#and yeah it’s 51 words of course it is

[efingart]

I did it! @deadbranch ‘s 51 ahem 50 word half drabble fic challenge.

“You’re home,” She said as she stabbed out her cigarette and rose from her spot by the window. Frank admired the way his shirt skimmed the tops of her thighs as she moved towards him.

She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips against his neck.

He was home.

[deanstead]

Marry That Girl

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Requested: no

Word Count: 600+

Tags/Warnings: none

A/N: Short one because I haven't released something for Jay in way too long! This has been sitting in my WIP drafts for the longest time so I finally got it written! An anon requested something similar for Will but since I had a half-written fic, I finished this and posting this instead! As always thanks to bestie @seatsbythepit for being my beta queen~!

JAY HALSTEAD MASTERLIST

You hadn’t thought this through.

It sounded like an innocent enough date when Jay had asked if you wanted to go watch the game. You hadn't been dating for long, and every day felt a little unreal in a ‘I can’t believe Jay Halstead wants to go out with me’ kind of way, and you appreciated every opportunity you got to spend with Jay especially since you never knew if he would have to go undercover or spend nights at the district trying to clear a case.

But now that the game was approaching, you were in a bit of a panic.

You enjoyed watching a game, but you didn’t always know what you were watching or doing, and you weren’t sure you were ready to let Jay see that side of you.

“Y/N, everything okay?” Kelly’s voice interrupted your internalized panic and you glanced up.

“Ah, I should have thought of you!” You proclaimed, earning yourself an eyebrow raise from the squad lieutenant. “I need your help.”

Kelly raised an eyebrow but chuckled before nodding toward his office.

You thanked all the stars that it was a quieter shift. After all, an entirely quiet shift didn’t exist at Firehouse 51. But at least that’s the way you liked it.

Kelly gave you a crash course, but not without reminding you that you owed him one. You spent the rest of the downtime studying it so that at least you’d have something smart to say, even though there were a few times you wondered what the hell you were doing.

Hard work indeed paid off.

You walked out of the game, feeling a little embarrassed as Jay’s friends gushed over you.

“Jay, you got a good one. My girlfriend doesn’t even want to come to games with me.” One of his buddies quipped.

Jay laughed, putting an arm around you and grinning. “Hey, should I be worried? What if you guys just call her for the games instead?”

The laughter rumbled through the group as they all nodded, teasing Jay that they’d rather call you instead of him in the future.

You really did owe Kelly one.

As his friends dispersed, calling that Jay had better bring you out for the next game, Jay’s phone rang.

You nodded at him, telling him he’d better take it, assuring him that you and Will wouldn’t leave him behind.

Jay took the call from Voight, glancing toward where you and Will were talking as he nodded. “Yeah, I got it. I’ll be right in.”

Jay could feel the dread in his gut, that felt just a little too much like guilt that he had to blow off again tonight even though he’d promised a nice after-game dinner and maybe some drinks and cuddling.

“This is why you don’t promise anything, Jay.” He mumbled to himself, before he walked back toward the both of you.

“Hey, Y/N, I…”

You glanced at the look on Jay’s face and just smiled. “Gotcha.”

“Sorry.” Jay couldn’t even say anything more because everything else in his head sounded like an excuse.

“I’m not saying I’m not disappointed, because I kinda am. But I get it. And if these were bells going off for the ambulance, I’d do the same thing you’re doing now. So, go.” You paused. “But you owe me a mind-blowing date.”

Jay laughed and nodded. “That, I definitely do.”

You shot him a huge smile and headed off toward Jay’s truck to wait because you knew he’d at least take you home before heading back down to wherever he was supposed to go.

Will watched the exchange with a mix of amusement and awe before he glanced at his younger brother.

“Jay?” Will called, before Jay and him headed off in different directions.

Jay glanced up at Will and Will smiled. “You better marry that girl.”

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!

If you want to support me, buy me a coffee!

[devildomwriter]

Obey Me as Tumblr #32

Thirteen: DO WEREWOLVES HAVE TOE BEANS

Asmodeus: Of course they have toe beans, what else do you suck on

Thirteen: If there is a god, mine is surely a trickster, giving me the miracle of sight and of comprehension only for me to be cursed to use it on what you just said

•

Leviathan: Jesus was a carpenter in his youþ and ðerefore his physique would not be ðat of a Twink þanks for coming to my Ted Talk

Asmodeus: I agree with you but you have to stop trying to bring back the thorn and eth

Lucifer: Look me in the eye and tell me that is the only problem you have with this post

•

MC: Whenever I eat mushrooms I think about how one day mushrooms are gonna eat me…I make sure to chew really gently so they’ll return the favor to my corpse

Diavolo: Hey OP

MC: Me, through a mouth of gently-chewed mushrooms: yeah?

•

Leviathan: Ra ra rasputin Russia’s smallest uwu bean

Solomon: This post snuck up behind me and stole my spine like sub-zero

•

Solomon: I got the words jacuzzi and yakuza confused

Now I’m in hot water with the Japanese mafia

Satan: I don’t want to like it, but I did

•

Mammon: When will TED himself…finally show up to the Talk?

Diavolo: The final boss

Lucifer: You guys know TEDtalks stands for technology, entertainment, and design talks right?

Mammon: I will not let TED hide behind these lies any longer

•

Asmodeus: If I were dating you, well, heh. Let’s just say horses wouldn’t be called ‘horses’ anymore.

Mephistopheles: Hey what the fuck does this mean

Mephistopheles: I’m shaking what does this mean

•

Simeon: Is the person running the blog, thebootydiaries ok

Asmodeus: Sometimes I get the overwhelming desire to eat two thirds of a brick

Solomon: What do you do with the other third

Asmodeus: Feed it to my pet brother

Belphegor: I’m crying in class

•

Diavolo:

Hail Satan

Rain Satan

Snow Satan

Barbatos: Tomorrow there’s a 90% chance of percipisatan

Lucifer: It’ll be foggy in the morning, lots of condensatan

Satan: STOP

•

Satan: I hope the person who created the first pun died a horrible, horrible death

Mammon: It would’ve had to be a pretty killer pun though

Satan: NO

Barbatos: You could say you want him to be…punished?

•

Asmodeus: Bigfoot, but fully shaved

Mammon: Mr Clean

Luke: Posts like this are why I have anxiety

•

Mephistopheles: Dark emails

To whom it WILL concern

Raphael: NOW THAT THIS EMAIL HAS FOUND YOU

Barbatos: I hope this email finds you before I do

•

Lucifer: No more discourse everybody shut the fuck up and eat some bread

Simeon: Jesus at the last supper

•

Mephistopheles: LOWERCASE LETTERS ARE FOR THE LOWER CLASS

Lucifer: And here we have a capitalist

Mephistopheles: Did you just

Solomon: Let us all take a moment to appreciate that all of human history and human language and the universe itself aligned to make this joke possible

•

Solomon: I can’t remember how to write 1, 1000, 51, 6 and 500 is Roman numerals

I M LIVID

Satan: Everyone go home, puns are done

•

Luke: Still don’t know how to spell spagetti without autocorrect

Raphael: Where’s the h

Luke: An H???

Last •

[wolveria]

The Raven's Hymn - Ch 51

Pairing: SCP-049 x Reader

Series Warnings: Eventual smut, dubcon, slow burn, violence, horror, death, monsters, human experiments, dark with a happy ending

Chapter Summary: "I was so afraid… I thought I lost you."

Chapter Warnings: Angst, violence, gore, death

AO3

Spotify

You held him close as you trembled, more fragile than you’d felt since the breach began.

The control over your wild emotions was slipping, but then they were soothed by the hand that gently stroked down your back. You squeezed him tighter.

049 stiffened and made a soft noise of discomfort. The thought of him in pain was the only thing that reeled you in, the tangled web of nerves pushed aside in favor of focusing on him.

You pulled back to get a better look at him. His robes were tattered, as if aggressive moths had nibbled at the edges.

“You’re hurt.”

049 simply smiled with his eyes.

“You’re here.”

Your lips trembled; you couldn’t smile back without fear of the expression breaking.

“Course I am. I had to find you.”

It was… difficult to focus with him staring at you that way, drinking in the sight of you as if he hadn’t expected to see it again.

You wanted to reach out and pull him close again, but you didn’t.

“You’re avoiding the issue.” Your voice was stern, hiding the tremble you felt in your bones. You could fall apart later; right now, you had to find out just how injured he was.

049 released a small sigh and attempted to sit up, only succeeding with the addition of your help. He glanced down at himself, the ruin of his robes, but he was less concerned than you were.

Of course you were concerned, those damn robes were his skin, and he must have been in pain.

“An unfortunate result of being in the Old Man’s web,” 049 relented. “Also… he doesn’t particularly like me.”

You frowned, some of your earlier anger returning. It was fortunate for 106 that he’d closed the way to his dimension, or you would have been tempted to go back and make sure he could never hurt 049 again.

“You were able to extract the digital storage device from my bag,” he added, his gentle voice drawing you from your anger, like purging venom from a wound. His eyes were soft, warm, and God, you’d missed this so much. Missed him.

“I started the breach with 079’s help,” you said. “That’s what you planned, isn’t it?”

His gaze grew heavy and solemn.

“A breach would give you the best opportunity of escape.”

“You didn’t plan on escaping with me.”

“I did not expect to live long enough to try,” he said with a tilt of his head. “My survival was irrelevant to the plan.”

Your face scrunched, anger flickering back to life.

“It’s not irrelevant to me.”

His pale eyes went soft again, unbothered by your sharp words. And when he reached to touch your jaw, you froze, the anger snuffed out, or at least reduced to a simmer.

But 049’s expression wasn’t tender, it was focused. His thumb rubbed your jaw and then pulled back, examining his glove.

“Who did this?”

You looked at his hand but saw nothing against the black fabric.

“What?”

“The Pestilence.” He nearly hissed the word. “It lingers on your skin.”

You frowned.

“I must have gotten it while in there.”

“No… this is different.” He rubbed the spot on his thumb, his voice lowered into an unfriendly rumble. “This is the mask’s brand of corruption.”

Entirely outside of your own control, your face went hot.

“Ah, yeah.” You aimed for casual and landed on awkward. “I ran into 035.”

His gaze darkened so fast it was like a whipcrack.

“I’m okay,” you said in a rush, “079 helped me get away.”

“What… did he want with you?”

He spoke slowly, as if each word had to be chewed before being spit out. You didn’t envy 035 if they ever ran into each other again.

“The usual. Attention, and an opportunity to be a smug asshole.”

That wasn’t the whole of it, and 049 seemed to sense this, his expression unblinking as he waited for you to continue. Which, you did, your hands balled nervously in your lap.

“He was also certain there was a way to leave the facility. All the skybridges have been retracted, but he said there was a way out through the archival section. And that… you would know how to find it.”

That knocked some of the harsh edge out of 049’s steely expression.

“I do not know of any alternate egress from this facility. And I do not know why he believes I would.”

You relaxed a little, even if the news was disappointing. 035 had seemed so insistent on it, too.

And then you backtracked.

“Wait, alternate egress? Do you know of another exit?”

“Of course.” He looked at you askance. “The way we came in.”

The front door. He was talking about the front door.

“Who came up with this plan?” you asked as you rubbed your forehead.

“That would be the one you call SCP-079.”

Ah. Right. 079 had probably been so confident in his own ability to keep the skybridges down that he didn’t consider the possibility of anything else.

“Well, he’s not here, so we’re on our own, unfortunately,” you said. “I guess… we try to find the archival section and see if 035 wasn’t just making up shit. With 079 and 682 gone, I don’t know what else to do.”

049 cocked his head.

“The reptile is… here?”

The question came out so polite in its confusion you almost smiled.

“Yeah, he’s out. I freed him.”

049 only blinked, as if not quite sure what to do with this information.

“There’s so much to tell you, I don’t know where to start,” you said softly. “A lot has happened since they took you away.”

So much, and you didn’t have to hide anything anymore. Not from the cameras, not from 049 in fear of what Leahy would do to him. You realized, for the first time, you were truly alone together.

You moved without thought and knelt between his legs, wrapping your arms around his neck and pressing close until there was no distance between you. You tried to be gentle, mindful of his damaged skin, but your need was too great to hold back.

He didn’t stiffen or pull away, only stilled for a moment before pulling you in, arms around your middle. You were on your knees while he sat on the floor, the only way you had height over him, and you pressed him to your chest, not caring of the edges of the beak against your collarbone.

“I found you,” you whispered into the hood of his robes. “I was so afraid… I thought I lost you.”

The fingers dipped against your skin were grounding and warm.

“I had thought death had come for me, after I had avoided its embrace for so long. I had… accepted my fate.”

“I didn’t.” And you never would.

He hummed a pleasant noise, and one hand traced up into your hair to gently touch the strands.

“We are not free of this place yet.”

His voice was quiet, as if afraid to break the fragile moment. But he was right, and you had to get moving. Staying in one place for too long was a guaranteed way to be caught by something violent and murderous.

But… perhaps one more moment wouldn’t hurt.

You pulled back just far enough to cup his head in your hands and press a kiss to his forehead.

The noise he made was strange, like a startled growl or a muffled purr, and a tremor moved him as your lips lingered on his skin. His hands had fallen to your waist, fingers tightening as if to pull you closer.

You ended the kiss but remained where you were, resting your cheek against the crown of his head. You wanted to stay like this, just the two of you. No breach, no lethal lockdown, no stray SCPs or soldiers. Only you and him.

You reluctantly pulled away, giving one last stroke of your thumb over the place on his mask where his cheek would be. He seemed just as unwilling to part from you, his expression naked, something wistful in his grey eyes.

Perhaps once you escaped Site-20, you would have time to figure out what this was without the constant shadow of the Foundation. The problem was figuring out how to leave a facility that was built to be impenetrable. 049 wasn’t at his full strength, and you discovered another problem as you pulled away.

The shotgun slung across your back had corroded beyond recovery, the metal eaten through with black rust. The pistol and gun belt met the same fate, the unnatural rust marring the fabric and metal. The food you’d taken hadn’t fared any better, accelerated into a rotten state. It seemed that anything that hadn’t been in direct contact with your skin had been lost to the leeching hunger of 106’s lair.

You stripped off the useless pieces, thinking over this new obstacle. Without 079, finding another armory would be unlikely. You wondered if he’d betrayed you now that 682 was free.

Or… maybe betrayed wasn’t the right word. He would have considered your bargain fulfilled, whether or not you made it out alive, and would see no reason to wait for your return. From the perspective of a purely mechanical being, it made sense. Except you knew from how 079 felt about 682, he wasn’t entirely cold circuits and unfeeling logic.

So, for the time being, you would work under the assumption that 079 and 682 wouldn’t be coming back. Luckily, you knew where to get more weapons.

“I don’t know how to get out of here, but we need weapons,” you said, getting to your feet and brushing off your knees. “Can you walk?”

“I believe so.”

You reached out a hand, and 049 stared at it with mild confusion, until he understood and took it gently. He was heavy but had more strength than he’d had in the dark realm, and he stood on his own two feet without swaying. It was progress.

You led him from the medical bay, retracing the steps you’d taken with Leahy. You hadn’t really thought about the Site Director after getting 049 back, and your mind shied away from your last image of him. You didn’t need the distraction.

The halls remained just as empty, lit red with emergency lighting and the occasional smear of crimson on the white linoleum. It didn’t take long to reach your destination, and you stood on the threshold, shocked by the destruction. You didn’t remember it being this bad before, or… maybe it hadn’t seemed bad at the time.

049 loomed over your shoulder, taking in the room that had once been the Site Director’s office.

“What has befallen this place?”

You didn’t answer immediately, instead sorting through the blasted office furniture for what you sought, sifting through the carnage with fragile numbness. The bodies were distinguishable from the furniture by the glimpses of pale bone and the stench of cooked flesh. These were no longer people. They were pieces of burnt meat and charred bone.

You tried not to look at them, but it was hard to look at anything else.

“They were guarding Leahy,” you said, trying to keep your voice flat. Unaffected. “And I needed him to find you, so…”

The result was self-explanatory. Or so you thought, but 049’s silence said otherwise as he stared at you.

“I wore the jade ring. SCP-714 affects me… differently than it should.”

His grey eyes flicked around the room.

“I see.”

He offered nothing more, simply watched what you were doing. You picked up a P90 that seemed undamaged, but it caught on an arm, which might not have been a problem if it had been attached to a body. The limb untangled itself and fell to the floor with a sickly thud.

The gun slipped from your fingers and clattered to the sooty, blood-stained floor. You ran out the door, past 049, and dry heaved in the corridor. Nothing came out but drool, your mouth filled with acrid-tasting saliva, and you spit it out.

What was wrong with you? It hadn’t bothered you before, it had been easy. Uncomplicated. They’d been obstacles, and you’d removed them. If you could kill these men, you could damn well face the result.

It wasn’t as if they’d given you a choice. You’d needed Leahy, and now he was… was…

049 appeared at your side, and you straightened, wiping the spittle from your lips. He was carrying two P90s, and they should have looked odd in his hands, like a medieval knight with a smartphone. But it was strangely natural, and he looked strangely comfortable holding them.

He held one out to you, muzzle pointed away, stock first. You took it with unsteady hands, noting he kept the other. You wondered if he’d ever used a gun before, if he even knew how. With the way he gripped it, you had a feeling the answer was yes.

“You’re not accustomed to the dead.”

You gave a small shrug and looked at your gun, pretending you were interested in checking the ammunition clip.

“I’m not used to… causing death.”

“Good.”

You met his eye, his expression serious.

“One should not bear the executioner’s axe with a light step.”

You remained quiet, and he suddenly looked away.

“You… did not have to do this. Not for me. The price you paid may not have been worth the result.”

“It was worth everything.” Your mouth twisted into a scowl as you stepped closer. “I told you. I’m leaving with you or not at all.”

He spoke your first name, softly, and it was almost enough to make you weak. But you kept your expression hard and said, “We need to keep moving.”

You walked away from the Site Director’s office and refused to linger on what was left behind.

Without a concrete plan or much in the way of supplies, your only idea was to go with 035’s original plan, which unfortunately would lead you in the opposite direction of the skybridges. Worse, there were signs of recent activity. Scorch marks that still smoked, blood that still pooled from warm bodies.

The lights had also been restored in this sector, bright and clinical white, making your eyes ache after the dim red. It was harder to hide like this, and it was sheer luck that you both weren’t spotted when you came across a platoon of guards. They were too focused on taking down a twenty-foot-tall anomaly as it swung at them with giant hands, eyes covering its back red with fury.

049 pulled you down a side corridor, and you kept running, the staccato of gunfire and screams echoing the halls, chaos and death filling the sector. You both were blind without 079’s guidance.

The Epsilon-11 soldiers didn’t make a sound until you rounded the corner and froze. 049 couldn’t pull you back quickly enough this time.

You were hit hard in the middle like being slammed by a truck. Your legs went out, and you only remained upright because he hooked his arms under your shoulders and pulled you back out of the line of fire.

He set you down against the wall, leaning across your body and the corner to shoot back. You tried to raise your own P90, but your fingers were clumsy and slick. You looked down and found your smock coated in red.

The gunfire was deafening so close to your head, but 049 still heard your gasped words.

“No,” he said, so firmly it was almost a growl. He fired around the corner, his eyes ablaze with fury and an intent to slaughter. By the cries and falling bodies you heard between the bursts of fire, he seemed to be succeeding. But there were holes in his robes, blood oozing from the wounds at a slower rate than yours. Not bulletproof, after all.

“Please,” you rasped. “We have to.”

“Your body won’t survive the strain.” Another rapid burst of gunfire, lighting his mask in an ominous glaze. “The ring would kill you.”

I’m dying anyway, you didn’t say. And you were dying. All because you rushed that corner without checking first. You’d been so desperate to escape, and now you wouldn’t.

“You… need to go.”

He didn’t acknowledge you, hunched over you like a warding stature, all fire and brimstone. But he still bled, wounds dripping onto your smock to mix with your own, and you noted it was the same. Red blood.

You thought it would hurt more. Your abdomen was torn, littered with holes, but beyond the initial impacts, you didn’t feel much. You didn’t need one of the Foundation surgeons to tell you that wasn’t a good sign.

“Valens,” you tried again. Begged. “Go.”

“No.” Now he did snarl. “Do not ask this of me.”

He wasn’t going to leave. Everything you’d done, everything you both suffered, it would be for nothing.

You looked away, hope draining out of you just as quickly as your blood. And then you caught sight of them. Two circular anomalies peeking through the door you’d just come through. One orange, the other yellow, they jostled each other to get a better look at you with their singular eyes.

SCP-131-A and SCP-131-B. What were the Eye Pods doing here?

They didn’t come into the corridor, clearly terrified of the gunfire as they trembled, rolling back and forth in nervous oscillation. You could even hear the small noises they made, like scared puppies wanting to be comforted during a thunderstorm.

And then you heard another sound. Scrapping, rolling stone, grating against something hard like…

Concrete?

The Eye Pods—they didn’t want your protection. They were warning you.

“The… lights.”

049 ignored you, too focused on the enemy, his eyes narrowed and furious.

“049! The lights!”

He glanced at you questioningly, and his eyes went a little wide as you raised the P90 clumsily in your left hand and fired past him into the ceiling.

Your shots went wide but some of them hit their mark, exploding the fluorescent bulbs overhead in a bright spray of angry sparks.

049 might not understand your reasons, but he didn’t hesitate to follow your actions as he leaned around the corner and fired upward into the squares of light. He took another hit, and another, before you gripped him by the sleeve and pulled him back with the last of your strength.

You didn’t destroy all the lights, some of them remained, but they were damaged, and the corridor flickered with sporadic flashes.

The gunfire paused. And then the screaming started, bullets flying, but not in your direction. The sound of snapping bones punctuated the screams and gunshots, until finally, it was silent.

There was nothing in front of you, 049 sitting next to you as he leaned against the wall, panting and gripping his rifle.

And then, with the next flicker, it appeared in front of you, inches away. Its harmless-looking stubby arms reached out, its painted face strange and unseeing, and yet, its focus solely on you.

The overhead lights flickered again, casting you into brief darkness, and still 173 remained in place.

“How?” Your voice was faint. It was getting harder to draw breath.

“I can see in darkness,” 049 said grimly. “I will watch as long as I can. Blinking is not a necessity.”

The Eye Pods had vanished. If they were here, they could keep 173 in place, but they weren’t, and 049 needed to get somewhere safe.

There was… one thing you could do. One last act for him.

“It’s okay,” you said softly. You weren’t speaking only to 049. “It’s okay.”

You reached out and touched 173 on its stomach. The stone should have felt cold and lifeless, but it was warm, and hatred thrummed under your palm. It was a vibrant, visceral loathing that ran deep, a part of its nature as much as its limbs and painted face.

Its very existence was hatred, born out of a cruel origin it hadn’t chosen, forced into a box where its captors always watched. It hated the staring. The only relief it felt was when it could punish, and the captors couldn’t stare anymore.

All it wanted to do was kill, it had nearly killed you once, and all you felt for it was sadness.

You closed your eyes. You were so tired, your body sluggish as your thoughts wanted to do the same, but you concentrated. Focused on the thing inside of 173 that didn’t belong. The gaping wound that shouldn’t exist, that drove the anomaly to seek pain and death as a balm. And you began to close it.

The hatred dimmed, gradually, like a dying light, one that hurt to look at and would burn everything to ash if it could. But there was something still beautiful about it, and when it was extinguished, you felt its loss. This wasn’t like the black hole, or the suffering, time-dilated patient.

173 had been made of stone, but it was alive.

Had… been alive.

You opened your eyes. 049 was close, his mask inches away as he stared down at you, something rare and novel in his eyes. Fear.

At first, you thought it was fear of what you’d done. But then you realized his hand was pressed to your stomach, trying to stop the flow of blood. His other arm went around your back, and you barely registered the shift in gravity as he lifted you from the ground.

You struggled to keep your eyes open, looking past his shoulder to the SCP that stood there, unmoving. It would never move again, now just a strange piece of art in the flickering light.

The image of the lifeless statue vanished as you closed your eyes, and the world went still.

Next Chapter

[shesmyboot]

Personal Matter: Chapter 1

*Gif belongs to its rightful owner, it is not mine*

Pairing: Matthew Casey x reader

Summary: You have to tell 51 about a mix-up off shift with a coworker

Words: 797

Warnings: mentions of having sex, pregnancy (lmk if there’s any I missed)

Read on Ao3 here

Notes: Happy my birthday day to those who celebrate. At last, another multi-chapter fic is here after my small hiatus. Getting out of my comfort (Kelly Severide) zone and trying some Matt Casey again. Thank you for reading and join the Taglist to be notified when any new chapters are posted!

Join my taglist here

Tags: @mrspeacem1nusone

——

Staring at the test on the counter, you were speechless. It was one time, he was cute, you were drunk. It felt right, but the two pink lines definitely did not feel right. 

Sylvie, who was ready to leave for shift, nagged you from outside the bathroom door, “almost done in there?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right out,” you gathered yourself and put the test in your pocket, not knowing what to do next.

You exited the bathroom with a nervous look on your face and your roommate could tell.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Can you keep a secret from the firehouse?”

“Of course. What’s wrong?”

“I slept with Casey.”

“Wait, when?”

“A couple weeks ago.”

The look in your eyes told Sylvie you weren’t telling the whole story.

“Is there something else?” She asked, sitting you down on the couch beside her.

“There’s more.”

“Uh oh.”

“I think I’m pregnant,” you pulled the test out of your pocket and showed it to Sylvie.

Sylvie embraced you into a hug.

“Does Casey know?”

“I just found out this morning.”

“It’s gonna be okay. Should I text Boden and tell him you’re not coming in today?”

“No no,” you wiped the tears from your eyes, “I should go to work. I can’t leave truck a man down today.”

“Then we better get moving,” Sylvie smiled warmly.

You grabbed your things from your bed and followed Sylvie out the door to her car, keeping the test tucked in the side pocket of your duffel.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked, lowering the radio’s volume.

“I think I should tell Casey.”

“On shift?”

“Yeah, get it out in the open. I feel like I’m going to explode.”

“Can I ask you something else then?”

You nodded.

“Do you want to keep the baby? Because you shouldn’t be riding truck much longer if you’re pregnant.”

“I think so, but I want to talk to him first.”

Sylvie nodded and refocused on the road ahead. The rest of your short commute was quiet, but pulling up to the firehouse, you felt yourself get anxious.

You brought your bag into the locker room to get changed and stuffed the test from the morning in your side pocket. After changing into your station gear, you left for the bunk room to talk to Matt. He was sitting at the desk in his quarters reading the paper as you approached.

“Captain, do you have a second?” You nervously asked.

“Sure, have a seat,” he gestured towards the perfectly made bed.

There was something more than a shift change on your mind and he could tell.

“What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?” He closed the door and sat back down at the desk chair.

“This is a personal matter.”

“Ok, what about?”

“Remember what happened between us at Molly’s a few weeks ago? We both got a little drunk and one thing led to another…” you trailed off.

“I do. Is there something wrong?”

“I took a pregnancy test this morning… and it’s positive.” You handed him the test. 

Matt looked like his head was going to explode, but he kept his composure as he drew the blinds shut. 

“Captain-“ 

“No no, we’re not just lieutenant and firefighter anymore. It’s Matt, please.”

“Matt,” you corrected, “I’d like to keep the baby, but you don’t have to be involved if you don’t want to. Or you can be really involved, it’s up to you. And I probably shouldn’t be riding truck…”

You had started to ramble, a familiar trait when you were nervous.

“I think you should move in with me,” he admitted, “help you prepare and then take care of the baby.”

“Matt, I don’t know what to say. We had sex once and now you want to move in together?”

“It’s not that simple. We had sex, got pregnant and I think we should move in together to create a stable home for this baby.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? Like okay, you’ll move in?”

“Yes, but there’s rules.”

“Which are?”

“What is this? Do we share a bed when we move in? Are we dating or just friends and colleagues who have gotten themselves into a little mess with genetics?”

“Do you want that?”

“Ask me on a date Matt Casey.”

“Tempe Grill? Tomorrow night? 6 o’clock?”

“Hell yeah, Mexican food sounds great.”

“I’ve got something too then.”

“Okay?”

“I’d like to be involved. Doctors appointments, things like that, as much as you’ll let me.”

“Of course.”

“We should go talk to Boden, you shouldn’t be riding truck while pregnant.”

You stood up and he took your hand, “thank you,” you smiled.

“What’s there to thank me for?”

“For taking care of everything.”

“We’ll get everything figured out, don’t worry.”

[hehearse]

i see we're sending song suggestions again! i sent a few orv songs a while back, but it was before you'd finished the novel (which i had not realized at the time), so i want to try my hand at it again (plus with some sctir songs since you're into that now). there's gonna be a lot so please don't feel pressured to listen to them all at once (or at all!)

for orv:

everything in the dear hunter's all is as all should be album, but specifically the right wrong for yjh & all is as all should be (the song) for either sp or 51% kdj

reset me & take this lonely heart by nothing but thieves (yjh, arguably also kdj for the latter)

stories by lilli furfaro (The Themes)

icarus & apollo by ripto (yoohankim...)

mephisto by queen bee (this one goes SO hard. yjh)

for sctir:

always gold by radical face (this is The han brothers song to me. i love doomed siblings.)

against the kitchen floor by will wood (this one is primarily focused on the relationship yoohyun & hyunjae have with yoojin, and how that relates to their relationship with their humanity. the first verse/chorus is yoohyun, the second is hyunjae, and the rest of the song is yoojin. This one makes me so ill you have no idea)

honestly i'm still holding back but i don't just want to list out my entire playlists ... i hope you enjoy these ones!

HAPPENS TO THE BEST OF US NO WORRIES!! apparently i blended in well. :D

oh that's gonna be long. breaking it apart for structure purposes and also a read more cause feels appropriate FDSFCVS

-> orv

the right wrong by the dear hunter...

yeah checks out. yjh, always watched by kdj in one way or another. always remembering all his mistakes, letting them cling onto him as he goes through one regression after another. and then going back again and again, attempting to get rid of people who are yet to wrong him. yes yes... /crumbles/

all is as it should be. that's yjh. that's plotter. to me. gah.

is there even a need to elaborate. the cycle of regression, his self moving further and further from the patient zero if you will. the crash of stepping back into the first moments of that loop. watching his own self afterwards, wading through the 3rd turn. dooming himself in the 999th turn. something something biting his own tail and i am weak to it.

Nothing But Thieves - Take This Lonely Heart

this one is also. self explanatory isn't it. the story ended but yjh did not. what else is there to do. his purpose gone, his constellation gone. star-shaped hole in his chest aching, but the world is no longer the one that could fill it. there is comfort in the end of the world, you know what to do at any moment of your life, don't you? prevent it. save the world. but once you're done. what then huh. ehe. <- on the verge of death

Nothing But Thieves - Reset me

i hear you but consider this: yoohankim. first kdj - carrying the end in his pocket (literal) - the edited version of ways of survival, if you will. changing their luck - also literal. you know the drill then yjh - carrying so many ends (pardon the implications). carrying the pocket watch too - why not. carrying his sponsorship that leads him to his end etc etc then hsy of course - carrying wos for years and years, bringing forth the end of the world, the usual ^^ and they all attempt to look after each other, don't they? carrying each other's names and faces to the end of universe and back, bringing each other to life (or back to life). self explanatory i think.

lilli furfaro - stories - that one you are correct. the themes. orv in general. ehe. (<- sobbing)

ripto - icarus & apollo well.

something something. han sooyoung paving the way for yoo joonghyuk. and kim dokja leading him astray (to the epilogue). and him going back still. bangs my head against the wall. yoohankim....

queen bee - mephisto

consider this: yjh talking to kdj. reciting his own words at times. ehe... <- shaking but absolutely. yoo joonghyuk risking his life by making that regression his final one (liar). while kim dokja becomes something else in front of his eyes . ^^ almost leaving his turn for the 1863rd. salvation in form of betrayal. isn't that a love on shape of a lie? very kdj truly. ^^

-> sctir

ALWAYS GOLD ABSOLUTELY i think it cropped up before and you are very correct. that's them, the doomed siblings of all time.

will wood - against the kitchen floor

yeah there is nothing to add. you are correct. yoohyun first, hyunje second, yoojin in the end. and hyh and shj both changed due to love. i had a whole essay somewhere on them attempting to humanize their love for yoojin, but dooming him by doing that. and yet still being loved back. head in hands. and ogh yoojin as quicksand? yeah checks out. with all the s classes drowning in his love mhm. sounds about right. (and of course the overwhelming guilt for existing in others' lives.)

[cutielando]

Thanks a million♥️ So for the Brian ‘Otis’ Zvonecek requests I was thinking something along the lines of (reader aka y/n) is a new paramedic at firehouse 51 and everyone including Brian is shocked when she takes an immediate interest in him by flirting with him in front everyone… it’s not a perfect idea so pls feel free to adjust where you feel necessary, this is more of like a guideline than anything.

I was watching the episode where Terra Little joins 51 for a training shift and Otis is attracted to her but of course she chose Kelly Severide instead🥱 so I thought it would be a nice change if Otis is the guy she instantly gravitated towards because it’s very possible I mean he’s adorable common.

my masterlist

Pairing: Brian "Otis" Zvonecek x Female!Reader

"And that would be everything" Sylvie said as she finished giving you a tour of the firehouse.

Joining the 51 had been nerve-wrecking for you ever since you found out your transfer had gone through, mainly because you knew how tight everyone was and you didn't want to intrude on anything.

"Thank you for showing me around. This is much nicer than the last firehouse I was at" you said, admiring the trucks and the ambulance, which was so much nicer than your previous ones.

"How was your last firehouse?" she inquired, not having received much information about you from Chief Boden.

"Typical boy house. I was the only female in the entire house, so you can imagine the atmosphere. The only one who wasn't bothered by my presence was my partner, but we were the same age, so that helped a little" you explained, continuing to walk around.

"I can promise you that it's going to be different here. Our guys are the best, you're going to fit right in with everyone" she smiled and wrapped an arm around your shoulder, steering you in the kitchen direction.

You didn't say anything as you slowly walked towards everyone, each of them minding their own business in the kitchen.

"Guys, this is Y/N. She's the new paramedic I was telling you about" Sylvie announced as you stopped in your tracks where everyone could see you.

"Hi" you said and waved shyly, not used to having so many intimidating pairs of eyes on you at the same time.

Each of them got up and introduced themselves one at a time, wishing you a warm welcome.

"I'm Brian, but everyone here calls me Otis. Welcome to 51, I hope you'll feel at home here" the most handsome man you'd ever seen said as he stood before you, hand outstretched.

You slowly brought your hand up and shook his, electricity quickly spreading through your body when your skin touched his. You inhaled a deep breath, Otis doing the same, which made you smile because it only meant that he felt the connection too.

"Y/N, nice to meet you. I'm positive I'll feel more than welcome here, especially with you around" the words stumbled out of your mouth before you could even think about stopping them.

You saw a slight blush coat Otis' cheeks as he looked around at his colleagues, all looking at the interaction between the two of you with much interest.

Otis cleared his throat and made you snap back to reality, suddenly becoming aware of everyone staring at the two of you and your hands still holding onto each other.

"Otis, why don't you finish the rest of the tour? Show her where we sleep when on shift and the lockers and showers and everything" Sylvie spoke up, sneakily winking at the flustered firefighter.

"Um, ye-yeah, sure. This way" Otis said and motioned for you to follow him.

You turned around briefly to look at Sylvie, who winked at you and smiled, making you smile back.

"She did this on purpose, didn't she?" you asked him, trailing after him down the corridor.

"Sylvie? Yeah, she likes to think she's Cupid and her main goal in life is setting people up every chance she gets. I'm sorry about this" he said, scratching the back of his neck.

"You don't have to be sorry, I'm not complaining one bit" you smiled at him, trying to show him that you were enjoying the situation to the fullest.

"Oh, great. That's, um, that's good" Otis said, cursing under his breath at how awkward he sounded.

"You haven't done this in a while, have you?" you questioned, trying to ease the tension.

"Is it that obvious?" he laughed, the rigidness in his shoulder slightly lessening.

"Maybe just a little" you laughed with him.

"I'm just not used to women showing interest in me first. It's always Casey or Severide or anybody else that gets the girls. It's never me" he explained, which made you feel a little sad for him.

Otis was nothing short of hot and extremely handsome, you couldn't understand why women wouldn't approach him.

"Well, if you're asking me, you're way hotter than everyone else in this firehouse" you leaned in and whispered in his ear before walking away.

You heard Otis inhale a deep breath behind you, making you smile.

You had a feeling you were going to enjoy life at 51.

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[shunin-gumis]

Designs of Happiness - Track A19

L4mps Main Story Translation

Title: Way of the Sauna

Characters: Nagi, Daniel, Netaro

Summary: Nagi heads to the sauna, where he finds Daniel and Netaro already present. Daniel enthusiastically explains the greatness of a sauna to them.

Thank you aca @463ce6, myun @/myuntachis Niri @/Niri_riri and jes @/arcanecrayonn for helping me with proofing!

Location: Hakodate - Hotel Room

*knock on the door*

Momiji: Come in!

Nagi: …Good evening.

Momiji: Good evening! What brings you here this late?

Nagi: Mm… Here. 

Momiji: Oh, you’ve brought the cassette for the weekly report… Thank you for taking the time during the trip to record it! Great work today!

Nagi: You too. I brought these too… 

Momiji: Woah, flowers and… a vase!?

Nagi: I was sure you’d be needing a vase, so I brought one with me.

Momiji: Don’t get me wrong, I’m super grateful and happy for these, but I didn’t think you’d be bringing them on the trip too… 

Momiji: (Now that I think about it, Nagi had a crazy amount of luggage with him… Don’t tell me those were all packed full of flowers?)

Nagi: I brought a lot of flowers with me to counter the Yajirobe effect… Though I’m not sure it’ll be enough. 

Nagi: This trip is… too much happiness for someone like me.

Momiji: (Nagi-kun looks worried. I want him to feel more relaxed, though… Oh, I have an idea!)

Momiji: Nagi-kun, you haven’t taken a bath yet, right?

Nagi: Yeah, I’m going right after this.

Momiji: I know you could just use the bath in your room, but I’d like to suggest you give the public bath a try! It’s a really good experience!

Momiji: It even has a sauna, so I’m sure it’s a great way to refresh!

Nagi: A public bath, and a sauna… 

Momiji: Yeah!

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: I’ve never gone to either of those.

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: But okay, I’ll give it a try. 

~~~

Location: Hakodate - Hotel Sauna

Nagi: …Ah.

Daniel: Well if it ain’t Nagi! C’mon, join us. The sauna here is perfect; the temperature and humidity are just how I like ‘em.

Netaro: Uweh…

Nagi: Netaro’s here too?

Netaro: Daa here enticed me, claiming that the sauna could “clear the mind.”

Daniel: We literally just got here, and you’re even sitting on the lower bench where the temperature’s not that high. How ‘bout you, Nagi? Wanna work up a sweat on the upper bench with me? 

Nagi: Um, I’ll go with the lower one… You’re a fan of saunas, Buchi-san?

Daniel: ‘Course I am! I’ve been to about 300 saunas thanks to all my travel and business trips. I’ve even gone to Finland, the Holy Land of Saunas, too! You’re looking right at a hot-blooded sauna enthusiast!

Nagi: Woah.

Netaro: Are you certain this is supposed to make me feel refreshed…?

Nagi: The Chief recommended the sauna to me so… I figured I’d give it a shot. 

Daniel: Got it. So that makes you a beginner, too. Alright, time to put my back into this!

Daniel: I’ll teach you how to master the Iwabuchi Way of the Sauna; In other words, how to completely revitalize yourself!*

Nagi: Oh, okay. I’m looking forward to it, master.

Netaro: Master~~

Daniel: Oh, first things first: Don’t get in a sauna right after eating your fill or getting sloshed. Ain’t good manners when they gotta haul your butt-naked ass outta here.

Nagi: He’s actually serious about this… 

Daniel: One rep includes sweating it out in the sauna, then getting into a cold bath, and finally cooling off either indoors or outdoors. They say doing three reps improves your sleeping quality or somethin’.

Daniel: 7 to 8 minutes in the sauna should be more than enough for a beginner. 

Netaro: Uuugh~ There is still 5 minutes and 52 seconds, 51 seconds… 

Nagi: What about the cold bath? 

Daniel: Depends on the person, but I guess 1 minute should do? The water is bloody cold, so I wouldn’t recommend staying in there even a second longer.

Daniel: The revitalization comes after that. When you sit down somewhere and take in the breeze… That’s when the happy hormones are released, and you’re in a state of bliss. 

Netaro: I’ve read of this before! Despite the fact that the body is in a completely relaxed state, the brain achieves a state of awakening! It gets your brain juices flowing and is supposed to feel amazing! Isn’t that so? 

Nagi: That’s kinda scary. 

Daniel: Well, there’s no need to get so deep about it. If you ask me, you can revitalize right here in the sauna— 

Netaro: It’s toooo hoooot… I’m in desperate need of some water… 

Nagi: Honestly, me too. 

Daniel: I mean, people use their heads too much on the daily, y’know? That’s why it’s important to hit your limit under extreme conditions once in a while so you can just let your mind go blank.

Daniel: Just think of it as switchin’ off your brain for a sec. 

*steam intensifies*

Nagi: Hoo… 

Netaro: 3 minutes and 59 seconds… 58 seconds… 

Daniel: When you think about it, all your worries are connected either to the past or the future. But you don’t exist in either of those times, so there’s nothin’ you can do about it. It just leads to an infinite loop of anxiety. 

Daniel: Nothin’s better than holing away in the sauna to break yourself outta that loop.

Daniel: Your brain’s at full capacity just thinkin’ about how bloody hot it is, so in a way, your mind’s getting a break, letting everything else go… Now that’s what I call a detox.

*steam intensifies further*

Nagi: Oi… how much longer? A minute…? 

Netaro: *dry wheezing* Wah… tah… 

Daniel: This is just like meditation, or being mindful and all that…. Hey, are you even listening? 

Netaro: AUUUGHH IT’S. TOO. HOT!! I can’t take it anymore! There’s no revitalization happening at all!

*Netaro runs out*

Nagi: His face was bright red.

Daniel: Hahaha! Well, he shouldn’t have tried so hard. You’re doin’ pretty well though Nagi, you’ve got the makings of a true sauna enthusiast.

Nagi: I should’ve probably gotten one of those sauna hats… 

Daniel: Just let me know when you decide to get one, I’ll recommend the best one for ya.

Nagi: Okay, thank you. 

Nagi: …… 

Daniel: …… 

Nagi: (The conversation has fallen off… Should I try to start it up again?)

Daniel: …… 

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: (So I say, but I don’t even know what to talk about… What’s something we can connect on…)

Daniel: Imagine if that Ryui fella is stayin’ in this hotel too.

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: Buchi-san, I need to ask… 

Daniel: Hm? 

Nagi: Why didn’t you catch Ryui back at Hachiman-zaka? 

Nagi: (I’m pretty sure he had a better chance at catching him than I did…)

Daniel: Right… How do I put this… 

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: (It’s hot… It’s way too hot… Please answer a little faster…) 

Daniel: Well, he’s an adult too. I’m sure he’ll come home when he feels like it. 

Daniel: That’s all it is. 

Nagi: (He’ll come home when he wants to? Would it be so simple for someone who decided to leave in the first place?)

Nagi: Are you sure? If they’d change their minds so easily, they wouldn’t bother leaving in the first place, right… 

Nagi: Maybe they had some unavoidable reason to do what they did— 

Nagi: (Ryui, and that person, too…)

Nagi: (I’m sure they had their— Oh…ough…)

Daniel: Ooh, I was thinkin’ this earlier at the observatory too, but you’re actually more of a positive thinker than I thought you were, huh.

Nagi: HOT…! I’m at my limit…! 

Daniel: Haha! Another one bites the dust!

~~~

Location: Hakodate - Hotel Lounge

Nagi: Phew… 

Nagi: (The temperature was way too high… I don’t think I have what it takes to be the best sauna enthusiast there ever was…) 

Nagi: (But, it’s true that I do feel like my mind’s all cleared up. Maybe this is what he was referring to as feeling revitalized.)

Nagi: Woah… They even have all-you-can-eat popsicles… 

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: (Strawberry, grape, orange, pineapple, mango, dainagon azuki, condensed milk… There’s a lot to choose from.)

Nagi: (I want something refreshing, so I can cross out the dainagon azuki and the condensed milk flavors… They’d probably be too sweet.)

Nagi: (Strawberry and grape are quite refreshing, but when it comes to popsicles, their sourness leaves something to be desired…)

Nagi: (Mango… The tropical flavor doesn’t really fit the setting. Condensed milk is perfect for Hokkaido, but I’ve already crossed it off the list.)

Nagi: (Then all that’s left are the flavors beloved by everyone, orange and pineapple. They have the perfect amount of sourness too. Though, pineapple is also a tropical flavor.)

Nagi: (Right then. I’ll go with the safest choice that has no room for mistake, orange.)

Nagi: Is it really for free…? I hope this doesn’t affect my luck unfavorably… 

*opening the wrapper*

Nagi: …Mm, tasty.

Nagi: (Guess I picked the wrong one. This is pineapple.)

Nagi: I think it turned out for the best though.

Nagi: (Pineapple’s pretty good too. But it’s strange… I wasn’t hit by bad luck this time.)

Nagi: …Wait. 

*checking his phone*

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: (I guess my theory that the misfortune’s rebound won’t happen if the air pressure is stable is spot on after all.)

Nagi: …Huh?

Nagi: (No, this is HAMA’s atmospheric pressure. What about Hakodate—)

Nagi: (A sudden updraft, and even a ‘bomb’ mark… This looks really bad for me…)

??: ○※А◆×▽×◎……。

Nagi: Huh?

Nagi: (I hear some strange sounds from the reclining chair further ahead… Is there someone there…?)

??: Φ×▲□▽η……。

Nagi: (...The voice sounds really weak.)

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: Excuse me. Are you… not feeling well?

??: …… 

Netaro: Gii?

Nagi: Oh, Netaro?

Nagi: Are you okay? It sounded like you were moaning. If you’re not feeling well, you should talk to the Chief— 

*a ringing sound*

Nagi: …!?

Nagi: (What… is this? It’s so abnormally chilling…)

Nagi: (Why can’t I move? And I feel… really scared. Like some sort of unfathomable fear is welling up within me…)

Netaro: Hm… So be it. I was inclined to hold back for a while longer, but now that it’s come to this—

Netaro: You’ll have to suffice. 

Notes:

“Totonoi” means to experience a feeling of euphoria and a clear head by repeating several sets of sauna, water bath, and outdoor air bath. 

Sauna hats are used to prevent one’s head from heating excessively, and are traditionally made of felt.

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Masterlist

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Usherin

Mike Flanagan: Submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this the tale of the fall of the house of usher [several hours later] Flanagan: ocean acidification, opioid addiction, postmaster louis dejoy Flanagan: and microplastics! don't even get me started on that!

Mike Flanagan: Figures published reveal US beekeepers lost an estimated 48% of their honey bee colonies in 2022-23 Flanagan: this is the second highest death rate on record after 2020-21's 51% Flanagan: worldwide, honey bee populations have been decimated by pesticides, pollution, and climate change Flanagan: speaking of, let's talk about climate change… King: hey do you think you might be wrapping this up soon

King: what story was he telling? Poe: the house of usher King: still? Poe: yeah he just got sidetracked on this bee thing Flanagan: well i guess SOME of us just don't care about colony collapse disorder Poe: no mike i didn't say that Flanagan: it's a real issue you know Poe: of course mike we all acknowledge that

Flanagan: Poe's pretty good and all Flanagan: but if there's one thing that his stories lack Flanagan: it's really long monologues Barker: oh yeah Poe be like that Barker: Poe the famed writer of SHORT stories Barker: the key word being short

Flanagan: war, famine, plague, so much evil in the world Flanagan: we're all guilty Koontz: even me? Flanagan: no dean not you Flanagan: you're a good boy Flanagan: you alone of all the boys are the goodest boy Flanagan: the love you have for dogs and the good that you've done for dogs will echo through the ages

Flanagan: hey i've got an adaptation of your story too shirley Shirley Jackson: [mumbles] Flangan: it stars approximately 500 identical sad-faced brunettes Flanagan: all bein' mopey Flanagan: and occasionally someone makes the Ring face

[cometsandstardust]

I’m rewatching Agents of Shield and here is a (final) list of things I genuinely forgot happened:

(and also little things i enjoy)

season seven:

- deke printed out sheriff stars

- “i just can’t seem to hold down a husband as they all just turn up with broken ribs when they give me lip” - daisy

- coulson learned about the speakeasy in a first year history course at the academy

- the first thing may says after finding out she’s in 1931, was “i’m hungry”

- “i’m a doctor, not a dame” “i’m a biochemist not a bird” fucking icon jemma simmons

- deke tells freddy that he invented the walkie-talkie

- “agent may, if i may?” enoch is so funny

- …may says she doesn’t feel anything when she wakes up, even though her empathy-ability is already present (though no one knows it yet). she wakes up and feels nothing because the only other person there is enoch, who isn’t human, and therefore doesn’t feel anything, at least not the way we do

- she also talks in a very-enoch like connotation during these scenes (same sort of lilt in her voice)

- they brought koenig onboard the zephyr and he said “excuse me if i’m not impressed” and then immediately lost his shit. he also called enoch a robot, and enoch made a very “bitch, please” face

- freddy shot koenig in the shoulder

- enoch is shown to be working as a bartender at the end of s7ep2 for koenig

- the zephyr scared two teenagers half to death when they got to the fifties

- younger daisy (aka skye ig) believed that area 51 was controlled by shield and was proven right

- the first time may showed signs of her empathy besides the monotone killer mood was when trying to single out the chronicom starting up helius and she basically had a panic attack

- also the chronicom they’re chasing has a very dottie underwood like aesthetic (ofc i’m referencing agent carter when my boy sousa is back)

- overriding the system knocked out the two chronicoms and coulson.

- the camera zoomed in on coulson’s eye and showed a circuit flickering

- the reason s7ep4 is in black and white is because of a malfunction in the wires

- sousa was considered the first fallen soldier of shield

- sousa called howard a pompous ass (he’s right and he should say it)

- mack compared the effect of sousa’s death on shield to the effect of coulson’s to the avengers

- sousa stole a motorcycle from the zephyr

- deke said he wrote the song “don’t you (forget about me)”

- he also name drops daisy in his own lyrics

- coulson’s in a tv

- sybil’s “dumb bot” acts just like a dalek for a sec

- may and yoyo sparred to try and trigger yoyo’s powers into working again

- yo-yo got stuck on the quinjet at the beginning of each loop

- in several loops, mack gets blinded by a radiation flare

- deke gives the distance from the center of the time storm in kilometers, which i initially thought was strange cause y’know american, but then i realized that deke literally grew up in space and that fitz-simmons basically created all the tech/software on board so yeah metric system

- daisy proved to simmons that she was in a loop with the fake word: “phlebotinum”

- when trying to remove the implant, on the first two tries, a lethal gas filled the room killing simmons (and the second time, daisy)

- in one loop, sousa grabbed the machine to remove the implant from the drawer instead of daisy or simmons and started coughing up blood

- also he literally grabbed it so that if something went wrong daisy wouldn’t die and lose her memories of the time loop

- may initially didn’t want to tell kora about jiaying but then brought her to see her body

- kora tried to help her mother heal by giving her energy

- simmons started forgetting fitz after malick put her in the memory machine

[to-the-stars8]

Learning to Love Slowly

Jason Todd x Reader All Chapters AO3

51-The Little Things and Bernard

“You must be Bernard, I’m Jason’s partner,” You introduced yourself to the young man. You noted that he was handsome, and looked just like Tim’s type. Good-looking and a bit nerdy.

Jason had filled you in on the issues between Tim and his boyfriend, asking you to talk to at least one of them in hopes of helping his little brother. Initially, you were hesitant and weary of intervening in someone else’s relationship. Then, when you came over for family dinner, Tim looked at you with those big blue eyes with the cutest little puppy dog look that only a little brother could give. That’s when you finally caved, but told him only that you do the bare minimum since you didn’t want to be caught in the middle of something. 

“Yeah, Tim’s told me about you,” Bernard held out his hand and you two greeted each other warmly. He sounded happy and chirpy. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only non-vigilante here! Other than Alfred, of course.”

You laughed because it was polite, and took a seat next to him. “Yeah. Gotta admit we’re in pretty unique situations.”

He seemed to definitely understand what you meant by immediately going into a tirade about how annoying it was to get stood up all the time and how a lot of dates were put off for months to accommodate Tim’s “bat-schedule”. You understood a bit, more than once had you gotten dressed up for a date only to have Jason text saying that the two of you would have to reschedule. He’d make up for it with a bundle of apologies and promises that he had always kept. You’d try something else instead, working on small things for the weeks he was way too busy. It might have been a short dinner or even the two of you making a date out of going to the grocery store. It didn’t matter what small things it was as long as the two of you got to spend time together. 

You told Bernard as much. “It’s their life, Bernard.”

He rebuffed your comment, “Yet, they still can’t make time for us.”

“They can, but you gotta give them a chance first. Look,” You turned to look at him. “Let me lay it out like this. No one in this family is like us. They’ve had a whole different childhood and adulthood. About sixty-five percent of it is just fighting crime. Other than that, they haven’t had much experience with normal things, especially normal relationships.”

You could see the wheels in Bernard’s head turn as he thought over your words, and silently waited for his response. It took a good minute before he finally turned to you and quietly said, “But, when do you know it’s not enough?”

“Do you think it’s not enough?” Bernard shrugged, and you sighed. “You love Tim?”

He was quiet again then nodded, “Yeah.”

“Then rebuild and rework. When you finally see improvement or not, then you know. Talk to him about it, though. This is a two-way street.”

Bernard nodded, standing suddenly and bee-lining for the door. You took that as he wanted to start afresh with Tim as soon as possible. As soon as he was out the door, Jason slinked in right after, looking like he was after all the tea. You disclosed to him that despite being his girlfriend and accepting to help him it didn’t entitle him to know a private conversation. 

Jason tried to fight you on it, to at least let him know how it’ll work out. You implied that you didn’t know, and only said, “We’re still on for Friday night, right?”

[rhymeswithchronic]

Art by my sister-in-law and one of my best friends, plebianplant! I realized that, while I post a lot of art and chapter updates for this story, I never actually explained what What This World Has to Offer was! So, here's an introduction post for it! I'd like to do it for some of my other fanfics, too, but we'll have to see :3

“The Reign of Giants will come and go Shipwrecked will he, we'll never know When finally, the end of lives Begins with the fall of five”

A world fraying apart from the seams would do anything to save itself. If that means damning innocent souls to a neverending Hell, then so be it. The Host, The Young Heir, The Martyr, The Sister, and The One True Heir. The Host of Their Master The Young Heir to a Throne of Shadows The Martyr Who Gave Up Everything The Sister of the Monster in the Dark The One True Heir to a Kingdom of Bones Don't be afraid. This is what is meant to happen. This is what you're meant to be. After all, it's all happened before, and it will all happen again.

Part 1 - Reign of Giants: Chapter 1-50 Part 2 - The One True Heir: Chapter 51-67 Part 3 - The King’s Gambit: Chapter 68-? Part 4 - ?

What This World Has to Offer is posted by Pokemaniac5000, Moonweaver50, or Pokemaniac7000 depending on which site you read it on. It is a Don't Starve longfic with an estimated 109 chapters in all. At this point in time, 90 of these chapters have been written and posted, totaling roughly 294k words. Each part in this story has a different set of plotlines, but all follow the same characters, the same timeline, and the same story. Part 1 - Reign of Giants is largely episodic, focusing on events that only span a few chapters at a time instead of anything that requires longer sections of writing to cover. In this part, you can expect a lot more of the game elements to be explored such as sanity, seasonal changes, and of course, as the name implies, the Giants! This section also features the least content warnings, although the later chapters lean much closer to the darker subjects of the later chapters. Expect to see a whole lot of Webber, Wilson, and WX-78, and just a little bit of Winona at the tail end. Part 2 - The One True Heir features Webber and Wilbur almost exclusively and explores a bit of Shipwrecked and the Archipelago. This is when many of the content warnings lean towards mental health issues. This is the shortest part in the entire fic. Part 3 - The King's Gambit introduces and explores Adventure Mode, with a twist to the formula to make it unique from your own playthrough of it. While this is the darkest part of the story, this section also focuses a lot on concepts like love, friendship, and found family. Expect to see the worst angst but the lightest fluff. Part 4 - Dust, The Void, and Them is the current arc. Details I can reveal are sparce as I have just begun posting it :3 The original story was written back in 2015 and finished in 2016 by a plucky 13-year-old with no concept of story or character growth, so many may recognize it from its original version. The rewriting process started in 2017, and as such, earlier chapters tend to be shorter with less descriptive writing. I expect to finish the rewrite by the end of 2024, although it might be earlier than that if my intense excitement for the story continues the way it has. If you are new to WTWHTO, welcome and I hope you enjoy! It is certainly a bit of a commitment, but I hope you find it worth your time nonetheless. Expect lots of random art, a writer who is so scared of drawing humans that she avoids drawing them like the plague half the time, and a story filled with angst, hurt/comfort, and found family. If you are one of the poor souls who read the original version back in 2015, welcome back! I assure you, much of this story has changed in the past several years and there is so much more for you to explore as you reread. Also, uh, yeah, Winona's in this now! Enjoy! My inbox is always open for any questions or comments you may have! Read on Archive of Our Own, Fanfiction.net, or the Don't Starve Forums! Archive of Our Own Fanfiction.net Don't Starve Forums

[countrymusiclover]

10 - A Special First Date

Part 11

Dr. Redheaded Neighbor

Comment your thoughts down below or in a reblog post

Tag list - send an ask to be added @annieradcliff @watermeezer @zaidatorcuatomorgado @kmc1989

Getting out of the Uber car I walked inside the firehouse 51 small door since the larger vehicle doors were shut most likely until they received a call for an emergency they needed to attend to. Seeing the back doors of the ambulance were hung opened and I saw some familiar blonde hair moving around. “Sylvie Brett!”

“Yeah that’s me. Can I help you – Mallory, what are you doing here?” She glanced over her shoulder sending me a huge friendly grin on her face.

I stopped walking when I was standing outside the doors with a hand on my hip. I was wearing my old Army jacket that I hadn’t felt like wearing after the day I returned home. “I have a few hours before Will comes and picks me up, so I figured I’d come and hang with you. “

“Awe that’s cool. Although I gotta say that today has been pretty slow. But I do have some good news for you. My boss told me when you come into his office he has an application available for you at the ready.”

“How about right now. I’m free for a little bit.” I suggested hopefully.

She nodded gesturing her head toward an office door. We walked inside the building turning a few corners until we stood outside an office that read Chief on the door. “Chief Boden, I’d like to introduce Mallory Easton. She’s the former Army k-9 officer I have been telling you about.” She lead me inside where I saw a tall black man wearing a white shirt sitting in a desk chair.

“It’s nice to meet you, chief Boden.” I extended my hand to the man causing him to rise from his chair.

He shakes my hand firmly. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Easton. Brett has told me quite about what you did in your friends building. You saved her life.”

“I wasn’t sure if the clot would hold. I just remember seeing some pretty bad wounds when I was deployed. Just followed my basic instincts.” I shrugged my shoulders in response.

“Well, it was very impressive. And that is one of the reasons I am considering hiring you to be on my team.”

I shake my head still making point that he needed to understand regardless if they both wanted me to work here in this fire department. “I appreciate the opportunity. Truly I do. But I don’t have the experience of a paramedic or a firefighter. I know I can take the course to learn but would you mind that I’d be having to learn everything and be on the team at the same time.”

“If you’re considering taking the job you can start taking the courses now. Once you’ve gotten through them you’ll have a job waiting here in a few months.” He explained leaning his back against his desk. “The fact that you are a former Army vet will boost your credibility to get through the programs.”

I parted my mouth open processing if I took the opportunity or not. In all honesty I was spending most of the time when Will was at work by myself. Maxon’s company could only do so much considering he couldn’t talk back. Being in this department would be a good distraction and I could help people that I couldn’t necessarily do when I was deployed overseas. “Fill out the application information for paramedic training and I’ll be seeing you soon.”

“Thank you so much, Chief Boden.” I smiled shaking his hand again before Brett and I exited his office and back outside to the trucks.

Brett paused in her steps hugging me before saying a word back. “I can’t believe you’re going to be working here.”

“Woah slow down, Brett. I’m not anywhere near completely getting the job yet.”

She breaks the hug and I sent her a smile. “I’m just excited for you is all. I’m not worried about you getting to work here. You’ll do fine given the injuries and situations you’ve been through.”

“Thanks for having high confidence in me.” I responded before a car horn started going off and I saw a familiar black car driving up to the open double doors. I knew I recognized the vehicle but wasn’t entirely sure till the driver door opened and auburn hair came into my view with that cheeky grin. “Will!”

He shut the door coming over to us. “Mal. Sylvie.”

“What are you doing here. I thought you didn’t get off work until 5. It’s 3:50.”

He shoved his hands in the jacket he wore over his red hospital scrubs. “Natalie agreed she’d take on the rest of my shift for me. Plus I knew I wanted to surprise you.”

“Awe.”

Brett chimed in. “Hey if you need somebody to watch your dog for the evening I’d totally be open for it.”

“That would be great. Thanks, Sylvie.” I hugged her back too as a thank you.

Will held out his hand for me knowing we both needed to change clothes before going on our first date tonight. “Are you ready to go then, Mallory?”

“Yep.” Placing my hand in his we started walking back to the car. “We’ll drop Maxon off here!”

Sylvie grinned calling back to us. “Treat my girl right, Dr. Halstead!” She watched us drive away from the firehouse feeling excited just like the both of us were about the upcoming evening.

5:30 rolled around by the time we had gotten back to our apartment building and changed clothes. I had slipped on some black leggings underneath a short orange shirt that fell almost down to my knees. Will was in some jeans, a green short sleeve shirt with a black jacket thrown over it.

“So where are actually going now. You haven’t told me a single thing about the plans.” I asked as we made the drive further into downtown once we had left Maxon with Sylvie.

Will had one hand on the steering wheel when he glanced over at me in the passenger seat. “If I told you what we were doing it would ruin the surprise.”

“You are terrible at keeping secrets around me.”

He scoffed with a chuckle. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mallory.”

“The first night Maxon and I spent in your apartment you attempted to blame Maxon for eating the last of the Oreo’s even though dogs can’t have chocolate.” I sent him a glare knowing I was right. “When in reality you felt guilty that you did it and fessed up telling me the truth two seconds later.”

He rolled his eyes recalling the moment. “That is completely different. This time I want this to be a surprise so you’ll just have to wait.”

The drive didn’t last too much longer before he parked the car outside of a restaurant I hadn’t been to before. He came around helping me out of the car so we walked inside arms linked with one another. The hostess led us to the nearest booth where we sat across from each other. “The waitress should be with you shortly.”

“I can’t believe you brought me here. I wasn’t expecting you taking me someplace like this. I thought you’d be taking me to Molly’s for drinks and dinner.” I chuckled picking up the menu seeing that they had pretty much everything on there you could think of getting.

Will picked up his own menu looking it over. “We can go to Molly’s another time if you want. But I’d thought since this is our first official date it should be something a little more special.”

“What can I get you two to drink tonight?” The waitress with her brown hair tied up in a bun while carrying a notepad in her hands.

Will and I responded at the same time. “Angry Orchard.” I snorted a laugh out seeing a huge grin get plastered across his face.

“Okay, I’ll be back to take your orders.” The waitress slowly walked away with her eyes lingering on my best friend and I watched her sway her hips back and forth trying to seduce him making me gag at the thought.

Focusing back on the menu I saw that they had a Mac and cheeseburger that sounds pretty good. I knew we were at a somewhat fancy restaurant but they still had it listed on the menu so I should give it a try. “What are you gonna get, Will?”

“I’m not really that picky. We can split something if you wanted to.”

The waitress came back taking out a pen. “What can I get you tonight?”

“I’ll have a Mac and cheeseburger with fries. Oh uh – were gonna share that.” I handed her back the menu and she scribbled something down walking away. She came back a few minutes with two plates in her hands sitting it down in front of me.

Will cut the burger in half and we both silently ate. I take a few more bites before I saw some of the cheese coming out from under the bun and the next thing I felt was Will’s hand brushing against the tip of my nose. “You got something right there, Mal. There you go I’ve got it.”

“I guess you can’t take me anywhere, Halstead.” I chuckled watching him lick the cheese off his thumb.

We finished eating the burger and fries with him paying the bill where I thought we were about to go home for the evening yet that wasn’t accurate. We drove for a few minutes until I recognized the parking lot and building we were pulling up to. “Will, why are we at the hospital?” I asked shifting around in the passenger seat.

“I wanna show you something and don’t worry I’m allowed to take visitors in.” He unbuckled his seatbelt getting out first and I followed him towards the front sliding doors of the hospital emergency room.

We walked into the building going directly to the elevators. He hit the button that said up and then the one that was labeled roof. I kept trying to figure out what he was wanting to show me that was up there. The elevator doors slid open where I started to step out yet he covered my eyes with his hands causing me to laugh. “Will Halstead, what are you doing. If you want me to see whatever is up here, you gotta remove your hands.”

“You’ll see what I want to show you in a second.” He responded slowly walking the both of us forward out of the elevator.

I chuckled holding my hands out feeling my fingers touch the edge of a metal railing. “Don’t you dare let me fall over the edge of this thing.”

“I’d never let that happen. Now open your eyes in three, two, one.” He lowered his hands where I blinked my eyes a couple of times seeing all the building lights at the ground. From how high we were off the ground everything looked so small from here.

I dropped my mouth open twirling around on my feet seeing my best friend flashing me a huge grin on his face. “This is amazing. I’ve never seen the city from this high above before from the time I have been living here.”

“I’m glad you like it, Mallory. My boss pointed out to me that you could see the whole city from up here and maybe share some drinks. Like I told you earlier I really wanted this to be super special cause you’re special to me, Mallory Easton.” Will closed the gap pressing our chests together wrapping his arms around my waist, nuzzling his nose down onto mine.

I giggled nuzzling my nose back with his own, wrapping my arms around his neck. “You sure know how to show a girl a good time. And you’re special to me too.” Leaning up on my toes I captured his lips with mine, threading my right hand into his ginger curls. He leans closer deepening the kiss enjoying the moment.

Unknown to us my phone was vibrating in my purse that he had set down on the table near where we were standing. The caller was someone I wasn’t expecting to hear from since I had returned home.

[bubble-popping]

day 51 <3 snippet of more guide punz with dnb :D (i swaer i'm gonna post the full thing soon it just needs to be edited 😭)

"You sure this is a shortcut, man?" Techno asked, glancing around the dark oak forest. "Yeah, I could've sworn we passed this same red mushroom like three times already..." Dream commented next to him. When his gaze moved from said giant fungus to the back of Punz's form, he found almost no reaction from the other blond. "We're getting close. You guys trust me, right?" "Of course," they each answered without hesitation. Punz nodded, stride unwaveringly steady. "Good."

Something just seemed wrong to Dream. He slowed his steps and grabbed Techno's wrist, which the piglin hybrid heeded wordlessly, albeit with a raised brow.

"Hey, Tech," Dream began in a whisper, hand cupped to cover his mouth, "does Punz seem okay to you?"

"How do ya mean?"

"I dunno, they just seem... more distant than usual..."

Techno shrugged, glancing to the wolf hybrid leading the group several paces ahead. "Maybe he's not feelin' well."

"Now that you mention it, he's been like this for days... We should-"

"We're here." Punz abruptly stopped, causing both of them to look up and pause.

However, they were all still in the forest, still in the same circle they'd been going in for an hour.

"Wha-" Before Dream could even get a word out, something heavy landed on his back and sent him crashing to the grass. The same happened to Techno, judging by the pained grunt he heard.

The weight remained on his back, holding him down, joined by others that captured his limbs in place. He managed to move his head to the side and look up, desperate for an answer that came in the form of an unfortunately familiar face.

A devilish grin with a gold tooth and a long, jagged scar on the side, Quackity looked positively elated.

"Long time no see, huh, Dream?" He purred, quite pleased with himself despite not doing anything.

"You. How did you find us!?" Dream hissed, fangs bared. He thrashed in their hold, feeling all his weapons and tools be systematically removed from his person.

"Oh, I had a little help." Quackity rose to his full height--which wasn't much Dream thought humorously to himself--and stepped aside, revealing the completely unbothered gaze of Punz.

"PUNZ?"

"Heh!?"

"What are you doing? Why are you siding with him!?"

They shrugged, nonchalant, bored even. "Sorry, guys. Should've paid me more."

Dream wanted to say how they haven't even mentioned payment for several weeks now, but he was stopped by an iron collar being clamped around his neck, enchantments burning his flesh. Techno got much the same, and the two were tugged up onto their knees none-too-kindly by chains connected to them.

"Oh, speaking of," Quackity piped up and snapped his fingers. One of his lackeys approached with a sizable bag, metal clinking against metal the whole way, and handed it off to Punz.

He appraised its weight, pulling the knot to peer inside, before humming in satisfaction and slinging it over their shoulder.

"Pleasure doing business with ya," Punz nodded to the duck hybrid.

"Right back at cha! The Manberg Administration will be sure to keep you in mind for future endeavors." Quackity gave a toothy smile that only promised evil.

"Cool. See ya 'round." With that, they turned on their heel and began to walk away.

"Wait, Punz!" Dream yelled, tears at the corners of his eyes. The wolf hybrid stopped. "You can't be serious! After everything we've been through together, you're just gonna walk away like this!?"

They didn't respond. They didn't even look back. They just resumed walking, uncaring for how Dream called after him.

"Just leave it, Dream. They've made up their mind..." Techno muttered, resignation in his hung head.

"I mean, what did you expect?" Quackity asked, earning glares from the couple. "He's a merc. It's what they do. They follow the money." He folded his arms behind his back, glad to for once be looking down on the two. "Now, you boys are headed right back to where you belong. This time, we won't make the mistake of putting you in the same cell."

Their collars were pulled again, forcing them onto their feet which had been shackled together just like their wrists. They were pushed forward, made to lay on their stomachs on the backs of horses, which was not a fun ride.

Dream still looked around, searching for any signs of Punz. Something still felt wrong.

[shesmyboot]

Baby Severide - Chapter 5: 51 Meets Baby

*Gif belongs to its rightful owner, it is not mine*

Pairing: Kelly Severide x reader

Summary: 51 has a slow day on shift and takes a road trip to Med… to meet Baby Severide

Words: 663

Warnings: hospitals

Read on Ao3 here

Next Chapter: Chapter 6

Notes: I wanted to post this earlier, but wanted to fulfill the request that spent almost a month sitting in my drafts. Also, yes, I am aware of how short this chapter is. The next one is longer, I promise. As always, a reblog of any chapter earns a tag in chapter posted after that! Enjoy!

Join my taglist here

Tags: @district447 @mrspeacem1nusone @tringeorge @storiesofsvu @cfdhouse51 @skullcupcakes @whatismypurpos @carnationworld @youraveragedorkysimp @treehouse-mouse @witchywinchester99 @keabbs @marvelcharactersxreader

——

As you wiped the tears from your eyes, there was a cheerful knock at the door.

“Come in,” you announced.

Sylvie peeked her head in the room.

“Hey girl,” she laughed, “how you feeling?”

“I’m good,” you paused, “yeah, I’m okay.”

“Is now a good time? We’ve got some firefighters here who’d like to meet her.”

“I’ll let you meet her first.”

Coming over to the crib, Sylvie was in awe. You picked Alexis up and set her in Sylvie’s ready arms. 

“What’s this babe’s name?” She asked, bouncing Alexis slightly. 

“Alexis Shay Severide.”

“Aw, I love that. What did your mom think of you name your daughter after your sister?”

“She’s not so pleased, but she’ll get over it when she meets her. She’ll be here in a few days I hope.”

“She’ll fall in love with Alexis as soon as she meets her.”

Matt knocked on the door and came up behind Sylvie.

“Is this her?” Matt a sled, looking over at Kelly. 

“This is her,” Kelly smiled back.

You began to tear up again as you watched Sylvie and Matt fall in love with Alexis. Kelly sat beside you and you rested your head on his shoulder. 

“When’s your turn?” Kelly chuckled.

“One firehouse baby at a time,” Matt laughed, “we’ve been thinking about it though.”

“Matt do you want to hold her?” Sylvie asked.

Matt stuttered over his words before finally smiling and admitting, “I’ll absolutely take her.”

As Sylvie handed Alexis over, you and Kelly shared a look and a nod.

“What was that about?” Sylvie asked, gesturing to the nod she just witnessed.

“Kelly and I would like to ask you both if you’d be Alexis’ godparents,” you admitted.

Sylvie and Matt looked at each other, both speechless.

“Of course,” Matt answered.

Kelly stood up, leaning into Matt for a hug.

“Thank you, both of you,” Kelly said, pulling away from Matt and sitting in the chair beside you. 

Joe poked his head in the door.

“Hey, Severide. Mind if I bring in a few more smoke eaters?” Joe asked.

“Not at all. Who’s here?” Kelly replied.

“Everyone. Chief took the firehouse out of service for an hour or two.”

A few moments later, all of 51 poured into your recovery room, the air swelling with love. Everyone took turns passing your baby around and asking how you were doing.

“How you feeling, Severide?” Herrmann asked.

“I’m still in shock, but it got a great wife to be able to be a great father.”

“No feeling like being a father. After every kid Cindy and I had, I was still in shock. That’s normal.”

“Thanks Herrmann.”

Boden walked over to you and Kelly, gaining to attention of the crowd.

“I hate to cut this party short, but HQ has requested a return to quarters,” he announced.

“C’mon Chief, Severide will only be a first-time dad once,” Cruz argued.

“I know, I know,” he sighed, “I’ll make Kelly bring the baby by 51 soon.”

Otis handed you back Alexis and gathered his gear from the corner.

“Congratulations to you both. Really is a special day. Bring this baby by the firehouse real soon, would you? She’s a great morale boost,” Boden chuckled.

“Thank you all for coming. It’s good to know she’s got a community looking out for her,” you responded, tearing up once again.

As your room emptied, you and Kelly had a few moments to yourself with Alexis. You handed Alexis to her daddy’s very capable hands and Kelly sat in your bed beside you.

“You know what baby?” Kelly told you.

“What’s up?”

“I’m really proud of you today. Thank you for bringing our daughter into the world today.”

“I can’t wait to bring her home with you tomorrow.”

There was a knock at the door and Dr Calhoun appeared.

“I was speaking with another physician about our next steps in terms of when I can discharge you, given how you’ve been doing,” she explained.

[socially-awkward-skeleton]

tagged by @mxanigel and @thesingularityseries thank you both <3

tagging @henbased @cloudofbutterflies92 @aceghosts @galaxycunt @ocdemon-747 @unholymilf @wrathfulrook @amalkavian @fourlittleseedlings @harmonyowl @mccarthycormac @madparadoxum @carlosoliveiraa @confidentandgood @trench-rot @nightbloodbix @roofgeese @inafieldofdaisies @voidika @kyber-infinitygems @clicheantagonist @adelaidedrubman @strafethesesinners @statichvm @peppertheferalraccoon @josephslittledeputy @marivenah @simplegenius042 @theelderhazelnut @josephseedismyfather @v0idbuggy @direwombat @florbelles @poetikat @cassieuncaged @shallow-gravy @cassietrn @strangefable @stacispratt (no pressure of course)

Here's to the first WIP Wednesday of 2024! And here's some more of American Beasts chapter 51 with good old Uncle Staci and the kids:

Staci led the two children into the mess hall and straight through into the kitchen, lifting them both to sit up on the large metal counter across from the stove where he could keep an eye on them. He had never spent much time with kids, never had much time for them before, but knowing that Kit had taken on the guardian role for them meant he wouldn’t fail her. She trusted him to look after them in her stead. 

“You guys like grilled cheese?”

Carter’s mouth practically started dripping with saliva at the words. Grilled cheese was like sweet ambrosia after weeks worth of peanut butter. “We do, yeah.”

“Good, ‘cause that’s about all I can really make you in this place. If there wasn’t a war going on –” He looked over at the two kids starving, shaking and cold, if anyone knew the effects of the Reaping it was these two. “...well I’d be able to make ya something else.”

Staci went into the fridges and grabbed the butter and cheese, and a loaf of bread from the pantry. Grabbing a cast iron pan, he dropped it on the stove burner and turned up the heat. He eyed the kids from over his shoulder as the pan warmed, buttering both sides of each slice of bread. “How long were you on your own for?”

“Three weeks.”

His eyes widened and then his brow furrowed, his back turned so the children couldn’t see his reaction. “Jesus,” he whispered under his breath. “I don’t think I would have been able to do that at your age.” He likely couldn’t now. “I’m impressed.”

Carter tugged his lips into a tight grin, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “Thanks.”

Placing the slices of bread in the pan, Staci lay cheese down on one side and then covered that with another slice of bread. He could hear the children sniffing the air hungrily as the bread began to toast and the cheese melted. Memories of his own childhood and his mother making grilled cheese for him after a tough day at school came flooding back. Such a simple meal and yet it was a staple of childhood (and of being a bachelor, if he was being honest). 

“Is that why she saved us?”

Staci paused, holding the spatula to the bread, pressing it against the pan. “What do you mean?”

“Because we proved ourselves.”

“I, um, I can’t really speak for Kit.” He scratched at his brow, nervously twitching. “She has her own motivations for doing everything.”

“But that’s part of the cult’s whole thing, right?”

“Part of it…yeah.” Pratt could feel dark eyes boring into his back, expecting a better answer than that. The kid was smart, he didn’t want to lie. Rubbing at the back of his neck with his hand, he flipped the sandwiches on to the other side so they were evenly toasted. “I have a feeling she wanted to save you because she saw people in need,” he said with a shrug. “I know you probably think we’re the enemy, but her and I, we weren’t always on their side either.” Staci glanced over his shoulder once more. “She tries to do things for the right reasons…she’s not completely cold no matter how much she wants people to believe that…no matter how much she tries to make herself believe that.”

“Why would she want to do that?”

He sighed, biting his lip. “Kit’s a bit of a mystery. There’s not a lot I really know about her, she doesn’t really like people knowing her. She prefers to keep us at arm’s length. All I do know for sure is that she was a soldier…and that when she picks you as someone she cares about she would go to the ends of the Earth for you.”

“How does she pick who she cares about?”

“God, I think that might be one of the questions philosopher’s could ponder over forever.” Staci went and grabbed two plates and brought them over to the side of the stove. “I have no idea, kid,” he said with a shake of his head as he slid the sandwiches onto each plate, bringing them over to the counter where the children sat before starting to make more for them – based on experience, he knew one was never enough. 

As the children brought the grilled cheese to their mouths, they seemed to devour them, cramming as much of it into them as quickly as they could. It broke his heart. Already they’d learned to eat the way those in the cages did, not knowing when the next meal would come. A desperate hunger that left a person wondering if it could ever be filled. He had never seen a child in the cages, he hoped it was because they were sent to another bunker…the other prospect twisted him up in knots. 

Watching them feast, strings of cheese falling from their lips and clinging to their chins, a flash of blood pouring from Kit’s mouth as she chewed on a man’s flesh made him freeze and turn back to the pan. 

A mumbled thank you around the food in Carter’s mouth was quickly followed by another question as he swallowed. “Why’d you join the cult?”

His eyes grew wide as he tried to return to the task of cooking. “Uh, well, I mean…I joined at first because it was either that or…well…” Staci’s words trailed off, petering out when all the steam had been kicked out of him by the child’s barrage of questions.

“They were gonna kill you?”

Staci swallowed heavily and then dragged his tongue across his teeth. Not wanting to answer the question. Not with such a young audience. His silence was all the answer the child needed however. 

“So why’d you stay?”

He’d been through his confession with John, had been interrogated by Jacob, and yet this child seemed to ask all the right questions to give him pause. Staci rubbed his hands over his face, scratching at the dark stubble on his cheeks. “Loyalty. To her.”

“You mean Kit?”

“Yeah,” he said with a sigh.

“Why?”

After everything he had been through, Staci was willing to put his faith in the Father, willing to believe his word that the end was coming soon. After everything he had seen and heard Kit do, it was clear to him that she wasn’t just a fluke. There was no way that all of this had just been a coincidence. God had a plan, He had a reason, and unbeknownst to Pratt and everyone else in Hope County – except for Joseph Seed – she was it. A stranger who rode into town like an ill omen of a shifting tide and changing times. Almost otherworldly in how distant she remained as if she wasn’t one of them, above them somehow, not quite human. And yet for some reason, just like these children, he had been chosen as one of the few she would protect, offering up her own life and freedom for him. Kit had done monstrous things, things that left him with nightmares, merciless and remorseless in her actions. So sure of everything she did, every action thrust upon her by something larger than herself. But wasn’t that what the angels of the end times described as? Warriors, avengers who struck down their foes without forgiveness or pity, saving only those who had faith. 

He had faith. 

“She risked her life to save me, fought to free me. It’s only right I do the same for her.”