#i was. i was accepted and everything. i had plans

[hot-patootiee]

Another story of people not knowing Steve is bisexual.

Since he asked Eddie to be his boyfriend at a party game night, Eddie took it as a joke and accepted. He made a grand ordeal of it too, jumping on the table and dramatic gestures.

He even declared his true love shall catch him and fell off the table and fell off into Steve who struggled, but did manage to catch him. If Steve fell on the floor doing it, it’s nobody’s business.

Steve is like “omg my first boyfriend!” And since Robin was there, he assumes she knows.

Little does poor Steve know, everyone thought he was joking. Except El because she’s El and Will.

El and Will are both bewildered as to why the boys weren’t being nosy like they expected them too. But, they don’t figure out that nobody else knows either because everyone else is like “Yea, Steve and Eddie are totally Dating”.

El and Will begin to pester Steve because they love him and he’s the first queer relationship they’ve seen. It’s not like anyone else will tell them anything.

Steve absolutely regales them with every date (which Eddie thought were just hang outs) and what a great choice it was to ask Eddie out.

Steve and Eddie get high together one night and Eddie looks so relaxed and cute that he just has to kiss him.

So he does and, of course since Eddie is his boyfriend, Eddie kisses back. They make out that night and curl up together and then fall asleep.

When Steve wakes up, the bed is empty and cold where Eddie was.

He gets up, assuming Eddie just left to get food, but Eddie is pacing in the kitchen.

“Hey, Teddy, What’s wrong?” Steve tries to get close and hug him, but Eddie shrugs him off.

“I can’t do this with you right now. I need some time to think and I think you should leave. I need a break from you.” Eddie tugs at his hair, not nervous, but stressed.

Steve hears ‘break’ and almost starts crying. He sniffles, eyes getting watery, and Steve just lets out a cracked “okay.” Before grabbing his stuff and bolting out of the house.

By the time he gets in the car, he’s in full out tears.

It’s like Nancy all over again! He just knows that Eddie means to break up with him, nobody goes on a ‘break’ other than to soft launch the ‘break up’.

He thought he was such a good boyfriend to Eddie, he went to all his shows, he brought him home cooked meals, and made sure he knew Steve appreciated him. Steve had started listening to metal for him despite his crushing migraines.

Steve barely makes it home through the warping effect of the tears in his eyes.

He calls out of work for the week to mope because Eddie was his first boyfriend and he really saw a future with him.

On the second day, Will overhears Eddie talking about Steve to Robin and how he “couldn’t be around him.” Will immediately puts together Steve’s absence and sudden ‘flu’.

Will runs back to El and they hop on Will’s bike and go to Steve’s.

When they get there, Steve is still red eyed and teary. His pitiful two month relationship was over and he had been crying over losing Eddie.

Will and El immediately harass him into telling them what happened over some ice cream they extracted from the freezer. Steve tactfully leaves out the weed detail, but otherwise sticks to the story.

El is incredibly mad by the end. Stuff has started levitating half an inch and she questions Steve “why would he do that?”

Steve can’t hold it in anymore and just starts crying again.

“I don’t know.” He croaks out.

Will is patting Steve’s back and El is probably planning a murder.

By the time Steve has calmed down, his phone is ringing and it’s the party looking for El and Will. He offers to drive them back, but the kids insist they bike back.

When El comes in, it is evident she has only gotten more enraged over the entire drive home. The second her eyes fall on Eddie, everything starts shaking angrily.

Eddie on the other hand, does not know El very well and is borderline pissing himself at her rage.

Instead of the flying plates and psychic violence, El starts to cry.

“Why would you do that?” El cries out, tears filling her eyes. She begins to sob and Eddie still has no idea what she’s talking about.

“What do you mean?” Eddie looks halfway between trying to calm her and bolting the other direction.

“Why would you do that to Steve? He really likes you!” Her voice cracks and gets strained at some points, it nearly sounds like nails on a chalkboard.

Eddie is completely not ready to discuss his queer make-out sesh with a child in front of the entire party. Luckily, the Wheeler parents were out and not there to hear it.

“He’s your boyfriend! Why would you break up with him like that?” Eddie lets out a soft understanding laugh.

“El, me and Steve aren’t actually dating, that’s just a joke.” Eddie says soothingly.

“He asked you out in-front of everyone! I was there!” El yelled at Eddie, Will finally beginning to approach his angry sister.

“That was a joke!” Eddie laughs out.

“Did Steve know that?” Will finally pipes up and Eddie’s blood goes cold.

“O-of course, he did!” Eddie feebly attempts to justify. His voice was stringy in a way that showed Eddie didn’t believe himself.

Will just shakes his head at Eddie with sad eyes.

“He thinks you guys have been dating for the past 2 months. El and I thought you were dating for the past two months.” Will says slowly, punctuating his every word carefully.

“That’s why he stopped dating, isn’t it?” Robin pipes up, sounding a little hollow at her failure to notice.

Nobody answers her.

Pt 2 if you ask nicely, or meanly I don’t really care.

PART 2 is HERE

[midnghtprentiss]

yours - jack abbot x f!doctor!reader

a/n: this is for “ a doctor day” which i am so happy to be a part of. it took me some time to think about something cool but i tried my best to work with this prompt. so i really really really hope you enjoy it as much as me. i tried to be subtle about the color cause in my head it means something really bigger. 

a big thank you to @letsgobarbs @ananonymousaffair @clubsoft for creating this project!!!

prompt: The nights feel dull and tasteless without you, I try to get through them but they seem so endless.

color: pink.

word count: +3k

Everything started with an offer for you to go teach at a hospital in London. You were so excited, it was your dream since medical school and you’ve worked hard to experience the things you always wanted. It started small: residency, then you got masters and a doctorate. The job offer wasn’t out of the blue, they were watching your every move, gluing to the details of your incredible brain. 

You loved working at the ED, the adrenaline, the sight of doing something good and to actually do what you loved. You found valuable things there: friends, family and love. You found Jack there. He was your rock, the biggest supporter you could ever get and he couldn’t get in the way of you getting what you always wanted. The moment you told him what they offered he knew being selfish would kill him and letting you go would kill him either. 

The breakup was clean with a lot of tears and feelings. Too many words were said meaning the same thing: you loved him and he loved you more than anyone. 

“Will you miss me?” You whispered, cuddled with him. 

“Every day til you come back to me.” He smelled your hair, pulling you closer. 

So he let you go, even if meant to put his plans on stand by. The house, the ring, the children. He would wait and so did you. 

The day you left was the day he lost himself in his own mind. Jack was quieter, more introspective and a little sadder, Robby pointed out for Dana once. He was still capable of doing his job, of course he was. But you weren’t there to help him, to make funny remarks about him or to share a candy bar when the chaos finally stopped. You weren’t there for him to take you home, in fact, you were making yourself a home somewhere else that wasn’t with him. 

He was terrified of you meeting another person that could easily erase him from your mind. The idea of you marrying someone else haunted him more often than he could admit. He would never forgive himself if the children of another man had the eyes of the girl he couldn’t forget - his girl.

You stopped talking to each other as a silent agreement. It was easy to do your jobs if the anxiety of someone waiting for the call or text wasn’t on your mind all the time. Suddenly three months became three years and the lump in your throat, the knot in Jack’s chest, got loose. 

The countless nights you almost called him to hear his voice or text to know how he was doing, if he was eating, sleeping and trying to be a normal person. Jack almost did the same too. He dialed your number and gave up, he wrote you letters and a journal to inform you about how he was dealing with the distance.

You moved on, made friends, got yourself a home with the things you only dreamed off before and got your shit together. You were a really popular name among the medical teaching. You did some impressive research, amazing experiments and innovations on the field, especially on emergency education, the top of your field. Jack watched you from afar the whole time, he read your papers, he watched your online classes, he did everything to keep you close to him. And he waited patiently for you. 

Pitt was watching you again, they needed someone like you to teach new doctors on the night shift and to take the hospital to the next level, so they offered you another deal. 

You accepted right away. No questions asked. 

Your first call was to Robby and Dana, you decided to let them know you were coming back to work at the hospital again. They were really happy, especially Dana for getting her coffee partner back. You thought about texting Jack, but the uncertain feeling if we ever wanted to hear about you again made you tremble with fear, so you didn’t. Perhaps he already knew you were coming back. 

He did. 

The cold Pittsburg breeze brought back the familiar memories once again. The laughter, the tears, the pain and the comfort. You needed that so bad, you almost didn’t feel the moisture on your cheeks and your heavy breathing. 

Nothing like home, right?

You got into the hospital fifteen minutes before your shift started. You were overjoyed to be there surrounded by so many familiar faces. Princess and Perlah were the first ones to see you, for a fraction of seconds you almost missed their hugs. 

“You are so back! Thank God.” Princess held you tighter, shaking you in her arms. 

“I’m so glad to be back.” They let you go and you went straight to the nursing station, catching Robby and Dana’s attention. 

“I can’t believe my eyes.” Robby’s words made you blush, embracing them. “We missed you here, London.” 

“London?” You questioned him with eyebrows raised. 

“Only the best of us came back, I’m glad you did.” Dana whispered, kissing your temple. 

“I can’t wait to see you making these guys peed in their pants.” 

“It’s going to be a pleasure to make them fear me.” Robby gasped, making you laugh a little louder. 

The nurses joined in for a warm hug and some small talk, even Garcia showed up to see you and you were really surprised to find out she’s literally dating a girl from the residency. She just mouthed you that you talk more later and moved back to the OR. You really missed those people and suddenly life was so much better and lighter. 

He was watching everything from the other side of the room. His heart filled with something he couldn’t give a name right away. You looked different in his eyes. Maybe your hair, your bone structure, your cheeks. He didn’t know. Still the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.  You were there, so close to him and he was paralyzed. Frozen in his own world. 

Jack spent nights imagining how he would react when you come back, how he would take you in his arms and forget the rest about the rest, kiss your face and plead you to not walk away ever again, to make his arms home once more. But you were right there and he lost his ability to move and be a fucking person. 

You caught his eyes and gave him a shy smile. Not going straight to him, giving the time you knew he was going to need before doing something else and besides, you were so involved with the crew that for a millisecond you forgot about the butterfly in your stomach almost making you throw up there. 

He wasn’t ready to talk to you. Not yet. Jack heard the rumors, he knew you’ll be back soon to be in the hospital again. Same shift, same people, different you, different him. He hated the change. At the same time, he needed to have you right over there next to him to make sure you weren’t going anywhere far from him. His mind was racing with millions of things and most of them were about you.

By the time the shift started, you were already with the students, talking about your work and what you expect them to do and learned from you. They noticed how smillish and nice you seem just for the way you lead them through the trauma bay introducing one by one to the team. First Shen, who was too energetic by your return to stop talking and then Ellis, who were all sweet and great with everybody else. Bridget couldn’t keep her hands to herself, hugging you in all the opportunities she had. And then Jack, he was serious the whole time, shaking the students hands and quickly looking at you. 

“This is the night shift crew. If I’m not around you can always ask them for help. Doctor Shen is the sweetest person here but you don’t want to piss him off. Dr. Ellis is an amazing teacher if you want to learn something and I’m pretty sure you want to, again guys, don’t piss her off.” You took a deep breath and looked at him. “This is doctor Abbot, he is the best trauma surgeon here and if I were you, I’ll try to be nice to him, he’s a surprise box to solve problems and rage Dr. Walsh.”

You tried your best to focus on them, ignoring his hot gaze on your face, reading you microexpressions like it was his newspaper. His presence made you overwhelmed enough to stumble in a few words. They introduced themselves to them and led them to the patients they were looking for at night. 

Jack liked the new version of you. Confident, smarter, better. Watching you teach was absolutely incredible, you delivered everything without problems, making these kids really think and understand what took him years to do. The more he looked, the more he wanted to take you home and forget about the three years you were gone. 

“Want a picture, Abbot?” You teased him, leaning against the counter with a tablet in hand. 

“If looking at a pretty thing is a crime put me in the fucking jail.” He crossed his arms, locking your gaze. 

“Good to know your taste hasn't changed.” 

“We’re talking about something really serious and I don’t play about anything that revolves around you.” He admitted, coming closer to where you were. “You were missed around here.” 

“I missed being here too.” Your words sounded like a whisper as he was getting closer. 

“We need to talk.” Jack held your arm, softly caressing your skin. 

“Abbot’s pancakes?” 

“You’re still bossy, wow.” He would do whatever you asked. “Whatever you want, gorgeous.” 

“Asshole.” You dismissed him, going the other way shaking your head. 

The next hours felt like you’ve never gone away for three years. The crew was the same you remembered but better and your tiredness didn’t turn out to be an issue. At 07 am you were pretty awake, the adrenaline was making you excited and you couldn’t stop moving around the room. 

You spent at least twenty minutes explaining about your patients to the day crew before really leaving the ER. It was a great day for you, the familiar taste of doing what you love with people you love made your heart ache with happiness. You were glad to be there again. 

Jack was waiting for you at the parking lot, hands in his pockets and eyes on you. You approached him slowly, stopping a few steps away. He watched your face with a discreet smirk, shaking his head. 

He followed you to your car, making sure you were safe enough to drive to his house - the same one you shared for almost two years. The unease on your chest was making you almost throw up in your car. You parked in the driveway, watching the house from the outside for a while. He was still watching you, he couldn’t stop himself from that. 

The small garden you cultivated was still intact, the pink flowers you loved and a few other plants that weren’t there before. He took care of the garden religiously for you. That was his way of hoping you come back to him. You walked towards the entrance slowly, capturing the details you missed while away. Jack finally put the swing on the front porch, like you planned on doing to make the house seem more cozy. 

“I thought it would be nice to sit here sometimes to watch the neighborhood.” He mentioned and opened the door for you. 

The inside was the same you remembered. The picture frames, the decoration. He changed some furniture but the rest looked the same. He still kept the picture of you two above the fireplace with the same flowers you used to put there. In your heed, when he did those things brought him some hope to believe you were coming back to him.

“You still buy the flowers?” You asked, turning your face to look at him. 

“Every wednesday at the farmers market.” He nodded, walking to the kitchen. 

Everything looked the same, like you never left. Even the cinnamon smell you absolutely loved lingered in the air. 

The kitchen was absolutely your favorite place in the house. You got to spend hours sitting at the table doing your shit or just baking whatever came to your head, sipping tea and being loved. Jack had the perfect vision from the living room when you were in the kitchen. He never told you but he had a lot of pictures of you sitting there existing like you’re the only God he believed. 

He served you some coffee and went back to the other side of the counter, putting the ingredients to do the pancakes you asked. The comfortable silence was pleasant, reminding you of the morning you shared in the same way: him doing the breakfast and you enjoying the view. 

“How was London? Last time I heard you were the chief of the trauma department there.” Jack was trying his best to avoid the topic he needed to talk about. 

“It was good. Cold, rainy and absolutely no pancakes.” You joked, crossing your arms over the table. “I had a good time, did things I only dreamed of, taught a lot of people and got to travel a bit.” 

“You traveled? Where did you go?” He seemed interested. 

“I went to visit Greece, did a tour around Italy with a couple of friends, my nephews came to visit me during winter and we went skiing in Switzerland.” You sipped more coffee, smiling at the memories. “I went to a safari, Jack!” Your words slipped in a funny way and he recognized how happy you were. “You would’ve loved that.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.” Suddenly he stopped in his tracks to finally watch you. 

You appeared relaxed, leaning against the chair, hair messed in a bun, jacket already off and barefoot. Looking like an absolute dream. Like the love of his life. 

“I missed you, you know? A lot.” You admitted, looking away from him. “I almost called you so many times and never had the courage to do it.” 

“I would’ve picked on the first ring.” He chuckled, mixing the ingredients trying to not stare for too long. “I wrote you some letters and a journal.” 

“You did?” Jack nodded, making you smile larger. “I may have taken some pictures of things and places that reminded me of you and kept them on an album to give to you. I hope you enjoy the crazy selfies and the endless comments on the people.” He laughed, picturing the scenes. 

He took his time to finish the pancakes, putting them on the table and sitting across from you with his cup of coffee. The dynamics between you haven’t changed at all, he still knew what you needed before you asked and you still read his face with ease. 

“I thought I had lost you forever.” Jack declared, making you stop. “The day I let you go was the worst day of my life, I felt so powerless and selfish. I couldn’t be the reason you give up your dreams because they were in you before I was present in your life and being the motive of your unhappiness was going to kill me.” You felt your stomach drop. “The nights feel dull and tasteless without you, I try to get through them but they seem so endless. The night shift sucked without you there, our bed was cold, I barely slept thinking about you.”

“The idea of you finding somebody else and deciding to marry and have children.” He didn’t continue and you held his hand. 

“Jack, I am yours and yours only.” You squeezed his hand. “I spent a few weeks crying before bed, wanting to run back to you. The day I went on that plane I left a piece of my heart with you. The life we were building, the plans, the marriage, the children.” You mumbled with tears, chuckling. “Never crossed my mind doing those things with anybody else. It’s always been you and it’s always gonna be. Besides, European guys are not that attractive.” His jaw tensed and you burst out laughing. “I’m just messing with you.” 

“I hate this.” He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. 

“Whatever you say, honey.” You winked, giggling under your breath. 

“Does this mean we can start over?” He asked, holding your gaze. 

“Always, Jack.” You smiled. 

That’s how after breakfast you ended up moving back to your place. The countless boxes with your stuff, bags filled with clothes and your favorite book collection around his living room. You were tired but nothing like the feeling of being home with him. Jack sent you to sleep a while later, finding you curled in his side of the bed, holding his pillow to smell his scent. 

He enjoyed the quietness of the morning to go through the album you made him. Pink cover with some shells and his name in gold letters. On the first page he found a small note you wrote. 

“To Jack.  I hope you know I thought about you a lot and these memories are an extension of my endless love for you.  Love, your girl.”

He couldn't contain a smile with the note, sighing as he passed to the next pages. The first real picture was you outside the hospital in London, bright smile, fearless, beautiful as ever. The note under the picture made him giggle, flushed.  

“You wished me good day before I took this. It was in fact a good day ‘cause I imagined you with me all the time.”

He kept passing the pages, amused by the great photos and the small remarks that sounded too much like you. His favorite was one of you sitting at the safari cart, wearing a pink cap, caressing a giraffe with one hand and with the other showing the necklace he gifted you a few years ago, the largest smile he’d ever seen, eyes shining and cheeks red from laughing. A look he recognized damn well. What made the picture even better was the small text. 

“I was in the safari in this. When theguide was tooking the picture the fucking lion roared next to the cart, almost peed my pants. Definitely not like Lion King, Disney lied to us. The cap was a gift from a child at the village I visited, he said it was to protect me and I truly believed in his words. The necklace is to represent you with me there and the giraffe, well, I’m in love. You would’ve loved this trip. I want to come back with you. Honeymoon maybe?”  Love, your (not so) wild girl.” 

He saw fragments of yourself, a version he was glad you enjoyed while doing the things you loved and still think about him so highly. He didn’t deserve you. Jack would never admit that you’re the light of his life, the shining star that guides him home every time he feels lost. 

You were exactly where you’re supposed to be. 

In his life, in his home, his bed, laying in his sheets with your favorite pink pajamas, being absolutely his. 

[davinawritings]

Imagine Yandere Fae Finding Out You Are Just As Crazy And Obsessed As He Is

Warnings: Smut, Yandere Behavior, Manipulation, Love Potion

He became completely enamored with you when he first met you in the forest near your home. This sweet little human that he knew must be his. He would make you his wife and bind your life with his own. He visited you day after day, charming you with his words and dazzling you with his smile. Though no matter how hard he tried, you were careful not to accept his advances.

You declined any gifts he offered, from hand-picked flowers to shiny jewels. Initially, he thought it was cute, but his patience wore out quickly. He didn’t want to kidnap you and bring you to his home, but he was becoming closer and closer to doing so. Desperate to finally make you his, he devised a different plan, tracking down a witch and having her brew a love potion. He knew it was wicked, but he couldn’t wait for you to admit your love for him anymore. He needed to have you, and he needed you now.

When he offered you the drink, you refused as usual. He explained that it was a gift for you with no expectations in return, thus avoiding the usual repercussions of accepting a gift from a fae. With a beaming smile, you accepted the drink but said you would have it with dinner. He had gone to his home that night, feeling defeated, knowing you would probably discard the gift, and he would be back at square one. Kidnapping seemed to be the next option. You would be his one way or another.

Today is the day he plans to finally take you home. To his surprise, as he walked up to your small house, you ran partway to meet him, jumping into his arms and kissing him passionately. It had taken a few seconds for his mind to stop reeling, but as soon as it did, he was groaning and kissing you back fiercely. He was elated to finally have you in his arms and quickly took you to his home. He had already prepared everything, thinking he was taking you forcefully, but happy to have you come willingly, or at least as willingly as you could under the influence of a love potion.

The fae wasted no time in taking you to bed, his cock aching to be inside you for weeks already. He gave you as much pleasure as he took from you. The room became a symphony of your moans, whines, and whimpers. His own groans mix in harmony with the echoes of skin against skin. He flips you onto your stomach and slides into you from behind. His thrusts are desperate and rough like he’s trying to permanantly shape your cunt with his cock. 

He kisses and leaves little bites all along your shoulder and neck, moaning in your ear about how good you feel. His mouth rambles on in his pleasure-induced haze. He is vaguely aware of calling you his good girl for drinking his gift, but he is snapped back to reality when you respond that you never drank it. His hips stop as his cock is half way inside you, his whole body freezing in place as your words sink in. You look over your shoulder at him and let out a laugh, a wicked smile on your lips.

He stares deep into your eyes as you say, “I knew we were made for each other from the moment we met, my darling. I just wanted to see how far you would go to have me. I needed to ensure you crave me as much as I crave you. I must admit I was waiting for you to just sweep me up and take me, but the love potion was a nice touch”. At his bewildered look, you continue, “My aunt was a witch, my darling. I know a love potion when I see one”. You end your explanation with another wicked smile as you push your hips up, thrusting your cunt the rest of the way down his cock.

He groans at the sensation as a smirk stretches his soft lips. He picks up his thrusts once again, and all he can think is that he has definitely met his match.

[athenalvss]

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED ( Jason Todd! )

summary: After a traumatic resurrection, Jason returns to look for his girlfriend, but he only finds his worst nightmare: you don't remember him.

pairing: Jason todd x fem!reader

warnings: short, dramatic and sad af

a/n: Writing this wasn't planned, I wanted to write something nice, but oh well

open request — jason todd masterlist

The world hadn't changed at all after Jason's death, Gotham was still rotten, and the crime rate was still on the rise, something that would surely never change.

Except for you, your beloved had left this life in the most painful way possible. Your heart ached every time you remembered how the Joker had taken his life, a long life you had planned together, so many things left to do, things that would remain undone forever. Every corner of your home held his shadow, his voice, his scent... but he was no longer there.

The nightmare was endless. At first, you refused to accept it. Then, you cried until you ran out of tears. Finally, you lived as if only a part of you was still breathing. Over time, you began to forget about him. You no longer remembered his voice, his smell, the texture of his hair, and it drove you crazy. You didn't want to forget, you wanted to keep him in your mind all the time. It was the only possible way for him to be with you.

You clung tooth and nail to the smallest memories, the crumbs of his existence. You closed your eyes and tried to force his image into your mind. You spoke loudly as if he could still hear you. You slept clutching one of his old tshirts, even though it no longer smelled like him.

It was the only way to keep him with you. To feel like he wasn't completely gone.

Because if you forgot… then he would really be dead, and deep down in your soul, that was the most terrifying thought of all.

But you could never be completely alone, Dick never left your side, he was there.

To lift you up when you couldn't, to hold you silently when the tears returned without warning. No matter how busy he was as Nightwing, he always found a way to stop by your house, bring you food, make you laugh with ridiculous stories.

He was the only connection you had left with Jason.

The only one who understood the magnitude of your loss, because he had lost it too.

Years passed, life went on, your life seemed to be in discontinuity with the rest, but you had learned to live with your pain, everything still reminded you of him, and even more so when you continued working in that library where you had met.

But there are times when life is merciful to us, perhaps fate felt sorry for you and found a way for you to forget all the pain, and so it happened.

That afternoon, Jason was coming to meet you.

After weeks of watching you from afar, struggling between fear and hope, he had finally made the decision.

He was going to knock on your door, he was going to show you that he was alive, he was going to give you back what death had taken from you.

But fate, with its cruelty disguised as compassion, stopped him.

He saw everything. He saw the rain. He saw you leaving the bookstore, clutching your coat to your body. He saw the car skid around the corner. He saw the lights. He saw the impact.

And he screamed your name for the first time in years, running towards you with his heart on fire, but it was too late, you were already on the ground, you were already unconscious.

Life had given you a chance to live without pain, as if nothing had happened.

When you woke up in the hospital, Dick was there. Dark circles under his eyes, worried. But you... you didn't know who he was.

Neither Bruce

Neither Jason.

The names were unfamiliar. The faces were strange. Your eyes looked at him as if they were kind strangers.

And in your chest, where the deepest love once burned, only calm remained.

A frozen peace, born of forgetfulness.

For you, there were no wounds. Because there was never love, you didn't remember it, you didn't remember what was taken from you.

And Jason, from the shadows of the hospital hallway, watched you smile, not knowing who he was, and for a moment, he wished he'd never come back.

Life was making him pay dearly for the time he had made you wait for him. If you had suffered, he would doubly so, because he knew you weren't dead, that you would be out there in the city carrying on with your life, without knowing who he was.

Without knowing that he had come back to look for you to fulfill all his promises.

[clouduru-chan]

I've been crying for half an hour because I was playing Signalis.

And my friends. What a wonderful game, I didn't understand anything at first, but the feeling and love between Eslter and Ariane moved me so much.

And that gave me a fanfic idea.

I've already created the idea a little in my head, but I wanted to know if you would like something like this.

Reader was a human who had the power of photographic memory, she never forgot anything since her birth. She lived with her mother who was a depressed woman who had lost her husband in a conflict with a super villain (her father worked as one of Cicel's soldiers), and with depression and overprotection, she didn't let her daughter leave the house, her education was all at home until she was thirteen. Reader was living well, she loved music and art, and loved her mother's company. But her aunt (her mother's brother), is a damn Karen.

Who kept calling the Office of Children's Issues saying that her niece was living in terrible conditions and was stuck at home. The Office of Children's Issues went to check the complaint, and upon seeing the case, they thought it was right to take the daughter from her mother's house to do a more in-depth investigation, but one day without her daughter, Reader's mother commits something against one's own life, which forces the girl to live with her bitch aunt (by the way, her aunt wanted to have children, but couldn't because she was infertile, so she was jealous of her own sister, and now she has to take care of her niece).

Reader is forced to study at public school, she is bullied because she has never interacted with another child in her life and others think she is weird.

At school she meets Mark, who defends her from bullying (this is before he has super powers) and he becomes her great and first friend, she starts to like comics because of him.

She also befriends William, and as they strengthen their friendship, Mark makes her promise that she will always be with him no matter the situation. They grow up, Mark gained his powers at 17, and asks Reader to be his girlfriend, and they are planning to go to college together (she wanted to study arts or even history of literature, but her aunt forced her to study medicine, and since she is a submissive person, she accepts to go to the college of her aunt's choice).

And also the aunt wouldn't finance the college either, and you who didn't even have much money to finance your own college, and also didn't usually tell your problems to Mark and his friends. Reader finds Cicel and asks if he has a job for her (since her father worked for the government, she thought she could work too), and since Cicel was a friend of her father, he hires her, and she works on simple things, cleaning up brutal crimes caused by captured villains, and until she has proper training (which she learns quickly because of her ease of learning because of her memory).

The government begins a new experiment to collect memories from soldiers, and Reader joins the project because she would earn more money to pay for all her college tuition.

Mark finds out that she works with Cicel and what she has already done, he is disappointed and breaks up with her, saying that she deceived him (even though the idiot never told her that he was the invincible one). She is devastated, but continues her work, until the tragic day of her death, when she was removing all the government people from the house in front of Mark's house, since Omni Man had discovered the place and was killing everyone, and she ends up dying in the worst possible way.

After the Chicago disaster and a month passes, Mark doesn't see Reader at school or even after starting college, he believes that she abandoned everything and just works for the government now. He starts dating Amber and tries to do everything he can to be a good hero.

The project in which the reader participated began using her memories, since she had a knack for learning quickly, and they created an Android with a similar appearance to her, to solve any type of problem until the heroes arrived. The initiative of this project was to reduce the losses of human soldiers in conflicts.

And the Pentagon staff and Cicel call her Krähe (which is crow in German), she works well in a team, helps humans and has not shown any irregularities until the day she started working.

The soldiers don't like her, because they believe she will take their jobs away.

And the story would consist of a psychological horror.

I really liked the story of Signalis, and I thought about using a bit of the game's idea for a sad story with Mark. If you like it, I'll work on the story better, it's just a draft of what I'm thinking of doing.

[unlikeable-female-character]

In which I kill off Logan

Sort of gave the game away there with that title...Have been trying to write and this came to me a while ago. I hope it's something.

Set in some AU where you and Logan are married and have lived a long and happy life together.

tw: character death.

Outside, the sounds of joy, laughter, splashing and excited screaming is a wonderful soundtrack to the day. Logan, tired out by the whirlwind of grandchildren climbing over him wanted a few moments of peace and so after planting a kiss on your cheek, had taken himself inside. ��You see him through the window, sitting on the couch, eyes closed, a faint smile playing upon his lips.

When you enter the lounge an hour or so later, you know.  When you look over at Logan, you know. He is gone. The how of it will remain a mystery. Just that he was here and now he is not, a long overdue peace and a quiet end to a long and violent existence. You and he, and the children, had long since come up with a plan, what should be done should this happen and should you out live him. It was unanimously agreed that he did not need to be cut up and examined and studied. He’d suffered enough of that in life and if you could offer him nothing else in his death then you could offer him the dignity of being buried quietly and not put on display as a specimen. No one else needed to know the why of him. You knew the why of him and that was enough. You’d known it for over forty years now. This mutant. This monster. This man. Who you loved and who loved you back.

You sit down beside him and take his still warm hand in yours, pressing it to your lips, smoothing back his now nearly white hair. You couldn’t remember how old he was now. Too old he always said. Too old and too tired and ached too much. The stick he has taken to using over the past ten years or so was propped up against the arm of the couch, the handle worn smooth from use. As you moved your hand down over his face, still unshaven, you sighed at the thought of all that pain having gone. He was still handsome, to you at least, he refused to believe that you still thought so.  He looked younger now.  You wished you could have done something more to remove the pain in life for him but you both knew that was impossible. All you could do was love him. Love him and hope that love was enough to make him forget everything else, for a while at least.

You hear footsteps behind you and look up to see Laura. She stops in the doorway for a moment, staring, before coming to sit on his other side.

You watch as Laura takes his other hand and gently touches the scarred knuckles, the claws within not having seen the light of day for so many years now. The last time you had seen them was when Logan had sat your four children down, all of them then adults, and shown them who he really was. You hadn’t wanted him to, mutants no longer being anything but a long dead myth by that point, but he felt that they needed to know the truth.  His truth. He unsheathed his claws because it was necessary to make them believe. Having Laura to back up his story helped but seeing the dull metal jutting out from their father’s knuckles was a shock it took them a while to process. To see the hands that had cradled them, picked them up, held them so tenderly concealing such weapons. They watched as you cleaned and dressed the now almost impossibly slow to heal wounds, gently wiping away the blood that lingered there.  They had questions, of course they did, and Logan did not shy away from any of them.  It took time, but they accepted who he was, where they themselves had come from.  Both you and he made sure to let them know that whatever else, they should never doubt how much you loved them.  How much he loved them and how much they had transformed his life into something that he never felt he truly deserved. They had all held him, wept with him, told him that he deserved every second.

After that Logan would never show his claws again. After that he was another man.  Possibly released from a burden he had carried for so long and he was not required to hurt anymore.  He was just required to be Mr Howlett, the kindly but grumpy man who lived at the end of the quiet cul-de-sac.  The man who would sit on his front step and watch his children and eventually grandchildren learn to ride their bikes around and around the small turning circle in front of the house.  A father, a grandfather, with no reason to ever unleash his claws again.  You knew his hands ached and often saw him unconsciously clenching and unclenching his fist.  Sometimes you would take his hand and gently massage them, his fingers and his knuckles, hoping to ease whatever pain he felt there.  To anyone who saw you were just helping to alleviate his arthritis (which you thought he likely did have by that point) and no one else would ever know.  

Both you and Laura knew that you would need to go out and tell the others, let them know that Logan was gone. This man who would get down on his hands and knees even though they creaked and ached and let his children tumble over him, this man who would carry his grandchildren on his back like little monkeys. This reader of innumerable bedtime stories, builder of dens and fixer of flat bicycle tires.  They would mourn that man.

You and Laura alone would also mourn the other man.  The one who fought the world that made him but didn’t understand him.

As far as the world was concerned there were no more natural mutants being born. You weren’t so sure. Laura existed but she was made to be the way she was by men and while she had children of her own now none of them has exhibited any signs of mutation, neither had your own children. Your grandchildren however. James, your first grandson named for his grandfather, seemed to have the ability to bounce back after any bump and tumble with an ease that his brothers didn’t posses. He never seemed to suffer the same roll call of childhood illnesses, and any he did contract never lingered for more than a day.  You had tried to talk to his parents about it, but they didn’t want to.  Whether they feared for him or feared him, you didn’t know, and you weren’t sure their attitude of ‘lets just pretend this isn’t happening and it will go away’ was the right course of action.  Clearly his grandfather didn’t either. You had once found him and Logan huddled together once, talking in low whispers, the boy’s small hand in his grandfather’s huge one. Did he also have claws, you had wondered. Had Logan shown him his? So far you had seen no sign of them.  You watched them talking but didn’t listen in.  Whatever Logan had to say to the boy was for his ears only.  You had watched James stand and throw his arms around his grandfather’s neck, holding him as tight as a small boy could.  Logan’s big arms enveloped him and squeezed him back.  They stayed like that for a while before parting and James ran off to join his brothers.  As far as you knew they never spoke about it again.  

James was outside now leaning against the tree he had fallen from inumerable times (the one that had claimed many a broken arm but never one of his) and he was growing into a fine young man, his face almost a carbon copy of his grandfather’s, his hair as unmanagable.  You had asked Logan once if that was what he looked like as a young man.  He smiled softly and nodded.   

You stare out of the window, watching him and the others.  Your two boys and two girls, their many children.  You close your eyes and feel the first of a lifetime of tears falling down your cheek.    

‘God I’m going to miss you,’ you whisper, bringing his hand to your lips again and kissing each scarred knuckle in turn.  You could hear Logan’s voice as clear as day, telling you not to worry darlin’, feel the ghost of his calloused thumb wiping the tears away.  You were not actually sure how to carry on without him.  When you and he had first met, you could never have imagined that this would be your futures together.

Some years ago Logan had started to write down his story, what he could remember. He was beginning to worry that his mind was starting to fail him as well as his body. You agreed that it likely was, but you both just carried on and pretended things were fine. The children expressed concern that maybe he should see a doctor and maybe he should have done but you were both terrified of the spectacle he would become. They reluctantly saw your point. Their love for their father was too great to go against his wishes, the fear they had for the doctors and scientists who would use their father - had used their father - for their own means.  Logan never said who he was writing his story for - himself, you, the children maybe.  Those thick leather books were sitting on the desk in the corner.  One day you would read them.  One day you would open them up and flick through the pages.  One day your hand would still on the message that he had written to you and as you read it your tears would fall and the faded ink would spread and blur.  One day.

You didn’t notice Laura leave the room.  When you felt the couch next to you dip, and a pair of arms encircle you, you knew then that she had told the others.  You watched as your children bent to place kisses on their father’s forehead, to grip his hands, to hold him for one final time.

[witchygagirlwrites]

Hold On-Pt 2/2

Kelly Severide x Reader

Kelly awaits news of your fate

Warnings: talks of death of a child, gun violence, a pregnant woman being shot, i think thats it

Kelly kept replaying those few seconds through his head over and over. The way your body fell to the ground, the tears in your eyes as you told him you were sorry and the blood that seeped from between Connor’s fingers no matter how much pressure he put on the wound. In one moment had he lost everything? 

He tried to imagine how this day would have gone if that asshole had never stepped foot into the ED or if he wouldn’t have been high the day before and would’ve brought his son in before he went septic. You could be in his arms right now, the two of you celebrating the news that you were going to be parents. That little boy could be recovering in the ICU. 

Connor was operating, every surgeon in med was waiting in the wings if they were needed. Dr Asher was assisting Connor in an attempt to save the baby as well. Matt had donated blood because he was the same type as you and he wanted to make sure they had enough units on hand. The waiting room was filled with fifty one and intelligence hadn’t left either.

The only person that had dared to cross over towards Kelly was Matt. He sat at his side, head leaned back against the wall. It was silent enough that Kelly could hear the clock overhead ticking off the seconds. It was driving him insane.  

“She’s strong Kelly, Connor is the best surgeon here. She’s not going to leave you easily” Matt spoke low and he nodded, eyes glued to the door that led back to the surgical wing “What if they can’t save her Matt?” That was the first time he’d allowed himself to voice that thought. The reality of there being a high possibility of you never being in his arms again hit him at once.

He could feel the tears rolling down his face but didn’t give a damn. Every moment of your relationship played through his head. The first time he’d met you was when he’d rolled into med after getting hurt on a scene.You were in the ED helping with the overflow despite being a peds nurse because they were understaffed at the moment.

When you’d come into his room he’d grinned when he saw the cartoons on your name badge and asked if he was a good boy would he get a sticker. You’d laughed and told him if he was really good he’d even get a lollipop. That quick sass was what drew him into you from the start. 

After your first date, you’d snuck a sticker with a teddy bear and a cherry lollipop into his jacket pocket after the two of you kissed. He’d known he was gone for then and there. 

The first time you two were intimate with each other, he could remember how nervous you were. The way your cheeks would flush when he’d praise you, how you hid your face whenever you could. The way you sounded. That was the first time he’d told you he loved you and he meant it with every bit of his heart.

When he proposed he’d planned it for weeks. He’d looped Connor in for help shopping on rings and grabbed Gabby for help on picking out what you’d like. He’d barely gotten the question out before you accepted.

“You know, just this morning she was talking about how dangerous my job is�� he laughed bitterly, wiping his tears away. “I don’t know how to do this if I fucking lose her Casey, I don’t know how to keep going” 

_____________________

As if on cue the doors from the surgical wing opened and Connor came walking out. Kelly’s eyes were glued to the blood that still stained the front of his scrubs, your blood.

He was on his feet and crossing over to Connor without another word. He could feel Matt and Cruz both fall in behind him. “Rhodes” he spoke low, not sure he wanted to hear the outcome but Connor didn’t look like he lost his best friend. That was a good sign right? 

Connor smiled slightly “The bastard aimed high. We were able to stop the bleed, repair the damage. It’s going to be considered a high risk pregnancy because of this surgery but Dr Asher said everything should go on as normal. They’re both going to be ok Kelly” 

He felt his knees weaken but from relief that time. Matt had a hand on one shoulder, Joe had a hand on the other. “Both of them?” he repeated slowly and Connor nodded, tears forming in his eyes “Both of them, Kelly I’m sorry I couldn’t protect her better” 

Kelly pulled the other man into a hug “You saved her, that’s what matters” Connor patted his back “C’mon. She’s gonna be out a while but I’ll take you to her”

Kelly looked from Matt to Cruz. Both men nodded “Go” he grinned “They’re gonna be ok” “Told you she wasn’t going to leave you that easily” Matt told him and slapped his shoulder “Get to your girl and your baby man” 

___________________

Connor had prepared Kelly for the sight but it still hit him hard. You were laying in a bed, your upper abdomen covered in gauze. You had a heart monitor on, a fetal monitor was around your lower stomach. There was oxygen up your nose. You looked so damn fragile laying in that bed.

“She’s going to be ok?” he asked again and Connor nodded “I know it looks bad but her body is just tired. It’s healing and supporting a ten week old fetus” “Ten weeks?” Kelly asked and Connor nodded “Yup, she’s already damn near out of the first trimester” 

“Can I stay with her?” Kelly asked and Connor nodded “Of course. No one will say anything to you, I can promise you that” Kelly held a hand out and Connor shook it “Thanks Rhodes, I have to admit when I first got with her I wasn’t sure about the whole her having a male best friend thing but you’re alright” 

“Thanks Severide” Connor laughed weakly, eyes flickering back over to you. “Now, I’m going to go argue with the board because I’m buying metal detectors for the ED and they’re hiring better security. This isn’t happening again”

The next morning Kelly heard a light knock at the door and stood up out of the chair next to your bed and walked over to open it. Matt stepped in holding an overnight bag and a bag of food. “Change of clothes and breakfast?”

Kelly looked from the overnight bag to you and Matt smiled “Go on, leave the door cracked while you’re showering and I won’t move from her side. I promise” “Thanks Casey”

__________________

After Kelly ate, Connor came in to check your stats along with Dr Asher to check the baby’s. “Is she doing ok?” Kelly asked and Connor nodded “Everything looks good” he looked at Dr Asher who smiled “The little one is amazingly strong” 

He felt his heart flip at the news. He hadn’t lost you, either of you. Now he just needed you to wake up. He needed to see those eyes he loved so damn much looking back at him. “Thank you, both of you. You saved everything that matters to me” he told them and Dr Asher smiled “Believe me Dr Rhodes made it very clear that no resource was out of reach if needed to save her. Now after she’s discharged we’ll have to schedule weekly appointments for a while” “Of course” she nodded “I’ll be back in a few hours. The nurses will page me if I’m needed before then”

Drowning? Dizziness? Fog? You weren’t sure how the hell to describe how you currently felt. It was like you were underneath something fighting your way up. What the hell happened?

Kelly. You remembered Kelly, him at your side. You remembered pain, burning pain. You got shot…THE BABY.

You jolted up in the bed, a hiss of pain leaving you as Kelly jumped up. His hands gently holding you down “Easy baby, easy. Don’t hurt yourself” you could feel tears flowing down your face “Did we lose the baby? Kelly, did we lose it?”

He shook his head, moving closer to wrap his arms around you “They’re ok love. The baby is ok” you melted into his embrace “You promise?” you nodded to the monitors “Look” you turned your head and saw that below your own monitor that was currently going haywire from how you’d woke up was a fetal monitor that was showing strong “They’re ok” you whispered and he nodded, a watery laugh falling from him as tears filled his eyes “They’re ok. Connor and Dr Asher saved you both”

“We’re ok?” you asked and he nodded “You’re ok” you pulled him into a kiss, pressing your lips against his and holding him close “I love you so damn much Kelly” he smiled against your mouth “I love you too” and you felt one of his hands gently move to your lower stomach where the fetal monitor was wrapped around “Both of you”

You covered his hand with yours, “How the hell did they save the baby?” you whispered. He shrugged “I don’t know, something about that bastard aiming high and you’re best friends with someone that has a lot of money and a bad temper. He told the hospital no resource was out of reach” you laughed “Sounds like Con..wait my blood type? We don’t normally have that on hand?” he nodded “Matt was on hand though” 

You felt more tears spring to your eyes “Our friends are amazing Kel” he nodded “They are” and pressed another kiss to your lips “I love you” “I love you too” you laughed. You laid back against the pillows and eyed him as nurses came in followed by Connor who grinned when he saw you awake “Well if it isn’t my favorite peds nurse” “Well if it isn’t my favorite surgeon” you teased.

“I paged Dr Asher but let's get a look at you in the meantime” “Ok sir”

You would have to be in the hospital for another day at least but Boden had made sure Kelly was covered with time off. He was laying in the bed next to you, you were laying against him, careful of your bandages. “I thought I lost you” he whispered into the quiet room. They had taken off your monitor since you were awake and alert. Now the only sound was the fetal monitor but you and Kelly were both enjoying that sound.

“Hell, I thought I lost me” you laughed lightly and he cut his eyes down at you “Now who’s making jokes?” you smiled and pulled him into a kiss “I came back to you, I’m still here and somehow so is our baby..our baby. That’s a hell of a way to find out you’re gonna be a dad huh?” he shook his head “Yeah, little bit dramatic sweetheart” you grinned and laid back against him.

“So, should we ditch the wedding and just elope? I kind of just want to marry you as soon as possible now” you offered and he laughed lightly “Baby, if you want to get married tonight I’m sure Rhodes knows someone who will do it” “No, I want to at least be wearing a dress, not a gown” you replied and he shrugged “Just say when and I’m ready”

@elvenpirate51

Epilogue

[moredorkysjonsson]

Future~

I got a little emotional when I drew this (˘̩̩̩ε˘̩ƪ)

It felt so wrong to not draw Soichi's collar. But, sometimes a creator needs to sacrifice nice things to let their creations develop and move on.

--

Note: Soichi's mha universe have a different outcome to the original mha!

When Midoriya finally won against Shigaraki, All Might embraces Soichi and gives her a passionate kiss. The news captures the kiss on live TV. He finally felt free from the pressure that AFO had on him for decades. He could now love Soichi without it being a secret.

A few days later, he asks Soichi to move in with him, and she of course says yes!

When the world now knows about Soichi and All Might's romance, Soichi for the first time has to deal with reporters and paparazzis. She hates it. But luckily for her, she has the ability to get away from them quite easy.

When Soichi's management with her quirk stopped developing, she finally realizes that not everything about it can change. She finds peace with her 100% werewolf form. Understanding that it's her way of protecting herself and others, and as long she has people in her life, they can help her control it. When it was time to remove Soichi's collar, to really take the step for change; she felt very uncomfortable with the idea. Her friends and family, especially All Might, helped and supported her until she felt comfortable enough to be fully left alone.

*Soichi's change to her fringe is a display for her development with self-acceptence. Now feeling less anxious about her eyebrows reminding her of the werewolf.

All Might becomes vice principal at UA, and Soichi studies child psychology and works part time as a child counselor, both children with and without quirks.

Soichi's canines apparently grew some millimeters, and All Might was the one who noticed it. They seems to grow at a very slow pace as she ages.

Unknowingly, both Soichi and All Might secretly planned to propose to each other. They both got surprised and entertained when they realized that they were proposing at the same day and time. They got married a year later.

೭੧(❛▿❛✿)੭೨ I wonder what more future things I will come up for these two!

Edit: *Added a comment about Soichi's fringe change.

[tranquilreign]

hi! i dont know if ure accepting request atm, but its something thats been on my mind, so i wanna let it out

how abt tae and reader, who promised each other that they will marry each other at 28 when they were kids, and now they're 28, def single, and im thinking of idiots who dont realize they're feelings with each other even their own feelings until this topic comes out one day, and boom, idk, do ur magic

sorry if this was too specific, and thank u in advance!! sorry for my bad english, i've gone through ur masterlist and its so so good!! hope u have a good day, today, tomorrow, and for more days to come 🫶🏻 love yaa 🤍

when we're twenty-eight | requested oneshot

- © tranquilreign - all rights reserved | DO NOT STEAL, TAKE, or COPY any of MY WORK without MY PERMISSION.

pairing; taehyung/reader genre: fluff, childhood friends to lovers au! warnings: swearing, self-doubt, slight pining word count: 2.2k synopsis: you and taehyung promised each other that you would get married at twenty-eight if you were still single. well, you're both now twenty-eight and single. the only thing is, you claim you’ve both forgotten, but feelings are still there.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

You had begun to lose hope in your capabilities of the progression of your life when the first couple in your friend group announced their marriage, at the right age of nineteen. And you weren't the only one. You had a large friend group that always planned to go out to karaoke or Korean barbeque.

The friend group had originally started with you and your childhood best friend, Taehyung. It expanded over time due to the friends you made in your separate classes in high school. Even in college, a surprisingly large number of you ended up there, having sadly lost touch with the ones who separated from you.

But now here you were, twenty-eight years old, sitting on the couch at one of your friends' houses, who were celebrating the future arrival of their third baby.

Taehyung sat next to you, bouncing his leg to the beat of the music, arm slung over the back of the couch casually. You were leaning against him, lost in your own thoughts of how you had progressed in life.

"You're doing it again," Taehyung's deep, silk-like voice whispered into your ear, his hot breath fanning against your neck.

You hummed, not having heard what he said. You absentmindedly played with a strand of your hair, letting it curl and fall through your fingertips.

A sharp poke to your side makes you jump. You turned to glare at your best friend, who held your gaze. His chocolate eyes held mischief, stoic expression forming into a smug look.

"What was that for?" you pouted, rubbing your side.

Taehyung tilted his head, a single eyebrow raised. His dark hair fell over his eyes with his movement, which you casually pushed out of the way with your fingers.

"You weren't listening to me," he responded.

His arm moved from the back of the couch to your shoulder, pulling you in closer. His breathing was steady, and both of you looked at one another in silence. Taehyung moved forward, his nose pressing against your forehead.

"You can't keep comparing your life to our friends."

Taehyung could always read you. He knew everything about you, when you were unhappy or nervous. He was quick to be by your side, comforting you or supporting you with whatever decision was made.

"It's hard not to when everyone is getting married or having their, like twentieth kid," you whined, pulling away from him.

Taehyung hummed at your saddened expression, patting you on the head soothingly. Pulling you back into him, he gave you a tight squeeze, rocking both of you back and forward.

"Ew. Can you two stop being so gross?"

You both turned, looking at Jungkook. He looked at you with distaste, pretending to gag at your cuddling. You shifted out of Taehyung's arms and smacked the younger boy on the back of the head.

"Ow! What the hell!" he pouted.

Taehyung chuckled, sitting up in his seat and leaning forward to look at his friend.

"You're just jealous you don't have a friendship like me and Y/n," Taehyung taunted playfully. Jungkook snorted.

"The only thing I'm jealous about is that you get to feel Y/n's breasts-"

"Okay! That's enough," Seokjin interjected, placing his hand over Jungkook's face and pushing him away so he lay back on the couch. Jungkook struggled against Seokjin's grip, eventually pushing his hand away, exhaling dramatically.

"I could have died, Seokjin!" Jungkook scowled.

"Please, if anything, you're nose is slightly flatter now," Seokjin waved him off.

The older man's gaze shifted to you and Taehyung, both of you stifling your laughs.

"Kook does have a point, though," Seokjin continued, stopping your laughter. "His implication of 'can you two stop being so gross' means stop acting like a cute couple."

You choked on your own saliva at his comment, coughing loudly, hunching over. Taehyung rubbed your back, patting it every now and then to help.

"Excuse me?" you coughed out, looking between the two men.

"You guys act more like a couple than most of the couples in our group," Jungkook pointed out, raising his eyebrows.

"Which brings me to my second point. Didn't you guys say when you were kids, you'd agree to marry if you were both single by twenty-eight?" Seokjin questioned.

"I completely forgot about that," Taehyung mumbled.

"Yeah, me too," you confessed.

Though it was a lie. Both of you remembered, too scared to bring it up. You had pinky swore that you would marry one another at twenty-eight if you hadn't found someone else.

Neither of you realised, though, that you had been holding out for each other the whole time.

You couldn't think of anyone else you'd rather spend your life with than your best friend. He was there for you whenever you needed him, and when you fought, you would both admit your mistakes and make up.

You didn't know you had developed feelings for him until recently. Thinking that the butterflies that danced in your stomach when he'd show up unannounced, holding pizza and soft drinks, were normal. Something that just happened between friends who loved each other so dearly.

Or how he would hold you when you cried, often doubting yourself and feeling as though you were falling behind in life, in comparison to the rest of your friends.

Taehyung thought differently. Ever since you were kids, Taehyung knew he didn't want anyone else. All the late nights, calling, cuddling up to one another during movie marathons, and lying on the couch together in silence. It was peaceful. It was something Taehyung yearned for.

He wanted nothing more than to always be by your side. Waking up with you next to him, the sun rays shining through the cracks in the blinds and hitting your radiant skin. He couldn't help but let his mind wander to a future he could have with you. Yet, not knowing how you felt, he would never bring it up, scared he would drive you away.

"Well, looks like we're getting married, Tae," you beamed looking over your shoulder to him, eyes shining with excitement.

Taehyung's heart fluttered at the nickname. He had heard it a thousand times from his friends. But with you, it was always different. Your voice was always angelic to him, his name sounding perfect when it fell from your lips.

"It seems so, but at least let me propose properly," Taehyung teased.

You hummed, nodding in approval at his request. In that moment, Taehyung understood that when he proposed, he would finally confess his feelings. After all the years of yearning for you, he was determined to express himself. He wanted you to know that this marriage held significance for him, even if it didn’t mean the same for you. That was a promise he made to himself.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Taehyung stood at your door, holding flowers for you, and in his pocket sat a small box, encasing a silver ring. He had dressed up for the occasion, palms sweaty as he waited for you to open the door.

You swung the door open, smiling brightly at your friend. He was wearing a beige suit, with the jacket slung over his right shoulder. He held a beautiful arrangement of lilacs and primroses, smiling shyly.

"Hi," you breathed, opening the door further.

You wore a simple sage dress, which stopped at your ankles. Cream open-toe heels complemented the dress, simple yet beautiful. Taehyung entered, handing you the flowers as he passed.

"Hey," he attempted to sound casual.

"Look at you," you teased, playing with his brown tie. "You tidy up nicely."

"Not too bad yourself," Taehyung shot back.

You pouted, but giggled. Moving into your kitchen, you had a vase prepared on the countertop. Removing the string that held the flowers together, you carefully placed each stem into the cool water one at a time, being careful not to ruin the display.

Taehyung waited, his heart racing, thinking of every possible way this could go. What if he confesses and you decide that marrying him is a bad idea? Or that you'll laugh at him.

The sweat in his palms worsened, and he ran his hand through his hair as his nerves increased. You returned at that moment, vase in hand. You placed it down onto the coffee table, beaming at him.

Taehyung's heart melted at the sight of you. You were simply breathtaking. Your smile, your eyes, everything about you was perfect. He coughed, then proceeded to pull his trouser leg up slightly and get down on one knee.

You played along, feigning a gasp. You laughed, watching as he took your hands in his. Taehyung's face suddenly became serious, which you took notice of immediately.

Your expression softened, and you gently ran your hand through his hair comfortingly. You had no clue what had suddenly made him so serious; it confused you.

"We don't need to do the big theatrics, Tae," you soothed.

"I want to. I need to," Taehyung breathed.

You stood, waiting for him to continue.

"Y/n. I understand that if I say this, it could quite possibly ruin our friendship forever. But I know if I don't do this, I will never forgive myself."

You grew worried at his words, quickly wanting to speak, but Taehyung held his hand up.

"Please. Just let me say what I need to say, then you can decide from there."

Taehyung paused, trying to calm his breathing. But he knew if he didn't speak now, he never would.

"Y/n, I have known you since we were five years old. Our friendship has meant everything to me, and it still means just as much. But I must confess..."

You waited, but he didn't say anything. Kneeling down to his height, you lifted his head so he would look at you. Tears ran down his face, making your heart break. You caressed his cheeks, wiping his tears away and giving him a reassuring smile. Taehyung let out a shaky breath.

"I have loved you from the day we first met. I knew I didn't want anyone but you to be by my side, to be my forever."

You moved to sit down cross-legged, stunned. You watched him with wide eyes as he sniffled, before continuing.

"When we made this deal, to marry if we were both still single, I made sure I wouldn't be with anyone, because waiting for you, no matter how long... I know it will be worth every second of the future we would have together."

You began to cry at his confession. You couldn't understand how it had taken you so long to realise his feelings. You felt guilty for having made him wait all these years, so that the only time he felt as if he could properly confess was during a deal you made when you were five.

"I want nothing more than for you to be happy, Y/n. And I want to be the man in your life who provides you with that happiness. I want to be able to hold you when you're sad. Kiss you when you need reassurance. You are all I want, and all I could ever want, no one else but you."

Taehyung felt as if he could finally breathe, eyes downcast to the floor. He did not dare look at you, scared of your reaction. Silently, you wiped away your tears and stood up. He sighed, knowing he had now ruined everything.

"Well, are you going to propose or not?"

Taehyung looked up at you, shock evident. Your eyes were glassy with tears, but you smiled. He mimicked your expression, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the small black velvet box.

"Y/n. Will you do the honour of being my wife?"

"Fucking hell, yes," you choked out.

Taehyung stood pulling you in to him by the waist, not wasting a moment to press his lips against yours. It was soft and gentle, but it had so much love and passion.

You both laughed into the kiss, tears still continuing to roll down as you embraced each other. Pulling away, you rested your head against him. He hummed lightly, the vibrations in his chest relaxing you.

"I love you, too, Tae. I always have," you confessed.

"Well, now we must feel really stupid having waited twenty-three years," Taehyung joked.

You laughed, looking up into his eyes, which held so much love.

"It's alright, we'll have plenty of time to make up for those lost years."

⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

ahhhh!! thank you so much for requesting this! I felt if I wrote too much about their obliviousness, it would begin to be a bit familiar to the jungkook one I wrote.

i really hope you enjoyed and I also hope this is along the lines that you were looking for! I did want to make this a little shorter as I tend to go off rambling! so I do hope this has been to your liking!!

and honey, please don't apologise for your english, it's perfect! better than me I must say, I can barely function as it is haha <3

i do also want to apologise for not uploading over the weekend, I was away at a wedding so I was away from my pc!

if you've made it this far please take a look at my other works. or you're interested in making a request please look at the links below!

masterlist | requests | request rules | prompt list

tranquilreign~

[lokiandbuckysdoll]

The Last Supper

Pairing: Steven Kemp x Reader

Summary: On the night everything is supposed to end, one unexpected revelation turns the plan upside down, forcing a reckoning neither of you saw coming.

Wordcount: 460

Warnings: druging a person, talks about death and killing.

A/N: I re-watched Fresh last night, and this idea came to my mind.

Steve Kemp never thought of himself as a monster. At least, not the kind that felt regret. But the moment he took you, something changed. You weren’t like the others, those blurred faces, fading names. You were fiery, Defiant, and clever. Soft when you thought he wasn’t looking. The weeks turned into months, and your presence in the cold, hidden basement of his secluded house became necessary.

You should’ve feared him. And you did at first. But there was a shift, slow and strange. You saw more than the killer. You saw the man. And somehow, despite the chains and the horror, something between the two of you simmered. Something twisted. Something real.

But Steve knew it couldn’t last.

The others were gone, and you had seen too much. You knew his name. His voice. The faint scar beneath his right eye. And deep down, he knew you’d never truly forgive him. Love couldn’t grow in a cage, could it?

So he made a decision. One final night. One beautiful dinner. You’d go peacefully. No fear. No screaming. Just sleep.

He set the table upstairs, candles flickering, wine poured. You wore the dress he left for you on the bed. You didn’t speak as he unlocked the door. Just looked at him, calm. Accepting.

You ate in silence at first. He tried to ignore the tightness in his chest. You smiled faintly at the food. Complimented the wine. Said it was sweet.

His heart ached. The drug was already dissolving in your bloodstream.

“You’re quiet,” you whispered.

“So are you.”

“I just… I wanted to tell you something.” You reached into your pocket, hands trembling. “I wasn’t sure how to say it.”

You placed something on the table between you two.

A pregnancy test. Positive.

Steve’s world collapsed.

“What…?” His voice cracked. He stared at the tiny stick as if it had killed him.

“You didn’t use protection, Steve.” Your eyes glazed over, blinking slowly. “I thought you should know before… before it’s too late…”

Then you slumped forward, head hitting the table with a soft thud.

“No—nononono—Y/N!” He was out of his chair, catching you before you fell further. “No, you weren’t supposed to—not now!”

He cradled you in his arms, heart pounding with realization.

You were carrying his child. And he had just tried to kill them both.

For the first time in his life, Steve Kemp was terrified, not of being caught, not of dying, but of losing you.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to yours, voice shaking. “I messed up. But I’ll fix it. I swear I’ll fix this…”

And in that dark house, with a heartbeat fading and a secret just born, Steve Kemp knew his story wasn’t over.

It was just beginning.

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[david-the-great]

David had dragged Heather away, making the choice for her. The girl had to grow up one day, and David knew that she would’ve been too far gone if he hadn’t stepped in. As he descended the stairs, he picked up on how the other two girls voices subsided as he made his way to the bottom floor of the church. Good, they were just here to cause trouble anyway - to distract Heather from her true purpose in life of setting down with a good man such as himself. He would soon embark across the church’s entryway, dodging exquisite flower arrangements, and the nosy eyes of guests who still lingered in the hallway. All she had to do was walk down that aisle, simple as that - and it’d be fine. All would be forgiven as simple wedding jitters, and it would all finally be set in stone. David would give a final tug on Heathers hair, reeling her body into his grip before attempting to spin her up and onto her feet. Now, Heather was quiet, accepting, no longer fighting against the man’s guidance. And maybe this was the submission he truly needed, the type of limpness, and obedient gaze that he had longed for in Heather ever since she first strutted into his life with way too much confidence for a girl who could so easily have everything taken away - and that is just what he did. Except, maybe this wasn’t what he needed, maybe it wasn’t what he had expected - because when he had got so close to having all he ever wanted, when he could’ve fixed this all, he lost it.

He’d raise Heather up and onto her feet, digging his hands into her thin waist, the fabric of her robe crinkling beneath his tight grip. She had lost weight, he mused to himself. Maybe it was the lack of parties, and whoring herself around that did it, but either way he didn’t linger on the thought for too long. Now he was practically holding her above him like a holy artifact, her feet dangling off the ground. The light from the stained glass windows surrounded her, catching against her blonde hair, and gleaming around her like a halo. Now was his time, he’d could have it all, and yet - he didn’t seize it. As Heather tragically crashed down at alarming speed, falling into the shadow cast by the window trim the room was filled with a violent scream. Her voice was ear shattering, but what came after was worse - the smashing of a glass table, its shards scattering across the floor like a heavy rain. The flower arrangement which once sat atop the table now smashed and replaced with the fallen and decrepit body of Heather Chandler.

David finally took a breath in, his fists began to shake, and he was absolutely seething with white hot anger. His hard breaths were drowned out by the strong commotion of guests - the crowd he had yet to noticed forming was staring on in disbelief. People started shuffling in from the ceremony hall to gasp in shock at the sight. But, they were simple background noise as David erupted into a scream. hushed murmuring filling the air with each angry word he spat out.

“Y-you’re pathetic Heather! You couldn’t handle just one simple day - your own damn wedding day no less?!”

David would huff out, taking a thundering step towards her.

“Today was- it’s supposed to be about you, you’re supposed to be happy! You should know how hard I worked ensuring e-everything was perfect, no-.. that it went to plan.”

He’d take another step forward, the pristine soles of his shoes being met with nothing but stomped glass shards.

“You’ve ruined it, your demonic little desires, and whatever fucked up shit goes on in your head- today’s been ruined, your entire life has been ruined, and there is nobody to blame except yourself Heather.”

( @heathermcnamara1989 @greasylittlenobody )

Veronica, like any other driver, hated parallel parking. Unfortunately, judging by how many cars lined down the street of the church, there was no other option. She had suggested to Mac earlier that day about waiting for other guests to arrive first, because it would be easier to sneak through once the hosts become preoccupied with many other guests.

she smoothed out her plaid blue dress, quickly checking her reflection out in her small silver pocket mirror, then whipping her head to Heather. “Ready?”

@heathermcnamara1989

[hootyhoowoo]

A little 15 min doodle but first post of the year has to be Bingqiu!

[idontmindifuforgetme]

Going to get into the habit of carrying my journal everywhere w me bc I truly want to soak up every snapshot of this transitional period where I’m just a 22 year old girl finding my footing and the only thing I’m tied to are the decisions I make and the path I carve for myself

[pouncequick]

Chapters 20, 21, and the Afterword

Chapter 20:

Thought she was done with gymnastics

Followed everything with #GymnastAlliance

Also heard things from coaching friends about trends in the gym–a lot not good, especially when parents got involved. No grace offered to good coaches, coaches scared to do their jobs because their intentions no longer mattered–if an athlete became uncomfortable with a common pain, if feelings were hurt or a parent was upset, the coaches became the target of abuse allegations

After she stopped coaching she learned there was a SafeSport claim against her for something she said to an athlete at a meet. "All I could think in the moment was 'Isn't SafeSport designed to protect athletes from abuse? Is someone claiming I abused them because I said something they didn't like during a meet?'"

Does take responsibility for things she says and never intended to hurt a gymnast, but feels like the grievance could have been dealt with in a conversation between adults SafeSport system bogged down with similar complaints Supports SafeSport and thinks both athletes and coaches need protections. Also thinks there needs to be more education on the distinction between abuse and disagreements, and it's a global issue

Talks about the situation in the Dutch federation in 2011 where athletes came out with claims of abuse. Dutch federation cleaned house, Beltman claimed responsibility for his actions and apologized–a step many coaches in the US fail to take. Athletes have been expected to accept "Do it because I said so" and were not given a voice in their training.

While coaching styles may have changed, gymnasts from the past don't feel heard or like they got justice. When the coaches who had had abuse allegations were banned from Tokyo, present-day gymnasts who had not been abused by the same coaches felt like they were being punished over something that had been corrected through other means

Aimee was hired as an assistant coach to the Dutch team in 2021. Family was able to travel with her–husband could visit, and the kids spend the summer in the Netherlands

Mixed experience–some coaches had come to terms with not going to Tokyo, some fought it to the end. She was there to help the athletes, so she did what their coaches allowed her to. One coach accused her of having been sent to sabotage the Dutch gymnasts and she was only allowed to speak to his athletes only if they asked her a question or requested technical help.

It was different coaching a team of adults (youngest was 19, oldest were almost 30). They had their own training plans and no intention of altering them. She was there to help the athletes who wouldn't have their coaches–their support system–in Tokyo and did her best to be a compassionate surrogate

The extra year was hard on the athletes, including Simone. She was trying to hang in for one more year: "...didn't come this far to only come this far." Dutch and US gymnasts were in the same sub and training facilities, but they weren't allowed to overlap at all to prevent cross contamination. Not allowed to get within close proximity of Simone because of strict distancing policies

Very isolated experience. Outdoor activities were cancelled after people started testing positive

Got to talk with Simone a little more in the training halls, but they were both there to do jobs

Being away from Simone for a while led her to appreciate Simone's gymnastics even more Arena felt desolate when they started competing. Thinks it hurt the US team

Dutch team was only 11th in quals and only had one gymnast make it to finals. Watched the rest from the stands

On July 27, she could tell something was wrong when she and Simone made eye contact. Could tell something still wrong from how she was before vault, and her run was off from the first step of her warmups. Wished she could talk to her and reassure her. When she did her competition vault, she was grateful Simone wasn't injured on the vault. Didn't know if she was injured or if she had the twisties, but there was nothing she could do

Didn't see Simone again in Tokyo

When Simone was 16, Aimee pulled her from a meet when she was struggling on vault. 8 years later, Simone was able to protect herself with the entire world watching

Chapter 21

Went home after Tokyo, but then was hired back to work with the Dutch team at Worlds 2021–federation was firm on not letting coaches go to international competitions until they were cleared of allegations

This group of athletes wanted her input and were intent on making a strong showing. Two athletes qualified for finals, but everyone showed up for every practice even after quals.

On the day before the AA, Naomi said she'd stay back at the hotel because it was what she was used to. Aimee encouraged her to come to the training hall, she didn't have to do any routines, but some light conditioning and stretching would be good for her. Ran through basics and cheered on her teammates. Next day, finished 5th (up from 11th in quals), the best AA finish at Worlds for the Dutch women.

Athletes succeed when included in the decision making process

Nominated to become a brevet judge. Passed her test in March 2022

2023 judged Simone for the first time as Classics. As a judge she was watching, not critiquing.

Doesn't find it hard to judge Simone objectively–it's just a different way of focusing and evaluating

Talks about the complexity of judging–angles, lack of slow motion, how much you have to snapshot and evaluate in your head

Ominous start at 2024 Trials, with the series of injuries right as things got underway. Made her more nervous with Simone starting on vault doing the most dangerous vault in women's gymnastics

2024 watched the Olympics from home. Both had FOMO and enjoyed being able to take in the spectacle.

Sports just aren't fair sometimes (two-per-country)

A lot of play-by-play of Simone (and a bit the rest) of US performance at Paris, but not a whole lot of additional insight

Doesn't agree with Simone being deducted for not saluting in the beam final

Does not know if Simone will want to compete in 2028–should have more clues in 2026

Very quick, non-emotional summary of the floor bronze situation as it currently stands (just a paragraph)

Co-founder of upcoming professional women's gymnastics league called GIGA (Global Impact Gymnastics Alliance). Multiple investors and looking into building the foundation. Will use the 10.0 scoring for a high focus on artistry and crowd appeal. Bring more tech to gymnastics so viewers get data on things like speed, height, etc.

Kids should stay in gymnastics because they love it. A good coach will find what makes them passionate about hard work and progress. Going to the Olympics is statistically incredibly unlikely. Winning is fun, but not the goal.

Afterward

Enjoying mentoring and working with a lot of different gymnastics federations How do we provide justice to gymnasts of the past while holding coaches accountable for their actions and allowing them to make changes? Feels if abuses were not egregious, coaches should be offered counseling and allowed to atone–have to let change take root in order to have change

Important to distinguish between not being nice, being ineffective, and being abusive. Being a jerk is not a crime, demanding discipline is not a crime, setting standards and enforcing them is not a crime. Repeatedly telling gymnasts they're worthless is abuse. Calling belittling names is abuse. Words can leave lasting scars

Constant sticking point: High-conflict people is a non-diagnosisable term used by psychologists when describing people who take uncompromising, winner-take-all positions. The difference between contempt and anger. Contempt kills relationships, and that's the dynamic currently being seen in some circles of gymnastics.

Some coaches don't belong in the sport. Some gymnasts who have been wronged will not ever be satisfied. Justice system can't always bring closure.

Fans–rarely considers is trauma suffered by fans when they rooted for coaches who caused harm and had the rug pulled out. Can make you question what you trusted. Some no longer want resolution, they want revenge. Not the same for them, but the pain is real and can torch an organization.

Public support for change has to be fan support too

Fix it from the inside

Coaches:

Good coaching is communication and collaboration

Most coaches start to do very habitual things, like an addict, and can have trouble changing when told their rituals are destructive

The best coaches are in a constant state of learning

Establish coaching rehabilitation programs

No place for criminal coaches in the gym, period

May need suspensions during rehabilitation; probation for non-criminal coaches

Coaches need protection too. Sports are hard, athletes get injured, experience discomfort and pain. Adversity is not the same as abuse, and that distinction is not always made. Gymnasts and parents need realistic expectations and understand.

Lots of grey area and nuance in this, which is difficult to work through

Stonewalling is never appropriate–it shuts down communication with the athlete and creates an unhealthy environment

Education shouldn't be considered–it should be required.

Gymnasts:

"Why do I love gymnastics?" Get a journal and write it down, and use it when feeling demotivated

Reframe the idea of losing

Spend less time on screens

This generation is much more sensitive to criticism, believes linked to online influence

Tell your coaches if something doesn't feel right, if you feel neglected, not heard, or if training is too much for your body

Parents:

Parents facilitate the relationship and can make or break it

Most problems could be resolved with a code of conduct that discourages bad behavior

Parents feel they have ultimate authority because they're paying for a service. Most people would find it inappropriate for a parent to berate a doctor for diagnosing a child with an ailment–same mentality should be afforded to coaches

The deferential question would be "How do we get better?"

Should expect an open line of communication and accountability, but you're paying their gym for their expertise and experience

Speak to a coach about kids' bad days with an open mind

If you can't start with the assumption the coach wants the best for your child, you shouldn't be at that gym

Issues that don't cause immediate harm shouldn't be addressed in the heat of the moment Parents who get out of line should be placed on warned and given probation for a second offense

Coaches who make lapses of judgement should learn, apologize, and make an adjustment

Especially at high levels, there will be relationships between coaches and parents, and it's important to have boundaries. Coaches are coaches first and foremost.

Maintaining a close social relationship with every gymnast's family is impossible and inappropriate

Excellence doesn't happen at once. For most, it doesn't happen at all. Metric should be if child is having fun, learning, pushing themselves, becoming a better human being. Don't focus exclusively on gymnastics

Aimee Boorman's Book

Chapter by Chapter summary, not done yet.

A couple of thoughts on the book itself:

Overall, it's pretty decently written. It's not a literary masterpiece, but it's clear, well organized, and fun

It has a little trouble with who the audience is. At times she's talking directly to parents, at other times athletes, sometimes to the general public, occassionally to gym fans

You can tell they struggled a bit to find the balance on how much to explain what different gymnastics skills are. Which makes sense considering the broad audience

One thing that I didn't like much about the first section was the detailed explanations on things like how you called a cab before cell phones. As a kid, I never cared for books assuming I didn't know how things used to work before all the 'new fangled inventions' (I knew what a phonograph was. I DEFINITELY knew what a record was and how it worked. These kinds of asides always feel patronizing to me)

She has a good sense of humor and has definitely spent a long time reflecting on things

It's very obvious that her coaching style was delibrately developed, with choices she made from trainings, reactions to how she was coached, and things she saw that worked from her mother's parenting style. Because she made active choices on who she wanted to be as a coach, she's able to tell you more about why she believes in those approaches and give examples of what has and hasn't worked

Prologue:

Makes a point here that she's going to mention people that have had abuse allegations or just significant negative stories about them, and those mentions are going to be about her experiences with them--which may be good or bad or indifferent, because she's telling the story of her interactions with them and how they influenced her journey. I thought it was interesting but understandable that she felt the need to spell this out before even beginning the story

Chapter 1:

She has a good sense of humor about herself

Her club coaches growing up, especially after moving to her second gym, where the 'discipline installing' sort of the 80s and 90s

At one point she broke her leg at practice. The injury wasn't acknowledged, she went home, went to school the next day and eventually called her mom at work. Due to a miscommunication, she ended up walking to her mother's office before they went to the doctor and discovered there was a break

"Not being acknowledged" was the generally trend with that coach--he literally wouldn't pay attention to the work she was doing

Her mother had mental health issues that Aimee is sure made parenting harder, but she worked very hard to support Aimee and and Aimee felt that her mother was someone who truly saw her when she felt invisible

Chapter 2:

Growing up, her mother encouraged open communication and education on important issues with limited boundaries, which was the right approach for Aimee

Example: If Aimee was at a party with drinking and needed to get home, she could get a taxi any time and her mom would pay for it. She might get chewed out for it, but that was the consequence of not having a curfew and being allowed to go to the party

She strongly supports young athletes doing multiple sports

She herself did swim team and cheer alongside gymnastics in high school

Started coaching at 13

When she visited the gym she attended in Chapter 1, she did a series on beam and asked the coach if he was impressed. He told her he was always impressed, but thought if he told her that she wouldn't work as hard. The fact his dismissiveness was an active, intentional choice infuriates her, and she keeps him in mind as an example of what not to be as a coach

As a high school gymnast, she found she really enjoyed doing choreography and by the end of high school she was doing the choreo for most of her teammates

Method: Had the gymnast pick three pieces of music they could move or dance to. They'd narrow it down to one. She'd construct an mental 8 count with a theme, and they'd work together to craft a skeleton routine. They'd practice that for a few days to see if it fit, then add more detail. Changed any step they had trouble with, rather than force them to learn it.

Chapter 3:

She was not a good student in college and was more interested in her sorority. It took her a long time to get her grades high enough to officially pledge

She loved her human anatomy class, particularly working with the cadavers. She found herself picturing how her athletes were moving with out skin, how the muscles and bones and connective tissues all work together to allow them to do their movements

She road tripped with a friend who had a job interview in Texas. While there, she went to four local gyms and asked for interviews; walked out with three job offers

She decided to leave school a semester short of graduation to coach; her mother supported this (she finished her BA while writing the book--she says it just wasn't the right time for her to do college, which would always be there)

She decided to make coaching her career after an encounter with Octavian Belu, who told her that she must become a coach

Her first boss didn't think she'd ever be successful as a coach because she was too nice

Chapter 4:

Her first coaching position in Texas was Cyprus Academy

She learned a huge amount about coaching and gymnastics there, confirming her feelings that she was right to leave school for this

She basically lived at the gym, and when she wasn't coaching she was watching Debbie and Deana coaching the elites--she felt they were too verbally harsh, but she also learned a lot

Cyprus Academy was a very competitive environment, where winning was the expectation, athletes were made to feel bad about losing, and conditioning was used as a punishment

It wasn't the right environment for her, so she moved to the less competitive and more nurturing Bannon's--she had observed them carefully and appreciated how they interacted with the gymnasts

Bannon's had lower pay, but they incentivized learning and observation with bonuses. You earned pay increases for completing training courses, becoming a judge, etc. You had to take the initiative of signing up and paying for it, but the pay increases would pay for it fairly quickly. They could also earn bonuses if they noticed hazards in the gym, found a solution, and did the paperwork to get it taken care of. Bannon's invested in them becoming better and more valuable coaches

She quickly had all her certifications available and became a judge through level 10

She really enjoys coming up with drills and Tammy Bigg's presentations were always some of her favorites

At Bannon's, she wasn't the nice coach anymore (nice coaching was the expectation). She was now the mean coach, and some kids did quit. She says she didn't yell, but she did expect discipline. She tells a story about telling a kid (another coach's child) something they did was stupid--the child and the coworker were both upset. She was very careful that she only criticized the action, not the child, but it was still a lesson for her on how her words affect the athletes

She feels that you're only as good as your worst athlete

Bannon's was not selective about who comopeted, and winning was something to celebrate, not something that was expected. There was regular testing to determine levels which managed expectations

She does not appreciate chucking skills

She is proud of coaching kids through compulsories into optionals and feels its important to keep it fun

Mandatory snack breaks for everyone (including coaches) if the practice is over three hours. This is a rest period, and she thinks parents and coaches forget how packed kids' days are. She also believes in flexibility in missing training--you don't forget how to do gymnastics in a week and training will always be there, but the family vacation won't. Extended breaks do mean losing conditioning though!

Her mom moved to Texas in 1995

Chapter 5:

Got married the only weekend she didn't have a competition

Husband was well area she didn't work a 9-5 job

Worked until (or almost until) her due date with all three children and was back in the gym within a week or so after. Didn't take her maternity leave with her first child until he was about 6 months old

Woke up around 11 am, worked 1-9:30ish. Husband did the mornings with the kids, her mom helped with dinner and childcare

Chapter 6:

Simone chapters start

Describes Simone in one of her first days of classes--she was sitting in a pike and casually pushed herself up into a press and slid her feet through her arms so she could lie on her stomach--not as a gymnastics move, just as how to get her feet behind her. Normal people don't do that. (Her mom: That's the kid I was trying to tell you about!)

In the story about Simone doing a standing back tuck, and then doing it on beam, Simone actually first jumped up on the high beam to do it. All the coaches yelled for her to get down simultaneously, so she did it on the low beam instead. It was a lesson about not blindly challenging a gifted and adventurous child!

Simone got a zero on both vaults at her second state meet--she hadn't been paying attention and was startled when she was signaled to run and balked the first one (ran into the horse). To compensate on the second one, she punched so hard she went over the table without touching it

When conditioning, Simone would stop and start at the same time as the person next to her, even if she still had reps. If called out to finish her reps, she'd cry because she didn't want to

She was hesitant on moving Simone out of compulsories too quickly because she needed the finesse and time to hone her basics. Felt time was on their side to develop flexibility

Simone would just stop doing things if bored. At TOPS testing, she stopped doing her pull ups during the test because she was bored, so Aimee challenged her to climb to the top of the rope, not just to the mark. Simone responded by climbing the rope up into the ceiling tiles. Another lesson about challenging her.

Bars were hard because Simone's hands were so small

Lots of fears--she wasn't afraid of a straddle back, but she was afraid of jumping from low to high. She was never afraid of going backward, but she said it would be too scary to look at the equipment

Her tremendous air sense meant that she always bailed safely and they could experiment and try more things

When she had a mental block on her beam series, she had to do it three times after warm ups. She could have as much time and as many mats as she needed, but she had to do it three times before she could start her practice

At level 9, she did had a BHS-1 arm BHS-double pike beam dismount

When Simone started getting asked for autographs, Aimee told her she always had to be friendly and nice during it. When it got to be too much, she needed to tell Aimee so Aimee could be the bad guy shutting it down, and the little kids wouldn't have a bad experience with Simone (remembered a disappointing autograph session with MLR)

Once after a bad bars while trying to qualify elite, Simone threw her grips on the ground in disgust. Aimee reprimanded her, and D-D Breaux nodded and said "Get her." LSU sent a recruitment letter a few weeks later (Simone was 12)

Around this time she also sent a video of Simone's skills to Martha, hoping for a camp invite, but was dismissed

Simone spent one year at 9 and three at 10 and only qualified HOPES her first elite season (coinciding with one of the 10 years)

AImee held her back at 10 because she needed refinement and since she wasn't age eligible for London, there was no point in pushing too hard to early. Her parents weren't thrilled about this, but they trusted Aimee

They didn't move to two-a-days until Simone started her first junior elite season at 14

[mimicha-arts]

Take my hand and don't you let it go now We'll find our way out

[savage-rhi]

...some other pink variant but within the magenta category