#anyway if only you know a lot of people out there love and care so much about you Sonny

[weirdgenetic-fuckup]

Hai^^ I love your stories so much and I was wondering if you could make one about 80s slash x reader? And how the reader’s parents and slash’s mom were friends and forced them to meet each other?

When the reader sees slash - she kinda into him and the more she stares at him the more attractive gets and slash is a bit older than her and finds her funny and weird as he notices that she’s been staring at him the whole time during dinner.

It isn’t until they’re left alone that they start talking to each other and slash makes playful gestures and teases towards her? With smut and fluff of course :P

I hope that’s not a lot^^ anyways whenever you get the time^^

A/n: I wrote this in class and barely finished so the end is kind of shit

Warnings: smut, arranged marriage trope(ish), if you think I missed anything let me know otherwise enjoy!

I think I’ve used this before but no I didn’t bc I said so

Ever since you were young, around twelve, there was always this pressure to be with someone, relatives coming by and asking where your boyfriend was. It was annoying and you couldn’t get away from it.

Your parents only got worse as you got older, inviting friends over with suitors. Annoying old men shoving money and power in your face, none of it was ever for you they just wanted to show you what they had. They didn’t care about you.

This dinner was just like any other, you had to get all dressed up to meet some guy your parents knew. He’d be old, creepy and wasting away, just wanting someone to bed whenever he wanted, someone to beat, who he could show around town as he pleased.

You were in your room, getting ready as per usual. You stared at your reflection in the mirror, pristine and proper, white floral dress and golden makeup. Just once you wanted to do something bigger, something harsher.

The doorbell rang and you were called down to meet the guests. You say yourself at the table, ready to meet the next suitor to leave.

A woman walked through, she was gorgeous and had a beautiful smile, behind her came a man with bigger hair than his mother. He shared those big, dark eyes, full lips, but he didn’t smile. He wasn’t dressed up all fancy, he wore jeans and a leather jacket over a Ramones shirt that was torn up and well loved, to say the least.

You weren’t allowed to listen to the Ramones, devils music you were told. This man was the devil incarnate and you were certain he’d be the one to take you away.

Your mother sat down next to you and placed a hand on your knee, leaning into you. “Don’t you dare go looking at this one all puppy eyed, I gave you good men you will not be falling for this monstrosity.” She said through gritted teeth, but her warning was moot, you’d already made up your mind.

The dinner went as every other did, your mother would ask questions and listen closely to the answers, except she didn’t. She didn’t care what this man, Saul was his name, had to say.

You sat idly by and ate, gaze flickering over to him all too frequently, he was sure to notice but he didn’t bring it up or look back at you.

His voice didn’t match his appearance. He was soft spoken and only spoke when told to, he rarely looked up from his plate and when he did he didn’t make eye contact.

Saul Hudson to be wed, you could see it in the papers now.

“I play guitar in a band.” He said, it broke through your day dreaming haze.

“You-you play..?” Your mother sputtered out, unable to even finish her sentence.

Saul nodded, a wide grin on his face and he looked up at you, still not making eye contact. His gaze flicked from your lips down to your shoulders, you didn’t dare guess where else he was looking. “Big band, Guns N’ Roses.” He clarified. “Playing stadiums now.” His mother smiled proudly over at him.

You wiped your mouth on a napkin and stood, quietly excusing yourself from the table. The food was gone and what was left needed to be packed away now anyway, you were just leaving it for other people.

You went to your room and sat down at your desk once more, staring at yourself in the mirror. Something new filled you, you wanted his attention, all of it. You wanted to run with him, to venture with him. He’d take you all over with his band and he’d love you. He was gentle and he wouldn’t hurt you, he wouldn’t flaunt his money, only buy you jewelry for your birthday and flowers when he loved you, just because.

You dug through your drawers and tried to find something… big, a statement piece for your face. Your attention snapped to the door as it opened and Saul walked in.

He was hesitant at first, staring at you bent over a desk drawer and digging through it like a mad man. He came over and stood just beside you, placing a hand on your lower back as he looked through the drawers for you.

Saul pulled out a deep red lipstick. He brought a finger under your chin and tilted your head for him to see you properly.

You were struck, in your core a pulse came with a heat, a desire, but you snapped out of it quick enough to wipe the gloss you already had off your lips so he’d have a bare canvas to work with.

He smiled down at you and got to work, using the tip yo outline your lips before filling them in.

You looked back at yourself in the mirror, Saul now stood behind you with his hands on your hips. He didn’t look in the mirror, he stared at you in front of him, the side of your face and how pleased you seemed with his work.

You turned back to him. “Do more.” You asked, drawing a chuckle from him and he shook his head, by god you made him laugh and you wanted to hear it again and again for as long as you lived.

“I don’t know anymore.” He said, bringing his hands to your shoulders and turning you around again. He leaned down to you, his lips caressing the shell of your ear. “You do it, you can’t mess up when it’s just gonna be running down your face in a minute anyway.”

You paused a moment and looked back to him. “Why? Will you make me cry?” He nodded confidently, you looked back to the mirror. “Why would you do that? Will you leave?” You asked curiously.

“More than one way to make someone cry.” He said, rubbing your shoulders. He inhaled deeply, taking in your saddened expression, you clearly didn’t get what he was referring to. He’d just have to show you once you looked the part, well enough the part anyway, you didn’t have the clothes.

“Heavier on the eyes.” He said as you tapped on a bright red, something to connect the lipstick while still being different. You picked up your pencil liner but he took it from you and had you turn towards him. “Gimme a second.” He said with a smile, being careful to not poke you in the eye as he worked.

He was giggling when he turned you back to the mirror. You had a leopard print on your eyelids and whiskers on your cheeks. The print on your eyes was pretty, neat and well done, the whiskers were an afterthought he was enjoying much too much.

You stood up and turned to him, placing your hands on his shoulders. “It’s perfect!” You exclaimed, standing on your tiptoes to kiss him, he couldn’t say no to that.

He wasn’t a gentleman, not by a long shot, he was just sweet. The first chance he got his hands were on your ass, pulling your dress up over your head and not caring if he smudged it, not one bit.

Your arms went around his neck and he lifted you up, allowing you to wrap your legs around his waist while he carried you to your bed and laid you down.

He was laying over you, an arm holding him up by your head, his other hand moved down between your legs, rubbing through your folds and catching your clit, feeling how wet you already were for him.

“You’ve never done this before, have you?” He asked, already starting to trail kisses up your jaw towards your ear. You hesitated before slowly shook your head, hoping it wouldn’t make him stop. Luckily he didn’t and just sucked his teeth. “Well, I don’t feel like slowing down for you.” He said sitting back up and undo his jeans, pushing them down just enough for his dick to spring free, of course he didn’t wear boxers. “Just tell me if it hurts.” He said as he pushed into you, groaning as he did.

Despite his words he did give you a minute to adjust to him, running his hands up and down yours sides until he felt you were ready and he started moving, slow at first but he couldn’t keep that pace for long.

His hands gripped your hips tighter, tugging you closer to him as his hips slammed into yours, each thrust bringing you closer to an edge you’d never seen before.

He was perfect above you, full lips, bruised just like yours, parted ever so slightly in soft, low grunts and groans. Sweat clung to his curls just around his face, the rest of his mane framing his sharp jaw. His teeth were crooked and he didn’t look right at you, focusing on feeling good, making you feel good.

You didn’t have anything to compare it to, but this was definitely the best you’d ever felt. Free, and it felt so good. You reached down and found your clit, rubbing it in circles.

Saul chuckled over you and nodded in approval. “Just keep doing that, keep doing that.” He said. You could feel him inside you, veins dragging against your gummy walls, cunt pulling him in for more, every time he pulled away you sucked him back in.

You melted into the mattress, vision going white and when you came doing from it you felt something warm spilling out inside you, Saul’s face tucked into you and he kissed over your chest, latching onto your nipple and swirling his tongue around it.

Finally he pulled away and pulled away and sat up, fixing his pants before heading out to your balcony. You saw he was smoking, he just looked so… you couldn’t even describe it.

You got your dress back on and went out to stand with him.

He smiled at you when you came out, he held the cigarette out for you but took it away before you got the chance to get it. “No way in hell am I letting you do that.” He said with a laugh.

You sighed and leaned your head on his shoulder. He glanced down at you as he took a drag from his cigarette. “It’s pretty tonight.” You said.

He nodded, looking out on the cities lights below. Your house was up on a mountain, giving you a good view all around. “I bet it’s a pretty night for you every night.”

You smirked up at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you live here, you see it every night.” That’s not what you were expecting.

You looked back out to the city. “I want to see more… with you, Saul.”

He let out a heavy sigh, he wanted you with him too. You were intriguing to him, you needed a chance to rebel and he knew you would never stay with him, not after growing up like this, but he could be the one with you to see the world and that was enough. “Slash.” He said. “If you’re coming with me you call me Slash.”

“Slash.” You repeated. “Slash Hudson.” He might regret this, but he didn’t care. In that moment, he didn’t care about anything.

[to-be-a-dreamer]

Okay so I'm from the Newsies fandom which means I know how to make character backstories out of literally nothing and I'm done with my "This makes no sense what were the writers thinking?" stage of grief after the BuckTommy breakup and it's time to go to work and start asking "What could have happened to make this make sense?".

Because regardless of what you think about Tommy, it's very clear that the writers have characterized him (in the current stage of his life) as someone who has put in a lot of work to become a better person, is a very steady figure, and feels very confident in himself and his identity. We've also been told and shown that he and Buck care for each other a lot and neither of them wanted this relationship to end. So the question is, what happened in Tommy's past that could have caused this very confident, mature person to realize he's falling in love with his partner and then choose to leave?

"I'm your first, not your last."

How many times has Tommy been someone's first? How many times has he shown another man this new side of himself, taught them what it means to be queer and how to love yourself for it, and been left behind once they figured themselves out? How many times has he been someone's first and had a whirlwind romance, only to be left brokenhearted because his partners had a whole new world opened up to them only to realize they didn't want Tommy to be a part of that world?

Does Tommy think of himself as the guy people have fun with, not the guy they want to marry? Does Tommy think there's something wrong with him, that there's a reason no one ever sees a future with him? Do you think he's always told himself that he would keep trying, that it's worth the potential heartbreak to find out if this next guy might be the one who stays?

Did the way Buck was talking about their relationship being transformative for him just sound too familiar? Did he think Buck liked him because he was showing him something new, not because he could ever actually love someone like Tommy? Do you think he could never imagine Buck liking him anywhere near as much as Tommy liked him?

Do you think he realized he was falling in love with Buck, and the idea of losing him like all the others was just too much? Do you think he knew the potential heartbreak of someone as incredible as Buck deciding he didn't want Tommy in his future wasn't worth it this time? Do you think he was afraid of falling in love with Buck, of falling so deeply in love that he wouldn't be able to recover when Buck left him like all the others? Do you think he decided it was better to break things off with Buck before he could finish falling in love with him?

Do you think they could come back from this? That maybe, just maybe, if Tommy told Buck about all of his fears that he could convince Tommy that it is worth it to find out if they could make it?

"I'm not the guy people decide to spend their life with. They- you'll finish figuring yourself out and realize you don't want a future with me. And that's okay, I just... I don't want to let myself finish falling in love with you first because I won't survive losing you after that."

"Do you think that little of me? That I'm just using you for my own personal gain and that I'll leave you in the dust as soon as I get what I want?"

"I... No. No, I don't think you would do that."

"Then give us a chance. Let me show you that this is more than just an awakening for me. Let me prove that I want to finish falling in love with you too."

Because I think that's what Tommy's afraid of. He's a person who's spent a lot of time self-reflecting and he knows himself so well, especially his faults. I think he’s afraid of Buck seeing all of those faults and realizing he doesn’t love Tommy as much as he thought he did. Loving someone means you see every part of them and want to be with them anyways.

I think Tommy is terrified of falling in love with someone because he can't imagine anyone loving him back.

[itstheval]

Memory of Visitation

A @livesworthlivingau Side Story

"Oh Stars, I remember this town! This place sucked!"

Siffrin said it with a laugh as they entered Wolworth, but everyone else simply glanced strangely at him. The realization hit them at the same time it did Mira, from the look on their faces. "Time travel s-" "NO SPOILERS!"

Mira half-pulled her rapier, but the look on her face was one of jest that kept a smile on Siffrin's face, even as they raised their hands up defensively. "Okay, okay! I just…There were a lot of memories wrapped up in this town. So, uh…" His eyes flickered around to the others, looking for help, and getting only amusement at his plight.

"Hmf. I believe, I will go take a walk. To explore. Bonnie, would you come with me? You have the shopping list." "Aw, Crab, I wanted to hear!" Mirabelle harumphed her way away, frills spinning as she twirled on a heel and walked into town, leaving Siffrin staring helplessly as Bonnie rushed to catch up with her, hat bouncing with every rushed step. Vale's laugh broke the tension, and Siffrin turned back to look at them. "Oh well DONE, Stardust! We can really see the skills it took you thirty years to hone!"

The flush darkening their cheeks was matched only by their urge to snap back, and they managed to find their voice. "Don't laugh too hard, Vale, not until you find out WHAT happened here. Besides, I might make sure it happens to you…"

"We got here…I want to say a few months, after the King? We'd met you, Nille, but there was a lot you didn't know. I hadn't even opened up to everyone yet…I'd say I'm sorry, but you know. Wrong people to apologize to. But you, Odile! You're always too clever, and you'd noticed, by now."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Odile managed, smiling wryly. She recognized an Old Man Ramble by now, but Siffrin's stories were always worth the listen.

"Noticed what, precisely?" Vale's question was colder, but from the look on their face, the queasiness in their expression, they already knew.

"Well…Back then. Before I knew any better. And I want to make it real clear, I know better now! But back then, I would…Punish myself. With my dagger. For things that…hadn't happened, to any of you? And I'd hide it with my Craft, which…I learned way more about the limits of Healing Craft than I should have."

Siffrin didn't bother looking at everyone's faces. He knew what they looked like. He'd seen them before, and they broke his heart the first time, when it was Odile revealing this. Even so much later, thinking about those expressions hurt.

What he wasn't expecting was the sudden enfolding of arms around him. Isabeau's warm body against his, enfolding him, and a moment later Odile's hand on his head, patting it gently. Even Nille joined in on the hug, and a glance up showed Vale nearby, looking in. This was…different? This was nice. Until, on some unspoken signal, everyone stepped away.

"I'm sorry Sif, just…the look on your face. I don't think anybody could see that and NOT want to give you a hug! We know it's alright, but the way you looked…"

"Like a crab just pinched your puppy." Nille confirmed.

"Yeah, or like…I dunno, like someone ate your favorite treat you were saving for later!"

In that moment, he was loved. In all moments, he was loved, but it was nice to see it so clearly, and the smile Siffrin let onto his face was genuine. "Thanks…I don't like thinking about this stuff. But, no bottling myself up, not to my family! That's what I promised."

"Promised who, precisely?" Odile's voice was wry, in the way that came when she was trying to not show affection.

"Well I was getting to that! Before everyone decided it was group hug time! Anyway! Odile noticed, and she…told everyone, when we were here. I'm not ashamed to say, I ran off. I was stupid…I thought none of you would care about me if you knew how much I hated myself."

"You're absolutely right, Stardust." Vale finally decided to add their two cents, and everyone's heads snapped towards them, making them glad that looks couldn't kill - they'd be dead four times over, at least! It was Odile who found her voice first.

"Explain?"

"He WAS stupid!"

Vale's laugh cut the tension that their statement made, and Siffrin was the first to join into it, before everyone else allowed themselves to be part of it.

"Right! Right, where was I…Running away. Right. Well, Odile was too smart again." A glance to her showed a smirk that showed she agreed. "I ran and hid in the House…and her letter had gotten there first. And when people showed up expecting me, and bringing me to an appointment? I wasn't going to tell them they had the wrong person. Whoever's appointment it was, I could hide there until you all forgot! And that's how I met my therapist."

The sharp bark of laughter from Odile showed just what she thought of that, but Isabeau was quick to follow, as Nille shook her head in exasperation. "That actually worked?" She said, around a smile, and Vale nodded with mock seriousness. "It would have worked on me. Smart."

Siffrin decided then to start walking and talking, as he explained the rest of it. "Doctor Jinn was…strange. Even for Vaugarde. It/its pronouns, with lightless hair with darkless spots in it, like the stars. I'd have almost thought it was from home, except that everyone I've seen from there had darkless hair…and Doctor Jinn was a housemaiden. Or…I mean, it was working in the house, and it wore a change symbol on a necklace? And one of them for a bonding earring? Anyway, it had its own office set up, and was ready for me and everything. It wasn't until it addressed me by my name that I realized what happened. But Odile, why did you tell it my name was 'Siffrin Nomiddlename Nolastname'?"

"I couldn't begin to imagine." Odile allowed, walking the crowded streets, Isabeau pushing ahead and the others walking in the wake of the broad man like wakesurfers…Siffrin briefly wondered where he'd heard that term, then remembered they were telling a story.

"Well, that's what it called me. Like that, like 'Nomiddlename' and 'Nolastname' were names themselves. It was a great listener, I'll tell you that…It seemed to accept the Wish Craft stuff pretty easily, and didn't blame me for…" a light cough. "Any of it." Siffrin glanced to the side, and when the others followed their glance, they saw Bonnie at a stall, haggling with a zit-faced teen about the price of tomatoes.

"The interesting thing was…Well, when we got there, we were sort of wandering wherever we felt like, just seeing the world? And it turned out that Jinn was traveling anyway, so we wound up joining it…or it joined us, but we just wound up going where it led. It was convenient, and it meant I couldn't get away from it, either. So…we wound up talking a lot. Almost the whole time we were in Wolworth, and even on the roads." Sif took a turn, but kept up his memories. "About the Loops, about what I could and couldn't remember, about…well, everything, really. How I felt about Isa, how I felt about touch, home, why the Universe granted wishes like it did - it really didn't have much to say there, but it was great to just get it out of my system."

Vale was starting to look uneasy as they walked along, and Siffrin knew it was now or never, time to strike and hope everyone else was on board. "It was so useful, in fact, that I felt like visiting again. I sent a letter ahead myself this time, since…well, you didn't have a reason to, Madame. And don't worry, Vale, I told them all about you!"

Siffrin's grin was shameless, and watching the look on Vale's face was worth the entire time, as they realized how close they were to the opened doors of the House. And how Isabeau was blocking them off to the side…Vale couldn't escape that way, maybe…no, Nille was over there. Maybe through the Madame? With that look on her face, no way. That was the Path of Pain.

Vale's shoulders slumped, as Siffrin stepped aside and gave a sweeping bow. "After you, my friend!" Vale muttered oaths under their breath as they marched to the doors, only to find a Housemaiden waiting for them.

"Siffrin and Vale Nomiddlename Nolastname? I'm Housemaiden David…I got your letter, but I'm afraid no one here's ever heard of a 'Doctor Jinn'. Would you like to come in anyway?"

[tinfoil-jones]

Tate Pines AU: Trans Inclusive Homophobia

What if: Stan's parents found out about Tate?

Let me just say first, that Filbricks attitude towards trans people is based on this post.

In the AU, the only other person in the Pines family who knew that Stan had a kid was Ford. Stan went out of his way to make sure the rest of their family didn't know, because he was afraid someone would try to take his kid away from him (the irony).

And again, in this storyline, he no longer wants to be accepted back into the family. He loves his son unconditionally, so the fact that his own parents threw him away so easily made him no longer want their approval or acknowledgement. Stanford, his twin brother, was the lone exception to this (as he often is).

But let's say, somehow, someway, they find out about Stan having a son. How do they react?

Caryn was already taking care of Shermie's kid, so it's easy to assume she might want to similarly help Stan. Or, if Filbrick really has her under his rules, she might try to convince Stanley that maybe it'd be better if he gave Tate up to be raised by Shermie alongside his own son.

Filbrick is an... interesting case, comparatively. Filbricks a strict, traditional, bigot in a lot of ways but he still never questioned Stan being his son. Stan, a girl? Are you stupid? Look at that knucklehead and tell him he's anything other than the living embodiment of all the ways a man can fail.

Does Filbrick care that Tate was born out of wedlock? Well, it's not like there weren't already a few Pines born suspiciously soon after their parents wedding.

Does Filbrick care that Tate's unknown other parent was most likely an outsider to their faith? No, it's not like the Pines family never had outsiders who converted or at least kept their damn heads down, and they don't have the greatest reputation with their synagogue anyways.

No, the thing that gets Filbrick is that since Stan had Tate by himself, that must mean Stan is gay because unless if the other parent is a trans woman, Stan had to have conceived with another dude. That's where he draws the line.

Not to mention, Stan is a man who is actually taking care of his own kid instead of making a woman do it. Men don't do child care!

Filbrick never see's Stan as anything other than a man, no different than his other two sons; he just see's Stan as a man who failed at everything.

[schrijverr]

I Didn’t Mean to Say I Do, but I Do. I Do. 19

Chapter 19 out of 50

Secret marriage of convenience buddie slow burn AU, where Buck and Eddie have been married for years so Buck could adopt Chris and no one at the 118 knows.

In this chapter, Buck and Eddie hover as Chris hangs out with the 118 then Maddie, having promised to not mention papi, but still a kid. Meanwhile Maddie is planning to start living for herself and solving a problem for them.

On AO3.

Ships: Buddie (slow burn)

Warnings: referenced domestic violence, ableism mention, internalized misogyny, insecurity

~~~

Chapter 19: Building a Life for Yourself

If everyone knowing about Chris feels weird, seeing everyone interact with him is even weirder. He doesn’t know how they know, but they’re all awaiting them when they arrive, looking curious and eager to meet Chris.

Eddie feels a little nervous as he walks in behind him, unsure if Chris can keep his promise not to say and if the others will react okay to Chris. They’ve been nice to him about Chris so far and they deal with disabled people a lot in their line of work and he’s never seen them be anything but compassionate and normal, but the anxiety lingers anyway.

It is assuaged slightly by Buck, who seems relaxed under these circumstances, loudly greeting everyone with: “We come bearing bribery coffee.”

“I would say who cares about coffee when you’re bringing such an esteemed guest, but I really need my caffeine fix,” Hen jokes, a big gentle smile on her face.

Eddie smiles slightly at that as well, waiting for Buck to make a joke about Chris being way more important than some coffee and more than enough of a fix to get you through the day. He is surprised when it doesn’t come, before he realizes that it isn’t Buck’s place right now and instead it’s his job.

“Hey, Chris is way better than coffee,” he tries clumsily, wanting to disappear the second he does it, which is only somewhat mitigated bit by Buck’s grin and Chris’s beaming smile.

“I believe you,” Hen says, before turning to Chris and holding out her hand: “Hi, I’m Hen. I heard a lot about you, you’re a real smart kid.”

“Hello, I’m Christopher,” Chris says shaking her hand. “You’re really cool, daddy says so.”

“Oh I like him,” Hen tells Eddie, twinkle in her eye.

“Hey, what about me. I’m cool,” Chimney butts in immediately, also holding out his hand. “I’m Chimney.”

“Chimney! I know you. You have a silly name,” Chris informs him seriously, getting laughs from everyone.

Eddie lets out a relieved breath as Chris keeps his promise to them and is accepted by everyone without question and with a lot of love. These people don’t seem to think badly of him for needing to have Chris here for a bit. They don’t seem to think he’s ruining Chris’s life. They’re just happy to meet Chris and get to know him. It would choke him up, if that were a thing he did.

Buck must catch something in his face, because he squeezes his shoulder in a comforting manner, before joining the others in going up the stairs.

Chris seems to be determined to do it alone and Eddie waits for the inevitable moment that someone will jog ahead or sigh in annoyance or offer help in that tone. But it never comes. They just walk with him as they talk, asking him about school and talking about the trucks and the ambulances when he asks.

Much like Eddie, Chris is easily absorbed into the 118 and he finds himself on the couch with the three others and Chris, laughing like it’s something they’ve always done. As if Eddie hasn’t known these people for almost three months, but for much longer than that.

It feels good. So incredibly good. It reminds him a bit of showing up frantically to the Johnson farm only to be met with understanding as Buck got him to laugh about Chris accidentally repeating ‘fucking’ before they hid out among the chickens so Eddie could talk about Shannon leaving and organize his thoughts. That quiet acceptance and space and understanding, the kind that makes a bad situation okay again.

He flies high, so his stomach sinks heavily when Bobby comes up to everyone, saying: “What’s this? I don’t remember asking the chief for reinforcements. You any good with a hose, kid?”

“I can try,” Chris smiles and everyone chuckles.

“Alright,” Bobby smiles back, because Chris’s smile is infectious. He got that from Shannon.

It’s a joke. Eddie knows it’s a joke and a joke means they’re probably okay, but he panics anyway, scrambling to his feet as he explains: “So sorry, Cap. Pepa, my tía is taking him tonight, but Maddie’s getting off work early so she can take him before that, but you know LA traffic, so until then w- I- I didn’t know where to take him.”

“Yeah, you did,” Bobby says, making Eddie confused, before his chest explodes with warmth at the follow up. “Right here. Buck gave me a heads up,” he nods to Buck, who gives him a smile, probably called while waiting for coffee. “I already cleared it with the chief.”

Eddie is at a loss for words. He wants to cry a little, but also grin brightly. He has no clue what to do with his face or his hands and he knows he needs to figure it out quickly, before it gets uncomfortable.

Luckily, he doesn’t have to figure out shit in the end, because the alarm starts ringing, so the moment gets ruined.

They all get up to run to the fire engines as they’re informed of what’s happening. Both Buck and Eddie are working, but he doesn’t just want to leave Chris. So, he stands there near the couch, trying to figure out what to do.

He sees Buck tell Bobby something as he jogs past to the pole and Bobby looks back at him, calling out: “Come on, Diaz. Bring the kid.”

“You wanna ride in the truck?” he asks Chris, who nods excitedly. “Alright, we need to hurry, so I’m giving you a ride.”

Chris is already reaching out, before Eddie is even done speaking and together they hurry down the steps. Eddie hands Chris over to Buck without thinking so he can get into his turnout gear. He is glad when no one questions that.

On the drive over to the accident, which is nothing big or too traumatizing for Chris, Hen and Chimney entertain him. While they’re working, Bobby takes Chris easily, telling him all about what’s happening and feeding his ever growing curiosity, which he definitely gets from Buck.

It’s nice how they all step in to make Chris comfortable, to accommodate for Eddie’s job, while not making him feel helpless and in need of their help. It’s a lot like hanging out with Abuela felt to him when he was a kid.

When they return from the call it’s to a message from Maddie saying she’ll be a little later due to traffic.

The news makes Eddie slightly anxious again, because the longer this goes on, the easier it can go wrong. It seems like Buck isn’t the only person on the team in tune with his emotions, because once he’s shared the news, Chimney says: “Well, Chris, seems like there is enough time for me to show you the pinball machine we have. Think you can beat your dad’s record?”

And with Chris’s enthusiasm and Eddie’s nod, Chimney leads Chris away so they can play pinball while Eddie gathers himself a bit.

“You okay?” Buck asks once it’s just the two of them downstairs.

“Yeah, just stressed,” he sighs, rubbing his face. “I think I’ll only relax once Chris is safe with Maddie and none of this has blown up in our faces.”

“Same,” Buck snorts, though there isn’t much humor in it.

Shame creeps up Eddie’s spine once more as he realizes this is all stressful for Buck too and he hasn’t been there for him at all, drowning in his own anxiety instead. It’s not like him. He’s supposed to be the steady protector, not the emotional one. “Are, uh- are you okay?”

“Hm?” Buck looks at him in surprise, before the question registers and he smiles tiredly. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just weird. You know. To not know him.”

And Eddie gets it. He remembers how weird it was to not know Chris that after that second tour when he came home, even if he hadn’t actually been in Chris’s life for years at that point. Buck has been consistently in his life since the kid was three years old, Eddie can’t imagine how much worse it might be for him, especially because he knows Buck worries about belonging.

He places a hand on Buck’s shoulder, hand automatically finding the juncture between his neck and shoulder. “You still know him and he knows you too. When you come home tonight, that kid is going to bombard you with questions that Hen and Chim didn’t answer to his satisfaction, because you gave him incredibly high standards when it comes to getting answers.”

At that Buck’s smile becomes more real. “Thanks, man.”

“Course.”

With that established they break apart to go restock and clean, which is their duty for today. They work in tandem yet separate, somehow both thinking that being seen together will make what they’re trying to keep hidden visible.

Because they’re busy downstairs and walking around, they miss Maddie coming in. Instead, finding her chatting with Chimney at the pinball machine as Chris is smashing the buttons with glee.

Maddie and Chim both look caught when they spot Eddie coming up the stairs, Buck right behind him. Maddia tucks her hair behind her ear and says: “Oh, we were about to find you. I didn’t just want to take Chris without giving him a chance to say goodbye.”

“It’s fine,” Eddie assures her with a smile, wanting to make her as comfortable as possible, both after what she’s been through and what she’s doing for him. “Are you sure you’re okay with taking him?”

“Of course, it’s no problem at all,” Maddie tells him with a kind smile. If Eddie hadn’t heard about her parents, he’d say kindness and helpfulness must be a Buckley trait.

“Still, it’s really appreciated.”

“And it’s really not a problem. If Abuela needs any help after coming home from the hospital I’m always here and happy to help. It’ll only be repaying the favor.”

“There is no favor that needs repaying, Abuela would scold me if she heard me letting you say that,” Eddie says. “She’s probably moving back to Texas. We already can’t find someone to look after Chris, it’ll be easier for her to be closer to more family with less busy schedules. But thank you, truly.”

Something flashes in Maddie’s eyes that Eddie vaguely knows from Buck’s face, but he can’t place it on hers quite yet, only that she has decided something. However, she doesn’t say and he doesn’t push, instead she smiles: “Well, I don’t mind hanging out with this little man here,” as she ruffles Chris’s hair.

Chris is done with his game and looks up at her with a big smile as he greets her. He already knows her from the time he spends at Abuela’s house. Eddie is glad he won’t be leaving him with a stranger.

Buck has gathered Chris’s crutches and joins them as Chris gears up to leave with Maddie. Before he goes, Eddie looks Chris in the eyes, cupping his cheek. He can’t help but smile, always feeling at ease when he has his son right there, safe and well. But that’s not the point right now. “You be good for tía Maddie, okay, mijo?” he tells Chris.

Maddie’s eyes widen slightly and Eddie half regrets the bold move made to indirectly include Buck, but he’s not regretting it entirely either with the way Buck’s eyes sparkle as Chris nods.

She leaves with Chris next to her, Buck giving him a quick ruffle of his hair, obviously dying to say something, but staying quiet. The others just waving and calling out their goodbyes.

Eddie stays standing there at the edge of the balcony until Maddie and Chris have left the firehouse, aware that Buck and Bobby are both behind him. Probably hovering for different reasons.

Once they’re gone, he turns back. Bobby gives him a gentle smile and says: “You have a good kid, Eddie. He was a pleasure to have in this firehouse and he is always welcome here.”

Emotion overwhelms him and it needs to get out. In an out of character moment, he hugs Bobby tightly, hoping it will convey the sheer thankfulness he feels in that moment. How grateful he is to have this acceptance, this help that doesn’t feel like help.

Then in further boldness, he lets go of Bobby and hugs Buck too. They’ve never been huggers before, not really. Often living more alongside each other than with each other, but in recent months they’ve become more tactile and right now Eddie might need the hug as badly as Buck does. If he thinks it’s weird, he doesn’t say, just hugs back.

When he lets go of Buck, he suddenly feels awkward about his outburst. Today has had him thrown off since he got that call, maybe even since he was flirted with so bluntly. He doesn’t know what to do with himself and is grateful when the alarm rings again so he can go.

No one mentions the hugs after and the day continues as normal. He gets a text from Maddie – who got his number through Buck – that Chris has been handed over to Pepa without any trouble and then in the morning he gets a text from tía Pepa that Chris has been dropped off at school.

They visit Abuela when their shift is done, glad to find her awake and in relatively good spirits after what happened to her. She has already charmed the hospital staff and befriended the other woman that she’s sharing her room with.

After their visit, the two split up. Eddie drives home, collapsing on his bed to nap for an hour, before he has to go pick up Chris. He normally has longer to sleep, but their last call ran over.

Buck, meanwhile, is driving to Abuela’s house to check up on Maddie. He is still kind of processing yesterday and just wants to see his sister for a bit. Eddie doesn’t seem mad at him anymore about the whole PT thing, even calling Maddie Chris’s tía and hugging him, but those few moments where it seemed he ruined everything still make his heart stop.

Not to mention how heart wrenching it was not to be able to be there for Chris like he wanted. Not being able to scoop him up in his arms and tell him all about their gear. Not being able to brag to the others about how he had the best kid. Not being his papi.

Having experienced that, he can totally see why Eddie would be mad at him, but he isn’t, not as far as Buck can tell anyway, which truly is a miracle in and of itself.

Maddie opens the door after a quick knock and Buck reminds himself to not be as familiar in this house as he actually is when she ushers him inside after a greeting.

“So, tía Maddie, huh?” he asks, maybe a little too eager, but needing to know what she thinks of the title and of Chris. Wanting a bit of validation after everything.

“Yeah,” Maddie blushes. “It feels like I’m overstepping, but it has to be fine, right? Eddie said it first, Chris is just following his dad.”

“It’s totally fine,” Buck assures her. “Did he behave?”

“Chris? Yeah, he’s a sweet kid. Very smart and funny in a kid kind of way,” Maddie smiles.

Buck feels his chest puff up with pride, even though that is mostly just Chris being awesome. It always feels a bit weird to claim credit for that – even if the jokes he taught Chris are hilarious no matter what Eddie says.

“Did Eddie or Pepa explain what’s happening with the child care situation to you?” Maddie asks. “I mean, Eddie mentioned something about not being able to find anyone, but there are programs.”

A warmth spreads through his chest at that. His sister is still here trying to help him, even if she doesn’t know. And helping Eddie. It’s nice to still see the bits of her he used to know, to have that familiarity.

“Eddie’s working on it,” he answers keeping it at a distance from himself, while outing his own frustrations with it all. “He's got insurance. And there’s other stuff through the city, state and county, but the requirements are all different. You can apply for one, and it can disqualify you from another. It’s a whole, giant bureaucratic mess. I-I can’t get my head around it.”

She leads him to the couch and grabs her laptop as she says: “Well, I was a nurse, remember? The only people who truly navigate a bureaucracy are the people who work inside it. So, I got some recommendations, but I feel weird about texting them to Eddie.”

“You can send them to me,” Buck immediately offers. “I can bring them up instead. We’re pretty friendly.”

“Really? Thank you,” Maddie says.

“Course, no problem.”

She taps away on her laptop and Buck gets a notification on his phone. Then she opens something different on her laptop and says: “I also have some news. I found an apartment. It’s not far from work. Two bedrooms, secure building, parking included.”

“You’re moving out?” Buck frowns. “You can stay here for longer, Abuela wouldn’t mind you being here while she moves out back to Texas.”

“I don’t want to be more of a bother when she’s already done so much for me. And you can’t just offer that for other people. Besides, I was never planning on living here forever,” she says.

Buck isn’t entirely convinced she isn’t just doing this to make herself small and it must show on his face, because she goes on. “Look, when I left Doug, I didn’t have a plan. I just grabbed up all my stuff and ran as fast and as far as I possibly could, but then you convinced me to start over, make a brand new life in LA.”

“And I was right about that,” he quickly points out, suddenly scared this apartment she found is in a different city and she’s leaving again.

“You were,” she rolls her eyes fondly, luckily. “But it’s just not gonna feel like mine unless I’m standing on my own two feet. That’s the only way I’m gonna know it’s real.”

“Alright. Okay. Yeah, no, I get that,” Buck says, even though it feels like he’ll be a horrible brother if he lets her out of the circle of carefully vetted people she’s been staying in. He hadn’t been there to protect her the first time around, he needs to protect her now. But she needs this, so he merely says: “Show me the apartment you found.”

They end up catching up for hours and he has to text Eddie he’s not making dinner tonight and to not burn the house down while he’s gone. Eddie sends two thumbs up back, because he is an old man, then a middle finger, because he’s a bitch. Buck loves him dearly and he hates that his heart does a little flip over the stupid emojis.

He is home in time to tuck Chris in, not telling him a bedtime story, but answering all his questions and telling him more about the firehouse, much like Eddie had predicted.

When Chris is fast asleep, Buck joins Eddie on the couch where he’s watching a telenovella he claims to only watch so he has something to talk about with Abuela and tía Pepa. Buck doesn’t call him out for it tonight, instead excitedly sharing the links Maddie shared with him. The top one had apparently been shared with her by a coworker, who heard about Carla through another coworker who had left, so they had a character reference for her.

The worries about Maddie moving out forgotten for a bit as they focus on getting a meeting of sorts set up with this Carla, hoping she can be their savior.

However, they’re back in full force the next day when they’re on the job. He doesn’t want to add to Eddie’s worries, so instead he unloads on Bobby. “The only way she knows it’s real is for her to live in a two-bedroom apartment in Eagle Rock. What does that even mean?”

“I think it means she’s not comfortable squatting in an injured, elderly woman’s place, who is a stranger to her.”

“Abuela is not a stranger. She’s Eddie’s grandmother,” Buck protests. Bobby gives him a look that makes Buck want to defend himself in ways he can’t, because then he needs to explain why that makes total sense. Both Maddie and Abuela are family.

“I just feel like it’s all happening too fast. I mean, how many years did it take her before she was ready to leave Doug?” Buck says.

“That hardly feels like the same thing.”

“My point is she just got here and now she’s leaving again.”

“Buck, she’s moving to Eagle Rock, not Alaska. It’s ten minutes from Eddie’s grandmother’s place, you live near there too, right?”

“I mean, yeah, but she’ll be in a place I don’t know. What if her neighbors are horrible? What if she feels alone with no one else living with her?”

“Your sister is building a new life for herself. Be proud of her,” Bobby tells him and he has a point, which Buck hates.

He also hates it when he later tells Eddie all about it anyway, because he is practically incapable of not sharing things and hopes Eddie might have a different reaction, since he also has sisters. However, Eddie, the traitor, agrees with Bobby and thinks Buck should let Maddie built her own life.

They’re annoyingly correct, but he makes his peace with it. Because he is proud of her, despite his protective instincts going haywire. He just wants her to be okay and he knows this is the best way to have her be okay, but it feels wrong anyway.

Still, he supports her regardless, because that’s what she needs from him and he’ll always try to give her what she needs. Especially when she does the same.

The meeting they have with Carla is a huge success. She is kind and fun and non-judgmental. She even takes their explanation about their platonic marriage that is a secret at work with a minimal amount of blinking.

All in all, she is a great fit and a big help in getting through the bureaucratic nightmare to ensure they can actually employ her without going bankrupt. Chris loves her immediately and she is charmed by Chris too.

It’s a heavy weight of off both their shoulders, but especially Eddie’s. Buck can see how he moves differently, as if he actually feels physically lighter. It breaks his heart a little, but also makes him so glad that they were able to organize this, that he has helped in lightening Eddie’s burdens.

When they tell tía Pepa about it, she makes them tamales as celebration and they take them to the hospital to share with Abuela, who is glad to get some real food.

A week later, he finds himself on the couch in the loft with Chimney looking over security systems for Maddie. He apparently knows about them, since he tried to be an entrepreneur before and Buck can use all the assurance he can get.

He still doesn’t feel great about Maddie moving out of Abuela’s house, even if he understands her wanting to have her own place. One that is wholly her own.

But if he wants to be able to have any sort of peace of mind when she does live on her own, he’ll need to get her the best security system. Hence recruiting Chimney. Though, he seems not that unhappy about being recruited into Buck’s protective spiral, even inviting himself to help her move since apparently they struck up a conversation and he thought she was nice.

When he asks Maddie later if it’s okay, she smiles and tells him she’ll text him thanks, since she gave him her number apparently, something Buck is trying not to think about too much.

She is building a life for herself, he should let her, he reminds himself.

Not that that is going to stop him from keeping an eye on Chimney. No matter how much he loves the guy, it’s different when he thinks he has a chance to his sister’s heart. He learned his lesson about not being too careful.

It’s not that he thinks Chimney will be a Doug 2.0, he just has to focus his protective instinct elsewhere now that he doesn’t have Abuela to keep an eye on her 24/7. Not to mention that he got to witness the disaster that was Chim’s relationship with Tatiana.

He’s just playing it safe, nothing else. Everything seems to be going well for them recently, it’s natural to be suspicious of that, he reasons.

~~

A/N:

I keep trying to not let this fic get out of hand, yet here I am, spending two chapters on one episode, so that’s not working out well for me lmao xp

Also, for the sake of this fanfic’s plot, I request you all do not think too closely about the time Maddie spend with Chris after picking him up from the 118 firehouse, please and thank you <3

[navree]

"rhaenys could have ended the war by dracarysing all the greens right there" yes because a distant relation to the throne deciding to barbecue an anointed and publicly positively hailed king and his entire family who is well loved within the city and in multiple other parts of the country for the sake of the succession of a far-away princess no one was ever on board with who hasn't been seen by the populace in literal years, her psycho husband, her three obvious bastards, and two toddlers from the psycho husband would go over super well with westeros and especially in king's landing where scores of the still-cheering population were killed for no reason by that same dragon who would do the barbecuing, because when targaryens act unilaterally without thinking of how the people would react there's never any problem, which is why the storming of the dragonpit and robert's rebellion were actually just collective delusions dreamed up by readers who hate rhaenyra and not key parts of the story and house targaryen's history that directly contributed to their demise and are intrinsic to the plot

truly team black stans are made up of only the most genius and media literate amongst us

[itspileofgoodthings]

i love my counselor because she refuses to pry. don’t even know if she knows that’s an option, I have so rarely met a person who stays so thoroughly in her lane.

[james-spooky]

this is a test

[cator99]

I always get detained at da border because PROFUNC never ended but basically I'm like if a targeted individual didn't even care

[reflectionsofgalaxies]

this is my little girl 💖

she’s running low on time with us, and my dad has been saying things along the lines of ‘this is why I don’t like pets’, because he finds the grieving process so hard.

I don’t fault him for that, he just feels loss deeply and deals with it differently.

sometimes I even find myself falling briefly into the same thinking. ‘what if making a different choice all those years ago saved me and my family from this grief and this pain?’

but I also know there’s no way I would make a different decision. no amount of grief could outweigh the joy she’s brought us over these last fifteen years. the laughter, the comfort, the connection.

I think about hikes with my dad when she was tiny and able bodied and would race up ahead of us on the trails and then race back to check on us. I think about the first time she saw snow and she instantly turned into a tiny fluffy bunny rabbit, hopping through drifts that were ankle deep for us but nearly buried her, and the matted snowballs she came away with, looking like a tiny curly haired yeti.

I think of her interrupting GrammE and John’s wedding along with Sagie, confusion turning into laughter as they sped after each other across the backyard ceremony. I think of my mom, lonely on the island and isolated during covid, telling me that Ginger was her saving grace.

and these don’t even scratch the surface. fifteen years of love she’s given us.

so yeah. losing her is going to damn near break me and I know that. but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

[sskk-manifesto]

Ep 5!!!

[tytonnidaie]

i love to read meta of knives as an abuser and nod my head thoughtfully at all great points and then once the post ends i go back to considering him as my darling son who never did anything wrong ever

[capricorndevil15]

My actual favorite fairytales are ones having to do with curses, getting turned into a beast, or accidentally/willingly/any-reason-ly marrying a beast or demon or monster. Prince Lindworm is one of my most favorite-est favorites. I had a pet corn snake at one point who I called Prince Lindworm (his real name was Slinky though). Other faves off the top of my head are East of The Sun, West of The Moon, The Demon in The Tree, and Featherflight.

[duahauuoplanh]

Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean men's national football team, speaks at a press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul on Nov. 4, 2024 that he will monitor Son Heung-min's minutes closely.

"we will see how much his playing time increases in the next two matches, and that will be part of our preparation for the two November games. I don't think it's appropriate for us to push him hard on the national team just because he has returned to action for his club. we'll first have to see how much he plays in his next club match, and we'll go from there. I obviously understand he wants to play for the national team, but first and foremost, we have to protect his health."

in the post match interview, South Korean head coach Hong Myung-bo kept his promise and managed Son Heung-min's load, subbing him out in the 64th minute.

"he's such an important part of our team. he just came back after being hobbled by injury. I don't think he was at his very best today, and that's why I replaced him. I will continue to protect him and manage his minutes."

[pleasedontcareaboutme]

i think i finally realized why ive been feeling so damn depressed lately again

sorry for writing this here. im really hurting actually. im not good. i feel a bit helpless too. idk who to talk to bc i dont want to burden anyons and i donf feel like anything could console me right now

Like. fuck me man. thanks for saving me but. why the hell are you not here. i dont want to do this without you. i hate only being able to remember you. i was supposed to grow old with you, not without you.

And. honestly. even with all this bullshit i say here, all the endless times i spend trying to write down my feelings, abt you, about all the pain ive felt my life, it doesnt get better. not at all. and no words, no poetry takes it away and i truly feel like nobody will ever truly understand how suffocated i felt all my life.

and i want to change thanks to you but. i dont know. nothing's satisfying enough.

no matter what, i truly only feel great when im in that daydream like world you created.

and these past days ive been thinking a lot that. i really wouldnt mind dying right now. not at all. because at least i know what happiness feels like. and i want to stay in that state. probably, even in this life your music will bring me happiness, but i want to be trapped in it.

im tired of being so unseen, and even when im seen, im hurting. but i dont know whats hurting. i think im just really tired thats all.

and. ye. i feel brave tbh. i still havent posted my video to instagram, bc im not brave for that. i dont know. and i feel like a hypocrite bc everything is true that i wrote there but at the same time these are my thoughts currently

in a long while i looked up suicide methods again. i feel so hopeful, but im not really sure if really for the future. jm sorry this is probably alarming. i will probably not kill myself but. idk. im not sure actually. i dknt know what to say. i wasnt cut out for this wordly shit.i feel unlovable but even if im loved, i donf want to be. i dont want anything. just let me stsy in this quiet place snd just. disappear. i wouldnt want my family to hurt if i die but i wont know about it anyways. idk man. i feel strongly i could die calmly this time and thats nice. bc 6 years ago i was terrified, and hurt. but now im content and kind of ready idk man. its not a terrible feeling, its a "this is it, it was nice while it lasted" ig.

there are no clouds in my head actually. i truly dont feel like im thinking irrationally, i feel like this would just be like. the end goal i was looking for. to feel true love once. it was nice.

no goodbye yet bc idk how id kms even if i do. But ill tell u guys if i found something.

[girlscience]

I hate getting into something that has a canon(ish) sapphic couple, but I only end up caring about one of the two women 😭😭😭