#real karate kid activities

[hideousvampire]

autism be damned that boy can suck a straw

Johnny, to the waiter: A milkshake with two straws, please.

Daniel: *blushes*

Johnny, putting both straws in his mouth: Watch how fucking fast I can drink this.

[lamentationsofalonelypotato]

Pairing: Russell Shaw xf!reader, Reader POV

Summary:  The last thing that you wanted was to be woken up in the middle of the night by Colter Shaw for a favor, but when he shows up toting a ruggedly handsome man with green eyes you decide to forgive him. Reader is the niece of Velma and Teddi!

Word Count: 10.3K

Warnings: I'm gonna label this one 18+ just in case I missed anything. Blood, Cleaning Out A Wound, Mentions of Allergies? Gunshots, Some Cursing, A Bit of Sexual Innuendo, Sexual fantasy/reader has active imagination, Self-deprecating Thoughts/Body Issues (reader), Mentions of Infidelity, Reader Is A Single Mom, Appearance Of Creepy-Jerk Ex Husband, Probably a Poor Description Of What It’s Like To Be A Single Mom (I tried my best, please I do not mean to offend anyone❤️), Russell Shaw might be a little bit OOC. Reader is occasionally described as "curvy."

Song Inspiration: Long As I Can See The Light By Creedence Clearwater Revival

Note: This is told from Reader's perspective. Any references to the reader is made using you or your. There is minimal use of y/n if any. I tried my best to proofread, but nobody's perfect. If you don’t like, don’t read, but if you do like, you’re my favorite! This is my first time writing for Russell Shaw, so, please be gentle. 😅

Internal monologue is in italics and is in first person.

Main Masterlist

A/N: I finally watched Tracker… Could you tell? 😂

Sunday nights, in your opinion, were the worst.

It was like the last few moments of freedom before you were thrust into a busy work week, like the last few rays of light before the coming darkness that you barely survived with copious amounts of coffee and bloodied fingertips. Monday always loomed, but never as much as on Sunday nights.

The dull thud of your phone vibrating against your wooden bedside table grates on your ears and pulls you from the sweet precipice of sleep before you can fall into the void.

It felt as if you’d just collapsed into your bed and one look at the alarm clock on your bedside table as you blinked your bleary eyes confirmed it. It was 3:58 am, which meant you had been in bed for exactly three minutes.

You were still covered in chocolate cupcake batter, pink frosting, and rainbow sprinkles from the last six hours you'd spent in the kitchen making gluten free, sugar free, and peanut free cupcakes for a bake sale at your son’s school.

Even though you hadn't volunteered Stephanie Jacobson, or rather the wicked witch of the PTA, had cornered you in the pick-up line on Friday afternoon to remind you of your "duties as a parent" and the coming bake sale to support the building of the new gym. And then she’d handed you a list of student allergies and asked you to create something that was safe for everyone.

Taste be damned.

Why the school needed a new gym you didn't know, but the guilt that rose when Stephanie mentioned your "duties as a parent" was enough to make you say yes to whatever she asked you.

You had enough guilt already about raising your kids without a stable father figure, and the last thing you needed was guilt from a stuck up bitch in the PTA.

Stephanie reminded you of the girls in high school that used to pick at their food, the ones that knew exactly what to say to make you feel like a freak, the ones who dated the football players and spent their Friday nights wearing cheerleading uniforms and waving pom poms, and the ones who basically made everyone else's life a living hell.

Everything about her screamed superior. The flawless way she curled her perfect platinum blonde hair, the stylish clothes she wore than never seemed to have a wrinkle or a mashed carrot smeared on the pants, the supple breasts that she swore were real, a perfectly toned stomach that never seemed to change despite her having a child two months ago, and the easy way she handled all of her three children with a flourish of her left hand that housed a 6 karat diamond ring from her gorgeous husband that was so attentive, perfect, and rich that it made you feel sick to your stomach.

All of which anyone could read on her mommy blog that she'd dubbed "Little Mistakes Make Perfect Lessons," and the same blog that she'd created an empire from.

Fuck, you hated her.

Mostly because despite everything you tried you never had enough time in the day to look as flawless as she did.

Your hair never seemed to be as bouncy or perfectly styled, you never had time to put makeup on, you always had mashed carrot on your pants or some form of cheerio or baby food, as many times as you tried to carve out time for the gym you never seemed to make it, the small ring you'd once wore on your finger was sitting idle in your jewelry box upstairs where it had been for the past year after your husband of six years told you that he met someone else, and your stomach and your breasts… you didn't want to think about that right now.

You had two kids and you weren't going to pretend that it did nothing to your body, any part of your body. And as many times as you saw all the other mothers around you who were proud of the way they looked, you never had their confidence, especially not after the comments that your ex-husband had made each time the two of you finally had some time to be alone together.

But that wasn't to say you hated being a mom, you loved it, wouldn't change it for the world. It was just sometimes you wished you had a little help, that, and you wished that Mondays didn't exist. 

You groan as you reach for the phone that still vibrates desperately on your bedside table and flip it over to see who's calling before you answer it.

"Colter, why the hell are you calling me at four am?" You half moan, pulling the comforter up over your head as if that'll make Monday go away.

You'd been close to murder several times, first when you found your husband in your bed with his nineteen year-old secretary, second when your local coffee shop was out of espresso and you did your entire shift at the hospital with no coffee, and Colter Shaw waking you up at almost four in the morning was quickly becoming number three.

"Because I didn't want to wake up Emma or Luke. Can you open the door?" He replies, stating the names of your children, sounding slightly out of breath.

"What door?" You groan again, eyes still shut wishing that this was just a bad dream and Colter wasn't calling you because he needed your help… again.

"The front door. Please, I need you to let me in."

"Why are you here? Couldn't it wait until tomorrow? Did you try to call Teddi or Vel-"

"I'll explain when you come open the door."

"By doing that I'd have to get up."

"Please."

You hesitate. Colter didn't usually say please, let alone twice whenever he showed up needing your help.

You'd met him by accident.

Sure your Aunt Teddi had talked about the "rewardist" that she and your Aunt Velma worked with, but you hadn't been expecting to ever meet him. But when Colter got shot on a job and showed up at Teddi and Velma's home you'd helped patch him up. You'd been there picking up your six year old son Luke and your three year old daughter Emma, after work. Teddi and Velma watched them for you when your deadbeat ex Lance couldn't be bothered to give you the support you needed.

Which was all the time despite his continuous arguing that he was in their lives enough and if anything it was your fault that he didn't have more time with them.

Each time he said that it made you want to slam his head in the door of his brand new bright red BMW, the one he'd bought right after you found him in your bedroom plowing his secretary now girlfriend Crystal. Or as you liked to remember her, the girl who still believed that Santa Clause existed and that the U.S government was hiding him from the world.

But Colter had been hurt and it was just fate that you were there at your aunts home to pick up your kids.

Being an ER nurse meant that you knew how to patch Colter up and it wasn't long before he went on his way. That was about four months ago and since then you'd talked to him occasionally when he'd pop by at your aunts home or just to see if you could help him with something.

"Five minutes." You sigh.

This time you crawl out of bed, standing just to the side of it for a second shaking your head to clear the sleep, and grab the long sleeved blue colored duster/robe that was hanging on the back of your bedroom door. Navigating your way down the stairs in the dark as quietly as you can, while half asleep was difficult, but somehow you avoid falling to your death.

Unfortunate, because now you have to go see what Colter wants at freaking 4 am.

The second story home had been you ex-husband's idea, stated that the two of you needed "room to grow" and that the two of you were "investing in your future."

You frown at the thought.

Yeah, room to grow right into your fucking secretary.

As if you needed another blow to your self esteem, but looking at the skinny red-haired goddess that he'd traded you in for that was about as dumb as a rock had been enough to send you so low you might as well be navigating the Marianas Trench in a submarine with a Megalodon chasing after you.

Maybe that means I'd get to be with Jason Stratham.

That thought was welcome. Honestly the thought of any man was a comfort, especially in the dry spell you'd been having since -well- since you'd had Emma three years ago.

Not gonna think about that right now.

The smell of chocolate cupcakes hung heavy in the air as you crossed through the messy living room, wafting out through the open concept kitchen into the space. One look into the kitchen would show enough cupcakes to make anyone salivate, and yes maybe you'd eaten a few before going up to bed, but eating the chocolate didn't count if it was on Sunday night and you could always go to the gym tomorrow…

Yeah. Like that'll happen.

You open the front door. "Alright, somebody better be dying Colter or I swear that I'll-" You stop mid-sentence when you take in the scene on your porch.

Colter is standing there, looking worse for wear. His usual black jacket is gone, he's got a black eye and a scrape along one of his perfect cheekbones, but that's not who you're looking at.

Colter isn't alone.

There's a man leaning heavily on Colter, his muscular right arm is thrown across Colter's shoulders and due to the fact that the man is a little bigger than Colter, he's buckling slightly under his weight. The man is wearing a green army jacket that is soaked around his left shoulder in blood, his dark hair is falling long into his bearded face, and his skin is a few shades paler than it should be. But that doesn't make him any less handsome.

The man still manages to throw you a sly grin, brilliant green eyes shining beneath the strands of his dark hair. "I think you got your wish sweetheart."

"You're not dying Russell." Colter sighs as if he's annoyed. "Hi." He directs at you.

You do feel a little bit bad about saying that now, but you shake it off.

"What the hell happened?" You say as loud as you dare and pull the front door further open so Colter can drag the man, now named "Russell" into your home.

"Shoot out." Colter breathes. "Where do you want him?"

"Kitchen table." You say trying to reach for Russell's left arm to help Colter, but he groans low under his breath and you retract your hand.

"You've got to be a little gentle with me sweetheart." Russell laughs more to himself, but it comes out in a choked sound. "But you can have me wherever you want."

"Colter, he needs to go to the hospital." You say, following behind them, keeping your voice down. "I don't think that I can-"

"Can't, they'll report it. They have to report all gunshots, you know that." Colter grunts, helping Russell lay back on the large kitchen table. "Why are there so many cupcakes in here?"

"Bake sale at Luke’s school." You clip while waving a hand and looking down at Russell who is laying on the kitchen table.

You can't deny that he's attractive, even in this condition. Russell has the perfect ruggedly handsome features that would make the smartest girl stupid and combined with the piercing green eyes that shine beneath the hair that's fallen forward into his face, even you could see yourself being susceptible to his charm.

Fuck.

Deep down you know that Colter is right, that if he did go to the hospital they'd be required to report it and that meant police and an official report. You figured that it was the last thing that Colter wanted.

Then again the guy has so many marks on his record already. You eye the man on your kitchen table. Russell kinda looks like he would have a few marks too.

"Don't want who did this to find him." Colter clarifies.

"So instead you brought him to my house where my children are?" You cross your arms over your chest.

The fear that whatever Colter and Russell had stumbled upon following behind them to your home made a cold trickle of fear race down your spine.

"We weren't followed." Colter soothes. "I promise I'd never do that to you. And I've got Bobby doing a trace to make sure they don't come close."

He actually looks a little hurt that you'd think that of him. Colter was a lot of things, but uncaring was not one of them.

You relax, but don't apologize despite the guilt swimming in your gut. "Fine. Give me a second." You leave the room to find the first aid kit in the hall closet, the same one that you'd made for your aunts to keep at their house if Colter showed up in the middle of the night with this exact problem. You'd even been involved enough to show your aunts how to deal with a gunshot wound if you weren't there.

When you get back in the room, Colter is removing Russell's jacket, and Russell grits his teeth when it jostles his left arm.

You set down the kit and reach for the bottom of Russell's shirt to pull it up off him, and he chuckles.

"Aren't you going to buy me a drink first? Better yet we could have a few bottles of my home brew-"

"She's not going to help you, if you annoy her." Colter interrupts.

"I told you that I didn't need anyone's help, I'm perfectly fine- ow!" Russell exclaims when you accidentally yank the shirt over his left arm. "Your bedside manner is a little lacking." He grunts, but his eyes still twinkle with humor.

"Too bad. I'm tired and I've been making chocolate cupcakes for the past six hours, so you get what you get and you don't throw a fit."

"What?" Russell grins at the rhyme that you often tell your children.

You shake your head, and drop your eyes to his chest. There are two perfect circles on his right upper pectoral muscle, but not high enough to reach the collarbone and one in his left bicep where blood seeps around the bullets, but truthfully you're trying not to notice how perfectly muscular he is. There are dark splashes of tattoos against his skin, swirling around other scars that resemble slashes and bullet wounds that you wish to drag your fingertips across to study each mark, to memorize each one beneath the soft pads of your fingers.

How is he just as beautiful covered in blood?

You clear your throat to focus back at the task at hand, examining the current wounds. "Okay. The good news is that the one on your arm is through and through, but these two," Your hand hovers over the two on his right upper chest. "I've got to extract the bullets. Which means that this is going to hurt."

"Been through worse sweetheart."

Your eyes scan the rest of his scarred muscular chest thoughtfully. "Yeah, you have." You murmur it more to yourself than to Russell, but he still grins.

Colter's phone rings shrilly in the kitchen and he groans. "One second. Try not to make her want to kill you Rus."

"No promises little bro."

Oh, so this is Colter's brother.

You'd heard little bits and pieces about Colter's brother, mostly second hand from your Aunt Velma. One of the best things about going over to Teddi and her home was sitting in the living room and hearing Velma gossip about everything she heard from Teddi while drinking wine and eating fancy cheese that you could never afford.

Russell Shaw was no exception.

"Alone at last." Russell says with a wink. "I didn't think he'd ever leave."

"I'm going to get some water to clean these with." You reply, ignoring him, but when you turn away the end of your mouth quirks up into a smile.

He wasn't what you were expecting based on all the rumors that you'd heard from both of your aunts, in fact, you thought he was kind of charming.

You roll up your sleeves and wash your hands before turning back to Russell. He's sitting up on your kitchen table, hands braced on his sides, with his legs spread wide apart. He doesn’t look like someone with three gunshot wounds, and you wonder if this is a regular day for him. Colter certainly didn't get shot that much.

"So are you a rewardist too?" You ask standing between his legs and trying not to focus on the warmth of his breath against your collar bone.

"Naw. I work for a private security contractor." He breezes.

"Oh." You swallow, looking up into his green eyes for a minute. They're even more beautiful up close, green with flecks of gold around the iris that flicker in the light like stars. "Is it okay if I touch you?"

"You don't gotta ask me that sweetheart, the answer will always be yes."

You flush and brace your hand on his left shoulder, before pouring water into the two wounds on the right side of his chest, trying to clean them the best you can before you extract what's left of the bullets. His skin is warm and smooth beneath the palm of your hand and it's difficult to focus.

Just pretend you're in the hospital and you're treating a patient. You take in a shallow breath. He's just a patient and he's not that good looking.

You know you're lying to yourself, but you were trying your best. It probably didn’t help given the current dry spell you were in or the fact that he even smelled good. Something like gunpowder, leather, and a hint of something spicy that you bet was his shampoo. It prickled under your nose, and activated something in the back of your mind that was having a hard time being quiet. You hadn't been this close to a man you found attractive in a long time.

"Okay. This is going to hurt." You say as you look through the small medical kit that you'd grabbed from the hall closet for the tweezers, trying to calm the thudding of your heart.

"It's okay." Russell replies. "Do what you have to baby. I won't stop you."

You weren't prepared for the warmth that bloomed in the pit of your stomach when he called you baby in the wonderfully rough rumble of his voice.

A voice like that could convince me to jump into a pit filled with alligators with no regrets. Fuck. I'd bet that a voice like that could make me- FOCUS. I will focus. He is Colter's brother and he just got shot. He doesn't need you lusting over him.

Extracting the bullets is as painful for you as it is for him. Watching the way his face scrunches up in pain hurts you more than you thought it would. His hands grip the rim of the wooden kitchen table so hard that they're turning white, and Russell's jaw is clenched so tight that you're afraid that it's going to snap.

You squeeze his left shoulder to give him some comfort. "Almost done." You murmur, searching for the second bullet.

Russell lets out a breath when you finally fish out the other bullet and drop it into an empty cup with a resounding "ping" just as Colter walks back into the room looking worried.

"What?" Russell asks him, looking over your head at his brother.

"That was Bobby. He said that the trace we put on the phone just got a hit a few miles north of here." Colter states. "I'm gonna go check it out."

"Alright, I'll come with." Russell starts to get up, but you push him back with your right hand that you've still got pressed against his left shoulder. Difficult given the fact that he was almost twice the size of you and broader than anyone you'd ever seen. And also difficult because of the way you were trying to ignore how good it felt to feel the pull of his muscles beneath your hand.

"No. You still need stitches and I haven't finished patching you up." You clear your throat, but it still sounds a little hoarse.

"Baby as much as I like you ordering me around-“

"It's alright Russell, I've got this. Just stay here and let her take care of you." Colter interrupts.

Russell frowns at his younger brother. "I'm fine."

"You're not." Colter rolls his eyes. "Stay here. I'll be back in a few hours to pick you up." He turns to look at you. "I'm sorry that we woke you up-"

"It's okay." You shrug. "But you owe me."

"Just add it to my bill." Colter smirks.

Honestly, you weren't as angry as you were when you answered the phone. Something about Russell was different and you didn’t mind helping him at all.

He wasn't like anyone that you had ever met, certainly not in the circles you ran with.

All the dads from your mom friends were blue and white collar workers who worked in the big office buildings downtown, wore suits to work and were more straight-laced, but there was something refreshing about Russell.

He was mysterious, sexy, and his had this aura of self-resilience and survival that you found immensely attractive. Especially when compared to your ex, who couldn't survive without his mocha-caramel double shot latte or wifi.

Russell was the exact opposite of him and you found yourself wanting to know more. More about the almost beautiful scars that curved over his muscular body, more about each tattoo that he’d chosen, and more about him.

He seemed like the kind of guy that hid his trauma under easy smiles and jokes, the kind of person that shrugged off anything that seemed remotely serious with a well placed joke, but you could feel that there was something deeper beneath that he didn’t allow many to see.

And you wanted him to show you.

You weren't sure where any of this was coming from. Russell probably was about as stable and consistent as his brother, and you liked consistency. Spontaneity and surprises tended to make you anxious. But not with Russell.

Though the stability might have been an issue. You were a single working mother, which meant that you didn't want to introduce some random guy into your children's life just to have them get attached and him to bail with no strings attached and-

Calm down. You just met the guy, it's not like he's asking you out on a date.

When Colter leaves and after you’ve cleaned around the wounds the best you can with some alcohol, you realize just how quiet it is in your kitchen.

“You know, I think I’ve seen you before.” Russell says breaking the silence while you search for a needle and thread in the medical kit.

“Really? Where?" You ask looking up.

“In my dreams.”

“Wow." You smile at him. "That line is pretty cheesy."

You shift your right hand over to begin to sew up the wounds on his chest. Russell doesn't even wince when you push the needle through, almost as if he didn't notice it at all.

It made sense, given how many scars and tattoos covered his body. You remember what he said about "being through worse" and it made you feel bad for him, to worry about him. Odd given the fact that the two of you had just met.

"Well I'm a little distracted at the moment sweetheart. It's not often that I get such a beautiful woman to take care of me."

"I thought you didn't need my help?" You smirk.

"Maybe I did." He admits sheepishly.

"Mhmm."

"So how do you know my brother?"

“Why?”

“Trying to see if you’re off limits or not.” Russell tilts his head to the side and flashes a charming smile.

You laugh at his boldness. You’d never met someone so upfront before, it was refreshing. Most of the men you’d meet occasionally at work tended to beat around the bush and made you want to give them a map to get to the point. "We met when he got shot a few months ago."

"Oh so the two of you aren't-" He wiggles his eyebrows and you snort.

"No."

"Huh."

"What?"

"I was just wondering why not?"

"What?"

"Well, you're gorgeous, you're smart, and you're not scared of blood or gunshots. Colter really seems to be dropping the ball."

"Colter doesn't exactly have a stable lifestyle. And I'm kind of complicated."

You were, there wasn't any way around it.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I've got two kids."

Russell blinks in surprise. "Really?"

"Mhmm." You hum continuing your task, not phased by the blood at all.

His eyes trace your figure for a minute, making a shiver travel down your spine. It was the first time in a long time that you were okay with someone looking at you like that and to be honest, the first time that you wanted someone to look at you like that in a while.

After everything that happened with your ex-husband and his secretary you were more inclined to sit on your couch with a glass of wine and read away your troubles with a steamy romance novel that did more for you than any of your ex-husband's attempts to satisfy you. It also didn't help that you had no interest in going out with your few friends and meeting someone at a club who probably would never call you again and probably wouldn't be as enthusiastic to learn that you were a mom.

You'd only been on one date since you'd broken it off with your husband with your aunts accountant Jerry, and the date stuttered to a halt when he learned you had two children and weren't interested in having an open relationship.

"I wouldn't have guessed that."

“Really? The mountain of chocolate cupcakes wasn’t a clue?” You arch an eyebrow with a smirk, while gently tying off the string to close the first wound before moving on to the second.

“I thought you just really liked baking. And I’m okay with coming home every night to a mountain of chocolate cupcakes if it means you’re there too.” He winks.

“Not sure you want any of those.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because they’re gluten free, sugar free, and nut free.”

The horrified look on Russell’s face makes you feel like you’d just told him that hot dogs do in fact contain trace amounts of dog.

“Why on earth would you make them like that?! They're not even cupcakes anymore!" He exclaims.

You found it funny that he seemed more upset over the mutilation of the chocolate cupcakes than over being shot.

Maybe he's always like this?

"I know. I'm a monster." You sigh. "But Stephanie Jacobson said I had to." You let out a frustrated sigh with her name.

Bringing anything other than what she asked for was a suicide mission. The last person who did that was Gale Smith in the great Fourth of July Cook-out calamity of 2021. In Gale's defense, no one though that the bushes would catch fire so fast, but Stephanie had a memory like an elephant so Gale decided to transfer her children to the school one town over. The last thing you wanted was for your name to go down in history for the Cupcake Catastrophe of 2024.

Russell leans forward and lowers his voice like it's a secret. “Is Stephanie your imaginary friend?”

“No!” You laugh. “She’s this other mom at my son’s school who said I wasn’t living up to my ‘duties as a parent’ and that I needed to ‘participate.’”

"She sounds great."

"Oh yeah, we're practically best friends." You continue to work on the other wounds in the silence that follows.

"I bet you're a good mom." Russell says watching you with an unreadable expression. He's leaning a little bit towards you still, making the smell gunmetal, leather, spice, and just a hint of mint come through the space between the two of you.

Damn he smells really good.

"Uh-huh. You've known me for ten minutes and you haven't seen me with my children-"

"I can tell."

"Is that your superpower or something?" You reach for a bandage to lay over the wound in his chest smiling to yourself. "All the other useful superpowers like being bulletproof got taken?"

"I don't think it's useless if it makes you smile like that when I say it, sweetheart."

Your eyes flick upwards to Russell's face. His green eyes are shining in the light of your kitchen, his dark hair still hanging over his forehead, and he is still just as ridiculously handsome as he was the moment Colter dragged him through your front door. You don’t remember why you were so mad at Colter anymore.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're too smooth for your own good?" You raise your eyebrow.

"No ma'am." Russell cracks an even wider smile and it makes you loose all feeling in your legs. He was just so effortlessly handsome that it made you want to do something stupid, like have sex with him on top of the same kitchen table that you serve blueberry pancakes to your children.

"Hmm." You bite the inside of your cheek. "Well, now you know and maybe now that you're aware, it could prevent you from getting shot."

"Are you saying I got shot because I'm too smooth?"

"Maybe."

"Because usually it has a different effect."

"Huh. Well in that case, maybe try using some of that to smooth things over and you'd avoid getting shot." You begin to wrap another fresh bandage around the bullet wound on his arm, bracing your free hand against his chest, trying to ignore the way his skin is warm and chiseled beneath your palm.

He had the kind of body that you'd never imagined actually existed. Russell Shaw looked like he walked out one of the romance novels you loved so much.

Hell, they should use pictures of him to make the book covers.

"I'll remember that next time." Russell pauses. "But then it means I wouldn’t get shot and I wouldn't get to have you patch me up."

"I guess not."

You didn't think that you'd smiled as much as you had in the past twenty minutes with him than you had your entire five year marriage. Not to mention that it was nice to talk to someone who wasn't trying to convince you why they should be allowed to have a cookie before dinner.

A charged silence passes through the air between the two of you, his eyes locked on yours sending goosebumps over your skin. You weren't sure if anyone had ever looked at you like that before. You'd noticed that most gave you the obligatory skate over, but Russell didn't. He looked at you as if he was studying you as if he were genuinely curious to know more. 

Your eyes trace his broad shoulders, toned abdomen, and muscular arms, noting that he's the kind of strong and broad that was made to handle someone a little more curvy like you. And you'd be lying if you said that you hadn't thought about it more than once since Russell came through your front door.

You felt your mind sink into the fantasy of Russell pining you to the kitchen table and feeling the warmth of his rough hands against your body-

Snap out of it. The guy is bleeding, he got shot. He needs to rest.

"I think you'll survive." You smile pulling back from him to clear your head. It was much easier when you couldn't smell him as strongly. "And if Colter isn't going to be back for a few hours you can crash on the couch. It's not the most comfortable but-"

"I'm sure it's fine." Russell shrugs and stands from your kitchen table.

You try and fail to ignore how his muscles pull with the movement as he reaches for his shirt and you step forward to help him put it on, knowing that it might hurt with his injury. "Okay." You clear your throat, that has become thick all of a sudden. "And if you're hungry I've got plenty of cupcakes-"

"Please don't call them that. They're an disgrace to the cupcake name."

"Yeah, but the ones in the microwave are actually cupcakes. I had to make a few that were edible." You gesture with your hand and laugh at how quickly Russell goes to get one.

He doesn’t even bother to pull away the wrapping before he takes a bite and he audibly moans. Russell looks at you awestruck. "Holy shit, you made this? Where have you been all my life?"

"Shut up." You roll your eyes at him.

"I'm serious, this cupcake is my reason to keep living. Here I thought putting sriracha on French fries was the height of cuisine, but damn."

You could feel yourself blush bright red at his compliment. You weren't used to a man going out of his way to compliment you on something other than how you looked, but everything about Russell Shaw was refreshing and nothing like you expected.

"Thank you." You wait another second, watching him eat more of the cupcake and smash icing and flecks of chocolate over his chin. You laugh at him and hand him a paper towel. "You're worse than my three year old."

"Your three year old is a lucky kid, if she’s got a mom like you to make stuff like this for her."

It's like he wants me to fall in love with him. How can someone look so unbelievably cute and sexy while covered in chocolate cupcake?

Don't answer that.

"Sometimes I think I'm the lucky one. I love my kids-" You say before you can stop yourself. You hesitate afraid that it would send Russell for the hills when you brought up the fact that you loved your children.

"Yeah?" Russell's smile brightens as he wipes his face with the napkin.

"Yeah." You blink mildly shocked. Of all the people in the world to talk about your children with, you never expected someone like Russell Shaw. “I do."

Again he was surprising you, and talking to him was just so refreshing and it made you feel like your head had finally cleared, like your chest was lighter and you could actually talk to someone for real without putting out this together image of yourself you thought you had to when inside you were crumbling from the overbearing expectations of the people around you.

The silence is back, filling the kitchen with a palpable energy that you wonder if Russell can feel, but you shake it off.

"I guess I'll see you in the morning. It was nice to meet you Russell, but I'm sorry that you got shot." You smile.

"I'm not." Russell smiles. "I got to meet you."

"Alright Casanova, I need to go to bed, because my kids will wake me up in about two hours." You frown over at the couch. "There's a pillow and a blanket down the hall in the bathroom closet." You gesture with one hand. "I'll see you in the morning." You repeat because you're not too sure what to say.

"Yeah. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

You turn and walk up the stairs to your bedroom, feeling the thin blue robe swishing around your ankles as you do.

And as you fall into your bed all you can think about as you start to drift is the ruggedly handsome man downstairs, with the brilliant green eyes that crinkle with his smile, and the large hands rough from hard work, that seems to be more than what meets the eye.

The alarm clock on your bedside table might as well be employed by the devil for waking you up and the idea of smashing it to bits with the heavy metal table lamp that sits beside it crosses your mind. You weren't sure how many hours you'd gotten in, only that they weren't enough, and you were in desperate need of coffee.

You roll over on your back, looking up at your ceiling as you blink your eyes open, following the familiar sweeps of the paint brush that were left behind.

The memory of the night's events come back in full color and you stiffen remembering exactly why you'd gone to bed so late. Images of last night flash through your mind. Colter dragging a bloodied Russell through your front door, Russell sitting on your kitchen table looking much too attractive covered in blood, him flirting with you with a wide smile that made you feel warm from the inside out…

Oh fuck he's still on my couch. How am I going to explain that to my kids?

You dress in a flash and stumble down the stairs as quickly as you can, tripping and falling into the living room, but when you look you realize that Russell isn't on the couch. The pillow and brightly colored quilted blanket he used are neatly folded on one of the plush cushions, but he's nowhere to be found.

I guess Colter came to get him.

You weren't expecting the wave of disappointment that comes with that realization, but as you turn to go back up the stairs to ready yourself for the day, you hear your daughter’s voice.

"Mommy!" She says. "Look! Rus is making pancakes."

What?

You turn to investigate your spacious kitchen. It was still covered in an alarming amount of cupcakes, but that’s not what’s surprising, what’s surprising is Russell, standing at your crowded stove with a spatula in his hand, sliding a perfectly golden brown pancake around in the bottom of a pan.

You blink your eyes to make sure that you’re not imagining it and make sure that you’re not asleep.

"Hey gorgeous." Russell flashes a wide grin. "How'd you sleep?"

"Um-" You glance at where your daughter is sitting with your son, both eating stacks of pancakes at your kitchen table, the same kitchen table that you were fantasizing about Russell and you-

Nope. Not going there.

Honestly, any fantasy you had about him was blown away by the sight of him standing in your kitchen making pancakes for your children. Something so domestically wonderful that turned you on even more than the image of him shirtless sitting on your kitchen table.

This was something even your husband refused to do, cook. Any day that you tried to get him to, he'd said that it was your "job." And here Russell was standing in your kitchen looking even more effortlessly gorgeous cooking for your family without being asked.

"I sleep good. How did you sleep?" You ask taking a hesitant step towards him.

"Good. Better than I have in a bit actually." He turns back to the pan and flicks his wrist, flipping the pancake inside.

Emma claps happily and Luke watches Russell with a look of absolute awe on his face, while you try not to have impure thoughts about Russell in front of your children.

"You didn't have to make breakfast-"

"I did." He plates the pancake and holds it out to you. "I wanted to thank you for patching me up."

"It wasn't a big deal." You shrug, but take the pancake from the plate, rolling it up like a taco before you take a bite.

Russell cocks his head to the side studying you for a moment. "It was to me." His green eyes are just as hypnotic today as they were last night, tracing over your body in a way that makes pins and needles tickle over your skin. "Plus, wanted to make the kids something that wasn't gluten free, nut free, and sugar free. Emma sure can put away some pancakes."

It was odd to see someone so eager to make himself comfortable in your house, especially a man you barely knew and who you owed absolutely nothing to. Not to mention that Russell genuinely seemed happy to be making breakfast for your children as if he belonged there.

It was so different from every other man that you'd ever met, and you wanted to get used to it. You wanted to get used to having a man around again, to having Russell in your home and in your life. You'd never been spontaneous or wanted to jump headfirst without looking at the pros and cons, but watching Russell standing at your stove, with the sunlight coming through the windows behind him and illuminating his broad shoulders and sifting through his dark hair, you saw absolutely no downside.

"Yeah she's always had a good appetite."

"Hope she doesn't lose that. I hate it when women don't eat." Russell shrugs his shoulders and goes back to make a pancake for himself. "Plus Luke needs to bulk up. He said his dad is going to sign him up for baseball."

You stiffen at the mention of your ex, not sure if you should supply the information, or if you should let it slide. Russell's eyes flick down at your left hand for a half-second, so quickly you could have missed it, but you understood what he was doing.

"He's my ex-husband." You murmur low enough so only Russell could hear.

"Good." Russell replies with a knowing smirk. "Means that I don’t have any competition."

You roll your eyes at his reaction and walk over to where your children are eating. Luke is covered in maple syrup as per usual. He had always been a messy eater, but because he insisted on having his hair cropped short, it never seemed to be too much of a problem.

Just as Emma looks like your ex-husband, Lance, Luke looks like you. He has the same eyes and same colored hair, but he'd always been a little short for his age. Lance usually picked at him for that, but you didn't know what Lance was expecting, Luke was six years old, he'd grow!

"Good pancakes?" You ask, trying to wipe at his face with a napkin but he pulls away with an exclaimed "Mom!"

"What? You're covered in syrup." You laugh, raising the napkin again, but Luke dodges your hand.

"Mom!" Luke says again.

"Alright, fine. But go get dressed, your dad will be here to pick you up any minute." You say, urging him with a hand against his shoulder.

Today Lance was taking Luke to school and picking him up after for a baseball game, before staying with him at his apartment. You’d told your Aunt Teddi and your Aunt Velma that you'd help them plant a garden today, and Emma had been looking forward to it as much as you had.

Velma had been talking about it all through last week, and you’d gotten the day off specifically off for it. Emma was also excited about it because Teddi had bought flowers specifically for butterflies and your daughter loved them more than life itself.

You were looking forward to working out in the sun, feeling the healing rays against your skin, listening to the sounds of the world outside your aunts familiar home soothe you, play with the dogs for a little bit, and finally go inside for a few glasses of wine while Velma, Teddi, and you talked about the book of the month. Book club nights were especially special for Emma as well. Velma always poured Emma's apple juice into a plastic pink wine glass that she'd bought for Emma so she could feel included.

This book had been really good and you couldn't wait to share what you'd thought while eating expensive cheese and cupcakes and while the dogs circled below like raptors.

You loved being at their home. It was always such a comfort to be somewhere where you felt that you could be yourself especially after Lance left you. Your mother had died when you were a kid and your dad had never been equipped to handle things like that so your Aunt Teddi had picked up the slack in your early years and now after she'd married Velma, you had another person in your life who supported you and made you feel like you could be yourself. Both of them had been furious when they learned about what Lance had done and sat with you while you cried into a box of tissues.

It had been difficult to talk them both out of killing Lance. Surprising since your Aunt Teddi was usually the voice of reason.

Luke sighs, but listens to you, getting up from the table to make his way upstairs. You can hear his footsteps as he walks down the hallway above and into his room.

Despite his reluctance, he was looking forward to today as well. Sometimes you thought that he felt left out when you all went over to your aunts house. You knew that Luke longed for the attention of his father, and something broke inside of you each time your ex-husband made him feel forgotten.

You turn to look at your daughter. "Good pancakes?"

"Yes!"

"Did you tell Russell thank you?"

"Thank you Rus!" She sing-songs with a wide smile, before moving her plastic fork back into the pile enthusiastically.

"You're welcome sweetheart." Russell says from the stove, picking up the pancake in the skillet bare handed before he puts a generous stripe of maple syrup along the inside and rolls it up just like you did. "Do you want another one?" His gaze turns to you, warm and open.

Fuck, why is he so damn attractive?

"No I'm-"

The knock on the front door interupts your answer signifying the arrival of Lance. When he'd moved out of the house you'd changed all the locks and then refused to give him a key. Something that he'd pouted and stomped about worse than your toddler, but you'd held firm. You didn't want him in your house and you definitely didn't want her in your house either.

"Daddy!" Emma squeals and before you can stop her, she leaps from her chair like she'd been shot from a cannon and runs down the front hallway to open the door for your ex.

You sigh out a breath to prepare yourself for what comes next. Talking to Lance was always tense and as much as you tried to be civil, Lance didn't. He didn't pull punches, and often lacked the common decency that everyone else had.

Russell's studying you again, his easy smile slipping into a frown when he notes the change in your attitude.

"Stay here. This shouldn't take long." You force a smile, but it lacks the enthusiasm you’d had whenever you talked to Russell before.

Sometimes just the thought of your ex took the energy out of you, as if you were on a space ship and all the air got sucked out into the cold silent vacuum.

Lance is standing on the front step hugging your daughter with one hand while the other holds his phone behind her head, his gaze intently on the screen while Emma chatters in his ear. He's not paying attention though. He never was and never did.

His black hair is slicked back over his head and cropped shorter than the last time you saw him. Now it barely touches his collar but hangs long over the top of his head. His brown eyes glint an amber in the light of the sun, and he’s wearing a tailored blue suit with a dark patterned tie.

“Hey.” Lance clips to you as he stands, releasing Emma who is still trying to talk to him, but he ignores her.

You grind your teeth together. “Hi.”

He sighs audibly sensing the tension, as if it’s you that’s done something wrong.

“Emma, why don’t you go finish your pancakes?” You smile down at your daughter and pat her on the head. “We’ve got to go soon.”

“Okay! Bye daddy!”

“That’s nice honey.” He says absentmindedly, still typing furiously on his phone, while Emma rushes back down the hallway and into the kitchen, that is hidden from view of the front door.

“You know you could put the phone down for once. The world won’t implode if you wait a few seconds to answer a text.” You say.

“Don’t start.” Lance rolls his eyes.

The BMW idling at the curb catches in the early morning sunlight and you see a flash of red-hair. Crystal is in the passenger seat, her auburn hair piled on top of her head effortlessly, her lips painted a dark colored red, there’s a pair of heart shaped sunglasses over her eyes, and she’s wearing black dress low cut enough that her ample breasts spill out through the wide V.

She peers at you from where she sits in the car, her phone perched in her lap, and you watch her dark colored lips twitch into a knowing smirk when she catches you looking at her.

Each time you saw her was like taking a punch to the gut.  It made you pull your oversized sweater a little tighter over your chest self-consciously.

“I’m not starting anything. I’m just saying that you should pay more attention to-“ You begin, but Lance interrupts.

“I don’t want to do this with you. I have a deposition due today and I have to finish sending this email.” He snaps.

“Fine.” You sigh, trying to remain calm. You hated when he did this, when he made it seem like no one and nothing else was important except his job. “Luke is getting ready. I have to box up these cupcakes for a bake sale at the school. All you have to do is drop them off and tell-“

“Oh sorry babe. Can’t do the thing today.”

You bristled when he called you babe. You weren't his, not after everything the two of you had been through.

“What do you mean you can’t do the ‘thing’ today?” You plant your hands on your hips trying to comprehend what he's saying.

“With the kid. Sorry. Crystal made plans for us at some fancy restaurant or whatever. Supposed to be the best in the city-“

“What?”

“I can’t take the kid today.” He repeats slowly, this time looking up, but he doesn’t bother to apologize, and his gaze barely meets yours before he drops his eyes back to the hand clutched in his perfectly manicured fingers.

“But you promised Luke that you were going to take him to a baseball game today after school. That he was going to get to spend the night with you and-“

“Sorry.” The apology isn’t sincere and you know it, despite Lance’s attempts to drop his smile into a sympathetic frown. It comes across as more condescending.

Crystal honks the horn of the car as if to tell Lance to hurry up, and it takes a very large amount of effort for you not to flip her the bird.

“No. Luke has been looking forward to this all week! Not to mention I had to ask off for today specifically-“

“And I’ll apologize to him too.” Lance goes back to typing something on his phone. “This dinner means a lot to Crystal-“

“I don’t give two shits what means a lot to that red-haired bimbo!” You snap, the rage and frustration building in your chest. “You made a promise to your son to take him to a baseball game and actually spend time with him and that’s exactly what you’re going to do!”

Lance looks up from his phone, his eyes narrowing. “You always fucking do this.”

“Do what?”

“Pick a fight.”

“I am not picking a fight Lance. All you’ve done since you’ve shown up here is ignore your daughter and tell me that you’re backing out of the one thing I’ve asked you to do in months!”

“I told you that I have a meeting and a deposition due today! Damn it, what do you want from me? To quit my big job that pays for this house?” He steps forward towering over you. Lance was taller than you, but he had always been lanky and thin, unable to gain too much weight or muscle at a time. “Why do you find the need to make me feel like my life isn’t important?”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t say anything about your life! I’m talking about our son’s life-“ You shout incredulous.

“This is exactly why I got out when I did. Because you always try to control every little thing. You’re so damn OCD that if I did one microscopic thing that wasn’t apart of your ‘special plans’ you’d spontaneously combust! You never just shut your big mouth and let me just fucking live my life! You never let me feel like a man! And Crystal understands-“

“Crystal can’t even understand that pickles were once cucumbers! I doubt she can understand whatever warped reality you’re living in Lance.” You spit. “But I’m sorry that me asking you to be a part of our children’s lives is too much for you. That it’s such a chore for you to make them happy.” The frustrated tears had begun to burn against your eyes.

You didn’t know why you expected anything different. Lance had been doing this since your son was born, putting his career above everything else, working late, schmoozing whoever he could, being so damn selfish that he was willing to throw everything the two of you built together for the woman sitting in the car on the curb watching the two of you go at it with a sick satisfaction.

“Don’t fucking do that!” Lance roars and this time he slams his hand against the door frame so roughly that the glass inside shakes and you flinch. “I don’t know why I even try to talk to you. So why don’t you get your big ass up those stairs and-“

“Is there a problem?” Russell’s voice interrupts whatever Lance was going to say, his body sliding into the space behind you so suddenly that you didn’t hear him walk up.

But it felt good for him to be there, to feel the warmth of his body through the air at your back.

He places his hand on the door to open it up a little wider and to seem a bit more intimidating. Russell is easily taller and broader than Lance.

Lance looks up at him confused, puffing out his chest to look more intimidating. “Who the fuck are you?”

 “Maybe you shouldn’t use that kind of language around the kids-“ Russell says with a tight lipped smile.

“They’re my fucking kids. Don’t tell me how to talk.” Lance’s gaze flicks to you. “Who the fuck is this?”

“I’m Russell.” He replies before you can. “And if you know what’s good for you I’d take a few steps back from her.” Russell’s large hand gently presses against your waist, a comforting weight that you weren’t expecting, but welcome, nonetheless.

It made you feel a little bit bolder.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Lance snarls. “Is this your boyfriend? Really? You finally decided to go out with someone and that’s who you pick?”

“Look buddy, if you keep talking to her that way, we’re going to have a problem.” Russell sighs. “And I don’t want to get any blood on your fancy suit.”

“I’m not your buddy. And trust me she’s not worth the fight.” Lance sneers at you, giving you a once over that makes you want to crawl into a hole and die.

Russell’s jaw clenches tight and he takes a step forward, but you hold out your arm to stop him.

“He’s not my boyfriend and even if he was, it’s none of your business who I date!” You snap back.

Lance only shakes his head, ignoring what you’ve said. “I’m serious pal you don’t want to get involved with her. She’s fucking crazy, not to mention nothing special when it comes to se-“

The next words are lost in the sound of Russell’s fist landing against Lance’s face, the sharp crack followed by the inhuman scream of Crystal at the car. Lance stumbles back off the front step clutching a hand to his face while blood streams through his pinched fingers and over his chin.

“I warned you. Now if you keep talking, I'll make your eyes match.” Russell growls, flexing his hand.

I hope he didn’t rip his stitches.

“You son of a bitch.” Lance sputters, his hand still holding his broken nose. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer!”

“It’s worth it, if it shuts you up.” He replies unfazed.

Lance’s eyes narrow with hate as he looks at you one more time, before stumbling back to his car where Crystal has begun to wail over the amount of blood coming from his nose. The car squeals down the street and out of sight, leaving Russell and you standing on your front porch. Thankfully Emma was still in the kitchen eating her pancakes and Luke was upstairs, you didn't want either of them to see Russell punch their dad.

But that didn't mean that you wouldn't mind seeing it again.

You groaned when you thought about your son. You didn’t know how on earth you were going to explain to him why his dad wasn’t going to pick him up or take him to the game.

But at the same time there was a sickening amount of pleasure that bubbled beneath the surface at the thought of Russell breaking Lance’s nose.

“Are you okay?” Russell asks turning to look at you. There’s anger still simmering beneath the surface. You’d never seen him angry in all the time he’d stayed with you. All you’d seen was the funny, easy going, guy with the gorgeous smile, but to see him like this and especially to see him angry over what had just happened…

Just when I thought he couldn’t get any more attractive.

“Yeah. I’m sorry-“

“Don’t apologize for that asshole. He shouldn’t have talked to you like that.” Russell hesitates. “Does he always talk to you like that?”

“Pretty much.”

“Damn, should have knocked a few teeth out too. He’s got to learn how to speak to a lady, especially one as beautiful as you.”

You felt your cheeks flush. You couldn’t remember the last time that someone called you beautiful and before you can stop yourself you say:

“I don’t think you’re too bad looking yourself.”

“Oh I know. You couldn’t keep your hands off me last night.” Russell’s grin makes you smile and roll your eyes at him.

Again you’re struck by how charming he is and how kind. He didn’t have to do any of the things he’d done today, but he did anyway. He didn’t have to make breakfast for your children, he didn’t have to step in when your ex-husband got mouthy, and he didn’t have to punch Lance in the face, but Russell had.

He'd done more for you in the past few hours than your husband had done in the six years you'd been married to him.

Behind where Russell's standing, Colter’s truck pulls up to idle on the curb in the same place that the BMW had been sitting moments ago, and you raise a hand in a half-wave to greet him. Colter shoots you a grin and waves back.

“Guess my ride’s here.” Russell says glancing back at his brother over his shoulder before he looks back at you.

“Seems so.” You nod. “Are you sure you don’t want me to check your stitches for you one more time before you go? I mean you probably ripped them when you punched Lance."

“Sounds like you just want to catch another peak of me without my shirt on.” Russell laughs, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Shut up.” You roll your eyes and hit him on the arm.

“Ow.”

“You’ll survive.”

“Maybe.” He’s studying you again, the sunlight turning his hair a honeyed brown and his eyes into a sharp jade. The light catches his broad shoulders and traces along his strong jaw that is covered in a healthy amount of stubble that makes him look rugged and more handsome than any man you’d ever met.

You bite the inside of your cheek. “It was nice to meet you Russell. And again, I'm sorry that you got shot."

Russell shrugs. “It was worth it. I got to meet you and I got to punch that asshole in the face so win-win.”

“You didn’t have to-“

“Yes, I did.” Russell’s jaw tightens. “You didn’t deserve any of the things he was saying about you or about the kids.”

“True.” You hesitate.

Should I ask him for his number or is that too forward?

“I’ll see you around.” Russell smiles at you one more time before making his way to his brother’s car, just as Emma joins you on the front step.

“Did daddy leave?” She sounds sad.

“Yeah. He did.” You take her small hand in yours.

“But why does Russell have to go too?” She whines.

“Because he’s going home.”

You felt a twinge in your chest watching him get into the car, knowing that you probably would never see him ever again. It made you sad to know that. You'd been interested in him and you thought he was interested in you, but he hadn't asked for your number.

Maybe he's flirty and charming with everyone.

You hide the frown that comes with that thought. Emma waves goodbye with her freehand, and Russell smiles from the passenger seat, waving back at your daughter, before he raises his gaze to yours again and winks.

Or maybe not.

When you go back inside the house, Luke is still upstairs, and instead of going up to tell him about his father, you turn to go back into your kitchen to clean up. As you near the stove, you notice a bright green piece of paper under one of the magnets on your refrigerator, fluttering slightly in the air-conditioning.

You pull it down to look.

In case you want some more pancakes or if you bake any more of those life changing cupcakes. Give me a call. -Russell.

His phone number was written under his name, next to a smiley face that made you laugh aloud to yourself.

Sunday nights were the worst, but not this time.

A/N: Alright, I had so much fun with this one! I just had this urge to write Russell with a reader who had children and a trash man ex because why not? And I know I said it would be a one-shot… but my mind is already thinking of all the possibilities lol. Mostly because we all know I can’t really write just a one-shot 😅😂

As always thank you so much for reading! Reblogs, Likes, and Comments are not required but are always appreciated. I love hearing what y’all think!

Taglist:

@roseblue373 @livya99 @mrsjenniferwinchester

[schrodingerscougar]

Hold it together (Simon Riley x reader)

Note: This takes place seven years after the second part. Warning: death.

It had only been three weeks since the funeral. The girls were still closed up like clams, shutting Simon out completely despite their young age. Lucy was seven, Nora was five, and he couldn't believe that they had to experience the death of their mother this soon. He was lost as well, having no idea how to deal with losing you.

While at the beginning he pushed you away, believing he didn't deserve the love you were trying to give him, later you became his other half, his partner in crime, the most caring and nicest lover he ever had. He would have never imagined he would once have someone like you in his life. And now? You were gone for good because of that goddamn accident.

Johnny loved the girls and whenever he was around, he had offered to look out for them while the two of you went out on a date. Now he was trying to lighten the mood, coming up with ideas for fun activities, but Simon saw it in his daughters that they weren't excited about them.

While he was waiting for his broken ribs to heal, the sergeant stayed with them to make life easier. One night Simon tucked in the girls and his heart ached when he saw the youngest getting ready to sleep with a photo of you on the edge of her bed.

“You miss mommy?” he asked as he swept a strand of hair out of her beautiful little face.

Nora was sniffling quietly as she nodded.

He loved both his daughters equally, but the balance was perfect. Lucy was a lot like him, a real tomboy who had been wanting to try martial arts ever since they watched the original The Karate Kid movie. She had been handling your death surprisingly well, maybe that's because her personality was a lot like his.

But this young lady was your carbon copy in and out. Seeing her missing you so much proved your strong connection, the one he would never be able to build with her. He had never seen anything like it, and this made it hard for him to console her if she was upset. She had always ran to you for support, but now she was sad because you were gone.

Simon pulled the girl against his chest, his eyes falling on his other daughter who was watching them from her own bed. He could see her eyes shining from the tears, but she held herself together. “It's okay, babygirl,” he whispered to Nora as he rubbed her back. “I miss her too, you know. And I'm sure Lucy misses her as well. But we're strong, aren't we?”

She mumbled something in agreement then pulled away to bury herself under the thick blanket. “Goodnight, Daddy.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead then stood up and went over to Lucy, leaning down to give her a goodnight kiss too. “Sleep well, big girl.”

When he turned to the door, Johnny was already waiting for him, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded over his chest. There was a look of understanding in his blue eyes, and he put a hand on Simon's shoulder when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

“They're kids, they'll adapt and move on. Maybe not soon, but eventually they will,” he tried to assure him. “I'm not so sure about you, though. I woke up to you coming down the stairs last night. I swear you're moving around this place like a real ghost.”

With a sigh, Simon walked around the Scotsman and threw himself on the couch. “Her parents want custody,” he told him, finally giving him an insight into what was truly bothering him. “They're willing to drag me to court. I'm not suitable to be a single parent because of my job, they say.”

Johnny sat on the armchair next to him and rested his elbows on his thighs as he leaned closer. “Bullshit. Price would help you get an early retirement if you asked,” he said, looking way more upset than Simon.

“Who knows, maybe staying with them would be better for the girls.”

“Don’t say this. You need to fight for them. They need their father,” Johnny added.

This broke Simon. He couldn't hold back the tears anymore, the tears he had been fighting ever since that night. His friend being by his side helped him keep it together, but they never talked about what exactly he went through because he always said he couldn't remember.

But he remembered lying in the ambulance, asking about you, begging for crumbs to find out what happened to you, if you were also on your way to the hospital, but they didn't tell him anything. “I’m sorry, we don't know,” one of them said.

“Talk to me, Simon,” Johnny quietly said once he sat down next to him on the other side of the couch. “You need to get this out of your system or you'll go crazy.”

Still fighting his tears, the lieutenant took a deep breath and finally began to talk. “She was unconscious. I–I remember looking over at her in the wreck but she wasn't moving, wasn't responding to my questions. They later said I had a concussion so probably that's why some time fell out of my memory. I don't remember how I ended up in the ambulance.

They didn't tell me anything. In the hospital I got out of the bed and went to look for someone who could finally tell me what the fuck happened, but I bumped into a doctor who was talking to a police officer. That's when I found out she was dead by the time help arrived,” he finished with a shaking voice.

Johnny leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. “Did you have the chance to say goodbye?”

“I might have threatened someone to be allowed to go to the morgue. Her body was bruised, scarred, and bloody. Not how I want to remember her. But yes, I could say goodbye.”

“You need to fight, Simon. For her. She wouldn't want her parents to take the girls away from you,” the sergeant told him firmly as he reassuringly put a hand on his shoulder.

Just when he was about to answer, tell him he felt like it was a battle he was sure to lose, they heard light footsteps coming from the door. It was Lucy who walked over to them, sitting next to his father and resting her head on his arm.

“Do Grandma and Grandpa really want to take us away?” she asked hesitantly as she glanced up at her father. Simon nodded. “I don't want to go. I want to stay with you, Dad,” Lucy said, already sobbing.

Simon let out a sigh before wrapping an arm around her small body and placing a soft kiss on the crown of her head. “I don't want you to leave either, trust me. I'll do everything I can to stop them, okay?”

“Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise.”

[etherealstar-writes]

I WANNA BE YOURS | LIONESSES X READER | PT 3

pairings: lionesses x reader

summary: in which you're accidentally added to a random group chat, not knowing they're all actually famous footballers, and obliviously end up having many of them competing for your love and attention.

part: three

part one here

✦ ——— ✦ ——— ✦

THE NATIONAL DIVING TEAM

brightness

we have training tomorrow

just a reminder

the REAL karate kid

ughh

kie

what's the bet leah and georgia

are gonna be a show off

while niamh's gonna be off in her own world

neev

hey! no need to call me out like that

i do focus

stairway

i am not a show off

willybum

me neither!

door knob

you guys need proof?

the imposter

damn

you guys got that athletic build 💪

the REAL karate kid

......

willybum

.......

stairway

.......

elton

.......

earpsy

.......

brightness

.......

neev

.......

lotte

.......

maya

.......

daily

.......

the imposter

YO

HOW MANY OF YOU ARE ON THIS CHAT??

elton

i think the rest are asleep

the imposter

are you guys all part of some cult omg

and why do you guys have like

group training together?

that's kinda sus

the REAL karate kid

honestly it's kinda fun and chaotic

lotte

are we all gonna ignore the fact that

nobbs has photos of georgia's and leah's muscles?

door knob

are we just gonna keep referring

the imposter as imposter?

or if anyone's gonna ask her name?

the imposter

your name's nobbs??

LMAO THE DOOR KNOB MAKES SO

MUCH MORE SENSE NOW 😭💀

also

my name's y/n

neev

that is such a pretty name

the imposter

thank you!

elton

you know

you never really answered

lotte's question nobbs ....

willybum

it's because i'm her favourite duh

stairway

um it's actually me

hence why she sent a photo of mine first

meado

and here we go again

✦ ——— ✦ ——— ✦

elton

oi

hello

@everyone

why is everyone so dead right now

earpsy

maybe it's the fact that we just finished training

the REAL karate kid

and because we actually have lives

elton

that's a lie and we all know it

the imposter

how was training?

neev

tiring

feeling quite dead rn

willybum

funny actually

lessi slipped and slammed

face first into the training mat

elton

that was the highlight of my day

the REAL karate kid

glad to know my misery

causes you guys happiness

rusty metal

guys

i stumbled upon the best photo ever

my eyes have been blessed

stairway

omg

bronzy in her active era??

daily

ooh do show

lotte

it's intrigued my interest now too

rusty metal

neev

LMAO

willybum

WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THIS

the REAL karate kid

CRYING RN 😭💀

elton

STOP 😭

this is a masterpiece

i'm saving this

stairway

she's a barbie gurl 💅

earpsy

PLS 💀

willybum

i'm blocking yall

stairway

your eyes just can't handle this much art

the imposter

hello friends of y/n!

i was trying to take photos of y/n

and accidentally clicked into here

neev

hello friend of y/n

the imposter

WHAT IS THAT PHOTO OF LEAH WILLIAMSON 😭

is this some kind of football fan cult??

some of your usernames are familiar in a strange way

idk why i can't seem to place it

elton

hmm quite strange

don't you all agree?

stairway

hmm very strange indeed

brightness

yes

daily

indeed

willybum

very

the REAL karate kid

where's y/n?

the imposter

standing in front of me

has no clue i'm on this chat

i'll send a photo

hang on

(lets just pretend they can see your face in the photo)

now she wants her phone back

goodbye strange strangers

elton

......

stairway

......

willybum

......

the REAL karate kid

......

neev

......

rusty metal

......

brightness

......

daily

......

doorknobs

......

meado

......

kie

......

earpsy

......

maya

......

lotte

......

lauren 1

......

stairway

the whole chat rn:

elton

i was not expecting this today-

the REAL karate kid

toone, this is literally the best

most dumbest thing you've done-

neev

honestly

lotte

my eyes have been blessed twice today

willybum

wow

the REAL karate kid

you can get my number wrong

anytime toone

part four here

[whoishotteranimepolls]

Shanks. Oh Shanks…

Yes he is kinda the guy on the beach who wasn’t lying about knowing karate.

When we meet him he’s relaxing/chilling/taking a breather in a little hidden away port to get away from the Navy. This is in a world where stories about Pirates (and many actual Pirates) are about how much chaos and pain and destruction they bring simply looking for treasure. But not Shanks and not in Foosha.

He puts people at ease because there is no reason to antagonize or bully the locals. He spends his days flirting it up at the bar. When someone does come looking for a fight, he’s not easily baited either. Some things aren’t worth it, a message he teaches Luffy. It takes a kidnapping for Shanks to step up and remind everyone that not only is he a real pirate, but a dangerous one at that.

He also has scars. Very sexy scars. And they don’t seem to turn him bitter or spur him on life. His facial scarring is a lesson about how there are people who will never fight fair and if you’re going to get anywhere you should recognize and respond appropriately. And they really give some character and contrast to him. I really can’t explain why. He also SCARIFICED HIS ARM FOR A CHILD. This man jumps into the ocean knowing full well there is a legit sea monster waiting for a snack and swims out to save a boy who had idolized him, acted out, and eaten Shanks’ treasure. What kind of Pirate risks life and limb for a kid who took their most powerful possession? THEN!! Then this man is able to TURN BACK THE SEA MONSTER WITH A LOOK. That’s all! Just a very intense look saying “you may be called a Sea King but I am an Emperor so get!” (Ps he’s not an emperor yet) And it works!!

Now yes, he is a total slut. I personally subscribe to a specific endgame ship where such behavior changes when he falls in love but man is always going to have his manwhore vibe. But they are the best? Like he’s not creeping or forceful about it. He knows he’s attractive and he knows what parties interested in a night (or so) of fun look like. And if he were in this world now or back during the golden age of piracy, I would be like “yeah walking STD” but it seems like everyone whose anyone in One Piece has a capable doctor. If he did catch something he’d appropriatly take care of it.

Shanks is also not completely irresponsible. Man is captain of a ship with a crew and fleet who like him and believe in him. He makes world altering decisions on the regular. He has been granted audiences with the 5 elders. He fights other Emperors. He’s been playing a long game. His first teacher was the Pirate King. Yes, Beckmann definitely keeps things on track at times but Shanks isn’t like a toddler running in all the directions at once. He’s got a plan and he’s been sticking to it. And it’s been working really well.

As for the showers: I personally never thought about it but…in the world of One Piece every ship is complete with all the luxuries of life. This means Red Force is bound to have baths/showers. Shanks isn’t a DF eater so he can take baths and I assume while he might not everyday he does regularly. Plus with a man whose identity/brand is tied to his hair, he’s not letting that get grimy and greasy and dirty. I do believe there is some dependable vanity here which Zoro would lack.

TLDR; Shanks may initially look like a scary threat based on reputation, build, and scaring, but he has a gift for putting people at ease so they see him as some beach bum. But right below that his dangerous aura is ready to burst out when needed (usually in aide of a friend/ally or for his plan). He is an intelligent man who knows what is happening in the World and a very talented swordsman. And the layer below is someone who clearly loves life and all the wonderful things it can offer.

In summary: he has a genuine peacefulness about him that makes him feel safe (when not actively fighting as I mean “peaceful” in relation to being capible of great violence.) and he’s just sexy as sin.

For context, they're responding to this post about Shanks

That's the dichotomy of shakes. He goes from complete dork

To the absolutely terrifying Emperor of the Sea.

People like to talk about the yesification and glow-up of most of the characters post-time skip. The most prominent glow-up to me was the dedorkification of shanks. That man was a complete dork for most of the pre-time skip. Now in Wano. What happened?

He's got a whole new jawline and everything

But at least he still has his dorky moments

[playgroundeyes]

WELCOME TO MY BLOG!

𝓛𝔂𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓪𝔂:

You've fooled me once with your eyes now honey

You've fooled me twice with you lies

ASKS ARE BACK ON!!

FLASH WARNING

GENERAL STUFF

Hi I go by February or Grey online which isn't my real name, my pronouns are he/him but I vibe with xe/xem sometimes too! I'm an Aussie and a leftist! I REALLY LIKE MCR BUT YOU CAN PROBABLY ALREADY TELL THAT I'm an INFJ I think if I remember right and uh yeah I really like my chemical romance <3 I'm also a minor

I have a few killjoy OCs, my first is called Satellite Static

@cobaltfusekilljoy is my side blog about two OCs, Cobalt Fuse and Scorched Skye, please go check it out, it's a story but told in different formats, I put a lot of time into it <3

I'm an avatar of the webtrans and aroace

I also write on Ao3! you can find my acc here ‼️‼️

please please give me attention on there it's the only thing that keeps me alive /nsrs

INTERESTS

- MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE (I actually cannot stress this enough), pre split Panic! at the Disco, BMTH, the young veins, The mechanisms, FOB, Bears in trees, NOAHFINNCE, Green Day and PTV!

- The danger days universe and everything about it omggg

- the true lives of the Fab killjoys comics

- The Umbrella Academy

- stargazing and collecting animal bones!

- UNHOLYVERSE (doesn't really deserve its own category but I love it sm that it does)

- The Magnus archives (CRYING)

- Homestuck! (Haven't finished it yet, no spoilers please)

- Dan and phil

- Stuff I like but you probably won't find here: Stardew valley, minecraft, , hollow knight, pokemon, bluey, Nimona, studio Ghibli, stagtown, ghost eyes, moomin, Lookouts, point and click adventure games, the amazing digital circus, alien stage

HOBBIES

Writing fanfic (not open for reqs), reading, painting/drawing/digital art, listening to music and podcasts, playing video games, going for walks, karate, game design, I play flute and am somewhat learning guitar (maybe saying actively learning is a bit of a stretch)

EXTRA

I can't really think of anything extra to say right now, but if your interests are similar to mine feel free to interact or say hi!!

Also I use tone tags pretty often and appreciate it when others do to but not forced ofc

Free Palestine 🇵🇸

oh wait lastly no I don't ship real people, I respect that they have wives and kids and aren't there for people to be invasive about their entire lives (even if I may make the occasional post that may be very summer of like)

Wait also list of fics I really really love and you should totally read:

- UNHOLYVERSE BY BEXLESS JUST. PLEASE. (mcr)

- Knowledge is Power (But love won't hurt) by SupposedToBeWriting it's quite long but also really fucking good (tma)

- orange and green by to_decay_is_human, it's soooo sweet fnskdjshdhajdhdhdhdhshshsh (danger days)

TAGS

#grey's thoughts - my random af thoughts and posts that I make

#grey's life stuff - like thoughts but just stuff about my life idk

#grey's art :3 - I wanna post art around here more often actually

#grey's saves - mostly for myself just posts that I wanna be able to find quickly

#grey's music!! - bandom and music related stuff

#grey's asks - answering asks

[msfbgraves]

I think the reason Terry and Daniel has this insane chemistry in their limited scenes together is because of TIG.

TIG clearly has a certain fondness for the character of Daniel. In multiple interviews he cannot help but bring up Daniel even when Daniel is not being talked about or referenced. TIG also absolutely loves the character of Terry, and has a blast getting to play him. Put these two loves together and bam! It’s like a magic potion.

Let’s be real. TIG never talks about any other character the way he talks about Daniel (and Terry of course). He has chemistry with Kreese too, but it’s no where near the level he has with Daniel. Again, this bleeds over from his fondness for Daniel as a whole. And perhaps even his liking of working with Ralph. The man is like an Irish Wolfhound when talking about cat-coded Ralph and it’s amusing to watch.

For whatever reason, Danny boy is special to TIG. It makes me wonder how much of Terry’s obsession with Daniel was as ad libbed by TIG himself. After all, the man is a screenwriter himself. He knows nuance and subtlety and what tone and gesture and eyes can convey better than many. He knows what he’s doing, I am certain.

I feel as if someone were to ask TIG who his favorite character was (he couldn’t choose Terry)—he would readily say Daniel.

Even though they share a limited number of moments together, it’s interesting how much weight and meaning their interactions have, and why they often steal the show—and TIG himself steals all the scenes he’s in.

Whatever it is, I love it. TIG is just fantastic. No wonder he’s stupid popular.

Is he stupid popular? If so, huzzah - I'm out of the loop on regular popularity of CK characters.

I basically agree with all of it. The Karate Kid part III, Thomas' first ever film role with him as an absolute nobody whose main function was to antagonise Ralph, who was famous enough to have been asked to present Academy Awards, that must mean something to him. And he got to dominate his character, which must be odd as Ralph had quite a lot of clout on set, and could have stopped him, no problem. He was famously unhappy on that set, and could have made life very difficult for Thomas, but he didn't. And he obviously shouldn't have from an interpersonal standpoint, but this was the 80's and he was the lead, he could have Thomas regulated to the back of the room if he wanted to and he did not. That must mean something. Also there was no script, this was all ad libbed. And that makes for... some kids' film, alright, but it really also makes Terry Thomas' character. And he liked him so much he wrote a whole film about him, Excessive Force.

And you see, what I respect so much about TIG as a writer is that he respects what people actually do, not what people fantasise about. I find his girlfriend in Excessive Force rather underwritten, but in a shootout where they both are present they give her a gun. Because even though men like to see the cowering girlfriend they can rescue that is not what people in these situations do. If there's two of you and you have a spare gun you give her a gun too. Because you want to live. And he's kept doing that when he had the chance. If he has to play an action hero he writes one who thinks. If he's going to write a jealous, abusive piece of shit called Gus Travis, he's jealous and abusive because he's notably insecure. Because his girlfriend is actively trying to leave him, because they have a shitty relationship, but there is nonverbal communication and history between them. She's not just there to look scared. Because irl women aren't sexy lamps.

I'm sure he wouldn't have written a miracle cure for Miguel because there are no miracle cures for broken vertibrae. And it doesn't matter to him that the writers don't want to write how hard it would have been for Miguel to learn to walk again, let alone fight. So with Terry, yes, I am quite convinced he does his utmost to keep Terry human and it shows. It makes sense for Terry Silver to channel all his martial arts knowledge into other pursuits. When Kreese is ranting about some teenager "slighting" him, he has zero patience for that nonsense. He's off his rocker, but he's still an adult. He actually gives the Cobra Kai kids some good advice! When he talks to "Sensei Joe", he recognises that the man is teaching Tory well, and later, they have a very measured conversation about them working together. Because that makes the outbursts scarier. And Daniel. Omg. Half their interactions are body language only. But there is an obvious contrast to how Terry is with most people and how he is with Daniel. He is NOT NORMAL around him. Ever. In any interaction. At the very mention of his name he goes from: "FFS, Kreese, get off my balcony, I am so done with your spiel" to "... Danny Boiii?" And given how deeply in love the writers are with Kreese, and how completely different the dynamic between John and Twig is as opposed to Kreese and Silver, that has to be TIG not having any of that. He wrote Terry first, and sure he'll throw in a line about Johnny Lawrence if he must, but that's as far as he'll go. I loved the "WHY...?!" when Johnny stepped in to defend Kreese. Because that doesn't make any sense irl. Kreese tried to kill him over a lost All Valley. Kreese stole his dojo, his business. Kreese nearly killed him again. Also, Terry already beat him to a pulp twice. I'm a decent chess player but with a ranking of 1600 you don't play someone who ranks 2500 you'll get pummeled, and you certainly don't do it again and expect to win, that's insane. Johnny isn't a good enough fighter, going by their last two encounters. So WHY? indeed.

And for TIG to step into a silly karate show that is completely centered on Johnny and Kreese and say "actually, Terry was in a twisted relationship with Daniel and that's what I'm playing, Kreese is simply no longer a factor to him" and to pull that off... and to also say, "btw, I'm going to react like a person would to whatever is put in front of Terry, not how you think the world should be" that's a stupendous achievement. I mean they wrote in a whole subplot where Twig is deeply jealous of Johnny Lawrence and TIG was like: "whatever. This person is so far beneath his notice it's subterranian and will anybody point out he is an awful parent? No. Then I will, and that'll be the end of that storyline" and they let him. That doesn't happen! The whole crew of GOT tried to stage an insurrection and was told: "You're dumb actors, say the lines", Marty and Billy tried to petition the writers about Kreese and Johnny being OOC and got nowhere, Ralph needed 1,5 seasons to be allowed to play Daniel LaRusso, instead of a snivelling charicature and TIG comes in with: "That stuff you've written for my character? I'll take what I want from that, and you'll thank me for it, and that's all you get. BTW, where's Ralph?" and they let him!

Legend.

[rebelspykatie]

that green light, i want it

Epilogue

“Just like that,” Steve guides El’s hands, making a minor adjustment, “good. That’ll push people away, it’s a good defensive spell.”

“This is like Mister Miyagi.” El says, looking up at Steve with a soft smile.

“Yeah, you’re a real karate kid, Hopper junior,” Eddie says from his spot on the porch stairs. He snaps his fingers. “Hey Steve, you should call her young grasshopper.”

El doesn’t look like she understands that reference, but her smile grows into a grin that makes her look like sunshine incarnate, nodding at Steve regardless.

Steve rolls his eyes. “You two are trouble together.” He looks over at Eddie with a faux stern look and points a finger. “Stop encouraging her. This isn’t karate, it’s magic.” 

“You can’t get mad at me that your hand signals look dumb,” Eddie says, bumping shoulders with Nancy beside him on the steps. “Nance agrees.” 

“Putting you two together was even worse.” Steve groans, rubbing one hand down his face. “Call the coven and complain to them, I didn’t make this shit up.” 

“Language,” Nancy chides, grinning at him mischievously. “There are children present.” She points a thumb in Eddie’s direction. 

“Yes, and my sensibilities are so fucking delicate, sweetheart,” Eddie calls out, leaning back on the stairs and crossing his legs at the ankles. 

“Munson, are you corrupting my kid?” Hopper says walking through the front door while wiping his hands on a towel. He stops behind Eddie and Nancy, looking down at them with a sour look on his face. Steve can see his mustache twitching from here, though. He’s fucking with Eddie on purpose, then.  

Eddie scrambles to sit back up straight, almost whacking his head on the railing in the process. “Uh, no sir. A-and Steve started it,” he points a finger accusingly, “He said it first.” 

Steve tries not to laugh in Eddie’s face. Hopper’s about the only adult that scares Eddie, a remnant of his past dealing drugs, but Steve gets it. Hopper has the kind of authority that you want to respect because he protects the right people. That take-no-shit attitude has helped them far more than it hurt them. Steve was glad to have him on their side. 

“Don’t knock yourself out, kid,” Hopper finally cracks a smile. “Everyone inside, it’s time to eat.” 

Hopper helps Nancy up and leads them inside, El trailing behind them. Eddie hesitates to follow, watching Steve with knowing eyes, reading his thoughts before Steve can even pull him aside. 

It’s been several months since everything happened. Hopper got them through the investigation and offered them a place to lay low from the coven. They’ve been hanging out at his cabin ever since, working through issues with the coven and how to move forward. 

One of those issues was Steve’s unknown power. Nancy’s helped him research it, but there’s still a lot of unanswered questions that they need the coven’s library to answer. 

They haven’t done anything to harm them, but Steve doesn’t trust them after learning that they actively participated in the ritual to kill Barb. With their ring leader dead, they’re not as much of a threat, but Steve’s not taking any chances. Now that they know Steve’s a druid, they seem unwilling to double cross him. They almost treat him with reverence or fear, his powers othering him in their minds. 

Another issue was what to do about El’s growing powers. She was already bursting at the seams with power at an uncommonly young age, but Steve didn’t realize how much until he started training her. It didn’t take long to figure out she was more like him than Nancy. 

She’s already more powerful than Steve, but she’s naive. She doesn’t quite grasp why defensive magic is the most important thing she can learn, or that she can’t share this with anyone. They told her what happened, and she knows about Hopper’s involvement, but that doesn’t exactly make it real in the mind of a thirteen year old girl. 

The other issue was Eddie. It was an issue that Steve trusted him so fast, let him in too quick. He was scared that Eddie would see too much, get scared, and run away screaming from the insanity of Steve’s life. But, he hasn’t. 

In fact, Eddie’s been right by his side every day since the graveyard incident. He takes learning about magic in stride, poking fun at it and making Steve laugh. The circumstances under which Steve learned magic were stressful, trying to get answers for an unsolved murder and trying to keep Nancy and himself alive while he was at it. He never had an opportunity to take in how magic could benefit him outside of that. 

Eddie helps him see it as a gift, instead of a burden. When Steve was at his lowest, Eddie stepped in and helped him pick up the pieces. No one’s ever been that crutch for him. He has the ability to flip the script and put everyone around him at ease, especially Steve. 

It didn’t take long for Steve to stumble upon grounding techniques in the druid manuals the coven lent them. Even in magic, someone can use a person or an object as their anchor, something that pulls them back from the brink of magic enveloping them. But druid’s need it. It’s essential to their ability to function. 

Anger was his anchor before. That burning fire in his gut that kept him searching for answers was enough to keep him centered. But once he had answers, he was left adrift. His powers wonky for weeks before he figured it out and started looking for a new anchor. 

He hasn’t told Eddie about that part, yet. Everything between them is too new and exciting to dump that kind of thing onto him so early. He doesn’t want to come on too strong and scare him away. They only just admitted their feelings to each other a few weeks ago. 

But as he sits there in front of Steve, that sweet, dimpled smile on his face, Steve wants to tell him. He’s already halfway in love with him. Already trusts him more than anyone else besides the people already inside the cabin. He wants to scream about it from the top of the highest point in Hawkins. 

Instead, he slides his hands along Eddie’s shoulders, wrapping his arms around his neck. He kisses him softly, just a quick peck on the lips before he’s resting his forehead against Eddie’s in the quiet cover of dusk. They still have a long way to go, but at least they can face the future together.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Epilogue | AO3

[type1diabetesinfandom]

Hello I hope you are having a nice day! I am planning on writing a haikyuu fanfiction where one of the characters has type 1 diabetes with celiac and epilepsy They are serious about pursuing volleyball professionally. and i was wondering if you could point me in the right direction. How would he need to adjust insulin levels for practices and games? How often should he check his blood? Would seizure medication affect sugar levels? If he ingests gluten how would that affect his sugar levels?

(haikyuu anon pt2) which insulin pumps/glucose meters were available in the late 2000s/early 2010s? Does pricking your fingers make them sore? Does injecting insulin into your gut make that area painful when pressure is put into it(when diving for the ball)? could the pump/monitor be placed on the body unlikely to be hit by the ball? Will seizures affect sugar levels and what to do then? Sorry for bombarding you with these questions. If anything else comes to mind please add to it! Thanks you

hi!!!

these are some wonderful questions, and i'm gonna throw a lot of info and resources at you! first, anecdotally, celiac and t1d are pretty commonly comorbidities (occuring together) bc they're both autoimmune diseases. i know a lot of people with both, including one of my best friends from when i was a kid. and i have an epileptic family member, so i'm just all around excited about your ask :D

How would he need to adjust insulin levels for practices and games? How often should he check his blood?

for t1d and sports, i recommend checking out this page on diathlete, which is all about managing blood sugar while doing (often very competetive) sports. (i am NOT a sporty person, but i DID do karate extensively for about fifteen years, and a lot of activity comes down to: checking bg often, keeping low bg supplies nearby in case, and having a lot of protein before activity to keep your blood sugar steady.

modern pumps normally have an activity mode built in, but before that, most people would manually reduce insulin before/during a game. not everyone has to do this tho.

(common snacks are PB and bananas, cheese and crackers, yogurt, etc. stuff with some carbs to go with the protein.)

(this got LONG, holy stars. putting everything from here on out under a cut)

Would seizure medication affect sugar levels? Will seizures affect sugar levels and what to do then?

for anit-epileptic meds, idk enough about them to say if they affect bg, unfortauntely. if you have specific meds in mind, i would look up common side effects on drugs.com (i promise that's a real, professional, non-shady site lol)

idk if seizures affect bg, actually! great question! i'll say that stress (such as, having a seizure) tends to make blood sugar go up. however, i'm tempted to think a tonic-clonic seizure (the kind with heavy shaking) could count as a form of activity? i'm not sure how to guide you here, unfortunately

some webpages talking about t1d with epilepsy:

If he ingests gluten how would that affect his sugar levels?

people with celiac who ingest gluten are going to experience severe inflammation, which is commonly known to increase blood sugar levels AND make a person temporarily more insulin resistant. high BG also causes more inflammation, so. feedback loop.

also, gluten is a carbohydrate, and if your character isn't used to eating it, will probably have trouble figuring out exactly how to bolus insulin for it. (even if they know the exact carb counts, different types of carbs take longer to digest and can require bolusing earlier or later than for other types of carbs.)

some links to resources talking celiac and t1d:

which insulin pumps/glucose meters were available in the late 2000s/early 2010s?

so i found this AWESOME page from the Wiley library from 2010 talking about the history of the insulin pump. def recommend reading through it, it's not that long and it's really cool. i also stole the following image from there, which answers your question.

animas went out of business or was discontinued a few years ago but was popular for a while before that. i have the omnipod, and have had the omnipod since 2006/2007, so if you have technical questions, feel free to throw them my way.

that's all you need for your question, if you're interested here are other sites talking about insulin pump and cgm hx, bc im a nerd:

as for glucometers, don't feel like you have to mention brand names. they all work basically the same way; turn on, insert strip, poke finger, hold bloody finger to appropriate edge of strip, yell a lot bc you didn't get enough blood or the meter timed out, and rinse repeat until everything is successful.

brand names from 2000s/2010s i can think of include: freestyle, one touch (my old beloved), accu-chek. the original omnipod handheld controler (the PDM) had a meter inside it, which was awesome.

Does pricking your fingers make them sore?

yes.

it doesn't always hurt, but, imagine poking yourself with a small, fast-moving needle. if you get just the right spot, you won't feel it. if you get the WRONG spot, g-d help you cause you'll feel it for days.

also, constant pricking creates scar tissue. i haven't really pricked my finger for about two years now unless my pump/cgm stops working, but i still have limited feeling in my fingertips. like, can tap hot pans to see how hot they are without causing pain. i don;t recommend this but i do it, so. don't be like me :'D

good news is the visible scars--little black spots--went away eventually!

Does injecting insulin into your gut make that area painful when pressure is put into it(when diving for the ball)?

it sure can!

bruises are common from injecting, pumps and cgm sites also cause bruises. like after you get a vaccine? some areas bruise worse than others, this differs person to person and site to site. but if someone can feel it, it's just like making contact with any other bruise.

could the pump/monitor be placed on the body unlikely to be hit by the ball?

general recommend placement sites are, for starters:

back of the upper arms

abdomen on either side of the belly button to the hip

thighs (front or side, some people also do back of thigh)

upper buttocks (the fattiest area)

lower back (where love handles show up)

ideally you want it placed in fattier areas. muscle is ok but moves a lot and can disturb the site. bony areas = 0/10, do not recommend. much pain.

people place sites basically anywhere bc scar tissue builds up and you run out of room eventually (rotating sites is very important bc it delays scar tissue forming!). some popular alternative, non-insurance-approved areas are:

the back of the forearm (i recommend shaving first, this hella hurt when i peeled off the adhesive and idk why it's so popular)

back of calf (i like this one)

shoulder blades (love this spot, but awkward to reach and awkward with bras)

and chest (have not personally tried)

which is the least likely to get smashed into by the ball, the ground, or another player? idk, i never played volleyball. back of the arm, probably? that, stomach, and thighs are typically the go-to for most people, i think, so you can't really go wrong there. it's good that you're thinking of it, bc it is a concern that athletes have to consider

there are also sleeves and extra adhesives available to help keep sites from ripping off or falling off. this website has a few different types so you can see wim.

omnipods are cool for sports bc they don't have any tubes to get tangled up or caught on something. other pumps all have thin tubes connecting the insulin reservoir and electronic parts to the actual site, and i have never understood how people manage to play sports and NOT get their tubed pump ripped off??? but lots of people don't have major problems with it ig.

lmk if you have any more questions! i love to talk about this stuff!

[bigredbruisers]

Karate Cousin

Jason stretched out of the cab, the flight and subsequent cab ride to his Aunts house were so long that caused his muscle which were more used to him either kicking putty or monster butt than sitting down for real long times. But he would go through that again to see his aunt and his kid cousin, by Zordon it felt like it's been years since he's seen them at his Aunts wedding.

If Jason had to pin down a reason on why it took so long to actually visit the both of them would probably be the two biggest pains in his but, Rita and her demonic jerk of a husband Zedd. Thankfully though Zordon, Alpha and Billy didn't detect any sign of either of those cosmic pains getting active so Zordon let Jason go on a vacation to see his aunt. The Red Ranger leader made his way to the door of his Aunts house and knocked on it, excited to see his extended family again.

@ask-the-magic-schoolbus

[cobra-wives]

hello - welcome to my cobra kai/karate kid/miyagiverse-adjacent side blog, cobra-wives! here you can find my art, fics, thoughts and rambles, and just overall fandom discussion. blog stuff below the keep reading line - IT'S PARTY TIME!!!

✦ call me ari or bird... i go by my username as well!

✦ my prns are she/her :-)

✦ if it wasn't obvious, terry silver and john kreese have ruled my brain (whether it be conscious OR subconsciously) for the last... 5+ years? please don't ask me who my favorite character is - i’ve been a hardcore ck fan since 2021 and a casual one before that, and while i would love to say it changes every month, it's always been and always will be kreese.

✦ THIS IS A SIDE BLOG: i will usually follow back from my main, @holydongbird! (and on that note, you're literally not obligated to do so - i just repost images of bruce springsteen and dabble in what rare occasion i dip my feathers in my other fandoms.)

✦ i don't take commissions or run merch... YET. in the meantime, please do NOT be shy about leaving a request, ask, or whatever in my inbox - i LOVE talking to my fellow cobras, and please don't feel bad if your asks are simmering in my inbox for a while - i'm probably super ruffled up in classes or life!

✦ i'm not particularly squicked by anything that isn't basic gtf away from me criteria (let's be real, karate kid iii tossed THAT one out the window), but i don't go out of my way to look at stuff that makes me uncomfortable!

✦ i am also very active on ck twitter for screamy thoughts - come find me at holydongbird - and on letterboxd for all film thoughts - also at holydongbird!

✦ TAG USAGE ON MY PAGE:

standards: ch. tags for characters (ex. terry silver, daniel larusso), ships (ex. cobra husbands, samtory), actors (ex. martin kove, barrett carnahan), etc. 

fanfiction/meta analysis: bird writes

personal muffinry/rambles: bird musings

friends/mutuals, and their amazing works: pal tag

any and ALL art: doodles (if it’s in video format, it WILL be under animatics!)

spoilers are NOT tagged under a spoiler tag, rather, please block the tag that you wish to avoid! (ex. i don’t use cobra kai s6 spoilers, but try blocking cobra kai season 6!)

edits are under fanvids!

looking for a specific era of the ck-verse on this yap page? i tag everything according to movie/show relevance :-)

i hope this pinned makes things a little more accessible for my mobile pals, and i hope you have a great day. thanks for stopping by my blog and as usual, COBRA KAI NEVER DIES!!!

[sensei-venus]

“Stomach Ache” (2/2)

(Unedited) (Support Me Links🌺) (Poly! Mom!Sam/Mom!Reader/Dad!Miguel, Domestic Life, Mention of Sickness, Slight Mention of Vomit) ( Wouldn't feel right if I didn't tag @gemini-sensei 🫣)

Reader's mind was completely blank for the rest of the day.

She occasionally checked her phone for any new texts from Miguel. Throwing her phone back into her bag every time. She didn't want to keep looking at it because it made her nervous.

Her errands were at the back of her mind the whole time she was driving around town. She picked up Sam’s dry cleaning, dropped off some karate fliers at the printers for Miguel. She got the car washed, picked up some flowers for the house.

She even went by the school that was close to their home to see about getting the paperwork information for their daughter. Next year she would be eligible for kindergarten. She walked in and talked to one of the counselors for a bit before being handed the stack of paper work. She happily walked out with all of the new information in her brain about the new school year.

Then as she was putting the paper work away in the glove compartment.

She promptly turned around outside the car, and puked straight on the asphalt of the schools parking lot.

She dry-heaved for about five minutes before grabbing some napkins from the glove compartment and whipping at her mouth. She took a water bottle out of her cup holder and cleaned her mouth out. Tears pricked her eyes as she cleaned herself up and got into her car and drove out of the school's parking lot.

The whole time she was driving she couldn't help but think about the stupid app on her phone.

The stupid period app she had that remained her that she was apparently two weeks late. She didn't even notice with how busy she was. Looking over the app she knew it was right. She was a week and five days late.

She wanted to chalk it up as stress-related. That had to be why she was late, not having your period when you are stressed out is pretty normal right? Yeah that's a normal thing. It happens all the time. It wasn't healthy but still, it was a significant.

Sitting outside the pharmacy in her car with a plastic bag full of pregnancy tests was what made it all real. Her head was clear as she realized that this whole thing was real. That she could be very much pregnant. Right now she could be carrying her second baby.

She couldn't tell if the tears falling down her cheeks were happy or scared ones. Her hands gripped at the steering wheel so right. Her eyes squeezed shut. Small silent sobs threaten to leave her quivering lips. She wasn't exactly scared of being pregnant, she was worried about her partners. They weren't actively trying for another baby right now, not planning it out like they did with their daughter.

They planned to have their first child after they got out of college, after Sam finished her Business program and Miguel finished doing his physical therapy stuff. They planned everything out and it worked like a charm. The prep and the overall pregnancy were planned out great. After they had their daughter it was all over, that was the last time they talked about real babies.

Of course Sam and Miguel’s breeding kink was still there. But it was about fake babies, at least to her it was. She knew it was never as real as it was before when they were all on the same page trying to actually get pregnant.

In the beginning of their relationship, they all talked about wanting a family. A big family. Both Sam and Miguel made it clear that wanted multiple children, and it didn't matter which woman carried them. Reader was thrilled with the idea and agreed to wanting to have multiple kids.

What if this wasn't the right time?

Reader sniffles as she starts he car and drives off from the pharmacy. The whole ride home she keeps glancing at the white bag in the other seat.

When she got back home she parked and grabbed all of her stuff from the car. She clenched the plastic bag as she headed inside. Her hands shook as she sat her stuff down and went straight to the bathroom.

She closed the door to her bathroom and dumped the whole bag of tests onto the sink countertop. They clattered into the sink. She bought four, all different brands. She wanted to make sure all of them had real results.

She quickly pulled her pants and underwear down and sat on the toilet.

She ripped open every box and took out every test. She nervously peed onto every plastic stick and sat the sticks down on their respective box. After she was done she flushed and washed her hands. Her legs felt weak so she sat on the bathroom floor, drawing her knees up to her chest as she looked at the floor.

She felt stupid for acting like this but she was so nervous.

She wanted it to be positive, but also she wished she had talked to her partners first. About having another baby.

She didn't know how long she sits on the cold bathroom floor. One of the tests beeped signaling it was done and its results were ready. She slowly sat up and stood by the sink. She chewed on her lip as she picked up one of the tests. She was hesitant but flipped it over.

Positive.

Second one, positive.

Third one, positive.

Fourth one, positive.

Every single test was positive, she was pregnant.

She worked in a haze as she collected all of the tests. She shoves them all in one of the boxes and hides them in the back of the sink bottom cabinet along with all of the other now empty boxes.

She walked into her room and gently sat down on her bed. It dipped under her but she paid to no mind. She stays like that for about an hour before laying down on the bed, throwing the covers over herself.

She ran a hand over her belly. It was still soft to the touch, her rolls still there. She was nowhere near close to showing just yet but it still made her flutter inside.

She was really pregnant, she was going to have another baby.

A soft smile spread over her face as her eyes fluttered close. She fell asleep thinking about the new baby.

She grunted as something gently shakes her awake. Her eyes flutter open as she takes in the bright light of the room.

“Sorry to wake you but it's getting late out, we didn't want to to miss dinner. Everyones home now, we missed you.” it was Miguel who shook her awake and Sam sat beside him on the bed. Both of them looked down at her as she started to sit up.

“Are you feeling any better?” Sam asked with concern.

“I'm fine, well at least as fine as I will be for a while that is...” Reader didn't know what to say to them. Mind still blocked with the new information she learned about a few hours ago. She had no idea what to tell them. Sam looked at Miguel with a hard gaze before back at her.

“If there is something wrong you need to tell us, because of you don't we can't help you feel better. If your still or feeling well we can get you a doctor's appointment.”

Reader chewed on her lip before silently getting up and walking into their connected bathroom. She signed as she bent down and opens the cabinet under the sink. Reaching out she grabbed the full box of used pregnancy tests. For a split second, she looked down at them with a frown. She spun around and headed back into the bedroom where her lovers were still sitting in the bed. Both still visible with worry on their faces.

“Open your hands.”

Both of them did that with little question. They both put their open hands out towards her. She dumped the box between both of their hands letting the tests fall out into their open palms. Sam’s eyes where wide as soon as she saw them fall. Miguel took a minute to figure it out. Both of them took two tests and looked them over.

Reader felt her eyes start to bubble with tears again.

“These are positive…”

“All of mine are too!”

Sam was off the bed in a minute and hugging her. She squeals as she hugs her wife with a huge smile. Miguel is up next as he gently takes her other side, rubbing a hand over both her back and puggy belly. He’s kissing her cheek that now has tears rubbing down them. He fingers at her round cheeks trying to clean them.

“Those aren’t happy tears. Why are you so upset. I thought you said you where ok with having another baby.”

“I am but we never actually talked about having any more after our girl. I didn’t think either of you- I didn’t know if it was the right time to have another one. We didn’t plan this-“

Sam hugged her right saying “Honey it doesn’t matter if we didn’t plan this. We already know we wanted to have another baby at some point. We are hundred percent happy and ok with having this baby- hell any more baby’s in the future with you.”

“We planned our first because we where just getting started on our family, we though we had to plan. Just because this is a bit of a surprise baby doesn’t mean we aren’t happy or ready to have it. Don’t feel like we don’t want this. Do you want this?”

“I do that’s why I was scared…”

The tears slowly started to dry as the situation started to turn around.

“Another baby can you believe it? When do you think it happened.” Sam said as she looked down at her wife's belly, rubbing it along with Miguel. Readers face felt warm.

“I'm about two weeks late...but I don't know how far along I technically am. I thought it was just stress, I didn't actually notice I was late until after I saw Sam at the office. My period tracker alerted me that I was late. I took the tests once I got home.”

The three of them sat down on the bed once again.

“I’m so excited! Oh boy it feels like the very first time all over again.” Sam sighs into Readers collarbone. She presses herself up against the softer woman, hand on her thigh. Miguel is on the other side resting his chin on Reader’s head. He hum as he kisses her forehead. All three of them hold each others hands.

Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing, it was just the right time.

[bananaactivity]

Lol sometimes I dont feel like a real lab rats fan when I don’t deep dive into all the trama and stuff I dunno I just like being silly, like look at these bionic teens doing bionic teen shit lololol

lemme draw um playing around like some bionic teens yo! No trama or abuse here!

but then I’ll turn around and have unpublished google docs about the abuse in Kickin it… AND STILL NOT GAF AND DRAW THEM PLAYING AROUND LIKE THEY DONT HAVE A CARE IN THE WORLD LMAOOO

LOOK AT THESE KARATE KIDS PLAYING AROUND IN KARATE TOWN LOLOL NO ABUSE OR RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT HERE LOLOL

don’t even get me started on the fandoms I’m not actively making stuff for but are still dead. Ugly Betty is literally my favorite thing and the only content I make of it exists purely in my brain.

[goth-boots]

👹 Baki Headcanons 👹

Here's the second part :3

Wanted to add Alai Jr and Guevaru but I'm drawing a blank on them ┐⁠(⁠´⁠ー⁠｀⁠)⁠┌

But overall, I'm happy you liked the previous one 🥰

School Subjects (part 2)

Katsumi

- PE, PE, and lots of PE;

- "Oi, guys, are you tired already?? Oh, teacher, you're also...";

- But apart from it he liked club activities;

- Drama club kid ✨;

- Actually wanted to go to a karate club, parents said no;

- "Oh, guess I'm good at something else then karate... I mean, I'm good at everything! Who just said I suck? Come here, coward!";

- Didn't like bullies for bullying and their victims for being weak;

- Overall had bearable grades;

- Was a popular kid, so Katsumi pretty much liked going to school (despite the fact he had less time for his training in dojo 😔).

Kureha

- Biology and chemistry! The iconic pair;

- "Is perfect body real? It'd be cool to create one";

- Experimented on small animals and insects;

- Had friends in a chemistry club;

- Once poisoned his brother's lunch (poor Kosho 😔);

- You could always find him in a library;

- Liked watching other students playing sport games in the schoolyard;

- "Well, actually- 🤓☝🏽" (I'm sorry, I had to..);

- Always had pills, bandages and plasters.. and a scalpel(?) in his backpack;

- Didn't pay much attention to other subjects, so graduated with bearable grades.

Katou

- Surprisingly had an interest in crafts since he wanted to have a motorbike and be able to repair it (then realised that this subject won't help him with it);

- Liked physics (but only those topics that were about pistons, engines and etc.);

- "Can it help with repairing vehicles? If not, bye, I'm out 🙄";

- Was also good at PE;

- Street smart;

- Somehow had bearable grades;

- "Wow, your homework looks lame. The formula isn't right... I'm not trying to help you, dumbass!";

- Didn't like school, went there only for fun: to mock, to bully and to spend time with his classmates or acquaintances.

Sikorsky

- School who?;

- "I can read, I can write, I can count, I can stand for myself. What else do I need to learn? 🤔";

- Sometimes went to school (mother forced him to);

- Wasn't bored on crafts;

- Enjoyed knitting and beadwork;

- Teachers and other students hated him;

- Liked to play his classic guitar and one day took it with him to school;

- "There is something cool about these strings. You need to be strong enough to play even a simple song";

- Used schoolyard's horizontal bars to straighten his gripping power;

- Dropped out.

Bonus:

Kozue

- The English language master ✨;

- Has barely no accent;

- Likes geography and foreign languages;

- "Why didn't you bring me any souvenirs? :( "

- When someone mispronounces a word she'll correct them and try to help with pronunciation;

- Talked to Alai Jr a lot in order to improve her English;

- Enjoys learning about different cultures and countries;

- Plans to travel the world with Baki;

- "Have you seen how huge Yiwu Market is?? It's like another city in a city!";

- Also attends a judo club (sometimes asks Baki and his friends for some advice ).

[dragon-ashes1485]

For the RoP ask game: 8, 10, 14 (again)

Hellooooo!

Thank you for these!

"What accessory would you like most to own? (sword, brooch, crown, etc.)"

Ok so we've learnt how indecisive I am with these things...in that spirit I have to say it's a tie between Elrond's s2 sword or Narsil.

I prefer the design of Elrond's, but I'd love to have Narsil just to swish it like Elendil (and Aragorn with Anduril) did! I quite like the curve of the Elvish weapons though.

I just want any sword to be honest😂

"Choose three characters. What jobs would they have if they lived in our time?"

Ooh I'm loving this one!

Galadriel - I'm going off of her sense of adventure and her kindness towards others, so I think she'd be travelling to different countries to set up conservation projects. There's lots of orangutan sanctuaries in Borneo and I can picture her rescuing them from markets and taking them to be looked after, much like she did with Elrond haha. If she takes a break from travelling, I think she'd be a brilliant karate teacher.

Arondir - he runs the activities at outdoor adventure centres, particularly excelling at archery. He doesn't tell the kids off for talking when they're supposed to be asleep, either. He needs somewhere to put his Arondad™ energy! He gives me volunteer vibes, so maybe he organises hikes to raise money for charities, especially ones dealing with sickness, as a result of Bronwyn's passing.

Gil-Galad - Hairdresser. You can pry this idea from my cold, dead hands😂that man's hair is immaculate and he'd be great at sensing if the person was chatty or not. Also the gossip would be unreal. If, in the real world, he had children, he'd also head up the Parent Teacher Association like a boss, organising bake sales and making school play costumes, because he needs somewhere to put his Gil-Gadad™ energy

"Do you have a song you associate with a favourite character?"

So I've done Elrond already, so methinks it's Galadriel's turn!

Again...I'm so sorry but I have two songs😅

First is "Falling" by Florence and the Machine (so many of her songs are TROP-character-coded, I swear) partially because of the link to her fall at the end of s2, but also "fallen out of favour, fallen out of grace" just remind me of her at the beginning of s1 when she was sent away to Valinor to heal. Also "it's only when I hit the ground it causes all the grief" again reminiscent of ✨️that scene✨️

Secondly, is "The Woods" by Daughter because of the line "we were trying to stop the winter, killing all it could" isn't that exactly s2 ep1 Galadriel, trying to stop the darkness, it fits her so well!

Thank you so much for these asks!

[jokertrap-ran]

[スタオケ] La Corda d'Oro Starlight Orchestra Osakabe Seiji Cast Story Chapter 1 Translation

*Starlight Orchestra Masterlist | Osakabe Seiji's Personal Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Osakabe's Route Tag will be #Seiji's Star *T/N: [Impt Notice!] Hi guys! I only own chapter 1-11 of his story, so my translations for his route will end there unless some kind soul out there is able to provide me with the parts I'm missing (Chapter 12-15)! 🙏

Akira: It's kinda fun to let people listen to us perform out in the streets like that once you get used to it.

Seiji: You were the one who got carried away halfway through, sped up, and messed up the tempo in the end.

Akira: Shut up. I was havin’ fun. You just had to catch up to my speed.

Seiji: My, my, I wasn't aware that the big boss man of the delinquents was so tyrannical. At this rate, it wouldn't be a surprise if one of his subordinates suddenly turned around and stabbed him in the back.

Akira: Ha! Look who's talkin’.

▷Choice: Let's practice so that everyone's on the same page next time 

Seiji: How is practice going to help in this case? You can never tell what this guy's thinking. Akira: Ain't it boring when a performance goes according to plan?

▷Choice: It's not a bad thing to be excited

Akira: I knew I could trust in you, Concertmistress! You get me! Seiji: I’ll relent, but only under one condition… and that is only if you take the others around you into consideration.

▷Choice: …Osakabe! Prepare yourself!

Seiji: Huh? He easily deflected my karate chop. Seiji: …And what do you think you're doing, Concertmistress? Akira: Haha, you sure are fast to turn on your friends. Seiji: Good grief. What are you, kids?

Seiji: …Pardon me. I need to pick this call up.

Seiji: —Hello? Yes, this is Osakabe speaking. Ah, Yamaura-sensei. May I help you?

Seiji: …Yes. That is alright…

Akira: Hmm, I guess we're done for the day. I'm leavin’ first then.

Akira: The scenery is beautiful if you ride a bike along the sea at this time of the day, so I'll be headin’ out for a bit.

☆ ━━━━━━━ ∘◦♬◦∘ ━━━━━━━ ☆

Seiji: Oh? The problem child's gone? He's such a loose cannon...

Seiji: I'm sure you always have something to worry about when it comes to him, and I'd love to offer you my help. However…

Seiji: I doubt I can join in on the Orchestra activities next week. I have some business to handle thanks to that call I got earlier, unfortunately.

Seiji: Our school has been selected to be one of the schools that provides career guidance, and it looks like some high-ranking officials are going to be popping by for an inspection…

Seiji: It's an important time for us, but the guys down at Kasa High seem to be getting rather huffy. So, there's a chance that trouble might come knocking on the day itself.

Seiji: What with me gone, and Akira absent, it's no wonder that some people are starting to think that they can stir things up.

▷Choice: That's worrying

Seiji: *Chuckles* You too, huh. The teachers sounded pretty worried themselves. Seiji: Well, things like this are just another Tuesday for us in Joyo. In fact, I'd be even more worried if they hadn't gotten used to it.

▷Choice: Sounds like a real problem 

Seiji: This is nothing. No one goes making a fuss when the rooster crows in the morning, right? Seiji: Occurrences like these are just another Tuesday for us in Joyo. Although, I hope the teachers who've been posted to Joyo came here prepared.

Seiji: Tomoeda and Yasu are usually the ones handling things like these, but it's better to keep things low-key this time.

Seiji: Anyway, handling stuff like this comes with the job of being the Student Council President.

Seiji: I'm sure my absence will inconvenience you as well, but the piece we're currently performing doesn't need a 2nd Trumpet anyway.

Seiji: So you'll be fine with having just Kirigaya with you, right?

▷Choice: We do need only one…

Seiji: Hm? I hear a “but” at the end.

▷Choice: I won't be able to see you next week, huh…

Seiji: Heh, you're acting like a child. I'd have you know that I'm not cut out to be a babysitter.

▷Choice: I'll feel troubled if you aren't there

Seiji: Because there's no one around to keep Kirigaya under control? Seiji: You should use this chance to increase your proficiency in beast taming.

☆ ━━━━━━━ ∘◦♬◦∘ ━━━━━━━ ☆

▷Choice: I'll be lonely if you're gone

Seiji: *Chuckles* Such honeyed words. Seiji: I'm sure there are many men out there who would fall for that gaze of yours, especially if you're looking at them like that. Seiji: …How troubling. Do you truly need me so? Seiji: Even my iron-clad sense of reason is bound to waver if you go around saying such adorable things.

▷Choice: Sorry, I know it's an impossible task

Seiji: How admirable of you. Though, this is quite unusual coming from the pushy Concertmistress of the Starlight Orchestra.

▷Choice: I'm glad to hear that 

Seiji: You're just like a little devil. It's almost scary if you're not aware of it.

Seiji: I'm stumped. But I'll try my best to make it happen since it's a request from our dear Concertmistress after all.

Seiji: I'll try to wrap everything up back home, and I'll come by the Orchestra if I manage to get everything done by Saturday.

Seiji: See you next week. Be good and wait for me, alright?

☆ ━━━━━━━ ∘◦♬Seiji’s Star♬◦∘ ━━━━━━━ ☆

Next Part: (Chapter 2)