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[caesium-55]

—seven days. [ ii ]

pairing: max verstappen x manager! reader.

summary: as the third time world champion, max verstappen's manager, you function on the belief that whatever max verstappen wanted, max verstappen shall get. but this time, after four years of working as his manager, you can't give him what he wants anymore and that was to stay.

author's note: not beta-read. not edited. here's part 2 folks. part 3 is on the works now. did i write this fic instead of studying for my important quiz tomorrow? yes, yes i did. pls pray for my score.

masterlist.

For Christmas in 2019, Max has gotten you an apartment near his in Monaco. It is a loft apartment good for one on the 8th floor, a building away from where Daniel and Max lived. Originally, he wants to get you the unit a floor below his. You decline quickly, insisting that you are very fine with rooming with Julia and Kendall, who are both members of the Red Bull PR team whom you have gotten close with since your first year working with Red Bull. Max may have beef with the PR team for making him do a lot of embarrassing shit for the views but you're besties with most of them and actually thank them for making Max suffer through PR stuff because you cannot afford therapy and watching Max suffer through PR-related activities is a good form of free therapy. Also, Monaco apartments are fucking expensive. Red Bull might be paying you well but not well enough to afford an apartment in a country as expensive as Monaco.

“I want you close,” he tells you. If you did not know any better, you'd have butterflies fluttering in your intestines right about that moment. Sometimes, Max utter the most heart-fluttering of nonsense without meaning to. It causes your heart to stutter more times than you would like to admit.

“Well, I don't want you close.”

Max will never ever win an argument with you. He knows that. You know that. The best he can do is come to a compromise, a compromise that is usually tailored to suit whatever you want.

So you got that small loft apartment a building away, good for one person only. It's easy to clean and it's cheap, Max already said that, which makes you happy because you can set a payment plan for that. An apartment as a Christmas gift is already too much, borderline giving you a heart attack already. Rich people spending their money give you, a person of the middle class folks, heart attacks. Why can't Max be normal and give you a normal gift? A bracelet? A bag? You’ll even accept it if he gave you a slice of cheesecake. Not even your parents can buy you an apartment.

It has only been three years since the keys are passed on to your ownership and people say three years is enough time for a person to make a place home. But your apartment doesn't even feel like home, only a place you’ll sleep in if you happen to be in Monaco for the evening.

Home is that humble, two-storey house painted in red and yellow in Lynnwood Avenue, Vista Del Pueblo, Austin, a total picture of a picket fence dream. Home is Abuelo's old farmhouse in El Paso where you spent your childhood riding horses and driving ATVs across the dusty dry earth. Home is the retro milkshake place owned by the sweet old couple that has been in the neighborhood longer than your entire existence. Home is the tree-lined streets where you walked the family senior dog, Niko. Home is the Austin Fire House, your Dad’s workplace that you visited a handful of times back when you were a child to deliver cookies that your Abuela baked so your Dad could share it with his co-workers. Home is your mom’s clinic in the middle of downtown, always smelling like eugenol, disinfectant, formaldehyde, and her perfume. Home is not glitz and gold and glamor and cash cash cash. Home is not seeing wealthy people left and right. Home is not Monaco.

And it is not like you stayed long in your place either. You're always off traveling around the world with the Red Bull team and accompanying Max wherever he needs your presence. You don't even spend your breaks in that apartment because you immediately fly home to your family once a break is graciously given to you before flying off again to watch Max collect trophy after trophy.

Six days from now, you're going to be flying off to Texas. That means you have six days—less than six days actually—to pack all your crayons and go. Of course you're going to pack up the day before you leave. Doing shit last minute makes your life exciting, and it's not like you had a lot of shit to pack anyway. All your belongings can be tucked into a total of three suitcases. Three years worth of belongings in three suitcases.

you: you doin good there?

Max has been holing himself up in his penthouse since your arrival from Abu Dhabi, probably dealing with his breakup with Kelly. A shame, really. You thought the two looked good together. (Do they really? the asshole part of your brain thinks.)

And P. Thank God for that child’s existence. You hate children but P is an exception. P brings the best out of Max. Max has gotten the chance to act as the father he never had. It's heartwarming, to be honest.

him: not really no

him: can you bring me coffee

you: on it champ

Fifteen minutes later, you’re knocking on the gigantic double doors of his penthouse, a tall styro cup of espresso from that cute café two streets down and a slice of blueberry cheesecake because you’re thoughtful enough to buy him his favorite cake. You experienced a breakup before. A cake and an icecream work wonders when it came to healing broken hearts.

“You're fast,” he immediately says after opening the door. You kind of expect that he’d look worse, snotty and messy and looking like he ran from hell and back. But no, he looks……fine? His sweater and shorts look absolutely neat and comfortable and dry of snot. His hair is a little fluffy from lying on his bed but not too messy. He doesn't even look like he was crying. No red-rimmed eyes. No red nose.

You fake gasp, putting a hand on your chest for additional dramatic effect, “The fastest racer in F1 callin’ me fast. Truly honored.”

A smile plays on his lips, sidestepping and beckoning you in.

You frequently come by Max’s home, for work purposes of course, but you still cannot help but be amazed by the enormity of it every time you enter. Max’s penthouse is twenty times bigger than the apartment you currently live in. One man and a big house—it must be very lonely now that P and Kelly are no longer around. Now, you’re even more worried about what will happen the moment you go back to Texas.

Oh… You still haven't told him yet.

“Coffee,” you hand him the warm styro cup to which he accepts gratefully. He utters his thanks, taking a whiff before sipping, letting out a pleasured moan.

You make your way to his gigantic kitchen, navigating your way through his cabinets in search of a plate and a fork. You slide the cheesecake on the plate towards Max, who followed you to the kitchen and sat on the empty stool in the kitchen counter.

“Thank you,” he says, picking up the fork and taking a bite. He glances at your feet, eyes trained on your YSL. The obnoxious sound of the heels clicking against the floor as you walk probably is the one that caught his attention.

“You know, you've been wearing the same shoes since 2019.”

Points for Max for noticing. These YSL Opyum heels are the first luxury items you bought for yourself after saving for three years to buy one pair. You saw a rich international student wear it once back in university and you liked how sophisticated it looked compared to all the pairs of converse or platform boots you owned. So you made it your life’s goal to own one. In 2019, after doing tons of part time jobs in university and working with Red Bull for a whole year, you managed to buy yourself one on your birthday and you’d been wearing them to work ever since.

Your regular work uniform consists of a Red Bull polo shirt, a pencil or a slit skirt, and that specific pair of heels. Around 2021, you bought another pair to replace the old one because the old one broke. And 2022 again.

“What's wrong with ‘em?” you ask, brows furrowing as you followed his train of sight. Your heels might be a year old already but they still look fine.

Max blinks, “No, there's nothing wrong. Just…Do you think you would want to wear some other design?”

“No,” is your reply. “I like ‘em just the way they are.”

“Okay.”

Your conversation drifts into something else as Max finishes his coffee and cake. You spend the rest of the day in Max’s penthouse, lying on his plush couch while a slasher movie from the 2000s played on his wide TV. He has given you access on his Netflix account so you abused it to your heart’s content because you don't even have. a Netflix subscription. You can absolutely afford one, you just choose not to. You have opted in using your phone mid-movie because the movie is beginning to get real scary but you do not want Max to think you're a coward so you acted like you're disinterested instead.

“Oh look, Charles is also back in Monaco. Do you want to hang out together?” you nudge Max with your foot, who swats it away from him, face contorting in disgust. You show him the post on Charles private IG—yes, you were mutuals in each other's private IG because whoever is friends with Max was friends with you by extension—on your phone.

“Stop makin’ that face, my feet are nice.”

Your toenails are a glorious red now. Ferrari red actually and they suit you better than the Red Bull red. Huh, maybe you should have considered applying for Ferrari instead of Renault in 2018.

“No, it isn't.”

You roll your eyes, pulling it away from him and sitting up, “Do you want me to schedule you a dinner with Charles? You might need the bro time, you know? Dad said bro times are also important, but not as important as family time, of course. My bro broke up with his sweetheart back when I was still in uni and his best buds were the reason he was back up in tippy top shape by the end of the week.”

Max stares at you blankly, “I think I understand the words individually but not the sentence entirely. I don't know if it's the accent or you Americans just have a strange way of structuring your sentences.”

“Point is, hang out with a friend because a friend can help you move on from a pussy.”

Max hurls a throw pillow at your direction, which you luckily avoided thanks to your non-racer level but still considerably good reaction time, but unfortunately, this action causes your center of gravity to shift and before you know it, you're falling from the couch. Unconsciously, you grab Max but then Max doesn't expect that you’ll grab him so now, you’re both falling off the couch and onto the floor.

You groan.

“Fuckin’ ass, man. That was uncalled for.”

He flips you off.

Nevertheless, Max ends up following your advice though and calls Charles to hang out the next day. Lestappen fans should be thanking you on Twitter the next day for bringing those two together on an off-day in Monaco. Maybe they'll hang out and eat together in a restaurant? Maybe they'll go on a yacht picnic?

Except Max sends you a message at high noon.

him: sos

you: is your kitchen burning

him: no

him: but this is still an emergency and you need to come quick

him: he’s with his girlfriend and i don’t want to thirdwheel

you: succ it up

him: you can’t do this to me

him: i just got my heart broken in abu dhabi

you: where are you

him: home

him: i also need help in cooking

Charles is the one who answers the door when you knock. He looks genuinely surprised when he sees you and you deduce that Max hasn't told him that you're coming over.

“Babe, who’s that?” you hear Alex’s voice behind Charles and you light up immediately, quickly moving past Charles to throw your hands around the sweet young woman.

“Alex!” Alexandra laughs and hugs you back. The sound of her laughter is as pretty as she and God definitely has favorites because why did he sculpt this twenty-one year old like the daughter of the Aphrodite while you look like you were born from one of Hephaestus’ sperm that lost the gene pool contest? The world is unfair. You always get the short end of the stick, may it be career-wise or appearance-wise, and you can't even bring your personality to the table because normally, without the whole act of professionalism and sophistication you put on, you act like an extroverted American frat boy on a good day and a sassy drag queen slash war freak on a bad day so yeah, you guess that's the short end of the stick, too.

“Seriously?” you look up and saw Max holding a frying pan, staring at you unimpressed. You roll your eyes and slowly pull away from the hug, gaze returning to Alexandra.

“How’ve you been, sweetie? Been a while since I last saw you.”

You didn't get a chance to talk to her in Abu Dhabi and in Las Vegas.

“Good,” she replies, smiling sweetly and ugh, you want to pinch her cheeks so bad. But Charles is pulling you away from Alexandra before you can do so.

“No, no, she is mine, yours is right over there,” Charles says, pointing at Max, who's still standing there in the corner. “Go on. Shoo.”

You roll your eyes before walking up to Max, “‘Sup?”

Max raises a brow at you, “So Charles’ girlfriend gets a hug and I get a sup?”

“Well, she's Alexandra Saint Mleux and you’re just….” you look him up and down. “Nevermind, what you trynna cook?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“I thought you said you were cooking.”

“I said I needed help with cooking.”

Your eyes narrow into slits, “You’re going to let me do the cooking, aren't you?”

“You know that pasta you made in September that you said was your mother’s recipe?”

A sigh escapes your lips as you roll the sleeves of your button-up to your elbows and power-walked your way to the kitchen, the sound of your YSL heels clicking against the floor bouncing against the walls of Max’s kitchen.

Lunch goes great. Charles and Alexandra love your cooking. Max has even asked for seconds. Good to know that he's eating well. Somewhere down the line, champagne is served even though it’s mid-afternoon and the four of you're sitting in Max’s balcony, staring at Monaco scape below. Thankfully, it is a cloudy day in Monaco. The heat of the sun isn't too harsh on the skin. Despite that, you hand Max a sun screen.

“Sorry about Kelly, by the way,” Alexandra says. Your conversation has drifted towards Max’s failed relationship now.

“That is very nice of you to say,” replies Max, smiling slightly. “But I’m okay.”

You give him a look, clearly unconvinced. Admitting vulnerability gives him hives so he's definitely lying.

“You look too okay for a guy who ended a three-year relationship,” Charles muses and his words get you immediately thinking.

Oh? So they’ve been dating that long? You never noticed.

“Even [Name] looked worse when she broke up with that Williams mechanic two years ago and they dated for like what? Barely a year?”

“Unprovoked!” you exclaim. Alex and Max laugh.

But yeah, Charles is right. When you broke up with Leo in 2021, it was not the prettiest sight. He entered Williams mid-2020 as a mechanic and he immediately caught your attention. He's kind and handsome and a very sweet guy. You have similar interests—engineering—and a similar sense of humor and you just….work so well together, you know? You were sure he was your soulmate the moment he cracked up that Physics pickup line and you know it was the same with him. You swore to God that you’d run away from all the British charming assholes but Leo made you eat your own words and gave you a run for your money.

But alas, 2021 season came and Red Bull Racing became busier than ever because Max and Hamilton got crazily competitive and Max demanded your full attention, needing you as a support system to win.

And Leo. Well, he’s busy, too. Engineers are always busy. But he felt neglected because all your attention was on Max. He felt like he was competing with Max for your attention and it shouldn't even be a competition in the first because Leo was the boyfriend and Max was not. And you cannot even deny that you prioritized Max that year. You wanted Max to win. You needed Max to win, so he can finally ask Horner to move you to the engineering team.

Losing Leo is devastating but Max won the WDC title that year and while you spent nearly a month crying over Leo after the breakup, you're hoping that at least, in 2022, you’ll finally get that damned engineering position at the cost of losing your soulmate. That the tears you shed and the broken heart you carried inside your ribs will be worth it if it was in exchange for your dream. Then, it does not happen. The job isn't given to you and you spent the early months of the 2023 season wishing that you have chosen Leo instead of Max Verstappen.

“You’re still friends with him, right?” Charles turns to you.

“Of course,” you say honestly. You're still mutuals on IG and he still hearts your IG stories at times. You still talk, too, on the freer nights where there's a lot of time to waste. “We ended on good terms.”

“How about you, Max?”

“Can we not talk about this please?”

The four of you empty that bottle of champagne and once the sun has begun retiring for the night, Alex and Charles also left. You're soon to follow, fixing your tote bag and going through the mental checklist in your head so you will not forget anything and not waste energy returning here to pick it up.

“You can stay for dinner.”

Max’s offer surprises you.

“No.”

His face drops as quickly as your answer came.

“You're goin’ to let me cook again.”

“No, I’ll cook.”

You give him an unimpressed look. Clearly, you're not convinced.

“I swear, I’ll cook.”

“What if I get poisoned?”

“You won't get poisoned.”

When you continue staring at him, he sighs.

“Just stay please?”

Of course, you stayed. He asked after all.

You keep your eyes on him as he makes dinner with clumsy hands and a bit of unsureness behind his actions.

“You're goin’ to burn it, honey,” you point out.

“What honey? I didn't put any honey in it.”

You blink. He blinks back.

“You’re gonna give me aneurysm one day.”

Shaking your head, you walk into the bathroom at the end of the enormous hallway, lock the door behind you, lean your back against the door, and slowly slides down until your ass meets the cold bathroom floor. You slap a palm against your forehead and purse your lips to stop a scream from erupting.

God fucking dammit, Max is too adorable back there and this is not doing good things for your heart.

[allbark-no-bite]

cowboy up.

jake seresin x reader (wc: 2.6k)

summary: Jake’s a tease. and a cowboy. it makes your friends sick

warnings: really none i think, just talk of and allusions to sex

authors note: very loosely based off of “Dirty Looks” by Lainey Wilson. it got me into the mood to write a little something. briefly mentioned that reader is Ice’s daughter

————————————————————————

"Well hello, mi cowboy."

It's the deliciously sensual roll of the endearment off of your tongue that has Jake hooking two fingers through the loop of your jeans and tugging you firmly into his side as he approaches the bar. It starts up an engine-like rumble in his chest that travels up his throat and catches, vibrating while he bows down to kiss you. Just the sight of your sweet smile has the weariness of the day melting off of him.

El cowboy, you mother had appraised with great enthuse the first time you had brought Jake home, and he greeted her with his smooth as honey southern drawl. Being Latino and having grown up just along the border in El Paso, her English was still licked with Spanish flare and it made everything she said sound rivetingly amorous. Even after three years of dating, she still widely referred to him as the cowboy—your cowboy.

"Hey, darlin'. Sorry I wasn't here sooner. There were some mechanical issues with my plane and I couldn't get away," he apologizes, hence the grease stains on his hands. He had probably only taken the time to change into a fresh set of clothes before leaving base and driving straight to the Hard Deck.

You only hum, tipping your head up to steal a second kiss before he straightens. "Glad you're here now."

Jake has to stop himself from chasing your lips for a third. Penny's warned him about getting too frisky at the bar. It's not his fault when you taste like strawberry margaritas and are wearing those jeans that you know drive him crazy.

But when he looks over his shoulder, Penny's sliding him an ice cold beer from across the bar. "This one's on the house, Seresin." The gleam shining in her eyes tells him that she's caught the two of you but is going to let it slide this time.

When he opens his mouth to argue, already digging his wallet out of his pocket, she shakes her head. "Looks like you had a long day. Enjoy the beer."

"Really, Pen, I—"

Penny's back is already turned as she heads to the other side of the bar to serving an incoming crowd of aviators.

Jake glances down to his well worn boots while his hand goes to his jaw to feel at the beginnings of a five o'clock shadow. Does he really look that worn out? He has to resist the urge to smell himself.

He looks back to you, suddenly feeling ashamed of himself for showing up like this. Here he is, covered in sweat and engine grease, while his own girlfriend is standing next to him, looking way out of his league. Even the Dagger Squad looks fresh and put together. It would have been hard to guess that they had all been out sweating on the tarmac together earlier in the day.

"I probably should have cleaned up," he admits, running a hand over the cropped hair at the back of his neck. He's wondering if he can at least escape to the bathroom for a minute to stick his head under the sink.

What Jake doesn't know is that you might actually kill him if he does that. There's something about the combination of his off-duty khakis and dusty boots that is making your heart flutter. The tousle of his blonde hair after a long day and ruddy flush of his already tan cheeks give off the impression that he's more than just a pretty face. He looks hard working and very, very capable.

"Jake?"

"Hmm?" he hums, having been eyeing the bathrooms, contemplating even just splashing some water on his face.

Your heart squeezes painfully when his dazzling green eyes turn back to land on yours, eyebrows raised in question, fully attuned to whatever it is that you may need. "What baby—"

He stops mid sentence when you pull him down by the back of his neck to kiss him. This time it's a much less chaste kiss than the one you greeted him with, and he gets to really taste the strawberry margarita on your lips—a bit sweet, a little salty. The taste makes his mouth tingle and he's not sure if it's you or the tequila that's making him feel buzzed.

Jake's hand immediately slips around your waist, his large hand on your back, pressing you into him. A groan slips out of him when his fingers brush the warm skin just above the rise of your jeans.

The fact that you had purposefully chosen not to wear your khakis like himself and the rest of the crew makes Jake that much more hot and bothered. It's not that he dislikes your usual naval attire, because he doesn't. He loves how it fits you, who you become when you wear it, your signature "Frostbite" embroidered on the front—the name he gave you. It's the fact he's come in, dead on his feet from working all day, and his diamond of a girlfriend is wearing an outfit she put on just for him.

Really, Jake thinks his chest might just implode.

His free hand had been holding his beer out to the side, momentarily forgotten once you'd started kissing him. Blindly, he sets it down behind him, the glass clinking against the bar top so that he can get both of his hands on you without spilling. He prefers you, the taste of your skin anyhow.

"So damn sweet," he groans into the underside of your jaw, eyes shut as he fights the urge to say fuck it and take you home now. "Could just eat you."

You laugh, fingers gripping his blonde hair. "Is that a promise, cowboy?" Jake's teeth scrape your pulse point and your fingers tighten. His body is hot pressed flushed against you, moving as you move so that the contact never breaks.

"Baby, I'd devour you," he promises huskily into your ear. Mav has been working them to the bone for the past few weeks, and Jake has hardly had the energy to climb the front steps when he gets home, much less make it to the bedroom. To say you've both been left wanting is an understatement.

His lips press wetly to your neck. "You look good, Frosty Girl. You know how much I love those jeans..."

You hum, eyes fluttering closed as Jake sends you to that place. That place where only you and Jake exist, where the worries of the day melt away, and it smells like his cinnamon oak body wash and the hint of beer on his breath. It doesn't matter than he smells slightly of sweat and jet fuel because that's just him. That's what makes him Jake.

"Mmm, you do?" Of course he does. Jake Seresin drinks the air you breathe and worships the ground you walk on. "I think you'll like what I have on under them more."

If Jake had been twenty-one again, he'd have a raging hard on in his jeans right now. After two years of dating you, he's developed a bit of self control since then. He spent a lot of lunch breaks jacking off in the bathroom the first few months. All you had to do was rub up against him climbing out the back seat of the cockpit and he was sneaking off to take care of himself before any of the Dagger squad could see the missile sized hard on in his pants.

Jake smiles, his pearly white grin pressed into your neck. His jade green eyes peer up at you with a gleam of anticipation.

"Black?" he guesses, his nimble fingertips already dipping just past your waistband to brush across the lace he knows he's going to find.

"Uhh mm," you deny, enjoying the thrill of teasing him with your secret.

His warm breath fans across your neck. "Red?"

The corners of your mouth quirk up into a look that Jake can only describe as devilish. "I figured you deserved a treat. I know you've been—" Before you can finish, Jake is kissing you. His pink lips are cool and a bit wet from the beer he's been nursing, but his tongue is hot and slick and wet and it just feels so good.

"Jesus. Get a room, you two."

Despite the roar of blood in his ears, the buzzing in his veins, Jake recognizes the sound of Bradley's voice just a table away.

Begrudgingly pulling away from the kiss, Jake doesn't release you just yet, just moves his head to look over your shoulder. He had hardly even acknowledged the Dagger Squad when he walked in, too focused on you. And maybe that's on him.

"Sorry, Bradshaw. Didn't see you there." You can tell Jake's smirking over your shoulder, hand not so slyly cupping the curve of your ass as he reaches for his beer with the other, playing at indifference. He takes a slow swig of it, unbothered by the fact that your friends -you coworkers- are all watching. "I was busy saying hello to my unbelievably sexy girlfriend."

Without breaking eye contact with Bradley, Jake plants a filthy wet kiss to the pulse point of your neck. It's enough to make the other aviator's mustache twitch and his throat constrict with a impulsive swallow. Regardless of how they acted— always at each other’s throats— there was no longer any bad blood between the two pilots. That feud had been settled on the Uranium mission last year and was replaced by new found respect, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t seize every opportunity to ruffle the other’s feathers.

"This is a public space," Natasha reminds him, as if he were unaware of the extremely crowded bar.

Jake smirks. "Oh believe me, I'm holding back for Floyd's sake. Wouldn't want to ruin his innocence."

The weapon system officer emits a noise of protest from across the table, his cheeks flashing an embarrassed hue of red. "I've already told you, I'm not a virgin!"

You giggle into Jake's shoulder at his complait, content to bask in the temporary stronghold of your boyfriend's embrace. It's nice to get moments with him like this, away from the stress of work and without the pressure of success weighing on your shoulders.

Of course your friends knew about yours and Jake's relationship, had known since the very first date, but in nearly three years of dating, they had come to the realization that they knew very little about your relationship. Work was strictly professional for the two of you and even at the bar, the most intimate thing they'd ever seen occur was Jake greeting you with a quick kiss.

"Damn, Bagman, you walking in here, kiss Frost senseless, and now she's giggling? You're telling me that's all it takes to bring her from she-devil to—giggling?" Coyote asks from behind his pool cue, sauntering over to join the group.

Jake, his green eyes gleaming, slips his warm palm under your shirt to smooth over the exposed curve of your hip. "I can make her do a lot more than giggle, Machado."

You groan, burying your embarrassingly flushed face further into Jake's neck. Although your boyfriend may be able to play the nonchalance card, you can only take so much of their teasing.

You push away from Jake before he can start full on groping you in front of your friends. If there's one thing about Jake, he has no shame when it comes to showing you off.

"I don't giggle, Javy," you stress, choosing to ignore Jake's comment.

Fanboy, who is never far behind the other pilot, saunters over and slings an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Giggle? I've never even seen you crack a smile."

Before you can respond, Jake is sliding an impossibly large palm around to cup the back of your neck, fingers digging in to the tense muscle that he knows is there. Relax, is what that means. "Careful, she does bite." He's grinning, a smug, but knowing smirk on his face. 

"Fuck, man. I knew you were into that kinky shit," Coyote quips, and it evokes a few laughs from the Dagger squad, save for Natasha, who pretends to roll her eyes. 

Jake grins. "Damn straight."

"Easy, cowboy," you warn, your eyes narrowing at him in playful warning.

You're not necessarily embarrassed by Jake's insinuation of your sex life, the two of you were well established in your relationship and you trusted your friends too much to be embarrassed by that kind of thing. It's just that being Admiral Kazanky's daughter meant that too many people assumed you had only made it this far because of your old man or that you were sleeping through the ranks, which was far from the truth. 

You deserved to be here. And Jake knows this, which is why his thumb is still massaging at the pressure point at the base of your skull, just behind your ear. Everything about him, from the reassuring smile he directs at you to his relaxed body language is him letting you know that it's all in good fun, and no one here thinks that you don’t belong here in the slightest. 

Bradley's shaking his head as he lounges against the pool table. "I don't know what I'm going to have to tell my therapist about first, the fact that Frost calls you 'cowboy' or the fact you probably get off on that shit.”

Jake grins, toothpick bobbing in his mouth as his impish smile widens. “Wouldn’t you like to know, Bradshaw?”

The truth is, he does. Behind the cool and collected facade that he’s putting up, bantering back and forth with your friends while he sips his beer, he’s just the right amount of hot and bothered that he wouldn’t mind calling it a night just to go home and have his way with you. He hasn’t forgotten about the little red number you’re wearing.

Having lost the attention of the rest of the squad to the pool table during his and Rooster’s banter, Jake shifts his focus to you. Large hand coming to rest on your back, he dips down to murmur in your ear. “Think I’m about ready to turn in, kid. What do you say we get out of here?”

Your pretty face turns towards him, and you don’t miss the gleam in his green eyes. Smiling privately to yourself, you eyes reflect his knowingly. “Rooster will never let you live it down. You only just got here.” However, that doesn’t mean you can’t be coerced.

Jake hums, his lips pressing to your temple in a kiss that’s meant to hide the fact that he’s whispering— plotting— in your ear. “I’ll buy ‘em around on the way out. They won’t even notice we’re gone,” he reasons.

You smile, turning back to the game of pool as Jake leans over you before you give him. “Go on,” you finally encourage. “I’ll follow you out.”

Grinning and all too pleased with himself, Jake slips off behind you, but not before giving an affectionate pat to your ass. You have to refrain from rolling your eyes at him.

You wait a while before discreetly making your escape form the pool table, grabbing your things as you go. Jake’s waiting for you at the door, all too pleased to see you, as though he hadn’t just five minutes before. “Made it?”

“Yeah, I don’t think they—”

“Well damn, goodbye to you guys too!” Rooster calls from across the bar. Obviously having noticed your departure, the Dagger Squad is all standing around the pool table, shaking their heads in varying levels of amused disapproval.

Payback crosses his arms. “You guys make me sick.”

Opening the door for you, Jake turns and tips his imaginary cowboy hat at them with an grin. “Sorry man. If you all will excuse me, I’ve got some riding to do.”

[catmomjudy]

Did Eddie Run Away to the Army?

(Fox Publicity Still)

I commonly see it phrased (in fanfiction and in some posts here) that Eddie “ran away” to the Army.

What does canon say?

In “Eddie Begins” (s3e15), canon states that Eddie “will be back to Afghanistan next week” when they talk with their parents after Christopher is born.

When they are arguing about Eddie’s reenlistment (which he did without telling her), canon also has Shannon saying “I got pregnant, and you signed up. Surprise!”

In s6e16, when they are talking about proposals, Eddie says, “Shannon got pregnant. When she told me the news, I said, ‘We should get married.’ I barely even asked.”

So, it is very clearly canon that Eddie did not enlist until after Shannon discovered that she was pregnant. They got married, and he was already stationed in Afghanistan when Christopher was born. 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 So, how did we get from Civilian Teenager Eddie to PFC Diaz, duty station Afghanistan? Let me tell you a story.

Teenager Shannon absolutely knows she is pregnant the very first day she missed her period. She runs straight into Eddie’s arms and tells him. (That’s the 4 week point of a 40 week pregnancy.)

She and Eddie go down to the courthouse the Very Next Day to get married. That same day, Eddie then goes to a recruitment office.

His recruiting and training process goes through the system “Like Magic,” and he quickly progresses through each of the steps. For 68W (Combat Medic):

Recruitment: 2 weeks

Basic Training: 10 weeks

Advanced Training (AIT): 16 weeks

Prep for deployment: 3 weeks

Total: 31 weeks

(Based on: 68W (Combat Medic) training requirements at goarmy.com; Personal stories and Ask/Answers posted by real soldiers online)

Eddie arrives, duty-bound and healthcare coverage obtained, in Afghanistan, 35 weeks after the stick turned blue.

When Eddie reports to his very first duty station as a PFC (Private First Class, or E3), he asks for leave (“I need to be in Texas in about 4 weeks because we’re having a baby!”), and his very nice commanding officer says, “Why sure PFC Diaz! Let me arrange your military airlift right away!” And off Eddie goes, arriving in El Paso in advance of Christopher’s birth.

It’s a lovely fairy tale, but this is what canon says happened, so we have to accept it as truth. 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 Now, I could tell you all of the ways that this is a TV fantasy. I was in the Navy for 11 years, so I already took it with a grain of salt. I did some poking around (because, as former military, I know that what goes for the Navy doesn’t necessarily go for the Army where it relates to duty assignments), and found various Reddit chats where enlistees were asking questions about recruitment and 68W training, and I skimmed through a bunch of answers to get a general idea of timelines, and then meshed that with my own experience.

The numbers above are an Absolute Minimum. No delays in processing; no wait for the next Basic class start date; no gap after Basic (and no picking up trash and cleaning toilets at Ft. Sam) while awaiting for the next Combat Medic course to start; no leave taken after AIT; and no training or medical period at his first duty station before deployment (and troops are deployed from stateside commands as a group—you don’t just get on a plane and show up in Afghanistan). Eddie would need to take leave and return to Texas for the birth. He would have earned 14 pay periods worth of leave at this point, which would add up to 17.5 days on the books, so he would have enough days to go home for 2-ish weeks. However, he is NOT EVER going to go to Afghanistan and then fly back 4 weeks later. That’s a pipedream. If they’re nice, they’ll keep him stateside and send him for additional training at Ft. Sam Houston (where 68W AIT is held). But, if, as canon states, PFC Eddie is already in Afghanistan, it is highly doubtful that he’d be back for the birth.

And this is even assuming that Teenager Shannon knew she was pregnant on the very first day she missed her period. 🤔 Yeah, probably not.

[This is also not even getting into the fact that, based on the birthdate on her tombstone, by Texas state law, Shannon would have entered kindergarten in September 1998, at the age of almost-six. She would have graduated in 2011 (the year Christopher was born), which would totally turn the above timeline into an unreachable fantasy, unless she and Eddie were in different grades (maybe someone else can figure that bit out). So, we’ll assume she moved to TX from a state that had a December 31 cut-off (which, in the 90s, was most northern states—I’m from PA, and currently live in CT, and, until recently, this was the date in both places), and that Eddie was born sometime before September 1, 1992 (so he could start school in September 1997). Then they would have both graduated in May 2010. There, that fixes it. 😁]

🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 🇦🇫 🇺🇸 So, did Eddie “run away”?

I think, to even make the Fantasy Timeline happen AND result in placement in the career path Eddie chose (because it’s a selective field with a much higher-required ASVAB score and more training requirements than other high-demand fields like Infantryman), he needed to have been considering it anyway. The military is a really good choice for a boy (or girl) from Texas who doesn’t want to go to college right now, but wants to learn job skills and earn college benefits. If he already was thinking about it, he would already know that the military dependent health benefits (and housing benefits) are pretty darn good. Not perfect, but then, no insurance plan is these days (I could tell you a story about where I, active military, gave birth, vs. the jacuzzi-equipped birthing suite my coworker’s military dependent wife got to use, but this is already too long).

Viewer opinion of Eddie’s enlistment in the Army is very much colored by his memories of Shannon in “Eddie Begins” (see quotes, above), and their argument in “Haunted” (s2e07–and, yes, I did notice that it’s a Ghost Title 😁).

Eddie: What did you need that I didn't give you?

Shannon: You! I needed a husband and a co-parent. And instead, all I got was a life alone in Texas with a baby and you on another continent. I needed someone to have my back.

Eddie: I always had your back.

Shannon: No. You were in Afghanistan.

It’s also colored by civilian opinions on and stereotypes of military personnel and military life.

Military people have families. Many of them have children and good, solid marriages. They rotate back and forth between stateside and forward deployment, so they aren’t always gone (except when there’s an actual war, like in the early 20-teens, so bad timing for Eddie). During peacetime, you don’t deploy over and over again without being assigned to what the Navy calls “Shore Duty” without volunteering for it, usually in writing. Career military people enter service and stick around for 20 years, because the benefits are good, and the retirement pay is good, too. Retiring on half pay at age 38 is not a horrible thing.

Eddie’s fatal character flaw is not that he ran away: It’s that he internalizes his decisions, and makes knee-jerk decisions without discussing them with anyone. Join the Army. Reenlist. Move to LA. Leave the 118. Yep. And I can see why Shannon was royally ticked off. He should have talked with her, but, really, I’m thinking the conclusion would have been the same in the end—she just would have felt better about it. Having your child diagnosed with a major health issue is NOT the time to lose your health insurance, even briefly. If they talked, they could have discussed Eddie rotating stateside at his next opportunity—duty station assignment doesn’t align with enlistment period, after all—closer to Shannon’s mother. A compromise.

I guess what really annoys me is when people use Eddie “running away to the Army” to justify Shannon’s actions (even, or especially, when Eddie says this himself). Eddie’s military service gained him health benefits for his pregnant wife and subsequent child, and health coverage for that same child; he went home on leave when able; and he video-chatted with his wife and child routinely. As Eddie says in s3e15: “I was in Afghanistan, not Cancun.”

Let’s not compare that with Shannon ghosting her own child for two years. Per s2e07, this is also canon, folks.

There’s a reason for the Ghost-themed title, after all.

P.S. I know I’m going to take flack for this one, but “Who Cares?”

🤷🏻‍♀️

[sonofatoasterwaffle]

still the one

Buck’s just arranged himself on the couch when Eddie comes out of the bathroom. He looks soft and tired and a little raw, his hair damp. It hurts to look at him so Buck doesn’t. 

He knows he’s not good at keeping any of this inside. Though, he did try throughout the evening, because that seemed best for Christopher. Too bad that kid is smarter and more emotionally evolved than both of them and bailed for his room right after dinner. Their son had stacked the dishes in the sink before informing them that their “vibe was off” and that he’d be in his room doing homework until it was time to play Apex with his friends. 

Thirteen is proving to be a fun age. 

Eddie had tried again, then. “I never said you did something wrong—"

Buck had cut him off, because bullshit, and Eddie needs to stop repeating that. “It doesn’t matter that you said the words ‘you didn’t do anything wrong’ because you went on to describe exactly how you think I was wrong!” 

And they were down the rabbit hole again. 

But now it’s late. The dishes are done and the kitchen is clean and bags are packed for school and work tomorrow. They’ve gone through all the motions of getting ready for bed, both checking in on Christopher even though he insists he’s too old to be tucked in these days. And there’s nothing else to busy themselves with.

Buck’s stomach roils with feeling out of place and uncomfortable somewhere that’s always felt like home. They’re married now. Buck gave up the loft months ago. There’s nowhere to run. And Buck has nothing to say that isn’t ugly and twisted up and bleeding.  

Eddie seems to have fewer qualms. “Do you need space?” 

That… Buck wasn’t expecting. “What?” 

Eddie sighs, takes a step closer. “From me. Do you need space from me tonight?”

Honestly, Buck doesn’t know what he needs. He just knows that he’s needy and clingy as a general rule and they’re already fighting and it feels sour and unwieldy in his chest to still want to be wrapped in Eddie’s arms despite all the unresolved things they said. He just knows he doesn’t want to make things worse. “I thought, uh… I assumed you might.” 

Eddie shakes his head. “Come to bed?” 

“Do you— are we—?” Buck’s not sure how to ask, but he’s definitely sure he can’t keep talking about this tonight. 

Not without saying those strangled and hurt things that he doesn’t completely mean. Probably won’t mean at all come morning. Buck knows people say you and your partner shouldn’t go to bed angry. But continuing this uphill battle when he already feels exhausted and cornered and defensive like a scared animal sounds like hell. 

Eddie answers the question even though Buck couldn’t ask. “Nah, I think we should table it. Talk tomorrow when we’ve had some time. Just…” he looks at the floor. “Could we maybe just be mad next to each other?” 

The knot of tension in Buck’s stomach lessens just a little at the thought that Eddie still wants him. Even though they’re arguing. Even though it feels like they’re talking in circles and getting nowhere. There’s something in knowing that they have more work to do, but that they don’t have to do it all tonight. That there’s time and that maybe tomorrow it’ll feel better. Less raw. Easier to communicate. 

“Yeah, okay.” Buck says finally, taking his pillow with him as he follows Eddie to his—their— bedroom. 

Buck rounds to his side of the bed, tosses the covers back. Eddie always sleeps closest to the door. At first, Buck had thought maybe it was an anxiety thing. Needing to have an exit. Had even made jokes about it whenever they slept away from home and Eddie still picked the side closer to the door. “Just in case you need to make an escape?” 

Eddie would chuckle, but say nothing, a slight blush rising in his cheeks. 

Buck marked it down as just a little quirk of Eddie’s, thought little of it. Until they visited El Paso together for the first time last summer, and Ramon made a passing comment about how he always puts himself between Helena and the door, no matter where they’re sleeping. “Anything that comes through that door would have to go through me, first.” He’d said, half joking, kissing Helena’s cheek. 

It had made Buck’s heart swell in his chest, and he’d caught Eddie’s eye just in time to see him blush again, offer a slightly sheepish grin. 

Now, it makes Buck melt a little every time they get in bed.

He’s not a small man. In fact, he’s got a few inches on Eddie and definitely more bulk. But the fact that Eddie thinks about it like that. Like Buck is something precious to be protected? Buck can’t fault him for it. It’s romantic if a little traditional. It makes Buck feel secure.

Even tonight, the steady repetition of getting into bed on their respective sides settles something in Buck. He’s still upset. He still wishes Eddie would see it his way. He still needs to find a way to explain this to Eddie in a way that he’ll understand so they can figure out how to deal with it. But they get to take a break. They get to try again tomorrow. 

They don’t get as close as they normally do, mindful of each other’s space tonight. Eddie’s facing away from him, arms pulled in when they’d usually start out sprawled over each other. But after Eddie turns off the lamp, after he settles into the mattress and pulls the covers over his shoulder, he reaches out with one foot, hooks an ankle over Buck’s calf. “I love you.” 

That knot untangles just a little bit more. “Love you, too.” Buck replies, shifts the leg Eddie’s snagged a little closer to the middle of the bed. “See you in the morning.” 

It’s a promise. An offered touch of legs under the blankets of his own. It’s not everything. But it’s enough.

Also on AO3

[silkendandelion]

What happened to Texas?

Disclaimer: I created a lot of the lore below for my personal Fallout rp, but feel free to use any ideas here for your own nonprofit discord, fanart and fanfictions (no commissions of any kind). Keep fandom free.

The day the bombs fell, most every Texan was at home, glued to their television screens to watch the Rangers play the Red Sox in the first World Series on Texas soil in over two decades. The rest of them were in their offices, trying to decide how to save their beloved state from the imminent economic crash that would follow the news that the oil fields have finally run dry.

Within just a few minutes, the decision was made for them.

Immediately following the fallout, a lot of Texans in the rural areas were left mostly unaffected, albeit severely isolated and short on supplies. For the four major metropolises: Dallas, Houston, Austin, and El Paso, they were all but scorched earth.

As a result of having so little nuclear infrastructure outside these four areas, what followed continues to amaze the anthropologists who study the years immediately following the first bombs. With no intercommunications, and no outside forces, called the “Great Grocery Run”, was a mass temporary exodus of Texans to the surrounding state borders to acquire nuclear technology and return to their non-irradiated homesteads. A lot would not return, although it picked clean the borders of nearly all salvage and tech in less than a decade.

Where the evidence of humanity was slowly dwindled and erased, nature reclaimed the (in some places nearly 100 miles) wide dead zone around the landlocked parts of the state, called “Chiron’s Hoof Print”, as a running joke that Chiron leapt off the earth not to escape Heracles but to escape nuclear war.

With such a wide wilderness to cross that has no places to salvage or buy supplies, crossing the dead zone with vehicles runs the risk of being stranded, especially when visitors don’t know to expect sudden wilderness. Meanwhile, travelers on foot are at the mercy of the irradiated rivers and animals.

Nearly 200 years later, the Hoof is more clearly marked, well-mapped but not so well understood as by the Farriers: a high-turnover group of mercenaries who take payment (caps or trade) to escort both caravans and individuals across the dead zone. They understand where the thinnest zones of the Hoof are, as well as carrying knowledge of safe water sources and how best to defend themselves from every type of creature. The average trip across is four days with plenty of rest breaks, but some excellently navigated Farriers, or ones with hearty clients that only stop to nap, can make the journey in 3 days, averaging one to two trips a week per Farrier.

(Put your fallout headcanons and extra lore in the notes so I can read them please, the hyperfixation is hyperfixating)

[canonicallyobserving911]

“I’m still in love with you but... I needed to learn how to love myself too!”

Fanonwriter2023 on AO3

Where CANON and FANON collide!

Season 7 FANON Speculation: Buddie Multi-Chapter Fanfic - Hiatus Reading: “I’m still in love with you but... I needed to learn how to love myself too!”

Chapter 13 is now available on AO3 - "Petty Eddie" and "Jealous Buck" make their comebacks.

This is an EPIC LOVE STORY!

“I’m still in love with you but... I needed to learn how to love myself too!”

Currently 13 chapters completed: 363.1K Words Rated: Mature

One chapter will be posted at a time.

___________

Here's a snippet from Chapter 13 of a conversation Buck and Eddie had with Connor.

___________

Eddie tilts his head to the side and squints his eyes as he tries to remind himself that he's been to therapy and that he's not as petty as he used to be.  But then he thinks fuck that because someone needs to tell this fucker the truth.  “Therapized Eddie” has left the building and “Petty Eddie” has entered the chat.

“Connor, why are you even here?” Eddie asks.

Connor leans back like he’s been slapped across the face.

With fierceness in his honey brown eyes, Eddie continues. “Did you come here to add insult to injury? Is that why you asked to see Buck? I mean let’s be real for a minute because Buck already knew your son wasn’t biologically related to him so what was the purpose of you asking him to come here today?”

He shakes his head in disbelief because he knew Connor was on that competitive bullshit and if he really thought he couldn’t get his wife pregnant, he should have gone to a damn sperm bank instead of roping Buck into his nonsensical fuckery. But now he’s here rubbing the fact that he was able to get his own wife pregnant into Buck’s face and Eddie’s not having it.

When Connor doesn’t respond, Eddie keeps talking. “Ah, I knew my suspicions about you were correct. Not only did you abandon your wife when you thought the baby was Buck’s but instead of you coming to find her and ask her to come home, you let her stay with Buck so he could clean up your fuck up. Then you left her here and asked Buck to talk to her for you.”

What else is Eddie going to say to Connor?👀

___________

This is an EPIC LOVE STORY!

Fic Summary: Months after Buck and Eddie were hit by the same lightning strike; they’re still struggling with the aftermath of it.  But before they make their love confessions, they’ll spend time getting to know themselves as individuals first. Eddie learns to enjoy the simple things in life as he participates in activities on his own and with new friends while Buck learns the rest of the 31-year-old deep dark family secret about his conception and birth. Their journey to forever is still a work in progress but once they finally admit they’re in love with each other, everything that follows their love confessions will be cataclysmic.

__________

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1 - Eddie makes a new friend while Buck receives devastating news regarding the sperm donation he made for Connor and Kameron.

Chapter 2 - Buck does a lot of research to learn more about the abnormalities found in his red blood cells and Eddie starts a new therapy journey that’s all about him and not the traumas he’s experienced.

Chapter 3 - After more than a month, Buck and Eddie finally spend time together outside of work but it doesn’t end well and they part with a lot of uncertainty regarding their places in each other’s lives.

Chapter 4 - Eddie has a few realizations about his life which causes him to consider moving back to El Paso, TX while Buck continues to be reminded of his past which causes him to take an impromptu road trip across America.

Chapter 5 - Both Buck and Eddie have difficult conversations with their parents and Buck finally learns the truth behind the reason why his mother despised him while Eddie finally tells his mother about the way she tries to control him.

Chapter 6 - More than two weeks after Buck pushed Eddie away after suggesting they needed a break; Eddie decides to try again. Eddie’s there for Buck when he’s at his worst just like Buck was there for him when he was at his worst and he won’t let Buck give up.

Chapter 7 - After Buck’s mental breakdown, Eddie has his back the same way Buck had his when he had his own breakdown more than a year ago.  They share several vulnerable and emotionally intimate moments with one another and they begin to realize their small, sweet and caring gestures matter just as much if not more than any grand gesture ever could because these are the foundations of a long-lasting love relationship.

Chapter 8 - Buck, Eddie and Chris all have their own therapists and during their sessions, they reflect on their pasts while they’re in the present so they can prepare for their future together as a family.

Chapter 9 - Buck and Eddie are there for each other when Buck has to testify as a witness during the trial.  But by the end of it, they’ll both realize their individual and shared traumas are going to keep resurfacing until they talk about them, deal with the fact that they’re in love with one another and face the fact that they can’t live without each other.

Chapter 10 - As Buck and Eddie finally begin to confront their past traumas, they realize how much they need each other to fill in the gaps of their memories.  Additionally, the universe screams at them for what appears to be the one hundredth time so Buck can realize he doesn’t have to ‘find it’ because he already ‘made it’ and Eddie’s reminded tomorrow isn’t promised and he doesn’t have to die alone if he doesn’t want to.

Chapter 11 - A “virga” or dry thunderstorm is in the forecast but once the rain starts, the thunderstorm happening outside won’t be able to match the storm brewing inside between Buck and Eddie.  It’s the universe’s final scream and when the tumultuous winds begin to blow, they’ll have one last chance to hold onto everything they’ve built over the last six years or they’ll lose it all forever.

Chapter 12 - Buck and Eddie have always shared a deep physical attraction and an emotional intimacy that’s unmatched but now that they’re in a relationship, they’re learning how to navigate the romantic intimacy they’ve been waiting for six years to explore. The love they have for each other is a once in a lifetime, soulmate, love of their lives type of love that transcends space and time.

Chapter 13 - While navigating the newness of their romantic relationship, Buck and Eddie take advantage of every moment they spend together. As their individual lives, people from their pasts, time constraints and the possibility of losing each other again make attempts to interrupt and interfere with their journey to forever, they love, care for, support and hold onto each other even tighter to withstand it all.

Chapter 14 - Will be posted soon.

__________

Read chapters 1-13 are available on AO3.

Continue reading on AO3

[blurglesmurfklaine]

time loop fic 👁️ VERY INTERESTING WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT

ONE DAY!!!! I have, in fact, started writing it but I am however an incredibly slow writer so do with that what you will!

I WANNA GO OFFFFD ABOUT THIS AU BUT ALSO DONT WANNA GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY BC J THINK ITS GOT SOME FUN TWISTS AND TURNS SO ILL SOUND OFF UNDER THE CUT

Si the premise is basically: season four shooting time loop. It’s from Eddie’s pov and the first day he goes about his day and then gets shot in a similar fashion as in canon and boom—wakes up the next day like “Hm. What a weird fuckin dream I had. Also all this deja vu is weird????”

He realizes pretty soon that he’s in a time loop and he doesn’t always get shot, but he does always die. It’s giving Happy Death Day. But for the gay wee woo show.

Anyhow, finally, someway somehow, he FINALLY survives an entire day. He hasn’t told anyone about the time loop at this point because this is Eddie Diaz we are talking about. He will keep his feelings and problems right here, and then one day he’ll die (it’s the same day just over and over again)

It’s the end of a long hard shift so Bobby lets them out early and Buck and Eddie go to the Diaz residence and… there keep being… Moments. Moments With Gravitas. And Signifcant Looks. And Buck is Very Close and Very Much In Eddie’s Space, but… Eddie can’t bring himself to close the gap between him and Buck. Because today isn’t like other days. He survived. So when he wakes up, he’ll have to deal with the consequences of ruining his friendship. He almost wishes this had happened before the time loop was about to close. Because there’d be no risk, so there’d be nothing holding him back.

So instead, he laughs it off, tells Buck he’s had one too many beers and takes another swig of his own. The clock strikes midnight. Everything goes fuzzy.

Eddie wakes up in his bed again, with the same Cindy Laupner song playing. And he just yells “FUCK”

Okay so. (He almost kissed Buck last night). Surviving the day didn’t break the loop. (Buck almost kissed him last night. Tonight. Whatever.) Then what will? (Hoooooly shit he almost kissed Buck).

As it turns out, Eddie is not as interested in figuring out what will break the time loop as he is in avoiding his feelings. He books a flight to El Paso and hangs with his parents for the day. Then stays home and cleans, learns to draw, literally ANYTHINGG except going to work. And then he takes Chris on an all day adventure, and of course Chris asks if his Uncle Buck can come. And of course Eddie has to oblige.

And they have a lovely day playing hooky together! Of course they did, why wouldn’t they? They’re best friends and NOTHING IS WEIRD. Why would any of it be weird. It’s only weird if Eddie makes it weird and it is sooooo not weird.

But it gets weird. Later at the Diaz residence when they have a repeat of the same Heavh Ass Moment. And it’s weird but Eddie decides FUCK IT because if he’s going to be stuck in this time loop he might as well his his best boy friend! And so he does. He kisses Buck. And Buck kisses back. Holy shit. Buck kisses him back.

The clock strikes midnight. Everything goes fuzzy.

Eddie wakes up in his bed again, with the same Cindy Laupner song playing.

But this time, he’s got a big ass grin on his face and when he walks into the firehouse, the first thing he says is yell, “Buckley! Get your ass down here!” And Buck, thinking there’s something wrong, runs down all concerned but Eddie just pulls him into the nearest closet and kisses the absolute sense out of him.

Then they have sex. Gay sex, to be sepcific. A looooooot of gay sex, every day that the loop resets they just be fuckin nasty. Matching each others freak. No it doesn’t make them gay. You can’t be gay in the time loop it doesn’t count.

Anyway. So. Eddie gets to know Buck’s body… intimately. Biblically, really. And he slowly learns all the things Buck likes and doesn’t like etc and he almost feels bad for Buck because he’s at a disadvantage, but it’s Buck and Buck is veeeeeeery good at sex so. It’s not like Eddie is really missing out on anything.

I keep thinking of this interaction, during foreplay, where Eddie is just being a gif damn fucking simp, melting like chocolate in Buck’s hands and says, “God I love it when you do that”

And Buck, being the cheeky little shit he is, grins and laughs, “Oh, don’t I know it”

And Eddie. Freezes. “Wait what?”

“What?”

“How would you—OH MY GOD? YOU TOO???”

“OH MY GOD????”

“HOW LONG??”

“A LONG FUCKIN TIME!!!”

And that’s how they find out the other is in the time loop :) not through any means of actual communication, but sex :)

The ending is a secret between god and someone else, not I. I’ll figure it out. Probably.

[emjcleaningservices]

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[chaosandcrimson]

no way is that RUBY VILLANUEVA.. they’re a 27-year-old SYNTH notoriously known for being DOGMATIC & UNFORGIVING but there are some people who have seen them being WITTY & RELENTLESS. if you ask me, they remind me a lot of a telescopic baton tucked away in your designer purse, crawling through an air vent to retrieve stolen property, and having questions you know you’ll never get the answers to, but that could just be because they’re considered the ACTION FASHIONISTA around town. just keep an eye on them & see if their true colors shine through..

I would be complex, I would be cool They'd say I played the field before I found someone to commit to And that would be okay for me to do Every conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to you

OVERVIEW

Name: Ruby Grace Villanueva

Nickname(s): N/A

DOB: April 23, 2097

Age: 27

FC: Maris Racal

Height: 5'2"

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: Bisexual

Occupation: Insurance Investigator / Recovery Specialist

Relationship Status: Single (Closed)

[+] elegant, witty, relentless [–] dogmatic, judgemental, unforgiving

BIOGRAPHY

Ruby grew up in El Paso with her parents and her sister Opal. Her mother, an interior designer, and her father, a real estate developer, both made good money and were able to provide their daughters with a comfortable upper middle class lifestyle in a big suburban house with a white picket fence.

For a long time, she wanted for nothing. She had loving and supportive parents, she was very popular at school, and she was extremely close to her sister. She was barely a teenager when her world was turned upside down.

Opal went missing when Ruby was a freshman in high school. Speculation ran rampant as to whether foul play had been involved, or whether she had simply run away from home; but after the authorities investigated, they were unable to determine what had happened to her. The case ultimately went cold.

The Villanuevas did their best to pick up the pieces but things were never really the same after that. Her mother got colder, her father got more distant, and their once warm and loving home slowly turned into nothing but four walls housing three people who were, for all intents and purposes, strangers to each other.

At school, she chose not to talk about her home life. Instead, she focused on her grades, her extracurriculars, her friends, and her boyfriend. She became the head cheerleader, he was the star quarterback, and he also happened to be the son of a man her father was negotiating a business deal with worth millions.

Eventually, she discovered that he was cheating on her with another one of their classmates. She told her mother about it, who heavily encouraged her to turn a blind eye for the sake of the business deal, to which she reluctantly agreed. It did make her feel some kind of way that the other girl was also a pretty Filipina.

For the rest of high school, she stayed together with her boyfriend while waiting for him to either confess to the affair and ask for her forgiveness, or finally decide to leave her for the other girl, Eva. Neither of those things happened.

It wasn't until after they graduated, when Ruby was getting ready for college and Eva had left town, that he came clean and said he wanted to be a better person. In response, she admitted that she had known all along, and that she knew she wasn't the girl he was trying to be better for. She also made it clear that she had no intention of being anyone's second choice, and that if he'd only been honest about his feelings sooner, he might still have the girl he really wanted.

With that chapter of her life finally over, she cut all ties with her life in El Paso and set out to get a fresh start in college. She majored in criminology with a minor in art history and worked several part-time jobs to pay her way through school.

In her final year, she discovered the first new lead in her sister's case in years, which indicated that Opal had been in the Dallas-Forth Worth area shortly after her disappearance. After college, Ruby moved to the Metroplex and started working as an in-house investigator for an insurance company.

She has become an expert at recovery, and in addition to her monthly salary, she gets a percentage of the value of any item she recovers for their clients. She isn't nearly as wealthy as the higher-ups in the Big Three, but she makes enough money that she can afford to live comfortably in the upper district.

In her free time, she is still trying to figure out what happened to her sister.

MISC

Her job has put her into contact with both some of the richest people connected to the Big Three and some of the shadiest people connected to the Skyport Mafia. She also frequents establishments affiliated with both groups.

[nezujoestar]

Les muestro las relaciones de mi OC, Aoki Nezumi/I show you the relationships of my oc, aoki nezumi.

Extra/adicional

En español

En mis planes pienso escribir un tipo de fanfic contando la historia de Nezumi, pero por lo mientras dejaré un poco de detalles sobre las relaciones que tiene mi OC con los Diaboys

Azusa y Nezumi se conocieron en el instituto, ella caminaba por los pasillos con la intención de ir al almacén a recoger meteriales de limpieza cuando al entrar encontró al Mukami autolesionandose, lo que provocó que la chica lo detuviera e intentó auxiliarlo porque derramaba mucha sangre, después de ese día, ellos comenzaron una extraña amistad y llegaron al punto de desarrollar sentimientos amorosos por el contrario y terminaron siendo pareja.

Con Kou, ellos se conocieron debido a que Azusa la llevó a su casa, en un principio Nezumi sintió una gran emoción al conocer a su ídolo... Él en un principio intentó pasarse de la raya pero ella con mucha dificultad le puso un alto, desde ahí, intentaba "seducirla", pero no contaba con que ella lograra entender su sentir, formaron una linda amistad y comenzó a enamorarse de Nezu, aunque sabe que sus sentimientos jamás serán correspondidos.

Al igual que Kou, Yuma comenzó a interactuar con ella por Azusa, el podría considerarse el más cálido con ella, es muy bueno apesar de su apariencia.

En un principio Aoki y Ruki tenían cierta "tensión", pero al paso del tiempo ellos lograron comprenderse y hay un gran respeto y hermandad mutua, Nezumi en ocasiones le dice "bro".

En su primer año de instituto Reiji fue el que le dio asesoría personal, en un principio Nezumi le tenía miedo por lo perfecciónista aunque al final terminaron entendiéndose demasiado bien, no son tan cercanos pero tienen una buena relación.

Cuando llegan los hechos de Dark Fate, la relación que tenía con los Tsukinami era pésima... Aunque debido a ciertos acontecimientos.

Al llegar a Lost Eden, ella cambia su apariencia para lograr obtener información relacionada con los ghouls, investigando en tierra enemiga, se encuentra a Kino, que al igual que ella, es un amante de los videojuegos.

Nezu conoce a los demás Sakamaki, porque casi no hay oportunidades de convivir sanamente con ellos.

In English

In my plans I plan to write a kind of fanfic telling Nezumi's story, but so while I'll leave some details about the relationships my OC has with the Diaboys.

Azusa and Nezumi met in high school, she was walking through the corridors with the intention of going to the warehouse to collect cleaning meterials when when entering she found the Mukami self-harming, which caused the girl to stop him and tried to help him because he was spilling a lot of blood, after that day, they started a strange friendship and got to the point of developing loving feelings on the contrary and ended up being a couple.

With Kou, they met because Azusa took her home, At first Nezumi felt a great emotion when meeting her idol... He initially tried to get out of line but she with much difficulty put a stop on him, from there, he was trying to "seduce her", But she did not count on her managing to understand her feeling, they formed a cute friendship and began to fall in love with Nezu, although she knows her feelings will never be reciproked.

Like Kou, Yuma began interacting with her for Azusa, he could be considered the warmest with her, it is very good to take on her appearance.

At first Aoki and Ruki had some "tension", but as time they managed to understand each other and there is great respect and mutual brotherhood, Nezumi sometimes tells him "bro".

In his first year of high school Reiji was the one who gave him personal advice, at first Nezumi was afraid of perfectionist although in the end they ended up understanding themselves too well, they are not so close but they have a good relationship.

When the events of Dark Fate arrive, the relationship he had with the Tsukinami was lousy... though because of certain events.

Upon arriving at Lost Eden, she changes her appearance to get information related to ghouls, researching on enemy land, is found Kino, who like her, is a video game lover.

Nezu meet the other Sakamaki, because there are almost no opportunities to live sanely with them.

Créditos de la plantilla a @equinox-86 🥰/template credits to @equinox-86

(disculpen si escribí algo mal en inglés, soy nueva en ello si es el caso pueden corregirme)

[gluevah]

This week was so busy and I'm SO GLAD to be home in time for the weekend.

I went to El Paso for the week for work, we had meetings and other events with folks from all over. It was so busy!

I brought Cave with me (at some point I'll come up with a name I like better, but for now I'll just call him by the name he came with) as my travel buddy. He barely fit in my backpack!

The hotel we all stayed in was SO nice! And the cleaning staff put Cave in a different spot every day. It was so cute!

My favorite was when they tucked him in and put the little breakfast slip next to him, like he wanted to order room service after a nap.

I flew home today, and I stopped by the Smithsonian store at DCA to see what kinda cool stuff they had. I got Jeremy a really cute carved stone bear (because he's my Jeremy Bear 🥰) and I got myself this cute cheetah cub!

What should I name him?

When I got home, I had an exciting package to open! She was delivered on Tuesday, so she waited 3 days to be freed from her box!

She's so soft and cute! I'm so glad I was able to snag one. I've heard they'll be in stores the 29th, I really hope everyone who wants one is able to get one.

[elysynn]

Shattered Rose Lenses

A 9-1-1 Story

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: Gen Character: Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV) Additional Tags: Episode s07e10: All Fall Down (9-1-1 TV), Angst, Unreliable Narrator, Episode Tag Words: 853

Summary: Christopher makes a decision in the wake of his father's recent choices. A ficlet character study of adolescent Christopher. Spoilers for 7x9 (minor) and 7x10.

AO3 or FFN

A/N: This short little piece is an attempt to get into Christopher’s head following his reaction to seeing Kim and Eddie. I think in 7x10, we see aspects of both Eddie and Shannon in Christopher, perhaps more so than any other episode.  Anyway – this is the head of an adolescent boy whose assessment of events may not necessarily be… fair.

Christopher’s last unit in Language Arts before the end of school had been about idioms.  They’d talked about many over the last couple weeks of class.  The straw that broke the camel’s back. That particular one had been rolling around in his head ever since Marisol left. Here he was, that stupid broken camel. His teacher would have been proud that he drew a real-life parallel.

He hated Los Angeles.

Los Angeles had brought him nothing but fear, pain, and uncertainty.

Mom died here.

Dad almost died, more than once here.

Buck almost died also more than once.

He almost died.

Dad had nearly lost his mind because of this city.

Seeing the ghost of his dead mother embracing his father ripped open every scab he’d grown. It was overwhelming. He couldn’t listen to his father. Or whatever her name had been.  Nothing they had to say mattered anyway in the face of fresh grief.

Los Angeles sucked.  El Paso had been quieter. Safer. Everything had been better in Texas.  After Dad finally stopped knocking at his door and gone to bed he made the phone call. He asked his grandparents to bring him home. He knew it would hurt Dad. And he wanted it to. It could never hurt as much as the betrayal of bringing that woman into their home.  How could Dad have been so selfish?

Sleep was a long time coming.  When it finally came the dreams of drowning resurfaced for the first time in ages.

He’d been awake, wiping away silent tears of fear and anger when Dad resumed knocking at the door in the morning. He heard the doorbell and knew it was Buck. He knew Buck would be at his door next, talking to him on behalf of his dad. And that just made him angrier. Because it had happened too many times now. Dad would screw up, and Buck would somehow smooth things over. Buck always seemed to clean up Dad’s messes. Just another way his dad was selfish.

The doorbell rang again. Hearing the muffled voices of his grandparents roused him from the bed. Relief rose in his heart and he grabbed his backpack to start packing. They were in the kitchen; he could hear the tone of his dad’s voice. He didn’t sound sorry, he sounded caught. 

And then Buck’s voice.

Something about Captain Nash and the hospital.

He hated Los Angeles.

And just like that, Dad and Buck were gone. The anger flared hotter. Dad couldn’t even stay and fight to keep him home. He flung open the door to his bedroom and slammed the door to the bathroom. It had been a long night, he had to pee.

His grandmother offered to make him something to eat when he came to the kitchen, but he wasn’t hungry. He didn’t want to talk about last night.  He just wanted to leave.  The fresh image of his mother standing in the living room kept appearing in spite of his best efforts.  And now, Mom’s memory was tainted.  Because of her.

While they packed, his grandparents asked if he was sure he wanted to do this. And again later. If they asked one more time he might explode.  They refused to leave until Dad got back.  Said Dad deserved to see him off and say goodbye.  At least they didn’t try to apologize for Dad.  Christopher didn’t see why it mattered if they waited. It wasn’t as if he was Dad’s highest priority these days.

Sure, Dad said he loved him. But actions said otherwise.

How many times had he been dumped at Marisol or Buck’s lately? How many times did Dad make life changing decisions without even talking to him first? And Dad thought he was being unreasonable?

No, he was making the right decision. Los Angeles sucked and life had been terrible since they moved here.

He missed Mom more than he had in a long time.

And it was all Dad’s fault.

He couldn’t stand to look at Dad. Looking at him meant seeing her.

And that wound kept reopening.

Later that night as he stared out the plane window to the dark desert below, he thought about Buck’s words. Buck seemed to think that whatever that woman’s name was, had been a mistake.  Christopher wasn’t sure he believed that. No, Dad had been selfish. He’d done it on purpose. How could Dad bring Mom home, only to snatch her away again?

He resolved to be happy in El Paso.

“…in five minutes or five months… you call, and I’ll come bring you home…”

He didn’t want his dad to bring him back to Los Angeles, because all the worst things in his life had happened there. But maybe, if Christopher made himself happy enough in Texas, Dad would move back. Dad might find it in himself to love his son enough to give up his cursed life filled with death and ghosts in LA. Christopher felt his resolve harden.  He glanced over to his grandparents, catching his grandmother’s loving eye and she smiled. Yes. He was going to be happy.

[mccarthawrites]

Some Things You Don’t Question - Chapter 2

Rated: General Audiences

Summary: Valerie tells her best friend, Alana, about Mateo.

Words: 676

Some Things You Don’t Question Masterlist

Valerie sat in the cafe across from the university, anxiously tapping her foot, as she watched the city of Austin pass by. Opting out of her fifth cup of coffee for the day, she had ordered herself a tea. Hoping that her anxious energy was because of the coffee and not the ghost from her past she never thought she’d ever see again.

“Hey! Sorry I’m late. This cute new cop stopped me about my broken taillight.” Alana explained, sitting across from Valerie. “Thanks for ordering for me.”

“Cute new cop? So you met Mat?”

“Yes! You’ve been holding out on me, Val. Please tell me he’s single. He offered to fix my taillight for me when I said I had to find a new mechanic. I think he was flirting with me.”

“Glen was right then.”

“About what?”

“He wants to hook you and Mat up. Convinced that you’ll hit it off and I guess you have without needing our help.” Valerie brought her tea to her lips.

“What the hell happened to your hand?” Alana asked, referring to the bandage.

“I cut my hand on some glass last night. I- it’s a long story.” Valerie let out an exasperated breath.

“Alright. So are you going to tell me what the hell is going on? Or am I going to have to pry it out of you?”

“I know Mat.”

“What does that mean?”

“Do you remember the guy I met in Miami before I moved here? Before college?” Valerie asked.

“Mixtape Mateo? How could I forget about him? You never shut up about him. Best sex you ever had, right?” Alana teased.

“I never said that.”

“Didn’t have to say it. I know from how you talked about him. He left an impression on you and it had to be his dick.” Alana teased. “What about him?”

“Mixtape Mateo is Officer Mat Cruz,” Valerie explained. Alana’s jaw dropped. “Yup.”

“You’re lying.”

“I wish I was.”

“Holy shit, Val! Does Glen know?”

“I don’t think he does unless Mat said something after last night.”

“After last night? What the hell happened last night? Are you sleeping with him? I hope so. But I’ll be so jealous.”

“Stop! Slow down. I am not sleeping with him. I just- Glen invited him over for dinner last night.”

“Is that when you cut your hand? You got distracted. Because I don’t blame you. The man is so sexy. Oh my God. That’s the guy you didn’t shut up about that whole semester. I don’t blame you. I take back everything I said. But I thought you met him in Miami. What the hell is he in Texas? Austin of all places?”

“Apparently he was in the army for a while and stationed in El Paso so I guess he decided to stay. I don’t know.” Valerie shrugged.

“Does he remember you? I mean it’s been six years.”

“I don’t know. We didn’t have a chance to discuss it on account of Glen being there. He- when I cut my hand Mat bandaged me up and cleaned up the mess.” Valerie explained.

“What about Glen?”

“He literally walked over the mess.” Valerie scoffed.

“Wait. So he invited Mat as a guest and the guest cleaned- what happens when you guys have kids?”

“The subject of kids also came up last night.”

“That’s a weird thing to bring up with your ex.”

“He’s not my ex. We had a summer fling when I was eighteen.”

“Sure. Whatever. I am planning to take him on his offer to fix my taillight and I am planning to flirt my way into his bed. Are you okay with that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“So there are no feelings?”

“There weren’t any feelings, to begin with. It was a fling. Glen and I are going to have you guys over for dinner next week or something so he can get credit for hooking you up.”

“Sounds good. My mother will be thrilled I’m not bringing home another yeehaw white boy.” Alana joked. Valerie laughed.

[ask-de-writer]

I have had a great but odd day. Had an ear doctor appointment today in El Paso. Left early-early to get a breakfast because my stove ran out of fuel. (Been meaning to get that for a few weeks . . .)

On the way in, spotted a neighbor struggling with a flat. Left his tools at home the one day that he needed them.

Loaned him a jack. Used my torque wrench to get his tire off. Loaned him my extension wrench to lower the spare.

Got the spare mounted. Put my tools away.

Got that breakfast. On, into the wilds of El Paso. Found the place and got in early!

Doc said gotta get your ears cleaned! See the office down the hall.

They cleaned my ears and sent me back!

Got the hearing test. GOOD NEWS!

My hearing may be savable.

Go back Friday to the Doc who cleaned my ears for further testing.

Came home by way of the fuel place and grocery store.

[harpermoon85]

Diego

Oldest of three kids

Son of Adelina and Pedro

Grandson of Maria Fernanda and Joaquin

Strong work ethic

Married to Paula who was about to leave him before her death

Very similar to Maya before the loss of Paula

Maria Fernanda grew up very poor and fell in love with Joaquin, who’s family, while not wealthy, was well off. They owned a ranch in Michoacan and were not struggling. She made it her mission to never know poverty again and to make sure her children did not know it either. She managed the money in her home and by the time Adelina, their only child was born, they were doing very well. They had expanded their property and operations and were the wealthiest landowners in the region.

Maria Fernanda was not supportive when Adelina fell in love with a local musician (Pedro), whom she felt lacked any ambition. When Adelina married him, Maria Fernanda took an approach of harina de otro costal. If Adelina wanted to make her bed, then she’d have to lie in it. Joaquin was a quiet man and did not interfere in his wife’s managing of their daughter.

Pedro never did quite get things together, and Adelina having grown up in privilege did not have the skill set to overcome his shortcomings. She had three children: Diego, Luis, and Flora within five years and often couldn’t keep them fed. Pedro moved them to Ciudad Juarez when Diego was three because they were struggling so much and an opportunity had come up in a maquiladora.

Diego was a boy with his grandmother’s street smarts and within six months of moving to Juarez, the preschooler was selling gum on the streets to help keep his little brother and soon to be sister fed. By six, he’d moved on to shining shoes in the plaza and later that year, Pedro died leaving his wife a poverty stricken widow with three mouths to feed. Maria Fernanda and Joaquin were of no real help. The only financial help they ever gave the young family was to:

Pay for all three children to attend private school in El Paso. Maria Fernanda considered this only fair. She was giving her grandchildren the opportunity to make something of themselves when they grew up. Diego would start his day every day between 4 and 5 am to be at the bridge with his siblings by 6am to get to school because the line was so unpredictable and he refused to be late to school.

Send round trip tickets every summer for the children to come and stay with them until school began again. Diego made quite an impression on his grandparents during these summers. From a very young age, he insisted on getting up at the crack of dawn with his grandfather and working on the ranch. Impressed with his gumption, they paid him for his labor. They put most of it in an account to help him have a start in life as an adult, but he kept a portion and always gave it to his mother to help with bills upon returning home.

Paid for the paperwork and attorney’s fees to help Diego get his citizenship so that he could remain in the United States as an adult again seeing it as simply evening the playing field so that Diego could either become someone or not.

Maria Fernanda had a very hard time taking care of her children and became very frail and ill over the years from the hard labor under poor working conditions. When Diego was 12, things came to a head and she was hospitalized. Once released, the family made the move to El Paso permanently so that she could take up work cleaning offices and have a lighter workload that she did in Juarez. Diego began mowing lawns and doing handiwork when not at school to continue bringing in money for the family since his mother’s wages were not enough to keep them afloat, and she could no longer work multiple jobs like she had in Mexico due to her poor health.

History repeated itself in a way when he met Paula. Her father, Hector, owned a construction business that Diego did odd jobs for and her mother was a teacher. They had a comfortable life and did not approve of their daughter dating Diego due to his socioeconomic status. Diego was offended because he felt compared to Pedro, and this would be the hallmark of their marriage.

The chip on Diego’s shoulder never quite allowed him and Paula to be happy. He worked very hard and long hours. It wasn’t enough to have a roof over their heads, they had to own it and it had to be just as nice if not nicer than her parents’ home. Having food on the table was not enough either, the fridge had to be fully stocked. It was his job to provide and he had to prove that not only could he provide, but he could do it well, and Paula having grown up very differently did not help. She had no true understanding of where money comes from and could be very frivolous. Diego would never dream of telling her something about it though because to him that would be proof her parents were right. As a result, Diego was almost never home. He was always working, determined to climb the ladder at the hospital. No matter how well he was doing, it was never enough for him.

His over dedication to his work and her spending habits and inability to understand him led to a lot of resentment over the years. What he saw as proving his love to her, she saw as neglect. Neither one of them could have told you how Santi was conceived since they were living like two ships passing in the night. He always told himself tomorrow. When I…then I will take them on vacation. When I can…then we will… If I…then we can Except, tomorrow never came and then she died within minutes of Santi’s birth. Belen was a C-section, and Paula had felt “robbed” no matter how much Diego had reassured her that giving birth is giving birth and that a C-Section makes it no less miraculous. She insisted on a VBAC with Santi which should have been perfectly safe, except she was the one in a million. She suffered a uterine rupture and during the emergency surgery to try and save her life, she went into DIC.

After her death, Diego was devastated. Even more so after finding her journal and learning that she couldn’t take it anymore and was planning on leaving him after the baby was born. He does not have a good relationship with her parents. They resent him for making their daughter unhappy and even more so for finding love with Carina and starting a new family with their grandchildren across the country.

Diego, for his part, learned his lesson from the loss of his wife. He became determined to be the best, most loving and attentive, involved father he could be. He learned that the brass ring isn’t that great if it means not having someone to share it with him. The lessons he learned in his marriage to Paula translate to him being an amazing husband to Carina. Paula got the boy, Carina got the man. His past also makes him very empathetic to Maya. Once Carina and Maya learn to be friends again, he is very accepting. He comes to genuinely care for her to the point that when she requires a second ankle surgery not only is he not jealous when Carina drives her home from the hospital, but he encourages her to sleepover a couple of nights (Maya refuses) and takes it upon himself to help out. She comes home from the hospital and finds that her sink no longer leaks, her door no longer squeaks, the litterbox is clean, and a note where her step ladder should be saying that all smoke detectors have been checked and batteries changed…all courtesy of Diego.