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grapejuicestyless · 4 months ago

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The Things We Miss

JJ Maybank x fem!reader

Summery: There were only two rules between the Pogues. No Pogue on Pogue macking, and never mention the one we lost.

The chateau was littered with dry rot, and probably violated as many safety codes there were, hell, it probably created new guidelines just by standing, but it was home. It wasn’t legally anyones, no more did it belong to John B as it did to the rest of the Pogues. He could call it his childhood home, but so could JJ, right? If you spend all your time on the lap of another’s father, he becomes your dad too, right? He becomes more than the man who you wave to when you see to be polite. He teaches you how to fish, how to write, not to read cursive, he couldn’t even do that, but how to cook.

But maybe that was all just a perk, something to sweeten everything. Because truthfully it wasn’t the family, or his lack of family, or the house, or the food—though it was good, or the beer that kept JJ coming as often as he did.

It was her.

Y/n Routledge, a Pogue by heart, and a smile like gold.

Y/n was younger than John B, not by much. They didn’t even have a year separating them. They were irish twins, in the sense that their parents decided it would be best to try for kids as soon as possible after John B was born. Maybe it was the mother’s idea, maybe she knew she’d be leaving and she had to do everything she wanted as quickly as she could to escape faster. But John B figures it was just baby fever. So Y/n was ten months younger than John B, but never dumber, or slower, or calmer.

She was the center of everything. All things good, JJ believed happened because of her. Like she had a good luck charm that radiated onto the others. Though, she wouldn’t need it if she had, because JJ believed he was lucky enough to have her just breathing beside him anyway.

Maybe that’s why her passing was so hard for him, harder than it was for any of the other Pogues, even her own blood.

None of them would ever forget the night they lost her, John B had been suffering with the loss of his father, but Y/n seemed to power through like it was nothing. She hid the CPS documents from John B to keep him calm, payed the bills for him, and kept him fed and happy. She never cried. Never.

So imagine the surprise when they discovered the ghost of tears staining her face when the sun rose and they could finally see her, paled and cold.

They would never see her kind eyes again, or the smile that lit up every room. Her laugh wouldn’t echo through the chateau, and she wouldn’t rock the boat trying to wrestle Kiara for the last applesauce anymore. She was gone.

The hurricane was harsh. John B and Y/n had excitedly claimed it as a way to delay their CPS appointment, confident they would live another day on the island.

She didn’t want to surf the surge that night, she was scared. She begged her brother not to go, but when she saw the determination on his face, she grabbed her board and went with him. Because if anything were to happen, she’d pull him from the sea and drag him to shore if she had to.

The waves were restless, crashing onto the shore and knocking back anything littered behind. Y/n’s gut said don’t do it, but her best interest for her brother, and her JJ forced her feet into the waves.

It was fun at first, catching waves she never had before, laughing with JJ and John B, but soon it became too much, and when she wiped out, she went silently, her head coming down on a rock hard, and her board drifting away as she sunk into the soft sand below, the dark waters thrashing at her body, hiding the crimson that swirled around her.

She was scared, she was scared when the day started, and she was scared when she went. When the boys decided to call it quits, also unable to keep their balance, they called for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

“Y/n/n?” JJ had called out, wading back into the water quickly, only knowing the vague position where you had last been. “Y/n, come on, it’s not funny, seriously!” But the jokes had always been JJ’s thing, so only part of him held out hope she was only joking.

“I see her!” John B had called out, catching a glimpse of her hand underneath a softer wave, but maybe he wouldn’t have tried so hard, wasted so much energy, and carried her to shore if he knew just how late he was.

“Come on bird, come on.” He called her the nickname his father gave him, seeing lines of her paled face through the teary vision covering his eyes.

They preformed CPR, and JJ’s mouth met hers in a desperate attempt to wake her, he nearly broke her rib trying to restart her heart. He could feel the burning in his eyes, but he refused to cry over someone he believed he could save. When he dreamed of their first kiss, he never thought it would happen this way.

Y/n sputtered to life with a cough, rolling over to breathe, and the boys felt relief for the first time. They thought they knew the feeling, but now they truly did.

Y/n had a lot of fight in her, maybe that’s why she came back. But the darkness made it hard to see the blood staining her hair red, or how it dripped down the side of her neck as rain poured down on them. She laughed at something JJ had said, and she told him that she loved him as they limped along the path, and this time she seemed different about the way she was saying it. They didn’t know it just then that they hadn’t saved her, because she walked with her brother’s arm around her, but she fell into JJ’s when she collapsed.

“Y/n/n?” He asked, in a panic. He stumbled, but held her up, trying to brush the hair out of her face so he could see her. His palms came up red, wet with more than the salt water that consumed her. He swore as he sat on his knees, holding her head between his legs while John B kneeled above her.

“Come on, hold out a little longer okay?” He tapped his sister’s cheek, his fingers lined with the red that poured from her head. He silently prayed she was okay, that she was just weak from nearly drowning.

They whispered sweet nothings to her, because even with her eyes closed and her breathing shallow, they could feel it in the way she was tense that she was scared, scared even as she slipped away, as the life she cared for so much was ripped from her cruelly.

They cradled her close and lifted her head to press soft kisses to her cold skin. The boys hands were sticky with copious amounts of blood that didn’t belong to them. But still, they cradled her like their warmth was enough to undo what was done.

They laid her in bed when they got home. John B tucked her in like he had the first week their mother left, and like she had the first week after their father’s death. In the morning, her white pillow was stained red, and her body was unmoving, not even the faint rising of her chest from her breath could be seen. She was gone, and her red skin and streaky face told them that at some point as they laid her to rest, she had accepted it, she had cried and she had gone because it would be less painful than trying to stay.

JJ found her first in the morning. He screamed, and he punched a hole in the wall before crying on her lap. He positioned her arms to hold him one last time as he wept, John B rushing in only to break a lamp in grief, the weight of her death on his shoulders.

She was gone, and he blamed himself for dragging her out to a place she never wanted to go.

John B was left with the absence of his other half, and JJ was left with the regret of not holding onto her a little tighter before she passed. A sister, and the love of another’s life ripped from their hands under their noses. It made them equally sick.

“No, hell no!” JJ yelled, storming out of the sunroom in the chateau. The wood creaked under his heavy boots, which were caked in dust and stained from rain. There was a droplet of blood near one of the toes that he often focused on, a stain from a memory he wishes he didn’t have.

“JJ she can help us!” Pope called out for him, but his voice fell flat against the revving of his dirt bike.

“I don’t give a damn if she held up the sky with her pinky!” JJ yelled, tossing his bike in the dirt carelessly.

It wasn’t that JJ had a problem with the blond kook, like he had some personal vendetta against the Cameron girl, no, it was the way his best friend was looking at her.

He held a love in his eyes he hadn’t seen since the incident. A few weeks ago, it would have made him happy, he would have clapped a palm over his spine and laughed at how he hoped he would be next, but he would only half mean it because JJ was certain he had already found something to compare John B’s love sick stare to.

But now that was gone, and John B was looking at another girl like the most important person in their lives wasn’t gone. Like the red that still stained the sheets in a faint pink color wasn’t haunting the guest room that was once hers. The same room that John B had torn apart and made unrecognizable just hours after they took her away.

JJ kept her things though, selfishly, in a box under the bed. Her pictures and her stuffed animals, the bear that JJ had spent his first paycheck winning for her.

He slept in that room religiously now, clinging to the mattress like if he laid in it long enough, his body would find the indentation where her body used to curl up, like if he held onto her sheets for long enough, he could still smell her, and if he played her favorite CD’s, ones he used to tease her for liking because it was all girlish pop music mixed in with some dad rock and acid, he would hear her fading laughter one last time.

John B didn’t give a damn, he couldn’t care less, and that’s what made him mad. That someone he would have traded places for in an instant was gone and her own brother didn’t seem to care.

“JJ, calm down!” Kiara shouted aimlessly, scooting back when the screen door slammed open again and JJ’s boots slapped against the wood loudly.

“Do you not care?” He asked, venom on his tongue, and John B simply shot him a glare.

“Of course I care! I want this gold more than anything. Sarah can help us, I can’t help that love just…walked through the door!” John B spoke like there was nothing else that could possibly be getting under JJ’s skin.

He threw the ashtray that sat on one of the dusty tables outside, watching it shatter like his heart had. The pain was still fresh, and the loss even fresher. He still had her blood underneath his finger nails, and maybe thats what made him feel so sick.

“Who cares about the fucking gold!” JJ shouted, exasperated. “What about Y/n?”

His words earned gasps and loud silence from the group, his best friend’s mouth hung open in quiet understanding and also a deep grief that had a lingering anger.

“JJ, we said we wouldn’t talk about it.” Kiara warned quietly, eyes flickering between the boys.

“Y/n is dead, John B. Shes gone and shes never coming back, don’t you understand that?” JJ’s hands fisted at the collar of John B’s shirt, only letting go when Popes hands rested on his shoulders, yanking him back so hard they both stumbled backwards.

“Of course I understand that! She’s my sister, I loved her!” John B argued back, shoving JJ hard, but not getting much leverage as Pope had already pulled them apart.

“But you have no problem replacing her!”

The world seemed to fall quiet, even Sarah had nothing to say, though everyone around could tell she was trying to sympathize for a death of a girl she barely knew, someone she could only grieve through the stories she would eventually hear.

“None of you do!” JJ’s shouting died down into a pathetic cry, his lip wobbling and his eyes red. They all watched his nose scrunching to help with the stinging he felt travel down his face into the back of his throat. It only made it feel more real because if she had been there, she would have known how to make him feel better. But none of them did, and that was the hard truth.

“It’s like you don’t even care about her! You can’t even fucking say her name, it’s like…like it’s some poison for you guys. Y/n Routledge.” JJ sputtered on in an endless word vomit. “That’s her name and don’t ever forget it.”

JJ turned on his heels, pushing past Pope and brushing his shoulder hard. His boots kicked up the dirt behind them, but just like he always did, he had more to say.

“She was gonna be something great.” He declared, spinning on his feet, holding his hat she bought him in middle school between his clenched hands. “She said she wanted to make a difference, and I believed her. She was gonna be the one to make it out of here. She was gonna be something to someone!” He wanted to throw his hat down, but the thought of tarnishing something that she had once held made him sick.

“But that doesn’t matter, right? She’s dead. She’s dead because she was too busy saving all of our asses that she didn’t have time to save her own.”

He looked at his hands, the sight of the dried blood making him sick all over again. He sped off before anyone could say anything else, before they could see the way he turned green with grief and fought the urge to choke his vomit down just to see if it might work and he might see her again.

Instead, he sat on the beach. Between the grains of sand, there were some red blotches left on the ground. He kicked them around with his boot, not wanting to stare at the crime scene any longer. It was enough that a droplet was forever stained on his boots, and that it was tattooed into his skin.

When the tide was low, you could see the top of the rock that took her. It felt eerie because he had memories of her standing on that rock as a child. Pretending to be the little mermaid as the waves hit the shore, and promising her that one day he would get rich and buy her a real mermaid tail.

This was her favorite beach. The waves, the soft sand and the shady spots by the trees that hung over the edges of the land. Overtime, it grew to be JJ’s favorite beach too.

He knew he shouldn’t talk about her so soon from the accident. That John B was already torn up about the fact that he couldn’t afford a proper funeral, that Kiara’s parents had to buy her ashes so they could spread her in the sea, in the same waves that took her.

But not talking about it felt like failing her to JJ. To him, she was everything good in the world. A pure sweetness he wished he could have greedily taken more of. Because the truth is, JJ found love a hard thing to accept. He knew he loved his friends, even if he could never express it verbally, but he always knew he loved her. Part of him was glad that he had told her once that he did, love her.

Maybe she always knew, but he was glad he got it off his chest before she went, because at least that didn’t haunt him.

JJ swore he could feel her arms cradling him as the sun set, and he swore her laughter carried out through the winds that swept over the waves. She was as warm as the sun and as luminescent as the moon to JJ, and funny enough, as wild as the ocean.

In some ways, it made him feel a little more at peace that even if he physically couldn’t have her, they would always be a part of the same stars. He was just a little bit further away from reaching them as she was.

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ladylooch · 6 days ago

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Bones - Part 15 [Mack x David]

A/N: I have said this so many times, you are all probably sick of hearing it BUT THIS IS MY FAVORITE CHAPTER!!!! This was the first chapter I wrote for their series and it has stayed mostly the same since I originally wrote it in May 2024. Considering that, I think I've been patient long enough! I can't wait any longer so it's going up a few days earlier than I said. Please, please, please come talk to me about this one 😭 I want to know every single thought that comes across your beautiful brains as you read this. Literally on my knees and begging. Okay, okay, go.. now.. run please! Read! Enjoy 🥹

Word Count: 5.8k

Warnings: Vivid descriptions of child birth, birth trauma (nobody dies, promise!), mentions of bodily fluids including blood.

July

“It’s David. Leave a-”

Mack clicks off the phone as she gets her husband’s voicemail again. She pouts her lips out, looking out the window at where she can see Felix and two other farm hands in the barn.

Maybe he knows where her husband is.

Normally, Mack doesn’t worry about where David is at lunch time because he comes home, or she drives out to meet him in the field. Today, neither of those things happened and Mack ended up eating lunch without him. The unusual behavior makes her want to get eyes on her husband to make sure he is okay.

The closer Mack gets to giving birth to their son, the quieter David has become. Mack knows it’s not about second guessing their choices or any of that. But it is another moment in his life he is navigating through without his parents. She gets to talk to her parents about what this was like for them- creating life, those last few weeks before everything changed, the delivery room. He doesn’t have that and as such, Mack treats those conversations as a luxury.

Mack kicks off her house shoes, then slides into a pair of sneakers. Her belly is so big now, she has to lean slightly to the side to make sure her foot is going into the shoe. The second Mack opens the door and feels the Iowa humidity, she groans. What was she thinking being this pregnant in the summer? Oh yeah, that her husband would be home for the birth. Crazy of her though, to think that being 39 weeks pregnant in the middle of July would be fun.

She never wants to do a summer baby again. She would do another baby, but not in the summer. Bring on the winter coolness that would help alleviate the furnace of a baby inside of her. Clearly, this one is going to run hot like his daddy.

Mack braces a hand on her back, then grabs the railing to walk the three steps down the porch. Her tired feet scuff along the dirt as she flips her sunglasses down over her eyes, heading towards Felix. When she gets close to the barn, a tickle sticks in her throat as the wind whips up some dry dirt from the road.

“Hi Felix.” Mack murmurs as she pauses at the entrance of the barn. He is working with another farm hand in replacing a section of rotting wood in the far corner.

“Oh! Mrs. Mackenzie, there’s a lot of dust. Stay out there. I’ll come out to you.” Mack can see the dust flying around and wisely stops her forward progress. She stays in the opening of the barn, edging her way back out slightly. “Hi.” He says breathlessly as he comes out to her. “How can I help?”

“Do you know where David is? I’ve been calling to see if he is coming up for lunch but he isn’t answering.”

“Oh, uh, he’s right there.” He points behind her. Mack turns around, shielding her eyes over her sunglasses. On his knees in black dirt, is her husband, shaping and working in his mom’s rose garden. She didn’t see him with the angle she took out of the house.

“Ah… wow, I didn’t see him. So sorry for bothering you!” Mack apologizes with a grimace.

“No worries. He should have answered your calls.” Felix gives her a shrug. Mack supposes that is true. But it is not like David to ignore her, especially 39 weeks pregnant.

She walks over to him, hands crossed over her chest as her shoes kick up dust around her feet. The wind is blowing hard today. A storm is set to sweep into the area tonight, bringing with it some cooler, less humid weather. Music to this pregnant woman’s ears.

“Hey.” Mack calls to David as she gets to the edge of the garden.

He is shirtless, tanned skin pulling tight over this muscular back, chest, and arms. He has work gloves on his hands, protecting them from the black soil he is working with. Specks of black dot his forearms up to his elbows. The distinct white of his AirPods against his slightly curled black hair tells Mack he is deep in another world right now. She walks around the garden towards the house, getting in his line of vision. He glances up, then immediately sits back on his heels seeing her. Mack’s heart skips a beat, taking in his sexy, sweaty form looking at her like she’s his next meal.

“Hi honey.” He says, tilting the brim of his ball cap up and wiping at his forehead with his dirty forearm. Dirt smears across his skin. She smiles as he pops an AirPod out. He looks so good right now- her hard working man, grinning at seeing her hand as she strokes her bump. “You okay?”

“I am now.” She murmurs back.

“Now?”

“I’ve been calling you?”

“Oh shit. I’m sorry. Had my notifications off cause I am listening to a pepper podcast. Tryna figure out what the fuck I’m doing wrong with the bell peppers this year. They’ve all got bottom rot out there.” The peppers were for their family use, not the farms, but David takes anything that doesn’t grow perfectly personally. “What’s up?”

“You thinking about lunch anytime soon? It’s after 1.”

“Ah… I’m not that hungry.” Mack bites her lip with worry at his response. David is always hungry. He also was supposed to be out checking fence this morning, but here he is knee deep in his mama’s garden again.

“Okay.”

“Sorry, honey. Were you waiting for me?”

“No. We can’t.” She laughs, tapping her big belly. “Your son wouldn’t allow it.”

“Our growing boy.” David smiles. He looks down at the garden. “What do you think?”

“It looks great, babe.” She says. “Will be nice to look out at this from the baby’s room.”

“Yeah.” He nods, hands on his thighs as he scans the various colors of rose bushes.

The bedroom in question is the smallest in the house, normally an office, but the closest to the master bedroom, which is on the main level. The house layout is a little discombobulated, but David wants to keep the integrity of the farm house. He isn’t ready to change what it was like for him growing up here. The only work he has done in the house is re-doing the flooring on the main level, put a new coat of paint on, and renovated the shower into a mini spa for himself after a long day of work in the fields.

“Mama would love it. Good growth this year. I’ve been working on splitting up a few of these big ones. Thought maybe I could plant them by her and dad.”

“That would be really nice.” Mack nods. “I’m sure your mom would love that. Your dad would allow it.” She smirks. She never got to meet David’s parents, but she knows enough about them to feel confident saying so.

“If mama was happy, he was happy.” David smiles. “Sound familiar?”

“Mhm.” She grins at him. “Come give me a kiss. I’m going back in. My boobs are melting off right now from this heat.”

“Can’t have that.” He murmurs, pulling his gloves off. “I’m filthy.” He warns her.

“I’m well aware of how dirty you are, sir.” She winds her arms around his sweaty body, pulling him down to her height. He smirks against her mouth, making his mustache tickle her nose. She squeaks, pulling away to rub the tickles away from her nostrils. “That thing is out of control. You need to trim it.”

“Not what you were saying this morning.” He jokes. “Ohhhh baby, don’t stop.” His words hiss through gritted teeth like hers were, then he attempts to nip at her neck.

“Shush!” She slaps his bare stomach, looking over her shoulder towards the barn. “You’re such a dick.” He laughs loudly, pulling away from her.

“Then you must like me.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“Put some more sunscreen on.” Mack calls back to him, slowly meandering her way back towards the porch. She carefully steps up the porch, hand braced on her back and the railing as she does so. She glances over to her husband who watches her with careful, green eyes, then waves one more time before getting his knees back in the black dirt.

- - - & - - -

While the Iowa weather thunders and soaks outside, Mack tries to get comfortable in David’s embrace. She shifts every which way, grabs extra pillows to stuff between her legs, but nothing seems to work. It’s been like this especially since dinner when the storm clouds started to roll in.

“Ugh. This baby is so damn low.” Mack snaps. “It feels like I can’t even close my legs anymore. I might need to put a mirror down there to make sure he isn’t actually coming out.” She throws the pillow she was trying to wedge between her legs across the room in frustration.

“What can I do?”

“Nothing.” She grumbles. David brings a hand to her thigh, rubbing up and down in reassurance.

“You’re amazing, hon. I’m sorry things are tough right now. I love you.” Mack mumbles a thank you. She deeply appreciates that David has sympathy for what her body is going through, and that he regularly tells her how in awe he is of her, but tonight she is grumpy. She doesn’t want him to make anything better. She wants this damn baby out.

Mack only lasts five more minutes of her sour mood and uncomfortably shifting positions. With a final sigh, she wiggles her way to the edge of the couch to stand. David stands too, giving her his hands to help her get up with a limited struggle.

“I’m going to bed.” She tells him. His lips twist into a disappointed frown, but he nods without much fuss. A loud clap of thunder makes Mack jolt in surprise. “Holy mother of…” She trails off in Swiss German. Her heartbeat sprints in her chest as David chuckles then gives her a kiss.

“Well, you’re at least going to lay in bed.”

“Yeah. I guess.” She shakes her head, moving towards the kitchen to fill up her water bottle.

“Goodnight, baby. I’ll be in soon.”

“You don’t have to go to bed because I am.”

“I know. I want to.” He says simply. “Wanna hold you if you’ll let me.”

Mack smirks in the kitchen, twisting on the top of her water cup before padding through the living room. On her way behind the couch, she drops a kiss on David’s head. She cups his face, gently tilting it back towards her to smooch his lips, stroking his jaw sweetly before continuing on to bed.

“I love you.” She murmurs over her shoulder.

“Love you, hon.” He calls back.

Mack goes through her night time routine of washing her face, putting on lotions and creams as well as ten minutes of meditation through her Calm app to try and get centered into a less frustrated state. She reminds herself how grateful she is to be pregnant and have the opportunity to bring life into the world. Being pregnant in conjunction with Savannah has encouraged Mack to be appreciative for how easy her and David’s journey has been. Savannah and her have become close, sharing in so many experiences together.

Mack works on a pair of compression shorts and a t-shirt of David’s that allows for her boobs to breathe. She pulls the covers back on their bed, then slides into the cool sheets. She savors the temperature with a little shiver, but knows this feeling won’t last long. She grabs her phone, texting David to turn down the air conditioner before he comes to bed. Even with the storm blowing through, the humidity lingers more than she would like.

Mack is scrolling through Instagram when David comes into the bedroom. He heads to the closet where Mack observes him pulling back on his work jeans and a clean Carhartt grey t-shirt. He grabs another pair of boot socks, which clues Mack in that he is heading back outside.

“Something wrong?”

“Yeah. I gotta head out to help Bob. A fence blew open and his cattle are scattered along the southern edge of our property and into the road. Gotta round ‘em up.” He flips the light off in the closet. “Just gonna help til his hands are able to get over there.” He puts a warn, Coors hat on his dark locks after pushing his hair off his forehead. “Won’t be long.” He comes to her side of the bed. He puts a hand on her bump, then at the back of her neck, stroking fire across her lips when they touch.

“Be careful out there.” She tells him.

“It’s done storming. Well East of us at this point.”

“Yeah, but still be careful.” He smiles, kissing her again.

“Always so worried.” He chuckles, kissing down her chin and chest to her bump. He presses his nose in, green eyes closing as Mack places a hand on the back of his head to cradle it.

“Yeah, cause I don’t want to raise this baby alone.”

“I’ll never let that happen. Promise, mama.” He murmurs against her belly. “Be good.” If he is talking to the baby or Mack, she can’t tell.

Despite her best efforts, Mack still cannot get comfortable after David leaves. Again, the baby feels so low and the pressure is almost unbearable. She gets up, wandering around the room, trying to find what position relieves the ache of pregnancy from her body. She practices her breathing exercises, then again tries her Calm app. Still nothing is working. She throws her phone onto the bed in frustration, then says fuck it, and heads to the freezer where pints of Ben and Jerry’s is waiting for her. It won’t solve being pregnant, but it will provide comfort.

“What flavor do we want?” She asks her belly. She opens the freezer, looking down at the tops of the lids, reading off the options she has. “I feel like… Ew, why did Daddy get Cherry Garcia? We hate that one!” She chuckles, picking it up. It has already been opened, half eaten. David likes the weirdest, most out there flavors sometimes. “Mmm brownie or strawberry cheesecake?” She murmurs, tilting her head. “Strawberry sounds good. And it has fruit in it, so we can both lie about it having nutritional value!” She leans down, grabbing the top of it. As she comes back up, wetness begins to dribble down her right leg.

Mack pauses.

She focuses in on her body, then realizes exactly what that liquid is.

“Oh fuck.” She squeaks. She drops the pint of ice cream, then puts both hands on her belly. “Buddy…” She trails off.

It’s David. Leave a message or I’m not calling you back.

Mack rolls her eyes at his voicemail and hangs up, incredibly more stressed than she was this morning when this happened. She immediately dials his number again. From her perch in the kitchen, she faintly hears a buzz. She pauses, tilting her ear towards the living room to listen better. The sound cuts off when his voicemail plays again.

“Oh you have to be kidding me.” She sighs. She presses his name again, then watches between two couch cushions light up. “What the hell, David.”

Mack puts her hands on her lower back, rubbing vertically up and down the muscles. She closes her eyes as she begins to pace, trying to stay calm as she feels some tightness happening in her back and abdomen. She remembers the coaching from the doctor’s that first time mothers tend to be in labor for awhile. She figures she has time, so there is no need to try to find her husband. She can wait until he returns.

Time is not on her side tonight.

Mack starts to experience intense pain in her abdomen while she is cleaning herself up. She grips the counter in the bathroom, moaning out in pain as another contraction takes over her. These are fast, much faster than she was expecting. She feels her abdomen release it’s tension, then stands back up to her full height. She meets her eyes in the mirror, seeing the intensity of what she is experiencing there. This must be active labor. Is it possible for her to be at this stage already?

With immense struggle, she finishes getting clean clothes on, including her roomiest pajama shorts. From their bedroom, Mack looks across the first few fields to the other house on the property. She can see a single light on in Felix and Lorena’s kitchen. She grabs her phone and the keys to the Gator, then makes her way there as fast as she can. Being alone seems like a terrible idea right now.

After parking, she stands up, then immediately bends over, moaning at the horrible pain rocketing through her.

“Holy fuck. Why does my ass hurt so bad?!” She screeches in Swiss German. Her knuckles go white around the metal pole of the Gator. Lorena notices from where she is washing dishes at the sink. The front door flies open and she rushes down.

“Are you in labor!?” She exclaims. “Where is David?”

“He went to help Bob and- uhhhhhhh.” Mack squats down on instinct. She breathes out the way she learned in the brief Youtube video she watched, then opens her eyes into tiny slits to look at the other woman. “He doesn’t have his phone.”

“Felix!” Lorena snaps loudly, slapping the dishtowel against her thigh. “Get out here!” Felix rushes to the door, looking concerned at Mack’s state. “Go get David from Bob’s. Fast! She doesn’t have much time.”

Mack looks at Lorena, delirious from pain. She has time… right? It’s just painful. This is how labor is.

Felix takes off in his truck as Lorena puts Mack back in the Gator to get her home. Lorena stays with Mack, holding her hand as the contractions continue full force. Lorena times them and they are closing in on three minutes apart. There is no doubt anymore that Mack is in active labor. She thinks about that long, half hour drive to the hospital and tears fill her eyes. She needs relief but the drugs are a ways away at this point.

“Ooooooo…” Mack trails off as the pain from the contraction steals the noise right from her throat. Holy shit, this is so painful. She is pretty sure cartoon stars of pain are floating in her vision as she looks across the wall at a picture of her and David laughing at their wedding. “Where the fuck are you, babe!” She howls through the room. Lorena pats her hand assuringly.

“It won’t be long now. I’m sure Felix found him. They’re on their way.”

On cue, David storms through the front door, bringing with him the smell of wet dirt and the cooled summer breeze.

“Honey, how we doing?” He calls to her.

“Horrible!” She yells. David walks into the living room, tossing his work gloves to the side and kneeling on one knee between her legs. He rubs the outsides of her thighs, collecting her forehead on his shoulder.

“Can you walk?” He mumbles against her right ear.

“Honestly, I don’t think so.” She cries, tears leaking down onto his shirt. “Everything is so intense- ugh.” The next contraction hits her, more forceful than the last one, somehow. She wildly searches for David’s hand. He threads her fingers into hers.

“Great job, baby. Keep breathing.” He coos into her ear. He keeps one hand in hers, then uses the other to rub her lower back. Mack focuses on his tight, circular motions, letting his skin on hers keep her grounded through the pain.

“We gotta go. I need drugs. Like now.” She says after the contraction is done.

“How long between contractions are you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe like two minutes.”

“Damn. Are you serious? Maybe I should have started with that question.”

“Yeah, I probably should have said that.” She nods rapidly.

“Arms around my neck.” He instructs. Mack does so and then he lifts her into his arms. Mack looks up, seeing Felix and Lorena in the doorway.

“Thank you so much.” She says to them both.

“Good luck you two.” Felix tips his hat to them. “I’ll lock up for you. Just go. Truck is running.”

“Thanks.” David sighs in relief. The truck’s headlights beam across Mack and David as he carries her to the passenger side. The door is open already, so David can slide her in easily.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck!” Mack hisses, gripping David’s shirt as he tries to work his way out of the cab. He halts, putting his hands on her thigh and shoulder. This time, he doesn’t say anything. When Mack comes out of this contraction, she looks at her husband. “Are we going to make it?” She may be a first time mother, but she can tell the baby’s head is close to crowning. The ring of fire is so severe she can feel vomit pushing at her esophagus.

“I don’t know.” He says honestly. “But I’m gonna try, honey.”

Not even five minutes into their drive, Mack already knows the answer to her previous question. The pressure between her legs has her moaning at every dip and bump in the Iowa highway. This isn’t good. Her eyes screw shut again in agony.

“David, he is coming…” She pushes through her gritted teeth. Her finger nails pierce into the palm of his right hand as his thumb rubs at her thigh.

“I know, baby.” He takes his hand back to put both hands on the wheel, pushing down harder on the right pedal.

“No, he is coming. Right NOW.”

David takes his eyes off the road, looking at Mack’s face. It’s flushed and twisted in pain. Her breathing is labored as she shifts uncomfortably in the seat. That Youtube video didn’t have the best suggestions for when you’re raw dogging labor in an old truck at 90 MPH. Listen to your body, Mack can hear that calm, mocking voiceover of the video. Personally, Mack wants to turn that communication all the way the fuck off right now.

“Okay. Do you want me to keep driving or stop?”

“Um.. ahh!!!” Mack starts to whimper.

David takes his right hand off the wheel again, giving it to her so she can squeeze. Her fingernails pierce through the skin on his knuckles. A gush happens and Mack startles. Something feels different now, she cups her stomach, feeling it slightly squishy. In concern, Mack brings her other hand down, then gasps at David, looking wide-eyed at him. “I can feel his head. Ohmygod, it is partially out.”

David immediately guides the truck off to the shoulder.

“What are you doing?” Mack panics. “We have to keep going!”

“Baby, we need to focus on getting him out now. There isn’t time for us to get there. I gotta make sure you’re both safe.” He dials 911 as he gets out of the truck. Mack watches him, shocked and dumbfounded at what is happening right now.

“Hi, we need an ambulance on County Road 63 near Anderson Lake Trail. My wife is giving birth.” He pauses, pinching the phone between his shoulder and his head as he opens Mack’s door.

“Turn, honey.” Mack is horrified, yet finds herself trusting David completely as he tilts his head in. He gently peels her shorts and panties down, looking directly at her spread legs. He works them all the way off so she is bare and spread eagle in the country night.

“Oooohhhh my god.” Mack hiccups in disbelief. “What’s happening?” She slaps a hand on her forehead.

“She is 39 weeks. And, uh yeah, his head is partially out. I can see his hair.” He looks up at Mack with sparkling green eyes. Despite it all, she tearfully grins back at him. Their son has hair! David reaches for the lever on her passenger seat, tilting her back further.

“Scoot back a bit, hon.” He rubs her calf comfortingly with his thumb. Mack watches him in awe now, how completely calm he is as he puts a hand between her legs, ready to catch their child when he enters the world completely. Tears collapse over her lashes and she hiccups from the fear of it all.

Another hearty contraction forces Mack forward, she bares down as David tosses the phone onto the dash. Her knees come up her body and she puffs her breaths through the contraction.

“Perfect, Mack. You’re doing perfect.” Her husband encourages her softly. A sob retches from Mack’s chest as she feels the baby progress further. “Head is completely out.” David calls towards the phone as more instructions are murmured by the operator.

“Ow, ow, ow!!” Mack’s howl sears through the dark night. “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.” Mack grits down on her teeth, shaking from adrenaline and pain. Tears coat her cheeks as she shakes her head no at David. His face is calm and controlled, even his green eyes as they search her face.

“The only way through this is to get him out now, honey.” David says calmly. Mack wants to ask him if he is as scared shitless as she is, but before she can, she feels the build of another contraction. The next scream gets lost in her esophagus. She slams her head back into the headrest, closing her eyes to try and keep from completely losing it right now. Her baby needs her to get him out. She can’t be scared right now. David is here. He won’t let anything happen to them. He is going to get them through this.

And so is she.

“Okay, guide the baby down and to the side for the shoulders to come out.” The 911 operator coaches David. Mack arches off the seat in pain as the pressure builds excruciatingly fast. Then the next contraction comes and she pushes as hard as she can to end this for all of them. A roar sounds from her chest that sounds nothing like her. Then the baby hits David’s palms as he hollers excitedly, his hearty “Yes!” filling the dark night.

“He’s out!” Mack opens her arms for the baby and David settles their son’s face into the exposed skin coming through her V-neck. “He is on mama.” David tugs his shirt off, gathering the soft cotton to put on their son.

“Great job, mom! Be careful not to pull anything. Is the baby crying?” The operator asks.

“No.” David says, already rubbing at the baby’s back. He has delivered hundreds of farm animals. He knows there needs to be a noise coming from their baby to deem him okay. He needs to breathe. Mack adds her hand too, rubbing limply at him with her husband until that first cry hits their ears.

“Oh!” She exclaims joyfully. Once the baby is consistently sobbing, David leans into the truck more over Mack’s face to kiss her tenderly.

“You are a fucking badass, baby!” He kisses her harder then works his way over the tear tracks on both of her cheeks, smearing who knows what on her face too. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” She nods, holding tighter to the baby. David’s eyes drift down to their son and he grins wider.

“Look what our love made, honey.” He whispers as the faint sound of sirens crawls closer. David looks over his right shoulder, seeing the flashing red, white and blue lights. “Hold on.” He murmurs, reaching into the back seat for a blanket. He covers Mack’s still spread legs to give her some modesty until they have to check on her. His big hand drapes over her head, thumb brushing her forehead as she closes her eyes and sighs. “You’re okay, baby. He is too. You’re bleeding some still, but it’s not too much.” David assures her. Fresh tears leak out from her corners. Their son continues to cry in his mama’s arms. Then red and blue lights flood over Mack and David’s faces. She opens her eyes, seeing two paramedics rushing to them.

“How are we doing?” One paramedic asks. David steps aside for them, but opens the back door of the truck to stay close to his wife. He gets in, putting his hands on her shoulders so she knows he is right there with her.

“Um, okay?” Mack laughs, letting them see the baby. He has gotten quiet and curious of his new surroundings. They put a blood pressure cuff around her arm, then put the stethoscope on the baby to hear his heartbeat.

“Baby’s heart sounds good!” The paramedic confirms.”I’m gonna check you, okay?” She moves down between Mack’s legs, assessing the situation. With all the adrenaline pumping through her right now, Mack can’t tell how she is doing. She’s on fire and numb all at the same time.

“We might need a new truck.” Mack says nervously.

“Nah, it’ll come out in the wash.” David assures, kissing the top of her head.

“Dad, did you deliver?” The other paramedic asks as he checks on Mack’s vitals.

“Yeah!” David grins excitedly. “I knew all that calf birthing would come in handy one day.” Mack scoffs at him.

“Did you just compare me to a cow?”

“No! You were much nicer than the heifers, honey.” The paramedics chuckle in agreement.

Mack smiles tiredly.

“Weirdly comforting.”

In another few minutes, they have Mack and the baby strapped onto the stretcher. Mack assures David they are okay and he should drive the truck the rest of the way. He follows behind, using the ambulance as an excuse to rip down these old highways from his childhood. He parks the car fast, then runs to the ambulance where they are unloading Mack. Several nurses and two doctors are waiting for them. They all converge on Mack at once.

“David?” She calls weakly, losing him in the sea of people.

“I’m right behind you, baby. It’s okay.” She nods, holding their son tighter.

“Congratulations! What a night for you!” A doctor in a white coat says, holding a clip board. “Did anyone happen to catch a time when baby came into the world?” The doctor asks. “Not that you were busy at all?” David laughs.

“11:14pm.” Mack swoons, thinking of how incredible he is. Everything felt so rushed and crazy. How did he even think to get the time of birth? Because he is David- calm, cool and collected in the rawness of any moment. She loves that about her husband.

Once Mack is settled into a room, they finish the final steps of delivery. The team checks her over, deciding she will need a few stitches. No one is surprised. Their son came fast and furious and Mack didn’t even quite know it was happening until he was being put in her arms by her husband on the side of the road.

Mack looks down at their son as they work on her. He has been cleaned and diapered, covered by a hospital blanket advertising back is best and a striped hat on his head. David stands next to her, rubbing her scalp gently as a tension headache throbs against her skull. The room is quiet and calm, much different than the last hour. Their son closes his eyes and puckers his little lips, already content in his new world.

“Does baby have a name?” A nurse next to the computer asks from across the room. David looks at Mack, kissing her as they both smile, thinking of the person they are naming their son after, who they hope he takes after too.

“Nico Carlson.” Mack answers.

“Welcome Nico!” The room cheers excitedly. Mack starts to weep, thinking of her dad back in Switzerland, going about his day having no idea he has a grandson with his name now.

Later, when the lights are dim and everyone has left them alone, David sits in a chair next to Mack’s bed, looking down at their son in his arms. They’ve both already done skin to skin, now it’s time to rest, but David can’t. His gaze lifts from their son, who will go by Nicky, to Mack who is sleeping lightly in her bed. She glows now, even after her hard night. He can’t believe how lucky he is to have her.

The night replays in his head- the storm, Mack’s constant discomfort, how low she kept complaining the baby felt. David should have known. He should have sent Felix to help Bob so he was there to help his wife through labor. Instead, he barely got to hold her hand through any of it like he promised her. David reaches out for her hand, resting by her hip. He is careful of her IV as he threads their fingers together. Mack’s eye lashes flutter open.

“Is he okay?” She asks.

“Yes. Are you?”

“Yes.”

“Then we are all good.” He squeezes her hand.

“You need to get some sleep. You’re going on almost 24 hours being awake.”

“Nah, I run on minutes.” Mack quietly looks him over, then slides her hips back across the bed.

“Come lay with me.”

David slides into bed beside her, carefully holding their son in his arms. Mack settles on the other side of David’s chest from their son, looking at his sleeping face. His little lips are split open, with fast breathing pushing in and out of them.

“How did we live without him before?” Mack murmurs, rubbing her fingers along his swaddled arms.

“I don’t know. Suddenly, he’s all the world revolves around.”

“I can’t stop staring at him. He looks like your twin.”

“Minus those big dimples in his cheeks. Those are mama’s.” Mack chuckles. Yes, but before they were hers, they were his namesake’s. David sighs, pressing his fingers deeper into her back as he kisses her head. “I’m so sorry you had to do so much of yesterday alone. I should have checked for my phone and I didn’t. I let you down.”

“You delivered our baby…” Mack trails off, blinking incredulously.

“Well, I had to deliver the baby in the truck because we were so late. If I had my phone, or didn’t go to help Bob-"

“We will never know.” Mack says quietly. “And as parents now, we need to let that stuff go. The things we can’t change or the paths we didn’t take, like not being parents. We are here- exactly where we are supposed to be- perfect and healthy.”

“I knew you were going to be an incredible mama and wife. Thank you, honey, for giving me my entire world.”

Mack puckers her lips. He leans down to kiss her hard, lovingly, relentlessly. His hand cradles her firmly to his chest, then they both turn back down to stare at their son’s face.

Nico Carlson has already changed the world.

#mackdavid au #NHL x oc #nhl fic #nhl fan fiction #hockey writing #nhl imagine #nhl fanfiction

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roanofarcc · 2 months ago

Text

BABYDOLL : CHAPTER FIVE. POGUE ON POGUE MACKING

jj maybank x fem!routledge OC // read on Ao3

In which a boy with zero self preservation falls in love with a girl clawing at life.

chapter summary. john b. becomes a gay awakening; grave yards are home to more than just ghosts

note: Listen, I LOVE kie & JJ. But this show should have been a little more gay and that's why I'm here. Kiara should have been allowed to kiss girls! And now she will, exclusively. Lesbian Kie for the win!

word count. 3.7k || masterlist

previous chapter < >next chapter

The Carrera’s house was beautiful, Kook-y but not overly extravagant. It always smelled like lavender and coffee, and they had a housekeeper who visited once a week to keep the place spotless.

Normally, Lottie would politely knock on the front door, schmooze Kie’s parents to maintain her place at their favorite one of their daughter’s friends, and then spend the remainder of the day trying on Kie’s nice clothes and gossiping until the late-night hours.

However, since Kie’s dad had to bail Lottie’s brother out of serving juvie time after being arrested for assaulting the Redfield Lighthouse keeper, the Routledge's were not a welcomed name in the Carrera household. That meant Lottie had to get inside the old-fashioned way, sneaking in through Kie’s second-story window.

Kie had sent her an ‘SOS’ text not long after John B. had texted to tell her he’d been arrested and then bailed out. She was going to wait around for him, but he told her it would be a while; apparently, he had to ‘figure some shit out.’ So, Lottie ventured across the Island on her bike to Kie’s house, climbed the conveniently placed trellis, and popped her head in through her best friend’s window.

“Oh, Rapunzel,” Lottie sing-songed as she climbed through the window. “You could have let down your hair and helped me out. I think your mom’s rose bush gave me thorns.”

At the sound of her voice, Kie rolled over onto her back, dramatically sprawled out on her queen-sized bed. Lottie joined her, collapsing on the bed and sinking into the comforter.

“Thanks for bailing John out.”

Kie smiled weakly. “What’s the point of having rich parents if I can’t bail my friend out of jail?” Lottie laughed for just a moment, stopping when Kie’s smile melted back into a frown. She covered her face with her hands before letting out a low groan and saying, “Listen, I need to tell you something, and I need you to not get mad at me, okay?”

“It would take a lot for me to get mad at you, Kie.” Lottie couldn’t even remember the last time she had really gotten mad at Kie. Their last argument, which was one of their biggest, was over the aux during a night of drinking at the Chateau. It lasted approximately three minutes and ended with them falling asleep together in the hammock while JJ took control of the music.

Kie sat up rather abruptly, looking more upset than Lottie had seen her in a long time, which worried her. It was somewhat reminiscent of Kie’s last ‘SOS’ text, and she wondered if there was a reason behind that.

“Okay,” she started, taking in a deep breath. “After we ran out of the lighthouse, John B. and I were talking before the cops found us. It was just about your dad and the compass and stuff. He was really upset so I hugged him. And then he…he kind of, sort of, kissed me…”

It took Lottie a moment to process that and react, running through a series of very different emotions. On the one hand, her best friend kissing anyone was fun and exciting! But when that someone was Lottie’s brother, it was way gross. Her brother and Kie? Her brother and her best friend? Kissing? They had a rule against that for a reason. And hadn’t he just denied wanting to ‘go after’ Kie earlier that morning?

Lottie muttered a slow, “Okay…” in response. “And, uh, how was…it?” She cringed at her own words but tried her best to put her best friend duties above her sisterly feelings.

At her question, Kie sprang up from the bed and began pacing around her room, which wasn’t a great sign. “I didn’t like it,” she blurted out, her voice wobbly and on the verge of either crying or yelling.

Lottie scooted to the edge of the bed, brows furrowed as she watched Kie dizzyingly move. “Did you not like it because it was John B. or because it was, you know, a boy?”

Kie suddenly froze, her whole body tense and chin trembling. Lottie let out a gentle sigh as she stood up and met her friend in the middle of the room. She grasped Kie’s shoulder, forcing the girl to meet her eyes. “You remember what I told you, right? If it’s the latter, that’s not the end of the world.”

A beat of silence passed between them before Kie squeezed her eyes closed and leaned forward, letting Lottie wrap her up in a hug.

It had been a couple of months since Kie first confided in Lottie during one of their sleepovers that she wasn’t sure she liked boys in a romantic sense. She was unsure, confused, and conflicted as to what they would mean. And while Lottie was surprised, she had promised her best friend that however she felt, it wouldn’t change her attitude toward Kie.

However, it wasn’t just Lottie who Kie was worried about, it was all of their friends and her parents.

“I didn’t plan on using your brother to figure out that I don’t like dudes,” Kie muttered into Lottie’s shoulder.

“Hey, at least he was good for something,” Lottie said, letting out a breathy laugh.

Kie sniffled and hugged Lottie a little tighter. “What am I gonna do, Lot? I’m already my parents’ personal disappointment since I’ve decided I rather hang out with you guys than the prissy Kooks from the academy. And now, on top of that, I’ve gotta tell them I-I’m gay?”

Pulling back just slightly, Lottie cupped Kie’s cheeks in her hands, wiping away a couple of stray tears with her thumbs. “Listen to me, you are not a disappointment, okay? Sure, your parents aren’t our biggest fans, but who cares? What matters is that they love you,” said Lottie. “And you don’t have to march downstairs right this second to tell them. You have time.”

She still looked unsure but nodded nonetheless and took in a shaky breath. “You don’t hate me, right?” Lottie didn’t reply. Instead, she hugged Kie once more to make her best friend understand that there was nothing in the world that could make Lottie love her any less. They were intertwined, almost the same person sometimes. There wasn’t a world in which Lottie couldn’t imagine not being Kie’s best friend.

“Is your brother going to hate me?”

Lottie shook her head. “Nah,” she said. “He’ll probably be a little confused and maybe a little bummed that it was him kissing you that made you realize you never want to kiss a boy again, but I think that’s really funny and good to knock his ego a few pegs. He’ll get over it. You’re too important to him to throw your guys’ friendship away over something like this.”

That seemed to make Kie feel a tad bit better. She let out a breath before Lottie pulled them back down to sit on the edge of the bed. A sudden buzz of excitement was in the air. “Now, tell me everything!” Lottie said. “I’m talking cute girls you’ve seen on the beach. Did you see those Tourons at the last kegger? Talk about h-o-t.” She dramatically fanned herself with her hand, earning a laugh from Kie, which was all she had wanted.

Kie rested her head on Lottie’s shoulder, some of the stress leaving her body and untensing her muscles. She held out her pinky to Lottie and said, “Promise this won’t change anything.”

Lottie quickly hooked her pinky with Kie’s. “I promise. You could literally kill someone and I’d still be on your side. I promise that liking girls isn’t going to change my mind about that. It’s not gonna change anything for me, for John B., Pope, or JJ. Okay?”

They settled into Kie’s bed, comfortably watching television until the evening hit and Kie was forced to help her parents out at their restaurant, the Wreck. When they parted ways, Kie seemed in better spirits, a little less weighed down but still wound tightly.

Lottie set off back home, cruising on her bike as the light breeze kissed her face. She hadn’t made it half a mile from Kie’s house before she was intercepted by her brother’s van nearly running her over. She cursed, pulling on her brakes and slamming her feet against the ground.

Out of the windows popped her brother and JJ’s head, smiling as if they hadn’t nearly killed her.

“What the hell, you guys?” she huffed, brushing back pieces of her brunette hair that had fallen from its updo.

“I messed up!” John B. rushed out.

She scoffed. “You mean with Kie, her dad, or the police?”

He hung his head. “All of the above?” Lottie hummed in response, allowing him to continue in his ramblings. “I messed up a lot today. I gave Peterkin the compass because those dudes came after me, again. I was ready to give up looking for dad but I was thinking about it all wrong. I think I know another meaning for Redfield besides the lighthouse.”

Slumping her shoulders, she gripped the handlebars of her bike even tighter. For a second, she thought he had finally come to his senses. But why would he do that?

“This is a bad idea,” she said. “You said so yourself from the beginning.”

John B. nodded in agreement. “I know but like JJ said, what else do we really have to lose?”

Lottie hated that, the idea that just because the three of them were down on their luck with a handful of missing or shitty parents they had nothing else going for them. She didn’t want to believe that, but she couldn’t ignore the look of desperation in her brother’s eyes. He needed answers and he was going to get them with or without her.

Relenting, she started wheeling her bike to the trunk. JJ hopped out of the passenger seat to help her with an easy grin on his lips.

She glared at him. “If this blows up in our faces even more, I’m blaming you,” she said, letting him take the bike from her grasp and haul it into the back of the van.

He wasn’t put off by her attitude, in fact, it seemed to amuse him. “Lighten up, Lot. This could be our way of getting stupid rich and never having to work another day in our life. Remember, I even promised to use my share to buy you a new rooster. Hell, I’ll buy you a goddamn farm if this shit works out, ‘kay?”

The likelihood that their dad’s compass would lead to anything other than a dead end or disappointment seemed unlikely, but she played into JJ’s little fantasy for a brief moment, pursing her lips. “A whole farm? That’s a tall order.”

JJ jumped into the backseat, knowing she’d fight him for shotgun like she always did. Before he closed the door, he sent her a wink. “Anything for you.”

They picked up Pope, kidnapping him from his dad once more, which Mr. Heyward was not happy about before circling back to the Wreck to pick up Kie. However, Pope had returned outside after running it to grab her alone. He said she wasn’t coming.

John B. thought it was simply because he had been stupid enough to kiss her, but Lottie knew it was more complicated than that. He went inside to try to convince her, leaving the three in the van.

“What did he do to Kie?” JJ asked, poking his head between the front seats to peer at Lottie questioningly.

She shrugged, playing dumb. “Other than needing her dad to bail him out of jail? I don’t know.”

They waited a couple of minutes before John B. exited with Kie trailing behind. They climbed into the van and Lottie shot her friend a look to silently ask if she had told her brother everything. Kie shook her head; that conversation certainly could wait until later. John B. wasn’t one to be pushy, despite him probably being able to tell there was something Kie wasn’t telling him. Above everything, Kie was one of his friends, kiss or no kiss.

Together, they traveled to wherever John B. believed a clue may be. The sun sank, leaving the island cloaked in darkness. Lottie had started to think the day would never end, considering the multitude of events that stacked up upon each other since first thing in the morning. She rested her head against the window, trying to summon enough energy to get through whatever her brother had planned.

“Do you mind if I just relax on this one?” JJ said, yawning. “It’s been a long day, and a lot of weird stuff has gone down.” He pretty much summed up Lottie’s thoughts as he held an unlit joint between his fingers.

John B. sighed, gazing at his friends through the rearview mirror. It was easy to tell everyone was tired, and more than ready to call an end to the day. Nervously, he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as he always did. “I know I was wrong about the lighthouse,” he started. “And about pretty much everything else. But I was right about one thing, our dad is trying to tell us something.”

He pulled the van into the driveway of one of the old cemeteries on the island. In the darkness, it looked ten times more horrifying, lonely but not abandoned. The grass hadn’t been mowed since the storm, probably, just slightly overgrown, and some of the nearby headstones looked to have been there for decades, covered in moss and their names unreadable.

If their dad was trying to send them a message, Lottie didn’t know how a cemetery played a part, and she really wasn’t too excited to find out.

Nevertheless, she followed her friends and brother out of the Twinkie and ventured into the cemetery with flashlights. Even the old trees looked menacing, bathed in the eerie glow of moonlight. To make the place feel even worse, the air was humid, the kind that made your skin sticky in the most uncomfortable of ways.

As they walked across the yard, Lottie looped her arm with JJ’s, trying not to jump at every weird noise that echoed through the air. The blond seemed just as weary of the place with his face pinched in discomfort.

“What exactly are we doing here?” Kie whispered, looking side to side across the yard.

“You know how when you’re trying to remember a song but you can’t recall who sings it?” John B. started. “That’s how I felt about the name, Redfield. This whole time I thought dad was talking about a place, but I was wrong. He may have been talking about a person.” He shined his flashlight up at a mausoleum near the back of the cemetery that they had walked right to. It was old and covered up slightly by overgrown vines that snaked around the concrete, but the name above the door read loud and clear, Redfield.

Lottie’s brows furrowed in thought for a beat, until she put the pieces together in her head. She hadn’t been well versed in their family history, clearly not as much as her brother, but she had picked up on bits and pieces over the years.

“Redfield,” she repeated. “That was our great-great grandma’s maiden name, right? Olivia Redfield.” John B. nodded. Their dad had mentioned her ages ago after Lottie had found an old photo album full of black and white photos that looked like they’d been through a lot. Some of the photos had been torn, taped back together, missing pieces, and wrinkled. The name had stuck with Lottie because she found the name Olivia pretty and the photograph of the woman was one of the few in nearly perfect condition. Olivia had been beautiful, with long, dark hair and sharp features. The image had remained in Lottie’s head all that time.

They tried to slide the door of her mausoleum open, but the stone wall was heavy and clearly hadn’t been moved in ages. Lottie tried to readjust her grip, finding an opening along the side of the door. But as her hand fit inside, something popped out. She came face to face with a pissed-off snake.

A scream tore through her lips as she jumped back, watching in horror as it slithered out of the structure and disappeared into the tall grass behind the cemetery. She shivered in fear and disgust at the snake, trying to regain her cool alongside her freaked-out friends.

In a really awful attempt to scare the snake into not returning, JJ started barking in the direction it had fled.

Pope slapped his arm. “You’re gonna wake the freakin’ dead, man! Shut up!”

“They’re afraid of dogs,” JJ said. “Everyone knows that.”

John B. returned to the door first, trying once more to open it. But before he could place his hands on the worn stone, JJ stopped him. “If there’s one of those bad boys, there’s probably dozens more waitin’ for us, dude.”

“Dozens?” Lottie’s skin felt like it was crawling with snakes. They certainly weren’t an unusual sight, but she had gotten pretty good at avoiding them. They didn’t hang out around super populated areas, and Lottie had avoided venturing into old cemeteries at night for the most part.

With a sigh, Pope patted John B.’s shoulder with sympathy written on his face. “Look, we’re not getting in there, alright? It’s not gonna budge,” he said. “We should just go.”

For a moment, it looked as if John B. was going to throw in the towel and they’d all head home for the night. But then Kie spoke up. “We might be able to get in without moving the door. See that?” She pointed to the narrow opening Lottie had tried to use as a handhold. “It’s tight, but I might be able to get through.”

If Lottie had been a worse friend, she would have agreed to let Kie stuff herself in a snake-infested building that held the body of Lottie and John B.’s dead great-great-grandma. And while it had been a long day for Lottie, it seemed to have been an even longer one for Kie.

“This is about your dad,” Kie said, sucking in a deep breath. “And I don’t know if I believe…all of this. But you guys do deserve to know the truth.” Kie was too good of a friend, in Lottie’s opinion. Not only did she want to help them find the truth, despite the very high chance John B. was concocting some treasure hunt in his head, but Lottie had a feeling that wasn’t the only reason she wanted to help. She felt bad about John B. kissing her and for her realizing that she had been right about her feelings all along. She was trying to compensate for that, Lottie could tell just by the look on her face. But Kie had nothing to feel guilty about, and she certainly did need to try to make up for her own feelings by climbing into the mausoleum.

“No way,” Lottie said. “You’re not doing that.” She handed her flashlight to JJ and narrowed her eyes at the building, trying to mentally prepare herself “This is about our dad. So, I’ll do it.”

“Are you sure?” Kie asked. “Because I can, Lot.”

Lottie shook her head. “I got this,” she lied, and not very well either. “But in case I die, please bury me next to my rooster.”

Her friends pulled back the vines that hung over the small entrance. It was a little ways off the ground, leaking the darkness from inside the structure.

JJ yanked off the headlamp he had found in the back of the van from his head and situated it on top of Lottie’s head before mock-saluting her. She tried to steel her nerves and not to think about the fact that JJ had just said there was a good chance there were dozens of snakes waiting for her inside.

“I’ll give you a boost,” he said, leaning against the door and threading his fingers together to make a little step for Lottie’s foot. “Ready?”

She nodded, but with no certainty behind it, and stepped into his hand. JJ helped her up enough for her to slot herself through the opening. Spiderwebs instantly brushed across her exposed arms and legs, making her shudder as she landed inside. Slowly, she spun around and took in the surroundings. Much to her relief, there weren’t any snakes out in the open, ready to attack. There were large spiders waiting in the corners and a casket covered in dust staring back at her, but she supposed no snakes were a small win.

Refocusing, she started looking for anything that seemed clue-like. At first, all she saw was more dust, dirt, and cobwebs, but as she stared at an odd gap in the otherwise solid wall, she realized something had been shoved into the skinny crack. Grabbing a hold of the corner of the lodged object, she tugged it free.

It was a dirty envelope, old but certainly nowhere near as old as their great-great grandma. She brushed off some of the dirt, uncovering two words written in familiar handwriting.

‘For Bird.’

Bird had been their dad’s nickname for John B. since they were little. Maybe her brother was just as insane as their dad because he’d been right.

Lottie flipped the envelope over with the small hope that maybe it was also addressed to her, but the back was blank. It made sense, she supposed. John B. did have a different relationship with their dad than she did; they simply were closer. If he was going to leave clues for anyone, it would be John B., not her. Yet, it still stung.

“Did you find anything?” John B. called out.

She swallowed her disappointment and pushed the envelope out the entrance. “This is for you.”

As quickly as she could, Lottie climbed out of the mausoleum with a small pang in her chest and cobwebs stuck in her hair. She kept her lips pressed in a thin line as John B. gazed at the envelope with a smile of disbelief on his lips.

“Code red,” JJ said, staring ahead at the sudden incoming of lights. “Square groupers. Square groupers!” And they started running, again.

#outer banks #outer banks fanfiction #fix it fic #jj maybank #jj maybank x oc #jj maybank x original character #pope heyward #kiara carrera #john b routledge #obx #obx season 1 #jj maybank fanfiction

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joshuasumter · 1 year ago

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What if...The Cross Zone got a lot bigger?

From the creative minds that bought you Namco X Capcom, Project X Zone was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012 in Japan and worldwide in 2013, receiving great praise as it bought characters from three legendary game developers -- Capcom, Sega, and Namco Bandai -- to crossed worlds, dimensions, and the fabric of time for the ultimate cross-over tactical RPG mashup!

But what if the cross zone had gotten a whole lot bigger with even MORE titles and are joined by even more characters from surprising guest companies.

What if...The Cross Zone got a lot bigger? explores what would happen if the events of Namco X Capcom, Project X Zone, and Project X Zone 2 occurred differently with the inclusion of characters, worlds, and universes of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Square Enix, and much more. For example, my fan-made original story movie inspired by the crossover RPG.

The Project X Zone Movie (Capcom x Sega x Bandai Namco x Cartoon Network x Nickelodeon x Disney x Pixar x Square Einx x Channel Federator x Channel Awesome)

The Project X Zone Movie 2: Fate of Many Worlds (Capcom x Sega x Bandai Namco x Cartoon Network x Disney x Pixar x Square Einx x Marvel x Star Wars x Level-5)

NAMCO BANDAI

Namco X Capcom (Reiji Arisu, Xiaomu)

Project X Zone (Mii Koryuji, Kogoro Tenzai)

Tekken (Jin Kazama, Kazuya Mishima, Heihachi Mishima, Ling Xiaoyu, Alisa Bosconovitch)

.hack// (Kite, BlackRose)

.hack//G.U. (Haseo)

Tales of Versperia (Yuri Lowell, Fylnn Scifo, Estelle Sidos Heurassein)

Summon Night 3 (Aty)

Adventure of Valkyrie (Valkyrie, Kurino Sandra, Sabine)

Bravoman (Arnold/Bravoman)

Wonder Momo (Kanda Momo/Wonder Momo)

Soulcalibur V (Natsu)

Soul Edge (Taki, Mitsurugi Heishiro)

Tales of Destiny (Rutee Katrea, Stahn Aileron)

Xenosaga (KOS-MOS, MOMO, Shion Uzuki)

Tower of Druaga (Gilgamesh, Ki)

Shadow Land (Tarosuke)

The Genji and the Heike Clans (Taira no Kagekiyo)

Baraduke (Masuyo Tobi)

Burning Force (Hiromi Tengenji)

Ordyne (Miyuki Chan)

Dig Dug (Taizo Hori)

Klonoa (Klonoa, Guntz)

God Eater (Alisa Ilinichina Amiella, Soma Schicksal, Lindow Amamiya, Ciel Alencon, Nana Kouzuki)

Yumeria (Neneko, Neito)

CAPCOM

Street Fighter (Ryu, Ken Masters, Chun-li, Guile, Cammy White, Ingrid)

Ghosts n' Goblins (Sir Arthur)

Okami (Amaterasu, Issun)

Viewtiful Joe (Viewtiful Joe, Sexy Silvia)

Monster Hunter (Monster Hunter, Felyne, Palico, Gore Magala)

Breath of Fire III (Ryu, Nina, Momo, Garr, Rei, Peco, Honey)

Resident Evil Revelations (Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine)

Resident Evil 6 (Leon S. Kennedy, Helena Harper, Ada Wong)

Resident Evil: Dead Aim (Bruce McGivern, Fong Ling)

Ace Attorney (Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey, Apollo Justice, Athena Cykes)

Darkstalkers(Morrigan Aensland, Demitri Maximoff, Felicia, Hsien-Ko, Donovan Baine, Anita, Jon Talbain, Victor Von Gedenheim)

Dead Rising (Frank West)

Devil May Cry (Dante, Trish, Lady, Nero, Nico)

Bionic Commando (2009) (Nathan Spencer)

Captain Commando (Captain Commando, Hoover (Baby Head), Jennety (Mack the Knife), Sho (Ginzu the Ninja))

Dino Crisis (Regina)

Final Fight (Guy, Mike Haggar)

Mega Man (Rock/Mega Man, Roll, Blues/Proto Man, Rush, Tango, Eddie, Beat)

Mega Man X(X, Zero, Axl)

Mega Man Legends (Tron Bonne, Servbots, Mega Man Volnutt, Roll Casket)

Star Gladiator (June Lin Milliam)

Strider (Strider Hiryu)

Forgotten Worlds (Unknown Soldier 1P, Unknown Solider 2P, Sylphie)

Cyberbots (Jin Saotome, Princess Devilotte de Death Satan IX)

SEGA

Billy Hatcher (Billy Hatcher, Chick Poacher, Rolly Roll, Bantam Scrambled)

Golden Axe (Ax Battler, Gilius Thunderhead, Tyris Flare)

Panzer Dragon (Keil Fluge, Blue Dragon)

Alex Kidd (Alex Kidd, Stella)

NiGHTS into Dreams (NiGHTS)

Skies of Arcadia (Vyse, Aika, Fina, Cupil, Gilder, Enrique, Drachma)

Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Shadow the Hedgehog)

Sonic Boom (Sticks the Badger)

Bayonetta (Bayonetta, Jeanne, Viola, Luka)

Virtua Fighter (Akira Yuki, Pai Chan, Kage-Maru)

Fighting Vipers (Bahn)

Shenmue (Ryo Hazuki)

Shinobi (Hotsuma)

Shinobi: Nightshade (Hibana)

Space Channel 5 (Ulala)

Streets of Rage (Axl Stone)

Sakura Wars (Ichiro Ogami, Sakura Shinguji, Gemini Sunrise, Erica Fontaine)

Yakuza/Like A Dragon (Kazama Kiryu, Goro Majima, Ichiban Kasuga)

Resonance of Fate (Zephyr, Leanne, Vashyron)

Valkyria Chronicles III(Kurt Irving, Riela Marcellis, Imca)

Sega Saturn Advertisements (Segata Sanshiro, Sega Shiro (Segata's son))

Shining Force EXA(Toma, Cyrille)

Dynamite Cop (Bruno Delinger)

Zombie Revenge (Rikiya Busujima)

NINTENDO

Fire Emblem Warriors (Rowan, Lianna)

Fire Emblem: Awakening (Chrom, Lucina)

Xenoblade Chronicles (Fiora, Shulk)

DISNEY

Gravity Falls (Dipper Pines, Mabel Pines)

Kim Possible (Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, Rufus)

American Dragon: Jake Long (Jake Long, Trixie, Spud, Fu Dog, Lao Shi)

Darkwing Duck (Drake Mallard/Darkwing Duck)

DuckTales (2017) (Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby Vanderquack, Launchpad McQuack)

Phineas & Ferb (Phineas Flynn, Ferb Fletcher, Isabella Garcia-Sharpio, Burford Van Stromm, Baljeet Rai, Candace Flynn, Agent P)

Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja (Randy Cunningham)

Mighty Med (Oliver, Kaz)

Sofia the First (Princess Sofia the First)

Disney's Descendants (Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos)

Wreck-It Ralph (Vanellope Von Schweetz)

The Simpsons (Bart Simpson)

The Lion Guard (Kion, Bunga, Fuli, Besthe, Ono, Anga)

PIXAR

Brave (Princess Merida of DunBroch)

The Incredibles (Mr. Incredibles, Elastigrl, Violet Parr, Dash Parr, Jack-Jack Parr, Frozone)

MARVEL

Captain America

Iron Man

Thor

Hulk

Black Widow

Hawkeye

Falcon

Vision

Wasp

Captain Marvel

Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel

Black Panther

Spider-Man

Doctor Strange

Iron Fist

Ghost Rider

She-Hulk

Wolverine

Storm

X-23

Future Avengers (Makoto/Hurricane, Chloe/Charade, Adi/Codec, Bruno/Twister)

STAR WARS

Rey

Finn

Poe Dameron

BB-8

CARTOON NETWORK

Ben 10(Ben Tennyson, Gwen Tennyson, Kevin Levin)

Generator Rex (Rex, Six, Bobo)

The Life & Times of Juniper Lee (Juniper Lee)

The Powerpuff Girls (Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup)

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (Mac, Bloo)

Dexter's Labratory(Dexter)

Samurai Jack (Samurai Jack)

Ed, Edd, n Eddy (Ed, Double D (Edd), Eddy)

OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes (Kaio O. Kincaid (K.O.), Radicles X, Enid Mettle)

NICKELODEON

SpongeBob SquarePants (SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Sandy Cheeks)

Fairly OddParents (Timmy Turner, Cosmo, Wanda, Poof)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko)

Winx Club (Bloom, Stella, Aisha, Techa, Musa, Flora)

El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (Manny Rivera/El Tigre, Frida)

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (Jimmy Neutron)

Danny Phantom (Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Jazz Fenton)

My Life as a Teenage Robot (XJ9/Jenny Wakeman)

Glitch Techs (Miko "Me_K.O." Kubto, Hector "High Five" Nieves, Ridley, B.I.T.T., Zahra Rashid)

SQUARE EINX

Kingdom Hearts (Sora, Riku, Kairi, Ventus)

The World Ends with You (Neku Sakuraba, Shiki Misaki, Daisukenojo "Beat" Bito, Raimu “Rhyme” Bito, Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu, Rindo Kanade, Tosai “Fret” Furesawa, Nagi Usui, Shoka Sakurane)

Final Fantasy (Warrior of Light)

Final Fantasy II (Firion)

Final Fantasy III (Onion Knight)

Final Fantasy IV (Cecil Harvey)

Final Fantasy V (Bartz Klauser)

Final Fantasy VI (Terra Branford)

Final Fantasy VII (Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, Aerith, Cid, Yuffie) (Kingdom Hearts incarnation)

Final Fantasy VIII (Squall Leonheart) (Kingdom Hearts incarnation)

Final Fantasy IX (Zidane Tribal)

Final Fantasy X (Tidus)

Final Fantasy XI (Shantotto)

Final Fantasy XII (Vaan)

Final Fantasy XIII (Lightning)

Final Fantasy XIV (Y'shtola)

Final Fantasy XV (Noctis Lucis Caelum)

OTHER TITLES

CHANNEL AWESOME

Nostalgia Critic (Nostalgia Critic)

Angry Video Game Nerd (Angry Video Game Nerd)

Atop the 4th Wall (Linkara)

The Angry Joe Show (Angry Joe)

LEVEL-5

Professor Layton (Professor Hershel Layton, Luke Triton)

CHANNEL FEDERATOR

Bravest Warriors (Chris Kirkman, Beth Tezuka, Danny Vasquez, Wallow, Plum, Catbug)

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ultraericthered · 1 month ago

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Fixer Upper Pitch For:

Sonic The Hedgehog has had five western animated shows (Sonic The Hedgehog, Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic Underground, Sonic Boom, and Sonic Prime) and one Japanese anime (Sonic X) plus an OVA movie. And I gotta be honest: I don't think any of them are really great shows. Boom is stupid fun and hilarious, but there's not enough there to take it to any level beyond "really good". The two earlier Jaleel White Sonic shows obviously have large fan followings, but I think both of them were just bog standard good at being what they were. Underground just kind of sucked all around, and X kept getting weaker and more forgettable.

But then there's Sonic Prime, the one that came so close. No, I do not believe it's canonical to the games universe, but it is closest to the games' general look, lore, and tone. It was developed by Man of Action of Ben 10 and Generator Rex fame, given a run of 23 episodes, and split into three seasons on Netflix through 2022-2024. The reception to it was...polarized, as to be expected with Sonic fandom. I think the general consensus is that most people liked it during Seasons 1 and 2, but then Season 3, both in execution and how it concluded, killed a lot of goodwill and soured people on the series as a whole. And yeah, that is one of the show's biggest faults.

I need to cover the show's strongest elements first, thus what I'd want to see left in tact in a revised version, before I get to the fixes.

The characterization and voice acting for the characters. I'm even gonna go here - Deven Mack, Vincent Tong, Shannon Chan Kent, and Ian Hanlin are better in their roles than the VAs currently voicing their characters in the mainline games. They nail the essence of these characters so well. Props to Ashleigh Bahl, Kazumi Evans, and Brian Drummond, as they're also pitch perfect fits for their roles.

The animation style. It perfectly blends a replication of the games' 3D graphics with a distinct cartoonishness that plays well for TV.

The background designs. New Yoke City especially standing out.

Sonic's arc. Sonic's a hard character to write a character arc for, so I appreciated that they had him grapple with the consequences of his rashness, cockiness, and putting himself and his own impulses and set goals ahead of his friends, and then also show us the dark side of that development by having his responsibility and commitment to his friends (as in his versions of his friends specifically) be so great that he fails to appreciate the ways in which the other versions of his friends like Nine differ in terms of who they are and what they want. I like when Sonic is allowed to be a fuckup. More of this shit, please?

Nine's character. His introduction was a little shaky and try-hard, and the execution of his Heel Turn for the third act left a bit to be desired, but his overall character was solid and compelling to watch.

Mr. Dr. Eggman. AKA The lead member of the Chaos Council and the only one among them who's competent and has got some true menace to him. His presence was great and he had such potential.

The Amy Roses. Rusty Rose in particular is a show stealer when she's around, but I loved all Amy variants and the bond they forged.

Knuckles The Dread. Gollum-level obsessed pirate Knuckles isn't something I knew I wanted, but he was just mad entertaining.

Shadow the Hedgehog. It's been said a lot, but this series really nailed the antihero depiction, role, and characterization for Shadow, and is one of the things that helped restore him to his former glory.

The Enemies. They all had terrific designs and action animation, Chaos Sonic and the Prismatic Titan being especially memorable.

The Humor. It's no Sonic Boom, but it could be funny enough.

The Heart. You can tell that the people working on the show did love and care about the property and wanted to make this as worthy an addition to the franchise as they could manage to make. As result, the show feels the most like the story of a Sonic game adapted into a serialized TV format, and I really can't appreciate it enough for that.

And now for the things that needed some major fixer uppering.

The Episode Count. This is often an Achilles Heel for Netflix shows and it even counts for this one. If this show was greenlit and designed from the ground up as a "season" that would likely be the entirety of the show, then clearly it needed to have 26 episodes. When you get 23 episodes, make the premiere double length, then burn through 16 episodes worth of story until your final season has only 7 left, leading to a lot of padding in that time, the final result naturally comes out wanting.

The Shatterverse Count. This is one that would make a massive difference in how the show and story would get laid out. When the Paradox Prism shatters, it becomes five Prism Shards: red, green, yellow, blue, and purple. Yet we end up with only three unique Shatterverse worlds created? Just the dystopian city, the prehistoric jungle, and the sea-covered world? There absolutely should have been two more to round it out rather than sticking the other two crystals in Ghost Hill and The Grim respectively, and they needed to be an icy, snow covered world and a Mad Max-esque hot, magma-filled desert wasteland world. Ghost Hill would still exist within the Void as the afterimage of the Shatterverse's origin point - the place in which the Prism shattered - and we'll get to The Grim a bit later. In addition to rounding out the Shatterverse itself, it could also give focus to characters that lacked it. New Yoke City had its Tails variant at the forefront, Boscage Maze had its Amy variant at the forefront, and No Place had its Knuckles variant at the forefront. If we got two more actual worlds, we'd have a Rouge variant at the forefront of the wasteland world and a Big the Cat variant at the forefront of the snowy world. That way it'd not feel like those two characters got the short end of the stick. And finally, there's what this could do for...

The Chaos Council. Plainly put, the concept of this group was just terribly thought out and terribly implemented into the show. The idea of any variant of Ivo Robotnik sharing power over the world is just a non-starter - it is massively OOC. It would make far more sense if it was just Mr. Dr. Eggman who ruled New Yoke City. At the same time, I'd not want to lose the other Eggmen 'cause five Ivo variants each at different stages of their life is just way too funny an idea to pass up on. How I'd fix this is that rather than the Chaos Council being fully formed from the offset, they're only loosely formed. Each of them took over their respective Shatter world - Mr. Dr. Eggman rules New Yoke, Dr. Babble rules Boscage Maze, Dr. Don't rules the wasteland, Dr. Deep rules No Place, and Dr. Done-It rules the snowy world - and they're all in contact with one another. Then once Eggman gains the power to travel the Shatterverse, he recruits each variant of him in-person one after another, so we see the Council come together in real time. This would effectively build them up as a threat to contend with, even while they're forced into an alliance of convenience to stop Nine, would reduce the other four members screentime so that their one note gags don't get as tired, and would set up a great punchline ending to them when they try to seize power over the Shatterverse only for the reality of "Ivo Robotnik would never share power, there can be only one!" to set in and get them at each other's throats.

Knuckles' Voice. What....were they thinking with Adam Nurada as Prime Reality Knuckles? Actually, I know exactly what - earlier in the same year Prime debuted, 2022, Knuckles was voiced by Idris Elba in the Sonic 2 movie, by far the deepest sounding Knuckles voice to date. So for whatever reason, the powers-that-be felt intimidated and that their Knuckles had to sound like a deep voiced black man too, so before the show's release, they hastily had Adam Nurada dub over Vincent Tong for all of Prime Reality Knuckles scenes....while leaving all three of his variants still voiced by Vincent Tong. And while Elba has the talent to make his take on Knuckles work, Nurada really doesn't. They needed to leave Vincent Tong in the role of Knuckles. It's a tell that every main cast VA has more than one role to voice in the show except for Adam Nurada. He was a last minute addition.

Nine And The Grim. Here's another notable shift. In the show, Nine discovers this place he calls "The Grim" and upon realizing that it could be made habitable, decides he wants to make it his new home by taking the Ghost Prism in Ghost Hill to use as a blueprint as he exploits the shards of the real Paradox Prism to recomplete it and transfer all of Prism energy to the Grim even if that means the other Shatter Spaces must disappear. Him starting on this also unmakes Ghost Hill completely. This is a solid development but for one issue... why is the Grim a place that exists? Much like Ghost Hill holding one of the Prism shards, the Grim as a world holding a shard does not work in theory or in practice. Would it not make more sense for Nine, after what Sonic has told him about Green Hill and the life as brotherly friends he and Tails Prime lived there, to want to remake Ghost Hill into a home for himself and Sonic? That he'd not want to restore the original Green Hill and instead, out of its remnant, make his own that he thinks would be a better, perfect version of what it was, and when Sonic rejects that idea, he instead replaces Ghost Hill with this vacant space known as "the Grim" out of spite so he can go on to make his own perfect new world from there? It'd work much better and add even more of a personal touch to Nine's Heel Turn.

The Fallout Of Nine's Actions And The Final Battle. When this happens, it should've also led to a three episode backtracking run through the Shatterverse so Sonic and Shadow could rescue the denizens of the vanishing worlds and then a single episode for everyone to come together in New Yoke City before heading to the Grim to face Nine. The final battle could be the last three episodes rather than four, with a lot of the action pieces and character-story beats that happened in the Grim in those last four episodes of the show we have having occured earlier when there as more space to flesh them out and let them sit better, and also allow less padding time in the final season where the same stuff happens on repeat.

The Ending. For the show's ending, when Sonic goes through the time gateway back to Green Hill a few minutes before shattering the Paradox Prism, there needed to be a little something more to it. Like, say, Sonic using up the last trace of Prism Energy to fracture the Prism's shards without shattering it whole, implicitly creating a new reality for what was (but now never was) the Shatterverse so that the denizens, whether they remember their old lives or not, get a chance to make better lives in better worlds than what they'd had before, just as those in the Prime reality are. Less of a bleak aftertaste this way.

With these fixes, Sonic Prime could've been the definitively great Sonic the Hedgehog animated series. In the form we have it in, it feels like we have 75% of a game rather than a 100% completed run.

#Netflix #Sonic the Hedgehog #Sonic Prime #Fixer Upper #analysis #what could have been #they wasted a perfectly good plot

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brighter-by-the-daly · 2 years ago

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Millie Bright x Reader

Part One: Triggered

Posted 05/04/23 : Edited 27/06/23

AN - I wrote this after a dream I had last night sparked the initial concept. I woke up midway through and didn’t want the story to end as Millie being mean so had to finish it. Based on my own struggles with ADHD and Autism and judging by this dream I’m a bit anxious about the game next week!

A text came through to your phone “mate, Millie is such a bitch she keeps giving me evils and barely even talking to anyone, it’s so awkward!” with a photo taken on the sly. “Omfg Millie’s there?! Get her to sign something for me pleeeease!” you replied. “Fat chance of that! She’s well stuck up!” “I don’t care, I love her!!!” was the last text you sent to your friend. He had won a chance to be at an open training session for Chelsea, he’d asked you to go with him but you had tickets for the England game tonight. Millie was injured so you didn’t expect her to be at either event but here you were with a photo in your hand showing she was at Chelsea rather than supporting her national team vs Brazil tonight.

You had met up with your friends earlier in the day who live around the corner to the stadium, his mum had made dinner and passed you a plate. It was a lovely sunny day and Mack’s mum was the type of person to have the front door open at all hours of the day. You perched on the door step watching the fans trickle towards the stadium, munching happily away at the bbq chicken when you heard the garden gate click open and shut. Looking up to see the familiar blonde figure approaching the house. Gobsmacked at who it was and why she was there you moved your body to the side so she could enter the house. “Millie! I didn’t think you were coming, I just gave your plate to (y/n)!” your friend’s mum called from the kitchen. Feeling a shift in her positioning behind you, you looked up to see the defender towering over you “I’m assuming you’re (y/n)?” she snapped. Yes, that was me. The bitch eating Millie Bright’s chicken, of course that could only happen to me. “Do you want some? I’m not gonna eat all of this anyway” your words quickly exiting your mouth in panic and becoming more frantic when she nodded in a ‘well duh’ sort of way as she opened her mouth. Screwing up your face in confusion “y-you want me to uh“ stabbing your fork into a piece of crispy chicken as Millie rolled her eyes and nodded again. Lifting your fork to towards her mouth you were obviously shaking and accidentally smeared bbq sauce on her cheek. You felt the mood lift a little when she chuckled wiping her mouth as you passed her the plate to avoid anymore mishaps. Your friend went inside to wash up leaving a space next to you on the door step where Millie plopped herself down, her knee grazing yours. “How’s the injury?” you asked trying to make small talk “I’m not allowed to say” she replied bluntly still shovelling food into her mouth like she hadn’t eaten in days.

“Guys we should probably leave soon” you called through to your friends in the lounge. “Why? Kick off isn’t for another hour yet” Millie scoffed at you “because I get anxious” you responded honestly “why? It’s just football” she sneered like you’re an alien species. “I just like to know I’m on time” your friends knew your AuDHD traits come out the most when there is a set timed thing to do. Like football. You liked to be there early so you could find your seats without an overwhelming amount of people staring at you arriving. You found comfort in knowing you wouldn’t have to tell people they were in your seats and you could relax knowing you were in the right place. You’d never been to this stadium before and new places triggers your anxiety. “You don’t need to worry about that” she muttered between mouthfuls “gee thanks, I’m cured” sarcastically rolling your eyes at her ignorance as you rose from the step and entered the house to move away from her. Maybe your friend was right, she is a bitch!

An hour passed before you actually left, you were now a nervous mess and on the brink of a meltdown. Millie lead you and your friends down an ally to a gate you hadn’t seen when looking up the maps online. You fell behind your friends as you rushed to find the tickets on your phone and missed the email containing them. “I can only find two guys!” you called out to the group in panic “slow down, I can’t find the other two!” you pleaded. “You don’t need tickets you’re with me, put your phone away” Millie sniped at you. This game you were so looking forward to now made you want to leave and go home, everything was wrong and nothing like you had planned for weeks. Millie handed over her pass to a steward as you were frantically trying to find the other tickets, your friend noticed, pushed your lock button and gestured for you to put your phone away with no explanation. You stood there wondering what the hell was happening until you heard the steward “5 yeah? All good.” With that, the others started to shuffle you inside and to seats that weren’t the ones you had carefully chosen when booking them. To be fair, they were really good seats just above the dug outs and in front of a box but you couldn’t help feeling on edge knowing these weren’t actually your seats, worrying someone’s going to come at any moment and tell you to move. Millie sat down next to you with her huge England puffer jacket encroaching on your personal space, hearing every squeak of the fabric against the chair and the rustling against your body, you had never felt more uncomfortable.

Noticing you were stimming - your foot tapping and fiddling with your thumb ring Millie heavily placed her hand onto your thigh making your leg stop shaking instantly. “What’s wrong?” she asked moving her hood so you could see her face “nothing” you shook your head violently trying to stop her from asking anymore questions. You were trying so hard not to have a meltdown and anymore questions might push the tears you were trying desperately to hide out of your eyes and you wanted nothing more than for her not to witness this. You’d looked up to the defender since you were young and thought meeting her would be like a dream but today had been nothing short of a nightmare. She’d hit all your triggers without realising you had any and you were really struggling to hide your contempt. “Tell me” she said forcefully. Staring out to the pitch you thought deeply about what to say but it all came blurting out like a car crash of words leaving your mouth. “I have ADHD and Autism, I’ve never been to this stadium before so had looked up all the maps and knew what time to get here so I could find my seats, I always feel like someone will be sat in them and I’d have to have an awkward conversation to get them to move, The Lionesses are my special interest and I was so looking forward to this day but you changed all the plans and it’s been a lot to deal with. I like being on an aisle so I don’t feel trapped, I wanted to watch the warm ups, I hate being late and your jacket is so noisy it’s making me want to throw something at you.” Your words left your mouth in one extremely long sentence barely making time to breath, your monotone voice wasn’t raised just sad that nothing had turned out right. Millie stared blankly at you like everything you had just said flew straight over her head. You couldn’t help that you felt uncomfortable, your friends knew what triggers you and should have been more understanding to all these plans changing. One thing you could have dealt with but this.. this was a lot.

“Do you drink tea?” the blonde asked you after a long awkward silence, nodding gently she asked how you have it then rose from her seat and entered the box, re-emerging with a cup in her hand. “Sit in this one” she gestured to the seat she was in before which was on an aisle and passed the cup to you; instantly feeling a little relief as the warmth spread through your hands. Hearing the zipper of her coat undo she took it off and started to put it around your shoulders. “What are you doing?” you asking while trying to shrug it off, “trust me, it’s a like a big safety bubble, put it on” she nodded smiling as encouragement. Feeling the warmth around your body and the weight of the coat acting like your blanket at home you sunk into your seat, your heart rate returning to normal and your eyes were no longer acting like dams for your tears. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise” her words sounding sincere “why would you? I have to work very hard to appear like everyone else, to seem normal. Nobody would know unless I told them or I suddenly snapped. They’d just see me flip out over one tiny thing without recognising all of the other things that had lead me to snap” you said looking down at your cup. “I get it, trust me” she smiled. With that the teams walked out onto the pitch - immediately making you happy again. Millie took hold of your hand and held it between hers on her lap. It’s like she had heard you and understood exactly what you needed - to feel safe.

Part Two

#millie bright #millie bright x reader #woso masterlist #woso x reader

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davidtennantgenderenvy · 2 years ago

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HERE IS A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF PROBABLY MOST OF THE STUFF I LIKE! Feel free to ask me about any of it

PERSONALITY TYPING: INFP 4w3 (471)

BOOKS: Grishaverse, Lord of the Rings, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Song of Achilles, The Prince of Tides, The House in the Cerulean Sea, Gone With the Wind, His Dark Materials, A Far Wilder Magic, The Hate U Give, The Outsiders, The Devil and the Dark Water, They Both Die At The End, Riordanverse, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Warriors

MOVIES: Titanic, Dead Poets Society, It’s A Wonderful Life, Little Women 2019, NOPE, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Sixth Sense, Terminator (especially 2), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Addams Family (1991) The Shawshank Redemption, Parasite, Knives Out/Glass Onion, Tar, Harriet, Romeo and Juliet (1968), Interstellar, Forrest Gump, Schindler’s List, The Princess Bride, Get Out, Lady Bird, Silence of the Lambs, The Truman Show, The Wall, 12 Angry Men, Recovery, so so many animated movies (especially WALL-E, The Prince of Egypt, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Howl’s Moving Castle!), SOME Marvel movies (mostly guardians and spidey)

TV SHOWS (live action): LOST, Breaking Bad, Doctor Who, Person of Interest, Good Omens, Arcane, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Downton Abbey, Ted Lasso, My So Called Life, Stranger Things, Broadchurch, Alias, Sherlock, Maid, The Last of Us, Dark, Happy Valley, Takin’ Over The Asylum, Our Flag Means Death, The Sandman, Heartstopper, Jessica Jones, Andi Mack, The Queen’s Gambit, Derry Girls, Rivals, The Office, A Series of Unfortunate Events, 1899, Mare of Easttown, Around the World in 80 Days, Time

ANIME AND CARTOONS: Fullmetal Alchemist (both versions), Avatar, Steven Universe, Phineas and Ferb, Death Note, Assassination Classroom, Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, Monster, Bluey, Spy X Family, Ouran High School Host Club, My Hero Academia, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Toradora, Gravity Falls, Bluey, The Owl House, Cowboy Bebop, Erased, Mob Psycho 100, Kotaro Lives Alone, Ducktales

MUSIC: Queen, Taylor Swift, Will Wood, My Chemical Romance, Fiona Apple, Adele, Jeff Buckley, Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier, Billy Joel, Brandi Carlile, Florence + The Machine, Mitski, The Proclaimers, Nina Simone, Janelle Monáe, Kendrick Lamar, The Beatles, Beyonce, The Chicks, Pink Floyd, Sinead O'Connor, Pulp, Kelly Clarkson, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, David Bowie, BTS, Stray Kids, Day-6, The Crane Wives, Lady Gaga, FKA Twigs, Lizzie McAlpine, Fefe Dobson, No Doubt, The Go-Go's, Heart…

MUSICALS: Les Miserables, Great Comet, Ragtime, Phantom of the Opera, Hadestown, Hamilton, Wicked, Come From Away, Matilda, Falsettos, Jesus Christ Superstar, Anastasia, Evita, The Last Five Years, The Sound of Music, West Side Story, The Clockmaker’s Daughter, Ride the Cyclone, Sweeney Todd, Parade, Passion, Little Shop of Horrors, Cats, In The Heights, Into the Woods, She Loves Me, Sunday in the Park with George, Lizzie, Newsies, Bonnie and Clyde, The Secret Garden, The Wild Party, Cabaret, Suffs, Lempicka, Marie Christine, Putnam County Spelling Bee…(I also love Shakespeare!)

VIDEO GAMES: basically just Super Mario Bros and Undertale but boy do I love Super Mario Bros and Undertale

YOUTUBERS: Schaffrillas Productions, Cinema Therapy, The Authentic Observer, Matt Rose, PMSeymour, Katherine Steele, The Swiftologist, FilmCooper, Sideways, Anthony Fantano and too many others to mention

FAVE ROLES I’VE PLAYED: Elsa in Frozen, Morticia in The Addams Family, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Mopsa in Head Over Heels, Iolanthe in Iolanthe, Juror #8 in 12 Angry Jurors

#not bothering with tags this is just literally for my followers/anyone who visits my page #also I didn’t want to duplicate titles by medium #Like putting LOTR in both the books and movies section #for space ya know #so if there’s a good adaptation of something on this list assume it’s on here too in spirit #LOTR are literally my favorite movies of all time but there’s more space in the book section #Same with PnP Harry Potter etc

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impala-dreamer · 2 years ago

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Magdalena

A Supernatural Story

~ The Mark of Cain has Dean doubting even his own thoughts, but there's one place he can go for a moment of peace, one person who can take away the pain... even for one night. ~

Dean Winchester x Magdalena (OFC)

3,801 Words

Warnings: Bitter Angst. Pain. MOC!Dean drama. Blood. Hurt. Sadness.

A/N: Magdalena is an original character I've created for an SPN spinoff idea I'd written the pilot for. She's not a main character, but this scene would be part of a greater story. I do hope you like it. It took a long time to write, and it's honestly one of my favorites...

Impala-Dreamer’s Masterlist ~ Patreon ~ Published Works

There were two bars in the town of Lebanon, one on main street- Mack’s, which is full of neon lights and pool tables and teenagers trying out their fake i.d.s every Thursday night for Ladies Night- and JD’s, a filthy, oft times grimey biker bar on the very border of town.

Dean liked to go to Mack’s when he wanted people around, when his stomach was calling for some crappy bar food and nothing would satisfy him but some overdone french fries. It wasn’t really his favorite, but there were familiar faces and he could pick up a few bucks here and there when the local coeds got wasted.

Sam always went to Mack’s.

Dean truly preferred to frequent JD’s.

JD’s was dark and seedy and there was always something sticky on the floor no matter how carefully you stepped. Mysterious stains painted the walls in the john, and the bartop had been lacquered so many times over the years that there was an inch of resin on top of the old wood.

Dean felt strangely at home there.

Maybe that’s why he hid there. Maybe he felt safer there when the Mark was burning, egging him on, changing him. But it wasn’t just the decor that called to him.

Magdalena had been tending bar at JD’s for years, too many to count, and it was safe to say she’d been hanging out there since before it was legal for her to step through the door. She was older than Dean, but he wasn’t sure by how much, or if he just saw himself as younger in his own head. She had faint smile lines around her full, rose-colored lips, and a deep wrinkle between her eyes that deepened whenever she squinted, which seemed to be often. Her hair was as dark as midnight with subtle streaks of silver by her ears, and her eyes were like chocolate, big and brown and filled with adventure.

Of course, she rarely had any.

She’d been at that bar forever.

Dean gravitated towards her, never leaving the bar before he’d tried and failed at a not-so-smooth pick up line. He liked her. She was homegrown but clever, seemed to know a thing or two about nearly everything but never enough to seem bookish. Her voice was like syrup that ran down his body slowly, and she knew it, knew just when to turn up the charm and knock him off his cocky pedistal, but she also knew when to be quiet. She never prodded, never spoke first, always nodding when Dean walked in, letting him come to her if he wanted.

He didn’t always sit at the bar. Some nights he lingered in the back, beer practically stuck on his lower lip, just watching from the shadows. He liked to watch her float around behind the bar; straight hair flipping back and forth over her shoulder as she worked, smile wide when called for, her voice stern and loud when needed. She took no crap from no man, and maybe that’s what Dean liked the most about her. She was beautiful, sure, but not in the way that made him run home and rub one out, or turn up his wayward charm to full power and woo her into the back seat of the Impala. No, she had something else, something he really couldn’t name and didn’t want to. He didn’t even mind that she always rejected him. It had become a favorite game for both of them, and with her, he felt he had one true connection outside of his shitty life, even if it never left the stale air of JD’s.

Maggie looked up the way she always did when the door creaked open: with one eye. It was a technique she’d mastered over the years, a way to let the patron know that their arrival was recognized without leaving them an opening to talk to her. She really hated talking to most people. Well, she didn’t mind it so much until they got drunk and tried to reach over the bar to grab her tits, or used her polite smile as an excuse to drop all of their problems on her shoulders. She had enough problems of her own, thank you, she did not need anyone else’s.

This time when she looked up, she smiled, her entire face lifting towards the entrance.

He walked in with a slow stagger as if something were heavy on his shoulders. He glanced around the room once before turning towards Maggie and tossing over a weak smile.

“Dean.” She said his name like a greeting and a prayer, soft and sweet and hopeful.

He sat down at the bar, hooked his right boot heel on the stool and licked his lips slowly. “Heya, Maggie.” His voice crackled as if his throat was torn raw from days of screaming. He swallowed hard and looked down at his hands.

Something was wrong, she knew; he would have shot a joke at her by now.

“Haven’t seen you in a while,” she said cooly, reaching below the bar to grab a tiny square napkin. “Thought you ran out on me.”

Dean looked up and she winked which instantly brought out a tiny smile, turning the corner of his mouth upwards. “Oh, come on, Sweetheart,” he countered, the familiar charm seeping back into his voice. “I could never leave you. Not in a million years.”

Maggie held back a laugh. “Beer?”

His eyes closed as he shook his head slightly. “Whiskey,” he whispered. “Double.”

She nodded thoughtfully and grabbed the bottle from the shelf. “Bad day?”

Dean let out a heavy breath and rubbed at his right forearm. He felt The Mark burn and pulse even under so many layers of cotton. “You could say that.”

Upon the napkin, Maggie placed an old, well used tumbler. “Wanna tell me about it?” She kept one eye on Dean as she poured four fingers into the glass and when his eyes met hers, she let a little more pour out.

“Maybe after a few of these,” he replied, his giant hand already wrapping around the glass.

She bit her lip and inhaled deeply, knowing it was going to be one of those nights where someone else’s troubles fell squarely upon her heart. But with Dean, she didn’t really mind. He never said much anyway, always alluding to his woes rather than facing them head-on. If the rumors around town were true, Maggie knew she didn’t want to hear the details anyhow.

“How ‘bout I join you? Loosen up the gears a bit.”

She winked again and Dean felt a gentle wave of calm wash over him; something that he hadn’t felt in days. He knew he was staring as she poured herself a drink from the same bottle, knew his heart was racing as she held up the glass to toast the cruel world, but it didn’t matter. He felt safe around her. Even if the Red Curse on his arm was screaming for blood again.

Their glasses clinked together with a dull chime and Dean held her gaze as they both took a sip. He hissed as the whiskey coated his mouth and stung in the back of his throat, but Maggie took it like a champ, rolling the sip around on her tongue. She held it there, savoring the bite of it as if the pain were part of the flavor. She closed her eyes when she swallowed slowly and sighed happily.

“That’s delicious,” she whispered, opening her big brown eyes to find emerald locked on her lips.

“It is,” he agreed, taking another heavy swallow. He licked a drop from his bottom lip and then set the empty tumbler down on the napkin. “Tell me something…”

Maggie knocked the rest of her drink back and then grabbed the bottle. “Like what?”

He shrugged. “Something. Anything.”

She smiled. “Anything?”

“Anything.”

Her plump lips twisted into a sideways pucker as she pondered and poured them both another drink. “I can roll my tongue.”

Dean laughed around his sip.

“I can! Can you?”

Maggie stuck out her tongue and rolled it into a perfect cylinder. Dean shook his head and mirrored her, feeling like a fool. Her laugh made it worth it though.

“Hey, you said anything,” she reminded him as she wiped a little spit from her chin.

He nodded and stared down into his glass, feeling suddenly cold and sweaty at the same time. “That I did.” A tiny shiver rolled down his back and his shoulders tensed badly.

“Dean?”

When he looked up, she was leaning over the bartop, her hand slowly reaching across for his, hesitant to land, but close enough for him to grab. He held his breath and her fingers fell over his left wrist, gently settling. Her flesh was hot, like her fingertips were flames, and something inside of him wanted to rip them away, grab her wrist and snap it backwards until the bones tore through her delicate pink skin.

“What’s going on?”

He blinked and saw blood, saw her body broken and shredded open at his feet. The Mark burned icy hot and his stomach turned.

“Dean?”

His pulse was racing, every breath sluggish and heavy, echoing in his ears. His bones ached, his flesh crawled. In his mind, he heard her scream.

“Mags! Beer!”

The stranger’s voice ripped Dean away from the horrors of the Mark’s control and he pulled away from her, eyes open in shock.

Maggie withdrew, concern painted on her usually unphased features. “I’ll… be right back, OK?” She tried to catch Dean’s eye but he was unsteady, gaze darting around in the void between them. “Hey! Don’t go anywhere.”

He considered it; how easy it would be to run away, bolt from his seat and peel away in the Impala. He could be four states away before Sam even noticed he was gone. Closing his eyes, Dean ran his hands down his face, hiding himself from the world. There was blood behind his eyes, death in his mind. He felt the Blade in his palm for a second and jolted out of his seat, afraid to look and find it in his hand.

Maggie was back before the stool settled on its feet.

She grabbed his hand before he could protest and dragged him into the back room, straight through the tiny, dirty kitchen, and out the back door.

The alley was dark and the air was blessedly cool.

Dean took a deep breath and tipped his head back, face lifting towards the midnight clouds. She squeezed his hand and he let go, realizing he had been holding on too tightly. “What are we doing?” he asked, voice cracking in the shadows.

She took a step back and leaned against the brick wall. “Thought you could use some air.” There was no judgement in her tone, nothing but genuine worry. “You gonna tell me what’s going on?”

Dean drew his bottom lip in between his teeth and bit down hard. He rubbed at his forearm and shook his head. “I… I can’t. You wouldn’t understand.”

“You can’t tell me or I wouldn’t understand? Too very different things, Dean.” She kicked a foot back and her heel caught on a groove in the bricks.

He shrugged. “Both? Neither? I don’t know.” His heart was heavy. “I feel like I’m losing myself again and I… I don’t want that.”

“No one would.”

He sighed and lifted his eyes to find her staring. “Why are you so-”

“What?”

“You’re so…”

She pushed off of the wall and moved towards him. “I’m so what? Annoying? Rude? Sexy? Chill? Pick a word, babe.”

He took a step and his soul reached for her.

“So… you.”

She laughed gently and rolled her pretty eyes. “I don’t know how to be anything else.”

Another step and he was in front of her, barely inches away. “That’s true isn’t it?” he asked, voice dropping to a deep whisper. “You can’t be anything else… but amazing.” His left hand lifted to her cheek, hovering there, asking, praying for permission.

Maggie touched his hand with her own and pushed it down, pressing his palm against her warm cheek.

“It’s OK, Dean,” she said softly, staring up at him with an open mind and a true heart. “Whatever it is, it’ll be OK. I promise.”

His fingertips pulsed on her skin. “And what if it’s not? What if I lose control again and-”

She pursed her lips and turned into his touch. Caressing his hand with her cheek. “We all lose it sometimes. What’s important is, we come back home.”

His chest was heaving, breaths pushing out quicker than he could draw them in. The Mark clawed at his soul but he refused to let it take over.

“I need-”

Maggie curled her fingers around his hand and pulled it gently from her cheek to her lips. “Tell me. Anything you need, I’ll-”

His body ached for her, but his heart reached out even more. “I need-”

Chocolate eyes looked up and Dean felt himself falling deeper into her, deeper into the feeling of her, the calmness of her touch.

“Tell me…”

It came out like a breath but she heard it, felt it, knew it.

“You.”

She didn’t wait and he was glad. If he had to hold back another second he was sure he’d die. As it was, Maggie took the lead, wrapping a warm hand around the back of his neck and drawing his lips down to hers. She kissed him sweetly at first, just a breath and a press of lips, but as his scent filled her mind, the kiss became harder, fuller. Her tongue darted between his lips and Dean took his first real breath in weeks. He drank her down, hands sliding around her body, holding her close as their lips pulsed together. He could almost feel her heartbeat, smell the blood flowing in her veins.

Even when she pulled back for air, he refused to let her go, closing his arms tighter and hugging her close. She relaxed against him, her face buried in the dip of his throat, ear against his chest. His heart was racing terribly fast and she pushed back to look him in the eye.

“Why don’t you come back inside and sit with me, OK?”

Dean’s jaw dropped but nothing came out, not even air. His muscles tensed as he looked down at her, once more seeing her mangled body lying at his feet, her blood coating his hands.

“Hey-” She rubbed a hand against his cheek, trying to pull him back. “Dean. I gotta stay here until two, but then we can close down and I can take you home, Alright? It’s like a quick hour. I promise.”

His fingers curled on the nape of her neck, blunt nails digging in as he tried in vain to shut out the Mark’s visions.

Maggie squirmed in his grasp, trying to get free. “Dean. You’re hurting me, come on. Snap out of it.”

The more blood he saw, the harder his grip became until Maggie’s hands were on his wrist, desperate to tear him off.

“Dean!”

Her screams echoed in his mind, bouncing around until he cringed and shut his eyes. His body was on fire. He flexed and tore, and Maggie slapped his face.

He startled, releasing her immediately and pressing a hand to his stinging face.

Maggie stumbled back and touched her neck, her hand coming away with a trace of blood.

“Dean, what the fuck?”

He gaped at the blood and his stomach churned. Wide eyed and terrified, he backed away, nearly tripping over his own feet as he tried to flee.

“Dean! It’s OK.” She wiped her hand on her jeans but his eyes would not leave the blood. He could taste it on his lips.

The Mark was hungry.

He blinked and saw the knife in his boot, the other in his belt.

He shook his head and saw her flayed open, eyes wide and helpless.

Dean stumbled backwards and hit the wall, his hands flying up to claw at his face. “Stop it!”

Maggie fell with him, falling to her knees on the asphalt, trying to steal his attention, get him to calm down. He was immovable, unreachable, growling at nothing, lost in his head.

He could see her face but it was drenched in blood. He could hear her voice but it was pained and shrieking.

“Please. Please! Stop it!”

Again and again, he beat his head backwards onto the bricks, but the pain did nothing to stop the visions.

Maggie left him; she had to. She shooed all the drunkards from the bar as quickly as she could, paying off their last rounds and locking the door behind them. She shut the lights, locked the register, grabbed her coat and raced back to the alley.

Barely fifteen minutes had gone by.

Dean was where she’d left him, huddled in a ball by the dumpster.

She stood in the doorway, single light above shining down on her like the light from Heaven.

Dean turned when she called his name and he looked up to see an angel moving towards him, raven hair glowing with haloed light, her kind face hidden in shadow, her hands soft yet commanding.

The screaming had stopped but something inside of him was broken. He couldn’t move on his own, couldn’t think. He let her stand him up, walk him to her car.

The little Toyota was a mess but he didn’t care. His boots crushed an empty can of Monster as he crammed his long legs into the passenger seat.

“Don’t mind the mess please,” she said with a smile.

Her voice was soothing but distant, his ears were ringing loudly.

Home wasn’t far from the bar and up just three flights of stairs. Dean followed like a zombie, not sure if he should turn and run or stay with her. When she looked back over her shoulder to make sure he was alright, there was no question left.

He needed to stay with her.

Needed to let her peel off his filthy clothes.

To let her guide him into the hot shower.

To relax as she washed the sweat from his hair, the grime from beneath his fingernails.

To breathe deeply and calmly as she toweled him off, not flinching as she ran her fingers cautiously over the scar on his forearm.

The Mark was calm for the moment, as if her touch could turn it off.

Dean lingered in a thoughtless limbo for hours as Maggie cared for him. She dressed him in an old t-shirt that had been left by an ex years ago and pajama pants she’d stolen from her brother last Christmas. She tucked him into her bed and lay with her chest against his back, gently running her hands down his arm, across his shoulders, through his damp hair. He never moved away, never hid from her touch.

She fell asleep sometime around four, but Dean was wide awake. He turned in her arms and pushed up on his elbow, looking down on her sleeping face.

She was beautiful and kind and everything that he needed in that moment, as well as rough and funny and smart and sassy and everything he needed every other time.

It seemed for a moment that she was all he’d ever need, all he’d ever want.

Maggie stirred as he swept a finger down her nose, her dark eyes popping open and a smile tickling her lips.

“You OK?”

Dean nodded and dropped down, his hand sliding back through her hair to hold her close. His lips brushed over hers and Maggie opened up to him, letting him in while sleep faded quickly away.

They tumbled on the bed, hurriedly stripping and reaching for the other. It was quick and sloppy, not either’s best work, but it didn’t matter. It was raw and real and Dean held onto her like he would die if they ever parted.

“You gonna tell me what’s going on?” Maggie asked, pouring him his second cup of coffee.

He took a sip and hissed at the heat. It tasted terrible, but it was strong. “Let’s just say I’m goin’ through something right now. Something bad.”

She set the carafe down on the table and took the seat across from him. “This have anything to do with the monsters you hunt?”

He looked up, shocked. “How do you-”

Maggie laughed, mug at her lips. “Dean, the whole town knows. Or thinks they do. Rumors are, after all, usually true.”

He smiled down into his coffee. “Why’d you never say anything?”

“What was I gonna say? Hey Dean, kill any vampires today? Here’s a beer.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I guess that woulda been a little awkward.”

“Have you?” she asked, leaning in closer.

“Have I what?”

“Killed any vampires? Are they real? Are they more Tom Cruise or Robert Pattinson?”

Dean nearly choked on his sip. “They are real. More… Buffy than sparkly. And yeah, I’ve killed hundreds. Probably upper hundreds, I don’t keep count.”

Maggie sat back and whistled, impressed. “That’s pretty awesome. So what else is real? Ghosts?”

Dean nodded affirmatively.

“Shit. OK…. werewolves?”

“Yup.”

“Damn. And you and your brother really go out and like kill these things? That’s what you do for a living?”

Dean sighed and nodded. Sam would be worried, he hadn’t even told him he was going out. “Yeah. We do.”

Maggie shook her head and stared at him in awe.

“What?”

She smiled. “You’re really amazing, you know that?”

His heart ached. If she knew how close he’d been to killing her last night, she might not think that way. “Not really.”

“Dean…” She reached for his hand, palm open on the table. He dropped his hand into hers. “You’re incredible. Don’t ever let yourself forget that.”

She squeezed his hand and Dean felt the familiar sting of tears as they formed behind his eyes.

He pulled away and cleared his throat.

“Thanks for the coffee,” he said, standing up and grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair. “And uh… for everything.”

Maggie nodded slowly, debating whether or not to ask him to stay. She was scared for him, worried if he left she’d never see him again.

“Anytime, Dean.”

He bent down and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see myself out.”

She held her breath as he walked away, only speaking again when she heard the squeak of the door.

“Hey, Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“You know where I am if you need me, OK?”

He swallowed hard and looked back over his shoulder, taking one last look.

“Thanks, Maggie.”

2023 Forever Tags (Always Open! Send an Ask!)

@aditimukul @agirlwithdemonblood @amanda-teaches @akshi8278 @alwayskeepfightingsweetheart @b3autyfuldisast3r @babysimpala @beardburnsupersoldiers @because-imma-lady-assface @bloodline1632 @charred-angelwings @chenshemesh1 @cosicas-cuquis @covered-byroses' @djs8891 @deanwinchesterswitch @deansyahtzee @feelmyroarrrr @foxyjwls007 @hobby27 @iamsapphine @idreamofdeanie @ilsawasanacrobat @impalaspixie @jawritter @justcallmeasmodeus @kazsrm67 @kittenofdoomage @leigh70 @lovealways-j @lyarr24 @mariekoukie6661 @maggiegirl17 @mistressofallthingsgeeky @pandaxo79 @peachy-vans @rachiem4-blog @roseblue373 @sacriceria @samwellwinchesterthebrave @sexyvixen7 @spideysimpossiblegirl @spnexploration @stevekempscocktails @the-wounded-healer05 @thoughts-and-funnies @vulgar-library

#spn fanfic #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester #dean x ofc #angst #good stuff

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campingbagandstuff · 3 months ago

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.22/9.33 {Part 2 of 12}; 21

Rants & Music.𝟐: F Jordan Adetunji KEHLANI // A$AP rocky fashion killa ; peso // {[Charli xcx 360]} // libianca people // alessia cara here // Camila Cabello Ft. Playboi Carti I LUV IT the weekend, jenny, lily rose depp one of the girls // miley cyrus flowers; {[can 't be tamed; wrecking ball; we can't stop]} // French Montana ft. Swae Lee Unforgettable dua lipa houdini ; Oliver Tree & Robin Schulz Miss You // Mareux The Perfect Girl // ciara , chris brown how we roll // Artemas i like the way you kiss me the fratellis chelsea dagger // richie valens la bamba // corey hart sunglasses at night // toto africa // alessia cara here kool & the gang get down on it // pitbull / ft. kesha timber; " ft. neyo , afrojack , nayer give me everything // black eyed peas i gotta feeling // usher ft. lil john, ludacris yeah! LISA NEW WOMAN feat. Rosalí Mr. Probz Waves {Robin Schulz Remix Radio Edit} // Robin Schulz ft. Francesco Yates Sugar // eliza rose & interplanetary criminal B.O.T.A // Earth, Wind & Fire Let's Groove; september Duke Dumont I Got U ft. Jax Jones // Mark Morrison Return of the Mack // Peggy Gou (It Goes Like) Nanana // GloRilla / Wanna Be feat. Megan Thee Stallion; " ft. Moneybagg Yo All Dere Yemi Alade Amazing Grace // Aya Nakamura Hypé feat. Ayra Starr // lojay x SARS monalisa burna boy last last // Davido ft. Fave KANTE // Tekno Wayo // Olamide Metaverse Rema , Shallipopi BENIN BOYS // tyla water // ayra starr rush; commas;; Tems Love Me JeJe ; Me & U // Kizz Daniel, Tekno Buga Kenya Grace Strangers // Post Malone Circles // Franz Ferdinand Take Me Out // TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB | WHAT YOU KNOW ••}MGMT electric feel{ // capital cities safe & sound // vance joy riptide // The Verve Bitter Sweet Symphony Stardust Music Sounds Better With You // the chainsmokers roses // }twenty pilots stressed out{ // } saygrace ft. g easy you don't own me{ Lisa rockstar Naeyon / abcd " "POP!" Arctic Monkeys fluorescent adolescent Modest Mouse float on /The Killers/ somebody told me " mr brightside Stone Age Girls no one knows Aaron Smith dancing Egzod & Maestro Chives royalty Sarah McLachlan adia //Lana Del Rey// swan song money power & glory off to the races hit & run diet mountain dew national anthem kill kill //Swedish House Mafia// one (your name) " save the world {" ft. John Martin don't you worry child} Newcleus jam on it 1984 Lime babe we're gonna love tonight Dead or Alive you spin me round /Boney M/ ma baker " rasputin The Clash rock the casbah Jungle back on 74

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lanaactuallyabanana · 7 months ago

Note

Okay- Okay- Okay! Soooo, hear me out on this one!

Headcannons or a oneshot of...

Reader, gn or fem, I don't mind which, is the older sibling of Ranboo. So obviously, being the cool asf and totally straight sibling that reader is, they randomly show up at Ranboo's apartment one day with a ton of baked goods cause they run a little Bakery back in California. Ranboo doesn't know this, and they're playing a horror game so any noises of doors opening or closing just seem like apart of the game they are playing. So reader naturally scares Ranboo by sneaking up behind him. So that leads to two things. One, reader getting whacked in the face due to Ranboo's reflexes. Two, that leads to a ton of questions from chat on who the heck Reader is.

Take your time on this one! Make sure to eat, drink, and take all the time you need on this!!

-Mackenzieeeee :))))))

omg kenzie. all hail kenzie for their amazing asks wtf ur filling my inbox with beauty and i cannot repay for it ily so fucking much holy shit ur so cool @catswithroses (also is this header cutesies or what oml) also lana is back in her writing actual fics and not just headcanons everyone yippee!!!!! AND BEFORE A BITCH SAYS SOMETHING, MACARON IS PRONOUCED MACK-UH-RON. NOT MACK-UH-ROON. WRONG FUCKING DESERT.

ranboo x fem!reader (platonic, sibling dymanic)

, smelling something sweet !!

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

Ran and Y/n have always had a dynamic as siblings. See, when you typically hear about siblings in a novella such as this, you most likely think of young kids fighting and arguing with one another over the most silliest of things. But, to your dismay, these two never had such a duo like that. They were simple but yet so unique as siblings. And that's what made them special.

Y/n was constantly in touch with Ran, she felt a need as an older sister to check up on them, as would any sister do. Ran had previously lived in another part of the world, England, for a little while, but had moved back to California not so long ago. They lived in a smaller apartment (a shit one, according to Ranboo themselves), and Y/n quite liked to visit them every once in a while. It was an easy thing for Y/n to do, as she owned a bakery around 30 minutes away from his place. Y/n had closed early for the day, deciding to visit and deliver her most popular and desired treat (one that Ran couldn't resist), elderflower and rose macarons. She packed her deserts in a purple tupperware container, and placed them in the passenger seat of her car.

Soon enough, she arrived at his place. She entered through the door using the spare key he had given her, and looked around his place. It was surprisingly clean, he must have had a friend come over and help him clean. As she was admiring his polaroid's on the kitchen wall, she heard her brother yell. Her eyes widened in confused, and checked her phone.

RanbooLive is now streaming! "WOOO HORROR GAME LETS GO"

She laughed at herself. No wonder why he was yelling. She opened up the stream and saw his setup, facecam was on and he was playing some horror game that she didn't recognize. She noticed on his facecam that she would have a perfect entry for them not to hear her, considering he also had headphones on. Y/n smirked deviously. She placed her phone in her pocket, and held the baked goods in her arms tightly. She slowly creeped towards the office door.

See, reader, Ranboo was in their own state. They were unable to truly focus around anything around them (which is most likely a hazard) due to how realistic the game seemed. Footsteps, wood creaking, whispers, and rumbles were just all part of the game.

Now that you know that, Y/n quietly snuck behind Ranboo, seeing herself in the facecam. She paused for a second, looking at the chat.

mcytfan765_ : erm

ilovedinosaurs474: who is that??

biolevded: ranboo has stalked confirmed

Y/n giggled to herself at the chats. She waved and smiled quietly at the camera. Ranboo, somehow, is still entirely clueless and very focused to one singular monitor that has the game on it.

Ranboo turns his head to the side in confusion slowly, but still remains focused to the game. "Guys, I swear this game has a placebo or whatever you call it cause I'm smelling something sweet right now."

Y/n took that as her cue, and screamed.

Ran's eye's widened and they fell off their chair entirely.

Let's just say we got a clip-worthy moment between the two siblings.

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

hehehe i love this fic its so silly!! its also short n' sweet but i love it!!

tysm to @catswithroses for the wonderful request, both jackie and kenzie feeding me with these asks yum yum

if you liked this, please support me by liking, reblogging, commenting and following me!!

requests are open!

#ranboo #mcyt #fanfiction #ranboolive #dream smp #fanfic #lana answers asks #creative writing #my writing #writing #writer #writeblr

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ladylooch · 7 months ago

Text

Best Thing I’ll Ever Do - Lio x Savannah (Part 3)

A/N: This chapter really encompasses a lot of what you all wanted to see with Lio and Sav in this part! I am really loving the way Lio is showing up for Savannah in these parts. I just... the way he has grown, both for her and himself... it's beautiful! Courageous! Aspirational! We love you, Lee 🥰

Word Count: 4.7k

Trigger Warnings: infertility, mentions of blood, pregnancy/birth

Part 1 | Part 2| Part 4 |

Inside a bright room atop a Manhattan skyscraper, Savannah delicately arranges the ‘Oh Baby!’ sign hanging down the gorgeous, flower wall filled with roses. The wall is fake flowers, but looks so real, Savannah didn’t believe they were fake until she ran her fingers over them. The flowers are dotted with the theme of the day which is delicate little butterflies, just like the baby they are celebrating today.

Baby Girl Wood #2 is due in 6 short weeks. Or long depending on which one of her parents you’re talking to.

“My ankles are already swelling up.” Lucie complains from where she is sitting at the bar, sipping on a strawberry lemonade. She extends her legs out in front of her, baby pink skirt hitting just below her knees. She evaluates each ankle while sipping consistently from her straw. “Oh! She loves sugar.” Lucie chuckles, rubbing over her rounded belly where the baby presumably moves.

Savannah glances over, throwing a sweet smile as Lexi pats her daughter’s shoulder comfortingly. Behind them, Mack, the hostess of the baby shower, is adjusting the little gift bags on the table by the door, making sure they are all aligned and in place.

“Soph did too. Would practically punch through my skin when I had lemonade.”

“I can’t relate. Lio was always fighting people in my belly, I swear.” Emma adds in her two cents. Savannah smirks, turning to call towards her.

“So his punching people started young?”

“Ha!” Emma points at her future daughter-in-law. “Yes. I’m sorry.” She cringes. “I tried. Too much of his dad in him.” Emma pauses, looking over Savannah’s work. “Wow, that looks so real. I am in love with the butterfly touch. That was a great idea!” Emma walks over, inspecting it up close as Savannah steps back to be in line with her.

“Thank you! I am satisfied.” Savannah confirms, crossing her arms over her chest while continuing to look with critical eyes.

“Perfect.” Emma murmurs, then wraps an arm around Savannah’s upper back. “How are you?” Savannah turns, meeting Emma’s eyes. She can tell Lio and his mother spoke this morning. How much of her recent struggles Lio shared with her, Savannah isn’t sure. But nothing has been easy since Connor and Lucie told them they were expecting a baby.

The heartache and immutable circumstances Savannah thought she had come to terms with no longer felt resolved. It was easy to say this was all okay, but being thrust into a pregnancy journey with someone they are so close with has changed everything. Some days, it takes everything for Savannah to get out of bed. The mere act of existing weighs on her. Lio has been so patient and understanding. Savannah isn’t sure how she is going to get out of this funk. It’s never gripped her this hard before. But she has also never loved anyone as much as she loves Lio, or planned a life with someone to this extent.

Every step closer they take towards forever- the wedding, the honeymoon, discussing if they are going to move- it all seems like a magnifier on this gaping hole Savanna has eating through the ventricles of her heart. She loathes herself for reverting back into old habits- retreating within, staying out of the house longer to avoid Lio, and the negative self-talk when she sees mothers with their children. It’s all so immature. She should be past this by now.

In an act of asserting willpower and taking back control, Savannah offered to help Mack plan the baby shower. Emma had been helping, but stepped aside when Savannah offered her time and creative mind. Getting immersed in the world of Pinterest and all the different options for showers had been surprisingly therapeutic as long as Savannah ignored the reason for the party.

This morning, when she woke up and Lio mentioned it sounded like Connor and Lucie settled in on a name for their baby, everything shattered inside Savannah again. She hit the wood floor, collapsing under the crushing weight of knowing she will never have this moment. She will never be able to understand what it's like to have people celebrate her pregnancy. Though she has faced this thought before today, it reopens the wound every moment she remembers.

“I’m good.” Savannah assures Emma, leaning in to hug her soon to be mother in law. Emma squeezes her back hard, fully like a mama does, and it takes several calming breaths before Savannah is sure she won’t cry from the sweetness. She cannot wait to officially join the Meier family. She is hitting the jackpot with Lio’s family.

Not long after the flower wall is completed, guests begin to arrive. The list consists of mostly family, a few of Lucie’s college friends, and the Rangers WAGS. They all arrive together as a group, descending into the room like gorgeous runway models. Savannah smiles when they see her, offering a wave. The group grabs various drinks, then comes over to where Savannah is standing by the table of quick shower games.

“Hi Savannah!” One of them, Whitney, exclaims. The two women hug, then she is introduced to the other three women: Gianna, Crystal, and Kyra. Whitney and Savannah know each other from a few mutual friends, Lucie included.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Savannah is engaged to Lucie’s cousin, Lio. He plays for the Devils.” Whitney fills in for the group.

“Oh! I know!” Kyra giggles. “ I love your content on TikTok.”

“Oh god. Thanks!” Savannah starts to blush. While she loves creating content, she feels a little awkward when she sees someone in the wild who has seen her stuff. It feels like the other person knows so much about her and she knows nothing about them. Like a one-sided relationship Savannah never knew she entered into.

“Congratulations on your engagement!” Gianna notes Savannah’s ring. “It was recent?”

“Thank you! Yes, not long ago.” Savannah switches her glass to the other hand so she can extend her fingers out to show off her huge, square cut engagement ring. “It’ll do.” The girls laugh.

“So, when is the wedding?”

“Next summer, we are planning on July.”

“Here?” Whitney asks.

“Yes! We finally decided on getting married here in the U.S. We were going back and forth on different places in Europe, but with the unknowns of the hockey season, it felt safer to plan for here. You know cause the cup.”

“One day our lives won’t revolve around a silver cup.” Whitney jokes.

“Keep dreaming. They never stop talking about it, girls. Even after they win it.” Lexi says as she walks past towards Mack by the windows. The girls laugh at the former captain’s wife.

“Well soak it up! It won’t be long before everyone transitions into baby discussions. Unless you already have them?” Crystal comments.

“Oh no, we don’t and won’t have any.” Savannah clears the air. The silence that falls over the wives is awkward immediately. Savannah chews on her bottom lip for a moment, then takes a sip of her mimosa.

“That’s nice. Kids are… so much work.” Gianna says assuringly. “You’ll be able to travel and do so much more without them.”

“Yeah.” Savannah nods, swallowing hard. All these things she gets to do that she would trade in a heartbeat for a baby. “That will be nice.” She smiles weakly.

“And you’ll actually get to sleep at night. No late night feedings or changes or just the non-stop screaming. Unlike this girl.” Crystal murmurs, grabbing at Lucie’s forearm as she walks up to the group.

“What about me?”

“We were just telling Savannah that not having kids is the right choice.” Lucie’s face drops in utter horror. She looks over at Savannah so apologetically.

“Some things aren’t a choice.” Lucie snaps, glaring at her shower guest.

“It’s okay, Luc.” Savannah interjects immediately. The group of girls fall into confused silence. “I actually can’t have kids. I would if I could.” Savannah nods as she speaks, waving her hands awkwardly as she explains.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry.” Crystal closes her eyes and shakes her head immediately. “I should not have assumed.”

“Probably not.” Lucie mumbles, clearly annoyed.

“It’s okay. Seriously, I’m fine.” Savannah plays it off to the group.

But after that, the party isn’t the same. Even after Lucie walks Savannah to a private corner to check in on her.

“This is your party. Stop worrying about me! I am fine. I’m having a great time and I am hating how much of this is feeling like it’s about me. It’s about you and this perfect butterfly who is joining us soon.”

“Sav, I love you and I know you’re struggling, even if Lio keeps trying to shield your pain from the world.” Lucie sighs. “You know you can talk to me?”

“Yes.” Savannah nods. But they both know why she won’t. Lucie is currently pushing it’s little feet out of her ribs.

At the end of the shower, Connor and Stella Wood pop in as the guests are starting to disperse. Stella bolts in, attaching to Mack’s waist immediately.

“I saw Uncle Davey!” She announces.

“You did!? Did you keep him in line?”

“Um, well he tried to eat my pancakes, so I stabbed him with the fork.”

“Oh…” Mack hides her hand to laugh. “How did that go?”

“Not good. I had to go to timeout.”

“They shouldn’t be giving us another baby.” Lucie jokes.

“Who is this they?” Mack asks her sister. “Y’all know what you did.”

“And I enjoyed it. Ready for more of it this weekend.” She grins at her husband who chuckles.

“Plenty of it.” He says into her hair. “You ready? I got the car packed, bags are in there. Got Stella’s here for her adventure.” He holds up her purple duffle bag. Lucie and Connor are heading to the coast for a baby moon while Lio and Savannah take Stella for the next few days.

“Where is my pillow!?” She shrieks, running away from Mack to her dad.

“In here. I put it on top.” He assures her.

“Okay. Where is Uncle Lee?”

“He is at home waiting for us.” Savannah assures her.

“Let’s go then.”

“Stella. Patience.” Connor snips a bit at her, clearly annoyed with her attitude. Him and Lucie share a look. His wife chuckles, then wraps an around around his waist.

“Okay, Stell, we are going to go. You’re in the best of hands this weekend, so please be kind and respectful and listen to the adults, okay?”

“Okay. I love you!” She bounces up on her tip toes, puckering her small lips for a smooch from both her parents.

“I love you.” Lucie responds.

“Love you, bug. Be good. We will see you on Tuesday.”

“Yeah.” Stella nods, then swallows hard. She grips Savannah’s hand tightly which makes Sav’s heart beat stronger in her chest. Stella and her are in a great place now. It was touch and go in the beginning but the little girl has begun to cling to her just like she does to Lio. It’s the ultimate sign of love from a five year old.

Lucie and Connor pass around hugs and appreciation to the remaining family members, then walk hand in hand to the elevator to begin their long awaited baby moon. Savannah looks down at Stella’s hand still resting in hers.

“Should we go see what Uncle Lee is up to?” Savannah asks.

Stella grins up at her, ready to rush across town to see her favorite person in the world.

- - -

(Lio)

The sound of the quiet crowd clapping at the Yankees game filters to Lio’s ears as he lightly dozes on his couch. Savannah is on her way back to their apartment with Stella and he is taking the last few moments of quiet to his full advantage. He pops one eye open when the crowd cheers exceedingly loud. A double. Nice. He scratches at an itch on his nose, then crosses his arms over his chest, wiggling deeper into the couch cushions.

A faint whine is heard from the hallway. It grows increasingly louder until he recognizes Stella’s sobs. Lio bolts up, rushing over to the door to open it. His eyebrows raise in surprise when he sees his fiancé on the other side of the door. Stella is propped on her hip as Savannah is loaded down with various different bags.

“Whoa.” He says as he takes note of the tears streaking the makeup off her cheeks. “What is going on?”

“Help me.” Savannah snaps.

“Okay.” He reaches for Stella, taking her into his chest. The little girl presses her wet cheek into his shoulder, hot puffs of hair hitting his neck with each cry.

“Ow.” She whines to him. “Ow!” She yells harder when he doesn’t react.

“Okay, Stella is hurt. Are you hurt?” He asks Savannah.

“No. Just.. she skinned her knees.”

“Okay.” Lio grabs the bags from her left hand, ushering her into the apartment completely. “What happened?”

“I don’t know what to do with children! That’s what happened!” She throws the remaining bags in her hands to the couch, then rushes from the room. Lio stares at her in confusion. The bedroom door shuts hard and loud, making both Stella and Lio jump.

“Uncle Lee, she’s mad at me! I said I was sorry!”

“Let’s look at you.” Lio says, putting her on the counter. He looks down at her knees, seeing both of them have been skinned down a bit. The left one has dots of blood in it while the other one has red dribbling down her calf. Stella looks down at them with him.

“Look at it.”

“Yeah. That’s not fun. But I think you’ll live.” He assures her. He scoops her back up, carrying her to the bathroom where he can work on cleaning them up. He sets her on the closed toilet, then kneels down at her knees. He wets a washcloth, carefully dabbing at them with the warm cloth.

“No, no, no, no!” Stella says, pushing his hands.

“Stell, I have to clean it. Those streets are nasty.” Lio sighs, trying to reason with her.

“I want daddy to do it!” She says, bouncing anxiously and kicking her feet.

“How about I do this and we pick out a really cool BandAid from the Disney pack Auntie got you?” He suggests. Stella contemplates. “I bet Mulan is in there.” Stella grins.

“Yessss!” She holds her legs out for him, allowing him to clean them off.

“How did this happen?” He asks her, careful of her sensitive skin. He works the soft cloth over her scrapes, pressing through even as he hates her little whimpers.

“Um, well…” She trails off, looking towards the sky. Lio knows a guilty Stella when he sees one.

“You didn’t listen?”

“Yeah.” She sighs, like such circumstances were beyond her control.

“We talked about this.”

“Well, I wanted to go into the M&M store! My mama was supposed to take me this week and she didn’t because of my stupid baby sister that makes her feel icky and then Auntie Sav said we could go in after the shower! But, but, then she walked by and I wanted to go back and she said no.”

“And you did what?” Stella pauses, mashing her little lips together nervously. She doesn’t want to say. “Stella.”

“I ran away.”

“Stella Wood.” Lio gets stern, dropping the washcloth down to his side. “That is not okay.”

“I-”

“No. You need to listen. To your parents, to me, and to your auntie, especially when you’re out in public. She promised your mama and daddy that she would take care of you. She can’t do that if you aren’t behaving or using your listening ears.” A nasty scowl drops Stella’s eyebrows and lower lip. “You hear me?” His blue eyes pin her in place. She nods reluctantly. “When we are done here, you’re going to apologize to Auntie Sav.”

“But she said I could go and then didn’t take me! That’s not fair!”

“You are 4 years old-”

“-I’m almost five!-”

“Okay, you’re proving my point more. You are almost five years old and I know you understand the rules. You do not get to disobey adult decisions. You had no idea what was happening. Maybe she was trying to protect you from something. Maybe she wasn’t feeling well. Maybe she had a better idea planned for you here at home. But it shouldn’t matter. You need to listen and be respectful of your caretakers.” Stella drops her gaze. Lio looks down at her brown curls, sighing heavily. “Stell, do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now pick out your bandaids.” He encourages her, holding open the box for her. She picks an Olaf and an Elsa bandaid because there were in fact ZERO Mulan bandaids, which she was sure to point out. Then Lio got her situated on the couch with a movie and an apple juice box before he headed down to Savannah.

“Hey.” He calls as he walks in. She is on her side, curled up on top of their comforter. Her head rests on her arm with the opposite hand palm up under her cheek.

“Hi.”

“I talked to Stell.”

“I overreacted.” Savannah sighs.

“She shouldn't have run off.”

“Yeah. But I did tell her we could go into the M & M store and I was... struggling, so when we got there, I couldn’t stand another second of being out in public. That’s not her fault. Should she have run off? No, but it was an all around fail by me.”

“What’s wrong? Was.. did something happen at the party?”

“You mean did all the Rangers girls look at me like what’s wrong with her when I said we didn’t have kids and weren't going to?” Lio’s eyebrows furrow together angrily.

“What the fuck?”

“It wasn’t intentional, and no it wasn’t all of them, but it felt like it at that moment. Then I just wanted to leave and there was so much of the party left. I kept having to pretend everything was fine and your mom was being so sweet, but also kept coming up and checking in on me and it was all too much.” Lio encourages her to roll onto her back so he can look down in her face. She stares blankly back at him, almost unfeeling and disassociated from the moment. He runs his hand up her thigh to rest on her stomach. Savannah weaves their fingers together there. “Is she okay? I didn’t really get a good look but it looked like minor scrapes.”

“She’ll live. She’s got cool bandaids and apple juice.” Savannah tries for a small smile. She plays with his fingers while he looks her over more.

“Guess Mother Nature knew I would be a shit mom and made it so I couldn’t be.”

“Don’t say that.” Lio responds quietly. “I’m not okay with you talking about yourself like that. I don’t like it. You had an off day, babe. That’s it.”

Savannah doesn’t respond, but she tilts the corners of her mouth up at him in agreement. The worry in Lio’s gut continues to grow. He hasn’t seen her like this in a long time, not since Lucie first said she was pregnant. As the days grow closer to Lucie’s upcoming birth, he gets more and more uneasy. Now, with a sassy and defiant Stella in the house, he isn’t sure this is the best fit for his fiance's mental health. He loves Stella. He was really looking forward to this time together, but he needs to support his other girl too.

“Go back to Stell. I’ll be okay.” She whispers.

Lio doesn’t want to go, but Stella unattended in the living room isn’t a long-term solution. He gives her a kiss, cradling her head in his hands before heading back into the living room. Stella is in the same place he left her, juice box tossed onto the other couch cushion, mouth agape as she watches the scene unfold.

“I’ll be right back.” He assures her with a gently pat on the head,

Lio sighs as he steps onto the balcony. He leans on the railing for a minute, taking a breather from the chaos he just came out of. He contemplates what he should do next.

When he has collected himself, he pulls his phone out to make the call.

“You called me not Lucie.” Mack answers the phone.

“Ah.. yeah I meant to call you.” Lio responds.

“... Oh. I figured it was the wrong button or something.”

“No. I need a favor.” Lio says, shooting straight with her immediately. This is how they are.

“Kay.”

“I need you to take over watching Stella.”

Loud silence comes over the phone line.

“David and I had plans that did not involve children.” A hint of annoyance is in her voice. He supposes he doesn’t blame her. He has bailed on commitments in the past. No one has been slower on accepting the changed version of Lio than Mackenzie Hischier. She’s not a forget and forgive kinda girl. He respects that about her.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that, but Sav isn’t okay. I need to focus on her right now.”

“Okay. I’ll send David to come get her. She loves his truck.”

Lio smiles at the way Mack doesn’t press further and the annoyance has dropped completely. Lucie would be all “mama” with him and ask a million questions, already on her way over trying to fix everything. Not Mack. As long as you give her enough information to make a decision, she takes over with whatever is needed.

“Thank you.” Lio murmurs, closing his eyes in relief. “Sorry to ruin your plans.”

“No problem.” Mack pauses. “Are… you okay?”

“Ahm, yeah.” Lio clears his throat. “Yeah.” He repeats more firmly.

“Okay. David should be back from his run soon. I’ll send him over after his shower. Are you calling Lucie or am I?”

“I’ll call her. Thank you.”

“Yep. Bye.” Mack clicks off first. Lio chuckles. Now to break the news to Stella.

Stella takes it well, especially when she hears about Uncle Davey coming to pick her up, but Lucie on the other hand is as concerned as he knew she would be.

“What’s wrong with Sav? Should we come home?”

“No. I’m taking care of everything, but your daughter has this idea that I should entertain her at all times. I can’t do that and do what I need to for Sav.” Lio speaks to the phone while packing up Stella’s suitcase that was already strewn all about their guest room.

“Fair.” Lucie agrees then blows out a heavy sigh. “She just loves you.”

“I know. And I love her. But she has other people here who will take care of her.”

“Mack won’t do the bedtime routine though.” Lucie grumbles.

“I guess I should tell you I don’t either.”

“Lio!” Lucie yells.

“Lu, what you do at your house is your business, but that is too many steps for me. She gets into pajamas, brushes her teeth and by the time I'm shutting the book she is out. That’s it.”

“How is Lio Meier of all people better at bedtime than me?”

“Because you have always made things complicated.” Lio says, flipping the suitcase shut again and zipping it up. “Like this conversation.”

“Wow.” Lucie snips. “Okay, well sounds like you all have it figured out. I’ll check in with Mack tonight.”

“Alright. Have a good rest of your trip.” Lio places the small suitcase on its wheels, shoving it towards the door.

“Lee?” Lucie pauses.

“Yeah.”

“I asked Sav if it was okay for her to help with the shower, and for you to watch Stell. I hope I didn’t overstep somehow. I would never want something I did to hurt her.”

“No, Luc, you didn’t do anything wrong. She wanted to help with these things. But she is struggling more than I think she even realizes.”

“Okay.” Lucie responds. Her voice drips with sadness, clearly concerned for her friend. “I feel really bad.”

“It’s okay. You can’t fix this.”

“Neither can you.” She reminds him. He juts his lower jaw out in disagreement.

That’s her opinion. He is still gonna try like hell to.

- - -

Winnie Wood came into the world in a chaotic c-section on a rainy, September morning. Stella had arrived at Lio and Savannah’s the previous night when Lucie’s contractions started picking up. Despite being put to bed in the guest room, Stella ended up in bed with the adults and none of them slept well after that. Lio has no idea how Connor and Lucie can stand to sleep with her and her flailing limbs on a regular basis.

Next to him, Savannah rests her temple on the steel of the elevator. They ride up to their place the same way they rode in the car home from the hospital: silent. Stella has been dropped with all her grandparents for dinner tonight and will be back at their apartment later tonight, then home tomorrow to sleep in her own bed with a new baby sister.

Lio glances over at Savannah as the elevator pauses on their floor.

“Babe?” He calls to her when she doesn’t move to get out. She startles, clearly lost in another world.

“Oh sorry.” She sniffs, then walks out past him. He reaches for her shoulder from behind, wanting to pull her back into him to comfort her. Instead, she shrugs his touch off. That hurts.

He sighs as silently as he can, then waits next to her as she unlocks the door. She walks in, heading immediately towards their bedroom. She abruptly stops before going in, a loud suffering sob coming from her lips.

“Lio, I’m not okay.” Savannah hiccups from the doorway. Lio rushes forward quickly to hold her.

“I know, baby. It’s okay that you’re not.” He grabs her hand, gently encouraging her fully into his chest. She weakly grips his hand back, blinking her tears down her cheeks.

“Oh fuck I’m so sad.” She wails, curling over at the waist. “I’m never gonna have that. I’m never going to know what it feels like to hold my baby in my arms.” She starts to cry so hard that no noise comes out of her. Lio wraps an arm around her waist, holding her up until he can guide her safely to the floor. The bed is less than ten feet away but he knows they won’t make it. He sits down next to her, then encourages her to crawl into his lap. Savannah shoves her face into his shirt, smearing black mascara all over the light blue fabric.

“She already has a baby. Why can’t it be me?” Savannah sobs into Lio’s shoulder.

“Baby it could be you.” Lio murmurs, feeling brave even as she falls apart in his hands.. “There are so many avenues we haven’t tried. We could try surrogacy. Or IVF.” Savannah pulls away, looking at him like he has grown three heads.

“Lee, you don’t want kids.” Her sadness pierces through the room.

“I want whatever you want.” A look of deep sympathy softens over his face.

“No.” Savannah pushes away from his chest, clearly withdrawing from him again. “I’m not doing kids that way. I’m not forcing you into IVF or surrogacy because I want this and you don’t. I’m not going back on our deal. It’s not in our cards.” Her teeth are gritted shut. She wipes her tears away, trying to get her shit back together.

“Babe, I’ll do it for-”

“Please stop.” Savannah whispers, then purses her lips together to stop the sob in her throat. Her eyes close, steady tears flowing down from her closed eyelids. Lio feels his heart crack open again in his chest. For her. For himself. For them and the things they’ll never get to experience together. He would do anything to give this to his wife. He would give up everything they have to give her a baby. But she won’t even let him try.

Heaviness fills the room between them. While she continues to turn inwards, struggling, Lio holds her tighter, gathering up all of her pieces and keeping them together until she can do it again herself.