#if Lucy had known she definitely would have gotten after him

[not-neverland06]

Crash of Worlds

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Cooper Howard x fem!reader, The Ghoul x fem!reader A/N: After this there’s gonna be more canon divergence - this one’s short (rope divider done by @saradika-graphics , cowboy hat/revolvers done by @firefly-graphics) Summary: You’d been expecting everything to be different, people, to be different. But not like this. Not to such an extreme extent. Maybe the vault had softened you more than you’d have liked but there was nothing to do about it now.

The green canopy of the forest provides a welcome relief from the heat. You and Lucy follow the signs pointing the way to Filly. You hear it before you ever get to see it. There’s a distant sound of yelling and the murmur of people. It has your heart clenching in your chest. 

You’re outside, breathing in real air, not oxygen from tanks. You can feel the breeze in your hair and hear people. It’s all you wanted for three years. Bud prepared you for a lot. But he didn’t prepare you for just how jarring it is to wake up and suddenly everything you’ve ever known is gone. You don’t feel the years you’ve been asleep. It was like it happened yesterday. 

But you’ve had three years to come to peace with what had happened. You can’t let yourself get wrapped up in this feeling of nostalgia. The raiders that came down to the vault were proof enough that the people you’re going to meet up here aren’t going to be anywhere near friendly. You know this world has turned into dog-eat-dog, Lucy doesn’t yet, though. 

She walks towards a large grove of abandoned cars. The paint has flaked off and the glass smashed in, but they’re not in horrible condition for being two hundred odd years old. You're distracted by the convertible she stands next to and you gasp. 

You rush forward, hand smoothing over the hood and grinning at the familiar feel. “I-”

You cut yourself off abruptly and Lucy looks over at you, a curious smile on her face. “What is it?”

You shake your head, “Nothing. Just excited to see civilization again.” You give her a terse smile, hoping she doesn’t smell the lie. You’d almost said that it was exactly like your old car. But that would have opened up a can of worms you weren’t ready for. 

She groans, linking her arm through yours and nodding. “I know, me too. The surface is definitely not what I was expecting.”

You sigh, glancing back at the car before stepping towards Filly. “Yeah, me either.” 

The noise reaches a crescendo as you finally manage to make your way into the market. There’s still signs directing you further through the woods so you figure this must not be Filly yet. Probably just a little place where people tried to peddle junk. 

A man lurches out at you holding out a kebab and grinning widely. “DOG MEAT!” You jump back in shock as he screams in your face. His eyes are unseeing as he waves the kebab around. “GET YOUR DOGMEAT HERE!” 

“Oh, what the fuck?” You mutter, you didn’t mean dog-eat-dog literally. You notice you and Lucy getting odd looks and you finally realize just how much the two of you stand out. In comparison, you're both well groomed and much cleaner than anyone here. 

Not only that but you’ve got the stupid Pip-Boy’s on your arm and vault suits on. You’re walking advertisements of “Come rob me!” You steer Lucy further through the market, narrowly avoiding a lizard meat stall and dragging her towards a tunnel at the end of the path. Filly’s just beyond and you shove her through the opening, eager to get somewhere where you might be able to find something useful. 

You seperate with the promise to meet back up in the middle of the town square. You’re going to look for something to change into and she’ll find some information on her father. Should be easy enough. 

He’s not supposed to be here. He’d gotten himself and all of his kind banned a long time ago. An impressive feat, considering how lawless Filly is. But no one’s going to say anything to him, no one ever has before. 

Any other ghoul and they would have been dragged right back out before they could even put a foot through the tunnel. But he’s not any ghoul, he’s the ghoul. And no one in their right mind is going to be the one to start a fight they’ve got no fucking hope of winning. 

He rolls the empty vial of RadAway around in his hand, hat tipped down as he waits for his mark to show up. Ma June, cantankerous old bitch that she is, always has good supplies. But she doesn’t sell to ghouls, and if he didn’t need her alive right now he would have shot her for turning him away. She’s a well known fence for fugitives and bounties. If his mark is going to show up anywhere, it’s going to be right here. 

Most of the people who try their hand at bounty hunting do it for the experience. They get bored, not that he can fucking blame them. After a while staring at nothing but sand and chickens makes a man go a little crazy. They don’t understand that it’s all a waiting game. 

Sometimes it’s an exhilarating chase, like a predator tracking down its prey. But more often than not he’s just waiting for a slip up. A mistake from whoever has a price on their head is usually what lands them in his hands. And the second this man decided to use Ma June as a transport was when he made his mistake. Everyone knows that Barv can’t keep her mouth shut for shit. 

When someone decides Ma June can help them, everyone knows where they are. It’s a big bounty, enough to keep anyone with a normal life cycle sated for the rest of their life. For him, it’s all about the hunt. The wait, that look in their eyes when they realize they're trapped and there’s nowhere left for them to turn. He loves it when he’s got them cornered. 

There’s a desperation to them that makes the capture all the more sweeter.  

There’s two bright flashes of blue against the otherwise dreary countenance of Filly. He doesn’t look up much, still trying not to draw too much attention to himself. He sees one, brown hair and wide eyed as she takes in the sights. Fucking vaulties. 

It’s been a while since he’s taken one of their bounties. Their tech was pretty valuable among surface dwellers and when one was spotted, which was rare, there was usually a good price on their head. He can only catch the back of the other one, her face blocked by a conveniently placed support beam next to him. 

She stops by the clothing stall, waving her friend along and speaking to the woman who runs the booth. Good fucking luck to her. There was no haggling with that woman and her prices were fucking ridiculous. He wonders how long it will be until he sees those two on the poster in some bar somewhere. He’s sure when the time comes, he’ll enjoy taking them too. 

His gaze goes back to Ma June’s shop, interest already waned in the rare vault dweller. They were never all that fun. Never had any good information and always had a stick up their ass about morals and being a “good” person. 

Finally, his mark turns up. Blind to the danger lurking behind him. 

You’re in a really shitty spot when the fighting starts. You’re overwhelmed by everything around you. Freaks in wacky ass clothes peddling their mutated animals and fucking teeth. Teeth. 

Teeth and bottle caps, that’s the currency now. Who decided that bottle caps were a good idea? Or teeth for that matter. You’ve only got so many of them. You don’t even want to think about what they’re getting used for.

The woman in front of you only has four of her own left and she’s demanding three of yours for a shirt. You’re not well versed in the economy of the wasteland, but even you’re sure that three teeth is a ridiculous ask. From the way people keep glaring at you as they walk by, you’re sure that she thinks because you’re from a vault you’re going to be gullible. 

You’re too caught up in your quickly escalating argument to realize what’s happening until it’s too late. A man stands in the center of the square, his back to you. You can tell from your view that he’s pretty badly burned, the skin around his neck and skull warped and twisted. 

He’s yelling about a bounty and your head tilts in confusion. There’s something to the lilt of that accent that sounds familiar. You take a step forward, abandoning the clothing stall and trying to place how you know him. It’s impossible, really, that anyone recognizable would still be alive. But maybe someone else got out of a vault and made it to the surface. If they did, it clearly wasn’t unscathed. 

It’s only when he pulls out his gun that you realize Lucy is standing in front of him, with the man that bothered her last night. You want to call out her name, try and catch her eye, but the last thing you need is him pointing that gun at you. You jump back in shock as he shoots the man’s foot off, eyes widening, and feet scrambling backwards. 

The woman in the clothing stall hisses, “Fucking ghoul,” and makes a run for it. You watch her go, finally realizing just how empty the square is now. Everyone has left, all of them terrified by the man in black. Your eyes dart between him and the stall. 

She’s gone, and you need clothes. You’ll deal with Lucy’s scolding later. You leap over the counter of the stall and begin to rifle through the woman’s stock. Stuffing any spare clothes you think will fit into your pack and just because she was such a horrid bitch, you steal her bag of caps too. 

The crazy old lady by the shop screams out a reward for anyone who manages to kill the man in front of you. When the guns start going off you realize just how screwed you are. You’re in the middle of the town square. Granted, you are blocked by the clothing stall, but these bullets they’re using aren’t ordinary. 

They’re getting holes blown clean through their chest and the buildings around them are damn near exploding from the impact. The measly little wooden stall isn’t going to be any sort of decent cover against them. 

You risk another look over the counter, hoping to find a clear path to Lucy or at least some better cover. He’s finally turned around now and you can get a half decent glance at his side profile. There’s nothing truly recognizable about him, just familiar. It’s hard to really tell anything about him when he doesn’t have a nose. 

You watch with wide eyes and a disbelieving expression as he takes three shots to the chest like it’s nothing. He keeps chewing on his tomatoes and slowly finding cover to reload. A ghoul. Hank and Betty had told you and the other’s about them. People poisoned by radiation. 

Most of them turn feral, but those who can find the right chems live a lot longer than any normal human should. They heal nearly immediately and are almost invulnerable to anything except their own disease. Considering how quick on the draw this guy is, no one has any real hope of taking him down. 

With the shooting redirected you leap out from behind the counter and rush towards the shop. But something stops you before you reach the door. You don’t know what it is, what connects in your brain that has you so harshly coming to a stop. 

You whirl around, ignoring the way Lucy calls out your name. He’s back out from his cover now. He aims, grinning and laughing as he manages to get two people with one bullet. Carnage is all around you. Blood flying through the air, surrounded by blood and guts. The relatively peaceful downtown has been littered with dead. 

And in the middle of it all stands him. You have to be wrong. There’s no fucking way he’s standing in front of you. You take a step forward and his head whips towards you. The rest of him isn’t recognizable, but you would know those eyes anywhere. 

His eyes widen with surprise and you feel your gut drop to your feet. This can’t be him. There’s no way. He’s slaughtering these people like it’s nothing. The man you knew could never be so casual about this. Then again, the relationship you’d had was built on lies. Maybe you’d never really known him. 

Before you can process the anger in his face you’re being jerked to the side. Lucy pants as she drags you into the shop and you look over your shoulder, shocked to find a bullet where you’d just been standing. You catch his eye, see the smoke coming from the barrel of his gun and realize he’d tried to fucking shoot you.

Shit, maybe it is him. He had always had a bad temper and a good aim. 

You can feel his eyes, tracking you even as you disappear behind the walls of the shop. You and Lucy risk a peek out of the shop when you hear something like an explosion. You gape as a power suit lands in front of him. What twisted ass blast to the past have you just been sent to?

How the fuck was Cooper Howard, ghoulified, and a power suit both in the same area? 

You had to be dreaming. There was no way this was happening. But it was, and whoever was in charge of that suit had no idea what they were doing. He’s ducking under their swinging metal arms, taunting them and drawing out the fight. He could end this now, you both know where the weakness is. 

Hell, you could end this fight right now. But you don’t see the need to kill the Knight when it’s clear he’s trying to protect you and Lucy. “We need to get him,” Lucy points frantically to the man on the ground. He’s not really moving, just clutching the bloody nub where his foot used to be and looking astonished at the blood around him. 

“This is really stupid,” you hiss as you both start forward and wrap an arm around one of his own. You don’t have much time to process what happens next. 

“Watch out!” The knight barrels towards you both. He wraps his arms around Lucy and goes flying into a building. You jump back at the explosion of wood and metal flying down around you. The ghoul has his gun pointed at them both. He’d clearly been trying to snipe you both, get you away from the man on the ground. 

Well, he could fucking have him. You drop the man to the ground and he grunts as you make a run for it. A coward’s move, the same one you admonished Norm for. But, you’re a fucking hypocrite, so what? Right now, you’d really just like to survive this gun fight unscathed. 

Something lands near your foot and you jump, realizing it’s a bullet. You glance up and the ghoul is laughing at you, full on belly laughing as he shoots around you. You realize with a start that he’s playing with you. Taunting you like a man who’s got all the time in the world. But you can’t stop running. If you stop, those bullets are going to catch up with you. 

You keep going, legs pumping and heart racing as you’re separated more and more from Lucy. The mission, the whole reason you came up to the surface, is lost on you. You can only focus on one thing, surviving. You keep running, through alleyways and around buildings until you’re back in the woods. The whole time his laughter is following you. 

The sharp noise of something whistling through the air reaches your ears and then something snaps against you. You glance down, only a moment to process the rope over your arms before he’s dragging you back. Your head hits the ground with a harsh snap, the motion slamming your teeth together and nearly biting off the tip of your tongue. 

You groan in dazed pain and then he’s slowly dragging you back. One sharp tug after another, rocks ripping at your suit and scalp, hair ripped out underneath your back. Until, finally, he’s peering over you, face upside down and lips twisted up into a strained smile. 

“Well, there you are, sweetheart.”

end. — I do not own the characters or the game/show Fallout, but this writing is my own all rights reserved © not-neverland06 2024. do not copy, repost, translate & recommend elsewhere.

[vickyvicarious]

Mina first being scared that Van Helsing will accuse her of being responsible for Lucy's death before meeting him and validating her guilty feelings, and then going fully into a despair on October 1st about her going to Whitby and taking a liking to the cemetery being what doomed Lucy... Makes me worry about her survivor's guilt after all this.

We never read her account on October 4 when she and Jonathan wrote down the Oct1-3 cylinders and journal entries, but I'm so curious how she felt listening to the recording about Renfield dying for her after their friendship... Maybe she took it quietly with no tears, as she's on survival mode. But once that is all over? She's prone to spiraling into guilt and feeling responsible...

I've missed a few asks on Mina's guilt, just because I've not kept up with my inbox a hundred percent. But it definitely is a consistent trait of hers and we saw hints building towards the breakdown about Lucy. She feels scared he will accuse her of being responsible for Lucy's death because she feels responsible. And even though Van Helsing never comes anywhere close to putting that on her (because why would he, she protected Lucy as much as possible), we later see Mina do it to herself. I think those thoughts were always in her mind, but when she was being active and taking steps to protect others (Jonathan) or to seek retribution (hunting Dracula) she was able to push them to the back of her mind. But as soon as Mina was left behind with nothing to do, the grief and guilt hit her full force.

And yeah, of course there was additional stress because she was being excluded, and Dracula feeding on you is probably more likely to intensify negative feelings about oneself, but like... yeah, I think that was always coming. Mina feels over-responsible for things, is prone to blaming herself, and does not take well to bad things happening when she wasn't there to stop them. So she concocts some kind of reasoning to herself where actually she could have stopped them. Even when she knows for a fact that there is nothing she could have done, I think she would still feel some guilt mixed in with her worry and grief. It's just how she thinks. Either she did something wrong, or she failed to do something right. Activity or inactivity, both her fault.

When Jonathan was lost on his business trip, Mina felt intense worry but couldn't act because she didn't know what to do. She tried not to acknowledge her terrible thoughts much because again, there was no way to act on them, and she didn't know for sure that they were true. She was actively trying not to give up hope by speaking aloud her worst fears. We saw her counseling herself to have patience, repeatedly. We didn't see much guilt here, but she was suppressing all worry, and I think if she had gotten news that he had died, then she would have instinctively blamed herself at least a little. More "why did I let him go" type blame - if she'd stopped him or at least been with him, maybe she could have saved him.

With Mr. Hawkins, Mina seems genuinely caught off guard by his death. She must have known he was ill, at least enough that he sent Jonathan on the trip in his place, but it was still a sudden death she wasn't prepared for. I don't think she would feel seriously guilty over failing to prevent it, but I could see her feeling kind of guilty that she missed the warning signs and didn't care more for him as well. Maybe she failed to notice some sign that would have at least prepared everyone better. We don't see this happen in the book, and I think it would be much less because he is older regardless and she was never 'responsible' for him in the same way, but I could see these thoughts occurring to her.

With Lucy, it's twofold. First, her death - Mina left her when Lucy seemed to be getting better. Then she was hit with the news that Lucy had died while she was away and fully occupied with caring for Jonathan. We saw her feeling worried in Whitby that she was the cause of Lucy's illness by accidentally pricking her with the pin when she went to get her in the graveyard. The sleepwalking was something Mina failed to protect her from; the illness was from something Mina did when failing to protect her. And yet she felt soothed by an apparent recovery and went off to Jonathan. Then later on, she noticed that it had been a long time since she'd gotten a letter from Lucy, but she didn't bother to come and visit her. Maybe if she had gotten a doctor things never would have gotten so bad! Maybe if she had come to visit her in London she could have shared vital information that would help the doctors save Lucy's life.

And of course, when Mina finds out what was really happening to Lucy she feels worse. Because it wasn't her pricking her with the pin that caused all this - it was something worse. She saw all the signs but dismissed them. She set Lucy up to be vulnerable in the first place by getting her to hang out in the graveyard. And so everything that followed was her fault, and when it was worst she wasn't even there to help.

Mina never blames herself for focusing on helping Jonathan when he needed it. The narrative never does either. There's never a "choose between these two who you love" situation where picking one means the other is lost. Lucy seemed better before she left, Mr. Hawkins died suddenly meaning he probably seemed better too. But while that specific aspect isn't touched on, because Mina knows down to her core that she did right in being there for Jonathan, there are plenty of other ways she can blame herself. She always wants to take action, but if something terrible happens it means she took the wrong action. Even if that means she has to go ways back before the bad things began to find it (a la hanging out in the graveyard). Or if she couldn't act, it's still her fault because they were taking action for her sake.

That's an angle I didn't mention above but I think it would hold true for her to an extent for both men there. Jonathan was ambitious and working hard to provide for their future, so that they could get married. It was at least in part for her that he went off to Castle Dracula. Mr. Hawkins was hiding his illness for her and Jonathan, trying to appear fine because he cared for them and didn't want to worry them. If he'd taken it easier maybe he could have lived longer, if it weren't for them...

And that holds all the more true for Renfield or anyone who explicitly dies for her sake. She can see it potentially coming with Jonathan right now as well, for example - he's willing to damn himself of love for her). And yeah, Renfield of all these people is the one she knows and loves least, but they connected when they spoke. And he chose to fight Dracula, he died for her. At least in large part. His death was such a tragic one, too... And maybe Mina could have prevented it, if only she had spoken up. If she'd been less afraid of being sent fully away, and told Jonathan and the others about her fears. Maybe he would have lived.

As you say, it's possible she wouldn't have cried. I think she might have, a little, but more out of sorrow than guilt at that time. I think, like always, the guilt in its entirety would creep up on her later in quieter moments when she has nothing to do. When she can't distract herself, when she can't act to make things right or take care of others somehow.

[pinkdaiisies]

Dale Cooper x reader

Summary: A certain fbi agent knows just how to break you out of your shell... for some odd un-explainable reason.

Based off of this request

Notes: sorrrrryyyyy for the wait!!

Word Count: 1.5k

Lucy was currently thoroughly explaining to Sheriff Truman which line to pick up through the phone. Her desk faced the guest window, while yours faced the opposite wall behind her. You didn't mind not having to greet whoever walked in. It's the main reason why you loved your job. Being able to complete paperwork in solitude, while having the occasional gossip session with Lucy was the dream. Everyone who worked at the station knew you weren't the talkative type, hell, everyone in Twin Peaks knew that.

After Lucy hung up the phone, she swiveled her chair towards you. Every deputy awaited the arrival of some FBI agent that was due to show up any hour. The past day and a half, Twin Peaks had an eerie feel to it. The loss of Laura Palmer shaking everyone up, including you.

"Gee I wonder when the FBI agent is showing up!" Lucy said. "I've gotten five calls the last 2 hours asking for updates on the case." Lucy said while spinning in her chair. "Hows your paperwork going?"

"It's going." You said. A drunken man had hit a deer on one of the highways and he claimed that it was the station's fault for not having deer crossing signs. You were finishing up some of his court statement logs. "You'd think a man living in Twin Peaks his whole life would know that deer live in the woods." Lucy giggled at your words before getting distracted by Deputy Brennan at the coffee machine. She stood up from her seat and joined him, making you the only one behind the desk.

You were still turned away from the window when you heard the lobby door open. You prayed it was just another deputy coming back from being on duty. Unfortunately you heard someone trying to get your attention.

"Excuse me, miss?" You had no choice but to spin your chair around to the mystery person.

You could tell right away from the look of the man that this was the FBI agent. The fancy suit and the FBI pin near his collar gave it away. Another thing you took notice of right away was the man's sheer beauty. You weren't the type to make your feelings of attraction a topic of discussion, but you would definitely have to gossip with Lucy about this later.

"Hi sorry." You spoke back quietly.

"Lucy is it?" The man questioned while looking at Lucy's name placard on the desk.

"No, Lucy stepped out for a moment. I'm y/n l/n." You said while pointing to your name tag back on your own desk, which was barley visible due to the overflow of paper work.

"It's lovely to meet you y/n." Dale said with a smirk on his face. "Its sad we have to meet under these unfortunate circumstance. I'm Special Agent Dale Cooper." The smirk on his face nearly made you forget the case at hand. His flirtatious smile yet professional demeanor wasn't something you were used to, having lived in Twin Peaks your whole life. Although you've only known him for literal seconds, you were sure he was different from anyone you've ever met.

"Well, it's lovely to meet you too Agent Cooper." You said with a smile that was probably a little too big for the moment. "Our Sheriff is down the hall in the door on your right. We also have donuts and coffee in the break room so feel free to grab as much as you'd like! If we run out just call me and I can probably go out to the Double R diner to grab some more, it's really no problem. Twin Peaks is really happy to have you-"

"Y/n! Mr. FBI agent probably has to go, you don't want to hold him for too long." Lucy saved you from your rambling. You've never once rambled before in your life. You probably spoke more in those few sentences then you have all week!

"It's really no problem. Thank you y/n." Then Dale left your vision as he turned the corner to make his way to the Sheriff.

"I love you y/n but I don't think I've ever heard you speak so much at once!" Lucy exclaimed. It was true, you didn't know what had gotten into you. Sure, Dale Cooper was a good looking man, but you have never once let a man change your very own speaking tendencies!

"Ugh!" You groaned in response, knowing you had just embarrassed yourself. You swiveled your chair back to your desk and buried your face into your hands.

-

Dale Cooper had been in Twin Peaks for four days now. The only updates you got on the Laura Palmer case were the details that Deputy Brennan accidentally let slip to Lucy, and it didn't seem like they were getting far.

You were able to keep your blabbering to a minimum around Dale Copper for the most part. Although when Dale walked in every morning he would make a point to catch your attention to tell you good morning. So obviously you had no choice but to awkwardly spin your chair around as fast as lighting, occasionally knocking down some papers in the process, and say good morning along with some meaningless comment about the weather or the status of the coffee in the break room.

Despite your awkwardness, Dale Cooper always agreed with you, or thanked you, and walked to the Sheriff's room with a smile on his face. Always leaving Lucy giggling to herself. You spilled to her that you thought the agent was handsome on the second day of his arrival. Sometimes she would call him over to the reception desk just to ask him some meaningless question that involved you somehow. You were left speechless every time, but Dale always answered back in a serious and thoughtful way.

Starting the paper work for poor Laura's case was the most difficult paperwork you've ever filled out. Her murder hit a lot harder than all of the other cases that were brought to your desk. Which is why you needed to get your second cup of coffee of the day. You made your way to the break room and poured yourself a cup, while looking at the donut options.

Footsteps approached as you stirred your coffee and you soon realized that agent Cooper was walking towards you. Your heartbeat sped up tremendously.

"Hello y/n!" Dale said.

"Hi Agent Cooper! How are you?" Although you started speaking before he could answer, "I expect not too well because I heard you and the deputies stayed out late last night looking for evidence. I can only imagine how stressful that may be." You silently cursed yourself for rambling on once again, but Dale didn't seem to mind.

"I'm doing as well as I can. Although a cup of coffee will definitely make my day better!" Dale answered back. To help the agent, you reached for a cup but failed to realize Cooper was reaching at the same time. Both of your guys hands brushed and you pulled away anxiously, a blush staining your cheeks. You muttered a sorry, and Dale said that it was no problem.

"Well, how are you doing?" Dale asked back while beginning to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Oh me? I'm doing okay I guess, can't really complain, I'm not the one trying to solve a murder right now." You giggled awkwardly. Now is definitely not the time to be laughing?! You thought to yourself. "I'm sorry that was dumb. I totally respect your line of work, I'm just not used to talking to a lot of new people..." Your sentence got quieter as you spoke. "I've lived here my whole life so everyone knows everyone."

"Don't apologize," Dale started. "So I'm assuming you've eaten at the Double R Diner before then?" Dale asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Of course I have! Their food is really good and the owner is just the sweetest person you'll ever meet!" You said, finally a normal sentence coming out of you.

"Well maybe you'd like to accompany me to get coffee over there tomorrow around this time?" Out of all of the things you expected Agent Cooper to say, him asking you on a date was very low on the list.

"Yes- I mean, I'd love to! I didn't think that you would- well, I never expected you to..." You cut yourself short, realizing another century long ramble was near. "Yes Agent Cooper." You finished with a huge smile on your face.

"Great! I should probably get going, Harry was expecting me in his office." He smiled and left you standing there with excitement.

Dale walked into the room that the Sheriff was in.

"Your receptionist sure is quite talkative Harry." Dale said.

"Yes, Lucy does tend to be that way." Sheriff Truman said while organizing some evidence on the table.

"No, I meant y/n." Dale said with a skeptical look on his face.

"Are you sure you don't have them mixed up?" Harry questioned.

"Well I just asked y/n on a date tomorrow so I sure hope I don't!"

[scribbles97]

The Nightmare Come True - Part 3

TW: POW, Torture Scott's POV 1 | Part 1 | Scott's POV 2 | Part 2 | Scott's POV 3 Thanks @loopstagirl for the support and inspiration!

Scott had thanked him. 

Scott had thanked him and it had made the Dog Tags in Jeff’s pocket feel all the heavier. 

“You found me.” 

It had sounded like the kid had never doubted him, and Jeff’s gut had started to refute the statement before he had consciously thought about it. 

Scott, I …

Wouldn’t have stopped until I did. 

I’m sorry it wasn’t sooner. 

Or, perhaps the most truthful of all, 

I didn’t. 

Because Colonel Jeff Tracy had not found Captain Scott Tracy. Instead, his son had been presented to him as a pawn in the game between one country and the rest of the world. It had been Hugh and Kyrano that had worked their magic and found exactly where Scott had been held. 

Hell, it had even been Kyrano that had found him in the cells when Jeff hadn’t heard his own son’s cries for help. 

The nightmare that had woken Scott in a panic and sent all manner of alarms blaring, were proof most of all. 

Jeff hadn’t saved his son. 

He had spent six months trying, and failing, to find him. He had stood by as others had taken action and done all the heavy lifting for him. He had done nothing whilst all that time Scott had been fighting. 

“What’s that look for?”

Jeff looked up from where he had perched on the arm of the chair Scott had fallen asleep in, Val’s whisper breaking into his thoughts. 

“He thinks I saved him, Val.” He murmured back, his hand absently brushing over Scott’s still too short hair, “He thanked me.”

Val eyed him for a long moment before hopping up onto the empty bed, her eyes assessing both he and Scott in a way Jeff had long since come used to. She’d speak when she’d decided what needed to be said, once she’d gotten a full picture of what was happening and the mindset of those involved. It was a skill she used to her full advantage and had seen her rise through the ranks of the Air Force right on Jeff’s tail. 

“The nurses won’t be impressed when they find him out of bed.” She watched him, leaning forward like it was a secret Jeff hadn’t already known the moment Scott had forced himself upright. 

“He needed to move,” He fired back, ready to defend as he had done when the same nurses had tried to force an oxygen mask over Scott’s face, “to not feel trapped.” 

He’d known even before he had asked that he wouldn’t have stopped Scott, even if he had wanted to. His son had always wanted to move, had hated confinement of any sort even when he had been tiny. Lucy had always laughed, insisted that he had gotten it from Jeff himself, and had known that he would inevitably follow his father to the sky where the only limit was the horizon. 

Being bound to a bed, barely able to stay awake, had always felt like …

“You helped him?” Val asked, raising an eyebrow that held no real heat. 

Jeff straightened, prickling at the insinuation he couldn’t quite see, “I was hardly gonna leave him to struggle on his own.” 

Because he had done that once, and even to that day he was seeing the reminders of that very mistake. 

Scott hadn’t wanted help, had been determined to push through and manage on his own even when he was exhausted and hurting. Jeff had partly fallen back on his Colonel Voice to get the Captain to listen, and it had twisted something deep in his gut that it had come to that. 

He knew the way Scott had leaned into him after he had thrown up had been subconscious, and definitely something he wouldn’t have done had he been more awake. It was for the same reason that Scott hadn’t actively called out for Jeff, except for in his nightmares. 

A much younger Scott had needed his father, and he hadn’t been there, so at some point the kid had stopped asking for him. 

Jeff had come back to his son’s though, and had sworn every day that he would be there for them. He would pick them up when they fell, guide them when they were lost, hold them together when they fell apart. 

Alan had just been young enough to still ask for him. 

Gordon had his moments, but had followed an example set by his older brothers. 

Virgil had always been his mother’s son, and whilst he would ask for Jeff, he knew his mother had always been the parent he had called for first. 

John wasn’t like the others, had always needed someone to see when he needed help rather than simply ask for it. 

Scott had once been like Virgil, except the oldest had been his father’s son where Virgil had been his mother’s. When Jeff had fallen into his grief, Scott had fallen to not wanting to ask for help. Ever since had had come to his senses, Jeff had been watching and doing his best to give his son what he needed. 

“You’re protecting him.” Val stated softly, the smallest of smiles playing on her lips. 

Jeff looked down again, Scott’s face slack in dreamless sleep, peaceful. 

He’d do anything to keep his son feeling that at peace, but he knew he couldn’t stop the nightmares that would come eventually.

“I didn’t protect him from them, nobody protected him.” He whispered, “He saved his crew, and he saved himself, I just turned up to pull him outta there.” 

“Maybe.” Val nodded slowly, “or maybe you turned up right when he needed you to.”

Jeff frowned across to her, “What do you mean?”

Her look was soft as she sighed, “They train us hard for what happens in prison, tell us what to do, what to say. There’s no training for this though, is there? For what comes after.”

He knew she was right, there was no guidebook or protocol for what Scott was going through. There was no command that his son could follow to make it better. 

Unless…

He felt sick at the thought, not confident that Scott was really ready for it. 

Command was something he could do though, something Jeff had seen him demonstrate a handful of times since he had woken up. He had found his voice again, rooted deep and found the stubbornness that ran strong in his genes to get himself from the bed to the chair. There was still something more needed though, something to get him to see exactly how strong he had been through everything. 

“Tomorrow,” He swallowed, “I’ll talk to him about a debrief.”

If Val was surprised by his statement, she hid it well. 

“I can’t get you in on it.” She stated with a heavy sigh, “But if he agrees, I’ll find a way for you to listen in.”

Jeff wasn’t sure he was ready for that, to hear exactly what Scott had gone through without being at his side to support him through the memories. He trusted Val though, knew she had stood up for the rest of the squadron, and knew that she would do the same if not more for the man sleeping at Jeff’s side. 

Slipping off the bed, she crossed the room to squeeze his shoulder with a silent nod before leaving them as quietly as she had come.

***

The nurses hadn’t passed comment when they had come to check on Scott, and Jeff said nothing in return as he scratched gently at his son’s scalp and thought about how stiff he would be when he did eventually wake. He deserved peace, the chance to rest undisturbed for as long as his mind would allow him. 

Jeff’s phone buzzing in his pocket startled him as he hurried to answer it before it woke Scott. 

“Virgil.” He hissed, glancing down to Scott, grateful to see him undisturbed despite the blue-tinged hologram lighting up the room. 

His middle son looked firstly shocked and then guilty across the miles, “Sorry Dad, I just-- is that… Scott?” 

Jeff realized too late that Scott would have been in the frame and immediately shifted the field to hide the eldest away from his younger brother’s eyes. 

“He’s sleeping.” He murmured, “He’s still recovering.” 

Virgil nodded quickly, eyes still clearly shocked at whatever he had picked up on of his eldest brother’s state.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have-- I just--”

Jeff straightened, already heightened senses picking up on the tone and immediately knowing the root of why his son had called. He glanced to the clock on the wall, a digital thing that showed the date in big bold numbers beneath the time. A quick mental calculation reminded him that Virgil had a recital that day, a solo he had been practicing since before Scott had been gone. 

They had both voiced hope that he would be home to see it. 

“What is it, son?” He asked softly, “Can your Grandmother still make it today?”

Virgil nodded quickly, glancing away from the phone before looking back again, “Yeah, Grandma’s still coming.” 

His voice didn’t hold its usual enthusiasm in anticipation of playing for his family. 

“I know you hoped he’d be home for this.” Jeff murmured, his free hand scratching over Scott’s scalp again, “We all did.” 

Virgil looked away again, someone out of field calling him, “I… it’s my turn for final rehearsal.”

Jeff smiled softly, understanding without the words needing to be asked, “I’m sure we could stay on the line whilst you play.”

Virgil’s face lit up, his eyes losing most of the worry that had settled there at the sight of his big brother, “You can? Ms Graham said it was fine but Grandma sid the doctors might--”

Jeff waved him off, quickly assuring him that the doctors could say all they wished. Scott had always encouraged Virgil to play, he was certain to appreciate the soft melodies even in his sleep. 

Or not, if the hand that reached to Jeff’s leg was of any indication. 

He glanced down as Virgil placed the phone on the corner of the piano, noting how Scott’s eyes were still rested closed even as he yawned. Reaching down, he rested his free hand over his son’s, unsurprised when Scott moved his hand to grip the best he could in response. 

Awake, listening, but not ready to face his brother was the summary Jeff came to as Virgil began to play.

He wasn’t sure when Scott’s body had tensed against him, but as the music floated through the speaker of his phone, Jeff noticed as slowly each part of Scott fully relaxed. Muscles that he was certain must have been tense for months, softened and lengthened as the melody flowed over them. The splinted fingers that had tried to curl around Jeff’s hand loosened until they were no longer holding on but resting lightly against Jeff’s palm. His eyes were open but distant, focussed somewhere in the middle of the floor but not really seeing the room they were in as the notes wrapped them in something soothing and calm. 

They perhaps could have sat like that forever, at peace with the music that had once been Lucy’s. Every song had it’s end though, and all too soon Virgil was looking back to the hologram with a smile much softer than the one he had given earlier. 

“Night Scott, night Dad.” He murmured softly before hanging up without another word. 

Jeff smiled to himself as he repocketed his phone, glancing down to Scott with a raised eyebrow, “How about we get you into bed? You’ll feel it tomorrow if you sleep here all night.”

Scott grunted as he shifted upright, clearly already feeling it after the few hours he had been sat in the chair. His eyes darted across the room to the bed, his jaw tensing as he gauged the distance he had to move. 

For a brief moment, Jeff thought he would need to convince his son to accept help once more, but right as he was about to step in front of him, Scott turned and held out his arms. 

“Easy does it, right?” Jeff had asked through his surprise, stepping up and supporting Scott’s weight just as he had done so earlier. 

Together they had shuffled back to the bed, Scott’s weight shifting more and more on to Jeff the further they got. Not that he minded, hell, Jeff would carry his son across that room a thousand times if it made things better.

“Dad?” Scott slurred as he sunk back into the pillows. 

“Yes, kiddo?”

“Tell Aunt Val you can lis’en.” 

By the time Jeff had interpreted just what Scott meant, the kid was asleep. 

***

Val had brought the Generals with her the next afternoon after a more lucid Scott had agreed to the debrief. She had stood at the door as the pair had introduced themselves and then asked Jeff to leave the room. 

He would never forgive the United States Air Force for what had followed when Scott had gripped onto his sleeve and stated in no uncertain terms that he wished for his father to stay. For a brief moment, Jeff had been assured that Scott would be fine as a flicker of the self-confident son shone through in the face of his superiors. 

Those superiors had instantly extinguished the flame.

There had been no gentle reminders, or soft explanations, no understanding or care for what the airman in the bed had been through whilst they had sat in their ivory towers. Without hesitation, one had barked a sharp reminder across the room, 

“You’ll do well to remember who’s in charge here, Captain.” 

Scott had instantly cowered, turning away from the authority figures and looking to Jeff with the same fear that he had found him with back in the cells. The hand that Jeff had taken in his own had been clammy and had shook as he held on to it tight. 

“Son, you listen to me,” He had told him, ignoring the pair at his back, “I’ll be right down the hall. You tell them everything that happened, and as soon as you’re done I’ll be right back here.”

It had taken a long moment before Scott had nodded and released Jeff’s arm enough for him to leave. 

As soon as he was out the door, he had shoved in the earbud Val had slipped to him and hurried to the office down the hall she had cleared for him. 

There he had listened, barely breathing, as Scott had recounted every detail of the six months he had been gone. 

From departing for the mission, to being shot down. 

From being helped by the villagers they were meant to be saving, to being captured. 

From being thrown in a cell with the rest of his squad, to fighting to protect them when their captors had come to interrogate them. 

It had all been almost robotic, Jeff could tell his son had slipped and fallen back to the Air Man he had been six months ago. There was no emotion there, the Generals didn’t have an interest in how their people felt, just one simple fact after another. 

“Your squadron told us--”

“You debriefed my people without me?” Scott cut in, “Sir, protocol dictates that any debrief should be--”

“You were unavailable, Captain.” Val told him gently, “Protocol was followed given the circumstance.”

“Your squadron described to us how you protected them.” One General continued, as if there hadn’t been an interruption, “Did you not trust them, Captain?”

Scott’s voice held the same flicker it had earlier as he responded, “I trust them all with my life, Sir.”

“So why take the beatings in their place?”

Anger curdled in Jeff’s own stomach, it had not been as simple as beatings, even he knew that much. The animals had tortured Scott and his squad, first for information and then, he imagined, just because they could. 

“It was torture, Sir.” Scott’s voice held an edge to it, sharp and dangerous, “I wasn’t going to let my people suffer more than they needed to, not if I could help it.”

“Your squad say you bartered with your captors, is that correct?”

“I bartered to protect them.”

“Yet it wasn’t enough, was it, Captain? You still lost half your team.”

There was a long pause, a quiet shuffling and a soft murmur of assurance from Val before Scott responded. 

“I failed my people, Sir.”

Jeff bowed his head, screwing his eyes shut to force his own tears away. Scott had failed nobody, he had done his best to protect his people in any way he had been able. He had stayed strong and fought, Jeff had seen how fiercely Scott protected his own, had been called to the principal's office over fights caused by bullies too many times to count.

“Why did they separate you?”

“Sir?”

“Your squad told us that just before their rescue, your captors split you from a group cell to individual cells. Why was this?”

“I don’t know, Sir.”

“So, in all your bartering, they never gave you anything?”

“They stayed away from my people.” Scott answered, his voice wavering, “They hurt me instead of them.”

“But they didn’t, did they Captain? They still hurt your comrades, didn’t they?”

Jeff felt his heart drop, the insinuation hitting him square in the chest. 

“Not as badly as they could have, Sir.” 

“What are you insinuating, General?” Val’s voice held as much ire as Jeff felt. 

“We find it awfully convenient that the Captain is reported to have bartered with the guards and was then hidden away when the extraction team arrived.”

Jeff slammed his fist on the desk, sending pens scattering across the floor as he half stood from the seat he had taken. How dare they imply that Scott had betrayed his country! They hadn’t been there, hadn’t seen the scars or the nightmares, hadn’t heard their son scream their name like they couldn’t hear him. 

“You want to know where I was when they came?” 

Scott’s anger had always burned hot and fast, explosive against anyone that stood against him. It was something he had gotten from Jeff himself, a trait he had tried and failed to move him away from. 

Up the hallway, in a hospital bed, unable to stand for himself, Scott’s anger burned equally as hot but in a far more dangerous way. There hadn’t been any quiver in his question, each word had come as clear as the one before, his tone low and blunt. Anyone that had known the boy’s mother would have heard her as Jeff did in that question, and they would have known that whatever came next was far more dangerous than an explosion. 

“Please, enlighten us, Captain.”

Scott’s breaths turned ragged for a moment, anger and panic mixing briefly before a long breath was drawn in. 

“They put me in Solitary. To the right of the room where I was found, there was a concealed entrance, a room five by five.” 

Jeff felt sick as he remembered the screams for help he had heard over the phone, and he knew. 

“They took me there three times, General, and they left me there for weeks. Did my team tell you that? Did they tell you how they all thought I was dead the first time because I was gone for so long? Did they tell you how I couldn’t stand for a fortnight after they let me out? Did they tell you how I came back covered in my own filth because the guards thought it would remind me what sort of pig I was?”

Jeff was torn between pride and anger, between needing to listen and needing to stop. He’d had ideas, had made assumptions about everything his son must have been through, but he wasn’t sure any of them had quite matched the reality he was hearing as Scott ranted. 

“I was in there when they were saved! And I came out thinking they were dead and that I’d failed them all. That was when I gave up. That was when they could have killed me and I wouldn’t have cared.”

Jeff found himself gripping the desk to keep himself seated, his stomach churning enough that he thought about reaching for the waste bin. Scott had given up, had been ready to let them win. If Kyrano hadn’t have found him when he did…

“I think your people should be checking for that hidden room, General.” Val’s voice was the cool balm Jeff needed to hear, “That and the Squadron’s statements should be confirmation enough of Captain Tracy’s loyalty to the Force.”

Jeff didn’t wait for her text to confirm it was clear for him to return. He didn’t acknowledge the Generals as he passed them in the hallway. He didn’t stop for anything or anyone until his arms were wrapped around his son. 

Scott clung to him in return, a raw sob breaking free the moment that Val left them alone. 

“I’ve got you kiddo.” He murmured into his hair, “You’ve been so strong, I’m so proud. You didn’t fail, you saved Jen and Gary and Sienna, you did good Scott. You’re so brave.” 

His son’s tears weren’t like the ones that came before, they lacked the shaking grip that had come with fear and memories of terror that had been haunting him since he had woken up. 

His sobs were raw, his grip solid and sure against Jeff’s back, like he had finally realized that his father wasn’t going anywhere without him. He wasn’t sure if it was relief, anger, or something else that fueled them, but it was something.

He held on and kept repeating the soothing mantra until the sobs subsided into long aching breaths and Scott pulled back, clearly spent. 

“Dad?” He murmured, eyes drifting as Jeff repositioned himself to take hold of his hand.

“Yeah, kiddo?”

HIs eyes flickered to him, brow furrowing as he spoke, “I lied to them.” 

Jeff leant closer, holding on to Scott’s hand with both of his, “To who?”

“The Generals. Told ‘em I didn’t care. I did though, I wanted to come home, wanted to see the boys, and wanted to see you. Then you found me.”

He pulled Scott back to his chest, hugging him tightly as his own tears broke free and ran down into his son’s hair. 

[bumblebeehug]

Then They Were Two

Summary: Happy doesn't know how to cope with growing old and feeling lonely, despite his great amount of friends. Ao3

***

Happy had always been Natsu and Lucy’s closest friend. He knew all their secrets, except for what they did as romantic activities – he could live without any of those details. He was Natsu’s best man at their wedding, and they even allowed him to walk Natsu down the aisle to compensate for not letting him be their ring bearer (which was for its best, Happy knew, since he could be quite clumsy and carried the risk of losing the ring before the wedding could even begin).

Truly, Happy knew Natsu and Lucy like the backside of his paw and they knew him just as well. Except, for some years he had been keeping a secret. He tried not to think of it as a secret – just a situation no one wanted to discuss, so the details were simply never revealed. Though, no matter how much he tried to go around it, facts were that it was a secret. He withheld information, which wasn’t a lie in itself, but to keep said information under covers he sometimes had to create small, white lies, just to not act suspiciously. Those white lies accumulated, and now he couldn’t tell if he was just adding a small lie to the story or if he was making the first lie bigger, more complicated.

Either way, Happy couldn’t bring himself to tell them. The timing was never right, he told himself. Exactly, the timing wasn’t right – there was the thing with their confession, then missions came in the way, then they moved in together, all things which took up all their attention. It wasn’t right to disturb them then. Then Natsu already started to plan the proposal, and Happy definitely couldn’t bring it up. And then there was the wedding planning, which he couldn’t disturb even if he were born evil. And then the wedding, then the honeymoon, then the children came, a little, blonde girl with wild hair and dark brown eyes, with her little brother, light pink hair covering his head, and brown deep eyes. Happy couldn’t disturb the peace then either – all his time went to babysitting!

He told himself that these were the reasons as to why he never had the talk with them. There wasn’t time. It always came back to that reason. Timing; too little time, too hectic times, too peaceful times. But truthfully, he had always known that time was the wrong thing to rely on. He was cowardly, not considerate. Had he bitten the sour apple, just taken the leap of faith and believed that life could go on as normal after the conversation, maybe he wouldn’t be in this situation right now. But here he was.

For some years now, he, Carla and Lily had been going to the town where Exceeds resided. The reason was mainly to visit family and friends, and to keep up with their local news since their papers weren’t as reliable as they could have been. But some years ago, Happy and Carla had lost their true familial reasons to visit. See, despite being magical creatures, the lifespan of an Exceed wasn’t as long as a human’s. It shouldn’t have come as a shock - the first sign should have been when Happy “catched up” in age with Natsu, despite Natsu being roughly ten years old when he found Happy’s egg. It’s common knowledge that humans mature slower than most animals, since they have a longer lifespan on average. He could both fly and talk right out of the egg, so naturally he would be early to age as well.

 Well, it did come as a shock. First Lucky, Happy’s biological dad, couldn’t fly anymore. He told Happy that there was nothing to worry about, since his work didn’t require any flight. Then the ageing signs came one after one - his fish had to be cooked tender, or his teeth would hurt, he got prescribed painkillers for pain in his joints, and some years after that, Happy could see white hairs sticking out from his normally blue coat. His father had gotten old. And along him, Marl, Happy’s mother, also slowly deteriorated. She lost her ability to fly shortly after Lucky, and then she experienced all the same signs as Lucky did. Happy made sure to take care of them best he could - he took care of living expenses when the money from their farm didn’t suffice, and he brought Wendy’s herbal remedies for their muscles and joints. He even made a wooden cane for Marl, when her balance no longer was as reliable.

But then the inevitable happened. Lucky had been in bed with a fever for a few days, and though he recovered on most medical terms, he never got his energy back. The most he could manage for a week was a trip to the bathroom, maybe two if he was, well, lucky, and then, just a couple of days later, he passed in his sleep. The grief made it hard for Happy to come visit Marl, as every object in their house reminded him of his father. They never had the classical relationship of a father and son - Lucky teaching him how to fly properly, without crashing into things, or Happy acting like a broody teenager, but they had certainly gotten close. If anything, the years apart had made their hearts grow closer, so with weekly visits, often more, they had undoubtedly become inseparable.

Of course, with Marl’s rough condition, Happy couldn’t actually bear to leave her all by herself after she lost her husband. She never had the same stamina as Lucky, so the ageing deteriorated her muscles much quicker. She was a lot clearer in her head though, so when she got bedridden she still managed to be herself. It made Happy’s time caring for her a lot easier. He had decided to move in with her so he could become her caretaker, and so she didn’t feel lonely, but he realised that in the end, it was she who made him feel happy again. She knew how to shine light over everything, make the tough stuff easier for Happy to cope with. She always told the funniest jokes, and never hurried him when he made mistakes. Fact was, she was so clear in her head, that Happy didn’t see it coming when he woke up one morning and found her on the verge of death. She lied so still, with a calm air around her. Her breaths were clearly forced, a wheezing hiss sounding with every puff. Though her blue coat was dull, she looked pretty in her nightgown, surrounded by soft floral sheets.

Happy was a little ashamed to admit that he panicked. He started running around, his legs barely holding him up, trying to find the emergency lacrima to get her to the hospital. His hands were shaking and he forgot to breathe for a second as he activated it and started sputtering nonsense to the receptionist, but it was too late.

“Happy,” Marl called out in a whisper. Her mouth didn’t seem to cooperate with her, slurring at letters she had pronounced so well just hours before.

Happy dropped the lacrima on the floor and hurried over to her. He wasn’t stupid: he knew that there wasn’t time to wait for the ambulance. His mother was here, now, and she couldn’t wait. She raised his hand and carefully cupped his face. The action was strenuous, so Happy grabbed her hand and held it in place on his cheek. He was already crying, seeing her tired, glazed eyes.

“My little boy has gotten so big.” A single tear ran down her cheek.

“M-mom…” Happy’s voice cracked, but it was barely noticeable compared to the death rattle that filled the small bedroom. Marl’s hand went cold. The silence was short, but deafening. Happy cried like he never had before, wailing in denial. He didn’t want her to die, he wanted to hear more of her stories, more of her jokes, and more than anything he wanted more time.

It always came back to that phrase, didn’t it? More time. It was easy in hindsight to say he should have used the time he had wisely, rather than wishing for more. Even back then, as he was dealing with Marl’s funeral, he knew he should have faced the cold hard truth and discussed it with Natsu and Lucy. He should have prepared them for his own death. But he couldn’t. Once again, the timing wasn’t right. He had too much to think about, he told himself and kept quiet.

Though life went on like normal, Happy could recall his first signs of ageing. Natsu and Lucy had gotten their first grey hairs, but since Exceeds were a type of cat species, he knew he wouldn’t get them for a long time. No, he noticed how he couldn’t move around like usual. He wasn’t as flexible as before, and now the jobs made him strain himself more easily. He had talked to Lily about it at the time, and he told Happy that it wasn’t something to worry about - they were just growing older.

Then he noticed that his teeth were hurting. He normally took good care of them, but the many years from eating burnt fish and chomping down on fish bones, had taken its toll. And then his magical stamina started wearing down. He couldn’t keep his wings for more than 10 minutes, and those minutes were rapidly getting fewer. That meant straining his body even more, and at that point he moved back in with Natsu and Lucy. It felt nice to be back there, to be in the middle of a messy but loving family. 

The last sign was a recent one. He had been making his way home from the guild, and suddenly felt lost. It was honestly scary, because he didn’t recognise the buildings around the river, and he couldn’t understand why his body was aching and why he didn’t have the energy to fly. So all he could do was to cry for help. Not even 30 minutes later, Natsu came for his rescue. Except, he looked too old to be his Natsu. His pink hair was dull, he had lines on his forehead and around his mouth, and there was a stubble growing on his chin. He looked like he could be Natsu’s father.

A few days later, Wendy explained to Happy that he had a spell of disorientation. He knew it was Wendy’s way of telling him he showed signs of dementia, because she then went on to explain that he had been walking on Strawberry lane, the street where Lucy’s old apartment had been before they renovated the buildings, but that Happy couldn’t localise himself in that state, so he panicked. She said it was only natural, and that it wasn’t uncommon to walk back to old places out of muscle memory, but Happy understood that it wasn’t just muscle memory. He had experienced muscle memory before, like when the fish market moved a block and he went too far. The difference was that he had caught on quickly, laughed at his silly behaviour, and then gone to the correct place.

So, with that recent experience, Happy had to make a choice. He could tell Natsu and Lucy that the time was near, and that there was nothing anyone could do, but to cherish the last time together, or he could do what his instincts were telling him. That would be to hide away, not only to keep himself safe from any dangers that might be around, but to also keep the Dragneel-Heartfilia family safe. Though his Exceed-brain told him that he wasn’t sick - he was just old, at the end of his journey, his cat-influenced brain told him that his weakness could be due to sickness, so he had to distance himself from the ones he cared about. His pack.

***

Natsu and Lucy should have seen it coming. Or, they thought so at least. They had seen Lucky and Marl during their last months alive, and they were aware of the signs – at the end they could only boil it down to them not wanting to see them. Especially with the last week fresh in mind - Happy had been close to bedbound, though he didn’t want them to notice. Lucy saw how hard he tried to pick at things at home, picking up various dirty socks and trying to keep clean, but she also saw how often he had to take breaks. It was harder without his wings, it was clear as day. He had been accustomed to his wings his entire life, never even knowing a time when he could walk but couldn’t fly. Luckily Natsu had been quick to build staircases with railing up to the couch, the bed, the kitchen table, and other necessary places. Most staircases were quite heavy for Happy’s decreased muscle mass, but he made sure to keep a couple of lightweight ones around the house so Happy could go wherever he needed to.

Yes, both Natsu and Lucy had seen the signs, but refused to see them as THE signs. It was late in September when they one day didn’t find him anywhere. They had been up early, buying some groceries at the market. Natsu was almost certain he had felt Happy’s weight on his feet as he woke up, but he couldn’t remember actually looking at him, checking in on him. Lucy, who usually would pride herself on her perceptiveness, couldn’t remember either if she had seen him that morning. In fact, they only noticed he was missing at lunch time, because not even an old, demented Happy would miss his lunch. Immediate worry struck them both, and as they searched around the house, turning upside down on every possible sleeping spot as well as high-risk falling spot, Lucy caught Natsu in her arms, holding him down to stop his searching for just a second.

“Natsu, wait!” She said, trying to catch his eyes and through them his attention. “Hey, would you look at me? We will find him, alright.”

Natsu let out a shaky breath as she spoke to him.

“How about you calm down, close your eyes and breathe. Focus on finding his smell,” Lucy instructed, slowly massaging Natsu’s shoulders. She knew her brave facade wasn’t fooling him - her heart was pounding harder than it had in a long time, for she was worried sick of what could have happened. Hopefully he was only a few minutes into a dementia-spell, because if that was the case she and Natsu could coerce him to go home with them. Worst case… No, she didn’t want to think about it. Happy would be okay.

“I… I think I can smell him,” Natsu slowly said, concentrating on where his scent lingered the strongest. “I think he went out.”

Lucy was quick to get their coats and shoes, and soon they were outside, following the way Natsu’s nose led them. When they headed towards the woods they felt their feet hurry – no good awaited a defenceless cat in this landscape. No one knew what could be lurking in the shadows.

“Lucy… Something’s wrong.” Natsu had stopped walking. “It’s like…” He couldn’t finish his sentence. Lucy couldn’t say anything back. She just shook her head in disbelief. After a minute Natsu started walking again, slower this time, really trying to track down the exact position of his old pal.

It was Lucy who found Happy at the end. She had almost stepped on him, as he had curled in under a patch of moss. It was her sob that got Natsu’s attention. When she removed the moss, Natsu saw him clearly. Small, almost a bit boney from not getting much food when his teeth failed him, lying in a perfect, blue circle. He looked peaceful, but the lack of a heartbeat made Natsu’s ears ring. They broke down for quite a long time, not even having the courage to pet their deceased friend. They could only cling to each other, what they had left, and cry.

For many years, Natsu could only go to Happy’s grave in silence. To speak so close to his resting place would be too hard – wrong, in a sense. He had been buried at their fishing spot, and once a week Natsu would find time to sit there, casting his line. He liked to think that Happy was sitting beside him, casting his own ghostly line, and Natsu held many conversations with him in his head. Sometimes Lucy would join them. She always came with flowers, and when she thought Natsu was too busy with a caught fish, she would whisper to the headstone about their week. They would always cherish the time they were three.

[kanerallels]

For @monthly-challenge's Februfluff, day 15: dancing! My prompt is pretty short, but I still like it. Also it's one of the few times I've actually written Chenford (though that has definitely changed)

Their first dance wasn’t actually a dance, technically speaking. But Lucy would never forget the first time Tim asked her to dance. It was right after her first proper UC assignment, and she was still riding the high of it. She’d gone to Angela and Wesley’s wedding, and Tim had been there, like he always was.

That was the first time, looking back, that she could think of him looking at her like she was more than his rookie, more than even a friend. He’d looked handsome in his suit, and they’d talked about the op she’d just finished.

She’d been starting to walk away when he asked her to save him a dance, and Lucy could still remember the pleased surprise bubbling up in her chest.

It hadn’t worked out, obviously. Nolan had discovered that Angela and Jackson were missing, and the whole wedding had fallen to pieces in a matter of minutes. It was way, way too long before any of their group felt like dancing after that, even if things ended happily enough.

Their real first dance was months later, at James and Nyla’s wedding reception. Tim wasn’t wearing a suit, but he’d still looked good, like he always had. And he’d held out his hand, reminding her that she owed him a dance, and Lucy couldn’t swear her heart didn’t beat a little faster when she took his hand.

They’d talked as they danced, making up for some fight they’d had earlier, his hand curled around hers. Then he’d spun her around, and she’d laughed with the sheer exhilaration of it, and he’d been smiling, too. Lucy would never have guessed that Tim Bradford could smile like that when she’d first met him, grim and stern as he’d been.

But that had changed. So much had changed since then— their lives, both apart and together. The people they had in their lives. The way they felt about each other most of all, although that had definitely changed for the best.

And now, a little over two years after that dance at James and Nyla’s wedding, they were dancing again. But this time, Tim was wearing a suit. And Lucy was wearing white.

She felt a smile crossing her face as they spun around the dance floor slowly. The events leading up to this day had been nothing short of crazy, with moments of sweetness mixed in.

It had started with the proposal. Tim wasn’t usually one for speeches. Lucy had always known that he was more of one to show his love, not say it. But his proposal had brought tears to her eyes, and saying yes was the best decision she’d ever made. 

Life had started to get a little crazy after that— one of the UC cases she’d been working had gone south, and things had gotten seriously dangerous. She’d ended up in a safe house while the others had worked the case, trying to bring in the man who was threatening her life.

Tim had been her rock during the whole thing. She’d known he was scared too, but he’d stayed calm, giving her updates and distracting her with a thousand different things, including wedding planning.

Eventually— after a few near deaths and a stand off at the safe house— the threat was handled and the criminal was behind bars. From there, the past week or so was a blur of wedding plans and dress fittings and cake tastings until finally, finally, the day itself was here.

And now? With the man she loved holding her, Lucy couldn’t be happier. 

“Hey.” Lucy glanced up at the sound of Tim’s voice. Her boyfriend— no, her husband, she internally corrected herself with a little shiver of joy— was watching her with a half-smile on his face. “You good?”

“Yeah,” Lucy said, looking around her. She saw Grey and Luna dancing nearby, along with Nyla and James. Angela was sitting at a table with Nolan, Celina, and both of her kids, and she could even see Talia coming back from getting drinks to sit with them.

She was surrounded by her family, the people who loved her. And the one who loved her most was dancing with her, with no intentions of letting go. Looking back at Tim, Lucy smiled at him. “I’m good. I’m with you.”

His smile widened, and he bent down to kiss her. “Yeah,” he murmured against her lips. “I love you, you know that?”

“I know,” Lucy said, grinning, and he laughed. “And I love you, too.”

[centralperkchenford]

Chenford + truth or dare 🤔

Chenford + truth or dare 🤔

Chenford ❤️ I've always been attracted to you Luce!

Once again I combined two prompts. I felt like I could fit it into this one!

And my waves meet your shore ever and evermore

“Truth or dare.” Lucy asked Tim one day. They were on the couch, Lucy’s head on Tim’s chest. Tim looked down at her with an amused expression on his face.

“What?”

“Truth or dare.” She repeated. “Choose one.”

“What are we seventh grade girls?” He asked a little exasperated.

“You sure are acting like one.” She said rolling her eyes. “Just choose one Tim.”

He sighed heavily running his fingers through her hair. “You are such a menace.” She reached out to pinch him and he yelped in pain.

“Definitely a seventh grade girl now Bradford.” She said laughing the expression on his face.

“Fine. Truth.” He said and he felt Lucy adjust herself so she was looking directly at him.

“Really? I took you more as a dare kind of guy.”

“Yes. Really. Now are you going to ask me something or not?” He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He wasn’t a dare kind of guy but maybe that was because he never played truth or dare.

Lucy laid back down on his lap and he continued running his fingers through her hair. She sighed happily at the feeling of his fingers in her hair. He loved running his fingers through her hair, it was so soft and silky. He couldn’t believe how domestic he had gotten since getting together with Lucy. If someone told him this is where he would be five years ago, he would have laughed in their face.

“Do you think we would be together right now if Chris hadn’t been such a dick that day?”

Tim’s fingers stilled in her hair and he looked down at her. He guessed they were asking the hard questions right away.

“I-I don’t know Luce. I don’t think I would have known you were unhappy.”

“Do you think I would have figured it out on my own?”

Tim sighed. He wasn’t sure if he would have been brave enough. All he wanted was for Lucy to be happy, if Chris hadn’t kept calling about houses. If Tim hadn’t seen how unhappy Lucy was he never would have made his move. He would have thought she was still happy with Chris.

“I would hope so baby. You weren’t happy.” He said gently.

“I stayed because it was safe.” She said quietly.

“Lucy…” he said trailing off. She sat up again and looked at him and smiled but it didn’t quite meet her eyes.

“Your turn.” She said. He raised his eyebrows at her. He thought this would have been over after his answers.

“Seriously?”

“Yes.” She said simply. “Ask me.”

He sighed a little resigned. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth.” She said quickly. And despite his protest of this game he had a question at the ready.

“Did you kiss me in the airplane bathroom because you wanted to make it look realistic or because you wanted to kiss me again?”

Lucy sat up turning to face Tim fully and tucking her legs beneath her. He watched her face as she thought about it, no doubt replaying it in her mind.

He replayed it in his mind every single day until they got together. They way she grabbed him and put her soft lips on him kissing him harder and rougher than she had in her apartment. It felt more desperate to him. It felt like once she had kissed him she couldn’t get enough. Of course that could of been wishful thinking on his part.

“It was part because we needed to make it look realistic and part because I wanted to. It was mostly that I wanted to. I—” she paused and then continued frowning at him slightly. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I just didn’t know how you felt Lucy. I was all up in my feelings.”

Lucy nodded slightly. “I was confused too Tim. I never thought you would actually want to talk about it but then you did. And to be honest that confused me even more.

He knew it took them awhile to get where they were today but he was so glad they did it right.

“Truth or dare.” She said again. She scooted closer to him, throwing a leg over his leg and laying her head on his chest. Tim grumbled something incoherent and Lucy laughed.

“Truth.” He said finally after a few minutes of silence.

“Were you going to wash me out when I was a rookie?” She asked not looking at him. Tim sighed. He drummed his fingers on her thighs. He knew was an ass back in the day, he had dug himself in a deep dark hole. Isabel had disappeared, all his scars from his father. He was a version of himself that he hated. And Lucy had come in the middle of A sunshine in the midst of his dark clouds. He found Lucy annoying at first and he tried to push her away but somehow she wormed her way into his heart and put her hooks in. After Caleb had kidnapped Lucy and he had almost lost her he never wanted to let her go.

“I mean that was my plan.” He admitted. “But you kind of found a way around that.”

Lucy snorted. “ I kind of found a way around it?”

“Yes. You challenged me, you never gave up on me. And we have been through a lot together and apart. So I wanted to keep training you because you deserved it.”

Lucy leaned forward to kiss him. “Thank you.”

“For what? Doing my job?” He asked and he kissed her again. “Always.”

“No for never giving up on me. For pushing me even when I hated it. For finishing what you started. ”

Tim was silent as he studied her. He wasn’t sure what he did to deserve her but he was so happy he had her. He was glad he got the hot shot rookie.

“Truth or dare?” He asked her. And she grinned at him, probably happy he was finally getting into it.

“Truth.” She said softly. Tim smiled at her and then thought about what he wanted to ask her. He turned to her.

“Am I really the most important relationship in your life? Before your parents? Tamara?”

Lucy huffed out a breath and closed her eyes before she started talking. “ First of all I don’t talk to my parents. They don’t support me at all. They push me aside because I am not who they want me to be. Tamara is important to me. She’s the little sister I never had and didn’t know I needed. I would be devastated if I lost her. But you? I wouldn’t survive losing you Tim. You are just too important to me. Just thinking about it…” she trailed off and Tim pulled her closer.

His heart broke for her. He so wished she had a better relationship with her parents. He wished they would be proud of her because they had so much to be proud of

“Well it’s a good thing I feel the same way Luce.” He kissed the top of her head. There was a long silence and he thought maybe at long last it was over. But he should have known his girlfriend would keep going.

“Truth or dare-last one.” She said smiling at the look on his face.

“Truth.” He answered softly.

“When did you know you had feelings for me?” She asked a little muffled and he glance down to see her face buried in his chest.

The truth was Tim couldn’t really pinpoint an exact time when he started to fall for Lucy. It just kind of happened all at once. She was suddenly all he could think of, he wanted to be near her all the time. He wanted her to be his and he wanted to be hers. He knew after the kiss in her apartment it definitely escalated his feelings but he knew he felt more even before then. He had always been attracted to her even when he knew he couldn’t be.

“I don’t know Luce.” He said honestly. “I have always been attracted to you. You just radiate this beautiful happiness. I wanted to hate it at first but after awhile I just wanted to protect it. But when I started having feelings for you? I just don’t know. I could think of several times when..it felt like we were more than friends but—”

He shrugged and then lifted Lucy’s head up off his chest. “I don’t know but once I started falling for you.. I couldn’t stop even if I tried. I don’t think I ever will.”

Lucy’s eyes were full of tears as she pulled him in for a kiss. “I love you so much.” She whispered. “I will never stop falling in love with you either Tim.”

Tim pulled her closer. “I love you too baby. Always.”

There was a long period of silence and he heard Lucy’s breathing slow down a little and she knew she was falling asleep. He was about to wake her up when she blinked blearily at him.

“Truth or dare.” She asked him and he sighed heavily. She just grinned up at him.

“Dare.” He said and she broke out into a grin.

“I dare you to tell take me to bed and tell me everything you want to do to me tonight. Every naughty thing.”

Tim gulped and looked at her and she was grinning at him.

“I think I can do that.” He whispered his voice low and rough. “I think I can definitely do that.”

He stood up from the couch and bent down to sweep her up. She giggled and buried her face in his neck. He grinned and carried her into the bedroom kicking the door shut.

God he loved her. And he couldn’t wait to fulfill this dare.

[saralayne]

This Love ~ Part 1 🩵💜

Change Of Heart

Lucy had been on a UC operation for a couple of weeks. No one at Wilshire saw this coming, especially Tim.

Lucy had gotten the tap to go on a long term UC operation. She was able to give Tim a quick goodbye before she left. Tim sensed Lucy was very apprehensive about leaving. He chalked it up to her being nervous about her first operation away. Lucy assured Tim that if for any reason he sounded the alarm she would take it seriously as she promised. Tim fully supported his girlfriend and knows she is not Isabel. This was not the past repeating itself. He trusted Lucy with his whole heart. Tim promised Lucy to go about his daily life and try not to worry every second of the day. She knew that wouldn’t happen but Tim was going to try his best with the notion of knowing he would not fully breath until Lucy was back in his arms. Tim stayed most nights at Lucy’s. Even without her there. He promised that he would be there for Tamara. Tamara was really worried about Lucy leaving in this operation. Tamara had spent her whole life feeling abandoned. When Lucy took her in it was the first time Tamara had a sense of home and family. Tim being at the apartment after work was comforting to Tamara. Not only feeling safe and protected but also not feeling lonely. As much as Tim joked about Lucy’s puppy over the years. Tamara had seeped into his heart and his life. Tamara was not only Lucy’s puppy but also Tim’s.

Tim had adjusted into a routine. It was extremely hard on him not having his ray of sunshine orbiting him everyday. He held onto the notion of knowing she would be with him soon enough. Tim also realized in her absence just how in love with her he was. He had known for a long time. In her absence it had become so apparent to him just how much he loved her. They hadn’t been officially dating that long but he had loved her for so long. Secretly, Tim had spent some of his free time venturing to different jewelry stores, looking for that perfect ring that he knew he would hopefully place on Lucy’s left hand. Sooner than later.

As Tim made his way into work on this Friday morning. He hoped it would be just a normal day. He had been working 12-16 hour days for 7 days and was looking to get some much needed rest. He knew Tamara would probably be hanging with friends but he as promised would be around the apartment in case she needed him for anything. As he walked into Wilshire up to his office, was barely able to place his bag down when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. Grey’s name flashing across his screen. “Good morning, sir” answered Tim. “Bradford, I need to see you in my office”

Tim was confused. Now that he is a Metro sergeant. He rarely reported to Grey anymore. Only under special circumstances. As he stepped near Grey’s office. His stomach plummeted. As he sees Captain Pine, Nyla and Angela. Knowing full well this had to do with Lucy. He felt as if his legs were going to give out.

“Bradford, please sit down” ordering Grey

“I’ll stand. Just give it to me straight. I-Is she ok? Tears involuntarily formed in his eyes

Angela grasped his shoulder with a comforting hand. “She’s ok. Tim. I promise”

Tim had a sense of relief at that moment.

“OK. So what’s going on?”

Nyla stepped in front of Tim. Nyla had direct contact with Lucy’s handler. She would give Tim updates when she could. Tim was happy that there was someone in contact but also a good friend to both him and Lucy.

“Tim. Lucy is walking away from the operation. I don’t know the full details at this point but she’s done”

Tim wouldn’t deny this was music to his ears on one hand. On the other hand, this was very surprising. This has been a dream of Lucy’s for a long time now. Going as far back as when she was his rookie. What the hell is going on?

“WHAT? This makes no sense. Are you sure she isn’t hurt? Something is definitely wrong. She would never just leave in the middle of an operation. Especially her first big opportunity”

“Yeah. Her handler tried to turn this around. Lucy is adamant. She wants to come home. Her cover is still intact. Our biggest priority is to keep it that way. Get her home safely. She is safe in a secluded hotel outside of LA”

Captain Pine quickly interjected.

“That is why I am here, Bradford. I am sending Po and Harris to go and safely retrieve her. Before you start, I’m gonna stop you. This is an order. You are not going. These are unforeseen circumstances and we need to be extremely careful bringing Chen back safely. I know you are aware of this, I do. But you are too personally involved. Which is completely understandable. I need you to stay here, understand?”

“Yes. Ma’am”

Po and Harris entered Grey’s office. Pine gave them final orders before they left the station. Tim had formed a close bond with his men since coming to Metro. Even becoming social with them. All Lucy’s influence at first but he really bonded with his team. In and out of work. Harris placed his hand on Tim’s shoulder. “Hey, Sarg. We got her. We will move heaven and earth making sure she comes back safely. Promise” Tim nodding his head accompanied with a small smile. He trusted his men. He knew they always had his back.

Po and Harris had to go an hour and a half outside of the city. So, they wouldn’t be back for a few hours. Tim tried to distract himself and dig into his mountain of paperwork. As he looked up from his desk. Seeing his best friend and Nyla standing before him.

“Hey, buddy” Angela says

Angela and Nyla making themselves comfortable on the vacant couch in his office.

“This is mind boggling. What the hell happened?”

“Tim, come on. Are you really surprised? murmured Angela

“For real, Tim. I saw this coming. I mean, I didn’t think it would happen in the middle of her first operation but I saw this coming in the near future” added Nyla

“Honestly, she has always wanted this. Getting the tap. It’s been a dream for her” Tim quickly replied

“Tim, my best friend. I love you but you truly are an idiot. Lucy’s dreams have changed. The future she once saw, is not her future anymore. You are”

“You think, that is really the reason for aborting this mission”

“I would put money on it”

“She is my world. I’m so in love with her. I have never felt this way. Not even with Isabel. I have even been looking at rings. I know it’s soon. But I have never been more sure of anything in my life “

Angela and Nyla are both smiling.

“Tim, both Nyla and I along with everyone here at Wilshire have seen this for years. We have been waiting for you and Lucy to see the light for so long now. It’s not too soon. The writing has been on the wall”

All of a sudden, Harris was heard on the radio.

“We have safely retrieved Officer Chen. No injuries. Estimated time of arrival back to Wilshire is one hour”

Tim tearfully pressed down the button on his radio. “Copy. See you soon, Chen” knowing Lucy would have heard his response.

Angela throwing herself in her best friends arms. “Come on. Let’s go into the debriefing room and wait for your girl”

“Sounds good”

Everyone gathered into the briefing room. About an hour later, Harris and Po enter the room with Lucy following behind. Lucy looking tired but happy. Everyone was smiling at the sight of her. As soon as she spotted Tim. All rules were thrown out the window and Lucy was running into Tim’s arms as tears were streaming down her cheeks. Tim tightly grasped the back of her head with one hand and the other cradling her back.

“Hi baby. It’s so good to see you. I have missed your beautiful face” whispered Tim

“Tim, I never want to let you go”

“Luce. You will never have to. Let’s get the debriefing done and then I can take you home”

As everyone sat down with Lucy. Grey began.

“Alright. Lucy. We are all so happy to see you safe and sound. With that being said. Can you give us some details on what is going on? I thought this was something you wanted?”

As much as Tim wanted to hold her while she explained. Always wanting to be her safe place. He knew giving her space and letting her debrief properly was the right thing to do. Still, he stayed close. Leaning on a nearby table.

Lucy glanced over towards her boyfriend before she began.

“Sir. I know this is out of the blue. First, I want to thank all of you for guiding and supporting me. You, Angela and Nyla. Always having faith in me to be a great UC. At first I thought this is what I wanted. I mean it’s always been a dream. A few days ago I was sitting alone in a beated hotel room. It hit me. I don’t want this anymore. For a few days I had found myself losing focus. I had to really dig deep and keep myself along with others safe. I felt a sense of guilt with that alone. So, as I was reflecting on why this was happening as I have never had any trouble focusing before. I knew. I don’t want this life, now or in the future. In the past few months my dreams have changed” looking over to Tim. He couldn’t help but smile. Her dream was him and a life together.

Angela was smiling knowing that she was dead on with her previous assessment.

Grey was also smiling. “Understood” He knew the hidden message in this decision. True love is about sacrifices and this is exactly what Lucy was realizing. Grey couldn’t help but be truly proud of her.

After she debriefed what had transpired in the last couple of weeks. Grey standing up from his chair.

“Alright Bradford and Chen. Go home. I’m sure you have a lot to discuss. Chen take a few days and come back to patrol. We love having you helping keeping the streets of LA safe”

“Thank you sir”

As Tim and Lucy left Wilshire. Hand in hand walking to his truck.

Later at home. Tim was so thankful to have Lucy in his arms again but he needed to make sure this is what she wanted. He never her wanted to feel any regret.

“Baby. I just need to know you’re sure you want to give this up? Your dream?”

“Yes. That’s the thing Tim. It’s not my dream anymore. You are. Our life together. Your my last everything. I want to come to you every night. Even when our schedules are different. Knowing you’re just a phone call away. This is not only the dream but what makes me truly happy”

“I love you Bradford”

“I love you too, Chen. Just so we are crystal clear. You are and will always be my dream. You are the best thing that has EVER happened to me”

“Copy that. You are it for me too. Always will be”

As they settled in for the night. Having a couple sessions of passionate love making. Which of course was mind blowing. As Lucy fell asleep in Tim’s arms. He just stared, knowing that very soon he would be getting down on one knee with a beautiful ring. Officially asking Lucy to be his wife.

[voidendron]

mind your step before you fall, fall, fall

Whumptober 2023 Day 11: “All the lights going dark and my hope’s destroyed.” Animal Trap | Captivity | "No one will find you." Star Wars: The Old Republic | V'ehsz Legacy Next Gen Warnings: Major Character Injury Characters: Luci Sept (Bounty Hunter, she/any, Cathar/Sith Pureblood)

Sure, the Mando clan camped out nearby had warned her with no small level of disgust of the traps littering the forest beyond (cowardly, they called them; a true hunter goes after their prey directly, after all). Most of them were old, ones that previous residents had forgotten about when they picked up camp and left for new hunting grounds. Most of the ones she stumbled across didn’t even work, joints rusted and teeth worn away by time to make them useless.

So she let her guard down.

The first one she triggered had her yelping as she twisted away from it, barely pulling her tail out of the way before it could be chomped down on in the jaw-like trap. She felt her face flush as she noticed how it had fluffed up as it curled around her legs; a few calming breaths had the fur laying flat again, fortunately.

Cursing to herself, Luci shook her head, checked and re-checked that her rifle was ready, and continued on.

Her boots carefully stepped around dead leaves to avoid their crunching, her eyes watching the path ahead.

Her target was a murderer; he’d slipped up, made his presence known, and finally gotten himself linked to a number of kills over the last year. He was Mikkian, which Luci didn’t know as much about as she’d have liked given she’d decided to try fulfilling the contract. Still, he was just a person, and if she could get the drop on him one well-placed shot from her rifle should be enough. She’d dealt with far worse targets.

He’d fled into the forest when another bounty hunter screwed up and spooked him; Luci had been the only one to remain on the trail thanks to her sensitive ears (and also in no small part thanks to her mild Force-sensitivity) that the other hunters had all lacked.

The too-tall trees blocked out the fading light of day, but she didn’t pay it any mind.

The second she triggered had her swearing as she lunged away from the cord that would have suspended her by the foot, far up in the tree it was attached to, had it connected. The branch it was connected from proceeded to snap; the tree turned out to be dead, and that little bit of force was all it took for the branch that had likely been looking for an excuse for years to finally fall off.

Idiots, she thought. Who would leave traps like these out for just anyone to stumble into, or for an animal to get caught and rot when it was never retrieved. What a waste.

Third… Well, that turned out to be her last strike, it would seem.

All she could do was gasp as the ground collapsed from under her in a flurry of leaves to send her down—down—down.

When she hit the ground at the bottom of the pit, she could only groan and wince at the sharp pain in her shoulder and thigh and the ringing of her ears as her head smacked against the ground.

A spike pit, her mind offered dazedly, meant for large predators.

...And she’d just gotten herself impaled falling into it.

She lifted one arm—the one she didn’t feel a metal spike driving through the shoulder of—and felt blindly for her leg (caught the edge of one, would need stitches, but not trapped), then her shoulder (definitely wouldn’t be getting up without any help, barely missed her collarbone, keeping her pinned in place, hurts). From the corner of her eye she could see another spike just to the right of her head; she’d only just missed taking it through the skull.

Luci swallowed, whined low in her throat, and fumbled for her holo.

Dad and Papa—they could help her. They…they were still in the system, right? They had been when she’d last spoken to them two days ago.

She could only hope that they were.

[lucygraysboy]

“i’d missed you and wanted to be with you again, that’s what happened. that’s what possessed me. all those feelings i still have for you.” the pot calling the kettle black, he thinks, refraining from rolling his eyes because she’s making it seem like he was the only one initiating inappropriate acts last night when it’s not true. “see, that’s the thing. i’ve only ever truly loved you, lucy gray. i would have never gotten myself involved with any of those women, had i known you had feelings for me and wanted to work things out, but you never communicated any of that to me. you said it last night, though.” how she wanted him to fight for her. “and now you’re makin’ it sound like i’m playin’ both sides, tryin’ to sleep with you and then go back to new york and jump into someone else’s bed, which is definitely not on my to-do list,” he counters defensively, picking up the empty cup and throwing it in the trash. the smell of her pacifica detangler brings back too many memories, the sound of her drunken giggles still ringing in his ears, and he’s almost grateful when she pushes him out of the bathroom. “let’s get room service.” the banana loaf lost on him. “unless you want to go out?” which he highly doubts, plopping down on the bed and picking up the teddy bear, using it as a shield and mental support. “i didn’t think you’d ever speak to me again, let alone want to be with me, and i — i didn’t want to be alone, lucy gray. i mean, everybody else hates me…” or so he thought. lucy gray, her mom, his brother, little maude ivory, that whole town. “i just wanted this one person to like me.” shrugging, he lowers his head again and wraps his arms around himself and the bear. his eyes stinging because he feels so terrible, so unlike himself. “we went to juilliard together. you got upset because i was sitting next to her.” and they made fun of her being so cold-hearted and posh, so different from lucy gray. his stomach grumbles, twisting and turning and making him feel even more uncomfortable. “we only got together after joe’s birthday. i came back home and knew that you’d moved on and… wanted to do the same.”

“yeah, you got that right, somethin’ clearly did.” possessed him. and that’s hardly an excuse, she’s believing it was just as it usually is with guys— thinkin’ with the heads in their pants. “well, you shoulda thought about that the first time you had feelings for me and was courtin’ with someone else.” she angrily retorts, aggressively fixing her hair, throwing the scrunchie out of her thick head of curls and letting her long hair fall down her back. spraying her coconut spray with a scowl on her face, gently aggressively detangling her hair with fingers before grabbing the spray again then slamming it back down. “watch out. i gotta go find somethin’ to eat or the advil will make me sicker than i already am on this empty stomach.” arm extends, shoving him out of her way. “why would you be with the girl you’re with now, then? if you still got feelin’s for me? why would you play with someone else’s heart like that?” too busy rummaging for that banana loaf on the desk next to the tv playing music videos still in her bag of things she got at the cafe yesterday to notice he says blair... or to realize she KNOWS that name. until the power of being a woman who knows EVERYTHING kicks in... of course she remembers everything, even from 4, 5, 6 years ago. "why's BLAIR sound so familiar? could swore it was that girl or somethin' you had me feelin' crazy about. that last very time we were together, in a motel just like this." except freezing out and locked together with no power.

[isca-rambles]

6x08 aka I'm just steamrolling my way through these episodes tonight so I can get to the tiniest semblance of Tim and Lucy being a little bit okay Ugh. Monica. Why do they keep trying to make Monica such a thing. Seriously.

Ugh. Blair. So many ughs this season. I do wonder why he has so many alarms set for her birthday. Maybe he is just bad at technology. Or maybe he had something planned and didn't want to mess up any steps. Have I read too many fics where he had an engagement ring ready and waiting? Maybe. But also I suck a remembering birthday, even my own, so I don't find it that weird. Boy was in love, is still in love, and wanted to make sure he didn't forget his wife's special day. Uuuugh my heaaaart. Tim definitely sus about Blair though. Maybe he's not sure why, but he senses something is up. TO Lucy yes. Look, I've said it a million times and I'll say it a million more, Lucy would make an amazing TO. I don't want her to not be a detective, she'd make a great detective too, but unless the show gives her a golden ticket or Primm gets investigated, she's not getting there in the next two years. So why can't she be a TO in the meantime? She can still do UC as a TO, and it helps her advancement to detective or sergeant or whatever she wants to do. I know people are annoyed it's a recycled plotline from Nolan, but Nolan never even got close to being detective. He chose TO with his bloody magic golden ticket (even though, hello, Lucy has done just as much as him if not more and deserves that ticket 100% more but she'd never use it because she'd probably feel like she hasn't earned it because she's fucking amazing). Ahem. What I'm saying is, yes it sucks that she's not detective and she hasn't got stripes and she's constantly being overlooked and underappreciated despite everything she's done, but her being TO doesn't mean she stops there. It's still an advancement from P2, and I just think she's an amazing teacher. Moving on. Grey is adorable, such a good dad to his daughter after a few rocky episodes of not giving her the support she needs. Grey, yes. I approve. Her face is so adorable when he does the hand thing. Ugh, my heart. And yes, Tim, you need to fix it. You need to sit down and let Lucy talk to you. Hell, just let her talk at you. Let the woman talk. You owe her that. You might be working on yourself but you haven't given her a chance to do the same for herself. And yeah, sorry Tim. Again, this is the best you could've gotten out of all of this. Losing a bit of command sucks but you could've lost a lot more, job-wise anyway. Grey picking his daughter. Yes. I know he's known Tim for longer and he's seen him go through a lot and he knows he's going through a lot, but he also knows that Lucy had no choice in any of this. Lucy shouldn't have to be the one to lose her station along with everything else. So thank you for that, Grey. Lucy is sorely lacking anyone in her corner right now. Side note, is it St Stephen or St Stephen's? Because St Stephen sounds weird. I love how Lucy checks in with Celina before they start. Making sure she's not uncomfortable before they go ahead. God, she's such a good teacher and leader.

Tim, hey, some of us sweat. Deal with it. I would be a fucking puddle in that uniform in that van. I'd be deceased. I'm glad the whole Bailan pregnancy/baby storyline doesn't go on too long. At least from what I know it basically ends in 6x10 anyway. Unless they go adoption route? But it could've dragged on a lot longer, so at least we didn't get a whole season or two for it. What exactly is Luna's job? I'm not complaining but she's basically running the hospital now, right? And apparently the social care side of things? Patient admittance. I mean, she's good at it. Once again, Smitty. Outranks Lucy somehow. And Lucy looking after him because she's a literal angel. She's obviously been roughed up herself and she's just out there gently teaching Celina and protecting Smitty. No-one deserves her.

Tim's sad little smile when Aaron mentions the spa day he got her. He knows she'd love it. They probably would've gotten a couple's gift if they'd still been together. They could've been pampered. Had sexytimes at a fancy free hotel. Watched her be looked after and treated like the queen she is. Monica. UGH. Should we not be shutting down the hospital at this point to visitors? Because...well, this happens. Lucy and Celina, best team-up yes. Absolute queens. Everyone always says how good Nolan is at getting people to talk to him, but Lucy really does have such a way of getting through to people. Tim was right, her superpower is empathy. I get that it's sad for Tim to not be in control, especially when it comes to protecting men he used to lead, and is probably giving him all sorts of army flashbacks...but it just seems like they're putting all the focus on him losing Metro and missing that and literally nothing on him losing Lucy and missing her. Maybe they're mentioning it a little, and it's not something he'd be open with in front of most people so it's understandable he's not showing it much. I'd just like to see a few more moments. Show that it's hurting him as much as it's hurting her. Oh I would kill for some fics with Lucy seeing Tim all banged up and checking he's okay before leaving. Because she can't help herself. But also him seeing her all banged up and wanting to check on her but she brushes him off and leaves before he can. Blair, you're terrible at not being suspicious. Lucy instantly reaching to protect Bailey when they hear shots being fired. My absolute queen. Ugh. Monica. Sincerely fuck off. Does this hospital not have cameras in the hallways?! Ugh. Blair. Sorry Liz. Lucy Chen, literal sunshine. Oh god KOJO. BABY. Shouting at the screen for Lucy or Tim to go to each other but it's just way too soon. But oh my god the card and the pawprint. I do wonder if Tim might've been tempted to go see her if Mad Dog hadn't texted. Or god, can you imagine if Lucy gave in and went dow the hallway and he was already gone? Why does my mind crave angst so much? It can't handle it. My brain really is broken.

Oh Tim. Honey. God I just want Lucy to be there to help him. But it's not fair for her to be his only support system and she would be without question. But oh, Tim.

Can we please give these two just all the goodness in S7? Please? They've been through enough. Please.

[islaytonlost]

What have I done? LB;MR Fic

First Part, Previous Part, Next Part

Dislamer: Do not give people offencive nicknames! Especially if it's based on a something that makes their life harder. Again, Alfrendi is not real. Please do not base your view of dissociative disorders off a fanfiction! ----------

Lying to Hilda hadn’t worked. On top of trying to catch Lucy now and figure out a strategy to confront the Agonni family, her seeing immediately through Al’s timid attempts to be Fendi had just gotten him sent home until he snapped out of it.

There was also the matter of them being shot and being off the pain medication hurt and he wasn’t allowed in the field.

Still, Fendi wasn’t happy, Al could feel his fiery rage pounding in the back of his head. Screw you! Fendi snaps at him, reastless.

Al sighs. They hadn’t gone home. Not being able to bring case files home (and Al returning all the ones that they’d stolen from the mystery room out of fear of being caught) they’d opted to walk around London. For someone who had just been shot, not the best idea but they weren’t exactly known for thinking things through.

They ended up walking to the cafe Lucy sometimes went to whenever she wanted to treat herself to fresh bread and fresh ingredients. A smile ghosts their face as they remember how she devoured sandwiches when they were in the middle of a difficult case. How she’d always insisted on taking breaks and getting him food. Even when they never asked.

A familiar voice rings out across the cafe, “two sandwiches please, and, ooh! Is that fresh?” she grins. Al looks up, full of hope filling his heart. This was their Lucy, who took joys in the little things in life, not caring about what other people thought. Definitely not caring about Fendi’s sarcastic comments on it.

She’d been so nice to the both of them. She hadn't needed to have everything explained to her, she’d taken in stride Fendi’s outbursts and been so patient with Al. He couldn't express how grateful he was for that. For being looked at normally. That’s just normal! You’re too easily pleased.

Maybe Fendi was right. Still.

Lucy waits at the counter, eyes scanning the room. They fall on Alfendi. After a word to the waiter she sits opposite him. Tenser than usual, “so, you’ve found me, what’s your next move.”

“I’m not sure,” Al responds honestly, “I wasn’t looking for you.”

She’s dangerous. Maybe Fendi was too wary, maybe he was right but he didn't believe Lucy would hurt them. She already has. He did know that. He also knew that there were people here. Everyone who had been killed in these puzzle murders were criminals. In some twisted sense that was justice.

They weren’t murderers.

You want to say that again?

They weren’t murders. It felt too nice to think.

“You slow or something?” Lucy was glaring at them.

Al sighs, “no, I was just wondering why you didn’t kill me.”

“I were sending a message,” she leans across the desk, slowly. Her manner clearly intended to make this seem like some kind of threat. Knowing Lucy it seemed silly, Al smiles slightly. 

The waiter comes over, placing two sandwiches between them. It really ruined the mood. The way Lucy’s face lit up convinced even Fendi she wouldn't hurt them. It was hard to remember she was even capable of shooting anyone.

“What was it trying to say?” he speaks, so calm.

Lucy frowns slightly at his manner, “It’s saying I mean business.”

“You mean we? I think you mean we. DIane’s working with you.”

This does shock her. Lucy’s eyes widen, “Diane.. Who’s DIanne?”

“I am 100% sure you’re working with Diane Makepeace. I’m 76% certain that she dragged you into this. You clearly didn’t think of this yourself.”

“You think I’m not smart enough? I know your type, you cops, you detectives, you think you’re so much better than me!” she glares, the fact he’d upset her was worrying.

“I know you’re capable, more than capable but you couldn’t kill me. I don’t know if you could have killed them but you couldn’t kill me. I don’t think you’re a murderer.”

“I shot you didn’t I?”

“I’m not dead.”

“Would you like to be?”

“No. Why would I want that? All I want is to do some good in the world.”

“You threaten to mutate your suspects. Cut their tongues out. You may be a good detective but you get it wrong enough to scare people.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What?” 

“I’m sorry.”

“What has you acting so placid? You scared I’m going to shoot you again?” Al starts smiling, giving it to Lucy to notice these things. To pick up on them and not say something stupid, “and why are you smiling?! What are you hiding?”

“I’m not hiding anything. I truly do think it’s wrong to threaten suspects with cutting out their tongue.”

Suck up!

“Okay what happened?” Lucy was so taken aback, it was like when they first met and he’d just thrown her into her first case. He couldn’t seem to get rid of the smile.

“You want to know the truth?”

“Why else would I ask?” she snaps back, fingers creeping towards the sandwich.

“I’m not the Alfendi you know, I’m the other person living here. A friend called me placid.”

“You’re Potty.”

“It’s Placid actually.”

Lucy glares, frustrated, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips though, she could smell the mystery. Then a blonde stops at their table Al felt his feelings drain from him as Fendi’s anger suddenly flushed. Diane.

Now would be a good time to arrest her but he was injured and these people could get hurt. 

“Is he bothering you?” DIane takes the second sandwich.

AM I BOTHERING HER? WHO KIDNAPPED WHO, LET ME OUT!

Al struggles to stay in control, Lucy says something, shaking her head, eyes lingering on him. It was so hard to concentrate because Diane was going to hurt Lucy. She was going to hurt Lucy. She was going to hurt-

And they were gone, just as Fendi bursts to the surface. They caught a taxi just as he stood up.

I hate you Fendi thinks, so fiercely Al wanted to hide, instead he did nothing, allowing Fendi to leave. Go stomp it off.

I’m sorry. He says after about half an hour, I’m the one who made this deal, I convinced you it’s just… She tried to hurt her before. A long pause. I’m so sorry. Thank you, for not annoying her into shooting us again.

[kat-rose-griffith]

Tim: *tries to fight a criminal while waiting for surgery*

The doctor:

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Part 20)

Day 20: Wreath

"And we are a good match," Draco said, laughing at the appalled look on Veronica’s face. "You're too much fun to wind up," he said, shaking his head. How his father had thought that he wouldn't already know Veronica was beyond him. "You'll have to forgive me. My boyfriend is around here somewhere-"

"Ooh," she tittered as she stood from her chair and smoothed her navy dress robes, "Boyfriend, hmm? Look who's rebelling."

He rolled his eyes as he started moving toward the door, "yes, at this point I'm sure absolutely no one is surprised."

"Is it Harry, then?" she asked.

Draco nodded, a little smile curving up the corner of his mouth. "I should find him. I wasn't dealing with my shit particularly well when my father found us."

"Oooh!" she said, nudging him with her elbow, "found you doing what?"

"Kissing," he said rolling his eyes. "Nothing unsuitable I assure you. We haven't gotten there yet."

"It's new then?" she asked.

Draco gestured to allow her through the doorway first, "Very."

"Well I definitely shouldn't keep you the-" she broke off as she tripped over something on the floor. "What on earth? Who could have left these drinks just sitting here-"

"Drinks?" he asked with a laugh, glancing down at the floor to see two classes, one with what looked like rum, the other with what appeared to be red wine. "Oh no," Draco said, realizing where those drinks had probably come from. "What were we talking about?" he asked, looking up at her.

(Read more below the cut)

"Harry-"

"No," he said, shaking his head, "Right before I said I had to find him."

She laughed, "What a brilliant couple we make."

"Shit," he breathed.

"What is it?"

"Shit," he cursed again, already walking away, looking for green robes and dark curly hair.

"What is it?" she repeated, following him, her heels clicking over the floor.

He shook his head, "He heard us."

"So?"

Draco looked at her, "I was awful to him just moments before I saw you. He was trying to make me feel better and I was just in trauma-response mode and I couldn't let him help and now-"

"Okay," she soothed. "I'll help you find him and we'll just sort the whole thing out."

They looked everywhere and even casually asked around for him but no one had seen him and it didn't seem that they were any closer to finding him either when they ran across his father.

"Ah," he said, "Veronica, Draco, what a surprise. Did you enjoy meeting?"

"Father, we've known each other for years," he snapped, patience well worn by this point. "We're both gayer than," he threw his hands up in the air, "I don't know what. The gayest thing you can imagine."

"Draco, lower your voice."

"I won't," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Tell me where Harry is, and I know you know," he continued over his father, "Or I will-"

"He left," his father said, apparently not wanting to hear whatever Draco was going to threaten him with. "He left because he realized his place and it's time you realize yours."

He took a step back, "This whole bloody place can burn," he said gesturing to the great hall around them. "And you can burn with it."

"Excuse me?" his father said, in that tone of voice that would have had Draco cowering when he was younger.

"You heard me perfectly. I don't want it," he said. "I don't want any of this, and I don't want anything to do with you."

"Draco Luci-"

"No," he said firmly. "I can't do this. I came here for mother's sake because I know how she loved you but you are vile and I am done letting you poison my life." He shook his head, "I'm done."

Draco turned, ignoring the people around the room who were staring at him, and marched straight out of the Manor, ignoring his father's pontificating behind him. He was half way down the front steps when he realized there were still heels clicking behind him. He looked over at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Well I'm not going to stay here after that," she said. "But I promise once we're past the wards I'll be apparating straight home."

"Give my love to Mae," he said.

"Give my love to Harry," she replied, "Once he's done being pissed at you."

"I don't think he's going to be pissed," he said softly, fearing that the reality was that he'd hurt him deeply.

She patted his shoulder, "It's going to be fine."

With a deep breath, he nodded at her and apparated to Harry's, steadying himself before knocking. Forcing himself to admire the wreath on the door, the way that the holly berries sparkled merrily, while he waited instead of pounding on it until the other man answered.

The door opened and Harry stood before him in a pair of sweatpants and a ratty old tshirt, hair pulled up into a messy bun. "Draco," he said, eyebrows raising. "I wasn't expecting you."

And Draco's heart shattered as he found himself lunging at Harry, cupping his jaw in his hands as he kissed him.

Harry took a stumbling step backwards and his back hit the wall where Draco caged him in, pressing him back until they were flush together without a space between them.

Harry melted against him, fingers trembling as they skimmed over Draco's neck and into his hair. He kissed Draco back for a long moment before gently pressing him back. "I heard you," he said softly. "And as much as I like you, I can't let you cheat-"

"It was a joke," he said quickly. "It was all a joke. I was talking to Veronica who owns that little shop outside of Crouch End," he added.

His eyebrows furrowed as he searched Draco's face, "What?"

"We've known each other for ages," he said, "but our fathers were trying to set us up, obviously. We were kidding. She's in a relationship. We're in a-"

"Are we?" Harry asked, voice small and just this side of broken.

Draco cupped his cheek, "Yes," he said. Just like that, the bravest thing he'd ever done. "Harry, I'm in love with you," he confessed, waiting with baited breath.

"What?" he breathed.

"I love you," he said. "I have for years, I've just been to stupid and too afraid-"

Harry's hands slipped around his back and he pulled him in and started kissing him again, "I love you, too," he said, pressing the words into Draco's mouth. "Godric, Draco, I love you," he said again.

They spent several long minutes kissing in the entry way until Harry drew back gasping for air.

"I wish you hadn't taken your dress robes off," he said, running the back of his forefinger along Harry's abdomen under the t-shirt.

"I wish you would," Harry replied quick as anything.

He laughed and nipped at Harry's bottom lip, "Do you want to?"

"Take your clothes off?" he asked, tilting his head at Draco.

"Well, I was more asking if you might want to go a step beyond just taking our clothes off."

Harry groaned and pressed his face against Draco's neck, "Very much. If you do?"

"I do," Draco said. "I really do."

"Maybe in my bedroom, then?" Harry offered, "I would very much like to see you spread out across my sheets."

Draco nodded, "Take me to bed then," he whispered and Harry obeyed.

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

Day 19: Fireplace | Day 21: Mistletoe

[crhinge]

Breaking Down The Classic Rom-Com

I feel like I haven’t written a fun post in a hot sec so lets talk about one of my favorite subjects: Rom Coms

According to wikipedia, a Rom Com, also known as Romantic Comedy, is “a subgenre of comedy and slice-of-life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles.” In the past, Romantic Comedies have also been called “Chick Flicks” but I think this is devaluing of both women and  the romantic comedy genre. 

The other day, I woke up to find that the most wholesome rom-com couple of all time reunited: Matty & Jenna (Aka Mark Ruffalo & Jennifer Garner). This got me thinking about the beauty of the Rom-Com and how unappreciated they can be. It has been years since we have seen a rom-com with the cultural impact of 13 Going on 30, and I would like to petition for more of them after a sad and painful year. 

I can already hear the millions (in my head this blog is extremely popular) of comments “What about To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before?!?” “What about The Kissing Booth?!?” And too that I say, "Good Riddance!” If you’re rating your rom coms on a TATBILB scale, or even WORSE The Kissing booth, I feel sorry for you. Truly I do. So let's dive into the best Rom Coms of all time, but first... 

What makes a Rom-Com good? Well let's start with a relatable as hell main character. I am talking a girl (sometimes guy), who has many flaws, but the audience can see themselves within her/him. Let's use Jenna Rink from 13 Going On 30 as an example. Well, she's literally a 13 year old in a 30 year olds body, but don’t we all still have a preteen hiding inside of all of us? She is 100% willing to be herself at every step, even if that means dancing thriller all alone. She touches on all of our insecurities, while teaching us how to break down our walls. 

Rom-Coms also need characters to make realistic choices. This does not mean that the movie itself is realistic, but rather than you can understand the choices the characters make. Again, 13 going on 30 does a fabulous job of this. Obviously, Jenna traveling in time because of wishing powder is not realistic, but the choices that her and her past self make are. Due to the insecurities of her childhood and a need to feel included, relevant, and powerful Jenna pushes important people out of her life, which happens to so many people in the real world. These decisions force her to miss out on the love of her life, and ultimately, the story ends sadly: the love of her life marries someone else and she is left with tears, wishing powder, and an old doll house. That is until she is able to travel back in time and change the course of her life. 

Lastly, Every classic Rom-Com couple needs to have chemistry. There. I said it. Hollywood loves just casting random famous actors without giving them a proper chemistry read. One great example of this is Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel in Safe Haven. Both fun, famous, Hollywood actors who have zero chemistry. Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner had more chemistry throwing back Razzles than those two did during an intimate sex scene. 

Alright, now that we have broken down the requirements of a Romantic Comedy, let's jump into the best and worst of all time.

Best: When Harry Met Sally. 9/10. A classic. A tale as old as time. Both Sally & Harry are very flawed, yet relatable characters. Sally is too picky and particular, while Harry is a player. They both suck at relationships, but make rational decisions based on their motivations. We all have friends like these two and their chemistry is on point, both on a friendship and romantic level. They bounce off of one another splendidly. 

Worst: Sleepless in Seattle. 1/10 I know, this is a strong take, but this is a terrible movie about a stalker. Meg Ryan (I don’t even remember her character's name) is the stupidest most unrelatable character I have seen in a long time. She is extremely unlovable, cheats on her SO emotionally, and flies across the country to stalk a man that she has never met before. And then you’re telling me that Tom hanks FALLS FOR HER? Nope. No. I refuse to except this. Plus, their chemistry in this is pretty mediocre (You’ve Got Mail is Way Better) and we only get to see them together once. 

Best: 10 Things I Hate About You. 8/10. I was tempted to leave all high School Rom-Coms off this list, but Heath Ledger is my exception. Talk about likability. Kat is a strong, powerful, independent woman who learns how to be more vulnerable while still being a feminist badass. We all wanted to be Kat growing up. Meanwhile Heath Ledger is the classic bad boy with a soft side, and who wasn’’t into that? Both characters grow into new people throughout the movie making them relatable, complex, and realistic. Not to mention the angel that is Joseph Gordon Levitt, who keeps the audience up beat and smiling throughout the course of this Shakespeare tale

Best: My Big fat Greek Wedding. 10/10.  Have you seen this film recently? Because it is an absolute DELIGHT and so relatable. It dives into the difficulty of family expectation and cultures merging. It also has the cutest proposal of all time with a realistic couple that fights for one another on a daily basis. You laugh. You cry. You get a dynamic cast with wonderful chemistry. You feel invested in the family and the relationship. Just a joyful wonderful film.

Worst: Something Borrowed. 0/10. If you’ve never seen this movie, don’t. Ginnifer Goodwin sleeps with her best friends fiancé and we’re supposed to be okay with it because she liked him first. Hard pass. And she ignores John Krazinski who is right in front of her. She is unlikable, unreliable, and makes dumb decisions that no one else would. 

Best: He’s just not that into you. 9/10  I will go to bat for this movie. It follows several realistic storylines in a Love Actually manor, except they actual seem legit. A woman realizing her boyfriend is never going to marry her. A girl facing the fact that maybe some guys just aren’t that into her, and she isn’t an exception to the rule. A man slowly making the decision to cheat on his wife as they are growing apart. A woman realizing that she is worth way more than her bastard husband. A woman realizing that the person she’s sleeping with will never leave his wife for her. It's compelling, has realistic characters that we can relate to, and still warms your heart in the end. 

Best: The Big Sick. 8/10. Okay to be fair, this is based on a true story so it automatically has realistic characters and decisions. Maybe I should leave this off of the list, but I wish this film got the recognition it deserves. Two lovable main characters who make mistakes that are understandable. Wonderful chemistry between Kumail and his girlfriend as well as her family. 

Best: About Time. 11/10 This is hands down the best Rom-Com of all time and Potentially the best film of all time as well. If you don’t cry in this movie you do not have a heart or soul. The characters are SO insanely likable and adorable.It touches on the importance of family and valuing time and how little of it we have. The chemistry within the whole cast is palpable, and we can all relate to at least one character, whether it is the protagonist Tim, his wife Mary, his sister Kit-Kat, or his father. 

Well it is important to point out the obvious here: this list is lacking diversity in a huge way. All but one of these movies follow a cis, straight, white couple, and that is extremely concerning. People have attempted to make more diverse rom-coms over the past few years, but they all seem to be lacking one of the three core components of what makes a rom-com great: Relatable, realistic, and great chemistry. For example. Crazy Rich Asians was a fantastic film, but the high level of wealth that Nick Young comes from, made his character difficult to relate to, and I’m sorry but the chemistry just wasn’t there for me. Always Be My Maybe’s characters fell flat and it’s not a film I would want to watch more than once. Love Simon made some huge waves for LGBTQ representation in the media, but that ending kiss was unrealistic along with his friends reaction to fining out he was lying, which left the movie anti-climactic by the end. 

Now, the most recent film on this list was made in 2017. And before that 2013. So where have all the Rom Coms gone? Why don’t we see more of them. There are a few Rom Coms that could be contenders on the “Best” list from the last couple of years that include a small amount of diversity: 

Yesterday 7/10. The big question here is does this count as a romantic comedy? The love story isn’t the main plot, but is definitely a large sub-plot. This movie features an interracial couple and is highly re-watchable. The main characters are entertaining, relatable, and have pretty good chemistry. We will see if it stands the test of time. 

The Broken Hearts Gallery 7/10. This movie has gotten NO recognition. The main character, Lucy, is an extremely likable 20 something, not unlike our Ginnifer Goodwin in He’s Just not that Into You. The plot is fun and predictable but keeps you watching. I don’t know if this one will stay on my list long, but it’s definitely up there. 

But here is my challenge to Hollywood: create some new, beautiful Rom Coms that celebrate diversity but that don’t throw away the relatable, realistic, and high chemistry characters that we are just waiting to fall in love with. It’s got like 16 ideas up my sleeve, so just give me a call Hollywood. 

[black-coffee-and-sugar]

Fair warning: it's a long post. Let's examine some of the reasons that Kara has cited why she didn't tell Lena the super secret:

1. She wanted to protect her

Now, this one has some legs on it as Kara specifically mentions it in S3 during a conversation with James and Mon-El. And there's definitely some truth to it. But it's also bullshit. Lena was in constant danger and put herself at risk to save/protect Kara who didn't actually need it. In fact, the first time Lena's mentioned (not shown just mentioned) it's in regards to the venture explosion - something that happened because Lex was trying to kill her. People have been trying to kill, kidnap, manipulate, threaten Lena since minute one. Knowing Kara = SG would not have severely worsened any of that. In fact, it might've helped ease Lena's anxieties and resulted in her taking less risks with her life. In fact, I'm surprised Lena didn't think that Kara's association with her was putting Kara at risk (a far more likely thing).

The 100th episode addresses this to some degree in one of the AUs. Lena tells Kara that she wouldn't have had to risk her life dealing with Sam/Reign alone if she'd known the truth and she's absolutely right. And sure, Lena could've told SG and the DEO when she pieced Reign = Sam together but ask yourself, why would she? What assurance did she have that the DEO would not have treated her BEST FRIEND like a hostile instead of someone in need of help? The DEO is guilty of this and they have a history of locking up aliens indefinitely and on occassion straight up murder. After Reign nearly killed their biggest asset (i.e. SG) why in the hell would Lena trust them with helping Sam? She wouldn't nor should she have. She didn't know that she could go to SG because remember, Lena doesn't think of her the same way she does of Kara. SG is not her best friend. She doesn't have a personal, humanized relationship with her (at least not that she knows of). And obviously she's not going to tell Kara the human reporter with the DEO agent sister about it either. And the kryptonite? SG lost her shit over it even though she's been working with the DEO who stockpiled the stuff until SM left with it (a dumbass move that would've bit them so hard in the ass with the WK situation if it weren't for Lena's kryptonite!). Plus, Kara didn't have an issue with Oliver having a kryptonite arrow, J'onn having a sword. But Lena? How dare she!

So yea no. I get that "I kept my secret to protect you" is a popular thing in the hero world but in the case of Kara and Lena, it doesn't make sense and it did make situations unnecessarily harder.

2. She didn't trust Lena

This is mentioned by Kara to William in a deleted scene from S5 but I think it's worth exploring. I'm not sure to what extent Kara means with this but it could be referring to the moments as SG where she did display a distrust of Lena's intentions and she used Lena's personal relationships against her (i.e. asking James to break into Lena's lab). I mentioned the S3 shitshow with the kryptonite which is where a lot of this started but there's also other scenes in that same season where SG pretty much calls into question the so-called trust she has in Lena despite claiming otherwise. The switch was so abrupt the minute she learned Lena not only had but knew how to make kryptonite. Did anyone ever consider why Lena would bother learning how to make kryptonite? I'd hazard a guess that it was something she was looking into even before Sam/Reign. I think she happened to find Lex's stock and she decided to learn how it works and why it affects the Supers like it does. That would explain how Lena seems to be the ONLY ONE able to make an anti-kryptonite suit and other viable forms of the rock (i.e. Harun el). But no, SG and others immediately jump to the worst conclusions and associate the endeavour with Lena's last name, something SG KNOWS Lena is sensitive about it. And then the harun el. SG was suddenly fine with Lena making it when it was to split Sam from Reign and save Argo from extinction. But when it was used for something else that Lena didn't clue her in on (and what do you know, Alex, Brainy and James didn't either and they KNEW what Lena was doing with it) she got back on her high horse and the distrust became front and centre. You can't trust Lena as Kara and then immediately distrust her as SG and expect her to be accepting of this dichotomy. I'm surprised the woman managed to retain her sanity.

And still, this reasoning doesn't quite hit the mark in comparison to every other insistence of Kara believing in Lena (from day one she even told Clark that she believed Lena after meeting her for the first time). But the contrasting opinions and actions must have given Lena pause. I don't blame her to call into question which version of the truth was real and choosing to believe the worst. It's what SG and the SFs have been doing to her.

3. She was wary of Lena

This isn't an explicitly given reason but I do think it's how the secret keeping started in S2. Frankly, I don't even blame Kara for not showing her full deck in the beginning because she (and even us as an audience) didn't know much about Lena beyond wanting to do good and not be like her family. So no, Kara not telling Lena in the beginning actually makes sense to me (though she told Nia in a split second but that's neither here nor there). For me, I started to seriously take Lena at her word after the Medusa episode. That would've been the perfect opportunity for her to show the true "xenophobic" colours some parts of the fandom accuse her of having and she didn't do it. I don't think she even got so much as a thank you for it. People praise SM for getting Lex arrested but ultimately it was Lena's testimony that got him thrown behind bars. Same thing with Lillian! And yes, the daxamite invasion was facilitated by Lena unwittingly working with Rhea but she fixed it with the lead dispersal bomb, a device she allowed SG the privilege of using or not. So Kara and the SFs being cautious about Lena really should've evaporated halfway through S2 (and it did for Kara at least). In fact, the daxamite invasion may not have happened if Lena knew exactly who Rhea was and her relation to Mon-El because they would've warned Lena about it. Lena did want Kara's advice on Rhea and she would've waited for it if she knew what was going on (i.e. Alex being held hostage) and hell, might've been able to fix it in typical Lena ex machina fashion.

4. She didn't want to lose her

This is probably as close to the truth as we've gotten and it's actually part of her confession in 5x01 (something her outburst in 5x19 tries to undo). But the thing is, Kara KNEW this was a possibility and yet, continued walking towards the deadly cliff with her eyes wide open. The probability of losing Lena got higher and higher as time went on and it was always inevitable. There was always this spotlight placed on Kara telling Lena or Lena finding out on her own but there was always a HUGE chance that Lillian would've told her. Or Lex, which is exactly what happened. And Kara knew that they knew and yet she did nothing about it. The minute kara found out Lillian knew she should've taken action, what guarantee did she have that Lillian wouldn't have gotten bored of waiting for Lena to piece it together? How can they just leave Lillian with dangerous knowledge like that is beyond me. When Alex in particular has made such a big deal about people knowing, didn't want Kara telling Lena, only allowed Kara to tell Lucy to save J'onn and yet, letting Lillian amble about with this info is okay??? Nothing was stopping her from telling Lena or it slipping during one their chess games and definitely nothing stopping Lex from dropping that bomb.

The 100th episode AUs showed us that each time it was Kara telling the truth, no matter how hurt and upset Lena rightfully was, she was ultimately fine with it. And Kara ends up losing her to death, not because Lena walked away. How this wasn't the takeaway message for Kara after that adventure, idk. It was Kara's hesitatancy in telling Lena that allowed Lex to weaponize this secret and twist it into something it never was. And yes, Kara doesn't owe a damn soul her secret and has rarely ever been given the chance to tell anyone on her own terms (James - told by SM, Alex, J'onn, Brainy, Mon-El, the Legion - always knew, Lex & Lillian, Lord & Cat - found out somehow). She only ever got to tell Winn, Lucy and Nia and I'm sorry but none of those people have ever proven themselves trustworthy at the time of the reveal the way Lena has.

So while Kara is every right to keep her secrets, she was wrong to insert herself in Lena's life if she never had any intention of telling her and let's be honest, it really didn't seem like Kara had any timeline on that front.

5. She was selfish

Similar to the above and also mentioned during the confession but this is even deeper. Lena was something of an outlet for Kara, a way to feel completely normal, something she hasn't been able to experience with anyone, even Mon-El. Can you imagine being a cub reporter who knows powerful CEO Lena Luthor and having said CEO choose to spend time with you? Choose to let you interview her when she's wary of the press (remember her interactions with Clark in 2x01 and her family history)? Choose to treat your problems as important and valid and human? I don't blame Kara at all for being selfish with Lena, for wanting to keep Lena all to herself like that. But to not share the other aspects of herself was seriously wrong too and resulted in this imbalance in their relationship. To Lena, it looks like she was giving all of herself when Kara was not. It looks like she put all her trust and vulnerabilities out there when Kara didn't. It looks like Kara was using her (which let's be real, she kinda did a few times in S2 with the fight club and bs article to get info on Lillian and then ofc the CatCo-Edge problem she visited Lena for after ignoring her and proceeding to continue the rejection after Lena said she'd look into it).

You think post-reveal Lena didn't think back to all those moments and have those kinda thoughts? Even called into question what might've been the real reason James dated her and Kara was so insistent on befriending her? Were there perhaps times were she figured it out and can't remember and what's why she chose not to see it? Why do we think she still showed up game night in 4x22 instead of confronting Kara? Because these thoughts amongst others must've been swarming her mind and the only way to keep the upper hand is to continue playing dumb. So yes, Kara made the conscious decision to be selfish with Lena because of the unexpected connection they forged and I get it totally. But Lena has never been selfish and she's always made hard efforts to be a damn good friend (and she was idc what others might think on that) and open herself up to Kara despite how difficult and frankly foreign that is for her.

So are Kara's reasons valid? To a point, I would say yes but their validity waned over the seasons to the point where the secret keeping didn't even make sense anymore.

So was Lena's anger valid? Yes! 100% it was and honestly, I'm surprised she managed to keep it together for so long. I couldn't. But her anger doesn't justify her actions (mind control, manipulating Kara, threatening Russell, holding J'onn's bro captive, putting Hope inside Eve) and how she went out of her way to hurt Kara back. However, I get why she did it though it's worth pointing out that this is the only instances of a betrayal in her life where Lena has gone this far. Bitch straight up spiralled where previously she would cut ties and move the fuck on with life. But with Kara, that doesn't even seem to manifest itself to Lena as an option. Will the show ever address the obvious WHY for this and for Kara being so so terrified of losing Lena (like honestly I have never seen Kara look more distressed).

Maybe, maybe not but regardless I'm not buying this platonic friends nonsense because no one is that devastated over a friendship. Many of us (myself included) have experienced falling outs with very close friends and breakups. Which one do you think the Kara/Lena rift in S5 felt like? It was full on heartbreak, loving someone in complete torment and not being able to stop despite wanting to because even though it's painful, the alternative is infinitely worse.

MB and KM's acting choices aside, these idiot showrunners have brought us to this point with their own narrative and the only logical next step is to make them canon.

Lol okay I'm done.