#I CAN'T CALL YOU BACK AND IF I CALL THE GENERAL NUMBER OF THE HOSPITAL I WON'T GET TO TALK TO A HUMAN BEING BECAUSE IT'S ALL AUTOMATED

[ruvviks]

what's the point of making an appointment if i'm gonna be called at the most inconvenient of times earlier that day anyway

[ew-selfish-art]

DP x DC AU: Tim had heard the phrase 'The wrong twin made it home' a number of times in his life, his parents were always very upfront about how the felt towards him. But... 'made it home' doesn't indicate death, does it? ...Tim ends up taking Danny's place by Sam's side in front of Congress to lobby the end of the Anti-Ecto Acts.

...

Tim has been up for hours passed when he told Alfred he would be resting and he's wrapped up his case files into neat little bows to deliver to Babs and the GCPD/Lawyers to do their jobs. Damian had made a comment earlier in their patrol that night about Tim being the wrong sibling to make it to his rescue and... and it got him thinking about that phrase. His parents were negligent with him, certainly, but they were always very clear about how he stood in their eyes. Praise and criticism were the two options, and very strictly limited passes of 'I love yous' that faded as he got older.

He's run his DNA before in the national databases- it was critical for maintaining his Alias' that multiple people didn't flag- but he's never searched in records before. About his twin. About the one who didn't make it home.

And its definitely the lack of sleep, and definitely the lack of brotherly affection he feels these days, but Tim just can't close the door until he's seen a death certificate. He's hacked Gotham General Hospital a million times for work, but doing it for his own gain feels wrong some how and he works with extreme caution. He finds his own birth certificate and... One Theodore Daniel Drake.

Tim snorts with a short ha, pretentious name alert and goes on to find not a single certificate of death or medical record of atypia. Oh no, what he finds is adoption paperwork meant to be closed to all wondering eyes and one Daniel James Fenton leaving the hospital instead. Tim blinks a few times, retraces his steps and then sure enough, learns for a second time that his TWIN was still alive.

Finding the Fentons was easy enough, their Lab address on all of their patents was seemingly also their home address. Danny had a much better hidden internet presence, it was good cybersecurity he'd have to praise him, but Tim had been trained better. Getting into his brother's files... Raised a number of new questions. Why was he compiling evidence against the government? What the fuck was he doing analyzing policy? Why did he have 'rogue' files???

Then Tim hacks into Danny's phone (he's learned at this point that Daniel was a no-go) and sees the conversations between his twin and his twin's best friends.

Sam Manson has an appointment with a Senator to Lobby for the end of the Anti-Ecto Acts. She wants Danny to join her, demonstrate something Tim can't determine, but he's refusing to leave and let his adoptive parents have even a moment to develop a new weapon without him there to destroy it. Someone called CW warned him about changes coming his way or something cryptic. Tim learns a lot from their back and forth, but stops reading once it gets to their personal squabbles.

Tim gets the meeting details and forwards it to Tam- If Danny can't make it... Tim will. And if Tim can't demonstrate whatever Danny was going to, it would at least help to throw around his name.

Tim writes an email to Danny- It's meant to go out after the lobbying appointment- and it explains that Tim found out about him and wants to connect if Danny does, and if Danny doesn't he at least wants to get him set up with his half of the Drake family inheritance. He includes a few personal facts, including that he too ended up adopted in life and had siblings, that he helped run a company and took on the world too soon. It takes a lot out of Tim to be so candid- but he doesn't want Danny to be too blindsided by the Waynes. He attaches a family photo with the label "you'll be able to tell which one is me'.

...

Sam is tapping her stupid, uncomfortable heels waiting for these dumbass, elderly politicians to get their shit together so she can speak. Sam was resourceful and surprisingly, the second she took on politics as a way to waste the family money, her mother Pamela was all for it. She's wanting Sam to run for president now... At least she doesn't complain when Sam organizes protests.

The door behind her opens, and while she knows its not going to be Danny behind her, a girl can feel a bit crushed. She really thought he would be behind her today, but Danny was being weird about this whole thing. Clockwork had him spooked about something changing today, and Danny wanted to be in Amity Park in case it was another Pariah situation or something. His parents had been on edge lately too...

"Sorry, I'm not late am I?" A voice asks and it's just so close but not- Sam turns her head to see Danny in a nice suit with long hair and eyebags way darker than she'd seen on him in a while. This... Wasn't Danny. She blinks, and then something in her anxiously decides that the universe is fucking with her and she will be fighting back.

"Everyone is late." She glares at him, appraising his every move. The woman behind him is typing dedicatedly on her tablet and the man himself looks like he might fall over while he shuffles his files in hand.

"Well, then I'm on time. My name is Tim Drake, I'm here to help your cause in getting the Anti-Ecto acts repealed and the parties responsible for it apprehended."

"Tim Drake? As in-"

"As in Co-CEO of Wayne Enterprises. And I've done a lot of research, so I hope you'll let me play a supportive role while you speak."

"There's no way you've been able to research if you've been out of Amity, The whole city is under a media blackout." Sam's glare looks like it could cut him.

"Not to brag, but that sort of thing doesn't slow me down these days. I've made physical copies of the things they're most likely to delete and I've sent everything to the Justice League, who in turn are sending it to the Lantern Corps." He states matter-of-factly and Sam finally stops being angry at the world to just be... stumped. What the hell was going on?

"How did you... Why?"

"Tam, tell Ms. Manson how passionate I am about human rights?" The guy sounds anxious, the woman rolls her eyes and says "Very." without stopping her typing.

The doors open and Sam has only a moment to decide that Tim can join her... He proves himself to be an asset, and his name alone gets them further than she had anticipated getting today.

....

Danny is watching Sam walk into the space via C-span, gasping when his own likeness follows behind her. What the fuck???

He can barely drag his eyes away as the clone (?) introduces himself as Tim Drake and proceeds to rip them into shreds for delaying Sam Manson of all people. Danny is transfixed and Tucker is blowing up his phone.

"DUDE ARE YOU SEEING THIS?" Tucker's voice loudly calls out the second danny blindly answers.

"Dude, I just, I don't even know? He cant be a clone right? But he's gotta be?" Danny hypothesizes.

"Nah dude, there's like, a whole lifetime of media presence for Tim Drake since he was like, tiny. This is so weird he looks just like you..."

"This is so weird." Danny dumbly agrees because he can't think of anything else to say.

Sam finishes her points, Tim submits the evidence to the court and they leave. Danny's phone pings with an email notification.

"Danny my guy, you should check that, Sam isn't responding yet. Her phone is probably still off."

He follows Tucker's advise and opening his email... Is a new message from Tim Drake.

"...I don't know what the fuck is going on?" Danny continues to say, and Tucker asks him just to read it out loud, "It's just... Apparently I am both adopted and a twin?"

"...My guy." Tucker sounds just as much at a loss.

...

Sam calls them both after Tim Drake is rushed away by his PA Tam (who she found herself admiring more and more), and is relieved when they dont immediately answer by screaming.

"So Danny, Tucker, you guys are traveling with me next weekend." Sam deadpans.

"Apparently shit gets twilight-zone level weird anytime you leave Amity!" Tucker exclaims.

"...What's next weekend?" Danny asks, hesitation in his voice.

"Your twin invited us, well, mostly you, to a Wayne Family Brunch. We're going cause those assholes have money and political influence, you're going because we all probably need to know what the fuck is going on with that guy."

[fortunekookie07]

Dance With Me - Zayne

****************************************************

Mrs. Li was a hot topic in the hospital. A young woman of thirty years, married to the most successful cardiac surgeon Akso hospital had seen in generations.

A woman of small stature, high status, and great beauty. That was what the hospital staff loves to call you. Your pictures were constantly on newspapers and magazines. Being a Deepspace Hunter was a dangerous job. Fighting monsters that originate from beyond your galaxy was a terrifying thought.

Yet you did it day in and day out. The amount of lives you had helped save was no small number.

What the hospital staff loved the most was when you would make your rare appearance.

You adjusted your dress, making sure there were no creases. The sheer, halter style top of the dress was black and embroidered with red roses. Off the shoulder sleeves draped on your arms.

You spun, letting the full skirt flair out. Small crystals were sewn into the underlayer of the dress and sparkled when the light hit them.

Tara had helped you pick this dress. You'd been very careful to not let Zayne see it. You'd just given him a color to wear so he would match you.

As you step away from the mirror and turn to grab your coat, you call out. "Aria, are you ready to go?" You pause listening carefully. A smile pulls your lips upward at the tapping of running feet across the hardwood floor outside your bedroom. Seconds later, the door is opening, and a curly dark head peeks in.

"Look, mommy, is my dress pretty?" The small girl prances into the room and pulls her skirt up, showing off the pink and white dress.

It's long sleeved with pink hearts scatters across the sheer white gauze. A bigger white heart is splayed sideways across the bodice of the dress. And a ruffled skirt of alternating white and pink ties it all together with a pink satin bow at her waist.

"You look very pretty. Daddy will say you are so cute when he sees you." The little girl beams in pure delight.

Aria is five now, and after much difficulty and constant monitoring of your heart condition, you had been blessed with a healthy baby girl. She looked most like Zayne, green gold eyes and dark hair. Her skin tone and facial shape she'd gotten from you.

"Come on baby, it's time to wrest daddy from work!" Aria claps her hands in joy.

You internally sigh. You showing up at the hospital was enough to stir up whispers and gossip. Bringing your daughter? Impending disaster, Aria was really good at captivating everyone around her. She got that from Zayne. The ability to manipulate it to get advantage? Yeah, that one was all you.

Holding Aria's hand, you walk out to the car with her. She lifts her arms up so you can pick her up and put her in the carseat. She's chanting over and over about seeing Zayne. You kiss her forehead and close the door.

A few minutes later, you're pulling out of the driveway and off to the hospital you go. The sun is setting now, painting the sky with oranges, pinks, and the barest hints of purple.

You park in Zayne's spot and walk to the entrance. A pink rug has been set in front of the door, and elegant words spell out 'Happy Valentines Day' in loopy curls. Every where you look, hearts and streamers are hung, wishing a Happy Valentines Day. You strod over to the reception desk and smile seeing Ivonne sitting there.

She greats you with a wide smile. "Mrs. Li, are you here for Dr. Zayne?" The knowing glint in her eyes says it all.

"I've come to collect my husband. We can't be late for the charity event. He's the main speaker tonight." She laughs lightly. "I saw him going back to his office about fifteen minutes ago." As you step away from the desk, you look to see where Aria has gone, but she is no longer by your side. You shake your head.

Sometimes, your child was just too impatient. She couldn't even greet Ivonne this time.

You make the trip to his office, trying to ignore the stares and whispers about yourself. Being in the spotlight did have its benefits, but it also had its drawbacks.

You can see that his office door is already open as you round the corner. You can also hear several voices. Pushing open the door, you're greeted by the sight of professionals cooing over Aria.

Zayne is sitting at his desk, and Aria is, of course, seated in his lap, soaking up all the attention. You clear your throat. "Dr. Zayne, I'd like my husband back now. We're going to be late. You can see that he is already dressed. The deep red of his dress shirt is a perfect match to your dress, and his black tie is a nice contrast to the shirt.

The doctors in the room turn and greet you. Lifting Aria before he stands, Zayne comes over to you and brushes his hand over your cheek. "Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me. We need to be heading out." Zayne says as he wraps his arm around your waist and then leads you out the door.

You glance over his clothes, and you're glad to see he's already changed clothes. He'll just need to remove his jacket and be good to go.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy!" Aria says to get his attention. "What is it, princess?" Zayne asks, a smile tugging at his lips. "Mommy picked my dress and did my hair. Don't I loo pretty?" Her innocent eyes look back at him, waiting for his approval. He nods, and she bounces in his arms, all excited.

The whole ride to the charity gala, she's excited bouncing in her car seat and chattering about anything. She may look exactly like Zayne, but her hyper personality was all yours. A fact Zayne pointed out when it was his turn try and put her to bed.

Because this year's gala was kid friendly, no alcohol was being openly served. There was a bar serving drinks to those who requested one.

The moment you stepped into the building, other doctors and researchers surrounded Zayne. It was like this every year. The same director who'd tried to poach Zayne since this graduation was once again at the forefront of the crowd. He's already into his newest pitch.

You whispered in his ear that you were taking Aria to sit at your table, and he nodded back, not breaking his polite refusal to the persistent director.

As you managed to escape the crowd you got cornered yourself. Wives and girlfriends of big influential people, doctors, and investors had snagged you wanting to chat.

"What a cute little girl!" One of the women said, reaching out to pinch her cheek. You weren't familiar with her, not having run into her before. Aria hid behind you, rubbing her cheek.

"My daughter doesn't like to be touched by those she doesn't know." You told her as politely as possible, but the women still took offense. "I'm not some bad person! She said, raising her voice as a red tint overtook her complexion. She was drunk. You sighed internally.

"I'll have you know my husband is the director!" She was completely red in the face, whether from anger or alcohol you didn't know. "Children have the right to not want to be touched!" Your daughter said, peeking from behind your legs. Her fists were tightly gripped onto your skirt.

You placed a calm hand on her head in support. "My daughter is correct. I think you should apologize to her and then to everyone here for causing a disturbance." You tell her standing tall. The other women around you agree.

As if hearing you call, Zayne appeared at your side. He crouched down to Aria's level and stared into her eyes. "That was brave of you to stand up for yourself." Aria beamed at his praise. Having mom's support was one thing, but having dad's support, too? The best thing ever. The woman sputters, clearing looking to have someone take her side. When she finds none, she mutters out a half-hearted apology and skulks away.

As the dinner portion of the evening is drawing to a close, a couple gets up and begins speaking. They thank everyone for their attendance and begin with the donations and items that were being given. They finish by announcing that a new clinc, completely funded by tonight's donations, was being opened, and its sole purpose was to research and treat those suffering from protocore syndrome.

After their speech, the music starts up as the orchestra plays and dancers take to the floor.

Zayne sets his napkin down and takes a sip from his water glass before standing and offering his hand to you. "Dance with me?" You take his hand, and he pulls you to your feet. Aria squeals and claps her hands. "Me next, Daddy, dance with me next!" He smiles down at her. "Of course, my little princess."

Zayne leads you to the floor, spinning you around as you step onto the floor.

From the corner of your eye, you see that same woman again, grabbing a man's arm and forcing him to stand. This must be her husband, you think, as Zayne twirls you around. She drags him to the floor and starts dancing as well.

It seems she means to compete with the two of you. You gesture towards her, and a knowing look enters his eyes.

What most people don't know is that Zayne is a very accomplished dancer. His parents had him take lessons as a child all the way up through middle school. It was one of the reasons his walk was so graceful. Fueld by years of dance.

He wasn't too bad a teacher either. When you'd told him you had never taken any dance lessons while planning your wedding, he'd set aside time and taught you himself.

You didn't have his natural grace, but you could definitely hold your own.

The music picked up speed and changed tempo. It seemed that the musicians had noticed your little battle and decided to make it more entertaining for the bystanders.

A few minutes later, you noticed the woman had stopped. It seemed she was out of breath, unable to keep up any longer.

When the song ended, the man came over, and you finally recognized him as the director of Akso Hospital "Dr. Zayne, you should really leave some talents and skills for the rest of us." He joked with a smile. The woman next to him just sulked. Clearly, she'd wanted to show you up and failed miserably.

You heard feet running your way and turned around to see Aria coming towars you. "Daddy, daddy, my turn, my turn!" She held her arms out waiting to be picked up as she bounced up and down.

You watched them dance, thinking this is what true happiness was. Your heart and soul right there in front of you, nothing could beat this little piece of heaven.

****************************************************

I'm not sure about the end on this one, and I think it's too long.

I tried to write a short one, but I also really wanted to include them having a child annnnd it just couldn't be shorter. 😖

I hope you enjoyed it, nonetheless.

Happy V day!

[bitterbutblue]

zhu yuan angst

wait for me to come home ☆ zhu yuan x reader

~ my birthday present for zhu yuan is her girlfriend dying ~

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

"So dinner at.. where again?"

"Waterfall soup?"

"Waterfall.. oh, the place near Random Play?"

"Mhm!"

"What time?"

"Uh.. I get off work at five-thirty, let's say six?"

"Great, see you there, baby."

"Ah- don't say that!"

"Why not?"

"It's embarrassing..."

"We've been dating for three years?"

You laugh at your girlfriend's flustered rambling- something about it being more embarrassing when she's at work or whatnot. You really weren't listening. Her voice always puts you under some sort of spell, where you become this lovey dovey, annoyingly sappy version of yourself. You have a stupidly lopsided grin on your face as she mumbles about how she should get back to work but she's so excited to see you tonight.

"Love you, Zhu Yuan!"

"Ack- don't...love you too." she mumbles the last part out quickly and quietly, but then quickly sends a follow up text after:

from: my officer <3:

I'm so sorry!!!

I love you sosososososo much

It's embarrassing to say it out loud in front of my coworkers...

I love youuuuuuuuuuuuu

to: my officer <3

love you most, my darlingggg <3

You just giggle at her texts before putting your phone away.

If you knew what was going to happen next, you probably would've written her a note or recorded a voice message for her- tell her how much you truly love her, how she was everything to you. But you don't really have time to do all that. You really only have a three second window between staring down at a car way past the speed limit and dying.

You hope she knows that your last thought was her.

She waits at Waterfall Soup at 6 on the dot- like you agreed on. She hums to herself, starting awkward conversations with General Chop and bidding Belle and Wise farewell as they finish their meal. She stands and stands, fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket and clicking at random apps on her phone. The minutes continue to pass, one by one, but you still don't show up. She sighs, trying to push down the disappiontment as she fires you another text.

to: my girlfriend !! <3

Where are you?

Everything okay?

Another ten minutes pass, nothing.

to: my girlfriend !! <3

Hello?

Did you forget?

She started to grow annoyed- at the end she decides to call you. The phone rings, rings, rings... and nothing. She groans, pushing her phone into her pocket. She's tired and hungry. She calls you again, and again. By the third failed call, her annoyance turns into worry. She begins feels her stomach churn as she goes through all the possibilities of what might've happened to you- maybe your phone just died. Surely, your phone just died, right?

She calls your closest friend, Grace or something. She doesn't pick up either. Now she actually feels like she should be panicking. Grace refuses to pick up, and she keeps calling until a different line comes in- she doesn't recognise the number but in her line of work any call can be important. She sighs, groaning frustratedly as she picks up.

"Hello-?"

"Is this Zhu Yuan?"

"Yeah?"

"This is New Eridu Hospital. You were listed as an emergency contact for..."

They said your name.

Your name.

Human language was created so that people could communicate, people could plan, organise, discuss. But the human language also has this incredibly ability to make you feel, and it's truly inrcedible how a few words can cause your entire world to shatter into nothing.

"She's not going to make it."

"What?"

Her own voice is shaky, quiet. She can barely hear herself. She feels her blood run cold, her hands shaking as the tips of her fingers grow as cold as ice. She swallows, shaking her head.

"What?"

"You should-"

She doesn't even let them finish, she's already hailed a cab off the street. The entire time she has to fight the sickening urge to throw up, her heart is beating in her chest and she can't breathe. She wants to beg the taxi driver to go faster but there's only a certain speed they can reach up to before they literally break the sound barrier. By the time she arrives at the hospital, she doesn't even bother waiting for change. She throws down a wad of cash and runs- dashing through the doors of the hospital. The bright lights and the stench of disinfectant hits her like a truck

"Hello? I'm here to see-"

"Zhu Yuan?"

She freezes. She recognises that voice- Grace. Seated next to her was her sister, Koleda. Grace's eyes were red as she wipes at the tears on her face.

"Grace? Grace, where is she, is she okay?"

Grace just breaks down into sobs and she already knows the answer to the question. She can feel her knees going weak, collapsing to the floor. Koleda rushes up next to her, her own voice hoarse and raspy as she wraps a comforting arm around Zhu Yuan.

"I'm sorry." Koleda hushes out, but she can barely focus.

All she can do is stare ahead, tunnel visioning as she feels every ounce of her being slowly crumble- each piece slowly being torn off or chipped away as Grace echoes back what happened earlier that day. You had gotten hit by a car soon after she had just gotten off from work, and there was little to no chance of survival. It was a miracle you even made it to the hospital alive, but Zhu Yuan wasn't fast enough. Fuck, not even Grace was allowed to see you because it was that fucked up.

She just stays on the ground, refusing to move. Zhu Yuan felt sick just thinking about it, her breathing shallow as she watches the life she's built turn into just a memory right in front of her eyes. She watches her future turn into the past, her life diverge from what it was supposed to be into a new unknown. She watches you fade, she can still feel your smile against her neck when she hugs you close. She can still feel your kisses against her cheek after a long day of work but it's only a feeling now.

It'll only stay a feeling now.

She never even got to see your body. She never got to hold your hand for the last time- only watching as they lowered you to the ground. It never felt real until that day. The day she watched you, in a box, lower into nothing but a ditch and she wails. She begs them to stop and she begs you to just wake up. She cries, screaming for you to wake up- just wake up. She hopes this is all some sick and fucked up prank but the box just lowers and lowers- until you become nothing more than a memory. Your texts become nothing more but a reminder, your photographs are nothing but taunts.

from: my girlfriend!! <3 (sent 5 days ago)

u r my world zhu yuan

missed u

excited to see u soon!

last seen 5 days ago

[adrienneleclerc]

Do you think you can do a Daniel Ricardo imagine

Where YN is a country singer and I don't know maybe all of the drivers gets invited to a country CMT in Texas and do you think you can make yn inspired by Lainey Wilson if you haven't listened to any of her music I highly recommend you to listen to some yeah that's it and I love the Carlos and MMA imagine it was beautiful and adorable and I loved it so yeah I hope you can do something with this one XOXO🇲🇽🫶🥰

Hi! Thank you so much for liking the Carlos x MMA imagine, you are actually my number 1 requester 🫶🏽 When you say "y/n inspired by Lainey Wilson", I studied her personality. I have watched her performances, listened to some of her music, and watched an interview. But Becky G will always be in my moodboards/headers because she is my idol. You could obviously picture Lainey Wilson if you want. Sorry it took SOOOO long

Country Love

Pairing: Daniel Ricciardo x Country Singer! Reader

Summary: With the Austin Grand Prix being held on the same weekend as the CMT Music Awards, the drivers were invited to the award show, especially because of Daniel's affinity for country music.

Warning: Spelling and grammatical errors, inaccuracies about the CMT Music Awards and country music in general.

A/N: I saw the video of Lainey Wilson singing "The Best of Both Worlds" on YouTube and i LOVED it!! Like girly impersonated Hannah Montana when she was younger so the fact she sung a Hannah song in front of Miley Cyrus herself is just iconic. Also, Becky G being in the moodboard literally means nothing, its still YOU.

Weeks before the Austin Grand Prix, the F1 drivers received calls about attending the CMT Music Awards. The drivers were all excited to have gotten invited to the award show, especially Daniel Ricciardo in particular since he loves country music so much. What’s even better is that VCARB team principal, Laurent Mekies, invited country singer, Y/N L/N, who just so happens to be Daniel’s favorite country singer, to their garage, but thats a surprise.

Daniel walked into the paddock talking to Yuki and Max about how insane and unreasonable the FIA are being when Daniel spotted Y/N walking side by side with her manager. He has completely checked out of the conversation until Yuki punched his arm.

"Ow, Yuki, what the fuck was that for?" Daniel asked, rubbing his arm.

"You weren't paying attention to us! What's up with that?" Yuki asked.

"Sorry, mate, bui just saw Y/N, as in THE Y/N." Daniel said, turning his head to try and spot her again but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Was she wearing a cowgirl hat or something?" Max asked, chuckling. Daniel looked back at him.

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous. She was wearing a baseball cap though. Do you think she's a guest of Ferrari or Mercedes? You know what, maybe she's McLaren's guest, Lando likes country music too." Daniel said. "Damn, they're so lucky they will get to meet her."

"Didn't know you were such a fanboy, Danny." Yuki said, causing both him and Max to laugh.

"She is a talented artist, you know. Can't believe she's here and i won't be able to talk to her until the award show. And thats IF i see her." Daniel said.

"Stop pouting, mate. We have two hours until the race, maybe you'll see her. I gotta head back to RedBull." Max said, patting both men on the back before walking away.

"We should head to our hospitality too." Yuki said and Daniel nodded, following him into VCARB where Y/N had her back turned, talking to Laurent and Daniel's eyes practically bulge out of his head. "Wow, its like watching a cartoon." Yuki comments, looking between Daniel and Y/N.

Laurent and Y/N stop talking and she turns around to face Daniel. Daniel straightens up to make a good impression, or at least try to. Laurent leads Y/N to his two drivers. Daniel was the first one to speak up.

"I'm Daniel Ricciardo, it is so nice to meet you." Daniel said, reaching for Y/N's hand to shake it.

"It's nice to meet you too, Daniel. I'm.." Y/N started.

"You're Y/N L/N, you won the Grammy for best country album, well deserved, by the way, Bell Bottom Country and Whirlwind has been on replay since i landed in Texas." Daniel said and that shocked Y/N.

"Nice job scaring the poor girl." Yuki commented.

"Wow, thank you so much, Daniel. I never would have thought that an F1 driver would be such a big fan of my music." Y/N said.

"I'm Yuki Tsunoda, by the way, if it matters." Yuki spoke up, looking in between Y/N and Daniel.

"Its nice to meet you Yuki. Will you be going to the CMT Awards too?" Y/N askd.

"I won't, actually. But Daniel is very excited for the award show." Yuki said, patting Daniel on the back.

"Can't wait to see you there. I'll let you two get back to whatever it is drivers do." Y/N said, leaving them. Daniel watched her leave and Yuki had to wave his hand in front of his face.

"Laurent, i think he's broken!" Yuki yelled and that snapped Daniel out of his trance.

"I am not broken. Lets go over the plans." Daniel said.

The Grand Prix finished and Daniel wasted no timw to go to his hotel room and change into something more presentable for the CMT Awards. Leaving his room, he spotted Lando already in the lobby with Max.

"Am i early or late?" Daniel asked.

"Early, but so are we. Heard that your celebrity crush was in the paddock." Lando said.

"Yes! She is so beautiful in person." Daniel commented.

"He was staring at her while we were talking. If it was a cartoon, he would be drooling with big hearts for eyes." Max said.

"Haha, lets go, I want to see if i can talk to Y/N some more on the red carpet." Daniel said.

When they arrived, the paparazzi was asking for photos and it was all good until Daniel found out he was taking photos next to Y/N so like the gentleman he was, he waited until Y/N noticed him.

"Oh my god, Daniel, you're here!" Y/N exclaimed before hugging Daniel, he hugged her back. "You guys must be Max and Lando, it was a great race, really."

"Thank you, I'm a fan of your music. My favorite song from your new album is definitely 'Call A Cowboy', you're very talented." Lando said.

"Thank you so much. We should all take a photo togther!" Y/N said

"Great idea! You should stand next to Daniel and then Lando and I will be on each side." Max suggest. Y/N nods and Daniel has his arm around Y/N's waist. While taking the poictre, Daniel leaned down to Y/N's ear to whisper.

"Would you be interested in going out with me tomorrow night?" Daniel asked. Y/N looked up at him, smiled, and then asked him to lean down so she could whisper.

"I'd love to. You feel like waiting for me so we could get Wendy's after?" Y/N asked and Daniel immediately nodded. After the photo ops, they walked into the theater. "DM me on instagram and I'll give you my phone number later." Y/N said closer to Daniel and pulled away to adress the other F1 drivers that came later. "Hope you guys enjoy my performance." Y/N left.

"Danny, are you okay?" Oscar asked

"God bless Texas." Daniel said before they walked in to take their seats.

The End

Hope y'all liked it!

[lazycats-stuff]

Hey! I was thinking about (a character of your liking for the beloved batfam) x male reader who doesn't take anything serious. Oh just got kidnapped? that's not that bad, getting stabbed, yeah that happens, and at least he got a cool scar! Getting absolutely traumatized and mind fucked, just a spicy backstory to tell their therapist.

And the character is just stunned at how the reader can be so happy and carefree. :3

I feel like Damian would fit this. He would like so worried and protective and (Y/N) would be all smiles after a kidnapping. And he would be losing his mind. Lol.

Summary: Damian takes everything seriously. (Y/N) doesn't take anything seriously. Opposites do attract.

Warnings: reader being kidnapped, attacked, and a whole lot of stuff, Damian is questioning everything, but he is a sweetheart towards the reader

Damian was a very serious man. That much was obvious if you just look at his face. Face always serious and behind those eyes he was calculating whether or not you were a threat to him or his beloved's safety. Or habibi as Damian called him often.

The only person who had the honor of seeing Damian smile and being happy was (Y/N), Damian's beloved or habibi in Arabic, which ever you prefer. His beloved was a complete opposite of Damian. Nothing is taken seriously by him.

Damian loves that in him, loves that he able to not take everything so seriously and help Damian just become a 180 from what he is.

But there was one issue though.

(Y/N) never took anything seriously and that included kidnappings or assaults or attempted murder.

Damian distinctly remembers the time (Y/N) has been kidnapped. He just went into detective mode just like his father and searched for whole two days. Turns out he was kidnapped by the Joker. Damian went though a lot of henchmen and once he saw (Y/N), he prepared for the worst.

(Y/N) was just the same. Even as Damian was fretting over him in the medical wing of the cave, (Y/N) was unserious as ever. He claimed it wasn't that bad and that Joker actually had good jokes.

To say that Damian was now worried for (Y/N)'s and his own mental sanity, or what was left of it, was an understatement of the year. That night, while he held (Y/N), he wondered what was happening with him. He would have to see if (Y/N) wanted to see a therapist.

The second instance where Damian question both of their sanities was the fact that he was mugged, but he fought back and in retaliation, they stabbed him. So what did (Y/N) do?

He walked to the hospital. Damian was on patrol when (Y/N) called him.

" Hey Damian, I have news. "

" I don't mean to be rude, but be quick, we are on patrol and we are expecting important information. " Damian said.

" I was mugged and stabb- "

" What!? "

" Yeah, I'm in Gotham general. " (Y/N) said before hanging up. Damian went straight to the cave to change before driving like a maniac to the Gotham general. He practically ran to the front desk.

" Good evening, I'm looking for (Y/N) (L/N). "

" Just a second. " The nurse said, looking it up on her computer. Damian was beyond impatient, but he couldn't lash out against the nurse who was doing her job.

" Room 110, it's just down to your right. "

He thanked her and went down that hall, looking for the numbers. he knocked on the room with the number 110 and entered. (Y/N) was laying down, covered with a blanket.

" Hey Damian. " (Y/N) said, waving at him.

" Beloved, I was very worried. " Damian started, moving closer to the bed. " You can't hang up on me like that after such news. " Damian said, taking his hand and giving it a soft kiss.

" The doctor had to stich me. " (Y/N) said, caressing Damian's hand with his thumb.

" Still. How are you feeling? "

" I feel great, I will have a very cool scar to show off. " (Y/N) said, beaming at Damian. Damian just kissed (Y/N), not ready to admit how he was worried for him. So carefree and so happy even after being stabbed or kidnapping. (Y/N) never showed signs of trauma.

Damian had asked (Y/N) to see a therapist after the mugging incident. (Y/N) said he was fine, but to calm Damian down he started going. Even the therapist was confused how (Y/N) could be so carefree and happy, despite being kidnapped and stabbed.

She said she will need more time with him. Damian didn't know what to think when she said that to him.

And the thing that really broke his mind was when (Y/N) was kidnapped by his mother and grandfather. Damian was was understandably freaking out about it.

If there is anything that the League of Shadows specializes in, that' torture. More so his grandfather and mother. Trying to locate them was proven to be even more difficult and Damian wasn't sure if he could find (Y/N) carefree about all of this.

(Y/N) has been gone for a month and Damian was sure that he was going to lose his mind. And whatever sanity he had left.

After locating his mother and grandfather duo and after capturing them, Damian look for (Y/N). And he found him with his hands bound to the wall and his body that was just covered in bruises and marks.

He untied him, taking him into his arms.

" Beloved, are you okay? " Damian asked (Y/N), brushing his hair out of his eyes. (Y/N) was unconscious and clearly not responsive. Damian wrapped him in a blanket he got from Bruce and he went to the Batplane, waiting for them to get home.

Alfred will have to check how bad it is, but for now, Damian was more than content of keeping (Y/N) in his arms.

(Y/N) woke up a day later, all smiles and giggles. Damian was more than confused.

" (Y/N), you have been tortured. Possibly brainwashed. How can you keep that smile of yours? " Damian questioned.

" Well, it wasn't anything to bad. And besides, I will be able to spice up my sessions with the therapist. "

Damian just sighed, putting his face into his hands. " If you say so beloved. If you say so.

[geraskierfanficprompts]

Prompt 40

In a modern world, Geralt has been chatting online with a man named "Dandelion" for about four weeks now. They finally worked up the mutual courage to go out for a date... I R L... (shocked gasps from the imaginary audience)

Only, Geralt has been sat alone at the restaurant they agreed upon for about an hour and a half now. All his messages to Dandelion have been ignored. He doesn't want to hope something bad happened to him, but he also doesn't want to hope the man is fine and just decided to blow off Geralt and their date. But then he finally gets a call from Dandelion. "Hi! Geralt! Geralt, Right? I hit the right number? Listen- Um- I locked my keys in the car. I know it sounds like an excuse but it isn't! And the car fixer men can't come until tomorrow, so I was just going to hire an uber, but I can't find my wallet, and I doubt I have the money for it, for see, my darling white wolf, I may have splurged all my money on quite a lovely bouquet to bring you- Um- It's on my kitchen table-" (the sounds of a man clambering and stumbling through his own apartment) "-And so i was going to do the very embarrassing act of asking you to pay for my uber, even though you were already generous enough to offer to pay for the entire meal, and so I decided I'd think on it and try and find my wallet again after my shower, but see then I fell in the shower, and I- Well, to be honest, I think I might have broken my arm, um- I think I need a raincheck? And can I borrow money for an uber to the hospital? I'll pay it back, I swear!" Long story short, Geralt's first date with this 'Dandelion' guy he's had a massive crush on for weeks, is driving him to the hospital and checking him in. The worst part of it all is that Jaskier (Dandelion's real name*) is so charming, that Geralt can't even be upset about the whole situation. *Geralt soon learns that "Julian" is Jaskier's 'real' real name, when he ends up helping Jaskier write out his medical forms, but this is all just semantics.

[stobotnikworld]

STOBOTNIK COMPETITION!!!! - And: Your CHRISTMAS DAY Anti-Depressant Kink FANFIC

BOOKMARK THIS CLOCK: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/uk/london

--

Edit: Due to a friend's attempted suicide over Christmas, I have had to postpone writing today as I have to be there with them at the hospital.

I'm nearly finished, I'm very sorry, but things happen when you know people and I have to re-prioritise. This is genuinely nothing to do with my Sonic 3 review post, but I'm not posting updates on either of these things.

The competition closing date will also be moved back to compensate, and I'll post an update here as soon as the fanfic is complete.

Thank you for your patience xxx Have a lovely Christmas :) xxx

Constant flirtage from Lee, omg my heart. I'm practically falling pregnant with his children just watching that gif. Contraceptive implant intact and all XDDDD

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

CHRISTMAS DAY FANFIC

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

(Below the cut)

Title: Untitled

Summary: Saying hello to one friend, and goodbye to another.

When Dr. Robotnik made that shocking discovery, he immediately gave up everything he had ever idealised, fought and survived for, realising that it had all been a lie...

The apology that came after, was more than Stone had ever dreamed of. Because... he knew what it had cost him, and what it really meant for them long-term. And their journey was not over, not by a long shot.

Tags: Christmas surprises, unconditional love, gentle first-time-lovers kissing, eyes gazing, nose boops, delicate fluff, teasing, surprise romance, (something that Lee once said...), Stone being adorable, Robotnik being even more frickin adorable, elf-Stone, Santa-Robotnik, bed-snuggles and spooning, thumb stroking, ear nibbling, soft smooches, Stone has a thing for Rob's (really cute) ears, Stone can't resist childlike Rob but totally takes advantage of it, Stone takes the lead and calls the shots, play fights, revenge tickling, a baby is due, happily ever after.

Penny is Maddy, Raj is Tom. Sheldon and Amy are Robotnik and Stone.

--

COMPETITION TIME

In the spirit of Christmas, you can win a free fanfic - of your choosing - for the Stobotnik pairing.

TO ENTER:

Like this post.

Share this post and let others know of the competition.

Create a stand-out name for the above fanfic ^^^

Comment (either here, or on your repost) what you would like your fanfic to be about, if you are chosen.

Tag Lee on X with a really annoying gif.. (No don't XDDDD)

You are entitled to 2 entries (see below.)

1 individual entry

1 collab entry

only 1 of which can potentially win.

For example:

User 1 - My idea is ABCD = 1 entry

User 2 - My idea is EFGHI = 1 entry

User 3 - My idea is JKLMN = 1 entry

Collab entry:

Users 1, 2 and 3 - Our combined idea is WXYZ = 1 entry each

Users 1 and 2 - Our combined idea is STUV = 1 entry each

---

CLOSING DATE

The Untitled fanfic will be posted Christmas DAY, the closing date will be 14th January 2024 at 00:01

Try and ensure that your idea is not copying anyone else's so as to provide as many variables as possible.

Use plot and writing challenge generators from google if it helps.

WINNING ENTRY

Each entry shall be given a number. The winning entry will be picked at random, with a random number generator.

If the winning entry is a collab, then the winners shall be those who worked on the winning collab, and the winning fanfic will also have to be a collab.

I will then have 1 whole month to work on your Valentines fanfic.

It won't be an ongoing one, as I am still writing Jazbotnik's ongoing Valentines fanfic - however I will make it a good one ;)

[puffin-smoke]

redactedtober 15!! thank you @nevaroonie for helping me choose a word :DD and also just generally being the nicest coolest amazingest person ever.

Geordi; Grave

(obvious tw for death, I kill Geordi in this one)(also cutie taking it awfully)

Geordi died a week after getting coffee with Cutie.

They had planned to meet up that very day, in a little idyllic cafe near a park. They'd eat, chat, and maybe go on a walk. Things would be normal. Cutie had been tenuously optimistic that would be the case, that the tension hanging over their last meeting would dissipate, would fade away into background noise. Cutie would be able to fix things.

But then they got a call from the hospital. He'd been crossing a road when a car had come barrelling towards him, hitting him dead on. It broke his ribcage, his bones puncturing his lungs lungs. He was being kept alive by a ventilator and prayers.

Cutie dropped their phone and ran.

They crashed through the ward door after shouting their way through and past reception, sprinting down the corridor the moment they were told his ward number. Voices behind them yelled for them to stop, to wait, but they didn't care. They didn't have time to care.

They emerged into a world of pale shades of white and sterile smells, identical beds laid out in ordered rows in collective boredom or suffering in-

In the final bed, furthest from the door, was Geordi. They saw him lying there, hair gently tousled, eyes closed. Perfectly still. As though he were just sleeping.

They watched as a nurse dragged a bed sheet across his face.

He disappeared into the mass of sterility and blandness. He was gone.

"No-no- Geordi!" They didn't care how loud they were being, how many eyes bore into them. They didn't care if it hurt as they elbowed past the nurse. They didn't care how many people yelled at them as they threw the sheet off him, those people didn't know what they were doing, what they were keeping from them.

He was back. The blanket was now a pile on the too clean floor, there was nothing keeping him from waking up and looking at them and and blinking up at them as he tried to get the sleep out of his eyes and-

A hand wrapped itself around their forearm, a voice was in their ear, kind but ultimately useless. "Look, dear, you-"

They flung out an elbow blindly, thrashing until the voice let out a grunt and the hand's grip went slack. "Get the hell off of me!"

He was still warm. When they took his hand and held it to their face and clasped it like it might break if they held it too tightly, it was warm. He was alive. He had to be alive. "Geordi? Geordi, I need you to wake up- come on, we have our date- Geordi?"

His hand was limp. It flopped like a dead fish, useless. They wanted to vomit. They hated the way hospitals smelled. Geordi smelt like cheap shampoo and grass. And blood. "Please- please god, just wake up. I can't- I can't-"

The words got caught in their throat and nearly choked them, air refusing to meet their lungs. The world blurred, their eyes stung. Their grip tightened on his hand until they must have heard bones cracking. They wheezed and fell to their knees. "Geordi, please. Please-please- I need to- you can't leave me."

They felt a hand on their shoulder. Another around their arm, wrenching it behind their back. Voices less kind. "Listen, we're just going to take you to reception so you can-"

"No! Fuck off- you can't-" for all their protestations they couldn't struggle. Every ounce of strength in their body had abandoned them. Their limbs were heavy, breaths came no easier. So all they did was scream as they were hauled to their feet.

Away from Geordi. They felt tears running down their face, pooling in their mouth. Their voice was hoarse, scratching, ugly, nearly uninteligble but still they screamed as though it would make any difference.

"Geordi! Please- please, I can make things better! I'm sorry- I'm so fucking sorry- please wake up-" they went slack in the security guards' arms, almost buckling over. "I want to fix things- let me fix it, please!"

Vomit stained the floor beneath them. It punctuated every word they butchered.

"Just wake up! Geor-"

Apparently grieving was normal.

That's what everyone had told them. The doctors, the people at the funeral, their therapist. It was a part of the process. To want to tear your own throat out whenever you saw the deceased face, to see the world in monochrome, to have the smell of the hospital clogged in your nose. Screaming at people for smiling too bright, living life too loud. Normal.

Their therapist had encouraged them to do this. And they eventually had. It had taken two months of both putting it off and impatiently waiting for the day to come. Two failed trips when they couldn't bring themself to walk through the cemetery gates.

But now they had.

Now they were standing in front of Geordi's grave and their words were stuck in their throat again.

They swallowed until they could pretend the lump in their throat was gone. They were suddenly very aware of how they were standing, the awkwardness of their limbs, the way they swayed on a windless evening.

"Hi. Geordi." This was stupid. The way their eyes stung was stupid, the way their hair was knotted and matted was stupid. "Uh- I don't really know what I'm supposed to say."

They looked around for a moment to watch all the other mourners. Families holding each other as they wept, widows laying flowers on headstones with tears in their eyes, lovers sitting by graves too big for the children they memorialised with trinkets and toys barely used.

And here they were. With an assignment from their therapist.

"My therapist said that I should- I should tell you things. That I wanted to say before you..." they trailed off, waiting for the right words to come. They didn't. They hated it.

This was stupid. They kicked up a patch of earth, sending dirt and ants flying into a neighbouring headstone. "This isn't going to fix anything. You're dead."

That was the first time they had said it. Geordi was dead. Buried at their feet.

They couldn't fix things.

"I shouldn't even be here, you shouldn't want me here." They blinked a dozen times waiting for their vision to be less cloudy. "I hurt you, so many fucking times, and I have the- I don't deserve to feel sorry for myself."

It was too late to apologise. It was too late to beg for forgiveness.

"I want to- I need to tell you how sorry I am. I need all of this-" they gestured wildly to the open air, to everything, to the world that they couldn't make better- "to just go- go away."

But they didn't deserve that. Nothing that good. "But I can't. Geordi. I can't make things right, I can barely not read strangers minds-" they'd come so close, so many times. It would've been so easy. To know if the sad way people looked at them was truly pity or well disguised disgust.

"I can't do anything." They thought admitting to the helplessness would help numb it. Would seize back some control. It didn't.

"I have so many things I want to say to you. But I can't." they turned away from the grave. It was getting late. "I don't deserve to."

The words bounced around in the empty space of their mind. The expanse that would've been filled by other people's problems and shames and dreams.

Now it only housed a grief that burnt them from the inside out.

God knew they deserved worse.

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 25 (Unexpected Death Cull but then a Baby, Finally!)

The town of Henford was rocked by a seniors’ river cruise disaster which killed Spencer’s grandparents Dennis and Vivian Lewis-Kim, as well as Ian and Derek Moody-McMillan, who were old friends of the Nesbitts and grandfathers to Nicola, Hazel’s bestie-turned-girlfriend.

The disaster brought Everett and Spencer home to visit her family. The Nesbitts sent condolences, grateful to have been spared greater grief as the town’s fledgling riverboat tourism industry took a nosedive. Spencer met her new niece and infant Greyson got to know his aunts on the Pancakes and Kim-Lewis sides of his family.

The visit made them miss home, and they began to talk about coming home to Henford for good. For now, however, life called them back to Oasis Springs after the funerals.

Daisy was still a PlantSim, which was concerning as the effects of the forbidden fruit had worn off much slower than she expected, and River’s wedding was just around the corner. Despite this, Daisy stayed close to Heather until delivery.

One evening, Heather tried to show her mother how to use accounting software for her floral business, but it wasn't going well and Heather was starting to get bored. She nonchalantly checked her phone. "You wrote a whole cookbook, Mom. You taught me how to do online research, but you can't figure out a few numbers?"

Daisy frowned. "I always let the telescope do my number-crunching for me. I really just loved gardening." She clicked something, and the program disappeared. "Oh, what now?"

"Let me." Heather leaned over her mother's shoulder. "You deleted it? How did you do that?"

Daisy shrugged in frustration. "I really don't know."

Heather opened her Recycle Bin to retrieve the deleted file when she noticed a strange folder. "VetConnect? Is this a clone? What?"

"What does that mean?"

"I...I think someone might have cloned my app files and given them to Petcare Inc."

"Who would do such a thing?"

"Other than you, no one's used my computer since...since Malcolm! I used to let him log in to send work emails. Oh my god! I could kill him!"

Daisy frowned. "Don't say that. Can you sue?"

"Against the Landgraabs? I don't even know if I could prove it was him," she said. "But I think I can fight fire with fire. My vet tech had the idea, and it took years to make the first one, but I'm going to have to work on a new app."

After a family dinner in Henford, Heather finally went into labour. Daisy went with her to the hospital, where her doctor was the on-call intern, Jamar Scott, her childhood neighbour.

(And the eldest son of Henford townies Simon and Sara Scott.)

"How's life in Brindleton Bay?"

"It's really great! I love being by the sea and I really feel like the clinic was my calling."

"I know what you mean. What you do for animals is what I love to do for sims."

"And how's Malia's freelance career?"

"She loves the flexibility, and I can't say I blame her. We're talking about starting a family of our own once my residency's done and I can work better hours."

Just before four in the morning, an exhausted Heather gave birth to a healthy baby boy she named Ash Neal Nesbitt. She debated the last name for months, but Malcolm hadn’t checked on her except when he needed a paternity test. And he stole her mobile app's code!

Since then he’d been no better than a ghost. If he wanted to miss out on his son's life, Heather was fine with it. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 1 Summary | Gen 1 Start

NOTE: To prevent them from randomly marrying other sims I made Dennis Kim and Vivian Lewis fall in love and marry years after their kids, Eric and Alice, married and started a family (they had three girls - Olivia, Spencer, and Lydia Kim-Lewis).

NOTE 2: I made OG grocer Kim Goldbloom the adopted daughter of Ian Moody and Derek McMillan because I wanted to make all the Henford NPCs playable at the start of the game. (I also paired up Michael Bell and Cecilia Kang despite their canon bad first date, married off Agnes and Agatha and moved them in with the Pancakes after making Agatha the mother of Bob, and put Lavina and Rahul in a home in the Bramblewood. She married Paolo Rocca and had two more kids, Rahul married Rashidah Watson after graduation and they moved to Brindleton Bay to start a family.

[winterspiderpurrs]

Clicking onto the link to go over the conference itinerary for trip out to San Francisco, Stephen took a sip of his hot tea. After scrolling through the presenters he pauses, and scrolls back up at a name he thought he recognized. Selecting the bio of the presenter confirms it for him. His old roommate was presenting.

Peter Parker. Actually Doctor Peter Parker with degrees is Biochemistry, Biophysics, Chemical Engineering.

Huh.

Its been years since they have seen each other. Stephen was in his 3rd year of his fellowship specializing his field when his roommate at the time moved across the country to finish up with a program out there. They subleased their part of the rent. Enter Sophomore Peter Parker.

Peter was only his roommate for the 2nd half of the school year, til the lease was up in June. By then, Stephen got his own penthouse. But for those 6 months, he has gotten close to Peter. Who was sassy, funny, shy at times, and overall kind.

They, of course butted heads the first month, but then they got along. Became friends even, despite the age gap between them, with Stephen being 12 years older. Stephen also thinks about the almost kiss they had one night. And the outings that now looking back felt more like dates.

He still recalls the disappointed look at Peter's face when he said he wasn't going to renew the lease. He got his own place, and he had a job offer to work at Metro General Hospital. They kept in touch off and on for the 1st year after that, but then, like everything else, life got busy.

Pulling his cell phone out, he scrolls through the contacts and sees Peter's name. Should he? They would just be old friends catching up. Far as he knows Peter is probably in a relationship. So, he sends a text to his phone, asking if this is still his number and if so, to let him know.

He received 4 quick texts back, shaking his head. Very much a Peter response. He lets him know that he will be at the conference as well, and if he had time, would he like to have coffee at some point or dinner. He was flying in on Saturday, and the conference didn't start til Monday.

A week later arrives and before he knows it, him and Peter had a coffee together at the hotel that the conference is being hosted at. Peter managers to wrangle him into some sight seeing. They ended up doing two days worth of sight seeing, having dinner together, laughing, having a good time like it hadn't been years since they last hung out.

Monday morning, Stephen was getting ready for the day, room service was on the way with his breakfast when he gets a phone call from Peter.

" Stephen! Your awake! I'm glad I didn't wake you. I am so so sorry about this."

Blinking, Stephen looked at the phone before holding it back up to his ear.

" What are you talking about?"

Someone knocked on the door, the muffled ' Room Service' was heard, Stephen opened the door, allowing them to roll in the cart before slipping them a tip.

" Oh no.. you haven't seen it yet. I... Well.. I guess its better to hear from me. "

" Hear what from you? I'm confused with what's going on. And you know I don't like being confused. Spit it out."

" We were photographed out together and its such a huge invasion of privacy, I can't believe I didn't think about how it would look. I am so so sorry for dragging you into this."

" We were photographed? Why would someone do that and even publish it? I know I'm big in medical circles, I assume you are too in your area but..."

Stephen was opening the newspaper he ordered and right there on the front, were two photos of him and Peter.

The large headline read as "Tony Stark's Ex finally moves on with New man"

"Stephen?"

" You dated Tony Stark?"

" Oh god, you saw the paper? I mean... Yes? Kinda? Look it was... a bit ago. We went our separate ways romantically at least. But... Look I love Tony, I do. But we haven't been together in two years now almost three. He is a great man, and one I consider a friend. Its just... Tony is protective of those he considers his."

"So he is an egotistical asshole who doesn't want you seeing anyone else?"

"No! But " he can hear Peter sigh on the other side of the line.

" Tony is much more then what the media says, and while it didn't work out between us, Tony still wants to look at for me and ANYONE really that he includes in his circle. Imagine Christine in this situation"

And Stephen could understand that, he loves Christine and probably always will. He would definitely defend her always.

There was another knock on the door, thinking maybe room service forgot something he opened the door and then just stares at the person on the other side of the door as Peter continues to talk.

" Either way, I'm sorry about the photos. I'll get in touch with my lawyers and maybe even Tony's since they brought his name up to see what they can do. Damage is kinda done though, and I apologize about that."

"And in your wording of Stark being over protective. He isn't prone to violence is he?"

"What? NO! I mean... He did punch a guy one time while we were out cause they called me a gold digger but no? Why? Did you already get a threatening text from him?!"

"No, he is at my door right now"

" TONY! oh my god just uh lemme finish getting dressed and I will be at your room as soon as possible."

Stephen hangs up the phone, tossing it onto the bed behind him before crossing his arms.

There, in the open doorway, was Tony Stark, cleaning his sunglasses as if he hadn't a care in the world.

[khaoala]

Ik this isn't a fourth blog so sorry about this but I just saw the way tha spoke about him in an interview and wow the commercialization of this industry is wild and kinda makes me sad how firkhao talk about aging too makes sense if this is the environment they work in but damn 30 is so so young I really hope they find happiness in aging or at least make peace with it but also damn I wish someone looked out for the kids between phuwin and forth it's just terrifying to see

i'm not sure if this is the interview you saw anon, but i'm assuming you're talking about this one?

this turned out to be such a lengthy babble of nothing, so i'm so sorry, i'll just put this under read more.

tbh, ever since tha talked about the importance of trending to give their artists more gigs and series back on gmmtv 2024, we've seen an increase on competitive and unhealthy fandom behavior i think (more than pettiness about who's better, they now use numbers to prove their show is better or their couple is better, you know the drill). trending tags for shows isn't about fans commenting about what they liked in the episode or share edits anymore (for reference, only friends, in 2023, was the most watched bl from gmm if i'm not mistaken. i think we surpassed 500k tweets maybe twice or something, but that was still a super popular show. if those numbers were from 2024/25, people would call it a flop). the tags are full of people who want to support their favorite artists and so they will fill those with whatever because all that matters is numbers, right? that's how gmm will measure how much effort and time and money they'll spend in each couple. people are encouraging others to use more couple tags or individual actor tags to improve engagement and show that said pairing can still bring a lot of buzz. it's all about commercializing them and their image and that's become something so normalized in the past year in my opinion.

about aging, just today during the press tour, first was talking about how he met acare for the first time during the table read for my magic prophecy and he asked her her age (she's seventeen), and they (joongdunk especially) looked so disheartened bc even though they are just in their mid-twenties (early 30's for earth) there are already younger actors to form the next generation. i believe they were playing a game today too and they had to guess who was the youngest in the lol line up and they said fourth because at some point he was indeed the youngest, but now they have william.

i still consider myself new in the thai qls world, but as someone who has been into kpop since 2013, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that they have this mentality. idols in their mid to late twenties are called old and the ones who are already over 30 are considered hags which is crazy! i think khaotung talked about how he wanted to pursue education abroad related to acting or directing, i can't remember, once he got into his mid-thirdies so i think he knows how the industry is fickle and can just drop you if you're not desirable anymore once you're older.

i don't know if i wanna give gmm the credit for changing their 2025 line up so drastically (most if not all of them graduated university, we cheer) but i'll give them the benefit of the doubt because they did mature their series, and they are giving them space to grow if the trailers are anything to go by.

people have a tendency to like the new and bright and shiny things more, and i wish we were just talking about objects, but we know that applies to people as well. we've seen how much they were overworking phuwin last year (i'm sorry i don't follow him closely, i don't really know if it got better or not), and fourth has been working nonstop as well and you know, just how often these kids end up in the hospital for fatigue or bc they are their immune system isn't strong, or how many times gemini went to events in a cast because he got hurt, but the show must go on and work he must.

i would love to see that change happen and watch them grow older happily and not like a sentence that they are one year closer to retirement. idk if it'll happen, but i at least hope they can continue supporting their actors to have older stories to tell. i say this often, but thailand especially is giving us (westerns), teenage and young adult and adult queers stories that we didn't have growing up. so i hope they realize and invest in more mature stories (and that just means series related to something other than school) for their older actors too, because we'll still watch it.

anyway, i rambled way too much and i don't even think i got to your point exactly but my brain... gods, one thing turns into another, i'm sorry anon.

[littleskeletonprincessss]

There's been an accident - Swaggersouls x Reader

This a part 2 of a generic blurb I wrote.

"Bye- I love you" Swagger hung up the phone before putting it on the counter in front of him. He rested his head in his hands, foot anxiously bouncing on the barstool he has on just...waiting. His mind played their fight back on repeat. All the nasty things he'd said. Things they'd both said. And the part the hurt the most to watch was watching Y/N walk out. Watching her leave him.

Swagger wasn't one to be religious but he prayed to whoever was listening, whether it was some deity or even just the universe, that she'd come back to him. He couldn't think about life without her, she was his entire world.

His phone vibrating with a call startled him before looking down to see an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Is this Eric Matthews?" A male voice asked.

"Yeah, um, yes that's me." Swaggers mind wandered, wondering who would be calling him by his real name.

"Mr. Matthews my name is Dr. Hilton from Marcella Community Hospital. You were listed as an Emergency Contact for a Y/N L/N?"

Cold washed over Swaggers entire body, his heart dropping in his chest and his voice becoming tight.

"She's my girlfriend. Is- What happened?" me managed to stutter.

"Unfortunately i'm not able to discuss too much over the phone but please come as soon as possible."

-----------------

Swagger didn't remember anything about the drive to the hospital and honestly couldn't deny if he ran any red lights. After hanging up with the doctor his only focus was getting to her. His mind raced- what could have happened? This was all his fault. If they hadn't fought she wouldn't have left and she'd be safe at home, snuggling with him on the couch with Bear and Bean.

His footsteps felt heavy and the entrance to the front desk seemed to go on forever, the end always moving farther away.

"Hi, my name is Eric. I- I received a call? About my girlfriend, Y/N? I- I don't know- Sorry, I don't know where i'm supposed to go or who i'm supposed to go to-". Swagger rambled.

The receptionists face fell, sadness taking over her pretty features, darkening them.

"Yes, sir. Please have a seat." She said before picking up the phone next to her.

Swagger migrated to the waiting area, but was too stressed and worried to sit. He paced, chewing at his fingernails - a bad habit Y/N had helped him get over. Dark thoughts tried fogging his brain and it was everything he could do to ignore them.

"Mr. Matthews?"

Swagger looked up at the Doctor who'd called his name.

"I'm Dr. Hilton, we spoke on the phone." He said, holding out his hand.

"Please, what happened?" Swagger pleaded, taking his hand.

"There's been an accident. A head on collision."

Swaggers heart stopped. The sound around him faded until the silence screamed in his ears. He couldn't breathe. He felt tears form, hot and clouding his vision, it hurt to swallow.

"Is- I mean- she's- she can't-" he tried saying every thought at once.

Dr. Hilton helped Swagger sit.

"She's alive. Broken arm, a few broken ribs and a concussion, along with a few bruises and cuts. Someone was looking out for her."

Swagger took the deepest breath he'd ever taken.

"Can I see her?"

"Not yet. She's in surgery right now for the broken ribs, one of the nicked her lung so she was taken back immediately. I'll have someone come get you when she's in recovery."

Swagger stood up and hugged the Doctor. Later he'd be embarrassed. Right now though the relief that he felt-he didn't care. Even if she was mad at him when she woke up, she was alive. She'd be okay.

---------------------

Hours passed by. And Swagger couldn't do anything but wait and respond to the occasional text he received asking for status updates after he'd updated your friends.

"Y/N L/N?" A nurse finally called your name.

Swagger stood up- almost too quickly, he made himself light headed.

"Please follow me." The nurse said.

Swagger followed the nurse down corridors past rooms full of patients and families before stopping at your room.

His heart broke a little. You looked so fragile, a cast around your arm and bandages wrapped around your head. A bruise puffed up around your eye. IV's delivered a clear fluid through your body while oxygen was wrapped around your ears and into your nose.

"She'll be sleeping for a bit. But you're welcome to wait here until she wakes up." The nurse said before shutting your door, locking away the noises from the hallway and giving you privacy.

Swagger took the chair next to your bed and angled it to hold your hand while he looked at you. Stroking your cheek with his thumb he leaned down and kissed your hand before lying his forehead on the bed next to you, the exhaustion from worry and stress taking over his body now that you were here next to him, safe. He wouldn't sleep, but his body needed to rest.

-----------------

"Mmm." your low groan caught Swaggers attention.

Snapping his head up he saw your eyes begin to blink open.

"Hey, hey, shh." He stood, not wanting you push yourself too hard. He started stroking your cheek again, giving you a sense of comfort.

"Swagger?" You croaked out.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"What happened?" you tried clearing your throat.

Swagger reached over to pour you a little bit of water before helping you to sit up to drink it.

"They told me you had a head on collision. Sounds like a pretty bad accident" He said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

You sipped the cold water feeling it run down your throat, soothing the burning feeling.

"I'm sorry I left." You whispered.

"Hey, don't worry about that right now. That's not important. What's important is you're okay. Alright?"

"I got your voicemail."

Swagger paused.

"I meant everything." He said, looking you in the eyes.

"I know. I was going to turn around. And then-" you trailed off.

"You were?" Swagger looked like he wanted to cry. 'I was going to turn around.' He took your hand and brought it up to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss before hiding his face with it.

"I thought- I just thought you'd be gone forever. And then I got the call and thought you'd really be gone.

"Swagger, please just hold me?"

He didn't need another word before scotting next to you and pulling you into his arms. You buried your face in his chest chasing the comfort you both needed.

"I love you." You whispered, feeling sleep take over.

"I love you."

[mentalknot]

Mathematical Memories #1:

TW: Mental Health Topics

During the spring semester of my freshman year at college, I was hospitalized for a mental health emergency, and let me tell you... the worst part was easily the lack of chalkboards in the facility.

Questionable jokes aside, a conversation with a couple friends today reminded me of a brief memory from stay:

As I sat at the small table, trying my best to comprehend the printout of an academic paper my mentor had given me to review at the start of our project, when one of the other patients called over to me,

"Hey math girl, can you explain the Good Will Hunting problem?"

I was quite rusty on the specifics of the film, and also knew better than to claim understanding of what could possibly be a problem on par with some millennium problems (given my vague understanding of the math Hollywood finds interesting). Nonetheless, I told him to find the movie, and I'd try my best.

The rest of the patients gathered around as the man who asked the question, Alan, located the film, and paused the screen so I could see what was written on the chalkboard in one of those early few scenes... graph theory, thank god. The first few questions were as follow:

Find the adjacency matrix A of the graph (the graph had four vertices, not horrible)

Find the matrix giving the number of three-step walks (also not terrible, but ramping up)

Find the generating function for walks from point i to point j. (getting more interesting...)

Find the generating function for walks from point 1 to 3. (similar to the previous question... probably worse)

Although I knew about the core pieces of the questions from my recent combinatorics course, I knew better than to test my chances on 3 and 4. Still, there were people staring at me eager to learn math, and I couldn't disappoint them.

"Have any of you taken a course in graph theory -- networks maybe? No experience needed, just gaging the room..."

Silence. I grabbed a piece of paper and a colored pencil to begin regardless.

"Ok, let's start with the basics: a graph is a mathematical structure built from vertices and edges. Vertices are these 'dots' or 'points' I'm drawing here, and edges are the 'lines' connecting them. If two vertices, say A and B, are connected by an edge, it shows some sort of 'relationship' between A and B."

I scribbled a quick simple graph on the page, and with the group nodding in agreement, moved on to multigraphs, explained that an adjacency matrix is one tool we can use to understand whether any of our vertices share an edge or not, and finally I threw in trees for fun.

Trees got them. They loved trees. Walter, who was a college freshman as well, inquired

"Is there such thing as an 'infinite' tree, like one with infinitely many leaves?"

I'd never thought about such a thing before, but saw no reason why such a graph couldn't exist... and imagined that 'spreading the leaves out evenly' would yield a depiction that looked somewhat like a circle... only one way to check.

We ran over to the communal tablet and started looking up "infinite trees, graph theory" much to the amusement of the nurses on duty for the evening. We never found an image that exactly matched what we head in our minds, but discovered enough to convince us that the idea wasn't baseless. The rest of the group had since dispersed, and Walter and I soon did the same to prepare for sleep.

Reflecting back on that day, I can't help but wonder... what is it about early career mathematicians getting fixated on wacky graph theory ideas?

referencing no personal experience of course...

[widowshill]

Roger w 11 and 12

UNHINGED CHARACTER ASKS.

11. Forget the sex or die trope. This character must attempt to rob a bank or they will die. Do they succeed/how much do they get? (If you have extra time, what’s their plan? Who is their crew?)

for all that Roger generally flounders trying to cover up his involvement in a crime in the pen arc, he is very well motivated by desperation, and this is the guy who masterminded a decent scheme to keep himself out of jail, and that went undisputed for a decade. so! I'm going to say succeed, but this isn't going to be Lupin iii levels of heist

importantly, he's going to act mostly alone, rather than with a whole crew — he can't let Liz know he's a common bankrobber, that's mortifying. Burke would be the best choice of partner (and pre-accident, he'd almost certainly pick burke) but that's inviting a lifetime of holding that over his head or extorting him for it. he could twist Carolyn or Vicki's arms into helping him, but they'd probably talk, and David, while a great kid to have with you on a heist, would probably extort him worse than Burke.

I really have two different answers, depending on what part of the show we're in. in the beginning, I think he'd pick on Joe: he's muscle, generally obedient, and Roger can use his working for the family to hold over him, and importantly, he won't talk because to do so would sacrifice his own pristine reputation. he also might be convinced for a share of the money (to marry/take care of Maggie) and Joe, while usually morally sound, has been persuaded before to take up nefarious grave robbing when he thought it was necessary to help the family.

The basic plan would be to use the leverage of his name to get them to open up the bank after hours — i.e. that Liz wants something from the family vault, and he's fetching it (because she's still in Liz Jail) and they have to have it now because of whatever excuse — mostly, because Collinsport runs on the Collins Whim. That ensures the least amount of witnesses possible, and probably only one employee, and a pretty safe getaway. He'd make sure plenty of people in the Blue Whale heard him say he was heading to the bank, which could supply any number of possible suspects.

Roger would then use his charm on the poor teller, and get him to open up whatever (I'm assuming this is just the local bank, so not a huge institution with complicated security, there's probably only one vault). then, enter Joe, in some kind of mask, knock out Roger to make things look good (which he has always wanted to do), and either knock out the teller or just intimidate him (since this is Joe, probably the latter) until he gets away with however much he can fit in a seabag.

It's not gonna take long for the Collinsport police to get there because they're like. two minutes away. so it's important that he hurts Roger pretty significantly, such that the teller is motivated to get him to the hospital before he calls the police. (again. Joe has dreamed of times like these). stash the money in Roger's trunk, and he can make it to the Evanses within a few minutes, who will supply a solid alibi that he was there with Maggie the whole night. Roger, when he comes to, will of course refuse medical care, and insist on driving himself back to Collinwood, where Patterson can question him at his convenience. By which time, one hopes, he'd have already put the money in some little secret compartment, and the worst thing he has to worry about is David finding it.

but that's all if this is pre-Barnabas. post? of course he's robbing a bank with his bestie Julia, who a) loves to do a little crime, b) has the most braincells of anyone, and c) has the powers of hypnosis and milf audacity on her side. the basic premise is the same, because they still don't want any extra witnesses if they can help it, but let Jules hypnotize the guy at the bank and they can both get away with significant chunks of money, with very little suspicion cast on either of them. It's still possible that Roger's car could be noticed, which is probably the most vulnerable spot in their getting suspected — it'd be pretty essential that Julia didn't erase his memory of their being there entirely, even let Roger make whatever withdrawal he was going to before the hypnosis, so that when he's questioned he remembers both of them making a normal visit and leaving.

12. This character suddenly finds themself on the titanic. Do they survive?

probably! first and foremost, Roger is basically indestructible. people have tried to kill him many times and he's emerged each time with a few scratches from things he definitely should have died from, or at least been severely injured by. and a Collins can't die from a sinking ship in the middle of the frozen ocean. please. it's in his genes. he's cursed to be a miserable maritime survivor.

but, more seriously: it's likely Roger would be a first class passenger, which means his odds of survival are much better, even if, on the whole, not many men survived. he's also, well. selfish. and entirely willing to make sure he gets on the lifeboat instead of a woman or child he doesn't know. he may not have any joie de vivre to speak of, but when the chips are down, he's preserving his own skin.

for the sake of hypothetical, I'm going to say that he didn't sail on his own, but went with the rest of his family. having David also increases his chances of survival, even if David would much rather just push him overboard, since parents with children held priority over childless adults. today, he is a loving father that cannot bear to be separated from his beloved son. tomorrow, who knows.

there's also the fact that Liz wouldn't let him drown. she'd pull him bodily out of the water if she had to. there's being willing to sell your brother for one corn chip; and then there's Liz facing the prospect of her baby brother, a Collins, dying a slow, miserable, awful death. so she'd do, or say, whatever she had to to get him in that boat with her and Carolyn and David, she wouldn't leave Roger behind.

[juancarlos-ortiz]

Marked for Carnage - Chapter 3 (Juice Ortiz x OC Fic)

Marked for Carnage Masterlist

A/N: First and foremost this is 18+ minors DNI. Getting out chapter 3 as quickly as I can! This is a bit of a filler chapter and I apologise at how little Juice x Ronnie scenes I've been writing. This is for sure a slow burn and I want to really establish Ronnie as a character and her history with this world. I've got plans on how I'm going to get her and Juice closer and interacting more but it's taking longer than I anticipated so sorry for that but I promise (and hope) that it will be worth it. Enjoy!

Word Count: 2971 words

Ronnie smiled as she watched her niece and nephew take off towards the carnival rides. She had the day off and had called Donna, asking if she wanted to take the kids out to Fun Town. Donna had been unconvinced at first but Ronnie had talked her into it. Their family had been going through some tough times - the kids could use some fun. Donna needed to get out of the house too. The kids spotted the Cha Cha ride, waving their mom and aunt over. "Mom! Mom can we pleeeeaaaaassseee go on this one?" Kenny asked, clasping his hands under his chin. Donna ran her hand over her sons hair. "We can only do one ride and a snack so, you guys better choose carefully," she replied. The kids looked at each other, weighing up their moms words.

"Here," Ronnie dug into the back pocket of her jeans, pulling out a $20 note. She handed it to Ellie. "Go nuts." The kids smiled at each other and took off towards the token booth. Donna shook her head, crossing her arms. "What?" Ronnie asked. "You can't win them over with money," Donna sniffed. Ronnie huffed, shrugging in frustration. "I just want the kids to have a fun day. I don't mind helping out with that." Donna looked her up and down. "Really Donna?" she probed. "I'm not like that. It's $20, I'm not buying them a car." Donna sighed. "Seriously," Ronnie continued. "I don't care about helping out, especially for the kids." Donna narrowed her eyes. "Did Opie say something to you?"

Ronnie shook her head, pushing her hands into her back pockets. "Not exactly," she shrugged. "Piney.." Donna said exasperatedly. "He's just worried about you guys," Ronnie explained. "We don't need hand outs," Donna snapped. Ronnie raised an eyebrow, frowning. "Jesus Christ Donna, it was $20! For the kids to have fun! I can't do this right now." She walked away from her sister-in-law before she said or did something she would regret. Walking towards sideshow alley, eyeing out the games that were set up, she stopped when she spotted a familiar mohawk and tattooed head. Strolling up next to Juice where he stood at the shooting gallery she lightly bumped her hip against his. "Hey Juice," she smiled at him.

Juice grinned as Ronnie looked up at him. "Hey Ronnie," he smirked. He ran his eyes over her, appreciating her tight jeans hugging her ample hips. The black tank top she wore clung to her generous chest and showed off the ink on her arm. It was almost like a patchwork of different designs starting from her shoulder and finishing with an old school rose on the back of her hand. He had seen plenty of chicks with ink around the clubhouse but hers was different. And to think that she worked in a hospital. She just continued to pique his interest. "If you're finished cataloguing me," she interrupted his thoughts. "I didn't give you my number for no reason ya know," she crossed her arms under her boobs, making them push up towards him almost invitingly.

"Yeah I know," he scratched the back of his head, working overtime in an effort to not look down. "Been a little busy with the club. Sorry." Ronnie shrugged. "All good. I know what it's like." Juice cocked his head. "Oh yeah?" he asked. She just smiled and shrugged again. He turned to face her fully and, boldly, pushed the piece of hair framing her face behind her ear. He grinned as he watched her swallow, her face beginning to blush. "Don’t worry cutie, I'll be using it," he imparted. She rolled her eyes and pushed him back gently. "Cutie, huh?" she teased. He stood his ground. "What? Would you rather beautiful? Gorgeous? I can work with any of those," he retorted.

"Alright then, smooth," she laughed. "Why don’t you come by the clubhouse sometime? Next time we have a party. We can hangout," he asked. Ronnie nodded slowly, her mind working a mile a minute. She was still reeling from his flirting and now was trying to workout how to navigate his request. He had to know at some point that Opie was her brother and Piney was her father. She was afraid that it would make him run but… if this was just some fun, then maybe he wouldn't be phased. "Yeah for sure, that would be fun. But there's something you should know," she said. He smiled and narrowed his eyes. "Yeah? Like what?" "My.. My bro-" she was cut off when his phone began to ring. "Shit, sorry, one sec." He answered the phone and paced away before she could hear anything. Ending the call he walked back to her, placing a hand on her arm, sending goosebumps over her skin despite the humid weather. "I'm real sorry I gotta go, club stuff. I'll call you!" he began to walk away. "Yeah ok, cool." He turned around, walking backwards as he watched her. "See ya soon… beautiful." He winked and turned around, taking off in a jog. "Yep," Ronnie whispered to herself, her heart thundering. "See ya soon."

"What was that?" Donna asked from behind Ronnie, making her jump. "Jesus Christ," she muttered. "What was what?" Ronnie asked. "Getting in real close with the club, huh?" Donna motioned towards the direction that Juice had left. Ronnie rolled her eyes. "I'm already kind of as close to the club as I could be, don’t ya think?" she noted. Donna didn’t say anything.. "You really gonna give me shit for this?" Ronnie asked. "Didn't you leave Charming because of some dangerous guy?" Donna asked, almost scoffing. Ronnie laughed in irritation. "What the hell is your problem, Donna?" she murmured, stepping closer to her sister-in-law, her blood beginning to boil. "I don't know what Opie has said to make you dislike me so much but I'm trying here ok. You don't know shit about why I left Charming. And you sure as hell can't talk about getting "in close" with the club when you married into it yourself," she stepped into Donna's space, keeping her voice low but ensuring Donna knew just how much she had pissed her off.

"You gonna snitch on me Donna?" she asked, seething. "Gonna run back to Ope and try to get me in some sort of trouble because I was talking to somebody?" Donna swallowed, trying to keep her composure. Ronnie knew she could be intimidating. She had learned from the best. Afterall, Piney and Gemma had been the ones to raise her. She didn’t like to be like that, but Donna had been on her ass since she had arrived in Charming and she had had enough. "I'm trying to make a life for myself here. Connect with family. Make friends. So if you breath a word of this to my brother or my father, you'll find out just how close to the club I can be."

------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Juice sat at the corner table in the clubhouse, drumming his fingers against the base of his laptop. He was supposed to be searching the San Joaquin database for Clay in search of any Aryan sex offenders, but all he could think about was Ronnie. The more interactions he had with her, the more he wanted her. She was beautiful yes, and didn't shy away from his flirting, but he wanted more. Wanted to know what she felt like pressed up against him, how her lush, soft skin would feel as his hands explored, how her full lips would feel slanted over his. And what surprised him the most was that he wanted to actually talk to her. Wanted to know more about her, what made her laugh, what made her cry. What made her, her. He hadn’t felt like that about a girl in… well forever. Since he had joined the club, club shit had always come first, and women were an afterthought. A warm, wet place for him to slip into at the end of the night. Feelings got in the way. And back in high school in Queens well, girls hardly looked at him let alone gave him the time of day.

But despite how drawn he was to Ronnie, he could tell she was hiding something. He had seen how close she was to Gemma. They had embraced like family. And sure he could write that off as just a Charming connection. Lots of people knew the Teller's. Didn't mean she was involved in the club. She seemed close to enough to his age, so maybe she had gone to school with Jax. Maybe her and Jax had a history. But then he had run into her at the clubhouse. Late at night. She had told him she had been dropping someone off, and the only person there that night was Piney. So she must have a connection to him as well. But what was it? He pulled his phone out of his cut. He had her number. It wouldn’t be hard to use it to get her name. And if he had her name well then… then he could do some real digging. But something uneasy settled in his stomach. It felt… wrong. He felt as though that would be invading her privacy - even though he did it everyday for the club. He supposed she would tell him if she wanted to. Putting his phone back in his pocket, he returned to his search.

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Ronnie stood at the nurses station, filling out paperwork. There had been a misprint on a time of death for one of the bodies in the morgue which meant she had to chase the ward doctors and kill more trees with the paperwork she had to reprint. Shuffling her documents she handed them over the nurse as someone stepped up to the desk beside her. "Can you pass these onto Doctor Reeves please. He just needs to resign the bottom." "Veronica?" the person beside her called. She turned to find Tara Knowles next to her. "Tara? Hey, wow," she and Tara embraced quickly. "I had no idea you were back in Charming," she said. Tara laughed and motioned toward Ronnie. "I could say the same about you." Ronnie smiled. "Yeah well, Piney was feeling sentimental after Ope got out. Managed to convince me to move back. What about you? I didn't think Charming would get to see you again." Tara smiled flatly and shrugged. "Got a good job offer," she said, not elaborating further. Ronnie frowned. Tara had been like an older sister at times to Ronnie in high school when she was with Jax. She spent time at her and Opies place when he and Jax would hang out and she would always spend some time with Ronnie, knowing how much she wanted to be included. Ronnie felt like there was more to Tara's story than she was letting on but she didn’t push.

"Fair enough. Does Jax know you're back?" Ronnie questioned. "Yeah," Tara said. "Not sure if you know, but his son is in the NICU. I operated on him." Ronnie's mouth opened in surprise. Before she could reply Gemma walked into the room, smiling when she spotted Ronnie. "Hey Ron," she kissed her on the cheek. "Hey Gem," Ronnie replied. "Wendy's out of detox," Tara said to Gemma. "Thought you'd want to know. Just in case you wanted to bring her flowers or something." Gemma looked Tara up and down before turning on her heel and walking down the hallway. "What was that about?" Ronnie asked. "I forgot how much you were always in Gemma's pocket," Tara said, turning to face her. "Seems like not much has changed." Ronnie raised an eyebrow at Tara's sudden coldness. "Excuse me?" she asked. "I'd just be careful with who you get close to again, now that you're back," Tara said before she stalked off. "What is everyone's problem?" Ronnie muttered to herself before heading back to the morgue.

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The next morning, Ronnie stepped out of her front door, heading to her car to drive to work. She slowed her steps when she spotted Opie sitting on his bike next to her car. She eyed the cut he was wearing. She hadn’t seen it on him since she had been back, knowing that he had told Donna he was earning straight and distancing them from the club. "Hey Harry," she tormented him. "Don’t call me that," he said, not an ounce of humour in his voice. "Oh god not you too," she sighed. "Heard you got up in Donna's face the other day," Opie said. Ronnie huffed and smiled coldly. "You gotta be kiddin' me," she murmured. "She's been riding my ass the minute I showed up here Ope. What did you say to make her hate me so much?" Opie shook his head. "We don’t need any charity," Opie stated. "And I don't need you getting involved with the club. Making shit messy." Ronnie folded her arms, eyebrows raising in disbelief. "I don't believe it," she muttered. "What did she tell you?" "That dad told you we're having money issues, and you came along, handing money out to the kids like some kind of walking ATM. What do you think that makes us look like to Ellie and Kenny?" he barked.

"It was $20! We were at a carnival, Opie! I don’t think the kids gave a shit about anything except having fun." Ronnie's patience was wearing thin. She felt like she was being attacked from all angles this past week. "And what's this shit about being involved with the club? I kind of don’t have a choice about that, if you haven't noticed," she motioned between the two of them. "I'm not talking about me and dad," he explained. "I saw you talking to one of the guys at the garage. Donna said she saw you with him at Fun Town too." "What?" she hesitated. "Juice?" Opie's eyes flashed when she said his name. "The last time I checked, talking to someone wasn't a crime," she said. "Talking can lead to other shit. You get involved with a guy in the club, you make shit awkward for me and Pops when it all blows up in your face like it always does," he threw his cigarette to the ground, stomping it out before he swung his leg over his bike and put his helmet on. "You are unbelievable," she spat. "If you even think about going to Juice, sporting some scary big brother act, I will make you regret it. I'm 28, Opie. You can't tell me who to hang out with anymore," she slammed her car door. Huffing, she turned the keys and wound her window down. "By the way, does Donna know you're wearing that cut?" she asked. Opie said nothing. Just turned on his bike and pulled away.

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Ronnie was fuming. If it wasn't for Piney she would have packed her shit and been out of Charming before noon. But she couldn’t leave her dad. They had been getting so much closer, and she fretted about how much time she had left with him. So, she turned the radio up and began her drive to work. When she hit the main drag she smiled when she spotted a familiar face, before descending into laughter at the state of him. Juice was ambling along the sidewalk, wearing only his boots and an adult sized diaper. Ronnie pulled up long the curb and wolf whistled out the window at him. "Well, well, well, isn’t this a treat," she laughed. Juice turned, smiling when his eyes landed on her. He stood there awkwardly, but she could tell he was trying to play it cool. Ronnie couldn’t help letting her eyes raked over the exposed skin of his torso and arms. He fairly well toned, and was a site for sore eyes after her shitty run in with Opie. "See something you like, Ronnie?" he asked, placing his hand on his hip. She laughed, and motioned her head towards the passenger door. "You need a ride?" she asked. He nodded and got in the car. "Where you headed?" she asked. "Just the clubhouse," Juice replied, running his hands over the blood on his chest.

"What happened there?" Veronica questioned. Juice smiled sheepishly. "Staples," he said. "Friendly fire, huh?" Ronnie laughed. Juice joined in, rubbing a hand along his jaw. "Something like that. So, you a doctor at St Thomas?" he asked, pointing at her scrubs. "I've never seen anyone wear black ones before. Only blue and the nurses wear them colourful ones," he said curiously. "I'm an assistant medical examiner," she explained. "So… a doctor?" Juice mused. "Not really… I'm kind of like an assistant coroner. I didn't do the full ride at college so I work as an assistant rather than an actual ME," Ronnie revealed as she pulled into the TM lot. "So you like, pickup dead bodies and stuff?" "Yeah," she shrugged. "Collect them, and help autopsy them. Determine cause of death and stuff like that for the courts." "Cool," Juice said as he opened his car door. Ronnie shrugged. "Sometimes, but for the most part its kind of… sad. And a lot of paperwork." Juice frowned at her admission. Trying to divert the mood, he closed his door and leaned into the open window. "I'll call you tonight?" Ronnie smiled, nodding. "That would be nice. See you later, Juice." He waved. "Bye Ronnie." Ronnie watched him walk towards the clubhouse before turning to where she knew her brother was sitting and had been watching them. She raised a hand, wiggling her fingers in a sarcastic wave before she reversed and pulled out of the lot. Like hell she would let Opie get in the way of her fun.