#gabe is good at his job au

[haleskaja]

I mean. Have you considered ULTRAKILL

[maple-tree-hills]

Percy Jackson AU where instead of Poseidon being absent in Percy’s life, he helps raise him. But Percy doesn’t know his dad is Poseidon. He thinks Peter Johnson is a marine biologist and a fisherman who is frequently on long business trips for his job. Maybe Sally and Poseidon are divorced, and she marries Smelly Gabe or maybe they’re still together, who knows.

Just, instead of Percy being in anger at the gods for neglecting their children he’s in disbelief that his very normal father is Poseidon. They go on fishing trips together all the time and he dresses like a tacky Hawaiian tourist. Not a god. He refuses to believe this despite Grover being a satyr, and Mr. Brunner being a centaur.

I’m not sure if Percy should know all of the gods or not. Maybe he knows Mr. D already as Cousin Dexter. Cousin Dexter has shown up a couple of times in his life. He’s a devil for the drink and a known alcoholic, so why is he at this weird camp playing cards with Grover and Mr. Brunner? And they start talking about the gods and demigods again. And Mr. D calls him ‘mortal.’ And Percy’s like yeah, no Cousin Dexter has had a bit too much to drink despite the fact that he can’t smell any alcohol on him, and he’s only been drinking Diet Coke. Percy switches subjects as to why Mr. D isn’t drinking any alcohol. Apparently, his father won’t let him drink alcohol anymore and is forcing him to work at this summer camp. Percy is happy to hear this because at least someone isn’t having Cousin Dexter’s shit anymore.

Then they switch gears back into the conversion about gods existing and he’s sure Grover, or Mr. Brunner, or Mr. D will say sike, but none of them do. They all seriously believe in the gods. Well Percy is stubborn and won’t be convinced this easily.

And then he finds out that Hades stole the master bolt and has his mother, and he’s like uncle Hector? Uncle Hector is a god of the underworld? And he has my mother and stole Zeus’s lightning bolt? No way. Uncle Hector lives in LA and works at a music producing studio. He is not the god of the underworld. He is not Hades, this is insane and Percy does not appreciate being punked. He’ll admit some supernatural stuff is real because a minatur killed his mom, but being a demigod no way.

And they keep telling Percy about the family drama and he’s still in disbelief. All he knows about uncle Zane is that his father is not on good terms with him. There’s no way uncle Zane who his father HATES, who works in the Empire State Building is Zeus. There’s just no way.

And then he finds out about the Big Three and forbidden children thing. And he goes ‘That can’t be true uncle Hector has two kids: cousin Bianca and cousin Nico.’ And he just accidentally spoils to everyone that Hades has not kept his end of the pact about fathering more mortal children.

And then they’re on the road going through quests fighting against Alecto again, Echidna, and Medusa and Percy still can’t believe the gods are real.

It isn’t until he gets to the underworld that he starts believing. There seated on a dark throne surrounded by skeletons is Uncle Hector? Uncle Hector is actually Hades? He’s freaking out he’s never seen his uncle this way before. He’s terrifying and keeps demanding this Helm of Darkness thing in exchange for his mother. Where’s Nico he wants to hang out with his cousin?

And maybe Percy sasses him because what the heck uncle Hector sending furies after your nephew and holding your sister-in-law hostage and accusing your nephew of theft is not cool. And things for the most part will proceed like they do in the book for the most part. I could see Hades when he’s pretending to be a human behaving similarly to Jay Duplass’s portrayal of him in the TV show. Just a comical uncle who is most certainly not lord of the underworld.

(I’ve only seen the TV and I’ve almost finished the first book so far, but I do know Hades has two kids named Bianca and Nico)

[wazzappp]

Alrighty my dudes buckle up

GHOST RIDER D&D AU

also WOE. ART STYLE CHANGE BE UPON YE.

First things first thank you to my beloved mutual @moosemonstrous, who was basically the brains behind the operation I basically just wanted an excuse to draw tiefling Robbie and then got smacked in the face with an awesome story way beyond what I had ever thought of with KILLER fucking lore to match <3.

While I usually like to start with Robbie when introducing an AU, we're going to unfortunately have to start with Eli. A man who fucked up so monumentally that the kinda sorta god he's supposed to be serving went 'Bitch??? How about NO.' and humbled him faster than my DM can say 'roll perception'.

Ok I'm getting ahead of myself. Eli is pretty much the same personality wise as he is in canon. Insecure and desperate for power/control. He grew up surviving with Beto by doing jobs for the Myriad crime syndicate. Somewhere along the way he started serving his patron, Desirat, the twilight phoenix, in exchange for her power.

Im just going to directly quote what moose said about Desirat cause its phrased WONDERFULLY:

"Desirat, The Twilight Phoenix - companion and mount of Asmodeus during an ancient war, was torn from her master and captured by uppity mages. They were eventually killed, but she remained chained under a mountain, creating weird thermal phenomena in the area. Her sanity fractured in isolation so she thinks herself divine, and she lends through dreams and visions to those who 'carry a seed of fiery vengeance'. She now speaks to the minds of those who lie spurned and angry at night, calling them to unlock their inner flame and let Desirat aid them in their vengeance."

Desirat chose Eli as her champion to free her. She believed his faults would make him easy to manipulate for her purposes.

But eventually Beto wanted to settle down, and Eli refused to (to quote moose) 'Stop that warlock bullshit that EVERYONE SAID will get him in trouble'. And the brothers separate. During that time, Eli gets it in his head that he can steal more power from her by becoming a Litch. Great! In order to become a Litch he needs to have the most important person to him engage in a willing life sacrifice. Not great.

So he finds Beto and tries to get him to oblige to his sacrifice, and while there might have been a time where Beto might have laid down his life for his brother, he wont anymore. He has a family now. People who rely on him who AREN'T Eli. Unfortunatly, Eli is PISSED by this and kills Beto even though he isn't a willing sacrifice. Eli figures 'Whose really gonna care? A life is a life right?'

DESIRAT cares. She basically obliterates Eli on the spot and stores his lifeforce for later purposes.

(all stat sheets curtosy of the great Moose. Also I feel obligated to mention there was a scary moment during the art process where Eli looked like a beautiful butch lesbian. Horrifying.)

After Eli's spiritual, physical, and magical bitch slap, Desirat starts looking down his bloodline for a NEW champion. Lucky her, Robbie is RIGHT THERE. Protective of his brother, a strong sense of justice even from a young age, a hatred of when things aren't fair; he's PERFECT. She has plans for this one. Eli was a good test run. But she has IMPROVEMENTS planned for Robbie.

So Desirat waits until Robbie is old enough and strong enough to serve her purposes. In that time, Julianna goes out adventuring to get more coin so she can pay for Gabe's treatments of Greater Restoration and just. General food and water and general supplies. But she doesn't come back. She was responsible though and hired someone who was willing to take what she could offer to take care of the boys. Gabe still believes that she's still out there and trying to come back to them. Robbie thinks she's either bailed on them for a life of adventure or dead.

Around when Robbie turns 18, Desirat puts her plans into effect. Seeing as tieflings carry innate magical abilities (most commonly thaumaturgy, hellish rebuke, and darkness) it would be far more advantageous for her champion to be a tiefling than human. In the span of about 4 months, Robbie goes through a rather drastic transformation.

His fingernails harden, then blacken, then sharpen. Awful pressure builds in his skull that is only relived when the beginnings of horns break through his skin. A similar process begins with a lump forming at his tail bone and eventually bursting out into a long pointed tail. His canine teeth fall out and grow back in sharper and longer. His eyes cloud over to black and yellow, all the while his skin reddens and forms hard ridges on his arms, ribs and spine.

To say this is disorienting and painful is an understatement. Not to mention how it changes how the other people around the village look at him (not to mention how it changes how he looks at himself). Even though the stigma around tieflings isn't as strong as it once was, it eventually causes Robbie to be out of a job. So he decides to sell the house, pack up his things, prepare schooling money for his brother and move to the city where more opportunities will hopefully await.

GABE!!! THE LITTLE ADHGH. Idk why but I got extreme cute aggression when drawing this version of him fdjkslaf.

Gabe still has CP like he does in canon, but with the magical advantages of ✨Greater Restoration✨ he can generally function pretty well. He still gets tired sometimes though, so he carries around a walking staff as an aid just in case he needs one (also he can go whack whack. at least thats what Robbie tells him when he gets a little self conscious carrying it around).

Robbie has saved up enough money for Gabe to get a months worth of schooling at the Dawn Father Chantry in the city so he can learn to cast Greater Restoration on himself. Gabe's recent growth spurt has been causing him to need more and more frequent healings, and the Chantry in their home village of Hill Rock has been less and less obliging as of late (partially due to Robbies recent uh... condition. not that anyone would dare say it to his face of course).

Some extra fun doodles with expressions and thinking about how Desirat might look and interact with Robbie. I love when gods have a kind of twisted love for their special chosen people (plus some fun transformation horror cause its ✨me✨ were talking about what did you expect).

Also I really REALLY liked that top left sketch and got the rendering itch so I had some fun and painted it in.

Theres a whole fuckin. Second post to this au all lined up cause Moose when HAM on this. But its gonna take some more character designs so I'll need just a little time. but this will not be the last you see of this lol I promise <3

[lonelychicago]

seven-ish sentences sunday! 📜🎥

tagged by @prince-buck-diaz @spotsandsocks @hippolotamus @panbuckley @wildlife4life <33

here's more from author!buck and actor!eddie au, plus another moodboard bc i cannot stop.

(also, if you wanna be tagged on this fic once i post, interact with this post)

"Can you read for Gabriel in Scene 23, where he's talking to officer Blake Scatorccio?" Chimney says, looking up from his notes. "Buck will read opposite to you." 

"Yeah, okay." Eddie swallows thickly. In the first books, Gabriel and Blake only have a few scenes, but in the second book their relationship grows stronger. 

Some fans even think the author might be building up to a romantic relationship, claiming it's a slow burn. Eddie isn't sure and he hasn't asked Buck, but just the idea of doing this scene with him makes his nerves set on fire. 

He'll be acting out Buck's words, words the man took time and effort and that he created oh so carefully, so masterfully. Eddie will be telling them to him, looking him in the eye and thinking— what exactly? 

"Eddie? Are you ready?" Buck raises an eyebrow at him. 

"Yeah, Ready." 

Buck clears his throat and starts the scene. 

"Gabe? What are you doing here?" 

"I'm dropping all of the evidence I gathered with Pipe in these last few months." He sighs, feeling as defeated as Gabriel does in the scene. "I just— I can't do it anymore." 

Buck frowns at him, just like he pictures Blake would be doing in the book. "What? You're just gonna give up?" 

"I can't keep going like this! Chasing after some psycho, being haunted by my wife's ghost. I—" Eddie runs a hand through his hair and pulls back. "I need to think of my son, okay? I can't keep doing your job for you, Officer Scatorccio." He sneers. He evokes every feeling of grief and frustration he felt when Shannon first left him with no warning, except for a note. He brings up every feeling of insecurity and of not being good enough to the surface, every feeling of rage and fury that's been simmering under the surface for longer than Eddie is willing to admit, and he pours them all into Gabriel's character. 

In the book and in the script, Blake gets impossibly closer to Gabriel, grabbing him by the arm and stopping him from walking away. In real life, Buck remains seated a few feet away from him. 

Eddie tries not to be disappointed. This is an audition after all and Buck is just reading the lines to move Eddie through the scene, that's how it goes. It's just business. 

"My hands are tied and you know it. The whole police department can't go after just one person, Gabe. You know that. We have too many cases and—" 

Out of the corner of his eye, Eddie can see Chimney. The director held in a rare thrall, the tip of his glasses inserted between his full, dreamy lips, that ankle crossed over the opposite knee, jiggling, jiggling. He looks impressed, Eddie thinks. Maybe. 

"And what?" 

"I think you're close. I think you are stronger and smarter than any one of us— You're extraordinary, Gabriel Alvarez and I am in awe of you every single day. You can't just give up." Buck gazes up at him, a smile gracing his lips, a small and barely there thing that doesn't really match the scene but Eddie can't bring himself to mind. 

"You are too good with words, Officer Scatorccio. But I don't know if I can trust them." Eddie looks down at the script, and then back up at Buck. "I don't know if I can trust you."

"Gabe, I—" And that's the end of the scene. Blake's partner interrupts them, claiming they need to go and Gabriel is left alone at the station. Confused and hopeless. 

Eddie takes a deep breath, telling himself it's over and he gave the scene the best he had. And he thinks he did pretty well— He thinks he did amazing, losing himself in the scene and in Buck's eyes, and hope sizzles under his skin, strong and powerful. 

"That was amazing, Eddie. You really seem to get the character." Chimney smiles at him, forcing him to look away from Buck. "It's really a beautiful thing to see." 

"Thanks." Eddie fidgets with the script. He knows they won't make a decision right then and there, and certainly not in front of him, but something keeps him frozen in place. 

His feet refuse to walk away. 

Hope inside of him moves and weaves through his system like a hurricane, not wanting to leave. 

"You really do understand Gabriel, Eddie." Buck speaks. "That was— Well, I guess Blake Scatorccio said it. Extraordinary." Buck says softly, maybe too soft for what the moment calls. "Thank you." 

Thank God it's dark in the rear of the studio. No one can see the tomato-colored tidal wave surging up Eddie's neck.

"Again, thanks so much for the opportunity." Eddie says, feeling his lips dry up. "I, uh— Yeah. Thanks." He awkwardly waves and turns away, hope trailing behind him like a neon sign showing how much he needs, how much he wants this. He wonders if they can see it. He wonders if they care. 

He thinks Buck might. 

tagging (no pressure): @monsterrae1 @alyxmastershipper @buddierights @mysteriouslyyounggalaxy @honestlydarkprincess @bigfootsmom @bucktalias @maygrantgf @messyhairdiaz @ebdaydreamer @bekkachaos @cowboy-buddie @911onabc @shortsighted-owl @the-likesofus @elvensorceress @transbuck @transboybuckley @buckitup @prettyboybuckley @starlingbite

[gplovestwdg]

hi im gravy :3

tell me all about your modern au!! I❤️modern aus

Of course! Forgive me if this is a huge block of text: In this au Clem's parents are dead and have been since she was 9 years old (season 1 age.) She goes on to be adopted by Christa and Omid and continues to live with them until she's 16 years old, in this au a bunch of families like Kenny's family and Javier's family are neighbors of hers so she's friends with Duck, Gabe, and Marianna before going to Ericson's.

Now, how she got into Ericson's. Clem at the start of this au is really similar to season 3 Clementine, so she's argumentative and violent getting into physical fights often (as opposed to gun fights lmao.) Omid is hesitant to send her to Ericson's but Christa believes it's the only way to straighten her out (not in a malicious way, she just wants to see Clem succeed after she's gone through so many hardships.)

What Christa and Omid don't know is that Clementines behavior worsened because of AJ. Basically, she'd come across AJ one day in while exploring abandoned buildings with Duck. She vows to take care of him and she gets a part time job working at the local batting cages alongside Javier to fund his life. One day she visits the abandoned building to check in with AJ early in the morning and finds that AJ has been taken by CPS which sends her spiraling.

As for her life at Ericson's, it's a k-12 academy so characters like Willy and Tenn are around and just not seen as often since they're not in high school. Clem ends up joining the baseball team cause teachers feel it'll be a good outlet for her and that's where she meets characters like Lilly and Minnie. Lilly actually used to be one of Clem's neighbors and would babysit her on occasion, but she moved away suddenly after her dad passed away.

And of course to talk about Lee. He's a history teacher at Ericson's. He'd gotten out of prison early after killing the senator, partially due to good behavior and partially due to his original crime being a crime of passion and was given the opportunity to work at Ericson's as an example to the students. Like how anyone can turn their life around. He quickly becomes super close to Clem and acts as a mentor to her during all her happiness and hardships at Ericson's.

Hope you enjoyed the quick rundown! I didn't mention a lot of characters so if you want more info on anyone specific let me know :)

[destielomegaversebigbang]

Dance Me To The End of Love

Posting September 23, 2024

Fic by blackhorsedances

Art by TwinOne

Rating: Explicit

Summary:

So what if Dean Winchester is a male Omega? He’s as big as most Alphas, as fast as most Alphas, and he’s a seasoned fighter. He can take his Alpha friend Benny in four out of five practice matches. But the stupid UWFC (Ultimate Were Fighting Championship) rules state that fighters have to compete not only in their weight class, but also within their primary and subgender.

That’s just genderist, Dean says to anyone who will listen, and Benny mostly agrees.

And Dean works hard Monday through Friday as a teacher at a progressive Charter School, the Zevon Academy, helping young weres of all designations to understand not only English and Literature, but also were biology and Healthy Were Sexuality.

He’s got a great life. He’s got friends. He’s got the occasional Omega or Beta hook-up or heck, even the occasional Alpha female. Dean doesn’t date Alpha males. But life is good, right?

Why can’t an Alpha male be a ballet dancer and a musician? Yes, Cas is not as big or tall as a lot of Alphas, and he’s certainly not aggressive. He had enough of that growing up, thank you, and decided he’s above that.

It’s just a terrible shame that a freak accident and questionable medical treatment ended his career, and then accusations of sexual harassment of an Omega male ended his second career.

But thanks to Gabe, he has a brand new job as a teacher in the Performing Arts track at a school called the Zevon Academy, teaching dance. There are sure to be some Beta males at the school that he can befriend, or date. After all, Omegas are out of the question. But his life is good, right?

Tags: Castiel Novak/Dean Winchester; mention of Charlie Bradbury/Meg Masters and Gabriel Novak/Kali; AU. Omegaverse; a/b/o; Mention of barbaric treatment of male Omega patients by male Alpha Doctors; Martial Artist Dean Winchester; Ballet Dancer Castiel Novak; Alpha Castiel, Omega Dean; Non-Traditional Alpha Castiel; Gentle Alpha Castiel; Gay Castiel; Intersex Omega Dean; Unusual subtype Omega (Dean Winchester is an Omega with fully functioning female as well as male genitalia including knot); Bisexual Dean Winchester. Mention of Dean’s previous sexual encounters with Alpha Females; Intersex Alpha Females; Unfounded accusations of sexual harassment by Castiel towards a male Omega; Explicit consensual sex; Top Castiel, Bottom Dean Winchester; Penetrative Sex; Oral Sex; Anal Fingering; No MPREG; safer sex practices; fluff and smut; fluff; miscommunication; injured Castiel; injured Dean Winchester; Dean Winchester has PTSD; John Winchester’s A+ parenting; Dean Winchester and Castiel really need to use their words; angst; hurt/comfort; Sam Winchester emotionally abused Dean, but regrets it and is working to do better; Naomi Novak is a horrible person; Lucifer and Michael are horrible. Happy Ending!

Excerpt below the cut

That leaves Dean and Milton. Dean holds out his hand because he’s trying to be a Team player, he really is. Milton looks at it as though he’s never seen a hand before, but takes it in a brief, warm clasp that shoots an electric spark up Dean’s arm. Also, damn. Dean can’t smell any pheromones coming from the other man, so he can’t tell the dude’s secondary gender. He doesn’t know if Milton is using blockers, but it doesn’t matter. His posture is suddenly rigid with tension. Did he have the same electric zap?

Then the guy opens his mouth, and the moment dissolves. “Did the principal say Dr. Winchester?” Milton tilts his head to the side like a confused bird.

“Yeah, Dr. Winchester. Why?”

Milton turns his cobalt blue eyes on Dean. He scans them over Dean’s heavily-muscled shoulders and arms that are covered in a worn band t-shirt, his trim hips and bowed legs wrapped in faded blue jeans, and nods. “Physical Education.”

Dean blinks. “What? What part of the phrase Liberal Arts Team Lead makes you think Physical Education?” Electricity be damned, this guy’s just weird.

Milton’s eyes widen. “Oh, uhm, well, it’s not an uncommon degree for an Alpha, after all. I’m not sure why you’re so–”

Dean holds up a hand. “One, that’s an incredibly intrusive, genderist assumption. And B, Liberal Arts, buddy. Now, if you’re done making assumptions, follow me. I need to get my ID badge and lock my classroom.”

Milton just stares, and says nothing. Dean turns, and walks down the long hall from the conference room to his wing of the school, and hears steady footfalls behind him.

[ann3ofabyss4lred]

Tw: mention of child abuse (physical,mental,neglect),alcoholism, toxic relationship

Is so funny to me how most pjo college or highschool au fanfiction are like skins wannabe end up : "So there was this party, there was so much beer,any kind alcoholic drink. Anyways,Percy and Thalia are so cool,they drunk as fuck."

Out of all the riordan characters, they write loving drink alcohol,choosing Percy and Thalia is wild to me???. Let's be honest, both of them see or smell it, they probably would make a face of disgust,express it verbally or get unpleasant flashbacks???

Percy dealt with Gabe,an alcoholic step father, he left beer bottles on percy's room,probably for a long time (before percy turning 12), literally a poker adict, who takes money out of them for his addictions, making Sally and Percy struggle financially,and as far as I remember (i haven't read the book in 7 years) to the point Percy worked selling newspaper,walking dogs and selling candy illegally, not like any middle class kid would have part time jobs like that to make money by themselves and learn how to save money,but to help his mother. Not only that, but Gabe mentally abused Percy (and threatened to get physical, not sure if he did), make him a target on tv. And hit abused physically Sally

(Yeah i won't stop reminding Gabe is an abuser, and Percy was a victim,but ppl don't consider him because he fights back and had a loving mother).

and we have Thalia,whose mother was an alcoholic tv star, and lowkey unstable, to have the king of the gods, be attracted to her was such a good way to lower her ego, (of an unstable person), gave him a child, probably thought she was going to get privilege,be innmortal or whatever was in her head,it got worse when he left her, because "what if she wasn't enough for a god",fucked her ego,childish behaviour, being with the same man,bringing another child to the world, unable to care for herself, mix that with alcoholism and and u have the perfect cocktail for an unhealthy relationship based on neglect and parentification.

So yeah like even if those fanfics, I cringe so hard, I can't see them loving beer and shit

[princess-of-the-corner]

What is the Princess Bee AU? Never seen that tag.

OH BOY

This one's a mess of an AU but here we fuckin GO

Princess Bee is a nextgen au but within closer-to-canon (like I change /some/ things like Adrien being left in the dark and Gabe being 'such a good father') and post-Season 5.

So ofc more sympathetic to Chloé, but things go down somewhat similar in after being roped into Monarch's nonsense, Andre gets a divorce and gives up all custody rights, and Audrey takes Chloé off to wherever. NY, London, who knows.

Chloé has fully come to realize how fucked this is and all. So she spends the following years getting better. It's hard af without a support system, but she knows she wants to be a better person and that she needs to get her shit together and make sure she has some kind off job path set up because she knows that Audrey will kick her the second she turns 18.

After said kicking out, Chloé changes her last name and uses the better grades she's been getting and the money she squirreled away to get a law degree and also some actual professional therapy to unpack her various traumas in a better way than just rawdogging it on trial and error.

Sometime in her 20s, after getting her shit together both financially and in the mental health department, Chloé decides she wants a kid of her own. She gets a friend to be surrogate father, and gets on with having her own kid. And she's good at it! Not just because she goes 'just do the opposite of what my parents did' but also she does her research and tries her best.

Skip ahead to when the daughter is a teenager, the same age as Chloé was when the Hero v Villain nonsense was happening in Paris.

Chloé gets notice because Andre died and he never actually changed his will to exclude her and she gets everything. She goes to Paris to deal with it and sees the hotel in disrepair and unfortunately Andre's second wife wants answers about the child she never knew about(she's both horrified and furious to find out what happened). After a lot of talking, the pair decide to work together to restore the hotel.

Meanwhile, Chloé brought her daughter with her and ofc enrolled her in school. And just so happens to end up in the class as the rest of the Miracuclass Next Gens. And oh would you look at that the need arises for a bunch of kid Heroes!

Meanwhile the old Team Miraculous are trying to navigate adult life, try to give the kids pointers, and panicking because Chloé coincidentally comes back to town right when a new Villain pops up?

So we have different perspectives of what's happening here. Chloé is just playing irl Homescapes. The kids are on their own superhero adventure. And Marinette is stuck in 'oh god oh god my unfinished business is coming back to bite me in the ass!!'.

Anyway have the masterpost for all the nextgen kids!

[waywardsou2]

Whumptober 2024 - "Don't move, you'll be ok"

Summary: An AU where Steve goes and finds Bucky. The results are no less heart breaking

Word Count: 1.9k+

Tags: Dismemberment, trauma, alternate universe, blood, hospital, memories, gore

Steve felt like everything inside of him had been sucked out. That his whole body had been dragged under the speeding train.

He knew it hadn't. He could still feel the cold metal underneath his gloves. He could still feel the harsh winds on his face. He could feel the solid metal underneath his feet.

But it doesn't mean anything, because his entire world, the person he had held closest to his heart had just been ripped away from him.

He heard rather than saw, the wind whipping the snow in his face and it was making his eyes water. Instead he heard the cry of fear as the bar Bucky had been holding onto gave way.

He felt the way his heart sank as Bucky fell away from him.

This couldn't be happening.

The part of his brain that wanted to sink to his knees was pushed away, buried as his logical brain took over knowing he needed to complete the mission. He pulled himself back inside the car, refusing to process what had just happened.

He made his way to the front of the car where Arnim Zola had been cornered by Gabe, a gun trained on him and the driver. They were taking the two of them to the meeting point where Colonel Philips and the rest of the 107th would be waiting for them.

After they get back to the camp Steve rushes to Colonel Philips leaving the Howling Commandos by their truck

"Good job out there Rogers, I had my doubts but your team pulled through" The Colonel looked around briefly. "I don't see Sargent Barnes"

"Sir, Bucky fell. We need to go look for him. It's about six miles down from here. I need to take my team to look for him"

"Rogers, we just bagged Zola I can't allow-"

"If he's alive do we really want him in enemy hands?" Steve was trying to play into the Colonel's reasoning and hoped that the idea that Bucky could give away critical intelligence would be enough to convince him. He knew Bucky would never, but Colonel Philips didn't.

The Colonel paused and sighed deeply. Looking like he wanted to say no, but there was an uncharacteristic softness around his eyes when he looked at Steve

"You and the rest of your team take the winter tank. You get an hour, get down there and get back. With or without Barnes"

Steve almost felt like crying, all of his buried feelings coming back in a sudden overwhelming surge. He had to move now, he couldn't stand the thought of Bucky, laying in the snow in whatever condition he was in. Alive or dead he was going to bring him home. Back to his mother and back to Becca.

He went back to the truck where the rest of his Howling Commandos were waiting. They were all staring at their boots forlornly. Gabe had told them about Bucky.

Marching past them at high speed towards where the tanks were stationed he called to them "Follow me"

Instantly they marched into the step with him, their guns now slung over their backs from where they were resting on the hood of the car.

Dugan's hands where curled into fists

"Where are we headed Captain?"

"Back, were going to find Bucky"

The group rushed to the tank and took off, heading back out of the camp and down the mountain. Heading for the ravine where Bucky fell.

As they were going Falsworth calculated the approximate search distance from where Bucky fell to where he could have landed. Calculating in wind, landing place and slope, potential debris intervention and if he was alive how far he realistically would have been able to travel on his own.

That gave them a 2.4 square miles for a search radius

They made their way back to the ravine and Steve's heart sped up, knowing that soon he would have an answer to his bruning question.

Would he be fine Bucky warm or cold?

They stopped the tank and walked the last 3 miles to reach the edge of the radius and spread out. Walking in a line down the ravine. One person on either side of a small half frozen lake. Steve took point, walking several paces ahead of the rest. Though he walked slow, his head constantly on a swivel, there was steadfast determination in each step.

He walked, his face searching the snow and the trees that dotted the ravine. He didn't care that his teeth were chattering and he couldn't feel his nose or his fingers. He had to keep looking until his hour was up.

He walked until he heard Dugan call out. He was crouched near the edge of the edge of the forest.

Steve sprinted, his leg carrying him across the ravine in 7 seconds flat.

The others joined him quickly and here they all saw what Dugan had found.

Bucky was lying on his back. Blood covering his face, a bruise on his eye and a bad gash on the right side of his head. He had blood in his teeth, the white turned stained with the fluid. His breathing was disjointed, full of spluttering and coughing. He didn't take a full breath in, the only indication he was actually breathing was the way his chest jumped. His exposed skin was slowly turning purple and blue. His lips, nose and holes in his gloves indicating as such.

But as Steve let his eyes rake over Bucky's body he realised why Jim had been looking away.

The arm of his vest had been torn away and it was ripped and fraying. The place where his arm should have been was pouring blood, what should have been his bone was stained red. It was snapped, fractured as it stuck out of him and the blood was everywhere.

His arm was laying a few feet away in the tree line. Steve followed the trail of blood connecting the two and he felt like collapsing

There was too much of it, and it just kept coming. He didn't understand how there was so much. The way it stained the dead twigs and snow underneath him. The way it pooled and ran like a river of death. It's warm and sticky texture melting away the snow and carving a trail down the slope to the frozen water below.

A younger Steve would have vomited at the sight of all the blood, his stomach felt queasy but he held up and instead he bent down scooping Bucky up in his arms.

Bucky groaned and cried out in pain. He hoped to God it wasn't irreparable back injury

"Don't move. You'll be ok" Steve said desperately looking down at Bucky in his arms.

It was strange. Bucky had always been the one to carry him. He had always been bigger. Stronger. But he somehow seemed too small in Steve's hands.

Without hesitating the group went back to the tank. Steve holding Bucky as close to his chest as possible. He had peeled back the top of his suit. Taking off his undershirt as he walked with Bucky in one hand. Taking the shirt and using it to stanch the bleeding until they could get back to the supplies in the tank.

Bucky's eyes were open but he couldn't see anything. He could feel movement and something holding onto him. But none of it was making sense inside of his head. The moving sky and the lack of cold snow under him. The muffled voice he knew were shouting but still couldn't hear were filling his ears amongst the ringing inside his head.

His head ached, his back aches, his arm felt like it was on fire and his face felt swollen.

It was all he could feel. His own body was so alive with pain of all kinds in all places. He wanted to cry out but couldn't manage more than a choked gurgle.

He felt whatever was gripping him tightly grip even tighter. Then he was being raised, his eyes seeing the sky come closer. And then it sunk away and he was taken into darkness, a small yellow light being the only source for him to see. Everything was fuzzy and the dim light made it hard for him to focus on anything.

He felt fear, immeasurable fear but all he could do was lay there. He thought of something else, searching his aching head for anything that wasn't the feelings coursing through him.

He thought of Steve. His short straw coloured hair and the way he always made sure to brush it flat and slick it still with gel in the mornings. A habit he's had since childhood.

Or the way he was before the serum, the small scrawny boy he had protected all throughout school. The boy who was too stupid to run away from a fight even though he never won.

He thought about how Steve was always sick. Catching whatever was going around at the time.

He thought about the time he had gotten sick and how Steve had refused to leave his side. The way Bucky would cough and Steve would hand him a glass of water or rush to get him food. The way Steve would sit and read him the Hobbit over and over again because he couldn't sit up long enough to actually get through a page.

He thought of Steve until everything went dark and everything disappeared.

Steve waited, he waited for a whole week by Bucky's side. They had gotten back to the camp and the field Doctors had spared as many men as they could to staunch the blood. Realising they didn't have the proper materials they needed to properly cauterize a wound of this size they took him in one of the medic cars and to the closest Austrian hospital. Steve of course was with them the whole way. The only time he wasn't allowed in was during surgery where they cauterised the wound. Howard had seen what had happened and had rushed off to a lab he owned in Austria and began working on...something.

Steve applauded Howard's brilliance but he had no clue how Howard would A) have have any machine that would help and B) create a machine that would save Bucky's life in time.

So Steve waited. Watching as the hands ticked by on the clock until a nurse came and addressed him. She told him that they were able to stop the bleeding and create a makeshift patch until Mr Stark got here.

He was stable, but he wouldn't wake up for a while.

Steve nodded and thanked her.

She lead him to the room Bucky was resting in. He was laying out on the white linens his face was just as white. They had him connected to an IV drip and a blood bag.

Steve reached and touched it tenderly. He didn't know why his hand stretched for the plastic. Possibly the check if it was real, he needed to know that Bucky would survive. That Bucky wouldn't just slip away and this would all be some horrible dream.

If it was a dream Bucky might still be alive and healthy. But he didn't think so. He'd had nightmares worse than this and had woken up once the worst was over.

'Maybe the worst wasn't over yet' he thought to himself

He mentally slapped himself trying to whisk the thoughts away with the fact that Bucky was right here. He was breathing and he would be ok.

He hoped

Ok guys I am turning this into a full AU but I'm only gonna start after promptober is over. You're gonna have to bear with me for a little while longer.

[disregardcanon]

npmd nbc's community au

these aren't exact roleswaps or anything, more approximations

Grace as Shirley

Max as Troy

Pete as Annie

Richie as Abed

Ruth as Britta

Steph as Jeff

Ziggy as Duncan

grace is in her mid-twenties instead of her thirties, but she still has kids. we're going with a four year old and a two year old. she recently left her her husband because he's trying to go like... fundamentalist as opposed to her very evangelical roots. think quiverful and stop being active in community life shit. and grace is like??? uh... no? we are having Four Children and i have Very Important Things to Do and When Our Kids Are In Grade School I'm Going Back to School and Into the Workforce, jerk? (the jerk is gabe.)

she decides to divorce him and is suddenly... a single mother with two young children and no work experience. oh boy. mark and karen aren't HAPPY about her divorcing her husband, but they also trust her judgement and aren't actually from the very patriarchal and Procreation Is the Only Way to Honor God school of fundies. the chastities only have one kid, after all, and for all their faults... they seem like a loving couple. i dunno. i'm giving them the benefit of the doubt on this one.

so grace, mother of two and recent divorcee, enrolls in greendale community college and moves back in with her parents, who help her take care of the kids.

steph- as jeff. this is not because the names rhyme but that IS kind of funny. she's in her mid twenties and just got disbarred for Not Having A Law Degree, How the FUCK Did You Fake That?!?!?!?!? hint: her dad is a lawyer both before and after becoming the mayor and steph is very good at just. making shit up and trying to sound like she knows what she's talking about.

she ran away from home late in high school and slowly built up a life for herself and a job and a string of partners that she couldn't really connect with because, huh. maybe lying about your age and your schooling and your everything makes it difficult to connect with people emotionally? who woulda thought.

her friend ziggy is a professor at the school and is able to get her in, and she realizes that since she's actually here. in school. she has to figure out how to scrape by. a... study group? maybe? ugh. she hates that idea.

pete- as annie edison. he's 20 years old and still trying to cling to his high school dreams by his teeth. unlike annie edison, he was bullied extensively, but JUST like annie edison he was very successful in high school and a lot of that was because of misuse of stimulant medications.

due to an overdose during high school finals week, he's able to graduate but lost his spot as valedictorian because he got zeroes on his finals and final projects due to missing it. he also did not get to walk at graduation because he was. hospitalized. as the doctors tried to figure out how to wean him off these things and deal with the interactions between his diabetes and a constant misuse of stimulants for over a year.

rehab took almost a year, and his parents are so unpleasant about his failures and the fact that he lost out on all these amazing schools he applied to for getting caught that they can't even. be kind about him recovering at all or getting into community college SO that he can go to a university like he hoped. it gets so nasty with his parents that he packs it up and moves onto ted's couch, which at least. is better than being guilted for breathing at home.

HE is the first one that steph approaches about a study group, but not as much because she wants to sleep with him (like jeff and britta) as because he seems like he'd do her homework for her and "a group" that's only them will make sure he doesn't think this is a DATE but also if she doesn't look for anyone else she doesn't have to deal with that.

ruth- as britta, but she's the one who least easily maps onto her character. a lot of that's because britta is a lot less well written than the others? the big thing we're going with for ruth is that she's done a LOT but she's been unsuccessful with stuff. protests, relationships, acting career, community organizing, relationships. she's in her early thirties and back in her hometown trying to take care of some gen eds so she can get licensed to teach acting and make some kind of consistent money.

she is VERY horny, she is actually quite talented, and now that she's not a bullied high schooler anymore she is actually super hot. that's the reason that when she says she wants to join the "study group" when she overhears steph pitching it to pete steph decides to actually go with it. (they have an on again off again thing for a while but it doesn't really work out. steph and ruth end up making each other MORE insecure and really digging into each other's tender spots.)

richie- as abed! he has so much autism! he draws manga and relates to the world through anime! he decides to attach himself to steph very early on because he's like "now that's an anime protagonist right there ladies and gents" and she's like i don't know what that means. and he's like!!!!!!! YOU!!!!!! iT MEANS YOU!!!!!!! his relationships with everyone becomes the heart of the story and he is NOT a loser.

max- as troy. he took a terrible fall right before his team went to state. they probably would have won if he was playing, but he wasn't. so they lost. he was injured so badly that he spent a month in a wheelchair, a few months on crutches and then a long time in physical therapy. he kept thinking that maybe (maybe!) he could still play college ball and trying to pitch himself to schools desperately over the summer, but he can't and his grades were shit. so he was only able to get into greendale.

he doesn't still do physical bullying (largely because he's still shaky from his injury) but he is VERY mean and joins the study group for two reasons: grace decided to insert herself into the situation and he thinks it's really hot she turned him down and is older, and two: he knows he won't make it through this community college thing by himself. he doesn't have any leeway anymore from being a sports star and he knows he's bad at school.

pete doesn't want to let him in because they went to high school together (like annie and troy) but max was his bully instead of his far off crush. so he's like yeah no thank you i am not interested in this. if he's here i'm leaving. and the whole rest of the group knows that he's going to pull them through this by the teeth so they're like maxwell jagerman if you do not Make Amends to that boy we aren't gonna let you sit at our lunch table. he's almost ready to see if he can just bully someone else into tutoring him instead, but then grace gets flirty like If You Repent Maybe I willllll go for you. so he tries to make things better and they become A Study Group

slowly, he starts to grow as a person and open himself up to having fun and being kind. he and grace have a romantic entanglement that the whole group just HATES that eventually dies, and then he and richie get into a Whatever Troy and Abed have going on. i think it's qpr but interpret how you wish

ziggy is a botany professor and what? of COURSE they're not growing weed in the greenhouse to sell to emma perkins and her dispensary. hahaha you've got this all wrong they are an UPSTANDING professor of an UPSTANDING subject! which does not include marijuana!

grace and ruth, actually, eventually end up together after their entanglements with max and steph respectively. ruth is amazing with grace's kids? and she's also very very sexy and their roleplay helps grace feel... less bad about herself and her desires? she works through some internalized hatred for both having sexual desire and being bi and ruth both finds it all very attractive and is mature enough to help her through it? they both have The Life Experience that max jagerman and his very limited emotional intelligence... did not

steph and pete keep accidentally being attracted to each other and getting VERY upset about it because that is a guy that wears bow ties and is still so tightly wound he might snap and that's a girl who cheated her way through two degrees and a bar exam. the age difference is a little less than jeff and annie since i aged pete up a little and steph down a little, but it is still VERY weird and they cannot figure out if either of them even want to be in a relationship or if it would be good for them or what. but by god do they keep gravitating towards each other. and each time they collide again they're a little more compatible (I NEVER WANTED YOU AAANNNYYYWAAAYY)

[jacks347]

Since I indulged myself with my GB mafia au yesterday, I figured I'd do a little more self-care and ramble about my Redacted mafia au too.

Buckle up, this is gonna be a long one. (Not that my others aren't, it's kinda my thing)

The security gig is a cover up for an arms dealing business, the most lucrative in Dahlia and a staple to the rest of the families. But they're not afraid to take matters into their own hands if they have to.

The main eight are the team leads with David at the top. Everyone works in pairs, no one goes alone. Not after what happened to Gabe on his own solo mission.

There are two main forces sent when they have to go on missions. Known as the Ground Squad, though they call themselves the Smoke and Mirrors.

Milo and Sweetheart run recon and general intelligence, Milo as the field agent and Sweetheart as the one in the chair though they're known to join him in action when absolutely necessary. Deadly accurate with a sniper, they're very good at their job.

When they're done, the main act comes in. Darlin and Angel work to take threats down. Angel is the decoy, keeping everyone's attention while Darlin is their muscle who actually takes care of business. While Angel is working the floor, Darlin is backstage cracking heads together.

I said there's two main forces sent out on missions. Well, there's also one support team that waits in the wings for something to go wrong. If someone slips up or someone gets wise, then they make their appearance.

Asher and Babe do demolitions, threading through basements and storage rooms with backpacks full of explosives so that things can get solved the loud way. But running just won't do. Too slow, when they get called in then things need to move quickly. So Babe has a pair of pristine white roller skates and Asher has a beat up yet heavily decorated skateboard. They're there to place charges and get the fuck out of dodge before sitting back to watch the fireworks.

Then there's the two back home, the ones who leave the theatrics to the players on the field. Those two would be David and Sam. David stays back to watch everything from a distance, calling the shots and making sure everything goes smoothly. Sam hangs back so that if things go badly, the group doesn't lose their best doctor. Also the families at large don't know that the House and the Pack have their loose alliance, Sam showing his face with the known faces of the Pack would have informants running for their earpieces.

David, Ash, Milo, and Darlin all grew up in the mafia. When David took over and made Ash his second it was a common belief that they would stick together, that there wouldn't be anyone new.

Then Milo brought in Sweetheart. An ex-detective that had been on the case trying to unearth the arms trading ring in the city and made the mistake of falling in love. They left the force and joined their lover on the other side, now hiding from the law and their former colleagues.

The Pack wasn't too happy about Milo bringing in an officer, unsure if their intentions were genuine and to this day some are still suspicious. But as they were all reeling, David introduced Angel. Angel was a small-time athlete that often was participating at events the Pack was working. When David caught their eye, they started to pester him between matches no matter how much he tried to ignore them. He tried to push them away, tried to protect them, but after an event they were at that he was working was attacked by a rival family, David knew he had to take them in. At least then he would know they were safe.

Babe was third. A pizza delivery person who strolled around the city on roller skates to deliver all their orders. They delivered to the security company pretty often and Asher was usually the one to recieve it. He thought they were cute the first time he met them and Asher all but insisted on being the one to get the pizza when it arrived ever since. It didn't take long for the two to have the other wrapped around their finger and thus Babe made seven.

Lastly came Sam. It was an accident, really. Darlin had been going rogue to find Quinn (very much against David's orders, we know how he feels about going solo) when they bumped into Sam. Funnily enough, he was out looking for Quinn too. They tried to keep things on the down low, last thing they needed was for their rivaling families to find out they were seeing each other. But of course, Darlin is about as subtle as a neon sign and David figured it out. So he set up a meeting between the three of them and William to come to a compromise. William agreed to give Sam to the Pack on the promise that the Pack would help the House when requested and Sam would have to return when called. David agreed and their quiet alliance was forged.

I think that's everything I've got?? I've had a long day my brain is shutting down. But yeah, maybe I'll actually do something with this now that it's all written out. Who knows.

[punkeropercyjackson]

Uuuuhhhh apperantly my daydreaming disorder decided to give itself a power boost so i came up with a very rough draft of a Dead Sea Siblings Spiderman/Spiderverse specifically based au

Don't even have a name for it yet but we got Spiderpunk!Percy,Spiderman!Nico and Spiderwoman!Hazel.Percy's Spiderpunk because i started this off with having him be a Hobie variant but it also fits because he's bigender a lot of the time to me and that includes this one

The basic premise is that Sally dying was their canon event(but obviously she's not a cop)and it happened when Percy was just in his first year of middle school so he had to raise Nico and Hazel by himself because Smelly Gabe certainly wasn't going to and that's another way of making him even more like Hobie via adultification(parentification specifically).He did a pretty good job at it so the three of them are best friends in addition to being adoptive siblings and also half siblings in Nico and Hazel's case.They all get bitten by radioactive spiders in different contexts but at the same time-Percy's was made radioactive to begin with by illegal waste dumping and he got bit while out on a community service event,Nico was getting picked on and one of his bully's threw his spider onto him when they spotted it and Hazel was too absored in reading her horror book to notice she'd ended up in the forest until she walked face first into webbing.Currently Percy is 20,Nico is 17 and Hazel is 16

Percy does most of the things you'd expected from Spiderman(Including pulling a million people without even noticing and not really caring for it /lh),Nico is a big dabbler in the scientific side of heroism and Hazel is a member of Spider Society because she wants to have a safe shelter and to learn to control parts of her new powers Percy can't teach her about.Percy herself isn't approving of either because she's worried about him getting hurt permantly and her becoming brainwashed but is too nice to them to outright adress it out of fear of upsetting them.That's all i have so far tbh?Other than Percy has a love interest that i'm too scared of being called cringe to share and these civillian designs for them:

So yeah!I hope at least someone likes this and anyone is free to ask me questions or give suggestions^

[wazzappp]

Joining @cicada-candy in fish land. I drew these MONTHS ago while in a frenzy with @goldendaydna feeding the fire I just didn’t share them cause. Shy. THAT IS NO LONGER AN ISSUE.

Anyway, like any of my AUs it has l o r e. It’s basically a combo of childhood friends and mermaid bs lol.

Yes i made Robbie a killer whale cause they’re based what of it (I might change his design just a smidgen if I decide to draw more of this which I might).

ANYWAY Robbie is doing pretty good as a kid. Mom and dad are still around but that uhhhhhh doesent stay that way for long. They both die is born via freak boat accident shortly after Gabe is born. He has to spend a lot of time hunting stuff which frankly gets him in quite a bit of trouble with quite a few injuries (I’m a sucker for the ‘patching up the others wounds’ trope fight me)

Robbie’s hatred of boats leads to a dead zone in that area of the ocean where he stays. Lisa gets a research job where she can stay on a houseboat in this area because for SOME REASON her boat is the only one that doesn’t get torn apart (some people think she’s a mermaid. She tells this to Robbie and he thinks it’s HILARIOUS)

This was incoherent. Enjoy.

[yankstrash]

princess!gf x gabe perreault 🤍

✰ gabe and amelia

✰ playlist

✰ mood board

✰ tag (mini fics + blurbs & asks)

✰ au description

they met each other at amelias job. she works at a cafe & gabe went in once to get a coffee & ever since then he wasn't able to get the gorgeous barista out of his head

he asks for her number, and gets rejected

he starts showing up more & it does not go unnoticed by amelia

he continues to ask her out, all of which end in rejection because "all jocks are the same", according to amelia

they find out they have a mutual friend (gabes teammate & amelias childhood friend)

after much persuading from their mutual connection, amelia gives in and asks gabe to go with her to a sorority date party

he agrees without a second thought

then they go on a real date. and another one. and another one. and some more...

and now they're both head over heels in love with each other <3

✰ amelia

amelia l/n

freshman at boston college

majoring in neuroscience with a minor in psychology

originally from new york

her birthday is september 20 (virgo queen!)

her taylor swift era is 1989

she's 5'0 on a good day

long, wavy, light brown hair

big, beautiful brown eyes

her style

she's a sweet, energetic girl who laughs at everything and anything

she can also be very sassy & petty when she wants to be & has her little hissy fits

she is gabes princess, hence the au name. his #1 pet name for her is princess and he sure treats her like one

✰ gabe

gabe perreault

freshman at boston college

winger for the boston college mens ice hockey team

drafted #23 overall to the new york rangers in the 2023 nhl draft

originally from quebec, canada

his birthday is may 7 (taurus man!)

a complete and total simp for his girlfriend. would seriously do anything for her

✰ relationship timeline

september 2nd: their first time meeting (the first time gabe saw amelia at the coffee shop and tried getting her number)

september 27th: amelia finally agreed to go out with gabe

september 30th: their first 'date' (they went to amelias sorority event together)

october 4th: their first real date

october 28th: the day they started officially dating

✰ imagines

their first 'i love you'

meeting their parents

post game fight

cheating accusation

christmas present x 'call it what you want' inspired

daylight (taylor swift) inspired pt. 2

✰ daily thoughts

✰ relationship dynamics

✰ insta edits

[the-ace-with-spades]

Unhinged fic idea incoming...

An AU where Buck is the one looking for a sperm donor.

Buck is trans in this AU fyi and there's trans pregnancy and related stuff involved

He's obviously in love with Eddie, had been for a long time, and for a little bit after he and Taylor broke up, he hoped.

But then nothing happens. Because nothing ever happens between them, no matter how many nights he stays over, how many dinners he cooks, how many times they go out, how many times they spend the evening like a family -- they're not. Chris is not his son, Eddie is not his partner, and there's nothing happening.

And Buck, at that point, is tired of hoping for and waiting to have his own family.

This is when Connor shows up -- Buck was stealth back when they lived together so he explains, that sorry, dude, no dick or anything like that here, so can't give you sperm.

But Connor gives him an idea.

At first he thinks it's crazy and pushes the thought back because it seems to be more of a fantasy than anything - Buck having his own child without another person involved.

But then, well, why not? There are single mothers that decide to keep a baby from accidental pregnancies all over the world and Eddie is a single dad himself -- if he can do it, why couldn't Buck? He's got a stable job, financially he's okay, he hasn't had any health issues in a while, he wants to be a dad more than anything, and he wants a family more than anything, even if just a small one.

So he sets a plan in motion, talks to his doctor, goes off both HRT and birth control and starts looking for someone willing to donate sperm to him or sleep with him.

He's got a few candidates lined up - past friends, mostly, because he wants someone he knows and can trust with such a delicate process, someone who won't take advantage of the situation - and when his period finally comes back after two months off testosterone, he starts calling up.

He's got one guy he used to date in the fire academy who has agreed to try and get him pregnant. They meet up, they talk about what they're more comfortable with - Buck was going to go with the good old cup and syringe method insemination, but Gabe says they could have some fun while at it.

It's going alright - they meet up for sex two-three times a week, there's absolutely zero feeling to it, and after two months of trying, nothing happens.

And then the crew finds out.

There's lots of opinions and questions why ('I'm tired of waiting to have my own family') and why couldn't he just wait until he finds someone ('I want a baby, not a partner, and I'm not getting younger and the timing is right'). Eventually, he explains everything and tells them the plan and all the preparations he's done -- medical, financial, housing, etc. and everyone realizes this isn't something he's doing on a whim and agrees to support him.

Everyone except Eddie.

Who seems to be incredibly offended that Buck 1) didn't tell him about the plan, 2) didn't ask him to be the baby daddy donor and instead asked some other random guy.

Buck, because he's oblivious, thinks Eddie's weird behaviour is only due to the first reason and gets defensive that he doesn't have to tell Eddie about all his life choices any time Eddie brings up the topic.

Cue month three of trying to get pregnant and Buck tells Gabe hey, I actually would prefer to switch to the cup and syringe method. And the dude blows up about how he's only doing it for the sex and he's infertile anyway so whatever Buckley.

Obviously, that's upsetting because he's just wasted three months but also because he trusted Gabe and it turned out like this - so how is he supposed to trust any other guys on the candidate list?

Everyone on the team is sympathetic - Athena offers to get that guy for extraction of sex under false pretense - but Buck just kinda feels like giving up. Hen mentions he can just use a clinic's donor, doesn't have to be doing IVF for that, just get a donor catalog and go for the specimen to the clinic or have it delivered to his house and do the syringe method anyway. It's going to cost some money but still cheaper than IVF.

Eddie still hates the idea.

And Buck gets one catalog and brings it to the station so he can talk to Hen about it (since she and Karen had gone through the process before) and Eddie is really snarky the whole day about it, with little comments here or there.

At some point, Buck just can't take it and tells him, 'If you think I'll make such a bad parent why don't you just tell me to my face, loud and clear.'

Obviously, Eddie tones down immediately. Explains that hey, this isn't what I meant, I just don't like the idea of you having a kid with a stranger you know nothing about.

They have a whole discussion when Buck confesses he doesn't like it either but he's desperate and please don't make me question it even more, I just want a baby at whatever cost.

So Eddie takes the opportunity and says, 'I'll be your sperm donor.'

Buck knows it's a bad idea but it's also the best he can get from Eddie - maybe he won't love him and maybe they won't be a family in a little unit of four, but he'll have a baby that's a little bit like him.

Because he has the rest of his self-preservation and doesn't want his heart to break any more, he insists on doing it with the cup and syringe method.

Which backfires spectacularly since he's literally sitting outside Eddie's bedroom while he comes into a cup and when it's his turn to lie down on the same bed and do the insemination, Eddie is like, I could help you with that, probably easier if someone else does it for you. What was supposed to be a simple procedure of draw the sperm into a syringe, inject the syringe's contents up your vagina has just changed into something very intimate.

They try for three months like that and once again, Buck is starting to think there's something wrong with him because he's not getting pregnant. And like, he cries about that a little bit even though he knows it takes six months on average to get pregnant and Eddie offers, you guessed it, let's try it the standard way because maybe that will help (knowing fully well it only busts the chances of getting pregnant by like five percent tops). Buck is desperate, so things happen.

They start having sex.

And Eddie gets, like, really obsessed with it too, just so Buck finally gets pregnant and stops feeling like it's his fault it's not happening faster. He is also tracking Buck's cycles, too, now, and plans for them to have sex on all his predicted fertile days. When one of those days falls when they're on duty, they have sex in the back of the (parked inside the station) truck.

The universe apparently thinks it's funny because that's the lucky time...

Buck is pregnant and so happy he doesn't realize Eddie is mentally freaking out because 1) that means they'll stop having sex and more importantly 2) Buck is having his baby and he's expected to let him parent them alone and never say a thing, just observe from the sidelines as a friend (which ironically is how Buck's felt about Eddie and Chris...)

It quickly proves to be impossible - Buck's got his first ultrasound scheduled and Eddie is like, 'I'm going with you' because he can't imagine not being there for Buck in such an important moment and not seeing the baby for the first time with him.

Which sets off an argument because Eddie was supposed to be a donor not dad and Eddie finally loses his cool and yells, 'I can't.'

Buck is definitely not getting it and is upset because Eddie still doesn't love him but he's already gotten attached to the baby that was meant to be his only in DNA. It's irrational but he feels like Eddie's going to take even this from him, the baby that was supposed to be the small part of Eddie and his dream family he could have.

And Eddie feels guilty because he promised he'll just be a donor but it turns out he can't, he feels like he tricked Buck into this situation. He can't quite literally make this worse so why not just come clean, right? Tell Buck he's sorry and he's in love with him and he really did offer to be a donor thinking he could be just a donor but he can't let go.

Obviously they get together before the first ultrasound.

The only problem now is no one at the station knows that Eddie is the baby daddy, and not some anonymous donor from a catalog.

Chaos ensures

[moosemonstrous]

btw I have now put links to both the tag here and on AO3 in my bio bc I got sick of scrolling through tumblr 😌 Full disclosure - I have met lab people who act like small animals caught in the middle of a road whenever someone dares to enter their domain.

Ghost Rider Pacific Rim AU - sticks and stones

“Can’t promise the spot will stay open,” Kwok tells him apologetically. “But this is good, no? All the young’uns want to go to the academy!”

Robbie would bet his working eyeball that none of the young'uns would be so keen on it after ten minutes alone with Major Brooks. “So I keep hearing,” he mutters. “Sorry for the trouble. I appreciate you taking me on in the first place.”

“Navos is good people,” Kwok shrugs. The Shatterdome functions on a rather opaque network of favours and IOUs. ‘Good people’ seems to be a fairly high praise. Not quite on 'one of ours' level, but high. “You remember me when you are a ranger up in the dome and we’re even.”

And just like that, the transport maintenance chapter of Robbie’s career closes with little fanfare. Technically, he didn’t have to come speak to Kwok in person – his assignment has already gone through and the man would’ve been notified either way. He doesn’t want to leave a bad impression, though. For all he knows, the battery of tests he’d been fast-tracked through the day before will spit out some convoluted reason for why the drift activated on its own and he will be back on the job market before the end of the week. At least there are plenty of positions open – it’s easier to hire someone inside the base and train them up than wait for the paperwork to clear for an experienced worker from the outside.

He remembers the last time he let himself think things were finally turning around, though. He’s not going to make that mistake again.

At least his head is clearer after half an hour in a giant magnet and a full night’s sleep. He’s still unable to hold a conversation with Ivanov without some truly strange thoughts popping up like bubbles on the surface of a pot – the more tired or angry he gets, the harder it is to ignore them. He knew he was going to pay for running on fumes for weeks, and being sedated for nearly three days must have knocked something loose, but. Nothing proper sleep hygiene and some semblance of a routine won’t fix.

Or maybe you’re just noticing stuff, because you ain’t an idiot. Huh? Could it be that?

Or maybe this whole business with The Charger is extremely weird and Robbie should be packing up and running for the hills. Unfortunately, his and Gabe’s permits only work in Hong Kong and when he last checked how much it would be to fly back to US, he had to sit down for a long moment. Even if he was willing to risk taking a ship, where would that leave them? Back on a decimated coast, hoping the wind doesn’t blow over nuclear fallout, and struggling to find enough food for both of them? Queuing at state borders for days or weeks, hoping they’ll be lucky enough to get through on the increasingly stringent rules? Nevada already stopped letting in anyone without immediate family members or sponsors in-state.

Looks like the only way forward is through.

His wristband scans through to the R&D wing now. The soldiers standing guard give Robbie odd looks, but don’t make a move to stop him, so he forces his shoulders down and walks through the armoured door like he knows what he’s doing.

He has no idea what he’s doing. Cho said, ‘come find me in R&D before noon’. There are at least fifteen labs just in this one corridor and none of the doors have anything approaching a comprehensible naming convention. Some signs are just a piece of printer paper with a name scrawled over it, some have the original writing taped over with a KEEP OUT sticker, some seem to list the people working inside. None of those list an Amadeus Cho. It’s half past eleven.

Eventually, Robbie sticks his head in a room labelled ‘HMT DES’. Inside, there are three circular podiums with a mannequin each, showcasing variations of the PPDC hazmat suits. There are three people inside; two hide behind the middle suit as soon as they notice him, leaving the third to fend for herself.

“Can–can I help you?” she asks nervously. She has blue hair and wears fishnet sleeves over a tank top. Not exactly the nerd attire Robbie was expecting.

“I’m looking for Amadeus Cho,” he explains, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. It’s the opposite of what he usually tries to achieve, and she looks like she might be having an anxiety attack. “Any idea where I could find him?”

The girl listens to some frantic whispering from behind the suit. “In the bone lab,” she squeaks. Then blushes so hard Robbie worries she might actually pass out. “Up one floor, two doors down on the left, thankyouseeyoulater.”

What the hell.

He closes the door.

At least with the directions he finds the right room in less than five minutes. The label indeed reads ‘bone lab’. He’s pretty sure the music blasting from the inside is Dead Kennedys. When nobody answers his knocking, he prays he isn’t about to embarrass himself further and pushes the door open.

Cho is standing with his back to him at a table completely covered in… either huge chunks of dirty plaster or – more likely and vastly more disturbingly – massive bone fragments. He’s holding a metal training staff. Before Robbie can call out, he brings it over his head and smashes one of the chunks. When it doesn’t break, he adjusts his grip and tries again. And again. And again, until the greenish-grey surface cracks, at which point he gives out a little whoop.

“Cho?” Robbie risks. The music is too loud, coming from a small bluetooth speaker at the edge of the table. It’s shaped like a cat head. “Hey, Cho!”

Cho whirls around with the staff ready to smack the intruder. He’s wearing thick safety goggles. When he sees Robbie, he drops his weapon to the table with a clatter. “Good news!” he shouts over the music, like it’s normal both for people to just show up in his lab and to start a conversation from the middle. “You don’t have brain cancer!”

Well. That’s definitely good news.

“Was that a–?” He waits for Cho to lower the speaker’s volume through his phone. “Was that a risk?”

Cho is busy checking his messages, frowning. “Did you break my outfitters?”

“What?”

“Hazmat lab?” The frown becomes a grin as he scrolls through a bunch of texts. Robbie feels like that’s worse. “Good job getting on their good side, they might be designing your drivesuit soon.”

“I just–“ Can we get to the point? This kid is missing a screw. “You said to come find you?”

“Yes! Come on, take a–“ he picks up a hammer from an office chair before sliding it towards Robbie. “There you go. I was hoping we could talk without the grown-ups hovering around.”

The grown-ups. Robbie can already feel a headache coming. He takes a seat while Cho leans on the table, untroubled by a pile of skeletal remains inches from his back. “Talk about what?”

Cho scrambles around for a remote and points it at one of the screens at a wall behind Robbie. He flicks through several output sources – one is most definitely a cartoon show Gabe used to love back in L.A. – until he finds what looks like the Hell Charger’s blueprints.

“That,” he says, suddenly serious. “What do you actually know about this jaeger?”

“I already–“

“Yeah, but that can’t be all,” Cho cuts him off impatiently. “I found your records from before your mom took you and your brother off-base. You were eight. Your dad never took you to the hangar?”

Not really. Mama didn’t want you losing fingers in the machinery.

“Wasn’t a place for a kid,” he mumbles. There are records? “I don’t really remember much from that time. Weren’t all the records sealed?”

I told you Ivanov is full of shit.

“Oh, they were,” Cho smirks. “But the last guy in my role had access to some of the classified stuff, and nobody ever revoked it. You know how it is.”

Robbie has no idea how it is. “What do they say?”

“Nothing!” Cho groans. “Just that you and your brother existed. That’s why I’m asking.”

It’s both crushingly disappointing and a perfectly good reason for Ivanov to just say there was no information available. Keep deluding yourself. You’ll see I’m right sooner or later. Still, Robbie doesn’t really have much he can – or wants to – tell Cho.

“Sorry, I can’t help,” he shrugs. “I’m told we left before it was decommissioned. Mom never talked about it.”

Cho lifts up his goggles to his forehead to rub his eyes. He seems frustrated. “No weird work anecdotes? No drama about close calls?” He huffs when Robbie shakes his head. “Great. Another dead end. What did Ivanov tell you?”

“Just that my dad used to be a pilot. That he died killing Daggerblight.”

There is a long moment where Cho watches him like he’s waiting for Robbie to crack and admit to some vast conspiracy. When nothing happens, he blows the air out of his cheeks. “Bummer. Oh well, let’s go find Montesi before she starts wondering where we are.”

Robbie feels the bottom of his stomach freeze over. “We were supposed to be meeting her, too?”

Cho is already walking over to the door. He holds it open with a stupid little bow. “Yep. We better hurry.”

Robbie kind of wants to punch him. He’s beginning to suspect this will be a common occurrence.