#i know you know tommy grew from season 2 but i also know that even entertaining that argument is gonna keep you going

[usercelestial]

except no characters were mistreated 🤷🏼‍♀️ it was clear as day that bucktommy was gonna break up y’all just refused to even acknowledge that being a possibility and now are playing victim acting like you were blindsided. also i have no sympathy for a racist misogynistic character played by a racist misogynistic actor

what are you even mad about?

[nyasiaaaaa]

In the Bleak Mid-Winter

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x Fem reader (Nurse)  Fem reader x Arthur ( platonic) Fem reader x Micheal ( platonic )

Summary: This is a story about two people who become constants in each others lives, and eventually fall for each. While one learns to love again, the other learns the cost of loving a man like him. 

Word count: 6.6k

Warnings: Cursing, blood, death, child birth, drinking, alcohol, talks of war, guns, Tommy Shelby ( If I missed anything or you think something should be added please tell me.) ( Also Y/N is on dick, IDKY she acts like this)

A/N: part 1 takes place during season two, part 2/3 season 3 and 4/5/6 season 4. This is a Slow burn there will be smut eventually. 

There is month and week time just in here, this is the only part where I would do that cause I had a lot to fit in. Because I had a lot of fit in, I have to add another part so too much won’t be going on all in one part. Also this is bit of a filler for that time jump from the end of season two to the beginning of season three

Part 1  Part 3    Part 4   Part 5  part 6

*******************************************

Although you didn't see Thomas again for nearly a year, you knew he was there watching you, keeping tabs on you. You had seen Arthur more than you had seen Thomas; he'd often come in, all cut up and in need of stitching.

 You still remember the first time you met Arthur; you were busy with a patient in one of the ER exam rooms when one of your fellow nurses slid back the curtain.

"Hi, excuse us. I need to borrow her for a second," She said, smiling towards the patient as she grabbed your arms, pulling you out and sliding the curtain back.

"What" 

"You've been asked for by name, exam room three. I'll take over here."

"Why, what's going on”You asked confused.

She shrugged her shoulders, 

 "All I know is that it's a peaky fellow, a Shelby, to be exact." 

She went back into the exam room, but you stood still. Thomas, he's here to see you? You were confused, if he wanted to meet, he could've just come to your apartment; he did know where you lived. 

Then it clicked ,he's hurt again; he has to be. 

You turned and started to walk down the hall towards the third exam room. Walked…. ran the same thing.

Soon, you were standing in front of the curtain to exam room three. You took a deep breath as you smoothed your outfit out. 

You don't know why you were so nervous to see him; you felt kinda silly; you had literally performed surgery on this man and dressed him.

 You shook your head, then quickly pulled back the curtain before you could change your mind. 

You’re puzzled because the man sitting in front of you is not Thomas Shelby. 

"Hi," you drew out, unsure who this man was and what he wanted with you.

"Oi, you the girl that took care of Tommy when he was here?" he asked, all chipper despite his ear being split, cuts on his face, and blood being littered all over his body.

You shook your head slowly, still unsure where this was going

"Tommy sent me here to get patched up; he said you were, uh, sympathetic to the cause." That made you laugh a bit 

"I guess I am; let's see what's going on here, Mr.Shelby." You stepped into the room, closed the curtain behind you, and went to the table to find some gloves.

"It's Arthur"

"Oh, Arthur, and who is Thomas to you again?" 

You pulled the stool underneath you as you began to clean the cuts on his face with some wipes. 

"He's my brother; I'm the oldest, then Tommy, and then John, and last Finn."

You made a face; you didn't know Thomas had a brother, let alone three; in all the stories you heard about Peaky Blinders, only Thomas had been brought up. 

You continued to clean Arthur up, and as you did so, you asked a million questions like where they grew up, how old they were, and how betting even worked. 

You have learned so much from Arthur in the past 30 minutes about the business and Thomas than you would have ever thought. 

Arthur was so talkative, he answered all your questions, he honestly was a bit too happy, you had assumed he was on something but wasn't sure. 

He had just gotten done telling you a story about when he and Tommy were younger when you finished his last stitch.

"It sounds like loads of fun," you said, cutting the string to the last stitch. 

"Yeah, it was different back then; Tommy was different back then. " 

You had wanted to ask what he meant, but he had gotten up before you could. He walked over to the mirror to look at his face; as he did so, you pulled some cream out of the draw for him. 

"Here, make sure you put this cream on so you won't scar." 

"Ahhh, thanks, Doc; Tommy told us whenever we need fixin' to come to you, and you didn't disappoint." 

"And how is Tommy? Is he all healed up?" Part of you just wanted to say his nickname out loud, and another hoped that Arthur would continue his over-sharing streak. 

"Yeah, all good; you know our Tommy strong as a horse," He said before walking away. 

You smiled and waved to him, watching him walk away. Our Tommy that made you giggle and smile like an idiot. You started to clean up your mess and wipe stuff down when you suddenly stopped, and your smile dropped. 

It had just dawned on you, but It was too late; he was far too gone when you realized. What did he mean by Tommy told us whenever they needed fixin' to come to you. You were hoping it didn't mean what you had thought, but it did. 

To say you were overworked was an understatement; you couldn't have imagined first how many men were peaky blinders and second how often they got hurt. 

Every time you turned around, your patient was a peaky boy, saying Tommy had sent them to get fixed up. Some of these men came into the hospital standing even though they had cuts the size of your arm on their bodies. They were bleeding out, but they remained calm like it was just another Tuesday, and soon, so did you because eventually, it was just another Tuesday. 

You and Arthur became close; you would even say you became friends. You saw him often; either he was in for himself, getting more stitches, or he was dropping off a person to get help. And on those sad, rare days, he was picking up a body, someone you couldn't save. 

You and Arthur talked a lot about everything and anything; you felt like his priest with the kind of things he confessed to you. How he felt the business was going, how he was still messed up from the war, how lonely he was. 

On those days, you would just listen to him talk and give him a hug after; you knew he needed it. Your relationship truly felt like brother and sister, and you couldn't have been more happy about it, seeing as you are an only child. 

Arthur and Thomas were the only Shelby brothers you had the pleasure of meeting. Polly and Ada, you have not, but Arthur said you shouldn't because they don't get involved in dirty business. Finn was far too young; he often just hung back, and Micheal Polly's son only handled legitimate business. 

So you were pretty shocked when you had been requested, and Michael Gray was behind the curtain. 

"You the peaky doc."  

"I am." You had tried to tell the boys that you were only a nurse, but none of them listed, so you just accepted the nickname.

He nodded and started to take his shirt off; he had bruises and cuts all over his body. One big cut on his stomach and one on his forehead; that's the ones you will be focusing on. You put your gloves on and got to work; you cleaned the cut on his stomach a bit before starting your stitches.

Your head was down the whole time you stitched him, but you still knew he was staring at you; you felt it, and the way he looked down at you made you slightly uncomfortable. 

Once you finished the stitches, you stood up from the stool, making you come face to face with him.

His eyes were quite different from Tommy's; you didn't know yet if it was in a good way or bad.

He cocked his head to the side as he looked at you, then looked down at your name tag before looking back up at you.

"Can I smoke in here?"

"Sure, and do you mind if I stand right here? It's the only way I can reach," you said, pointing to in between his legs. 

He took a long drag of his cig before responding, "Whatever you want, doc."

Even from this position, you had to stand on your toes; he was pretty tall. You were pulling a stitch through when you almost fell, but Micheal had placed his hand on your back, keeping you upright. 

You cleared your throat. "Thanks" 

He just nodded at you with his hand still on your back

"Tommy pays your rent, right? I've seen your name in the books."

"Yeah" 

"I always had thought he did that cause you to stitch the boys up with no questions asked and no coppers involved." 

You just smiled back, unsure what to say 

"But now I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean"

At this point, you were on your last couple of stitches 

"You have your own protection detail; he sends his most important men to you, and he pays your rent."

You knew about the rent and never paid much mind to why Tommy started sending his men; you'd just assumed that it was your payment for free rent. A protection detail, though, you were confused; Micheal had to be mistaken. You'd never seen anyone following you, or maybe that was the point. 

You tied the thread before cutting it,  all while Micheal's hand remained behind your back; you looked down at him and asked. 

"Why"

He shrugged his shoulders, taking one last drag before putting the cig out on the tray behind you.

He blew his smoke to the side before saying, "Tommy takes care of his own; he protects what's his." 

You were stunned, but Micheal didn't allow you to process. He stood up, putting on his shirt before walking towards the door.

"Thanks, doc," he yelled as he left

You smiled and nodded back before turning around and cleaning up.

Had you really made that much of an impression on Tommy, you were confused and stuck, your mind racing to solve this riddle. If you had left such an impression, why hadn't you seen him in weeks? Not even so much as flowers or Arthur playing playing messenger, nothing. Micheal had to be wrong. 

But what if he wasn't? What angle was Tommy playing? What was his end goal? 

Your head was starting to hurt, maybe cause you were tired or cause your brain had been overworked trying to figure out what this man wanted from you. You decide to go back to work cause, whatever was happening, you wouldn't figure it out.  

*******************************************

It had been a little over nine months after your visit from Micheal that you saw Tommy again. 

You had been requested at his house, Arthur came and got you. This house wasn't in Birmingham it was nice and big, a mansion. You knew why you were here. Arthur had been keeping you up to date with all the Tommy and Grace drama. After Arthur told you about Grace and her and Tommy's Past and present, you knew that Micheal was wrong. 

He couldn't have been more wrong cause here you are, arriving at Tommy's house about to see him for the first time in a year to help deliver his baby.  

"There already a doctor there, you say," you asked Arthur as he helped you out of the car. 

"Yes, Tommy said he still wants you there, though."

You didn't understand why you had to be there if a doctor was already there, someone who has had more schooling than you and should hold more knowledge. 

Arthur had led you through the house, at first he got lost, it was a big house, but soon he found his way and plus it wasn't hard you just followed the screams and cursing. 

You should have braced yourself before entering the room, but you had thought you would be fine; you weren't.

As soon as you opened the door, all eyes were on you, including Tommy's, his eyes which you hadn't seen in so long; they were so intense. 

He was standing next to Grace, who was lying on the bed; he was holding her hand, blood smeared on his shirt. Two women were on the opposite side of him next to Grace, two women you assumed to be Polly and Esme. 

You kind of just stood there, unsure of what to do and a bit scared. Grace's head popped from behind the doctor who stood in between her propped-up legs. 

"Arthur, would you shut the door" Grace yelled

He laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't see anything, Tommy; go on, Doc." He gave you a push as he shut the door. 

"Umm, where can I help?" you asked, and it was clear that you were nervous, but you hoped they thought it was because of the situation and not because of what it actually was, Tommy.

"The doctor is saying the baby is trying to come out feet first and that he must cut her open. Polly and Esme say that the baby can be turned, and if she is cut, she will bleed out." Thomas said as he rubbed his face; he was trying to hide it, but you could tell he was nervous.

"OK, OK, OK, Excuse me, I need to assess Grace to see which option is better." You placed your bag down and pulled out some gloves before approaching Grace.

"OK, Grace, I'm just going to see where the baby is at," You said as you reached up in her cervix, checking for the baby, and it was trying to come out feet first. You pulled out of her before speaking again.

"OK, Grace, the baby is coming feet first, but it's still far up, so I think we have a good chance at turning it around. It will be painful, but it's better than cutting you open and risking you bleeding out."

"Well, I can't do that, and I still believe that a c-section is the way to go; I've done many and have had many successes." The doctor tried to argue, but you knew that the risk of her bleeding out was higher than her not. 

"I can do it. Trust me, Grace, I can do it."

"Are you even a doctor?" the doctor asked. 

"No, but that doesn't matter. Grace, what do you want."

Graces looked between you and the doctor before looking up at Thomas, who was looking at you. And for the first time since you stepped into this room, you looked at him in the eyes. You nodded slightly, telling him you had this; he stared at you a little longer before telling you to go ahead. 

You got right to work pushing on Grace's stomach, pushing the baby's head, and slowly turning the baby. She screamed in pain, and Thomas held her hand, encoring her along; after 30 minutes, you finally got the baby in the correct position. You would’ve let Grace take a much-needed break, but she said she felt the need to push and couldn't hold back. 

"OK, Grace, that's fine. Push." You got back between her legs and sat on the stool at her feet.

It only took two pushes, and the baby was out, but It wasn't breathing; you panicked, and everyone looked at you scared. Except for Thomas, he looked at you in a way you can't describe as anything other than murderous. 

You held the baby in your hands, quickly walking over to the dresser and placing the baby down before grabbing the suction ball from your bag below you. You sucked the goo from the baby's mouth and throat and ran your knuckles across his chest. 

The baby still didn't cry out, and you were nervous. Had you pushed on its head too hard? You had never done it yourself, only seen it done, but-

The baby coughed and let out a cry; relief flooded your body, and tears slipped from your eyes. You cleaned the baby before turning around and walking over to Thomas.

"Here you go, Mr.Shelby, a beautiful, healthy baby boy." 

For the first time ever, you saw Tommy smile, like a full ear-to-ear smile, as you handed him his son. You smiled to yourself before stepping away and collecting your things. You looked at the doctor who stood in the corner, flipping him off before saying.

"You can handle the rest, right, or do you need help with that too?" 

He rolled his eyes at you before walking to Grace to clean her up.

You opened the door and saw Michael, Arthur, who you assumed to be John and Finn, and many more waiting outside the door.

"Grace is fine." 

"And," Arthur asked. 

"And it's a- " 

"It's a boy," Thomas said, interrupting you, you turned around, and he was standing right behind you. 

"Congratulations," You said to Tommy. 

"Thank you," he said back before he got rushed with a bunch of hugs.

You went down the steps, deciding to wait for Arthur outside, and truth be told, you needed some air not only because of Tommy but also because that was the most ballsy thing you had ever done in your career. You just delivered a baby, all on your own. 

You weren't waiting on the steps outside long when you heard the door open, and you stood up, brushing the dirt off yourself, slowly turning around.

"I thought you had gotten lost again. Arthur thought I had to come to find yo-"You stopped your sentence abruptly, seeing as Arthur wasn't the one standing in front of you.

"Micheal, where's Arthur?"

"I had asked him if it was alright if I took you home." 

"Oh, OK, let's go," You said before hopping in the car, with Micheal right behind you, sliding next to you in the driver's seat.

The drive back was quiet, and soon you were back at your house; you hopped out of the car and walked towards your apartment building, Micheal right behind you.

"You don't have to walk me to my door, Micheal; I'll be fine."

"Who am I to defy orders?" 

That made you stop and turn towards him. 

"You’re wrong, Tommy's with Grace. We're friends; he has no feeling like that towards me."

"You sure about that" 

"I just delivered his baby, Micheal."

"Exactly," he said, then turned around and left. 

You walked into your building and up the steps to your apartment; you stood at the door searching for your keys and became frustrated when you couldn't find them. You threw your bag at the door, making everything fall and spill across the floor. 

You took a deep breath before squatting down, picking everything up, and putting them back; your keys had also been on the ground. You grabbed them and unlocked the door, walking in and shutting it behind you.

You walk over to your bed and jump in it; you don't even have the energy to change. You were so tired, and your head hurt trying to figure out what Micheal got from playing with your head like this. 

You wouldn't even let yourself go down the guessing road; he was with Grace, and that was final. They were apart and came back stronger than ever; their love was fairy-tale-like. 

You couldn't help yourself, though; a small part of you still thought, 

What if.

********************************

Months have passed since you last seen Tommy since you delivered his baby. You haven’t seen him, but you know he was keeping tabs on you. You also started to see Arthur less; he was a changed man so he says. He met a new dime, Linda. You’re not going to lie, you don’t like the bitch, but Arthur does, and seeing as he has stopped the fighting, drinking, and even snow, you’ve decided to let it go. 

You still see peaky boys, though; they have become a part of your day-to-day life. You can’t remember the last time you had a regular patient or even a day off. And you needed a day off, you barely sleep cause of all the doubles you’ve been pulling at the hospital, and you never go out anymore. You honestly don’t remember the last time you got laid.

It’s been a while. 

So that’s why you decided to take the day off and to take up one of the doctors at the hospital's offer to go out.

You honestly didn’t care where the doctor took you or what y’all talked about; you had one goal tonight: getting laid.

You were ready to go out, sitting at your kitchen table bucking your shoes, when you heard a knock on your door. He was early, but you were ready, so it was fine. You walked over to the door, a smile taking over your face. You opened the door and were immediately pushed out of the way as someone invited themselves into your home.

“ Um, excuse me,” you said, turning around to meet the stranger.

Only it wasn’t a stranger. It was Tommy

And he wasn’t alone; he had his son in his arms.

“What's wrong?” You asked, rushing over to them. 

“ he fell. I was changing him, and he fell, and he cried and cried, but then he just stopped.” He was pacing your living room with the baby still in his arms.

You slowly approached him. 

“ It’s ok, Tommy, babies aren’t glass, ok. Every kid has been dropped on their head, I’d reckon Arthur, more than once.”

You got him to stop pacing with your words, but he still held the baby in a death grip.

“ Let me see him, Tommy; everything going to be fine, just let me see him.” You spoke as softly as you could as you stood before him, placing your hand on his shoulder. 

He looked up from the baby to look at you; you nodded as you placed your hands under his to take the baby from his hands. He slowly let go of the baby, releasing him to you. Once you fully secured the baby, you held him close as you walked over to your med bag at home. You fetched out your stethoscope and put it on before listening to the baby’s heart rate and breathing; you then checked his pupil reaction with your small flashlight. 

The baby seemed fine; Tommy probably put the baby to sleep by rocking it for so long, that’s why it probably stopped crying. 

“ Your baby’s fine, no signs of brain damage; he is just sleeping. That’s why he stopped crying,” you said, walking back over to him, and handing him back his baby.

You could see his body ease up slowly as he rocked the baby back and forth. 

“ Did you drive here, or” you trailed off

“ Yeah, but my car ran out of petrol; I’ve sent Curly to get me some more.” 

You nodded slowly; you weren’t sure what you were supposed to do next.

“ Do you have a quiet place where I can put him down?” 

“ Yes, my bedroom, it's over there,” You say, pointing towards the back of the room.

Tommy walks back towards your room, and you just stand there, uncertain what to do in your own home. He came back soon and started to head towards a seat in your living room and to make things less awkward, you took a seat across from him in the other chair. 

“ Can I smoke in here?” 

You nodded to his question; he pulled out his cigarette holder and took one before offering you one.

“ Oh no, I don’t smoke,” you said, making him make a face.

“ I only smoked that one time cause I was a bit stressed.”

He just nodded at you, lighting up his cig and taking a drag, and y’all just sat there; honestly, how long does it take to get some petrol. You couldn’t be this still any longer. You had to get up.

“ Would you like something to drink?” You asked, walking over to your drink table.” Whiskey fine?” you asked, even though you knew that’s all he drank 

You turned back to see him nodding his head, so you continued to ask, “ Brown or white?”

“ Brown” 

You poured the both of you a cup, filling yours up a bit more than his; you would need the whole bottle if he stayed any longer. You walked over to him, handing him his cup before sitting back in your seat. The silence followed again shortly after, and it was killing you; he had finished his cig, and you had finished your glass; you were seriously thinking about getting that petrol yourself. 

“ You were a nurse in the war? “ Tommy asked, pointing towards your medals on the shelf above your fireplace.

“ Yes, I was stationed in France, you? “ 

 You already knew the answer, though, cause of Arthur

“ Yep, I was in France, tunneler.” he finished his drink before continuing, “You kept your medals?” 

Even though he didn’t phrase it like a question, you still knew he was asking why you had kept them.

This question caught you slightly off guard, but you knew most people around here threw theirs into the cut as a fuck you to the king for the way they were treated when they got back.

“ You mean, why didn’t I throw them in the cut like everyone else?” You asked as you got up, getting his cup and you for a much-needed refill. “ I don’t see them like how you might; I see them as my team telling me good job and not the king. My team nominated me for the medal, not the king.” 

He nodded, slowly taking his drink back and sipping before asking you another question. 

“ And the war,” he cleared his throat, “is it still with you.”

You didn’t know why he was asking you all these questions, but you didn’t mind answering them. The more you talked about your experience, the easier it was to continue your life and leave the war in the past.

“ Honestly, there must be something wrong with my brain because no matter how hard I try to think back, I can’t remember half of the things that happened.” You let out a slight chuckle as you spoke. 

“Nothing, eh?” 

“ Well, not nothing; I remember why I was nominated for that medal.” You paused, unsure if you should tell this story. Men like Tommy don’t often reminisce about their time in France. But Tommy tipped his glass towards you, encouraging you along.

“ Ok, umm, my group and I had been relocated closer to the battlefield; we were located where fighting had taken place and tunnels dug. So there were a lot of caved-in holes and shells everywhere, but they said they had swept the area, and there were no bombs or anything. Nightfall came, and we were all set up; everyone but the guards were asleep. I couldn’t, though; I could hear the fighting going on in the distance. And even though it was really dumb, I went for a walk. I just couldn’t keep still and didn’t want to wake up the others.” 

You looked down and realized that you had finished your drink, so you got up to get some more; you went over to the drink table but didn’t pour anything. Instead, you just leaned against it before turning back to face Thomas. 

“ I was walking, and um, I tripped, fell right on my face. I had dropped my flashlight, hitting the ground must have turned it off. So I reached around looking for it, and that was when I touched something, but it wasn’t my flashlight; it was my hand. I panicked and backed up as quickly as possible and ended up finding my flashlight. I quickly turned it on and saw a hand sticking up from the mud, almost like it had broken through. I was trying to calm myself down when I saw the hand twitch; I had assumed the guy was dead. Next thing I know, I’m on my hands and knees digging through the dirt, and it seemed like no matter how fast and hard I dug, dirt kept refilling up the hole.” Tears started falling from your cheek, but you wiped them quickly, not wanting to cry in front of Tommy.

“ I uhh eventually was able to dig his head out, then shoulders and then I was able to pull him out, he wasn’t breathing, so I began CPR and mouth to mouth, the mud got all in my mouth cause his face was caked with it, but I didn’t care. Finally, after five minutes, he began coughing and gasping for air; I pulled him up into my lap, propping him up a bit, hoping that would help. Then he opened his eyes. He had tried to speak, but he just kept saying the same thing over and over again; he wasn’t making any sense. I told him he should save his strength, which made him quiet down. And so we just laid there for a bit, with him in my lap holding onto my arms; he just looked at me, and I looked at him. He eventually remembered that other men were still down in the tunnels, and thankfully, the tunnel hadn’t fully clasped. Together, we dug them out and helped them back to camp. They were all too badly injured for us to help, so they were driven to the nearest hospital.” 

You had walked over to Thomas, picking up his cigarette holder, taking one, and lighting it up. Tommy took notice but didn’t say anything. 

“ Soon after I was nominated for the award, the soldiers I had saved and the nurse in my unit nominated me. And the rest is history.” You took a couple more puffs of the cig before putting it out on the table since you didn’t have an ashtray. 

Tommy opened his mouth to speak, but there was a knock at the door; you walked over to it, opened it, and was greeted by Curly.

“ Tommy, I’ve got the petrol for you and filled your car; it's all ready to go.”

You turned to face him, smiling, before heading to your room to pick up the baby. You brought the baby out to Thomas, placing him in his hands.

“ Welp, this has been fun, but I’m tired, and this little one needs to get home. See you, Tommy.” 

He said your name, tilting his head down before leaving your apartment.

 You have never told that story to anyone before; it brought up a lot of emotions, more than you expected. It had felt good telling that story, though, especially with a person who also served, who might have understood where you were coming from. 

You had washed up and changed your clothes; the Whiskey made your eyes feel heavy, and you practically had to drag yourself to bed. You did make it, though. You got under the covers all warm and cozy, and you were about to fall asleep when you suddenly realized, 

You never went on your date.

********************

You wish you could say the next time you saw, Tommy was as pleasant as the last.

You had a late shift at the hospital tonight.

You walked into the hospital late, around 8:00 p.m. The air felt good, and you had been inside all day at home, so you decided to walk to work; it wasn’t far. You had run into a friend at the door and were walking in together. She was talking to you about her lazy husband, but as soon as you entered the hospital, you had tuned her out. You heard a voice screaming in the distance; you knew that voice. You started running in the direction the voice was coming from, leaving your friend without a goodbye.

It felt like you were running in slow motion; the hallway was getting longer and longer, and you thought you would never get to the end. 

When you finally reached the end, you stopped and scanned the room. Tommy was being held back by multiple guards and doctors, Polly and Linda were screaming at the nurses, Arthur had been pressed to the floor, and John was against the wall. 

“ Mr.Shelby, if you don’t calm down, we will have to put you out,��� one of the nurses said, trying to get him to calm down, but that only made him more mad.

The nurse screamed as Tommy held a gun to her face. “ I’m sorry, what was that? hmm” 

You had rushed over, placing yourself in between the gun and the nurse, 

“ Tommy, Tommy, look at me. What's wrong? Tell me how I can help.”  

His breath was coming out shaking. He waved the gun to the side, trying to tell you to move, but you didn’t; he did it again, and you still didn’t move.

“ Move!” he yelled. 

“ No, Tommy, what’s wrong?” 

He yelled out in frustration, then put the gun back in his holder. He turned around walking away from you, putting his hands on top of his head. 

“ Talk to me, please, Tommy.” You begged 

You blinked and suddenly he was in your face, he was so close you could feel his breath on your face. He squatted down to your eye level before pointing his arm out in no particular direction, his mouth opened and closed, as he struggled to find the words.

“ Them fuckers shot Grace, and now these doctors won’t let me see her.”

“ Ok, I will go check on her, okay, but you can’t threaten them; they’re just doing their job.”

“ Ok, Tommy,” he nodded slowly back at you. 

“ Ok,” he whispered.

You turned to the nurse you had protected earlier. 

“ Take them to a private waiting room, please.” She nodded, whispering a small thank you as you walked towards the surgical wing. You were about to walk through the door when you had been tugged back; it was Tommy.

“ I got her, Tommy, I promise.” He squeezed your hand before letting go. 

You pushed through the door to the surgical wing and started to run; you weren’t sure which room she was in, so you checked every single one, busting through the door and looking at the person on the table. You have reached the last surgery room with no luck so far. Grace had to be in this room; it was the last one. You opened the door, saying a slight prayer.

“ Time of death 10:55” 

You tried to talk, but the words got trapped in your throat; you felt it sitting there, causing your throat to burn as you struggled to breathe. Tears began falling down your face as you fell against the wall, feeling too weak to stand alone. This wasn’t supposed to happen; this isn’t how things were supposed to go. 

“ No,” you sobbed out.

“ No, no, no, no, no, what did you do?” you screamed at the Doctor.

You pushed yourself off the wall, walking over to Grace; you touched her arm, and she was still warm. You looked up at the Doctor; it was Dr.Brown.

“ What did you do? The shot was to the fucking shoulder; what - did - you - do” 

He just stared at you, not answering you. You looked around the room, and everyone was staring at you. You went around the table and pushed Dr.Brown against the wall; you didn’t know what you were doing; you didn’t know what you wanted from him.

“ Do you think you could tell Thomas for me?” his voice was shaky. 

You let go of him, walking backward. You stared at him in disgust, and then you started to laugh. 

It was an eerie laugh; you were practically choking on it. You wiped the tears and snot from your face with the back of your hands.

“You want me to tell him that you killed his wife because you don’t want him to smell the alcohol on your breath 'cause you want to live right.” 

The Doctor stared at you with his mouth gaping open like a fish; you even saw his eyes start to fill up with tears.

“ Oh, don’t worry, I’ll tell him, and when he’s in the right mind, I’ll tell him that you’re a drunk and you killed his wife.” 

You walked out before he could spill some bullshit to you. 

You wanted to walk slowly and drag your feet, but you knew better.

You’ve lost patients before and family, but it didn’t feel like this. You’ve never felt like this; you never felt so responsible for someone's death. 

You know that there was no way you could have stopped it, and there was no way you could have known. But what if, what if you called a taxi instead of walking? What if you told the police about the Doctor's drinking. So many moments played through your head, so many moments you wished you changed because somehow this feels like your fault. You knew that. Dr. Brown was a drunk; you should have fought harder with the hospital board. You should’ve- 

You stopped cause; deep down, you knew there was nothing you could have done. There is no way you could have saved Grace. 

You approached the private waiting room and stood there for a second to gather yourself. This death isn’t yours to cry for; it’s theirs. You wiped your tears and snot on your shirt; you cleared your throat and took a deep breath.

You pushed open the door and entered the room; they all stood when you entered, except for Tommy, who already standing cause he had been pacing. You looked around the room. Every single person's eyes were on you, waiting for you to speak; it was so quiet, no one made a sound.

“ So,” Tommy’s voice cracked as he spoke.

You took a deep breath before you tried to speak, and you tried, you really did, but you couldn’t keep it together. A sob left your mouth before you could stop it.

This caused Polly to bring her hand to her mouth as she fought back her tears.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before trying again.

“ I’m s-so sorry, Tommy; when I got there, she was already gone. There was nothing I could do.” Your voice grew horse as you spoke, and your throat burned as your fought back tears.

“No,” he whispered. 

“ Tommy”

“NO!” he shouted before throwing the chair across the room.

Polly started telling everyone to get out and give him some space, but you stayed. You knew the last thing he needed was to be alone with his thoughts.

Everyone had left, and it was just you two alone. 

He had stopped throwing things and rested his head against the wall.

“ Get out” 

“ No,” you said, walking over to him, 

You had placed your hand on his shoulder, but it was only for a second cause soon he had flipped you, and now you were against the wall. He held a tight grip on your shoulders, keeping you bound to the wall. His eyes started directly into yours, and even though he appeared mad, his eyes showed he was hurt. 

He pushed you deeper into the wall. “Why didn’t you save her?” You heard the pain in his voice as he spoke. “You saved me; you brought me back to life; why couldn’t you save her? Why couldn’t you bring her back.” He whispered out

You just stared at him; you were speechless. 

Then it finally happened: he broke down; you put your arms around him as he slowly fell to the ground, with you falling with him.

You held him in your arms as he cried; his grip on your arms kept tightening as if you would let him go. You hadn’t planned on it; you would hold him till he asked you to let go. You’d lay here as he slept if he needed you to. 

He needed you, and you were going to be there for him. 

[the-case-book-of-fanfiction]

The Graduation Lineup

Ship: Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader

Summary: Billy Hargrove comes between you and Steve at graduation—but only by last name. Additionally, you finally find out Steve's middle name (among other things).

Word Count: 5,899 words

Warnings: Billy, Stancy mention, flashbacks (aka weird timeline/narration), little bit of self-pity from Steve, fluff

Note: Set in season 2! Also pretend Tommy's last name comes after Henderson so that you get stuck between him and Steve.

☟ Continue below the fold ☟

Graduation practice was held inside the school gym. You'd been there for an hour at least, waiting for it to start and then going through the list of names to get everyone in the right seat and spot in line. They were on F now. Your leg bounced where you sat, but from boredom, not from nerves. While everyone else was panicking about who they would have to sit next to for the entire ceremony, you knew who you would be next to—and you were happy with it. It was the same boy you were already sitting next to: Steve Harrington.

It was a little weird, you thought, that it all worked out so perfectly. That there were no other Hs separating Harrington and Henderson. That Harrington was the one you had gotten so close to over the past four years, but particularly close to in the last semester alone.

The vice principle got through the Fs and into the Gs. Soon.

"You alright?" he asked you, seeing your bouncing leg.

You nodded. "Just impatient."

Steve smirked, a signature King Steve smirk he hadn't quite shaken. "Got somewhere to be, Henderson?"

"I have to pick up Dustin from Mike's, they all had a sleepover last night. Not that Dustin minds staying over a little longer, but Mom does. She doesn't like him being out of her sight for too long these days."

Steve's eyes went glassy, like they did when he thought about what happened that night for a little too long. "Yeah, well... Can't blame her for that one."

"I don't," you said. "Not when Dustin still has nightmares."

Shock flickered across his face. He opened his mouth but then—

"STEVE HARRINGTON!"

He stood, grinning down at you. "See you in a minute."

You gave him a tiny wave goodbye as he walked away and waited a second for your own name to be called. The vice principle watched Steve take his seat, then looked down at his list.

"WILLIAM HARGROVE!"

Your heart stopped. What? Shit. You'd forgotten about Billy. You bit back a groan, glancing around the gym to try and spot him. There was no movement.

Of course you'd forgotten about Billy—he wasn't even here. Not to mention, he hadn't been here for eleven years. It had just been you and Steve next to each other for a solid eleven years. Steve on one side of you, and his (former) best friend Tommy on the other. Tommy had always been pissed that you separated them, but Steve had never minded, and he certainly didn't now.

"Not here today?" the vice principle said. "Alright, the next student should leave the seat next to Steve open for him." He looked back down at his list and called your name.

You walked to your spot—next to the empty seat—as if in a trance. You sat and looked over at Steve, who looked just a blindsided as you.

Your gaze dropped to Billy's empty seat. "But..."

For some reason, it felt like a betrayal. It felt like the world was ending.

You're overreacting, you told yourself. Just calm down.

But you had been next to Steve for eleven years. Every roll call they organized you by graduating class; every assembly; every Department of Education required testing. You had been in the seat next to Steve for your PSATs and SATs, stealing glances to find him sitting with his eyes huge, not a thought in his head, and trying so hard not to giggle. Then laughing about it after, when the proctors let you all leave, and the two of you exchanging a knowing look the moment you left the classroom.

Over time, especially after the demodogs, Steve grew to be something like your best friend, although, if asked, you'd probably say Nancy was your best friend. You'd grown up with her, too, when Dustin spent the night at Mike's.

(Which made you feel slightly like a traitor when, after all that had happened between her and Steve, you couldn't help but tolerate him enough to like him.)

But you also knew what happened that night in the Byers' house. You knew Billy and Steve had gotten into a fight bad enough to knock Steve unconscious and leave him banged up and bloody. You knew Billy hated him more than ever after that, even though it had been Max who finally knocked Billy out, and you knew it was the promise Max extracted from Billy that kept him from trying to finish the fight with Steve "properly."

So you knew that the look on Steve's face was not just from being separated after eleven years. You knew it was also from terrible fear, overwhelming fear.

The vice principle had gotten to the Js. You hadn't heard any of them, hadn't even noticed Tommy H. sit next to you. You just stared at that empty seat where Billy should have been—where you should have been.

~❊~

You considered yourself fond of Steve Harrington.

He'd saved your brother's life, after all, and the lives of Dustin's friends. Dustin had wasted no time in telling you just how great his new hero was, despite the fact that he was falling asleep in the back of the car when you'd rushed to Steve's house to pick him up, late at night.

"And he took his bat—the one I told you about, with all the nails, that one—and he just started bashing with it. And then, and then, and then, when the demodog got on the roof of the bus, he pushed us away so it couldn't kill us!" He smiled sleepily in the back, visible in your rearview mirror. "You shoulda been there. You shoulda seen it! He was awesome, just...just so awesome... So bitchin'."

You would have reprimanded him for his language (even though it wasn't going to stop him), but he was already asleep, without even finishing his story.

Had it surprised you? A little bit. The King Steve you had known was nothing like the Steve in Dustin's story, but you didn't doubt Dustin. You'd seen a change in Steve the past semester or so. But you'd sat next to him for eleven years, gotten to see a side of him that he didn't let the rest of the school see. And when you'd gone to pick up Dustin, the boy before you was deserving of your sudden fondness for him.

"Hey," he said, greeting you from where he leaned against his car, next to the open door revealing Dustin in the back. "I would have waited for you at the Byers', but I know this is closer, and it's late, so—"

Dustin shouted your name, hopped out of the car, and ran to you, hugging your legs tightly. He'd pretended to be fine when Steve called, but you could tell he was terrified and glad the whole thing was over from how tightly he hugged you.

You looked up at Steve, leaning down just enough to wrap your arms around Dustin's shoulders. "I can't thank you enough, Steve, really." He waved away your thanks, but you talked over him. "Seriously, Steve. Thank you. If anything had happened to him, I would've..." You looked down at Dustin, at a loss for words. "I don't know what I would've done."

"Yeah. Just..." Steve shrugged. He seemed embarrassed to be standing at his car, giving back your brother like two divorced parents and their child. "He needed help and...I was around."

You prodded Dustin toward the car. "Go get in the car. The back, I've got too much stuff in the passenger seat."

He nodded, stifling a yawn and heading to the car without protest.

You looked back at Steve. "Thank you. Again."

Steve nodded, his eyes locked on yours. "Any time."

Without really realizing it, you closed the distance between you and Steve and threw your arms around him, squeezing him tightly and trying not to cry into his shoulder. He stood frozen for a moment, but then his arms came around you and squeezed. For some reason, you remembered he was dating Nancy Wheeler at that exact moment.

"Hey..." His voice was impossibly soft. "Hey, it's okay. He's okay. They're all okay."

You pulled away from him, sniffling and wiping your eyes. "I... I'm sorry. I don't know why I..." You shook your head. "Long, hard day, I guess."

"Don't worry about it," he said, in a tone so gentle and kind that you didn't.

So yes—you were fond of Steve, and that fondness grew when he visited more and more and more often to visit Dustin, or take him somewhere when you couldn't, and you learned through Dustin's endless chattering that Steve and Nancy had broken up a while ago, so you felt a little less guilty about the hug.

You considered Steve your best friend. You might have considered him more than that, if not for your friendship with Nancy.

(Although, did that really matter, when she was happy with Jonathan and comfortably over Steve?)

But you were far less fond of Billy Hargrove.

In fact, you were quite positive that you despised Billy Hargrove.

Even before knowing what he had done to Steve, to your brother and his friends, you had hated him. You had seen him antagonize everyone, from the poor, already outcast nerds, to the popular clique like Steve. Everybody suffered at the hands of Billy, one way or another. Even Max—or, perhaps, especially Max.

Regardless, you hated Billy. And now you had to sit between him and Tommy H, instead of next to your best friend? God, these were going to be a rough couple of hours.

~❊~

On your way out of the gym, you found Steve waiting for you at the door.

"I know you've gotta go pick up Dustin, but after that, do you wanna—"

"Steve, I will do anything you want as long as you let me vent. I can't believe I'm stuck next to Billy Hargrove," you complained.

He snorted. "Yeah, believe me, you're not alone there. Jesus, I wanna punch him again."

"Hey." You put a hand on his chest, stopping him. "Don't start anything you can't finish."

Steve brushed you off and kept walking. "I didn't say I was going to, just that I want to. And, believe me, I really, really want to."

"We'll just ask Max to do it."

He groaned. "Don't remind me that I needed a twelve-year-old to fight my battles for me."

"She's thirteen." Steve gave you a look. You giggled. "Alright, alright. I'll leave you alone."

He pushed the front door of the school open and held it for you, following you out. "Okay, so, you need to vent, I want to go out—milkshakes later?"

"Yes, please," you nearly groaned. "But you do realize Dustin is going to want to come, right?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "You don't have to tell him. Just...bring him home and I'll pick you up at one?"

You rolled your eyes back at him. "The instant you show up at our door, Dustin's Steve-senses are going to tingle and he's going to hop in the front seat before I can. He's practically attached at the hip to you."

Steve laughed. "You have a point there. Alright, fine—Dustin, too."

You split away from him to head to your car, only for him to follow you. You realized he'd parked next to you. "We'll meet you at Benny's!" you said, getting into the front seat. He nodded slowly and waved you off. You returned the wave and left the school parking lot behind.

It was only after Steve was just a figure in your rearview mirror that it dawned on you he'd phrased the whole thing differently from just a regular hang-out with the group.

"But after that—"

"I want to go out."

You glanced back out your window, not daring to identify meaning of the twist of anticipation in your chest.

~❊~

Dustin slurped loudly on his almost-finished milkshake. You and Steve, who were only halfway through your own milkshakes, made eye contact over your glasses and giggled.

Your little brother looked up from his glass. "What? What's funny?"

"Nothing," the two of you said in unison. You glanced back up at him and your stomach did flips. The expression on his face looked like your fondness felt. It looked like the face Nancy had described to you, back when she was still sort-of in love with Steve—before Barb died, and before the Upside Down.

You and Nancy lay spread out on her bed, your legs hanging over the end of her bed, her feet curled up behind her, her knees at her pillows. Your hears were right next to each other, turned toward each other so you could see the huge smile on Nancy's face.

She was half an hour deep into telling you about her date with Steve. "And he just...he had this look on his face, you know? Like there was nothing else that mattered. Like I was the only thing left in the world. The only girl left." Without even realizing it, she had brought her hand up to her hair, curling it in her fingers. "His eyes, they were so...so soft and so open. And his hair was falling into his face, he'd been blowing it out of his eyes for hours, it was so cute, ridiculously cute, but he stopped trying to get it out of his face when I giggled at him."

You giggled at her. "You are so in love with him, admit it!"

Her grin got impossibly bigger. "That...that's the thing. I think he wanted to say it to me."

Your eyes widened. "He was gonna tell you he loved you?!"

"I think so," she whispered. "But then the door opened, and it was loud, rowdy teenagers, so we just glanced over at them and started to laugh and—" She giggled. "And then it was gone. But it was there. He wanted to say it to me." She paused and, in a whisper, added, "And I think I wanted to say it back."

You shrieked with joy, reaching for her and tickling. "Nance, oh my God!"

She giggled, batting her hands away. "Stop it, stop it, I can't breathe!"

"Have you told Barb yet?"

Nancy's mood darkened a tad too much for your liking. "I don't think she'd like it. She's not a...huge fan of Steve."

"Oh, come on, if you're happy, she'll be happy for you, right?"

Nancy rubbed her arms. "I don't know. I hope so?"

"Just tell her, Nance, she'll be okay. She'll get it." You grinned at her again. "Oh my God, I can't believe it, you're in love with Steve Harrington!"

You tore your eyes away from Steve, looking back down at the milkshake he had insisted on buying for you.

"Do you think they're going to say our middle names when we graduate?"

"Huh?" You looked up. That expression of Steve's was gone. "Our middle names?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. You know, we're just walking up and they're saying our whole names."

You blinked at him.

"They're supposed to," Dustin said beside you. Your heads turned toward him.

"What?"

"They're supposed to say your middle names. At least, most high schools do it for graduation. Did they not do it during rehearsal today?"

"No," Steve said. He groaned, thumping his head into the table. "Damn it."

"Why?" you asked, giggling at his melodrama.

He lifted his head back up, sipped on his milkshake, and said, "I hate my middle name. I hate it! It's so...stupid."

You bit your lip, trying not to laugh again. "Well, now you have to tell me what it is."

Steve scoffed. "Absolutely not."

You leaned forward across the table. "Tell me."

"No," he insisted.

"Yes!"

"No way!"

You found Steve's foot with your own under the table, making him jump. "Come on, Stevie... Just tell us!"

"No!"

"We're gonna find out anyway," Dustin piped up from beside you. "They're gonna say it at graduation!"

Steve shook his head resolutely. "No. They might not, because they didn't at practice, and if they didn't, I'm not embarrassing myself by telling you now."

You rolled your eyes at him. "It can't be that bad. No parent would name their child something that awful."

He snorted. "You have clearly never met my parents."

"No, I have not, but now I would like to," you said. You'd heard him complain about his father being a "grade-A asshole" before, a phrase Nancy had confirmed he'd used multiple times about his father, but you'd never seen just how bad he was.

Steve shook his head, going back to his milkshake. "No, you don't," he said quietly. The look in his eyes—like a sad, lost, kicked puppy—shut you up effectively. So you let it go, drinking your milkshake happily.

Dustin twirled his straw around in the remnants of his whipped cream. "Did I tell you about the project Mr. Clarke gave us? I might need help setting it up, but he wants us to make a machine out of stuff we have around the house."

Steve brightened. "Is it a Rube Goldberg machine? I remember those! I think I used mine to open the door to my patio..."

"Yeah!" Dustin grinned. "Mike, Lucas, Will, Max and I have a contest to see which of us can make the best one. I already know Mike's getting Nancy's help, and Will's getting Jonathan's, and I think Max and Lucas are collaborating to make two separate projects, so I could really use you guys to help..."

In amongst Dustin's chatter, you glanced toward Steve, finding a small smile on his face as he watched the kid talk animatedly. Dustin pulled a napkin toward himself and started sketching out vague plans for his machine. You felt Steve's foot move beside yours. You glanced over at him as he started playing a subtle game of footsie with you under the table.

You stifled a giggle, smiling at him in a way that was far too friendly—or, rather, not friendly enough. That look came back on his face, the lovey dovey look Nancy had gushed so much over. You understood why now. Had the roles been reversed, you would have gone straight to her to tell her all about the way Steve Harrington looked at you like he was in love with you.

That tight feeling in your chest came back, a simmering, traitorous hope nestling in your heart and not once listening to the screams of your brain that you should not, absolutely should not, fall in love with your best friend's ex.

Steve propped his head up with his hand, that dreamy look in his eyes intensifying. His lips pursed slightly before they fell apart, pure wonder in that small, involuntary motion.

To hell with not falling in love with your best friend's ex.

You lifted your foot a little higher, catching the cuff of his jeans and slowly but surely tugging up. Steve gulped, pink dusting his cheeks. You felt a brief but distinct shiver of glee.

Dustin pushed his empty cup away from him, the scraping on the table drawing your attention away from Steve. For a moment, you feared Dustin had caught sight of your not-so-subtle flirting and was about to call you out on it, but then he yawned.

"Can we go home?" he asked you, his sudden tiredness evident in his voice.

"You didn't sleep at all last night at Mike's, did you?" you asked with a sigh. "Because if you had, this sugar would be keeping you bouncing on the walls for the next four to five hours."

He shrugged. "It was a long campaign." His eyes fluttered, his head drooping. His body slid toward you, your shoulder being the only thing keeping him upright anymore.

Love and guilt crashed over you at the same time. "Oh, don't fall asleep on me here, I can't carry you to the car anymore, Dusty—"

"It's okay, I've got him," Steve said. He paid the bill in cash and got up from his side of the booth, gently pulling Dustin out from under the table and out of the restaurant. You followed, a glimmer of warmth in your chest. You'd heard Dustin and the others jokingly refer to Steve as their dad; now you could see why.

You unlocked the car for Steve and he put Dustin in the passenger's seat and buckled him in. Dustin mumbled softly—you were quite sure it was a little 'thank you'—and Steve closed the door as gently as he could.

Steve turned back to you, his hands going to his hips. "He's all yours."

"You'd make a great dad, Steve," you said gently, unable to stop yourself, or keep the gentle smile off your face. And when he smiled back at you, you felt like you had flashed ten years into the future, a mom standing and watching her husband carry their sleeping child to the car, doing everything in his power not to wake him.

"I've, uh, always wanted to be one," Steve said, the admission quiet but confident. "Ever since I knew I could be."

"Oh, Stevie..."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "What? It's just...I like the idea. Of being able to be there for someone and guide someone through life and have a family of my own, you know? Like—a big one. A big, happy family."

"I'm not judging you, Steve," you said, hearing the defensiveness in his voice. "I'm not. It's cute. It's really cute. I'm glad that you know what you want in your future."

He sighed, kicking the ground. "Yeah, well. Doesn't help to know what I want if I can't get there."

You raised an eyebrow and waited for an explanation.

Steve shrugged awkwardly, looking the most helpless you'd ever seen him. "There aren't exactly a line of girls just waiting to make King Steve's dreams come true." He bit his lip. "They just want me for a night, if they even want me at all, and then I don't—" He stopped himself short, taking a deep breath, his eyes dropping to the asphalt beneath you. "I'm sorry, this isn't... This isn't the time or place for this. I'm sorry."

You stepped closer to Steve, leaving only a few inches between you. "Hey," you said softly, bringing his gaze up from the ground and back to you. "It's okay. I understand." You caught his hand in yours. "Steve?"

He hummed, his gaze still on your hand holding his.

"You meant for tonight to be a date, didn't you?"

He blushed, but very slowly, he nodded.

Your heart fluttered in your chest. You hesitated, then said, "Do you want a hug?"

The question very nearly made Steve burst into tears. He nodded, accepting your arms around him instantly. He squeezed tightly and you returned the pressure, sensing he needed it. "I'm sorry," he whispered into your ear. "If it was weird, I'm sorry, I should have made it more clear that it was meant to be a date—"

Your hand drifted behind his hand, tangling into his hair. "Don't apologize. You don't have to apologize for wanting to be wanted, Steve. I should have known you wanted it to be just us—and not on babysitting duty." You bit your lower lip, possessed by a sudden boldness. "And, for what it's worth, I'd want you for more than a night."

He went tense and then lax in your arms. "I... What?" He leaned away from you, just enough to see your face but not enough to leave your arms. He whispered your name. "What are you saying?"

You offered him a tiny smile. "I think you know, Steve."

"Say it," he breathed. "Please. Please, I want to hear you say it."

You pressed your forehead to his as his hand lifted to your cheek, fingers brushing over your skin with a reverence you'd never felt before. "I want you for more than one night, Stevie. I want as many night as you'll give me."

The sound he made was both holy and sinful. You really hoped the windows to your car were closed, because that was not a sound you wanted Dustin hearing—especially not from Steve, not while you were wrapped up in his arms and he was in yours.

Steve moved before you did, leaning in but giving you the time and the chance to back away from him. You did the opposite, meeting him in the middle and kissing him softly.

Nancy had not done his kisses justice in her descriptions of them. Though, you had to give her credit, because it was next to impossible to find a good way to describe the gentle pressure of his mouth on yours. There was certainly nothing to compare it to, except for that heady, wonderful feeling of getting out of trouble scot-free, or that beautiful feeling when a choir sings a perfectly arranged chord in a high-ceilinged building.

You whispered his name into his mouth, a prayer on your lips, a desperate cry for more of him. He hummed into your mouth, sending shivers down your spine, and his hands gripped your hips, pulling you even closer to him and then wrapping around you once more.

"Every night, Steve," you whispered against him when he stopped kissing you to breathe, though his lips remained against yours as his chest heaved. "I want you every night."

He groaned. "Don't say that," he whispered. "Don't say it if you don't mean it."

You cupped his face in your hands. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. I want you, Stevie. All of you, all of the time."

He whimpered. It was a beautiful sound.

"You know..." His words were choppy, split up by his heavy breaths. "If it weren't for your brother in the car, I'd take you home if you'd let me." You opened your mouth, but he put a finger your lips. "Shhh, don't tell me. Don't tell me if you'd let me. Don't let me know what I'm missing out on."

You smiled at him, toying with the hairs at the back of his head. "Kiss me one more time, Stevie. Please, baby."

He grinned. "Well, because you asked so nicely..." And his lips were on you again, and it took everything in you not to moan your relief that he had kissed you again.

Heaven. His kiss was like absolute heaven.

When he finally let go of you, the air between you had changed, filled with a pleasant glee. For the first time in a long time, you saw that Steve's eyes were bright.

"Get your brother home," he told you. "And I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and, one more thing?"

You reached for his hand, caressing his skin. "Yeah?"

"How about we keep this between us for a few days? Just until graduation." He grinned. "Surprise everybody. I'll walk across the stage and stop to wait for you and we kiss and walk off together—"

"You're forgetting something," you said, shaking your head. "Billy's between us."

Steve's face fell. "I could...wait until he's gone?"

You laughed. "Stevie..."

He sighed. "Well, it was a good idea while it lasted, right?"

"It was cute," you agreed. "Just like you are."

Steve beamed.

"Don't worry—we'll still surprise them all," you said. "We'll just wait until we pose for photos, and right when they snap a picture, we'll lean in and you can give me a big, dramatic kiss, alright?"

"I like that idea just as much," he said, smiling. He nuzzled into you and kissed your cheek. "Get yourself home safe, hun. Okay?"

"Okay," you said. You let go of him slowly, reluctantly getting back in your car. He waited, waving to you as you pulled out of the parking lot, before he got into his own car.

About halfway down the road, Dustin stirred. "I hope the reason you took that long is because you were confessing your feelings for Steve," he said, his voice thick with sleep.

You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. "Go back to sleep, Dustin."

"So he confessed, too," he mumbled. "Good. You need each other."

You bit back a smile. "Whatever you say, Dustin."

"Yeah...whatever I say..."

~❊~

You stood in line, your heart beating out of your chest. You were surprised no one around you had told you they could hear it.

Billy was standing in front of you, seeming ridiculously tall in his graduation cap and gown. Behind you, the cap and gown seemed to make Tommy even shorter than normal.

"STEVE EUGENE HARRINGTON!"

Your eyes went wide and your head whipped very quickly toward an embarrassed Steve. You'd heard him groan when they had first started graduating seniors by calling middle names, too, but you had not been expecting that.

No wonder he hadn't wanted to tell Dustin—the kid was never going to leave him alone about this.

"WILLIAM DAVID HARGROVE!"

Billy walked. You waited until your name was shouted into the room. You could hear Steve cheer as he went back to his seat, and Dustin cheering up in the stands. You shook Principle Higgins' hand and accepted your diploma, practically glowing and feeling on top of the world.

When you were seated and Tommy H. was following you back to his seat, you leaned forward to see around Billy.

"Eugene?!"

Steve groaned. "Shut up. Please. Please."

"I can see why you didn't want to tell us," you giggled.

Tommy leaned around you. "You know, you could've told them not to say it."

Steve's eyes went huge. "I could have?!"

He was quickly shushed by the administrator guiding students to the stage. Stifling giggles, you and Tommy sat back in your chairs, waiting for the end of the ceremony to tease him endlessly.

~❊~

Lover's Lake in June—busy, overcrowded, full of children.

Lover's Lake in June past six at night—still full of children, but just the ones you were keeping your eyes on with Steve.

The party was having an adventure in the water, shouting at each other, the occasional D&D term thrown in. Max and Eleven were a ways away from the group, shrieking and holding their arms up every time the boys splashed the water too close to them.

Steve looked at his watch. "Hey, guys! It's almost eight! You've got fifteen minutes before we gotta get you home."

Max lifted up a hand, giving him a thumbs up, despite the boys not hearing a thing.

"Especially, you, Dusty, you have to go to camp tomorrow!" you called. You got no response.

"Jesus, they never listen, do they?" Steve sighed.

You leaned into his shoulder. "They listen, they just like yanking your chain."

You and Steve sat together at the edge of a dock, feet in the water, his pants rolled up to his knees and his arm around your shoulders. You held a copy of your graduation photo—the photo, the surprise photo where Steve had turned to you and kissed you right as the camera flashed.

"My mom framed her copy of this, you know," you said, handing him the photo. "It's sitting on the hearth."

He grinned. "I'm glad it turned out so well. I was worried it would be all blurry if I didn't time it right." He nuzzled his face into your temple, pressing a series of quick, gentle kisses there. "How'd Dustin take it?"

You laughed, your eyes straying to your brother, who was being tackled by Lucas. "He already knew! After I got in the car, he told me he hoped the reason it had taken me so long to get in after him was because he wanted us to be confessing our feelings to each other."

Steve snorted, loud in your ear. You shied away and he whispered a quick apology. "Of course he noticed. He notices everything."

"Not that it was hard to see we were hiding something from each other," you added, turning to catch his mouth with your own. He hummed into the kiss. "You spent all of that night looking at me with your 'I love you' eyes."

He raised his brows. "Oh, my 'I love you' eyes, really?"

You nodded, giggling at him and pressing closer to his side. You set the photo down behind you as he pulled you into a hug with both arms.

"Well, you weren't exactly the most subtle, either," Steve said, kissing your nose.

"Oh, yeah? What did I do?"

Steve brought his hand up to your cheek, brushing his thumb over your cheekbone. "Oh, you know, you get this look on your face. When you thought I couldn't see you, I guess. You'd look over and it was like...it was like you'd relax." He smiled. "Like seeing me was all it took to calm you down from whatever stress you had."

You smiled. "Yeah, I guess you do kind of have that effect on me." You ran your gaze over him. "You know...you're giving me those eyes right now."

His voice was nearly a whisper. "Good." Steve kissed you deeply, cupping the side of your face to hold you close to him. "Because I do." He squeezed your hip with his other hand. "Because I do love you."

You stared at him, mouth dropped open.

Steve turned red. "I know it's soon, but I—"

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me."

"Okay," he whispered, leaning back in. When his lips met yours, you lifted your hand into his hair. He sighed happily into your mouth. He wrapped his arms around your waist.

And then it dawned on you. You pulled back from him. "Steve, it's too quiet."

You both looked at the water, half-expecting the kids to be gone, but they were all still in the lake—treading water and staring, silently, at you and Steve.

"What?" Steve asked slowly.

Dustin made a face. "Dude. My sister."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Dude. My girlfriend!"

"You're just as bad as El and Mike," Will groaned, setting off the shouting once more.

Steve glanced at you. "We're not that bad, are we?"

You shrugged. "I don't think so."

He kissed you again. "That's all that matters." He looked back at the kids. "Alright, come on, out of the water! You're not getting in my car soaking wet."

While the kids groaned and complained, Steve stood and offered you his hand to help you up. You took it, kissing his cheek once you were upright. His hand still in yours, you made your way to the car.

Dustin called your name. "Have you seen my towel?"

"Right here, Henderson," Steve laughed. He picked it up from the chair it was flopped over and handed it to him. You leaned into Steve, letting go of his hand so he could wrap his arm around your waist. He kissed the top of your head.

"See?" you whispered to him. "Good dad."

A glint entered Steve's eyes. "Someday," he said, and you got the feeling his someday included you.

You covered his hand on your hip with your own and looked up at him. "I love you, Stevie."

"Still my sister, Steve!"

Steve didn't take his eyes off you and his voice was soft, too soft for Dustin to hear. "Still my girlfriend, Henderson."

☞ ❊ ☜

Stranger Things // Steve Harrington

Taglist: {comment and let me know if you'd like to be added to the S.H. taglist!} @ohatropa@nix-rose@live-the-fangirl-life

[theobsessiveloser18]

Y/N In:

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Season 2

Johnny and Bobby enter Tommy's room at the hospital, a woman is sitting next to her bed and reading a magazine, to Johnny's confusion, Bobby laughs.

“Excuse me, Madame, your patient has visitors.”

You smile at your friend's voice. When you look up, you make an effort to recognize the blonde man in front of him. After a few seconds, you do, he does too.

“For all the gangs in California, look what the Trouble Fairy Tommy brought, Johnny Himself - the damn tough - Lawrence”

“Hey, hey Y/N” he laughs and hugs you “A word of advice about insults after saying hello”

“Boring”Smile

“You never recovered from the insults, did you?”

"I tell you?" You tapped him on the shoulder, you stepped aside so he could greet Tommy, while you did the same with Bobby, then he brought your brother and practically everyone was there, not knowing what else to say to Tommy, the blonde headed towards you

“So you grew up to be a sexy nurse, huh?“

“Nope, on Harley Quinn.”

"Psychiatrist?" Bobby asked confused.

“Psychotic”

•More than 25 decades could have passed, but what you loved most about their friendship was that their dynamic had never changed. A night at the bar was perfect for everyone.

“Seriously Johnny, disappear again for so long, and I will kill you.”

“Calm down Siconics, you could have called me”

“It's psychotic Johnny from the P-S-Y-C-H-O-T-I-c,psyche, it doesn't matter that you don't know what it meant, as long as you know how to say it, it's fine, for me I know that you are eating the P... and you could have visited me”

“Man, I hate visitors.”

“And I hate making calls, I talk Face to Face, you see that's why you are my favorite, we are ideal together, yes we are equal” You commented, finally bringing the beers to the table.

“Your Favorite? How drunk do you have to be to say that?”

“Very, very Drunk, in fact they should take me out of here and take me to a cold water shower, with a tub included, include the tub and ice!!! Patrick, my ice!!!” You responded, pretending to be drunk, everyone laughed

.“Oh seriously, Johnny, don't get your hopes up, she also told me that she was her favorite, she just met me,” Bobby commented jokingly.

“Guilty” you declared, patting your chest, with a funny face.

“Hey, but what's wrong with me, I'm the one who makes you laugh the most, where's my merit, I saved your ass” Tommy, who had hit the nail on the head, butted in, acting offended, like the old ones.

“Listen to me old man, you are the one I love the most at this table, but if you are going to start showing off, I not only saved your ass more times... I also defended your sexuality” you drank your beer satisfied with the chaos that ensued. form

“I swear before God, with heaven, my friends and my savagery as a witness that I don't know what this Drug Trafficker is talking about”

“Drug trafficking, your damn last name, hey ,priest, He swear before God and his house, that is a mistake, put on your cassock, even if in his mind” You alleged, offended.

“I'm not Priest,I have said it I've said it so many damn times."

“moutch, sir, we are in a bar but God continues to look at us, especially you, gentleman, with what face are you going to receive your faithful, Mr. Shepherd?”

"better thanks And I stop being a priest as soon as I walk in here, everyone at this table is dirty sinners.”

“I want to make it clear that I am the cleanest at the table, nor should I fall into that category.”

“As I say, miss, well behaved with her rudeness,” your brother responded.

“You and your friends infected me with that despicable evil that I have struggled with all my life” you said too dramatically.

“My God, I'm so sorry, I didn't imagine how much it had affected you.”

“Well now you see it.”

“I will fight to change, I promise... I love you” He took your hand, you wrinkled your nose.

“Well, they already finished the novel, we are drinking, not raising awareness”

“Well, Johnny, you learned a complicated word.” You high-fived.

“You see, practice especially for You .”

“Not that we were in a bar, sir?, make up your mind,” said your brother, apparently irritated. “I want to make something clear to you, you damn cretins, she is my sister, so technically I am her favorite from day one, her first word was my name.” taunts were renewed

“That day the universe let you know that the first 17 years of my life would be difficult, you forced us to meet Jimmy, technically that is the reason why you are my least favorite before Dutch.”

“Please, I was your first love.”

“Dude, you're going to make me throw up my beer at them.”

“You shouldn't be shy around boys, there is confidence”

“You shouldn't get your endorphins out in front of the kids, there's gossip” they made fun of the boy for a while, Johnny was the first to confess.

“I didn't understand why we were laughing.”

“less” they said at the same time, you found out your tired head

...

“You know, at times like this, I would get a time machine, I would force myself to visit Dutch in the reform school, and I would blackmail him so that a criminal wouldn't come back.”

“Extortion so as not to be a criminal?” you raised your shoulders indifferently.

“Leave her, that's what happens when you're desperate.”

"So what I really wanted was the 'biggest bully'? You're a pretty interesting girl Y/N," Tommy commented.

"I have never hated nor will I hate any boy in my life like him, except Hittler but he stopped being a boy, anyway, I would think 5 times before saving Dutch from drowning, but I wish he were here, it's not a reunion of former cobras if the true representation of 'No Mercy' is not there,He was an idiot but that idiot belongs here, and... And I dont know, I feel like this is not complete without him, after all I had to endure, I would like to see him drunk enough to breathe with you again.”

One thing led to another so Johnny told you about his dojo

“It's really cool, Johnny, you know, I never thought you'd have that kind of job.”You said, sounding nice, although

you felt your chest shrink, bringing up everything about Karate again, more than 3 decades enjoying the tranquility of being with your old friends without karate, so that it will return as if nothing to alter the life of the one who suffered the most with him?, life kicked

“You thought Sid would support me for a lifetime, ha! "That great idiot, I would have thrown myself into the street from the first moment if it weren't for Mom... The dojo is great, I always knew that he wouldn't work in a horrible office, wearing a suit as if it were a wedding toy."

“You're right, it's worse than that, hello wedding doll” You said, offering your brother to shake your hand, he hit it, he said in a playful tone.

“Be a little bitch.”

"I am"

“Seriously, you have to know the dojo, Diaz would like you, he's like my favorite.”

"Sure, send me the address, and I'll get you in these days"

“For the love of God, Johnny tell him Kreese is there” An InterviHe intervened irritably, your smile faltered and horror took hold of you, you hid your hands under the table, so that they would not notice that they were trembling, you made a great effort to speak, ignoring the rapid beating of your heart.

“How is he there?”

“He is helping me with the children, he has experience as a sensei” you took a quick drink and instantly regretted it.

“Johnny, but what kind of experience? After everything he did? “You are going to let him be there with children, close to you as if nothing had happened.”

“Listen y/n I know it's hard to understand, but the change is just working, it's not like I'm going to trust him again and Go to be my sensei, I watch him all the time, the children are not in danger... God! Even the inhabitants of the street deserve work, don't they?" He said this last thing smiling, you smiled back at all the eyes on you.

“Do you want another round?” everyone confirmed “It's on me, I'll be back in a few minutes” you pressured yourself not to run to the bathroom while you felt that everything you had taken was about to come out.

By the time you returned with the beers, you witnessed the fight, you almost lost your balance, seeing those karate movements again, the rage, the blows and the blood as if they were children again and were still old enough to participate in the valley. To hell with the nausea, you took the entire round you brought them in an attempt to calm yourself down, it was in vain.

“God, I shouldn't do this, I definitely shouldn't do this, it's a damn bad idea... To hell with it...¡¡¡ place bets on him here on the quartet of karate midgets or on the idiots they's getting pummeled.!!!”

indirectly, you also participated in the fight, a guy who was beaten came limping to complain that you were marketing this without his permission for having participated, He was not willing to reason. And at any moment you will enter the drunk category,you smashed the can of beer that you were about to open, and he fell asleep for a while

You filled your pockets abysmally in 15 minutes

“Seriously, gentlemen, you are 64 years old, you have gone through 5 divorces, 7 children, 2 guardianships, 4 lawsuits and 45 years of street sweeping to fight with a single guy in a bar, if it were an army of bodyguards, it would hold up, but one, only one "One, so many years of being slaves to the beatings are worth more than that."

“Again, we are 17 years old and we don't understand anything you have said until now.”

“What I said is: “Seriously, Karate? After all this time... Whoever is going to answer me from you always say with confidence and drama or I will have them run over”

"Always"

“Thanks Tommy, I'll cross it off my list when I get home” to everyone's confused faces, you explained “Reader things”

“Okay, whatever you say, but you can't claim anything from us, you got money for our beatings” Jimmy alleges

“I'm their manager, that's what you do, plus my partners, with what we win I'll take you to the movies” you responded, surrounding Bobby and Tommy with your arms.

“Please, the current cinema stinks”

“For God's sake Johnny! Don't be like one of those, who think that everything in the past is glorious, the past sucks as much as the present and less than the future, you just have to learn to deal with that... you still love Sylver Stallone right?

Uh?"

"Rocky Balboa"

“Yes, it is my reason for living,” he answered too quickly.

“Okay, there we have to end things right where they started Ramboo 5: Last blood”

“Take me to the movies, girl” and as if they weren't over 50, she offered to take you on a piggyback.

“We look ridiculous right?” You asked your friends

"Yep

“without a doubt”

“The most pathetic thing my poor, cursed eyes have ever seen.”

“Okay, let's go,” you ordered and the trip began.

You and Johnny continued dating after this.

“I really didn't have your address.”

“Much less will you have it now, you don't deserve it.”

"Oh, come on!! “Don’t tell me you were offended.”

“We wouldn't have seen each other for the last time, 5 years ago, if you had a phone, we both hate letters, Johnny seriously! Now it's impossible to survive without those things”

“I don't think so, Miguel has tried to explain to me, but it's the smallest box, but it's damned more complicated to use.” They both came face to face with that acquaintance, neither of whom wanted to see him.

“Nah!” they said in unison

"Is seriously"

"Damn"

“Don't rub me”

"You here?!"

“Not you here!”

“You two reunited.”

“tssk, please, it's envy because you don't have anyone from school to meet with.”

“Ouch, you started by making me bleed.”

“I don't know where that came from.”

“Ahhh... I understand, I understand, everything is clear” They both looked at each other confused “You are meeting everyone at school, to screw up my days, but I warn you”

“God, almost 40 years, he has that damn voice and he still believes he is the center of the world, did you never want to return to your city, kangaroo child?”

“I'm from Jersey, not Australian.”

“Yes, sorry about that, I don't know where it came from...again.”

The talk ended with you warning Daniel that he would receive a slap from you.

you met Miguel, and as a student you stayed to watch the class, seeing Johnny as sensei was killing you in the good and bad sense, a mixture of pride Fighting against your breathlessness, the pain in your chest and the cramp in your hands, you decided to kr. to take a walk around the dojo for a few minutes and when you returned, someone else was teaching the class, you didn't notice, you got distracted by a comic strip lying in Johnny's office, but before sitting where you were, you took a quick look, processed it and then froze: John Kreese several centimeters away but certainly in front of you, he stopped his class, looked at you intently, and you turned a statue, feeling mute, hands behind your back holding on to reduce the pain, your heart and brain stopped

Who are you?" you felt tears in your eyes, he had no time to waste "Who is she?"

“It's Y/N sensei, sensei Lawrence brought her.”

“hey, I see that you two met again” the man commented, inexplicably smiling, Kreese gave the order and the class continued your mind full of “no mercy”, “finish him”, “sweep the leg” and quick images of everything they had been willing to do. make your friends for him

“Who is this girl, Johnny, and why does she have the look of having seen her great-grandfather come out of his grave?”

“Y/n are you okay? You looked at them and at the whole place, they were there but now you see a statue, you let go of Johnny's grip, and without knowing when and why you ran out of the place, Johnny followed you without even bothering to say that he was coming back,

“Diaz”

“Yes sensei!”

"Come on... where did the girl come from?

“she is a good friend of Sensei's, since high school it seems to me, as I understood it, you know each other, you just didn't see each other much" He looked at the door of the dojo, but nothing was intentional. to move "Maybe I should follow them, the sensei doesn't know how to help people, I'll be back sensei Kreese"

before the man could say anything, the boy also left the place, he made a mental note of all that

Johnny found you in a park sitting in a chair rocking you, holding your head with his hands, he tried to talk to you but you were too numb to pay attention to him, after a few minutes Miguel appeared, he was more successful, he managed to calm you down, he brought you water, and little little by little you recovered your sanity

“What was all that?”

“Stress I guess”

“You've already been through this, rigth?” the boy asked, you smiled shyly.

“maybe, thanks kid”

“Nice to meet you, ma'am, maybe you should go to the doctor.”

"I'll keep that in mind." Johnny put an arm around you.

•the cobras called you to leave in the mountains

“hey you guys”

“hey you girl”

“Listen, get your things ready, we're going to spend the weekend in the mountains.”You meditated for a few seconds

“They told Johnny?”

“Of course he more than agrees”

“Great...I'm not going”

“It's a joke, right?.”

“God why not?”

“So now it's the perfect time for you to spend time with him, you know what kids do, I feel like I've spent all these years helping you pretend that he and Dutch were just swallowed up by the earth, and now you have the perfect opportunity for them to “former cobras live together”

“God mine doesn't make sense, you know how ridiculous that sounds, Tommy wants you there.”

“I'm not going jimmy,You won't make me change my mind”You said firmly

“Okay”

“Thank you Bobby, it's better I delay it because I'm going to get sick.”

“We are going to miss you, get better”

It turns out that you received the bad news when they were about to return, it really hit you

you and the cobras were practically Step Brothers :

•you and Dutch had been united enemies (the only thing you shared in common was that you hated each other, and that's how you worked wonderfully)

•Bobby, he's like your best friend, your soulmate and all that stuff (He had made you feel comfortable from the first moment until now, he was definitely the best of them, and you loved him for that)

• Johnny was that person you didn't want to meet, the leader of them, popular and too rich to breathe, sexist cretin, and with a slightly worrying obsession with love, who would have thought that you were going to adopt him just for all that, almost too perfect for society and at the same time too human and accessible, (He wasn't very convinced of you or that you would spend time with them, But he had not objected, nor did he deny you the possibility of meeting him, you would carry his ass to the end of the world without protesting)

•Jimmy was your brother, and as much as you would hate everything he agreed to do when he joined the Cobras, he was still The same with you was strange but he was the most perfectly imperfect older brother you could have asked for. (He really had been your first love and he was going to be your last) (really strange to say).

•But Tommy, God!!! really Tommy was different from everything previously described, he was your partner in crime, he was not your best friend and yet he was your least favorite, you would never ask him for help and you would still beat him up if he had gotten in the way. a problem, you wished more than a thousand times that he would never set foot in your house again, and even so you were happy to see him every day in the hallways acting strange to you, you had always been clear about it, you were going to miss him at any moment in your life, even so If you had last seen him 2 minutes ago,Now you would have to miss him every day.

The boys knew it, you didn't need company But you were family so providing it didn't hurt.

“aaaahhhhh!!” You screamed, when the noises you heard turned into 3 men you knew well, obviously seeing what they were wasn't going to miraculously calm you down.

“Little Girl how can you scream like that?” You made signs with your hands without looking at them , and they understood,You needed to recover, Maybe you would be hoarse, it had been a good scream and scare, the typical situation in which someone would say you wanted to kill me? or you almost died of fright, right?, but since they were going through a death, You wouldn't use that word by accident,

“Better honk?” Johnny asked, returning with food from your fridge, that’s something Tommy would do, Gonna your refrigerator and bring Johnny to him and would both eat while the others faced your interrogations, now Johnny looks for his own food and eats alone in front of you...yes, it would definitely hurt a lot

“What are you doing here?"

“We came to visit you darling.”

How did they get in?”

“We met your friend at the door, Betty, right? SHe left us open.”

“Quite pretty, but do you think she likes men? She didn't seem interested in me..”You couldn't help but laugh at the comment, it had to be him,

“Johnny, for God's sake!”

“Did your closet flood?” Bobby asked,It seems like it wasn't normal for a middle-aged woman to be lying comfortably in a scattered tangle of clothes and hooks.

“Just a relapse.” You replied nonchalantly, pointing at the TV.

“out of sadness?”

“Due to laziness,I have been since I was 9, I will be until the last of my breaths in this old rag called world.”

“Poetic”

“Thank you, it comes naturally when you work listening to extinct types of human variants”

“What's that?"

“Bonsai”

“It's a toy, right?It looks like painted, burned and remade plastic”Johnny had to be

"It's not dear,It's just a tree that never grew,As if Peter Pan had been sent to Wonderland,When his parents discovered that he had been born drugged".

"I thought it was neverland”

“Johnny and I personalize things”

“Why is there so much Chinese shit here?”

“They are gifts, I never reject gifts, and it's Japanese!!!”

“Man, remembers her dead old man”Jimmy reminded him,

Although you scold him (and scold them) a lot, normally you would let Johnny get away with various issues, especially ethnic ones (it's not like the boy deals with people from different cultures frequently) but it was easy for him to understand why you corrected him. abruptly this time, it was your friend with Chinese eyes, He had never been able to discover if you loved the other or him more(and that 'he had not known him')

“Well You discovered that my Addiction keeps rolling But controlled,And I saw that you have not left Let Johnny hide again,so Nice visit”

“We go for a walk“

“Guys, I've been going out, I work, I shop, unfortunately I talk to people, and I keep myself busy At home, it's not like I've been choking on gallons of cereal”

“Y/N we know, that we would be the last person we would have to worry about in these situations, you are the older sister obviously you are the example, but hey let the troublemakers try to take care of you”

“Do you want to take care of someone? this guy escaped from us since he graduated, don't be hypocrites, and dutch is in jail without decent visits, and a windstorm could have killed him To the other cobras and to the other friends”

“Don't be rude, we just want to go out okay”Before you could protest Johnny was carrying you headfirst onto his shoulder.

“"I'll throw up your sneakers, your socks or your ankles, I don't know what Johnny, but rest assured I'll hit something." Useless protest you were already out of your room“Wait! At least let me change”

“These You are a cute bouquet baby,”

“Please, these are home clothes not worthy of seeing the street light at 3 pm”

“You take a long time choosing, and you will continue watching TV, you won't convince us” You sighed, exhausted.

“We call the girls”

“What girls?”

“Your girls”

“for that reason, which of many?”

“The ones from school, with Susan and Barbara on board”

“I saw those girls less than 3 months ago, I guess the idea of ​​beers erases anyone's memory”

“sometimes i asked me how you have so many friends”

“same thing, I gave up 2 months ago” finally let you down

Season 3

•Johnny was aware of something, maybe you hadn't seen him in 5 years, but that didn't mean you had stayed away from “his family.”

You walked calmly through the noisy and crowded streets of DownTown, “Godmother” you heard a child shout, you stopped to look, it was not a child, it was a young man, he came up to you, you looked at him kindly.

“I think you got confused kid, I don't have godchildren.”

“Oh yes, I'm sorry ma'am”

he retraced his steps, and then back to you, they both smiled.

“Hello almost gomother”

“What does my only and favorite almost godson say?” They hugged each other.

It all started 10 years ago, you were visiting his mother and he told you

“You know, Aunt y/n? I asked mom if she had married dad Johnny, you would have been my godmother and she told me yes, so now you will be almost godmother y/n.”

“It's a clever nickname almost godson Robbys”

the shortest story you could have ever told

"What are you doing here?"

“Taking advantage of my rest time so that my blood circulates, you already ate?” The denied “Well then you know where we are going”

"brilliant"

You'd seen him once or twice since he'd been paroled, so they had a lot to say.

“You can stay at my house, indefinitely, it's small, but really spacious for 2”

“Thank you almost godmother, it would be good for me, I had been staying at the cobra dojo, but they discovered me, I thought I would return to the reformatory”

“Thank God they didn't do it, it's better that you get out of there as soon as possible, those guys are unreliable."

Although you hated that subject with your life, and just thinking about it caused shivers and cramps throughout your body, karate was an important part of Robby's life (why did everyone who knew that sport make it the only way of life? So they talked about him

“I think I'm going to train again” you swallowed dryly, you felt a little dizzy, Not again!! after everything it had caused!! karate would continue, you tried to act calm

“Good for you Robby, and for Daniel you must be his best student.”

“Who said I would go back to him, I don't even want to see that guy on the billboards, I'm going to train in cobra kai” your throat was irritated, you hid your hands under the table, you pretended to be full so that they would tremble calmly in your wobbly legs surely stunned by the beating of your veins,

You had obtained information about how things were with that dojo now, you mentally prayed that there had been a sudden change when you subtly assured

“Well, I think Tasmanian devils are adorable puppies compared to those kids, but your dad will know how to control them.”

“Johnny is not there, if he was, he would never have spread sheets there.”

“ok... so who is in charge of the dojo?” a tremor of your voice at the last words

"A new sensei, his name is Kreese...Jonh Kreese, I think you know him, he met all the cobras years before Daniel appeared to beat the valley"

You took a few seconds before responding, your trembling hands hugging your nauseating stomach, you'd have to be Katharine Hepburn to act like nothing was wrong.

“If I remember”

“You think he's a bad person, right?”

“I just think he would have been a high-ranking general in the Hitler regime.”

"So he shouldn't train in his dojo," He said half affirming and asked

“Yes, yes and yes, that's just what you should do, stay 550 miles away from him, help me put him in jail and make sure fucks him jail time, then we'll move to a new state and we can all make friends and eat potato pudding." You really struggled not to say this. You sighed and forced yourself to say the following. "I think you have to make that decision on your own. I think you've been through a lot and you have the ability to choose what's best for you. Maybe you'll make such a mistake. Maybe not, that's what learning to live is all about, at this point in life listening to so many different advices will lead you to do whatever you want to get revenge, and I don't want to contribute to that, so I'll stay out of it, and I'll carry your back if you need it” He meditated on your words and smiled, He simply smiled.

That damn good boy smile that you knew from your childhood friends, who guaranteed that they would do just what they shouldn't do, so hopefully the pain of your chest would turn into a heart attack in the middle of the night and in the end you would rest next to Mr Miyagi and Tommy, being placed on the hypocritical blacklist that Dutch resided on years ago, fake smile and

you wasted half a bottle of wine, unfortunately it wasn't red, nor vodka

“It's easy to understand why you're a human resources manager.”

“After half a lifetime of putting up with people's mental bullshit, I realized that I could use my retarded Diamond in Rough of patience and diplomacy to generate profits that guarantee me surviving at the end of the month, and keeping my cyanide jar in optimal conditions. "You know, a drink, in case Russian roulette doesn't work for me."

•You invited him to spend the rest of the afternoon in your office, anyone would be surprised how an almost involuntary murderer would have fun at his aunt's work as if he were 8 years old, it made you feel good to see that, it would be fine despite everything, even there was humanity in

You couldn't interfere directly in his affairs, ..

But if Indirectly

...

“Good morning Jefferson.”

“Good morning sir, welcome, ah Mr. Larusso, this young woman was waiting for you”

“So Hi There Danie” You greeted harshly, he looked at you seriously and sighed overwhelmed, which gave you more enthusiasm “Your dollhouse is huge, it's the perfect place to abandon a child. Hasn't it happened yet?

"No, it hasn't happened, thank you for receiving it, Jefferson," he said curtly, he motioned for you to follow him and suddenly stopped suddenly, saying before continuing walking "By the way, in case your eyes didn't notice it, 20 decades and 9 years ago, it stopped being considered a young woman”

“Good people age beautifully, I hope you don't feel envy.”

“Don't worry, not a bit.”

"That's great, because I wouldn't want that horrible defect to rot your pure soul." You said in a loving, sarcastic way, he forced himself not to laugh or smile.

“You know he was flirting with you right?”

“Possibly, but don't pay much attention to it... it doesn't make you happy?!! "Your employee was not a victim of Cruella de Vil's evil plans."

“Aren't you worried about your husband? "Isn't he one of those super jealous types?"

“Did I look like a girl who would marry a depressive drug addict?”

“Well…”

“I don't have to worry too much about him now, I pawned him for the swimming barbie, the first one divorced me because I faded all his underwear, the second one I gave him a dog with rabies for his birthday... I don't know why I demand, and for the third one I baked a cheesecake in the shape of a cookie, it turns out that he was allergic to cheese...and to the cake...and the cookies aroused trauma, He present a restraining order, sensitive puppies."

“I understand, you didn't get married...children?”

"Less"

“Any relationship regardless of whether it was meaningful” You denied “At least you've had sex right? judging eyes and your raised eyebrow

“I didn't know we had that kind of trust, old buddy, I don't even tell that to my girlfriends” this time he did laugh, just a little, he tried to hide his amusement.

“Ok, sorry” was a little strange, LaRussian just smiling and laughing in front of you “It's just not every day you meet a woman who hasn't had those kinds of connections.”

“I once met an old man with the life that he understood at 17 years old that he would have, without a wife, children, voluntarily distanced from his family and place of birth (not the latter) an anti-traditionalist, simple life, it didn't make him very happy, because of a hard past, which lost him, but for me, he was worth more than the milky way and more, and since I have always accepted that my past, humanity and my life sucked, this type of life is a culinary delight for me”

They finally arrived at his office.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?”

His brown eyes fixed on you, you regretted a little of the pleasant atmosphere that had been created, perhaps the best thing would have been to tell him between shouts and pushes, your suspicions, but your God, almost 34 years of that, you wanted even that to mature, you felt that You would fall at any moment, were you starting to see blurry?

“Okay, well the situation is...ah look, I've been accused of being a gossip almost my entire life, deep down I know it's true and I hate that, and I don't want to come off as a savior, but I feel that if I don't say the truth, I take half responsibility for the problems.”

“Very well...the situation is?” You sighed, either you said it or you vomited at that moment, maybe both would happen.

“Robby wants to join cobra kai, which now belongs to...Kreese” you said this last thing almost out of breath, maybe you will die right now, your heart would finally stop, or accelerate until you fell to the floor, you would be in the same mud as Tommy and Mr Miyagi?

“What!!?? ... I don't think so it must be... God despite everything he is a smart boy, he has heard a lot about Kreese, he wouldn't do it, no he definitely wouldn't do it”

“Adam was smart and still ate the forbidden fruit. He is an intelligent boy, but he is still a child. He is an old man of 180 years old, a war veteran, a ruthless emotional manipulator, but he knows the devil for being old than for being a devil. ”

"This is not the time to be philosophical" he demanded angrily.

"not even to be naive" you counterattacked, both of them gave each other furtive glances, you walked around the office, a useless attempt, the knot in your stomach continued to grow, you would definitely faint, you wanted to go through that door, and ignore the existence of karate, which everyone they would give them their damn sport

The man composed himself before you, with a coldness that you had never seen on his face. "Look, Robby has already caused a lot of pain around here, let him do whatever he wants, let him mess with whoever he wants, as long as he stays away from my family."

"You're fucking with me, right?!" A tear came out of your cheek, and the stress little by little consumed you "This must be a damn bad joke, right?, RIGHT?!!"

"You're going to tone it down in my office y/n, I don't make jokes like this, I tried to get close to the boy, he ran away, I don't even know why he tried, he participated in the fight where my daughter was injured"

"Everyone participated in the fight where your daughter was injured, the tall nerdy boy, I think he was Jewish, threw a rack of trophies at the young version of the Man is German, the disciple of Jesus Nathaniel, Chris, and many of your pigeons of peace, they broke bones, maybe you are just defending yourselves, but what does it matter if you cause the same damage as the bad guys?”

"Why aren't you going to complain to Johnny huh? Or is he going to continue being the poor little guy in this situation?" that stress or that eight quarters, now it was rage, in its pure state, red, liquid and bubbling

"You know, I actually thought about doing it, I was going to tell him all this before you, but he's trying to help Miguel recover, and he's weakly trying to get closer to his son, too late but he's trying, so I stopped. to think, and I realized what the main difference between you is, he feels guilty, you don't, he thinks it's his fault that Miguel attacked Robby, he thinks it's his fault that Robby threw him, how curious isn't it? He believes that it is his fault, that your student, whom you only taught to defend himself, has shot another, you, on the other hand, go through life without regrets, the humble boy who surpassed himself, won trophies after trophies, had a lovely family, and he became successful, he had the best sensei that any human being could have asked for, and yet he never learned to forgive."

"I forgive those who deserve it"

Like who? " Silence, you laughed ironically, you wiped your tears accumulated on your cheek, you sat on the floor, for a while no one said anything, your heart fell asleep

"forgiveness is earned, it is not something you have to receive for existing!!"

"You're right but human beings make mistakes, you never let Mr Miyagi down?"

"It's none of your business, I'm not going to discuss a matter about my past, my sensei and I, with a damn cobra feeder and breeder, who scolds and threatens everyone when they bite people."

"Hey!! Be careful with your tone" you saw him swallow dryly, and back away on instinct, you were sitting on the floor, quite far away, and your face was a mess even so, he had feared

"Seriously, Larusso, after these years without seeing each other I keep infusing you Pee …wow I could have been a big bully"

"Ja, you weren't?"

"No, I wasn't" Cold and wild look, he looked away from his, and you smiled, with anger but you did it.

"Well, perhaps you have never let Mr. Miyagi down, because you were purely good, why do you think you were and are? Because you had examples, I only know your mother and your sensei, but surely you had much more, Robby is 2 alcoholic parents, one negligent and the other absent, he has survived on the basis of friendships, and now he meets a good guy who takes away his support twice, and a girl who betrays him even so, he defends her when a violent blonde hits her, and Who wins with this? Let another boy who is attracted to her confront him, Miguel has a good mother and grandmother, he has no shortage of love, but the tiredness of being bullied at school leads him to take up karate and he doesn't. mercy, to the next level, when he realizes this, it is too late, he receives a kick in the stomach, and falls down the stairs, do you know why this rivalry between both boys started?…over a girl, it brings back memories of "Is your mind too busy denying everything?"

The man closes his eyes and takes deep breaths, so when he gets angry at you again, you see them dead.

"You and Kreese are the same, you get under people's skin, and try to weaken them, you won't be able to do it with me" you struggle to breathe and bury your head in your legs, faced with the sudden pain that attacks you, you take a while to respond

"and you will never be like Mr. Miyagi, he did not judge anyone, he knew how to forgive, he helped even the most unfortunate"

"You didn't know either of us, I don't allow you to talk about him"

"I MEET HIM!!! ... I really did,... not like the guy who hit my friends, who I sued before listening, who saved Johnny from being suffocated, and I am grateful to him every hour of my life, I met him outside of that, but I suppose that for you, the only stories that deserve to be told are where you are, as the protagonist." Nothing more was said

Before you left, he gave you a handkerchief and a glass of water.

"You know even though we ended up arguing like we did when we were 17, this is the first conversation I liked having with you, I never thought you would let me talk and listen to me, thank you for that" You knew I wouldn't answer, you crossed the door

•You found out about the cancellation of All Valley, and the appeal, you decided to go, you arrived late, which was useful so that your 3 acquaintances wouldn't see you, but you didn't miss any details of the meeting, you patted your forehead when they couldn't hide their rivalries at a time like this, a bunch of immature people who didn't grow up according to their bodies, it seems like they were about to cancel it definitively, you might later regret taking it easy, and say

"People of the council, I would like to give a brief testimony about what I know about these 3 people related to karate"

"Request granted, come forward…What is your name?"

"Y/N Nomen Nescio born in California on (…) identified with ID (…) permanent resident of this city, human resources manager"

"It seems that there is finally a serious woman among us, I hope she can give us a reliable testimony" you blushed at the compliments, but you remembered who and where you were, it could be some kind of manipulation to tell them just what they wanted to hear "we listen to you ma'am"

"Before she starts giving us her testimony, my team and I would like to ask you some questions," commented one of the managers,

"Have you practiced Karate?"

"no ma'am"

"Did you work for any of these 3 men?"

"no sir”

"Did any of your children take classes from any or all of them?"

"No sir, I don't have children"

"Well, I don't see how his testimony could be relevant." You knew perfectly well what was happening, when someone let themselves be intimidated by these types of people and their questions, that afternoon you were not one of them.

"In fact, members of the council, I studied with Mr. Larruso and Lawrence, and my brother, he was a student of Mr. Jonh Kreese here, for 5 years I was constantly hearing about karate, and how that world works, 34 years later karate continues live my environment, that is why I consider that my testimony could be useful for your final decision, if you allow me to testify

"She's already doing it," one replied coldly.

"Well then I proceed to continue, my brother joined Cobra Kai in the summer of 1979, by his own choice and the support of my parents, who thought it was a good sport for their son to develop strength, dexterity, discipline and character, And so it was, my brother, he began to be more responsible, more organized, he improved his grades at school and made great friends, however his attitude also changed, he became aggressive and conceited and superficial, he gained popularity for his abilities and for being part of An extremely demanding dojo, that made him believe that he could mistreat those who were not like him, the 'losers'

“Allow me to interrupt his testimony ma'am, so karate turned him into a savage?"

"arguably"

"I need a strong answer, yes or no, not an intermediate"

That guy was giving you a headache, as if standing on a stage almost in front of all those people, a friend you had decided to speak for, a boy who hated you who also deserved to look good, and one of the beings most detestable things on earth for you, which was also the reason why you had nightmares once or twice a month, why you hated karate, why you had to stare at the jury creating a script of what to say in your mind Because at the slightest lack of concentration, the penetrating gaze of that man that you felt would cut the back of your Nape at any moment would make you go completely blank, and perhaps you would break down in front of people for the first time in your life.

"I don't want to make fun of you, much less disrespect you, but life is not a complete yes or no, there are maybes, in the case of my brother I would say that he became a little wild, I'm not saying completely, because he is my brother "But because I have known worse cases from that dojo, who completely lost the reason for good and evil and until now have not been able to recover."

"in Mr. Kreese's cobra kai?"

"Yes ma'am"

"objection" the man shouted, you shuddered and the nerves you had tamed were quickly released your heart reminded you that you were alive with wild beats, your throat became dry and johnny realized that your legs trembled "she was never in my dojo, she never attended my classes, she never spoke to me, recently she came into my dojo, and she didn't say anything, she just ran away" block, block, block... mental block,

your brain screamed, again it was a pillar of salt, although this time you were conscious, you struggled to move your right arm, you subtly placed it behind your back and it clung to your another arm pinching it subtly, it worked, your heart came back to itself, and your negative emotions that you needed to get through to face this did too. angry, but with a calm voice you responded

"Sorry, for being afraid of the man who mentally destroyed my friends, and who almost murdered one of them in a parking lot for not winning first place" murmurs invaded the room, for the second time in your life you challenged, you competed with the gaze of Kreese, you pooped with fear, but even if your body or your mind didn't help you, you wouldn't back down, you never backed down from a confrontation.

“Do you consider that problem children were victims of karate?"

"Not from Mr. Kreese."

"I object”

"Sir, this is not a court, you can object but it will not prevent the lady from speaking, you had him turn and you chose to fight like a teenager of Miss Brown's age, or even less."

"Why do you think it's not the sport's fault?"

"because I met a different teacher, Mr. Larusso's sensei, Mr. Miyagi, he had different teaching methods, although like Mr. Kreese's I would say that they were established, they did not change, they wanted you to connect with the sport, not to force you to dominate it, They were ascentral methods”

"Miyagi, is that the name?”

"Last name, his name was Nariyoshi Kesuke Miyagi, born in Okinawa, Japan, July 9, 1925" breathe a sigh of relief, the memory of Mr Miyagi was what was necessary to calm you down, it was incredible how the legacy of a person could continue helping you like 15 years after his death

on the benches sam asked his father

"Why didn't you tell me that the ally of your enemies at school knew so much about Mr Miyagi?"

"I didn't even know"

"You can't know anything about everything, Larusso, that's why you have to trust."

Dad and daughter looked at the blonde man in surprise.

"it's strange that it comes from you Johnny"

"sometimes I'm a deep guy"

"Very sometimes," commented the girl, father and daughter laughing, he just rolled his eyes and focused on his friend.

"Did the United States come to war?

"Not for love, and to avoid a fight"

"Brave guy" commented one of them

"It really was, he defied family traditions for love, when he saw that it was not possible for him to make a change, he ran away but he didn't just challenge the system of a family, maybe if anyone fought with his cousin for love, a love that would last 5 months ,a lot"

“A man without flaws for you as I understand it”

“He had defects like every human being, he had no problem recognizing them, and talking about how these had affected him, he was a very human man. Not only did he teach his students, all of us, even those of us who did not practice Karate, could learn from him.”

“Well, you will forgive me for finishing the old sensei's part, What a student with Mr. Lawrence”

“Yes sir, that's how it was”

“And he, at the same time, was a student at Mr. Kreese's dojo?” Johnny, Kreese and you confirmed, you became a little more alert.

"And as I understand it, Mr. Lawrence reopened the Cobra Kai dojo, and hired Mr. Kreese, therefore the teachings with which you learned, the boys are also practicing"

“That is his honor, but Mr. Kreese and I no longer work together, I have a separate dojo.”

“Okay, but Mrs. Y/N, by accusing Mr. Kreese, wouldn't you also be accusing Mr. Lawrence, since they were both teaching the same thing, separately and together?”again fear, fear of making a mistake and harming the kids, fear that your attempt was not enough... but here you were, no one forced you to stop, no one forced you to get involved in the life of your brother and his friends, you chose it and you would hold it You rushed to answer.

"Although technically they teach the same thing, their methods and the purpose of their teaching are different, Mr. Kreese believes that all his students should only worry about themselves, betrayal, dishonesty, and violence do not matter as long as they achieve their goals, they work hard to be the best, but once they achieve it they become damn egomaniacs, and no one can condemn them for that, Mr. Lawrence also teaches hard work, and egocentrism but without destroying everything around them. They are always with guard up, enough to doubt but not to trust, and Mr. Larusso's Miyagi do, in case you wanted to ask me, teach you how to defend yourself, they don't attack first but that doesn't mean they are going to let themselves be trampled, they seek to connect with the sport and Show the best qualities and attitudes all the time”

“If everything you say is true, why did the students of both dojos fight to the death?” You sighed, not even those children could explain it, and now you were going to play psychologist.

“Well, they are still children, and just because they have good principles doesn't mean that they are going to apply them all the time, I don't think it's their teachers' fault, but it's not all their fault either, in a way, we adults get carried away by our own ideas. emotions (As you could see here) with more reason a group of teenagers, and let's be honest sir, how many of us would not have taken a situation like that to the extreme if we had the chance to do so" It was a bad argument, you noticed it before the murmur of everyone, another Maybe your heart was beating slowly, almost on the verge of stopping 'Were you going to die in front of everyone?'

“God, I think She's ruining it.”

“What does it matter if she did it? By the damn God you said, she's been talking for almost 45 minutes to fix our butts, not even we could stand properly in 5 minutes, Larusso, you should be more grateful!!”

“Couldn't it be that by having a rivalry between both dojos, they influenced their students to hate each other? And if so, how could you continue defending them?

“Rivalry exists, in all teams, groups, places, especially in sports, and we see the same questionable acts that we are analyzing today, why not suspend football due to the disturbances it generates? Why not eliminate from television teen movies that in some way romanticize family problems, mental illnesses, toxic friendships and relationships? Because it is an unstoppable global phenomenon, right? And given that, there is no need to raise awareness among the population. Well, in karate, exactly the same thing happens, the students took everything too far, but that's not why their senseis rule them out of the sport and their lives. They seek to teach them that everything is in its proper place, the sport when it is time to train and share, the teachings at any time in life, and the use of karate only when there is a threat, but in a responsible, calm and conscious manner, if they take away "the possibility of competing, both children and their teachers will not be able to correct their mistakes, and how will they learn the consequences of their mistakes"

“Anything else to say?” one of the members asked tiredly.

“That's all, thank you for allowing me to speak” Surprisingly, people applauded you, Miguel arrived just in time, he and Larruso's daughter gave their version and all valley not Should be suspended, you left quietly, you managed to reach your car but obviously you had company

“You arrive without saying hello, and you leave without saying goodbye, you never heard of manners right y/n?” Before you could answer the guy hugged you tightly and even spun you around, it was fun like old times, you slapped him playfully.

“Get off Johnny Lawrence, we are no longer children, we have just come out of a 'trial', those effusiveness are not appropriate, it would be good for you to learn from Daniel Larusso, always boringly stoic.”

“Thank you for being here and cleaning up my mess y/n like I was one of your cobras, even after how badly I treated you, and I'm sorry Saying you couldn't talk about Mr Miyagi, it seems like you knew him better than me."He smiled at you, but you didn't let yourself be convinced so quickly, looking at Johnny you said

“He can say positive things and ask for forgiveness, did you throw him out of Banquet Coors?”

“Very funny, I don't only open my heart when I'm high.”

“Are you on drugs, Larruso?” They asked at the same time curious like little children

“You know I'm trying to say that…”

“Yes, yes Larusso understood what you wanted to tell me half an hour ago, it's just fun to make fun of your zero sense of humor, but hey, everything's fine, the past was already run over a long time ago” You extended your hand to him, he rolled his eyes smiling and shook it. That's when the children arrived

“Hi, I'm Sam, I just wanted to say thank you very much for your help, that testimony was great, destroy you all” she hugged you, and for a few seconds your arms were hanging, until you were strong enough to hug her, you knew the chaos that had generated, but hadn't you said for 5 minutes in court that they were just children? You definitely understood why Miguel and Robby were crazy about her. She was as pretty as an angel, As cute as a cat, and with the voice of a 12-year-old girl, but you felt that same itch on your shoulder that you had when you saw her father for the first time. time, it was definitely better to have her as a stranger than as an ally or enemy

“No problem, Dear,” you stroked her hair, “you look a lot like her father.” They both smiled, it might have seemed like a compliment, but it wasn't, you knew chaos generators when you saw them, and that was in their genes.

“Miss Y/N, nice to see you again, thank you for the help.”

“Oh hello Miguel, nice to have” gave each other a hug

“Hey, do you have something you're doing right now?” Daniel asked.

“If in fact, they're expecting me at a baby shower right now, I'm supposed to be in charge.”

“Oh, I'm sorry to delay you, maybe one day you can stop by my house or the dojo.”

“Sure, I'll just change the schedule of the workers who build the ball pit for my daughter, and I'll be there any day.” You got into the car, winked and before Johnny couldn't say anything.

“Wait a minute she doesn’t have kids.”

“She could have a knife full of blood and a corpse next to her, and she would still make you doubt for 2 minutes whether or not she had something to do with it, she never doubts what she says... I guess that makes her so smart.

Well maybe you were smart enough to fool 🪤 2 old men who couldn't get over the events of 3 decades ago, but not smart enough to believe that you could just leave the place where you had exposed John Kreese for the rot that he was, without running into him. before reaching the parking lot.

You were walking fast as fast as the blood was burning your body, your vision was a little blurry and you could bet that you would throw up as soon as you touched the car door...if you were lucky, feeling dying, the malboro of the man standing where you were passing was not felt, but you felt a familiar chill that turned your blood into icy clots, you were not willing to stop, but obviously his voice did.

“So you spoke...as you could see, I swore you was mute” he approached, standing behind you, he spat his smoke on your Nape and it got all over your face “or retarded”

“Well today you could see that I am none of those things.” Your eyes threatened to leave their sockets, and you cursed yourself for never thinking before speaking, Maybe you were finally going to die.

"It's neither of those two things, but it's something much worse... it's a witness" chills again you couldn't help but shudder, he enjoyed that he had the power at that moment you knew how dangerous a psychopath with power could be " A rather brave witness, I must admit, the first person to speak against me in court, and in general, the first woman... Maybe I underestimate them a little... Please look me in the eyes when I speak” the return, a lump in your dry and choked throat, your eyes struggling to carry your tears, yes, the guy had control

“a cowardly brave witness, but... regardless of their qualities, witnesses are still witnesses, the only ones who have true control, because they can or cannot participate in the events, but they look, they look at everything, some hidden in a perfect hiding like you, it doesn't matter if they decide to speak or not, the only thing that matters is that they know, and perhaps a little mouse is less dangerous than a rat, not for me, the people who know are the first to fall, to be set on fire as evidence Are you afraid of fire? Gasoline? to harm your family? or to weapons?” a loud silence from you, but the guy wasn't blind, and your chest was rising and falling faster than a roller coaster, he laughed sarcastically "I thought so..."

You started making strange noises as if you were drowning, he ignored them and continued with his speech that little by little began to become mute for you, your ears covered and you stopped seeing, you closed your eyes and covered your ears but you still did.

You could see in your mind, your knees were bending and you began to think that you were going to get out of here on a stretcher, and from one moment to the next without explanation you kicked his testicles so hard that your knee was hurting.

You looked really surprised at what you had done, a old man, war veteran, who lived alone lying on the ground, you could really be a monster, but you were not going to apologize or give in, An inexplicable disgust covered your chest, and turned your hands red

“This is for Johnny and for every cobra of every generation that I knew, know and have not known,And for the people they hurt ...And for Daniel Larusso...I hope he lives long enough for life up yours what deserves.

He didn't say anything, you just saw his pain, a silence from both of you, you looked at him for the last time, he didn't look at you, you continued on your way.

•Again it didn't feel good, the plug in your chest grew and grew, your hands redder, your face itched, your knee felt bleeding inside and your soul felt miserable, more than it had ever felt or could have felt. *for Johnny's trauma, for forcing Bobby, for Tommy's death, for Dutch's criminal life and for recruiting your brother into his ranks, for Miguel's temporary paralysis, and the prison for Robby, the fight in school* you repeated yourself but it was useless, it didn't give you a feeling of rest but rather a tangle of anguish in your stomach, it didn't matter if you died today, the day after or tomorrow because you were already dead in life,

and Lawrence and Larusso were never going to find out what happened before they caught up with you in the parking lot.

-From season 3 in Forward-

•You continue to maintain yourself in the following seasons, it's just that you took a break from solving other people's problems, you're just out there

•Johnny hasn't told you yet but you will be the godmother of his baby with Carmen (You have a bet in which you defend with blood that it will be a girl)

[aisy15-chan]

Tell me more about your tntduo Danny Phantom au!!

I haven't actually watched it but I'm genuinely curios cause I love your art about it <3

Oh- I'll give you everything about this AU!! I have how many ideas and plots!! But I really remind you all that if you want to watch Danny Phantom, I don't recommend reading discussion about AU is because it will contain spoilers about the series as well as a bit of the latest comic Danny Phantom, which was just released 2 weeks ago!!

If you ask "wait you can make fanfic?!" Well I can but I'm not sure I can execute the story well :( !!! I mostly just conceptualize AU just for fun so if you want to use this idea i allow you- just credit me please.

Plot idea simply:

yo Wilbur is only 16 years old and he is half dead from an accident in the ghost portal. trying to feel alive in a half-ghost state, becoming an impromptu super hero, trying to adjust to the life of ghosts & humans- having internal conflicts with his parents who are hunting for his ghost side as well as conflicts with his younger brother Tommy. Everthing passed then Quackity appeared in his life. Q who is annoyed at her because he & his 'dragon' destroyed his love life & tried to kill Wilbur ghost side, one day they are then forced together in a school project and then learn about each other and start to get close (on the human side only) time passes and Quackity still hunting for Wilbur, a bored Wilbur offers something to Q "How do we become Psycho competitive rivals??? Instead of hunting me how do we fight who can catch and beat more ghosts!" and Q are hesitant at first but he accepts it- they develop more maybe they turn into boyfriend :³???

Fine let me explain. Danny & Wilbur have a lot in common.

Been a sim: ✓ Ever died: ✓ Have a 'twin': ✓ Emotional support sibling: ✓ Have rivals + love interested: ✓ Explode something & lose everything: ✓ Thought to be a bad person but actually depressed: ✓

C!Wilbur & Danny experience the butterfly effect and their lives are inversely proportional because of that, Wilbur loses everything just by losing the election while Danny loses everything by cheating on the C.A.T exam & ends in a bang.

Danny: VLAD! please get rid of the MY ghost side! They must agree too!!

Wilbur: PHIL! kill me! Kill me! They will definitely agree!!

(I kinda forgot how the dialogue was sorry)

Well in the end Wilbur & human side Danny died. Leaving their ghost side… Then they came back to life.

I'm not sure whether to make Dan/Dark Danny in this AU?? It will be a heavy & complex plot, if you don't know Dan is a fusion of ghost Danny & Vlad also the 'evil' & depressed version… In his timeline he destroys the whole world and tries to kill Valerie for getting in his way btw- so in the latest comic he is back and at the end becomes an emo teenager in Danny's clone body that Vlad made.

Let talking about Quackity!!

Quackity plays as Valerie in this AU!!! In the original version, Valerie's life was destroyed by Danny & Cujo (ghost dog) who messed up where Valerie's father worked so that her father was fired and sold their house easily, causing Valerie to hate ghosts, especially Danny & Cujo, got ghost hunting equipment from Vlad Master Valerie became a ghost hunter and exterminated them also tried to kill Danny's ghost side but over time their relationship grew more complex over time especially in the season 2 especially, they even had a date!! It's canon!! But unfortunately they also broke up in the same episode… And since then Valerie was forgotten and only appeared in 3 episodes in the third season…

Quackity's story will be a bit different from Valerie to than the ghost dog what about the ghost dragon?! Well the canon dragon in Danny Phantom with the Amulet of Aragon ghost/human can turn into a ghost dragon when angry or strong emotions— I thought it was great how can include Qsmp, its members & the dragon eggs in this AU ahaha ^^

So the story goes:

Quackity was so happy to be able to ask his boyfriend to go date (I have no idea who) they really love the date but Wilbur & the 'dragon' completely destroy their dating in restaurant, Q has a big fight with his boyfriend and they end up breaking up on the restaurant in middle of all people. Quackity experienced severe stress and started to hate ghosts then someone gave him a gift, a ghost hunting tool. Quackity started his career as a ghost hunter-

Someone: *addresses ElQuckity as Ellie* Me: *remembers what the phandom call Dani as Ellie too, the clone theory oh Dani is a Danny clone too wait…* SHET THIS GENIUS!!! GREAT IDEA EVER!!!

THE IDEA: TECHO AS WILBUR CLONE AND ELQUCKITY AS QUACKITY CLONE!! THAT'S THE COOLEST IDEA SHETT THOUGHT OF EVER!!!

That all i can think- feel free to ask to my ask box hehehe ^^👍

[librathefangirl]

My Vidding Year in Review - 2022

To celebrate the new year I wanted to take a look back at my vidding and YouTube statistics for 2022. @LibraTheFangirl

(Continue reading for my personal top 5 videos of 2022 and why)

---

Videos posted: 39.

Fandoms posted:

9-1-1: Lone Star (31 videos).

Voltron: Legendary Defender (3 videos).

Heartstopper - 2 videos.

Nanatsu no Taizai/The Seven Deadly Sins (2 videos).

Zak Storm: Super Pirate (1 video).

Total views (all videos): 509 113.

Most popular new videos:

Tarlos [+3x05] - Everything (29 257 views).

9-1-1: Lone Star - 3x11 Humor 😂 (28 997 views).

Tarlos [+3x04] - Heaven (27 610 views).

Tarlos [+3x03] - Right Here Waiting (26 105 views).

9-1-1: Lone Star - 3x07 Humor 😂 (22 326 views).

Most popular videos (all videos):

Chase Davenport - Don't Let Me Down (35 901 views).

Chase Davenport - Stronger (29 666 views).

Tarlos [+3x05] - Everything (29 257 views).

9-1-1: Lone Star - 3x11 Humor 😂 (28 997 views).

Tarlos [+3x04] - Heaven (27 610 views).

Total likes (all videos): 9 409 likes.

Most liked videos (all videos):

Tarlos [+3x05] - Everything (613 likes).

Tarlos [+3x04] - Heaven (592 likes).

9-1-1: Lone Star - 3x07 Humor 😂 (528 likes).

Tarlos [+3x03] - Right Here Waiting (508 likes).

9-1-1: Lone Star - 3x11 Humor 😂 (500 likes).

Subscribers compared to 2021: +574.

My personal favorite new videos:

Honorable mentions (because I can't just chose five):

Tommy♥Charles - Far Away

Owen & TK & Gwyn [+3x08] - Safe and Sound

TNT [+3x12] - Lean On Me

Top 5 (in order of date):

Tarlos [+3x01] - I can't look away~ Okay, truth to be told, I can't choose my favorite among my episode-centric Tarlos videos. The decision to make one video per season 3 episode was completely spontaneous, and although I didn't manage to complete it, one a really enjoyed. And it all started with this one video! The season 3 premiere and the following episodes especially was so creatively inspiring and I'm really happy with my decision and first video that came from that. I also feel like this was the video were I started to really develop my new personal style of vidding.

9-1-1: Lone Star - 3x07 Humor 😂 Who doesn't love a good humor video? I certainly do. But I never expected to be making so many of them. This video, like the previous one, is both an impulsive decision and the start of a new era. Before this, I hadn't really made a humor video, and now I have plans to make one for each 9-1-1: Lone Star episode. I'm not sure if this is my favorite humor video, but it was the first one. Plus, the episode was so funny to watch and vid.

Tarlos [+3x12] - Du är allt (You Are Everything) I know I just said I couldn't choose a favorite among these videos. But there is something extra special about making a Tarlos video to a song in your mother tongue you grew up listening to. Probably the nostalgia. Either way, I really am happy with how this one turned out. I also really think this song is such a good fit for Tarlos (my video contains English translation of the lyrics in closed caption, for those interested),

Tarlos [s01] - 24 Hours Ah, season 1 Tarlos. Even better, season 1 Tarlos from Carlos' perspective. This is one of my shortest Tarlos videos, but still one of my favorites. I really wanted to focus on Carlos' initial feeling with this one, and I am proud of how well I (in my opinion) manage to portray those. As well as match the lyrics, scenes and quotes together. Also, this was such a pain to edit to get it like I wanted it to look.

Heartstopper (fanmade) Opening Credits Oh, look! It's not only 9-1-1: Lone Star on this list. Although they did make up 79% of my posted videos in 2022, so I guess it's not that surprising. But enough about those. This is another video I'm really happy with the outcome of. Not only is it my first Heartstopper video, which is always a joy, but it's also my all-time favorite opening credits video I've ever made. I did make some more advanced editing choices with this one. I also am quite proud of the way it looks and the tone of the video.

Something I'm especially proud of about my vidding in 2022:

First of, I'm proud I managed to complete and post 39 whole videos this year. That like 3,25 videos a month! Secondly, I really feel like I've developed my own style of editing. Especially regarding my 9-1-1: Lone Star videos. I've always wanted to incorporate more quotes/voice-overs into my videos, but never really felt myself capable to before. Until I started making my 9-1-1: Lone Star season 3 episode-centric videos. I'm also really happy I finally made the decision to move away from my old username (FangirlForever) to something that's a little more personal/me (LibraTheFangirl) as well as a name that I'm using on other sites as well (YouTube, here, ao3).

Goodbye 2022. Hello 2023!

[thatharringrovehoe]

Okay I know it's been discussed but like. I do love me some role reversal. Just, season 1 Steve Harrington moving to California and stealing King Billy's crown without even trying.

- Steve's dad transfers to California at the behest of Mrs. Harrington. Affair after affair has left her Hawkins reputation in tatters. Nothing but pittying stares and snide comments from the locals everywhere she went. So she demands Steve's father move them out to San Diego. A fresh start, a beautiful city. Steve is devastated.

- They purchase a beach house. It's massive and bright with their very own section of the ocean all to themselves. It's beautiful and so very very empty. Because now Steve really does have no one. No friends, no hangers on. Nothing familiar or comforting. The only constant is his parents. They never stayed for more than a week at a time in Hawkins. California is no different. They leave after only five days.

- Steve ends up going to Billy's school by accident actually. His dad has never been very interested in his sons life, always brushed off with a wave or a crisp $100 to go entertain himself because I'm working Steven. So when the subject of school comes up Mr. Harrington picks at random. Just a quick signature and it's done. Unbeknownst to him this is the best thing he has ever done for Steve.

- Because here's the thing. The girls of San Diego do love Billy. But Billy grew up here. You can only fake it till you make it for so long and there has been many an instance where it was obvious Billy just could not give a shit about getting his dick wet with his date. People talk. And sure, anyone says something to Billy he'll rearrange their face. But highschool gossip is savage. California is very much more liberal than Hawkins Indiana but it's still the 80's. Billy still hides. And while he's 100% the golden skin Greek god we see in season 2, he's also less angry. Softer. Hasn't been uprooted to move cross country to bum fuck nowhere where he was something new. Something exotic. Cue Steve Harrington.

- Steve is wholesome country boy charm with a pretty face and a fat wallet. He's big warm brown doe eyes and "I'll have her home by 9 sir". Drives a swanky ass car and has a big empty beach house to throw parties in. Combine all that with a huge dick and the experience of a teen who grew up in a town where there was nothing to do other than party and fuck around? Yeah, the girls at Billy's school are not ready. And neither is Billy.

- Steve Harrington walks through the doors of Billy's highschool Monday morning wearing a crop top and dolphin shorts because he's an Indiana boy born and bred so his body is conditioned to the cold crisp fall days of September in Hawkins, not this sweltering HELL. He has NOT acclimated to the heat of Cali so my boy wears very little clothing whenever he can get away with it. Plays skins in basketball practice, takes his shirt off outside. And he's got SO MANY MORE FRECKLES. The California sunshine is doing him right and Billy Hargrove is NOT OKAY™

- The girls LOVE Steve. Something about the "aw shucks" Midwest charm he brings combined with how genuinely sweet he is. Because Tommy H. and Carol Perkins are thousands of miles away. Steve is given the chance to relax and be more comfortable in his own skin in a place like San Diego. There's no small town gossip chain here. Just the anonymity of a big city. Which also means Steve is given free rein to flirt with all the cute suffer boys at the beach. Let's his gaze linger on toned abs and chiseled jaws when he walks down the boardwalk. Winks when they linger right back.

[david-talks-sw]

The characterizations in Book of Boba Fett

When the last episode of The Book of Boba Fett came out, I thought about what score I'd give the show, and found I had mixed feelings.

I loved a lot of it, but even in Episode 8, there’s a bunch of moments where I was going “do I really need to see/listen to this? Get to the point!” and my finger was constantly hovering on the >> button.

But beyond problems regarding structure, I really wanted to cover something I actually was pleasantly surprised with: Boba’s character.

On the one hand, I sorta get when folks get mad about Boba being "weak" in BoBF. Like, when the preview of this show was this...

... (which is very reminiscent of the badass, no-bullshit, John Wick-like Boba Fett from the EU) and instead you get a lot of this...

... there will obviously be some disappointment. And even when Boba does get some good hits in, the fighting choreography still isn't on par with what was shown in The Mandalorian or in Episode 5 (which makes you wonder... like... why? Was the stunt coordinator busy on another shoot during Episodes 1 through 4? Is it because they shot Episode 8 first?).

So, sure, overall, on an emotional "gimme that sweet, sweet action!" level, I can understand and share the frustration.

But that being said (trying to focus on the positive, here)... as a character, I don't mind the more "passive" Boba.

First off because this moment is goddamn glorious:

And before anyone says "it's out of character", please look at who he shares his genes with:

But also because, thematically, this change in personality makes sense and it gives the character some extra dimension.

Unlike EU Boba who kept roaming the galaxy after crawling out the Sarlacc pit (twice), Canon Boba found peace with that Tusken tribe and it calmed him down. It taught him a new path:

"Respect rather than Fear."

Sure, the tribe was wiped out, but he grew during his years with them. He became a better man, a man who'll earn your respect to get what he wants, rather than the guy who'll beat you to a pulp and scare you shitless.

Like, as badass as the guy in the above picture is... he's a bad person who got his ass handed to him by a blind guy, on Jabba's sail barge.

So now, Boba knows better.

That fear-inspiring path laid out by Jango Fett, Aurra Sing and Cad Bane, led him straight into the gullet of a Sarlacc. Which is why he's trying to run a criminal empire by following the principles of the new path the Tusken taught him.

Examples:

In The Mandalorian Season 2, he's not just beating up stormtroopers and looking cool. He's making a pact of honor with Din and he's honoring that pledge for a good three episodes.

Before his time with the Tuskens, Boba would've simply shot Din, grabbed his armor and flew away. Instead he offered to help him. He does the same thing with Fennec and pledges his life to protect her.

And he even tries to do the same with the Mos Espa gotra lords.

Like, you'd never see Tommy Shelby, from the show Peaky Blinders, take that kind of shit from anyone. A rival gangster talks to him like that, they'll get their throat slit.

And Boba could very well just shoot that guy and ask the other gotra leaders: “any other objections? But that's not what Boba's about, anymore. Now, he's all about:

Inspiring respect to build his tribe.

Using strength only to protect that tribe.

So I love the changes to Boba's character, love his character arc... but a lot of this, admittedly, is me extrapolating from what little we were shown on-screen.

A clearer way to convey this arc would've been by, y'know... focusing on it? Rather than cutting away to Din for two episodes?

I mean, Fennec and Cad Bane are the ideal philosophical antagonists for Boba's character, in the show.

Fennec is seen contradicting him and having reservations about the way Boba moves forward. And Cad Bane, well, he's basically an embodiment of who Boba used to be (and was doomed to remain, had he never met the Tusken).

By developing these two characters more, you develop Boba more.

Bad pitch, but let's have Fennec and Boba get into an argument where she tells him "look, you're Boba Fett, you could end this all in one night, why are you letting the gotra disrespect you and the Pykes attack you?!" & having him explain that he's not that guy anymore, that guy died in the Pit of Carkoon and he values inspiring respect and loyalty over inspiring fear. If they'll attack him, he'll show strength. But he won't go looking for trouble.

Maybe Fennec talks to Drash and they bond over both being orphans in a large galaxy, forced to turn to crime in order to survive. That's when Fennec learns that the mods are all loyal to Boba Fett 'cause he's the first one to give them a chance, and she sees the value of his approach.

And if we really do need to cut away from the main action for a whole episode, let's see one focusing on old man Cad Bane as he completes a bounty or something. We intercut between the mission and flashbacks of him training Boba (if you're gonna deepfake Luke, I think you can deepfake young Boba). 

We see him blow up yet another T0-D0 which shows just how much his philosophy is the stark opposite of Boba's. He only values money and is still stuck in the same rut, whereas Boba values family and has grown up.

Eventually Fennec adapts with the times and comes around to Boba's point of view... and Bane doesn't, which results in his death.

So while Boba's characterization worked for me... it would've been much nicer if we had delved deeper into it and other characters' arcs in Episodes 5 and 6, instead of cutting away to a main character from another show who has no stakes in this conflict whatsoever beyond his own honor.

[doexoeyes]

Strangely Stranger Things

Summary: You & Steve Harrington? Well, stranger things have happened. Interdimensional monsters and all. (Or in which the reader is a character in Stranger Things & this how I would incorporate them in the storyline).

Paring: Steve Harrington x Fem!reader

Warnings: Swearing, violence, misogynistic comments & a particular scene where the reader's physical boundary gets crossed. Tried not to write anything too intense, but I want to make sure I have the right warnings just in case. (Also I am very much Anti-Billy, so that's a warning in itself).

Notes: This is going to be split in three parts. This first one covers the events of season 1 & 2. Hope you enjoy ♡

Part 2

Season 1

You’ve been best friends with Jonathan Byers since you met in kindergarten.

Joyce loved and cared for you just as much as she did her own sons, claiming you were the daughter she never had, and Jonathan pretty much grew up referring to you as his sister.

You were both two peas in a pod and as you both got to high school, helping each other through the bullying and ostracization from your classmates brought you even closer. It was you and Jonathan against the world.

You promised each other that you were going to leave Hawkins once you graduated; tired and frustrated over the small minded, bland people that occupied the small town.

All that taunting and shoving in the hallway meant nothing because you both had brighter futures ahead of you.

But then Will goes missing and your whole world turns upside down.

You’re supportive during the search for Will, making sure Joyce and Jonathan were taken care of, spending most nights at their home.

You’re heartbroken over Will as well, viewing him as a younger brother, but you focus on being the best support system you can be, especially for Jonathan once he becomes an even bigger target for the stupid kids at school.

Especially for Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington.

You couldn’t stand Steve. He was spoiled and popular and privileged and he always made out with girls at his locker which unfortunately was right next to yours, causing you to watch the disgustingly public displays of affection against your will every time you had to fetch something from there.

Throw in the fact that he never even bothered to acknowledge your existence and that his oversized ego has him messing with Jonathan, you now absolutely despised him.

You had no idea what Nancy saw in him.

Jonathan always demanded that you’d stay out of it, and you begrudgingly obliged, up until you found out that Steve broke his camera and got him arrested.

And that’s when all hell broke loose.

“Harrington!” you called out to him, having caught him outside the gas station parking lot, sitting on top of the trunk of his car with his lackies Tommy and Carol standing beside him.

Steve turns his attention towards you, brow raised as you approach him. You can see the bruises and dried blood crusted around his face, but this doesn’t deter you; You were going to make his face look a lot worse.

“Can I help yo-”

Before he can even finish, you land a punch straight to his face, causing Tommy and Carol to gasp.

“What the hell?!” “Oh my god!” they each say, and you try your best to keep your expression unfazed despite the searing pain in your knuckles.

You’re pretty sure you broke a bone or something, this being your first physical attack on anyone, but you were 100% convinced that Steve deserved it.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!?! What the hell is your problem?!” Steve yells at you once it hits him, both literally and figuratively, hand rubbing at his jaw as he winces.

“You keep fucking around with Jonathan, that’s my problem! I mean his camera, dude? And now his record? Have you no heart at all? He lost his brother and your torment just doesn’t stop! Tell me, do mommy and daddy not love you that much that you have to make everyone else around you as miserable as you are?” you spat, glaring at him.

Little did you know, your words hit a sore spot for Steve and he swallows down the lump in his throat, eyes avoiding yours. His shitty behavior lately is something he has become more aware of and he feels guilty for his treatment of both Jonathan and Nancy; both the camera and marquee incidents went a little too far.

Plus, the punches he got from Jonathan and now you were definitely enough to literally knock some sense into him.

“Oh, I remember you now! You’re the loser who hangs out with Boogeyman Byers,” Tommy says, a taunting smirk on his face.

“That's right! She’s always following him down the halls like a lost little puppy. Tell us, is it true that that freak killed his own brother?” Carol asks and you’re taken aback by how cruel her question is.

You turn to Steve with a look of disgust and walk away, tears in your eyes as you hear them taunting you and making gross comments about Will’s death and Jonathan.

You don’t get to hear Steve call Carol and Tommy out, telling them to shut up.

As you’re walking down the street towards the Byers' home, you feel a car slowing down behind you and turn around once your name is called.

It’s Steve Harrington.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I’ve been a real asshole. Please, let me give you a ride. I want to apologize to Jonathan myself. I took it way too far,” he says and it’s the sincerity in his voice that makes you pause your steps.

You get in the car and it’s awkwardly silent, only the sound of Journey’s ‘Separate Ways’ playing low from his radio.

“At least he has decent music taste,” you think as you fiddle around with your hands on your lap, surprisingly nervous.

“You got me with that one, you know,” he says, but you furrow your brows, confused.

“Mommy and daddy not giving two shits about me. You’re right, and maybe that’s why I’m such an asshole. It doesn’t excuse it, but...” and he shrugs, ending his sentence there.

Your teeth sink into your lip, guilt washing over you. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to..” but you pause because you did mean to. You just didn’t think it would actually hurt Steve. You thought he lived such a cushy life with everything he ever wanted, that doting parents was something he could care less about.

“My parents aren’t really around either. They call themselves ‘free spirits’ but they’re just deadbeats who are mentally stuck in the 60’s. The hippie lifestyle is more important to them than parenting, but hey, at least they bring me cool souvenirs when they make a pit stop at the house,” you say with a snort.

Steve glances at you for a moment before facing forward towards the road again.

“So what I’m hearing is, different sides of the same coin,” he muses and you meet his eyes in the rearview mirror.

“Guess so. Funny how that works,” you say, and you’re surprised when you feel yourself smiling lightly.

His eyes linger on yours for a second too long and he seems to take notice because he clears his throat and immediately goes for the knob on the radio, turning the music up.

“Someday, love will find you Break those chains that bind you One night will remind you”

It’s when you make it to the Byers’ home that you come face to face with a Demogorgon for the first time and find out what’s actually happening with Will and the Upside down. And despite Nancy and Jonathan’s demands for you both to leave, you and Steve stay and help fight.

When it’s all over, you get word that Will is found alive and is at the hospital with Joyce.

You let out a whimper that turns into a sob and Steve is surprisingly the first one who embraces you just before the tears erupt, patting your back in reassurance as he lets you cry it all out.

It was hard for you to keep your feelings in the whole time Will was missing. You worried more for Joyce and Jonathan and didn’t want them to see you falter, despite how much you wanted to. You were their support system, you needed to be strong for them, but the fear and devastation you felt at Will’s disappearance and then his ‘death’ ate at you.

You were so beyond relief knowing that he was now alive and safe.

You all pile into Steve’s car and head to the hospital. You’re sitting next to Jonathan in the back and at some point during the ride you reach for his hand.

He grips yours tightly, like it’s a lifeline, fingers intertwining in yours. Without words, you can tell that Jonathan is trying to thank you, grateful that you stood by his side. You were best friends and always would be; it was you and him against the world.

The future looked bright once more.

You don’t notice Steve glancing up at the rear view mirror and seeing your hands clasped together, a questionable look of disappointment on his face.

Come Christmas Eve, you join Jonathan in picking Will up from the Wheeler’s house, and run into Steve there.

While Nancy goes off to talk to Jonathan, you stick by Steve and catch up.

“Kinda crazy how things can get shaken up and easily go back to normal, huh?” you say and Steve chuckles lightly.

“Yeah, one minute we’re fighting an alien that’s trying to eat us alive in the living room and the next we’re hanging up ornaments and singing around the Christmas tree,” he states.

You nod and are about to part ways until a thought pops into your head.

“Hey, umm..if you ever, like, need someone to talk to or if you feel lonely one day at home..” you pause, realizing how it’s sounding before continuing on, cheeks warm as your eyes widen slightly. “I don’t mean..I-I know you and Nancy are together, congrats by the way..I just mean since we both..um-“ you stop completely when you notice Steve smiling at you.

“Thank you, I really appreciate that,” he says, and you’re thankful that he understands.

Back in the car with Jonathan and Will, you smile when Will opens up the gift Nancy gave to Jonathan (a new camera) because you know Steve definitely had a hand in that as well.

Season 2

Surprisingly, Steve does end up reaching out to you a month later. It’s admittedly a little awkward in the beginning, you both never really hanging out before, but soon you two realize how much you actually get along and Steve becomes as close of a friend as Jonathan.

He doesn’t tell you, but he views you as the closest person he has in his life. Even more so than Nancy, admittedly.

“Different sides of the same coin,” you’d quote him every time you bond over a similar thought or experience, which was often, and he’d always smile back at you and nod.

You do the things that Steve likes to do, like chilling at his pool and listening to his favorite tapes in his car while you eat a burger and talk about life or the possibilities of unicorns (because if there’s such things as aliens, there has to be unicorns, right?)

And Steve is always down to do your favorite things, like browsing through the record shop and watching The Twilight Zone reruns together and painting.

One time Steve suggested you trade paintings because he messed his up, or something along those lines.

Truth is, he just wanted to hang your painting up in his room.

It makes him happy every time he looks at it.

“Doesn’t Nancy think it’s weird that you and Steve hangout so much?” Jonathan asks as you both wait for Will to come up from Mike’s basement, picking him up from another late D&D campaign.

“Not really. I mean, why would she? Steve and I are just friends,” you answer with a shrug.

“Friends. Right. As if you don’t have the biggest crush on him.”

You’re flustered as you look at him with furrowed brows. “I do not have a crush on Steve Harrington.”

“Mhm, sure you don’t,” he says with a roll of his eyes and you cross your arms, annoyed.

“Ok, and what about your crush on Nancy, huh? Let’s talk about that too, shall we?”

Jonathan is silent for a moment, a red tint appearing on his cheeks as he clears his throat, looking away from your victorious smirk.

He never brings it up again.

It’s almost been a whole year since Will’s disappearance and you’re at least thankful that one good thing came out of it; being a part of Steve’s life.

The person you start to feel bad for, however, is Jonathan, who’s been preoccupied with Will more than anything.

You start to feel guilty for spending so much of your free time with Steve, so you offer to spend Halloween with Jonathan as he accompanies Will trick or treating.

Much to the disappointment of Steve who wanted you to come with him and Nancy to a party that night.

“I really need to spend time with Jonathan. I’ve been so busy with..with..”

“With me.” Steve finishes and you give him a sympathetic smile.

“He was my best friend first,” you say jokingly, and Steve rolls his eyes playfully.

“At least this way you can just focus on Nancy. You know, get to do whatever boyfriends and girlfriends do at parties without worrying about your socially inept friend there,” you say and you don’t notice the way Steve’s smile falls off his face.

“…right.”

It’s Halloween night and Jonathan decides to let Will trick or treat with his friends alone, so you both end up going to the party.

You enter together but you eventually leave Jonathan to talk to some girl that approaches him.

“I’m gonna go get some punch,” you said as you teasingly nudged Jonathan’s shoulder and gave him a wink, walking off before he had a chance to stop you.

He needed to have fun and loosen up and a pretty girl could help him do just that.

You scan the party for a familiar face, particularly Steve or Nancy, but only find Steve walking through the crowd, clearly upset.

He’s about to leave out the door until you grab his arm, forcing him to face you.

He looks like he’s about to tell you off until recognition falls on his face and his expression softens.

“Steve? What’s wrong? Where’s Nancy?” you ask, eyes swimming in concern as you search his face for any answers.

“What does it matter? It’s all bullshit anyways,” he answers, slipping his arm from your grasp as he walks out the door.

You follow him, instantly pulling him back to face you, and that’s when his whole facade crumbles.

“Nancy doesn’t love me, ok? And you know what the shitty thing is? I don’t think I love her either. I think I’m just so desperate to have things go back to the way they were that I was committed to pretending that nothing’s changed.”

“The way things were? You mean you wanna go back to when you were ‘King Steve’? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying. Back to when I was loved by everyone and loved by Nancy and didn’t care that my parents weren’t ever home because that meant I got to have drunken pool parties at my house and be a stupid teenager. Back to not giving a shit about anything or anyone.”

“Back to not even knowing I existed?” you point out, a scowl on your face.

Steve looks you in the eyes, silent for a moment. “That’s not what I meant.”

“But that’s how it was. You never even looked in my direction, let alone knew my name. Yea sure, you were ‘King of Hawkins High’, but you were also an asshole and used people just to make yourself feel good. A total douche bag. And I’m sorry that the school isn’t worshipping at your feet anymore, Steve, but you’re a much better person now than you ever were back then. And I care about you. So much. It’s hard for me to let new people in because I also know what it’s like to have people leave and not give a shit about you. But I let you in. And you’re making me fucking regret it,” you say, tears in your eyes as you walk off.

Steve calls out to you but you continue walking.

“No, I’m not second to anyone, Steve. Not to Nancy, not to your parents, and especially not to those stupid idiots we go to school with,” you say, and you feel Steve catching up to you, still refusing to turn back.

“Y/N, I’m sorry. I’m an idiot, ok? That’s been established several times. But, it’s just…you can’t blame me for not wanting to deal with what’s happening right now. For wanting to pretend like it can go back to the way it was.”

You don’t respond, angry tears trailing down your cheeks.

“Will you just stop? Please?” and he grabs your arm with enough strength to pull you to him.

You’re glaring at him but Steve is preoccupied with the tear streaks and water in your eyes. He instinctively brushes your cheek in an attempt to wipe them away, yet his finger lingers on your skin while the rest of his hand cups your cheek, causing your breath to hitch in your throat.

You watch him with tentative eyes as his face moves closer, his lips eventually hovering over yours and both your breaths gets heavier.

His eyes close and despite his lips were now barely an inch away from yours, you don’t move.

“Call me when you’re done pretending,” you whisper to him, and his eyes immediately open, watching as you push him away.

He watches you walk away, completely taken aback.

He knows he really shouldn’t, but he can’t stop thinking about how his lips were almost on yours.

An idiot. A huge fucking idiot.

Steve now realizes that he definitely likes you more than a friend should and he's felt this way for a while. He just didn't want to accept it.

Back at school the next day, you and Jonathan recount last night's events.

Jonathan had assumed Steve had driven you home when he couldn’t find you back at the party, and he was apologizing like crazy when he found out you ended up walking all the way home.

“It’s not your fault. It’s Steve’s, because if he wasn’t an idiot then I would have let him drive me home,” you clarified, clearly still irritated.

And given that Steve still hasn't checked up on you, you had every right to be.

“Yeah umm..I’m really sorry but I’m going to have to reschedule our movie tonight,” Jonathan reveals at some point in your conversation, and you look up at him, disappointed.

“But it’s Friday. We always watch a movie on Friday,” you whine with a pout.

“Except…” he starts, and you finish his sentence.

“Except if it's a life or death reason we can't. That’s the pact we made when we were 8,” you say, and then realization hits you when you see Jonathan give you a face.

“Oh no. No. Jonathan, what the hell are you getting yourself into?” you ask, eyes wide.

He explains the plan he has with Nancy and despite not supporting it, you promise to cover for him and watch over Will and Joyce while he’s gone.

“If you die or get taken by crazy government psychos I will be saying ‘I told you so’ till my very last breath,” you tell hi and Jonathan laughs and hugs you, thanking you repeatedly.

It’s then that Steve walks by in the hallway, of course, and your eyes lock instantly.

Even though it feels like hours, he looks away instantly, swallowing the lump in his throat at seeing you in Jonathan’s arms.

It reminds him of catching you holding his hand in the back of his car.

It’s that innocent little exchange between you and Jonathan that gets Steve back to thinking about himself and his future. If he was no longer King Steve, then who was he? What did he have to look forward to?

He was sure he wasn’t going to get into any colleges, given his poor gpa. Heck, he’d be surprised if he even graduated.

And as for you, he was sure you and Jonathan were going to realize your obvious feelings for each other sooner or later and get together, leaving poor Steve in the dust.

Well then, if he can’t move forward, then he’d just have to take a step back, because he sure as hell wasn't going to stay stuck in this point of his life where he had nothing and no one.

He makes a mental list to get back to King Steve status, starting with trying to get back with Nancy.

He buys a bouquet of red roses and marches over to her house, muttering an apology he doesn’t even mean.

But Dustin, of course, gets to him first, and he’s then forcefully involved in the search for Dart.

As they throw raw meat down the train tracks in hopes of luring Dart, Steve begins to give Dustin some ‘girl advice’, something he probably shouldn’t be doing given his current predicament.

“You have to act like you don’t care,” he says to Dustin.

“Even if you do?” he asks and Steve nods.

“Especially if you do. It drives them nuts.”

“Is that why you and Y/n haven’t gone out? Because you show her that you care too much?” he points out and Steve freezes.

“What are you talking about, Henderson?”

“I mean, it’s obvious that you like her. You look a lot happier when you’re around her. But I guess that’s ‘cause you don’t like-like her, so you’re not overthinking it and you’re just being yourself.”

“No, but, I do like..” and he stops himself immediately.

What was he saying?

Dustin turns around to face Steve, brow raised. “Wait, you do? Then what about..”

“Nope, I am not having this conversation right now, especially not with you.”

With a lot of pleading and annoying whines from Dustin, Steve finally gives in.

“Okay, okay, fine! Maybe I do like her. But so what? She’s obviously into Jonathan, which honestly really sucks because I think Nancy is also into Jonathan, so…” and he puts his arms up as if to say ‘whatever’, but immediately looks over at Dustin in confusion when he hears him crack up in laughter.

“Y/n and Jonathan?? You can’t be serious,” he says between laughs, tears welling in his eyes.

Steve looks obviously annoyed, not understanding the joke.

“Come on man, they’re like brother and sister. Trust me, she doesn’t like Jonathan like that. Now as for Nancy..that I can’t really say,” he states with a shrug, but Steve doesn’t pay any mind to that.

“Wait, so they don’t like each other like that? Like, not even one sided?”

“Definitely not. I honestly overheard Jonathan teasing her once about you. Apparently she has a small crush or something,” he says in slight disgust.

A blush appears on Steve’s face and he looks absolutely dumbstruck as he smiles.

“Little crush, huh?”

“Ew, stop, you’re like, glowing,” Dustin states, throwing a piece of meat out into the track.

Steve is slightly lightheaded thinking about you and that’s when everything falls in perspective for him.

Fuck being King Steve.

He wants to be yours instead.

You’ve been with Joyce the whole time, experiencing the episodes with Will and the chaos at the lab. You’re shaken up but you do what you do best and power through it.

It’s at the Byers’ house where you all reunite, including Nancy, Jonathan, and of course, Steve.

You do your best to avoid him, still feeling upset over what happened at the party and how Steve has seemingly decided to go back to acting like you don’t exist.

Clearly on the road to becoming ‘King Steve’ again.

Steve goes to help Nancy with something outside and you’re sure that they were making up and already planning their wedding date.

Little did you know, Steve was actually reassuring Nancy that what she said that night at the party was true.

“You were right. It was all bullshit. I’m sorry that I didn’t accept the reality of it all. That I just kept on pretending but..I’m done pretending, Nance. And I think you should too,” he says, referring to her constant denial of not loving him, and disregarding her feelings towards Jonathan.

Nancy looks at Steve, almost trying to catch if he was lying to her, but he gives her a reassuring smile.

She smiles back.

While Joyce, Jonathan and Nancy deal with trying to get the Mind Flayer out of Will, you stay behind with the rest of the group.

Steve finds a moment to approach you, clearing his throat to get your attention as you look up at him from your spot on the couch.

“Hey um..h-how are you?” he asks and immediately regrets it, shutting his eyes at his stupidity.

“How am I doing? Really?” you echo, brows raised and Steve shakes his head.

“No, yeah, stupid, I know. It’s just..I'm sorry about what I said the other night. I mean, you’re right. Why would I want to go back to being someone who was a total piece of shit, especially when they didn’t realize how amazing you were?”

You watch Steve with a bemused expression, unaware of where he was going with this. “Steve..”

“Please. Just...I need you to know that you’re not second to anyone. You never have been. I’m just stupid and a coward and I’m sorry. But I’m done with all that bullshit. I’m not scared of moving on anymore. And I need you to know that I honestly really li-“

“Steve! We have company!” Dustin announces frantically and you both look over at the window, a bright light seeping through the blinds.

Max’s brother Billy has arrived, apparently to take her back home, but you’ve seen Billy at school and have overheard the way he talks to Steve and know he’s bad news all around.

“I’ll be right back,” he says, but you immediately reach out for his arm.

“Hey, it’s ok. I got this,” he reassures you, and your gazes linger on each other until you give him a small nod and let him go.

You watch with the kids through the window, hoping Steve is able to take care of it without any trouble, but when Billy catches you all staring, shit hits the roof.

Billy pushes Steve to the ground and kicks him in the stomach.

Your eyes widen and you’re immediately up on your feet, just as Billy bursts through the door.

You step in front of the kids but Billy just laughs at you, walking closer.

“Hey, aren’t you Byers' whore? Let me guess, you’re on Steve duty, tonight? God, you guys are a bunch of freaks, swapping each other around like that,” he comments, but you ignore him, face firm as you tell him to get out.

“Can’t do that sweetheart. You see, Max here has disobeyed me. Do you remember what I do when you disobey me, Max?” he asks, eyes on Max.

“Billy..”

“I break things,” he says and before you can even react, he shoves you aside and grabs Lucas, shoving him against the wall and knocking down a couple of vases that were displayed on a shelf.

The kids are screaming, Lucas included, and you do the first thing that pops into your head.

You grab a nearby book and chuck it at Billy’s head.

Billy lets go of Lucas and he takes the opportunity to kick Billy in the groin before running off towards you and the group.

Billy bends over in pain and grunts, taking a moment to collect himself before turning around towards you all, visibly seething.

He bolts towards you and grabs you by the arm, slamming you against the nearby table. Your chest is forcibly being held down as Billy holds your arm behind your back, twisting it painfully. His face is uncomfortably close to your skin and you suddenly feel his tongue slide down the back of your neck causing you to shriek, eliciting a laugh from him.

You try to fight him off of you but his hold is too strong.

“You know what I find funny? The fact that women are always going on and on about being treated like 'equals'. Begging to be seen the same as men. But then, when they get treated the exact same way, they go ahead and cry about it. Well, I’m all for equality, baby. I’ll fucking kill you just like I will Steve Harrington,” he says, and he twists your arm even more, surely breaking it, and causing you to scream in pain.

“GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HER!“ Steve yells as he runs into the room, rapidly pulling Billy off of you and sending a punch right to his face.

It’s enough to daze Billy for a second as Steve helps ease you up, cradling your injured arm in his hands.

“Hey, it’s ok. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m here now,” he says as you whimper, the pain in your arm and the wet spot behind your neck forcing you to shut your eyes, trying to keep yourself from breaking down right then and there.

Billy comes flying back to Steve, fists at the ready and Steve tries his best to gently shove you out of the way while also dodging Billy’s punch.

Mike quickly leads you away from the fighting, and you all watch as Steve seemingly pummels Billy to a pulp.

But then it all goes downhill when Billy slams a plate on Steve’s head and you watch horrified as he continuously slams his fists on Steve’s face, clearly unconscious.

Thankfully Max is able to think fast and uses the syringe on Billy, effectively knocking him out.

Dustin helps create a makeshift sling for your arm as Max volunteers to drive, given that Steve is knocked out and you can’t steer with a broken arm.

In the car you worriedly watch over Steve, hands stroking his hair as you study his face.

Halfway through the ride he wakes up, eyes blinking slowly as he groggily begins to speak.

“Sweetheart? Is that you?” he asks, and your cheeks immediately heat up at the pet name.

Mike and Dustin are squeezed together to fit in one seat and they exchange looks before snickering to themselves, Lucas turning around in the passenger seat to face you with a raised brow.

“He obviously thinks I’m Nancy,” you explain, but Steve drops his head on your shoulder, looking up at you with a loopy smile.

“Y/n, my baby. You’re soooo pretty. I just wanna hug you and kiss you and love you forever,” he declares, eyes shutting as he nuzzles into your shoulder and passes out again.

“Mhm,” Lucas says to you with a smirk and you hide your face behind your hands.

Once you get to the field, Steve is now fully conscious, the memory of what he said seemingly non-existent as he groans and complains about his head.

The kids are determined to destroy the demodog cave underground and decide that you should stay in the car and keep watch, given your broken arm.

Just as they’re about to go though, Steve walks over to you.

“Hey, so..this day has been a mess, clearly. And I know this isn’t the time or the place but, just in case anything happens in there, I just want you to know that I really, really, care about you. And you’re honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me and I would never go back to a time where you weren’t a part of my life,” he admits and you note the adoration in his eyes as he looks down at you.

You smile, chest warm, and you lift your one good arm up as a signal for him to embrace you. Steve leans down so he can hug you while you’re still seated in the car and you nuzzle your head in his neck, sighing.

“You may be an idiot, Steve Harrington, but god do I love you,” you say and although you don’t mean it in that way, Steve’s absolutely beaming.

To be loved in any kind of way was all he ever wanted, but it felt so good to be loved specifically by you.

The thought that maybe, one day, you’d love him in the way he hoped you would, is enough to give him the strength to go on with the mission without acknowledging the throbbing pain in his head.

As you’re still embracing Steve, the kids come back to figure out what’s holding him up and make fake kissing noises when they see you both hugging.

“Oh y/n, my baby!” they all taunt, and Steve turns around to look at them confused.

“What? Why are you guys saying that?” he asks, genuinely confused and weirded out, and you laugh, shaking your head.

“It's nothing. Now come back alive, all of you! Do you hear me?” you call out to them as they run off.

The kids’ plan goes off successfully and so does the plan to get the Mind Flayer out of Will and everything pretty much goes back to normal after that.

You and Steve are back to being best friends, hanging out on the days you weren’t with Jonathan, who, thanks to his new relationship with Nancy, you no longer felt guilty about leaving him alone.

Steve is still having trouble telling you how he really feels but decides it’s better to wait till the emotions and stress of the last events wear off.

Plus, he wants to wait for the perfect moment. He thinks you deserve at least that.

It’s the Snowball dance and he drops Dustin off at the front of the school, coaching him on how to get a girl, when he sees you walk out of the door, all dressed up with your hair done differently than he’s seen it before.

You look breathtakingly beautiful, even with the cast still on your arm. It’s admittedly kinda cute to Steve.

His breath catches in his throat, eyes glued to you, feeling a little lightheaded when you notice him, waving.

Dustin looks back at Steve, rolling his eyes as he says “Just ask her out already, it’s embarrassing,” and walks out the car.

You greet Dustin as he enters the gym and make your way over to Steve, leaning on the rolled down passenger window.

“Fancy seeing you here, Harrington,” you say, and Steve has to pinch himself so he can ‘pick his jaw up from the floor’ and respond.

“Yeah..fancy..you..too,” he says and mentally kicks himself.

“Are you busy right now?” he asks.

“Well, I’m supposed to be a chaperone but, I’m sure I can still do some ‘chaperoning’ in the parking lot.”

You get into Steve’s car and he drives you to the empty side of the lot.

There, you both sit on the trunk of his car, talking and laughing and listening along to the distant music that was blasting in the gym.

“Oh I love this song!” Steve exclaims as ‘Seperate Ways’ by Journey played.

You giggled as Steve sings along, belting with all his power and making goofy hand gestures.

“Someday, love will find you

Break those chains that bind you

One night will remind you

How we touched and went our separate ways”

To Steve’s joy, you sing along with him.

“If he ever hurts you

True love won't desert you

You know I still love you

Though we touched and went our separate ways”

You’re both a laughing mess as the song changes to ‘Every Breath You Take’ by The Police.

The laughter fades slowly as Steve looks at you, a small smile on his face. “Do you wanna dance?” he asks, and you smile back, nodding.

“I would love to.”

He jumps down and helps you off the trunk carefully. He then places his hands on your waist while your one good arm wraps itself around his neck and you both sway slowly to the music.

You suddenly feel your heartbeat rapidly in your chest when you notice the way Steve is looking at you and you watch as his face leans closer to yours, instantly getting hit with Dejavú.

“Steve,” you whisper, just as his lips hover inches over yours.

He shakes his head, hair tickling your face. “I’m done pretending,” he whispers back, and your lips finally meet.

It’s like electricity and sparks and whatever else people write about in romance novels when there’s a kiss involved, but it was real and you both felt it.

Steve has, admittedly, kissed a lot of girls before, but it has never once felt like this.

He cups your cheek, deepening the kiss as your arm around his neck pulls him closer to you.

When you finally part you both are comically out of breath, Steve resting his forehead against yours.

“Please tell me I can do that again,” he says breathlessly and you nod with a giggle, closing your eyes when he leaves a sweet kiss on your forehead.

It’s safe to say this was the perfect moment he was waiting for.

Extra:

When you guys go back to school after break, you realize that you're a total hypocrite.

Why?

Because you find yourself making out with Steve in front of his locker nearly every day between classes.

You punch his shoulder when he makes a comment about how his locker neighbor is going to be annoyed by the two of you.

[my-random-thoughts-take-13]

Alright. With Crystalized seemingly pushing Llorumi we do have to talk about the incest part. And mostly the question; Is it even incest? Sounds stupid, yes.

I’ll be trying to stay objective and use fair argument combined with world lore.

Point of note, this might feel a little uncomfortable for some people because of the factuality possibly going against what some feel morally. You have now been warned.

To answer this question we first need to look at what incest actually is. This source is from the Cornell Law school in the IS.

Now this very clearly states that incest is the sexual relationship between two closely related parties like brother and sister, which is the argument we are talking about. Please note that I will not be taking the sexual part literally, since ace-spec is of course a thing everyone views different about them. For the sake of the argument we’ll assume that if they end up together they might be interested in it at some point. I will also not be taking most of the legal aspect into a count since Ninjago probably has different laws as opposed to the US. If anything they would take from Chinese and Japanese laws which… uhm…

Well let’s just say that no matter how incest-y it will get it’ll be legal in that case. Big fricking yikes to both those countries.

Back to the source, we now have to decide wether they are siblings. This source explicitly stated how the incest is between related parties, which they aren’t. There is no blood relation.

End case? No.

We now have to talk about adoption.

According to liveabout.com there is no legal way to marry as adopted siblings, not in the US at least. Which brings up the point of laws again, so I can ignore that for now. What I find more interesting is the forth sentence.

It stars how siblings, adopted by law, are siblings and can therefore not marry. Which leaves us with the question, did Garmadon actually adopt Harumi?

Yes, he took her as ‘his child’ in season 9, but I highly doubt that if they met up again in Crystalized he would suddenly have custody and be legally responsible for her crimes (by us law) since she is still a minor. And aside from that he adopted her for what, 2 or 3 in universe days? After that she died (partly because of him) and they’ve been virtually ignoring each other’s existence ever since. Yes Garmadon probably doesn’t know she’s alive, but I’m not entirely sure he’d care. Yes he went into a destructive rage when she died, but after that nothing seems to hold up. We may not have seen much of him since, but with how he felt about Lloyd in s10 I doubt he would still care about her as a parental figure, assuming he ever even did.

But of course there’s still the moral aspect. By this logic you could live alone in the woods your whole life with your child, then take another child from the streets and raise them both, and they could be married without legal or biological problems.

The reason it makes us uncomfortable is because in the scenario I just mentioned they were raised as siblings. But no matter how you look at it, Lloyd and Harumi just-

Weren’t.

They met before the ‘adoption’, they spent no time with their ‘father’ as a family, they grew up apart and met as teenagers, heck, they were friends for a week in s8 before Harumi did the whole crimeboss thing.

So, they is no blood relation, Harumi’s adoption was informal at best to a non-existent joke at worst and they have no kind of sibling relationship.

Counter argument!

This tweet was made by Tommy Andreason, one of the writers, a year ago in response to asking if it was accurate to view Morro and Lloyd as cousins since Wu took in Morro. Yo which I say

1. In all honesty these tweets have been wrong before

2. We can still apply that logic to the previous points we made.

In the Twitter argument we (almost) know Wu adopted Morro, just not legally. Meaning the legality of the Harumi adoption does not have to be considered for the argument to be “kind of right”. What should be considered however is the way zei and Morro’s relationship works. Because from every flashback we’ve seen, the s5 finale ánd Day of the Departed, we can clearly, CLEARLY tell they care. They care a lot.

Their training, their bonding, trying to save each other, and I’m sorry to say this but I just don’t see that with Garmadon here.

The closest we got was when Mystake pretended to be Harumi and Garmadon became weary of her because of not mentioning Skylor’s powers. Yes, this turned out to be accurate and he complimented Harumi for revealing the truth 2 minutes later.

And in episode 8 when she died she tried to convince him te leave to save their lives. He went on to ignore her and stay, threatening both of their lives, ignoring he regen she left and accidentally causing her death.

But even with all of this you could hold the argument that that’s just his personality, right? That was a major point in s10, right? YES. You are ABSOLUTELY right for thinking that. I for one at a huge s8-present Garmadon apologist and you could definitely view these scenes both ways. So in the end, the ‘is Garmadon a parent to Harumi and does the green cousins logic apply’ argument boils down to hoe Garmadon will react to her in Crystalized. Point of note that I have seen up until episode 17 at this point.

In the end absolutely everything boils down to how Garmadon will treat Harumi. It doesn’t matter if it will be as an ally, enemy, friend, people who have met before. As long as he doesn’t treat her as his daughter, I’m sorry people,

Then it cannot be considered incest.

And we can easily check this since he almost exclusively refers tobber as ‘my child’ or ‘my daughter’ in those few scenes. He just has to call her Harumi to her face. Heck, she just has to call him Garmadon to his face and it will prove those very fragile ‘familial bonds’ are broken. Besides, id Garmadon could disown his son just like that he could definitely do the same with an informally short term adopted child who now seems to not really care about him or at least be very disappointed in him (episode 13).

We just need one, ONE of these scenes and it’ll decide the case.

Does it seem like that incest at first glance? Yes. Can I understand the logic behind it? Yes. Can I imagine it making someone uncomfortable?DEFINITELY YES.

But in the end, when it comes down to it and you look at it from a factual and in-lore perspective, it just isn’t.

And this isn’t me smashing the ship doesn’t have problems, oh no. If you want to dislike the ship more than just ‘I don’t vibe with it’ (which is enough of a reason already) then there are tons, and I mean TONS of reasons I can definitely get behind. But in the end, this one isn’t it.

TL;DR

If you want to hate the ship don’t do it for the incest while there are perfectly viable and defendable reason to hate it.

Have a nice day!

[discopig]

That other girl (Thomas Shelby x Reader) [Part 1/3]

This is lowkey inspired by Sevdaliza’s song “That other girl” so give it a listen, she’s really underrated. As a member of the Grace love-hate relationship club, and an angst lover, I’m going to enjoy writing this. I might give it a fluffy ending but we’ll see! This isn’t set in any specific season because I honestly enjoy kinda ignoring the original plotline of the show... whoops! This is a short intro chapter

When Grace Burgess moves to Birmingham, she’s automatically the star of the show, her gracious face and innocence capturing the hearts of those who lay their eyes on her, but you don’t buy it. Her sudden appearance and posh aura setting your intuition off, a perk you’d gained from being around Polly so much. At first you try to ignore her presence, but when your boyfriend, and long time friend - Thomas Shelby, takes a keen liking to Grace, could you ever win against that other girl? Word Count: 978

Part 2 | Part 3

It was your regular evening at the Garrison, hundreds of drunk men piled up in the bar, the sounds of laughter and yelling penetrating your eardrums. You had been working at the Garrison for over 9 years, first accepting the job as a way to make some cash as you were only 18 when you ran away from your family, and the position happened to be vacant. You never intended to stay, the fumes of the factories and dark alleys in Birmingham being a stark contrast to the posh greenery and lavish villas you grew up with, however life doesn’t always work out the way you plan.

You were now 27 and if you were being honest - you hadn’t realized just how quickly the time had flown by... Well, when you know the Shelby family, it’s almost impossible for time to not fly by. You had gotten to know the Shelby family when Harry made you deliver 6 bottles of whiskey to their offices, a task you were afraid to take on, seeing as you were no stranger to the rumours about the Shelby family, and being new to Birmingham the last thing you wanted was trouble with the gangsters who have the city in the palm of their hands.

You had worn your plain brown cotton dress - the best item you could afford with the money you received from your job, and began your journey to the betting shop, trudging along the streets of Birmingham with the box of whiskey bottles. From that day on, Harry allowed you to serve the Shelby’s and you quickly got close to all of them, but one of them had completely stolen your heart - Tommy.

You’d never expected to fall for him, until you found yourself enamored by every word he’d say during family meetings, and lay in bed at night remembering every slight glance, or acknowledgement he’d given you. It was a stupid crush, and Tommy was quite a bit older than you and most likely saw you as nothing but a silly young girl, but when he started coming to the Garrison alone, eliciting your company to rant about his issues, or joke with you about how stupid Arthur was, he found himself falling in love with you too, your untouched innocence drastically standing out from the tainted souls of Birmingham, the way your eyes crinkled up when you’d smile, your London accent peeking through when you’d talk too quickly or how a cigarette looked almost like an expensive piece of jewelry between your fingers. So your love blossomed, and you became Thomas Shelby’s girl.

You had just delivered a bucket of beer to a table in the corner of the Garrison and were heading back to the bar, when all of a sudden you found yourself laying on the floor, the pain from your ankle hissing through your body

“Oh for fucks sake!” you exclaimed. Harry rushed over after seeing your condition - him having become an almost father like figure to you over the years.

“Are you alright Y/N?” he asked, concern beaming from his eyes

“I think I’ve sprained my bloody ankle or somethin’, it hurts like ‘ell”

Harry shook his head and offered to pick you up, you reached out to him and he took you to a taxi outside the Garrison

“Clyde, you’re gonna have to carry her up to her apartment” he said to the young taxi driver, who simply nodded in response

“You don’t need to come in, make sure you get your ankle fixed alright? Call a doctor or somethin’” 

“I will Harry, don’t worry ‘bout me, I’ll be back before you know it” you smiled at him, always being able to maintain your high spirits.

It had been two weeks since you’d been to work, your ankle was now in fairly good condition, however you still needed to be careful. Tommy had visited you almost every day, despite him being obviously tired, John had also visited a lot, always cracking jokes and making your tiny apartment smell like expensive cigars.

You’re wearing a green apron-style cotton dress with a white cardigan and some white flats - heels no longer a possible choice for the time being - your hair pinned back in a low bun, with a few loose strands at the front. You aren’t going into work today, you’re simply going to visit as you miss Harry and the bustle of the bar.

The bar isn’t as busy as usual as it’s only 2 PM. When you walk in you find Harry behind the bar, polishing some of the shot glasses, he beams when he sees you

“Y/N! I see your ankle is doing better”

“It is Harry, sadly I can’t work yet or Dr. Prew will kill me, but I’m just happy to leave my apartment for once! How have things been without me? Hope you’re not suffering too much eh?”

“Oh no no, thinks have been quite smooth with the new barmaid” he replied

“New barmaid?” you questioned

“Yeah, her name is Grace. Didn’t Tommy mention her? He’s been here almost everyday, she usually serves them and tends the bar”

“No... he never mentioned a new barmaid. Well, I’m happy you’ve had help while I’ve been gone, hopefully I’ll get to meet said Grace soon” 

You tried to sound enthusiastic, but not only were the thoughts of reasons as to why Tommy would refrain from telling you about your new colleague plaguing your mind, you also weren’t too happy about having to share the bar with someone else aside from Harry. You had gotten used to it and felt as though she might ruin your flow, and take away your usual tips.

Your deep thought is suddenly interrupted by the sound of the Garrison door slamming shut

“I’m back with the new glasses” A female voice exclaimed. You turned to the direction of the voice and felt your spirit bury itself six feet underground

Shit chapter but oh well... It’s 2 AM and I’m exhausted ❤

[mirinda03]

@leaflinerambles asked me for an essay so i complied

Here’s why c!tommy deserves better

Tommy Danger Kraken Careful Innit deserves better.

(All of this is about the characters btw. Sometimes i don't put c! Because honestly its a lot of putting that so just know that unless it says cc! I mean character)

Now, I know that can be a bit of a controversial take for.. some reason??? People may say that actually, he deserves to face the consequences of his actions and deserves to be punished.

. What the fuck.

That's a sixteen year old. That a teenager. He doesn't deserve to be 1. Abused 2. Traumatized 3. Manipulated 4. Used and 5. Taught a ‘lesson’ that i'm sure he’s been taught far fat too many times.

Tommy is a complex character. As we all know, he's regarded as the ‘protagonist’ of the dream smp or the ‘main character’. Now, of course, being the main character is a very subjective term and that is a whole other fucking essay that im not gonna get into right now—

BUT.

I do think in a way Tommy has been involved in a lot of the more.. main plots. From season one to season three.

And of course, with being the ‘main character’ (again, a purely subjective term because it depends on the point of view you watch) come a lot of things and a lot of trouble. Mainly, from our main ‘villain’ of the series.

C!Dream, the fucking bitch.

As we all know, c!Dream has had a weird obsession with c!Tommy since.. probably the beginning?

He liked to antagonize Tommy, but that wasn't exactly special. The man liked to antagonize everyone! He seemed to just want the most chaotic option, which of course ended with him antagonizing others often for his own entertainment.

I think, in a way, Dream always saw the smp as a game. His own little puppet show, where he could move the strings. He wanted complete control

But Tommy was more stubborn than the others. Tommy actively went against Dream from the start, like we see in the disc war. Or L’manberg, or during manberg, or new lmanb—

You get the idea.

Tommy never gave in, and Dream’s obsession grew.

So.. exile happened.

And like, i'm not sure what exactly dream was planning but i'm assuming he wanted to like.. ‘break’ tommy?? Make him more ‘compliant’ to his twisted game?

C!Tommy was, to put it simply, abused. No sugar coating, that was straight up abuse and gaslighting and manipulation. The burning his armor? Making sure no one got an invite? Keeping Tommy at low health? EVERYTHING??

That was all clear manipulation. Tommy.. went through a LOT in exile. It still affects him as we know. ‘Plain biomes, small holes, logstedshire’ among other things have been added to his list of stuff that sets him off.

(And also the waking up drowning?????)

And i know, Dream almost had tommy in his grasp. He almost broke him.

But Tommy resisted. Tommy pulled back at the last second, in that dirt tower. He was strong enough to realize what dream was doing was wrong an he ran from a toxic environment and situation and honestly? Good👏 for 👏 him 👏.

But the trauma stayed, in many ways. And even during the raccoonit arc, tommy didn't really.. get a chance to heal?

During the techno and tommy arc, tommy seemed to direct his hurt into lashing out at others. He got angry, he lashed out, and he hurt people. Even if im a tommy apologist, i can acknowledge that during his time of poor mental health he hurt other people and he had to apologize (and he did!! But im getting to that)

Now. I am.. very conflicted when it comes to techno and tommy’s relationship. I do believe that, somewhere deep inside, they both cared about each other. However, bias and fanon influence can get in the way so i'm not touching on that.

The one thing i'm saying? It wasn't exactly a healthy dynamic. And again, not saying anything because bias could get in the way, but Tommy realizing the error of his ways and realizing he HURT PEOPLE is such a huge milestone??

He took responsibility by joining tubbo again. He said how his trauma did not excuse shit and he acknowledged it and he tried to CHANGE.

Even when faced with people who exiled him, who shunned him or who weren't there to visit during exile, he decided to be better and he once again took the role of the troop rallier even when he KNEW how impossible the task would be. He SAW Techno’s wither skull vault. He knew it was a losing battle.

But he stayed strong. And he fought for L’Manberg, for the last reminder he had of Wilbur (and oh, wilbur and tommy’s relationship in canon is a whole other can of worms god—)

Just for it to get destroyed.

By his abuser, and two people he had trusted. People he RELIED on.

Blown, to the ground.

And then dream.

Dream saying their story isn't over. Their story would NEVER be over.

. Bone chilling. Genuinely so.

And still. He faced Dream. He faced his abuser, the person who in his own words ‘ruined him’ and he refused to back down.

He refused to let Tubbo die. He refused to lose.

And in the end, Dream was sent to jail. Retribution was sent!

.. right?

Wrong.

Because even after that, Tommy continues to be haunted by dream or by the literal CULTISTS trying to kill him.

And to top it all off, he gets fucking trapped in prison with his abuser surrounded by a bunch of triggers in a small cell. And have we mentioned how he's canonically claustrophobic?

Yeah.. that was bad.

One week. Trapped with his abuser.

And still, he stayed strong. Still, he refused to give in and stayed himself,

And what did he get for that?

Death.

Beaten to death by his abuser of all things.

And he was trapped in the void for two months. Two. Months.

But in the human world? It had only been days.

And he was so so shaken by it. He couldn't even touch other people, he couldn't take any damage, he was treated as a ghost by people, he was called a ‘science experiment’ and the one thing he wanted? Normality? It was taken away from his forever.

Again, by his abuser.

Hes a traumatized child soldier whos done plenty of wrong in his life, but he's also a kid who needs to heal and learn to have healthy relationships because one way or the other every healthy mentor figure in his life turned against him or got corrupted and now he feels alone and he DIED and he needs fucking therapy come on.

And we KNOW the dream isn't done. Far from it. We know dream will never, ever be done. He's too obsessed with the game, with his favorite toy to let the game end. To let the people rest

C!tommy is so broken and jaded and traumatized. But still, he chooses compassion. Despite the trauma, he refused to hurt his best friend. Despite it all, he refused to blow up him home. He stays true to himself and he stays strong and even when the world tries to mold him he doesn't break.

And believe me, the world tries to break him and mold him so many times. He’s been manipulated or used before by others, but he still keeps his attachments and he still keeps himself and i think thats fucking admirable.

So yeah. I wholeheartedly believe tommy deserves better as do the other members of bench trio because honestly they're also children and they all deserve to heal come ON.

But yeah thats the essay

[stellocchia]

Here’s an analysis of the “Tommy’s Plan To Kill Dream” stream (part 1)

I noticed that my “overly long” analysis always tend to be about extremely depressing streams, so here’s me trying to change that and failing miserably because I can find angst literally everywhere!

As usual I’ll be talking about the characters only unless stated otherwise from here on out. 

The whole thing is under the cut because, as the name of this “series” suggest, I’m phisycally incapable of keeping things short

Before we proceed with the analysis we need a quick overview of Tommy’s relationship with the people he interacts with this stream so that we can all start with the same mindset: 

Tommy & Tubbo: They have obviously been very close friends since the beginning but recently Tommy has developed a sort of dependence on Tubbo which really isn’t healthy. This of course is a direct result of his second exile and his mindset moving forward after that. While with Dream and then Techno Tommy was extremely isolated and made to depend entirely on the one person providing for him. He continued this even after Doomsday, this time developing an extreme dependence on Tubbo that culminated with the line “What am I without you?” (basing your entire identity around someone else is not healthy, who’d have thought?). With the developing of the hotel post-finale he expands his system of support to include Sam and Sam Nook, but this is of course ruined with the prison arc. Tommy doesn’t trust Sam any longer and, while he still cares deeply about Sam Nook, he’s not someone that can give him emotional support. So he went back to rely soley on Tubbo (though it’s obvious throughout the stream that he’s tentatively doing so with Ranboo as well)

Tommy & Ranboo: The two of them used to be sort of close before Doomsday, Ranboo still very much admiring Tommy and considering him a friend. Thet said Ranboo is not in the very small circle of people who Tommy trusts and finding him married to his best friend and moving in together with a child didn’t help his perception of him. He feels replaced by Ranboo and sort of feels like he “stole” the only system of support he had that he could count on. Though there is a beginning of change throughout the stream. 

Tommy & Ghostbur: Their relationship is really interesting. Tommy is pretty obviously one of Ghostbur’s unfinished businesses (possibly the only one now that L’Manburg is gone) and most definitely his priority. He was the only one who offered to go with Tommy during exile and he tried to be there for him constantly. Even his return this time was Tommy-motivated as we know from what he said in Ranboo’s stream. Meanwhile Tommy’s feelings on him are very complicated. He swings between recognizing that Alivebur and Ghostbur are different entities to conflating them together any time he has a strong reminder of Alivebur (at the beginning of exile and after spending time with Void!Wilbur for example). He also has only very recently come to the full realisation that Wilbur was awful to him and that their relationship was definitely not healthy (something we can infer from him finally taking a stance on not wanting him back and him admitting that Wilbur is good at manipulating him).

Now that that’s done, let’s get into the analysis!

“Oh I forgot I died, didn’t I?” So, Tommy is in a very peculiar situation where he has to somehow process his own death and, at the moment, he’s still in a state of denial about it. He knows he died but he acts like he didn’t in the sense that he hates how it affects his life. He doesn’t want people to treat him any different (even though he IS different), he doesn’t want to acknowledge the changesto the world nor to his relationships, which is the reason why he dislikes the statues of himself so much (that and the fact that he simply never liked to have statues of him). They act as a constant phisycal reminder of what happened to him and, more importantly, how much things changed in his absence. 

One other reason why change scares him so much it’s because of how often he’s alienated from the world around him. He spent more time in exile/prison then in his own home since L’Manburg got it’s independence. He is constantly forced to live in an isolated bubble while the world around him moves forward and then, when he gets thrown back in he is never really given much time to adapt and catch up before he is thrown once more into the role of the hero/villain that he despises (after the 16th for example he was painted as a liability at his first mistake and put on trial etc despite how much he did for the country. Again after Doomsday he had the Dream fight to think about and, after that, Sam Nook asked him again to be the hero against the Egg and he, once again, was villanized by the Team Rocket. Now again he finds himself in the position where he has to take action against Dream once more).

So the stream really starts with Tommy deciding to contact Tubbo to get some help in his plan to kill Dream. He heads to Snowchester to do so (stopping before that to build Sam Nook a little wooden platform to keep him out of the rain).

On the way to Snowchester he gets trapped in the tunnel and almost drowns, making him break the glass of the tunnel. This is triggering for him for a couple of reasons (aside from drowning generally being not pog): exile reminder of his waking up drowning every day and taking damage in general seems to be a reminder of his death (he also seems to be hypersensitive in general in regard to phisycal sensations) 

The whole mansion scene is a further indicator of this new dynamic between Tubbo, Ranboo and Tommy. Tubbo and Ranboo grew extremely close as we know (got married for tax benefits, adopted a child together and, apparently, canonically fell in love after) and they are planning to move in together with their son in the mansion. This, once again, all happened while Tommy was locked in prison. The feelings of alienation for him in the situation are prevalent together with his jealousy at Ranboo as he perceives him as his replacement. 

“You married someone without me- without my permission?” “Okay, can I have your permission?” “Does he make you happy?” “Yes” “then ye- okay” Just... I’m a softie and I think that it’s very sweet that his only requirement to give his blessing is Ranboo making Tubbo happy. We stan a unconditionally supportive friend! 

“Ranboo listen, let me open up to you pal! I- I’ve been through a pretty rough time recently and- (”Yeah I can tell”) and I know that we were kind of close before I went into prison, but then you ki- Tubbo would you mind looking at that flower a bit more? You kinda stole my best friend, and that’s kinda- you know now I feel kind of very lonely- actually feel very lonely” “I didn’t steal...” “And my other friend who then turned out to be my enemy is actually dead. So I’m kinda feeling a little bit left out here, and considering I was locked in a prison for 4 weeks...” “Yeah, no, I mean... I didn’t- I didn’t steal...” “No no no no, you did, you did, didn’t you? You did!” That was a big piece of dialogue there to transcribe! Regardless Tommy doing my job for me here by literally spelling out for us how he feels about Ranboo. One thing to be noted though is that Ranboo remains calm and keeps an understanding attitude in all his interactions with Tommy. He constantly tries to be reasonable (trying to explain that he didn’t “steal” Tubbo as, you know, he has his own free will and can have more then one friend) and generally just doesn’t get mad. Keeping a non-confrontational attitude is probably the best thing he could have done here.

So after that exchange Tommy opens up to them a bit about Dream, explaining what he’s planning.

“The revive book is too much and he (Dream) is too powerful and he’s only gonna use it for evil now! He is an evil man and he used it- he used ME to prove a point and to experiment on me” “Oh my God, like a lab rat!” “Like a- like a- worse then a lab rat! A lab- a lab sock!” “A lab sock?! No!” “Oh God!” “Oh my God” This is the first time in the conversation where Tommy’s gone more in depth about his traumatic experience (though he did mention before that “Dream asked him about it” in reference to his revival). It’s honestly a really big positive that he’s opening up to someone, even if it is other two teenagers who can’t do much but be sympathetic to him. 

“I think it’s good. You don’t actually know this but I’ve been- I’ve been collecting some data, but, honestly... I’m not sure is a too good of an idea” “You said it was good” “No no  no, I didn’t mean it was good in the sense of we should-” “Ranboo’s changed you, Ranboo’s changed you! He’s manipulating you! He’s manipulative and controlling” So 2 things to unpack here:

1) Tubbo hesitance comes from both him being on his last life and how things went during the season 2 finale. He isn’t too optimistic about their chances of killing Dream (even with Dream being completely unarmed in the prison) and he’s also less passively suicidal then he was during the finale, probably because he managed to build a life for himself now. He has a home, a family and Snowchester, he doesn’t wanna loose those.

2) Because of very obvious reasons (Wilbur being abusive, Dream being abusive, Techno isolating and manipulating him and then siding with his abuser and Sam betraying his trust) Tommy views all relationships aside from his with Tubbo in a negative lense. Basically he has HUGE trust issues and he’s so used to his relationships having usually some degree of manipulation (exept for Sam, who still entirely broke his trust. Also recently found out Jack had been lying and trying to kill him as well, which probably didn’t help the issue) that he just assumes that must be the case for Tubbo and Ranboo as well. Both of them of course are fast to correct him on this as that’s really not the case. 

“So why don’t you want him to bring Wilbur back now? What suddenly changed?” “I spent months in the death... area- let’s call it ‘the death zone’, with Wilbur alright?” “The death zone?” “I spent months there. I spent months and months and months there and I was only there for a few days, Wilbur’s been there for real months. He is so different and he is fucking powerful and you know how he molds me like a piece of clay, Tubbo. (hushed) I don’t want him to come back” So here we have Tommy’s admission to Wilbur’s manipulation and how effective it is on him (most probably because of how close they used to be). We also have another hint about how dangerous Wilbur is now because of the knowledge he acquired. 

“In the mean time we also... unless we don’t kill Dream... we gonna have to stop Technoblade, ‘cause Technoblade owes him a favour” “Stop Technoblade?” “Technoblade owes him a favour and we can’t let him redeem it” When Tommy mention’s Techno, Tubbo immediately becomes even MORE hesitant about this whole thing (probably a mix of his death-related trauma, Techno exploding his nation twice and his most recent inquisition venture in Snowchester). 

“So why don’t we try to block Dream’s communication with Technoblade? ‘Cause then Technoblade would have no idea how to... redeem... the favour” “He can bring back the dead Tubbo, we need him DEAD! He’s too powerful for this server’s good and he’s a bad man and he won’t use his powers for good. And it’s not even-” “Mmmmh” “What do you mean ‘Mmmh’ Man?!” “I don’t know this really- this didn’t go too well for us last time we got all hyped up and tried to do this” Tubbo once again is mostly apprehensive because of how things went last time they were up against Dream. He also tried proposing an alternative solution to fighting that Tommy shoots down because he doesn’t think anyone should have the power that Dream has. Also, may I add that Ranboo is actually on Tommy’s side on this whole thing? Possibly because he knows as well how dangerous Dream still is. 

“Just because he’s locked up doesn’t mean his strenght is, allright?” This basically perfectly sums up the crux of the issue. Of course thanks to Quackity’s lore we know that Dream’s power now is mostly a facade, but they don’t know this. To them Dream is just as powerful now as he was before. To them the image of powerlessness that the prison gives him is the facade.

That said the conversation in the electric chair tower ends here and, as this is already so incredibly long, I’ll also end part one of the analysis here. This was also the most lore-heavy part as the rest is more light-hearted so it’ll probably be faster to cover.

[oddaodd]

· For Ages ·

Summary: Y/n falls for her lifelong friend, Tommy. 

Warnings: SPOILERS for season 2 and all next seasons, mentions of smut, death and alcohol.

Author’s note: Wooooo first fic of 2021! Happy new year everyone, I wish you all the loveliest of years! ✨❤️

·

Tommy and her had been friends for ages, they had always been each others rock. The moment y/n had laid eyes on him she knew he was her person. When Tommy left for war she spent endless nights crying over his absence and when he came back she spent endless nights in his bedroom because talking to her helped keep the shovels at bay. 

But much to y/n’s dismay they never did more than talking. You see, she had been harboring a secret From Tommy. One she doubted would ever share with him. She had fallen for him. 

Grace’s arrival in Birmingham made y/n burry her secret even deeper into her soul. She cherished Tommy too much to loose him over an unwanted sentimental confession. Y/n saw how happy the Irish barmaid made Tommy and she didn’t want to keep him from that happiness. He needed that happiness. Having that in mind she decided to let things play out, not too worried about the outcome because after all, she expected Grace to leave after a while. 

But then Tommy told her he was marrying Grace. 

What do you think?” He asked. She was the only person whose opinion mattered to him. 

“I-I think it’s great” she lied through a fake smile “I’m happy for you Tommy”  

There was a heavy silence that y/n feared allowed Tommy to tell just how she was feeling. 

“I have news too” she continued “Im going to Hertfordshire” 

“Why?” 

“I’ve been needing some country air” 

And so before the wedding Y/n left. The county air did do her good. She knew it would be unbearable to see the love of her life married to another and each time she thought of Tommy she went and took long walks on the many flower fields that surrounded her property. 

She got news of Grace’s passing and was tempted to return to Birmingham, but she didn’t know if she could face Tommy so she just wrote him a letter. Days and months passed and she was convinced she would spend the rest of her life in the old country state, but then she got a black hand and shortly after, a call from Tommy urging her to go back to Birmingham. Apparently the Changrettas  knew she used to be awfully close to the family.  

She arrived in Birmingham and was surprised to see a broken family. She could tell Tommy was hurting and though she tried to comfort him all Tommy did was push her away. 

One night a knock called Y/n to her door. She opened it, seeing who she expected to see behind it and invited him in. That night they talked like they hadn’t in years and Y/n felt a sense of belonging she hadn’t felt in ages. The alcohol started working its magic, Tommy began smiling at things y/n said, which he hadn’t done in ages. He knew it was partly because of the alcohol in his system but also he couldn’t not attribute a great part of his improved mood to y/n’s presence.  Y/n too became giddy and happy And with each sip she took from her glass she felt the chains that prevented her thoughts to traveling at how much she yearned for Tommy loosen. She wanted terribly to feel his lips pressed against her and his body on hers. 

“Y/n?” Tommy’s voice broke her thoughts. Apparently she had been staring at him intently enough for a drunk him to notice.  

“What?” She asked sobering up slightly. 

But Thomas didn’t speak again, his eyes were fixated on her lips and in the blink of an eye he was kissing her. He half expected her to push him away but she matched his need and force to the nail. 

The line y/n had drawn ages ago that she knew she shouldn’t cross in order to not jeopardize their friendship got painted over by Tommy’s touch and caresses. 

Her old bedroom became witness to her old fantasy from ages ago coming true. When their ecstatic breathings came back to normal y/n once again fixated her glance on Tommy who fixated his to her ceiling, a billion of thoughts crossing through his mind. The alcohol effect was wearing off which forced him to overthink what had just happened between them. 

Y/n tenderly placed a cold hand on his cheek prompting him to look at her. Her touch  seemed to startle him. Was he ready for it after Grace’s ? She noticed the doubt on his features and pulled her hand away “Sorry” 

“I have to get going” he mumbled standing up and getting dressed. 

Y/n looked at him in bewilderment . She wanted to ask him to stay but decided against it, curling into her bedsheets after she heard the sound of her door closing shut. 

The next morning she awoke with an aching heart and and anxious mind. Had what happened between them burnt the bond they shared? Knowing that the vendetta was bad enough she decided to not let her feelings show. 

Tommy grew guilty as he Painfully saw her fake smile at him whoever their eyes met for the following days. He wanted to tell her everything, he wanted to make it right, but he found his words lacking. Instead he too concealed his true emotions behind. 

Things went back to “normal” after a week or so. They would talk and sometimes drink together, but they never talked about what had happened in y/n’s old room. 

When the vendetta came to an end y/n found herself walking towards Charlie’s yard, the place had always provided her with an odd sense of comfort, like a warm blanket on a cold winter day. 

She sat on a box by the edge of the cut and let out a sigh. It was finally over. She began thinking of all the times she and Tommy had sat together on that very spot and contemplated life. All times that seemed long gone. 

And then as if by conjuring, the sound of Tommy’s boots walking on the gravel hit y/n’s ears. They grew closer and closer and y/n’s heart Began beating faster and faster. He sat next to her and produced his cigarette case and lighter from his coat. Offering her one and lighting it before his, both of them entering a peaceful silence. Tommy wasn’t a man of words but the fact that he was there with her told her he felt guilty. 

“Remember how we used to hide here when we were kids?” Came Tommy’s voice. 

Y/n glanced at him with a melancholy air and smiled sadly “And John used to get so upset that we never told him where our secret hiding spot was” 

“Yeah” Tommy began as Y/n let her head rest on his shoulder “he spent hours whining to Polly begging her to make me tell him” 

Y/n chuckled and Tommy felt his emotions stir at her movements “I could hear his tantrums from my house” 

It felt strange, talking about John. Raw, recent and intimate. It was the first time Tommy spoke about him since his death. He didn’t like it. Y/n took a look at him and saw conflict in his face. 

“Are you going back to Hertfordshire? He asked, abruptly changing the subject as he felt her eyes on him. 

She took one last long drag of her cigarette before putting it out and fixing her glance to the murky waters of the cut “I’m not sure” 

“Stay”  

“Why?” She blurted out. Taunting him like that felt dangerous, even after everything.

“I want you to stay” he confessed very shorty after y/n finished her question. 

Y/n turned back to look at him. Her eyes full of vulnerability and unspoken pleas. Tommy took his hand and caressed her cheek. An action that caused a small, almost unnoticeable gasp escape her lips. He began slowly inching closer to her lips, giving her time to back away if she didn’t want his touch, but she stayed perfectly still until she felt his lips pressing against hers. Her arms flung to his shoulders pulling him closer to her, he could never be too close. 

She felt her heart about to burst as the kiss deepened. Maybe it was the lack of alcohol that enhanced the feeling of Tommy’s tongue against hers, or maybe it was just because it was him, her Tommy from ages ago. 

She parted from his lips briefly and before kissing him again breathed “I’m not going anywhere”. 

·

@captivatedbycillianmurphy @peakyxtommy @nyotamalfoy

[moral-turpitudes]

To the Moon:

A/N: Totes cried while writing this but it’s fine.

Trigger Warnings: Angst, Descriptions of Character Death, Drinking, Pregnancy, Cancer, Fluff, Grief, etc.

Word Count: 4,225 

Characters: Thomas Shelby x Female!Reader x Anna Shelby (OC?/Daughter)

Request: “Hi this is my first request and it’s an angsty Tommy x Reader where the reader is an old flame and they didn’t work out but Thomas still loves the reader anyway, and she sends him a letter out of the blue. Apparently the reader got pregnant and had a kid but she’s really sick now and doesn’t want her kid in an orphanage. It could end in fluff but doesn’t have to.”

Requested by: @wierdestmoppet​

A/N: Get ready for some sad shit. I saw the request and this is what my mind jumped to lol. I wrote this to be set like around Season 1-ish btw.

Summary: Life and death have a way of revealing the truth within us, and it can cause things to happen at the most unexpected times. This is especially true for Thomas Shelby as he realizes not even he can stop death.

Part 1 | Part 2

“Dear Thomas,

How are you? It’s been a long while and I hope you and your family are doing okay. I know this may be out of the blue, but you know I’ve never been much for planning things. You also know that I prefer getting straight to the point, so disregard any smudged writing in advance. I’m trying to keep the tears at bay while writing this, but I figured I’d burn any bridges while I still can.

I know we parted in anger but I’d love to know if you’d forgive me for how I acted. When I left during the months after you had gotten back from France, every fiber in my being wanted to stay there with you, but I couldn’t. I had no one besides you and your family and it made me feel worse, like a burden. I was so scared you’d send me away if I told you then...so I made that decision for you and I know it destroyed you.

I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for that, and now of all times I’m sitting here wishing I could be back there in that dirt-covered town, walking by the cut with you just like old times...but I can’t, not in this life anyway.

It saddens me greatly to know I’ll never see your face again, but for the sake of time I’ll be blunt. A couple weeks after I left, call it karma if you will, I fell more ill and went to the doctor. When I left, my suspicions were confirmed. I was pregnant.

I fought the urge to call you though and I regret that to this day, but I’m writing this now to hopefully make up for it.

I had not been with anyone else the whole time you were deployed. But if you can think back, you’ll remember our time at the Garrison and how you’d brought me home. That night stuck with me for nine months, Thomas. I had a beautiful baby girl who I named Anna. And the best part is that she has your eyes.

With all that said, I know this is a lot to take in, but I have one dying wish. You see, I’ve been diagnosed with cancer and the doctors said I have only days left to live. I’m...I’m trying so hard not to cry because I don’t want to wake the poor girl, but I can’t go on much longer and she deserves a good life...One that I can’t give her. I’d love for her to not have to go to the orphanage, as it would break my heart. So I’m asking you to do probably one of the hardest things you’ve had to do in some time, my love. I’m asking if you’d be willing to take in our Anna?

I’ve always wanted her to meet her father, and I wanted to wait until she got older to do so...but it seems life had a way of throwing off those plans as you can see.

I just wanted to let you know in case a lovely little one year old shows up at the shop soon. I’ve sent my friend here in London to take her to you after I pass. I know you may not love me anymore Tom, but I hope that whatever love is still in your heart, you can give that to our daughter. And that you can also find a place in your heart for forgiveness, I know I have.

I’m not expecting anything else, but I truly wish you the best in life, both for you and the family. I’ll think of Anna and you when I sleep tonight. That’s about as close to being in heaven as I can think of.

With all my love,

Y/N Y/L/N”

Thomas set down the letter, hands shaking as he slid his finger over the dried ink that was smudged in various spots by her tears.

He sat there with his head in his hands, tears silently falling from his eyes as the memories came flooding back.

He had just gotten the business in line, and had a good thing going with his family. Even securing a legal betting license, but just as he’d known all his life, he couldn’t get his hopes up when it came to love. Every woman he’d ever loved seemed to have an expiration date, and this one tore him to the core.

As he sat there, the rain pattered on the windows of his office at the shop. The sound only fueling the rage inside him as he came to terms with the letter.

He had thought she’d moved because she found someone new or thought she’d gone off to find a job somewhere perhaps. But he didn’t expect this. After all, he still loved her. He was never good at showing it but he truly did love her and now she was being ripped from him without even getting to say goodbye.

He took a shot from his glass at his desk and threw it in frustration, shards exploding on the ground like tiny specs of glitter.

As he watched the shards shimmer in the dim light, he remembered the fancy envelope. Frantically picking it up and seeing a small picture hanging out of the corner that he must’ve missed before.

It was of Y/N holding Anna. Y/N had a weakened look to her as she sat on the steps of her apartment in a light green dress. It was her favorite color after all, and he knew that.

She had the brightest smile despite her frail state as well and it instantly caused him to smile too. When his eyes landed on his daughter it only grew and he felt his throat tighten as he cleared his throat, trying to keep his emotions at bay.

She indeed had his striking blue eyes though, and the beautiful color of her mother’s hair. With tears threatening to fall, he noticed she had her smile too, thanking whatever gods above that she didn’t get his toothy grin.

As he admired the picture, he remembered seeing the date and a phone number scribbled on the letter, her handwriting noticeably declining compared to when she used to write him long ago during the war.

Without a second thought, he called her number hoping she’d answer. His heart stopping for a moment as he heard static on the other end before it picked up, a faint voice saying “Y/L/N Residence.” in response.

“H-Hello, I’m sorry it’s late but this is Thomas Shelby. Is Y/N there?” He asked, his voice trembling as he wiped tears from his eyes.

“I never thought you’d call...” She said.

“You sound...different.” He said.

Y/N laughed, and he swore he could feel his heart pound at the faint sound of it.

“Death does that to ya.” She said, making light of the situation.

“Y/N...I-I got your letter. I know we don’t have much time...but I love you. I do. I-I love you so fucking much okay?” He said frantically, sitting down at his desk.

“I’m not dead yet.” She lightly chuckled.

“I know...just wanted to let you know I do love you, and that I forgive you. For everything.” He said quietly.

“I thought you’d moved on Tom...But I love to you too. I’m so sorry I’ve put you through this...” she said, breathing heavily.

“Don’t you worry sweetheart. You’ve done nothing wrong. I-uhm...I haven’t moved on. I could never move on from you, Y/N...” He said, her name on his tongue like a spark. He hadn’t said her name so often in ages.

“Did you get the picture?” She asked.

“Yes. You’re beautiful. Anna is too. Beautiful just like her mother.” He said, holding the picture in his hand.

“I was so excited when she opened her eyes. I’m so glad she has yours.” She said, her voice fading a bit as she reminisced.

“And I’m glad she has your smile my love. Can’t have her running around with a smile like mine aye?” He joked.

“Oh stop.” She chuckled.

He laughed lightly as she continued, her breathing audible over the phone.

“I’m happy the letter got to you when it did. I was trying to hold out for you both.” She said, her voice thickening as tears welled up in her eyes.

“I’m happy it did too. You’re the strongest woman I know. You know that right?” He said, wiping his own tears from his eyes as he heard her crying.

“I want our Anna to grow up strong too. Have you considered my offer?” She asked.

Thomas hesitated, his hands were shaking more than they had when first reading the letter.

“Yes. I-I don’t have a nursery yet, but I’ll be able to get things sorted in no time, alright love?” He said.

Y/N sighed with relief. “Good...you don’t know how happy that makes me. I’m...I’m holding her little hand right now. She’s got a firm grip just like her daddy.” She said, sniffling.

“Good. She can rough house with Finn when she’s older.” He said.

“Just...protect her Tommy. She’s so sweet. I love her so much...” She said, her voice weakening.

“I love you, to the moon and back you hear me? Is the nurse with you?” He asked, noticing her voice changing.

“Y-yes. My friend is too. Told her to bring Anna as soon as I go. I-I’m so scared Tom...” She said, her voice cracking as she cried.

“And I love you to the moon and back too sweetheart. I just wish I could have you here with me.” She continued.

“I know you’re scared Y/N. Just hold Anna’s little hand and listen to my voice...okay? Everything will be alright. I-I promise.” He said, his own voice cracking as more tears ran down his face.

“I’ll always protect our daughter. And I’ll tell her how much you meant to me and how much you loved her. I’ll always love you. Always, to the moon and back aye?” He said.

Her breath shallowed as she answered, the last of her strength fading as she spoke.

“I love you both. To the moon...and back.” She said, taking a final breath before her eyes closed and her body went slack, including the finger that her daughter was clutching onto while lying beside her in bed.

The line was silent as Tommy listened. His heart nearly broke when he heard Anna’s cries, and her friend and the nurse sniffling as they helped around the room.

“M-Mr. Shelby? This is the nurse. I know this is hard...but would you like her ashes or would you prefer her to have a traditional burial? She never got the chance to specify.”

He wiped his tears on his sleeve and looked out the window as the rain fell, the moon shining brightly as he gazed up.

“Traditional burial. She needs to be where she’s loved. My family will be in touch as soon as we can.” He said.

“Alright. We recommend doing it soon, tomorrow perhaps. Her friend just left with Anna and will be by your shop in the morning.” She said.

“Uhm...yeah tomorrow is fine. Bring Y/N to the fields and we’ll take care of the rest. I’ll be here at the shop when Anna gets here.” He said, his mind feeling like it was about to explode.

“Alright. I will see you tomorrow Mr. Shelby.” She said.

“Alright.” He whispered before hanging up the phone.

He frantically strode over to his whiskey stash, downing a good portion of it before he ran to the shops bathroom. The mixture of suddenly ingesting all that alcohol and his frazzled nerves taking its toll.

When he composed himself, he freshened up as best he could and splashed cold water over his face, trying to wash the memories and the rush of the alcohol away.

As he made his way back to his office, he thought to call everyone. Even if they were sleeping, this was the one time he truly needed everyone in the family.

“Polly? It’s me. I’m going to need uhm...a crib...and a funeral lined up in the fields. Can you bring the crib here to the shop? I-I guess I’ll need anything baby related.” He stammered.

“Holy mother...slow down please! What are you talking about?!” She asked tiredly through the phone.

“It’s Y/N...yes...her....she left me because she was pregnant and she had the baby and she’s mine. Her name is Anna and she’ll be here in the morning. Y/N she uhm...she died. I just talked to her as she passed alright? She ended up having fucking cancer. She wrote to me and...and it was her dying wish that I take care of Anna for her. I need everyone here. This is the one thing I can’t do alone, Poll.” He said frantically.

Polly stayed silent as she processed what was said, he could hear her sniffling as she spoke.

“Christ have mercy....I’ll call everyone in. You try to get some sleep even if you’re lying on the shop floors. You can’t take care of your daughter drunk like that. I can hear it in your voice.” She said before hanging up.

Polly quickly got ready, waking up little Finn and sadly explaining to him what happened. Together they gathered an old crib from when Ada stayed over with Karl a couple nights, and she found some baby food and diapers.

Next on her list was to call Ada as she had more things at the ready, and she and the rest of the blinders were just as shocked as the news rolled in.

2 hours had passed and Tommy had forced himself to lie down with his coat draped over him on his office floor. The half empty bottle of whiskey smashed to pieces from when he’d gotten off the phone with Polly.

His eyes were blood shot and moving rapidly under his closed eyelids, dreams of coming to save Y/N from the inevitable somehow threatening his mind as he watched her disappear like a ghost. His eyes flew open though as he heard the shop doors close. His tragic slumber interrupted further by numerous heavy boots on the floor.

He sat up slowly, trying to smooth out his hair and putting his coat on as the draft from the cool night air crept in through the creaky floors and window sills.

He sat there on the floor, not having the strength to get up as Polly and the rest of his blinder brothers came into the dark room.

“Tommy...Polly told us what’s happened. I’m so sorry...” Ada said, holding a large bag of everything baby related that she could find. Little Finn held a small crib and Polly had a blanket in her arms as well as a small bag of food.

“Everything was fine a couple hours ago, I was just ‘bout to go home then I saw the letter on my desk...” He said, wishing selfishly that he could turn back time.

“Look mate...we have your back. Just tell us what ya need done and we’ll do it. It’s a family meeting after all.” John said, nervously biting the toothpick in his mouth.

“I...I spoke with the nurse. She said they recommend having the funeral tomorrow. We’re having it in the field like we usually do. It’s what she would’ve wanted probably. I couldn’t let them burn her and stuff her in some urn. She deserves better. God damn it...” He said putting his head in his hands. He’d always been the one in control. He’d always had a solid plan, a solid mode of attack, but this was something he had no control over. Just as much as life had control over death. It was all out of his hands.

“I’ll go get Johnny Dogs and the Lee’s help with all that, you stay here Tom.” John said, kissing Esme goodbye as he went out into the night.

“Oi, brother do you want me to go with him? I promise I won’t do anything this time.” Arthur said, crouching down by his brother and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t care, as long as Anna gets here safely and as long as Y/N can have a decent place to be buried in. That’s all I’m on about now. Fuck the rivalries, for one day.” He said. It wasn’t like him to stop condoning a lot of violence, but perhaps this made him have a change of heart.

He glanced at the photo she sent him, his eyes glossing over as he held it in his shaking hands.

“She has my eyes.” He said, his own filling with tears that not many of his family had seen in so long.

“She’s beautiful.” Polly said, sitting by him on the floor. Little Finn helped set the crib down and Esme and Ada helped clean up the mess Tommy had made.

“She is...” he said.

Around 4 hours later, John and some of the Lee’s returned and told them they’d gotten everything set up and Tommy had met with the nurse. She was dressed in a black dress and a black coat, and holding a silver necklace with a light green stone in it. It was Y/N’s that Tommy had given her before he went off to war.

“She wanted you to keep this, to give to Anna...she thought maybe as an 18th birthday gift would be nice...” She said, wiping a tear from her eye.

“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” He said, putting the necklace in his jacket, clasping the button on the small pocket so it was secure.

As the night blurred into the morning, Polly and Esme napped in the chairs as Tommy rested his head at his desk. Finn and the rest all finding places to doze off to in various corners of the shop.

As much as Thomas hated everyone sleeping uncomfortably, he knew it was good they were here. He needed the support whether his pride liked it or not.

It was around 6 am when the nurse arrived again, letting him know Y/N’s funeral things were all set up. And it wasn’t long after that a small car pulled up. A woman with blonde hair and a black dress getting out quickly as she reached for the little girl.

Her faint cries were heard as Thomas watched from the doorway, alert and ready to do what he had to do for the coming days, and eventually years.

“Hello Mr. Shelby. My name is Jess. I was a good friend of Y/N’s. Here’s your daughter. I hope she’ll be a comfort to you.” She said quickly as she handed her to him.

He nervously cradled her into his arm as she squirmed in defiance at first. The new person holding her making her only want her mother more.

“Hey...hey...shhh. It’s alright love. It’s okay. Daddy’s here. It’s okay.” He cooed, carefully swaying a bit as he held her. As she adjusted to her new surroundings, she gradually stopped crying, her bright blue eyes opening and landing on her fathers face. Tears were coating her cheeks as she looked up at him in silence, curiously as she took in the man holding her.

“It’s okay. I promise.” He said, gently wiping her tears as he carried her inside.

Polly and the girls gasped quietly so as not to startle her too much. But she cried nonetheless, the new people overwhelming her. Tommy cooed again and gave her his finger to hold, helping her out of her crying fit.

“You’re a natural Tommy. Must’ve been all the babysitting when we were little.” Ada said, as she watched her niece slowly stop crying.

“I can only hope so.” He said, looking down at his little girl. John and Arthur and the others came near as quietly as they could, watching as she had a death grip on Tommy’s finger.

“She’s a strong little bugger. Finn you’ll have to show her the ropes ya know.” Arthur said, Finn looked on curiously at his new niece and nodded.

“Not till she’s older. We have to protect her alright, Y/N will strike me down if we don’t.” Tommy said, smiling a bit as he wondered where her soul was now.

“How about we let you be? We’ve set everything up in your office, so it should suffice until later today when you can take her home. The funeral is at noon. So everyone get home and get ready and meet at the field.” Polly said, before patting Thomas’ shoulder. He was in shock at the nights events, but his daughter luckily helped him from spiraling too far down.

The hours leading up to the funeral were spent trying to feed and change her and having Polly come back early to show him the ropes. Anna was dressed in a small black dress and wrapped in the soft blanket Polly had brought, her cries echoing throughout the shop as everyone gathered their things.

“She’s gonna be a little hell-raiser, I already know.” Polly said.

“Good. Maybe she can take over this place someday aye?” Tommy said, placing his cap on as Polly nestled her into the car with her.

“If she wants to that is.” Polly said, closing the door and looking at the little bundle. Tommy started the car and drove off towards the fields, the bonfire sending smoke into the air upon their arrival.

Tommy stopped the car and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he sat there.

“Are you alright? We can take a minute if you need it Tom.” Polly asked, putting her hand in his shoulder.

He wiped a stray tear from his eye and ran a hand over his face before looking back at his little girl. Her eyes wandering over him as he sat there.

“No. I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine, we just have to say goodbye that’s all.” He said, getting out of the car and gently picking up Anna.

She protested at first, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked around, but they stopped once she saw her fathers face. He was grinning slightly at her and stroking her hair, trying to make sure she was alright.

“She’s okay. She’s probably bloody overwhelmed, poor thing. It’ll be like that for a while, but you can do this Thomas.” Polly said, walking towards the field.

“We can do this right Anna? We have to say bye to mummy alright? It’ll be okay my love.” He said, her cries stopping as he walked with her in his arms and towards the wagon and the bonfire.

The smoke invaded everyone’s lungs as the flames grew around the wagon. Everyone who knew her back when they dated coming together to say some nice words or to offer up small prayers.

Tommy couldn’t say anything, fearing he’d break down, but he stood there holding their daughter, throwing a rose towards the flames and silently thinking of her. Hoping she’d watch over them while she was up there.

As the ceremony ended, he wiped a stray tear away and carried the little girl around the remains of the fire, trying to think of a plan for their new life.

Anna mumbled as he sat with her on a nearby log, giving her rose petals to play with from one of the leftover bouquets.

“Those were your mums favorite.” He said, hearing her mumbling in baby babble.

“M-mama.” She said lightly, looking out at the fire. Thomas felt his throat closing as she said it, wishing nothing more than to bring her back.

“Yes love...Mama is gone but dads got ya now love. She loved you so much...” He said, tear running down his cheek as he kissed the top of her head. She looked up at him as he held her on his lap, still gripping his hand like a security blanket and smiling like Y/N.

Over the next couple months they both grew used to each other’s company. She was babbling more and not crying as much, but she could always sense something was missing. Thomas was home more now than he’d ever been, always keeping an eye on her and taking her to the shop when he’d go to work. Everyone loved her though, as they all took turns watching the little girl.

“She’s doing so well. I know Y/N would be proud, Tommy.” Ada said, patting his shoulder as he stood at the window, looking at the night sky.

“She would aye? I’m seeing more of Y/N in her each day. Only a matter of time before she takes Finn out though.” Tommy said smirking.

“I can’t wait to see that.” Ada said, slowly walking away to do her paperwork.

Tommy walked in his office to see Finn playing with her, giving her random toys as she sat up in a chair, and watching her throw them to the side as soon as she saw her father.

She smiled her little smile and threw her hands up towards him as he walked to her, crouching down and scooping her up as she giggled.

In the silence between them he’d often look up after the long day and see the moon, hoping Y/N would be looking back at them from up there, and he’d whisper to himself that they were alright, hoping in some way she’d know they were.

Tag List:

(If you’d like to be added/removed just shoot me an ask!) :)

@msbzowy, @nofckingfighting, @aranoburns, @sighonahurricane, @ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes, @gaytommyshelby, @wowjeena, @fifty-shadesof-tommyshelby, @inglourious-imagines, @thebloodyshelbys, @tsolomons, @blinder-secrets, @reveparade, @shelby-fanatic, @ta-ka-shi-ma, @psychkunox, @peakyxtommy, @captivatedbycillianmurphy,@dreamwastakenx, @lovemissyhoneybee @thomashelbyswhore​

[nebraska-is-a-myth]

c!Eret season 2 recap

I wanted to make an official recap of everything that c!Erret has done this season (post-november 16th) so here it is! Some of this is taken from the official wiki, but most of it is just from memory because the Eret dream smp fan wiki is lacking. Feel free to send any asks or questions if you have them.  

These Events are in chronological order

Given back the throne

Exactly 21 days after being dethroned by dream, in a surprise turn of events Dream re-crowns Eret as the king of the dream smp after realising that george was put in too much danger being a figurehead, especially after being killed by technoblade on his first day as king. However after this embarrassment on George's behalf, this creates newly formed enemies of Eret and the monarchy. To better defend themselves, Eret gathers their close allies HBomb (Who had taken residence in Erets castle) and CaptainPuffy and officially knights them. She gives them both blocks of Diamond named ‘onwards’ which is Erets name in latain.

Adoption of fundy

After the death of Wilbur, Eret realised that there was no one there to take care of Fundy anmore, and wanted to step up and provide a good support system for Fundy. Eret proposed to Fundy that she officially adopt him and even created a document of adoption for Fundy and Eret to sign. However, because Ph1lza was now technically Fundys legal guardian, the document also needed Phils signature for the adoption to go through. Phil was skeptical having never met eret before, but eventually gave the okay for the adoption to happen. Because of miscommunication, the adoption is still in process after a conflict arose between fundy and phil, so they have been unable to unanimously leaglise the adoption. Eret did make a joke that this would benefit him at getting back at dream after the dethroning because of the wedding between fundy and dream that was still to happen, however because the wedding technically isn't cannon (according to dream, although someone has yet to inform fundy lol) this was still just a joke. 

The Mexical l’manburg/El Rapids conflict

In an attempt to put Mexican l’manburg on the map and have people recognize it as an independent state, quackity led a movement in retaliation to regain the crown and restore George as the king. With this plan a small section of the path to Erets castle was blown up and Karl lost one of his cannon lives in the explosion in an attempt to frame Eret. Quackity tried to bring this information to Dream to have Eret dethroned again, but after seeing how George was treated under the monarchy, and accounts from both Eret and Puffy that these allegations were false, he refused and blew up Mexican L’manburg.

Stood against ranboo in his decision to choose his own side

When Ranboo became visibly upset after the explosion of the community house, Eret was one of the main opposers of Ranboo’s idea to not choose sides and just let whatever happens on doomsday, happen. In an effort to be redeemed, Eret pushed hard to help build the resistance and planned to fight to save l’manburg from being destroyed. They even offered up one of their fortresses as a headquarters for the group. 

Position on Doomsday

Was asked to join niki and fundy on their revenge story against l’manburg, and even though he agreed to this, he was undecided if the people on the revenge list needed to be taught any lesson.

However, on the morning of doomsday, fundy and niki came to Eret with an invitation to join them in sabotaging the resistance and letting l’manburg burn to the ground because of the safety it failed to give them. Even though Eret accepted this invitation, she disagreed heavily with the list of ‘people that needed to be taught a lesson’ that fundy and niki had created. 

First signs of redemption

Tommy's relationship grew with eret in the doomsday war, trusting Eret to help them

Before doomsday had officially commenced, it was just Eret and Tommy talking war prep before the others arrived. This was a major turning point for Eret as this is the first sign of trust Tommy had officially shown to Eret since the betrayal all those months ago. When Tommy died he even entrusted Eret to pick up his stuff and return it to him during the battle against the withers. 

Relationship with technoblade

A good note to make is that Technoblade and Eret are actually on quite good terms, and Techno even refrained from killing him in the doomsday battle. Which was quite a surprising thing to see since Technoblade knew of Erets status as king. ( This isn't that important to the plot, I just find it interesting to note)

Ghostburs resurrection

In the aftermath of doomsday, Ghostbur revealed to eret and quackity that he wanted to be brought back to life. Eret then revealed he had been reading ancient texts similar to what philza was reading and promised to help ghostbur be revived as wilbur. And in return Wilbur would change the L’manbur anthem to ‘also Eret’ instead of ‘fuck eret’. Eret then constructed a shrine full of things attributing to aliveburs life as well as things he thought would help make ghostbur feel safe. Unfortunately this did not go as planned and were confronted by shlatt instead of alivebur. After learning that the resurrection may need a totem of undying, Philza, ranboo and Eret traveled to technos cabin to retrieve a map that would lead them to a woodland mansion. However, its only after they travel all the way to technic cabin that philza brings up the fact that eret is king and refuses to let her on the property. Thinking that this would be the end of their journey and philza would resurrect Wilbur without them, in a desperate attempt to gain their trust, Eret removes his glasses and crown in front of both Eret and ranboo. This is only the second time Eret has ever willingly revealed their eyes to another member of the server (the other being tommy, who did not react well). Philza and ranboo remain calm while in front of Eret but when Eret turns to leave after philza continues to deny their help, the two make fun of Erets Eyes, proceeding to call him a freak. Ranboo also makes a comment on how it is now easy to maintain eye contact with Eret without their sunglasses, although the reasons for this have not been confirmed. 

Eret, feeling insulted, went back to Dream SMP to find a totem on his own and reflected on his own views on government. He deeply regretted betraying his friends in the original war, and felt bad that he earned his crown through this betrayal. At the same time, his position as king let him do things to make things better, and he tried very hard not to order people around. Wilbur inspired Eret's own reign through his strong leadership, and Eret always felt as though Wilbur could spark hope in a way he never could. That was why he worked so hard to bring him back, and built a historical museum and helped his people. Eventually Ranboo and Phil called back, and they went off to find a totem together.

The finale

In the finale of the second season, Eret waves Tubbo and Tommy off from at the end of the path. Eret voices his support for Tommy and Tommy responds by saying that Eret “will always be the true king.” Officially redeeming Eret for his action of the first l’manburg war. When the group goes to help the clingy duo, Eret is the first one to run to protect them and stays in the back of the group to make sure they are safe. Later on in a moment of self reflection, they realise that their relationship with dream was purely manipulation and reiterates the regret they feel for betraying their friends. Eret also states how much she misses Wilbur and wants to go ahead with the revival, despite knowing that Wilbur does not want to be brought back to life. In a moment of vulnerability they state that “I need him.” and reiterates how important Wilbur was to Eret, even after all the hatred and sadness they bestowed onto each other. 

In the future Eret hopes to create a safe place for everyone in the smp, free from Dreams rule.