#no matter who wins EYE win SETH wins

[interlagosed]

This is fucking awesome already I love wrestling

[punkshort]

i know who you are | 6. the fight

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Chapter Summary: Word of Joel's indiscretion spreads quickly through town, leading to a vicious fight. When Joel begins to worry you may never forgive him, he sets into motion a plan to win you back.

Chapter Warnings: language, angst, pining, sad!Joel, amnesia, slow burn, previous infidelity mentioned, violence (fist fight), blood, bruises, jealousy/possessiveness

WC: 8K

Series Masterlist

The thought of leaving your bed was excruciating.

For nearly three days, you could hardly do much more than use the bathroom and drink some water. When you heard Joel leave for patrol, his footsteps always pausing hesitantly on the other side of your door before begrudgingly going down the steps, you would eventually drag yourself downstairs and force yourself to eat something. Anything. It didn't really matter. You didn't crave anything. Didn't look forward to a single thing except the sweet embrace of sleep. But by the fourth day, you knew you would have to go back to work or else Nick would make a house call to check on you.

You had lied and said you hurt your back so you could get out of working for a few days, but enough time had passed, enough tears were shed, enough pity was wasted when you finally forced yourself to get up one morning and take a shower.

It helped more than you thought it would. The steam billowing around you in the confined space, the warm water pummeling your shoulders, working out the kinks in your muscles from too many hours hunched over in agony. If you had any self-awareness, you might have asked yourself why you had such a powerful reaction to Joel kissing someone else. If you had a clear enough mind, you might have remembered you didn't even react this badly when you woke from your accident only to discover your whole family was dead and the world went to hell.

No, you only seemed to fall into a deep depression over Joel finding comfort from another woman.

And not just any woman. Angie.

It still made your blood boil as you slipped on clean clothes for work. You should have known she was a shark, smelling blood in the water that very first night when she cornered you in the bathroom.

And to make matters worse, he had the audacity to accuse you of not caring. Not giving a shit about him, to be exact.

That fucking asshole.

When you came down the stairs and spotted the coffee maker still on with your favorite mug next to the carafe, you scoffed and kept walking to grab your coat. As much as you wanted some coffee, you were too stubborn to accept Joel's shitty gesture.

The winter sun was blinding against the snow. Or maybe your eyes were just too swollen and dry, too accustomed to staying in the darkness of your bedroom for days on end, but whatever it was caused you to wince and rub your face.

"Hey! You're alive!" you heard Ellie's voice call out from the driveway. She was walking up the path at the exact same time as you with her backpack slung over one shoulder and her winter jacket unzipped.

"Yeah, barely," you replied, wishing you had some of the coffee Joel had left behind. You took the porch steps carefully and met her out on the sidewalk, your pupils finally adjusting to the brightness. "How's it going, kid?"

She opened her mouth to reply but paused, giving you a funny look.

"What's wrong?" you asked, unable to read her expression.

"Nothing, just that nickname... took me by surprise," she laughed with a shake of her head, "you used to call me that before. Haven't heard it in a long time, I guess." You shielded your eyes and shrugged.

"Common nickname, I suppose," you reasoned, and she nodded in agreement.

"How's the back?" she asked with a point, and you almost had to ask her what she was talking about before you remembered your lie.

"Oh! Much better, thanks. Must've pulled a muscle or something, who knows."

"Well, that's good. Listen, I gotta get to school, but do you wanna get dinner later with me and Dina? Seth's making mac and cheese, and it's like, the fucking best, dude," she said excitedly, and you didn't have the heart to say no.

"Yeah, sounds great," you smiled, then gave her a quick wave before heading in the opposite direction towards the infirmary.

It was only a short ten minute walk to work, but the fresh air combined with stretching your muscles for the first time in days really did something to improve your mood. By the time you pushed open the door to the infirmary, you were actually looking forward to working again.

And so was Nick, apparently, because his eyes lit up and his body sagged with relief when he saw you.

"I was a few hours away from sneaking you the good pills and begging you to come back," he joked, then his face turned serious. "Everything alright? What happened?"

"Oh, I'm fine," you said, waving off his concern, "I slipped on some ice and pulled a muscle, it's all good now."

"Well, be careful out there, alright? You're the best aide I have."

"I'm the only aide you have," you corrected him before hanging up your jacket. "What do you need me to do?"

The morning went by fast. Nick had told you in the few days you were out, the clinic wasn't terribly busy, but he unfortunately did fall behind on housekeeping. So you busied yourself running loads of sheets and blankets to the laundry, then sanitizing equipment until Mr. Phillips came in after lunch with a laceration on his arm from working in the stables. It wasn't a bad injury, but it required some cleaning and a few stitches, which you were secretly eager to observe. You wanted to get more exposure to stitching in the hopes of being able to take care of non-emergency injuries by yourself one day.

It felt good to feel useful again. Staying busy forced your mind off Joel and the whole mess waiting for you at home, and you were grateful for the distraction. So much so that you decided to stay a little longer than usual and fold the linens that came back from the laundry. You were killing two birds with one stone: staying busy and avoiding going home in between work and dinner. By now, you knew he'd be back and likely waiting for you, and you still had no idea what you would say.

As the sun began to set and the world outside the infirmary grew darker, you slid your coat back on and locked the door behind you before heading for the dining hall.

Shoving your hands deep into your pockets, you tucked your chin against your chest, feet carrying you swiftly through the streets, eyes cast down and avoiding others as best you could. When you arrived at the dining hall, it was packed, per usual, but you did manage to spot Ellie and Dina holding a small table in the back of the room. As you weaved your way through the crowd, you noticed they were sharing some bread and butter and you felt your stomach rumble. For the first time in days, you felt excited to eat.

"Hey," you said in greeting as you dropped your coat over the back of an empty chair before giving them each a half hug. "Freezing out there."

"Give it a second. It's hotter than hell in here," Dina joked before pushing the basket of bread in your direction. You plopped down into your chair and moaned when you felt the bread was still warm, then tore off little pieces and popped them into your mouth.

"Hungry?" Ellie asked, only partially joking as you nodded vigorously.

"Did you order the mac and cheese yet?"

"Yeah, didn't want him to run out," she replied as she eased back into her chair and turned her head toward Dina. "Do you see Chris and Holly over there? What are they thinking? They know that shit'll get back to Claire. What a bunch of assholes."

"Who?" you asked, your voice muffled around the bread.

"Couple of kids in our class," Dina explained, nodding towards the other side of the hall. You twisted around, your eyes scanning the crowd until you saw a younger couple sitting together, the girl sitting on the guy's lap and toying with his hair. "That's Chris, and he's been dating this girl, Claire, for like, what? Six months or so? And look at him. Letting that hussy crawl all over him. Men are pigs."

You choked on your laughter and took a swig of water. If only they knew.

Ellie's eyes lit up as she looked at something behind you, and you turned around to follow her gaze, spotting Seth as he made his way through the crowd with three plates of mac and cheese. However, just over his left shoulder you happened to notice Joel for the first time since you arrived, but by the looks of it, it was not the first time he noticed you.

He was sitting at his usual table with Tommy and another guy from patrol you vaguely recognized, the other two men engrossed in conversation while Joel pinned you with his stare. You quickly turned away, your cheeks feeling flush, and tried to focus on your dinner.

"Shit, this looks amazing," you said, distracted by the cheesy, piping hot dish set in front of you.

"I'm telling you, man, it's the fucking best," Ellie told you before digging in. You had to stifle a moan when the food hit your tongue for the first time, eternally grateful for the impeccable timing because all you could think about in that moment was how good it tasted, Joel temporarily forgotten for the first time in days.

"Didn't you eat today?" Dina asked, her lips twitching into a grin, and you shook your head.

"Not really. Haven't had much of an appetite this week," you told her, and Ellie tilted her head to the side.

"Your pain was that bad?"

"Huh?" you asked, then it dawned on you once again. The Lie. "Oh, yeah. I mean, I ate a little, I just wanted to sleep, I guess."

"Joel didn't make sure you ate?" she pressed, her eyes flicking over your shoulder. You dropped your fork, scrambling to come up with yet another lie when her brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed, making you twist around to see what made her demeanor change so suddenly.

As you expected, she was looking in Joel's direction, but he was no longer looking at your table. It was impossible considering Angie was standing directly in front of him, blocking his view with her body, her hand resting on the back of his chair.

"What is she up to now?" Dina murmured to Ellie, but you could hardly register her words. The way your anger ignited deep within your chest and licked up your throat, it was a miracle you even remembered to breathe. Joel's legs shifted, knees turned away from her, but that was all you could see. You couldn't see the look on his face or hear what was said. You couldn't see where his hands were. But you could see Angie flick her long, straight hair over her shoulder with a flirty laugh that was clearly meant to pull attention onto her.

If you didn't have tunnel vision, you would have noticed she was successful. A few heads turned, men's eyes lingering on her backside while women's eyes darted in your direction, but you were incapable of processing any of it. Ellie was saying your name, but you couldn't hear her over the ringing in your ears.

It was less than a minute. Thirty seconds, tops, and she walked away from him with a sickly grin plastered across her face, her two friends returning her mischievous smile before flanking her side, making their way towards the exit like a swarm of bees.

Without even thinking, you stood up.

"What are you doing?" Ellie asked, but you ignored her. Instead, you pushed your way through the crowd in a trance, shouldering people out of your way without so much as an apology, too laser focused on your target to care.

"Joel!" Ellie called out to him. He was rubbing his face angrily, trying to avoid his brother's eyes glaring at him in disbelief over what he just overheard Angie say when he heard Ellie. Great, she knows, too, he initially thought, but when he looked up and saw Ellie and Dina, panic-stricken, making their way towards the exit, he realized something was happening. He didn't see you until you emerged from the crowd and reached for the door, swinging it open and allowing a cool blast of air into the room before disappearing outside.

"Oh, shit," Joel mumbled, snatching his coat and forcing his way through all the people as quickly as he could. Tommy followed, confused at first, until he realized you were no longer at your table and then it clicked.

By the time you made it outside, you nearly missed where they went, but luck was on your side because her high-pitched giggle danced through the bitter cold air and you twisted your head to the left, just in time to see the three women in the shadow of night round a corner and head down a residential street.

You were nearly running to catch up with them, but you couldn't feel your feet hit the ground or hear the gravel crunching under your boots. And neither did they, because when you found yourself less than ten feet away, they were still giggling and talking animatedly amongst themselves, completely oblivious to your presence.

Skidding to a stop, you shouted, "Hey!"

All three women swirled around in surprise, their eyes wide and their smiles slipping from their faces when they sensed the rage radiating from your body. But even still, Angie tried to play dumb.

"Can we help you?" she asked sarcastically with a dry laugh, but when you took a step forward, she went quiet.

"Yeah," you sneered, fists clenching at your sides, "I had a question for you, actually."

Angie looked perplexed, not expecting that, so she held her hands out to her side, urging you to continue while Ellie and Dina caught up, standing a few paces back.

"Did you run out of dick to suck in this town or are you just that fucking bored you thought you'd give home wrecking a try?"

Dina snickered behind you and Ellie gasped.

"Home wrecking?" she replied, raising her eyebrow and crossing her arms. "Is that what you'd call your man following me into the ladies room at the bar so he could shove his tongue down my throat?"

Your nostrils flared and your ears began to make that buzzing noise again, so you dug your nails into your palms, desperately trying to ground yourself.

"Can I even call him your man?" she taunted, feeling like she got the upper hand. "Are you even together anymore? You clearly don't fuck him if he was looking for it from-"

You couldn't even remember moving. Your feet had a mind of their own as you closed the distance between you with two long strides and swung your arm back with as much force as you could muster, backhanding Angie right across the mouth.

Her hands flew up to her face and her two friends stumbled backwards in surprise, but all you saw was red. Before she could recover, you grabbed her by the coat and threw her down onto the muddy street, knocking the wind out of her with a sharp gasp. Quickly, before she could get up, you straddled her midsection. With your left hand pressing down on her chest and your right balled into a fist near your head, you landed a punch right on her perfect little nose with a sickening crunch, causing a trail of blood to trickle out of her nostrils seconds later. But that didn't stop you. You kept going, your knuckles, now bloody, marring her flesh over and over again, but when you made contact with her jawbone, you flinched, a jolt of pain shooting down your middle finger making you pause.

That was when Angie saw her opportunity.

She vaulted you off her with her hips and she rolled to her side, pinning you to the ground with blood dripping down her face. She scratched desperately at your eyes and mouth, your hands coming up to protect yourself with a yelp, before she began landing weak punches against your cheek and mouth. And even though they weren't as forceful as your hits, her weight pinning you down kept you from reclaiming the upper hand.

Ellie and Dina were shouting your name, but you tuned them out. All you could focus on was Angie, blocking her punches as best you could while you waited for your opportunity to take her down.

Then, Angie's hand wrapped around your throat, her fingers pressing into your windpipe. Your hands grabbed her wrist as you fought for air and violently thrashed underneath her.

"Face it," she hissed, leaning down and putting more pressure against your throat, "If it was that easy, I was doing you a favor. He never really loved you, you were just an easy fuck before your brain got all scrambled."

Her words were exactly what you needed to get your second wind.

With an angry roar, you punched her right in the throat, and although you couldn't get much force behind it, it was enough to make her loosen her grip in surprise. And just as Tommy and Joel were running up the street, you tossed Angie to the side and scrambled back on top of her. But this time, you didn't stop.

You were merciless, your hands were a blur. Fists rained down blows upon her face while she desperately tried to shield herself, but it was no use.

"Stop!" she sobbed, begging, but the fear in her voice just egged you on.

Blood began to stain her yellow hair, her perfect skin began to turn red and purple while your fists never stopped, each blow creating a new mark or cut. You couldn't stop if you tried. Something snapped and you unlocked a part of yourself you didn't know, or didn't remember, existed. Some part of you that was a warrior. A fighter. A survivor. And it wasn't until Joel hooked his arms underneath yours and hauled you back that you finally stopped, your chest heaving and your eyes wild.

"Y-you crazy b-bitch!" Angie sputtered, blood trickling from her nose and mouth as Tommy knelt in front of her.

"You haven't seen crazy!" you screamed as you kicked and struggled to get out of Joel's grip. Tommy reached down to help Angie up and he motioned for her friends to come forward. "Stay the fuck away from us or I'll fucking kill you!" you shouted, "You hear me, you fucking whore? I will fucking kill you!"

"Calm down!" Joel yelled from behind, but your blood boiled as you focused your rage on him.

"Get your fucking hands off me," you snarled, wrenching your arms out of his grasp. "This is your fault!" you continued, pointing your finger in his face and backing away, ignoring the tortured look he gave you. A sick part of you was pleased to see the sting of your words land.

"I think she needs to see Nick," Tommy said as both of Angie's friends struggled to help her up.

"She's lucky she's alive," you snapped as you wiped the back of your hand over your bloody face.

"Holy shit, dude," Ellie murmured as you turned around, her eyes all wide with shock.

"I'm going home," you grumbled, wiping more blood from your cheek as you began the journey back to your house on shaky legs, wondering how on earth you were expected to share a space with Joel after tonight. Dina and Ellie exchanged some quick words as you left before Ellie quickly caught up with you.

"I'll clean you up."

"You don't-"

"I know. But I want to," she said, wrapping her arm around your shoulder, and it took everything in you not to lean into her and let her drag you home.

You were exhausted. Mentally and physically. And you just wanted to go to bed. But you were grateful for Ellie. Someone who cared, someone who saw you were hurting and needed help without having to ask for it. So you let her clean you up in your bathroom when you arrived back home, her nimble fingers delicately pressing against your wounds, cleansing them as best she could before pressing band aids and butterfly bandages against your cuts and then making you an ice pack to help with the swelling.

She tucked you into bed and made you drink some water before sitting down on the edge of your mattress with a sigh.

"I had no idea," she began, and you quickly waved her off.

"I know. It's... I know," you said, at a loss for words.

"You didn't really hurt your back, did you?" she asked, and you slowly shook your head. "That motherfucker," she seethed, "I can't believe him, I'm going to kill him, I swear-"

"Just leave him alone," you told her, "Let me handle it."

The two of you sat quietly for a moment, each of you lost in your own thoughts before she spoke again.

"It wasn't like that before," she began, and at first you weren't following, but then you realized: she was talking about before your accident. "You were crazy about each other. Angie was never an issue. Neither of you paid her any attention. She just saw an opportunity and took advantage," Ellie said as her fingers tangled in her lap. "I shouldn't even be saying this, it feels like I'm defending him, but I swear. I was with you guys all the time. You were in love, man."

"Things changed, I guess," you said sadly, but she shook her head.

"You guys are what inspired me and Dina to go for it," she said softly, avoiding your gaze. "We were scared, but I saw how you two were together and how you made it work and, I don't know," she said, picking at her fingernail, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I look up to you guys. And it's kind of fucking with my head right now that all this is happening."

"Ellie, no," you said, shifting a bit in bed and reaching out to her. "Don't say that. Don't question what you and Dina have because of me and Joel."

She swallowed and looked at you, her eyes soft and worried.

"Why did he do it?" she asked quietly, and you could hear the pain in her voice. Pressing your lips together, you shrugged.

"It's complicated."

She nodded and looked away. "Will you do me a favor?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Would you give him a chance? Just hear him out and let him explain?" she begged, and you immediately bristled. "You don't have to forgive him. Just... don't give up yet. Please. He loves you, I know it, and... and I think you love him, too."

You scoffed then cleared your throat, your fingers coming up to press gently on your tender neck. "I don't love him," you croaked, but she shook her head.

"If you don't love him then why do you care so much?" she countered, and you fell silent, unable to give her an answer, eyes drifting aimlessly around the room. "Why did you almost kill Angie for sleeping with him if you didn't love him?"

"Sleeping with - no, Ellie. They didn't have sex. He kissed her," you quickly explained, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"You rearranged her face because he kissed her?" she asked in disbelief, then laughed softly and stood up. "I'm not saying he didn't fuck up, but dude. Come on. You gotta see it, now, right?"

You took a deep breath and rubbed your eyes.

"Alright. For you, I'll... talk to him, or whatever," you grumbled half-heartedly.

"Thank you," she said, her voice sounding more like herself once again before turning to leave and allowing you to rest. If you had any inkling she was trying to manipulate you into forgiving Joel, it was quickly expunged because you awoke an hour later to her arguing with him in the living room when he arrived home, the conversation ending with her storming out of the house and then his weary footsteps slowly climbing up the stairs.

Once again, you watched as he paused outside your room, two narrow shadows cast by his legs breaking up the thin beam of light under your door until he thought better of it and kept walking, his own bedroom door closing softly with a click.

The pain was worse the next morning, but you refused to admit it. The cuts burned and the bruises throbbed, but you were too stubborn to let any weakness show, although one look at your bruised neck would tell anyone the truth. You forced yourself out of bed, feeling too guilty to bail on Nick after already taking so many days off to wallow in your own misery, and washed up before heading downstairs. Much to your surprise, Joel was sitting at the kitchen table, his big hand cupping a mug of coffee while he stared blankly at the wall, lost in his own thoughts. When you first saw his face, the bags under his eyes evident, even from across the room, it was clear he hardly got any sleep.

Good, you thought. Then you remembered your promise to Ellie and bit back whatever nasty remark you were getting ready to toss his way. Instead, you dragged yourself to the coffee maker, ignoring the mug Joel left out for you and choosing your own, unable to resist the urge to be just a little bit spiteful.

He cleared his throat as you poured your coffee, a warning he was about to speak, and your shoulders tensed.

"How're you feelin'?"

"About as good as I look," you muttered, bringing the coffee to your lips and taking a tiny sip before turning around. He looked up at you, for the first time seeing the extent of your injuries and he jolted forward in his chair, fighting back the instinct to stand up and inspect your wounds. He blinked rapidly, gaze skirting over your face and neck, worry etching his features until you sighed.

"It's not really that bad," you admitted, looking down at your feet.

"Tell Nick t'give you somethin' when you get to work," he said, voice strained. You nodded and took another sip of your coffee. He swallowed nervously before inching forward in his chair and clasping his hands between his knees. "I'm sorry," he said, the words laced with guilt and shame. "I'm so sorry, I fucked up. But you gotta believe me, I didn't go out that night lookin' for her or anyone else. I just wanted to drink and be alone for a little while." He rubbed his palms over his face while you still stared down at the floor, listening.

"I believe you," you finally said after a tense stretch of silence. He dropped his hands and looked up.

"You do?"

"Doesn't mean I forgive you, but I believe you didn't run out of here looking to shove your tongue down someone else's throat."

He grimaced and dropped his chin to his chest.

"D'you think-" he cut himself off and took a deep breath before forcing himself to look at you again. "D'you think you could ever forgive me?"

You closed your eyes and pressed your lips into a thin line.

"I don't know," you said quietly. Your head was pounding, so you rubbed your forehead, his eyes trained on you anxiously from across the room, knee bouncing slightly as he waited to hear you say anything that would give him a glimmer of hope. "You really fucking hurt me, Joel," you said, trying to hide your lower lip as it trembled, but he heard the pain in your voice and it broke his heart.

"I know, I'm an asshole and I don't deserve you. I never did. Not after what happened at the hospital and definitely not now," he said, standing up and taking a few hesitant steps in your direction, stopping when he reached the kitchen island. "But I'll do whatever it takes. I'll wait as long as I need to, I'll spend the rest of my life makin' it up to you, prove to you that-"

"I don't want to lead you on, Joel," you said solemnly, eyes watering. "I can't promise I'll ever move past it. I'm not sure we're strong enough to get through this."

"Yes, we are," he told you adamantly, "I don't want anyone else. I only want you. You ain't leadin' me on because I don't wanna go anywhere else. I don't care what that looks like in the future, I'll take whatever you give me, that's all I want."

You swallowed hard, trying to ignore the wobble in his voice, and looked into the living room, the framed photo of your house that Ellie drew for you several Christmases ago, the same one you read about in your journal, catching your eye, and you felt yourself tear up.

I just want to go home, you thought, but home no longer existed. This was your home, like it or not.

You turned away, looking out the window over the sink blinking back tears, but Joel had already followed your gaze to the photo.

"I should get going," you said, voice thick. You chugged whatever coffee you could and dumped the rest in the sink.

"I'm gonna make it up to you," he said, following you to the door, "I'm gonna make this right." You scoffed.

"Yeah, okay," you mumbled sarcastically, shoving on your boots and coat before swinging open the door and heading out into the frigid winter morning, big flakes of snow slowly swirling and falling from the sky as Joel watched you trudge down the street, hunched over and curled in on yourself. A shell of the person he knew you to be.

He did that. He caused you pain. And it made him sick.

But at least he finally thought of a way he could prove how much you meant to him.

Sweat covered your forehead by the time you made it to the infirmary, your wool knit cap to blame for the excessive heat pouring from your head while your face was ice cold. You yanked it off your head and shed your coat before making your way to the back, your hair sticking to your forehead. Nick was nowhere to be found, but one of the exam room doors was closed and you heard voices murmuring on the other side. Assuming he had an early patient, you pulled your hair back and got to work. It was supposed to be a quiet day. Nick wanted you to work on an updated inventory list after getting a big batch of supplies two weeks prior from an unexplored hole-in-the-wall pharmacy.

The exam room door swung open, the voices clearer now, and your shoulders stiffened when you recognized the patient. You should have assumed Angie would be there that day, but for some reason it hadn't occurred to you.

Your anger had diffused a bit since the night before, that raw, exposed nerve quelled by time, but that didn't stop you from glaring at her as she passed by the inventory closet. Her swollen eyes widened with fear when she saw you and for the first time, you got a good look at the damage you inflicted. Her nose was clearly broken, she was missing a tooth and both eyes were black and blue, but the cuts on her cheeks and lips were superficial, at best.

She kept walking, not daring to say a word in your direction as your eyes followed her out the door. When she left, Nick turned around with a sigh and crossed his arms.

"How're you feeling?"

You shrugged and turned back to your clipboard. "I'm alright."

"You look like shit," he said, sidling up next to you and plucking the ibuprofen from the shelf. He tapped out two pills and dropped them into your palm before closing the bottle, putting it back where it belonged. "Did you eat?"

With just a shake of your head you popped the pills, swallowing them dry before turning back to your task.

"You gotta eat something with those, it'll tear up your stomach," he said, disappearing down the hallway and coming back a few minutes later with an apple. You grimaced but took it anyway, unable to stop your mind from replaying the memory of peeling apples with Joel just a week prior. Before everything went to hell.

Nick watched you quietly for a moment as you chewed your apple slowly and read down the list of medications on your clipboard.

"Do you, uh," he began, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, "do you need someone to talk to?" You glanced up at him in surprise and he dropped his hand back to his side. "We don't have to talk about it. But I know you still feel like you're a stranger in this town, and that's gotta be tough." He scratched his greying chin as he glanced around the room and you had to fight back the laugh that bubbled up your throat. You couldn't help it.

He noticed the amused look on your face at his discomfort and pretended to be annoyed when he muttered, "just come find me if you wanna talk or whatever," but you knew it was just an act. Nick was typically a quiet man, kept to himself and hardly ever spoke to his patients, let alone you, his employee, about personal matters. The fact he was trying now must mean he really thought you needed it.

The older man disappeared down the hall to his office and you smiled to yourself, then focused back on work, grateful for something that took your mind off your misery, even if it was just for a moment.

"What the hell do you want?" Tommy scowled when he flung open his door to find his older brother waiting on the other side, hands shoved deep in his pockets, weight shifting foot to foot in an effort to keep warm.

"C'mon, Tommy, I'm gettin' it from all angles, here."

"I don't give a shit," he spat, turning on his heel to retreat back into the house, but left the front door open. Joel took a step inside and quietly shut the door behind him, glancing around the entryway and peering into the living room as he took off his outerwear.

"Maria home?"

"No, she's down at the stables with Violet. Showin' her the horses, gettin' her outta the house," he grumbled, angrily putting away dishes as he spoke. Joel sighed and flattened his palms against the counter.

"I gotta ask for a favor."

Tommy scoffed and shook his head. "You're a piece of work, y'know that?"

"Yeah, I fuckin' know. Jesus Christ, Tommy, I made one goddamn mistake!" Joel yelled, slapping his hand against the cool countertop. Tommy twisted around, brow furrowed, and crossed his arms.

"Don't take an attitude with me," Tommy said through clenched teeth, "I don't give a shit if everyone's gangin' up on you. You deserve it! I thought she was the one you wanted to spend your life with? The one you'd do anythin' for?"

"She is!" Joel exclaimed, raking his fingers through his hair. Tommy's eyes softened while he watched his brother struggle, the enormity of what he did clearly taking its toll.

"Then what the fuck were you thinkin'?" he asked after a few moments, tone pleading. "Everythin' was goin' so well. You guys were havin' a nice time at the party, laughin' and smilin', we all saw it. Then you take 'er home and step out like that?"

"It's not- I was drunk and misread some things," Joel replied, rubbing his eyes with the pads of his fingers. "I tried to kiss her, she shot me down and I didn't take it all that well, alright?" Joel dropped his hand, exasperated, and looked at Tommy once again, taking a deep breath. "Went to the bar to drink and Angie sunk her claws into me. I got the hell outta there and confessed the second I got home but... didn't matter," he said, hanging his head between his shoulders.

"Angie said you followed her into the bathroom, Joel. Don't bullshit me, I was sittin' right there."

"I know, Jesus, it's my fault. I was drinkin' and upset and she was just... there. Pesterin' me and pushin' my buttons. It was only a second, Tommy. Nothin' else happened, y'hear me?" Joel's eyes were wide and desperate as he stared at his little brother across the kitchen.

"It's no excuse, Joel," Tommy said sadly. Joel pushed off the counter with a huff and yanked angrily at his disheveled hair again.

"I know that. I'm just tellin' you how it went down. But I gotta make it up to her. I gotta make it right."

"How the hell do you plan on doin' that? 'Cause from where I'm sittin', only way she could move past it is if I take her back out into the woods so she can hit her head again and forget," Tommy said.

Joel rolled his eyes and slumped into a chair at the kitchen table.

"I got an idea. Don't know if it'll work, but it's all I can think of to prove what she means to me," he said softly, staring down at his fingers twisting together in his lap.

Tommy sized his brother up and down before taking a few steps closer, his hands coming to grip the back of a chair as he leaned forward.

"Let's hear it."

Joel sighed and tilted his chin up. "I need a week off from patrol. I gotta leave Jackson. And I need a horse."

"What?" Tommy asked incredulously. "In the middle of winter? Absolutely not. You'll die out there."

"I survived out there before I came to Jackson, I'll be fine."

"Been a long fuckin' time and you weren't alone when you did it," Tommy argued.

"You offerin' to help?" Joel asked, and Tommy laughed dryly. But Joel continued to stare at him.

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"'Course I am," Joel replied, "she ain't ever gonna forgive me but I gotta do somethin', Tommy. I can't lose her, and right now, it really feels like I'm gonna lose her." Joel's voice cracked and he turned away, looking out the window so Tommy couldn't see the emotion behind his eyes.

Tommy groaned and yanked a chair out to sit down.

"What'dya need me to do?"

It was a long day on your feet and your face hurt more than you cared to admit, so by the time you arrived home, you decided to make yourself a sandwich and go to bed early, skipping an appearance at the dining hall where you knew half the town would be gawking at you and your wounds, anyway.

Fortunately, Joel was up in his room with the door closed when you quietly snuck upstairs with your sandwich. You were still emotionally exhausted from your brief conversation that morning and you were grateful he wasn't looking to have another one.

Nick had sent you home with one of the good pills, as he called it, so you took it with your meal and within the hour, you were out cold. Maybe if you hadn't taken the pill, you would have been awake to hear Joel's bedroom door squeak open, the rustling of fabric and the tinkling of metal cutting through the quiet hallway as he gripped his sleeping bag in one hand and his backpack stuffed with supplies in the other.

Like he usually did, he paused outside your room, his eyes lingering on the doorknob, ears straining for any sign that you were awake, that maybe you had a change of heart and he could call the whole trip off, but he was only met with silence.

He swallowed and turned towards the stairs, quietly tiptoeing down and packed another bag with food from the pantry before setting all three items by the door. At the last minute, he decided to leave a note, not even certain you would notice or care he was gone, but he knew Tommy would be furious when he found out he lied to him earlier and he really didn't want his brother to waste manpower trying to hunt him down in the wilderness. So he grabbed a pen from a drawer and an old envelope. The tip of his pen hovered over the paper as he struggled with what to say, then finally decided to keep it brief before scribbling his note, leaving it by the coffee maker where he knew you would see it.

Lastly, he strode into the living room and grabbed one more thing, shoving it into his backpack before piling on his layers and heading out the front door, giving the house one last forlorn glance before slipping quietly into the night.

It was your day off, so naturally you allowed yourself to sleep in a little, hoping that the extra rest would help your bruises to heal. At the very least, you were pleased to discover the pain around your throat was significantly better than the day before.

You didn't hear Joel when you got up, but that was typical. He usually had early morning patrol shifts and was back by the afternoon, but when you came downstairs and saw the coffee wasn't made like it normally was, you froze. Your eyes drifted around, noticing his coat and boots were missing.

Maybe he was running behind and just didn't have time to make coffee.

As unusual as that might be, it was the only logical conclusion until you walked over to the coffee maker and saw an aged envelope sticking out of your favorite mug. You frowned and picked it up, eyes quickly scanning the words once, then three more times before the panic set in, your stomach churning worse and worse each time.

Tell Tommy I'll be back in a week.

He knows why.

No matter what, just know I love you with my whole heart, in this world or the next.

Joel

Boots unlaced and coat unzipped, you raced down the street towards Tommy's house, the envelope gripped tightly in your fist.

What the hell did that mean? Where did he go? What is he doing? And why did he sneak out without telling Tommy?

You banged on the door, the wood rattling violently under your clenched fist, only afterwards realizing you could have been waking their daughter but fortunately when the door opened, you saw Violet and Maria playing in the living room over Tommy's shoulder.

"What's goin' on, sugar? You okay?" he asked, voice filled with concern when he saw the look on your face.

"Joel's gone," you said hurriedly before pushing past him and entering the house, yanking off your hat and exchanging glances with Maria from across the room.

"Gone? What'dya mean, gone?"

"I mean I woke up today and he was gone, Tommy!" you exclaimed, handing him the note. "Where did he go?!"

You were aware your voice was panicky, that your eyes were wide with fear and your breath was fast and shallow, but you didn't care how it looked to them in that moment.

Tommy scanned the note and sighed, rubbing his forehead before urging you to join him in the living room, where he collapsed onto the sofa.

"That idiot," he murmured under his breath, handing you back the envelope.

"Where is he, Tommy?" you tried again, hoping to sound less frantic this time.

He glanced at Maria before meeting your gaze.

"He was here yesterday afternoon. Told me he needed a favor. Said he needed a week off from patrol and a horse."

"To do what?" you pressed, sinking down into an armchair next to the couch.

"He said-" he cut himself off and looked down at the note in your hand, ticking his jaw to the side as if he was contemplating how much to tell you.

"Spit it out," you demanded, and his eyes snapped back up to you.

"Said he had a plan to make things up to you. For, y'know," he waved his hand in the air, not wanting to say it. You shook your head.

"What was his plan?"

"He wouldn't tell me everything but I offered to help," Tommy admitted, glancing guiltily at Maria who shot him a surprised glare. "Said he needed to go to California, that he wanted to bring a piece of you back. I'm guessin' you're from out that way?" Tommy asked, and you nodded slowly. "He said he would wait 'til I talked to Maria and worked out the schedule but I guess he decided to fuck off-"

"Tommy!" Maria scolded sharply, covering Violet's ears, and Tommy cringed.

"Sorry," he said softly before turning back to you. "Guess he decided to lone-wolf it."

Your eyes drifted back to the note in your hand, swallowing the lump in your throat while your mind raced to catch up.

"What if he doesn't make it?" you asked, eyes still glued to the envelope, "what if he dies out there and it's all my fault?"

They heard your voice waver and exchanged sympathetic looks.

"He made a choice, he knew the risks," Maria said, "but he's a capable guy. If there were anybody who could make it out there alone, it's Joel."

"Listen, I'd send a couple guys out there lookin' for him but there's a storm brewin'," Tommy said, rubbing his chin and glancing out the window. "Been watchin' those clouds build up over the mountains all week. Told Joel as much and he agreed to wait but reckon he changed his mind and wanted to get in front of it."

"Or it was his plan all along to leave alone and he just made sure no one would come after him," Maria said, making the three of you fall quiet.

"God, what do I do?" you murmured, burying your face in your hands.

Tommy glanced at Maria and she subtly nodded towards the kitchen. He stood and cleared his throat before reaching his arms out towards his daughter.

"C'mere, let's get you somethin' to eat before naptime," he said, lifting Violet and taking her into the kitchen to give you both some privacy.

"What's going on?" Maria asked softly as she sat down in Tommy's place on the couch. You sighed and dropped your hands to your lap.

"I don't know," you said truthfully, "I'm so fucking angry at him, but..."

Maria pursed her lips knowingly. "But you still care."

You groaned and leaned back into the chair. "Yes."

"It's not like you're telling me or anyone else something we didn't already know," she said, "not after what happened with you and Angie in the middle of the street. I mean, look at you," she pointed to your bruised neck. "No one fights like that for someone they don't love."

"I don't love him," you said sternly, eyes flashing angrily in her direction. "You sound like Ellie."

"Okay, so if two people are telling you-"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," you abruptly stood up, brushing your palms on your jeans. "Sorry to barge in like this. I'm sure he'll be fine. I'm actually looking forward to a week of quiet," you tried to say confidently despite how tight your throat felt as you headed towards the door.

Maria called your name as she trailed after you, urging you to stay and talk, but you just pressed your lips together and shook your head.

"Seriously, I'm fine," you said, forcing a smile across your face. "I have some stuff to do so I'll see you guys at dinner or something."

Before she or Tommy could say anything else, you slipped out the door and rushed down the street, back towards home.

It wasn't until later that afternoon, after you had scrubbed clean the kitchen and bathrooms, doing anything and everything you could to stay busy, that you noticed the missing picture from the wall in the living room.

Please follow @punkshort-notifs and turn on notifications for fic updates ❤️

[thefoxholecast]

The Original Foxhole Court Extra Content (Archived from Nora Sakavic’s Tumblr)

We copied the following text directly from the pre-2024 version of the Foxhole Court Extra Content page on Nora Sakavic’s Tumblr blog (korakos.tumblr.com/fox). In March 2024, she did “some spring cleaning” by shortening the list of links and deleting/hiding old posts. The links in this copy lead to archived snapshots of the old posts on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

Some of the links are broken. If you have copies of these posts, please let us know so we can fill in missing content!

Because Tumblr only allows up to 100 links per post, we're unable to replicate the full list here. View the full list of links on our blog here: thefoxholecast.tumblr.com/FoxArchive

The Foxhole Court

ETA 2023: most of the posts here are from 2013-2015. Some of them overlap with older drafts. Some answers have evolved over time, even if they haven’t been updated here. Most I haven’t changed my mind on, for better or worse. Take ‘em or leave ‘em, and good luck making sense of ‘em around all the drunk rambling and detours. One day if I have the energy I’ll just sort it into a coherent reference.

~~

Two sections here: the questions submitted by tumblr users, and a miscellaneous collection of stories & factoids pulled from the oft-neglected blog. The questions aren’t in any particular order, though I did try to organize them by subject matter. Ish. Once the dust is settled a bit I’ll try to find a better sorting system. Also, the tumblr tag I use for questions is http://korakos.tumblr.com/tagged/foxhole-court-questions-and-spoilers

Lots of spoilers for The Foxhole Court ahead!

Preface: Why are Asks disabled in 2016?

COURTING MADNESS

—Exy Rules & Regulations

—Exy: A History of the Sport

—Palmetto State University

—The original “What Happens After King’s Men” post

—SON NEFES, the cousins’ freshman year through Renee’s eyes

——One . Two . Three . Four . Five

—Nicky Hemmick

—Seth Gordon

—Aaron Minyard

—Matt Boyd

—Kevin & Andrew

—David Wymack & the Monsters

—Wymack & Andrew re: Neil

—Dan Wilds is recruited to the Foxes *

—Allison through Dan & Renee’s eyes *

——pulled from an abandoned, unfinished book about the Foxes’ women

TUMBLR

NEIL

—Neil’s life on the run

—Do they ever celebrate Neil’s birthday?

—What if Neil told the truth earlier?

—Neil through the Foxes’ eyes

—Neil through Ichirou’s eyes

—Neil’s looks post-book and relationship with his reflection

—Does Neil ever talk to Bee?

—Neil’s millions

—Neil’s fight training

—Who’s Neil closest to beside Andrew

—Neil’s fashion style

—Cellphone ringtone

—Christmas/birthday presents for Foxes

—Does Neil ever cry?

—Neil’s lonely fifth year

—When Neil’s overwhelmed

—Does Neil crush on his teammates?

—Neil & Ichirou’s intimidation

ANDREW

—Andrew’s sober look at his teammates & Neil

—How did Andrew react to Cass’s letter?

—Andrew’s medication and the follow-up

—Has Abby seen Andrew’s scars?

—Andrew & Mama Bee

—Andrew & Roland

—How far has Andrew willingly gone?

—What animal figurine did Andrew buy Betsy?

—Andrew’s eye color

—Andrew’s opinion of the cats

—What’d Andrew say to Nicky in TKM?

—Andrew’s honest opinion of Exy

—Andrew’s thoughts on Neil’s binder

—Andrew and his sexuality

—If Andrew had met Neil’s mother

—Andrew’s thoughts on Neil’s sexuality

—Andrew’s fondest memory of Neil

—Andrew’s aforementioned withdrawal

—Do you think Andrew is really really really awesome?

—Proust and Andrew

—What happens to Proust?

—Andrew’s reaction to Neil’s bday blood

—Andrew on Neil eventually changing out

—Does Andrew get grumpy?

—Does Andrew get less dead inside?

—Does Andrew call Neil by his name?

—Why give the Foxes crackers?

—Andrew’s first choices in winning a fight

—Who liked knives?

—What got chopped from Drake’s arc?

—Does Andrew get off thinking about Neil?

—Post Andrew & Bee’s side story?

—When did Andrew start thinking Neil was interesting?

—Any other words he can’t stand?

—What does he think about nicknames?

—Explain Andrew’s fatal disease in the comic version

—Andrew’s canon mental state

—How did Andrew not know about Tilda’s abuse?

—Why punch Neil for “Sorry”, and when Andrew is sick

—What’s with Andrew and promises

—Andrew’s thoughts on Roland’s premature confession

—Andrew’s arrest

—Wanting nothing vs not wanting anything

—Why was Andrew laughing after Drake?

—If Neil had chosen Dan & Matt over Andrew

NEIL & ANDREW

—The other 10%

—Which teammate caught on first?

—Do Andrew & Neil go on dates?

—When did they first hold hands?

—When did Andrew clue in?

—Exites self-censure

—Betsy’s & Aaron’s reactions to the news

—Roland’s opinion of things

—The breaking point

—Who tops?

—On tying people up

—Their domestic life aka Sir Fat Cat

—I love you

—Andrew and the bed issue

—Nightmares

—Do they learn to talk to each other?

—Blaming Neil for Drake

—Andrew comforting Neil?

—Neil’s fondest memory of Andrew

—Neil getting Andrew off for the first time

—Neil seeing Andrew naked

—Neil & the sex how-to

—How was the first time

—Where’d it happen?

—When was their first hug?

—“I won’t let you let me be”

—Their roadtrips

—Neil waking Andrew up

—Andrew’s real smile

—How does Andrew show appreciation for Neil

—Their happiest moments

—Does Neil ever make Andrew laugh?

—Does Andrew take comfort in Neil

—Does Andrew get protective/possessive?

—Doesn’t Neil crave affection?

—Andrew re: Neil’s panic attacks

—Media reaction to Andrew/Neil

—Further reaction to Andrew/Neil

—On “accidentally” sitting in laps

—What if Andrew died?

—What if Neil died?

—Reaction to getting hit on by others

—Do they celebrate anniversaries?

—The first time Neil pushes Andrew down

FOXES

—How tall are the Foxes?

—Why is everyone so short?

—Where did their names come from?

—What were their majors?

—What do the Foxes look like?

—What are their Hogwarts houses?

—Reaction to the kidnapping

—Do Neil & Renee become friends?

—What did Allison do with Seth’s urn?

—Nicky’s evolution over the drafts

—Do the Foxes get their skiing trip?

—Does Andrew know Nicky kissed Neil?

—When did Aaron & Katelyn fall for each other?

—How did Andrew and Wymack end up handcuffed together?

—Kevin’s favorite things

—Kevin and Andrew’s on-court kerfuffle

—Dan’s haircut

—Dan & Matt’s relationship

—Dan & Matt’s first kiss

—Matt bouncing back from Columbia

—Matt rooming with the monsters

—The other what-if OT3 aka D/M/N and the dynamic

—Do Allison and Renee have the hots for each other?

—Matt forgiving his father

—Any mistletoe shenanigans?

—Thanksgiving and the Foxes

—Kevin’s best friend

—Janie Smalls

—How did Kevin and Thea meet?

—Foxes’ favorite ice cream flavors

—Kevin & Andrew’s on-court argument

—Foxes’ taste in music

—Kevin’s middle name & drink of choice

—Do Kevin & Neil want to kiss?

—Which Fox would Kevin kiss, then?

—Kevin’s best non-Exy memory

—Allison’s three bets

—Why is Allison’s middle name Jamaica

—Kevin, Andrew, and Neil staying friends

—“Joan of Exy”?

—Can the Foxes sing?

—Some of the Foxes’ previous bets

—Do Nicky & Allison become friends?

—Are Foxes based on RL people?

—Nicky when Neil asks about friendship

—Dan & the monsters in Columbia

—What if Kevin was killed?

—Renee and her near-death experiences

—More background available on Renee?

—Why doesn’t Aaron let the Foxes in?

—Team’s reaction to Drake, Andrew’s reaction to being outed

—Andrew & Aaron’s time with Tilda

—Does Aaron reconcile with Andrew over Tilda?

—Nicky & his parents after Drake

—Foxes thoughts in Baltimore

FOXES POST-TKM

—The Pro Teams

—The Weddings

—Neil as the Best Man?

—Kevin after TKM —Thea, Jean, Foxes, and Riko

—How does Kevin & Wymack’s relationship evolve?

—Renee after TKM

—Nicky after TKM

—Aaron after TKM

—Allison after TKM

—Dan & Matt after TKM

—Dan and the US Court

—Any pro-period scandals?

—Andrew & Neil’s relationship with their team

—Would Neil hold Matt’s children?

—Neil & babysitting the Foxes’ kids

—Which Fox’s child would curse first

THE FUTURE FOXES

—Who is Robin Cross?

—Neil and Jack

—Andrew’s reaction to Neil punching Jack

—Foxes’ reaction to Neil punching

—Kevin and Jack

—Neil’s new recruit

—Andrew and Jack

RIVALS

—Who is Riko Moriyama?

—Riko & Kevin’s evolving relationship

—More about Riko & Kevin’s past

—How did Riko break Kevin’s hand

—Riko’s brutality toward Jean

—Any draft where Riko wasn’t killed?

—Were Riko, Kevin, and Jean involved sexually?

—Does the Fox-Trojan rematch happen? Also how do the Trojans & Jean get along?

—Do Alvarez & Laila (Trojans) have backstories?

—Thea’s number & thoughts on Raven brutality

THE “ADULTS”

—Kayleigh Day & David Wymack

—Abby Winfield & David Wymack

—Wymack’s parents

—Did Wymack cry during the trilogy?

—Did Kayleigh know about the Moriyamas?

.

.

.

.

Nora & the Foxes

—Fancast and Andrew

—Changing opinion of Foxes over the years

—Bits of the scrapped K/N/A threesome here and here

—The KxAxN AU where Kevin died

—Will there be a sequel?

—What inspired you to develop Exy?

—Fox fanfictions, collected by coldsaturn

—Why a pseudonym?

—What came first, characters or story?

—Were you the artist of the comic version?

—What did the comic-Foxes look like?

—What do you do when you’re not writing?

[themeatpit37]

Something’s Wrong With Sunny Day Jack Random Assorted Headcanons

This is just a fun little collection of random headcanons I got! Mostly showing these since I have been wanting to write for a while but either haven’t had the energy or any idea of what to write. Enjoy!

❤️💛💙☀️Sunny Day Jack☀️❤️💛💙

I have a lot of headcanons for Jack but one of them is that he LOVES it when people run their fingers through his hair. He will practically melt into their touch like he was starved of attention and hold your arms so they don’t stop. His hair is VERY soft too so it’s heavenly to touch! A win win scenario!

Jack is very much a physical guy. If anyone gives him permission, he will absolutely take the opportunity. It also has to do with his need to be seen since you can’t really forget someone who practically clings onto you! But seriously please let him hold onto you, he needs physical contact.

HE. LOVES. KISSES. Doesn’t matter where, when, or why just give them to him. He does prefer giving passionate and soft kisses though because to him they show how much he loves whoever he’s kissing.

Very much prefers honey on his pancakes over syrup. He’ll still use syrup but will use honey when it’s available. The natural taste honey has fits better on pancakes than maple or pancake syrup does. He does love a good blueberry syrup though!

🖤💀Shaun💀🖤

Shaun is very easily excitable in my eyes. You’re hyped about something? He is immediately hyped too! You could be explaining the history behind the creation of dishwashers or something and as long as you are happy, he is fully listening and engaging as much as he can all while hyping you up!

Attends furry conventions whenever he can. Is he a furry? No one knows anymore but he does know a few too many inside jokes though.

Canonically, I am pretty sure he is a monsterfucker but in my opinion I feel he likes “weird” monsters the most. Like yeah werewolves and demons are cool but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t have at least one erotic dream about Seth from The Fly.

His favorite fall drink is apple cider! Hot cocoa is nice but a warm mug of spiced apple cider just hits different especially with a squirt of whipped cream!

🧡🌿Ian🌿🧡

To me, I always read Ian as a very emotional guy. Wears his heart on his sleeve type. It’s kind of a side effect of his home life and the way people treated him as he got older.

His favorite flavors are cinnamon, brown sugar, matcha, and pistachio. Flavors for what? Anything really. But mostly in either baked goods or drinks. Speaking of, his favorite milk flavor is a tie between strawberry milk and banana milk.

I get the vibe that on social media, he follows mostly cute animal accounts, food blogs, and aesthetic pages of many varieties. His favorites are the ones that post outfits or accessories for outfit ideas.

One of his biggest fears is spiders and most insects! Something about them just makes him freak out, especially if they got lots of legs like a centipede. Even caterpillars freak him out sometimes, but he rarely ever kills them. Most of the time they get put under a cup and released.

🩶🩵👾Nick👾🩵🩶

Due to us not knowing much about him, most of this is based off nothing but vibes. He is 100% a collector though. He has a whole binder of Pokémon cards, multiple blind bag toys of his favorite games and expensive figurines sit on his shelf, posters are all over his room walls, and his collection is constantly growing.

Very superstitious. If he learns about an urban legend from another country, it becomes part of his beliefs like hiding your thumbs in your pockets while passing cemeteries to keep your parents safe or throwing salt over your shoulder after spilling a salt shaker.

Sometimes when he is alone with his dogs, Pico and Cheese, he’ll have full on conversations with them like they’re people who know what he’s talking about. Usually it’s a rant about someone annoying he had to deal with or explaining what happened at work that day.

Naps often. If you give him an opportunity to nap, he will take it. Even if he gets the best night of sleep in the whole universe, he’ll always be ready to take a nap. Bonus points if it’s with someone he likes or if his dogs are there.

[iouinotes]

Heartbeat | Seth Cohen

pairing: Seth Cohen x female!reader

show: o.c California

warnings: kissing, arguments,

summary: Seth is your best friend and he's trying everything to win Summer's heart. You on the other hand would do anything to win his heart and make it beat for you.

author's note: I'm probably the last person on earth who hasn't watched this series. But hey, new potential for ff. By the way, please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks his voice sounds like Dylan O'Briens...

The way I love him is like the waves on the open sea on a beautiful day.

While the sun shines on my skin and my bikini slips slightly, revealing my sun-kissed skin, I try to secretly look at him.

The way his brown curls are wet from the blue sea or how his muscles tense as he pulls his shirt over his head.

I hear a sigh of relief escape from his mouth and have to giggle to keep myself from laughing at his swimming trunks.

Showing one of his cartoon characters, red and dark tones that highlight his pale skin even more.

And when he turns his head and smiles at me, relaxed in a way, as if there were only the two of us in the whole world, he has never looked more beautiful to me.

"Are you daydreaming, sunshine?" Oh, his teasing voice and that look in his eyes- what wouldn't I give to finally have him for myself.

"You'd like to know, Cohen." I grin slightly at him as I answer him. His raised eyebrows and the heat around us make my head spin.

"Okay, let me guess. Are you thinking about the party tonight at my parents' house and what you want to wear?" For a moment he looks out to the sea, reassuring himself that we are safe, until he finally lies down next to me with his arms outstretched above his head.

Rolling my eyes, I quickly answer him.

"Girls don't just think about parties and dresses, idiot." His brown eyes, which are now looking at me invitingly, make the butterflies fly around in my stomach.

"But was I right?" When I try to turn his head away with my hand, he holds mine tightly. But immediately afterwards he strokes my skin tenderly and my thoughts need a moment to sort themselves out.

"Whatever. And just because you started it, I'm going to wear my new blue dress. The one I brought to your room earlier, remember?" The triumphant smile on his face is worth every single word.

For a few seconds, all I can hear is the cries of the seagulls and the sound of the waves. I'm almost starting to doze off when his voice rings out again.

But this time my joy is dampened by his next sentence.

"Today is the day, you know? I'm pretty sure Summer will at least remember my first name by the end of the night." The sinking of my heart feels almost too painful to answer to him.

What else did I expect? Summer has been on his mind for years, every minute of the day since he first saw her.

Seth, on the other hand, has been in my heart since the first time we met. On a rainy day at a skate park, while I was just lost and he was practicing his tricks.

To this day, I can remember the moment when his brown eyes became the most beautiful sight in the world for me.

Nothing has changed ever since.

"Yeah, sure." It's always the same. His never-ending crush on her, the ever-growing hope that is destroyed with each and every one of her withering glances. The dejection in his eyes, as if his happiness would melt away as soon as she was near him.

I can never do anything about it. Because no matter how many times she ignores him or puts him down, her attention is the spark in his heart that never extinguishes.

Because what can I do? Summer is pretty, sassy and popular in our social circle. She makes every boy weak in the knees, worshiping her even though she never shows serious interest.

Seth is blind to it too, he just wants her attention. That she remembers how his name is.

I know his name. His favorite comics. His hatred towards bad movies or his nervous habit of talking endlessly without it making actual sense. I know his sarcasm, his heartbreaks, and his commitment to dreams.

But that doesn't seem to be enough. Because when he looks at her, he sees the sun. I, on the other hand, am a small star that doesn't shine bright enough to be noticed.

So as we fall into silence and I try to suppress my sadness about my unrequited love, he hums softly next to me.

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

When we return from our little trip at sea, the sun is almost setting. My gaze falls to the floor and as I listen to his excited voice, I wonder how it would feel to hold his hand.

As we walk up the stairs to his room and I greet his father as I pass, I recognize the look in his eyes as he opens the door for me.

"Oh come on Seth. It can't be healthy for you to think about her for every free second of your day." With a sigh, he throws himself onto his bed with his back showing to me.

"I just wonder why she doesn't see my potential. I would be a great boyfriend."

Yes, for me.

"That's probably because you follow her around like a lost puppy. Compared to the water polo guys, that's a drastic difference."

When I carefully take my dress down from his door that I hung there a few hours ago, his eyes clouded with pity follow me.

A little ritual for us before every big celebration. Getting ready together, like boyfriend and girlfriend. But I immediately push the thought away.

"But everyone likes puppies. At some point she'll look at me and realize that we would make a great couple." Shaking my head, I pat him on the shoulder.

"Everyone has their dreams, Cohen." I meet his gaze as he thoughtfully glances back at me, suddenly meeting my eyes with a newfound interest.

"What are you dreaming about?" The curiosity in his my voice makes me smile.

"Well, it may be a bit cheesy but I wish for… a person." At my words his eyebrows raise and as he sits up straight, I suddenly feel constricted.

"One person for...what? Carrying your bags while you're shopping? I'm already in charge of that." Laughing, I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

"I didn't mean that. Even though that's nice, no argument there. No, I mean a person with whom I can experience my first times. You know, the first date, the first romantic kiss. The first vacation shared together...the first time sleeping together, feeling each others heartbeates. That's what I dream of."

As I finish my last sentence, I look at his face. See his rude stare and his open mouth.

"Wow, I- I didn't know you wanted all this so much." Shrugging my shoulders, I turn around to stroke my blue dress. Trying to hide my heated cheeks.

"It's not going to happen anytime soon anyway, so I guess I'll just have to keep dreaming." The silence that follows is almost painful.

"Nevermind. Also, we only have an hour left to get ready. We'd better hurry." He roles his eyes at my attempt to change the subject.

"You say that every time and you always beg me for another five minutes at the end." As I take off my sandals, he narrowly avoids a pair I throw at him.

"Be quiet, Cohen."

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

Kirsten had outdone herself. The decorations, the guest list, the food selection. It was all perfection.

As I look out the window of Seth's room, I repeatedly brush a strand of hair out of my face. My heart beats faster with each passing second of silence and I feel my cheeks turning pink as Seth comes out of the bathroom.

The black suit, a red tie and the neat curls. This view is even more perfect than the one outside.

You'd think I'd be able to hide my attraction to him better by now, but when I audibly catch my breath, he looks at me critically.

"What? Does that scream my-mother-picked-out-my-wardrobe too much?" The crooked grin on his face makes me think dramatically long about my answer.

"Everyone knows you're a mama's boy, so it won't hurt your aura." The hand that comes to his chest as he sucks in air makes me giggle.

"Damn, that was mean. But do you think Summer likes mama's boys?" As soon as he says her name, it’s sounding like a prayer from his lips, I try not to show my disappointment on my face.

"Seth-" I sigh, trying to pull myself together. After all, he's still my best friend and I don't want to hurt his feelings. Even if it means hurting my own.

"What?" Innocence swims in his eyes and again, I wish I could tell him the truth. Instead, I continue to play matchmaker.

"I know best how much you want to impress her. But please trust me when I tell you that it always brings bad luck when one person loves their partner more. There has to be a balance." But my words don't seem to have any effect.

"I will bring balance to the force-" The laughter that escapes from his throat makes me shrug my shoulders a little more relaxed now. He knows he got me, when I can’t seem to stop smiling.

"Nerd. Come on, Skywalker, it's time we both show up at the party." Nodding, he closes the door and as we step out onto the bright terrace with the sun shining on us, I feel peaceful.

Unfortunately, the feeling only lasts two hours. Or more precisely, until Summer, the beautiful, graceful, mean Summer, enters the Cohens' house.

Since that moment, I have had an overexcited, confused, useless boy next to me who can't stop embarrassing himself.

"Do you think I should get her something to drink-" I interrupt his speech for the first time in three hours.

"If you don't stop this right now, I swear I'll never ever surprise you with comic books again." The threat actually makes him close his mouth.

"Why are you in such a bad mood? Do you need a drink?" If he hadn't said it so sarcastically, I would have found the question sweet.

"Seth, I can handle a lot of things in our friendship. Your never-ending sarcasm, your inappropriate jokes or your ability to always say the wrong thing to people. Hell, I can even deal with your love for cartoon characters and your obsession with video games on a daily basis. But talking about Summer every second of the day, twenty-four hours a week? That has reached my limit."

While I try to keep my voice low, the confusion is written all over his handsome face.

"But who else should I share my despair with? You're the only one who's really interested in what I have to say." His words hurt a part of my heart that I cannot describe.

"Exactly. I'm interested in you. Not how pretty Summer looks or what Summer just said, did, or might do in the future." For the first time that evening, he actually seems to understand what I'm talking about.

"So...change of subject?" Relieved, I have to start smiling lightly.

"Yes, please." As we smile at each other at that moment, it feels, for once, like I have his full attention.

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

As soon as I open the door to the ladies' room, I wish I could immediately turn around and leave.

In front of the mirror, her face looks at me skeptically.

I try to act like she doesn't bother me, even though there are so many things I'd like to say to her.

"Aren't you that girl who's always with Steven?" I look at her, clearly confused.

Rolling her eyes, she continues. "The nerd with the brown curls, his parents own the house, I heard."

"His name is Seth." She shrugs and applies her lip gloss. Her eyes alternately focus on me and the mirror in front of her.

"Whatever. Are you together?" I feel heat rushing to my face and as I try to answer relaxed, she seems to see right through me.

"What- together? No- we're friends. Just friends." As she turns to me now, she raises her eyebrows almost disinterestedly.

"Really? Then why are you looking at him like you're in love with him?" I turn away from her curious stare and try my best not to let my nervousness show.

"You must be mistaken. He's my best friend." As she stands two steps ahead of me, I don't know what to say.

"That doesn't mean you don't have feelings for him. What about him?" Sighing, I can't try to deny it any longer.

"He doesn't." When I see compassion in her eyes, I start to like her a little.

"Then change that. He's just a boy. Show him what he's missing out on. A little skin showing, a few compliments. He won't realize what's happening until he's begging you to let him kiss you." I look at her, laughing, and for a moment I dare to dream.

"What if he likes someone else? How can I keep up?" With elegant steps she walks past me and opens the door.

"Then you have no choice but to outdo her."

When the door closes, I am left alone with my thoughts.

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

As Seth loosens his tie, I am still deep in thought.

After my conversation with Summer, the party was over quicker than expected. Seth and I watched some of the guests, joked about the age difference, had two glasses of expensive wine and had the time of our lives.

All without talking about Summer again.

Now that I'm here in his room and we're getting ready for bed, I'm unsure about my next steps.

I usually sleep on his bed while he puts his mattress on the floor. Since we were little, this has been our approach to spend the night together.

However, tonight I want it to be different.

As I remove the clips from my hair and the makeup from my face, Seth talks incessantly about the latest Legion comic.

It's reassuring to listen to him like this while I think about my next steps.

We usually change separately, there's just a certain intimacy in being so open and showing yourself in your underwear.

But Summer said I have to go for it. Why do I listen to her? I don't know to be honest. I just think I should seize this moment of courage.

So I stand up and breathe in gently, trying to behave as inconspicuously as possible.

I slowly take off my dress and as it falls to the floor, Seth's head turns in confusion towards the noise.

"What have you dropped now- oh" I can literally see his eyes double in amazement and he almost chokes on his words in surprise.

I have to smile when I notice how he can't stop looking at me in my lace underwear.

1:0 for me.

"Are you still breathing, Cohen?" When I see him swallow, I turn my back to him. His reaction is so intoxicating that it fills me with renewed confidence. As my hair brushes my back, I finally hear his chatter.

"What- yeah- I'm just- I'm fine- are you fine? Has it gotten warmer in here? Are you warm? It seems so, otherwise you wouldn't be undressing in here. God, no girl has ever undressed in front of me." Laughing, I pick up one of his shirts with the stupidest designs, but there's still nothing I'd rather wear.

When I put it on, it covers me down to my knees and as soon as I turn around, I meet his gaze.

"We're not nine anymore, Seth. I think our friendship can handle us changing in front of each other." As I walk towards him, his gaze wanders along my legs.

"Er- sure. Of course, no problem. I- what?" My fingers slowly stroke his shirt, carefully grasping his tie as I begin to untie it completely.

"Do you think we can go to sea again tomorrow? This time we are not under any time pressure." I feel him stiffen slightly under my touch as he tries his best to stay cool. Well, as cool as Seth Cohen can be.

"Sure- maybe around one o'clock? Ryan is probably doing something with Marissa anyway. Doing god knows what- wait. I shouldn’t say his holy name out loud, when they are doing certain rather unholy stuff. Why am I saying this? I just mean, that we can both sleep in, I guess. And we can stay awake a little longer tonight." When his tie finally comes completely loose, I gently place my hands on his chest.

I meet his gaze as I raise my head, now so close to him. Our faces are only inches apart. I can see the brown in his eyes and the blush that adorns his face as he stops rambling.

"Yeah? What do you want to do?" Maybe this is the moment he finally realizes that Summer isn't the only one who exists in this world.

Maybe he'll finally notice me now.

"Teach me how to flirt?"

Did the world just stop turning? Or is it just my heartbeat that has stopped? Just with his words, just with the way he looks at me.

As if he no longer wanted to shy away from this tension between us.

"Flirting is an art, Cohen. I don't know if you're capable of pulling it off." His subsequent eye roll and the hand that he places pleadingly around my own make me reconsider my next actions.

At least now I can finally reveal my affection to him.

"Please, I'll go shopping with you. Even to the men's department so you can pick out my clothes. Just teach me." Surprisingly, I pause at his words.

"Even if I put sweatpants on you?" His face twists slightly.

"Yes, even if I have to wear sweatpants." I smile, brushing my hair back. As my eyes focus on his figure, a thousand thoughts race through my head.

"Okay. First step: your posture. I know how much you like to dramatically gesticulate your sentences with your hands, but you should avoid that when you're trying to flirt. You have to stay cool, confident. But still polite, not as if you don't care about the answer." Nodding, he listens attentively to each of my words, trying to understand the intention behind them.

"Like this?" I see him put his hands behind his back and stand there stiffly, his curious look ever present in his eyes.

I laugh and shake my head. "Not quite. Here, I'll show you." My hands move to his own ones, pulling them forward. Slowly I stroke his knuckles, but when I notice his opening mouth at my gentle touch, I let them go.

"Put them in your pockets. Stand up straight, but don't try to force it. Just relax." When he puts his hands in his pockets and stands with his foot slightly at an angle, he looks so carefree for a moment that I almost fall for the trick myself.

"Convincing enough?" Nodding, I try not to let the sight burn too much into my memory.

"Keep that up. Next important step. Your language, the way you speak. If you're going to flirt, it has to be seductive. You have to make me hang on every word that comes out of your mouth." As if I don't already do that.

As his eyebrows draw together, I see the confusion in his pupils and sighing, I speak up again.

"Try talking to me." I wait invitingly for his next move.

"Hey, uh what's going on?" When he doesn’t speak any further, I intervene.

"Okay, maybe I should show you how to do it first. Firstly, you need to try to initiate a conversation." I take a quick breath and try to relax my shoulders to prepare myself.

As I wrap my fingers around his collar and slowly stroke down his shirt, I see him swallow.

"Did you enjoy the party?" I try to maintain eye contact with him while keeping my voice a little quieter and giving more meaning to my words. I can literally see the gears turning in his head.

"I-I did?" When he stops speaking, I put my hand on his chest, circling the pattern of his shirt.

"Don't you want to ask me what I liked the most?" I see how he closes his mouth, trying to find the right words, as if he suddenly doesn't know how to talk to me normally anymore.

"What did you like best?" I smile sweetly, slowly sliding my fingers into his neck and playing with his brown curls.

My heart beats louder than ever, when I notice the expression on his face as I caress his hair softly.

"You."

It is this one moment when the world makes sense. When the eternal waiting, the torment of the last few years and the stupid boy in front of me finally makes sense.

Because his eyes wander to my lips and I feel his breath across my face as our bodies are drawn to each other like magic.

His lips almost brush mine, we are so close together that my mind is unable to think of anything other than his touch.

What it would be like to kiss him.

"Is this still part of the lesson?" His breathless voice makes me smile.

"Well, do you want it to end?" I have to laugh at his lips as he quickly shakes his head.

"What-what should I do?" I stand slightly on my tiptoes so I can whisper in his ear.

"What every princess wants from her fairytale prince. Kiss me."

He leans slowly into my touch. With every breath he takes, I can feel his arms sliding around my waist as his curls brush my forehead. He licks his lips uncertainly and when I look into his eyes, full of affection and the desire to kiss me, I fall in love with him even more.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for this." Confusion adorns his features and I try not to let my strong heartbeat distract me too much when I finally tell him the truth.

"Waiting for what? Me?" Laughing, I close my eyes for a moment, reveling in the feeling of his closeness.

"It's always been you for me, Seth. When I said, "You're unbearable"? In my head, I wanted to spend every second I'm in this world with you. Or when I always roll my eyes when you stumble over your words, as if you're afraid it would bore me too much and I would stop listening to you. Because I would never do that. God, I practically hang on every word that comes out of your mouth."

As astonishment takes over his gaze, I feel a blush creep over my skin. What do I have to lose now?

When he answers, a loving smile adorns his face, coupled with a brief shake of the head.

"So I was unconsciously flirting with you the whole time? You know, step two?"

"You don't have to flirt with me for me to fall for you, Cohen. I fell already, hard."

His eyebrows rise, his nervousness changes almost abruptly to a smug expression.

"Is that so? Even though I talk about Captain Oats for two hours, when I was telling you his story from my childhood?"

"Why do you think I'm still here? No one would listen to that, not even me, if I hadn't been thinking about how good you looked in your sweater."

"Very shameless of you, Captain Oats would be disappointed by your little interest in his life."

"And would Seth Cohen be disappointed if I'm too interested in his life to pay attention to anything else?" Grinning, he pulls me closer to him.

"I'm pretty sure he'd be flattered." His lips hover over mine as his words cast a spell over my mind.

"Then I guess I should do that more often." Slowly, I push him back and let him fall onto his bed while his eyes roam over my body.

"Oh, definitely. You can do anything you want." Smiling sweetly, I move closer to him until I sit down on his lap. His hands find their own way to my thighs, stroking my bare skin.

“I can hear your heartbeat, Cohen. Are you nervous?“ I smile as I tease him, roaming my fingernails over his chest.

“I don’t do nervous. But indeed sunshine, my heartbeat is that noticeable, because you‘re making it beat faster. You‘re making my time on earth feel faster and I would‘t want it any other way.“ Smiling in the kiss, I stretch my hands around his neck.

Being with Seth Cohen isn't always easy, but I guess love isn't either.

[theamazingdigitalraceway]

Who of the gang would tease Y/N for getting embarrassed watching a kissing scene in a movie >w> Like “turn your head away from the screen” embarrassed

CAINE: He's enthralled by what's happening on screen. He might not even notice y/n because he's too busy fantasizing about what it must be like to have lips.

POMNI: "PDA embarrasses you too, huh?" She won't look away if it's short, but make out scenes have her flustered.

RAGATHA: "You're adorable." She giggles.

JAX: "Ha! Too shy to watch what you'll never have? Pity."

GANGLE: oh thank goodness she's not alone this time- She's just as flustered and hiding behind her hands.

ZOOBLE: She huffs a short laugh. Their reaction is funny.

KINGER: He looks around. "What are you looking for?"

GUMMIGOO: He raises an eyebrow curiously, but won't say anything.

LOO: "Awww, no need to be shy. It's just a kiss."

SETH: "What's the matter?" Gets really close. "Too innocent to be watching this? Now you've got me curious..." His eyes are hungry as he licks his teeth. He wants to see their reaction. If he makes them fluster more or faint, he considers it a win.

ABEL: Silent eye roll.

[judgementdaysunshine]

Hi my love! From this prompt list

Can I have 🥺 with Roman please? Thank you in advance, I love you sm 💙

Ofc my love 😘

Matter

Pairing: Roman Reigns x Fem reader

Description: You are stressed out for your match but Roman is there to pick you up from your low state

Dean noticed how terrified you were even with him calmly speaking to you and Seth cracking jokes he knew that the nerves had a tight hold on you. Roman turns hearing a knock on the door only to see dean "Hey, you gotta help Y/n, nerves are taking hold" he follows dean as seth walks in the shared locker room leaving you alone in the hall, he could tell just how badly stressed you were with the shaking of your hand and leg, the uneven breathing, and even you grabbing the trash can a few feet away as he walks up to you seeing you throw up "Woah hey sit down try to control your breathing if you can" dean and seth go to check how many matches were left before you as roman crouched in front of you "Look at me, you matter" you look into his eyes as you try to take a deep breath feeling his warm hand lay over your heart against your cold skin "I know how stressed out you are, this is a big match for you to prove just how much you have worked your ass off" he gently grabs your hand and puts it over his heart feeling the calm slow beat against your hand. You slowly feel calmer as time goes on "You deserve to have this match, you are such a hardworking wonderful person and wrestler if you ever feel nervous or anything just come to me okay?" you nod as he leans up placing a kiss on your forehead before grabbing a cup of water as dean and seth come back "You got two matches left before you" you nod as you stretch laughing at seth and dean who were relieved seeing that you were now calm and ready for your match against AJ Lee walking down the ramp with roman by your side and bring lifted up on his shoulders after you win the match "I told you that you would win" the two of you walk hand in hand turning to him being pulled in a soft kiss "And I also told you that you mattered" you feel on top of the world as you are lifted up by roman again making you yell as dean and seth follow to celebrate your win.

[racerchix21]

The First Time

Relationship: Georgia Adams/ Roman Reigns

Word Count: 856

Tagging: @thesamoanqueen, @sunnyfleur23, @nayys-world @wickedsunfire @tomhardydallasstarsgirl @gobbersworld

Summary: A series of firsts in Georgia and Roman’s relationship!

Work Text:

1. Their 1st meeting

Georgia Adams was nervous as hell to make her main roster debut with WWE and then to be debuting as Roman Reigns’ mixed tag partner was even worse. Not that being stuck with a big ass sexy as sin Samoan was a hardship but still it was nerve wracking and her best friends laughing and giggling wasn’t helping matters.

“Y’all, I’ll be back later I’m just gonna go for jog around the arena. I’ll catch y’all later,” she said catching their attention as she all but ran out of their locker room running straight into a solid wall of muscle.

Pulling back she was greeted with the most mesmerizing brown eyes and holy shit he was gorgeous, “Oof, I’m sorry. I should’ve been paying more attention to where I’m going.”

“No, no I should’ve been. I’m Roman and the blonde one is Dean, Abs is Finn and the mouthy looking one is Seth. And you are?,” the pretty guy -Roman rumbled.

“The names Georgia. I’m sorry I was gonna go for a jog before I went to meet my mixed tag partner. Wait you wouldn’t happen to be Roman Reigns would you?”

“Yes ma’am I am. How bout I join you for that jog and we get to know each other better before our match?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2. Their first date

Walking around a fun fair with Roman was fun and the best first date she’d been on in forever but she was struggling to keep up with his giant steps. Not to mention she kind of chilly with the wind beginning to blow. “Ro, can you slow down a little please? I’ve got short legs and I’m afraid I’m gonna lose you.”

“Yeah, princess. Here hold my hand or better yet I’ll give you a piggyback ride so we don’t get separated,” he says offering his hand. “Wait baby are you cold? How bout instead we do this,” he asks before wrapping an arm around her pulling her into his side. “That better?”

“Hmm, yep that’s much better. Thanks Reigns,” Georgia hums smirking up at him when he growls at her use of his last name.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3. Their first kiss

Georgia had been psyching herself out all night preparing for this moment right here. Standing up on her tippy toes, she smiles up at Roman and draws him in for what she’s been hoping is the first of many kisses.

She can feel Roman’s smirk against her lips before he gets with the program running his fingers through her hair kissing her back. The taste of his mint flavored chapstick and the chocolate cheesecake they shared for dessert bursts out first and she can’t help but continue to pull him into a series of tinier pecks.

This is definitely the best last first kiss of her life and she can’t wait to see what the rest are like.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4. Georgia’s first Wrestlemania main event and Roman’s first chance at good boyfriending

Being injured sucked but getting to witness his best friend, his baby main event the biggest show of the year more than made up for it. Especially since Georgia was getting main event with her best friends Reese, Shawnee and Kayce for the first time in their careers. Roman didn’t know who was more stressed out about it: him or Georgia.

A women’s Fatal Four Way was something the company had never attempted before and sitting backstage with Dean, Seth and Finn they could all feel the crowds electric energy. Listening to the crowd pop when the bell rang, they were all 4 on the edge of their seats as they’re badass queens did their thing, he thought he might be able to get used to this.

“Gentlemen, regardless of who wins I think we can all agree that their the 4 best in the game right now, what do y’all think,” Roman asks looking towards his friends.

“Yep, I’m gonna be proud no matter what because they all deserve to be right where they are right now,” Seth says glancing at Dean and Finn who quickly agree.

Even though Georgia doesn’t win, Roman couldn’t be prouder of her or of Reese who gets the win. Seeing his friends greet their girlfriends, he snags Georgia’s wrist and tells her how proud he is with kisses instead of words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5. Their first child

Watching Georgia hold their newborn daughter Kaia, Roman sits back and thinks about all their other firsts. He can already tell that his life just got crazier with a baby girl to love and protect but he can’t wait to see who she’s gonna be one day and what kind of adventures she’s gonna lead them on.

Hearing Georgia murmuring to her, he leans down to give her a kiss and hold his fingers out for Kaia to latch onto. His heart swells and he huffs a laugh and smiles down at his perfect beautiful girls.

He can’t wait for even more firsts with Georgia like their first dance as husband and wife, he just has to propose but that can wait a day or two,” he thinks to himself.

[liviavanrouge]

Power

Arina: *Smiles as she walked down the stairs, singing softly*

Jane: *Grins* Hey, backstage passes is the best

Seth: *Chuckles* I know

Arina: *Looks at Seth, blowing him a kiss*

Seth: *Chuckles, his cheeks turning pink*

Arina: *Giggles then looks away* When the sun shines, we'll all arise! The children play throughout the day~

Arina: When night times, we snuggle tight together, showering one another with love!

Seth: *Flinches hearing a gunshot* HUH!!

Arina: *Screams in alarm, dodging a bullet*

Seth: ARINA!!

Jane: *Peeks out then quickly runs off, spotting where the culprit was*

Seth: Jane, wait! Arina has this!

Jane: *Stops in her tracks* Huh

Seth: *Grins* Trust me! She's got this!

Jane: *Nods to him* Alright then

Arina: *Narrows her eyes as she started stepping forward*

Arina: *Steps into the air, butterflies swirling around her* When one day ends another begins, we hold hands in harmony, we hold hands to win~

Arina: *Holds her hand out towards the shooter, moths coming from her palm* We have to believe in ourselves! No matter what people may say! Never hesitate to find your mind and the courage we all have inside!

Jane: Moths...

Seth: *Chuckles as the moths snuggled against his cheek*

Seth: Arina can make both butterflies and moths, moths attack hostile people who wish her harm

Seth: They'll get the shooter!

Jane: Wow....that's impressive

Arina: *Stares the shooter down, her eyes narrowed* Never be afraid to sacrifice yourself for the ones you love! It's so plain to see down in your heart, that you can be a mighty god!

Seth: *Beckons to the bodyguards as the moths dragged the shooter through the crowd, attacking the man at the same time* Arrest him!

Jane: *Grins at Arina, giving her a thumbs up*

Arina: *Nods, floating down to the ground* Don't forget yourselves....please just don't stop, believing~~~

Arina: *Smiles as the crowd cheered, applause filling the air when she bowed*

Seth: *Peeks out, grinning proudly at Arina*

Arina: *Smiles slightly, her cheeks turning pink as she brushed some of her hair back behind her ear*

@queen-of-twisted

[softambrollins]

the argument over who's the 'best wrestler in the world' always has been and always will be the most boring, pointless thing ever. it's not a real sport for one so stats or title wins are meaningless. and best at what exactly? athleticism? in-ring storytelling? promos? character work? connecting with the audience? all subjective and everyone values each criteria differently. i can say seth rollins is the best wrestler in the world because no one else could execute his redemption arc the way he did and because he has the saddest biggest prettiest brown eyes while staring at his soulmate but not everyone's gonna agree with that, obviously. that's fine and i don't care. because it's a silly tv show and my opinion is worth as much as anyone else's and it's all that matters to me personally.

so honestly can we talk more about stories instead of this tired subject please.

[smolwritingchick]

Forced To Believe Chapter 69- Clock Is Ticking Morgan

Summary: Morgan competes in her first MITB match. The mind games of Seth Rollins begin to take a toll on the Outspoken Diva. 

Words: 6,000+

------

At Money in The Bank backstage, Morgan was bending down, stretching, and felt a presence behind her.

"Can I help you?" She snapped as she stood up and looked at Seth, annoyed.

"It isn't too late to reconsider," Seth smirked.

He really did not want her in this match. He did not want to have to deal with two people who he betrayed. He was still lucky that he hadn't encountered Roman, yet.

"Seth, enough with the warnings. It's not going to make me change my mind. Whatever you do to make me suffer, tonight...I'll make sure to do it ten times harder. And even if you do win tonight...at least I got some closure." She replied and walked away.

Morgan tweets 'Maaaannnnnn....I miss my SWAT gear...'

Roman replies 'WWEMorgan101 I miss wearing SWAT gear with you, too.'

Rollins replies 'WWEMorgan101 WWERomanReigns I don't! Because you're lookin' at the new Money In The Bank contract winner'

Morgan replies 'WWERollins Please shut up...In that match, I'm giving you a Morganizer. WWERomanReigns you're the lucky one! You still have the SWAT gear. I may have to steal it. Watch your back, lol.'

Later backstage, the crowd gives Ambrose another big pop as he is preparing for his match, by shadowboxing.

Morgan walked up to him, wearing a hoodie over her wrestling attire which was a purple crop top that stopped a few inches above her belly button, black skinny jeans with black suspenders, and boots.

"Hey," She greeted as the crowd gave her a loud reaction.

"Hey, you okay?" He cupped her face.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just ran into Seth,"

"What did he do?" He released her, getting defensive. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, no, I'm fine. He just kept trying to convince me to not be a part of the match,"

"I can't wait to punch that face of his..." He pounded his fist.

She nodded. "Me either. But no matter what happens tonight...I just want you to know that I will always love you." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'll always love you, too." He chuckled, snaking his arms around her waist.

The camera moved over to show her smirking before she pulled away to show a smile in his eyes.

"Good luck tonight," she said softly and walked away.

"Is it me or did something seem to be really off about her smirk, this time?" Cole wondered.

"Yes, and I love it. That smirk...I hope what I think is going to happen, happens because I think I know what's going to happen but then it might not happen but then it might just happen but then it just might not." JBL rambled on.

"You're confusing me," King complained. "Say it in simpler terms,"

"Tonight just got more interesting,"

Celeste tweets 'Well Chyna was the least trustworthy back in the day, maybe WWEMorgan101 will be too?'

Morgan replies 'CelesteBonin Damn! You catch on fast! Maybe, maybe not.'

Celeste tweets 'Ooh! I like this side of you! WWEMorgan101.'

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

"The following is the Money In The Bank ladder match!" Lilian announces. "Now in this match, the winner will be the superstar who climbs up the ladder and retrieves the briefcase, with the contract inside that can be cashed in, over the next year, anytime, anyplace, for the WWE World Heavyweight championship!"

Seth, RVD, Swagger, Dolph, & Kofi make their entrances. The first beats for Taking You Down comes on, as the crowd cheers loudly. "From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Morgan!" Lilian announced as she walked out, without her hoodie.

"She's glowing in the dark!" King said with excitement, as the arena was darkened, revealing her attire, glowing in the dark.

Her fingernails and purple fingerless gloves were also glowing in the dark. She does her taunt and tags some hands.

"Morgan's first Money In The Bank contract match. And the first WWE Diva ever to be in the match. This is history making as she continues to break barriers. Let's take you back to Monday night." Cole said as the titantron showed her match.

Meanwhile, Morgan starts walking around the ring, touching each ring post, while Seth glares at her.

"You just don't listen! You don't listen!" He shouted at her, making her crack an amused smile.

The Outspoken Diva walks up the steel steps, and jumps over the ropes, before getting on the top turnbuckle. The lights come back on to their default setting, taking away Morgan's glow in the dark feature on her attire.

Seth gets riled up and starts trash talking Ambrose once he makes his way down to the ring.

'Five...four...three...two...' Morgan mentally counted in her head as Dean slid into the ring and tackled Rollins out of the ring.

"Things are about to get crazy!" King exclaimed as the crowd got hyped.

The bell rings while Morgan looks on with amusement.

"Dean Ambrose going right to work on Seth Rollins," Cole looked on.

He throws Seth to the timekeeper's area and jumps on top of him.

"Look at this!" King shouted as Kofi kicked Dolph in the back of the head, making him fall out of the ring.

Swagger picks up Kofi and tries to throw him out of the ring, but Kofi counters and throws him out instead. Kofi stands on the apron and shoulder tackles RVD's stomach. He jumps on the top rope and drops him down with a clothesline.

"Kofi has done some amazing things on those ladders," Cole reminded viewers as he praised him.

Morgan continues to watch on, from the corner, leaning her back on the turnbuckles as she crosses her arms. She was still sinking in the feeling of being in this match. She couldn't make a move yet.

Kofi slides out of the ring and slides a ladder inside but Swagger grabs the opposite side, having a tug of war match. Swagger shoves the ladder into him, making him stumble back. He tries to set up the ladder, but Kofi climbs on top of it and drops RVD down, making him roll out the ring.

"And that's what we've been talking about. Kingston can do amazing things on the ladder, here in this match up." Cole praised as Swagger got dropkicked by Kofi.

Jack sits on the ladder, on the mat, and gets kicked in the face. He rests his body on the ladder, while Kofi goes for the Boom Drop. He picks up the ladder and hits Swagger with it, making him fall out the ring. Morgan gets off the turnbuckles while Kofi is busy setting up the ladder. She marches over to him, along with Ambrose sliding into the ring. They both push Kofi off the ladder but he jumps on the top rope and manages to dive on RVD, Ziggler, and Swagger, as the crowd 'Ohs!'

"What!?" King shouted in a high pitched voice. "Did you see that?"

Meanwhile, Seth manages to grab Morgan by the ankles and drag her out of the ring, before throwing her into the barricade. He slides back in the ring, and throws Dean off the ladder, that he was climbing. He tries to climb up the ladder, but Dean grabs him back down, making another attempt to get the briefcase. Ambrose throws Seth's face into the ladder and leans the ladder on the middle turnbuckle, in the corner.

"Oh no," King said before Ambrose hit Rollins with a suplex on the ladder.

Seth starts squirming around, in pain, from the impact as he rolls out the ring, and holds his back. Morgan manages to stand up, while Ambrose climbs up the ladder. Swagger grabs him down and starts climbing up, himself, making her roll her eyes. One thing she hated about ladder matches is when someone pulls you down from the ladder, and then the person tries to climb up the ladder, knowing that their opponent is right there.

How about beating them down, first?

Ambrose grabs him down, and goes on to the other side, to climb up. Morgan, Dolph & Kofi manage to get back in the ring, while Swagger gets kicked away from Ambrose after he tries to pull him down. Dolph and Kofi try to scramble up the ladder, while Ambrose jumps on top of Swagger, hitting him with frenzied punches. The Outspoken Diva rests on the turnbuckle, watching Kofi and Dolph go at it on top of the ladder. Ambrose clotheslines Jack out of the ring, while RVD looks Morgan's way.

She then stands up and faces off with him as the crowd cheers.

"The Philly favorites. Now this is interesting." Cole looked on.

RVD looks side to side before giving her the RVD taunt. She then looks side to side and decides to lift her arm in the air to do her signature taunt, making the crowd cheer louder.

RVD goes for a spinning heel kick, but she ducks it and goes after him with elbows to the face. She Irish whips him to the ropes, but he counters and throws her into the ropes instead. She ducks his clothesline and jumps on the middle rope, to hit him with a clothesline. Kofi and Dolph clothesline Ambrose out of the ring and then quickly climb up the ladder. They jump off, beating each other up with punches until Rollins knocks them down, by putting the ladder in the middle of the standing ladder. RVD throws Seth into the ladder, leaning on the corner, and kicks him.

Meanwhile, Morgan throws Kofi and Dolph into a corner, while RVD sets Seth up for the Rolling Thunder on the ladder, in the corner, across from Dolph and Kofi. RVD and Morgan stand back to back, before hitting their signature moves on their opponents, as the crowd cheers.

"Welcome to Money In The Bank, Seth Rollins." Cole welcomed him.

Morgan grabs a ladder and starts dropping RVD, Swagger, Kofi, and then Dolph with the ladder, as the crowd cheers.

"Here comes Morgan."

As soon as Morgan turns around, she gets kicked by RVD, and she falls down, with the ladder, on top of her. RVD drops Swagger down and hits him with the frog splash. He sees Morgan, still down and out, and connects with another frog splash, on the ladder, as the crowd 'Ohs!'.

"Welcome to Money In The Bank, Morgan!" Cole added as she rolled out the ring, in pain.

Man did that hurt like hell.

"Fucking A..." Melanie groaned, lying on the mat.

"You gotta climb the ladder, Rob," King reminded as he taunted the crowd.

RVD sets up the ladder and starts climbing up. Kofi climbs on the other side and punches him down. Swagger pushes the ladder over, but Kofi manages to land back down, on his feet. He kicks Swagger in the midsection, and throws the ladder onto him, with the help of RVD. While Kofi and RVD go at it, Swagger starts taking them out with a ladder. Meanwhile, with Morgan, she jumps on top of Rollins at ringside and starts beating him down with punches, as the crowd cheers.

"Get him, Morgan! Get him!" King cheered.

"How do you support this? He's done nothing wrong!" JBL exclaimed.

"N­othing wrong? He betrayed her and Dean Ambrose! They have every right to be angry."

Seth starts fighting back and makes them both stand up. He throws her into the ring post.

"That did not look pretty." King cringed.

"I told you, that you shouldn't have come out, here! Stay down for your own good, grapes!" He shouted, before hitting her with the curb stomp.

"And Rollins with the curb stomp!" Cole shouted as she tried to stagger up on her hands and knees.

"Stay down! Stay­ down!" Seth shouted and went for another curb stomp.

Later on, Seth and RVD are on top of the ladder. RVD tries to go for a suplex, while Swagger climbs up the ladder and positions RVD in a powerbomb hold. Swagger powerbombs RVD, while Seth manages to

escape, and stay up the ladder. Ambrose gets back in the ring and goes right after Rollins. The crowd cheers with anticipation while Morgan gets back up and slides back into the ring. The crowd cheers loudly once Ambrose suplexs Rollins off the top of the ladder.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me! From on top of the ladder!" Cole shouted, while Morgan dropped her jaw, slightly, and looked on with concern.

"Everybody else is down. Morgan, get up there and get that briefcase!" King yelled as she stood in the middle of the ring.

"Rollins is knocked out. This may be her chance," JBL looked on.

Morgan was torn. She wanted to check on Dean, but everyone was down and she could win the match. She decides to grab the ladder and position it in the middle of the ring. Her heart started pounding as she slowly climbed up the ladder.

"This cannot be happening..." She mumbled as she got closer, and closer.

First time up the ladder, and this close to the briefcase. She could feel victory coming her way.

"Morgan's gonna do it! Morgan's gonna win!" Cole looked on with anticipation.

"If Triple H is watching this, he's gotta be cringing, right now," King added.

Swagger manages to get back in the ring and grabs Morgan's left leg, trying to pull her off.

"Morgan is holding on for dear life!" Cole exclaimed.

Swagger finally manages to pull her off and drops her down with a big boot. He starts climbing up the ladder, along with Rollins, who gets back up. He climbs on the other side and tries to punch Swagger off. Morgan gets back up and gives Jack a low blow, as the crowd cheers.

"Low blow!" King said in a high pitched voice as Jack fell down.

Seth's eyes widen, as he watches the Outspoken Diva climb up.

"Morgan's gone crazy. Look at her eyes. Harley's comin' to get cha!" King cheered.

The Philly Diva's eyes widen as she shoots Seth a crazed look on top of the ladder.

"M—­Morgan, let's talk about this. Just go back down. We don't have to do this." Seth tried to reason.

She makes him turn around as she positions him for the Morganizer, making the crowd go wild.

"Oh no, she's not gonna do this. She can't!" Cole shouted.

"This is all about revenge! She said she was going to get closure!" King yelled. "Ah!" He screamed in a high pitched voice as soon as she slammed Seth down with the Morganizer.

Both were down and out as Morgan rolled over, face first, exhausted, while Seth was down on his back, knocked out. She rolls over to the apron, near the commentators, and stands on it, trying to recover. Dean picks up a ladder, but Dolph dropkicks him. Dean stumbles back into the ropes, and elbows Morgan, hard in the face, making her fall off the apron, and onto the ladder. The ladder was down on the mat as she landed on it, face first, as the crowd 'Ohs!'.

"Dean Ambrose just elbowed Morgan!" Cole shouted while Swagger sent Dolph into Ambrose, and he fell down.

"Was he aware?" King asked.

Celeste tweets 'It just got real.'

"Morgan isn't going to like that. I know she isn't!" JBL guaranteed.

"It was an accident! Dean didn't know!" King defended.

"How would you know? I saw him glance at her! No remorse at all!"

"No, he didn't!"

"Morgan's hurt guys," Cole said as the camera showed her, touching her face while a doctor went over to her.

"Morgan, are you all right? Can you hear me?" The doctor asked as she sat up and leaned against the announce table.

"I'm seeing stars..." She grunted as her left eye's vision started to get blurry.

Everything happened so fast. Her left eye was starting to ache as she revealed her face to the doctor. The ladder must have sliced her face because she was bleeding from the top of her left eyebrow. The doctor tends the cut and wipes the blood off.

"Do you see that!? Dean Ambrose is a terrible boyfriend! Did you see what he did? He hit her on purpose!" JBL stated. "Her eye is starting to get a bruise!"

Seth looks on and decides to head over to her while Kofi and Swagger go at it.

"Morgan, are you okay?" Rollins asked.

"Look at Rollins, pretending to be concerned," Cole said with disgust.

"He IS concerned! He said he cares about her!" JBL defended.

"He gave her two curb stomps, earlier! And Morgan hit him with the Morganizer on top of the ladder. He's angry. He doesn't care! He wants her to suffer!" King retorted.

"No. You don't know what his plan is." JBL replied.

Seth smirks at the crisis. This was the perfect situation for him.

"Stay away from me." Morgan tried to move away.

"Morgan, I need to tend this cut." The doctor informed her.

"Just let her breathe," Seth spoke up. "I saw what happened. Dean hit you. And he didn't look sorry,"

"It was an accident! Dean wasn't aware, Morgan! Maybe he thought it was someone else." King defended, while Seth got back in the ring.

Celeste tweets 'Now you've done it.'

Nikki tweets 'As I feared...'

Morgan touches her eye and looks at the blood on her fingertips.

"Accident or not, Morgan does not look happy," Cole observed as she started seething.

Meanwhile back in the ring, Swagger throws Kofi across the

ring.

"Swagger's a beast," Cole said as he threw a ladder on top of Kofi.

He walks back into the corner and shouts 'We the people!' along with the crowd, before going for a splash on top of Kofi.

"Oh! What are you thinkin'?" King exclaimed while Kofi rolled out of the ring, kicking his legs, out in pain.

"This is bad on Swagger," JBL said.

"No kidding. That may have cracked a rib."

Swagger manages to get back up and positions a ladder in the middle of the ring. He starts climbing up until RVD climbs back up.

"How is Rob Van Dam even conscious?" JBL wondered.

"Who knows?" Cole replied as RVD and Swagger exchanged punches.

Ambrose and Rollins throw them off the ladder. Ambrose explodes off the ropes and drops Jack down with a clothesline.

"And he's still not aware of what just happened with Morgan. Some boyfriend..." JBL grumbled.

"JBL, shut up." King snapped. "I am so tired of you talking about how bad of a boyfriend Ambrose is. Accidents happen. They'll work it out."

"He is a bad boyfriend!"

"If I remember correctly, you supported Ambrose and Morgan a lot. Couldn't shut you up about them." Cole reminded.

"That was a while ago. A lot has changed!" JBL evaded the subject.  

Seth slams RVD down and off the ladder. Moments later, Rollins and Ambrose quickly climb up the ladder.

"These bodies are hittin' the ground, hard." King looked on with concern.

The Lunatic and Architect start exchanging punches, and Ambrose punches Rollins off the ladder.

"And Rollins is down, and Ambrose is there!" Cole shouted as the crowd cheers loudly.

Morgan manages to get up, as her eye stops getting blurry, and gets back in the ring.

"Dean Ambrose is there! It's Dean Ambrose's moment!" Cole exclaimed.

"What!?" King shouted as a pissed off Morgan grabbed Dean's left ankle, and the crowd gives off mostly cheers for her. "Morgan, what are you doing!?"

"About time! I've been waiting for this ever since The Shield disbanded!" JBL cheered.

"Waiting for what?"

"What do you think? You think she's gonna let him win this match? Instead of making history and winning it herself?"

"Whatever the reason is, she's very irate," Cole said while Dean looked down at her, in shock.

"What are you doing?" Ambrose asked as he jumped down and stood before the irked, spitfire.

Morgan had strands of hair in her face while giving him a disturbing glare in her eyes.

"Why are you so mad?" he continued to ask.

Ambrose had never experienced Harley, before. He's only watched her prey on her victims. He had a gut feeling something was off, back when she hugged him. But what did he do to make her so angry at him? He watches as her chest rises up and down as she is very irate at him, for a reason that he still was not aware of.

He tries to caress her face but she smacks his hand away, making Dean look taken aback.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Dean exclaimed as he started to get mad.

He steps up to her as they face off. He was starting to take out his anger for Rollins on her, which was not his plan. He did not want to take his anger out on her, but after she shoved him, she flipped the switch.

"Morgan is just shaking with anger," Cole watched.

"Morgan, it was an accident!" King tried to defend as the Outspoken Diva shoved Ambrose back, making the crowd 'Ooh'.

"Shut up, King! He knew she was behind him! He knew!" JBL shouted. "The truth hurts, King. I know he knew she was behind him. I'm not making this up. He knew Morgan was behind him!"

"You hit me on purpose, didn't you?" Morgan asked in an angry tone.

Seth looked on with a grin. This was exactly what he wanted.

"He did it on purpose, Morgan!" Seth instigated.

"Are you seriously going to listen to him? I didn't know I hit you." Dean tried to explain, while Morgan started to calm down. "I'm sorry."

"Attack him. Give him the beating he deserves. He knew you were behind him. He knew it." Seth continued to try to get in her head.

"What is Morgan gonna do?" King asked as she looked at Dean and then at Seth.

Morgan calms down. It looked like Harley just couldn't bring herself to hurt her lover and chose to go after Rollins.

"Oh come on!" JBL exclaimed. "Don't fool us like that!"

"Looks like Seth's mind games failed," Cole chuckled as she went at it with Rollins while Ambrose started climbing up the ladder.

Seth starts fighting back and drops her down with a kick to the back of the head. He then went on to grab a chair.

"Ambrose!" Seth shouted and positioned the chair on Morgan's back, as she got on her hands and knees.

"What is Seth doing?" Cole exclaimed.

"Using Morgan as bait?" JBL wondered.

"Don't wanna watch her suffer? Then get down!" Seth shouted at the Lunatic.

Ambrose glared at him. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare, Seth! Leave her out of this! This is between me & you!"

"She is just as a part of this, as we are!" Seth shouted back.

"Dean! Don't worry about me! Just get the briefcase!" Morgan shouted.

"Your choice. One inch closer and I'll decimate her." Seth raised the chair up, adding insult to injury.

"What's Dean gonna do?" King exclaimed.

"For Pete's sake, get the damn briefcase! Just do it! Do it now!" Morgan shouted.

Reluctantly obeying, Dean reaches for the briefcase.

"Ambrose is about to get that Money In The Bank contract," JBL said but then Jack gets back in the ring but gets hit with a DDT from Ambrose.

Dean's shoulder starts bothering him while Seth manages to climb on top of the ladder.

"Rollins has a little more left in the tank," King said while Ambrose pushed the ladder over, making Seth hit his neck on the top rope.

"I think Ambrose hurt his shoulder," JBL looked on as he leaned on the bottom turnbuckle. A doctor and a few refs come to his aid. "That's that shoulder that Bray Wyatt hurt a few weeks ago."

"Dean, you need a doctor." The ref informed.

The doctor tries to roll Ambrose out of the ring but he disobeys and tries to get back in the ring.

"You dislocated your shoulder." The doctor told him.

"Pull it back in!" Dean shouted.

"You dislocated your shoulder." The doctor tried to explain.

"I said pop it, right now," Dean ordered.

"Dean! Dean! Dean!" Refs and doctors exclaim as they try to make him stop moving.

"Dean needs to take it easy," Cole said.

Ambrose gets pissed and storms backstage as the crowd heavily boos.

"Dean, this is for your own good," King said.

Rollins looks on in surprise and quickly sets up a ladder. He quickly climbs up the ladder, but RVD climbs on the other side and manages to stop him. They trade blows while Kofi builds a bridge with another ladder, as it leans on the top rope. Kofi stands up on it and goes after RVD.

"This is so dangerous," King said while RVD fell off, grabbing his hamstring.

Morgan quickly gets up and climbs up on Seth's side.

"What in the world is she doing?" JBL exclaimed as she managed to throw Seth off the ladder with the help of Kofi.

"Oh!" King shouted along with the crowd once Seth fell over and landed on his back, on the bridge.

He bounces off of it a couple of times, before landing down on the mat.

"Oh my God!" King shouted in a high pitched voice.

"That's what you get!" Morgan shouted.

"Are you kidding me!?" Cole exclaimed.

Kofi tries to reach for the briefcase but Dolph grabs him off. Dolph throws him onto the ladder, making Morgan fall off. Luckily she lands on her feet, before stumbling down, on her behind. She rolls out the ring and sets a ladder up at ringside. Positioning it on the announce table, to the ring apron. She starts pacing around, running her hands through her hair.

"Morgan is losing it," JBL said as she started screaming.

She grabs a chair and waits for Seth to get up on his knees.

"Remember this!?" she screamed and whacked him in the face with the chair. "Remember that!?" She continuously hit him with chair shots as the crowd chanted 'Yes!'

"Calm down! What's wrong with you!?" JBL shouted. "Focus on the match!"

"Morgan's emotions are getting to her. She's not thinking straight." Cole looked on as she managed to lay Seth's body on top of the ladder and head up the turnbuckle.

"What are you doing now?" JBL exclaimed. "He's out cold. Haven't you done enough?"

Morgan goes for a moonsault, but Seth quickly moves out of the way, making her hit her stomach on the ladder.

"Oh!" Cole, King, and the crowd shout.

"Is she okay!?" King shouted while she held her stomach and a ref checked on her.

"Stupid! Why the hell would she do something so stupid? She's not getting up from that. She may have cracked a few ribs." JBL stated. "Why does she have to be so reckless!?"

Dolph plants Kofi with a DDT while Jack slides into the ring. He starts cleaning house, taking down RVD and Swagger. Ziggler sets up a ladder and slowly begins to climb it.

"We got a lot of superstars and a diva who might not be able to finish this match," King updated the viewers. "You sure Morgan is okay? I should get up and give her mouth to mouth."

"Shut up, King. She's fine..." JBL retorted.

Jack gets back in the ring and puts Dolph in the patriot lock.

"Let go! Let go!" Jack shouted while Dolph continued to hold on.

Dolph screams out in pain and uses his arm strength to continue climbing up. The crowd gets excited once he kicks Jack out of the ring. As he is fingertips away, his ankle is hit by a chair from Rollins. Meanwhile, Morgan manages to crawl back into the ring and climb up the ladder as the crowd begins to chant 'We Want Ambrose'.

Seth kicks Dolph out of the ring and climbs on the other side. Morgan grabs the briefcase but loses her balance as she starts swinging around the ceiling, while holding on to the briefcase, for dear life.

"Ah! Oh my God!" Morgan screamed.

"She got it!" King shouted.

"Oh boy. This is not going to be pretty." Cole said as Seth tried to grab her back.

Morgan's heart was pounding. The briefcase was in her arms, but she was swinging from the ceiling. Anything could happen. And she was not looking forward to falling down, this high up in the air.

"Get away from me!" Morgan tried kicking him away.

"Why won't you stay down?! You are not going to ruin this for me! You are not going to win, this match!" Seth shouted.

The crowd erupts into loud cheers as Ambrose dashes down the ramp and slides into the ring. While Seth grabs Morgan's leg, to bring her back to him, Ambrose whacks his back with the chair.

"Ambrose is back! Ambrose is back!" Cole shouts as Dean continues to hit him with the chair, making him get down from the ladder. "And now Ambrose unloading on Seth Rollins!"

The crowd chants 'Yes!' every time Dean hits him with the chair. Dean throws Seth out of the ring.

"And now it's down to the two lovers," JBL said as Dean looked up at Morgan swinging on with the briefcase.

"One of these two are going to win!" King shouted as Ambrose began climbing the ladder. "If only Morgan could unhook that briefcase."

"The biggest moment of one of their careers. Who will be able to get it?" Cole asked while Dean grabbed Morgan back to him as she tried to escape his grasp while holding onto the briefcase.

"I know one of these two is going to fall," JBL stated.

"Sorry Morgan," Dean said and grabbed her foot, trying to yank her down.

"Are you kidding me?! Back away!" She exclaimed and tried to kick him away.

"Here we go! Now we're talking!" JBL grinned as the crowd got hyped.

All of a sudden, fire comes out from the ring posts as Kane jogs down to the ring, surprising everyone.

"What!?" King shouted.

"What the hell is he doing here!?" Cole exclaimed while Kane went right after Morgan.

Kane pulls her down and drops her down with a chokeslam. He grabs Ambrose off the ladder and takes him down with a chokeslam. He then picks Dean back up and delivers the tombstone piledriver.

"That means Ambrose and Morgan are no longer in the match," JBL bluntly said as Seth recovered and stood up

"Oh no...Oh my God, you've gotta be kidding me..." Cole retorted as Seth climbed up the ladder while Kane held the ladder with the crowd heavily booing. "This is ridiculous! You know damn well that Kane was sent out here, by Triple H!"

Seth grabs the briefcase, as the bell rings.

"Here is your winner! Seth Rollins!" Lilian announced while Seth celebrated.

Morgan looks disappointed in herself and holds her stomach with her right arm.

She failed...

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

On Raw, Seth had just defeated RVD and began to get interviewed by Renee Young, in the ring.

"Seth Rollins, last night­—"

"Hey, hey, hey. Hey, look...if you're gonna introduce me, lady...do it right. It's Mister Money In The Bank, Seth Rollins, to you, toots." he interrupted, with a smug look, earning boos. "Aye, what? What? You guys think it's arrogance, right? It ain't arrogance when you can back ­it ­up, heh heh. So, in my opinion...y'all just bitter that I was right, and you were wrong. Cause you realize this here is my golden ticket. This here is a contract. I get a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight championship. Anytime...anywhere...and if last night is any evidence­"

"Seth." A raspy voice called out.

"I always get what I wan­t—" Seth turned his attention to the titantron after hearing his name, get called again.

The crowd cheers as they see Ambrose on the titantron. "Listen puppet boy...for one scumbag to another...you don't really think this is over, do ya? You don't really think you won last night, do ya? You didn't win...in fact, your Plan A failed miserably. And your daddy, Triple H, had to bail you out, with his Plan B. Sending Uncle Kane down to knock Morgan and I off that ladder...I'm not even upset...about what happened at Money In The Bank, because it might be more fun this way. Every time you even think about cashing in that contract, I'm gonna be there...I'm gonna haunt you...so go ahead and make all the plans you want, cause that briefcase you're holding, doesn't have a contract inside, it's loaded with TNT.

And every time you try to cash it in, it's gonna blow up in your face, Seth! Believe that." Dean smirked.

"Another threat from Dean Ambrose," Cole looked on.

"This is my time, Ambrose! This is my time! You understand me!? I run the show around here! I'm the man! I'm the man! You're out of your mind!" Seth shouted.

-----

Later backstage, as soon as Melanie was about to walk into the diva's locker room, Colby smacked her from behind with baby powder.

"Oh my God, Colby! Are you fuckin' serious!?" She shouted, earning the divas' attention as they all began laughing at her and her now white outfit and hair.

"Oh my gosh! You're a Snowwoman." Nikki giggled and took a photo.

"Aw, you look so cute!" April, who returned, giggled.

"Thanks guys. That makes me feel better. Haha, send that photo to me, Nikki," Melanie chuckled and walked out of the locker room, earning stares and laughs from workers, since they were aware that their smack cam battle was still going on.

In catering, Heath Slater sat at a table with some of the guys and chuckled, asking, "Did you guys see the snowwoman?"

Jon raised a brow, while the others gave him confused expressions.

"Snowwoman?" Randy wondered.

"It's summer, man." Nic pointed out.

"Did anyone just see Colby dash to the locker rooms?" Joe asked.

"Have you seen Colby?" A powdered Melanie asked out of nowhere as she stood at their table.

The guys widened their eyes and tried to hold in their laughs. Nic started snickering and began to have the hardest time controlling his laughter.

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Laugh."

"Bwhahaaha!" he laughed out loud, along with the others.

She patiently waited for them to stop laughing, and after a minute, they stopped.

"Are you starring in the new Frozen movie? Are you playing a female version of Olaf or something?" Jon teased.

"Nah, Nah, maybe she's doin' a photoshoot or something." Jimmy wondered.

"All she needs is a carrot for the nose." Joe pointed out.

"A cute little tie." Taylor (Bo Dallas) added, with a chuckle.

"And don't forget the black hat." Heath grinned.

"Taken care of." Claudio (Cesaro) spoke up and put a black hat on top of her head, making the guys laugh again.

"You know what? Fuck y'all. I'm outta here," Melanie joked and walked away to continue her search.

Melanie tweeted the photo of herself that Nikki took, and tweeted, 'WWERollins really? Now everyone thinks I'm a female Olaf. Do you want to build a snowman?'

After ten minutes of trying to find Colby, Melanie went back to the diva's locker room.

"Find him?" April asked, looking up from her phone.

"Nah. I'll get my revenge sooner or later," Melanie replied. "Now if you excuse me, I'm gonna go melt."

"Well, some people are worth melting for." she quoted Olaf, from Frozen.

The Philly Diva giggled at that. "Now I want to watch Frozen, again."

----------

'WWE Exclusive Video'

"Morgan." Renee rushed over to her, trying to keep up with her speed walking, backstage. "Can you give us any comments about your first ever Money In The Bank match?"

"I'm just glad that I was able to do a little something in that match," Morgan replied, not interested in being interviewed.

"Morgan," Dean called out a few feet away and jogged over to her, while Renee walked away to give them space. "Are you okay?"

"No, no, I am not okay," she replied, looking visibly upset as they were in a private area backstage.

"I said I was sorry for hitting you. I didn't mean it."

"I know...I know...I forgive you."

He cupped her face. "Just promise me that you won't have Seth convince you to do anything. Morgan, I love you and I don't want you to have anything to do with this situation. Just stay away from him and let me deal with him. Okay?"

She frowned but nodded.

"And I know Money In The Bank wasn't the best match for you, even though I tried to take you down, but you know it was every person for themselves."

"I know. And I promise that I'll stay away from him. Seth won't convince me to do anything. Remember, I do things on my own,"

"Good. Stay that way." He said and embraced her.

The camera showed Morgan looking ahead with a solemn expression. He released her and her expression quickly changed to a smile before he saw her face again. He gives her a warm kiss on the lips before walking away.

She dropped her smile and leaned on the wall, sliding down. Running her hands through her hair, she closed her eyes and exhaled with tears streaming down her face.

She was overwhelmed with everything as tears of frustration continued to flow. She banged her right fist on the side of the wall and sighed loudly.

She was so disappointed in herself.

What was she doing?

Was being in the Money In The Bank match a mistake?

She felt like she should have done more. She felt like she hadn't done a great job in the match. She felt like she's been failing and failing every time she tried to go after The Authority. She doesn't know how much more she can take. She just wished things could go back to how they were. Being united. A family.

But do you live long enough to see yourself as a villain? Or do you die trying to do what's right? What's right for the fans?

Maybe she wasn't ready to take on this road. Maybe she needs to be more aggressive and more serious. Take a more serious path. Do what's best for herself.

She stopped crying and let out another breath. Looking ahead as she tried to calm herself down, she noticed Rollins watching her with a satisfied look on his face. He soon decided to approach her, kneeling down to her level as a smirk came across his face.

He sighed and placed a hand over her cheek, wiping her tears with his thumb.

"My precious grapes..." he called out, hitting another nerve due to the nickname.

Oh, how she hated that smug look on his face. As much as she hated to admit it, Seth had screwed with her mind for weeks and it was starting to take a toll on her.

And he knew.

"The clock is ticking, Morgan. I'm looking forward to you coming back to me," he spoke as he watched as she narrowed her eyes at him.

He stood up and left her, feeling confident about the near future with her. He knew she was almost at her breaking point. And he was patiently waiting to strike. He was going to make sure the dark side called her home.

She stayed in the light for too long.

[of-twilight-and-moonshadow]

Too Little, Too Late - Seth x Reader

I got this wrote quicker than I thought I would. I did have some canon help with the first scene, but that’s beside the point. 

I actually kinda wanna turn this into a full-length fic, though. What do you all think? Let me know!

ANGST AHEAD 😥 

Prompt is in bold. “I only did what was best.” “For you! Don’t act like it isn’t true! Because if there’s one thing I hate more than a turncoat, it’s a pesky little liar who’s too cowardly to admit he realizes the full extent of what he’s done.”

Y/N/N = your nick name

Y/R/N = your ring name

Tag List:  @starwithaheart​ @shedevil22 @amourseculier @regalbanshee​ 

My brothers and I stood in the ring, side by side, as Hunter and Randy slowly made their way down the ramp. The sledgehammer resting on Hunters shoulder gave me reason for pause, but with my brothers at my side, it wouldn’t matter. We will win this, just like every time before.

“In case you hadn’t figured it out yet. What I do better than anybody, is adapt.”

Tweaking my head to the side, cracking my neck as I done so, I glanced to my immediate right where Seth stood, grasping a steel chair. He glanced over at me briefly, as I gave him my usual smile… Only the one he returned seemed… forced.

“Last night was plan A,” Hunter continued, raising the sledgehammer off his shoulder and looking it over,” Tonight… Plan B.” He rested the sledgehammer back on his shoulder, a knowing smirk on his face,” There’s always a plan B.”

Instantly, Dean and myself sauntered up towards the ropes, Roman right behind us, standing side by side.

“C’mon then you sonofabitch!” I yelled, leaning on the top ropes, dangerously dangling over it,” Come on!”

THUD

Something caused my balance to falter, but I caught myself, landing inside the ring.

Roman.

Roman was laying on the ring floor, recoiling from an attack.

From what?

From…

My gaze snapped up; eyes wide as I stared at Seth. I could see Dean out of my peripheral, trying to make sense of it himself.

“Oh my God! Rollins just attacked Reigns with a steel chair! What’s he thinking?!”

Seth refused to look at me, instead keeping his glare on Dean.

“S-Seth?! What the hell?!” I demanded, kneeling down to check on Roman,” Ro—you… you good, brother?”

“P-peachy,” Roman groaned.

As I looked up, I saw Dean charge at Seth, who quickly modified his hold on the steel chair, hitting him in the mid section, causing Dean to hunch over in pain. Quickly, Rollins changed his hold again, before whacking Dean across the back with the chair.

“Are you kidding me?! Rollins refuses to let up on his attack of Ambrose!”

I had had enough, quickly raising to my feet and putting myself in between the two. Seth finally looked into my eyes and I could see the anger radiating off of them.

“Enough Seth! Stop it! What’s wrong with you?!” I turned to check on Dean, but Seth grabbed me and pushed me behind him, raising the chair to continue his assault. Without thinking, I made a grab at the chair as it came in reach over Seth’s head. Seth glared back at me, trying to shake my grip off the chair, only for both of us to be caught off guard as Dean hauled himself into Seth. The chair caught me in the mid-section, pushing me off balance and causing me to tumble between the ropes and fall unceremoniously to the floor below. Dean had no clue what his actions had caused, he merely acted in instinct, as he tried to get up off the ring mat, struggling to his feet. Above me, I barely made out Seth’s body, as he looked over the ropes at my writhing form.

“Oh my God! Rollins just inadvertently hit Y/r/n with the steel chair!… nasty tumble out of the ring… I think she’s really hurt!”

Suddenly, Seth disappeared from my sight, and all I could hear was the constant chair shots.

Thud. Thud

THUD, Thud.

“Rollins is going ballistic on Ambrose with that chair! He’s showing no signs of letting up! Someone needs to stop him!”

I lost count after a while, and the boos of the crowd drowned out most of the thuds. The chants of ‘you sold out’ echoed around. Seth came into view for only a second, as he rebounded off the ropes, before another thud.  

I slid along the floor, resting my back against the barricade, trying to regain control of my breathing, watching as Seth walked out of the ring with another chair. Dean and Roman were nowhere to be seen. Then I felt my heart drop deep in my stomach as I watched Randy walk up the steps, into the ring—with the steel chair.

“Did he just make a deal with the devil?”

Randy began teeing off on Dean and Roman, focusing his attacks on Roman—and after a while, I couldn’t take it anymore. Despite the pain I was in, I had to do something. These were my brothers. All I had in life. Pushing up off the barricade, I slid into the ring, grimacing as I pushed myself up and shoved against Randy.

“Leave them alone! Just—” I barely registered the shrug he gave before I ate the matt, Randy having given me an RKO. Roman stretched out a hand towards me, but I was out cold. Randy dragged Roman towards where Dean and I lay, before unceremoniously ripping off Romans vest, and then his belt. He grabbed him by the hair, then the head, before hoisting him up and RKO’ing him into the chair. Seth and Hunter joined Randy in the ring, as the crowd let their feelings known.

The Shield… was officially over.

The play by play repeated in my head, weeks, months, even years after it happened. After everything imploded. It’s been almost two years and the pain I felt then still remains. Maybe not the physical pain but the emotional pain… the sting of betrayal… the heartache of love lost. Earlier, I had watched, as I prepared for my match, as Finn and Seth done a verbal back and forth in the ring. Finn seemed pretty cool—I hadn’t gotten the chance to actually talk with him though, yet anyway.

“You know what Seth? We may be similar in a lot’f ways…but there’s one t’ing… one big difference between t’both of us… Last week, on Monday Night Raw, I earned my opportunity at Summerslam…where you? You had yers handed to ya.”

That statement cut right back to the implosion of my family… and caused so many emotions, memories to resurface. Not what I needed to be thinking of before my match—I needed to focus. Unfortunately, focus was the one thing I lacked, as I sat backstage near the end of the show, an ice pack on my shoulder. Guess who wasn’t going to Summerslam?

Sighing, I tried to clear my head—but fate had different ideas.

“Hey lil’ red.” The voice was charming, as per usual. But not with the usual snark and ego that I was used to hearing the past two years.

“What do you want, Rollins?” I sighed.

“Hey, hey. Relax,” Seth soothed,” I just… I just want to talk.”

“About what?” I sneered,” You said all you needed to say, two years ago.”

“I’ve already apologized to you for that! You weren’t supposed to get hurt!” Seth exclaimed, before trying to calm himself down,” Look. I made a mistake, okay? Reigns and Ambrose—I didn’t need them. I didn’t—they were dead weight by then. But you? You and I could’ve been great—we still can be!”

“Absolutely… incredible…” I shook my head,” Do you hear yourself?!”

“What—”

I pushed up off the crate I was sitting on, the bag of ice falling to the floor, as I stared into Seth’s eyes,” You honestly think you’re the best damn thing, that you don’t need anyone! You betrayed all of us that night, Seth! You betrayed Ro. Ambrose… Me…”

“You weren’t suppose to–!”

“To what? Get hurt? Yeah, you’ve said that! But if you hadn’t betrayed us then it wouldn’t have happened in the first place!”

“I gave the company—I gave the Shield– EVERYTHING! It was my time, MY TIME!” Seth roared, taking a deep breath to calm down, before continuing,” I… I only did what I thought was right.”

“For yourself,” I choked, trying so desperately to hold the tears back; as he opened his mouth to argue, I cut him off,” Don’t act like it isn’t true! Because if there’s one thing I hate more than a turncoat, it’s a pesky little liar who’s too cowardly to admit he realizes the full extent of what he’s done.”

Seth and I stood there, staring at each other in silence, and as Seth was about to say something a stage hand called him to the gorilla.

“I hope you realize exactly what you lost that day, Seth Rollins… because there could be a day in the future, Ro could forgive you… Ambrose could forgive you… but I will not. I can not.”

“Y/N/N—”

“No Seth,” I cut him off, my voice soft,” The day you stabbed us all in the back… not only did you lose two brothers… you lost something that money and success could never buy you. You lost me. Forever. And no matter how hard you try… no matter what you do to try and fill that hole in your heart… you will never, never feel complete.”

With that, I walked away, leaving Seth standing there by himself. Alone, like he always wanted.

[kierarhawke]

(Another) The Hawk's Regret Snippet

This is a longer snippet, but it's one of my favorite moments from the story, so I really wanted to share it. Hehe. I hope some of you enjoy it as much as me. *munches popcorn*👀🍿

(Warning: contains a battle scene and somewhat graphic violence, as this is a chunk of the fight against Danarius)

The disdain in Danarius’ eyes as he watched her approach added a hint of amusement to Deirdra’s anger. The magister didn’t seem to think all that highly of the Champion of Kirkwall, an apostate mage from Ferelden.

So be it.

She struck first, surprising Danarius as a wave of fire raced up the stairs toward him. Strands of dark gold swayed in front of her face, highlighting her blazing reddish-amber gaze as she glared up at him from the bottom of the stairwell.

While Fenris and Varric fought the remaining slavers, an explosive duel between mages had begun. 

However, the scales did not favor Deirdra at first.

Danarius was teleporting from place to place, shielding himself with a barrier the instant he stopped for a moment. She had yet to make a dent at any time, simply frustrating herself. 

Her control wavered.

Her jaw clenched, teeth bared. 

She wouldn’t be able to win like this.

“What are you fighting for right now?”

An echo of her father’s voice, slipping from the memory of when he taught her and Bethany. The day he told them what to do if they felt their control slipping due to heightened emotions.

Center yourself on one thing. 

Focus on why.

On who.

…I’m fighting for him.

The next time Danarius appeared, before his shield could go up and shades could be summoned to his bidding, a ball of fire exploded at his feet, consuming the bottom of his robes.

But the flames only burned what she intended, leaving wood and stone untouched.

He looked up to see the Champion smiling, confidence blazing in her eyes once more. 

Deirdra didn’t give Danarius long to breathe.

No matter where he teleported to, her fiery rage was there, as if knowing where he would appear. Growing frustrated, Danarius lashed out with a bolt of lightning, only for Deirdra to deflect it with her staff. 

That a Ferelden barbarian, a backwater apostate, could reduce him to this state…

He set his sights on the Champion of Kirkwall, no longer running as he put everything into his spells. 

She would know her place.

And yet, nothing he did seemed to phase her. Even when he tried to attack her companions in an attempt to throw her off-balance, she thwarted him, protecting them. 

On the contrary, every time he tried, her anger seemed to grow, her magic burning ever brighter.

The fire she wielded flickered in her very eyes. 

Fenris looked up after cutting down a shade, strands of white hair getting in his eyes as he searched for Deirdra. When he found her, the sight sent a shot of fear through him.

She was facing Danarius alone.

“Hawke!”

But there were too many reanimated corpses in the way for him to reach her. His grip on the hilt of his greatsword tightened. Blocking an attack, he countered and sliced the walking corpse in two. Seth leapt past him with a snarl to tear into another coming at Fenris’ back.

“Focus on the undead trying to kill ya’, elf! No need to worry Hawke right now.”

Fenris knew he was right, though a part of him couldn’t help worrying. “Fenhedis!”

Varric fired another bolt, smiling in satisfaction as it took down a corpse in a single shot. He had to admit, he’d been concerned at first too, seeing Deirdra go after Danarius alone. However, the look in her eyes…

“She’s going toe to toe with a Tevinter magister for you, Broody,” he called out to Fenris. “She’s fighting with everything she has to not lose this fight. To not lose you.” If he knew Hawke, Danarius wouldn’t be getting out of this in one piece. 

Messing with them tended to be suicidal, after all.

And, considering the fact that Deirdra still had enough attention to spare to heal them when the wounds were getting bad while keeping Danarius in check, there didn’t seem to be much to worry about on her end. 

Reaching out a hand, Deirdra enveloped Danarius in a crushing prison. There was ruthlessness in the way she tightened her grasp until his very bones creaked. His staff clattered against the floorboards as it fell.

There was a moment in which the urge to simply finish him proved an irresistible temptation. Thoughts of what he had put Fenris through, what he’d done to him, fueled it.

…No.

Releasing Danarius, she summoned forth a storm of fire, setting the remaining corpses ablaze and leaving the tavern silent. Then she walked forward, grabbing Danarius by the collar of his robes.

She threw the battered and bleeding magister at Fenris’ feet. 

His fate was for Fenris to decide.

She would not deny him that.

[blinkaftermidnight]

Gretchen wins

Under the cut is everything I had written for the Gretchen wins document that I mentioned here. There isn't too much to it, about 3k, and I had no idea where I was going to go with it. It's going in the scrap pile now.

[Chapter One]

She kisses her during the experiment, once. In the bunker. Without warning. Fatin doesn’t even know she’s going to do it until it’s happening. She knows why she does it. She’s made peace with it, sort of. Well, she’s acknowledged it – her feelings – to herself. To Shelby. And now to Leah.

Except, no. Because Fatin doesn’t say anything. She pulls Leah into her, Fatin’s palm pressing flat to Leah’s lower back, and actually, Leah kisses Fatin first. Leah cradles Fatin’s face in her hands, brings their lips together, sighs through her nose in relief. Just ten minutes ago, Leah had been screaming on a rooftop, overlooking another island. And now they’re here, and Fatin’s tongue is in Leah’s mouth, and –

Maybe Fatin doesn’t need to say I believe you. Maybe this is enough.

*

She makes him feel special. Seen. She understands what he went through. Maybe not entirely, but close enough. Better than anyone else who wasn’t on their island ever could. Her eyes are pretty. She’s easy to trust. Too easy to trust.

Raf trusts Leah too easily. He doesn’t know it until it’s too late.

*

She figures out a way to kill all the theatrics – the special lighting, the music – and the room gets eerily quiet. The overhead lights are less dramatic. Like shitty high school gymnasium lighting. Dot exhales, leans against the glass podium. Shit is sturdy. She pats her hand on it, stares out at the empty room. Dot doesn’t know how to feel yet. Doesn’t know what to believe, though she’s inclined to believe Fatin.

It was only a half hour ago, right after Leah stopped screaming, that Fatin pulled Dot aside to tell her, “Leah was right the whole time.”

Dot laughed. “You’re joking, right?”

And Fatin was not joking. So Dot stands behind the glass podium, alone, and she pushes away thoughts of her dad, because she needs to figure out how to break it to everyone else.

*

Raf goes from staring at Kirin’s dick to swearing up and down that he has a girlfriend to following the tall chick with that unhinged look in her eye like he’s an eager puppy and she has all the fucking answers. It’s pathetic. Kirin goes back and forth on whether he should call Raf out or not. It’s not like Raf didn’t immediately latch onto Seth, and look how that fucking turned out. Raf has terrible fucking taste in people.

So Kirin watches her. The tall one. Eventually overhears that her name is Leah. She’s so hellbent on saving them all from the clutches of the bitch that’s running the show. Kirin doesn’t buy it. Leah is hiding something. And if anyone is gonna stand a chance to figure out what, it’s gonna be Raf.

*

She feels calm. She probably shouldn’t. Toni shouldn’t be at ease. They’re trapped on another island with seven fucking boys. Leah was fucking right this whole time. Shelby barely looks at her. Toni’s head is kind of spinning, but Marty is okay. That’s the most important thing. She’s alive, and she’s improving, and she believes that they’re going to get out of here. It’s just Toni’s job to support Marty, however she needs.

And Shelby –

Well, Toni figures there’s time to work through that.

*

The only person he trusts in this place is Bo. It’s as if they haven’t left the island, or their lives back home, for that matter. Bo’s the only person that Scotty is positive actually has his back. It’s important, to have someone to trust in here, because Scotty’s pretty damn sure the girls are actively plotting against them. Bo dismisses the idea outright, but Bo has always trusted people who come across as kind a little too much.

But these girls have no reason to act in all of their best interests. Scotty knows he’s not the only one that thinks so. It has to be Kirin, of all people, who doesn’t trust the girls whatsoever. Scotty doesn’t even have to ask; he sees the disdain in Kirin’s expression when the girls are around, and Kirin’s confidence starts to come back. Kirin steps back up.

“Just be careful with them,” Scotty tells Bo during the second night they spend in the bunker. “Please.”

“They seem nice,” Bo points out.

“Yeah. Seem. They’ve already proven they know more about all this shit than we do. They’re obviously trying to keep us in the dark and think we’re too stupid to notice.”

At least Bo hears him out.

*

She keeps to herself. Leah was right, and there was another island, and Nora was in on all of it. It’s a lot for Rachel to process. She sits behind a desk, feet propped up on it, and she works her way through every file she can get her hands on. Rachel would take notes…if she could write with her left hand. She doesn’t need notes. She needs answers, and maybe some of those answers lie in that Gretchen bitch’s files. Gretchen clearly took off quickly. She left a lot behind.

Rachel hears the wheelchair’s approach before Martha quietly asks, “Need company?”

“Yeah,” Rachel says. It’s not like she can say no, though Rachel finds she doesn’t want to say no. “Do you want to help, or…?”

“I can just sit,” Martha says. “Find anything yet?”

In response, Rachel slaps a file down on the desk, open to a picture of a pretty average looking white boy with glasses and a wide smile on his face.

“Just this.”

*

He draws. A lot. He has no interest in Kirin and Scotty’s suspicions about the girls, has no interest in choosing someone to follow around like Raf does. Henry has no problem sitting at the desk in his room with his notebook open, pencil in hand. No one bothers him. Maybe they forget he’s even here. Henry’s not sure if he actually believes that, since Kirin pops in a few times over those first handful of days.

He doesn’t stay long. He can sense that Henry doesn’t want him here. Kirin doesn’t know what to say, regarding Seth, regarding what Raf did.

“You should have dinner with us. With the group,” Kirin suggests, hesitantly.

“No.”

“It’s been five days.”

“I’m fine in here,” Henry insists. “I know you wouldn’t understand, but I don’t want to see him.”

It takes Kirin a second to piece it together. “Raf.”

“No shit.”

After a long pause –

“He was still alive. When we were rescued,” Kirin says. “He was conscious.”

“I don’t care.”

Kirin takes the hint and leaves, and Henry refocuses on his drawing. He doesn’t want to figure out how he may or may not feel about Seth, or how he may or may not feel about Seth being dead. He wants to finish his stupid drawing.

*

She convinces them to call the meeting. It happens in the dead of night, and the seven of them gather around the podium, standing in a circle. Or, in Martha’s case, sitting. Toni’s hand rests on her shoulder. Rachel stands beside Martha, with the files clutched in her hand, but she starts with the one that made Martha demand a meeting. Just them.

“He was her operative. For the boys,” Martha says, when Rachel won’t or can’t. “Gretchen knew what he was capable of. Who knows what he did, and why he’s not here?”

“He did something,” Leah says. “Raf wouldn’t say – or I wouldn’t let him say it, so Gretchen couldn’t know.”

“Says his stepbrother is Henry,” Rachel says. “Maybe we need to talk to him.”

“Are you volunteering?” Fatin questions, crossing her arms over her chest. She looks smaller than Martha is used to, somehow.

“No, but I am,” Martha says.

“Marty, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Toni asks.

“I think I’m the best person to go,” Martha says. It’s probably a bad idea, but she’s not going to tell Toni that. Toni worries enough. Martha can tell. “In the morning,” Martha says. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Henry barely ever leaves his room.”

“Wonder why,” Rachel huffs. “His brother’s a fucking psycho.”

“Stepbrother,” Martha says softly.

*

They seem nice. He tries to believe Scotty and Kirin. He tries to spot an example of one of the girls being suspicious, but Bo genuinely just thinks the girls are as scared as they are. Or as he is. Maybe the other guys aren’t scared. Maybe, by the end of the first week, the other guys have accepted their situation and adjusted, and Bo’s just being left behind. He’s okay with everyone overlooking him; he listens to Scotty, and he uses that to his advantage.

Bo learns the names of all the girls faster than the other guys. It’s just in his nature to notice people. He learns their names, and he pays attention. Kirin insists that Leah’s up to something, but he doesn’t have evidence beyond a gut feeling and Raf’s sudden interest in her. So Bo watches Leah, but she seems uncertain, even afraid at times. She spends a lot of time watching Fatin. And frankly, Fatin spends a lot of time watching Leah, but they never seem to catch each other doing it. Bo doesn’t see the threat that Kirin thinks he does.

Rachel is pretty absent. Maybe even hiding, usually accompanied by Martha. Or if Martha isn’t with Rachel, she’s with Toni. And if Toni isn’t with Martha, she’s with Shelby, though that seems tense. Dot seems to be the person that holds them all together. The person that takes care of them.

The girls are close. They take care of each other. They care about each other, in a way the guys never really have. And Bo becomes convinced that that is the reason Kirin finds them so suspicious. They’re a tight group. Kirin sees it as a threat, because he knows the boys aren’t like that. He knows, if the girls actually wanted to sabotage them, that they’d probably be pretty effective.

But Bo isn’t worried.

*

“Leah could just ask Raf,” Toni scoffs. “He’s clearly fucking in love with her.”

She stiffens, swallows hard as six sets of eyes land on her face. First of all, Leah thinks that’s a total mischaracterization of Raf. Second of all, she doesn’t want to be at some secret meeting in the middle of the night with just the girls. She doesn’t care about Seth, frankly. As far as she’s concerned, he’s just one more piece in Gretchen’s sick game. She has bigger fish to fry, and grilling Henry about his stepbrother seems like a waste of time.

“It’ll be too suspicious if I ask Raf about Seth again,” Leah mutters. She crosses her arms over her chest, stares at the floor. “And he’s not in love with me.”

Maybe he thinks he is, but that’s none of Leah’s concern. Leah’s concern, apart from Gretchen, is what Fatin feels for her. If Fatin feels anything. If Fatin didn’t just kiss Leah to stop her from spiraling on the rooftop. They haven’t talked about it. Haven’t done it again. Fatin hasn’t looked at her once since this stupid meeting started.

“I’ll talk to Henry,” Martha assures them all.

“What’s your plan?” Dot asks.

“To talk to him like a friend.”

Fatin still doesn’t look at Leah when they head back to their respective rooms.

*

This would make a great novella, that’s for fucking sure. The tension and drama in this place are popping. It’s way more entertaining than their island. The girls don’t trust the boys. The boys don’t trust the girls. The girls clearly have complicated relationships with each other. Ivan’s kind of fresh out of ideas, so he might as well jot down what he sees.

There are a lot more gay vibes coming from the girls than from any of the boys. Well, apart from Ivan himself, and Ivan’s not entirely convinced that there isn’t another gay man amongst them, but he clocks a surprising four of the girls, almost right off the bat. Holy shit, they’re not subtle at all. Toni and Shelby have that weird new exes thing going on, and Leah and Fatin are in a whole will they, won’t they? scenario. It’s juicy.

“You spend a lot of time watching them,” Kirin observes, slapping his hands down on the table beside Ivan, hard enough to make Ivan jump in surprise. Kirin smirks.

“So what? I’m fucking bored,” Ivan retorts. He snaps his journal shut before Kirin can attempt to snoop. “And unlike you, I’m not perving on them.”

“That was rude, Taylor,” Kirin says, and he invites himself to sit beside Ivan, doesn’t seem to notice when Ivan stiffens. “Tell me, do you think they’re planning something?”

“Planning what?” Ivan asks, injecting his words with as much irritation as he can muster.

Kirin shrugs. “Something?”

“You need to find something to keep you busy,” Ivan suggests. He stands, taking his journal with him, and he taps it against the top of Kirin’s head, smiles. “Paranoid isn’t a good look on you.”

*

She isn’t sure how to play this. Gretchen offered her a deal she literally could not afford to refuse. Gretchen showed her the footage, of her and Toni on the island. Gretchen showed her how easily that footage could be sent to her father. So when Gretchen said I need you to do me a favor, Shelby could only say yes.

She’s going to lose Toni forever. Shelby spends her days trying to figure out a way to explain how she could do this, and she keeps a low profile, and she watches the boys to figure out who the other one is. Shelby crosses off Henry when he starts to refuse to leave his room. Kirin doesn’t hide his suspicions, and Raf is too eager to follow Leah – and only Leah – so Shelby crosses them off, too. Scotty looks out for himself and Bo, and Bo is friendly with all of them but generally keeps too much distance to be a possibility, so Shelby crosses them off. Ivan doesn’t give enough of a fuck and doesn’t interact with them. That only leaves –

Josh.

Shelby can’t figure out his motivation, doesn’t know why he’d help Gretchen, but she knows it’s him.

She plants the idea first, subtly, after Martha comes back from talking to Henry and confirming that Seth harmed one of the other boys – though the specifics are a mystery – and was exiled.

“Maybe one of boys is still helping her,” Shelby says, and all of the girls’ expressions darken.

Shelby feels like a monster, but it’s for her own protection.

*

He’s positive he’s the only one. He’s friendly with all of the girls, makes a real effort, like Gretchen tells him to. The girls aren’t very receptive, except Martha doesn’t mind spending time with him. Martha plays card games with Josh for hours, and they smile and laugh together, even as Toni hangs out on the other side of the room and pretends like she isn’t supervising them.

“What’s going on with Henry?” Martha asks during their second week, and Josh pauses.

“He’s probably still upset about his brother,” Josh answers, but he doesn’t elaborate, doesn’t talk too much for once. He doesn’t let his demeanor change, and luckily, Martha doesn’t ask any more questions about Henry, doesn’t ask any questions that get too close to the topic of him.

He’s dead, anyway. Gretchen said he’s dead. Raf killed him. So Josh focuses on the job that needs to be done, because when he gets out of here, he’s going to be set for life. There’s nothing to worry about.

*

“What is she hoping is going to happen?”

“Sorry?” Audrey questions, spinning around in her chair. “Oh, you’re watching them again?”

“What else am I supposed to do? Answer my question. What does Gretchen want to happen?”

Audrey sighs, as if Nora’s some child asking if Santa Claus isn’t actually real. “They are going to be fine –”

“What does she want to happen?” Nora snaps.

Audrey’s back straightens, and Nora stares straight at her instead of at the monitors her eyes have been glued to for hours. “She wants the boys to fail,” Audrey says, “and she wants the girls to rise.”

“And why is he there?” Nora asks, jabbing her index finger against the screen showing Seth, with his busted face.

“To make sure it happens.”

*

Oh, she’s such an idiot. Gretchen is such an idiot. She really left Seth to oversee this fucking powder keg? To make sure the girls rise and the boys fail. Yeah, no, sorry. He’s not interested in any of that.

He’s here to make sure everything burns.

*

[Chapter Two]

She already knows she’s going to crush Leah, and she won’t let herself. Fatin tries to keep her distance while they’re stuck in the bunker. She shouldn’t have kissed Leah to begin with. It’s just going to make everything worse.

Worse comes faster than Fatin expects, and she doesn’t question herself when she immediately seeks out Leah when the shit hits the fan. Of course she does. They face their problems together, except when it’s about their possible feelings.

“Do you know what’s happening?” Fatin asks, and Leah shakes her head. The alarms keep blaring, and it drives the others out of wherever they’re hiding. Fatin takes Leah’s hand, knots their fingers together so they won’t get separated. “We find the others before we decide what to do,” Fatin says, and Leah nods.

This alarm is gonna get fucking annoying, fast.

*

He tries to seek Leah out when the shit hits the fan, but Raf can’t find her. He finds Kirin first, followed by Scotty and Bo, but there’s not a girl in sight.

“They did this,” Kirin seethes.

“We don’t actually know that,” Raf replies.

“We don’t even know what’s happening,” Scotty says, “but leave it to Jocko Malfoy to blame the girls anyway.”

“We need to find J, Taylor, and Henry, and we need to do it now,” Kirin orders. He pushes at Raf’s chest. “Stay away from Leah until we can regroup and make a plan.”

“Now he wants to have a plan,” Scotty says, rolling his eyes. “But I actually agree.”

Kirin sends Bo and Scotty in one direction and drags Raf with him in another, as much as Raf doesn’t want to be left alone with Kirin. The last time he went off somewhere with Kirin, Raf murdered someone with his bare hands.

“So what’s your plan once we find everyone?” Raf asks.

“It’s simple,” Kirin says. “You’re going to get Leah to tell us what’s going on.”

*

They regroup quickly, because of the contingency plan Dot put into place on the day they all reunited. If shit went wrong, they all meet in Gretchen’s office. When Dot walks in, Fatin and Leah are already here, hands clasped together, and they confirm they know nothing about this alarm situation.

[bathroomtrapped]

What if they didnt fight cary and convinced him to return for saw 3... Then, would the scenario "jigsaw kidnaps larrys family" become real? Then, then, would it be more awesome than his coming back in saw 3d? I guess the answers yes. I'll forever hate Larry's treachery.

if it went according to plan, allison is kidnapped again and lawrence takes the role of lynn where he cares for john (iirc). either way, yeah theyre involved again. not sure abt diana tho?

okay so, sorry to be That Guy. but lawrence as an apprentice makes the most sense for his character and the saw universe and im going to use this random ask to voice my opinion so thank you for using my ask box as a saw google lol

A LOT more under the cut

i DO with we got to see that version because it would mean more lawrence screentime and i genuinely do not dislike any saw content. idc how shitty saw x is, it could undo everything and shit all over it but i would NOT care. any content means an avenue to explore saw further

thats one of the main reasons the apprentice reveal was so good, in my opinion. before i get to why its great for lawrence, i want to point out why it works SO well for the other aspects. amanda is johns pseudo-daughter, he LOVED her like a father. we see it at the end of saw iii. no matter what he says, john does not forgive people. he punishes jill for losing their child but at the end of iii, we see him genuinely look at amanda with love and forgiveness. and yet? he never trusted her enough to tell her about lawrence. this random fucking guy who didnt even WIN, is the golden child. trusted with his wife!

as for mark, he is the definition of jigsaws philosophy. he may have jostled his victims around but he had the strongest will to live out of anyone and never relished in hurting them (crying after kidnapping paul + killing seth). another reason i like 3D is that he cant even look at jills corpse. his "game over" wasnt victorious. not like johns always is. YET he is not trusted. hes been there since before amanda, followed his rules, lived his philosophy and he was shafted again. i think the reveal does a lot of good for the apprentice-john dynamic for everyone involved.

secondly, JOHNS TESTS DONT WORK. CANONICALLY. they do not!! amanda says it herself. jigsaw traps make people worse, and not just bc thats a logical response to trauma. working for john amplifies everyones worst traits. amanda became a killer, mark grew to find some sort of enjoyment in killing (at the very least, it made him dependent on it for power and a sense of identity after the loss of his sister)

lawrences test was designed to show him what john said he was missing: empathy. he has none! he lies and doesnt care, he cant understand other peoples points of view, and he prioritizes his own whims and wants over everyone. CONSISTENTLY. so what happens when his tests presents him with the very definition of his heart and moral core, then asks him to kill him? he gets fucking worse!

lawrence is a narcissist. as in the personality disorder. he has low empathy (this is canonically the reason for his test!! not just "he cheated" or "he ignored john", he does these things for that reason) and god. just look at the symptoms, its like they made every scene an example of them on purpose. the idea that his game would be a wake up call and cause him to reflect and adjust his behaviors is just insane to me! within the canon logic of the story, and when taking into account his clear personality disorder... its the most logical choice (source: i have it and also i have eyes. SIDE SIDE note, my real source is that hes a clear parallel to john and john was evaluated for NPD in his psychiatric files in the saw game. so theres that) i think this has a lot to do with people not understanding low empathy. they cant understand why he would betray adam and join jigsaw

trauma wont change that overnight. getting fixed by john for 2 years without seeing the sun certainly wont help either

lawrence as an apprentice is the most logical progression of his character. he does what he wants and what he has to, at the expense of others. hes isolated from his wife and child. he cant understand other peoples prespective. he has an issue with guilt or feeling empathy for people, including those suffering like john. this wont change bc he experienced his first shred of empathy after MURDERING someone he got to know for 6 hours. low empathy =/= no empathy. thats like saying dude bros who do shrooms and experience empathy for the first time in their life are changed people. they arent lol

also the contrast between his game over vs marks 5 minutes earlier is SO important for their characters. theres so much good shit in that movie. take out the corny lines and jill mistreatment, and u have a lot to work with! so yes i do think that itd be more awesome. i love saw 3D and what it did for his character. im not sure how saw iii hostage lawrence wouldve expanded on his character, but id rather go with saw 3D bc im confident they didnt butcher his character. im glad that a beloved protagonist is a complete narc, and hes still beloved! im never giving that up

[zhindian]

Judgment Day 2022 Recap: Part 11

Now that the server is up, time for a recap!

Let’s pick up where we left off, after the Judgment Day defeated Riddle and Rey.

Monday Night Raw 9/19/22: Make AJ an offer he can’t refuse

Notes: Dominik made a oops mistake prior to this, calling Rhea Mami instead of Papi. It was awkward, but that mistake looks like it for the best. Rhea ran with it, as she’s both mami and papi, depending on what Don wants. Plus, it got her some mech that was worn by Vicki.

I like how Finn just rolls up on AJ here, throwing up too sweets and making thinly veils threats about what will happen to AJ if he doesn’t join JD. Finn goes from serious to smiling in a blink of an eye.

This will get referenced on the next Raw.

Monday Night Raw 9/26/22: Good boy

Seth Rollins is taking on Rey Mysterio, who wants to take his anger out on anyone. Dominik then comes to ringside with chair in hand.

Notes: Canadian audiences are ruthless. Dom is useless chants. Woof.

I love how concerned Seth was about Dom coming to ringside with the chair, then gets elated when Dom gives him a reassuring pat, showing that he hasn’t forgotten his and Dom adversary history. Seth even gives Dom a dap later 🤣

Rey Rey gets blasted into the ring post by Rhea, who was working off of Dom’s distraction. He then gets taken out by Seth, as he passes out in Seth’s submission. Things just aren’t going Rey’s way.

Rhea tells Dom Dom “Good boy.” after all this. Ma’am 🫠

After AJ is defeated in his match, The Judgment Day, led by Finn, come with an offer to join…and Finn does not like the answer;

Notes: One little thing I love about JD? Their timing. See how that when Dom, Rhea, and Priest climbed onto the ring apron, they did it at the exact same time. It makes for cool visuals.

Finn still wants AJ to join, but AJ is not having it, offering a middle finger to Finn’s too sweet gesture. Priest’s face when AJ does the middle finger in Finns face is hilarious 🤣

AJ gets beat down for this, and almost gets conchairto’d but Finn backs off saying he doesn’t do it to a friend. Oof. Some friend.

This feeds into Priest and Riddle’s match. Priest loses, but guest who returns:



Notes: Edge was moving mighty fast with a knee injury lol.

I love how Rhea pulled Dom to safety after Edge speared Priest. Such a supportive domme 🥰

Finn gets speared as well, and one thing I’ve always liked is no matter if they win or lose, they’ll group up. No one is left by their lonesome while the others retreat. Here they group up to help Finn get away.

Edge stating that he never gives up, challenges Finn to an I Quit match and Extreme Rules. Funny…Edge would never say he would quit, but would he for someone else?

That’s it for part 11! On to the next!

And if you want, you can check my server: