#gina tores

[watmalik]

Bro ever since Tommy Vega became a paramedic at the 126 she lost her husband, went through hell bc of her boyfriend's daughter, broke up with the boyfriend she proposed to, and now has breast cancer and may lose her girls?!

SHE BETTER BE WELL BY THE END OF THIS SEASON OR SO HELP ME

[philtrashnumberunus]

how often i'd hit it

this was a collaboration between me and oomf so we had to average out our answers

[loulovingho]

part 2 to my lonely tommy fic. this time he's not so lonely anymore.

“What did you do this time?”

“Angela!” Tommy exclaimed, smiling brightly as she walked into the room. “Or Angie? Angel? We never clarified that.”

“You know, when I saw your name I thought dear God, that man's still alive? I was certain you would have sawed off a few more body parts by now.”

“I'm trying to keep my limbs, I promise.”

“So then tell me why you're here, back in recovery.”

“My appendix hates me.”

“Oh, that's a pesky little thing, isn't it?” she asked.

“It is. Are you my nurse today?”

“Not supposed to be, but I've got seniority on Gina, so she can deal with the jackass in 212.”

“I knew I was your favorite,” he replied, giving her a wink.

Angela rolled her eyes. “I haven't looked through your paperwork yet,” she said, waving the file in her hand. “Should I assume nothing's changed from last year?”

“You know what they say about assumptions, Angela.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Are you telling me there's gonna be a person to call in here?”

He nodded. “There is a name and a number. And it's a person I actually know. You won't have to call though.”

“I swear, if you tell me you brought yourself here again-”

“No, no, I didn't this time. I just-”

“I got some jello cups from the nurses station, and ice for- Marie?!”

Angela's eyes widened, a grin on her face. “Buck!” she exclaimed, opening her arms for a hug.

“Marie?” Tommy questioned, confused.

Ignoring him, Angela kept her focus on Buck. “What are you doing here? And in normal clothes! I only ever see you when you're in the bed!”

Buck laughed. “I'm a plus one this time. Tommy's appendix decided to burst in the middle of his shift.”

“You two work together?”

“Oh, no. He's at 217, I'm at 118.”

“He's my boyfriend,” Tommy clarified.

“Ohh, okay.” She turned toward Tommy, wiggling her eyebrows. “That's some new information for me.”

Buck took the ice and jello over to Tommy. He tore off the lid and scooped a little bit of the lime jello onto a spoon, then brought it up to Tommy's mouth. He took the bite without complaint.

“They only want him eating soft foods for the next few hours,” Buck said as Angela watched them both with nothing but fondness on her face. “But he gets hungry so fast I keep going for more jello cups.”

“How about I search around for something that will keep you fuller a bit longer?” Angela suggested. “Like some mashed potatoes?”

Tommy swallowed the next bite of jello. “That actually sounds really good.”

“I'll be right back.”

“Wait!” Tommy exclaimed before she could get too far. “Marie?”

She walked back over to his bed. “It's my middle name, and it's what everyone else calls me. You have to keep calling me Angela, because you pissed me off,” she said, gently smacking his leg with the file folder.

“Ohhh,” Buck teased, looking at Tommy with wide eyes, “someone's in trouble.”

“You had me worrying about you for a whole damn year while you were cozying up to one of my favorite patients? The nerve, Thomas.”

“Yikes,” Buck grimaced. “You got Thomas'd.”

“That's just Angela's way of telling me she loves me.”

“Mhm. You've aged me, Mr. Kinard.”

“This could have all been prevented if you'd let me use you as my emergency contact.”

She shook her head. “I'll be back with potatoes. Keep him in check, Buck!”

“Will do.”

Once she left the room, Buck eyes Tommy. "So you know Marie too?"

He nodded. "I do."

*****

After eating some potatoes, Tommy dozed in and out for the next couple of hours.

After that, he and Buck were in the middle of a very competitive episode of The Price is Right when there was a knock on the door.

One by one, people began to file in, much to Tommy's surprise.

Eddie, Hen, Bobby, Athena, Maddie, and Howie gathered into the room, hands filled with different items.

After all the hello's and how are you's, they took turns handing over what they brought.

“We brought flowers,” Athena said, setting them on a corner table. “To brighten the place up a bit.”

“Jee wanted to make you something special to look at while you're in here,” Maddie said, breaking through the crowd to hand Tommy a piece of paper. “She said it's her, her Uncle Buck, and her Uncle Tommy at the zoo.”

Tommy stared down at the picture. Three people, a step above stick figures, with their hands connected as they walked down a path. Some birds and other unidentifiable animals surrounding them.

“It's beautiful,” he said, speaking softly. “Tell her I said thank you. I love it.”

“Karen made cookies.” Hen dropped a bag down on Tommy's tray table. “Snickerdoodle and red velvet. They're your favorites, apparently?”

“They are!” Tommy replied in surprise. “I can't believe she remembered that. I just mentioned it in passing one day.”

“Karen remembers everything about the people she cares about,” Hen responded with a grin. “One of the many things I love about her.”

“We made a schedule,” Eddie said, pulling a piece of paper out of his back pocket.

“Buck made a schedule,” Chimney clarified.

“I've given Buck a couple days off,” Bobby said, “and after that we will be bugging you in shifts.”

“You guys don't have to-”

“Don't even try to fight it,” Hen interrupted. “We've already been made to memorize our individual schedules and tasks.”

“This is happening, Tommy,” Eddie said, giving him a pat on the shoulder, “whether you like it or not.”

Athena hummed. “And I can guarantee by the time you have fully recovered, you will not.”

“He's gonna love it,” Buck said, glaring over at Eddie. “Who brought the balloons?”

“That would be me,” Eddie replied. “Along with an airplane-shaped stuffed toy that actually used to be Christopher's, but he hasn't touched it in years.”

“And I found the cutest teddy bear in the gift shop,” Chimney said, coming up beside Tommy to tuck the bear into his side, “because I don't bring used toys to my friends.”

“Rude!” Eddie exclaimed. “At least he likes airplanes.”

“He likes bears too!” Chimney defended, then he looked down at Tommy. “You like bears too, right?”

“That could mean so many different things to me,” Tommy replied honestly. “But, yes, I love the teddy bear and the airplane. Thank you guys. All of you.”

“I know I didn't technically bring anything,” Bobby said, “but I will be making you guys some meals that you'll just have to heat up for the next couple weeks, at least.”

“You don't have to do that, Bobby.”

“Well, it's not just for you,” Bobby explained.

Athena rolled her eyes. “Here we go.”

“These are new meals I'm trying out,” Bobby continued, “So I need honest reviews before I start making them at work. Don't sugar coat it.”

Tommy lifted three fingers. “Scouts honor.”

As the conversations picked up around him, Tommy settled further into the bed. Buck smiled over at him, taking his hand. “Sorry,” he said, “I didn't know they'd all be coming at once.”

Tommy shook his head. “Don't be sorry,” he replied, giving Buck's hand a squeeze. “This is perfect.”

*****

It was dark outside when Angela came back into the room for her final check before getting off shift. The only light filtering through the room came from the bathroom. Tommy was sitting up, staring down at the drawing Jee had given him.

“Wow!” Angela exclaimed as she walked in. “Someone had a lot of visitors today.”

The room was littered with items that had been left behind.

Tommy smiled up at her. “Yes, Ma'am.”

“We could hear you all laughing from down the hall,” she said as she began to switch out his IV bag. “It was nice.”

“Yeah, it... It was.”

“Did you finally get your boy to go home?”

“Uh, no.” Tommy set the drawing back down on the table. “He's actually gone to get more blankets. I told him I was fine, but he said my feet always get cold at night so I'd need extra.”

“He takes good care of you.”

“Yeah, he does.”

She grinned down at him. “You take good care of him?”

“I try to,” he answered honestly.

They fell into a comfortable silence as she finished up her work.

She gave him a couple of sideways glances before asking. “You okay?”

He bit at his lip, suddenly overcome with emotion as he stared at his GET WELL SOON balloon. Everything had changed so much in the past year. His old life felt nearly unrecognizable.

“It's just a little overwhelming,” he admitted, clearing his throat. “Last time I went home from here I was alone. I took care of myself until I got better. This time I have a schedule to memorize of who is visiting when.”

“Sounds like a good problem to have to me.”

“It is,” he agreed, even as his voice broke. “I just never thought I'd have people.” His eyes burned, filling with tears. “Doesn't feel like I deserve it.”

“Oh, honey.” She leaned over the bed, cradling his head in her arms. She could feel the wetness from his tears on her sleeve. “You are so loved,” she told him as he let himself be held. “You deserve that.”

She leaned back enough to hold onto Tommy's face, wiping his tears with her thumbs as she spoke to him. “All these people who showed up for you today, they came because they love you. Because you show them the same love. And that man you've got, well, he looks at you like you're more precious than gold. Let yourself be happy, okay? You've got people now. You've got people forever.”

He took a shaky breath and nodded, Angela wiping away the last of the tears before letting him go.

He grabbed a tissue off his tray table and wiped his nose. “Do I get to call you Marie now?” he asked.

She laughed. “Oh, no. You're special, so you're stuck with Angela.”

“I got five blankets and two pillows,” Buck said as he entered the room, “which I know you won't need, but I'm trading chairs with the guy in 212- who's a bit of an ass, by the way- so I get the recliner.”

“You're staying the night?” Angela asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh, um, yeah,” he answered sheepishly, his cheeks going pink. “I didn't ask, but I- I figured-”

“It's fine,” she assured him before heading for the door. “I didn't think you'd be leaving anyway. I'll see you two lovebirds in the morning, alright?”

“Goodnight, Marie!”

“Thank you, Angela.”

Buck took one of the blankets and spread it out over Tommy's legs. “I gotta go switch these chairs out. Are you good until I get back?”

Tommy reached out for Buck's hand, tugging on him until he was close enough to kiss. When he pulled away, he smiled. “I'm good.”

[reneesghostinthelivingroom]

heyy!! I LOVE your Poly Plastics fics, do you think you could do one where Regina's father has an outburst at home one day and Reguna realizes she has to take her little sister (4 year old Kylie) out of there, so the Plastics support this and since Regina's parents don't even care much about their daughter they don't give a damn, then you show the 3 of them taking care of Kylie who was a little shaken and needy (from getting too attached to them)??

No Looking Back

|| poly!plastics shenanigans

|| Warnings; regina's father being a bitch, regina standing up to him, protecting kylie, swearing, agnst/comfort

|| Summary; Regina comes home one night to her father yelling at Kylie. She takes her to Gretchen's to protect her.

Requests open!

Started; october 16th

Finished; october 16th

~~~

Regina knew her parents weren't the greatest, there were many times where she would hear her father yelling. Or be the one being yelled at. She'd learnt to just sit and tolerate it, knowing that was the safest option. It wasn't something she wanted people to know about her either, because then that becomes all you're painted as. So she even kept it from her girlfriends, Gretchen and Karen. Until one night.

One night where she had come home late to hear her father yelling at her four year old sister, Kylie. Who definitely didn't deserve whatever screaming match he was having with her. Regina shared a glance with her mother, who had been standing off to the side looking upset. She knew her mom wasn't about to do anything; which left things to her. Regina knew she had to get Kylie safe and that's just what she was going to do.

If she thought of her father as just another nerd, another jerk she had to deal with at school. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard. She's yelled at those people plenty of times. She could do this. Taking a breath, she marched up the stairs and to Kylie's room. Stepping between her father and her sister.

"Kylie, cover your ears." Regina demanded, glancing at Kylie. Who nodded and listened, despite the tears rolling down her cheeks. Regina looked back at her father. Could she even call him that? He never acted like one." Back the fuck away from her! You wanna yell? Yell at me!" She screamed, giving him pause for a moment. Regina's hardly ever yelled back at him. He wasn't ready for this.

"Regina. Go back downstairs, not everything is about you." His glare tore into her soul, but she kept her ground. She wasn't about to back down. In fact, she went as far as spitting in his face. Which only fuelled his anger." You little-" He was seconds from striking her, but Regina picked up Kylie and ran out of the room with her. Her dad followed after, so Regina kept going. Not even giving her mom a second glance as she ran to her jeep. Setting Kylie in the front and making sure she was buckled up good. Yeah, Regina knew this wasn't legal to have her in the front. And without some kind of booster. But she didn't have the time for any other options.

She got out of there as fast as she could without looking back.

"Kylie, I need you to take a breath and grab my phone for me. Okay?" She glanced at the girl then back at the road, Kylie nodded. Struggling to take a breath at first but doing her best to regulate her emotions.

She grabbed Regina's phone and looked at her older sister," what now?" She asked, her tone a quiet murmur.

"Press the numbers 6754." She continued to coach her through what she needed her to do. Kylie did just that, Regina made sure Kylie had learnt how to use a phone at a young age for emergencies. And Kylie's used it a few times to get ahold of her, normally stealing their mother's phone." Do you see Gretchen and Karen's picture in my contacts? Can you call one of them?"

Kylie clicked on Gretchen, the phone rang for only a second before Gretchen answered, sounding pretty excited that Regina actually called her." Gina! Oh my god! Hi!!"

Kylie smiled when she heard Gretchen, having put the phone on speaker. Gretchen was definitely one of her favourites. She always talked to her when she came over." Gren!!!" Kylie smiled at the phone.

Gretchen paused for a moment, then laughed softly." Kylie, honey. Did you take Regina's phone?" Her tone shifted to softer, more kid suitable.

"No, I told her to call you. We're coming over." Regina spoke up, letting Gretchen know she was there too. Gretchen's eyes widened.

"Wait what? Did something happen?"

"Daddy was mean.." Kylie mumbled, Gretchen frowned at that. What did Kylie mean? How mean was he for Regina to be bringing her?

"I'll explain more later when she's in bed. I just had to get her out." Regina sighed, she was a good distance from the house now. She finally gave herself the chance to breathe. Loosening her grip on the wheel. Gretchen could tell how stressed Regina seemed and that worried her, she felt bad for the blonde.

"Yeah, that's okay. I'll set up a space for her. My parents are out for a few nights so you can stay as long as that. I'll see if I can convince them to let you stay longer when they get home." Gretchen replied.

"Thanks, Gren. Seriously." Regina wasn't one to thank people, so Gretchen could tell she was serious even without her saying the 'seriously' part.

"I'm here for you, baby. No matter what. I love you." Gretchen told her, Regina tensed a little when the L word was said. Gretchen and Karen said it a lot, but Regina didn't say it often. Though they knew she loved them. Even without her saying," want me to invite Karen?"

"Yeah. Yeah, call her. I'm about five minutes away. See you in a minute. Kylie, hang up for me?" Regina glanced at her sister who frowned and looked ready to cry again.

"I wanna talk with Gren!" She whined, Regina's grip retightened on the wheel. She didn't know how to handle stuff like this.

"We can see her in a few minutes, if you hang up." Regina tried to negotiate.

"Regina, I got it. I'll see you soon Ky, okay? Really soon, promise. And we can talk as much as you want, how does that sound?" Gretchen was better with kids, which Regina really appreciated.

"Okay!!!" Kylie was smiling and giggling again.

"Thank you." Regina sighed, relieved Gretchen helped her out.

Gretchen hung up the phone and they soon arrived at Gretchen's house. Regina picked up Kylie and carried her inside, shutting the door behind her with her foot as Gretchen came over.

She took Kylie from Regina's arms and smiled wide," Kylie! Hey, girlie!!" Kylie giggled as Gretchen carried her. Regina was tempted to ask for a hug too, needing more comfort right now than she ever carried to admit. Gretchen noticed almost immediately and, keeping an arm around Kylie, offered a hand to Regina." Come here, baby."

Regina let her guard down just a bit, accepting the group hug. She was trying not to cry, the whole night had been stressful for her. But now she could relax. Her father wouldn't know where to look for them; one of the plus' to having a very distant parent. They don't know where any of your friends live. Even her mom, who did know her friends, didn't know. They'd be safe at Gretchen's.

The door opened and Regina nearly jumped out of her skin, but it was just Karen.

"Jesus fuck, Karen." She sighed, resting a hand on her chest to steady her heart. Karen frowned, not sure what she did wrong.

Kylie pointed at Regina," sis said a bad word."

"Regina, no bad words." Gretchen was trying to keep a serious face and not laugh, Regina just rolled her eyes. It's not like she could have helped it.

"I don't get it." Karen said.

The rest of the night was spent with the girls taking care of Kylie, Gretchen did the most but she didn't mind. She liked spending time with the girl. After they got her to bed, Regina explained what had happened. Then Gretchen and Karen focused on comforting Regina. Lots of cuddles, praise and kisses. Assuring her that she did the right thing for Kylie.

[super-rangers]

rejanis 20 and 21

20. …on a scar.

21. …on a place of insecurity.

I got carried away maybe ✌🏼

Regina drops her keys in the bowl next to the door and kicks off her heels, not bothering to put them in their proper place. Too much bending down for her to handle at the moment.

She makes her way to the bedroom, peeling off her suit as she does. By the time she at the bed, she's down to her underwear, bra thrown somewhere in the bedroom. She takes two seconds to pull on a worn, patched up flannel shirt before faceplanting onto the mattress with a grunt.

Her back relaxes minutely in the different position, and even that little bit of relief has her sighing in relief.

She lets herself doze off, hoping the nap will erase the stress of the day. She only wakes up when she hears the front door open, but even then she doesn't bother moving.

Janis comes into the room, Regina can hear her stutter step as she notices Regina laid out across the bed.

"Hey, Gina," she says quietly.

Regina just grunts in response, still waking up from her nap and also not in the mood to talk until she's a bit more present.

"Back hurt from holding the firm up on your back?" Janis jokes.

Regina can hear her shuffling around, putting things away. Just hearing Janis makes a bit more of the stress fade away.

Another grunt, and all of Janis' puttering around stops as she seems to realize how bad it is. The bed compresses next to her as Janis sits down.

Regina feels hands on her back, gently pushing the shirt higher on her back, calluses rasping against her skin. The feeling makes Regina shiver and only the pain keeps her from arching and pressing herself into Janis' touch.

Strong hands rub across Regina’s back, working at the worst points of pain around her scar. As Regina's tense back starts to relax, Janis kisses the center of her scar, lingering for a moment as her breath washes against the puckered line that stretches up part of Regina’s back.

"What happened, baby?" Soft, caring tones that never fail to make Regina melt, even when she's in the worst mood. She lets everything come pouring out, knowing Janis is there to help her carry it.

"I almost cried in fucking court, Janis," Regina grits out, fighting back those same tears. "I stepped wrong once this morning and I've been in excruciating pain ever since. This injury is never going to leave me alone and I hate it. Imagine what people would think of me if I burst into tears in the courtroom. Would they be able to take me seriously? How could they? A lawyer crying in court? What a joke. I can't be a good lawyer if I'm always fucking two steps away from breaking down!"

Regina feels Janis press a line of soothing kisses across the line of her shoulders before she brushes away Regina’s hair to see her face. She doesn't say anything - Janis learned a long time ago that sometimes Regina just needs to get everything out without input from anyone else. Instead, Janis tilts her face up slightly, just enough to slot their lips together in a kiss that's all the comforting Regina needs. Regina sighs and leans into Janis, almost deepening the kiss before pulling away, eyelids drooping.

"Love you, shark," Janis says, using Regina’s nickname from college, when Regina tore all her opponents to shreds in one of her law classes. A nickname she pulls out when she wants to remind Regina that she's in control, that she's more than her ever present pain.

"Love you too." Regina tilts her head and brushes their noses together before dropping her head back onto her arms.

[persephone11110]

rain is a good thing

Jake‘Hangman’Seresin x Reader

Chapter 5: Ubi Amor Ibi Dolor

Chapter Summary: Cardiac Arrest- when the heart stops beating suddenly, only Jake would go into cardiac minutes after Doctor Young leaves the room.

Warnings: medical induced coma, jake codes, sudden cardiac arrest,angst barely fluff, medical inaccuracys!!, mama seresin, mentions of child abuse, jake and y/n pov italicized is jakes, mentions of a dead family member — jake died grandma when he was a child

Characters: Gina Seresin, Doctor Kate Young(neurosurgeon), Doctor Mark Hayden(cardiothoracic surgeon), the daggers are mentioned but don’t have dialogue

A/n: i have no chill. thank you to everyone likes, reblogs and comments. I used a poem from Emily Dickinson— Hope Is The Thing With Feathers, the title is latin, latin for Where There’s Love Theres Pain

Previous | Next

Series Masterlist

WC: 1.1K

—

Everything was fine until it wasn’t.

You’d been reading Emily Dickson, your coworker Amy had been excitedly ranting about her months ago. Telling you and a few others nurses of how much she enjoyed her poems and how Dickinson has a way with words.

So you decided to give her a try.

You had no idea if it was true or not but you’ve heard as a trauma nurse that its good to talk to someone in coma as if their awake. It won’t make them wake up but it provides comfort to both you and the person. It also said during a coma the person can hear whatever happening outside. So you decided to read a few lines to Jake, wondering if he was bored of silence, of the constant tears you and Gina shed a couple times a day. The constant sounds all the machine made.

Hope is thing with feathers -

That perches the soul -

You sighed softly, god did you need hope- hope that Jake finally recovered enough to point were Doctor Young starts to ease his sedation. You had hope for you and Jake to rekindle whatever love you two had before you attacked him with accusations.

Whn do you realize you didn’t love me anymore?

You remember asking him— you expected him to say something worse, but he didn’t. He loved you even after you left him high and dry on a rainy day, with a hangover. You tore down his walls, he torn down your walls, you promised one another that the relationship would be better than your parents.

And sings the the tune without the words -

And never stops at all -

You hated when your mother compared you to your father. “You go tit for tat just like him Y/n, your anger just like him— not caring about the person on the receiving end of it”.

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

Jake hated when he got angry at you fearing that you wouldn’t see him, you see the men that you and him both feared. The men you two spent hiding from when they drank too much, the men who came home angry and ready to hurt everyone and everything in his path.

You and him hated being angry towards one another.

Gina wasn’t here at the moment she was inside Doctor Young office, discussing recovery and what Jake future looks like beyond it.

Could he return to flying?

You closed the book mumbling something about stretching your legs, getting food and finding Gina. As you left for the cafeteria you had some sudden urge to lean over a kiss Jake on his forehead. Saying something along the lines of “I missed you, I missed what we had”.

Look Jake thankful for the rest his body finally got, but at one point it even sleeping gets tiring. He’s supposed to cruising in his car to the base, he supposed up their flying for practice and fun, not laying in a hospital locked in his own mind.

He can’t use the bathroom by himself —hell he’s not even breathing on his own. Poor Y/n, the sounds of her sob when she first came to see him, he didn’t like that one bit. Jake didn’t like how she kept blaming herself for his accident or the breakup. How she deserved every little bad thing that came her way— he has remind himself to have a talk with his girl. Mama made it worse, with her constant apologies for the childhood she didn’t give him, for the constant pain his old man gave them both. Telling him about how much Rocky misses her buddy, how she’s starting to get in a mood.

The daggers came by to see him at some point, throwing threats around saying they’ll kill him first before he has the chance himself. They miss Jake’s constant sacarsm and insults and Bradshaw finally admitted that Jake had the better music taste.

Back to him and Y/n’s talk- usually Jake Seresin doesn’t do plans he just goes with the flow, rips the bandaid right off with ease but this time he can’t. He has to somehow tell Y/n he heard her say how much she missed him.

“I missed you Jake, I missed what we had”.

And god did he miss his girl, missed her body impression she left on the her side of the bed they shared. Her laughter- when she laughed you could see her tongue poking through her right cheek.

He wished he could just wake up, as if only it was that easy.

Jake wished he could keep thinking about his plan and future but a agitating pain in his chest kept interrupting his thinking. If only Jake could open his damn mouth and ask someone to give him something.

Jake wanted to reach his hand out and ask mama or Y/n for help. His body feels like he coming off adrenaline rush.

He didn’t hear neither mama or Y/n anymore.

What he did hear is a beeping sound getting louder and louder, what he didn’t hear was the sound of Y/n gasps and footsteps leaving his room abruptly, he didn’t hear how panicked she sounded when she yelled his name.

He didn’t see the amount of nurses that ran into his room, as they swarmed around him, them yelling a bunch of numbers, someone yelling page Dr. Hayden, Dr. Young.

The pressure in his chest got worse.

He didn’t feel Doctor Young flash a pen light in his eyes. He didn’t feel the pressure being applied to chest every two minutes, he didn’t hear them count to thirty.

He didn’t see mama and Y/n standing outside his hospital room with tears in their eyes, he didn’t see Y/n pacing up and down the hallway.

He did see the place he spent his entire childhood in.

Jake remembered this place, it was place he ran to every time he needed a break from his parents. A place filled with warmth and love, a place he knew that would protect him from harm.

“Hi sweetheart” Jake turned his around too see a woman he recognized immediately, Jake looked at her with a confused look, she smiles at him,“I knew you smelled my brownies from a mile away”. She closed the oven, wiping her hands on the apron tied around her waist.

“Grandma Lou…”. Jakes voice shook and he shakily took steps towards her, she opened her arms and Jake softly fell into them. “I’ve missed you”.

“I missed you too sweetheart”, she cupped the back of Jakes head, he was leaning in her touch. “Take a brownie, little one”. She lets go of Jake, Grandma Lou hands him a brownie from off the stove,“I know how much they make you feel better”.

She gives Jake a grin, as Grandma Lou gets his plate ready she ushers Jake into a chair, reminding him to sit and eat.

As Jakes chomping away at the brownie, she smiles at him again,“Take your time sweetheart”.

The heavy pressure in Jakes chest started to go away.

Taglist: @chocolatefartstrawberry, @buckysteveloki-me, @dontletthemtakeyoualive, @classyunknownlover, @els-marvelvsp, @i-am-mrsreckless, @cinderellasmissingshoes

[godsfavdarling]

Velvet & Veils pt.2

Spencer Reid x Original Character (chapter list) wc: 3,8k

From a distance, we could be mistaken for sisters. The same striking eyes, the same dark, cascading hair, round face and pointed nose, although mine seemed a bit more turned up.

"Oh my God..." I breathed, the realization crashing over me like a tidal wave. 

We all looked the same. 

I had always known that Gina and I had similarities, but Naomi too? I hadn’t really looked at her properly before. This was a pattern. And I fit it.

Reid and Prentiss remained silent, their expressions somber as they stared at the photos. Part of me was waiting for them to explain it to me, to rationalize the growing dread, but they just waited, allowing the weight of the realization to settle. 

Finally, I tore my gaze away from the photos and met Agent Reid’s eyes. His face was etched with worry as he looked at mine - a face that could very well be the next victim.

Reid nodded solemnly. "It’s possible there’s a reason why these women share such striking similarities. We need to understand if there’s even more connections."

I nodded, a chill running down my spine as the implications settled over me. This wasn’t just about a missing girl - it was about a disturbing pattern that I was a part of.

"Serial killers often have a type," Reid continued, his voice steady but grave. "It's not unusual for the victims to share similarities. Thankfully, your looks and occupation are quite obvious. Sometimes, the similarities aren’t obvious at all, and we have to dig deeper."

My mind spiraled into a vortex of fear and uncertainty. Had anything strange happened to me recently? Had someone been staring too intently at work or on the metro? Had I always locked my apartment door? What if he was already there, waiting for me? Where did he grab Gina? On her way home? At some bar? Where did he find Naomi? 

It must have been at the club. We were all burlesque dancers. That couldn’t be a coincidence. He was a client. I had seen him. I must have. 

I tried to piece together faces from the club, sifting through the fog of stage lights and music. My heart pounded as I realized the danger wasn't some abstract threat - it was real, it was near, and it was targeting me.

My breath started to quicken, the room closing in around me. I could feel the panic building, each heartbeat louder and faster, thundering in my ears. My vision blurred, and the photographs of Gina and Naomi seemed to swim in front of me. They weren’t just pictures - they were reflections. 

Mirrors of what could happen to me.

The edges of my vision darkened as my chest tightened. My mind raced, thoughts crashing into each other like waves in a storm. 

I couldn’t breathe. 

I couldn’t think. 

What if he was out there right now? Watching me? Waiting for me? 

A faint ringing sound cut through the chaos, but it felt distant, almost unreal. 

My phone. 

It was my phone, but I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t move. The sound grew louder, insistent, but I was paralyzed by the fear gripping me.

“Hey, look at me. Look at me,” Agent Reid's voice broke through, steady and calm. He moved closer, his presence a grounding force. I forced myself to look up, my vision clearing just enough to see him. 

His hair was a fluffy, endearing mess, tousled in a way that suggested he ran his fingers through it often, perhaps in deep thought. It framed his face, softening the intensity of his expression. His eyes - brown like mine but softer, lighter - seemed like they held a depth of understanding and kindness. They were like warm pools of melted milk chocolate, inviting and comforting, a stark contrast to the stormy darkness of my own eyes.

His eyes matched his hair in a harmonious blend, both a gentle brown that seemed to catch and reflect the light in a way that was almost calming. If my eyes were dark chocolate, intense and almost bitter with fear and anxiety, his were the milky counterpart, smooth and soothing, promising safety and reassurance.

As I focused on them, I could feel the warmth emanating from his gaze, a silent promise that he was here to help, that I wasn’t alone in this.

“Breathe,” he said gently, his voice a lifeline. “Just breathe. In and out, slowly.”

I tried to follow his instructions, focusing on his eyes. They were kind, filled with a concern that anchored me. My breaths came in ragged gasps at first, but gradually, they slowed, matching the rhythm of his calm, measured breathing.

“That’s it,” Reid encouraged softly, his voice soothing the raw edges of my panic. “You’re okay. You’re safe here.”

As I regained control, the room came back into focus. The photographs, the files, the sound of my phone still ringing. But most of all, Reid’s steady presence, his calm demeanor helping me piece myself back together. 

He gave me a reassuring smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Better?”

I nodded, swallowing hard. “Yes. Thank you.”

Reid’s expression was serious but kind. “We’ll figure this out. We’re here to help. You’re not alone in this.”

I didn't even notice when the phone stopped ringing, the insistent sound fading into the background of my panic. 

“Who was that?” Prentiss asked, her voice breaking through the silence. I didn’t have to check.

“My boyfriend,” I replied, my voice shaky but certain.

“How do you know?” she pressed gently.

“He already called a few times,” I said, my fingers twitching towards the phone. “I’ll call back.”

“Do you live together?” Prentiss asked, her tone probing but not unkind.

I wanted to say yes immediately, to cling to that semblance of normalcy and safety. But the truth was heavier, more complicated.

“No,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “No, we don’t.” Not anymore.

Reid and Prentiss exchanged a brief, meaningful glance before Reid spoke up, his tone measured and calming.

“We’re going to give you some phone numbers,” he said, pulling out a small notepad and a pen. “You’ll have our direct lines, and the main FBI contact number as well. If you notice anything unusual, or if you remember more details, call us immediately. No matter how small or insignificant it might seem, it could be important.”

Prentiss nodded in agreement, her expression serious yet reassuring. “We’re here to help you. You’re not alone in this.”

Reid handed me a piece of paper with their numbers neatly written on it. His handwriting was precise and clear, just like his demeanor. “Here’s my number,” he said, pointing to it. “And here’s Prentiss’. Below that is the FBI contact number. Don’t hesitate to use it.”

I took the paper, the texture of it grounding me a little. “Thank you,” I murmured, feeling a bit more secure with these tangible connections to safety.

Prentiss placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “We’re going to do everything we can to find out what’s going on and keep you safe. Remember, you can reach out at any time.”

I nodded, clutching the paper tightly as if it were a lifeline. “I will,” I promised, my voice steadier now. 

Reid gave me a reassuring smile. “Take care of yourself. We’ll be in touch, and we’ll keep you updated on any progress.”

After Reid and Prentiss left, I took a moment to steady myself before heading downstairs. The air felt heavier as I descended, each step echoing in the silence of my thoughts. When I reached the bottom, I paused to take in the familiar sight of the club.

The room was bathed in dim, ambient light, casting shadows that danced along the walls. Velvet couches and armchairs were arranged in intimate clusters, their deep burgundy fabric inviting yet slightly worn from years of use. Dark mahogany tables were scattered throughout, their surfaces polished to a gleam, each one a silent witness to countless conversations and secrets.

My gaze shifted to the stage, the focal point of the room. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn back, revealing the expanse of the platform. It was where I’d performed countless times, where I’d felt the thrill of the spotlight and the rush of the audience’s attention. But tonight, the stage felt different. 

I had to go up there today. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. The show must go on, as they say, but now the stage felt like a battleground. Each step I would take, every move, every glance from the audience would be tinged with a new, unsettling awareness. 

I walked slowly towards the stage, my fingers trailing along the edge of one of the tables. Memories of past performances flickered in my mind. My heart pounded as I reached the steps leading up to the stage. 

Tonight, the performance would be more than just a dance. It would be a mission. He might be here tonight, hidden among the familiar faces in the audience. Watching. Waiting. But I would be watching too. 

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

The club was packed that night, the usual hum of chatter and clinking glasses filling the air. The ambient lighting created an intimate, almost seductive atmosphere, perfect for a night of burlesque. I stood backstage, adjusting the last details of my costume, my mind a whirlwind of nerves and determination.

The music started, a sultry beat that signaled the beginning of my performance. I took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage, the bright lights immediately enveloping me. The audience’s applause was loud, enthusiastic, but I barely registered it. My focus was sharper than ever, my senses heightened.

As I moved to the rhythm, my eyes scanned the crowd, searching for any sign of him. I saw the usual patrons, faces I recognized, regulars who came for the show and the ambiance. 

But tonight, everyone was a suspect. Every lingering gaze, every too-intense stare sent a jolt of suspicion through me.

I twirled, the sequins on my costume catching the light, sending sparkles into the dim room. My movements were fluid, practiced, but my mind was elsewhere. 

I saw groups of friends laughing, couples whispering to each other, individuals watching with fascination. I tried to catch every detail, every flicker of recognition, every hint of something out of place.

A man at the back caught my eye - he was alone, his posture slightly tense, his eyes not leaving me for a second. Was it him? I felt a chill, but forced myself to stay composed. I couldn’t jump to conclusions.

Another man, closer to the stage, seemed overly interested, leaning forward, his eyes following my every move. My heart pounded as I danced, my body moving on autopilot while my mind analyzed every face, every reaction. 

Who among them was the one who had hurt Gina and Naomi?

My first routine neared its climax, and I pushed myself to perform with all the grace and allure expected of me. The audience cheered, but my eyes remained vigilant, my gaze sweeping the room one last time. 

As the final notes played and I struck my last pose, I saw him. 

A man near the exit, slipping out quietly, his face half-hidden in shadows. There was something about his demeanor, something that made my instincts scream. I held my pose, a smile plastered on my face, but my mind was racing.

The applause thundered, but all I could think about was that fleeting glimpse, the potential lead.

My heart skipped a beat as he turned briefly, the light catching his features. I knew him. He was one of the regulars. It wasn’t him. He’s been coming to Velvet Nights for years.

Was I losing my mind? 

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

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, still catching my breath from the performance. My face was flushed, a mix of exhilaration and the heat of the stage lights. 

But as I looked closer, it wasn't just my face staring back at me. 

All day, every time I'd caught a glimpse of myself, I'd seen Naomi and Gina. 

And my mom.

The resemblance was uncanny. The same cheekbones, the same full lips. My mom and I had always been mistaken for sisters, especially as I grew older and started to look more like a woman. We were each other's constant comparison that neither of us could escape, even in my own reflection.

I sighed, reaching up to touch my hair, a cascade of dark curls that had been carefully styled before the show. My mom had always joked that my hair was my crown, a fitting complement to her own mane of curls. Gina, with her hair a bit more straight and sleek due to overusing a flat iron, had envied me for it.

Now, looking at myself, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Naomi and Gina were gone, but they haunted me, their faces merging with mine every time I looked in the mirror.

I leaned closer, my breath fogging up the glass. The women’s eyes stared back at me, dark and brown, filled with the same fire and determination that had driven probably all of them all their lives. 

I reached for the makeup remover, the cool cotton pad a welcome relief against my heated skin. 

Julia, another dancer, was in her own mirror, brushing out her long, blonde hair. She glanced over at me, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern. 

“That was quite a performance tonight,” she said, her voice warm but tinged with exhaustion. “But you seemed a bit off. Everything okay?”

I sighed, setting down the makeup remover and turning to face her. “Yeah, it’s just… been a rough night. Rough day… days.” I sighed again, running a hand through my hair, feeling the tangles that had formed from hours of performing.

She nodded, leaning against the counter. Her eyes were soft, but there was a glimmer of fatigue. “I know. It’s been kind of crazy lately. But... They are gonna catch him. Or her. Who knows?” She shrugged nonchalantly.

Julia was sweet but... quite unserious. She had this light-hearted demeanor that made her seem almost detached from the grim reality we were living in. People were getting killed, but she acted like it was gossip, like something happening far away that had nothing to do with us. It had everything to do with us. With all of us.

“Besides,” she added, her lips curling into a sly smile, “the FBI got involved, and I'm sure that cute Mr. Agent Doctor is gonna get that psycho.”

“Who?” I asked, raising an eyebrow, trying to follow her train of thought.

“The guy. The cute one who talked to all of us today. There was also this woman. Honestly, I couldn't stop staring at both of them.” Her eyes twinkled as she spoke.

“You mean Agent Reid?” I said, trying to sound disinterested, but the name brought a faint warmth to my cheeks.

“Yes, Misty. Whatever his name is. The cute one. Don’t you think he’s cute? Seems like a nerd. Not your type, I guess.” She grinned, clearly enjoying this.

“I don’t have a type,” I replied, feeling a bit exasperated. I could feel a blush creeping up my neck.

“Yeah, sure.” She rolled her eyes playfully.

“I don’t. Besides, you only know Jimmy. That’s the only guy I dated here. And speaking of Jimmy, he’s here to pick me up so I don’t get murdered the second I take a step outside.” My voice dropped slightly, the humor in the statement dark but real.

“I thought you guys broke up,” she said, tilting her head in confusion.

“We did. Bye.” I gave a curt wave, ending the conversation.

I gathered my things, throwing my jacket over my shoulders and slinging my bag over my arm. The back doors creaked as I pushed them open, stepping into the dimly lit alley. 

The cool night air hit my face, a stark contrast to the bright, stuffy dressing room. Jimmy was there, thankfully, leaning against the car door, his familiar silhouette a somewhat comforting sight.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said, his voice soft and almost sensual. His eyes devoured me.

“Hey, Jimmy,” I replied, feeling a wave of relief wash over me as I approached him. His presence was appreciated but I’d rather not be accompanied by him. I’d rather not be at all at this point. Not with my mind only focused on one thing - am I next?

But at least he was here and I couldn’t help but smile, even if just a little, even if we were over, even if he still didn’t wanna let me go.

“How was the show?” Jimmy asked, his voice gentle as he pushed off from the car door.

“It was… fine. Just a bit overwhelming, I guess. Long day.”

He moved to hug me, concern etched on his face. “I’m okay,” I said quickly, raising a hand to stop him, but he still stepped in front of me to open the car door. He was often a bit much, but he was a good guy.

“Thanks,” I murmured, sliding into the passenger seat. He closed the door behind me and walked around to the driver’s side.

As he settled in, he glanced over at me, his eyes searching mine. “You sure you’re alright?”

I nodded, giving him a small smile despite the weight on my chest. “Yeah, just tired. Let’s get out of here. Thanks for picking me up. It’s just… you know.” I trailed off, unsure if I should confide in him.

I wondered if I should tell him what I found out today. He probably didn’t notice. He had a talent for not noticing things. He didn’t know how much danger I could actually be in. But if I told him, he probably wouldn’t leave me tonight, and he’d stay the night, and that’s the last thing I wanted.

“I know. They’re gonna catch him, though. Don’t worry. I’ll pick you up every day,” he said, his voice filled with an earnest promise.

“Thanks.” I looked out the window, the neon lights reflecting off the glass, casting fleeting shadows across our faces.

We drove in silence for a while. The hum of the engine and the distant sounds of the city filled the car. The city lights flashed by in a blur, creating a kaleidoscope of colors that made my head spin. 

Suddenly, we were in front of my building. I had to get out onto the pavement and walk up to the third floor. 

He could be there. 

Waiting.

“Well… we’re here,” Jimmy said, his voice pulling me from my thoughts as I sat, paralyzed by fear and uncertainty.

“Could you… maybe... walk me upstairs? Just in case?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Oh, sure! No problem!” he said, his face lighting up with a smile.

“Thanks.” I tried to muster a smile, but it felt forced.

He walked beside me with a smile from ear to ear, his optimism almost frustrating. Did he think I invited him to stay? 

No. 

Maybe. 

He is such an idiot.

“Wait, I’ll get the mail,” I said, detouring to the mailboxes in the lobby. Among the usual bills and flyers, there was a postcard from my grandma. The familiar handwriting made me smile, a small comfort in the midst of all the chaos.

“What’s that?” Jimmy asked, peering over my shoulder with genuine curiosity.

“Postcard. Granny Lucy went to Lake Michigan for a few days.”

“Nice! We always wanted to go! Maybe we should get away from here for a few days,” he said, his eyes lighting up with the idea.

“No. You always wanted to go because you want to do kayaking and some other water sports stuff,” I replied, my tone a bit sharper than intended.

“Yeah! We could get on water! Go into nature! Leave DC while this psycho is on the loose!” he said enthusiastically, missing my point.

“Jimmy, I am not getting in the water. And why are we even talking about this? I'm not going anywhere.” I sighed, feeling the tension rise again.

“Well... if you change your mind, let me know,” he said, still smiling as we walked up the stairs, his optimism almost maddening.

We reached the third floor, and I paused outside my door, fumbling with my keys. The hallway was eerily quiet, every creak of the floorboards magnified in the stillness. 

Jimmy stood close, his presence both comforting and slightly annoying.

“Thanks for walking me up,” I said, finally unlocking the door and glancing back at him.

“No problem. You sure you’re gonna be okay?” he asked, his brow furrowing with concern.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Goodnight, Jimmy.” I tried to sound reassuring, even though my heart was racing.

“Goodnight, Misty,” he replied, lingering for a moment as if wanting to say more. Then he turned and headed back down the stairs, his footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway.

I watched him go, feeling a mixture of relief and apprehension. I stepped inside, locking the door behind me, and leaned against it, exhaling slowly. The apartment was dark and quiet, the only sound my own breathing. I walked over to the window and peeked through the curtains, watching Jimmy drive away until his taillights disappeared around the corner. 

Finally, I allowed myself to breathe, the tension of the day beginning to melt away.

Then I remembered the postcard still in my hand. I walked over to the small lamp on the side table and switched it on, the warm light illuminating the room. 

The front of the postcard showed a serene view of Lake Michigan, the water a brilliant blue under a cloudless sky. I traced my fingers over the image, longing for that sense of peace. 

Not in a sense of being on or in the water. 

But maybe the water. The lake kind of water. Calmer. Not the ocean I was in right now.

I sat down on the couch, the familiar creak of the old leather offering a small comfort, and turned the postcard over to read it.

On the back, Granny Lucy’s handwriting was a welcome sight, neat and elegant despite her age.

Dear Misty,

Lake Michigan is as beautiful as ever. The water is so clear, you can see straight to the bottom. I wish you could be here with me to enjoy it!

I’ve been thinking about your mama lately. Usually, after the anniversary passes, I let the memory of her rest, but this year I can’t stop thinking about her. Your dad also misses her greatly. He’s been going to church all the time! You should talk to him! He’d be very glad to hear from you!

Love, Granny Lucy

I read the words again, trying to find comfort in her familiar tone. Granny Lucy always had a way of infusing her letters with hope and affection. 

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. 

No, he wouldn’t be glad to hear from me. 

Granny Lucy’s endless optimism was both touching and frustrating. It was cute how she always seemed to think that my decision to distance myself from the family was just a phase, a youthful rebellion that would eventually pass. 

She’d always said the same thing - “It’s just a phase, Misty. You’ll come around.” 

Why would this time be any different?

[bigredsartt]

sneek peek of my hsmtmts season 5 (madlyn edition) fic 😈

~

Lively Christmas music sounded from the living room as the Wildcats gathered around the tree at the Caswell house. Maddox was lazily sprawled on the couch with her head in Ashlyn’s lap as Jet showed off a new drone that he had just unwrapped, smiling excitedly.

“Okay Maddie, it’s your turn,” Ashlyn said, gently nudging her shoulder. Maddox sat up with a yawn and reached for her last gift left under the tree, wrapped in EJ’s signature sparkly red wrapping paper. She tore it open to reveal a retro digital camera, decorated with funky stickers and had ‘Gadget’ written across it with paint pen.

“Whoa, this is awesome!” She held it up, examining it closer.

EJ beamed. “Thought you might like it. Especially since you’re the head PA of Romeo and Juliet.” He nudged Maddox playfully, who swatted him away with a laugh. “It’s not a big deal.”

EJ rolled his eyes, but left it at that.

Maddox smiled tiredly. It had been a long few months working as the head Production Assistant of such a big movie, which was so close to wrapping. Between twelve hour shifts, logistical nightmares, and keeping all the various departments running smoothly, Maddox was definitely feeling burnt out. Not that she’d ever admit that to the ever-worrying Ashlyn.

Maddox watched fondly as her girlfriend modeled the hat and scarf that Gina had knitted her, heart warming at the girl’s obvious joy. At the same time, though, a thread of fear nagged at the back of her mind. Would she have enough energy to support Ashlyn during the spring musical as a stage manager? Ashlyn said that she had previous luck with spring musicals at East High, and Maddox didn’t want to let her down.

But there was no way she was admitting any weakness, not when Ashlyn always got that anxious crease between her brows when Maddox so much as yawned too loudly these days. It was better to pretend that Maddox was still her usual energetic, spunky self.

As the gift exchange wound down and conversations shifted to dinner plans, Maddox curled into Ashlyn’s side with a content sigh. Her girlfriend’s arm wrapped around her waist, comforting as always.

“How are you feeling?” Maddox heard Ashlyn’s soft voice pull her away from the distinct conversations that she was eavesdropping on from all over the living room. Maddox sighed. Of course Ashlyn saw straight through her attempted nonchalance.

“I’m okay Ash, I promise,” Maddox reassured, her voice stern but soft. “Just ready for a nice, quiet break is all. But then it’ll be time for the musical!” Her voice was laced with forced enthusiasm.

She watched Ashlyn study her face carefully, clearly not convinced. “You know, if you need the semester off from extracurriculars, no one would blame you.”

“No way, I need to be with you guys for the musical. It will be fun, I swear!” Maddox insisted, sitting up straighter to prove her energy. 

Ashlyn still frowned, her eyes full of concern. “I don’t want you to burn out, that’s all. You work so hard and deserve a break.”

Maddox opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by Kourtney’s excited squeal.

“Guys, look! A Christmas Story is on! We have to watch, it’s tradition,” she said, grabbing the remote.

A reprieve from a difficult conversation– Maddox shot Ashlyn a reassuring look and snuggled back into her side to watch the movie. Her girlfriend still seemed wary, but dutifully wrapped both arms around Maddox and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

The movie played out as they all chatted and snacked, buoyed by the nostalgic Christmas spirit. But too soon, it was over, and they began packing up to head to Denny’s. Maddox stretched with a groan and got up slowly, drawing a worried glance from Ashlyn.

“If you want to stay here and rest, we can. You clearly haven’t had a full night’s sleep in weeks and I don’t want you to keep pushing just for us.”

Maddox flashed Ashlyn a quick smile, standing up quickly. “I’m fine, I promise. Let’s go get some pancakes!”

The Wildcats soon piled into cars, Kourtney riding shotgun with EJ as Maddox followed behind with Ashlyn and Jet. The diner was packed with other last-minute Christmas patrons, but their usual booth was still thankfully open. They squished in together; Maddox happily sandwiched between Ashlyn and EJ, with Kourtney and Jet across from them. Ricky and Gina arrived soon after; Gina taking her place beside Kourtney while Ricky pulled up a chair at the end of the table.

After placing a multitude of food orders, easy conversation flowed as everyone recalled highlights from the gift exchange, and discussed the possibilities of the spring musical.

Maddox chimed in when prompted, but found herself drifting in and out of focus, exhaustion catching up to her at last. She leaned heavily into Ashlyn’s side, barely noticing when their plates arrived, filled with pancakes, eggs, and hashbrowns.

A concerned call of her name brought Maddox’s head up with a start. Ashlyn was peering at her worriedly, gently pushing her plate closer. “Your food’s here.”

Maddox rubbed her eyes with a sigh. “Thanks, sorry. I think you might be right about the ‘no sleep’ thing catching up to me,” she joked halfheartedly.

Ashlyn only nodded slowly and put a hand on the girl’s knee. “We can go home after you eat, okay? EJ won’t mind if we take his car.”

Maddox nodded gratefully, too tired to protest further. The idea of curling up in Ashlyn’s arms for the night was all the motivation Maddox needed to tolerate the Wildcats any further. She dug into her pancakes quickly, listening into her friends’ conversations once again.

By the time they finished eating, Maddox was drooping where she sat. It was quite funny to the group, who made jokes about both Maddox and Gina practically falling asleep in their food the entire dinner. Maddox didn’t even notice that Gina was as exhausted as her.

Ashlyn took charge immediately, hugging her friends goodbye and hustling Maddox into the car. The girl looked back to see Ricky doing the same, giggling to herself at the idea of the rest of her friends being stranded at Denny’s. She heard Ashlyn call something back to EJ, telling him that she’d be back soon.

Soon enough, Maddox was being driven back to her girlfriend’s house. The street lights were almost hypnotic out the window as Ashlyn drove them through the quiet Christmas streets. Maddox drifted in and out, lulled by the smooth rumble of the engine and the rhythmic sounds of the wipers against the light snow.

Her blinks became slower, until finally, they stopped. Her breathing evened out as sleep claimed her in the passenger seat of EJ’s car.

~

erm yeah there will be multiple chapters, and this is just the prologue, AND i have it all planned out already, so expect that soon!!!

[twopoppies]

Hi Gina! I want to tell you some things about Louis’ recent festival in Istanbul. I’m not sure you’ll want to post it because it gets really dirty.

Long story short, everything except for the performances (especially Louis’) was horrible. The organisation was so sloppy, the entry got delayed so we were stuck in 30 degree heat for almost 2 hours, the staff were unhelpful and rude. All water was confiscated, none was given out (as is the norm at other shows and festivals) but only sold at a 10-20 times inflated price. And a guard was mocking us with his bottle. The finale fireworks shot right over the crowd, so sparks burned people’s skin and clothing.

Some Turkish fans were extremely rude to foreigners! I get that you don’t get as many shows as some countries in Europe or America… but people were coming from countries that don’t have any shows at all! A group of foreigners from several countries were trying to organise the line, then a Turkish girl (she’s the owner of a large update page) came and demanded to redo everything. She put her group in front of everyone, then spent a very long time chatting with the venue security. Later other Turkish fans came and ignored the line completely, and the girls who had promised to organise and manage it did absolutely nothing. When entrance got delayed, Turkish fans tore down the barriers and started a freaking stampede! My friend was pushed down and stepped on, her knee got ligament damage so now she has to wear a brace for a month. So everybody mixed up, it was a whole mess, yet in the end that girl and her group were right at the barricade, and in the same exact spot as in Louis’ previous Turkey show in 2022. So I seriously suspect that there was some sort of bribery or agreement going on with security. Also two foreign girls got escorted from the show by police because Turkish girls complained that “they had seen many shows” and “they weren’t from there”. And then everyone who called all this shit out got attacked on social media (especially twitter) for being xenophobic… Listen, even if we put aside all the rudeness, name-calling and unequal treatment, the organisation still sucked and those people’s behaviour was so dangerous! I really really don’t want Louis to stop coming to Turkey because it’s the only show that some of my friends are able to travel to, but the previous one in 2022 was also horribly organised, people were also extremely rude, so nothing has changed or is likely to change.

Oh my god. That sounds awful, and I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. It all sounds like a nightmare, but the two foreigners being escorted out because someone else decided they'd seen to many shows? That's insane.

[hightwer]

the early reception of hsmtmts season 4, or what we’ve seen of it so far, has been majorly positive. there have been a lot of negative comments too and while everybody is completely within their rights to criticize/discourse over media, the extent that some “fans” have been going to (mostly bitter portw*lls) is just borderline malignant and i’d like to address some of these reoccurring complaints.

as it relates to ej caswell, he is NOT a punching bag. i’ve seen so many people argue that they’re no longer supporting or watching the show because of its treatment of ej and i’m not mentioning this to attempt to police what people should or shouldn’t support, i’m mentioning this because the arguments i’ve seen for this point are laughably vain, as well as hostile towards every other character who isn’t him.

ej is not some victim of bullying by the hands of the writers. every character in hsmtmts has struggled. every character has had to endure some level of change, because it was necessary for them grow. every character has been penalized for trying to revert back to the things that actively regressed them. rini, that was shown to hold both ricky and nini back, didn’t stick for that exact reason. ej hasn’t gotten it worse simply because the writers wanted him to.

his “character arc” was learning not to give people food poisoning. his “struggle” in season one was losing followers because of a poor decision that he consciously made.

and of course, i couldn’t tackle this entire ej discussion without mentioning the whole “ricky stole his girlfriends” card that people are still playing. nini and gina were not THINGS to be stolen. both of them made the choice to break up with ej for reasons that were completely valid, because people who’re capable of thinking for themselves can do things like that. portw*lls and ej fans have a pattern of degrading gina especially, all because she didn’t allow herself to stay in a relationship that was making her unhappy.

you guys cannot stand that ej doesn’t get to own who he dates. it’s beyond telling.

as it relates to fan service, the people claiming hsmtmts sacrificed “realism” to cater to fans being anti rinas doesn’t surprise me. the disney show is the one you guys are cracking down on about realism, okay.

rina isn’t fan service. gina getting the lead isn’t fan service. those are things that make complete sense within the contextualization of the show, which you guys always choose to ignore. these are things that have been built up through parallel storytelling and through multiple accounts of foreshadowing, but i understand those who are saying these things are happening because the show needs “saving” with olivia gone wouldn’t perceive it that way.

i’m not calling anyone simple minded. but what’s the real reason gina shouldn’t be the lead? what’s the real reason ricky shouldn’t be with a girl who understands him, supports him, and provided the positive change that he needed at a low point in his life? why shouldn’t these characters be happy with each other?

ricky and gina are the truest to themselves when they’re together. ricky sees gina’s ambition, he sees her talent, and he praises her for that. gina sees ricky for all of his potential. she never actively tore him down, she never ridiculed him. was there a point where she set boundaries between them? sure, but they came out on the other side of it the strongest they’ve ever been. certain characters exiting the narrative doesn’t mean that the other characters stop growing or developing, the story doesn’t suffer just because your ship isn’t endgame, or because your favorite character isn’t always happy.

finally, in defense of ricky bowen, he’s had more than enough growth to beat the regression allegations.

just to reiterate, gina wasn’t property for him to claim. gina is the one who told him that he’s been her choice for some time, despite not being her plan, he was still the one she was choosing. ricky didn’t coerce her into saying that. he wasn’t pulling strings or feeding gina lies so that she would break up with ej, either.

ricky has been battling with change and defining himself since the very beginning of the show. over the course of three seasons, we watched ricky genuinely commit to theater. he came to camp to be with his friends, not to sweep gina off of her feet. even with people calling him unreliable, even after being told that he has “no profitable skills”, even after having some bumps in the road. ricky has done nice things for his friends without expecting anything in return.

after being defined by his slip-ups, more or less, ricky finally got to hear that he was a yes to someone. a shot worth taking. i’ve seen people complain that he’s the main reason that they’ve given up on the show, as well as claim that he gets everything handed to him. he had to make sacrifices and lose things to get to where he is. there’s quite literally no denying that.

this has gotten entirely too long, but i’m trying to illustrate that a lot of these story beats are obvious. no one is obligated to watch something that they don’t like, but i’ve seen former “fans” act horrifically racist and sexist, i’ve seen them discredit the cast, i’ve seen them complain about the attention season 3 gave to anxiety and sexuality, just because they weren’t happy nini left the show, and because portw*ll wasn’t together by the end of the season.

this is a disney show at the end of the day, try and relax.

[autumnfangirler]

ill be the first to admit that i dont interact with the gaa fandom as much as i should, so id be very glad to be wrong about this, but from my (admittedly very limited) observations in the fandom susatos talked about mostly in the context of a) other male characters(naruhodo, kazuma, mikotoba, holmes) or b) shipping. which is fine, it makes sense! shes not very attention grabbing in the game, and while she does have her goofy moments, shes not nearly as silly as the rest of the cast. shes more of a straightman than anything else. but shes such a good character and i really want to see more people talk about her so fuck it, were making the overdue susato rant ourselves gdi

major spoilers for great ace attorney under the cut and in the tags!

i think a lot of people see susato as a #girlboss, which is true and undisputed, but ive never seen people dig into why. personally what sticks out to me is how determined she is. its overshadowed by kazuma, but she Clearly learned a few things. she was willing to travel halfway across the world to work as a judicial assistant, and in kazumas death she helped naruhodo become a lawyer in his stead. she broke the law to help naruhodo win ginas case, a decision that tore her up so much she nearly resolved to quit. and of course she won a fucking courtcase at the age of 16 while succesfully pretending to be a man. when she has a goal in mind, shes seeing it through. shes consistently pulled naruhodo out of (rightful) uncertainty and hesitation with this mindset. she followed kazuma, and then naruhodo, to the ends of the earth because she truly believed it was the right thing to do. shes competent in her work, and shes firm without being unkind.

thats another thing about susato. shes one of the most emotionally mature characters in the games (games filled with adults– iris is probably one of the few characters who rival her in that respect). shes emotional about the things shes passionate about, but shes never overwhelmed by it. the only scene i can think of where emotions really did overtake her was at the end of the first game, where she nearly threw her judicial book into the sea. which is,,, still relatively reasonable? she broke the law and had to leave britain to go back to japan. she couldnt practice as a judicial assistant anymore, and nobody back home had a need for her skills as a judicial assistant. why would she need it anymore? in every other instance, shes polite, calm, and most importantly, the heart of the whole cast.

because while shes a great character on her own, her main role in the story is always in servitude to others– whether that be as holmes number one fan, iris' big sister, or naruhodos ever-reliable judicial assistant. we never get the sense as to why until the 4th chapter of the last game, where her backstory is finally revealed. with it, a lot of who she is is recontextualized. she never had a mother and her father left her before she could have any real memories of him. shes headstrong and driven because there was no direction for her. shes compassionate and polite because her only role model for her formative years was her grandmother. shes emotionally mature because she learned what loss was at a young age and how to live with it alone. and all of that translates to a young girl with a fire to help others in whatever way she can.

shes just,,,, shes such a good character man. i love her.

[multiversal-pig-outing]

Fasha had her own connections to higher elites so it wasn't uncommon to see the queen. When there's stuff in themselves at Gina she's more than brave enough to talk smack and smirk but she know this was the Queen's territory and she wasn't dumb enough to say anything at least while they weren't alone

*The tore into a piece of meat. One of the many that was given to her by Gine. She turn her head to were Fasha was.*(URRRRRRRP!) Are you going to eat that or is there a reason why your not eating the food Gine made?*The queen said has she look at the uneaten food.*

[destinyc1020]

Who was your best dressed of the night at the Emmy’s?

You know what, this year I wasn't really paying super duper attention to what everyone wore on the red carpet, so it's kind of hard to say who dressed the "best", but here are some looks that I liked or that really stood out for me last night (in no particular order):

Viola Davis

Gina Tores

Eiza Gonzalez

Selena Gomez

Tyler James Williams

Kristin Wiig

Quinta Brunson

Aja Naomi King

Jeremy Allen White

Niecy Nash

Lamorne Morris

Matt Bomer

Taylor Zakhar Perez

[quickspinner]

Too Good to Be True - Ch 2

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | ??? | AO3

“Damn, girl,” Kim chuckled as he pulled his truck up in front of Marinette’s new home. “Not bad. You’ve got a yard and everything.” 

“Yeah, thankfully Nonna pays someone to take care of it,” Marinette said, sticking her head out of the window to get a look around. There wasn’t any garden space, since Gina wasn’t around often enough to take care of one, but the two-story house had a wraparound porch with plenty of space for flower boxes if she had time to do some planting. 

First things first though. “Let’s back the trailer in,” she decided, eyeballing the width of the street. She was pretty sure they could do it. “I’ll get out and direct.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Kim rolled his eyes. 

“Don’t roll over my neighbor’s lawns.” Marinette pointed a warning finger at him before she manhandled open the truck’s heavy door and slid the considerable distance to the ground. “I don’t want to make a bad impression.” 

A short time and only a few near misses later, Kim had the truck and the rental trailer backed into the driveway. From the porch, Marinette looked at her now slightly crooked mailbox and sighed through her nose. They had way too much work to do for her to chew Kim out now. He would only get sillier if she tore into him and then he’d be completely useless. Instead she just turned and unlocked the door. She went inside to put some water bottles in the fridge while Kim threw up the trailer’s rollup door and pulled out the ramp. He joined her inside for a quick walkthrough, as she pointed out to him which rooms were which and where her color-coded boxes should go. Knowing he was probably only half listening, she put a sticker on each door frame for reference. 

“All right, I think we’re ready,” Marinette sighed, rubbing her eyes with one hand. She wished she hadn’t stayed up so late with Alya, but it had been hard to be sensible when they knew it was the last time they would see each other for weeks. Besides, she probably would have been awake anyway, listening to the whirr of the hamster wheel in her brain. It was probably better that she’d been distracted, even if it meant she was more tired than she’d like to be. 

“All right!” Kim whooped, punching both fists in the air. “Let’s get this party started!” Marinette shot him a look and he grinned back. “Fifteen minutes,” he said, pressing buttons on his watch. “Whoever hauls the most boxes in fifteen minutes gets to pick what we order for lunch.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, but grinned. She was glad to have Kim here as much for his abilities as a hype man as for his muscles. It would keep her from getting depressed or lonely. Or overwhelmed. There was an awful lot of stuff crammed into that trailer, after all. 

She would’ve let him pick lunch, anyway. “You’re on,” she said, and they shared a fistbump before Kim darted up the ramp into the trailer with another whoop. 

Marinette followed, not quite running…but she wasn’t about to let Kim show her up, either. He’d never let her forget it. On her third trip up the ramp she nearly ran into Kim as he was coming down with two boxes stacked together. 

“Don’t look now,” Marinette told him, “but I think we’re gathering an audience.”

“Where?” Kim tried to look around the boxes. “Are they hot?”

Marinette snorted, and stepped around him, pointing once she was behind the cover of the boxes. Kim looked over and saw an elderly lady studiously examining her flowering hedge with a pair of gardening shears in her hand. He deflated as Marinette giggled. 

“It’s the wrong time of year to be pruning those,” she said, patting Kim’s arm as she passed him up the ramp. “I don’t think she’s actually looking at the hedge.” 

Kim rolled his eyes and hiked the boxes up in his arms. “You’re just trying to distract me so you win, and it’s not gonna work.” 

“Whatever,” Marinette replied, though with the noise he was making clattering back down the ramp she was sure he didn’t hear her. When she came down the ramp she glanced again toward her neighbor, and there was now another old lady on the sidewalk, chatting with the first over the hedge as they shot less-than-covert glances over at the truck and trailer. Marinette freed a hand and waved at them, and they smiled and waved back, nodding cheerfully.

Nosy, but harmless, she decided, carrying on with her unloading. She wanted to get Kim back on his way to the city before dark, if they could manage it, and that meant she didn’t have time to indulge her neighbors’ curiosity at the moment. Hopefully they wouldn’t think she was rude for not coming over to talk.  

“Are you sure you didn’t accidentally move to a retirement home?” Kim asked her later. They sat on the porch steps, cheap wooden chopsticks in hand as they ate lunch straight out of the cardboard containers. Marinette couldn’t blame him for asking. Quite a number of neighbors had made their way past on one pretense or another, walking dogs or picking up papers or stopping to “visit” with the hedge neighbor. That lady continued to putter around in her garden, clearly watching, and was just as obviously enjoying being the one everyone stopped to ask for information. Though what she could possibly be telling them, Marinette couldn’t imagine. 

She dropped her empty container and chopsticks back into the takeout bag and held it out to Kim so he could do the same. 

“I guess we better do that bigass cabinet thing next,” Kim sighed, leaning back on one hand to chug the rest of his water.

“It’s not a cabinet,” Marinette shot back automatically as she tied the takeout bag shut around the trash. “It’s a chifforobe.” 

“It’s a pain in the ass is what it is,” Kim groaned. “I regret ever helping you pick it up off the curb.” 

Marinette ignored him. It was a beautiful piece of solid wood furniture that had only needed a little love, wood polish, and one new leg to be good as new. It was a perfect place to keep fabric since it had drawers and shelves to hold folded cut lengths, and a tall space that held full bolts. It was beautiful and inspiring all by itself, with carved leaves and flowers along it. Marinette had loved it since the moment she saw it sitting out with a pile of junk that even her grandfather would have called outdated.

She had to admit it was a pain in the ass to move, though, as she and Kim braced themselves on either side of it. It wasn’t the weight, although it was heavy, it was the height. Marinette could feel it wobble as they lifted, but they got the weight balanced so that it was mostly centered. They’d just have to be careful.

Marinette was walking backwards as Kim directed her. Her cheek was jammed against the side of the chifforobe so that she really couldn’t look behind her, but Kim was tall enough to brace it and still mostly see around, so she followed his directions. She got another look at Hedge Neighbor, who was watching them move the big piece of furniture with round eyes and a hand over her mouth, obviously concerned for them. 

Honestly, how Alya could possibly think she could get into trouble in a neighborhood full of nice old grannies was really beyond—

“Kim!” she yelled as she felt the chifforobe tipping to one side. Kim only grunted in reply, already struggling to right it, and Marinette felt a moment of panic. 

“Whoa.” Suddenly there was another pair of hands holding the sides of the chifforobe, and Marinette felt the weight shift back to where it belonged. “Easy, I got it.” 

“Thanks man,” Kim panted. “Mind steadying it for us while we get it up the steps?”

“Sure,” said the voice. “Or I can take the other end if—” 

“Nah, Mari can handle it,” Kim grinned cheerfully. “It’s just ‘cause it’s so tall. If you can just keep it from tipping we can handle it. Yeah, Mari?” 

“As long as we do it sometime today, Kim,” she ground out, and the mystery person laughed. 

“Right,” Kim chuckled breathlessly. “All right, go!”

Marinette felt backward with her foot, and then backed up the porch stairs without any further mishap. They kept going up the stairs inside, and with the help of the stranger, who kept the weight balanced where they needed it, they hauled the big thing all the way up to Marinette’s new studio. 

They set it down and Kim let out a whoop, punching up with both fists. “Told you we could do it!”

“Yeah,” Marinette said dryly, straightening more slowly. “With a little help.” Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at their helper. Unlike the entire rest of the neighborhood, he looked around her own age, with sharp, striking features, blue eyes, and shaggy hair tinted blue at the ends. She smiled as she offered her hand. “Thanks for the save.”

“Happy to help,” he said, eyes fixed on her face as he moved to shake her hand. Awfully slowly, it seemed like, but then Marinette was in mission mode and everything seemed to go too slow for her today. “You’re moving in?”

“What gave it away?” she asked with a tired grin. 

“Well, welcome to the neighborhood,” he said, pushing his hair back from his face. “I guess we’re neighbors.” He gestured to the side, in the opposite direction from Hedge Neighbor’s house. “I live next door. Name’s Luka, by the way.” 

“Aww, Mari, already breaking hearts,” Kim laughed, and Marinette covered the distance between them in two wide steps to smack his arm.

“You are such a loser,” Marinette told him. “Come on, I’m not paying you to stand around.”

“You’re not paying me at all!” Kim complained, though he did start moving. Marinette followed him and Luka followed her back down the stairs.

“Cookies,” Marinette reminded Kim. “It counts.” She glanced over her shoulder at Luka. “I’ll bring you some too. As thanks for saving my favorite piece of furniture from crashing into the concrete.” 

“I can’t say no to that.” His voice was low and amused, soft to her ears after Kim’s chronic shouting. Marinette looked back at him and smiled warmly. He seemed nice. 

“Only an idiot would say no to Mari’s cookies,” Kim said, and then paused, seeming to consider what he’d said, and began to snicker. Marinette punched him in the arm again as she passed him.

“Whatever your filthy mind is thinking, keep it to yourself,” she sniffed. 

“I’m just saying, everyone wants your cookies,” Kim snickered. “Nathaniel, Nino, Adr—” He cut off in a whoosh as Marinette turned and landed a small fist to his stomach. 

“I can take you, Lê Chiến Kim,” she warned him, pointing a finger in his face as he bent over.

“Only because you cheat,” Kim wheezed.

Marinette rolled her eyes and looked at Luka. “Please ignore him. He was dropped on his head as a child.” 

Luka snorted softly. “My sister and I are the same way. It’s how we show love.” He was still watching her, and if she hadn’t already been flushed from the exertion, she probably would have blushed. He was damn cute, but did he have to stare like that? 

“We’re not related,” she said, wrinkling her nose at Kim. “Thank goodness. But we might as well be.” She sighed dramatically. “I’ll never be able to get rid of him.” 

“I don’t know Mari,” Kim said, still rubbing his belly as he straightened and grinned at her. “Moving to Grannyville in the middle of Bumfuck, Nowhere might just do it.” He looked at Luka. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Luka replied, grinning, darting a glance at Kim before looking back at Marinette. “I didn’t even know Gina had the place on the market.”

“Oh, she didn’t,” Marinette assured him. “I’m her granddaughter. Since she’s hardly ever home anyway she offered the house to me, as long as I keep a place for her to sleep while she’s in town.” 

“Sounds like a sweet deal,” Luka laughed. “I hardly ever see her, but I didn’t realize she was away that much.” 

A little warning tingle in the back of Marinette’s mind reminded her that it might not be a great idea to publicize the fact that she'd be living here mostly alone—but if he lived next door he'd definitely figure it out anyway. 

“Always on the move, that’s Nonna. Still, you never know when she's going to pop up,” she replied as cheerfully as she could, hoping to steer a middle ground. 

Not that her neighbor was likely to try anything when he'd surely be the first suspect. 

Ugh, Alya , she grumbled in her mind. She blinked as she realized Luka was speaking to her. 

“Sorry, what?” she asked, bringing her mind back to the moment.

“Can I give you a hand with the rest of it?” Luka repeated, gesturing towards the trailer. 

“Oh, no need, that was the last big piece,” Marinette said hurriedly, “Kim and I can handle the rest. I don't want to disrupt your whole day.” She gestured to his hands, which were adorned with several bandages. “Besides, you don’t look like you should be hauling stuff.”

“Oh.” Luka flushed and shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets. “It’s fine, just hazards of the trade. I work with a lot of sharp tools.”

“You know what that’s like, right Mari?” Kim grinned, shoving her shoulder. “How many burns did you pick up in the bakery this week?” He picked up her wrist, waving her own hand in front of her face, reminding her that there was a bandage on one side of it. 

Marinette made a face at him and snatched her hand back.

“You’re a baker?” Luka asked, and Marinette stiffened, folding her arms.

“I’m a designer,” she said crisply. “My parents are bakers.” 

Luka chuckled ruefully. “Ah. Rough being the family rebel, I know. Sorry for making assumptions.”

Marinette shrugged, suddenly embarrassed at her own defensiveness. “Don’t worry about it,” she said, dropping her hands to her hips. “Anyway, thanks again for your help. Sorry for taking up so much of your time.” 

“I didn’t have any plans,” Luka shrugged. “But if you're sure, I'll leave you to it. You know where to find me if you change your mind.” He tipped his head towards his own house and gave her a slow smile. “Nice to meet you, Marinette. I'll see you around.”

Marinette smiled back, feeling a flutter in her belly. He really was good looking when he smiled like that. Intense, maybe, but—

Kim coughed, very unsubtly, and Luka and Marinette both jolted. She moved towards the trailer and he towards his house as Kim grinned at them both. 

“Not a word,” Marinette hissed at him as she climbed back into the trailer. 

“I can't believe you sent him away,” Kim complained. “We could have used the help.”

“We just met, I don't need a stranger all up in my things!” Marinette shot back. She glanced back towards Luka’s house as she walked down the ramp. There was a dark blue utility van parked in his driveway, she now saw. Maybe he had just gotten home? They’d gotten here pretty early. She wondered if he had stayed somewhere else the night before, or she had just missed him leaving earlier. 

Kim’s voice right behind her made her jump. “He probably wouldn’t even know what half this stuff is. Hell I've known you for years and I still don't know what half of it is!”

They snarked back and forth in their usual, comfortable way as they hauled boxes and sewing equipment and secondhand furniture into the house. It seemed like it would take forever and then suddenly they were done, staring at the empty trailer. 

“Well,” Kim said slowly, “I guess that's it.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, and had to swallow a lump in her throat. “I guess so.”

Kim dropped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. Marinette leaned into him, appreciating the gesture though she tried not to breathe. Neither of them were exactly fresh as daisies at this point. 

“You should head back,” Marinette said reluctantly, glancing at the setting sun. “So at least you don’t have to make the whole trip back in the dark.” 

“Yeah.” Kim cleared his throat, then dropped his arm and tried to grin. “Watch out for Hot Neighbor Dude. Pretty slim pickings around here and he was eyeing you up like a prime steak. Don’t give it up too easy.”

Marinette scoffed and folded her arms, but when Kim turned towards her and wrapped his arms around her, she couldn’t help hugging him back, sweaty and gross as he was. “Take care of yourself, Mari,” he said into her hair, and Marinette squeezed him tight. 

Then she let go and stood back, smiling up at him. “I’ll be fine. We’re not that far from the city, and I’m sure I’ll be up at least once a month showing designs or buying fabric.”

“Yeah,” Kim agreed. He reached up and pulled down the trailer door. Marinette followed him to the door of his truck and stood there as he climbed up. He leaned out of the window, rubbing the back of his head. “Call me next time you come up, we’ll do lunch or whatever you high-powered fashion execs do.” 

Marinette nodded and stepped back. “Don’t forget to drop the trailer off before noon tomorrow!” she called. Kim started the truck, waved one last time out of the window, and then pickup and trailer trundled off down the road.

Marinette stood there for a moment longer, folding her arms around herself. It was hard not to feel a little bit abandoned, even though this had been her own choice. In rational moments she knew it was the right choice, and the right time to make it.

She still felt alone, though. 

Movement in the corner of her eye made her turn her head, and she thought she saw a shadow in the window of the neighbor’s house before the curtain fell closed again. 

Luka? Her skin prickled at the thought that he was watching but she shook off the feeling. It was natural for him to be curious, she supposed. He seemed nice enough, if a little awkward, and she was hardly one to throw stones on that count. The memory of his smile brought a curve to her own lips. 

Okay, enough moping. 

She dusted herself off, and went back into the house. Gina had cleared out as much of her stuff as possible, and everything felt empty and echoing, even with Marinette’s stuff moved in. She hardly had enough stuff to fill the whole house, after all, and what she did have was mostly still packed up.

Well, nothing like a little bit of organizing to make you feel more in control of your life. 

Marinette rubbed her hands together and looked around. “All right, time to get started.”

Fiction Master Post

[thebirdandthebee]

Easy As

A Carmen Berzatto Universe

A/N: Here’s a holiday installment! Just wanted to check in that ya’ll are still enjoying this series? I’m not getting as much feedback on this work anymore. I will likely wrap up if that is the case and focus on new projects! LMK :)

Vanessa Monaghan is the breath of fresh air that Carmen had been gasping for.

Chapter 22: Dogpile

Vanessa and Carmen’s second Christmas together was so much more fun than their first – Vanessa went to Canada with her dad and sisters, and they didn’t do much together for the holiday.

Carmen expressed that his family wasn’t too big on the holidays growing up, but he did accompany Vanessa to her work Christmas party that first year, and they’d had a lot of fun.

He’d since learned that Christmas was a big deal in the Monaghan family and he was told they’d be hosting the get-together that year for their friends and family – a few days before the actual holiday.

Sugar, Pete and their baby girl Lily would be there, along with Richie and his daughter, Vanessa’s sisters and some of her college friends (who had now become Carmen’s friends as well). Vanessa’s Dad was spending the weekend with his girlfriend’s family in New York and Carmen was all too happy to host the three Monaghan girls. They were staying at the condo for four days and he was already learning so much about their family unit.

“Carmy!” He heard the youngest Monaghan call his name from the kitchen. Striding over from the back den where he’d been sipping a small glass of bourbon with Nick and Gina’s husband, Tony, he found Hannah standing on the kitchen counter, reaching for something on her tip toes from the back of the tallest cabinet.

“Whoa, Han, what are you doing?” Carmen asked, immediately coming over and trying to get her off of the marble, where she was balancing in a slippery pair of fuzzy socks.

“Where are the cool glasses?” She asked, referring to a set of champagne coupes that she, Nicola and Vanessa sipped orange juice out of that morning when Carmen prepared an amazing brunch.

“I will get you a cool glass, can you please get down, you’re stressing me out,” he laughed to cover up the anxiety in this voice.

“Fine,” she sighed, literally jumping off the counter. Carmen grabbed his hair as she landed on her feet in only a way that a pre-teen made out of pure cartilage could.

“Carm what did you get me for Christmas?” She asked, cranking open the refrigerator door to grab a can of ginger ale – something Carmen had since learned was a treat for all three Monaghan girls and not just a fixation of his girlfriend’s.

“If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise,” he said, pulling out a clean dishcloth and wiping down a coupe glass for her. Setting it on the counter, he snatched the ginger ale from her hands before she could grab the glass, pouring it carefully. “Besides, who says I got you anything? I’m pretty sure you’re on the naughty list this year,” he pulled his brows together in mock-judgment.

“The naughty list is only for babies who believe Santa,” she scoffed, “I’m not a baby.”

“Right, right,” Carmen nodded. “Conversely, if you don’t believe in Santa, I don’t think he delivers gifts.” He countered.

“Carmen,” she stomped a foot against the kitchen floor with indignation, making him throw his head back with a laugh. It was frightening how much she reminded him of Vanessa. He had to assume that Vanessa was exactly like her little sister some odd years ago – and it endeared him even more to Hannah.

“Come on, you trust me,” he said, sliding over her drink. She contemplated his words, taking a sip of her drink before nodding.

“It’s true,” she acquiesced. “Thanks, Carmy!” She called, taking off to terrorize another room of the condo.

“What was that all about?” Vanessa said, barely scooting out the way as Hannah tore past her. She cradled Lily to her chest with one arm and sipped on a martini with the other.

“Your sister is an absolute menace,” he said, leaning against the counter, eyes dragging across the scene in front of him.

“So nothing new,” Vanessa grinned, stepping over to him. “Look at this little elf,” she smiled, bouncing Lily softly against her in her little red and white dress, complete with white tights and little black buckle shoes.

“The most perfect elf I’ve ever seen,” Carmen said, reaching for the baby and holding her to his chest, kissing her little bald head. Lily reached up, hooking a hand in Carmen’s bottom lip. “Are you giving me kisses?” He asked, gently closing his lips on her little fingers.

“I think she’s saying ‘no more kisses, Uncle Carm,’” Vanessa laughed, taking a sip of her drink.

“No, she wants kisses from Uncle Carm,” he cooed as she tapped her little fingernails against his lips.

“Nat and Pete said they’re going to try right away from another one,” Vanessa commented, hand diving into a spare tray of Christmas cookies Gina had brought over.

“Ness, I don’t need to hear that,” Carmen pulled a face.

“Oh grow up,” Vanessa laughed, feeding him a bite of a peanut butter cookie topped with a Hershey’s kiss. “I’m just saying, we’ll get another niece or nephew soon,” she shrugged, wiggling one of Lily’s little feet.

“I love Lil, I love your sisters and Gina and Rosie,” Carmen began, “I wouldn’t be crushed if they had another girl.”

“What about us?” Vanessa asked, setting her drink down on the counter and wiggling her fingers for Lily. Carmen carefully handed the sleepy four-month-old over. Vanessa cradled her gently, swaying from side to side while adjusting Lily’s little white bow.

“Girl,” Carmen continued, “all girls.” He added, taking another drink of his bourbon.

“Girl Daddy Carmen,” Vanessa grinned.

“Please Ness, never let me hear you call Carmen ‘Daddy’ again,” Nicola Monaghan said, sashaying into the kitchen. “Carm, tell your weird cousin to stop staring at my ass,” she said, pointedly. “Now give me the baby, I’m her favorite Auntie.”

Nicola scared Carmen in a healthy way – she was the closest thing Vanessa had to a brother. Taller than him, muscled shoulders and a threatening air – plus 15 teammates willing to back her up at any given moment.

Lily cooed at Nicola, who dropped an empty beer bottle in the recycling bin.

“We can’t do anything about Richie, Nic, but Carmen will let you take one good swing if he pisses you off,” Vanessa advised.

“It’s true,” Carmen nodded, eyes trailing after Lily.

“Hannie wants to go to a movie tomorrow night, she said there’s one playing at the Navy Pier AMC she wants to see,” Nicola said, grabbing another beer out of the fridge and popping off the top using the edge of the countertop, giving Carmen a small aneurysm.

“Yeah that sounds fun,” Vanessa said, wordlessly handing her sister a cookie.

“Why don’t you swing by the restaurant before for dinner?” Carmen asked, not wanting to miss out on time with them even though he’d be working.

“Yeah babe, good idea,” Vanessa said excitedly.

“I want Syd to make my dinner,” Nicola commented.

“Nic,” Vanessa snapped with a frown.

“Or Carmy, whatever,” Nicola shrugged lightly. “I’m gonna go shake the presents.” She announced her departure, handing the baby off to Vanessa once again.

“Your sisters are unhinged,” Carmen said seriously. He wasn’t offended, he knew Nicola liked him – she’d even helped him pick out Vanessa’s dream ring a few weeks ago.

“Nic’s on edge, she’s trying to turn her long-term hookup into her boyfriend and it’s not going well – don’t take it personally,” Vanessa said, nuzzling Lily. “She’s not big on men right now.”

“Noted,” Carmen nodded. They both watched as Lily wiggled restlessly, pressing her face into Vanessa’s chest.

“Sorry Lil, we gotta find Mommy for that,” Vanessa laughed. “I’m gonna hand her off to Nat,” she said, kissing Carmen’s cheek. “Maybe we have Richie Claus hand out the gifts soon?” She suggested. “I think most everyone is done with dinner.”

Carmen held her to him gently, slanting his mouth over hers, Lily tucked between them.

“Love you,” Carmen murmured, reminding her once more.

“Love you too, Carmy,” she grinned, pecking his lips again before heading to find her future sister-in-law. An hour later, Richie had finished up handing out little gifts for all and they were in the thick of goodbyes as everyone began slowly filtering out.

Carmen and Vanessa sent guests home with gourmet leftovers before finding Hannah asleep on the couch and Nicola sitting on the freezing patio, chatting away on her phone with who Vanessa suspected to be her situationship.

“Hannie, wake up, babe,” Vanessa gently rubbed up and down Hannah’s arm.

“Ness, can we open presents?” Hannah mumbled, rubbing at her eyes.

“Baby it’s not Christmas,” Vanessa ran a hand over her little sister’s hair, a spitting image of her own brunette tresses.

“But maybe we could open one,” Carmen said, raising his brows as he looked at the big pile under their tree. The girls had decorated it together last night after Carmen made pizza. Vanessa grinned at Carmen. He’s such a pushover for Hannah.

“Get Nic and we’ll open one,” Vanessa said, holding up a single finger. Hannah was an outline of dust as she popped off the couch to run to the back bedroom. A few minutes later, they were all sat on the floor, Vanessa having had doled out five boxes, one for each of them. “Okay, these are going to look shockingly similar, so we’ll open at the same time,” she instructed.

Carmen was thrilled to have a box of his own, not having previously noticed this gift for him under the tree.

Hannah tore at the paper, spurring on the rest of the group.

“I was going to wait for us to open these when Daddy got back, but they seemed fitting for tonight,” Vanessa smiled as Hannah pulled up the first set of solid red pajamas, with ivory ribbed cuffs on the wrists, ankles and neck.

“Matching jammies,” Hannah smiled excitedly. “Thanks Ness!” She grinned, “let’s all put them on!” She insisted.

That’s how the Monaghan girls found themselves huddled on Vanessa and Carmen’s bed, dialing up The Santa Clause on TV. Carmen was the last to change, pulling on the soft cotton in the bathroom, running a hand through his hair and doubling back to the kitchen to grab the tray of cookies before returning to the bedroom.

“I think this is missing,” he commented, passing the tray off into Nicola’s awaiting hands. “I’m going to go post up in the family room,” he leaned over to kiss Vanessa’s cheek.

“What? No, come on Carm, we’re watching Santa Clause,” Hannah frowned.

“Yeah Carm, everyone loves Tim Allen as Santa – you know, before he got problematic,” Nicola insisted. Carmen’s eyes darted to Vanessa. This was her special time with her sisters and he didn’t want to impede.

“Carm!” Hannah huffed, patting the open mattress beside her, making Vanessa giggle.

“Come on, Berzatto, you’re holding up the movie,” she smiled. That’s how Carmen found himself as part of the Monaghan dog pile, Hannah leaning into his side and Nicola’s feet draped across his knees as the movie began.

Waking up the next morning, he carefully removed Hannah’s elbow from his ribs with his free hand, the other, somehow entwined with Vanessa’s across Nicola’s back. He’d overslept by an hour, but somehow didn’t mind, and was able to creep out of the bed without waking anyone up, which he considered a feat in itself.

He didn’t notice the little smile on his face as he started putting together a big platter of French toast and bacon, but he knew he liked celebrating Christmas with his girls. It would be okay if he was a little late to lunch prep, anyway.

[joslincox]

Punk Rock 101

Preformed by: Chris Rock and Phil LaMarr

Phil: She works at hot topic

His heart microscopic

She thinks that its love but to him its sex

Chris: He listens to emo but fat mike's his hero

His bank account's zero

What comes next?

Same song different chorus

Both: It's stupid, contagious

To be broke and famous

Can someone please save us from punk rock 101

My Dickies your sweatbands

My spiked hair, your new vans

Let's throw up our rock hands for punk rock 101

Chris: She bought him a skateboard, a rail slide, his knee tore

He traded it for drums at the local pawn shop

Phil: She left him for staring at girls and not caring

When she cried because she thought Bon Jovi broke up

Same song second chorus

Both: It's stupid, contagious

To be broke and famous

Can someone please save us from punk rock 101

My Dickies your sweatbands

My spiked hair, your new vans

Let's throw up our rock hands for punk rock 101

Phil: Don't forget to delay...on the very last word

Seven years later he works as a waiter

Chris: She married a trucker and he's never there

The story never changes, just the names and faces

Phil: Like Tommy and Gina they're living on a prayer

Did you just say that?

I just said

Both: It's stupid, contagious (same song different chorus)

To be broke and famous (same song different chorus)

Can someone please save us from punk rock 101

My Dickies your sweatbands

My spiked hair, your new Vans

Let's shoplift some sweatbands for punk rock 101