#making them come in second...not having roy and keeley get back together...having rebecca end up with that random dutch man...

[cinematicnomad]

if that truly was the series finale of ted lasso i’ve got Some Thoughts™ and most of them boil down to: sometimes subverting audience expectations is not the better story move 

[vastill]

hii! i love your writing!

could you do Rebecca x fem reader angst where they have a kid (daughter) together and Rebecca forgets some kind of musical or performance by their daughter bc she has loads of work and it's not the first time so reader is pissed and they argue. please end it with some kind of happy ending!!

thank you so much!! take care!!

Forgetful

Rebecca Welton/fem!reader

warnings: angst with happy ending, curse words, let me know if there are more

words: 2000+

My requests are open!!

English is not my first language!

A/N: thank you so much for the request! and sorry for the wait, lately i have had some writers block:( but i hope you like it! let me know what you think!💚

“Rebecca, me, and Al are heading out. Don’t be late! Love you!” You left a voice message for your wife. “Alice, hurry up! You don’t want to be late!”

“I’m ready!” Your daughter excitedly said as she ran from the stairs. “Where is Mama?”

“I think she is riding from her office, she had some important meetings today. You know how it is nowadays.” You said giving your daughter a side hug to cheer her up.

Alice had a big match today, her team is going to play in the finals. Schools around the area agreed to hold a friendly competition in football for kids. Your daughter always wanted to play so given the opportunity she immediately jumped in. And now she played for Richmond Primary School with Phoebe.

“I can’t wait for her to see me on the field! I have been practicing extra hard! Even Uncle Roy complimented me!”

“Oh wow! I’m so proud of you little bean! Now I’m sure you will win!” You smiled at her through a rearview mirror.

The ride wasn’t long, and your daughter buzzed with excitement throughout the entire ride. Football was her element, she loved playing. And even more, she loved talking about it with your wife, Alice always wanted to make her other mother proud. To be honest you always thought that what pushed her into starting playing football was Rebecca owning a club. She was always surrounded by players and basically grew up with them must have made some impact on her.

“Okay, before you run away from me. Come here, give me the biggest hug!” You said to Alice. “I love you so much and I’m so proud of you! Go kick some butts, Al!” You kissed her head one more time and watched as she sprinted toward her teammates.

Starting to walk to the field, you grabbed your phone out of your pocket and called your wife, “Hey darling, we are here already, when will you arrive? Please call me back, love you.” You left her another voicemail.

“Y/N!” You heard a low voice call, when you turned you saw Roy and quickly made your way toward him.

“Roy, hi! Long time, how have you been?”

He greeted you with his growl. “Good. These fucking kids are keeping me occupied. You?”

“Pretty good. Working and taking care of little troublemaker over there. Nothing changed since we saw each other. How do we feel about today's game?”

“If they don’t fuck anything up then we will win but I have no fucking idea, they are fucking kids.”

“Let’s hope for the best, right?” He only left out another growl. “Excuse me for a minute, I need to make a call.”

You grabbed your phone out, only 15 minutes left to the match. “Rebecca, where are you? Please get here.” You left yet another voicemail.

You walked around the parking lot, trying to calm your nerves and distract yourself from worrying about your wife being absent. On your second or third lap, you saw a car pulling up, immediately rising your hopes up. But that wasn’t Rebecca's car, you sighed defeated.

“Oi, I have never seen someone so sad to see me.” You heard Keeley's voice. “Jealous, angry, turned on yes but sad? Never.” She laughed making you smile a little.

“Hi Keeley, sorry it’s not you. It’s wonderful to see you.”

“Yeah, it’s good to see you too. So tell me what’s going on?”

“Did you see Rebecca today? She is not here and I’m worrying that she forgot.” You couldn't help but check your phone again, hoping for a message or call from your wife.

“Shit, no, sorry babe. I know that she had some meetings today, but she will make it.”

“Yeah, I hope. I don’t know if I have more excuses. Al is really excited about this match and her Mama seeing her play. I don’t want her to be sad because of Rebecca's absence.” Keeley listens to your rant while you walked to the field. The match was planned to start in minutes.

----

And they won. Richmond Primary School won the first friendly championship with your daughter scoring one of the goals. The screams and shrieks of excitement were almost deafening. Girls from the team ran to Roy and jumped on him celebrating their win. You and Keeley clapped and screamed the loudest, happiness buzzing in your body.

Alice stood surrounded by her teammates, holding their championship cup ad smiling widely. You snapped a couple of pictures of her to keep the memory. But when you looked at your phone and there wasn’t any message from your wife, you felt only disappointment. How could she forget?

“Mommy! Mommy! Look we won! We won! Did you see me score that goal? That was awesome! Or did you see me doing that pass to Phoebe, and she scored her goal? Mommy that was so fun!” Alice ranted about the game and you were trying to keep up with her words. You saw that she was looking around, searching for Rebecca, and saw her smile slowly fade away. Damn you Rebecca.

“Where is Mama?” She whispered to you, her eyes tearing up a little.

You kneeled to her height, “Mama got caught in work, she really wanted to be here. And I know she is really proud of you! Just the same as I am. She will tell you that herself when you tell her all about that match.” You tried to cheer her up a little, but the tears that welled up in her eyes started rolling down. You were angry and disappointed, how could she forget about her daughter? You heard a few sniffles leave your daughter, “What do you think about getting some ice screams and junk food and watching films all night?”

“That would be fun, Mommy. But Emily and her mom invited the whole team to a sleepover and I don’t want to miss it, can I come? And we will have ice creams and films tomorrow.” Alice said, her excitement coming back a little. You couldn’t help but smile, how you loved this kid.

“Yes, of course, little bean. We will come home for you to change and pack your bag for a night and then I will drop you off at Emily's house, how does it sound?”

“Awesome, Mommy! I will be right back, I need to tell Emily I will be there!” She said and ran off to the field.

----

Rebecca was still not home when you came back. You checked your phone again and there was still no message or call.

As you sat on the couch a glass of wine in your hand, waiting for Rebecca, you tried to calm yourself down. You felt a mix of emotions - anger, disappointment, and sadness. Your daughter had been looking forward to this day for weeks, and you had expected Rebecca to be there to share the joy with you and Alice. But instead, she had chosen to prioritize work over her family.

You knew that Rebecca had an important job and that she often had to work long hours, but you had always made it clear that family came first. You couldn't understand why she had forgotten about the match and why she hadn't bothered to call or text to let you know that she would be late. You felt like she had let you down, and even worse she had let Alice down.

You knew that you needed to have a conversation with her about what had happened, but you also knew that you needed to approach the topic carefully. You didn't want to start a fight or make things worse, but you also didn't want to let her off the hook too easily.

Finally, after what felt like hours of waiting, you heard the sound of Rebecca's car pulling into the driveway.

“Honey, Al! I’m home!”

You took a deep breath and prepared yourself for the conversation ahead.

“Where were you?” you asked, trying to keep your tone neutral.

“Office, I'm sorry, I got caught up at work,” Rebecca replied, sounding tired. “Where is Al?”

“At Emily's. They have a sleepover.”

“So we have the house to ourselves?” Rebecca smirked.

“Do you know what day is today?” You asked trying to stay calm, you looked at Rebecca’s face and that told you everything, “You missed the match,” you said, your voice rising slightly.

“That was today? Fuck. No, no, no I had a reminder set on my phone.” She quickly said grabbing her phone from her purse. “FUCK! I put it on silent because I had meetings today. Baby, I’m so sorry, shit.”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing, Rebecca. She was so excited to have you there, and you didn't even bother to show up. How could you do that to her?” you said, your voice trembling. “She wanted you to be there so bad, to make her Mama proud. For fuck’s sake she is playing football because she wants to have more in common with you. And you can’t even show up because of work?” you said, trying to control your anger.

You sat down on the couch, still feeling a mix of emotions. You took a sip of your wine and looked at Rebecca, who was sitting next to you.

“I'm sorry,” she said again, her voice barely above a whisper. “I know I messed up. I should have been there for Alice, and I should have checked my phone. I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I forgot that.”

You nodded, appreciating her apology but still feeling hurt. “I know you're sorry. But this isn't just about today, Rebecca. This is about all the times that you've put work before our family. Alice is growing up so fast, and we can't get these moments back. These opportunities and memories are flying right in front of you. And you are missing out.”

Rebecca squeezed your hand, her eyes filled with tears. “I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to her and to you.”

“Yeah, I know but this doesn’t make everything better. You always are saying that you will be there for her next time and what? You had work. You can’t just make it up to us, you need to show up and be there for her, for us.”

“I know, you're right. I'm sorry,” Rebecca said.

“We agreed to do all of this together. I love you and I need you to put in some effort because I can’t do this alone. I won’t leave you alone with all of this, we're going to figure this out together. We are a team, remember?”

Rebecca nodded, her eyes filled with tears. “I know. And I want to make it right.”

“We need to come up with some kind of plan or schedule,” you said looking at her. “Something that will ensure that you are there for these important moments, no matter how busy you are.”

Rebecca nodded in agreement. “You're right. I need to find a way to balance work and family. I know. I messed up. I'll make it up to her, I promise,” Rebecca said, reaching out to touch your arm.

“And maybe we could get Al involved in the planning. She might have some ideas about what she wants to do.” You said, feeling a sense of hope.

As you talked things through, you felt a sense of optimism. You knew that it wouldn't be easy to change old habits, but you were both willing to try. You loved Rebecca, and you knew that she loved you and Alice. Together, you could work through anything.

----

The next morning, you woke up feeling a sense of determination. You were going to make things right with Alice, and you were going to work with Rebecca to ensure that this never happened again.

When you arrived at Emily's house to pick up Alice, you could see the excitement in her eyes.

“Hey, little bean,” you said, kneeling down to her height. “How was the sleepover?”

“It was great, Mommy,” she said, smiling. “We watched movies and played games all night. But I missed you and Mama.”

“I missed you too, Al,” you said, feeling a lump form in your throat. “I'm sorry that Mama couldn't make it to the game yesterday.”

“I know,” she said with a sad smile on her face. “But it's okay. I still had fun playing, and I know she will be proud when I tell her about the match.”

“I'm glad to hear that, Al,” you said, feeling a sense of relief. “And Mama is really sorry that she missed it. She is waiting at home for us and I think she has a surprise for you.”

Alice's eyes widened. “Really?”

“Really,” you said, nodding. “She's going to show it when we arrive.”

Alice excitedly told Rebecca all about the game as you walked into the house. She showed off her championship cup and the medal she had won, telling Rebecca all about the goal she scored and the pass she made that led to another goal. Rebecca listened intently, her eyes filled with pride and joy.

“I'm so proud of you, Al,” Rebecca said, hugging her tightly. “ And I'm sorry I couldn't be there to see you play, but I knew you were going to do great. I love you so much, my little troublemaker.”

“No worries Mama, I forgive you. I love you too.” Alice beamed at her.

You watched the interaction between Rebecca and Alice, feeling a sense of relief wash over you. You knew that it wasn't going to be easy. But together you can conquer everything.

As the weeks passed, you noticed a positive change in your relationship with Rebecca. You felt closer to her than ever before, and you could see that she was making a real effort to be there for your family.

One day, as you sat on the couch with Rebecca and Alice, watching a movie, you felt a sense of contentment wash over you. You looked at your daughter, who was snuggled up between you and Rebecca, and then at your wife, who was already smiling at you. You leaned over and kissed her, feeling a sense of love and gratitude wash over you.

You knew that there were still challenges ahead, but you also knew that you were ready to face them together, as a family.

[freakofnerdsher]

I just found out that Ted Lasso is apparently getting a new season??? And I decided that I have the best way for them to have enough conflict for a plot that doesn’t completely trash all the in-universe progress the team has already made

At the end of the season three finale, Keeley goes to Rebecca with the idea of creating a Richmond women’s team

So! Ted’s going to be all sad in Kansas because he misses his dream job even though he absolutely loves being back home with his family. (Whether he and Michelle are back together or not, I literally do not give a shit. They were in a good enough place at the end of s3, and we saw enough annoyance with Jake that I think they could make them getting back together work. He grew in ways that were working on things she had said bothered her the first time around.) blah blah blah, Ted decides he’s going to at least reach out to Rebecca and see if there’s any way for him to beg for his job back, and all three of them move to London. This will give some personal life conflicts for the new season as Henry and Michelle acclimate to a new country.

I don’t know how long of a time jump there’s going to be, but the women’s team exists already at this point and has played at least one season and isn’t doing great. New character women’s coach is either going to quit/get fired or just be in desperate need of help. Thats where Ted comes in! Voila, new coaching position, he’s back as an underdog, and Roy doesn’t need to get ousted as the Men’s coach. They’re still doing their thing. The men’s team is either going to be the women’s team’s collective big brothers, OR there’s going to be some sort of epic in house rivalry between the men’s and women’s teams.

From there there’s so many options! If the existing women’s coach stays on and they just add Ted, they’re going to get in each other’s way too much at the beginning and have to work with each other cohesively. If the existing women’s coach gets fired/quits, then Ted gets to start from scratch and realize that the things that worked with one team won’t necessarily work with this one and he will continue to learn different strategies and general football knowledge. In that scenario I think they’d pull Beard over from the men’s team and let Roy and Nate fumble a bit without any sort of mediator like they’re used to. (More conflict to explore in the plot!)

And then one thing I’d love for them to do but I know is very much a chance in hell is to get Roy/Jamie/Keeley together in a throuple. Whether that means Keeley dates both of them but Roy and Jamie don’t date each other or all three actively dating each other they had the set up for it and dropped it at the last second. If they DO have Roy and Jamie dating each other in any capacity, that could be another way to get Ted back! In this scenario there would be pushback about them dating while also being employer/employee (is that the case for a coach and player at a professional level? The coach isn’t the one employing them technically but there’s a power imbalance that would work for the sake of my idea) and so either Jamie needs to go to another team (no way) or Roy needs to leave and they put Roy to coach the women’s team!! Ted can come in back to the men’s team, Roy stays at Richmond but without the conflict of having power over Jamie in the workplace

[lunar-years]

As for the RoyKeeley reunion part of my KJPR/Keeley arc discussion (here)...I've processed more and landed on the reason I didn't love it, and it's not because I don't believe Roy has done the work or fixed his side of many of the problems that contributed to the end of their relationship. Not because I don't think he's finally at a place to accept joy and happiness into his life. We've seen that growth in him throughout the season, in his relationship with Jamie especially, but also with him processing the end to his time at Chelsea, with Trent, the Rebecca scene last week, Isaac, the final epiphany moment this episode with the teacher...It's all been there, it's been gradual, and I believe in it without hesitation.

I didn't like that they threw RoyKeeley back together** because it doesn't make sense for Keeley. It doesn't help or allow her character to grow at all. I think a lot of the fandom is happy to believe the breakup was all Roy, and his self-confidence issues, and his unwillingness to allow himself to have good things' fault. For me, it's always been more than that. Keeley has a lot of self confidence issues herself that the show constantly sweeps under the rug; and having Roy tell her she's still Keeley fucking Jones is not the magical fix all to it, either. I know this absolutely isn't the show's intention, but it kind of does read to me like they're stamping a relationship with Roy back on her like a bandaid and calling her a healed case, and I hate that.

Let's not forget that just LAST EPISODE, Keeley was sending Jack a wall of desperate blue texts all but begging Jack to take her back! Not even that, just to talk to her! To acknowledge her at all!! She was begging this woman who treated her like crap, from a relationship that was detrimental to her mental health and wellbeing, to please accept her!!

The reality is, we have:

Keeley breaking up with Jamie in season one, regretting it the very next morning because as she herself proclaims, she always second-guesses her relationships ending, and then getting together with Roy not long after.

Roy breaking up with her, and her getting together with Jack not long after, notably right after proclaiming she isn't over Roy and is also reevaluating her prior breakup with her other ex, Jamie

Jack breaking up with her, Keeley trying to still fix it between them, then....getting back together with Roy not long after that

Like, no wonder the RoyKeeley reunion fell flat. Look, I haven't been in the "why won't the writers ever just let Keeley be single!" camp all season, but it's partly because I assumed they were trying to tell us a clear narrative about her. There is an undeniable pattern of behavior they've set up here that points to certain aspects of her character: Keeley struggles with abandonment issues, Keeley struggles with being alone, Keeley struggles with feeling good enough for people and leans on external validation, she has been known to act rashly when it comes to her relationships, etc. If the goal was just to get RoyKeeley back together as quickly as possible, well, they succeeded at the cost of throwing Keeley's character development out the window, because none of these problems have actually been addressed. And if they weren't going to address them, why were they not only introduced but also reiterated across multiple seasons?

**And yes, I say "throwing Roy and Keeley back together" without taking into account what they might do with the last two episodes. Was this a "getting back together" moment in the sense of now RoyKeeley is endgame, back in a committed relationship, their problems won't be addressed again or addressed only minimally, and they will now ride off into the sunset happily ever after? Or was it more like, there's still a ton of love there, Roy made a deeply important breakthrough with his apology, they had their long awaited and much needed post-breakup sex, and now Keeley is going to realize she's slipping back into familiar patterns and roll things back? And to be fair, we don't know yet!

What I want is something like Roy acting like things are now great and Keeley's obviously his girlfriend again, only for Keeley to stop him and be like "Wait, Roy, but this hasn't magically fixed everything." I do want Keeley to be single for a while and deal with her own stuff. I want them to work at it, together, perhaps with the expectation that yes they will probably get back together in future but not right now, not when they still have a ways to go with themselves as individuals. If the show goes in the second direction, it scraps this whole post for me, but with two episodes left of the series, this is coming from the part of me that is very concerned they're heading towards the former.

[jamiesfootball]

Hiiiii i saw your doing the ask game and the Leverage au??? Ooooo I would like to know more please!!!

also I hope you’re having a nice dayyy :)

Hullo!

The leverage au is the thing I'm not writing except that I have, in fact, written a smidgen of already (see 'leverage au' in the tags below for more). The gist of it being that Ted, in an effort to save Henry, did some hinky stuff and fled the States with Beard at his side.

Once in England, they set up shop as a sort of consulting group. The kind that finds the right people and brings them together to fix problems for people who just need a little extra help. From the other side of the law.

Ted and Beard - sort of duo/split the mastermind role between them, with Beard originally doubling as tech support with code scripts he got from less-than-savory contacts

Rebecca - Grifter. Former Mrs. Manion but she assures everyone that once she's on the grift, no one will recognize her (she is correct)

Roy - the hitter. Old. He's been looking for a way out for a while, and since his niece was born he's shifted into mostly doing retrieval work

Keeley - Jewel thief, mostly, but she'll steal anything. She'll nick the wallet from your back pocket, then send you flowers and chocolate at the hospital after she's tased you and stolen your Rembrandt.

Jamie - originally brought in to act as extra muscle, and ended up being trained under Roy - though with strict supervision. Most of the team (except Keeley) were wary about whether or not he was a good fit for the team.

So my idea for the fic is that the story opens with The First Second Job, which is the original team gets together / they kill it job. From there the new talent - Keeley, Rebecca, Roy, and Jamie - make a loose agreement with Ted and Beard that they'd be okay staying on retainer for other jobs he might have lined up.

Unlike the OG Leverage team, there are a few snags along the way:

There is no big score that ends up paying for the whole team. There is a reasonable score on the first job, which lends to decent retainer that Ted can use to keep these four going along with them. Beard cautions him about using the same people every time, but ultimately goes with it.

This also leads to the awkward 'invoicing-of-clients' thing, which becomes more of an issue the longer they work together, as each of them is secretly a bleeding heart.

Jamie and Roy. Having two hitters on the team sounds good in theory, but in practice is a struggle, especially when they come from two different schools of thought. Roy is a threaten first and the last resort is that you hit them fast and you hit them accurately - you don't prolong the fight. Except Roy isn't that fast anymore. Jamie is, but Jamie....has issues. It's clear that wherever he's been practicing his craft, it's been a 'hit fast hit hard and fuck not getting hit back, just mow them down' sort of lesson.

(He learned from his dad. If that wasn't clear.)

The lack of a hacker on this team gradually becomes a bigger and bigger obstacle going forward.

Nate is this universe's Sterling, of a sort, and starts sniffing them out.

Rebecca, it turns out, does have a sort of secret agenda going, mostly involving her ex-husband Rupert.

Ted, it turns out, also has a secret agenda, mostly to do with why he left the States in the first place, and these people are essential to that part of his plan.

Keeley doesn't have a secret agenda, but she's also not really believing that this is all going to last and she's ready to bail at a moment's notice.

Roy can sense that something fishy is going on in the air. He doesn't know what, and his senses can't tell who it's coming from. He's. Really disappointed in these people.

Jamie had no agenda. He is the last to know that everyone else saw this coming : (

Now that is not to say this will be a bummer! There are lots of found family moments and bonding and people caring about each other and general seriousness! But the more I plot this out, the more the tone shifts to a more realistic-feeling world than the one OG Leverage resides in.

Right now the overarching plot would be a sort of extended version of Leverage season one, building towards the reveal that both Ted and Rebecca have conspired to create a scenario in which the team helps them achieve their goals. Then everything goes to hell in a hand basket.

Then they work as a team to get out of trouble. Together.

Even in my head this feels like it's going to be a loooooong plot. I'm already writing another loooooong thing. Which is why I tell people I'm not writing it.

Except for the parts I've written.

[roamwithahungryheart]

Ted Lasso 3x12 - An Honest Review

I completely understand the amount of dissatisfaction with the finale. I had my own reservations and admittedly didn't like a few little things about it, but it didn't ruin the episode as a whole for me.

Thinking back to when the season three trailer dropped, they warned us about what to expect with the song choice - you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you find you get what you need.

We might not have all got what we wanted, but the characters we've loved for three years got what they needed. Not necessarily forever, but for now.

Nate came back to Richmond and patched things up with Ted. Roy finally started therapy. Keeley chose herself. Sam got to play for the Nigerian team. Jamie worked through his issues with self-confidence. Rebecca got her little moment of gezellig. Ted got to make up for lost time with his son.

The key thing to keep in mind here is that this is what the characters needed in that moment. And at this point in time, we don't know whether this is truly the end for Ted Lasso. There's enough wiggle room for us to potentially pick up where the finale left off sometime in the future. There are things left unsaid, moments left unseen, that have the potential to be explored further down the line. If we don't get that, then at least we got to witness a bittersweet ending for a beloved show.

Now, it wouldn't truly be a trademark Lauren Review™ without me finding at least one parallel between Ted Lasso and the work of David Lynch - so here it is.

The mixed reactions to the pacing of the show and the direction of certain storylines reminded me of the reaction to Twin Peaks season two, when David Lynch left to pursue other projects and Mark Frost handled the show all by himself. In the case of Ted Lasso, Bill Lawrence wasn't present for all of it, which is where some of the perceived problems come in. On top of that, the longer episodes made it more of a struggle for some people to engage with the show (which is true in both cases).

In the second season of Twin Peaks, in what was perhaps the first big 'shipping war' of modern television, Audrey & Cooper didn't get the happy ending the fans wanted (although their relationship would have been problematic if it had become a romantic pairing) - they remained friends. Both Coop & Audrey were given last-minute love interests that arrived in Twin Peaks to sweep them off their feet and completely detach any sort of meaning from their connection. Annie Blackburn was a cardboard cut-out of a woman who fit everything Coop needed at the time. John Justice Wheeler was Audrey's rich, preppy Mills & Boone hero with a private jet to whisk her away on any adventure she desired. One could argue that in the third and final season of Ted Lasso, Michelle was Ted's Annie, and Matthjis was Rebecca's John Justice Wheeler. The difference is, Audrey didn't get on the plane. She knew that whatever was waiting for her with JJW was too good to be true. That leaves us to wonder, what if Ted hadn't stayed on the plane? What if Rebecca's relationship with the flying Dutchman didn't develop? Where would it leave them?

The cast have waxed poetic about the beauty of platonic love and the concept of soulmates and cosmic connections, but for a show that lived by the rules of rom-com royalty Nora Ephron, there was no romantic payoff for any of its main pairings. That's not to say platonic soulmates can't be as meaningful and important as romantic soulmates - they absolutely can - but for all the expectations they subverted, choosing to duck out of putting the show's leads together by opening the episode with a fake-out, after all the groundwork they built for them, felt like kind of a cheap shot. I will admit, though, it was kind of funny. And let's be honest, they gave the TedBecca gang a few crumbs to work with in future fanfics. We have to at least be thankful for that.

As a qualified screenwriter, do I feel this episode - and the season as a whole - hit all the right marks? No. But it wasn't a complete disaster either. Sometimes jokes didn't land. Sometimes a scene really was too long. But it was long enough for them to tell the story they wanted to tell.

I think one of the main reasons there was trouble in terms of giving the story enough space to be told was that we're living in the generation of binge-watching and streaming. The Ted Lasso writers are old school. They've been playing the long game within a short format, and only managed to break out of that restrictive mold in the third and final season.

Do I wish Apple had pulled a Showtime and extended Ted Lasso season three for eighteen episodes instead of twelve? Yes. I think it would have given them just enough space to tie up a few loose ends. But at the moment, we don't know if this is truly the end - there's a chance we might get to see how things turn out. I know, it's the hope that kills you, but I'm still going to hold on to that hope. Because that's what rom-communism teaches you - there's always hope in despair.

[lizziethat]

After the Paris episode of Ted Lasso I’ve seen some people who think Ted and Michelle will ultimately end up getting back together.

Which for me, I really think would just obliterate his entire character progression throughout the show, but I was curious to hear your thoughts!

I'm going to answer this in two parts, first in why I don't think this is going to happen and second in why I don't want this to happen. The distinction is important.

First, I think that's one of those hard lines the writers of Ted Lasso set. Just like Rebecca and Rupert. There's no going back there. There might be a better place, one of cordiality, but I think this would just be the kind of thing that would make the entire show pointless. What is Ted if he's just the man who goes back to a relationship that was never right for either of them? What lesson did he learn? And to be honest, I don't think Michelle wants that either. The show hasn't set up that.

To be fair, the show hasn't truly set up anything properly. That's the problem! That's why we're here. Like, I love me some Ted Lasso and some of the individual moments have blown me away, but this season as a final season is a complete disappointment. What's Ted's endgame? Who knows? He can stay in London, go back to Kansas, or decide he wants to join a Kpop band and it would all make about the same amount of sense considering the setup because they haven't really set up any endgame for Ted. He's just living his life.

Which, hey, would be fine if this wasn't, you know, the final season!!! And if they hadn't sold me on this idea of rom-communism. I need me some rom-com ending here.

But I digress, back to Michelle. What's the point of her and Ted getting back together? We've never seen them happy. She literally begged him to let her go. Storytelling-wise, you don't do that just to get them back together, but almost as importantly, emotionally, you don't come back from that. Your viewers cannot really invest in that once more. Who wants Michelle and Ted back together? I assume the people talking about this possibility are doing it out of a place of fear, because that's literally the stuff of nightmares for me.

I don't see how this show puts all the pieces of the puzzle together in a truly satisfactory way, I really don't. But I'm going to give them a chance to surprise me. But even from my skepticism ...I don't believe this is a real possibility. I think Roy and Keeley are going to get back together, I think Ted and Rebecca are either going to end up together or we're going to end with a hit of a possibility that they will, at some point, get together in the future. I think we'll get a spinoff (or two), so this story isn't truly over. I think Richmond beats West Ham in their second game against them, and I think Nate, at some point, goes over to Ted's apartment to apologize, sees the picture and cries like a little baby AS he apologizes. I think Ted forgives him, of course, because he's Ted. I'm not sure Rebecca, Beard, Roy, Keeley, and the team do so easily, but hey, if Ted does, I guess they come around. That's the Ted Lasso kind of ending. I'm just not sure it's earned.

(my prediction was a little MORE rom-com re: Ted and Rebecca, but man, with so few episodes to go, they make me want to be conservative)

[rebeccasbiscuitbox]

Okay, I wanna take just a second to talk about things I actually liked in the finale. (In roughly chronological order because I can't remember exact timing of some scenes.)

Stuff I already mentioned: The last ride of the Diamond Dogs, with Roy finally joining the pack! COLIN KISSING HIS FELLA AT THE END OF THE MATCH! Rebecca choosing to keep Richmond and share it with the fans! A women's team!

1.) Higgins and Keeley trying to get Rebecca to talk about Rupert's divorce. I relate to the mixture of trying to be a supportive friend, wanting the tea, and wanting the opportunity to trash someone you hate.

2.) Ted and Rebecca sitting right beside each other in a sea of empty seats. It was kind of romantic, but I also liked it as a callback to Ted and Roy sitting together in one of the earliest episodes. So I would've liked a little callback to the "This is what my ticket says" line which is an underrated joke, IMO, and would've helped the tension, but that's fine.

3.) I love Rebecca outlining how Henry could come over to England, and having a plan for Michelle, too, because she doesn't just want to pull him away from his other parent. She really cares about Ted's family. But then she doesn't mention Jake at all cause fuck that guy.

4.) Ted's approval of the team's good-bye dance leading to a completely over-the-top celebration complete with Trent taking off his jacket and whirling it in the air. It was so ridiculous.

5.) The return of Shannon! Did we see her in any other episode this season?

6.) Sassy roasting Rupert one last time. I love it. I love her.

7.) Beard going a little too hard on the good-bye video and everyone starting the match crying.

8.) Barbara.

9.) I really like how much of the match we got to see. I feel like it took up half the runtime or so? Which feels like a lot more than we usually get and I feel like that makes sense given what a big part of the ending it was.

10.) I love Dr. Sharon getting so into the match. She really loves that team. And her coming back to head up a whole mental wellness department was so lovely.

11.) The whole part with the BELIEVE sign and the fact that they kept the pieces close to them. I was a little skeptical at first cause, like, it sure didn't seem like enough pieces to go around but yeah, it got me in the end.

12.) Higgins seeing that Isaac is taking the kick and immediately trying to protect his wife.

13.) Rupert being chased off the pitch by thousands of people calling him a wanker. Poetic cinema.

14.) Ted doing the same dance that he did with his former team.

15.) The return of the Ussie Guy!

16,) The snowglobe!

17.) KBPR! Complete with that one guy! I forget his name but I liked him.

Hey, that's a longer list than I expected, tbh.

Okay, back to complaining.

[chainofclovers]

Ted Lasso 2x6 thoughts

I felt like the physical embodiment of a series of iconic reaction GIFs while watching this episode. I felt like Higgins gagging on air and right and wrong choices. As an invested, non-casual Ted Lasso viewer, I feel quite absorbed in the experience of every episode, but I’m not usually a LOUD non-casual Ted Lasso viewer. At one point last night, I shouted “This is the wackiest show ever made!” at @bristler, and that doesn’t even sound like something I would say. And by “wacky” I just meant “all the emotions are happening at once.”

This episode was absolutely great and I knew that every single Rebecca Welton feeling I have would intensify because of this episode and that is exactly what happened.

This is me bravely writing down my episode thoughts after only one viewing (just like last week) and a bad night of sleep! Copious spoilers and emotions ahead...

This show goes all in on hats! A lot of bad hats for giving bad relationship advice and making bad decisions! Feel like you’re gonna do something correctly? Just put on a bad hat, that’ll snap you right out of it. Just had a revelation that you are almost certainly in an abusive relationship? Your girlfriend is hiding in the parking lot with a terrible hat for you! (I love this show.)

Dark forest dark forest dark forest dark forest.

I truly, truly, truly do not mean this to sound judgmental of any other fan, but it’s taking everything in my power not to just type “dark forest” in the comments of every person who is outraged that LDN152 is not Ted.

Gonna get my initial thoughts on the Sam=LDN152 reveal out of the way. I honestly like this choice.

First, I like this choice because of who LDN152 isn’t. I think about how awful it would be if she’d matched with Rupert and realized she’d been manipulated by him and charmed by him all over again, and how, when she gets the same reveal the audience already has, she would end up retraumatized by having been charmed and taken in by Rupert all over again. I think about her matching with Nate (if he’d redownloaded the app) and the inadequacy of her assertiveness advice and how Nate is one of the only non-Rupert characters who’s used sexist language against her and how Nate’s insecurities would be like water trying to co-exist with the oil of Rebecca’s insecurities. Nate and Rebecca are fond of each other and seem to want to be in each other’s lives, but a romantic squishing together via dating app would set them both back lightyears. I think about her matching with Ted, a man currently on a parallel-to-Rebecca trek through a very painfully dark forest, a man swinging wildly between performative attempted wit and utter panic. A man she trusts with her professional and personal challenges. [Her challenging mother comes to town and Keeley and Ted are the people she wants with her at lunch.] Ted and Rebecca, with all their current limitations, and with all the ways the forest obscures the view, are trying to be there for each other in their real, non-romantic comedy versions of their lives, and the discomfort of matching on an app seems like the kind of thing that would make them rear back from each other instead of bringing them even closer together. It is not time. It is so profoundly not time that I would have been furious if the writers had continued the “maybe it’s Ted?” line of thought for another second longer than they did.

Second, I like this choice because of who Sam is. I know. He’s not an appropriate match for her. The power dynamics are all messed up and their ages are all wrong. But this does introduce a potentially interesting parallel between Rupert and his younger women and the scrutiny Rebecca would risk herself and Sam experiencing if she goes for it. Rebecca seems to have tried to put away her Rupert-related trauma, but the specter of Rupert is lurking, and I do see that being a good person making an ethically complicated decision with another good person is very different from being an abuser setting out to take advantage of multiple people...but there are parallels she might have to reckon with. Also, Sam is a kind person with a strong ethical center and a well-documented interest in Rebecca. He and Ted helped each other feel more at home in London during a time of deeply missing other homes, and Sam has internalized a lot of Ted’s ways of living in a way that might genuinely appeal to Rebecca even if she doesn’t fully realize why. The writers on this show don’t write messes for the sake of drama. They write messes because life is painful and complicated and also very funny. I’d be shocked if, however this Bantr thing plays out, it isn’t painful and complicated and also funny.

(I am already a little worried that whatever happens next is going to activate some very ironic fan reactions given this is a show whose thesis statement is about withholding judgment. This fear is based not on Ted Lasso-specific knowledge but on unfortunate patterns of fandom, but...you can fear the impact of racist, sexist, and ageist tropes on two beloved characters without embodying those tropes as a viewer. You can watch characters make decisions that could subject them to harmful scrutiny without performing that harm yourself.)

Ted Lasso is a fictional character who tweeted about the joy of eating out (you know...at the Crown and Anchor) the day before 2x6 launched and during 2x6 Rebecca invited him to eat out at the Crown and Anchor. (I love this show.) I am so, so, so fond of all the little lunch-y things in this episode. Ted can’t bring Henry his lunch because he’s “at work” aka living in London. Ted and Beard surprise each other with secret sandwiches on Fridays. Rebecca is overwhelmed by her mother’s visit (her mother’s performance of a harmful pattern) and wants Keeley and Ted there. The scene at the Crown and Anchor, as painful as all the divorce/separation feelings were, was also so homey and lovely in terms of these characters being friends, being at home in a place despite the very not-at-home feelings emanating from Deborah. The Bake-Off viewing! Ted being the designated driver (probably a good thing on this particular day)! Rebecca feeling discomfort but not shutting down! Also cute British pub feelings. Evidence that Rebecca has talked to her mom about Ted! About personal things about Ted!

Naaaaaaate. His bursts of confidence and insight. The pain and insecurity and anger almost literally bubbling under the surface.

I cannot say enough good things about Higgins. He’s grown so much, and his decision to be honest with Beard regarding his concerns about Jane was absolutely impeccably done. Many, many trusted people in Higgins’ life told him not to do it. They are all good people, and they were all wrong. Sometimes one human being’s honesty makes the difference for someone who is struggling, and that’s exactly what happened here. Beard truly heard Higgins. And of course he didn’t immediately break things off with Jane. But he heard Higgins, and when Jane showed up Beard’s face looked different than it ever has, and Higgins words are with him as he walks off into the night with Jane and that might save him. And Rebecca witnessed it.

And I’m so glad she witnessed Higgins’ choice in the midst of this very difficult experience of a) trying to find Ted because she knows he’s in pain and being unable to and b) watching her mother repeat a pattern that Rebecca herself was able to break. It taught me so much about Rebecca. The way she was punished (and described the experience using the language of punishment) for having an honest reaction to her mother’s decision to leave her father the first time. The way she was taught that love is conditional, that love and reconciliation are things you can purchase with gifts. The way her mother uses the language of self-help without internalizing what it would take to heal, and probably has little use for actual therapy. The way her mother drinks alcohol as a way to feel free.

I don’t even know how to think, much less write, about everything with Roy’s coaching and his image and how Ted feels about it and all the fatherhood things Jamie brings up and all the fatherhood things Ted is missing w/r/t Nate and everyone except for Rebecca taking at face value (or willfully deciding to take at face value) the idea that Ted’s panic attack is actually just him needing to go barf up a fish pie. Ted hugging his backpack in Sharon’s office. Rebecca trying to find him, and Sharon being the one who does. The words “I wanna make an appointment” being the words that conclude the episode at the exact midpoint of the planned-for show. Halfway through the middle season. The moment Ted realizes he’s never going to be okay if he doesn’t give therapy a try.

I also can’t say enough good things about the moment with the team and Sharon, the way she agrees to one drink, the way it’s clear that she adores them all. Sharon is exacting and professional without being cold and calculating, and everything she does in this episode is such a gorgeous model of assertiveness, patience, and moderation...three things Ted struggles with the most.

What a dark forest. What an excellent group of humans.

[pulovesic]

Alright now that I’ve had some time to process I’m feeling less “end of the world” about the whole love triangle thing

Jamie isn’t even trying to get in their way. He acknowledges that Keeley is happy with Roy and is happy that she is happy. If anything I think he is jealous of their happiness. 

We don’t know how long Keeley and Jamie were together, but it was long enough that there were multiple instances where he didn’t take responsibility for his actions. Enough that as soon as Rebecca talks about accountability in the bathroom at the gala a light goes on in Keeley’s head and that’s the beginning of the end of their relationship. 

and lets not forget the other reason why she broke it off with him, he invited a second date to the gala to bid on him and make him look more desirable to help boost his image. Keeley was the one doing the PR work for him and he didn’t even tell her about that. 

Keeley and Roy are really good at apologizing to each other and they have been since before they were even a couple. They had their big fight about lack of communication and I don’t think they would do that again 4 episodes later. That’s just lazy and we all know these writers aren’t lazy. 

We also never acknowledged the hug after the Man City game and I would like to see that come up again either between the three of them or any combination of two of them. 

I am willing to bet this is a realization Jamie came to in his sessions with Dr. Sharon and she encouraged him to tell Keeley how he really feels to have closure from that relationship while also letting her know how much she means to him. Remember Jamie tracked down Keeley first when we wanted to come back to Richmond and she sent him Ted’s way.  

To Jamie, Keeley represents a very important part of his life. The turning point really. She saw something else in him that no one else did, but that’s what Keeley does. Everyone else saw a gifted footballer, but she saw the potential that he had deep down and he will always be grateful for that. 

[professortennant]

Hello! If you like either of these from the kissing prompts post, I’m partial to #8 (shoulder kiss) because Hannah’s got amazing arms and shoulders and #13 (goodbye kiss) because I’m a sucker for a little angst

this was gonna be a 5 times fic and i was gonna get both of these in here but then i finished 3 and like......couldn’t bring myself to write the angsty goodbye part so INSTEAD have like 2500 words of fluff and light angst

i.

The first time she takes him to the airport, his first season as AFC Richmond’s head coach is over and she has granted him a blissful two months of reprieve from paperwork and contract negotiations. 

(“Are you sure?” he’d asked, looking at her—really looking at her—to make sure she wasn’t putting on a front for him. “Because I can help. I mean, I’m not so hot with laptop thing or the math thing, but I’m pretty good with the people thing.”

“I know,” she’d said, patting his arm gently. “But I can handle it. Go be with your boy.”

He’d let out a little yip, pressed a kiss to her cheek and practically leapt and run out of her office, calling out over his shoulder, “You’re the best boss!”)

It’s a thirty minute drive from her home to his and another hour to Heathrow and Ted spends every last one of those minutes bouncing his leg and checking and re-checking his phone, pulling up the electronic boarding pass as if making sure today was the right day and time and—

“Ted, the plane isn’t going anywhere without you on it.”

“Right, right.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket, twisting in the passenger seat beside her. It felt too impersonal to send her drive to pick him up or to allow him to hire his own driver, not after the hell she’d put him through this season. It was the smallest of steps in her journey to earn back his trust (no matter how many times he’d told her she already had it). 

“Can I tell you something?”

“I sense you will no matter what I say.”

He’d just grinned at that, hands wringing nervously in his lap. “What if too much has changed? What if I get there and Henry and Michelle have formed their own little club that I’m just not part of anymore?”

“Oh, Ted,” she’d sighed, taking her eyes off the road for just a moment to look over at him in sympathy. “That’s—that’s just not going to happen.” 

“But what if I get there and I don’t fit?”

“Ted, I don’t think there’s anywhere on this planet that you don’t fit.” He’d blushed a little at that in an aw shucks way that she found entirely too endearing. She tried to remember her promise to herself: to be more open, to be more available. Right. She adjusted her hands on the steering wheel and flicked her gaze over to him once more, just to make sure he was still listening. “My father was a very successful businessman. He traveled all over the world and was always away from home. I missed him terribly, even if I knew he wasn’t leaving because he wanted to.”

“Not really helping, boss.”

“But,” she continued, glaring at him. “Whenever he came home, it was the best day of the year. He used to gather me up into his arms and swing me around in our front garden and tell me all the stories of the places he’d been to and it wiped away every moment of missing him once he was back. I never felt like he didn’t belong back home. Not once.”

The feeling of Ted’s hand settling atop of hers on the gear shift startled her and she looked down, took in the sight of his tan, calloused hand covering hers. She made the tight turn into the drop-off lane in the Heathrow Departures section of the car park. 

“Thanks, Rebecca. Really. I mean it.”

“Yes, well, family is hard.” And this was the part that would cost her, would hurt like hell. She threw on her hazards and put the car into park. “Ted, while you’re home, I-I want you to think about your position here at Richmond.”

He frowned at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I pulled you away from your family to bring you here and I know things have changed for you, but if you need to leave, if you want to check if Wichita State will take you back while you’re home, I would understand.”

“Rebecca,” Ted said, a small smile on his face. He gripped her hand in his, tugged it into his lap and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles in a soothing manner. “I told you already: You and me have got unfinished business here.”

“But, your fam—”

“I’m coming back.”

When he said it like that, firm and sure and like a promise, she couldn’t help but believe him, the reassurance settling something anxious in her chest, a fear that she didn’t know she was harboring.

He leaned across the console and for the second time in two weeks, pressed a soft, barely-there kiss to the curve of her cheek, his mustache tickling her, before disappearing just as quickly, sliding out the car and ducking back in for a moment to tell her goodbye. “Thanks again for the ride.” He winked at her and then, “See you in two months.”

(About ten hours later, in the middle of the night, she received a text message from Ted: a picture of Ted and Henry in the front yard, Ted’s arms wrapped tightly around the little boy, their heads thrown back and laughing. The picture was blurred enough for her to tell that they were in motion. Ted’s accompanying message read: Thanks for the advice, boss.

She pressed the little heart reaction on each of the messages, just as Sam had shown her last week .)

ii.

 Between the start of the Championship League and Christmas, things had changed around the AFC Richmond clubhouse. Roy now wore a coach’s jacket and lanyard, scowling his way up and down the football pitch. Keeley sported a shiny ring on her left hand and a new title as Richmond’s Media and PR Director. Beard and Nate spent every waking moment attending matches across the country, absorbing the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents and working on ways to incorporate new strategies into their own game.

And over weekends spent exploring the winding cobblestone paths of London’s markets, ducking into older-than-Shakespeare bookshops together and weekends spent cooking barbecue and walking through parks, Ted and Rebecca had found somewhere along the way that they meant more to each other than just boss and gaffer, than just friends.

(He’d always assumed when it happened—if it happened—it would be in a rush of emotion after a big game or in quiet, shared comfort after a loss. But it had nothing to do with AFC Richmond, they came together on their own over a shared love of yellowed paperbacks and the bit of latte foam in his mustache and her gentle, exasperation with him, thumb swiping over his top lip and—and then her mouth on his, his hands on her hip and cradling her face, a murmured, “Finally,” against her lips.)

But tonight is Ted’s last night in London for a week, closing the gap between Boxing Day and the first week of the near year in Kansas City with Henry. They’d fallen into a devastatingly easy intimacy, one she knew she would never recover from. His flat was all but vacant now, most of his clothes and books mixed up with hers—his stack of adventure books and motivational, leadership workbooks on his side of the bed and her stack of mystery novels and Sudoku puzzles on hers, his open jar of peanut butter on her kitchen counter and her sheets smelling of his body wash.

Tonight, they sit up in bed, the soft, yellow light of their bedside lamps allowing them both to read in bed together, glasses perched on the ends of their noses. Beneath the bedsheets, Ted’s toes wiggle excitedly. 

“I don’t know how I’m gonna sleep,” he tells her, dogearing his page and putting the book away, rolling onto his side to face Rebecca. “Feels like Christmas all over again. Two Christmases, Rebecca.” 

She looks at him over the rim of her glasses, smiling ruefully at him. “You better sleep tonight or the jet lag will kill you.”

“So wise,” he teases, leaning over to press a soft kiss to her exposed shoulders. She sighed, and kissed the top of his head before returning back to her book. But Ted didn’t roll back to his side of the bed, instead tracing his fingertips along the hem of her pajama top, lips pressing once more to her shoulders, open-mouthed and enticing.

“Ted,” she warns, voice low and breathy. “What do you think you’re doing?”

His hand slides against her belly, creeping up to cup her breasts and thumb at her nipple while his mouth works over the curve of her shoulder and to her neck, nuzzling against her and encouraging her to tilt her head back to allow him better access. 

“I just thought of a very, very good way to tire myself out and get a good night’s sleep.”

“Oh did you?” She scratched her nails down his back and into his hair, holding his mouth to the place on her neck that made her legs feel like jelly.

He hummed against her skin, reaching blindly for her book to toss it off the bed and settle atop her, mouth working on the underside of her jaw and then to her mouth, kissing her hungrily.

“A week apart, Rebecca,” he gasps against her mouth, pressing his hips against hers and grinding down. “That seems an awful long time.”

She loops her arms around his neck and one leg hitches around his hips, bringing their bodies closer. “A week and then you’re coming back, right?”

She hates that she still has to ask, hates that she needs the reassurance, hates that she is terrified he will leave her behind irreparably broken.

His face softens and he traces a fingertip over her brow and nose and kisses her softly. “Coupon for life, remember, young lady? I ain’t goin’ anywhere without you.”

She presses her forehead to his and breathes him in, tightens her hold on him for a moment and memorizes the feel of him against her. And then he moves against her and it’s a rush of frenzied touches, gasps and moans, slick skin and hurried, whispered assurances. 

When she drops him off at the airport, this time with a soft kiss, and watches him disappear into the sliding double doors of Heathrow, she remembers his words: I’m coming back.

iii.

Their first fight involves raised voices and snappy words and a level of miscommunication that would make Keeley feel ashamed. It starts with a bad day for both of them—frustrating lawyers dragging their feet on salary re-negotiations and a string of vapid, mind numbing conference calls for Rebecca and a team of unmotivated, surly footballers for Ted, in-fighting and dirty scrimmage play making his blood boil. It ends with Rebecca snapping at Ted for not loading the dishwasher properly and Ted accusing her of micromanaging.

“You know what,” he growls, barely keeping a lid on his temper, can feel himself spiraling out of control. “You once told me to leave before I say something I regret and I think I better just do that.”

“Good! Go!”

She watches with a heaving chest and pounding heart as he collects his AFC Richmond puffer jacket, steps into one of his many pairs of Nikes, and storms out the front door into the evening and away from her. 

The moment his form disappears from view, her face crumples and she collapses into the kitchen chair, face buried in her shaking hands. As far as fights went, it certainly wasn’t the worst she’d ever had, her mind helpfully supplying her with flashes of the knockout-dragout fights she and Rupert had frequently engaged in, the cruelty and worst of each of them always sneaking out. 

But cruelty wasn’t in Ted’s bones and it wasn’t in hers either. She didn’t want to fight and she didn’t want to go to bed alone and angry, not after nearly a year of sleeping next to Ted every night.

She sent him a quick text: I’m sorry. Bad day at the office and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Come back home and we can talk about this.

But no response comes and all she can do is wait, pacing the front hallway, cleaning and cleaning and cleaning the kitchen. She sticks her finger into his peanut butter jar and hopes the sticky substance will help hold her heart together until he comes home. 

Maybe she’d always expected it would come to this—her ruining them, driving him away, just as Rupert had said she’d done to him. 

Not enough, Rebecca. You’re just…not enough for me.

But, she reminds herself, Ted is not Rupert. She and Ted are not she and Rupert. He’ll come back, they’ll fix this, it’ll be fine. Her head repeats it over and over again like a mantra, but her heart is stubborn and frozen in paralyzing fear.

Twenty minutes go by.

Thirty.

Forty. 

An hour later, she picks up her phone, checks it again but there are no messages from him, no indication that he’s coming back. A small, desperate sob slips out from the back of her throat and she presses the heels of her hands into her eyes, willing the sting of tears away.

The sound of the front door opening startles her and before she can rush into the hallway to see if it’s him, Ted stands in the sitting room before her, brambles in his hair. 

“I, uh, got a little lost walking around, got stuck in my head. And, you know, the streets look a lot different at night, so—”

But she doesn’t care if he wandered into a bush or hitchhiked home with an aardvark or whatever ridiculous adventure he’s been on in the last hour, he’s home.

She stands, throws her arms around his neck and shoulders, presses herself against him and buries her face in his neck. “I’m sorry,” she gasps into his skin. “I’m sorry.”

He shushes and soothes her, rubs his palm over her back and up over her head, slipping his fingers into her hair and stroking over and over again. “Hey, hey, none of this, okay? I’m sorry, alright? But we got through our first big fight, right? We’re okay, we’re okay.”

She holds him tighter, turns her head to kiss his neck and cheek and jaw and lips. “I was so worried you weren’t going to—” But she can’t even finish the worry, ashamed she even doubted him, some fears too deeply ingrained. 

Ted cradles her face, rubs his thumb over the curve of her cheek. “I told you, sweetheart, you got me for life. You got your listening ears on?” He reaches up to tug gently on her ears, making her smile. “Okay good, listen up: I will always come back. For as long as you want me, you got me.”

“Okay,” she sighs, turns her head into his palm and kisses the center of his hand. “Okay.”