “anywho, I’m so sorry to hear about the building, did the landlord say when the heat will be fixed?” 

“...dunno,” you shrug and sway. “...the food?” 

“Oh, right, yes! I was saying, dear, I have an old friend coming over. He’s just moved to town and I was so excited to hear from him. We went to college together! I last saw him when I was probably your age. He’s so nice, you know? And we kinda found each other online when I was looking up fake flowers for the new door wreath. I was thinking pinecones would be seasonal but then it occured to me I could get some real ones from the part--” 

“Mom,” you rein her in with a dulcet drone. 

“Ah, my friend, I know! He’s so lovely. You’ll like him. I figure, we can have dinner and some drinks. You’re welcome to join.” 

You nod and peek over skeptically at the bottle of wine, “wouldn’t wanna invade. Should’ve said something.” 

“You know you’re always welcome here,” she reaches for you and you catch her wrists, keeping her sticky hand from touching your cheeks. “Oops!” She giggles and recoils. She turns and rinses her hands off. “Sorry, hon.” 

“I’ll stay out of the way,” you assure her. 

“Don’t be shy. Oh, and make sure you at least get some food.” She flutters around and dries off with a hand towel. “You’ll like him. Thor is super nice! He knew your dad too.” 

You nod and don’t comment on the last part. You never really knew your father yourself. He left when you were young. He didn’t go very far but you see your half-sibling in passing at the mall or even a few times at college. Thankfully, you’re all done with classes. 

“Alright,” you agree. “I’ll put my stuff away.” 

She hums and tells the smart speaker to turn it back up. You leave in the blare of disco music and grab your bag from the entryway. You wish you’d known she was having company. You would have just made do with some extra blankets. 

As if to blow away that thought, the wind whistles and shakes the windows. You go upstairs and put your knapsack on the wooden chair by the narrow desk against the wall. You stretch your arms and yawn as you pace around. Your stomach growls as the aromas in the kitchen follow you up. 

You go back down, hoping to assuage your appetite with some water, and as you get the bottom step, the doorbell chimes. You stop and wait, staring at the door. You mom sings along to Lipps, Inc and you sigh. 

You hop down and shuffle to the door. You pull it open, hiding behind it shyly. The man on the other side searches over your head before he thinks to look down. As you peek around wood, he smiles.

He’s tall. Very tall. And his shoulders are as wide as the large oak in the front yard. His hair shines beneath the light hung beside the door as his eyes sparkle. 

He holds a cone of flowers, the petals bristling in the fall wind, as shadow dims their colour.  

“Hm, I must have the wrong address,” he leans back on his heel and reads the numbers on the siding. “You wouldn’t happen to know where Selina lives?” 

“Here,” you squawk awkwardly. 

“Oh? You’ve shrunk... but you’ve aged well.” He tilts his head but his lips suggest he’s joking. 

“She’s in the kitchen. Wait.” 

You close the door in his face. It’s only as you go to get your mom, that you realise how rude you must have seemed. You didn’t invite him in or introduce yourself. Well, he isn’t here for you, is he? 

You go to the smart speaker and tap the button to pause the music, “he’s here.” 

“Oh!” She squeals and bounces, “already?” 

“Mmhmm,” you nod and back out of her way as she hurries to the door.  

She sweeps through and swings the door open. A gust of wind blows in and you peer around the door frame. The man’s deep voice booms out. 

“Selina! You look just as young as the day we met!” 

“Oh you!” She chirps. “You always were the worst liar.” 

“Mm, I am very honest, Seli,” he rumbles. “And who was that little mouse that was scurrying around? She fled so fast, I did not get a name.” 

“Oh, that’s my daughter,” she explains. “I told you about her. Her radiator broke so she’s here for the night. Always nice to have a full nest!” 

“Of course, of course,” he agrees. “Well, I wish I’d known. I’d have brought two bouquets.” 

“These are so lovely. When did you get so sweet, Thor?” 

“I’ve always been sweet, you were just too distracted to notice,” he retorts. 

She laughs and titters around, “I need a vase. Oh, these are beautiful! Ooh, and a much needed pop of colour. I do hate the winter and it’s coming so fast. Please, come in, come in! You must be freezing.” 

He chuckles, amused by her chatter, “you know I always liked the cold.” 

“Mm, you would. Well, not all of us can bear it. Honey! Oh, there you are,” she pokes her head out from the dining room. “Come, meet my friend.” 

You reluctantly come forward. You fold your hands together and drag your feet. You should’ve stayed upstairs. 

“This is Thor. We both took architecture together!” 

You nod and look at her wide-eyed. You can’t bring yourself to meet his gaze but you know he’s watching you. You rock and twine your fingers between each other. 

“She just finished her own degree. She took literature! Isn’t that so lovely?” 

“Literature? Ah, my brother was always a fan,” he muses. “I do like some good story telling but I could never pick up much on the symbolism.” 

You slant your lips, “oh, cool.” 

“Anyway, I have some wine, why don’t you have a glass while I finish dinner? Hon, you want some too?” She stops beside you with the cluster of flowers. You shake your head. 

You flit up around the staircase, crowded by Thor as he lurks there, and you quickly flee. You don’t look back as you turn down the hall and barrel into his room. You can’t make out your mother’s words as she speaks but his laughter thunders up after you. 

You hide in your room and harrumph. You don’t know why you’re like this. Even at work, you can’t help but try to blend into the wall. It’s not hard to do in the stock room. 

You take out your laptop and resign yourself to a night of Netflix. You’re a bit disappointed. You were hoping to spend some time with your mom but she deserves a life of your own. For all the years she spent making sure you got this far, she’s earned it. 

You turn the speakers up until they hurt your ears. You can still hear their voices below. The savoury scent of your mother’s cooking rise with their conversation. You didn’t realise how much you missed her dinners until now. Those frozen dinners and fast-food deliveries can’t compare with the real thing. 

You hunker down in bed and try not to think of your growling stomach. You’ll wait to reheat some once that guy leaves. You sink down further and further, basking in the warmth of blasting from the vents. You dread going back to your apartment, even after the heat is fixed. 

Your eyelids begin to itch but before you can drift off, there’s a knock on your door. You get up and open it for your mom. The plate in her hands has your mouth watering as you get another whiff of her handwork. 

“Here ya go, hon,” she holds it out. “I’m sorry it’s a full house.” 

“It’s okay. Didn’t have to.” 

“You need to eat,” she insists. You take the plate. “We’ll try to be quiet. You know he’s so loud. He always has been. He makes me seem tame, doesn’t he?” 

You smile at her yapping. She’s so vibrant and chatty. You never could be even when you try. You envy how bright she can be. You feel so dull next to her. Sometimes you feel like you’ve disappointed her. 

“Thanks," you murmur.

“No problem! Love you.” 

“Love you too.” 

You wait for her to go before you close the door. You might not have a dad but you’re lucky to have her. You put the plate on your desk and move your laptop. You eat as you watch the show that isn’t as good as the internet suggested. 

The food is delicious. The little stuffed pastries are a bit spicy and you regret not grabbing a glass of water earlier. You got so distracted by that man. You think of sneaking down but you can just drink from the bathroom sink when you finish. A little tap water won’t hurt. 

You clear your plate quicker than you mean to and go back to the bed. The moonlight wavers outside your window as the night ware on. You yawn and make yourself get up. You can’t leave your dirty plate in here. 

You don’t notice the quiet in the house until you open the door. You listen at the top of the stairs before you descend. Slowly and silently, you make your way to the bottom and curve around to the kitchen. You rinse your plate off and grab some water while you have the chance. 

Your pulse builds as the house remains still. Strange. How did you not realise earlier? Well, you had your laptop cranked up. You can hear it from down there. 

You head back upstairs, balancing the glass in the dark, and as you pass your mom’s door, it opens. You yipe as a large figure collides with you. It’s him. Thor. 

You spill the water down your front and whip around to face him. He steadies you with his hand on your shoulder, “so sorry, mouse. I didn’t mean to--” 

His flannel shirt is undone and the soft glow of a lamp limns him from behind. Oh no! You pull away from him and skirt down the hall. Embarrassment nips at your ears and cheeks. You knew you were intruding on your mom’s night. 

You try not to think of what you interrupted as you dip into the spare room and snap the door shut with a kick of your foot. You stay near the door, breathless, until you hear the bathroom door squeak on its hinges. You shake your head and growl. 

You hope you didn’t ruin it. As awkward as it is to think of your mom in a relationship, she’s been alone for so long and you know you’re part of the reason why. Next time, you won’t go running back to mommy. It’s best for both of you that you grow up. 

[celaenaeiln]

Where Dick's compartmentalization came from and how it affects the family

What's special about Dick, is that people far older than him see him as an equal because he's able to understand them and keep up with them, and that takes a massive toll on his mental health. He's been acting like a mother, brother, and partner to people twice his age from childhood.

The thing that really hurts is that when Dick's parents were gone, he didn't get angry. He just got really, really sad. And even though he was sad, all he wanted to do was help Batman-help Bruce. He just wanted to help this sad, older man. So at a time when he was grieving, he couldn't even properly grieve because Batman was grieving harder than him. He put his feelings on the back burner so he could fix Bruce.

Dick is not happy right now. Not because of Bruce's response but he's just feeling overwhelmingly sad because his parents have died. Yet look at the way he acts. He forces himself to pretend he's happy to alleviate Bruce's guilt, stress, anger over the case he's in. He didn't want to be another thing that makes him sad. That's horrifying behavior for a child of 8.

What really astonishes me is that Dick was a child with the maturity of an adult-meaning-he delicately handled Bruce's feelings while being careful not to overstep and yet still adjusting his behavior. He never tried to lash out Bruce. Ever. He got mad once at Batman when everything became too much but once Batman revealed himself to be Bruce, he never let his anger out on him. Or anyone.

And that makes me so sad because this is a child.

Look at his size compared to batman-tiny!

But this small boy controlled his emotions so his guardian wouldn't feel hurt when he was the one grieving makes me want to cry.

Here's another version of Batman and pre-robin Dick that showcases Dick's emotional maturity from a small age.

In Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder-Dick's parent's died from a gunshot and Batman kidnaps Dick at the circus, before his parent's bodies have barely gotten cold.

Dick's response to the new situation and his parent's passing?

"No. Don't go there. Not now."

I can practically feel him compartmentalizing through the screen.

"Yes, Sir. I'll be brave."

He doesn't get a break. No matter the retelling of Dick's orgin story, Dick puts himself together to take care of the man that is supposed to be taking care of him.

But just as much of a toll this takes on Dick, it has a signifcant effect on Bruce too. Bruce cannot function if he knows that Dick isn't okay. I don't remember where but somewhere in the comics Bruce admits to resenting Dick for having amnesia. For not being with him. By him.

His reaction to Dick not remembering them?

The panel-where Dick screams at Bruce with tears in his eyes-it seems as though Bruce has them too. He's so heartbroken. His eyes are glistening with unshed tears.

In Road to Dark Crisis, Dick tells Jon

This is so true but the difference between Bruce and Dick is that while Bruce does it for his kids, he has no one to take care of him. So Dick stepped at an age far too young for it to be okay. I mean even therapists struggle with taking care of their patients problems and usually they're around the same age the patient. But Dick? No experience he took the entire job on his shoulders. Not only that but Dick acts as the whole family and titan's family therapist.

Tim

Tim goes to Dick about everything-every single one of his problems because they have such a good relationship. He tells him about his dad.

Not to mention the main thing he does for Tim

He puts his feelings and priorities on the back burner so he can take care of other people.

Jason

He takes care of Jason's emotional well-being. He tell him he's proud of him and validates him instead of putting him down like Bruce does.

Donna and Roy

The biggest reason why everyone loves Dick is because he accepts their mistakes and works with them and loves them instead of punishing them for it. They don't get that from anyone else. Especially Bruce.

That's another reason why he's so good with kids. It's because he has been designated to playing the role of the parent his entire life. So he gives them everything he has, welcomes them with open arms, takes care of them and makes them feel fixed. Even if it's at the cost of his own well-being. So that's why they fight but in the end also why none of them can let go of Dick. They need him.

[dawnisatotalqueen]

BROKEN PROMISES

title: broken promises

character: steven hyde x reader

warnings: profanity probably I didn't rlly pay attention, mentions of marijuana usage, talking down abt women smh.., jealousy, miscommunication, ZEN MASTERS MENTION

summary: after hyde's fight with your date and his almost admission, nothing had happened between you two. next thing you knew, it was veterans day and someone else had their eye on hyde.

disclaimer: i do not support danny masterson in any way, shape, or form. i just have an attachment to hyde </3 (this is exactly what I said last time I just wanna make sure yall know...)

word count: 2,094

part one

Nothing had happened between you and Hyde since that fight. Your relationship had reached a stalemate.

That didn’t stop you from questioning it.

Your dates had slowly dwindled down, though it wasn’t that you didn’t have options, guys old and new still asked you out, but you couldn’t bring yourself to go out with them.

You wanted Hyde.

Too much to ignore.

Much to your dismay though, someone else had begun pursuing Hyde, someone that you never really could’ve expected. Jackie.

After her and Kelso broke up again because of him hooking up with Eric’s sister Laurie, Hyde had given her lessons on “Zen”. The two’s friendship started to bloom, and Jackie quickly caught feelings.

You couldn’t blame her, and the more you thought about it, they made sense. Despite that, you didn’t like the idea of it. It wasn’t fair, and you knew that, but you just couldn’t help the bitter feelings in your chest when you watched the two.

It was Veterans day, which meant it was time for Red Foreman’s annual party. He was pretty passionate about the day, being a Veteran himself.

Everyone was down in the basement. You were sitting in the chair opposite of Hyde’s, watching as Jackie talked to him while he sat on the washer. “So Steven, isn’t Veteran’s day romantic?”

“Oh yeah, government pawns, and missing limbs. That’s amore.”

“I know, I know!” Jackie placed a hand over her heart. “It’s a day for people in love to have fun together!”

“Man, all this talk of fun makes me wanna have fun… Hey! Let’s throw stuff at other stuff!” Kelso gasped.

Eric perked up, getting off the couch. “Man, that's perfect! I got stuff!!”

“I’m in!”

The two boys went upstairs and you couldn’t fight back your snicker.

Jackie turned back to Hyde. “So, Steven, you wanna go to Mr Foreman’s barbeque with me?”

Before he could answer her, you decided you could not sit and watch this, so, you went upstairs to go throw stuff with Kelso and Eric.

..

You wore a simple (F/C) dress, with your classic jacket. You looked around the front yard, there were a multitude of people that Red and Kitty knew, and a few different people that your friend’s knew, but it was mostly the usual crowd. You knew that Donna’s Dad was having a party, but you liked the Foreman’s house. You’d still stop by though.

You noticed Jackie with a guy you didn’t recognize, and you decided to walk over.

“Everybody, this is Chip, Chip, this is everybody.” Jackie motioned around to the people in the area, that being you, Fez, Kelso, and Hyde.

“Hey everybody.” Chip nodded at you guys.

“Yo.” You nodded, glancing over at Hyde. He looked.. Grumpier than usual. You felt your insides twist, and a brief sense of dread.

Chip told Jackie he’d grab her a drink, then went off. You watched as Jackie walked over to Hyde and you sighed a little, walking over to Kelso and Fez.

Kelso had his arms crossed over his chest as he huffed. “Man, this isn’t fair! Why does some random dude get to bring Jackie to the party?!”

Fez grumbled. “She could do soooo much better.”

You let out a breath. “Right? But it’s just to make Hyde jealous, so chill.”

“That’s not cool though, man!” Kelso whined. “I thought Hyde liked you!! So what’s goin on?!”

“I did too.” You sighed, watching Jackie and Hyde’s exchange.

..

After a little bit you saw Jackie get up, leaving Hyde and Chip alone to talk. You weren’t sure how it went down, but when you passed by, you heard Chip speak.

“She’s a bitch.”

You paused, turning around. Using your context clues, you figured he was talking about Jackie, which pissed you off. You were almost ready to give him a piece of your mind when Hyde said, “Oh no..” And he hit him.

You squeaked, jumping back from the two. “Holy shit!”

Jackie ran over. “What happened?”

“Somethin– Bitch– He–” Hyde looked between Jackie and the very knocked out Chip.

Jackie looked between them before gasping. “He– He called me a bitch and you hit him!”

“...No.” Hyde stared at her, very obviously lying.

“I am the bitch! And you love me!” Jackie looked like she had actual stars in her eyes and you could feel your heart crack. Did he love her?

You needed to get out of there. Maybe a date, maybe something, anything–

“L/N!” Kelso huffed, nudging you.

You blinked. “Huh?”

You looked around, realizing it was night time and you were outside somewhere?

“Get your head in the game, man!”

You remembered now. After talking to Kitty, Hyde came outside and asked Jackie out. Kelso and Fez were upset, and you.. Were hurt. Somehow, some way, the two boys had managed to convince you to spy on Jackie and Hyde’s date. Did you have a momentary lapse of judgment? Probably. But there was no backing out now.

The three of you snuck through the trees, eventually arriving right behind Jackie’s car, where Jackie and Hyde were sitting at the front of it. Their backs were to you, and you couldn’t hear them.

“What are they saying?” Fez tilted his head.

“Don’t worry, I can read lips.” Kelso stared at the back of their heads. “Jackie’s saying.. Wow I really love this date, Hyde!” He put on a high pitched voice for Jackie. “And Hyde’s sayin.. Yeah, totally man, I agree.”

Fez gasped. “Really? They’re having that much fun?”

You put a hand over your mouth, trying to conceal your laughter so as to not get caught. “Kelso, I don’t think that’s what they’re saying–”

When you looked back up though, Jackie and Hyde were leaning in..

You felt your heart drop.

You could’ve thrown up on the spot as you quickly stood up.

“L/N!” Kelso whisper-shouted at you, but you couldn’t sit there. You’d seen all you needed to see.

What you didn’t see though was how when Hyde and Jackie parted from their kiss, neither of them were into it. They gave it a shot, but it didn’t work. In his head, Hyde knew why. He had you in the back of his mind. He had been trying to ignore it for months, playing it cool like he always did, but that wasn’t working. He didn’t like you any less than he did before.

As it turns out, it might’ve been too late.

..

You were going on a date. For the first time in months, you were thinking about a guy that wasn’t Hyde.. Or, well, trying to.

Loyal to your old routine, you were heading to the Foreman’s house to wait for your ride. Your outfit wasn’t much different than your usual ones, but you did look a little done up.

“Hey, L/N.” Donna nodded at you, a lazy smile on her face. Everyone looked pretty high.

They were passing around the blunt, Hyde being the last one who had it. “Wanna hit?” He raised a brow.

You shook your head. “Wish I could, but I’m only gonna be here for a sec. I have a date.” You hummed.

“Really?!” Jackie gasped, looking over. “You haven’t been out in months!”

“Yeah, thought you were giving up the whole meaningless date thing?” Eric tilted his head, looking over at you.

You shrugged, shoving your hands in your jacket pockets. “I was, but, I don’t know. Guess there’s not really a point.” You side eyed Hyde in a way that you thought was sneaky, but unbeknownst to you, he saw it.

Your glare made him sit up a little straighter. He’d seen you when you were mad, but it had never been directed toward him before. What’d he do to piss you off– And more importantly, what did that have to do with you going on a date again?

Kelso looked at you. “Oh heey– By the way, are you good, man? Yesterday after we were watching Jackie and Hyde you ran off and we didn’t see you after!!”

“I told him that you probably had to go to the bathroom.” Fez nodded, sinking into his chair.

You immediately went pale. “Ahah– Yeah, uhm. My bad. I didn’t feel well. But, wowie, jeez, look at the time I gotta go– Bye!!” You quickly called out, going right back out the way you came.

Hyde put his hand over his mouth, mumbling. “Shit..”

It made sense now. You saw him and Jackie, and based on what Kelso said, didn’t stick around long enough to hear how it ended.

What didn’t make sense was why you would care. Why would it matter if he kissed Jackie?

Unless…

Shit.

..

You had been gone for about two and a half hours. Everyone dispersed, and Hyde couldn’t help but be reminded about the night you spent together months prior. This time though, he planned on changing things.

He paced around outside, hoping that the guy you were out with would drop you off the same place he picked you up.

Lucky for him, he was right. A nicer car pulled up, and you got out, exchanging a few words with whoever was in the driver’s seat.

You were happy with the date. It wasn’t anything extravagant, and you didn’t really like the guy, but he was nice, and it was fun. You were planning on just walking home before you heard your name being called. And not your last name, which is what everyone called you. It was your first name. It sounded foreign from that voice.

You had turned around, tilting your head before your face dropped. You didn’t want to talk to Hyde. In the back of your head you knew you didn’t have any place being mad at him, but you were hurt.

You blew out a breath. You just had to act like you didn’t care. Easy. “What’s up?” You shoved your hands in your pockets, looking at him.

“Can we talk?” He walked up the driveway, standing in front of you.

You winced, talking being the exact opposite of what you wanted to do with Hyde. “I don’t know, I need to head home–”

“L/N.” He stepped a little closer. “I just wanna explain what happened between me and Jackie.”

You froze. Of course he knew.. After what Kelso said earlier, there was no way he didn’t know.

You blew out a breath. If you couldn’t play it off, you needed to try to fix things. “Listen, Hyde, you don’t need to explain yourself. It’s fine, you like Jackie, she likes you, and it’s cool.”

“L/N–” He ran a hand through his curls, taking off his shades.

You didn’t see him without his sunglasses very often, and it always caught you off guard when he’d take them off.

“I don’t like Jackie.”

You blinked, tilting your head. “What? But I saw you guys kiss on your date–”

“You didn’t stick around long enough. If you would’ve stayed, you would’ve seen that the kiss didn’t mean anything. There– there wasn’t anything there. No sparks, no feelings, it was just.. A kiss.”

You listened before furrowing your brows. “Okay, um, that’s, okay.. Why are you telling me this, Hyde?”

“Because I like you.”

You felt a heat creep up your neck all the way to your cheeks. “What?”

“I like you. I– I don’t know when it happened, but I know that a few months ago when you spent the night I realized it. And, it’s not a big deal, but it sorta seemed like you might.. I don’t know. If you don’t like me, it’s cool, but it was starting to feel like you do.”

You stared at him. He liked you. But what about your promise? What about the possibility of ruining your friendship? A messy breakup could start bad things in your friendship. But…

Could you ever forgive yourself if you didn’t at least give it a chance?

You looked down, your cheeks growing redder by the second. “I uh.. I like you too.”

Before you knew it you felt hands on your cheeks, tilting your head up. “Could I..”

You nodded, the motion being so small it was almost unnoticeable.

He closed the space between you. The kiss was gentle, sweet, a result of years of denied pining. Then, it turned deeper, more passionate, the tension between you finally bubbling over the edge.

It was everything you wanted, the perfect kiss for a perfect moment.

Maybe some promises were meant to be broken.

-

tag list: @cantbecreative

[theyluvlyss]

"...𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐭, '𝐏𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞'..."

《 ♡ 》 headcannons

───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 :

no real summary, just some loose thoughts I have, per the request😙.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 :

fem!reader x finney blake - she/her/hers pronouns!

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞 :

70s-80s (🤷🏽‍♀️) - the grabber doesn't exist - finney's dad isn't a p.o.s.😃

𝐓𝐖/𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 :

FLUFFFF - I think I cussed just a little😆🤏🏽 - finney being the best boyfriend you'll ever have in your life - short/small mentions of bruises/scars - me getting carried away

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ...𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

It's true, they did. Not that either you or Finney could deny such a claim because that's exactly what it felt like. What it was. Innocent, blissful, doting puppy love.

Who's "they", you ask?

Well, literally everyone. Your parent(s), his father and sister, your friends, his friends, other peers/classmates... hell, even the strangers that looked at you two long enough, observing, could tell- No, feel the love radiating from you two at what seemed like all times.

Which you found surprising, seeing as you two were under the impression that your relationship was kept rather private to the naked eye, but I'll get to that in a second.

Even before you two had made it official, the mutual crush was painfully obvious to any and everyone around. It was in the way your eyes would find their way over to him whenever he walked into the classroom, worry filling them to the brim should he adorn any bruises and/or scars from any bullies of his.

The way he'd fidget whenever you were in his line of sight, biting his thumb at his desk if you sat close enough to him or clicking that space-themed pen over and over again when you breezed by him in the halls.

God forbid you said hi to him when you did. Poor thing would just melt, remember he had to respond back, and then go, "H-...hi...!" when you were already long gone😭.

And oh my god, you'd better believe Gwen and Robin were getting an earful, damn near every topic of conversation somehow circling back to you. Vice versa for Donna, knowing it was no use trying to pry any other subject from that brain of yours because it was all muddled with "Finney this..." and "Finney that..."

So yeah, though elated when you two finally became an item, nobody was shocked. Not even a little.

But anyhow, dating Finney is so sweet, and quiet, and peaceful (if that makes sense). It's just very loving and calming, with LOTS of a reassuring being done between the both of you. I feel as though Finney is just a naturally semi-anxious person but he also masks really well, so for the first while of your relationship, you spent it gently poking and prodding away, letting him know he could trust you fully with any and everything.

It's lots of sweet touches - hand holding, you rubbing his shoulders/back/arms often, him moving hair from out of your face or shooing away small bugs/dust from your person, face cupping - little things that bring about butterflies, even if it's been months (maybe even years) into the relationship😭.

AND THE KISSESSSSJFJEKDO omg- (sorry I just💀🥴-) He's such a huge fan of little pecks, I mean, sure... an actual KISS-kiss or a makeout sesh is fun-cool-awesome whatever, but bro actually forgets how to breathe for a second when you randomly peck him on the cheek or lips. The biggest grin in the whole world just spawns on his face if you bound up to him and the first thing you do is, "Hey, Finn!" and give him a lil' kiss right there on his nose.

And forehead kisses are something sooo special to him. He gives those out left and right, yes he does😌. There's something about them that just makes him feel like he's cherishing you and that he's just pouring all of his love and adoration into you, y'know? Plus, he loves the way you'll watch him carefully each time, too. Like, not saying he's the biggest fan of being watched at all, but in this instance, he doesn't mind and actually wants you to see/prepare for that special kiss he's delivering.

Which, speaking of, he's not fond of PDA. If anything, the most he can tolerate is hand-holding and just a short/small peck when you greet each other. But anything more, he's pretty inclined to reserve it for when you two are alone. Or at most, amongst well-known/close friends/family. Although, he won't shy/pull away if you want to hold his hand under the table/desk. And he won't move away if your legs or shoulders are touching if you two are doing/working on something together.

Cuddling/hugging? Bed and/or couch activity only, and can not - I repeat - CAN NOT be interrupted, or he'll be so salty about it. Again, it's a very special thing for him, getting to hold you, feel you, hear your heartbeat (or vice versa if you're laying on his chest). He gets to just sit and admire you, whether it be in comfortable silence or if you two are quietly talking, using this time to memorize each and every single feature on your face over and over again (hoping you're doing the same for him). So yeah, Gwen waltzing right on in without knocking, or your parent calling you two down for dinner definitely kills that vibe for him.

You might giggle at the way he goes, "mncht..." and rolls his eyes, but baby, he ain't laughing at all💀.

Hell, even you two talking with each other is pretty intimate and soft. He's never once raised his voice at you (even if he's upset), is always asking your opinions/thoughts on things and what the vibe is before moving forward, and the only time you've ever spoken over each other is when you guys are hyperfixating on a common topic and are getting really excited.

WHICH ‼️‼️ omg if you're an astrology girly, lord knows this boy... You got him, he's hooked, he's never leaving you alone. Fate - sealed. While yes, he's an astroNOMY guy, which is more science-based and leans towards a more logical outlook, he loves that with you/astroLOGY comes this inate belief and spiritual outlook. He LOVES that you've attached meanings to the stars and space-stuff that he already really fucks with. Like, star signs and shit? He might not fully understand it (will definitely strive to, though), but oh my god, he practically foams at the mouth when you start listing them off, giving definitions, pointing out the connections between yours and his, etcetc.

And on the flipside, he loves that you let him pop off about whatever he's got in the tank. Black holes, other planets outside our solar system, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, rockets,,, whatever he's spitting, you're all ears without even a shred of judgment.

Plus, like I mentioned, there's a lot of healthy communication/checking in between the both of you. Lots of, "Are you okay?" "How are you feeling?" "Did you eat today?" "What'cha thinking about?" "I'll call you later today/tonight, okay?" type of stuff, along with the silly, all over the place topics and the long, "today was shit" rants, of course.

To try and sum it up/ball up the millions of other things I have running through my mind (I'm trying not to make this longer than it needs to be💀✋🏽), he's basically a huge sucker for the love between you two. Loves that you listen and loves listening to you, loves knowing that you're there (especially physically, like, again, not a huge fan of PDA but really, truly can't get enough of your touches and calming rubs and cute little pokes/boops soooo😗... *cut to Finney wayyy too eager to get to either yours or his house so he can shut his brain off and cuddle with you*). He loves loving you and being with you, like...

AUGHFHSJH and he LOVES making you happy, finding every and any new way to impress you. He likes taking you to go get snacks from the Grab'n'Go; I'm talking the second this man gets a LITTLE bit of change from who knows where, the first thing on his mind is, "What should I get (Y/N)?" Or taking you along with Robin to the drive in when they go see movies, or to the diner to get milkshakes...

In all honesty, anything - spending time with you outside of school - is a date to him. Y'all could walk circles around a small ass park fifty-million times, and he'll drop you off at home like, "I had fun today. Thank you for letting me take you out :)♡." Like what a sweetie😭.

But if it's an "actual" date you're craving, he'll come up with and spend hours prepping little makeshift ideas that he'll enlist Gwen to help him with. Some of his best have been stargazing (with all of the stops, of course - snacks, drinks, books to read and flashlights, blankets and pillows, etcetc.), library dates where you guys spend nearly the whole day skimming through each and every section to look for new interests and topics, 👹CRAFTING!!!👹...

Finney is a craft king, argue with the wall😐.

Point is,,, Finney Blake loves you to the moon and back, and is still in mild shock that you feel the same way (y'all could be married with twins, a dog, and two cats and bro will wake up next to you in the morning like, "...She loves me🥹🩵??"), and if allotted, I'd go on forever and ever.

But I won't😻!

If asked one of these days, though, I would totally be down for writing general headcannons about all of the boys +Donna and Gwen +Max and other adults and characters that aren't canon but might as well be canon in my head because I have SO many thoughts😃...😀...*eye twitches*...

soyeahanywaysBYE👋🏽✨️.

𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬...

for both the long wait and the fact that I went a little crazy at the end, but it's fine xD🩷. I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope it satisfies. I feel like there's some parts where I fell off a little bit and then got back into the groove, but yeah...

good news is, I can only improve from here, so don't be shy to request more :)!

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ...𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ...𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 :

anon

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 :

1,563

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 :

none :(

[kelcemenow]

Hey Daddy.

Pairing Travis Kelce x Reader

Words 3381

Warnings Some strong language and mentions of miscarriage, blood, losing a family member. There's a bit of angst and lots of fluff though!

Another Anon request! This is my first Dad Travis/pregnancy related fic. As someone who has never been pregnant and doesn't plan on it in the future, I've avoided writing this sort of thing. But this is why I love getting requests as it brought me out of my comfort zone and I really enjoyed doing it! So, thank you Anon for making me branch out into a different style! "Can I request some dad Travis/pregnant reader? Travis has to travel for an away game and his wife (reader) is 9 months pregnant who has to stay home - unable to travel due to being so close to giving birth. She gets very anxious lately whenever Travis has to leave because she can go into labor any day now. Game day is here and the reader is not feeling well at all. She's curled up on the couch with a blanket and some tea, to watch the game. During the game, the reader's water breaks and she goes into labor. Travis' mom is in touch with her. Travis' mom notifies the team staff what's going on... and then they notify Travis during the game."

"Baby, I miss you." Travis' warm voice made you melt as you held the phone close to your ear.

"You only left this morning!" You giggled as you clutched at the blanket and pulled it up to your chest, "You can't miss me already?"

"Yes I can! Are you saying you don't miss me when I leave?"

"Of course I do, Travis." You winced slightly as you shifted on the sofa.

Travis heard your slight noise of discomfort, "What? Are you okay? What's wrong?" He immediately sounded concerned.

"Relax, baby. I've just got cramp. I'm fine."

You heard him sigh in relief, "Man, I hate leaving you. I hate leaving you anyway, but you're sick and you know...ready to burst."

"Not long until the little guy is here." You gently rubbed your swelling stomach.

The Chiefs had a game in Dallas against the Cowboys and Travis had travelled to the game alone for the first time since you had been together. You only had 2 weeks left until your due date and luckily, Travis had had a bye week and two home games in a row, meaning he was around to take care of you. You hadn't been feeling 100% for the past few days however, meaning he was more worried, especially as he was about to be 500 miles away from you. You tried to keep him calm, reminding him that it was only an hour's flight home and he would be back before he knew it.

"Well, try to keep him in there until I'm home."

You laughed, "I don't think I'll have much of a say!"

Travis hummed into his phone, "And remember, you can call my Mom at any time."

You snickered slightly, "Travis, I'm fine. I'll be here on the couch with my snacks and my herbal tea, watching you kill it."

Travis sighed again, "Okay, okay. Baby, I gotta go. But please, take care until I get back, alright?"

"Alright. I love you, Travis."

"I love you, Y/N."

You hung up the phone and reached for your ginger tea, sipping it gently, the hot steam tickling your cheeks. A strong stab shot through your lower back again, causing you to stretch your chest upwards in an attempt to relieve any pressure. You had been having these pains for most of the afternoon but you didn't want to worry Travis. You picked up your phone from the arm of the sofa and texted Travis' Mom, Donna.

"I've had a few more of those pains, but I don't know how much more ginger tea I can have. I'm running the the bathroom every two minutes!"

Donna must have had her phone in her hand as they three grey dots appeared almost immedately.

"Just wait till you're at my age, sweetie!"

You smiled at her message, pulling the bowl of nacho chips onto your lap, enjoying the pre-game interviews. Your eyes danced across the room, cards from friends and family wishing you well for your pregnancy dotted around the surfaces. A brand new crib was located near the window, a bright blue bow secured on top; a gift from Travis' brother Jason and his wife Kylie. Your heart fluttered as thoughts of you and Travis becoming parents filled your mind. He was fantastic with his three nieces and they adored him just as much as he did them. You picked up your cup of tea, but as you brought it to your lips, you felt your bladder sting, groaning as you lifted yourself up for another trip to the bathroom.

By the second half of the game, you were out of chips and the Chiefs were down by 7 points. You grumbled to yourself with the dull ache that was radiating across your back and stomach. Gripping onto the blanket you opened your latest message from Donna.

"Keep up with those breathing exercises, honey. Have you got the birthing ball?"

Your eyes scanned over to the large, blue gym ball in the corner of the lounge. You knew that it would help with your pains but just the idea of getting up from the sofa was enough to tire you out.

"Yeah I have. I'll get on it now. I could really do with a Momma Kelce hug, that would make me feel better!"

"You only have one week to wait and you can have all of the Momma Kelce hugs you want!"

You smiled as you put your phone back down and slowly rose to your feet, one hand lightly supporting your large bump. As you settled down on the ball in front of the TV, the third quarter was beginning. You gently bounced, breathing deeply and feeling some of the pain release before your core tightened again.

Travis' face flashed up onto the screen as he was settling into position for the first play of the quarter and you smiled, feeling an immense combination of love, pride and respect. Your relationship had developed over a few years, through your friendship with his teammate Eric Fisher and his wife Elizabeth. When Travis was drafted to the Chiefs, he was invited to numerous parties, dinners and barbeques that you had attended and a close friendship blossomed. Travis eventually asked to take you out on a date and you agreed, with a little persuasion from Elizabeth and Eric. He was kind, caring and attentive to you, with staunch manners and an incredible sense of humour. He made you laugh, made you feel safe and always put you first when he could. The two of you had married after 4 years surrounded by your family and friends and it was truly the happiest day of your life. You couldn't believe how lucky you were, staring up at the handsome man who was promising the rest of his life to you. It was a mutual decision to start trying to have children, and you got to work almost immediately after the wedding.

When you found out that you were pregnant, Travis was overjoyed, choking up as he kissed you repeatedly, crying "Thank you" into your lips. You prepared the house for your new arrival, painting the nursery and spending your Monday nights building new furniture. Everything was falling into place until during your second trimester, you suffered a miscarriage. You had been putting some groceries away when you felt a strange sting deep in your abdomen. You grabbed onto the kitchen counter and doubled over, clutching your stomach with your other hand. You breathed through the intense pain and when Travis walked through the door, he rushed to your side. Picking you up and moving you to the sofa, his face turned white when he saw the trail of blood that ran behind you and he quickly drove you to the hospital.

The next few months were numbing. You felt that you had let Travis down, that it was your fault that you had lost his first child. He insisted every day that you had done nothing wrong and stuck to your side as you grieved.

Just as you were beginning to heal, life threw you another cruel blow. You had invited your Mom for coffee and you knew something was wrong with her. She was quiet and fidgeting so you pushed for answers. You wished you hadn't as it was then when she explained that she had found a lump in her breast and was awaiting for the results from the Doctor. Only days after you saw her, she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and she passed away soon after. Coming from a single parent household, you and your Mom were extremely close. She was your rock and was elated on your wedding day, constantly telling Travis how happy she was for the pair of you. You had felt like your life was falling apart around you but the one constant support you had was Travis. He would hold you close as you cried yourself to sleep. He would stay with you when you were too drained to leave the house. He took a year off of football to help you and to care for you. You were undeniably grateful to him and when you fell pregnant again, he was reasonably cautious. Reading baby books, attending lamaze classes with you and checking up with you every hour when he wasn't with you. His attentiveness made your heart burst with love, seeing a glimpse of his parenthood skills.

Your attention was brought back to the screen when you heard the commentators begin to raise their voices. Travis was sprinting down the field, the football safely cradled in his arm.

You sat up further, clenching your thigh muscles, "Go on, baby! Come on, keep going! Go!"

Travis made the touchdown with ease, dropping the ball as he raised his hands to the sky, blowing a kiss in your honour, as he always did. You clapped your hands and shouted with happiness until you felt a sudden wetness release in your sweatpants. You stopped, slowly standing up from the gym ball. Feeling the smooth texture with your fingers, you looked down with an initial sense of panic. The liquid was clear and you froze on the spot. Your water had broke.

You immediate reaction was to call Donna.

"Hey honey!" Donna sang down the phone.

"Uhh Donna, I think the baby is coming." Your voice was panicked.

"What?"

"I was cheering for Trav and my water broke."

"Oh shit. Okay, stay calm, relax, I'm gonna call Travis' team staff. Have you called the hospital?"

You paused, "Umm...no. I called you straight away."

"Okay. Call the hospital straight away."

You swallowed hard, "Donna, he's not supposed to come for another 2 weeks."

"I know, it's okay though."

"I'm scared. I'm on my own and I'm scared."

Donna sighed, "I know you are, but trust me, everything is going to be fine."

You nodded your head against the phone, "Yeah, yeah. Thank you so much Donna."

"I'll speak to you soon, sweetie."

You paced the floor with nerves, unsure of what to do. Usually, Travis would be the one to keep you calm so you looked towards the screen. The game was still playing and you stared as Travis was completely unaware that his wife was in labour.

You called the hospital, clutching at your stomach, explaining that your water had broken two weeks before your due date. The call handler explained calmly that they would be sending an ambulance as soon as possible but that you were still in the early stages of labour and not to panic.

As the current play ended, you saw Travis sitting down on the bench, breathing heavily and watching the action on the field as he sat this one out. A member of the Chiefs staff approached him from behind and tapped his shoulder. The camera panned away and you groaned through what you assumed was a contraction, waiting to see your husband on the screen again. When his face finally appeared, his eyes were wide and his head was whipping from side to side, anxiously shouting to everyone around him before he was quickly ushered out of the stadium.

You felt restless. Glancing out of the window, you tried to slow your breathing down in an attempt to relax. You watched the trees swaying with the breeze, almost replicating the movement with your own body and taking deep inhales. Closing your eyes, your hand instinctively cradled your baby bump just as another stab of pain shot through you.

"Come on, just stay in there until Daddy gets back." You muttered.

You hunched your back over and pressed the palms of your hands against the wall for stability as your phone started ringing. Without checking who it was, you answered the call.

"Hello?" You groaned.

"How are you doing, sweetie?"

You winced as you sat down on the gym ball, "I don't know if these pains are contractions but they're kicking my ass, Donna. Did you speak with the team?"

"Yeah, they're getting him out of the stadium now and onto a private jet to bring him home as soon as they can."

You sighed with relief before letting out a throaty cry, "I need him here."

"He'll be there, honey. He isn't missing this."

Your phone beeped in your ear, signalling that another call was trying to get through. You pulled the phone away to look at the screen, seeing a selfie of you and Travis on your wedding day, a huge smile on your face as he pressed a kiss into your cheek.

"He's calling me now, Donna. I'll have to go."

"Okay, call me later on."

You switched the call over quickly, hearing Travis' breathless voice.

"Baby, baby! Are you okay?"

You smiled, "I'm fine, it's painful but I'm okay. They're sending an ambulance as soon as they can."

"I'll be home in an hour and a half. Just sit tight and keep breathing. I love you so much."

Your voice shook, "I love you too, I can't wait to see you be the best Daddy to this little guy." You held your baby bump tenderly, feeling movement through your sweater.

Travis cleared his throat, "I'm getting on the jet now, I'll see you soon."

"Bye, baby."

You dropped your phone on the sofa and began pacing the floor again, grasping at your back as the sharp stab began to change into a dull ache. Your groaned through the pain, gritting your teeth and scrunching your eyes.

It wasn't long before an ambulance arrived to take you to the hospital. You were anxious about having to do this first step on your own but knowing that Travis was on his way eased your mind slightly. He was your birth partner and knew what to do to keep you relaxed, the correct breathing exercises to do and you were desperate to have him by your side.

Once you were in the hospital, you were quickly brought to your private room, your husband wanting only the best for you. It was bright, comfortable and quiet, just what you needed. A cheerful nurse appeared in your doorway with short grey hair and a wide smile.

"Mrs Kelce, my name is Heather. I'll be looking after you today." She beamed as she made her way to your bed.

"Hi Heather." You whined quietly, "My husband is on his way so please could he be let straight in when he gets here?"

She nodded and picked up your notes that were hanging on the end of the bed, "Of course, anything you want. Now, how is your pain."

You scrunched your face, "Manageable at the moment, I guess."

Heather stretched on a pair of gloves, "You just let me know if you would like any help with the pain, but first thing I'm going to do is check how far along you are, if that's okay?"

You nodded as she made her way to the end of the bed, lifting your gown up. You shifted as she examined you, trying to relax.

"Okay, so you're around 4 centimetres so I'm afraid we've got some time to wait, Mrs Kelce."

"Please, call me Y/N."

Heather smiled as she removed her gloves and placed them into the bin, "Now, can I get you anything?"

You pointed down to your bag that you had had packed and ready for the last 2 weeks, "Could you hand me the book that's on the top, please? I figure now would be the perfect time to get some reading in."

Heather reached into the bag and pulled out a large hardbacked book and passed it to you, winking, "Good idea. I'll be just out here. If you need anything at all press that buzzer and I'll be right in."

You smiled at her, your fingers brushing over the pages of your book. You held your breath as another wave of pain brushed over you, but this time it was longer and more intense. You clenched your jaw and closed your eyes to try and deal with the pain, not keen on taking any drugs throughout your labour. Squeezing your eyes further shut, you gripped the book in your hands as the pain began to subside.

Your knuckles were turning white when you heard gentle footsteps. You opened one eye to see Heather set down a cup next to you on the bedside table and lower herself into the nearby seat.

"Ice chips." She said with a smile, "You'll get a dry mouth, especially in this heat."

You took hold of the cup, "Thank you."

She placed one hand on yours, "First time?"

Your face relaxed as the pain subsided, "Yeah." You said with a slow exhale.

"I bet your husband is excited?"

Your lips curled upwards, "You could say that." Your eyes drifted to your phone which had lit up with a notification and was now showing your background of you and Travis on vacation together. "He's going to be an amazing Father."

Heather gave your hand a squeeze, "You'll need to buy an 87 jersey!"

You lowered your eyebrows in confusion.

"My husband is a Chiefs fan, I know who your husband is." She laughed.

"Well, I'm sure I can hook you up with an autograph...ohhhhh." You groaned in agony as Heather started to put her gloves on.

"Oh sweetie, let's just have a look and see what's going on here." Heather said calmly as she began to examine you, "Oh, someone's impatient."

Your eyes widened, "What? What does that mean?"

"It means your baby is coming." She smiled as she removed her gloves and discarded them.

You placed your hands either side of your hips and lifted yourself up slightly, "What? Now? No, Travis isn't here. I need him with me."

Heather took hold of your hands in hers, "Honey, this baby isn't going to wait. He's like his Papa, quick off of the mark." She laughed as she grabbed some charts and unlocked the brakes on your bed.

You closed your eyes, willing the tears not to start falling down your cheeks. You took a few shaky breaths before frantic footsteps in the hallway caused you to open your eyes and your breath hitched when Travis bounded into your room. His face was red and sweaty from rushing around and his expression softened when he saw you.

"Baby, I'm here, I'm here. Is everything okay?" He leaned down and kissed you gently.

You smiled into the kiss, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just glad you're here. I think they're taking me now."

"What, now? Right now?" His voice was panicked.

Your eyes filled with tears, "Are you ready to be a Daddy?"

His thumb brushed over your forehead, "Absolutely."

Heather appeared in the doorway, "Are we ready?"

You pressed your lips together and nodded quickly, "I think so."

______________________________________________________________

Your eyes flickered open and the room slowly came into focus. You swallowed with difficulty, your dry throat scratching. As you turned your head on the pillow, you saw Travis standing at the window, looking outside. You could hear him mumbling with a low voice, but it was too quiet to hear what he was saying.

Clearing your throat a little first, you croaked, "Hey Daddy."

Travis turned around, a bundle of blankets nestled in his arms. He looked up at you and smiled before looking down again, "Look, Mommy's awake."

He came close to you, leaning slightly so he could place the tiny baby on your chest. You looked down at a pair of large blue eyes blinking up at you.

"This is crazy." You whispered.

Travis grinned, bending his knees so that his face was lined up with yours. He pressed a gentle kiss on your forehead, his stubble grazing your skin, "I am so proud of you, baby. You are amazing."

You sighed, "Thank you for getting here in time, I don't think I could've done it without you, baby." You voice shook.

Travis cleared his throat, his emotions taking over, "You are so strong, you can do anything. You hear me? Anything. And I am so happy to start this new chapter of our lives together." He leaned further, kissing his sons forehead, "Our little family. You, me and Dashiell Kelce."

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My show is finished now so I'm back to writing. The requests are piling up but I promise that I'm going to try and get through as many this week as I can! If you want to be on my Taglist, please do let me know!

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[thyme-in-a-bubble]

the sweater

lilac, chapter fourteen

a/n: okay but this moodboard? I am in love. let this be my everyday one day ♡

summary: “have you talked to her about the wedding yet?”

warnings: lumberjack!frank castle x reader, hurt/comfort, fluff, lumberjack AU, past domestic violence, crazy ex trope, kissing, hyper concentration, accidentally skipping meals

word count: 1440

∼ gentle reminder that feedback, but especially reblogs are the way you support writers on here ∽

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“So, Emma, did you enjoy seeing your aunt again? She’s mentioned it’s been quite a while since your last visit.”

“Oh yeah, Donna’s always a blast,” the woman on the other side of the counter chuckled as she handed you back the bulky key to the room she’d been staying in. Casting her glance up to the man who slowly made his way down the staircase, carefully making sure none of the luggage he balanced slipped, Emma’s giggle grew, “she loved Hasan.”

“Oh,” you chuckled, following her eye line as the aforementioned man conquered the last of the steps, “I bet she did.”

Settling the bags down on the floor by his partner’s feet, Hasan raised a dark eyebrow, “are you guys talking about me?”

“Huh? No, of course not, honey,” Emma hooked her arm with his.

“Alrighty then,” he then rested a palm atop Emma’s arm and asked, “uhm, have you talked to her about the wedding yet?”

Redirecting her gaze back onto you, “uh, no, not yet,” Emma then shifted her hand down to interlace with Hasan’s, “so, Y/n, as I’ve already told you, Hasan and I are engaged, but in actuality, this trip was less to visit my aunt and more for wedding planning purposes. You see, I’ve always loved this place, and ever since I was little and first came here, I’ve had this dream of getting married here at the inn.”

“Oh,” your brows rose, “really?”

“It’s just so beautiful and charming and I know that this isn’t usually something this place offers to facilitate, but it would really, truly mean the world to me if you’d say yes.”

The gentle knock that echoed at the door to the vacant room you’d settled in rattled you from your frantic concentration. 

Spine still curved at a tense arch to gaze down at the laptop in your lap, you murmured, “yeah?” not raising your eyes as you continued to type.

“Hey,” the deep timbre that filled the room swayed your gaze to lift, “your dad said I might find you cooped up here.” 

In the dim light that streamed in from the hallway, illuminating slightly the room which you’d completely forgotten to light after the sun had gone down, there stood Frank, leaning against the doorway and clad in a tweedy grey woollen sweater, the vision of which bloomed a warm sensation deep within your chest that seemed to thaw at some of the tension that had accumulated since this morning. Tears nearly formed in the corners of your eyes at the sudden shift and the comfort you hadn’t seen coming. 

“Frank,” but tagging along, as soon as you layed your eyes upon him, came a realisation that stabbed you in the gut, “oh, shit, I was supposed to meet you at the cabin today. I’m sorry, time just–,” a tense exhale flowed from your lips as your form threatened to just tumble over into a laying position as you sat curled up on the bed, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” switching on the ceiling light, he closed the door, which had the swirly label that read the moon room on it, behind him before stepping closer, “you alright? You haven’t answered your phone all day.”

Fishing your mobile out of your pocket, the furrow to your brow deepened as you saw the two missed calls and handful of texts, “I’m really sorry, I’ve had it on silent.”

Feeling his wide palm come down upon your tense shoulder in a soothing rub, you heard him say, “it’s alright, you just worried me a second,” his soothing caress lowered a bit to sweep up and down your upper arm, “what’s going on, huh? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I–… no, actually not really… I’m–… I don’t know… ” 

“What happened?”

“Nothing, I just–…” exhaling lowly, you let your eyes fall shut a moment as you uttered, “I agreed to host a wedding here at the inn.” 

“Ah…” he breathed and you felt the mattress dip as he shifted to sit beside you, his palm still warm on your shoulder. 

“It’s great for business and amazing money, I mean, I might be able to hire some more help with money like that, but I think I might have said yes a bit too quickly and now the reality is kinda catching up to me… it’s just tricky. I wanna do this. I know the couple, the bride is kind of a childhood friend of mine, I really wanna do this for her and also just in general be able to do this… but I think Preston might have kind of ruined the whole wedding thing as a concept for me. Not that it was something that I idealised before, I don’t think I ever really thought about it before he was forcing a ring on my finger… so, it’s just complicated…” lifting your gaze to meet his, you added sarcastically, “and also I only have like three weeks to string everything together, so that’s just wonderful.”

“You wanna get out of it?”

Taking a long moment to truly ponder it, you eventually heard yourself uttering, “no,” your head lightly shaking from side to side as you said, “no, I wanna do this, even if it’s not easy, I wanna be able to do it. I can accept it if he’s completely ruined it for me, that’s fine, I don’t need to ever get married, but I don’t wanna let him ruin it for everyone else. I wanna be able to at least participate, celebrate when someone I care about does it… I don’t know if that’s just extremely stubborn of me, not wanting him to ruin yet another thing for me, but I at least wanna fight for it. Wanna try to reclaim just that little bit…” 

“You want me to be there with you?”

“What, on the wedding day?” 

“Yeah,” he nodded softly, his eyes ever focused upon you, “could that help?”

“Oh, Frank…” a gentle sigh slipped out past your lips as your head tilted slightly, “that’s incredibly kind of you to offer, but I’d imagine that weddings properly aren’t your favourite place either?” 

“Don’t think about me,” he urged as he averted his gaze. 

“But I am though,” your chilly palm slipped over the top of his thigh as you dipped your head to catch his gaze, “I am,” rubbing your thumb over the rough denim, you soon suggested, “how about this, what if whenever it gets to me, I can just turn to you and you’ll help distract me?” 

“Yeah, I can definitely do that,” his head offered the faintest of nods as the hint of a smile twitched at the corner of his lip. As his other hand lowered to envelop yours, he briefly glanced down at it before shifting his hold to swaddle your icicles-like fingers, “are you cold?”

“Uh, yeah. I was gonna get up and go find a sweater or something earlier, but then I got too caught up in something,” you waved a hand in the direction of the long list that was glaring at you on the laptop’s screen, “and kinda just forgot.”

Without a second thought, you watched as he reached behind his head and tugged off the grey knit that enveloped his physique.

“Oh, I didn’t mean–”

“I know,” he gathered up the jumper in his grasp and lifted it for you to be able to slip into with more ease, “here.”

“Well, aren’t you gonna get cold now?”

“Nope.”

Sighing softly, you raised your arms up and let him tug it down over your frame.

“Why are you so wonderful?”

Huffing out a sceptical breath, he only countered, “why are you?”

After your arms had slipped through the long sleeves and into place, your fingers snatched up the fabric of the dark t-shirt that the sweater had revealed and tugged him closer. 

Pressing a gentle and unhurried peck to his lips, you lingered there a moment after, your nose ghosting softly against his robust one as he then uttered into the narrow space between you. 

“You wanna know what I think?” you felt his palms slowly slide up and down the sides of your frame. 

“What?”

“I think you’ve been working very hard all day long, and now it’s time to turn that computer off and come down with me and see if we can find some of what your dad made for dinner earlier.”

With a soft nod to your head, finally letting yourself notice the nauseating hunger aching deep within your belly, you felt a smile begin to bloom, “alright.”

© 2023 thyme-in-a-bubble 

[yannaryartside]

Carmy doesn’t wanna be with Claire despite his trauma, but because of it

So, I was working in a meta about the roles of Chef David, Claire and Sydney in Carmy’s character arc. But I think there is something that can be a point of its own, let’s see if I can explain myself correctly.

I have read opinions about how once Carmy work things out with Donna (that recent la times interview had Calo mentioning how they mirrored Claire shots after Donna’s shot) and many people came to that conclusion of how Carmy wanting to be with Claire is sabotaged by his trauma.

And that is a valid take and it could be what it is, but I don’t think it makes sense. No if you let abuse be a realistic player in the equation. Let me explain.

Abuse breaks your perception of yourself and the world, and sometimes you are gonna choose a partner based on that perception. Falling in love /having crushes is something that comes from our subconscious and can be deeply conditioned.

Carmy had a mother that ignored/neglected/abused him while constantly comparing him to his brother. Then he got a head chef that humiliated him, got him so scared that was physically sick and mentally damaged. All of this is self hatred fuel. He once thought he was abused because he wasn’t good enough. (This is what you wanted, to be the best) to the point he subconsciously thinks is okay to continue the cycle of abuse as long as he gets the star. (Btw he didn’t wanted it for Syd as a gift, he wanted it to prove her and his former chef that he could succeed on his own terms, the star was his revenge).

Let’s talk Claire. He had this crush in this girl that was nice to everyone, even him with how “defective” he felt. Then miraculously this girl said that even from then she had a crush on him. She is easy and doesn’t have a problem with any of his very serious mental health issues and immaturity. He feels good enough with Claire not because he is bettering himself from an honest place (like with Sydney at times) but because Claire doesn’t ask for even basic human accountability. This is enabling to someone with a healthy mindset. But for Carmy, it is heaven, and in s3 he thinks he lost that.

I think this is the reason we don’t know shit about Claire (her hobbies, the story of her family, dreams or aspirations) because the only thing that matters to the story (Carmy’s story) is the comfort and amusement she provides. Addicts choose different drugs based on what they want (feel happy, forget, adrenaline) and Claire is the perfect drug to each one of Carmy’s core wounds.

She represents the social approval he didn’t have growing up (Michael and his family wanted them together, she is from the cool group of kids he wanted to hang out with, and Claire even acted as vehicle to Carmy feeling part of that hight school experience in the frat party)

Carmy doesn’t have to guess her humor because she puts an effort (I think) on being amenable all the time. She has all easy similes while Donna has faces of disgust and anger)

She has this perpetual need to be around and take care of broken people (her drunk friends, her patients, the stupid Faks) while never criticizing them or asking them to change (it is cool that Michael set things on fire, she hooks the Faks with her friends, she tells carmy to never apologize)

There is an extra dark side to all of this, because this relationship is not only very superficial but very relying on both of them playing the role of the “broken boyfriend” and the “saint girlfriend” but that is a topic for its own meta.

Now, some examples based on personal experience to bring more context to this point. Trigger warnings:descriptions of physical and philosophical abuse.

My mother was engaged once with a man that was physically abusive, then she left him and married my dad, a man that respected her for her brain and never hurt her with his hands, but was manipulative and psychologically abusive. For years she accepted this “lesser” (in her words) type of abuse and described their relationship as “the best she ever had” because that is the broken perspection she has still. If you are hungry, you learn to eat garbage.

When you hate yourself, you may accept anything that tells you nothing is wrong with you, or tells you how “fix” you. That’s how cults get you, that’s how others abusers get you, surgeries, scams, you are a pigeon that will collaborate in being taken advantage of and you will be thankful for it. This is not victim blaming, abusers know the characteristics of a person that is not gonna fight back, the one that keeps believing they deserve the abuse. That’s why is so difficult to break of this cycles. The show decided to use the toxicity of the industry to show how an abusive person (Carmen) is gonna jump from abuse to abuse of he still believes he deserve it. All 3 berzatto siblings have self hate integrated to different extremes. Mickey hated himself till the point of drug addiction and suicide. Nat does it so she believes is her responsibility that everyone is all right even if it cost her greatly.

I want to bring this last point home:

Our traumas protect us sometimes, if ever questioning the believes that formed after them.

If Carmy ever confronts Donna, he will realize he was never defective, that bettering himself is something he is worth for, and then could choose a partner, based on a true understanding of himself and being able to find real compatibility, not just momentary relive for his pain and a distortion of acceptance. He doesn’t need to keep believing he is broken.

Anyhow, thank you for reading.

[garbinge]

That One Christmas Without Carmy

Michael "Mikey" Berzatto & Platonic!F!Reader

30 Day Fic Challenge (22/30)

Word Count: 2k A/N: A little flashback with Mikey.

Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of content. Mentions of abuse, angst, sadness, depression. Other fics from this universe The Bear Taglist: @drabbles-mc @justreblogginfics @quixscentsposts @dadbodfanatic-x @adorable-punk-superheroes @lodeddiperrodrick @isalver @captainweasleybarnes @musicwithteeth @fancyvoidtragedy @shinebright2000 @knight4xmas @gills-lounge @navs-bhat @cosmicak @kmc1989

It was the one Christmas Carmy didn’t come home. With how things were with him, you weren’t shocked. He barely answered your texts, you talked for two minutes every few months. Things were just different, you knew he was distancing himself. It took some time but you put the pieces together as to why and weren’t going to force him into anything. 

You walked into the house, apple cider in your hand, something you did every year you came. Sugar hated that Donna drank herself a mess every holiday, which made bringing alcohol feel wrong, not to mention when you started coming over for these events as an adult, you were still under the legal drinking age and you knew food was off limits when Donna was cooking the 7 fishes. So apple cider it was. 

Not bothering to engage in whatever conversation was happening in the living room, you moved throughout the house looking for a quiet corner to just collect your thoughts. Life had been pretty rocky lately, you just moved back not that long ago and you still felt like you were trying to get your footing from being in Indiana with the jackass that was your ex. You weren’t sure what life held for you, but the pressure alone was enough to weigh you down. 

You let out the deepest sigh as you collapsed your back on the wall next to the pantry where Mikey was standing, the only quiet corner of the house that wasn’t the bathroom which was currently being hot boxed by the Faks. 

He let out a chuckle and a head shake, letting his long hair fall all crazy around him. 

“Just need a minute.” You stared at the ceiling. 

“Feel that.” Mikey was now staring up at the ceiling with you. “Sorry about the craziness.” 

“Ironically, Mikey, this is the most stable environment I’ve been in.” 

“You know that’s fucked, right?” He looked over at you with a smile. 

“Beats sitting in an empty house waiting for a santa that never comes.” You remembered the one Christmas in middle school where your dad told you he was going to visit Santa and to stay in the living room and he’d be back with gifts, he didn’t show back up for 3 days, and all he had in his hand was a public indecency ticket and a 6-pack. “I don’t think you get how much this shit means to me Mikey. You, Sug, Carm, shit, even Richie. You guys saved me, Donna being well,” you pointed to the kitchen as a way to replace any verb that just felt completely underwhelming in comparison of the action, “it’s something I’d happily deal with just to have your guys company.” 

“We love you, kid.” He grabbed your shoulder, staring at you. 

After a moment of silence, you spoke up. 

“You talk to him lately?” 

“No.” He answered quickly. “You?” He was now staring down at the floor, waiting for an answer.

“Not really. Maybe a month ago. He actually called me once, wished me a happy half birthday.” You chuckled and looked over at Mikey who was making a weird face. “It’s like a tradition.” You started to explain since he looked very confused. “We’ve done it since we were kids.” You shrugged. “But other than that and a text to let me know he wasn’t coming home, he hasn’t answered my calls. Barely texts me back.” 

“You know last year, he was standing right there where you are, giving me shit ‘bout talking to Claire Bear for him.” He laughed at the memory while you rolled your eyes. “Jealous?” Mikey caught you and smirked. 

“Barely.” You huffed. “It’s just so crazy you guys can’t see it.” You shrugged and looked at Mikey who was giving you a look like ‘are you going to continue?’. It made you laugh but you obliged. “You’re gonna make fun of me and him for saying this, but Carm, he’s so delicate. He gets tipped off his scale so easily you gotta ease him into things. I bet you, you, Richie, and Fak bum rushed him about how hot she is, and how he needs to hit that and whatever. That shit throws him off, you gotta be smooth with it. When he’s here, he’s waiting for something to tip the scales, that's why it’s so easy to tip.” 

“It was cousin Steve, not Fak, but you’re not wrong, that is what happened.” He nodded, letting his hand rest on the frame across from him as his head dropped and his back was still against the other side of the frame. “It’s like you’re his best friend or some shit.” It was meant as a joke, a light hearted comment but it held a lot more weight for you.

“I don’t know about that anymore.” 

“What happened to you out in Indiana. Could tell shits been different for you since then.” Mikey continued the conversation, his leg now lightly kicking the door frame as a subconscious tik. 

“Some really fucked shit happened. After all of it, I went to see Carmy, could tell he was working really hard to separate himself from this, and I just so happen to be a part of this. I think I tip the scales.” 

“If it makes you feel better, I most definitely tip the fuckin’ Carmy scales.” Mikey laughed, looking back down at the ground. 

“You know, you’re like a brother to me, Mikey.” That comment brought his eyes back up to you, his head nodding and his hair flopping all over the place as he acknowledged you. 

“I love you like a sister, you know this, sometimes even more than Sugar, you don’t ask Ma if she’s okay 20 times a day.” He teased, a smile growing on his face. 

It was nice to see him smile, it was so rare these days it felt like. 

“Your moms scales are easily tipped, too. Probably where Carm gets it.” You were now walking past him in the door frame and sitting on the radiator box that was parallel to the stairs. “Guess I got my dad’s scales, untippable.” You shrugged as you jumped up. 

“Think I got mine’s too.” Mikey’s eyebrows raised, he shifted his positioning, so he was facing you since you moved, but quickly mimicked how he was standing before, back against the door frame, hand on the opposite side holding him up. “How is your Pops?” 

You laughed and shook your head. “It’s Christmas Eve so, drunk, probably in a casino.” 

“Some things don’t change.” His eyes were now connected to yours. 

“And yet I feel like I can’t recognize my life anymore.” Your legs began to kick back and forth slightly hitting the radiator beneath you.

“Well, a lot of things do change.” Mikey shrugged, a smile growing on his face at the irony of his statements. 

“Funny guy.” You smiled back. 

“Bear made me this drawing that Christmas. Told me about Copenhagen.” He let out a deep sigh. “I tipped the scale though.” 

“He just misses you, Mike. Wishes he was doing this with you.” It was spoken like it was so obvious and Mikey missed all the signs. 

“He told you that?” It was curious how he asked, like he knew all along, but there was some shit no one but him knew that prevented it all from happening. 

“No, but I know he told you that, he’s my best friend, I've known him since we were kids, I know what he’s thinking before he thinks it.” You spoke jokingly but obviously.

“It’s just a mess here.” Mikey wasn’t in the mood to joke about this and you could tell that immediately.

“But it’s home.” You spoke in the same seriousness.The doorbell rang and you looked at Mikey and quickly nodded your head to the right. “I’ll get it.” 

Mikey stayed leaning against the pantry’s door frame as you walked over to the front door. With a smile, you tossed open the door, expecting to see Pete or even one of the Fak’s since they always managed to lock themselves out every year but your heart dropped when you saw him. 

“Hey, I uh, called your dad, said I could probably find you here.” 

The last time you saw this man was when Richie was pointing a gun at him in the middle of The Beef which was last year. That added with the fact that he mentioned talking to your father, you barely got to talk to him and he can just call him up and he offers up your information like its nothing. The feeling of your heart dropping was quickly being replaced with rage bubbling in every part of your boddy, but your hands and arms specifically. 

“What the fuck do you want.” It must’ve been obvious you were getting angry because the man in front of you lifted his arms in a sense on innocence but you knew there was nothing innocent about him. 

“Was back in the area, missed you, I know how much you love the holidays, figured maybe we could go out, catch up, or not talk at all.” His eyebrows raised and as he was talking you definitely smelt the alcohol on his breath. 

“You should actually get the fuck out of here.” Your hand was firm on the door, despite them shaking, ready to slam it closed. 

The man took a step forward now, his begging mixed with a desire to show power. As his hand rested on the door he began to slightly push it open against yours.  “Don’t be like that, I always hated when you were like that, you’re too pretty to have an attitude that ugly.” 

Suddenly, the pushing on the door stopped and you felt a hand right above yours. Turning you saw Mikey standing behind you, taking all the weight of the door in his hand as he held firm with a deep frown on his face. 

“Pretty sure she told you to get the fuck outta here.” 

You weren’t sure if you were mortified or happy someone had your back right now. 

“I’m talkin’ to the lady, alright, don’t mean to be a bother, you don’t–you don’t gotta get involved.” It was said to be nonchalant but anyone could have read between the lines. 

“No, you’re not talkin’ to the lady.” In a way so opposite of his other hand, Mikey lightly touched your shoulder and smiled at you as he nodded behind him. Quickly he was taking your hand in his and moving you behind him. “C’mere sweetheart, stand right there.” He turned his attention back to the man at the door and hardened his face again. “You’re talkin’ to me. Who are you?” 

“I’m a friend.” He pointed to you and tried to peak past Mikey at you. 

“You ain’t shit. This is my house, my property, and she’s my friend. So I’m gonna need you to get the fuck out of here.” Mikey gripped the guy up with such ease, if it wasn’t for the flex of his muscles and the veins on his arms popping out, it wouldn’t have been obvious as to how hard his grip around this guys neck was. He tossed him down the stairs almost like a ragdoll, it helped that the man was in the bag drunk and had little to no reflexes readily available anymore. “If you ring this doorbell or do any other shit in or around this house, I’ll kill you.” With that the door was being slammed and he was turning to look at you. It broke him to see someone he saw as family so scared, your eyes were terrified still. 

He was tossing his arm over your shoulder and pushing you back through the kitchen and to the dining room where the chaos was. A sure way to keep your mind off everything. 

“Hey, c’mon now. Ignore that, let’s steal one of those cannolis, yea?” 

[localcryptidinthewoods]

my thoughts and prayers about brian

i think he found family and home in the enemies of Pheonix Drop when he was sent away.

if we’re following the medivial knight training process, he was sent away at 7 years old to become a page and start his training as a guard, and came back when he was 21 and knighted. its mentioned multiple times that dale is a drunk, and that he sent Brian away as soon as he was old enough to start training to become a knight. I doubt Brian saw this as a loving act from his father who was excited to share a passion of his with his son, but rather as a way to get Brian off his and mollys hands so Dale could continue to indulge in drinking.

When Brian does come back, im sure he is happy to be back to the place where he was born and grew up in for a handful of years, but by the time he is home Molly and Dale have had another kid, Alexis, who Dale is consistently there for and quits drinking for, especially after the whole shadow knight incident. Alexis has the father Brian never had, which i think ultimately makes Brian feel bitter and discarded, thus turning to the friends and family he had made in his time at the guard academy, which ultimately ended in his betrayal.

its also mentioned by Donna that Molly told her that Brian came back different, that ‘her baby boy wasent the same when he came back than when he went away’ and i think thats bc of two reasons, one, brian most likely grew up. he isnt a kid anymore, he isnt a baby. hes at least a teenager and at most a full grown adult by the time he came back. i think he also holds resentment towards his family, specifically his dad, and pheonix drop, that he keeps to himself with a tight lipped smile.

[poppadom0912]

Anyway we can get a part 2 to Grandchildren? Just a whole thing about how the Firehouse is with the reader throughout her pregnancy and the aftermath of her giving birth?

Warnings: Mentions of pregnancy and labour. 

A/N: This was sent last year I'm pretty sure but I only just got it done today! Very sorry about that. This will probably be my last fic of the holiday before going back to full-time education and I'm highly sure I'll be so stressed that writing won't even be on my mind. But please bear with me and depending on time, I might be able to get some stuff out to suffice you all.

You weren’t too sure what to expect following your pregnancy announcement. There were two ways things could go but knowing your firehouse family, there was only one direction they would follow. 

In the early months of your pregnancy, you were in the process of moving out your joint apartment with your fiancé and trying to find a place of your own. After an insistent Sylvie and your dad’s invitation to move back home, you moved into Sylvie’s apartment and became roommates with your paramedic partner. 

Living with one of your best friends definitely helped everything. She was everything that you needed and more both on and off shift. It was hilarious how she was more useful then your ex who was the actual father of the babies you were carrying. 

The twins were thriving. Every doctor's appointment, someone from the firehouse was attending with you and every time you were given only good news. But pregnancy was definitely hitting you hard with the morning sickness, incessant cravings, your unrelenting bladder and forever changing mood swings. 

Work in itself was relatively fine disregarding the overprotective adults you worked with. If being Boden’s daughter wasn’t enough, then being pregnant with twins increased their naturally protective natures tenfold and you weren’t too sure how to feel about it. On one hand, you adored how much they loved and valued you and your unborn babies' lives, you would never take advantage of their love but on the other hand, it was so constant and sometimes quite extreme that a break away from them sounded like paradise. 

But then you reached the six/seven-month mark and everything suddenly changed. Twenty-four-hour shifts became hell on earth. Now, you welcomed all their coddling, you could no longer do bare human necessities alone such as putting your shoes on – Sylvie helped you tie your boots up every morning – you couldn’t stand for too long, so you had someone help cook and take over for you, and the list goes on. 

Giving birth, gosh that was a story in itself.

You were at home when your water broke. You decided against going to Molly’s and Sylvie stayed with you, both of you putting your feet up and relaxing with a cheesy romcom and the perfect snacks to go with it. Sylvie was in the bathroom while you were in the kitchen when it all happened. 

It was nearly painless, your Braxton hicks hurt more surprisingly. It trickled down your leg, your shock rooting you in your place besides the sink. You’d been so silent that Sylvie came looking for you when you didn’t reply to her calling your name. 

Her surprise was evident for mere seconds before the paramedic in her kicked in. You were surprised nothing in you moved into motion, you were a paramedic for goodness sakes, you dealt with these things all the time. 

On the way to the hospital, you called your dad and step-mum Donna who immediately claimed they were on their way. This was happening way too fast for your liking; you knew premature twins were the norm, but you still couldn’t hide your concern. 

You’d decided several months ago that since you had no partner to be in the room with you, Donna and Sylvie would be there with you instead and to say they were emotional when you broke the news to them was saying the least. 

Seeing your stepmother already waiting for you at the hospital nearly made you break out into tears. You wanted to feel bad for making them leave Terrance home with a sitter but the next contraction made you shut up. 

While Sylvie spoke to the nurse at the desk, your dad and Donna helped you up, holding your sides to help you walk into the labour and delivery ward where you would spend the next several hours of the night. 

The pain only got worse the more time passed. You asked for an epidural, but an hour passed and then two and then Donna was demanding her daughter’s request be fulfilled. Donna’s anger could not be masked by anything but the tears filling your eyes from the tripling pain. 

According to them, your labour was progressing too quick for an epidural. Your dad and Sylvie were struggling to hold back an absolutely livid Donna. Had your mind not been so hazy from the pain, you would’ve been supporting her anger. 

Eventually, your midwife arrived causing you to nearly cry out in joy. She had been the most perfect angel who eventually forced your dad out the room. Chocking back a cry, you let him kiss your sweaty forehead, wishing you the bestest of luck and whispering his love for you in your ear before leaving. Your dad leaving you made you feel like a little kid again, his absence making you want to cry more. 

Everything blurred together once you were dilated enough. You were squeezing the daylights out of Sylvie and Donna’s hands, guttural screams and sobs ripping out your throat when all of a sudden you felt a wave of relief wash over you. 

Before you knew what was happening, a tiny little body was gently being placed on your chest and you were still crying. 

“It’s a boy!” You faintly heard the doctor as you heart thundered in your ear, all your attention solely on the life you gave laying on your chest. The nurse was cleaning it with a towel and without a second to waste, you held his head with the lightest touch against you. 

But then things started moving again, your first baby was taken for his first ever check-up and you were being told to start pushing again. You were barely able to concentrate, your mind still on your firstborn. 

“Sylvie… please.”

Two words were all the blonde needed to leave your side and follow the baby that was practically her nephew. 

Fourteen minutes later exactly, your daughter was born and you weren’t embarrassed to say you full on sobbed when they placed her on your chest. 

“You did it Y/N. You did it honey, you were perfect.” Donna comforted you, pushing your sweaty hair back, watching you stare adoringly at your second born. “You did it mama.”

*****

When you got cleaned up and was informed of the clean bill of health your babies had, you were knocked out, Donna and Sylvie promising you they’d be awake for anything needed and they could tell the good news to the rest of the world. 

Sylvie was talking to one of the nurses when Donna slipped out the room, walking into the waiting room that was empty when they arrived but was now filled with nervous family. They looked almost restless, it was apparent on their faces that as soon as morning came, they all came running. 

Under their curious eyes, Donna didn’t stand a chance. “It’s a healthy boy and girl.”

And with that, the waiting room erupted into cheers. 

With the nurse's permission, the firehouse broke into several groups to visit you and every group was as emotional as the next. 

Your dad shed several tears seeing you and his grandchildren. He cried the most you’d ever seen him cry when you announced your baby boys full name. To top his reaction, you laughed and cried at the same time when you told Matt, Kelly and Sylvie the news you’d been wanting to tell them ever since you got pregnant. 

The titles godparent made your three best friends more emotional than they would’ve wanted. Sylvie nearly crushed you in her hug when you told her your baby girls middle name. 

Who would’ve thought having namesakes was this emotional? 

They kept you another day for observations but after that, there was no reason for you to remain at the hospital any longer. So you were finally at home, with two new additions.

Two newborn babies were hard work. It took what felt like hundreds of sleepless nights, several cries of your own, feeding non-stop and the list went on.

And it was hard on your own. Most days, Sylvie had to go to work, leaving you on your own for an entire 24 hours but it would always be the biggest relief when she was off for the next 48.

And everyone was always offering their hands. You lost count the amount of times Donna came over to help with food and cleaning, Cindy always calling, providing you with all the advice and things you needed.

It was very emotional and you found yourself coping perfectly fine without your ex.

Yes, you did feel slightly guilty raising your children without knowing their father but it was the better alternative than if he was still around.

And your children were constantly surrounded by people, family who would always love them and would always be around. Your firefighters were fiercely protective and you wouldn't change that for the world.

[isagrimorie]

Concept writing for a potential April Ludgate/Jen Barkley story…

But I can’t just start Jen and April off as falling into some relationship because it won’t be true to April’s character. April truly loves Andy… Their relationship is one cornerstone of Parks and Rec.

But Jen Barkley is exactly the type April Ludgate would Stan, and that we didn’t see them interact on Parks and Rec is a crime!

I know Parks and Rec closed the book on the entire gang with happy endings but as I’ve mentioned again and again; I hated how April gave in to Andy’s wish to have kids when she’s been vocal for several years on the show that she doesn’t want any kids.

Anyway, just trying this out as a concept writing.

---

Eight months after the Halloween dinner with Leslie and Ben, April decided to divorce Andy.

It wasn’t a decision April came to lightly. She loved Andy more than air. She can’t remember a time when she hasn’t been in love with Andy.

But Andy wanted kids and every year that ticked by, it felt like his desire to be a father was a sharp wedge between them that April couldn’t climb.

She even had a talk with Leslie. April hoped that Leslie’s pep talk would help and maybe it did a little because April did like teams and being on the winning team.

The feeling didn’t last long. The next time Andy expressed his wish to have a kid it ended with April staring at the ceiling, staring at one spot, feeling like the walls were closing in.

April didn’t like who she was becoming whenever the topic came up. Angry and biting. She liked being angry, but she didn’t like being angry with Andy. She didn’t like the resentment that was slowly building in her chest or the sick feeling she had at the pit of her stomach she’s beginning to have at the sight of Andy.

Unexpectedly, it was Ann who finally pushed April off the cliff. They all promised to attend an event Gerry was throwing for their old Parks department, and of course, Leslie roped April into helping organize the party. April didn’t mind, she was feeling nostalgic for the old days.

Oliver Traeger and Leslie’s Triplets ran around with Andy chasing them.

“They look so happy,” Ann observed.

April rolled her eyes. “Of course they are, Ann. Andy’s the best.”

“Andy would make a wonderful dad.”

One kid dropped and rolled, Andy stopped to check, but that was a ruse and Oliver tripped Andy into crashing. April watched the kids pummel Andy.

“April, is something wrong? You look… angrier than normal?”

“Do you remember what I told you about my gut?”

It was years ago, but April expected that Ann would remember the few times April ever spoke to her. Ann didn’t disappoint because she answered uncertainly, “That your gut was always right?”

“I’m going to correct that because my gut is killing me. My gut’s being an asshole.”

“Wait, are you sick?”

April glowered at Ann. “No.” And then she crossed her arms. “Did you regret following my advice about your gut?”

There was a thoughtful expression on Ann’s face, and April didn’t like it. “No, I think that was one of the best advice I ever got from you.” Ann’s eyes darted behind her and back to April. “Is there something you want to talk about?”

“No.”

And then April walked away to get some booze.

But she also had her answer, and she hated it.

Two weeks after that, April told Andy she wanted a divorce.

The entire night was… terrible and April never wants to live through that again. She called Ron and Ben and told them that Andy needed their help. April didn’t tell them what for but made sure she wasn’t anywhere when they arrived.

April took an assignment that would take her out of the country. Donna appeared the day the news got out. She knew when it did when she received wave after wave of messages and calls from Leslie. She ignored them all.

But Donna knew her itinerary since she helped April book her rental in Puerto Rico. Donna flew out — “I’m only here for the day. Joe and I are heading out for our South American extravaganza.”

“Donna…”

Donna took out a tequila bottle and began pouring them into the hotel glasses. “Drink. I invested in this Tequila company, and it’s fire.”

April did what she was told and drank the burn of the alcohol going down her throat was amazing. “Blaaah.”

“I get it,” Donna said, after things calmed down. She was pouring them another round. “Leslie doesn’t understand why, but I get it.”

True to her word, Donna was just there for a day, she left April her third Fuego tequila bottle and a truly stupendous hangover.

Leslie blew up her phone, asking to meet her, but April shut it. April was back in DC and she knew it was only a matter of time before Leslie found her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

April cringed but opted for the truth. “Because I thought you’d talk me out of it.”

“That’s fair. I probably would have,” Leslie said with some chagrin, but then her face softened. “I told you, whatever you decide, Ben and I will support you.”

“Okay,” April could feel her face crumple."You can go now.”

Leslie ignored the goodbye, as usual, and then hugged her. “Stop,” April ordered, but even her arms didn’t listen and she found herself leaning into Leslie’s hug.

She’s never cried so hard. She felt empty. But, a good kind of empty.

“I promise you, no matter what happens, April. You’re never alone, we’ll be here for you. Team April is great.”

That was a stupid thing to promise.

“I hate being a grown-up.”

“Yeah, me too.”

--/--

tbc, Part 2