#she left kevin and his dad somewhere she thought would be safe

[mariatesstruther]

ouchie i just came up with another maria/kevin backstory

[fallenandinlovewithhumanity]

Watched 9-1-1 for the first time (and caught up) Here are some unsolicited and unfiltered opinions about our fave gay firefighter show.

Bobby Nash: Must be protected at all costs. Traumatized dad doing his gosh darn best. So happy he is loved by the 118 and that he seems to be accepting that more now.

Athena Grant: There's a post out here somewhere about how people named after gods/goddess embody that deity. And Athena? Yeah she does exactly that. That woman deserves so much respect for the badass she is.

Howie "Chimney" Han: Silly goofy man who needs a hug and appreciation. His storyline with Kevin and every parallel to Albert made my heart hurt.

Evan "Buck" Buckley: Sweet baby boy, the firefighter Dean Winchester of another universe. I LOVE THIS MAN. Seeing him smile on screen is so infectiously amazing and I want to send a strongly worded letter to all the writers who are clearly trying to make sure I stay in the "fix-it" tag of Ao3. He is by far my comfort character in the show and someone needs to tell that man that he is loved.

Eddie Diaz: If I had to describe my type in two words it would be "Eddie Diaz." Holy fucking shit. (<- written by Buck.) But seriously, I've seen some stuff about how he's not the "best" latino representation because he does not have any specific cultural storylines ( I would love to see celebrations or other cultural things too, maybe for 8B and onward) but I for one feel represented plenty by his complicated relationship with expectations coming from his parents, partners (former or otherwise,) and himself.

Hen Wilson: GIVE THIS WOMAN A BREAK. I love her and it seems like she is always hurting when it comes to her family. Please give my queen a goddamn break. Some domestic bliss would do her kindly.

Maddie Buckley Han: When I say that I would die for her to be safe and happy, I mean it. The Buckley siblings have dealt with so much but Maddie, her storylines not only hit something compelling and dramatic but they are also too fucking real.

Christopher Diaz: I love him. Amazing. A fucking king. No Notes. Please come back to your dad(s).

Carla Price: LOVE THIS LOVELY HUMAN.

The Grant-Nash Fam: Harry and May are interesting characters and I really do love seeing them on screen, I understand why we see less of them though. Michael and David were lovely as well.

The Wilsons: Imma repeat what I said earlier, give them an episode where the biggest thing to happen is juice boxes getting left behind. They need a break. And give Karen more damn screen time that isn't just crying and fighting with Hen.

Josh Russo: the pre-Glee/ post Glee explanation was gold.

Captain Vincent Gerrard: Grumpy old man that needed a cozy job. Loved his "taking you under my wing" moment with Buck.

The Bigger Love Interests (Eddie):

Ana: I really liked her character, but saw how much anxiety was embedded into that relationship. She was never sure of her place and he was never sure he was ready.

Marisol: This felt weirdly rushed and like it happened mostly off screen. The nun thing was... catholic guilt intro I guess??

Shannon: Oof. The drama, the need for closure. I enjoyed having her on screen and I cried when she passed.

The Bigger Love Interests (Buck):

Abby: He was much more invested in the relationship and I think part of it was the circumstances but the way she left him was so damaging to his psyche. Not a fan.

Ali and Natalia: They did not leave a lasting impression on me. Though Natalia being interested in Buck because he died did raise some red flags.

Taylor: Listen... I love her fierce independence so much. But she did Buck so dirty. Trust issues and abandonment issues for Buck coming right back up.

Tommy: Narratively speaking, I tried to understand why he happened but I don't. His confusion at the beginning of the relationship just made me think that he just went along with what Buck thought he wanted. As a character, that man felt a bit one dimensional, and when he showed an ounce of personality it was always an interaction with Buck that made him feel lesser than. I feel blessed that man is off my screen.

The Writing/ The Plot:

At this point I am watching for the two idiots sharing a brain cell. But.. the disasters and plots are out of left field and really interesting. It takes a lot for a procedural type show to not fall into formulaic/ average 911 calls and I feel like at least one writer has a subreddit or something pinned to get ideas. I am far too invested in the 118 to leave now.

What do I ship at this point?

Buck and Eddie.

Athena and Bobby.

Maddie and Chim.

Hen and Karen.

Would I recommend this show?

Abso-fucking-lutely... if you enjoy some pain, I swear all these characters go through so much and the tissue boxes are not enough.

Thanks 9-1-1 for bringing me back to Tumblr.

And if anyone has headcanons, I would love to hear them!

[witchygagirlwrites]

Broken Bonds-Part 10

Former (ish) Greg "Mouse" Gerwitz x Reader, BabyDaddy! Jay Halstead x Reader

You get Jay a reminder that you would never separate him from Addy and start to relax into a routine. Mouse gets his end date

Warnings: the usual

“Is this dumb? This is dumb isn’t it” you were walking between Stella and Kevin out of a jewelry store. When you mentioned to the two of them what you were wanting to do they’d thrown their hats in the ring to help you and were now tasked with talking down the emotional pregnant lady from second guessing every single decision she was making. 

Kevin slipped his arm around your shoulders and tucked you into his side “No, it’s not dumb lil mama” Stella nodded in agreement “It’s really not” after seeing just how bad Matthew Riley’s case had gotten into Jay’s head you wanted to do something special for him to feel bonded to Adeline before she was born. It still broke your heart thinking of how he’d wrapped himself around you, begging you to not take her away from him.

For the last two weeks he’d ended up at your place more often than not. He never tried to touch you outside of your stomach and most nights he slept peacefully or would just lay there in the silence once he thought you were asleep and talk to her. You reached into your pocket and touched the small box you’d just picked up. It was a sterling silver chain with a st michael pendant and on the back of the pendant you’d had engraved “Stay safe dad. Love, Addy” 

“I just hope he likes it” you worried and Stella shook her head “He will! Now no more talk about anything that’s worrying you. You have your big sister, we have Kev. Let’s go get lunch and look at baby clothes and what clothes I’m gonna go buy you after you have her” You raised an eyebrow at her “And what clothes might those be?” she grinned at Kevin over your head before saying “Well little sister you’re being upgraded to a MILF. You gotta look the part” 

“STELLA!” you gasped and she started laughing before she winked at you “See? You haven’t thought about Jay or Mouse in the last few minutes. Give me and Kevin half an hour and you’ll be the most relaxed you’ve been in months. You deserve a day, considering you don’t have too much longer before little miss will be making her debut” she reached a hand out to brush against your stomach and you smiled when you felt Addy follow the path on the inside. “Ok. Whatever you two have planned I’m in” 

“So where is Y/N today?” Will asked Jay because for the last few weeks he hadn’t seen his brother without you being somewhere nearby. The two were at Jay’s place finishing the room there for Adeline since Jay and Kevin had finished the room at your place a few days before. 

“She’s with Kev and Stella. From what Stella told me when they picked her up they planned a day to just make her relax and have fun. I’m glad because she deserves it.” Jay said as they moved the crib to the corner of the room where he wanted it. 

“Yeah, the last few months have been a lot on her but she’s taken it all in stride” Will agreed, looking at the bassinet that was by the window then at Jay “How about you? Are you doing better?” Will knew about the fact that he’d been staying at your place a lot more than he should be. He knew he shouldn’t, he should be able to quiet his mind by trusting you. He knew you, knew you’d never take his baby girl from him but the last few moments of Matthew Riley’s life haunted him. The broken look in the man’s eyes as he lifted his gun “I don’t have anything left to lose”

“I’m trying. Dr Charles is helping a lot. I know I shouldn’t be staying at her place before you ever start” Jay felt the need to defend himself but Will held up his hands defensively “When did I say that?” Jay felt his shoulders loosen just slightly “What?” 

Will shrugged “You’re both adults Jay. If you know where you stand with each other and you staying there helps you keep your footing by all means continue as long as you need to” “But?” Jay asked, knowing there was a but. “But what happens if Mouse calls you while you’re with her? She’ll get hurt again, I mean is he going to come home to her or what?”

“I don’t know,” Jay answered with a shrug. You and him were slowly getting to the point of being painfully honest with each other. Rather it was all the platonic pillow talk or what he wasn’t sure but the two of you had breached subjects he hadn’t with Erin.  

He knew you still loved Mouse, and Mouse still loved you. Hell you’d told each other that much on the Zoom call. It was weird that he could feel resentment at the fact that he couldn’t hold the heart of the woman who carried his baby at the same time as having to care for the man who did.

He’d gone through too much with Mouse to turn that off. He was still his best friend no matter if it was one sided or not. You’d taken to not talking about Mouse to him unless he brought him up and he wasn’t sure rather to be grateful or not. Were you simply not wanting to talk about him or not wanting to trigger another moment of worry?

He loved you, he knew that much. It wasn’t a drop to his knees and beg you to choose him way but you had gotten pregnant in a less than desired circumstance and despite other options you chose to keep his baby, give his baby his last name and was allowing him to be at your side to raise her. When he struggled you didn’t hesitate to pull him to his feet. You were so damn strong even in your weak moments. How the hell could anyone know you and not love you in some way?

“I just want to make sure my niece has both her parents come out mostly unscathed” Will assured him with a smile before slapping his shoulder “C’mon. We’re done here. Let me buy you lunch”

Mouse had finally gotten an end date. He figured it up and if his math was right yours and Jay’s baby would be about six months old when he got out. That meant he needed to start looking at what he wanted to do when he got out.  His heart wanted you, more than anything. It didn’t matter to it that you were having his best friend’s baby. You were still his, weren’t you?

He’d gotten an offer, for afterwards. It was a good one. One that meant he wouldn’t be sitting on the sidelines and would still know he was the good guy and have the structure he so desperately needed. He wanted to talk to you about it, hell he wanted to talk to Jay about it. That was the worst thing in all this. He felt so damn alone because his instinct was to talk to Jay when his head got fucked. 

He didn’t hate Jay. Even if he had threatened to kill him he still didn’t hate him. Jay was a decent man, he’d take care of you and your baby. At least if it happened it happened with someone decent, someone you knew and trusted. As bad as the thought of the love of his life giving birth to his best friend’s baby crushed his heart, the idea of you being connected to a random stranger struck even worse somehow.

If he took the offer that would give you the space to figure out what you wanted, what was needed for you and your daughter. Your daughter. Just thinking that made him stop in his tracks at times. You were going to be a mother. How many times had he dreamt of seeing you pregnant? Of feeling his child move in your stomach and being there to support you as you brought his child into the world? 

Now Jay was experiencing his dream and he couldn’t even bring himself to truly hate him. He’d left you. You were a force of nature. Beautiful, smart, chaotic, took care of everyone around you and so damn strong even when you felt your weakest. A small part of him wondered if there had been an attraction there between you and Jay while he was there but he knew you better than that. Brutally honest was one of your qualities. You would rather slap somebody with the truth than comfort them with a lie because that’s how you’d rather them treat you.

The fact remained that he had a decision to make and ached to talk to you about it but knew it would probably cause you stress so that was out of the question. Jay was his point of contact so he’d find out sooner or later he had an end date. Should he just bite the bullet and call him? What if you were there and it stressed you? Christ if something happened to your baby because of him he’d never forgive himself. 

He decided to just send Jay an email. That way he didn’t have to talk to him but he could tell you he was alive so you wouldn’t worry and if he wanted to talk they could schedule a time. He hadn’t bothered getting a phone card after that zoom call. He couldn’t hear your voice regularly and hold it together. It was hard enough when his mind started working against him, like when he tried to sleep and memories started replacing his hands on your body with Jays. He definitely couldn’t be kept up to date with day to day stuff and stay sane in a war zone. He got why you told you, he appreciated that you wanted it coming from you, even if it took you a while to tell him. He just couldn’t handle it all.

You had tears coming out of your eyes when you saw how Kevin was dressed. Somehow the three of you had ended up in a thrift store and Kevin had found a hot pink leopard print tracksuit that was miraculously in his size and decided the best option was to try it on.

You were currently laughing hard enough you were having to support your belly with one hand and hold onto the wall with the other “My god Atwater I fuckin love you” you gasped between laughs. He flexed his arms “Oh c’mon now. You know I look good” you shook your head “I’ll buy it on the condition that I can find Kelly and Adam ones to match” he grinned at that “Alright, bet”

This was the most fun you’d had in months. You weren’t worried about anyone talking about you, or either man. You were with your sister and best friend doing goofy shit and not having to think for a little while. It was fucking glorious even if it was freezing outside. “Look Kev! She’s laughing!” Stella gasped, grabbing her chest like she was in such shock. You rolled your eyes “Turns out I am indeed still capable of it” she grinned and started clapping “Hallelujah babygirl. Bout time you figured it out”

The closer your due date got it was like the cloud that had marked the first half of your pregnancy had never existed. Yeah there were still hurdles. No field work was a bitch, the whole Mouse/Jay thing wasn’t ideal but Adeline was your baby. She had a group of people waiting to meet her who would go to literal war for her. No matter the circumstance her father was a good man who already loved her and cared about you. There were worse things that could’ve happened. 

Kevin headed home around three so you ended up going out for dinner with Stella and Kelly. You loved seeing them together and how happy he made your sister, even if it hurt at times. When they dropped you off at your place you were beyond exhausted and ready for a warm shower and some sleep.

Kelly of course, walked you to the door. Once he was back to the car you waved then closed the door. You stripped your jacket off, pulling the small box out to put it on your side table so you could give it to Jay soon. You tossed your jacket into the closest and kicked your boots off before going in search of something comfortable and warm to sleep in that you could still halfway fit into. 

The winning vote was the big CFD hoodie Kelly had ordered for you when he figured out his old ones wouldn’t fit big for long along with a pair of the maternity leggings Stella got you. 

________________________________________

You were about to crawl into bed when your phone rang. You cut your eyes at it to see Jay’s name so instead of answering you walked out of your room and across the apartment to answer the door. He stood there with a small smile “Hey” “Hey” you greeted before moving to let him in.

He stepped in and turned to close and lock the door behind himself before turning to you. He looked at your stomach then grimaced “I can’t touch her. My hands are freezing” you laughed lightly “It’s ok. Hey, I got you something” 

“You got me something?” he asked so you nodded. “Stay here” he watched you walk out the room with a raised eyebrow “Sweetheart, do you want me to follow you because honestly you’re looking like it’s hurting” “Oh hush!” you laughed over your shoulder once you made it to the room and grabbed the box off your side table.

You walked back into the living room and held it out to him. “Here. It’s um it’s really from Adeline. I’m just the delivery person” one of those smiles that you hoped she inherited slipped across his face and he put a hand on your stomach “You got me something Addy?”

You watched him as he opened the box and pulled the chain out to look at it. His smile softened then his eyes started to water “Y/N…sweetheart. You didn’t have to do this” you took the chain from his hand and motioned for him to lean down as you unlatched the chain. 

When he did you leaned up and relatched the chain around his neck before moving the pendant around to rest near the base of his neck. You cut your eyes up and realized he was already looking at you “Now anytime you need the reminder, you know you will always have Addy waiting for you to come home to her. No matter what”

He brought one of his hands up to grip the side of your face “You are so fucking amazing and no matter why I am happy you’re the mother of my child” you smiled “I’m happy you’re her father. Now are you staying here tonight because I am asleep on my feet here”

He shrugged “If it’s ok” you nodded “Of course. C’mon” and grabbed his hand then headed back to your room. 

You woke up hot, a lot hotter than you’d gone to sleep. When you tried to turn over you realized why when you felt the weight of Jay’s arm around your waist and his palm spread across your stomach. Your eyes widened at the position. Even after sharing the bed quite a few times you hadn’t even woken up in his arms the morning after sleeping with him.

The sound of his email alert chiming made him slowly open his eyes “If that’s a junk email I fuckin swear” he moved his arm from around you to grab his phone and slid up to rest back against the headboard. You curled up on your side facing him and was almost back asleep when he shook you gently “Y/N…sweetheart. You’re going to want to read this”

You cut your eyes up at him so he helped you to move up the bed to sit next to him before handing over his phone which was open to an email from Mouse. Jay, I know we haven’t spoken since that zoom call and well I'll leave it at that. I got an end date on my contract. If my math is right your daughter will have just turned six months old when I get stateside. I hope the pregnancy is going well and she’s healthy. I hope Y/N is doing good and that she’s happy. She better be happy man or I’ll make good on that threat. Look, I got an offer to join the marshal service when I get out. I’ll go straight to Glynco for 18 weeks then I don’t know from there. I don’t want to stress her Jay. I don’t want to risk her health but I do love her and always will. I don’t know where things are with you and her and I don’t know if I even want to know but we probably do need to talk man to man. Keep her safe, Mouse

He was coming home. In months. Months. In the span of the next year you and Jay would be parents and facing Mouse. “Are you going to talk to him?” you asked quietly and he nodded “Yeah, I owe him” then he cut his eyes at you “Do you want me to get him to talk to you?” you started to say yes, to leap at the chance but stopped and really thought about it. “I don’t know”

@allisonargent144

Part 11

@desimarie12

@waywardhunter95

[the--blackdahlia]

Safe & Sound Chapter 7

Title: Safe & Sound Chapter 7

Summary: Shane McMahon was not made to live in the Capitol, to just sit by and watch his father’s reign. After running away, he sees the true product of his family’s greed, and with his newfound family, he decides to undo what has already been done.

Warnings: Language, angst, violence, more as I write it

Shane hadn’t seen this much food in a long time. Owen had never seen this much. The two were staring at the table that had the rest of the tributes sitting around it. Seeing everyone digging in made Shane flashback to one of the many parties the Capital would host. Where people would binge and then purge just to binge some more. It made him shutter a little bit.

“Boys, I know I’m pretty, but you don’t need to stand there and stare at me.” Sable told them, waving them over to the table. “You can sit and enjoy the view too.” Owen was pulled down to sit by Lita, while Shane found a space between Kevin and Dustin.

“So, has anyone thought of an arena name yet?” Kurt asked.

“What is the point of an arena name?” Gregory asked. Lita rolled her eyes.

“If they give us a name like a dog, they can treat us like a dog,” She told him. “They strip you of your identity, and you never existed. That’s how they can get away with no guilt for seriously injuring or killing us.”

“Oh.” Gregory nodded, suddenly not wanting to admit that he had already given himself an arena name.

“Well, I’m just going with my name. Sable.” Sable flicked her hair.

“Isn’t a Sable a ferret?” Kevin asked, taking a bite of his food.

“What? No. A Sable is a majestic creature that shows status.”

“Yeah, pretty sure it’s a ferret they make coats out of.”

“I’m going to skin you like a ferret if you don’t shut the fuck up.” Sable growled, holding up a silver butter knife. Kevin chuckled and shook his head. Conversation was flowing, and Shane honestly couldn’t believe it. In about a month, they would be trying to attack each other, but right now, they were all acting like friends.

“You okay?” Shane asked Dustin, who was not participating in any of the conversation. He wasn’t laughing as Jesse or Billy’s dumb jokes, or the endless teasing to Kurt. 

“Fine.” Dustin grumbled. He pushed his plate away. “I’m going to my quarters.” He walked off. Shane looked around, noticing that everyone was otherwise distracted, especially Owen, he was getting attention from Beth and Lita. He got up and followed Dustin, Kevin noticing as he left.

“Hey, wait.” Shane called out. “Dustin!”

“Leave me alone.”

“Something is bothering you. I can help.”

“Yeah. Can you get my wife and son out of the clutches of the Capital?” Dustin turned, staring at him. Shane stood there.

“What?” Shane asked.

“My wife and son were taken from our home. My wife, Terri, thought she was taking a job in our district. But instead, the fucking entitled President had her and my son, Cody, taken from me.”

“How old?” Shane asked. “Your son.”

“He was one the last time I saw him. He’s about two and a half now.” Dustin closed his eyes, thinking back to the day he came home from work to find his wife and son gone. How one of his neighbors told him what happened. How he showed up at his dad’s ranch, tears falling. “I need to win this. I need to use the leverage to get them back home.”

“Dustin, I’m so sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry for? You’re not one of those monsters.”

Shane wanted to come clean, but who knew who was listening. If his father hadn’t noticed him by now, with his face plastered all over the Capital as one of the Tributes, then he never would. But he was afraid if he said it out loud, the wrong person would hear.

“Get back to the party.” Dustin told him. “I need some time alone.” Shane nodded and took his leave. Dustin looked back out the window, looking out over the bright, neon lights of the Capital. Terri and Cody were out there somewhere. He had to find them.

“Dustin.” A voice spoke up behind him.

“Shane, I said to leave me alone.”

“Not Shane.” Dustin turned to see Kevin standing there.  “I think you and I need to talk.”

****

Shawn was enjoying a drink at the bar. He wouldn’t have as much contact with Owen and Shane until the upcoming days, and he was a little lonely and nervous. So he did the only thing he could think of. He drank.

“You told me you hated alcohol.” The person who took the stool next to him said. “But I think a lot of things have changed since we last saw each other.”

“Do I know you?” Shawn asked, trying to place the face. The man chuckled.

“The years have been better to you than to me,” He told him. “It’s Marty.” Shawn’s eyes widened.

“Fucking hell.” Shawn sat down his glass. “Where the hell have you been? The last time I saw you, you were being cared for by the doctor.”

“I’ve been here,” Marty explained. “Never got to leave the Capital. I work in the Tribute Village.”

“I see.” Shawn nodded. “You never told me you were okay. I thought you and Hunter were both dead.”

“Hunter?”

“Oh, the Game. He was your replacement.” Shawn sighed. “At least I have some closure.”

“Shawn, The Game, Hunter, he’s still alive.”

“What?” Shawn’s eyes were wide. “But they told me his KO was he was dead.

“No, he’s very much alive,” Marty told him. “Have you ever heard of Blue Blood?”

“The unlucky guy who is the President’s daughter’s betrothed?”

“That’s the one. Shawn, that’s Hunter.”

[writingjoycebyers]

A/N: Heyyy ! I was in the mood for some Jopper heartbreak, based on my own ideas and not on a prompt. I‘d appreciate any constructive feedback. My inbox and dm‘s are open <3 Enjoy!!! xx writingjoycebyers

JOPPER AU - Gave you all the best years of my life - A one shot songfic

idea based on the song „Rock & Roll I gave you the best years of my life“, gif source at the end

Rating: Mature - heartbreak (sorry!),very slightly nsfw, serious case of romantic simping.

I can still remember when I bought my first guitar

Remember walking from the shop to put it proudly in my car

„It‘s so pretty!“, Joyce said, her small hand wandering across the wooden guitar that was securely stored in her lap. Hop was steering the car, carefully eyeing his best friend as she held his new treasure, his baby.

„So what songs are you gonna try first?“, she asked curiously. She knew Hopper had been practicing with some guitars at school for some time already, and she loved the sparkle in his eyes whenever he was playing. The shiny blue, the happiness radiating from his gaze whenever he could fiddle a tune. The light in his eyes and smile had grown to no end when just fifteen minutes ago he had fulfilled his dream of buying his own guitar finally - a graduation gift from his parents, they had given him the money to go and choose the instrument of his dreams. „You never can tell.“, he said. „Chuck Berry.“

Hopper smiled over at her for a second before putting his eyes back on the road. „Dunno, there‘s so much great music. Maybe even write a song myself?“, he said with a proud smirk, eyeing the dark brown six string. Joyce chuckled, he looked at the guitar as if he was in love, as if the guitar was a very pretty girl. And yeah, he probably was in love with it, with music. Joyce found his passion beautiful as they drove through the Indiana summer afternoon, the car‘s windows down and freedom lurking around the corner, graduation just a few days away. She felt light and free, safe and in place with her best friend by her side. Her best friend - Jim Hopper, who looked at a guitar the way she sometimes wished he‘d look at her. She turned the radio up and held the guitar tight as Hopper had to stop at a traffic light on their way home. She could not wait to hear him play.

___________

And my family listened fifty times to my two song repertoire

I told my Mom her only son was gonna be a star

A week before graduation Joyce was at the Hopper‘s for dinner. It was past nine already and they were all out in the Hopper‘s large backyard - her, Jim and his parents. Dinner was long eaten and the sun had gone down when Joyce sat on a garden bench next to Elaine, Jim‘s mother. She felt so at home with them, sometimes even more at home than at her own place, with her mother barely there, chasing her lovers around the state, and her father having left a few years ago, to start a new family and leaving his first born daughter behind in Hawkins, Indiana. Joyce had grown into the Hopper household without anyone actively noticing, being around a few times a week for homework, dinner or just to hang out with Jim after school.

Elaine squeezed Joyce‘s hand tightly as Jim played a tune on his guitar in the dark of the garden, the warm summer night around their bodies as Jim‘s dad went inside to get another beer. Hop's mother held Joyce‘s hand even tighter in a moment she saw Jim giving Joyce a smile whilst playing. The blonde woman leaned over to Joyce and whispered into her ear, making Joyce Horowitz, tough as she normally was, blush like crazy.

„You two would make such a sweet couple. I say it again and again.“

Joyce looked at Elaine next to her with her dark, deep eyes, giving her an insecure smile.

„He talks about you all the time“, she added, shrugging her shoulders as Joyce giggled sheepishly. There was some truth in the elder woman‘s words, and although Joyce and her had had some heart to heart talks in the past, they were just crossing a new line. Neither Hop nor Joyce had actively confessed any feelings, but Joyce knew the tingling feeling in her gut became harder to ignore with every hug, with every funny car ride, with every hang out at Lover‘s Lake. She just had not thought it was that obvious, especially not to Hopper‘s mother.

Later that night, Jim‘s parents had long gone to bed, the two friends ended up on that bench, the guitar on the bench on Jim‘s left, his all time best friend close to him on his right. They talked about music, dreams and the future, as suddenly her head dropped down on his shoulder, and his strong arm found his way around her shoulders a few minutes later. The guitar was forgotten for that night, their minds focussed on each other as they held each other tight long into the night.

_________________

Well I bought all the Beatles records, sounded just like hall

Or Buddy Holly or Chuck Berry's, seventy-eight in all

And I sat by my record player playing every note they played

I watched them all on TV, copied every move they made

The days before graduation, Hopper had nothing left to do for school. Joyce was busy preparing prom night with some other girls, having joined the committee earlier this year, so he did not get to see much of her. He did find something to occupy himself with, drowning in music as he usually did, though he found his mind wandering off more often then not, to the moment on that bench, her small hand in his, her smell, her smile. Every Chuck Berry song would make him day dream about swirling her around on the dancefloor on Prom Night, every Beach Boys song would make him see her in a sundress in the California Sun.

Oh, Rock'n'Roll I gave you all the best years of my life

All the dreamy sunny Sundays, all the moonlit summer nights

California. Frisco. A stupid little dream they had developed together. He‘d write songs and she‘d work in a café or a bookshop, enjoying life for some time before she wanted to enter college, before he‘d maybe get a contract for his own songs, make a record. It was a stupid little dream, but Joyce in a sundress - he could imagine that.

I was so busy in the bed room, writing love songs to you

She was at school preparing Prom, and he was glued to the TV, watching a Beatles concert as he tried some new tunes. Her birthday was coming up too, and he was planning on giving her a special present, on finally spilling the details about his hidden feelings for her. Joyce in a sundress, was that a good title for a song?

But you were changing your direction and I never even knew

That I was always just one step behind you

Joyce was at school, helping with the chairs and tables to set up the gym for Prom as her friend Karen approached her. Joyce was busy unfolding some chairs and the girls chatted for a bit. Karen would bring her boyfriend Ted to Prom, a guy who was in college already, and so the talk of college began. Karen was surprised when she heard Joyce, bookish little Joyce with the good grades, would take a gap year, work or maybe even go to California for some time, enjoy life and not study, like she usually did.

„I always thought college was your number one dream, Joy.“, Karen smiled. „Seems like love changes us all.“, she smirked, hinting on Joyce‘s plan to follow Hopper to the coast for some time.

Without really wanting it, it made Joyce think. Was it his dream or hers? Could they really dream together? Oh, she was probably just confused with prom around the corner. Typical teenage angst - she‘d do the right thing, they‘d always done the right thing - together.

_________________________

On Prom night, Jim Hopper kissed Joyce Horowitz on the mouth as they danced in the crowd, bodies sweaty and limbs exhausted from all the dancing and standing, hands entangled at their sides as the world around the, the students, the lights, the music, went silent. That night, Joyce Horowitz and Jim Hopper turned from friends to lovers, ending their night in his small bed, kissing each other with a curiosity that kept them awake til the early morning hours, When the sun went up, he showed her his song for her, and she laughed, embarassed and touched by his sudden rush of feelings, as she went to grab his small pocket knife.

Ever since then, J.H. & J.H. was carved into the back of his wooden guitar, a sign lasting over time, a sign lasting longer than they would, and longer than Jim Hopper would own his first guitar.

__________________________

Prom week and the summer flew by, and Jim Hopper and Joyce Horowitz from Hawkins, Indiana packed their bags and took his old truck up north to California, up north into a new life. She found it thrilling really, a perfectly romantic adventure as she watched him drive into the sunrise the day they left their hometown, before falling asleep beside him in the passenger seat of his car, feeling safe and sound with no thoughts of the future. There was no work, no college, no money - There was just J.H. & J.H.

Well, sixty-six seemed like the year I was really goin' somewhere

I was living in San Francisco wearing flowers in my hair

Singing songs of kindness so the world would understand

The guys and me thought wer were more than just another band

Five months later Jim had found a decent band to play with, working the nights in a beach bar as the boys covered songs of the most popular artists of the time. He worked the nights, she worked the days in a cafe by the sea, and quickly, J.H. & J.H. began to miss each other terribly. They lived together, sharing a small room in an appartment complex, but they seldomly got to really be together.

Joyce would sometimes go to the bar at night, and she still loved to hear him play and sing, but so did many other women. She preferred the nice and quiet of her room way too often, cuddled up next to the record player, imagening it was him singing her a song in his parents‘ garden in good old Hawkins, Indiana.

Oh, Rock'n'Roll I gave you all the best years of my life

All the crazy, lazy young days, all the magic moony nights

I was so busy on the road, singing love songs to you

But you were changing your direction and you never even knew

That I was always just one step behind you

It was another saturday night when she was occupying a small table in the last corner of the bar, reading a book despite the place being loud and crowded, as suddenly a guy approached the empty chair next to her.

„Good evening, young lady, is that seat taken?“, the tall man asked. He was wearing a leather jacket, and his hair was styled with a lot of gel. „My name is Lonnie, by the way.“

Jim Hopper eyed the scene from the other end of the room, singing some Elvis Presley love song as he saw the spark in his girlfriend‘s eyes be rekindled by the words of another man.

__________________________________

The door fell into it‘s lock with the familar click Joyce had not forgotten in the nine months she had been away from her home in Hawkins, Indiana. „Yeah, this is it.“, she smiled, walking around the empty first floor. Not much had changed, and her mother wasn‘t even there. „Lon?“, she asked, as she did not get a response to her little house tour, realising her boyfriend was still outside carrying their bags from the car to the house.

As he walked in, she smiled at him, and kissed him sweetly. He let the bags drop to the floor and she felt his hands wrap around her waist as their kiss intensified with every breath. She was glad to be home.

„My old room‘s upstairs.“, she whispered. He followed her, and she opened the wooden door to the small space under the roof, a room from another life. A life where she had a picture of Hop and here hanging on the wall next to her door. J.H. & J.H. She swallowed hard as she saw it, quickly placing herself in front of it before Lonnie could see it. Her heart began to race, and it wasn‘t because of the way Lonnie‘s hands were exploring her sides now, as they made their way to the bed.

As they let their bodies drop onto the bed, her pulse had calmed down a little. It was J.H. & L.B. now.

______________________

Five years later, J.H. & L.B. have become J.B. & L.B. - It‘s a rainy sunday afternoon and she‘s in the kitchen, making tea as the TV plays in the living room. She‘s just carrying the cup over to the coffee table when a song comes on on TV, Chuck Berry. You never can tell.

She freezes in the middle of her movements as memory hits her like a wall, his face in front of her inner eye, that sparkling blue of his eyes, his wooden guitar in her lap as the summer breeze caresses her face.

Which songs are you gonna try first? - Dunno, there‘s so much good music. - You never can tell. Chuck Berry.

Where might he be now? Frisco? New York? Paris or London?

She‘s ripped from her thoughts as she hears noises upstairs, a sharp cry, the cry of a baby. Jonathan‘s awake. She rubs her tired eyes and brushes her bangs out of her face as she makes her way upstairs. Lonnie should be home by now.

—————————————

Seventy-one in Soho, when I met Suzanne

I was trying to go it solo with someone else's band

She listened to my problems and she seemed to understand

When she came up to me softly and she took me by the hand

And she followed me to London to a hundred hotel rooms

To a hundred record companies who didn't like my tunes

„What do you mean they did not like it?“, the blonde woman asked Hopper.

„They said it‘s a stupid title.“, he said in defeat, letting his old, worn out guitar drop down on the bed next to his girlfriend.

„Which song did you play?“, she insisted.

„Joy...— I mean, Girl in a sundress.“

„Jim, I don‘t like to say it, but I also don‘t think it‘s a potential hit, it‘s...“,

„I thought it was special.“, he whispered, looking at Suzanne as her hand found his cheek.

_____________________________

And she followed me back to Indiana when I finally sold my old guitar

I'm never gonna be a star.

I'm just a plain old Country boy and that's all I'll ever be.

Jim Hopper returned to Hawkins, Indiana in 1972, married. He sat at Enzo‘s with his wife one night, talking about his new job with the police as outside the window he saw a woman, short, dark hair in a messy bun, a toddler on her arm, and another little boy walking next to her. Joyce in a sundress.

_______________________________

Oh, Rock'n'Roll I gave you all the best years of my life

All the dreamy sunny Sundays, all the moonless summer nights

Oh, I never knew the magic I'm making it with you

I'm getting along with a Country song doing what I wanna do

When I was always just one step behind you.

__________

A/N:

(the gif at the beginning is not mine, i found it on pinterest and this is the source)

Also I found so many versions of the song that I didn't knew which lyrics to use. Here have a good mixture. 😂

Pleeeeease give me feedback and let me know how you like my original fic content. I sometimes struggle with prompts and hope you enjoy this too. Oh and. Reblogs. Comments? I simp for that.

I‘M THIS SORRY FOR THE HEARTBREAK:

[jawritter]

Living With Regret

Summary: Death can be hard to deal with in any aspect, but when you’re in the life, it's something you deal with all to often, and carry with you until it's your turn to burn.

Warnings: Angst, Drinking, mentions of OC character death, swearing, hints of depression. I think that's it.

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Word Count: 2387

A/N: This is a Patreon Exclusive that I’m bringing to Tumblr as a way to celebrate the return of my electricity! LOL! Please do not copy my work! This fic is unbeta'd, so all mistakes are mine!! I hope you all enjoy this one!!

Want more? Check out my Masterlist! Not on Patreon yet? Check the link below and for just two bucks a month you can get exclusive stories and make request!

**MASTERLIST**     **BECOME A PATREON**

The hunt was bad, very bad. You had lost a friend, another piece to the puzzle of your heart now gone permanently from you, leaving a new hole to form a hard callous over. You wondered ideally as you pulled your duffle off your shoulder, and dropped it onto your bed if you would ever get used to losing people, or would ever one hurt as bad as the first time?

You knew hunting was hard when you’d gotten into it, but how could you live in a world that monster existed in, and not try and fight back? To you that would have been just like rolling over and giving up. 

 When that Werewolf back in your hometown had killed your parents, you had readily joined the Winchesters. Much to Dean’s dismay, he would have rather you go on to try and live a normal life, but how were you supposed to do that after what had happened to you? Nothing had ever been fixed by anyone burying your head in the sand, and pretending that it didn’t exist in hopes it would all go away. 

You had been with the boys since John had died. So it was safe to say that you had been with them long enough to know that no matter how much you were hurting right now Dean was hurting that much worse. 

He didn’t know Ben very well, but he carried the same name as Lisa’s son. That alone had opened up some bad memories for Dean anyway. Tonight though, as you watched your friend’s body burn, you could see it in Dean’s eyes, regret. 

He didn’t open up very often to anyone. Dean had walls that would have made the architects of Jericho jealous. Marching around those bad boys for seven days wouldn’t have done shit, because you had been marching around them for years and to no avail. 

You had always carried a torch for the elder Winchester. Even though you weren’t dumb enough to tell him that. If Dean thought anyone was getting too close to him he’d push them away as a way of “keeping them safe,” because he believed that he had some target painted on his ass that would doom anyone he cared about. 

The two of you had somewhat of a “friends with benefits” arrangement that worked out well for the life that you lived, and you were determined that if that part of him was all you could have, then that would be enough.

Dean had two settings after a rough hunt, he’d either be in here tearing your clothes off, and using you as a way to erase some of the pain he felt for just a little while, or he’d shut down completely for days and not let anyone in. Looks like tonight was going to be the latter. 

You rummage around in your special stash of whiskey that you keep for special occasions, and a couple of tumblers before heading to Dean’s room. If Dean wanted to shut down and block everyone out then you knew the only way to stop it was to force your way in, well as far as you could anyway, and try to pull it out of him. 

Dean was the kind of guy that carried things with him. He never let it go. Never. He held onto things better than a nun with a grudge. He carried every loss, every mistake, every failure, and he would take it to his grave. You attributed that to John Winchester’s A+ parenting. 

Dean was always to be the perfect son and in turn the perfect soldier. Even though you know Dean as an adult now realized that John was nothing but a narcissistic, abusive asshole, he was his dad, and it still hurt, and he still carried the way he raised him. 

You didn’t bother knocking on the door of Dean’s room. It was cracked away. So you just pushed it open, and Dean barely even turned to look at you from his position on the bed with his headphones in place. You could faintly hear the classic rock music blaring through them. Probably hoping it would be loud enough to drown out whatever voices in his head that was screaming at him tonight. 

He pulled the headphones off with a sigh, and set them on his nightstand next to his bed, giving you a weak smile as he shoved over to give you sitting room, and taking one of the tumblers and the whiskey from your hand. 

“Spill Winchester?” you said, flopping down next to him dramatically, trying to keep this conversation as light as possible so that Dean wouldn’t just shut down, and stop talking. If you could even get him to start that is. 

Dean let out a long exasperated sigh as he poured a healthy three fingers to each glass. 

“Just… I don’t know. I guess I’m just tired tonight, sweetheart. I'll be fine in the morning.” Dean said, taking a generous drink from his glass. You stared at him with narrow eyes until he snorted a sarcastic laugh, and shook his head. “Okay, so you didn’t buy that then.” 

“How long have we known each other, De? I think I can tell when you're bullshitting me by now,” you state matter of factly, watching him closely as you take a sip of your drink.

Dean licked his lips before pulling his plump bottom lip between his perfect white teeth, eyes a thousand miles away from this room. 

“I guess I’m just tired of losing people, Y/N/N. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there fast enough to save Ben. I’m sorry you had to burn your friend’s body tonight.”

You watched him closely, knowing full well that wasn’t even a scratch on the surface of what was really going on with Dean. You had known him too long. You decided to play along anyway, and see if you could get him to open up to you a little.

“Dean, it’s part of the job. Ben knew the risk, and it didn’t matter how fast we got there it was too late. He drew the short straw. It could have easily been any one of us. At least now Ben can rest, at least now he doesn’t have to fight anymore.” 

You hoped you sounded convincing because right now you weren’t even sure about how much rest people got in death. You had killed enough ghosts and fought enough Demons to know that you didn’t always get a white robe, and a beach house on the shores of paradise when you died.

Dean nodded his head, and took a long drink from his glass, polishing it off, and refilling it before settling into his pillow that was propped against his headboard. His eyes looked distant and dark, and you knew that even if you got him to open up just a little tonight, it would scratch the surface of horrors Dean had seen in his life.

“I have lost so many people. Friends, family, other hunters that died way before their time like Ben. He would have been pretty close to Ben’s age by now, he may have been only a few years older than the Ben I knew.” 

Dean’s eyes shifted over to you carefully. You sat quietly and just waited for him to continue. Determined not to push him in any way.

“I will never not regret exposing them to this life, even if Cas did erase their memories,”  Dean said, shaking his head, and playing with the string on his sweatpants. 

“You mean because you still love Lisa?” you asked, mentally slapping yourself before for not keeping your mouth shut, and asking him something so personal. Dean chuckled at the shocked look on your face, knowing damn well you didn’t mean to say that.

“No, I never loved Lisa. She was… Comfort when I needed the distraction after Sam went to the cage. Then, when I found out Sam was back, she was a burden. She never supported me. No matter what I never fit into her perfect little Stepford husband, picture-perfect family. 

You must have had a shocked look on your face because Dean chuckled again into his glass before he refilled yours.  “Don’t look so shook, sweetheart.” 

“Sorry,” you mumbled, looking down at the brown liquor in your glass, and avoiding Dean’s watchful gaze.  

“I guess, I just always thought that you loved her because you told Sam to never bring her up again.” 

Dean nodded his head thoughtfully. “That was regret talking. I felt like shit because I felt like I ruined their lives. When I should have just left them alone. If I would have just left them alone, then Lisa wouldn't have gotten possessed, and almost died, and Bed would have maybe had a real dad.” 

You thought about that in silence for a long time before taking a sip of your drink again. Letting it burn all the way down to your toes, warming you, pushing the cold you felt inside away for just a little while.

“I guess I haven’t really ‘loved’ anyone, since Cassie,” Dean said. Now that a crack in the dam had formed, it all seemed to be waiting to flood out, and you were more than willing to listen. 

“I told her things about me no one else knew. I trusted her, and she ripped my heart out. Not once, but twice. After that, I’ve never really been able to let go again. Never really could trust another woman. I wouldn’t let myself get close to anyone. Well, anyone except you.” Dean said, giving her a half-hearted smile before turning his attention back to his spot he’d been staring at on the wall. 

“I carry so much regret. Things I could have changed but wasn’t good enough or fast enough to change. Joe and Ellen died because of me. Ash died because of me. Bobby died trying to save me. I left Jack alone with mom knowing that he was unstable, so that’s on me too. Kevin is somewhere staggering around a ghost that I will probably have to hunt and salt and burn one day. That’s because of me. I let myself get close to one woman, and she fucked me up so bad that I can’t get past it, and that’s because of me.”

Dean let out a dry laugh before his eyes turned to meet yours. “I can’t look back on one damn thing I’ve done in my life that I can say I’m proud of. Except for maybe the fact that Sammy turned out okay. Other than that I was never good enough, and I never will be.” 

If your heart could have stopped beating, and you still be breathing, at that moment you were almost sure that’s what had happened. The truth in his little declaration, or at least the truth as he saw it, was enough to break your heart into an unfixable, shattered mess. 

If only he could see what you saw. Someone who was smart, handsome, funny, charismatic, talented, strong, a hero. One who had endured more hurt and heartache than any one person should ever have to in their life. Someone who was constantly cut down, and underrated. Someone who deserved so much better than what this life had given him. Someone who deserved love, whether he believed it or not.

In a momentarily fit of bravery, you reached across the empty space in between you, and grabbed his hand in your own. Dean looked down and smiled a little, lacing his fingers with yours before bringing the back of your hand up to his lips, brushing a quick peck across your skin. 

“Dean, you can’t blame yourself for everything that goes wrong, John was an asshole, Cassie was a bitch, Lisa was an unsupportive moron who didn’t realize what she had, Jo? Well, Jo died a hero, just like she always wanted. Ash and everyone else knew the dangers of this life, just like Ben did, and you can’t carry all that with you all the time. Dean, you’ve saved so many people. The good outways the bad, trust me.”

Dean’s eyes searched yours for a moment before he leaned in and closed the distance between you, brushing his lips lightly over your own before kissing you slowly. It was a tender thing, one that was laced with fear, and hurt, and regret, something that Dean would always live with no matter what you say to him. 

This life comes with some form of regret to everyone, but no one should have to shoulder it all alone. If he’d ever just let you, you’d gladly help to shoulder some of his burdens, but tonight was not the night to talk about that. 

Tonight, tonight Dean just needed you to be close to him. So that’s what you intended to do. 

When Dean finally broke the kiss he leaned his forehead against your own, taking a deep breath before pulling the covers back, offering her a spot next to him. “Stay with me tonight baby girl?” he said in more of a plea than a question. You smiled and nodded, making yourself comfortable in his arms as his lips brushed over your own again after he flipped the lights off on the old lamp sitting on his bedside table.

Dean didn’t know how to tell you yet, but you made him feel things he never thought he’d feel again. Having you this close to him right now, made his heart feel like it could beat a little easier. He could feel himself falling for you as you fell asleep in his arms. He wouldn’t tell you though, not right now. He did vow that it would be soon because tomorrow wasn’t promised, and he was determined that this time, this time he could finally have that thing he was missing the most in the shitstorm of regret, hurt, and scars, and that was you. The piece that had been missing all along. He may have lived his whole life with regret, but that didn’t mean he had to die in it, and whether you knew it or not, you gave him something he never thought he’d have again… Hope.

Forever Tags: @deanmonandnegansbitch​ @hayleeharling​ @flamencodiva​ @coldmuffinbanditshoe​ @bxbyizzy​ @rain-dance-goblin​ @itmejado​ @supernatural3002​ @teresa-67​ @deanwanddamons​ @rvgrsbrns​ @bi-danvers0​ @onethirstyunicorn​ @i-love-superhero​ @akshi8278​ @lyss-dw79​ @magssteenkamp​ @lemondropirwin​ @squirrelnotsam​ @hobby27​ @spnbaby-67​ @mrsjenniferwinchester​ @defenderrosetyler​ @screechingartisancashbailiff​ @thecreatiivecorner​ @aflamboyanceofgays @vicmc624​ @busy-bee-angel-misska​ @justanotherwinchester​ @brilovesdeanwinchester​ @idksupernatural​ @lyarr24 @amandamdiehl​ @love-jackles-37-blog​ @miraclesoflove​ @Waywardsistershy @emoryhemsworth​ @dean-winchesters-gardian-angel​ @softsebastian​ @tatted-trina6​

[writingdayandnight]

Ginger Ale- Jay Halstead Imagine

Request: yn and Jay have been dating for some time. Yn started to feel bad and discovered that she was pregnant, and was afraid to tell jay, but in the end she went to the district and counted in front of everyone. And jay was thrilled and loved the news, being cute in front of everyone - @fofisstilinski

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Word Count: 1.3k

A/N: Continuation of this drabble right here. Requests are going to be opened soon, but it is almost midterm season so I may take a while to finish something. To be fair though, expediency is not something that should be associated with this blog...........anyways, enjoy!!! x 

You had been horrid for two weeks now. It started off as this emotional whirlwind where you couldn’t decide whether to scream or cry at every little inconvenience. Little inconveniences happen hourly in the hospital. Now, you were just sick. You had no appetite and your body felt exhausted. It was starting to worry you. 

On top of that, Jay had just been sent undercover. You had barely seen him lately, bar that one night where you ruined date night by crying on the bathroom floor. Worrying about his safety had made you feel even more sick. 

“He’s fine, Y/N. Take a deep breath,” Hayley would text you on occasion, but only after you bombarded her and Kim with messages asking if they had heard anything. It didn’t make a difference. 

Today was a quiet day around the hospital, though you would never would say that. It would jinx everything. Still, you appreciated the opportunity to sit down and collect your thoughts after each patient. It made it easier to think of diagnoses. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” asked Will, as he pulled rolled his chair next to yours. 

“Good, I needed a day like this,” you sighed. 

“Yeah, you’ve looked like Hell lately.”

You glared at him.

“I mean it in a concerned friend way,” he said, tossing his arms in the air.

“I’ve felt like crap. I can’t stop crying, I’m either starving or the thought of food makes me sick, and my body hurts. I’ve consumed so much ginger ale in the past 72 hours that I’m expecting a sponsorship from Canada Dry,” you shook your head with a frustrated sigh, “I mean, I cried for twenty minutes this morning because my jeans didn’t fit. I’m a doctor. I don’t need jeans!”

Will let you vent, but you could see the cogs turning in his brain. He was on the verge of offering advice, but Maggie interrupted the two of you. 

“We have two victims coming in. Minor car accident,” Maggie spoke, directing you and Will to separate rooms. 

As the ambulance arrived, the paramedics rattled off the mother’s vitals. She seemed to be in good shape, aside from a few bruises and scrapes, but she was complaining of shortness of breath. 

“Ma’am, I’m Dr. Y/L/N, I’ll be taking care of you today. Can you tell me where it hurts?”

As she rattled off her injuries, you felt a way of nausea rush over you. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before running the necessary tests on your patient. 

“Are you okay, doctor?” She asked.

“Yes, I’ve just been a little sick lately. Nothing contagious.”

“Have you taken a test yet?” She smiled. 

“Excuse me?”

“A pregnancy test. I’ve had five kids, Dr. Y/L/N, I have a sixth sense when it comes to this sort of thing,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“I actually haven’t,” you spoke, suddenly freaking out about the fact that you may be pregnant. 

It was entirely possible, but was it what you needed right now? You and Jay were only dating. Getting married was something you had mentioned but never discussed in depth. You wanted to wait for children. 

You left the patient’s room and began pacing the hallway. What if you’re pregnant? What will Jay say? Oh my God. What if Jay doesn’t come home? 

Will exited his patient’s room, asking you what was wrong. Although, you didn’t hear him. You were too lost in thought. 

“Y/N!” He shouted, snapping his fingers. 

“Will,” you whispered, “what if I’m pregnant?”

Will’s face lit up. He was excited at the prospect of being an uncle.

“Have you taken a test?”

“Obviously not!” you snapped, before correcting your tone, “sorry, it’s the sugar from the ginger ale. Will you run a blood test?”

He agreed, ushering you into an empty room. He drew your blood, chatting away about baby names and how you were going to surprise Jay. You didn’t pay attention, though. Your mind was somewhere else. 

“Let’s have a bunch of kids,” Jay mused, playing with your hair. 

“Jay, I’m a doctor and you’re a cop. Where are we going to find time to raise a bunch of kids,” you retorted. 

“I say we quit our jobs and buy a big house in the suburbs. I’ll be a mall cop and you can do house calls for the PTA moms.”

“I literally couldn’t think of anything worse,” you laughed. 

“What would we name our kids,” he asked.

“Honey, we aren’t even married.”

“This isn’t 1850, we don’t need to be married to have kids, Y/N,” he sat up to face you, “I’m serious.”

“I don’t know. I think baby names are situational, you know in the moment.”

“Kinda like finding the one. You just know.”

“God, Jay, when did you become so cheesy,” you happily sighed, falling back onto the bed, “we’ve got our lifetime to think about kids.” 

“Maybe we should practice for when the time comes,” he winks, pressing his lips to yours. 

“Practice makes perfect, Detective.”

Finally, the results of your test had come back. You asked Will what the news was, but you already knew the answer. His face was beaming. 

“I’m gonna be an uncle,” he exclaimed, pulling you in for a hug.

Just then, your phone rang. It was Hayley, Time had stopped dead in its tracks. 

“Hello,” you managed to get out, answering the phone.

“Y/N, Jay is safe. He’ll be home tonight, he just has to go through all of the debriefing procedures.”

You exhaled for the first time in what felt like an eternity. You had to see Jay now. There was no waiting until tonight. You told Maggie that you were stepping out for a personal errand and left. 

When you arrived at the station house, Sgt. Platt was at her desk. She was happy to see you, but you had no time for pleasantries. Recognizing your haste, she buzzed you up to see Jay. 

Adam was the first one to notice you. 

“Y/N, long time no see!” 

Jay was in Voight’s office. Normally, you would know better than to disturb them, but you had to tell him he was going to be a father. 

“Angel, hi, what’s wrong?” Jay asked, rushing to your side as you entered the office. 

“Can we talk?”

“I’ll give you two some privacy.” Hank offered up his office.  

“Jay,” you began, “remember how you said you wanted a bunch of kids? And I told you to keep dreaming because I wasn’t moving to the suburbs?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “but did you come all the way down here to talk about that?”

“No, jackass. I came down because I’m pregnant.”

His jaw dropped, as he registered what you had just said. He then wrapped you in a bear hug, kissing your faces a thousand times. 

“I’m gonna be a dad,” he grinned, “I’m gonna be a dad!” 

He opened the office door, “Guys, I’m gonna be a dad!” He shouted out to the rest of the squad.

Congratulations began pouring in. So did the hugs. And the debate about who was going to be the Godparent. 

“I’ve always been Y/N’s favorite,” Kevin pointed out. 

“Well, I’ve always been Jay’s wingman. I was the one that set them up,” Adam defended. 

“Will set us up,” you corrected. 

“I’m Jay’s partner and I had to deal with thirty texts an hour from Y/N when Jay was undercover,” Hayley said, folding her arms.

“I haven’t even had the baby yet. You’ve got a lot of time to prove yourselves. I am currently accepting bribes, though.”

“Don’t say that, I’ll have to cuff you,” Jay smirked.

“The only cuff I want from you is a shiny wedding ring.”

“Ask and you shall receive,” Jay whispered, kissing your cheek. 

[missjackil]

My 15x17 Opinion

Unity

Wow! This one was a rollar coaster ride! I’ve seen positive and negative responses from y’all but I’ll say, though it had its flaws, I thought it was basically what I watch the show for. Tension drama, emotion, twists and turns and all that good stuff! 

We start off that Sam is still angry with Dean and giving him the silent treatment. A typical Winchester argument occurs but comes to a painful halt when Sam says, concerning Jack “We dont give up on family!!” and Dean returns fire with “Jack’s not family!!” OMG I could HEAR Sam’s heart shatter! Dean isn’t wrong in his follow up though, they both care for Jack a lot (Sam evidenty moreso) but he’s not family at their level, or even Cas’s level for that matter. This isn’t anything we shouldn’t aready know. Michael!Dean even pointed this out in s14. 

I don’t think this means Dean doesn’t love or care about Jack at all. In fact Im sure he does even if he still holds a grudge, but he’s not on Sam level, no one is... nor is he on Mom, Dad, Bobby or Cas level, but maybe Rowena level? Id say somewhere between Rowena level and Kevin level.

Sam loves Jack and apparently thinks of him as his son, though he never says it. He has said “He’s our kid!” but never said Jack is like a son to him. Im not going to go too meta on this, but  I kinda think Dean’s line of thought is “Well Sam and I both have died to save the world, why can’t Jack?” and Sam is thinking “Enough of this damn dying to save the freakin world!” but thats my opinion :) 

Of course Jack overhears which also hurt and he asks Sam if hes mad at him. Sam weighs his words so well to make sure Jack knows Sam understands and appreciates the mission, but he thinks its wrong.

I have mixed opinions of the Amara and Chuck portions. I think Amara was great! I really like her, but I was distracted by an OTT Chuck that I really didnt like. Not just on a bad guy level but the childishness was much more like a bad impression of Lucifer than any Chuck we’ve seen. Im still hoping beyond hope that Chuck gets redeemed some way though I think its not very likely. But it aint over till its over and SPN has surprized me a million times before.

Adam and Serafina were annoying. I thought it also very weird that Dean thought the woman must be Eve when he killed Eve in S6. Guess they forgot s6, but thats ok, I try to forget it too!

So Jack becoming a bomb is the only way to defeat Chuck. Im gad to hear Sam call Dean out on his “Its the only way” attitude. I flash back so Sacrifice in s8 when Sam was going to martyr himsef ... again... and when Dean found out Sam would die, all of a sudden, this isnt the only way!! “We have enough information to turn the tides here... think about what we know....” to show Sam that they do have options, and yet, when it doesnt have to do with Sam’s life, Dean becomes somewhat of a defeatist. (its ok Dean... I know theres a “Samception” to every rule 😉🤜🤛)

Meanwhile Sam and Cas figure out how to get to Billies Library. Im kinda sad they keep using Meg as The Empty, Im so down for Megstiel, I wish theyd go that route instead.  Anyway, she confirms that Billie needs him so maybe if she starts kiling him, Billie will come. Sam lies his way out of that and tricks her into giving him God’s book. Now we have that and Im curious as to why Billie and/or Chuck need Sam. I still think for Sam to die, Dean needs to kill him and this is why Chuck manipulated Dean to pull a gun on him, which goes well with OG Death needing Dean to kill Sam, or “Ill do it for you” and OGs Death’s eagerness to reap him. This is intriguing, and I cant even meta on it, because I have no clue LOL

So we have this crazy physical fight between Sam and Dean which leads us to Sam’s touching speech. “What about me? Would you trade me?” The line that of course, stops Dean in his tracks. I THINK that if Billie resets everything that Sam stays dead from s2? Or maybe just since she has been Death and Sam would stay dead when he got vamped in the AU? Im not sure, but Sam didnt seem to mean that Dad would have stayed dead from before Mom made her demon deal, or that would just mean neither would exist.

Sam tells Dean that he’s always protected him, from Dad, from Lucifer etc... and I see a lot of controversey on Tumblr about this statement as an attack on John. I don’t really think so, though no matter how much of a John fan you are, the show never paints him as an ideal father. Its not “these new writers” its every writer since the Pilot. Since season 1 John has been depicted as an obsessed man who raised them to be hunters, left them alone as children for days/weeks at a time and had anger and drinking issues, all while showing that he loves his boys, wants them to be safe and ultimately only wanted what was best. I dont see the show ever depicting him as physically abusive, so its not hard to imagine that Dean would have stepped into a verbal argument between Sam and Dad to distract Dad before it got messy like we saw him do a couple times in S1. 

So Sam goes on saying he didnt always like “it” either being protected or the form of protection used, but regardless, its the only thing he could rely on, and the ony thing he knew was true. And in this moment while Dean still wants to kill Chuck, Dean probably believes its whats best for Sam too, to get off the wheel so to speak, but if Billie wins, would he no longer have Sam?? YIKES!! Winchester tears all round! And ya know, I actually like that Sam just said “put down the gun” instead of like “believe in us too” something about it made it feel more critical. Like Dean had lost his shit and Sam knew it. Dean could cry and hug him and tell him he loves him more than life, but Sam is still in danger of Chuck manipulating Dean into killing him, untill Dean puts down the gun.

Meanwhile Chuck talks Amara into becoming part of him again, to be one. This also gave me feels. But now here comes a super pissed off, super charged Chuck who has had it with these boys. “After everything, you still do this!!” and now they get to watch Jack die.... maybe.. to be continued. 

So yeah I reallly liked this episode despite the annoying issues. Definitey on my “watch again” list!

So on a scale from Bloodlines to Lebabon I give Unity a 8.5. Thanks guys I needed that!

[amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines]

Kevin//you know i'll never be lonely, you're my only one

Request: Hi can I request a platonic Kevin/Jones!reader where Jug'a sister is best friends with Kevin and is with the core 4 when they find him alone at the Farm and she brings him home with her and there's hugging and hot chocolate and cuddling? Please? My boy needs love!

hey! i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again...kevin keller deserves the world! anyway, i hope you enjoy! also, the title is from a queen song (you’re my best friend) if you’re wondering! i absolutely love this song, and i recommend you listen to it if you’re sad (which i hope you’re not). also, to the anon (and anyone else who needs it) who was sad last night, i don’t know if this is something you’re going to read, but if you do, i hope it cheers you up!  

When the sun rose over Riverdale, bringing with it a new day as well as a second chance, you thought it was the end of your troubles. 

A night of being hunted down with your friends and brother through the dark woods had eventually ended. And as you hugged the people you thought you’d die with, you knew you don’t think you’d ever be as happy to see Cheryl Blossom ever again.

However, just as day was bringing a new dawn, effectively solving all your problems, across town they were just starting for your best friend. 

You just didn’t know yet. 

Its only when Betty pulls away from your group hug, frantically asking about her mom do you realize that maybe not everything is okay. Because despite the fact that the five of you are safe, it doesn’t mean everybody else is. 

And at the top of that very long list is Kevin Keller. 

Betty is first through the chapel door, but you’re not far behind her and as soon as you run in, you come to an abrupt halt. If it weren’t so depressing, the scene in front of you would have been breathtaking. The candles flickering, the clothes neatly folded and the general atmosphere reminds you of something from an old film. 

But as soon as you see Kevin sat on the floor, legs pulled up to his chest and a completely broken look on his face, the allusions shatters...along with your heart.

“Kevin?” Betty asks and his head lifts slightly. 

“They left me.” Your expression softens at the tone in his voice and you swear you can actually feel your heart cracking. 

Kevin has been your best friend for years, he’s stuck with you despite the obvious divide between the two of you. Him being from the Northside with a sheriff dad, and you being from the southside with a gang member dad, its far to say there were a few people who disapproved of your friendship. Not that either of you cared, you were best friends...platonic soulmates...who cares what anybody else thinks. And even though the two of you had grown apart over the past few months (specifically when the farm came to town), you always managed to find your way back to each other. 

So seeing him like this physically hurts you. He’s already been through so much and right now you want to scream and shout at the universe for treating the kindest and by far the best human like utter crap. 

“I wanted to go, but they said that someone had to stay behind to explain what happened.” He sobs and the seven of you exchange looks. 

“What did happen?” Archie asks. 

“The worthy ascended, of course.” He scoffs. 

“Who did? Where’s my mom? And Polly?” Betty asks and you roll your eyes at her. 

Despite her being sweet and kind the majority of the time, she did sometimes get a little wrapped up in herself and her issues, and right now, that annoys you. Because here Kevin is, abandoned by this group that brainwashed and alienated him, only for Betty to care more about two grown adults who can usually make their own decisions. 

“Gone.” He states, anger in his voice as he stares vacantly in front of him. “Everyone is. And we’ll never see them again.” The room suddenly feels colder all of sudden, Betty lets out a small cry as she practically falls into Jughead’s arms, while the rest of you stand around, none of you wanting to move...just in case. 

You’re the first one to do anything. You make your way towards Kevin and cautiously sit beside him. 

“Are you okay?” You ask. You’ve asked him that countless of times, but this is the first time its ever felt like you’re asking a stranger. You may be sat beside him but you feel a thousand miles apart. Usually you’re attached at the hip, but there’s a rather large space between you, physically as well as metaphorically and it just feels wrong. 

“I-” He cuts himself off before he can say anything further. Instead he just cries, his head drops to his hands and you’ve never seen somebody look so lonely, despite being surrounded by people. 

You don’t say anything in return, you just wrap your arms around him and pull him into a tight hug. 

The two of you stay like that for at least half an hour. Eventually everybody else goes, Jughead being the last one to leave, sending you a small smile before closing the door behind him, until its just the two of you again. 

It takes some persuading, but eventually you get Kevin back to your house. Thankfully your dad has already left for work so there’s no awkward questions about why you’re covered in mud and why Kevin is crying. 

“Here.” You hand him a mug. Its his favourite one. Something you got him to keep at your house. A small smile twitches at the corner of his lips as he takes it, but it disappears as quickly as it came, instead leaving behind a miserable expression. 

You remember the last time you gave him hot chocolate in that mug, but the memory does nothing to make you feel better. If anything it just makes your heart ache more. 

“You always make the best hot chocolate.” He’d said, an eager smile on his lips as he watched you slowly bring it to him. 

“I always put double the recommended powder in.” 

“Ahhh, so now I know you secret recipe.” 

“Plus, the cream and sprinkles help a lot too.” 

“Yeah.” He agreed. “Very true. But we can just pretend its all you.” 

“Aww, thanks.” 

“Hey. If there’s ever a day that your hot chocolate doesn’t make me smile, just assume that I’m dead inside.” 

“You’re so dramatic.” You’d rolled your eyes at him, and he’d gasped loudly, feigning offence.

“I know. But its part of my charm.” 

“Keep telling yourself that.” 

“It is.” 

“Has that ever actually worked on anybody.” 

“Not yet...but it will.” 

His eyes had been so full of hope, now they were just dark. Like all the light had been sucked out of them. 

The house is quiet, but its nice. Compared to the eery quiet of the woods and the farm, its quite comforting and you’re very glad to be back home, especially after thinking you wouldn’t be so lucky. 

“Thanks.” He replies, taking a sip before placing it on the coffee table. If you’re being honest, its nice having Kevin here. Its something else to focus on instead of being stuck in a continuous loop of your memories of the previous nights. Although you’d much rather prefer he was upset over some boy thats broken his heart. 

“Do you want another blanket?” You offer, rearranging the one you’ve already draped across his shoulders. “Or the TV? I can put a film or something on? Or we can just see what’s on? Or music? Do you want anything to eat?” You know you’re fussing over him, and you know he’s going to hate it. But there’s nothing else you can do. You can’t go back and change everything, no matter how hard you try. 

A part of you feels like its your fault. Kevin is supposed to be you’re best friends, but you still let him get caught up in all of this. You let the farm take him, you made him feel alone. You made him feel the need to find friendship and family somewhere else, somewhere dangerous. 

And by the time you realized what was happening, it was too late. Despite the numerous attempts. It was too late to help him.

Now he’s sat on your couch, clutching an old blanket around him like his life depends on it, and you really don’t know if he’s ever going to fully recover from this. 

“Why do things like this keep happening to me? Am I cursed? Do you think I’m cursed?” He breaks the silence. Maybe he know’s exactly what you were just thinking. Or maybe he’s just thinking out loud, but either way it makes you frown and quickly face him. 

“Kevin. You’re not cursed.” You grab his hand and he forces himself to look at you. 

“It sure feels like I am.” 

“The only thing that is cursed, is Riverdale. But we’re not going to be here forever. We’ve got one year left at school, and then we’re out of here. We’re going to do all of the things we’ve had planned since we were little. Our road trips across the country. Our apartment together thats filled with trinkets and utter junk that we’ve picked up over the years. We’re going to meet so many new, normal people and we’re going to shock them with our shared trauma. You’re going to meet a nice boy who treats you like you created the universe. You’re going to be so happy, I just know it. And one day this is all going to feel like a far away nightmare. Riverdale and all of its horrors will just be distant memory, something you laugh about from time to time. Okay?” You hold your pinkie out towards him and he sends you a look. “I promise. And I never break a promise.” 

“That is very true.” He nods, wrapping his finger around yours. “Y/n?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I’ve been so alone the past few months.” 

“I know.” You smile sadly at him, wiping a few tears from your cheeks. “But I’m always going to be here for you, no matter what happens. You’re my best friend and I love you so much. You brighten my day just by walking through a door, and no matter how much I dread doing something, you make it 1000 times more bearable.”

“Y/n.” His expression mirrors yours. Sadness mixed with hope, and more than a few tears, but you know what he’s trying to say. 

“No matter how alone you feel, you’re not, okay? You are never ever alone. No matter what day of the week, or what time, or even how far apart we are. I’m always going to be here.”

“I love you.” 

“I know you do.” You nudge him softly. A slight smile appears on his lips, and even though its not the same as his usual, its better than nothing, and so you take that as a win. Your head falls to his shoulder and he rests his on top of yours, both of you finally feeling somewhat at peace after months of hell. 

“What the hell happened to you?” He asks suddenly and you pull away from him. He’s looking you up and down, a concerned expression on his face while he waits for your answer. “Why do you look like...that?” 

“I was hunted through the woods by Penelope Blossom and a bunch of other psychos.” You shrug and his eyes widen. 

“Wha-” 

“But thats not important right now.” You shake your head. “What’s important, is that you’re safe. And we’re going to need re-fills soon.” You look towards the mugs on the table. Neither of them are anywhere close to being empty, but you just want to change the subject and thankfully Kevin gets it. “I think we both deserve extra sprinkles this time.” 

[wizardessheart-sideb]

Even at ten o’clock, Gedonelune Town was still bustling. To be honest, as exciting as it was, it was also weird. In Reitz, most things closed around seven so no one was out later than that. For the city to be alive right now was different and exciting. Time didn’t stop anyone here!

“Let’s move along! We don’t want to get to the Academy too late.” My Acceptance Letter to my dream school, which was unfortunately animate and a jerk, popped out of my pocket.

“Let’s get some food first. I’m starving,” I told him. I tried to head towards a cafe, but he got in my face, forcing me to take a step back.

“No. You need to get to campus as soon as possible,” he said.

“I mean, it’s already night and I need to get used to being up late anyway since I’m in the Night Class,” I pointed out.

“Keep your voice down!” he shrieked, trying to cover my mouth with one of his corners. I quickly grabbed him and forced him away.

“You’re literally yelling,” I pointed out angrily.

“I’ve had enough of your attitude! I’ve guided many students to the Academy, but none of them have been as rude as you!” he scolded me.

“Excuse me?” Okay, NOW I was mad. “You rushed me out of my house at six in the morning, barely gave me time to pack and I only had time for one meal on the train. You’ve been belittling me through this whole trip. If I’m the rudest student you’ve ever had, it’s because I’m the only one speaking up.”

Maybe I was being rude. Maybe he was right. But I was running on too little sleep and after this long day, I wasn’t really feeling like going along with a letter that told me a couple hours ago that I was lucky to get in and that he wouldn’t be surprised if I flunked out.

“If you keep up this attitude, you’ll be sent home before you can even have your Judgment!”

“I’d rather that happen that refuse to stand up for myself!” I fired back.

“Well, if that’s how you’re going to be, then I’ll just be on my way!”

“Your way?”

“You can wait by yourself for Prefect Nox. And I hope by then you’ll realize you need to listen to others!” How dare he?! I’m fine behaving when the people around me behave too! I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind but in a puff of smoke, he stiffened and glided limply into my hands. The slight glow around his edges were gone.

“Mr. Letter?” I called out.

Silence.

“Well, okay then…” I rolled the letter up and stowed it away in my bag. Maybe it wasn’t the best thing I got into a fight with him, but he was so rude! I wondered if everyone at the Academy would be as terrible as he was. No… Surely no one will be as bad as him, right?

I sat down on a nearby bench and watched people pass me by. I had no idea what Prefect Nox looked like, so I just had to hope he’d find me somehow. The minutes crept together and the gnawing feeling in my stomach grew and grew. There weren’t any nearby food stands for me to grab something to eat. Sure, I could go somewhere, but I didn’t dare leave before Prefect Nox found me. We agreed to meet here and I needed to stay put.

My eyes glossed over as I stared off into space but suddenly, a Magic Note floated in front of my face.

“Huh?” I grabbed it and quickly unfolded it. The handwriting was kind of sloppy, to be honest. I could still read it, but clearly, this had been written in a hurry.

I’m sorry, but Rex and I can’t come get you. Something happened on campus and we have to focus on that. We will give you your orientation later. - Nox

“No way…” I murmured under my breath. So I was on my own. There was a bit of disappointment; I had really wanted to meet one of the prefects but apparently, that wasn’t in the cards.

At least I could go eat now.

I gathered up my things and wandered into town, looking for something that looked good. Places were already starting to close down, it was so late. That wasn’t good. I turned off the main road and found myself in front of what looked like a large warehouse. The sign outside said “Hidamari Market” and it looked festive, with golden lights hung up and the lights in the windows still on. Maybe they had some open food places?

The marketplace wasn’t lively, per se, but it wasn’t empty. A few people sat on benches placed in the walkways, but most people were in the stores. I turned into the first restaurant I saw. There was a very handsome blond man sitting with a dog-like familiar in the corner, notebooks in front of him alongside his food. A blonde girl around my age was behind the counter, counting something. She looked up and gave me a warm smile.

“Sit wherever you like! I’ll be with you in a moment,” she told me. I nodded and snagged a booth, appreciating the plush seats. That bench hadn’t been very comfortable.

I opened the menu, looking over the fare. It was a mix of Hinomotan and Gedonelunian food, the menu written in both languages. I liked that. But man, everything sounded so good that I had no idea what to get… As I stared at the menu, trying to decide on something, there were footsteps right beside me. Oh no, I’ll have to tell the waitress I’m not ready. But when I looked up, there wasn’t the waitress. It was a guy who looked about my age with piercing green-gray eyes and spiky hair the color of dark chocolate.

“Mind if I grab this seat?” he asked. I blinked and he didn’t wait for me to say anything. He just slid into the seat across from me.

“Uh, hi?” I replied. There were more footsteps and a waitress appeared, her face in that perpetual smile food service people had to always wear

“Hi there, welcome to Haru’s! Are you two ready?… Oh, it’s you!” A look of surprise came over her as she stared at the guy opposite me.

“You didn’t see me come in?” he asked. She gave him a tired look.

“No. I don’t keep an eye out for you. And what do you think you’re doing, dragging your poor partner on a date this late at night?!” she demanded, hands on her hips.

“Date?! Oh no, he just sat down here -” I said quickly, but the guy cut in.

“It’s not a date right now, but maybe in a few minutes it will be.”

I was going to commit murder in this restaurant tonight.

“Jeez,” the waitress rolled her eyes. “Well, should I get you the usual, Zett?”

“I’ll just have some water,” he replied.

“Okay. What will you have?” she asked, turning to look at me. She adopted that friendly smile again and if I didn’t already feel confused, I certainly did now.

“Um, can I have the cheeseburger and some water? And bills separate, please?” I asked. The waitress was clearly fighting back a laugh.

“Of course! I’ll get that right out for you. And I’ll tell Kevin you’re here, Zett. Haru already went home for the night,” she added, turning to him and dropping that smile.

“That’s fine. Thanks, Kristina,” he gave her a nod. She left us alone but came back moments later with our drinks. Zett didn’t look concerned at all, sipping away and leaning back in his seat like we were friends. Honestly, it kind of irritated me.

“What’s with the face?” he asked.

“Um… Aren’t you going to order anything?” I didn’t even know where to begin.

“No.”

“So you’re just… going to sit there… while I eat?”

“Yeah. Is that creepy?”

“I mean, yeah? You just came and asked if you could sit with me and then didn’t wait for me to answer,” I told him. He laughed.

“Well, it’d be rude to let someone as cute as you sit all alone.” He leaned in towards me, a charming smile on his lips and a devilish shine in his eyes.

“I’m not interested,” I shot him down. He immediately straightened up, that flirty look on his face melting away.

“All right, that’s fine.” He sounded nonchalant, but I needed to stay alert. He knew the waitress and I couldn’t count on her if something went wrong. You can’t talk like that to someone you don’t know well. Maybe the man across the aisle could help me? The market seemed pretty big, so I could probably find a good hiding spot if worse comes to worse.

“So, are you just using me as an excuse to sit here?” I inquired.

“No, I’m actually waiting for a package from the restaurant owner,” he told me.

“‘Package?’” He grinned

“It’s a secret.” He winked at me. Gods above, give me patience not to slap this weirdo.

“Hm. That sounds sketchy,” I commented. If I couldn’t hit him physically, I could at least get some verbal jabs in.

“Maybe that’s for the best,” he laughed. “I’ve got a bad boy image to preserve.”

“You can’t preserve what you don’t have,” I said. Zett choked on his water and burst into laughter.

“That’s rich coming from someone who looks like they call their boyfriend ‘daddy’ and would burst into tears when told their age regressing in public kink makes other people uncomfortable,” he replied.

“Excuse me?!” What is with people trying to get on my last nerve today?! I stared at him for a moment, trying to think of a good comeback. “You look like a pastor’s son who’s going through a punk phase to punish your dad for taking away your vape.” Zett howled with laughter, head thrown back and shoulders shaking. The waitress, Kristina, smiled softly as she approached us, placing my food in front of me.

“I’m happy to see you two are having fun. Zett, Kevin’s back in his office waiting for you,” she said.

“Thanks, Kristina.” Wiping tears from his eyes, he got up and gave me another grin. “I’ll be right back.” He left, following Kristina to the counter, chatting with her. I slumped back in my seat. But I barely had time to be alone. The blond sitting across from us walked over to me.

“Is Zett bothering you?” he asked, voice tense.

"Sort of?" I wasn't sure what vibe I got from him. He seemed like a devilish kind of guy, but did I feel threatened by him? Not exactly, but it was always safe be be cautious. "I don't know him and I wasn't too comfortable with him sitting with me all of a sudden." The blonde man’s shoulders slumped.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. I wasn’t sure if you two were a fighting couple or not. I can ask Kristina to get you a box so you can leave, if you want,” he offered. I thought about it. It’s true I needed to get to the Academy before it got too late. My food would be cold once I got there, though. But maybe that was the best option. I could reheat it, anyways.

“I’d really appreciate that, thank you,” I replied.

“Hey, Kristina? Can we get a box and their check?” he called out. Kristina poked her head from around a corner.

“Sure!” She quickly came over with a cardboard box and I quickly started filling it up. “Here’s your check, Mr. Hagakure.”

“Oh, I actually need theirs,” he replied, gesturing to me.

“Theirs is already paid,” she replied. “Zett covered it and the tip before he went to talk to Kevin. You’re good to go.” He… he paid for my food? That didn’t seem right...

“He did?”

“He did.” She gave me a wry smile. “You’re awfully lucky. He’s usually pretty stingy.”

“I’m stingy? Kristina, you’re killing me, here.” Out of nowhere, Zett returned, a large package tucked under his arm. Part of me wondered what was in it. He glanced at the table, looking at the box. “You’re heading out already?” he asked.

“Yeah, I got places to be.”

“Do you want an escort?”

“If they wanted one, they would have asked,” Mr. Hagakure cut in.

“Where are you heading?” Kristina asked.

“The Magic Academy.” Her face lit up.

“Oh, really? My brother goes there! I’d walk you over, but I still have a couple hours to work.”

“I’ve got some friends there. I could take you, if you want,” Zett offered.

“Oh, uh, it’s fine! I couldn’t possibly impose,” I said. “Mr. Hagakure said he’d given me directions, so it’s fine.” It sounded like it was going to be a long walk, but it wasn’t like I could get a hotel and go in the morning.

“Well, then. I’ll see you later,” Zett spoke up as I stood up.

"Later?" I wasn’t sure what else to say. I gave him an awkward wave and hurried down the path Mr. Hagakure told me to take. As I walked, I couldn’t help but think about Zett. He seemed so strange. Secretive, slightly annoying. There was something about him that I couldn’t quite place. While he didn’t feel that threatening to me, it felt like that could change in an instant. Perhaps I was overthinking things. After all, it was night and I was alone. Of course I’d be more on-guard than normal.

But still. I wondered if I’d see him again. Probably not, since I’d be cooped up in the Academy most of the time. At least he made my first night in Gedonelune memorable.

---

Somehow, I managed to get to campus and the Night Class dorms. The map that’d accompanied the packet I’d received along with the Acceptance Letter wasn’t great, but after wandering, luck was on my side and entered the dorms.

The building seemed so dark yet grand on the inside. A large staircase wrapped around an elevator shaft, dark wood gleaming in the light of several chandeliers. I can’t believe this is my dorm. It’s so extra. I took the stairs up to my floor. The hallways were lined with windows and stern stone statues. Honestly, even if it was fancy, there was a goth touch to everything. This place could seriously double as a haunted house during Halloween. Just throw up some cobwebs, splatter some fake blood everywhere, and it was good to go.

Suites were labeled with letters and lists of names. How many would be in my class? Who would be in my class? Would we all get along? I sure hoped so. I wouldn’t want to be in a class where no one got along. That’d be a special kind of hell.

Even though class was in session, most of the doors to the suites were wide open. At least I wouldn’t need keys for getting in. And finally, on the second floor, I found my suite, my name tacked on to the bottom of the plaque. That looked like the only bit of personalization in the suite. The doors weren’t decorated at all. I peeked my head through one of the open doors to find a plain kitchen with a girl sitting at the table. Her long, curly purple hair framed her beautiful face and when we locked eyes, she jumped a bit.

“Oh, sorry!” I spoke up. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“That’s fine… Uh…” She looked at me blankly.

“I’m the new transfer student,” I told her before properly introducing myself. Her cheeks flushed a bit as she got up to come shake my hand.

“Right, Nox told us you were coming. Sorry, I’m a bit sick and my head’s just not on right today,” she laughed. I made a mental note to wash my hands as soon as possible. “I’m Isabelle, I’m in the center room. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too!”

“Are you going to be joining classes later tonight, or...?”

“No, I’m just moving in and then going to the Prefect’s office for orientation,” I told her.

“All right, well, I’ll leave you to it! If you need anything, I’ll be in here or my room.” She gave me another warm smile. I’m sure we’d become fast friends!

The doors were labeled with names so it wasn’t hard to figure out which one was mine. It was a smallish room. There was enough room for a bed, a dresser, a desk, and a chair. This would be my home for the next couple of days. Hopefully longer, but after all, I was just a provisional student. I still needed to pass my Trial first to become an official member of the student body. The next few days were going to be hard, I knew that, but I have to do my best.

I refuse to fail.

[littlepenguin21]

My notes/complaints/hope? on the end of SPN

(This was written the night of November 19th) My list of grievances against the last episode of Supernatural 1. There is absolutely no way on Jack's green earth Sam didn't look for Dean. When Sam got a dog and didn't look for him, Dean was so angry and sad that I refuse to believe Sam wouldn't at least try to bring him back, especially since Sam had no way of knowing a)where Dean went (Dean was even a little surprised to see he was in Heaven), b)about Heaven's reform, or c)whether that was what Dean truly wanted (he's lied before, remember?) It almost makes Sam look like a bad guy who just doesn't care about his brother as much his brother cares about him. I will acknowledge Dean's final wish was to not be brought back, but I still think Sam would've like investigated the afterlives to see where Dean ended up.

2. Cas's sacrifice was completely meaningless. Cas was always happy to bleed for the Winchesters, but his final time hit the hardest because he wanted Dean to lived so much that he admitted to happiness and caused his own death to save Dean. And then Dean dies. Like three weeks later.

3. Dean, the greatest hunter in the world, the man who killed Hitler gets impaled on a piece of metal and thinks, "yeah, this is how I wanna go out." There's no way that that's an outcome that Dean would've accepted so easily. Being killed in a vampire's nest that they already half wiped out. He could've prayed to Jack, or taken his chances getting to a hospital. His death had no purpose, other than to forced Sam to move on without Dean.

4. Why didn't Jack bring Dean back? I get that he wants to be hands-off, but he brought Cas back, and if I know anything about Cas, he wouldn't want Dean dead/separated from Sam. I'm going to choose to believe that Cas, Jack, and Dean sat down together and discussed the pros and cons of bringing Dean back.

5. The dog died. We didn't see it happen, but it did.

6. Only Bobby is seen. If they're in Heaven, and almost everyone (I see you Kevin, living your best afterlife) Dean knew and loved is there, why doesn't he go see them? All the people he couldn't save or that he couldn't say goodbye to, and he just leaves it at that? What about Ellen and Jo, Dean? You're not even going to check on them? Pamela? Jess? No one?

7. Dean rides alone in the car. Even though his best friend, his son (Jack, not Ben or someone), his mom, his other friends, and both his dads are in Heaven (and closeby), why doesn't he take any of them along for the ride? Sam gets to raise a family, but Dean can't have a road trip buddy? Even if the Covid restrictions and stuff didn't allow Misha or Alex or another guest to come back on set, you'd think they could've put a body double for Cas (or whoever) in the seat for a couple of minutes. It just makes Dean's life seem less important than Sam's because Dean has to wait for Sammy, while Sam's free to hang out with others and socialize. Even if time works differently in Heaven or something (like 40 years on earth was only 2 minutes in Heaven), Dean could've found somebody to tag along instead of just being a loner.

8. Sam's wife isn't established to be Eileen. If Sam had like signed to her in ASL or something, or we could've had some clue as to her identity, that would have been wonderful. Instead, she was just a nameless means to an end (getting Dean II).

9. The beginning of the ep establishes that there are very few monster cases. So, does that mean Sam gave up hunting? Apparently not because his son has an anti-possession sigil tattooed on his arm (even though with Rowena in charge, those tattoos are super unnecessary). Sam hunting could've been another moment that would've been okay to see.

10. The ep had a noticeable lack of inside jokes. Normally tuning into a series finale means you're going to hear callbacks to other episodes and be able to reminisce on the past. Besides the pie part, I don't think there was much of that. No jerk, no bitch. Did Bobby even say Idjit?!?!

11. For an episode that supposedly was written to resolve their family arc, the boys were barely together, and their created family was almost nonexistent (other than Bobby and his mentioning of Cas and Jack).

12. The show forced family to end with blood. Dean drove off to wait for his biological brother, while leaving Bobby (and apparently Cas) behind. Sam, on the other hand, marries, has a kid, and lives a full life, but too doesn't have his family network outside of his nuclear family. There are many living friends that Sam has that we don't see him visit because all the time is spent on his raising of his son so that his death can parallel Dean's (someone the care about tells them it's ok).

13. Jared doesn't really look old.

14. During his death, Dean wouldn’t have wanted to Sam to be left alone. They were in a vamp’s nest, and Dean just decides that he’s gonna allow himself to die with no guarantee that Sammy is safe. There’s no way Dean would do this.

15. Gay love didn't pierce through the veil of death and save the day. Instead, Dean died and we all got was a lousy existential crisis. DISCLAIMER: I'm only writing about what happened in the ep, not what could have happened. Like, Sam could've had dinner with Jody and the girls every weekend and Dean could've made out with Cas offscreen, and I would be non the wiser. I'm going off of what I saw and heard in the episode. This was written on the 20th 15. Dean died young.

16. The forehead thing was a little weird, ngl

17. Sam didn’t even try to pray when Dean was dying. Did he believe that Jack just wouldn’t listen? His dad was dying, there’s no way he would’ve left him to die. And Sam would’ve tried anything. Why did he think their (Cas, Dean, and Sam’s) son wouldn’t want to help?

18. Sam burned Dean’s body by himself. No friends.

19. Chuck got to live his life, while Dean didn’t.

Pros, I guess? 1. Sam does get a dog.

2. Dean really wasn't okay. He wasn’t coping well with Cas’s death and Jack’s leaving. That’s the only explanation for why he’d be willing to die. He was depressed, or at least hopeless.

3. They're all together at the end, even thought it isn't shown. And by all, I mean all: Jack, Cas, Bobby, Rufus, hopefully Ellen and Jo...

4. Dean likes Kansas

5. Dean finally got a kid named after him.

6. The Hunter Corp. Sam and Dean are somewhere, living their best lives.

7. The movie is possibly happening in 5 years

[maren-as-an-adult]

The 2020 Experience, Part 2

When I flew back to New York a few days later (yes, I braved the airports and a plane) I could not stop crying. What should have been a loving and heartfelt reunion between myself and Graham turned into an awkward situation for him, with me bent double in the front seat of his car sobbing inconsolably.

And suddenly I had to adjust back to life more or less on my own. I couldn’t have friends come over, my family who lived in NYC were too far for me to get to them without public transit, and Graham’s mother was immunocompromised so we couldn’t spend much time together. I was back to sitting at my computer, taking online surveys for the promise of money and sending out application after application. Jena and Julia, my other two roommates, were still not back, so it was just me and Polina.

Things started to get a little better though. I had applied for Medicaid so I had some health coverage again. I scheduled an appointment with my new doctor, I started talking to a therapist again in August, and I stopped budgeting for birth control and got it for free. The after school program was up and running again, this time remotely (only one of my schools was able to host their program though, so my work hours were still cut). I looked forward to every other weekend, where Graham would drive out and pick me up to spend a few nights at his place. Jena came back and announced she was moving out, and our new roommate Michelle moved in. Michelle and I had a lot in common, and I found it easy to talk to and connect with her.

I even got out to see my family. I braved the subway to see my family up in Astoria, and Polina told me about the ferries I could take that brought me to my family on the Upper East Side.

One day in late September, however, I woke up with abdominal pain. It was pretty mild at first, but it kept getting worse. As someone who has periods, I assumed it was just week-early cramps brought on by stress combined with a poor diet that didn’t include much fiber. I tried to assuage the feeling by eating an apple, but after a quick trip to the bathroom it made a reappearance coming back up the way it went down. I decided to do what most people do (and what doctors hate) and look up my symptoms online to try and self-diagnose. The two big contenders for what I was suffering from were IBS or an ulcer. I texted Graham and told him what was up, and he asked what I was going to do. My current plan was to try and wait it out, and if things still felt bad in the morning, I would go to the ER.

If it wasn’t for Graham’s suggestion that I go to an urgent care center (which I had completely forgot existed at this point in time) I may have died.

At 7:12pm I grabbed my bag and walked three blocks to the urgent care center closest to my apartment. Unfortunately, they were no longer taking walk-ins for the day, but told me that another urgent care center was open until 8 and would take walk-ins.

It was 17 blocks away.

I walked 17 blocks with severe abdominal pain to this urgent care center just to be seen and tell a health professional I wasn’t feeling well. I knew there wouldn’t be much they could do, but maybe they could give me a better idea of what was wrong with me. I called Graham and gave him the address of the urgent care center, asking that he come out to be with me. Whatever was happening to me, I did not want to go through it alone.

I made it to the urgent care center fifteen minutes before they closed. I was taken to an observation room where a brusque young Russian woman took down my vitals and information as we waited for the RN to come see me. When he finally did come in and I started telling him what was wrong, I barely finished explaining what happened after I ate and failed to keep down the apple that he interrupted me saying, “You need to go to the ER immediately, because what you described sounds like you have a GI bleed. You’ll need an endoscopy, where they take a camera on a long, thin tube and feed it down in through your stomach and into your intestines to see if you’re bleeding internally.”

It was getting late, I was alone, and I was TERRIFIED.

I was told where the nearest ERs were, was given a printed referral, and then dismissed for the evening. All I could do was wait for Graham and tell him what was going on... and then call my mother and tell her.

I love my mom. I’ll likely never not love my mom for the rest of my life. But sometimes she takes a bad situation and makes me feel even worse. When I told her I had called Graham to come get me, she pointedly asked why I didn’t call any of my family who lived closer than Graham. Well, of my family who live in the greater metropolitan area of New York City, we have:

- My Aunt Barbara and Uncle Danny, currently NOT in NYC and instead staying out in Milford, PA

- My Uncle Brian, Aunt Corinne, and cousin Nikki up in Astoria. My aunt cannot drive and gets panicked easily, my cousin only has her learner’s permit, and my uncle (though I love him) would not be the most comforting presence to me at the moment, being VERY pro-Trump Republican and a FIRM anti-masker

- My Uncle Mike, Aunt Gloria, and cousins Maura (and her husband Andrew), Brendan, and Kevin. Maura, at this point in time, was nine months pregnant and due to give birth any minute, and I was not going to be responsible for pulling my aunt or uncle away from the birth of their first grandchild

With this information presented to my mother, she did concede that calling Graham had not been a terrible idea. Continuing to fret, however, she said I should at least have called them to let them know what was happening. She took it upon herself to do that, and additionally call my father and tell him (dad was on the road at that point and so missed my initial call of “Hey, jsyk, I’m going to the ER, wish me luck!”). Graham pulled up, I ended my mom’s call telling her I’d keep her posted, and headed off to the unknown.

As we were driving to the closest ER, my dad called. Thankfully, he gave advice that calmed me down. He listened to my symptoms, told me it was likely an ulcer, and told me what would happen when I went in: I’d be admitted to the ER, they’d take my vitals, I’d explain my symptoms over and over and over to multiple people, they’d probably admit me overnight, knock me out and do an endoscopy, and in the morning I’d be sent home with a prescription to help with the ulcer. I felt better.

Graham and I made it to the ER at about 8:45pm. I was admitted immediately, my vitals were taken, I was given a cup to pee in, an IV was placed in my arm, my blood was taken, and I told my story to two different doctors and a few different nurses. I went in for an ultrasound to rule out pregnancy, endometriosis, and ovarian cysts. I waited, with Graham by my side.

The doctor came back at about 11:30pm and told me my urinalysis and ultrasound came back unremarkable, but my bloodwork showed a high white blood cell count, which meant my body was fighting off an infection somewhere. This is absolutely something I did and did not want to hear in the middle of a global pandemic. On the one hand, go immune system! Keep me safe, you beautiful, hard-working bitch! On the other hand, what was it my body was fighting off?

The doctor said if I wanted to leave at that point, I could, because nothing obvious was found. “But,” she said, “I would strongly recommend we do a CT scan just to be safe.”

It was late, both Graham and I were tired, and my abdominal pain wasn’t awful to the point where I was bent double anymore. I could stand and walk around with only a slight discomfort. The thought of getting out of the ER, a frankly dangerous place to be in these COVID times, was deliciously appealing.

“What the hell, lets do the CT scan.”

I was given almost two liters of fluid to drink to prep for the scan. It didn’t taste bad, actually, kind of like a flat lemon La Croix that had been left in its aluminum can too long. At 12:30am I went in for the scan. Two hours later, Graham and I were still waiting for the results. At around 2:30am Graham turned to me and said, “Honestly, I’m ready to go. I won’t leave you here alone, but I’m exhausted and ready to get out of here.” I responded, “Honestly, I am too.”

At that moment, a doctor walked around the corner into our area and said, in a too cheery voice, “Hi there! You have appendicitis.”

I swear in that moment I could feel the cosmic force of the universe tremble with suppressed laughter at this finely crafted moment of ironic timing. My only response to the doctor and Graham was, “Well... I guess I’m staying here for the night?” Remember when I thought it was IBS? Couldn’t we go back to that?

I’ve mentioned before the idea of surgery scares me. I’d hoped I’d only have to experience anesthesia from getting my wisdom teeth removed. I fully expected to break down in hysterics then, but I guess I was just too tired and overwhelmed to react in such a big way. I called my mom and told her what was happening, and the first suggestion she made was for me to come home and heal in Chicago.

...mom, I love you, but getting on a plane immediately after major surgery in the MIDDLE OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC FROM AN AIRBORNE VIRUS is frankly the DUMBEST IDEA EVER.

After realizing that would be a bad move, she suggested she come out to be with me while I heal. While an appealing process, it ultimately wouldn’t be of much use, because she’d have to quarantine for two weeks before seeing anyone at that point. Eventually, she offered to book a hotel room for me and Graham for a long, extended weekend to help me recover. It was extremely generous of her, and I’ll forever be grateful she did it.

I was hooked up to antibiotics to prep for surgery, and the attending surgeon explained the procedure to me. Everyone was so calm and sure of themselves that I felt okay, and the inevitable wave of panic was held off. At 4:30am, I was wheeled up to the operating room. Graham stayed by my side as long as he could and walked all the way to the doors of the OR hallway with me and the attending. I made sure he and my mom had each others’ phone numbers so he could give updates. I was wheeled through the doors, and met with my operating team.

The anesthesiologist and practicing surgeon assured me that they felt fine, well-rested, and at the top of their game, and I was able to relax some as I moved off of my gurney onto the operating table. Once I was on the table, clad only in a thin hospital gown and gripper socks, my body started to shake. Whether it was from the cold or the panic had finally set in I wasn’t sure, but I calmly told the doctors that I thought my fight or flight response was kicking in, and they might need to consider restraining my shaking limbs.

They did, and they also put a heated (and somewhat weighted) blanket over me which relaxed me so my limbs weren’t shaking so violently. An oxygen mask was placed on my face, sealing my nose and mouth into a thick plastic chamber. I tried to breathe deeply and evenly, forcing myself to think of pleasant thoughts and not spiral into a headspace of worst case scenarios. I think what helped most was actually an attending nurse reading out loud my patient chart for posterity and recording’s sake, and he said, “Patient is a twenty-seven year old female named Maureen Ford.”

The annoyance I felt at being misnamed (again as Maureen) cut through the second wave of panic buildup, and my only goal was to correct him. The oxygen mask muffled my voice, but I like to think if you were to listen to the audio recording of my surgery, you would hear, very faintly in the background, me indignantly stating, “It’s pronounced MAREN!”

My last thought before I went under was that I need to make sure that nurse was corrected.

When I woke up, I felt more comfortable than I had in a very long time. The only thing that kept me from being in a total state of comfortable bliss was the slowly incoming knowledge that my mouth was drier than the Sahara desert at noon in July. Despite this, and the residual effects of the anesthesia still in effect, I was pleased to find that not only could I clearly hear and understand the conversations happening around me, I could also coherently speak and communicate with people. I asked for water as soon as I could, and the nurse told me that they’d have to work me up to water. We’d start with a lemon swab in my mouth, followed by ice chips, and then I could get water. The attending surgeon came in to tell me the surgery went smoothly without complications, and I asked her if she could make sure whoever called me Maureen was corrected on my name pronunciation.

I really hope it wasn’t written off as a sleepy patient’s delirious request, because I was absolutely serious about it.

After eating some very powdery eggs and drinking an apple juice, I was discharged and told to get my medications, rest up, avoid lifting anything over 15 pounds, stay away from submerging my sutures in water, and to schedule a one week post-op follow up with my primary care provider and a two week post-op follow up with the attending surgeon.

Graham drove us back to Bay Ridge, and I gave him my keys to go grab some essentials from my apartment. I gave Michelle and Polina a heads up that he was coming up (and I had let them know what was happening before I went into surgery) and that I’d be gone recovering through the weekend and partway into the week. They both wished me a speedy recovery, Graham grabbed a few essentials for me, and we drove up the street to pick up my meds from Rite Aid.

For some reason, they had only filled two of the four prescriptions. One they didn’t fill because it was a controlled substance and the hospital hadn’t submitted the proper authorization for it, and the other prescription (one of two laxatives) I have no idea why it wasn’t filled. Eventually, I got both my pain medications and one of the laxatives, with the other laxative to be filled and picked up at a different Rite Aid, closer to Graham’s work.

Exhausted, sore, hungry, and (in my case) in desperate need of a shower, we made it back to Graham’s to spend one more day there before going off to the hotel my mom had booked us. Graham had been scheduled to work that day, but after calling into the office was told he should only come in if he thought it was absolutely necessary. He ended up catching a few hours of sleep before going in for the late shift at work. I managed to take a shower and fell asleep on his couch as his bed was too soft and sent my abdomen into absolute agony. I blinked in and out of consciousness for the next few hours, waiting for Graham to come home with my last bit of medication. In that time, my dad called to check on me and ask how I felt, what I was prescribed, and what was expected of me. As we were talking Graham called, and I excused myself so I could answer the call. Nothing could have prepared me for what Graham was going to say to me.

“I was just hit by a truck.”

*click*

[in-tua-deep]

I'm like, ridiculously invested in the Lumberjack lesbian mom au, so I have a question and an idea that bounces off the question. Does she know they have powers? And then what if they were in the city and she (or some other probably child civilian) gets trapped in like... A burning building or something, and Five gets her out but people see him and Reginald actually does show up, following the rumors of potential Umbrella Academy kids so Ellie gets to make good on her threat😂

She does! But not at first, they keep that under wraps because they assume that if she figures out they’re The Umbrella Academy then she’ll send them back oof and they have Vanya’s inclusion to throw off the scent as well because there’s six umbrella academy kids and seven of them

but i mean Ellie wasn’t exactly born yesterday one of these little sucker’s name is Five and sometimes they call each other by numbers or - on rare occasions - their hero names (usually only when they’re sniping at one another but Luther occasionally does it out of habit)

and these kids have weird trauma that pops up oddly. Like the fact that when Ellie is first getting everyone dinner she expects them to be,, you know,,, kids. Descend upon the food like a pack of ravenous wolves. They’re seven thirteen-year-olds they might as well be feral little gremlins regarding food they’re still growing. But nope they all very quietly pile around Ellie’s shitty table where they had to drag in like four chairs from various spots around the house into a mishmash pile and quietly wait as Ellie piles food on her own plate and she’s like “??? what are y’all waiting for???” and ben just blinks and looks at her oddly and is like “uhhh you haven’t given us permission to eat?” and ellie is just like “shit chow down kids y’all don’t need permission” but they’re all still hesitant and luther is like “how,, how much are we permitted” and ellie is just “????? i mean make sure your siblings get some but if there’s any left and you’re still hungry you can always go back for seconds”

just klaus being wide eyed and all “What’s seconds?? wait you’re telling me that after we’re done we can go back and get MORE food? just like that?” and ellie’s heart is breaking and also she’s mentally looking at her budget again about feeding seven ravenous children and figuring she’ll teach the kids to fish and what in the forest is edible 

(she’ll figure out soon enough the kids already know, they’ve been living in the forest for a while before they came upon her and she adopted them, so ellie won’t have to worry too hard about feeding them when they come home with buckets full of blackberries and mud on their clothes)

but the point is that she’s pretty sure your average 13 yr old can’t help with the lumber with the amount of ease that Luther shows. She’s also pretty sure that the way the kids keep squirreling Vanya off into the woods is pretty suspect and so are the patches of woods where the trees are blown down like a localized tornado. Plus it’s hard not to notice that sometimes Five will go off in one direction and show up in another place entirely.

they think they’re being so sneaky about it

it’s probably five that gives it up in the end

they’re all gathered in front of the tv watching a movie with songs and dancing. Let’s say footloose because why not. Allison adores movies and dancing and all of that and will often make her siblings dance with her along with the characters and so they all have the furniture shoved back against the walls as they goof around. Ellie is sitting on the couch and Klaus is trying to teach her how to knit to no avail (he’s just much better at it than she is, she just doesn’t have the patience for this kind of thing - but then again she’d thought the same of Klaus but he seems to enjoy having something to keep his hands busy when he’s sitting with Clyde sprawled across his lap)

someone moves wrong and stumbles into someone else and they trip and hands go flailing and Five flinches but he’s had training at avoiding projectiles pounded into his head (and his flesh, bruises upon bruises and blood dripping down his lip) and so he does what comes naturally to him - he jumps before Diego can crash into him. Not far, just a few feet to the left as Diego crashes to the floor, but they all freeze because Five jumped

in front of Ellie

and Ellie is scowling at her knitting which she’s pretty sure she dropped a few stitches fucking somewhere and she isn’t sure where but she barely looks up she’s just like “No powers in the house” and jabs at something with a needle that might be picking up a stitch but might also be losing another one?

“What?” Allison blurts out, echoes by the others

Ellie looks up, “I mean, I don’t mind you kids using them out in the woods or anything but shit’s breakable in the house and we’re on a budget. We can negotiate when you’re older if you like.”

“you KNOW?” Diego asks, wide eyed and somewhat alarmed

“Diego.” Ellie says patiently, giving up and passing her knitting to an alarmed looking Klaus because really he’s good and if anyone can save whatever the fuck she managed to do it would be him, “Seven kids popped up outside my house. Six of which have the exact same names as the kids from the umbrella academy or whatever. Klaus literally had a nightmare the other night where he screamed about ghosts. And don’t think I didn’t see you throw that pinecone at your sister last week. Y’all aren’t exactly subtle.”

as though it didn’t take ellie fucking forever to put two and two together tbh like she figured out about the powers way before she figured out about the umbrella academy thing. She went to town and saw a gossip magazine with a picture of them all wondering why they hadn’t been seen in public (as if reginald is going to admit to them running away) and ellie was like ‘holy shiT’ at the time

“You didn’t say anything.” Vanya says, shakily

Ellie just shrugs again, “Well I figured y’all would come clean when you felt comfortable enough to. I’m glad you’re trusting me with this.”

“You aren’t going to send us back?” Five asks what they’re all thinking, and he’s shaking like a leaf, blue sparking across his hands like he wants to jump away and is only held back by sheer willpower

“Fuck no,” Ellie snorts, then frowns, “I mean uh, heck no. Don’t swear, kids. But like, your dad was clearly a piece of shit and I wouldn’t spit on him if he was on fire, let alone give him even a plant to take care of never mind seven kids.”

There’s a pause as they all digest that

“No powers in the house?” Ben confirms, because they’re all familiar with rules

“Like I said, breakable shit.” Ellie nods, “I trust y’all are being safe using them out in woods at least. Figuring out control is important, but I trust you guys to know what you’re doing. They’re your powers, after all. But - if you ever need me don’t hesitate to ask. I might be just an ordinary person, but I’ve got a trick or two up my sleeve.”

“You aren’t ordinary.” Vanya protests immediately, steel in her tone and by the way that all the others spines stiffen Ellie can figure she’s stepped on another landmine. There have been a couple, and Ellie keeps the ones she’s discovered written in a notebook in her room so she doesn’t forget (don’t jokingly put luther in charge, don’t turn off Klaus’s bedside lamp because he’s scared of the dark, don’t use the word rumor in any conversation ever, don’t mention the kids mother, telegraph her movements to five before touching him, and so on and so forth and now she can add ‘don’t use the word ordinary’ to the list as well), “You’re the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met.”

There’s another lull.

“What happens if we do use them? In the house?” Five asks, voice so very quiet that it’s almost lost as Kevin Bacon loudly says something to the Preacher on screen. 

and Ellie has to think about that, because she hasn’t really imposed any actual rules on the kids outside of like,, normal ones. Please be back before dark. Make sure everyone has something to eat, you can always go back for more if you’re still hungry. Pick up after yourself. The usual. And really, what can she do to punish a bunch of superpowered children, anyway?

So Ellie grins at them, “Then Clyde gets to sleep with me for the night.”

Immediately the tension is broken as the kids protest and cluster around to grab at Clyde dramatically. Clyde snorts awake but gives his tail some thumps at the attention even if he looks a little confused at why he’s receiving it. These days the little traitor sleeps with the kids who let him in their bed and cuddle him at night, all of them piled up on the mattresses that Ellie had thrown on the ground as they nest in the room that used to be her ‘office’ 

(she’s working on the extension to the house for them, but for now they have to share a bedroom. Not that they’ve complained about it, in face Ellie feels like she’s going to have to consult with them on what they want their sleeping arrangements to be in case they end up just wanting one giant bed to puppy pile on - which is fine for now but Ellie is pretty sure as they grow older they’re going to want their own spaces)

okay this got away from me i haven’t even looked at the second half of your ask

honestly if reginald did show up he’d knock on the door and Ellie would answer and then she’d squint at him when he demanded to see the children and would be like “oh hey it’s you ya motherfucker” and she’d be like “nope no kids here”

and reggie would point behind her to the family picture that ellie had taken a month ago that she loves because all the kids are smiling and laughing and ben is holding a frog and klaus is covered in mud and vanya has a leaf in her hair and luther’s pantlegs are soaking wet but it’s them and it’s wonderful and it’s her new favorite photo ever

and ellie looks him in the eye and deadpans, “haven’t gotten around to switching out the stock photo”

and reginald forces his way in and Ellie is maybe about two seconds away from fetching her wood chopping ax for Reasons and then the kids come back piling through the door loudly and raucously with laughs that die off when they see exactly who is in their living room, the front door still swinging open and Ellie looking coldly furious

even Clyde reads the mood and whines and there’s a loud growling grumble which absolutely does not come from Clyde but instead originates from the doorway leading deeper into the cabin where Marmalade/Orange Idiot stands with back arched as he bares his teeth at the intruder like the true guard cat he is

“Kids go to the other room.” Ellie says, and when they move to protest she puts her foot down with a “Now.” and a significant look because Vanya looks like a ghost all the blood has drained so fast from her face and Five is trembling and Klaus has tucked him and Ben behind Diego with wide frightened eyes and she knows the kids are going to eavesdrop but she wants them out of eyesight of their worst nightmare at the very least

Reginald is thankfully silent as the kids troop into the other room

“Clyde you go with them,” Ellie orders the dog, because those kids need as much comfort as they can get right not, and then she looks at the cat, “And Marm, you go too.” and hey her and Marm may not see eye to eye on most things but they both love the kids and Ellie feels like they have an understanding on the level of “if this ass goes into the room with the kids tear him a new asshole” and Marmalade sticks his tail in the air and hisses one more time at Reginald for good measure before trotting off as though he intended to exit the entire time

and Reginald says something about the kids returning and picking up their training pronto and Ellie just cuts him off

“Sir Asshat.” She says, ignoring the small gasp because her kids are not subtle, “I’m going to be straight with you - why the fuck do you think you’re walking out of here with any of those kids.”

and Reginald draws himself up and is like “They are my children. I made them what they are.”

“You traumatized a bunch of perfectly good kids is what you did.” Ellie says, “Look at them. They have anxiety. But that’s not what I’m getting at - though I don’t quite count buying them as being yours to begin with they’re children not furniture - but what I’m getting at is: how are you going to make them?”

and Reginald looks startled

“Those kids in there,” Ellie jabs a finger towards the wall, “Are extraordinary. And on top of that, they have powers the likes of which I’ve never seen before. And you think you, Mr. Hargreeves, are a match for them? If they decide to really go against you? You think you can force them to do anything they don’t want to do?”

She jabs a finger at Reginald’s chest, forcing him to take a step back. Because he came here thinking he had all the power, because he’s a powerful man and money talks. But not here it doesn’t. Not in Ellie’s grandmother’s cabin, in her neck of the woods, not when she has seven children behind her and the man who still gives them nightmares in front of her.

Ellie bares her teeth in what might generously be called a smile if it didn’t look too much like she wanted to tear Reginald’s throat out. “You are very lucky, Mr. Hargreeves. Because if I was in those kids shoes? There wouldn’t be anyone left to come looking for me, you know? You want that luck to hold, don’t you Mr. Hargreeves?”

“Are you threatening me?” Reginald demands, but looks unnerved. And he invaded her home, wants to take her kids away, wiped the smiles off of her kids faces and left them quiet and trembling and afraid just with one glance at them.

“No, sir.” Ellie tells him, “Just pointing out a truth is all. Now Mr. Hargreeves, I’ll even do you a favor and give you another truth for free. You see, you’re going to turn around and get the hell off of my property. You’re going to leave my kids alone, and never darken my doorstep again. You’re going to go back to your sad, miserable, lonely little life and you are never even going to think in the direction of my kids ever again. Do you understand?”

“I could have you arrested!” Reginald says severely, drawing himself up. 

Ellie crosses her arms and looks to the side, where all the kids are now hovering in the doorway and watching this clash between the two adults. “Kids,” Ellie says, mild as milk, “If I were arrested would you bust me out?”

“Yeah.” Luther says, and the fact that’s it’s Luther who answers and has his face set in stone as he turns towards Ellie as if Reginald isn’t in the room. And Ellie is so fucking proud of him it hurts, “Of course we would.”

Ellie nods, “So you see, Mr. Hargreeves, the thing about family is that if you mess with one you mess with all. And I don’t think you really want to mess with us.”

And Reginald turns sharply to the door, cane flashing in the light and Ellie can see the kids flinch back and is kind of regretting not just going straight for the wood ax or maybe one of the kitchen knives or hey maybe just using her fists and going to town she’s pretty sure she can take this pasty old man

and reginald leaves and maybe he vows to return and ellie calmly tells him that if he shows up again she’ll consider him a trespasser and deal with him accordingly

and then he drives off and ellie goes back inside and the kids huddle around her and she sweeps them into her arms and presses kisses on their heads and cheeks and wipes away Vanya’s tears with one hand as she presses Klaus’s sobbing face into her shoulder and she promises them that she’ll never let them go back to their father’s care no matter what

even if that means taking the kids and running

“But your grandmother’s cabin - ” Ben starts, swiping a hand over his own tearstained face as Ellie reaches out to him

“Nana would understand.” Ellie tells him simply, “She’s dead, you’re alive. You come first over any silly little cabin, you hear?”

and that night everyone piles into Ellie’s room instead of going to their own, pressing against one another in a tangle of limbs that Ellie already knows is going to have her waking in the middle of the night sweating like a don’t know what but she can’t bring herself to protest not even why clyde hops in and so does the demon cat who she will never admit she likes

“If he comes back I’m going to kill him.” Ellie says, thoughtful as the kids settle around her, “You kids would help me bury the body, right?”

“If we killed him, do you think we could go rescue Mom?” Diego asks quietly, and Ellie is suddenly turning in bed because the kids only mentioned their mother once and then shut down entirely any other time ellie asked

“We don’t have to wait, sweetheart.” Ellie says, all thoughtful and maybe just a little bit vengeful and petty, “Tell me about your mom in the morning?”

and the kids snuggle closer and nod

and okay later when Ellie finally meets Grace she can admit that she expected an older woman around Reginald’s age not this lovely young woman with her 60s style skirt and her smile and oh she’s a robot?? okay yeah that makes sense there’s no way this literal angel of perfection could possibly be a mortal to begin with

yeah ellie might be fucked

[wayward-wayfinder]

“Yes, I’m aware. Your point?”

Prompt number: 6

Fandom: All For The Game / The Foxhole Court

Rating: G

Warnings/Tags: N/A

Now on AO3!

They appeared in the locker room after the last game of the season, long after everyone else had gone home.

Neil tightened his grip on his racquet, eyes darting around the room subconsciously. There was only one exit, the one that the stranger (he didn’t recognize him, that meant he was safe, it wasn’t his father’s people, he was safe) had walked through. If it had just been him, Neil might have tried to make a run for it.

The sight of Kevin Day following him, though, had frozen Neil in his tracks.

Kevin looked around Millport’s locker room, sneer set firmly on his face. Neil recognized that look, even still. Not good enough, he read in Kevin’s eyes. He had no attachment to Millport, not really, but he bristled anyway.

“Who are you?”

The stranger looked at Neil, then tapped the thick manila folder under his arm. “David Wymack. The other one over there is Kevin Day– Kevin, get that look off of your face,” he said, voice rumbly and low and for some reason, Neil wanted so much to like it. “We’re here to recruit you.”

“No one recruits from Millport. Not even the Foxes,” Neil replied, stiffening even more when Wymack tossed the folder onto the bench near him, Neil Josten written with a heavy hand in sharpie on the front. “What are you really doing here.”

It was then that Kevin finally spoke up, tearing his eyes away from the chipping locker paint. “What do you mean, ‘what are we really doing here’? What other reason would we be here for?” He scoffed, then. Neil really wanted to hit him. “You’re the only one worth a damn on this pathetic team. You’re coming to the foxes.”

Maybe it was Kevin’s tone. Scratch that, Neil thought, it was completely Kevin’s tone that made him want to swing his racquet in the other boy’s face. “I’m not, though. I was never planning to play collegiate. This was just for fun.” His mind raced, while he tried to keep his expression neutral. Kevin Day had been signed to the Palmetto State Foxes? 

“You are,” Kevin argued, taking a step closer towards Neil. “You need us.”

Not, ‘we need you’. 

Kevin didn’t know how right he was, but the Foxes were unattainable. Maybe, in another life, if Kevin Day hadn’t ever signed to them. But now, there was too much attention there, nowhere to hide. Wymack had come bearing the one gift that Neil both wanted more than anything in the world, but also the one thing that he could never accept.

What would his mother think, if he did?

Neil stood up quickly then, shaking his head firmly. “No. I don’t. I’m not signing with you.” He stepped towards the door then.

“Yes, you are–” Kevin began, but Neil didn’t stick around to hear anything else.

He bolted, dropping his racquet, leaving his bag behind in the locker room. He’d run, he could be back to the house in thirty, he could steal a car and be on the road within the hour and it would be like he was never there–

The only warning Neil got was a glint of bright orange in the lights of the hallway, and then he was on the ground, chest aching like he had taken a gunshot in it. There was some gasping, choking noise, and as the ringing in his ears slowly died down, Neil realized that it was himself.

“Dammit, Minyard!” Wymack’s voice thundered down the empty hallway. “You could have benched him for the rest of the season with that move!”

“Yes, I’m aware,” The voice came from somewhere to Neil’s right, and it took an enormous amount of effort to reign in his breath, and turn. “Your point? He was almost out of here, and I bet from the look on his face we wouldn’t be able to track him down if he had gotten free.”

All of five feet tall, blond Andrew Minyard hovered in Neil’s vision, face unnaturally blank. Neil knew him, of course. The only one to ever turn down the Edgar Allen Ravens.

Neil wheezed again, when Wymack pulled him to his feet. “You ok there, Josten?” The older man didn’t wait for an answer. “I didn’t fly three people out here to the middle of nowhere to not even get a damn word in edgewise. Are you going to listen?”

It was still hard to breathe, but Neil shot him a resigned glare. 

“It works that you’re all the way out here. No one knows we’re here, not the school, not the board. There’s a confidentiality clause in your contract. No one’s going to know you’re with us until the season starts in August, and you’re settled in on the campus.”

Wymack was talking like Neil had already agreed, rather than him having done the exact opposite, and for a tiny, brief second Neil let Wymack’s words slip into his brain. He let himself imagine playing on the collegiate level, to be able to play exy as much as he wanted, to be a part of the team… 

His mother would have killed him for even thinking about it.

“I can’t,” Neil began, voice ragged. “I just can’t.”

“You can,” Wymack said.

Neil looked at Kevin, who’s eyes showed no recognition. “It’s a bad idea.”

Wymack shoved a stack of papers in Neil’s face, the manila folder that Neil had thought had been left behind. “Are you going to start signing stuff now?”

Neil looked at the stapled papers, the name Neil Josten in bold, slightly different type than the rest of the document, and closed his eyes briefly. 

“I have to ask my mom,” he finally said, and if his voice broke just a little on the last word, Wymack didn’t say anything.

“You’re nineteen, right?” On paper, yes, but Neil wasn’t going to contradict the falsified papers that he had used to enroll at Millport. “What do you need her permission for?”

“I just have to discuss it with her first.”

“She’ll be happy.” Oh, if only Wymack knew, Neil thought.

“Maybe,” Neil replied, finally taking the offered contract, staring down at the printed words like they might disappear any second. 

“Do you need us to talk to her? Or your dad?” Wymack asked, looking down at Neil with narrowed eyes. He flicked a cool look at Andrew and Kevin, before flicking his fingers at them. “You two, in the car. We’ll be out in a minute.”

Kevin opened his mouth to protest, but an aborted swing at his abdomen by a smiling Andrew quelled all fight he had in him. He shot Neil an indecipherable look before heading for the exit, Minyard following without another look back.

“Your coach mentioned that he thought you were sleeping here, rather than your house. That have anything to do with getting your mother’s permission? Are they going to be a problem, Josten?”

“No,” Neil replied, still staring down at the line that awaited his signature. “They won’t be a problem.”

Wymack clapped him on the shoulder then, a heavy gesture that bent Neil’s knees just a little. “Welcome to the lineup, Josten.”

He left then in search of Neil’s coach, leaving Neil to hold his contract like it was a bomb, saying some words about having Hernandez fax it over on Monday that went in one ear and out the other. 

He was signed to the Palmetto State Foxes, or he would be soon enough.

Oh, if she were alive his mother would kill him.

[vanillaflavour81]

Prompt: Kevin thinks Joaquin is dead and he suddenly appears at his door

Joaquin was dead, and it took two months for Kevin to find out. No one had told him. They had wanted to protect him they said. And when he finally found out, it was by accident. A phone call Betty was having with Jughead, which Kevin overheard.His world crumbled. Nothing his friends said to him, helped. Kevin had already thought he was at rock bottom after his rollercoaster relationship with Moose and their night together, which was interrupted by that weird ass Gargoyle King act Moose’s dad pulled, and then having to hear Moose say goodbye and leaving town.But finding out that Joaquin had been killed, was the worst thing Kevin ever had to encounter. He broke down completely.At first, he was in a state of denial. After that came the anger. Anger at his so-called friends and Joaquin’s so-called family who hadn’t found it necessary to tell Kevin that his first love had died. They could say a thousand times that they had done it because they didn’t want to hurt Kevin, it didn’t make it better. He knew now, and there was no going back, and he would have just wished to know from the start. During that phase, Kevin took the truck and drove to the Serpent camp. He marched over to Sweet Pea and Fangs, and before either of them could even say hello, Kevin punched Sweet Pea so hard that the Serpent stumbled back against Fangs, almost sending them both to the ground.“This is for not telling me about Joaquin!”He spat the words out, tears running down his face, his fist still up in the air, ready for the next punch. He wanted to hurt them, felt like this would give him some peace at least. In the end, Sweet Pea and Fangs pinned him down, needing all their combined strength to do so. And Fangs started to explain to Kevin. Told him how they had interrogated Joaquin, how bad Fangs had felt about it to see his old friend in such a terrified state. How guilty he had felt after letting Joaquin go again. And then they had found him. Fangs started to cry when telling Kevin about the moment they had seen Joaquin on the Serpent’s throne with blue lips. They had put a blanket over him, both not able to bear the sight any longer. And after Jughead had seen him, they had carried Joaquin to the back of the camp and hid him there.They had panicked and griefed and didn’t know what to do. Toni had helped them, after breaking down herself too. But she had always been the voice of reason, the one who was the smartest of the whole gang. She told them that they would just give Joaquin a small funeral here in the woods. He wouldn’t have to go through an autopsy, he should stay here with the only family he ever had and rest in peace.

The next morning, when they returned to the place they had hidden Joaquin’s body, they found the blanket, but no Joaquin. It had been the next shock. They assumed that the Gargoyles had come back in the night and took him with them.

“We would have told you, Kevin. We wouldn’t have buried him without you. But since there wasn’t a funeral, we thought it was best to just let you assume he had left town.”All strength left Kevin upon hearing that. There wasn’t even a grave, nowhere he could go to say goodbye to Joaquin. No place where he could visit him and feel close to him.After days of crying, Kevin went on with his everyday life, but he was running on autopilot, get up, shower, go to school, eat, stare into space thinking about Joaquin, sleep.And all the thinking brought Kevin always back to one thing: Gryphons and Gargoyles. The reason why Joaquin was dead. Kevin pulled out his G&G handbook and began to read it once again, needing to find out everything he could about this game, which had killed his first love. Maybe he could find a clue, an answer to all his questions. An explanation for why Joaquin had to die.Kevin got deeper and deeper into G&G. But he didn’t find any answers. And how could there be any, he concluded. This game was pure evil. It had killed Joaquin, who definitely hadn’t deserved this. The truth was, Kevin felt guilty. He should have searched more for Joaquin, should have put more effort into it. Maybe he could have saved him! If he had just found Joaquin, he could have protected him from the game. But Kevin had been too busy helping other people… And so Kevin felt responsible now for bringing an end to this game. He owed that to Joaquin. And that was how Kevin became obsessed with G&G.He completed quest after quest, always looking for a way to outsmart the game. He knew that the people who had been dressing up as the Gargoyle King hadn’t been the real one. There was someone else, who was managing all of this and Kevin had to find out who.It was another quiet night of re-reading the G&G handbook for the probably hundredth time when the doorbell rang and startled Kevin out of his thoughts. He sat up and blinked several times. Who could it be? He wasn’t expecting anyone. Kevin went downstairs and cautiously opened the door a little bit, peeking out.What he saw almost gave him a heart attack: Joaquin!

Kevin yanked the door open and stared at his ex-boyfriend, who he had thought was dead. But Joaquin certainly didn’t look like a ghost or some other fantasy construct Kevin’s mind had made up. He looked pale and tired but definitely very alive.

“Wh… what… Joaquin?”“Yes, it’s me Preppy…”Kevin lunged for Joaquin and pulled him into his arms, hugging him so tightly that they both gasped for air. But he didn’t want to loosen his hold on Joaquin, scared that he would just disappear again if Kevin let go of him.He was shaking and realized that his cheeks were wet from tears,“Oh god… Joaquin, I thought you are dead…”“I know. I am so sorry.”Kevin pulled away a bit so he could look at Joaquin and he saw tears streaming down his face too. Joaquin looked so distraught. It was apparent that he had to go through too much.Kevin gulped hard, and slowly stepped back, pulling Joaquin with him so they could go into the house.He locked the door behind them and quickly hugged Joaquin again. He had a thousand questions and a thousand things he wanted to tell Joaquin, but he wasn’t able to form any words.Joaquin was the one who started talking after a short time, his breath ghosting over Kevin’s neck, so warm and comforting, so alive.“Kevin I came here to warn you. Please, you have to stop playing G&G! It’s dangerous. I need to know that you are safe! Please promise me you will stop.”It hit Kevin hard to hear those words. After all this time, after everything that had happened, Joaquin’s biggest concern was still to protect Kevin. He had literally come back from the dead to warn his ex-boyfriend about the dangers of this game. Kevin looked at him, and he saw that Joaquin was shaking.“Joaquin.. shhh it’s ok. It’s ok…I am alright. I was just playing it because I wanted to find out why you died, and put an end to the game that killed you. I will stop now.”Joaquin slumped against Kevin, Kevin had to hold him up, so he didn’t fall. He was weak and injured Kevin realized, and he seemed much thinner than the last time Kevin had seen him. Kevin quickly helped Joaquin walk over to the couch and made him lie down.Fresh tears were welling up in Joaquin’s blue eyes, which still looked beautiful despite being so haunted. Joaquin grabbed Kevin’s hand and held it.“I am so sorry for everything Kevin.”“You don’t have to be sorry. But… what happened? How is it possible that you are still alive?”“Can.. can we talk about that later? I am too exhausted. The only thing that matters is that I overheard a Gargoyle Gang meeting and they were talking about the people who completed quests and were close to ascension, and your name came up. I had to come here after that to warn you.”

Joaquin was shaking again, and his voice sounded scared when he added softly,

“It was the first time I left my hiding place for such a long time. Usually, I just stayed in the woods. I was so scared they would catch me on my way here.”Kevin could see how terrified Joaquin was. He reached out to stroke Joaquin’s hair.“You are safe here, Joaquin. I will help you and take care of you. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”Joaquin drew in a shaky breath, his eyes flickering to the ceiling and then back to Kevin.“No.. I don’t want to drag you into this. I just came here to tell you to stop playing G&G. I will go back into hiding. Maybe you could give me a ride to the bus station? I could take a bus back to San Junipero.”“No! What are you talking about? Look at you! You aren’t in the state to go anywhere. I won’t let you. I will take care of you, Joaquin. It will be ok.”“I don’t want to be a burden to you.”“You will never be a burden to me. I couldn’t live with myself, knowing I just let you go out there on your own. I felt so guilty because I didn’t invest more time into searching for you after we met during the jailbreak. I will not make the same mistake again!”

“You were looking for me?”

“Yes of course I was! I went after you, but you were already too far ahead. And I searched the woods for you after that, but I didn’t do it often enough. I felt like it was my fault that you died.”

“No Kevin, please don’t think that. It’s not true. And you have no idea how much it means to me, that you were looking for me at all.”

Joaquin sat up and looked deeply into Kevin’s eyes. He seemed to be more himself now, and it managed to reassure Kevin that things could be ok again.

“Listen, Joaquin, you are injured and on the run from a crazy Gargoyle King and it doesn’t feel right to let you go somewhere all on your own. Please stay here with me and let me help you. You will be safe in my house. Is that ok? Will you stay? Please?”Kevin bit his lip while waiting for Joaquin’s answer. He was ready to convince Joaquin to stay, hell he was ready to lock him in here to keep him from going out there again and run into the next dangerous situation.But he didn’t have to do that, because a flicker of a smile appeared on Joaquin’s face and he nodded and whispered:“Yes, Preppy. I will stay with you. I will let you save me. Thank you.”

Thank you so much for the prompt! ❤

Tag-list:  @inspiredbynewt  @love-joaquin-and-kevin @rik-raq-jo-gonzo1186@mebeingateenager @sa5nthunderheadrev @theheavycrown

[rebelminxy]

EVERGARDEN-Chapter 3

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Alessa Clyde (NoVa) x Dean Winchester

A/N: Aesthetic was made by @riversong-sam! No beta until further notice. Our sweet @bees0are0awesome​ is busy with her own pieces and I ask everyone to send her some positive vibes as she creates her beautiful works of art! So any mistakes are my own.

SERIES MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST

“Why did you go and make a deal like that?!” Sam demanded as he watched his brother pack.

           NoVa had given them the rest of the day to get their affairs settled and to be ready to leave at dawn. Sam had left the room mad when NoVa agreed to Dean’s conditions and he hadn’t left his room since, until now. It was dark out and everyone was in bed, but Dean took this moment to pack and get everything settled. He wasn’t sure if they would ever come back so he planned on writing a sort of will after he finished packing. Yet here was his baby brother demanding things.

“I can take care of myself, Dean! I don’t need you making deals for me.”

“You know I’m only looking out for you, Sam! If things get nasty, and they will, I would rather you make it out than risk both our lives!”

“Then why don’t we do our best so both of us can survive.”

“You know how battles are, remember the Uprising?”

“That was a small fight outside of town…”

“Yet I was so close to losing you!”

           Sam looked down at his feet as Dean raised his voice.

“I was seconds away from losing you. I am not going through that fear again,” Dean said calmly, but his body was shaking from anger. “I only have you and the thought of you dying just makes me want to die as well.”

“And you don’t think I feel the same way? That I am afraid of losing my only brother and live this world out alone?”

“But you have a future if this ever ends. All I have is the shop dad left us. You can do something with your life once we are out of here.”

“Yeah, but it won’t be a life without my brother by my side.”

           Dean slid his hand down his face, wishing his brother would understand. It was his job to take care of Sam, their father always made it clear. But Dean couldn’t ignore Sam’s fear of being alone. He sighed and closed his bag, throwing it on the floor to sit on his bed.

“I promise, we will do our best to both make it out alive. But promise me, don’t risk your life to save mine.”

“Then promise me the same.”

“You know I can’t.”

“Then don’t ask me that then,” Sam stated, looking back up at his brother.

           Dean sighed and patted the bed next to him, Sam quickly going to sit down. They sat there for a few minutes in silence before Dean got up and went over to his desk.

“Help me make some kind of will to leave behind for Charlie and Kevin. If we don’t make it out of this, we at least gotta leave them the shop and everything.”

“You know no one cares about that.”

“Yeah but, if NoVa really wants us on her team then she will make sure what’s in this letter comes true.”

           Sam got up and walked over to his brother, kneeling on the floor as he nodded his head.

“Alright, let’s get everything settled then.”

=============================================================

           At the crack of dawn, Sam and Dean walked out onto the street in front of the shop to see NoVa and the soldiers with her standing there, waiting. Charlie and Kevin walked out with Garth, he arrived during the night after Charlie sent him a message about the boys going off with NoVa. Dean was angry at him riding out at night, but Garth made it clear he couldn’t let them go without wishing them well.

           Dean walked up to the trio and smiled at them.

“Charlie, since you were my assistant, I expect you to keep the shop running.”

“Gotcha.”

“And just because we are leaving doesn’t mean you can keep the house a complete pigsty. And make sure you eat three times a day. I won’t be here to cook but that doesn’t give you an excuse to skip meals.”

“We promise to behave while you are gone Dad,” laughed Kevin, causing Dean to smile wider.

“Here,” Dean handed the envelope to Charlie. “Keep this somewhere safe. It’s our will, of sorts. If anything…”

“Dean,” Charlie began to whine.

“IF anything happens to us, this should help you three keep everything. I know things are different, but this is a just in case when things go back to normal. You three are the only ones we trust with what our dad left us. And best pass it on to family.”

           The trio stared at Dean, trying their best to hold back their tears. Garth was the first to move forward and pull Dean into a hug. After he let Dean go, Kevin went in for a hug, his tears already flowing. Once Kevin broke free, Charlie went in for a hug.

“Gonna miss you the most, little sister I never wanted.”

“Shut up, you love me, idiot.”

           Dean and Charlie burst out in laughter, letting each other go to see Garth and Kevin pulling Sam into a big hug. Once the three broke free from their hug, Charlie burst into tears and ran towards Sam, pouncing into his arms as he lifted her. She cried into his neck, Sam rubbing her back in comfort. She moved back, looking into his eyes.

“Swear to me you will both come back safe and sound.”

“I swear we will do our best to come back to y’all,” Sam whispered as Charlie placed her forehead against his.

           Dean watched as the two hugged it out, his eyes eventually falling onto NoVa who looked slightly uncomfortable, avoiding looking up as Sam and Charlie said their goodbyes. Once the three backed away to watch the group leave, NoVa walked over to Sam and Dean with three horses by the reigns. There was another horse, but only the young boy was on it. She handed Sam and Dean the reigns to two horses and moved to climb hers. Once all four were up and ready to ride, NoVa pointed at one of the soldiers and he moved forward.

“Make sure you protect this town until reinforcements arrive. I will be sending a group of 30 to assist in any way need be. Charlie shall be your commander until further notice.”

           The soldier bowed and walked away, standing next to Charlie, who had a look of surprise on her face. Dean and Sam face NoVa who shrugged her shoulders.

“You asked for protection and this is the best I can do until I send more men. They are apt enough and I plan on sending back soldiers who can help outside of just protection. Garth mentioned last night how he was searching for helping hands, a few of our soldiers have experience in farming.”

“Thank you, NoVa,” Dean replied.

“I keep my promises, Winchester, never backing off my word.”

           NoVa, guided her horse forward and stopped next to the young boy. She then turned to look behind her at the brothers and smiled.

“By the way, this is Ben. Just like you are protective of your brother, I care for Ben the same way. So, if ever an emergency, you make sure Ben lives.”

           Dean and Sam nodded in agreement, getting a wide smile from NoVa before she turned back to look in front of her. She tilted her head to acknowledge Ben and they both motioned their horses to start walking, keeping their stride at a slow pace. Sam and Dean did the same, turning to look back and wave at their friends. They didn’t know how long it would be until the saw them again, hoping it would be soon and alive.

=============================================================

           After a long day of riding, the group of four finally made it to the next town over before nightfall. NoVa insisted they stay at a local inn, getting rest before they continued their ride.

“If we continue the pace we did today,” NoVa stated as they ate dinner. “We should make it to the Tree in two weeks.”

“Shouldn’t we rush then?” asked Sam. “The sooner we get there the faster we can get to helping in the fights.”

“Before my group found you, we had received notice that they still hadn’t found the weakness of the third boss. The farthest they had gotten is a few monsters guarding the boss. The last group to reach the boss died after being in the room only a few minutes, a risk not worth taking again.”

“How many have died during boss battles?” Dean asked

“Too many, I’m afraid,” NoVa stated with a sad look in her eyes. “We have tried our best to keep the loss of life at a small amount, but because most of our soldiers aren’t all fighting experienced, well you can imagine what happens there. That is why we are regrouping and finding the best of the best. And testing the limits of the boss.”

“And how are you testing the limits?” asked Sam. “I mean, having to find weaknesses means you have to fight it.”

           NoVa shook her head before taking a piece of bread from her plate.

“We have found a way to connect to the room’s computer. We can hack only so far, but our guys are able to search in the code for any possible weakness. That’s how we got through the first two once we figured it out. Of course, before we found this method, we did lose many lives.”

“So, your guys can hack the computer of each room? Why not use that on the entire system itself?” Dean pushed with annoyance.

“It’s not that simple,” piped up Ben. “The main system is up at the top of the tree. NoVa tried to use the second boss room to see if she could hack the main system from it. But it came at a risk.”

           Ben looked down at his plate as NoVa moved her hand to rub his back.

“What risk?”

“Nothing impor…” Nova began.

“As she got closer to the system's firewalls, her life bar began to go down,” Ben interrupted as he looked at the brothers. “She was about to hit her last level of red when the guys pulled her out. She was so close to breaking through, but it was killing her in the process.”

“Wait, how…” began Sam.

“The rooms aren’t built with a computer right next to it. There is a block where the boss stands waiting for players to go in. Once the boss is defeated, we found that the block isn’t just a piece of metal. Underneath is a system that controls the room and boss. With that system, we are able to search for any weaknesses with the next boss. It takes a bit of time being that the boss is behind a very large firewall, but once broken we can examine the boss and find a way to defeat it. The only way connecting to it is by…well mentally.”

           Sam and Dean gave her confused looks, letting her know they didn’t understand.

“You see, only those that have modified bodies can connect. Basically, it’s like a VR system. You connect your mind to the system and you can see everything inside. Of course, the only way to do this is if you have a modified part on your body. I connect via my leg, the wires to my nerves and then it pulls me into a deep dive. Once I am in, I can work with the code and figure out what’s behind each wall,” NoVa sighed as she continued. “But when I tried reaching the main system from the second-floor room, it began to drain my lifeline, almost killing me. If we can at least make it up to ten more floors, I think I can reach the main system from there, hack through the firewalls placed and survive the trip.”

“So, you are willing to risk your life to not reach the final floor?”

           NoVa looked at Dean as if he were crazy.

“One life is worth losing than the possible millions that will cease to exist if we don’t end this trap soon. Plus, imagine the lives we wouldn’t have to risk just to defeat a boss. We have only gotten two floors cleared and have lost so many lives doing so. I am sick and tired of just standing on the sidelines. Something needs to be done!”

           Ben flinched as NoVa yelled out. Dean watched her carefully, noticing how serious she was. Sam stared intently, seeing her determination.

“If I die to get everyone out of this hellhole, then so be it. But I am tired of picking up and burying bodies.”

           Dean nodded in response.

“Gotta give you props for determination,” Sam said as he called over the waitress.

           As NoVa relaxed, Sam ordered a round of shots for the three of them and a glass of water for Ben. Once the shots and water were given, Sam raised the small glass up, waiting for the others to do the same.

“Cheers for a woman who strives to do her best and is willing to give up her life for us bastards.”

           NoVa smiled as they cheered, swallowing down the whiskey in one gulp.

=============================================================

           Dean wrapped himself in his blanket on his bed, a room he was sharing with Sam. NoVa got them the only two rooms available, getting one for her and Ben. Once both brothers were in their beds, Dean turned out the lights and tried his best to fall asleep. But NoVa was stuck on his mind. Her determination to end all this, her willingness to sacrifice her life for others, it made him admire her even more.

“Dean, you asleep?”

“Nah, can’t.”

           Sam huffed, his low laughter being heard in the silent room.

“She is something.”

“NoVa?” asked Dean. “Yeah, she really is. Crazy, but something.”

“So I am assuming she caught your eye too?”

“Yeah. I know she got you too, Sammy, saw the way you looked at her back home.”

“I mean, in just a day or so, she has impressed me so much. After that PK attack, I can see why she is called the Red Death. All you see is her red cape as she flies between her enemies.”

“Yeah, and no wonder she is second in command.”

“Nice of her to watch over that kid, but still kinda makes me wonder how she found him in the first place,” Sam added. “I mean, there are dozens of kids that have lost their parents, but this kid, she protects with her life.”

“Must be more to the story that they don’t want to reveal.”

           They shared a silence for a bit, before Sam continued.

“Are you afraid?”

“Honestly, yeah. You?” Dean replied as he looked up at the dark ceiling.

“Deadly.”

“We will make it though, we have to. For mom and dad’s sake. We still gotta find out why they died.”

“Yeah, just… I can’t help but fear what we are walking in to. I mean, its twenty floors and only two have been cleared out. That means that it’s going to get harder the farther we go.”

“We got this Sam, and if anything, NoVa will have to let us go when we say we wanna go. By the looks of it, she needs us.”

“But why us? We aren’t top 5 players, hell it was a miracle we made it to top ten for a guild.”

“Not sure, but something must have made her want us with her. I mean, we are complete strangers, yet she begged for us to come with her.”

“That’s what has me worried, seriously why us?”

“We will find out soon, Sam. She can’t keep quiet forever.”

“Alright, well, night. Gotta get some sleep since she wants us moving at the crack of dawn.”

“Ugh, I will never get used to this whole waking up early.”

“Well get used to it,” laughed Sam. “Soldiers always wake up super early to train and stuff. At least all we do is ride a horse.”

“You’re right,” Dean rumbled back. “Alright, g’night Sammy.”

“Night,” replied Sam. “And it’s Sam.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

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