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yeah-all-of-it · 4 years ago

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I’ve had this headcanon for awhile now about Ian and Mickey starting a family and since I’m becoming more comfortable with writing, I thought I’d turn it into a fic. Enjoy!

A Life Changing Gift

“Debs, are you sure you understand what you’re offering right now?,” Ian questions, feeling a bit skeptical.

It is Debbie after all. Sometimes she’s perfectly pleasant and reasonable, other times she can be a raging bitch. But, she is his sister and he can’t imagine her offering something this monumental only to renege after they’ve gotten their hopes up. And she’s definitely mellowed out since they didn’t end up selling the house and she didn’t have to find a new place to live.

Ian and Debbie are sitting at the kitchen table in the Gallagher house. She had called him over to look at a cut Franny had gotten playing in the backyard. Wasn’t sure if it needed stitches and thought Ian could use his past medical training to check it out. In reality, it was barely a scratch. Ian should have known at that point Debbie was up to something, especially when she invited him to stay for coffee.

“Ian, I’ve been thinking a long time about this. Came up with the idea months ago but wanted to be completely sure before I said anything,” Debbie explains.

“Yeah, but, Debbie. This is fuckin’ huge. Think about how hard it’ll be on you-“

“I’ve already thought about all that shit, Ian. I’ve been through it before, you know. It’s really not that bad,” Debbie assures him.

Debbie seems sincere. Like she’s really considered every angle, every downside, upside, and in-between. He’s trying to keep his excitement reined in because he still has to convince Mickey that this is a good idea, which could be easier said than done.

“Listen,” Debbie says. “You don’t have to say anything now. Go home, talk it over with Mickey. You can even bring him over here and we can all talk about it if you want. No pressure.”

They both stand from the table and Ian goes to give her a hug.

“Wait, what the fuck are you doing?” Debbie jokes. “Thought you hated me and that we don’t do hugs anymore.” She laughs, and Ian knows she’s remembering how tense things were a year ago when she thought she’d be homeless and alone and she lashed out at all her siblings.

“Would you just fuckin’ come here?” Ian smiles warmly and holds his arms out.

She steps into his embrace and he just holds his little sister. Sometimes he still likes to imagine her as that sweet little girl that was always helping people. Always loving people, sometimes so much she would get hurt. It would kill him to see the tears in her eyes.

Sometimes, he sees glimpses of that caring little girl in the jaded woman she’s become. Like when she pretended to be the bride at his wedding; staying in the kitchen, missing the whole ceremony, just so he and Mickey could get married without any problems from the homophobes at the venue. And now, when she’s offering this selfless and life changing gift to them.

Ian whispers into her hair, hair that’s the same vibrant shade of red as his own, “I don’t even know what to say, Debs. Just… thank you.”

Debbie gives him one more big squeeze before pulling away. “You’re welcome. Now, go home and convince your husband to let me have his baby.”

———

“No fuckin’ way, NO fuckin’ way!” Mickey exclaims. “No way am I bangin’ your little sister.”

Mickey hops up on the counter, takes a long chug of the Old Style in his hand.

“Mick,” Ian sighs, leaning up against the opposite counter. “That’s not how it works. You would basically jerk off in a cup and she’d use a turkey baster, in the privacy of her own room,” he emphasizes,” to… place the sperm where they need to go.”

“Don’t you need like, a doctor or some shit to do that?” Mickey asks incredulously.

“Well, you can use a doctor but it’s expensive. This way is free,” Ian clarifies.

Mickey is clearly churning the idea around in his brain. Finally speaks.

“I thought we were just gonna like, find a fuckin’ kid that didn’t have parents or somethin’.”

“We can do that too, one day. Ya know, if we like the first one enough to do it again,” Ian says lightheartedly, slight grin, trying to calm Mickey.

Ian steps toward Mickey, placing his hips between Mickey’s knees, resting his hands on his thighs, rubbing softly.

Ian continues. “Think about it though, Mick. This baby would be us, you and me. It’s the closest we can get since we don’t exactly have the right stuff to do it on our own. He or she would have your DNA and, through Debbie, a little of mine too.”

Mickey beams at this, wraps his arms around his husband’s shoulders. “It would be kinda fun to have a little version of us runnin’ around,” Mickey admits. “You know a kid that’s part Milkovich and part Gallagher is bound to be a little shit though, right?” Mickey jokes, smiling at the thought.

“Oh, I’m counting on it,” Ian quips, leaning in and planting a sweet kiss on his smiling husband’s lips.

Ian pulls back from the kiss and asks seriously, “So. Do you wanna do this?”

“Yeah. Yeah I do. What about you?” Mickey questions.

“Fuck yeah, I do. Let’s call Debs right now.”

———

“I’ve done a lot of research about this. You guys know it might not work on the first try right? Don’t want you to be frustrated or disappointed if it doesn’t work this month. Doesn’t mean it won’t ever work, but it can take a little time,” Debbie explains.

They are sitting in the Gallagher living room the day they are making their first attempt at insemination.

“Yeah, we know, Debs. Don’t worry,” Ian replies. “We’re not in a hurry.”

“Okay, good. Keeping your expectations reasonable is good,” she says. “I’ve also been tracking my basal body temperature and took an ovulation test, so today is my most fertile da-“

Mickey interrupts, “Thanks, Dr. Gallagher, but we don’t need all the gory details. Now where do I jerk off? Hey Ian, you gonna gimme a hand, man?” Mickey clicks his tongue and bounces his eyebrows playfully.

“Ugh, no gory details, right? Let’s just keep all the personal shit to ourselves okay?” Debbie requests.

“Yeah, this is already awkward enough. Don’t need to make it weirder,” Ian agrees and eyes Mickey scoldingly.

Ian and Mickey are forced to go into the bathroom because Lip and Tami live there now and their old bedroom is now Fred and the baby’s room. They’re not home but it would be uncomfortable seeing Fred’s little toddler bed, his stuffed animal collection staring at them while Mickey gets off. So, bathroom it is.

“Listen, Mickey,” Ian explains. “I’ll help, but we are keeping this clinical. Short and sweet. We can fuck at home later for fun; this needs to be done with a purpose, a goal. Debbie’s waiting.”

“Ugh, Jesus, man, why you gotta bring up Debbie? Doesn’t exactly make this process easier to think of her waiting in her room to squir-“

“Okaaayy, focus Mick,” Ian interrupts before that sentence goes any further.

Ian yanks down Mickey’s pants and gets to work. He knows exactly how Mickey likes it to make him come quickly. It works and Mickey finishes into the bulb of the turkey baster in record time.

Ian wipes off the edges and walks it to Debbie’s room, knocking on the door. She opens it just enough to stick her arm out and Ian places the bulb in her hand. Ian hears her say, “Uh, you guys can go home. I’ll text you later,” and shuts the door.

On their way back to the Westside, Ian’s phone dings. He picks it up and reads the text from Debbie out loud. “Transfer is complete.”

“What now?” Mickey asks.

“We wait,” Ian answers.

———

“It should have worked by now, right?” Mickey asks, an edge of concern in his voice. “I mean, it’s been almost 4 months. What if like, my fuckin’ swimmers don’t work or somethin’?”

Ian tries to calm Mickey down, rubbing his arm that’s slung across Ian’s belly. It’s midnight and they really should be asleep but Mickey’s spiraling over the whole surrogacy thing.

“Mick, this is normal. We knew it could take awhile. There’s no need to freak out yet,” Ian assures. “What’s all this about, anyway? All the worry.”

“Just… I know it took a long time for me to even wanna have kids. Then you had to convince me to do this shit, to be okay with Debbie carrying my baby. Fuck, that still sounds creepy as hell. But anyway, I know I wasn’t on board with everything at first, but now? Ian, I’m so fuckin’ excited to have a baby with you. To be a dad with you. It’s just hard to wait, that’s all. And then I think… what if it doesn’t happen? What if this whole plan just fuckin’ fails? Then what?”

“Then, we come up with another plan,” Ian assures. “I wanna raise kids with you too, Mickey, so fuckin’ much. I wanna give them the childhood we never got to have. I wanna take them to the beach with you, I want us to play blocks on the living room floor, and read bedtime stories together. All that shit. It’ll happen, Mickey. One way or another, we’ll make it happen.”

Ian snuggles Mickey closer, kisses him on the top of the head, and they fall asleep in each other’s arms.

They are woken up by Ian’s obnoxious ringtone at 6:00 am, well before they have to be up for work.

“Who the fuck is calling this goddamn early? Better be fuckin’ important,” Mickey grumbles while rubbing his eyes.

It’s Debbie.

“Hey, Debs!” Ian says with fake cheerfulness, still half asleep. “What’s up?”

“There’s two lines!” she screams on the other end of the phone.

“Okay?” Ian replies.

“There’s TWO lines!” she repeats, emphasizing the word two.

“I don’t know what the fuck that means, Debs. Two lines where?” Ian questions.

“On the pregnancy test, dipshit! It’s positive! I’m pregnant!” she yells.

Ian bolts upright in bed. Mickey grumbles “what the fuck” under his breath, eyes still half closed.

“Holy fuck! It’s positive?” Ian exclaims. “It worked?

Mickey’s up now too. “What the fuck did you just say?”

“Debs! Thank you! I love you! I’ll call you back later!” Ian says, unable to hold in his excitement.

He hangs up the phone. Turns and looks at Mickey. “It worked. She’s pregnant,” Ian practically whispers, unable to believe it. Ian sees tears well up in Mickey’s eyes and, for only the second time Ian has ever witnessed, they spill out onto his cheeks.

———

“Damn, you look like a beached whale, Debbie,” Mickey observes.

Debbie gives him a dirty look but chooses to keep her mouth shut.

She’s a week past her due date so they are at the clinic today to make sure everything is good. Debbie is up on the table and Ian and Mickey are sitting in the two available chairs when the doctor comes in.

“Hi, Debbie! Hi, Dads!” she says cheerfully. “So we are going to measure your belly and do a quick ultrasound just to make sure your amniotic fluid looks good.” Mickey grimaces at the term “amniotic fluid”. “I’ll have her back in a jiffy, guys!” the doctor says as she whisks Debbie out of the room.

They spent the last 6 months getting everything they needed for their new baby. Tami even threw them a shower where they got clothes, bottles, a swing, a carseat, and about a billion diapers. They decorated the nursery in light gray bedding with tiny white stars. Gender neutral because they want to be surprised. They have everything ready, all they need is the baby who is taking its sweet time.

Around 20 minutes has passed when the doctor pokes her head in the door.

“Sooo, I have some news. Debbie’s water broke while we were doing her ultrasound and her contractions started coming really fast. From what I’ve been told, her first delivery was pretty quick so we’re transporting her to the hospital just down the road, just to be safe. You are welcome to head over there now. I will be delivering so I’ll see you guys there!” and her head pops out as quickly as it appeared.

Ian and Mickey just look at each other, stunned. Finally Mickey regains his senses and breaks the silence. “Well, let’s fuckin’ go!”

They finally make it to the OB floor after a couple wrong turns inside the hospital. A nurse points them to Debbie’s room and they walk in when she’s in the middle of a pretty intense contraction. Once it subsides, she greets them and informs the epidural is on its way.

Once it’s been administered and Debbie is blissfully pain free, she asks, “Do you guys want to be in the delivery room?”

They both look at each other. “I hadn’t really thought about it,” Ian replies.

“Fuck, no,” Mickey says. “I don’t wanna see that shit.”

“Mick, you don’t have to watch. We can stand up by her head. Hold her hand. Be supportive since she’s bringing our baby into this world.” Ian turns to Debbie. “Are you sure you don’t mind? We understand if you want to keep things private.”

“Ian. I gave birth to Franny on our kitchen table in front of… like, everyone. Kev saw my vagina. V saw my vagina. Fuckin’ Sean saw my vagina. Trust me, I don’t care if you two are in the room.”

Ian looks at Mickey. “Fuck… fine. We can be in there,” Mickey relents.

A nurse comes in to check Debbie and informs her she’s 100% effaced and 10cm dilated. It’s go time. Things move at a quick pace after that. More nurses come in, turning on extra lights, bringing in supplies, wheeling in the heated bassinet.

Ian and Mickey stand side by side to Debbie’s left, Ian holding her hand, while she pushes. It’s fast. She only pushes for ten minutes before they hear cries and the doctor’s holding the baby in her hands, declaring, “it’s a girl!”

The next thing they know, a nurse is throwing a clean blanket over Mickey’s chest, and another nurse walks over and places the baby, his daughter, in his arms, blood, vernix, and all. Ian expects him to be grossed out but Mickey just stares in awe at this beautiful baby. This baby that looks like him in the face, but has a head of red hair.

Ian steps up to Mickey and wraps an arm around his shoulders, placing his other under Mickey’s arms that are holding their daughter. There is not a dry eye in the room. Ian and Mickey are crying, Debbie is crying, even the doctor and nurses are crying.

The next hour or so is spent getting the baby, and Debbie, cleaned up and dressed. They take the baby and run the normal tests and give her a vitamin k shot.

Once Debbie is in a room, the nurse brings the baby in to her dads. Ian sits in the rocking chair snuggling her while she sleeps and Mickey is right next to them.

Debbie just gazes at this new little family from her spot in bed. “So,” she finally says. “What are you naming her?”

Ian and Mickey just smile at each other before Ian responds, “Debbie, meet Margaret Laura Gallagher-Milkovich. Maggie for short.”

Debbie’s eyes tear up. “You guys gave her my middle name?”

Mickey surprisingly fields this question. “We wanted her to be named after the person that’s responsible for her bein’ here. For helping’ create her for us. I know I give you a lotta shit, but I love ya, and I appreciate the fuck outta you, Debbie.”

“Aww, Mickey, I love yo-“ she begins before being interrupted.

“Don’t get fuckin’ used to it. I’m emotional today,” he snaps with feigned grumpiness. Then smiles at her.

They let Debbie snuggle her for a bit before being released by the pediatrician to take her home. Thankfully they had already installed the infant seat in their car so they were prepared.

They walk through the door of their apartment 30 minutes later. Ian sets the carrier down and picks the baby up out of it, snuggling her tiny body to his chest before passing her off to Mickey.

“I’m not sure what you were so worried about, you’re a natural, Mickey,” Ian says as he gazes at his handsome husband tenderly cradling their beautiful baby girl.

They walk over to the sofa and sit down, thinking about the whirlwind of a day. Not knowing when they got up this morning to take Debbie to the clinic that by evening, they’d be holding their daughter in their arms.

Ian wraps Mickey’s shoulders with his arm, places his hand on their swaddled baby and says, “Welcome home, Maggie Gallagher-Milkovich. Your dads love you so much.”

#gallavich fic #ian and mickey #ian gallagher #mickey milkovich #debbie gallagher #post season 11

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oceanselevenism · 4 years ago

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If you're still doing them maybe number 12 with both the ocean's siblings and their partners?

hell yeah!! i’ve put it under the cut :)) it is Very Tangentially holiday-sweater-related but it is too long to not post now! hope you enjoy, and happy holidays :))

It’s the first Christmas they’ve spent together in... nearly a decade and a half, actually. The years had flown by, blurring into a mess of run-ins and arguments and you stay on your side, I’ll stay on mine, but hey, Danny can’t fault his sister for wanting to make up for lost time. No, he can’t fault her (after all, if she had been the one to fake her death, he’d probably have moved into her house for a week, just to make sure she didn’t do it again) but he can make fun of her, so that’s what he does. “Aw, you really did miss me,” he says when she gives him and Rusty perfunctory hugs on her way into his house (Lou just claps them both on the shoulder, and he’s not sure whether to feel snubbed or relieved). “I can’t believe my dear sister actually cares,” he tells her when she brings him a mug of cocoa, ingredients nabbed from some billionaire in Germany. “Pure family bonding for the whole family,” he remarks when she goes off on a drunken, expletive-filled tangent about the Met Gala’s security over a game of poker (they’ve given up on trying to enforce the no-cheating rule, and he’s pretty sure Lou takes the opportunity to peek at Debbie’s cards). But in all honesty, he can’t keep up the ribbing; it really is good to see her, even if she definitely gets along better with Rusty (she’s told him as much, and right to his face, too) and the third day ends in a bitter, wine-fueled not-argument about their mother and their father and they themselves. But on the fourth morning Danny gets up early (it’s five in the goddamn morning, why the fuck has Lou already left a note on the counter saying gone on a run) to make latkes, and when Debbie comes downstairs she scoops out a dollop of his favorite sour cream instead of her usual applesauce, so unless her latke preferences have done a complete 180 since the last time he’s seen her, they’ve forgiven each other.

She and Lou volunteer to go on a grocery run that evening, and Danny’s glad; he hasn’t had the chance to jump Rusty’s bones in, like, five days (turns out cleaning up for houseguests takes up way more time than anticipated) (hey, the only people they’ve had over in years have been the crew from the Benedict job, and he’s heard Reuben threaten to shit on Turk’s feet, they don’t need to clean up for them). And for a minute, as Rusty pins him up next to the to-be-composted bag that is currently overflowing with potato scraps, the only thought in his head is the usual why didn’t we do this sooner. But then Rusty pulls back-- “Rus,” Danny complains-- and he tilts his head in that We Need To Talk manner. Which would be hot, if not for the fact that Rusty probably wants to talk about Debbie.

“You’re good, right?”

“We were never on bad terms.”

“Liar.”

“Well, hostile terms, maybe,” Danny amends. “But never bad.”

Rusty shifts, adjusting his forearms so it’s more like they’re just two good pals having a conversation three inches from each others’ faces instead of two good pals about to do very unsanitary things in a kitchen, and says, “I think you’re putting too much water under the bridge.”

“What am I, a Dutch engineer?”

“You’re very funny.”

“I know I am. Now, are we gonna--”

The door opens. Danny swears. “We were gone for twenty minutes,” Debbie says. “Are you that desperate?” Danny regrets going for the open-concept first floor, and he regrets it even more as Rusty pushes himself off with an air of utmost nonchalance.

“Here,” Lou says, lobbing a ball of fabric at Rusty. Her aim is remarkable, and Danny almost asks if she ever played softball before deciding he likes his well-being more than teasing his sister’s motorcycle-riding, brass-knuckle-owning girlfriend. It’s fine; next to him, Rusty huffs an amused laugh at the unsaid comment anyway. “Happy Christmas Eve.”

Rusty unfolds the fabric to reveal a truly hideous (and possibly offensive) Christmas sweater. It’s got red sleeves, a green torso, and a large, colorful fruitcake emblazoned on the stomach. Above it, in red and yellow, is text that reads FRUIT CAKE. “I love it,” Rusty says, pressing his lips together in that way that says he’s trying his damndest not to laugh. “It’s perfect.”

Lou opens her coat to reveal her own sweater, hers saying Ho Ho Homo. “I thought the theme was appropriate.”

“And for you, dearest brother,” Debbie says, pulling an atrociously-colored wad of wool out of a paper bag and chucking it at him, “you get the best of both worlds.”

With a mounting sense of horror, he recalls the year that he insisted on putting teal and orange streamers across the house, because it’s Hanukkah and Christmas mixed! That was the last year their parents had lived in the same house; Danny used to joke that it had been the final nail in the coffin for their mother. He pinches an edge of the cloth between two fingers and lets the rest fall open. It’s a Miami Dolphins holiday sweater. A teal-and-orange, festively-patterned Miami Dolphins sweater. Oh, his Boston-bred father would be frothing at the mouth. “We’re in Canada,” Danny says, equal parts shocked and awed. “How the hell did you get this here so quick? We were supposed to be meeting in Quebec until three days ago--”

“Danny, please learn what priority shipping is,” Debbie says. “Now c’mon. Wear it.”

There’s no way he can back out of this. If he refuses, she’ll just play the I thought you were dead card. He’s never regretted a decision more.

He puts on the sweater. Rusty-- his partner, his right hand, the love of his life-- wolf-whistles.

“I’m divorcing you,” Danny announces.

“Don’t worry,” Lou says with a grin, and is that her phone oh fuck she’s got a picture-- “Debbie, take off your coat.”

With the air of someone who has suffered the weight of the world, Debbie shrugs off her jacket. She’s wearing a matching sweater, and the dolphin on this one has a lovingly-embroidered smiling mouth stitched into it. Danny tries very, very hard not to laugh. “Shut it,” Debbie warns him.

“Oh, I’m not saying a thing,” Danny replies.

“We actually did get groceries,” Lou says, turning back to the door, “so--”

“Lemme give you a hand,” Rusty says. “Let these two bask in the joy of their new sweaters.”

“Fuck off,” Danny and Debbie say in unison. Rusty grins, cheery as ever, and leaves Danny’s side to follow Lou out the door.

“Great gift,” Danny says. “I’ll be laughed at by Reuben for the rest of my days.”

Debbie snorts, walking into the kitchen and rooting around in his cabinets. “Well, actually he’d-- wait, please tell me you didn’t, like, have gross old people se--”

“Shut up, Deborah,” Danny replies, feeling his neck heat up. “I’m only two years older than you. And no.” He refrains from adding on a “not this time.”

“Thank God,” Debbie says, pulling a glass out of the cupboard. “Anyway. Reuben’s not gonna laugh at you, he’s just gonna talk about your embarrassing baby stories in whatever groupchat you people have.”

Danny wonders how his baby sister got to be cooler than him. It’s very distressing. “That’s worse.”

“Yep,” she says, putting the pitcher down and picking her now-full glass up. She leans on the wall across from him, sipping her water, and narrows her eyes at him. “Are we, y’know... good?”

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Danny says. Besides the thirty years of vaguely pretending the other didn’t exist.

“I’m not gonna answer that,” Debbie says. “But... I’d just like to make sure. ‘Cause you’re the only not-completely-insufferable blood relation I have.”

Neither of them say anything for a moment; Danny picks at a loose teal thread, trying to think of how best to phrase the thoughts rattling around in his head. “I don’t hate you,” he finally says. “And I don’t dislike you, either. You’re a pretty good sister. And a great thief.”

“I know,” she replies. “I’m not gonna say it back, ‘cause then you’re gonna get an inflated ego.”

“Works for me,” Danny says, grinning a little.

“I guess it’s just... I mean, I let all the old resentment get in the way of, y’know. Having a decent relationship, personally or professionally.”

Danny nods. He’s still got the scar from the time they both went after the Ruby of the Isle; he’d won, but just barely, and only because he had Rusty and she hadn’t found Lou. But at the end of the day, neither of them have tried to kill the other, and they still did grow up together, playing in Atlantic City casinos and building sand castles under the boardwalk. “I think we’re too old for that now.”

“You’re the old one here,” Debbie replies, no bite in the remark.

“Only two years,” he reminds her. “But I did the same thing as you, letting petty grudges get in the way of family, and for that I’m sorry.”

“I am, too.”

“Thanks, Debs.” He frowns. “They’re taking a really long time to get the groceries, aren’t they?”

As if summoned, the door opens, and Rusty and Lou, each with a measly two bags in their hands, walk in. And Rusty has his phone in his hands. “Rus, I swear--”

“Too late,” Rusty grins, as the shutter sound rings out through the living room. “That outfit has already been immortalized.”

“Have I already said I’m divorcing you? I’m divorcing you.”

“Does it count as fratricide if he’s your brother-in-law?” Debbie asks.

“Disproportionate reactions,” Rusty accuses. “Besides, I’ve already sent it to Linus.”

Danny’s eyes widen. “Not Linus.”

“You heard me.”

His phone vibrates in his pocket. It’s a text from Linus Caldwell himself, consisting of a single thumbs-up emoji and two grinning cats. “You’re all terrible people. Terrible, terrible people.”

(the sweater rusty is wearing is real) (as is lou’s) (and the ocean siblings’)

#oceans 11 #oceans 8 #danny ocean #debbie ocean #rusty ryan #danny x rusty #debbie x lou #lou miller #my writing

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melancholicumsomnia · 4 years ago

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[FIC] A Little Miracle In The Volume Part 6

A/N: Here’s Part 6 of my fic contribution to PEDRO PASCAL APPRECIATION WEEK 2021 of @pedrohub! The #ppaw2021 theme of Day 6 is Pedro + Color, and of course the color is BROWN.

To @pedrocentric, here’s the next part! To those few folks who have been following this fic, my humble thanks to you all! Last part will go up tomorrow!

PREVIOUS PARTS

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

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

A Little Miracle In The Volume

Rory

SOURCE: Audra Faye on Pinterest

Part Six

There was something about a battle scene – the potential for carnage and mayhem – that could draw out the bloodthirstiness in a man, even if it was a make believe one.

That particular thought crossed Bill Burr’s mind as he watched crew members bustling with excitement as they set up the MBS Media Campus backlot for the filming of the climactic confrontation between Mando and his comrades against Moff Gideon and his Stormtroopers on Nevarro.

After what he could only dub as the “Ceremonial Turnover of the 501st Legion” by Deb Chow to Taika Waititi, Bill gaped with some trepidation as a seemingly demented Taika jumped about and cackled in glee, “I’ve got my own Stormtroopers! Oooh, so many things I can do with them!” Noticing the comedian standing near one of the small buildings, Taika waved to him. “Hey, Bill! Nice to see ya! Care to join my band of merry Stormtroopers?”

SOURCE: REDDIT

“Uh, I don’t think so,” Bill called back. “I just got done with a meeting with Rick about our episode. I’ll be getting my share of action soon, I guess. But thanks for asking, by the way.”

“Your loss, my friend,” Taika exclaimed as he hurried off to direct the men and women of the 501st Legion, who judging from their delighted faces never imagined that they’d actually be on set filming a Star Wars show.

The only person who didn’t seem too happy about the goings-on was the helmeted figure sitting in the cool shadows of a narrow alley. For some reason, Bill found himself gravitating toward that lonely figure.

“Hi, there! I’m Bill,” he introduced himself, reaching out his hand. “You must be Pedro.”

Pedro removed his helmet then, revealing the most expressive brown eyes that Bill had ever seen in his life. Judging from the glimmer in those doe-like orbs, he must’ve been thinking of something sad. Nevertheless, Pedro gave the comedian a nice smile and greeted, “Hi! It’s a pleasure to meet you. You’ll be playing Migs Mayfeld, right? How do you feel about being in a Star Wars TV show?” He asked the last with a teasing tone in his voice.

“Frankly, I don’t know what I’m doing here,” Bill declared, a bit embarrassed. “I must be nuts to let Jon rope me into this.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be fun. It’s just too bad that I won’t be around to do your episode with you. I’ll be going back to England to finish shooting Wonder Woman 1984. Then again, you’re pretty lucky because you won’t get to work with….”

Pedro’s voice trailed off then.

Feeling left hanging, Bill gently coaxed, “Work with who?”

In answer to his question, puppeteer Jason Matthews approached Jon. “I already fixed the puppet as you have suggested. But Mr. Herzog won’t give him to me. He told me to tell you that you should send someone to inform him when you’re ready to start shooting.”

“Unbelievable!” Jon groaned. “How can we set up and rehearse when he’s keeping the Child in custody? Never mind. Tell Taika that we’ll focus on filming the skirmish for today. Depending upon how the action goes, we can figure out how we can CGI in IG-11 and the baby.”

Hearing that exchange, Bill turned to Pedro. “Herzog? They’re not talking about Werner Herzog, are they?”

“They are. Herzog’s playing the Client. He actually finished all of his scenes but he’s still hanging around the set because he developed this crazy fixation over the Child.”

“Having not seen the Child in question, I’d like to know if he’s really so cute that he has tamed a guy like Herzog.”

“Oh, he’s not just cute,” Pedro said with undisguised fondness. “There’s something magical about him. You’d understand once you see him.” He then sighed. “It’s just too sad that I didn’t get enough time with the baby off-screen. Werner just won’t let the kid out of his sight and, for some reason, he doesn’t like me.”

Bill straightened up with arms akimbo. His Boston accent grew thicker on his tongue as he declared in outrage, “That ain’t right! That baby should be with you, not him! He’s playing the bad guy!”

“You should try telling him that. A lot of people have tried talking to him, but he’s just too pigheaded.”

Bill snorted in strong disapproval. “Hmph! Looks like the time for talking is done. What we need is action.”

“Bill, it’s okay. I’ve already accepted it. After all, there is going to be a Season 2. I didn’t make any commitments, so I’ll get to spend more time with the Child then.”

“It still ain’t right that you’re not bonding with the kid as you should.” Bill made his decision in an instant. “That’s it! I’m goin’!”

“Going where?” Pedro asked in growing alarm.

“Where else? I’m gonna get back the kid.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Now, just sit there, little one, while I get some milk and cookies for you. Maybe a pair of headphones so you won’t get startled by all the explosions.”

As Werner went into the kitchen, the head of a sneaky figure slowly rose to peek through the trailer window.

Bill saw the Child at once, sitting at the small dining table. “What the fuck? Is that Baby Yoda?”

At his muffled exclamation, Grogu slowly turned to him. The Child gave him a broad grin and waved his little hand.

“Aww! Ain’t ya a cutie!” It never even occurred to the comedian to ponder why the puppet moved by itself.

Carefully, Bill pushed the trailer door open and tiptoed inside. Picking up the baby, he whispered, “Come on, kid! I’m bringing you back to your Daddy.”

In reply, Grogu made happy cooing noises.

“You like that, huh? Let’s go now.”

“Who are you?”

Bill felt his blood run icy cold at that angry voice. His head slowly moving to the left, he found himself gaping at Werner, now red in the face and carrying a glass of milk and a plate full of cookies.

“I…uh…” the comedian stammered, unsure of what to say. In the end, both he and the Child raised a hand and waved to the German filmmaker. “Bye!”

Bill darted out of the trailer before Werner could stop him. As he dashed off, he heard the German director shout, “Baby snatcher! Somebody stop him!”

Bill thought he was going to get away with the baby. Surely, an old man like Werner Herzog wouldn’t run after him. However, as he turned at the corner and onto the street leading to the backlot, he saw Werner giving chase. To make matters worse, he saw the old man grab an enormous gaffi stick from one of the props men.

“Give that baby back or I’ll kill you!”

“OH SHIT!!!” Bill exclaimed, realizing that his very life was now in jeopardy.

Unknown to the comedian, as he rushed into the backlot, the shooting of the Nevarro skirmish scene had already commenced. There was a loud pop as a Stormtrooper shot a blaster right at him.

“Hey!” he yelled, cradling the Child protectively. “I gotta kid here!”

Rather than calling “Cut!”, from his director’s chair, Taika called out, “Hey, Bill! Fire back, man! You’re being attacked by my Stormtroopers!”

“WHAT?”

Taika made shooting gestures with both hands. “Pew pew!”

Rolling his eyes, Bill did as he was told, running straight down the center of the backlot while “Pew pew-ing” every extra that got into his path. At one point, there was an explosion at his left, so that he dodged to the side. Werner was relentless though. He followed the comedian in small, but swift strides, waving the gaffi stick menacingly in the air. Through it all, the Child crooked under Bill’s arm laughed and squealed.

At that moment, Pedro took his cue to step outside of the building to confront Moff Gideon’s troops. Great was his shock when he saw Bill hurrying toward him, baby in tow, and with a rampaging German director behind him.

Bill even raised the baby high up in the air and cried, “I got the kid!”

In his fright to get away from Werner, Bill didn’t notice the large rock sticking out of the dirt. Suddenly, he tripped on the rock and the Child flew out of his hands. Grogu spread out his little arms and screamed, “Wheeeeeeee!”

Gasping, Pedro leaped up high, his arms stretched out in front of him. That sudden movement caused the helmet to slip from his head. As his body started to fall, he caught the Child easily and hugged him protectively as they hit the ground.

“Are you okay, Grogu?” Pedro asked the Child worriedly, but the baby only laughed and flapped his arms like a bird, indicating that he wanted more.

Bill stared at Pedro and Grogu. Dazed as he was, he couldn’t help blurting out, “You two really look like father and son. You have the same pretty brown eyes and…”

Whatever else he was going to say, the comedian never got to finish because a dark shadow loomed over him.

“Evil baby snatcher!” A breathless but visibly tear-filled Werner rapped him on the head with the stick.

“Owwww!” Bill grabbed his head, feeling the growing lump.

Seeing Pedro staring at him, it was Werner’s turn to be flustered. There was no mistaking the tears that fell from his eyes as he stammered, “I’m sorry. I left the Child for just a minute to get snacks for him, but…this baby snatcher…”

Pedro nodded. As Bill looked on, he gaped as the actor entrusted the baby back to the crying director. “Please keep an eye on him, Werner. Okay?”

Werner hugged the struggling baby in his arms. “I will. I promise I will. And I’m so sorry.”

To the German filmmaker’s shock, Grogu pushed his face when Werner tried to kiss him. Whirling toward Pedro, Grogu reached out to him with his little arms, making desperate whining noises.

At that very moment, Werner’s face turned pale when he saw the group of puppeteers who had joined the onlookers. This time, all the puppeteers were present and accounted for, having come out of the small building where the scene with the puppet was to be filmed. None of them had their controls. And, yet, the baby was wriggling and crying in his embrace.

By then, Pedro had already put the helmet back on. Walking toward the struggling Child, he caressed Grogu’s little head.

“Go with your grandpa, Grogu,” Pedro whispered. “It’ll only be for a little while. We’ll be back together to film a scene before you know it.” Raising his helmet a bit, he kissed Grogu in the spot between his eyes. Werner saw the teardrop hanging from Pedro’s jaw.

“Thank you, Pedro,” Werner could only stammer. “I’ll bring him back once you’re ready to shoot.” He then walked off with a crying Grogu in his arms, heading back for his trailer.

As Pedro helped him to his feet, Bill demanded, “Why did you do that for? I thought you wanted the kid?”

“I did, but…seeing how he chased you...” Pedro then confessed, “…I never realized how much Werner cared for the baby. It isn’t right to take the Child away from him like that.”

At that moment, a very happy Taika called out to him, “Great work, Bill! You got the action sequence I wanted for IG-11 just right. All I have to do is edit you out and I can CGI in the robot with the kid.”

Meanwhile, the members of the 501st Legion were all abuzz at seeing the Child for the first time. An exasperated Jon had the unit directors hand out an additional page of the non-disclosure agreement for them to sign.

When one lady in Stormtrooper armor gushed out, “Oh my God! I just saw a Baby Yoda! I can’t wait to tell my kids!”, Jon ordered Kim Richards, “Have her sign TWO NDAs!”

Hearing Jon’s order, Bill and Pedro laughed. When their laughter subsided, the comedian smiled warmly. “You’re a real nice guy, Pedro. I just hope I could get to work with you and the kid someday, although it doesn’t seem likely after this.”

“Who knows?” Pedro said reassuringly. “Maybe we will still have a need for a sharpshooter like Mayfeld in Season 2.”

“Maybe…” Bill trained his gaze toward Jon who was gathering signed papers. “Hey, Jon! If ever you want me back to work for ya, make sure this guy,” he then pointed to Pedro, “doesn’t have a helmet on.” Grinning at his fellow actor, he said, “I’m gonna call him ‘Brown Eyes’.”

Pedro’s lips curled up in a wry pout. “Next time, please don’t drop the baby!”

Bill crossed his heart and raised his right hand while cupping the lump on his head with his left. “I swear that I will never drop the baby ever again!”

TO BE CONCLUDED

#ppaw2021 #miracle in the volume fic #real person fic #the mandalorian #pedro pascal #pedrohub #pedrocentric

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ghost-in-the-stalls · 4 years ago

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Neil Josten's Playlist Part 6 - For Himself

Masterpost and link to the playlist in its entirety here

A lot of the songs Neil keeps are just for him. Sometimes you need to be in your feelings a bit and music is the only place you're comfortable doing that.

2. Shrike - Hozier

After he initially found Hozier, this boy didn’t listen to anything else for weeks straight if he could help it. Shrike I think is just a song that he loves the sound of. Pretty much the only thing we know in canon about Neil’s music taste is that he doesn’t like loud music. Which is incredibly vague and generalizing. To me, that tells me that Neil maybe is actually someone who tends to pay most attention to and by most effected by the sound of a song than the theme or lyrics or genre or anything. If he doesn’t like the sound, he doesn’t like the song. But a sound that appeals to him? Oh boy, he won’t be able to let it go. Shrike is like that for him. It’s gentle and smooth and I imagine he doesn’t pay too much attention to the lyrics or meaning. He just lets himself get lost in the sound.

11. Best Part - Daniel Caesar & H.E.R.

Not too much to say about this. It’s soft and beautiful and smooth, and I think Neil would greatly appreciate the sound. It’s a bit too soft for him to associate with Andrew, but he doesn’t need the association to enjoy it. Neil listens to it on his morning runs when the sun is only just rising and the world is still moving slowly. But he also listens to it on slower mornings when Andrew convinces him to forgo the morning run in favor of breakfast and coffee on the couch with the cats.

17. Dreams - Fleetwood Mac

Like some others on this list, this is a song that catches Neil wholly for its sound. Like the title, listening to this song feels a little like getting lost in a dream. There's just something very soft about it, and those are the kinds of songs that catches Neil's attention. He likes that he's found something he can get lost in for a time without losing himself.

27. Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright

As incredible of a song this is, the origin of Neil's connection to it isn't anything super emotional. The foxes made him watch Shrek. He became very attached to this song and would listen to it on repeat for weeks afterwards. They all got so sick of it. His aux cord privileges were revoked. Matt doesn't need to start CRYING while he's DRIVING Neil, THANK YOU.

As for his connection to it, a big trend I'm seeing in the stuff that I think Neil listens to is that a lot of it is very emotional. Sad songs, moving melodies, beautiful ballads. I think Neil listens to music to help him feel his emotions - like really feel them. He's so good at compartmentalizing and shoving everything down and away (as per the trauma of running for the better half of his life), I think listening to emotional music - like really listening to it all - as a means of getting in touch with the emotions he's always shoving aside would be a great coping mechanism for him. To that degree songs like this just strike a cord with Neil, even if there isn't any parallel to draw between the lyrics and his own life. A song is a package of emotion that Neil can hear and unpack and process at his own pace while retaining a safe degree of separation.

30. Obstacles - Syd Matters

Not a whole lot to say about this one. Neil finds it somehow - either through one of his foxes or just on his own - and he finds it incredibly calming. He keeps it close. It makes him hopeful even on days when he can't bring himself to look in the mirror. The steady melody and repeating words help him get lost in something other than his own thoughts.

35. Ashes On Your Eyes - Deb Talan

This is one Neil found on his own. It doesn't remind him of any of his foxes, though, or his mother. It's one of the few songs he has just for himself. It serves as a reminder that he's going to be okay. He has a great support system, but sometimes he likes to find comfort in himself just to prove that he can still do it. Songs like this keep him going on those days where he doesn't want to bring his problems to others.

37. Rivers and Roads - The Head and the Heart

This is one Neil gets his hands on in his final year at Palmetto, but it isn't just about Andrew for him (like most of the others from this year). This one is about all his foxes - his family. It's about how lonely he feels even when he has a whole group of people he lives and plays and interacts with on a daily basis. They aren't his people; his people are scattered everywhere. He only learned how to be a real person after he met them. Now he needs to learn to do it on his own. There's a special kind of pain that comes when he thinks of how much he misses each of them.

39. Unsteady - Ambassador X

This song is one Neil thinks of often when he's having bad days. He'll still always end up having some days where he doesn't feel like a real person, and on those days it can be hard to ground himself - to keep from floating away and giving up on everything he's built to run back to being nothing. What helps him most on those days is not being alone. It takes him a long time, though, to learn how to communicate what his needs are on those days. It's pretty lucky that Andrew can read him so well, but during the years when they aren't living together it becomes very hard for Neil to find the words to ask for help. This song helps him with that. The chorus is so short and to-the-point but is still such a bare-bones lay of emotion and need that it centers Neil enough to realize that he doesn't need to explain himself or mince his words when he's asking for help. He just needs to ask.

42. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day

The downside to having the music taste that Neil does is that sometimes he latches onto something that is apparently a bit cheesy or overplayed, and the foxes gladly tease him for liking it unironically. This is definitely one of those songs. It doesn't matter to him that it was basically everyone's 8th grade graduation song (he didn't get one of those anyway, Matt.) He listens to this and thinks of the passage of time and how hard it's going to be when his foxes are scattered all over the country while he's stuck alone in Palmetto. But they'll be happy, and he'll be happy soon enough after that. They'll all move forward but it doesn't mean they'll lose each other (he has to repeat that to himself on bad nights).

The completely serious way he listens to this song is funny to the foxes at first, but Nicky is the first to break down crying when it stops being funny. He's also the only one to break down crying, but that doesn't mean the others don't get emotional too. ("Jesus, Neil, you got a whole team of collegiate athletes getting emotional over the time-of-your-life song. How much more of a fucking weirdo enigma can you be??" -Andrew at some point probably)

47. Everybody Hurts - R.E.M.

Neil has some pretty intense, pretty specific trauma. Plenty of people in the world have experienced terrible things and it isn't a competition. Neil knows this. However, he's also painfully aware that he's someone who pulled the right numbers in the shit lottery. Sometimes it helps to hear this song.

He knows that maybe his own life experiences were not anything close to what the songwriter had in mind, but it still helps. It helps to remember that he isn't the only person in the world who has terrible days. It even helps to know that people outside of the foxes have bad days. It helps to find a way to feel connected to the larger population of the world. It's a definite new thing for him - feeling like he's allowed to belong in the world - but it's very comforting at times.

54. Lights Up - Harry Styles

((I wish I could remember who made a post once saying this was a very Neil song because that was how I first heard it and I wish I could credit that person. Alas, it was over a year ago when I first read the books and didn't recognize any usernames yet :/ if anyone knows who that is lmk!!))

There are a lot of things Neil doesn't know about himself. There are a lot of things from freshman year and before that he still feels some level of guilt for. But ultimately he doesn't regret a single choice he's made. There are a whole lot of things he's still figuring out about his life. He heard this song and really vibed with the sound and what it was saying. Not much more to say than that. He's found himself in a light that he's happy to stay and figure himself out in.

66. Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

Mary was a bit of a Beatles fan. There were several of their songs she'd play on their long drives when they weren't being immediately tailed.

This wasn't one of them. She skipped this one, every single time. Neil fully understands why. For all the indulgence she gave herself in the music she listened to, this one seemed to cross a line she couldn't handle.

Now Neil listens to it on morning runs and good days. And he lets himself feel okay.

71. Fall on Me - R.E.M.

Neil's had plenty of people trying to hurt him throughout his life. He's never really gotten help from people he was supposed to get it from. And now he has a whole family of people who have experienced similar abandonment.

Sometimes that pisses him off.

Sometimes he just really wishes the world was a softer place. Andrew would say it's dumb to wish, especially for something like that. And he'd be right. But it doesn't stop Neil from thinking it sometimes.

73. Hat and Feet - Fountains of Wayne

Sometimes you're just beaten down and worn out. Just once in a while, Neil wants to let himself feel this without feeling terrible and lost for it. This song helps with that.

Sometimes you're just a hat and feet, and that's okay.

#aftg #my writing #neil josten #andreil #andrew minyard

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noobsomeexagerjunk · 4 years ago

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Left Undone

Ted didn’t want to babysit Bill’s daughter. He didn’t like Bill, and Bill didn’t like him. Why did he have to be the only one in the office who was free for the weekend? Alice didn’t exactly want to be babysat either. She’s too old for that!

Little did Ted and Alice know how much fun they were going to have.

(AU wherein Alice has not dated Deb yet, Bill hasn’t divorced yet either; MASSIVE SPOILERS for BoJack Horseman Season 3 and Moulin Rouge! are discussed)

Friday Prologue | Saturday Chapter | Sunday Chapter | Monday Epilogue

Alice woke up fairly well-rested Saturday morning, forgetting for a second that she wasn’t in her own house.

Ted Spankoffski’s house had 3 bedrooms. One was a master bedroom where Ted slept and also did any other non-CCRP related work. Another was a room where Ted’s nerdy brother stayed for the Summer; ever since Ted got himself a house, his younger brother would stay over at his place during holidays and academic breaks.

Then there was the spare guest bedroom Alice was in where Ted had to set up for her the previous evening. It was very plain.

She went downstairs, explored a little, then found no one. She went back up, knocking on Ted’s bedroom door. No response.

Alice then decided to wash up instead, to feel fresh in the morning. She did all the work in the downstairs bathroom (Ted specifically told her to use that particular bathroom), leaving it as neat as it was before she came to the house.

She tried to knock on the door again, the increased strength of her rapping revealing to her that the room had not been locked, or closed properly for that matter.

She peeked in to find Ted who was still asleep, clutching a laptop like a stuffed toy. His shirt, boxers, and socks tied together with his slumped figure, which also seemed intertwined with the bedsheets. There were used tissues all over the bed, some on the floor making a trail to a semi-used paper towel roll. There were an empty bowl and two empty beer bottles on the bedside table. It reeked of Corona and clearly imported Honey Butter Chips.

Alice stepped in to try to wake Ted up, but the floor creaking below her was enough to make him jolt awake.

“Who the fu-“ Ted calmed down from the shock of waking up so suddenly, “A-Alice?! Shit, I forgot you’re here,”

“I-Is there anything I can eat?”

Ted rose from his position, sitting upward on his bed, “...are you allergic to eggs? Milk?”

“No, I’m not allergic to either.”

“Good,” Ted yawned, getting up and stretching, “because my fridge is fucking empty.”

“I noticed.”

That was hyperbole...sort of. The only breakfast that could be made from Ted’s pantry was egg toast and cereal. There was enough for both of them to finish all of said egg toast and cereal.

“What were you watching last night?” Alice asked Ted, playing with her fruit loops a little.

“Hm?” He swallowed the last bite of his toast with instant coffee.

“You were crying for about thirty minutes; I couldn't sleep-”

“I-It was a sad episode, alright?!” Ted was slightly embarrassed, hesitating to take another sip of coffee, “That fucking baby seahorse will never know...”

Alice raised a brow, unaware of the reference. She ate some more cereal.

“Don’t give me that look, Alice!” That was Bill’s glare, alright, “BoJack Horseman is a very good show!”

“And you binged the whole thing last night?”

“It’s the new season. I’ve got two episodes left before I finish.” Ted then proceeded to chug down what was left of his coffee.

“My laptop died during my binge but it was late and I was just,” He blew a raspberry, “...I needed to sleep.”

“I’ve done that before, not gonna lie,” Alice place down the spoon, done with her breakfast, “Though, the show I watched was kinda...yeah, it was kinda shitty,”

“Let me guess: you’ve watched it because someone hot’s in it,”

Alice blushed, “I-It’s not just that!”

“Hey hey hey,” Ted chuckled, “I’m guilty of that, I ain’t judging.”

Alice hmphed, “Should I watch that—what’s that show?”

“BoJack Horseman?”

“Yeah.”

“Hm,” Ted then began cleaning up by taking Alice’s utensils, stacking them with his, “it starts weak but gets so much better, like real fucking better. Dunno if you’re old enough to watch it though,”

“I’ve seen some pretty adult stuff! Mom makes me watch Tarantino movies with her, at least whenever Dad's not around sometimes,"

Ted nodded at Alice’s mother’s taste in film, “Aight, but that show just...it just hits somewhere really hard when you’re in your early thirties full of regret and with no discernible life direction but, hey! If you can take it, I’d be impressed.”

Alice blinked, “What? Is it like, psychological horror? The kind rooted in some comedically timed socio-political commentary?”

“Well, arguably.” Ted then got up to bring the dishes in his hands into the kitchen.

“...where can I find it?” She asked with mild interest.

“Netflix,” The sound of dishes landing in a sink was heard from Alice’s seat, “It’s a cartoon too, and like, about a bunch of animals, if those kinds of things float your boat.”

Alice never made it past Episode 1 when she tried to watch it herself, convinced Ted’s taste was shit. Personally, she will regret that.

The rest of that morning left Alice and Ted to their own individual devices. Alice typed away some interesting plots and ideas on her phone. Ted went to finish the last episodes of that sad horse show.

An hour before the time Alice would usually eat lunch, she had been cycling around various plotlines for a potential...well, something. Alice knew she just had to write something.

She was in the living area of the house when she heard Ted sloppily walk down the stairs. His eyes were teary.

"Are you alright, Mr. Spankoffski?" She looked at him with concern.

Ted shakily neared her, hesitating to sit on the couch next to her. He instead placed a languid hand on one of the couch's armrests.

"Please don't die on me, Alice, oh my God..."

He broke into sobs. Alice could only stare at this behavior in confusion.

"Did something bad happen in the show, or...?"

"Fuck, it got worse!" He sniffled, "A-And not, like, n-not in a bad writing context--that show's writing is the shit, Alice! But fuck! F-Fuck!"

Sarah Lynn was not supposed to die, but she did die and the fact left Ted devastated. A part of him knew it was gonna happen as he saw the old man, er, horse, and the poor girl in the motel, missing the Oscars. (Then again, that show had a penchant for hollowing, tragic endings per episode.)

Even in entertainment, in his favorite shows to watch, Ted Spankoffski knew better than to hope. It was more realistic for him.

"You can sit down," Alice moved aside to give Ted space to sit.

Ted cried as he sat next to her, "God, I'm sorry y-you had to see me like this,"

"I've...I-I've had worse breakdowns over a show. I-It's all good."

TV and Movie homophobia still haunted the teenage girl.

It's things like that, whether extravagant or subtle in delivery, that prompted her to write and clarify in any way that she could if only to fight. Alice Woodward was the kind of girl who refused to despair.

"Yeah, A-Alice?"

"Mhm," She nodded, quickly writing "character gets sucked into a tv show???" in her phone's Notes app.

"What if we watched something less depressing instead? You can watch it with me, Alice!" Ted breathed, "You're not bored, are you?"

She added "literally? figuratively? ehhh let the watchers decide??? kshfukdhivg" then kept her phone.

"No! N-No, I know how to keep myself, um, b-busy," Alice then shifted herself into a more comfortable position, "What movies do you have?"

Ted paused before answering, realizing he was hungry.

“You pick,” He said, getting up, “You want pizza with that?”

Alice nodded eagerly, watching Ted head for his phone.

“Wait, what am I supposed to pick?”

“There’s a bunch of CD cases in the drawer under the center table—it’s right in front of you!” Ted's voice decrescendoed as he headed upstairs.

“Drawer?” Alice wondered to herself, bending down to inspect the described center table. There was in fact a drawer.

She pulled it open to find bunches of CD cases, charging wires, and what clearly seemed to be unusable gadgets or “e-junk” as her father would, in a terribly corny way, put it.

Alice noticed a notable amount of movie musicals in one bundle of CD cases. The one that got her attention was Moulin Rouge!, unfamiliar with the title and very taken by the red-haired beauty printed on the cover. There was Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and a bunch of Disney Princess movies. Upon further inspection of the non-musical movies, Ted had a diverse taste in film, though it was primarily pretty basic in Alice's opinion, minus a few exceptions.

She closed the drawer, further inspecting the Moulin Rouge CD cover by reading the synopsis on the back. An aspiring writer falls in love with a courtesan but other things get in the way? Alice could not blame the writer, in fact, she was quick to identify with him, even if she had not seen the movie yet.

“Alice?” Ted called from upstairs, “Are you allergic to anything I should know?”

“No,” She called back, playing with the CD cover.

“Good! I’m getting us a Bacon Surprise,”

“Alright,” Apparently Ted chose to order from that Witchwood Ovens Shop downtown.

“What movie do you wanna watch?” Ted asked as he went back down. Alice showed him the CD cover.

“Moulin Rouge?” He mispronounced, “I actually have that in there?”

Alice handed the cover to Ted as he approached her, “I don’t think I’ve seen this one,”

“No shit, Alice. This movie’s got prostitution; if I know your Dad enough,” He stared at the cover, trying to remember when he got it, "he would make sure you'd never see it. God, I remember seeing this in the theater, like, when I was about your—h-how old are you again?"

"Fifteen, but I'll be sixteen later this year,"

"Eh, close enough," Ted then placed the CD cover down, ready to set up the television set in the living room.

"Nicole Kidman, man..." Ted dusted the CD player, plugging the TV into it, "She was the fucking best in that thing."

"Do you even know what happens in it?" Alice asked as she watched Ted at work, "Or were you just hoping Nicole Kidman would step on you?"

"Don't you fucking shame me, Alice!" Ted gasped back as he blushed, "If you had any taste in women, you'd want the same Goddamn thing."

Ted guessed correctly, keeping the girl from returning his snark.

It was around the Elephant Love Medley when the pizza arrived. Ted was kind enough to pause for Alice as he went to get the pizza. Alice was still recovering from the exhilaration of the past few songs, overwhelmed with the crowd-like effect of the cheesy-Jukebox mashups that introduced Christian to that infamous dancehall, the gratuitous use of slow-mo effects, and the ridiculous use of that Can-Can. It was "Spectacular Spectacular" indeed!

Alice almost choked on her pizza during the Like A Virgin scene. It was also very clear to her, as they watched, that Ted must've forgotten a lot of what had happened in the film given some of his reactions. Ted cursed The Duke repeatedly, particularly at that scene when he found out about the true nature of Christian's play.

Ted believed that he should've seen Satine dying coming. He saw this movie before. The movie literally said so right at the start!

Why, as he watched, did he want that happy ending when the opposite was inevitably going to happen?!

Something about Satine charmed Ted, in a particularly nightmarish way. The idea of further thinking about it was repressed repeatedly, refusing to confront the roots of it all. Surely it was just him being a horny bastard, right? Right?

This totally had nothing to do with the fact that Satine had vibrant red hair, cerulean eyes, polished milky skin, and a beautiful figure.

This totally had nothing to do with how familiar this fictional character seemed to be, resembling someone Ted remembered with intense, bittersweet longing.

This totally had nothing to do with the sight of Satine breathing her last breath on a bed of roses reminding Ted of a memory that he swore hadn't happened yet.

Or it did happen?

Why debate when it happened when it shouldn't have happened at all? It wasn't supposed to happen, whatever that thing was that Ted didn't need to remember at the moment. And yet...

She didn't make a sound. Heartbreak was never so loud.

Alice's sniffling brought Ted back to reality. Ted put a hand on her shoulder.

"God, I-I look so stupid," Alice chuckled out from her tears, rubbing her teary eyes, "they literally say it in the beginning, ugh!"

Ted coddled her closer to him so he could hug her but Alice recoiled back.

"T-Thanks, but we both smell like pizza," Ted nodded back in response.

As he cleaned up the living area, he asked Alice, "How was the movie?"

"It was pretty cheesy," She pulled out her phone again, inspired to write, "but kinda fun? Like, you don't get fun movies with this much energy, at least, when I try to compare, well. You know what I mean."

"Yeah," Ted replied absent-mindedly, "It certainly brings back memories of, well, certain times."

"I think it kinda comes off as an epic-like piece,"

"No need to wax academic, Alice,"

"You asked for it!"

"I asked about how it was, not for an essay about its themes and shit!" Ted straightened himself up with a chuckle, "It's just a movie, after all."

"It hits different though," She spat back, focused now on her phone.

Witchwood Oven Shop pizzas were notably heavier on the stomach compared to their competitors. Any leftover pizza the two had for lunch that day, Ted proceeded to reheat for dinner. He scavenged his refrigerator for any packs of instant lemonade, which were thankfully there, and prepared two glasses for the two of them.

It was a shitty excuse for dinner, but Alice didn't seem to mind. She was very concentrated on her phone.

"What'cha writing about?"

Alice tilted her phone as to hide it, "It's not really much yet. It's all a bunch of prompts so far."

"You can pitch me stuff," He swallowed a bite, "Which ones really get to you?"

"Well," She hesitated.

"Well?"

"I-I've got a traveling adventure in a fancy, cultured but mysterious new town..."

"Anything else?"

"Still deciding whether I should make it a horror or a comedy. Besides that, it's all gonna rest on a foundation of romance between our main character, and, well..."

"Who?"

"I don't know! It's all I got so far!"

"Hey, it's not bad," Ted sipped his lemonade, "You know, I bet with enough time, it can become something really fucking great. I'd be invested if this was a movie or a staged production of sorts, I don't know,"

"Y-You think it's good, Mr. Spankoffski?"

"Oh hell yeah," He placed the glass down, "Not to be cheesy, but romance really gets me."

"Yeah, same."

"Have you considered making it some sort of horror-comedy romance? I would love it if you could pull it off."

#eternal reverie #left undone #kim whalen would make such a great satine #starkid #team starkid #starkid fanfic #starkid au #nightmare time spoilers #ted spankoffski #alice woodward

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thorne93 · 5 years ago

Text

Inside the Criminal Mind (Part 30)

Prompt: You’re married to Dr. Spencer Reid of the BAU, and are a distinguished doctor yourself on the team. You’re sent down to Miami, Florida for teaching and as a side request from the FBI, to investigate a string of missing persons. When you think you’ve figured out who the unsub is, your life becomes more complicated than you ever could’ve imagined.

Word Count: 2819

Warnings: (throughout the fic –>) death, blood, gore, killings, language, disturbing mental notions, mentions of rapes/murder/etc (You know, Dexter and Criminal Minds related business)

Notes: Thank you so much to @arrow-guy, @carryonmyswansong, and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo - without each of you, I couldn’t have finished, written, or properly navigated this story. Each of you helped me fish out details that were incredibly important to me. Beta’d by @carryonmyswansong and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo… Aesthetic by @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo

This is a crossover of Criminal Minds x Dexter. First time writing Dexter.

Also, the timeline is after Season 1 of Dexter, but during season 14-ish of Criminal minds into Season 15. Enjoy!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While you and the rest of the BAU worked on the Bay Harbor case, Dexter and Doakes and several others went to another case where a step daughter was dead. Doakes wanted to believe the step father did it, and Dexter backed him up, although it was false. Doakes arrested the step father and continued to question him, even though Dexter put the report on his desk that proved otherwise.

When the team took a break, you and Spencer went back to Dexter’s lab and started chatting before an older woman came into the room.

“Oh, uh, Dexter, can I talk to you a moment?” she asked, tossing a glance your way.

“They’re fine, Camille,” he assured.

She came in and sat down and explained that Doakes was chasing after the records that Dexter had wanted, and when she told him the same thing, he got angry and made her scared. Dexter vowed he would take care of it and she thanked him before leaving, nodding to you and your husband.

“Doakes is really starting to piss me off,” Dexter muttered as he wheeled over his station.

“Wait, you care that he threatened her?” Spence suddenly asked, his brows furrowing.

“Of course?” he responded, confused. “She’s a good friend. She’s nice. Wouldn’t hurt a fly. She does her job and does it well. Doakes is just a fucking asshole trying to scare a nice woman.”

You gave a sympathetic smile before saying, “Well we should head back. See you later.”

As the two of you walked back towards the conference room, Spencer quietly said, “I’m a little impressed at his compassion for that woman… Maybe I misunderstood him.”

The next few minutes were spent going over the manifesto. Spencer offered psycholinguistics. But nothing really moved forward that day, thankfully.

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

Two days had passed since the manifesto came to light. All of you were analyzing each sentence when suddenly there was a commotion in the bullpen. All of you turned around to see what it was when you saw it was Dexter, getting slammed to the ground by Doakes.

“What the fuck?” you hissed quietly before scrambling to get up out of your seat and go out through the doors and into the bullpen.

As soon as you got to him, Doakes was hitting him repeatedly. You went to pull Doakes off, but Batista and another detetive pulled Doakes off of Dexter before you could. As soon as he was off, you helped Dexter up, fawning all over him.

“Are you alright?” you asked fervently, your hands on his chest.

He nodded slightly, eyeing Doakes as if he truly feared him.

“Shit, no you’re not alright, you’re bleeding.” You grabbed a tissue off the desk he was leaning against, dabbing at the blood.

LaGuerta came out and ordered Doakes a suspension. He was escorted out and then you led Dexter back to his lab.

“Let’s get this cleaned up,” you quietly said.

Once he got back to his lab and he sat down, you began opening up the cotton swabs and peroxide.

“So,” you started, working on the wound, “you wanna tell me what that was all about?”

“I’m trying to get Doakes out of here, and off my case, and make him look like the crazy fucker he is,” he explained.

“Ah, I see. Well, I trust your judgement, even if you didn’t tell me about Olson.” You smirked down at him before grabbing gauze.

“Sorry again.”

You waved him off.

“How are you doing with the whole not killing thing?” you asked. “Aside from Olson.”

“Surprisingly well.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it,” you mused with a grin.

“Thanks for being my savior,” he teased.

You made a playful face at him. “Don’t make it a habit of getting your assed kicked. I won’t always be there.”

He smiled and you two returned to your individual work.

At this point Masuka was going over what he’d gotten from another linguist he sent the manifesto ff to. Batista was going over what he interpreted. Two other officers said the unsub was politically motivated. Then arguments started throughout the room before Rossi suddenly said, “This is what he wants.”

Debra looked at your boss. “He wants a cluster fuck?”

“He’s always been a private person, killing silently. Now suddenly he’s a media junkie? It doesn't fit the profile.”

Everyone frowned at his revelation, realizing he was right.

“But who would do that?” he prompted.

“Law enforcement,” Luke responded. “They know what we are looking for.”

With that, a heavy tension fell over the room. It snaked its way into your skin too. This meant you just pushed the investigation closer to yourself and Dex.

“As of right now, this is a FBI central case. We’re going to investigate all eighteen cases with a fine tooth comb, which means that Miami PD - you’re under investigation. Full cooperation is an unspoken understanding here.”

“No offense, sir, uh, Agent Rossi, but if you do this, you risk alienating the force,” Batista said.

“We go where the chase leads us,” he responded.

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

That night, you and the guys were catching dinner at a local seafood place.

“So much for that manifesto,” Dexter said before taking a swig of his beer, disappointment lacing his voice.

“I really thought it would work,” Spencer responded with a dejected tone.

At least they weren’t fighting.

“What are we gonna do?” you asked desperately.

“Well I know what I’m going to do,” Dexter said.

“Another brilliant solo idea?” Spencer asked and you couldn’t tell if it was a teasing question or actually filled with malice.

“Actually, I’m telling you what I’m doing so it’s not a solo idea,” Dexter shot back with a grin. “No, I think I’ve decided it’s actually best if I stay in the shadows. I don’t do well being proactive.”

You nodded. “Yeah, I guess all your best work has always been hidden.”

“I agree,” Spence chimed in. “We should just react to whatever the case brings up.”

Everyone agreed and Spencer suddenly said, “Also, Dexter you’re going to be called in. Rossi wants to discuss some bloodwork with you so, get a good night’s rest.”

“Aww, Spencer is that some form of compassion I hear in your voice?” Dexter inquired, trying not to laugh.

“It’s a cautious warning to help you and protect my wife, nothing else,” he coolly replied.

“You’re just a big softee,” Dexter replied.

Spencer stared at him and said, “If you keep this shit up I will turn you in right now.”

“Spence,” you chided.

Spencer relaxed and the three of you finished dinner before heading your separate ways to sleep.

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

When Rossi pulled Dexter into the room to question him, your nerves were on fire. Rossi was a skilled man, albeit not as keen as you were at profiling. He was still very much brilliant and you were incredibly worried he would see through him. Dexter relied on charm and wit, but Rossi could always see through that, especially when it came to a high profile murder case.

You sat in the bull pen trying not to think about it or watch them, but you were bouncing your leg and becoming restless. Spencer saw you and came over to sit next to you,putting his hand on your knee, to silently signal that you needed to stop being so fidgety.

“Hey, it’s alright,” he assured quietly. “We need to focus on the cases, combing through them,” he reminded.

You were nodding, about to respond when Batista and Deb found some lead. They announced they were going to see a citizen that took notes all the time, so they wanted to see if he had anything of value. You just shook your head, writing it off. What would some random citizen know?

Unfortunately, that answer would come back to bite you later.

When Dexter exited the interview, he was clearly unhappy and that made you swallow. Of course you knew Dexter would never hurt you, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a very eerie man when he was upset.

“Your boss is very astute,” Dexter complimented as he sat down next to you and Spencer.

“Yes, he is,” Spencer agreed, seeming uninterested.

“Look at this fucking jackpot,” Debra said as she walked in, throwing a heavy box onto her desk. The three of you looked up to see Batista carrying one of his own, and dropping it on his desk.

“Jackpot?” you asked, trying to sound professionally curious and not mortified.

“This guy lives next to Rodrigo, he takes notes on every fucking thing. We get the joy of sorting through all this,” she informed, as if she were clever.

“That will help, how?” Dexter asked.

“Because he might have something on the night Rodrigo was killed. A description of the gy, the car, something to go on,” she explained. “Hey, Agent Reid, do you care to help read over these? Since you’re like super fast at this shit.”

“Sure, give me a few moments to finish this case and I’ll help,” he obliged.

You wanted to give him a look that begged him not to help, but you couldn’t. Spence had to pretend he was on the case, and furthermore he had to show he was a team player. It was absolutely exhausting trying to keep up with the appearances.

As the day wrapped up, Dexter walked out with you. You and Dexter went to his place for a casual night in, while Spencer stayed behind at the station for another hour or so before going back to the hotel.

Batista and the guys called asked to go out. Dexter confirmed with you if it was alright if he went. You said you weren’t his girlfriend so the two of you went out. He went bowling and you sat by and simply watched. It gave Batista and Masuka plenty of time to try and find out even more about you, but you just stayed focused on Dexter.

As everyone came out of the alley, you and Dexter were laughing about something before you saw a guy run up behind Dexter.

“Dex!” you shouted as he made his way around a car in front of you.

Dexter tried to find him off with his bowling ball bag, but the guy just kept coming after him knife in hand. The guy was able to punch Dexter in the face before slicing at him, cutting his arm. You jumped into action without thinking. You kicked towards him, hitting his ribs but as you went to go to kick him again, he gathered himself quickly, jumped in his truck and sped off.

The other Miami PD officers heard the commotion and came over, guns out. They checked on Dexter, seeing if he needed to be taken to a hospital. You assured them you’d take care of him.

You got behind the wheel of his car, Dexter in the passenger seat.

“Do you need a hospital?” you asked.

“No, I’m fine. Just need to patch it up.”

“Okay, we can do that at your place. Why did you lie to them? That guy didn’t grab for your watch at all.”

He didn’t say anything though. He averted his gaze out the passenger window as you drove.

“Are you fucking serious? You’re going to lie to me right now? After everything we’ve been through? Dex, what the hell. Who was that?”

“It was my mother’s killer. Jiminez.”

“Why was your mother’s killer after you? How did he know you’d be there?”

“He must’ve followed me…” He sighed. “Look, a few weeks ago, I went to Naples. I found my mother’s killer, learned he was alive.”

“You told me he was alive…. But you never told me you went to see him, why not? What the fuck?”

“My sponsor told me to do it. She said I should face him, talk to him, tell him what he took from me.”

“That’s the most idiotic idea I’ve ever heard. Do you hear yourself? And you also didn’t tell me? I thought we told each other everything. I’ve told you about my marital problems and everything else.”

“I know. I should've told you.”

“So why didn’t you?”

“I guess because I realized it was stupid the second I did it. I also didn’t want to add any more to your plate.”

You bobbed your head side to side. “Well, I appreciate that, but now he knows where you bowl and he nearly stabbed you.”

You pulled into his apartment complex. You jumped out and grabbed his stuff before jogging up the stairs to unlock his door. You got inside and he sat on his bed, at your order, and you gathered the tools to clean up his cut.

He took his shirt off and you came back into the bedroom sitting beside him on the bed.

“Oh, well it’s not too deep,” you commented. You set to work on the wound. “So, you weren’t going to tell me about your mom’s killer, fine. I don’t like you keeping me in the dark, but that’s your personal business. So you obviously didn’t kill him, did you get anything from visiting him?”

“No,” he affirmed.

“So what are you going to do? You can’t just have this guy stalking you.”

“You’re right. I’m going to kill him.”

“What? Dex… No, come on, you’ve made such good progress,” you begged, finishing cleaning the wound.

He took his hand and put it on yours, getting you to stop working on him. He held your hand, staring at you. He started to speak softly, “Y/N, whether or not Harry made me what I am, I am what I am. I know I’m not a monster to you, and I’m starting to believe you, but for better or worse, I am a killer. The minute I let my guard down, I almost got killed. I have to kill him. It’s part closure, part who I am.”

You nodded. “I understand. So… you’re going to kill him?”

You didn’t like it. You were somewhat hoping to cure Dexter of his desires, but he’d tried this route, and truth be told, you did understand. If you found the person responsible for killing someone you loved, you’d take the same revenge. You knew you had to be supportive of him in this.

“I have to.”

“I want to be there, to help you, if you’ll have me. This is something big in your life and I’d like to help.”

He stared at you. “I’d like that a lot, actually. I’d also like it if your husband came along.”

You pulled away from him, your hand and all. You were shocked. “What? Spencer? Why? Are you insane?”

“Don’t you see? His issue with us is all in his head. He doesn’t know how we work, how I work. He needs to see us in action. Maybe then it would kill off all of his illusions. He’s made up this idea in his head that is probably far worse than what we actually do.”

“This is insane. No! We can’t invite him!”

“You've told me yourself that the only person he loves as much as you is his mother Now, I’m trying to get revenge for my mother. He can understand that. When that woman had his mother held hostage, he strangled her. If this doesn’t bond us, nothing will.”

A sigh escaped you as you stood up and gathered the things to clean up. “It’s not the worst idea… I suppose you’re right. If showing him how we operate at any time would work, now would be the time.”

“It’s the one case he could possibly completely sympathize with.”

You nodded. “Okay, I’ll ask him. You should be good, by the way.”

“Thank you,” he gently said. “I’m glad you were with me tonight. If you weren’t there, he could’ve done a lot worse than a cut on the arm. He was behind me, I didn’t see him--” he shook his head, staring off as if he was already contemplating how to do it.

“Well, I did, and that’s all that matters.”

“What’s worse is you upstaged me in a fight,” he said with a bit of a smile. “I’m supposed to be the vigilant, tactful killer. It would appear that around you, I have a weak spot.”

Bobbing your head side to side you mused, “Well, since I did protect you and warn you, maybe I’m not a blind spot, but a guardian angel.” You smiled at him warmly. “I warned you about everything in the case. I’ll always be on your side, helping you.”

“Yeah, despite all the things that should’ve told you to run.”

“I’d never do that to you.”

“I know.”

The two of you smiled at each other before wrapping up your evening and heading home to talk to Spencer about Dexter’s plan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tagging:

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#inside the criminal mind #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #spencer fic #dexter #dexter fic #dexter morgan

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max-is-really-okay · 5 years ago

Text

I Just Want Them To Be Happy

When Lex Foster was eight, Hannah was born. She had known that she would get a sibling soon, her ‘uncle’ Gerald had explained it to her a few weeks before he went back to his wife. She didn’t really care at the time. She was so busy with everything going on at home and school. There was nothing to make her care about a living potato that didn’t even exist yet.

Her mom brought her home from the hospital and left the baby on the couch to go and sleep. Lex had picked her up before she could fall. Hannah was her name apparently. Lex remembered that her grandma’s name was Hannah. Something felt right, holding her sister in her arms. She felt like Hannah was more than her sister. She had to be there for her, their mother certainly wouldn’t.

Hannah was so big in her arms, but Lex was small, even for her age. As she looked down upon her little sister, she knew that she would give the world for her. She had the same green eyes as Lex, the only thing Lex could ever thank her mother for.

She held Hannah for hours, not knowing what else to do. She wasn’t as tall as the crib, so she would have to leave Hannah alone to find something to climb on to put her little sister in. She never wanted to leave Hannah alone. She could see everything in the room that could possibly hurt her. Lex couldn’t let anything hurt her little sister, no matter what.

When she finally stood up, Hannah woke up. She didn’t start crying like it showed in all of the movies, she just looked up at Lex with her big eyes. Lex recognized the glow of trust in those eyes, and she held her sister closer.

She walked into their shared room and looked at the old crib her mom had found a few weeks earlier. It was broken down, but Lex had made it as comfortable as possible for her. She had put her favorite soft blanket down so they wouldn’t have to lay her little sister down on just the hard wood. It was worth being cold for a bit if Hannah was comfortable.

“I’m going to set you down on my bed, don’t roll off, okay? I know it’s not comfortable, but it’ll only be for a minute.” She promised the baby. Hannah just cooed.

She sat Hannah on her bed, the baby now laying on her back. Lex walked back to the crib and noticed a drawer at the bottom. She pulled it out and tested stepping on it. The wood groaned in protest, but it wouldn’t break.

Lex walked back to her bed and carefully took Hannah back into her arms. Her little sister looked tired, and Lex couldn’t bring herself to move. She hummed as Hannah slowly started to fall asleep.

It took ten minutes for Lex to talk herself into putting the baby in her crib. She could hold her sister forever. In her arms, Hannah was safe. Lex also felt powerful. Like she could do anything as long as she had her little sister by her side.

When she was finally in her crib, Lex watched her for an hour. She made sure that Hannah was still breathing. When she was sure her sister wouldn’t be going anywhere, she left the small room to get herself something to eat.

Within a year, Lex learned how hard it was to take care of a baby while going to school. She learned how to change diapers, how to mix formula, and how to shelter Hannah from their mother.

It was hard finding someone to watch Hannah while she was at school. She didn’t talk to many adults, or anyone at all, and Hannah would scream and cry every time she left the room. She needed someone who could deal with her little sister without scaring her.

It ended up being a woman from the street across from the trailer park. A newly married woman named Charlotte. She had offered, and Lex hadn’t had any other option. She had cried in relief when she came back after school to see Hannah eating apple sauce and watching the television.

When Lex was thirteen things changed. Hannah was able to go to school, and Lex herself was making money. Her newest ‘uncle’ had made her a deal, and she started selling. Even some high schoolers were buying from her. She had a pile of money under her bed.

Life got harder as well. Her mom drank a bit more, and when it was at its worst it was no longer just protecting Hannah from yelling. She had to use makeup to hide little bruises on her arm.

Hannah was also having trouble in school. Lex was told by Hannah’s teachers that she would throw tantrums and wasn’t socializing with other students. When she talked to her about it, Hannah cried.

One amazing thing happened though, she met Ethan Green.

She was waiting for a buyer at the playground. Hannah was playing with a stuffed spider that she had wanted named ‘Webby’. The transaction went well, and she walked back over to Hannah with fifty dollars in her pocket. Even Hannah had dubbed it a good day.

They walked hand in hand to the Dairy Queen and stood in line. Hannah was staring at the menu, eyes wide. They made it to the front of the line, and Lex ordered herself a dipped ice cream cone and fries while Hannah got a banana split. Hannah smiled when she heard the order.

Lex noticed Hannah getting antsy, messing with the straps on the backpack that was almost the same size as the five year old.

“Why don’t you and Webby go and find us a table?” She asked, smiling down at her little sister. Hannah looked nervous, so she tried to comfort her. “I’ll be right here, and you can quietly play while we wait.”

That seemed to do the trick, as Hannah nodded and rushed off. Lex turned back around and watched as they worked on their order. The small place was a bit busier than normal, but Lex didn’t notice. Until she heard Hannah talking to someone. It wasn’t in the same way as she talked to Webby, but almost like how she talked to her.

She turned around and was met with a sight that was...odd. Hannah was hugging Webby and talking to a squirrelly boy with curly dark brown hair. He had on a leather jacket that was about four sizes too big and a shiner that made anything her mom had done look like nothing. And Hannah was talking to him as if she had known him for years.

She quickly walked over and got between Hannah and the boy. “Who are you?” She asked. Her tone was a bit harsher than she had meant for it to be, but the boy seemed to back down. She counted it as a win.

“I’m Ethan. Ethan Green.” He stated. It was obvious he was trying to be smooth, but his voice cracked as he finished saying his name.

“Okay, Ethan Green, why were you talking to my sister?” She asked, looking back at Hannah to make sure she was okay. She was smiling.

“I saw the kid sitting alone. I wanted to make sure someone was here with her.” He explained to her.

Lex turned sharply and studied him. He didn’t look threatening, and his eyes didn’t have any malice in them. “Okay.” She said. She held out her hand “I’m Lex.”

They shook hands and her order was called. She left and watched as Ethan got in line. She walked back with the ice cream and fries and gave Hannah her share. She smiled as they both ate their ice cream.

“Webby says that Ethan is nice.” Hannah mentioned as she dug into her banana split.

Lex smiled and looked at the line, where he was messing with the cuff of his jacket. “Well if Webby says so I’m sure it’s true.” She smiled at her younger sister and took some of her ice cream.

A few minutes later she heard his voice in a pleading tone, “Come on man...all I have is three bucks. It’s just a dollar difference, no one ‘ll notice.”

“Hey, Banana, can you watch my ice cream for a second while I go do something?” She asked, and the five year old’s eyes widened in glee as she nodded, eyeing the chocolate covering on the ice cream.

Lex got up and walked over, “Hey, you dropped this at our table.” She said, extending a five dollar bill towards Ethan. He looked down at it, then back at her before carefully taking it from her.

“Oh, um, thanks.” he mumbled. Lex nodded once then walked back to her seat with Hannah, who had chocolate all over her face, assuming that was the end of their interaction. It was not. Not even ten minutes later three dollars were put down next to her fries as Ethan sat down next to her.

“I can’t pay you the other two back, but thanks.” He said. And he started eating his burger. She decided not to make him move. For the first time since she saw Hannah on the day she was born, she felt like she was with family.

The first time she kissed Ethan, she was fifteen. They were at a party. Someone had made jello shots and they were all playing seven minutes in heaven- spin the bottle edition. Ethan was across the circle from her, and he was on his third or so shot. They had been keeping up with each other.

They had become close, and they did almost everything together. She came to him when she kissed Deb from their fourth period. And he came to her when he had his first kiss with Zoey. Those two were now in the corner, making out.

Lex watched as the others in the circle stared at her, eyes wide as she spun the bottle. She noticed James from the smoke club staring at her and Joey Richter seemingly praying. She was starting to get nervous.

Slowly, the bottle started to slow down and it came to a stop pointing at Ethan. They both looked up and stared at each other. There were a few ‘oo’s and ‘aa’s as they slowly and shakily got up. They were then pushed into the closet together.

Lex looked up at Ethan, and he looked back down at her. He looked more nervous than she did. “Um...Lexi, we don’t have to do anything in here if you don’t want to. But if you do want to-” She cut him off by giving him a quick peck.

Ethan then pulled her close and the two actually started kissing.

They stayed in the closet for longer than seven minutes.

The dream for California was born when she was sixteen. Mr. Huston had left because his wife died or some shit, and Lex had flunked out of school. Now she was working at ‘Toy Zone’, where dreams went to die and old creeps came to get toy ponies.

They were sitting outside of the trailer sharing a blunt. Lex had called him crying after her mom gave her a black eye, which she was now icing. She had Ethan’s jacket draped over her shoulders, and Hannah was playing with her toy spider.

“I just want to get out of this fucking town…” Lex mumbled, resting her head on Ethan’s shoulder. “I want to take Hannah and never have to see anyone from Hatchet Field again.”

“Well if you don’t love my ugly mug you could’ve just said so.” Ethan joked. He felt fondness rise in his chest as she looked up at him with a smile. He wrapped his arm around her.

“You would come with us. We’d go somewhere happy. Where it never rains and it’s always warm. Where Hannah’s teachers would understand her and I could be an actress.” She mumbled, taking another hit.

“And as final fuck you to our parents” Ethan added, “I’d get my GED. Show them how smart I really am. Maybe even go to college so I could become a doctor or some shit.”

“You are smart. And I’d want Hannah to be happy. I want her to have everything and more. I want her to experience everything. I want her to see things I never got to when I was her age.” Lex told him, something new bubbling in her chest.

“Like what?” Ethan asked, looking down at his girlfriend.

“Like the beach. The closest thing to a beach she’s seen is the shitty lake in Clivesdale.” She explained. The picture from that day was hung on a mirror in her room. Ethan was there, and he’s kissing her in the photo. Hannah is making a sandcastle with Webby on top.

“What about Florida?” Ethan asked after a moment of thinking. Lex looked up at him with her eyes swimming with laughter.

“People from Florida suck. Jamilia from world history is from Florida.” Lex responded, smiling up at him.

“Good point. Hmm...beaches….what about California?” He asked, “Beautiful beaches and Hollywood. I bet they have good schools too. Added benefit, it’s across the country”

“California…” Lex mumbled, and something felt right. “I like it. Me, you, and Hannah. All in California.”

“Hey Banana Split!” Ethan called, the tiny girl looking up at him with her big eyes. “What do you say that one day Me, you, and your sister go to California?” He asked.

Hannah mumbled something to herself or to Webby and looked back, “Webby says California is good.” She smiled.

Lex hit Ethan’s stomach lightly “Don’t get her hopes up for something that won’t happen.”

He looked at her, “Who’s to say it won’t? I’ve got the van, and you’ve got the job. I bet within a year, if we save all of our funds and keep spending to a minimum, we could just go.”

“You’re not fucking with me, are you E?” her voice was filled with doubt and surprise.

“Cross my heart and hope to die. I’ll get us to California.” He told her. Her smile was so bright it could light up the world more than the sun.

She kissed him and he held her. “I’ll get us there Lex. If it’s the last thing I do.” he promised.

Lex is seventeen when her first Black Friday at ‘Toy Zone’ approaches.

She meets with Ethan after she takes the doll and shoves it into her bag. She learns about the change in price, and her world is changed. They have more than enough money to make it now.

Hannah starts to have a panic attack and begs to go home, and Lex looks up at Ethan. “Seven thousand is more than enough for me to leave early.” She smiles down at Hannah, “What do you say we get the fuck out of here tonight?”

Hannah nods and hugs her tighter than ever before.

Her and Ethan leave, not knowing what they had left just in time. Stopping by both of their houses to grab the suitcases packed so long ago and the stashes of money hidden around the trailer. Lex leaves the note for her mom on the coffee table she paid for.

They sell the stupid fucking doll to a man in an alley, who thanks them more than anything. Ethan tells her on the way out just how much he spent on repairs and Lex swears that she wouldn’t leave him even if they didn’t have the extra cash.

They drive for days, hardly stopping. They only stop for gas and bathroom breaks, only stopping at a motel when they’re more than a thousand miles away from Hatchet Field. They get one room with a queen size bed because Hannah still has nightmares when she sleeps alone.

They pile together and fall asleep holding each other close. On the news the next day Lex sees her old teacher holding a woman close as he explains the horror that they faced on Black Friday. He’s also got his son close by and Lex’s heart breaks a little thinking of how she left things.

She shoots him an email, apologizing and wishing him well. She tells him that she’s okay. He replies within the hour, thanking her.

When they all get up, they take turns in the crappy shower. Hannah goes first and comes out in an oversized flannel shirt and jeans, Ethan’s hat firmly planted on her head. Her hair is still wet and she goes to Ethan, who poorly braids it for her.

They drive for another fourteen hours until they reach the state line. Ethan drives them to a motel in one of the bigger areas near the beach. They pay for a room and Lex excitedly pulls Hannah to their room with their bags.

Lex pulled out a bright and new yellow swimming suit for Hannah along with some black shorts. It had little bananas and pineapples all over it. She had bought it for Hannah when she had gotten her first paycheck that would go to their move.

Hannah saw the beach for the first time when she was nine years old. She cried with joy.

They took a picture of them and a picture frame for it is the first thing they buy for themselves in California.

Lex is eighteen when she is once again surprised by Ethan Green. She’s eighteen when she has the best night of her life.

Everything was perfect. They have a two bedroom apartment. Ethan was working at a car shop and Hannah was helping with other kids on the spectrum while Hannah was at school. Hannah still sometimes slept in their bed, but for the first time in her life she had her own room.

She went to auditions in her free time, and Hannah and Ethan were always there when she didn’t get a call back.

Then she gets a call back. She’s surrounded by people who look like her, who sound like her, some who are better than her, but she got a call back. She cries when she’s told. Hannah draws a spider on her arm for luck.

They ask her to sing thirty two bars and perform a monologue. They smile when she sings and nod as she performs. They say to keep her eye on her phone.

She goes home and hugs Hannah and kisses Ethan. Ethan smiles and mentions that he has a surprise for her, one that includes Hannah having a babysitter for the night. Lex laughs and hugs him, kissing his cheek.

She looks in her closet and pulls out a dress she bought for her first audition. Even though she didn’t get a callback, she loved it more than any other outfit she bought. It symbolized something new, a chance.

Ethan refuses to tell her where they’re going. He’s dressed more formally than she’s ever seen him, all formal except for his leather jacket. They drive for less than an hour and she smiles when she sees the beach.

The sun is still up when they get out, and Ethan grabs a picnic basket. She smiles over at him, “This is the cheesiest thing we’ve ever done.”

Ethan just smiles and holds her hand as they walk down, then he lays the blanket over the sand. They sit on the blanket and eat some of Lex’s favorite snacks. She smiles when she notices he’s bought everything he knows she likes.

“This is all very-” She stopped herself and smiled, taking another bite out of a bag of chips he had brought. “Where did you get champagne?” she asked, eyeing the drink. “All of the places around here card you.”

“A friend from work bought it for me” He replies, wiping his palms on his jeans. It’s a nervous habit Lex recognizes from when she first met him.

They finished the food and set it aside to cuddle and watch the sunset. She then noticed Ethan shift, and she sat up completely to look at him.

“So, um, Lexi…” He started. Ethan looked at her, smiling nervously. “I’ve known you for five years. I’ve loved you for five years. And I’ve been willing to do anything for you and Hannah for five years.” He spoke softly, but his voice was still strained and nervous.

“Oh my fucking god…” Lex spoke, her eyes filling with tears.

“I asked Banana about it, and she said that Webby approves. So,” Ethan shifted awkwardly to be on one knee as he pulled out a ring “Lexie, will you-” he was cut off by her kissing him.

When she pulled away he smiled at her, “marry me?” he finished.

“Yes!” She smiled, wiping tears from her cheek. Ethan smiled as he put the ring on her finger. It was a moonstone engagement ring with tiny diamonds on it.

“Holy shit E, how much did you spend on this?!” She asked after inspecting it more. Her smile was still so wide it hurts.

“I’ve been saving up since we moved here, so I spent about six hundred on it.” Ethan told her honestly.

She was too happy to care how much money he had spent.

The same night she got a call saying she got the role. She was going to be an actress.

Lex is twenty when she gets married to Ethan Green.

It took a year and a half of planning, and even longer to put it all together. Ethan is attending the community college nearby, Hannah has been going to extra art classes, and Lex has so many roles now. She’d been cast as a lead in a production of The Addams Family Musical, and more people saw her.

More went into planning a wedding than either had expected. Finding invitations, making reservations, hiring a florist, and more.

Lex took Hannah to help her choose the dresses. They decided on a greyish white flowy dress with flowers for Lex and a blue dress that went just above the knees for Hannah, her maid of honour. They left with the dresses and smiles on their faces.

Ethan had invited a few people from work, some from school, and Henry Hidgens, his uncle from Hatchet Field. Lex had yet to invite anyone.

She took time to decide on who she had wanted to invite, and she made the decision to invite Tom Huston and his family. He checked up on her every week or so, and he was the closest thing she had ever had to a dad.

He RSVPed as soon as he got the invitation. Lex couldn’t stop smiling for a week. He had emailed, asking to bring his new wife and kid.

The day finally arrived, and Lex was in her room, changing into her dress. Hannah had on her favorite flannel over her dress, and she had her hair pinned back with flowers braided in. The sisters sat in the room.

Lex stared into the mirror as she finished with her makeup. She was never one to wear much, so it was taking longer than expected. Hannah’s playing with Webby as she waits for her sister to finish and drive them to the venue.

It takes three hours to do her makeup, but soon Lex is driving herself and Hannah to the venue. Hannah smiles as they arrive. “You look really pretty.” She tells her older sister. It takes everything in Lex to not start crying, so she settles for just hugging her sister.

They head inside and soon everything starts. The audience is small, but in the front sits Tom Huston smiling as he holds the hand of his girlfriend Becky Barns. His son Tim is next to him, smiling at Hannah. Tom’s sister-in-law is next to Tim, holding the hand of a man who looks very uncomfortable.

Ethan walks out and fidgets with the rose pinned to his suit. He looks up as the music starts and people rise.

Hannah and Lex walk down the aisle, and his breath is taken away. Lex is just glowing, and he almost can’t breathe. He can’t imagine how she could look any more beautiful. Hannah gives her away, and they stand, just looking at each other. It’s only when the minister clears his throat does Ethan remember to move the veil.

Ethan says “I do” before the minister is even done talking. He blushes, but Lex can’t stop smiling up at him.

When they kiss, it’s better than any kiss they’ve shared ever before. People cheer but it feels like they’re the only two people in the world.

They pull away and Lex has the biggest smile in the world. They move on to the reception room, where food has been set up for the handful of people around them.

Ethan goes to talk to his uncle, leaving Lex to talk to her old teacher. She walks up to Tom and his family with a nervous smile. Hannah is playing with his son.

“Alexandria!” His eyes light up and he hugs her. She hugs him back and she smiles at the safe feeling she gets from it.

“I still go by Lex Mr. Huston. How’s life?” She asked. She looks at his family. His girlfriend has her bright red hair down, and his sister in law is dancing with the guy she brought. He seems to be calm around her.

“Well my life is pretty good now. I’m finally teaching again.” He smiled. “Jesus Lex, this is amazing. I’ve seen you in those commercials, and in that one movie. You’re our very own Hatchet Field star.”

Lex smiles and nods “Thank you sir.” she still isn’t used to praise from those that she cares about, even though Ethan and Hannah give it out freely.

“I’m real proud of ‘ya Lex. You’ve always been a really good kid.” He tells her. His voice is laced with sincerity, and Lex can’t help but hug him again.

She is introduced to Emma and Paul, who are apparently engaged. Emma smiles kindly at her, as if she recognizes something in Lex. They get a quick congratulations and then time for the first dance.

She walks back up to Ethan who is smiling at her like she’s his entire world. And she knows she’s looking up at him with the same look.

It’s less of a dance and more of them just holding each other and swaying, but it’s perfect.

After an hour people are starting to leave, giving the two their last congratulations. Tom makes sure that he gives her a check as an extra gift, and she cries as she hugs him again.

Tom is also the one watching Hannah for the three days of the honeymoon. They’re staying at Lex and Ethan’s house, which they bought when Ethan turned twenty a few months after she did.

They kiss as they drive off to the first five star hotel either has ever been to.

Lex is twenty-one when she and Ethan assume legal guardianship of Hannah. It takes a lot of paperwork, but the look on Hannah’s face is worth it. They go out for ice cream and Lex can’t help but start crying. It’s the best day of her life.

Lex is twenty-three when her and Ethan start talking. Hannah is fifteen and landing on her own feet as a person, and she has friends and her art. Lex is so proud of her little sister. She feels like Hannah doesn’t need her as much anymore.

Hannah’s out with her group of friends, and Lex and Ethan are sitting on their couch in the front room. They’re holding hands and Ethan is rubbing circles on the back of her hand as they watch a movie.

“Tom is visiting next week. He’s bringing the whole family, even the new baby.” Lex tells him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Him and Becky finally had a kid, huh?” he asks her, smiling lazily as he looks at her. She nods and he swallows nervously.

“You know, we would be great parents.” Ethan mumbles, kissing her head.

“We would…” Lex replies. Her tone of voice is questioning.

“I was thinking the other day, what if you and I tried to have a little one?” He asks, feeling his confidence returning.

“You wanna have a kid?” She asks. Her voice isn’t terrified, so he continues.

“Yeah. Think about it. You raised Hannah when you were eight years old, and she’s the best person in this fucking world. Imagine what our kid would be like now. We’d be great parents, and we have the money and help.”

“You know, I think you’re right.” She smiles, “I think we should do it. Me and you.” She kisses him and they smile at each other.

Hannah hugs them both for ten minutes when she hears their plan to have a baby.

Lex is twenty-five when she finds out she’s pregnant. Hannah is the first person she tells and the two of them cry.

Ethan comes home to look at his two favorite people in the entire world smiling at him from the couch like maniacs.

“What’s going on here? Banana Split, you look like you’re going to explode.” He smiles nervously.

Lex hugs him tightly “It’s finally happening…” She mumbles as he hugs her back. It takes him a moment to realize what she’s talking about, and when he does he starts crying.

They go out to celebrate. They discuss and decide not to tell anyone until they’re sure and Lex is five months pregnant. Ethan holds her hand throughout dinner and he can’t stop smiling like an idiot.

Hannah talks about possible names as she sorts her food. Her eyes are as bright as they can get as she pictures having a niece or nephew.

They go home full and happy, and Hannah goes to her own room. Her room is full of posters and toys. Her desk is covered in college acceptances, just waiting for her to make her choice. NYU or the University of Denver. Lex told her that she could go to any one and they would make sure she could go. She was hoping for an acceptance from the Pratt Institute of Arts.

Hannah climbed into her bed and held Webby close, falling asleep as she mumbled “Today was a good day.”

Ethan could kill Tom. When he had asked, the older man talked about how wonderful it was to have a pregnant wife. How Becky was just a little tired, but that was as bad as the mood swings got. Tom was a fucking filthy liar.

While Lex was the love of his life and he loved her more than the world and the universe, she was a force to be reckoned with. He couldn’t blame her, as she had a life growing inside of her, but it was hard to be her husband at times.

At five months, they told everyone. Tom had cried and Becky couldn’t stop smiling. They had told them over Skype, and Lex had cried.

At six months they found out that they were going to have a son. Ethan was like a beam of light and Lex couldn’t stop smiling for the next week. Hannah couldn’t stop cheering when she found out.

Hannah left for Pratt when Lex was eight months pregnant. There was a lot of crying at the airport, and Lex couldn’t stop telling her little sister how proud he was of her. Hannah had been through so much, and she was so happy. She had accepted herself and been accepted by those around her. She couldn’t imagine what could’ve happened if she would have stayed in Hatchet Field, surrounded by ignorant fucks.

When Lex went into labor, she was at the beach with Ethan. They were dreadfully unprepared. Lex put on her coverup and they drove to the hospital. Surprisingly, they weren’t the only ones there wearing swimming suits.

It was fifteen hours of hell, for both Lex and Ethan. Lex was in unimaginable pain, and Ethan had to watch the one person in the world who he would give anything for in unimaginable pain. He was there for her as best as he could be though.

The delivery room was filled with Lex’s screams for over an hour. She’s screaming and breaking Ethan’s hand. He stays by her side and doesn’t complain.

Lex is twenty-six when her and Ethan’s son is born.

He’s six pounds and seven ounces. His hair is brown and his eyes are blue like his dad’s. He’s a tiny angry ball, wailing loudly.

Lex holds him and looks down, and she feels the exact same thing that she felt when she held Hannah eighteen years ago. It felt right, holding him in her arms. She loved him just as much as she loved Hannah immediately.

“Hi…” Her voice is raspy. And he looks up with curious and loving eyes. The same eyes that she remembered Hannah looking up at with her.

#black friday #starkid #fanfiction #bf #starkid black friday #the guy who didn't like musicals #tgwdlm

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living-dead-parker · 5 years ago

Text

Movies and Karaoke - p.p

Summary: Science squad has another fun sleepover full of movies and karaoke.

Warnings: cussing, underage drinking, killer klowns from outer space spoilers (but that movie came out in the 80s so.......that’s on you lmao), some emo shit at some point.

Word Count: 2.9k (i wanted to make her a big one bc i love science squad prompts ngl so plz send more ideas. Anything really)

Did I go back and watch KKFOS from beginning to end just to add all my important commentary I actually made while watching the movie? You bet your sweet ass I did. Do I regret it? Only slightly! Civil War through FFH never happened but Morgan exists and so does the science squad bc no one can stop me from disregarding canon!!

"It's my turn to pick the first movie!" Shuri yells at Harley and ripping the control out of his hand, causing the kid to nearly scream. The girl casts a playful glare towards Harley, making the kid damn near shit himself on the spot. From the corner, Ned giggles, watching the whole thing go down. However, when the door swings open, Ned's head snaps in that direction.

"Shuri," MJ's soft voice calls out, soft yet firm with a tint of humor. She's seen entering the room with blankets and pillows in her arms. "Bring it down, you're scaring the boy."

Shuri drops the remote control onto the coffee table in front of her. The princess leans back on the large couch, pouting as she crosses her arms over her chest. It is supposed to be her turn. It was Ned's last time, to now it's her turn. But whatever. Instead, she just stares at the black screen in front of her, contemplating her life up until this point. However, not too long after, they hear the door to the in-home theater swinging open, revealing you and Peter with snacks and drinks in your hands.

Shuri and Harley's eyes widen as they look at all the snacks. Bags of skittles, six boxes of pizzas, boxes and boxes of cookies, packs of juice and some water, and lots of other things among that. However, their eyes drift over to the two twelve-pack boxes of hard lemonade that Peter holds in his hands. A gift from uncle Rhodey because he knows how teens can be and he'd rather you do it among trusted friends at home than getting it off some stranger on the streets. Plus, he trusts you and MJ to be responsible about it while still having fun. Plus, it's like four per kid, so it's not gonna do much to any of you.

"Alright, Shuri," you call out as you and Peter begin setting things up. MJ begins setting up the blankets and pillows as well.

You'd invited your friends over for a sleepover, one of the many you have over the course of the year. You'd all settled for a movie night, not wanting to go out anywhere really. The last time you'd had a sleepover, Ned picked the first movie and it would rotate from there. The sleepover usually lasts all weekend, from Friday evening to Sunday evening. Enough time to wreak havoc on everybody at the tower and have the time of your lives. It's Friday night and you're ready for a long night of movies and messing around. It made the most sense to use the in-home theater that your father had installed into the tower; it's spacious, it has the best screen with surround sound which makes movies, karaoke, and video games so much more enjoyable. It's all and all, extremely fun.

As you finish setting up the snacks, you see Harley moving to the back of the room to tone down the lights as Shuri turns on the screen, revealing the home screen for Killer Klowns From Outer Space. You all turn to look at her, casting playful glares in her direction. The only one who did not was Peter.

"Absolutely not," Harley calls out first. He shakes his head, sounding completely unenthralled. You giggle, nodding along. "This movie is so bad!" he exclaims.

"I kind of wanna watch it," Peter cuts in. You all turn to him now, giving him the glare. "I've never seen it-"

"You," you cut him off, taking a step closer to him. "Of all people, have not seen Killer Klowns? Mr. I'm constantly watching movies from the 80s, has not seen Killer Klowns?"

"I've been meaning to," Peter defends himself, looking over at everyone else. They're all still glaring at him, though it's all playful. "I see it everywhere, but I just never get to it, ya know?"

With that, you all sit down, ultimately agreeing to watch it. Harley shoots up in his spot once again, running to turn off the lights completely. When he sits back down, Shuri presses play and the movie begins. It starts off and everybody seems to sing along to the theme song at the beginning. Arguably one of the most wasted songs ever, because it's so good for such a bad movie. But who cares, ya know? However, the movie reaches the point where they introduce the two teenage characters in the makeout area.

"Why would people actively choose to go to a place like that to makeout in groups?" Peter asks. "Like, hey I'm gonna take my girlfriend out to this isolated place where there are already like ten other couple making out or having sex in this exact spot already?"

"Some people are just voyeurs," MJ cuts in, shrugging lights before wrapping an arm around Shuri. Peter hums in response. "Plus that doesn't happen much nowadays."

Suddenly, an ice cream truck drives into the area where all the teens are making out, and over the com, one of the drivers says;

"We'll give you the stick, you give it a lick, and it'll tickle you all the way down,"

Peter chuckles and without thinking it through he says; "That's what I say to Y/N w-"

"Peter!"

His eyes go wide as you all yell at him. You lightly smack his arm, moving away from him slightly as he giggles about it. They all glare at him again before turning back to the movie. After that, not many comments are made until the two main teen characters discover the tent where the clowns are. As the guy pressures the girl to go into the tent, you speak up.

"I've said this before and I'll say it again," you start, hearing Peter chuckle as he wraps his arms around you again. "If Deb was a lesbian or was with a girl, at least, she would not be there and she would be safe."

"Explain." quips Harley.

"Boys are dumb and if Deb was with a girl, the other girl would agree and they'd run away rather than run to the tent," you respond. Shuri and MJ nod, giving you the lesbian seal of approval for that opinion.

"What if it was me asking you to go in with me?" Peter asks.

"Well, I'd maybe consider it, but that's because I have my dad's tech to save me and I'd have Spider-Man with me, so we could easily fight these clowns off. They don't want this smoke," you explain. "However, if it was pre-bite you, then no, I would leave you on your own and run away if you wanted to go in."

"Fair enough."

With that, the discussions stop for a while. Until the scene where the clowns are loose in the city and going door to door killing people. When they ring the doorbell at the first door to reveal a blonde woman in a slip dress with a glass in her hand, pretending to deliver her some pizza.

"Pizza?" she asks. Peter turns to look at you, confusion in his eyes.

"Are-are they going to-"

"Clap her cheeks?" you all respond at the same time, noticing how it can look like the start to a bad porn video. Except, it's a horror movie instead. When they zap her, Peter almost gasps. Was he expecting it to happen? "My take is that if they just did clap her cheeks, they'd realize that they don't need to kill people and they just need some coochie or something. Plus she was cute, so if I was one of them I would have done it, but there's a reason why they're clowns."

Once more, the commentary became little to none until another wild scene much later in the movie. At this point, Dave the cop and Mike -Debbie's boyfriend- are in a playhouse looking for Debbie. The two guys that walked in with them and got lost inside a ball pit, one meant to be a jacuzzi or hot tub of some sort. As the camera pans out, it reveals two clowns, and when the camera turns to face them, it reveals that they're female clowns. As the camera pans out on them once more, it shows their clown boobs inflating.

"Holy shit," Peter screams, causing everyone to laugh. "Screw anime girl tiddies," he continues, making MJ and Ned snort, meanwhile Shuri spits out her drink. "Clown girl tiddies are where it's at!"

You lightly smack his arm, glaring at him once more. Though the room is dark, you can see him lightly blushing in embarrassment. Eventually, the movie comes to an end and Harley is quick to turn the lights on. Suddenly, over the speakers in the room, you hear Harley speaking up.

"Hey guys, welcome to my show," he speaks into the karaoke mic. When he plugged it in, you're not sure, but the suddenness of it made it funnier. Harley steps in front of everyone and looks over at all of you. "So I'm no comedian but for tonight I am," he continues, earning a fake chuckle from Ned. What a supportive boyfriend. "So, we watched Killer Klowns From Outer Space, right? Well, you know who the real clowns were?"

"Who?" you all ask.

"Us, for even watching it in the first place."

That got a genuine laugh out of all of you. Even Peter was laughing genuinely at the joke, mostly since he's the biggest clown of all for wanting to watch it. Harley bows after his jokes land. He sets the mic down as MJ stands and walks over to the mic. She picks up the mic and looks over at everyone.

"Peter and Harley," she calls out. The two perk up, waiting for something else. "That's it, that's the joke."

"Hey, we should do karaoke before we pick the next movie!" Ned exclaims, his eyes wide with hopeful excitement. You all look at him, not being able to deny him his karaoke. Plus, you love karaoke. It's his thing, not many people can say no to him. He's the charmer of the group, often convincing people to get his way. You are the mom friend in terms of getting them out of certain situations and funding all the craziness as well as physically taking care of them. MJ is the intimidating mom friend, though she uses her intimidation on other people to get everyone out of a different kind of trouble. Shuri is the intimidating and hectic person who tends to get you all into some kind of trouble, but she knows how to cover it up, so there's always some close run-ins. She's the group clown. Peter and Harley are equally the punching bags of the group and they are also the bigger trouble makers. However, they're also the practical geniuses who can make anything out of a paper clip under intense pressure. However, Peter is the brawn while Harley is just not afraid of Tony, so he just barges in and does what he want to get out of trouble. All in all, no one can really say no to Ned.

"Alright, let's do this, you're up first bud," you tell Ned. He excitedly jumps up and stands up in the front as you turn the screen back on. You exit the movie and open up a karaoke program you'd bought that allowed for all sorts of high-quality music. You pull out a notebook from a cabinet in the room with a pen as well. At the top, you write the word 'queue' and make a list. "Come tell me your songs so I can start up a queue."

Everyone walks over to you one by one, telling you their songs and you just write them down. At the end of it, you have a queue of about twenty songs. So with that, you type in the first song that Ned chose. Africa by Toto.

You lean forward in your seat, grabbing one of the hard lemonades. No one seemed to grab any up until you did. Everyone grabbed one, as the song began. As Ned sings, you continue making the queue of songs until they've all been put in and you can sit back and watch. After Ned finishes singing, Peter jumps up and takes the mic. His song begins to play, making everyone laugh.

"Gotta take a little time," he begins, faking a raspy voice. He moves around the room, humming and singing along until the song reaches its chorus. He kneels in front of you, hand reaching out for you. His eyes are screwed shut and everyone's phones are recording you two. "I wanna know what love is, I want you to show me!"

You playfully push him and he lands on his back. Everyone laughs, stopping their recordings to post them somewhere. You giggle when Peter stands back up, moving over to Ned and deciding to sing to him instead. Once his song ends, Shuri jumps up and takes over the mic. The song begins, revealing Africa by Toto.

"I hear the drums echoing," Shuri sings, exaggerating her accent this time. She dances around, singing the whole song in an exaggerated accent. When she finished her song, MJ jumps up and takes over. Total Eclipse of the Heart. Except, every 'turn around' was replaces with 'suck my dick' and the phrase 'total eclipse of the heart' was replaced with 'total eclipse of the fart'. Not something you expected, but it had to be the best performance so far. Harley was the next to jump up and take over.

"I made it through the world a mess," he sings in a high-pitched voice. He sings the whole song to Ned and eventually, he reaches Ned, deciding to sit on his lap. "Like a virgin," he sings "touched for the very first time!" he practically moans rather than sings this time. This continues for the whole song, with Harley singing rather provocatively and dancing in a similar manner on Ned. At one point, Harley even threw himself onto Ned from behind the couch, he claims it was on purpose but everyone knew it was an accident. Once more, as Harley's song ended, you took over.

"We're gonna get a little emo here," you explain. The song begins after a short pause. They all look at you with big smiles. However, to add to the feel, you attach the karaoke mic to its stand and you tilt the stand over, standing over it dramatically like every rock star tends to do. You lean into the mic and begin. "Coming out of my cage and I've been doing just fine."

They all join in on singing with you. The loudness of it all attracts some newcomers into the room. You don't notice it until Wanda, Bucky, Steve, Sam, Natasha, Pepper, and your dad are all in the room, watching you headbang and scream to the song. The other five all jump up, turning on the other mic and sharing it as they sing along.

"It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss!" you all scream. You all jump around in unison throughout the whole song, none of you noticed how all the adults seem to have their phones out recording as well. "Open up my eager eyes, cuz I'm Mr. Brightside!"

When the song comes to an end, you're all giggling and laughing as you hand the mic back to Ned. Before you can all process all the heroes in the room, Ned's song is starting up now. It was weird how every other song after seemed to be emo as well.

"Check yes Juliet, are you with me?" he sings along once the song begins. You're the next to jump up and join him. "Run baby run, don't ever look back!" you sing to each other.

Song after song, you all joined along and sang and danced together. However, once the karaoke stuff was over, and all the adults had left the room, another movie was being put on. It seemed almost unanimous, and the movie selected was the Nightmare Before Christmas. Everyone was tired now, so you all cuddled up on the couches. On the bigger couch in the back lies Ned with Harley nestled into his side. On the front right couch lies Shuri with her head on one side, Michelle with her head on the other side. On the front left couch, you lie up against the back of the couch as big spoon while Peter lies down next to you as little spoon.

Halfway through the movie, Tony follows a sleepy Morgan into the theater room. The little girl remains unaware of her father following in her footsteps. Tony felt her stir in bed and so he decided to check what the hell that was all about. He's about to ask her what she's doing but he stops himself when he sees all the sleeping teens. He watches the small girl scan the room, perking up when she sees you and Peter on one of the big couches. Tony watches as Morgan shakes her big sister's arm until you wake up. He watches you groggily pick the girl up, scooting closer to the back of the large couch, and squeezing her in. He notices Peter shift around before resting his arm over the two girls. He smiles rather fondly and has FRIDAY take a picture of the room, making sure to add a reminder to send the pictures to everyone in the morning.

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golbrocklovely · 5 years ago

Text

twisted // colby brock - chapter six

A/N: PLEASE READ THIS!! okay, so the next couple chapters are gonna be extremely dark and have a lot of triggering themes in them. because of that, i’m gonna put a TLDR at the end so that in case you start to get super uncomfortable or possibly triggered, you can skip to the end where i will just explain what happens so you won’t be confused come the next chapter. alright? cool. that being said, please let me know what you think of this story so far. we are getting kinda sorta to the end and i would love to hear what you think. i’ll see yall later :)

description of the story

taglist: @absolute-randomness-forever , @far-to-many-bands , @itsmoony , @mellissalox , @sammy0927

trigger warning: kidnapping, possessive language, cursing, anxiety/stress

word count: 1256

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel’s POV

I sat in the library, bored out of my mind. I had read through some of Smitty’s other stories, most of which were shorter than the previous ones or not finished at all. Every story had an Angel in it; always protecting some living being.

I think I understood why he didn’t think his own writing was good…

I glanced over at the desk, looking over at the drawers. The top drawer was ajar, something I hadn’t noticed before. I walked over to it and opened it up completely.

On top sat another book similar to Smitty’s other ones. I picked it up and sat down. Turning to the first page, I realized that this book wasn’t like the other ones: this one was hand written. The writing was hard to read, his writing resembling chicken scratch. I skimmed over the first few pages, not being able to understand it. I finally turned to one page which was written less intensely then the other pages.

my feelings have a risen

being buried for so long underneath

I wonder if it is her that brings it out of me

“It’s poetry…” I mumbled to myself.

not many visitors have cared for this room

none have ventured inside

but of course she would

she is an Angel

she is drawn to the light

that is why she doesn’t like me

hiding away in a room

far away from me

the monster I have become

makes her run to stories to escape

but I am nothing like those monsters

that seek to damage her

to pay her no regards

I want to love her

I want her to fix me

I know she can

I exhaled sadly. I could feel my heart tense at his words. Who hurt him so badly?

My mouth twisted slightly. Maybe I shouldn’t be reading this. It feels too personal.

But there is only a couple more pages…

I rolled my eyes and kept reading.

miss your voice A

can’t even spell out your name

without getting lost

in that sadness once again

don’t want to believe you’re gone

your energy still in this house

a life cut so soon

all because of his selfish ways

the bastard got what he deserved

and I’m sorry I couldn’t save you

as often as you saved me

I hear your voice call out to me

In my dreams at night

“Derek… keep praying.”

I do, A

I do

A… like Aggie? He’s talking about Aggie.

Was she the one we talked to last night?

Another page over, a new entry soaked the paper. It was no longer a poem. It looked more like a diary.

I was surprised when they first entered this house. I thought for a while that they were figments of my imagination and that I would soon find out that I was crazy all along. But the moment she walked in, I knew all of my thoughts were right. She was supposed to be here. She was here to save me.

A clicking noise coming from the door, bringing me out of my thoughts briefly. I ignored it and turned the next page. Suddenly the writing had gotten harder to read again.

She is beautiful when she sleeps… I wonder what she dreams about…. stirred in her sleep made me stop watching… hate seeing her… upset… must get rid…. of red light

“Red light?” I said out loud. My heart skipped a beat.

I flipped to the next page. The writing was dark and heavy with black ink. It was smudged and rushed, like he was in a hurry.

They are leaving. This WAS NOT a part of my plan. She cannot leave yet. Angel can’t leave yet. I need her help. SHE NEEDS TO HELP ME. How DARE she follow what those stupid boys say. They are NOTHING. She is EVERYTHING. IT ALL MUST HAPPEN TONIGHT. I WILL MAKE HER MINE TONIGHT. I WILL BE WHOLE AGAIN.

I threw the book across the room, my heart pounding in my chest. This was all about me. How the fuck was this all about me? I jumped up and headed for the door. I yanked at the handle. The door didn’t budge.

“Help! Help! Someone unlock the door! Let me out!” I pulled the handle and banged hard on the door. I backed away when I heard no response.

“Fuck!” My breath came out fast and short. I studied the room, trying to see if there was another way out. A flashing red light caught my attention.

I raced over to the light. It was coming from a book in the corner. I ripped the book off the shelf and pulled the book open. The inside was hollowed out, a camera sat inside snugly.

He’s been filming me… he’s been filming US.

I heard the door unlock behind me. I shoved the camera and book back on the shelf hastily.

“Hey Angel, is everything alright? I heard banging on the door…” Smitty’s voice rang out into the room. His voice was too calm.

I spun my body around, pressing my back against the desk. “W-why was the door locked?”

“Was it? Well, gosh darn it, I must have locked it by accident when you came in here. The lock is on the outside, that way people don’t break in and read things that don’t belong to them.” His gaze hardened as he strolled into the room.

“Are Sam and Colby home?” I could feel my heart pound against my chest.

Smitty smirked, stepping closer to me. Fuck. “Oh, yeah. They’re… just laying around. They just ate dinner. Deb’s stew. Would you like a bowl?”

I tried to slow my breathing, glancing down at the floor. “Not right now. I feel sick to my stomach. I think I’m gonna go lay down too.”

Smitty jutted in front of me, forcing me back against the desk. “Now you know Angel, I can’t let you leave this room.”

Shit. Shit. Shit. My voice weakened as I slid my hand back along the desk. “What did you do to them?”

I could feel my hand clutch a lamp as Smitty closed in on me.

His voice was just above a whisper. His body was against mine, his breath fanning across my face. “They’re fine. But they won’t be if you leave and try to get help. I’ll make sure no one ever finds them. Just like my-”

I yanked the lamp forward and smashed the lamp onto his head, shoving him aside as he hunched over in pain. I ran towards the door, only for him to pull the rug out from under me, causing me to fall.

“C’mon Angel. Don’t make this more difficult then it has to be!” He boomed, slamming himself on top of me.

I screamed out. “No! Let go of me! Help-!”

He shoved a cloth in front of my mouth and nose, blocking my airways. He pressed his body into me, making it hard for me to move. I tried to fling my body around, but I could feel my legs and arms slowly start to give out, the chemicals I was breathing in making me weak. I clawed at the floor, trying to move my body out from under him, but my strength left me. My eyes and mind were woozy. My vision blurred from tears that stung my eyes. It took everything in me to keep my eyes open, but soon my body relaxed, eyes closing on their own.

~~~

TLDR: Angel reads more of Smitty's books and finds his diary. She reads about his connection to Aggie, but doesn't know they're related yet. Then, she finds out he has been watching and filming her, Sam, and Colby. He writes that 'he needs her', and 'she needs to fix him', which causes her to freak out. Smitty comes in, they start fighting, but he eventually knocks her out and kidnaps her.

<< CHAPTER 5 || CHAPTER 7 >>

#colby brock #colby brock fanfic #colby brock fanfiction #colby brock story #colby brock x oc #colby brock fic #colby brock angst #sam and colby #sam golbach #twisted

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karenpage · 6 years ago

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There’s a lot to unpack with the kastle episode, so this is my best attempts to articulate my thoughts regarding it. There are, of course, spoilers below the cut but I tried to keep my discussion to only that of Karen and Frank’s interaction (with mentions of the first episode for obvious reasons). This is just my take away, I’ll write more about the season as a whole at a later point.

But yes. The Punisher season 2, episode 11: The Abyss.

Okay. First and Foremost, you can tell the writers were strapped for time, that they might’ve had a larger role for Karen/Deb if she wasn’t busy filming dds3, which sort of makes me bitter because by and far Lightfoot has treated her character better when she’s on screen in the Punisher, but I digress.

We open up on Frank, beaten 99% to death which isn’t new to any long time fan of the show- but there’s something different. Something broken in him that we haven’t seen before and I’ll be the first to admit, it’s as unsettling as it is upsetting. Watching Frank, who has persisted through the worst of the worst, who has conquered unimaginable hurt and grief, be so willing to give up.. Ready to die in way that’s more a sense of him deserving it, rather than a byproduct of the life he’s chosen to live.

It’s all over the news, the radio announcing ‘the Punisher in police custody at the hospital’, and then we cut to Karen toting the sixth amendment and strong-arming her way past the heavy police protection surrounding Frank.

A direct, obvious, and intentional parallel to when they first met.

Frank’s tied to the bed, the setup is similar to that of dds2, visually. But Karen pulls a chair up to his bedside and she waits.

We don’t have any context for time, as for how long she’s there while he’s unconscious but something I’ve read in 10,000 fanfics winded me the moment he woke up. He was having a nightmare, saw the same vision he’d seen of Maria and the kids and then heard a hail of gunfire and screamed when he woke. Karen was there. Soothing him. Comforting him. And she grabbed his hand with both of hers.

Two hands.

It’s hard to watch as Frank relives their deaths, talks, at length about the day his family died and major kudos to Jon Bernthal, yet again, delivering a monologue that ripped my heart out and spat on it (not dissimilar to the speech at the graveyard in dds2 eps4), but Karen’s there every step of the way. She’s quiet, and supportive, and everything he needed in that moment because Frank’s grappling with something big and ugly.

He thinks he accidentally killed some women in a shoot-out with Billy Russo and his gang, they were innocent bystanders, and that circles back to what he’d been dreaming about. About his entire identity as the Punisher, and why he feels like he deserves to die.

‘Now I’m the monster’, GOD, let’s be real for one second. Kastle notwithstanding? That Shit HURTED the emotions evoked with a single sentence, with tears in his eyes and a trembling lip. I Don’t Think I’ll Ever Recover.

But Karen outright refuses to believe that. Denies that Frank deserves to die and she knows something’s up. Because Karen’s pursuit of the truth continues to be a cornerstone in their relationship. There’s some uh … Questionable Writing that I think they meant to use as comic relief but it just came across as gross (like some scenes in the season, the implied humor falls flat in the face of glaring and problematic issues), but, the effect is that she and Madani discover that it was meant to look like Frank killed those women, but Billy had executed them beforehand.

He wanted Frank to suffer. He knew that that’s a wound he’d struggle to heal from when they could only do so much damage to him physically (without killing him, and Billy didn’t want that).

Now, at this point, Frank’s TRIED to have a ‘normal life’ (time to segue into that real quick, because I have to break down episode one even if I’d rather claw out my eyes). Now, I firmly believe that he was doing what he did, behaving as he had because he doesn’t know how to heal. Frank’s never had the after. He says so himself in the end of season one. He’s scared. Where does he go? How does he navigate a life that no longer resembles his own? That’s a lot for a person to do by himself but Frank is headstrong, stubborn, and so he does it anyway.

PTSD (especially recurring, horrific trauma) can make people act… differently to say the least. One of the things associated with losing children, losing family, is that there’s no measure on how to cope with it. Frank saw a chance to feel normal and he took it, but he did himself (and Beth) a disservice. He’s a damaged man, and he was bound to bring all that accompanies it, to her doorstep. I’m not a fan of episode one but, surprisingly, it’s not that Frank hooks up with someone. Not that Frank tries to ground himself in a stranger, carve out a bit of an after. Which, again, people with PTSD don’t know how to open up to the people closest to them because they have the most to lose. If that person/those people can’t see through the fog of his struggle, the loss of them would be catastrophic. It’s infinitely easier to do that with a stranger. You have nothing to lose if they walk away.

My issue was him having sex with a woman named Beth, (his late wife being Maria Elizabeth) and that in the sex scenes they CONSTANTLY hone in on the wedding ring he’s wearing around his neck and he has flashbacks and it’s strange and mildly upsetting? It feels a bit like they were trying to show that Frank’s projecting (which he is) but they went about it all wrong from a narrative standpoint. And then, again, she gets shot - at least she doesn’t die, that would’ve solidified all of my fears - but that pain, that visual is still a raw wound for Frank and it’s what sets him back on the path of being the Punisher, with Amy by his side.

OKAY. BACK TO KASTLE. I have some issues with the scenes, but, again, I think it’s more based on the storytelling (which I’ll address at the end, independently), overall I just.. I love them deeply and profoundly but it definitely hurt to see Karen admit her feelings (again) and be rebuffed (again). NOT because Frank doesn’t feel the same way, not because, in an ideal world, Frank wouldn’t want to be with Karen. But because he doesn’t think he deserves it. He doesn’t think he gets to have a happy ending, period, which is stereotypical of a protagonist in the middle of their hero’s journey (we saw the same shit with Matt Murdock).

Karen straight up said she doesn’t want Matt. That she wants Frank (even if that means wanting and loving the Punisher too - which is new. Karen can’t deny who he is and I don’t think she’s trying to any longer). She told him to give loving someone other than a war, a chance (her. Love her, Frank. Choose her.) and watching her open herself up… pour out the contents of her heart only for him to give nothing (in that moment) in return??? That Shit Hurted 2.0. BUT, him saying ‘he doesn’t want that’, in reference to life with her, where they try together. Is just a continuation of the same thread they’ve shared from the get-go.

Frank continuing to push away the people he cares about most (Curtis, Karen, hell even Madani in the end), while they hold onto him tighter for it. That’s a pretty poignant and reoccurring theme in Marvel’s Netflix; that the heroes detach themselves. Think they don’t get a life like everybody else, and then have to get slapped in the face by the persistence of the people that love them.

He thanks her. That she waited by his bedside for him to wake up and was there for him when he did. He thanks her and there’s something broken in that, too. Like it’s him trying to say goodbye but he can’t find the words just right.

So Karen tells him to show her. AND MY HEART ! FUCKING ! STOPPED ! My gut knew we wouldn’t get a kiss, but this was clearly intended to be one, and Amy’s interruption is a semi-colon. It’s not their end. Just the middle. Which leads me to believe that, should we get a season three, Karen will continue to play a significant part in Frank’s life and they’ll take advantage of the fact that she’s no longer filming Daredevil, and her availability won’t be nearly as limited. Lightfoot and Jon both confirmed that they’d want more and more of her, always.

My take away: They are in love. They confessed it. It was as heartfelt and sad, as beautiful and ugly, as any of their scenes have ever been (And likely will be), but it didn’t feel like an end because it wasn’t. It’s ‘not right now’, if Frank had kissed her, if they’d pushed through and tried to be together then, it just wouldn’t work.

He’s in the middle of his story. That means there’s growth and learning yet to come and Karen deserves more than where he’s at, now. (Doesn’t stop me from writing a fuck ton of fanfic about it, though). He has to learn how to co-exist with the two halves of himself, and that’s something that needs to be done without throwing romance into the mix (but he really shouldn’t be alone, he should get help, and I really fucking hope they touch on that in season 3).

Karen’s also a big girl. She can make her choices and is fully aware of what they mean. I didn’t like that she was hurt, again, by someone she loves, again, and at the end of the day, Karen Page deserves to be loved deeply and entirely and Frank just can’t be that person right now. That doesn’t mean never (what’s the point of telling their story if it ended like that? Lightfoot might be on thin fucking ice but he wouldn’t do Karen OR Frank dirty like that).

The Punisher was written in three parts, the beginning, the middle, and the end (much like every other story, ever). Middle installments tend to be the most poorly received, which isn’t an issue in film franchises because of the revenue stream attached, but it DOES mean shows struggle in their Sophomore years. I like to use ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ as a point of reference, because it was almost universally hated upon release, and is now a cherished part of a dynastic film franchise. People cannot tell a story, or understand it, with only two acts of a three-part play so it can come off strangely, or the general tone can feel ‘off’, because there isn’t active resolution and we’re left with just as many questions as we entered with.

Ultimately, we need a season three to see how this plays out, (we DESERVE one, and a kiss, goddammit), but if this is where it ends. If this is the last time we see Karen and Frank, at least it’s ended knowing they’re in love, that it’s an indisputable fact of canon that cannot be ignored. Whatever that means going forward, we as a fan base can figure out in our own writing, conjecture, and in the beauty of all they’ve shared up until this point.

I am so profoundly happy with what we got, the tone of the season and everything else notwithstanding. I have issues, yes, of course, I do, but I’ve waited well over a year to see them share a screen and this is what my sleep-deprived brain could make of it.

Thank you all for reading, xo.

#kastle #kastle meta #my meta.#meta: the abyss.#tps2 #tps2 spoilers #long post for ts

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cowandcalf · 6 years ago

Note

Who are your top ten favorite H50 characters and why?

Hi, anon! This is such a great ask! I love it and I apologize for letting you wait. I want to answer this thoroughly and I’ve taken my time. And I have to admit my answer is so long. But I wanted to explain why I love the characters. So, I hope you like my response. Your ask really has kept me pondering a lot.

It’s freaking long, so I put it under the cut.

1.Steve McGarrett

I get drawn to Steve like a moth to a flame. My soul sings an unknown song since the moment I've met Lieutenant Commander Steve J. McGarrett.

Steve combines a lot of personality traits which I admire full-on. He's a great, outstanding leader. He's a person you instantly trust a hundred percent. He's focused, determined, he has stunning, overwhelming stamina, incredible endurance and the wish to always push everything to the edge just for a challenge or because he just knows he can do it.

His terrible emotional childhood trauma (mother killed, getting shipped off by his own father, separated from his family for almost two decades) didn't cripple his character or his soul. Or let me rephrase this. It crippled him but he never let anybody see his wounds and his scars. And that's also one of Steve's weakness and strength and this hits me straight to the core.

Steve has a soft, sensitive heart. Although he has no idea how to deal with emotions other than to bottle them up and pile them in a far hidden corner of his mind and heart. He's selfless and a true friend who always finds time if you need him. He's reliable and he's hundred percent involved once he's in.

He never asks of anything in return. He's too humble, too shy and behind that steely armor of tac vests, strapped weapons, and thigh holsters, of barked orders, of leading his team, of being in charge, of taking the biggest blow to protect always the others – there's an insecure, needy man with a scarred heart who never really has outgrown the abandoned teenager. He fears loss and his 'emotional hands' are always empty. I'm convinced that in the darkest hour of the night Steve is lost, lonely and afraid to never find the exit from the maze he has been trapped in since his father sent him off to the mainland.

2.Danny Williams

Danny, Danny, Danny. This guy – man, this guy. Danny is cocky with freaking huge self-esteem, a swagger, and a puffed-out chest. Nobody ever could daunt him – only when someone tries to hurt his little girl then he's terrified and he endures everything for his kids, everything. He loves animals and treats them kindly and knows how to handle them in a stressed situation. This speaks for his kind-hearted, sensitive soul.

He's not afraid to show emotions. He's a tad insecure (like terrified actually) to ask someone out on a date. That's so cute because it's such a different behavior compared to his dashing personality as a detective.

He headbutts everyone who steps in his way being a hindrance when he searches for answers to protect one of his own. Danny has a rich character. He admits his fears (claustrophobia, afraid of losing his little girl, admitting he always expects the worst).

Danny has been a cop before he has even been born. It runs in his genes. He's fearless… and honestly, when he switches into his deadly determined cop-mode I always lose my shit. Danny doesn't need to prove what an outstanding cop his he. He knows it and that's enough. Whenever he unleashed this fearless, tensed-up, fiercely focused and a bit crazy-eyed side of his persona it's a beauty to watch. He just transforms right in front of my eyes into an Avenger with no mercy.

And that's why he's the only one who understands Steve. Danny isn't afraid to breach Steve's personal space when Steve's emotions are ablaze, making him feel like a trapped animal who wants to run, blindly, driven by a terrible panic Steve never knew how to deal with.

3.Kawika

He follows a code of honor just like Danny and Steve. He carries the wisdom of his ancestors in his heart. Kawika's soul listens to the water, to the land and to the animals of Hawaii. He's the head of the Kapu, meaning he’s earned all the respect from his men by being an outstanding leader. I LOVE how Steve, Kono, and Chin respect him. Except for Danny, of course. And Kawika headbutts him in return just as hard and Steve steps aside a bit lost what to do.

Kawika pays that respect back. He's a man of his word. His devotion to what he's doing matches Danny's and Steve's. Other than that, he's the founder of a surf organization who supports kids with cystic fibrosis. He surfs like a god and looks like the sexiest guy. I love him and I always need him close in my stories.

There's this energy wafting around him that draws me close without knowing why. Kawika feels like a rock in a wild storm. He feels the heartbeat of Hawaii in his bones. And this wisdom shows in his eyes. Being there where he is, makes me somehow feel the reason why I'm in this word. (Jesus Christ! Where does this all come from? I mean he's a fictional character… damn, this show really messes with my heart and my sanity. Hahaha, damnit!) I don't want to sound greedy – but surf lessons with this guy? Call me anytime!

4.Mary Ann McGarrett

She went through severe emotional trauma and she struggled a fair bit. I admire Mary for her enthusiasm, for her strength to just move on. Her heart and her soul are wounded. She loves Steve. She was so hurt about the fact that somehow her brother never reached out to her. She has lost contact for ten long years. I guess at one point her older brother morphed into a distant memory until Mary has to return home to Hawaii. She finds out how much she's missed Steve and how deeply she cares for him and how much she loves him. She's not afraid to face the problem head-on.

She's stubborn too, and curious and she follows a lead once her attention is caught. Mary always finds a solution to a problem. She never bothers Steve in a way that he has to pull her out from a problem she can't solve on her own. Only when she's back on the island she gets caught in the crossfire.

Mary has brains, she's clever, she's lippy and talks straight forward to Steve. She has some drinking problems in the beginning, maybe even some drug problems but she deals with it. She's impressed with Steve's achievement in the Navy, but she has some healthy self-confidence. She lacks nothing in cleverness, the ability to put details together, helping Steve to see the bigger picture. And Steve's impressed.

By adopting Joanie Mary gives Steve back this piece of a family that both have been missing for so long. And I love to know Aunt Deb took her under her wings when they went back to the mainland those years ago. And with Mary back in Steve's life there is also Aunt Deb around. I love how Mary is the glue to keep Steve together on a totally different level. She's the past, she's the present and she's the future. She belongs to a bond, the only one that is left from Steve's family and Mary is just there. She's strong and fearless, even if she always ends up in shitty situations, in the beginning, she meets life head-on, walking tall and with her eyes open.

5.Junior Reigns

Junior is a great buddy. He acts somehow as Steve's younger brother. He's Steve's SEAL brother, his ally and Steve's brain twin in tactics and how to carry out an operation, even in the way to see life and to deal with difficult situations. Junior matches Steve's character on so many levels. There is this humbleness, this wish to serve (even though not that devoted as Steve but still it's there), this fierce determination and this thinking of never giving up. Junior is a team buddy. He has a big, soft heart and he loves Steve so much (just as Beulah expressed his love to Alex on SOTB 2018 – this moved me to tears because it was so honest, soul-deep honest).

Junior would take a bullet for Steve at any moment, no matter what. The respect he has for Steve can't be put into words. He worships him in a healthy, glorious way. Junior's soul is pure and full of light and love. I'm convinced that Junior senses a lot what's going on with Steve, but he keeps his distance out of respect. But he always stays somehow close in case Steve needs him in difficult times of emotional duress. Steve trusts Junior with his life.

I love Junior's smile and his wit. I love how he fits into the team and how well he gets along with Tani. He's highly trained and skilled. Junior is a great, outstanding SEAL and a great cop.

6. Aunt Deb

She's love. She's sunshine. She's a pure balm for Steve's sore, hurt heart. She's brim-full of energy and when she appears the sun rises with her. She brings a light mood to every moment. If she's around everything feels kind of safe. And Steve still has a lot of respect for her and listens closely when Aunt Deb has to say something. She's fun and I love her for giving Mary a home when everything fell apart. I wished she would have been more around for Steve. She's good for him. It broke my heart when she died with Steve sitting at her bed.

Aunt Deb is one of the persons who absolutely understood how Steve and Mary suffered. She knows how much they need each other, and she has brought them back together. That's why Mary is a great mother to Joanie and Steve is a proud uncle. Both have back some family. That's so precious.

Aunt Deb is the mother Steve would have needed. From my point of view, she's a key character in Steve's life. I love her way to talk, her way to dress and how she made this bucket list with all the crazy things she wanted to experience before she has to walk over the rainbow bridge.

But most of all, I love the shy, bright smile, this smirk that appears on Steve's face whenever Aunt Deb is around and asks him some serious questions about his tattoo or other topics that make Steve squirm a little.

7. Kono Kalakaua

She's my heroine. She's good-looking but never uses this knowledge unless she works undercover. She surfs like a goddess and she is a close friend to Kawika. She fights like a she-samurai. She has some serious backbone. She clenches her teeth and just gets the job done. She knows what she's capable of and she doesn't want to impress anyone. She's a fully respected member of the team. She loves Steve. He's ohana and Kono respects him deeply, but she also knows that she's equal and she learns a lot from him. She's the rookie only to end up as a damn good, excellent sniper (taught by Steve) and skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

Ohana means everything to Kono and she respects her roots and Hawaii. She empathizes with young girls; victims of violent crimes and she always cares deeply and honestly for other persons. She's passionate. She has brains and I still miss her like a torn off limb.

8.Chin Ho Kelly

He's the embodiment of Zen. I appreciate him even more in the re-watch of the show. His humor is well hidden but bobs on the surface every now and then and he always makes me laugh.

Chin is a rock in a calm sea and he's a rock in a rough sea and he never cares about the sea; he just is the rock. He looks so hot on his motorbike. I love how he knows his way around the island. He's a man of his word and doesn't back down. He lives the tradition of Hawaii and ohana like no one else of the team. He's old-school where a handshake means something. He also lives a code of honor.

I love that he worked with Steve's father, that he was also a quarterback and that Steve shot all his records to hell. They knew each other from Kukui Highschool, and this warms my heart. Chin is a man of his word, absolutely reliable. He grounds Steve and he understands him very well, but he also always knows when to back off. He's a hell of a Five-0 member, a great teammate, and I love to see how he holds his shotgun. Chin doesn't know fear. He's always available. He's a fighter, a warrior and no battle is too nasty for him. Steve trusts him with his life and Chin trusts everyone just as much.

9.Kamekona

I just love this guy! First, he's made one hell of a career. He was a former criminal, got busted and when he was out, he's made a name for himself as a very useful informant for Five-0. He learns to trust the haoles (Steve and Danny) and he got his shit together and became such an incredible entrepreneur for Hawaiian outstanding shrimps. He has built his business step by step from shaved ice to a hot spot for tasty shrimp dishes. I'm impressed. Second, he's loyal, he's ohana and he's Hawaiian.

Steve respects him and Kamekona is always the 'to-got-to' person when they need inside information. He's the connecting element between police and the criminal underworld. Kamekona has eyes and ears everywhere, always. And he looks out for his friends and he's so self-assured in the way he comes up with new ideas for his business no matter how outrageous they are. He believes in himself!

He's cute, funny and so often I would love to sit down on one of those benches and I want him to rant about prices and economics and how it's hard to stay on top in the business. I always start smiling when he's in the picture. And besides, he can take a hard beating with hardly batting an eyelid. Kamekona is tough as nails with a soft heart.

10. Sang Min

He was such a bad guy in the beginning. I loathed the way he was involved in human trafficking. I don't know how he did it, but it's impossible not to like him! He's so devoted to his family and besides this guy cracks me up! He's terrible lippy and daring and the way he pronounces 'spicy' is just legendary. Yeah, Sang Min spices up every scene he's in. He's like a trash show. You start to love him!

Okay, anon, that’s my essay for you. Thank you so much for asking me this question. Of course, there are many more I love so much. But these ten characters do something to my heart when I see them on screen. Mahalo for your interest and have a great one.

#anon #ask #h50 #answered #i'm always a bit over the top #long post #i had fun to think about the characters and why i love them #thank you anon #and thanks all the artists for the great gifs #Anonymous

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koganphrancis · 6 years ago

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Camless Episode 4

(gif credit: winifred-burkle)

It’s a landmark episode and not a lot happens, as always. If they didn’t have the fact it was the 100th episode to talk about, they’d pretty much have nothing at all. Another episode without bringing up Terror (yay!), another episode without sex or a titty shot (shock!), another episode where we learn nothing about wtf is going on with Ian (yawn). I HAD thought the show had managed to wrap up 3 storylines, but then I saw spoilers online last night that would indicate at least 2 of them will go on :( Spoilers and not much else under the cut.

Ian got the “here’s what you missed” again this week, which I’m taking as another sign Cam is nearing the swan song ;) But, ugh,the opening wasn’t funny-or understandable-at all. Cam’s standing in front of a busload of extras they must’ve bussed in from a local Chicago school of modeling to portray Gay Jesus supporters, he’s wearing his “God Loves Fags” T shirt and says, “What the fuck were you doing last week that was more important than watching Shameless? Protesting homophobia and bigotry? Damn right you were.” WTF? If people weren’t watching Shameless last week they were exercising good taste, not “protesting” somewhere at 9 PM on a Sunday-or does he mean not watching this shit show is a protest against homophobia and bigotry? That actually does make sense. I apologize ;P

Liam Whatever the point was of aging him and doing a time jump after Monica died went out the window last night when Liam is approached by some public school teachers about his placement for the next school year. Liam is afraid he’s going to be kept back, but they assure him it’s the opposite, they want to move him up. He asks if he’ll be put in 3rd grade, but they say they want to try him in 6th. But if Liam thought skipping a grade would put him in 3rd, that means currently he’s in 1st and the oldest that would make him right now is 7. The fuck? The only reason I’m talking about any of this is because that’s how lame the show is now.

Carl Lip FINALLY says something to him about the dogs smelling up the whole house. And then shockingly Ian and Carl have a conversation about the dogs too-and West Point. But of course this is the year of the Gallagher house seeming weird and creepy, so the conversation takes place with a very catatonic-like Ian sitting on the basement steps in weird shadows whilst Carl feeds the dogs. The brotherly convo goes like this: Ian: Sure they wouldn’t have been better off if you just gassed them like you were supposed to? Carl: I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I: How are you going to order men (note to JW-women can serve in the armed forces now too, even in combat) to kill the enemy if you can’t put down a couple of old dogs? That’s what officers do-order men (!!!) to kill. What did you think they were gonna teach you at West Point? Marching cadences? C: Is that what Gay Jesus would do? I: What, kill old dogs? Hell no, Gay Jesus is all about inclusion and grace, but you’re not looking to get into heaven. You want to lead lean mean murdering machines. (DID ANYONE EVER THINK THAT WAS IAN’S GOAL IN GOING TO WEST POINT? LEADING KILLING MACHINES TO THEIR DEATHS? I HATE YOU, JOHN WELLS!) If you can’t kill a couple of old dogs might be the time to start considering teaching kindergarten? Nursing school?

On that note, he gets up and walks away. Let me interject another rant here-since WHEN is Ian this insensitive sexist jerk who would think of jobs/careers in terms of things real men do vs. traditionally (in the dark ages) “feminine” jobs? John Wells is a fucking dinosaur that needs to be educated-fucking teaching and nursing jobs are as difficult as soldiering, plus these days they’re expecting teachers to start protecting classrooms with weapons. He’s such a dumb fuck!

And also-I bet this is the only time Ian will speak to Carl about West Point and we’ll never know how he truly felt about watching Carl grasp at the dream he once had. Way to blow the opportunity.

There’s a whole stupid side story about Carl and the kid who originally was getting the West Point letter of recommendation. In another add it to the list of “read the room, school kids arranging to shoot each other isn’t funny, you fucking out of touch white males” plots, Carl needs to get his “killing mojo” back so he goes to visit a local veteran. I can’t even begin to guess if Wells was trying to make some commentary about PTSD or if he was just using the poor guy for laughs (this is Shameless, as they love to remind us, so I’m guessing Wells was just going for yuks). The show makes its at least THIRD joke using tattoos as a punchline, and-just like with Mickey and Ian-it fails to be funny. Get new material, you untalented hack! Sorry I keep yelling at John Wells-what a waste if he’s not actually reading this ;)

In Carl’s showdown with the other kid, Wells turns that kid into a poetry-spouting “pansy” at the last second. The kid can’t bring himself to shoot Carl, so he shoots himself in the thigh saying his warmonger dad can’t make him enlist in the Marines now even if he’s not going to West Point. I’m sitting at home wondering if the idiot nicked his femoral artery and is about to bleed out. Carl says the self inflicted wound is just a flesh wound and they’ll be able to tell, so the kid starts blabbering poetry and Carl shoots him in the other thigh to shut him up. The kid thanks him and Carl walks away. Now I’m convinced that second shot had to hit the femoral artery and no one’s calling 911 and I bet the kid dies and Carl’s path to West Point is now strewn with his body and Kassidi’s.

Debbie I can’t...I’ll try, I’ll try to be brief, because it’s all meaningless. After spending one night together, Alex says they should live together (because that’s what ALL wacky lesbians do, they move right in), and Debs says yes. They get to have a cute domestic breakfast scene that by rights should’ve gone to Mickey and Ian, but I digress. Debbie goes out and buys “lesbian” outfits, which to me just seemed like they were making fun of HER-of course she’s going to hit the mall, she’s just a teenager! She doesn’t have to be the spokeswomen of lesbians everywhere. This show has a knack of mocking the wrong things at the wrong times. It’s their shitty writing, not teen spending habits, that’s ridiculous here.

The next time we see them, they’re in bed again, and Alex is filling Debbie in on her past serious relationships, and then Wells gives Debbie a speech about all the dudes she slept with and it’s so much more cringe-worthy thinking about the fact he wrote it. Plus it’s another “relationship retcon” speech since Debbie doesn’t mention that every other time she’s had sex it was a form of rape. Matty (who Wells has Debbie say had a “big dick”) wasn’t conscious (and, btw, John, a 12 year old virgin-which is the oldest Debbie could’ve been at the time with all your screwing around with her still being 16 last year-wouldn’t be all that enthusiastic about “big dicks” for her very 1st time), Derrick (who she lied to about birth control-if he had slipped off a condom right before entering her that would be rape and this case is also-Wells says he had a great body and really knew what he was doing), and the guy she crossed state lines with who was obviously over 21 if he could rent a hotel room in Missouri, PLUS she was drugged and unable to give consent-that dude’s a two for! Debbie doesn’t mention him, since she can’t remember him, I guess. She brings up Neil, but says being with him was just financial (she doesn’t bother to say he just watched while she did things to herself. But hey, if they had had sex, that would’ve been another case of statutory!) Anyway, then Wells has Debbie spout off about what having sex with another “girl” is like and Alex gets more and more dejected. She’s just now seeing that Debbie’s not gay? We’re supposed to feel sorry for her? When in the previous episode which SEEMS to have taken place the day before (or a couple of weeks, tops, if you’re going by Liam’s time line) Alex said right out loud that she knew Debbie was straight? WHY IS THIS SHOW SO DUMB? We haven’t gotten to know Alex well enough to have sympathy for her regardless, but they made the point of letting us know she KNEW going in Debbie is straight. And of course in John Wells’ world, there’s no such thing as bisexuals, so...

Deb and Alex “break up” (who cares?) and I thought that would be the end of Alex and Debbie’s gay storyline, but no-sounds like they’re going to be the new Ian and Terror-next week “Debbie tries to repair things with Alex” according to Spoiler TV. NOOOOO! I wanted that to be one of my three wrapped up storylines!

Debbie comes back into the Gallagher kitchen, dragging her baby carriage and pillow with her and crying her heart out. None of the siblings appear very concerned-this is the new Shameless, a bunch of strangers occasionally bumping into each other. The biggest “shocker” of the scene is the family is eating Popeye’s instead of KFC. Another jolt that we don’t even know these people anymore, LOL.

Lip I can’t...I just don’t understand the motivation to try to make Xan part of his life when he doesn’t seem to be bonding with her in the least. He asks her if she’d want to stay with him if her mom never comes back-but doesn’t tell the kid why HE wants her to stay or ask Xan why she would want to stay when she says okay. The story is hollow and no one seems to try to be filling it with any substance.

There’s a couple of scenes at the motorcycle shop and it’s so obvious Lip and Brad have no idea what they’re doing-they always just grab wrenches and poke at bike parts with them. Last night Lip kept using the ratchet wrench-I think JAW must like the noise it makes.

Lip sells the bike he restored to get money to buy parental rights from Xan’s mom, and it’s just creepy? Why would the mom know to trust him? I’m still not even convinced WE should trust him-sharing a room with her is creepy af. Anyway, Xan comes running up when Lip’s trying to get the mom to make the deal (and why is Xan out unsupervised in the middle of the night on a dark South Side street? Even if she did “just” sneak out to look for her mom, this is a clear example that Lip isn’t father of the year, that he’s not meeting the bare minimum requirements as a guardian), and the mom drops to hug Xan because it’s the 100th episode and these two characters we barely know should get the big emotional scene? Anyway, Lip drops the check and runs, overwhelmed by an actual show of emotion, no doubt. THIS was the 2nd storyline I was hoping would be over, but then TMZ reported that the actress who plays Xan has been signed for Season 10. Which, BTW, still hasn’t been officially announced and that just seems weird that they haven’t. What is Showtime waiting for?

Fiona Ugh, she was worse than ever this week. Can’t believe these are her waning days-it truly seems like Wells is out to punish her. Fi is on the toilet as Bored brushes his teeth. Fiona goes right from flushing to brushing her teeth WITHOUT WASHING HER HANDS. It was so gross-I hope next episode she and Bored have pink eye and mouth thrush. (Fi also touches her lip after putting on lipstick-still without the benefit of soap.) They still have no fucking chemistry, and they start talking about the election which of course they don’t see eye to eye on. Then Fi goes to Patsy’s for the first time in forever and Wells gets to recycle the Fi vs Ian fight over gentrification from last season by having Fi on the opposite side of Frank’s candidate, although they don’t bother to give us any face-to-face interaction. Which is just fine, since the election storyline was boring and weak anyway.

Fi is a total...I don’t even know the word-what do you call a boss who doesn’t allow their workers their freedom as voters? She tells the waitresses to take off their buttons supporting their candidate and that there can be “no electioneering” at the workplace, but puts up a poster for her guy and offers free pie to anyone who puts on one of his buttons. Would she ever really be that clueless and such a bully? Does anyone care anymore?

Later, Fiona goes to the Alibi and has a conversation with Vee where she basically says, “This is what Ford is telling me to think this week...” Fiona says she wants to vote for the guy against rent control, the businessman And Vee points out that “the businessman” in Washington isn’t working out too great. Ooh, Shameless, rushing in with the timely political commentary! (There will be more too, ugh.)

When Fi shows up at her (or a?) polling place, there’s a rumble going on and Wells has her throw one punch to show us she’s still “South Side”, I guess. It was gratuitous. It did not remind us of the show’s glory days, it was a thrown in pointless moment that was so outrageously just tacked on.

In Fiona’s final scene this week, Bored walks into the apartment building with his massive wooden toolbox reminding us he’s a massive tool, and Fiona tells him how she changed her vote, they kiss, and women’s rights are set back another 100 years. Oh, and Bored still squints A LOT delivering his lines. Emmy seems to open hers even wider, probably unconsciously trying to get the other actor to at least try to keep his open once in a while...

Veronica and Kevin There was some more truly awful “rape jokes” this week. Rape is never going to be funny, and with the week this country suffered through last week-plus the fact that it’s still ongoing-I really wish they had just deleted all the Alibi scenes. Kev makes up a scoreboard or bingo sheet (it isn’t clear) of all the “types” of rapey behavior that can now be shorthanded into a celebrity’s name. I won’t even justify the “joke” with some examples. And then KEVIN becomes a sought-after consultant to make other South Side bars less rapey because he’s the white man running the Alibi and Vee is...not.

Frank is in the episode more than I’m going to talk about, but suffice it to say I do truly believe his election storyline is over (one out of three is not good enough, Shameless! Wrap up the boring shit that’s going nowhere and do something with the other shit that’s also going nowhere!) Mo wins the election, and Wells has a reporter say it’s because voters were afraid to say they were bigots in polls. Which again, this show is too narrow to try to address larger issues-if that’s Wells’ theory why Trump won, it doesn’t explain how “bigoted voters” elected Obama twice. Try making the world a better place, Wells. Yes, there is racism and idiot bigotry here, but there was just something smug about how he justified his fictional political outcome. There was a scene where Frank’s asking some of the Gallaghers if they’re voting-Carl says he’s too young, Lip says he’s not registered, and Ian says, “What’s the point?” And that pissed me off too, because we’re having Gay Jesus shoved down our throats, but then Wells seems to be saying Ian won’t bother to vote and would rather blow shit up. Again, the kid that ORIGINALLY had the dream to serve his country by going to West Point. And fucking Lip-what, he’s too “smart” to think voting matters?

(Also in that scene, Ian was eating peanut butter toast, but still no sign of his pill bottles. Cam actually took a bite of the toast, if that type of dedication to his craft matters to anyone.)

The post credits “joke” was a pedo joke about Mo. Fuck you, John Wells.

The only thing Frank was good for this week was to lead us back to Mickey’s house. As so often with this show, I have to forget context (good thing I’ve had plenty of practice, I guess?) and I will fully admit that when I saw Mickey’s little castle of a house I teared up a little. It was like seeing an old friend.

But then of course they had to ruin it by Frank knocking on the door, we hear Terry yelling and hitting a dog named Adolf (they put a yelp in and everything) and Terry opens the door wielding a baseball bat that brought Negan and Jeffery Dean Morgan to mind-I hope that was a shout out to him. The bat had nails in embedded in it instead of barbed wire, but close enough. Best not to imagine how much cooler the show might have been with JDM instead of Sean, sigh.

A much funnier joke than anything they did give us about Mo White would’ve been to have Frank ask Terry, “Still have a connection with Russians? I have an election to rig.”

Finally we get to Ian but just because he had more screen time this week doesn’t mean we’re any closer to knowing anything. And I was going to bust Cameron for acting very sleepy and out of it in all of his scenes, but then I realized that’s pretty much how all the Gallagher kids actors have been acting, except for Fiona (and I’d say she’s trying too hard sometimes. There’s also been lots of scenes so far where it seems like she’s phoning it in-but of course they’re giving her shit to do).

Anyway, things this episode start in the Gallagher kitchen, Ian groans when he sees the coffee’s all gone, and says he’s not sleeping-he got too used to all the noise in jail, it’s too quiet here. Well, bitch, the house was always lively when the Milkovich siblings were there too, work on getting them back...

Lip asks him if he met his public defender yet and Ian says Geneva and the Gay Jesus donors got him a lawyer, “rich, queer, too much time on his hands since same sex marriage got fixed.” Um, why is Ian sounding so put out with the guy without even meeting him? What’s this superiority complex?

Later Ian walks into GJ church HQ and he’s limping, but I don’t think it’s a continuity error, I think they probably just had him film scenes out of order that day and I think he went a little too hard, LOL. Anyway, the GJ kids applaud and Geneva hugs him-she’s into it, he’s not. At the HQ they’re making silk screen shirts with Ian’s face and Gay Jesus signs. Geneva is once again spouting out statistics, saying how wildly popular the movement is, 77,000 followers in the past five days-One Direction at their height was gaining popularity around the globe like that, not this Gay Jesus shit. Ian doesn’t seem to be listening too closely to what she’s spewing, and when two body-builder women walk by he asks Geneva who they are. She says they’re part of the lesbian legion from an MMA gym and adds, “Your gays turned out to be too sweet to handle security.” Whatever-they keep trying to act like there’s all this dynamic action happening off screen-NO ONE CARES since all we ever see is Ian moping around, looking like Cameron has a headache.

Next time we see Ian he’s walking around outside in his red kicks (really wish we knew the significance of those-are they supposed to be like Jesus’ sandals? What happened in the cut scene where he left them in the aisle last season? I only want to know because the show seems to think they mean SOMETHING)-anyway, where’s Ian going? Why? We’re never told-great storytelling this ain’t, kids. A van slows up next to him and a guy leans out and says, “You’re Ian, right? Gay Jesus?” How did the guys in the van know where Ian would be walking? Do they just circle the Gay Jesus church hoping he’ll come out? Again, we’ll never know. The guy continues, “I’ve been watching your videos with my friends. The burning vans, the sermons-it’s inspiring.” Ian says thanks. The guy says, “You really think that’s what Jesus was teaching?” Ian says, “Inclusion, love, acceptance for all? Yeah, absolutely.” Then the van guy says, “You don’t think God sees homosexual bestiality as a sinful perversion of His divine creations?” Ian’s confused, says, “What?”, sees the sliding panel door of the van open, and takes off running, jumping over fences and at some point in his getaway, pulling some muscle in his tight jeans.

Next time we see Ian he’s sitting alone in the Gallagher kitchen nursing a beer and his thigh. (No Bible this time-no sign of his pills either.) Lip comes in and asks him if he’s okay and Ian says he maybe pulled a hamstring running from homophobes. Lip says, “I guess there’s nothing new about that, right?” and you wonder just when he stopped caring so completely about his brother.

Ian doesn’t bother to answer, sips his beer instead. After a minute he quietly asks Lip, “Think you could do hard time?” Lip: In prison? Uh...rather not. I: Gay Jesus kids don’t want me to cop a plea. Want me to take it to trial. Get as much publicity for the cause as I can. L: What’s your lawyer say? I: Could be looking at 10-15 if I don’t take a deal. (Me at home, screaming at the TV: WHAT ARE THE CHARGES? WHY CAN’T THEY EVER TELL US ANYTHING? WHAT ARE THEY SAYING YOU DID THAT’S ON PAR WITH MICKEY’S BULLSHIT ATTEMPTED 2ND DEGREE MURDER SENTENCE????)

Lip, rather than saying ANYTHING to the brother he’s closest to about maybe not giving up his entire young adulthood to a cause, not saying something like, “You’d be older than the real Jesus got to live till by the time you get out”, not saying if he thinks Ian’s an idiot if he’s even questioning doing hard time in a bad place, no, rather than that, he takes his coffee out of the microwave and comes around the counter to the same side as Ian and says, “You ah, hearing from Shim again?” I: Sometimes. (Me at home: WHAT? WHEN? What does that look like when it happens?) L: Well, what does Shim think? I: Unclear. (Oh, Ian, are you kidding me? All this time you thought you were talking to god but you’ve just been playing with a Magic 8 Ball?) L: Xan’s mom showed up today. (Guess we’re done talking about Ian then!) She’s a junkie. Hookin’... I: What are you going to do? L: I don’t know. I: Maybe you should try asking Shim. L: Maybe.

End scene. So again, we get tantalizingly close to a discussion about what might be going on inside Ian’s head-is he getting it? That the Gay Jesus movement is just using him at this point? Or does he really think going to prison as the highly recognizable face of said movement is going to work out somehow-other than him not dying a painful and brutal death? And why can’t Lip give enough of a shit to at least ask him not to go? Fuuuuuuck.

Next Ian’s back at GJ HQ. Geneva comes in and says she didn’t see him come in. He says he came in the back-all the hugging and applause when he comes in the front is kinda weird. Since Geneva is the only one who ever hugs him, I hope she’s getting the hint. He’s looking over the “Free Gay Jesus” posters.

Ian: What is this? Geneva: Couple of the arty kids are working out a few ideas for if you do end up in prison. I: Couple assholes in a van chased me last night. Apparently they’re not very big fans of my interpretation of Bible verse. G: Fuckers. I’ll get you a couple of lesbian legion body guards. They’d love nothing more than to a chance to stomp homophobes. (Because, yeah, THAT was Jesus’ message.) Ian holds up a Che Jesus shirt with an unintentionally hilarious graphic of him wearing a beret-Showtime probably thinks fans want to buy them (I wrote these notes before Steve Howey tweeted he wants one last night. It got less than a thousand likes, and I bet that number would be less than half if Cam hadn’t replied).

I: Think any of this is gonna end up making a difference? G: Ian, you’ve given thousands of gay and lesbian teenagers a voice. (Insert Mickey gif of “Not really tho” here.) You’ve inspired us to stand up and fight for ourselves.

So much wrong with so much of that. First of all, is Geneva LGBT? She was a runaway who ran away from having to give blowjobs, right, not because her parents kicked her out for being LGBT? And she’s been crushing on Ian since Day 1, so, probably not “L”, and Wells clearly doesn’t believe in “B”, so who is Geneva to say “us”? And next, IF Ian/Gay Jesus has given kids “a voice”, what is he saying for them-are the teens really into his whole “Jesus was a junkie”, “my god is non-binary” shouting that they haven’s shown since last year? Don’t teens get bored and move on to the next thing when their idols aren’t doing anything new? Lastly, she says they are standing up and fighting for themselves-where, when, how?

I: Know what I was thinking when I was running away from those bastards? (Me at home: NO! We never know what you’re thinking! That’s the whole damn problem with your storylines!) It’s been 2000 years since Jesus died on the cross and I’m still running for my life down an alley because I fall in love with men instead of women. (No, Ian, you’ve only ever loved one (1) man-fucking admit that for once and then get on with your life. That line should’ve been “have sex with”, no one deserves to be chased down for that either, and it wouldn’t have made me exasperated with Ian over the whole “love” thing, which is a separate issue this show fucking needs to handle before it’s all said and done with Ian.)

Then one of the GJ kids comes in to report there’s a bunch of Nazi’s keeping people from getting to one of the polls and we don’t see Ian again this episode. But again, I hope that they’re finally having him wake up to the fact that NO ONE cares about him. The family has washed its hands of him, the Gay Jesus followers WANT him to go to prison (and probably die) and be a martyr for the cause. Time to ask yourself who is the only person who ever looked at you and actually saw you there, Ian. The only person to look you in the eye and say, “I love you.”

#Recap #Camless Episode 4 #Season Nein #Nobody wants it

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glassbonesandpaperskin33-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Rant about community housing.

If you're a young mom in need of shelter that resides in the Vancouver WA/ Clark County area. Do NOT live at Vida's Ark. It's a Christian program run by Transitional Youth. Who are wonderful people by the way.

Unfortunately not everyone can be a good person. The House Mom, we'll call her Karen. ( Not her real name) who lives there is a conniving narcissists. The toxicity of this will probably haunt me for life.

I moved into the home in October 2017, I was 5.5 months pregnant at the time. The lease was up on my apartment and my baby daddy was slacking on finding a place for us to live. So my house nurse suggested me the place.

I took it as my last option and began to live there. I thought that I was only renting a room but turns out Karen had a list of rules which comes with a list of chores to do each day and all day. Including back breaking chores such as bending down to clean walls and lift heavy objects such as trash and laundry.

Again I was pregnant so I wasn't supposed lift or bend, especially in late trimester. Despite it all, I still did her list of chores. To be nagged at about resting and sleeping.

A few months fly by and she makes me walk miles and miles to places, bus stop to bus stop, in the winter. My legs hurt to the point where I can hardly walk and even sometimes fell. The doctor tells me to rest, Karen doesn't care. I'm still forced to do what she wants. I had nowhere else to live so I deal with it.

In April I give birth to my son. The delivery was hell. I was in labor for 3 days, I ended up with high blood pressure, high pulse rate and I tore. My son had a swollen nose and was breathing funny with that a swollen head. I spend a total of 5 days in the hospital. Came in on the 3rd to be induced, came home the 8th.

Once I got home, I was demanded to lift objects such as trash and clean her entire bathroom. If you've even given birth you know that you're not supposed to be active, especially the first week.

A few days later Karen has the nerve to tell me that I need to go back to work or sign up for college classes immediately and put my son in daycare. I confront her and say " I just spent most of the week in the hospital, the doctors told me to rest" she replies "well I think that was a little too extreme" I was honestly astounded by how much she did not care.

Nothing mattered to this woman aside from her clean house and her vacation time. If you crossed her in any way she ruined you. And it was horrifying.

My 16 year old roommate who was from the Foster Care system, refused to do her chores. So Karen called her caseworker, accusing her of neglecting her infant son. Nearly having her baby removed from her custody. None of this was true, I was with her the entire time. That very evening, she ran off and was never seen again.

A month later another girl Ariel ( Not her real name) moves in. This is where it goes to hell in a hand basket. And takes a turn for the worst.

At first Ariel seems ok. Until one day I get my son down for a nap, I go to the bathroom. Within a few minutes my son screams at the top of his lungs in pain. I hear footsteps running, I open the door and Ariel is hauling ass back into her room and slamms the door.

I rush back to my room to get my son who's still crying and comfort him, I check for marks and don't see any thankfully. I lock my door and never have my son out of my sight for the time being.

Being too afraid to report it, I keep silent. I don't let my son be touched or held by anyone and kept him in my range. Even with Karen nagging at me all the time for not putting the baby down.

A few weeks pass, Ariel and the other roomate go to camp. I find my EBT card missing from my purse. I report it to Karen, she tells me to call Fred Meyers customer service to see if I left it. I call, they don't have it.

Ariel comes home from camp and starts accusing me of stealing "her" cereal. Which was a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, I bought from WinCo that I've been eating out of for over a week.

Karen jumps to her side and tells me not to eat other people's food blah blah. I try to explain that it's actually mine, she doesn't listen. A few hours later Ariel's garlic bread goes missing. I'm the blame for eating it although I didn't touch it.

Karen's up my ass of course! And I tell her I think Ariel stole my card. She calls me a fool and that " Ariel doesn't steal" she tells me to clean out my room, I do so. The card is nowhere to be found.

I contact my father who was with me at the time when I used it. He confirms that he saw me put it back.

A few more weeks pass, this drama continues. Karen finally goes on vacation. Ariel finds her pasta half empty in the fridge with a Tupperware lid inside. Of course I'm accused of eating it although I didn't. We text Karen who's already in Southern Oregon if she took some she says "no".

Of course now I look like I'm pigging out on Ariel's food. I continue to tell her it was Karen. She doesn't believe me because Karen is vegan and doesn't eat meat. Now I look bad an am framed.

I become a total target of Karen and Ariel. Rumors are spread about me. Claiming I was talking shit about the other house mate, we'll call her Nora. She heard me talking on the phone to a friend earlier that day. It had nothing to do with Nora, she made it up on her own.

Of course I'm confronted about this lie Ariel is telling. I'm explain that it isn't true. And Ariel continues to bring up "her " cereal that I ate. I'm forced to apologize to Ariel about the stupid cereal and for accusing her of stealing my card in the group meeting we had. I receive no apology from Ariel for the rumor.

In September a $50.00 bag worth of clothes and shoes I haven't even used yet goes missing from my room. I report it to the case manager, we'll call her Charlotte. Charlotte goes through my room and finds nothing.

Ariel refuses to let anyone check her room, because Nora and I were blaming her. I was told I was being toxic and making accusations. 2 days later I find my bag in my file box that's a few inches high that's been sitting at the edge of my bed the entire time.

I tell Charlotte that I found my stuff, I look in the bag and one of my shirts are damp. I tell them that, I get shut out and get forced to apologize to Ariel. Hmm makes me wonder why Charlotte didn't notice the bag before.

And last but not least some of my food goes missing. No one believes me so I write " touch my food and you won't see daylight again" on a Mac and cheese box to prove she's doing it. Soon enough Ariel reports me for threatening her and no one wonders why she's been in my food in the first place.

While my point was proven. I get called a monster by Karen. I told her and Charlotte that I don't care, I'm tired of spending money so she can take things. They ignore me and tell me why I shouldn't threaten people blah blah blah.

I eventually tell Charlotte what happened that day when I saw Ariel run out of my room. She gives me an odd look and ask " was she comforting him?" I told her no he was asleep and I heard him screaming.

I know my son's cries. He's pretty loud but I've never heard him cry like that unless he gets his vaccinations or gets hurt in general. He was only 4.5 months old at the time and in a crib so he wasn't able to hurt himself. Plus he doesn't really cry unless he wants me.

It finally got on my nerves when I found my food destroyed in my cubby we had in the fridge. My eggs were crushed, unopened blueberries were dumped and my bacon was open. I asked Nora if her two year old son got into my fridge. She said no and that he didn't go near the fridge. Prior to that I told Karen and she said that it was most likely the toddler. I gave up, I couldn't take it.

Two days later Ariel puts a bowl of rotten strawberries in my cubby. I ask about it and she says "maybe you should've thrown it away" and then starts yelling at me about "her" food. I snap and say that I'll beat her ass.

Nora yells and says that she's gonna tell Charlotte and Karen and I'm gonna get kicked out. And yes I got kicked out! And I'm super relieved I did.

The reason why I'm writing this is because it's been 3 months and Karen continues to tell my house nurse that I'm "hearing voices" which isn't true. My nurse, I'll call her Deb evaluated me twice and she found nothing wrong.

She called and tried convince my older sister that I did this because I don't like Ariel and never have and that I need mental help. Then told my younger sister that I need to be on meds. No one bought her crap so she's still on my case. I blocked her from my phone and social media so she can't harass me so she goes through Deb.

Anyway, I know a lot of people including single moms struggle with housing. But Teen Parents/ Single Moms need support not to be treated as inadequate by a program leader.

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iammarylastar · 6 years ago

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3. Back to the U.S.

I’m dead. After I’ve travelled more than half of the world, I’ve finally reached Washington. So much wasted time which had kept me away from Angie, more than 10 fucking months. It already took me forever to heal from my wounds and be able to walk again. Thanks to the help and good care of Mikomi.

Hope. That’s what her name meant. That’s what she gave me. That’s what helped me to stay alive, what gave me the strength to go on, along with the sweet memories of Angie’s face.

Hope is exactly what left me as I put my feet on the ground. Sacred ground of United States of America. The land that bore me. And Angie. Maybe my child if I’m lucky.

I left Mikomi and her dad, on a fishing boat heading to China. Not really, in those times of war, Japanese and Chinese were like cats and dogs. I’m already lucky I landed on that tiny island where Sensei and his people lived like in the 17th century, they even don’t have electricity. They live in their own world, far from the war.

The ship’s master kicked me out on a Chinese island in the middle of nowhere in the East China Sea, then I sailed from tiny islands to tiny islands until I reached China.

I managed to find a cargo ship heading to America. U.S.A. Read on my lips: U.S.A. My Japanese was quite decent, but my Chinese totally non-existent and I I swear when I found out I’d landed in California, I cried my eyes out. Fucking fate.

My original plan was to land somewhere on the East Coast, then ride a train, a bike or a fucking horse to Washington, where I could gather clues to find out what had happened to Angie. Or Jessie. I was even ready to face Gessepp again if he was back in the Mother land and beg him on my knees, even kiss his bloody ass to know where she lived.

I ’d rather ask the War Department which was supposed to have all the slightest information available about that damn war, all the shit about our base included.

I struggled so much to make myself understood on that Chinese pier, unable to even write U.S.A. with current letters, those damn Chinese hieroglyphs still totally unknown to me. My face lightened at the sweet and weird sound, rolling off that Asian’ s tongue:

“America? Yes, there!” OK, he didn’t really say that, but enthusiastically nodded his head, pointing at a big ship. My tired brain was so relieved and happy that it assumed the boat was heading to the East Coast. Fuck. Me.

San Francisco was beautiful though but I didn’t have time for tourism. I had to survive, find a job to have money, clothes and somewhere to sleep. I did dirty jobs, exhausting physical works; I was alternatively a beggar, a cow boy, a farm hand, a thief, whatever I could do to earn my keep. Keep going. Keep walking. Keep dreaming of Angie and my baby. I made my way across the country, heading East by foot, sometimes hitchhiking, sneaking into a freight train when I was lucky. I never rested, I never stopped, until I finally reached Washington.

Now, I’m losing my nerves at the War Dept, South East Asia sector office, biting my lips bloody as the bitch in front of me repeats her shit for the umpteenth time.

“I’m sorry, but it’s classified as…”

“ I don’t give a fuck about classified! I risked my goddamn life in Japan to save your bloody American ass, I’ve travelled the whole country by foot to be here, so just give me the fucking answer I need! Where is She?? ”

She startles as I slam violently my palm on the desk, marking each word I’m barking so I’m sure she fucking gets the point. I’m aware the whole hall turns silent and feel a thousand sets of eyes stabbing my back but I don’t care. I keep staring at her with a murderous glare, leaning half my upper body over the desk, pointing a threatening forefinger to her face.

I’ve wasted a whole week, getting sent from offices to offices, from stupid to haughty or suspicious secretaries, claiming I had no appointment, no military ID, no reason to be here.

Fuck me I have all the reasons to be here. I have one. I lost the love of my life and my survival, the only chance I get to have her back, depends on you, bitch! But all I’ve earned by now are closed doors and mouths.

Oh, I forgot, one smart ass asked me if I was a deserter, another told me that I could be stamped “fit for duty” if I couldn’t submit any evidence of a “serious injury”. I laughed so hard she almost sent me to an insane asylum.

The truth is there’s nothing to be happy about. Angelina McCarthy just doesn’t exist in their files, all that’s Colonel Gessepp related is marked secret. Mac, Louie, Phil and myself are MIA, assumés KIA, end of story.

“Sir, I’m asking you to step back and calm down or I’ll call the security guards.” The frightened bitch barely whispers, swallowing hard. Jesus I wish she would choke on her spit.

Two shadows appear behind my back and I feel defeated, I know that being thrown to jail is not the best option to get Angie back.

“OK…” I drop my head and lean my hands on the desk for a second, waiting for the weakness in my knees and the bile rising in my throat to pass.

“FUCK!” I grip and pull on my hair as I howl in frustration, kicking out the chair I was supposed to sit on.

I told you I’m dead. This is the end of the road. No hope left. I could knock at every single door across the whole country, asking for Angie, looking for her but I’m so tired. I just want to lie down on the ground, curl up like a baby and sleep for the next 50 years.

“CUP! CUUUP!” A scream. A call. A female voice. I turn around to the sound, terrified by what I’m about to face. Who I am about to face. That’s not Angie’s voice, I’m sure of it, though her voice could have changed, by dint of cries.

My sight is still blurry with tears and rage, but a woman is running towards me, calling my name out loud.

I have no choice but let the hysterical stranger jump on me, kiss my face and hug me, her face widened in shock that I was back from the dead. Which I actually am.

“Oh Jesus, Cup, is it really you?” She asks between cries, patting my cheeks and shoulders.

I know that voice. I know those hands. Stop crying on my chest so I can see your face. I gently pull the woman back to study her face. I lost some parts of my life because of the crash, but not her. Debrah.

“Step back guys. It’s OK. He’s with me.” She orders to the guards who surround us, waving her ID card that proved she works here.

“ Cup, what the fuck happened to you? We all thought you were dead.”

“Yeah, I thought it myself. But I survived. But tell me, please Deb, tell me about Angie. Is she safe? Does she live here in America?”

“Come with me. We need to talk. We need a drink. You need to know.” She states, grabbing my hand and dragging me outside.

It was a long talk. A fucking long disaster. I wish I haven’t survive just to hear this. And the dozen of cups of coffee I downed hasn’t helped me to calm my nerves.

“ We all waited for your plane to come back. Everything was ready for the wedding. Angie has been waiting for you in her wedding dress for hours. All eyes scrutinized the skies until dark. Past midnight, we lost hope. It’s been too long. You were supposed to be back around 5, and for the first hours, it was still OK. You never know how long a mission could last. The crowd started to leave but I stayed with her. And Mac and Phil’s girlfriends. Then it was done. The other pilots stated you should be lost, crashed, that at this time the plane was out of gas anyway.”

“ Two engines died, there was no chance to fly back. I don’t know what happened to the others.” I explain.

“ There must be survivors, the lifeboat was found few days later. Empty. I’m sorry Cup.”

As sad as I feel knowing that my bros were likely dead, there’s only one life I want to hear about.

“Gessepp showed up on the tarmac and dismissed everyone, yelling the party was over. He summoned Angie to go home but she didn’t budge. She has stood up there, clung to her bride’s bouquet for 3 days. She never cried.” “ She broke down the morning of the third day, dissolved in tears. Jessica came to bring her home and she has disappeared for weeks. I tried to visit her, despite my fear of the Colonel, but nobody answered at the door. Marla managed to have some news but they were so bad. As expected, she was devastated. She stopped talking, stopped eating and was just waiting to die of grief.”

As Debrah goes on speaking, I feel my chest tightening, my heart crying as bad as my eyes. Angie, my love letting herself starve, willing to die. No. Please no.

“After a month, the doc forced her to the hospital. That’s where they found out… Oh Cup, how could I tell you?” Debrah wipes her tears and grabs my hands.

“She was pregnant, wasn’t she?” I knew it from the beginning, I knew about my baby girl. Oh fuck, a month of starvation and grief should have killed them both.

“Yes, how do you know about that?” I can’t answer but try a shy smile. I felt it. I knew.

“She was so weak but the baby made it. She decided to live for that. To have your baby, so you would be alive somehow. We were just a few in the secret, she made me swear to never tell anyone.”

My face lightens at the news, but Debrah bursts into more tears and tries to speak between sobs and cries.

“ She resumed eating and gained weight back. It was hard without you but she managed to smile, laughed sometimes. She was on her second trimester when… When…”

“What? Fuck Deb, what happened?” I’m losing my mind. I know it’s bad, I know the story will end with my baby… gone but I need to hear it from her mouth.

She covers her face with her palms, leaving mines naked and cold.

“ She started to show and… Gessepp… he found out she was pregnant. He lost his shit and turned furious. It was Sunday, we were having a picnic after the office. He barged in in the meadow next to the church, totally enraged, calling her a whore and all that shit, saying you lied and fucked her before marriage. He was screaming like a damned maniac, and…” Her cries increase and she has to gasp for air before she’s able to speak again.

“He beat her up, Jesus, he couldn’t stop yelling and kicking her belly. Some guys tried to intervene and protect Angie but he threatened them to death, yelling he was a fucking Colonel and that nobody could get in his way without paying the consequences.”

Tell me about it. That’s exactly what he said to me that day he almost killed Angie at the café. And I cowardly stayed still and denied my love for her. I’m biting my lips so hard I taste my own blood.

“He even told the pastor to go fuck himself. He grasped Angie and dragged her through the meadow, leaving all the church members in shock.”

OK. I got it. Stop it there. I don’t want to hear what’s next. My jaws are clenched, my fist balled so tightly my nails are piercing my palms. But she keeps talking.

“The next day, knowing that Gessepp had a meeting with the Defense Staff, we went to his home. Jess opened the door, she’s been beaten up too. We brought them both to the Army hospital, begging the docs to keep them safe from him. But at night, he arrived, enraged like a bull, hit some nurses and tried to choke Angie. It took 3 docs to snatch Angie from his claws and finally a nurse stabbed a hypo in his thigh which knlcked him out for a while.”

Hearing that motherfucker was out comforts me just a bit. I would have given anything to be there and finish him off. But I’m still worried to death about Angie. And Jessie. And little Abi.

“What happened next nearly blow up the whole base. The case got back to the top of Gessepp’s hierarchy. The docs testified, Angie and Jess testified, we all did. Gessepp couldn’t remain unpunished for what he’s done. He got arrested and impeached for his indecent behaviour, ashamed and kicked out of the Corps of the Army. All of us who testified were held incommunicado and offered a job at home, that’s how I ended up in Washington.”

Jesus. I’ve held my breath for too long. I need a break, I need a drink, but above all I need to know more about Angie. I rub my face vigorously, then scratch my beard, giving Debrah some time to gather herself.

“And the baby?” I whisper.

“Cup, honey, I’m so sorry. I don’t know. Angie and Jess left within the week. Back to the States, but nobody knows where exactly, to keep them safe from Gessepp. All I know is that she had to stay in hospital, she suffered bad bleeding… Oh Cup don’t hate me for telling you all that.”

“The military Court suggested Jessica to ask for divorce and the full custody of Abigail, which she accepted. They provided adequate resources for her and Abi, for damages and official apologizes for letting Gessepp act with complete impunity for too long. Me and the girls at the office made false certificates so Angie could benefit widow’s pension, making sure she would be free for rant.”

Jesus all that shit makes me want to puck out.

“Think Cup, think. I’m sure she’s somewhere waiting for you. You guys are made for each other. We became close friends after you… vanished. She talked to me. She loves you Cup, she’ll never stop, baby or not.”

I shake my head no and drop it between my hands. I’m too devastated to think, too tired to keep hope.

Debrah moves to sit next to me and gently grabs my chin and lifts it up to search my gaze.

“Honey, I know what’s like to be crazy about you. I was not the one for you, but Angie is your soulmate. You know it. Promise me to find her.”

I finally look up at her, we dated for a while when she worked in the base. She was pretty disappointed when I broke up for another chick. I now realize what prick I’d been.

“I’m sorry Deb. Sorry if I hurt you.”

“Nah it’s good. I found a good guy to forget you. I got married last year.” She smiles heartily. “ You deserve to be happy. With her. You know her by heart. If you were her, where would you settle down? Did she have any family? Friends? Relatives?”

“No. Nobody. She had just Jessie and Abi. And me.”

Poor me. I’ve never felt so alone. You know, like the entire world thinks you’re dead and you’re not but you have no chance to spread the news. Debrah is basically the only human being who knows about me. And that’s freaking terrifying. My fingers are fidgeting on their own, rubbing circles on the tattoo on my wrist. Mikomi. Hope. I swore I wouldn’t give up, so think Cup, think.

“Did you plan to live somewhere? I’m pretty sure you talked about what you’d want to do when the war ends.”

I stiffen, yes we did talk about it. Our dreams, on our first date.

She wanted to be a teacher. I planned to go back home, to take over the family business. The farm where I grew up.

Fuck me. I jump out of my chair, ready to sprint my final stretch.

I’m back, Alabama.

@captstefanbrandt @kenzieam @tigpooh67 @red-diary @jaicourtneyseyes @dreamersdreamlife @narfea @nickysurfer28 @jojuarez26 @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 @every-jai @smartieblue22 @@bookgirlsthing @athe-krieger-der-elemente @writingismyhappytime @lunaschild2016 @wolfie-132 @bookwarm85 @knittingmad @serride @pauwa85 @onceinamillionlifetimes @sajess98 @carlos8989 @books-and-sin @pathybo

#Jai Courtney #hope #morning cup #angelina jolie #broken #fanfiction

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