#YOUR FAMILY MAKES UP OVER 2% OF THE FORT NOW | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

awkness · 2 months

Text

Serial killer! Platonic! Yandere Older Brother & Genderneutral Teenage Reader (Part 2)

(Part 1)

As reader tries to adjust to their new life without their father, a number of concerning incidents occur, including off-putting behavior from your brother, prevents that from happening. But despite everything, you make a new friend. Surely, this can only mean good things for you, right? Things must be looking up!

Content warnings: implied murder, manipulation, domestic abuse, briefly mentioned alcoholism and child abuse, and general yandere shenanigans. If I missed anything here, please let me know :3

Authors note: lmao I have no excuse for being this late I'm just slow. This was originally supposed to be the last chapter but it got too long so I had to split it up. It feels like a bit of filler but I promise we'll get to the good stuff soon it just needs some set up. Part 3 should be the last part so I'll try not to be too slow uploading (<- lying)

There were very few things about your father you liked, but his house was one of them. It was something he had inherited from his father, who Ben would inherit as soon your father could be pronounced legally dead. It came with a master bedroom, two normal bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, a kitchen, the basement, and an attic.

The attic was something you had always been fascinated with as a child. It was spacious, fully insulated and even had an openable window. It could have been a bedroom all on its own. As a child, you had often daydreamed of moving your stuff up there, utilizing the bigger space for blanket forts and storing all the toys your little heart could desire. In reality, it was used in the same way the basement was, except it stored much more valuable items. Holiday decorations, clothes, old valuables that had no room to be displayed, and whatever family heirlooms your late father kept were shoved up above your head, taking space that could have been used for you. You had thought you had grown out of this fantasy, content with the room you had, but with your father gone and your brother running the house, the childhood dream had crept its way back into the front of your mind, tempting you with visions of a bigger, cooler room.

So, after working up the courage, you finally asked Ben if you could move up there. It surprised you just how easily he said yes.

And now you're here, Ben helping you sort through trash and treasure alike as you both clear out the room.

You pulled an unlabeled box from the seemingly endless pile, the top covered in dust and cobwebs. You try not to think about how many spiders are in the room with you now. Cleaning them out will be a trouble for another day.

The box opens easily, cardboard weak from age, a musty smell emanating from within. You look inside, only to be left dumbfounded. Why were there women's clothes in here?

"Hey, Ben, do you know whose clothes these are?"

Ben looks up from his own box, a vaguely confused look on his face. As he makes his way towards your box, you watch it drop into a frown.

"Those are moms."

"Oh." Is all you can say.

An awkward moment passes between you two as Ben stares into the box, face strange as he becomes lost in thought. You decide to break the tension.

"Why do you think he kept them?"

He looks away from the box and towards you, his body slowly beginning to relax.

"He was always a sentimental man, I guess that's reason enough for him."

You let out a snort. "What's there to be sentimental over? She cheated on him, divorced him, and then dumped us on him. She's not exactly a woman worth pining over."

"I'm not arguing with you, but you remember how he was. Couldn't ever let anything go."

He began rummaging through it, quickly getting to the bottom before closing it back up.

"Nothing but clothes. We should probably donate this."

You give a nod as you watch him put it in the growing donation pile. That was going to be such a pain to bring down to the car.

Instead of thinking about that, though, you turn your head to the box that Ben was searching through before you called him over.

"Is this one mom's too?"

Before you get an answer, you take a peek inside, only to once again be at a loss for how something like this could be in your home.

Inside was an assortment of strange objects. A broken polaroid camera, a stained photo album, and an array of metal objects like locks, deadbolts, and... were those shackles?

Before you could make out any more objects, Ben had made his way to you and reached over to close the flaps of the box.

"I doubt it, probably just more junk he couldn't throw away."

He turned around to you and smiled, hands holding the flaps shut.

"Want to do me a favor and go start bringing the donation boxes to the car?"

"Ugh, why do I have to bring them down?"

"Because you're the one who wanted to move up here."

You glared at him as his smile turned into an amused smirk, before you finally gave a huff and picked up a box from the pile.

"Jerk."

"Brat." The smile never left his face.

With only moderate trouble, you navigated your way down the stairs and out the door, making your way to the car. Unfortunately, you had only realized you forgot the keys when you tried to open the door to pop the trunk open.

You quietly mumble curses under your breath as you set the box next to the car, ready to make the trip back inside. Instead, you go completely still as you catch a look at the people across the street.

It was a small group of high schoolers your age, maybe older, who go to your school. They were standing the the yard across the street, a few houses down, talking together to throwing glances in your direction. Your ears strain as they try to make out their incoherent babble. They couldn't have known about your situation, could they? Or at least, what the official story was. It had been over a month since that happened, it doesn't make sense that they would be talking about it now. But you were just moving boxes out of the house such a short time after it happened. That looks suspicious, doesn't it? Of course it does. Why did you have to ask to move into the attic now?

You had been standing like a deer in headlights, openly staring for what felt like minutes before one of them seemingly made eye contact with you. You avert your gaze down as you feel your cheeks grow hot and your hands grow sweaty. A chorus of laughter erupts from the group.

Without thinking, you rush up to the door, fling it open, and slam directly into Ben as he was carrying. You hear it hit the floor as you speed walk past him.

"Wha- Hey! (Y/N)! What happened?"

You didn't reply. You barely even heard his words. Panic had fully taken over and kept you moving away from Ben, away from the door, away from the outside world, and all the judgemental people it contained.

You finally make it to your room, shutting the door behind you, and seating yourself on your bed, trying to get your bearings.

Tears begin stinging your eyes as your shaky hands try and wipe them away. You wonder if they were still laughing at you.

A soft knock comes from your door, and your body shrinks inward, unprepared for the upcoming talk.

"Kid? Can I come in?"

You don't reply. You know Ben is going to come in anyway.

He waits a beat before opening the door, his face the picture of concern. His footsteps are quiet, and his movements gentle as he sits next to you. You find your body leaning away from him.

"Want to tell me what happened?"

You shrug, turning your head away from him. Even if you did want to talk, you couldn't trust your voice right now.

"Alright, that's fine, we can figure it out together. Was it something to do with mom's clothes?"

You don't move. Maybe if you don't answer, he'll leave and let you deal with your embarrassment in peace.

"The attic?"

A pause.

"Something in the box you were carrying...? Or maybe something outside?"

You stiffen, and immediately try to make yourself relax. Maybe he didn't notice?

"Does this have something to do with the neighbors?"

Oh. Nevermind.

Despite your best efforts, your body language must have given you away again. You hear the bed creak as he gets up, the blinds rustling a moment later as he gives a huff.

"It's those kids across the street, isn't it?" His voice takes on an edge of irritation, and you feel yourself curl inwards again.

The bed shifts as he takes his seat next to you again, a comforting hand placed on your shoulder. His voice takes on the softer quality it had before.

"I can't help you if you don't help me, kid. Did they talk to you?"

You shake your head, trying to talk, but finding the words stuck in your throat.

"They-" Your voice falters and you clear your throat, barely able to speak above a whisper.

"They didn't have to. I could see them looking at me and laughing, I knew they were talking about me, just like all the neighbors do whenever they see us. It's like they know. And these-"

You sniff, snot beginning to run and throat burning as you talk. Ben squeezes your shoulder, and you continue.

"These people go to my school, Ben. They know me. When I have to go back, they'll talk and tell everyone and the whole school will know what happened. They'll treat me different, they'll ask questions, and I won't know what to tell them-"

Your quivering voice finally gives out, and you cover your face. Ragged, irregular breaths come out as you try to force back the wave of emotions you've just unleashed. Gently, Ben pulls you to his chest as he rubs your back, murmuring gentle reassurances you couldn't quite hear.

Moments pass until your breathing finally evens out, eyes dry but still red and puffy. You slowly pull back and he lets you, his face full of worry. His hand still remains on your shoulder, an ever-present weight.

"You've had this on your mind for a long time, haven't you?"

You give a feeble nod. The thought of having to return to school had been weighing on you, but you hadn't realized how bad it had been until now. The thought is almost enough to send you spiraling again.

"I don't want to go back."

Ben gives you a smile. "You don't have to."

Your mind freezes for an instant, any and all thought muddled into incohereency.

"What?"

"Why don't I sign you up for online school this year? I remember you talking about wanting to do it a couple of months back, so why not now?"

"I..."

Your brows furrow. You did tell Ben that you wanted to do online school a couple of months ago before summer started. But this wasn't a new wish. You had been dreaming of being homeschooled since you had dreamed of living in the attic. Troubles in finding friends and fitting in had always followed you throughout the years until you realized the futility of it all, and only dreamt of a home where you didn't have to leave, and Ben and you could spend your days in peace. But the reality of your father's abuse had made school a begrudgingly safe haven of yours and you had slowly given up on that dream, too. But now that it was fully within your hands, you found yourself hesitating. Why? There was no monster in your home anymore, you were safe, and there's no reason to say no.

"I don't know."

He smiled.

"It wouldn't have to be permanent, just for this year. And if you don't like it, I can reenroll you back into your old school, so your options are always open. Plus, you're right, (Y/N). I know how cruel kids can be, especially when they're confronted with situations and people they don't understand. I don't want you to face that if you don't have to."

You gnaw on your lip, unsure of what to say. Ben was right on all accounts, the things he was saying made sense, and yet you couldn't find yourself saying yes. Why couldn't you let yourself have this?

"Can I think on it?"

Ironically, it came out of your mouth before you could think at all.

He nodded, his good-humored smile still on his face. You let out a small breath, so glad to still see it there.

"Of course, kid, it's a big decision. Take your time."

He gave your shoulder one last pat before getting up.

"I'm going to move the rest of the boxes in the car and go drop them off. You want me to pick up dinner on the way back?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with whatever."

"Alright. Rest up, I'll be back soon."

Unable to say much else, you nod as he gives you one last smile before he heads out the door, closing it behind him.

You rub your eyes, your body slowly unwinding from the tension just moments prior, until it gives in and you lay down on your bed.

With nothing else left to do, you crawl under your covers, the familiar comfort of the soft and worn fabric soothing your nerves. Distantly, you hear the sound of Ben's footsteps as he makes his way back and forth from the attic, the familiar and comforting sound lulling you into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning was pretty uneventful. Ben was off at work while you continued clearing the attic, sorting out the junk and keepsakes, only occasionally getting scared by the stray spiders that had made their home in the crevices between the boxes.

By noon, everything was sorted, with the only thing left being to take the boxes to be donated or tossed in the trash. But you needed Ben to help you with that, so you found yourself heading down to the kitchen, heating instant noodles in the microbe, wondering what you were going to do until he got home.

Around this time is when you usually went to go check the mail, but since yesterday, the thought of having to leave the house left you with an uneasy feeling, tension building in your spine and shoulders the longer you thought of it. A part of you was ashamed that you couldn't even walk out to the mailbox without it being a big deal, and another, much larger part, found immense relief in the thought of abandoning the task altogether, and not having any more chance encounters like yesterday. The more you considered it, the more you found your body sagging in relief. Yeah, Ben can grab it when he gets home, you're sure he wouldn't mind. It's no big deal.

The microwave beeps and you grab the noodles, all thought of the outside quickly leaving your head.

You had just dumped the flavor packet in when you heard a knock at the door.

Your heart, ashamed you were to admit, skipped a beat, and you froze mid-action, breath catching roughly in your throat. Who could that be? Maybe that was Ben, and he had just forgot his keys? No, that's stupid, he wouldn't be home this early, and he never forgets his keys. With no other answers coming to mind, you quietly set the packet down and got up to the door to peek through the peephole.

On the other side of the door stood one of your neighbors, a kid your age. You see him the most often out of all of your neighbors, often doing yard work and tending to the flowers in his front yard. He was also the guy you caught staring at you the most. Well, maybe staring wasn't completely accurate, but whenever you looked his way, you two would usually make eye contact before one of you shyly looked away. You didn't know why, and it played havoc on your nerves. He wore a hoodie despite the summer heat and had an envelope in his hand. He looked nervous.

You pull away and bring your hand to undo the locks before stopping.

For one glorious, tempting moment, you picture yourself turning around, going back to your noodles, and taking them upstairs and away from the door to eat in peace until Ben comes home.

Instead, you undo the locks and open the door.

Your neighbor looks slightly taken aback like he didn't expect anyone to answer. You try not to notice.

"Hello?" You ask.

"Oh, uh, hi! I'm Alex, your neighbor. I live right next to you, the house to the right, well- uh, my right, your left. The one with the red car and lawn gnomes out front?"

He gestures sheepishly towards his house, face nearing the complexion of a tomato.

"Nice to meet you, Alex. I'm (Y/N)."

The social protocols of politeness take over, unable to fully pay attention as your mind stalls, still in a state of shock from the anxiety of the situation.

"(Y/N)? That's a nice name." He smiles at you before quickly looking at the ground.

He hands the envelope over to you, speaking as you look over it.

"Uh, I just wanted to drop this off. I think our mail got mixed up."

Sure enough, the envelope had your brother's name and address on it.

"Oh, thank you." You say lamely.

For a beat, you wonder if you should say something more. It felt wrong to just leave the conversation as it was and close the door, but what else were you supposed to say? Before you can think about it, he speaks again.

"I, uh, wanted to say that I heard about what happened to your dad, and I'm sorry."

Again, your heartbeat skips, and you stiffen, body alert, eyes wide. You probably look like a deer caught in headlights in front of him if he wasn't still looking at the ground. The thought would embarrass you if it weren't for the sharp spike of adrenaline hitting your veins.

"I... I had a dad like him too."

And just like that, your body pauses its panic response, and you find yourself fully focused on him as he continues.

"I thought it would be easier after me and my mom moved away, and it has been, but those kinds of experiences don't just go away, and I wanted to say that you aren't alone."

You still felt a little wired from the previous scares, you you felt a strange sense of ease slowly pass through you at his words.

You stare at him, as he stares down, no words passing between you two before you finally speak.

"Thank you."

You only hesitate for a moment before continuing.

"It has been rough, but it's been more of a relief than anything. It's nice not having to hide away in my room until he leaves."

He looks up, a small smile gracing his face as he finally relaxes.

"Yeah, it's nice not having to check to see if he passed out in the house again."

You find your lips quirking up. "Or having to check his pulse when he is passed out."

"Not having to worry about him throwing a fit whenever he runs out of beer despite him being the one who drank it all."

"Not having to constantly hide food in your room so you have a supply when he does throw his tantrums"

Alex gave a disbelieving laugh.

"Yours let you get food out of the kitchen? There was a lock on the fridge and pantry when I lived with mine."

Your smile widened into one of disbelief, amusement, and shock. "What the hell? Why?"

"Kept getting upset that the food would go missing. Worst part is, every time he got blackout drunk, he'd binge eat, pass out and get mad at us for eating all the food."

You couldn't help it. You started giggling, and he started giggling, unable to react in any other way to the absurdity of it all.

"Sorry! I really shouldn't laugh-" You began, failing to stifle the laughter.

"Don't be!" He said. "He's a stupid guy, you should laugh at him."

You both share the moment, the laughter slowly dying down as you both take your first good look at each other. In this moment, you see something you can't help but talk about.

"Is that a minecraft necklace?"

He looks surprised, but pleasantly so. He glances down before holding it up with a grin. The pendant was the shape of a creeper head.

"Yeah, I'm a big fan!"

He puts it back down and his demeanor changes back to being sheepish, but not painfully so like he was before.

"I have minecraft for Xbox and a spare controller at my house. If you want, you can come over and play?"

It was your turn to be nervous again.

On one hand, you wanted to say 'absolutely'. You couldn't remember the last time you got invited to hang out, and the thought of something as normal as playing a video game with a friend was something you needed. Well, maybe you couldn't call him a friend yet, but you feel like you could, given enough time. Plus, after being so afraid of your neighbors and leaving your house, having someone come up to you and act so warm and friendly made you feel soft. It was hard to say no to that.

On the other hand, you had the nagging, unnameable feeling that Ben would be, upset, but you couldn't think up any concrete reason as to why. In fact, if you focused on that feeling too long, your mind went blank.

Sure, you were going about out of the house without him knowing, but Ben has always been supportive of you. Sure, he's never really discussed rules about going over to a friend's house because the situations never come up, but he's fairly easygoing. You were sure that if you explained why you went, he would be understanding. Happy, even.

Plus, you were only going next door, you had your phone on you, and you would be back before Ben came home, so it's not like he had to even know what happened. Not that you wanted to lie to him, but something about that option comforted you more than any of the other things you listed.

Discomfort pushed aside, you gave a smile back to Alex.

"Sure thing, let me grab my phone."

It could have been the perfect hangout. Alex's mom was nice, bringing you two snacks and telling stories from Alex's childhood despite his embarrassment, as you two hung out in the living room while he helped you figure out the controls. Soon enough, you two were building a base together, laughing at each other as a creeper or sneaky skeleton would get kills on you both.

You were halfway through making the third story of the base when your phone started ringing. You felt your heart drop to your stomach when you saw Ben's picture on the screen.

"Shit."

You immediately pocketed in and got up.

"What's wrong?" He paused the game and looked up.

"I wasn't supposed to stay so late, my brother's probably home by now."

You went over to the window and peeked through the blinds, and as fate would have it, you saw his car in the driveway.

You hear Alex speak from the couch, voice slightly concerned.

"You're not going to get in trouble, are you?"

That was the question, wasn't it?

"I... don't think so. Maybe? I've never been out late before."

"If you want, I can come with you and explain what happened. I'll take the blame."

Despite your growing worry, you felt a pang of gratitude come through. You gave a small smile.

"That's okay, he'll probably be a little mad, but I don't think it's that serious."

You headed to the door, Alex following behind.

"Hey, on the chance you don't get grounded or whatever, here's my phone number."

You look back and see him scribbling on a piece of paper before he hands it over to you. You take it and look at sloppy, but thankfully still legible writing, and give a bigger, more genuine smile.

"I'll text you later. If I still have my phone, that is." You joke, or at least try to.

He gives a smile and a wave as you turn back and exit the front door.

As it closes behind you, the warmth of the interaction slowly leaches from you and leaves you feeling cold and rattled.

You didn't fully believe the things you said to Alex. You had no real idea what Ben would like because you had never gone against what he said before. The thought alone turned your stomach into knots. It was simply how you two functioned, Ben was the one in charge and made the big decisions, and you listened. Sure, he never had any explicit rules about this, but that didn't mean anything.

As you made the short walk to your home, you began strategizing.

You should do damage control right away, start apologizing straight away, and let him know where you were and what you were doing. Wait, should you mention Alex? At that thought, you shoved the paper with his number deep in your pocket. You didn't want Ben to see it.

Before you could think about it anymore, you were at your front door. Your back tensed, and you hesitated only a moment before opening the door. Waiting would only make it worse.

Before you can fully step in, you see Ben pacing the kitchen, brows furrowed, face strained. As soon as he heard you, his head whipped up, and you felt yourself freeze like a rabbit spotted by a wolf. Frozen, unable to do anything else than stare.

"(Y/N)?"

Just like that, you were broken out of your trance, finally allowed to move again.

You step in all the way and close the door behind you.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think I'd be out that long, I wasn't keeping track of time, I-"

Your voice died the moment you looked back to Ben's face, his features looked so... angry. You've never seen him look at you like that before, never seen him look like that at all. It set off a loud, blaring warning in your brain that something was wrong, and that you needed to leave. But that was crazy. This is Ben, your brother, you were fine.

You tried to start again.

"I was..."

It tapered off as you saw him move towards you, movement swift and robotic as he kept his attention on you. Without thinking, you shrunk back.

"Ben-"

Before you could finish he's in front of you, grabbing your shoulders so tightly it's borderline painful. You grip his arms, weakly trying to push away, knowing better than to seriously try.

"Where were you?"

There was such a dangerous edge to his voice that you couldn't think, couldn't look away. Your breaths came out shallow and your voice so tiny you could barely hear it.

"With the neighbors."

That only made him angrier.

"What neighbors? We don't talk to the neighbors here."

Oh, you were shaking now.

"With- with the neighbors right next to us, the Rogers. I was hanging out with Alex-"

"Who the Hell is Alex?"

His grip got tighter as he shook you, and you could feel the bruises forming. You started pushing at him again, but your arms trembled so badly you might as well not have tried.

"B-Ben, it hurts."

Your voice was so thick with emotion that it was hardly coherent, but Ben understood.

His face blanked for a moment, body shocked to stillness as you continued to try and leave. Then, without warning, he let you go, turned his back and walked a few paces away from you, pinching his nose as he let out a sharp breath.

You listen to him as he takes deep breaths while you rub your sore arms, snot beginning to run as your eyes turn wet. As you step away, you feel your back pressed against the door, and you have the fleeting idea to open it and run away. You realize what you're thinking, and the idea terrifies you so deeply you stay rooted to the spot.

Finally, Ben turns back, face still hardened but not as severely as before.

"Who's Alex?"

You sniff. You really didn't want to do this anymore.

"He's the neighbor's kid. Our mail got mixed up and he brought it over to me, and invited me over to hang out."

You probably should have stopped there, but some scared, hurt part of you needed Ben to understand that you didn't mean this, it wasn't your fault. Your voice cracked as you continued.

"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry. It was only supposed for a little bit, I didn't think I would be over for so long, just an hour or two. I- I didn't mean for this to happen, I should- I should of called you."

You stopped, but only because the shaking in your hands had spread to your voice, and you didn't think you could keep going without sounding like a complete mess.

His face didn't soften for a moment, staring blankly as you had gone on. After it ended, he closed his eyes, rubbed his face and gave a sharp sigh.

You couldn't read him when he looked away. Was he calming down? Did that make him more upset? Every second that ticked by frayed your already worn-out nerves. You were only one yell away from bursting into tears.

He looked up again, face the same as it was before.

"Do you know what it's like to come home with the door unlocked and see you missing, with no goddamn clue where you could be? What was I supposed to think? You didn't even pick up your damn phone!"

He stopped, took a breath, and then continued, a dangerously calm edge to his voice.

"And then you tell me you decided to stay over at a stranger's house without calling me? A person you only met today? They could of been anybody, anything could happened to you. I thought you had better sense than that."

It stung.

"I'm sorry."

It sounded small and pathetic, even to your own ears.

He let out a sigh.

"Go to your room. We'll talk about this more later."

You don't think twice. You rush away on shaky legs to your room and quietly close the door behind you, afraid of doing anything else to set him off. The bed lets out a soft creak as you sit down. You gather your quivering hands in your lap and look down on them, not sure what to do with yourself.

Before you can think about it any further, you hear the front door open and slam shut, then the car turning on and driving away.

As it quiets down, you can't help it. Stifled sobs climb their way out of your chest, feeling like they're choking you until you can't resist anymore. You collapse on your bed, openly crying until you exhaust yourself to sleep.

The next morning felt almost surreal. You woke up to hearing Ben walking about the house as he did his morning routine. Usually, you would be out of the room right now doing the same, with you both then sitting down to eat breakfast together until it was time for him to leave. This time, you stayed in bed the entire time, idly scrolling your phone as you listened to his footsteps.

A part of you expected him to knock at your door, and ask you why you weren't out yet. Instead, you heard the sizzle of eggs hitting a hot pan as they cooked, and after a short few moments, the front door opening, closing, and locking behind him. The familiar sounds of the car's engine slowly faded away, and you finally got out of your bed, ready to start your day.

You decided to text Alex. You were hesitant to give the details of what happened, simply saying that Ben was upset and things were tense, and thankfully, Alex never pushed it. Instead, he started sending you memes and talking about his ideas for the minecraft world you both started. It was surprising how easy it was to talk to him, the conversation going for hours before he had to leave to help with dinner.

When it was time for Ben to come home, you scurried back to your room, feeling relieved but guilty when you closed the door. On one hand, you could still feel the fear you had last night, and you had no idea what to do with it. It was perplexing and off-putting, and thinking too hard on it made you feel like your brain was turning to static, so you opted to not think about it at all, which meant avoiding your brother as well.

But the guilt wouldn't let you be. It turned what should have been the comfort of your room into a place of wrongness, that you were doing something awful by keeping yourself here and not going down to see him like you usually did. Your lip began to bleed, and only then you realized you had been chewing on it since you heard Ben's car pull in.

You contemplated texting Alex for a distraction as you heard him make his way into the house. And then, step by step, make his way way to the hallway, and then to your door.

And then, the knock.

"Can I come in?"

You don't know if you want to answer, so you don't.

"I know you're awake, kid. Your lights on."

Thoughts raced through your mind as you tried to figure out what to do. For a moment, your mind latched onto the idea that you could pretend to be asleep, but you immediately shrugged it off. This was going to happen anyway, might as well happen now.

"Come in."

The door opens, and you see Ben, completely exhausted, his gaze nervously flitting towards you and the floor as he carried a fast food bag in his hand.

"I brought dinner."

You instinctively perk up at the mention of food, and he takes that as a sign to step closer and sit on the far side of the bed, bag between you two, as he clasped his hands together. His leg starts to quickly bounce before he stops it.

"Figured I'd pick up something on the way home. Didn't feel like cooking.

You nod, even though there's something in you that compels you to do or say more to try and ease his nerves. Even now, after what he did, you hate to see him upset. You try to push the urge to comfort down as you pointedly look away.

Both of you sit in silence while looking anywhere but at each other. In your peripheral, you can see him fidgeting with his hands.

"I know I scared you last night, I just-"

He nervously shifts in his seat. His voice is halting but sincere.

"It worried me, seeing you gone. You mean so much to me, (Y/N). Ever since you were born, I've been there to take care of you. I can't remember a time without you, and I don't want to. You're a part of me, without you, I... I don't even know who I am."

You look over at him and freeze. You're big brother, the man who protected you and cared for you your whole life, is bunched in on himself, face strained and twitching with barely contained emotion as he doggedly stares directly ahead, like looking at you would hurt him. His eyes are red and dark circles frame them. You swallow, years of experience screaming at you to reach over and comfort him, but instead, you sit, never once looking away as he continues talking.

"I shouldn't have done that to you, kid. I should of known better. Should of contained myself. I try so hard for you, but there's times it feels like it isn't enough, and it keeps me up at night."

He sniffs, and your eyes begin to blur.

"I never wanted to be like that in front of you, you didn't deserve to see that. I-"

He wipes his hands over his face, taking a deep breath as he tries to collect himself. After a beat, he uncovers his face and finally looks at you.

"I'm sorry."

It was like a spell had been broken. You found yourself pushing a food to the side and leaning against his shoulder. He hesitantly wrapped his arm around you, and when you didn't resist, he reached his other arm around you, pulled you into his chest, and began softly rocking you back and forth.

You feel the rise and fall of his chest, and it feels the same as you did as a kid when you would run up to him when something scared you, or when you felt your emotions overwhelm you. He would hold you tight and it felt like you were in the safest place in the world. The relief of that feeling after everything you had been through was like coming home.

Still safely tucked in his arms, you spoke again, voice more quiet and child-like than you meant it to be.

"Promise me you won't do that again."

The mere thought of him acting so uncontrollably and violently towards you was enough to make you nauseous.

He squeezed you tight.

"I promise, kid, never again."

You nodded, unable to reply. The both of you stayed like that for what felt like an eternity before he slowly began letting you go.

After getting fully untangled, you rub your eyes, a feeling of exhaustion settling in as your stomach rumbles.

"I'm hungry."

"Hi hungry, I'm Ben."

His reply is so quick, you think it's automatic for him.

You shoot him a glare, but it's undermined by your smile. He returns it with one of his own.

"You wanna go down and eat? I got you a milkshake too, it's down in the kitchen. But might be a bit melted by now."

You spring up, fast food bag in hand as you make your way towards the door.

"Why didn't you say so, let's go!"

You hear him let out a chuckle, and you let out one reflectively, too.

You both share the meal together, talking and laughing late into the evening, until it was finally time to sleep. You drifted off easily into a deep, restful sleep, finally at peace.

#yandere #yandere platonic #platonic yandere #yandere original character #yandere oc #yandere x reader #x reader #gn reader

161 notes · View notes

herlondonboy · 2 years

Text

7:3

Pairings: Wednesday Addams x platonic!reader / Enid Sinclair x platonic reader / Larissa Weems x platonic!reader

Summary: 7 reasons to go, 3 reasons to stay

Warnings: suicide, suicidal thoughts, vent fic I guess, so uh, like bcos I need validation 🫶 pure, unfiltered, angst. (Part two here) (Tagging: @lxtins @allisonsblog @wednesday-l0ver @capryuk @smolgayhooman @elduster because they said they’d read it x)

Word Count: 1.1k

Seven reasons to go, three reasons to stay. It honestly seems like such an easy answer, but if you add a zero onto the end of both numbers it becomes harder. Seventy reasons to go, thirty reasons to stay. You sat atop of this hill, resting your back against the oak tree. Weighing the reasons in your head made the pit in your stomach grow, but it needs to be soon.

1. You have no family.

In a fit of blind rage at eight, you set your house ablaze. The fire started in your parents bedroom where you, your mother and father and your little brother were. Larissa Weems, a family friend, was quick to aid you. She brought you to Nevermore and raised you like her own. It was abnormal for normie families to have Outcast children, but that just meant the Outcast gene laid dormant for a few generations. You didn’t speak to anyone for seven years after the incident.

Though Larissa was the closest thing you had to a family, she wasn’t your family and the kids at school liked to remind you of that.

2. The overwhelming anger.

Your nostrils flared as you watched the boy, whose name you never bothered to learn, called you an orphan for the umpteenth time that day. You clenched your fists, digging your nails into your palm until you felt blood rolling down. Pain makes you human, Larissa had said to you. Why wasn’t it working? A wolf pushed you and you struck him with flame covered fist. Your hand was burned onto his face and he hand to live in humiliation with that scar for the rest of his life.

The kids around you immediately dissipated and ran away from you. Then your roommate asked to switch dorms

3. People would finally care.

They don’t care until it’s too late. You knew this now, throwing the noose end of the rope over the highest branch that you could reach. You couldn’t even cry. Why would cry? Crying for the people that never even batted an eyelash at you. For he people that saw your pain and laughed in your face, dancing on what was left of your happiness, hoping to ruin it all for you. You can imagine the people that pushed you to this crying in each other’s arms as your body was lowered into the ground. Who do they think they are?

4. You hurt everyone you touched.

Larissa had pulled you into a hug when you came to her office sobbing. You were hesitant to accept it, but you did in the end. You remember her scream and push you away. It haunted your nightmares every. Single. Night. You looked down at your hands and your eyes widened at the melted fabric on your palms. She told you that it was all right and that she was just shocked, but you didn’t believe her.

You began using weird techniques you’d read about in books from the library; sitting in the kitchen’s walk in freezer for as long as you could, taking ice baths, letting your anger out in a controlled environment.

5. The dreams.

Waking up drenched in sweat and covered in a crisp duvet was not your forte. In fact, waking up wasn’t your forte. Your family coming back from the dead to berate you, blame you. They wanted to kill you back. Your brother showing you what could’ve been, what would’ve been, what should’ve been him. A dashing you man, your mother had said before casting her eyes over you in disgust. You wanted to apologise, but that didn’t deserve it. They should have to beg you for forgiveness. The world should have to beg you for your forgiveness. And it would have if you really wanted it to. You had the power to burn the world to ash.

6. You’d stop being a burden.

Larissa Weems already had a whole school of children to deal with. And, though she didn’t say it, you knew having you in her office for breakfast, lunch, and dinner was bothering her. You didn’t want to admit it, but you grew to like her presence, so instead of staying cooped up in your room, you stayed cooped up in her office. You’d get short, curt answers when asking something and you took that as a hint.

7. Eternal peace.

You’d be free from all your suffering. You’d be dead, you’d be gone. There’s no analogy for this reason. It’s just a fact. You wanted to be gone, that’s all.

But now the reasons to stay.

1. Your Larissa.

She really was your family. The reason you were still alive right now, but it was proving not to be enough. You just hoped that she didn’t blame herself for this. She had saved you and protected you for as long as she could, but now it was down to you. You had to make a decision and it led to you tightening the rope around the trunk of the tree.

2. The people that liked your company.

You had met Enid Sinclair in your fourth year of solitude since you’d come to Nevermore. She walk talkative and it was nice for the both of you. She liked having someone that listened to her ranting and you liked listening to someone talk to you without belittling your feelings. Then you met Wednesday on your 16th birthday, three years later. She was Enid’s roommate and you were scared that Wednesday was going to take her away from you. But that’s not what happened. Soon in days where you waited for Enid in her dormitory, you found yourself enjoying the silence between you. It wasn’t that Enid’s rambling was annoying, but silence was nice every once in a while. Lastly, you met Eugene. He reminded you of your little brother, predominantly the good parts of him. He was a perfect mix of Wednesday and Enid. You loved hearing about his bees and how his mom’s were doing. You adored reading books with him in the library. He helped you get over your fear of yourself.

3. Life.

Sure, you hated life. But there were fun times like when you were five, on your father’s shoulders as he ran through the forest by Nevermore. Or on your fifteen birthday when Enid and Larissa threw you a surprise party in your dorm where’re the three of you danced the night away. Not to mention when you made Eugene laugh. A smile graced your face the whole day after hearing him cackle at a note you gifted to him. Even if it go you kicked out from the library.

It was moments like that that you craved.

But you didn’t get much more because here you were, standing on a stool as you put your head through the noose. Just as you strained to kick the stool away, you heard a scream.

“No!” They said, but it was too late.

Wednesday was too late.

1K notes · View notes

thereraigoes · 4 months

Text

“how to make millions before grandma dies” through my own lenses.

these days, the internet is filled with people recommending this film to be added in everyone’s watch-list. 1) asian family themed 2) people said it’s tear jerking 3) it’s available at the nearest cinema from home— those three points intrigued me to give the film a toss to try. a moment after i went from the cinema, i know well that people who keep recommend this film is not lying at all.

reviewing a film is never my forte but this film makes me want to write something after watching it. i guess it’s the bond of similarity that this film has to me, especially i’m an asian as well.

i would like to give the five stars to,

the color grading.

i am always a big fan of films that have pretty color grading. htmmbgd has a really pretty, i would even say it’s the prettiest color grading from all the movies that i’ve watched lately. if you look closely toward color grading of each film, sometimes several places have its own colour— so does this film, somehow you can know exactly where the film is located just by looking at its color. i don’t really know how to describe it but when i saw that warm, sunny that sun can sting your skin but someplace is kind of shady.. somehow it really screams asia, and it feels so homey.

also a plus point that it is neither over saturated nor under saturated. it’s unpleasant to watch the artist’s skin look so orange where they are not meant to be a tangerine or look so grey where they are not meant to be someone who hasn’t eaten for a week.

it just.. chef kisses. a lot of scenes that show scenery around the setting and it doesn’t lessen the plot, it makes the audience know about the place without too much movement from the camera.

the sound choice.

it adds drama and spices to the films so much and without them, maybe people can survive this film without crying. it plays an important role as well to the plot since we know that m is known as a scaredy cat and amah’s lullaby is the one who relaxed him down and vice versa (i’m not mentioning that scene okay!)

“you can’t leave this cinema without crying buddies.. it’s okay you can cry, okay cry now” that would depict how the sound’s role in htmmbgd.

the plot.

i won’t say a lot about this but kudos to the filmmaker because it’s really good! the plot doesn’t always go like the audience prediction but somehow it’s relieving.. that’s just the same as how the real world does right?

the highlighted-scene and little details that i care for,

a heads up. i might mention some scenes and maybe some of them are spoilers to everyone who hasn’t watched it. so feel free to stop reading if you feel the spoilers are too heavy for you. i’ll try to lessen it!

amah’s paperbag

while watching the film, i realize that amah never wears a proper ‘bag’. we only see that she always wears paperbag that m always carries for. in my interpretation, it symbolizes the humbleness of amah. we know that amah only sells congee for living— three children and herself. those moneys that she get from is always prioritized for her children needs, not her needs— especially for secondary and the tersier one. if it’s enough to carry, then let it be. but we know, there lies a thing that meant a lot for her family inside it.

m and amah talks when m asked why amah always wanted to have a great land of cemetery for her soon.

i can’t help but cry in silence when this scene appears because it’s just so.. ironic. amah always wants to have her children coming together with her, even when she is passed away so she thinks if her children don’t want come when she is alive— a good cemetery would probably help her desire to have a nice gathering without an argument.

pomegranate and amah’s implicit love.

just like common asian themed poem, there will always be mom cutting fruit to symbolize mother love. but i never read (this could be i am the one who never find it, send me one if you ever read it!) a grandma who is cutting the fruit.

even for her own son, amah forbade him to eat the pomegranate because it was meant for m only. she has kept that pomegranate tree for years, water it everyday, cut the rotten branch, wrap the pomegranate with plastic so the caterpillar won’t eat it– she cares it just like she cares m.

even though amah is grumpy toward m (she knows since day one that m is hiding something from her), she still loves and cares for him.

“sons got the assets and daughter got the cancer”

i want to hug ma so bad. she is the most hardworking one between amah’s children yet she assumes that she never receives amah’s love. it just.. i want to hug her so bad.

and finally, the deeds.

i don’t really know about other families but mostly i reckon that this issue is really controversial. family can separate to each other because of this issue only, they highlight the importance of inherited parent’s wealth. i know it is their right to have it but neglecting the fact that their parents need their children’s time and only wanting their wealth is so sickening.

we know that m cares amah only for her deeds at the first but slowly he knows that it is not always about the deeds, it’s about cherishing the memory with her while it lasts.

it’s bearable that m is mad to know that soei is the one who got the house– i mean who doesn’t mad though if the one who got the house is the one who never helps to care about amah, never have a job and a burden to amah, even steal amah’s money. it happens commonly in asian family, my family as well. sometime i don’t really know what on their mind.

but through this, i realize that how old we are, our parents still look at us as a child. that’s why amah apprehends soei, she’s worried that if she doesn’t give soei her house then he could never solve all his problems.

but that mindset is a fatal flaw as well, by then we can see that soei only rely to his mother. he could never stand on his own. i’m relieved that m scolds for him even though soei is much older than him.

conclusion and rating from me, rai,

it’s worth to watch, at least once in a lifetime. you can always rewatch it though but beware running out of your eyecream because it really makes your eyes swollen right after you leave the cinema.

cherish everyone in your life while it lasts. don’t be so bitter to people, sometimes they need help but they are afraid to reach you out.

lastly, it’s a solid nine out of ten.

#how to make millions before grandma dies

64 notes · View notes

artdcnaldson · 2 months

Note

you’ve really done it this time with step brother patrick i can’t believe my life…… heres some half baked thoughts from the past few hours may they bring u inspo/entertainment 🫶🏻

watched the gossip girl episode where blair gets drunk at the burlesque club and gets up on stage to do a strip tease- need to do that after a fight with “our” mother / douchebag boyfriend and have patrick get all huffy and protective and act like he’s a good guy that’s concerned about you as he pulls you off stage but frantically jerks off to it the second you’re tucked in and his bedroom door is shut

asking him to unzip your dress / put on a necklace for you and making eye contact in the mirror

i know family dinners get heated when it’s the holidays….need to steal a cake and escape to the kitchen pantry with him while your mother screams at your dad for bringing his college aged fiancée to dinner while her current husband sips his whiskey and plots a way to blame it on patrick somehow

need to kick him under the table and have him grab my foot and grind into it😁

i know he insists on using your bathroom for literally no reason. then doesn’t use it. like just stands there on his phone and stares at you through the door and you make eye contact then both go back on your phones saying nothing every time it happens. i DO think about that person that said that he would piss through your legs as you’re pissing like it isn’t a big deal doesn’t even really acknowledge it as u sit there mouth open and after 2 minutes you’re like USE YOUR FUCKING BATHROOM YOU HAVE YOUR OWN and he just laughs from his room

overhearing patrick’s dad yelling at him for hours downstairs when you’re in your room and knowing it must be bad when pat doesn’t even slam his door when he finally retreats to his room…..giving him an hour before you sneak in and wrap yourself around him, give him a lingering kiss on his shoulder and a squeeze as he slides his fingers in between yours. “sorry your day sucked.” “wasn’t all bad.” him giving a sneaky little side eye as you swipe your pinky down his nose and he nips at your wrist

knowing you’re completely fucked when you go to his room and mess around but end up like. making a fort and laughing at nothing all night and when you wake up with your legs tangled ur like whyyyyy could we not have just fucked now i LIKE this guy which is infinitely worse

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8muiIcSCLL/?igsh=MTAzejJ4M3AxbnVibQ==

this is after u kick him down the stairs bc he like. did that guy thing where they ram their thumb into a random soft spot on ur body. doesn’t deter him at all

I miss stepbrother patrick so bad rn </3 i need him, I need the chaos and the wanting <3

He gets under your skin so bad, he hates that you sneak into his room and steal his shirts and things. You like his CD collection, he thinks he’s actually fixing your shitty top-40 taste. You wear his shirts and hoodies and return them to his hamper smelling all sweet like your bath and body works perfume. When you sit on his bed with him and share cigarettes you ash them in a ceramic bowl you made in elementary school that you shaped and painted like a turtle. It ends up staying on his bedside table permanently.

And everyone knows that you two get close. Patrick’s dad doesn’t like it, he “knows his son too well” but what is she going to do? You aren’t even fucking you’re just… too familiar. Patrick sits on the edge of the bathtub while you’re taking a bubble bath, turns the pages of your book for you, talks about his day working at the country club. He gets you high for the first time, and your mom finds you with red, half-lidded eyes giggling over bowls of Mac and cheese while you watch bro comedies on the family TV. She doesn’t say anything. You hated her enough for marrying some old creep, didn’t you?

And god, holidays. Thanksgiving with his mom, his dad, your mom, your dad, your dad’s uncomfortably young girlfriend. You and Patrick delegated to the ‘kids table’ with his little cousins, picking at your plates until you steal a chocolate pie from the butler’s pantry and eat it together in the pantry. You steal a kiss, and it tastes sweet. Your hands both wander, but you don’t fuck. You just… blame it on the wine you’d both been drinking to get through the night. Not any of the rest of the tension.

And :(( Patrick’s bad days. When his dad lays into him and he feels fucking awful. He’s a bad son, he’s a disappointing tennis player, and wasn’t he raised better than that? Look at the bad influence he’s having on you. You give him space, but you sneak into his room, you curl up beside him on his bed, ask him if he’s okay. He holds your hand, lets you kiss his cheek. “Should I just kill your dad?” You ask, sounding so completely serious that he laughs, grinning as you look over at him. “You don’t have it in you.” It turns into a slap fight.

Hnnnnnhggg. Just late nights in Patrick’s childhood room. Playing Guitar Hero, yelling at each other because you keep fucking distracting each other during the solos, and that’s not fucking fair! Going to the country club and he tries to teach you to play tennis but gets frustrated. You drive him to go get lunch and end up wrecking your car and he never lets you live it down.

And yeah, it would be better if you’d just fucked, because now you really fucking love each other.

#stepbro!patrick au #OOMFIE #ILY <3

52 notes · View notes

munson-blurbs · 2 years

Note

could you write about eddie and the reader suppose to be going out together but the reader thinks eddie stood them up but he got into a super bad car accident is in the hopsital and the reader doesn’t find out about it til a couple days later

I couldn't make reader wait too long because I couldn't do that to myself her, but I hope you like this! Sorry it took so long.

Warnings: car accident, mention of injuries, slight angst, some language

WC: 1.2k

Eddie was supposed to pick you up for your first date at 7:00 PM. You didn't expect him to show up on time; you'd been friends with him long enough to know that punctuality was not his forte, but he was now an hour and a half late. That was a lot, even for Eddie.

You dialed his phone number for the third time, listening to the ring until Wayne's recorded voice greets you.

You've reached Eddie and Wayne. Leave a message.

"Hey, Eds," you start. "It's me again. Just wondering if you were on your way, or if you forgot about...anyway, call me back when you get this." You hang up the phone, tears prickling in your eyes.

Maybe it was all a prank, or a stupid dare from one of the Hellfire guys. It made sense; why else would Eddie have asked you out after all this time? You'd been crushing on him for years.

You settle onto the couch, grabbing a bag of potato chips despite your appetite all but disappearing at the prospect of being the butt of their joke. You pick up the phone again, but you don't call Eddie this time.

"Henderson residence," Dustin's chipper voice perks you up briefly; the boy was always kind to you.

"Hi, Dustin," you say somberly, trying not to show how sad you truly are.

"Y/N? he asks, worry evident in his tone. "What's wrong? Aren't you supposed to be out with Eddie?"

You feel the tears slip down your cheeks as your emotions get the best of you. "He stood me up," you tell Dustin quietly. "Be honest with me, please--was this all a joke?"

"No. No, no no," he insists. "Eddie hasn't shut up about you or this date for ages. And he would never do that to you. The guy worships the ground you walk on."

You roll your eyes at his dramatics; carrying your books for you and kicking Gareth or Jeff out of the passenger seat of the van so you could sit there certainly was not worshipping the ground you walk on.

"Look," Dustin continues, "let me figure out what's going on. I'll call you as soon as I get info."

"Thanks," you croak out. "I really appreciate it."

"Of course," he says before hanging up with a click.

The phone ringing wakes you up from a dreamless sleep. You've passed out on the couch; the clock on the wall reads 2:37 AM. Who would be calling at this hour? Dustin was an intense kid, but even he would wait until the sun was up to call you back.

You snatch up the receiver before the bleating can wake your family. "H-hello?" you harshly whisper.

"Hi, is this Y/F/N Y/L/N?" an unfamiliar female voice comes over the line.

"Yeah? Who's this?" you question suspiciously. She didn't sound like a telemarketer or a crank caller.

"I'm Shelby, a nurse at Hawkins General Hospital," she explains. "Your friend, Edward Munson, was brought here earlier tonight after he was in a car accident." She pauses for a moment. "You were listed as an emergency contact on some previous paperwork he'd filled out the last time he was here."

You remember that; he'd broken his ankle last year while jumping off of the stage at the Hideout. Since Wayne was at work, he'd put down your name and number.

"Car accident?" you sputter, sitting up quickly. You're suddenly wide awake. "Is he okay?"

"He is now," she tells you gently. "His car was hit head-on by someone driving the wrong way, and it flipped. The paramedics had to cut him out of his seatbelt."

Your throat is dry and you feel your stomach lurch. "Oh my God," you whisper.

"We're still waiting on the scan results to ensure there's no internal bleeding," Shelby continues, "but he's awake now, which is a good sign. Keeps asking for you."

Your heart melts at this. "I'll be right there," you tell her earnestly. You technically weren't supposed to take the car without your parents' permission, but they would make an exception for this circumstance.

The drive there seems to take an eternity, and you run into the emergency room as soon as you kill the engine.

"I'm here to see Eddie--Edward--Munson?" you tell the receptionist, panting from your sprint. "I'm his emergency contact." You give her your name, and she nods.

"He's in room 110," she informs you, pointing down a quiet hallway. You quickly find his room, knocking gently at the already open door.

"Tryin' to sleep," Eddie's groggy voice floats by, thinking it's another nurse dropping by to take his vitals yet again.

"Eds," you say softly, "it's me."

His eyes widen as he unsuccessfully tries to push himself up on the bed. He winces at the pain and slumps back down.

"Don't get up," you tell him, pulling the armchair over to his bedside. You take his hand in yours, mindful of the IV needle taped to the back. A brace collars his neck and his left arm is wrapped in a sling. Bruises are forming around his eyes, and scratches mar his cheeks and forehead. "What happened?" you ask, rubbing your thumb along his.

He grimaces as he tries to look into your eyes, momentarily forgetting about his neck brace. "I was driving down Miller Road and this asshole comes barreling down, smashing into the van and sending it flying." He exhales, resting his good arm around his aching ribs. "Stupid schmuck didn't even stop. Someone else ran into a nearby store and called 9-1-1."

"I'm just glad you're alive," you murmur, gently placing a kiss on his cheek. "But wait," you pause, "why were you driving down Miller? You don't need to go that way to get to my house."

Eddie manages a small laugh. "Yeah, but I needed to go that way to get to the florist," he admits. "Wayne told me that if I waited all this time to take you out and didn't even bother to bring you flowers, he would smack me with my own guitar."

You giggle at the thought of Wayne threatening his nephew. "Knew that man was a romantic at heart."

"Nah, he just didn't want me to mess things up with the girl of my dreams." A blush creeps into his scarred face.

"Well," you sigh, looking around the room, "this wasn't exactly what I pictured for our first date, but it'll do." You stand up and release his hand. "Give me a sec, okay?"

"Where are y--" but he can't finish his thought before you dash out of the room, returning 15 minutes later with an armful of treats from the hospital cafeteria.

"All right," you start, placing the food on the table next to him, "we've got some sandwiches, pretzels, potato chips, and apple juice. Oh," you remember, "and this." You hand him a plastic container with a piece of chocolate cake. "The cashier said it's the best thing there, although he may have just been trying to get rid of me."

You fiddle with the radio until you find something resembling smooth jazz. Eddie wrinkles his nose. "What the hell is this?"

"It's mood music," you tease. "Did you think we were gonna listen to metal on our first date?"

Eddie chuckles lightly, careful of his sore body. "I'd listen to anything as long as I'm with you."

Your face lights up. "Even--"

"Not Madonna!"

#eddie munson #eddie x reader #eddie x you #eddie stranger things #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x f!reader #eddie munson angst #fluff #angst #eddie munson stranger things #stranger things fanfic #stranger things #eddie munson fanfic #fanfic #requests

891 notes · View notes

bellaireland1981 · 1 year

Text

Starting Over | 5

Summary: You come home to work to find your husband of three years in bed with your supposed best friend. It’s the wake up call you finally needed to take your two year old daughter and get the hell out of Texas. With nowhere to go you head to your big brother in San Diego. The sagger squad takes you under their wings, and shows you what having a family means. You get a fresh start… will you find your happily ever after?

Characters: Jake “hangman” Seresin x Sister! Reader, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Seresin! Reader (Eventually), Hangman x Phoenix (eventually) , Adorable OC Gracie! The Dagger squad

Word Count: 11.1k -- not even sorry lol. Giving you more for being patient!

Warnings: Angst, cheating husband, emotional abuse, eventual fluff, smut in later chapters, Sweet uncle Jake, Adorable Rooster with a toddler… if I miss any please let me know.

A/N: I don’t own the characters or storyline for Top Gun Maverick. All OC’s are mine. I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR ANYONE TO COPY OR REPOST MY WORK TO ANY OTHER PLATFORM! DON’T STEAL! Reblogs, likes and comments ALWAYS welcomed. THANK YOU @waywardodysseys and @beyondthesefourwalls as always for reading over my work and helping me flush out ideas!!

Taglist is open! If I missed anyone who asked to be tagged, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM to be added. It’s getting to hard to keep track of asks.

CH 1 CH 2 CH 3 Ch 4

True to his word, the following Monday, Bradley was on your doorstep bright and early ready for babysitting duty. Jake was getting Gracie breakfast while you finished getting ready for court. You were meeting your lawyer a half hour before you were due in court to go over everything. She wanted to discuss correspondence she’d received from Trent’s lawyer before going into the hearing.

“It’s open!” Jake yelled when Bradley rang the doorbell.

Bradley came through the front door as you were walking out to the living room. You picked out a green sheath dress with a navy blue fitted ¾ length sleeve jacket and navy pumps. You pulled your hair back into a low messy bun with tendrils hanging around your face. You’d kept the makeup to a minimum, not wanting to have to worry about any running in the event you cried.

“You look really pretty, Y/N.” Bradley said, offering you a sweet smile, “You feeling ok for today?”

“Thank you,” You smiled back. “I’m nervous… like…REALLY… nervous.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Sweetheart.” He said, “It’s going to go your way. No judge would rule in favor of that douche.”

“I just want the whole thing over and to be free, but I have a bad feeling it’s going to drag out.” You said. “I can’t thank you enough though for taking off work to stay with Gracie. It means so much to me.”

“It’ll be over soon, and all in your past.” He said, “You don’t have to thank me, Sweetheart. I get to spend the day with a Princess. That’s better than work.”

“Even when work involves flying F-18s at stupid speeds?” You challenged, smiling.

“Even then.” He confirmed, not missing a beat.

“Hey Rooster.” Jake said, poking his head out from the kitchen. “I made extra if you’re hungry. Gracie is finishing up her waffles now. I just have to change shirts quickly… in hindsight, I should have known better than to get dressed before serving waffles and syrup to a toddler.”

“Rookie move, Bubs.” You laughed, “We’ve got a little time though so go ahead and change, I’ll hold down the fort here.”

“Then you’ll get sticky from the syrup.” Jake pointed out.

“I’ll handle the syrup situation.” Bradley said, walking into the kitchen, “Go change. It’s my turn with Princess Gracie.”

“WOOSTA!” She exclaimed, holding up very sticky fingers and making grabby hands towards Bradley. “We pway?”

“Good Morning, Baby Girl.” He beamed at Gracie, “Are you all done eating? Or are you still hungry?”

“All done!” She said, “Up pwease!”

“Let me wipe the stickiness from your fingers and face then we’ll play ok?” He compromised, wetting a cloth under the kitchen faucet, before picking her up.

“Otay!” She agreed.

“I laid out some play clothes for her on her bed and the diaper bag is packed if you wanted to go anywhere, the keys to my car are hanging up on the hook by the door.” You said, “You can move the car seat over to your Bronco if you’d rather drive that.”

“We’ll be just fine.” He promised, “Princess Gracie and I are going to have lots of fun today.”

“Thank you again, Bradley.” You said, smiling, “It really means a lot to me.”

“Sweetheart, please stop thanking me.” He laughed, “I will never turn down a playdate with this sweet girl.”

“See, Rooster,” Jake teased, coming in with a clean shirt on and tucked in. “Your dating life is picking up after all.”

“Jakey, be nice!” You admonished your big brother. “Your tie is crooked too, come here.”

“He’s not wrong.” Bradley laughed good naturedly, “My dating life is nonexistent… but I have a feeling hanging out with Gracie is better than any date I’ve been on recently.”

“Well mine is and will remain nonexistent for the foreseeable future.” You said, tying Jake’s tie so it was straight. “There, all better.”

“Thanks Tulip.” He said, flashing you a soft smile, “Let’s go get this first step to your freedom taken care of. Gotta get you back up on that horse.”

“I don’t think that’s the right analogy here, Jakey.” You said, rolling your eyes.

“I think it’s absolutely the right analogy, Sweetheart.” Bradley winked.

“I love you, Gracie Girl.” You said, leaning in to kiss your daughter, “Be good for Bradley. Mommy will see you this afternoon when we get back.”

“Wuv you Mommy!” Gracie said smiling, perfectly content to have time with her ‘Woosta’.

You and Jake arrived at the courthouse and were greeted by your lawyer.

“Thank you for meeting me before we go in.” She said, “I have a small meeting room booked, we can go in and go over what we have so far.”

“Thank you.” You replied, following her to the room. Once inside, you remembered to introduce her to Jake. “This is my brother Jake.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Lauren Kennedy.” She replied, shaking Jake’s hand.

“Nice to meet you too, Ma’am.” Jake smiled, “Thank you for all you’re doing for my sister.”

“I am absolutely happy to help.” She replied, “Especially after some interactions I’ve had with Trent and his lawyer… I’m even happier to help.”

“Is this going to be drawn out?” You asked, your shoulders tensing with the prospect of being stuck longer in this situation. “I don’t even care if I walk away with absolutely nothing. I just need to be free.”

“Not necessarily.” She said, offering a soft smile, “As we discussed last week, he did contest the divorce and also the same day countersued for custody. This, in itself is a contradiction and I would argue shows it’s all a power move on his part. I’ve had several conversations with the attorney that he has hired as well as a few rambling emails and voicemails from Trent himself since that initial contact.”

“He’s already admitted he never wanted Gracie and has since said so on voicemail.” Jake seethed, “That piece of shit doesn’t deserve Gracie. He’s never been involved in her life even when she was living under the same roof.”

“That admission will certainly help strengthen our already very strong case.” Lauren assured us. “If the judge grants the order of protection today, we will certainly use that to accelerate both the divorce and the custody case. I honestly don’t see this dragging out indefinitely, so please don’t get discouraged. Trent doesn’t strike me as someone with the means to keep this tied up in court. He is your typical playground bully. We push back hard enough, he’ll give up in favor of finding an easier target.”

“What if he comes out here and tries to take Gracie?” You asked, the fear suddenly choking you, “He can’t take my baby.”

“He’ll have to go through me.” Jake said, rubbing your back comfortingly, “It’ll be a cold day in hell before my Princess G ends up in his hands.”

“Hopefully today will help prevent that.” Lauren said, encouragingly, “Y/N, I promise you, I will do everything in my power to get you freed from this man in every way. Whether he contests the divorce or not, there are safeguards in place with the laws and we will use them. Him agreeing just makes it happen faster. In all of my years practicing family law, I have never seen a judge side with a parent showing so many red flags as Trent does, especially when the other parent is stable and established as the child’ sole caregiver. I need you to remember that the only questionable variable in this situation is the amount of time it takes to get it through. You will be divorced from this man, you will reclaim your life, Sweetie. I promise you that.”

“Thank you.” You replied, quietly. “I really do appreciate all you’re doing for me.”

“It’s absolutely my pleasure.” She smiled, “Let’s head on into the courtroom and get situated.”

“He isn’t here right?” You asked, suddenly scared to enter the courtroom. “Or his lawyer?”

“His attorney may be in attendance” She replied, “I would be surprised, being he is based out of Texas. If Trent is present, due to it being an order of protection hearing, we will do everything we can to maintain as much distance as possible. In the event he’s here and the order is approved, a deputy would escort you out of the courthouse ahead or behind Trent, upholding the distance ordered and to prevent illegal contact.”

“And I will be here with you every single step of the way, Tulip.” Jake promised, “I will never let him hurt you in any way ever again.”

In the end, Tent, thankfully, had not shown up. His lawyer Zoomed into the hearing on his behalf. After looking at all of the texts, reviewing the voicemails, and listening to your account of your marriage, the judge ordered a no contact order. All communication now had to officially go through lawyers. Trent was not allowed to text or call you and was not allowed within 500 feet of you. The order was temporary, but would hopefully be enough to allow you to get the divorce you needed and to start your life over. Your attorney said the order would help with the custody and divorce hearings. Trent’s lawyer had objected and insisted all of the evidence was a result of emotional distress you’d caused by leaving and taking your daughter out of state. You were thankful the judge hadn’t seen it that way.

“What are the next steps?” Jake asked, as you all left the courtroom. Even just this small victory took a load off of your shoulders. At least now he could be held in contempt of court if he contacted you or showed up on your doorstep. “Can you file anything that legally separates them so she can start to rebuild her life while waiting on the divorce to go through?”

“Legally, they are already separated.” Lauren explained, “The moment we filed the intent to dissolve the marriage, they were legally separated. The next steps are getting a court date for the divorce and custody of Gracie. Since he’s contesting, it will need to go before a judge. The judge would normally order mediation to work out the divorce agreement but since Y/N only wants custody and nothing from the marital home or any monetary compensation, and in light of the no contact order in place as of today, the judge will be more inclined to waive the mediator and grant the divorce. Custody could be done the same day if we can get Trent to agree to vanquish his parental rights or to simply agree to you having full custody, Y/N.”

“So, the divorce is just a formality at this point, she’s already free of that piece of shit?” Jake clarified.

“The marriage is essentially on ‘hold’ until the divorce is finalized. Legally speaking though, yes, Y/N you are free to move on, Sweetie.” She replied. She smiled warmly, winking at you. “That includes dating.”

“I don’t think I’m quite ready for that yet.” You replied, offering a small smile, “I just want to focus on being a good mom to Gracie.”

“Tulip, you’ve already nailed that.” Jake assured you, “You’re the best mom and Princess G is so lucky to have you as her mommy.”

“I love you, Jakey.” You said, hugging him.

“Love you too, Tulip.” He replied, hugging you back.

“Alright, I will continue to keep you posted” Lauden said, “I’ll be calling Trent’s lawyer again today to encourage his client to settle now and agree to dissolve the marriage rather than drag it out. If his lawyer is competent, he’ll know this is a losing battle on their end. It’s to their advantage to settle and not let the judge set the terms.”

“Thank you. For everything.” You said.

“You’re very welcome.” She replied, “Keep your chin up, this will be over and just a bad memory in no time at all.”

After leaving the courthouse, Jake decided to treat you to lunch before heading home. He took you to one of his favorite Mexican restaurants, knowing you’d love it too.

As you sat eating your lunch you could tell Jake was thinking about something. “I can see the wheels turning in your head, Bubs.” You laughed, “What’s on your mind?”

“Just thinking about what your lawyer said.” Jake said.

“Which part?” You asked, “She said a lot today.”

“About being free to start over.” He replied slowly, “Dating and all that.”

“No need to go into overprotective brother mode, Jakey.” You smiled, “I meant it when I said I don’t think I’m ready. I don’t really trust my own judgment anyway.”

“Do you trust mine?” He asked.

“Of course I do, Jakey.” You replied, “What’s going on in that head though?”

“OK, hear me out.” He said. “If someone were interested in dating you and you were interested in them… would you trust my judgment on whether they were a good fit or not?”

“Yes.” You replied, confused where this was coming from, waiting on him to elaborate.

“Ok.” He smiled, relaxing. “So what do you think you want to do first, now that you’re well on your way to freedom?”

“A job.” You replied, shaking your head at your brother. Sometimes he was so hard to get a read on. “Penny offered me a part time job. If she’s still serious about it, I want to accept. I just need to find daycare.”’

“I can help with that!” He assured you, “I think getting out of the house and being around adults will be good for you.”

“Jake you can’t take Gracie to base” You laughed, “She can’t be your WSO at 2 years old.”

“I know that.” He said, playfully rolling his eyes, “I can look into daycare on base though, or at least ask around for recommendations. Being around other kiddos will be good for her too.”

After lunch you headed home to relieve Bradley of babysitting duties. Jake hung the keys to the truck on the hook by the door when you walked in, immediately reaching up to loosen and untie the tie he wore to court.

“Hey…how did it go?” Bradley asked cautiously.

“It went well!” Jake replied, “That piece of trash can’t contact Tulip anymore!”

“That’s fantastic, Y/N!” Bradley said, flashing a bright smile at you, “How are you feeling?”

“So much relief.” You replied, smiling back at him, “My lawyer also said that this will help us in the custody and divorce proceedings.”

“Even better.” He said, “This calls for a celebration! How about drinks at the Hard Deck tomorrow night?”

“I don’t have a babysitter for Gracie.” You replied, “But you all can go and celebrate for me!”

“Tulip, we can’t celebrate without you when you’re the reason for the celebration.” Jake laughed, “We will find a sitter for Gracie and we will go for a bit.”

“Ok.” You agreed. “Going out does sound fun. It’s been awhile. I’m going to go change and start getting stuff put together for dinner. Bradley, you’re joining us… if you don’t have plans. It’s the least I can do for you taking a day off to stay with Gracie.”

“I will happily accept dinner.” He replied, “But it’s because you’re cooking is amazing and too good to say no to, not because you owe me anything for spending time with that sweet Princess. She was good as gold and we had fun.”

“Well, thank you all the same.” You said, kissing his cheek before heading to the bedroom to change.

***** Jake’s POV *****

“Thanks, Rooster.” Jake said, removing his tie completely now and slumping down on the couch. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for Y/N and Gracie.”

“Look, I know we definitely started off on the wrong foot but, like we keep reminding Y/N…this is a family.” Bradley said, “For me, it’s the only one I’ve got. So there really isn’t much I wouldn’t do for you, Jake. And let’s be real, 5 minutes in her presence and Gracie had me wound tightly around her adorable, chubby little finger.”

“She has a way of doing that.” Jake laughed, “She’s had me hooked since she drew her first breaths.”

“Y/N is the same way.” Bradley said, treading carefully, unsure how Jake would react to knowing he was falling hard for his sister.

“She’ll kill me for this…” Jake said, sitting up and turning to face Bradley, “Here’s the thing. She’s kinda fragile at the moment and very unsure of herself…actually said she doesn’t trust her own judgment when it comes to guys and dating now… but she does trust me. And I trust YOU. I know you’ve got a thing for Y/N. I’ve seen the way you look at her. I’ve also seen the way she looks at you when she thinks nobody is looking. What’s more… I’ve seen how much you care about Gracie. Those girls are the most important people in my life, Bradley. They’re the only actual family I’ve got. I just need you to know…to really know… what you’re getting into. If you’re not playing the long game here where my sister and niece get their fairytale ending… I’m asking you to bow out now. I failed her once in my role as her big brother and protector. I can’t fail her again.”

“Jake, I genuinely already care deeply about them both.” Bradley admitted. “I would never do anything to intentionally or knowingly hurt either of them. I’d rather burn in than do that. Just to be clear though, because I’m not trying to get my face rearranged at any point… are you saying that you’re actually OK with the fact that I’m falling for your sister?”

“You’re probably the only guy I WOULD trust with her heart.” Jake shrugged, smiling, “And now that you’ve confirmed you do in fact have feelings for her…what do you plan to do about it?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Bradley admitted, “And this isn’t me ‘being safe on a perch’. I just don’t wanna screw this up or spook her.”

“I appreciate that.” Jake replied, “Me giving you shit in the air about playing it safe doesn’t mean I can’t see the value in being cautious and taking things slow when it matters. Just… not too slow. The lawyer even said she can get started building her life and even mentioned dating. She’s legally separated if that’s what is holding you back.”

“I don’t know that the military cares about legal separations, man…” Bradley said, “Pretty sure it’s still against the code… but… I don’t think it’s against the code to spend time with a friend and her adorable little girl. Especially when I am in fact, playing the long game.”

“Good to know.” Jake said, “On that note. I’m going to change quickly. Are you hanging around for dinner?”

“Yeah, there’s no way I’m passing up more time with those two…and a home cooked meal.” Bradley replied, smirking, “And I guess you’re alright to hang out with too.”

“Asshole.” Jake laughed, getting up and heading upstairs to change. Bradley laughed at his retreat.

*** Your POV ***

After changing into a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a Texas Longhorns t-shirt, you made your way out of your room. Before heading to the kitchen to start meal prepping you peeked into Gracie’s room to check on her quickly, smiling at the sight of her curled up sleeping soundly.

“You must have worn her out this morning.” You said, smiling at Bradley who was still seated on the couch. “She’s out like a light still.”

“We played pretty hard.” Bradley said, “Lots of chasing, flying, tea parties, and even went for a walk around the block.”

“Flying, huh?” You asked, laughing. “Starting her young?”

“Yup!” He replied, “Gotta get her used to those G’s. That little princess is fearless though. She loves to be tossed up in the air and completely trusts that you’ll catch her.”

“Believe it or not, she’s only been as outgoing as she is since coming here.” You said, “Back home she was always painfully shy and quiet. I only got to see this version of her when it was just the two of us.”

“Seriously?” He asked, shocked. Gracie had taken to him instantly and he’d never experienced the shy girl being described. “I can’t even picture that… she’s so full of life, full speed ahead.”

“Well it helps that it was love at first sight with you.” You smiled warmly, “She claimed you from the start.”

“The feeling is quite mutual.” He replied, holding your gaze. “Her mom is working her way in too.”

You felt butterflies erupt in your belly, your heart rate picked up and you could feel heat spreading over your body. You weren’t really sure how to respond. You definitely liked the man, but was it really fair to him to be saddled with a complicated mess like yourself?

“I can see the wheels turning, Sweetheart.” he said gently, offering a warm smile that reached his eyes. “No pressure. I know you’ve got a lot going on right now. All the cards on the table though, I really like you… a lot. You know I’m crazy about Gracie. If or whenever you’re ready, if you’re interested, I want you to know that so am I.”

“I like you too…” You admitted quietly, “More than I should considering the circumstances. It’s just… Bradley, I’m a mess. You deserve so much more than someone who doesn’t have their shit together. Hell, I don’t even have a job. I’m literally mooching off of my brother right now.”

“Hey.” He said, taking your hands and turning you so that you’re facing him. “First of all, I’d be willing to bet a paycheck that if Jake heard you talk like that he’d blow a gasket. Secondly, Sweetheart you’re not a mess. You were stuck in a shitty marriage with a piece of shit that doesn’t deserve you and you were strong enough to get you and your daughter out and are taking steps to keep him out of your lives. Thirdly, and most importantly, you are so incredible, so beautiful, intelligent, funny, an amazing mom, and I would be LUCKY to get to spend time with you and get to know you.”

He leaned down, placing a soft kiss on your cheek, then pulling back to look into your eyes, willing you to see yourself in his eyes. To believe what he was saying.

“Like I said before, Sweetheart,” He continued, “No pressure. I just really want to get to know you more and would love to spend time with you.”

“I would really like to spend time with you too.” You admitted.

“Then we will start there.” He smiled sweetly at you.

“Look who’s up?” Jake said, carrying Gracie into the room. “I peeked in to check on her and my little Princess was awake and ready to play again.”

“There’s my sweet Gracie Girl!” You beamed at your daughter, “Did you sleep well?”

“Hi Mommy” She smiled, still rubbing her eyes, “Woosta, we pway again?”

“Wow, I see where her priorities are now.” You laughed.

“Hi Princess,” Bradley chucked, “I will happily play with you again. Do you want to go outside to play?”

“Yes! Outside!” She happily exclaimed, then looked at Jake, “Unco Jakey pway too?”

“Of course, Princess G!” He replied, kissing her forehead. “Let’s get your shoes on and we’ll go out back. I think we need to get you a swing for the backyard… or a playhouse and a slide!”

“Jakey!” You exclaimed, “There is a perfectly good park within walking distance. We’re not putting in a playground in your backyard.”

“No fun, Tulip.” He pouted, “Princess G needs her own playground.”

“Lord help me,” You rolled your eyes playfully, “You’re going to spoil that child rotten.”

“Nope.” he replied, “Not possible.”

“If you two have her, I’m going to go get started on dinner prep.” You said, heading to the kitchen.

While the guys were out back running with Gracie, you pulled out everything you needed to make dinner. Before getting too involved in prepping though, you paused to make a snack for Gracie, knowing she’d be hungry after her nap. You peeled and sliced apples for her, cutting them into bite size chunks and placed them on a plate with a handful of mini pretzels and cubes of cheese. This way she had a choice of what she’d snack on and you knew Jake or Bradley would help her finish if need be. Grabbing a sippy cup with water, you made your way out back.

“Snack time for my little Princess.” You said, setting the plate and cup down on the outdoor table.

“What about our snacks?” Jake asked, winking.

“You can see if your niece will share with you.” You said, smirking at him, “If not, there’s more fruit and cheese in the fridge. And dinner isn’t too far off.”

“Need any help with anything?” Bradley asked, “I promise I’m slightly more competent than Jake in the kitchen.”

“That’s not setting the bar too high.” You teased. “Gracie would be sad if I took her new bestie away from her.”

“I’ll cover.” Jake said, winking at you knowinging. “Princess G! Rooster has to help Mommy cook dinner, wanna go for a walk around the block with me?”

“Yes!” She said, dropping the ball she’d been playing with. “Bye Mommy! Bye Woosta!”

“And just like that, Uncle Jakey is the favorite again.” Jake said, flashing a victory smile. “Let’s go, Princess G!”

“Stay with Uncle Jakey, Gracie.” You reminded her, “Hold his hand!”

“Kitchen assistant Bradshaw reporting for duty.” Bradley said as the two of you stepped into the kitchen.

“When you said you are slightly more competent than Jake in the kitchen… How much more competent are you talking?” You asked, “He makes decent breakfast food and knows his way around a grill.”

“I can cook, Sweetheart.” He laughed, “I’m not a huge fan of it and it’s just me I’ll pick up take out, but my mom made sure I could cook.”

“Ok then.” You replied, trying and failing to maintain a serious expression. “You’re in charge of cutting the potatoes and veggies. The potatoes just need to be cut into wedges, the broccoli cut off the stalk, and the zucchini and yellow squash need to be cut into small chunks. That’s all going onto a sheet pan to be roasted.”

“I can handle that.” He promised, “Cutting board and knife, please.”

You handed him the needed equipment and the veggies before turning to get the chicken ready.

“Where’d you learn to cook so well?” He asked as he started to cut the potatoes.

“Jake got us through until I was old enough to read and understand a cookbook.” You said, “We ate a lot of eggs and toast, hot dogs and mac n cheese, and grilled cheese sandwiches before that. When I was in 4th grade I checked out a cookbook from the library and made Jake get the ingredients… first few meals were rough, but then I got the hang of it. After that, Jake made sure we had a well stocked kitchen… well as best as he could given the lack of funds we really had to work with.”

“I can’t even imagine, Sweetheart.” He replied, “It was just mom and Me…occasionally Mav when he wasn’t deployed, but my mom made sure I had everything I needed. You and Jake had to raise yourselves. Did you have any other family?”

“Just each other.” You replied, “We learned early that we were all we had. Jake did all he could to make sure nobody had reason to call family services on us. We took care of each other and stayed out of our parent’s way. What was your mom like?”

“Amazing.” He replied, a soft smile forming on his lips. “She was so full of life and love. She was the fun neighborhood mom. There were always extra kids hanging around. I think her mission was to make sure every kid was well fed. She made everything we did together fun, even the mundane things like chores.”

“I’m so sorry you lost her.” You said, “She sounds incredible.”

“I definitely wish she was still alive, but I’m lucky I had her for the time I did.” He replied. “Her and my dad had such a deep and complete love. After he died she was kinda lost for a bit. I don’t remember much of that time since I was so young, but it was almost like she snapped out of it and threw herself fully into just being my mom and raising me. She never dated anyone after my dad died. That’s probably the only thing I’d change. She deserved to be happy.”

“Maybe raising you and being there for you was what made her happy?” You suggested, “She had her one true love, and rather than settling for something less than that, she just poured all of her love into her child.”

“Isn’t there a balance though?” Bradley asked, “And do we only get one true love per lifetime?”

“I’m the wrong person to ask about that.” You said sadly, “I’ve never really been able to see what a healthy love is supposed to look like. I clearly didn’t find it with Trent.”

“Maybe not romantic love, but you and Jake love each other and have a sibling bond that not many reach.” He said, “You’ve also nailed the whole Mom gig, Sweetheart. So that proves you don’t need to have had a ‘good’ example in order to be capable of it.”

“Were you always so smart?” You asked, a smile forming on your face, “Or is this a new development?”

“Always.” He smirked, “You should trust me on this one.”

“I’ll take it under consideration.” You teased, “In the meantime, keep choppin’. I need to put the veggies in at the same time as the chicken.”

“On it.” He smirked, winking. He finished chopping the vegetables while you finished getting the chicken seasoned and on the cooking sheet.

Once everything was on the cooking sheets and in the oven you grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and passed one to Bradley.

“Well done, kitchen assistant Bradshaw.” You smiled, “You can help me out anytime.”

“How about, I help you this Friday when the squad invades for dinner.” He suggested, “Then… you let me take you out to dinner on Saturday night, so you’re not having to cook.”

“I’d have to see if Jake has plans…” You said, “Unless we do an early dinner and at a kid friendly restaurant.”

“Sweetheart, I am completely on board with both of those options.” Bradley said, “We could even take her and have a beach day and then dinner in the evening. I’m sure the squad would take a beach day too if you’d be more comfortable with a group.”

“I’d be comfortable with just you too, Bradley.” You said, offering a smile.

“How about we see if Jake and Phoenix want to join us?” He suggested, “That way we can give them a gentle push together. And while we do that, we get to spend more time together, with Gracie as an added bonus.”

“I like that.” You replied. Then, deciding to be brave and trust not only yourself, but also your brother’s judgment in friends and most importantly in Bradley. “I’d also like to spend time with you… just the two of us… if you’re willing to deal with complicated.”

“Complicated is good.” He smiled, moving to stand closer to you, his hand coming to gently push some hair from your face, “You’re worth complicated, Sweetheart.”

“We’re back!” Jake called from the living room.

“We back Mommy!” Gracie parroted her uncle. The pair made their way into the kitchen, Gracie hitching a ride on Jake’s back.

“Someone was lucky enough to get a piggy back ride from Uncle Jakey, I see.” You laughed.

“She made a solid case for why she should get a ride.” Jake shrugged, smiling.’

After dinner you got Gracie in the bath, letting her play in the warm water for a bit, while Jake and Bradley played a flying video game.

Once you had Gracie bathed and her pajamas on, you took her back out to the living room to let her play for a bit before you started her bedtime routine.

“You’d think you two got enough of that piloting stuff in your actual jobs.” You teased, sitting down in the oversized chair next to the couch. “Just can’t get enough of it huh?”

“This is different, Tulip.” Jake insisted, “We get to fly planes from different eras and hone our skills in different terrains.”

“And we get to blow stuff up.” Bradley added, smirking. “That’s fun too.”

“That’s more in line with what I figured.” You said, rolling your eyes playfully.

“Mommy, you wead book pwease?” Gracie said, bringing over one of her books.

“I will happily read you a book, Baby Girl.” You said, smiling at your little girl. “Do you want to go snuggle in your bed and read before it’s sleepytime?”

“Yes, pwease.” She agreed, rubbing her eyes. All of the playtime and fresh air wore her out.

“Say goodnight to Uncle Jakey and Bradley.” You said. You watched as they instantly paused their game, and turned their full focus on Gracie. It warmed your heart as it’s not something her father ever did.

“Night Unco Jakey.” Gracie said, hugging him first. “Wuv you.”

“I love you too, Princess G.” He replied, hugging her tightly, “Sweet dreams.”

“Night Woosta.” She says, climbing over into Bradley’s lap and hugging him. “Wuv you.”

“Goodnight, Princess.” He replied softly, holding her gently and hugging her back and dropping a soft kiss on her head. “I love you too.”

“We pway tomorrow?” She asked him.

“I have to work tomorrow, Sweetheart.” He answered, “But, I promise to come play with you again soon, OK?”

“Otay.” She agreed before hopping down and heading to her room.

***********

The rest of the week went pretty smoothly. You’d talked to Penny about the part time job she offered at the Hard Deck. She’d told you that it was yours and that she’d work around daycare for you. Amelia was willing to babysit once school was out for the summer, so you only needed a sitter part time for about a month. You were going to meet with her next week to figure out the hours and everything the job would entail.

Friday night was the squad dinner night, everyone loved the homemade pizzas. Bradley had arrived after work and had helped you make the pizzas. Gracie’s favorite night of the week was Friday when the squad was over. She loved having all the playmates.

“What time are we headed to the beach tomorrow?” Phoenix asked once everyone but Bradley had left.

“Probably mid morning, I’m guessing.” Jake said, “We can bring the pack n play and an umbrella so Gracie can nap at the beach.”

“It’s sweet seeing you with her.” Phoenix says, offering Jake a soft smile. He blushed, a smile forming on his face.

“Gracie is really good at wrapping Naval aviators around her little finger.” You said.

“Yes she is.” Bradley agreed. “She’s got me hooked.”

“She’s not the only one.” Phoenix said, smirking knowingly at Bradley.

“That I’ve already admitted to.” He said, winking at you.

“Hey, Nix” Jake said, “Feel like being on babysitting duty with me tomorrow night? We get to hang with a really sweet toddler. She’s lots of fun…”

“That sounds fun.” She said, it was now her turn to blush. “I’d love to.”

You and Bradley shared a conspiratory look. You really hoped spending time together would push the pair together.

The next morning Jake was loading the pack n play, umbrella and beach chairs into the truck while you pulled together snacks and a lunch for everyone. You’d packed the beach bag before going to bed the night before so all you needed to do was get dressed and get Gracie dressed.

“Alright, the truck is packed up. Phoenix and Bradley just got here. I’ll get Gracie changed.” Jake said, “Go get dressed so we can hit the beach.”

Fifteen minutes later you were ready. You’d opted for a simple blue two piece swimsuit, one of two you’d bought while shopping with Phoenix. You threw a pair of cut off jean shorts and a tank top over your suit and slipped on flip flops.

“Ok, I’m ready.” You said, pulling your hair into a messy bun, while walking into the living room. “I packed towels, food, drinks, sunscreen, toys… what am I forgetting?”

“I think you got it covered, Tulip.” Jake laughed, “Let’s go! Princess G, do you wanna ride with Uncle Jakey and Phoenix?”

“Ok, so we’re taking two vehicles.” You laughed.

“Yay! I wide wif Unco Jakey and Nix!” Gracie exclaimed.

“Let’s load up!” Jake said, scooping Gracie up onto his shoulders, making her giggle.

“He’s so adorable with her.” Phoenix told you, a soft look in her eyes.

You flashed her a knowing smile and grabbed your purse. The three of you followed Jake and Gracie out to the vehicles.

“See y’all at the beach.” Bradley said, opening the passenger door for you.

“Such a gentleman.” You smirked when he got into the driver’s seat.

“My mom raised me well.” he said, chuckling.

“She sure did.” You smiled, looking at him over your sunglasses.

“You’re gonna be trouble, Sweetheart.” He laughed.

After pulling into the beach parking lot. Bradley helped Jake carry all of the big stuff to where you would set up for the day. While they got the umbrella up and the pack n play set up…which was amusing to watch… you and Phoenix grabbed Gracie and the rest of the stuff from the truck.

“We have to put sunscreen on you before you play, Gracie.” You said, kneeling down on the sand to apply the sunscreen. “Alright, play here for a little bit until it soaks into your skin.”

You pulled out a couple of her toys for her to play with while she waited. In the meantime, you pulled off the tank you’d put over your swimsuit, dropping it on the bag. You started to apply sunscreen to your own skin, not wanting to burn.

“I’ll get your back.” Bradley offered, his eyes wandering over you. You smiled, feeling heat creep over your neck and face, having nothing to do with the sun. You handed him the bottle. “Turn around.”

You turned around so your back was to him. You had to bite back a moan when his warm, strong hands started rubbing the lotion into your back. He clearly knew what he was doing to you, judging by the smirk on his face once he’d finished.

“Your turn.” You replied, making a spinning motion with your finger to get him to turn around. “Shirt off, Flyboy.”

He laughed, complying with your order. He shrugged out of the Hawaiian shirt he had on and pulled off the white tank undershirt over his head, revealing a well toned, back and wide shoulders. You squeezed some sunscreen onto your hand and rubbed them together to warm the lotion before running your hands over his back, rubbing the lotion in thoroughly.

You smirked when you were done and he’d turned to you, his eyes betraying the effect your hands had on him. It was a boost to your confidence that you clearly needed.

“Mommy we swim?” Gracie asked, abandoning the toys she’d been playing with. “Pwease?”

“Absolutely, Sweet Girl!” You said, picking your little girl up. She was wearing a Disney Princess swimsuit with ruffles around the middle making it look like it had a tutu attached. You put the toddler sized life jacket on her, making sure it was secure. Someone would be holding her at all times in the water but you were always very cautious, having seen too many news stories of toddlers accidentally drowning.

“Let’s play in the water, Princess.” Bradley said, gently tapping Gracie’s nose with his finger, making her laugh.

You all headed to the water, Jake and Phoenix walking ahead of you, sending flirty looks back and forth between them. You glanced over to Bradley to see if he was noticing, but his whole focus was on you. You ducked your head, resting it against Gracie’s as you kept walking towards the water.

The four of you all took turns holding Gracie and spinning her the water. Jake and Bradley tossed her back and forth between them, dipping her as they caught her so her feet splashed the water. When she was tired of being in the water, you and Phoenix took her to shore to play with her sand toys, the two of you sitting in the sand to watch. Jake and Bradley stayed in the water, tossing a football back and forth.

“This was a good idea.” Phoenix said, “Thanks for inviting me.”

“This is probably the most fun I’ve had in… I don’t even know how long.” You admitted, “I’m really glad you’re here. It’s nice having a friend.”

“It’s even nicer not to be outnumbered by men.” Phoenix laughed, “I love my squad, but it’s a LOT of testosterone.”

“I can only imagine.” You said, “Just from what I’ve seen at our dinners and the zoo trip… they’re a lot to wrangle.”

“Worth it though.” She smiled, looking out at where the guys were now apparently locked in a water war.

“Definitely.” You agreed, your eyes on Bradley and his rippling muscles on display.

“He’s one of the good ones, Y/N.” She remarked, catching you staring at Bradley. “I know you’re going through it right now, and might not be fully ready, but know that it doesn’t get much better than Bradshaw. He’s safe. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but he’s gone for you and Gracie.”

“We actually talked… Monday after Jake and I got back from court.” You admitted. “He laid all the cards on the table. I really like him, Nat. A lot. He’s so easy to fall for. He’s amazing with Gracie… I know he’s one of the good ones…”

“But…?” She pushed, maintaining eye contact.

“I’m a mess. I come with a lot of baggage and I’m scared.” You said, “Not of him. I’m scared of being too much of shit show and dragging him down. He deserves so much more than that.”

“Sweetie, he might look like he’s got it all together, but that man comes with some pretty heavy baggage too.” She replied gently, “Rooster has some trust issues caused by Mav. They’re good now, but there’s history there. He also has baggage relating to everything that went down with his dad and seeing how it affected his mom. BUT…despite all that, he’s willing to take the risk and trust you with his heart. I can see it all over his face. You should also know, he’s never been like this with anyone before. He’s… different with you and Gracie. He’s settled… calm. All I’m saying is… if you feel the same about him, go with it, Y/N… trust him.”

“I think I’ve decided I am.” You said, “He’s taking me out tonight, which is why you and Jake are on babysitting duty.”

“I wondered about that.” She smiled, “Good. Just stay out of your head. Don’t think.”

“Just do.” You finished, laughing at the catchphrase that had taken over the Dagger squad.

“See? You fit right in.” She smirked, before pushing some sand towards Gracie, who was busy scooping the sand into her bucket.

“Speaking of giving guys a chance…” You said, leveling her with a look. “You should know that the same applies to you and my brother. Jake also doesn’t let many in, or let his guard down, yet around you…. He’s himself one hundred percent of the time. He trusts you to see the real Jake. The softer, sometimes insecure Jake. He LIKES you… a lot. It scares him though. He doesn’t want to screw up the friendship with you because it’s something he treasures dearly.”

“I really like him too.” She admitted, “A Lot. I keep trying to drop hints or show him, but I just assumed he wasn’t interested… that him being flirty is just Jake.”

“You’re both idiots.” You laughed, “Ok, so here’s what’s going to happen… tonight after Gracie is in bed, the two of you need to talk. I’ll have dinner delivered for you. My brother is oblivious, Nat… you can’t be subtle.”

“What if I freak him out and he really doesn’t want to try anything beyond friendship?” She asked, “We just got reassigned to Top Gun with the Dagger squad… I can’t put in for reassignment.”

“You’re not going anywhere!” You exclaimed, “This will work out. I promise. Have you seen him flirt with anyone else since you all came back from the mission? Has he hooked up with any females or left the bar with any? The answer to that is no… because Jake is completely on team Phoenix.”

“Mommy, I hungy.” Gracie said, looking up from her buckets.

“Ok, Sweet Girl,” You said, “Let's rinse off then go back to the blanket and Mommy will get you lunch.”

You picked up your sandy toddler and walked into the water with her, rinsing off the sand as best as you could. You’d have to wipe her down with the towel and some baby wipes before she could eat. You got Jake and Bradley’s attention, letting them know you were gonna get lunch stuff ready. Nodding, they made their way back to shore as well.

After everyone ate, Jake and Phoenix decided to take a walk for a bit. Gracie was starting to rub her eyes and get sleepy so you placed her in the pack n play under the umbrella, with a towel over her and she drifted off to sleep quickly.

You and Bradley settled down onto the blanket laid out under the beach umbrella next to the pack n play.

“This was a really good idea.” You told him, “It’s been an amazing day.”

“It really has.” He agreed. “I think our plan is working on Jake and Nat too, so added bonus.” “It is! She admitted to really liking him… and she’s been trying to subtly let him know.” You said, “I told her tonight she has to spell it out for him. Jake doesn’t always pick up on subtleties.”

“That’s the truth!” He laughed. “I have to admit though, Sweetheart, as much as I’m enjoying today and getting to see you in this amazing swimsuit… I’m really looking forward to taking you out to dinner tonight.”

“I’m really looking forward to it too.” You smiled, “But I’ve also been enjoying the view of you shirtless today. It’s kinda distracting.”

“Distracting huh,” He smirks, turning his body towards you.

“You know you’re hot, Flyboy.” You replied, playfully rolling your eyes.

“I’ve done alright, but I wouldn’t classify myself as ‘hot’, Sweetheart.” He said, averting his eyes.

“I thought you had to have good eyesight to fly those expensive planes.” You said, leaning over to nudge him gently.

“I mean, yeah…” He replied, looking back up at you with confusion in his eyes.

“I’m thinking maybe you need your vision checked, Lieutenant.” You teased, “If you can’t see that you’re incredibly good looking, I don’t know that you should be flying those planes.”

“Trust me, Sweetheart,” He said, leveling you with a steamy look, before allowing his eyes to wander, “There’s nothing wrong with my vision.”

Now it was your turn to avert your gaze, heat creeping over your body again. Even though you weren’t entirely sure what you were doing or where this was going, it felt really good to be noticed and to know that Bradley was attracted to you.

The warmth of the day and the sound of the waves lulled you into a drowsy state, and at some point relaxed you to the point of falling asleep. Bradley watched you, committing this moment to his memory. He was no match for the sun and waves though either, and ended up falling asleep next to you, one arm tucked under his head as a pillow the other ended up draped over your stomach.

“Do we wake them up?” Jake asked, taking in the scene in front of him when him and Phoenix returned from their walk.

“Nah, let them sleep.” She replied, smiling, “It’s sweet. They’re both completely relaxed, not a care in the world.”

“I doubt Tulip has let her guard down like this in a very long time.” Jake agreed, “It’s nice to see. He’s one of the only guys I’d trust with my sister.”

“She really likes him.” Phoenix said, “A lot. She’s scared that she’s got too much baggage though. I set her straight on that.”

“Good.” He replied, “Thank you, Nix. It means a lot to me that you’ve become her friend. She needs it.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Jake.” She replied, “I really like your sister. She’s easy to be friends with.”

Jake grabbed his phone from the bag he’d set it in and opened the camera app, capturing the moment before him. Phoenix chuckled, shaking her head.

“Blackmail?” She asked

“Nope. Just figured they’d want this moment someday.” Jake admitted, smiling. “Those two are going to be each other’s endgame. Princess G will get to grow up with two parents that love her and she’ll see what it’s supposed to look like. She won’t grow up like we did.”

“Jake, I can’t imagine what it was like for you and Y/N growing up” Phoenix said, “But the two of you grew up to be incredible people despite it all. Just… don’t doubt that, ok?”

“Thank you, Nat.” He replied softly, “You don’t know how much that means.”

After Gracie’s nap, and yours and Bradley’s impromptu nap, everyone spent a little more time in the water and playing with Gracie in the sand before rinsing off in the outdoor showers and loading the vehicles again.

Bradley dropped you off, promising to return at 6 to get you for your dinner date. Phoenix had brought a change of clothes with, so she showered in Jake’s shower while you showered and got ready in the main bathroom.

You weren’t really sure where Bradley planned to take you, so you decided to wear a sundress with a cardigan in case it got cooler once the sun set and paired it all with strappy sandals to complete the look. You left your hair down after showering, deciding to just dry it and let it hang in soft waves.

You left your room to head out to the living room. Gracie was playing with her toys, freshly bathed and in jammies. Jake, haven given her a bath while you were getting ready.

“You look gorgeous, Y/N!” Phoenix said, once you’d entered the room.

“Thank you,” You replied, smiling, “I’m not sure where we’re going…so I didn’t want to go too fancy or too casual.”

“You look beautiful, Tulip.” Jake said, coming in from the kitchen with drinks for himself and Phoenix. “I ordered pizza, it’ll be here in 45 minutes.”

“Sounds great.” Phoenix said, “Does Gracie like pizza? I can make her something else if she doesn’t.”

“She loves pizza.” You assured her, “Hopefully she doesn’t give y’all too much trouble falling asleep tonight.”

“I’m sure with all the fresh air she got today, she’ll pass right now.” Jake laughed, “But you’re not allowed to worry or even think about that while you’re out. Enjoy the time with Rooster. We’ve got this under control.”

“Thank you for taking care of her.” You replied, “You’re a fantastic uncle… and the best big brother.”

“Mommy, come pway?” Gracie asked from her play area.

“Mommy is going to go out for a bit with Bradley for dinner.” You said, walking over to her and crouching down next to her, “You’re going to stay here with Uncle Jakey and Nix.”

“We’re going to have so much fun, Princess G.” Jake said.

The doorbell rang and Jake stepped over to open the door.

“Come on in.” he said, “Lookin’ sharp, Rooster.”

“Thanks, Hangman.” He chuckled, stepping into the house.

“Woosta!” Gracie exclaimed, running over to him. You smiled, standing back up, as Bradley picked her up.

“Hi, Princess.” He chuckled, hugging her to him. She immediately laid her head down on his shoulder, snuggling into him. Unable to resist, you pulled your phone out and snapped a quick picture. He looked up, flashing a warm smile towards you. “You look beautiful, Sweetheart.”

“Thank you,” You replied, “You look pretty hot yourself.”

“Alright, you two.” Jake said, “It’s time for our slumber party with Princess G. No Moms and Roosters allowed.”

“Sounds like you’re going to have so much fun, Princess.” Bradley said, walking with her towards you.

“Come give Mommy hugs and kisses, Sweet Girl.” You said, reaching for her. She put her arms out for you to take her and immediately snuggled into you.

“Wuv you Mommy.” She said softly.

“I love you too Baby Girl.” You replied, “Be good for Uncle Jakey and Nix ok?”

“Otay.” She said, then looked back at Bradley, “Wuv you Woosta.”

“I love you too, Princess.” He replied, leaning down to drop a kiss on her head.

“Have her home by midnight.” Jake said, “No funny business. I’d hate to have to kick your ass.”

“Wow, Jakey.” You laughed, shaking your head.

“Ok, Dad, let the kids go on their date.” Phoenix laughed. Shaking her head at Jake. “You two go have fun, we’ve got it under control.”

“Thanks, Nat.” You replied, hugging Gracie again before handing her to Jake. “Thanks Jakey.”

“It’s not a problem, Tulip. I get time with two beautiful ladies. It’s a win win.” Jake replied.

After saying goodbyes Bradley leads you out to the Bronco, opening the passenger door and helping you up before going around to the driver’s side and sliding in.

“I asked Jake for ideas of where to go… I didn’t wanna blow my one shot…” He said, giving you a sheepish look, “So I hope you like the Italian place he suggested.”

“Bradley, there is zero chance of you blowing this.” You assured him, “Italian sounds great.”

He visibly relaxed as he backed out of the driveway and started the journey to the restaurant.

“I feel like I’m the one that should be nervous.” You teased, “It’s been… a while….since I’ve been on a date.”

“Are you? Nervous?” he asked, glancing over at you.

“I was.” You admitted, “Getting ready, I was kinda a mess. But I’m not now. I feel comfortable with you… safe. You have a calming presence.”

He reached across the seat, taking your hand in his own, “You have no idea how much that means to me, Sweetheart.” He said softly, “I feel the same… being with you is calming. I love getting to spend time with you and Gracie, especially after a crazy week on base. I live for Fridays.”

“You never have to wait for Fridays,” You said, “Gracie and I would love to see you any day of the week.”

“You’re killing me, Sweetheart.” He groaned, “I know we need to take this slowly, but I didn’t realize how difficult that would be. I fall deeper every minute we get to spend together.”

“I’m sorry, Bradley.” You said, a mixture of feelings swirling inside you. You were happy and felt good that he was just as affected as you were, but feelings of guilt surfaced because of all of your baggage and the fact that you were still technically married was holding everything back. He needed someone who was free to love him the way he deserved without being bogged down.

“Hey, Sweetheart, no.” He said, squeezing your hand reassuringly, “Don’t apologize. I will happily go as slow as you need and wait as long as needed for the opportunity to be with you. You are worth it, Y/N.”

You gave him a soft smile, squeezing his hand back.

“You shouldn’t have to wait around for someone to figure their life out though. It’s not fair to you.” You said quietly.

“Sweetheart, some things in life are very much worth the wait.” He replied, “YOU are one of those things. I WANT to wait and be here when you’re ready. I want nothing more than a shot with you and Gracie.”

“You have more than a shot, Bradley.” You replied, deciding to trust in his words and in what Natasha had told you earlier at the beach, “Just promise if it gets to be too much, you’ll tell me. I don’t want to hold you back.”

“I promise.” He said, flashing you a bright smile that went all the way to his honeyed eyes, “It won’t be too much, but I promise to keep open communication with you. Do you promise to tell ME if it’s too much, if you need more or need me to back off?”

“I promise.” You said, “But I don’t want or need you to back off.”

You arrived at the restaurant, Bradley once more opening your door and keeping his hand on the small of your back as you walked in. Once seated you ordered drinks before the waiter left you to look over menus. The night went smoothly, falling into easy conversation with Bradley. The two of you talked about everything and anything that came up. The more you learned about the aviator the further you fell for him. You knew you were dangerously close to falling in love with him.

“That was so good.” You sighed, taking a final bite of the chocolate cake you and Bradley had ordered to share. “I’m so full.”

“It was pretty good.” Bradley agreed, “I like that layered cake you made last week better though. That was amazing.”

“That’s Gracie’s favorite too.” You smiled, “I’ll have to make it again soon…for two of my favorite people.”

“I have it on good authority that you’re our favorite person too.” He replied, reaching across the table to gently take your hand in his again. “I’ve really enjoyed tonight, Sweetheart… not really ready for it to end… How would you feel about taking a walk? Or if you want, we can go to the Hard Deck.”

“I’m really enjoying it too.” You replied, “How about we walk on the beach near the Hard Deck and if we decide to get a drink we’ll be right there?”

“That sounds perfect.” He replied.

After Bradley paid the check, the two of you walked out hand in hand to the Bronco. The ride to the beach parking closest to the Hard Deck was relaxed, Bradley never letting go of your hand. He had the radio set to a classic rock station but the volume down so you could still talk.

The parking lot was essentially deserted when he pulled in, only a few cars remaining. It was close enough to the Hard Deck, it sometimes doubled as overflow parking when needed. It didn’t appear to be the case tonight.

The two of you made your way to the beach, kicking off shoes once you reached the sand. You walked hand in hand down the beach, enjoying each other’s company and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. After a while Bradley paused, tugging on your hand gently to get you to stop.

“Want to sit here for a while? The sun will be completely setting soon.” He suggested.

“Sure.” You replied, smiling softly. You followed him over to some rocks that had been smoothed out over time, making them perfect for sitting on.

Bradley sat down first, then pulled you down to sit in front of him, allowing you to rest against him. His arms coming around you to hold you.

“Is this ok?” He asked softly, his breath warm against your ear.

“It’s perfect.” You replied, relaxing into him. You rested your hands on his legs, sinking back into his warmth.

“This is way better than the Hard Deck.” He said, chuckling. “I love Penny and it’s a fun place to hang out, but this way I don’t have to share you.”

“I’ve not been there yet to make the judgment, but I think it would be really hard to top this.” You replied, “Penny offered me a part time job there though until I get my life figured out. I just need to find a temporary part time sitter until Amelia is off for the summer.”

“You’ll like working with Penny. She’s great.” He replied, “It’ll be good for you to be out of the house too, and good for Gracie to be around new people.”

“I’m just scared to trust anyone with her.” You admitted. “Scared Trent will show up and take her while I’m not there to protect her.”

“We won’t let that happen, Sweetheart.” He replied, “We will find someone to watch her where she’s completely and 100% safe.”

“Do you know how absolutely amazing you are?” You asked, moving your head so you could look back at him. “I can’t even express how full my heart gets when I see you with Gracie and how sweet you are with her. I don’t know how we got so lucky to get to have you in our lives.”

“Sweetheart, I’m the lucky one.” He replied, his voice thick with all the emotions he was feeling, “You and Gracie are all I never knew I was missing from my life. I don’t even want to think about my life without you two now. I was just sort of existing on auto-pilot until walking into Jake’s that day on an SOS Princess mission.”

“I can’t give you a definitive time for everything with Trent to be wrapped up, but I promise, Gracie and I aren’t going anywhere.” You said.

“I don’t need a timeline, Sweetheart.” He replied, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “I’m not going anywhere either.”

You continued to sit together, watching as the sun set over the water. The sky changed colors until darkness settled in. Once the sun set the temperature started to drop, making you shiver despite Bradley’s warm body against your back.

“You’re getting cold, Sweetheart.” Bradley said, noticing the shivering, “Let’s head back to the Bronco. We can decide where to go from there.”

“Ok,” You replied, “I wasn’t anticipating such a big difference in the temp once the sun set.”

“It’s not as noticeable, unless you’re on the water.” He replied, “By the beach, you end up feeling the difference more.”

You walked back the way you’d come, hand in hand. This time you stopped to put your shoes back on before hitting the pavement of the parking lot.

Once back at the Bronco, Bradley walked with you to the passenger side. Instead of opening the door, he turned so that he was standing facing you, one of his hands coming up to cup your face. You leaned into his hand, enjoying the feel of it against his warm palm. You moved your hands up and around to his back, while he moved his other hand up to cup your face, looking into your eyes. You took a slight step closer, your hands moving up on his back in the process.

“Sweetheart, I don’t want to misread this situation…” He said, “But I really want to kiss you right now.”

“You’re not misreading anything.” You whispered.

Bradley leaned in slowly, giving you time to change your mind. His hands moved into your hair, tipping your head back and leaning further down until his soft lips connected with your own. A few seconds later, he pulled back to see your reaction. Seeing you smile, he leaned back in, chasing your lips again. You tightened your grip on his back, trying to get closer. He holds you tighter, his tongue snaking out to lick the seam of your lips. You open, granting him access, your own tongue meeting his as you both tentatively give in to the attraction that had been building. You remain locked in the heated exchange for what felt like hours but was only moments, before the need for oxygen forced you to separate enough to pull in shaky breaths.

“Holy shit.” Bradley whispered, not able to trust his voice. “That was incredible.”

“You are an exceptionally good kisser, Bradley.” You replied, your voice shaky from the kiss.

“That was all you, Sweetheart.” He said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been this affected by a kiss before.”

“I thought the ‘feeling fireworks’ or ‘sparks flying’ were just figures of speech.” You smiled, “I can confirm it is an actual occurrence.”

“Right there with you,” He smirked, “I need a minute to recover here.”

By the time Bradley was pulling the Bronco onto Jake’s street it was close to 11. The two of you had stopped at the Hard Deck for a drink before calling it a night. Coyote, Payback, Fanboy and Bob had been there. They tried to coerce Bradley into a game of pool, but he’d firmly declined, wanting to devote all of his attention to you.

“I had a really good time tonight, Bradley.” You said, smiling over at him. Your hands were once again entwined. “Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure, Sweetheart.” He replied, smiling over at you. “I hope I get to take you out again soon… and I’d love to spend time with you and Gracie together too.”

“We’d both love that” You assured him. “And look, we’re home before midnight.”

“That we are.” He agreed, then frowned at an unfamiliar car parked on the street with Texas plates. “Hey, Sweetheart, do me a favor and call Jake quick. Tell him and Nat to come outside. You’re going to go with Nat into the house and call the police. Stay inside with Gracie.”

“Bradley, what’s going on?” You asked, looking around to see what you’d missed, your eyes landing on the very familiar car. You felt bile start to rise in your throat, your heart started to race.

“Baby, I need you to stay calm ok?” Bradley said, “There is nothing he can do to you. Neither Jake nor I will let him anywhere near you, I promise you that. Can you please call Jake? I’m going to park and get out so I’m able to get you ok?”

You nodded then pulled your phone out and called Jake.

“Tulip, why are you calling me from the driveway?” Jake asked, confusion in his voice.

“Jakey” You whispered, fear choking your voice. “It’s Trent… he’s here.”

A/N: PHEW! That was was along one...what do we think??? Always love hearing your reactions! <3

Taglist:

@gracespicybradshaw

@friendly-neighborhood-peter

@oneelleandaneye

@super-btstrash-posts

@mygyn

@emma8895eb

@kitty-moonflower-blog

awesomebooklover17,

krismdavis,

Jayniebop,

Hisredheadedgoddess28,

jstarr86,

@cherrycola27,

@harrysgothicbitch ,

@caidi-paris

@senjoritanana

@bethabear12,

@flyinlove

, fulla02 ,

@sophham

@itsdesiree86

#bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #top gun fanfiction #Miles Teller #starting over

252 notes · View notes

halliescomut · 3 months

Text

Love Sea Ep 2 Watch Along

I am a couple days late because migraines suck, but I'm finally sitting down to watch ep 2. I'm gonna try to gives some first inpressions here, but we'll see how we go.

-Opening shot and I accidentally caught crew in the back of the boat. Hehe...whoops. Can't always catch that.

-When he says "what this man's sex taste like" does he mean literally or figuratively??? Like...I'm just not sure if it's wonky translation, or ???

-Okay, but the way Mut put's their legs together, but keeps their torso's apart....like touching, but not invading Rak's space....that's kinda hot.

-I do come from a seafood family, literally my maternal grandparents ran a seafood restaurant for over a decade, but I'm not a seafood person, so I kinda feel like the food stuff is going over my head.

-Like...I knew it was gonna happen, but I'm still blushing so hard. That eye contact is DANGEROUS.

-Peat's muscles!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!!!

-Literally Rak is so cranky that he hurt himself and cut off sexy time. His grumpy face.

I love Mook so much. I would die for her, she's so precious.

Are those generic baby shark bandaids??

I love how quickly Rak takes advantage of the loophole Mut presents him with. He immediately is like "you are correct, this is not my bed, let's bang!" (Also I fucking loved this line in the trailer. It's quippy, it's clever, Fort delivers it so well. Perfection.)

I mean...if your gonna engage in sexy time on the beach...oral would be your best option, so....

Jesus with the leg over the shoulder....goddamn.

Those hips are moving quite a lot Rak, be careful with Mut, you don't want to break him.

The mouth wipe.....I'm dying. I will say the timing was a bit fast there at the end, but like...legit portrayal of oral, and not just vaguely refering to it is new in Thai BL, so props for that. (Also it was one of my bingo squares. Yay me.)

I was predicting the whole "I'm inspired, we gotta go back to my room right now", but that did not stop it from being funny as hell.

Is Tongrak basically Mame's self-insert?? I just thought about this, bc they used the MMY logo for the fake website, probably just so they didn't have to bother with getting a non-copywritten one, or pay to use a real one, but like I just thought about this, since he's a writer who writes Y-Series, and part of what P'Vie does (I'm pretty sure) is make them into shows.... fascinating to consider.

We do see the cover for The Boy Next World, both the BN one and the orignal manga-style one...interesting.... As well as the cover for Love Director, which is one of the novels directly related to the LITA side of the Mame-verse....also interesting.

Rak's fake insta is hot. I tell you what, Mame shows got their issues, but costuming is pretty much always on point.

Okay so P'Vie is an actress...still involved with Rak's shows, but not the director I guess.

I really do get distract by how pretty Peat's eyes are.

Okay, Though he was just showering, but then I saw the motion... the blushing begins again. (Look I know I've written smut, and I watch BL, but I'm still Ace, so a lot of times my reaction is very Edwardian noble lady. I'm sorry!)

No, but I paused it to write that last sentence and the look on Rak's face!!!!

Rak is very bite-y. It suits his character, really. I Like it.

That was....very athletic.

I have thoughts about the sex scene. I'll save those for the 'Thoughts' post though.

I do think it's funny that Rak is so disturbed because the sex was good. That's funny.

Side note, I know this is an adult show, it includes a lot of adult themes, but somehow the Hallmark Movie-ness of Mame's shows makes it feel very weird when people cuss. Like, it feels odd for Rak to say Fuck there. It somehow just gives the vibe of 'see how grown-up we are with the cussing'. IDK if that makes sense, or if anyone else feels that way.

Mook's reaction to the forehead kiss is so cute, but P'Vie's got two episodes to get her act together, or I'm gonna start to dislike her.

I still don't remember the name of Mut's friend (I'm sorry) but I do think he's very funny. The actor is doing a very good job.

I know IRL, I would hate the entitledness/possessive-ness of Rak, but that was kind hot.

I love how amused Mut is by Rak. It's one of the things that feels like Fort peeking through tbh.

Oops...none of us did consider that a considerably long motorbike ride the day after some pretty vigorous back door sex may not be the best idea. But also, I feel like this is part of why prep/aftercare is important, and they (meaning BLs) should focus on it more. Like it's wouldn't fix everything, but it would help.

Oh, I really do like Mut's friend...who's name is Palm....I will try to remember.

I doubt this was Mame's intention, but I do appreciate the discussion of how franchised tourism can be harmful to local residents.

Sweet Mut so shy about taking genuine compliments. That's so cute.

Oh I'm familiar with that kind of manufactured flippancy when it comes to speaking about family ties that have been broken.... there be trauma there mateys.

God I have a lot of incomplete thoughts about this scene. I'm gonna have to rewatch and break it down later.

Oh, Rak is 100% a self-insert.

I do wonder when we're gonna get more info regarding that first thought about escaping though. It feels like Rak is trying to keep things surface level, but is accidentally revealing more than he intends.

I respect the attempt to get info out of Kom. I also respect Connor for not giving any.

I'm excited for the diving and underwater shots, but Rak--why the fuck are you wearing a small fortune in high-end designer jewelery for that?? like, leave that shit in your room dude.

Also, I've officially decided I love Palm and his doofus-energy. I will now protect him with my life.

God Bless Wetsuits! Amen!!

Sir what the fuck are you doing???? If this were a different couple I'd say Rak is well on his way to a spanking.

But also, this is so pretty,

Flashback!!! Yes, another bingo box, but also...why do drama parents always break up directly in front of their kids?

There's a metaphor happening about not diving alone and the flashbacks and reconciling his traumas in relation to love/trusting men (in a romantic way)....my brain is too stupid to make a cohesive explanation, but it's there.

I love the way Mut just looks at Rak... like it's fascinating how much Fort is able to portray with his gaze. I thought that during LITA, but it's confirmed here. Because, yes the longing/loving gaze is alive and well, but you can see the concern, the confusion, even the questioning that's happening. It's wild.

Well that's all for the episode. I'll probably rewatch tomorrow and thry to organize my thoughts into something vaguely cohesive, but no promises. Despite the very swift jump into the sex, we got a lot of insight today, into to both of them really.

#love sea #love sea the sereies #love sea ep 2 #tongrak #mahasamut #mutrak #tongrak x mahasamut #fortpeat #peat wasuthorn #fort thitipong

22 notes · View notes

x-liv25-jamieswife · 5 months

Note

Hey there gal! Could you pl do headcanons of how tig characters would react if jameson got kidnapped? And maybe the same for Avery too. TYSM!!

people's reaction to jameson getting kidnapped head canons

of course! i absolutely loved doing the grayson one. i apologize for any spelling mistakes. hope you like it!

avery:

she'd be hyperventilating the entire time thinking that jamie was dead in a ditch with no clothes somewhere bc she knows thats a fucking possibility with how careless jamie is.

she would not sleep until she found him. she'd be up with the police or alone looking over all of the clues over and over again. she'd pass out due to exhaustion at some point.

she would smack jamie so hard the second they found him. she would not let him live it up.

she'd be complaining about how incompetent the police (and some of the family members) is and how 'no one can do anything right nowadays'.

she'd definitely be working with grayson most of the time cause two brains are better than one.

grayson:

like i said, he's working with avery bc he's so nervous he can't work on his own without panicking.

he'd stare at the wall blankly cursing jamie for 1. making his life more complicated and bc 2. jamie might be pranking them, and, if he is, grayson will kill him

following the last head canon, he's pondering over what way he should kill his brother.

he's ordering everyone around like he's in charge of an army. everyone is terrified.

after they find him, he complains to jamie about how he ruined his skin bc, while he was gone, he couldn't do his skincare and he kept picking at his face (jamie now owes him new skincare)

xander:

in the corner praying for jamie to come back in one piece. he's not even religious.

trying to distract himself by thinking about what percy jackson cabin every one would be in.

he's calculating the probabilities that jameson is currently in a strip club against his own will in a thong dancing for old women (he comes to the conclusion that there is a 20.9% chance and everyone is shocked but also thinks it makes sense cause jamie would totally get himself in that situation due to his carelessness)

he made a pillow fort to hide himself in because grayson is scaring the shit out of him. he also made scones and is inviting everyone in for a tarot card reader (skye taught him how to. canon, he said in tig)

he's biting his nails in the back but then starts crying bc he doesn't want to ruin his cuticles.

nash:

locks himself in a room and screams in a pillow for 20 minutes bc he's tired of everyone and everything.

has to head to the store to buy xander cuticle oil bc he's panicking over the fact that they're ruined (he canonically oils his cuticles, he said it in tig when talking about what skye taught him)

grabs onto libby's hand and does not let it go until he finds jamie. she's his emotional support cuddle person.

starts chewing his cowboy hat (like in tbh) bc he's so nervous.

the second they find jamie, he punches him in the face for being so careless.

libby:

is the only sane one. she's trying to convince everyone that maybe he's just passed out drunk somewhere

she'd make avery food and cupcakes to make sure she's eating bc we all know she probably wouldn't.

in the tent with xander getting a tarot card reading bc she knows it helps him calm down.

she heads to the store to buy a glass ball for xander so that he can pretend he's staring into your future or smth.

max

she's running around the house collecting pillows and blankets for xander's pillow fort

she's talking to libby about how fucking psychotic everyone is.

she'd give avery a massage to get her to loosen up (she'd also tell her to imagine herself in bed with jamie to get her to relax)

she'd be reading smut in the corner to try to ignore everyone else.

alisa

honestly the same thing i said in my other post, but she wouldn't be chill, she'd be exasperated bc we all know jamie probably got himself kidnapped by being too reckless.

she punishes jamie by making him go to 2409384032 interviews afterwards.

she calls the police but thinks the officers they sent are to stupid so she asks for better ones.

she calls brandon to tell him the news.

that's all i have. hope you liked it <3.

#the inheritance games #jameson hawthorne #grayson hawthorne #avery grambs #xander hawthorne #nash hawthorne #libby grambs #maxine liu #alisa ortega

31 notes · View notes

beeindaclouds · 2 years

Text

A Christmas Special: What spending Christmas w/ the DSMP is like

Includes: Dream, Georgenotfound, Sapnap, Badboyhalo, Skeppy, Quackity, Karl Jacobs, Wilbur Soot, Philza, Technoblade Eret, Punz, FoolishGamers

Click here before requesting, please ^^

Reader: GN - They/Them

Disclaimer: Tommy is only mentioned. This is in no way a Tommy × Reader

Dream Team: A Traditional Christmas

It's always fun to do anything with these three, but Christmas w/ them definitely feels more special and fun

Sapnap ans George are the ones who wake you up first thing in the morning, cause it's Christmas lol, while you and Dream try to get some more sleep in

They go to Dream first, so they can annoy him to no end, then they decide to gang up on you

Screaming, tickling, pillows thrown at you, anything you can imagine them doing to wake you up lmao

After waking up, and openings presents you brought eachother, you all decide to start cooking for lunch

George and Sapnap are in charge of the appetizers and desert

You and Dream get the rest, because Dream doesn't trust George or Sapnap with cooking

Even while eating you three will keep on a very good conversation, filled with laughs and jokes

One of you probably ends up spitting some food out from laughing, definetly not pointing fingers at a certain someone

Then the rest of the day is spent playing random games or watching movies, ending the night with a good 'ol cuddle pile on the couch

Skephalo: A Virtual Christmas

Since these two absolutely refuse to meet up, more like Bad refuses to take an airplane while you and Skeppy have been begging him for years now, you decide to have a virtual Christmas on discord

You three spent the whole day on discord togheter doing what you usually would do on Christmas day

Beforehand you brought and sent eachother gifts, so you'd take the time to open them on call

Skeppy's gifts sometimes being trolls or things about himself

Like I imagine Skeppy gifting you and Bad plushies with his face on them, so "I can always be with you" he says

You play Minecraft, without filming for once, among other multiplayer games

You played Mario Kart, bad idea, cause Bad kept on losing and got salty

Online Uno was the next, but Skeppy kept on giving Bad "+2's" and +4's"

Golf with Friends was another one you played, but you kept on pushing the other two off track yet somehow still winning

But, no matter how much you bickered over these stupid games, you three had one of the most fun Christmases ever

Karlity & Himbros: A Snowy Christmas

Quackity came to visit America for a while, so you and the other four decided to just spend Christmas togheter

I imagine the day of Christmas being a very snowy day, so much that you 5 decided to go out and "play" a little

Karl and Foolish kept on putting snow in the other three's coats, which would just end up with a chasing game

Punz and you randomly decided to make a snow fort and start a snowball battle against the other three

You two obviously won

Then you made a snow man and named him Antonio Banderas, you even gave him a little goatee and all

After tiring yourself out, you proceeded to go inside and make hot choco for everyone

In the end you all attached yourself to Foolish, cause man's jacked and therefore has more body heat

SBI: A Memorable Christmas

You five met up the day after Christmas actually, wanting to spend the actual day with your family and/or loved one(s)

So you brought whatever food you could from the previous day and all met up at Phil's house

Most of the day was spent talking, playing and getting annoyed by Tommy and his loud nature

Tristin had, so kindly, brought all of you sweaters with your name initial in the front and "SBI" written on the back

You all took many pictures and took little funny videos like you were modeling new merch

All of you, including Tristin, also took family style Christmas pictures that you all got framed to remember this amazing day

Tommy and you also took advantage of the situation to film some tik toks with the other three

You tried your best to get Techno to do one dance, he mostly refused, until you somehow managed to make him do one

Wilbur, on the other hand, was happy to do a silly little dance with you even if it wasn't perfect

At one point you decided to make ginger bread cookies, and try to create eachother

Which didn't end well because Wilbur and Tommy started throwing icing around and it turned into a food fight

Phil and Tristin just watched from the side as you and Tommy were mixing flower into Wilbur and Techno's hair

317 notes · View notes

harleybeaumont · 1 year

Text

Never Have I Ever

Chapter 21 - Let's Just Forget the World

Book- TRR

Series- Never Have I Ever

Pairings- Bertrand x MC

Chapter Synopsis- Bertrand has a surprise for Riley.

Chapter Warnings- language, drinking, innuendo -but mostly this is a fluffy chapter

Rating - Mature

Word Count- 1,830

A/N - once again, sorry it's been a while since I've posted a chapter. I included a snippet of what happened in chapter 20 to refresh your memory.

A/N 2- submitting for @choicesprompts flufftober event

Song Inspiration - this song is absolutely perfect for this chapter and gives me all the feels. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol.

_____________________________________________________________

When they arrived back at the estate, it was already dinner time. Riley quickly popped into Max’s bedroom to check on him, and found him sound asleep in bed.

“I’m starving.” Riley sighed as she made her way toward the kitchen, taking a seat beside Bertrand at the bar.

“What would you like to eat? The chef has left for the night, but I can call and have something delivered for you.”

“Anything.. But you pick! I am mentally drained and honestly don’t think I could make another decision tonight if my life depended on it.”

Bertrand opened his mouth to protest, but paused as an idea hit him. “I know just the thing,” he smiled shyly and pulled out his phone.

He was going to have to step way out of his comfort zone for this.

Chapter 21- Let’s Just Forget the World

After half an hour of bustling around the estate, Bertrand was finally ready to let Riley into his room to show her what he had been working on. He paused outside of the closed bedroom door nervously, starting to have second thoughts. “Why don’t we just go out and pick up dinner instead?”

“Nuh-uh. I have got to see what you’ve been up to. Now let me in.. before I make you,” she smirked teasingly, tracing her fingers down the front of his chest.

Bertrand sucked in a sharp breath and a shiver ran down his spine at her touch. There was no way he could say no to her. He had already accepted that fact. “Alright,” he grinned, reluctantly stepping aside.

He slowly swung the door open and Riley gasped, throwing her hand over her mouth. “Bert..” Her eyes began welling up with tears as she stepped toward the sitting area of his bedroom which had been converted into a blanket fort, with pizza, wine, and pillows on the floor. Fairy lights, which she was pretty sure he got from Max, were laid across the top of the blankets, casting a warm glow around the room.

Bertrand watched her face with a mixture of hope and apprehension. He had never done anything so ridiculous or sentimental for anyone before and it was terrifying. “I.. I just thought that-”

Riley immediately engulfed him in a hug, squeezing tightly and burying her face in his chest. She sniffled and when she pulled back she was grinning ear to ear. “You did this?”

“I.. Yes.”

“You, Bertrand Beaumont, made a blanket fort.. for us?”

He felt his cheeks heat up and he opened his mouth, not sure what to say. “If you don’t like it, we can go to a nice restaurant or something!”

“This is the best thing anyone has ever done for me!” She wrapped her arms around him again, squeezing tightly. “I’m so touched that you would share such a special family tradition with me. Thank you.”

He grinned, shocked that she recalled the story he told her about he and Maxwell doing this with their mother when they were young. “You remember?”

“Of course I do! I remember everything you say, Bert.” She laughed at his skeptical smile, “I mean, most things. I’m sorry I can’t remember things like King Leopold’s favorite goldendoodle’s middle name.. but when it comes to you, I remember everything.”

He chuckled as his cheeks pinkened, “You’re just flattering me.”

“I’m not, but I accept your flattery.”

The two sat beside one another under the blanket canopy and Bertrand poured them a glass of wine while Riley placed a slice of pizza on each of their plates. She was absolutely radiating excitement and Bertrand couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.

“What?” She grinned in his direction before taking a sip from her glass.

Bertrand shook his head, chuckling. “Nothing.”

“Are you laughing at me?!”

“I am not. I’m just..I just feel..”

He looked away shyly and she took his hand. “Feel what?”

He met her eyes. “Happy.”

Her heart swelled and she rubbed her thumb across the back of his knuckles. “Me too.”

Bertrand looked up at the blanket draped over their heads, grinning thoughtfully. “This is the silliest thing I have ever done in my entire life, but I cannot imagine anything else I’d rather be doing right now.”

Riley laced her fingers with his and squeezed. “Me too.”

Once they were full of pizza and wine, they lay on their backs in companionable silence. Riley turned to face him. “So what should we do now?”

“Are you ready for bed?” He yawned, “I’m afraid I had a bit too much wine and my eyelids are getting heavy.”

“No way! I have a tipsy Bertrand Beaumont in a blanket fort.. We have to do something fun.”

“Oh?” His mouth went dry as he pictured what type of fun she had in mind.

“Let’s play a game!”

“Oh.” He realized that he sounded way too disappointed, and tried to correct that. “Alright, what did you have in mind?”

She leaned closer and grinned. “What about, never have I ever?”

He gulped, “I uh.. I believe we’ve played that one before.”

Riley rolled onto her back, a light-hearted laugh escaping her. Her eyes traced the intricate pattern and stitching of the quilt that rested over the chair backs, forming the ceiling of their blanket fort. She couldn’t hold back a smile as she continued to gaze straight up, too overcome with emotion to even glance at the man beside her. She could feel his eyes on her and hear his steady breathing, and she closed her eyes, inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne.. Subtle notes of bergamot and sandalwood and the natural pheromones on his skin that both comforted her and drove her wild.

Her heart was bursting from the unbelievable feeling of normalcy, contentment, and utter joy she felt just laying beside him.

“Never have I ever.. Done anything like this before.”

“Like what?” Bertrand asked.

“Blanket forts! Camping on the bedroom floor.. None of that.”

Bertrand smiled, “I suppose you got me there. For once, there’s something I’ve done that you haven't.”

Riley laughed, and Bertrand sat up slightly and took a sip of his wine. He lay back down, thinking for a moment before grinning. “Never have I ever.. received a gift on Valentine’s day.”

Riley’s mouth dropped open. “Never? Not even from a little secret admirer in school or anything? I find that hard to believe.”

“Nope. Go ahead and drink,” he nodded to her glass of wine. “I’m certain you have received loads of Valentine’s gifts.”

Riley took a sip of her wine and shook her head. “I’ve had a few. Not for a while, but..”

“So what were your best and worst Valentine's gifts?”

“Oof, that’s a tough one,” she groaned with a smile. “The worst was probably from a boyfriend I had in highschool. He gave me a bouquet of fake daisies that were missing half of the flowers from the stems. And inside the middle was a jewelry box. But when I opened it, there was just a condom inside.”

Bertrand made a face. “Wow. That is.. quite a presumptuous gesture.”

“One that got him nowhere,” she rolled her eyes. “The best Valentine’s gift was probably when I was in elementary school. This cute little boy with curly hair, Jordan McCall.. He gave me a plastic ring he had won at the arcade and a bunch of wildflowers he picked from his yard.” She turned toward Bertrand with a smile. “It’s the thoughtful things that mean the most, you know? Something that you put your heart into.”

Bertrand smiled at her for a long moment, but feeling like he had been staring too long, he cleared his throat and looked away. “Um, it’s your turn.”

Riley tapped a finger against her lips in thought. “Ok. Never have I ever.. had sex with my brother’s best friend.”

Bertrand’s mouth dropped open and his face flushed bright red. “Riley!”

She couldn’t stop her laughter and handed him his glass. “Drink up!”

He took a sip, unable to meet her eyes while a small smile pulled at his lips. “That was a cheap shot.”

“I came to win!” Riley nudged him and grinned, “Besides, I can’t help it. I love making you blush.”

“I'm glad that my humiliation amuses you.”

She rolled onto her side to face him and put a hand on his arm. “It’s cute. It totally gives me butterflies.”

Bertrand blushed deeper and looked away as butterflies of his own swarmed his insides. He tried to change the subject. “So, I suppose we’re tied.”

“Not for long,” Riley smiled cheekily. “You’re going down, Beaumont.”

“Oh really?”

“Really! Hit me with your best shot.”

Bertrand thought for a moment before a confident smirk alit his face. “I definitely have you now Ms. Brooks. Get ready to take a drink. Never have I ever.. had sex with someone because I felt bad for them.”

Riley met his eyes with confusion and she shook her head. “Never.”

Bertrand arched an eyebrow skeptically. “What do you mean? What about.. You know..” He gestured at himself.

Riley’s heart sank. Had he thought this the entire time? “No, Bertrand. That’s not why I- no, never.”

His mind was racing as he asked, “Then.. why?”

Riley chewed the inside of her cheek, trying not to cross the line they had been tiptoeing toward for the last couple months. Screw it. “Bert, I had sex with you because I wanted to. I wanted you.”

His jaw dropped and he was nearly rendered speechless. “You- really?” Like, you really actually wanted to- not as a lesson, but like- really?”

Now it was Riley's turn to blush for once. She hugged her knees to her chest and smiled shyly. “Yes.”

Bertrand stared straight ahead, mind reeling. The silence between them stretched, neither knowing what to say now.

Riley took a deep breath and reached out, grasping his hand. She looked directly into his eyes as she spoke. “Never have I ever.. told someone that I was in love with them.”

Bertrand released a breath, his eyes searching her face for a few moments. He was certain his heartbeat was loud enough for the entire duchy to hear.

Bertrand rested his hand against her cheek, swiping his thumb gently across her bottom lip. His eyes were full of a deep longing and affection she had never seen from anyone before.

“Riley..” he breathed out softly and pressed his lips against hers, cradling her face with his hands. The kiss was tender, yet passionate and nothing like anything they had ever shared before. He lay her back against the soft pillows and blankets on the floor, relishing in the fact that it was really Riley kissing him. Her perfect, soft, gorgeous lips were actually against his. She had wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her, and as unbelievable as that was, it was amazing and perfect. Bertrand was so overcome with emotion, he thought he might burst.

They broke apart after a few moments, and Riley leaned forward giving him one more soft kiss before snuggling up to his side and resting her head on his shoulder. Bertrand wrapped his arm around her, resting his hand against her lower back and tracing soft circles with his fingers. The minutes stretched on as the two lay together on his bedroom floor.

“Riley.. I.. really need to tell you something.” Bertrand murmured softly. When she didn’t respond, he raised his head slightly to look at her. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and steady. She was sound asleep in his arms and everything was right with the world. Heart in his throat, he kissed her head and whispered. “I love you.”

#never have i ever #trr #bertrand x riley #bertley #bertrand beaumont #bertrand x mc #trr fanfic #cfwc fics of the week #choicesprompts #flufftober2023

66 notes · View notes

popculturebuffet · 8 months

Text

Transformers More than Meets the Eye Retrospective: Intermission: Robots in Disguise Season 1 Retrospective (Patreon Review for Brotoman.EXE)

Hello all you happy people and welcome back to my More than Meets the Eye retrospective. Kinda. For those of you just joining us for the past two years i've been doing a retrospective of the Transformers comic More than Meets the Eye, one of my faviorite comics ever. While it is as a patreon review i've been more than happy to and in december we hit the end of season 1.

So now.. we're in a weird in between place, as season 1 for MTMTE is over.. but we still have a big crossover event left. And to judge said event fairly.... I realzied I had to go back and re-read Robots in Disguise to properly gage said event.

Yeah i've never been a huge fan of the 2012 comic Robots in Disguise. See I first read RiD AFTER More than Meets the Eye, having loved what I could read of MTMTE and wanting more. This... wasn't the right mindset in hindsight as the two works are completely diffrent beasts: MTMTE is about a found family of disfunctional robots trying to move on from war, making quips, and dealing with their trauma. It is a LOT of things I love in fiction: a bunch of misfits who don't really fit into the society their a part of, clever jokes, spectacular world building, and minor characters given their day in the sun. It feels at times like the book was made for me, down to repadeatly homaging one of my faviorite covers of all time. It was easy to love it and it only grows as I dig into it.

RID in contrast.. is an attempt at a morally grey prestige drama that on paper is about the sacrifices and compromises the autobtos make trying to rebuild cybertron, and in practice is about a weak willed useless jackass, his jackbooted best friend, a well meaning non combatant who means well but also is judgey as fuck, and Starscream, who easily outmanuvers them because a sock full of quarters with googly eyes on it could out manuver them. Wheeljack and Blur are also there and they are delightful but not used nearly enough . I gave the book an honest chance and was badly disapointed, and I gave it a second chance despite utterly dreading this.. and was once again disapointed. RiD is just not very good.

Now i'll give some caveats: the book DOES get better in season 2, with a fresh cast and premise that work decently. It's not on MTMTE"s level.. but I respect writer John Barber and IDW for seeing what they fucked up and course correcting. Barber's work isn't my forte, but the guy isn't terrible an does have his fans for a reason, I just prefer More than Meets the Eye and Windblade more, with Windblade being a second, much more succesful stab at IDW doing an intrigue on cybertron book, one i'll defintely cover at some point. It helps Windblade got most of the standouts from this book as supporting cast, but it's genuinely good and worth your time. None of this makes season 1 GOOD, by any stretch, but I wanted to get it out of the way that YES the series gets better. But you can also largely skip season 1 or read the wiki without loosing much for either RiD Season 2 or Windblade.

That being said.. Season 1 is a mess. It wasn't that pleasant to re read despite it's bright spots and it took a while to get through, an utter chore to slog through this one. One of the only bright sides is it taught me I CAN review a whole series in one post again.. just probably in smaller doses than my last attempt with new teen titans, which was great but just about killed me. So other series I dislike like All New All Diffrent X-Men, Dan Slott's fantastic four or Jason Aaron's avengers are now more within my grasp to actually tear apart at some point.

For now though let's focus on THIS disapointing series, see why it is and also talk a lot about how much this version of Bumblbee sucks and this version of Starscream fucking slaps.

Do You Have Any Clue What Happens Now?

Like more than Meets the Eye, Robots in Disguise kicks off with the Death of Optimus Prime, a one shot setting up both series and dealing with the aftermath of Chaos, the big event that ended the previous era of IDW and allowed a soft reset for this one.

So as a quick recap since it's been a long time since I tackled this issue: The War is Over. At long lost the Autobots defeated the evil forces of the decpitcons after all of them were combined by an elder god into one giant deciptigod and Megatron disappeared after hyjacking it.

The problem is what comes next which is a great hook and part of what makes MTMTE works: the war is over.. but unlike most transformers stories that get to end the war, we see what happens now everyones free.

The Autobots take command.. but it's not going wella s Optimus Prime finds out: the planet has reverted to a primal state and thousands of civlians, dubbed nails by the autobots and something the nails aren't fond of, have arrived and the vast majority of them want the Autobots to fuck off their planet.

The Nails.. are one of the biggest wasted opportunities of Robots in Disguise. The IDEA is good: a bunch of bots who either fled one of the two sides or managed to opt out entirely return and aren't happy with the planet or military leadership. It's a concept with a lot of depth as on the one hand the autobots have a point

While the Nails had every right to nope out of a war they were tired of, the Autobots fought long hard and lost a lot to get to this point and blaming them for something that's objectively not their fault, the planet going bonkers, isn't remotely fair. On the other.. the nails have every right ot want the planet back and to want a part in it, and to want leadership that isn't just the autobots.

The problem is the conflict is handeled with the subtley of a sledgehammer and thus BOTH sides come off as assholes: The Autobots make up an embarassing faction name for them, push them around and Prowl goes into a creepy tirade about how this isn't "Their" planet and they didn't fight in the war and later sics the deciptcons on them afte rthey agree to get explosives put in their brains.

The Nails Meanwhile spend the start of the sreies, especially the death of optimus prime bitching at the autobots, treating them as facists, and treating them all like they were complicit in the senates corruption, which only gets more galling after season 1 of MTMTE as most were fully against it.. they just couldn't do anything about it. Neither could you guys. It dosen't help they HANG OPTIMUS PRIME IN EFFIGY for the crime of STAYING AROUND ON A PLANET HE JUST SAVED.

The lack of nuance makes me just.. not care about most of both sides: The Autobots come off like their trying to consolidate power and remain in charge because they feel owed it, while the Nails blame them for everything. We COULD have had a good story abotu trying to perserve the past while acknowldging it's flaws and making a better present, but instead it's just the nails either whining or making entirely valid points that the autobots, mostly prowl, try to police brutality away because they can't accept they shoudlnt' be running things.

In the middle of all this Perciptor examines the matrix and finds a map, with Drift seeing it as a map to the mythical knights of cybertron and wanting to go on a quest to find it. Rodimus agrees, while Bee wants them to stay here and be miserable dammit because he is. While on paper Rodimus is running away from his problems in practice.. he defintely is but makes a valid point: Why SHOULD he stay on a planet that doesn't want him. And when Ultra Magnus joins with them, he makes a valid point: finding the knights could find something to fix cybertron. While Rodimus' hopes finding the knights will fix everything is a pipe dream, those are Rodders faviorite kind, their not wrong to want to find a solution that isn't just "Try and make this work" and forcing people who genuinely dont' WANT to help you to do what you say isn't healthy. This isn't a war for all time: it's just a disagremeent about what you want to do now your free of the war.

Optimus ends their squabble by giving them each half the matrix and fucking off, deciding to shed his former mane and his planet. The Lost Light leave despite Bumblebee's bitch crying.. and then seemingly blow up.

And this is where RiD begins, our cast is barely holding Cybertron together, aren't adressing their problem and now they assume the lost light is dead. So what does this add up to?

Okay TECHNICALLY this isn't true: Bumblebee sets up a state funeral for the bots, which is Starscream's first big platform to worm his way into high command, and Wheeljack brings him up once... but really you could take this subplot out and replace the big shindig with something else and nothing would change.

In contrast the messy takeoff... is VITAL to More Than Meets The Eye: the explosion it causes sends a good chunk of lost lighters to the planet bellow, brings skids on board when they investigate the planet, and brings the sparkeater on board to set those up for much later. And that's not even getting into how the opening arc of season 2 follows up on it, which i'll save for when we get there. Here.. they just sorta assume their friends are dead, don't bother investigating or thinking that MAYBE a ship with a quantum engine did some weird shit. It's to the point that when Optimus is told during his sub plot, his response... is to not remotely buy Rodimus could be killed that easy and assume they'll find them eventually. Which.. they do.

There's also just.. legistics. I know this is a pair of comics about giant robots, science isn't strictly followed nor should it be. But if the lost light exploded.. there would be debris. And they HAVE plenty of ships. Someone could investigate. If the Nails think the autobots REALLY commited this sort of execution, as their said to outright suspect including their rep in the main cast metalhawk, then .. why would NONE of the thousands of bots with functioning space ships look into it. Or the deciptcons once their brain explode chips are turned off. It feels like an excuse to just have the two not interact.. which they already had being out of range and with Blaster spending the season getting coms up and running again.

Anyways the series proper mostly follows Autobot high command as they try to run this planet/prevent anyone else from doing so. Like the lost light exploision this is a possibly intresting hook... that's utterly bungled. They do do things with it.. but they don't do them well. And the best way to get into that is with the characters starting with their supreme leader

Bumblebee: He's Tried Nothing and He's All Out of Ideas

The idea of Bumblebee being forced to take charge of the autobots is a great one. Tranformers has gone to this well three times i'm aware of, and it's a concept worth exploring taking what's essentially the team's kid brother and forcing him to take the throne and see if he can make it.

IDW's last attempt before this wasn't great, with Bee making a deal with the goverment that backfired horribly, and generally acomplishing nothing. So trying AGAIN.. was a smart move. It was worth a second try.

Unfortunately... Barber entirely bungled that second attempt. Bumblebee is TECHNICALLY leader of cybertron.. but really dosen't try to lead. He lets prowl do whatever he wants and whatever prowl wants is usually some form of police brutality, he argues with metal hawk but tends not to have an argument other than "the autobots aren't all bad mkay" or "All decipticons deciptisuck", and he overworks poor sweet Wheeljack, fostering all their super science shit on him and being mad when the guy is doing work of his own. It's VERY transparent in every scene he's in Bumblebee wants peace with the Nails not because it's the right thing.. but simply so the autobots can hold onto the planet. While the Nails are often written as overreacting assholes, as the book goes on they mellow out and most of their actions are entirely... justifable. Their horrified Prowl put bombs in the decipticons brains, they don't want police brutality, they want to actually elect a leader.

Every move Bee makes is to keep himself in charge despite not having a single fucking idea what he's doing. I could buy him as a leader if he tried.. leading: Tried finding homes for the Nails, making actual negotations with the decpticons, send out a party to go tame the primal planet so they can expand iacon , actually hammer out a government. There's a LOT to building a whole new world after a war, it's the reason Hamilton got an entire, incredibly gripping act out of all the nation building. But instead RiD just ignores the intresting idea of rebuilding cybertron's goverment and how it governs itself from scratch and just focuses on Bee whining or various things that happen for the plot. And by doing so it makes Bumblbee and those loyal to him come off like power grabbing assholes who care more about being appricated for fighting the war and less about making a better world to live in or even making the world LIVEABLE.

What makes this so galling though is how the narrative treats bee: characters talk about his "great vision" failed or say he might win the election. That last part is Prowl/Bombshell playing Bee, more on that in a minute, but most of the cast talks his ass up when really he's just a guy way in over his head, which could be intresting to explore.. but they just.. DON'T. Instead we just follow a bland dithering jackass as he fucks up till eventually someone smarter, with more charisma and an actual plan takes his place. But before we can get to them.. let's talk about the most punchable face in Autobot high command

Fuck Prowl

Yeah I tried to make a clever title here, I really did.. but most attempts lead to a storm of profanity as I genuinely detest this version of Prowl. And as a reminder like bumblebee it's JUST the IDW comics version. Animated Prowl slaps. Prowl's G1 deisgn is great. I'm sure there are other prowls who don't suck all joy out of a page when they show up or are the poster boy for why we need police reform despite doing a police on a whole other planet. I"d like to meet them. But this prowl is one of my least faviorite characters in fiction. In fact I can't bleivei I didn't add him to my jjall before now.

Welcome Home Prick!

Now I will give one caveat to this character: Part of the problem is the multitude of writers: James Roberts, who wanted Prowl for his cast, wrote prowl as a giant asshole who could never let the war go and got two people killed with his overlord scheme. Nick Roche wrote prowl as a scheming asshole who paranoidly plots. And tha'ts not even getting into his asshole characterization in books BEFORE this era.

John Barber.. dosen't walk either of these back, but wants Prowl to be a complex symapthetic figure, someone who is a calculating draconian asshole.. but who was driven there by his betryal by spike in the previous ongoing, and who badly WANTS to do the right thing. The problem is rather than make prowl a layered intresting character.. he instead comes off as an asshat who constantly tries to justify the horrible shit he does as "for the greater good"

It's not helped that Prowl's first scenes in this era leave a truly terrible first impression: The first things we see from prowl are

Him bitching about the nails and being absolutely LIVID at their suggestion the autobots leave the planet, not because it's a stupid unfair suggestion, but because he feels OWED the planet and was also once nearly one himself.

Conscripting the Decipticons into his own private army he uses to try and supress a riot from the Nails, instead making it ten times worse and only not getting anyone killed because Optimus steps in.

In MTMTE, trying to convince Chromedome to stay so he can use his ex boyfriend to do mnemosurgery, something Chromedome VERY much dosen't want to do, mocking his current boyfriend and then flipping a table like a petulant teenager when Chromedome walks out on his ass.

Using Arcee as his own personal hit squad , having her assitnate ratbat then trying to act like he didn't ask her to do that.

It's.. nigh impossible to come back form all of that and Prowl really dosen't. He spends the season brainwashed by Bombshell, in part thanks to trying to blackmail Chromedome and forgetting "oh yeah he can do mind things to me".. and NO ONE notices. He's horrified by that fact, but it's VERY telling that the only action of his that was hintingly out of character.. was telling bumblebee he could win the election. GENUINELY supporting his friend instead of trying to talk over him... is something that was a HINT he was brainwashed and the only thing people felt off. Said brainwashing also feels like it came out of nowhere, with not the slightest hint, and feels like a way to soft reset the character... which then fails as he spends season 2 once again out of his head... and once again in a way that isn't remotely out of character. I don't blame prowl for what he did under bombshell for most of the sries, he was brainwashed. But it's DAMMING that he did enough in ONE VOLUME before being hypnotized to earn my ire. More than Meets the Eye dosen't HELP nad IS a diffrent writer.. but even under Barber he's just the worst and I don't look forward to seeing more of him during Dark Cybertron and beyond. I DO look forward to seeing him hurled off a cliff.

All Hail Starscream:

Taking a break from pure, unyielding rage for a second, let's talk about something the book does right. I may be giving John Barber a LOT of crap this review.. but I can't deny he writes the best Starscream. There are other great starscreams from the hilarously over the top unsubtle 84 version, to the compitent but still hilarously shady animated verison and i'm sure i'll only find more as I watch more shows. Starscream rocks. But this one takes all that and asks a question: What happens when you take Starscream out of war and put him where his lying and scheming are an asset and his bad past is a non factor if he can lie hard enough: Politics.

While the autobots drown post war, trying to find their place.. Star scream swims like a majestic dolphin. Granted he's a Majestic Dolphin who still gets shit on a lot as it's starscream and everyone knows not to trust him and he has to work hard for his schemes for the most part... but he's still FAR more at home here than he ever was trying to usurp megatron. With the Decpticons, might made right: Megatron was on top because he was a great tactician, sure, but he was also capable of kicking anyone's ass who dared defy him, and had a death squad just for making a gruesome example out of anyone who betrays or tries to leave the cause. While Starscream was strong he couldn't muslce out megs or the various destructive douchebags he hired.

In contrast on Cybertron post war... he simply has to outthink and outspeak his opponents, who even if they weren't mostly fuck ups, still aren't really public speakers. Starscream first weasles his way into command with a few simple moves: He goes to the autobots in good faith, which they rightfully don't buy, tells them about a planned false flag attack by ratbat.. then once he's foiled, steps onto the stage at the funeral the attack was taking place at and boldly offer shimself as a formerish decipticon representive. While Bee never trusts the guy, for good damn reason, from that point on it simply dosen't matter: he's in the room where it happens. And often.. he's somehow the voice of reason. He's always got an angle... but it dosen't change the fact he's right or he gives Metalhawk someone to back him up. Not only that some of the bonds he forms are genuine. Metalhawk genuinely warms up to screamer and Wheeljack is the only one to try and make amends, to the point that after my boy gets horribly injured, Starscream makes sure he's getting healed and genuinely feels bad the poor guy got hurt.

On top of that once the media is restored for iacon, Starscream plays to the cameras, with his biggest play since stepping on stage coming in the annual: The Autobots find a titan in the desert while looking for lost comrades, trying to keep starscream out of it as Bee is deathly aware finding them would be some very easy bipartisan points for Screamer. Screamer shows up anyway... and when Prowl's croney keeps a gun traind on him and metalhawk, Screamer easily turns the situation on them: He invites a TON of Nails to watch and essentially make it so if he gets shot, it's over for the autobots, then goes down himself. It's here he gets a stroke of pure luck: The titan they've found... deems Starscream as some kind of chosen one. This isn't necessarily a good thing long term... but it does mean a lot especailly to the religious. Now normally this would mean nothing or months of trying to find proof.. but because Screamer's crowd crawled down to witness the titan once it was safe.. they all heard it.

At this point.. Starscream's basically won. The only genuine compettion he'd have in an open election is metalhawk, but either way the Autobots have basically lost control and all that's left is to wait for the elections. Sadly for Screamer he soon has a no good very bad day as Megatron comes back and Starscream spends the next arc as a hostage after going to rant at his former boss, with Megatron not remotely interested in compromise.

That said Starscream has survivied being humilaited plenty and while the Autobots are autobusy dealing with Megatron and the decpeticons, not to mention prowl combining with devestator, Starscream reminds us who he is: He kills Metalhawk, later being genuinely regretful.. but acknowledging Metalhawk was, genuinely, the only thing in his way. He was the only oponent in his rise to power left: Megatron was dealt with, the autobots had shot themselves in the foot 87 times, he feels terrible about what he did.. but killing Metalhawk looses him a friend and someone who belivied in him.. but gains him a Martyr. In the aftermath Screamer basically declares himself LEADER OF THE DECPTEICONS.. ER CYBERTRON, everyone backs him and he gets rid of most of his major opposition by casting out anyone who won't revoke their faction. A few autobots like Blurr stay behind... but msot of the cast we know are cast into the wildnerness and it's their own damn fault.

We get one last issue with Screamer , a spotlight that shows this job will be hard as while speeching got him INTO the job, he has to solve actual problems. Three Monologues is the best issue of season 1 as Starscream rants at megatron in stasis, reflects to Metalhawk's corpse and genuinely opens up to an injured in stasis wheeljack. Not only that Starscream also gets his own starscream, Beast Wars Faviorite rattrap. I'm mixed on this version of him: the character is very well written, being a slimy weasel whose looking for an angle and who gets rid of a local altruist for star scream by framing the guy. It creates an intresting relationship too as Starscream recognizes the behavior of his own.. and takes Rattrap into his administration. As Screamer perfectly puts it the guy Rattrap framed.. was a liablity. He liked star scream, genuinely belivied in the titans... but as Starscream brilliantly puts it altrusim.. is unpredictable. Rattrap on the other hand is who Screamer used to be before he became god emperor of cybertron starscream the first: he can not only deal with that, but it gives him a minon.

Before we leave Screamer I also just want to say.. I fucking love that he put on the crown from transformers the movie. I've always loed that he just... had to have a little crown for himself and that even if this version is less of a joke, he's still starscream enough to need a crown. It's also a striking visual in this context: Starscream is in control of cybertron. Primus help us.

Metalhawk: Don't Let him Be Misunderstood

For any longtime fans of this series or MTMTE, this section is probably going to be controversial but on second read.. I didn't hate Metalhawk. He's still obnoxious at first, he is the one saying "oh well you should piss off the planet you just fought hard to save from a giant Decipticon monster god man". It's easy to hate him as he's constantly telling our heroes they shoudl fuck off.

Yet on reread.. him doing that is WHY he's entertaining. See when I first read the books it was a few years ago. When I can't remember, my memory catches a lot of things but some things are lost to the enternal bog that is the back of my head, but it was before 2020.. and thus before George Floyd's untimely murder. As a result a lot of what the autobots do read diffrentlY: what they did ALWAYS came off as awful: even when the protestors are slamming the doors down, sending out jackbooted thugs is NEVER a good look, and the way Prowl talks about nails and treats them as second class citzens for simply wanting a voice is ... all kinds of chilling. Prowl sees himself as a police officer, and he certainly is.. but the worst kind, the kind most are who will gladly do shady shit to persue what they think is justice and oppress civlians because their "above them. "

So while said realizations about policing and the various police beatings of innocnet protestors made Prowl somehow even worse.. they made Metalhawk better as a LOT of what he's asking.. comes off more resonable. His wanting the decpticons free was kinda bonkers to me when i first raed it.. but now I entirely get that maybe putting bombs in defeated enemy combatants is you know.. a war crime. If you really want to put decitpcons who are dangerous away.. use a jail. Give them a trial. It's not great but putting them int what's basically a gheto that also oused to be a gun is horrible.

Metalhawk simply wants a voice and change for his people. He grows out of throwing the autobots out, being far more willing to work with them than they are with him and making plenty of valid points. He evolves as a character from a whiny asshole who disrpescts the autobots to seeing them as fuckups.. but ones who, prowl aside, are GENUINELY trying, with Bee planning to basically let Metalhawk takeover after the big fight at the end of season 1 before Starscream put some holes in that plan and also metalhawk. He's often the only person speaking up for a bunch of people who greatly outnumber the people in charge yet have to listen to thir bullshit, something that's become more and mor erelevant as congress fucks up more and more . It's hard to boo him when he's right: the autobots probably SHOUDLN'T be running the planet. They shoudln't leave, but they shoudln't be in charge. They shoudlnt be using deciptcons as easy soldiers and shoudln't keep the bombs in their heads now their vastly outnumbered. He's the voice of reason in a calvlcade of jackasses and a schemeing asshole. He's still annoying at times.. but it's really hard to hate a guy who grows out of his most annoying traits and ends the comic betrayed by the most obvious cantidate, something he only didn't see coming.. because he genuinely thought his friend had changed.

Wheeljack and the Rest: Robots in Disguise has a large cast, but most of the best players are off to the side, Starscream excluded. So let's talk about them.

My easy faviorite is one I wish Roberts had gotten like he wanted, the man the myth, Wheeljack. now I like Wheeljack in general due to his design, a nice faceplate, a unique head, it helps him stand out among the standard faces most autobots have.

Wheeljack seems to be one of the few Autobots genuinely trying for a better tommorow: he tries to make peace with starscream, and is frequently working on other projects before bee yells at him for not being avaliable to put out all his fires. He's kind, considerate and also a genuius, getting a nice moment in the sun when he sneaks into a decipticon ship and fidns out their up to some shit, then escapes the horde. I mean Metalhawk DOES save him in the end, but the fact he did most of this himself and gets both of them out himself is impressive. Wheeljack sadly just dosen't appear a ton and ends the season getting his head crushed by megatron. He does come back during season 2 and quickly becomes besties with Windblade, something we'll get to eventually, so good for him.

Blurr is a close third in the characters I like and is the only one of the autobots to really explore the ideas MTMTE was, the idea of "what do you do with your life next". Blurr does help out at first but his mounting frustration with prowl leads to him noping out, only helping out to try and find Ironhide. He decides to open a bar, much like Swerve , and his is a nicely diffrent joint: while Swerves is basically the cheers of transformer,s a place to forget your worries, hang with pals and get into hyjinks, Macadams, a regular location in most transformers place is that.. but also a melting pot, as Blurr soon makes a bunch of former decepticon friends including Sky Byte, a nail who has a great outfit, with him gladly defending his patrons with his good buddy jazz, whose barely in this comic for some reason despite, as always, being fucking great.

Next up is Ironhide. Ironhide does get a pretty meaty roll, as his recent ressurection has convinced him he's immortal and he's getting flashes of a possible future.. .one where the autobots are gon by cybertron thrives. Naturally everyone assumes he needs help instead of you know.. remembering that they followed the matrix for so long because it had robot magic or the giant stygian being made out of a dark god and 80 decepticons they just fought a month ago. What i'm saying is "I can see the fuuuuuuttttttreeee" isn't that farfetched at this point. So Ironhide goes to explore the wilderness with my boys the dinobots who sadly are all kinda douchey here.. but they still kick plenty of ass. The group disappears for a while after a signal drives my dino boys mad... but naturally they show up just in time to be the calvary in the finale. Ironhide is great.. they just don't really focus on him and I wish they did. Same with the dinobots.

Finally out of the ones who actually do stuff we have Arcee. Arcee... is a lot to unpack despite her short screentime. If you'll recall, and if you don't i'm so sorry for reminding you, Simon Furman's approach to the most prominent female transformer.. was to make it so she was FORCED to become female by a mad scientest, a tonedeaf, transphobic take brought about because Simon Furman hates the very idea Cybertronians have a concept of gender.. despite writing male prounouns into this continuity, thus showing they do just .. all male.

So how did Barber tackle this transphobic mess Simon Furman had saddled him and other writers with?

Yeah he just straight up ignored tha tpart for the first 21 issues. Arcee does mention killing Jhiaxus, the mad scientest in question, again, and again and again, but otherwise as far as RiD is concerned, Arcee is just an autobot who was tortured a lot by Jihaxius and who Prowl uses as his hit squad. She gleefully agrees to this... but it's clear she has no real sense of purpose. She DOES get a well done spotlight issue after the Autobots are cast out, with her wondering if the endless violence is worth it and deciding to join the autobots, wether they want her or not. It's a BETTER characterizfation than Furman's, a person with clear trauma trying to find out "what now"... but that big black cloud of "I done a transphobia because I hate them girl robots" hangs over it. It's an elephant in the room no one wants to talk about. I don't FULLY fault barber for it as IDW could've wanted him not to and it was a subject that would need a through, out in the open exploration. IDW was clearly willing as they supported Chromedome and Rewind and would continue to support out and out queerness in this franchise, Barber just wasn't ready yet and thus kept Arcee out of focus. He'd TRY to deal with this later at least but it's still super uncomfortable for now.

Decepticon wise.. they don't really get to do much till the season finale of sorts: they mostly stand around in a gun barrel and plot. Ratbat, one of my faviorite casettes of Soundwaves, is very prominent, trying to weasle his way into power early on.. but then Prowl goes and kills him and i'm sad. Soundwave , my boy, does fuck all till the build up to dark cybertron while Shockwave is in the shadows preparing said event , mostly done in optimus primes subplot. It's a real waste too as having more deciptcons actually try to reform or at least integrate into society would be neat, instead their just mostly canon fodder after a whil ewith a subplot about one seeing what prowl did going nowhere.

So speaking of Prime

The Thrilling Tales of Orion Pax

I haven't mentiond it till now but RiD has it's own isolated subplot ala the scavengers, just one that only lasts this season. Optimus left after the one shot and while he calls himself orion pax as does this segment... i'm just calling him Optimus like everyone else: Optimus goes on his own thrilling space adventures with his crew of Garnak, an ork like alien, Wheelie, who met garnak while stuck on a planet where time was constantly in flux and is still traumatized from it and Hardhead, a minor character turned Optimus buddy.

The trio had captured Jhiaxus, the mad science guy but got some criptic info. Jhiaxus quickly breaks free and while Optimus intended to just soft retire, he can't deny the danger he or his apprentice turned master Shockwave presents, and thus teams up with this motely crew. The adventures are only across three issue but each is fun, the characterrs ar eintresting if underdevleoped and i'ts neat to see Optimus like this: Grappling with his past, unsure of his future, and unwilling to be Optimus again despite everything pulling him toward it. His characterization also takes a nice turn as he was a minor prick in the return of optimus, calling the circle of light a cult. Douchebags yes, cult no.

There's really.. not much to say here anyalis wwise: these adventures are well done and I wish they were the main focus, and clearly Barber agreed as Optimus takes over next season, if sadly not bringin most of these guys with him.

THey are vital for the build up to Dark Cybertron, with Jhiaxus and his goons being Shockwaves main minons and hinting at his mission.. which Shockwave happily outlines in a spotlight later.. well happy isn't an emotion he experinces but he still outlines it: He's been seeding 13 powerful ores, tying in previous things like super energon and such, and the final and 13th one.. is ressurection, bringing people back under his control. His plans feel vauge in theis build up, but involve jhiaxus taking a titan right to cybertron, the ores, and beating up soundwave, with Prime persuing.

The only complaint I really have is the art, which isn't bad, it's just dark, cold , and muted, and not really my forte, working better to represent the dark universe during the crossover. It's not bad it's just hard to make out the visuals at times is all.

So with that we have one last bit of pre-crossover buisnes sto attend to

THe Old Man's Back Again

I did mention Megatron came back right? Because he did. And since he has a big roll to play in the crossover and in MTMTE season 2, let's talk about where Megs has been. Megs was left half dead after becoming a giant pile of decpticons, coming back towards the end of season 1, having what's essnetially the season finale early and the rest of the issues are spotlights dealing with the aftermath.

Bumblebee's reaction is exactly what you'd expect

I mean it's not unwaranted: it's megatron. He was a walking death machine and a brilliant strategist. It's not wrong to expect that even shambling and half dead he's plotting something.. because that's EXACTLY what he was doing. Bee DOES decide to spare him for a trial after being talked into it, but reluctantly and with Megatron guarded to hell. Unfortuantely.. the person in charge of his security is prowl who has a bit of a brain bug at the moment, having taken out omega supreme.

Yeah turns out a LOT of the seasons events were Megatron

The field driving people into rages was him, bombshell was working for megs the whole time, and Shockwave was working with him.. if only till it was convient enough to bail and go work on his own scheme. It's a MILD stretch and I wish it'd been se tup better.. but like Starscream it's hard NOT to enjoy Meg's presence: he brings a genuine threat and meanace, pinning our heroess to the wall and barely being beaten. He's not as layered as he was about to become... but he's still a clever villian who scoffs at Starscream's bitch crying, not WANTING a compromised cybertron but an empire. He ends up loosing but barely does, having still caused a ton of damage and left enough of a gaping woom for Screamer to take the crown. While this Megs is pretty simplistic, he still serves as a good foundation for what's next: a man who genuinely THINKS he's doing the right thing and that peace really is possible if you throw away those pesky civil liberties and his plan and near victory underline HOW dangeorus he is, why the lost light needs to nerf him to put him on board... and why Cybertron will BADLY need his help in the mess to come.

So that was Robots in Disguise and this review.. was difficult to say the least. It's not a great book but it has flecks of greatness in it and later seasons of this side of transformers and other series would pick up on that

Next Time in March: DARK CYBERTRON BEGINS. Bumlbee and the Bumblefucks try to protect a cyberton that hates and fears them, Rodimus goes into a stygian hole in space time, and Shockwave's plan hopefully makes sense.

#transformers #optimus prime #idw #robots in disguise #prowl #bumblebee #wheeljack #megatron #starscream #meatalhawk #blurr #arcee

25 notes · View notes