#like call me crazy but they sound like the fucking Karens!

[lesbianstarlightglimmer]

love how my students have called me a karen yet the ones who demand their way immediately and refuse to listen to reason/policies you have no control over and try to pull the “legal card” (aka “it’s illegal for you to [thing that is very legal]”) and say that I don’t help them while they were “too busy” talking to friends/playing games/horsing around/etc to listen

[6ix9inewiturmom]

Long day- matt Sturniolo

Summary: You had a long day at work and matt gives you some lovin to help with your long day :)

Warnings: SMUT, P in V, parsing, oral (fem receiving), unprotected sex, cream pie, use of Y/N, Dirty talking, Degradation, aftercare!

A/N: I LOVE SWEET MATT!! ITS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!! ignore the song, i couldn’t find one so since he knows sm about bags

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Today has genuinely been the worst and longest day of my life. I’ve worked front desk at a salon for the last year and a half now, i had people coming in asking me about what to do for their hair type, karen’s complaining about their hair, just overall horrible, im just the front desk lady for right now i cant really tell these fucking people what to do, make a damn appointment. Matt and I have been together for 3 years, and have been dating to the public for a year and a half, when i graduated cosmetology school. thankfully after this cursed wednesday evening i was on my way to Matt and i’s house that we also share with his triplet brothers. i pull into the driveway and make my way to the door and unlocking it.

“Baby?” i yell walking up the steps.

“he’s been in his room playing video games streaming for like 4 hours” nick says shooting me a quick smile before looking back at his phone.

i knock softly on the door “jesus christ im streaming guys” matt slams his head set down on his table and opens the door “Wha- oh my god Y/N i’m so sorry i thought it was one of them” he says quickly changing his tone giving me a soft peck on the lips.

“it’s fine” i breath out giving him a smile walking into his room.

“tell the stream Hi, baby” he pulls my hand into frame making me force a smile onto my face.

“hi everyone” i awkwardly wave to his camera watching the chat go absolutely crazy when i entered.

“okay well i’m gonna end this cause the mother of my future kids just got here” he says making a smile appear on my face.

he ends the stream and turns around facing me almost analyzing me.

“why do you keep looking at me like that?” i roll my eyes and make my way to our shared closet pulling out a pair of his sweats and a T shirt of his.

he walks towards me leaning against the door frame “all of your clothes in that closet and you still choose to wear mine, but to answer your question you seem off” he says softening his tone.

“i’m fucking fine matt, damn, all on my ass for nothing” i groan out pushing him out of my way and falling on the bed scrolling on my phone.

“umm okay” he huffs sitting down next to me on the bed “so how was work?” he says breaking the silence of tiktok playing in the background.

i groan “it was long i guess” i place my phone on the bedside table and turn towards him.

“you guess?” he questions giving me a soft smile.

“find it was so dreadful, answering calls from people who can look up these answers on google, and oh my god i had this karen come in and” i laugh softly “and she literally accidentally tried this hair mask and fried half her hair and blamed it on me, knowing i’m just the front desk representative, then on top of all of that this lady yelled at me for eating carrots at the front desk” i say while he’s staring at me passionately listening to everything i have to say.

“did you say anything to that lady who yelled at you?” he asked while looking in my eyes as passionately as he can.

“my manager heard her yelling at me calling me ‘unprofessional and rude’ and ended up almost calling the cops on her for causing a disturbance” i smile back at him.

“well it sounds like to me you need a little distraction from your long day at work eh?” he smirks leaning into me as i playfully roll my eyes and lean into him crashing his lips onto mine smiling into his kiss.

he softly places his hand on my cheek pointing his tongue out a little begging to explore my mouth, i slightly open my mouth as his tongue dives into my mouth immediately taking dominance from my tongue and intertwining with mine. his hand travels from my cheek to my breast giving my bare breast a gentle squeeze causing a soft whimper to escape my lips. his hand travels down to my waist and toying with the waistband of my his sweatpants.

“can i?” matt pulls away and softly asks me.

i smile and playfully roll my eyes “yes matt you can”

he carefully crawls on top of me tapping my waist as a signal to lift my hips up. he pulls my pink lacy underwear and pants down together in one throwing them on the other side of the room.

“such a pretty pussy” he says softly running his slim fingers in between my wet folds collecting my arousal onto his fingers “and so wet” he smirks back up at me.

“matt” i drag his name out in a whine, “please don’t tease me” i stare desperately into his eyes through my eyelashes.

“Only because you asked so nicely my love” he smiles at me leaning down and starts placing mouth kisses directly into my clit flicking upwards with his tongue.

“Oh fuck Matt” I moan out placing my hand on top of his head and pulling at his hair causing him to grunt through my pussy sending vibrations through me.

“You like this hm?” he smiles and shoves his fingers into my hole curving them slightly upward and making me go absolutely insane.

“Yes!” I chant repeatedly.

My walls tighten around his fingers and my clit spasms between his teeth. “Someone’s close eh?” he smirks leaning his head upwards while moving his fingers in and out while reaching my sensitive clit with his thumb making figure 8 movements around my bud.

“S-so close Matt” I cry out arching my back off the bed and rolling my eyes back.

“Uh-huh? You close?” he taunts smiling at me and immediately thrusts his fingers into me touching my G-spot so easily.

“YES- FUCK MATT” My hips twitched upwards “FUCK I'M GONNA CUM” I scream out bucking my hips up.

“Come on baby, cum for me” his voice softens looking down at me coming unglued from just his fingers with amusement in his eyes.

With just his words, the knot in my stomach broke and cum dripped down from me and onto his fingers.

He lightly tapped my leg “I ain't done with you just yet, sweetheart” he said smirking at me.

“Matt I don't know if I can take another one..” I said out of breath still coming down from my very intense orgasm.

“You know your safe word, Y/N,” he says ripping his shirt off. “And you never have to be afraid of using it, I'll stop immediately you know this.” he pulls his sweatpants and boxers off in one freeing his hard cock and slapping his stomach.

he crawls over me placing my legs on either side of his hips and slowly agonizing using his tip to slide through my wet folds teasing me.

“Matt,” i whine “please fuck me”

“Patience sweet girl, patience” he smiles at me slapping his cock on my clit and making me jerk upwards and squeal.

He slowly puts his tip into me then removes it and slowly enters it again and removes it before roughly bottoming out into me gripping the headboard for support making his knuckles white.

“Oh Matt” i moan out.

He rolls his hips deeper into me smirking down at me “You like this hm? God, you feel so fucking good wrapped around my cock, and taking it so fucking well” he groans out.

My legs wrap around his waist forcing his body to get deeper each time he pushes himself into me making my eyes roll back into my head causing me to see starts, My moans become hoarse from the strain on my voice.

“Aww has my gorgeous whore gone dumb? Can't talk? What happened to all that attitude you had earlier?” he grabs my chin between his thumb and index finger.

“Uh huh, uh huh” i bite my lower lip and nodding vigorously.

“Words or I stop” he thrusts his hips deeper into me and maintains his violent thrusts.

“YES MATT FUCK- RIGHT FUCKIN THERE” I finally answer him with a strain in my voice.

My response only made him thrust into me deeper and faster. My cervix spasms around his cock signaling how close i am making a long groan exit from his lips. “Hold it”

He rolls his hips and pounds his hips into mine “Matt” I drag out his name with a moan.

“Come on, you got it” he nods his head continuing to thrust and abuse my cervix.

“S-so f-fucking close” I whisper scream out.

“Cum” he buries his head into my neck moving his hips in a way that kisses my cervix making me release all over his cock creating a white ring around the base of his cock.

His thrusts become sloppier as he releases into me painting my once pink walls a nice white color and slowly pulling out watching a mixture of his cum and mine slowly fall from my hole.

He vaults to his bathroom quickly so no one catches a glimpse of him or me in our naked state to grabs a warm cloth and slowly runs it down my legs cleaning him and me up before lying next to me placing my head on his chest.

“I'm sorry for the attitude I had earlier, I just had a rough day and shouldn't have taken it out on you,” I say “Thank you for lighting my mood up” I smile facing the TV drawing small circles on his stomach.

“Hey don't worry about it, we all got bad days baby, I'm just glad you're good now, that's all that matters to me” he softly says running his fingers through my hair and massaging my scalp and falling fast asleep in Matts arms.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

A/N Pt 2: HEY LOVES!! Sorry I haven't been so active in trying to recover from being violently hungover for the last 2 days LMFAOO… I HOPE U GUYS ENJOY!! i promise ill be active more!!

[bidisasterevankinard]

Inspirational Saturday

hi everyone, I was barely active cause mental health is a bitch and I wasn't writing for days, but today i finally broke this block and started a new wip I named "please, stop twisting knife(never wanted to cause your pain)" where Eddie is going to be engaged to a wrong guy for a moment and date this guy for longer moment, not seeing how he destroys his and Buck's friendship (Buck's insecurities and Eddie the king of denial Diaz are gonna be in the fic for long time) I was tagged today by @monsterrae1 <33 meet the moodboard and 966 words of angst I wrote cause I wasn't posted for a moment

“I still don't know how I can help choose the ring for the guy I met like …,” Buck tries to remember all the situations he was with Alec at least in one room,  “3 times? And let's not forget he is not my biggest fan,” Buck says, trying to sound casual. But everyone in the shop, except Eddie, looks strange at him. “Don’t you think Chris, Pepa, Hen, Karen, Chim or Maddie, Bobby or Athena, hell even Ravi, could be a better choice? They at least know him.” 

“And he would not be angry with you for spending time with them. Them not me,” is left unspoken, but Buck has to bite his lip hard not to let it slip from him.

Buck turns away from Eddie, who looks so beautiful and joyful admiring rings. His face has this pure happiness and smile, Buck would be drinking like crazy, like the most thirsty man alive, seeing the purest water, if it wasn’t the face Eddie has because he wants to marry someone else. The guy who made them strangers. Even if Eddie keeps trying to deny it. 

They are not family. They do not have movie nights or dinners, or even fucking calls and texts between them. Buck, thank god to Chris’ stubbornness, has it only with a boy. Mostly calls or texts, of course, because dinners or movies are barely even possible in between Buck’s shifts, Chris' school and social life. Plus to it Eddie and Alec’s attempt to create a family by constantly having family activities, and Buck left behind so easily. 

He is just a memory now. And he always would remember who he was all those years. Temporarily replacement of a missing part for the third member of Diaz household, while Eddie was getting ready to find someone to be permanent. While he was getting ready to let someone take this place to never leave again. 

Really, Buck is not even surprised he was so easily replaced. Just some words from Alec about him wanting Eddie to spend less time with Buck, Buck saying yes man, no problem, and now they are here. Him being not even a friend for Eddie. But just a guy who he still works with. 

Eddie can deny it how he wants, but they are not friends anymore. They are closer to being strangers than friends. 

Isn’t it the most painful of all of this situation?

Buck thought he had Eddie on his side forever, but he lost him too fast. He couldn’t even say a word because Eddie is happy. And why shouldn't he be? 

He has an amazing partner and the best teenager in the world as a family. They are adopting the cat soon. Eddie and Alec want to buy a house together because they started to talk about a new kid in the future, and they just want more space for their family. Family where Buck would not have any place because he is not wanting here by big part. And he wouldn’t even try to make Alec angry trying to be here. 

Just the thought that he knows all about Eddie’s plans for the future from someone, not from him, makes Buck sick, like someone twisting the knife into his guts, so he tries to concentrate on the rings the seller shows them. 

At least about the engagement he found out from Eddie. 

But Buck wishes to hear it from anyone else. Seeing Eddie’s face today, when the knocks on his door was too long and too exciting, almost screaming in Buck’s face how he needed to find the perfect ring right now and Buck should help him, destroyed part of his heart he considered dead for weeks, maybe even months, to never be recovered ever again.

He felt and still feels the sharp blade opening his back, cutting out his lungs to get to his heart, sticking and leaving the knife in his almost non-beating organ.

Buck can’t stop thinking, if he would be staying alive a little longer after lighting, would it feel the same, or would a heartbreak by the man who had your heart in his hands for years be way worse? Should Buck buy the suit for his funeral and not Eddie’s wedding?

“Yeah, I could ask them, but it would make no sense to buy the ring with them as they are not my best friend and not gonna be my best man,” Eddie grins at him sheepishly and Buck just forces the smile he perfected for years, making people believe he is fine. 

He never used it with Eddie.

“Best friends, huh? What I was doing for the last nine months, Eddie? What books have I read? What movies have watched? Who is my celebrity crush of the week? A year ago you would answer easily. Now you don’t even know I’m moving to the house I bought some weeks ago.”

It rushes through his brain, making Buck hate himself for being petty and not staying truthful to his words to always have Eddie’s back, even though he knows for Eddie it means nothing now, but not for him. 

For him it was a vow he takes with him to grave. So he presses his little overgrown nails so deep into the skin of his palm that he almost feels like cutting through the skin, and says, ��I’m proud to be your best man. Let’s try to choose the perfect ring.”

Buck swallows blood in his mouth from all the organs being crushed and chopped into bloody soup inside him when Eddie just smiles like he can’t see - and Buck hates that he actually can’t, that Eddie never saw him - how he breaks him and shows Buck two rings he likes the most.

tagging @wikiangela @tizniz @wildlife4life @watchyourbuck @exhuastedpigeon @elvensorceress @eddiebabygirldiaz @rainbow-nerdss @rogerzsteven @the-likesofus @thewolvesof1998 @theotherbuckley @transboybuckley @underwater-ninja-13 @puppyboybuckley @paranoidbean @pirrusstuff @anakinfallen @spaceprincessem @spotsandsocks @spagheddiediaz @devirnis @daffi-990 @diazsdimples @fortheloveofbuddie @gaydiaz @giddyupbuck @heartshapedvows @hippolotamus @honestlyeddie @honestlydarkprincess @hoodie-buck @housewifebuck @jeeyuns @jesuisici33 @ladydorian05 @loserdiaz @caroandcats @bigfootsmom @bekkachaos @buddierights @mandzuking17 @malewifediaz @steadfastsaturnsrings @ghost-cowboy @911onabc and anyone who wants

[inlovewithquestionablecharacters]

Frank Castle X Reader: Dead man walking

Warnings; Fluff, blood, stitching up, mentions of pain, description of wounds, mentions of sexual behaviour(nothing graphic), kissing, angst.

Summary: You knew Frank was alive but you rarely had contact then one day he shows up at your doorstep covered in blood.

Frank Castle was a dead man. The papers had stamped that headline on every front page they could find. For the second time in his life Frank had been declared as deceased and for the second time it was a lie. Frank had trusted few with his secret and you were honored he trusted you enough to know the truth.

That being said things seemed to get more and more complicated the longer time went on. You knew it was for the best but the lack of contact with Frank was making you crazy. You’d never really figured out where the two of you stood, your relationship having been a bit on the complicated side. And now it was practically nonexistent. 

Everywhere you went you searched for Frank's frame, the feeling that he was watching from the shadows constantly in your mind. You didn’t have contacts like Karen so it wouldn’t make sense for Frank to reach out to you all the time. Still you’d be lying if you didn’t expect it to be him on the other end of the phone every time you got a call. To your dismay it never was. The days turned into weeks and then the weeks turned into months. You stopped picking up the phone so eagerly and you quit glancing behind you whenever you went out. Frank was a dead man and that’s exactly what he was acting like. You’d almost given up on waiting for Frank to show up when you got the call. 

You were eating in one of the many dinners scattered around the city when the phone started ringing. You barely flinched, taking another sip of your coffee as you scanned over the day's newspaper. It was only when you heard a whistle that you raised your head. You looked over to where the noise had come from. A young man was holding the dinner's phone in his hand as he waved in your direction. You glanced behind you searching for who he was gesturing to before you realized you were the only one sitting in this portion of the place. You got up from your booth, eyebrows knitting as you made your way towards the phone. You thanked the boy as you grabbed onto the phone, leaning against the wall before you pressed the device to your ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey.”

You almost let go of the phone at the sound of his voice. Gruff and deep the way you remember it to be. 

‘Fra-”

“No. No names. It’s not safe.”

“I have a cell phone, you know.”

“Easier to hack. Couldn’t risk it. This way is less dangerous.”

You leaned your head against the wall, fingers wrapping around the phone wire as you sighed.

“What do you need?”

You couldn’t help but sound a bit annoyed. Months without contact and then out of nowhere he calls. That could only mean one thing. Frank Castle needed your help with something.

“Meet me at our spot tonight. Once it’s dark.”

To someone outside it would seem like a rather vague way of marking a meeting place but you knew exactly what he meant. 

“Alright. Hey-”

Before you could even finish the line went dead.

“Fucking asshole hung up on me!”

You jammed the phone into the receiver before going to your booth, picking up your things and storming out of the dinner.

When the time came you went to Frank's requested meeting place. You sat at one of the benches taking in the nature around you as you waited. You’d always loved this park. Ever since you were a kid you remembered dragging your family out every weekend for a picnic. You’d told Frank about it on the day he’d told you about his family and from that day on it became your spot. Which was funny because you’d never actually been here together.

“I see why you like it here.”

You opened your eyes, turning around from your spot so that you could look at Frank. He was wearing all black his once clean shaven face covered by a rather impressive beard. You got up, making your way to him slowly. He watched you get closer to him and stop about a foot from where he stood. You were giving him a choice. He could come to you or he could keep his distance. For safety reasons it would be best to stay away from you but it’d been so long and there was no way he was going to give up the chance to touch you. So against his better judgment Frank pushed off from the tree he’d been leaning on and closed the distance between the two of you. You tilted your head up to look at Franks face your eyes meeting his as you searched for some sort of restraint. You expected Frank to be looking around you for any sign of trouble but to your surprise his attention was only on you. 

“Hey.”

Frank gave you a small smile, his teeth poking through the mess of hair that covered his face. You couldn’t help but smile back at him, the joy of seeing him again getting to you. Slowly you smile turning into a slight frown, your lips quivering lightly as you continue to look up at Frank. God you’d missed him. Frank's brows knitted at the sight of your glassy eyes, his hand moving out of his pockets so that he could pull you into his embrace. You wrapped your arms around his waist, nuzzling your head into his chest as he held you.  

“I’m sorry. Sorry for taking so long, I just had to be sure you’d be safe.”

Frank gave your head a kiss, his arms tightening around you a bit more.

“I missed you, darling.”

You removed your head from Frank's chest, lifting your chin so you could see him.

“Missed you too Frankie.”

He had always hated when people called him that but for some reason when it came from you he didn’t seem to mind. You spent a while in each other's arms before you pulled away from Frank taking his hand into your own.

“So what can I help you with?”

Frank frowned at your question, a twinge of guilt making his way into his chest. Hell, it’d been so long since he reached out that you’d forgotten how importante you were to him. He cursed himself for making you feel like you were a means to an end. Frank placed his hand against your cheek tucking in a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Don’t need help with anything. Just needed to see you. Needed to see my girl.”

You smiled at his words grinning from ear to ear and Frank swore he’d never get tired of the sight. You looked around trying to make sure no one was around before you leaned up and kissed Frank's lips. He groaned against your mouth, his hands going to your waist. You pulled away leaning your forehead against his before whispering.

“It’s cold out here. Let’s go to my apartment.”

“I can’t do that doll. It’s not safe.”

You looked at Frank, your face showing resolve.

“Screw that! I haven't seen you in months, you really think I'm gonna let you leave now?”

Frank took in your expression he’d learned the hard way that trying to talk you out of something was useless. He let out a sigh, turning to look at his surroundings before looking at you again.

“You got your keys?”

That night Frank spent his time buried between your legs pulling all kinds of beautiful noises from your mouth. The next morning when you woke up the spot next to yours on the bed was empty except for a small note scribbled in familiar handwriting. 

“Thanks for last night,doll. Keep an eye on your window i’ll be in touch soon”

You smiled at the words leaning back into the bed and falling asleep once again.

Frank kept his promise. He’d leave little notes on your windowsill every so often and every once in a while the two of you would meet up at your spot. Some nights you’d convince Frank to come back to the apartment other times he’d conjure up all his will to say no to you. It was a weird dynamic but it worked and it was better than it was before. Frank never told you exactly what he was doing but he’d warn you when he would have to disappear for a while. His intention was to keep you from worrying but every time you received the red piece of paper on your window your heart ached a bit. You knew he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He was the toughest person you knew but you couldn’t help but worry. 

One random night you found yourself unable to fall asleep so you decided you’d try to watch some tv to distract yourself. You were just about to relax when someone knocked at your door. Your eyes flitted to the clock, reading the time. It was late. Too late for visitors. You made your way to your bookshelf pulling a decoy book and finding the gun Frank had given you when you first met. Slowly you moved to the door, wrapping your hand on the handle before peeking at the peephole. The gun you’d been holding fell to the ground once you realized what you were looking at. Your hands fumbled against the locks trying desperately to open the door. The second you managed to open the door Frank stumbled onto you, his feet almost giving out beneath him. Your eyes widened as you saw his blood soak into your nightgown. You pulled the man inside, placing him against the wall before rushing to lock the door. Frank leaned against the wall, his bloody hand latching onto your kitchen counter for support.

“What the hell happened Frank?”

“Got-ugh-absuhed.”

“Ah shit.”

You placed Frank's arm around your shoulders half dragging him over to the living room. You were about to place him on your coach when he groaned.

“No. The floor. Can’t leave too much evidence.”

“Should have thought about that before showing up covered in blood at my front door!”

“You’re the only one I can trust.”

You did as Frank asked, placing him on the floor before rushing to grab the first aid kit you had in the bathroom. You made it back to him as fast as you could, wasting no time to get to work. With a pair of scissors you cut open his shirt revealing a nasty gash on his abdomen. You groaned at the sight.

“Frank, that looks bad.”

“Ugh, I've had worse.”

You knew that was true but the other times Frank had had someone who knew about patching people up and right now you were his best shot. Which wasn’t saying much. YOu rummaged through the contents of the first aid kit searching for a needle and some string. You got up and went to the kitchen grabbing a towel and a bottle of scotch. You pressed the towel against Frank's wound grimacing as he let out a pained grunt.

“Sorry.”

“It’s alright. You’re doing great.”

You uncapped the bottle of scotch, taking a swing before handing it to Frank. He took the bottle looking up at you in question. 

“I’m guessing this is gonna hurt a lot, you know, alcohol numbs inside pain. So drink up.”

Frank gave you a faint smile, placing the bottle against his lips and taking a couple of swings.

“Okay i need you to stay as still as you can.”

“You got it Doc.”

You cleaned up Frank's wound with alcohol, your heart aching as he groaned in pain.

“I know baby, I know I'm sorry.”

You placed your hand on Frank's forehead, leaning down to give him a kiss in an attempt to distract him from the pain. Once he stopped flinching in pain you got to work stitching him up. Frank hated the feelings of needles going into his skin. Unfortunately for him it was something he’d had to become used to in his line of work. He’d been hurt before. Hell he’d taken a bullet to the fucking head. Yet somehow the moment Frank felt you tug at the string to finish stitching him up he was gone. The last thing Frank heard before he fainted was the sound of you calling out his name.

Frank's eyes fluttered open, his vision slowly adjusting to the light. The sun was out. Frank's eyes started making out what was in front of him. He was staring at the ceiling. Your bedroom ceiling to be more exact. Frank groaned as he tried to turn his head the memories of last night flooding back into his mind. He remembered stumbling into your apartment building and making his way to your door. He could almost see the look of horror on your face when you’d brought him inside your apartment. He leaned his head down to look at his abdomen instead of finding a gushing cut he was greeted by a wad of gauze. He ran his finger over the wound remembering the way your hands shook against his skin as you stitched him up. He should have never brought you into his shit. He should have let you think he was dead. It would have been better that way. All he ever seemed to do was drag you into trouble. And the worst part is that you just took it. Never complained and nothing. Frank pushed himself up, throwing his legs over your bed so that his feet could reach the ground. His gaze found its way to the mirror from your vanity eyes struggling to take in what he looked like. His eye was purple and his nose looked like it would break if he touched it.

“You look like shit.”

Frank's eyes snapped to your bedroom door, finding you leaning against the frame with two mugs in your hand. You made your way to Frank, taking a seat next to him in your bed before handing him one of the mugs.

“Thank you.”

You nodded at him, taking a sip of your coffee before turning to look to your side. Frank watched you from the mirror, his shoulders sagging as he realized you were trying not to cry. He placed his mug down on your night stand, his hands moving to grab your own mug from you and put it next to his. You allowed him to take your mug but refused to turn towards him, the idea of looking at him too overwhelming. You couldn’t help it. Every time you got a glimpse of his face flashes from last night made their way into your head and none of them were pleasant. Frank placed his hands around your waist dragging you closer to him with a bit of effort due to the wound on his side. He placed his head against your shoulder moving his lips against your skin as he gave your shoulder small kisses. The tears streamed down your face silently as Frank caressed your body. He knew you needed some time but he wanted to show you that he was okay. He was here. All thanks to you. 

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

You moved your hand to wrap around the back of Frank's head, your fingers toying with the small amount of hair that he’d left after his haircut. You turned your body so you could face him, your eyes closing as you leaned your forehead against Franks. He nudged your face with his nose leaning down to kiss the fresh tears on your cheeks. You let out a small sigh, your hands going to either side of Frank's face.

“I thought I was gonna lose you.”

“I’m right here.”

Frank pulled your hand off his cheek moving it to be flat against his chest, right where his heart was. You felt his heart beat against your hand, a breath of relief entering your body at the feeling.

“I’m here baby. I’m alive. I’m with you.”

You opened your eyes looking at Frank. He gave you a pained smile which you returned with your own tired one. Frank pulled your lips to his giving you a loving kiss before pulling you into his arms

“Frank your hurt-”

“It’s alright. Just relax.”

You leaned against Frank's chest feeling him breath in and out. Frank moved his hand to your hair playing with some loose strands. Silence took over the room and all you could hear was Frank's steady breaths against your ear. You’d been wanting to tell him something for a while and seeing that you almost lost him yesterday you decided you were done waiting. 

“Frank…”

“What is it baby?”

“I love you.”

You felt Frank's breath hitch against your back. Frank threw his head up, tears forming in his eyes at your words. It’s been a while since he’d been loved. He'd forgotten how it felt to hear those words. He leaned his head back against yours, his arms tightening against your body.

“I love you too baby. So fucking much.”

You let out a relieved sob at his words, turning to give him a kiss.

To some Frank Castle was a dead man. To others he was a dead man walking. But to you he was the man you loved. The man that made you believe that there was some good left in the world. And to him you were a reason to stay alive.

[onstrangerthighs]

The Ugly Truth

Despite wishing her mother good night thirty minutes ago, Nancy’s eyes refuse to shut. Whenever she starts to drift off, she sees Barb crawling out from underground to blame her for what happened that night. Nancy would argue her case, but there’s no defense. She failed her friend. Barb hadn’t even wanted to go along in the first place! 

I’m going insane just lying here. Maybe some warm milk will calm me down.

She passes the bathroom on the way to the stairs. Mom’s not in the tub? I didn’t hear the water go off. Huh. 

The front door is open, and there’s the boy from Tina’s party who came speeding into Hawkins High School’s parking lot with his car radio on full blast. The boy Steve keeps staring at like a stunned fish. She’s shit with remembering names. Ben… something? 

Curiosity gets the better of her. She stays very still on the second step, ears and eyes peeled. 

Mom answered the door in her bathrobe? Nancy shifts her attention to Ben- no Billy, his name’s Billy. He seems… tense. Fidgety. 

“I’m Nancy’s mother.” 

“No.” 

For some reason, Billy saying that in a clearly sarcastic tone makes her mother twirl her hair and giggle, “Yes” like a schoolgirl with a crush. 

You’ve never acted this way with Dad. 

“Mrs. Wheeler.” 

“Um, I’m sorry, and you are?”

“Billy. Billy Hargrove.” He extends a hand for her to shake, and when she does, he puts his other hand over hers.

What the fuck is happening? Why aren’t you pulling away? 

“You must be here for Nancy.” 

“Nancy? No, no, no.”

One no would’ve done the trick. 

“Not my type.” 

Nancy snorts into her hand. 

“Uh… No, actually I am looking for my little sister Max. Goes by Maxine. She’s been missing all day, and, uh, to be honest with you, I’ve been worried sick, you know, so…”

“Oh.” 

You sound almost… disappointed. Why would you be, unless… No. Surely not. 

“I thought she was at Lucas’, but Mrs. Sinclair said your house is the…the designated hangout, so, you know… Here I am.” 

This has got to be the worst pretend pickup line I’ve ever heard. He’s got no interest in you, Mom. You know that, don’t you? 

Billy comes in, and if he notices Nancy lurking at the top of the stairs as he goes into the kitchen, he doesn’t say anything. 

“Their driveway is pretty dark this time of night,” Mom says, scribbling down an address for him. “So drive slowly.”

“Always.” He pockets the address and takes an extra bitter oatmeal cookie for the road. 

Under the kitchen light, her mother dies, and all she sees is Karen Wheeler biting her bottom lip as she watches him walk away, her eyes glued to his ass. 

Nancy doesn’t remember when her gun appeared in her hands, but her brain is surprisingly clear when she pulls the trigger. A bullet goes right between Karen’s eyes. 

Killing people is surprisingly easy when you see who they really are. 

Billy lies flat on the floor, hands cupped over his ears. 

“I’m not going to shoot you.” 

“You killed… your mother. God, Hicktown is fuckin’ crazy!” 

Boy, he really catches on quick. 

“You don’t know the half of it.” Nancy steps over Karen’s body and dials the number of Hopper’s secretary. She’s more likely to pick up than the Chief himself. “Hi, this is Nancy Wheeler. I need to talk to Chief Hopper. It’s important.”

She hears a grunt, and prepares the crocodile tears. Billy stares at her with a mix of awe and horror as her lower lip begins to tremble. “My mother st-started acting really strange. She turned the air conditioner down because she “liked it cold”. She-she loved the house being warm. Her voice came out all-all deep and empty. I looked into her eyes, and I knew my mother wasn’t…” she takes a shaky breath for added effect, then continues, “I knew she was gone. So I… I shot her. I don’t want to go to jail! I’m so scared, Chief.” 

“You did the right thing, calling me. I’ll stop by your house and take care of things, okay? Do you have anywhere else to go tonight?”

“I’m not sure. I-”

 Billy’s not on the floor anymore. His headlights are on. Crap.

I need to make sure he knows not to say anything. 

Nancy gets into the passenger seat and he sends her a dirty look. 

“You should really start locking your doors. It’s a safety precaution.”

“... I will keep that in mind. Now get out of my car.” 

“You said you were looking for your sister, right?”

“She’s not my sister.”

“But you said-” “I know what I said. Look, I’d prefer to forget everything said and done in your freakshow house, Wheeler.”

“Nancy.” 

“Fine. Nancy.” 

“I know where Max is.” 

“I’m not giving you shit in exchange for that information.” 

“Well I should hope not.” Has this sort of thing happened to him before?

“I know how to keep a secret. I just… why did you do it?” 

“We were always arguing. She never heard me. What pushed me over the edge was how she was with you. It made me want to puke. She should’ve stuck to her own age group.” 

Billy goes eerily quiet, hands gripping his steering wheel until his knuckles turn white. His shoulders slacken, and he unclenches his jaw to offer her a weary, appreciative smile. 

“Max is at the Byers’ house. Mike’s there, too. I can’t take him back to that house. He didn’t know… I don’t suppose you have room where you live?” Billy tenses up again. 

She takes that as a no.”

“I’ll be your guide to the Byers’. I’m sure Mrs. Byers wouldn’t mind us staying over.” 

He gives her a terse nod.

“Us includes you, Bonnie.”

Billy blinks several times, temporarily breaking out of his grim state. “Bonnie? Hold on, why the fuck am I not Clyde? Clyde’s a man.”

Nancy lets out a long sigh. “Do you actually care about that crap?”

“... No. I don’t,” he admits. “Bonnie has better hair anyway, so it fits.” 

“You think you’re funny, huh.” 

“I think I’m a fucking riot.” 

“Humor is subjective.”

“It was your joke!” 

****** “Am I dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Don’t cream your pants.” 

Okay, now I wish I’d shot myself instead. 

“Nancy???” Steve exclaims, dragging his eyes away from Billy’s chest. 

So that’s why Billy took his jacket off. 

She snickers, shaking her head. Steve Alexander Harrington, you haven’t changed one bit. 

Billy seems to be glowing from Steve’s attention. Dorks. 

“What’re you doing here, amigo?”

“Yeah, I could ask you the same thing, amigo.” 

Oh, Steve, you’re not fooling anyone. 

“Looking for my stepsister. A little birdie told me she was here.”

Nancy awkwardly waves. I doubt they’re even aware I exist. 

“Huh. That’s weird. I don’t know her.”

“Small, redhead, bit of a bitch?”

“I heard that!” a girl yells from inside the house. 

“I wanted you to!” 

“You guys are going to wake up the whole neighborhood!” Nancy yells.

“I think we’re a little quieter than a gu- guy who’s bangin’ his wife.” 

“Are you two… friends or something?” Steve says, squinting like he’s come face to face with an impossible math problem. 

“Amigos in crime.” 

“You didn’t tell him any embarrassing stories about me, did you? Nance?” 

“Stories? What stories?” 

“It’s a school night. We should all head inside and get some rest.”

“Nance!” 

“Shut up, Steve.”

“Yeah, shut up, Pretty Boy.” 

“Keep the flirting to a minimum, there are children present.”

Steve’s jaw drops. “WHAT? FLIRTING?”

Billy cackles, slapping his knee, his face matching the color of his shirt. 

New hobby unlocked. 

*****

“Does Mrs. Byers have any grub around here? I’m gonna check the fridge.”

“Billy, I wouldn’t do that if I were you-"

“WHAT THE FUCK-”

[outshinethestars]

Meet Cute (Daredevil fic)

“Your friend’s sitting at your seven o’clock.  Wait, no, five o’clock,” Matt overhears the barista say, with a gesture “Milla” can’t see in his direction, which is odd given that Matt’s never met the woman before in his life, “He’s in the corner by the door.  Um, do you want me to walk you over there?”

“No, thank you, I think I can manage,” the woman says, just this side of sarcastic.  Her heartbeat picks up like she’s nervous, but she squares her shoulders and walks resolutely towards Matt’s corner.

“Hi,” she says, “Is this the right table?” Perfectly polite, but with just the smallest edge of “Who the fuck are you and what do you want?”.

Matt grins, “Hey,” he says, “I’m your friend Matt.  Because obviously all blind people know each other.”

Milla’s shoulders loosen and she laughs. (She has a beautiful laugh.) “Oh, is that what happened?  I thought you were some kind of weird stalker or crazy ex or something,” she says, “I’m Milla, by the way, but I guess you heard all that.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Milla,” Matt says, “Any stalking on my part was purely unintentional, and I’ve unfortunately never had the pleasure of being your ex.  Whether I’m crazy or not I leave other people to judge.”

“Hm,” Milla says, sounding amused.  It felt like winning. “Well, since I’m here, do you mind if I join you so I can find out?  I think the poor barista would be mortified if we let on she made a mistake.”

“I’d be delighted,” Matt says, probably meaning it a little too earnestly.

———

Matt was fifteen minutes late.

Matt had said he was going to come into the office at ten when he left for home and daredeviling last night, and now it was fifteen past.  Matt had been doing so much better recently, always coming in when he said he would, actually telling them if he got hurt.

And now he was late.

By a perfectly normal amount!  Foggy was probably freaking out completely unnecessarily.  But nevertheless, here he was, hovering in the foyer like a complete mother hen, vibrating out of his skin, and wondering whether he should try to contain that impulse or lean into it, let his idiot best friend know he was in deep shit from a block away.

Speaking of a block away, here came Matt walking down the sidewalk.

He didn’t look injured.  In fact he looked… happy?  There was a spring in his step and he swung his cane almost jauntily from side to side.

What?

Matt was humming as he opened the door.

What.

“Oh, hey, Foggy,” he said, “Sorry I’m late.  I got, um, a little held up.”

He smiled a little guiltily but not in an angsty daredevil sort of way. More like an oh no I’m late for work with no good excuses and I feel bad about it kind of way.

And he still?  Seemed so happy and unhurt?  What was this?

Wait.  Foggy knew this Matt.  Holy shit.  This really wasn’t a daredevil thing.  

Matt really did get held up.

“Karen, come look!” Foggy called, “Matt’s in love!”

Karen stuck her head out from her office and stared.

“Is Matt possessed?” She asked.

“I’m not possessed, Karen,” Matt said.

“He’s fallen in love,” Foggy said, which with the way Matt did it wasn’t that different from possessession.

“I haven’t fallen in love, Foggy,” Matt said, his face doing a complicated thing, where it looked like he wanted to be annoyed but was in too good of a mood to do it properly, “And since when is being in love a spectator sport anyway?”

“Since it’s you, Matt,” Foggy says, “You get all…” Foggy waved his arms wildly in an attempt to encompass Matt’s entire everything, “Happy.”

“He does?” Karen asked.  And it occurred to Foggy that this might not be the most comfortable bit of gossip to have with her, given that Matt had been sort of, maybe, almost in love with Karen in between all the Daredevil drama.  But Karen’s tone was only full of her delighted reporterly thirst for gossip, so it was fine, probably.

“Yes,”  Foggy said,  “It happened with Elektra for about a week before that got weird, then there was that girl, Tanya.  It’s been a while, though, since he’s gotten truly intoxicated-stupid infatuated.  Last time must have been that one girl he had a crush on at L&Z, before he found out she was evil.  Man, looking back, that might have been the beginning of the end for us.  The death of innocence.”

“Fascinating,” Karen said,  “Is that a trend?  Matt falling for people who turn out to be evil?”

”I mean, to be fair,” Foggy said,  “Most people at Landman and Zack were evil, so it’s not like we had a great pool to choose from.  That being said, I have had my doubts about Matt’s taste.  Whoever this new girl is, you should absolutely be prepared to investigate her for tax fraud or whatever.”

”I’m standing right here,” Matt said.

”Are you gonna tell us about her then?” Karen asked.

Matt gave them his eye roll head tilt and set down his briefcase and cane.

”I’m not in love, guys. Can’t a man just be happy these days?” He asked, sounding exasperated, but still in a slightly unnervingly good-humored sort of way.

”When the man is you?” Karen said, incredulous.

“Now that’s just rude,” Matt said, “I know how to be happy.”

And that… that was true.  Foggy could remember a time when Matt was happy.  And he was pretty sure these days that there’d always been a certain amount of angst hanging around underneath that Foggy wasn’t privy to, but Matt really had been happy, more or less, as a baseline.  And he realized suddenly, that Matt really had gotten back to that, to that place where he could be happy easily, without thinking about it.  Of course, that was also a place where Matt could easily find himself tripping over himself drunk on love.  Could fall easily in a way he maybe hadn’t been able to with Karen.

”So are you willing to testify that you did not lose track of time this morning with your lady love?” Foggy said,  “Could you state, for the record, that no girl was involved?”

”Well,” Matt said, with a small (very in love) smile, “I did meet a girl in passing, but I wouldn’t say we’re in love just yet.”

“I knew it!” Foggy crowed.

[bohemian-nights]

as a black gorl i find it really frustrating that a lot of black people rally behind rhaenyra so valiantly as if her actions (future, past, and present) haven’t been coded in such anti-black/misogynoir behavior towards the velaryons?

i wonder if the HotD writers are aware that the choice of making velaryons black no matter the intention changes the optics of EVERYTHING that happens now or later and adds a racial element to what was previously only reserved for nettles. the velaryons have been treated like shit from the very beginning in this show by the targaryens. rhaenyra doesn’t have a relationship with laena anymore and they deleted scenes of the two interacting so their show canon starts with laena attempting to befriend rhaenyra, and ends with rhaenyra sleeping with laena’s widowed husband at her FUNERAL (and calling LAENOR -her husband, the brother of the DEAD LAENA- “useless” because he’s inconsolable over losing his sister), uses laena’s daughters as bargaining chips so that she can put her white sons on the throne of their land instead of endorsing the twins (something even alicent endorsed when she was bargaining with rhaenys), vaemond is killed by daemon and calls rhaenyra a whore even though he never did that in the book so that a black man is given justification to be killed on screen??? like it’s just crazy to me how this family keeps getting fucked over by the tb targaryens and rhaenyra but niggas still stand ten toes down behind rhaenyra??? DID WE WATCH THE SAME SHOW?

and it’s even funnier because the treatment of velaryons only gets worse by all technicalities. the fact they even temporarily switched teams speaks on that so much. then you have corlys tortured by rhaenyra’s orders (and the optics of that is ANOTHER black man doomed at the expense of a white woman) and her council denouncing his bastards (and now with those bastards being black confirmed by leaks) when she spent years convincing everyone her WHITE ones were legit. and then topple that with the infamous nettles quote??? it’s not looking good for her i fear.

honestly i hope my fellow black people jump ship SOON because the egg will be on y’all faces if the show decides to keep all this in.

I wish they’d learn, grow a spine, and realize Missy Anne is not Dany(which is why they support her in the first place), but clowns will be clowns 🤷🏽‍♀️

And calling y’all clowns is me being nice cause I could call y’all the other c-word which is how a lot of you sound when you look the other way at your faves racism and your fellow white/non-Black mentally disturbed cult members I mean stans harassing Black fans and calling characters racial slurs🙃

My problem with them is less that they support Miss Maegor. I mean it is all technically fictional, so it’s not like they are stanning an actual Karen.

However, when they get mad at the fact that some Black people are uncomfortable stanning a racist psycho(especially seeing how her fanbase is comprised of actual racists) that doesn’t make a lick of sense.

They need to reassess cause at this point I’ve seen several of them try to throw other Black people under the bus for this fictitious racist who does all that you mentioned.

Like please save your energy for the stans calling Black characters the n-word, saying Afro hair looks dirty, and saying that it’s fine to cut the only in-canon Black character because there are already enough Black people on the show.

The fact that they seemingly have more smoke for other Black fans than the stans that are just using them to say see look this Black person agrees with me because they are butt-hurt that we all aren’t falling in line to defend a racist white woman and a crusty white ship is downright embarrassing.

[opheliawillowbrook]

@bea2607 and @mezgkq

If we're going for everyone's "canon" sign (which canon seemingly means nothing these days, courtesy of DC and their antics. Not to mention the slew of trash writers reconning everything and imprinting their own basis onto characters (but that's a different conversation entirely lol) then sure: Damian is a Leo which makes sense. Raven being a Libra works too.

However, if I’m going off my own personal take, cause this is Tumblr, and that’s what we’re all here for. Then Damian is an in my opinion an Aries with a Leo moon, if I’m gonna get technical. For example the key personality difference are similar, but just slightly different.

Core Being

Aries - The most passionate (I personally find Damian to be more passionate than people give him credit for. But that could be my personal bias. He tends to hold firm in his beliefs and is reluctant to change them and will go out of his way to prove his point. Meaning, he HAS to be right. We lead from the head.)

Leo - The most fierce (Damian is without a Doubt fierce. As a fighter, he’s cut-throat. I.e. kill or be killed. Leos make great friends, but they’re also great opportunists, and who better to than the son of Batman and one Talia al Ghule, am I right? )

That being said, Aries is also a very opportunistic zodiac sign. In fact, we’re the best. I’m not proud of that, but we definitely feel the need to be number one and be the best, and we’re hella competitive and easily the most vengeful of the signs in the zodiac calender. Do not make enemies of us. We will kill you. Straight up ruin your entire life because we fucking LOVE to HATE shit! ARIES AIN'T THE GOD OF WAR FOR NOTHING. We make vengeance a hobby, because we can--we’ve mastered our crazy, and we’re good at. Like everything. If that doesn’t sound like Damian, then I’ve been writing him wrong this whole time lol.

Weakness:

Aries - Hot-tempered (Yes we are)

Leo - Bossy (Yes you are)

Both of these are Damian to a T. I’m not even gonna explain, we all know.

Strongest suit:

Aries - Ambition ( Damian is easily the most ambition, Robin and Titan. Ambition becomes him. It's literally in his Demon blood)

Leo - Generosity (For sake of argument, Damian is and can be generous, but not before being a total dick. Unless he loves you. As most of us are aware, Damian does have a “kind and generous soul” to, quoth the Raven. Which lends itself to the structure of his likability and character growth.)

As a Team:

Aries- (Cardinal) "Okay, here's what we gonna do." I feel like this Damian to a T. Take control, be the leader, act with no hesitation because he knows he has a plan B, and he's a cocky little shit. It might not work perfectly, but Damian’s confident, sometimes overly so. Did I mention that Damian's wicked cocky?

Leo - (Fixed) - "I will arrange the meeting and let's stick with the plan A." This to me feels more like Cassie Sandmark who’s a moral busybody. Damian will definitely tell you how he feels and point out that you're wrong, but he’s not a Karen.

At party:

Aries - *Drunk and ready to fight anyone*

Leo - *Heads to the center stage cheerfully and does theatrical stunts*

I’ll you be the Judge, juror and Executioner.

In a fight:

Leo - Tells Sagittarius "why do you have to be so criticizing?"

Sagittarius - Tells Leo "why do you have to be so self-centered?"

Aries - "You both have a problem. You two wanna fight me? Come on, I'm ready. (Aries live for this shit. Like we’re waiting for any excuse to pop off. Worse, we can justify it to ourselves. Personally, I think Damian is more likely to act on this take. Let's face it, there's war in his soul.

So yeah. Y’ll can take from this analysis (if we can call the incoherent ramblings of a chicken keeping, hairstylist such a thing.) I personally, as an Aries, feel justified in my arguments, because I’m an Aries and there’s not hope for me. But that doesn’t mean anyone has to agree. We all have our own takes, and that’s the beauty of fanfiction. We don’t adhere to canon, and we don’t have to.

With Love Ophelia.

[erikahenningsen]

hi! for Sometimes Mean Is What You Are, can I request a Cady/Regina angst where Regina has trouble trusting people after junior year? thx! love ur work!

Today is the day.

Today, Cady is going to tell Regina how she feels about her. No more excuses—she's going to do it.

Cady would be lying if she said she wasn't kind of terrified, but she feels like she's going to explode if she doesn't do it soon. Ever since she realizes she had feelings for Regina, she's barely been able to focus on anything else. Damian has called her out on more than one occasion for blatantly staring at Regina in the hallways or the cafeteria.

(She's already starting to go a little crazy, muttering "today is the day" to herself as she walks down the hall, not realizing it until Gretchen asks, "What's today?"

"Thursday," Karen helpfully supples.)

Cady basically invites herself over to Regina's house after school, wanting to be able to get the hell out of there if Regina punches her in the face or something. Not that she thinks that will happen, but it's always good to have an escape plan.

"I need to tell you something," Cady blurts the moment Regina's bedroom door is closed, before she can chicken out or throw up.

"Okay," Regina says, looking a little confused. She sits down on her bed and raises an eyebrow expectantly.

"I like you," Cady says, looking at a spot on the wall just over Regina's shoulder because that seems less scary. "Not as a friend. Well, I do like you as a friend, but also as more than a friend. Like, a lot. You're kind of all I can think about and it's kind of becoming a problem."

Cady chances a look at Regina. Regina looks blankly back at her.

"So... yeah," Cady finishes lamely. "I just... wanted to tell you."

Regina lets out a little scoff and rolls her eyes. "Right, okay."

Now Cady is confused. "Did you hear what I just said?"

"Uh, yeah," Regina says. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"What?" Cady asks, absolutely lost. Her stomach is starting to contract anxiously. "Regina, I just told you that I like you."

"And I don't believe you," Regina says coldly. "Nice try, but you can go now."

"I don't understand." Cady can't keep the desperation out of her tone. "Why would I make that up?"

Regina stands up, getting inches away from Cady's face. If she's trying to intimidate Cady, it's working.

"I thought we were done with the lies, but I see I was wrong," Regina says, eyes narrowing. "Really, this one's on me. Fool me once and all that. But I know better now, so you can get the fuck out of my house."

Regina's voice cracks, and she turns away from Cady, taking visibly deep breaths. Cady's chest physically hurts.

"No, Regina, please," Cady says. "I'm not lying. I swear. I'll go if you want me to go, but please believe me."

"Stop, okay?" Regina says, and she doesn't even sound angry. She just sounds... exhausted. She sits back down on her bed and drops her head into her hands. "I can't... this is too much. Not after I... for so long..."

For a moment, Cady considers cutting her losses and leaving. But... she's come this far.

"I like that you're never afraid to say what you think," Cady says. "And you're always making me laugh, even when I'm having a bad day. You're so protective of your friends, and you come to my mathletes competitions, even though you think they're boring. I like that you love to read, and I like that you read Shakespeare, even if you don't want anyone else to know you do."

Regina looks up at her, cautiously, her eyes red and watery.

"I love that we can hang out together and do nothing and still have fun, or talk for hours, and I love our bad movie marathons," Cady continues. "I still listen to the playlist you made for me when we first met. And you're the prettiest girl I've ever met. It's been really distracting."

Regina stares at her, and when she starts to smile, just a little, Cady's knees practically give out from the relief.

"And it's okay if you don't feel the same way, but please believe me. Okay?" Cady whispers.

"Okay," Regina says after a long moment.

And when Cady reaches out her hand, Regina takes it and squeezes.

[scarabsinthestardust]

Better in the Morning // Ch. 14

MASTERLIST

word count: 2900+

CHAPTER WARNINGS: Language; pregnancy; pregnancy tests, doctor's appointments; anxiety; mentions of depression; a tiny mention of abortion and archaic Tennessee state laws regarding it; bad news and a cliffhanger (please forgive me)

I rarely get sick. I sometimes say it’s because I inherited my father’s immune system. When everyone around me got COVID, I somehow got away scot-free. So, when I woke up feeling extremely nauseous, I brushed it off as the aftereffects of something I ate. Maybe the Chinese food from last night didn’t agree with me. But when it hadn’t faded by the next day, I resigned myself to accepting that I caught a stomach bug.

I scoured the cabinets for any kind of nausea medicine, but the only one I found expired six months ago. I groaned and threw it in the trash. I didn’t bother changing out of my pajama pants, just threw my hair into a messy bun and headed to the drug store.

I grabbed a Sprite and went hunting for the medicine. I found it without too much trouble, but as I cut through another aisle to head towards checkout, I froze. I stared at the shelves, eyeing the pink and blue boxes wearily. There’s no way. I don’t know why it even crossed my mind. I’d been on the birth control shot for a while now. I haven’t really had a period, but that’s normal for the type of contraception I’ve been on. Other than the nausea, I didn’t have any symptoms. So why was I suddenly worried? With a sigh, I grabbed a random one off the shelf. Just to be sure.

~

Sitting in the bathroom, I stared at the test. It’s crazy how a stupid, tiny piece of white plastic can hold so much power over someone. I debated throwing it away, that it was a stupid idea and there was no way in hell that’s what was wrong with me. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. “This is so dumb,” I said to myself before grabbing it off the counter and popping off the cap.

I waited however long the instructions specified before picking it up again. I’d talked myself into believing I was just being paranoid, pushing my anxieties down and telling myself to quit worrying, and that I could laugh about it later. After all, the shot only had a one percent failure rate. I was fine. Probably. But when I saw those two parallel lines, my breath caught in my throat and my heart sank into my stomach. Fuck me.

Because I don’t know how to be cool, calm, and collected in the face of certain situations, the next logical step was to panic. I grabbed my keys and drove, probably way over the speed limit, back to the store. I tried to convince myself it was a faulty test, a false positive. I would just try one more. But the anxiety won out. When I dropped eleven different boxes on the checkout counter, the clerk raised an eyebrow at me.

“Don’t ask,” I muttered.

~

Positive. Every single one was positive. Fuck. Me.

I wanted to throw up, but couldn’t tell if it was nerves, the large amount of water I consumed in such a short period, or the fact that I had an actual human in my stomach. Between sobbing and hyperventilating, I eventually did manage to puke. I sat on the bathroom floor, my mind going a thousand miles a minute. I had no idea what I was going to do.

Jake and the guys went back on tour a couple of weeks ago and wouldn’t be back for almost another month. I couldn’t call Jake; it wouldn’t be right to drop that bomb and cause a huge distraction. He needed to focus on their busy tour list and countless shows they were playing around the country. Finn was in Colorado for the week. I could call Richie, but how much help would he be in this situation? I didn’t have any girlfriends I was close enough with to help me out with this. I had one more option, though.

I opened my contacts and found the name. I stared at it for what seemed like ages while I got my breathing under control before I finally pressed ‘DIAL.’

The line was answered after a few rings. “Hello?”

“Hey, Karen. Um, are you busy?” My voice sounded raw from crying.

“Not at all. What’s going on, sweetheart? Is everything okay?”

“Uh, I don’t know. I’m kinda freaking out. I’m sorry. I didn’t know who else to call.”

“It’s okay, honey. Just breathe, tell me what happened. Is it Jake?”

“I’m pregnant,” I blurted out. I wasn’t ready for the weight of those words and how scary it would feel saying them out loud.

Karen gasped. “Oh my God, that’s… you haven’t told Jake yet?” I could hear the excitement in her voice.

“No, I can’t tell him while they’re on tour. We… we didn’t plan for this. What if he doesn’t want a baby? What if he’s not ready? What if I’m not ready?” I was fighting sobs as I spoke, and it was a losing battle. “I don’t know how to be a mom.”

Karen’s voice never faltered as she talked me off the metaphorical ledge, calmly pulling me back. “Honey, just breathe for me. I know you’re scared, and that’s okay. It’s a big change, and it can be difficult. Trust me, I know. But you have to remember you aren’t going to be doing this alone. You always have me and Kelly. And you’ve practically got the whole rest of the village there with you.” She let out a deep sigh. “Jake loves you. I think he’s going to be so happy. You guys will figure it out as you go, but you’ll do it together.”

I sniffled and rubbed my eyes with the heel of my palm. I knew she was right, and that I was surrounded by wonderful people that would be more than willing to provide support. Of course, I worried about my dad’s reaction when he inevitably, eventually found out. But my biggest fear, the one I couldn’t quell the anxiety of, was Jake. Despite Karen’s comforting words, I was terrified he would be disappointed. The little voice in my head told me it was going to ruin his life, his dream, and I struggled to silence that voice.

“Did you see a doctor yet?”

“No. I just took twelve drug store pregnancy tests.”

“Twelve…? You know what, I don’t want to know,” she chuckled. “The point is, the first step is to make an appointment with your OB. Do you have any idea how far along you might be?”

I involuntarily snorted a laugh. “Sorry, no clue.”

“That’s okay. They can tell you that. They’ll do an ultrasound and bloodwork to check for a bunch of different things, make sure the baby’s healthy and everything.”

A whole new collection of worries and fears rose up in my chest. What if I passed down whatever illness made my mother take her life, then Luca’s? Would the baby inherit Jake’s issues too, making it a double whammy in the depression department? I wouldn’t bring any of this up to Karen, so I forced it back down as far as I could. One thing at a time.

~

The earliest OB appointment was a week out. It gave me a chance to catch my breath and plan things out in my head. Once I got all the tears out, I started doing my own research and gathering questions I wanted to ask the doctor. I tried my best to pretend everything was normal when Jake called. I know it was for the best right now, but hiding this from him was so much more painful than I imagined.

I decided to hold off on telling Finn, on the off chance he accidentally let something slip to Josh. Richie was suspicious the second I told him I’d be out of work for a doctor’s appointment. He eventually coaxed it out of me, staring at me in shock when I told him. I made him swear not to say a word to anyone, and he offered to close the shop and come with me to the doctor’s, but I declined. I needed to do this on my own. Part of it was just me being stubborn and not wanting to ask for help, but another part was stuck on a dark road, telling me I needed to figure out how to do it myself, just in case. I hated thinking like that and feeling like I had to prepare for every worst-case scenario, but it was ingrained into me, and nothing I did could rid myself of those thoughts.

By the time the appointment rolled around, my nerves hadn’t settled at all. I sat in the waiting room, trying and failing to focus on a book, my knee shaking so hard I was receiving pitiful looks from others in the waiting room.

I apologized profusely to the phlebotomist who did my bloodwork and the ultrasound tech for my nervousness, who sweetly assured me that it was perfectly normal to be anxious about it all, especially since it was my first time. She asked me some routine questions as she set everything up for the ultrasound. She did warn me that the gel would be cold, but I still jumped when it touched my stomach. Cold was an understatement.

“Okay, you ready?”

I nodded quietly before she put the handheld scanner against my skin (I learned later that it’s called a transducer). After some movement and uncomfortable silence, she spoke again. “There we are. Do you want to see?” I gave her an inaudible ‘yes’ and she turned the screen to face me.

“I’d say you’re just barely over six weeks. There’s the embryo, and we have a heartbeat.” She pointed a few things out, explaining as she went, but I stopped listening. I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears as I stared at the screen that displayed the tiny, bean-shaped thing I was growing inside of me, the little bundle of cells and life that would eventually be a whole baby. I could see it now, and that made it real.

When this all first came to light, I considered all possible options. Just to be prepared. Not that abortion would have been an option in the state of Tennessee, what with all these old white men creating laws about women’s bodies, but it stopped being something I was considering before I even made the doctor’s appointment. Now that I was actually seeing it, and it was a sure thing, it hit me that this was my baby. Jake’s baby. The idea that we were going to be parents was so surreal to me.

I didn’t even realize I had started crying until the ultrasound tech called my name, pulling me from my racing thoughts. “If you need to look into what your options are, I can get you some brochures and phone numbers.”

“What? Oh, no. I’m sorry. It’s a little overwhelming, but I’m okay. My boyfriend’s just out of town for work.”

She almost looked as though she didn’t believe me, but I couldn’t blame her. I was a mess, and I’m sure women lied to her all the time about their personal situations.

I thanked her and she directed me to the checkout desk to schedule my next appointment. As I walked back to my car, I kept repeating to myself, as if I stopped saying it, I would wake up and it would all be a dream, “I’m gonna have a baby.”

~

The entire day before Jake returned home, I cleaned the house top to bottom. It kept me busy and kept me from panicking too much. I wasn’t going to put it off any longer than I already had to; I was telling him tonight. Everything was ready, now I just needed to wait.

I sat on the couch to relax, and I must have dozed off, the day’s business catching up with me. I didn’t hear the front door, or the sound of Jake’s boots as he lightly treaded across the hardwood floors. My eyes fluttered open at something lightly brushing my cheek, and I smiled when my vision came into focus on Jake’s face.

“Hey, you’re home. Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s all good, baby. You want to go to bed?” He kept his voice low and soft, and I could tell he was tired, too.

I just nodded in agreement, sleepily following him up the stairs. He made sure I was tucked into bed before he disappeared into the bathroom for a quick shower. I almost fell right back asleep, but my eyes shot open when I remembered my news. I opened the bedside table drawer and pulled out the little black box, something I threw together that might help me make the announcement. I concealed it under the blanket.

Jake came out of the bathroom, sporting messy, towel-dried hair, and threw some clothes on before joining me in bed. “Thought you were going to sleep. You okay?”

“Yeah, uh… I know you’re probably tired, I am too, but I have something for you, and I need to do it tonight.”

“Okay,” he gave me a concerned look. “Is it another tattoo?”

I laughed nervously. “No, but this is also one hundred percent non-returnable.”

He eyed the box suspiciously when I brought it out and into his view. He tried to ask me what it was, but I just handed it to him and gestured to open it. I held my breath as he examined the contents, trying to process what he was looking at.

The box contained a plush baby toy that resembled a cartoonish, green moth, and right next to it was the tiniest pair of black Chelsea boots I could find on the internet. Jake didn’t speak as he studied them, his brain only starting to put the pieces together. At the bottom of the box, I placed a purple envelope that held the sonogram. I heard his breath hitch when he pulled it out. He stared at it silently for what seemed like hours, my heart pounding in my chest.

“Jake? Say something, please.”

“You’re pregnant?”

“Yeah,” I whispered.

Another minute passed, his eyes not leaving the photo he held in front of him. “We’re gonna have a baby?” I couldn’t quite read his expression. It was almost as if he was in shock.

“Yeah, we are.”

When he finally looked at me, there were fresh tears forming in his eyes. “I’m gonna be a dad?”

I could only nod as I fought back my own tears. He blinked and his breath quickened before his hand was on the back of my head pulling me to him, his other still holding the sonogram. “Fuck,” he muttered in between kisses. “Fuck, we’re gonna be parents. You’re gonna be a mom.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” I laughed dryly. “I’m fucking terrified, Jake.”

“Shit, me too. But Kya,” his hand on my cheek now, he kissed me again. “I’m so fuckin’ happy. This is so… I’m gonna be a dad,” he repeated. “Do you know how long…?”

“I’m at about 10 weeks now. I have my next appointment next week, if you wanna-“

“Yes. Of course I want to be there. I want to be there for everything.”

I felt a huge weight lift off my chest. Jake was happy. He was excited about this journey. He wanted this. And it all didn’t seem so scary anymore.

“I cant wait to tell everybody. Mom’s gonna be so excited.”

“Actually, your mom already knows.” I smiled sheepishly. “I called her when I found out. Almost four weeks ago. I was panicking and I knew she’d handle it better than Richie.”

He chuckled. “That’s reasonable. Shit, I can’t believe you kept it from me for four weeks.”

“I’m sorry, Jake, I-“

“No, don’t be. I get it, I know why you did.” He took another thoughtful look at the sonogram and placed it on the bedside table, putting the box next to it. He wrapped an arm around me, his hand lingering on my stomach before pulling me gently to lie down. “I love you so much. Both of you.”

~

The next day, we arranged plans with the guys for dinner, pushing it out a few days to plan everything out, and give them a chance to rest up from tour before dropping the news. I had gotten a few copies of the sonogram to give to them. They were all my family now, and I wanted them to be involved as much as possible.

But the night before we were supposed to see them, some more unexpected news brought everything to a screeching halt.

Jake and I were just starting to get ready for bed; I was putting my hair up in a loose braid, Jake doing something in the bathroom when his phone rang from the top of the dresser. He sighed in annoyance as he walked over to answer it.

I couldn’t hear the voice on the other end, but the way Jake’s expression changed, I knew something was wrong. “I’m on the way,” he said before hanging up and rushing to put his shoes on. I started to ask what was going on, but he beat me to it, and my heart sank at his words.

“Sam’s been in an accident.”

///

I'm so sorry for the things that I've done here. I hate cliffhangers as much as the next person, so the next chapter may be out a little quicker than the weekly schedule I've been trying to stick with.

TAGLIST Let me know if you want to be added!

@hollyco @fleetingjake @musicislove3389

[descaladumidera]

❛ you’re avoiding the subject and you know it. what are you hiding from me? ❜ 

It had become routine by now, really, sitting together on a rooftop while doing recon. Frank was lying on his stomach, eye pressed against the scope of his sniper rifle, a lukewarm bottle of coffee right next to him, while Matt was leaning against the concrete railing and nibbling on a sandwich that Frank had so kindly provided, mask discarded next to him. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Seeing anything?" Matt asked between bites, his ears perked for anything out of the ordinary, but picking up nothing. He had asked just to break the silence, knowing that Frank was staring at an empty warehouse across the street. No gang activity to be detected.

"Naah," came the predicted answer and the unmistakable sounds of Frank changing positions reached Matt's ears. "Don't think anything's gonna happen tonight. It's already—" more clothes rustling as Frank looked at his watch "—3 a.m. 'S getting late."

Matt only nodded in reply, finishing his sandwich, while Frank started on his own.

It was nice, being together like this. It had become their little thing, after months of bickering and fighting and yelling at each other. They had something like a … truce. Had come to an agreement. It had taken a lot of nagging and compromise on both parts and none of them was really happy with the outcome, but it worked. They worked. And they worked well together. Like they were a team.

Matt shook his head and smiled to himself. If anyone had told him after the first time he had encountered Frank that they would become something like reluctant friends—Foggy would call them frenemies—he would've thought that person was taking crazy pills.

But here they were, like old pals, sitting and eating sandwiches and drinking lukewarm coffee together at 3 a.m. And it was nice. It was really, really nice. It was nice to have someone who understood him in ways that Foggy and Karen just couldn't. Nothing against them, but they just didn't know what Matt was really facing—the emotions and hardships that came with the job. But Frank understood. Frank got him.

And that was something Matt treasured. Not many people understood. But Frank did, and as much as he was a hardass most of the time, he knew when to be … gentle. When Matt needed reassurance instead of a wake-up call. And he was surprisingly good at that.

Those were the moments when Matt realized time and again that Frank was a father and that he had probably used the same voice to calm down his children from nightmares that he used when Matt was upset. When Matt couldn't save someone. When he had failed. Again. And Frank had just been there, soothing, soft words whispered against his face, foreheads touching—because Frank was perceptive and had noticed early on that Matt was a very tactile person and that touch grounded him.

Frank understood.

"Penny for your thoughts," Frank grunted and plopped down next to Matt, their shoulders touching. His face was turned towards Matt, leaving the smell of coffee and lettuce and ham in the wake of his words.

Matt's smile turned crooked. "Nothing," he said and bumped his shoulder against Frank's. It wouldn't do him any good to get all sappy on Frank Castle of all people. Besides, Matt's thoughts were none of Frank's business anyway. "How's Max doing?" he asked instead, trying to steer Frank in another direction. As much as Matt had appreciated Frank's perceptiveness in the past, right now he could not deal with it.

"He's fine. We're working on his anxiety. He's making progress, y'know? Slow but steady," Frank said, mouth full of sandwich just to fuck with Matt, because he knew Matt hated it when people talked with their mouths full. "He's a good dog. And now tell me what's on yer mind. Ya seemed awfully absent there a minute ago."

Matt gritted his teeth and did his best to ignore Frank's antics. And his attempt to tickle the truth out of Matt. "Is he getting better with strangers?"

"He's fine with strangers," Frank said in his eye-roll-voice. "But ya don't actually wanna know about Max. Stop it."

"Stop what?" Matt asked and did his best to sound innocent. Which was probably the biggest mistake he could've made as Frank was like a shark—and he had smelled blood.

"Stop the act. You're avoiding the subject and ya know it," Frank said. "What are ya hiding from me? You spaced out awfully back there and that usually means you're self-flagellating in yer head."

Matt snorted. Not that Frank was wrong, but this time he had missed the mark. "It's really nothing, Frank. I'm fine. It's a slow night. My thoughts drifted—nothing new."

"Yeah, sure. Ya tell yourself that, Red," Frank said and took a sip from his coffee, which was probably cold by now. Matt shuddered at the thought. But then—he had drunk worse than cold coffee during his college days. "C'mon, ya can tell me, ya know that. I'll only judge ya a bit."

"Very reassuring," Matt laughed and plucked the bottle from Frank's hand to take a sip himself, just to shudder immediately. Yep, definitely cold and disgusting. "Just late-night thoughts."

"Sounds interesting," Frank replied and stole the bottle back to empty it. "Entertain me."

"I'd rather not." Frank was getting uncomfortably under his skin and Matt knew if Frank kept prying, he would spill sooner or later. Frank just had that effect on him.

They're shoulders bumped again and Matt could feel Frank leaning against him, mouth close to his ear, coffee breath wafting over Matt's skin. "C'mon, Red, humor me. It's just you and me here, no witnesses."

Matt chuckled and leaned his head against Frank's. That's how far they'd come, basically cuddling on a rooftop while having a silly conversation. "Sounds like you want to murder me, Frank."

"Naah," Frank denied immediately, "would've done that ages ago if that were my goal."

Matt sighed and stretched his legs out in front of him. "Don't think you would succeed. I'm too clever for you."

Frank hmmd next to him and his buzzed hair rubbed against Matt's skin as he nodded. "You're probably right, ninja boy. Still wanna hear what ya were thinking 'bout, though."

Matt sighed. And then he finally broke. Because what was the worst that could happen? Frank would tease him, push his buttons a bit, but he wouldn't be cruel about it. And then they'd just go on with their lives like they always did.

"I was just thinking about how far we've come. I mean, look at us! We're acting like friends instead of fighting each other. If anyone had told me back then that we would work together on the regular, I would've laughed at them and told them to get their head examined," Matt said and put as much humor into his voice as he could. The last thing he wanted was to sound like a sap in front of Frank. He could do that in front of Foggy. Maybe in front of Karen. But not Frank. They weren't there yet and maybe they'd never get there. And that was okay.

"Yeah," Frank just said and Matt had expected … something else. But not this one word in a weird tone. It was a bit unlike Frank, but it was also very much like Frank. He wasn't a man of many words.

Matt shrugged. "I don't know. It was just something I was thinking about. You and me sitting here together, eating sandwiches and drinking shitty coffee …" he chuckled and lifted his head, "It's not something I could've ever imagined. But I don't hate it. I actually like it. You're good company, Frank. You're a good person and I like spending time with you. These nights together? They're … respite. For me."

Frank lifted his head, too, now, reducing the amount of bodily contact between them even more, and Matt didn't know if he liked that. But then there was a hand on his cheek, callouses rubbing against his skin, catching on his stubble, but the touch was gentle, and Matt couldn't help but lean into it.

They were now facing each other, no touch between them but for the hand on Matt's cheek, a thumb rubbing soothing circles against his skin. Something had shifted in the air between them, making it hard to breathe, suffocating in a way that was heavy on Matt's chest.

"Gettin' pretty sappy on me here, Red," Frank said, voice rough, like he had smoked a whole pack of cigarettes just now. But there was no smell of cigarettes or smoke as Frank had given up that habit months ago after Matt had complained one too many times about it.

Matt swallowed. "Well, you asked." His mouth was dry and he licked his lips, a nervous habit he could never quite quell.

"I did," Frank said, barely audible, but his breath reached Matt and he was reminded that Frank always smelled like coffee. Not just now when he had drunk it only moments ago, but always. It was the scent that surrounded him at all times. Of course there were others, like gunpowder and dog and leather—but coffee was a constant and it always blanketed all the other smells. It was a certain brand of coffee and Matt had learned to associate this smell exclusively with Frank.

Matt licked his lips again. "What now?" Because this was new. They'd never been in a situation like this and Matt was out of his depth.

"Now I'm gonna kiss ya. If ya let me," Frank mumbled, only inches from Matt's lips.

Matt tasted coffee.

[weirdo09]

i don’t smoke

a byler song fic

‘i don’t smoke’ ‘except for when i’m missing you’ ‘to remember your mouth, how it’ ‘tasted true’ ‘and i don’t smoke’ ‘except for after i’ve held you, baby’ ‘being with you’ ‘makes the flame burn good’

“well good morning, michael. how’s your day?” mrs. kelley asked with that fake smile. mike looked at the floor then stared at her clock necklace. “oh, just fine.” he said, staring into mrs. kelley’s eyes. mike hates high school, sure but he also hates not experiencing with his boyfriend. who’s his boyfriend you ask? well you know him and you live him, it’s will! but then, the byers moved and the phone line was always busy and suddenly, his mom began confiscating his letters from will so now, mike’s stuck, stuck in this stupid fucking town without his best friend, his boyfriend. “michael-.” mrs. kelley began to say until mike interrupted her. “jesus christ, would you stop calling me that fucking name? my name’s mike!” mike snapped before suddenly standing up.

mrs. kelley cleared her throat, “your session doesn’t end for another half hour. sit down.” she demanded, mike narrowed his eyes at her. “no.” he said, mrs. kelley sighed. “you don’t have to make this any more difficult than it seems, mike please sit down.” she said, mike glared at him. “and as i said, no, i don’t give a shit about this stupid sessions!” mike shouted, walking over to her office door, opening it and slamming it. “michael!” mrs. kelley yelled, putting her head in her hands.

mike has been prone to outbursts and other things since the byers had left, it seemed like he was missing something but no one could figure it out. mike hid in a bathroom stall, grabbed a cigarette and lit it. he inhaled it then exhaled, putting the cigarette to the side. mike closed his eyes, the warmth of the cigarette reminded him of joyce, of jim, of will as crazy as it sounds. mike began to cry and took another puff, hands shaking. he opened his eyes and suddenly he was back in will’s old room.

mike had his head on will’s lap, who was scratching his scalp. mike hummed, smiling like he was drunk on love. this had been good for a while until their lives were spun out of control. hopper was wary of their relationship, not wanting what happened to el to happen to mike so he began limiting the time spent between the two. it’s not like mike wasn’t pissed but for the first time, he sucked it up and went along.

that time was shortened to weeks to days to mere hours and mike just couldn’t take it. he snuck will out and never saw him again, kinda shitty how that was also the day the byers moved due to government orders. god, mike hated himself, he messed up the one good thing in his life but not entirely. sure, for a few weeks, the couple were exchanging letters so that was fun. then, for some strange reason, his mom suddenly felt the need to confiscate his letters from will and that also happened to be the time he started smoking, fun.

so sure, during the months that passed, mike’s been irritable, quick to anger, prone to verbal outbursts but was never physical to an extent. in his defense, it was only when someone really really pissed him off. so, this was the shell to protect the soft bits of himself, to protect himself from being unrecognizable to his will.

‘so if you need to be mean’ ‘be mean to me’ ‘i can take it and put it inside of me’ ‘if your hands need to break’ ‘more than trinkets in your room’ ‘you can lean on my arm’ ‘as you break my heart’

people have said that mike’s always been a mean kid but will would always disagree. for he knew the sweet, vulnerable, caring mike that always seemed to come out only when he’d be alone with him. now, all he feels is hurt, hurt that mike hasn’t been writing back to him in a while. he would try calling and karen would answer saying he’s not there. will has been getting more and more irritated with everything.

mike seemed just as irritated, he sat in his room and screamed. he searched his room for something to break, his anger getting the best of him. mike found a picture frame and threw it against the wall, when he went to check the damage, he realized that the picture was. it was the last picture him and will had took before he moved. mike was shown kissing his cheek while will sat there laughing. he began to sob, mike took the picture out and held it to his heart. “i miss you, will…” mike whispered, clear tears streaming down his face like a waterfall. he clumsily leaned against the wall and sobbed. all that could be heard throughout the wheeler household was his cries.

holly looked at her mom, worried. “mommy, why is mikey sad?” she asked, karen looked at her with sympathy. “oh, i don’t know, baby, i don’t know.” she said with a sickeningly sweet smile. she knew why her son was crying and screaming his lungs out, she just didn’t know that it was all because of her.

‘i’m what’s left of when we’ ‘swam under the moon’ ‘now the rest of my days are just’ ‘waiting for when’ ‘you come down and tell me’ ‘i was meant for you, baby’ ‘being with you’ ‘makes the flame burn good’

that day, mike often reminisces. that day at the pool, that day before hopper separated them forever, they went night swimming. he had thought that it would be a good idea and it was….for a little while. try dipped in the pool and swam for a bit, shared an underwater kiss or two. after they got out, they chilled by the side of the pool. mike laid his head on will’s shoulder, will hummed, holding mike’s hand in his lap. “i was meant for you, baby.” will whispered, placing a soft kiss to mike’s hair. mike smiled, his eyes still closed. it didn’t want this night to end, until it did.

suddenly, mike was back in his room, laying on the floor, tear stains on his cheeks and his clothes. he crawled over to his desk and pulled out a hidden pack of cigarettes. mike then crawled out the window and jumped down to the ground, sitting down on the pavement. he pulled out his lighter from his back pocket, took out a cigarette and lit it. he took a puff then exhaled it out into the world, that warmth in his chest felt good, close to being as good as being with will.

‘so if you need to be mean’ ‘come be mean to me’ ‘i can take it and out it inside of me’ ‘if your hands need to break’ ‘more than trinkets in your room’ ‘you can lean on my arm’ ‘as you break my heart’

will has had his fair share of verbal outbursts. his family just dismissed it as adolescent behavior but el knew the truth. she has been secretly ‘spying’ on mike to see why he was making her twin cry. that night, el crept into his brother’s room and asked to talk. “yeah sure, el. what do you want?” will asked, his eyes puffy probably from crying. el winced at the sight, all will seemed to do now was cry and sketch mike.

“i know something about why mike hasn’t been writing to you.” el said softly, will’s eyes brighten slightly. “why? what do you know?” he asked, el sat next to will on his bed. “k-karen has been taking your letters and hiding them. she also told mike to stop sending letters. he really misses you, will.” el admitted, will stared at her for a bit. “ok but how do you know this?” will began to say, though it seemed like he already knew the answer. “you haven’t been spying on him, have you?” will asked, el looked down but nodded.

“i have, i was angry that he was ignoring you and decided to, but i couldn’t stop after the first time i did.” el said, not meeting will’s eyes. “well, how is he?” will asked, sniffing. “he’s… not okay, will. he seems lost without you.” el started to say. “he’s been smoking, cursing people out and crying.” el finished and look up at her brother. will frowned, “karen’s a bitch.” he whispered, el chucked. “will, you can’t say that.” she exclaimed, will smiled. “i can and i will. she’s seriously ruining my love life.” he said before pulling his sister in a hug.

el was surprised but hugged him back. “thank you, el” will whispered, “your welcome, will.” she whispered back. after they pulled apart, will asked. “could you talk to him? just tell him that i’m still thinking about him and that i love him.” el nodded, “i will, for you.” she said. they smiled at each other. will leaned his head against el’s shoulder, the two siblings content with the comfortable presence between them. his heart felt lighter with the news el had given him.

‘just don’t leave me alone’ ‘wondering where you are’ ‘i am stronger than you give me’ ‘credit for’

mike woke up back in his bed with an excruciating headache. he thought about will and started to tear up. mike really hoped that will didn’t hate him for not talking to him, for not writing to him. he seriously hoped that will wouldn’t leave him. then, he heard el’s voice. “mike?” she said, mike jumped. he looked around to see if she was in the room and there she was, standing right in front of him. “el? are you here?” mike asked, el smiled and nodded.

“will wants me to tell you that he still thinks of you and he loves you as well.” el said, mike smiled for the first time in months. “thank you, el. could you tell him i love him too? and that i’ll send him letters again, i’ll address them to lucas’ instead.” mike asked, el nodded. “i miss you, mike.” she said suddenly, mike chuckled. “i miss you too, el.” he said smilingly. el smiled back and waved goodbye, mike returned the wave and just like that she was gone. mike was still smiling after she left, he took a look at the pack of cigarettes in his palm. he took out a cigarette and vowed that it would be the last he’d smoke for a long time. if it ever was, that i do not know.

‘if your hands need to break’ ‘more than trinkets in your room’ ‘you can lean on my arm’ ‘as you break my heart’

after el went to see mike, him and will’s relationship began to recover and now, they’re going on stronger than ever. though, mike still delves sometimes into his anger tendencies. he began to pick back up on writing, so that was nice. sometimes el would bring will along on her mind visits.

like yesterday, the two boys looked at each other, tears streaming down their faces. it was evident that they loved each other dearly and quite deeply. they hugged and kissed, el fake gagged. the two did as much as they could in the void. they ended up on the ground, mike’s head leaned against will’s shoulder. their formerly broken hearts seemed to heal in that moment for they were content. it seemed to be just them against the world and i like to think that they preferred it that way. their understanding of each other was most so through, in that short moment, they were happy about the road ahead and how their relationship would forgo.

tags: @eggo-owl @foodiewithdahoodie @unprofessionalprofessional @cgi-heart-eyes @atbyler @eefonline @xhavibee @yelenapines @over-rated-cheese @adorewillbyers @ikwhatyouaremikewheeler

[friendly-jester]

honestly considering how last episode went i feel like it could be possible that one of the two of them realize their feelings in the finale and that becomes a major storyline for next season. like all season buck has been talking nonstop about eddie and his entire sexuality arc and the buck x tommy stuff has been basically haunted by eddie. i thought i was losing it or something fr because i went back and rewatched and literally EVERY. SCENE. BUCK AND TOMMY HAVE EDDIE IS EITHER THERE OR MENTIONED. THEIR FIRST KISS SCENE I COUNTED THAT BUCK SAYS EDDIES NAME EIGHT FUCKING TIMES. tommy even said “my attention?” like he was shocked and thought it was about eddie 😭 and maddie saying “you seem confused and if you have anything you need to tell eddie you will when you’re ready” felt SO pointed too. idk if they’ll do a full blown triangle with them but i do think a potential breakup with buck and tommy will be about eddie tbh. they made such a point to put eddie in the narrative when they really didn’t have to. im trying so hard not to get my hopes up but when the dots make a clear picture you cant help but connect them

also this sounds so crazy but the shannon clone has a birthmark in her hair. the white stripe? its the most noticeable in the boat scene but once i saw it i was like 😀 hey why did they do that. one of my friends back in high school had one. and then making buck meet her……. and then EDDIE only comes clean once BUCK lightly asks him about it and says hes worried……….. i feel like im that one meme from its ways sunny in philedelphia

also im fully convinced bobby isnt retiring and he’ll be fine and have some sort of wakeup call idc im in denial

also holy fuck @ the hen and karen storyline??????? when will the writers let them keep their foster kids its been years let them be happy and have their family 😭

anyway sorry for the essay in ur inbox i have so many thoughts about this show and idk where to put them. my friends are probably so sick of me because i cannot shut up about it -ebd anon

i would actually lose my mind if it happened in the finale asdfghjkl. i'm also trying not to get my hopes up (i've been burned so many times 😭) but i could totally see buck telling tommy about the whole doppelgänger wife thing and talking about how concerned he is for eddie and tommy being the one to realize "this doesn't sound platonic" and points it out to buck. tommy's whole role has been for buck to discover things about himself and i would love if tommy helped him realize he has feelings for eddie. i honestly think buck and tommy are really cute together but they just don't have the chemistry buck and eddie have and i just think it would be neat if tommy's the first one (besides maddie lbr) to notice it and bow out gracefully. that's just the kind of guy he is 🥺

WAIT i didn't realize it was a birthmark i thought it was just a gray streak but!!!! that FEELS SO INTENTIONAL *screams*

i am also in denial we can be in denial together 🤝 if he does retire there's no way he'd be gone from the show. not just because he's athena's husband but because he's dad!!! he's got too important of a role to leave!!!

FOR REAL JUST LET MY GIRLS BE A HAPPY FAMILY!!!!! they have to get mara back. that whole scene made me want to cry. she finally got a family and they finally got a daughter and denny finally got a sibling LET THEM BE HAPPY 😭😭

feel free to drop by and ramble anytime! my only other friend who watches 911 isn't caught up so i have no one else to talk about it with besides my mom who is not in as deep as i am lmaooo

[royal-phoenix]

You look like the sort of person to make liking Elon Musk a personality because you haven't got one yourself. Were you dropped on your head as a baby? Were you left alone in front of the television for too long? Did your parents teach you that hating people would stop you thinking about how worthless your life is? These are all genuine questions I need to ask you. Do you honestly think that ignoring any kind and rational thought that couldn't entered your brain is going to stop you from hating yourself. Go get a therapist, please. Maybe get off social media for a while, it's obviously not doing you a world of good. Now don't even try and think up some sort of clever way to tell me that I'm an ignorant fool, we all know who you're really talking to. I mean, I can practically smell your insecurities from here. Do you wish you were born a different gender? Do you wish you could tell people who you loved/don't love? Because you kinda have made hating lgbtq+ you're whole thing at this point... I mean well done, you're so original... but anyway we all know everything we do is projecting on other people (don't understand? That's ok sweetie, didn't expect you too. Basically it means you hate yourself so much that instead of making that your internet personality, you try and pick apart the people who show similar traits to you.)

Or maybe I haven't got this quite right. Is it perhaps the classic: I know nothing about this and that makes me very frightened so I'm going to make their lives a misery...

Does that sound right?

Look I don't know about you, but having tantrums and calling people horrible words aren't going to win you anything.. didn't anyone ever tell you, you can't have everything. But then maybe that's why you're like this. Maybe you never got anything and get mad when incredibly beautiful, vulnerable groups, who have been incredibly brave, take a stand and are proud of themselves for once.

Now, I'm just making assumptions but you definitely don't sound mentally stable.. I would ask if you wanted to talk but I don't want to hear you whinging anymore than I've had to.

I hope you realise how silly you look.. how old are you? A greasy 30-40 year old man whose unemployed? A 13 year old boy with daddy issues? A 50 year old woman with karen energy and religious trauma? I mean how idiotic can we get.

To talk about cis the "slur", I mean I'm not going to take someone who calls people revolting words, seriously. I mean god if you would stop dividing cis people and trans people then we could all just be people 😭

Your. Logic. Isn't. Logic.

I mean happy pride month, I hope you have the day you deserve 😶

Don't even bother to reply, I don't want to see you pop up on my tumblr ever again just go kiss elon's ass or smth way less pg 🥰

HAHA HOW HILARIOUS YOU'VE COMPLETELY TAKEN AWAY THE ANONYMOUS THING BECAUSE YOU FEEL THE NEED TO STALK US. I mean god all you'll find on mine is some shit sketches and loads of batman reblogs 🤣 unlike you, I process my childhood trauma very differently.

Have a fucking day :)

And you sound like the sort of person who makes generalisations about people. Also, I have never seen such a long rant online - I think you need to seek mental help...as soon as you stop foaming at the mouth and pick your toys up. But thanks for making me laugh this morning - you sound so crazy and unhinged it made me chuckle thinking about you furiously typing your words whilst on the verge of a breakdown. Brilliant. Haha

You have literally just thrown a tantrum. Therefore you have no right to tell anyone else what to do. My advice: grow up, realise you are not special and don't forget to take those meds! Now off you run, mong child..

[fratboykate]

Could you answer a filmmaking question for me? Why are extras and(?) crew not allowed to talk to the main cast?

If I had to hazard a guess, it would be that the extras used to bombard the cast with "here's my resume, please talk to the casting directors about me [insert big name actor here]!" But that would suck if they ruined it for everyone because I couldn't imagine if I just couldn't talk to the people I work with because they've got higher billing than me.

listen, are SOME actors absolutely assholes who demand no one even look at them in passing? yes. they're the minority. there's very few of those in the grand scheme of things. ive never had the displeasure of working with a cast member who wouldn't let the crew talk to them. even the absolute worst actress ive ever worked with RELIED on the crew to bolster her tantrums and unpleasant behavior. crew and actors typically get along or at the very least have cordial professional relationships.

extras (background as we call them) is a different beast. they do have different holding areas and are, for the most part, instructed by the AD teams to keep their interactions with main talent to a minimum. unless they obviously have to say a line to them or bump into them or something. you get the point. this is going to sound horrible and it might sound like a crazy generalization but, it's just a fact. the hard majority of people who work background can be some of the most annoying group of humans ever assembled. most of them lack absolute self-awareness and just...don't act like normal human beings half the time??? why. i don't know. anyone can make an actor profile on those background casting pages. if you have a decent enough photo to pass as a headshot, you person reading this, could make one right now and maybe end up on a scorcese set tomorrow. it's not like you "cast" for background. you're just trying to fill a restaurant or a street or a theater with bodies. you pull a diverse group of people to make it look lived in and that's it. casting directors don't really "audition" these folks if all they're doing is like...eating in the background of a diner scene.

imagine a hypothetical scenario where the worst person on twitter decides they want to get into the industry and that the easiest way they can think of to get on set is by being background. they get hired and they end up on set and a scene with...idk...scarjo. do you really want that person being able to walk up to her and talk about her at any time? acting is hard work, a lot of it involving some intense emotional heavylifting. the last thing i, as the director, would want is to have some clueless background talking my actress' head off and taking my lead out of their zone simply because they want to be "cool".

and yes, you're not wrong when you assume it's common for background to be walking around set thinking if the director only talked to them they would replace the leading man the next day. a lot of them are beyond delusional. so you just...contain them lol. they get their own areas and get to hang out with just each other. sure, a lot of it is for practical logistical reasons, i know. but some of the most dreaded days on set are when you have big crowd scenes because then you have to deal with the people who are supposed to be the crowd and most of them are fucking insufferable. literally background people are like: the weird trenchcoat guy from your high school, the worst of the theater kids, three different flavors of karens, your crazy cousin who believes q is real and everyone on hollywood is satanic...but still wants to break in, and then some random creepy old guy who says the weirdest sexual/racist/misogynistic shit for no reason. those are the people who apply to be background lol. you wouldn't want to be in that holding room/interact with them unless you absolutely had to. that's just a fact. any person who has worked in production will tell you the same thing.

[multifandumbmeg]

This is kind of BS is extremely annoying to me as an autistic person who has been told all the same- you sound like a psycho, you must be a sociopath, are you a supervillain or something etc just entirely demonized for daring to mention having to perform traits that aren't natural to you especially for work because literally

1. WE'RE DOING EXACTLY WHAT YOU TOLD US TO DO. We were told not changing everything about ourselves to make everyone else more comfortable also makes us evil and selfish and gets us mistreated and despised by those around us. So of you learn to mask it helps, while you can do it, until someone finds out that's what you're doing and then it's full circle???

2. YOU ALL FUCKING DO IT TOO. EVERY LAST ONE YOU JESUS. I worked in restaurants for seven years and even had to work in a fucking customer service call center for six months once and are you literally that un-self aware???? You think you don't?!?!? Katie, you really think the way you talked to that crazy bitch karen at table 4 just now and then came over here and cussed about how annoying she is are both your "true" authentic personality? If you hated her, why didn't you just say so? Oh right. Because your job depends on it. So you faked a professional facade and maintained civility against all odds. Not because you are the nicest person ever. Because it was necessary for the job. It was an act.

Everyone masks. Everyone. In fact, neurotypicals are far MORE likely to feign interest, kindness, or friendliness for personal gain. Some people, like people of color and neurodivergent people, just have to fake more for SURVIVAL and to far greater self-detriment. Please cut the bullshit.

too lazy to retype this but . insane interaction w coworker last night